The first thought that came to mind when I started this game was this:
This game is insane.
The graphics were so realistic that you couldn't tell the difference from reality if you didn't look closely.
The insane level of freedom, where you could do anything.
Of course, because of that insane freedom, there were some parts that were pretty shabby, but that very point drove people even more crazy.
I had been enjoying [City of Seoul], commonly known as CS, for quite some time.
I had even quit a game I had been playing for almost five years because of this one.
[Welcome to City of Seoul]
As usual, the game started with a flashy effect.
The one unique feature of this game was:
If your character died, it would be permanently deleted.
That's why you had to try countless times, and that's why each game had to be played with extreme caution.
Of course, even with that, surviving was not easy.
Average survival time: 30 days.
Despite this, the fact that so many people were still obsessed with the game showed how incredible it was.
'Saber Crowd'
[Survival Time: 1,652 days 7 hours]
A middle-aged character holding a revolver and smoking a cigar, displayed in the character window.
Among the countless characters I had created and deleted, this was the one that had survived the longest, and it was also my pride.
"At first, it was really tough."
When I didn't know anything, I was brutally killed by the National Intelligence Service while playing as a villain.
I tried to play a school life story by enrolling in the Hero Academy but ended up being ostracized and dropping out.
I became the president of the Hero Association, one of the strongest positions in the game world, only to be assassinated right after.
Each time, I wanted to smash my computer, but I held back, thinking of my bank balance.
But maintaining a top position in this game, where many veterans came and went, gave me an incredible sense of achievement, so I couldn't give up.
"Hmm... I'll see this through today."
And what I'm aiming for now is just one thing:
World Rank 1.
This game was basically a single-player game.
Therefore, there was a ranking system based on achievements and completion rates, and the one above me was just one person.
[1st. ImDOG]
This guy was just one achievement ahead of me.
In a game where even 3rd place was only 74%, my and this guy's achievement rate was 99.8%.
But because he hit 99.8% first, I was still in 2nd place.
And coincidentally, the one achievement left for both of us was this:
[??]
It was a hidden achievement.
There were no hints on how to complete it.
If even the 1st place [ImDOG] couldn't complete it, it must be an achievement that defies imagination.
I was determined to achieve that 0.2% no matter what today.
When I logged into the game, another reality, no different from the real world, unfolded on the monitor.
I had tried hundreds, thousands of things to complete this 0.2% achievement.
Becoming a hero praised by everyone.
Turning a city into a ghost town.
Conquering the police station naked.
Assassinating the president with a cotton swab, and so on, a veritable feast of crazy actions.
But today, I was challenging it because I found a clue.
[ImDOG: I saw your YouTube video where you're trying all sorts of things to get 1st place. You won't be able to complete the remaining achievement. Give up.]
A message I received yesterday.
It was from the guy currently in 1st place.
When I saw the content, I asked him if he knew the method, and he sent me a reply that was no different from a joke.
[ImDOG: Can you live by your nickname? I don't think you can.]
"What the hell is this?"
I was taken aback by the message but sent a reply to him.
[BackworldBlackCurtain: What's wrong with my nickname? Want to taste BlackCurtain? Hahaha]
I sent the message with the thought of "Eat shit."
But the guy who received my message left a meaningful message.
[ImDOG: Really? Then, let's see. Hahaha. You'll know when you log in tomorrow.]
That was the end of the message.
In the end, I logged into the game as he said.
As soon as I entered the game, a loud fanfare and a message appeared.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked!]
[The content of the achievement will be revealed with the challenge.]
[You can only attempt this challenge once, and if you fail, you will never be able to complete this achievement.]
[Only one person can possess this achievement.]
[Do you want to attempt this achievement? Y/N]
"Wait, only one person can complete this achievement?"
That's why there was no information, and the message indicated one thing:
The 1st place guy attempted this achievement and failed.
In other words, if I complete this achievement, I can reclaim 1st place.
"Even if I can't eat, I'll get the achievement!"
I confidently pressed the Y button.
And at the same time, I lost consciousness.
* * *
An empty room with no one in it.
The monitor, which was turned on, beeped, indicating a new message.
[ImDOG: ZZZ You're really going to do it.]
[ImDOG: Let's see.]
[ImDOG: Enjoy it.]
Then, all the messages started to disappear.
[User does not exist.]
[User does not exist.]
[User does not exist.]
[Ranking]
[1st: BackworldBlackCurtain]
[2nd: HelloChapSallDduk]
[3rd: BulJukBalNoma]
…….
….
.
.
.
.
* * *
"Hmm?"
The first thought that came to mind was this:
'Why does the ceiling look unfamiliar?'
It was a thought that could only appear in a novel, so I chuckled and got up.
"Did I fall asleep while playing a game?"
Rubbing my sleepy eyes and stretching, I looked around and noticed something was off.
"…Where am I?"
It was definitely not my room.
First, the bed was incredibly soft, and the wallpaper was luxurious. The room was also much larger.
It was three times bigger than the room I had been living in.
A knocking sound came from the door.
"Are you awake, young master?"
A gruff voice from outside the door.
Since I hadn't grasped the situation yet, I didn't answer.
"I clearly heard a voice…"
The voice came again from outside the door.
Soon, the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
"…What the hell is going on?"
The first thing I noticed was the computer in one corner of the room, so I rushed over and turned it on.
Three folders and one recycle bin on a vintage desktop.
[City of Seoul]
[Owl]
[Game Collection]
The folder named "Owl" was annoying, but the familiar text caught my eye.
