Episode 1

There is a game called [Epic World].

The narrative in the game was quite common.

A crisis had come to the continent, and to overcome this crisis, the protagonist and his young comrade joined forces to save the world.

The game was difficult but not impossible to clear.

In Epic World, there were playable characters.

You could play as a protagonist-like character or those of similar caliber.

I turned on the game as usual to play Epic World.

I pressed Y. While the update was downloading, I skimmed through the patch notes.

Nothing much was different. Just a patch note fixing a few minor bugs.

But as I scrolled down, my eyes started to sparkle.

To summarize the patch content, a new version had been released, and besides playable characters, I could create a new character that I could customize.

I quickly pressed the character creation button.

‘Hell Difficulty?’

In Epic World, the only difficulty had been hard.

Honestly, I had been getting a bit tired of the hard difficulty and thought it would be nice to have a new level of difficulty.

‘That’s sweet.’

I moved the mouse and pressed Y.

Then a status window appeared.

The character creation screen was simple.

‘I can choose one?’

I looked around and saw that I could choose anything below S grade except for EX-grade talent.

‘Well, if there’s an EX grade, the game would be too easy.’

The highest-rated latent ability was S grade, Atmospheric(S+).

The Tuner’s Eye(S+), which could glimpse monsters’ weaknesses or characters’ information.

There were many tempting choices.

But most of them I had already obtained and tried. I considered doing a speed run, but I wanted to do something more engaging.

As I looked at talents, craftsmanship, and physique, I pondered what would be enjoyable and then remembered a combination I had noted in a corner of my notepad.

‘If it’s like this, can I use that combination?’

I discovered a route that was ‘theoretically’ possible.

To be honest, it had been theoretically impossible and thus discarded, but now that didn’t matter much. I could immediately select the Alpha and Omega physique.

And so, I chose the physique.

However, in [Epic World], where there’s risk, there’s always a corresponding reward.

The Heaven Defying Body was a physique that made it impossible to use magical power because the special energy circulating within it negated mana.

‘And with this, I can learn that.’

The owner of a Heaven Defying Body could master a very special ‘martial art’. Being unable to use mana was a significant advantage. It nullifies abilities related to mana.

Still, [Epic World] was nearly a world dominated by mana.

What others enjoyed, I could not– it’s synonymous. It’s not entirely beneficial.

After selecting the Heaven Defying Body, the character customization window appeared.

“…….”

There was a man who bore an odd resemblance to me.

It felt like a character crafted in my likeness.

‘It must be a coincidence.’

I made only minor alterations to the character.

I turned the skin paler, heightened the nose bridge, increased the stature, shrank the face, elongated the legs, and while adjusting, the shoulders appeared too narrow, so I broadened them, slimmed the figure down, and gave it a muscular build.

‘……Pretty good.’

On the monitor screen, there was a strikingly handsome man—185cm tall, with brownish-black hair, sharp eyes, and a memorable smiling face.

Then I pressed the character creation button.

I pondered over what name to choose but soon typed my usual nickname, “Pineapple Pizza is Delicious.”

No, I attempted to.

For some reason, my hand automatically wrote my name.

Lee Seo-ha.

Those three letters.

I moved the mouse and clicked Y. Then a flash of light shone from the monitor.

…that was the conclusion of the incident.

When I opened my eyes and regained consciousness, I found myself in the game—a typical development in academy-themed stories.

However, if I were the main character, it would turn into a truly dismal development.

“Does this development even make sense?”

All I had done was play the game.

I hadn’t written a review of 5,500 characters, and although I occasionally complained in the community, wasn’t that something anyone could do?

In despair, I hit my head on the table, but that wouldn’t change reality.

Three days.

For three days, I had tried to figure out the situation I was in.

For some reason, I was in a hotel, and the hotel had prepaid for the accommodation and all the meals, so there were no major problems with necessities.

‘The problem is everything else except the temporary provisions.’

The prepaid hotel stay was also running out—about two weeks left. After that, it would end.

If I didn’t enroll in Korea Hero School, I would have to survive here with nothing.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, my body was that of an incredibly handsome man.

I thought that was really lucky. Being handsome, I could somehow find a way to survive.

And there was also an ID card.

I pulled the ID card from my wallet. The ID card and a card. My expressionless face stared back at me from the ID card.

The card showed about ten million won in cash when I checked with a mobile phone.

‘It’s a bit of an ambiguous amount to start over outside.’

I drew the curtains and opened the window to a clear sky.

“Huh? Is it already time for the Sky Island to arrive?”

“Time really flies…”

People halted to gaze up at the sky.

Then, a vast shadow began to creep across the ground.

At last.

An island floated in the sky.

Sky Island.

Quite literally, an island suspended in the sky.

“Ha.”

I exhaled.

I covered my face with both hands.

That sight unmistakably signified that I had plunged into the game world.

I had arrived in this world with ten million won on my phone and nothing but an ID card.

‘There’s really no solution.’

I was utterly bewildered.

Had my choice not been the Heaven Defying Body but an EX-grade evolution with a staggeringly potent latent ability, Atmospheric, and one eye known as the mad Tuner’s Eye, I might have devised a survival strategy.

But the Heaven Defying Body? It promised a grueling journey from the outset.

If only I could reverse time,

I would definitely choose Atmospheric and foster its growth.

‘No, I wouldn’t have even played this game.’

With a deep sigh, I collapsed onto the sofa.

Since my fall into this world…

I had mulled over many things. Whether a protagonist-like playable character could truly rescue this world.

Kim Seo-hyun.

Perhaps he could be the world’s savior. But if I meddled in the process, there would be several uncertainties.

Because here, there were villains known as ‘Mines.’

This world seemed unlikely to ensure my safety. There were noble and righteous heroes, but ultimately, they were strangers.

The only person who could ultimately save me was myself.

‘In the end, the only way to do it is to enroll in the school, whatever it takes.’

Fortunately, there was a way.

There existed one tactic to effortlessly sail through the entrance exam with Heaven Defying Body.

However, I couldn’t rely solely on that. A minimum safety measure was necessary. It might mean spending all ten million won, but considering it as the price of life, it was a bargain.

Just as I made up my mind and decided,

Ding.

A mechanical sound rang, and a blue window appeared on my retina. Sentences formed by black letters began to appear on the window.