Chapter 4 – A Fake Better Than the Real Thing (１)
Chapter 4 – A Fake Better Than the Real Thing (１)
Gijun stared at his Fireball for a long while.
It was electrifying.
Just watching it sent a thrill through him.
He knew it was a game, but that didn’t matter.
If he could unleash his magical talent to the fullest, even if only inside this game, that was enough.
Then, more messages appeared.
[You have triumphed in battle against an overwhelmingly powerful foe.]
[The Proficiency of your Skills has skyrocketed.]
[Your Proficiency in Mana Handling has increased.]
[Mana Handling]
>Grade: Legendary
>Proficiency: E
>Magic Attack +30%
>Casting Speed +30%
No sooner had the fight with Tarakan ended than Mana Handling’s Proficiency shot up.
That alone had boosted his Magic Attack and Casting Speed by a full 10% each.
‘Ridiculous.’
He’d already felt Mana Handling’s effects firsthand—enough to know how good it was.
And now, in that single moment, it had grown even further.
But the messages weren’t done yet.
[Quest Complete: Tutorial!]
[Due to your Favorability, the Tutorial rewards have been adjusted to their maximum tier!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
.
.
.
[All Stats have increased by 5!]
[Magic Attack has permanently increased by 10%!]
In an instant, he hit level 5, with +5 to every Stat.
As if that weren’t enough, he’d also earned a permanent boost to Magic Attack.
But it still wasn’t over.
“This is a gift from me.”
The old man said, holding something out.
[You have acquired the Staff of the Flame Seeker!]
[Staff of the Flame Seeker]
>Grade: Rare
>Physical Attack: 10
>Magic Attack: 50
>All Stats +5
>Magic Power +10
>Magic Attack +15%
‘Rare?’
He had just obtained a Rare-grade staff.
‘From a mere Tutorial quest…’
How could the reward be this absurd?
“Consider it a token for finishing your training so admirably. Don’t let it weigh on you.”
“Thank you so much.”
“I have many Disciples in this world. They’ll each be growing stronger in their own ways. If you ever meet them, listen carefully to what they have to say.”
“I will.”
The mention of Myeongjun’s other Disciples piqued Gijun’s curiosity.
But then—
“Ah, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Your earnest wish will surely come true.”
“What do you mean…?”
“You’ll understand soon enough. That’s all I can tell you. Now go forth and pursue your purpose to your heart’s content.”
‘What does he mean?’
As he tilted his head, unable to grasp the old man’s words, a message appeared before his eyes.
[Real Spirit Stat Synchronization complete.]
‘Stat Synchronization…? What’s that now?’
Gijun frowned at the cryptic message.
*
After finishing the Tutorial, Gijun logged out of the game.
“I told you it’s not good to play for too long right from the start.”
As a VR game, the physical fatigue is serious.
They said it’s best to play in two-to-three-hour sessions at first, to give your body time to adapt.
“Gotta keep up with exercise too.”
Gijun saw potential in Real Spirit.
Now, confidence surged through him—he could really excel at this.
That made him think it’d be worth going about it more professionally.
To play professionally, managing your body is essential.
“Hoooh.”
Letting out a short sigh, Gijun pushed himself up from the pod.
But then—
“Khak!”
It hurt.
Every muscle in his body ached like it was being torn apart.
“What the hell is this…”
Cold sweat beaded on Gijun’s skin.
Just a few hours of play, and his body had ended up like this.
“Whoa, I’ve gotta be careful from now on.”
He never imagined the side effects would hit this hard.
Gijun had to soothe his own chest, counting himself lucky he hadn’t played any longer.
“If I did ten hours of this, I might actually drop dead mid-game…”
But he’d heard other people played for over ten hours once they adapted.
“Was my health really that bad…?”
A bitter taste settled in his mouth for no good reason.
“Ah, screw it. Let’s just eat.”
With that thought, Gijun started his meal.
But even then, his gaze kept sneaking back to the pod.
