ACT 3 Lee Myung-ryongâs Humiliation
âWhat on earth did you do?â
A grey haired middle aged person asked with a sharp glance. He was the section chief of the Police Agencyâs SWAT forces, Cho Young-hwan.
The person replied in a curt voice. Bad dress, bad posture, bad attitudeâŚâŚthe man was the captain of the number 1 SWAT team, the number 1 hooligan known as Lee Myung-ryong. Cho Young-hwan shot Lee Myung-ryong an annoyed look and said.
âAre you really going to act like this?â
âI donât know the circumstances but did you bark at someone at the top?â
âBarking wouldnât change anything.â
Cho Young-hwan approached the desk.
ââŚ..That is why this situation happened.â
âI never denied that. I just didnât want to say it.â
âHey, Lee Myung-ryong.â
Cho Young-hwan pressed a finger to his temple and rebuked him.
âDonât I know you? Donât you know me?â
âWeâve gone to the public baths together so of course I know you.â
âDonât joke around. But yes, there are many members of the Police Agency who knows all the scars on my body. It is a part of our lives. In the field, one mistake can mean being unable to dodge a bullet or having a sashimi knife stabbed in your back. And everybody in the police force is prepared for that.â
âYou shouldâve gone to the National Assembly. You would gather all of the policeâs votes.â
âDonât joke around!â
Cho Young-hwan struck the desk with his fists. The fists which hit the desk were covered in scars. Although he was now sitting at a desk, a few years ago he was also a member of the SWAT team. The Bear of the National Police Agency. It was the nickname the delinquents gave to Cho Young-hwan.
âIâm a public servant. Wearing wound dressings is useless. But itâs done. Someone at the top aimed a bullet at me and it hit.â
Lee Myung-ryong replied coldly.
âHwa-rang sunbaenim also exited the Police Department with a limp.â
Cho Young-hwan jumped and blushed. Lee Myung-ryong noticed this and glared while muttering.
âI donât need to complain to section chief. Donât you know? It is an amazingly accurate hit to be random. No, it is like theyâre trying to make it look accidental.
Cho Young-hwan was silent for a moment before pulling out a cigarette. Before the smoke reached Lee Myung-ryong, the cigarette butt was pressed into the pile of butts on the ashtray. Cho Young-hwan took a deep breath and inhaled the smoke into his lungs.
âI know how you feelâŚ..but there are quite a few people youâve offended.
âOffended? Yes, I am furious.â
Lee Myung-Ryong gave a cynical smile and nodded. Yes, fury was building up in his throat even though he was laughing. He wanted to search for the criminal but he was quite cynicalâŚâŚAn incident took place this morning. He had exited the gym after finishing his usual workout. All of a sudden he was summoned to the section chiefâs office and told that he would be joining the Special Crimes Countermeasures unit.
Lee Myung-ryong had a quick mind. No, he wasnât smart in the conventional sense. He had entered the police force thanks to his history as a national taekwondo representative. He had barely passed the test to enter. But he had a keen sense of smell about shady dealings. Special crimes countermeasuresâŚâŚ
It was the name of the department which dealt with violent crime. However, it wasnât the âinvestigationâ but âmeasuresâ unit. That meant gathering information at a desk about the criminals before the committed an incident. And then handed over the clues to the investigation department. It was a paid position which required little work. The normal workers wouldâve graduated from college, but to have a SWAT team member join itâŚâŚyet the announcement was that Lee Myung-ryong would join that department. However, Lee Myung-ryong immediately understood the situation when the section chief explained it. No, he had actually been expecting it for several days.
Lee Kyung-Ho. Not long ago, he went to Hyun-woo to visit Andelâs father. He used to be a part of the prosecution office and was extremely close to the chief of the police force. And Lee Myung-ryong happened to not get along with the police chief. He had confrontations with the police chief after Gwon Hwa-rang was forced to retire. Therefore Lee Myung-ryong was an eyesore to the Chief of the National Police Agency. But since Lee Myung-ryong had good results, he couldnât openly punish him. So Lee Kyung-Ho used his police connections to help smooth the way. This situation was rigged by those two people. It was obviously the wishes of those two humans. They wanted Lee Myung-ryong to either become angry and disobey or resign.
âThose civil servantsâŚ..I would love to beat him upâŚ..â
Lee Myung-ryong definitely wanted to go to Lee Kyung-Ho and throw his letter of resignation in his face. Since he knew all the circumstances, Lee Myung-ryong wasnât just going to follow their plan. If Lee Myung-ryong left then Hyun-woo would definitely notice.
