Chapter 7
A size that fits perfectly in the hand, with a wide display panel.
A very familiar design.
“Is this a smartphone…?”
“No.”
…Not a smartphone?
Startled, I looked at Mag, and she began explaining what it was.
“This is a device made by borrowing the power of constellations. A terminal that connects to another world. You use it to access the external internet from inside the game.”
“Oooh.”
“You can also use it to call other owners or take photos. There are tons of convenience features too.”
After listening to her explanation, I said,
“So basically, it’s a smartphone.”
“…Yeah.”
I see.
Got it.
‘It’s a user convenience item.’
I was wondering why a smartphone would exist in a medieval fantasy world, but it was clearly for modern people who can’t live without the internet.
“Can I look at it?”
“Go ahead.”
Not only the exterior, but the inside was also basically a smartphone with only minor differences.
‘They really thought of everything.’
Selling smartphones in a fantasy setting…
The game company’s determination to make money was impressive.
“So why are you showing me this?”
“Look at this.”
Not understanding her intention, I handed the phone back.
Mag opened a site.
An unfamiliar interface filled the screen.
[Went to Tiamo after a while, what is this?]
(Photo)
Isn’t that Mag???
- Yeah, the armor confirms it
⤷ Holy crap; that’s the first time I’ve seen Mag talk to someone
⤷ So who’s that person?
⤷ Dunno, probably just a newbie
⤷ Looks like a real-life friend lol
At the top of the site was the Second World logo.
Below it was a photo of us, with comments guessing my identity.
‘What the…’
“Sorry.”
My pupils shook at the overwhelming attention aimed at a normal person.
Mag looked troubled.
“I dragged you into this because of me.”
‘…Is being a ranker really that serious?’
A world I’d never imagined.
I just opened and closed my mouth wordlessly.
A community site officially run by the game company, Blime.
The largest Second World community, with nonstop activity.
[Why doesn’t Mag join a guild? Such a waste of specs]
[Yujun’s fights are insane, but damn if they aren’t romantic]
[Let’s gooo Dragon bro 57-win streak!!!!]
Interest in rankers was massive.
Not just rankers, but influencers and streamers were mentioned constantly.
‘…Are they celebrities?’
“P-people aren’t usually like this….”
Mag tried to excuse herself nervously, but I barely heard her.
The sheer volume of posts was overwhelming.
And the general board was even worse.
[Jjeoho@KR / Chimera Dungeon progression scam exposed]
[Honestly half the rankers are just lucky lol]
[500k won no-spend challenge ffs]
[Ugh when’s the industrial revolution coming]
Titles flooded in nonstop—exposés, bait, rage at the devs.
It was vicious.
So provocative that I instinctively pushed the phone away.
“…Mag.”
“Yeah?”
“Do a lot of players use the community?”
“More than half.”
“Then how many have smartphones?”
“Almost everyone.”
‘Thank god my face wasn’t visible.’
I felt genuine relief.
Even if it’s just an avatar, the thought of my face being plastered everywhere for people to speculate about made my head hurt.
I’d experienced it before.
‘Ugh.’
A memory from when I was twelve surfaced, making me shudder.
I handed the phone back.
“Should I just not log in for a while?”
“No, you don’t need to.”
I tried to shut it down at the source, but Mag shook her head.
“But—”
“This will really be fine! Just redeem the code.”
My most reasonable solution was rejected.
I frowned, but Mag hurried me to exchange the code.
“Hurry!”
“A-ah, okay.”
And so, before I could think twice, I received the item.
Looking at the small tattoo sticker resting on my palm, I narrowed my eyes.
[(Limited) Confidential Identity Interference Tattoo – 1]
: A special gift for those who want to be alone in another world.
With this, switch to single-player mode!
Freely toggle ON/OFF! Automatic activation included!
Enjoy this world at your own slow pace♪
Duration – 365 days
‘That description…?’
The design was simple, but the explanation was oddly hyper.
I read it, but didn’t really understand.
My mood turned strange, but Mag was excited.
“Put it on.”
She looked extremely confident.
Even encouraged me to use it.
Her sparkling eyes were full of anticipation, which felt a bit pressuring.
“Put it on your left wrist.”
“Okay.”
Thinking it probably wasn’t harmful, I did as she said.
The pattern instantly sank beneath my skin.
“!”
“Hehe. Try focusing on it.”
When I did, the tattoo faintly reappeared.
‘So it didn’t disappear completely.’
Only possible in a game, but still fascinating.
“So what does it do?”
“It’s a bit complicated to explain… want to test it on me?”
Even comparing before and after, I didn’t feel much difference.
When I asked, Mag stepped forward instead of answering.
“You have to look carefully!”
She even repeated it several times.
I wondered what kind of big reveal this was—
“Huh…?”
“See? Isn’t it amazing?”
The moment I noticed the change, my eyes widened.
‘Her face…?!’
Her face looked blurred, like it was filmed with a low-resolution camera.
Not just her face.
Her distinctive armor became plain, her whole impression vague.
Someone you’d forget the moment they turned away.
“You can think of it as a perception filter that only works on other users.”
Mag explained cheerfully as I stood frozen.
“With this, you don’t stick in people’s memories. They won’t recognize you even if you pass right by.”
“Any side effects?”
“None at all. It doesn’t work on NPCs, and it’s designed to cause zero issues. You can even set exceptions, so parties are totally fine. Want to try?”
“Yes!”
I followed her instructions and tested it myself.
“Whoa….”
“Right? Amazing.”
When I took a photo, nothing about me was recognizable except my hair.
The silhouette was similar, but easy to deny.
“This is insane….”
