The Return of the Legendary All-Master - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1

Seoul, 2048.

A metropolis once called a megacity.

However, now everything—roads, buildings, houses, apartments, shopping districts—was completely destroyed, making it hard to find anything intact.

The sky was completely covered with black storm clouds, and rainwater containing large amounts of polluted mana dripped down steadily.

In the middle of it all, Jung Hoon was on his knees, coughing up blood clots.

[Attempting Recovery.]

[Failed.]

[Life force is below 5%. You will die without recovery.]

To think that even the power of the benevolent goddess Tara failed at recovery.

“Why on earth…?”

Jung Hoon looked with trembling eyes at the culprits who had made him this way.

They were none other than humans.

Moreover, they were companions he had once shared hardships with.

He had thought of them as family-like beings who had weathered the disasters that struck Earth together.

“Don’t you know that better than anyone?”

The man holding a sword and shield spoke in a cold voice.

James Marcus.

The strongest paladin of the American Continent.

“What…?”

Jung Hoon tried to manipulate the mana within his body, but it wouldn’t respond as if it had hardened solid.

At the same time, he felt the blood in his entire body flowing backward, and his vision spun.

Cough!

Black blood clots were vomited up once again.

“Amazing. To think you’re still struggling to live in that condition.”

The one who had cursed Jung Hoon was Sophia Stephanie Agaret, sneering in front of him.

A black magic user from France who had likewise ascended to the rank of transcendent.

She was a debuff master among black magic users.

She knew over twenty different curses, and she had unleashed almost all of them on Jung Hoon.

Normally, he would have been able to resist the curses, but Jung Hoon had exhausted most of his power preventing one catastrophe.

In that situation, he was slashed by all sorts of things—the Flame Demon’s Spear, Arrow of Annihilation, Verdandi’s Fangs, and more.

Having been butchered by various weapons, reaching death’s door was instantaneous.

Damn it.

Now there was only one step left to escape this detestable disaster and regain peace.

His nails dug into the flesh of his clenched fists, and blood dripped steadily.

Complex emotions like futility and rage swirled like a whirlwind.

“Just when did you start plotting this plan…?”

The one who answered that question was a man holding a staff and wearing a robe pulled down over his head.

Likewise a sage and transcendent.

Alessandro Braiden.

“Should I say it was from the moment you said you could end this game?”

“What…?”

The reason the world had become like this.

That damned game, ‘New World’.

The first virtual reality game that had captivated 2 billion people worldwide, boasting explosive popularity.

When that game became reality, Jung Hoon’s life completely collapsed.

Jung Hoon had run like mad to prevent that disaster.

Solely for revenge for his deceased mother.

“We definitely gave you a chance. You were the one who refused it.”

He had thought his companions shared the same intentions as him.

But not long ago, they had made him a proposal.

Don’t end this game, but maintain it.

They said that if the game ended, everyone’s power would disappear.

At first, he thought they were joking.

What would become of everything they had worked toward to end the game until now?

Weren’t we companions with the same intentions?

Jung Hoon felt a great sense of betrayal and flatly refused that proposal.

And the result of that was death.

“Haha… You’re killing a companion you shared hardships with just for that power?”

After his mother, his only family, passed away, Jung Hoon’s refuge was none other than his companions.

The shock of being betrayed by companions he trusted was more devastating than physical pain, instantly shattering his mind.

“Just for that? Listen, Hoon. We’re people for whom power is more important than ending the game.”

“…”

Jung Hoon bit his lips at James’s words.

The traitors were thoroughly mocking Jung Hoon like that.

James continued speaking as their representative.

“Look carefully. This isn’t just an ability—it’s power. It’s the source that lets me put the world beneath me.”

“…”

“But some loach is muddying the water? Then we have to eliminate that loach to purify the polluted water, don’t we?”

Simply put, did that mean they didn’t want their rice bowl taken away?

Grind.

His teeth ground together.

He was disgusted with himself for having considered those people family-like beings.

“Those bastards….”

“This is getting boring. Hoon, I’ll let you preserve your last bit of pride. Use that sword at your waist to slit your throat and kill yourself.”

James grinned wickedly as he made a throat-slitting gesture.

“Fuck….”

Jung Hoon struggled to get up from where he sat.

His legs trembled violently, and his head spun dizzily.

His vision was so blurry that he felt like he might collapse at any moment.

“Wow… you’re trying to get up in that condition? You really are insane.”

“Good thing we attacked from behind. We wouldn’t have stood a chance in a frontal assault, right?”

“I guess an All Master is still an All Master?”

Jung Hoon’s nickname was All Master.

He had trained with various weapons to their absolute limits, boasting master-level proficiency with each one.

And even if he couldn’t use mana, that was fine.

He still had a hidden trump card left.

‘I kept this hidden just in case.’

