Chapter 1
Height 178 cm. Weight: 120 kg.
I used to be a physical education student who carried everyone’s expectations…
But after an accident, I dropped out of school.
Now I’m just an acne-covered, glasses-wearing, overweight person working part-time at a convenience store.
That’s me.
As long as my paycheck comes in regularly, I don’t really want anything else.
No dreams, no goals. Just that kind of life.
Ding—
As soon as the door opened, a guy with yellow hair walked in and greeted me.
“Unni! I’m here!”
Finally, it was time to switch shifts.
The guy with dyed yellow hair was a new part-timer who had joined recently.
He was friendly and cheerful.
After handing over the shift, I stepped away from the counter.
“Good work.”
“Yes!”
The male students who had been chatting while eating ramen suddenly went quiet and glanced at me as I limped out of the store.
More specifically… they were staring at my leg.
After the accident, I became crippled.
That’s why I quit school.
I had been called a genius since childhood and entered the world of sports, so no one expected my life to end like that before I even got started.
My dream of winning an Olympic gold medal collapsed in an instant.
Around that time, my parents divorced too.
I ended up living with my dad, but he remarried soon after…
and I was left living alone in a semi-basement.
The thing that brought back my motivation, after living like a wreck, was discovering a virtual reality game through an online ad.
God of Fighters (GOF).
Instead of drawing characters, you summon “constellations” and possess them, gaining their combat abilities.
There are various modes like 1v1, raids, and battle royale. It’s fun choosing what to play.
I started working at the convenience store just to play that game.
Right before I stepped out, I heard the students whispering.
“Wait… that was a girl? I thought she was a guy with long hair…”
Is it because of my build?
Even with my hair tied up, people sometimes mistake me for a man.
“Hey, be quiet. That part-timer is famous at our school. Seniors who tried to buy cigarettes here got totally wrecked.”
“If she hits you once, you’d probably die on the spot.”
I’ve never hit any students.
I just quietly live my life, treating the game as my real world. I have no idea why those rumors started.
‘Because of my face?’
Honestly, even I get startled when I see myself in the mirror sometimes.
It feels like some kind of criminal is staring back at me.
Whether it was a rumor started by the store owner to scare off troublemakers or just a made-up ghost story by nearby boys’ school students, I didn’t care.
I gave them a bright smile.
Heh.
“…?! Cough—Cough!”
One of the students choked on his ramen and turned his head away. Another smacked the back of his friend’s head and bowed repeatedly toward me.
The one who got hit quickly turned and bowed too.
‘Kids these days.’
Cute.
I smiled even more warmly at their polite greetings and walked out of the store.
I know they’re just scared of how I look.
Even if people get startled by my size and ugly face, or whisper when they see me limping, it doesn’t matter.
Because my real life exists inside GOF.
This body in reality is nothing more than a machine to keep me alive so I can play the game.
* * *
Boom—!!
The enemy I struck flew through an office window and started falling.
I chased after them.
Jumping out the window, a fierce wind hit my face.
Whooo—
A towering building filled entirely with offices, and far above it, a full moon looking down.
The night city.
Gravity alone wasn’t enough, so I kicked off the window frame.
I ran straight down toward the ground.
Tat-tat-tat-tat—!
The opponent flinched at my insane speed, and before they could activate a defense skill, my fist slammed straight into their face.
Boom—!!
A skill burst from my hand, leaving a red laser-like trail as it struck.
It looked like they were cursing right before getting hit, but I had the system muted, so I couldn’t hear anything.
They probably muted it too.
When fights get intense, everyone starts swearing, so most players mute voices anyway.
Crash—!!
The building windows shattered all at once under the pressure of the skill.
Glass screamed like violin strings, while the city lights reflected like piano keys.
Countless shards sparkled in the moonlight.
“Ha… I love how real this feels.”
My whole body tingled.
I grabbed a shard of glass and kept falling.
Crunch.
As I clenched it, I felt a sharp pain digging into my palm.
It didn’t last long.
GOF’s pain system is excellent, but the only downside is that there’s no blood.
Even though it shows blood and organs realistically…
“Why not make an adult version?”
As I tossed the shard aside, my constellation spoke in a scolding tone.
【Stop saying creepy things and finish him already.】
The enemy’s HP bar above their head was flashing red.
They were about to use their last skill.
I couldn’t lose.
With a flick of my fingers, the constellation skill window appeared.
“I’ll finish this with an AoE.”
【You already won. Waste of energy.】
I know skill energy doesn’t reset after a match, so it’s better to save it…
But I glared at the floating blue star beside me.
“Shut up, you piece of data.”
【……】
Games are meant to be fun.
No matter how much it acts like it has a personality, it’s just data.
I’m not listening.
A ranged attack flew toward me.
I kicked off the wall and leapt upward.
As expected, the enemy’s combo chased me.
Damn, that almost hit.
【Let’s see if you still ignore me once you know who I am…】
The “data” kept talking.
I should send another complaint about why constellation voices can’t be muted.
【I told you, some constellations are real—】
“Shut up.”
【Damn it.】
As I rushed forward, the opponent dodged and flipped me off.
Now that we were on the ground, they had the speed advantage.
But they didn’t expect me to use an AoE skill in this situation.
That was my plan.
As I activated the skill, a blue flash erupted.
Possession.
A different voice came out of my mouth.
“【Attention-seeking bastard.】”
Seriously, this game needs a mute system for constellations.
Boom—!!
I slammed the ground.
A strange gravity field spread outward.
Inside the blue aura, the enemy’s movements slowed as if submerged in molten metal.
They flinched.
I closed the distance instantly, twisted their middle finger, and punched their jaw upward.
Boom!
Their body flew up.
[K.O!]
[You Win!]
Victory.
But I didn’t stop.
I kept punching their motionless body.
Thud thud thud—
It’s called corpse beating.
Beating a defeated opponent like a punching bag releases all the stress.
Lightning exploded everywhere.
Flash—
Boom boom boom—!!
“Ah… that feels refreshing. That was fun.”
【Boring. Bring someone stronger.】
“…”
This damn star.
I glared at it and moved to the waiting room.
My GOF character is a cool female avatar, 178 cm tall with tied-up hair.
Black hair, red eyes, sharp gaze.
She looks like someone who beats up delinquents for fun.
Exactly my type.
“I wish I looked like this in real life.”
More than the looks, I envied her normal legs.
Honestly, there’s a lot I envy.
“Even with just a few skills, I could beat top-ranked hunters.”
Hunters are people who basically play raid games in real life.
They fight monsters coming out of gates using supernatural powers.
They belong to guilds or national organizations.
Guilds make tons of money from monster materials and magic stones.
‘Must be nice.’
There’s even a rumor that GOF was made to train hunters.
As a top-ranked player, I couldn’t help but envy them.
‘If I were a hunter, I’d make tons of money… after fixing my leg first.’
Reality?
Just a convenience store part-timer.
Sometimes the gap between reality and the game hits hard.
Especially since I’m a top player in GOF.
As I stood in front of the mirror in the waiting room, talking to myself—
The clueless constellation suddenly spoke.
【Want me to make it happen? It’ll cost you… but it’s possible. 】
