Vol 1 Ch 2

The next day, I opened the real estate office and started cleaning. Feeling refreshed, I made myself a cup of coffee and calmed my mind. Since there were usually no clients in the morning, I turned on my PC, logged into the Blood Planet official website, and checked for a reply.

They claimed to operate a 24-hour customer service center, and sure enough, there was a response. I’d written an entire page venting my frustration, but their reply was nothing but a copy-pasted macro message.

[Dear Traveler, thank you for visiting Blood Planet. The issue you reported falls under the in-game free PK system, so unfortunately, we are unable to provide assistance. We will continue striving to ensure a fun and pleasant gaming experience. Thank you for your continued support.]

“Oh, great. I get killed the second I spawn, and they tell me to ‘enjoy the game’?!”

Since I ran the office alone, yelling like this was fine, but the hardware store owner next door, sweeping outside, peeked in through the open door. Embarrassed, I stood up and bowed slightly. He just clicked his tongue and shook his head.

To run a real estate business properly, you had to make a good impression on the nearby shopkeepers and landlords. I’d only been open for two months, and I couldn’t afford to be seen as some crazy guy, so I made him a cup of coffee as a peace offering.

The only person I’d grown close to while running this place was the owner of the hardware store next door. The nearby real estate agents, on the other hand, made no effort to hide their discomfort over having one more competitor in the area. I was like the ugly duckling, doing my best to stay out of trouble and hold my ground quietly.

‘But still…’

Once again, there was a car parked in front of my office. Business was already bad enough with barely any customers, and that car had been parked there consistently for the past two months.

“Why does he keep parking here, of all places?”

A black sports car gleamed wickedly under the sun, stationed squarely in front of my office. I was about to call the owner to tell him to move it, scrolling through my phone as I approached the windshield, when the hardware store owner, sipping his coffee nearby, waved a hand to stop me.

“That car belongs to the landlord of the building across the street.”

“Then that’s all the more reason he should move it. Why park in front of someone else’s property when he’s got his own building?”

“…Tsk, tsk. This your first time running a real estate office?”

What he meant was obvious, was I really going to risk getting on the bad side of anyone, especially a landlord or a potential client, over something as small as parking?

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

Quietly, I put away my phone and took the broom from him, sweeping the street instead. Even though the office was behind a busy street, the foot traffic was high enough that cigarette butts piled up quickly. I was sweeping for a while when a still-burning cigarette butt suddenly dropped near my feet.

“Huh?”

Judging by the angle, it had been flicked by a tall man wearing a hoodie. For a brief moment, our eyes met head-on.

“Hey! Don’t throw that here!”

He stared at me blankly, showing no reaction, then turned and opened the door to the black sports car parked out front.

I was about to say more, but the moment I realized he was getting into that car, I closed my mouth. A black hoodie and a black car, he radiated nothing but bad vibes.

‘So that’s the landlord… he’s young.’

A moment later, the car roared to life, kicking up dust as it sped away. He probably just didn’t want to bother going down to the underground parking lot, so he parked wherever he pleased. Parking an expensive car like that so carelessly on the street, unbelievable. I ground the still-smoldering cigarette butt under my shoe and sighed about how unfair the world was.

But as the hardware store owner had said, it was good that I hadn’t called. The brief eye contact we’d made told me enough, he didn’t look like someone who’d politely move his car if asked.

‘He’s the one who tossed it, so why’s he looking at me like that?’

Grumbling to myself, I swept a few more spots, then went back inside, tidied up the office, and began checking the listings I was handling.

A lot had been contracted already, leaving me somewhat drained. The cheaper, good ones went quickly, but the real issue was that customers rarely made it as far as my office door.

“At this rate, I’m going to starve to death.”

Really, playing games in times like this? What was I thinking.

After finishing the property check with a deep sigh, the afternoon had rolled around. I had lunch, then went to a nearby convenience store to eat ice cream while fiddling with my phone. Suddenly, I decided to call Hanwoo to vent about what had happened yesterday.

[Hey. You play well yesterday?]

“I kept dying. Haven’t you seen the forum?”

[Ah, sorry. Those guys? Yeah, they do that sometimes. They probably won’t be around today, though.]

“Don’t just say that, help me out, will you? Just escort me to the village. There’s no PK allowed there. I lost all my gear, I’m literally in my underwear right now.”

Laughter exploded through the receiver. After nearly choking from laughing too hard, he told me to log in around 9 p.m.

Hanwoo’s character name was [WithTheLord], a name that really inspired confidence. I hoped he’d send those two jerks straight to meet the Lord himself.

“I’ll call you later then. Thanks, man!”

Feeling much better, I headed back to the office.

