Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Descendant of Pagma

Im Cheol-ho was a core member among the 33 scientists who built the virtual reality system and the founder of S.A Group, who led the development of Satisfy.

He was the one who possessed the knowledge of a god, the proposer of the virtual reality system construction plan, the one who changed the world, the father of Satisfy, the one who amassed the wealth of a nation, the most influential person in the world, a person who received dozens of naturalization requests from countries around the world every year, and the pride of South Korea, among other titles.

With countless titles to his name, he received dazzling spotlights whenever he attended international events, and his life, which exerted influence surpassing that of the U.S. President, was the envy of the world.

However, in reality, his life was not as glamorous as portrayed by the media.

As the head of S.A Group, which provides Satisfy, and the leader of the development team, he lived a life overwhelmed by work, with an average sleep time of less than four hours a day.

Was he unhappy?

No, it was something he chose to do himself.

Im Cheol-ho felt pride and fulfillment in developing and providing Satisfy, which captivated the hearts of 200 million people and satisfied their desires.

“Ugh.”

Im Cheol-ho woke up to the continuous ringing of the phone. Checking the time, it was 2:50 AM.

He had only been asleep for 20 minutes.

Due to a month of continuous overtime, accumulated fatigue heavily weighed on his body and mind.

His voice was somewhat sharp as he answered the phone.

“What is it? What?”

An urgent voice came from the other end of the phone.

Im Cheol-ho snapped awake from his drowsiness.

“I'll go right away! Prepare a report for me as soon as I arrive!”

Putting on his clothes hastily, Im Cheol-ho immediately got into the elevator and went down to the basement of his mansion.

In the basement, various high-end limited edition cars were parked.

Getting into a sports car with butterfly doors, which he rarely drove, he headed straight to the company at a speed close to its maximum output.

“What happened?”

Satisfy Operations Team Office.

Im Cheol-ho, who had rushed in breathlessly, asked without a moment to catch his breath.

The team leader, Choi Na-hee, bowed her head and, adjusting her orange-rimmed glasses, replied.

“He just changed his class 5 minutes ago.”

“Interesting!”

Im Cheol-ho, agitated, sat down.

As he turned his gaze to the large monitor on the wall, the paused video began to play.

The protagonist of the video was a level 73 warrior player.

The video showed the process of the young East Asian discovering a cave at the northernmost end and obtaining Pagma's Grimoire, and then using it.

While fastening the buttons of his shirt, which he had hastily put on, Im Cheol-ho was handed two documents by an employee.

After reading them, Im Cheol-ho stroked his chin.

“He is a completely ordinary person, with no outstanding qualities in either reality or Satisfy. After encountering Satisfy, he suffered from addiction due to a lack of self-control and ended up at the bottom of society. How did such a person find the hidden cave at the northernmost end, which was concealed by a complex algorithm? Did he realize and utilize some latent exploration talent he didn't know he had?”

According to the analysis by the supercomputer 'Morpheus' and the development team, the northernmost cave was expected to be discovered by users in 1 year and 10 months.

In other words, the Legendary Class Change Grimoire 'Pagma's Grimoire' was supposed to appear in the world 1 year and 10 months from now.

However, a young man had shattered all expectations and significantly advanced the timeline.

At a point where the number of users who had completed their second class change was less than 100, this young man had achieved a Legendary Class Change alone.

Im Cheol-ho felt a great interest in this young man, who had shown such unexpected potential.

However, Choi Na-hee did not consider the young man to be special.

“He discovered the northernmost cave purely by chance and obsession.”

“Is that so?”

The young man, Shin Young-woo, who used the ID 'Grid,' had spent a whole year in a single city, accumulating a reputation of over 8,000 within the city. Moreover, his intelligence stat was 50 or lower.

This completed the conditions to receive a quest from Baron Ashur.

Despite being level 80 or lower, he explored dangerous areas infested with monsters over level 200, experiencing death dozens of times, and continued to explore for three months without giving up.

What was most impressive was what happened after he discovered the northernmost cave.

He appraised the quest item and, blinded by greed, chose to log out, thereby fulfilling the conditions to trigger the linked quest for the Legendary Class Change Grimoire.

“Even without the extreme method of logging out, there are many ways to fulfill the conditions to trigger the quest.”

In any case, as Choi Na-hee said, the young man's actions were characterized by chance and obsession.

However, the young man demonstrated that a series of positive coincidences could turn into great fortune. He also reminded everyone of the value of perseverance and effort.

‘Luck and perseverance are also excellent abilities.’

With a gleam in his eyes, Im Cheol-ho, who was watching the young man on the monitor, was asked by Choi Na-hee.

“What about the negative level?”

“That too is a matter of great fortune.”

“Pardon?”

Was it inappropriate for a scientist to mention luck?