Deep within his dantian sat crimson mana.

An unknown power he had gained just moments ago while fending off the crisis of destruction.

Jung Hoon channeled that power.

An energy that moved differently from mana.

The energy flowed through his entire body, enveloping him completely.

“Wh-what is that?”

The betrayers trembled and backed away from the blood-red crimson mana.

“It’s fine! Hoon is already at his limit!”

Just as the saint Amelie said, Jung Hoon collapsed again, coughing up blood before he could even use the energy.

‘Damn it, I can’t even land a single blow.’

Jung Hoon’s body had reached its limit.

Even though he wanted to move, he could no longer do so.

He had failed to keep his promise to end the game no matter what.

‘I’m sorry, Mother.’

Your shameless son is leaving now.

[An unknown mysterious power protects you.]

[An unknown mysterious power sends you back to the past.]

[Warning! The system attempts to intervene… Failed.]

[Warning! Warning! The system attempts to intervene… Failed.]

[Warning! Warning! Warning! The system attempts to intervene… Failed.]

[The unknown mysterious power dissipates.]

What the hell is all this….

Jung Hoon couldn’t read all the messages before losing consciousness.

* * *

His lost consciousness slowly returned.

When Jung Hoon opened his eyes, a pure white ceiling was the first thing he saw.

“Wh-where…?”

As he sat up, a full-length mirror caught his eye.

Jung Hoon approached the mirror.

And in the mirror was reflected his young self from his early twenties.

It was a clean face without a single scar—no burn mark on his right forehead, no long sword scar on his left eye.

“How the hell did this happen…?”

He had surely died from his comrades’ betrayal.

Why had he returned to the past?

Jung Hoon took out his phone to check the date.

[May 2, 2033]

“I’ve returned 15 years to the past?”

Jung Hoon hurriedly left his room.

In the living room, his mother Lee Na Yeon was preparing breakfast.

Seeing her, his eyes reddened and tears began to fall.

“Hm? What’s gotten into you, waking up this early?”

“Mother….”

Jung Hoon ran to his mother and hugged her.

“Oh my, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Did you have a bad dream?”

Though flustered, his mother patted the shoulder of her crying son.

Only after holding her for a long while could Jung Hoon let go.

His eyes were swollen from crying so much.

“…I’m hungry.”

“Alright. Let’s eat quickly.”

Soybean paste stew and fried eggs that his mother had made.

Cabbage kimchi she had made herself in winter and stir-fried sausages that Jung Hoon loved.

Looking at the side dishes almost made him tear up again.

This was his mother who, despite going to work every morning, would make warm meals like this because her son shouldn’t go hungry.

I didn’t know how precious it was at the time, but I only realized it after she passed away.

So I will definitely change the future that was originally meant to unfold.

“I’ll eat well.”

Jung Hoon scooped up a large spoonful of rice and put it in his mouth.

“Eat slowly and chew thoroughly.”

“Yes.”

“But our son, you seem a bit different? You seem much more mature?”

His mother felt puzzled by her son’s unusual behavior.

“I’m trying to change from now on.”

Because if I acted like I did in the past, I would face the same future.

* * *

A virtual reality game currently enjoying explosive popularity worldwide.

‘New World’.

[The first virtual reality game, New World!]

[Experience New World, so realistic and vivid that it doesn’t feel like a game at all!]

It’s no exaggeration to say that New World has taken over the global gaming market.

Of course, it wasn’t a huge hit from the beginning.

-Did you hear? One capsule for playing the game costs 20 million. 20 million.

-This is crazy… Not 2,000 won but 20 million won? Who would pay 20 million for such a game?

-Does virtual reality even exist in the first place? At best it’s probably just a slightly upgraded version of VR lol Does it make sense to pay 20 million for that?

Before its release, it received much criticism and was neglected.

There were quite a few who boldly declared it would fail.

Those words became reality.

One week after release, sales plummeted and the prediction of failure was spot on.

The barrier to entry for the game was too high.

However, that assessment was reversed within just one week.

-Wow! Damn, this is fucking amazing!

-This is really incredible? I can’t believe such a game came into the world… This is really insane!

-Crazy… This is so fucking realistic? The technology is really amazing…

Users who had played the game started spreading word, and New World gameplay videos were even broadcast on internet streams, making it the talk of the town.

-Honey! You crazy man! What are we going to do if you take out a loan to buy a capsule!

-No, this is really fucking amazing, I’m telling you? Look at this broadcast!

-Sigh… Since you already bought it, there’s nothing we can do. But I’m using it first.

-Mom! Please buy me a capsule!

-Waaaah! I want to play that!

From adults to children.

All gamers moved to New World, and accordingly, PC rooms evolved into Capsule Rooms.

Since capsules were so expensive, most people used Capsule Rooms, causing their sales to explode.

