Chapter 1: The Reclusive Genius

The cyber café in the quiet countryside, full of computers too outdated for any businesses to even take them secondhand, was eerily quiet, unlike other cafés. Inside were just the owner falling asleep by the counter and a kid in the uniform of a nearby high school.

“Jaeyeong! It’s 10 minutes before 10. You’d better head home now,” the owner said as he woke himself up and glanced over at the clock.

Not hearing him, Jaeyeong continued to stare into the monitor as he fiercely clicked his mouse and tapped his keyboard, immersed deeply in the game.

Dudududududu—Kablam!

The AOS game that swept the globe as the most popular game in the world: The Legends’ League. Playing from a cyber café no one knew in the countryside, he was dominating the battlefield with micro that would shock the entire world.

-First Kill!

-Double Kill!

-Triple Kill!

Jaeyeong wiped out three enemy heroes without any help from his allies. Comments filled with shock poured endlessly from the countless people watching his plays.

-Holy shit…Did he just kill three on his own?

-Is that even possible? He dodged all the skillshots at such low HP!

-Is he even human? That’s not a human-level reaction speed.

-He’s a god, as always.

-He’s really stomping on KTS’s pride as the number one in the world today.

People went crazy as they watched Jaeyeong lead the team to victory. It was the definition of an overwhelming gap. His opponent, Team KTS, was not just Korea’s number one, but the world’s, making people go even more wild and react explosively.

-Why doesn’t Dex go pro?

-Ikr? That kind of skill is an easy six-figure salary.

-Dex, my man, do a face reveal. I’ll donate!

-Or share with us a little about your strategy on stream. I’ll make sure to subscribe!

Three years ago, appearing out of nowhere like a shooting star, Dex dominated as the best player of Legends’ League with an unbelievable 98% win rate. Each and every one of his plays made a huge impact on the game’s meta, but no one knew his identity. Despite the near obsessive DMs from many teams trying to sign him as a pro gamer, Dex continued to be a mythical being focused on the game and ignored every single message.

“Damn it! Are you guys even playing seriously? We are really screwed if we lose this!” the leader of the KTS team, Seongjin, shouted at his teammates with harsh, annoyed words. “Everyone but Dex on the other team are random, ordinary players! They are all trash except Dex! What would people think of us to lose just to him? Get it together!”

His team members’ shoulders folded at his angry shouts, but there was no way to change the already gloomy atmosphere of the game.

“B-but Seongjin! We are already too far behind…Even if we continue to fight them, all we can do is hold them…”

“Motherfuc—Shut the fuck up! The game isn’t over yet. Don’t you dare blurt bullshit like that!” Did his teammate push him over the edge? Seongjin slammed his keyboard and glared at the other boy as if he was about to pounce on him. “If you had any sense of appreciation for having your corpse dragged to the top, you should have improved at the very least. Was it so hard to even fulfill your role?”

“What did you just say? Hey! Seongjin! Say that one more time!” another teammate shouted as he threw off his headset, seemingly hurt by Seongjin’s remark.

“If only you didn’t challenge Dex to decide the best in the world, this wouldn’t have happened. Who are you to blame your teammates for losing after the mess you made?!”

“You prick!”

“Hey, guys, why are we fighting again all of a sudden? The game isn’t over yet.”

The KTS team was in chaos, with Seongjin violently grabbing his teammate by the collar. Unaware of the situation, Jaeyeong silently tapped his keyboard and led the team to a complete victory.

[The Nexus has been destroyed. Blue Team, Victory!]

-Wow…he really won that.

-That’s insane.

-I bet it’s crazy being the other four, getting carried like that.

-Hardest carry of all time lmao!

KTS’ nexus exploded, astonishing all viewers of the stream as they watched the team lose in real time. It was immediately followed by a polar opposite reaction.

-As expected of Dex! I knew you would win!

-Reverse betting go brrrrrrr! Analysis or whatever can kiss my ass, you just win if you bet on Dex.

