Episode 1
#Prologue
The world had perished.
It was a destruction that had come far too abruptly.
Not through war, nuclear weapons, or plague, but through monsters that suddenly flooded out like a tidal wave from Gates.
Well, who could have predicted it?
No one had known beforehand or prepared for it; monsters had poured down from gigantic Gates that appeared out of nowhere.
“Ha…….”
Yet, I was so at ease that I was bored.
The reason…….
“Where on earth is this?”
Fwoooosh~.
A cold wind blew fiercely, ruffling my hair.
Clouds I had thought I would never reach in my lifetime drifted gently before my eyes, brushing past me.
An island floating leisurely in the sky…….
That’s right.
I was currently on a massive island floating in the heavens.
“…….”
Just one day ago.
I recalled the situation from the day before.
#1
[Game Over]
“Tsk.”
A sound of dissatisfaction clicked from Hancheol’s mouth.
“Ah…… again?”
The game I was playing—more precisely, a fan game based on a novel called ‘Regressor in Ruin’.
Despite being a fan game, it had unexpectedly gained popularity as an RPG-style survival game where the player became a companion to the novel’s protagonist and survived through the apocalypse.
The frustrating part was that, perhaps because it was a fan game, it had a few major problems…….
“It was really well made, though.”
Well, the story was based on a novel, so that was one thing, but the game system was fairly decent too.
Considering it was a fan game, aside from the graphics, it felt like a genuinely well-crafted game—so much so that strategy communities had even formed around it.
“But why did they make the difficulty like this?”
If there was a problem, it was the game’s difficulty.
The system followed the novel’s settings—status windows, items, and so on—so it was fun, but brutally hard.
In the early game, you could somehow clear it with effort, but as the story progressed, the boss monsters’ attack patterns became so diverse it was ridiculous.
Because of this, at first, players praised the developer for putting so much effort into it, but before long, the praise turned into curses in an instant.
In just a few months, users who had enjoyed it like me dropped out in droves.
Well, aside from me, there probably weren’t many people so obsessed with a fan game.
Even with most users having dropped out by now, I still couldn’t let go because the game suited my tastes.
“Alright, let’s upload this.”
So today, as always, I uploaded my failed raid footage and new pattern information to the community for the remaining players.
[One More Armos Pattern Added.]
Author: Han
Another pattern came out…….
{Video}
-Holy shit!
-Again, you crazy?
-How many are there? Its patterns?
-LOL the dev really put a lot of effort into this.
-Why couldn't you put in a moderate amount of effort, you f—ing bastard!
-But this person still hasn't given up?
-A hardcore addict, a hardcore addict.
-Honestly, there are only lurkers left here, right?
-LOL it's been a while since I quit.
-Honestly, weren't we all just coming here for fun to watch Han's strategy videos rather than playing the game?
“……What?”
But while reading the comments, I couldn’t help but be flustered by the absurd truth I had just discovered.
[Guys…….]
Author: Han
Did you all quit?
On a wild hunch, I immediately wrote another post.
The betrayal of those I thought were comrades……. Still, I commented hoping that at least a few were still playing.
But expectation was met only with betrayal.
-LOL we quit a long time ago.
-Honestly, aren't we all just coming here occasionally to see when Han uploads a video?
-Right, we just watch for the fun of seeing someone else clear it.
-I'm curious if everyone quit like me. Hey, if you quit, like this comment.
Likes: 10 Dislikes: 0
┗10 people?
┗LOL if there are 12 users online right now, excluding Han and the comment OP, that's everyone.
┗Really? LOLLL
┗I told you, everyone except Han quit.
┗Congrats on Rank 1, Han.
┗LOOOOOOL
┗LOOOOOOL
The comments were flooded with laughter, but my mouth hung open in utter absurdity.
“This is ridiculous…….”
So what about all the videos I uploaded to help?
These punks were just watching for fun, not for help?
Rather than angry, I felt empty.
Well, I was probably the only one who had invested this much time into a fan game.
