Demon 3

12-16 minutes 04.06.2023

‘Hmm, what is this?’

‘An amusement park? How did I end up here?’

“Uncle!”

I heard a sweet voice from behind.

Breaking the sudden silence, I turned around with tears in my eyes.

A girl wearing an oversized t-shirt with a printed picture and a blue skirt was skipping toward me.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Oh, it was absolutely amazing! Did you take any pictures?”

“Here.”

I handed her my broken smartphone, and Ji-won burst into laughter.

“Haha, what’s this? Uncle’s clumsiness?”

She giggled while flipping through the photos.

“Wow, you’re really bad at this. You’re getting old, Uncle. Seems like you’ve lost your touch.”

“Hey, I’m not an old man. I’m only 29!”

“Sigh, Uncle, it’s not about age.”

“Then what is it?”

In response to my question, Ji-won made a funny face.

Just like my sister, she can be so annoying.

“Of course, appearance matters!”

“Hey, I look young for my age, you know? I still get hit at bars.”

“You’re just flattering yourself. Don’t you know that, Uncle?”

Ji-won and I crossed the barricade and slumped onto a bench.

She massaged her calf and nudged me with her chin.

“Uncle, they sell churros over there.”

“So…”

“I’m hungry.”

“Why make such a fuss? Do you want me to hit you?”

“Come on, hurry up!”

“Don’t tell me… you want me to buy them?”

“Hehe.”

“You were calling me an old man earlier, and now you’re naturally bossing me around. You, in the prime of youth, go buy them.”

“Oh, I’m tired. Can’t you do that much for your cute niece?”

Defeated by her persistence, I finally got up and headed toward the shop.

While waiting for the churros to come out of the shop… the aroma of grilled butter squid fills the air.

I can’t resist this.

“Hey, Ji-won! Do you want squid?”

Saying that, I turned around.

But Ji-won wasn’t on the bench anymore.

“Huh.”

There was someone sitting on the bench that should have been empty.

A beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Huh?”

The girl, who looked oddly familiar, waved at me.

.

.

.

The cold wind and droplets of water hit my face harshly.

‘…The smell of the sea?’

I widened my eyes at the salty scent that reached my nose and involuntarily screamed as I saw the rough sea filling my view.

“Ahhhh!”

“Damn, you scared me!”

A sailor wearing a stern expression tugged at the sail and growled near me.

“Hey, buddy! Hold on tight if you don’t want to get hurt!”

“Yes, yes?”

Only then did I realize that I was standing on a ship, being tossed around by a raging storm.

It was a large vessel with two massive sails, but the deck was cluttered with all sorts of items and merchants, leaving barely any space to walk.

Feeling bewildered, I glanced around, and the sailor shouted at me again.

“Sit down! I’m already as dizzy as can be!”

“Huh? Oh—yes, yes!”

Mumbling in response, I stole a glance at the sailor’s weathered and muscular shoulder. His stern expression and rough tone compelled me to sit down involuntarily.

Despite the cramped space amidst piles of cargo, I had no choice but to squeeze myself in and take a seat.

The damp atmosphere penetrated my entire body, causing my teeth to involuntarily chatter.

‘What on earth is going on here?’

I ended up sitting down due to the intimidating old man’s harsh yelling, but…what exactly is happening?

I looked around, trying to make sense of the situation.

As I had already observed, I was sitting on the deck of a ship sailing through a turbulent sea.

The other passengers on the deck seemed unfazed by my sudden behavior, and the sailors were too preoccupied with their tasks.

Come to think of it, the waves were so fierce that it seemed like the ship could capsize at any moment.

‘Oh, damn it, I usually get seasick… Wait?’

I was usually so prone to seasickness that I couldn’t even handle a leisurely cruise on the Han River, yet strangely, I felt fine now.

Despite the cold raindrops, the chilling sea breeze that caressed my body, and the various loud noises that assaulted my ears, my senses were sharper than ever, and peculiarly, I didn’t feel queasy.

