Chapter 1

There are moments in life like this.

Even when you're hungry.

Even when your eyes are burning and sleep is overwhelming.

Even when it's time to change your underwear.

Even when a warning sound rings in your ears like a hallucination, threatening to separate your soul and body through overwork and then possess you as an extra in a dystopian apocalypse with no dreams or hopes.

There are times when you must stand firm in front of the monitor and continue the battle.

This was one of those moments.

"Come on, lose this? It's just a series of unfair calls. Isn't that right, guys?"

With only about two minutes left until the end of the world ranking match.

The difference between me and the second-ranked global server user 'Pommel' is only four points.

When the final match ends, the first and second places for this season will be decided.

The decisive moment for the top spot, which has been fiercely contested for several days, will finally arrive.

I checked the number of concurrent viewers on the streaming platform.

Around 1,800.

For a hakko streamer of a gacha mobile RPG game, this is a record number of viewers.

This was possible because Korean server gamers, who had always been stripped of the top spot by high-level players from Japan, Asia, and the global server, came in with intense interest to watch.

"Phew... The important thing is not to give up. Let's go for one more round."

The chat window is scrolling rapidly.

This is a historic broadcast and a historic opportunity.

The amount at stake for the top ranking mission is in the millions.

I have to win.

I will definitely win, secure the top spot, and order a chicken.

After the match, the ban-pick screen appeared with the message "HERE COMES A NEW GAME, CHALLENGER!"

My opponent is the second-ranked Japanese user 'Pommel'.

It's like enemies meeting on a narrow bridge.

"If I lose, I'm definitely second."

He has been broadcasting and playing ranking matches for days to reclaim the top spot.

Each of us bans two characters that are difficult for the other, and then selects five characters, starting with overpowered ones and those that can exploit the opponent's weaknesses.

Finally, each of us bans one more character from the other's selection.

The sharp, needle-like ban-pick process, conducted by two proud gamers who know each other well, has ended.

The setup is a 'speed vs. speed' battle.

The game starts.

In the battle of who is faster, I emerged victorious.

The clear, crisp voice of the voice actor echoed through the speakers.

"Yeah, it's Laika in the highlands, right?"

Missiles rained down, and a flashy character cutscene and ultimate attack landed in the enemy camp.

The moment my rarely used character secured the first move and put all four of the opponent's characters to sleep, I was certain of victory.

"Is this a motel? Get out. I'll give you five seconds."

My short words, already tainted by the protection of the Black Dragon, not to mention its face, exploded in the chat window.

No matter how I calculate it, this is an unflippable situation.

The opponent used all their ban cards to counter my fast hero, but my pre-set secret weapon shattered the board.

After about three seconds.

While I was spamming emoticons to provoke, the opponent gave up the game, and the ranking match ended. The final ranking, number one, appeared before my eyes.

The reaction was explosive.

The sense of accomplishment that washed over me after days of hard work.

"Ah, it was really intense. Did you guys enjoy it?"

It wasn't just a casual comment; it was a truly exhausting week.

This season was more competitive than ever for reclaiming the top spot, with high-level players countering each other and strategies to break through those counters.

At the end of this battle, I achieved the first-ever top finish in the game's four-year history.

I felt a mix of pride and a sense of relief as if all the strength had drained from my body.

"Thank you for joining me, guys. I'll wrap up the chat and end the stream."

Ding. Ding.

As if waiting for this moment, the donation alert for mission success appeared.

Those donations will soon be cashed out and neatly deposited into my account.

"Thank you for the donations."

"Bro, when did you become Zero Two? And seeing something that ugly before bed will give you bad dreams. Look at the chat."

"You really live up to your nickname... Do you think I'll give up my human dignity just because of that, bro?"

Of course not.

I channeled the spirit of 119th owl, performing the PT 8 exercise and 20 repetitions of the Zero Two-inspired pelvic swing.

Then, with a face full of self-loathing, I muttered, "It's hard to make a living these days..."

"Hey, who made train sounds during the sacred Epic Seven broadcast?"

I smiled, as if caught red-handed, and punished the rule-breaking streamer with a five-minute mute.

"Five-minute mute for mentioning other games. Read the rules and come back. And I don't play other games. I like turn-based PVP."

Even though the stream hit its peak viewership, the audience was gradually dwindling.

I decided it was time to wrap up.

"Let's wrap up the stream? I'll run my daily quests and grab a beer and a chicken. Guys, I'll be back at 5 PM tomorrow to analyze the Sylenna ranking match bans. Don't forget to come back."

I chose to let the viewers go gracefully rather than cling to them.

I was too exhausted to continue the stream.

* * *

Wearing my earphones, I left my studio apartment and headed to the convenience store across the street. I put three cans of beer, jerky, and dried squid in a plastic bag and hung it on my wrist.

