Chapter 1: From Virtual Reality to Real Life: The Return of the Heresy Inquisitor

A cool breeze blew across the vast plains.

As I glanced to the side, golden barley stalks swayed beautifully in the wind.

Despite having seen this scene many times, every time I realized that it all felt so real, I couldn’t help but marvel inside.

“Hmmm…”

There was a lot to do today.

I needed to catch the wild boar on the mountain behind the village for the farmer and help the village chief organize the warehouse.

First, I checked my tools for catching the boar.

My old friend, the war hammer, felt as solid as ever in my hands.

Clang, clang.

After completing my preparations, I started walking towards my destination, the clanging of my heavy armor echoing as I moved.

“Uh… let’s see… Phil… did you… know better than… them?!”

Hearing a commotion, I turned my head slightly to see a woman standing there.

She was wearing a white dress and holding a staff in her left hand, with a cross adorned by a circle at its top.

She seemed to be looking for something, and though I wanted to help, I knew that helping her would conflict with my line of work.

*Sigh*…

As if I didn’t have enough to do already.

Still, it’s annoying because I can’t just ignore it.

Clang, clang.

I had to catch the boar, organize the warehouse, and prepare a snack for the kid…

“I don’t care what you think! Shut up! I’m going my own way!”

I also had to deal with the heretic.

“…Huh? Look behind me? All of a sudden? Why?”

Bang!

The clear, crisp sound of my war hammer rang out as it hit its mark.

Unfortunately for the heretic, it seemed that one blow from me was enough to end her life.

As expected, heretics can’t withstand even this level of an attack.

Maybe next time she’ll believe in a proper god.

I closed my eyes and quietly prayed for her.

Even a heretic, I believed, could repent someday.

“New Dimension,” abbreviated as ND, or simply “NewD” in Korean, is the most popular virtual reality game worldwide at the moment.

More than a year has passed since the server opened, and yet new regions are still being discovered, showcasing the game’s vastness.

The NPCs, powered by cutting-edge AI, feel like you’re having a conversation with real people.

The game truly defines what an open-world genre should be.

There’s such a variety of content to enjoy that players of all preferences can find something they love.

If you’re into the core essence of RPGs, you can simply enjoy NewD for what it is.

If you like competition, you can engage in PVP or AOS modes.

If you prefer a peaceful exploration of a new world, you can try the travel mode.

You can do anything, enjoy anything.

The biggest selling point of this game, as highlighted by the developers, is freedom.

This strength resonated with players, making NewD the most trending game worldwide today.

Of course, this is all still within the realm of a game, but there was no other way to describe its immense popularity.

For online streamers, this meant one thing—NewD was a must-play game.

Tuni, a 22-year-old female streamer on the platform “Lyming,” was known for playing a variety of games.

Despite her innocent appearance, she was known for her bold and sharp-tongued remarks, but such a persona was quite common in the competitive world of streamers.

As a result, it was rare for her to have more than 50 average viewers — in other words, she was a small-time streamer.

She had always avoided playing NewD (a VR game) under the excuse of motion sickness, but this time, she lost a bet with her viewers and had to play the game.

The job she chose at the start was Priest.

The reason? The basic outfit was a pure white dress that gave off an innocent vibe, and that’s why Tuni picked it.

When she explained her choice, the chat filled with frowning emojis, but Tuni stood firm and chose Priest anyway.

The moment the game started, as expected, her fans began backseat gaming right away.

-“No one with any game knowledge starts in Barley Town…”

-“Is this what you call a professional gaming streamer? Is this what you call a professional streamer?”

-“I’m really disappointed, Tuni… The reasons Barley Town sucks are endless…”

From light-hearted trolls teasing her, to full-on spam, and even lengthy messages filled with unsolicited advice.

Though Tuni was used to toxic fans, even as a small streamer, this was her first attempt at a VR game, and it quickly got on her nerves.

“Ugh! The guide video said this was a decent beginner’s field! Do you guys think you know better than them? Then why don’t YOU post guide videos?!”

She was so caught up arguing with the viewers that she hadn’t even started the barley harvest quest given by the village chief.

However, Tuni knew that backing down would only stir up an even bigger storm, so she didn’t let up and kept firing back at the chat.

Of course, she also knew that her viewers enjoyed this kind of interaction, so it wasn’t entirely unplanned.

-“Why are you mad at us? Why are you mad at us? Why are you mad at us?”

-“Who’s going to heal the wounds in my heart caused by Tuni…”

-“And then you tell us not to leave when we say we’re gonna go watch another streamer…”

“It’s basic manners, you idiot! Ugh, whatever. What do you guys know anyway?! Shut up! I’ll walk my own path!”

But it was getting to the point where she really needed to make some progress in the game.

With that thought in mind, Tuni tried to wrap up the argument and start harvesting the barley.

