Chapter 69: chapter 69

Kim Bong-Goo was originally a capsule room user.

Unlike his friends, he didn’t have the money to buy a personal capsule, so he started playing the game and raising his character using capsule rooms.

That’s how he met Hong Hyun-Woo in New World.

They first met in the starting village, had a few arguments, and then became close after a big fight.

They were the same age and had similar levels, so they hung out together.

As they did, he was influenced by Hong Hyun-Woo and didn’t hesitate to do dirty deeds.

However, after being repeatedly suspended by Jeong-Hoon, his feelings towards Hong Hyun-Woo had worsened.

But he couldn’t just cut ties with a friend he had been with for so long.

It was Hong Hyun-Woo who had suggested messing with Jeong-Hoon, but he had readily agreed and carried it out.

[Hey, you bastard. You’re dead if I ever see you again!]

But not anymore.

Kim Bong-Goo had sincerely apologized, while Hong Hyun-Woo was still living in his own world.

If he didn’t cut ties with him now, he would probably get swept up and repeat the same dirty deeds.

It seemed better to be alone than that.

“I’m cutting ties with you, bastard.”

It was the moment their friendship broke.

* * *

The day of the event.

Jeong-Hoon finished preparing to go out and came to the living room.

“Are you going out today?”

His mother was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

“Yes.”

“That’s good. Then at least have some food before you go.”

At his mother’s words, Jeong-Hoon went to the dining table and sat down.

Breakfast was his mother’s miso stew.

The miso stew made with soybeans she had fermented herself was exceptional.

How did she make it taste like this?

It was on a different level from other stews.

“As expected, the one Mom makes is the best.”

Jeong-Hoon gave a thumbs-up, and his mother smiled warmly.

“Eat a lot. You have to get first place again today, right?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Okay. What do they give you if you get first place?”

“A capsule.”

As it was a capsule room event, the event prize was a capsule.

Of course, the capsule was only given to the party that won first place, and other prizes were given from second place onwards.

“Really? You already have a capsule, Jeong-Hoon, so you should aim for second place, right?”

“No, I have to get first place. If I get the capsule, you can use it, Mom.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

If the game became reality, his mother would also be involved.

He had planned to help her build up her strength and transfer some of his stats to her so she could endure it.

But if he got an additional capsule, his mother could also enter New World quickly.

He wanted her to start as soon as possible.

“Hmm… If you get first place and win a capsule, should I try it too?”

Fortunately, his mother didn’t have a negative view of New World.

Well, if she did, he wouldn’t be able to play games at home in the first place.

Jeong-hoon finished the last spoonful of his meal and stood up.

“Just trust me.”

He would be the winner of this capsule room tournament.

* * *

“You’re here?”

Yeo Min-ji had already arrived at the entrance of the capsule room.

Even though it was 30 minutes earlier than the agreed time.

“You’re early.”

“I came out early just in case.”

“Really? Then let’s go up first.”

“Okay.”

Ha-jin said he would come on time, so Jeong-hoon and Yeo Min-ji entered the capsule room first.

Even though it was three hours before the event started, the capsule room was crowded with people.

‘I made a reservation, so just trust me.’

Ha-jin was close to the owner of the capsule room, Lee Hyun-woo, so a reservation was possible.

So there would be three empty seats.

“Welcome. Oh? Jeong-hoon, you’re here?”

Lee Hyun-woo, who was greeting customers at the counter, recognized Jeong-hoon.

Jeong-hoon also greeted him politely because Lee Hyun-woo had always been kind to him when he didn’t have a personal capsule.

“Yes. Long time no see. How have you been?”

“Haha, I’m always the same. But rather…”

Lee Hyun-woo’s gaze turned to Yeo Min-ji.

Even Jeong-hoon could see that Yeo Min-ji’s beauty was enough to make her pass for a celebrity.

Perhaps that’s why many customers glanced at her face from the moment she entered the capsule room.

“Could you please give me an autograph?”

Lee Hyun-woo held out an A4 paper and a signing pen.

New World’s top players were more popular than most celebrities.

How surprised was he when he saw Yeo Min-ji’s name on the list of participants that Ha-jin had submitted?

At first, he thought it was just the same name, but after seeing the level and occupation next to it, he was sure it was the same person.

“Yes.”

Yeo Min-ji familiarly took the signing pen and quickly scribbled on the paper.

Along with her signature sign, the name of the capsule room run by Lee Hyun-woo was written small at the bottom.

“Thank you!”

Lee Hyun-woo’s mouth widened as he checked the autograph.

A top player visited the capsule room!

What better marketing could there be?

And as if on cue, customers flocked to Yeo Min-ji.

“Yeo Min-ji! Please take a picture with me!”

“To see a top player here! It’s a real honor!”

“Wow! It’s really Yeo Min-ji!”

“She’s so pretty… Wow, I’m really smitten!”

