"What the hell is going on…"
He dragged a hand down his face as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.
Messy light green hair framed his face, along with the same colored eyes completed the package.
"Isn't this the NPC in the prologue?!"
He had recognized this face. Well, recognized was a bit of a stretch, as the only time this guy showed up was when the developers had shown the early parts of their story.
But otherwise? This guy was supposed to be passing dialogue.
However, what was more important now was…
"HOW THE HELL DID I EVEN GET HERE!"
He tried digging into his brain, recalling the closest memory he could remember.
It was at an internet cafe, but he wasn't even playing any games! A paper was due tomorrow on the thesis of:
'Could The Subconscious Be Uploaded Onto The Cloud And Operate Autonomously?'
In any case, he remembered rushing through the paper and eventually taking a little break after and hopped on his favorite game.
'How Can My Army of Heroines Be This Cute?'
But most of the enthusiasts just called it Heroine Army.
When he tried to tell others about the game, they'd just side-eyed him because it was one of those games…
But really! It was the game he had gotten addicted to.
With its extensive world-building along with intriguing political plot…after being stuck in the mundane world of Graduate Comp Sci, how could he refuse such a breathtaking magical world!
He knew playing the game in a public internet cafe was diabolical, but Min-jae couldn't care less.
And as if by some strange coincidence, he had ended up as this extra who he hadn't even known the name of.
Min-jae sat down on a nearby wooden chair.
"Well, when in Rome…"
He looked around the area.
He seemed to be in some sort of small waiting room, one usually used by celebrities before they got on stage.
However, this one was a lot different, equipped with all types of weapons on the side that he didn't even know how to use.
"Okay… calm down. If this is what I think it is…"
Min-jae had read way too many manhwas not to know what this situation was supposed to look like.
"Uhm…system?"
A faint shimmer flickered at the edge of his vision.
He froze.
"No way."
The transparent blue panel snapped into place in front of him.
[Status Window]
Name: Cassian D'Averne
Age: 19
Affiliation: House D'Averne
Stage: Formation (Low)
Intent: //
Techniques: //
"What the…"
"Stage? Intent? The hell do these mean?"
Min-jae waved his hand through the panel instinctively.
It didn't disappear.
Instead, another tab flickered open at the bottom.
[Additional Functions Available]
Save SystemRecords???
"…Save system?"
Min-jae let a soft breath escape his chest.
"Oh, thank god."
"It was some kind of game."
"Maybe they're testing a new VR patch of Heroine Army?"
But deep down, Min-jae knew there was no way that was possible. Heroine Army started off as a strong title, but fell off due to its insane level of difficulty.
Only people who were masochists, and Min-jae, continued to play the game. So funding for the game was…minimal at best.
But nonetheless, he hovered his hand over the option and pressed it.
Immediately, the menu changed into the familiar save slots he was used to.
[Save System]
Active Save Slot: 1
Available Save Tokens: 0
Current Save: — Not Set —
"Only one save slot? Who decided on this feature?"
Min-jae clicked his tongue.
"Don't tell me this is hardcore mode."
He scanned the panel again.
"Available Save Tokens?"
That part wasn't in the original game.
Heroine Army had multiple slots.
Of course, he would know this information.
Why?
Because he was a save-scum!
Who wouldn't be in such a hard game!
Min-jae was already drowning in assignments and deadlines. There was no time to restart from scratch every time he hit a bad ending.
And this game?
It loved bad endings.
Wrong dialogue choice? Execution.
Arrive five minutes late? Coup succeeds.
Pick the wrong ally? Heroine kidnapped.
"…Tch."
Who in their right mind would sit there and watch their heroine get dragged off by mutated nightmare beasts?
Reload.
Always reload.
That was the rule.
He exhaled slowly and reached toward the screen.
"Fine. Let's test it."
[Create Save]
Warning: Existing save data will be overwritten.
Condition: Stable State Required.
"Stable state, huh…"
He glanced at his reflection.
"I mean…looks good enough?"
For half a heartbeat, the air tightened, like thin glass flexing under pressure.
Then—
[Save Created.]
Location: Waiting Chamber
"Nice…"
Suddenly, the door to his room opened.
A man stepped through. He wore full plate armor along with a long beard and spoke in a gruff voice.
"Cassian D'Averne, are you ready?"
Huh, ready for what. What am I supposed to be ready for? Is something going on?
Min-jae opened his mouth before closing it once more.
He dug through his memory once more, trying to figure out which part of the story this was supposed to be.
A line of dialogue flickered in his memory.
The only reason he had recognized this NPC at all was from a passing dialogue, in which the main character talked about his past, and immediately proceeded into a make-out scene with the heroine.
But before that, Min-jae had remembered the protagonist's line, word for word.
"That was the first time I had to kill someone."
Min-jae swallowed.
"…No way."
In every version of the game.
In every route.
No matter what choices the player made later—
Cassian D'Averne died here.
And that single death became the emotional catalyst for the hero's rise.
The bearded man stood by the doorway, sunlight pouring in behind him.
"Come on. We don't have all day."
His tone was impatient.
"This was your decision, remember?"
Decision? Mine?
Right…Cassian had challenged him to a public duel.
Min-jae forced air into his lungs.
It didn't matter.
This wasn't some scripted cutscene. It was a duel. People talked before dueling.
Maybe he can convince the protagonist not to kill him!
Worst case scenario, he could just surrender before anything serious happened.
Cassian might've gone into this with his noble ego on the line, but Min-jae didn't have any of that.
Surely the protagonist wouldn't insist on killing someone over wounded pride.
Right?
Min-jae nodded and followed the man.
Stepping onto the arena, the noise hit him immediately. Hundreds of voices overlapped each other, both nobles and commoners were gathered in the stands, anticipation in their eyes.
Across from him stood the protagonist.
One hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword.
He didn't look particularly angry or bloodthirsty.
"Good. That's good," Min-jae muttered. "I'll just talk it out."
The referee stepped between them, voice amplified by some kind of equipment.
"Life and death duel. Those are the only rules."
Life and death.
Min-jae forced himself not to react.
It was fine. It sounded dramatic, but people didn't actually want to kill each other over pride.
He took a few steps forward, raising his voice just enough.
"Listen. We can settle this another way."
"You know, a formal apology, compensation, anything you want! There are other options!"
The referee's voice rang out sharply. "The duel has begun."
Min-jae blinked.
"Wait what—?! Hold on!"
The protagonist's gaze met his.
"You challenged me before the academy," he replied evenly. "You declared it a life-and-death duel."
Min-jae nodded quickly.
"Sure, but people say things when they're emotional! We can clarify it was a misunderstanding and—!"
Pain exploded in his chest, the pressure beneath above his abdomen unbearable.
Min-jae looked down slowly.
A blade protruded from his chest, clearly embedded, angled straight through his heart.
His lungs refused to fill as he coughed up blood.
His fingers twitched uselessly at his sides.
Blood spread rapidly beneath his clothes, soaking into gabric that suddenly felt far too heavy.
The protagonist withdrew the sword in one smooth motion.
Min-jae staggered back, vision swimming.
"That was the first time I had to kill someone."
The line echoed in his mind.
"So that's how it—"
His knees hit the sand, the sky tilted sideways...
And everything went black.