Skeleton Master Chapter 033

A moment later.

After going home to change clothes, he headed to the meeting place. Since he didn't have a personal vehicle, he took a taxi.

"We've arrived."

"How much is it?"

"6,700 won."

After paying the fare, he got out of the taxi. He entered the restaurant that was right in front of him.

He could already see people who had settled in, passing drinks back and forth.

The inside was quite noisy because of them.

"Hey, so what level are you?"

A familiar voice was heard among them. When he turned his head to look, Seong Min-woo was there.

As he approached with a faint smile, he could see the group that had already arrived.

Those he once considered friends.

Including the woman he had feelings for.

"Hey, you came?"

A man with a rather prominent jaw gave a casual nod.

It was Heo Young-chan.

True to his name, he was someone who lived somewhat consumed by vanity.

Though his family wasn't particularly well-off, the small online shopping mall he started had hit it big, and now he heard it brings in nearly 15 million won in monthly net profit.

Because of that, his already direct and sharp way of speaking had gotten even worse.

You could say he was the type who couldn't distinguish between what should and shouldn't be said, even to friends.

"Oh, yeah."

Before he could even answer, people turned to look.

Everyone puts on a welcoming expression. But among them, how many were genuinely welcoming him?

That's when Seong Min-woo stood up.

"Why are you so late?"

"Traffic was a bit heavy."

"Is that so? Well, sit here for now."

Seong Min-woo pulled Kang Moo-hyeok and made him sit down.

But of all places, it was right next to her - Jeong Min-a, the woman he once had feelings for.

At first, he felt a bit uncomfortable, but as he sat down and talked with her, he could feel that he himself had changed somewhat.

"Is it because it's been a while? You seem completely different?"

"Really? I've been working out lately."

If it had been the old Kang Moo-hyeok, his speech would have certainly been awkward.

Either dealing with it gruffly due to being unable to overcome his shyness, or rather avoiding eye contact altogether.

But not now. She appeared as nothing more than just an acquaintance to him.

"Wow, look at these muscles."

Suddenly, Jeong Min-a reached out her hand. He could feel her touch as she ran her hand over his forearm.

Though Kang Moo-hyeok flinched slightly, it seemed his mental fortitude had been well-trained from spending years paralyzed.

He didn't know he'd be able to look straight into her eyes in this situation.

"They're so firm!"

Though she always came whenever they gathered, it had been difficult to get close.

There had always been a distance between them, but today that distance felt almost non-existent.

That doesn't mean he liked her now though.

After all, he still couldn't forget the look in her eyes and their conversation when she visited him in the hospital while he was paralyzed.

"Thanks."

So he ignored her subtle glances now. Having nothing more to say, he turned his head away.

He saw Seong Min-woo smirking as he watched him.

Though he hadn't said anything, he must have known. That Kang Moo-hyeok had liked Jeong Min-a. That's why he deliberately made him sit next to her.

Well, it was a pointless gesture now.

Still, he didn't show it.

"You said you play Illusion, right?"

"Of course."

"What level are you?"

"32 now."

"When did you start?"

"Right when it opened. You?"

"Me?"

At Seong Min-woo's question, Kang Moo-hyeok fell silent.

"Yeah, what level are you?"

"Ah. I haven't been playing long."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's been just under two months."

"You must be at least level 15 though."

Kang Moo-hyeok just smiled.

Though he was actually level 31.

He thought there was no need to mention it in detail.

If it was just Seong Min-woo, it might have been different, but...

Currently, capsule sales in South Korea alone had exceeded 20 million units, and global capsule sales were already approaching 1 billion units.

With sales increasing exponentially by the day, 50 percent of TV programming schedules were now occupied by Illusion-related content.

Before you knew it, Rankers were appearing in commercials, and it became commonplace to see their quests being broadcast on the three major networks.

While he couldn't personally feel Illusion's impact and influence, he was certainly aware of it.

That's the kind of game Illusion is. Everyone who lives there dreams of being the best.

The same went for Moo-hyeok. He didn't want to reveal information about himself to these people.

"Why are you so quiet?"

That's when it happened.

"Hey, hey. Can't you read the room? Looking at how hesitant he is to speak, you can guess, right? He must be embarrassed because his level is too low. I'll carry the low-levels later, so let's just talk among us high-levels. Didn't I mention earlier that I'm level 46? While that doesn't make me a Ranker, it's enough to get quite a bit of attention, you know?"

Young-chan's voice pierced his eardrums. Thanks to that, Min-woo's attention shifted to him.

"But don't you run an online shopping mall?"

"That's right."

"Then how did you already reach level 46?"

"Ah, actually, I scaled it down."

"The shopping mall?"

"Yeah, when I was constantly managing it, I didn't have time for Illusion. So I hired a part-timer to handle everything. Of course, I still manage the sales figures myself."

At that point, Min-seong and Hwan-kyu, who were sitting on either side of Young-chan, chimed in. Not hiding their envious expressions.

"Wow, that's amazing."

"In other words, you're saying money just comes in every month while you do nothing?"

"That's right."

Young-chan's lips curled upward.

That smile seemed to be saying something.

How about that?

I'm on a different level from you all.

That's when Min-a's eyes lit up as she asked Young-chan.

"But do you really need to go that far?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you reduce the scale, won't your income decrease too?"

"That's true. But no matter how I think about it, becoming an Illusion Ranker seems better. Think about it. These days, whether it's the internet or TV, all you see is Illusion content. In the past, people used to go crazy over idol groups, but now even idol members only appear as MCs or guests on Illusion programs, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"And it's the Illusion Rankers who have filled that void."

