Chapter 2 …..
“Somehow… it feels pointless.”
Starting at 18 and now already 21.
Three years had passed, short or long depending on how you looked at it, and Do-hyun had spent every moment of it buried in games. While others were out drinking and enjoying college life, he had shut himself in his room, playing non-stop.
He said it was for the money, but honestly, that wasn’t the real reason.
It was because it was fun.
Even if he cursed like crazy while playing, the small interactions with fellow veterans, the tough raids that mostly yielded nothing but bricks, and the rare moments when a lucky item dropped and everyone gathered to celebrate—it was all fun.
But in the end, what remained was a dead server.
Had he really spent three years on a game that failed so easily?
He was talented enough that if he’d played another game, he could have made a decent amount of money… In the VR version of Rin-Niche, being a top-ranked player could rival some property owners, they said.
Thinking about that made him feel a little bitter.
‘I’m ranked number one… so why don’t I have money?’
He had barely 500,000 won to his name.
Even if he achieved first place in a failed game, it wouldn’t earn him a cent. No matter how good the items were, there had to be buyers. Even the money he had now was from saving carefully, bit by bit, from the small allowances he’d earned.
“…….”
If only his first game had been something like Rin-Niche instead of this trash… or even at least a normal VR game… things would have been different.
“Sigh.”
That thought lasted only a moment before Do-hyun shook his head.
“Well, what can I do? It’s my fault for not quitting a trash game.”
He could start earning money from now on.
Even if it had been a trash game, it had revealed his talent in gaming. And it had been in a VR game that came close to the virtual reality he had always dreamed of.
Considering that VR games were generally more profitable than PC games, there was no reason he couldn’t make something of it.
‘I’m not in a rush for money… I can take it slow.’
After all, he still lived with his family and wasn’t pressured for money. 500,000 won would be enough to eat and live comfortably for a month.
Wanting to avoid overthinking, Do-hyun plopped into his computer chair.
He intended to look for a new game.
Yet when he turned on the computer, the first site he visited was the Demrock homepage.
“Ah.”
Habits die hard, apparently.
After all, the only times he’d ever opened the site were to post guides or read other posts.
Click.
[When the hell is this damn game going to die? – PurpleFlavor]
While browsing the homepage, Do-hyun clicked his tongue in annoyance.
‘No new posts, huh.’
He had wondered if any hidden players might post now that the service had ended, but apparently, the game was worse than he thought. The last post was from a month ago by some old user named PurpleFlavor.
‘Sigh… let’s just close it and check the news elsewhere.’
Just as he was about to leave the homepage, something caught his eye.
“…Huh? A new post?”
Right on cue, a new post appeared. Not from a regular player, but from the game’s administrator.
[We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the players who have enjoyed Demrock… thanks to you, we were able to bring it to a joyful conclusion…]
It was just a standard thank-you message. Like the notes at the end of a webtoon’s final chapter, it was a long post expressing gratitude to the players who stayed until the end.
‘Why am I reading this in detail?’
Chuckling dryly, Do-hyun scrolled down anyway. He wanted to see what the administrator would say in the end.
[Thus, the test version, season 1 of Demrock, has ended its service, and we will soon return with the full version, season 2. The full version has been designed to incorporate the data you generated while playing and the feedback you sent. We promise it will be a world full of adventure and freedom. We invite you to this paradise of adventure.]
“Season 2… is coming?”
They’d said it was a test version, then a full release—basically, they were asking for support for the next game.
He was surprised. He hadn’t expected that they’d been preparing season 2 all this time.
But honestly, he was skeptical.
‘Player feedback, huh… it’s probably just a lot of angry rants about a crap game.’
Demrock’s reputation for terrible luck-based mechanics was well-known among gamers.
And if a player had actually played it, they likely sent their feedback with a healthy dose of curses.
‘And I probably contributed more than half of that feedback.’
Most people wouldn’t know, but Do-hyun could confidently claim he was the player most affected by the bad luck mechanics in Demrock: from skill pulls to item drops to item upgrades… the list went on.
Even if the developers incorporated the feedback, he doubted it would change much.
Then he froze.
Something at the bottom of the page caught his eye.
Season 2 will be released not as a VR game, but as a full virtual reality game.
“…Virtual reality game?”
Do-hyun’s face twisted as he read that line.
Every gamer in the 21st century harbored one dream:
A virtual reality game.
Often depicted in novels or comics, a game impossible in real life, a fantasy of its own.
But after 2020, the world had taken a significant step toward VR gaming.
Third-generation VR.
Beyond the first generation, which was just visually immersive, this one involved wearing a helmet-like device to experience the game as if it were a dream.
