Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Login: The Apocalypse
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My name is Kim Cheonjae.
It means a genius whose talents reach the heavens.
So, am I a genius?
I have two answers to that question.
One is yes.
The other is no.
Anyone who doesn't know me would think this is nonsense.
Simply put, it depends on the beholder's perspective whether I'm a genius or not.
"Hoo... It's hot."
I opened the window.
Fine dust rolls into this neighborhood every three days.
It wasn't this bad until three years ago.
These days, you wake up to find a layer of yellowish dust on the cars parked outside.
Because of that, there are very few days when I can air out the house.
On a nice day like today, I had to fling the windows wide open and let in some fresh air.
'It's an important day, after all.'
A cool breeze slipped through the window, fluttering the curtains.
Thud.
I plopped down in front of my desk.
"Genius, huh..."
Doesn't everyone have at least one dream from childhood?
Becoming a famous singer or actor. Or turning into a superstar with exceptional athletic talent.
Making a fortune through successful business counts as one of those dreams too.
To be precise, life's goal.
This thing right in front of me is my dream.
The one and only tool that calls me a genius.
Tick.
The power button clicked on, and the computer hummed to life.
Whiiiir—.
The fan noise was especially loud on this old machine. It looked pathetically inadequate to be called a tool for achieving dreams.
But a true master doesn't blame his tools.
Click. Click.
I double-clicked the [Land of Ruin: Last Game] icon in the center of the desktop.
A yellowish screen appeared, followed by an image of a man walking through a ruined cityscape.
What is this?
My dream.
[ID: rlawhtjs]
[Password: ********]
Click.
[Loading...]
[This game is rated for ages 19 and up.]
[Excessive gaming is harmful to your health.]
['Land of Ruin: Last Game' strictly moderates in-game profanity.]
The red loading bar crept across the yellowish screen until the game launched.
The moment I logged into the game with my ID [GoInmul], messages from various people flooded my inbox in order.
[From ▶ (Jjam King): GoHigh!]
[From ▶ (Deok Bae): The day has finally come. A moment of glory.]
[From ▶ (Nureong): This message originated from England...]
[From ▶ (4meja): Black Dragon Knights, all members ready.]
I hit the clear all button on the inbox.
If they were close friends, they'd call me directly or whisper in-game anyway.
An old man strolled leisurely through the heart of the game's ruined cityscape.
Clad in skeletal armor and wielding a reaper's scythe, this gaunt figure was my character.
I slipped on my headphones and whispered into the mic.
"Anyone on Discord?"
A reply came right away.
-Me.
"Yeah. Nick Jin, come on in."
-Bullshit. I was here first.
"Oh. Then welcome, legend."
-LOL, greeting yourself?
"Yeah. I'm always fresh and exciting to myself."
We chuckled through our chat as we met up in the game's ruined central square.
Characters began gathering around Nick Jin and me at the square's center.
It was no wonder— the game's number one and number two rankers were together, so all eyes were on us.
Of course, number one was me.
Number two was my friend Nick Jin.
-Hey! That character... isn't that him? The rank one genius High-Level Player.
-Whoa, it's really him! The real deal showed up!
-And the one next to him is rank two, right? Demonic Warrior Myeong Nikjin.
-All the top rankers are gathering today.
The crowding users wanted to chat with us or snap screenshots, buzzing with excitement.
Normally, I'd exchange a few words with other players, show off, or toss out unused items to flex.
Not today.
Today was the true final day of 'Land of Ruin: Last Game.'
As time passed, droves of users gathered in the square behind us.
They all shared the same purpose.
What was it?
[In 5 minutes, we will begin the final round of Land of Ruin.]
-Whoa, it's really the last game, just like the announcement.
-We played for so long... Kinda sad.
-Well, can't be helped. The devs are broke.
That's right.
'Server shutdown due to financial difficulties.'
The company's situation had gone south, forcing the game servers to close.
Still, it had run for a long time, so the devs prepared a final event for the players.
I had no idea what it was since the details were under wraps.
[Time until final game: 4 minutes.]
Nick Jin and I took position in front of the grand cathedral at the square's center.
Major guilds lined up behind us like military units prepping for a parade.
A knight holding a shield emblazoned with a red cross emblem stepped to the front line and bellowed.
-Troops... fall in!
The knights behind him straightened their ranks.
[Time until final game: 2 minutes.]
Next, a long-haired elf character approached us and bowed politely with an in-game emote.
[Chakan i: High-Level Player bro!]
[High-Level Player: Long time no see, Kani.]
[Chakan i: Ready to get started?]
[High-Level Player: Yeah.]
Chakan i, leader of the elves, swept her hand in a motion, and archers nocked their arrows.
[Time until final game: 1 minute.]
I climbed to the cathedral's spire for a look around. Users swarmed the town entrance like ants.
'Assassins, mages, druids. Every class is here.'
Was this all the game's players?
Panning the camera over the whole town caused so much lag that my computer stuttered.
After checking the player distribution, I descended from the cathedral.
Then I turned on my mic.
"Nick Jin, did you hear anything from your uncle about today's event?"
-Nah. And he got laid off last month.
"...Got it."
As we talked, the final system message popped up.
[Land of Ruin: Last Game. The final showdown begins now.]
[We've prepared a surprise gift for the player who survives until the end, so look forward to it.]
[Here we go. Ready... Go!!]
The users stirred.
I placed my hands on the keyboard and mouse, waiting to see what would happen.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
Still nothing.
Everyone held their breath, ready for battle.
