ML Chapter 39

“Ah.”

I blinked. Hot and humid. My breath fogs up my vision.

Feeling around my head, I touched something hard.

VR helmet.

As I pulled it off, the dusty interior of the capsule came into view.

I sat in the old capsule chair with its collapsed cushioning, trying to calm my pounding heart.

Reality? Really?

Logging out after exactly 30 days. Suddenly fear surged up.

Is this really reality? When I press that button and the capsule opens, will too much have changed? With trembling heart, I opened my mouth.

“Status window open.”

Silence fell.

No familiar notification, no system window responded.

Only then did I finally realize. That I had successfully logged out.

“Hoo…” After taking a deep breath, I pressed the button. With a click, the capsule door opened. Stale air greeted me.

“…Huh.”

A small TV on the desk in the dark, narrow room and a single bed. And one person sleeping while reeking of alcohol.

“Kuheo kuheoeo.”

Never thought such weird snoring would be so welcome.

I’m back. To reality.

Just like in my memories. As if the past 30 days were a dream.

After blankly looking around the room for a while, I approached Jin-ho. And chopped his Adam’s apple with the side of my hand.

THWACK!

“Kuheo… kack!”

If it weren’t for this bastard’s snoring, I wouldn’t have crawled into that capsule. I grabbed the flailing Jin-ho tight.

“Just one more hit. No, two more.”

THWACK! THWACK!

“Kack! Kuheock!”

“Everyone who knows you says so. And you’re supposed to be the dormitory supervisor.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Let’s not do anything to be embarrassed about. Okay?”

BANG.

After the door closed, Jin-ho turned around with a sigh.

“Are you crazy?”

I cut him off before he could say anything worse.

“Just so you know, it was self-defense.”

“What bullshit. Have you lost your mind?”

“I’m perfectly sane.”

“Then why are you attacking someone’s throat while they’re sleeping…” THUMP THUMP THUMP.

The guy next door pounded on the wall. Judging by the rhythm and intensity, it meant ‘I want to kill you.’ Jin-ho lowered his voice.

“Why are you acting up? And at this hour?”

“This hour?”

“Yeah, you lunatic. It’s barely three.”

Jin-ho held out his phone with an exasperated expression.

July 25th. AM 3:02. Seeing the date and time, my jaw dropped.

Only three hours have passed?

A month in the martial world. Exactly 30 days, but in reality only three hours had passed.

“…Hyung.”

“Don’t make me talk. My throat hurts.”

“What’s the normal time ratio for game capsules?”

“What kind of Hong Gildong shit is this? Your conversation topics are all over the place. Really…”

“Just tell me what it is.”

“Huh?”

When I asked with a stern face, Jin-ho hesitated before answering.

“The latest capsules from last month are five to one? Something like that, I think.”

“What exactly does five to one mean?”

“What else? If five hours pass in the game, one hour passes in reality.”

This is insane.

“Anything higher?”

“Nope. With current technology, that’s the limit… but why are you asking about this?”

Because something impossible happened.

How am I supposed to process this?

Looking again at the worn-out capsule. That piece of junk over 20 years old had far surpassed current technology.

Three hours for 30 days.

What kind of time ratio is that? My head’s too scrambled to even calculate.

“This is fucked up.”

“What is?”

This is beyond my comprehension. Maybe Jin-ho might have some answers. After hesitating a moment, I spoke.

“A month ago, no, three hours ago I went into that capsule…”

Having experienced so much, there was a lot to say. Even after hearing everything, Jin-ho remained silent for a while.

Then he dropped one line.

“This is fucked up.”

“Right? How is this even possible? Is this some illegally modified capsule or something?”

“No, not the capsule. You.”

“Huh?”

Jin-ho said with a serious face:

“Just apologize cleanly. Say you’re sorry. You hit me because my snoring was too loud. Be cool about it, you idiot.”

“What, couldn’t log out so you spent a month fighting for your life? Write a novel while you’re at it.”

Right, I thought things were going too smoothly. I let out a sigh.

“I’m telling you it’s true.”

“Okay, Tae-kyung. Let’s think about this rationally.”

Jin-ho spoke in a serious tone.

“Some guy wakes up a sleeping person by hitting their throat, then claims he was trapped in a game for a month. But looking at the clock, only three hours passed? And the capsule belongs in a museum?”

“I know it sounds crazy. I get it, I understand. But…”

“Then try to understand me. My head hurts from the hangover, my throat hurts, and my heart hurts looking at you.”

“No, just listen to my story!”

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.

I lowered my voice before the neighbor could break down the wall.

“Then try it yourself, hyung.”

“What?”

“If you try it yourself, you’ll believe me.”

Nothing convinces like firsthand experience. After I pull him out in about 10 minutes, he’ll have no choice but to believe me.

