A wave of monsters charged toward a cloaked player, his hood drawn low over his face. The forest flattened beneath them. Dust exploded upward.
A faint smile crossed his hidden features as he grabbed the prepared rope. "Now!" he shouted. The rope went taut, launching him skyward. His view of the battlefield widened.
"Four... three... two... one... They're all in." He closed his right eye with his hand, enhancing his Explorer Eye skill in his left. "Ignite!"
He snapped his fingers and shielded himself with both arms.
A circle materialized instantly, surrounding every monster. One second later... BOOM!
The explosion shook the ground. A distant mountain lost half its mass. The airborne player was thrown back violently. The monster wave vanished without a trace.
The incident sent shockwaves across the world. But everyone already knew the answer: "Must be Wanderer_0," the legend with a hidden identity. Some said he was a pro player who avoided the spotlight. Others claimed he was a GM's kid. The theories were endless.
But long before that legend was born, the world had welcomed a new game in the VRMMORPG genre. Every street corner buzzed with talk of it. Posters and promotional videos covered every building and giant screen. People called it the 'second world,' a place to escape exhaustion, where dreams became reality and happiness thrived. A place that created new careers and new billionaires.
But not for Ian.
He was just a day laborer scraping together every won to support his family and pay off his father's hospital debts.
This morning was colder than usual. While everyone slept soundly under warm blankets, Ian was drenched in sweat.
Behind the fifth box truck, he stood wiping his face with a small towel. His muscular frame showed through the tank top he wore. He unloaded boxes one by one alongside several other day laborers.
"Take a break, son. You haven't rested at all," old man Kim said gently. He'd gotten the same contract as Ian.
"I'm fine." Ian smiled slightly. "I'm getting used to it. And this is only the fifth truck."
"Hahaha..." Old man Kim laughed and patted Ian's shoulder. "If only I had your stamina." He went back to carrying boxes into the warehouse.
The day flew by. The sun set in the west. Ian sat alone on a park bench with a can of soda and a fistful of bills in his other hand.
"Pretty tired from moving goods without a forklift," he muttered, recalling the twenty trucks he'd finished. "But I have to stay strong. At least until the forklift arrives."
He leaned back with a small towel covering his face. Someone approached carrying two bottles of soju, set them down next to Ian, and yanked the towel off.
"Hey, why are you sleeping at this hour?" Minho teased. "So even Hercules gets tired, huh?"
"Who's sleeping?" Ian protested. "I was enjoying the beautiful night God created."
"Always gotta win, don't you." Minho flicked a card onto Ian's lap.
Ian reflexively looked at what Minho had given him. "What's this? I don't want to owe you another favor." He tried to hand back the ID card for Atlas Fall, which he knew was expensive.
"Just take it. I got it as a bonus from a client anyway." Minho pushed it back toward Ian. "Besides, I'm not a player. I'm just a video editor. It's useless to me."
The conversation between the two friends stretched on. The impact of Atlas Fall Online had truly opened up countless job opportunities in the real world, including Minho's work as a streaming video editor for Atlas Fall rankers.
Before long, the night had grown late. They parted ways and headed home. But before leaving, Minho reminded Ian once more that the ID card was limited edition, with a chance for one gacha if the starting class didn't suit him.
Before reaching home, Ian made time to visit his father at the hospital. The man remained unconscious. His illness from accumulated physical and mental exhaustion had made his aging body unable to bear burdens that had felt light in his youth. Fortunately, health insurance still covered the hospital bills. It lightened Ian's shoulders somewhat.
Like every night, Ian only visited briefly without saying a word. But he always made a silent promise to do his absolute best as the family's breadwinner.
It was 10 PM. Ian pressed the doorbell and opened the door. "I'm home." He took off his shoes and set down his shopping from the convenience store across the street.
His mother was cooking. His younger sister, who'd had to drop out of college, was reading, hoping that someday when she could return to school, she wouldn't have forgotten everything.
Ian grabbed his towel and took a shower. His sister paused from reading to help their mother prepare dinner.
Everything proceeded normally. Warmth and happiness filled their small home, hiding the burden and bitterness of life they'd experienced after living comfortably when their father was still active on the Atlas Fall Online development team.
Until something unusual happened.
Ian had just stepped out of the bathroom. His mother stood at the slightly open door. He heard the voices of several men talking. But by the time Ian approached to find out what was happening, the men had already left in their car.
"Oh, you're done showering." His mother smiled. "Come on, let's eat."
"Wait, Mom. I need to know what happened."
His mother stayed silent. She smiled again. "It's nothing, son. You don't need to worry."
The heavy atmosphere returned to normal once rice was served. Warm laughter filled the dining room, making all problems seem to disappear.
Ian returned to his room and closed the door quietly. His body collapsed onto the small bed that had been with him since high school. The worn springs creaked.
Cold sweat still dampened the back of his neck. Not just from the twenty trucks he'd unloaded all day, but from his mother's expression earlier. That forced smile. Those strange men at the door.
"Must be about debt again," he murmured, covering his face with his arm.
His hand felt his pants pocket. His fingers touched something hard and cold.
The ID card.
Ian pulled it out and held it up beneath his room's dim light. A metallic black card with an embossed Atlas Fall Online logo in the center. Limited Edition. Small text in the bottom right corner read: "One Chance to Rewrite Your Beginning."
One chance to rewrite your beginning.
Ian gripped the card tightly. His hand trembled.
Will it always be like this?
Or... maybe with this card, I can change everything?
Ian stared at the card for a long time. Then he tossed it carelessly onto the desk. It landed face down. The Atlas Fall Online logo hidden.
He turned toward the wall.
"Who knows."