Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 1
>Chapter Title: Deus Ex Machina - Ragnarok
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Chapter 1
>1.
>Deus Ex Machina – Ragnarok.
>Shortened to Demlock.
>Demlock burst onto the scene amid rave reviews as the most perfect and detailed VR game ever made, instantly capturing the attention of gamers everywhere.
And it wasn't just casual interest.
>Despite being a VR game, its realism and AI exceeded all expectations, propelling it to the top of the game charts in just three days after launch.
[ Ragnarok ]
>[ Deus Ex Machina ]
>[ Demlock Skill Recommendations ]
>[ What the Hell Is Gacha? ]
The real-time trending lists on the forums were constantly flooded with Demlock topics.
>And that popularity translated directly into money.
>Or more precisely, its future earning potential was enormous.
>No other game had ever garnered this much attention.
That's when the dark gamers showed up.
>The ones who made their living off games—the so-called rice gamers.
'This is gonna make bank.'
Do-hyun was one of them.
>It hadn't started that way, though.
>He'd just been passing by, caught a glimpse of a massive Demlock ad on a screen, and tried it out of curiosity.
>That's when he discovered his hidden talent for gaming and decided to go full dark gamer.
Even so, he could proudly say he earned his living through games.
[ Kaiser - Rank 1 ]
>[ Annihilation - Rank 2 ]
>[ Kkukku Dak Kkukku - Rank 3 ]
>[ Sword Emperor - Rank 4 ]
>[ Purple Taste - Rank 5 ]
>[ Judge - Rank 6 ]
>….
Despite starting later than other rankers, he'd clawed his way to number one.
>And it wasn't just his rank that stood out.
>Insane physical prowess, genius combat sense, lightning reflexes that defied matchups, flawless PvP—he had no weaknesses.
People even called him the most unprecedented genius in gaming history.
Countless asked him how he did it. How could they become like him?
His answer was always the same.
"Combat tips? Hmm... Doesn't it just come naturally?"
"...Pardon?"
"When your opponent attacks, dodge, and an opening appears. Hit them then, and you land it for sure without getting hit."
"...."
The interview clip titled "God's Trolling."
>Kaiser's response to a player asking for combat tips had become legendary among anyone who knew Demlock.
It was the kind of savage troll that should've sparked outrage, but Kaiser's earnest expression—like he genuinely couldn't believe they didn't get it—left everyone unable to even get mad.
- Kaiser's the type who could pull that off....
>- LMAO yeah, dodge and hit, and you land it without getting hit. Who doesn't know that?
>- If it was anyone else, they'd get flamed, but it's Kaiser, so you can't argue.
>- Kaiser is a god. Kaiser is a god. Kaiser is a god. Kaiser is a g—
>- God is Kaiser. God is Kaiser. God is Kaiser. God is Kai—
>- Ugh, these idiots jerking off again.
If anything, fans only grew more obsessed.
The reason people cheered for Kaiser, the god-king of Demlock, went beyond his overwhelming genius.
>Sure, that was his biggest hallmark, but there was another key factor in why so many players viewed him favorably.
[ New Skill Tree by Kaiser ]
>[ Kaiser Creates Another New Meta! ]
>[ Even Dogshit Has Its Uses! Kaiser's Guide to Turning Obscure Skills into Broken Ones... ]
>[ Kaiser's Leveling Guide ]
>[ Legendary Boss Kabaur Nel! Kaiser's Strategy... ]
His countless guides.
>Most were incomprehensible gems like "Dodge here and hit" or "Just smack around this area," but the skill trees? Those were legit.
And those skill trees were like rain in a drought for players.
- Kaiser's new skill tree just dropped.
>- Oh snap. Non-meta skills again? Biting was stumping me, but he uses it here? Straight god....
>- This game would've died ages ago without Kaiser for real.
>- But seriously, who designs a skill tree around RNG pulls?
>- It's trash, but weirdly addictive.
>- Yeah, that's gambling addiction. Go see a doctor.
In a luck-based dumpster fire where even skills were gacha, his trees were revolutionary.
>"Trust Kaiser skill trees" became a mantra.
God-given talent.
>VR incarnate.
>Meta-maker.
>Genius.
Endless titles preceded his name.
>Truly his golden age.
But all things must end.
>Even Demlock's endless blaze would fade, and Do-hyun knew it.
'No, this is too much.'
He just hadn't expected the end so soon.
The first cracks appeared eight months post-launch.
>Demlock had a fatal flaw.
- Wtf, everything's gacha? Items too? That's crossing the line.
>- Agreed, and the rates are all dogshit.
Everything ran on gacha.
>Everyone knew that from day one.
>But the hype was real, and everything else was top-tier, so players endured.
The problem was raids.
- Games are for raiding, right?
>- Raids are the flower of RPGs!
Like most VR games, raids weren't easy.
>You needed gear, levels, control, and connections.
>The true pinnacle of RPGs.
- But raid rewards shouldn't be this garbage.
