Chapter 1
I changed the name a bit to avoid the eyes of you-know-who lol. The original title is L u c k - B a S e d Ga M e r
<The Lucky Hero>
A bustling clamor filled his ears first, followed by the sight of a crowded medieval street.
“Wow.”
True to its name as a virtual reality game, Fantasia perfectly recreated a fantasy world.
Numerous users wandered around in shabby T-shirts and pants, while NPCs all throughout the village greeted them and mingled with them.
“Impressive.”
‘So this is why everyone kept saying, until they were blue in the face, that you had to buy the expensive VR capsule, create an account, and experience virtual reality.’
He had to admit it.
It didn’t feel like a game. It felt like reality.
A small hope even rose within him. Could he live a life here that was the complete opposite of his real one?
The dazzling golden light symbolized that hope.
‘Lots of money, even more money!’
As he steeled his resolve, a hologram message once again obscured his view.
[You have unclaimed rewards.]
When he clicked it, it showed the reward he had received earlier from opening the Lucky Box.
[Gift is being opened.]
[Title ‘Lucky Hero! (Unique)’ acquired!]
[Item ‘Hammer of Fortune (Unique)’ acquired!]
Inside the gift were a title and an item.
It was the word ‘Unique’ again, the same one he had already heard from the Fairy.
She had said it was the highest existing grade in Fantasia.
According to the information on Fantasia’s official website, the grades were described as follows:
[Fantasia Grades]
Fantasia has 7 grades.
Common, High-grade, Rare, Heroic, Legendary, Mythical
And the grade above Mythical.
The undisclosed ‘???’.
As the grade increases, the item possesses rarer value and more mysterious power, and the difficulty of obtaining it rises exponentially.
Especially ‘???’, which is so scarce it isn’t even recorded in the continent’s history…
It seemed likely that the ‘???’ grade listed on the official website was the Unique grade.
“Common?”
Was it really that rare to give two rewards of that grade to a newbie user who had just logged in?
‘Were they lying?’
Thinking that, he checked the title.
[Lucky Hero! (Unique)]
A title bestowed upon the warrior chosen by the Goddess of Fortune.
● Luck +’????’
● ‘Unique’ Effect activated
● ‘Mysterious Fortune’ is watching you.
“Huh?”
At least here in Fantasia, he really liked the word ‘Luck.’
The title name suited it, and it even had the Luck stat the Fairy had mentioned attached to it.
“How much is ‘????’ supposed to increase?”
It was a little disappointing how unfriendly the game was about hiding the information.
Even though he had researched Fantasia a lot, he had never seen anything like this before.
[Status Window]
● Name : Han Youngwoong
● Level : 1
● Class : Novice Warrior
● Title : Lucky Hero! (Unique)
● Available Stats [ 0 ]
Strength ( 1 )
Agility ( 1 )
Stamina ( 1 )
Mana ( 1 )
Luck ( ???? )
He couldn’t check the numerical value for Luck in the Status Window either.
[‘Mysterious Fortune’ is watching you.]
On top of that, an unknown message only added to the confusion.
“This game is a bit tricky.”
It had been a very long time since he last played a game, after his family’s situation became difficult.
Especially with a new game like this, the need to gather so much information felt like a major barrier to entry.
But he couldn’t give up just because it was giving him a headache.
“Having it is probably a good thing, right?”
Having something others didn’t should not be a disadvantage, at least.
As long as the Luck stat wasn’t negative, he believed it would still be helpful even if it was hidden.
The many users wandering around looking like beggars helped him think positively.
“Hey, where’d you get that wooden sword?”
“This? Go check out the novice training grounds.”
“Wow, awesome! Thanks.”
Everyone was starting from the very bottom, so even users walking around bare-handed looked enviously at those carrying cheap wooden swords.
In that atmosphere, what would happen if he took out a hammer that was Unique grade, no less?
“Alright, next!”
Since it could draw attention and envy from the people around him, he moved to a spot out of sight and opened the box.
The hammer from the Goddess of Fortune’s gift revealed itself.
It had a pure white, elegantly long handle.
The head extended out on both sides.
The reddish, wrinkled striking part was made of something elastic.
“Ooh…”
Whoosh—
When he swung it lightly, it moved without the slightest sense of weight…
“What is this doing in a medieval fantasy game?”
