Chapter 1
Prologue
TaeSan gazed intently at the enemy before him. The creature’s scales shimmered in a captivating shade of red, embodying the malice of every predatory eye in existence. Its breath, intermittent with wisps of white flames, signaled the presence of a formidable adversary. The red dragon, a behemoth of legends, growled menacingly. Known as the King of Dragons, the harbinger of the end, and the guardian of the abyss, it was a divine entity that even the gods approached with caution.
Facing such a creature, TaeSan stood armed with nothing but the most rudimentary of gear: a set of cotton armor provided as a basic necessity and a rusted sword. That was the entirety of his arsenal.
“Facing a dragon with this equipment… The difficulty lives up to its name,” he mused, not entirely alone. From above, he felt the gaze of onlookers, filled with boundless anticipation and awe for the miracle they expected him to perform. They wouldn’t interfere; they never did. They would watch from a distance, as they always had.
TaeSan, now accustomed to such attention, gripped his sword without a hint of trepidation.
The dragon moved its front paw, cautiously retreating as it sensed TaeSan’s resolve. For a moment, fear gleamed in its predatory eyes.
“Why do you hesitate?” TaeSan challenged.
With a roar that seemed to finalize its resolve, the dragon advanced, its massive form causing the ground to tremble with every step. TaeSan looked behind him; the entrance through which he had come was long gone. Escape was not an option. The battlefield was set, as vast as a playground.
“Just like always,” he sighed. It was a fight to the death, nothing more.
As he took a step forward, the dragon let out a threatening roar.
[The dragon’s roar envelops you!] [Initiating checks…] [All stats decreasing…] [Action paralysis…] [Mental collapse…] [Submission…] [Instant death…] […] [All checks successful!] [Your indomitable spirit prevails!] [All stats increased.] [Your actions will never cease. Acquiring permanent action skill [Constant Action].] [A spirit that refuses to submit descends upon you.] [A body that will not be dominated manifests.] [The opponent is an enemy victory is impossible against.] [Judgment unnecessary. Your spirit did not break against an invincible enemy!] [Judgment unnecessary. Your fighting spirit rose against an invincible enemy!] [Judgment unnecessary. Your will increased against an invincible enemy!] [All stats increased.] [You never falter in battle.] [You gain the ability to discern the enemy’s weakness.] [The dragon is intimidated by your unyielding spirit.] [The dragon feels fear before your unwavering resolve.] [Filled with certainty, the dragon falls into despair, realizing its defeat is inevitable.]
“Dismissed,” TaeSan muttered, brushing aside the system notifications and lunging forward with his sword. “Come at me quickly.”
The dragon charged towards TaeSan in response.
The Easy Mode Player “Ugh, what a nuisance,” TaeSan grumbled, wandering through the desolate streets of what used to be a bustling city. “Why did this cursed creature have to flee here and bother me?”
Amidst the ruins, the occasional foreign entity could be seen, but TaeSan moved on, unfazed.
“Is this Anyang?” he wondered aloud. The city was unrecognizable, reduced to rubble and split asphalt, devoid of any human essence.
He sighed in annoyance but pressed on, soon encountering his objective.
A monster, shrouded in darkness and of a shape neither human nor beast, was feasting on a corpse alongside two others. That corpse was TaeSan’s target, albeit not in the condition he had hoped.
“What a sight,” he remarked dryly.
Noticing TaeSan, the monsters ceased their feast and slowly approached, their intent clear.
[Monster435 eyes you menacingly.] [Monster221 eyes you menacingly.] [Monster222 eyes you menacingly.]
“These uninspired names really are something,” TaeSan complained, even as he prepared for battle. Despite their speed, which surpassed human limits, he looked on with mere annoyance.
“Hey, open up.”
Before a massive barrier, TaeSan knocked loudly, the sound echoing until the gate opened.
“You’re back, sir?”
“I’m tired of this. Can’t you get someone else to do it?”
“Ha, you know there’s no one else but you.”
Greeted by JungKeun, TaeSan looked around, prompting his companion to ask with a puzzled expression, “What about the deserter?”
