- You have failed Survival Cooking. All the ingredients have been consumed.
- You have successfully used Survival Cooking. This is a dish made with the use of Land Fruit and Cochran. However, without personally tasting it, there is no way to tell what kind of dish it is. After confirming its taste, the recipe and its special effects will be automatically recorded in the Cookbook.
-You have been poisoned with a paralytic poison! The food you have made using Survival Cooking is ‘Fragrant Poison Soup.’ The effects of being poisoned are paralysis, a decrease in satiety and you cannot move for 10 minutes. It’s better not to make this soup.
He had cared about those kinds of exploiters more than he needed to.
In this case, Jung Hye Sun was suffering through a plight like his own.
After learning about her family situation, he had taken care of her as if it was his business to.
He had taken responsibility for her mistakes, and sometimes he gave her sodas that he himself hadn’t bought and drank for many years.
If he’d had a little sister, it would be that feeling.
His consciousness abruptly awakened, Hyun Woo rushed to the scene.
“Hye Sun, what’s going on?”
“What? Are there mice at oppa’s house, too?”
“Hye Sun, what did you just say?”
“What? That we’ve got to put out some mouse poison....”
- The rusted iron sword’s durability has reached 0 and it has broken.
- With your Undying Will, you have found the Demon Mouse’s weakness. You have dealt a fatal blow.
Black Bear Mouse Leather (Ingredient) The leather of the Demon Mouse, who watched over numerous mice inside the mysterious cave. It is strong enough to block a decent sword, and its ability to block the cold is excellent. It can’t be simply used, but if it is processed well, it looks like it can make quality armor.
Corroded Sword
Weapon Type
One-Handed Sword
Attack Damage
1~4
Durability
20/20
Weight
15
Usage Restriction
None
The sword of someone the Demon Mouse ate. It is so corroded that its original form is hard to discern. It’s hard to expect much attack power from this sword.
- You have acquired a mysterious slate.
The Secret of the Mysterious Slate You have obtained the slate the Demon Mouse was guarding in the cave. It is an enigmatic slate containing a secret. The surface is covered with unknown characters. It appears that this is the item the dead person in the entryway was looking for. It would be good to deliver this to whoever needs it. Difficulty: F
- You have dealt with the Demon Mouse! The quest is completed.
- Your level has risen.
You have received Harun Village’s Elder Hansen’s title of Mouse Master. You have now become an expert at dealing with mice. When fighting mice your attack power increases by 50%. In front of mice, the chance of landing a critical hit rises by 40%. Because you have become a Master at fighting mice, the chance of evasion rises by 40%. *The received title gives a bonus increase to all stats by 1. *Fame increases by 100.
As a Mouse Master, the skill Spirit of the Cat has increased to Intermediate. Spirit of the Cat (Intermediate, Active): The cat’s roar and flashing eyes have become more bloodthirsty, making mice and other similarly small monsters tremble in terror. Paralysis for 1 minute. Attack, defense, and fighting morale decreases by 20% (All mice, 50% effect applies to smaller monsters) Mana consumption: 100
“What is that?”
“Granny Johansson, who you often took care of, passed away a few days ago. However, before she died, she did away with the little fortune she had. I was holding onto what she said she wanted to leave to you. It should be about 30 gold.”
Though she was an NPC, hearing that the person he’d personally taken care of had died made his heart heavy. Of course, despite that, Ark was not one to deny the offered money.
It was his duty to fulfil the will she had left.
Anyway, with this, Ark received a bonus of 12 stat points at only level 13. In addition, though he was at a level where he should only be getting copper coins as rewards, he had received a generous sum of money. After Ark pocketed the money, the slate suddenly came to mind and he asked.
“Grandpa, do you happen to know a Viscount named Haverstein?”
“Of course. Sir Viscount Haverstein is none other than the Lord Jackson who governs this district. But why are you asking me this so suddenly?”
“It’s nothing. I'm leaving, then.”
‘It’s simple. I’ve completed gathering information on the next quest.... Now I just have to prepare for my journey.’
With an open smile, Ark found the Smithy. Then, he extended the Demon Mouse leather and requested the manufacture of leather armor. He also left the corroded sword in their care. It was because he had no replacement for the rusty iron sword that broke.
After placing the item in their care, and waiting a day, he went back to reclaim it and the repair on the armor and sword was complete. With an examination of the resulting items, he found the initially disappointing spoils transformed to what he’d originally expected.
The Smithy owner spoke with a boastful expression.
“Since it was your request, I used the best of my skills.”
