Novel Will Be Taken Down on 17 May or Earlier Chapter 1 - Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo

…I would look like a madman.

 

But I couldn’t help it.

 

I opened my mouth after a lot of consideration.

 

I talked to myself in the mirror.

 

“…Who am I? What’s my name?”

 

Yes, my name is Lee Hoyeol.

 

A fever of joy at the great lake.

 

Three daughters.

 

My name was given to me by my grandfather, who was very happy to see me born as the youngest son of a family full of daughters.

 

However, contrary to what I thought in my mind, a completely different name came out of my mouth.

 

“…Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo.”

 

I didn’t even know which country’s aristocratic name it was.

 

It’s a weirdly long name…!

 

Did I suddenly awaken my previous life?

 

“I wish I did…”

 

No, I knew it wasn’t that kind of fantasy.

 

Because my reflection in the mirror was telling me.

 

Oddly sharp eyes,

 

A strikingly toned physique.

 

Finally, the letters that popped up in front of my eyes.

 

This was an awakening.

 

In other words, I had become a player.

 

Yeah, I could understand that far.

 

The problem was the image of me being a player and the strange name.

 

“No matter how you look at it, this was more than 10 years ago…”

 

[Name: Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo]

 

To be exact, 12 years ago.

 

So, I had been 15 years old.

 

At the time when I was having a middle school second-year syndrome.

 

It was definitely the character I had developed then.

 

I murmured in spite of myself.

 

“… Nevertheless, I am screwed.”

 

In a sophisticated manner as if I was a noble.

 

***

 

Trickle–

 

I’m screwed.

 

Contrary to those feelings, my actions were full of composure.

 

I took out a teacup from the cupboard that I never used.

 

I brewed green tea, which I normally wouldn’t even touch.

 

Then I sat at the table and sipped green tea.

 

“It doesn’t smell bad.”

 

…It’s not like I’m filming a historical drama.

 

I was talking, but the way I talked was awkward.

 

Anyway, I had a hunch.

 

That both my behavior and speech changed due to the influence of my awakening.

 

A player’s awakening.

 

I thought it had nothing to do with me.

 

I totally forgot about it.

 

“…It was more than 10 years ago.”

 

Arcana Continent Record.

 

Thirteen years ago.

 

A virtual reality game that had never come off the top since its release.

 

No, more than a game, it was also called another life.

 

[Unidentified buildings appear all over the world… Is it related to the termination of Arcana’s server?]

 

That Arcana had become a reality.

 

[Monstrous creatures appear all over the world… The netizen said, “It’s definitely Arcana  monsters.” A breakout controversy.]

 

Arcana monsters appeared in such a reality.

 

[New human appears? They defeat the monstrous creature with their bare hands…]

 

Being able to hunt such real monsters.

 

Players who awakened the ability of Arcana characters also appeared.

 

It was now years after the cataclysm.

 

Arcana Continent Record had become a reality.

 

I was shocked when I first heard the news in the military.

 

– If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t put the game aside.

 

I used to imagine that while keeping the night watch.

 

Why, you ask?

 

Because the players were literally heroes.

 

[Player, ‘Golden Flash’, defeated a named monster, ‘General, Sekir’!]

 

[5 billion won reward for clearing the ruptures…]

 

[Close-up interview: The player who prevented the catastrophe, ‘Nam Taemin’]

 

But that was it.

 

– Actually, even if I awakened, it wouldn’t be anything impressive.

 

Because I stopped playing the Arcana Continent Record in less than a year.

 

There was a big practical problem there.

 

The price of the connector alone was 10 million won.

 

The monthly fee was close to hundreds of thousands of won.

 

“…Everyone, I am sorry.”

 

“It’s fine, Dad. You don’t have to feel sorry for us.”

 

“Sob. Mom is ashamed to face you too.”

 

“Ah, seriously, Mom, what’s wrong with you?”

 

“We have all grown up, Hoyeol too. What are you worried about?”

 

By the time I entered high school.

 

After the day, my house got seized.

 

I’d completely turned off my interest in games, as well as Arcana Continent Record.

 

It was the same when I went to high school.

 

Like it or not, I had no choice but to study, and this was the result.

 

A pretty decent job and a pretty decent rented home.

 

A leisurely daily life going back and forth to my parent’s house every weekend.

 

A decent life because I didn’t have much greed even if I didn’t have enough.

 

“…But what is this?”

 

My head was throbbing.

 

I tried to tilt the cup.

 

First of all, let’s knock out the historical-drama-way of speaking.

 

The important thing was that I had awakened as a player.

 

About ten years ago, 12 years to be exact.

 

In other words, the character ‘Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo’, which was raised in the Arcana Continent Record, was overwritten by Lee Hoyeol.

 

I’d often seen it in interviews.

 

– The biggest change after the awakening… I feel like I am assimilating with my character? It really feels like me in real life and the character in the game have merged into one. Let’s just say I’ve been possessed.

