Realizing My Earth Reincarnation: An Unforeseen Disaster
Realizing my reincarnation from Earth's ultra-toxic, million-selling god-tier game had hit me like an unannounced disaster.
"Ugh!"
Was it that mystery mana drink I'd chugged during my all-nighter coding session that tripped the fuse in my brain? The moment I opened my eyes, slumped over the library desk, it felt like my skull was splitting open.
I just grimaced and panted for breath. People around me stared in surprise, but I had no bandwidth to care.
Reincarnation? Earth? Modern world?
Unfamiliar concepts burrowed into my head. I'd only come to the library for an assignment, but a massive tidal wave of memories crashed over me.
Yoon Chang-seop?
The genius game director from my past life?
As the endless flood of memories kept pouring in, leaving me gasping, someone approached quietly.
It was the librarian. She pushed up her glasses and spoke.
"Is something wrong, student?"
"...It's nothing."
"Then..."
The librarian pointed at the studying patrons, then tapped on the notice posted on the wall.
Please maintain absolute silence in the library.
"......"
I averted my gaze, and the librarian sighed deeply before suggesting,
"I don't know what's going on, but why don't you step out and take a breather?"
"Yeah..."
Considering the disturbance I'd caused and the chaos in my head, I finally stumbled out of the library.
Outside, fresh air replaced the musty book smell tickling my nose. But my head still throbbed.
Fuck.
What the hell was going on?
Throb!
I sat on a nearby bench to catch my breath, and my head pounded fiercely again. The previous pain had been a joke—now the dam burst, unleashing a torrent of memories.
I clenched my teeth against the agony. Cold sweat poured down like a river, but soon my mind cleared.
"This isn't Earth."
A world similar to Earth, but completely different.
The so-called fantasy world.
Familiar yet alien scenery unfolded beyond the library.
Vroom—!
Magic-powered cars spewing mana instead of exhaust. An elf strode by with a briefcase, an orc peered into what looked like a crystal orb smartphone.
The everyday life I'd taken for granted as "Normal Lewis" my whole life clashed violently with the memories of Earthling Yoon Chang-seop, causing severe cognitive dissonance.
"...What the fuck is modern civilization doing in a world of swords and magic?"
I scanned the street. Aside from the other races, it was no different from modern Earth.
Just when I thought it was gonna be good.
I'd figured awakening my past life would make me some fantasy hero. But this world had demons, dragons, elves—yet no wars.
Does a highly advanced civilization naturally eliminate fighting?
As I sank into that odd reflection, my current life's situation crystallized—not as the genius director from before, but as plain old me.
Lewis Normal.
A run-of-the-mill undergrad at a provincial Magic University. The only special thing? An orphanage grad drowning in student loan debt.
We're fucked.
Studying by day, part-time gigs by night. Starting life round two wasn't bad, but losing all the fame and fortune from my genius dev days? That stung.
A deep sigh escaped me.
"Games, games..."
Chewing on that word lifted the corners of my mouth even as my brow furrowed.
"Games are the best."
In my past life, I'd poured endless hours into them, landed a big corp gig making them. Dev was stressful, but watching users suffer(?) and performance bonuses hit my account? Pure bliss.
Current life ain't much different, honestly.
The world changed, but my gamer soul didn't—I'd clawed my way into the game development department here too. And this year was graduation.
"Sick of it all."
Still, if this damn fantasy world had one edge over Earth...
"No military draft."
That was a golden opportunity.
So, what's next?
Come to think of it, why had I come to the library today...?
As I rummaged through my memories, someone approached the bench.
"Sunbae!"
"...Huh...?"
A blonde bob-cut girl student, hair swaying.
Who was this again?
Still reeling from the fresh reincarnation awakening, but the memory clicked.
"What's up, Melody."
Melody Bringlight. My direct junior and sole remaining teammate on our graduation project game.
She was panting hard.
"Hoo, out of breath."
"Want some water?"
"I'm fine."
But my gaze on her was a bit... odd.
Our team's current roster...
Just me and her. But swear to god, not my fault.
Melody caught her breath, then clung to my arm with teary eyes.
"Sunbae, if even you bail, we're really screwed..."
"Yeah..."
...Where'd those tears go? Her voice was already icy.