***

The reason I’d opened a real estate office in the first place was because, at twenty-eight, the company I’d been working for went bankrupt at the start of the new year.

There weren’t any decent jobs in my rural hometown, so I came to Seoul with nothing but my real estate license and a reckless sense of confidence. Part of it was my dream to live and work in Seoul, but the other part was because of a stalker.

A male stalker, at that.

It started after I finished my military service and was working part-time, living a normal life. Our house had a small yard, so we usually hung our laundry outside. Then, one day, my underwear started disappearing.

‘Mom! Where’s my underwear?’

‘Where do you think? I hung it out to dry. While you’re out there, bring in the blankets too.’

And as always, she nagged me from the other room about how, ‘You’re grown now, wash and hang your own underwear,’ while I went outside.

I grabbed the dry blankets, slinging them over my arm as I shuffled along the clothesline, but strangely, my underwear was nowhere to be found. When I told Mom that none of my underwear was out there, she gave me a baffled look.

‘Why would I hide your underwear? Stop talking nonsense and fold what you brought in, then put it away in your room.’

She didn’t even check what I’d brought, just waved me off.

But… it really was strange.

I figured maybe they’d gotten stuck somewhere in the washing machine. Socks disappeared all the time, after all. I liked flashy designs, cheetah prints, leopard spots, things like that, so I even joked to myself that maybe a cat or a wild bird had flown off with them.

Back then, I was working part-time and later landed a job, so every payday, buying new underwear had become something of a monthly ritual.

‘Maybe it’s some girl who likes you and keeps stealing them?’

Someone joked about it once, and I started to take it as flattery. Then, one day, one of my sneakers, just one, that I’d left outside to dry went missing.

‘What the hell, if you’re going to take them, at least take both!’

I shouted into the yard in frustration but also scanned the area, half hoping the mysterious admirer might be listening. Ah, popularity really was a curse. The more my underwear disappeared, the more intentionally racy designs I started buying.

And then, one day, they stopped disappearing altogether. Strangely, I felt a bit disappointed. Two years passed like that, and at twenty-seven, nothing much had changed in my routine life.

Then one day, a package arrived.

When I opened it, there was nothing inside but underwear. I thought maybe I’d ordered something online and forgotten, but when I picked it up, something sticky clung to my fingers.

And then, a familiar scent reached my nose, and the moment I leaned in to sniff, goosebumps ran down my arms. It was that unmistakable smell every man recognizes, the scent of night blossoms, wafting from the underwear.

I checked the box again and realized it hadn’t come through any normal delivery service. There was only a sticker with my name on it. Someone had deliberately left it in front of my door.

At first, I tried to brush it off, thinking it was just some disgusting prank. But then… the boxes kept coming. Once a week, sometimes twice. I didn’t dare tell my mother, afraid she’d be shocked if she found out. Each box contained my usual animal-print underwear, stained with semen.

After receiving those boxes steadily for three months, I realized just how many pairs I’d actually lost. But the thought of walking into a police station, carrying those things, to say I was being stalked by a man, it was too humiliating.

A few months later, when the company went bankrupt and I told my mother I was moving to Seoul to start a real estate business, she masked her disappointment with a sigh of relief. ‘Good,’ she’d said, ‘I was getting tired of doing your laundry anyway.’

In Seoul, I managed to rent a small real estate office on the first floor, cheap enough that I didn’t need a huge deposit. Strangely enough, after I moved, the packages stopped arriving altogether. Maybe he’d finally given up on me. Part of me felt relieved, grateful, even.

So all I had to do now was settle down here and get things running smoothly. But once I actually opened the office, life turned out to be tighter and more exhausting than I’d expected.

What kind of person plays games in a situation like this? I’d grumbled before. But I decided to put those thoughts aside and blow off some of the stress from real life.

“Let’s play a bit, cheer up… maybe score some good loot while I’m at it.”

Today, for sure, this time, I’d make it to the village!

 

* * *

 

“Perfect.”

As soon as I got off work, I finished all the house chores, took a shower, and grabbed a can of beer. If I enjoyed the game now and went to bed afterward, today would truly be perfect.

“Yeah, it’s not the game’s fault. It’s the people in it who are the problem.”

I glanced at the wall clock, almost nine.

I sent Hanwoo a message.

[I’m logging in now]
[Okay]

I slipped the glove joystick onto my hand and put on the helmet. A warning popped up on the screen: <<Please be seated.>> I wasn’t fully logged in yet, so I could see my surroundings through the semi-transparent display.

I carefully walked over and sat down on the sofa I’d used yesterday. <<Loading…>> appeared on the screen, and then it quickly switched to the character selection screen, just like yesterday.

