The hum of neon lights buzzed faintly in the background. Rows of glossy game boxes lined the shelves, their covers shouting "epic adventure" and "next-generation combat."
Lee Hyun-jin stood there, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded. He wasn't impressed.
"Cleared that one in three days."
"Too many cutscenes."
"That one's all RNG trash."
Each case he touched, he put back with a sigh. None of them could make his heart race anymore.
It had been years since a game actually scared him. Years since his hands had trembled from excitement.
He used to be a legend online.
The one they called [ZeroGod].
A player who never followed the rules.
He'd soloed endgame raids, beaten tournament champions, and gotten banned from five different leaderboards for "abnormal gameplay."
Abnormal? No. He was just free.
"Is this all the industry's got left?"
He muttered, turning toward the exit. Until something caught his eye.
[NEW RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT]
"Erebus Online - Total Freedom. Real Consequences."
The massive screen above the counter flickered, showing a trailer: an endless world drenched in light and shadow. Mountains cracked open as dragons roared. A lone player charged at a giant, sword blazing, before getting obliterated in one strike.
The trailer cut to black.
"Fight anything. Anytime. Even the first-floor boss... at Level 1."
Hyun-jin froze. A grin spread across his face.
"Level 1… first boss... huh... Finally."
His heart started racing, really racing, for the first time in years. He stepped up to the counter, eyes gleaming.
"Give me a copy of Erebus Online. Full package. No pre-order bonuses, no tutorials."
The clerk blinked.
"Sir, that game's... uh... really difficult. There's a disclaimer about the pain feedback setting-"
Hyun-jin smiled.
"Perfect."
Later That Night
In a dark apartment filled with empty cans and glowing monitors, he slipped on the sleek, black Erebus VR Gear. And as the world around him dissolved into shadow, Hyun-jin whispered with a grin.
"Let's see if you can kill me, Erebus Online!"
The world went black. Then... light.
Particles of silver code swirled around him like snow, reconstructing reality piece by piece. A voice echoed in the void calm, feminine, mechanical.
[Welcome to Erebus Online.]
[Initializing neural sync... 97%... 100%.]
[Please create your avatar.]
Hyun-jin opened his eyes.
He stood in an empty white space, a mirror of himself reflected in front. For the first time, a VR game hadn't forced a preset look or body type.
Just him. scars, smirk, and all.
"No customization menus? Guess it make a body similar to your body in real life."
He muttered, stepping closer. A translucent interface appeared beside his reflection, showing a screen in floating runes.
[Class Selection]
Warrior
Mage
Archer
Cleric
Assassin
Each shimmered with elaborate designs and preset builds. Hyun-jin crossed his arms, scanning them with the focus of a predator.
"Assassin, huh? Dual daggers, stealth, speed scaling..."
He smirked.
"Fast, flexible, deadly. That's me."
He tapped [Assassin].
The screen fractured. Thousands of light shards spiraling around him before fusing into twin black daggers at his sides.
Then came the next prompt:
[Distribute 10 Starting Stat Points]
STR: 5
DEX: 5
AGI: 5
VIT: 5
INT: 5
LCK: 5
He chuckled.
"Balanced stats? That's for people who plan to live."
He flicked his hand, dragging every point toward AGI and DEX, leaving everything else nearly empty.
STR: 5
DEX: 15
AGI: 20
VIT: 1
INT: 1
LCK: 3
The system blinked.
"Notice: Unbalanced build detected. Do you wish to [Proceed] with this build?"
"Yeah. I don't need defense if they can't touch me."
The air cracked as his reflection mimicked his grin, daggers now resting in his hands. He slashed the air once, twice, each motion blurring into streaks of light.
"Fast enough."
He murmured, satisfied.
The system chimed again.
"Welcome, Player ZeroGod."
"Entering The World of Erebus..."
The white void shattered.
Wind rushed past him, carrying scents of dirt and smoke. The sun above was dim, filtered through gray clouds.
Below stretched an endless landscape: ruined villages, glowing forests, jagged mountains tearing into the sky.
And, far in the distance, a colossal gate marked Floor One.
Hyun-jin's eyes locked onto it.
Most players would grind, gather gear, level up first.
He didn't plan to.
"Screw the tutorial..."
He muttered, twirling his daggers, a smirk on his face as he sprinted forward.
"I'm going straight to the boss."
The wind howled as his body dissolved into motion, a blur sprinting across the grass, daggers flashing in hand, laughter echoing behind him.
