Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Logging Out is Too Hard
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“Hey, hey, wasn't last night wild? Sudden blackout, then the server goes down... I thought I'd blacked out. No compensation or anything?”
“Compensation? Come on. If it was bad server management, maybe, but it was an act of God. The whole world lost power at the same time.”
“Yeah. And it was only down for like one or two seconds anyway. Man, that greed though...”
“Heh heh-”
The square in Moretti, one of the beginner zones, was packed with countless players. They were chatting about the massive blackout incident from yesterday, the [Blackout]. An unprecedented global power outage. For major facilities like media outlets and banks, even 1-2 seconds could cause enormous damage. But to ordinary gamers, it was just fleeting gossip. Nothing more than a minor blip they could laugh off?
“By the way, I heard the Phoenix Unit is tackling the 10th floor this time?”
“For real? Whoa... How long ago was it that they cleared the 9th? That's huge.”
“Sigh, when do we get to see the Labyrinth Tower?”
“When? First we gotta get out of beginner territory. The Labyrinth Tower's on the central continent.”
“Haa... It's right there in plain sight, but so damn far.”
People murmured while gazing at the towering spire piercing the heavens in the distance. A colossal tower visible from anywhere on the continent. The [Labyrinth Tower], the goal of every player. The virtual reality game [Evil Tail], created by the world's first fully autonomous AI, [Ethan]. It had been surrounded by rumors even during development. A game made by an unknown startup called [Andra], using an unreleased autonomous AI? And unlike existing helmet-based games, it used capsule pods that digitized all five senses? At first, people were intrigued by the comic-book absurdity. But after three years of silence post-announcement, they dismissed it as pie in the sky. Then, on the fifth year, [Evil Tail]'s debut shocked the world. From the breeze to the scent of the air. The sunlight, the cityscapes. Vivid combat that stimulated every sense. Everything was fresh and astonishing. An impossible challenge. Players who experienced [Evil Tail] even claimed it couldn't have been made by humans. 300 million concurrent users. 1.5 billion total registered players. Surpassing mere popularity, the game engulfed people in a frenzy. And so, as usual, players were enjoying [Evil Tail]. All but one.
“H-Help me!! Please!!”
“Please contact me at this number!!”
“N-No! Call the police! Please...!”
Murmur... murmur... Rumors began spreading through the crowd in Moretti Square about a lunatic running around.
It was exactly the 10th day.
“That guy... it's him, right?”
“He really can't log out?”
“No way. If so, the devs would've done something by now. GMs came and went a bunch of times.”
People whispered while staring at the man still standing in the square.
As day 20 passed, the community's mocking tone began to shift slightly.
“...He's not dead, is he?”
“Nah, no way.”
“Streamers and BJ's went to the address on his sign, said nothing there.”
“Obviously nothing. It's all bullshit.”
“Even the cops got so many reports it made the news. Told people to stop calling.”
“From the start, asking to find someone with a fake resident number...”
Murmur... murmur...
People's whispers.
After day 30, interest faded back into skepticism.
And that skepticism returned as sharper barbs than before.
Drip... drip...
Rain began to fall.
“...”
Bowing his head, the man stood before the central fountain in the square.
“...Logout doesn't work.”
His parched lips trembled.
“...Help me.”
His stamina was rock bottom; even standing was a struggle.
Hunger had maxed out long ago, his vision foggy like mist.
How many days had it been?
He'd lost track of time, repeating the same words endlessly.
“That psycho... doesn't he get tired?”
“Community says the resident number on his sign's fake too.”
“Cops posted yesterday 'cause so many reports. Said it doesn't exist.”
“Tsk tsk... world's full of weirdos.”
But cold responses were all he got.
People's gazes were icy.
“Can't reach my family...”
“...Please.”
Thud-
He dropped to his knees, bowing as if in supplication.
“Please... find me...”
Platter... splatter...
The downpour intensified like a squall.
“Hic... heh... sob...”
Tears burst forth like a dam breaking, pouring out his pent-up anguish without end.
The square was full of people.
They were all enjoying the game happily.
Of course they were.
They could return to reality anytime they wanted—no worries for them.
But... him?
'What... the hell happened?'
Even he couldn't make sense of it.
Clench-
Slumped on the ground, Woojin balled his fists.
“Trapped in a game...”
Something he'd only imagined happening to him.
But...
It was nothing like his fantasies.
If he were truly alone, he might've accepted it and moved on.
But everyday conversations kept reaching his ears.
What’s for dinner tonight.
Complaints about the boss.
Date plans for later...
Utterly mundane, ordinary talk.
The people in the square casually swapped stories from the real world outside the game.
It was natural.
They could log out anytime with a button press.
But he...
'Can't go back.'
How to explain it?
Like being isolated behind a glass wall?
“Logout...”
Clutching at faint hope, he shouted it once more.
“...Damn it.”
Nothing changed.
This was unmistakably reality.
Yet...
Ridiculously, he couldn't return to it.
