NOVEL NEXT C1
Chapter 1: The 8th Prince is free
Name: Kain Chronos.
Status: The 8th prince of the Exion Empire.
He was fortunate enough to be born a prince of the empire, but this otherworldly world is unbearably dull.
No, it’s truly boring.
No matter how much delicious food you eat or how often you indulge in the company of beautiful women, it gets old.
By now, he had long lost interest.
“Sigh, you might as well have erased my memories of my past life.”
He let out a sigh and closed his eyes.
Whether it was divine mischief or not, he had been reincarnated with all the memories of his previous life intact.
The problem was that he missed his previous life terribly.
Of course, his current life as a prince was far more affluent than his past life, but the boredom remained unchanged.
He longed for those simple moments of playing games on his smartphone or mindlessly scrolling through YouTube Shorts in bed.
But this was a world in a different dimension from Earth.
There were no smartphones, no comic books, and no entertainment to enjoy.
No matter how much he reminisced, those memories only brought him pain.
He could sum up what he lacked in one word:
‘Dopamine.’
That’s right. His brain craved dopamine.
He needed stimulation—the kind that kept him endlessly scrolling through shorts at night, saying, “Just one more before bed.”
“Phew…”
His hands trembled involuntarily.
Was this what withdrawal symptoms felt like?
His hands ached to touch a smartphone and couldn’t stay still.
Should he try meditating instead?
As he entertained such thoughts—
“Kain.”
The voice calling him snapped him back to reality.
“Yes, brother.”
“Are you daydreaming during an important conversation?”
The one speaking to him was Raiel Chronos.
The eldest brother, who shared the same bloodline, and the Crown Prince of the empire.
Claiming he had something important to discuss, Raiel had summoned him to his chamber.
“Of course not. How could I dare in your presence?”
Though he had been distracted, he had heard every word of what Raiel was saying.
“Next year, when you turn seventeen, you are to go to ‘Kverndel,’ am I correct?”
“You’ve listened well, Kain.”
Raiel nodded with a satisfied smile.
Kverndel.
A city located in the empire’s far northern region, so cold it was named after the ancient word for a snowstorm, “Kvern.”
The land was barren, frozen, and slow to develop.
‘Ugh, I hate the cold.’
Next year, he will turn seventeen.
In this world, seventeen was essentially the age of adulthood.
The same applied to the empire’s princes; once they came of age, they were expected to fulfill their roles.
As the empire’s 8th prince, his role was to become the lord of Kverndel.
Raiel continued, indifferent to Kain’s thoughts.
“Father has already made his decision, so you simply need to follow it. Don’t take it too harshly. Besides, I’ve ordered Jade to clear out the dungeons around Kverndel, so it should be safe by the time you arrive.”
How considerate.
Of course, it was all for his own benefit.
‘So that’s why I haven’t seen Jade around lately.’
Jade was the 7th prince, three years older than Kain.
He, too, was fulfilling his duties as the 7th prince, including dungeon-clearing.
The reason Kain referred to Jade so disdainfully was simple: Jade was an utter bastard.
When they were in the imperial palace, Jade would torment him relentlessly as if it were his hobby.
‘I’d be glad if he died somewhere out there.’
Needless to say, even the dungeon-clearing undertaken by the 7th prince was at the behest of Raiel, the Crown Prince.
‘In the end, this is all just a ploy to get us out of the palace, isn’t it?’
Even as Crown Prince, Raiel faced fierce competition.
Between him and the youngest, Kain, there were six other princes.
Raiel’s strategy was to reduce the number of competitors by sending them out of the palace.
‘If it’s come up, then it’s probably final.’
The one consolation for Raiel was that their father, the emperor, was growing old.
Even though Kain was born to a maid, he was already sixteen.
The youngest prince being sixteen meant the emperor’s body had naturally aged.
For Raiel, this was a perfect justification to solidify his position.
‘A clever pretext.’
A year from now, Kain would head to “Kverndel,” a city under direct imperial rule.
It was a city governed by lords sent from the imperial family, a necessity due to its strategic importance in guarding the northern territories.
But the harsh environment made it an undesirable post.
Sending a prince as the lord was essentially a message: “If even a prince can go, why won’t you?”
‘If I had a smartphone, I’d be fine staying there forever.’
He genuinely meant it.
Even now, he was bored to death in the palace. Going to a northern city with nothing to do was like walking into a trap.
‘Damn. Should I just run away?’
Of course, that wasn’t a viable option.
Running away would accomplish nothing and might even make him seem like a rebel.
As he mulled over his predicament, Raiel pulled something out onto the desk.
“I’m not so stingy as to send my brother empty-handed. Here, take this as a gift.”
It was money and jewels.
Surprisingly, the amount was significant.
