Vol 1 Ch 1

Everywhere I looked, on the subway, on buses, there were ads for this game.

Blood Planet (BP) was the first game to implement true virtual reality, making it the hottest topic in the city. The expensive connection device only fueled the hype, 250,000 units sold out in an instant, and new players were joining exponentially. It wasn’t uncommon to overhear people on the street asking, “Did you BP yesterday?”

I’d heard of the game too, but I’d opened a real estate office two months ago, and work had been hectic.

“What kind of connection device costs 1.5 million won…”

At first, everyone balked at the price. But once people started posting photos of their Blood Planet setups on social media, the craze exploded. The first batch sold out in three days, and preorders for the third batch were already underway. In a new game, getting in early was everything, by the third batch, you were already behind.

Another reason Blood Planet became such a hot topic wasn’t just its brutal PK system, it also allowed virtual sex. The Game Rating Board barely approved it after heated debates over its moral implications.

Even in the bar I was sitting in, the TV was buzzing with arguments about Blood Planet. I was watching absentmindedly, drinking soju with Sangcheol.

[When you put on the helmet device, your brainwaves sync directly with the virtual world. It’s like dreaming, amazing, isn’t it?]

[What’s amazing about it? Having sex in a game? That’s just encouraging moral decay.]

[You’re so old-fashioned. Blood Planet only uses physical contact as part of its gameplay mechanics, it’s not a sex-driven game.]

[Not a sex-driven game? Please. The manual literally says that unless you spend real money, you’ll eventually have to sleep with your partner to progress.]

[That only applies to heavy users. For most players, just holding hands with your partner or party member stabilizes your stats.]

Before long, one panelist lost his temper and shouted that it was a “garbage game.” Another yelled back for him to shut up, and the studio descended into chaos. A staff member rushed in to drag them off-camera before things finally settled down.

“Hey, Doseon. Buy mine for a million won.”

“What, your game device? Are you nuts?”

Before opening my real estate office, I’d been an ordinary office worker who played games on weekends. But with the new business not bringing in much income, I just downed another shot of soju, feeling the burn.

“Come on, buy it from me. My wife caught me and told me to throw it out.”

“Then just give it to me.”

“Are you crazy? It’s still unopened.”

I refilled Sangcheol’s glass and we caught up on life. On the TV, the debate was getting more heated, voices rising with emotion.

“Oh? Hey! Long time no see.”

A familiar face approached our table. Another friend we’d known since childhood, just like Sangcheol.

The one who came last was Hwang Hanwoo, the luckiest of us all. Whenever we played games together, he was always the one who got the rare items.

We forgot our worries for a while, drinking, talking about old times, laughing like we used to.

When the alcohol ran out, Hanwoo raised his hand to order more. That’s when something shiny on his wrist caught my eye.

“Hey… that watch? No way.”

“Heh. You just noticed? I made a big score this time.”

“What kind of score? Got a fat bonus or something?”

Hanwoo just shook his head and smiled. He looked between Sangcheol and me, then leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

“You wanna know how I got it? That.”

He pointed toward the TV. It was still showing footage of Blood Planet.

“Oh, come on.”

I picked up a carrot stick and bit into it, unimpressed, but Hanwoo rolled up his sleeve again and insisted.

“I bought it with money I made from that game.”

“…What?”

He went on to explain that he’d bought Blood Planet as soon as it came out and was now a B-rank Psychic.

By pure luck, he’d killed a low-level monster and gotten a magic scroll, one that taught the Guide skill Relax. It was supposed to be a useless skill, so most people sold it immediately.

After all, once you learned Relax, you couldn’t learn Healing. That’s why almost everyone who started out tossed Relax aside and chose Healing instead.

The skill “Relax” could lower a Psychic’s Overload Gauge without any physical contact. It was an area-of-effect skill, but its effectiveness wasn’t even as strong as simply holding hands. Because of that, people mocked it, saying things like, “Did they just make this to fill up the skill slots or what?”

However, as players reached higher levels, the importance of Relax started to show. When a Psychic’s Overload Gauge was on the verge of bursting, they couldn’t exactly stop fighting and hold hands in front of a monster, could they?

And there was another reason.

When the addiction level of Blood Planet was raised from “Warning” to “Danger,” the drop rate of magic scrolls that could reduce a Psychic’s PG had become insanely low.

“The public’s been roasting BP like crazy. So to make the game ‘less addictive,’ they patched it so Relax scrolls barely drop anymore.”

