HG Ch 1

<1> Prologue

“…Wait. What was I doing again?”

He had completely turned into a scatterbrain. Ever since the college entrance exam ended, he had been living recklessly like an unbridled horse, and it was starting to show.

No matter how much he tried to recall, he couldn’t remember. Frustrated, he began cleaning up the scattered cans on his desk. Once the mess was cleared, he sat back down.

The man, who had been staring at the monitor with a bored expression, waved his hand aimlessly in the air before finally grabbing the mouse.

The moment he exited the video site, the blaring psychedelic rock music came to an abrupt halt, leaving the room in complete silence.

“Ah, right.”

It was then that the chaos in Eunho’s mind cleared up, allowing him to remember why he had turned on the computer in the first place.

“RIRINOVEL”

It didn’t take long for Joo Eunho, a die-hard fan of game fantasy novels, to stumble upon this bright blue e-book site. He was a speed reader, and unfortunately for him, the authors he liked were ridiculously slow writers.

One of the web novels Eunho had enjoyed—a game fantasy novel that spanned 58 volumes (the scene where the protagonist carves the moonlight and ultimately becomes the moon god within the game gave him chills)—had taken the author over a decade to serialize. But it took Eunho just three weeks to finish reading it.   

The pace just doesn’t match up. Not even close.

When there’s nothing to eat, you’re supposed to be grateful for whatever’s available and devour it all. But having personal preferences and values gets in the way.

He wasn’t particularly fond of settings where reality turned into a game. That was just an apocalypse, wasn’t it? Similarly, he didn’t enjoy stories about streamers or pro gamers as much. He preferred narratives where ordinary people played games with dedication.

He liked the events to take place within the game, with a login-and-logout system as a bonus. And if the story involved a game system appearing in real life? That wasn’t even a game novel; that was a “system novel.”

While already being picky about the genre of game fantasy—which was considered niche even among niche genres— Joo Eunho eventually found himself indulging in a guilty pleasure. It had happened after he’d gone through every romance-fantasy game novel (another niche category) and thought, Man, there’s just no content left. This genre is dead, while starving for something to read.

<Escape from Solo Queue> by Banjiha

Joo Eunho wasn’t so naïve as to not know what the BL category meant.

Even I know this! It’s gay romance, isn’t it?

But the clean, tasteful cover, free of anything that might offend his preconceived notions, kept catching his eye.

In Eunho’s mind, BL novel covers were usually images of two half-naked (or soon-to-be-naked) men tangled together with lewd expressions on their faces. But on this cover? It was just a man smashing his monitor.

“So, if there’s a monitor involved… Does that mean it’s not a virtual reality game? How does the story even unfold?”

Does the protagonist get sucked into the game world through the monitor?

In the end, he couldn’t resist his curiosity and clicked on it. He read the preview, and honestly, it didn’t seem half bad. So, he bought just the first volume.

And then.

What a beautiful story…

Lying on his bed with a contented expression, Joo Eunho reflected on what he had just read. The relationship between the two protagonists was truly wonderful. Especially the scene where the main character, who had been perpetually negative due to the stress of solo queue, grew as a person and said, “You’re like the ultimate S-tier game. Thank you for letting me, who had only played trash-tier games, know what it feels like to play a masterpiece.” He had even bookmarked that part.

There was also the moment when the AD Carry^[1] loyalist protagonist gave up his position and played support for his lover—it was nothing short of touching.

The very thing he had been wary of—the fact that it was a gay romance—had turned out to be laughable. The explicit content? Virtually nonexistent. In fact, it reminded him of other gaming fantasy novels he had read, where the protagonist shared deep camaraderie with a key supporting character. Risking their lives to save each other, and sacrificing rare ultimate items if someone was injured.

And so, Eunho came to a conclusion.

BL isn’t so bad after all.

After that, Joo Eunho, who had been starving, found a glimmer of hope, but there were many facts Eunho had overlooked to conclude it like that.  

