LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The Eastern mountain range of the Lavold Kingdom.
A peaceful rural village nestled nearby, Solmer Estate.
Tadadadak!
In a nearby mountain, three people were engaged in a tense chase.
“Stop following me already, how annoying…”
The person at the front was a boy dressed casually, his expression showing clear signs of boredom.
His name was Killian.
The laziest person in the Solmer Estate and, ironically, the lord responsible for that village.
Huff! Huff!
“How… how are you this fast when you never even show up for training… Ugh.”
The men chasing after Killian were drenched in sweat, panting heavily.
Within just a few minutes, the distance between them had widened, and the boy disappeared into the forest.
His movements were so swift and stealthy that the two men had no idea where he had gone.
In the end, they gave up the chase and shouted loudly.
“Lord Killian!!! Please come back! Sir Stubborn will punish you if he finds out about this!”
“All you need to do is stamp the papers! Please, just…!”
Their desperate cries echoed through the mountains.
But the boy, known as Killian, didn’t look back as he made his way to a secret place only he knew.
‘If I go back, all I’ll do is look at boring documents. Am I crazy to return?’
With a smirk, Killian stopped in a small clearing hidden within the thick forest.
It was an untouched spot where wild grasses grew freely.
This was the secret place only Killian knew.
Thud
As he plopped down on the grassy floor, the boy, who had been sluggish with boredom, suddenly brightened up.
“There’s no better place than here to escape from nagging.”
His usual lazy expression now had a sharpness to it that seemed out of place, considering his reputation as the estate’s biggest slacker.
But soon, a hint of discomfort appeared on his bright face…
‘Sigh. If it weren’t for this necklace, I’d spend every day lazing around here.’
It was because he remembered that there wasn’t much time left to indulge in his laziness.
‘How many days are left? I should probably start looking soon…’
No matter how lazy Killian was, he couldn’t ignore his late mother’s last wish.
[Killian, when you turn 15, make sure to find the pendant I left behind.]
[You must take that pendant with you to the Bloodline Ceremony.]
[When the time comes, you’ll understand what I mean.]
His mother, revered for her wisdom by the people of the estate, wouldn’t have left a pointless last wish.
She must have intended to give him something that would help him at the Bloodline Ceremony, he thought.
With that in mind, Killian rolled over to a sunny spot.
There was no better place to take a nap.
‘About two weeks left until the Bloodline Ceremony…? I’ll think about it after I get some sleep.’
But just as he was about to close his eyes…
Glint
Suddenly, the boy noticed something in the grass.
In the clearing where there should have been nothing, something was reflecting the sunlight.
“…What is that?”
Rustle, rustle
And in the next moment, Killian found the source of the glint.
“Huh?”
It was a plain copper ring with no decorations.
‘Did someone come here? Why is there a ring lying around?’
Normally, he would have stopped caring at that point, but Killian couldn’t take his eyes off the ring.
There was something strange about it, as if it was drawing in the surrounding air.
‘…?’
As if entranced, the boy examined the ring closely and, on a whim, slipped it onto his index finger.
That’s when something surprising happened.
Snap!
The ring, which had been loose, suddenly shrank on its own and fit snugly around his finger!
“What, what the heck is this?!”
But the surprises didn’t stop there.
As Killian struggled to pull the ring off, a strange voice echoed in his mind.
「…Damn it, another dud.」
* * *
What rotten luck.
That was what Killian thought.
‘Ugh. Can’t even take a nap…’
The red sky at sunset seemed to reflect Killian’s irritated mood.
Step, step
His angry footsteps echoed as he trudged back to the estate.
One of the estate guards soon spotted him and rushed over excitedly.
“My lord, where have you been?”
“Taking a walk.”
“Sir Stubborn was looking for…”
“Annoying. Tomorrow.”
Killian replied indifferently, and the guard couldn’t say anything more.
His eyes, fixated on the ring, were gleaming like those of a madman.
Even if he was the estate’s laziest lord, getting fired by him was still a real possibility for the guards.
