The blue glow of my phone screen was the only light in my cramped bedroom at 2:47 AM. My thumbs moved with practiced precision across the cracked screen, navigating through Eternal Abyss's Shadow Market district like I'd done this a thousand times before.
Because I had.
"Come on, come on... just a little more..." I muttered, executing the trade sequence for the forty-third time tonight. Cancel at exactly 0.3 seconds. Reinitiate. Confirm. Watch the magic happen.
[Trade Completed]
[You have received: Philosopher's Stone Fragment x2]
"Yes!" I had to physically clamp my hand over my mouth to avoid shouting. The walls in our apartment were paper-thin, and the last thing I needed was Mom barging in to lecture me about staying up late when I had the college entrance exam in three months.
As if the exam mattered anymore when I was about to be rich.
I opened my inventory and stared at the beautiful sight: sixteen Philosopher's Stone Fragments, each one worth ₩500,000 on the black market. Eight million won total. That was six months of my dad's salary from the convenience store we barely kept afloat.
My phone buzzed with a Discord notification. RedDragon_CN, the Chinese whale who'd been hounding me for premium items for the past week.
[RedDragon_CN: fragments ready?]
I grinned. Time to make rent for the next three months.
[Merchant69: all 16. payment first, delivery after]
[RedDragon_CN: half now, half on delivery]
I rolled my eyes. Why did every negotiation have to start with this song and dance?
[Merchant69: full payment or find another seller. your choice]
Let him sweat. I'd checked the trading forums—nobody else had Philosopher's Stone Fragments in stock. I had a monopoly, and monopolies set their own terms. That was Economics 101, which I'd actually paid attention to because unlike calculus, it was directly applicable to making money.
[RedDragon_CN: fine. sending payment now]
[Payment Received: ₩8,000,000]
Eight million won dropped into my secondary bank account—the one I'd opened with a fake ID bought from a sketchy senior. Technically illegal, but so was being seventeen and running an international virtual goods trading empire, so I was already past the point of worrying about technicalities.
I initiated the trade, watching the fragments transfer to RedDragon_CN's account. Sixteen duplicated items created through an exploit that would be patched in the next update, sold to a rich idiot who'd probably use them to craft some legendary sword he'd never actually need.
And I'd made eight million won in three months of careful grinding and exploitation.
Not bad for a high school kid whose family was ₩50 million in debt.
I minimized the game and opened my secret spreadsheet—the one where I tracked every won earned, every expense, every step of my master plan.
[Current Savings: ₩8,000,000
•Target: ₩100,000,000
•Purpose: Pay off family debt (₩50M) + Open my own business (₩30M) + Emergency fund (₩20M)
•Timeline: 2 years until I'm 19 and can legally run a business
•Current Age: 17
•Status: On track, ahead of schedule]
The beautiful thing about having a clear goal was that every decision became simple. Would this make me money? Yes? Do it. No? Don't do it. Moral complexity was for people who could afford it.
And I definitely could not afford it.
I heard shuffling outside my door. Crap. Someone was awake.
"Min-jae?" My dad's tired voice came through the door. "You still up? It's almost 3 AM."
"Just finishing homework!" I called back, quickly closing all my trading windows and pulling up a random textbook PDF.
The door opened. Dad stood there in his convenience store uniform—he'd just gotten off the night shift and looked exhausted. At forty-three, he looked fifty. That's what debt did to you. That's what I was going to fix.
"Homework until 3 AM?" He raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you care this much about school?"
"College entrance exam is in three months. Gotta get into a good university." The lie came easily. I had zero intention of going to university. Four years of tuition when I could be making money? No thanks. But Dad was traditional—he believed in education, stable jobs, doing things "the right way."
The right way had gotten us ₩50 million in debt when his business partner embezzled everything and vanished to the Philippines.
So yeah, I'd stick with my way.
Dad's expression softened. "You're a good kid, Min-jae. Studying hard, helping at the store on weekends... Your mom and I are proud of you."
The uncomfortable tightness appeared in my chest. Guilt? Affection? Whatever it was, I pushed it down. Emotions were inefficient.
"Thanks, Dad. You should sleep. You look exhausted."
"You too. Don't stay up too late." He closed the door.
I waited until his footsteps faded, then opened my trading windows again. Sleep was for people who weren't trying to save their family from poverty.
My phone buzzed again. Not Discord this time, but the game itself. A system notification.
[NOTICE: ETERNAL ABYSS MAINTENANCE]
[SERVERS WILL BE DOWN FOR EMERGENCY PATCH]
[ESTIMATED DOWNTIME: 4 HOURS]
[THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE]
Emergency patch? At 3 AM? That was unusual. Major patches usually came with advance warning.
I checked the Korean forums. Everyone was confused. The developers hadn't announced anything.
[GoblinSlayer99: wtf emergency patch?]
[MageTower: they found a major bug probably]
[PriestessHeal: or maybe new content?]
[WarriorKing88: at 3am? doubt it]
My stomach dropped. Emergency patch. Major bug. At 3 AM.
They'd found the duplication exploit.
"Shit." I checked my account. The ₩8 million was still there, transaction complete. I'd gotten out just in time. But if they rolled back the servers or banned accounts that used the exploit...