As if it hadn’t been a dream, my character’s hands were empty. I had dropped all my beginner’s robe items and was left wearing just my underwear. I didn’t want to think about what it would be like if even the underwear items had dropped.

<<Welcome to Blood Planet.>>

I hit the login button, and the screen turned white before revealing the grassy plains. Instinctively, I looked around, but the “sorry” guys from yesterday weren’t in sight.

I whispered to Hanwoo through the game chat.

[Gentle Touch: Where are you?]
[WithTheLord: Hey runrunrun]

“Huh? Run?”

Boom, !

Behind me, the ground cracked with heavy thuds. Dust rose, and for a moment, I couldn’t see the path ahead. I ran in one direction, just trying to get away.

“What the hell! Again?!”

I kept my eyes forward, running, when I noticed the local chat window at the bottom left. Several people were talking.

[Human: Popcorn time]

[I’m Sorry: ㅗGet outta my spot]

[ShutUp: STFU]

[WhatYouSorryFor: You nuts?]

[ShutUp: Zip it]

It looked like the guys who slaughtered me yesterday were now in a 2v2 PK with someone else, right around here. The general chat was starting to pick up, too. But the ridiculous part? I was running toward the opposite side of the village.

“Damn it!”

To reach the village, I’d have to go through that chaotic battlefield with explosions everywhere. If I brushed past them now, I’d definitely die.

[Gentle Touch: What do I do?]
[WithTheLord: Just wait]

I crouched behind a rock where no one would pass. But the fight kept growing, and the area attacks edged closer.

[Gentle Touch: What the hell is happening? When can I get through?]
[WithTheLord: Looks like it won’t happen today. Let them fight it out and move elsewhere. I’ll help you again tomorrow.]

I didn’t have much choice. Psychics were wreaking havoc on the path to the village.

Then, an idea struck me.

“If someone dies, won’t they drop items?”

I rose quietly from behind the rock, wearing nothing but underwear.

Well, I had nothing to lose anyway. My only item was my underwear, and I had no experience points. When there’s nothing to lose, courage comes naturally. I crept toward the battlefield like a thief.

‘Wow…’

Watching from behind a big tree, their battle was incredible.

Each psychic had randomly assigned elemental abilities. Flames roared across the ground, lightning spears arced through the air, it looked like a scene straight out of a superhero movie.

“If I pick up a dead player’s items and log out quickly…?”

It wasn’t impossible. If I got caught and died while looting, it would just be embarrassing. What did it matter? People would just think some lowly beggar died doing stupid stuff.

“It’s just a game, after all.”

I stayed low and moved closer. Between the explosions, I almost had to crawl, but I noticed a player a little farther off kneeling to catch his breath.

The psychic’s body was wrapped in flickering lightning. Tiny bolts crackled across his frame. It looked dangerous enough to fry me on contact. I swallowed hard, watching as a massive pillar of water struck him from above. It was like a real current flowing across the soaked ground.

‘Ah, that was close.’

I barely squatted atop a tree stump and avoided death. Looking at the spot where the water pillar hit, the lightning-wrapped player lay flat on the ground.

<<ShutUp: Dead.>>

And his status message appeared.

In the place where ShutUp’s body had been, a small ring lay on the ground. This was my chance. I ran, breathless, grabbed it, and quickly logged out of the game.

I blinked as I removed the helmet.

“Wow… what did I just pick up?”

The moment I picked it up, it automatically equipped, and suddenly my body surged with strength.

Earlier, I’d ended the session too quickly to check the ring’s name. I put the helmet back on and opened the character status screen. My character had nothing, no clothes, no shoes, but now wore a single ring.

‘The Noble Elf’s Breath Ring.’

Looking at the stat boosts, it seemed like a very good item.

[The Noble Elf’s Breath Ring]
▶ ATK +100
▶ DEF +100
▶ MR +100
▶ DEX +100

My character had honestly started with all stats at 1. Each stat increased by 100, reaching 101.

But there was a stat I hadn’t seen before: [CH 100,000]. Curious, I checked, it was “Charm.” It wasn’t from the ring; it must have been a random stat added during character creation.

‘What am I going to do with charm? I’m not making a princess.’

I ignored it, it wasn’t useful for hunting. Still, having even this would help later, I thought.

The ring’s special ability slot read:

<<Warp to any village.>>

A new window appeared next to the game login button where I could select a village.

“Wow! Amazing!”

What luck! I didn’t have to see those “sorry” guys again. The PK system was really useful, this ring alone proved it.

I decided not to log in again today. Someone might have seen me grab the ring. I checked the forums to see if it had been captured and planned to move cautiously.

I set my alarm for 4 a.m., before work, to log in again, and went to sleep.

…But I never woke up.