#1
Click-clack- Click-clack- Thud-
The sound of pressing something. Fingertips in haste.
In a narrow and shabby house, the sound of clicking echoed persistently. Inside the small, pitiful house, a man sat in front of the TV with a blanket pulled over his head, busy with something.
The sound of running water from the faucet and the whistle of the wind through a drafty window frame overlapped in the cramped space.
In front of the man lay an empty food container, recently finished yet containing a portion barely enough for a single meal. The only source of light brightening the dark room with no lights turned on was the glow emanating from the small TV.
The man was playing a video game, holding the console’s controller. Even through the blanket, it was clear that his shoulders were trembling, yet huddled and shivering, he did not let go of the controller.
Click-
The sound of pressing a button seemed to resonate unusually loud. A look of longing was apparent in the man’s gaze, fixed on the small TV screen which continued to display the game, unblinking.
[Your trust has increased. Would you like to check the Grand Duke’s trust? Yes / No]
Finally.
Without hesitation, the man pressed ‘Yes’. On the screen was a man with a stern look. His differently colored eyes were captivating. But in an instant, the expressions on the man’s face distorted as if affected by noise.
The noise dissipated quickly. It was fleeting enough to think it was an illusion—it felt as if he’d seen a savage expression and eyes filled with hatred. It was the first emotion that the previously unexpressive character had shown.
He realized it was not an illusion when a line of text appeared on the screen.
It was a very short phrase, but it contained everything. Anger, detestation, and even hatred. The man could only look at the text blurred with noise with a trembling gaze.
[I hate you.]
That was the answer. An answer to everything he had done until now.
In the darkness, his shabby back was exposed. His eyes, which were wide open, closed miserably. The hand holding the controller fell limply down.
Somehow, there was a stinging sensation around his eyes.
As if conveying his will, that phrase lingered on the screen for a long while. The man had no choice but to look away from the disappearing letters shrouded in noise.
***
The game ‘Elix.’
A downloadable console game in the form of empire-building simulation.
The release of the mysterious Elix into the world coincided with the chimes of the New Year’s Eve on January 1st, as the history of the world was etched anew.
This game, which appeared out of nowhere, instantly popped up as a trending search on various portals.
Regardless of race or nationality, people began downloading the game as if bewitched and, using game launchers, embarked on playing the game whose distributor and producer were undisclosed.
Despite initial concerns due to the lack of information, the game was flawless, boasting an incredible level of freedom and a vast simulation system.
People around the world gradually became mesmerized by the game called Elix. Its sudden appearance felt as though it fell from the sky, but perhaps because of that, it took a revolutionary stand.
Elix was an empire-building game where the player, alongside deities, collaborates to govern a country. To literally strengthen the nation’s military might, which was the goal of the game, Elix required conquest of a dungeon called ‘The Tower of Trials’, development of ‘Deities’, and enhancement of national power.
It may not seem different from other games, however, it was far from easy. In fact, it was notoriously difficult—so much so that even the unyielding Koreans known for breezing through games where you die every three seconds were taken aback.
Elix conducted an aptitude test before the player could start playing. Theories regarding this exam are still widespread on portal sites, but the most plausible was that it was to assign the most suitable character to the player.
During the aptitude test, if a player’s responses were detected as false or inconsistent with previously filled out surveys, the program forced players to retake the exam.
No matter how many times it was taken, the aptitude test only proceeded to the next stage based on truthful answers.
After about an hour-long aptitude test, Elix arbitrarily provided players with a lord character based on that exam.
In other words, players had no discretion in choosing their characters in this game.
The appearance, sex, age, and everything else, including the lord character’s race and profession, were determined based on the player’s aptitude, inclinations, environment, intelligence, and talents.
While some were disappointed in the gameplay and left, others were thrilled by the new approach.
Once players, assigned these characters, entered the game as kings, they were accompanied by a supporting deity. Elix referred to this deity as ‘Grand Duke’.
The importance of the Grand Duke lies in the fact that it holds power to influence the empire as well.
Even if one becomes a king and builds a nation, failing to gain the Grand Duke’s trust or indulging in tyranny, laziness, or cruelty can lead to revolts, coups, or assassination. Of course, falling to invasions from other players was also a possibility.
In such cases, players who were killed had to start over with a new character. Death meant the end—it was a progression pattern found only in hellishly difficult games. Most users did not get past this first hurdle and many left.
However, a considerable number of players methodically sought out the issues and tried again.
Of course, there were penalties for dead lord players. The more they died, the more their character’s stats decreased.
Furthermore, if the player died more than ten times, they would lose their edge and forfeit all privileges.
Although they had characters, they couldn’t control them with the controller.
In this scenario, they became puppets living at the Grand Duke’s command, with no alternative means of resolving the issue other than quitting the game.
It seemed absurd, but Elix allowed all of it. The important thing was that regardless of the number of deaths, the same Grand Duke was always assigned.
Despite the extreme difficulty, everyone was enthralled by the perfect game without errors or bugs—Elix.
And then, six months later, the world was again plunged into excitement. It was due to a notice received through the game.
On the noise-filled game screen, an unfriendly but exhilarating message appeared.
[Open beta test period has expired. You will now enter the official server.]
The announcement of Elix’s official service intoxicated everyone worldwide. Many were ecstatic, expectant, and eagerly waiting.
But that was not something to be thrilled about, nor something to look forward to or wait for.
[Time remaining until entry: 23 hours 58 minutes.]
Yes. It was definitely not something to be ecstatic about.
***
With a headache piercing through his brain, Sehyun opened his eyes. A hard floor and a blinding field of vision. As he slowly shielded his eyes and sat up, the buzzing noise around his ears became audible.
Whether due to the headache or not, every sound reverberated with a dull throb. Clenching his ears shut and bearing the pain, he slowly blinked, and his blurry vision gradually came into focus.
When his sight became clear, Sehyun heard a sobbing cry. He turned to look, and there was a child sitting and crying.
He looked to be about 15 years old, or maybe just 14, in a school uniform, weeping.
Sehyun tried to speak, but suddenly all memories flashed through his mind, ending abruptly with a blackout as a severe headache knocked him down.
Right… he had collapsed.
Sehyun’s gaze slowly lifted to the sky. It was a stark white space, undefined in area, height, or width, much like an endless void.
The murmuring and sobbing voices merged, resonating around like speakers generating an incessant drone. Among them were voices trembling in fear, filled with angry shouts and screams.
Sehyun turned his gaze back to the young student sitting beside him. After looking at him for a while, he finally managed to blink again. Only then did the situation begin to sink in.
Sehyun wasn’t alone in that space. A countless number of people were sitting in the void, trembling. Those visible seemed to amount to thousands.
The realization of such a space capable of housing so many people sent shivers down his spine. There was no cold or heat, no wind or humidity, no dryness or even a scent—nothing was perceivable.
Sehyun clenched his trembling hands tightly and tried to maintain his composure. Anxious thoughts swarmed his head, which he fought off by biting the inside of his mouth.
Ignoring the throbbing heartbeat in his ears, he stood up from his spot, and the people around him flinched and distanced themselves. Ignoring their sensitive stares, Sehyun surveyed the surroundings.
People of all genders, ages, appearances, and races filled his view. Most were in a panic, but like Sehyun, some were determinedly trying to stay calm, searching for a turning point in the situation.
Unfortunately.
Everyone near Sehyun was caught in a panic. Only the student, sitting by his side and sobbing, seemed relatively composed.
Fantasy, BL/GL(BL: Boys Love, GL: Girls Love)
Note: Gender neutrality has been employed with the term “Boys Love / Girls Love.”
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
