Chapter 2

The Legend of Arc - Chapter 2 (2/875)

‘I, too, had such a time…’

Hyun-woo’s old memories resurfaced after a long time.

It had been four years since Hyun-woo, dressed as awkwardly as the young man he met in the lobby, first set foot in the prestigious game company Global Access. However, he was now a board advisor who could confidently ride the executive elevator to the vice president's office.

From being virtually unemployed to becoming a board advisor of a major corporation in just four years!

Behind this meteoric rise was the existence of New World, Global Access’s flagship virtual reality game. More precisely, it was due to the ‘Master Code’ artifact he obtained as a reward for defeating Lucifer, the ultimate king of New World at the time.

The Master Code was a kind of management program created by Park Woo-sung and Yuna, the main directors of New World during its development. It was an artifact that granted users the literal power of a creator, allowing them to manipulate everything in the game world at will.

The Master Code was absorbed by Hyun-woo’s New World character, Arc, and firmly attached itself to him.

How did Hyun-woo, a mere user, come to possess such an artifact? To detail the tumultuous story would take more than three months and ten days.

In the end, it happened, so he accepted it.

If you’re really curious, read Hyun-woo’s autobiography ‘Arc,’ which chronicles his rags-to-riches success story from a struggling gamer who lived on kimchi rolls and trembled at the sight of a single won to the top user of New World.

‘Anyway…’

From that moment on, Hyun-woo’s life changed 180 degrees.

Initially, Hyun-woo started New World for different reasons than other gamers.

He had two goals through New World.

The first was to get a job at Global Access, and the second was to earn money for his mother’s medical bills and living expenses, as she was battling an illness at the time.

The Master Code helped him achieve both goals.

From the game company’s perspective, they couldn’t ignore Hyun-woo, who possessed the power of the Master Code, which could manipulate everything in New World like kneading dough.

Therefore, they needed to manage Hyun-woo in some way, and after much deliberation, they decided to give him the title of board advisor.

Hyun-woo, who had struggled to even get a foot in the door at Global Access, a company that even graduates from S University or K University found hard to enter, was now a board advisor.

- A life reversal thanks to a single game!

This was the epithet that always followed Hyun-woo’s name.

‘Compared to four years ago, when I had to worry about my next meal every day, this is a situation I can’t complain about…’

However, the world’s rule is that for every gain, there is a loss.

What Hyun-woo had to lose to become a board advisor at Global Access was Arc.

This doesn’t mean the character Arc disappeared.

Arc, who had absorbed the Master Code, still reigned as the unparalleled, god-like being in New World.

God!

That’s right, Arc was no longer just a character in New World. He possessed the power of a god, able to manipulate everything in the game world at will! Any gamer would want to experience such power at least once.

However, wanting to experience it and actually possessing it are entirely different matters.

Think about it.

With the power of a god, you can instantly max out your level or find legendary equipment with just a thought. In fact, level and equipment are meaningless.

“Huh! The trap has been activated!”

“M, monsters are coming! There are so many!”

“Ugh, but we can’t retreat! Everyone, prepare yourselves!”

These are the life-or-death moments you often encounter in games!

“…Del.”

-Good job! You have eliminated thousands of monsters with one strike!

This is what happens with just one word from Hyun-woo.

With the Del key, he can eliminate thousands of monsters, and that is the power of the Master Code.

What need is there for levels and equipment?

Even if the legendary Lucifer, the ultimate king of New World, were to come back to life, it would be the same. With just the word ‘Baksal,’ even a legendary demon king would be shattered!

To Hyun-woo, New World was no longer a game.

That doesn’t mean he had nothing to do in New World.

As a game, New World needed to continuously develop new content. However, the main director of New World, Park Woo-sung, was currently under investigation for the so-called ‘Lucifer Incident’ (refer to Arc’s autobiography).

Therefore, Global Access had formed a new development team, but without the ‘genius’ Park Woo-sung, the programmers had their limits.

Serious bugs frequently occurred with each new expansion pack update.

For example, a demon king suddenly appearing in a beginner village or all the game’s prey disappearing. Hyun-woo’s role as a board advisor at Global Access was to fix these bugs.

Eliminating a demon king that appeared out of place or regenerating prey in an empty field could be done with just one word from Hyun-woo, who possessed the Master Code.

‘That’s a flashy job, but…’

Now, there’s no thrill of exploring new dungeons or the exciting tension of facing a powerful enemy.

A gamer who becomes invincible through cheats loses interest in the game, and the past year as a god was enough to cool Hyun-woo’s burning passion for New World.

