Debuff Master

Tak!

Tae-Sung opened the black capsule and proudly emerged from it.

“Mr. Tae-Sung!” Cha Hye-Mi exclaimed.

“Customer-nim!” Oh Jun-Hwan exclaimed.

They ran toward Tae-Sung at the same time.

“Great work! That was really refreshing!” Cha Hye-Mi exclaimed while smiling brightly.

“Ah, well… Ehem… ehem… Congratulations on your victory! Hahaha…” Oh Jun-Hwan said awkwardly.

He had to appear neutral to a certain extent since he had to deal with Jung Chi-Ho in the future as well, unlike Cha Hye-Mi, who was working a desk job at Hive.

“No need to mention it.” Tae-Sung dismissed. He did not feel that what he had done was worthy of praise, and their praises fell on deaf ears as well because he seemed to be focused on something else.

‘It feels like… I’ve gotten stronger. I’m different from before. My movements… Those were something the old me before I met Master could not even dream of making,’ Tae-Sung thought.

His duel against Jung Chi-Ho did not even cross his mind because he was fully focused on his movements and combat sense which had both undergone a drastic change.

‘I want to test it out…’ 

A surge of curiosity welled up from inside of him.

‘Jung Chi-Ho was so weak I couldn’t test things out properly. I want to look for a strong opponent and duke it out with them to my heart’s content. I will only be able to tell how strong I have become if I were to fight someone stronger…’ 

Tae-Sung clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more than to dive back into BNW and fight at the duel arena, but Tae-Sung knew very well that he shouldn’t be arrogant or be in a rush to things out.

‘No… I could only crush Jung Chi-Ho because the fight happened in Virtual Fighter. I have no idea how the fight would have ended up if we fought in BNW. Let’s not let this victory get to my head. Let’s prioritize leveling up for now. I can delay finding out how strong I have become for next time after I become even stronger,’ he thought.

Tae-Sung decided to focus on getting stronger than getting drunk in his victory. It had been a long time since Tae-Sung tasted victory, and that made his victory taste even sweeter. However, he calmed down and did not let it get to his head.

Tak!

The red capsule opened, and Jung Chi-Ho came out from it. His face was downcast and dark. It was understandable since he fought twenty matches without being able to land a single blow to his opponent, and he was even beaten so badly with nowhere to vent his frustration. The one-sided beating he received made him filled with shame and contempt toward himself, and he could not help but despair and loathe himself for how weak he was after meeting an insurmountable wall for the first time in his life.

He seemed to be out of it after being beaten to a pulp twenty consecutive times even though it was just in a virtual reality game.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and help him out,” Oh Jun-Hwan said as he ordered the Platinum Boutique staffers.

“Yes, Branch Manager-nim,” the staffers replied.

“Chi-Ho-nim, are you alright?” the staffers carefully asked as they helped him up.

They nervously held their breaths, afraid that this spoiled brat would cause another scene if they went anywhere near him.

“You…” Jung Chi-Ho muttered as he pointed and glared at Tae-Sung. “You bastard… I will have my revenge. I’m Jung Chi-Ho, don’t think of having a comfortable life after getting on my bad side. Be careful not to show up in front of me in BNW…”

While Jung Chi-Ho was grumbling, Tae-Sung raised his hand and threatened, “Come here.”

“Hiiik!” Jung Chi-Ho shrieked as his face turned pale.

The despair Tae-Sung had imprinted on his body seemed to have turned into trauma since he shrank back the moment Tae-Sung raised his hand and motioned in a way that made it seem like Tae-Sung was going to hit him.

For Jung Chi-Ho, Tae-Sung was now an insurmountable wall, and Jung Chi-Ho was feeling the same way Tae-Sung felt toward those he couldn’t beat.

“Do you want to get hit again?” Tae-Sung asked.

Shake shake…!

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Jung Chi-Ho fervently shook his head.

“Let’s stop at this. I think that’s enough beating for the day, right?” Tae-Sung asked.

Jung Chi-Ho fervently nodded in response.

“I think we’re done here,” Tae-Sung said as he turned his back to Jung Chi-Ho and faced Cha Hye-Mi and Oh Jun-Hwan.

Cha Hye-Mi seemed to be satisfied with the turn of events, while Oh Jun-Hwan tried his best not to express his emotions.

“Ehem…! Hey, Manager Shin!” Oh Jun-Hwan called out after clearing his throat.

“Yes, Branch Manager-nim,” a staffer replied.

