There was always a strange emptiness in Ryu's eyes. For him, victory and defeat were just two different words telling the same story. There was a time when he used to sacrifice sleep for new raids and bosses, but now, his heart didn't beat for any "Victory."
His room was just like his life—small, messy, with empty coffee mugs and old game manuals scattered everywhere. The blue light of the monitor fell on his tired face. His face was thin, his eyes exhausted, and the smile on his lips was the kind that comes from habit—not from happiness or pain.
Staring at the monitor, he softly said,
"Maybe clearing everything was the real mistake… there's no challenge left now."
His own words returned to him in the silence of the room. He smiled faintly, but the smile died halfway.
Just then, a new notification flashed on the monitor—
Eternum Online: Hardcore Mode – Only for True Kings
A small spark appeared on Ryu's tired face. He raised his eyes, and for a moment, felt that old passion stir in his heart—something that had been silent for years. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Alright... one more round. Maybe... I'll feel something."
He picked up the headset and gently placed it on his head. The blue light filled his small room, pixels fell on the screen like drops of rain. For a brief moment, his heart beat faster—maybe this was his last addiction, the last way to feel something, whether in the virtual world or the real one.
On the login screen, his avatar sparkled—the same legendary avatar known in the gaming world as "The Game Emperor."
His golden armor gleamed like sunlight, and his eyes were calm like a cold ocean—calm but terrifying. The status window screamed just one thing—
Level 9999 | Max Skills | Max Gear.
Ryu's smile was like that of a king looking at his crown—but there was only emptiness behind that smile.
"One more game… one more win… and one more empty night."
But this time, something was different. The screen suddenly began to glitch. Pixels scattered like stars falling from the night sky. A mechanical voice echoed in his headset—
[Welcome, True King. Log-out option is permanently disabled until the story ends.]
Ryu's heart stopped for a moment. His hand moved to remove the headset, but it felt as if his body was frozen.
"What… the hell is this?!"
His heart screamed, but no sound came from his lips.
Then, everything went dark.
And when he opened his eyes, a new world was in front of him. A blue, open sky, sunlight piercing through the clouds, and a cold breeze brushing his face. This wasn't graphics—everything felt so alive that his breath stopped for a second.
He looked at his hands—golden gauntlets gleamed in the sunlight, the same ones that belonged to his avatar. His heart filled with a strange warmth, and a smile touched his lips. This time, it wasn't the old habitual smile, but one that smelled of an old memory.
"Feels like… this world is real. Maybe… I won't be bored anymore."
The status window opened on its own in front of him—
[Level: 9999 | HP: Infinite | MP: Infinite]
Ryu looked up at the sunlit sky, and for a few moments, his eyes sparkled. He looked like a tired king who had left his crown behind and just wanted to see the world like a normal man.
He took a deep breath and smiled softly.
"Alright… let's start sightseeing."
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TO BE CONTINUED