PROLOGUE
I was lying on my bed, staring at my laptop, when I frowned.
"…What the heck is this?"
In the game's chat window, someone had been typing the same phrase for hours.
[World][GodDog]: Looking for someone to join me in a second life run.
Click-click.
I grabbed my mouse and scrolled up and down, skimming through all the messages "GodDog" had left.
"What a cliché concept."
With nothing better to do, that guy had been repeating the same line since dawn.
"A second life, huh?"
I smirked as I lay slouched on my bed.
Not a game, but life itself being on its second run?
If something like that existed, wouldn't it be great?
My life had been empty from the very beginning.
I didn't even have what everyone else did—parents.
I grew up in an orphanage, and once I got older, I worked in factories.
And now at thirty?
I lived in a tiny rental room, worked part-time at a convenience store, and whatever money I'd saved was slowly draining away while I studied for the civil service exam.
All I really had was this laptop and the max-level characters in my games.
"Man, my life's a whole sermon on non-possession."
No, scratch that—it wasn't noble like that. It was more like a dried-up radish strip.
Maybe that's why this corny, repetitive post caught my eye.
"Well, persistent posts deserve a recommendation."
Chuckling to myself, I put my fingers on the keyboard.
[World][JjamppongMandarin]: Second life, let's gooo ㄱㄱㄱ
Surprisingly, "GodDog" whispered to me right away, like he'd been waiting.
[Whisper][GodDog]: Are you sure about this? It won't be easy.
…Huh?
Why's this guy so serious? It's not even funny.
I considered ignoring him, but decided to play along once more.
"Hey, kindness and warmth make society a better place, right?"
Tap-tap-tap.
[Whisper][JjamppongMandarin]: Isn't it just like playing this crappy game? lol
[Whisper][JjamppongMandarin]: Sounds like life's tough for you too;; let's cheer up together!!!
But then his reply was… strange.
[Whisper][GodDog]: That's a good mindset. This time, please make sure you survive and do the things you wanted to.
"…This time, make sure I survive?"
What nonsense was this?
When did I die, exactly?
Scratching my chin, I started typing another message.
I was about to tell him to take his crap to a dog café.
'The more I think about it, the more annoying this is. Who does he think he's messing with, calling it a second run?'
But just as I was about to hit enter…
A wave of drowsiness crashed over me.
"…"
It felt like someone was gently brushing over my face, pulling my eyelids shut.
I couldn't fight it.
'Guess that shift earlier tired me out. Maybe I should nap.'
And so I closed my eyes.
Without even considering what might happen when I opened them again.
I sank into a sleep with no reason, but with depth.
Episode 1
I Became the 3rd Imperial Prince NPC
When I opened my eyes, my whole world was rattling.
Had I drunk too much?
My head was ringing like a giant bell tower.
"…"
Wait, where was I? In a taxi?
Too cramped for a backseat.
Feeling around clumsily, I reached out in the darkness.
But there was no familiar leather seat beneath my hand.
Instead…
'What the…?'
My cheek was pressed against a rough wooden floor.
My fingers touched clumps of dirt, and something sticky smeared across my forehead.
This was supposed to be a car seat?
No way.
If this counted as a car seat, then every rusty cart at the scrapyard and shopping cart at the mart deserved license plates.
My whole body ached from being stuffed onto the hard floor.
'Definitely not a taxi.'
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The ground shook beneath me, like a broken truck hauling me somewhere.
There wasn't a single ray of light.
What on earth was happening?
"…"
Okay, calm down.
I racked my brain for memories.
Maybe it was the fatigue, but everything was tangled up like vomit. Still, a few things stood out.
First, my name was Kim Kyungsam. Part-timer and civil service exam prepper.
Second, I hadn't drunk last night.
Third, instead I stayed up all night gaming in my gosiwon.
Thinking back that far made my head throb.
'Right, I didn't drink yesterday.'
Didn't meet up with Giwook, didn't see Wonsang either.
…So then what was this?
Where was I, and where was I being taken?
Just then—
"Whoa! Whoa! Stop, stop!"
The shaking halted, and the weight shifted suddenly.
It wasn't a taxi, but whatever I was in had stopped moving.
'A carriage?'
A carriage, in 21st century Korea?
I strained my ears toward the outside.
Strangely low voices murmured.
"…What about the 'Pig'?"
"Brought him unharmed. We were ready to kill him if he resisted, but he was obedient enough."
"They say the prince takes after his father's cunning. Looks like it's true."
