– Tat tat tat tat

I heard the mechanical sound of typing. Fingers tapping on the keyboard.

I could see ahead. The light of the monitor illuminated the relatively dark room.

It felt strange. It was like recalling a memory from the past.

I tilted my head. Why did this happen all of a sudden?

Despite the questions, my fingers moved nimbly, pounding the keyboard.

▶Me: Flower

▶Me: Flower

▶Me: Flower?

▶Me: Ebe bebeb

▶Me: Knock knock…

A barrage of chat messages in an instant. Normally, it takes some time to get a reply in a chat.

If the timing is off, replies can come back hours later.

▶Agapanthus: What?

The reply came back immediately.

Flower.

Knowing that Agapanthus’s nickname was a type of flower, I sometimes called them Flower.

At first, they were baffled by the nickname, but now they had adapted and responded without much reaction.

The fingers that were tapping the keyboard paused for a moment.

I recalled my memories.

I called out because I was bored, but I didn’t have much to say. After fidgeting for a moment, I brought up the usual topic.

▶Me: Play [Savior] right now! (Play now)

▶Me: Flower, play with me

▶Me: It’s really fun

▶Me: Not lying

▶Me: (Puppy looking up with expectant eyes emoticon)

Savior.

Thinking back, it was a game that made my teeth grind, but back then, I couldn’t deny how much fun I had.

The immediate reply stopped. Considering that Agapanthus was faster at replying than I, who was stuck at home 24/7, it was strange.

Whenever I asked Agapanthus to play Savior, their replies would slow down.

▶Agapanthus: No

The reply was disappointing. I twitched my fingers and started typing again.

▶Me: Eeeee

▶Me: It’s really fun

▶Agapanthus: It wasn’t fun

▶Me: Gasp

▶Me: (Puppy falling into a puddle emoticon)

A sigh escaped my lips at the shocking reply. I could list more than three fun aspects of Savior right then and there.

But back then, I possessed a self that could respect individual preferences. I swallowed the sigh spilling out.

▶Agapanthus: Is it fun? Is it worth playing?

▶Me: Yes, it’s fun. I’m already on my 7th playthrough

▶Agapanthus: …Only the 7th? Why so slow?

▶Me: It’s because Flower doesn’t know Savior. When you dig into each aspect, it takes time. And it’s not that slow anyway

I stared at the monitor with a sulky face.

Even though Agapanthus responded with “not fun” whenever I recommended Savior, they often—no, frequently asked about it.

There were no specific questions about the game.

Just, “Is it worth playing?”, “Is it fun?”, “So, how did it go?”, “Which character did you get close to?”, etc…

They didn’t play the game but often asked how I played it.

▶Me: The 7th playthrough was ruined because I left Shio-ram

▶Agapanthus: What?

7th playthrough.

A playthrough so failed that I only referred to it as the ‘Vagrant’ route for my own sake of distinguishing it.

The 7th playthrough was disastrously worse than the 1st, to be precise.

Unlike previous runs, I abandoned the blessings of growth and other benefits and left Shio-ram.

After the 6th playthrough ended, I hadn’t found a solution, so I wandered outside the Shio-ram map early in the playthrough, searching for hidden elements.

It was a short-sighted decision.

After leaving Shio-ram and roaming around the Korean map, I realized it too late while watching the popup triggered by my unique ability [Crisis Detection].

▶Agapanthus: Why did you leave?

▶Agapanthus: Are you an idiot?

▶Agapanthus: Why would you leave a place that provides everything you need to grow and protects you?

As I explained that, a harsh response came from Agapanthus, who had been listening quietly.

Seeing the replies coming in twice as fast as usual, I felt a surge of frustration.

▶Me: What do you know, Flower

▶Me: You’ve never played it properly

▶Agapanthus: I don’t need to play it to know. It’s stupid to leave.

▶Agapanthus: Ugh, idiot

▶Me: Pfft

▶Me: I won’t talk to someone who doesn’t understand properly

I stared at the monitor with a sulky face.

A stupid choice. I know that too. If I had just progressed in Shio-ram, I would have been stronger than in previous playthroughs.

But it wasn’t enough.

The mechanical sound of typing ceased. Fingers fidgeted in thought.

In [Savior], there are no set final bosses or ending conditions.

I just decided on my own that I would take them down.

In the game, there are five towers that support the world.

The Tower of Space.

The Tower of Harmony.

The Tower of Observation.

The Tower of Knowledge.

The Tower of Growth.

The Tower of Space physically connects the world through gates, the Tower of Harmony breaks down language barriers and restores communication through smartwatches and the internet.

The Tower of Observation detects threats from monsters, villains, and traitors appearing worldwide, while the Tower of Knowledge preserves essential knowledge and records humanity must not lose.

The Tower of Growth quickly nurtures and produces key heroes to fend off various threats.

From any perspective, these towers aid humanity. They play a significant role in maintaining the world.

There are also opposing forces.

‘……’

The Tower of Necromancy.

The Tower of Eternal Winter.

The Tower of Purgatory.

Elements that I arbitrarily decided as the final bosses and ending conditions, and strove to conquer.

After graduating from Shio-ram.

These three towers unleash powerful monsters like mad. They gradually dominate the surroundings, tightening humanity’s fate.

The exact conditions for their activation are unknown.

In the 1st playthrough, all three awakened, and in subsequent playthroughs, sometimes only one or two did.

In the 1st playthrough, I eventually died to the master of the Tower of Necromancy.

As the name implies, “Necromancy” specializes in utilizing the dead in large-scale armies.

Despite that, their personal combat ability was monstrous, and I died without resistance.

