episode_0002

“….?”

No matter how many times I checked, the contents of the quest window remained unchanged.

So, what?

My current situation is…

I somehow got accepted into Providence, but…

I don’t have a single penny for the registration fee?

And I have to earn 10 million Mihan within two weeks?

In this state, with absolutely nothing to my name?

“This is insane.”

It’s impossible.

No matter how much of a hardcore player I was, scraping together that kind of money before even enrolling is absolutely unthinkable through normal means.

Worse, I’m practically a homeless drifter right now.

The little money I had was stolen by thugs…

‘Ah. Wait, were those guys I passed by earlier…?’

Now I think I understand why my shirt and wallet were covered in dirt.

After scraping together every last bit of money I had to get to Providence, I was robbed by thugs before I could even find a place to stay.

“What a headache. I don’t even know where those guys went.”

Even if I did, I doubt I could get it back.

No matter how much experience I had as an A-rank Hunter, they outnumbered me, and their physical abilities seemed far superior to my current body.

With this body, there’s nothing I can do, no matter how much I want to.

Sigh, no wonder the gacha rates were so terrible with a body like this.

I really need to fix this mess somehow.

‘No. Now’s not the time to worry about my body.’

I need to focus and solve the immediate problem at hand.

10 million Mihan is an amount I can’t earn through normal means.

That leaves only one option: abnormal methods.

‘Hunting artifacts or mining magic stones would make serious money… but with this body, it’d be no different from suicide.’

Artifact hunting and magic stone mining usually involve exploring the Backworld.

The Backworld refers to other worlds that have been completely eroded by the Corrosion Phenomenon—in other words, destroyed worlds.

There, you can acquire magical tools crafted by other civilizations, known as artifacts, and magic stones, which are rare in reality but frequently found in the Backworld.

“The Corrosion Waves make it impossible to do anything.”

The problem is that the Backworld is saturated with high-density Corrosion Waves lurking everywhere.

The waves emitted by corrupted beings gradually devour the mana of all nearby entities.

‘…With this mana, barely at the level of a D-rank Hunter, I wouldn’t last long before getting corrupted.’

Those who lose all their mana eventually become Corrupted—monsters stripped of reason.

‘I’d rather not turn into a Corrupted just to attend school.’

So, abnormal methods are out.

For a moment, I considered begging game characters for help, but I’d probably just be labeled a lunatic and chased away, so I gave up.

‘Even the protagonist is way poorer than me right now.’

Asking someone for help is impossible.

That leaves me with only one option.

“…..”

Skill: Persona Lease

I have to solve this problem using this skill.

Entering the gacha screen, I gulped.

All I have right now is a 2-Star Persona Random Acquisition Ticket and a 10-Pull Ticket.

‘Using the 10-Pull Ticket now doesn’t feel right.’

On the other hand, the 2-Star ticket can be used immediately without issue.

Whether I use it now or later, the result will still be a 2-Star.

In fact, using it now when 2-Stars are valuable is far more efficient.

“Haaah…”

Taking a deep breath, I clasped my hands together in prayer.

Please.

Let me get a high-performance character who can break me out of this miserable situation.

“Here goes.”

I used the 2-Star Persona Random Acquisition Ticket.

Then—

My vision flipped.

From the dimly lit alleyway faintly smelling of cigarettes to a vast, beautiful space filled with a shimmering galaxy.

For a moment, I felt like an insignificant speck.

No, compared to that boundless universe, I am insignificant.

As I repeated that thought in my head, the countless stars forming the Milky Way began to dim, one by one.

Soon, so many stars lost their light that counting them became meaningless.

And then, finally, the sole remaining shining star gradually drew closer to me—

“….!”

—and erupted in a dazzling crimson light.

A man’s voice echoed.

“One scene, one cut. Wouldn’t it be nice to finish quickly? Let’s wrap this up in a flash.”

Soon, the owner of that voice appeared before me.

A handsome man in a crisp white dress shirt and well-tailored pants.

His name was—

“The Enchanting Actor, Park Jeong-Hyeon.”

Park Jeong…

“Huh?”

Park Jeong-Hyeon?

That’s me.

Why am I coming out of the gacha?

Just as I was about to voice my confusion, my vision flipped again, and the familiar alleyway returned to view.

Still, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.

“…I thought at least an Infinite’s End character would come out.”