Then, I opened my web novel app and clicked the "Continue Reading" button for the fantasy novel I had left off.

Exercise during the day, gaming at night, and web novels in between.

These were the only three hobbies in my life as a shut-in.

It's not interesting.

Even after reading the free chapters of the novel I had been following, I had no desire to pay.

When I was trying to debut as a web novel writer, everything I read was fascinating, but since I gave up writing and became a full-time streamer, my interest waned.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips along with a sigh as I recalled my past.

It was around 3 AM.

The wide road was empty, and jaywalking was the rule.

Even the no-parking zone next to the crosswalk had an illegally parked car.

As I always did, I naturally ran across the crosswalk, passing the illegally parked car.

At that moment, I was hit by the bright headlights of a truck with its eyes wide open.

Time slowed down.

They say death comes unexpectedly.

A massive impact. Pain. A floating sensation.

The thought that came to my mind as I faced death was not a montage of my life, but "I didn't do my homework today."

I floated in the air, my waist bent in half, eyes wide open.

Like a victim trying to leave a dying message to expose a serial killer.

The words on the truck's body were etched into my eyes.

"Delivers anywhere. Express delivery - Smart Express"

The truck's bold declaration that it would send me to the afterlife.

Damn reincarnation truck...

This is a children's safety zone, you bastard...

1. Reincarnated Veteran

My name is Jin Sejin.

It reads the same forward and backward.

My name, written with the character for 'narrow' and 'progress,' was given by my parents with the hope that I would live a long and prosperous life.

But it seems that the name, which my parents spent a fortune on, was a failure.

I fell into a coma.

Even though my eyes were closed, I could see the road and the hospital emergency room.

Busy nurses, doctors, and rescue workers.

The sharp smell of the hospital stung my nose, and the bright lights flickered.

It felt like I had only closed my eyes for a moment, but outside my mental world, a significant amount of time seemed to have passed.

Only my time had stopped.

I ordered chicken.

My chicken.

A roasted, old-style seasoned chicken...

The ECG monitor, connected to the wires on my body, flickered meaninglessly.

It's a scene I've seen many times in dramas.

And how much time had passed since then?

Insurance agents or detectives in suits gathered, and my parents, who had been waiting helplessly, signed some unknown documents.

After that, my vision gradually blurred.

When the irregular line on the monitor turned straight and the beeping sound turned silent.

The sharp, mechanical sound that signaled the end of my breath rang sharply in my ears.

* * *

"Huff!"

I gasped for air and regained consciousness.

A dark, unfamiliar space stretched before me.

"Really made it?"

The reincarnation truck thing was just an ad-lib I made while streaming.

But it seemed I had really taken the route of reincarnation in another world.

The reincarnation truck from countless reincarnation novels.

A cliché so outdated that even my three-year-old nephew wouldn't use it.

I immediately slapped my cheek with my right hand.

Stars appeared in my vision for a moment and then disappeared.

Okay.

I confirmed it wasn't a dream.

Next, I needed to figure out which world I had entered.

I was surprisingly calm, but in reality, it was just too surreal.

To be honest, a few days ago, I was a shut-in streamer, and now I'm in a completely unfamiliar environment after being hit by a truck and falling into a coma for who knows how many years or decades.

If I could maintain my sanity and assess the reality, that would be strange.

This place wasn't a dream,

But I acted as if I were in a dream.

Looking around, I was in a massive, stone-built cavern.

The intricately carved walls were so impressive that it could be a post-life world.

But on closer inspection, these weren't decorative carvings.

They were traces of something.

It looked like the walls had been randomly sliced and gouged, as if a battle had taken place.

"My body is fine."

Living alone and streaming for so long, I had developed the habit of talking to myself.

Scanning the corridor, I saw two massive sculptures.

One was a familiar-looking white goddess statue.

The other was a strange and eerie object made of metal scraps.

Looking at my reflection in the metal, I blinked.

It wasn't my original face.

A face I had never seen before, belonging to someone else, was etched on the dirty metal.

"You're quite handsome."

The compliment was brief.

Although the overall tone was brown, my appearance was so fresh that it seemed to glow with an emerald hue.

I was much younger, with impossibly clear skin and sharp features.

I awkwardly smiled with my new face.

Being reincarnated into a good-looking body was a positive start.

If I could, I could live a harem life as an incubus with this face... No, that's too much.

Anyway, if I were on Earth, this face would be enough to get by.

I took a few steps back to examine the mysterious metal object.

It looked like a transforming, combining robot made of scrap metal.

It was suspended high in the air, bound by four massive chains extending from the walls.

Creepy.

When I made eye contact with the seemingly lifeless scrap robot, a chill ran down my spine.

