Chapter 1
Why am I inside a game?
I slowly tried to recall.
There was a CD game. A game released with the title "Hero of the Academy."
As you can tell from the archaic CD and the Gothic title, this game was released a whopping 15 years ago.
Attractive characters and an expansive universe.
Almost open world-like freedom.
Despite being a 33,000 won game, you could play not only as main and supporting characters but also as customized characters.
A game that became a 'legend' in the gaming world.
'But this legend isn’t all positive.'
2D, crude SD characters, the existence of hidden pieces that disrupt balance, and the pitifully few illustrations of characters despite the high degree of freedom.
It’s a game that became legendary for negative reasons as well.
Of course, back then, more people considered it a good game.
There was no game superior to "Hero of the Academy" at that time.
But there was one major reason why the game's public opinion turned negative...
'You just can’t beat the final boss.'
I’m fairly a veteran player myself. But I just couldn’t beat it.
And it wasn't just me.
Players from all over the world continuously challenged it, but no one has ever seen the ending of this game.
Not the Japanese otaku who are the pioneers of fandom, nor the Western fans who are considered the best among enthusiasts.
Even the Korean fans, who take gaming seriously enough to warrant a separate difficulty level.
No one has cleared this game.
Even now, 15 years later.
A game that has a beginning but no end.
It was natural for players to leave.
Yet some of us veterans, including myself, didn't give up.
We shared information and continued to challenge ourselves.
Years have passed in our unending challenge to see the game's ending.
I think I’ve figured out all of the game’s quests, rewards, and hidden pieces.
I’m almost there. Just a little more and I’ll beat it.
But then an event occurred that poured cold water on our fervent efforts.
"There are still quests, stories, and rewards that players have not yet discovered. We estimate there are about 2,000..."
Two casually thrown sentences during the announcement of a new game by the developer.
Just two casual sentences.
But for us, they were like a massive storm from just two flaps of wings.
About 2,000.
It was only a month ago that we were happy to discover a new, unhelpful quest.
Meaning, that was the only new information we had found in the past month.
And there are still 2,000 more like it?
How much more time and effort would it take to discover all of the undiscovered?
"Let's just stop."
This was the conclusion reached by the veterans.
They were fed up.
With the vast world of the game, the repeated failures, the endless challenges.
Their spirits were broken.
No matter how well-made a game is, it’s just a CD game.
An old glory, a faded relic with nothing more than a few illustrations for eye candy.
Other games continued to emerge and dominate the era, and the surviving veterans gradually shifted their attention to other games.
And so, I was left all alone.
It's not a joke, I was truly alone.
It's been a long time since the view count of the reports I upload every time I play the game hit zero.
Yet, I kept challenging myself.
One year.
Two years.
Three years.
But.
[GAME OVER]
"Ah... failed again."
The large [GAME OVER] font characteristic of CD games.
I clicked the mouse irritably while looking at the screen.
Even after gathering the hidden pieces, this was the result.
Click-.
Yet, my hand holding the mouse pressed the restart button again.
Why am I still doing this nonsense?
'Because it’s fun.'
A simple yet sufficient reason.
Do I need any other reason to play a game?
It's already been 3 years since I started playing this game alone.
It's a bit tedious, but not enough to quit yet.
'I even found 50 more since then.'
50 out of 2,000.
But to me, it's not just 'only'.
Every time I found one, it made me want to give up less and less.
Maybe, this way, I’ll eventually be able to clear the final boss.
This is the driving force that allows me to start the game again.
"Well... which character should I play as this time?"
Just like the saying 'the best tuning eventually leads back to the original,' should I go with a main character? (TL Note: This is a Korean saying that doesn't make much sense in English. The character is pondering whether, after all the customizations and choices available, it might be best to return to a simpler or more fundamental option, akin to how in tuning or customization, often the original state is considered the best after exploring various modifications.)
Or a supporting character who assists him?
Or maybe...
'Is this really the only option?'
I pressed the EXTRA button in the character selection screen.
Main and supporting characters ultimately have to follow the story's flow, which greatly reduces freedom.
It’s natural for me to avoid them, given that I have to challenge the final boss wrapped in hidden pieces.
But it didn’t take long for me to fall into contemplation again.
'Which character should I play this time?'
In the game "Hero of the Academy", this is quite an important question.
The initial skills, quests, and story change depending on the character’s appearance, personality, and disposition.
A quality so high it's hard to believe it's an 18-year-old game.