Yeo Min-ji apologized to Jeong-hoon with her mouth.

She was going to go straight into the capsule, but this is what happened.

“Hey, hey, stop! Taking pictures in the capsule room is prohibited!”

Instead, Lee Hyun-woo tactfully stopped the customers.

“What?! Why!”

“We should at least be able to take pictures!”

Of course, the customers protested, but Lee Hyun-woo had no intention of treating them like royalty just because they were customers.

“If you don’t like it, leave. I’ll even cancel your participation in the event.”

This was a statement that could only be made by someone who wasn’t bound by money.

“…”

In the end, the customers retreated due to Lee Hyun-woo’s strong restraint.

“Thank you.”

Yeo Min-ji expressed her gratitude to Lee Hyun-woo.

“It was only natural. Now, let me show you to your seats!”

Lee Hyun-woo guided Jeong-hoon and Yeo Min-ji to the empty capsules.

“I’ll go in first.”

Perhaps due to the surrounding gazes, Yeo Min-ji went straight into the capsule and logged in.

As the capsule door closed behind her, Lee Hyun-woo quickly approached Jeong-hoon and asked,

“Hey, how did you get close to Yeo Min-ji?”

“We’re not really close, we just happened to meet. She didn’t have anyone to team up with for this event, so she formed a party with me.”

“Wow… That’s really awesome.”

Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t stop expressing his admiration.

He never dreamed that a top-ranked player would visit his capsule room and participate in an event.

“Anyway, I’m going in too, so please tell Ha-jin to log in as soon as he arrives.”

“Oh, I will.”

* * *

Autobahn Square.

Kim Bong-Goo was waiting for Jeong-hoon in the square.

“You’re here!”

As soon as he saw Jeong-hoon, he stood at attention and greeted him loudly.

Thanks to this, attention was drawn to them.

“What? A level 141 is greeting a level 104. Heh heh.”

“And he’s just a martial artist?”

“Keuh-heup…! His nickname is also hilarious. ‘Mom, the soup is salty’.”

Open laughter and mockery could be heard, but Kim Bong-Goo didn’t care at all.

All of his attention was focused on Jeong-hoon, so he couldn’t use it for anything else.

‘If you bother me, you die.’

There were types of people in the world that shouldn’t be touched.

Those with no backing.

And those who, once they bite, go all the way.

Jeong-hoon seemed to be the latter.

The kind of guy who, even if you suppress him with force, will find a way to retaliate.

He should never be touched.

“Okay. Did you sign up for the event?”

“Of course I did!”

Not wanting to be on Jeong-hoon’s bad side any longer, Kim Bong-Goo signed up for the event as soon as he logged out that day.

“Okay. Then accept the party invite.”

“Yes! … Um, are we going just the two of us?”

“No, two more people will come.”

And soon after, Yeo Min-ji appeared.

“Am I a little late?”

She had logged in earlier than Jeong-hoon, but she was a little late because she had some guild business to take care of.

“Y-Yeo Min-ji…?”

Kim Bong-goo’s pupils trembled madly when he saw her.

Why was the number one ranked martial artist in Korea, and 286th overall, here?

“It’s okay. And she’s a party member who will be participating in today’s event with us.”

Jeong-hoon put his hand on Kim Bong-goo’s shoulder.

Kim Bong-goo, startled, straightened up and bowed 90 degrees.

“My name is Kim Bong-goo! I chose my nickname as a joke, so please don’t misunderstand…”

“Ah, yes.”

She nodded briefly and didn’t even give Kim Bong-goo a glance.

She had already heard the reason why Kim Bong-goo joined the party.

Perhaps that’s why she couldn’t see Kim Bong-goo in a good light.

On the other hand, Kim Bong-goo closed his mouth with an awkward expression at her attitude, which was colder than ice.

“Sorry! Am I a little late?”

After Ha-jin joined, a party of four was formed.

===

[NPC Information]

-Nickname: Ling Ling

-Level: 700

-Occupation: Event NPC

===

Jeong-hoon approached the event NPC in the square.

The event NPC was Ling Ling, whom he had seen before.

“Oh, we meet again?”

Ling Ling recognized Jeong-hoon at a glance.

It was inevitable.

He had boldly won their bet and taken a lot of heavenly energy.

“Indeed. I didn’t expect to see you here again.”

Jeong-hoon grinned.

“Hehe, I’m glad I’m in charge of the Korean server. I thought you’d come again.”

“Why? Want to make another bet?”

“You’re quite perceptive.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ling Ling’s lips curled up into a wide smile.

That was what Jeong-hoon wanted as well.

‘I didn’t just come here for the capsule.’

Why was this event called the First Cataclysm?

It was because of the penalty given when the base was not defended.

Due to that penalty, the world gradually began to fall ill, and people belatedly realized that the cause was New World.

‘My mother also suffered because of that penalty.’

