Novel Bin Chapter 1: Adrias Cromwell (1)
Chapter 1: Adrias Cromwell (1)
[Quest: Clearing the End of Baal!]
[Free play is now available.]
[A new character has been unlocked!]
Having already seen the phrase more than ten times, he released his hand from the mouse.
Sigh.
He stretched himself fully, and his whole body screamed. Checking the time, it was 11 a.m. Even though he had stayed up all night, he was still in good shape.
Drip. Drip.
Thunk.
"Hello?"
-It's Kim Jinhwan! How are you doing?
"Oh, is it lunchtime now?"
-Yeah. I called during my break. What have you been up to?
"Playing a game."
-Are you still playing?
He turned his gaze towards the game filling the computer screen.
"Yeah."
-I gave up a long time ago because it was too difficult. Is it really that fun?
"Yeah, it is."
-Look at you, talking like that. Why are you so indifferent?
Eventually, at the voice of Yongho on the other end of the phone, dry laughter burst out.
"Thanks for the game, hyung."
-Hmph. You're welcome. I was wrong. Don't say those kinds of things again.
After that, Yongho, who had been mumbling for a while, suddenly brought up an old story.
-It's been four years since you entered society, right?
"..."
-All the difficult times are over. Now go outside, meet some girls.
"I'll try my best."
-Tsk. I know it won't go as you wish. But our motto was always about making the impossible possible, right?
Has it already been four years?
The military organization I was a part of disbanded due to an unexpected incident. Of course, it was a good thing. It was something to be happy about. But because it was so sudden, I still couldn't grasp the situation.
"I thought reunification with North Korea only happened in novels."
Of course, only the unit I was in disbanded, while other units remained active. The place I belonged to disappeared hastily because it wouldn't be good if it became known. After a moment of thought, I opened the refrigerator to fill my stomach.
"Then, let's meet up sometime."
-Oh, that's great! Let's meet this weekend. I'll come by plane.
After finishing the call, I lightly tossed the cellphone onto the bed. Yongho, who I just had a conversation with on the phone, was a comrade who served in the same unit. Although he was discharged earlier than me due to an accident, he now works at a company without any problems.
I looked at the freezer for a while and finally took out a frozen food item to eat. When I was in the military, even my diet was regulated, and I never thought I would be able to eat this again. Being thoroughly controlled and managed as part of a special forces unit caused me to suffer from severe post-discharge syndrome. As a result, when I was thrown into society, I couldn't adapt.
Of course, I had plenty of money saved up from my salary and compensation for the forced discharge. As a result, despite being a rich misfit, I managed to get by with the help of Yongho.
Ding!
The frozen dumplings I heated up were finally ready. I moved the dumplings to the desk and sat back down.
Great Sin [Peccata].
It was the name of the game currently displayed on the screen.
After my discharge, I was in such a serious condition that not even Yongho could help. During the two years I was trying various things after leaving the military, problems always arose.
"I owe a lot to Yongho."
In the midst of that, Yongho happened to bring a game CD. At first, I decided to take a break and play the game as Yongho suggested, clearing it for the first time in a year. The graphics were poor, but the high degree of freedom, numerous branching paths, and various playable characters made me instantly addicted to the game. Since I had never played games before, I had no sense for it. But I continued to strive in the game and finally cleared it after a year. The feeling of emptiness, wondering if that was the end, quickly disappeared. The more I cleared, the more playable characters were unlocked. And the unlocked characters started in much worse conditions than before.
[Tarman (Lawbringer)]
The character I had just cleared was of a legendary difficulty. Even I, who had experienced over ten clears, was frustrated by it. Sometimes, if I liked a character I had cleared, I played with them a bit more, but I passed on this one. While eating a dumpling, I tried to check the newly unlocked character.
Drip. Drip.
"Who is it?"
Today, the phone kept ringing. There was no one I should be receiving calls from. Checking the number, it showed "Caller ID Restricted." An unknown tension ran down my spine, and I hesitated whether to answer or not. In case they tracked my location... No, they might have already known where I was from the beginning.
Thunk.
The call was disconnected. Without realizing it, a sigh escaped from me.
Drip. Drip.
And as if mocking my sigh, the phone rang again. In the end, I decided to answer and immediately pressed the call button.
"Hello?"
-Ah, ah. Can you hear me?
"Who is this?"
-Can you hear me?
"I can hear you. Who is this?"
Although the voice was playful, it was hard to determine the gender. It sounded like a distorted voice.
-Ah! I am the developer of Great Sin.
Great Sin?
What nonsense, but as soon as he mentioned the developer, I remembered the game I was playing.
"Great Sin?"
-Yes! That's correct.
He chuckled mischievously and continued speaking.
-Anyway, I just checked, and Kim Jinhwan has a record of clearing the game 12 times. Thank you for enjoying our game so much, and congratulations.
My breath stopped when my name came out of his mouth. It's one thing if the game knows, but how does it know my name? Yongho was the one who brought the game CD. Could he have told them? No, that wouldn't make sense.
"How do you know my name?"
-Um, let's skip over such trivial matters for now and let me explain the rewards.