It was unmistakably a Boing Hammer.
He had expected the manly, crushing presence of a hammer that could smash a giant ogre’s skull in a single blow.
“Unnecessarily elegant.”
He didn’t like how it looked.
But the grip and weight felt good.
[Hammer of Fortune (Unique)]
A weapon bestowed by the Goddess of Fortune upon her first beloved warrior.
A restriction has been placed on its power to maintain the world’s order.
● Lucky Hero Exclusive Item
● Attack Power +1
● Lucky Strike (Unique) : 1% chance to apply ‘????’ additional attack power
“The Boing Hammer is originally a medieval weapon.”
More than anything, the moment he saw the item’s options, he thought the appearance didn’t matter at all.
It looked good.
“It should be fine.”
The game company had to have some sense. They wouldn’t give an item that could break the game’s balance to a level 1 user right from the start.
The chance for the option to activate was only 1%, and the value of ‘????’ was also unknown.
“Wow, the wooden sword has +2 attack power.”
“Really? I should go get one too.”
Aside from that, its base attack power was even lower than the worn-out wooden swords carried by users passing by.
Its actual performance could only be confirmed by using it.
It looked good, but it might be a ‘chicken rib’—something with little practical value.
That was the current assessment of the Boing Hammer.
“Wow, what’s that?”
“They hand out Boing Hammers too?”
Whatever it was, it still stood out more than the wooden swords everyone else was carrying.
‘So this is what it feels like to be lucky.’
He decided not to be intimidated too early by this feeling, something he was experiencing for the first time in his life.
He let himself savor that hopeful anticipation, telling himself he needed to get used to this from now on.
Gripping the Boing Hammer that fit snugly in his hand, he checked the quest given to novice users.
[Tutorial Quest]
● Grade : Common
● Visit the Training Grounds.
● Reward : Weapon (Common) 1, 10 Copper
It was a typical, predictable quest you could find in any game, and a clearly visible arrow drawn on the ground began guiding him toward the training grounds.
As he followed it…
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the arrow changed into a larger, thicker golden arrow, and the quest was updated.
[Class Change Quest]
● Grade: Unique (Hidden)
● Visit the Temple of Fortune.
It was the same dazzling golden light he had seen when opening the Lucky Box.
“Suddenly a class change…”
Having luck on his side was good.
But Han Youngwoong wasn’t someone who had come to Fantasia simply to enjoy it.
A so-called dark gamer.
In professional terms, a gold farmer.
(T/N : I remember doing this with Dragon Nest lol. Farming gold then selling it in real world money. Such times…)
He had to enjoy the game while making money from it—big money, more than he could earn by simply doing physical labor in the real world.
To do that, he knew he had to walk a different path from everyone else, but he also believed it was important to first acquire the game’s basic information.
“Let’s do the tutorial first.”
The quest wasn’t going anywhere, so he followed the faint white arrow.
● Reward: 1 Gold
“Huh?”
He saw the most important reward.
“1 Gold?”
When researching Fantasia, the first thing he had looked up was the currency system.
Copper – Silver – Gold.
1 Silver was 100 Copper, and 1 Gold was 100 Silver, so 1 Gold was 10,000 Copper.
Naturally, the higher the unit, the more valuable it was.
Even without knowing the exact value of Gold, it was incomparable to a tutorial quest that only gave 10 Copper.
His footsteps naturally turned toward the golden light.
===
On the way to the Temple of Fortune, many users approached and asked him things.
“Excuse me. What’s that title?”
“How did you get that thing above your head?”
“Did you pay for it?”
★★★★Lucky Hero!★★★★
When he looked up, he could see the thick, large letters written boldly.
A golden aura flowed around it, painting the background like a waterfall.
The effect of the title, with a golden waterfall cascading down, was honestly cool.
“This? They gave it to me when I opened a lot of boxes at the start.”
Amid the crowd, people asked about it every ten steps, so he could have ignored them, but Han Youngwoong answered every person who asked.
It was the first symbol of ‘Luck’ he had obtained in Fantasia.
For the first time, instead of receiving pitiful looks, he headed toward the Temple of Fortune under envious gazes.
“Wow.”
Perhaps because Moina, the starting village, was a large city, the Temple of Fortune was also big.
As he approached the entrance, two knights clad in golden armor blocked his way.
“Outsiders are—no! Could you wait a moment?”
