Chapter 2: The Realm of Sensation(2)

Through gathering information online, I realized that certain industries in this world, which shared common traits, were developing at a bizarrely rapid pace.

The same, yet different.

Because of this, even looking at stocks, I couldn’t dare predict which ones would rise or fall.

[Ha-yeon~]

As I was clicking the mouse for a while, I heard my mother’s voice from beyond the door.

She called out a stranger’s name.

That’s why my response was delayed.

“Come in.”

Mom entered the room, holding a small plate and a cup filled with juice in her hands.

What was on the plate was a small sandwich, the kind she would occasionally make for me as a snack.

I wondered if the contents were the same.

Mom naturally walked over and placed the plate and cup on the desk in front of the computer.

It seemed like she was worried because I hadn’t had a proper breakfast.

“Thank you.”

An unfamiliar voice.

The soft tone of the girl’s voice that escaped from my mouth was really beautiful.

But the thought that it came from my throat gave me chills.

“Not playing games today?”

“Games…? Ah…”

As I tilted my head at her question, my eyes landed on the large capsule in the corner of the room.

Without a word, I just stared at the capsule, and soon after, a warm hand brushed against my cheek.

When I looked up, I saw eyes full of warm affection gazing at me.

More precisely, at this body, Hayeon.

Though the gaze was incredibly warm, that’s why it felt cold to me.

As soon as Mom left the room, I stared silently at the capsule.

For a long time, a very long time.

Then, a small curiosity arose.

What about the games in this world?

What had happened to the game I was so addicted to?

I impulsively attempted to log in using the capsule.

Instead of my usual account, I was greeted by a strange account created with the information registered to this body.

I browsed the game’s homepage.

Familiar background screenshots and interface.

Daron Online.

Old memories surfaced.

Daron’s homepage hadn’t changed much from long ago.

Unlike the rapid development of the gaming industry, time within the game flowed bizarrely in sync with my original world.

A chuckle escaped me.

The world I used to explore with a keyboard and mouse could now be explored in a different way.

The current open episode was the end of Chapter 1: the appearance of the Red Orc Empire.

The max level was 25, and the first raid monster was the Red Orc Warrior.

I recalled those faded memories.

Back then, I couldn’t play the game properly, so I didn’t have precise information, but I did remember the major events.

A question arose.

Would the events in this world unfold just as I remembered?

As I continued to ponder, the loading screen finished, and the game began.

My vision darkened, and from the centre, a small cluster of lights began to spread out.

As if falling from the sky, clouds filled my vision, and below them, a vast continent spread out.

It was similar to an old memory.

Long ago, the game’s login interface had already changed, and now, it greeted me.

However, what I saw in the character selection screen was a very unfamiliar sight.

A small girl holding a staff was looking at me.

Was this the character Hayeon had raised?

I had no interest.

I quickly turned away and created a new character.

Customization options for basic gender, body type, face, and hair color began.

I didn’t care.

I skipped through them immediately.

Since I didn’t bother to customize anything, my appearance in the game mirrored my real one.

After skipping all the miscellaneous settings, the nickname selection came up.

I swiftly typed on the transparent floating keyboard, and a nickname I used often came to mind.

[Harang]

It was a slight variation on the first letter of my real name.

But I couldn’t use it now.

If the Harang of this world was like me, if that Harang had the same thoughts as I did, then he would also be using the nickname Harang.

[Yeon]

And so, I went with Yeon.

I removed the first letter from Hayeon’s name.

In Daron Online, duplicate nicknames were generally allowed.

Since players were distinguished by account numbers, the nickname wasn’t all that important.

After choosing the nickname, a new world unfolded.

My senses began to awaken.

As if waking from a deep sleep, I could feel the wind brushing against my skin.

“Haa…”

Since I brought over my real body, my arms and legs were short.

My perspective was low.

It was still an unfriendly game.

Even though the world had changed, there was no tutorial or guidance.

I was simply thrown into a new world.

I once again experienced the bewilderment that new players must have felt when encountering the game for the first time.

I began walking, tracing back through my old memories.

Perhaps because the game had advanced significantly, even though I was in the starting village, it was crowded with people.

It felt just like watching a game during its early launch days.

I opened my inventory.

Along with the basic starting equipment, a piece of hard bread was also visible.

When I reached in to take out the bread, a roughly shaped loaf appeared in my hand.

The realism was unbelievable for a game, and yet, it was a game.

I chuckled and drew my sword.

The first place I headed was the hunting grounds.

I bypassed the rabbit hunting grounds that were available early on and entered the wolves’ territory.

As expected, there were many people.

There were so many that it was impossible to hunt the monsters.

So, I moved on.

I worried for a moment whether it was too ambitious to push forward with a level 1 character, but I quickly shook off that thought.

The game had already entered the realm of sensory experience.

The difficulty had skyrocketed to the point that those with average talent could not play properly.

I, too, fell into the category of those without talent.

And so, I set off on the road, merely to enjoy the experience.

Following the memories, I passed through the wolves’ territory and arrived deep within the mountains.

There was no name indicated on the map; it was a sort of hidden area.

The respawning monsters were goblins, offering the same experience points as level 1 rabbits.

As a result, no one came here.

Since it didn’t provide proper experience, there was no reason to hunt here.

The item drops were also the same.