He wanted to jump right back into it, right that second.
That was how completely Gijun had fallen for the game called Real Spirit.
*
The next day.
Gijun’s heart swelled at the thought of opening his eyes and starting the game again.
Just as he was about to log in, brimming with excitement—
Zzzzing!
His smartphone rang.
[Kim Jiyun]
It was Jiyun.
“Uh, Jiyun?”
Gijun answered the call.
Through the phone, he heard Jiyun’s urgent shout.
[Oppa1, oppa! Are you free today?]
“…Mm. Why?”
[Well, it’s just… We’re going into a Dungeon today, but our mage suddenly came down sick.]
He didn’t really have any plans, to be honest.
Right now, Gijun just wanted to play the game.
But saying no because of the game felt like a pretty weak excuse.
[Oppa. I know this is really rude. I know I’m asking way too much… but could you please just do me this one favor…? I’ll treat you to something really, really good.]
“You’re a mage too, though.”
[I know, but… we need one more mage. A wind-element mage under 3rd Circle!]
The truth was, Gijun was actually a perfect fit.
Honestly, right now, he wanted to keep exploring the Spirit World.
But with Jiyun asking, it was hard to say no.
After all, wasn’t it thanks to her that he’d even gotten into Spirit World in the first place?
Gijun hesitated for a moment.
It was sudden, but hearing that made his body itch with restlessness.
‘Should I go.’
The longing for magic, still not faded.
That desire was stirring him.
“Yeah. Let’s just earn some cash. It’s not like I can make real money from the game anytime soon.”
*
Gijun arrived at the guild building.
[Hwarang]
Hwarang Guild, ranked second in all of Korea.
It was one of the world’s top-ten guilds—a truly global powerhouse.
The Republic of Korea had a density of Gates and Dungeons that far outstripped its landmass.
What’s more, the quality and ferocity of the monsters inside those Dungeons and Gates were among the highest in the world.
In this world, Gates, Dungeons, and the monsters within them determined a nation’s standing.
Strong monsters forged stronger Superhumans and supplied valuable materials.
That was how Korea had risen to become a superpower of Superhumans.
A fact made plain by three Korean guilds ranking within the global top ten.
For Hwarang to hold the number-two spot even in such a nation was no small feat.
‘Even looking at it now, it’s impressive.’
Just the building alone spoke to Hwarang’s stature.
It towered a hundred floors high.
And they’d turned the entire surrounding area into a single, self-contained living zone.
There was a small park, a lake, countless shopping districts, and even residential quarters for Hwarang’s Superhumans.
And this wasn’t even the main headquarters.
It was the Seoul Southern branch building.
Then—
‘Ah.’
Gijun spotted Jiyun.
She was already kitted out in raid gear, which meant this was urgent.
“Jiyun.”
“Oh, Oppa!”
The moment Jiyun saw Gijun, her face broke into a wide grin and she came running over.
And then, almost without thinking, her eyes swept over him.
The instant their gazes met, she flinched and looked away.
After a moment of awkwardness, she asked carefully.
“Oppa, have you been working out?”
“No, why?”
“Really…? Maybe it’s just me…?”
Jiyun tilted her head.
No matter how she looked at it, Gijun’s clothes just sat differently on him now.
Where before he’d been thin by anyone’s standards, now he was noticeably more solid.
He wore simple jeans and a black tee, but the fabric now hinted at a firm build underneath.
In fact, she could feel people around them sneaking glances his way.
“You said you were busy. Let’s go.”
“Oh, right. Follow me, Oppa.”
Jiyun led Gijun onto the elevator.
They got off at the tenth floor.
Inside, Superhumans were already geared up.
“Team Leader, this is the Oppa I told you about, Baek Gijun. We went to the Academy together.”
“Ah, a pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Park Yunseok, Team Leader of Raid Team 2 at Hwarang’s Seoul Southern Branch.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Gijun.”