Had it been at least 3 years?
It had to be reasonably fun.
For a fan game, its completeness was surprisingly perfect.
Ah, or was it?
Considering the difficulty, it was probably a piece-of-trash game…….
“Tch.”
Well, what did it matter now?
The moment I realized those I thought were playing along had quit long ago, all desire to continue vanished.
-Wow…… but I didn't think you'd get all the way to Armos.
-Right, we gave up midway.
-Huh? You too? Me too~ hehe
-LOL
-But Armos isn't he a boss that appears almost in the late game in the novel?
-So if you beat him, isn't that the ending?
-Cheering for you, Han! If you clear the ending, please show us!
I felt like telling them to f— off, but instead, I conveyed my feelings by deleting all the strategy videos I had uploaded so far.
They had definitely been watching my videos because they were curious about the final ending.
Well, the reason the game had been popular was partly because the story diverged from the novel.
The story of becoming the protagonist’s companion in the novel and surviving the apocalypse had been quite fun.
Well, if they want to see it, they should do it themselves.
I was going to quit anyway.
“Yeah…… It was just a fan game; I held onto it for too long.”
Don't they say there's a type of gamer who clings to trash games?
I guess I was that type.
Of course, unlike other addicts, I never reached the ending.
“Ha…… well then.”
With the thought of quitting the game, I looked at the screen.
One of the reasons I thought this fan game was well made was the character account system. Currently, three characters were shown on my screen—all of them ones I’d given up on early, judging them impossible to clear with.
Of course, there had been more before.
About 30?
Due to a system touted as one of the game’s advantages, I had deleted about 27 characters, leaving only three now.
These three characters were a bit special.
They were elites, ones I had put more effort into.
Of course, since I had no intention of playing anymore, I decided to delete the remaining three as well.
Then.
Ding-.
[Random Skill Box probability has increased.]
A notification window popped up.
This was the game’s advantage.
A system that increased the probability of obtaining a unique skill for a newly created character based on the stats and skill growth of deleted characters.
In this game, when you created a character, you were randomly given a unique skill from the start.
Of course, it was literally random.
Skills ranged from F-rank to S-rank, and one was randomly assigned.
“Tsk—if I’ve deleted this many, it’s probably around 80%, 90% by now?”
The random skill box probability had probably risen to around there.
I had deleted my elite characters, so of course it should be that high.
Of course, it was just a guess.
One of the game’s unfriendly elements was that you couldn’t check the increased probability numerically.
Well, that aside, I was a bit torn.
With this many characters deleted, I wondered what skill would appear on a new one. Naturally, an S-rank was basically expected, but there were many S-rank skills, so I was curious.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to play again.
Even with an S-rank skill, I had already learned painfully from previous characters that the game itself was impossible to clear.
“Still, should I make one just to test it?”
Maybe something I’d never seen before like an SSS-rank or EX-rank would appear?
Of course, that was just wishful thinking, and I only intended to check.
Skills like EX or SSS had never appeared in this game, and even if they did, I had no intention of playing.
Just to check, I created a character and opened the random skill box.
Then.
Boom! Saaaahk!!
With a sudden fanfare and blinding light, the screen filled with radiance.
The skill grade floating at the center of the screen.
Seeing that grade, I was dumbfounded.
[EX-Rank Skill Sky Island]
“For real?!”
The text glowed brilliantly in iridescent rainbow colors.
I thought it was impossible, but it really came out.
An EX-rank skill, even better than S-rank.
My mouth hung open in disbelief.
The reason I hadn’t deleted the remaining three characters despite knowing about this system was simple.
I thought that even if I deleted them and made new ones, I’d just get the same S-rank skills anyway.
But I was wrong.
I had never heard of skills above S-rank in the game…….
No, there was one character with an EX-rank skill.
The protagonist of the novel the game was based on.
In that worldbuilding, only the protagonist possessed an EX-rank skill.
“But Sky Island?”
Setting aside the rank for now, I checked the skill name.
