I walked along the sidewalks of Seoul, under the scorching sun. Sweat began to trickle down my forehead. It felt like I was being tortured by both the weather and my boss at the same time. If only I could use my in-game powers in the real world to teleport to the office, life would be so much easier.
"What time is the meeting?" I whispered while reading a message from my boss. Of course, don't be late. He must really think he's important with all his pointless meetings. But me? I'd rather fight a dragon than sit through a presentation about numbers that never make any sense.
Honestly, I never thought life would turn out like this. In the game, I'm a god. Level 9999, all legendary items, and powers that can destroy anything with a single slash of a sword. But in the real world? Oh man, I'm just an ordinary office worker who can't even beat the city traffic, let alone giant monsters.
Ding!
Huh? What's that? A familiar sound suddenly echoed in my ears, like the notification from my MMORPG game. Wait, what? A status window?
I stared straight ahead, and in front of me appeared a transparent blue window floating in the air. Oh, come on! Seriously? Am I hallucinating because of work stress? But when I looked at the contents of the window, I quickly realized this wasn't a nightmare it might just be the weirdest destiny imaginable.
[Status Window]
Name: Kim Tae-min
Level: 9999
Class: Berserker
HP: 999,999
MP: 999,999
Strength: 50,000
Agility: 45,000
Intelligence: 48,000
Dexterity: 44,500
Luck: 100
Skill Points: Maxed Out
Titles:
The Eternal Champion
Slayer of a Thousand Beasts
Shadow of Destruction
"This is insane!" I laughed. "Author, seriously? You're making me an overpowered character in the real world now? Why not sooner?"
I gazed at the blue screen, a mix of awe and confusion. These were all the status and stats from my online game character. Every number, every attribute, exactly as they were in the game world.
"Well, thanks, but why now, when I'm rushing to work?" I muttered, glancing up at the sky, hoping for an answer from 'the writer of this story.' Of course, no answer. Just me, talking to... myself.
But before I could think any further, the Inventory window popped up in front of me.
[Inventory]
Heavenly Sword of Ragnarok (Legendary)
Attack: +50,000
Special Effect: Increases critical hit chance by 25%.
Armor of the Immortal King (Mythic)
Defense: +45,000
Special Effect: Reduces all incoming damage by 50%.
Pendant of Concealment
Effect: Hides the user's status from external detection.
Ring of Mana Overflow
Effect: Increases MP regeneration rate by 500%.
Potion of Full Recovery (x10)
Teleportation Scroll (x5)
I found my Inventory filled with overpowered gear I had spent all my wages on in the game. "Oh, wow. It's all here." I shook my head, staring at the weapons. "Legendary sword? Mythic armor? This is like paradise for any gamer."
But most importantly, there was an item that would save me from all the potential real-world trouble: the Pendant of Concealment. This necklace could hide my status from detection. Good, because after the awakening, everyone was required to undergo rank evaluation at the Awakener Association. And if they found out I was level 9999? I'd be a lab rat for sure.
"Seriously, Author, you really made me deal with all of this?" I sighed as I put on the pendant. Yeah, if I got caught being too strong, my life was over. Now, I had to stay hidden.
Suddenly, in the distance, I heard a loud explosion. The ground shook, and people began to run in panic. I turned towards the source of the sound, and what I saw nearly made me lose my breakfast. A massive five-meter-tall monster was rampaging, smashing buildings like toys.
"Seriously? Now?" I saw a group of awakeners trying to fight the monster, but they were clearly struggling. One of them, Choi Seok-jin, seemed to be leading the attack, but... yeah, they weren't going to last long.
I could've pretended not to see. I could've just walked away. But if this monster kept rampaging, I'd be late for work, and my boss would be scarier than the monster.
"Oh, come on, Author, are you really making me act now?" I took a deep breath and pulled the Heavenly Sword of Ragnarok out of my Inventory. The sword glowed brightly, feeling heavier in my hands than I expected. But somehow, my body adapted instantly. Yeah, I'm level 9999. This should be easy.
I stepped forward, and with one simple motion, I raised the sword.
"Divine Slash!" I shouted, more out of game habit than actual necessity.
Swish! Boom! The sword cleaved through the air, followed by the sound of an explosion. The monster was immediately sliced in half, offering no resistance. Its body collapsed to the ground, causing a tremor that made the earth shake.
I exhaled, staring at the monster's corpse as it began to evaporate into black smoke. "Done. One slash. Now, can we get back to a peaceful life?"
Of course, the people around me were staring in confusion. I pulled my hood lower and quickly dashed away from the scene before anyone tried to approach. Seriously, I just wanted to get through the day without drama.
By the time I finally made it back to my apartment, I collapsed onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Seriously, being the main character is exhausting. Author, how about we take a break for a bit?"
But before I could close my eyes, that familiar sound echoed again.
Ding!
[Quest Unlocked]
Main Quest: Survive the New World
Reward: ???
I stared blankly at the blue window. "Survive the New World? Author, are you kidding me?"
With a smirk, I closed the quest window. "Alright, if this is how the game is played, let's get started."