The world of Erebus had just gained its most dangerous player.
Grass crunched beneath his boots. Wind howled across the Twilight Plains, carrying the metallic scent of danger.
A translucent notification hovered in front of him:
[Zone: Twilight Plains - Beginner Area]
[Recommended Level: 1 - 5]
Around him, hundreds of players were scattered across the fields, laughing, swinging beginner weapons, spamming low-level skills with flashy effects.
"Hey, party up!"
"We can grind EXP faster if we group!"
"Don't go too far, there's a Field Boss that wipes noobs!"
Hyun-jin didn't care. He wasn't here to grind. He was here to feel alive.
He adjusted his grip on his twin daggers, testing their weight. They weren't heavy but they were real. The haptic feedback was flawless, down to the friction of his fingers against the leather handle.
"This realism is insane..."
He muttered.
"Let's see how real the pain feels."
Then... The ground trembled.
A deep roar split the sky, sending flocks of birds scattering. Every player nearby froze.
From the far edge of the field, a shadow rose, a hulking, obsidian-coated beast dragging claws through the dirt.
[FIELD BOSS: Direfang - Lv. 15]
Recommended Party: 6 Players
Panic spread instantly.
"Run! That thing one-shots everyone!"
"Who pulled it this early?!"
"Someone, Get theguard NPCs! Let them handle it!"
Hyun-jin... Zero grinned.
"Level 15 in a level one zone… perfect."
While everyone else fled, he walked forward, slow, deliberate.
The Direfang turned its gaze toward him, four red eyes narrowing. The earth cracked as it lunged, claws slicing through the air like blades.
Zero's body reacted before his mind did.
He sidestepped. Just barely.
The wind from the claw brushed against his cheek and he smiled.
"Good. You're fast."
He sprinted forward, sliding under the beast's legs. His daggers flashed, clean, efficient cuts at the tendons.
No flashy skills. No damage multipliers. Just pure precision.
[7 Damage]
[9 Damage]
[10 Damage]
The system's numbers mocked him. Meaningless scratches on a mountain. But he didn't stop.
He moved the way he always had in real life: reckless, unorthodox, instinctive.
His movements weren't something a tutorial could teach. He'd trained himself over years of competitive gaming, mimicking real combat rhythm in VR duels. Every dodge, every feint, perfectly timed.
The Direfang roared again, sweeping its tail in a wide arc.
Zero dropped low, rolling forward beneath it. His hand brushed the dirt as he flipped to his feet, momentum carrying him into another slash, this time right into the creature's exposed eye.
[CRITICAL HIT! 42 Damage]
The boss reeled back, thrashing wildly. Spectators from afar gasped.
"Wait... he's not using any skills?!"
"His stamina bar's empty! How's he still moving?!"
"Who the hell is that guy?!"
Zero barely heard them. His breathing was heavy, sweat beading on his temple. His entire body screamed from the feedback. real muscle strain, real pain.
He licked his lips, eyes burning.
"This... This is perfect."
The Direfang lunged again. He met it head on.
He ducked beneath its jaws, stepped onto its claw, and vaulted upward, stabbing both daggers into the creature's skull. With a roar, the beast thrashed violently, throwing him off, but he twisted midair, landing in a crouch.
Cracks spread along the boss's armor-like hide, glowing red.
"You're done."
He whispered.
With a final burst of speed, he dashed forward, not a system dash, just pure footwork and drove his blade into its exposed neck.
The Direfang let out one last roar before collapsing, its massive body disintegrating into shards of black light.
[FIELD BOSS DEFEATED]
[EXP +1500]
[Level Up: 1 > 6]
[Item Drop Acquired: Direfang's Core.]
Zero straightened, breathing hard, eyes wild.
Around him, stunned players peeked from behind rocks and bushes.
"He… killed it alone...."
"Without a single skill...?"
"Who is that guy?!"
Hyun-jin smirked, sheathing his daggers.
"They weren't kidding about pain feedback... My muscles actually hurt."
He glanced at the rare loot glowing beside the corpse, a pulsating black crystal. He grabbed it and flipped it in his palm, admiring the reflection of his grin in its surface.
"Not bad for a warm-up."
Then he turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, a colossal stone gate marking Floor One.
"Let's see what the real monsters look like."
The wind howled, carrying his laughter across the plains as he vanished into the distance, the name ZeroGod already spreading like wildfire among the first batch of players.