Sky Island…….
Was it talking about one of those islands floating gently in the sky?
“Sigh…….”
Well, whatever.
I was quitting the game; I shouldn’t cling to it.
No matter how amazing an EX-rank skill was, I was too burned out to play anymore.
I didn’t want to go through that hardship again.
I checked the current time.
It was 1 PM.
Since I didn’t want to stay home on my day off, as always, I got up to go for a walk.
* * *
There was a café near my company that I stopped by every day after work since moving nearby.
Of course, I also dropped by on days off occasionally to write my hobby novel.
Through the café window, I could see the familiar woman with a light brown ponytail brewing coffee. Beside her, a girl who looked to be in middle school was helping with the work.
Watching them for a moment, I smiled faintly and opened the café door.
Jingle~.
“Ah, Mr. Hancheol, you’re here?”
“Mister, hello.”
“Hello, Ms. Sina. Hayoon, did school end early for you too?”
“No, it’s closed for the school’s founding anniversary.”
The older sister, Yi Sina, and the younger sister, Yi Hayoon.
It had already been nearly two years since I first saw these two sisters.
During those two years, I stopped by when commuting to and from work, and on days off for my hobby—literally every day—so it was impossible not to get close.
Moreover, it was the café closest to my home.
I sat in my usual seat and took out my laptop.
“Shall I get you the same thing today?”
“Yes, please.”
There was no need to even order.
I came so often that I ordered the same thing every day.
I opened my laptop and pondered how to write the next chapter of my novel.
Then a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Come to think of it…….’
What had become of the strategy community now?
Since I had deleted all the strategy videos I had uploaded so far.
I was curious how the users—no, those punks—were reacting. Before writing my novel, I first visited the strategy site.
Then my eyes widened at a single post that caught my attention.
‘Huh?’
[Hello. I am the developer of Regressor in Ruin.]
It was a post by the game developer.
Until now, the developer had never posted in the strategy community.
In fact, in the three years I had played, the developer had never shown their face.
Some even joked that the developer had kicked the bucket after making the game.
But why now…….
‘Well, is there an update or something?’
No way?
It was one of my bad habits, but I couldn’t help getting my hopes up in cases like this.
Of course, hope usually turned to disappointment.
I immediately clicked on the post to check its contents.
But this time, it seemed my hope was well-placed.
[Hello. I am the developer of Regressor in Ruin.]
Author: apr125
Hello, users.
Nice to meet you. I am the developer of Regressor in Ruin.
The reason I am posting for the first time is that I plan to address and fix the issues of Regressor in Ruin, which was distributed for free, and release an official online version.
At that moment, the corners of my mouth rose brightly.
It was a post announcing an official version release.
To think this f—ing trash game with its absurd difficulty would get an official online release…….
‘Finally!’
I thought it was too late since most users had already left, but I didn’t care.
Paid? I was willing to pay for it no matter the cost.
I immediately left a comment on the post.
-When is the release?
┗Oh! It's Han!
┗Why did you suddenly delete everything and flee?
┗↑↑↑↑ LOL the happiest person right now
I ignored the comments from the remaining punks and waited for the developer’s reply.
Looking at the users online, the developer was still there.
And sure enough, the developer immediately replied to my question.
┗Ah! I forgot the most important thing. The release is today at 2 PM.
┗……?
┗……For real?
┗LOL no way, a developer who announces it 30 minutes before release?
┗LOLL the dev is really something.
30 minutes…….
I thought it would’ve been nice if they’d announced it sooner, as the comments said, but it was fine.
Isn’t it better the shorter the wait time when you’re looking forward to something?
“Mister, here’s your iced americano and sandwich.”
“Ah, sorry, I should’ve come to get it…… and sorry, but could you pack it to go?”
“To go? Uh…… well then, unnie! The mister wants it packed to go!”
“Huh? You’re leaving early today?”
At her words, I answered with an awkward smile.
“Something urgent came up.”
* * *
I sat back down in front of my computer and turned it on.