Truth was, our team started with five: me plus four other hormone-fueled guys and Melody.
They'd slobbered over teaming with the goddess of game dev for group work. But they overlooked one horrific fact.
I have to snag that scholarship this semester. Top of the class.
Melody's declaration at our first meeting. Pretty face aside, she was our department's top student, obsessed with grades.
The drooling dudes, blinded by her looks, couldn't handle her assignment-fueled intensity and dropped out one by one with leaves of absence. Leaving just me.
Fucked.
Grrr!
Looking up at Melody's blazing eyes, cold sweat beaded. That's when I remembered why I'd gone to the library.
I'll handle planning!
Great, sunbae, I'm counting on you!
An undergrad volunteering for "planning" in college group work? Basically admitting you suck at coding and art, just gonna flap your gums and coast.
Loving games ≠ making them.
As I rolled my eyes, Melody narrowed hers and glared.
"Don't tell me..."
Her tone punched my solar plexus.
"You haven't done anything, have you?"
"......"
Gulp.
I swallowed hard and checked the planning docs and materials I'd grabbed from the library.
No, it's not like I did nothing...
One glance and I knew: total trash.
Not even indie platform fodder—if I'd pitched this to my past life's company, it'd be binned like a basketball.
Stuff I'd written, but now with memories back? Just a dated RTS knockoff.
How the hell was I supposed to work with this? I wrote this as a plan?
Even as a genius director before, plans don't pop out like vending machine coffee!
A groan slipped out.
"Haa, what a cancer-inducing mess..."
"Pardon?"
Melody's eyes narrowed. Innocent face, but voice frosty.
"Did you just say cancer..."
Cancer.
Instantly, a raspy ronin's voice from past-life memories echoed.
Death is like cancer. Always by my side.
"......Did you maybe mispronounce 'wind'?"
"Nah. Cancer it is."
In one second, that legendary game's name was on my lips. The one that transcended legend to become gamers' worldwide disease.
"The game we're making is Cancer's Rift."
"...What the hell are we even making?"
"A game that goes beyond legend to myth."
Doubt filled Melody's eyes, but my conviction was rock-solid. We're crafting the legendary 5v5 AOS.
This world had RTS like Stars' War, but no single-unit-control AOS genre yet. Even my garbage plan was just ripping off outdated RTS.
Blue ocean of blue oceans.
Gameplay?
Anyone calling this shit game's gameplay bad is a noob. No fun? It wouldn't have topped global charts.
A twinge of conscience hit, though.
But is it cool dumping this ultra-toxic game into this peaceful world?
My brain auto-simmed it.
Noble kids yelling "top diff" and challenging to duels. Elves raging in jungles via crystal orbs and setting forests ablaze. Orcs spam-pad chat leading to all-out war.
...Wait, could this actually spark a war?
A horrifying hypothesis: this world had no wars not from advanced civ, but from not knowing AOS yet.
I'd seen it countless times before. Lifelong bros turning eternal foes over a single KDA difference. How one game meticulously shreds relationships.
Still—
It's fun.
Conscience folded in 0.3 seconds flat.
Superstars drive fans and haters mad alike. This game was like drugs—legendary filth spawning addicts and pad warriors galore.
As I furrowed my brow in inner conflict, Melody asked cautiously.
"So... my grades are safe, right?"
To Melody, eyes narrowed suspiciously, I declared with gusto.
"This seals top spot this semester for us, guaranteed."
"And the planning doc?"
"...Left it at my place."
I bullshitted around the nonexistent plan. Melody pursed her lips, eyes narrowing.
"Sunbae. If I don't get top, you're dead."
"......Trust me. This is the real deal."
Silence hung. Melody stared up at me awhile, then sighed and stood.
"Fine, to your place then, sunbae!"
"My room's a landfill right now—can't let you in. Your dorm first. We'll rebuild from the skeleton. Perfect plan's all in my head."
"Hmm... alright. This should lock my grades solid!"
Sure, your grades are safe. But this world's folks' sanity and parents? Who knows...
Cancer's Rift. The ultimate disease birthing infamous "how's your mom" warriors.
Melody strode ahead, steps bouncy.
"Hurry to my dorm then, sunbae!"
"...Yeah."
For my junior's GPA, I sold out this world's people—their sanity and parents alike.