Goblins didn’t drop anything noteworthy.

How long would they last against my first strike?

Tilting my head, I aimed my sword.

There were two goblins walking along the mountain path.

Expecting to die, I charged at them.

My upper body leaned forward as my lower body tensed.

The power surged through my legs as I pushed off the ground, starting a rotation from my ankle upward.

It was strange.

A bizarre sensation enveloped my entire body.

System corrections began to guide me toward the most optimal strike.

But something in my mind rejected it.

No, it was an instinctive feeling.

This trajectory wasn’t right.

Should I trust the system, or trust my instincts?

I chose the latter.

As I charged forward, my rotating upper body spun halfway around, and my iron sword severed the goblin’s head.

Slash-!

A crisp slicing sound.

Then, a burst of flashy effects.

A critical hit!

The goblin was instantly stunned, as if overwhelmed by the massive damage.

“Aah…”

The thrill that tingled through my fingers was immense.

But I was surprised.

Was it luck?

Or my own skill?

The question didn’t last long.

There were two goblins.

The other one swung its sword at me.

My body reacted to the attack aimed at my head.

A small movement began at my feet, passing through my thighs, to my waist, and then to my upper body.

Swish-

A thin line grazed my cheek.

At the edge of my vision, I saw the goblin’s rusty sword and its body.

Even I was amazed at how quickly I reacted.

It was a split-second, high-pressure moment.

My thoughts weren’t deep, but my actions were swift.

The next attack followed.

I moved according to the path that formed in my mind.

It was far from the system’s corrections, but the results were speaking for themselves.

I had made the right choice.

Slash!

The long arc of my sword cut across the goblin’s neck.

With a critical hit effect, the goblin collapsed.

An attack aimed at a vital point—impossible in a typical game—was now unfolding in Daron from this other world.

After taking down one goblin, the other, freed from its stun, began to approach me.

The screen highlighted a few red areas, indicating the goblin’s likely attack zones.

But I ignored them all.

Instead, I chose to advance.

As power surged into my legs, carrying me forward like a glide, my outstretched hand swung my sword ahead.

A single strike.

Swoosh!

The goblin had already lost much of its health.

With a final blow, its head flew off, and its body disappeared.

It was bewildering, and yet fun.

Just like when I first played the game, this current situation was incredibly enjoyable.

I leveled up.

It didn’t take much experience to go from level 1 to level 2.

Even though goblins didn’t give much experience, it was still enough to level up quickly.

As I opened the character window to increase my stats, an optimal job route immediately came to mind.

Slash, slash, slash, and slash again.

I was utterly absorbed in this game I’d come to enjoy.

Goblins that rushed at me occasionally left behind severe wounds.

But I didn’t stop.

I’d already experienced death several times.

But I didn’t care—death in Daron was insignificant.

Die, die, and die again—today alone, I’d died 10 times.

Luckily, the beginner’s buff meant there was no penalty for reviving.

After finishing yet another resurrection, I quickly called up the system options.

Everything felt cumbersome.

I turned off all the system corrections that filled the screen.

My body felt strange.

It didn’t follow my thoughts as smoothly as I wanted, and it was frustrating.

I maxed out the sensory synchronization.

In that moment, the mismatched sensations fell into place.

I was more excited than usual.

I calmed myself down.

Taking a deep breath, I looked down at my sword.

It had dulled from cutting down so many goblins.

The initial weapon couldn’t be repaired.

It was time for a shop item.

I quickly moved and purchased a store-grade iron sword.

Goblins weren’t profitable monsters, but I had enough to afford the beginner store items.

Now that I had leveled up, it was time to move to a new hunting ground.

Leaving the starter village, I began walking along the path and soon arrived at the next town.

This was where the real war with orcs began.

It was an area where peculiar red-skinned orcs appeared.

I recalled that completing repeat quests in this area rewarded supply gear issued to regular soldiers.

These quest reward items had fairly decent performance.

In front of the long frontline extending through the mountain range, many people were gathering to form parties.

In a typical game, I would have soloed through this area.

But now it was different.

The game had entered the realm of sensation.

If someone lacking in talent faced the red orcs, their head would be split open.

Should I find a party?

Or should I trust the talent of this body?

I shook my head.

I was already having too much fun.

I didn’t want anyone else interfering.

Clad in basic gear, I stepped beyond the frontline, drawing a few glances from people.

But those glances quickly faded.

They thought it was tantamount to suicide to enter the frontline against the red orcs alone.

As I continued along the path, I encountered a red orc swordsman.

The orc was a hulking mass of muscle.

Upon seeing me, it unleashed a red glow from its eyes.

That was the sign of an aggressive monster.

The sight of the orc rushing toward me felt overly real.

The pressure bearing down on my body was immense.

And what about its long sword?

Just thinking about that sharp blade aiming for my neck made fear arise from nowhere.

I measured the distance between us.

I was within the orc’s range, but my reach was shorter.

The fight began.

Unlike with the goblins, this time I immediately moved forward, closing the gap.

The orc’s gaze shifted downward as its two arms raised upward.

It was preparing for a strong strike.

If I took the hit, my head and body would be split in two.

[Hayeon-ah!]

“Aah…”

It was my mother’s voice calling.

Her voice halted my movements.

And so, the orc swordsman’s blade came crashing down, splitting my body in half.

It was a futile death.