CH 1

“No, no, no… no… this is a dream… it’s a dream….”

I ran my hands through my hair, denying reality.

At first, I thought I was going crazy because I was so immersed in the game.

Or that I was just dreaming in my sleep.

But no.

After hours of struggling, I finally gave up and admitted that I had become the worst scum in the game, Otto de Scuderia, my main character.

“Haha… hahaha…”

I laughed out loud in disbelief.

How can someone be possessed by a character in a game?

It’s not like it’s a novel.

But reality is more like a novel than a novel.

‘Hardcore mode… I can’t believe this is what it was….’

I gasped as I looked at the familiar scenery unfolding before my eyes.

An empty palace.

It was the Lota Manor, run by Otto de Scuderia.

The same place that I’ve seen so many times over the past three years.

‘I don’t know what the hell is going on, but… I should have been warned in advance….’

Just then.

Tring!

A notification popped up in front of me.

[Notification: Synchronization complete!]

[Notification: Starting game!]

[Notification: WARNING!]

[Notification: Remember, if you fail to clear in Hardcore mode, your existence will be erased!]

I don’t know how to take in this notification window…

‘Am I really going to die, while being stuck inside a game?’

I, Kim Do-jin, who spent three years in real life playing only the character Otto de Scuderia?

In the meantime, a status window popped up in front of me, informing me that my current status is Otto de Scuderia.

[Otto de Scuderia]

The young lord of Lota, a rural estate located  in one of the western fringes of the continent.

Since he was heir to the throne, he has been committing all sorts of depravity and living a life of debauchery, so he has lost the favor of his people and his vassals.

Age: 24

Race: Human

Affiliation: Lota Manor

Position: Lord

It belonged to Otto de Scuderia, a man whom I knew well.

Level : -99

Unique Specialty: Debauchery

Class: None

A whopping -99 level!

No matter how much you drink, gamble, and love women, your specialty is <Debauchery>.

The lack of a class… let’s just move on.

What kind of class do you expect for a -99 level guy to have?

Resourcefulness 1 / Brute Force 3 / Politics 9

Leadership 11 / Charm 67 / Dignity 2

Infamy 44 / Honor 0 / Intrigue 3

Health 8 / Credit 1 / Dexterity 37

Luck 1

Every single stat is terrible.

Apart from having 0 Honor and 44 Infamy.

A Luck of 1 meant I had terrible luck.

The only redeeming stat was his handsome face which gave him a high rating in Charm.

Even that was pretty much ruined by his debauched lifestyle at this point.

Even more annoying to the player was the curse on the character.

[A Wretched Bastard]

What sins did I commit in my previous life….

Type: Curse

Duration: Infinite

Effect: 

– Starting Level -99

– Unable to obtain experience

– Unable to leveled up

– Athleticism -60%

– +50% to Appetite

– +200% to Sex Drive

– +30% to Sleep Desire

– When moving, there is a 1% chance to be struck by lightning.

– Instantly dies on the character’s 25th birthday.

Attempting to do anything makes you sleepy.

Trying to do anything makes you hungry.

Trying to do anything, you’ll burn your ass off….

And the 1% chance of being struck by lightning when moving was one of the main sources of player anger.

I’ve been playing this character for the past three years and have had all sorts of crazy deaths.

It’s safe to say that I’ve experienced almost every possible way a human can die.

As proof, check this out….

Wham!

Thud!

While I was wandering around the slippery floor stopped me in my tracks.

“Keugh…!”

I was in pain and was struggling to get myself back up.

This couldn’t have been a dream, judging by the vividness of the pain.

No, more than that.

‘Wow, I almost died….’

It’s a good thing I turned just in time to avoid hitting my head on the floor, or else I would have….

Ouch!

I got goosebumps.

Ack…

I must have fallen sideways, but my nose is bleeding.

It was Otto de Scuderia who was the protagonist of the proverbial nose-breaking fall.

Of course, it’s more likely that I would have died from a crushed skull….

But it was too soon to be relieved.

‘Now, wait a minute… is there a reason why most people die early on is….’

A thought flashed through my mind.

“Fuck!”

I instinctively threw myself away.

Bam!

At the same time, a giant chandelier came crashing down and hit me.

I nearly died twice in a span of a second.