“Dead. Eaten by monsters.”
“What? But he was a Hard Mode player!”
“A trio of A-class monsters was enjoying him.”
JungKeun’s confusion deepened. A Hard Mode player, formidable on his own, would struggle against one A-class monster, let alone three.
“And their location?”
“If they’re nearby, we need to deal with them quickly,” JungKeun pressed, the urgency clear in his tone.
“All dead,” TaeSan replied nonchalantly, causing JungKeun to sigh in resignation.
“Let’s head to the cafeteria; I’m starving.”
Within the barrier lay several dilapidated buildings, barely standing yet still resembling homes.
As they walked, JungKeun ventured, “Sir, you’re not really an Easy Mode player, are you?”
“What kind of question is that?” TaeSan scowled.
“Every other Easy Mode player is dead. Even the new ones don’t last two days.”
“Is that so?”
“Seriously, how are you so strong? Even as a Hard Mode player, I can’t compare to you.”
“You guys just cleared the Labyrinth too casually.”
“That’s your answer for everything.”
“What else do you want me to say?”
To TaeSan, the difference lay in their approach: his companions rushed through the Labyrinth, while he meticulously analyzed every aspect.
“Enough about that. Let’s just eat.”
They entered a makeshift cafeteria, and TaeSan took a seat.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Potatoes again.”
TaeSan’s face twisted in displeasure.
“Potatoes? Can’t we grow something else? Like sweet potatoes or corn?”
“The efficiency of potatoes can’t be beaten. Even with space for cultivation, there are limits.”
A few individuals possessed a skill that allowed them to cultivate crops anywhere, a crucial lifeline for humanity’s survival.
“Didn’t you learn it?”
“Why would an Easy Mode player bother? Food is plentiful everywhere.”
“Fair point,” JungKeun conceded.
After a while, they ate silently, the sound of commotion from afar breaking the silence. Shouts of joy mixed with cries of despair filled the air.
“Looks like another player cleared the Labyrinth.”
“Seems so.”
It was a common occurrence: players returning from the Labyrinth unable to accept the reality of Earth’s state, causing disturbances. Normally, they would be subdued and informed by others, but this time, the chaos persisted unusually long.
“Um, sir? That seems to be a Hard Mode player.”
“Damn it.”
TaeSan’s frustration was evident as a man rushed towards them.
“Mr. TaeSan, we need you urgently. It’s chaos out there.”
“Why me? Aren’t there other Hard Mode players who can handle it?”
“Please, just come quickly.”
Reluctantly, TaeSan rose, leaving his unfinished meal behind.
“What now?”
“A Hard Mode player refuses to believe us, claiming it’s all a lie.”
“With so many Hard Mode players here, why can’t they contain him? Is he that strong?”
“Yes.”
The man grimaced.
“Where’s TaeYeon?”
“She’s out on reconnaissance. You know that.”
TaeSan sighed and headed towards the source of the disturbance, where a young man was shouting in denial.
“This isn’t Earth! I ended it all with the last return! This must be some kind of prank!”
“Listen, young man, this is indeed Earth. The world has changed drastically while you were away in the Labyrinth…”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
The young man lashed out, and the middle-aged man attempting to calm him stumbled back.
“This is getting out of hand.”
“Mr. TaeSan, please!”
Relying on an Easy Mode player was a last resort, a sign of desperate times.
“Isn’t it embarrassing to depend on me?”
“In times like these, pride won’t keep us alive.”
TaeSan approached the young man, now the only other person in the square.
“What’s your name?”
“…Lee ChangChun.”
“Alright, ChangChun. Unfortunately, this is Earth. Despite our efforts in the Labyrinth, we couldn’t save it.”
“Don’t joke with me!”
“Is that your catchphrase?”
“This can’t be Earth! How could we fail against mere monsters? You’re all lying to me!”
ChangChun’s outburst was typical of those who couldn’t accept the harsh reality upon their return.
TaeSan cracked his knuckles.
“A good beating should help you accept it.”
A duel request appeared, catching ChangChun off guard.
