Chapter 7: Blood in the Code
1.
『Reconnecting to an ongoing game.』
“Fck…”
The man cursed at the window that popped up.
He’d quit the game just a second before it started, but he failed to dodge.
“That idiot suddenly spouting nonsense…”
Hesitating because the top laner claimed they’d carry was his mistake.
If not for that, he’d have dodged successfully.
“Tch.”
No choice now. He’d have to half-ass this game, surrender quickly, and move to the next.
‘Still, I should play properly.’
He wasn’t expecting much, but who knows? Maybe the top laner would actually carry.
Of course, the odds were near zero. Virtual reality games had an adjustment period.
Killing human-like targets in a virtual setting, with all senses so vivid, wasn’t easy, was it?
‘It wasn’t easy for me at first either.’
Killing in VR made some feel guilt, others discomfort, or even fear.
Some couldn’t adjust and quit entirely.
Even if the top laner was a gaming genius, they’d still need to go through this adjustment.
That’s why he thought it was impossible.
Anyone raised with modern ethics and morals would naturally struggle.
‘If they don’t quit the game entirely, that’s a win.’
…Or so he thought. But the game was anything but ordinary from the start.
『First Blood.』
A sudden announcement. At first, he assumed the allied top got killed. The enemy hadn’t invaded their jungle or base, after all.
“…What?”
But checking the scoreboard, he was shocked to see the allied top had a kill.
‘How the hell?’
He was puzzled, but he didn’t dwell on it. Jungle monsters spawned, pulling his focus.
『An ally has slain an enemy.』
Another kill announcement came as he was clearing the bottom three jungle monsters and heading up.
‘Is the enemy just that bad?’
How could someone new to The Legendary Arena lose to a beginner?
Even if they were careless, that didn’t make sense.
‘Or maybe the enemy’s a newbie too?’
That was plausible. It was the only explanation he could think of. He didn’t ponder further and resumed clearing monsters.
『An ally has slain an enemy.』
Another victory chime rang as he took down the last golem.
Now, he realized something was seriously off.
‘How are they racking up kills like this?’
Curious about the top laner’s play, he adjusted his path upward.
After killing a river scout, he headed to the top lane.
Just as he reached the bushes near the top tower, an enemy charged at his ally.
Whoosh—!
A man with a long spear thrust forward, aiming for the head.
The attack was precise, no hesitation or wasted movement.
‘Not a beginner?’
The allied top laner dodged the spear with a slight head tilt. Minimal movement.
Carrier swiftly closed the distance, slashing downward with a sword.
Slash—!
The blade dug into the enemy’s left shoulder. The opponent staggered back, clutching it.
Thud!
Carrier retrieved the sword and stepped forward, swinging wide to press the attack.
Clang—!
Sword met spear, a sharp metallic ring echoing across the battlefield.
The enemy barely blocked, but that was it. Their hasty movement threw them off balance.
“Ugh…”
The enemy’s eyes wavered, and Carrier didn’t miss the opening.
Stab—!
The sword pierced the enemy’s throat. Twisting and pulling it out, blood gushed, splattering the ground. The body collapsed.
Splatter—
『An ally has slain an enemy!』
『An ally is on a killing spree!』
“Holy sht…”
A fight over in less than five exchanges. Short, but he saw it—overwhelming strength.
‘How the hell…’
Didn’t they say it was their first game? A smurf? But VR games use biometric IDs, so alternate accounts aren’t possible, right?
“What are you staring at?”
As he gaped at Carrier, she spoke. Startled by the sudden female voice, he flinched.
“Y-Yes?”
“Why’re you just standing there? Don’t worry about me. Do your job.”
“Oh, right! Got it!”
He hurriedly cast a recall spell. Back at base, buying new items, he thought:
Maybe she wasn’t lying. Maybe they could actually win this game.
2.
A massive fortress blazed before my eyes.
Countless soldiers and siege weapons surged toward the enemy.
『Victory!』
Soon, the enemy’s fortress crumbled.
[Allied Chat]
[GonnaSleep: Top, thanks for the carry ㄷㄷ]
[NeckCama: We actually won lololol]
[GhostSlayer: Wow, you’re insanely good. Unreal.]