“So… if that gauge or whatever fills up, you just have to stop playing?”

“Yeah. No matter how much you want to keep leveling or hunting, once you faint, you’re done.”

On the game’s official website, the in-game shop was selling paid items that could lower PG or GG levels, or even cancel the fainting state. Meanwhile, the price of Relax scrolls skyrocketed. Hanwoo, who had tossed his scroll into storage and forgotten about it, had apparently sold it recently to another player for real cash.

“Just one skill scroll, and he made hundreds of thousands of won.”

I was honestly jealous. Then, in the middle of drinking with us, Hanwoo suddenly stood up, saying he had to go because he’d promised to meet his Guide.

“What, you’re leaving already?”

When I asked, Hanwoo just paid at the counter and left. We simply waved goodbye without saying anything.

Sangcheol and I finished what was left of the soju and got up. As we parted ways, Sangcheol slurred, “I’ll send the connection device to your place, so make sure to take it.”

“Hey! I told you, I don’t have any money!”

“Jus’… drrrp-tem somethin’ and pay me back, man.”

He waved a lazy hand and disappeared into a taxi.

After we parted, I sat on a bench at the bus stop.

Honk!

I’d been zoning out until the sudden blare of a car horn snapped me back to reality. Sitting there alone, I watched buses and people come and go. The world kept moving, but I felt completely stuck.

At this rate, I might have to shut down my real estate office within a year. I even thought about taking up a part-time chauffeur job, the thought flashing by as quickly as the cars passing on the road.

When the bus home arrived, I got on. Even there, Blood Planet ads were plastered everywhere.

***

Four days later, Saturday morning at 11 a.m.

Knock knock,  Ding-dong, 

“Mr. Yoo Doseon? Delivery!”

I grimaced as I got up, still groggy from the drinks I’d had the night before.

“Oh, right. Sangcheol said he was sending that thing.”

The thought hit me, and I hurried toward the door, only to stub my big toe on the doorstep.

“Argh!”

I leaned against the wall, groaning, as the doorbell kept ringing. “Coming!” I shouted, hopping on one foot until I finally reached the door. Normally, I’d just tell the deliveryman to leave the package at the door, but this was an expensive item, I couldn’t risk it.

“Are you Mr. Yoo Doseon?”

“Yes, thank you.”

The box was small enough to carry in both arms. I’d imagined the connection device would be huge, but it was surprisingly compact.

After bringing it inside, I unpacked it and checked the contents. It was completely untouched, still factory sealed. I sent Sangcheol a quick message to say I’d received it safely.

“Hmm. Helmet, gloves (joysticks), connector (control unit)… huh, pretty simple.”

The connection control unit was used for charging or adjusting settings. I’d imagined something like a giant booth you had to step into, but it was more like a regular home gaming console.

The main difference was how it was used, you had to sit comfortably in a chair. Once you put on the helmet, you couldn’t move your body until you disconnected. Your nervous system and brainwaves would be linked to the game.

“So… like having your soul sucked in, huh?”

According to user reviews, you could still hear people and feel touches around you, but you couldn’t actually move. Only your fingers could twitch slightly, used for minor controls within the game.

Before logging in, I texted Hanwoo. He replied even while playing, so it seemed you could check phone messages in-game.

[Did you get the device?]

[Yeah, about to log in. Should I go as a Psychic?]

[If you come in as a Psychic right now, you’ll get wrecked. Make a Guide.]

[I don’t like being a healer.]

Hanwoo said that for someone like me, a beginner with no gear, starting as a Guide was better. It was easier to get help from high-level players, and it didn’t cost much.

[Make your main a Guide and your sub a Psychic. If you start as a Psychic now and spend money on gear, you’ll just lose it.]

[Why would I lose it?]

[Didn’t I tell you? Blood Planet is full PK(player killing) across all servers. When you die, you drop your items.]

Holy crap.

Now I understood why everyone was obsessed with leveling up. If you didn’t want your stuff stolen, you had to get stronger, fast.

Hanwoo’s advice was simple: start as a Guide, get on good terms with high-level players, and let them help you level up. Even if I got killed, at least I wouldn’t lose any expensive gear since I hadn’t bought any yet.

Honestly, when I heard there was PK, I thought about not playing at all. But since I’d gotten it for free, I figured I might as well try it once. If I didn’t like it, I could just log out.

With that in mind, I started connecting the parts one by one. I slipped on the glove joysticks, then finally put on the helmet.

