I can"t exactly remember when, but I think it was like that ever since grandfather was alive.

So, I didn"t feel awkward about the silence.

Then my father who ate first stood up after he was done, “Juyoung, come and see me downstairs before you leave.”

“You mean your bas.e.m.e.nt study?”

“Yes.”

I was a little embarra.s.sed because his bas.e.m.e.nt study was a place where only VIPs like company executives could enter. Sometimes my brother went there.

“Sure,” I replied anyway.

After he left, my brother opened his mouth, “Juyoung, I hear you"re playing games.”

My brother is exactly 10 years older than me. So, I sometimes felt he was like my father, not my brother.

“Yeah,” I replied, casting a glance at my sister because I felt like she told him everything.

“Good job! To be honest with you, I was thinking of even forcing you to play games sooner or later. Hmm… I think you have a very good sense. Anyway, play hard. And if you have any difficulties or run into trouble or need help, just call me.”

“Sure.”

I heard him praising me after a long time. Obviously his praise felt different from my sister"s because she never gave me empty words, while he did.

“Hey, brother. So, did you level up a lot?”

When my brother left the room, my sister asked me, pus.h.i.+ng me gently.

“Well, I think so…”

Of course, my level was the same as before, namely Level 100, but I leveled up a lot in terms of quality.

“Really? But your main base is still Kotum Castle, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that place is one of the starting points for beginners, so there aren"t many people and there are relatively few areas where you can move to the Teleport Zone. What do you think? Will you come under me? I"m quite a good gamer, believe it or not.”

She spoke smilingly, shrugging her shoulders. Rather than immediately responding to her suggestion, I made a serious expression and said, “Sis, you are not playing Revival Legend personally, right?”

I don"t think I"m smart. More precisely speaking, I don"t think I am wise, even though my knowledge is abundant. But I"m good at catching wind of what"s going on.

I don"t know much about the other big groups, but it seems that when Daesung Group and Myongjin Group are involved where even my father, brother, sister, and mother are playing that game, they are not doing it for personal pleasure. The reason I felt that way was because I already had a very special experience while playing Revival Legend, or more exactly, Forgotten Legend.

It was a game that is hardly commonsensical. Of course, there was only one reason why I didn"t touch it because I was worried that what I gained would go away if I dug more deeply. I"ve often seen excessive curiosity and questions sometimes taking away a lot from people.

“Well, you"re right. Of course I started like that, but I"m enjoying it personally now, and very much at that.”

“Why?”

At my question, she looked around quickly. Then she whispered, with Mom present, “This is what I heard. In other words, how much we have and how long we can keep stuff in the future depends on Revival Legend. Even our personal status and prestige too.”

“…”

Normally I would respond cynically, refuting her ridiculous praise of a mere game. Yes, I was supposed to respond like that, but I didn"t because I had experienced it. So, I didn"t respond or refute her claim.

“So, play games well, Juyoung. Who knows, maybe you"ll become a big shot like Grandpa said? Of course, right now I know you are not persuaded because I felt the same way. You can ask Dad if you want to know more when you see him a little later. Okay, let me go upstairs.”

Having said that, she stepped out of the kitchen.

“Sorry, son. I know something is going on here, but I don"t know the details. Let me ask him anyway.”

“No, you don"t have to. I think I can size it up…”

What my sister said was enough to shake off my doubt and give me conviction.

I knocked on the door of my father"s bas.e.m.e.nt study 30 minutes later.

“Come in.”

I slowly opened the door and went in at his voice. When I stepped inside, I saw him reviewing things like doc.u.ments. But there was something that caught my eye. It was the 3rd generation high-end VR adaptor. It was right there in my father"s bas.e.m.e.nt study.

“Sit down.”

“Yeah.”

I sat down on the sofa in the middle of the study. Dad stood up from the desk, approached me, and sat down beside me.

“I hear you"re playing Revival Legend. Is that right?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice job.”

Not only my sister and brother, but my father also praised me.

“Thanks,” I replied awkwardly.

Then he continued right away, “I think you are curious as to why I am playing the game, praising you, and urging you to try harder.”

Even though I wasn"t that curious, I was puzzled until only a moment ago.

But my brief conversation with my sister made me realize again that this Revival Legend was certainly extraordinary and unusual, although I was holding back my curiosity and questions as much as possible.

At that moment, he spoke with a low voice.

“n.o.body knows.”

“Pardon?”

“n.o.body knows who created this game and where the server is located, let alone who is operating this game. Hacking the game? No one"s been successful. Even the US government is no exception.”

“…”

Tuduru.

Obviously, the name of the company that ran the closed beta was Tuduru.

I remembered it because I had a very strange experience and I even thought of asking him to buy the company. But I remained silent because my father was not done talking.

“As you know, the original technology of the first, second, and third VR adaptors is owned by a company called ‘Vten" in the United States. And they have released upgraded products every 5 year, upgrading from the 1st to the 2nd and then the 3rd. Of course, there was a difference between the popular type and the high-end type.”

I knew a lot about this company called Vten because it raked in the world"s biggest profits by collecting royalties.

But I discovered something strange in his words. He said they produced the VR devices every five years, but they hadn"t yet released the 4th generation VR adaptor despite the fact that it had been over 5 years since the 3rd one was released.

As if he read my mind, my father continued, “The company has disappeared instantly. Of course, n.o.body knew it because its disappearance was shrouded in secrecy.

You know why? Vten only possessed the original technology, but they did not produce the VR adaptors themselves. Then a strange rumor started circulating later.”

While he was speaking, he interlocked his fingers and continued in a serious voice, “The rumor is that the 4th adaptor will appear in reality, not in the form of a VR adaptor. Of course, even this rumor spread only recently because the United States has kept it a secret.”

“?”

At that moment I didn"t understand exactly what he said. I had to look at him with a surprised expression. He continued, “Yeah, this is ridiculous and absurd. But not only the US government, which first discovered Vten disappeared and kept it a secret, but also those business groups much bigger than Myongjin Group are banking on this game called ‘Revival Legend" for their survival, keeping all the secrets to themselves.”

“I wonder how this kind of fact could be kept secret until now…”

If it was true, our society would fall into great turmoil, but everything worked fine as if nothing happened. Regardless of whether this was true or not, the fact that Vten disappeared would be enough to shock the whole world.

“They disappeared because they were too greedy. Those who have a lot will keep the secret and what they have. Meanwhile, those who barely found out just a bit of the secret will get a little more than others who are still kept in the dark. Just like a Mobius strip.”

“…”