Chapter 33

A short while later.

I returned home, changed my clothes, and headed to the meeting place. Since I didn’t have a personal vehicle, I took a taxi.

“We’ve arrived.”

“How much is it?”

“6,700 won.”

After paying the fare, I got out of the taxi and entered the restaurant right in front of me.

I could already see people who had taken their seats, exchanging drinks.

Because of them, the inside was quite noisy.

“So, what level are you?”

An familiar voice was heard amidst the chatter. I turned my head and saw Sungminwoo there.

I approached with a faint smile and saw the group that had already arrived.

People I once considered friends.

Even the girl I had feelings for.

“Yo, you’re here?”

A man with a rather developed jaw gestured roughly.

It was Heo Young-chan.

As his name suggested, he was a guy who lived quite caught up in vanity.

It wasn’t that his family was well-off, but his small online shopping mall had become a moderate success, and I heard that he was now making close to 15 million won in net profit per month.

Because of that, his already direct and sharp way of speaking had become even more severe.

You could say he was the type who couldn’t distinguish between what he should and shouldn’t say, even to his friends.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

Before I could even answer, everyone turned to look.

Everyone wore a welcoming expression. But how many of them were truly welcoming me?

At that moment, Sungminwoo stood up.

“Why are you so late?”

“The road was a little congested.”

“Is that so? Sit down here for now.”

Sungminwoo pulled Kang Muhyuk and sat him down.

But unfortunately, it was right next to her, Jeong Mina, the girl he once had feelings for.

At first, I felt a bit uncomfortable, but as I sat down and talked to her, I could feel that I had changed a little.

“Is it because it’s been a while? You feel completely different?”

“Really? I’ve been working out a bit lately.”

If it had been the old Kang Muhyuk, his speech would have been awkward.

Unable to overcome his shyness, he would have been blunt, or he would have avoided eye contact altogether.

But not now. She didn’t seem like anything more than just a woman I knew.

“Wow, look at those muscles.”

Then, Jeong Mina suddenly reached out. I could feel her hand stroking my forearm.

Kang Muhyuk was a little startled, but thanks to spending years as a quadriplegic, his mental strength seemed to have been quite trained.

I never thought I would be able to look her straight in the eye even in this situation.

“So firm!”

She always came whenever we gathered, but it was difficult to get close to her.

There was always a distance between us, but today that distance was barely felt.

That doesn’t mean I liked her.

I still can’t forget the look and conversation she had with me when she visited me in the hospital when I was lying there as a quadriplegic.

“Thanks.”

So I ignored the subtle glances she was sending me. Since there was nothing more to talk about, I turned my head.

I saw Sungminwoo looking at me and smirking.

He didn’t say it, but he must have known. That Kang Muhyuk had feelings for Jeong Mina. So he deliberately sat me next to her.

Well, it’s a useless act now.

But I didn’t show it.

“You said you’re playing Illusion, right?”

“Of course.”

“What level are you?”

“I’m level 32 now.”

“When did you start?”

“As soon as it opened. What about you?”

“Me?”

At Sungminwoo’s question, Kang Muhyuk closed his mouth.

“Hey, what level are you?”

“Ah. I haven’t been playing for very long.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s been a little less than two months.”

“Still, you must have reached level 15.”

Kang Muhyuk just smiled.

Even though I’m level 31.

I didn’t think there was any need to mention it in detail.

If it were just Sungminwoo, maybe…….

Currently, the number of Capsules sold in South Korea alone exceeded 20 million, and the number of Capsules sold worldwide was already heading towards 1 billion.

With sales increasing exponentially day by day, 50 percent of the programs occupying TV schedules were related to Illusion.

If you came to your senses one day, Rankers were filming commercials, and the quests they were conducting were being broadcast on the three major broadcasting stations.

Thanks to this, I couldn’t fully grasp the ripple effect and influence of Illusion, but I was definitely feeling it.

That’s Illusion. Everyone living there dreams of being the best.

Muhyuk is the same. I didn’t want to reveal information about myself to them.

“Why are you so quiet?”

It was at that moment.

“Hey, hey. Do you have no tact? If he’s having trouble saying it, you can tell. He must be embarrassed because his level is too low. I’ll give the low-levels a ride later, so let’s high-levels talk. I said earlier that I’m level 46, right? That’s not Ranker level, but I’m getting quite a bit of attention!”

Heo Young-chan’s voice struck my eardrums. Thanks to that, Sungminwoo’s head turned to him.

“But you run a shopping mall, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But how did you already reach level 46?”

“Ah, I actually scaled it down a bit.”

“The size of the shopping mall?”

“Yeah, I kept having to pay attention to it, so I didn’t have time to play Illusion. So I hired a part-timer to manage everything. Of course, I’m still in charge of sales.”

Then, Bae Min-sung and Park Hwan-gyu, who were on either side of Heo Young-chan, chimed in. They couldn’t hide their envious expressions.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“In other words, you’re saying that money comes in every month even if you just stay still?”

“That’s right.”

The corners of Heo Young-chan’s lips went up.

His smile seemed to be saying.

How is it?

I’m not on the same level as you guys.

Then, Jeong Mina asked Heo Young-chan with shining eyes.

“But is it really necessary to go that far?”

“What do you mean?”

“If the scale decreases, your income will also decrease.”

“That’s true. But no matter how I think about it, becoming an Illusion Ranker seems better. Think about it. These days, no matter what you watch on the internet or TV, it’s all about Illusion. In the past, people would go crazy when idol groups came out, but now all the idol members are appearing as MCs or guests on Illusion programs, right?”

Everyone nodded.

“And the ones who have taken that place are the Illusion Rankers.”

“That’s right.”

