Chapter 68

I had a dream for the first time in a long while.

My vision rose and fell, wavering for a moment and making me a bit dizzy, but it soon stabilized.

The time in my dream was summer.

Seeing the players fanning themselves under tents set up with tables in the distance, forgotten memories came flooding back.

‘Wow. It’s really been a long time.’

Seongsik Hyung, Jangwoo Hyung, Kyungsoo Hyung, and so on.

They were the welcome faces who, in the early days, had led the Magnus team alongside me.

The year 2067.

The summer I was eighteen.

On this day, we were at Yeouido Park, preparing for a UA Pro League Fan Meeting event.

At the time, Universe Arena was only in its third year of operation, and the Pro League had just launched its second. It was a brand-new game.

It was a time when, whenever we had the chance, we would promote it, saying, “Our game is fun!”

“We’re working hard every day to prepare for our League!”

A time when the Annual Salary for First Division League players was less than 50 million Won.

As a member of the Magnus team, I was busy setting up tents.

In today’s climate, it’s truly an unbelievable thing.

For players to personally step up and help with the seating Setup for an official event.

But back then, that was the norm.

While the players from each team carried tables and set up tents to create shade under the scorching sun, the association staff were busy setting up the Access Devices for the game trial.

“Looks like something fun is going on.”

“Should we wait a bit and see what it is before we go?” Many citizens watched us like that.

Many people showed interest at the mention of a new VR Game.

Now, UA has firmly established itself as the number two sport, but back then, the mention of a VR Game would invariably only bring Gaia to mind.

The association was working hard to somehow convey the appeal of UA to the public, and the players were no different.

I wanted the UA scene I was a part of to be loved by more people, to grow bigger.

And so, the fan signing event began.

It was a time when a thousand Spectators was considered a large crowd, so I wondered how many fans would show up, but surprisingly, quite a few came to see our team.

And among them, my line was the longest.

My hyungs joked, “I should have been born like Youngin,” and laughed.

“You’re all handsome too, Hyung.”

“What’s with this punk?”

“Youngin. Are you dissing us right now?”

“Just sign if you don’t want to get yourself killed.”

“Yes…”

As I smiled awkwardly and signed autographs, a demonstration where people could try the game was also underway next to us.

It wasn’t just an ordinary demonstration, but a session with the concept of, “Our game is easy. Learn from a pro!” where each team took turns teaching the game to citizens.

The response was extremely positive.

The pro players were good at explaining, and the fact that anyone could enjoy the game without complex preparations was also a plus.

Then, it was the Magnus team’s turn.

I glanced over to see who would go, and wasn’t everyone looking right at me?

So, I had no choice but to go.

In front of the demonstration Access Device, I invited the onlookers to try it out comfortably, saying I would teach them UA.

It’s a bit much to say this myself, but perhaps because I have a rather likeable face, I felt like more people were gathering than for the other teams.

“Ah, don’t be nervous. Just pull the Trigger lightly. It’s a weapon with little vibration, so you should be able to hit the target easily. Yes! Just like that. You’re really good! Is this really your first time with UA?”

Without logging into the game myself, I wore a microphone that could transmit my voice into the Access Device from the outside and guided the citizens.

Just as I was about to successfully complete the 30-minute slot allocated to Magnus, a family came into my Vision.

They seemed to have come to the park for a picnic.

And one elementary school student was looking this way.

The little girl, holding her parents’ hands tightly, suddenly ran towards me and grabbed my leg.

“Mom! Dad! I want to try this! Let me!”

Her parents, perhaps caught off guard, looked a little flustered.

“Hey. Don’t bother Oppa, come here. Now.”

“No! I wanna try it-!”

“You can play games when we get home.”

“You don’t let me at home! I like VR Games too!”

The surrounding citizens laughed as if the whining child was cute, and her parents, sighing, “Oh, why is she being like this! Honestly,” tried to leave the spot.

But what was this?

The child grabbed the Access Device tightly, showing her determination not to let go.

At this point, I had no choice but to subtly take the child’s side.

