Chapter 1. Into the Game (1)

There was a game I used to enjoy.

A hardcore game set in a medieval fantasy world.

It was my life's work, notorious for its difficulty, which frustrated countless gamers.

I'm saying this because I was possessed by that game.

And not just any time, but 500 years after the ending.

*

When I was young, I really loved games.

After school, I would rush to the PC room with my pocket money and practically live there.

Even now, as a young professional, I still love games.

However, the passion I once had has largely faded.

With the pressures of work and real life, I started to avoid games that pushed excessive competition.

I also ignored pay-to-win games because I didn't have enough money.

So, I mostly played single-player games.

Traveling through a fantasy world without competing against anyone was perfect for my tired mind.

High difficulty? It was even better because it sparked my sense of challenge.

That might be why I got so hooked on that game.

The clash of weapons on vast plains.

Mysterious creatures soaring through the sky.

Huge dungeons and kingdoms.

It was an open-world RPG set in a medieval fantasy world, filled with all that romance.

With stunning graphics, high difficulty, and an excellent world view.

Despite being a young professional, I would play this game non-stop from the moment I got off work, even on weekends.

It was notorious for its extreme difficulty, frustrating countless gamers, but it fueled my forgotten pride and spirit of challenge.

I completed it 99 times, from start to finish.

I burned through it, enjoying it to the fullest.

I could have played more, but the difficulty didn't increase after the 99th cycle.

The game's end was only up to the 99th cycle.

'Is this really the end?'

It was a game I was proud to call my life's game, but it finally has an end.

All the DLC must be out, and there will be no more patches. There's no other option but to wait for the developer's next game.

Thinking about the end of a game that was a part of my life, I leaned back in my chair.

On the screen, the 99th cycle ending scroll was rolling up.

I usually skipped this scene because I had seen it so many times, but I left it alone, thinking it was the last time.

On the black screen, majestic BGM played as white text appeared.

Then, a new screen popped up.

"What?"

I blurted out without realizing it.

I thought this game had nothing after the 99th cycle, but there was a next cycle?

Maybe it was an error or a bug. No one had ever mentioned such a thing.

But my hand, holding the mouse, was moving towards the "YES" button.

Click.

The moment I moved the cursor to the "YES" button and clicked it.

───!!!

My vision went completely black.

*

I opened my eyes.

The air was damp, and it was pitch dark around me.

'Where am I?'

I recalled the last scene before I blacked out.

Right. I was watching the 99th cycle ending and was about to quit the game when a button for the next cycle appeared.

'When I clicked it, I suddenly lost consciousness...'

I slowly got up.

At first, I couldn't see anything in the darkness, but gradually my eyes adjusted, and I could see the surroundings.

As I was about to look around, I felt something strange on my body and looked down.

'Armor?'

My everyday clothes were gone, replaced by armor.

It was the kind of armor a knight would wear.

But what was most surprising was how familiar this armor looked to me.

'This is the armor my game character wore at the start, isn't it?'

In the game I played, you could choose your character's "birth."

There were 8 different births to choose from, each with different initial stats, skills, and equipment.

I naturally chose the most orthodox [Wandering Knight].

I preferred melee characters, and a knight with balanced attack, defense, and health seemed perfect for this hardcore game.

And it turned out to be the right choice.

The armor I was wearing was the default armor given when you chose the knight birth.

It was basic equipment, but it wasn't bad.

This game didn't have equipment levels. Each piece had its own characteristics, but none were so overpowered as to break the balance.

One of the game's strengths was that you could beat the final boss with the iron sword given at the start. Of course, the game was too difficult for that to be practical.

'But why am I wearing this?'

I looked around.

The familiar dark space was stirring a memory in the back of my mind.

'This scene, this setup, it's so familiar.'

The Chapel of Trials.

This was the tutorial area you encountered first when you started the game.

How could I not recognize it after seeing it so many times?

The small but ornate temple carved out of a cave.

The eerie blue-green light from the faintly glowing stones was almost dreamlike.

New players would marvel at the interior, only to curse the game soon after.

Because the tutorial boss showed an insane difficulty right from the start.

I approached one of the walls and lightly touched it with my hand.

The rough texture of the stone and the musty smell of the dust at the end of my fingers confirmed it.

