Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Deus Ex Machina – Ragnarok.

Abbreviated as DemRock.

Upon its release, DemRock instantly drew the attention of gamers, earning praise as the most perfect and intricate VR game to date.

But it wasn’t just casual interest.

Despite being a VR game, its exceptional realism and AI surpassed expectations, and within three days of its release, it shot to the top of the game rankings.

[Ragnarok]

[Deus Ex Machina]

[Recommended DemRock Skills]

[What is a Gacha?]

The real-time search rankings were always filled with DemRock.

And naturally, the game became profitable.

To be precise, it had immense potential to become profitable.

No other game released so far had garnered as much attention as this one.

That’s why the dark gamers appeared.

People who made a living off of games, known as so-called “rice-eaters,” the term for users who earned their income through gaming.

‘This is going to make money.’

Do-hyeon was one of those people.

He hadn’t started off that way.

It was merely by chance that he passed by a large screen showing a DemRock ad and, out of curiosity, decided to give it a try.

That’s when he discovered his hidden talent for gaming, and he naturally began aiming to become a dark gamer.

Yet, despite that, he could confidently say he was making money through gaming.

[Kaiser – Rank 1]

[Myeolsal – Rank 2]

[Kkukkudakkkukku – Rank 3]

[Sword Emperor – Rank 4]

[Purple Taste – Rank 5]

[The Judge – Rank 6]

.......

Even though he started later than the other rankers, he managed to claim the top spot.

Moreover, it wasn’t just his high ranking that stood out.

His physical prowess was overwhelming, his combat sense was genius-level, and his ability to adapt to the situation, as well as his skill in PvP, surpassed expectations.

There was nothing he lacked.

Because of this, the public even called him an unprecedented genius in history.

Many people asked him:

How could you be so good? How could they become like him?

Do-hyeon always gave the same answer to such questions.

“Combat tips? Hmm... Can’t you just see it?”

“...Excuse me?”

“When your opponent attacks, a gap appears if you dodge. If you hit them then, you can strike without getting hit.”

“.....”

A video of an interview, uploaded under the title The Deception of a God, where Kaiser was asked for combat tips, became a famous anecdote among all those familiar with DemRock.

Despite it being a ridiculous response that would typically provoke anger, Kaiser’s sincerity, as if he genuinely didn’t understand why someone would ask, left people unable to even be upset.

-Well, it’s Kaiser, so that makes sense...

-LOL, right, if you dodge and then hit, you won’t get hit. Who doesn’t know that?

-If it were anyone else, people would’ve cursed them out, but since Kaiser says it, no one can refute it.

-Kaiser is a god. Kaiser is a god. Kaiser is a god. Kaiser is a god...

-A god is Kaiser. A god is Kaiser. A god is Kaiser. A god is Kaiser...

-Ugh, these Kaiser stans are at it again.

Rather than getting angry, people were even more enthusiastic about Kaiser.

The reason why people cheered for him, the reigning god of DemRock, wasn’t simply because of his overwhelming genius.

Although that was his main trademark, there was another decisive reason why many users looked up to Kaiser.

[Kaiser Creates a New Skill Tree]

[Kaiser! Creates Yet Another New Meta!]

[Even Trash Skills Can Be Useful! Kaiser’s Unique Methods for Turning Overlooked Skills into OP Abilities...]

[Kaiser’s Leveling Guide]

[Legendary Boss Kabournel! Kaiser’s Strategy...]

It was because of the countless guides he had uploaded.

Although the majority of them were filled with cryptic advice like “Dodge here, hit around here,” at least his skill trees were real.

And for the users, these skill trees were like rain in a drought.

-Kaiser just uploaded a new skill tree.

-Oh, amazing. He made it with unpopular skills again. I was clueless on how to use the Bite skill, but now he’s applying it to this? Truly a god...

-Honestly, if it weren’t for Kaiser, this game would’ve died a long time ago.

-But seriously, what kind of game requires you to build a skill tree based on random draws?

The veterans, half-jokingly, had even crafted a perfect attendance award for him around a campfire, commending his passion.

He was terrible at playing the game, but he made up for it with absurd amounts of money and relentless grinding.

‘There were always rumors that he was a landlord. He kept denying it, though...’

