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Prologue
“Fuck, I can’t do this anymore.”
A pure white room where nothing existed.
A man sprawled on the floor—Kang Hanbit—spat out a curse.
It was because of the damn hologram screen floating before his eyes.
[Regression: 31 times]
[Possession: 17 times]
[Reincarnation: 7 times]
Regression, possession, reincarnation.
Elements commonly seen in novels or webtoons.
At least, until this happened to him.
“This one lasted pretty long.”
A mysterious voice came from near his head.
When he slightly lifted his gaze, a woman clad in platinum-colored garments stood there.
“Lasted long? That’s something you have the nerve to say?”
“It is a fact. If we look at the average duration so far, this iteration—”
“Hey, I don’t want to hear that crap!”
Kang Hanbit sprang to his feet, raising his voice.
That expressionless figure was a goddess.
It sounded absurd, but she truly was a goddess.
“Ha.”
With a short sigh, he recalled his memories.
A very long time ago, he had been abducted by that goddess.
His sense of time had long since vanished, so he couldn’t even tell how much had passed.
The number of times he’d been thrown into worlds with the demand to save them had now reached fifty-five.
“God or whatever, I’m really done now. You can find Erfort yourself, or not—I don’t care!”
The condition for saving the world was simple.
Find an unknown existence called Erfort.
However, throughout that long time of struggling desperately in various worlds, he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of its face.
“That is not something I can allow. If that were to happen, the world would be destroyed.”
“No, before that, I’d be destroyed. Don’t you see I’m basically a walking PTSD case?”
“Mental and physical treatment is being applied properly. You need not worry about that.”
“Ah, damn it….”
There was no lie in the dry response.
No matter what pain or hardship he endured, once he returned to this space, everything was completely healed.
Only his memories remained far too vivid, and Hanbit hated the dissonance, hated how numb he himself was becoming.
“Shall I prepare the next iteration?”
“Fuck off. I told you I’m not doing it.”
“For reference, this body’s biological sex is female. Therefore, that proposal—”
“Aaaargh!”
He raked his fingers through his hair, venting his irritation.
No matter what curses or accusations were hurled at her, the goddess always answered earnestly.
The conversation itself was worse than talking to a game NPC—there was no fun in it at all.
But today, something was different.
“That was a joke.”
“…What?”
A joke?
That single word left Kang Hanbit flustered.
Seeing his dumbfounded expression, the goddess continued.
“You have fulfilled your role sufficiently. You should be more than qualified to return to your original world.”
“W-wait a second. It’s over? What about the world? Didn’t I fail to save it fifty-five times?”
“The process is more important than the result. There is no need for concern.”
“No, what kind of—”
Hanbit couldn’t even react properly.
After being run into the ground like this, for it to suddenly be over—
It made no sense.
“Then I will open the door immediately.”
Pop—!
With a gesture of the goddess’s hand, a flashing portal appeared.
Before Hanbit could voice his doubts, his body was pulled toward the light.
“You were a great help. Everything you have accumulated will become a tremendous power.”
“Wait—.”
The goddess spoke with the same expressionless face.
As Hanbit’s vision was almost completely swallowed by light, the final voice rang in his ears.
“I will be watching there as well.”
1
“Kang Hanbit! I’m heading out!”
“Ugh….”
He opened his eyes at the loud voice.
Hot sunlight poured in through the thin curtains by the window.
“Ugh, my stomach feels awful.”
Clutching his head with a hangover, Kang Hanbit got up from his spot.
When he opened his bedroom door, a flowing silence greeted him.
His mother had already left for work.
Glug—
Pouring water into a cup, Hanbit sat down at the table.
In the laundry basket in front of the veranda, a military uniform lay crumpled.
“Because of that damn goddess….”
Two years ago.
Hanbit, who had been sucked into the light, returned to the exact day he’d been abducted.
Everything—his family, his friends, his surroundings—was the same, and the world was just as peaceful as he remembered.
Just one thing.
It was the day before enlistment.
“How many times do I have to go to the army?”
Out of dozens of regressions, possessions, and reincarnations, he had become a soldier five times.
Including this one, Hanbit’s experience with military service totaled six times.
What made it even more miserable was that he enlisted at the age of twenty-five.
All because of that damn goddess.
“Hoo.”
Trying to settle his queasy stomach, Hanbit slumped back in his chair.
He had somehow managed to complete his discharge safely.