Im Cheol-ho, chuckling, explained.

“As you know, players below level 10 receive beginner benefits, so their experience points do not decrease even if they die. Therefore, they cannot experience level down. However, there is a hidden system. Level down due to quest failure is applied regardless of beginner benefits. However, since beginners cannot obtain high-difficulty quests that result in level down, this hidden system was likely to remain hidden forever.”

After receiving a cup of coffee from an employee, Im Cheol-ho savored its aroma and continued.

“The development team predicted that the level at which a normal player would receive the quest 'Baron Ashur's Secret Request' would be at least 350. A player above level 350 would have a high chance of clearing the quest 'Baron Ashur's Wrath' and obtaining Pagma's Grimoire. In other words, a player with insufficient ability like the young man would not have to class change during the quest. Only the young man could discover this hidden system through the quest.”

Choi Na-hee summarized.

Grid, fearing that he might lose the hard-earned class change grimoire, made the extreme choice to class change during the quest. At this point, the penalty for Legendary Class Change was applied, reducing his level to 1.

Originally, players below level 10 do not experience experience point reduction due to beginner benefits, even if they die. However, level down due to quest failure is an exception.

Grid, despite being level 1, experienced a forced level down of 2 due to quest failure, resulting in a negative level 1.

The reason Im Cheol-ho described this phenomenon as great fortune was...

“Surely, even at a negative level, it is possible to level up normally and gain ability points with each level up?”

Im Cheol-ho nodded.

“Yes. The current negative level 1 player needs to level up twice to reach positive level 1, so he will gain 20 ability points.”

“...That means his base stats will be 20 higher than those of a character at the same level.”

“Exactly. The young man has obtained benefits that a player capable of clearing the 'Baron Ashur's Wrath' quest normally would never have. He is truly a man of great fortune.”

The employees were abuzz with excitement.

Choi Na-hee, with a serious expression, asked.

“The Legendary Class appeared about two years earlier than expected. Since the Legendary Class is already very powerful, if it also has stats 20 higher than those of a character at the same level, won't it disrupt the game balance?”

Concerned, Choi Na-hee received a document listing Shin Young-woo's information from Im Cheol-ho.

“Looking at the graph, his level is quite low compared to the time he spent hunting. Despite this, he stayed in one city for a year without embarking on adventures to find a better environment. This suggests he is not a particularly talented player like the top rankers. There's no need to worry too much.”

“Are you sure it's okay? Even so, other players will likely see him as special.”

“What if it's not okay? We can't directly intervene in the game's progress. Think positively. Isn't it fortunate that an ordinary player, not a top ranker, has class changed? Moreover, the Descendant of Pagma is relatively weak in combat among Legendary Classes...”

Im Cheol-ho, who had been watching the young man on the monitor, suddenly stopped speaking and fell silent.

When Choi Na-hee was puzzled by this, he shook his head and stood up.

“No, it's nothing. I must be going now. You've all worked hard until this late hour. I'll give you a generous bonus soon. Please bear with it a little longer.”

Hearing the word 'bonus,' the employees became excited and the atmosphere lightened.

Im Cheol-ho smiled at them and left the office.

‘Why did he act like that?’

Among the noisy employees, Choi Na-hee remained silent, troubled by Im Cheol-ho's sudden silence.

Meanwhile, Im Cheol-ho, in the elevator, was contemplating Shin Young-woo's name with a subtle expression.

***

Due to being expelled from Partisan, I lost my residence and was resurrected at a nearby temple. Unfortunately, it was a temple dedicated to the dark god, Yatan.

A sinister aura permeated the dark area, and black-robed necromancers wandered with grim expressions.

Some surrounded an altar with a pulsating heart, chanting incomprehensible incantations, which made me turn away in fear.

Screams of pain from a woman echoed from the underground.

“...Not as bad as the rumors, I guess.”

I am a proud son of Korea, having completed my military service. I have the typical courage to watch horror movies if someone is with me.

Even the Yatan temple, known for making female players cry, does not instill any fear in me.

“S, S, Status window.”

My voice trembled, but I ignored it.

I tried to ignore the surroundings and focused on the status window that appeared before my eyes.

Name: Grid

Level: -1 (0/20)

Class: Descendant of Pagma

*Increased probability of adding additional options when crafting items.

*Increased probability of enhancing items.

*Can equip all equipment items without conditions, but penalties apply based on item grade.

Title: The Legendary One

*Resistant to status effects.

*Hard to die when health is at a minimum.

*Easily recognized.

Health: 14/14 Mana: 3/3

Strength: 1 Stamina: 1 Agility: 1 Intelligence: 1

Dexterity: 1

Composure: 1 Indomitable: 1 Presence: 1 Insight: 1

Ability Points: 0

Weight: 3,035/20

*Carrying weight exceeds 200%, reducing movement speed by 100%.