“…A duel? Who are you?”
“Kang TaeSan.”
“Kang TaeSan?”
Mulling over the name, ChangChun scoffed.
“The Easy Mode player who’s all talk?”
“You know me well. Been active in the community, I see.”
“How ridiculous! An Easy Mode player challenging a Hard Mode player?”
ChangChun laughed, underestimating TaeSan due to the disparity in their levels.
TaeSan, however, simply motioned for him to come forward.
“If you win, I’ll show you the ‘real’ world you’re so desperate to see.”
“…Don’t regret this!”
“The regret will be yours.”
The duel commenced, drawing a crowd. Despite ChangChun’s confidence, the odds were heavily in TaeSan’s favor.
“Who will you bet on?”
“Kang TaeSan, with a potato.”
“Kang TaeSan, five potatoes.”
“Kang TaeSan, three potatoes.”
“Isn’t anyone betting on the young man? He might win.”
Silence answered. No one believed ChangChun stood a chance against TaeSan, an Easy Mode player who defied expectations.
TaeSan, nonchalantly folding his arms, allowed ChangChun the first move.
“You…”
ChangChun gritted his teeth, unable to back down now.
[ChangChun activates Addition, adding half his base attack power.] [ChangChun activates Concentration, ensuring his attacks land.] [ChangChun activates Heavy Strike, promising significant damage with the next attack.]
“Interesting.”
“Addition and Heavy Strike? Impressive.”
The crowd murmured their admiration but remained undisturbed, awaiting the inevitable outcome. ChangChun, fueled by determination, charged at TaeSan.
[ChangChun’s attack.] [Kang TaeSan’s Absolute Nullification activates, negating the first attack.] [Kang TaeSan takes 0 damage.] “What?”
“Done already?”
ChangChun stared, bewildered, at the notification. Absolute Nullification? He hadn’t encountered anything like it in Hard Mode.
“Now it’s my turn,” TaeSan declared, readying his fist. ChangChun, realizing his predicament too late, braced himself.
[Kang TaeSan’s attack.] [ChangChun activates Solidification, halving incoming damage.] [Kang TaeSan activates Absolute Judgment, ignoring all defense skills and armor.] [ChangChun takes 49 damage.] “What?”
ChangChun was stunned. The attack felt insignificant against his health, which exceeded ten thousand. It barely tickled.
‘That’s right.’
Regaining his composure, ChangChun reminded himself of the insurmountable gap between an Easy Mode and a Hard Mode player.
But TaeSan was not done.
“You have over ten thousand health, right?”
[Kang TaeSan activates Addition, doubling his current attack power.] [Kang TaeSan activates Multiplication, squaring his current attack power.] [Kang TaeSan activates Absolute Judgment, ignoring all defense skills and armor.] ChangChun froze in terror.
“Take this.”
“Wait!”
[Kang TaeSan’s attack.] [ChangChun takes 9,604 damage.]
“Ugh…”
“Mr. TaeSan, wasn’t that a bit much?”
“He’s not dead, is he? How much softer did you expect me to be?”
TaeSan grumbled as ChangChun lay on the ground, barely conscious.
“Ugh…”
“Kid, do you get it now? This is the real Earth. We, the ones who cleared the Labyrinth but failed to protect our world, are the real failures.”
“Don’t… don’t make me laugh…”
Tears streamed down ChangChun’s face.
“Why… why did the world have to be like this… It would’ve been better if we hadn’t cleared the Labyrinth…”
Silence fell. The man who had tried to console ChangChun smiled bitterly.
“But we all made it out. What can we do now? We have to try and save this insane world, no matter what.”
Before the madness began, when the sky split open and monsters poured out, humanity was given a choice:
Easy Mode, Normal Mode, Hard Mode, and Solo Mode.
Players entered the Labyrinth, choosing their difficulty, with the promise of returning to Earth upon clearing it. An Earth overrun with monsters, on the brink of destruction.
That was the fate of those players.
And TaeSan? He was an Easy Mode player, one who chose the path less revered but proved to be the most formidable of them all.