Even after rewatching the video, Seong could still see the ghost.
Out of curiosity, he started browsing other videos, and to his surprise, the ghostly figures appeared in those as well.
Was this so kind of paranormal footage?
‘This is fascinating.’
Seong had always been able to spot ghosts in videos, but those were spirits from the real world.
Until now, he had never seen ghosts inside a ga.
But in Eternal World, there they were.
Ghosts dressed in dieval attire, almost like the spirits of NPCs.
What exactly was going on?
He wasn’t sure, but one thing felt certain.
‘They’re real ghosts.’
It was just a gut feeling—but Seong’s intuition when it ca to ghosts had never been wrong before.
Even the so-called gifted shamans his parents had dragged him to couldn’t see spirits.
Only Seong could.
So if his instincts told him these were real, then they probably were.
He mulled it over carefully.
First—could other players see them?
Judging by the comnts and reactions in the videos, no one had ntioned anything about ghosts.
Second—were they visible only to NPCs?
That didn’t seem to be the case either.
NPCs passed right through the ghosts without acknowledging them, as if they didn’t exist.
Lastly—could they just be hidden NPCs?
But no—
‘Regular NPCs and players have icons or nas above their heads.’
These figures didn’t have anything like that.
Given both his intuition and the evidence, Seong was convinced—they were ghosts.
Ghosts inside the ga.
Who would’ve thought Mina’s joke might actually be true?
‘Maybe Mina’s more insightful than I gave her credit for.’
Or was the ga just that mysterious?
Either way, the important part was this—
There are ghosts in the ga.
‘And ghosts have always been friendly to .’
No matter what kind of spirit it was, they’d always liked Seong.
They were constantly eager to help him.
It was just a hunch, but it felt certain that the ga’s ghosts would be the sa.
And if the ghosts in Eternal World were willing to help him—
Couldn’t he use them to find hidden pieces that other players couldn’t?
The kind of treasures that only the dead would know about.
After all, hadn’t people always said, “The dead tell no tales”?
But if Seong could speak to the dead—
‘I’d be able to learn a lot.’
Excitent sparked in his chest as Seong smiled to himself.
Looking forward to logging in the next day, he drifted off to sleep.
*****
Seong woke up feeling completely refreshed.
It was the kind of morning he hadn’t experienced in the military—light and easy.
After enjoying a delicious breakfast prepared by his mother, Lee Nakyung, and taking a quick shower, he headed back to his room.
‘Alright…’
It was ti.
Seong already knew how to enter the capsule and log into the ga.
Mina had made sure of that—drilling the instructions into his head so thoroughly he could practically recite them in his sleep.
With Eternal World boasting over 2 billion players, it was impossible not to feel a tinge of excitent.
Most of all, he was curious.
What would the ghosts in the ga be like?
Could they really lead him to hidden pieces and secrets?
By the ti Seong was ready, Mina had already finished breakfast and disappeared into her own capsule.
Seong followed suit, climbing into his capsule and logging in.
At first, it felt like his consciousness was being sucked into sothing.
Then ca the sensation of floating, as though he was drifting through empty space.
Monts later, he opened his eyes to find himself in a pure white room.
As his feet gently touched the ground, letters began to appear before him.
________________
[Welco to Eternal World.]
[No registered account detected.]
[Would you like to create an account?]
[Yes / No]
____________________
"Oh!"
Even just seeing the floating text windows in front of him was astonishing.
How did they create sothing like this?
It was incredible.
It felt even more vivid than what he had seen in videos—like stepping into an entirely different reality.
Feeling amazed, Seong imdiately selected "Yes."
Suddenly, a full-body mirror appeared.
Was this the customization process?
__________
[Please configure your avatar.]
[You may also select your desired race and ethnicity.]
[Note: Avatar creation with a gender different from the user is restricted.]
[Commands can be given via voice or cursor input.]
__________
His appearance and body shape looked fine, but having just returned from the military, his short hair was a bit of an eyesore.
Could he change it just by speaking?
"Uh... Can I make my hair longer?"
At his command, countless hairstyle options popped up.
"Wow, there are so many?"
True to his calm nature, Seong was only mildly impressed.
He quickly selected a hairstyle he often wore when his hair was longer.
Satisfied with how he looked, Seong nodded approvingly.
"This will do."
__________
[Would you like to finalize your customization?]
[Yes / No]
__________
Without hesitation, Seong selected "Yes" and moved on.
Next was the choice of a starting area, but he already knew what to pick.
His sister had told him about it, and he’d done his own research.
There was only one logical choice.
"Hindel Village."
Several descriptions popped up, but Seong skipped through them.
He had already morized the details, and he could always check the settings later on the hopage if needed.
Finally, it was ti to choose his character na.
Seong didn’t overthink it.
It was just a na, after all.
__________
[Please enter your nickna.]
__________
"Seong."
He answered before the prompt had even finished appearing, and the window disappeared instantly.
The final ssage appeared.
__________
[Character creation complete.]
[You now have a playable character.]
[Would you like to log in with character ‘Seong’?]
[Yes / No]
__________
What was the point in hesitating?
