Worn-out linoleum floors, yellowed wallpaper, and even the rooftop view of Seoul's skyscrapers peeking through the gaps between old villas in the distance.
It was a familiar sight.
This was my place, with a deposit of a million won and rent of only 200,000 a month.
"I'm really back."
Just a moment ago, I was in a needlessly spacious and damn dark cavern, and now I was back in my home in an instant...
In the blink of an eye? No, I didn't even blink.
At some point, I was just here, in my home.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Tiring-
"...What the hell kind of app is this?"
I pulled out my phone at the familiar notification sound.
[☆Congratulations on your first match, Kang Hyun-woo!☆]
[Favorability Change]
[Iris Remeria Baiart Peledia 1♡ → 85♡]
[Bond Level Change]
[Iris Remeria Baiart Peledia Lv.0 → Lv.1]
[You have been awarded 300 Love Coins]
[An additional reward has been given to commemorate your first match]
[Congratulations on becoming an Official Customer]
[The Shop function has been unlocked]
[The Mailbox function has been unlocked]
Just as I expected, a flood of notifications filled my phone screen.
"What is all this?"
It was a bit of a mess, but as I read through them one by one, they weren't too hard to understand.
I set aside the stuff about Iris's favorability and bond level for now. The warmth of her hand still lingering on mine made it feel wrong to treat it like something out of a simple dating sim.
"...Is there a way to go back to Iris?"
Thankfully, the match history was still there, so I could view Iris's profile.
[Name: Iris Remeria Baiart Peledia
Age: 524
Race: High Elf
Affiliation: EB-17
Occupation: Archmage
Disposition: Righteous Ruler, Pacifism, Devotion, Vegetarianism······]
[Time until next match: 167:58:45]
"A week left."
I hadn't expected to be able to rematch immediately, but isn't a whole week a bit too long?
[Tip. You can use special items to reduce the rematch time.]
The timely tip was helpful, but it didn't tell me what kind of item I needed.
"Maybe it's in the shop?"
The shop, which had been locked before I met Iris, was now open.
[The items sold in the shop change each time. We recommend you don't miss out on anything you need.]
"So it's a random shop?"
There weren't many items. About ten or so?
"Iron Sword 200 Coins, Basic Alchemy Package 500 Coins, Basic Swordsmanship Book 550 Coins, Lowest Grade Health Potion 600 Coins, Lowest Grade Mana Potion 600 Coins, Top Actress Random Cunnilingus Ticket 800 Coins...? What the hell is this??"
My head was spinning.
I could overlook the other things, but what the hell was a Top Actress Random Cunnilingus Ticket?
I couldn't afford it with my 800 coins anyway, but I tapped it just to read the description.
[Top Actress Random Cunnilingus Ticket]
[Grade: Normal]
[Grants you the opportunity to lick the pussy of an actress who has surpassed a certain standard, comprehensively judged by the box office success of her works, her appearance fees, her awards, and her public popularity.]
"...Hah."
Are these guys fucking crazy?
This cunnilingus ticket thing, despite costing 800 coins, had a huge flaw.
First, you couldn't specify the age range.
There were famous actresses in their 20s and 30s, but there were also plenty over 40.
"Ugh...!"
Fuck, just imagining it made me feel sick.
"Never buying that."
I tossed it aside and looked at the other items.
Most of them were exactly what their names suggested, so it wasn't very interesting, but two things...
Two things caught my eye.
"An AR (Augmented Reality) Pass and a Random Box."
The description for the AR Pass alone was enough to make me want to buy it.
With this, I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of taking out my phone every time I used the dating app.
It was an item that added convenience, like a status window from a novel, and it only cost 500 coins.
Of course, my entire fortune was only 300 coins...
"Damn capitalism..."
It felt like I was crying tears of blood, but there was nothing I could do right now.
Forcing myself to look away, I noticed a random box decorating a corner of the shop.
Each one cost a mere 50 coins, but there was no telling what would come out. There were no probability listings, either.
"...It's not going to be something like a tissue, is it?"
The price was certainly cheap.
Even a broke-ass beggar like me with only 300 coins could buy six of them. But my gut was telling me that buying it would be insane.
I could almost see my 300 coins vanishing into thin air.
"First, I should check the rewards I got back in that other world."
If I just had 200 more coins, I could buy the AR Pass.
Hoping to God that the rewards were coins, I opened my mailbox.
[Mailbox]
Starter Package x1
Golden Random Box x1
"Oh."
I didn't see any coins, but something that looked much better had appeared.
A whole package and a random box with the word 'Golden' attached to it.
"The service here is great."
But they tore me and Iris apart, so one star.
Anyway, without further delay, I decided to open the Starter Package first.
I pressed the claim button for the Starter Package.
Tiring-
[Would you like to open the Starter Package?]
[※Warning, once opened, the package cannot be returned.]
"Scaring me for no reason."
It was the kind of warning game companies spammed all the time, so it didn't faze me.
