Episode 2
My whole body aches.
Well, that’s no surprise.
It felt like I was struck by lightning—on par with Astrafe’s thunderbolt.
Every muscle in my body, even my brain, felt like it had been scorched.
The relentless pain made it tempting to give up on life, but I didn’t.
[Your level has increased.]
I leveled up, collected items, achieved feats…
And finally, defeated the roaring, greedy golden dragon.
“Huff!”
My consciousness returned.
It had been a dream.
No, I really had conquered First.
But it took another dream of conquering it again to wake me up.
When I opened my eyes—
“Hey, man!”
Someone beside me shouted in shock, leaning close to my face.
A familiar face.
Of course it was.
“…Kang Juhyuk?”
“You remember me?! Whoaaa! Nurse! No, doctor! He’s awake! He’s come to his senses!”
Kang Juhyuk.
He was one of the few—
No, my only—friend.
I looked around to understand the situation. I was in a hospital.
Naturally so, given I’d been electrocuted.
I tried to sit up to check the date, but—
“Huh…?”
My body wouldn’t move.
No, it moved slightly—but my muscles were too weak, still affected by the electrocution.
I looked down and saw my limbs—emaciated to skin and bone.
“What the—?”
Even though I’d lived like a shut-in gamer, my body had never been this frail.
I’d always believed gaming was also a battle of stamina, so I made time to exercise.
So what happened? Could an electric shock really do this to someone?
While I panicked, I noticed a news broadcast on the TV across from me.
-
The true virtual reality game.
-
It’s already been two years since “Second” launched.
-
Developed by The Number Entertainment, “Second” remains the top virtual reality game worldwide…
On the upper right corner of the news screen, I saw a date.
And that number clearly meant—
“I’ve been unconscious for three years?”
Three years after the date I remembered.
Meaning I had been in a coma for three years.
While I was still trying to process the shock—
“Hey hey hey! You’re really awake, right? The doctor’s on the way! How many fingers am I holding up? Hey! Yo!”
Kang Juhyuk waved two fingers in front of me.
He was being chaotic, but I couldn’t focus.
No wonder.
“First…”
“Yeah, I get it, it’s overwhelming. But seriously, what are the odds you’d wake up just as I came to visit? I should’ve dropped by more often. But wait…”
“They made a sequel to First!?”
Forget the date.
The newscaster had just mentioned “Second,” which was none other than the sequel to First, developed by The Number Entertainment.
* * *
I eventually heard the whole story.
As I’d suspected, I was electrocuted and had been in a coma for three years.
Thankfully, the capsule manufacturer admitted fault and paid a generous settlement, covering my hospital bills.
Well, more of a hush money payout than proper compensation.
“Hey, are you sure about this? The hospital wants to monitor you longer.”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t push it! What if you suddenly collapse again?”
“They said I’m stable. Better to go out and jog a bit than rot in a hospital bed.”
I was discharged.
Luckily, my body had no major issues, and after a bit of rehab, I was cleared to leave.
I was still weak, but the rehab had helped rebuild my strength a bit.
To fully recover, though, I’d have to keep training.
After leaving the hospital, I was able to rent a small one-room apartment with the remaining settlement money.
“Dude, what is this place? Can you actually live here?”
“It’s not that different from my old place.”
“True. I still remember being shocked when I visited before. How did you live with just a capsule and a bed?”
I entered my new room.
A modest studio, but compared to where I lived before, it was practically spacious.
It even came fully furnished.
And in the middle of the room—
“Whoa, what’s that! You bought that?”
“They sent it as a token of appreciation. Separate from the settlement.”
“From the capsule company? Can’t we squeeze more out of them? I mean, you were in a coma for three years!”
“They’re gone. Got bought out by Second.”
“What? Then this capsule…?”
“Came from Second.”
At the center of the room was a capsule.
Not the old one I used to have, but a newer model made specifically for Second.
As I stood in front of it, Kang Juhyuk asked, reading my mind:
“You’re gonna play?”
“Of course.”
“Aren’t you scared? You were in a coma because of First, remember?”
“Well, thanks to that, I didn’t have to wait for Second to release.”
“Damn, you’re something else.”
The second true virtual reality game, Second.
I had no reason not to play.
Up until three years ago—or by my memory, just a few weeks ago—First was my entire life.
Now that it’s shut down, I had nowhere else to go.
“Well, go all in then. I’ll help however I can.”
“You’re playing too?”
“Of course. Everyone’s on Second these days. Even people who don’t like fighting enjoy it for hobbies.”
“Hobbies?”
“Fishing, cooking… Some people even study better in Second.”
“Seriously? In a game?”
“This isn’t First. It’s on a whole different level.”
Apparently, Juhyuk played too.
Not surprising—these days, Second was so widespread that not playing was the exception.
“That’s good to hear.”
“What is?”
“If it’s that popular, it should be easy to make money, right?”
“Wait, are you seriously trying to earn money in Second?”
“That’s the plan.”
During rehab, I had thoroughly researched Second.
