Chapter 13

When he stated his name, the doctor nodded to the men in black suits standing by, then turned back to the man and said, “Alright, Park Jun-sang, do you happen to remember anything about what happened?”

The man shook his head. Even at this moment, memories of everything that had happened since he awoke at the cliff’s edge were resurfacing one by one, but he didn’t think these men would understand if he rambled on about things he himself found hard to believe were real. While the rings on his hand were conclusive evidence, they were only evidence for Park Jun-sang to understand his own situation. Furthermore, even if they did understand the situation he had been in, it was clear they would covet his new abilities. Jun-sang had no desire whatsoever to become a guinea pig in that manner.

The doctor looked at Jun-sang’s unwavering gaze and nodded. However, the men standing beside him still watched Jun-sang with expressionless faces. The doctor scribbled something and handed it to the nurses, then nodded to the men in suits and stood up. As the doctor left, the younger of the two men went to the hospital room door and closed it. The slightly older man brought a chair over, placed it next to Jun-sang, and quietly began to speak.

“Park Jun-sang.” “Yes.” “Do you truly not remember anything?”

Jun-sang looked at the short-haired, sturdy-looking man, who seemed to be from a government agency, and calmly replied, “Excuse me, but who are you?”

“…” The man didn’t answer Jun-sang’s question for a moment. After a little time passed, he took out a police ID from his pocket, showed it, and said, “I’m a police officer.”

Jun-sang verified the name Kim Myung-seok on the ID and waited for his next words. When Jun-sang just looked at him silently, Kim Myung-seok tilted his head slightly as if unconvinced, then frowned slightly at Jun-sang and said, “Park Jun-sang.”

“Yes.” “Please tell us anything you remember about what happened on XX day of XX month.”

Jun-sang calmly replied, “Is this an interrogation?”

“…” “I don’t understand, but… if it’s the XXth, I worked the night shift at the convenience store until morning, then got relieved, and rode my bike…” Jun-sang stopped speaking there for a moment. After frowning and remaining silent for a while, Jun-sang shook his head and continued, “After that… I don’t remember anything.”

“Hmm…” Kim Myung-seok bit his lip slightly, thinking about something, then nodded and said, “Alright. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Jun-sang carefully asked, “What exactly… happened?”

“Regarding that…” Kim Myung-seok looked troubled for a moment, then handed the remote control on the side table to Jun-sang. “I think this would be better than me explaining everything.”

“…” It was a somewhat unenthusiastic response, but Jun-sang nodded. Kim Myung-seok stood up, wrote a phone number in a notepad, and handed it to Jun-sang.

“This is my contact information. Please contact me if you remember anything.” “Yes.”

After Kim Myung-seok and the other man left, Jun-sang turned on the TV. Immediately, a news flash appeared on the screen.

-…Breaking news. We have already reported that victims of the large-scale disappearance incident on XX day are being discovered one after another across the world, and finally, one of them has been found in our country as well. We connect to reporter XXX at the National Police Agency. Reporter XXX? -Yes, this is XXX. An emergency press conference has just been held at the National Police Agency. The discovered individual has been confirmed to be a male in his 20s residing in Seoul. The National Police Agency is…

“…” Jun-sang immediately realized that the person being referred to in this news flash was himself. The police agency’s press conference contained nothing substantial. It merely stated that a male in his 20s, presumed to be a victim, had been found near the location of his disappearance and was now under emergency protection.

Assuming that the news of him being awake hadn’t been conveyed yet, the man flipped through channels, trying to find out more about what was being called the large-scale disappearance incident. However, he soon grew tired of the news repeatedly broadcasting the same police agency press conference content like a parrot.

After a moment of thought, Jun-sang realized that his phone was stored in his inventory. Jun-sang was about to open his inventory immediately but then stopped, realizing someone might be watching him.

“I have no choice.” He desperately wanted to take out his phone and search the internet, but he didn’t want anyone to see a phone suddenly appearing that hadn’t been there before. Jun-sang quietly watched the news, organizing the information in his mind.

About a month ago, on XX day, an incident similar to what Jun-sang experienced occurred, affecting tens of thousands of people worldwide. This unprecedented disappearance incident caused extreme chaos for a while, with talks of rapture and such, and just when things seemed to be calming down… in the past few days, people who had disappeared at that time began to be found one by one, and in Korea, Jun-sang was the very first.

