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Watching the request and hesitating, Han Jiho eventually decided to follow his instincts.

‘Eh, it’s fine as long as I don’t get caught!’

Even if he did get caught, the person might not even know who he was. It felt like a waste to miss out because of some pointless self-consciousness.

‘Prevent self-consciousness and regain a healthy life.’

Recalling a famous quote he’d stumbled upon on the internet, Han Jiho clicked the accept button.

Now they were friends. cogus2 was the very first person to leave a footprint on his previously empty friend list.

Soon after, a party invitation popped up. Han Jiho accepted that as well and sent a chat message through the ‘Party’ tab instead of ‘Server’ this time. Meanwhile, GoodAtAngerManagement was still busy spitting out insults.

[Party] HanJiHo98: hi

[Party] cogus2: hihi

[Server] GoodAtAngerManagement: Look at these two dudes hanging out together, it’s f*cking nauseating

Han Jiho clicked his tongue as he watched GoodAtAngerManagement prattle on with such narrow-minded thoughts. It was obvious that was all he had in his head.

[Party] HanJiHo98: Should we head to the tutorial right away?

[Party] cogus2: Yup, just follow the nav

[Party] HanJiHo98: Aha, k

[Party] cogus2: Ah

[Party] cogus2: But 98-nim, are you by any chance a newbie?

[Party] HanJiHo98: Yup haha

[Server] GoodAtAngerManagement: Did these b*stards go AFK ’cause they’re scared? lol

[Party] cogus2: Whoa lol

[Party] cogus2: You’re so good I thought you were an alt;;

[Server] GoodAtAngerManagement: Hey

[Party] HanJiHo98: hhhhhh I hear that a lot

[Party] cogus2: lol You deserve to hear it fr

[Server] GoodAtAngerManagement: Hey hey hey

Han Jiho let out a short laugh at cogus2’s reaction. The guy seemingly hadn’t even considered the possibility that he was a newbie.

[Party] HanJiHo98: Are you an alt, co-nim?

[Party] cogus2: Yup haha

[Party] HanJiHo98: Ah lol no wonder you’re good

[Party] cogus2: lol My main is a Shadow Dancer

[Server] GoodAtAngerManagement: F*cker, you not gonna answer?

[Party] cogus2: I’ll show you next time lol

[Party] cogus2: Follow me then gogo

[Party] cogus2: The path is a bit confusing so follow slowly

[Party] HanJiHo98: k hhh

Han Jiho began to move, following cogus2. The navigation system was guiding the way, but his eyes were fixed on cogus2’s back.

[Server] GoodAtAngerManagement: Ah fck, you son of a btch!!!!!!

[Server] GoodAtAngerManagement: I’m gonna f*cking kill you, seriously

[Server] GoodAtAngerManagement: You dog-like b*stard

Han Jiho frowned at the chat from GoodAtAngerManagement, who was suddenly spewing curses. He couldn’t fathom what button had been pushed to make him act out like that. It was to the point where he couldn’t understand why the guy had chosen such a nickname.

Regardless, Han Jiho broke through the tutorial quickly. Unlike the first tutorial battle, the difficulty wasn’t high, and he had the kind guidance of cogus2 in his party.

Since he wasn’t particularly interested in the story, he skipped everything. Thanks to that, Han Jiho obtained ‘Lumen’—an AI machine with special in-game abilities—in just five minutes, and headed with cogus2 to the city of ‘Prime Nexus,’ the main hub of the game. Now it was time to meet NPCs, get quests, and progress through the story.

Meanwhile, Han Jiho chatted with cogus2 whenever he had a chance. Since there were many things he didn’t know, he had a mountain of questions.

[Party] HanJiHo98: What stats should a Vitalis increase?

[Party] cogus2: For Vitalis, you have to hit 100 Vitality first

[Party] cogus2: After that, it’s whatever you like lol

[Party] HanJiHo98: Aha

[Party] cogus2: Usually, regardless of class, it’s Vit > Recovery > Defense in order

[Party] cogus2: Just do what you want

[Party] cogus2: Anyway, besides Vit, picking anything else doesn’t make a big difference lol

[Party] HanJiHo98: Then I should go all-in on Vitality first hhh thank you

[Party] HanJiHo98: Oh, for damage, do I just equip a weapon with high attack power?

[Party] cogus2: Yup, but that also changes depending on the perks lol

[Party] cogus2: You don’t have to worry about that right now lol

[Party] HanJiHo98: Ah hhh thank you

Following cogus2’s advice, Han Jiho went all-in on Vitality with his 100 stat points. Since he was told it didn’t matter much what he picked, he felt he could just do as he pleased. It was a relief because he hated annoying things.

[Party] HanJiHo98: I’ve assigned all my stats

[Party] HanJiHo98: Shall we go get the quest now?

