However, Tyler remained calm.
"I'm quitting."
"Why?!?!?!?!!?!?!"
"Well, I've done everything I wanted to do in Fantasy Online."
Seyeon finally recalled what Tyler had said before. He had mentioned that he played the game for the thrill of defeating stronger characters with weaker ones.
All other rankers except her had been defeated.
"But, but you couldn't beat me?"
"What? You just said you lost earlier. Was that just being polite?"
"No, that's not what I mean..."
"You're strong. You said I lost because I was unlucky, but that's also skill. And I won't be able to beat you from now on."
Tyler pointed to his own character.
"There's a death penalty."
"Ah..."
"I've already used all my secret techniques, and if my level drops too, there's no way I can keep up. You'll grow faster than me."
"You, you can keep challenging! Keep going forward!"
Seyeon spoke urgently. She couldn't understand why she was trying to stop Tyler.
"Challenges are only worth it when there's a possibility. Continuing to challenge without any possibility is just foolish."
'That's rich coming from someone who attacked a Necromancer as a Blacksmith?!'
Seyeon swallowed her words.
"It's over. I was lucky to get this far. Honestly, I didn't expect to achieve this much as a Blacksmith."
"Wait! There are other fun aspects to the game. If you join our guild, I can show you..."
"User Kim Tyler has logged out."
"You jerk...!"
==
"Ah. That was fun."
Tyler stretched as he got up from his seat.
Even virtual reality games at this early stage were this fun; he couldn't imagine how amazing the officially released games would be.
His phone rang.
"Hey! I heard you lost!"
"Is that all you called to say?"
"The community sites and forums are exploding right now! Turns out you have quite a few fans. Everyone's saying it's a shame. Your critical hit didn't land at the end, right?"
"No, it didn't."
"Wow. That was 2%, right?"
"No, I enhanced it more before starting, so it was actually 0.1%."
"That's insane..."
Losing the match of the century because of a 0.1% probability. Choi Sangyoon was speechless.
"Aren't you frustrated?"
"I am frustrated, but what can you do? That's what games are like. Some people I've beaten also lost because of bad luck."
"When are you going back to the game?"
"I'm quitting."
"What?"
"I've done everything I wanted to do, so it's time to rest. I'll try other games when they come out. Isn't Fantasy Online 2 coming out next month?"
Fantasia, the company that created Fantasy Online, was boasting about making a truly advanced virtual reality game. A global-scale simultaneous virtual reality game.
"Don't tell me you're going to do that again there?"
"Do what?"
"You know what I'm talking about! Deliberately choosing and developing weak classes!"
"Ah. But that's what makes it fun."
"That's something only perverts do, you idiot!"
"I don't want to hear that from you."
Choi Sangyoon grumbled.
"Instead of that, let's make a guild together. Honestly, if you had chosen a proper class and made a guild with me, we could have been number one in Fantasy Online! Lee Seyeon? What does she have that you don't?"
"Good looks."
"Hey..."
"Just kidding. But I think I heard that offer somewhere else too."
"What? Who else asked you to join their guild? Ah, I guess it makes sense since you've proven yourself. But don't you dare join anyone else's guild! If you're going to join one, it has to be with me!"
"I'm not interested in joining any guild."
Choi Sangyoon was Tyler's longtime friend. Like Tyler, he was passionate about games and skilled at them.
Actually, Tyler had targeted the top 20 rankers because of Sangyoon. He was a Warrior who hovered around rank 25.
'Hey! Targeting me first is really not cool! Start with the top 20! When they drop, I'll rise too. Perfect, perfect!'
Though he was a friend, he was truly a practical one.
"So when Fantasy Online 2 comes out, we'll start right away together?"
"No. I want to travel a bit and work on my body since I've been gaming for so long."
"Why work on your body for that?"
"Physical endurance is important for gaming. Especially for higher difficulties."
"You weirdo. Oh, isn't your dad saying anything? When are you going back to school?"
"I should go back soon. It's getting dangerous. As for father..."
"Son, come down here!"
A deep voice called from downstairs.
"Looks like he's about to say something. Talk to you later."
==
"Son. I was really proud of you."
"Thank you, father."
"Until high school, that is."
"Please be proud of me now too."
"I remember when you got a perfect score on the national mock exam. You barely studied in middle school. I thought it was amazing. 'This boy is different from his uneducated father, he'll wash away the regret of my lack of education,' I thought..."
"I maintained my grades after that too."
"Yes! Even your perfect score on the college entrance exam was great! I was truly moved! Did you know your father cried while drinking in secret, though I never told you!"
"Secret? Father, you were shouting so loudly it embarrassed the whole neighborhood. Everyone except old Mrs. Kang downstairs, who's hard of hearing, must have heard."
"I thought then. Though your father is uneducated, this boy would go to law school, graduate at the top of his class... Yes, that's what I thought. Law school! I may be uneducated, but aren't I overflowing with money! I could have paved your path with gold!"