No. No, I'd been careful. I'd used a VPN, spread the trading across multiple accounts, never been too greedy. I should be fine.
I should be fine.
Probably.
I closed my laptop and tried to sleep, but my mind was racing. Eight million won. Sixteen duped items sold. If they traced it back to me, I'd lose everything. Worse, if they pressed charges for virtual item fraud...
Stop. Stop panicking. I'd covered my tracks. It would be fine.
I finally fell asleep around 4:30 AM, my phone still clutched in my hand.
---
[FOUR HOURS LATER - 8:47 AM]
My alarm blared. I jolted awake, feeling like death. Three hours of sleep. Beautiful.
I grabbed my phone to shut off the alarm and saw a notification I'd never seen before:
[ETERNAL ABYSS UPDATE COMPLETE]
[NEW VERSION: REALITY EDITION]
[PLEASE LOG IN TO CONFIRM ACCOUNT STATUS]
Reality Edition? What kind of pretentious name was that for a patch?
I opened the game, expecting maybe some new graphics or a UI update.
What I got instead made me drop my phone.
The game screen had exploded outward. Not figuratively—the light from my phone physically expanded, filling my entire room with brilliant white radiance. I scrambled backward, my heart hammering.
"What the—"
Words appeared in the air. Not on a screen. In the actual air, floating in three-dimensional space like some kind of hologram.
[WELCOME TO ETERNAL ABYSS: REALITY EDITION]
[SYSTEM INTEGRATION: INITIALIZING...]
[ANALYZING PLAYER DATA...]
[CONFIRMING IDENTITY: KANG MIN-JAE]
My name. It knew my real name. Not my username, my actual legal name.
[BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[ASSIGNING CLASS BASED ON PLAYSTYLE AND PERSONALITY...]
[CLASS ASSIGNED: MERCHANT]
A status window materialized in front of me. Not a game screen on my phone. An actual floating window that I could touch. I reached out with a shaking hand, and it felt solid. Cool glass that rippled like water under my fingers.
[PLAYER: KANG MIN-JAE]
[AGE: 17]
[LEVEL: 1]
[CLASS: MERCHANT]
[HP: 50/50]
[MP: 80/80]
"Okay. Okay, this is fine. This is just a very elaborate prank. Or I'm having a psychotic break from lack of sleep. Either way, totally fine. Completely normal."
My bedroom door slammed open. Mom stood there, her eyes wide with terror, a similar floating window in front of her face.
"MIN-JAE! WHAT IS THIS?! THERE ARE WORDS IN THE AIR!"
"I... I don't know, Mom. I'm seeing them too."
Dad appeared behind her, also with a floating status window. He was poking at it like it was a malfunctioning TV remote.
"Is this some kind of AR technology? A government experiment?"
"I don't think so..." I pulled out my phone. No signal. I checked the news app—it had loaded before the signal died. The top headline made my blood run cold:
[BREAKING: MYSTERIOUS STATUS WINDOWS APPEAR WORLDWIDE]
[PHENOMENON AFFECTS ALL 8 BILLION HUMANS SIMULTANEOUSLY]
[GOVERNMENTS IN EMERGENCY SESSION]
Eight billion people. Everyone. The entire world.
This wasn't a prank.
This was real.
A new notification appeared:
[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT]
[CONGRATULATIONS, HUMANITY]
[YOUR WORLD HAS BEEN INTEGRATED INTO THE ETERNAL ABYSS SYSTEM]
[ALL HUMANS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED CLASSES BASED ON BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS]
[TUTORIAL PHASE WILL BEGIN IN: 167:59:47]
[UNTIL TUTORIAL START, MONSTER SPAWNS ARE DISABLED]
[USE THIS TIME TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH YOUR NEW ABILITIES]
[PREPARE YOURSELVES]
[THE REAL GAME BEGINS IN 7 DAYS]
I stared at the countdown timer floating in my vision. Seven days. One week until... what? Monsters? Like in the game?
My mom was crying. Dad was trying to comfort her while simultaneously trying to understand his own status window.
And me?
I was doing calculations.
If the game had become real, that meant:
1. Classes were real (I was a Merchant)
2. Levels were real
3. Skills were real
4. And most importantly... items were real
Which meant the eight million won I'd made from selling game items was about to become very, very relevant.
I checked my status window more carefully:
[CLASS: MERCHANT]
[SPECIAL TRAIT: KEEN EYE]
[DESCRIPTION: View the true value of all items and opportunities. Instinctively identify profitable situations.]
[SKILLS:]
[APPRAISAL - LV.1: Examine items to reveal detailed statistics]
[NEGOTIATION - LV.1: +5% better prices in all trades]
[CONTRACT CREATION - LV.1: Create binding agreements enforced by the System]
Wait. Contract Creation? Binding agreements enforced by the System?
That meant... magical contracts. Unbreakable deals. Legal agreements with supernatural enforcement.
As a Merchant.
In a world that had just become a game.
Where items had value, monsters dropped loot, and dungeons existed.
A slow smile spread across my face.