In the 2nd and 3rd playthroughs, I died fumbling before even meeting the tower masters.

In the 4th playthrough, I died again to the master of the Tower of Necromancy.

4th playthrough [Undying].

Using the unique ability [Assimilation], I implemented various monster characteristics and regeneration, allowing me to withstand the Tower of Necromancy’s army to some extent.

I only lasted. I was crushed and beaten to a pulp by the army.

In the 5th playthrough, I aimed to come up with a power to sweep the army in one go and died like in the 3rd playthrough.

In the 6th playthrough, I sought to create an army like the master of the Tower of Necromancy, practicing necromancy, black magic, and spatial magic.

Using dark attribute magic, I mimicked immortality and created something akin to a shadow army. While it constantly lost to the necromantic army, it at least constituted a fight.

By that point, I was cut down by the master of the Tower of Purgatory, specialized in one-on-one combat.

‘Urgh.’

Even thinking about it now made my hands tremble.

Honestly, even if I hadn’t been cut down by the master of the Tower of Purgatory, I would have died without a sound to the master of the Tower of Necromancy.

Frustrating.

I felt utterly lacking. This kind of growth wouldn’t even scratch the tower masters.

I needed to change my growth method. I needed a significant change, something to elevate my character’s specs.

So, in the 7th playthrough, I went searching for such hidden pieces early on. I couldn’t grow at all while being chased the entire playthrough.

But I seemed to have found something.

I couldn’t be sure before utilizing it properly, but I felt that if I used it correctly, it could bring significant growth.

Thinking that, I glanced at the monitor.

I saw messages from Agapanthus, repeatedly questioning why I would leave such an optimal growth place like Shio-ram.

▶Me: Pfft

▶Me: Honestly, if our tower masters had fought with us, we would have won ages ago, seriously

▶Agapanthus: ……

▶Me: Our team always goes AFK, seriously

▶Me: What are our tower masters doing

▶Me: If it was a 5 vs 3 fight, we would have won

For some reason, I poured out complaints to the silent Agapanthus.

Afterward, we chatted casually.

We talked about things other than Savior.

Did you eat well, don’t eat like that, did you use the product I recommended, if you can’t sleep, try this, and so on…

Time flew by. I dragged my chair. I didn’t want to get up because my legs hurt.

I saw the sky.

The night sky beyond the window filled my gaze.

Gray clouds floating, shining starlight… and the full moon hanging in the center of the sky.

It was a sight that suddenly evoked early morning sentiments. After watching it for a while, I dragged the chair back to the desk.

▶Me: I’m going to sleep now

▶Agapanthus: Yeah, it’s time to sleep

▶Agapanthus: Good night. Have sweet dreams

▶Agapanthus: If you get scared by nightmares, don’t forget to use the product I recommended

▶Me: I’m using it well

▶Me: Thank you so much

▶Me: (Puppy bowing its head emoticon)

▶Me: Flower, have sweet dreams too

The conversation ended like that.

Tick tock – time passed.

I blinked absentmindedly.

A sudden feeling of loneliness hit me.

A strange thought.

The room was quiet both then and now.

Only the sound of typing and the chair dragging echoed.

But now, I felt lonely.

My hands wandered absentmindedly. My fingertips moved towards the pill bottle, then back to the keyboard.

The doctor said taking too many pills isn’t good. It’s better not to take them if possible.

My head felt dizzy. My vision blurred and then cleared.

I shook my head. I needed a topic to distract myself.

I thought about sleeping, then moved the mouse.

– Click

After a moment of startup noise, a brightly colored game appeared on the monitor.

[Savior]

There was no game like this for focusing.

I thought I’d play just for a moment, just to think about the 8th playthrough concept, and moved the mouse.

That night, the basic concept of the 8th playthrough was completed.

The 8th playthrough, which started the next day, easily surpassed the peaks of previous playthroughs.

It was an enormous growth achieved by the method I found in the 7th playthrough.

The 8th playthrough, having grown so, later engaged in combat with the master of the Tower of Eternal Winter.

I was stabbed in the back and killed by Baek Ahrin.

…

…

Consciousness surfaced.

My mind felt foggy. It was a dull sensation as if shrouded in mist.

I reflexively tried to blink. ‘Instinct’ rejected it. The feeling was that there’s no point in trying to open them if you can’t see anyway.

Instead, I wriggled my fingers.

I couldn’t wriggle them.

My fingers were bound by something and couldn’t move.

…I felt a sense of incongruity.

I couldn’t wriggle them. My right arm was like that. Something felt off. My left arm couldn’t move either. It should have been that way.

I couldn’t feel anything. I felt like there was no place to receive the command ‘wriggle your fingers.’

It felt strange.

At the same time, it felt like something I had experienced before.

‘Oh…’

As I mumbled blankly, a memory flashed through my foggy mind.

The monster, Aerulus. The monster with eerie colored fur that tried to kill me, shrouded in red mist.

I couldn’t stop its movement, so I extended my left hand.

In an instant, it bit down, ripping through skin, muscle, and grinding bone.

The binding Changhae shattered, and together it tore apart… tore apart…

My left arm.

‘Ah.’

My left arm… I wriggled my shoulder. A void feeling of the severed end transmitted through my powerless body.

It was a terrible sensation.

A feeling I experienced when my left leg was crushed…

“Ah-”

A single cry of lament.

“…Ah─! …! …!?”

Followed by a tearing pain in my throat that made my body jolt violently.

– Beep beep beep!

A loud alarm rang right beside me.

I felt the presence of people rushing over in panic.

End of Chapter