A man in his twenties, living in South Korea.
Truly, it's an age of constant hustle.
College, military service, building a resume, job hunting—
After overcoming every one of those obstacles, today…
"I, Ryu Han-hyuk, am officially joining a major corporation!"
Standing on the rooftop of a building nestled among the towering skyscrapers of Seoul,I shouted at the top of my lungs the moment I received my acceptance letter.
Born and raised in the countryside, I had clawed my way up to Seoul for college.And now, after years of part-time jobs and a shadowy period of uncertainty,I had finally secured a position at a top-tier conglomerate.
An indomitable legend forged through grit and perseverance.That legend... was me, Ryu Han-hyuk.
"Ryu Han-hyuk, keep it down! You're causing a noise complaint!"
A voice called up from the floor just below.
It was the landlord's daughter, yelling from the rooftop unit I'd been renting to save every penny.We had gone to the same university, different majors, but knew each other well.
This joy—this triumph—had to be shared.
I leaned over the rooftop ledge and shouted,"Who cares about a noise complaint right now? I got in! I'm officially an employee of JC Group!This is world-shaking news! The luckiest man alive—Ryu Han-hyuk!"
"Ugh, do you have to yell right above my head? Your voice is obnoxiously loud."
"Haha! Only a jobless person could never reach these decibel levels."
"What did you just say, you punk?!"
I quickly ran back into my rooftop room and locked the door tight.
No unauthorized entry allowed.
My eyes drifted to my phone, where the acceptance notification still shone brightly.
All those years of struggle—it felt like I was finally being rewarded in full.
Some say the real journey begins after joining the company,but for me, just getting to the starting line had been hell.
That's when my gaze landed on my old desktop computer.
A machine my mom had bought for me with her hard-earned savings when I was a kid.We were never well-off, and I had cared for it like treasure since my countryside days.
But even so, the thing was ancient now.It could barely power on anymore.
"I haven't really turned it on since I got my laptop."
I figured it was time to let it go.Still, better check if there's anything important left.
I connected the cables and powered it up.
Old, familiar windows and programs flickered to life on the dusty screen.
It was as if time had frozen inside the device.
Proof that I hadn't turned it on in ages.
"Oh?"
One icon caught my eye.
Dungeon Replay.
A game I used to play years ago.
"Has it been... ten years?"
A game with auto-hunting that ran even when it was turned off.
It had been perfect during my student days when studying consumed my life.Even back then, I could only play it on and off.
"Feels nostalgic."
Like stepping into my childhood again.
Without hesitation, I launched the game.
Whirrrr...
The computer's fan spun up.
THUMP THUMP!
Not long after, someone pounded on my front door.
"Ryu Han-hyuk! My mom's grilling meat to celebrate your job offer! Come down already!"
It was the landlord's daughter again—my friend.
But for some reason…
No matter how much she knocked, there was no answer.
Inside the room where the computer had booted up—
There was no one.
Skitter, skitter...
Something was moving.
A dull throb pulsed in my head.
Skitter, skitter...
That sound again, something crawling—getting closer.
My senses sharpened.
THUMP!
A sudden, thunderous slam jarred me awake.
My eyes snapped open.
A tall figure's face lit by flickering cave light—
Ash-gray eyes, slightly dark skin, and...
Pointed ears.Black hair with a blue inner hue.
A Half-Dark Elf.
That... was me.
And in front of me—
A swarm of spiders, thousands strong, filled the cave.
One of them lunged straight at me.
"What the hell?!"
Six blood-red eyes.
Furry, muscular legs.
A grotesquely large body split into thorax and abdomen.
A spider the size of a man was right in my face.
CHOMP!
"Gaaah?!"
Pain exploded in my leg as it was slashed open.Hot blood spurted out, and the burning sensation followed.
The pain snapped my mind into full clarity.
The spider's legs weren't just hairy—they were like serrated blades.
Losing focus for even a moment was nearly fatal.
Skitter skitter!
The sound I'd heard earlier—it was the sound of thousands of spider legs scraping across the cavern floor.
One spider raised its front legs.
I kicked off the ground, instinct taking over.
Light. Agile.
Even for a half-breed, the Dark Elf's flexibility and balance were a blessing.
THUD!
The spider slammed the ground.
I rolled, narrowly dodging the attack.
Skitter! Skitter!
They kept coming.