Of course, Killian had no interest in the guard’s wild imagination.
His eyes were locked on the ring.
‘What the heck is this thing?’
A few hours earlier, he had found the ring in a nearby mountain.
He had put it on out of curiosity, but now it wouldn’t come off, as if it had become a part of his body.
If that were the only issue, it would just be annoying, but there was something else…
「The one with bad luck is me. How did I end up stuck with someone like you?」
The problem was that the ring kept talking to him.
A bright morning, thinking that the world outside his blankets was too dangerous… and yet, there was something talking to him?
A cool autumn day, lying on the roof enjoying his solitude… and yet, something was talking to him?
After a shower, staring into the mirror and feeling like he looked pretty cool… and yet, something was talking to him?
What happened to his peace? His tranquility?
Killian’s mood worsened by the second.
‘What exactly is this ring? Could it be some kind of artifact imbued with a spirit?’
He had heard of such things before. People called them “Ego Artifacts,” or so they said.
There were only a few of them in the entire Lavold Kingdom, so why was one lying in a random mountain?
It was so strange that he had spent several minutes in the forest trying to pull the ring off, but it had been a useless effort.
‘Maybe I should visit the capital sometime. Someone there might know more about Ego Artifacts…’
As Killian was pondering how to remove the ring, the voice sighed.
「It’s about time I hit the jackpot… but no luck again.」
‘Jackpot?’
It was he who did the picking. In his one and only secret place.
Even his sweet rest had been disturbed in the process.
‘I’m the one who picked the wrong one!’
「…….」
He tried to protest, but there was no reply.
Clearly being ignored, Killian stared at the ring in disbelief.
‘So, it just says whatever it wants, huh?’
Hours had passed since he first encountered the ring, but all it had done was mutter to itself.
He had even asked questions, trying to find out what it was and why it had called him “a dud,” but the ring remained silent.
And so, Killian made a decision.
‘…Fine. I’ll ignore it too.’
It wasn’t like he didn’t want answers, but the thought of having to soothe a rude ring? That wasn’t worth the hassle for Killian.
After all, what did it matter if some voice occasionally chimed in? He could just ignore it.
‘Ugh, forget it. I’ll deal with it later. Later.’
Without sparing the ring another glance, Killian stopped in front of a house.
The only three-story building in the village, surrounded by humble houses.
This was Killian’s home.
But calling it a three-story mansion was generous—the bare, dreary exterior looked more like it housed ghosts than a noble lord.
Just from the outside, it was hard to believe that this was the home of a lord.
However, Killian entered without a second thought.
* * *
Killian’s guess was mostly right.
An artifact imbued with a soul!
Just as he had thought, the ring was indeed an “Ego Artifact,” with someone’s soul trapped inside it.
But the one imprisoned in the ring…
It wasn’t an ancient archmage or a legendary hero like most Ego Artifacts.
No, the one constantly grumbling inside the ring was none other than a hardcore gamer named Lee Jun-hyuk.
‘Damn this game…’
The reason Lee Jun-hyuk was trapped in the ring was none other than a game called Endless Saga.
The game that was practically Jun-hyuk’s entire life, Endless Saga.
One day, Jun-hyuk was sucked into the world of the game, and that world became his reality.
At first, it wasn’t so bad.
As a seasoned player, no one loved Endless Saga more than Jun-hyuk.
Though all he could do was speak through the ring, and only the person wearing the ring could hear him, he was still immersed in the world he had been so obsessed with.
And the system had clearly explained how he could escape this world.
‘Clear the game, and you’ll gain your freedom?’
For a seasoned player like Jun-hyuk, clearing the game was no big deal.
He’d beaten it countless times before, after all.
So, he was confident he’d be able to return to his original world soon.
‘Piece of cake. I’ll just enjoy myself for a bit and then leave.’
But that was a huge mistake.
The gap between the game and reality was far bigger than he had imagined.
[Your character has died.]
[GAME OVER]
His first character had died so easily.
He didn’t even get close to the ending, let alone see it.
‘W-wait… What happens to me now?’
