Prologue

-:Confirming unregistered user. Shall we create a new account?:-

-:Yes/No:-

It was the feminine voice he had only dreamed about. The last few years had been worth it just to hear her ask him this. Eun Seok almost wept as his fated day arrived.

************

Chapter 1

The banging next door had stopped. He just lay there listening to the sounds of the old building. His tranquillity was shattered as the banging started once more only louder. It was only when his own door exploded inward that he realised why.

'Really need to fix that lock' he thought as the two collection officers entered his room.

"Be a good neighbour and help him pay...."

The first began before he trailed off, as one quick glance around the tiny apartment told them it would be pointless to continue. They cast pitying gazes at the emaciated man in his late thirties laying on the floor. His eyes were darkened, his skin was pale and his cheeks were sunken. He had not moved from the spot on the floor where he had fallen after fainting from exhaustion and hunger.

The two bruisers in sweat suits backed out the room slowly. As its occupant feebly lifted his head to watch their retreat they bowed and apologized for the door. The last one out left a thousand Won by the door. Saying a quick prayer just in case.

The next day a man in a suit sat in the offices of a certain loan company. Beside him sat a large rucksack. He refused to leave and all the normal intimidation did nothing to dissuade him. An older gentleman in a fine suit exited the office and approached him. Anywhere else he could have been mistaken for upper management. The air of authority and the respect he commanded was visible all around.

"Come the president will see you now."

He was shown into the back office and if the atmosphere outside had been tense then the air in this room was electric.

Two rows of gangsters flanked a man who must have been in his early sixties. His greying hair contrasted well with the dark purple ascot and the black suit. Although the outline of his shirt showed the body of an elderly man the eyes with which he was now piercing Eun Seok with were as sharp as any high school punk.

While he stood there like a hare caught in head lights the gentleman who came to get him took up his rightful place at the old man's right side. In one fluid well practiced motion he relight his seniors cigarillo. The rest of the men in the rows stared holes through their visitors skull. Eun Seok was starting to sweat bullets when the old man began speaking.

Smoke from the cigarillo wafted upward as he pointed it at his prey.

"So what brings you here?"

Eun Seok snapped back to reality. As quickly as he could he lowered the rucksack he had been clinging to and began to unpack it. As his hands moved to undo the straps everyone in the room held their breath, several hands disappeared behind their backs.

From the bowels of the bag he drew several carrier bags of tupperware. He placed them on the ground and a single letter on the desk in front of the president. He performed a quick Sebae and scurried out of the office before fear completely gripped his mind.

Perplexed the president reached forward and took up the envelope as his subordinates secured the packages. As he read its contents the room was filled with a delicious scent.

"Dear President of Happy Sunshine Loans. My mother always said I must repay whatever I receive tenfold. Whether it be happiness or sadness. Enclosed is 10,000 won to be returned to your company. Also included is a gift of my mothers' Banchan please enjoy. With this our ties are severed. Thanks for your charity Eun Seok."

The old man chuckled as he motioned to his second.

"Yea Hyung-nim." the man to his right lowered to hear the presidents order.

"That man has peeked my curiosity. Have him investigated."

That night one gang in Seoul wept over the memories of their own mothers cooking, of course this was only after the young members tasted all the side dishes thoroughly for poison.

*****************

Before Eun Seok realised it he was back home in his small room. It was still as bare as it had been when the loan sharks burst in but he was no longer the same living corpse as yesterday. He hung up his only suit in the half cupboard.

He slide the door closed and looked around the room. It had been a storage cupboard before the current landlords greedy father had remodelled it into the 'student flat' and while he was in university it had suited his needs just fine. But his mother couldn't afford both tuition and living expenses so he had had to find part time work. He soon found himself needing to pull more shifts and missing more classes. He had a good head on his shoulders but eventually flunked the coarse due to non attendance.

He had thought of returning home then but the thought of his mother struggling to send him to university so far away in the first place made his chest tighten. He had drifted away from his high school friends to focus on studying for entrance exams and now no good company would hire him being a 'dropout'. No way to move forward, nothing to return to.

