The world had changed.
I lost consciousness.
Thanks to that, I had a long dream.
A dream in which I was running and playing with summoned creatures on a vast plain.
- "Oh, Jin-woo...!"
- "Ugh, Oppa..."
- Jin-woo, you fool. Hooo..."
I could hear my family's voices in the middle of the dream.
Mum, Dad.
And my younger sister, Baek Ah-jin.
Each time, I would wake up.
Ah, I'm dreaming now.
I lost consciousness in a car accident and I can't wake up.
I have to wake up quickly.
I need to find out what that 'low-ranked summoning scroll' that fell was, and what happened after I left the 100th floor of the Trial Tower.
But my body won't respond the way I want it to.
The shock was severe, and my body is forcibly shutting down to rest.
Damn, shit.
- "Huh?"
- "Oppa!"
- "Nurse! Sister? My brother just moved his hand! Come quickly!"
- "Mum! Yes! Right now! Yes! I'm serious, hurry!"
It was noisy.
So loud that I couldn't sleep.
I had to get up.
Ugh.
When Baek Jin-woo opened his eyes, there was a bright flash.
The light flooded his dilated pupils, so intense that it was blinding.
"Patient Baek Jin-woo? Are you conscious? If you're awake, blink your eyes."
"Oppa! Can you see?"
Baek Jin-woo frowned.
The light faded and two blurred faces came into view.
The nurse and a tearful Baek Ah-jin.
Looking around, he realised that he was in a hospital room.
Judging by the logo, it was a mid-level hospital in the neighbourhood.
Well, it's not like my family could afford a high-end hospital.
"Ugh..."
A scratchy sound came from his throat.
His body was stiff and his muscles had no strength.
How long had I been here?
"Can you see my fingers, patient?"
He blinked.
Baek Jin-woo blinked.
"Jin-woo!"
"Baek Jin-woo!"
Thud, thud!
Maybe they had been informed because both his mum and dad rushed into the room in a panic.
In that chaotic moment, a thought occurred to him.
'Huh.
The status window still hovered above his field of vision.
[The beta test is ending.]
[A new world is opening up.]
Without a doubt.
It was the message I had seen before I was hit by the truck.
And underneath.
[Do you want to start the tutorial?]
[Y/N]
I could see those words too.
"......"
Sigh, I let out a breath.
Mum, Dad.
No, the world.
What on earth has happened?
***
Unbelievable.
After coming to his senses and listening to his family's explanation, Baek Jin-woo was left speechless.
It had been three years since I was hit by the truck, they said.
And the day of the accident.
The whole world had turned upside down, they said.
"...like this."
Baek Jin-woo murmured in disbelief.
"A message saying 'A new world is opening' appeared in everyone's eyes, and everyone was given a 'low-rank summoning scroll'. Then dungeons popped up everywhere, and if you didn't clear them, monsters would come out?"
That wasn't the end of it.
Apparently, modern weapons were useless against the monsters.
Not just guns, but missiles and modern weapons didn't work either.
Only summoned creatures.
The only way to deal with monsters was to use summoned creatures.
That's right.
Everyone in the world had become a player in "Battle of Summoners".
"Does that even make sense?"
"That's how we reacted at first."
Hoo, Dad sighed deeply.
"It was hard to believe. But what could we do? It really happened."
Baek Jin-woo's father, Jin-cheol Baek, saw this change in the world as an opportunity.
He had always had physical limitations, unable to do manual labour.
But summoned creatures?
They do whatever the summoner commands.
The creature he summoned was a golem, the size of a small child, but it could carry heavy loads well, and he had started working loading and unloading parcels thanks to this summoned creature.
The money he earned from this helped pay for his son's medical bills.
"Jin-woo, I see this as a blessing from the gods."
"This?"
"Honestly, wasn't your life pretty hopeless before?"
"Excuse me?"
Wait, Dad.
Do you have to be so blunt?
"Wow, you hardly studied at all since you were in middle school. We were really worried about your future. It's not like you've been rebelling or hanging out with friends".
"Is that really something to say to your son who just came back from the brink of death?"
"I never said it in front of your mum, but I knew you were deep into that weird mobile game."
"Ah."
"Battle of Summoners."
I thought I was hiding it well, but it turns out he knew all along.
Well, how could he not?
I was completely obsessed.
Although he probably didn't know exactly what kind of game it was.
"Anyway."
Jin-cheol Baek got up from the chair next to the bed.
At that moment.
Vroom!
He waved his hand through the air.
Rumble...!
With a small tremor, a golem emerged from the floor.
"Don't be surprised. This is my summoned creature."
"...!"
"We don't live in a world where you can succeed just by studying anymore. This summoned creature. The people who know how to handle these creatures well are the ones who will succeed in this world."
Crazy.
Baek Jin-woo's eyes widened.
What the hell is that?
Isn't that one of the basic monsters, the Pebble Golem?
An E-rank creature usually used as leveling fodder.
Useless in a real dungeon.
Hah.
Now I really get it.
For real.
The game I knew... has become reality.
"So recover quickly, pull yourself together. Start the tutorial.
"..."
Tutorial, huh.
To hear that word come out of Dad's mouth.
This is...
I hope I didn't wake up in another dream, did I?
Even though Dad had been at it for three years.
Baek Jin-woo still couldn't believe it.
***
After a full day's rest, I went through the discharge process.
The doctor tried to stop me, but I insisted that I was fine.
I had no desire to rest.
I wanted to investigate quickly what had happened to this world.