[Party] cogus2: Yup, if you look at the map, go to the NPC with the yellow exclamation mark. Let’s go together gogo

[Party] HanJiHo98: k hhh

Checking his location on the map, Han Jiho moved with cogus2 to the NPC’s location. There, several other users who appeared to be newbies just like Han Jiho were lingering around receiving quests.

He also spoke to the NPC to receive the quest and, guided by cogus2, headed straight for the mission area. The following mission was about finding traces of the escaped Hive Queen.

Starting with that, quests followed one after another. There were countless side quests branching off from the main one. The feast of yellow exclamation marks visible every time he opened the map made him feel momentarily dizzy.

However, since the rewards for side quests were mostly just experience points or a small amount of credits used as in-game currency, Han Jiho decided to focus on the main quest, which gave bigger rewards. It was also thanks to cogus2 telling him that he didn’t necessarily have to do the side quests.

As he broke through the main quests without rest, Han Jiho felt his teamwork with cogus2 getting better and better.

They were perfectly in sync. It was hard to believe they had only known each other for four hours.

Cogus2 must have felt the same way, as he sent chat messages during cutscenes or breaks.

[Party] cogus2: 98-nim, are you really a newbie?

[Party] cogus2: This quest is hard

[Party] cogus2: It’s a place where even veteran players die a lot

[Party] cogus2: Strange, how come you aren’t dying? lol

[Party] cogus2: Fr, no lie, this is the first time I’ve played a game this comfortably

[Party] HanJiHo98: Oh, really? hhh I’m glad

[Party] HanJiHo98: I’m a newbie for real, tried it for the first time today hhh

After typing that, Han Jiho muttered, “It was easy though.” His tone was so peaceful that if Seo Jaeyoon had been next to him, he would have cursed at him for being obnoxious.

At first, he had stumbled a bit because the system was unfamiliar, but he had adapted easily through the tutorial. Other than the fact that there were quests to clear and a story to follow, it was almost no different from the FPS games Han Jiho had played before.

[Party] cogus2: hhhhhhh

[Party] cogus2: Did you come here after playing other games?

[Party] HanJiHo98: hhh yes

[Party] cogus2: Which game?

Another game. After thinking for a moment, Han Jiho typed on his keyboard. It was silly to hide it. Wasn’t XenoForce one of the most popular games in the world? The possibility of being caught as the former pro-gamer Han Jiho was close to zero.

[Party] HanJiHo98: hhh XenFo

[Party] cogus2: Ah lol

[Party] cogus2: So you played XenFo too, 98-nim lol

Judging by the way he spoke, it seemed cogus2 had also played XenFo.

[Party] HanJiHo98: Did you play XenFo too, co-nim?

[Party] cogus2: Yup

[Party] cogus2: But I quit because it was annoying lol

[Party] HanJiHo98: Ah..

[Party] cogus2: What about you, 98-nim? Do you still play XenFo?

Do I still play?

Han Jiho stared blankly at the chat. It was a normal question, but for some reason, it felt like it poked his chest.

He had deleted the game a long time ago. Since it was after he announced his retirement, it must have been about six months.

Since then, Han Jiho had done things he hadn’t been able to do and tried to shake off his feelings for the game. But it wasn’t easy. It was because so many things were tied to it.

In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was his entire life. XenoForce was another life, and a purpose. But after it vanished, Han Jiho was wandering like a ship adrift on a vast ocean.

No, rather than wandering, it would be more accurate to say he was just drifting as the current led him, having let go of the controls. Everything felt empty and futile.

Then he started Echo of Eternity. Since he had retired anyway, he had plenty of time, he had earned enough money to live the rest of his life playing around, and there was Seo Jaeyoon’s long-standing recommendation. It was because he felt like doing something since he had nothing else to do.

But that wasn’t the biggest reason.

“…”

Han Jiho needed a sanctuary where he could temporarily forget reality. It was because he still hadn’t been able to forget those memories.

Anyway, he’d taken quite a long detour. Han Jiho shook off his thoughts with a single shake of his head.

[Party] HanJiHo98: No hhh I quit too

[Party] cogus2: Why?

[Party] HanJiHo98: Just hhh because I got tired of it, and it was a bit annoying

Yeah. It was understandable to get tired of it. And it was annoying. Anyone who had gone through what he did would have made the same choice. Han Jiho had never once regretted his retirement.

[Party] cogus2: I knew it lol

[Party] cogus2: Ah, 98-nim, wait a sec, I just got a call ㅠㅠ

[Party] HanJiHo98: k, go ahead

He didn’t understand what he “knew,” but Han Jiho didn’t think much of it. He just figured that’s how it was.

It was while he was waiting for cogus2, who had gone to take a call. A whisper arrived from an unfamiliar nickname.