Chapter 1

< Player Conceals the Past - Bethesda >

◈ Chapter 1. Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo

...I must look like a madman.

Still, there's nothing I can do about it.

After much deliberation, I opened my mouth.

I spoke to my reflection in the mirror.

"...Who am I? What is my name?"

Yes, my name is Lee Ho Yeol.

Ho, for joy, and Yeol, for passion.

I have three sisters.

My name was given to me by my grandfather, who was overjoyed at the birth of his youngest grandson.

But despite my thoughts, a completely different name burst from my lips.

"...Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo."

I don't even know which country's noble name it is.

It's an absurdly long name...!

Suddenly, are you saying I've awakened to a past life?

"Rather, it would have been better if I had."

No, I know it's not some fantastical plot twist.

My reflection in the mirror told me as much.

My eyes had become strangely sharp.

My physique had noticeably become more robust.

Even the last characters that appeared before my eyes.

This was an awakening.

It meant I had become a player.

Yes, I could understand that much.

The problem was my appearance as a player and the bizarre name.

"However I look at it, this is from over ten years ago..."

[Name: Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo]

To be precise, 12 years ago.

So, I was 15 years old.

Around the time I was suffering from middle school second-year syndrome.

It was definitely the character I had raised.

I muttered to myself without realizing it.

"...It seems I'm in a serious mess."

As if I had become a noble, I spoke in a refined manner.

***

Squish─

It's over.

Despite that feeling, my actions were filled with ease.

I took out a teacup from the cupboard that I never used.

I brewed some green tea, which I never drank.

Then I sat at the table and savored the green tea.

"The aroma isn't bad."

...It's not like I'm filming a historical drama or anything.

Even as I say this, the tone of my voice is awkward.

In any case, I could sense it.

My actions and tone of voice had changed due to the awakening.

Player awakening.

I thought it had nothing to do with me.

After all, I had completely forgotten about it.

"...After all, it was over ten years ago."

The prequel of the Arcana Continent.

13 years ago.

A virtual reality game that never left the top spot after its release.

No, a game that was called another life beyond just a game.

[Unidentified structures appearing worldwide... Is it related to the termination of Arcana services?]

Such an Arcana had become reality.

[Strange organisms appearing worldwide... Netizens say, "They are definitely Arcana monsters." Controversy intensifies]

In that reality, Arcana monsters appeared.

[New humans? Overthrowing strange organisms with bare hands...]

Those who could hunt the monsters in that reality.

Players who had awakened the abilities of their Arcana characters also emerged.

Years have passed since that great upheaval, and this is the present.

The prequel of the Arcana Continent had become reality.

When I first heard the news in the military, I was taken aback.

-Hell. If I had known, I wouldn't have even touched it.

Once, while on night duty, I had such fantasies.

Why?

Because players were heroes, literally.

[Player, 'Golden Flash' defeats named monster 'General Sekir'!]

[Clearing the rift rewards alone amount to approximately 50 billion won...]

[Exclusive interview: Player 'Nam Tae Min' who prevented a major disaster]

But that was all.

-Even if I awakened, it wouldn't be much of a big deal.

After all, I had stopped playing the prequel of the Arcana Continent before a year had passed.

There were practical issues.

The price of the access device alone was a staggering ten million won.

The monthly fee was also close to hundreds of thousands of won.

"...Kids, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Dad. You don't need to feel sorry for us."

"Sniff. Mom, I don't have the face to see you."

"Ah, why are you like this, Mom?"

"We've all grown up, including Ho Yeol. What's there to worry about?"

Around the time I entered high school.

After the day the seizure notice was posted on our house.

I had completely lost interest in the prequel of the Arcana Continent and games in general.

This was true even when I entered high school.

Whether I liked it or not, I had no choice but to focus on studying, and the result is my current situation.

A fairly good job and a decent studio apartment.

A leisurely daily routine of visiting my parents' house every weekend.

A life that's not luxurious but without major desires, so it's quite good.

"...But, what is this all about?"

My head is throbbing.

I try to tilt the teacup, but in vain.

First, let's put aside the damn historical drama tone.

The important thing is that I have awakened as a player.

10 years, to be precise, 12 years ago.

