A young man stands casually inside a moving train. He wears a dark hoodie jacket, slightly lifted by the air from the train's air conditioning. His black hair is neatly cut with bangs covering part of his forehead.
With white Bluetooth headphones circling his head, he continues scrolling through his phone, intently looking at every notification that pops up.
"Congratulations to one thousand users, you can now try early access to Immortal Legacy, starting today."
The title on the official Immortal Legacy website makes his heart race. "I will give it my all. I hope AR Group doesn't disappoint me," he whispers to himself.
Kim Joon-ho is a fan of virtual games. After losing his parents, and working in a factory, he found another way to earn money.
The virtual game that became a pioneer in game development, The Arcadia. Since he started playing that game, he earned extra money to help pay for the schooling of his two younger sisters.
Kim Joon-ho scrolls through the announcement, and his account name appears on the list. His excitement surges inside him. He almost dances with joy in his mind. But in reality, he clenches his fist with a determined nod.
The train stops at Seoul, his destination. Since he started playing The Arcadia, he always rented virtual devices. Now, he has enough money to buy one for himself.
He blinks several times, convincing himself that this is not a dream. "Alright, time to buy a Pod. That's all I need right now," he mutters with resolve.
His slim hand pushes the glass door open, the chime rings, and a familiar figure greets Kim Joon-ho's arrival.
"Joon-ho, are you going to play the game in the Capsule?" asks a woman in formal attire, her outfit accentuating her curves.
"Aunt Park, I'm going to buy a Pod. From now on, I'll be playing at home, so this is the last time I'll see you," Kim Joon-ho says politely, ready to say his goodbyes. For the past six months, he had always played the game here, at the Capsule rental shop, the best place for virtual game devices.
"Your face is always gloomy, don't you have any other expression, Joon-ho?" Park Kyung-ah asks with curiosity.
Kim Joon-ho lowers his head, the gloomy expression can't leave him. It's just his face. Whether serious or sad, he's always calm and quiet.
Park Kyung-ah immediately pats Kim Joon-ho on the shoulder. "Cheer up, youth is for having fun! Don't drown in sadness." She encourages Kim Joon-ho sincerely.
She is a woman in her thirties, but despite her age, she looks like a young woman in her twenties. Her attractive figure makes it hard to believe she's in her thirties.
"So, what kind of Pod are you going to buy?"
Park Kyung-ah's question makes Kim Joon-ho look up again. He opens the Pod specs that he has saved on his phone. "Pod Gen 5, Deltaraz. Made by AR Group," he says firmly.
"Isn't that a bit outdated for virtual gaming?" Park Kyung-ah asks, making sure. As a fan of virtual games, she can't stand seeing someone using an older device. It would decrease their gaming intensity.
Kim Joon-ho shakes his head gently, his face calm, and he pulls the corner of his mouth. "It's fine, Aunt. I'll just buy that."
That smile reminds Park Kyung-ah of her late husband, who died on a mission abroad, returning only with his name and rank. She quickly picks up a Pod Gen 10, one of the best devices released by AR Group. "Take this, Joon-ho. I'll give it to you as a farewell gift," she says with a soft smile.
With Kim Joon-ho's polite and quiet demeanor, she always feels a sense of joy when he's around, a happiness she hadn't felt in a long time since becoming a widow.
Kim Joon-ho's eyes widen. How could he accept the Pod Gen 10 Arataz? Its price was more than his mother's hospital bills before finally died. He couldn't afford it with all his savings. "No, Aunt, I don't even have enough money to pay for it. It would be a hassle if it needed repairs. I'll just buy the Pod Gen 5," he refuses the gift, not wanting to be shameless in accepting something so expensive. He has already received so much kindness from Aunt Park.
"So how much money do you have?" Park Kyung-ah asks with a furrowed brow, knowing Kim Joon-ho's stubbornness. She's already thinking of a way to make him accept the gift easily.
"12 million won," Kim Joon-ho says seriously, clenching his fist tightly.
"Pay for the Pod Gen 10 with all your money. Then I'll have an additional condition for you, how about it?" Park Kyung-ah teases with a flirtatious smile, immediately hugging Kim Joon-ho's left arm, pressing it between her large breasts.
