Chapter 34

Recently, these places have been springing up like mushrooms after the rain, and they are solely for those who want to access Illusion via a Capsule.

Just like PC rooms with computers.

“Hmm, not bad?”

“Shall we go?”

“I’m in!”

“Me too.”

Everyone seemed to agree.

“Then let’s pay first.”

“Okay.”

After paying, they gathered outside the restaurant.

Sungminwoo approached and nudged Muhyuk’s shoulder.

“Ah, well…”

“Let’s go. It’s been a while since we all got together.”

If they connect to the Capsule Room, their levels will inevitably be revealed.

“Let’s all check our levels too.”

“Umm.”

“Let’s enjoy it.”

That word suddenly struck him.

Enjoy?

Sungminwoo’s words brought back the thoughts he had been pushing aside.

Did he really need to hide it?

Or perhaps it was something that wouldn’t even garner any attention in the first place.

Maybe it was just a needless worry.

Shouldn’t he just act as he pleased?

Of course, if he had his old personality, he might have felt burdened and hidden away.

But his life now was different from before.

Completely changing his personality was difficult, but becoming more proactive wasn’t that hard.

Wasn’t this a new life?

A life to start over.

It could flow however it wanted.

He just wanted to lead that flow.

So, let’s not hide.

Was it because his thoughts had shifted?

It felt like a wall that had been blocking him had crumbled.

It was a very refreshing feeling.

“Are you coming?”

“Of course, I’m going.”

The smile on his face looked relaxed.

After arriving at the Capsule Room, they paid the fee in advance, received guidance, and entered the room.

They would be using the six Capsules located there.

“Alright, where should we meet?”

“First of all, the continent is Forma, right?”

“That’s right. That’s the continent where Asians connect.”

“Then how about the Vir Kingdom in the center?”

“The Vir Kingdom, huh.”

“It’s in the center, after all.”

“Hmm, not bad?”

“Sounds good.”

“Me too.”

“Then let’s meet at the central fountain in the Vir Kingdom.”

After deciding on a location, they immediately entered the Capsules and lay down.

As the door closed, only darkness remained. Amidst a strange silence, a familiar mechanical sound struck his eardrums.

[Scanning body.]

[Confirming user ‘Muhyuk’.]

[Please enter your password.]

Milky Way.

As he thought of it in his mind, the light drew a little closer.

[Connected.]

Soon, a light appeared in the distance.

The light quickly approached and covered his retina, and at that moment, a new world came into view.

It was a scene he was now familiar with.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

The moment the subtle sensation disappeared, he opened his eyes.

It was the place where he had logged out.

Thud.

He left the Ogre hunting grounds and returned to the town where the Warp Gate was installed.

Unlike kingdoms or empires, a woman was looking at the sky with a bored expression in front of the sparsely populated town’s Warp Zone.

She was still spacing out, seemingly unaware of Muhyuk’s approach.

“Excuse me.”

“……”

“Excuse me!”

Only then did she flinch.

“Ah, yes, yes!”

“I want to use the Warp.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry!”

The way she bowed her head was quite cute. She also had a round face.

“Where would you like to go?”

“The Vir Kingdom.”

“It’s 1 Gold.”

1 Gold. Even when converted to cash, it was just over 10,000 won.

Being able to instantly travel tens or hundreds of kilometers for 10,000 won was worth it.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you. Now, please step onto the Warp Zone and close your eyes.”

As Muhyuk stepped onto the Warp Zone, the woman, who had seemed a bit dazed, began to mutter in a low voice.

Then, a strange flow of energy was felt from all directions of the Warp Zone.

At the moment he was carefully observing it.

Flash.

Like a lie, the world distorted.

Ugh…!

Along with a slight dizziness, the distorted world returned to normal, and before he knew it, the cute woman had disappeared, and instead, a burly man was occupying the front of the Warp Zone.

“Welcome. Welcome to the Vir Kingdom.”