[Do you want to start the tutorial?]
[Y/N]
This annoying message continued to flash in front of my eyes.
What happens if I press N?
Of course, I wasn't going to press N.
Even if I knew the game well, reality might be different.
If I was going to do it, I had to do it right.
Sigh, anyway.
I tried to get used to the new reality for a day.
I calmed my excited heart and gathered some information.
But it wasn't enough.
The internet is still the best way to find out more.
Beep, beep, beep~ beep!
Ding-dong!
Baek Jin-woo opened the door to his house and stepped inside.
Since I hadn't walked for a while, I was short of breath and my muscles were shaking, but I couldn't just lie down all day.
Luckily, the password to the house hadn't changed.
It was my parents' house, a small, old flat.
Unlike my sister, who got into a good university and lived in a hall of residence, I was still freeloading here like a kangaroo.
It costs money to move out.
My parents weren't home.
They were both working late.
"..."
Baek Jin-woo felt a pang of bitterness.
How hard they must have worked to pay for their useless son's medical bills when they were already struggling to make ends meet.
He clenched his fist tightly.
If.
Really, if.
If this world is the one I know.
Then.
The ten years that seemed wasted would return with a fitting reward.
I could turn ten years of unfilial behaviour into extreme filial piety.
"First."
Computer!
Let's turn on the computer!
I need to gather information as quickly as possible!
***
"Crazy."
Baek Jin-woo clicked his tongue.
What his father had said was true.
[Korea's Top 10 Players! A-Rank Summoner Clears Dungeon!]
[Perennially bottom of the league. Is Korea's future doomed? Are we really a gaming republic?]
[Korea's top university! Establishing a department of summoners!]
Every news article was about summoned creatures.
Here a summoner.
A summoner there.
And then.
"Huh?"
[Where is Korea's 'JinuGod'?]
"JinuGod?"
I came across an article that caught my interest.
I couldn't help clicking on it.
That's my ID.
Click!
I clicked the mouse.
In the international league rankings, which determine the benefits a country receives, Korea once again ranked near the bottom.
The poor performance has left top league players puzzled.
According to Rachel, the top-ranked player in the UK, Korea has a player called 'JinuGod' who is phenomenal...
She also mentioned that she learned a lot from him.
That's not all.
Japan's top-ranked player Yoshida Hikaru also had something to say. "Korea must find JinuGod as soon as possible. For the sake of Korea, and for the sake of humanity, who must ascend the Tower of Trials. If they don't find him? Mankind will have no future.
He emphasised the importance of JinuGod.
Meanwhile, experts...
"...crazy."
I was stunned.
"These are the guys I knew, right?"
The so-called veteran players.
One Heaven, Five Emperors.
The name was corny and creepy, but they were people I'd shared my heart with for almost five years.
We had become close.
"Sugoi... So his real name is Yoshida Hikaru."
Ha.
Baek Jin-woo took a deep breath.
Player vs. Player battles, raids, dungeons, the Tower of Trials, runes, synthesis shops, improvement workshops.
All these things had become reality.
It was like a joke played by the gods.
"...If that's the case."
If that's really the case.
Determination filled Baek Jin-woo's eyes.
"This is huge."
Bigger than winning the lottery.
"Battle of Summoners" was my life, my everything.
Even now, after waking from my coma, information about the summoned creatures flowed naturally through my mind.
With this knowledge alone...
Couldn't this be the chance to change my life completely?
[Do you want to start the tutorial?]
[Y/N]
"..."
Baek Jin-woo stared at the status window again.
He still had nothing.
No runes to speak of, no real summoned creatures.
But.
Baek Jin-woo was confident.
If it was this game, at least he knew he could be the best in the world.
"Yes."
Click!
Let's do this.
***
[The tutorial begins]
The moment I clicked.
Whoosh!
A brilliant light spread across my vision.
It was information on how to control the interface.
[By saying 'Status Window', you can see your status.]
[By saying 'Summoned Creature Information', you can see the list of your summoned creatures.]
...
[By saying 'Summoning Scroll Window', you can view the status of your summoning scrolls.]
[Saying 'Item Window' will allow you to view the status of various materials and runes].
And then.
[This is your first day of attendance.]
[Attendance Reward has arrived]
[Reward: Low Rank Summoning Scroll x 1]
There were even attendance rewards.
[Now say "Summoning Scroll Window"]
"..."
The tutorial had begun, huh?
It seemed like they were going to teach me how to summon creatures first.
After all, you need a summoned creature to do anything.
"Summoning scroll window."
As I mumbled, a window appeared.
[Summoning Scroll Inventory]
1. Low Rank Summoning Scroll x 2
Vroom!
A red scroll floated in the air above the window.
A soft light shone down on it.
One from the day of the accident, and one as a reward for attending. So I have two in total?
[Please place your hand over the summoning scroll.]
Whoosh.
As I reached out, I felt something touch my fingertips.
Before I knew it, I was holding two Summoning Scrolls.
[Tear the scroll.]
[A random summoned creature will appear, and you will be able to tame it.]
[You may feel a slight vibration.]
[Be careful!]
[It is recommended that you do this outdoors.]
"Hoo."
That was a tense moment.
Even someone like me, who was once called One Heaven, could be doomed if I summoned a useless creature.
Something like the Pebble Golem (E-rank)...
"Well, they said to do it outside."
Nodding to myself, Baek Jin-woo stepped out of the house.
"Please give me something useful.
At least something I can work with.