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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 2
Even when Seonghyun watched the video again, the ghost was still visible, and as he browsed through other videos, he could see it in those as well.
Should he call it a ghost video?
'This is amazing.'
Seonghyun had always been able to see ghosts if they happened to be caught on camera.
But those were ghosts in the real world; he had never seen a ghost in a game before.
Yet, they appeared in the Eternal World videos.
Ghosts in medieval attire, as if they were the ghosts of in-game NPCs.
What in the world was going on?
He didn't know much, but one thing was certain.
'I think it's really a ghost.'
It was just Seonghyun's intuition, but there was nothing more certain than this.
Even when he visited many renowned shamans, only he could see the ghosts.
So, Seonghyun's intuition was solid evidence.
He pondered over this.
First, could other people see those ghosts?
Looking at the reactions to the videos, no one mentioned the ghosts.
Then, were they only visible to players?
That wasn't the case either.
The NPCs also seemed oblivious to them, passing right through the ghosts as if nothing was there.
Lastly, could they just be hidden NPCs?
Similarly, that wasn't it either.
'Other NPCs and users have icons or NPC names displayed above their heads.'
But nothing was visible above the heads of those who appeared to be ghosts.
Judging from all the circumstances, not just Seonghyun's intuition, it was definitely a ghost.
A ghost in the game.
To think his sister's words would be right.
'My sister is amazing.'
Or was it the game that was amazing?
Anyway, the important thing was that there were ghosts in the game.
'And all ghosts are friendly to me.'
No matter what kind of ghost it was, all ghosts liked Seonghyun.
They always tried to help him unconditionally.
The ghosts in the game would probably be the same.
It was just a feeling, but what could be more certain than that?
That meant, if the ghosts in the game helped Seonghyun...
Wouldn't he be able to obtain hidden pieces that only they knew about?
Hidden pieces that other players couldn't find.
Didn't someone say that dead men tell no tales?
But if he could talk to the dead...
'I could learn a lot.'
Seonghyun smiled, becoming even more interested.
Looking forward to connecting tomorrow, Seonghyun fell asleep late at night.
3.
He woke up after a deep sleep.
A refreshing morning that he couldn't easily experience in the military.
After waking up and eating the delicious breakfast prepared by his mother, Mrs. Lee Nakyeong, he washed up and went back to his room.
'Well then...'
—Shall I connect?
He already knew how to enter the capsule and connect to the game.
His sister, Yoo Mina, had told him countless times.
His ears were practically calloused from hearing about it.
A game enjoyed by 2 billion people worldwide.
Seonghyun, who had researched it yesterday, was quite excited.
More than anything, he was curious about the ghosts in the game and whether he could really obtain hidden pieces through them.
By the time Seonghyun woke up, his sister had already eaten breakfast and entered the capsule.
Before he knew it, Seonghyun was also inside the capsule, connecting to the game.
At first, he felt as if his mind was being sucked somewhere, and then, after a feeling of floating in mid-air, he found himself in a pure white room.
Upon arriving in the white room, he slowly floated down to the floor.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, text appeared before his eyes.
[Welcome to Eternal World.]
[No registered account found.]
[Would you like to create an account?]
[Yes / No]
"Oh!"
Even just seeing the window with the text floating in front of his eyes was amazing.
How could they create something like this?
It was incredibly fascinating.
It was much more vivid than when he watched it in the videos.
Feeling truly like he was in another reality, Seonghyun immediately pressed 'Yes'.
Then, a full-body mirror appeared.
Was this what they called customizing?
[Please configure your desired avatar.]
[You can also choose your desired race and ethnicity.]
[However, please note that creating an avatar of a different gender than the user is restricted.]
[You can use voice commands and the cursor.]
His appearance and body were fine, but he was bothered by his short hair since he had just been discharged from the military.
So, could he just say it like this?
"Um, can I make my hair a little longer?"
At Seonghyun's words, a countless number of hairstyles appeared.
"There are so many kinds?"
As expected of Seonghyun, the epitome of composure, he was only slightly surprised.
Among them, he chose the hairstyle he often had when his hair was long.
Seeing his old appearance restored, Seonghyun nodded in satisfaction.
"I'll go with this."
[End customization?]
[Yes / No]
Without hesitation, Seonghyun pressed 'Yes' and moved on to the next step.
The next thing to choose was his starting region, which he had already heard about from his sister and researched himself.
The choice was obvious.
"Hindel Village."
Several explanations appeared, but since he already knew them from his sister, he boldly pressed skip.
It was information he could easily find again on the website.
And for the most important part, the character name, he simply used his own name without much thought.
It was just a character name after all.
[Enter the nickname you wish to use....]
"Seonghyun."
He answered before the message window could even fully appear, and the window disappeared.
And finally, the last message appeared.
[Character creation complete.]
[There is a character available to play.]
[Log in as character 『Seonghyun』?]
[Yes / No]
What was the point of even asking?
Seonghyun immediately nodded, and a new message popped up.
[Welcome to Eternal World, another world, an eternal world.]
[May good fortune be with player 『Seonghyun』.]
With that, the message disappeared, and Seonghyun found himself in a new space.
Outside, the sunlight was shining brilliantly.
A gentle breeze blew, and the chirping of birds could be heard.