Arc, having become a god, was no longer just a game character.

The time spent laughing and crying over 1 copper piece while raising Arc would never come back. When he thought about this, he sometimes felt a sense of emptiness, but he quickly shook his head.

‘That’s just being greedy.’

He had achieved everything he wanted four years ago.

Wanting more than that would be excessive greed.

At this point, Hyun-woo couldn’t even imagine who was waiting for him in the vice president’s office and what they expected from him.

Ding!

The elevator stopped.

* * *

‘…What is this?’

Hyun-woo’s face showed surprise.

When he entered the vice president’s office, four men were seated.

Three of them were familiar faces. The middle-aged man with a bald head, who looked like a school principal, was the vice president who had called him, and the man in his 30s sitting next to him was the planning director, Ha Myung-woo.

The problem was the fourth man.

‘If my memory serves me right, that’s Park Woo-sung!’

The true creator of New World!

The genius game director Park Woo-sung, who was under investigation for the Lucifer Incident.

Hyun-woo had heard that the sentence was not light due to the nature of the case. How could he be released in just a year and be sitting in the Global Access vice president’s office?

Hyun-woo hesitated for a moment, and the vice president stood up.

“Ah, Director Kim, welcome.”

The vice president introduced the middle-aged man.

“This is Kim Hyun-woo, a gamer who was active under the ID Arc at the time.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Mun Ji-hoon.”

“Yes, I am Kim Hyun-woo.”

Hyun-woo greeted him awkwardly and looked at the vice president.

The vice president sighed heavily and added,

“He’s from the government.”

“Government? What for…?”

“Sit down first. Director Mun will explain in detail.”

Hyun-woo sat down, and Mun Ji-hoon stared at him with a cold, probing gaze, typical of a government official.

This attitude was not pleasant, but what was more concerning was Mun Ji-hoon’s serious expression.

Hyun-woo, with his keen intuition, sensed that something was amiss as soon as he heard about the government official.

Sure enough, Mun Ji-hoon started with a burdensome statement.

“Before I explain the details, there is one thing I need to clarify. I am currently the head of the practical department of the National Emergency Response Committee. The reason I am here today is related to that. Therefore, everything I say from now on is classified. You must not disclose it to anyone for any reason. If you violate this, you will face severe punishment under the National Security Act, regardless of your position.”

‘Emergency Response Committee? National Security Act?’

Words he had only heard in the news.

Hyun-woo was taken aback by the unexpected terms, but that was just the beginning. The words that followed from Mun Ji-hoon were even more shocking.

“Yesterday afternoon at 4:00, a domestic nuclear power plant was occupied by terrorists.”

“E? E? W, a nuclear power plant was occupied by terrorists?”

“Yes.”

“B, but I haven’t heard any news about that…”

Hyun-woo, stuttering, asked with a look of disbelief.

“Could it be the power plant that was shut down due to the discovery of counterfeit parts?”

“You’re quick.”

Mun Ji-hoon nodded.

“Even without explanation, you can probably guess why it had to happen. I will clarify that fewer than 100 people, including the power plant management staff, the emergency response committee I belong to, and those present here, know the full details.”

Hyun-woo was speechless.

What is a nuclear power plant? Nuclear, meaning atomic.

If anything goes wrong with a nuclear power plant, it means receiving damage equivalent to a nuclear bomb. The occupation of such a dangerous place by terrorists was indeed a national emergency. However, what left Hyun-woo bewildered was not the incident itself.

Why was he being told this?

“W, why are you telling me this?”

“Because we need your help, Hyun-woo.”

An even more incomprehensible answer.

Certainly, Hyun-woo had powers that ordinary people didn’t.

However, those powers were limited to the virtual reality game New World. In reality, Hyun-woo was just an ordinary person.

“Help? Are you mistaken? I’m not someone who can be involved in such matters. I’m just a gamer. A person who stays at home and plays games.”

“I know.”

“But if you know, why…?”

“I understand that you must be confused. I am also confused by this situation. However, as I mentioned earlier, we desperately need your help, Hyun-woo.”

“No, I mean, I’m just….”

“A gamer.”

Mun Ji-hoon continued, meeting Hyun-woo’s gaze.

“But not an ordinary gamer. A legendary gamer who defeated countless competitors in the game New World and obtained almost god-like abilities. That’s why I’m here to see you.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Hyun-woo’s question made Mun Ji-hoon pause for a moment, then he took out a cigarette and lit it, ignoring the vice president’s uncomfortable look.

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