There was always a strange emptiness in Ryu's eyes. Victory and defeat were merely two different words telling the same story to him. There was a time when he lived for new raids and new bosses, sacrificing his sleep at night, but now his heart no longer beat for any "Victory." His room was like his life—small, messy, scattered with empty coffee mugs and old game manuals everywhere. The blue light from the monitor fell on his tired face, his face was thin, his eyes weary, and there was that habitual smile on his lips—neither of joy nor of pain.
He stared at the monitor and said softly,
"Maybe clearing everything was a mistake… now there's no challenge left."
His own words echoed back to him in the silence of the room. He gave a faint smile, but it died halfway.
Just then, a new notification flashed on the monitor: Eternum Online: Hardcore Mode – Only for True Kings. A small spark appeared on Ryu's tired face. He lifted his eyes, and for a moment, he felt that old passion that had been silent for years. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Let's go… one more round. Maybe… I'll feel something."
He picked up the headset and slowly placed it on his head. The blue light filled his small room; pixels began to fall on the screen like raindrops. His heart beat faster for a moment—perhaps this was his last intoxication, the last chance to feel something, whether in the virtual or the real world.
On the login screen, his avatar was shining—the same legendary avatar known in the gaming world as the "Game Emperor." The golden armor gleamed like sunlight, and his eyes were calm yet terrifying, like a cold ocean. The status window screamed only one thing—Level 9999 | Max Skills | Max Gear. Ryu's smile was the kind a king gives when he looks at his crown, but that smile was empty.
"One more game… one more win… and another empty night."
But this time, something was different. The screen suddenly began to glitch. Pixels scattered like falling stars in the night sky. A mechanical voice echoed through the headset,
"Welcome, True King. Log-out option is permanently disabled until the story ends."
Ryu's heart stopped for a moment. His hand moved to remove the headset, but his body felt as if it had been bound.
"What… the hell is this?!"
His heart screamed, but no sound came out of his lips. Then everything turned dark.
And when he opened his eyes, a new world stood before him. A blue, open sky, sunlight streaming through the clouds, and a cool breeze brushing against his face. This wasn't graphics—everything felt so real that his breath caught for a moment. He looked at his hands—the golden gauntlets glimmered under the sunlight, the same ones that were part of his avatar. His heart filled with a strange warmth, and a genuine smile appeared on his lips—not the habitual one, but one with the fragrance of an old memory.
"Looks like… this world feels real. Maybe… I won't be bored anymore."
The status window opened before him—Level: 9999 | HP: Infinite | MP: Infinite. Ryu looked up at the sunlit sky, his eyes gleaming for a moment. He looked like a weary king who had left his crown behind to see the world as a common man. He took a deep breath and said with a calm smile,
"Well then… let's start sightseeing."
Ryu stood up slowly, his golden boots glimmering faintly under the sunlight. He looked around—an endless field of green grass, distant mountains, and the faint sound of flowing rivers. Everything felt so real that his heart paused for a beat. He touched the soil with his finger, and his expression turned serious.
"Hmph… not graphics… this is real."
A transparent screen floated before him—
System Notice: You cannot log out until all world events are cleared… or you die.
A slightly bitter, slightly arrogant smile appeared on Ryu's lips.
"Die? Me? At level 9999? Lol… what a joke."
He checked his status—everything was the same as he had left it. Infinite HP, infinite MP, and all the skills people only heard of in rumors. He took a deep breath and looked toward the sky.
"All right, Hardcore Mode… let's see how hardcore you really are."
He began to walk slowly, the grass bending softly beneath his boots. There was no fear on his face, only a tourist-like curiosity, as if he was here just to explore.
After walking a while, he saw a small team—a group of three adventurers struggling against a goblin attack. A boy with a sword was trying to distract the goblin, a crying healer was chanting weak spells, and a third, an archer, was shooting useless arrows.
Ryu looked at them calmly and smiled faintly.
"Noobs."
The goblin suddenly lunged at the swordsman, and the healer screamed.
"Help!"
Ryu simply snapped his fingers. A small blue spark flashed near the goblin's head, and in the next moment, it flew through the air and crashed into the ground.
The adventurers stared at him in shock.
"What… what was that?" the archer stammered.
Ryu tilted his head slightly and said casually,
"Oh, just a greeting. You guys carry on, I don't want to disturb my sightseeing."
He adjusted his golden cloak and walked away as if nothing had happened.
"Was… was he a legendary hero?" the healer whispered.
Ryu smiled softly and said,
"I'm a tourist… not a hero."
He kept walking without stopping. In the distance, he saw a small village, smoke rising, and people running in panic. A flicker of interest appeared in his eyes, and he murmured,
"Ah… finally, something interesting in sightseeing."
When he reached the village, everything was chaos. Small monsters were wreaking havoc everywhere, and villagers were running and screaming. Ryu watched for a moment and raised his hand.
A faint golden wave emerged from his hand, and all the monsters froze in place as if time had stopped. Within seconds, they turned to dust and fell to the ground.
The villagers gathered around him, their eyes filled with gratitude and fear.
"You… you saved us!" an old man bowed deeply. "You must be a holy warrior, right?"
Ryu smirked slightly and said,
"Holy? No… just a tired tourist."
People looked at him with awe; some even bowed. Ryu looked at them and chuckled softly.
"Relax… I didn't do much. And please, don't worship me—it's boring."
A little girl who was hiding behind him whispered softly,
"Big brother, where did you come from?"
Ryu ruffled her hair and smiled,
"From far away… very far away."
But just as he said that, a system window appeared before him—
Warning: Unknown High-Level Entity Detected Nearby
Ryu narrowed his eyes and looked toward the mountains. In the distance, black smoke was rising, slowly moving toward the village. The s
mile on his face turned sharper as he muttered softly,
"Now this will be fun… sightseeing is over, hunting begins."