Chapter 1: Prologue

「Twist it... if you wish to kill me.」

The sword that pierced the man’s heart trembled. As he neared the end of his life, the man haughtily demanded his own death.

With a firm grip, the woman twisted the sword without a word.

His chest contorted and blood spurted out, yet the man didn’t let out even the faintest of moans.

「You remain as beautiful and unattainable as ever...」

The man’s slowly rising fingertips touched the woman, leaving streaks of blood across her cheek.

She remained expressionless, and her heart was as cold and unyielding as ice—the very qualities that had captivated him and drawn him to her. A beauty worthy of ending his life.

The man smiled faintly.

Soon, his final words came forth, and he coughed up blood.

「Damn you...」 he muttered.

"

Phew

. It's not glitching anymore...."

I sighed in relief as I looked at the normal screen and checked the character's settings once again.

───────

[Deculein von Grahan-Yukline]

Disposition:

Evil

Primary Occupation:

Head Professor

Primary Mana:

3,357

Talent Grade:

Grade 6

Talent Type :

Magic — Manipulation / Element Properties of Earth, Fire

Attributes:

6

Personality Traits:

13

───────

Deculein, he was one of the named villains and a mid-boss in this game. Normally, there would have been many errors because he was a crucial villain in the game with a wide variety of branching paths in interactive storylines based on the player's choice.

Fortunately for me, however, Deculein met his demise after just eleven hours of playtime from a wound inflicted by his fiancée, and without any bugs either.

"

Uh

, Woo-Jin?"

Just as I was about to continue the game, a familiar voice called my name.

"

Ah

, yes. Ah-Ra," I said as I turned around.

Even without makeup, her eyes still seemed particularly large, and her long hair shone effortlessly.

Yoo Ah-Ra was a woman of extraordinary beauty that one could easily mistake for an actress. She held the position of team leader and I had once dated her, or rather I should say she graciously dated me.

"Is the testing going well?"

"Yes, I'm on it," I said, shrugging habitually at her question.

Yoo Ah-Ra silently nodded. As I casually glanced at her, I noticed a new accessory around her neck, and my lips twitched.

"Seems like your dating life is going well lately?"

"

Huh

?

Oh

... well, I guess?"

Yoo Ah-Ra shrugged too. It was a gesture we had picked up from each other.

"It seems to be going well."

"

Hmm

."

I aimlessly scrolled up and down. I had heard the rumors, but I felt quite bitter hearing it directly from her.

"Why do you ask?"

"What do you mean, why?"

To no one’s fault, we had broken up six months ago. We had simply grown apart.

I was naturally laid-back, and she was a born workaholic. Her ambition had led me to be a person who could make enough money to live comfortably, but ultimately, she couldn't accept my personality, and I couldn’t change either.

"I’m just hoping you make it to marriage," I said sarcastically.

"

... Sigh

."

"

Oops

. Was that petty?"

I raised my eyebrow in a mocking expression, but she didn’t bite on such provocations.

"Just get back to work. Since there are some changes in the settings, you might need to update the modeling."

"Again? What's with the writer always changing things?" I groaned at her words.

I sighed and glanced at the clock. It was already 9 p.m. Night had fallen but I was nowhere close to being done and clocking out.

"

Ah

, you were looking at Deculein?" Yoo Ah-Ra chuckled as she peered at my monitor.

"Yes, he died in just eleven hours. But you know, with a little trick, you could probably kill him right at the start of the game. Is he really a mid-boss?"

"That's the charm of our game. The longer you leave Deculein unchecked, the more villainous he becomes, so it's easier if you take him out early. The difficulty changes based on the player's choices."

"... Right," I said, nodding.

I had participated in the company-wide game testing four times myself, and collectively, the testing had been replayed about 1,000 times. However, Deculein, this mid-boss, had died in all but one of those instances.

"Did you know? Some people said this character model is based on you," Yoo Ah-Ra asked.

"Deculein?"