 

– Well, even if I am possessed, it was me who played the character in the game. Even if I am possessed by the character I played, nothing would have changed much.

 

– But thanks to that, I think I won’t be scared even if I see real monsters.

 

What was different was that the time I played that game was more than 10 years ago.

 

And another point was the fact that I was ‘extremely’ immersed in the character [Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo] 10 years ago.

 

“It’s delicious.”

 

Even my taste buds changed.

 

…I’m really going crazy.

 

Is this also thanks to the Arcana character’s information being overwritten?

 

I began to remember the settings of [Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo] that I had forgotten.

 

Of course, it was the vast setting that I made when I was suffering from middle school second-year syndrome.

 

『Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo

 

His exact age is unknown.

 

He was the heir to a great family, but that family was ruined by the demons.

 

The only survivor of the family, Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo, hereinafter referred to as Grandfel, walked the path of a demon hunter to take revenge on the demons.

 

He is known for his long, silver hair and beautiful appearance, and he uses a way of speaking that conveys the nobility of his status in his usual speech and actions』

 

It’s so uselessly specific…

 

Past me, you bastard, I’m really going crazy!

 

It was a setting that made my limbs shrivel just thinking about it.

 

Of course, even if I made the setting, none of it reflected in the game.

 

Even if I called it the setting, it was all scribbled on a notebook or notepad.

 

Isn’t that why it’s not listed in my setting?

 

A fallen noble.

 

Because I started as a level 1 beginner who didn’t have much.

 

This setting was just plausible enough to collapse.

 

Yeah, there was only one truth in that long setup.

 

That he walked the path of a demon hunter.

 

[Name: Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo]

 

[Class: Demon hunter]

 

However, in the past, I was so obsessed with the setting and played Arcana.

 

In short, I played Grandfel’s life in Arcana.

 

Now that I thought about it, there was no one else who was this crazy…

 

At that time, I was in middle school and in the second grade.

 

Now I could think of it as a memory to laugh over.

 

“…My memory, I miss you.”

 

However, the memory that I wanted to forget had become a reality.

 

Damn it, the migraine was getting worse.

 

I was worried that someone would see this embarrassing side.

 

…No, wait.

 

Don’t I have to go to work tomorrow right away?!

 

Let’s think about it.

 

Will I be able to go to work and do my job normally?

 

Well, social life.

 

It’s not easy.

 

Many times a day, I had to lower my head and gave up my pride.

 

However, I was influenced by Grandfel’s settings and even my taste had changed.

 

Will I be able to survive a day in this harsh society?

 

『Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo is virtuous. No matter who his opponent is, he never lowers his head. His pride is heavy and unshakable. Even if he sinks under its weight and drowns.』

 

…I’d be glad if I didn’t splash the coffee on the manager’s face.

 

The settlement might be higher than my salary.

 

After an elegant tea time, I came to a conclusion.

 

“I can’t keep my head down forever.”

 

Again, the words were useless, but anyway.

 

To put it simply, I would quit my job.

 

I decided to live as a player from now on.

 

People might think it was a sudden decision.

 

But I was just making a reasonable judgment.

 

Think about it.

 

With these conditions, no matter what job I went to, it would be a nuisance.

 

In the meantime, the balance in my bank account would be noticeably reduced.

 

This damn aristocratic taste.

 

The cost of tea time, which I didn’t even enjoy, would be added to the expense.

 

The cost of living had become even more urgent.

 

In the end, in order to make a living, I had no choice but to live as a player.

 

Of course, I didn’t have greed.

 

As I got older, I naturally came to understand the subject.

 

I was so immersed in Grandfel,

 

who never doubted that he was a special person,

 

There was no other middle school second-year syndrome patient like this.

 

Just enough to make a living.

 

Then there wouldn’t be any danger to my life even if I was a player, right?

 

First, let’s do some searching.

 

I didn’t know much about the player’s world.

 

Because I didn’t live admiring them.

 

I wasn’t interested because I was busy making a living.

 

Still, they made a lot of money, I was envious of that one thing.

 

“…Hm.”

 

Dozens, hundreds, hundreds of billions.

 

Literally billions of players’ articles that never ceased.

 

However, even after reading the articles, I wasn’t interested.

 

『For Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo, wealth is fleeting. Born as the successor to a great family and having experienced the end of prosperity, he has no reason to obsess over wealth and glory.』

 

This, too, must be the effect of that damn setting.

 

But it was a good thing.

 

I wouldn’t risk my life blinded by greed.

 

But before that, there was a serious problem.

 

“…I am weak.”

 

…Can I even catch a mob properly like this?

 

Can I join a party uninvited? I am worried.

 

The level of monsters appearing in reality was no joke.

 

To the point that I couldn’t deal with it by myself right now.

 

– Wow, that was really closeㅋㅋ

 

– A party with an average level of 200 barely managed to capture it?

