Chapter 1: Zero Code, Turning Back Ten Years
Chapter 1: Zero Code, Turning Back Ten Years
〈Player Status〉
1. Name: Kim Soohyun (Year 10 User)
2. Class: Swordsman (Normal, Swordsman, Master)
3. Nation: Terra
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Contemplates the World and Desires Seclusion, Zenith · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (33)
7. Height · Weight: 181.5cm · 75.5kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · Chaos
[Strength 86] [Durability 92] [Agility 96] [Stamina 78] [Magic Power 48] [Luck 36]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
〈Achievements (21)〉
〈Special Abilities (1/1)〉
〈Latent Abilities (4/4)〉
My mind was blank. I just dazedly rolled the small orb in my left hand.
“User Kim Soohyun.”
Ten years. Over that long span, I had achieved the one thing I had yearned for and dreamed of. And yet, it wouldn't disappear. The sense of loss filling my heart and the searing ache in my soul still tormented me.
“User Kim Soohyun. May I ask you again?”
A low yet beautiful voice reached my ears. Drawn by the sound, I slowly lifted my head. As I did, the floor of gray bricks came into view. My gaze traveled upward until the thirty-pyeong space filled my vision, and then it stopped.
The ‘Summoning Room,’ where all things began and all things ended. And on the rectangular altar in the center of the room, wings radiating a white light flickered faintly. Feeling a sense of emptiness, I fixed my eyes on the ‘angel’ sitting on the altar.
“I will reconfirm User Kim Soohyun’s request. Do you truly wish to turn back the time of the Hall Plain?”
“Yes.”
I slowly nodded, staring at the angel before me. A face beautiful enough to be called the pinnacle of beauty itself. Smooth, flawless skin without a single blemish. Daringly sheer clothes that offered tantalizing glimpses of what lay beneath. All of it was focused solely on me.
But I felt no desire. Not for the angel’s stunning form, nor for her affectionate gaze. Nothing could stir my already-dead heart. I had lost all my emotions after ‘that day.’
“I simply cannot comprehend it. Neither I nor any of the other angels can understand you.”
“No, you’re wrong. I’m not looking for your understanding, Seraph.”
My own voice sounded so cold in my ears. The angel Seraph’s voice, unlike its usual steadiness, trembled faintly. I couldn't recall ever seeing her flustered before today. Did that mean what I just said was that shocking?
Though she wavered for a moment, Seraph quickly regained her impassive expression. Then, in her usual low voice, she began to calmly reason with me.
“User Kim Soohyun, you have completed every mission in the Hall Plain and are the first User to reach the summit.”
“And?”
“It is not a matter of ‘and.’ You have obtained the Zero Code you so desired. You have the ‘qualification.’ Within the bounds of that qualification, you can achieve anything you want.”
“Seraph. We’re done talking.”
“A return to Earth? Fine. You can return to Earth with your current abilities. Remain in the Hall Plain? That is also fine. With the Zero Code, you could become the king who rules all continents—no, a being even greater than that.”
It seemed she wouldn't stop, so I sighed and rested my right hand at my waist. The familiar hilt of my sword settled into my palm.
“Whew, ten years was more than enough of falling for that sweet talk. I’m tired now. Seraph? I won’t say any more. No matter what words you use to tempt me, I will not reconsider my use of the Zero Code.”
I gripped the hilt, nearly hard enough to shatter it, and channeled magic power through my circuits. Seraph must have read the energy rising from my body, as she fell silent for a moment. But only for a moment. Soon, a look of pity colored her face. It seemed she hadn't given up on persuading me yet.
“The ownership of the Zero Code belongs solely to User Kim Soohyun. We have no authority to interfere with it. That is why this is so regrettable. To use an object of such immense power simply to turn back time is utterly absurd.”
“…”
“I will confirm one last time. Does User Kim Soohyun truly wish to repeat those ten agonizing years?”
By the time she finished, Seraph’s tone was almost a plea. Suddenly, an inexplicable laugh bubbled up from within me. It was a laugh for no reason.
