Chapter 2: Eldrinn Valerian
I watched in dread as the messages popped up one after the other.
"Haa…huh…?"
「 Welcome to Lesselhia Chronicles 」
「 Host recognized: Eldrinn Valerian 」
「 Main Quest: See this world to it's desired ending 」
The quest system from the last game I played on hardcore mode was now right in front of me.
"What…in the world…?"
My eyes were locked onto the words on the screen.
Lesselhia Chronicles. Main Quest. Host.
What.
"Haa…"
I need to calm down and think. Right, think.
Before any of this happened, I was in my room. I was playing Lesselhia Chronicles, an action RPG that I'd spent five years trying to beat on the hardest setting,
The moment I finally won, I celebrated it with my streamers.
Then, that strange message appeared.
〔 Congratulations, TokkiTokkiBun 〕
〔 As a special reward, you've unlocked a new patch we've developed! 〕
〔 Would you like to accept it? 〕
〔 Yes 〕 〔 No 〕
Naturally, I thought, 'New challenge? Bring it on,' and hit Yes.
That's when it happened.
That night.
My throat tightened as the memory surfaced.
Hands gripping me, a pillow forced over my face, the panic as I struggled to breathe, the unbearable pressure crushing me.
I had died.
There was no mistaking it. The sensation had been too real. The frantic thrashing, the burning in my lungs as I fought for non-existent air.
I instinctively reached up, fingers brushing my neck as if I could still feel the pain.
But… I'm here.
Somehow, I woke up. I'm alive.
"Haa…"
I exhaled, trying to steady myself.
Who did this to me?
The memory clawed at my thoughts, dragging me deeper into a suffocating panic.
I could still feel the pillow's fabric, the cold indifference behind that pressure.
It wasn't a stranger. There were no break-ins. No masked intruders.
In that small apartment, only two people lived and breathed the same air.
My heart paused.
Dad.
I froze, my blood running cold as the realization sank in.
No.
No, no, no.
It couldn't have been him.
I felt bile rise in my throat.
My father had always been distant. Abusive even.
But this?
This wasn't some bruised ego or harsh words.
This was murder.
The more I thought about it, the more the realization wrapped around my heart, tight and cold.
He was always angry and always yelling. For the smallest things. Breaking a plate, taking too long in the bathroom, even just… breathing too loud. The older I got, the worse it became.
But to smother me like that, to hold that pillow over my face while I fought and gasped…?
My hands trembled, fingertips brushing my throat again, and I felt the phantom grip of death.
It can't be true.
I tried to push the thought away, but it kept coming back, gnawing at me.
A deep, twisted part of me already knew.
It had to be him. There was no one else.
No one else would even care enough to try.
Dad, you…
I was the son that ruined his life, the reminder of his failed marriage, the burden he never wanted after mom left us with debts.
But…
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to breathe through the crushing weight of it all.
Would he go this far?
A sick feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
Even as I stood there, staring at the system messages floating in front of me, I couldn't shake the thought that my own father had tried to kill me.
And now… I was here.
I had to accept it. I had to swallow the truth, no matter how bitter, no matter how much it shattered what little remained of the relationship between us.
But still… why?
Why would he do that?
Was it just to be rid of me?
Did he hate me that much?
All those years, I'd told myself it wasn't that bad. That he was just a bitter man, lashing out at the world, at me, because of his own failures. But maybe I'd been wrong.
I shoved the thoughts back down, burying them deep, somewhere they wouldn't crush me any further.
I'd deal with that later—if I ever got back.
And I didn't have time to fall apart.
I swallowed hard, clasping my trembling hands, and forcing myself to look at the floating messages again.
Lesselhia Chronicles. Main Quest. Eldrinn Valerian.
Nothing else made sense, except for this window.
And right now, I could only come up with one logical conclusion.
"Did I…reincarnate into the game?"
Haa…
Other questions swirled in my mind—if I died, who sent me here?
But something else caught my attention.
"Eldrinn Valerian…?"
I read out the name of the 'Host', which I assumed as myself, confused.
There was no Eldrinn Valerian in the Lesselhia Chronicles. I knew every character, every side quest, every minor NPC in the game. I'd replayed it so many times I could practically navigate it in my sleep.
But this name? This wasn't anyone I knew.
Does that mean I'm… an extra?
"Haa…"
This was absurd.
I spent five years grinding through this game, pushing through countless failures. I'd tried every main and side route, and Eldrinn wasn't part of any of them.
And I wasn't even the protagonist, but an extra?
"Hoo…"
I breathed in deeply. Now wasn't the time to lose my composure.
Perhaps…did that new patch mean there was a route through Eldrinn?
I glanced at the quest window again.
「 Main Quest: See this world to it's desired ending 」
This was the core objective of the game.
Every route always ended in death, except for the protagonist, who had the 'Infinite Regression' ability. I'd exploited that ability for years to stop this world's eventual destruction, achieving the "desired ending."
But now, I wasn't the protagonist.
I didn't have infinite regressions.
I was… Eldrinn Valerian, someone who didn't exist in any of the paths I knew.
And I was expected to complete the 'Main Quest.'
For years, I'd relied on knowing the ins and outs of every detail. I'd mapped out every death, every betrayal, every win. I knew how to manipulate the regression system to push for an ending where I could survive.
But now…
Now, none of that mattered.
The thought of starting over from scratch in this unfamiliar role meant that I didn't have the luxury of surviving in this world like the protagonist did.
And if I failed… there would be no second chances.
I breathed in deeply, trying to steady myself.
The idea of starting from scratch, in an unfamiliar role, was overwhelming.
But I didn't have the luxury of time. The more I stood here, the more I realized one thing.
This world wasn't going to wait for me.
I needed information. Fast.
When I had woken up again after losing consciousness, I was in an eerie, unfamiliar place, surrounded by those masked figures.
A game of cards…
A sacrifice…
Then, the world collapsed, and I was back in this room.
"Who were they?"
I muttered aloud, trying to place them in the game's world. But there wasn't anything like them.
The patch. It must have changed things, just like my existence in this world.
"Hm…"
This will get troublesome.
Masked people. A place that looked like a club. Fate. Shimmering cards…
Right, cards.
"The Veil."
I whispered the word, remembering the card I had been dealt. It had vanished along with the mask and the suit I'd worn, leaving no trace of that eerie place.
From my assumption, they seemed like a secret society that was operating something in this world.
Eldrinn Valerian…
He was connected to those people.
Which meant I would meet them again.
"I'll have to figure out who they are, and what they're after…"
But first…
I glanced around, taking in the room for the first time since I woke up.
"Where am I?"