Chapter 7

I'm an ordinary office worker - Chapter 7 (7/180)

< Chapter 7 >

I slowly closed my eyes and then opened them again.

It was still Verford.

Even though time had passed and many things had changed, it was definitely Verford.

What's going on?

I'm not a player, right?

If I'm not a player, I shouldn't be able to use the portal!

"Status window."

The status window still didn't appear.

I told you, I am a player.

Even if the status window doesn't show up, I'm definitely a player.

I used the portal to travel to La Elta. So, I must be a player, right? Right?

"Then, can I now get a player certification and become a player?"

The dream of quitting my job will come true!

But quitting my job means I have to return to Earth.

The portal from Earth to La Elta remains in the same place once it appears, but the return portal is different.

They say that if a player meets the return conditions and thinks, 'I want to return,' a portal will appear right in front of them.

The return condition is completing a La Elta quest at least once.

So, after completing the quest.

'I want to go home. I want to return to Earth.'

Is it as simple as thinking this?

I just organized my thoughts and looked down, and right in front of me, a black sphere identical to the portal I had just seen appeared.

"What? Why is this here? I haven't completed the quest yet?"

Did I misunderstand something?

I hope nothing went wrong.

Even if I lose everything, I'll still have what I started with. I boldly stepped onto the portal.

Just like when I moved to La Elta, my vision went dark for a moment, and then the scenery changed.

I saw familiar faces chattering, and they instantly fell silent when they saw me.

"Goodness! You're already back? Even though it's a level 0 quest, it's still so fast... Did you choose the difficulty level 1?"

I heard the fuss from the Suwon portal manager, but I didn't pay attention.

What if this was just a one-time coincidence?

I stepped back onto the portal.

"No, if I go back, I'll have to do the quest again...!"

I heard a fading voice behind me, and when I came to my senses, I was back in Verford.

"Could it be that I can travel between La Elta and Earth without completing the quest?"

This is amazing.

There are people who don't come to La Elta because they find completing quests too troublesome, but I can come and go freely.

The 50 years I spent in La Elta were 3 years on Earth.

The time ratio not being exact was strange, but I didn't really care.

After being hit by a car and traveling to another world, and then waking up to find everyone in the same world, the time ratio didn't matter much.

I thought the time ratio was roughly 15:1, so I asked my brother, and to my surprise,

the time ratio between La Elta and Earth is 1:1.

When I thought about it and did the calculations, it matched perfectly.

I spent 50 years in La Elta and suddenly returned to Earth in the 51st year.

I didn't calculate the exact date, but it seemed to be about half a year more than 50 years.

If 50 years in La Elta corresponded to 2 years and 6 months on Earth, then the time ratio would be 20:1.

After that, for some reason, Earth and La Elta became connected. Monsters appeared on Earth, and players started entering La Elta, making the time ratio 1:1.

So, during the half year when Earth and La Elta were connected, I spent half a year, not 10 years.

If I had been in Verford during that half year, I might have met other players or even my brother.

At that time, I was far away from Verford, happily hunting monsters, so I didn't know about these changes.

Of course, this is just a hypothesis.

"I'm not a god, so I can't know everything."

One thing became clear when I returned to La Elta today.

The connection between Earth and La Elta affected not only the time ratio between the two dimensions but also me.

I can't be sure to what extent, but the effect was enough to allow me to use the portal even though the status window doesn't appear.

If this is the case, why didn't the status window show up? I'm a player.

"Maybe I should go back. People might be waiting for me outside."

No, they might have dispersed, thinking I was still completing the quest.

Theoretically, I can use the portal whenever I want, but only if I have access to the Earth portal.

I can use the portal, but if I don't have a status window and don't get a player certification, it might be difficult to return to La Elta.

So, I should visit the mansion in Verford before going back.

The mansion I lived in is the second-largest building in Verford, after the lord's castle.

I had the means to build a larger mansion than the castle, but I didn't want to overshadow the lord, so I settled for a large mansion.

Back then, the only large buildings were the castle and my mansion, but Verford has changed a lot.

Large buildings have been built, and it has become more like a city than a village.

Come to think of it, when was the last time I visited Verford?

After the war ended and my mansion was completed, I spent 10 years in Verford.

Then, for some reason, I left the mansion to the butler and servants and went away.

I didn't visit for 10 and a half years while hunting monsters, and then I returned to Earth, so it's been over 3 years.

Is it 14 years since I last came back?

Thinking about the butler and servants being surprised and happy to see me after so long made my nose tingle.

This is a surprise!

I rushed to the mansion and knocked on the door.

While waiting for someone to answer, I unnecessarily straightened my clothes.

I was wearing a white shirt and dress pants, but I had no gold or silver, so I couldn't buy new clothes.

"Who is it?"

After a few seconds, the large door opened.

The butler appeared in the gap.

He looked much older, with more white hair, but it was definitely the butler.

