Chapter 1848 – 1848. Eternal Eden
[The game will now end.]
I returned to reality.
Having become a Lesser Heavenly Demon in the [Ascension to Light] world, I felt satisfied as I sat down on the sofa. My real goal wasn’t to be a Lesser Heavenly Demon, but the Heavenly Demon, the master of the Heavenly Demon Cult, but that too would naturally fall into my hands.
[Sung Yu-jin
Level: 90
Strength: 123 Stamina: 116 Agility: 113 Intelligence: 113 Spirit: 123 Mana: 123]
[Available Points: 26,419]
I had accumulated quite a few points.
Using points was always a difficult decision, but this time, I didn’t hesitate.
[Use 20,000 points to increase the level of Lightning (雷電) Lv.11?]
Lightning was my bread-and-butter skill. Honestly, Flash and Full Recovery felt more useful, but… those were at master level and could no longer be leveled up.
‘Actually, I want to raise the level of the Lightning Heaven Style one more step… but that requires 50,000 points.’
After making Lightning level 11, precise control became possible. I could even control minute electromagnetic fields. What could I do at level 12 and beyond? I was looking forward to it.
20,000 points were quickly deducted.
I felt a pang of regret. 20,000 points, I could earn that quickly if I set my mind to it, but paradoxically, it didn’t feel like a lot of points. At first, I felt 1,000 points was a lot, but now, even 10,000 points didn’t feel like much.
[Lightning (雷電) Lv.12
You can control lightning as you wish. Mana and vitality are consumed when controlling lightning.]
[Use 30,000 points to increase the level of Lightning (雷電) Lv.12?]
The points needed to raise Lightning to level 13 were 30,000. It was less than I expected. I thought it would require 50,000 points.
I closed my eyes for a moment. I realized what had changed as the level of Lightning increased.
‘I can now give attributes to Lightning.’
For example, I could give Lightning a cold attribute, or make flames rise from it, or poison those who touch it.
‘…No, I don’t think I can do it right now. To give attributes, I need to know a lot about them. The only thing I can do right now is to give Lightning the fire attribute.’
Perhaps because I used the Black Flame Dragon of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art so often, it was possible to give Lightning the fire attribute. Even if not, it seemed like various things would be possible depending on practice.
‘……The problem is that I don’t have the talent to use it right away. Maybe it would be better to train properly in the Ascension to Light world later.’
I opened my eyes. I didn’t use any more points.
‘I’m planning to enter a new world this time, so I might need them right away.’
[Current Games in Progress]
1.
2. Reincarnated Plum Blossom Swordsman in a Baron’s Family
3. God’s Atlantis
4. Ascension to Light
5. Savior of the Academy
6. Dark Moon
I was planning to fill the empty game world slots.
This time, I wanted it to be in the modern era if possible. But I didn’t want a world that was the same as reality or worse.
‘I hope the technology is better than reality. Then I can take advantage of it in various ways. But a city that’s too developed is also annoying.’
SF worlds would basically have advanced science and technology, so that wouldn’t be bad… but it could be a world too developed for me to dominate.
‘If possible, I’d like a world where I can feel some fun.’
I looked through the list of available creations. Because I was level 90, there seemed to be thousands, even tens of thousands of creations to choose from.
‘I don’t remember what kind of creation world it is just by looking at the title. That means I have to look at them one by one.’
It wouldn’t be good to just pick a world recklessly, so it seemed like it would take a few days to choose.
• • •
A few more days passed.
My daily life in reality was nothing special. I hunted monsters in suitable dungeons as a hunter, and occasionally had sex with women. The woman I met most often was Han Ha-rin. She was nearby, so it was natural.
Just as I was starting to feel bored with my daily life, I chose a new world.
[You have selected Eternal Eden.]
[Eternal Eden] was a survival game created in the [Vampire Detective] world and was a famous game. I had only played this game two or three times. It wasn’t my type.
Since [Vampire Detective] had failed, no additional information about [Eternal Eden] could be obtained. The important thing was that it was a creation that satisfied the conditions of being able to obtain modern items and satisfy my enjoyment.
[An avatar is being created.]
[There is 1 selectable avatar setting.]
[1. Sung Yu-jin
-Settings are determined randomly.]
‘…There’s only one option, so is there any need to give me a choice?’
It was absurd, but I chose it anyway.
[You have selected an avatar.]
[You cannot select the original starting point.]
[There is a penalty.]
[You can choose a penalty and an advantage.]
[A penalty is required to gain an advantage.]
‘A penalty from the start? Well, I was planning to impose a penalty, so I guess it’s a good thing.’
If I entered the [Eternal Eden] world with my current body, it would be too overpowered. It would be boring. So, some adjustment was needed.