Clang. Clang.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy metal clashing echoed behind her.

-“What’s that sound?”

-“Look behind you.”

-“Sounds like full-plate armor.”

-“What’s going on?”

The fans were frantically trying to alert Tuni to the strange situation.

“Huh? Look behind me? Why all of a sudden? What’s going on?”

By the time she turned around, death was already staring her in the face.

A massive war hammer was inches from her face.

Bang!

A clear, ringing sound filled her ears, and Tuni’s vision went black.

(DEAD)

Seeing the death message from the system, Tuni was momentarily speechless.

-“Starting the game with a PK, huh? LOL.”

-“Wait, there’s a player in Barley Town?”

“Wha—AAAARGH!!! WHO WAS THAT?! It’s one of you guys, isn’t it?!”

-“It wasn’t me, I swear LOL.”

-“If it was, that would be love in its purest form…”

-“I’ve never seen someone go full PK right out of the gate in NewD before LOL.”

– “Accept with the wide heart of a priest.”

“What the hell are you talking about, you bastard!!!”

The strength of New Dimension (NewD): the high degree of freedom to do anything.

And the weakness of NewD: the high degree of freedom to do anything.

Tuni quickly learned this fact from the beginning.

【New Dimension Gallery】

【Title: No, what the hell is wrong with this guy?】

[Author: 00]

(Nickname: Heresy Inquisitor)

Suddenly, he smashed my head with a Warhammer and killed me. Who the hell is this guy???

【Upvotes: 61 / Downvotes: 3】

**Head-smashed Priest**: This guy’s that one.

└**Head-smashed Priest**: The guy I once exposed on this gallery.

└**Head-smashed Priest**: He’s a madman who kills every priest by smashing their heads.

**Loo**: He lived up to his nickname forcibly, lol.

└**Head-smashed Priest**: It’s not just one or two people who have been hit, man.

**So Fun, Right?**: Heresy Inquisitor (he’s the heretic himself).

**Anonymous**: This guy’s a real madman.

**Loo**: I’ve even seen this guy in AOS mode occasionally.

**Loo**: He never dies unless his opponent is a priest.

└**Naice**: This guy’s a real lunatic, lol.

└**Spiral Drill**: Glad I picked a warrior, lol.

**Anonymous**: Tuni got her head smashed and died today too. So it was him.

└**NewD Gallery Member**: Streamers, get lost, will you?

└**NewD Gallery Member 2**: (…How do you know that, sir? Kon.)

When I opened my eyes and looked around, the first thing that greeted me was a bed and desk in a room spacious enough to live in alone.

And on top of that, a computer.

“…What is this?”

To figure out the situation, I stepped out of the room.

To the left, there was a spacious living room.

Straight ahead was the bathroom.

To the right, I saw the front door.

“…What the heck is this?”

Today was supposed to be my 15th birthday.

Of course, there was no one to celebrate it with, so I planned to lock myself in my room and curse the world, but I hadn’t expected to end up in a situation like this.

…Wait a minute. This place looks familiar, doesn’t it?

That thought flashed through my mind, and after some deep thinking, I was able to deduce the answer with my genius intellect.

“…Earth?”

On the day I turned 15, I returned to Earth

**[Selene Benedetta]**

For some reason, everything was prepared: a house, an ID card, and even a smartphone.

The fact that my age had jumped from 15 to 19 was a bit startling, but it wasn’t enough to bother me too much.

So there I was.

“Yawn….”

I went from being a Heresy Inquisitor to a proud shut-in.

I wake up at 11 a.m., order a lunchbox on the food delivery app, and eat it.

After finishing my meal, I start up my computer and browse various galleries.

**What’s popular these days in manga or games? Has anything interesting happened?**

Then, I open a delivery app, order a lunchbox, eat, and play with my phone until dawn before going to bed.

And when I wake up again, it’s 11 a.m. Repeat.

Well, at first, I tried to live with some motivation.

After all, I had returned from that bloody world to this peaceful Earth.

But when I turned on my phone, the number of saved contacts: zero.

Just in case, I checked my previous life’s information, and as expected, I had died from overwork.

Every time I went out, countless eyes stared at me.

As all those things piled up, the initial motivation quickly died out, and I naturally returned to the lifestyle I was familiar with—holed up in my room.

Even in my previous life. And in that other world. I always holed up in my room after work.

Maybe this is my true calling.

“…Ah.”

Feeling thirsty before going to sleep, I opened the fridge and saw there was no water.

Now that I think about it, I took out the last bottle at lunch.

I meant to order more right after drinking it, but I forgot.

*Sigh…*

I don’t want to go out, but being a shut-in isn’t easy without water.

Tap water? Pass. I don’t like the chlorine smell.

If I order now, it’ll arrive tomorrow morning, so there’s no water to drink right now.

It seems like it’s time to go out for the first time in a while.