The knight, who had been speaking coldly because of Han Youngwoong’s shabby clothes, saw the golden title and jumped in surprise.
Then he immediately ran over and bowed.
“It’s an honor to meet the Lucky Hero.”
“It’s an honor to meet the Lucky Hero!”
“……”
In his life, he had bowed to others plenty of times, but he had never received this kind of treatment, so he panicked and bowed back.
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”
“I’ll guide you inside!”
The knight, brimming with military discipline, led Han Youngwoong inside the temple.
It had a wide, high ceiling.
The impeccably clean, pure white interior of the temple had gold accents here and there, as if gold itself were the theme.
“Wow.”
The towering statues.
The paintings hanging on the walls.
Now he understood why access was controlled from the entrance even though it was a temple.
As he entered one of the rooms, a beautiful priestess with a bright smile greeted him.
“Welcome, Lucky Hero.”
“Um, am I a hero?”
He had heard the word ‘hero’ from the Fairy, but he thought it was just a general term Fantasia used for its users.
But this felt like he really was a hero, someone special.
“You are the hero chosen by the Goddess.”
“…Me?”
“That golden authority is proof.”
He nodded at the words of the woman who could only be described as beautiful.
If she said so, then it must be true.
Besides, if this was a progression different from everyone else’s, that wasn’t bad.
If the setting was that he had been chosen by the Goddess of Fortune in the Fantasia Continent, where she was the Main Deity, then there had to be more to gain from it.
[Quest Completed!]
As soon as that thought ended, the completion message for the class change quest appeared.
The woman in the pure white priestess robes held out a small pouch made of golden silk.
“This is for maintaining your dignity. You, Hero, will be tested for your qualifications as a hero in the temple, embark on a journey to walk the path of a hero, and defeat the Demon King.”
Inside the silk pouch was the 1 Gold listed as the reward.
The number ‘1’ engraved on the small gold coin shimmered brilliantly.
“Gasp! I’ll do it. I’ll be a hero.”
He would have to check outside to see how much 1 Gold was worth, but in a game that had just launched, it was certainly not a small amount.
All he had done was open boxes like he was told.
He had simply kept choosing the ones glowing gold, yet he had been given a reward this huge.
A smile of happiness never left his face.
“It won’t be easy. All sorts of hardships and adversities will follow, and the countless wishes of the continent resting on your shoulders will relentlessly try to break you. But please overcome them.”
“Yes, don’t worry. I absolutely have to earn a lot of money anyway.”
That was why.
The priestess’s words didn’t fully sink in.
‘Coming here was the right move.’
How much would 1 Gold be worth?
Would it be 10,000 won? But it was Gold, so maybe 50,000 won?
It hadn’t even been an hour since the game started, but if the hourly rate exceeded 10,000 won, then depending on how he played, he could make as much profit as he wanted.
“…I will pray for you from the side.”
Even if only for this priestess, who in his blissful imagination was praying earnestly with her hands clasped and her forehead resting against them, he wanted to gather his strength.
A sweet fruity scent tickled his nose.
Her soft, small, delicate hands warmly enveloped his, and seeing her cherry-like lips move right in front of him made his heart race.
“Though death will always be by your side, may you overcome it, endure with the blessing of fortune, and ultimately be reborn as a hero who protects the continent…”
“Amen.”
At the end, the prayer was so earnest that “Amen” slipped from his lips without him realizing it.
With a smile, the priestess released his hands as the prayer ended.
He wished she had prayed a little longer, but the next quest appeared, so he had no choice but to step back.
[Class Change Quest]
● Grade: Unique (Hidden)
● Pass the Hero Trial (1).
● Reward: 1 Gold, Skill ‘Lucky Attack (Unique)’
“Another 1 Gold!”
“Then please go to the Knight Training Grounds to take the Hero Trial, Hero.”
Peck.
Along with her words, soft lips touched the back of his hand.
“How many children would you like?”
Without realizing it, he blurted those words out while already thinking of names for his future grandchildren, and the priestess smiled brightly.
Looking at the priestess, whose smile was just as beautiful, he made a resolution.
He would become the hero who protects this priestess in this temple that generously hands out 1 Gold every time.
(T/N : Okay. First chapter seems good. I also like the way its written. Its simple to follow and not redundant. Hoping that its really good all throughout.)