NOVEL NEXT 36.
36.
I prepared dinner while Jin was washing up after turning off the game. Jin sat down in front of me after roughly drying his hair.
“What were you doing? Playing games?”
“Yeah.”
On the day I reached level 50, I sent Jin a screenshot of the monitor, and Jin successfully submitted his assignment. Jin didn’t say anything other than “Good job” and “Thank you.” He knows there’s no need to ask questions like whether I’ll quit gaming now.
Jin slurped up some cabbage from the doenjang soup and said:
“Hyung, it’s good that you’re gaming, but I think you need to move your body a bit too. There are many gyms in front of our house. How about getting a membership and going regularly?”
“Gaming actually moves quite a lot of muscles.”
“What muscles are you moving while sitting?”
“Little brother. All of a human’s muscles are connected. Just like how picking up sesame leaves with chopsticks, wrapping rice, putting it in my mouth, and chewing are all muscle movements, moving the mouse, typing on the keyboard, and moving your eyes while gaming are all ways of actively using muscles.”
“…Let’s get a gym membership together starting tomorrow, hyung.”
“No way. I’ll be really busy from tomorrow.”
“Busy with what…?”
“To level up while progressing the main story… I need to do raids, dungeons, sailing, life skills – there’s so much to do. You might not know, but in POI, level 50 is where it really begins. Honestly, I even thought about ordering delivery because I feel like I’m wasting time preparing, eating, and cleaning up meals.”
“……”
My brother quietly took a spoonful of rice and then spoke again.
“I heard you can push back the main story in POI.”
“Yeah, but I want to progress quickly.”
“Why?”
I can’t say that right now, the bad guys are about to invade the peaceful world, creating a precarious situation. I’ve only found one of the things I need to find. I also need to avenge the protagonist’s family. There’s so much to do.
I can’t say that. It would sound like I’m too immersed in the game.
“I just don’t like having things left unfinished. It feels like having homework left to do.”
“Well, you’ve always been like that, hyung.”
“What do you mean I’ve always been like that?”
“You never did anything other than work. You didn’t watch movies or TV. In my 20 years of life, you’re the only person I’ve seen who’s not interested in even the Olympics. When I look online, even people who are swamped with work like you show interest in the Olympics and World Cup. Sports events exist for people like that. How can you not even watch soccer?”
My brother’s tone was quite bitter.
I just wanted to quickly finish the task of accumulating wealth. That’s just my nature. I don’t like straying from a goal once I’ve set it. I can only think and act freely once I’ve achieved that goal.
“This is different from that. I need to push the main story to make the world peaceful.”
“What do you mean by making it peaceful?”
“Actually, it’s a precarious situation right now. There are bad guys called the Black Light causing trouble…”
I had no choice but to briefly explain the story of Forest Effect. Jin’s expression became as peculiar as mine when I saw that guy who lived with a safety helmet covered in colorful stickers, calling it his companion safety helmet. After I finished explaining, Jin said:
“You know, hyung. I think money really is the best after all.”
“…I agree, but how did you reach that conclusion from this conversation?”
“If you hadn’t won the lottery, I would never have seen this expression on your face. An expression of excitement while talking about a game. And I would have never known in my life that you were capable of being so immersed in a game’s story. I would have lived my whole life thinking ‘My brother hates things like games.’ But now that you have money, I can see this side of you. Money really is the best.”
I’m not sure if I was that excited while talking… but I can relate. I only recently found out that my brother was a fan of some game team called GC8 or something.
If I hadn’t won the lottery, my brother would never have told me that he likes games… in front of me, who hates games and only works, not even watching the World Cup or Olympics. He would have never said it until the day he died.
“Anyway, let’s start working out together from tomorrow.”
“Ah, why? Wasn’t this conversation over?”
“What do you mean over? It hasn’t even started. Ah, tomorrow won’t work. I just remembered I’m supposed to be serving.”
For a moment, I thought Jin was going to do part-time work, but I realized that wasn’t it.
“Your department is doing a pub for the festival, right?”
“It’s a pub, but we’re not selling alcohol, so it’s just a restaurant. You should come too, hyung.”
“What’s Da-bin doing?”
“Da-bin’s serving too. Ah, right. It’s better if you eat before coming.”
“You decided to use weird ingredients to save on food costs, huh?”
“It’s not like that. I just can’t trust the kids in charge of the kitchen.”
“You mean they’ll spit in the food and prepare it unhygienically?”
“Ah, hyung! It’s not like that. I’m just joking that they’re terrible cooks, so the side dishes will taste bad.”
“I see.”
Jin seems to trust his friends, but I’m convinced that these department kids will skim off the food budget and prepare the food unhygienically.
