100,000 Years Ago
In ancient times, long before history was ever written, a young man walked alone into the Sky Castle where the Thirteen Gods gathered. The hall was magnificent, with golden pillars, crystal ceilings, and a divine aura so heavy it felt like choking.
The Thirteen Gods stood frozen, faces pale as if staring at the angel of death.
"Fu fu fu… Why are you trembling like that? Look at me. Am I carrying any weapons? No, right?"
His voice was deep, slightly raspy. His black eyes were empty, yet radiated a terrifying power.
He stepped into the center of the hall. His voice echoed like thunder.
"You, the mighty Thirteen Gods… I've defeated you once. You're strong… but I'm stronger. But now… I'm sick of it. I'm tired. Eternal life is just a curse. Kill me."
One of the gods stepped forward, hesitant.
"Kill you? You're an immortal being. We can't!"
The young man gave a bitter smile. In one swift motion, he thrust his hand into his own chest—and tore out thirteen hearts. Black blood dripped onto the crystal floor.
"These… are the source of my life. Take them… and hide them somewhere I can never reach. If I reincarnate… let me be born as an ordinary human."
Suddenly, dark energy exploded around him. The gods unleashed thousands of blades of light toward the black cube that enveloped the young man. A blinding white explosion followed, shaking the castle as if it would collapse.
When the light faded… the young man's body had vanished.
"Finally… he's gone from this world. Now… it's time to have some fun in the human realm," one of the gods muttered, eyes glittering with ambition.
7 September 2053
Fast forward 100,000 years.
In a super-crowded city, lived an unemployed young man named Noel. He was lounging around in a torn t-shirt, boxer shorts, and flip-flops, digging his nose while stretching his legs.
"NOEL! HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO BE A BURDEN?! YOUR BILLS ARE UP TO 55 MILLION!" screamed his landlady, her neck veins popping.
Noel glanced lazily.
"Oh, 55 million? Hahaha… chill, Ma'am. Tomorrow, the day after… or next year maybe. I'm gonna buy this whole boarding house."
"YOU PATHOLOGICAL LIAR!"
That afternoon, Noel was wandering through the crowds. Suddenly, a massive LED screen flashed an ad:
[LEAGUE OF KING — A VRMMORPG game where you can get rich. Gold can be converted to real money. Your life turns instantly luxurious.]
Noel's eyes sparkled.
"WOAH… INSANE! This is the answer to my life! Noel the gaming maniac… is gonna be CRAZY RICH!"
Night Time
Noel rushed home and downloaded League of King. Just as the installation completed… the power went out.
"Oh… blackout huh," Noel mumbled.
Five seconds later:
"DAMN IT! Why NOW?! I was about to become a digital sultan!"
Four hours later, the lights came back. Noel frantically turned on his PC. A pop-up appeared:
[Update complete. Play now?]
"Hmm… straight path to riches, right?" Noel murmured while sipping his coffee.
Suddenly… an old man with outrageous makeup appeared on the screen.
"YEEEES! You want to get rich, right?!"
Noel spit coffee all over his monitor.
"UWAAAH! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE A LOAN SHARK AD?!"
The man grinned wickedly.
"I'm Radit Clown. A Mythical creature. An influencer from another world. Want to get rich? Press Yes!"
Noel was still stunned.
"I wanna get rich, not get trauma!"
Radit immediately pressed the Yes button himself. The world spun. The clock jumped from 8 PM to midnight. A giant portal appeared, sucking all League of King players into another world.
The Open Land
Noel found himself stranded in a vast plain called The Open Land. The scenery was breathtaking, blue skies and crisp air. A woman with a rabbit head appeared, wearing a deadly serious expression.
"Welcome to League of King. Please fill out your information."
[A holographic screen popped up]
Character Name: …
Gender: …
Class: Warrior / Assassin / Archer / Mage / Tank
Noel smirked as he tapped Assassin.
"Assassins are like ninjas, definitely OP."
The rabbit-woman began explaining the system: quests, gold, death penalty, ranks (F to SSS+), monsters ranging from Normal to Mythical. Her voice got faster and faster, like a cashier scanning a mile-long grocery receipt.
Noel rolled his eyes.
"Can you, like, talk in slow motion? My brain's melting."
Noel's Starting Stats:
Name: Noel Vista
Class: Assassin
Rank: F
Level: 0
Strength: 40
Attack: 37 – 70
Intelligence: 5,500 (other stats: tragically pathetic)
Noel stared at the screen, horrified.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! Strength 40?! Am I an Assassin or a rookie Boy Scout?! Intelligence 5,500?! What am I, a calculator instead of an Assassin?!"
A large man named Yuzin suddenly threw a bag at Noel.
"Your stats suck. You'll be our porter."
Noel pointed at a skinny guy named Mimo.
"Make HIM the porter!"
Mimo shook his head and showed off insanely high stats. Noel immediately shrank away.
Monster Appears
Suddenly, the sky turned dark. Cold wind swept through. The ground quaked. A giant black crow descended slowly from black clouds, its voice booming like war drums.
Monster Status:
Name: Death Black Crow
Rank: Mythical
Level: 990,000
"SHIT… THAT CROW'S HUGE!" Noel screamed.
The monster's eyes glowed crimson. A murderous aura flooded the field. Noel gulped hard as the story's tone turned dead serious.
Razor and Welas screamed as their bodies were shredded in an instant, blood splattering everywhere. Yuzin and Mimo followed. Only Noel was left trembling, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"Holy crap… I just realized… if you die here… you actually die…"
The monster's steps shook the earth. Amidst the terror, Noel turned tail and sprinted toward a cave, screaming:
"I GIVE UP! I'D RATHER GO BACK TO BEING UNEMPLOYED!"
Inside the Castle
Noel wandered through dark castle halls. The walls were covered in paintings. Suddenly… one of the paintings moved. From within it, a familiar face emerged: Radit Clown.
"Noel! Welcome to my secret room!"
Noel instinctively punched Radit. But Radit just laughed. Dark energy blazed around him.
THE TONE TURNED SERIOUS INSTANTLY.
Noel froze. Radit's Mythical aura crushed the space. Stones cracked around them. The air trembled. Radit opened his eyes—his eyeballs swirling black and red.
"I… am Radit Clown. A Mythical being. The Laughing Dark King."
But a second later, Radit grinned again. The tone flipped back to goofy.
"But I'm also the most handsome clown. Hee hee hee."
For a whole month, Radit slaughtered Noel thousands of times using boogers, farts, and bizarre moves. Until Noel was half-dead.
"I'M DONE! I SURRENDER!"
Radit finally smiled gently.
"Very well. Since you kept me company… here's your gift."
Radit extended his hand. A golden light flared. 999,999,999 Gold and a mysterious power surged into Noel's body.
Noel's New Status:
Rank: SSS
Level: 1000+
Strength: ???
Attack: 450,000 – 700,000
Intelligence: 75,500
Noel stared at the holographic screen, eyes bulging.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! I'M ACTUALLY OP NOW?! LIKE A LIGHT NOVEL MAIN CHARACTER?!"
Radit sighed, voice dropping into a serious tone.
"Perhaps… you are the reincarnation of—"
"OBVIOUSLY! I'M THE REINCARNATION OF A LEGENDARY HERO!"
"Idiot. You're such an airhead."
Radit burst into laughter, then hurled Noel out of the castle while shouting:
"ENJOY YOUR ADVENTURE, NOEL!"
Noel's adventure… had only just begun.