“Get a limousine ready, and make sure you prepare a Maybach so that Jung Chi-Ho-nim can comfortably go home. Make sure you escort him to the best of your abilities,” Oh Jun-Hwan said.

“Yes, Branch Manager-nim,” the staffer replied and immediately took action.

It seemed that the heir of a conglomerate was still an heir no matter how much of a scoundrel they were.

‘Tsk… this thing called money…’ Tae-Sung thought as he clicked his tongue with a bitter taste in his mouth. ‘They say that the rich can get away with anything, but being born poor is already a crime in itself. This is really a messed up world we are living in. I have to earn money… Yes… I’ll become rich as well and get out of this messed up life…’ 

Tae-Sung couldn’t help but grumble at the fact that the scoundrel would be sent home in a luxury sedan like a Maybach even after causing such a scene.

“Shall we go and finish our contract, Tae-Sung-nim?” Oh Jun-Hwan said.

“Ah, yes,” Tae-Sung replied after the branch manager’s words shook him out of his grumbling. He set aside the bitterness he felt toward Jung Chi-Ho and returned to the VIP room with Oh Jun-Hwan.

***

“Please take this,” Oh Jun-Hwan said as he politely extended a luxurious-looking black wooden box to Tae-Sung.

The wooden box was a box made out of the most premium ebony wood.

“What is this?” Tae-Sung asked.

“You will find out once you open it,” Oh Jun-Hwan replied with a bright smile on his face.

“Ah, sure,” Tae-Sung replied before carefully opening the wooden box.

He found something that resembled a rectangular piece of crystal, and it looked as big as half a cigarette box in the wooden box. The crystal piece had a purple luster to it, and it had a very vicious-looking emblem engraved on it.

“This is…!” Tae-Sung exclaimed in awe upon seeing the crystal.

“That is the smart key to the Hyper Capsule Ogre,” Oh Jun-Hwan explained with a smile.

“The Ogre’s smart key…” Tae-Sung muttered.

“This might sound very obvious, but this is something that is only given to the true owner of the Ogre. Now, this thing here is…” Oh Jun-Hwan took Tae-Sung’s thumb and pressed it on the tip of the Ogre’s smart key.

A message popped up in front of Tae-Sung’s eyes through a hologram being projected from the smart key.

[Scanning owner’s thumbprint…]

[Progressing… 5%]

[Progressing… 26%]

[Progressing… 87%]

[Scan complete.]

[Owner’s thumbprint registration has been completed!]

It seemed that the authentication process for the Hyper Capsule Ogre was quite complicated because it even required a smart key to function.

“Shall we do a retinal scan as well?” Oh Jun-Hwan asked.

[Scanning owner’s retina…]

[Scan complete.]

[Owner’s retina registration has been completed!]

Tae-Sung was now the proud owner of the Ogre after completing the thumbprint and retina registration.

“Congratulations, Han Tae-Sung-nim!” Oh Jun-Hwan exclaimed.

“Congratulations!” Cha Hye-Mi congratulated Tae-Sung with a smile.

“Thank you,” Tae-Sung replied with a smile as well.

His arduous search for a suitable VR capsule finally came to an end with him becoming the proud owner of the Ogre.

***

“Please deliver it by tomorrow. Please. I really need to log back in. Every second and minute counts for me,” Tae-Sung pleaded before leaving V-Lounge.

“Please do not worry, customer-nim. We will send our mechanics first thing in the morning tomorrow. Please rest assured and be on your way,” Oh Jun-Hwan responded.

Then, he politely bowed toward the Benz before it drove away.

“See you later! I will give you a call!” Cha Hye-Mi said while waving his hand at Tae-Sung.

The reason why she did not accompany Tae-Sung home was that she still had some work left to do at V-Lounge, and besides, the advanced AI navigation would suffice to send him home.

Tae-Sung was fine without someone escorting him because he could have also taken the bus or the subway home anyway.

“Branch Manager-nim,” Cha Hye-Mi said after Tae-Sung left.

“Yes, Manager-nim?” Oh Jun-Hwan replied.

“What happened today…” Cha Hye-Mi trailed off.

However, Oh Jun-Hwan replied before she could even continue, “I’m aware.”

He gestured and zipped his mouth shut with his hand before saying, “It’s written in the work manual as well. I will make sure to remind our staffers not to say anything regarding the double O players. In fact, we have an entire manual dedicated to secrecy and confidentiality.”