“What… what is this…”

While wiping the moisture off my face, I suddenly flinched and pulled my shoulders in.

Even though I was sure I touched my face with my hand, it felt as if a stranger’s hand was touching a stranger’s face—it was an incredibly unfamiliar sensation.

This peculiar feeling arose due to the changes in my face and hand.

First and foremost, my nose appeared higher, and my hand felt large and rough. It was rougher than ever before, even more so than when my hands became calloused during my part-time kitchen work in high school or dried during harsh winter training.

“What is this, what on earth…”

Glancing down once more, I noticed that my body was also different.

If I were to envision my original body—Kim Seung-soo’s body—it was of average height, with slender arms and legs, and a noticeable beer belly. In short, it resembled the typical physique of an office worker.

But now… Each time I twisted my body, I could feel solid muscles etched throughout.

My limbs were surprisingly long and lean, and there wasn’t an ounce of fat around my waist. Astonishingly, as my wandering hands explored, I could feel chest muscles as firm as marble.

Even my attire was peculiar.

Both my top and bottom were made of leather, though the pants seemed to be processed, while the top felt raw.

Loosely fastened iron armor adorned my chest and shoulders.

At my feet, a knife wrapped in cloth rolled around. It appeared to be the item I dropped when I stood up earlier.

The sensation around my hip felt awkward, and when I looked down, I noticed a shield, as large as a head, swinging from my belt.

‘What is this, what is happening? What am I wearing?’

I tried to stay calm and started to recall.

My Blood Knight ‘PkApplyMemo’, which I have been nurturing for nearly a year, was killed by Trickster.

I seethed with anger and cursed at the obvious hacking or exploit employed by the Trickster.

Trickster departed, and after calming myself down and having a meal, I sat back down.

I played as a level 1 Blood Knight named ‘NuclearWarStarter,’ created in a fit of rage.

I smoothly cleared Chapter 1 and boarded a ship to Chapter 2 before exiting the game and going to sleep…

“Hold on a minute, boarded a ship?”

A jolt ran through my body as if struck by lightning.

The scenery around me, my transformed body and attire, and the fragments of knowledge flooding my mind… My brain swiftly processed countless pieces of information.

Both my instinct and the remaining trace of cold reason led me to the same conclusion.

“[email protected].”

At thirty years old, three years into my office job, a young adult or perhaps a middle-aged man…

“Shit…”

I have become the hardcore character from Dark World, the Blood Knight known as ‘NuclearWarStarter.’

After spending a day doing everything possible to escape reality, I reluctantly accepted the situation at hand.

To appease my hunger, I retrieved a piece of rock-hard black bread from my pocket. It was so dry it could be mistaken for a bag or a rag. I soaked it in rainwater and began to chew on it while sinking into deep thought.

The main stage of Dark World consists of two branches: the campaign and the expedition.

The expedition is high-level content where you venture into hellish dimensions to farm for items, while the campaign focuses on advancing the game’s storyline.

The Dark World campaign is composed of a total of ten chapters, including the introductory chapter, which essentially serves as a tutorial.

During this campaign, players embark on a journey to prevent the corruption of the Middle World by the forces of the Dark World.

And the ship I find myself on serves as the transition between chapters 1 and 2 of the Dark World campaign.

The crucial difference between the game and reality is that I am not simply traversing a short loading screen; I am personally braving the storm and navigating the treacherous sea.

“Damn it.”

Wiping the moisture off my face, I cursed under my breath and buried my face between my knees.

“Why, out of all the possibilities, did it have to be Dark World…”

If I were to describe the world of Dark World in a single sentence, it would be ” a desolate wasteland devoid of dreams or hope.”

Kings wage wars, lords engage in civil conflicts, corruption plagues the church, and thieves, monsters, and undead run rampant throughout.

The future holds even more despair. Various dimensions, including Dark World, threaten to consume Middle World as the boundaries between realms grow increasingly fragile.

