Chapter 1: The World Inside the Game (1)

Why am I inside a game?

I slowly tried to recall my memories.

There is a CD game called "Hero of the Academy." It was released with that title.

From the ancient relic of a CD and its classic title, it's clear that this game was released a whopping 15 years ago.

It has charming characters and a vast world.

Almost an open-world level of freedom.

Despite costing only 33,000 won, it allows you to play not only the main and supporting characters but also customized characters.

A game that became a 'legend' in the gaming industry.

"But that legend isn't entirely positive."

2D, crude SD characters, hidden pieces that cause balance issues, and a disproportionately small number of character illustrations compared to the high level of freedom.

It's also a game that became a legend in a negative sense.

Of course, in the past, more people rated it as a good game.

Because, among the games of that era, none surpassed "Hero of the Academy."

However, there was one major reason why the game's reputation turned negative...

"I can't beat the final boss."

I'm a hardcore player, but I can't clear it no matter what.

This isn't just my story.

All users worldwide challenged it relentlessly, but no one has seen the game's ending.

Even the original hardcore fans and the ultimate hardcore fans...

And the Korean hardcore fans, who are so dedicated that they have their own difficulty level.

No one has cleared this game, even 15 years later.

A game with a beginning but no end.

It's natural that users left.

Still, a few hardcore players, including me, didn't give up.

We shared the information we had and continued to challenge the game.

For years, we kept challenging with the single-minded determination to see the game's ending.

I think I've discovered all the quests, rewards, and hidden pieces in this game.

We're almost there. Just a little more, and we can clear it.

But an event that poured cold water on our enthusiasm occurred.

"There are still quests, stories, and rewards that users haven't discovered. We estimate there are about 2,000 of them..."

During the announcement of a new game, the developer casually mentioned these two sentences.

Just two sentences, but they were a huge storm to us.

About 2,000.

A month ago, we were excited to discover a new quest that didn't help much.

In other words, we haven't discovered any new information in the past month.

And there are still 2,000 more?

How much more time and effort will it take to discover everything we haven't found yet?

"Let's stop now."

This was the conclusion the hardcore players reached.

They were tired.

Tired of the vast world of the game, the repeated failures, and the endless challenges.

Their spirits were broken.

No matter how well-made the game is, it's just a CD game.

An outdated relic with only a few illustrations to offer.

While "Hero of the Academy" continued to be popular, other games that defined the era kept appearing, and the surviving hardcore players gradually turned their attention to other games.

That left me alone.

I'm not joking; I was definitely the only one left.

The number of views on the reports I upload after each play session has been zero for a long time.

Still, I continued to challenge the game.

1 year.

2 years.

3 years.

But...

"Ah... I couldn't clear it again."

The large [GAME OVER] font, characteristic of CD games.

I nervously clicked the mouse while looking at the screen.

Even with the hidden pieces wrapped around, it ended like this.

Click.

Still, my hand, holding the mouse, pressed the start button again.

Why am I still doing this?

'Because it's fun.'

A simple yet sufficient reason.

Do you need another reason to play a game?

I've been playing this game alone for 3 years now.

I'm a bit tired, but not enough to quit.

'And I found 50 more.'

50 out of 2,000.

But to me, it's not 'just' 50.

Each time I found one, the urge to quit faded.

Maybe one day, I'll clear the final boss.

This is the driving force that keeps me starting the game again.

"Well... which character should I play as this time?"

As the saying goes, the end of tuning is purity, so the main character?

Or a supporting character who assists the main character?

Or...

'Is this the only option?'

I pressed the EXTRA button on the character selection screen.

The main and supporting characters have to follow the story's flow, so their freedom is greatly reduced.

It's natural to avoid them when I have to challenge the final boss with hidden pieces wrapped around.

But it didn't take long for me to fall into deep thought again.

'Which character should I play as this time?'

In the game "Hero of the Academy," this is a significant issue.

