Chapter 01
Prologue
Ten years ago, virtual reality games first appeared in the world.
Freedom, a role-playing game based on fantasy adventure, gained immense popularity the moment it was released.
While called a virtual reality, it was a perfect fantasy world. Freedom spread through word of mouth and quickly attracted numerous users worldwide.
Users were very interested in the company that developed Freedom, which had built this perfect world, but nothing was known about them.
But that didn’t matter. Freedom, filled with a perfect world, dreams, fantasies, and adventures, provided users with great satisfaction.
Even though Freedom’s access device was a high-priced item costing over 30 million won, it was so scarce that it sold out instantly, creating a phenomenon where it was hard to find.
Thus, while Freedom gained worldwide popularity, the sale of access devices stopped once the number of units sold reached 100 million.
The reason was to stabilize the servers, and one had to wait in line to purchase an access device.
When a user among Freedom’s player base could no longer access the game due to an accident or illness, their device was discarded, and a new device was sold to the next person on the waiting list.
Many people were dissatisfied with this, but those already deeply immersed in Freedom’s world welcomed it.
Regardless, the company developing and servicing Freedom stuck to this principle, and no amount of protest from many people changed anything.
I was an early member of Freedom, a user who bought an access device when Freedom first came out.
In Freedom, I was a wizard, roaming the continent of Frances, the setting of Freedom, adventuring and gaining experience.
Having been born into a wealthy family and living without want, I had enough money to live comfortably without working for the rest of my life, so I became completely absorbed in the virtual world of Freedom.
A disconnect from the real world.
Dealing with all sorts of troublesome real-world matters was less enjoyable than adventuring in Freedom’s world. Of course, troublesome things happened in Freedom’s world too, but that was part of the game, and it was an opportunity for me to gain experience and level up, so I tackled quests or difficult tasks with a joyful heart.
And so, after playing Freedom for 10 years like that, I was on the verge of the final ending.
Facing the ancient dragon Artilance, who would bring ruin to the Frances continent, I even felt a shudder at his tremendous majesty.
—I didn’t expect to face you this quickly.
The ancient dragon Artilance spoke to me. It wasn’t by projecting sound, but his words resonated directly in my head.
“Is ten years fast?”
—For a human’s lifespan, I suppose it’s not short.
I felt arrogance in his appearance, holding his head high and looking down on me.
“You’re as haughty as the final boss of the ending should be.”
—Haughty? You speak the words I was going to say, human.
“Me?”
—Do you know the significance of our meeting?
“The significance of you and me meeting? Do I need to find meaning in that? You’re nothing more or less than prey to me.”
—Human, I have met countless others who have said such things, but not a single one has ever defeated me.
“Do you think I’m the same as them? I am the only 9th Circle Mage on the Frances continent. And I’m ranked number one in Freedom!”
—Huhu, you will find out soon enough.
“Cut the crap and let’s fight.”
I rotated my mana circles, converting mana into magical power.
—That 9th Circle magic you’re so proud of, go ahead and use it.
“Don’t go crying about getting hit.”
I used the Punishment series of 9th Circle magic.
Fire’s Punishment: Fire Punishment.
Water’s Punishment: Aqua Punishment.
Wind’s Punishment: Wind Punishment.
Earth’s Punishment: Earth Punishment.
Lightning’s Punishment: Lightning Punishment.
And the elemental punishment, Elemental Punishment!
Each time the Punishment magic struck Artilance, the earth shook.
“How do you like that?”
No matter how much of a final boss he was, being directly hit by the Punishment series magic should be impossible to withstand.
—Kukukuku…
But contrary to my thoughts, his laughter echoed from within the thick dust.
“Uh… This can’t be right…”
Artilance’s face, looking down at me with a mocking laugh, came into view.
“How is this possible…?”
It’s 9th Circle magic, not some other spell. Artilance, who had been directly hit by such magic, was looking down at me without a single scratch.
—Is this what you call your proud magic?
He looked down at me mockingly and spoke.
“Let me try again…”
—Cancel!
With a single light word, he annihilated my Punishment magic. Seeing his cheat-like ability, curses flowed out of me involuntarily.
Only then did I realize it. I couldn’t win with conventional magic!
“Damn it, how am I supposed to beat something like this!”
He told me the reason why he could be so confident, almost sneering at me.
—Magic belongs to our race. Dragons have a far greater inherent resistance to magic compared to other races.
I narrowed my eyes.
“So you’re saying I can’t deal with you guys using magic?”
—Not necessarily, but with a human’s short lifespan, you cannot surpass dragon magic.
“Bullshit, that’s ridiculous! Do you think 9th Circle is some kind of joke? I went through hell, poured all my money, whether I had it or not, to reach this level, and I can’t even scratch the final boss?”
—That was your choice. No one forced you; it was a result achieved solely by your own choices.
“Damn it, this is invalid!”
I shouted “Invalid!” towards Artilance, but it was useless.
Artilance’s foot slowly rose into the air.
—You alone must bear the responsibility for your choices.
His foot reached its apex in the air and then descended towards me. I watched his foot coming down with my own eyes, but I couldn’t avoid it.
His powerful aura held my body in place, preventing me from moving.
—Human, you must now strive to return to the place you once lived.
“Damn it, what nonsense is this! You think I’ll just take this?!”
Gritting my teeth, I used the most powerful magic I knew.
Meteo!
The meteor summoning magic, Meteo, was so powerful it could blow away the dragon’s own nest in one shot, which is why I had been hesitant to use it, but now I had no choice.
I finished casting and used Meteo.
“I’m not dying alone, you bastard!”
I was sure that Meteo could annihilate Artilance.
—Human, did I not tell you? We are a race resistant to magic. And humans’ magic is something that our race, dragons, can cancel at any time.
With those words, Artilance’s foot landed on my body.
“Kyaaaah!”
—You have been killed by Artilance.