[Penalty 1. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.]
[All stats are adjusted to fit the world.]
[Advantage 1. Potential is greatly increased.]
[Penalty 2. The importance of a bag.]
[You cannot use the inventory.]
[Advantage 2. Potential is increased. Points earned in Eternal Eden are increased.]
[Penalty 3. Restriction.]
[You can only use 3 skills, including traits.]
[Advantage 3. You acquire one of the top-tier awakening abilities.]
After checking the penalties and advantages, I stroked my chin.
‘I can’t just ignore penalty number 2. The reason I chose Eternal Eden is to bring modern and advanced items.’
[Use 5,000 points to modify penalty 2?]
‘Yes.’
[Penalty 2. One-Way Inventory]
[Only items from Eternal Eden can be stored in the inventory. However, items in the inventory can only be taken out in reality.]
[Advantage 2. Potential is increased.]
‘Is this all I get for using 5,000 points? It’s a bit disappointing that I can’t bring items from reality… but it’ll be okay.’
[You have selected the penalties and advantages.]
[Select 3 traits and skills to use in Eternal Eden.]
[The top-tier awakening ability acquired through Advantage 3 is Recovery.]
‘…Recovery?’
[Eternal Eden] was a survival game where awakeners existed. Awakeners could use superpowers. It was a kind of skill.
‘I don’t know if it’s good or bad since I haven’t played the original game much. It can’t be better than Full Recovery, right?’
After some thought, I chose three traits and skills.
[Absolute Mind, Lightning, Lightning Heaven Style.]
In the original game, there were quite a few skills that manipulated the mind. From simply manipulating targets to stealing their memories to extract techniques, or even causing mental confusion.
‘In the game, you have to control NPCs to create a force, but sometimes the NPCs even got unheard-of mental illnesses.’
[Eternal Eden] was a survival game, but it was a terribly complicated game. At the same time, it was a game that took a very long time to play, usually over 100 hours. It was a kind of minor game. A game for a small number of enthusiasts. I also got tired of it halfway through and only played it two or three times. It was a game that had a name but didn’t become popular.
‘Lightning is simply strong, and the fact that I can control electricity itself is a big merit in a modern setting. If I have the Lightning Heaven Style, I can use Lightning even better.’
The reason I excluded Full Recovery was because of the top-tier ability, Recovery, and Acceleration was pushed back by the Lightning & Lightning Heaven Style combo. I couldn’t exclude Absolute Mind either. Just having Absolute Mind meant I didn’t have to worry about hypnosis, brainwashing, mental destruction, and so on.
And more important than abilities were traits, but it seemed I couldn’t set those.
‘The settings are done. Let’s start.’
[You have selected Eternal Eden.]
[The game will now begin.]
• • •
I was sitting on a bed in a studio apartment. My body had weakened in an instant as I came to the [Eternal Eden] world. It was at the level of an ordinary person. Because of that lethargy, I didn’t want to move my body. And in front of me was a laptop showing quite interesting news.
-We have just received news that the 125th meteorite has been shot down! The nuclear missiles of the United States, China, and Russia have destroyed the meteorite and saved the world! The Earth is safe!
In this world, a total of 128 meteorites have fallen from 2000 to 2020. And I also know the timing.
‘It’s July 1, 2020 now. The 128th meteorite will fall 30 days later. The largest meteorite ever will fall. Humanity will succeed in destroying the meteorite using all nuclear missiles to survive the meteorite… but that meteorite will fall to the ground. That’s the trigger. 30 days later, the D virus will break out.’
According to the original game’s progression, the world will briefly become a zombie apocalypse world and fall into chaos. 30 days later, awakeners will also appear, and there will probably be 300 players.
‘I need to catch one of the players. That’ll make things easier.’
The problem was that I had no idea who the players were. Moreover, I didn’t have much information about the original game.
‘Should I prepare for survival first? I need to get food and a generator. I can use Lightning, so I don’t have to worry too much about electricity.’
I couldn’t be sure how long the zombie apocalypse period would last, but I would have to endure for at least a few months.
‘Hmm. I want to take Seoul… is that realistically possible right now?’
I thought about it for a moment. In South Korea, Seoul was the best. Just the population alone was close to ten million. 20% of the nation was in Seoul. That meant they would try to protect Seoul at all costs.
‘First, I need to find out who I am.’
I checked my smartphone, laptop, and email. There was a mother, father, and younger sister. There were a few family photos in the gallery. My mother and younger sister looked ordinary.
‘They’ll live well on their own.’
I deleted the family photos.
Since they didn’t seem like they would be of much help, I decided to abandon my family.