“Sigh.”

Feeling a headache coming on, I closed my eyes for a moment and recalled the vivid images that had plagued my dreams when I managed to force myself to sleep earlier.

Familiar texts and symbols. Undoubtedly, a character sheet displaying stats and skills.

Oddly enough, the equipment window did not appear, but the character sheet alone was enough to confirm my conviction that I now resided in Dark World.

The state of my stats and skills, as well as the ring on my finger, solidified this truth.

The conclusion I reluctantly reached was that I had become a character in Dark World. Specifically, I had become the level 10 Blood Knight known as ‘NuclearWarStarter,’ who had cleared Chapter 1.

‘Ha, if I had to become a game character, I wish it had been ‘PkApplyMemo.”

‘PkApplyMemo’ was a hero who successfully completed the campaign and was hailed as the savior of the continent and all dimensions.

Moreover, he was an immensely powerful character who could never be threatened by the enemies encountered in the campaign.

I glanced down at the relic left by ‘PkApplyMemo.’

Naturally, upon seeing the ring emanating a red aura, my thoughts turned to the wizard who had slain ‘PkApplyMemo’—Trickster.

He’s the old man I suspect threw me here.

In truth, I have no way of confirming whether he is truly an old man or an old woman.

I never actually encountered him in person; I merely deduced his age and gender from our interactions within the game.

Nevertheless, considering his cryptic remarks about the hidden quest and invitation, it seems highly likely that he is connected to my current predicament…

“Land ahoy!”

“South Harbor!”

Startled by the shout that erupted from the ship’s deck, I swiftly raised my head. Witnessing everyone hastily rise from their seats, I followed suit and stood up.

Unbeknownst to me, the storm had abated, and the dark clouds were retreating to one side.

Under the radiant sun, a picturesque port city basked in a golden glow, shimmering in the distance.

It was ‘South Harbor,’ the starting point of Chapter 2 and the southernmost region of the Millanol Kingdom.

“Wow-“

I exclaimed, momentarily forgetting about my own predicament.

The keen eyes of the Blood Knight granted me a clear vision of South Harbor, despite its distance.

Towering city walls crafted from brown bricks, an elongated pier stretching out into the sea, grand ships scattered along the shore, vibrant rooftops, merchants and soldiers adorned in distinctive attire, and peculiar-looking livestock…

Although I had embarked on a five-month journey around the world following my university graduation, the sight of South Harbor surpassed anything I had ever witnessed.

Its enchanting allure was unparalleled to coastal cities on Earth, such as the endless shores of Nice, the captivating night view of Amsterdam, or the bustling streets of Barcelona.

A sense of liberation washed over me as I escaped the grueling life in Seoul, a hellish existence filled with car payments, monthly rent, mundane company dinners, a rigid team leader, and an incompetent department head.

The vigor coursing through my robust physique, coupled with unprecedented strength, ignited the long-suppressed spark of adventure nestled within my heart.

However, this blissful reverie shattered in less than three minutes.

Whiizz.

“Huh?” The sound of the wind being torn reached my ears, followed by a bone-chilling thud.

Casually directing my gaze toward the source of the noise, I was rendered speechless by the unimaginable scene that unfolded before me.

A man stood there, blood seeping from a throat pierced by an arrow.

“Uhhh… what… what…”

The arrow, firmly embedded in both the man’s throat and the ship’s railing, indicated that it still carried the force of its impact. The man emitted muffled sounds, his neck contorted in agony.

In a futile attempt to dislodge or snap the arrow, he frantically fumbled at his throat, his gestures devoid of purpose.

I stared dumbfoundedly at the man’s mouth, straining to comprehend his incomprehensible words.

“Pirates!”

I continued to fixate on the man’s mouth until I inadvertently collided with a sailor, stumbling on the swaying deck.

In the end, I failed to hear his last words.

(TO BE CONTINUED)