"Whoa, what in the world is this?"
I shook the dust from the old game case, letting out a small sigh.
On the cover, four handsome men were drawn surrounding another young man, the protagonist, who was bound to a chair with his eyes covered by a red ribbon. Beneath them, the title
"It's been a long time…"
I stared at the case for a while, feeling sentimental.
The story was grand and a bit complicated, but to put it simply, it was a game where I, the main character, had to romance four love interests, all of whom were a little unhinged. Players constantly complained about the difficulty, since every one of the guys was dangerously unstable. Say the wrong thing, and you'd die. Even if you did everything right, you were likely to get a "Merry Bad Ending." I'll never forget the time I was romancing Ludwig, one of the 'Gong' characters. Just before his coronation, he suddenly declared, "I don't need to be emperor. You are my entire world," and promptly locked me in a basement. I honestly wanted to cry as I reset the game.
After dozens of attempts and careful analysis, I had managed to raise the favorability of all four men to 99.99% and received marriage proposals from every single one of them.
The reason I, a straight guy, worked so hard on a BL game was because back when I was twenty, I briefly became a gaming streamer—or "BJ"—to earn rent money. I had started broadcasting with grand ambitions, even buying an expensive VR machine that took up half my studio apartment. Unfortunately, the streaming world was already saturated with players just as skilled as I was. Just as I was struggling to pay my rent, let alone the credit card debt from the VR rig, a female classmate recommended this game.
I was hesitant at first. A BL game? But her suggestion that a guy playing a BL game was an untapped niche—a "blue ocean"—that could attract a dedicated fanbase was too convincing to ignore.
And so, I started streaming a BL game, half-convinced and half-desperate… and it was a massive hit. One month, my earnings even hit ten million won. Thanks to that, I paid off all my equipment debt in one go. It seemed like a smooth road lay ahead of me, but then… my mandatory military service was waiting.
After I was discharged, I was too busy catching up on the college credits I'd missed and preparing for job applications—all of which I failed, of course.
Sigh. Oh, the irony.
Today was my last day in this apartment before I had to pack up and move back in with my parents. I found the game case while sorting through my things, tucked away in an old box. Finding it again filled me with a strange nostalgia.
"I really had fun back then," I murmured.
When I was twenty, I lived and breathed this game. The in-game clock was synced one-to-one with the real world, and I often skipped my university classes to participate in time-sensitive events. Thanks to that, I had a hell of a time trying to fix my grades later.
"Hmm, maybe just one more time."
I clutched the game case and glanced at the old VR machine in the corner. I hadn't dared to use it since returning from the army. The last time I tried playing a different game, it shut down after thirty minutes with the distinct smell of burning plastic.
It'll probably be fine for a little while, I told myself, and plugged in the power cord.
My vision went white for a second before black letters materialized in front of my eyes.
[Welcome to
I whistled in amazement at the number. I'd quit when I was twenty-one, and now I was twenty-six. Five years had passed.
I wonder how much the guys have aged.
The reason this game was still hailed as a "God-tier game" was that the characters' appearances changed over time. Furthermore, if a character got a scar from a duel or a war, that scar remained permanently.
I chuckled, imagining the faces of the Gongs, now five years older. Ludwig must have become a stern emperor. Matthias is such a brat, I doubt he's matured at all. As for Absilon… I could never get a read on him; his presence was always so faint. Cesare already had the air of a mature nobleman, so maybe the years had been kind to him.
Lost in thought, I found myself walking until I arrived in front of the Imperial Palace.
"Whoa…"
Looking up at the grand structure, I let out a breath of admiration. The palace, which had been in ruins from the long war, had been transformed, almost unbelievably, into the most splendid landmark in the capital.
"Damn, they really worked hard…"
The tip of my nose tingled as I was overwhelmed with emotion. It felt like seeing a photo comparing Seoul in the 1950s with Seoul today. The feeling was even stronger because I knew firsthand how much effort it must have taken to rebuild it to this point.