[City of Seoul]
I was sure this was related to the situation, so I clicked the folder.
Inside were the game button I knew and a notepad file titled [Must Read!].
I clicked the file as if in a trance.
『Thank you to all the closed beta players who played [City of Seoul] in advance!
You are now in 'New Seoul,' the setting of 'City of Seoul.'
This service is provided only to the one closed beta player who achieved the most achievements, allowing you to experience CS directly.
The game can only end when you see the ending.
Note that [GAME OVER] is not included in the ending.
We hope you enjoy the game!
※As a special feature, an interface is provided!
-You can check the game interface through electronic devices.』
"These crazy bastards…!"
As I cursed, CS automatically launched on the computer.
[City of Seoul]
[Loading…….]
[Sync complete. Welcome, player BackworldBlackCurtain.]
And at the same time, the character window appeared.
There stood a character I had never seen before.
【Name: Eugene Han Callione】
[Gender: Male]
[Description: A half-Italian and half-Korean, born to an Italian father, Vito Callione, and a Korean mother, Han Wol-young.
He is the successor of the mafia organization, Callione.]
"What…?"
Eugene, Eugene Han Callione?
Suddenly, I saw my face reflected on the black screen.
In disbelief, I quickly checked my face in the mirror in the room, and only then did I grasp the reality.
"Haha… Is this me? This is… him?"
The same face as the character on the computer was reflected in the mirror.
Of course, I had never created such a character.
That would be impossible.
"Damn, this is bad."
Eugene Han Callione. I was now inside the character's body.
* * *
Understanding the situation wasn't difficult.
When I started the game as the character, tutorials and various UIs appeared.
Through them, I learned how to check my status and confirm what kind of person this body was.
I also learned how to sync these UIs with portable devices.
【Name: Eugene Han Callione】
[Gender: Male]
[Occupation: Successor of the Underworld]
[Special Traits: ]
"…I never imagined that the nickname [BackworldBlackCurtain] would be interpreted as 'Black Curtain of the Underworld.'"
Fortunately, this character, Eugene Han Callione, was someone I knew.
No, I couldn't not know him.
He was always the third-rate villain NPC who picked fights with the player character when starting the game.
An NPC who always relied on his father and the organization to torment the player.
I had killed him in a fit of rage, and in my third playthrough, I was brutally killed by the mafia that came after him.
At that time, I had shouted, "What kind of crappy game is this?" But in this situation, it was different.
"This might be better than I thought."
A character who appears to teach players the true meaning of despair once they get past the newbie stage.
Eugene Han Callione's father, 'Don Vito Callione,' was one of the most overpowered characters in the game.
I had memorized his patterns through dozens of attempts and barely managed to defeat him.
He was a monster, especially when playing with a mafia concept.
Now, this NPC was my father, and I was the successor protected by my father and the organization.
In this game, where power and influence were everything, this was a huge advantage.
Just from this, it could be considered a top-tier character.
However, there was one problem.
"This character only has a strong backing. In reality, he's a complete waste…"
If you take the academy route, you'll often encounter this 'Eugene,' and he was a terrible character.
Heroes gain traits through various dangers and self-improvement, but because he always lived a comfortable life, he had no traits.
Therefore, in most playthroughs, he would become a villain to gain power and end up being killed by his father, other heroes, or the player.
"My future looks bleak, really."
As I sighed while lying on the bed, a knock came from the door.
"Young master, you have one hour until the academy entrance exam."
It was the same man's voice from earlier.
Since I was now Eugene Han Callione, I decided to act naturally.
"Let's go."
"Yes, young master."
I remember Eugene being a rude character.
So, if I act rudely, they won't suspect anything.
Still, I never imagined I would start the game on the day of the academy entrance exam.
Of course, enrolling in the academy was the standard path in the game's story.
The problem was that I hadn't taken the academy route many times.
Maybe 23 times?
I first went to the bathroom attached to the room and took a quick shower.
Wow, do rich people have bathrooms in every room and use such good shampoo and body wash every time?
It smells amazing.
I dried my hair roughly and went outside, where a delicious smell hit my nose. It was coming from downstairs.
I went down the stairs and followed the smell to a large dining room.
And then,
"You're late."
The man sitting at the head of the table spoke, and the pleasant morning atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Tick, tick.
The sound of the grandfather clock in the dining room was unusually loud.
A suffocating pressure weighed down on me, and my shoulders drooped involuntarily.
It felt like I should prostrate myself at any moment.
A fear I had never felt before gripped me.
I forced myself to look up and saw the man waiting alone.
A black fedora, a cigar in his mouth, and a scruffy beard.
This man was the ruler of the underworld, the one everyone feared.
Don Vito Callione.
My father, now.
"Sorry, Father."
As I said this and sat down, my father looked at me with wide eyes, surprised.
"Using honorifics and calling me Father, that's unexpected. Have you finally grown up because it's the day of the academy entrance exam?"
Could it be that this guy was rude even to his father, the boss of the underworld?
I never imagined that a simple apology would make this monster react like this.
"I'm almost an adult, so shouldn't I change a bit?"
"Hahaha! It's a relief that you're thinking this way. Still, it feels a bit cold to be called Father for the first time."
With a bitter smile, I replied with an awkward smile.
"…Won't I get used to it soon?"
"Hmm, yes. Eventually, you will. The other family members have finished eating, so hurry up and eat."
With that, my father stood up, stubbed out the remaining cigar in the ashtray, and left.
I was left alone in the dining room, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings and sighing.