The second I opened my eyes, nausea slammed into me.
Feeling like I would vomit any second, I hurriedly sat up.
I didn’t even have time to sense the soft feel of the blanket in my hand. Stumbling out of bed, I barely took a few steps before my legs gave out, and I collapsed. I struggled to push myself up with my hands, but the nausea refused to subside.
"Haaak!"
Forget holding it in, let's just let it out.
With that thought, I retched, but only tears welled up and drool dripped down and nothing came out. To make matters worse, a shrill ringing pierced my ears, and a chilling shiver coursed through me which left my body trembling. Overwhelmed by the fear that I might die at any moment, I reassured myself: It’s okay, it’s okay. Thankfully, after some time, the worst started to fade. Thank God.
"Haa! Haa…"
As I exhaled roughly, the ringing faded and the nausea eased considerably.
Finally, I could start to make sense of my surroundings.
So where am I?
I squinted through teary, blurry eyes, scanning the room. No matter how I racked my brain, this wasn’t home.
The house was full of furniture made of wood and not a single machine was found no matter how hard I looked.
Amid it all, there was a single stand that was glowing faintly.
I crawled toward it and reached out.
It radiated a gentle warmth, yet it shone without a bulb.
There was no power cord either. What principle, what energy, could produce this light?
'…….'
It was too vivid to be a dream.
Glancing at the drool I had spilled on the floor, I stood and sat back on the bed, lost in thought.
Figuring out where I was could wait.
The real questions were why and how I ended up here.
I started rewinding my memory.
I swear I was on my computer…
I was playing a game, to be exact. An RPG I had built myself from scratch.
There wasn’t any special reason behind making an RPG.
I just didn’t have a game to play, so I made one to satisfy myself and played it.
As science advanced and countless games flooded the world, players craved more than progress could offer.
Of course, game companies struggled to keep up with those expectations.
Whenever a hyped game launched, crafty players would sniff out bugs to exploit, often sparking incidents companies couldn’t foresee.
As players grew disillusioned with the same old stagnant games, news broke that a virtual reality system had finally been completed. K Company was already developing a game for it. The announcement sent shockwaves across the world, even though full commercialization was still at least a few years off.
Anyway, amidst all the excitement, one company threw out a challenge: Fine, make one yourself. They released a quarter-view 3D RPG map editor, and surprisingly, it was a polished and well-made tool.
Of course, it was single-player only, with no online features.
The company had two motives for releasing it.
First, they couldn’t bring themselves to scrap a game they had come this far with. Second, they wanted to show just how tough game development really was. Unexpectedly, the move struck a chord, and the company’s revenue and stock price skyrocketed.
Players began crafting games in their own unique styles.
There were plenty of trial-and-error moments, but the company shared tips on their website and rolled out updates.
You could easily customize your character’s appearance, and not just your own; NPCs’ looks, skills, and stats were all editable too.
The company periodically updated it with new monster and weapon designs, and player-made creations occasionally popped up too.
Though limited, players felt like gods within that map editor.
And I was no exception.
I created a game titled Ferlnern’s Twenty-Four Hearts.
I built an entire map and set up its environments.
Dense forests, deserts, lava fields, oceans, mountain ranges; I crafted terrains using every bit of knowledge I had and data from online forums.
Maybe I aimed too big, but the map grew far vaster than I’d imagined.
The map became so massive that testing it alone turned into a problem later on.
I did make one, but it was just too big.
When was I ever going to test this whole thing, anyway? I pushed the thought aside and began building the settings from the edges inward.
I created villages, set up NPCs, and assigned dialogue and quests.
To ensure triggers (commands that made the program run in sequence) didn’t glitch, I tested each NPC as soon as I finished it.
By then, I had left high school behind and become a college student, so I had relatively plenty of time.
Instead of finishing assignments and drinking with friends, I worked on my game.
The game’s website offered creators a blog and ranking system.
I set up a blog, posting updates and the latest versions of the game.
People played my map, left reviews, and some even sent donations, which gave me a huge sense of fulfillment.
A month passed, then three.
By the time a year had passed, the game had grown so massive I could hardly believe how I even made it.