-I love you, Dex, bro!

As there were people praising Dex for dominating the game basically all alone and leading them to victory, there were also those who ridiculed the KTS team for losing miserably when trying to beat a single person.

-KTS must be super ashamed. Can they really call themselves the world’s best team at this point?

-Imagine being Seongjin, constantly challenging Dex in interviews only to get destroyed. Smh.

-LMAO he better stfu now. He’s gonna have seizures just from hearing the letter D now.

Meanwhile, Jaeyeong typed up a message in the game’s waiting room chat with an indifferent expression.

-That was a pretty good last game. It’s been fun while it lasted, everyone.

-???

-Last game? You mean last game of the day, right?

People’s brains froze for a second after reading Jaeyeong’s message. Even before anyone could ask, Jaeyeong spoke for himself.

-I’m no longer playing Legends’ League as of today. Enjoy the game, everyone. I’ll be going now.

[Dex has left the chat.]

-W-wait, for real?

-What is he talking about out of nowhere?

-Dex bro, what are you…you are joking, right?

As his viewer comments poured in like a waterfall, Jaeyeong calmly got up from the seat. “I’ll be going now. Thanks for everything.”

The cyber café owner glanced at Jaeyeong and nodded. “Sure. Is today your last day?”

“Yes. I’m heading to Seoul tomorrow.”

The owner muttered, seemingly surprised by Jaeyeong’s response, “For someone who always came here right after school to go to a college in Seoul and escape the boonies. Congrats, kid.”

“I’ll visit from time to time during the holidays.”

Three years of visits must have formed some bond. The owner looked at him with a slightly regretful expression and gave his sincere advice. “Don’t play too many games now that you are in college. Study hard and become successful, got it?”

“Of course.”

Jaeyeong was about to leave through the door. Suddenly curious, the owner shouted at Jaeyeong’s back, “By the way, what are you studying?”

Jaeyeong stopped, turned his head, and answered with a smile, “Computer engineering.”

The owner stared at the doorway with an empty expression after hearing Jaeyeong’s last words, then murmured with a deep sigh, “What a game addict. I guess he’s never letting go of computers.” As he worried for Jaeyeong’s future, he smacked his lips and looked around his empty cyber café. “Hm…I guess I’m not in a position to worry about others. My business is about to shut down at any moment.”

He turned to the TV installed at a corner of the counter. It was showing an advertisement for the first-ever virtual reality game, which was heating up the world in popularity.

“Are you tired of your usual daily life?”

Beautiful natural landscapes flashed across the screen, indistinguishable from reality. A dreamy voice continued to whisper questions.

“Do you want another chance in a world of infinite possibilities?”

It was an ad he had seen countless times already, but every time he watched it, he trembled as his heart boiled with unknown excitement and curiosity.

“We invite you to Arcadia, the fantasy world.”

The world’s first virtual reality, Arcadia. Developed in secret by leading companies Ajin Electronics, Argos Corporation, and Silicorp, it received massive attention around the world.

“It’s coming out soon, now that I think about it.”

Although the service had been running in the US, the release in Korea had been delayed due to the shortage of “Dreamer”, the equipment used to access the virtual reality. After tremendous numbers of requests and complaints, the release was finally imminent in Korea. This was after the internet filled with extremely positive reviews from US users.

-Holy shit. This isn’t a game. It’s a new reality!

-I’d like to thank God for letting me live in this era.

-So fucking fun. I can not imagine a world without it anymore.

Users who had heard these reviews waited for the official release in Korea, anxious with anticipation.

“Maybe I should close the cyber café down and make a virtual reality café instead?” The reactions from the internet were enough for even a cyber café owner in the middle of nowhere to understand that Arcadia was going to completely consume the gaming industry. It was going to not only change cyber cafés, but the entire gaming world. He was now standing at the crossroads to decide whether to keep up with the changing trends. “Ehh. Whatever. It’s too much money to bring in new devices.”