âThat guy calms me down pretty quickly.â
He smiled while thinking about Hyun-woo. He felt a sense of pride. He was a teacher after all. He didnât want to involve his disciple in this kind of dirty situation.
âDammit, itâs impossible. That bastardâŚ..is the police force his playground? You must know something since youâre not arguing about it.â
Cho Young-hwan smoked his cigarette with annoyance.
âAnyway, thatâs it. Donât write the resignation letter immediately. Iâll wait and observe the situation a little bit more. Please think of it as a couple of months holiday. Iâll look for something in the meantime.â
âIâve contacted the section chief there. That fellow will find you a suitable position. Heâs a friend so heâll look after you. You can go now.â
âYes, Iâll return if possible.â
Lee Myung-ryong replied and left the section chiefâs office.
He talked roughly but it seemed like Cho Young-hwan had been truly worried that Lee Myung-ryong would resign. So he contacted the Special Crimes Countermeasures department beforehand to organize a position.
âA desk jobâŚ..I donât know how long I can endure it.â
Lee Myung-ryong sighed and slowly headed towards the Special Crimes Countermeasures department. At this point, Lee Myung-ryong never imagined the work that he would be undergoing.
âAh, youâre the one Section Chief Cho mentioned.â Iâm Choi Deok-pil and Iâm in charge here.â
Someone approached him as he entered the Special Crimes Countermeasures department. He had the appearance of a typical white-collar employee.
âYes, Iâm Lee Myung-ryong.â
âHahahah, no need to be so formal here. I understand that this announcement mustâve been very unpleasant for you. But after seeing Section Chief Choâs reactions, you shouldnât be here that long. Well, I hope we bond as a family while youâre here.â
âWhat do I need to do? Copy? Coffee errands?â
âHmm, I think I can put a SWAT team member to better use. Just as well. A position recently became available and I was worried about it. It might suit you. Come one.â
Choi Deok-pil led him to a small corner office. Even though it was called an office, there were none of the usual machines. There was just a big circular capsule.
âWhatâs this? A newly excavated dinosaur egg?â
âIs this the first time youâve seen it?â
âYes, Iâm not interested in archaeology.â
Choi Deok-pil looked at him before letting out a burst of laughter.
âThis machine is a game unit. It is a computer designed to connect to a virtual reality game. This unit is dedicated towards the game called New World.â
Lee Myung-ryongâs eyes widened.
âDonât tell me you havenât heard of it?â
âNo, Iâve heard of New World.â
âIâm glad. You almost seemed like a caveman just then.â
Choi Deok-pil nodded his head. But Lee Myung-ryong had no interest in the middle aged Choi Deok-pil. He was curious about the unit after listening to Hyun-wooâs words and asked in an inquisitive voice.
âBut what does this have to do with the police force?â
âYou donât seem to understand yet. These days it isnât very rare to investigate online games. And it increases the departmentâs results.â
Choi Deok-pil gave a brief explanation. Those who commit a crime tend to have an excessive amount of free time. Since they canât carelessly wander around, theyâre forced to stay in a dimly lit room all day. It is surprisingly hard to endure. Sometimes the criminals even become depressed from hiding and surrender themselves to the police. A virtual reality game is a good way for a criminal to escape their lives. They donât have to risk themselves going outside and they can wander around a different world.
âMost of those guys are satisfied living through virtual reality games. They even have a guild in the gameâŚ..ah, meetings as well. Those guys even have regular meetings where the exchange criminal information and laugh. In that case, findings clues for the meeting is not that hard.â
Thatâs because police personnel were also sent into the game. These investigation methods had been started 10 years ago and were getting satisfactory results.
âThen this unit isâŚ..?â
âYes after the commercialization of New World, weâve received information that those fellows have flocked towards that game. So a few months ago, we requested support from Global Exos and received a few test models. This is one of those.â
Now he knew why there was a unit in the police agency. But there was still a part which didnât make sense.
âAs far as I know, I heard that you need to create a user ID to access the game. And the ID must list the social security number and personal informationâŚ.. If so, couldnât you simply request the information from the company?â
âAh my friend, we can but it is not that simple.â
Choi Deok-pil shook his head like he had a headache.