They shook hands, eyes meeting.
“It’s not a particularly high-difficulty Dungeon, but we were short on personnel, so I had to call you in on short notice. I apologize for that.”
The statement rang true.
Even at a glance, the Superhumans here were on a completely different level from Gijun.
“Not at all. It’s fine.”
“Thank you for your understanding. Then, I’ll begin with a brief explanation.”
“Yes.”
“Currently, each guild has a mandatory monthly quota of dungeons to clear, based on its size.”
Gijun already knew this.
Not that his old guild had ever done it, though.
They’d been too small.
This world wasn’t harsh enough to saddle small-to-mid guilds, who struggled just to keep their own bowls full, with public-service tasks.
“Lately, our Hwarang has been increasing the number of clearance dungeons, so we’ve become short on Superhumans.”
‘Must be about the rankings.’
He’d heard that Hwarang had started a performance competition to chase down the number-one-ranked guild.
Naturally, clearing low-Level dungeons factored into that score.
“Which is why I contacted you so urgently. Once again, thank you for responding to such a sudden request.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“I’m grateful for your understanding. Here’s the contract. Please review it.”
‘One million won…’
Just the base fee.
And extra allowances on top of that were a bonus.
That was way too much money for a single day’s work.
Maybe the price had gone up a bit because they’d rushed to hire someone, but still—it made you realize a proper guild was on a whole different level.
‘If you’re gonna slave away, might as well do it for a noble house.’
Gijun skimmed the contract, then signed his name at the very bottom.
The moment his signature was done, a guild member brought him his equipment.
It was gear for the raid.
Click! Clank!
Putting on the equipment wasn’t hard.
He’d done it before.
In seconds, Gijun had all of it on.
“Alright, we’re heading out now. Move to the portal.”
‘A portal…?’
In his old guild, they’d taken a large van to get to the Dungeon.
But here, they were using a portal.
Just one of those things had to cost tens of billions.
‘Impressive.’
For a moment, he felt a surge of admiration for Jiyun, working as a main raid member in a guild like this.
Jiyun winked at Gijun and gave him a thumbs-up; he let out a small smile in return.
*
“Let me brief you quickly. The dungeon we’re heading into is a Level-3 Dungeon.”
Dungeon levels run from one to ten.
The higher the number, the stronger the dungeon.
A Level 3 meant it wasn’t particularly hard.
Maybe that’s why the team had only five members in total.
“Crystal Goblins are nesting inside. They’re not that strong individually, but they’re tricky bastards. Every single one of them wears a Mana Shield around its body. To strip that shield, you need Mana.”
“Even a small amount of Mana will do, but since they move in packs, a mage who can handle Mana in area-of-effect is essential—not individual targets. Saves us time too.”
Hearing that, I finally understood why they’d scrambled to find a mage.
No matter how strong your attack, you’d always have to hit twice.
So a mage who could handle wide-range attacks was absolutely essential.
‘Jiyun’s an ice-type mage, sure… but at the 2nd or 3rd Circle level, there aren’t really any widespread spells.’
The biggest problem was that he couldn’t use high-Circle magic in a low-level dungeon.
If Mana that the dungeon couldn’t contain started swirling around, it might cause unexpected trouble inside.
If not for that, Jiyun could just sweep them all away in an instant with her 6th or 7th Circle magic.
“Focus only on stripping the monsters’ Mana Shields using the widest-area spell you can.”
“Yes.”
“If you understand everything, we’ll enter immediately.”
Gijun nodded.
It wasn’t his first Raid, so there was nothing difficult about it.
Especially since this dungeon was tailored to his strengths.
“It’s been a while since we teamed up like this, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Answering Jiyun, Gijun stepped into the dungeon as well.
1. Oppa — an affectionate term a younger woman uses for an older man she is close to; literally “older brother.”
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A few of the parts where an individual is speaking is missing the first “ and only has the end “.
Such as: It’s fine. I don’t mind.”