"Aunt, I've already said, I'm only buying the Pod Gen 5," he declines, gently pulling away from Park Kyung-ah's warm embrace. "Aunt, I don't want to trouble you any more. Your kindness over the past six months has been very helpful," his voice is soft, and his expression serious.
"Come on, I'm the one asking for your help. This condition is my request, so just accept it. Can't you accept it, Joon-ho?" she says pleadingly, her eyes widening as if showing an innocent, pitiful face.
Another fatal attraction. Kim Joon-ho can't keep refusing her, ever since he met Aunt Park. He sighs deeply, trying to consider something in his mind. "So, what's your request, Aunt?" he says resignedly.
"You must know about Immortal Legacy, right? I've registered as one of the selected players for the early alpha test. Can you help me, Joon-ho?" she says with a sly smile, hiding the pride of having successfully persuaded him.
Kim Joon-ho can only nod passively. If he rejects her, who knows what strange request she might make. A month ago, when he played the game past the store's closing time, Park Kyung-ah allowed him to keep playing until late at night.
Not wanting to accept excessive kindness, Kim Joon-ho helped Aunt Park for a week in preparing the store and closing it.
But instead of being satisfied with his help, she kept giving him more and more, leaving him confused. Realizing that his finances are very limited, he can only help as much as he can.
"You should have accepted it from the beginning," Park Kyung-ah says, slapping Kim Joon-ho's back hard.
Kim Joon-ho winces but remains silent, handing her his money. "Then, I'll take my leave, Aunt Park."
"Mm," she nods, her face lighting up with a broad smile at Kim Joon-ho as he leaves.
That afternoon in his room, Kim Joon-ho immediately uses the Pod Gen 10 Arataz. It looks like a sci-fi helmet he's often seen, black with a luxurious and elegant hue.
The Pod emits flashes of red light when it powers on in certain parts.
Kim Joon-ho closes his eyes, and his physical world disappears. His body floats freely in a virtual realm filled with dim starlight, as if standing in the middle of the universe, various virtual games appear in front of him, connected to the game accounts he's played before.
The name Immortal Legacy appears, and his fingers glide, touching the game's option. Once selected, the entire world seems to vanish, replaced by darkness that quickly merges with futuristic light, signaling his connection to the boundless virtual world.
[Welcome, selected players of the Immortal Legacy alpha test.]
A holographic screen appears before him, and immediately a different image emerges.
A floating continent with a massive red crystal the size of a car, glowing and chained, tying several smaller gems.
Four giant pillars form the base of all the chains, and in the center of the pillars stands a black palace in ancient Chinese style.
"Thousands of years ago, the Demon Emperor came through a chaotic rift, bringing hundreds of demon legions from the Demon Realms."
A voice narrates the scene before Kim Joon-ho, showing a white-haired man with red eyes and horns on his forehead, clearly a demon.
"Is this a cut scene?" Kim Joon-ho mutters while watching.
"After chaos and countless human casualties from a massive war, thousands of major clans united to fight evil and release their hatred," the narrator continues, accompanied by war music.
"Enduring great losses, only a hundred major clans remain. Though the world is now in a time of harmony, the original sin of greed begins to erode humanity, monopolizing every resource, martial arts, and heritage to become immortal."
The chaotic scene plays again, this time showing a war between cultivators of the same race, humans. Every part of the scene is as clear as a 3D movie.
"The war continues even until now. The children of fate, descending from the heavens, will establish new rules and order for the world!"
The image halts, as if his body steps onto something. A pungent smell fills his nose, and his hand reaches out to grasp something.
The darkness vanishes, and now people stand on floating islands, surrounded by stars.
Their figures glow with a blue light, as if they are souls without physical bodies, faceless and formless. They are all equal, and Kim Joon-ho can't tell them apart.
A massive pagoda appears, inscribed with the words "Pavilion of Heavenly Will."
The narrator's voice echoes across the universe. "Heavenly children, reshape the world's order, repair the path to immortality, making the path clear and correct."
Quickly, a holographic screen appears before every person. The ground shakes as a giant stone slab emerges from beneath.
"Woaaahh!!" "Is this an earthquake? What's happening?" "Look, a notification just came in!" "What do these names mean?"
