I Became a Veteran Pilot in a Game

Ring-ring-

The damned alarm drilled into my skull.

I couldn’t tell if the throbbing headache was from the cheap spirits I drank last night, or a chronic ailment I’d developed after falling into this cursed world.

Probably both.

I slowly, like a slug, lifted my body from the creaking cot.

A faint, translucent system window still floated before my eyes.

[Kang Jin-woo] Affiliation: Chronos Mercenary Corps (Low-Rank Mercenary) Rank: Private (Cog7) Credits Held: 350CR Status: Hangover, mild malnutrition, chronic fatigue

Cog7.

A part number, called instead of a name.

It was one piece of evidence that this place, though similar to the world within the game “Galaxy Titans,” was reality.

I still didn’t know why I, who once topped the rankings in the game by piloting the Asura mech and only using melee weapons, had fallen into such a gutter.

One day, I just woke up and found myself here.

“Ugh, my head’s splitting… Hey, 7! Looks like you drank quite a bit too. You look a mess.”

Cog5 from the next bed, the guy who called himself Jinx, scratched his messy hair and spoke to me.

His face didn’t look particularly good either. Well, was there anyone decent among the guys here?

“Shut up. Worry about your own face.”

I retorted curtly and got up.

Then, from the bed across, Cog6, nicknamed Sparky, grumbled.

“Damn it, where are we going to be sent to slog today? I just hope it’s not Gamma Sector. They say that place is a complete ghost haunt.”

Jinx scoffed.

“Hey, Sparky. No matter where we go, it’s all the same shithole. We’re just cannon fodder anyway, so what’s there to complain about? Just be grateful for the food they give you.”

“Food? You mean that nutrient paste? I feel like puking every time I eat it!”

“Still better than starving, right? Isn’t that so, 7?”

Jinx looked at me, seeking agreement, but instead of answering, I pulled on my crumpled mercenary uniform.

Their conversations were always like this.

Cheap alcohol, terrible meals, dangerous missions, and meager pay.