Wait, My Arm!
Wait, My Arm!
- Tak, tak-tak-tak.
The mechanical clatter of typing echoed. Fingertips tapped against the keyboard.
I could see. The glow of the monitor lighting a dimly-lit room.
A strange feeling. Like recalling an old memory.
I tilted my head. Why was this happening all of a sudden?
Even as the question surfaced, my fingers danced across the keyboard in a blur.
▶Me: Kkonnim
▶Me: Kkonnim
▶Me: Kkonnim?
▶Me: ebebebep
▶Me: knock knock...
A torrent of messages, all in an instant. Normally, getting a reply in chat takes at least some time.
If the timing's off, replies can come hours later.
▶Agapanthus: What
But the reply came right away.
Kkonnim.
After learning that Agapanthus's username was a type of flower, I'd sometimes call them Kkonnim.
They'd found it baffling at first, asking why I called them that, but by now they were used to it and just went along without much reaction.
The fingers that had been tapping the keyboard paused for a moment.
I retraced the memory.
I'd messaged out of boredom, but I didn't actually have anything to say. After wiggling my fingers in thought, I landed on the same topic I always did.
▶Me: Play 〈Savior〉 right now! (Play Now)
▶Me: Kkonnim should play it too
▶Me: It's really fun
▶Me: No lie
▶Me: (puppy emoticon looking up with hopeful eyes)
Savior.
Looking back, it's a game that makes my teeth grind, but I can't deny that I genuinely had a blast playing it back then.
The replies that had been coming back instantly stopped. A strange response, considering Agapanthus normally answered faster than me — and I basically lived in my room twenty-four hours a day.
Whenever I suggested playing Savior together, Agapanthus's replies always slowed down.
▶Agapanthus: Don't wanna
Disappointing. I twitched my fingers, then went back to typing.
▶Me: Awww
▶Me: It's really fun
▶Agapanthus: It wasn't fun for me
▶Me: Gasp
▶Me: (puppy emoticon collapsing into a puddle)
A sigh escaped my lips at the devastating reply. I could have rattled off at least three reasons why Savior was amazing right then and there.
But back in those days, I still had the self-awareness to respect differences in personal taste. I swallowed the sigh that was threatening to spill out.
▶Agapanthus: That game — is it fun? Worth playing?
▶Me: Yes, it's fun. I've already made it to the 7th Iteration.
▶Agapanthus: ...Only the 7th Iteration so far? Why so slow?
▶Me: That's because Kkonnim doesn't know Savior. When you dig into every detail one by one, it takes time. And it's not even that slow.
I stared at the monitor, sulking.
Agapanthus always responded that Savior didn't sound fun whenever I recommended it, and yet sometimes... no, often, they asked about it anyway.
They never really asked about the game mechanics.
It was more like: Is it worth playing? Is it fun? How'd things turn out? Which character did you get close to? That sort of thing...
Even though they never played, they asked quite a lot about how I was playing it.
▶Me: In the 7th Iteration, I left Siyoram, and it went to ruin.
▶Agapanthus: What?
The 7th Iteration.
It was a cycle that never even earned a proper epithet. I just called it the 'Vagabond' route to tell the playthroughs apart.
The 7th Iteration was a disaster on par with the 1st... no, if I'm being precise, it collapsed even more spectacularly than the 1st Iteration.
Unlike the previous cycles, I'd thrown aside the Blessing of Growth and all the other benefits and just bolted out of Siyoram.
After the 6th Iteration ended, unable to find a viable path forward, I'd decided to roam the map outside Siyoram early in the cycle, searching for elements I hadn't uncovered yet.
That was shortsighted.
After leaving Siyoram, while wandering the Korean map, I was caught by my unique ability, Crisis Detection. Watching pop-ups cascade across the screen, I realized too late.
▶Agapanthus: Why would you leave?
▶Agapanthus: Are you stupid?
▶Agapanthus: Why would you walk away from a place that's set up to protect you and help you grow, with everything arranged from start to finish?
When I explained my reasoning, Agapanthus fired back with an intense reaction.
Seeing the replies come in at easily twice their usual speed, my mood soured of its own accord.
▶Me: What would Kkonnim know?
▶Me: You've never even seriously tried it.
