Chapter 3
Swooosh!
The moment I logged into the game, my vision brightened dramatically.
As I slowly opened my eyes to the dazzling sunlight, a bustling scene unfolded before me.
“Selling mid-tier iron daggers!”
“Buying monster materials! I pay better than the general store!”
“Anyone up for Red Slime hunting? Tanks welcome!”
My field of vision was filled with people.
No wonder it’s called the most popular game in the world.
I couldn’t help but be amazed.
First, the sound—
“Why does it sound so real?”
First (the previous game) had decent audio quality, but it still felt like typical game sound effects rather than real-life sounds.
This was completely different.
The voices of people around me sounded just like they would in the real world.
And on top of that—
“Wow…”
The graphics.
None of the rough, broken visuals typical of First were present.
Even with all these people around, not a single graphical glitch—everything looked vividly real.
The flowing hair, the water gushing from the fountain, the dog running in the distance…
Even the clouds floating in the sky.
It all looked so lifelike it was hard to tell this apart from reality.
That’s not all.
The smell of grilled chicken skewers in the air, the feel of the clothes I was wearing—
All my senses registered this game world as something far more real than First ever was.
“So this is why everyone kept raving about Second.”
Now I finally understood.
Second was on a completely different level from First.
It was, quite literally, a true virtual reality game.
A game so realistic it could be called another world.
“Guess I’ll check my status window first.”
The most basic starting point—I opened the status window.
And—
[ Status Window ]
Name: Mir
Level: 1
Class: –
Strength: 20 Agility: 20
Health: 20 Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 20
A simple status screen appeared before me.
I could navigate through it to check achievements, attack power, and other details, but this was the base screen.
Looking at it, the stats didn’t seem too different from First.
Except—
“My stats are doubled.”
The stats.
In both First and from what I researched about Second, all starting characters begin with 10 in every stat.
But mine were double that—20 across the board.
This was one of the “Returning Player Benefits” I was granted during character creation.
It wasn’t listed directly, but there were other perks too, like faster skill proficiency gain.
Next up—
“Inventory.”
I called up the inventory.
As expected of a new character, it was small and plain. Only two items inside.
The first: the starter settlement fund, the game’s official currency—Gold.
The second:
[ Contract of the Black Flame ]
This was it.
An item I brought from First as a bonus perk.
Normally, the right thing to do after starting the game would be to head to the training grounds, but instead, I ducked into a nearby alley.
If the Black Flame Contract worked as expected, using it in front of the crowded fountain would be… problematic.
“Here should be fine.”
No one was around.
Calmly, I pulled out the contract.
Rip!
Without hesitation, I tore it apart.
The shredded paper burst into black flames that grew in size, burning not just the parchment but the very air around it, engulfing the alley in dark fire.
At that moment—
Grrrrrrr…
A familiar sound echoed.
And with it—
Flash!
A pair of terrifying eyes opened within the swirling flames.
An overwhelming aura transcending all creatures radiated from the presence, but I didn’t feel fear.
If anything, I felt glad—like reuniting with an old friend.
“Long time no see, Luke.”
– Indeed. It was you, Master.”
Luke.
A familiar I had formed a contract with.
In First, the official final boss monster was the Greedy Gold Dragon I had defeated last.
Luke, however, was the unofficial hidden final boss.
The Black Flame Dragon of Arrogance—Luknir Desperate Ignoktern.
There was only one of him in First, and I had defeated him and made a contract.
His name was long, so I just called him “Luke.”
Why did I bring the Contract of the Black Flame as my perk?
Simple:
‘Luke’s power grows stronger over time.’
Luke wasn’t a familiar that fought alongside me like other summons.
Having lost his original dragon form due to our battle and contract, he retained only his unique abilities—not his strength.
His abilities included:
-
Devour – absorbing defeated monsters to increase stats
-
Black Flame Form – borrowing the accumulated stats through transformation
In other words, the earlier I summoned him, the more power I could gain later.
Choosing the Contract of the Black Flame had been the most strategic move.
‘And that’s not all.’
Luke had a third ability:
-
Storage
He possessed a black flame subspace far larger than any inventory.
For someone like me, who constantly switched equipment based on my enemies, this ability was perfect.
In First, I had stored all the items I collected in Luke’s darkness.
And I planned to do the same in Second.
– Has time taken its toll?
– All the strength and stature you once held… have vanished, Master.
“Yeah, that’s how it is.”
It seemed Luke perceived the gap between First and Second as merely the passage of time.
Not that it mattered—what was important was that the summoning worked, and he acknowledged me as his master.
The contract had succeeded.