Only then did he realize that this was the Vir Kingdom.

“Ah, thank you.”

After greeting with a slightly dazed expression, he stepped down from the Warp Zone.

Hooah, dizzy.

Pressing down on his throbbing temples, he headed towards the plaza.

How far had he moved?

Gradually, the figures of users began to appear.

The number increased exponentially, and before he even reached the plaza, he was swept away by a wave of users.

“Looking for a Knight who can Tank the Man-Eating Tree!”

“Recruiting Dealers who can do Area Damage!”

But he didn’t waver easily.

He pushed his way through the users. Thanks to that, he was able to reach the central fountain without getting lost.

“Oh, here!”

Sungminwoo, who had arrived first, was visible.

“You came early?”

“Yeah, I started in the Vir Kingdom.”

“Ah, I see.”

“But what’s your level? Your items…”

Sungminwoo’s eyes narrowed.

It was inevitable, as some of the items Muhyuk was currently wearing had extraordinary options.

As such, they looked a little different from ordinary armor.

“Me?”

“Yeah, your items look good?”

Muhyuk grinned.

Sungminwoo’s brow furrowed at that expression.

“What is it? What level are you?”

“31.”

That number sharply pierced Sungminwoo’s eardrums.

The number 31 was heard.

From Muhyuk in front of him?

Hadn’t he said it’s only been two months since he started?

He shook his head.

His brain naturally filtered it out.

What remained was the remaining number with the three removed.

“Ah, you were level 11?”

It was a natural way of thinking.

There was no way he could have reached level 31 in just two months.

He wasn’t a guy who showed that much talent in games.

Moreover, the reason he had been reserved at the gathering was because he was ashamed of his low level, which reinforced his current assumption.

Nevertheless, there was one reason why he felt doubtful.

It was because of the items.

“But your items seem better than mine.”

The things Muhyuk was wearing.

They looked similar to or better than the Weaponry Sungminwoo was wearing.

“Can you add gloss?”

“No.”

“Then? What’s the method?”

Muhyuk just found Sungminwoo’s reaction amusing.

He didn’t hear the level 31, but level 11.

Now he was asking if he could add gloss to the items.

Still, he had to tell him the method.

He chuckled and replied.

“Just wear something good.”

“Something good? My items aren’t bad either…”

“I have quite a few options. Some have two or three…”

“What? Two or three? Then they must be super expensive! Where did you get the money to get those items?”

At this rate, it didn’t seem like they would get anywhere.

He wiped the smile off his face and looked at Sungminwoo.

“Listen carefully.”

Was it because he was nervous at that serious expression?

Gulp.

Sungminwoo swallowed without realizing it.

Why?

What was it because of?

The low whisper that followed.

“My level isn’t 11, it’s 31.”

“What?”

“31.”

“31?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s been two months, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But you’re 31?”

“Yeah.”

“Really…?”

Muhyuk nodded. Then Sungminwoo suddenly threw his head back and started laughing.

“Pfft, pfft. Hahahaha!”

He spat as he pointed his finger.

“31 in just two months, barely 2 months? Keuk! Hey, no one would believe you even if you told a dog on the street, you idiot!”

At that moment, the surrounding gazes focused on them.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Did he just say his level is 31 in 2 months?”

“31 in two months?”

“That’s funny. Keuk.”

“Is he doing a comedy act?”

In an instant, Muhyuk’s expression hardened.

Sungminwoo’s laughter, which had been unstoppable, also began to subside quickly.

Then, looking at Muhyuk’s hardened expression, he couldn’t control his shaking pupils.

Was he really 31?

Suddenly, confusion set in.

How should he handle this situation?

He tried to act as if nothing was wrong and led Muhyuk away. Then, he stopped in a sparsely populated area and asked again.

“Are you really 31?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

Muhyuk sighed.

“What’s your nickname?”

“Uh, I’m StrongFist.”

He immediately sent him a party invitation.