The goosebumps were an added bonus.

I thought I saw black smoke seeping out, though it might have been my imagination.

Shaking my head to clear the confusion, I immediately headed for the corridor entrance.

My instinct screamed that I needed to get out of here immediately.

I hastily opened the door and rushed out, shielding my eyes from the sudden brightness.

When the blinding light subsided, I saw a long corridor and, through the columns, a sky so blue it hurt my eyes.

I gaped at the sky.

A sky so clear and blue, it seemed to belong in an anime.

A sky so clear, it denied the reality of my situation.

I slowly walked down the corridor.

After passing hundreds of columns, I continued walking, but I didn't see a single person or even an ant.

Even when I reached a garden with greenery, it was the same.

Tap, tap, tap.

Then, I heard footsteps coming from the corridor.

They weren't human footsteps.

They were lighter and more agile, like the paws of a dog or cat.

I recalled the clichés from web novel reincarnation stories.

Reincarnation Rule 1: You always encounter a monster right after reincarnating.

I instinctively looked for something to use as a weapon. I spotted a rock about the size of my face.

With a determined look, I picked up the rock.

This was a rite of passage.

Do I have what it takes to be a reincarnated person in another world?

But shouldn't I at least know which world I've been reincarnated into?

Isn't it common sense to provide a guide and some abilities when reincarnating someone?

Why twist the cliché after reincarnating me with an outdated reincarnation truck?

I sighed as I watched the unknown enemy approach, kicking up small clouds of dust.

It seemed I didn't have any special abilities, but my body felt lighter than it did on Earth.

Even as a shut-in, I had maintained a regular gym routine for health.

I could easily handle this rite of passage.

Bark, bark!

The silhouette of the enemy, barking like a dog, became clearer.

Two horns on its head.

Strange, protruding teeth.

It looked like a wolf or a dog, with a red skin and deep brown stripes like a tiger.

Wow, it looks fierce.

But something about it seems familiar.

"Have we met before?"

I delivered a dated joke and tightened my grip on the rock.

Survival comes before introductions.

I refuse to die right after reincarnating.

Grr, bark, bark!

The red wolf, now close enough to see clearly, leaped and opened its mouth. The yellow, saliva-dripping teeth were unsettling.

Unrealistically so.

I instinctively threw the rock at the wolf, but it bounced off its head.

Bark, bark!

It only seemed to anger the wolf more.

The wolf's mouth snapped shut, and I rolled out of the way, instinctively.

I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. Turning my head, I saw a chunk of flesh missing.

I gasped in pain.

It felt like being ironed.

The intense pain, something I had never experienced in games or fantasy web novels, made my vision blur and my limbs tremble.

Only then did the realistic fear set in.

Grrr!

I rolled to the left to avoid the wolf's next lunge.

I tumbled like a snail in a common martial arts novel, just to get away from the yellow teeth.

Damn, save me!

At some point, the wolf stopped attacking.

It just growled lowly.

The howl echoed in my ears.

The wolf drooled, as if mocking me.

Or maybe the long, torn mouth really did look like it was mocking me.

The humiliation from this creature was more shocking than the pain.

I was good at nothing but games, and my only combat experience was from taekwondo in middle school.

But I had been a competitive person for the past few years.

I could tolerate insults, but not losing.

Being ignored by a creature barely reaching my waist was unbearable.

I picked up another rock and took a step forward.

The wolf growled and charged at me.

"Argh! You bastard—!"

I threw the rock with a calculated aim to imprint my identity on the wolf.

The distance, the wolf's speed, and the strength of my arm.

I swung my arm before the wolf even reached me.

"I'm a veteran, you bastard!"

Thud!

The rock hit the wolf's head precisely.

"You're already dead, you bastard!"

I repeated, not as an insult but to establish my identity.

Crack!

The wolf yelped and lost balance, rolling on the ground.

But the wolf, which had taken a bigger hit, was struggling on the ground, dazed.

I picked up the bloodied rock with both hands and stood over the wolf's head.

Thud, thud!

I started pounding with all my might.

Once I gain the upper hand, I never give the opponent a chance to recover. I squeeze them dry like a rag.

A speed attack that overwhelms the opponent before they can use any skills.

Like a dehydrator.

Or a Samsung Galaxy White.

That was my creed.

Never underestimate a veteran reincarnate.

As I panted, catching my breath, a strange mechanical sound caught my attention.

The clear voice, as if spoken directly into my ear, snapped me back to reality. I looked down at the fallen wolf.

It was familiar, and now I recognized it clearly.

Ankara.

A two-star normal monster in the form of a wolf.

I must have been reincarnated into the world of the game 'Epic Seven' that I was playing just a moment ago.