Without much thought, I immediately pressed the open button.
Fwoosh!
With an effect of a brilliant white light bursting forth, the package box opened.
This really makes me feel like I bought a package in a game.
[Starter Package]
[Beginner Equipment Set x1]
[Skill Random Acquisition Ticket x1]
[10 Inventory Slots]
[500 Coins]
"Yes, this is it!"
The list made me gasp in admiration. I was ready to bow in all four directions if they'd given me just 200 coins, but they gave me a whopping 500.
On top of that, there was an equipment set and a skill acquisition ticket whose names alone made my heart pound, and even an inventory—the finishing touch for any status window!
In my 21 years of life, I had never seen a starter package this substantial.
"First, let's buy the AR Pass."
I still didn't know when the shop's items would refresh.
If I missed the AR Pass while messing around with equipment or skills, the only thing I could do would be to sit on the floor and cry my eyes out.
[Would you like to purchase the AR Pass?]
[500 Coins]
[Y/N]
I pressed the 'Yes' button without hesitation.
[AR Pass has been confirmed.]
[The Another World Dating App will now be updated.]
[You will not be able to use the app during the update.]
[Estimated update time: 00:00:10]
[Updating…]
[Update complete.]
The moment the last message appeared, my phone screen went black. Immediately after, a familiar screen appeared before my eyes.
"...This is amazing."
─────
[Another World Dating App]
[Matching]
[Shop]
[Profile]
[Mailbox]
─────
It was surprising enough that a status window like the ones in webnovels had appeared before my eyes, but I didn't even need to touch it.
Of course, it wasn't that touch didn't work; rather, a new method was added where the UI moved according to my thoughts.
For a feature that only cost 500 coins, it was an incredible deal.
"My foresight was on point."
The biggest advantage was that I could now deal with unforeseen accidents where I might not be able to use my phone or might have lost it.
I had only bought one thing, but my heart felt as full as if I'd just had a bowl of hot gukbap on a cold winter day.
This is why it's always good to be generous, like a friendly market vendor.
Honestly, I would have been happy if the package had only contained coins, but I wouldn't have felt as good as I did now.
Speaking of which, I decided it was time to open the beginner equipment set and the skill random acquisition ticket from our generous package.
[Would you like to use the Beginner Equipment Set?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[Before using the Beginner Equipment Set, please select your desired occupation.]
Occupation?
[Warrior]
[Archer]
[Mage]
[Assassin]
[Blacksmith]
[Priest]
˙
˙
˙
˙
"So damn considerate."
I was planning on going the mage route.
With the buff the app gave me and an 8th Circle Archmage as my master, I'd have to be crazy to choose anything else.
So, as soon as I saw the beginner equipment set and the skill random acquisition ticket, I was hoping for something mage-related.
'If I'd gotten something like an axe from the equipment set, I would've put it up for sale immediately.'
Mage-related weapons or artifacts weren't things a guy with no connections like me could easily obtain. You needed to go through a lot of complicated procedures to get them, even if you had the money.
[You have selected Mage.]
[Mage Basic Equipment will be stored in your inventory.]
Filled to the brim with anticipation, I opened my inventory.
[Inventory]
[Assistant Monocle]
[Magic Ring]
[Wood Wand]
There were a total of three pieces of equipment in the inventory.
[Assistant Monocle]
[Grade: Rare]
[Visualizes the flow of magic power.]
[Magic Ring]
[Grade: Rare]
[Slightly increases the power of magic.]
[Wood Wand]
[Grade: Rare]
[Slightly reduces casting time and slightly increases the power of magic.]
I'm the kind of person who's so emotionally dry I don't cry.
"But I really feel like crying now."
'Insane' was the only word for it.
Every single piece of equipment was unbelievable. A beginner equipment set? They called it beginner equipment, but each of these items would cost a fortune if you tried to buy them at a department store. And even if you had the money, you couldn't just buy them whenever you wanted.
However, I wasn't sure what exactly this monocle's ability to "visualize the flow of magic power" meant.
"Hmm... I've put it on, but I can't tell what's changed."
On the outside, it just looked like a monocle with a slick design.
Still, since it was a Rare grade item like the others, it had to be useful for something.
I could test its exact performance later. For now, I decided to open the skill random acquisition ticket.
[Would you like to use the Skill Random Acquisition Ticket?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[First match completion confirmed.]
[The grade of the Skill Random Acquisition Ticket will be increased.]
...What?
[It has been confirmed that you chose the Mage occupation from the Beginner Equipment Set.]
[The scope will be narrowed to Mage-exclusive skills.]
[Processing...]
I was stunned by the sudden, hilarious prank-like situation, but only for a moment.
[Weakness Insight]
[Grade: Epic]
[Allows you to perceive weaknesses.]
Seeing the screen that appeared before my eyes, I screamed loud enough to bring the house down.
Until the person downstairs started banging on my door, yelling about the noise.