âYou said that they must enter personal information to create an ID. But thatâs in the old days, now they create an ID using retina scans. Personal information is more hidden than ever. So it has become much more challenging. But that is exactly the problem.â
âThatâs the problem?â
âDonât you know? Ever since companies have changed security measures to body data a few years ago, the human rights laws have made it incredible difficult to access that data. Currently, the privacy-related data that is stored in the black boxes canât be accessed unless it is related to terrorism at a national level. So the police has to work even harder to get that information.â
Choi Deok-pil scratched his head. His mind became complicated just thinking about it.
âBut what will I be doing?â
âThatâs simple. It shouldnât be that different from actual investigation. Just look for the suspects or the guild based on the information that we give you. Once youâve found the suspect then please approach and discover as much information as possible. Their address, telephone number, information about the incidentâŚâŚ The game also has the ability to videotape such information. Once you record such information than the rest of the team will take care of it.â
âYou want me to investigate in New World?â
âThatâs rightâŚâŚisnât that what we do?â
âBut I only know how to beat people up.â
âThatâs the reason why youâre suitable.â
âYes?â Lee Myung-ryong was bewildered and Choi Deok-pil explained with a grin.
âIn fact, Iâve never tried it out so I donât know. According to your predecessor, New World is different from traditional virtual games. The game is said to be not that different from reality.â
âIsnât it still a virtual reality game?â
âThatâs right. But New World has a different meaning. The user can utilize their previous knowledge and experience. It isnât 100% of course, but the person with a developed physical ability will be more advantageous. Thatâs why you were recommended. Although youâll only have a little bit of time to learn the game, your physical abilities have been developed over many years.â
âWhat are you sayingâŚâŚ?â
âLike I said I donât know. It is something your predecessor said. So just learn the game step by step and identify the suspect. Since we canât check their personal information, you wonât know who is a suspect inside the game.
Choi Deok-pil handed him a thick stack and papers and continued.
âThe problem is that all these people have been in the game for a long time and having a considerably high level. With the level difference in online games, even you would have a hard time if you met them. Your predecessor lived in the game for two months and didnât spot even 1 suspect. So we thought of you who is a member of the SWAT team.â
Choi Deok-pil took a deep breath and tapped Lee Myung-ryongâs shoulder.
âHowever, we want you to play the game casually since investigations inside the game are a supplementary method. For now just casually get used to the game.â
Lee Myung-ryong rubbed his chin and looked at the unit. Choi Deok-pil wore a subtle smile and asked.
âHow is it? Will you try?â
âWell, it is better than fetching coffee.â
Choi Deok-pil nodded and tapped his shoulder.
âI thought so. The first time isnât that difficult. Because your predecessor raised the character to level 150. The money earned is also quite high. Your predecessor even shed tears when he was forced to go to another game. The porridge has been cooked and given to you. The other employees have more things to do so Iâve been quite impatient. Frankly, this is a special employment.â
Lee Myung-ryongâs expression should that he didnât understand.
âDidnât this game use raw data? But how can I inherit a character that someone else raised?â
âYes, that is usually the case.â
âBut like I said earlier, this is a Global Exos test unit. It is used by maintenance staff who check the system, so it is designed to connect with a common username and password. The username and password is written on this piece of paper.â
Choi Deok-pil handed him several more pieces of paper and left the office. Lee Myung-ryong and the unit were the only things left in the office. Lee Myung-ryong crossed his arms and stared at the unit.
âYouâre the controller for New World?â
The work that he had to do felt strange. New WorldâŚâŚHyun-woo had raised his curiosity so he tried to play it once. However, he was also called back whenever he tried to enter the game room. He never thought that he would end up playing the game like this.
âWell, okay. It isnât bad for a holiday.â
Lee Myung-ryong finally entered the unit. He emerged in a small town filled with users.
âOh, is this really the game?â
The man looked around curiously. It was a small town, with houses scattered around and a few people visible. The scenery was also different. It was a quiet mountain village surrounded by forest. It was a place for users to rest while travelling around New World. But the commonplace landscape seemed entirely new to the man.
