Chapter 4: Enter the Game 2

[Loading system...]

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'W, What's going on?' Taesan confused.

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[Analyzing physical body...]

As Taesan opened his eyes, he gasped in surprise. He recalled falling asleep inside the capsule, and suddenly, a hologram illuminated the darkness before his eyes.

[Collecting information...]

[Encrypting name...]

[Initializing game settings...]

[Loading game world...]

"...What is happening?"

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[Game world loaded!]

The hologram emitted a celebratory sound that played in his ears directly into Taesan's ears without the need for earphones.

[Welcome, Yoo Taesan! You can now begin your adventure in Ganghwa!]

Taesan couldn't believe what he was seeing. The hologram continued to speak with displayed subtitles with its screen flickering slightly. Far too similar to what he had seen in sci-fi movies.

It felt surreal experiencing it for the first time.

'You've logged in. You will be able to experience new adventures, meet other players, and explore the vast and endless possibilities of this universe!]

"How is this thing talking?" Taesan asked outwardly.

[I can transmit information to your brain, allowing you to hear me without the need for any devices.]

"Wait, I, I have consciousness in my dream?"

[Yes. Your consciousness is connected to Ganghwa through advanced technology. You will experience everything in the game just like in real life.]

"This... is amazing. Are you like S*ri, Go*gle, or something?" Taesan said, still in disbelief. "Or maybe I'm dead and dreaming."

[No need to worry, Yoo Taesan. You are alive and this is not a dream.]

"If this is not a dream, then what is it?" Taesan's eyes widened in realization. "I'm playing a game in my head while my body is sleeping in the real world?"

[That's correct. Your mind is fully immersed in the game, and you can interact with it just as you would in the physical world.]

[But before sending you out into the virtual world, you need to pick which weapon you will use.]

"...What are my options?" Taesan asked, curious.

[There are seven weapons to choose from the longsword, double swords, spear, bow, twin blades, claw gauntlets, and whip chain. Each weapon has its own unique attributes and abilities, so choose wisely.]

Taesan furrowed his brow, deep in thought. After a moment, he made his decision.

[Excellent choice! Your twin blades has been equipped. Now, are you ready to enter the world of Ganghwa and begin your adventure?]

Taesan took a deep breath, excitement, and nervousness coursing through his veins.

"Yes, I'm ready," he replied with determination.

[Then go forth and explore—]

"Ah! Wait, wait!"

['Yes?']

"Aren't you going to tell me more information about the world?"

[Ganghwa is the name of the world you will be sent to. It has a mix of cultivation, monsters, and towers to raid. Your mission as a player is to—]

It began to look funny with the same phrase repeating over and over again.

[Your mission... is, is, is! Your mission as... to, to, mission! Ganghwa is, Ganghwa!]

Taesan watched in confusion as he witnessed the strange occurrence before his eyes. And then distorted lines appeared in the hologram just before the system finally froze.

[Processing to refresh system...]

[Refreshing...]

[Welcome, Yoo Taesan! You can now begin your adventure in Ganghwa!]

Taesan felt uneasy about the sudden glitch. However, before he could dwell on it, a robotic voice came from the system and the hologram returned to its previous state.

[Searching previous records...]

He waited for a few more minutes until it spoke again.

[Then go forth and explore, Yoo Taesan. The possibilities are endless.]

Without a warning, his vision was enveloped in blinding light. He raised his arms to shield his eyes, but the intensity of the light made it impossible to see.

As the light gradually dissipated, Taesan heard a muffled sound of birds in the distance.

When everything calmed down, he lowered his arms and adjusted his eyes. Taesan was starstruck by the stunning sight that came across him.

He looked around, and found he was standing in the middle of a dense forest, surrounded by tall trees that reached the sky.

As he took a step forward, he almost trampled on the ground from tripping on a small stone tablet with strange marking on it. He surveyed it yet felt unaccomplished by not being able to read what was written.

But what struck him was the sharp pain in his toes.

"...This is amazing, ha-ha."

Taesan looked down to examine his feet and noticed a pair of leather boots for his footwear.

He chuckled, feeling a rush of excitement at the thought of sensing the virtual world around him like it was real.

"I can't believe... this is real," Taesan muttered, before taking another step forward and straying into the woods. "I haven't heard much about this game and its world."

Taesan strolled around to see what the game had in store for him. Unlike most of his peers, he wasn't much of a gamer and only used his smartphone for communication.

Despite that, he had heard about the latest game trends in school but couldn't recall ever hearing about a game called Ganghwa.

"Maybe it's a new release?" he wondered.

A hologram popped.

[You have entered Baekjeon.]

"Huh, is that a town?"

Not far to where he was standing, he found the end of the forest. And through the gaps between the trees, he spotted a town in the distance.

[Proceed to the tutorial by travelling 80 meters.]

"Alright. A tutorial," he muttered, approaching the gate of the town.

The word triggered a memory from listening to his classmates about their gaming experiences. At the least, he had a faint idea of what tutorials were.

Taesan took a deep breath and prepared himself.

As he got near the gate, he could already hear the bustling sounds of the town. He gapped by the sight of two-story buildings waving over the tall fences that surrounded the town.

"Am I in Korea?"

Taesan passed through the entrance, which was guarded by a single watchtower and a guard. His jaw hit the ground upon seeing the entire place.

The architecture had a distinct feel of his country to it, making him wonder if he was still in the virtual game. Even the town folks wore traditional hanbok.

"Speaking of the town folks, are they NPCs?" Taesan asked aloud.

The people bustling about, heading to their respective purpose while others chatted idly with each other.

[You have entered a safe zone.]

[To access the map, simply cast it out loud.]

"...Uh, map?" He felt a bit awkward, like he was trying too hard, as he cast the map for the first time.

The hologram changed and a little bigger than the others that had popped out.

It displayed a layout of the town, like a blueprint with different sections. The town was more extensive than it looked, with several roads and alleyways branching out in different directions.

Buildings were labeled as shops, markets, while others were marked as private residences.

As he examined the map, Taesan noticed a small red dot blinking.

At first, he thought it was some kind of warning or danger sign. But as he focused more, he realized that it was marking his position in the town.

[Tutorial will begin in 10 seconds. Please proceed to the town plaza.]

Another semi-transparent hologram popped from his vision, blocking the map.

"Where is the town plaza?"

The system responded by showing him a yellow blinking dot on the map, which he could see through the translucent image. It was just a few steps away from his location.