Yes, I love them more than anybody else, so much so that I wish I could have a traffic accident.

I thought I would be better off with every part of my body including both hands alright, except for my two legs that I wish could be disabled.

In such a situation I could play games as much as I wanted without being conscious of anybody, and I'd even gain sympathy from people around me.

When I could not get any better grades despite my hard efforts day and night, I particularly felt obsessed with that kind of thinking more strongly than ever.

Of course, my understanding or memory or concentration might not be as good as that of an ordinary person.

When I was very frustrated and disappointed with the lack of any tangible progress in my grades despite the enormous efforts and time I had given, I first experienced the so-called MMORPG (ma.s.sively multiplayer online role-playing game), an online video game that allowed multiple players to play in the same s.p.a.ce simultaneously.

It was a new world to me because I got rewarded for all the efforts I made in that game.

In other words, when I created the characters to replace me and killed the monster with the entry-level weapon in the game, I always received EXP or experience points for that.

It was not the kind of stuff that required me to make the enormous efforts to recite English words hundreds of times to memorize them, but I received a certain amount of EXP in proportion to my performance.

I saw my level going up and stronger than before in the game because of my repeated actions.

And surprisingly I continued to level up, which was something quite opposite to the situation where I found myself trying hard to recall the English words that I had managed to memorize but soon forgot.

Of course, I sometimes had bad luck when I had to drop items after hunting monsters, but it was okay anyway because I could keep hunting until I found the item that I wanted.

And all the efforts that I continued to make until I secured the item I wanted were never wasted like my studying in vain.

Obviously, there was something I earned in the process of obtaining the item, which was none other than experience.

I also obtained other items that proved useful to me, even if they were not what I wanted.

Over time I forgot everything I tried so hard to memorize, but I never witnessed my level, experience points, and items decrease or disappear in the games.

And I didn't have to worry about it from the beginning.

Naturally, I was supposed to be hooked onto the games, but I wasn't.

In fact, I failed to do so because of my parents who wanted me to study hard and my elder brother and sister who were smarter than me.

As they say, there really were people who never m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed, but none m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed only once in their lives.

That could be applied to me in the games.

Once I came to know the games, I often thought about them while I was wrapped up in studying.

So, I purchased the second-generation popular VR interface adapter without my parents' knowledge.

Although it was a used item, I paid over five million Korean won ($5,000) for it. But I had no problem buying it because of my handsome allowance.

Right after I purchased it, I didn't access the MMORPG that opened a new world for me because I was not sure if I could get out of it once I accessed it.

Anyway, I am a student at the moment, so I'm not foolish enough to forget my place.

To be honest, I was more scared of my father's scolding.

That's why I began to search for the kind of game that I could play with all my heart before stopping once and for all.

Of course, there were some games that I was looking for, such as the strategic simulation games like 'Star Wars.'

But such games had fatal shortcomings that didn't draw my attention.

Namely, they lacked sustainability and continuity.

After all, I found one while I was trying to find role playing games.

It was a game I played in closed beta. In other words, it was a role playing game in closed beta where any specified user could enjoy the given content for a certain period of time.

As the game in closed beta suggested, it was a game which was not yet completed.

I liked it better for that reason because I once wished I could lose interest in the game after getting sick and tired of it. I needed to concentrate on studying.

Anyway, the game lacked sustainability and continuity because of its closed beta attribute, but it was the type of game that satisfied my tastes most. So, I surfed the internet immediately and searched for a closed beta version at the earliest date, and I finally found one.

Then I entered my email address and mobile phone number in the closed beta partic.i.p.ation form, namely the role-playing game called Forgotten Legend.

***

Ring, ring.

"Ugh?"

I heard a message beep on my mobile phone while I was sitting on a chair blindly memorizing math formulas that I could not understand. Since I turned off all my chat room notifications including the open ones, I lifted my mobile phone and double checked it curiously. And I confirmed it.

It was a message informing me that I was picked to partic.i.p.ate in the 'Forgotten Legend' game that would be played in the first closed beta.

"Oh! I made it!"

Of course, I didn't bet everything on this particular game.

That's why I applied to partic.i.p.ate in all the closed beta games for fear that I might not be picked for 'Forgotten Legend.'

But I waited for the results because it was this role-playing game that would proceed with the closed beta as quickly as possible.

I slightly checked the time. It was 8:30 PM.

"Why did they send out a message in the evening?"

I waited for the next message while grumbling a bit.

At 9:00 PM, the housemaid was supposed to bring me some snacks and a bowl of herbal medicine that would allegedly stimulate my brain. Of course, after bringing them to me, she would immediately report to my mother about what I was doing.

"Dang it! The second-generation popular VR interface adaptor can't download programs by itself."

The 2nd generation popular VR adaptor.

When I checked the production date on it, it was produced almost 12 years ago.

Compared to the 3rd generation VR adaptor these days, it must be junk.

Of course, I've got the 3rd one which is more expensive and incomparably more efficient than the 2nd one and an unpopular high-end one.

But I don't use it because the 3rd one is equipped with a highly efficient AI helper, unlike the 2nd one that only allows mechanical command language. Besides, it basically reports the users' usage history to their parents if they are a minor.

That's why I had to buy the 2nd generation VR adaptor for 5 million won.

Anyway I idled away, waiting for the housemaid.

Exactly at 5:00 PM, I heard her footsteps outside the door.

"Juyoung, can I come in?"

"Yes, please come in."

It's been already five years since she started working at my house, so she was not just an ordinary housemaid to me. So, I replied gently.

In no time she came in and put down the herbal soup chongmyongtang and some snacks and fruits by the desk.

"Studying is tough for you these days, right?"

"Well, not really. I have to do it anyway as a student."

"I see. If you need anything else, let me know."

"Sure."

She left after that, and I opened the wardrobe quickly.

Then I took out the helmet-shaped 2nd generation popular VR adaptor, rather crude compared to the 3rd one.

"I hope it works well."