How admirable.

In a South Korea where children are precious, and where any kid with a bit of Talent is started on Gaia, a little fan showing interest in UA had appeared.

“It seems she really wants to try it, how about you let her have a go?”

“Oh dear. We watched while eating our lunch, and this is a shooting game, isn’t it? It looked too difficult.”

The child’s father said.

I told him it was a simple game where you just had to pull the Trigger, so even children could do it.

The real concern should have been the exposure to violence from gun Control, but since South Korea strictly regulates personal firearm ownership, one could definitely enjoy UA only as a game.

Hearing that anyone could easily play the game, the father seemed to be thinking, “Then should we let her try?” while the mother, still looking displeased, crossed her arms and watched the child.

Her gaze said, “You just wait till we get home,” but the child paid it no mind and stood in front of the Access Device with me.

“Normally, I teach how to play from the outside, but this time, I’ll play the game with you as a special treat.”

I asked for the understanding of the people waiting behind me and took one of the demonstration Access Devices.

When I said it was to teach the little girl the game directly, everyone gladly gave up their spot.

It seemed they were more curious about what kind of gameplay this little girl would show than participating in the demonstration themselves.

And so, I logged into the game with the little friend.

‘Hmm. Definitely a pistol, the lightest one.’

A weapon the little girl could handle.

After choosing an optical-type weapon instead of a Live Round one, I turned on the practice shooting mode and helped my friend with her posture.

“Have you ever shot a gun before?”

“No. But I’ve seen it before.”

I thought she was just saying that, but it seemed she had really seen someone shooting somewhere.

The little girl, gripping the pistol firmly with both hands, stretched her arms forward, and without anyone teaching her, closed one eye and aimed at the target.

“Should I shoot?”

“Go ahead.”

“Okay.”

And when she pulled the Trigger, a blue beam shot out with a shweeeik- sound and pierced right through the center of the target.

“Nine!” an announcement rang out in the shooting range, indicating a score of 9 points.

The participants who had logged into the game with us and were watching her shoot applauded.

“Wow. Awesome.”

“I want to try, too.”

Spurred on by the child’s success, citizens one after another asked for help, saying they wanted to try shooting.

“Oppa. I’ll be right back after helping the others for a bit, okay?”

“Okay.”

At my words, she didn’t even turn her head, her gaze fixed on the target as she continued to pull the Trigger.

Her face was that of someone who had just discovered the most interesting toy.

The UA trial time was about 10 minutes.

The child continuously replaced Energy packs and kept practicing her shooting.

When I returned after helping the others, I corrected the kid’s posture and gave her ‘simple’ advice on how to improve her accuracy.

The time was too short to give her difficult advice, and I thought it was more important for her, as a young child, to feel the fun.

“Later, you can try against moving enemies. That’ll be even more fun.”

“They move? Not those targets?”

“This game isn’t about shooting targets, it’s a game where you fight with guns. Once you get used to it, you have to shoot at moving enemies.”

“That sounds fun…”

The kid’s eyes sparkled.

When she asked if she could try it right now, I summoned a simple Tutorial bot for her.

A rabbit soldier, armed with an ammo belt, a bulletproof vest, and a Rifle, appeared with a pyong-.

“Hehet! Can you defeat me!” the rabbit shouted.

Seeing the bipedal Tutorial rabbit, the little girl squealed, “It’s cute!”

“When Oppa says ‘start!’, you shoot the rabbit. Got it?”

“Does the rabbit shoot me too?”

“Yep. So if you can, you can hide behind a box or a wall and shoot by just peeking your body out like this, like this? You can also shoot while running.”

I demonstrated by making gestures with my own body.

“I understand.”

“Okay, I’ll count to three. One, two, three. Start!”

At that moment, even though no one had taught her, the little girl broke into a full sprint.

She wasn’t running towards a barricade or Cover.

Amazingly, the kid ran towards the rabbit.

It was as if she had instinctively realized that since her Aim wavers when running, closing the distance would be advantageous.

‘Look at this kid.’