It resembled the fictional VR games he had seen in stories.
But in reality, it was completely different.
‘Compared to what you see in novels: horrendously degraded graphics, AI devoid of emotion, patterns that feel artificial, and a total lack of sensation.’
Everything was a degraded imitation.
Experts even said a true virtual reality game would take decades to develop.
Which is why people were content with current VR.
[We will bring you a virtual reality game, not just VR. God of Savior will perfectly fill the void for those tired of VR that merely imitates virtual reality.]
“Bullshit.”
Do-hyun frowned at the homepage post.
“Even if it’s a crap game, isn’t this a little over the top?”
He admitted the game’s quality. When it first launched, it had been the most advanced third-generation VR, technically impressive.
‘But a full virtual reality game… that’s impossible.’
It was like trying to solve college-level math after memorizing just the multiplication table. Completely unrealistic. Not worth expecting anything.
Yet here was a game he had invested in, and they were tricking players to the very end. That didn’t feel good at all.
And Do-hyun wasn’t the only one thinking this.
[Breaking news) Demrock server shut down. We can’t post anymore.]
That trash finally died? I wondered when it would, and it actually did.
Yeah, but the notice said they’re releasing a virtual reality game.
?? What’s that about?
Demrock was a test. The official release is going to be a VR game, called… God of Savior, I think.
Since the VR industry is small, fast-moving players spread the news quickly. Or maybe one of the old players checking the homepage, like him. Considering how fast it spread, that seemed more likely.
The reactions were as expected:
Virtual reality game lol, who believes that?
Exactly. If it were really a VR game, the news would be everywhere. Not just a homepage notice.
Lmao. But their tech was good, so they can make VR well.
So are we playing it?
Hell no, no way I’m touching that luck-based trash game again. Want a brick from Bondragon Mountain?
Lmao bricks, damn that was funny. First and last time.
Dirty game, never again.
It was natural. A full virtual reality game was that implausible.
So Do-hyun closed the community without regret.
‘To make money from a game, I’d need at least two months of development… Rin-Niche is too late to start now. Is there any decent game?’
Rin-Niche was dead and rotting. To reach the top ranks now, he’d have to invest a lot of time.
But if a game was too obscure, it wouldn’t earn money. He needed a moderately popular game with mid-level competition.
‘Still, I don’t want to play just anything… maybe I should try finding a newly released VR game, even if it’s risky.’
If it was new, he could confidently reach the top ranks, and ideally, he could enjoy it while earning money.
As he clicked and thought, the door suddenly opened.
“Hey, Mom said to give you this.”
“Ah! You could’ve knocked…”
“Knock? No way…”
A young woman with short hair entered. Still youthful. Around 160cm tall, pale, soft skin.
Her round, large eyes and delicate features were cute, the kind men liked—but to Do-hyun, she looked like a wild boar.
“You keep challenging me.”
“Ugh, stop calling me your brother. And wash up. Stop being locked in your room playing games all day. It’s embarrassing to invite friends over.”
“…I don’t think your face is embarrassing.”
She looked at the mirror nearby, puzzled. Do-hyun frowned like he’d seen something unbearable.
Young people sometimes show disgust in their eyes, he thought.
“Ah… I have to go drink. My stomach’s already upset. I’m leaving…”
Without coming closer, she left the mail on the shelf by the door and left.
Do-hyun scratched his head, watching her leave.
‘Hmm… she’s actually kind of attractive.’
Objectively, not bad—but apparently not in her eyes. That’s how siblings are, he thought.
Setting that aside, he wondered what she’d left.
As he got up and grabbed the mail from the shelf:
“…!”
His eyes widened.
He held ‘it’ with both hands, trembling. Not with excitement—but fear.
Even he, who never panicked at raid bosses, couldn’t control his reaction.
It was the military draft notice.
[Enlistment Notice]
Name: Kang Do-hyun
…In accordance with Article 16 of the Military Service Act, you are hereby notified of active duty enlistment.
“….”
Every able-bodied young man in Korea receives this summons.
Even he, called a god in Demrock, could not avoid the call of the state.
“Shit……”
And so, Do-hyun transformed from a trainee into a proud member of the Republic of Korea Army’s 51st Division, Mobile Battalion.
Around that time, Demrock’s official release, God of Savior, launched.
With the title of a virtual reality game.
[The first full virtual reality game, God of Savior, is released!]
[The arrival of a massive VR MMORPG. A true virtual reality experience is promised…]
[Amid both concern and anticipation, a dream blossoms. Will it be a ray of hope—or despair?]
The fantasy he had scoffed at—the notion of full virtual reality—had finally become reality.