"That's right."

"Honestly, Illusion doesn't look like it's going to fail either."

That was obvious.

With so many capsules sold worldwide.

"So if you get noticed there, you become a global star, not just in our country. Do you know how much airtime Rankers' quests get on the three major networks? Just one broadcast appearance gets you 20 million won, and if it gets distributed as paid video content, you can earn hundreds of millions monthly."

Everyone's jaws dropped at the mention of hundreds of millions.

"Wow, that much?"

"Unbelievable."

Of course, getting into paid video distribution isn't easy. Only truly special quests make it.

But it wasn't impossible if you raised your level and joined a good guild.

While only a few were getting attention now, over time, guilds with many members would start gaining recognition.

"Actually, I've been getting offers from several successful guilds lately."

"I'm so jealous."

"Whoa. That's incredible, incredible."

"It's not that big a deal."

Everyone was captivated by Young-chan's words.

Except for one person, Kang Moo-hyeok.

"So you've been thinking that far ahead?"

"Of course. There's never been a virtual reality game of this quality before. Illusion is definitely going to be a game-changer."

Young-chan's eyes gleamed brightly.

Moo-hyeok was looking at him with a peculiar expression.

Things would certainly flow as he said.

He had thought Young-chan was completely consumed by vanity, but he turned out to be better at reading trends than expected.

Or was that to be expected?

He must have achieved moderate success with his shopping mall for a reason.

While he agreed with most of what Young-chan said, he found several critical flaws that he absolutely couldn't agree with.

First, the claim about earning hundreds of millions from paid video distribution.

Those figures were only possible for extremely popular videos.

Plus, no matter how popular something is, as time passes and new videos are uploaded, the number of viewers for that video decreases significantly. Naturally, the income would decrease too.

He wasn't mentioning that part.

Well, even putting that aside.

Could Young-chan really become like them?

Could he enter the world of Rankers where monsters prowled?

Could he survive there?

The possibility was very low.

Why?

Because of Young-chan's level.

He was only at level 46.

He said he started from the beginning and wasn't paying attention to the shopping mall except for sales management.

He must have spent quite a bit of real money too. Even if you say he went all-in, level 46 is pretty low.

For over 7 months of playing, that level was quite low.

If he was at least over level 50, it might have been different.

Meanwhile, Kang Moo-hyeok had reached level 31 in less than two months.

He might even reach level 40 before hitting the four-month mark.

It wasn't impossible.

A level 31 hunting ogres - his leveling speed was bound to be extraordinary.

This was possible because he had gotten ahead early by using information to his advantage. And it was an undeniable fact that this small difference would grow exponentially over time.

"And he's bragging about being level 46 in a place like this."

While it might seem impressive to the others gathered here, from Kang Moo-hyeok's perspective, it was honestly laughable.

It was obvious he hadn't completed any hidden quests.

If all he had done was raise 45 stat points, could he really catch up to the top rankers with just that?

The answer was definitely NO.

While they might not have achieved the ridiculous growth like Kang Moo-hyeok, the real rankers - those in the top 10,000 - would have completed at least one hidden quest and were benefiting from the additional stat effects.

The gap between them?

It was beyond words.

He thought about saying something.

Should he reveal his level?

Level 31 in just two months.

They would surely faint when they heard it.

Honestly, being human, and being a man, he wanted to brag about the process.

But the problem was if everything about him got exposed because of them.

His name, age, university background.

Even without malicious intent, if that information spread because of their loose lips?

If they found out...

If they found out?

What would happen?

Why is he even worried about this?

Of course, there are concerns.

First, his family.

They would be half-dead if they found out.

It was true that getting attention at a low level had more disadvantages than advantages, but it wasn't something that needed to be hidden to this extent.

Besides, who would care about just level 31?

Though there was a high chance of getting attention for his incredible leveling speed, most people would dismiss it as nonsense unless they confirmed it themselves.

Maybe I'm overreacting...

But these thoughts didn't last long. Young-chan's bragging was assaulting his eardrums again.

"Heh, anyway, once I secure a position in the guild, I'll make sure to get you guys in too, so don't worry."

"Oh, thanks!"

Kang Moo-hyeok could only laugh internally.

Right, just ignore it.

There was no need to point out the blind spots and make him realize his current position.

Though his personality was nasty, he could at least read the trends, so it might be somewhat enjoyable to watch him fall while drunk on his own arrogance.

"By the way, Min-a."

"Yes?"

"You play Illusion too, right? What level did you say you were?"

"Ah, I'm a mage and I'm level 20."

"Hmm, that's low?"

"Yeah, I don't have much time."

Min-a smiled as she chatted with Young-chan.

"Want to party up then?"

"Really? I'd love to!"

"Great, contact me tomorrow then."

"Okay!"

As the conversation centered around Illusion, even Kang Moo-hyeok didn't feel bored.

He hadn't drunk much, but you could say he was drunk on the atmosphere.

While it was true that he didn't particularly like these people, he couldn't help but smile since it had been a while since he felt this kind of relaxation.

When everyone finally regained their senses and checked the time, they were surprised.

It was already past 11 o'clock.

"Huh, it's already this late?"

"Should we head out?"

That's when Young-chan, looking slightly tipsy, shook his head with drowsy eyes.

"Where are you going?"

"Huh? Are we going for more drinks?"

"No!"

"Then?"

"We're going to the capsule room, you idiots!"

At the mention of the capsule room, Kang Moo-hyeok's expression slightly stiffened.