Chapter 1 Beginning

The sound of rain enveloped the silent night, countless droplets softly tapping against the window as i stared at the glowing monitor in front of me. Somehow, the sound always made the room feel a little lonelier.

But somehow, it felt completely natural for an introvert like me to live this way.

My name was Baek Woojin, a shut-in introvert who spent most of my time alone in this dark room, playing games until sunrise.

The digital clock on the corner of my desk read 2:54 AM.

At some point, i had completely stopped caring about getting enough sleep.

''...Ugh... I've completely turned into a night owl now...."

Empty instant noodle cups and beer cans were scattered around my desk, mixed together with the notes i took while playing the game, Hero Academy. 

The faint light from the monitor is the only thing keeping dark room visible.

Click.

Click.

I pressed the next dialogue option without hesitation, already knowing that no matter what choice i made, the result would always be the same.

After repeating the same routes countless time, i already know that the story of each playable character can't be changed.

The character would struggle to survive.

But.

They would die anyway.

It was the same for every playable character in this game.

A bright flash erupted across the screen as countless spells collided in the middle of a ruined battlefield.

Right now, i was trying to fight the final boss using the only playable character who had survived long enough to reach the moment the final boss appeared.

Kang Jinhyuk, the light mage.

Every player called him the failed hero because he could never stop the demon invasion.

His white robe was stained with blood as he stood alone beneath the red sky, golden magic circles spinning around him. Thousand of corpses covered the battlefield behind him, both human and demon alike.

Like always, the moment the character about to die, player could no longer control them, and the battle would turn into a cutscene. As if the developer want all the character to die.

In the cutscene, Kang Jinhyuk slowly raised his wand and cast a Divine level spell against the Demon King.

The demon king slowly walk forward, his overwhelming presence alone make Kang Jinhyuk's hand tremble.

Yet he quietly raised his wand.

A massive magic circle appeared in the sky, glowing with blinding light.

"...Divine art... Judgment of heaven..."

Thousands of light spears formed across the sky and rained down like a storm, piercing through the Demon King's army and turning the ground into a sea of blood and flesh.

As the army of demons fell, Kang Jinhyuk shifted his target to the Demon King. But the Demon King didn't even bother to dodge the spells, as if they couldn't injure him at all.

After a few minutes of raining spears, Kang Jinhyuk's mana was almost depleted, so he decided to stop the spell.

A cloud of dust covered the battlefield, making it hard to see what had happened to the Demon King.

Suddenly, a magic arrow made of red mana shot toward Kang Jinhyuk. He didn't have enough time to react, and it pierced his heart.

"...You are strong human.. But i am stronger..."

The Demon King's voice echoed through the battlefield as he stepped out of the dust, completely unharmed.

Slowly, he walked toward Kang Jinhyuk, formed another magic arrow, and fired it once more.

The battle ended with Kang Jinhyuk's humiliating defeat.

Another bad ending.

Just like the other playable character.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the frozen "GAME OVER" screen without really reacting.

At this point i wasn't surprised anymore.

People used to call this game trash.

Not because the game quality was bad, but because no matter what you did, the characters' tragic endings could never be changed.

No matter how perfect your character skills and stats, the outcome will be always the same.

And yet, unlike other games where everything was automated or simplified, this one forced you to do everything yourself.

Every exam.

Every action.

That was probably why almost everyone quit.

Maybe I was the only idiot still playing it.

I stared at the darkened screen reflection of myself.

"…Why am I even still playing this?"

I muttered under my breath.

There was no achievement.

No reward.

No satisfaction.

Just endless routes ending the same way.

I should've stopped a long time ago.

Right?

My hand hovered over the mouse.

For a moment, I thought about closing the game.

Uninstalling it.

But before I could move, a sound echoed from my speakers.

Ding.

I froze.

That wasn't a game sound.

A small window appeared on my screen.

[To the player who has completed all available routes.]

My eyes narrowed slightly.

All routes?

How is that clear when, in the end, the character I used dies?

Another line appeared beneath the first one.

[The developer wishes to offer you a reward.]

stared at it for a moment.

A reward?

From this game?

Then the next line appeared.

Reward: A travel ticket.

Will you accept? (YES / NO)

A travel ticket…?

To where?

I let out a small, breathless laugh.

Is the game system bugging or what.

Yeah, that must be it.

Still.

I move my cursor to the YES choice.

i didn't know why.

Maybe i was just too bored.

Or curiosity.

And then.

I clicked.

The moment i did, the computer screen flash white.

Too bright.

And every sound around me making my head hurt.

My vision blanked out completely.

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