Chapter 1
‘The present moment shapes the future.’
This line I once read in a book—whose title I can barely remember now—was a sentence that resonated deeply with me when I was passing my days thoughtlessly.
To a college student like me, wasting each day without any real purpose, it delivered a powerful awakening.
It was also the first motto I ever had, as I’d never had anything worthy of being called a motto before then.
In the context of the book, I recall it meant not to sacrifice the present by thinking of “for later,” “to be better later,” or “I’ll do it later”—but instead to live fully and enjoy each and every moment now.
And this line, deeply ingrained in my heart, didn’t disappear just because I was suddenly thrown into another world.
Even though, without any understanding of the situation, I woke up in a body that seemed about ten years younger and found myself in a completely different world, I did my best at what I could do now, enjoying my life in this otherworld.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was without any perks.
I felt proud as I saw my stats steadily improve with effort, and as I began to utilize my traits more effectively, I started moving beyond merely being an “Unnamed Mercenary #1” in the adventurers’ guild.
Recalling that I preferred watching from behind rather than standing out in the front, I created a secret organization—a kind of entity that exists in every world—and felt a sense of pride as I saw it grow to a level that could influence an entire nation.
Enjoying each moment on the continent of Arkaria, I’d reached a point where I’d done everything I could. So, I thought I’d go somewhere quiet to rest a bit when it happened.
That was when I finally learned the reason for the ‘Quest’ window, whose purpose I hadn’t known until then.
[Status Window]
[Name: Ryu Yeong]
[Title: Leader of the Black Shadow Corps]
[Class: None]
[Stat Points: 0P]
Strength: 85
Agility: 87
Magic Power: 46
Luck: 10
Endurance: 83
[Trait: Spatial Movement]
*[Quest: Main (1)]
“Sigh.”
After checking the status window, I realized something with even greater clarity.
Until now, that “Quest: *Main (1)” item had always been set to “[Quest: Inactive].”
At first, I thought the quest would eventually activate, but after a few years of no change, I eventually forgot about it.
And yet, it surprised me by suddenly appearing like this.
‘So, this… the class and the quest… none of it had really even started yet?’
With the quest’s activation, many of the questions I’d had began to be answered one by one.
For instance, why it always showed my occupation as “None,” even though I was a leader of an organization that, though far from righteous, conducted activities like robbing noblemen’s or royal family’s vaults. Or why my “Stat Points” always remained at zero.
‘No wonder my Luck never increased no matter what I did.’
Apparently, what the status window referred to as “class” wasn’t a real-world occupation but something akin to the “warrior” or “mage” classes commonly found in games.
So, perhaps stats like Luck or “class” could only be acquired through quests.
“Am I supposed to be happy about this?”
While my motto is indeed “Enjoy the present and do my best,” it was hard not to feel drained upon realizing I’d spent the last ten years doing something completely unrelated.
On top of that, the first main quest that appeared after ten years was an academy admission.
I couldn’t possibly take this as a cheerful “Yes, it’s finally starting!” moment.
Penalty: End of Game and Reset
Seeing that phrase, it didn’t seem like I had much of a choice.
***
The Black Shadow Corps.
It wasn’t a name widely known to all the people on the continent, but anyone who knew even a bit about the underworld would have heard of it.
One day, the group suddenly emerged without a sound, rapidly gaining power at an alarming pace, and has now become strong enough to be regarded with caution on a national level.
There may be many reasons why the Black Shadow Corps could grow so rapidly, but the biggest reason was the mastermind behind its creation, Ryu Yeong, the Leader of the Black Shadow Corps.
A leader who, except for his closest confidants, neither showed his face nor revealed his abilities to even the other members of the Corps.
Although primarily skilled in swordsmanship, Ryu Yeong was also reputed for his mastery of magic, particularly his elusive teleportation spells, and was famous for ultimately completing even the most difficult assignments.
As the leader of the Black Shadow Corps, which means “Black Shadow,” Ryu Yeong, known as the “Black Shadow,” had enough exploits that one could compile them into a book, though the most famous was undoubtedly the “Dragon Heart Heist.”
The Kingdom of O’Neill had stored the dragon’s heart, which they had obtained with great difficulty, in a vault boasting the nation’s best security. Yet, the Black Shadow infiltrated without a sound and stole the Dragon Heart.
Remarkably, the Kingdom of O’Neill only realized the Dragon Heart was missing several days later, as there were no traces of entry into the vault. The Kingdom of O’Neill identified the Black Shadow as the culprit because the place where the Dragon Heart had been was left with a wooden dragon figurine that looked like a child could have crafted it, along with a card bearing the name “Black Shadow.”
This incident catapulted the Black Shadow Corps to fame across the continent, and the leader, renowned for stealing the Dragon Heart on his own, became even more famous.
From that point on, it became a trend to leave a similar figurine in the place of a stolen item whenever a theft occurred.
And the Dragon Heart stolen back then was now quite useful in Ryu Yeong’s office, where it served as the source for the heating and cooling system at the center of the Black Shadow Corps.
