NOVEL WEB Chapter 4
Chapter 4: I Said I’m Not Going!
In the past. That is, 30 years ago, I wasn’t the type to go out much.
For nearly a year after becoming the Saint of the small village, I was practically shut indoors.
As time passed, I gradually felt the need to go outside and eventually spent most of my time engaged in external activities.
But now? There’s no reason for that anymore, right?
"Yaaawn~ Should I order some fried chicken today?"
It’s Earth for the first time in 30 years.
If you are in Rome, you will do as roman
Just as you should follow Roman law when in Rome, there was no reason for me to obsessively run around outside like it was an illness while on Earth.
On Earth, I had been extremely lazy.
After a short wait of about 40 minutes, the delivery arrived.
"Thank you~"
I threw on some clothes and took the chicken.
There was a brief scan from the delivery worker, but I was used to such gazes, so I just ignored it.
Honestly, if someone like me passed by in front of me, I wouldn’t be able to avoid staring either.
From that perspective, a short 0.5-second scan was nothing.
"Chicken~ Chicken~"
It’s been a week since I returned to Earth.
I’ve been lying around the house all day, eating nothing but delivery food and modern cuisine.
To be honest, if someone asked me if I was completely fine, I wouldn’t be able to say yes.
I still occasionally stay alert for attacks from those who might target my appearance or the blood of the Celestial race.
That’s why I wake up at the same time every day and always maintain a ‘Detection’ skill within a 10-meter radius around me.
Of course, detection on Earth is so weakened that I can’t even tell if it’s working or if it’s just making me paranoid.
But I’ve reached a point where it feels empty without it, so I always keep it on.
"Ah, it’s turned off."
My mana ran out.
Detection is more like a passive skill that barely consumes mana.
If I had to quantify it, it would drain about 1 mana per hour.
Unlike the past, when my mana pool was in the hundreds of thousands and my mana regeneration exceeded a thousand per second, now it barely recovers 10 mana after an entire day of rest.
"I’ll turn it back on when it recovers."
I casually tore open the bag of fried chicken.
Honestly, I turn it on out of habit rather than out of concern for my safety.
Isn’t modern society extremely safe?
I’m not going outside, and there’s no chance a thief will suddenly break into my house and harm me.
"But really, this is insanely popular."
Since returning to Earth, I’ve been swimming through the vast ocean of the internet, stuffing my brain with information.
The day I suddenly possessed this body was July 4, 2018.
The day I returned was February 10, 2022.
Even if I set aside the time gap, the world had completely changed in just three and a half years.
From global corporations to various markets, public perception, and media—everything seemed to have rotated a full 480 degrees.
Companies that everyone, including myself, knew had vanished without a trace, while unfamiliar companies were suddenly competing at the top of their industries.
And at the center of all these changes was one game.
‘Devil of Angel.’
A company had released an almost reality-like virtual reality game within just three and a half years.
Nutri Company.
Some company I’d never heard of had skyrocketed to become the number one global corporation in just three years.
Of course, at the core of it was their virtual reality game.
To be honest, calling it a corporation was misleading—it had practically risen to the top with just a single game.
A world with sensations nearly identical to reality, set in a medieval fantasy setting.
A place where you could embark on adventures with dreamlike races like elves and orcs.
PVP battles where you could unleash your skills, and PVE dungeons where you could explore with countless allies to uncover treasures.
The mysterious truths behind the Celestials and the Demons.
"Experience it all in the Second World… The world welcomes you…"
This is insane.
Absolutely insane.
"They’re trying to tempt me again!!"
A pointless outburst.
I will never fall for it.
Wasn’t 30 years of grinding enough? How much more do they want to wring out of me?
And yet, for the past week, all I’ve been doing is looking up information about this game.
To be precise, even if I didn’t want to, it was impossible to avoid since everywhere I looked, all people talked about was ‘Devil of Angel.’
Unless I completely cut myself off from the internet, there was no escaping its grasp.
But I couldn’t just stop using the internet, could I?
"...The President’s Award, public broadcasting of game matches, a famous streamer with 200,000 live viewers…"
The world’s gone mad.
Completely mad.
Gulp.