The character [Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo] that I raised in the prequel of the Arcana Continent has been overlaid onto me, Lee Ho Yeol.

I often saw such interviews.

-What changed the most after awakening...? Perhaps the feeling of merging with the character? It really feels like the character in the game and the real me have become one. Roughly speaking, it's like possession.

-Well, even if it's possession, I was the one playing the character in the game, so even if the character I played possesses me, there wouldn't be much of a difference.

-Still, I think it allows me to face the monsters in reality without fear.

Another point is that the time I played was over ten years ago.

And the fact that I, ten years ago, was 'heavily' immersed in the character [Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo] is another difference.

"Delicious."

To the point where even my taste has changed.

...I really feel like I'm going crazy.

Is this also due to the character information of Arcana being overlaid?

I started to remember the settings of [Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo], which I had forgotten.

Naturally, the vast settings I created while suffering from middle school second-year syndrome.

『Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo.

His exact age is unknown.

He was the heir of a great family, but the family fell due to a demon.

Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo, henceforth Granfel, became a demon hunter to avenge his family.

He is characterized by his long silver hair and handsome appearance, and his speech and behavior reflect the nobility of his status.』

To create such detailed and useless settings...

Really, I must have been crazy, my past self!

Just thinking about it makes my hands and feet curl.

Of course, even if I created the settings, they were not reflected in the game.

After all, they were just scribbled in notebooks and memo pads.

That's why the settings also mention that he is a fallen noble.

Starting from level 1, a beginner with nothing.

It was just a plausible setting of a fallen noble.

Yes, in that long setting, there is only one truth.

That he became a demon hunter.

[Name: Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo]

[Class: Demon Hunter]

But my past self was so immersed in the settings that I played Arcana.

In other words, I was acting out Granfel's life in Arcana.

Thinking about it now, there's no one crazier than that...

But back then, I was a middle schooler, a second-year at that.

Now, I can look back on it as a fond memory.

"...A memory. I miss it."

But that memory I wanted to forget has become reality.

Damn, my headache is getting worse.

I'm worried someone might see my embarrassing state.

...No, wait.

I have to go to work tomorrow, right?!

Let's think about it calmly.

Can I go to work and perform my duties normally?

I mean, in the social life.

It's not easy.

There are countless times in a day when I have to bow my head and abandon my pride.

But with my taste changed due to Granfel's settings.

Can I really survive even a day in the harsh society?

『Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo is noble. No matter who the opponent is, he never bows his head. His pride is unbearably heavy and unwavering. Even if it means drowning under that weight.』

...It would be a miracle if I don't spill coffee on my boss's face.

I might end up getting more in settlement than my salary.

After a refined tea time, I came to a conclusion.

"I can't keep bowing my head forever."

I spoke in vain again, but in short.

It means I'm going to quit my job.

I decided to live as a player from now on.

It might seem like a sudden decision to others.

But I made a rational judgment.

Think about it.

In this state, I would only cause trouble wherever I work.

During that time, my bank account balance would noticeably decrease.

Damn noble taste.

Even the cost of tea time, which I never enjoyed, would be added to my expenses.

Living expenses would become even more urgent.

In the end, it means I have to live as a player to survive.

Of course, I don't have big ambitions.

As I've grown older, I naturally came to understand my limits.

The middle school second-year who was overly immersed in Granfel,

who believed without doubt that he was special,

is no longer there.

Just enough to make a living.

If I can do that, then living as a player shouldn't put my life in danger, right?

First, let's do a search.

I knew too little about the world of players.

I didn't live admiring them.

I was too busy making a living to pay much attention.

Still, I envied the money they made.

"...Hmm."

Tens, hundreds, thousands of billions.

The articles about players are filled with the sound of billions.

But even as I read the articles, I felt indifferent.

『To Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo, wealth was fleeting. Born as the heir of a great family and having tasted the pinnacle of prosperity, he had no reason to be obsessed with wealth and fame.』

This is also due to that damn setting, right?

Still, it's a relief.

It seems I won't risk my life for greed.

But there was a serious problem.

"...I am weak."

...Can I even properly hunt a single monster?

Can I even join a party?

The level of monsters appearing in reality is no joke.

At my current state, I can't possibly handle them.

-It was really close, lol.

-A party with an average level of 200 barely managed to clear it.