"Thank you, father."
"But you little...!"
Tyler's father, Kim Taesan, stood up and grabbed Tyler's collar. As neither man was small in stature, it created a menacing atmosphere.
"What?! You went to Korean Literature?! You crazy bastard!"
"What's wrong with Korean Literature? Father, are you looking down on our nation's spirit and soul?"
"You fool! If you were going to study Korean Literature, why did you get such good grades!"
"Should I have deliberately done poorly?!"
"What are you going to do after graduating! Become a writer? A writer in this day and age. Perfect way to starve to death!"
"You're rich anyway, so I won't starve!"
"You, you brat! Fine. Let's say Korean Literature was acceptable. It's Korea University after all! The best university in Korea!"
Kim Taesan nodded and continued.
"But you've filled your transcript with F's. You've already maxed out academic warnings? After military service, you're on leave playing games! You punk, you think Korean Literature is easy?!"
"You're the one who looked down on Korean Literature!"
"If you were stupid, I wouldn't say anything! Because you're my son, I would have just taken care of you and told you to live well. But you're brilliant! Why are you doing this!"
"Well, there's no need to get good grades. I just need to graduate."
"You need to get a job!"
"You've given me several buildings, can't I just be a landlord?"
"People need to work! You need to sweat with sacred labor, that's what I'm saying! That's how you become a real man!"
Kim Taesan was a self-made man. In his youth, there wasn't a job he hadn't tried.
"Father... That's not convincing at all coming from someone who makes income from dozens of buildings. All I've seen you do is play golf, read books, and play Go..."
"I, I worked when I was young!"
"All that talk about seeking hardship when young, youth is about pain, it's all nonsense. Life should be about living comfortably and easily."
"You brat... Get out! You! This is my house!"
"Father, you know there are several houses already in my name, right? You also know well that I can go there?"
"Y-you... Give them back!"
"How can you ask for them back when you transferred them to my name for tax purposes! Take it to court if you want!"
While the two men were fighting disgracefully, a woman entered.
Clank-
Though it was just the sound of a tray being placed on the table, both men froze.
And quietly sat down.
"Ahem, ahem."
"Mother, you're here?"
"Yes. I could hear the fighting from outside."
The absolute power in the household. Madam Jung Yunhee.
"You want to make Tyler suffer?"
"Ah, no. That's not what I meant... This kid has so much ability but lives so wastefully and lazily..."
"Tyler may be lazy, but he's not wasteful."
Tyler was waving his arms in support of his mother, but lowered them after receiving her glare.
"And I'm against making him suffer just because he's young. He's my child. Didn't we suffer so our child wouldn't have to? If we make our child suffer just because we suffered, what kind of behavior is that?"
"Y-yes, right? I spoke rashly in anger... haha..."
Kim Taesan's fists trembled with the desire to punch Tyler, who was smirking beside him. He couldn't tell if this was his son or his enemy.
"But Tyler. You do seem too lazy lately."
"...!"
The spark flew to him.
"When you said you wanted to rest after military service, I agreed. But shouldn't you go back to school now?"
"Y-yes..."
"I don't particularly think you need to get a job. I don't want to see you struggling in a difficult position either. But I don't want to see my son become a lazy and idle person. You understand what I mean?"
"Yes..."
"Live properly. Live without shame."
"You mean manage my grades?"
"No. Your grades are your freedom. What I mean is, become someone you can be proud of. Good grades are fine, and since you're in Korean Literature, writing is good too. Whatever you can focus on and proudly show results in, that's fine. Try something like that. Just don't keep playing around."
Now Kim Taesan was smirking at Tyler.
"Can I trust my son?"
"Of course, mother."
"Then I can expect results? This mother can't threaten to withhold inheritance like your father, but..."
Jung Yunhee's eyes flashed. That gaze that intimidated both Kim Taesan and Kim Tyler.
"If there's no change in you, I'll take it as you don't love this mother."
"Mother! That's too much!"
"If you love me, you'll work hard."
Using the threat of cutting off their mother-son relationship was unfair. Tyler clutched his chest as he spoke.
"Please give me another option! Your standards are too high! It'll take years of hard work to meet them!"
"Oh? Then..."
Jung Yunhee pulled out some documents from her handbag.
"Shall we start with arranged marriages? I've selected several nice young ladies. You'll learn about responsibility once you're married. They're good girls."
"I'll go back to school right away. I'll get a full scholarship."
==
"That's what happened."
"Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
"I'm hanging up. I'm blocking you."
"No! Don't hang up!"
Choi Sangyoon kept laughing but then spoke urgently. His friend was surprisingly narrow-minded. When he said he'd do something, he really did it.
"So you're going back to school?"
"Yeah. I'll study hard to get a scholarship to satisfy mother first, then play games. I'll start three months late."
"You know starting the game three months late means falling far behind, right? All the rare classes and hero classes might be taken first. You like those things."