âThis is a virtual reality game? The earth, wind, and smellâŚ..everything feels real.â
His worn clothes and heavy bag proved that he wasnât a novice in New World. However, he acted like he was accessing the virtual reality for the first time in the way he touched everything and moved his limbs. Yes, it was Lee Myung-ryong who logged in from the police departmentâs unit. The documents he received included the variety of materials left behind by his predecessor. But looking through documents was not his style. Wouldnât a person who tried soybean paste understand it better than having it explained to them? Therefore Lee Myung-ryong shoved the documents into a corner before accessing New World. Lee-Myung-ryongâs reaction when logging into the game was similar to a normal person. Most novice users would marvel at the amazing technology of New World. Even with a dozen years of training his keen sense to the limit, he was still unable to distinguish the difference between reality and the game.
âHuhâŚâŚHyun-woo really wasnât joking when he was talking about the game. How did they manage something like this? Iâm freely moving my limbs so am I really sitting in the unit?â
Lee Myung-ryong froze for a moment. He had entered the game but he didnât know what to do. Then, a semi-transparent object flickered in the corner of his eyes. Character information window, bags, etcâŚ..it was the icon to view the related information. In fact, most users set these icons as âhiddenâ in order to maximize the realism and used commands to open them. However, Lee Myung-ryongâs predecessor set the icons for him. Luckily Lee Myung-ryong knew these icons even if he was an idiot with games.
âI have to know what type of guy I am. This is?â
Lee Myung-ryong touched the icon of a person with his fingers. The character information window showing various numerical values opened. Usually the information of a user who first started the game was simple. However, Lee Myung-ryongâs character was level 150. The various additions and changes in the meantime had made the information window complicated. The only things he learnt was his name âIsyuramâ and that he was level 150.
âIsyuramâŚ..the name is not bad. It somehow seems strong.â
Although strength, agility and stamina were all common stats in RPGs, they were simply numbers to Lee Myung-ryong. He didnât know what was high or low.
âSheesh, I donât know what any of this means. Iâll slowly examine it laterâŚ..â
Lee Myung-ryong clicked on the icon shaped like a bag. This time the bags opened and a huge number of items were shown. He also saw that he had 800 gold. Although the bags were filled with all kinds of items, he didnât know what they were used for or why he had them.
â800 gold? Is this a lot? But what are all these things? Bunch of Rapana leaves? Unicorn horns? Pearl sand? Why the hell am I carrying around things like these?â
Other users wouldâve drooled if they saw the bag full of expensive items. But Lee Myung-ryong didnât know the value of goods in New World and just saw it as trash.
âOh, I donât know. Letâs do something. According to Hyun-woo, you can catch monsters in New World. Will it be similar to a real battle? Okay, first letâs look for a monster. But where can I go to find a monster? I just ask someone.â
Lee Myung-ryongâŚ..no, Isyuram closed the window. And then he roamed around the village for someone with information. Then he saw an old man at the entrance of the village grabbing several people.
âYou really canât?â
âIt should be quite quick with everybodyâs skill.â
The old man begged with a pleading look in his eye. However, the people wearing leather and holding a sword shook their heads.
âWeâre aware of that.â
âWeâve often fought that monster when we came here.â
âWeâd love to help you if we have enough timeâŚ..â
âBut weâve been hastily summoned by the guild.â
âWeâll help you next time we drop by.â
âHey, we have to hurry.â Weâll be late for the summons.â
âOkay, letâs leave.â
The warriors hastily left the village.
âAh, even though they were the first warriors I met after several weeksâŚ.â
The old man muttered in a desperate voice.
At that time, Isyuram who had been watching the situation approached the old man.
âDid you mention a monster?â
âHuh? You look familiar but who are you?â
âOh, Iâm Lee Myung-ryongâŚ..no, Asura. No, Isyuram? No, wait a minute.â
Isyuram still hadnât adapted to the game and opened the information window again.
âOh, yes I am Isyuram. I heard you mention somethingâŚâŚthere is a monster?â
The old man was confused about the names and just stared at Isyuram. But he just sighed and then nodded.
âIâm tired of those monsters. They came here several weeks ago and started threatening us and hunting our herds. Therefore it is dealing considerable damage to the village. But as you can see, not many adventurers come to this mountain village. Those were the first warriors I saw in a while and asked them to exterminate the monster. But as you saw, they were too busy and refused to talk to me. Now I donât know what to doâŚ..â
âThen this game really has monsters?â
âAre you making fun of me?â
The old man stared at Isyuram strangely.
âShouldnât you be experienced with monsters?â
âAnyway, there really is a monster?â
âUh huh, but will you be enough? Yes, itâs a monster. So what do you want?â
Annoyance showed in the old manâs eyes. However, Isyuram ignored it and spoke quickly.