The skills, quests, and story given at the start vary depending on the character's appearance, personality, and tendencies.

The quality is so high that it's hard to believe it was released 18 years ago.

This is why I can't stop playing this game.

'But recently... I haven't seen any new stories.'

It's been 18 years.

Considering the number of times I've played and the combined number of times all users worldwide have played, it's natural for things to overlap.

Statistically, it's hard to see new stories.

'To increase the probability... I should create a character I've never played before.'

Even if I can't clear it, finding new quests, routes, or hidden pieces is a good deal.

After creating a character with all the knowledge and power I have, I managed to reduce the final boss's HP to 30%.

'If I can find a few more useful hidden pieces, I might be able to clear it...'

Rattle.

As I scrolled down, hundreds of traits appeared.

Something caught my eye.

'Small eyes?'

I remember seeing someone else play this on the internet.

They weren't just small eyes.

They were so small they could be called 'slit eyes.'

'...A slit-eyed character?'

I thought of the classic anime from my childhood, SlayerX, and its character ZeroX.

His somewhat clumsy demeanor, his mysterious background, his true identity that shocked everyone, and his hidden power.

A supporting character that added several times the fun.

'He was a real JohnX Sen character.'

I remember him as a character with overflowing charm, who turned out not to be the villain everyone thought he was.

Then...

Rattle.

I scrolled down without hesitation and clicked on the traits one by one.

Small eyes, shrinking tone, smiling face, and the addition of a sinister aura.

I couldn't recall ever playing a character like this, neither I nor any other player.

'Even if there was... no one has played a character with hidden pieces wrapped around like me.'

The four traits aren't particularly good, but it doesn't matter.

It's just an experimental character.

Alright, I've decided.

When I pressed the NEXT button, a window popped up saying, "Please set a name."

My fingers moved without hesitation to set the name.

What I wrote was...

'Zero.'

Click.

* * *

"..."

And this is the result.

I dug my own grave. And I dug it deep.

'Really, I'm screwed.'

For reference, "Hero of the Academy" is a game where you start with a few skills based on the initial character traits you set.

The power of the initial unique skills is quite important.

But mine is...

-Slightly open the eyes. A sinister red light appears in the pupils.

Haha.

Hahaha.

Hahahaha.

It's not even funny.

Usually, when you reincarnate or possess, you get a god-like skill, right?

But what? Open eyes?

Others start with rare traits or god-like skills, but why...

'...Skill window.'

I muttered, half expecting it.

A bluish window appeared before my eyes.

-Can read and write all characters.

-Can converse in all languages.

-Forces the suppression of emotional expressions.

Not affected by mental magic or potions.

Does not tremble with fear. Does not fall into confusion.

Never panics.

-Can view information about characters and various objects.

-Forces the correction of tone.

An irresistible force is acting due to an unknown condition. Cannot resist.

-A sinister aura emanates from the entire body.

The ON/OFF function is activated from S-rank and above.

-Slightly open the eyes. A sinister red light appears in the pupils.

The overlapping bluish windows confused my vision.

Fortunately, it seems the skill I received isn't just [Open Eyes].

'No wonder I'm so calm... it's because of the mental defense skill.'

Inside the game.

Despite the shocking situation, I wasn't particularly surprised.

I was feeling the power of the skill.

Well, I'm satisfied with just this. It's a bit confusing, though.

"Hehe, there's no law that says I must die."

???

I unconsciously covered my mouth with my hand.

What kind of bizarre tone is this?

But it was indeed what I said.

I was definitely trying to say, "There's no law that says I must die," but...

Ah... Could it be...!

"Hehe, that can't be. Could the 'shrinking tone' skill be causing this..."

...

As a hardcore player, I knew.

This is one of the hidden pieces.

Small eyes and shrinking tone. The forced correction of tone when these two traits are selected together.

I discovered a new hidden piece after months. But...

I wasn't happy at all.