"You're ignoring the fact that you know my name and asking that? Answer me."
-Well, first of all, I'll give Mr. Kim Jinhwan a more realistic gaming experience. Additionally, for the next round, I'll provide two special features. One will be random, as always, and the second will be an opportunity to choose. How about it? Great, right?
As soon as I heard that, I hung up the phone. Then I called Yongho.
-The power is off, beep-...
I had just had a conversation on the phone a while ago, but it didn't connect. I packed my things anxiously. An ominous premonition pierced through my mind. New novel chaptš¯’†rs are published on novel(b)in(.)com
"I need to change locations. They might have tracked me... No, they might already know my exact location."
After hastily packing my things, I was about to leave when I saw the computer screen was on.
"Just in case, I should format the computer."
I sat down in front of the desk for a moment to turn off the game, looking at the screen.
[Playable Character: Kim Jin-hwan (Adrias Cromwell)]
What's this?
Why is my name on the game screen?
Before I could finish that thought, the screen gradually turned black, transforming into a sticky liquid-like substance. Before I could even try to avoid that supernatural phenomenon, my mind turned as black as the screen.
.
.
.
.
"Adrias!"
With a sharp thud, an empty flask flew towards me. I effortlessly caught the flying bottle and calmly looked at Silbeck.
"I specifically told you to organize 'Conflicting Understanding of Nature and Mana' and put it on the desk today!"
I nodded cautiously.
"Yes."
"Yes? Yes, but why is there nothing on my desk?"
He said that, but what could I do? I didn't even know the basics of magic, let alone organizing it. Of course, I didn't say it out loud. Without saying a word, I just stood there, and Silbeck's furious voice echoed through the room.
"Go out right now and organize it! Hurry!"
Without looking back at his anger, I left the office. As I stepped outside, I could feel the gazes of numerous students passing through the hallway.
"What are you looking at? Have you never seen anything like this before?"
Oops. I shouldn't have said that out loud. It seems like even my mouth has been influenced by this clumsy body. Fortunately, those who heard my words just looked pitifully at me without any objection and went on their own way. Considering their looks, I had more important things to prioritize, so I headed to the library. As I stepped outside the building, I saw a wide expanse of land with architectural styles reminiscent of the medieval era. And more than anything else, I noticed a towering tower that seemed to pierce the sky and three huge moons filling the sky.
-Ding!
[You have unselected traits.]
The Korean letters that I used to gaze at the sky were now covered and difficult to see.
"I'll choose them later. I'll choose them later."
People here were speaking Korean that they wouldn't understand. I let out a deep sigh. It had been a week since I arrived here. I had intended to format the computer but ended up losing consciousness, and when I opened my eyes, I wasn't myself anymore.
I had become Adrias Cromwell instead of Kim Jin-hwan.
It was confusing, but I concealed my emotions. As the crisis approached, I had learned to hide my emotions. If I should be thankful, I still had some memories of being Adrias. Of course, I didn't know his entire life, but at least I knew where this place was. Recalling it, this place was a world of 'Great Sin (Peccata).'
Adrias' memories were not much different from the world of sin that was the game. And during this week, as I reviewed Adrias' memories and acted accordingly, it became even more certain. I was now inside the game world.
"I want to find a book."
"What kind of book?"
"'Conflicting Understanding of Nature and Mana.'"
"The magic-related books are from the 9th column in the 5th row to the 438th column in the 32nd row."
They wouldn't find it for me, huh? Is the salary eaten up like this? I shook my head. Lately, thoughts that I wouldn't usually have kept popping up in my head. It seems like Adrias' influence is quite significant.
"Of all characters... him."
Among the numerous characters, it had to be this guy. I hadn't even raised him once. After the martial artist Taraman, this guy was the next one I raised, right?
"But still, did the difficulty level suddenly skyrocket?"
Adrias Cromwell was an undisputed villain. But what can I say? He could be considered a character with almost no significance for the player. The real problem was his master. No, should I call that guy his master?
"I found it."
Despite my distracted thoughts, I was able to find the book I had been looking for. Luckily, it was arranged in alphabetical order, so I found it quickly. While holding the book, I immediately opened it.
"...Interesting."
It was different from the game. In the game, I had raised three different wizard characters. Yet, the contents of this book were about capturing clouds in the sky. In reality, it wasn't as simple as learning skills and using them. According to the contents of this book, magic required intricate and complex processes to be activated using mana.
"Well, this is just a simple theoretical book."
I sighed inwardly and took the book with me. I didn't plan to organize this book, but for now, I had to act without arousing suspicion. While carrying the book, on my way back, I once again thought about myself, about Adrias. Since I had played the game sensibly, I knew about all the insignificant characters through notes.
Firstly, this guy dies quickly in the early stages of the game. I didn't kill all playable characters, but I remember killing at least eighteen out of the twelve characters.
Why did I have to kill such an insignificant wizard? This guy's wizard status was a disguise. His true identity was a necromancer, specifically skilled in necromancy and enchantment.
I became a necromancer, one of the most forbidden wizards in this world.