*Unable to perform at full capacity due to heavy weight.

*Extremely high chance of contracting the debuff 'Weakness.'

Mixed emotions flooded me.

The negative level and the abysmal stats, which couldn't even defeat a rabbit, made me feel desperate and angry. On the other hand, the special abilities granted by my class and title filled me with overwhelming emotion.

‘At least, I understand that the negative level is not a bug.’

The numbers in parentheses next to the level indicate the current experience and the experience needed for the next level.

The existence of required experience means that leveling up is possible.

I was worried that I might be stuck due to a bug, but that was unfounded.

‘It's fortunate that it's not a bug...’

However, my mood is still terrible.

Think about it. My original level was over 70. Now, I'm at a lower level than new players.

‘But I have to endure this.’

I composed myself. Levels can be raised again with time.

The reason I can think positively is due to the characteristics granted by my class and title.

I have no knowledge of item crafting, so I can't comment on the increased probability of adding additional options, but it's a good thing.

‘Increased enhancement probability...’

In Satisfy, all equipment items can be enhanced up to +10.

However, the cost of enhancement materials is high, and the enhancement probability decreases significantly as the enhancement value and item grade increase.

Moreover, a successful enhancement only increases the value by +1, while a failure can reduce it by -3, making it extremely difficult for ordinary players to obtain high-enhanced equipment.

Items with an enhancement value of +6 or higher are extremely expensive.

‘I don’t know how much the probability is increased, but if it works well, I could make a lot of money.’

Both class characteristics mentioned are quite attractive.

However, the most intriguing part is the ability to equip all items without conditions.

This is an unreasonable advantage. Depending on the penalties, it could even disrupt the game balance.

‘Could it be a game-breaking characteristic?’

Most equipment items in Satisfy have usage conditions. If these conditions are not met, the item cannot be equipped.

This is why there are limits to strength at different level ranges.

However, due to my class characteristic, these conditions might not apply to me.

‘Is it really possible?’

I opened my inventory to check.

<Mamon's Greatsword>

Grade: Epic

Durability: 88/204 Attack Power: 178~301 Attack Speed: -16%

*Additional water damage on critical hit.

This greatsword was favored by Mamon, the guardian of Pamyang Lake. Due to its long immersion in the lake, it is imbued with the essence of water.

Usage Conditions: Level 65 or higher, Strength 260 or higher, Stamina 150 or higher.

Weight: 1,050

<Mengel's Plate Armor>

Grade: Rare

Durability: 51/180 Defense: 165 Movement Speed: -2%

*Strength: +10

This is a masterpiece crafted by Mengel, the blacksmith of the fortress city Partisan. It enhances defense while reducing weight. The wearer can feel the will Mengel imbued in the work.

Usage Conditions: Level 60 or higher, Strength 180 or higher.

Weight: 1,203

My current stats do not meet any of the usage conditions for Mamon's Greatsword and Mengel's Plate Armor.

In a normal situation, I wouldn't be able to equip either item.

However, I am an exception.

[Equipped Mamon's Greatsword due to class characteristic.]

[Penalties applied due to not meeting usage conditions.]

[Attack power of Mamon's Greatsword reduced by 30%. Option effects reduced by half.]

[Penalties will decrease as understanding of Mamon's Greatsword increases.]

[Equipped Mengel's Plate Armor due to class characteristic.]

[Penalties applied due to not meeting usage conditions.]

[Defense of Mengel's Plate Armor reduced by 20%. Option effects reduced by half.]

[Penalties will decrease as understanding of Mengel's Plate Armor increases.]

“Wow...”

In Satisfy, items without usage conditions are extremely rare.

I recalled the beginner's item set, which is a typical example of items without usage conditions.

The beginner's greatsword, given at level 1, has an attack power of around 5~13, and the beginner's armor has a defense of about 7.

Now, at level -1, I can use a weapon with a minimum attack power of 124 and a maximum of 210, and an armor with a defense of 132.

‘It might not be too difficult to recover my level...’

Even with low strength, the attack power of Mamon's Greatsword alone should allow me to kill monsters up to the early 20s with a few hits.

Thanks to Mengel's Plate Armor, I won't take much damage from low-level monsters, solving the problem of low health.

In other words, due to the power of my equipment, I can hunt monsters much faster and more easily than other players at the same level, which will lead to rapid leveling.

‘For rare items, the base stats are reduced by 20%, and for epic items, by 30%. Option effects are reduced by half...’

The penalties are surprisingly low. For unique and legendary items, the penalties will be higher, but at this point, it can be considered a game-breaking characteristic.

“Indeed, a Legendary Class...! But what is this 'understanding'