“100,000 gold.”
“Huh…That’s quite a lot.”
Kain’s monthly allowance was 5,000 gold—barely enough to maintain his residence.
In comparison, the 7th prince received 10,000 gold a month, twice as much.
But as someone without magical talent or skill in swordsmanship, Kain had no real value.
Receiving 100,000 gold—nearly two years’ worth of allowance—was unexpected.
‘Maybe he’s not so bad after all.’
As Kain admired the money, Raiel placed another item on the desk.
“Huh?”
It was a rectangular object with a familiar design.
“Brother, is that…?”
Kain leaned closer to confirm.
“Hmm, do you like it?”
Raiel picked it up and showed it to him.
“This artifact was discovered in an ancient dungeon. Press this button, and it emits light and displays strange characters. Even the Mage Tower couldn’t decipher it.”
Raiel pressed the button, and as described, the object lit up, displaying text.
[This smartphone is not registered.]
[To register, drop a single drop of blood on the device and enter your name.]
‘It really is a smartphone!’
The text was written in familiar Korean, a language unknown in this world.
He didn’t know why a smartphone had appeared in a dungeon, but that didn’t matter.
The only thing that mattered was that it existed.
As Kain stared at it with wide eyes, Raiel chuckled.
“It’s just an amusing toy, but if you like it, you can take it.”
Before Raiel could finish, Kain snatched the smartphone and bowed deeply.
“Thank you!”
Sixteen years after being reincarnated as a prince in another world, Kain finally had a smartphone.
With a smartphone in my hands, there was no way I could focus on anything else.
I quickly responded to Raiel’s words with vague agreement, hastily wrapping up the conversation. Then, I dashed straight to my room.
As soon as I arrived, my attention was solely on the smartphone.
“Ah, this feeling…”
Yes, this was it.
It had been a while since I held a smartphone, but my hands remembered it well.
Tears welled up as I looked at the trembling device perfectly fitting in my grip.
After glancing around nervously, I pressed the power button.
“Ooh!”
The screen lit up as the device powered on.
[This smartphone is not registered.]
[To register, drop a single drop of blood onto the device and enter your name.]
“But what if it’s just an empty shell?”
Come to think of it, having the phone didn’t guarantee anything.
This world didn’t have the infrastructure to support it. There was no data or Wi-Fi here.
Even if those weren’t necessary, the absence of the internet, social media, or games would make the device almost useless.
“Surely it’s not completely empty, right?”
If it really were, it would be nothing more than the glowing brick Raiel had called it.
My initial excitement started to fade.
Still, it was too soon to jump to conclusions.
“Let’s at least register it first.”
[To register, drop a single drop of blood onto the device and enter your name.]
Following the on-screen instructions, I pricked my finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the device.
Next came the name.
“Does it still work if I don’t use my real name?”
If possible, I didn’t want to use my actual name.
Who knew what might happen later? For now, I wanted to pick a name with no ties to me.
“What should I choose?”
For the same reason, my name from my previous life in Korea was off-limits too.
“Hmm.”
As I pondered, my finger inadvertently brushed the smartphone screen.
[Registering the user to the device. Do not turn off the power.]
Suddenly?
Without entering any name, it began registering the user.
[The device owner is registered as ‘Nameless One.’]
[Registration completed.]
I stared at the phone, baffled by the confirmation message.
“Is this even possible?”
Just like that, I became the Nameless One.
Still, at least it worked.
‘It doesn’t have to be my real name, after all.’
However, my concern proved valid: the phone lacked any pre-installed apps.
Even the most basic apps you’d find on any regular smartphone were missing.
“Could it really be just a hollow shell?”
In the far corner of the screen, I spotted one app labeled “App Store.”
I immediately opened it.
【App Store】
Available Points: 1,000 Points
【Available Apps for Installation Lv.1】 – First Purchase Bonus: 50% Discount!
[Basic Phone Call]: 50,000 Points
[Basic Text Messaging]: 10,000 Points
………
……
At least it wasn’t completely empty.
The problem was that while apps were available for installation, they were ridiculously expensive.
“Fifty thousand points for basic phone calls? That’s absurd.”
Meanwhile, I only had 1,000 points to work with.
Even with the first-purchase 50% discount, most of the apps were far out of reach.
‘Not that it matters, right?’
Even if calls worked, there wasn’t anyone to call in this world, making it a pointless feature for now.
The same went for texting.
Resigned, I scrolled down to see if there were other apps available.
Fortunately, there were additional options further down.
But they were all games.
“Only games, huh?”
[Town Builder Tycoon]: 10,000 Points
[Real Farm (We Deliver Your Produce!)]: 5,000 Points
[Earth’s Last Day: Survivor Builder]: 500 Points
The only apps I could install were games.