âSince this is a game then shouldnât I deal with it for you?â
The old man looked Isyuram up and down. And then he asked incredously.
âWere you serious just now?â
âWhy wouldnât I be?â
âAh, noâŚ..I honestly would love any help just nowâŚ..if you get rid of the monsters then Iâll be gratefulâŚ.ah, right. Do you have any colleagues with you?â
âNo, I donât need any.â
âEh? There is no one?â
âJust leave it to me. Where is it?â
âThat hill over there is where they first appeared. If you dispose of 50 then Iâll be gratefulâŚ..â
A message window appeared in front of Isyuram after the old man finished speaking.
Gnoll extermination (Repeatable Quest)
Youâve met the old man in the unknown town who is in a predicament.
A group of monsters has appeared and is threatening the safety of the village. If you kill 50 gnolls and collect their tokens then the old man will compensate you. But you shouldnât expect a great reward since it is a small village. You can expect warm food, a bed and some silver.
<difficulty>Would you like to accept the quest?</difficulty>
<difficulty>âOh, so this is a quest. Itâs similar to the complaints that the police receive. Then the old man is not a real person. A NPC? He is created really well.â</difficulty>
<difficulty>Isyuram paid close attention to the old man. The old man looked at Isyuram suspiciously and his body trembled.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âW-why are you looking at me like that? I-I have a wife and a child. Such a strange hobbyâŚ..â</difficulty>
<difficulty>âItâs nothing. Then Iâll be going!â</difficulty>
<difficulty>âEh? Hey, wait a minute!â</difficulty>
<difficulty>When Isyuram turned around, the old man was surprised and immediately shouted. However, Isyuram had already shot out of the town.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âHuhuhu, I know enough. Hyun-woo has already told me how to complete a quest. Now, where are those monsters?â</difficulty>
<difficulty>Isyuram had often heard about New World through Hyun-woo. While he didnât know everything, Isyuram understood enough. More realistic battles than reality! In addition, the practical techniques in reality can be applied as skills in the game. Hyun-woo was not the only one. Some of the members in his SWAT team also played New World. When they gathered, they exchanged information about how actual fighting techniques could be applied to New World. Even though he heard those information, Isyuram hadnât felt the attraction of New World yet. He possessed the old fashioned way of thinking that âthe game=for children.â Why would he want to fight with a character created by the computer? Even if it was realistic, it couldnât actually compare to real life. However, Isyuram underwent a 180 degree change once he was actually in New World.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âThe old man was just like a real person!â</difficulty>
<difficulty>After seeing the environment and the NPCS, he was looking forward to the battles! Since it was a game, wouldnât the levels of the fights also increase?</difficulty>
<difficulty>âHmm, okay. There is nothing different about moving my body. No, it feels even better than reality. In this condition I shouldnât have any problems killing the opponent. Huhuhu, I donât have to stress about it. What kind of standards are the monsters in New World?â</difficulty>
<difficulty>Isyuram smirked and quickly climbed the hill.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âKyaaaaak, a human!â</difficulty>
<difficulty>âGrrrrrr, he came up here alone to die.â</difficulty>
<difficulty>âThen Iâll kill him!â</difficulty>
<difficulty>âKikikik, letâs eat the fresh meat to our heartâs content.â</difficulty>
<difficulty>Ugly voices were soon heard from the hill. The ugly voices continued as they stepped through the forest. Their faces resembled a huge dog while their mouths were filled with sharp fangs. Their appearance would be frightening if this was a dream. Normally peopleâs hearts would jump if it was the first time they saw such monsters. However, Isyuram just slightly raised his eyebrows.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âOho, this is a monster? A dogâŚ..these guys are actually quite shocking to see. They would look good served with boiled soup and sojuâŚ. It is possible to eat real food in New World, so can I possibly eat them?â</difficulty>
<difficulty>An unimaginable response! There werenât many users who would look at a gnoll and think of dog soup. Instead of Isyuram flinching, the gnolls ended up jumping instead.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âGrrrrrrr. What the? What is this guy?â</difficulty>
<difficulty>âThis guyâŚ..is he actually a tremendous warrior?â</difficulty>
<difficulty>âGrrrrr, no look at himâŚ.that isâŚ..â</difficulty>
<difficulty>âIsnât it? Isnât it?â</difficulty>
<difficulty>While they were busy talking, Isyuram rushed up to them.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âOkay, shall we begin?â</difficulty>
<difficulty>Isyuram said as a gnoll raised its arm. It was definitely a very threatening attack. But who was he? He was a former member of the national taekwondo team and the captain of the number 1 SWAT team, someone who fought against gangsters and criminals every day. He was the owner of a steel heart who wouldnât blink an eye at that attack in reality. So Isyuram was convinced of his victory.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âThose guys at the village earlier said that it wasnât very hard. So these monsters are very weak.â</difficulty>