[Would you like to request a party invitation to ‘StrongFist’?]

Conversely, a different message appeared for Sungminwoo.

[‘Muhyuk’ has invited you to a party. Would you like to accept?]

Sungminwoo nodded absentmindedly.

Then, the party window automatically opened, and the moment he checked the level displayed there, a bizarre expression naturally appeared.

His level was really 31.

The unbelievable words had become reality.

“Heo…”

He stared at Muhyuk with a dazed expression.

Sungminwoo muttered.

“So, it’s been two months?”

“That’s right.”

“You swear on everything you have?”

“I’m telling you, it is.”

It must be shocking.

The influence of Illusion already encompassed the entire world.

Countries all over the world, including Asia, Europe, North and South America, Oceania, and Africa, were enjoying Illusion.

Of course, depending on the continent to which a country belonged, the continent that could be selected in Illusion was also determined, so it was not possible to meet people from other continents right now.

However, those belonging to Asia could easily be seen around them right now.

That’s how many users enjoyed Illusion.

And with that, a formula was created.

If you invest 12 hours a day in hunting, it takes 5 days to reach level 10.

It takes 15 days to go from level 10 to 15.

It takes 20 days to go from 15 to 20.

In other words, you have to be a complete shut-in for 40 days to barely reach level 20.

It gets even harder from 20.

It takes another 25 days to reach 25, and a month to go from 25 to 30.

In other words, for someone who is just starting out, it takes more than 3 months to be a shut-in to reach level 30, and it wouldn’t be strange if it took 6 months if they enjoyed it normally.

That is the formula.

The widely known formula for the speed of leveling up in Illusion.

But 31 in two months?

It was natural that he couldn’t believe it easily.

“How?”

“I got lucky. I found a Dungeon early on.”

“Ah…”

“Twice in a row.”

“Heol…!”

“I also got a title.”

“Gasp!”

Sungminwoo was finally starting to accept it a little.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I’m telling you now.”

“Then what about at the restaurant?”

“Just because.”

Sungminwoo was stunned for a while.

Then he suddenly started laughing.

“Keuk, anyway, that’s amazing. And it’ll be fun.”

“What will?”

“It’ll be fun to see Heo Young-chan’s reaction when he comes.”

In fact, Muhyuk was also looking forward to it.

What kind of expression would he make?

“I’m curious too. More than that, have you accepted it now?”

“There’s the number 31 right in front of me, what can I do? Besides, you found a Dungeon twice and even got a title? The Dungeon rewards must have been huge too?”

“They were huge.”

“Kua! Then it might be possible. Ah, I want to find a Dungeon too!”

“Let’s go together next time I find one.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, yeah!”

A smile naturally appeared at that sight.

“Then should we go to the plaza now?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

They once again pushed through the crowd and headed towards the central fountain.

They saw them arriving just in time. Heo Young-chan raised his hand with a triumphant expression.

“Here we are.”

They approached and stopped in front of them.

“Should we party up first?”

It seemed like he wanted to brag about his level right away.

“Let’s just hunt lightly nearby. Well, don’t feel pressured. We’re friends, so I have to give you a ride.”

As he said that, he scanned the surroundings.

Finally, to Muhyuk.

[‘Destroyer’ has invited you to a party.]

[Would you like to accept?]

He chuckled and accepted.

“Okay, everyone’s in the party, right? Then now…”

Destroyer, or rather, Heo Young-chan, suddenly trailed off.

It was because he had checked an incomprehensible number in the party window he was looking at.

He rubbed his eyes and looked again.

He turned his head to Muhyuk.

He looked at the party window again.

The others, except for Sungminwoo, finally realized something was wrong and checked the party window.

They checked each level one by one, but their eyes stopped at Muhyuk’s level.

Even in the meantime, Heo Young-chan’s head kept moving from side to side. His brow was deeply furrowed. Then he struggled to part his lips.

“Your, level…”