The good news was that Jun-hyuk had endless chances.
When the wearer of the ring died, time would rewind to the moment Jun-hyuk had first been bound to the ring.
[This is an unending world.]
[Returning to the beginning.]
A miracle that reversed time!
But there was a major flaw in this.
‘T-that’s it! I just had bad luck with my character this time.’
Even though time rewound, Jun-hyuk couldn’t choose the next wearer.
Each time he returned, the ring would fall in some random location, left to chance.
[You have been selected.]
Though he couldn’t choose the wearer, Jun-hyuk didn’t give up hope.
In fact, he became even more determined to beat the game.
‘I should have realized sooner that it was all pointless.’
And so, time after time, hundreds of times, Jun-hyuk did whatever it took to clear the game.
When he felt a character was lacking, he would deliberately lead them into traps and kill them, hoping for a better chance next time.
‘There’s no point in leveling them up. It’s a waste of time.’
He didn’t hesitate to commit inhumane acts, sacrificing countless wearers for his own purposes.
‘If they’re going to die anyway, I might as well make the most of them.’
Yet, no matter what he did, failure was inevitable.
Even when he hit the jackpot with an exceptionally talented character…
Even then, the result was the same.
‘The one with the greatest talent had limits, too.’
As a result, any excitement he used to feel about being chosen by a main character had long since died.
‘If only there was a system window, like in the original game.’
At least then, he could immediately tell the potential of his character.
He would know if they were strong enough to defeat a boss or not.
‘Why did the system disappear as soon as I got here?’
At this point, it felt like the convenience had been intentionally removed.
As if the one who trapped him here never intended for him to clear the game at all.
With that thought, only one thing remained on Jun-hyuk’s mind.
‘Just give up.’
After repeating the same events for what felt like an eternity, Jun-hyuk’s spirit was gradually worn down.
Any desire to enjoy the game world had been buried under countless failures.
‘Yeah. Why bother trying so hard?’
In the end, the result would always be the same.
So now, he was only interested in satisfying his curiosity and amusement.
He no longer cared about who wore the ring.
Clearing the game was an impossible task anyway.
But even for Jun-hyuk, there was one person he couldn’t stand.
Killian.
This was a whole different issue from giving up on clearing the game.
‘At the very least, shouldn’t it be entertaining to be stuck with someone?’
Since returning home, all Killian had done was laze around in bed.
Yes, he had approved some documents related to the estate, but that hardly counted as work.
‘He didn’t even read the documents, just stamped them blindly.’
Though he appeared young, his behavior was like that of a feeble old man.
Jun-hyuk, who had to watch this up close, felt like his patience was running thin.
This wasn’t about talent or potential.
Though, to be honest, Killian probably didn’t have much of that either.
Sigh
Out of sheer frustration, Jun-hyuk finally asked,
「Aren’t you bored staying indoors all the time?」
“Not really.”
But the only response he got was a disinterested reply.
In other words, Jun-hyuk was stuck in a bedroom with no one to talk to.
‘I can’t take this anymore.’
In the end, Jun-hyuk made a rare decision.
‘I’m just going to have to kill him.’
Many thoughts raced through Jun-hyuk’s mind.
‘First, I need to get this lazy bum out of here.’
There shouldn’t be a problem.
He knew countless secrets about the world that could pique the interest of a boy like Killian.
A few well-placed words would be enough. Based on his past experiences, those in situations similar to Killian’s always lived with a deep-seated frustration.
People who had traded freedom for a bit of wealth and peace.
Such people could never resist the lifeline he offered. At first, they might be suspicious.
But after tasting a bit of the sweetness he dangled before them, they would have no choice but to follow him.
Yes, at that moment, Jun-hyuk was convinced things would go exactly like that.
But he didn’t know Killian well enough yet.
* * *
Killian thought to himself.
It was unbearably noisy.
「Seeing as how you’re a lord at such a young age, your family must be well-off. But for all that, your mansion is rather shabby, huh?」
“What?”
