Chapter 1: Prologue

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.

───────

[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.