This is why I can’t quit this game.
'But lately... I haven’t seen any new stories.'
It's been 18 years.
Not just the number of times I've played, but if you combine the number of times all the players worldwide have played, overlaps are inevitable.
It was hard to come across a new story statistically.
'To increase the chances... I would have to create a character I’ve never played before.'
Even if I can’t clear it, finding new quests, routes, or hidden pieces is still worthwhile.
Having created a character using all my knowledge and strength, I managed to leave the final boss with only 30% of its health.
'If I can find just one or two more useful hidden pieces, maybe I could beat it...'
Drrrrrr-.
Hundreds of traits appeared as I scrolled down with my mouse.
Something caught my eye.
'Small eyes?'
I remember seeing someone else play it online.
Not just small eyes.
They were so small they could be called 'slits'.
'...A character with slit eyes?'
I was reminded of Xellox, from the classic anime Slayerx.
A somewhat bumbling demeanor, a man full of secrets, surprising everyone with his true identity and hidden power.
A character that significantly amplified the fun.
'In reality, he was a seriously strong character.'
I remember him being a character overflowing with charm, thought to be the mastermind but actually wasn't.
In that case.
Drrrrrr-.
I clicked on one trait after another without hesitation.
Small eyes, twisted speech, smiling face, and even adding an ominous aura.
I couldn’t recall ever playing a character like this.
Neither I nor other players.
'Even if there was... no one would have played a character wrapped in so many hidden pieces like I have.'
They might all be unfavorable traits, but it doesn't matter.
It's just an experimental character anyway.
Alright, I’ve decided.
Pressing the NEXT button, a prompt appeared asking me to name the character.
My fingers moved confidently, giving it a name.
What I wrote was...
'Zero.' (TL Note: In the original Japanese version of Slayers, Xellos' name is actually ゼロス, which is pronounced Zerosu, a.k.a. Zero)
Click-.
* * *
"..."
And that's the result, right here, right now.
I've dug my own grave with my hands. Thoroughly.
'I've really screwed up now.'
For reference, "Hero of the Academy" is a game where you start with a few skills based on the initial characteristics you set for your character.
This means the power of the unique skills you first receive is quite important.
But that skill is...
[Eye Opening : F]
- Slightly open your eyes. Your pupils ominously glow red.
Ke.
Keke.
Kekekekekeke.
It’s not even funny.
Isn’t it standard to give overpowered skills when you regress, possess, or reincarnate?
But what’s this? Eye opening?
Others start with rare traits or overpowered skills, but why do I...
'...Skill window.'
I murmured with a hint of disbelief.
Then, a bluish window appeared in front of me.
[Translation : S]
- You can read and write all scripts.
[Interpretation : S]
- You can converse in all languages.
[Mental Defense : S]
- Emotions are forcibly restrained.
You are unaffected by mental magic or potions.
You don’t tremble in fear. You don’t fall into confusion.
You never panic.
[Information Window : S]
- You can access information about people and various objects.
[Twisted Speech : S]
- Your manner of speaking is forcibly corrected.
An irresistible force is in effect due to unknown conditions met. Resistance is futile.
[Ominous Aura : B]
- An ominous aura emanates from your entire body.
ON/OFF function activates from S grade and above.
[Eye Opening : F]
- Slightly open your eyes. Your pupils ominously glow red.
The overlapping blue windows blurred my vision.
Fortunately, it seems that the skills I was given were not limited to [Eye Opening].
'I was wondering why I was so calm... it's because of the Mental Defense skill.'
Here I am, inside the game, not particularly startled despite the shocking situation.
It was a moment to truly feel the power of the skills.
With [Translation] and [Interpretation], there should be no problem using the scripts and languages of this world, and [Mental Defense] is one of the top skills in this game.
Well, I'm satisfied with just these. Though a bit mixed with something unknown.
"Keke, as expected, there's no dying for me."
???
I involuntarily covered my mouth with my hand.
What kind of bizarre speech is this?
But the words did come from my mouth.
I meant to say 'There’s no dying for me'...!
Oh... could it be...!
"Keke, surely not. Could it be that the ‘Twisted Speech’ skill is like this..."
...
As a veteran, I knew.
This was one of the hidden pieces.
The small eyes and twisted speech. Selecting these two traits together triggers a forced speech correction.
I discovered a new hidden piece after months. But.
I was not at all pleased.
--TL Notes--
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