Town Builder Tycoon caught my attention, but I couldn’t afford it with my current points.
“Real Farm looks intriguing too.”
Judging by the description, it seemed to be a farming game where you could actually receive your crops.
“But no way they’d actually deliver it, right?”
If this were Earth, that might’ve been possible. But in this other dimension, where smartphones were unheard of, delivery seemed far-fetched.
‘Still, I’ve got nothing better to do, so I might as well try installing something.’
Given my limited points, my app choices were restricted.
Additionally, the Lv.1 label next to the app list suggested more options might unlock later.
“With 1,000 points and the discount, I can…”
I decided to buy Dungeon Master for 50% off, leaving me with 500 points. Then, I could afford Earth’s Last Day: Survivor Builder.
“Alright, let’s go with this.”
[Successfully purchased ‘Dungeon Master.’ Installing the app.]
[Successfully purchased ‘Earth’s Last Day: Survivor Builder.’ Installing the app.]
“Yes, two games are a must.”
Playing only one mobile game gets boring; having several ensures it lasts longer.
“Shall I give it a try?”
I was excited at the thought of gaming after such a long time.
The first game I launched was Earth’s Last Day: Survivor Builder.
The word Earth, which I hadn’t heard in this world, filled me with a surge of emotion, so I chose it first.
When I started the game, the screen darkened, and a character appeared.
[Please select your survivor.]
There were only two characters to choose from.
The first character was a scary-looking man with a muscular build, heavily armed with guns.
‘He does look strong.’
A large scar on his face gave him the appearance of a soldier or mercenary. He seemed like the kind of character who could adapt well to an apocalyptic world.
“Let’s check out the next one.”
The second character was a girl in tattered clothes. Unlike the first character, she wasn’t armed and looked frail.
‘She’s got nothing, huh?’
She appeared no better than a beggar at first glance.
‘Hmm, who should I choose?’
The game’s title was Earth’s Last Day. The world setting was likely one where civilization had already collapsed or was on the brink of collapse.
Logically, choosing the armed character seemed more advantageous for survival.
But gamers need to think differently.
“She’s probably the hard mode choice, right?”
Between a fully equipped character and one starting from scratch, the latter offered more satisfaction and challenge.
After all, the joy of games comes from building up from nothing.
“Alright, I’ve made my choice.”
I selected the second character.
[Survivor selection completed.]
Moments later, the screen shifted to reveal a ruined city.
“So it really is a post-apocalyptic world.”
Then the story began to unfold.
[Three years ago, an unknown virus spread across Earth—]
“Skip.”
Wanting to jump into the gameplay, I skipped the story.
After pressing the skip button, the screen showed the girl I had selected, sitting on the ground.
‘Is that her brother next to her?’
A boy who looked similar to her sat beside her. They appeared to be siblings.
However, their faces were filled with fear and despair.
Probably because of the monsters roaming nearby.
“Zombies?”
Ah, so it was a zombie apocalypse.
[Oh no! Zombies have appeared!]
[Tap on the zombies to defeat them!]
“So, I just do this?”
When I tapped on the screen, the zombies exploded.
It was a simple game where you tap to kill zombies, but after 16 years of dopamine detox, even something this basic felt fun.
Once all the zombies on the screen were defeated, the siblings looked shocked.
The girl even clasped her hands in prayer.
[All zombies have been defeated!]
[You’ve earned 1 point as a reward!]
“What?”
I received points just for taking care of zombies.
“Sis… I… I can’t run anymore…”
Minhyuk’s small hand seemed like it would slip from Hayoon’s grasp.
Even as they ran, his ragged breathing echoed in her ears.
“Just a little more! Hang in there a bit longer! The shelter is close!”
Kang Hayoon gripped her younger brother’s hand even tighter.
The guttural moans of zombies behind them grew louder.
Stopping out of exhaustion would mean death.
She knew that, but her breath grew heavier, and her legs refused to move.
Eventually, the siblings collapsed onto the ground.
“Hah… Hah…”
This was the end.
The rotting flesh of the zombies swayed as they staggered closer, forming a circle around them.
There was no escape, no place to hide.
“S-Sis…”
Tears streamed down Minhyuk’s terrified face.
It had been three years since the world fell apart.
From the day the zombie virus devoured the globe, this kind of ending had always seemed inevitable.
“…Minhyuk.”
Hayoon wrapped her trembling arms around her brother.
After their parents passed away, her seven-year-old brother was all she had left.
Protecting him was her sole reason for living.
For three years, they had survived against all odds, but now, that miracle was at its end.
As she braced for the inevitable and held her brother tightly—
Bang!
The zombies’ bodies began to explode.
“…What?”
The miracle wasn’t over yet.