'The sensation is all real. This isn't a dream.'

My expression naturally turned serious.

When I opened my eyes, I saw an environment similar to the game, and I was wearing the armor of my game character.

I didn't know why I was here.

But the most likely reason was that I clicked the next cycle button just before I blacked out.

It was an unbelievable situation, but I had to accept it as reality.

'Let's move for now.'

Staying in the dark, damp chapel was making me feel uneasy.

I might even develop claustrophobia if I stayed here.

I started walking.

My goal was to get out of this chapel as quickly as possible.

The initially uncomfortable armor gradually felt more natural as I walked, and I even started to feel comfortable in it.

This led to all sorts of thoughts.

'What's happening to me? Did I really come into the game world? If so, is my body now that of my game character?'

As I walked, the space in front of me opened up to reveal a small circular arena.

I stopped.

If my memory served me right, this was where the tutorial boss appeared.

The game was notorious for its difficulty, and the tutorial boss was no exception.

It was known as the "newbie slaughter zone."

Most new players couldn't overcome this wall and gave up.

Of course, this section wasn't designed to be beaten.

It was an event area where you had to die to progress.

The tutorial boss was just a warning to those starting the game.

-This game is this difficult, so no matter how hard it gets later, it's not our fault.

-If you want to back out, quit the game now and get a refund.

It was a truly tear-jerkingly kind warning.

Most people humbly accepted this warning, but I was different.

After countless tearful tries, I managed to break through the space I was supposed to die in.

The indescribable thrill I felt then was the main reason I couldn't stop playing this game.

'But that was only true when it was a game.'

If this was reality,

then the game's cruel difficulty would directly threaten my life.

In the center of the circular arena was the boss.

A knight kneeling with his head bowed.

It wasn't a living knight but a golem that automatically moved when a playable character entered the area.

The golem, with its unique dragon-themed armor design and cruel difficulty, was both heavily criticized and highly praised.

'The problem is that it's my opponent now.'

Though it was kneeling, I remembered it would stand up to be about 2.5 meters tall.

Its weapon, a halberd, had a range of over 3 meters.

I checked my weapon at my waist.

A plain longsword. And on my back was a medium-sized kite shield.

Since my equipment reset each cycle, I only had the basic issued gear.

So, if I wanted to think about stability, the shield was my best option.

This game had a parrying skill.

If you swung your shield at the exact moment an enemy attacked, you could not only deflect the attack but also counter it.

This parrying was considered the strongest skill for a wandering knight.

'If I time it right, I can block the attack.'

Since I knew all the patterns of the tutorial boss, I could theoretically handle it.

'But that was only possible because it was a game.'

In reality, it would be impossible to parry an attack by swinging a shield at the right time.

I could easily be split in two by the halberd if I relied too much on the shield.

I took a deep breath.

I had tried to deny it, but now I had to accept it.

This wasn't a game.

Everything was real.

But I couldn't stay here forever.

To get out of this chapel, I had to overcome the tutorial boss.

'There's no other way.'

I forced myself to push aside my fear and took a step forward.

Honestly, I was scared.

If I were my usual self, I wouldn't even consider taking such a risk.

But strangely, my body wasn't tense; it was burning with excitement.

I don't know why, but I felt braver and more confident than usual.

I held the shield in my left hand and the sword in my right.

It was the first time I held a weapon, but it felt strangely natural in my hands.

This gave me a sense of courage I didn't know I had.

'Alright. Let's do this.'

I lowered my stance and glared at the tutorial boss.

He was still kneeling with his head bowed.

Soon, he would lift his head, and the red light from his helmet would shine through the gaps.

He would stand up with a creak and grab the halberd beside him, readying himself.

I remembered this was his entrance cutscene.

'First, I need to get to the halberd... Wait?'

At that moment, I noticed something was off.

The halberd that should have been beside the tutorial boss was missing.

'What? Why is it gone?'

It wasn't completely gone. There was something like a handle of the halberd beside him.

If you could call the almost broken piece a handle.

I carefully examined the tutorial boss's state.

I noticed something was off with him too.

He should have lifted his head by now, but he was still kneeling motionless.

Then I realized why.

'He's broken, isn't he?'