Ch.1001. Is this that Golden Sun or whatever it’s called?

I sighed deeply and looked in the mirror. No matter how much I thought about it, what he had concluded seemed right, but accepting it was no easy task.

Golden blonde hair that shimmered like liquid gold, crimson eyes that looked as if they were made from melted rubies, and sun-kissed bronze skin showcasing healthy muscle definition. Gold piercings dangling from his ears, strong facial features, and sharp eyes.

The image of a golden sun, as if painted in a picture, was reflected in the mirror.

How could this be possible?

He had clearly been playing a game called Tactical Combat.

All he’d done was create a character for a concept build in the custom mode that unlocked after achieving 100% completion—a world first for such a hardcore accomplishment.

But to suddenly become that character right after creating it?

His head was spinning.

Tactical Combat had always been considered a bit of a trash game, but that’s precisely what attracted gamers and made it wildly popular.

Though it sounds ridiculous to say a trash game was well-made, Tactical Combat truly was an excellently crafted game.

With its overwhelming realism, vibrant NPCs that seemed to breathe, and solid storyline, it deserved to be called a masterpiece. The only problems were its terrible balance patches that made it broken, and the bugs that led him to call it a “bug-ridden piece of shit.”

Despite that, the difficulty was insanely high—like getting shot in the head—to the point that even he, a former pilot, had cursed and wondered if the game was actually meant to be beaten.

As with most games of this type, there were more gamers defending these issues as “features” rather than complaining about the developers, and he was one of them.

Considering the time he’d poured into achieving 100% completion, it was obvious how much he loved Tactical Combat without having to say a word.

But to be backstabbed like this—he couldn’t help but feel furious.

Was this even possible in the first place?

He sighed deeply again, but nothing changed.

It was time to worry about what came next.

This game primarily revolved around piloting massive mechs called God Machines in combat.

In other words, it was a game where players directly controlled God Machines from the cockpit.

When he first started playing, being a former fighter pilot, he had approached the game with some confidence. Having experienced actual war, he had a natural talent for operating anything with a cockpit and initially thought it would be just a game.

But there was a reason many people called it a trash game. Despite his confidence, he immediately got a game over and had to set the difficulty to “Insect Mode”—even below Easy Mode—until he got used to the game. That’s how brutal it was.

Even with his talent, it took time before he became a veteran player. And right after achieving the monumental 100% completion as a world first and creating a concept custom character, he was pulled into the game world.

What a perfectly logical sequence of events.

He sighed deeply again.

What now?

He genuinely wondered what he should do.

Tactical Combat was fundamentally difficult, but that was mainly because controlling the God Machines was challenging. Once you adapted, even the Insect difficulty became somewhat manageable.

With the status window system and trait skills that helped with mech control, players could enjoy the game once they adapted.

In particular, the protagonist’s trait skill “Integration” was considered the best in Tactical Combat.

This Integration skill increased synchronization with the God Machine, allowing for more flexible and precise control. As the skill evolved into “Unity of Self and Machine,” it enabled piloting that felt almost like moving one’s own body.

The only problem was that he didn’t have this overpowered skill.

In Tactical Combat, players could only select the protagonist character. The game had such high freedom that this alone provided plenty of enjoyment, so there weren’t many complaints among users in the early days.

But as time passed, veteran players became an issue. Having fully adapted to the game, they craved new stimulation and wanted to play characters with different narratives than the protagonist.

That’s when the Custom Mode was introduced—a groundbreaking feature that allowed players to create their own character concepts that would be reflected in-game.

Veteran players salivated at the announcement of this new mode and eagerly awaited its update.

However, Custom Mode wasn’t available to everyone. It could only be unlocked by achieving 100% completion of all achievements.

When veteran gamers protested this, the developers silenced their complaints with a single statement:

“You call yourself a veteran when you haven’t completed all achievements?”

That one line triggered the veterans. Priding themselves on mastering the game, they immediately began grinding to clear all achievements.

But completing Tactical Combat’s achievements was no easy task.

There were numerous achievements that seemed impossible to obtain, causing many to give up.

However, one person persisted through these seemingly impossible tasks.

That person was Kang Do-jun, who had now opened his eyes in this world.

With unbelievable determination, he achieved 100% completion and proudly unlocked Custom Mode.

Having truly become a veteran player, he had no intention of enjoying the hard-earned Custom Mode in an ordinary way.

After all, how had he unlocked this mode?

Seeking a different kind of thrill, he decided to base his character concept on the recent popular “Golden Sun” meme. Committing fully to the bit, he proceeded with his customization.

That’s how he created the trait skill “Your Mech Is Sick.”

It was a very Golden Sun-like trait skill that allowed him to use the protagonist’s ultimate skill form, “Unity of Self and Machine,” without any penalties when piloting stolen mechs.

Starting with the premise that a Golden Sun character should naturally steal from others, he created this skill thinking it would be fun to go around hijacking other people’s mechs and dominating battles.

If this had remained just a game, he might have praised himself for such a detailed customization. The idea of a Golden Sun-looking character going around stealing mechs was amusing just to think about.