Perhaps thanks to his otherworldly experiences, he got through military life without major issues.
Now, there was only one problem at hand.
“I’m worried about getting a job.”
Hanbit had experienced countless things that others never would.
The problem was that they were awkward to use in this ordinary Earth.
After all, they were worlds where swordsmanship, magic, and monsters existed.
The knowledge of his college major, lost to distant memory, was hard to recover no matter how much time he spent.
If anything, building up his body in the army was the only gain.
Bzz—
A vibration came from his room.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Hanbit hauled his heavy body up to grab his smartphone.
[Ju Yeonwoo]
[Hyung, want to drink again today?]
A short message appeared on the screen.
A direct senior of four months, and a junior five years younger.
They had drunk like maniacs to celebrate Hanbit’s discharge just ten hours ago.
[You lunatic. Your hyung is old and sick.]
After sending a halfhearted reply, Hanbit flopped onto his bed.
The vibration rang out again at the same time.
Bzz—
Bzzz—
[What, that’s all you’ve got?]
[Chicken out?]
[Chicken?]
“Haa….”
The vibrations and pestering messages kept coming without pause.
He might be fooling around like this, but to Hanbit, Yeonwoo was an invaluable person.
The sense of dissonance and emotional issues from returning from another world—
Thanks to Yeonwoo, Hanbit had been able to enjoy his military life quite a bit despite being thrown into that chaos.
Bzz—
Just as Hanbit’s contemplation dragged on a little.
The phone vibrated again.
[Drinking was a joke. I’ve got a discharge gift for you. Aren’t you curious what it is?]
“A gift?”
His eyebrows lifted slightly at the welcome word.
Grabbing his phone, Hanbit sent a reply.
[Where are we meeting?]
***
“Hyung!”
A café in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon.
After arriving by bus, Hanbit spotted Ju Yeonwoo’s face.
“A café? You don’t even like coffee.”
“This place has great chocolate parfaits. I already ordered one for you too.”
He grinned as if something pleased him.
Considering he’d never lost his smile throughout military life, it was familiar by now.
Though the parfait had gone limp and melted.
“How early did you get here?”
“Huh? It melted a lot. I’ll order a new one.”
“It’s fine. I can eat it like this.”
Hanbit pressed Yeonwoo’s shoulder, stopping him as he tried to stand.
Looking at the soggy chocolate parfait, he took a sip and asked,
“So, what’s the gift?”
“Wow, you’re jumping straight to the gift? That hurts.”
“Then I’m going home.”
“Ah, wait, wait. Okay, okay.”
Grabbing Hanbit’s sleeve, Yeonwoo hurriedly changed his tune.
He knew all too well that Hanbit was the type to keep his word.
“Here, this is it.”
Yeonwoo took out a white card from the bag he’d brought.
Engraved on it were the words ‘Lv.2’.
“What is this?”
“I told you before, right? There’s this insanely fun game.”
“RP, was it?”
“See? You remembered.”
Record Project.
Commonly called RP, it was a virtual reality game released shortly after Hanbit enlisted.
Not just Yeonwoo—news and articles mentioned it often as well.
Michael Welton, chairman of Tentia, the world’s number one company by market capitalization.
The hidden legacy of the man who passed away five years ago has been revealed to the world.
The development team ‘Zero,’ which created the game Record Project, posted an announcement on its website at midnight yesterday.
The announcement revealed the will of Michael Welton, founder of the game company, along with shocking details about the game…
The virtual reality game secretly created by the tycoon caused a sensation.
Radical keywords such as divine technology, scientific revolution, and a new era.
The world’s first and only perfect virtual reality game quickly became the talk of everyone.
“So what does that have to do with RP?”
“That card lets you receive RP gear.”
“Gear? Don’t tell me that expensive thing?”
To access Record Project, a special device was required.
Since performance varied by price range, news had mentioned that quite a few private companies had sprung up.
They supposedly built devices based on the core technology released by the game company.
“It’s a Level 2 one, so with various discounts it’s about five million won. It’s a gift, so just take it without 부담.”
Yeonwoo’s expression as he explained was calm.
That was understandable—after all, the young man in front of him had been born with a silver spoon.
His world was different from Hanbit’s, who agonized over ordering even one chicken.
“Do you guys need security at your house? Get me a job.”
“Huh? You really want to come? We’ve got plenty of empty rooms.”