Black Bear Mouse Leather Armor (Enchanted)
Armor Type
Leather Armor
Defense
40
Durability
90/90
Weight
20
Usage Restriction
None
Armor made from the leather of the Demon Mouse that was watching over the mysterious cave. Its elasticity is outstanding, and because it is covered with strong, coarse fur, its defense is considerable. Its ability to block the cold is especially outstanding, so for wintertime travelers, it is the best armor. Option: Agility 2, Cold Resistance 20
Sharply Shinning Sword (Enchanted)
Weapon Type
One-Handed Sword
Attack Damage
8~12
Durability
20/20
Weight
15
Usage Restriction
None
A sword created by whetting the Corroded Sword to a keen edge. Although the durability has fallen because the edge was sharpened to great thinness, its sharpness is without peer. It is comfortable to use because of its light weight. It is better for a beginner to use than a long sword. Option: Attack speed +5
“Yes, we are currently reading them.”
“Are there any guys that caught your interest?”
“For the past few days, your cheeks have been sunken in like a person who didn’t sleep enough. Did something difficult happen? Well, why wouldn’t it be difficult.....”
His mom, who was looking at him pitiably, heaved a sigh.
When she worried about him with her quavering voice, her pale white face, and thin vein, bony arms that were pierced with 3~4 needle drips, Hyun Woo’s heart ached.
Truthfully, her concerns weren’t unfounded.
After Hyun Woo connected to New World, he hadn't been able to sleep properly.
'The game is as important as my real life. I'm behind in comparison to the other applicants, and though I don't have a lot of time to concentrate on the game, I knew it was gonna be tough from the start. That's right. Like Team Leader said, if succeeding or failing the exam isn't simply based on level, even I might have a chance. As long as there's hope, I can't just dejectedly give up.'
Having made his resolution, Hyun Woo had only slept 3 hours a day and devoted himself to the game.
And for the last few days, after he started to fight the Demon Mouse, he’d spent the nights with hardly a wink of sleep.
Even this morning, he’d briefly slipped into a nap before his alarm went off and he hastily slapped some clothes on and left.
With his haggard face and grubby clothes, he was definitely in bad shape.
However, Hyun Woo answered with a falsely bright face.
“Nothing difficult happened.”
“I’m sorry. I’m called a parent, but I’m just being baggage...”
“I told you it’s not like that. It’s just that I’ve been playing around with my friends until late at night these days, so I kinda haven’t gotten enough sleep.”
“But if I wasn’t like this, right now even university....”
“Mother.”
Hyun Woo abruptly grasped his mother’s hand and smiled.
“I’m really perfectly okay. Honestly, I like working a lot more than going to university. Work is fun, and my coworkers treat me well too. There are also people who always help me, too. There’s no reason for you to worry, Mother. Ah, there is one thing that’s difficult.”
“What is it?”
“That I can’t eat the mixed noodles (bibimgooksul)1 you make.”
“You little… Saying such pointless words....”
“It’s the truth. That’s the only food I really want to eat. Although I tried to imitate it, the taste wasn’t right. So get better quickly and make it for me, please. Okay?”
“Alright. Okay.”
Hyun Woo shot a wink at her and chattered, and finally his mother laughed.
Although he had integrity, his personality wasn’t charming. In the past, he wouldn’t have even been able to imagine saying words like these. But somewhere along the line, in a way that was strange to even him, these kinds of words slowly came out.
This was also one of the effects of playing New World.
‘To think that I could use the experience from taking care of Granny Johansson like this.’
When Hyun Woo had taken care of Johansson in Harun Village, there had been things he’d naturally learned.
At first, it had just been a quest that he’d taken while crying to himself to get to the next one. But as repeated the quest, he had realized something. The rewards correlated to how well Hyun Woo treated her—the better he did, the more the reward.
The default reward was 1 Silver, but there were cases when he received more than that if he poured all his heart into nursing her. The time it took was the same anyways, so it was much better if he could receive 1 more Silver.
After finding out about that, Hyun Woo was able to dive into the words and actions Johansson wanted in advance.
What was fun was that his trained senses from the game could transfer to reality too.
Although he couldn’t use the Nursing skill from the game to increase vigor and courage, just making his mother feel better was not a problem.
It was a small, unnoticeable change, but it made his mother’s expression brighten.
‘Why wasn’t I able to do something this simple for her in the past?’
With that alone, Hyun Woo felt that playing New World was worth it.
“Then I’ll stop by again the morning after tomorrow. I’ll leave the fruit here, so please be eat them when you can.”
Hyun Woo put down the fruit basket and energetically turned around.
After hearing from the doctor that fruits would help treatment, Hyun Woo always bought her a fruit basket once a week. Though it was the Hyun Woo who couldn’t bear to buy himself one ramen, if it would help his mother recover, couldn’t he buy her not just fruit, but wild ginseng2?