I was excited.
The thrill that my three years hadn’t been a waste, and wonder at how the game would be released after the renewal.
Hugging my expectations, I checked the time.
1:59 PM.
The game would be released in one minute.
But where would it be released?
Well, if I search the title online, it should come up, right?
I typed the game title into a well-known Goo— search bar.
But.
“Huh?”
Well, a few novels with overlapping words in the title showed up, but nothing about the game I knew. Even the novel “Regressor in Ruin” had been deleted.
What the hell?
Did the novel flop, so they focused on the game and discussed it with the author?
But could information disappear this completely?
Just in case, I tried entering the strategy site.
But the site was the same.
Even the strategy site had been completely deleted.
“……?”
While I was bewildered for a moment.
2:00 PM.
The time hit the game’s release hour.
At that very moment.
Kukukukung!!!
“Wh-what!?”
At the sudden earthquake, I shot up from my chair.
Why an earthquake all of a sudden?
But the earthquake didn’t last long.
The whole apartment shook for a very brief moment and then stopped.
“Wh-what the hell?”
-Kyaaaaaaah!!
At the screams of people coming from outside, I immediately checked outside through the veranda window.
And at the sight before me, my mouth fell open.
“…….”
On a nearby street not far away, a massive black hole.
No, something like a Gate had appeared.
From it, grotesque monsters of unknown origin were pouring out like a flood. People walking on the sidewalks screamed and ran to avoid the monsters, and cars were getting into pile-up accidents.
In a scene reminiscent of hell itself, my thoughts came to a halt.
“…….”
I stared blankly at the scene, speechless.
Was it a dream?
I pinched my cheek for a moment, but it only confirmed reality.
And at that moment, I saw a dot in my vision.
As the dot gradually grew closer, its form became visible, and I realized it was a giant monster with wings.
And it was flying straight—zoom—toward my veranda.
-Kyaaaaaaak!!
“Uh, uhhh!?”
In that situation, my frozen thoughts began to turn again.
I immediately got away from the veranda and tried to close the large window.
Crash!!
-Kyaaaaaaak!!!
The thing smashed through the veranda window and shoved its massive head inside.
“Wh-what the hell!?”
Startled, I stumbled away from the veranda.
Fortunately, the monster’s body was so large that only its head had entered the house, and its neck was stuck in the window as it thrashed.
But it was only a matter of time before its maw reached me.
The more it struggled, the more the veranda wall crumbled, widening the space for it to enter.
‘Wh-what do I do!?’
My breathing grew ragged and my heart pounded like a drum.
If I went outside, monsters like that one would be everywhere, and if I stayed here, death was certain.
In that situation.
A completely out-of-place notification sound rang out.
Ding-.
[The official version transition for Regressor in Ruin is complete.]
A notification window floating in the air before my eyes.
The moment I saw that notification, a self-deprecating, hollow laugh escaped me despite the situation.
High hopes usually led to great disappointments…….
-Kyaaaaaaak!!
“But this is too much…….”
Crack! Crunch!!
The thing shook its head left and right, struggling, and the wall gradually cracked and crumbled.
The wall had widened enough for one of its arms to come through.
If the wall crumbled a bit more, it was only a matter of time before its maw bit into me.
Then, another window appeared alongside the notification.
Name: Gim Hancheol
Level: 1
Unique Skill: EX-Rank Sky Island
Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Stamina: 5 Defense: 5
Mana: 0 Mental Strength: 5 Divine Power: 0
[You can move using the Unique Skill ‘Sky Island’.]
[Do you wish to move? (YES/NO)]
Sky Island…….
It was definitely the unique skill of the character I had created today.
For a moment, I alternated blankly between the notification window floating in the air and the monster.
In this incomprehensible situation that I couldn’t tell if it was reality.
-Kyaaaaaaak!!
In the end, the wall crumbled, and the thing entered the house, opening its massive maw to pounce on me.
I had no choice.
Reflexively, I accepted the notification.