“……”
A joking question met with a sincere answer.
It really sounded like he’d pay him a salary, but no, this wasn’t it.
Handing the card back, Hanbit said,
“No, it’s fine. You just want to play together anyway, right? I don’t even have time. I’m starting an internship right away.”
Countless debts inherited from his father, who had passed away earlier.
It took his mother twenty whole years to pay them off on her own.
Yet even in that hellish situation, she had raised her only son with all her strength.
Hanbit wanted to repay that sacrifice as quickly as possible.
“What? When did you get accepted? What about the interview?”
“There was exactly one thing I could apply for during my final leave. It’s just experiential, but I need at least one more line on my resume.”
“Wow, hyung, you’re really… amazing.”
Hearing the story, Yeonwoo was left speechless.
Memories of what Hanbit had done during military life came back to him.
“What’s so amazing? Job seekers are always rushed and busy.”
“You went out to do part-time jobs every time you had leave or overnight stays. And you sent all that money to your mother.”
“It’s better than just fooling around. If it weren’t for the company commander, I couldn’t have even done that.”
Very few people in the unit knew Hanbit’s circumstances.
Partly because it was a remote independent company, but also because the company commander was such a good person.
He even introduced nearby job opportunities through acquaintances.
“So how did your mother react? If it were my mom, she’d have cried.”
“…She didn’t even spend a single won. She made a separate account and saved all of it there.”
“Wow… You guys are like a family out of a drama.”
Hanbit’s efforts during military life didn’t bear fruit.
Though he brushed it off as leftover pay, his mother had sensed something was off.
In the end, that money was neatly stored in a brand-new bank account.
“Anyway, the game’s a no-go. I need to live even harder now.”
“To live harder than this, wouldn’t you need a clone or something?”
“I really wish I had one. I still need to show my face at school sometimes.”
“You’ve already filled all your graduation credits. You just go to show your face. RP is really fun—just play with me on weekends.”
Seeing straight through Hanbit’s situation, Yeonwoo didn’t back down easily.
Beyond simple enjoyment, the game RP was just that special.
“What if I sell it secondhand and turn it all into chicken? That’s it, hurry up and take it back.”
Hanbit forcibly pushed the card into Yeonwoo’s hand.
With a gloomy face, Yeonwoo let out a deep sigh.
“You really won’t regret this….”
“Does a game feed you or make you money? This hyung is busy with Earth Online. Got it?”
“So, as long as it makes money, it’s fine, right?”
While being lectured, Yeonwoo suddenly grinned and lifted his head.
Hanbit knew the gloomy look had been an act, but he was curious about what was behind it.
“Of course it’s fine. If it’s just a thousand or ten thousand won, expect a punch.”
“Come on, even elementary kids would be disappointed by that amount.”
“…Let’s really just take one punch.”
“Huh? No, wait, why!”
Hanbit got up and grabbed Yeonwoo’s head, shaking it.
Returning to his seat, he continued the conversation.
“So, you can really make money?”
“Ugh, I’m dizzy. Then yeah, for real. If you’re lucky, you could make a few billion—no, a few hundred billion won.”
“…Billion?”
The dizzying amount wiped away even Hanbit’s remaining hangover.
Though his young senior liked to joke around, he wasn’t the type to spout complete nonsense.
Straightening his posture, Hanbit asked with a serious face.
“Explain it in detail, Private Ju Yeonwoo.”
“Shall I, Corporal Kang Hanbit?”
Grinning, he placed his smartphone on the table.
On the lit screen, an app was open.
“It’s called RP Trader, a trading app exclusively for Record Project.”
“Trading? Selling items?”
“Anything. Items, information, job postings—anything you need can be bought and sold.”
With the explanation, the screen flipped rapidly.
There was so much text that the dense lists filled the display.
Of course, what caught the eye most were the amounts written at the end.
Just as Yeonwoo said, there were several figures reaching into the billions.
“All of this actually gets traded?”
“Why do you think they call it a revolution for nothing? RP is on a whole different level.”
“Huh.”
Letting out an exclamation, Hanbit couldn’t take his eyes off the screen.
After examining it for a while, he asked as if he couldn’t understand.
“What kind of game makes people spend this much money?”
“There are over 300 million registered users, and corporations and celebrities have flocked in too. It’s only natural that a huge market formed.”
“Corporations too? I thought it was a game?”
“RP has massive global influence. Getting on the rankings is advertising in itself. And most importantly, this.”
