Classic Game Enthusiasts (2)
The party that day became the catalyst for our connection. After that, I continued to enjoy party play with TokkiGyeongdyu (honorific). It felt odd to call them by their full name every time, so I settled on calling them Tokki-nim (Mr./Ms. Rabbit).
Honestly, I still don’t really know what kind of person they are.
One thing was certain, though: they had an abundance of time to compete with me.
It’s seriously annoying. How can they be online every day?
Every time I logged into the game, they were there without fail, shining in their presence.
Honestly, I consider myself a “Time Bill Gates” level when it comes to having free time, but this person was on another level—more like another dimension.
Unlike me, who plays this game out of “nostalgia” for my homeland, they seemed to be genuinely passionate about it.
Since we ended up forming a party today as well, I won’t delve too much into that.
As soon as I logged in, Tokki would find me. After a brief greeting, they would send a party invite, and the hunt would begin.
There was no small talk or any mundane conversation involved in this process.
On the rare occasions I felt bored and initiated some light conversation, it was exceedingly rare for them to start a conversation with me.
Afterward, our routine simply revolved around hunting without any dialogue, as if fulfilling the game’s intended purpose of a “party.”
This process repeated so often that it became somewhat awkward to engage in conversation, and we just stuck to hunting.
I wondered why they were still willing to hunt with me.
It was as if they weren’t raising their own character, the “Archer,” but rather helping to level up my “Warrior” character as if it were a pet.
I often thought about this. Not that I should talk, but it was indeed peculiar.
All I really knew about this person was that their ID was “TokkiGyeongdyu-nim,” a crazy person who disliked typing long chats because it was bothersome.
I finished off the monster I was fighting.
《 LEVEL UP 》
My character was engulfed in a white effect. No matter how many times I saw it, the graphics were poor.
Finally, max level?
The end of a long journey had arrived.
I never expected to hit max level as a Warrior in this game. It truly was a trash class, the Warrior.
Even though the result was achieved through party hunting (leeching), my sense of accomplishment was not diminished.
When my character stopped moving due to leveling up, TokkiGyeongdyu, who had been assisting in the hunt, also halted.
Actually, TokkiGyeongdyu was already at max level. They were just wasting their time helping me hunt.
Thank you…! TokkiGyeongdyu (God).
I typed in chat.
[RealMagician-nim(Warrior): But what do we do now?]
And so, the end of content had arrived.
There was nothing left for us to do.
You might think, “Isn’t there plenty to do at max level in a classic RPG game?” Shockingly, this game had no max level content.
No raids. No max level hunting grounds.
At this point, one might wonder if reaching max level was the mistake. But I only realized this fact while I was deeply engrossed in leveling up.
I, too, was a victim of this game.
If I had realized it earlier, I would have quit and found another game. Unfortunately, I found out at an awkward level.
And so, I ended up reaching max level out of inertia.
[TokkiGyeongdyu-nim(Archer): ?]
[RealMagician-nim(Warrior): Isn’t there nothing left to do now?]
And then…
[TokkiGyeongdyu-nim(Archer): Hunting is still fun if we continue.]
TokkiGyeongdyu was crazier than I thought.
Truly chilling. Was their true identity a demon born from the cyberpunk game world?
To continue hunting for fun even though we can no longer gain experience…
I couldn’t understand.
I felt my SAN points (mental health points) dropping.
[RealMagician-nim(Warrior): Instead of doing this, since we’re connected, how about we try a different game together?]
[TokkiGyeongdyu-nim(Archer): ?]
Why the question mark all of a sudden?
I thought switching to another RPG where leveling up was possible would be more productive than hunting without any gain.
TokkiGyeongdyu’s character paused once again.
…Hmm.
Was my suggestion too insensitive?
I began to wonder if their earlier comment was just a roundabout way of telling me to buzz off.
[TokkiGyeongdyu-nim(Archer): Then, let’s.]
[RealMagician-nim(Warrior): Yes.]
I immediately responded to the chat.
Please tell me I wasn’t being insensitive.
You also had not only bad times hunting with the Warrior. (Though, objectively, it was mostly bad.)
[TokkiGyeongdyu-nim(Archer): Let’s meet up once.]
[RealMagician-nim(Warrior): ?]
This time, I was the one sending a question mark.
* * *
Classic Game Enthusiasts (2)
I had only thought of something like a hologram call, but it seemed TokkiGyeongdyu’s inner sense of closeness to me was not ordinary.
To suggest meeting up in person right off the bat. Is this common among people these days?
