Player (4)
The clearing starts buzzing with excitement as I reveal my nickname.
I close my eyes for a moment and assess the situation.
First of all, Elfnuna, the name they’re mentioning…
…is the nickname I used to use.
I chose it without much thought because my character at the time was an elf.
And…
‘I also wrote the stat guide…’
Was it around my 3rd year of playing?
I felt it was a waste to keep the information I had painstakingly compiled to myself, so I uploaded it to the forum.As expected of a dead game forum, I remember the view count not even reaching 100 after a year.
But…
‘Why are they all looking at me like I’m some rare named monster?’
Come to think of it, that woman earlier also mentioned something about being a fan.
Why?
It’s been about 5 years since I last visited that community.
‘…Did I become famous without even knowing it?’
Whatever the reason, I come to a conclusion.
I’m famous.
I can figure out the reason why I became famous later.
I have enough clues to deal with the situation right now.
“Ah, you must have misunderstood.”
About 3 seconds.
After grasping the situation, I smile brightly and wave my hands.
“I’m a fan of that person. If you read the nickname carefully, you’ll see. It’s not Elfnuna, but Elfnunna. N-u-n-n-a.”
It’s a good thing I changed one letter because of the nickname overlap.
I hate receiving unnecessary attention.
“Oh, come to think of it…”
“The nickname is different.”
The men look at my nickname again at my words.
“It’s Elfnunna! Not Elfnuna!”
“What the, was he just impersonating…?”
“As expected, there’s no way. I had some expectations because he’s Korean…”
They sigh in disappointment.
Some of them even look at me with slightly unfriendly eyes, as if they feel like they’ve been deceived.
“Haha, it can happen if you’re a fan!”
The room owner, ‘DarkMan’, laughs and mediates the situation, then tells me a few rules to follow in the room.
That we must address each other with respect?
There weren’t any other noteworthy rules besides the fact that they’ll kick out anyone who causes trouble.
“Then I’ll be on my way, so feel free to chat among yourselves. You can leave whenever you want.”
The atmosphere of welcoming a newcomer is short-lived.
People return to their original spots and start chatting here and there.
As I’m contemplating where to go, a white man approaches me.
He’s a player with the nickname PinkGuy.
“Elfnunna, what year are you in?”
“Ah, I’m in my 1st year.”
Actually, it’s been 5 months, but I judge that it would be strange if I said I entered this place too early.
However, the response I get is unexpected.
“Really? You received the letter quite late, huh?”
“Yes?”
“Well, very few people receive the letter after gaining fame, most of them get it early on when it’s obvious.”
“I see…”
“Since Elfnunna only received the letter now, it seems like you’ve been doing a good job acting. I started as a human and was just carrying luggage when I got the letter.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Anyway, if you’re in your 1st year, it’s only been about 70 days in that world… so you must be up-to-date on things, right? How is it over there?”
I’m not sure if there are any events worth mentioning, so I ask back as if I misheard.
“70 days… you say?”
I’m pretty sure I just said I’m in my 1st year.
But why is it 70 days ago?
PinkGuy continues with an ‘oops’ expression.
“Ah, you wouldn’t know that since this is your first time. The flow of time is different between that world and this one.”
“Different?”
“Yes. 1 month on Earth is about 5 months there.”
In short, it’s a 1:5 time ratio.
I feel a strange sensation as soon as I hear it.
‘Only a month has passed…’
I’m happy that less time has passed, but I wonder if I’ve been reported missing.
There should be someone who looks for me besides my company.
As I continue talking with PinkGuy, I hear various things.
“A way to go back? Well, there are many speculations… but I heard there’s nothing confirmed yet.”
Even the players who came here much earlier than me haven’t figured out how to return.
The founder of Ghostbusters is a veteran player of 20 years.
“Isn’t it amazing that he cleared that game 5 years ago?”
“That’s right.”
The more new information I hear, the more I feel a sense of defeat.
It’s like my pride as a veteran player is crumbling?
One way or another, everyone here reached the Gate of the Abyss before me, making them all experts compared to me.
‘They might look stupid on the outside, but they’re all actually amazing people—’
“So what multiplier mode did Elfnunna clear it on?”
Huh? Multiplier?
As I look at him as if I don’t understand what he’s saying, he adds,
“You probably didn’t clear the original version, so Elfnunna must have cleared the remake. What multiplier mode did you play on?”
No, I still don’t understand…
Remake?
“If I say pirated version, would you understand? You know, that game file that was uploaded on Stone Ivan’s forum 5 years ago, the one where you can adjust the experience points and drop rates.”
Oh…
There was such a thing?
PinkGuy then speaks with unconcealable pride,
“Ah, not to brag, but I cleared it on 50x.”
How can there be so many people who cleared this game?
It’s the moment a long-held question is answered.
__________________________
[Dungeon and Stone].
The game that I barely managed to enter the final boss room after grinding for 10 years.
While playing, I countless times wondered how a game could have such difficulty.
However…
‘You can set the maximum experience points and drop rates to 100x?’
Crazy, what kind of OP setting is that?
I didn’t even know the level cap was 30.
Because even after killing every monster in the labyrinth, level 11 was the limit.
‘Wait, if the level cap is 30, does that mean you can absorb 30 essences per character?’