Tweet~ Tweet!
The sound of birds, more vivid than reality, along with the gentle breeze.
And the scent of flowers and grass carried by the wind, all refreshingly brushed past Seonghyun.
It truly was another reality.
It was different from watching the videos.
'This is incredible.'
Contrary to his inner surprise, he calmly looked around.
There, a fierce-looking man was staring at him.
Seonghyun already knew his face.
Gruger, the tutorial instructor of Hindel Village.
He was known as a tough and strict instructor, befitting his fierce appearance.
As expected, Gruger spoke in a gruff voice, sharp as a knife.
"Welcome, newcomer."
"Hello."
"My name is Gruger. I am the instructor who will train you."
"My name is Seonghyun. Nice to meet you."
"Hmm, you have basic manners."
It seemed like many users didn't even bother to greet him.
He had heard that some people looked down on NPCs.
Seonghyun didn't pay much attention to it and looked at Gruger, who then told him,
"In this place, you can leave once you destroy a scarecrow. Like this."
Looking in the direction Gruger was pointing, Seonghyun could see other users each holding a weapon and vigorously striking the scarecrows.
The way they swung their iron swords looked quite sharp.
Still, seeing the scarecrows not breaking easily, Seonghyun was a bit impressed.
"Now that you understand, choose one of the iron swords over there and defeat the scarecrow."
At Gruger's words, a quest window popped up.
[Mandatory quest, 『Tutorial』 has been generated.]
『Tutorial』
→《Basic》
→Choose one of the various iron swords hanging in the training ground and defeat the scarecrow.
→Reward: 1 Silver, Training Completion Certificate.
So this is how the quest progresses.
Seonghyun immediately...
"Yes, I underst..."
Seonghyun was about to answer Instructor Gruger and go choose an iron sword.
That is, until he saw something that looked like a semi-transparent human figure made of smoke.
Anyone could tell it was a ghost.
Seeing it in person made it even clearer.
Just like the ghosts in reality, that was a real ghost.
And that meant...
'It will grant my request.'
Furthermore.
It was wearing the same clothes as Gruger.
Was it a ghost who used to be an instructor?
Then things might get easier?
Seonghyun already knew about the hidden piece in this tutorial.
It was something his sister had told him, but it was also a common hidden piece already widely known among other users.
'There's a steel sword mixed in with those weapons, right?'
It was said that there was a steel sword mixed in, with much higher durability and attack power than ordinary iron swords.
However, all the swords looked identical, making it extremely difficult to distinguish them.
Some users had the discerning eye to pick it out, but even if ordinary people heard how to identify it, it was nearly impossible to find it among so many swords.
Several users were carefully examining the swords trying to pick out the steel sword, but as far as Seonghyun could see, no one had managed to find it.
But if that ghost really was a former instructor, wouldn't it know?
Seonghyun walked towards the armory where the swords were placed.
Gruger watched Seonghyun from afar and frowned.
'He seems like a decent newcomer...'
Judging by his gait and movements, he seemed far from athletic.
Occasionally, there were some newcomers who appeared exceptional.
Those who had some athletic training or, judging by their gait, had learned some martial arts.
But Seonghyun showed no such signs.
Gruger gave up on him as soon as he saw him.
He was just an ordinary newcomer, nothing more, nothing less.
Just because he was polite didn't mean he was skilled.
Around the time Gruger gave up on Seonghyun...
Seonghyun, choosing a sword, looked at the ghost there and spoke in a very small voice, inaudible to others.
"Hello?"
-Gasp! Holy shit! Ca-Can you see me?
The ghost was so startled that it even swore.
But in its eyes, Seonghyun could see a clear fondness.
Just like the ghosts outside.
Seonghyun nodded at the ghost and spoke very quietly.
"Do you happen to know which one of these is the steel sword?"
At Seonghyun's words, the ghost grinned broadly as if it was obvious, and looked at Seonghyun with an expression like a grandfather looking at his grandson, nodding repeatedly.
-Of course! I know! As a former instructor, of course I know! That's not it. Come this way!
"Thank you."
Seonghyun also spoke quietly and followed the ghost as it led the way.
It was really working.
However, as Seonghyun followed the ghost, he felt something strange.
'What is it?'
It was a bit different from encountering ghosts in reality.
He knew from experience that Eternal World felt even more vivid than reality.
But that applied to ghosts as well.
Seeing the ghost felt even more vivid.
It was a sensation he had never felt before, but he just accepted it.
Never once had a ghost harmed him.
And he knew instinctively.
That it wouldn't happen.
Before long, Seonghyun saw the ghost pointing at an iron sword.
-This is it! This is the steel sword!
"Hmm."
At the ghost's words, Seonghyun casually grabbed the sword as if it were a matter of course.
He did so in a single motion, even though once he grabbed a sword, the choice was made and he couldn't pick another.
To others, it looked like he had gone to where the weapons were, looked around, and then strode over and made his choice.
The other users, seeing Seonghyun, thought he must have just picked a sword without caring about the steel sword.
But why did he walk so far to grab it?
Just as that question arose, a radiance emanated from the sword Seonghyun was holding.
"I-It's the steel sword!?"
"H-He just picked it like that!?"
It was the moment the evidence of him choosing the hidden piece was clearly revealed.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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