「It’s not something you see every day. Which means… you must be a bastard child of some noble family, right?」
Killian’s expression twisted slightly.
「I bet they agreed to give you this estate in exchange for you living quietly here, didn’t they?」
But it wasn’t because he was offended. He’d experienced far worse rudeness before, and it wasn’t worth reacting to every little slight anymore.
‘Shut up.’
It was more that the sense of foreboding he had felt earlier, that his rest would be interrupted, was now crashing over him in real-time.
「Aren’t you tired of living like this? I can help you. Help you escape this dreary countryside.」
The voice wasn’t going to stop unless Killian did something. So, he reluctantly opened his mouth.
He didn’t lose his temper, of course.
Getting angry would only mean playing right into the ring’s hands.
If he wanted to silence this nuisance, he needed to find out what its real goal was.
“So, are you suddenly interested in me now?”
Jun-hyuk’s tone shifted.
「I know a lot of things. Like the location of artifacts buried in the Eastern mountain range.」
“And?”
「Some of them are incredibly valuable. If you could get your hands on one, even your family wouldn’t be able to treat you lightly.」
「For example…」
Killian decided to keep listening for now.
Many of the stories were indeed curious, considering he’d been cooped up in his estate all this time…
But that was it.
He wasn’t particularly interested.
And he had already figured out what this ring was trying to do.
‘Ridiculous. Trying to get me to act.’
So, once Jun-hyuk finished his long explanation…
“You really had something to say, didn’t you?”
Killian’s expression returned to its usual lazy indifference.
“Not interested.”
「What?」
“I’m perfectly satisfied with my life right now. Why would I go through the trouble of chasing after some grand fortune?”
「Are you satisfied? In this cage without bars?」
“A cage without bars? Ever seen a cage that collects taxes every month?”
「…….」
“I’m living well, without lifting a finger. Who asked for your useless advice?”
「Ha… what the…」
The feeling Killian gave off was… something you’d only find in someone who had retired after living a long life—a sense of complete contentment with the world.
「…What’s with this old man in a kid’s body?」
* * *
Jun-hyuk was genuinely taken aback.
This stubborn guy wasn’t just lazy—he was beyond what could be explained with that word alone.
‘This is like hitting a brick wall.’
He tried again and again to persuade him, but the more they talked, the more it seemed like only Jun-hyuk was getting dizzy.
「You know wealth can run out, right? There’s a golden goblin around here that drops—」
“I’ll use it sparingly.”
「What about an automatic pen that writes by itself? That could—」
“Writing? Why would I do that? Sir Stubborn handles all of that.”
Jun-hyuk was as desperate as when he was about to clear a game for the first time…
But Killian was unmoved.
Frustrated, Jun-hyuk began listing all the treasures hidden in the Eastern mountain range—artifacts that could change the world if revealed.
The Swordmaster’s famed blade, the tome of the Archmage Lord, an Ego Artifact from the Demon Sea, and the Witch’s legacy.
But even as Jun-hyuk rattled off these incredible treasures, Killian just kept lazing around in bed, barely paying attention.
「Normally, when you hear about these things, you’d at least be curious enough to ask more…」
“Too much trouble.”
Jun-hyuk’s voice, now tinged with a hint of injustice, echoed once more!
But Killian only responded by pretending to clean his ears, ignoring him.
Seeing this, Jun-hyuk muttered in defeat.
「I guess there’s the Pendant of Leah somewhere in the Eastern mountains, but even that wouldn’t interest you…」
Jun-hyuk felt hopeless.
How was he supposed to drag this stubborn guy out?
What would it take to escape this maddening situation?
But just as he was thinking that…
Suddenly.
Killian, who had been lying completely still, shot up and stared at the ring.
「W-what? What’s going on all of a sudden?」
Of course, Jun-hyuk had no idea.
But the last artifact he had mentioned…
“Leah’s Pendant?”
This was the one word even the usually indifferent Killian couldn’t ignore.
「Y-yeah. Leah’s Pendant.」
Leah.
That name…
Was the name of Killian’s mother, who had passed away many years ago.