An old, filthy room, full of trash.
Sitting at a large desk, Ryu Jin was playing his favorite game.
It had already been more than two years since he had become a recluse, speaking to no one.
"Damn it, I'm so fucking sick of this. Useless teammates can't do anything at all!"
After losing yet another match—supposedly because of his team—he grabbed a can of beer.
Shhh.
The can hissed as it opened, showing it had been bought not too long ago.
Gulp.
Ryu Jin took a big swig.
"Ha… I'm so fucking tired of everything."
His eyes swept across the room. Among all the trash, only one thing drew his attention: a photograph.
An old photo—him as a graduate of a prestigious university, standing with his family.
Back then, everything was fine, and his future had seemed as bright as the sun.
But that night, two years ago, by some cruel accident, had taken away his entire family… and left him crippled in both legs.
His gaze fell on his legs. He tried to move them, even just a little, but as always—nothing. No sensation at all. Ryu Jin had long since given up. After all, why struggle if you can just surrender and drift away into oblivion?
That was how he became a shut-in. Thanks to his family's inheritance, he could live comfortably until old age without ever worrying about money.
"Yeah, fuck it. What's the point of thinking about that? Bad thoughts won't help anyway."
Exiting his game, he glanced at the desktop and noticed something strange.
"Huh? Where did this game come from? I don't remember downloading anything like this. Whatever, let's see."
He clicked on the icon, and a message immediately appeared.
[Welcome to the Era of Legends]
[No save data found...]
[Start a new game?]
[YES][NO]
Two prompts appeared before his eyes.
"Well, I didn't open this for nothing. Of course… [YES]."
[Consent received]
[Select game difficulty:]
[Easy Earth][Normal Water][Hard Flame][Immortal Sky]
"Hm…"
From experience, he already knew that the lower the difficulty sounded, the harder the game really was. But after beating hundreds of impossibly difficult games, he considered himself a true professional. So why bother with anything less?
"I believe in my skills. Obviously, I'm choosing [Immortal Sky]!"
[Choice confirmed]
[Searching for players...]
[Players found!]
[Good luck, Player F997]
[Transfer to world ASD***** beginning...]
Suddenly, everything around him began to shake.
"What the—? An earthquake?"
The whole room vibrated, objects fell from the shelves.
Then, a blue glow engulfed Ryu Jin, blinding him in radiant light.
"What the hell…"
Light.
"Why… why is it so bright?"
He was blinded, but his thoughts quickly shifted.
"What… Why can't I feel anything? Am I… dead?"
Then his vision pierced through once more.
And he froze. This wasn't his home. He was… in a forest?
He looked around. Trees, massive mountains, floating islands?
And near him—people lying on the ground.
Some of them woke up and stood.
A bald man muttered:"What's going on? How did I get here?"
A woman screamed:"What is this place? I was just at home with my friend!"
One by one, people began to awaken.
At that moment, Ryu Jin thought—maybe this place was connected to the game.
But if this really was a game, then maybe…
He tried moving his legs—and what happened filled him with indescribable joy. But it also meant this wasn't Earth. Something extraordinary was happening.
He could move his legs. Slowly, unsteadily, he stood.
A faint tremor ran through his body.
"This is unbeli—"
But he was cut off by a girl's scream.
She stood near the bushes, her face pale with terror, her whole body trembling.
From the bushes emerged a green tiger, moving slowly, menacingly. On its forehead shone two deer antlers. Its jade-like fur gleamed brilliantly under the sun.
Instantly, a blue virtual window appeared before Ryu Jin's eyes.
[Jade Demonic Tiger — Level 5 (Class 1)]
A crushing pressure made everyone's knees buckle.
[You are under the effect: King's Suppression]
Some even collapsed outright.
The tiger's predatory gaze swept over them all.
Someone whispered:"This… this can't be real. Just a nightmare."
Another girl muttered desperately:"Maybe I forgot to take off my VR helmet… This is just a game. How do I log out?"
She waved her hands frantically, trying to "exit" the game.
But her movements did not go unnoticed. The tiger's bloodthirsty eyes locked onto her.
It crouched, then leapt.
Everyone's faces twisted in sheer horror as their gazes followed it.
In just a second, the tiger crossed dozens of meters, landing right in front of the girl. With a single swipe of its paw—
She was split in half.
Blood gushed in waves, splattering everywhere.
The bright green grass was dyed crimson.
Horror froze on every person's face.
At that moment, everyone understood—this was no dream, no game.
This was their new life.A life that would not be easy.