"Yes. That’s why I kill him off right at the start."

"What?" I frowned.

The screen still flickered with the words

“Damn you—”

.

"Hehe. You didn't notice? He looks similar to you," Yoo Ah-Ra chuckled.

"But... I’ve only met the writer twice?"

"Must’ve seen you passing by the company. Anyway, look. Even the personality is similar."

"... The personality is similar? But his last words were

‘Damn you—’

?" I asked.

"Similar though."

"

Tsk

, that’s why I dumped you," I said sarcastically once again.

Yoo Ah-Ra's expression hardened. I raised my hands in feigned fear.

"

Oops

, sorry. Was that petty too?"

Being called petty only makes it worse; there was no helping it anymore. Eventually, Yoo Ah-Ra couldn’t help but engage.

"... You really are petty," Yoo Ah-Ra responded.

"You think I'm petty because you feel it that way. You’ve got some paranoia going on. I'm the only one who could tolerate you."

"Just watch the game and stay quiet. How's the test going?"

I smoothly went along with her topic change. My focus returned to the monitor.

"The game itself is fun."

The game was set in a fantasy world with a cultural mix from the 14th to 20th centuries. While it was a large-scale RPG, the focus was on storytelling.

"But the problem is, if this fails, the company fails," I continued.

REW had emerged like a revelation in the console game desert of South Korea and gained worldwide recognition after consecutive successes. Now, this AAA-class game was their all-in bet, utilizing all the profits and investments they had accumulated to date.

If this flopped, we'd be screwed. Seriously.

"Don't worry, it won't fail. Haven't you seen how the gameplay videos took the world by storm?" Ah-Ra replied.

The gameplay videos had taken the world by a storm because the storyline and difficulty of the game could be changed based on the actions of the player, not to mention the highly advanced AI and named characters. Although it was a single-player game, the fresh approach and REW's reputation helped position our game among the strong contenders for Game of the Year.

"If we just elevate our reputation with this single console, we can rake in the money online. We’re definitely going to succeed," Ah-Ra continued, her words filled with optimism.

The game truly featured many appealing characters and classes.

Knight, mage, demon, demon hunter, bureaucrat, adventurer, mercenary, king, noble... In this game, players could be anyone they choose.

"Yeah. That'd be great for me too since that means a bonus," I said with a brief smile, turning toward the window. "

... Ah

, there he is."

My desk was by the window, offering a view of the street and the entrance to our company. A sleek foreign car shone under a streetlight as it waited for her.

"Is that guy less petty than me?" I asked, pointing outside and now able to joke about it.

"... He’s a good person, in a different way," she said with a smile.

It was enough for me to hear that I was a good person too. Even if she didn't intend it that way, I still took it as such.

"Really? What a relief," I replied.

Of course, I still felt a bit uneasy, but not as much as before. According to her, the man in that car was a good person. If he had been a jerk, I probably would have been angrier.

"Yeah...

uh

, there's also something else..." Yoo Ah-Ra hesitated.

But I already knew about her habits. After a moment, she would turn around and dismiss it as if it were nothing. However, I was fully aware of exactly what she wanted from me at that time.

"Ah-Ra. We first met three years ago, right? What were you going to say?" I coaxed lightly.

Office relationships were a secret. Though we had been dating before joining the company, it was still a covert workplace romance.

"... Right. What was I going to say..."

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.

The brief silence was amplified by the ticking of the clock. In such awkward moments, it was always Yoo Ah-Ra who broke the silence.

"Well, Woo-Jin. I’m heading out."

"Alright. Take care," I replied.

"Yes. You too, take care."

Click-clack.

Her high heels echoed as she walked away. Her silhouette was perfect, but her inner beauty surpassed her outer appearance. She was a truly wonderful person and the best thing that happened in my life. She was the first to convince me that people can indeed change others.

"... Take care."

The words that wouldn’t reach her, were spoken only to myself. Feeling rather pathetic, I let out a sigh and refocused on the monitor.

