Chapter 1 - I Shouldn't Have Done That (1)

I am a concept fanatic who games for fun.

It means I am a gamer who comes up with a concept fitting my class and has fun playing according to that concept.

Chatting? Of course, I typed in character. It was the same even now, when virtual reality games had taken over and voice replaced text.

A concept fanatic who succumbs to embarrassment is not a true concept fanatic.

"Keep barking. I'm getting curious about how much of my wrath you can handle, too."

That was why, just as usual, I became an overly immersed, fun-seeking gamer in a new game, staying strictly faithful to my concept—a knight with a demon residing in his arm...

"Log out."

「That is an impossible command.」

"...? Log out."

「That is an impossible command.」

"...???"

Reaching this point, I realized one fact.

I was doomed. No, I was fucked.

* * *

Whether you're someone who plays for fun, a hardcore gamer, or even just a casual gamer. Every gamer is bound to have that one game of their lifetime. A game that lingers vividly in their memory, and leaves them with lingering attachments.

For me, 'Legend of Heroes' was exactly that.

Released during my teenage years, that game, to put it briefly, was a Korean PC-exclusive MMORPG. It enjoyed immense popularity in its early days, but it was also a tragic game that went to ruin after the original developers left in droves.

The main reasons for its ruin included the highly addictive gacha items they started selling during the second anniversary patch, a new class that completely broke the balance, worldbuilding that stopped making sense due to random lore additions, and disastrous management... but those details aren't really important.

There is also no need to care about how the game that was supposedly going to last a good twenty years ended its service after five, or how I ushered in my twenties by staying with it right up until that shutdown.

There is only one thing worth noting about 'Legend of Heroes.'

It was the deep-seated resentment of the original developers, who had to watch the game completely crash and burn after they left.

"Dude, my heart is pounding so fast right now. What do I do?"

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"I can't believe there are only thirty minutes left until launch."

Their resentment must have run incredibly deep. The original developers, who had established themselves in the industry by creating a new game studio called 'Deep Sea Pearl' and releasing all sorts of hit titles, eventually brought out news of a 'Legend of Heroes' remake.

Even though no one had asked them to, they went out of their way to buy back the IP rights and specifically announced their intentions to remake it.

"I'm not actually dreaming right now, am I?"

"Yeah, you are actually dreaming right now. You're scheduled to wake up soon."

"Is it really a dream...?"

"... I'm joking. Of course it's not."

"No, but it's just... it's too unrealistic."

They didn't just do it half-heartedly, either. As if they had truly been sharpening their knives, they went all out for this remake.

Changing the release format from online to a packaged standalone, and the genre from a side-scrolling beat 'em up to an open-world ARPG.

They even changed the platform to match the times. Meaning it could be played not on a PC, but in a dedicated virtual reality capsule. The game was also upgraded into a virtual reality game to accommodate that.

At this point, it was too much even if you called it the delusion of a gamer holding onto lingering attachments for a dead game.

"I think it'd be more believable if someone told me it was a dream..."

This was precisely the reason why I was blathering on about dreams, still unable to grasp reality even thirty minutes before launch.

'Legend of Heroes' was the first game of my life, the reason I became so deeply engrossed in gaming, and something that had even slightly influenced my career path.

That dead game of a lifetime was returning? And not just returning, but returning as such a glorious god-tier game?

Honestly, I think it's a relief I haven't fainted from being so deeply moved. I am overflowing with happiness.

"You're really something else, still being hung up on a fifteen-year-old game..."

"That's just because you haven't played it... If you played it, you would've understood how I feel..."

Hah, I wasn't even this nervous on the day the college entrance exam results were announced. I didn't even feel this way when it was decided that my work would be exported overseas.

It feels like my heart is going to burst. I watched the time tick down with bated breath.

"What are you going to do if the game doesn't live up to your expectations?"

"Don't jinx it. I'll kill you."

Of course, I know there is a high probability of being disappointed when my expectations are this high. Given how many games I've played and how many I've been burned by, there's no way I wouldn't know.

However... However...!

"I'd be happy even if it's only half as good as the trailer...!"

"Phew."

"Aaaargh! Only two minutes have passed! When are the other twenty-eight minutes going to pass by?!"

"I don't know either, you punk."

My friend, who had come over to hang out, scrunched his face at my wailing. His absolute lack of empathy was fitting for a normie who never touched games.

"Are you even a friend..."

"Then what else would I be? Anyway, if you're gonna be like that... why don't you do that thing you're good at?"

"What?"