Jin-ho stared at me intently before speaking.

“Fine, let’s try it then.”

He climbed into the capsule and put on the VR helmet. I spoke to him as he grumbled about the musty smell inside the helmet.

“I’ll get you out soon. Just stay in the Crimson Flower Pavilion…”

“What Crimson Flower Pavilion nonsense. Just close the capsule door.”

I’m curious what expression Jin-ho will have in a moment. I closed the capsule door and took out my phone to start the stopwatch.

The numbers shot up as soon as I pressed start.

1 second, 2 seconds… 10 seconds.

Ten seconds in reality would be minutes, hours in the game.

By now he should be busy figuring out what’s happening in Crimson Flower Pavilion…

CLUNK.

“Huh?”

The door opened. What, why is he out already? No, how did he get out?

Seeing my confusion, Jin-ho sighed.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh, huh?”

“How can you play a game when there’s no power?”

What’s he talking about now?

“No power?”

“Move aside.”

Before I could respond, Jin-ho got out and bent down beneath the capsule.

Then he picked something up.

“What do you think this is?”

A cord. An unplugged power cord.

I rubbed my eyes furiously wondering if I was seeing things, but nothing changed.

“Why is this…”

“Tae-kyung. Jin Tae-kyung. You poor, pitiful soul.”

Jin-ho said with a distant look.

“Go to a mental hospital when the sun rises. I’m going to my room.”

I blankly watched Jin-ho’s retreating back as he tossed down the power cord. Not even plugged in.

Then what was the game I played?

Feels like I’ve been possessed by a ghost. Goosebumps covered my body.

Lying on the bed, I thought.

Am I crazy?

Playing a game for 30 days on an unplugged capsule.

I understand Jin-ho’s reaction.

But everything that happened there…

It was all real.

Jin Wi-gyeong, Wol-hwa, Hyeok Mujin and the Grand Elder.

I remember every NPC’s face, their speech patterns and actions. It definitely wasn’t just my delusion.

Then what’s the problem?

There’s only one answer. The game capsule made 27 years ago. That piece of junk that should have retired long ago and be in a museum is the problem.

Plus the manufacturing date is suspicious. January 1st, 2020.

The day Demon Lord Asmodeus fell to humanity.

Who the fuck was making capsules back then?

It was an era when millions died in the five-year Great War and monsters roamed city streets.

When news broke that the Demon Lord had fallen, any bastards who said “Alright, let’s start making game capsules!” and fired up factories should be put on trial, in my opinion.

I thought it was a printing error back then.

Suddenly my body froze. Printing?

The product manual!

How could I forget something so important, you idiot.

I jumped up and started tearing apart the room.

Finally, I found the familiar small booklet under the bed.

[Product Manual]

• Product Name: Virtual Reality Access Device
• Model: Ark – 2020
• Manufacturer: H-Soft
• Manufacturing Date: January 1st, 2020

And the next page.

[Caution]

• Players cannot log out at will.
• No resurrection upon death during gameplay.

A month ago, no, three hours ago, I threw the booklet away at this point.

But this time is different. With trembling hands, I turned to the last page.

[Key Features]

 

Custom capsule for one person!

Upon user registration, the capsule becomes permanently bound until death.

• Time ratio adjustment for comfortable play!

During login, real-world time flows very slowly. The reverse is also true.

• Character synchronization system!

• Users feel greater unity through synchronization with their character.

“What the hell is this.”

My eyes read the words, but my brain couldn’t process them. I started reading from the beginning again.

First, permanent binding.

Literally means it’s mine until death. I decided to smash that damn capsule once I got answers to my questions.

Next, time ratio.

The part I was most curious about. But instead of exact numbers, it only had the vague expression “flows very slowly.”

Since it said the reverse was also true, time in the game must be flowing very slowly right now.

Then is the war still going on?

Suddenly I thought of Jin Wi-gyeong. The Grand Elder’s betrayal was already certain, he would stab them in the back at a crucial moment. Did Hyeok Mujin and the reconnaissance team deliver that news to Jin Wi-gyeong?

Ah, that’s still far off. Since the time ratio is reversed.

More importantly, I’ve got my own problems right now. I looked at the last key feature. But unlike the others, I couldn’t understand this one no matter how many times I read it.

Synchronize with the character?

I even looked up the dictionary definition just in case. It meant exactly what I thought.

Which makes it sound even more insane.

How the hell do you synchronize with a game character?

This I really don’t get. In the end, I just gained one more question.

The only thing certain is that I’m not crazy. I flopped down on the bed and read the front page of the booklet.

“Manufacturer. H-Soft.”

All roads lead to one place. I should find something if I investigate these guys. I searched the internet for H-Soft but couldn’t find anything except that there’s a porn production company with the same name.

First I should lock the door and think this through.