“There’s only a day left...”

    I clicked my tongue lightly as I entered my ID and password in the familiar login window.

    .

    It was a few months ago that this announcement came out, but thinking that today was really the last time, I felt empty.

    Rachronia Saga, abbreviated as RaSa, was an RPG that I had been obsessed with since I was in school and had been playing it for over eight years. 

    A game that was once quite popular with its excellent graphics, immersive story, expansive worldview, and relatively novel system.

    Currently, it had long been branded as a game of obsolescence, and only several hardcore users remain. I poured a third of my life into this game. It had already become a part of my daily life.

    However, such a game eventually announced the end of service.

    It’s not that there weren’t signs. And to be honest, there was nothing strange about ending it. But I couldn’t help but feel empty and betrayed. 

    I moved my characters to visit the warehouse. It displayed the stored items on the screen. It also showed the inventory. 

    Many items accumulated while playing for nearly 10 years. 

    There were ordinary items, great items, and then there were the treasures that were even hard to find in the game. Looking back, I had too many of them.

    I didn’t stop there and opened the character information window and the skill window.

    [Lv. 99]

    RaSa’s level system made it exponentially more difficult to level up as the level increased.

    Starting from level 80, it not only needed experience points but also many difficult achievements.

    At level 99, it was the unofficial maximum level of RaSa. No user had reached it yet. But not it had only become a ‘one level of regret’ for me.

    I wanted to reach level 100.

    Sky-piercing stats, all kinds of skills, and even the most gorgeous equipments were lined up on the screen. 

    It was a splendid character specification that even experienced users did not have. But now, it was all useless.    

    Why did I spend all that time to collect and strengthen these scraps of data?

    “Shall we start?”

    I moved the mouse, feeling the anticipation welling up.

    It was for my last curiosity that I put all these things on the screen.

    The place where the mouse cursor was directed was at the box-shaped item stuck in a corner of the warehouse.

[Box of Chaos].

>A box of chaos that could fuse everything in the world. Items, gold, skills, stats, whatever the character owned could be set as materials.

>[Rating: 9 Stars]

    Compared to other RPG, RaSa had a lot of freedom.

    So, there were a lot of things like hidden pieces from all over the world. And this ‘Box of Chaos’ was also an item I got from a dungeon I found by chance. 

    As you could see from the description, the effect was very interesting. 

    There was nothing special about simple item synthesis. But in this box of chaos, not only items but also character skills and stats could be synthesized.

    In short, there were no restrictions on the type or number of materials that could be set.

    Except for novelty, it’s an item that doesn't really have much value.

    However, the only time I used this item since I got it was when I wanted to use it for fun. It’s the reason there were few nine-star items in my warehouse.

    The efficiency was simply too low. 

    Usually, when something was synthesized, something of a higher value would come out.

    However, in my case, the value did not improve but decreased.

    What’s the use of this item when that would usually happen 9 out of 10 times when fusion was attempted?

    Of course, it was nice to experiment with since you could use anything as a material and you would never know what would come out. But it’s just not worth it. 

    Until now.

    Where else could there be an item as great as this to decorate the end?

    [Set the materials for fusion.]

    I activated the box of chaos and moved the cursor.

    I clicked on items, gold, stats, skills, everything one by one.

    I set the items it took me a lot of effort to get and the skills I had gained through luck as materials without hesitation.

    Only then would the fusion be completed and the character would return to the first level. But so what? It’s the last time, anyway.

    If I synthesize everything without leaving a single thing, what will come out?

    [Material settings have been completed.]

    [Do you really want to fuse?]

    Soon, the preparations were over.

    I clicked ‘yes’ without hesitation and, at the same time, felt regretful.

    I thought I had selected all of them, but I did not set one skill as a material.

[Soul of the King.]

>The spirit of the supreme emperor is imbued with it and is unshakable under any circumstances. Fully immune to all mental debuffs.

>Every word and action imbued with the dignity and coercion of a rule. Significantly increased the chance of gaining an upper hand in conversation with NPCs.

>Rating: 9 Stars.