Silence blanketed the ruined square.
No one typed in chat.
They were too busy prepping for combat, fingers glued to their mice.
"...What the hell. Why isn't anything happening?"
-Beats me.
Looking around, no special monsters lunged, no meteors fell.
No new system messages either.
What was going on?
Slowly panning the screen revealed one odd thing.
A red PK marker above my head.
And on the guy next to me, the next one, and the one after that.
'Ah...'
So that's what 'Land of Ruin' means.
By the time I caught on to the devs' intent, the square had descended into chaos.
The elves loosed their drawn bowstrings with a 'twang!', arrows raining down on the knights.
-Aaaargh!!
-Wh-what's happening?
-The elves! The Elf Alliance is attacking us!!
[Isaki: What? The elves?]
The knight leader looked up toward the elves.
The elves swiftly discarded their bows, drawing daggers from their waists and shields from their backs.
[Isaki: What is the meaning of this, Chakan i!]
[Chakan i: Dumbass.]
[Isaki: What did you say?]
[Chakan i: Elf Alliance! Kill everyone in sight!]
-Raaaaah!
User cheers filled the square.
Moments ago poised against unknown foes, they now turned on each other.
"Chakan i..."
As the elf leader, her judgment was spot on.
To prepare an event like this—the devs were something else.
[System Message]
[Land of Ruin: Last Game final story now commencing.]
[*Ruin Mode activated]
[The final boss Lucifer curses the town.]
[PK is now enabled in town.]
[KILL your enemies and SURVIVE.]
[Only the last one standing will witness the story's end.]
Users had expected a powerful boss monster or army invasion.
They were wrong.
The devs delivered a true 'ruin' event.
Players eliminating players to end the game.
How brilliant.
My hands trembled.
"...Whoa! Time to kill?"
-Kim Cheonjae, this event is made for us, right?
"It's perfect. Hey, let's get started."
-OK.
In that brief exchange, half the square lay in ruins. Arrows poured down everywhere, mages turning areas into seas of fire.
Nick Jin's Barbarian Warrior leaped into the fray.
[Myeong Nikjin: Anyone who doesn't wanna die, get out of the way!]
Boom.
Users nearby scattered at Nick Jin's entrance. Who'd want to fight when a graze from that axe cleaved characters in half?
I smirked watching his rampage.
Not even five minutes in, and half the users were already dead.
[The final boss Lucifer descends.]
[Players, prepare for the final battle.]
'What?'
Everyone was too busy fighting to notice the Lucifer descent message.
-Kuhahaha!
A sinister laugh echoed as a gate ripped open above the town.
Whiiiir—.
The demon king Lucifer appeared.
"You insolent worms, begone."
[Hell Fire]
The ground split, hellfire erupting forth.
Players, lost in mutual slaughter, fell helplessly to Lucifer.
I'd watched quietly from the sidelines and now climbed back to the cathedral spire.
"...Full-powered Lucifer."
Lucifer spotted me.
He charged at full speed.
"You!"
I raised my hand overhead and chanted.
"Let's have that final battle, Demon King."
[Resurrection of the Dead]
Reviving all the dead.
As my minions.
* * * * *
Clink!
Two beer cans tapped, ringing crisply.
"Aw man... Nick Jin, today was insane, right? Never dreamed the devs would pull off an event like that."
Nick Jin chuckled, clinked back, and downed his remaining beer in one go.
"...Damn it. Why'd that Lucifer bastard show up out of nowhere?"
"Cuz he's the game boss."
"No! They set us up to fight each other, then summon that guy—"
"Everyone was gonna die anyway."
Nick Jin furrowed his brow and ruffled my hair.
"Anyway, did you win?"
"Win what?"
"Against Lucifer. Everyone else died, so no one knows the ending but you."
I chugged my beer too.
"...Lost."
"You lost?"
"Probably?"
"Probably?"
"We died at the same time, but he can respawn, so yeah, I lost."
Jeongwoo nodded.
"Mutual kill, huh?"
"Yeah... When our HP hit zero at the end, I self-destructed."
"Heh. Still, the Land of Ruin devs must've banked a ton back in the day. Server maintenance that rough?"
"Dunno. Everyone's got their reasons."
"Reasons..."
And so our game of memories ended. After all that time, it felt refreshing yet bittersweet.
Every player in 'Land of Ruin' dreamed of slaying him.
I fulfilled that dream at the very end.
What a shame.
Such a shame!
Drunk, I kept repeating myself.
"Hoo... Should've crushed that Lucifer bastard."
"Cheonjae, you've had enough."
Clink!
"Yeah... maybe."
I raised my beer can with a bitter smile.
It was unlikely, but if the servers ever reopened, I'd rewrite this game's ending.
Imbuing it with my idea of 'ruin.'
After a few more drinks with Nick Jin, I found myself sprawled on the floor.
Five soju bottles lay scattered nearby.
Impressive for two guys with a one-and-a-half-bottle limit.
-Yawwwn.
First things first, sleep.
* * * * *
How long had I slept?
When I opened my eyes, my room's lights were off.
"Ah... Cold."
The window I'd opened because it was hot let in the pre-dawn chill.
Rattle.
Closing it plunged the room into darkness.
Power outage? Or did I turn it off in my sleep?
Who cares?
I flicked on the desk lamp.
As the orange bulb lit the room—
Bang!
Something fell behind me.
...
What? The clock?
I slowly turned my head.
And saw something unbelievable.
"...What the hell?"
A zombie in a salaryman suit stood before me.
-Krrk. Krriiiik.