I laughed silently for a while.
*
This was not Earth. It was another world called the ‘Hall Plain,’ a place where an extraordinary life, starkly different from the daily routines of modern people, unfolded.
I slowly closed my eyes and began to retrace the events I had experienced, one by one.
I was twenty-three, with a bright future ahead of me, when I first entered the Hall Plain ten years ago. My last memory of Earth was of happily heading home after completing my two years of military service.
After reporting my discharge, I had fallen sound asleep on the train home. When I came to my senses, I had been summoned here, to this ‘Summoning Room.’ And before my eyes was an angel with shimmering white wings, a being I had only ever seen in my imagination.
I knew nothing and could understand nothing. For someone who had been bursting with the dream of finally returning home, it was like being struck by lightning.
It wasn't a dream or a fantasy. By the time I had barely accepted it as reality, I was begging the angel to send me back. But the next place I was sent was a place for proving a User’s qualification, called the ‘Rite of Passage.’ There, I was forced to undergo a test, hunted by monsters I had never seen before in my life.
The designated test period was seven days. That place was a battlefield purely for survival. After barely enduring a week amidst countless threats to my life, I was finally able to obtain the qualification of a ‘User,’ which granted me entry into the world of the Hall Plain.
But the Rite of Passage was not the end. The Hall Plain was the true beginning. If the Rite of Passage was a seven-day war for survival, the Hall Plain was a hell with no promised end, where you never knew when you might die.
And so my life in the Hall Plain began.
I just wanted to live. Because I wanted to live, I desperately adapted to the nonsensical world of the Hall Plain. I staked all my hope on the angel’s single promise that I could return if I reached the end, and I spent ten long years there. Yes, I just wanted to live and go back. With the people I was bound to, the ties I could never sever.
“User Kim Soohyun. What are you thinking about so deeply? Have you perhaps had a change of….”
The moment I thought of the word ‘ties,’ a surge of emotion welled up inside me. I shook my head hard. Getting lost in reminiscence wasn't what was important right now.
“Ah, I was just thinking about the old days. Anyway, repeating ten agonizing years… The fact that you put it that way means you have at least a shred of a conscience, doesn't it?”
“…”
“That’s right. Thanks to you all, I experienced pain I never needed to. And for ten whole years, at that.”
“User Kim Soohyun.”
Seraph’s gaze scanned me from head to toe, as if trying to read my mind. Just as I was about to tell her to stop, her beautiful lips parted, and a quiet voice flowed out.
“If you are perhaps thinking of User Kim Yoohyun and User Han Soyoung… I believe I know what you desire. User Kim Soohyun, I have a very rational idea. The GP you currently possess is more than enough to activate your wish several times over. There is no need to use the Zero Code to go back to the past…”
I hate to admit it, but he was right.
I knew she would say that. Before Seraph could even finish her sentence, I drew my sword from its sheath and swung it with all my might.
Fwing!
A sharp sound tore through the air. The wave of energy I unleashed violently shook the altar where Seraph sat. But that was all. The wave vanished without a trace against the pure white barrier she had erected.
“User Kim Soohyun… I understand how you feel, but this is a meaningless act. I believe you yourself are aware of this.”
I knew. A User could not harm an angel. The only reason I swung my sword was to express my intense, unwavering will.
“Right before he died, Astaroth said something. That in the end, you’re all the same kind of bastards.”
“Are you saying you believe the words of a demon now? You, of all people?”
“It’s the truth, isn’t it? You can’t do this, you can’t do that. In the end, the conclusion is hardly any different.”
“Wait, let’s just talk for a moment… I believe I have already provided a sufficient explanation regarding your demands.”
“You said I wasn’t qualified. You said I couldn’t do it because I wasn’t qualified. So I even said I’d go back in time to create the qualification again, so what’s the big problem?”
“Soohyun!”
Fwing! Fwing!
“Don’t shout, I’m not deaf. And address me as ‘User Kim Soohyun.’ Just like you always have.”