"Even the cleverest pig is still a pig in a trap."
A short laugh.
"And the 'Bear' and the 'Nightingale'? No pursuit?"
"We held them off. They're probably still wandering the forest."
"Well done, excellent work."
"Thank you. Glory to holy Aeolem's revenge."
"Glory to revenge."
The voices stopped.
Footsteps came toward me.
I was dazed.
'What is this? Seriously, what is going on?'
Halfway through, I realized—I knew this conversation.
I remembered every word, even why they whispered.
The reasons, the context.
Because…
It was all dialogue from a game.
From The World Abandoned by God, the RPG I'd been playing until last night!
'The 3rd Prince Assassination Event!'
That exact scene!
But in the game, it had just been text scrolling by.
A throwaway part where the protagonist used extras as fodder for XP. There were no voice lines, at least not in my memory.
'So what the hell is this?'
Some kind of hidden camera prank?
Was I caught up in some YouTuber's skit for likes and subscriptions?
My head was spinning.
Creak…
Rusty hinges groaned. Pale moonlight spilled onto my face.
I squinted, but the voice that followed couldn't be ignored.
"The 3rd Prince of the Valtz Magic Empire…"
An old man stood there, silhouetted by moonlight, glaring at me.
'…Was that to me?'
But no further explanation came.
In the silence of the dark forest—
The kidnapped prince and the assassins.
"…Gilroshan Elo di Valtz."
His murderous stare made my mouth drop open.
This wasn't a joke.
Could it be—
'I'm Gilroshan?'
That useless, trash prince… was me?
"…."
It felt like a dream.
But strangely, like a dream I'd had before.
Still, when the old man spoke again, reality slammed down.
I knew exactly what line came next.
—Open your eyes. Look at me.
"Open your eyes. Look at me."
And after that—
—Yes, the face matches. It's him. Drag him out.
"Yes, the face matches. It's him. Drag him out."
A chill shot through me. I almost screamed.
But before I could open my mouth, rough hands grabbed me.
"L-let go!"
Instinctively, I kicked and scrambled to my feet.
Of course I had to run.
But that too was just part of the scripted event.
"Don't try anything, 3rd Prince."
Suddenly my legs stiffened. My body collapsed under its own weight.
I didn't know why.
"You will be executed today in the name of the Republic. Your severed head will be delivered to your father."
"…!"
Beheading the 3rd Prince and sending the head to the Emperor.
That was the purpose and the conclusion of this event.
I knew it. But hearing it as my own death sentence still left me reeling.
My legs wouldn't move.
…As if this body itself was paralyzed with fear.
Crash!
I was shoved back into the wooden box I'd been trapped in all along.
Now I realized—it was a coffin.
A coffin to bury me once I was dead.
The old man, the executor of Gilroshan's death, stared at me with cold eyes.
"Even if he is just a worthless prince, royal blood flows in his veins. Once the Emperor sees his head, he won't take it lightly."
"…"
This wasn't some half-baked hidden camera prank or a stage play.
The old man's piercing eyes held a murderous intent so vivid it felt almost tangible.
At last, I realized.
I realized what position I was in.
Prey.
And not just prey—prey that had already been caught.
I was nothing more than a beast waiting to have its head cut off, stuffed, and put on display.
And that was exactly the fate of this 'NPC' I knew.
[Character Entry] Nicknamed the "Pig Prince." Third prince of the Valtz Magic Empire. Already long removed from the succession race due to sloth and bizarre behavior.
During the main scenario "Fall of the Empire", he is captured by republican revolutionaries and executed.
※ At this point, depending on the player's choice, they can gain new quests and experience points from either the Empire faction or the Revolutionaries.
If there's an NPC, then naturally, there must also be a player.
Blankly, I turned my head toward where 'he' should be.
A hooded man stood there.
'The player character.'
The protagonist of The World Abandoned by God.
The very role that had been mine until just last night.
"…"
He said nothing.
Even his expression was hidden by the shadow of the hood.
"Well then, 3rd Prince. Any last words?"
At the same time, cold steel touched my neck, drawing a thin trickle of blood.
Not one, but three blades were pointed at me.
"W-wait."
I was dumbfounded, speechless.
What kind of situation was this?
Just yesterday I'd been nothing more than Kim Kyungsam, an ordinary thirty-year-old jobless bum in Korea.
But now, here I was inside a game, wearing the face of the Pig Prince, with my head about to be chopped off.
How did this make any sense?