But the small room had not made him a small person. He had built a routine and stuck to it. The neighbours greeted him by his nickname Freeter; it had an unfortunate air of romanticism about it.

His mornings were for delivering papers and milk before heading off to work as a day labourer. At nights he would wash dishes or bus tables then see if there were any shifts open at the local convenience store. Only eating small meals between shifts. Saturdays he would search for recyclables and if he was lucky it meant he could have a little drink Sunday if not he used Sunday to sleep and recharge.

His heart was still pained when his mothers letters asked 'how work was going'. He would respond with anecdotes about what had happened at his various part time jobs. He viewed them all collectively as 'work', sometimes juggling five or six small ones at a time.

Now however he found the room oppressive. His frugal, high stress life style was grinding him down and he knew staring at the spot he collapsed on that next time he may not be so lucky. Worse still he was unsure if he could make it the month now that half his moms care package was gone. Not to mention the huge dent in his cash flow 10,000 Won had made but he reasoned it was better to nip those sorts of favours in the bud quickly. Lest they spiral out of hand.

Picking up the bottle of liquid in the corner he headed for the roof.

The block of flats may only have been three storeys tall but it held quite the view of the landscape if one had time to appreciate it. His own south facing window was really just there to let light into the room and so he often found himself on the roof when he was in between jobs. He gazed out over the city as he emptied the contents of the faded tea bottle onto a potted plant. He watched people in the park by the station. His room had no plumbing so the public toilets in the park were the closet. It took incredible muscle control or expert timing to make it especially if the crossing lights were running slow.

Luckily he didn't have the constitution of a salary man; jumping between constipation and diarrhea with bouts of haemorrhoids just to keep things interesting.

He turned his attention in the other direction, to the big screen by the department stores. He couldn't change channels but they had the news and it was free. A familiar ad for Royal Road showed them interviewing a player. The pretty young hostess was doing her best to be cheerful next to the forty year old beast.

"I was unemployed and my parents kept screaming at me to get a job so I turned Gaming into my job just to get them off my back. The rush I got when I ended my first item auction got me hooked and 9 months down the line I even have a girlfriend. Met her in game and we're quite happy. Sorry Ajumma."

You could see the rage rising but the young hostess was the personification of professionalism as twisted the head off of his nearest figurine.

"Don't worry this Eonni understands." she replied putting on a cutesy tone.

Cold. As. Ice.

She signed off towards the camera as the greasy pig in human clothes tried desperately to reattach the dolls head behind her.

Lately there had been a growing trend with people make money off of item auctions. Royal Roads army of Dark Gamers were just the latest incarnation of such a trend. Eun Seok thought back to his own fond memories of whiling away his youth in game arcades playing whatever machine would accept his chump change allowance.

Of course he had followed Royal Roads closely and the KMC broadcasts of the Legendary God of War: Weed were some of his most watched recordings. He even had a pirated stream of the series saved somewhere.

'Why can't I be like that' he lamented as he headed back down. He paused on the stairs as a thought occurred to him, 'Why can't I?'.

**************************

Half of him said it was still preposterous and the other half couldn't really give a solid argument for it either but there he was sitting in his tiny cubicle pouring over notes he had jotted down the night before.

The library computers were free and he mostly used them to search for jobs but today he was researching and compiling something completely different. The screen in front of him flickered as he shifted between tabs to compare the cost of capsules, internet providers and electricity tariffs.

He paused long enough to do a few quick sums in his head. It would take around another year and a half to hit the figure he was aiming for. Maybe two just to be safe and that was only if he cancelled several policies and consolidated other savings accounts. Almost twenty years of an ultra frugal life style, supported by the home produce his mother in the country grew, had led to a rather substantial sum sitting in his bank account. It was money without purpose so it had just slowly accumulated into the size it was today but if he hoped to pull off what he was planning it would need to grow a little more.