1. <Escape from Solo Queue> was an all-ages BL novel. Moreover, it was famous even among all-ages content for its particularly mild tone.

Unaware of this, Joo Eunho had tried delving into other BL gaming-themed stories, only to end up coughing up blood at developments like, “Let’s play a game together!” followed immediately by the characters heading straight to the bedroom. From then on, he resolved to always check for the explicit content warning in the upper-right corner of the cover. He even made a mental note with a star.  

2. The balance between gaming and romance varied widely depending on the novel.

Unlike standard game fantasy novels, where the main focus was the game itself, this genre prioritized romance. As a result, the emphasis on gaming differed from one story to another. Some works used the game purely as a backdrop to bring the characters together, while others treated the game itself as a third protagonist. Naturally, Eunho preferred the latter, and though he felt bad for the hardworking authors, he couldn’t care less whether the two protagonists ended up together or not. His main thought was always, Okay, I get it. Now let’s get back to the game.

“Well, now that I’ve figured things out, it’s time to pick and choose properly.”

Selecting his favorite crops from the scattered harvest was no easy task, but Eunho had long since mastered the art of filtering options, thanks to his extensive experience of conquering romance fantasy novels.  

Reviews Buyers: 2,076 │ Non-Buyers: 2,850 Sort by: Latest │ Most Liked │ Highest Rating │ Lowest Rating

Eunho started by checking the “Most Liked” reviews.

87i* *** (Buyer)** ★★★★★ I couldn’t put it down because of the interesting setup^^ The process of the two characters falling in love is so smoothly portrayed! Comments (28) │ Likes (253)

“Hmm, that’s a bit risky.”

With a disinterested look, Eunho clicked on “Lowest Rating.” He ignored overly angry reviews, which tended to lack objectivity, and focused on reviews in the 2–3 star range, which were relatively neutral and dry, hence the most reliable for reference.

lm8*** (Buyer) ★★★☆☆ The romance was nice~ But aren’t they ever going to play the game? 😭 This makes me sad😭 But still, it was a fun read~ The author writes really well, hahaha. yoy* *** (Buyer)** ★★★☆☆ Play the game already! It was boring because it was just romance.

As expected, it seemed like the gaming content was lacking. If he read this story, he felt he’d leave a similar review, so he decided to put it on hold for now.

Exiting the page, Eunho clicked on another popular novel. This time, as usual, he started with the “Most Liked” reviews.

min*** (Buyer) ★★★★★ Wow, the game is so freaking fun;;;;;; I almost died because I wanted to play it too😭😭😭 Comments (45) │ Likes (650)

“Oh.”

Eunho’s face brightened as he eagerly clicked on the “Lowest Rating” reviews with an excited hand.

wls*** (Buyer) ★★☆☆☆ Is he a shut-in? All they do is play the game. kim*** (Buyer) ★★★☆☆ They just kept playing the game, so I don’t understand how they ended up in a relationship, LOL. They just randomly started dating… The author seems to really know their stuff about games? The gameplay scenes are really well-written, but honestly, I wanted to read BL, so it was a bit disappointing.

As soon as he read the reviews, a revelation struck him. This is it. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Like a devoted believer, Eunho responded to the revelation and completed his payment on the web page (Using the app would cost an extra 10%. It was daylight robbery).

And four hours later.

sil*** (Buyer) ★★★★★ It’s perfect. Not only is the virtual game’s worldbuilding flawless, but even the in-game patch notes show such attention to detail. Keep up the great work😄.

Eunho, thoroughly impressed by his own impeccable selection skills, left his own review.

Is this what Columbus felt like when he discovered a new continent? After venturing into a new genre, he felt as satisfied as when he polished off a bowl of instant noodles and three kimbap rolls. He was confident he’d remain ‘full’ for at least the next four months.

“…But should I eat this, or throw it away?”

Then again, when had life ever been as simple as a multiple-choice test?