Weren't you supposed to reincarnate into the protagonist in these cases?
That's what everyone else my age always said happened!
Wasn't getting hit by a truck supposed to land you in the MC's body?
Why was I so different?
Instinctively, I opened my mouth.
"What kind of bullsh—"
The old man smirked.
"Well, well. A fittingly beastly last will from a degenerate prince."
"W-wait a sec!"
"I hold no personal grudge. Farewell, 3rd Prince."
But I had a grudge!
I did have personal feelings about this!
"Ugh!"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
The descending blade gleamed mercilessly.
Whether this body was Gilroshan, Kim Kyungsam, or anyone else—
The thought of being beheaded filled me with dread and terror.
Would it hurt?
'Or maybe my head will fall before I even feel the pain.'
Either way, I didn't want to die like this.
I still had things I hadn't accomplished.
Things I absolutely had to do.
…But what were they, again?
The moment that strange déjà vu made me raise my head—
[Play begins.]
"…!"
My jaw dropped.
Something impossible was happening right before my eyes.
The night wind stilled.
Even the moonlight seemed frozen.
In that silence, glowing letters shimmered into existence.
[Player 'Kim Kyungsam' is now playing the character 'Gilroshan Elo di Valtz'.]
Yes! That's it!
I didn't know how or why, but this was how possession was supposed to go!
Relief washed over me.
This was The World Abandoned by God. This was the world inside the game.
I had no idea why I'd been dragged into it. But there was no need to fear.
'I know this game inside and out.'
I'd poured nearly half my life into T.W.A.G. I knew everything about it.
And if the familiar game system itself was being applied here, then there was nothing to be afraid of.
[The player receives a starting reward.]
A glowing message appeared, almost apologetic for being late.
I couldn't help but laugh.
'Hahaha! It's fine, I'm still in one piece, aren't I?'
Who knew why I'd been shoved into an NPC's body…
'But thank god the game started before I lost my head!'
…Of course, that was sarcasm.
Having brushed against death's doorstep, I felt rage bubbling up inside me.
Like if someone just put a weapon in my hand, I could bash anyone's skull in right now.
'So this is why they say people change when they face death, huh?'
Damn! Wish I hadn't learned that firsthand!
The assassins who'd tried to kill me were frozen like statues, as though someone had pressed pause.
Of course, I couldn't move much either.
'Well yeah, it makes sense you can't move during character creation.'
The only things moving were the camera and the character's pose.
So all I could do was receive the system messages.
But that was enough.
The messages continued.
[You receive 3 stat points.]
[You receive 2 skill points.]
Stat points to enhance a character's abilities.
Skill points to unlock special techniques.
'Standard stuff. No explanation needed.'
[Quest 'Escape the Crisis' has been granted.]
Quests—missions assigned to characters, with rewards upon completion.
'Escape the Crisis, huh?'
Obviously, it meant: survive this situation.
I let the familiar prompts scroll by. My mind was elsewhere.
'This isn't the important part.'
Stats and skills could wait. I could check the quest later.
The real priority was this:
[The First Fate Card selection begins.]
[The player will now determine the character's fate.]
I lifted my gaze toward the sky.
Above me, it was filled with thousands of radiant stars, each glowing in its own color.
"Fate cards…"
Of course I knew this mechanic well.
Choosing a good "Fate Card."
This was the single most important part of character creation.
The card was essentially a class selection ticket, a content expansion pack.
It granted bonus stats, unique episodes, exclusive gear, and special skills.
The process was simple.
'Out of 1,024 cards, 3 are drawn at random. The player chooses one. That card is absorbed into the character. Done.'
The next Fate Card could only be obtained at level 10, then again at level 20.
'Unless you cleared a special quest, but those always came with high risk.'
Which meant this first choice required both luck and caution.
'Will it be the flower road, the crap road… or a cliff?'
This was where it all got decided.
For the first time, my hands were trembling.
I took a deep breath.
"Fwoo…"
Whenever I flipped new cards, I always said the same thing as I clicked the night sky:
"…Luck-skill game!"
Luck was a skill.
'A rightful reward, given only to those prepared to seize the chance.'
At some point, I'd come to believe that.
Flash!
The night sky erupted in a storm of light.
Star-shaped cards spun in a circle, thousands whirling together.
So—what would it be this time?
What card would fall into my hands?
[Shuffling begins.]
[May fortune dwell within your fate.]
And as it turned out, that fortune…
Slapped me across the face and vanished.
Damn it!