In a small village in the countryside, with fewer than a thousand students in the area, he thought it would be difficult to even pay back the loan he’d need to pour in for the equipment upgrade. And so, the cyber café owner continued to fall into the TV. It was just the quiet sounds of the television that resonated in the cyber café nobody visited.

***

As Jaeyeong arrived in Seoul, he quickly headed to the room he had rented near the school. He started talking with a pedantic-looking grandmother.

“Let’s see here…You are Jaeyeong Yun, correct?”

“Yes. That’s me.”

“I see. A handsomely tall fellow. Are you studying in a university around here?”

“Yes. I got admitted to Seomin University this year.”

The grandma turned bemused eyes toward him. “Seems like you didn’t study as well as I thought. It’s not a great school, if I recall correctly…”

It could have been an offensive remark, but Jaeyeong nodded casually. “I wasn’t very interested in studying. I just did as much as I needed to.”

The grandma nodded with disinterest. “I see…They do say you can make money in other ways nowadays. Anyway, the rent here is $300, and the condition, well…isn’t great, to be honest.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll take it.”

It was extremely cheap compared to other studio apartments around universities, but looking at the inside, it could be considered expensive in a sense. It was in terrible condition and looked decades old. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t find a tenant for a long time.

The old lady smiled as Jaeyeong nodded. “Great to talk to a refreshing young man. I’ll be on my way, then. Just call me if you have any questions.”

As the grandma left and closed the door, Jaeyeong sat in that cramped room and looked around. He fiddled with his phone as if he was waiting for something. Moments later, someone knocked on the front door.

“This is Arcadia. Is Mr. Jaeyeong Yun here?”

Jaeyeong swung the door open, as if he was waiting for those words. He found two people struggling to carry a large box.

“Yes. That’s me.”

“We’re here to install the equipment you ordered. Where should we put it?”

As the delivery man frowned, drenched in sweat from the weight, Jaeyeong pointed at an empty corner of the room. “Over there, please.”

“Yes. No problem. Could you fill out these documents while we install it, please?” The men dropped the box with a heavy grunt and started working, while Jaeyeong filled out the papers they handed him.

[Virtual Reality Connection Device, High-End Capsule Dreamer Installment Contract.]

A high-end device boasting a price tag of 30 thousand dollars—it was incomparable to entry-level devices. Despite the terrifying price, Jaeyeong had spent it without hesitation. As he was working through the documents, one of the workers came over after a seemingly complete installation and briefly confirmed the contract with him.

“You are purchasing the device in 36-month installments, and the contract can be canceled only within three months. Refunds due to change of mind are not possible, and warranty is covered up to two years.”

“What’s my monthly payment for the device?”

“Hmm…for you, sir, it seems to be 920 dollars a month.”

Jaeyeong thought for a moment, then muttered quietly to himself, “Hmm…so I can last up to six months.”

“Sorry, Sir?”

“Nothing. Is the installation complete?”

“Ah, Yes! You should be able to use it without any issues.”

“Thank you.” Jaeyeong handed the completed documents to the staff and glued his eyes to the luxurious-looking, human-sized capsule installed in the room.

“We are providing three months of free service for Arcadia, the Virtual Reality, for customers who purchased the high-end version of the device. Please take note of that, and we hope you enjoy our service. Have a great day.”

The two men left with slightly proud expressions as they saw Jaeyeong stare blankly at the capsule. Looking possessed, he walked inside and booted up the device.

Whirr.

A high-frequency noise surrounded him. He started to feel sleepy in an instant, and heard a dreamy voice.

“Welcome to Arcadia, the fantasy world.”

After sweeping the world of computer games with countless praise and questions from many people, Dex, or Jaeyeong—the invincible single player, the veiled recluse, and the unofficial number one in the world in the Legends’ League with monstrous situational judgment ability and unmatched physique—set foot into a new world: Arcadia, the world’s first virtual reality game.