But the oppression of the small room was deeply ingrained in his mind and even as he sat there beaming away to himself, the doubt and fear was creeping in. He clenched his fists and stuffed them into his pockets as the first wave hit him.

'But what if I fail.'

'All that money wasted.'

'They knew I'd never amount to anything.'

'I don't want to die alone in that room'

They were screaming in his head when he felt something. He unclenched his fist and withdrew the object from his pocket. The stern face drowned out the voices in his head as he stared at the 100 Won piece. He grasped it tightly, closed his eyes and tossed it in the air.

"I leave my fate up to you Samdo Sugun Tongjesa-nim"

He prayed, moving to catch the coin. He clapped it down on the back of his hand and waited. After what seemed like an eternity he slowly lifted the top hand away.

As if a sign from heaven the Admiral greeted him with eyes of steel resolve.

Always trust in the divine providence of a coin toss.

Starting then Eun Seok worked like a man possessed. He held up to six jobs at once. He scrimped, saved and pinched every penny he could. To survive winter he wore several sets of cloths and to get through summer he worked packing fish. When he wasn't burning the candle at both ends he was trawling the web for information. Stats; skills; known quests and any Royal Road article he could consume. He watched 1000's of hours worth of streamed footage and dissected the Hall of Fame lists.

***********************

Eun Hye had left her small field when the post had arrived. There was the package from her son. The bold red RETURN TO SENDER label filled her heart with an odd mix of joy and trepidation. As she feared one day she would open the box to find not the usual empty containers but rotting food in unopened packages. It was a mothers worry.

This time she found last month's containers and the usual letter. The tension left her and she breathed a sigh of relief before opening the letter.

She was happily reading the answers to her questions and pondered how to respond to his when her heart missed a beat. She scanned her eyes back over the text just to make sure she hadn't misread it in her old age.

'I have quit my job'

No; there it was as clear as day half way down the page. Panic returned as her mind raced through a thousand scenarios of what had and was happening to her one and only precious son. She was just about to start packing for a journey to comfort him when for the second time that day her heart stopped.

'have decided to start my own business'

What more could a mother do when their child was trying his hardest but beam proudly at the news.

***********************

Two and a half years past in the blink of an eye. He had worked a little longer to ensure he had ample time to level before he had to show results. The interest from his savings in his new foreign account should hopefully cover his meagre monthly bills. When he had withdrawn the princely sum of 510 million won($480k) the bankers had cried as it left their clutches but he opened a checking account, where the interest would be deposited, for paying his bills.

He stood in front of the capsule that now dominated his small apartment, to get it in they had removed the door itself.

On the only part of the wall that was accessible hung a small picture frame. Contained within was the stern face of Yi Sun Shin on a green felt background. He had mounted that fateful coin so as to draw strength and not falter under the Admirals gaze.

Below it were two pieces of paper. They were the result of his arduous study into Royal Road. One page was listed as Stats and the other as Skills. Both lists were his targets before he left the starting zone.

As he opened the capsule he felt the room shrink.

Once inside and settled he turned it on only to be greeted by a familiar face. It was a picture he had set to be shown every time the capsule was turned on or shutting down.

His mothers smiling face beaming lovingly at him. In her hand she held a piece of paper that simply said one word: FIGHTING.

He had cried when he first opened her care package and found the picture. As soon as he could he had it converted to digital and uploaded to the capsule. The original hung on the back of the front door.

She began to fade out as the game began. Being replaced by a full black screen that seemed to swallow the whole of the inside of the capsule.

******************************

The feminine voice prompted him again and he returned to his senses.

"Sorry Goddess of Versailles. Yes create a new account."

-Select the name of your avatar-

He thought for a moment to recall the name he had come up with after agonizing for weeks over it. The name itself was a reflection of the class he sought to play and his goal in the game.

"Chaebol"

-:Sorry that name is taken please choose another:-

He was shocked. It only worsened as he tried several permutations but not even 'HandsomeChaebol' or 'AwesomeChaebol' were taken.