▶Agapanthus: You don't have to play it to know this much. Leaving is just dumb.
▶Agapanthus: Ugh, idiot.
▶Me: Ptoo
▶Me: I'm not talking to someone who doesn't actually know anything.
Sulking, I glared at the monitor.
A stupid decision. I knew that. If I'd just progressed normally within Siyoram, I'd have come out stronger than in the previous cycles.
But that wasn't enough.
The mechanical sound of typing stopped. My fingers, lost in thought, twitched lightly.
〈Savior〉 never prescribed a final boss or a set ending condition.
I'd simply decided on my own — I'm taking that thing down.
Within the story, there were five Towers that supported the world.
Tower of Space.
Tower of Harmonization.
Tower of Observation.
Tower of Knowledge.
Tower of Growth.
The Tower of Space physically connected the world through Gates. The Tower of Harmonization broke down language barriers and rebuilt communication through the restoration of smartwatches and the internet.
The Tower of Observation detected monsters, villains, and traitors appearing across the globe. The Tower of Knowledge safeguarded knowledge that humanity must never lose.
And the Tower of Growth safely and rapidly nurtured the key heroes who would fend off countless threats, sending them out into the world.
From any angle, as long as you belonged to the 'humanity' faction, these Towers were a source of aid. They were undeniably vital for the world's survival.
But there were others, too. The opposing side.
'......'
Tower of the Dead.
Tower of Bitter Cold.
Tower of Purgatory.
The ones I'd arbitrarily labeled as final bosses, as the ending condition, and spent every cycle struggling to defeat.
After graduating from Siyoram——
Those three Towers would unleash a relentless flood of powerful monsters. They'd also steadily seize control of the surrounding territories, tightening the noose on humanity.
I didn't know the exact conditions that triggered their activation.
In the 1st Iteration, all three had awakened. After that, sometimes only one would stir, or two at a time.
In the 1st Iteration, I was ultimately killed by the Tower Master of the Dead.
As the name 'the Dead' implies, this being excelled at fielding vast armies of the deceased.
Yet despite that specialty, its personal combat power was monstrous as well. I died without even putting up a fight.
The 2nd and 3rd Iterations — I fumbled around and died before ever even encountering the Tower Master of the Dead or the others.
In the 4th Iteration, I was killed by the Tower Master of the Dead again.
The 4th Iteration, 〈Bulgasari (Indestructible)〉.
Wielding the unique ability Assimilation, I manifested the traits of all kinds of monsters and secured regeneration, which let me hold out, in my own way, even against the Tower of the Dead's armies.
But that was all — I held out. Swept up by the horde, beaten down to the very soul, and then it was over.
In the 5th Iteration, while trying to devise enough firepower to sweep away an army in one blow, I overloaded and died in an explosion, same as the 3rd Iteration.
The 6th Iteration... I delved into necromancy, hoping to raise an army like the Tower Master of the Dead. I learned black magic and spatial magic and trained in them.
Using darkness-attribute mana as a foundation, I imitated the undead and managed to create something resembling a shadow army. In truth, I was outmatched by the Dead's forces at every turn, but at least combat was possible.
And just when I'd made it that far, I was sliced apart by the Tower Master of Purgatory, who specialized in one-on-one duels.
'Tch.'
Even now, just thinking about it made my hands tremble with frustration.
Honestly, even if I hadn't been cut down by the Tower Master of Purgatory, I would've died helplessly against the Tower Master of the Dead anyway.
It was suffocating.
The thought that I wasn't nearly enough. With the training approach I was using, even inflicting a scratch on a Tower Master was a struggle.
I had to change the way I built strength. I needed a method that brought about a breakthrough — something that could drastically raise my character's specs.
So in the 7th Iteration, I'd set out early in search of Hidden Pieces like that. I spent the whole cycle on the run and didn't grow a damn bit.
But... I think I did find something.
I died before I could properly use it, so I can't be certain, but I had a feeling that if used well, it could bring about some kind of massive growth.
While I was thinking that over, I glanced at the monitor out of the corner of my eye.
I saw Agapanthus's chat, repeating over and over that they couldn't understand why anyone would leave the optimal training environment of Siyoram.