But despite that flash of Talent, it was the little girl who collapsed with a thud.

“Huh? I lost?”

“Yeah… The rabbit is just a bit good.”

Although it was a Tutorial bot, this battle rabbit was a very tough opponent for a User who was a complete beginner who had just logged into the game and had only shot at a target a few times.

In fact, it was designed so that if you could beat the rabbit, you could pull your own weight as a team member in a Rank Game without any problems.

Besides, it was a short 10-minute demonstration.

The little girl, who fought one-on-one with the rabbit for the rest of the time, ended up not winning a single time and burst into tears after coming out of the Access Device.

“I told you we shouldn’t have let her! Why bring her out to have fun just to make her cry!”

The mother nagged, and the husband raised both hands in surrender.

“Yunseula! I’m sorry! It’s Dad’s fault. The game’s not fun, right? Let’s go home~. Stop crying.”

“No!”

“Huh? What do you mean, no?”

“The game is fun! I’m just crying because I’m frustrated that I lost to the rabbit!”

The kid said, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves.

Good competitive spirit, and Talent too.

She was a coveted talent.

If I were a team Director or Coach, I would have wanted to take this young friend and raise her well.

“Dad, can’t I play more?”

“The demonstration is only once per person.”

“Can’t I even if I wait longer? Oppa, can’t you?”

Sorry, but there was nothing I could do.

If I had more time left in my slot, maybe, but the Magnus team’s demonstration time was already over.

When I said I was sorry, the little girl’s eyes welled up with tears and she pouted.

“I want to play the game more…”

“Then Dad will let you play again next time.”

“When? Dad, can you win against Mom…?”

At the child’s question, the father glanced furtively at his wife.

It was a moment where one could guess who held the power in this family.

And as if she heard that, the mother approached and reasoned with the child.

That when you’re young, you have to study.

That you can play games as much as you want when you grow up.

Hearing those words, I inwardly beat my chest in frustration.

‘Oh no, it’ll be too late when she’s all grown up! Ma’am! In gaming, timing is everything!’

Even for Gaia, if you dreamed of becoming a pro player, it was crucial to start early education from a young age.

Of course, it was a different game, but the same was true for UA.

If you honed the necessary Stamina and Skills from a young age, you could start at a much better position than others.

I pictured this child’s future in my head.

The image of a child who, under a strict mother, would never get to unfold her Talent and would end up living a life far from gaming.

“Excuse me… Ma’am?”

“Yes?”

“I’m, uh, a Pro Gamer for this game.”

“Ah, yes.”

“You saw the demonstration just now, right? Your daughter’s Talent is very, very outstanding.”

To convey my feelings, I emphasized ‘very’ twice!

“If she starts preparing now, she’ll have no problem joining a pro team. I’m serious.”

“A pro… player?”

“Yes. I just had to say something because it’s a shame to just let such a Talent go. If she succeeds, wealth and fame will follow…”

“I’m sorry. I have no intention of making our child a pro player.”

Well, she had nothing to be sorry to me for, but it was still a shame.

To think that a Talent like this had to study school subjects.

An asset like this should become a pro player for the development of UA!

For UA to become a huge hit game.

I was curious why she didn’t want her to become a Pro Gamer, and surprisingly, the mother readily explained the reason.

“My older brother was also a pro player. For Gaia. He managed to get into a team, but he couldn’t move up to the higher leagues and just spent his time struggling. A Pro Gamer? Everyone knows you make good money if you become famous. But how many people can actually achieve that?”

The mother said.

That in that world, as bright as the light at the top is, below it are countless players who only shed tears before leaving.

As a family member, she had watched that happen right beside her, and she didn’t want to bet her daughter’s life on such an uncertain future.

Then, she stared at me, asking with her eyes.

“Even so, should we have our child try to become a Pro Gamer?”

“Can you guarantee it? That our daughter will succeed?”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

It was only natural.

How could I answer so easily, thinking that one wrong word from me could change a person’s life?

What’s more, I had just met this kid today, and I had only seen her play for a mere 10 minutes.

