The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2 Novel

* * *

One day in 2010.

- Inviting Earthlings to BattleNet.

A single invitation that came from space turned the world upside down.

"Did you watch the game yesterday?"

"Yeah, I did. Mexico still won easily."

"The Sword King wiped them all out. Their tanks are weak against us."

The BattleNet League unfolds globally.

Survival.

Invade.

Defense.

Dungeon.

A combat game consisting of four types.

It made all professional sports, including the Olympics and the World Cup, disappear.

The kids who used to carry soccer balls in the streets of Brazil started making swords their friends.

Promising players in American baseball threw daggers instead of baseballs and practiced.

It was a strange change in perception that occurred within just a year since Earth was invited to BattleNet.

And now, 10 years have passed, in 2020.

[This year, the tutorial season of BattleNet will end.]

[From 2021, humanity will belong to the Space League - Bronze League.]

The time when humanity could stay in the cradle has come to an end.

* * *

A spacious and glamorous living room.

Sung JiHan, who was lying on the sofa, opened his eyes.

"Where am I...?"

His head was throbbing painfully, and the smell of alcohol lingered in his mouth.

Typical hangover symptoms.

This was an experience Sung JiHan had never had in the past few years.

But he was strangely happy about this feeling.

"Finally, I've returned to the initial entry period of the league."

A chance for a rematch.

He didn't believe it would really come true even when he saw the last system message.

He had really gone back to the past.

He quickly got up from the sofa and looked around.

A living room that was large enough to kick a ball.

It was a place that was very familiar to him.

His sister's house.

And Yoon Se-jin's house.

Until now, Sung JiHan had been living in this house.

"And..."

Even the numerous bottles of alcohol on the coffee table.

"It's true. That time."

That time.

It was a period when his life changed dramatically, and when he reached level 2 and participated in the Bronze League for the first time.

- Then, let's listen to the press conference of the Sword King Yoon Se-jin once again.

Meanwhile, a gloomy voice was spreading from the TV.

When Sung JiHan turned his gaze in that direction, a video of a press conference by a man was playing on the entire wall of the TV.

- Ladies and gentlemen.

* * *

As soon as Sung JiHan heard that voice, he clenched his teeth.

The press conference video.

A scene he could never forget in his lifetime.

July 31, 2020.

He even remembered the date perfectly.

- I, Yoon Se-jin myself.

The King of the Court, Yoon Se-jin.

Sung JiHan's brother-in-law and the strongest player born in Korea.

Ranked 3rd among the top 11 players in the world and known to be the most powerful in the Warrior class.

He was called Korea's pride and national treasure.

On the screen, he stood with a proud expression.

- Regarding the rumors circulating, I came here today to reveal the truth.

He confidently continued speaking.

- First, about the rumor of joining Japan's Divine Self-Defense Force.

- That part is true.

'Of all times, to see that bastard's face as soon as I come back to the past.'

Yoon Se-jin's press conference.

The turning point that shook Korea and caused its downfall.

His transfer to Japan had a chain reaction, causing Korea's league rankings to plummet.

'And our country... has been destroyed.'

Sung JiHan's expression twisted as he thought about the future.

The journalists on the screen momentarily wore disappointed expressions and raised their hands.

-Mr. Yoon Se-jin. Mr. Yoon Se-jin!

-You're joining the Divine Self-Defense Force! Is that really true?

-It is true.

-The Divine Self-Defense Force is a guild directly under the Japanese government! It is known to only accept players with Japanese nationality to represent the league.

-I, I see...?

-I am aware of that as well. The Divine Self-Defense Force only accepts Japanese players.

Click. Click. Click.

The press conference room was engulfed in silence.

Only the sound of camera flashes continued to echo.

-So, Yoon Se-jin... will change his name to Ryu Hei and naturalize as a Japanese citizen. Please call me Ito Ryu Hei from now on.

Commotion. Commotion.

The sound of journalists being unsettled reached beyond the TV screen.

-What, what?! Mr. Yoon Se-jin!

-What is this... King of the Court!

-Naturalizing as a Japanese citizen!

-Are you saying you will retire from the national team as well?

-Yes. I am Ito Ryu Hei. I will now represent Japan in the World Champions League. See you then. That's all.

A chilling smile even crept onto Yoon Se-jin's lips as he said he would become a Japanese.

Countless journalists had a shocked expression.

It was a completely different image from the one he had been known for as Korea's hero, with a gentle image.

-Wait, wait a minute!

-Mr. Yoon Se-jin! Has there been any consultation with the Korean government?

-Changing your name too...

Journalists crowded around Yoon Se-jin, but...

Suddenly, a black shadow engulfed him, and before they knew it, it swallowed his body.

-What... what is this?

-Where did you go?!

And the screen switched.

Under the screen reflecting the tense atmosphere of the debate, there was a big headline.

[The Departure of the 검왕. What will happen to the league rankings of South Korea?]

