That afternoon, Ian didn't take overtime. A rare decision, considering every won meant so much to his family. But today was different. Something had been gnawing at his chest since last night. The metallic black ID card still tucked in his pants pocket.
His steps brought him to a three-story building with a large neon sign reading "NEXUS CAPSULE RENTAL - 500 won/Hour". The front glass was slightly foggy, plastered with faded promotional stickers. The automatic door opened with a soft hiss as he stepped inside.
Instant coffee and air freshener hit his nose. Cold AC pierced his sweat-damp skin. At the reception desk, a young woman with thick glasses chewed gum while scrolling on her phone. Her fingernails were painted metallic purple.
"How long?" she asked without looking up. Flat. Bored.
"Two hours." Ian pulled money from the worn leather wallet in his back pocket. Several 500 won bills.
She finally looked up, one eyebrow raised. "First time playing?"
Ian nodded.
"Newbies usually take the 5-hour package. There's a discount too." She pointed to a poster on the wall showing a cool knight character with big text: FIRST TIMER PACKAGE - 5 HOURS ONLY 2000 WON!
Ian shook his head. "Two hours is enough."
She shrugged. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. Click-click-click. The printer beside her hissed, spitting out a small slip.
"Capsule number 14, second floor." She handed over the paper and change without eye contact. "Don't forget to logout before time's up. Auto-kick saves are half-assed. Real hassle."
"Thanks."
Ian climbed the stairs, gripping the cold iron railing. His shoes made dull sounds on each step. The second floor was quieter. A long corridor with white neon lights flickering at the far end. Rows of capsule doors on both sides, some closed with red lights above the frames. Occupied. Muffled sounds leaked out: shouts, laughter, unintelligible chatter.
Capsule 14 sat at the corridor's end. Door open, green light blinking like slow breathing. Ian paused before stepping inside.
Cramped. White walls stained in the corners, probably old coffee spills. A gray recliner with a thin headrest. Beside it, a small table held a glossy black VR headset and two bracelet sensors.
Ian closed the door. Click. The interior light brightened automatically. He sat and took a long breath. His fingers trembled as he pulled out the ID card.
Cold metallic black. The embossed Atlas Fall Online logo caught the light. Bottom right corner, small gold text: "One Chance to Rewrite Your Beginning."
Ian put on the headset. Heavy. The foam padding felt soft, slightly warm. Recently used. The screen was black. He attached both sensor bracelets with soft clicks, then pressed the power button.
The screen blinked.
Three seconds of darkness.
Then the logo appeared.
A giant tower soaring into the sky, surrounded by swirling clouds and lightning. Below it, large golden text materialized with scattered light particles:
ATLAS FALL ONLINE
Orchestral music swelled. Violins. Deep bass drums. Majestic.
A woman's voice spoke, gentle but firm.
"Welcome to Atlas Fall Online."
Ian swallowed.
"Please insert your ID card."
He found the slot on the headset's side. Slid the card in slowly. Scraping sound until it seated fully.
Beep. Beep. A small chime like a coin dropping.
The screen blinked.
"Limited Edition Card Detected."
Gold text, larger than before.
"Special Privilege: Class Reroll - One Time Use."
"Initializing... Please wait."
His heart hammered. Palms sweating inside the bracelets.
This was it.
The black screen faded. Ian stood in a boundless white room. No sky. No visible floor, but something solid beneath his feet. Like thick glass. White emptiness stretched endlessly.
A hologram materialized before him. A large crystal, two meters tall, rotating slowly with soft blue light.
"Welcome, Player. You will now receive your starting class. Please stand by."
The crystal brightened. Rotation accelerating. Blue shifted to white, then gold, then exploded into thousands of sparks like fireflies.
Ian closed his eyes against the glare. When he opened them, large text floated before him in bold silver.
[CLASS OBTAINED: WARRIOR (COMMON)]
Ian paused. Warrior. Common.
"Shit, common." A thin smile crossed his face. "Well, not bad. At least I can beat things up."
An information panel appeared.
[WARRIOR - COMMON CLASS]
Role: Melee Combat / Tank
Primary Stats: Strength, Vitality
Skills:
Slash (Lv.1) - Basic sword attack.
Guard (Lv.1) - Reduce incoming damage by 20%.
Description: A straightforward combat class suitable for beginners. Reliable in close-range battle.
"Straightforward. Reliable." Ian nodded. "Can hunt normally, join parties too."
Then his eyes caught something in the corner. Bottom right. A small golden button blinking slowly.
[CLASS REROLL AVAILABLE]
[LIMITED EDITION PRIVILEGE]
[Use Now? YES / NO]
His relaxed hand slowly rose. Finger trembling.
"One more time..." he whispered. "Warrior's already good. But... what if I could get something better?"
He stared at the button. His mother's forced smile flashed through his mind. The doorway last night. His sister alone with used textbooks. His father unconscious in the hospital.
Deep breath. "Warrior is common. At worst, it'll still be common, right? Can't get worse than this."
Stupid logic. But Ian was too tired to think straight. He'd played it safe his whole life. Where did that get him? Still not enough.
"Fuck it."
His hand moved before his brain could object. Index finger stabbing YES.
The crystal exploded. Thousands of light fragments scattered like fireworks, spinning into a giant vortex that devoured all light. Metal chimes echoed like a casino slot machine gone mad. Ting-ting-ting-ting.
Virtual wind slammed Ian's face. Blinding light.
Then silence.
The crystal reappeared, cracked in several places. Dim. Almost dead.
New text materialized slowly.
[CLASS OBTAINED: EXPLORER (COMMON)]
Ian froze. Read it again. And again. Hoping for a glitch.
"...Explorer?"
Barely a whisper.
A smaller information panel appeared, as if ashamed.
[EXPLORER - COMMON CLASS]
Role: Non-Combat / Support
Primary Stats: Intelligence, Luck
Skills:
Map Revelation (Lv.1) - Reveal hidden paths in explored areas.
Description: A class focused on exploration and discovery. Not recommended for solo combat.
Word by word. Line by line. His eyes locked on the final sentence, mocking him.
Not recommended for solo combat.
He reread it. Once. Twice. Hoping the words would change.
"No... no way." Slow head shake. "My luck can't be this bad."
He'd traded a combat class for a support class. Thrown away a Warrior with attack skills, capable of fighting, "reliable in close-range battle," for an Explorer the system itself warned against using solo.
His hand swept through the air, searching for any button. Undo. Cancel. Reset. Anything.
Nothing.
No back button.
No second chance for a second chance.
"STUPID!" The shout echoed in empty white space. "STUPID! I'M SO FUCKING STUPID!"
He kept shouting. Kicking air. Punching nothing. Nothing changed.
[EXPLORER (COMMON)] floated there casually, laughing at him.
Ian fell to his knees. Hands covering his face. Gasping.
Why did I have to be greedy?
Why wasn't Warrior enough?
Why do I always make stupid decisions?
Just like Dad. Always risking. Always losing.
The system voice returned, calm and professional, uncaring.
"Class confirmed. Proceeding to character creation."
Ian didn't answer. Just sat there. Alone in white emptiness with matching emptiness inside.
A mechanical female voice crackled from the headset speaker. Different from the game. Flatter. Colder.
"Rental time remaining: 1 hour 47 minutes."
Ian jolted. He'd forgotten about the capsule. Forgotten that every second was money burning. Money for rice. Electricity. This month's debt.
And now, with the worst class possible, he didn't know if those one hour forty-seven minutes would mean anything.
Or just become another regret to carry home.