"Surprise!"

Oh, will he understand if I say it like this?

"I'm back!"

"Oh, you're here?"

I expected him to grab his chest, be shocked, and faint, at least say, "Oh, Lord Ian!"

But this dry response!

This makes me feel awkward.

"Ah, yeah. It's been a while."

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and entered.

"Oh, you're here, Lord Ian."

"Are you here?"

"You're here. It's been a while."

As I followed the butler, the servants greeted me as if they had seen me yesterday and today.

Did they really not notice my absence?

I feel a bit disappointed.

"It's been a while. Aren't you happy to see me?"

As soon as I sat down in the room, I asked the butler.

The butler looked at me as if I was saying something strange.

"Didn't you usually show up once every few years?"

"Me?"

"Yes. You ate and slept in the underground training room and came out once every one or two years. After you left the mansion to hunt monsters, Mary delivered meals to the underground for half a year, not knowing you were gone."

"Mary?"

"Yes. One day, she suddenly came and cried, saying that Lord Ian hadn't eaten for half a year and might have passed away in the training room."

I remember leaving without saying goodbye to go hunt monsters.

I thought I would be back in a week.

"Your heroic deeds during the monster hunts were occasionally reported in the newspaper."

They were reported in the newspaper?

I didn't know.

It seems the newspapers on Earth and La Elta are the same, filling in with any news when there's nothing to report.

"I was worried that something had happened to you when I didn't hear from you for about 4 or 5 years. I was considering asking the information guild for help, but you came at the right time."

"But don't I look younger? Don't I look much younger?"

Since he didn't seem surprised or happy to see me after so long, I changed the subject.

"Ah, yes. Now that you mention it, you do look younger. Did you eat well while you were away?"

I bought this mansion when I was 50.

I left to hunt monsters when I was 60.

Of course, I looked in my 30s.

But when I returned to Earth, I looked like I was in my early 20s.

I looked 10 years younger, and my soul felt decades younger. This lukewarm reaction is really disappointing.

If I had introduced myself as Lord Ian's son when I first came in, I would have seen a really funny reaction.

If only someone could turn back time by a few minutes!

"Isn't this outfit strange? I've never seen this kind of clothing in Verford... or La Elta. Why aren't you surprised?"

"You seem to be behind the times, Lord Ian. Haven't you seen people wearing this kind of clothing in Verford for the past few years? It was popular two years ago, but it's outdated now."

I'm behind the times? That's a shock.

The butler looked at me as if to say, "So, you've been living in the mountains and came back to find people wearing this kind of clothing. But we've already tried it a few years ago."

No, that's not it.

I come from a world where this kind of clothing is made.

I'm not behind the times.

"Never mind. I'm going out, so don't stop me."

"I'll see you in a few years."

"I'll be back in a few days!"

Ignoring the look that said, "He's upset," I left the mansion.

I felt a bit sad, but as long as my mansion and property are safe, it's fine.

My authority seems to be at rock bottom, but...

Putting my sadness aside, I left the mansion and looked around.

There are so many people.

Some of them look like they're from Earth.

It's like the starting village in an MMORPG game.

"Where do I go for the quest board?"

"Are you new? Go over there where there are a lot of people."

Even though I was just talking to myself, a passerby from Earth gave me directions.

Still, being called a newbie makes me feel like I'm playing a game.

Following the directions of the passerby, I went to where a lot of people were gathered, and there was the quest board.

Other people need to complete quests to return, but I don't.

Then, why did I come here?

I was curious if I could take quests.

Without a status window, would the quest board react?

"Touching the quest board activates it."

Going to the research institute was really helpful.

I hoped that if the quest board activates, I might get a status window.

I touched the quest board.

Come on, activate!

And give me a status window and a quest window!

Oh! I've never seen a guide window before.

Now I've seen a guide window... what?

Update?

Activation, not update?

Based on the interviews with the hundreds or thousands of players who have visited La Elta, they must have said, "The quest board activates when you touch it for the first time."

This information was recorded on LaElta.com.

If even one out of a hundred players said it was an update, not activation...

In my memory, there was no such record.

While I was thinking, the update ended.

So?

What happened after the update?

I tapped the quest window a few more times, but it didn't react.

"What's going on?"

After the quest board activates, touching it again should show the quest list.

But there was no list, not even a single word.

What's the point of doing an update if it doesn't even show anything?

What was that update for?

"Huh? A new quest appeared?"

"Hey, I got a side quest."

Suddenly, the people standing next to me, looking at the quest board, started talking.

"You too? Is the quest called 'Find Lord Ian'?"

"Yeah. Just introducing yourself to Lord Ian increases your strength?"

"Insane. I have to do this."

What?

Could it be that this crazy quest board?

When I touched it, it didn't update my quest but updated everyone else's quests?

Are you kidding me?

< Chapter 7 > End