>Type: Passive.

>Level: 1 (MAX)

    RaSa’s unofficial highest grade, 9-star skills or items, were extremely rare and their effects were fraudulent.

    ‘Soul of the King’ was also one of those 9-star skills.

    [Convergence begins.]

    Oh, it’s starting.

    It was regretful to leave out one, but it didn’t matter, anyway.

    I stared at the box of chaos vibrating violently on the screen, emitting a dark aura.

    Why does the effect seems much chaotic than before?

    A few seconds later, a brilliant light burst through the darkness that enveloped the box, and a notification popped up.

    [Fusion complete.]

    [Instant Kill (skill acquired)]

[Instant Kill]

Instantly kills the target, ignoring all effects. It can be activated while in contact with the target, and there is no limit to the number of targets.

>Rating: 10 Stars.

>Type: Active

>Level: 1 (MAX)

>Cooldown: None

    I blinked and looked at the skill that appeared because of the fusion.

    And soon, I let out a low, astonished sigh.

    “Wow, ****.”

    What was this?

    The rating was not 9-stars but 10-stars?

    The existence of a 10-star rating in RaSa was a fact that had never been revealed.

    To be honest, I had no expectations. But the outcome was completely beyond my imagination.

    I was even more shocked reading the skill description.

    Instant death ignoring all kinds of effects? And there’s no cooldown or target limit?

    An instant kill with no target limit. Did that mean that I could use it not only on normal mobs but also on boss mobs?

    Even the heinous bosses who could only be caught after struggling for a few hours could also be subjected to instant kill?

    It can’t be... no, but its rating has never been seen before, isn’t it?

    I moved the character with an absurd expression on my face.

    I should probably just check it out for myself.

    I never thought that I would actually gain such an outrageous skill with one day left before the game ran out of service.

    If I had known it would be like this, I would have done this sooner.

    Woooo!

    “....?”

    For a moment, my vision shook, and the world suddenly sank into darkness.

    I screamed in surprise, but I couldn’t hear my voice. My body didn’t even move.

    Amid the strange sound that pierced my ears and the dizziness that seemed to turn the world upside down...

    [Don’t give up.]

    Conciousness slowly faded.

    Dingy floor. Musty smell of dust.

    I blinked my eyes and lifted my drooping head.

    “Ah~ When can I have a sip of alcohol?”

    Right next to me, I saw a bald man muttering something with a stern expression.

    Around us, people in similar clothing were crouching down in rows.

    It took me a few seconds to realize that it was a prison uniform, and that this was a prison.

    Thick chains were tied to each of their wrists and ankles. I could even see the densely strewn iron bars in front.

    Besides, what was that semi-transparent blue curtain swaying beyond the bars? It seemed to come out of any fantasy... Wait- what was that?

    Other than that, the clothes I was wearing were no different.

    I blankly looked down at the heavy iron chains on my limbs.

    What the heck...?

    I couldn’t understand the situation at all, so I searched for my memory.

    I must have just been sitting in front of my computer playing RaSa.

    Why I fused materials in the box of chaos, an amazing 10-star skill came out, and then... Ah, yes. My vision suddenly went dark. Did I faint?

    And when I opened my eyes again, it was already like this.

    The memories before this happened were clear. But the current situation was not. Rather, it got more confusing.

    “What are you looking at?” The bald man next to me met my eyes and growled ferociously.

    “Where is this?” I asked him.

    The cool voice that came out naturally when I spoke surprised me.

    “What? What is this crazy bastard saying?”

    I stared at the man, who was swearing with an absurd expression on his face. 

    Then, he seemed to flinch, but soon replied with a reluctant expression. 

    “Where is it, inside a ******* convoy?”

    “A convoy?”

    “Did you doze off? We’re on our way to Archemon. That damned place, the prisoners’ grave!”

    Archemon? Prisoners’ grave?

    As soon as I recalled it had a somewhat familiar name, I almost reflexively asked, ‘what?’.

    That’s right, because it was the name of a place that existed not in reality but in a virtual world.

    In the game world that I knew too well.

