Dungeon Hunter
Chapter 02's

Jae Woo the Awakened

He spent 2 years in bed.

Her body was clearly not going to move like it used to, so she needed to undergo physical therapy.

Physical therapy is difficult and slow. And the pain kept following.

"One more time!" physiotherapist.

Jae Woo grabs the bars and takes a step.

"Uhh!"

Face wrinkled. Every time he moved, his body screamed.

Even so, Jae Woo continues his physical therapy in silence.

Day by day.

'If I manage to walk today, then I will be able to run tomorrow!'

Jae Woo grits his teeth and concentrates on his physical therapy. He was sent home earlier than planned.

"You can get out of the hospital now."

"Thank you very much."

Jae Woo and his younger sister take a taxi to their new residence.

He got off the taxi and was supported by his sister on both sides. They then took her to their new home.

"Here we go." Yura pointed towards the stairs that led underground.

An unpleasant smell seeped into his nose.

"M."

He was somewhat expecting this, but it was very different from the two-story house they had lived in before.

First, it's underground!

Compared to their previous home, where there was a lot of sunlight, their current residence was mostly underground. Not only that, they also could not see the sun, because of its small windows.

So damp and dark.

There were cobwebs everywhere and it was clear that the place was full of cockroaches.

There were only two rooms, but if three or four people lay down, they would be crowded. Wallpaper is worn and yellow.

The bathroom is small and smells very humid. The washing machine takes up at least half the room, let alone the bathtub.

In short: that's the worst.

"You pay monthly?"

"Yes." Yeah."

How can you charge a rental fee for this !? They even have to pay rent every month.

'Shit!' Jae Woo curses automatically. But since her sister was with her, she refrained from saying it out loud.

"How do you divide a room?"

"Mina and Mama are one room together and I have my own room. So you can start the room with me," Yura said.

"It's okay. I'll just sleep in the living room."

Yura is a high school student. He needs to have a room for himself.

He was a man; he could only sleep in the living room with a blanket underneath.

It was also better for him; he could search for info, since the computer was in the living room.

"But..."

Yes, we are brothers, but it would be uncomfortable for both of us. Well, there he is. Where are my glasses?"

"Here." Mina brings her virtual reality game glasses.

"I'll tell you if I need anything, so do what you need to do."

"okay."

As soon as his sister goes to their room, Jae Woo lies down in the living room and puts on his glasses.

And then, he flipped the switch.

Fortunately, the glasses worked well.

Accessing the virtual world!

A white corridor appeared before him.

There's a room in it. It was the door that would lead to the Warlord world.

However, the door was closed by a board, and there was a piece of paper attached to it.

Thank you so much for enjoying Warlord.

Since the average player base number is less than 100, we have decided to discontinue the service.

[Dreamgate, Warlord's team]

"What kind of empty muzzle is this!?"

It's only been 2 years, but the virtual reality game that topped the popularity charts for five consecutive years has gone out of business!?

"How about my character!? What about my item!? My money!?"

There is nothing left of Jae Woo's character, who is heralded as the strongest character in Warlord.

'Damn, I lost a huge source of income!'

Does this feel like when your stock no longer has value?

"Uh."

Jae Woo grabbed the back of his neck and fainted.

* * *

'Why!?'

Once he woke up, he reassessed the situation.

How did Warlord go bankrupt !? He can't believe it.

So, he searched the internet for answers and soon found out why it actually failed.

"The art..."

Warlord is no longer the most popular game. That's drunk.

But instead—Dreamgate, the creator of Warlord— has come out with a new game, Arth, which is a hit.

"God must have created this game."

Arth!

How amazing that game is.

Even when compared to other virtual reality games, it is very well designed, and is also considered to be a lot of fun in comparison.

The masterpiece!

A work of immortality!

A virtual reality game worthy of all those titles.

It's been over a year since it was released, but people are going wild because of it all over the world.

Rankings in Arth are celebrities, and they can set prices for good items.

That's not all!

There are even employees who throw resignation letters into the face of their superiors! School has begun, but the classroom is empty! Kids will pretend to be sick to avoid going to school!

It was all so they could play Arth.

It was really Arth's time.

"I didn't expect such an amazing game to come out while I was gone." Jae Woo feels like he is a gold miner who has found gold.

'art. This is a moneymaker!'

It would earn far more than Warlord. And what if he succeeds?

'Our debt or home will not be a problem. Our lives will change.'

He felt his blood as the pro-gamer began to boil.

However, Jae Woo does not directly install Arth. It's too early for that.

At least for now...

* * *

The clock is pointing at 12:00.

His mother had returned, with weak shoulders and heavy footsteps.

"Welcome back." Jae Woo has been waiting for his mother.

"Jae Woo!"

As soon as he saw her, tears began to flow from his eyes.

"Mama."

Jae Woo chokes, seeing how old his mother is in 2 years.

They hugged for a while and finally went to the living room.

"Mom, how's the family doing?"

"You let me worry about that. You worry about yourself first."

"I'm finally back, so don't take it all by yourself."

Jae Woo grabbed his mother's hand.

His mother's hands were rough, so much so that they could not be recognized. He could feel how much he had been through for these past 2 years.

"But you still have to worry about yourself first ..."

"Please."

"Hoo, okay. I'll tell you everything."

He began to tell her what had happened so far, and what their situation was like.

His mother had heard from doctors that patients could wake up from a coma if they underwent medical capsule treatment.

However, it was an expensive treatment, which would cost millions of won for just one treatment.

Even so, his mother has worked hard so that her son can receive the treatment for 2 years.

In the end, they were forced to sell the house, and had owed more than 50 million won. Fortunately, they owe it to banks, not private lenders.

'Medical capsule treatment... So that's why my physical therapy is progressing so much faster.'

The medical capsule has retained its muscles and organs, keeping it from a critical condition. Therefore, physical therapy does not take much time.

Jae Woo feels grateful to his mother once again, as he has done everything to ensure that he receives medical capsule treatment.

"Trust me. I'll make a lot of money from now on." He looked at his mother earnestly and said confidently.

When he really starts playing Arth, he will be able to raise a lot of money.

After all, Jae Woo is convinced that he is better than anyone in a virtual reality game.

"Worry about money later. You should worry about yourself first."

Of course, his mother was more worried about his health than money.

"Good."

"Good."

Her mother goes to her room and Jae Woo lies down in the living room, and starts thinking.

Ever since she lost her father in her 3rd year of high school, Jae Woo became a breadwinner.

Therefore, it is his responsibility to support his family.

'Isn't that right, dad?'

If he could, he would provide it immediately.

But...

'With this body, I can't do anything, whether it's taking responsibility or making money.'

A muscle? Ha, he just stayed skin and bones this time!

That is real proof that he is not healthy.

"I have to build myself up first."

There is a certain order to things!

If he wants to be a pro-gamer again, then he should focus on his health first.

Of course, Jae Woo's main goal is Arth! Collect wealth through Arth and change his life.

But now, he had to worry about himself.

He needs to build himself!

THANKS FOR READING 🙏