CHAPTER 5
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Driven by my curiosity about its overwhelming popularity, I decided to dive into the game. As I downloaded it, the game's introduction provided some intriguing details. "DHR" revolved around a D-Rank hunter named Lee Jehee, who became a "Transcender" through his awakening skill and underwent regression each time he met his demise.
In the game, you assumed the role of Lee Jehee, who had just awakened as a D-Rank hunter.
The catch?
There was no save feature, so every time your character met their end, you had to start from scratch. However, as a regressor, your character retained the skills and ability points they had acquired through leveling up upon respawning. Consequently, "DHR" offered dynamic rewards and progression paths depending on your recruited companions, the point of death, and your method of advancement.
The key to success lay in determining the right moment to meet one's end, making it challenging to clear dungeons or build relationships with characters without referring to strategy guides. Hence, I often met my demise intentionally while consulting strategy guides, racking up around three hundred deaths to boost the protagonist's ability points.
However, my mental state nearly crumbled when I attempted to take down the Keymaster and failed. At that moment, I contemplated quitting, regretting my involvement in such a maddening ordeal.
"DHR" was essentially a single-player PC game that emphasized cooperation, requiring you to gather NPC companions. Your mission was to recruit the companions you desired, explore dungeons, develop characters, and occasionally quell outbreak events. The ultimate goal? Defeat the final boss, the Keymaster, to witness the game's ending.
As per the game's lore, Lee Jehee might have seemed like an S-Rank on the surface, but his stats were off the charts, depending on the number of regressions he experienced. In my previous playthrough, where I reached the ending, over three hundred regressions had propelled Lee Jehee to the pinnacle as both a Sword Master and a Magician. As a regressor, he had exclusive access to hidden skills and top-tier items, making him the potential ruler of this virtual realm.
However, Lee Jehee wasn't a one-dimensional hero; he existed in shades of gray, not entirely good or evil. He adhered to a motto of ruthless coldness towards his enemies, without displaying warmth or tenderness towards his companions. For someone like Lee Jehee, who never knew when he would be thrust back into the past, the present was but a fleeting illusion. Could he truly reveal his authentic self to anyone? Could he ever find the present moment to be natural?
The character description hinted at the answer—it was a resounding no. Lee Jehee harbored no intention of fully embracing the present, for he was constantly haunted by the specter of resetting everything. It left me wondering if he had teetered on the brink of insanity.
I knew from playing sub-quests that he had gone to great lengths, even resorting to murder, just to see how the future would change. Collecting all the death endings even unlocked a secret skill, adding to my fascination with his character.
In essence, he was a handsome madman, but it was all in good fun when he was confined to the game world. Now that the game had become a grim reality, the prospect was nothing short of terrifying. Lee Jehee was unaware that he had reached the end, which meant he could once again plunge into madness without hesitation.
As soon as I realized I had been transported to the game world, my initial instinct was to keep my distance from him. I wanted to avoid him at all costs and figure out a way to return to the real world. Since Yeon Seonwoo wasn't a character within the game, I assumed it wouldn't be difficult to steer clear of him. On the contrary, getting close to him should prove more challenging.
However, my seemingly foolproof plan crumbled when Lee Jehee took it upon himself to seek me out. Most of the visitors to the Happiness Management Clinic were hunters, and Yeon Seonwoo's role was to temporarily provide them with the desired emotions to help them cope with their problems. Could it be that Jehee sought the same service? Maybe his mind had been affected by numerous regressions and battles, which might explain the failure of his engagement with Shin Sora. If that were the case, the timing couldn't be more perfect.
In reality, as long as my safety was guaranteed, this situation wasn't all that bad. If I could get closer to Jehee, I might learn more about this world and discover an easier path back to reality. After all, he was the protagonist of this game world.
The most significant challenge in the game wasn't the dungeons. Of course, failing to clear dungeons periodically led to outbreaks, with monsters pouring out. However, with proper management, this wasn't usually an issue. Instead, dungeons served as excellent hunting grounds for character growth.
Outbreaks, on the other hand, were a different story. These massive surges of monsters emerging from random gates presented the most formidable missions in the game. The cause of these outbreaks was a creature known as the Keymaster, capable of creating these gates. Initially, the Keymaster could appear in any dungeon at random, and if left undefeated, it would trigger an outbreak.
The problem lay in the fact that defeating the Keymaster was a formidable task, akin to facing a final boss. The Keymaster, with its high intelligence and ability to wield magic at will, was rated S+ Rank. Consequently, I spent two days tirelessly venturing through dungeons in an attempt to conquer it. On the third day, I finally achieved victory.
However, the moment of triumph quickly turned into confusion as the scene shifted abruptly, and I never found out what reward I had received for defeating the Keymaster. It felt as if something was concealed, an Easter egg of sorts, but since I had merely witnessed the ending and shut off the game shortly thereafter, I remained in the dark. I hadn't come across any information about it in the game community where I searched for strategies.
Could it be that the ultimate reward from the dimension-manipulating Keymaster was somehow connected to my current predicament? If that were the case, the opportunity to gather information from Jehee was even more priceless.
After all, he was the one who had defeated the Keymaster.
However, the greatest concern looming over me was the lack of a guarantee for my own life.
"Still, I suppose I have no choice but to remain inconspicuous," I murmured without realizing it.
I cast a furtive glance at Jehee's sleeping form, anxious that he might have awakened. Fortunately, it seemed my skill was working as intended, and he remained sound asleep, not making a single sound. Were it not for the gentle rise and fall of his chest, I might have doubted whether he was still breathing.
As I observed Jehee with care, a slow smile crept across my face. I needed to make the most of this situation and extract every bit of information from Jehee. For the moment, setting aside my pride was a small sacrifice to make. I planned to exploit every opportunity and then leave him behind, ultimately escaping from this wretched world to return to my own.
It was in that moment, shrouded in darkness, that a wicked grin curled upon my lips.
Ring!
Yet another status window popped into view.
['Ambitious Heart' achieved, 'Ambition' added to the Status Transfer settings.]
[20 setting points collected, unlocking the 'Dreamer' skill.]
[Note: 'Dreamer' skill can only be activated on targets affected by the Sleep status.]
This was beyond incredible! I never anticipated witnessing the creation of a new skill like this. To incorporate a Status Transfer setting, I had to experience that specific status myself. I swiftly brought up the skill menu and examined this newfound ability with a strange mix of emotions.
It was undeniably gratifying, but simultaneously, it felt like I was drifting further away from the familiar reality I once knew, which was not entirely pleasant. It was akin to confirming that I had been thrust into an entirely foreign world.
With a complex and indescribable sense of emotions, I let out a deep sigh and contemplated how to return to my world and extract the essential information from Jehee. The enormity of the task weighed heavily on my mind, causing my head to throb with the daunting challenge ahead.