Most people would be terrified right now. Most people would be wondering what this meant for humanity, for society, for the future of civilization.
I was wondering how much I could charge for information about game mechanics.
Because I'd spent two years playing Eternal Abyss obsessively. I knew monster patterns, spawn locations, leveling strategies, optimal builds. Information that was worthless yesterday was now potentially worth millions.
Supply and demand. Economics 101.
And I had a monopoly on knowledge.
"Mom, Dad." I kept my voice calm. "Everything's going to be okay. I know what this is."
They both turned to me, desperate for any explanation.
"This is Eternal Abyss. The game I play. It's... become real somehow. The System, the classes, all of it. I know how it works."
"You know?" Mom grabbed my shoulders. "Min-jae, what's going to happen? What are monsters? Are we in danger?"
"In seven days, yes. But I know how to survive. I know the safe zones, the monster patterns, everything." I pulled up my phone. Still no signal, but I had all my game notes saved offline. "I can help us. Help everyone."
Dad's expression shifted from fear to hope. "You really know about this?"
"I've been playing for two years. I know this game better than anyone." I opened my laptop, my mind already racing with possibilities. "We have seven days to prepare. I can guide people. For a price."
"A price?" Dad frowned. "Min-jae, people are terrified. You'd charge them for help?"
"Dad, we're ₩50 million in debt. The convenience store barely breaks even. You work night shifts at forty-three years old." I met his eyes. "This is our chance. My knowledge is valuable now. We can finally get out of debt. We can be secure. We can be safe."
He looked conflicted. Mom looked horrified.
But they didn't say no.
Because deep down, they knew I was right.
The old world was gone. The new world ran on different rules.
And in this new world, I had the rulebook.
I opened a new document and started typing:
[KANG'S SURVIVAL GUIDE - PRICE LIST
–BASIC PACKAGE (₩50,000):
- Safe zone locations
- Basic monster information
- Survival do's and don'ts
–STANDARD PACKAGE (₩200,000):
- Class optimization guide
- Detailed monster weaknesses
- Leveling strategy
–PREMIUM PACKAGE (₩500,000):
- Personal consultation
- Custom progression plan
- Party formation advice]
My mom looked over my shoulder and gasped. "Min-jae, you can't be serious. You'd charge people during an apocalypse?"
"It's not an apocalypse, Mom. It's an opportunity." I hit save on the document. "The people who adapt fastest will survive. The people who have the best information will thrive. I'm just providing a service."
"This is wrong," Dad said quietly.
"This is survival," I countered. "Would you rather I give everything away for free and we stay in debt forever? Or would you rather I use my knowledge to finally get us to safety?"
He didn't answer.
Because he knew there was no good answer.
The world had changed. Morality was a luxury we couldn't afford.
I posted my price list to the Eternal Abyss Discord server. Within seconds, responses flooded in:
[WarriorKing88: youre charging people for survival information?!]
[MageQueen: this is disgusting]
[TankDaddy: you're a scumbag]
But also:
[PriestHeals: how do i pay?]
[RogueSneak: i need the basic package]
[ArcherAim: sending ₩200k now]
Three payments came through immediately. ₩450,000. Almost half a million won in thirty seconds.
More payments followed. ₩50,000. ₩200,000. ₩500,000. Within ten minutes, I'd made ₩3,800,000.
Dad watched the money roll in with a complicated expression. "Is this really okay, Min-jae?"
I looked at him—this tired, hardworking man who'd sacrificed everything for our family and gotten screwed over by someone he trusted. Who worked night shifts and still couldn't pay off the debt.
"Dad, in seven days, monsters start spawning. People without information will die. People with information will survive. I'm not scamming anyone. I'm providing genuine value." I started drafting the information packages. "And maybe, finally, our family can stop struggling."
He was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. "Just... promise me you'll stay safe. Money isn't worth your life."
"I promise, Dad."
Another notification appeared in my vision:
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[FIRST TRANSACTION IN THE NEW WORLD COMPLETED]
[TITLE ACQUIRED: INFORMATION BROKER]
[EFFECT: +10% PROFIT FROM INFORMATION SALES]
A title. With actual mechanical benefits.
This really was a game now.
And I was very, very good at games.
Especially games about making money.
I looked out my bedroom window at Seoul waking up to chaos. Sirens wailed. People poured into the streets, confused and terrified. The news was probably exploding with panic.
But I felt something different.
Excitement.
Because for the first time in my life, I wasn't powerless against poverty. I had something valuable. I had knowledge. I had skills that mattered.
I had a chance to finally, finally get ahead.
Sure, monsters were coming. Sure, the world had become dangerous.
But danger created opportunity.
And opportunity created profit.
I started typing up the detailed guides, ready to sell them to anyone desperate enough to pay.
The apocalypse had begun.
And I was going to get rich.
---
[NEW WORLD STATUS]
[DAYS UNTIL TUTORIAL: 6 DAYS, 23 HOURS, 47 MINUTES]
[CURRENT FUNDS: ₩11,800,000]
[DEBT REMAINING: ₩50,000,000]
[GOAL: SURVIVE. GET RICH. IN THAT ORDER... PROBABLY.]
-----
End of Chapter 1