<difficulty>The warriors who had rejected the old manâs request seemed like children to him. With Isyuramâs eyes, he was able to grasp if someone was strong or not. Even though it was in a game, their posture and gait wasnât too different from reality. So he could sense their strength using such aspects.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âIf these monsters are easy for them than the difficulty is clear. These are my first enemies but arenât they too weak? Well, when I return to the old man then Iâll search out stronger opponents.â</difficulty>
<difficulty>Figuring out the pattern of attack was so easy that Isyuram yawned.</difficulty>
<difficulty>Kuaaaak!</difficulty>
<difficulty>It approached closely and swung the axe.</difficulty>
<difficulty>âKukuku, this dog head tried such a simple attack.â</difficulty>
<difficulty>Isyuram laughed and quickly used some footwork to dodge the attack. Then he closed the gap to the enemy andâŚ..wuduk!</difficulty>
<difficulty>âEh? Wuduk?â</difficulty>
<difficulty>Isyuramâs body suddenly stopped in the middle of his counterattack. Then his ankle collapsed and he tilted sideways. An information window then appeared in front of him.</difficulty>
<difficulty>Your action has gone beyond the limits of your strength and agility and sprained your ankle!</difficulty>
<difficulty><for>It was a truly ridiculous information window.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âEh? Ankle sprain? Ouch!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>What did it mean? Isyuram was able to run wearing a lead bag but now his ankle sprained from this little movement?</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>But he didnât have time to be amazed. There was a red gauge visible on the lower left corner. But that was not the problem. Just like the message window said, his movement became incredibly slow. Although he could move 10 metres in his mind, he wasnât even capable of moving 1 metre. In the end, Isyuram had to roll onto the ground to avoid the subsequent attacks.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âDammit, why did my ankle sprain all of a sudden? Is it because I didnât warm up before the fight?â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>The same physical state in reality was also applied to New WorldâŚ..that was what he thought, but Isyuram was still ignorant of the problem. And there was no room to worry.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âHuh, look at the ankle. My ankle sprained going against such insignificant dogs!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>If his movement was slowed then it would be better not to move. Isyuram took a light step and relaxed the muscles in his body. Then a gnoll rushed forward and swung a club. Isyuram rocked his body, avoided the attack and then transferred the power into a counterattack.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Bakak-!</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>There was a loud sound as flash and bone collided. The allocation of power, timing, postureâŚâŚeverything was perfect for a counterattack.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âAll right, it is perfect this time! Huhuhu, that is stunning!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Isyuram had a look of satisfaction on his face.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Grrrrrrr!</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Isyuramâs fist quickly took down a 2 metre tall figure! A blow to the temple turned the dogâs head 90 degrees.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>You have no knowledge of Hand-to-Hand Combat so the unreasonable attack has broken your wrist!</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for><100 damage,="" for="" 30="" minutes="" your="" attack="" power="" and="" attack="" speed="" is="" -50%=""></for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>You have no knowledge of Hand-to-Hand Combat and the movement has caused your spinal discs have slipped!</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for><100 damage,="" for="" 30="" minutes="" your="" upper="" spinal="" disk="" movement="" is="" restricted=""></for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âHuk, what, what the hell is thisâŚ.!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Isyuram couldnât understand what was going on. It was also the same afterwards. Even with an ankle sprain, broken wrist and restricted spinal movements, Isyuramâs fighting spirit burned until the end. But after 13 more fractures, he became dog food within 2 minutes.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âWhat the hell is going on?â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>After a while, Isyuram revived at the townâs quartermaster.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âTsk tsk tsk, as expected.â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>The old man standing at the entrance to the village clicked his tongue and muttered. Isyuram became very embarrassed and tried to explain.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âOld man, this time was a mistake.â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âYou failed and now you want to try again? If youâre an experienced adventurer then you wouldnât have any trouble with an opponent like that. As an adventurer you must have some experience. But an experienced warrior is an expert at swinging a sword. With a poor body like that, how can you even lift a sword?â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âEh?â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Isyuram now looked at his body properly. Since his movements were normal, he thought his body was the same. He had spent years training his body and optimizing it for his techniques. However, this body was completely the opposite of his real body. Bony arms and legs stuck out from his leather clothes while his ribs were slightly sunken. Although it was a model-like body, Isyuram just thought that he looked malnourished.