“We’re starting to work out together from next Monday, clean and simple. Let’s promise to go to the gym together, hand in hand.”
“……”
“Hyung, look here. Promise?”
“……”
“Hyung.”
“Little brother, there’s an old saying. The best way to keep a promise is not to make one.”
Jin sighed as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Do you hate exercising that much?”
“I hate moving my body now. I’ve lived my whole life moving my body, and now I’m sick of it.”
“Trying to evoke my sympathy won’t work. I’m going to make you exercise one way or another.”
“……”
I looked at my brother with big, pleading eyes. This is my secret weapon that I learned from social life. I hate my youthful and cute appearance, but I have to use it when necessary. That’s what it means to be a true adult in society.
Jin sighed.
“…I’ll cancel getting a PT at the gym. Instead, at least take a walk once a day. On days off, come hiking with us.”
“How can I join you two on your dates?”
“Da-bin likes it more when you join us. She’s dating me to meet you, remember?”
Jin picked up the desk calendar on the table.
“It’s Buddha’s Birthday next Wednesday. Let’s go to Gwanak Mountain together that day.”
Jin scribbled a memo with a pen on the calendar without waiting for my answer, then put it down. Then he started eating again.
I looked at the calendar Jin had put down. May 27th had been circled in black for a long time.
That’s the anniversary of our parents’ death.
Both my brother and I, as if by agreement, didn’t mention that day. Just looking at the calendar made me lose my appetite, but… since my brother, who must have lost his appetite too, was eating diligently, I forced myself to pick up my chopsticks.
Let’s think about something else.
Game thoughts. Yes. Raids. I should do raids. I hope it’s fun and thrilling.
For a moment, the thought of getting lost in games to forget reality flashed by.
“……”
Nah. I’m not… addicted or anything.
Level 80 (2)
After dinner, I sat in front of my laptop again.
I had already decided to do a raid while eating, so I entered a raid as soon as I logged back in.
Of course, I started with solo play.
I tried twice and failed both times. I knew the patterns, so I didn’t lose much health or die, but I ran out of time due to lack of DPS. The first time I took off 25%, and the second time 28%.
When I told Beombiga about this, Beombiga was silent for a moment.
[Whisper/Beombiga: If I say on my broadcast.. that there’s someone who can take off 28% of Medusa’s health alone as a level 50 kind dark mage..]
[Whisper/Beombiga: Everyone will think I’m a liar…..]
[Whisper/To Beombiga: Are you saying I’m lying?]
[Whisper/Beombiga: No, that’s not it, I mean it’s that surprising]
[Whisper/Beombiga: You must have had no DPS loss, how did you build your skill tree? Damage increase? Curse?]
Skills can be branched out in various ways, and among the dark mage skill trees, the famous ones were the port focused on damage increase and the port focused on curses. However, I use neither.
[Whisper/To Beombiga: I’ve been using what I’ve been using since the beginning]
[Whisper/Beombiga: Ah, you built it yourself, Angryy?]
[Whisper/To Beombiga: Yeah]
[Whisper/Beombiga: I’m curious, can you tell me?]
[Whisper/To Beombiga: Too lazy]
[Whisper/Beombiga: I see…]
[Whisper/Beombiga: I’ll invite you to the party for now]
[Whisper/Beombiga: Ah no, Angryy, please invite me to the party. You can right-click on my name in the friends list]
[You have invited Beombiga to the party.
Waiting for acceptance…]
[You are now in a party with Beombiga!]
[Whisper/Beombiga: I’ll be in my territory, we can go to the raid from here]
[Whisper/Angryy: Okay]
Actually, Beombiga alone would be enough to kill Medusa, but…
I said to Gakjong and MinoIsMine, who were dancing nearby.
[General/Angryy: Let’s go to the raid]
[General/Gakjong: !?]
[General/MinoIsMine: What???????]
[General/Angryy: Right now]
I sent party invites to both of them. Gakjong accepted immediately, and MinoIsMine accepted after 3 seconds.
[General/MinoIsMine: I took a screenshot OMG;]
[General/MinoIsMine: I feel like this right now]
[General/MinoIsMine: It’s like when someone who’s always been rude and cold to me]
[General/MinoIsMine: One day nonchalantly offers their hand when I fall and puts a cat band-aid on me…]
[Party/MinoIsMine: I think I’ve been tamed by Angryy…]
[Party/Gakjong: Did you realize it was too much to handle alone? lolol]
[Party/MinoIsMine: Oh right, I’ll call Gchang too lol]
[Party/Gakjong: Uh.. we’re 4 people now.?]
[Party/Gakjong: ?]
[Party/MinoIsMine: Huh..? Beombiga????]
[Party/Gakjong: …??]