Seong nodded without a second thought, and a new ssage popped up.
__________
[Welco to Eternal World, the eternal world and another reality.]
[We wish Player ‘Seong’ the best of luck.]
__________
With that, the ssage faded away, and Seong found himself in a new space.
Bright sunlight poured down from the sky.
A gentle breeze blew past, carrying the chirping of birds.
Chirp~ Chirp!
The birds’ calls were so realistic that they felt more alive than those in the real world.
The scent of flowers and grass drifted through the air, brushing lightly against his body as the wind passed.
It really did feel like another reality.
Even compared to the videos he had watched, this was on a completely different level.
‘This is incredible.’
Though he marveled on the inside, Seong remained calm as he looked around.
That was when he spotted soone.
A rugged, intimidating man was glaring at him.
Seong imdiately recognized him.
Gruuger—the tutorial instructor of Hindel Village.
Known for his harsh personality, Gruuger was as tough and strict as his nacing face suggested.
In a gruff and sharp voice, Gruuger spoke.
"Welco, newcor outsider."
"Hello, sir."
“My na is Gruuger. I’m the instructor who will be training you.”
“I’m Seong. Nice to et you.”
“Hmph. At least you have so basic manners, outsider.”
It seed there were plenty of players who didn’t even bother with greetings.
Seong had heard that so people treated NPCs as re props.
Not that it mattered to him.
He simply focused on Gruuger, who continued speaking.
“You can leave this place once you break a scarecrow. Like that.”
Gruuger pointed to the side, where other players were swinging weapons and hamring away at scarecrows.
Their movents looked sharp and practiced, but the scarecrows refused to break easily.
Seong admired the durability of the training dummies.
“Now that you understand, pick one of the iron swords hanging over there and destroy a scarecrow.”
As Gruuger spoke, a quest window popped up.
__________
[Forced Quest: "Tutorial" has been created.]
"Tutorial"
→ [Basics]
→ Select one of the iron swords displayed in the training area and destroy a scarecrow.
→ Reward: 1 Silver, Training Certificate.
__________
So this was how quests worked.
Seong nodded and replied, “Got it.”
He was about to walk toward the swords when he saw it—
A faint, smoky figure.
Transparent, yet undeniably human-shaped.
A ghost.
It was clearer than ever now that he saw it in person.
Just like the ghosts in the real world, this one was definitely real.
Which ant…
‘It might listen to .’
To top it off—
The ghost was wearing the sa uniform as Gruuger.
A forr instructor, perhaps?
That could make things easier.
Seong already knew about the tutorial’s hidden piece.
Mina had told him about it, and it was no secret among experienced players.
Apparently, there was a Steel Sword mixed in with the regular iron ones.
It had better durability and higher attack power, but—
The problem was that all the swords looked exactly the sa.
So players with sharp eyes could pick it out, but most couldn’t.
Seong glanced around.
Several players were inspecting the swords carefully, but none seed to have found the Steel Sword.
But if that ghost really was a forr instructor, wouldn’t it know which one was the Steel Sword?
Seong approached the weapons rack.
From a distance, Gruuger watched him with a frown.
“Hmph. At least he has manners…”
But his movents—his posture and stride—made it clear he wasn’t athletic.
Gruuger had occasionally encountered outsiders who stood out—those who had trained in martial arts or played sports.
But Seong didn’t give off that impression at all.
Gruuger’s expectations dropped imdiately.
He was just another average outsider.
Manners didn’t equate to talent.
While Gruuger dismissed him, Seong quietly glanced at the ghost near the weapons rack and whispered under his breath.
“Hello?”
—“Wha—Holy sh*t! Y-You can see ?!”
The ghost flinched and swore in shock.
But despite the outburst, its eyes glowed with warmth and curiosity.
Just like the ghosts Seong had t in the real world.
Seong nodded and whispered again.
“Do you know which one is the Steel Sword?”
The ghost imdiately broke into a wide grin, like a proud grandfather looking at his grandson.
—“Of course! As a forr instructor, I know it like the back of my hand! Not that one—over here!”
“Thank you.”
Seong quietly thanked the ghost and followed its directions.
As he did, he couldn’t shake the odd feeling that lingered.
‘What is this?’
Talking to the ghost felt different than it did in reality.
He already knew Eternal World was incredibly realistic.
But this—
Even the ghosts felt more vivid here.
It was a sensation unlike anything he’d experienced before, but Seong brushed it off.
Ghosts had never hard him before, and he knew instinctively—
They wouldn’t start now.
Soon, the ghost pointed to one of the swords.
—“That’s the one! The Steel Sword!”
“Got it.”
Without hesitation, Seong reached out and grabbed it.
The mont he touched the sword, the selection was locked, preventing him from choosing another.
To the others, it looked like he’d casually scanned the rack, walked over, and picked a sword at random.
Most of them assud he wasn’t even looking for the Steel Sword.
But then—
A dazzling light burst forth from the weapon in Seong’s hands.
“W-What?! That’s the Steel Sword?!”
“No way! He just picked it like it was nothing?!”
The proof was undeniable.
Seong had found the hidden piece.
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