The company praised my consistent updates, advertising it on their main page and even sending me encouragement funds which were pretty decent money.
With a solid number of favorites and some income, I didn’t need a part-time job. Plus, people stepped up to help, making updates and bug fixes much easier.
However, it was the time to serve my military service. I had to pause updates, which stung. But so many people waited patiently that I kept going afterward.
Finally, after four years of juggling military service and school, it took ages, but I completed all the story zones and quests I had envisioned. From then on, I focused only on adding dungeons, achievements, and titles based on player feedback, skipping any major overhauls.
Personally, I felt that was already enough.
And it made it into the top 10 “games worth trying” among those in the know, which was quite an honor.
Then, a K Company who were working on virtual reality games reached out to me.
They proposed a contract to turn this into a VR game.
It was a company that even featured in the news lately so I rushed over and signed the deal, and handed over my setting notes and materials.
It was a satisfying contract. They said the game would take at least 4 to 10 years to finish.
I had no problem since I could relate. Then a massive advance payment hit my account.
An amount that was unthinkable for a student.
I jumped for joy and decided to play the game that brought me this fortune from scratch, no save file, for old times’ sake.
Yeah, that was how it went.
And the moment I started the game, my memory was cut off.
Was I kidnapped?
But if I had been kidnapped, they wouldn’t leave me in such an open space.
As I gnawed my nails, running through hypotheses, a strange unease crept in.
My gaze drifted down to my legs, dangling off the bed.
Why are my legs so thin?
Then I looked up. The world seemed taller.
Like a child’s perspective!
"……."
My goodness, how did I not notice this sooner?
I spat out the nail I’d been chewing and looked at my hands.
This isn’t my body, is it?
Even my voice was different! Startled, I shot to my feet.
Mirror! I need a mirror!
I frantically searched the room. The tidy space turned chaotic in moments, but I found a small hand mirror in the third drawer of the desk.
The instant I looked into it, a blank sensation washed over me.
A familiar face stared back from the glass.
That can’t be right.
How could this be? This face is definitely one of the characters from my game.
Well, since the game tools and assets were shared, I can't say it's entirely my game. But still.
Amid the confusion, something flashed in front of my eyes.
It was a translucent window with a neat green border.
[Soul Synchronization Complete.]
The blinking tab vanished, replaced by a series of new ones.
[We sincerely welcome Master’s participation.]
[All systems are now unlocked.]
[Forcibly overriding permissions, initiating ‘Project: Fatebreaker.’]
A game?
No way, if real virtual reality exists, this is exactly what it would be.
Did K Company kidnap me to use as a test subject after that contract?
But I handed over the settings and materials less than a day ago.
Turning all that into a virtual reality game in such a short time? That was practically unbelievable.
Still, I read and memorized every system message flickering and fading in the corner of my vision.
After a while, they all vanished automatically.
As I stood there, dazed, wondering if this was reality or a dream, a chill ran down my spine.
When I turned, I saw a man sitting in a chair. The moment I saw him, my heart began pounding wildly.
With each passing second, understanding the situation became harder.
"Huh?"
I stared at a man whose striking looks seemed detached from reality.
I had never seen him before, yet astonishingly, I knew his name.
No, the instant I faced him, information flooded my mind unbidden.
That can’t be real.
"…Sian."
I murmured it quietly, my voice trembling with disbelief, as if it couldn’t be true.
The man flashed a gentle smile.
He was so handsome it felt like he didn’t belong to this world.
Pleasure to meet you, Creator. As expected, you know my name. Indeed, I am Sian, the first lord of this world and the second to be born from your hands. After ages of waiting, I finally greet you.
He bowed his head slightly, offering a warm, eye-crinkling smile. I was utterly bewildered.
Sian, the second strongest after Lord Ferlnern and one of the seven lords I had designed in Ferlnern’s Twenty-Four Hearts, was the most powerful being in this world.
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***Author’s Note***
Today is a special day.
It’s my birthday, but it’s also the day the tragic June 25th (Korean War) began.
I hope such things never happen again, right?
By the way, what’s “Grokshin”?
This is my first time with this work. Haha.
I’d really appreciate it if you’d just hit that recommend button before you go!
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