Emperor of Solo Play

­ Secret of the Expert (1)

“Gotta love the private loaners. They sure work fast if money is involved.”

Drrk, drrrk!

An Jaehyun fiddled with the dial on his watch. He checked his bank account and saw the 10 million won he borrowed. Then, he fiddled with the dial again before lifting his watch towards his mouth.

“Peach Store.”

Since the money was in, he knew where he had to go.

The Peach Store.

It controlled over 70% of the VR market, and contained the VR devices needed to access the virtual world. It was also where one could create his Warlord character. Peach Corp, of course, was in a partnership with Tobot Soft. Since Warlord’s launch, more than half of V-Gear buyers were looking to play Warlord. Since Warlord’s sales skyrocketed V-Gear sales, it was obvious that Peach Corp would give Warlord special treatment.

At the Peach Store, one could take care of everything needed to access Warlord.

‘Alright.’

After looking up its location, An Jaehyun placed a small earphone over his left ear.

-Navigation started.

★★★

When the household virtual reality device, V-Gear Level 1 Model, appeared for the first time, the world called it a revolution.

But it wasn’t a revolution for most people.

“Who the hell would buy a gaming console for 20 million won?”

It was truly revolutionary for VR devices worth several hundreds of millions to be reduced to 20 million, but the price was still exorbitant. Instead of trying to lower the cost, Peach Corp took a different approach in solving this problem.

You aren’t paying for a new toy, but a new era!

That was Peach Corp’s slogan, and Peach Corp took great effort in creating the Peach Store.

It was different from an ordinary store. Its peach-shaped building and its sleek and fancy walls were unique to the Peach Store. Its interior was even more astounding.

Inside the Peach Store, one had unlimited access to any V-Gear related content.

Enjoy as much as you want, then buy it! This was their motto.

This unlimited access applied for all 24 hours of the day. They were open 24/7, and Peach Stores allowed their customers to freely try out the V-Gear. There were some who made their Warlord characters and played exclusively inside the Peach Stores!

When An Jaehyun visited the Peach Store for the first time in quite a while, he naturally found himself looking around for any changes. He saw other customers seated on comfy chairs, wearing huge gloves and thick helmets slightly bigger than motorcycle helmets. They were obviously customers enjoying the VR world.

At this time, an employee walked up to An Jaehyun.

“Can I help you?”

At the employee’s pleasant smile, An Jaehyun immediately replied,

“I’m here to buy the Level 1 model V-Gear. I’m ready to form the contract, so lead the way.”

Because of An Jaehyun’s hasty reply, the employee thought he was the impatient type. The employee asked An Jaehyun a question according to his manual.

“Have you used a V-Gear before?”

An Jaehyun stopped to think.

‘Not at this point.’

Before he returned to the past, An Jaehyun even showed symptoms of neck disc from wearing V-Gear too much, but all that has yet to happen in the current time. The An Jaehyun now had never used a V-Gear before.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Then I recommend you try one out before purchasing it. As you know, some people feel dizzy or show signs of motion sickness with V-Gears.”

“I’ll just buy it right away.”

If An Jaehyun showed such symptoms, he wouldn’t have come back to the past in the first place.

The employee led An Jaehyun to buy a V-Gear. As he walked, An Jaehyun noticed something from the corner of his eyes, and he stopped.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t that a Level 6S? Is that on sale?”

An Jaehyun could see an emerald-colored V-Gear, unlike the normal white colored ones, as well as two programmers testing it.

‘That’s definitely a Level 6, and an S-Level to boot. Didn’t that go on sale around the end of 2036?’

Level 1 was the most basic model for V-Gears, and every subsequent level indicated a higher model. Higher models showed better VR performances, as better equipment showed better results. The difference wasn’t too big. The general consensus was that there was about a 2% difference for every 1 level.

But this 2% was nothing to scoff at, especially if it accumulated. A 2% difference in one’s stats was a huge difference. Between a Level 1 model and a Level 4 model, there was a whole 6% difference! One wouldn’t be able to find an in-game item that raised one’s stats by 6% no matter how much they paid.

Level 4 V-Gear were around 100 million won. These were used by professionals whose livelihoods depended on their performances in Warlord. The Level 5 models could only be custom ordered, and the price skyrocketed depending on what additional options the buyer ordered. As for the Level 6 model, they weren’t even on sale yet! The ones in existence should still be in there testing stage.

Plus, the emerald color indicated that it was an S-series. The ‘S’ stood for ‘special,’ and it was meant to be the one of Peach Store’s fanciest V-Gears. There were only 77 of them for each level, and they boasted an astronomical price. They weren’t meant for regular users or even professionals, but for rich millionaires and billionaires… the kind who bought yachts on a whim.

‘That thing is so good.’

An Jaehyun had once used one of these. When An Jaehyun was making a name for himself in Warlord, he was chosen as a Level 7S tester, and he was genuinely awed. As he was still using a Level 3 model at this time, he felt as if he changed from a cheap bike to the best sports car. He could do whatever he wanted.

The programmers who received An Jaehyun’s VR testing data were equally surprised. They even claimed no one could so perfectly utilize the Level 7S’s capabilities as An Jaehyun.

In any case, the Level 6S was right in front of him.

An Jaehyun was naturally curious.

“Sorry, but that model is not on sale.”

The employee immediately explained, to which An Jaehyun couldn’t help but to laugh inside.

‘Even if I had the money to buy that, I’d probably spend it on stocks instead.’

The current An Jaehyun didn’t have the capital to buy such a thing even if it was on sale. Even so, he couldn’t understand why something that wasn’t on sale officially would be at the Peach Store. Usually, Peach Corp directly delivered such products to the buyer’s location. It wasn’t something that would be on display at a store, just like how a Lamborghini wouldn’t be on display at a local car store.

‘This could only mean there was a technical problem, and they hurriedly brought it here for a test.’

It was obvious that there was a problem with the machine, and technicians were on the case because of its owner’s notice.

An Jaehyun was curious about its owner.

‘Someone in Korea who can buy a product that isn’t even on sale yet…’

Furthermore, it was highly likely that An Jaehyun knew this owner.

‘It’s her, isn’t it?’

This owner was also the person he despised the most in the whole world.

An Jaehyun frowned.

The employee misunderstood An Jaehyun’s change in expression. Thinking it was his fault, the employee bowed his head in apology.

“We’re very sorry, but that product is…”

“Hm?”

An Jaehyun was surprised, but soon realized what the employee was thinking.

‘Peach Store employees are way too kind. It’s almost too much.’

An Jaehyun immediately relaxed his expression.

“No, I was squinting because I couldn’t see well. If you aren’t selling it, that’s that. Let’s go form the contract. Ah, I’m also making a Warlord character so take care of that as well.”

At An Jaehyun’s words, the employee began walking. As he followed the employee, An Jaehyun turned his head once again.

‘Is this model really that bitch’s? Then I won’t feel satisfied until I spit on it or something…’