 

– You can see the level is getting higher and higherㄷㄷ

 

– Do you think the rankers will like it? It gave them a lot of experience

 

Those were the comments from a video clip.

 

The average level of the player’s party was 200.

 

I checked the status window.

 

[Name: Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo]

 

[Class: Demon hunter]

 

[Level: 55]

 

Only level 55.

 

My level was the same as more than 10 years ago.

 

At the time, I wasn’t even a ranker, but I belonged to a fairly high rank…

 

Time was really cruel.

 

There was a saying that mountains and rivers change in 10 years.

 

“Why am I wasting so much time…”

 

I even spat out unnecessary heavy self-talk for a second.

 

I suddenly searched for ‘demon hunter’ in the search bar.

 

“Wait, I forgot.”

 

How to raise a demon hunter…!

 

I completely forgot because it was such a long time ago.

 

At that time, demon hunters could only develop their characters in a limited way.

 

Unlike other classes that raised levels through hunting, demon hunters had to raise levels through quests.

 

《Skill》

 

Natural Enemy Relationship

 

Silver Mastery

 

Shooting Mastery

 

Simultaneous Fire

 

Exorcism

 

The majority of quests were to exterminate demons.

 

There was a big limit to the class called demon hunter.

 

───────

 

Natural Enemy Relationship: Fighting power increases dramatically when fighting demons.

 

───────

 

It boasted overwhelming prowess when it came to dealing with demons, but otherwise, it was an incompetent skill.

 

This was the reality of the demon hunter.

 

Then shouldn’t I just hunt the demons?

 

If anyone asked.

 

At that time, I was able to answer that there were no demon-type monsters in Arcana.

 

Because the only time demon hunters could encounter demons was during quests.

 

Because of that, demon hunters were also unpopular jobs at the time.

 

“But it’s only in the past.”

 

Yeah, it had been ten years plus two years.

 

It was time for new demon hunter training methods to come out.

 

Now that Arcana had become a reality, it might be difficult to apply the training method to reality.

 

Still, I could put up with it.

 

Alright.

 

My head which had been throbbing since awakening gradually began to clear up.

 

…Is it because I drank tea? No, never mind.

 

Anyway, I was glad I was born in the era of information.

 

I could find the information I wanted just by moving my fingers.

 

I typed ‘demon hunter’ in the search bar.

 

I looked around the search results…

 

“…What does this mean?”

 

A search result that was completely different from what I expected came up.

 

“The Akshan base is destroyed? All dead.”

 

What happened to Arcana in the last 10 years?

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

The Akhshan base.

 

It was the headquarter of demon hunters.

 

The Akshan base was where you completed the job quests, carried out the training quests, and became a demon hunter class.

 

However, the Akhshan base was destroyed for some reason and even the NPCs were wiped out.

 

Because of that, changing to a demon hunter class was impossible.

 

“That was a long time ago, too?”

 

…Wait, what about me?

 

Where’s the demon hunter’s new training method?

 

After searching all kinds of communities, I came to a realization.

 

“No way.”

 

– I miss the old days. Back then, there was a class called demon hunter

 

– ㄹㅇ?  I’ve never heard of it

 

– ㅋㅋDemon hunters were such trash characters back then

 

– I raised it, deleted it, then raised it againㅋㅋ

 

– It’s easy to raise but their performances suckedㅋㅋ

 

The more I searched, the more convinced I was.

 

It seemed there was no player who was currently in the demon hunter class.

 

No, because I had awakened as a player…

 

It seemed I was the only one.

 

“Unbelievable.”

 

I resented my past self and my taste.

 

No matter how cool they lived and died, it was a middle school second-year syndrome.

 

If I had thought about the performance even if just a little, would it have been an afterthought?

 

“I have a headache.”

 

Maybe it was because I suddenly took in too much information.

 

I needed a break.

 

The moment I thought of putting down my smartphone.

 

Suddenly, a post caught my eye.

 

– But if I knew it would be like this, I would have kept raising the demon hunter.

 

“?”

 

What kind of story is it?

 

Enough to make them post something like that.

 

I clicked the post out of curiosity.

 

And I was startled.

 

“Demons were officially added with the new update, and since then, the difficulty of ruptures has increased dramatically. If it weren’t for the demons, real players wouldn’t have lost their lives…?”

 

What? Demons were added?

 

Those demons are active in real life, too?

 

‘This is…’

 

A possibility came to my mind.

 

But I didn’t say anything.

 

The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

 

Above all, even players with much higher levels than me seemed to be struggling with the demons.

 

But unlike that realization.

 

I ended up muttering.

 

『Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo’s pride ironically rises the highest when facing demons』

 

“Consider it an honor.”

 

『No demon’s temptation, deceit, or trial can damage Grandfel’s lofty pride.』

 

“I will put you in hell.”