Chapter 3

"I'm asking why Level 10 is locked."

Tae Woo let out a sigh before explaining.

"Because you have to beat the Level 9 AI first to challenge it. And Level 10 isn't a normal AI."

"Then what is it?"

"It's an AI that imitates the best player among everyone who cleared Level 9."

Oh.

"For reference, the current Level 10 AI is someone you know very well."

"Shin Ha Yeon?"

"Yep."

"Then if someone beats the Level 10 AI, does the AI get replaced with that person?"

"Probably. For reference, Level 10 has been Shin Ha Yeon for the past five years. Anyway, hurry up and start already."

Seo Jun inwardly admired the system.

"Alright then."

'He's finally starting.'

Tae Woo watched Seo Jun with eager anticipation.

The way he casually swung the sword through the air didn't look like someone holding one for the first time.

'Did he actually take martial arts classes for games?'

Apparently, people like that existed.

People who joined real martial arts academies and trained their bodies just to become better at games.

But from the perspective of someone with seven years of streaming experience, Tae Woo thought it would be far more efficient to just play another match instead.

Why did even outstanding real-life athletes sometimes completely fail in virtual reality?

There was only one reason.

'Because real-world physical ability isn't reflected in your avatar.'

Virtual reality avatars scanned the user's body and moved according to their intentions, but everyone was ultimately capped at the same preset physical performance.

Meaning even a two-meter-tall rugby player could lose an arm-wrestling match against an average 160-centimeter woman.

What mattered in virtual reality was skill, experience, and mentality.

And in some games, people could move far faster than any human realistically could.

'Though I guess it's still better than learning nothing at all.'

Still inefficient, Tae Woo thought.

Beep!

A whistle echoed from somewhere.

Cheol Soo began moving.

'Is he nervous? He should raise his sword. Hmph.'

Even as Cheol Soo gradually approached, Seo Jun remained standing still.

Kim Tae Woo desperately wanted to see his usually relaxed friend's expression turn into panic.

Back when the Training Hall first released, Tae Woo himself had arrogantly challenged Level 4 and gotten thoroughly beaten by Cheol Soo.

One-on-one combat without skill assistance was much harder than people expected.

And just as Tae Woo anticipated seeing his composed friend get rolled across the floor—

Seo Jun smoothly tilted his body aside and dodged Cheol Soo's sword.

Then he countered immediately.

Cheol Soo lost 1 HP.

Training Hall sparring followed simple rules:

Each side had 10 HP.

Every successful sword strike removed 1 HP.

The first to reach 0 lost.

Cheol Soo stepped backward to widen the distance.

'Was that a lucky shot? But why's Cheol Soo backing off?'

Was the Level 4 AI always this passive?

It should've counterattacked immediately.

Just as Tae Woo started feeling suspicious—

"He's not coming. Guess I'll go instead."

This time, Seo Jun approached Cheol Soo.

Tae Woo could already imagine the next scene unfolding in his head.

'He got excited over one lucky hit. If he rushes in like that, he'll just get stabbed and lose HP—wait, what?'

Cheol Soo's response was textbook-perfect.

Far too perfect for Level 4.

Yet Seo Jun intercepted the incoming sword with his own and altered its trajectory.

In one natural movement, he redirected the attack to the side, spun his body, and dealt damage once more.

The entire sequence flowed as naturally as water.

From Tae Woo's perspective as a spectator, it almost looked as though Seo Jun himself was moving faster than Cheol Soo.

'But this is virtual reality. Physical superiority is impossible.'

Seven years of experience told him that clearly.

What made Seo Jun appear fast was not actual speed, but the complete absence of wasted movement.

The speed of their swings themselves was identical.

Seo Jun charged again and began completely toying with Cheol Soo.

Without moving his feet even once, he blocked five consecutive attacks from the same spot.

He hooked Cheol Soo's leg and tripped him, then pinned the AI's sword to the ground with his foot so it couldn't pick it back up.

And when Cheol Soo's HP dropped to just 1—

Seo Jun started attacking with punches and kicks instead, since hand and foot strikes dealt no HP damage.

Thud.

Wham.

Every single movement looked practiced.

As though he could predict exactly how his opponent would move, Seo Jun threw himself into the enemy's range without the slightest hesitation.

Even attacks that seemed impossible to avoid—

Seo Jun dismantled them effortlessly, as if he had already seen them countless times before and already knew the path to survival others couldn't find.

"Hey, hey. Did you seriously play this seven years ago? This is such a buzzkill, damn it. Hurry up and finish already and go challenge Level 7 or something."

Why the hell had someone this skilled never played games until now?

Lucky bastard.

A guy who could probably succeed just streaming with his face alone—

And he had skill too?