Guards stood at attention before every bridge, armed with swords and long spears. The security was tight, as befit such a magnificent palace, but that wasn't a problem for a wizard like me.
"Still, it's been five years. Why not make a flashy entrance?"
I conjured a small, black orb in my palm. It spun rapidly, growing until it filled my hand. Passersby stopped and stared at my strange behavior. I shot them a grin and tossed the orb into the air. The sphere, which started no bigger than a marble, shot up until it was level with the clouds.
"Sacred Night."
Vwooom–. The bright noon sky, clear just a moment ago, instantly turned pitch black. Some people stared up in wonder, while a few children, startled by the sudden darkness, began to cry.
There, there, don't cry. I'm about to show you something cool.
With a confident flourish, I launched a firework into the artificial night. Poof! Colorful flames embroidered the sky with letters more beautiful than stars before fading away. They were written in the Empire's language, but they roughly translated to:
"Big bro is back, you bastards!"
They were all such individualists, so I didn't expect them to be cooped up in the palace together. Still, they all held positions in the imperial court, so they couldn't have strayed too far from the capital. Now that the entire city was plunged into an artificial night, they'd surely notice and come find me. Hmm, although Cesare is a Duke, so he might be in his own territory.
Sure enough, moments later, the massive gates of the palace began to groan open. Screeeech. Through the growing gap, I saw a man on horseback galloping towards me at full speed.
Who is that?
I narrowed my eyes, trying to make out who was rushing toward me with such urgency. However, the horseman was closing the distance faster than the gates were opening.
"Huh?"
Something about this felt very wrong.
"Hey! Slow down, slow down!" I shouted, waving my hands frantically. But instead of slowing, the man drew his sword mid-gallop. The aura coming off him was nothing short of ferocious.
CRACK! As a black energy enveloped the blade, he swung his sword. The three thick, iron-barred gates simply vanished, obliterated by the force of the attack. The shockwave was so powerful that it blew my hair back, even from dozens of meters away.
"…"
Okay, that's Ludwig. That temper has to be Ludwig.
Still, he wasn't the type to just swing his sword around at the Imperial Palace. What could have made him so agitated?
Shaking my head, I watched as Ludwig raced towards me. As he drew closer, his features became clearer, and I frowned.
"...Huh?"
Ludwig… he's gotten so thin.
His face was so gaunt it was hard to believe only five years had passed, not ten. The shy boyish smile I remembered was gone, replaced by the hardened features of a man I barely recognized.
I focused my gaze on him to pull up his status window.
[Name: Ludwig von Griche (Lv. 268)]Age: 25 Occupation: Emperor of the Griche Empire Favorability: ??? Health: 54% (Status Ailment: 'Addicted') Mana: 98% . . . Status: Preparing Skill "Capture" (Lv. 72). Mind Peek: ???
He worked hard on his level, at least, I thought, but something seemed off. Wait, why is his 'Capture' skill only level 72? Has he been doing nothing but eating and sleeping? Or was he practicing BDSM with the other guys while I was gone?
Dumbfounded, I looked up at Ludwig, who was now less than ten steps away. I hadn't noticed from a distance, but he was holding a coiled rope in his left hand.
What, is he planning to tie me up with that?
"…"
It was a plausible, if terrifying, theory. The way he was looking at me was intense, but it wasn't a happy reunion. His eyes were filled with nothing but pure anger and madness.
A sense of dread washed over me. I activated the 'Mind Peek' skill with trembling fingers.
Although it was an expansive game,
And unfortunately, my gut was right.
< 1 'Magnifying Glass' has been consumed. Peeking into the mind of 'Ludwig von Griche'. >
The '???' next to 'Mind Peek' faded, and new letters began to emerge.
[Mind Peek: Kill.]
"...?"
My face went pale. I looked up to see Ludwig staring directly at me, slowly whirling the rope in his hand. Looking closer, I could see a faint blue aura emanating from it.
That looks like a mana-suppression rope. The kind used on high-level mages…
I didn't know what was going on, but I knew one thing for sure: something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.