Korea’s—no, the world’s—top virtual reality game.
It was so successful, many people made a living from it.
You could call them “dark gamers.”
Once I confirmed that, I made up my mind.
I was going to start Second.
“Actually, now that you mention it, it’s not a bad idea. Loads of people are doing well thanks to Second.”
“Really?”
“Totally. And weren’t you First’s top-ranked player? You’ll adapt in no time.”
Since Second was First’s sequel, I wanted to play it anyway.
‘It’s worth doing.’
I was First’s number one player.
If Second was its sequel, I had a solid chance of becoming a successful dark gamer.
Sure, two years had passed since its launch, but I was confident I could catch up.
“Call me if things get rough. I’ve got some clout in Second, believe it or not.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Hey! I’m serious!”
“Let me guess. You’re still a martial artist? Always yelling ‘Fists are truth!’ while running around in your underwear?”
“Okay, yeah, still a martial artist. But in Second, if you go around in underwear, the guards drag you off.”
I chuckled at the memory.
Before I got obsessed with First, we used to play all kinds of games together.
Judging from those days, I couldn’t expect too much from his skills in Second.
“Here, this is from my mom. A celebration meal for your discharge.”
“Galbijjim?”
“You know how amazing my mom’s short ribs are.”
“…Thanks. Tell her I really appreciate it.”
“You should drop by and thank her in person. She was worried sick about you.”
“I will.”
After a bit more small talk, Kang Juhyuk left.
Though I practically kicked him out, I was truly grateful.
He was my only friend.
“Let’s log in.”
I powered up the capsule and lay inside.
The soft cushion was on a whole different level from the old model I used three years ago.
Although to me, it felt like only a few weeks ago.
[The Second World.]
[Welcome to “Second.”]
“This sounds so familiar.”
The voice was the same as when creating a character in First.
Except it said “Second World” instead of “First.”
[Creating character…]
Character creation came next.
Since it was similar to First, I navigated the menus smoothly, setting everything as I had before.
Second had many new features, but I didn’t feel the need to change much.
[Please choose your name in Second.]
“A name…”
What should I choose?
Names in Second couldn’t be duplicated, so most good ones were already taken.
New players often struggled to find a decent nickname.
I thought of “Mir,” my real name and my nickname in First.
I didn’t expect it to work, but I said it anyway.
“Mir.”
And then—
[Would you like to use “Mir” as your name in Second?]
“…It works?”
[Account from First successfully linked.]
[Previously restricted name “Mir” can now be used.]
Linked account?
Was that a thing?
I didn’t know what it meant, but it worked for me.
Using the name most familiar to me was perfect.
“Great.”
[Your name in Second has been set to “Mir.”]
Character creation was complete.
Now all that was left was to enter the game.
I was eager to experience the so-called “true virtual reality game.”
But suddenly, the system paused, and a new message appeared.
[Account link confirmed.]
[Success.]
[Returnee bonus granted to user “Mir” from the First World.]
“Bonus?”
A bonus?
I’d done a lot of research, but never heard of a returnee bonus for linking First accounts.
Still, the system carried on.
[Analyzing data for bonus allocation…]
[Checking achievements…]
[Achievement: Dragon’s Nightmare – confirmed.]
[Achievement: Master of All Things – confirmed.]
[Achievement: Akashic Record – confirmed.]
…
First, it scanned my achievements.
I’d unlocked every achievement in First, so countless names flashed by.
It brought back vivid memories.
Then—
[Checking items…]
[Myth-grade item “Golden Dragon’s Heart” – confirmed.]
[Myth-grade item “Zeus’s Lightning, Astrafe” – confirmed.]
[Myth-grade item “Poseidon’s Trident, Triaína” – confirmed.]
…
All my items from First scrolled past.
I’d collected every single item, so it took a while.
Finally, the analysis ended.
[Character analysis complete.]
[Transcendent achievements acknowledged.]
[Returnee bonus: Skill mastery speed greatly increased.]
[Returnee bonus: No skill slot limits.]
…
The bonuses for “returnees” started rolling in.
I was stunned, but I couldn’t complain.
It felt like all my efforts in First were finally being rewarded.
And then came a final message that made my eyes widen.
[As a reward for the “Akashic Record” achievement, you may bring one item from First.]
“An item?”
Bring an item from First?
The moment I saw that, countless items filled my mind.
[Golden Dragon’s Heart]
The most powerful dragon-type item in First—the boss monster’s heart.
A myth-grade elixir that would make me incredibly powerful.
[Zeus’s Lightning, Astrafe]
The ultimate weapon in First.
Even with all the new items in Second, Astrafe was likely still a top-tier weapon.
I could use it, or sell it for a fortune.
‘This is tough.’
What should I choose?
A powerful elixir or weapon for the future?
Or something easily sellable to cover living expenses?
As I debated, the system prompted me.
[Please select the item you wish to bring.]
Not long after, I spoke:
“The Contract of Black Flame.”
With that, the game began—and a brilliant light enveloped my vision.