“So, what are you planning to do, again?”
“Enroll in the academy. But it feels like the chill has weakened; maybe I’ve used it for too long?”
“The Dragon Heart doesn’t wear out from extended use… But, what was that about the academy?”
“I’ve already told you three times.”
Ryu Yeong’s personal secretary, Addy, took a deep breath while gazing up at the Dragon Heart embedded in the center of the office ceiling, which was radiating magic.
Beyond simply controlling the temperature in the leader’s office, the Dragon Heart concealed the entire Black Shadow Corps’ building from prying eyes, sparkling brilliantly despite Addy’s frustration.
“Whew…”
Up until now, the leader—no, that leader—had said many ridiculous things, but what he was saying now was beyond absurd.
“Why…?”
“Well…”
Addy ran a hand through her hair, trying to accept the leader’s words as rationally as possible.
Quirky and unpredictable as he might be, he was also a man with considerable depth.
“I’m not sure myself… Let’s just say it’s for everyone’s well-being. If I enroll in Crescent Academy, we’ll all be better off.”
“Is someone… blackmailing you?”
“Hmm. You could say it’s blackmail.”
At Ryu Yeong’s words, Addy furrowed her brow, wondering who could possibly have the skills to threaten the leader of the Black Shadow Corps, but no answer readily came to mind.
Perhaps someone like William the Archmage could manage it.
And even if he was threatened, the Ryu Yeong she knew wasn’t someone who would comply so easily with a blackmailer’s intentions.
Everything seemed suspicious and odd, no matter how much she thought about it.
“Anyway, it’s Crescent Academy. I have to take part in the entrance exam, so get me an appropriate identity.”
“You mean the Crescent Empire?”
“Yeah.”
“Why Crescent, of all places…?”
“Even I don’t know. It’s the biggest and most prosperous nation, after all. Seems like the kind of place where stories start.”
Addy sighed, unable to resist a small laugh at the faint playfulness in Ryu Yeong’s tone as he answered his own question.
The image of Ryu Yeong, the leader of the Black Shadow Corps, described in incidents like the “Dragon Heart Heist” or the “Red Night of the Kingdom” was cold, sharp, and ruthless, but the real Ryu Yeong was nothing like that.
Though he was the head of an organization carrying out tasks like theft, kidnapping, infiltration, destruction, and even assassination, he had a remarkably light-hearted and cheerful personality, in stark contrast to the typical image of a shadowy figure.
Yet he executed every task he had to do with utmost diligence, occasionally showing a side befitting a leader.
And so, Addy, who had been with Ryu Yeong since the founding of the Black Shadow Corps, was gradually accepting his words.
It was incomprehensible, and she couldn’t even guess the reason, but she knew that Ryu Yeong, as she understood him, wasn’t someone who would do something truly absurd.
The Dragon Heart heist, which Ryu Yeong pulled off saying, “I found the ultimate air conditioner for my office!” ultimately ended up saving the Kingdom of O’Neill.
Though the Kingdom of O’Neill has no idea about this.
Besides, if it were just a joke, he would’ve stopped by now. But seeing how seriously he’s asking for a new identity, it’s clear he means it.
“I looked into it, and the entrance exam is the day after tomorrow.”
“… I see.”
“So, could you get me an ID by then?”
“Ugh.”
“But isn’t it a relief? I already announced I wouldn’t be working for a while, and we haven’t taken any new assignments.”
“… You didn’t plan this all along, did you?”
“Absolutely not.”
Addy seriously debated whether to believe him, but at this point, it didn’t matter anymore.
Once the leader makes a decision and says something, he always follows through no matter what.
“Crescent Empire could be a bit risky, you know?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Well, there’s quite a large bounty on your head.”
“Me? In Crescent?”
“Yes. While the whole nation may not be hunting for you like in O’Neill, remember the time you hit up the Duke of Petra’s household? They’re definitely on high alert.”
“Oh, right. But no one knows my face anyway, right?”
“That’s true, but you can never be too careful, can you? Besides, rumor has it that the Duke of Petra’s third daughter has… quite the unusual taste…”
“Ah, I see. Also, could you handle that thing while I’m gone?”
“That thing?”
“Acting as the boss. You’re good at it. And if you wear something like last time that emphasizes your figure, rumors might spread that the boss is a woman, and then even if I’m in Crescent…”
Bang!
“…I won’t get caught. Ouch.”
Before Ryu Yeong could finish his sentence, Addy stormed out, slamming the door loudly. He finished what she hadn’t heard on her way out.
As she left the room, her expression was somewhere between embarrassment and anger.
“Sigh. Well then, should I take a trip around the world before getting tied down at the academy…”
Once Addy was gone, Ryu Yeong stood up, wondering how to spend the remaining two days before his big quest began.
Up until yesterday, he really didn’t like this suddenly activated quest, but he’d changed his mind.
Alright, since it’s already started, I might as well enjoy it.
—
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