▶Me: Ptoo ptoo
▶Me: Honestly, if our side's Tower Masters had fought together, we would've won ages ago. Seriously.
▶Agapanthus: ......
▶Me: It's just our team that's gone silent. Seriously.
▶Me: What are our Tower Masters even doing.
▶Me: If it was 5-on-3 we would've won.
I vented my complaints at Agapanthus, who'd fallen silent for some reason.
After that, we chatted idly for a while.
We talked about things besides Savior, too.
Did you eat properly? Don't just eat garbage like that, eat a real meal. Did you wash with the product I recommended? If you can't sleep, at least try this... and so on.
Time flew by. I dragged the chair back. My legs were uncomfortable; I didn't want to stand up.
The sky came into view.
The night sky beyond the window filled my eyes.
Gray clouds drifting lazily, glittering starlight... and the full moon hanging dead center in the sky.
It was the kind of scene that suddenly stirred up late-night emotions. I watched it for a moment, then dragged the chair back to the desk.
▶Me: I'm off to bed now.
▶Agapanthus: Yeah, time to sleep soon.
▶Agapanthus: Sleep well. Sweet dreams.
▶Agapanthus: If you get scared by a nightmare, don't forget to use that product I recommended.
▶Me: I've been using that. It helps a lot.
▶Me: Thank you. Really.
▶Me: (puppy emoticon bowing its head)
▶Me: Sweet dreams to you too, Kkonnim.
And the conversation ended like that.
Tick-tock, tick-tock — time passed.
Blankly, I blinked.
A sudden loneliness welled up.
A strange thought.
The room had been quiet just a moment ago, and it was quiet now.
The only sounds were the click of the keyboard and the scrape of the chair dragging.
But now, I felt lonely.
My hand wandered aimlessly. My fingertips drifted toward the pill bottle, then back to the keyboard.
You shouldn't take too much medicine. The doctor had said it's best to avoid taking it whenever possible.
My head felt hazy. My vision blurred, then sharpened.
I shook my head from side to side. I needed something to redirect my focus.
I thought about sleeping, then moved the mouse instead.
- Click.
A brief loading sound followed, and the monitor lit up with a brightly-colored game.
〈Savior〉
When it came to focusing my mind, there was no game like it.
Just a little while, I told myself. Just think through the 8th Iteration concept and then log off. With that thought, I moved the mouse.
That night, the basic concept for the 8th Iteration was completed.
The 8th Iteration, which I started the next day, easily shattered the peak achievements of every previous cycle.
It was tremendous growth, achieved through the method I'd discovered in the 7th Iteration.
Having grown that strong, the 8th Iteration later fought the Tower Master of Bitter Cold.
And then was stabbed in the back by Baek A-rin and died.
.
.
.
Consciousness surfaced.
My mind felt numb. A dull, fogged-over sensation, as if shrouded in mist.
Reflexively, I tried to blink. Instinct refused. The sense that there was no point trying to open them, since I wouldn't see anything anyway.
Instead, I tried to move my fingers.
I couldn't.
My fingers were wrapped in something and wouldn't budge.
...Something felt off.
I couldn't move them. The right arm was wrapped up, so that made sense. But I couldn't move my left arm either. I should have been able to.
No sensation came through. It was as if there was nowhere for the command to move to even go.
Something was bizarre about this—and yet, I'd felt something like this once before.
'Uh...'
As I was blankly moving my lips, a memory flashed through my numbed mind like lightning.
The monster — Aerus. A creature with eerily-colored fur that rippled as it moved. A monster wreathed in crimson mist that had tried to kill me.
The left hand I'd thrust forward because I'd had no other way to block it.
The searing pain of teeth sinking in, skin and muscle tearing, bone grinding.
The Azure Sea binding shattering, and with it, torn away... my left arm.
'Ah.'
The left arm... I twitched at the shoulder joint. Through this strengthless body, the peculiar emptiness of the severed stump gnawed at me.
A horrible sensation.
One I'd felt once before... back when my left leg had been crushed.
"Ah—"
A lone, strangled wail.
"...Ah—! ...! ...!?"
Then a stabbing pain tore through my throat, and my body convulsed violently.
- Beep, beep, beep!
A warning alarm blared right beside me.
Through the chaos, I felt people rushing toward me in a panic.