I was about to refuse, mentioning the difficulty if we were not in the same city, but then I discovered something.
I just found out that the classic game I had been playing was serviced exclusively in Neon City.
Why didn’t I know this?
In the end, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to meet up once if location wasn’t an issue.
Although they might be an odd person, they were also a benefactor who had spent their precious time hunting with my Warrior character.
[I recommend not meeting, I suggest again.]
Of course, Eve was against it.
They mentioned that meeting someone unknown from the net could lead to trouble and that people who enjoy weird games are more likely to be abnormal.
The latter hurt me too.
…It was a bit concerning.
Honestly, I had my doubts before heading out.
What if I thought I was meeting a normal person, but was greeted by three Orc brothers instead?
They might trick me into coming out just to rob me and take my organs and implants.
The thought alone was terrifying.
Not because Orcs are scary, but the idea of being betrayed by a game connection was depressing.
“That’s why I came fully prepared.”
[Is it really worth the risk, I question.]
I was at a loss for words to that.
“Don’t worry, I trust my game friend.”
[…….]
If it was before I fell into this game world, I wouldn’t have stepped out.
But now, things were different. I was not lacking in combat confidence.
Though, if the comparison was to someone like Catherine, a major character even within the game, it would be a different story. But what were the odds of such a person showing up here?
So, I wasn’t overly worried.
[That game you’re playing is quite strange, I worry.]
“That game was always trash.”
How could an RPG lack max-level content? It still didn’t make sense to me.
[In fact, I confess I tried hacking the game’s server data without human ‘Lee Si-woon’ knowing.]
“Oh, to create an ID?”
[Yes.]
“But?”
Eve displayed complex lines and diagrams on a corner of my visual interface.
[The game’s server data is physically separated, I explain.]
“Huh?”
[This is not usual. It implies that modifying server data is impossible without physical access or under special circumstances, I believe.]
I see. That’s why it was so quiet.
Usually, Eve would have hacked the game by now and created a new ID to follow my character.
“So, you couldn’t hack it.”
[It’s not absolutely impossible. However, based on the above reasons, I recommend returning home.]
“But it’s too late now.”
I had already arrived at the meeting place.
I took a sip of the drink I had ordered in advance. The sensation of carbonation coolly traveled down my throat.
When will they arrive? I checked the time on the clock floating in my view.
There was still some time left.
A small restaurant in the outer layers of the middle zone. This was the meeting place.
The dining space was divided by partitions, creating a quiet atmosphere suitable for conversation.
The location was chosen by the other party.
I opened my hologram interface to check the message I received again.
Sender: ‘White Rabbit’
– The place is called Ryu’s Restaurant.
– I’ll send you the time and location coordinates.
– See you later.
The friend who used to speak briefly in the game clearly found typing on a keyboard difficult.
The message sent using a neural computer chip was very polite and detailed.
But naming themselves ‘White Rabbit’? They really went all in on their concept.
Now that I think about it, there was a character in the game who liked rabbits.
Perhaps that’s why they always carried a rabbit doll or something similar.
It was a hostile character, as far as I remember, with a very tough combat pattern.
Of course, I hadn’t seen such a character in the real world since coming here.
As a hostile character, I remember they weren’t just any ordinary mercenary.
They mainly took on illegal jobs, if I recall correctly, but it’s been so long that I hardly remember.
Honestly, it was better for one’s mental health not to encounter such characters.
What good could come from deliberately meeting a hostile character?
– Ding.
Just then, a new message arrived. It was from Tokki Gyeongdyu, the White Rabbit.
– I’ve arrived.
– Where are you?
I replied that I would be waving my hand above the partition.
They should be able to find me this way. Waving my hand above the partition, I wondered who would appear.
If a group of Orcs showed up, I planned to flip the table and run.
However, the person who sat in front of me was completely unexpected.
A short woman, tightly hugging a white rabbit doll.
I couldn’t help but ask.
“Who are you?”
“Um, my ID is TokkiGyeongdyu-nim, and my name is Julia.”
Julia.
That name sounded familiar, stirring a sense of unease.
What did I mention earlier? Rabbit doll──, hmm.
Game information forgotten over ten years began to resurface.
Eve used my visual interface to display a picture and text of Julia.
[Information. This individual is 99% identical to a wanted criminal in the NCPD database, I inform.]
“?”
[Name: Julia. Registered as an illegal mercenary and terrorist, I add.]
“Ah.”
It was indeed the rabbit from the game.
“Um, I’ll have the spaghetti, please.”
Why did a wanted criminal come all this way?
My head began to ache.