Hyun Woo dragged his exhausted, sleep-deprived body to the Mart.
After laboring for 6 hours a day while moving heavy crates here and there and stacking them, the monthly wage he received was 1,500,000 Won (USD$1,500). In addition, he earned 2,000,000 Won (USD$2,000) from working 3 part-time jobs, each one 3 hours long.
Global Exos paid their employees 1,500,000 Won (USD$1,500) a month. The amount Hyun Woo earned by working 15 hours a day was 5,000,000 Won (USD$5,000) a month.
With his income, he could barely cover his mother’s hospital fees and living expenses, the interest on loans, and since he needed to repay the payments for her to be discharged, no matter how much he tightened his belt, he lived a continuously suffocating life. So no matter how difficult it was or how much his body hurt, he could not stop working.
Hyun Woo shook his head vigorously.
‘Mother is suffering many times more than I am. Yeah, I can’t say weak things and the like.’
After finally finishing a bout of work, Hyun Woo squeezed in between some boxes and briefly closed his eyes.
The reason why he was able to endure with 1 hour of sleep a day was that he slept while riding the subway, or he napped a little in his spare time at work. Of course, those sweet moments of respite were only possible thanks to his co-worker Hye Sun’s help....
“Oppa, oppa!”
At the sound of someone shaking him awake, Hyun Woo sluggishly opened his eyes.
Hye Sun was shaking him with an anxious look on her face.
“Huh? What’s going on? Did the wares come in?”
“A call came in saying they’re coming in a little bit. The owner is gonna come down soon.”
“Alright, I’d better wake up if I don’t want to be nagged at.”
Hyun Woo muttered as he thoroughly stretched himself.
Hye Sun asked with a worried look in her eyes.
“Oppa, did you take on yet another part-time job?”
“Huh? Nah. On the other hand I’ve dropped a few of ‘em.”
“Then why are you drowsing like this whenever you can these days?”
“Yeah, that’s....”
Hyun Woo scratched his head and made a sheepish look.
“The truth is, lately I’ve been playing a game at home.”
“Oppa plays games too?”
“What’s this? In the past, there was a time when I played games like crazy. As soon as it was the weekend, if I clicked my mouse the night was spent, and if I drummed away at my keyboard it was already dawn. There are over 3~4 online games where I reached the max levels.”
In those days, he really didn’t know how the days passed and was completely absorbed in the game. His parents were on the lenient side, so he didn’t even have any memories of getting scolded for playing games. But as his life started to turn upside down, everything else had become insignificant.
No matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his game, the burdensome reality got in the way. There hadn’t been a game that engrossed him enough to let him forget reality.
‘I’ll probably never be able to comfortably play games again.’
That’s what he had thought. But lately, those past sensations were reviving in Hyun Woo.
He was so immersed in New World that he was able to forget his goal of playing the game to get employed by Global Exos. That’s why his sleeping time had steadily dropped, and he was so exhausted that he could say his body and mind were ‘running on empty fumes’.
It was to the point that he’d completely blanked out on even the report-- he remembered two days before the due date and hurriedly wrote one up and submitted it.
Even so, the time he spent playing the game was truly enjoyable. And he wanted to go into the Global Exos that had created such a game. However, it was highly unlikely.
Hyun Woo had learned less and had nothing compared to the other candidates. And he was definitely short on time.
Although the competition ratio was 1 in 200, in reality Hyun Woo was up against 1900 people. He could only conclude that there was a greater chance of rejection than acceptance. That’s why Hyun Woo wanted to enjoy New World as much as he could. He had to return the 10,000,000 Won (USD$10,000) unit when the test was over.
‘If I return the unit, with my income, I probably won’t be able to play it again. Even for the sake of playing New World, I want to get accepted. No, I will. I have to believe that I can.’
His apprehension from faking his resume still remained. But seeing as Global Exos hadn’t noticed all this time, could he somehow fool them to the very end? He wanted to believe that he could.
As Hye Sun watched Hyun Woo lost in thought, her eyes suddenly widened.
“Then what’s the game oppa’s been playing lately?”
“You’ve played a game before?”
“Of course.”
“Somehow or another?”
“I can’t really explain it to you in detail. Ah, I heard there are game rooms where units are installed nowadays. The fees are a little expensive, but if you have the chance, try it once. Just trying it once is going to be better than having me explain it a hundred times.”
Then, a truck topped to the brim with wares entered the warehouse, and Hyun Woo quickly ran towards it with a loading cart.
Hye Sun watched Hyun Woo’s back and nodded her head as if she had made some kind of resolution.
“He said it was New World, huh?”