Honestly, I can’t even imagine it.
At this level, there’s no need to choose what to give up or what to take, you can just stuff everything in.
It makes me feel like an idiot for agonizing over the best combination of essences, considering their synergy.
And I even heard that you can open rifts, the core of growth, at any time you want…
‘With a 100x drop rate, Numbered Items would just be raining down.’
Thirty essences.
And a super OP character armed with all sorts of artifacts.
If five characters like that formed a party…
The Ancient Dragon, the Lord of Destruction, Leviathan, or whatever, would have died instantly with just a poke.
“So what multiplier did Elfnunna clear it on?”
“…50x for me too.”
“Ah, I see. Was it difficult?”
Difficult my ass.
With these conditions, I’m confident I could clear it in one try even if dimensional collapse or any other bullshit event happened.
But…
‘It would be disadvantageous to me if I said that.’
Just like how the Evil Spirit Hunters came looking for me as soon as I gained fame, excessive attention is poison. It’s foolish to take risks just to brag to someone.
Let’s not do anything that stands out and just find out what I need to know.
“What multiplier mode did the person who created this place clear it on?”
“Ah, that person? Don’t be surprised when you hear this. He cleared it on 15x mode. It was only possible because he was an original player.”
“15x… I see.”
Since it seems like I should be surprised, I pretend to be surprised. For reference, PinkGuy said that the average multiplier among players is 60 to 80x…
Hearing that, the conversations of the people laughing and chatting in the distance start to pierce my ears.
“Haha, isn’t it a ridiculous world? I still haven’t entered a rift. In the game, you could just click on it.”
“Phew, that’s right. How can we even reach the last floor if it’s this hard just to enter a rift…”
“They say there were many Easter eggs in the game, I should have looked into those things more.”
The players are lamenting as they compare the remake version they played with reality.
Well, it’s understandable.
This is the real-life version with even higher difficulty than the original.
“Whew…”
A deep sense of emptiness washes over me.
Seniors who cleared this game before me.
As I think that, I try to console myself, saying that I should look for things to learn from them rather than trying to belittle them…
But this is ridiculous, isn’t it?
“Elfnunna?”
“Sorry, I was just thinking for a bit…”
Afterwards, I continue talking with PinkGuy for a while longer.
In the process, I learn things that are common knowledge for ordinary players, and I get a much better understanding of how this community works.
And one question is also answered.
‘So with the remake… I mean, the pirated version, circulating, the game became popular again, and my nickname also became famous…?’
In many ways, the conversation with PinkGuy was informative.
It was even fun.
“Ha, I would have no regrets if I could just have one proper pizza… Elfnunna, are there any foods you miss?”
“Cola and gukbap.”
“Gukbap? What kind of food is that?”
“It’s the most efficient food I’ve ever eaten.”
How long has it been since I had a conversation like this?
____________________________
After exchanging a few more words with other people, I leave the Newbie Room.
PinkGuy asked if it was okay to add me as a friend, and I politely declined. He was definitely a nice person, but I didn’t want to get close.
He was too nice.
As if he were treating me like a girl he likes.
‘Anyway, I think I know everything I need to know…’
I return to the room with the computer and continue to gather information, reading the forum and announcements.
So now it’s time to achieve the purpose of coming here.
‘Let’s look into the dimensional collapse.’
As I type on the keyboard, I check the timer in the lower right corner.
It was originally 12 hours, but it’s already down to 7 hours.
The space closes when the time runs out, even if you don’t log out, so I need to hurry.
[Exchange]
I use the mouse to open the exchange page.
This place offers a service where you can purchase information, items, etc. using Ghost Points (GP).
In simpler terms, you can use GP to obtain resources or buy rare items.
However…
‘As expected, it’s better not to touch this.’
I decide not to use this function as much as possible.
Items have to go through the real world.
No matter how complex the intermediary system is…
…even if the system seems quite safe…
…in the end, since physical objects are exchanged in reality, it’s inevitable that there will be a connection with me as a barbarian.
[GP Owned: 0]
Therefore, I also pass on the option of charging GP with real money.
Of course, I need GP to purchase information about the dimensional collapse, but…
It’s not a big problem.
I can be self-sufficient here.
Click, click.
I use the mouse to filter the exchange items by [Information] and then change the category to [Purchase Requests].
Countless question posts appear.
[20 GP] Is there an easy way to reach the 2nd floor?
[100~500 GP] I’m raising a melee character, I want to know an OP build for the early stages.
Easy questions have correspondingly low GP rewards.
However…
[7,000 GP] I want to know the special events for each stage of the 4th floor Tower of Heaven.
[2,800 GP] I want to know the exact mechanics of the passive skill ‘Dragon Master’.
The rewards for more in-depth questions are higher.
So I sort them by highest price.
Because that’s the most efficient way.
[70,000 GP] Buying 1st floor Floor Master strategy. No jokes.
[69,000 GP] Only those who know about the 6th floor Skull Island, please contact me.
1st floor Floor Master?
[1:1 chat request sent to TacitRonin.]
[Transaction completed.]
[GP Owned: 70,000]
Skull Island, the hidden piece on the 6th floor?
[1:1 chat request sent to Bro_78.]
[Transaction completed.]
[GP Owned: 139,000]
I know everything about this game.
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