Yeonwoo tapped the screen and changed the display.
An announcement from the Record Project homepage appeared.
In accordance with the will of founder Michael Welton, the first player to clear Record Project will be transferred full ownership of this game.
The scope of ownership includes copyrights and intellectual property rights, trademarks, licenses, code and technology, and related services and operational rights.
This content is concluded as a legal contract upon the player’s consent at the time of account creation.
This content is guaranteed by the three international arbitration institutions specified in the contract.
“…This was real? They’re giving the entire game?”
Recalling news he’d heard somewhere, Hanbit was dumbfounded.
Transferring ownership of a game just for clearing it.
With hundreds of millions of users, he couldn’t even imagine its value.
“Isn’t this nonsense? Could be clickbait advertising.”
“The authenticity’s already been verified. Legal experts confirmed it, and the arbitration institutions released guarantees.”
“This is ridiculous.”
It still hadn’t fully sunk in, but it didn’t seem to be a lie.
Anyway, the important thing was that a definite market had formed.
If it was an environment where money could be made, that changed things.
“Alright. I’ll try experiencing it at least once.”
“Really?”
“There’s nothing to lose, right? Especially since you’re giving me this.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
Yeonwoo grinned at the answer he’d been waiting for.
He’d wanted to play the game with Hanbit since their time in service.
A fan of fantasy-like imaginary elements, Yeonwoo freely brought up topics like magic and swordsmanship.
Yet the only one who truly engaged in those conversations was the senior in front of him.
No—honestly speaking, the sheer amount of knowledge Hanbit had, from who knows where, was astonishing.
“I think this game needs otaku types like you.”
“I told you I’m not that.”
“It’s easier if you just accept it.”
Grinning, Yeonwoo slurped up the remaining chocolate parfait.
Getting up from his seat, he packed his bag and said,
“Then shall we go?”
***
Leaving the café, the two took a taxi toward Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
They arrived in front of a peculiar building made of blue glass.
At the top, the name Record Shop was emblazoned in large letters.
“What’s this place?”
“A place to buy and sell things related to RP.”
“Things?”
“There are official materials released by the company, and also goods made by players.”
Yeonwoo went ahead up the building’s steps.
Hanbit followed behind, examining the unusual structure.
“Why is it so big?”
“If you saw the U.S. branch, you’d faint. Western geeks are seriously intense.”
“Really?”
He’d heard somewhere about the passion of so-called Western fans.
He couldn’t fully understand it, but considering the game’s market size, it wasn’t strange.
If he snagged an item worth billions, they’d probably worship him.
Sssh—
Yeonwoo pushed through the massive crowd and moved quickly.
He didn’t hesitate at all, as if he’d memorized the entire building.
“Here.”
The place they arrived at was a space filled with books.
“Books?”
“You can think of them as guidebooks.”
On the display shelf right in front, identical books were lined up.
Pulling one out, Hanbit looked at the author on the cover.
“Who’s Adventurer A?”
“He’s like the father of newbies. Without this guidebook, a lot of people would’ve quit.”
Ju Yeonwoo explained in an excited voice.
With this level of knowledge, he could have gone ahead on his own.
Hanbit was inwardly impressed.
Though he wanted to nitpick the naming sense a bit.
“Sounds like an amazing person.”
“Right? Take a look. It’s organized really well. Everything’s neatly sorted by world—”
“Alright, just give me a moment.”
Hanbit calmed down the excited Yeonwoo and opened the book.
The first page started with clean background illustrations.
Beside it was a concise table of contents.
Flip—
Turning the page, a map appeared along with the world’s terrain.
And then—
“Huh?”
Hanbit’s expression suddenly turned strange.
“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just….”
Even at Yeonwoo’s question, he couldn’t continue properly.
The shapes of the continent and seas were far too familiar to be seeing for the first time.
Even the place names written here and there were all ones he knew.
“…Erfort?”
As Hanbit flipped through the pages, one unforgettable name caught his eye.
The unknown existence he had been forced to search for by the goddess’s will.
The name he’d never even seen the face of.
“Fuck, what is this?”
Flipping through the guidebook like a madman, Hanbit spat out curses.
Countless details that matched his still-vivid memories.
No matter how hard it was to believe, he had no choice but to realize it.
This game—
Record Project was identical to the world where he had repeatedly undergone regression, possession, and reincarnation.