"You know, what was it. Your concept?"

"I've already come up with one."

"Crazy, you already made it?"

I mean, did he think I was just playing around all this time? A concept wasn't something completed in a single day.

Of course, some people whipped up a quick concept to roleplay, but not me. Maybe because I had a background in theater and film, character study was incredibly important to me.

"How did you make it?"

"Well, the appearance is like this."

It was a good thing I had drawn an image in advance while creating the background setting.

I picked up the electronic tablet rolling around on the sofa. The seven-year-old tablet sluggishly lit up its screen.

"Whoa, shit. What is this..."

And the revealed image was as follows.

With the crown of the head as the dividing point, the left side had silver hair, and the right side had black hair.

The skin was so pale and bloodless that you'd wonder if he was a corpse. To the point it looked almost grayish-white.

His eyes were heterochromatic—gray on the left and grayish-red on the right—but with the highlights removed, turning them into dead fish eyes. Dark circles were a bonus.

"You've lost your mind. This customization, seriously."

It was my personal theory that roleplaying always began with appearance.

I gladly accepted my friend's reaction. Someone might ask why a thirty-year-old was doing this sort of thing, but there was no reason for me not to be proud when I was doing it with my own money. It wasn't like my roleplaying harmed anyone, either.

"What's with the hair?"

"That's part of the lore that he was tainted by demonic power."

"Are you insane? What demonic power?"

"Ah... The class name is 'Demon Knight'."

Since this was easier to understand when viewing the official lore together, I pulled up the relevant page for him.

「Demon Knight│Since the demon that slaughtered their family came to reside within their arm, the former apprentice knight abandoned the path of knighthood and began wandering.

Though he holds utmost hatred for the demon dwelling in his right arm, his goal, having gained superhuman strength from that very demon, is to kill all demons.

He utilizes swift and powerful techniques that match his sharp and sensitive temperament.」

"Oh..."

"I actually thought about starting as a Priest... but the Demon Knight was what I picked when I first played."

Personally, the Priest was more to my taste, but since I was reviving old memories anyway, I decided to do exactly what I did back then. I was going to play through multiple times regardless.

"Besides, looking cool makes for the best roleplaying."

"Crazy, that's hilarious."

After hearing my explanation, my giggling friend zoomed out from the face he had magnified. The character's full appearance was once again displayed on the tablet screen.

"But is it possible to recreate this exactly in-game?"

"It should be."

Looking at recent games, this level of customization was practically a basic feature. Furthermore, since the original 'Legend of Heroes' was frequently hailed as a god-tier game because of its customization freedom, there was no way the developers would have left it out unless they were crazy.

"I also picked the clothes from the ones provided when you buy the Deluxe Edition."

"You spent more real money?"

Well, if I could get the OST, an artbook, and in-game outfits just by adding a few extra tens of thousands of won, and if they were given for each class on top of that, wasn't that an absolute steal?

They even let you wear them right from the start, and there was a huge variety, too.

I smiled proudly as I looked at the character reflected on the tablet screen.

An eyepatch covering the right eye. A black long coat with a red cross embroidered on the back and a hem split into three parts. A gauntlet worn only on the right arm. Matte black leather pants and knee-high combat boots... and even bandages underneath the top, though they were hard to see.

I had drawn it myself by piecing together provided images, but it was still a truly perfect concept. You couldn't live and die by the rule of cool any harder than this.

"Is this online?"

"It is. It's just not a format where you interact in real-time like an MMORPG."

As far as I knew, up to four players could play together if you connected to the internet and queued for matchmaking. Even then, it seemed limited to co-op boss battles and PvP.

That was proof that even the developers were sick and tired of online gaming.

"Then doesn't that mean others won't be able to see it? And you still bought it?"

"My friend, what other people think has absolutely nothing to do with roleplaying."

Who roleplays just to show off to others? It's just fun to use anonymity to spout lines I would never be able to say in my right mind.

When I gave a thumbs-up with a beaming smile, my friend rolled around clutching his stomach. It wasn't like this was my first or second time doing this, so I didn't know why he reacted like that every single time.

Was this the difference between a concept fanatic and a normie?

"Ugh. You crazy bastard."

"I bought it with my own money, so seriously, what's your problem?"

"That's true, but..."

My friend swiped the screen back to the Demon Knight's official lore page and carefully examined the last line.

"If the official lore dictates the personality to begin with, is there any point to roleplaying?"

I didn't react for a moment after hearing those words. Was there any point if the official lore dictated the setting? Hah, I wasn't going to bring this up, but.