It had been a month since Eunho started exploring the Game-BL genre. With his arms crossed and his face stiff as though he were a conservative elder, Eunho glared at his monitor. His light brown eyes shimmered under the faint blue glow of the screen.

“Banjiha”

The author of “Escape from Solo Queue” and “The Landscapes of Stagnant and Toxic Waters”—a novelist who’d managed to deliver fairly average hits—had released a new novel. And it was a game-themed story. Normally, this would have been an automatic win for him, no questions asked.

<[Restricted to Readers 19+ Only] The Newbie’s Circumstances>

“What the hell? I told them to just write anything, and they went ahead and did exactly that.”

To be honest, Eunho couldn’t fathom why a game-themed story would need to carry a 19+ restriction. Unless it was some hardcore erotic game reincarnation plot, the idea just didn’t make sense. If the characters started dating, they’d probably hold hands, kiss, and even do something more intimate. But couldn’t they just keep that to themselves? Fantasy novels show characters eating, but they don’t show them taking a dump. Why did readers need to know everything?

Clearly, this author had no grasp of what readers actually wanted.

Grumbling to himself about the author’s choices with a highly subjective sense of criticism, Eunho irritably tapped on his phone screen.

BL Guide ▷ Setting/Genre: Modern, Campus ▷ Keywords: Age gap, Newbie gong, Handsome gong, Unrefined gong, Crazy gong, Game-themed, Slice of life ▷ Gong: A newbie who just started playing the MMORPG “Ja-Gwi: Monster Hunter”. He has an eccentric personality.

“What do they mean by ‘eccentric’? They could at least explain it properly…”

Thinking the other character descriptions might be just as vague, Eunho kept reading.

▷ Shou: A veteran player who’s been playing “Ja-Gwi” since the open beta. While waiting for a major update, he discovers a haughty newbie and becomes determined to conquer him♡

Should I just pass on this? Eunho thought seriously, scrolling down a bit further.

▷ When to Read This: When you want to experience the vivid world of an Eastern-style fantasy game.

An Eastern-style fantasy game? Now that’s a bit refreshing. And the subtitle is “Monster Hunter”? Could this mean the mobs are monsters like Yokai or mythical creatures?

Eunho let out a groan of indecision and licked his upper lip. Let’s just check out the preview. Just a quick taste.

[The Newbie’s Circumstances: Volume 1 – End] – To be continued in Volume 2.

“Agh, why does it have to end there?”

By the time Eunho came to his senses, his shoulders had stiffened. He’d been hunched over for nearly an hour, and his neck was now painfully stiff. Rubbing it absentmindedly, he purchased Volume 2. He let out a dry chuckle at how his “little taste” had turned into a full meal, and he flipped to the next page.

For something labeled 19+, it wasn’t nearly as explicit as he’d feared—perhaps because it was game-themed. It was surprisingly readable.

…Or so he thought.

Not even 20 minutes later, Joo Eunho shouted, forcibly closing his reading app.

“…What the hell did I just read?”

Did things suddenly escalate into hardcore physical intimacy? No, if that had been the case, he would’ve squinted at the text and skipped ahead quickly. No matter how intense the scene, it wouldn’t last beyond 20 pages.

No, the problem Eunho faced now was far worse.

“From now on, don’t call me by my in-game name. Use my real name… Joo Eunho.”

The gong’s real name, revealed midway through Volume 2, just had to be the exact same as his own. It felt like he’d been struck by lightning out of a clear blue sky.

Brushing away the goosebumps that had spread across his entire body, Eunho murmured to himself in disbelief.

“Does this even make sense?”

Ding!

[SYSTEM] It makes sense.

The name would keep popping up until the end of the novel. How was he supposed to endure this? And now what was this?

[SYSTEM] Because Joo Eunho loves men! (○ ｀ｰ´)○☆)ﾟoﾟ/

At that moment, his mind went bang, and everything went black.

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Author’s Note: This is not a spoiler for the real fantasy game novel <The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor>. It’s just a joke.