But now that trait skill had become his actual trait skill.

What could have been his secret weapon had become a dagger in his back.

“Your Mech Is Sick” was a flawed skill that could only be activated when piloting a God Machine registered as someone else’s.

In other words, unless he stole someone else’s registered God Machine, he couldn’t use his trait skill and had to operate the mech solely with his own abilities.

Is this right?

Such a penalty was satisfying for a concept playthrough, but when it became reality, it was just a useless handicap.

Fine. Whatever.

Unable to complain forever, he tried to calm down and began searching for the cause of his situation.

Of course, he questioned whether entering a game was even possible, but having confirmed that his current situation wasn’t a dream, he had to set that aside for now.

Of course, such a thing shouldn’t be possible.

He was just a veteran player who enjoyed uploading his gameplay to community forums.

He simply edited what he thought was too good not to share and posted it. That was all.

He never argued with anyone or sent complaint emails to the developers.

Wait a minute.

There was one thing that stood out.

Officially, he was the first to clear all achievements in Tactical Combat. The developers had officially acknowledged that he was the only one to complete all achievements, so it wasn’t just his imagination.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

The curse he’d been holding back finally burst out.

Could that have been the trigger?

Was that the goddamn condition for entering this world—clearing this piece of shit game completely?

There was no other explanation. And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Being pulled into a game because you’re good at it… how could he not curse?

He took deep breaths, trying to calm down somehow.

Though it still didn’t feel real, the situation hadn’t changed for days, so he had to accept his current reality somehow.

Taking a deep breath helped him calm down somewhat.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say he had given up rather than calmed down.

No matter what tantrum he threw, the fact that he had awakened in the world of Tactical Combat remained unchanged—something he had experienced firsthand over the past few days.

Is there a way back?

Having given up, he now needed to think about what to do next.

A very fundamental question: could he return to the world he originally lived in?

Despite having been obsessed with this game world, he honestly wanted to go back.

It wasn’t that he had many ties to his original world.

He came from a single-mother household, and his mother had long since passed away from cancer.

Not only that, but his body was a wreck due to terrible injuries from being shot, so there wasn’t much reason to go back.

But still, that was the world where he was born and where he was supposed to live and die.

No matter how terrible it was, he had memories of life-and-death situations shared with comrades, so he needed to return.

At the very least, he had no desire to die in a place like this.

What should I do now?

He sighed deeply and slumped into a chair.

It was nonsensical to look for a way back when he didn’t even know the exact reason he had entered the world of Tactical Combat.

Still, if he had to guess, if he was pulled into this world because he completed the game in reality, perhaps finishing all scenarios in this world would allow him to return.

This was just speculation, but it felt like the only thing he could try.

He stroked his chin with the back of his right hand.

It was an unconscious habit when he was deep in thought.

-Knock knock

“Young master. The Count is asking for you.”

“…I understand.”

Not even giving him time to think?

He had unconsciously been trying to avoid meeting this body’s family, but it seemed that had reached its limit.

Tactical Combat is a console game.

What this means is that there’s a story, and playing through that story is how you play the game.

However, the Golden Sun character Gilbert that he created didn’t have any specific background setting.

While he had created a custom character for his concept build, as someone who appreciated Tactical Combat’s existing worldview, he had simply inserted the character into a suitable noble family.

He hadn’t even put much thought into choosing that noble family.

He had simply selected a family with a high position and long history to secure initial funding, naturally settling on the Hart family—the current Counts of Lithuania who also held the title of Margrave.

According to the game’s setting, the Hart family was a prestigious household recognized throughout the Empire, which made it an excellent condition for him who now had to live in this world.

If he had added any strange settings, he might have had to worry about surviving just today.

The only issue was that Gilbert Lion Heart, whom he had now possessed, was set as a playboy to maintain the Golden Sun concept.

The eldest son of a Count’s family, yet a playboy.

What did this mean?

It meant he had become the delinquent eldest son of a noble family, a common trope in web novels.

He hadn’t thought much about his trait skill being a bit of a joke, but this was actually the biggest problem.

The playboy delinquent setting was a staple in web novels. The idea of a possession changing the behavior established by the body’s original owner had a certain cult appeal.

But when this became reality, it wasn’t such an amusing situation.

After observing the people around him for the past few days, he could keenly feel his current reputation.

He was truly nothing more than a delinquent bastard.

But there’s nothing I can do about it now.

He pushed his complaints to a corner of his mind.

Right now, he needed to meet Gilbert’s father, the Count of Lithuania.

After straightening his slightly wrinkled clothes, he followed the servant waiting outside to the office.

“Count, I have brought the eldest young master as ordered.”

“Enter.”

The door opened as soon as permission was granted.

Inwardly sighing, he tried to calm his nervous heart.

Though he couldn’t fully grasp this world yet, if he couldn’t pass even this first hurdle, surviving in this harsh world would be impossible.

Having become Gilbert, he steeled himself and entered the office that looked like the entrance to purgatory.