Chaos erupts everywhere, but some remain calm. Those who've played The Arcadia from AR Group are familiar with this type of event. Including Kim Joon-ho, who sees a massive stone slab, very large.
A holographic screen appears showing different status names. "This name seems like a family name, is this a clan?" Kim Joon-ho thinks, pondering.
According to the official website, this game takes on an Eastern fantasy theme, and with the knowledge he gained from web novels in school, he understands several things.
"Chen, Ming, Nalan, Huan, Hua, Ji, Su, Li, Lo, Luo, Ning, ..."
Each name totals one hundred, and the order constantly changes, shuffling every second.
Kim Joon-ho's eyes focus on a name that catches his attention, Gu. The name always reminds him of an insect from Chinese myths.
Immediately, when his finger touches the name tag, it fades, disappearing from the screen. He enters the Pavilion of Heavenly Will and is presented with several options on the holographic screen.
[Choose your advantage!]
[Option 1: Character Memory.]
[Option 2: Heavenly Inborn Talent.]
[Option 3: Heavenly Cultivation Technique.] [Option 4: Heavenly Weapon.]
[Option 5: Heavenly Formation Array.]
Out of all the options, he chooses the first one. Kim Joon-ho understands that other things could make him the strongest, but memory is crucial for understanding the character. If this is a character, and he's called the son of heaven, this stage is a process of soul transfer.
[Option 1 has been added to you.]
Quickly, Kim Joon-ho's consciousness fades, and his vision goes dark. His body seems to vanish, as if sucked into a deep, dark void, pulling him far away until a speck of light appears, emitting a unique floral scent.
He blinks a few times, processing the memories left within him. "Is this role-playing?" he murmurs, leaning back against his bed.
His eyes scan the room, a large bed with maroon silk sheets, blankets woven with goose feathers, incense burning on the bedside table.
Lanterns carved with crescent moons on each side glow on the ceiling, casting dim, beautiful light throughout the room.
The Eastern fantasy style is evident in every corner of the room, with unique carvings describing everything.
Considering AR Group is the company behind this game, he can't comment. With their understanding, all of this is just a game code.
Gu Xuanyi, that's the name of the character he now inhabits, a trashy young master with no martial arts understanding from the Gu clan.
"Is this the path of the protagonist? A trashy young master of a family? Or what?" His expression changes as he thinks about something in his mind.
From the memories of Gu Xuanyi, Kim Joon-ho realizes the character has an interest in mystical animals and spiritual plants.
In the memories of Gu Xuanyi, Kim Joon-ho realizes the character died due to a curse.
According to the memories, due to the downfall of the Liyan Dynasty, some clans began to move, biting off more than they could chew.
Footsteps sound outside the room, stopping, and the door opens with a creak. A maid enters holding a tray of medicine.
"Young master, are you alright?" the maid asked with a worried expression.
Kim Joon-ho took a deep breath, trying to get into the role of Gu Xuanyi. He nodded, "I'm fine, Yuhan."
Gu Yuhan, Gu Xuanyi's personal maid. She breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the voice of her young master, "Thank goodness, you've been unconscious for three days. Do you know how worried the madam is?" she said seriously.
"Where is my mother now?" Gu Xuanyi asked as he looked toward the window. He saw a woman running, accompanied by a maid.
"Xuan'er, mother brought the Thousand Poison Detox Pills. Please wake up quickly!" The woman's voice rang out, and she slammed the door open. Her breath was heavy from running, her eyes wide when she saw the young man sitting on the bed.
The woman who called herself "mother" was a classic beauty. Kim Joon-ho was momentarily speechless, stunned by her appearance. Her porcelain-white skin and slender fingers were beyond what even celebrities in his country could compare to.
"Xuan'er, you finally woke up." Her voice softened, sounding even more beautiful than before, trembling with overwhelming concern. Her eyes were filled with tears as she gently stroked Gu Xuanyi's head.
"I'm sorry, mother," Gu Xuanyi replied, causing everyone to look at him in shock.
Kim Joon-ho knew his attitude would soon change from the character's original disposition. However, he had no intention of remaining as the foolish Gu Xuanyi. He needed to change, for his own sake and for the Gu clan.
[Main Mission Triggered!]
[Protect the Gu clan's heritage by any means necessary.]