『Warning! You’ve played for 13 hours! Excessive gaming may disrupt daily life!』
A warning window appeared.
『To protect the user, the game will forcibly terminate. You cannot use the capsule for 12 hours after termination.』
My vision flashed, and I felt my consciousness being pulled out. My weightless body grew heavy again.
“Ah…”
It was like waking from a pleasant dream. Fatigue hit my brain, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
Cough, cough…
My throat was parched, causing constant coughing.
My stomach ached with hunger, and my body felt like lead.
‘This isn’t human…’
I stumbled out and tapped the tablet, ordering food and drinks via the order button.
『Order completed.』
After ordering everything I needed, I collapsed onto the floor.
‘They say nothing’s made without a purpose…’
I’d wondered why capsule rooms were designed this way, but it made sense now.
This level of thirst and hunger was unreal.
No wonder they sold food and drinks here.
VR consumed way more energy and calories than I’d thought.
“Your food and drinks are here… Oh, Hayul!”
A staff member brought my order and recognized me.
“Hey.”
I gave a small smile and bowed. I had no memory of them, so I wasn’t sure how to react.
“You play VR games too? Last time, you said you didn’t.”
“Everyone’s doing it, so I thought I’d try. These days, you can’t fit in without playing.”
“True, most games are VR now. But why’d you order so much food? You eating all this alone?”
“Uh, yeah… I’m hungry…”
I laughed awkwardly.
“Got it. Enjoy your meal!”
“Thanks.”
He set down the food and left.
Ramen, rice bowls, sports drinks, and Zero Cola—standard stuff, but to me, it was a feast.
I opened the cup ramen and stirred it. Steam rose, carrying a rich aroma.
Slurp—
I shoved a big bite into my mouth, and my eyes widened.
Spicy, salty, hot—but it brought me back to life.
‘This makes me feel alive.’
Killing countless enemies in VR felt less real than this single bite of ramen.
‘It’s just virtual reality, after all.’
I finished the ramen and chugged the Zero Cola. With my stomach filled, I finally relaxed.
“Phew.”
I swore never to game this long again. One more time, and it might actually kill me.
‘At least I finished all the normal games.’
Matches lasted 20 to 30 minutes, so in just one day, I’d cleared enough to play ranked.
The VR safety lockout meant I couldn’t play for 12 hours, but once it lifted, I’d jump into ranked.
‘My performance today felt pretty solid. What rank could I hit?’
【The Legendary Arena Gallery】
I ate my rice bowl and searched, finding a community. The pinned posts were full of game info.
‘This is the place.’
I thought I’d need to sign up to post, but luckily, anonymous posting was allowed.
I searched my ID on a match history site and took a screenshot. I hit the post button to upload it, but—
『Non-member restriction!』
『Per gallery settings, non-members cannot attach images or videos.』
“What the hell.”
I clicked my tongue and hit the sign-up button. Creating an account was easy—just an ID, password, and nickname.
After signing up, I returned to the gallery.
[General] [Newbie to The Legendary Arena, can I go pro with this?]
[Carrier’s match history]
[What do you think??? Can I go pro??? Undefeated in normals ㅇㅇ]
I posted and hit submit.
Ding—
A notification sounded as I ate my rice bowl.
『Comments』
– Talking about going pro with normal games? Dumbass?
└ Even considering it’s normals, that KDA is insane??? You hacking???
– If this is really your first time, you’ve got talent ㅇㅇ Go pro
└ Evil bastard lololol trying to ruin someone’s life
– 20 wins in a row is kinda crazy; smurfing???
└ Checked the history, no other matches?
└ What?
“Hm.”
The comments suggested I was doing pretty well.
-[OP] So what rank do you guys think I can hit with this skill level???
└ Probably at least Diamond
└ Just??? Master’s totally doable lol
└ Smurfing bastard lol acting like a prodigy is so lame lololol
└ [OP] Yeah, whatever~
I left a comment and closed the community.
“Hm…”
‘Should I throw a game or two?’