The sight of him sitting quietly by the campfire seemed especially melancholic.

Hearing his muttering, a middle-aged man with the image of a seasoned swordsman, Sword Emperor, who was warming his hands by the fire, nodded his head.

“I agree. Despite the gacha hell, it was still fun. I don’t understand why it had to fail.”

“That’s probably the problem, isn’t it? Even a tiger leaves behind its skin when it dies, but a dragon leaves behind bricks. That’s too much.”

“...Do you always have to ruin the mood like that?”

“What? Am I wrong? Can’t I at least complain about this doomed game before it’s gone?”

The one wearing a masquerade mask and dressed in a gentleman’s suit, bickering with Sword Emperor, was Kkukkudakkkukku.

Famous for his no-nonsense attitude, he was known for dominating the battlefield with his absurdly good physical skills.

“Are you really not going to take off that mask until the end?”

“...Shut up. How about you stop speaking like that? You’re in your twenties, and it’s so cringeworthy.”

“You still lack grace in your speech.”

“What? Want to fight one last time?”

“Tsk. You never change...”

Although Do-hyeon maintained his top rank, they were all top-tier rankers when he first started playing, people so skilled they had become practically rotten from their expertise.

Their real combat prowess wasn’t much different from his.

He had received a lot of help from them...

As he watched them banter with a sense of nostalgia, Do-hyeon quietly spoke.

“It’s a shame, really.”

“......”

A brief silence fell over the group.

They merely sat around the campfire, lost in thought, as if reminiscing about something.

Purple Taste was the first to break the silence.

“I suppose you’re the one who’d feel it the most. You researched this game more than anyone.”

“Watching you in combat was always fascinating. I could understand the theory behind it, but it was still hard to believe. That’s probably why they called it The Deception of a God.”

“Well, we did benefit from your skill trees too. Normally, you either have brains or brawn, but you seem to have both.”

As more people chimed in, Kkukkudakkkukku seemed to recall something and burst into laughter.

“Still, the gods are fair. Out of all of us, your luck was the worst. Haha.”

“Yeah, you never got any high-grade skills... maybe that’s why you had to research so much to survive?”

“Can you believe that the guy ranked first doesn’t have a single legendary skill? If his luck had been a bit better, we wouldn’t have been able to compete with him at all.”

“I wish people could’ve seen you wailing after failing ten consecutive upgrades, shouting, ‘The world’s out to get me!’ It would’ve gone viral as The Cry of a God.”

“Hahaha! Seriously, this guy’s the worst of us all.”

“Ahem... It’s true, your luck was the worst I’ve ever seen.”

Even Sword Emperor nodded in agreement, listening to Purple Taste’s hearty laughter.

Though it was hard to tell if they were praising or teasing him, Do-hyeon remained calm.

He’d heard all of this before.

Since DemRock was a gacha game, discussions about his notorious bad luck were constant.

It had initially made him angry, but at some point, he found himself chuckling at it.

Now, however, for some reason, it felt more bittersweet.

Perhaps it was because this was the first game he had ever played.

He had never been so invested in something before...

Was it the thought that the game was truly coming to an end?

‘I don’t know either.’

After about ten minutes of idle conversation, the final message appeared.

[Hello. This is Deus Ex Machina – Ragnarok.]

[As scheduled, the service will now be terminated. Thank you for staying with us until the end.]

Seeing the additional message, the veteran players slowly began to stand.

“...This is really the end.”

“You did well. Playing in a gacha hell with double-digit concurrent users.”

“If we meet again, let’s make sure it’s in a good game.”

Starting with Sword Emperor, Purple Taste and Kkukkudakkkukku logged out one by one.

In an instant, Do-hyeon was left alone.

Sitting alone in front of the campfire, his mood became even more melancholic.

Swoosh.

As he gazed at the night sky, his vision gradually darkened.

Instead of the sound of birds chirping, the whirring sound of the VR device filled his ears.

Do-hyeon gently touched the switch of the VR gear he had been wearing.

Click.

[This game service has ended.]

However, instead of the night sky, only a brief message appeared.

“......”

After reading the message, Do-hyeon finally removed his helmet and let out a short sigh.