“Yeah. That’s why a lot of people use it.”
“I can see why.”
This impressed me even more than the smartphone.
I kept turning it on and off in fascination when Mag added a warning.
“Still, if you do something that really draws attention, people can see you.”
“…How much attention?”
“Nothing major. Interest is fine, but if you become the focus, facial features show. It’s to protect users’ brains….”
“That’s fine.”
I thought it was serious for a moment, but it didn’t really affect me.
‘I’m just going to play quietly anyway.’
So I brushed off the drawback and focused on learning the function.
“…But couldn’t you have just turned this on at the plaza earlier?”
“…!!”
“…How much was this?”
“N-no, it’s fine.”
I realized her earlier mistake, but it was okay.
“I needed it anyway! Just use it while hunting! It’s way more comfortable when you don’t have to worry about others.”
“Ah… hunting?”
“I can’t give you much because of the level restriction, so this is at least something.”
This was always meant to be a gift!
Definitely not because I forgot the feature earlier!
That thought was practically written on Mag’s face as she laughed.
“And if you’re going to hunt anyway, starting tomorrow is better, right?”
“Uh… maybe.”
“You can stay here, but the EXP sucks, so we’ll need to go elsewhere.”
“I see….”
As she talked, she got more and more excited, planning nonstop.
“First, hit level 10, then we’ll do dungeons. I can carry you, so it’ll be fast.”
“…….”
“Level restrictions apply here, but once you’re 10, everything changes. Full bus possible. Then—”
Her words blurred together.
I didn’t even know how to react to this future she was describing for me.
I just quietly avoided her enthusiastic gaze.
“Or should we play together starting tomorrow? I can’t do much, but being together is nice.”
“N-no, it’s okay. You’ve been busy lately.”
“But you don’t look well. Isn’t this exhausting?”
When I panicked and rejected a suggestion that absolutely should not exist, Mag tilted her head.
“Are you really okay on your own?”
“…….”
That question left me speechless.
Okay…?
Of course not.
‘There’s no way.’
I was absolutely not okay.
Several days passed after I barely managed to talk my friend out of staying with me.
“Haa….”
Contrary to what I said yesterday, I stood motionless in front of the hunting ground.
The reason was simple.
‘…Do I really have to?’
I just didn’t want to do it.
Even knowing I couldn’t delay anymore, I still stood there.
Mag: hehe what are you doing?
Mag: are you doing well???
Her message came out of nowhere.
I ran a hand through my hair.
“Unbelievable….”
I knew she was excited, but not this much.
She sent level-up plans in real life, and now this in-game too.
‘It’s because of the sealed relic, I know.’
I’d looked it up myself.
‘It’s insane.’
Unlocking the seal gives server-unique items, massive EXP, and more.
It was a situation where everything would fall into place once I leveled up.
But there was one problem.
“Eek!”
I finally forced myself into combat.
Spotting an opening, I swung my guitar.
The enemy was just a rabbit.
Level 3, same as me.
Normally, I should win.
—Beep!
But my clumsy swing let the rabbit easily dodge.
I hit nothing but air.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The recoil traveled through the guitar, making my arm sting.
No time to complain.
The monster was already fleeing.
“Wait…!”
I chased it, ignoring the pain—but it was too late.
The rabbit darted into the bushes and vanished.
I stared at the spot blankly.
‘…It only needed one more hit.’
That’s the problem.
I can’t hunt.
It’s maddening.
“Haa….”
This was my third failure.
Third failure meaning I twisted my body for several minutes and gained zero EXP.
And that I’d have to try again.
Success rate: 0%.
“Tsks….”
My head started heating up.
But getting angry wouldn’t help.
I had to calm myself down.
Ding!
[Buff effects have ended.]
[Current active buffs: 0]
Calm down—
Ding!
[※Warning※ Some actions may be restricted due to device performance.]
Calm…?
‘Screw this.’
I gave up on mental discipline and grabbed my head.
I’m not a saint.
I couldn’t endure this any longer.
“I’m going to die….”
Not one step forward, two steps back—
more like pretending to step forward and repeatedly backstepping.
Anyone would go insane.
“I didn’t even want to hunt in the first place….”
I thought back to the day my friend praised my combat talent.
Honestly, I hadn’t been happy.
‘It’s not fun.’
I don’t care about combat or ranking.
I just wanted to do music and casually enjoy a fantasy world.
I don’t want to crush rankings, and I don’t think I could even if I tried.
‘But how do I say that?’
That’s always the problem.
I can’t say it.
I groaned inwardly.
‘To someone who’s that happy for me.’
She was already kind enough.
Uyeon helped like it was her own business, worried about me, even bought me a tattoo (₩189,500 on the official site).
How could I tell her I wasn’t interested, that it wasn’t fun, and quit the game so soon?
‘Have some decency.’
I couldn’t do that.
Even if I hated it, I had to show at least minimal sincerity.
“Hoo….”
After thinking hard, I made a decision.
“Let’s just hit level 10.”
I can’t quit the game.
But I can’t keep doing this either.
So just level 10.
‘After that, I’ll somehow get rid of the sealed whatever and make a new account.’
And on the second account, I’ll focus on music properly.
For now, this was the best option.
‘I’ll figure it out when I hit a wall.’
Even if it’s hard, at least I’m not regressing.
I just need to endure.
…Even if I need to endure a lot.
“Let’s do this.”
I psyched myself up and moved my feet again.
To hunt once more.
A few days later.
[Is this for real?]
There’s a bard newbie in Tiamo
And they’re insanely good
What the hell is this?
- ?
- ?
- ?
A single post appeared on the community.
