Closed Beta That Only I Played

After sitting at the desk, I quietly let out a long sigh.

Then I repeated the chemistry formulas, looking at the chemistry formula notebook because only memorizing them was the best way. In fact, I got nowhere in my chemistry learning for the past two weeks no matter how much I tried.

Of course, I kept praying deep down that another miracle would happen.

A smile crept up my face in less than three minutes because I could memorize the chemistry formulas so easily, which I found so difficult to do before.

I memorized them well like a sponge absorbing water.

Several days before vacation was over, I was greatly praised by my mother this time.

Even my father, elder brother, and sister as well as several private tutors heaped the praise on me.

This time they praised me much more than before because I didn’t study effectively back then.

Back then I was excited to find that I could memorize the math formulas and English words so I dabbled in other stuff than studying. f𝚛e𝚎𝘄𝒆𝚋𝚗𝚘ѵ𝑒𝚕.𝑐𝘰𝑚

I don’t think I am smart, but I’m not foolish enough to look childish, so this time I studied more intensely and systemically than the games I played for the two weeks to yield maximum results.

I especially focused on the subjects that required lots of memorization. So, I crammed all the important points into my head and the questions, just like memorizing everything in a textbook. Of course, I experienced some adverse effects in the process such as having a nosebleed and almost passing out.

Sometimes the consequences of my overzealous learning were so great that my head throbbed, and that affected my concentration.

But the next day I was able to get back in shape after a good rest.

At least my father, mother, brother, and sister were impressed with my improvement by leaps and bounds, which made me really proud of myself.

Initially, my goal was to be admitted into one of the universities in Seoul, but now the private tutors were saying I could aim for one of the top three schools. Thus, I got even more excited.

That night I reassured myself, “Now it’s 100%.”

Of course, there were only two samples, but that was enough for me to turn my skepticism into conviction.

And I had one more thing that made me smile because I was looking forward to the 3rd closed beta.

Just like the message that said I should expect the second one after the closing of the first beta, there was clearly a message about the upcoming third one when the second one ended. So, I was agonizing over one thing.

“Hm. Do I have to tell my father that he should take over the company that is developing Forgotten Legend?”

If I feign madness to pressure my father to do so, he could really buy the company.

When I roughly checked the company’s background, I found that it was a startup company that didn’t develop or market anything else other than Forgotten Legend.

However, I know that excessive greed brings about disaster, which, in turn, can kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

So, I decided not to tell my father about it until the third closed beta began.

Six months passed by, but I didn’t get nervous.

Given that the first and second closed betas took place during vacation, it was highly likely for the third one to also take place during vacation.

Above all, I didn’t worry about my grades at all because I studied a lot during the remainder of my vacation right after the second closed beta was over.

“Whew! Only ten minutes left.”

The message always arrived at 8:30 PM.

A normal game company would never choose such a ridiculous evening time to send a message.

Yet, I didn’t care because the unusual benefits I got from Forgotten Legend were simply too big.

Nonetheless, I could not help but tremble a bit with excitement.

So, I looked at the clock eagerly, thinking that one second was so slow as if it was one day.

The alarm rang when the hand of the clock stopped exactly at 8:30 PM.

Ring, ring.

When the alarm rang, I lifted my mobile phone and confirmed the message.

“Hehehe.”

In the message was the same type of meaningless 12-digit alpha-numeric code that I always received, along with the proceeding of the third closed beta.

I immediately connected the 2nd generation VR adaptor, which I prepared in advance, to the computer.

Then I accessed the ‘Forgotten Legend’ homepage and entered the 12-digit code. The VR adaptor began updating automatically just like it did in the second closed beta.

As always, it took seven hours to complete the updating process.

As soon as I confirmed it, I put the VR adaptor beside the computer and lay on my bed comfortably because I felt the max level of the third closed beta was highly likely to be Level 300. Of course, that was just my pure speculation.

I thought even though the max level was increased to 300, it’d be tough for it to be just like the second closed beta.

“Let me reach the max level unconditionally.”

Of course, the closed beta of ‘Forgotten Legend’ didn’t give me anything like a quest to achieve the maximum level.

However, I achieved the max level in the first and second closed betas, so I felt momentarily that such an eerie phenomenon happened because of that. And I came to believe it just like I believed superstition, even though there was no basis for that.

Of course, I didn’t want to achieve the max level only because of that.

Hunting was interesting to me, to say the least.

And I knew I had become stronger because of that.

“Let’s go to sleep then.”

I would probably have little sleeping time starting tomorrow, so I hit the sack early even if I didn’t want to.

10:00 AM the next day.

“Whew!”

I slipped on the 2nd generation VR adaptor with the completed automatic updates.

I didn’t even set an alarm like I used to do because I didn’t want to be disturbed by anything or anybody, given that my vacation this time was very important.

If I had not improved my grades by leaps and bounds during vacation, I would not have dared to play games. But since I proved that my grades went up twice, nobody including my father had problems with me playing games.

So, I confidently shouted, “Execution!”

<Your VR adaptor is now in running.>

***

It had been one week since the third closed beta began.

“How can the participants decrease drastically like this?”

Obviously, there were lots of users on the first day. I bumped into them wherever I went.

Over time, however, I could feel that there was a drastic decrease in the participants.

Thinking the third closed beta was not commercially successful, I could not help but be concerned that the game company might go bankrupt.

Of course, I didn’t stop hunting in the meantime.

As I expected, the max level of the third closed beta was 300, and the duration of the game was only two weeks.

So, I only had five minutes to eat and reduce my sleeping time to less than two or three hours. Otherwise, I believed I could not achieve the max level within two weeks.

Accordingly, I was burnt out because of my intense concentration for one week.

But there was a reason why I could not stop.

Was it because my concentration and memory went up miraculously during the remainder of my vacation when the two weeks of the closed beta game was over?

Nope.

I had a bigger reason than that — the game was so interesting.

“Lol. Ice Field! Rain down, hail pellets!”

While ignoring most users’ complaints that it was so hard to level up in the third closed beta, I was wrapped up in hunting, shouting just like that.

One hour before the closing of the third beta—

“Oppress my enemy, Ice Prison!”

Bam! Bam! Bam!

<I’ll kill all the humans.>

<Anybody who steps into this forest won’t leave alive.>