Any one of them could drag me off and tear me to shreds.
I scrambled to my feet, pain shooting up my leg,but I bit down hard and endured it.
Panic makes humans freeze and make dumb mistakes.
I've learned that the hard way.
I'm not about to die like an idiot.
Just run.
You can think while running.
Thump!
My legs carried me forward.
Blood soaked my pants, but I kept going.
Let's think positive—If that attack had hit my torso, I'd be dead.
"This is lucky, in its own way."
Optimism. A sliver of hope in dire times.
My brain spun into high gear.
The red glow of the cavern stones let me see clearly.
The cave was huge—big enough to host this whole spider army.
Escape routes?
A few.But they're blocked. Could be dead ends.
Too risky.
New plan.
While running, I noticed something strange—
The spiders weren't attacking ahead of me.They were only chasing.
And then I saw it:
A green mist leaking from their shells.
Sssssss...
The mist was dissolving their exoskeletons.
The more mist, the slower they got.
And it wasn't just one or two—all of them were leaking green smoke.
'Poison... Are they... poisoned?'
I didn't know how, but one thing was clear:
Every last spider was being eaten alive from the inside.
Eventually, they'd all collapse.
I just had to wait it out.
A grin crept across my lips.
I saw the path forward.
Just one thing left to do:
"RUN LIKE HELL!"
Left foot, right foot.
Simple movements—
But now, failure meant death.
Breathing ragged, heart pounding,I ran in wide circles around the chamber.
It felt like I was running forever.
'In movies, they always collapse from exhaustion, and I thought, "Why don't they just keep running?"'
Now I understood.
Running is hell.
Note to self: build stamina in the next life.
CRACK!
A sound behind me. Something collapsed.
I couldn't look back.
I just kept running.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
More followed.
Then it hit me.
The green mist...had finally melted the spiders to death.
I turned around, panting, and saw it.
A sea of green sludge where spiders used to be.
Some stragglers tried to follow—but they fell, too.
I stopped. Hands on knees.Breath burning in my throat.Legs trembling.
That was the most I'd run in years.
I clenched my fist.
Then let out a breathless laugh.
"Heh… I won."
Poisoned spiders.A lucky hit to the leg instead of the chest.
Had either gone differently, I'd be dead.
"As long as I'm breathing… I'm lucky."
I looked up.
Silence.
The horde of spiders was no more.
Now... time to think.
'Why am I here?'
Just moments ago, I was celebrating my new job and turned on my old PC.
This Half-Dark Elf...
Was me.Ryu Han-hyuk.
'Can a person just wake up in another world like this?'
There was no warning.
But this pain in my leg, the stench of spider guts—
It was real.
So what triggered it?
Only one thing came to mind.
Dungeon Replay.
That old game I used to love ten years ago.
I scanned my surroundings.
And realized something.
'This place… I've seen it before.'
My memory was sharp—sharp enough to win awards.
This was definitely a dungeon from Dungeon Replay.
If that's true...
Then I'm trapped inside the game.
No more speculation.
I reviewed the situation:
I woke up being chased by poisoned spiders.
'Who poisoned them?'
I looked at my hand and pulled off my glove.
A burn mark on dark skin.
I checked my clothes—black robes over leather armor.
I'd felt the weight while running.
If I hadn't been wearing this, my leg might've been torn off.
A lucky save.
Around my waist, a utility belt with small slots.
I found a small bottle.
Blood red.
I opened it—a sharp, metallic smell filled my nose.
I stared at it.
'If this is what I think it is…'
I poured it on my wound.
Sssssss!
The pain made me choke back a scream.
"Grrrraaaaaagh!"
Like fire on open flesh.
But it worked.
The wound closed, leaving only a scar.
Sweat poured from my face.
Good thing I didn't use it while running.I would've collapsed and died on the spot.
I stored it away carefully.
Next, I checked my pouch.
A dagger. Some rations.
A white, blank mask. An ID card.
I picked it up—and my eyes widened.
[Rayzen]
Three letters.
My character's auto-generated name in Dungeon Replay.
'It's real.'
The outfit, the belt, the staff strapped to my thigh—
The spiders.
The healing potion.
And most of all…
The Half-Dark Elf race.
"I…"
Putting all the pieces together—
I've been possessed by the idle auto-hunting game I left running for ten years.
Player Ryu Han-hyuk has logged in.