-Well, even watching it again... it's a confusing scene, isn't it? The government said it was an unplanned story.

-Yes. The government's position is to find Mr. Yoon Se-jin and try to persuade him calmly, but his whereabouts are currently unknown.

-Of all places, 검왕 went to Japan...

A moment of lamentation for 검왕's departure.

A panel of Battle.net experts began discussing the future.

-The best thing would be for 검왕 to return to South Korea...

-Even if he doesn't come back, I predict that our league rankings will remain stable.

-The Northeast Asian league is so competitive that our immediate ranking may drop, but... overall, we are in the top tier in the country.

-That's right. 'Dungeons' are a phenomenon that comes from the bottom 10% of countries.

"Hmph."

Upon hearing the phrase 'bottom 10%', Sung JiHan let out a chuckle.

'He's still running the happiness circuit.'

The importance of Battle.net's league rankings.

It is because the rankings are directly linked to the safety of the country.

'Even if dungeons appear, they won't know even after seeing North Korea.'

More accurately, it was because the phenomenon of dungeons that were only seen in Battle.net games became a reality.

And the country that was hit hard by this dungeon phenomenon was none other than North Korea.

Concerned that it would be fatal to the regime, North Korea banned player cultivation and boycotted participation in Battle.net altogether.

As a result, North Korea, which ended up at the bottom of the league rankings, became a complete mess due to the dungeons that appeared nationwide.

-Still, our South Korea is still maintaining its position within the top 20.

-That's right! Even if 검왕 is gone, we won't drop below 30.

-On the contrary, it was Japan that paid an absurd price to persuade 검왕. This will ultimately be a loss for them.

It's okay. We can survive.

In fact, it was Japan that suffered a loss.

Pick-

Upon hearing the panelists' victory in spirit, Sung JiHan got annoyed and turned off the TV.

'Japan suffered a loss? Ridiculous.'

Sung JiHan thought about the future.

'Japan could have confidently remained as one of the last 10 countries with his joining.'

검왕 Yoon Se-jin.

If we only consider his abilities, they are unrivaled, disregarding personal ethics.

Of course, the price Japan paid was undoubtedly significant.

At the time, there were many criticisms of why they would bear such a burden just to recruit one player.

'But within three years, that evaluation completely turned around.'

After the end of the Earth's 'tutorial' and the world fell into hell, the recruitment of 검왕 became known as a divine move.

'But...'

Sung JiHan got up from the sofa and walked steadily towards the family photo of Yoon Se-jin hanging on the wall.

His older sister and young nephew.

And the family photo of Yoon Se-jin smiling brightly.

Thump!

His fist crushed Yoon Se-jin's face.

'It won't be like this time.'

Because he, who saw the end of this game, has returned.

* * *

After Earth was invited to the BattleNet.

All humans over the age of 18 awakened as "players" who were granted the right to play games on BattleNet.

- P, player...!

- Show me the status window!

When the status window, which was seen in games or novels, appeared, there was chaos on Earth for a while.

But that wasn't the only change.

- Huh?! Channel 0... Was this a thing?

- I've never installed this program before.

BattleNet broadcasts were aired on TV channel 0.

Regardless of internet connection, BattleNet-related programs were installed on all computers and phones.

- Invited by a space civilization...

- Is this for real?

People couldn't hide their surprise at the strange events that happened overnight.

And of course, there were those who were curious about this phenomenon.

- BattleNet... Where should I try it?

One peculiar thing was that almost everyone accessed this BattleNet system.

In fact, it was common to be cautious about the sudden appearance of BattleNet...

But the people of 2010 were different.

That's how it was.

"People who participate in BattleNet accept this game without question."

Sung JiHan briefly recalled the fact revealed in the future and spoke in a calm voice.

"Status window."

Name: Sung JiHan

Level: 2

Affiliation: Bronze League - Gangnam 1 Area

Strength: 5

Agility: 5

Stamina: 5

Magic: 5

Class: Unemployed

Gift: Wanderer's Eye (Grade F)

- Able to understand other players well.

Title: None

Achievement Points: 100,000

Sung JiHan sighed softly.

"How pathetic."

His stats were at the lowest value of 5, and his class was unemployed.

Although there was the existence of a talent called Gift given to a few humans...

"At that time, I thought this Gift was useless and fell into gambling."

An ambiguous ability to "understand opponents."

However, since it had an effect even beyond the screen, Sung JiHan made good use of the gambling system on BattleNet.

"But the true value of this Gift was not that."

He only thought of the Gift as a useful tool for gambling, but his life changed drastically due to a certain "incident."

The F-grade Gift completely transformed.

"But for now, the conditions for awakening the Gift are not met."

For now, he would leave this Gift alone.

Sung JiHan decided to look at something else.

And there was one number that caught his attention.

At the bottom of the status window, it was 100,000 achievement points.