-:Would you like a name suggested based on race:-

That was the last thing he needed, the systems AI changing the creation sequence just to give him some sort of heavy RP like name. He focused harder and searched through all corners of his mind to find anything suitable.

Then it came to him. It was so simple and summed up everything he wanted to convey.

"Mandeok."

-:Thank you. Please select your gender:-

-: Male/Neutral/Female:-

"Male. " He had no desire to have the unneeded headache of playing as a different gender.

-:Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary twenty-nine:-

He scrolled through the 3D images of the races that appeared in front of him but it was more curiosity than necessity

"Dwarf."

A scanned image of his current appearance appeared before him and was condensed down into the stocky form of a dwarf.

-:You may alter your appearance:-

He tweaked a few of the slider bars to polish the image before him. Better merging his human form into the dwarven build. "Accept"

-:Thank you. Your account has been activated. Your Stats and Class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road. On behalf of Unicorn Corporation please enjoy the fully immersive world:-

He was tearing up, his long struggle to the starting line was almost over. The Empire's prize money was still up for grabs but he had loftier ambitions.

-:Starting in Iron Hand village, Thor Kingdom due to racial selection:-

"Do I have to?"

He had to act quickly before he was forced to leave the initial setup. The disembodied voice of the Goddess of Versailles was silent for a few moments.

-:Select a City and Kingdom you want to start in. Penalty's may be applied due to choice of location:-

A dwarf starting in an Elvin city would surely be frowned upon given the rich lore surrounding the two races animosity but a human settlement may be possible.

"How about the Citadel of Serabourg in the Rosenheim kingdom?"

'Good phrase it as a question, get the system engaged so it doesn't take it as a definitive choice. Probe the possibilities as much as possible.' he thought.

-: Penalty applied for selection of non racial Kingdom. Reputation among the dwarfs set to neutral:-

Friendly --> Neutral

The dwarfs of Thor Kingdom were known to be unfriendly to all but merchants and craftsmen of other races who could prove themselves.

-:Welcome to Royal Road. The first step on your journey of high adventure beings now:-

**flash**

**************************

A flash of light washed over him, forcing his eyes closed. When he opened them again he found himself in the middle of a large town. Players and NPC's alike were swarming about. No matter how many hours of game footage he had watched nothing could have truly prepared him for the full effect of the sight, sounds and smells he be held.

He took a deep breath and walked calmly over to the beginners boards. Or at least he tried to. The differences between his body and his new dwarven form made what should have been a simple few steps look like a great challenge. For one his eye line had changed. By no means was he regularly considered tall but now he found himself staring squarely at the waists of most people around him.

His stocky dwarf build was half as tall and twice as broad as he usually was. The short arms ended in stubby fingers and he wondered how any race with such sausage hands could be considered Master Craftsmen in fields that required high levels of dexterity.

Worse still was that when he tried to walk his legs didn't move the way he felt they should. This threw of the gait of his stride resulting in a very awkward pace. His steps felt too long or too short for the motion he wanted. He slide stiff kneed the last few feet to the signs.

They contained maps of the city and the basic control commands. He opened the system menu and disabled the "Night-Life" and "Pleasures" features.

'No unnecessary distracts. They can always be enabled later.....for this and that' he chuckled to himself as his face contorted in a perverse grin. Luckily his new full dwarven beard hid his shamefulness from passers-by. But several female avatars who accidently caught his eye shivered.

Next he checked his Stats and Skills. The first showed his Strength, Agility, Vitality, Wisdom and Intelligence were at base 10 while Charisma and Luck were at base 5. His Avatar currently had full health, mana and stamina. The level of satiety was high. His basic clothing and lack of a weapon meant he had no defence and no offence. The rest of the window showed his lack of Magical Resistance, Fame, Title and Profession.

The other contained a single skill; Handicraft at level 1 (0.0% EXP) and nothing else. The golden bonus of the dwarven race. Every decision he had made regarding his new career path had revolved around this key fact.

He closed the windows and headed towards the city gates.