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âHuk, what is with this body?â Well, it is quite a decent body for a merchantâŚ..â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âA merchant?â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Isyuram once again opened his information window. He hadnât checked it properly before, but âmerchantâ was written down as his profession next to his level. Isyuram had no way of knowing but merchants were users who carried around goods. It was a job that dealt with trade and contracts. So his contract related skills were higher than other merchants while his strength and stamina was lower. The old man couldnât understand Isyuram and muttered.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âI thought your face was somewhat familiar and I finally remembered. Werenât you the merchant trying to gain exclusive contracts with our village last week? But youâre acting like this is the first time. Did you bump your head and lose your memory?â Thatâs right, Lee Myung-ryong had taken over the character of Isyuram from his predecessor. He changed the profession to a merchant because it was easier to gather information trading then hunting monsters.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Since he was level 150, as a merchant he invested his stat points into wisdom, intelligence and luck. It was reasonably decent stats for a merchant. Then suddenly the owner of the body changed. And he tried to move the poor merchant like he had a superhuman body.  In other words, it was similar to a F-1 racing engine being installed into a truck. So Isyuramâs body couldnât keep up with Lee Myung-ryong and broke. It was the difference between reality and gamesâŚ..</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>If Lee Myung-ryong started off at level 1 in the novice village then he would learn the knowledge naturally and be experienced in the movements. That was the reason why the novice village existed. However, he just took over a level 150 character with no experience.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âIâm thankful that you wanted to help but please stop.â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>The old man said before turning away. Isyuram couldnât speak and stood there dumbly. He had imagined New World like a playground. As a SWAT team member, he was experienced with all sorts of martial arts. When he went out on police business, he was the power of the âtyrannical authoritiesâ and would pull out the teeth of hooligans. Of course, the police agency wasnât a tyrannical force. No, really. However, there definitely were victims who received damage.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>While most people considered New World a paradise where dreams come true, it was here that a martial artist was suffering frustration. He was not aware of what happenedâŚ..a disgraceful merchant? It was the reason why he couldnât experience the allure of a real battle in New World? The captain of the number 1 SWAT team, feared by other gangsters and he couldnât fight because of this body? Hyun-woo and the other team membersâŚâŚno, even a child was able to defeat a monster that he couldnât damage?</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âI canât! No, there is no way!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Isyuram clenched his fist and shouted. His pride had been damaged and he couldnât possible accept it.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âA poor body? A merchant? I am the captain of the number 1 SWAT team, Lee Myung-ryong. Am I going to run away scared because of this merchant body? Donât be ridiculous. Iâll just create a proper body.â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Just like he helped train Arkâs body, Isyuram believed that hard work would strengthen a body.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âThere are some differences between a game and reality. If itâs too easy then it wouldnât be a challenge. I will become the winner and beat this game! Who cares about investigation. I wonât leave this place until I can defeat those dogs!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Isyuram ran to a corner of the town.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âFirst I have to create a body. 5,000 punches! 5,000 kicks!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>And he began to exercise like crazy.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âWhat, what the?â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âWho is that merchant?â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>The NPCs flocked around and started gossiping. However, Isyuram ignored them and only concentrated on remodelling his body. No matter how many times he broke his ankle or wrist, Isyuram just clenched his teeth and continued hitting the pillar. But this was Isyuramâs mistake. Actually, only the commercial version of the unit for New World had the option to regulate the pain. Normally the system determined the amount of impact the user received after being attacked by a monster.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>But the red gauge on this unit was set to âreality.â âRealityâ meant the pain was similar to reality and was the highest option. In other words, he really felt like his arm was broken.</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>âJajaja, shoryuken!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Wududuk, snap!</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>Ouch! It is a virtual reality gameâŚâŚ but itâs really painful like my arm actually broke. But Hyun-woo and the other members also suffered this much. I wonât die from this much! Hiyah!â</for></difficulty>
<difficulty><for>His character was experiencing flesh and bone remodelling.</for></difficulty>