>- Spent millions on gear just to get five bricks in a row from rewards?
This cursed game even screwed with raids.
>Raids were essential to get strong, but you needed solid gear to clear them.
>And the rewards? Bricks.
No gamer could feel more hollow than that.
- Was having fun until high-end content pulled this crap.
>- Raids are the least bad. Maxed NPC affinity through endless grinding, and rewards are gacha? For real....
>- That's why succubi are scary.
>- Still no black cows sacrificing livers and gallbladders for bricks?
Worse, later content kept underdelivering or backstabbing players.
>Experience it yourself, and any lingering affection vanishes.
"Goddamn trash game!"
Eventually, players bailed en masse.
>From dark gamers to casuals.
>A year in, rankings plummeted.
>Two years, and newbies were rarer than stars. A dead game.
>Three years, even veterans were ghosts.
No longer profitable.
>Mention Demlock, and you're called a black cow.
>Always in those "shake hands then wash" memes.
>Not just dead—diluted to nothing!
'Why am I still playing this trash?'
Yet Do-hyun couldn't quit.
>He couldn't explain it himself.
>Had he grown attached over three years? Like chain-smoking despite knowing it's bad?
>He'd started for money but outlasted everyone.
But now, even that was over.
[ Hello. This is Deus Ex Machina - Ragnarok. ]
>[ Service will end in 30 minutes. ]
"...."
Like all failed games, Demlock faced shutdown.
Staring at the notice, he heard a wry chuckle.
"Screamed for this shitheap to die a hundred times... Now that it's really dying, feels weird."
Glancing aside revealed a burly, purple-skinned Apollo muscle pig.
>"Purple Taste," one of the ultra-veterans.
>An uncle who'd logged in daily since launch, never missing a day.
>The diehards had jokingly awarded him perfect attendance by the campfire.
>Gameplay was trash-tier, but insane wealth and grind made him a gear monster.
'People said he owned buildings. Always denied it....'
Squatting by the fire, the uncle looked bitterly poignant.
His mutter drew a nod from a stern swordsman image warming hands over the flames: "Sword Emperor."
"Agreed. Fun aside from the luck trash—can't fathom why it tanked."
"Isn't that the issue? Even tigers leave hides; dragons dropping bricks is too far."
"...Did you have to kill the mood?"
"What? It's true. Can't even trash-talk a dying game?"
Bickering with Sword Emperor in a ballroom mask and tux was "Kkukku Dak Kkukku."
>Famous for braindead no-backpedal playstyle, yet his physicals devoured everyone.
"Gonna keep the mask to the end?"
"...Fuck off. Drop the cringey concept speech—you're twenties in real life."
"You're one to talk—no class in your speech."
"What? Rematch time?"
"Tch. All you know is brawling...."
Do-hyun held rank one, but they'd been top rankers since his start—rotten veterans.
>Combat prowess was neck-and-neck.
>He'd leaned on them plenty....
Watching them bitterly, Do-hyun blurted,
"Kinda sad."
"...."
Silence fell.
>They sat by the fire, faces pensive, lost in memories.
Purple Taste spoke first.
"Makes sense—you researched this game more than anyone."
"Watching you fight was mesmerizing. Got the theory, but how? No wonder 'God's Trolling.'"
"Yeah, we milked his skill trees too. Brains, physicals—how's he got it all?"
As they chimed in, Kkukku Dak Kkukku suddenly burst laughing.
"But God's fair. Worst luck of us all. Heh."
"True, all low-grade skills... Maybe researched to survive?"
"No legendaries, yet rank one? Better luck, and he'd never share the table."
"Ten straight enhancement fails, screaming 'World's screwing me!' People needed to see that—probably meme'd as 'God's Lament' on forums."
"Pffft! He's the worst of us."
"Ahem... Yeah, worst luck I've seen."
Amid Purple Taste's booming laugh, even stoic Sword Emperor nodded.
Do-hyun's face stayed impassive amid their backhanded banter.
>He'd heard it all before.
In a gacha game, his abysmal luck was constant fodder.
>It pissed him off at first, then amused him.
>Now? A pang of something.
>First game ever? First time clinging this hard?
>The end hitting different?
'Dunno.'
Ten minutes of pointless chat later.
[ Hello. This is Deus Ex Machina - Ragnarok. ]
>[ Service ending as scheduled. Thank you for joining us to the end. ]
Veterans rose one by one.
"...Really the end now."
"Good run. In a luck-trash game with double-digit logins."
"Catch you in a god-game next time."
Sword Emperor logged first, then Purple Taste, Kkukku Dak Kkukku.
Suddenly alone.
>Left by the fire, the melancholy deepened.
Poof.
Staring at the night sky, Do-hyun's vision darkened further.
>VR gear hum replaced logout ping as he caressed the helmet switch.
Click.
[ This is a terminated game service. ]
Not stars—a curt message.
"...."
Finally removing the helmet, Do-hyun let out a short sigh.