The penalty was none other than a disaster.

Various disasters occurred, and the one that befell his mother was a fire.

Due to the fire, a quarter of his mother’s body was covered in burn scars.

She said she was fine, but Jeong-hoon’s heart ached as he watched.

So he would change the history of his regression.

‘Defense failure.’

Originally, the event that targeted the entire world ended without a single person succeeding.

Jeong-hoon would successfully complete this event.

“So, what kind of bet are we talking about?”

“It’s simple. If you successfully complete this siege, I’ll give you an additional 5% of heavenly energy.”

“5%… Alright, I’m in.”

“Hmm? No further negotiation?”

“No.”

A hint of disappointment flickered across Ling Ling’s face.

The difficulty of the siege was considerable.

Since the goal was to alter history, it had to be done decisively.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Can you send us right now?”

“Yes.”

“Then I wish you good luck. Fighting!”

Ling Ling snapped her fingers.

* * *

[You have entered the event location: Seoul.]

[1 hour and 48 minutes remain until the event begins.]

[Participating users, please prepare before the start.]

[Time remaining until start: 1 hour and 48 minutes]

[Results based on contribution will be announced after the event ends.]

The background of the event location was Seoul.

In line with the Korean server, users from each region were assigned the role of defending their respective regions.

“What? Why Seoul all of a sudden?”

“Are we really going to have a siege here?”

The users who arrived first were looking around with curious eyes.

Buildings like apartments and skyscrapers were 100% implemented based on the current date, and except for the users, not even an ant was roaming around.

“Where is this?”

“It’s a road.”

Jeong-hoon’s party was transported to the middle of a road.

Numerous vehicles were parked on the road, and again, there was no one inside.

This was because only the background had been implemented.

“But why did they choose Seoul as the background?”

New World was a game set in medieval Europe.

It was natural to be puzzled by the sudden change of background to modern society.

“I don’t know. Let’s get in the car for now.”

“Get in the car?”

“Yes.”

Jeong-hoon quickly got into the driver’s seat.

Ha-jin sat in the passenger seat, and Yeo Min-ji and Kim Bong-goo sat in the back.

Once everyone was on board, Jeong-hoon started the engine and drove off.

“Where are we going?”

“Namsan.”

“Hmm? Why are you choosing that as our base?”

Ha-jin was experienced in siege warfare.

Therefore, he knew the importance of the base.

“Because it’s in the center of the map.”

“Huh…?”

The theme of this event was a siege.

In other words, the main mission was to defend Seoul.

And the place where monsters would pour out in Seoul was Namsan.

If the monsters poured out and breached Namsan, it would be impossible to defend the base.

This was because the defensive power of the base would rapidly decrease depending on the degree of damage to the buildings erected here.

[Ah, damn it. Normally, the castle gate in a siege should be on the outskirts. Why is it set in the center and causing all this trouble?]

-Who would have thought that a monster wave would occur in Namsan?

└Yeah, lol. Thanks to that, we were wiped out in 30 minutes.

└How can you stop the buildings from collapsing when monsters are pouring out?

└It was literally a siege itself.

Jeong-hoon parked haphazardly in the Namsan parking lot and got out of the car.

“Are you saying you’re going to make this our base?”

“Yes.”

“Monster waves don’t occur inside the base. We should go to the outskirts of Seoul…”

Everyone went to the outskirts with that thought.

The outskirts were being tightly defended by other users.

However, that choice was the reason why the base was destroyed in less than an hour.

“Was there ever a single word that the monsters would come from the outside?”

“…No, there wasn’t.”

The siege event was about defending the base from monsters.

The monsters were scheduled to pour out in waves.

And there was never a single word that the waves would occur from the outside.

“Yes. Then there’s a possibility that it could be in the center, right?”

“But… still…”

“Let’s just wait and see.”

At Jeong-hoon’s firm words, Yeo Min-ji closed her mouth.

[Time remaining: 1 minute]

Time passed, and it was time for the event to begin.

Jeong-hoon, Ha-jin, and Yeo Min-ji went up Namsan to wait, while Kim Bong-goo brought barricades and completely blocked the entrance below.

“Is this enough?”

Kim Bong-goo wiped the sweat from his forehead and checked the state of the barricades he had installed.

The barricades were purchased directly from the achievement shop before participating in the event.

‘Prepare the things I told you about.’

It was because of Jeong-hoon’s instructions.

“But will a monster wave really occur here?”

There had never been a monster wave in the center of the base.

So it was natural to be suspicious.

However, since other users had already gone to the outskirts, everyone agreed to defend the center.

[The 1st Monster Wave begins.]

Along with the start of the event, a giant gate was created above Namsan.

“Huh…?”

Kim Bong-goo’s eyes widened at the sight of the gate.

Just as Jeong-hoon had said, a monster wave was occurring in Namsan.

——————