It was far too short a time to make a proper evaluation.

‘I’m sorry-!’

Just as I was apologizing in my heart for finding a talented friend after so long but not being able to back her up to the end, I heard her mutter something.

“I should have dodged sideways…”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“I just ran straight forward. If I had run from side to side, the rabbit wouldn’t have been able to hit me well…”

The kid wondered, “Why didn’t I think of that right away?” frustratedly shaking her body from side to side.

Watching her, I thought.

This kid absolutely had to try to go pro.

“Ma’am.”

“Yes?”

“Let her try it. Becoming a Pro Gamer.”

“But I already told you…”

“This child. She has Talent! Even if she’s young! She has a Talent that can’t be hidden!”

As my voice suddenly grew louder, the mother seemed startled.

“I! The Ace of the Magnus team! Han Youngin! I will guarantee it!”

My voice was so loud that everyone around couldn’t help but stare, and the hyungs who heard my shout clicked their tongues, saying, “That crazy bastard, why’s he calling himself the Ace?”

“And she can absolutely study and play games at the same time. Me? I’m a Pro Gamer now, but I’ve never not been first in my class.”

A lie.

I wasn’t last, but in truth, I was only about 10th in my class at best.

Still, I was giving an Assist that would help a Prospect’s life, so a little lie like this is fine, right? Isn’t it?

Studying and gaming can absolutely be done in parallel.

And if you succeed in gaming, a high Annual Salary is guaranteed.

I passionately argued that the UA association was currently making astronomical investments of over 100 million dollars a year to vitalize the global League.

The fact that I was a player with an Annual Salary of less than 50 million Won was a secret.

But by the time this friend debuted, the market would be much bigger, so I didn’t feel any pangs of conscience.

As I exuded such tremendous confidence, the mother’s thoughts seemed to have changed a little.

“…Is my daughter really that talented?”

“I will guarantee it! If she can’t debut, come find me anytime. Even if you need help.”

“Hmm.”

The mother showed a hint of contemplation.

Not missing this chance, I approached the little girl and met her eyes.

When I knelt, my eye level became similar to the girl’s.

“I didn’t even ask your name. What’s your name?”

“Yunseuli. Jung Yunseul.”

“Yunseul, you can study hard while playing games, right?”

“Yeah! I can do it!”

Thankfully, the kid understood my intention and answered perfectly, persuading her mother by saying she would study hard too.

“Well, alright… Everyone plays games as a hobby these days. I’ll watch her for a bit. Yes.”

The mother’s permission was effectively granted.

The citizens who had been watching this scene with interest clapped their hands and cheered for the child’s future.

Most of them were people who had gotten a taste of UA by participating in the demonstration.

As the situation settled and it was time to part, the girl ran up to me and asked for my name.

“Oppa’s name is Han Youngin. I play for the Magnus team.”

“Han Youngin. Han Youngin…”

As if to remember my name for sure, the girl repeated it several times and nodded her head.

“Oppa! When I go pro, we have to play together!”

“Okay.”

“Promise.”

“Promise.”

As we linked our pinkies and made a promise, I felt a pang of conscience for the first time that day.

It was because the men’s and Women’s Leagues were strictly separate, so we couldn’t play together.

But she would understand this much, I hoped.

If this child really did polish her current Talent and become a pro player.

And so, I waved my hand to the departing Yunseuli.

Hoping that someday she would grow into a great player and lead UA.

And with that, the dream ended, and I woke up from my sleep.

Why had I forgotten this?

But then, why did it come back to me so vividly now?

It was only natural.

Because this wasn’t my dream, it was Jung Yunseul’s dream!

The memory I had completely forgotten as time passed was one Yunseuli remembered, and as a result of sharing the dream, my old memory had been revived.

Jung Yunseul, still fast asleep, breathing softly.

While I was left speechless by the rather shocking memory, Yunseuli muttered in her sleep.

Although she mumbled with a “Mmmnya-,” I could clearly make out what she was saying.

Still dreaming, Jung Yunseul smiled gently and said.

“Oppa, thank you.”