By the time he arrived he was feeling more comfortable about moving around in the new body, if only he could get the braids in his beard under control. They swung wildly whenever he moved.

The guards at the gate noticed the dwarf approaching and lowered their pikes to bar his exit.

"Sorry you can't leave the confines of the city yet."

"..." he stared blankly at them

"If you went out there and something happened it would be our heads that would roll. See the city sites, grow a little stronger. Then you can come and go as you please. Ok!"

New players were locked in their origin cities for four in-game weeks, a month to get accustomed to life in Royal Road. Thankfully this was only a one week period in real time. Mandeok was well aware of this iron rule.

"That's fine sir." he responded kindly. The tone didn't match the face of the heavy bearded dwarf.

"I just came to peek out through the gates. Is it ok as long as I go no further than here?"

He glanced down at a point in front of his feet. Both gate guards nodded, uncrossed their pikes and went back to standing sentinel.

He squinted through the gate at the fields beyond the citadel walls. He could just make out rabbits hopping around enjoying the midday sun. Further on an orange blur darted across the grass and there in the distance the canopy of a tree line was barely visible above the horizon.

With his objective complete he thanked the guards, about faced and walked leisurely back towards the heart of the Citadel.

He found a nice bench in a sunny spot near the main square and plopped himself down, it was low enough that he didn't have to endure the embarrassment of climbing up to sit on it. Though his legs dangled just off the ground. He logged out.

Upon exiting the capsule he took two more pages from a folder on the floor and pinned them under those on the wall. He used a pen to then amend a line on the first sheet.

Chaebal was scored out and Mandeok scrawled in its place. He opened the cupboard and crawled into his new sleeping space.

*******************

When he logged back in a few hours later the hustle and bustle of the street was still as heavy as he'd left it.

He checked his inventory: 10 rye beard; 1 canteen[full]. Before heading in the direction of the nearest shop.

******************

Four weeks couldn't have past faster for Mandeok and while other players may have looked at his lack of growth as a negative thing, he was quite pleased with himself. You try not growing in game where repeating an action enough could create a skill or stat from said action. Or add to the stats he already had. Especially as un-classed players had a cap on how many skills they could have.

No this was truly some sort of dark miracle and he knew it.

He had spent those four weeks building the foundations of his contact list. Heading in to every shop just to make small talk or greeting those he passed in the street with a smile. His only mission in that time was to ingrain his existence upon the population of the Citadel. In other words raise intimacy with the whole city from stranger to acquaintance.

He was now in front of the gate post waiting. The countdown to his release had started and any second the lock down would be over.

He fidgeted like a child at the starting line of a school race.

-: Congratulations. A month has passed and you are now free to leave the city:-

'Not a moment too soon' he thought as he relaxed and walked towards the guards.

"Oh leaving the city....well good luck!" they looked him up and down, a little worried by his level but they couldn't stop him from leaving so they prayed he'd just return in one piece.

The dwarf was quiet. Then he calmly took off his beginners cloths and folded them neatly into his inventory. He took a deep breath and strode boldly through the city gates. The guards were stunned and players out in the fields stopped what they were doing to point at the bare dwarf striding confidently out of the City.

'Now the real thing begins' Mandeok reassured himself. He had also spent a portion of each day during those four weeks in coming to the gate to peer at the outside. The reason for this was simple. It was reconnaissance for when he would be out there himself.

He dropped to all fours and crept toward an unsuspecting rabbit that was happily munching a weed just beyond the gates. It looked up startled as it felt such blood thirst in the air. A moment later it put its head back down as it was confident the killing intent was not directed at it.

The weed it was chewing on however shivered. Every fibre of its being was screaming to run away. If it could have talked it would have begged the fiend rabbit who was devouring it to help it escape.

Mandeok pounced. The rabbit leapt back as the body of the dwarf flew toward it. It skipped a few paces away before turning back to see that the strange person was not after its fur, meat or EXP; unlike all the others in the field.

The half eaten weed was not so lucky. The stubby dwarven fingers ripped and grabbed at its body, tearing it from the soil.

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