"But really, the writer is too much."

Seeing the character Deculein, who had already been killed, blew my mind.

This scumbag is supposed to be me? Ridiculous... although he does resemble me.

He definitely looked like he was based on me. I had been wondering who he resembled even as I was modeling him and it turned out to be me?

"Better upgrade the looks."

Officially, the game had gone gold, but the company and the writer still had their ambitions for it. So, they gave me master access and asked me to do the final modeling.

"Let's see."

No one would complain if the character looked more handsome than before.

Even if he was a villain, I ought to spruce him up, since he was based on me. After all, I’d never been told I was ugly.

"... Done."

Quickly finishing the adjustments, I suddenly noticed the character's Unique Aspects.

"

Hmm...

"

In this game, a character’s individuality could be defined by two types of unique aspects—Attributes

,

which had a direct impact on basic specs, and Personality Traits

,

which influenced the character’s basic specs indirectly. Named characters, especially, have numerous attributes and personality traits.

───────

[Attributes]

Intimidation and Dignity

Whiz Kid

Average Mage

Resolute

Aesthetic Sense

Villain’s Fate

───────

Deculein’s attributes included these six. A combination of

Whiz Kid

and

Average Mage

. Truly the worst of the worst.

───────

[Personality Traits]

Elitism

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Regular Habits

Competitiveness

Noble Etiquette

Sensitivity

Authoritative

Pretense and Composure

Strong Mental Fortitude

Cultural Obsession

Atheism

───────

And numerous other personality traits.

"The personality traits are quite bad."

Deculein might be based on me, but I don't have those attributes like Elitism, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or Pretense. Nor do I have the right to be Authoritative myself. I just stared irritably at the monitor, then glanced at the codes sprawled next to the attributes and personality traits.

"...

Hmm

."

Alone in the office, I sneakily browsed other attribute and personality trait codes. I wasn’t planning any mischief, I was just scrolling for fun... then I found one.

Comprehension

"At least you shouldn’t be petty like me."

I’m guessing it’s probably similar to empathy, classified as an attribute rather than a personality trait but whatever.

I added Comprehension to Deculein’s attributes. Next was a Wealthy Magnate... he might as well be rich.

Click—

I added several other unique aspects playfully.

Wealthy Magnate

,

Midas Touch

,

Sharp Eyesight

,

Iron Man

, and others...

"...What am I even doing?"

As I added a few more attributes that wouldn’t be too noticeable, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. I took my hand off the mouse and leaned back in my chair.

"...Oh boy. It’s been seven years," I let out a rueful laugh.

Seven years was too long a time for both you and me. Too long for something to end so abruptly. Or maybe, I was the only one who felt it was abrupt. You, on the other hand, just slowly grew tired and slowly prepared for the breakup. I just didn’t realize you had changed.

Ding—

"

Whoa!

"

A loud notification almost made me fall off my chair.

[REW (5/107)]

Rain: Woo-Jin, are you still working?

It was the company messenger. The sender was Rain, the game’s writer and head of the AI department.

Woo-Jin: Yes, I am. If there’s anything you want to change in the modeling, just let me know. I’ll fix it right away.

I moved the mouse to delete the attributes I had just added.

Rain: No... it’s not that. I’m just waiting to watch.

I paused.

What does she mean by watch? Was she watching me?

I looked around, but there was no one.

Woo-Jin: What are you watching? Me?

I blinked at the monitor. Soon after, a reply came with a smiling emoticon.

Rain: No~ Look outside! ^-^

Without much thought, I turned to look outside.

"... What?"

Through the clear glass, across the sky, there was a flash as a lightning bolt descended and illuminated the heavens, etched in the air like human veins.

A powerful lightning strike.

My eyes widened as the intense beam of light surged toward me. A massive shock rocked the world. The burst of light enveloped the office in darkness, and belated thunder drummed in my ears.

Roarrrrrrrrr—!

I remember nothing after that.