Again, the waves of energy flew out and dissipated. Seraph stared at me with a sorrowful gaze, as if she couldn't believe my sudden actions. I didn't care. I readjusted my grip on the sword pointed at her, its blade emitting a chilling light. As I poured my magic power into it, a blue flame began to flicker to life along the blade. Seraph’s eyes darted to the tip of my sword, and she bit her lip.
“Then let me be the one to give a final warning. Put down the sword this instant. Even if you can use the settings, your origin is human. If you think you can kill a being of a vastly higher dimensional class, I must tell you that you are mistaken.”
“Is that so? Then shall we test it out? I’ll just scrap everything and ask the Zero Code for the authority to kill you all.”
“The authority to use it is certainly yours. However, the activation of the Zero Code must unconditionally go through us. I suggest you wake from your futile dream.”
“You seem confident. I wonder if there’s really no way.”
“Su… User Kim Soohyun. Ha… This is a pointless argument. Still…”
Seraph opened her mouth as if she wanted to say more. But she must have felt the cold fury and genuine intent swirling in the flames on my sword, because she pressed her lips tightly shut.
“…”
“…”
For a time, a heavy silence hung between me and Seraph. I suppressed my surging agitation and slowly lowered my sword. Then, with a lonely feeling, I held up the Zero Code in my left hand. A single, small, beautiful orb emitting a deep blue light. What in the world was this thing…?
“Seraph. I don’t want to fight anymore, and I don’t want to talk anymore. If you understand how I feel, and if you truly care about me. Please.”
The moment I said the word ‘please,’ Seraph’s sorrow-filled eyes widened. I extended the hand holding the Zero Code toward her. My decision was now firm.
“I’ll ask you one more time. I want to go back ten years. To the time when I first came here.”
Had it sensed my earnest will? At that moment, the Zero Code, which had been glowing softly, began to radiate a brilliant cluster of light. I calmly opened my tightly clenched fist. The orb, now a radiant sphere, floated up and traced a gentle arc toward the altar where Seraph was. She caught it with a dazed expression.
Seraph’s vacant gaze met mine, our eyes locking in a complex tangle in the air.
How long had we simply looked at each other like that? Soon, her lips parted slowly, very slowly.
“If that is what you truly want.”
“…”
“I will respect your decision.”
“Seraph.”
Seraph stared at me blankly for a moment before continuing, her face drained of energy.
“Please listen without misunderstanding. As I said before, User Kim Soohyun currently possesses a considerable amount of GP. To simply erase all of it is not a rational course of action.”
At Seraph’s words, I shook my head. What use were Gold Points (GP) now if I was going back anyway? But Seraph seemed to think differently. Her hands were moving at an invisible speed, as if she were manipulating something.
“It is unbelievable, but your will has triggered a reaction from the Zero Code. Very well. Using my authority as a Helper, I will adjust the details at my discretion. Of course, there will not be a single thing that will bring harm to User Kim Soohyun. Then, I will see you shortly after the process is complete.”
The process would end? She’d see me again soon? Her words made no sense. I was about to ask what kind of trick she was pulling. The moment I parted my lips to speak, a powerful, resonant voice I had never heard before filled the Summoning Room.
“User Kim Soohyun’s request has been received. 27%, 58%, 77%, 100%. Loading… Approval complete. Request granted. Announcing the immediate execution of Code Name: Zero. All personnel, prepare.”
Grind, grrrind.
At that moment, a sound like a rusty machine moving came from somewhere. Simultaneously, the Zero Code, which had been in Seraph’s hands, shot into the air, scattering a clear light.
Fwaaa!
A brilliant light, bright enough to fill my entire vision, flooded the room. The rusty grinding sound continued, and a strange, indescribable sensation swept through my body. It wasn't unfamiliar. The feeling of space twisting, the sensation of passing through something at high speed. It was similar to the sensation of the world distorting that I felt when the Sovereign of Hell appeared during the Atlanta Recapture Battle.
As time passed, the light grew stronger, and I could no longer see Seraph. Finally, resigned to whatever happened, I squeezed my eyes shut.