But still—

'No matter how good he is, making it with skill alone is rough…'

As a friend, Tae Woo couldn't help worrying.

When Seo Jun finally sliced across Cheol Soo's neck, a notification appeared.

[You have won the sparring match.]

[HP 10 / 00:02:23]

[Current Rank: 107]

Tae Woo frowned at the floating result window.

'Why's there a ranking instead of just a record? Rankings are only tracked for Level 9…'

Then he noticed that even after the duel ended, Seo Jun was still manipulating the floating menu.

Light particles began gathering in front of Seo Jun, slowly forming the shape of a person.

The summoning-like scene gave Tae Woo a strange sense of déjà vu.

'No way…'

What appeared was a robot.

The newly formed robot also resembled a human.

Though not finely detailed, its silhouette was clearly female.

And the nickname floating above its head read—

[Shin Ha Yeon]

Tae Woo's jaw dropped open.

Goosebumps spread across his entire body.

"Hey… was the Cheol Soo you just beat actually Level 9?"

It had been such a one-sided stomp that he hadn't even realized.

Cheol Soo's movements had clearly surpassed not only Level 4—

But even Level 8, which Tae Woo himself had barely managed to defeat.

Seo Jun merely smirked as if it were nothing at all.

"Well, it wasn't that special."

He had casually crushed an opponent even professional players struggled to beat.

'If he beats Level 10 too, then this is completely…'

Content gold.

Kim Tae Woo was a streamer to the bone.

Even while thinking There's no way he actually wins, right?, Tae Woo swallowed nervously and hurriedly pressed the recording button.

'I only planned to tease him a little by using a collab stream as bait… but later I might end up begging him to collab with me.'

At some point, every trace of worry Tae Woo had for Seo Jun vanished cleanly.

There was a slight sense of dissonance.

When walking.

When swinging his arms.

When breathing.

Even when swords collided.

But it wasn't severe enough to truly bother him.

'A high-end capsule really does feel different.'

The advancement of technology was impressive.

And—

Seo Jun looked at the robot receiving his sword head-on.

[Shin Ha Yeon]

He had thought this before too, but—

She really was a genius.

If the robot before him perfectly replicated Shin Ha Yeon's controls, then it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she possessed more talent than anyone he had ever seen in his previous life.

'Ah, except for one person.'

Still, the fact that someone of this caliber had emerged in barely over ten years since the birth of virtual reality—

That alone was astonishing.

"Maybe if you train for another eighty years, you might finally beat me."

Just as Seo Jun was genuinely enjoying himself for the first time in ages, Tae Woo shouted from the side.

"What kind of bullshit are you saying?! Hey! Stop looking over here and focus!"

Currently, over half of Shin Ha Yeon's HP was already gone.

Meanwhile, Seo Jun's HP remained completely untouched.

Tae Woo looked utterly thrilled.

Judging by the fact he had started recording too, he really was something else.

As expected of a pro.

Instead of focusing on Shin Ha Yeon's charging AI, Seo Jun casually glanced over at Tae Woo while deflecting the sword.

"Tut tut. After watching this much, you still don't get it?"

"I told you to focus!"

He seriously looked like an idiot.

Anyway, this place was one where everyone possessed the same strength and couldn't exceed the same speed limit, meaning only mentality and technique mattered.

There was no way Seo Jun, who carried memories of his previous life, could lose.

Even without internal energy, one's realm of mastery lasted forever.

Shin Ha Yeon's AI seemed to realize ordinary attacks wouldn't work and began mixing in irregular movements.

'Is this Shin Ha Yeon's style too? Or is the AI adapting on its own? Either way…'

Before Shin Ha Yeon's sword could even reach its intended target, Seo Jun's blade slid along hers and redirected its path.

Kagagagak!

The sound of blades scraping together felt strangely nostalgic.

The sword aimed for his throat veered away by less than an inch.

Seo Jun seized the moment instantly and flicked the weapon aside.

Clang!

The AI's sword fell to the floor, leaving its entire body wide open.

Slaaash!

Seo Jun cut diagonally across the disabled AI's torso.

[HP 4]

After being struck, the AI immediately retreated to recover its sword.

But Seo Jun closed the distance half a beat faster.

The gap between them vanished, and the AI suffered another hit.

[HP 3]

When two fighters possessed equal speed, the important thing was who moved into the next action first.

And to do that, you had to predict your opponent's movements.

In this situation, it was obvious what the AI would do.

As the AI reached for the fallen sword, Seo Jun precisely stabbed through its arm.

Clang!

The sword tip failed to pierce the metal arm, producing only the sound of steel colliding.

[HP 2]

Even while its arm scraped against the blade, the AI stubbornly completed its movement and successfully grabbed the sword.