“Hmm…” Jun-sang frowned slightly at the fact that someone had cleared the tutorial faster than him. But on second thought, something felt strange. Jun-sang had only participated in the tutorial for about two days. However, a month had already passed in this world. Considering this time gap, it was ambiguous in many ways to assume that the current order of discovery was the order of clearance.

Jun-sang quietly fiddled with the rings on his fingers. He lay in bed and watched the news on the TV screen with a detached gaze. After that, many people sought out Jun-sang. Starting with the Prime Minister, whom he had only seen on TV, a line of National Assembly members came to talk to him and take pictures. However, after a few days, when more missing people began to be found, the visits abruptly stopped.

Thanks to his regeneration ability, Jun-sang had no particular ailments and was hospitalized for “rest and stability.” When the number of found missing people reached double digits, he unreservedly applied for discharge from the doctor. The hospital surprisingly accepted Jun-sang’s request readily. The hospital was well aware that Jun-sang was a malingering patient, and there were rumors that the government might no longer pay for his hospital bills. While a single miraculous survivor might be valuable, being one of many survivors held little significance.

After being discharged from the hospital, Jun-sang returned to his studio apartment. Dust had accumulated heavily in the room, which had been uninhabited for a month. There were signs that someone had entered and rummaged through his belongings, but fortunately, nothing seemed to be missing.

“…” Jun-sang started by cleaning the room. As he was sweeping with a broom and wiping with a mop, he heard a knock on the door from outside.

“Is anyone there?” From the voice, it sounded like the landlady.

“Yes.” Jun-sang quickly answered and opened the door. The plump landlady looked at Jun-sang with a startled expression.

“My goodness, you really came back?” “Yes.” “If someone’s here, you should at least say something. You startled me when I suddenly heard signs of life.” “I apologize.”

The landlady persistently questioned Jun-sang about where he had been. It was obvious she suspected him of being involved in the disappearance incident, but Jun-sang vaguely answered that he had been on a backpacking trip.

“Backpacking trip?” “Yes. When autumn came, I suddenly felt like leaving.” “…” She clearly looked suspicious, but the landlady didn’t press further and readily backed off.

“By the way… the overdue water bill.” “Oh, I’m sorry.” Jun-sang took out the amount written on the note the landlady handed him from his wallet. Thanks to the considerable amount of money given to him as consolation or relief funds by various people during the first few days of his hospitalization, Jun-sang’s wallet was quite full.

“Alright, then rest. Next time, make sure to contact me before you go on a trip.” “Yes.”

Jun-sang closed the door, finished cleaning, and then left the house. The tutorial is a process intended to explain rules and gameplay before the main game. Even though he had returned to his original world, the fact that he retained the items and abilities he gained there meant that the main game could start at any time.

He was already on a leave of absence from school. It had been just over a year since he lost his parents as a child, lived with his aunt, and then moved out on his own. He hadn’t heard from them in over a month, and since they weren’t in touch, he didn’t care to contact them. Jun-sang decided to prepare for any eventuality, ensuring he would be ready whenever the main game began.

First, he acquired a multi-tool. There were various models, but Jun-sang chose Victorinox’s Hunter model. This model featured a 111-millimeter knife and a gutting blade specifically designed for skinning game. In addition, he bought survival items such as ropes, rain gear, sleeping bags, and water purification tablets, filling his inventory. Then, Jun-sang began to exercise.

He started by running in the mountains near his studio apartment. As he had felt during the tutorial, Jun-sang’s stamina was somewhat lacking. Running out of breath just fighting one enemy made it difficult to deal with the main game ahead. Fortunately, Jun-sang had regeneration abilities. Muscles become stronger when subjected to appropriate damage through exercise, and in Jun-sang’s case, the recovery cycle was much faster than that of an ordinary person.

Furthermore, Jun-sang began attending a mixed martial arts gym near his home. This was to learn proper martial arts, not just instinctive punching and kicking. He had considered things like kendo or marksmanship, but such weapons were difficult to obtain in Korea, and even if obtained, their management would also be an issue.

And then… One day, more than a month after Jun-sang returned here, he was about to leave his house for a mountain run, wearing military boots he had bought at Namdaemun Market, when a message notification sound came from his phone.

Jun-sang instinctively realized that what he had been waiting for had finally arrived. And indeed. The following message had arrived on his phone:

A new quest has arrived. -You will be transferred to the quest location in 10 seconds. Please move to a safe place. (Remaining time: 10 seconds)