[Game over! Congratulations for unlocking all 25 official endings of… ]
Staring at the notification window accompanied by a fireworks display on his TV, Jun sighed in relief, rubbing his stinging eyes. He picked up the opened energy drink by the stand, furrowing his brows at the taste of lukewarm liquid in his tongue.
With a buzz, text notifications from work and his parents flooded the small screen but his eyes only looked at the date and time on the upper right. 92 hours 38 minutes.
That was how long he took to complete the game his sister designed years ago. He found it in an old stockpile while he was clearing the attic.
The design and outer appearance was a tad bit different than when he remembered during its launch.
But then it was so long ago that he wasn't confident in that thought, and maybe to remember the blurry memories, he decided to play it. At first, it was for curiosity and nostalgia, but his competitive nature ended with him not sleeping a wink for 4 days straight.
Was it a sane decision? Absolutely not.
Was it worth it? Of course! After all, he managed to complete the game his sister brag—Ding!
Startled by the sudden notification sound, Jun looked at the source in reflex. Looking back at the TV, the 25-year-old Jun adjusted his collar unconsciously. A loud curse escaped his lips.
"Motherfucker! Oh, come on--!"
And such were his last words before he swayed, holding on to the couch for dear life. Clutching onto his chest, his mind was buzzing. Pathetically, he didn't expect he would be dying because of stress and severe sleep deprivation.
[Congratulations! Because you have achieved the 25 official endings, you now have a key to unlock a new path. A new ending and new characters have been unlocked and can now be played! The game is far from complete. We wish you the best of luck to beat the game! /^0^/]
[Player, do you wish to use the key? YES(258 secs)/ NO]
His eyes rimmed with unshed tears as he gasped and curled where he fell. His life flashing before him.
A life that wasn't anything noteworthy, an orphan with a sob story of a past that got lucky after being adopted by a rich family. Just that it didn't go as well as the articles made it out to be.
He didn't like the memories-save for a few moments dear to him- flash before him like a short movie trailer, Jun wanted to sigh but even that was hard, it was a shitty life and an even more pathetic death.
'I want to live…'
Jun died.
In that dark cramped room, with papers and stacks of cans littering everywhere. There was only the white noise of the air-conditioning soft hum and the light taps of crawling cockroaches. The light that came from the TV flickered and showed a new loading window.
[Due to the player's failure to press yes immediately, the player has forfeited his right to select a starting point and story character. The character and the starting point will now be chosen at random!]
[Extracting data… Scene and character have been chosen! Assimilation has begun. Loading resources… 60%]
[Error has occurred during assimilation! Original consciousness cannot be deleted.]
[Error has occurred during assimilation! The personality difference between the chosen story character and player has exceeded the player's acquired key strength. An upgrade may be needed.]
[Key strength insufficient to handle complete autonomy. Freedom of speech and action has been temporarily sealed to prevent OOC.]
[Starting point has been selected! Loading background setting… 98%]
[Starting point: "Chapter 1: Paglaum Opening Ceremony" is starting!]
…
"Was it fun?"
I heard a soft pained voice. Quickly, I opened my eyes to gaze at a dazzling blue. The sudden light made me teary as my mind buzzed and my body felt light. There was a fog covering my senses and I could only furrow my brows in confusion.
I'm alive? How–!
PAH!
Snapping me out of my trance my body swayed as a stinging sensation assaulted my cheek.
Keeping my balance I whipped my face to look at a teenage girl with a raised hand. I froze.
Her fingertips were red like her eyes. Her freckled face cheeks were wet from tears, she was shorter but I felt like she was looking down on me.
Disappointed blue eyes, freckled cheeks, and fiery red hair that looks so natural that it was impossible to achieve with hair dye. A familiar face and uniform, a mumble escaped my lips.
"... Azra Vermilian"
My brows furrowed deeply, I saw her flinch but she recovered keeping her ground she looked at me determined.
"You bullied a student out of spite, abused your authority, and all you can say is my name?"
Tears further fell from her eyes, I couldn't understand what was going on. But my heart hurts at the sight of her crying. As if possessed I wanted to wipe away her tears but my hand was smacked away instead.
"Don't touch me!"
Surprised by her sudden outburst I found myself adjusting my collar instead. Storming off she stopped a few steps away to look back at me she said,
"Think about what I said last week again… If you don't give me an answer by the end of the day. I'm calling my father to end our engagement."
Engagement? Confused at the stinging pain in my heart once again I wanted to ask
'What engagement?'
But I was baffled at what I saw instead. A force weighed down on my lips, my teeth felt like it was glued together. With my mouth sealed I could only widen my eyes as a blue game window much like the one in my sister's game appeared before me.
[Warning! Dialogue does not suit the context and character of Vadgai Tash, speech has been temporarily restricted.]
And like lightning to strike me down to finish me off Azra shouted triumphantly,
"Don't think I won't do it Vadgai. I'm not afraid of you just because you're from the Tash family!"
Still frozen in place, It was only when I was alone in the hallway did the panel disappear along with the force of covering my mouth. Finally mustered the strength to move my lips I cursed like my life was on the line.
What the fuck is going on?
I should be dead… but I'm alive and what's more.
Remembering her appearance, I clenched my teeth. Azra Vermilian, a pivotal character in the game and the fiance of the villain I named years ago as a drunken joke.
Vadgai Tash. A human scum that dies on all routes.
"Fuck"