Doomsday Buttons
This world is made of doomsday buttons.
At first glance, it looks like your standard dark fantasy RPG. The player dies over and over, grinding through impossible enemies and unbeatable trials until they finally win. And then.
[The world has been destroyed.]
[You failed to protect this world.]
[Find a way to prevent the destruction.]
"Fuck."
There was a witch obsessed with eternal life, desperately chasing immortality. She succeeded by transferring her soul into other intelligent beings' bodies. The heroes created a poison to corrupt her soul and kill her. The witch died. But the curse she'd placed on her own soul didn't break.
In the end, her poisoned soul spread like a corpse plague, infecting the living and spreading death endlessly. Until every intelligent being was extinct.
Thus, the world was destroyed.
[The world has been destroyed.]
[You failed to protect this world.]
[Find a way to prevent the destruction.]
In her final moments, a saintess offered herself as a burnt offering to the gods. The gods took pity on her and descended to this land. Thus, the world was destroyed.
[The world has been destroyed.]
[You failed to protect this world.]
[Find a way to prevent the destruction.]
There was a hero who believed punishing the wicked and helping the good would bring justice to the world. Because of that hero, the world was destroyed.
[The world has been destroyed.]
[You failed to protect this world.]
[Find a way to prevent the destruction.]
There was a girl born bearing all the world's misfortune and bad luck. Because of her, the world was destroyed.
[The world has been destroyed.]
[You failed to protect this world.]
[Find a way to prevent the destruction.]
By killing villains, by killing heroes, by not killing villains, by not killing heroes. The world was destroyed.
[The world has been destroyed.]
[You failed to protect this world.]
[Find a way to prevent the destruction.]
By showing mercy, by not showing mercy, by turning a blind eye to injustice, by not turning a blind eye to injustice. The world was destroyed.
This dark fantasy world is made of doomsday buttons.
"Fuck it, just let it end."
I quit the game.
And then.
[You have transmigrated into the world of Endless.]
[Find a way to prevent the destruction.]
When I opened my eyes again, I'd transmigrated into a dark fantasy game packed with doomsday buttons.
I'd possessed the wastrel young master of a fantasy world. One of the Empire's three great ducal families, no less. An assassination dynasty, an execution nobility—they carried terrifying reputations, so no matter how much of a wastrel I acted like, no one could say a word against me. I held absolute power.
If this were a "normal" fantasy world, I might've grumbled about reality a bit before getting excited. But the world I'd possessed wasn't some dream-and-hope-filled territory management fantasy.
[You have transmigrated into the world of Endless.]
[Find a way to prevent the destruction.]
"Why Endless of all games?!"
Endless. A trash game where the world ends the moment you let your guard down... or even if you don't. Possessing into this game meant I was doomed just by breathing.
Even if I did nothing, the world would destroy itself on its own. I'd probably get buried alive with the world while just chilling at home. At least the road to the afterlife wouldn't be lonely—billions would be my companions!
"This is insane. Humanely speaking, this is too much."
Small mercy: I hadn't transmigrated without any perks. Quite the opposite—I got to choose a flashy S-Rank trait.
[Transmigrator-exclusive perk granted.]
[※ This perk can only be selected once.]
[Choose carefully.]
Heavenly Martial Body
Death Immunity
...
Demon King's Bloodline
Heavenly Martial Body. Boosts martial skill EXP gain and breaks level caps—a total cheat.
Death Immunity. Self-explanatory cheat.
Demon King's Bloodline. Tames any demon beast—another cheat.
"Trash perks."
Utterly useless for stopping the world's doom. Think going full munchkin and smashing all the buttons would work? Some buttons end the game the instant you kill them. Spare them, and doom still comes. The world is designed to end.
Only endings are destruction. Even with Death Immunity, you'd survive to ruins. Game over the moment doom hits.
"Come on. This can't be right. There has to be something useful..."
I scrolled through the perk list forever. They wouldn't give a useless one. There had to be a hint to avert doom hidden here.
High-Performance Telepathy
"...Huh?"