I never imagined I would appear as a gacha prize.

I pulled myself?

That’s just weird.

Questions kept bubbling up, but realizing I didn’t have much time, I suppressed them.

This wasn’t the time to be picky.

‘Well, I should at least try using it.’

With some hesitation, I leased the actor persona I’d just acquired.

Then—

“…..!”

My outfit changed in an instant.

It was identical to the attire of the actor Park Jeong-Hyeon from the gacha screen.

At the same time, a flood of information poured into my mind.

“This is….”

It felt like someone else’s experiences and skills were being overlaid onto me.

My body was also being reconfigured in real time.

I was transforming into the body of the actor Park Jeong-Hyeon.

“So this…”

Only then did I understand the true nature of my ability.

“I’m borrowing the power of myself from another world?”

I can borrow the power of other versions of me from parallel worlds.

This universe contains countless worlds.

That’s also why the Backworld is endlessly expanding.

‘In other words, I can borrow the power of me—Park Jeong-Hyeon—from any of those infinite worlds.’

Which means the types of parallel-world Park Jeong-Hyeons I can borrow are practically limitless.

‘Of course, not all of them will be as strong as my past self.’

But surely, some versions of me have reached equal or even greater heights.

If I could borrow their power, I’d be unstoppable.

“Though… that’s only possible if I solve this problem first.”

Even after uncovering the true value of my ability, the terrifying task of earning 10 million Mihan in two weeks remains unsolved.

Scratching the back of my head, I wandered through the city.

The sight of fantasy races coexisting with a modern metropolis still felt surreal.

For now, the only persona I can use is The Enchanting Actor, Park Jeong-Hyeon.

Let’s just call him Actor for short.

Based on the knowledge in my head, the Actor persona is a superhuman capable of awakening and wielding mana.

But even as a superhuman, his profession is non-combat—an actor—so fighting isn’t his forte.

In short, he’s a persona specialized in performance stats.

Still, compared to my original body, he’s far stronger.

‘If I want to earn that much money with this persona, my only option is holographic performances.’

Holographic musicals—or holomusicals—are an art form combining hologram technology (made possible by commercialized magic stones) with musical theater.

Actors perform in musicals enhanced with holographic effects, offering audiences an immersive experience unlike anything in traditional theater.

The overwhelming immersion, which even movies can’t match, has made holomusicals wildly popular, leading to a booming market.

As a result, holomusical actors are guaranteed high earnings.

Beyond just performance fees, they can gain celebrity-like fame through online platforms.

‘If I could perform in holomusicals, earning 10 million Mihan wouldn’t be just a dream…’

But realistically, it’s difficult for me to work as a holomusical actor.

First:

“What good is acting skill without experience?”

I don’t know what the original owner of this body did for a living, but he definitely wasn’t an actor.

If he had been, I wouldn’t be struggling like this.

No holomusical director would cast someone with zero experience.

And the second reason:

‘Sigh, of all things, I had to possess a human body.’

Infinite’s End.

The end of the human era.

As the name suggests, this world has seen the end of humanity’s dominance.

Decades ago, the first Corrosion Phenomenon occurred here.

It turned 90% of the human nation Legathium’s territory into an uninhabitable hellscape.

The catastrophe, known as the First Great Corrosion, stripped humanity of its ability to compete with other nations.

Of course, now is an era of peace, with all races united against the common enemy of corrosion, so Legathium hasn’t been absorbed by other nations.

‘But that doesn’t erase the prejudice against humans.’

Most races look down on humans as relatively weak.

Humans are incompetent.

Humans are lazy.

Humans are parasites who can’t survive without our help.

Plenty of people think this way.

In other words, humans have fewer opportunities to achieve anything compared to other races.

‘With this body, I probably can’t even land an extra role, let alone a lead.’

My hopes are dwindling by the second.

Wandering aimlessly through the city won’t help, so I stopped walking.

Leaning against a lamppost, I took a short break.

A sleekly designed café stood before me.

Along with it came the slow, gnawing sensation of hunger.

“…Should I just work part-time at a place like that?”

But the thought of a café hiring a human like me was laughable.

What a damn unlucky day.

Then—

-Creak!

Someone opened the café door and stepped outside.

My eyes widened as I recognized them.

That person is…

“I take it back.”

Today is a damn lucky day.