Just as I was about to return to the main game—
– Will you not need equipment?
It made sense for him to ask.
I was currently wearing only the default newbie gear.
To Luke, who had seen me in my rank 1 glory, I must’ve looked pitiful.
“I haven’t prepared yet. I’ll gather stuff as I go.”
But then—
– But isn’t your equipment overflowing within my darkness?
Wait—what?
Did he just say… overflowing?
Could it be—
“…You still have my items?”
Could Luke really have all my gear?
Everything I collected in First?
Was it even possible?
No way… or was it?
His next words crushed my doubt.
– Of course.
Whummm—
Black flames spread from Luke’s body, covering the wall in front of me.
From that wall, something began to emerge.
Handles of swords, spears, axes—
Armor, accessories, consumables—
Everything I had collected in First.
Including…
[ Zeus’s Lightning, Astrafe ]
[ Divine Shield, Aegis ]
[ Chosen King’s Sword, Excalibur ]
[ Elixir of Immortality ]
[ Meteor Strike Grimoire ]
…and more.
Even the mythical items I had considered choosing during character creation.
Could this be real?
Did Luke truly carry everything I had from First?
If so, that meant I could freely use all those items… in Second.
“Unbelievable…”
Was it a bug?
Would a GM suddenly pop up and patch this out?
But nothing happened.
Then I remembered something Luke had said earlier—something about my power fading due to the passage of time.
Which meant…
“Luke, how long has it been since you last saw me?”
Was Second really set in the future of First?
Unfortunately—
– After your disappearance, Master, I entered a deep slumber within the darkness.
– I apologize. I do not recall the passage of time.
“I see…”
I couldn’t confirm the timeline.
Too bad, but I’d find out eventually.
If Second was set in the future of First, then my memories of the past (First) would definitely be valuable here.
‘Now that I look closely, this place does feel a bit familiar…’
I peeked out from the alley.
The Starting City.
A tutorial area that all Second players must pass through.
Naturally, First had a Starting City as well.
It looked older and more worn-down than this, but the layout and terrain were remarkably similar.
Anyway, more importantly—
“So, I really can use all these items freely from the start?”
Luke’s inventory was key.
From the beginner’s wooden sword to the ultimate weapon, Astrafe.
I had stored every item I collected in First, at least one of each.
A kind of collector’s instinct.
Once I discovered the existence of item-related achievements, I began collecting every item in the game.
Eventually, I unlocked the achievement: “Master of All Things.”
In other words, Luke’s current inventory was basically a mythical-grade warehouse—
A warehouse that could retrieve items instantly at my command.
“Should I try pulling one out?”
Looking at all those items I’d worked so hard for in First made me want to use them right away.
As I scanned through, wondering which one to try first—
“What’s a baby-faced kid like you doing in our turf?”
A voice called from behind me.
Who the hell was interrupting at a time like this?
Annoyed, I turned around—
A bunch of thugs were swaggering into the alley, blocking the exit.
A system message appeared.
[ Sudden Quest: “Back Alley Thugs” has been triggered. ]
Grade: Intermediate
Description: While wandering through the alley, you encountered thugs from the “Goblin Gang” who control the western alleys of the Starting City.
Objective: Defeat or drive away the gang members.
A sudden quest.
Exactly what it sounds like—a quest that appears during certain unexpected situations.
It was similar to how things worked in First.
“Hey, don’t look so scared. We’re nice guys, y’know? Leave your stuff, and we won’t kill ya.”
“Think positive. It’s just pocket change, and it’s a cheap price to pay for your life, eh?”
There were five of them, each holding daggers and blocking the alleyway.
No wonder the quest was “intermediate” rather than “low-tier.”
For the Starting City, this was a pretty tough group.
Looking at them—
“Perfect.”
I couldn’t help but grin.
I’d been wanting to test one of these weapons anyway.
Now the test subjects had shown up on their own.
I picked up the weapon I’d just chosen—
[ Zeus’s Lightning, Astrafe ]
(Untradeable)
Type: Spear
Grade: Myth
Requirements: Level 1,000+, Zeus’s Sigil, All stats 1,000+
Description: The lightning of Zeus, the chief deity of Olympus and king of the gods.
One of the strongest endgame weapons I’d obtained in First—Astrafe.
A weapon with restrictions far beyond what I could meet.
Could I even use it?
Crackle!
The moment I held Astrafe, a tingling energy surged through me.
Electricity sparked from my body, and a wide magnetic field spread out.
“Let’s find out.”
BOOOOOOM!
Within the narrow alley of the Starting City, the thunderbolt of a god descended.