Amid the cheats, one lame name stood out. High-Performance Telepathy. No combat use whatsoever. Why was it even S-Rank? I checked its info.
"This is it."
The moment I did, I knew. This was the only key to stopping doom.
"System. I choose High-Performance Telepathy."
[Confirm selection of 'High-Performance Telepathy'?]
[Selected perks cannot be changed.]
"Proceed."
[Perk 'High-Performance Telepathy' granted.]
Yeah. No way my power alone stops doomsday buttons. Obsessing over the impossible is stupid; clinging to it is foolish.
But.
"You Fucking Idiots..."
That doesn't mean nothing can change.
If those goddamn doomsday buttons doom the world.
"I might not be able to change you..."
But I can make sure you don't want the world's end.
So you won't sacrifice yourselves to gods.
Won't obsess over eternal life.
Won't drown in evil or justice.
"If it's your inner Gigachad, it can change you."
I'll teach you all.
How to live each day meaningfully.
Yeah. From now on, I would be.
- "I'm your inner self, My Daughter."
The Gigachad in the villains' hearts!
Before launching Operation 'Gigachad' to prevent doom.
I decided to recruit a collaborator.
"So—from now on, you're my exclusive maid."
"Pardon?"
"Hey, Head Maid. I'm taking this one."
"Understood, Young Master."
Might as well milk this wastrel role for all it's worth. I immediately grabbed a newbie maid and made her my personal subordinate.
"What's your name?"
"...Canaria, sir."
"Good, Cana. From now on, you're my guinea pig."
"Pardon?"
"Can't shove an untested musclebound macho man at doomsday time bombs right away. Might piss them off and accelerate the end—total disaster."
"...I don't understand what you're saying."
"Cana."
"Yes."
"Who said you had to?"
"Pardon?"
I smiled brightly and uttered the eternal truth that never changes, no matter the world.
"Do as you're told."
"...Yes, sir."
"Cana, I'm about to use some magic. Don't freak out."
"Pardon?"
"A musclebound macho man is gonna appear in front of you now."
"Pardon?"
I activated my perk right away, summoning the Gigachad illusion. More precisely, projecting the Gigachad image directly into Canaria's mind via telepathy—not quite an illusion.
I figured she'd freak and fall over.
"A real musclebound macho man..."
Surprisingly, Canaria stayed calm. Tougher than she looked.
"Is this over-the-top masculine pose and bulky muscle your taste, Young Master?"
"...No."
"I understand. Everyone has their tastes."
"I said no."
Who're you calling gay? This is the optimal form, derived from my past life's experience.
"This is 'Gigachad'. The potential inside everyone."
"...Does that potential exist in me?"
"Of course. By the way, Gigachad calls you CheonSsalPpi."
"Why SsalPpi?"
"Because it's Gigachad!"
"......"
Canaria gave me a look that screamed, Is this guy for real? The fact she only thought it, not said it, highlighted the terrifying power gap between us.
Scary. This is power...!
"So, what do I do?"
"Live with this illusion all day from now on."
"...Pardon?"
"All day. 24/7. A week. Nonstop."
Canaria unleashed a torrent of inner curses. I could hear them all via telepathy—tone it down, please. She really hated it.
"Cana."
"Yes."
But I knew the cure-all for times like this.
"Cooperate, and you get a gold coin bonus."
"I'm your loyal dog, Young Master. Bark if you say bark, roll if you say roll."
"Bark."
"Woof woof."
"Tch, not doggy enough."
"Woof woof—grrr... arf arf!"
"There we go."
"Young Master? I heard barking from your room..."
"......"
"......Enjoy yourselves."
The Head Maid heard the barking, opened the door, saw our doggy play, and tactfully closed it again—a minor hiccup.
Anyway, agreement reached smoothly.
"Good. Listen to your inner Gigachad's voice."
"Understood."
-
"Hey, CheonSsalPpi! Let's Hard Work, Hard Study together!"
"...No refunds?"
"Wanna do it for free?"
"Actually, Gigachad's my type."
"You like musclebound macho men, huh."
"......"