“Honestly, it doesn’t seem like Illusion will ever fail.”

That’s obvious.

How many Capsules have been sold worldwide?

“So, if you get attention there, you’ll become a global star, not just in Korea. Do you even know how much the Rankers’ quest scenes that are broadcast on the three major broadcasting stations are worth? If you appear on TV once, you get paid 20 million won just for appearing, and if it’s organized as a paid video, you get hundreds of millions of won every month.”

Everyone’s mouths dropped open at the word “hundreds of millions.”

“Wow, that much?”

“Don’t be so surprised.”

Of course, it’s not easy to organize a paid video. Only really special quests are possible.

But if you raise your level and join a good guild, it’s not impossible.

Right now, only a few people are getting attention, but as time goes by, guilds with a large number of people will get attention.

“I’ve already received offers from a few guilds that are doing well these days.”

“I’m so jealous.”

“Wow. That’s amazing, amazing.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

Everyone was mesmerized by Heo Young-chan’s words.

Everyone, except for one person, Kang Muhyuk.

“But you were even thinking about that?”

“Of course. A virtual reality game of this quality has never been released before. Illusion is definitely an amazing game that will change the flow of the world.”

Heo Young-chan’s eyes shone brightly.

Kang Muhyuk was looking at him strangely.

Certainly, things would flow as he said.

I thought he was just full of vanity, but he was more perceptive than I thought.

No, is that obvious?

That’s why his shopping mall was a moderate success.

Anyway, I agreed with most of what he said, but I could find a few flaws that I could never agree with.

First of all, the fact that hundreds of millions of won come in when a paid video is organized.

That’s only possible for very popular videos.

Besides, no matter how popular it is, as time goes by, new videos are uploaded, and the number of people watching that video decreases significantly. Of course, the income will also decrease.

He wasn’t talking about that part.

Okay, let’s say that’s true.

Can Heo Young-chan really become like them?

Can he enter the world of Rankers, which is full of monsters?

Can he survive there?

The possibility was very low.

Why?

Because of Heo Young-chan’s level.

He was only 46 now.

He started from the beginning and said that he doesn’t pay attention to home shopping except for sales management.

Then he must have spent a lot of money. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he went all-in, but he’s only level 46.

That was a low level for the level he had achieved in over 7 months.

I wouldn’t know if he was over 50.

On the other hand, Kang Muhyuk reached level 31 in less than two months.

He might be level 40 before he fills 4 months.

It’s not impossible.

Level 31 is hunting Ogres. The level-up speed is bound to be different.

It was possible because I used information to get ahead in the beginning. And it was an undeniable fact that this small difference would become huge as time went by.

“I’m level 46 in a place like that.”

It might be great from the perspective of the people gathered here, but from Kang Muhyuk’s perspective, it was honestly just ridiculous.

It was obvious that he hadn’t solved any hidden quests.

Then all he would have done was raise 45 stats, but could he really catch up with the top Rankers with that?

Absolutely NO.

I didn’t achieve unbelievable growth like Kang Muhyuk, but most of the 10,000 Rankers who could be called real Rankers were seeing the effects of additional stats by breaking at least one hidden quest.

The gap between them?

It was at a level that was difficult to explain in words.

I feel like saying something.

Should I reveal my level?

Level 31 in two months.

They would definitely faint the moment they heard it.

Honestly, as a person and as a man, I wanted to show off that process.

However, the problem is what happens if everything about me is revealed because of them.

Name, age, university.

Even if it’s not with malicious intent, what if that information spreads due to their loose mouths?

If that’s revealed…….

If it’s revealed?

What does that mean?

Why am I worried about that?

Of course, there is some reluctance.

First of all, my family.

They would be half dead if they found out.

It’s also true that there are more disadvantages than advantages to getting attention because of a low level, but that doesn’t mean I should hide it this much.

Besides, who would care about level 31?

Of course, there is a high possibility of getting attention due to fraudulent level-ups, but honestly, unless they check it directly, most people would dismiss it as nonsense.

Maybe I’m overreacting…….

But those thoughts didn’t last long. It was because Heo Young-chan’s bragging hit my eardrums again.

“Hehe, anyway, if I take a seat in the guild, I’ll let you guys join, so don’t worry.”

“Oh, thank you!”

Kang Muhyuk just laughed inwardly.

Yeah, let’s stop paying attention.

There was no need to point out the flaws and make him aware of his current position.

He has a bad personality, but he’s still a guy who knows how to read the flow, so it would be a pleasure to see him collapse while intoxicated with arrogance.

“By the way, Jeong Mina.”

“Yeah?”

“You play Illusion too, right? What level did you say you were?”

“Ah, I’m a magician and my level is 20.”

“Hmm, that’s low?”

“Yeah, I don’t have much time.”

Jeong Mina smiled and talked to Heo Young-chan.

“Then should I give you a party?”

“Really? I’d love that!”

“Okay, then contact me tomorrow.”

“Okay!”

Since the conversation was mainly about Illusion, Kang Muhyuk didn’t feel bored either.

I didn’t drink much alcohol, but you could say I was intoxicated by the atmosphere.

Of course, it’s true that I don’t like these people very much, but it had been a long time since I felt this kind of leisure, so I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

Then, when I grabbed the spirit I had let go of again, everyone was surprised to check the time that had passed.

It was already past 11 o’clock.

“Wow, has it already become this late?”

“Shall we go soon?”

Then, Heo Young-chan shook his head with a slightly drunk look.

“Where are you going?”

“Huh? Are we going to drink again?”

“No!”

“Then?”

“We have to go to the Capsule Room, you guys!”

Kang Muhyuk’s expression hardened slightly at the word “Capsule Room.”