“Sorry, but we can't verify your info. Looks like the resident number's wrong...”
GM Dane, administrator of Evil Tail, replied irritably to the man before him.
Dane sighed as he glanced at the exclusive chat window for operators.
It was day 45 of Kim Woojin—the star of all the rumors—standing in the square.
“N-No way. Check again. Kim Woojin. Age 35...”
He was still desperate.
“We've received and processed dozens of identity verification requests from you already.”
The ops team looked utterly fed up, matching his desperation.
“We're here today to inform you that we can no longer accept identity verification requests regarding your account.”
GM Dane—Ko Jun-cheol, team leader of the 2nd Ops Team—said coldly to Kim Woojin.
“...What?”
“Our ops team never lies to customers. This is an internal admin tool, but we're showing it to you as an exception.”
Tap- tap-.
He roughly typed on the holographic keyboard with clear annoyance, then turned the screen to Woojin.
“Customer, you said you have a logout issue? Without proper info, we can't help you.”
“I've given it correctly! Why would I not know my own resident number?!”
Woojin shouted urgently.
“The account system we use, [World Info], integrates subscribers not just from Korea but worldwide.”
“...So?”
“No record means you're giving fake info, or...”
Dane yelled in a low voice at Woojin.
“You're not from this world. Latter's impossible, so you're just causing a scene with lies...”
Flinch-.
Woojin's shoulders trembled in agony, as if crushed.
“If you keep spreading baseless rumors damaging [Evil Tail]'s image, we'll have to take action.”
“...Damaging the image? You really saying that now?”
“Pardon?”
“Yeah! Do it!! Take any action! Force logout, ban my account—anything! Get me out of this goddamn game!!”
'...W-What?'
Dane faltered, surprised by Woojin grabbing his arm while screaming—him who'd been issuing the warning.
Team Leader Ko scowled at the report.
Grind!!
His subordinates' shoulders would be shaking even unseen.
“W-Wait...!! Just a sec!!”
Woojin grabbed Dane's sleeve anxiously, seeing his grim expression.
“If mine doesn't work, check this. Choi Jin-sook. Born 1959. Resident number...”
Dane tsked quietly, inaudibly.
“Choi Jin-sook, Kim In-cheol, Kim Jin-nam. We've checked them multiple times. All non-existent.”
“One more time...! Something's wrong!!”
“Sorry, no such people. Aren't you mistaken? Keep insisting on fake numbers, and we're in trouble too.”
...Mistaken?
Drop-
As his sleeve was yanked, Woojin's arm fell limply.
Like that arm, his fragile rationality snapped.
“Ha, haha...”
Trapped in this shitty game—fine, whatever.
What? Wrong resident number?
Fine, say my existence vanished!!!
But still...
“Why say my perfectly alive family...”
Doesn't exist?
“Ha, haha... Hey, this some prank cam or something?”
That movie. The Truman Show?
Everyone fooling me like that?!
His mind went blank white.
Still.
“There's limits!!! Why drag my family into this!! You fucks!!! Who's doing this to me!!”
Grab!!
Woojin seized Dane's collar.
“Mistake? Bullshit! Get me out of this dogshit game NOW!!”
“W-What are you doing!!”
Dane shoved the rampaging man hard.
BAM—!!!
Woojin's body flew back and slammed into the ground.
A mere level 10 warrior couldn't withstand an admin's power, measured at ?? level.
Outside the city, it might've been instant death.
“Ah...”
Feeling the stares, Dane rushed to Woojin with a troubled look.
“Sorry. Set to max level for emergencies...”
Sob... hic...
Grabbing the offered hand, Woojin sobbed through his wrecked face.
“...Please.”
Lips quivering, he continued.
“Just... let me log out...”
Thud-.
He hung his head.
Tears streamed endlessly from his broken posture, last hope gone.
Crackle... static...
Then.
His blurry vision sharpened miraculously.
“...?!”
Something appeared before him.
'...Cursor?'
A blinking cursor, like typing in mid-air, began rapidly filling in.
'W-What's this...?'
Crackle... hiss...
Static... crackle...
Before Woojin could speak, input prompts raced across his view.
Then, like a glitching TV, it crackled and reformed into sentences.
“W-What...?”
Silence.
Not just that—the bustling village vanished entirely.
No crowds in the square, no sky, no wind.
Only him, alone in black void.
Logout?
[Yes / No]
Woojin stared at the system window with trembling eyes.
“I-Is it real?”
No time for doubt.
The notification he'd longed for.
He had to.
Click.
Woojin slowly raised his hand and pressed [YES].
Whoosh---!!!
Pure white light filled his vision.
'Please!'
Clutching it like his final lifeline, he gripped his fists tight.
When he opened his eyes.
Please...
Be reality.
“...What the hell?”
But opening his eyes, he stared around in dumbfounded shock, speechless.
Logout.
The command to exit the game.
But no explanation of what 'reality' awaited outside.
Ha... haha...
“Fuck.”
It was another world.