    “Hey.”

    “What else?”

    “Are you sure Archemon is referring to the prison camp managed by Lognar Kingdom?”

    “Why do you keep asking the obvious?”

    “This place, it’s not called ‘Earth’, but the continent of Rachronia, correct?”

    The man now looked at me like I was a complete madman.

    “Crazy... why did this guy suddenly change?”

    The man who muttered so quietly moved away to the side.

    I also shut my mouth and just remained silent.

    It was because I felt like I finally understood what was what without asking further questions.

    Including the numbers right above the heads of the prisoners, including the man next to him, that slowly appeared in his field of vision.

    [Lv. 48]

    [Lv. 51]

    [Lv. 45]

    Level display.

    It was hard to believe, but it seemed like I had entered the world of Rachronia Saga. There was no other way to explain the current situation. 

    The vivid sensations were clearly letting me know that the present situation was not a dream.

    Besides... this isn’t even my real body, is it?

    It would have been nice if there’s a mirror. But even without looking at my face, I could tell that this wasn’t my body.

    The color of the skin, the voice, the body shape, everything was different. The body itself felt different from usual.

    Possession? Did I possess a character in a game? How could this nonsense happen?

    “...”

    I quickly settled the confusion in my mind and sorted out the situation of this body first.

    It wasn’t difficult because I got enough information from the short conversation I just had.

    The convoy, and the Archemon camp.

    As the bald man said, the place did not differ from a prisoner's grave.

    It was a place I knew well because it was one of the many processes that I went through while progressing through the main story. 

    A place where you can’t even dream of being released or of escape, living your life in harsh labor and being experimented by, and then dying with all your blood sucked dry.

    Apparently, I possessed one prisoner being escorted to that rough area.

    Why did I enter this body? More than that, who, and for what purpose, put me in such a dog-like situation?

    If you think about it, it’s something that couldn’t be easily figured out.

    More than that, I had to do something first for my immediate survival problem. 

    At that moment, I suddenly realized the weird gap in my mentality.

    Why am I so calm?

    I suddenly entered a game and became a prisoner who was about to be taken to a concentration camp. Wasn’t this a situation where it wouldn’t be strange if I lose conciousness and started panicking? Usually, that would be the case.

    But I was thinking of quickly sorting things out and solving the immediate crisis. 

    The agitation was only for a moment. What I felt right now was not fear or worry, but only a little confusion and doubt. 

    I used to think that I belonged to the rational side, but... was I the situation who could be remain calm in such an absurd situation?

    Kwaaang!

    Then, suddenly, a heavy explosion sounded.

    The space shook from the explosions that sounded one after another without seemingly no end. What else was happening this time?

    Embarrassed prisoners muttered and raised their bodies that had fallen to the floor.

    “Fuck, what’s that? What’s going on?”

    “Looks like something exploded upstairs.”

    While the vibration of the hull continued for a long time, the prisoner’ eyes all at once turned towards the bars. All with eyes like surprised rabbits.

    It was because the blue curtain that surrounded the outside of the prison was slowly losing its light and becoming blurry.

    Eventually, as the curtain completely disappeared, someone shouted.

    “The barrier is gone!”

    As if that cry had been a signal, crunches echoed everywhere.

    It was the sound of prisoners breaking the restraints tied to their hands and feet.

    “Hahaha! What the heck is this? The mana has really returned!”

    “Freedom! Let’s overturn everything!”

    The prisoners who found their freedom in an instant ran amok with joy.

    I stared blankly at the unprecedented mess happening in front of me. They were like monsters beyond common sense. 

    As if those iron bars were papers.

    Soon the prisoners who had torn off the iron bars came out one by one.

    Even then, I still had no choice but to sit alone and stare at what they’re doing in dismay.    

    With the sound of explosion and the rocking boat, I knew the situation was taking an unusual turn. But I had no option to escape. 

    Shit.

    I cursed inwardly as I looked down at the restraints that wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard I tried.

    The muscle strength of this body seemed to be at a normal level, not much different from my original body.