Cha Hye-Mi seemed relieved after hearing his response, and she added, “Oh, right. Please take extra caution and make sure that none of Tae-Sung’s details gets leaked to that scoundrel. Tae-Sung is not an ordinary double-o player, and the head office wishes for Tae-Sung to play in the best environment possible,”

“You do not have to be worried about that. Ah, but… are there even ordinary double O players?” he asked.

“Of course, there aren’t,” she replied with a smile before continuing, “However, a double O player with 96.5% compatibility is… quite rare. Tae-Sung is already a VIP at the head office; no, he will become a VIP among the VIPs… he will be a VVIP.”

“I agree with you. He is worthy of being treated as a VVIP considering his 96.5% compatibility,” Oh Jun-Hwan replied.

“All right, I’ll go and attend to my work now,” Cha Hye-Mi said as she took her laptop out of her bag before asking, “Can you please provide me with all of Tae-Sung’s records and logs today? I will have to submit a report and the invoice for the Ogre as well.”

“I will prepare it right away,” Oh Jun-Hwan replied with a nod.

***

The next morning, four men wearing formal attire stood outside of Tae-Sung’s cramped studio room—they were the mechanics who would install the Ogre.

“I-Is this… Han Tae-Sung-nim’s residence…?” the mechanic, Lee Jae-Sung, asked in surprise.

It was only natural for him to be taken aback since the Ogre was a product that cost a jaw-dropping 8.38 billion won. As such, he had been expecting the Ogre’s owner to live in a penthouse or a luxurious mansion.

However, the Ogre’s owner lived in a studio room that was so cramped it would be impossible for a person to live in it after installing the VR capsule.

The only silver lining in this whole situation was the fact that the Ogre’s owner did not live in a gosiwon[1].

“Y-Yes…” Tae-Sung muttered in response.

‘Ah! Damn it! I didn’t think of this! They say that the belly button is bigger than the belly… but the belly button is too damn big in this case![2]’ Tae-Sung exclaimed inwardly.

The situation where a VR capsule like the Ogre would be installed in a studio room with a deposit of ten million won and a monthly rental of six hundred thousand won did not make any sense even to Tae-Sung.

Fingers would surely be pointed at him for buying a premium capsule despite his current status, but…

‘Ah… this is so embarrassing…’ Tae-Sung thought as his face started turning red.

There was a new term created to refer to people like Tae-Sung, and it was the term ‘capsule poor.’[3].

Tae-Sung was certain that he would end up as the ‘king of capsule poors’ if the news of him receiving the Ogre went viral on social media. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about anything like that since anything related to the Ogre was a confidential matter.

“Are you Han Tae-Sung-nim…? The owner of the Ogre…?” Lee Jae-Sung asked.

“Y-Yes… why…?” Tae-Sung awkwardly replied.

Deus’ teachings couldn’t be found in his head at this moment.

“Really?” Lee Jae-Sung asked in response, seemingly in doubt.

“Yes…” Tae-Sung replied while shrinking back.

“Are you really Han. Tae. Sung. customer-nim? Is this really Han Tae-Sung customer-nim’s residence?” Lee Jae-Sung asked.

“No,” Tae-Sung replied while shaking his head, and then he said, “This is not my residence. I’m just leasing it. Haha… hahaha! I paid ten million won as a deposit, and I’m paying six hundred thousand won a month in rent. The maintenance fees are fifty thousand won a month…”

‘What the hell…?’

‘Is he serious…?’

‘This guy is nuts…’

‘Ha… this generation is hopeless…’

The four mechanics wore strange expressions on their faces.

‘Damn it… I’m so embarrassed…’ 

Tae-Sung's entire face flushed red.

‘Huh? Are these tears? Why am I crying…?’ 

A wave of sorrow suddenly swept through his mind like a tsunami.

It was the sorrow of not having his own house and the sorrow of being poor.

Right now, Tae-Sung was probably the most pitiful person in the world.

1. The English translation of Gosiwon is dormitory, but it is an entirely different thing, so I decided to keep the term gosiwon. A gosiwon is a place where poor university kids live, and it looks like a coffin. See for yourselves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosiwon ☜

2. This is a Korean expression meaning that a secondary thing is larger than the primary thing. It will be easier if you understand it in delivery food terms where the food costs $6, but the delivery fee costs $18. The English equivalent here is ‘the tail can’t wag the dog’ which means that a minor or secondary part of something is dominating the whole or main part. ☜

3. The term is a play on a term widely used in Korea today which is ‘car poor’. This term is used to refer to people who purchase luxury vehicles when they can’t afford them, and the only way they can afford them is by skimping on their food and housing budget. ☜