As a result, just one year after release, capsule users surpassed 50 million.

That number increased every year, and it has now become a game enjoyed by 2 billion people worldwide.

And the fact that this game would soon become reality was something only Jung Hoon knew in the entire world.

‘It was ridiculous from the start that they created a virtual reality game with current technology.’

New World’s developer.

Earth.

Earth’s stock price continues to hit record highs.

The market cap has easily surpassed 8,000 trillion won.

The company existed, and developers worked overtime every day, risking their lives for updates.

In fact, even if the technology was hundreds of years ahead, who could doubt it?

“Hey, are you really going to the Capsule Room? You really said you’re going?!”

Jung Hoon’s bad friend Jang Ha Jin was chattering beside him.

“Yeah. So please be quiet.”

“But don’t you need an explanation? You said it’s your first time?”

Unlike Jung Hoon, Ha Jin was so absorbed in New World that he spent 12 hours a day in Capsule Rooms.

He said his level had already surpassed 150.

‘Cough! Fuck, with this I’ve paid off my debt.’

The guy who left without lasting even a year when New World became reality.

The guy who lost his life in place of Jung Hoon, bragging about his high level.

‘With this, I can be born with a Diamond Spoon in my next life, right? I should be really handsome too.’

The guy who kept spouting nonsense until the very end.

For Jung Hoon, who had even been betrayed, Ha Jin was the only friend he could trust.

With the determination to prevent such things from happening this time, he patted Ha Jin’s shoulder.

“What? Why are you being so gross all of a sudden?”

“Let’s go in.”

Since Ha Jin was already registered at the Capsule Room, he went and sat at an empty capsule spot, while only Jung Hoon had to sign up and register for the Capsule Room.

‘5,000 won per hour. That’s pretty expensive.’

It was definitely not a small amount of money.

It would be nice to have a personal capsule, but since he didn’t have money to buy one right now, this was the best option.

For Jung Hoon, not doing it wasn’t even a choice.

“Jung Hoon! Over here!”

After finishing the registration, Ha Jin pointed to the spot next to him.

Jung Hoon went over and sat in that empty capsule.

“Start first.”

“You really don’t need me to tell you anything?”

“How many times are you going to ask? Just hurry up.”

“Okay.”

Only then did Ha Jin press the capsule activation button.

Whoooosh-!

The lid of the capsule Ha Jin entered slowly closed.

Following suit, Jung Hoon also pressed the activation button.

Whoooosh-!

As the lid closed, everything went dark before his eyes.

At the same time, he felt his body gently floating up.

Then small thin wires attached all over Jung Hoon’s body, and something was placed over his eyes.

Whoosh!

Fresh air burst forth and his vision brightened.

The place where Jung Hoon stood was an open grassland.

The sky was clear without a single cloud, and a cool breeze swept past his body.

The first reason people go crazy for this.

It’s precisely this realistic sensation.

[Physical examination results show no login records.]

[Proceeding to character creation window.]

A hologram window appeared in front of Jung Hoon.

Using this hologram, he could create a character.

“Yes.”

When he lightly touched the 【Yes】 button, Jung Hoon’s appearance appeared as a hologram in front of him.

New World allows you to use a character that directly projects your own appearance or change your looks through customization.

As a result, people who had serious appearance complexes completely overhauled their looks to play.

Being able to walk around with the face they idealized without suffering plastic surgery side effects was also one of the secrets that led New World to mega success.

Jung Hoon moderately changed his face to something reasonably different from reality and pressed the confirm button.

[Please set your nickname.]

Along with the next hologram window, a keyboard appeared as a hologram.

Using this keyboard, he could set his nickname.

“Hoon.”

He finished setting his nickname as well.

[*Warning* Once set, characters cannot be deleted. Please play carefully.]

That’s exactly it.

That one thing became a massive snowball that drove people to their deaths.

Game beginners originally learn by getting their heads smashed in.

They raise their first created character, find areas for improvement, then repeat the process of raising the next character even stronger.

But this damn New World didn’t allow that.

-Ah, fuck! I chose the wrong class! Let me change it!

-Wow… that class is so much better. My life is ruined. Fucking bastards!

-No way, one character per person is really ridiculous…

Despite complaints pouring out, Earth had no intention of changing it.

‘I’m doing this again.’

Even in that situation, Jung Hoon had risen to the peak as an all-master.

And this was his second time.

There was no way he could fail.

The Return of the Greatest All-Master of All Time (Serial)

Author │ Yeon I Yo

Publisher │ Kim Ju Hyeong

Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.

Marketing │ Han Jae Hyeok

Address │ 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul, Room 204 (Guro-dong, Daeryung Post Tower 1st)

Email │ [email protected]

Website │ www.jayplemedia.com

ⓒYeon I Yo 2024

※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and no part of the content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from our company and the author.

Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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