    So, it’s only natural that I couldn’t break it, unlike the other prisoners.

    At that moment, another explosion erupted. It was very close this time. 

    One prisoner who was first to come out suddenly went flying like a cannonball and crashed into the wall.

    The other prisoners’ eyes widened at the sight of that prisoner dying instantly with a huge hole in his chest. His shape was so distorted that it was hard to even recognize him.

    “These bugs are jumping around excitedly. Where are you planning to crawl out?”

    It was an old man with gray hair who entered and said that in a ghastly voice.

    An old man who exuded a sense of intimidation like a mountain. He looked gigantic that all the rugged prisoners looked like children.

    “Stop him...!”

    Some prisoners who were unaware and tried to pounce ended up in a situation no different from the prisoner who had crashed into the wall earlier. 

    As if to drive away flies, the old man’s fist turned to those who tried to attack him into a piece of minced meat.

    He didn’t stop there and started slaughtering all the remaining prisoners.

    Speed and destructive power far beyond humans. 

    I couldn’t follow his movements with my eyes. All I could see was the sight of prisoners’ bodies bursting out one after another, which turned into fountains of red blood.

    It was a sight that seemed infinitely unreal. Could it be that the human body could shatter so easily, like bursting a fruit?

    Kwaaang! 

    In the meantime, a guy flew to where I was sitting and crashed into me. Blood splattered on my face. 

    He literally wiped the prisoners out in the blink of an eye, unable to resist or flee.

    In fact, from the moment the old man appeared, it was easy to guess the result. Because...

    [Lv. 91]

    I could tell from the level displayed above his head.

    He was a monster in a different level from others. 

    At most, no matter how many level 40 or 50 prisoners flocked to him, they could never touch the old man. 

    As with all RPGs, especially in RaSa, the larger the level gap, the harder it was to establish an equal battle. The number of prisoners was meaningless. Not to mention the vast difference in levels. 

    ****.

    A terrible sight, a thick bloody smell.

    Wiping the blood from my cheeks, I once again cursed inwardly. 

    I entered the game out of nowhere, became a prisoner of a convoy, something exploded and then shit happened, and the monster old man suddenly appeared and massacred the other prisoners. 

    So much had happened in a short amount of time.

    The only thing that was certain was that my life was now in greater danger than hanging from a rotten rope on a cliff.

    “Huh, is there still someone left?”

    The old man looked my way curiously, brushed off the blood soaked in his fist and walked closer.

    He climbed over the broken bars and entered the prison, looking down at me. I also looked up at him without speaking. 

    In fact, it was just that I couldn’t get out of the restraints. But since I didn’t run away and stayed calm, I had a tiny expectation that he would somehow save me.

    But it seemed like a futile hope. 

    A cruel smile crept across the old man’s lips.

    “A guy with strange eyes. Such a waste that you have to be killed here.”

    He suddenly placed a huge hand on top of my head.

    Even though it was just him placing a hand on my head, I felt the pressure as if my head would collapse at any moment.

    If the old man put even a little of strength in his grip, my head would explode. And that was the future that would happen soon. 

    Am I going to die in vain like this?

    Even amid this, my head was still calmly assessing the situation. 

    Maybe if I die like this, I can go back to my original world?

    It was not without possibility. However, I couldn’t just throw away my current life as easily as a game. 

    “...!”

    In an instant, while desperately searching for a way out, I remembered something. 

    Last minute before entering the game.

    The box of chaos, a skill that popped out because of merging everything that my character possessed.

    [Instant Kill]

    *Instantly kills the target, ignoring all effects. I can activate it while in contact with the target, and there is no limit to the number of targets. 

    No way. That thought crossed my mind. 

    Because I entered this game right after the fusion ended.

    There was no certainty. However, now it was a desperate situation where I had to grab at least a straw.

    “I am the warrior, Garten. If you have any last words, I will listen to it.”

    I met the old man’s eyes and opened my mouth.

    “Die.”

    The hand that had been placed on my head slipped away.

    The old man’s huge body collapsed on the floor like a doll with its strings cut off.