Kim Shin blinked at the bright popup on his screen.
[You've unlocked a Hidden Reward for completing the game 100%. Claim it?]
"…Huh?" he muttered. "Hidden reward?"
His eyes lit up with instinctive gamer greed.
"Of course, yes!" he clicked without a second thought.
The screen went white.
His rented room vanished. The cold beer can slipped from his hand in slow motion.
And then—whoosh.
Gone.
When he opened his eyes again, everything around him was pitch black.
No walls, no ground, no ceiling. Just endless dark silence.
Even his own voice echoed strangely when he muttered, "Where the hell...?"
He glanced around, his heart thudding. "This isn't VR... right?"
Before he could panic further, the darkness around him rippled like disturbed water. The shadows began to peel away, replaced by blinding white light. An empty white realm stretched as far as the eye could see.
Then, a voice echoed through the space, deep and otherworldly.
"Welcome to the Void, player."
Kim Shin turned toward the sound.
A figure stood there—human in shape, but blurred and flickering, as if reality itself couldn't focus on it. No face, no features. Just a presence.
"I am the developer of the game you've been playing for the last five years, two months, three days, and one hour."
Kim Shin squinted.
"That specific? Damn... have you been watching me the whole time? Even when I was, uh, you know... doing personal stuff?"
The figure coughed—somehow.
"No. I only monitored gameplay data and general thought patterns during your sessions."
"Uh-huh." Kim Shin crossed his arms. "I'll pretend I believe that."
The figure didn't react.
"Regardless, I'm here to inform you that The World of Lost Cultivators… is not just a game. It's a real world, existing in a different dimension. A world that's now on the brink of destruction."
Kim Shin raised an eyebrow.
"Oh no. You're not about to hit me with the classic 'Only you can save this world!' pitch, are you?"
"Correct. You have been selected to enter that world and change its fate."
Kim Shin groaned. "Figures."
He rubbed his temples. "Look, if I die in that world, that's it for me, right?"
"Yes. Death there is permanent. However, if you succeed, the world is saved."
"Great. So if I win, your world is fine, and if I lose, I'm screwed. Sounds fair."
"It is a great honor."
"Yeah, well, honor doesn't pay rent or keep me alive."
He crossed his arms again. "If I'm going to risk my life for your collapsing world, I want something in return. A cheat. A proper one."
"…You dare to bargain?"
"I dare, yeah. You didn't even ask if I wanted to be isekai'd."
The figure paused, then sighed.
"Very well. Ask for one thing. A divine talent, a legendary item, or a powerful advantage. But nothing absurd like immortality, god-tier luck, or summoning literal gods."
Kim Shin smirked. "Alright, then... what about a personal space with time dilation?"
The figure tilted its head.
"Explain."
"You know… like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Dragon Ball? A training realm where time flows faster than reality. I want one of those."
"…You're surprisingly clever."
Kim Shin grinned. "I know."
"It is possible, but not without limitations. I can grant you a personal dimension where 1 day in the real world equals 1 year inside. However, your physical growth in that realm will be limited—only 20% of it will carry over to reality. Your mental growth, knowledge, and skills, however, will transfer completely."
"Sounds fair."
"Also, you won't be able to access this chamber right away. It will unlock after 5 years in the new world. You must survive until then."
Kim Shin frowned. "Fine. What about the cooldown?"
"Once every 7 days of real-world time."
He nodded slowly. "Alright… and I still get a basic system interface, right?"
"Yes. It will display your status, skills, and general information. No combat assistance. No quests. Nothing flashy."
"Figures."
"Now, do you have any other demands?"
"One last thing—where exactly am I being sent? What's the starting point?"
"…That, I cannot control. Race, family, bloodline, nation, and age will be random. The only guarantee is that you will remain male."
Kim Shin gave a dramatic sigh.
"Just my luck. Well, screw it. Let's roll the dice."
"Then prepare yourself, Kim Shin. Your journey begins now."
Before he could say another word, the void warped violently—and a massive force yanked him backward like gravity had just flipped inside out.
His body spun.
The whiteness disappeared.
And then—
—he was gone.
End of Chapter 2