"I’m not going."
Gulp. Gulp.
"I Said I'm Not Going!"
A week.
It's been a week.
It's been a week since I returned to Earth, so why on earth would I go back?
I will never, ever play that game again.
"...Ha, just once?"
But I was born a gamer.
A game the whole world is watching? How could I resist?
Besides, it’s not some crappy game—it’s a god-tier game.
Bang! The beer in my can sprayed everywhere.
Drip. Some even splashed onto my chest.
I wiped my chest roughly with a wet tissue and tossed it into the trash.
"Haa… No. It’s expensive. Normally, virtual reality devices are ridiculously expensive."
Yeah! In most fictional works, VR devices boast incredible specs and cost hundreds of millions.
I only have 20 million won. What money do I have to even consider buying a VR device?
Clearly, I'm the one with no money, and I'm the broke one, but for some reason, I felt victorious and chuckled to myself.
Then, I read the text at the very top of the official website.
[Devil of Angel, 3rd Anniversary Special Event!
3rd Generation VR Console 60% Off! (Limited to 100,000 units.)
4,990,000 won. (Tax not included.)]
"......"
Shit.
■
"Delivery!"
"Yes~"
I ordered it.
Now, I have crossed the point of no return.
Contrary to my expectation that the delivery would take a long time, it arrived in just two days.
When a Nutri Company truck pulled up at my small studio apartment, the villa residents peeked their heads out like it was some spectacle.
Of course, I didn’t step outside to show my face.
The delivery workers installed the device in my small 7-pyeong room.
I had expected it to be much bigger, but surprisingly, it was smaller than a bed—just big enough to fit my body inside.
Hmm, at least I didn’t waste my money.
Looking into it further, I found out that there are PC cafes where you can play Devil of Angel.
Technically, they’re VR console rental cafes.
Well, with a device that costs over 10 million won, not just anyone could afford one.
Apparently, about 70% of the game’s players don’t play at home but at rental venues.
The cost is 7,000 won per hour.
That’s seven times more expensive than a regular PC cafe, but considering the price of the device, it doesn’t seem too bad.
In the end, whether I bought it or not, I was always destined to play.
The delivery workers left.
After briefly thanking them, I waited until the Nutri Company truck completely disappeared before the villa residents also went back to their homes one by one.
I looked down at the small device, just big enough for my body.
It’s officially labeled as a small size, but for some reason, it felt like it was made just for me.
"There’s no way I’ll get possessed just by getting inside, right?"
The exterior had a glossy black-and-blue finish, while the interior was made of a soft, cushion-like material in a clean white color.
When I cautiously stepped inside, the soft texture seemed to pull at my feet.
As if it was calling me in.
Before I knew it, I was lying inside the device, reading the manual that came with it.
The manual consisted of only two pages.
A simple introduction to the company and the game, an explanation of its structure, and its functions.
The company and game introduction were nothing special.
I had hoped to find some useful information, but it really was just a console designed solely for playing the game.
There were no familiar names among the company's executives either.
The device had only two functions.
A red start button inside, and a blue escape button to exit at any time.
If the power was cut off, an in-game signal would be sent, backup power would activate, and if that ran out too, it would forcefully log me out.
Being a VR game, it seemed to have been designed with safety in mind.
I lay down and looked downward.
I couldn't see because of my chest.
Not being able to see your lower body in combat is a fatal flaw, and in the past, I would have used my clairvoyant vision to see through my body, but right now, I didn’t have the capacity for that.
I pressed the start button.
With a humming sound, a strange blue screen rose up, and after a brief moment of darkness, bright blue windows appeared in my vision.
I took a deep breath.
Just a bit. Just a quick look around and then I'll leave.
Yeah, I haven't lost yet.
I'm just infiltrating the enemy camp to gather intel.
Besides, what? No way a VR game could be as real as actual reality.
At best, they probably focused on senses like pain, smell, and hearing, but they definitely wouldn't be able to replicate intuition or the super senses that can only be felt in real life.
[Welcome. Initializing Devil of Angel 3rd Generation VR Console Link.]
[If this is your first time, press the blue button. If you already have an ID, press the red button.]