Like an otaku asked by a normie about the genre they obsess over, my lips twitched.

Let's calm down. If I get too excited, the newbie will get scared and run away. So I have to be as gentle... gentle...

But what the hell was gentle? How did you even do that?

"You've just picked a fight with the fandom community. Hold still. I'm going to teach you all about fandoms today."

"No, I misspoke."

"The lore provided by the official source says he has a sharp and sensitive temperament and his goal is to kill all demons, right? Hey, but everyone's idea of being 'sharp' is different, isn't it? He even has the backstory that the demon that killed his family is residing in his arm, right? Then think about it. Was he born with a nasty personality, or did it become nasty because of the demon inside his arm?! That's exactly where differences in interpretation arise!!"

"Damn it, it was my fault."

"What if his personality became prickly because he's constantly on edge, not knowing when the demon might go on a rampage? What if the reason he acts sharply towards those around him is to push them away so they don't get hurt because of him, or more accurately, the demon inside him? If so, then how sweet must he actually be on the inside?!"

"I said it was my fault."

"That interpretation is precisely the foundation of my concept! Tough on the outside, soft on the inside! A character who pretends to be strong but is soft on the inside, has trauma, and gets incredibly lonely despite pushing people away! The kind that blatantly shows off 'I have a tragic past, I'm wounded'!"

"Save me."

"What do you mean 'save me'? I haven't even started yet. I still have more to say. There's a reason for everything, not just his half-and-half hair, but also why he's bundled up like that in his appearance!"

"Argh."

"Ah, I also prepared some dialogue, want to see?!"

"I said no, I said I'm fine!"

Why was he backing out after asking? He didn't have to back out. Which was why he should listen more.

Look at the lore I carefully crafted by deliberately looking up old videos and analyzing the class trailer frame by frame!

I grabbed my escaping friend, sat him down in front of me, and began my explanation.

Details like how the reason he only wore a gauntlet on his right side was because he hated his own arm so much he didn't even want to look at it, or how the eyepatch was to cover his perfectly fine eye because he didn't want to see his changed pupil. They were meticulous points that couldn't be revealed in-game.

"You crazy otaku bastard..."

After I rambled on like that for a solid twenty minutes, my friend covered his ears and shook his head as if he was completely fed up.

"Hey, I wouldn't go as far as calling myself an otaku."

"In the eyes of a normie, you're an otaku the moment you spend hundreds of thousands of won on games."

"Damn it."

I couldn't deny that.

"Phew, you insufferable punk. Whatever, I'm gonna take off now."

"Already?"

"There are only five minutes left until that game you love so much starts, you crazy otaku."

"Ah."

He was right. Since I had been rambling for over twenty minutes, it was natural that there were less than five minutes left.

"Anyway, when are we going to be able to contact each other again?"

"The full dive I prepared this time is for three days, though."

"I haven't forgotten how you said it would be four days last time and ended up ghosting me for ten days."

A full dive was a function that allowed you to continue gaming for over twenty-four hours straight without eating or sleeping.

The dedicated liquid and nutrients required for it were too expensive to use often—and there was the downside of being cut off from real-life connections—but it boasted top-tier performance when you really wanted to immerse yourself in a game.

Well, since you had to be confined in a capsule for a long time, the sense of exhaustion was huge when the game ended, so you had to stay passed out for about a day.

The last time I did it, I gamed for four days and rested for a day, then gamed for another four days and rested for a day, essentially going off the grid for a full ten days.

"I don't know. You contact me first. I'm not going to contact you first."

"Yep."

"And go easy on the gaming. It'll ruin your health."

"Yeeep."

I had been scolded terribly by my family and friends back then, so there wouldn't be a repeat of that this time. As for ruining my health... I used that expensive dedicated liquid in the first place so it wouldn't happen, but I didn't bother talking back.

Because I was grateful for the feelings of someone worrying about me. And even more so for the friendship that led him to take the time to visit, knowing he wouldn't see my face for a few days.

CLICK.

I stared quietly at the closed front door before turning my body.

No matter how fun the game is this time, I'll stop after exactly three days. A promise to act more mature was a bonus.

「Time remaining until gameplay: 00:00:03」

「Time remaining until gameplay: 00:00:02」

「Time remaining until gameplay: 00:00:01」

「Time remaining until gameplay: 00:00:00」

「Installing additional items...」

DING!

「Starting the game.」

However, if I had known that my resolution would be shattered against my will, I wouldn't have turned on the game in the first place.

「The journey to stop the demons begins.」