But Seo Jun had already recovered his own weapon and transitioned into the next strike.

A perfectly fundamental downward slash.

BOOM!

The AI blocked with its sword, but the tip of Seo Jun's blade still reached its head.

[HP 1]

From what Seo Jun had observed after several matches, this place equalized maximum strength—but it didn't force every strike to carry the same power.

What mattered was proper transmission of force.

The AI had blocked while half-collapsed on the ground, causing its wrist to buckle under the impact.

'Details like this are surprisingly realistic.'

Even so, the AI kicked off the ground and charged forward in a final thrust toward Seo Jun.

A technique only possible because it was an undying robot.

And suddenly, a thought crossed Seo Jun's mind.

Wasn't he also effectively unable to die here?

Instead of dodging, Seo Jun thrust his own sword forward simultaneously.

In his previous life, it would have been a mutual-kill exchange.

But this place was different.

At worst, he would only lose 1 HP.

[You have won the sparring match.]

No blood flowed.

The pain was nothing more than a slight sting.

It was fun.

Calmly pulling the sword from his chest, Seo Jun spoke.

"Well? I beat Shin Ha Yeon. Is this enough for a skill-based stream?"

[The Level 10 AI wishes to imitate the user.]

Tae Woo grinned brightly as he replied.

"Didn't I tell you already? You need to stream."

Seo Jun laughed back at his idiot friend.

When the hell did you ever say that?

[Additional sparring sessions are required to imitate the user's movements. Would you like to register?]

"Hmm. Sounds annoying. Maybe I'll skip it."

"Shut up and do it already, you lunatic."

Seo Jun and Tae Woo exited their capsules and sat in the living room eating ice cream while chatting.

"Hey, why'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You hid the fact that you became the new Level 10. If people found out, thousands would definitely swarm you."

There was a reason for that.

"I haven't streamed even once yet. If people flood in now, they'd all just be fake numbers. A castle built on sand."

"A castle built on sand?"

No matter how far he'd drifted from academics…

Jeez.

The old man inside Seo Jun swallowed down the urge to lecture him and instead explained simply.

"It means a house built on sand. If the foundation isn't solid, it collapses easily."

"Then when are you gonna reveal it?"

"Once I've settled in, and when the timing's right. Better than people rushing in now and immediately leaving afterward."

"Ahhh."

Maybe because he was also a streamer, Tae Woo instantly understood.

"Are you sure you've never streamed before? What if you're secretly some giant corporation executive or something? Ugh, that'd be creepy."

"What kind of nonsense is that now?"

Tae Woo rubbed his arms dramatically as if getting goosebumps and began explaining.

"You know what hosting is?"

"When a streamer ends their stream and sends viewers to another streamer?"

"More accurately, it's broadcasting another streamer's stream on your own channel. Viewer counts combine too. But when a huge streamer hosts a small streamer, it's supposed to be a chance for them to blow up—and usually nothing happens. Know why?"

"Why?"

"Because most people can't capitalize on the opportunity. Sometimes they gain viewers temporarily, but a month later only their original audience remains. Exactly what you meant by a castle built on sand. Seriously, you were born for streaming. Which reminds me, Seo Jun."

"What."

"When should we do our collab stream?"

What kind of nonsense is this now?

"If the video blows up, it'll definitely hit trending! And if we do a collab too—!"

Whack.

Seo Jun kicked his friend in the shin and said:

"Shut up and go do the housework you owe me."

"AAAGH! Ah right, the housework! Hey, can't you let me off just once? Please?"

"Nope."

You said no take-backs yourself.

Clutching his shin, Tae Woo collapsed dramatically onto the sofa.

The next day.

After entering the lobby, Seo Jun began preparing for his first broadcast.

His goal was to build some level of recognition as a streamer within a short period of time.

So what game should he start with?

Tae Woo had explained it like this the previous day:

'Popular online games already have tons of streamers, so they're hard to break into.'

And to gain attention, you also had to climb to a high rank.

'Single-player package games are less stressful, but they also have fewer viewers.'

Each had its own advantages and disadvantages.

Then Tae Woo grinned and added:

'But there's always an optimal move where the drawbacks are minimized and the advantages are maximized.'

Sure enough—

Even Seo Jun had heard of the game Tae Woo recommended.

And it suited Seo Jun's situation perfectly.

With a faint smile full of anticipation, Seo Jun entered Travel and began preparing his stream.

After setting the stream title, he had to choose the game category.

The total viewer count for the category was—

"Third place, huh."

Once again confirming the game's popularity, Seo Jun began downloading it.

A package game that had launched only a week ago, yet was already attracting overwhelming attention due to the massive popularity of its franchise.

<Assassin's Dawn – Shadows Within the City>

—831,000 viewers—