The Gears of Fate Begin to Turn

My games… my life…! "KYAAAAAAAH!!!!"

The very moment the creature lunged at me with a blood-curdling shriek, the ring on my finger began to shine brilliantly.

The Agwi—the hungry ghosts—suddenly stopped in their tracks, shuffling backward as a strange voice echoed in my head.

The voice alone stirred a sense of ecstasy within me. What on earth was this?

It wasn't just one or two voices. Tens, hundreds, thousands of voices overlapped, leaving me completely disoriented.

Everything froze, as if the world itself had come to a standstill.

Simultaneously, the earth began to tremble. A crack tore through the air, and from within it, a figure emerged. A being with brilliant platinum-blonde hair, holding a sword in one hand, appeared. Her expression was serene, as if she were out for a casual stroll. The moment our eyes met, she beamed at me.

"'First time'… that sounds strange. You have always watched over our world, after all."

It was unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar. It was a presence I had always seen from behind a screen… Her name was…

"■■■…."

As I tried to call her name, a strange language spilled from my lips. At that moment, she reached out with slender fingers and pressed them against my mouth.

"You must not call a Transcendent's name so carelessly. The difference in our status could drive you to madness."

Terrified by the thought, I nodded hurriedly.

"Is this world yours, Master? It is quite desolate."

"A-ah, no… it isn't my world…."

She looked up at the sky, nodding as if she understood.

"Oh my. Your world is being attacked by 'those things' as well. But do not worry. Since you protected our world, we shall protect you this time."

With those words, blue flames engulfed her. I squeezed my eyes shut against the massive inferno, but instead of heat, I felt a warm, soothing energy. When I opened my eyes, a warrior clad in magnificent crimson-black armor stood before me.

"Death to the creatures that threaten my Master."

Flames erupted from her hands, consuming the Agwi. With a single, shrill scream, they were reduced to nothingness.

As I stared at her with my mouth agape, her armor vanished, returning to her original attire.

"Master, they say the rice stalk bows lower as it ripens. I believe it would be better to register as private rather than public."

"O-oh, I see. Register as private."

She smiled, looking at the black windows as if she could see them too.

"As expected of our Master. Shall we head out now?"

"Y-yes."

In a flash of light, I returned to my original location. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the problem was that she had been transported with me.

"So this is your world, Master."

She looked around, fascinated. Because of her appearance and attire, people began to stare, and some even tried to take photos, thinking it was a cosplay event.

"Let's move to a more private spot for now."

"Yes."

The Awakened Association of South Korea was in a state of emergency. The monster trending on Mootube was one thing, but the real issue was elsewhere.

The Hall of Fame is a system that registers the Awakened who hold the fastest records for each floor, displaying the top three.

"Check the time stamps."

The record for the 1st floor had been broken, but the time was nonsensical. A one-minute clear. Was this even possible? The 1st floor, where Agwi appear, is known as the "Beginner Killer." It is the place where the most Awakened meet their end due to ignorance. But at this speed, it meant they had slaughtered the Agwi the moment they appeared. And this was right after awakening!

…No, perhaps if they were an Awakened who had completed professional training and possessed a unique ability capable of wide-area attacks, it might be possible.

Director Lee Naeun tapped her desk, lost in thought, before pressing the bell in the corner. "Did you call, Director?" "Summon all team leaders and above. We are holding an emergency meeting." "Understood, Director."

As the secretary left, she clenched her fists. Han Yerin, the S-rank hunter who had cleared the 51st floor. The emergence of a dark horse surpassing her made her heart race. The time remaining until South Korea's collapse was approximately 100 days. If the 52nd floor wasn't cleared within 100 days, South Korea would fall. …But the heavens had not abandoned South Korea.

Some might say it was an overreaction to someone who had only cleared the 1st floor, but that wasn't the case. Her intuition… her unique ability was telling her so.

If they spared no support for this newcomer… perhaps… perhaps it was possible? They had to cling to this like a drowning man clutching at a straw. But first, they had to find out who it was.

About an hour later. "Director, all personnel have been summoned."

Hearing the voice, she stood up and entered the conference room, where dozens of team leaders were seated. They looked at her as if to ask what was going on in the middle of the night, but was sleep important right now? You can sleep for eternity when you're dead.

"You all know why I summoned you, right? Find them. You must find the Awakened who updated the Hall of Fame among the newly awakened, no matter what it takes. We intend to spare no support for them, so just find them and bring them to me."

When I brought her home, she kept looking around, fascinated. It was just a shabby 8-pyeong studio apartment, after all.

"Master, so this is where you were living."

She scanned the room and stared at the numerous smartphones in the corner. They were spare devices I had bought to run idle games. Even now, they were continuing to auto-hunt. But suddenly, she started crying!?

"W-why, why are you crying…?"

"*Sob*… seeing you sacrifice yourself to save other worlds while living in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such a shabby place is just so…."

What on earth is she talking about…?

Y-you didn't have to put it that way….

Anyway, just as I was about to start a conversation to ask some questions, a brilliant white light enveloped her.

"W-what is this!?"

"It seems it is time to return. I will await our next meeting, Master."

With a bright smile, she began to fade away.

"It was nice to meet you."

With those final words, she disappeared completely.

"I'm fine."

At that moment, my phone alarm rang. Thinking my food supplies were full, I reached for the phone. A bright light erupted, and as I blinked, everything returned to normal, as if it had been a hallucination.

But something was wrong.

"The apps… all the game apps are gone…?"

The game icons that had filled my home screen were all gone. I thought it was an error and tried to reinstall them, but they didn't even appear when I searched the market.

"W-what is this…?"

"Y-yes? Gears?"

What on earth does that mean…? No, wait, does that mean all my accounts are gone? My games… my life…!!!