-The difficulty keeps increasing, wow.

-Rankers might actually like it? They get a lot of experience points.

It was a comment on a video.

The average level of the player party was 200.

I checked my status window.

[Name: Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo]

[Class: Demon Hunter]

[Level: 55]

A mere level 55.

My level is the same as it was over ten years ago.

Back then, I wasn't a ranker, but I was still quite high...

Time is truly cruel.

Well, they say that in ten years, even mountains and rivers change.

"Why did I waste so much time..."

I muttered, unnecessarily putting on airs.

Suddenly, I searched for 'Demon Hunter' in the search bar.

"Wait, I forgot."

The method to raise a Demon Hunter...!

I had completely forgotten about it because it was such an old memory.

Back then, Demon Hunters could only be raised in a limited way.

Unlike other classes that leveled up by hunting, Demon Hunters had to level up through quests.

《Skill》

Natural Enemy

Silver Mastery

Shooting Mastery

Simultaneous Shooting

Exorcism Ritual

Most quests involved defeating demons.

This was due to the limitations of the Demon Hunter class.

───────

Natural Enemy: Combat power significantly increases when fighting demons.

───────

When facing demons, they display overwhelming power, but otherwise, their stats are lacking. As a result, they can't even introduce themselves in appropriate level hunting grounds.

That was the reality of Demon Hunters.

Then, can't I just hunt demons?

If someone asks.

I could answer that there were no demon-type monsters in Arcana back then.

Demon Hunters could only encounter demons through quests.

That's why Demon Hunters were unpopular even back then.

"But that was in the past."

Yes, it's been 10 years and 2 years.

There should have been enough time for new methods to raise Demon Hunters to emerge.

Even if it's difficult to apply the raising methods directly to reality now that Arcana has become real.

Still, I can at least use them as a reference.

Good.

The throbbing in my head after the awakening is gradually subsiding.

...Is it because of the tea? Or not.

Anyway, it's fortunate to be born in the information age.

Being able to find the information I want with just a finger movement.

I typed 'Demon Hunter' into the search bar.

Looking at the search results...

"...What is this all about?"

The search results were completely different from what I expected.

"Acxshan Base destroyed? Everyone died?"

What happened to Arcana in the past ten years?

.

.

.

Acxshan Base.

It was the headquarters of Demon Hunters.

It was the place where you completed the job quest and training quests to become a Demon Hunter.

But the Acxshan Base was destroyed for some reason, and all the NPCs were wiped out.

As a result, it became impossible to become a Demon Hunter.

"That happened a long time ago?"

...Wait, then what about me?

Where did the new method to raise Demon Hunters go!

As I searched through various communities, I realized.

"Could it be."

-Back then, there was a Demon Hunter class.

-Really? I've never heard of it.

-LOL, how trash that class was.

-I tried to raise one but gave up and started over, lol.

-It was just for show, the performance was terrible, lol.

The more I searched, the more my suspicion turned into certainty.

It seems there are no players who are currently Demon Hunters.

No, since I awakened as a player...

I seem to be the only one.

"How could this be."

I resent my past self, my past tastes.

Even if I was a middle school second-year obsessed with coolness, still.

If I had thought about performance even a little, it would have been better.

"My head hurts."

It must be because I suddenly received too much information.

I definitely needed a break.

Just as I thought that and was about to put down my smartphone,

a post caught my eye.

-If I had known, I would have kept raising the Demon Hunter.

"?"

What kind of story is this?

Why did they post this?

Out of curiosity, I clicked on the post.

And I was taken aback.

"With the new update, demons were officially added, and from then on, the difficulty of the rifts skyrocketed. If there were no demons, players in reality wouldn't have lost their lives..."

What, demons were added?

And they are wreaking havoc in reality too?

'This might be...'

A possibility arose in my mind.

But I didn't say it out loud.

Great expectations often lead to great disappointment.

Most importantly, even players with much higher levels than me were struggling due to the demons.

But despite that realization,

I muttered to myself.

『The pride of Granfel Claudius Arpeus Romeo paradoxically reaches its peak in front of demons.』

"Consider it an honor."

『No temptation, deception, or trial of any demon can even scratch the noble pride of Granfel.』

"I will send you all to hell."