The moment I did, a silhouette appeared, standing in a virtual space, with a message prompting me to customize my character. I hit the random button, and a male avatar materialized.

Even on random, it generated a typical Korean man with black hair and black eyes. I tried to change to a female character, but the button was grayed out.

<<Character gender is based on the user’s real gender.>>

When I tried again, the same firm message popped up. A moment later, a voice echoed within the game.

<<Welcome, traveler, to this planet. Please choose your race.>>

Two silhouettes appeared before me. When I reached out to touch one, a description flowed out.

I’d already skimmed through some game forums, so I knew what a Guide was, and that Guides and Psychics needed physical contact to interact. Since the game only generated characters matching the player’s real gender, it made sense.

Even though it was a virtual world, the “skinship” system was said to feel incredibly real, something that online communities had been raving about.

For now, my goal was to raise a Guide, collect items, equip them on my Psychic sub-character, go hunting, and earn rare loot. The thought of making some extra income, like raising premium beef, while enjoying myself made me hum without realizing it.

When I selected “Guide,” a name input window appeared. I decided on one that would make it easy for others to talk to me, even if we met for the first time.

[GentleTouch]

Perfect.

I chose it hoping female Psychics would feel comfortable starting a conversation. With a flutter of excitement, I pressed the login button.

<<You are being transferred to ‘Outskirts of Adventurer’s Village’.>>

The moment I entered, bright light flooded my eyes, making me squint. A sunlit plain and a small village path came into view. A floating guide message told me to follow the road, so I strolled along leisurely, as if walking through the countryside.

“Hey! You bastards!”

“…?”

Just then, a loud shout rang out from somewhere.

I turned toward the direction of the scream and saw players equipped with flashy gear beating up one man. Thankfully, the game didn’t transmit pain, though his limbs were being torn apart, the man still spat out curses between blows.

‘Whoa…’

I froze in shock, my mouth hanging open.

‘What the hell… I thought someone was really getting murdered.’

It was a bizarre scene. Thankfully, the game wasn’t too graphic, just a few spurts of blood for effect.

When that player finally died, his scattered limbs slowly vanished. The atmosphere quickly calmed, as if nothing had happened. All that remained where he’d been was a tattered piece of clothing.

“Newbie didn’t even drop anything worth selling.”

“Doesn’t matter. It was fun.”

The two Psychics who killed him stomped on the item, destroying it completely. Then, like predators sniffing for new prey, they scanned the surroundings.

“Hey, there’s another one.”

“Fresh meat incoming!”

What the hell is wrong with those lunatics?!

Before I knew it, they’d spotted me and came charging like maniacs. Naturally, when someone chases you, you run, but all I had was a stick-like beginner’s staff, and as a fresh newbie, escaping high-level players was impossible.

They surrounded me in an instant and started pounding on me just like the last guy. The hits didn’t hurt, but the punches flying at the screen made my view spin wildly.

Finally, the screen dropped to the ground, they’d gone for my neck.

<<‘GentleTouch’ has died. Some items have been lost. Remaining items have suffered durability loss.>>

I wanted to look around the black-and-white scenery, but my head seemed detached from my body, I couldn’t lift it. I reset and logged back in.

But this time, as soon as the screen brightened, those same bastards started beating me again. They were camping right in front of the spawn point, killing everyone who appeared. After dying twice, I even lost my beginner staff.

“Damn it!! What the hell is wrong with these bastards!!”

I logged out and yanked off my helmet. It had been a long time since a game made me this angry. Who the hell stands around killing newbies the moment they spawn?

‘Alright… just one more try.’

As soon as I reentered, I bolted toward the village, shouting at the top of my lungs. Blood Planet automatically transmitted voices within a certain range, though you could disable it in the settings. I screamed desperately at the Psychics chasing close behind.

“P-Please! Don’t hit me! Please!!”

But once again, my view dropped as my neck was cleanly sliced. The ground came into focus, just a small stone, and the world turned monochrome. Before being kicked back to the lobby, I frantically typed into the chat.

[GentleTouch: Guyz plz st]
[MyBad: bye]
[WhatDoYouMeanBad: bye2]

<<‘GentleTouch’ has died. Some items have been lost. Remaining items have suffered durability loss.>>

<<Warp not registered. You will be moved to the waiting screen.>>

“Ugh! That’s it! I’m done!”

I’d become a wreck in an instant. Lying in bed, fuming, I sent a long, angry email to customer support complaining about this nonsense.