Chapter 1 Part 3
A blue background with stark letters.
[SYSTEM: Seo Hui Won. Age 26. Died in a car accident.]
Yeah, I know. No need to rub it in….
[SYSTEM: Player ID, Lian.Blanket.Is.LaidOut. Login attempt successful.]
“Ah, this can’t be happening!”
Though I was alone, I hastily covered the screen with both hands, embarrassed by my blatantly exposed username.
…Wait, login attempt successful?
Before I could ponder further, the text changed.
[SYSTEM: Memory initialization successful. Starting a new game.]
The darkness around me gradually brightened, revealing a new window.
[SYSTEM: Would you like to start the tutorial?]
Along with the question, two new options appeared:
[YES.] and [NO.]
Staring blankly at the window, I clapped my hands together with a sigh.
“So, the afterlife is going modern, huh!”
I wondered if they introduced it as a game to people afraid of death.
Maybe I watched too many dramas expecting a handsome grim reaper to check his book and call my name.
Has the underworld changed with the times? With that simple thought, I reached out and made my choice.
[YES.]
***
‘Is there anything in life you regret?’
Once, while heading home from work, I was stopped by a believer who asked me this question.
Being too tired yet being the type who can’t easily ignore people, I ended up replying.
“No, I don’t have any regrets.”
Would they have suggested believing in their way to solve it if I had admitted to having regrets?
Ah, thinking about it now, maybe I do have one.
I didn’t manage to save Lian.
It felt like waking from a long sleep, groggy as I propped myself up. The room was dark, perhaps because blackout curtains were drawn, blocking any sunlight.
Unable to assess the situation, I just blinked blankly until the same blue window I saw earlier appeared in front of me.
[SYSTEM: Player ID, Lian.Blanket.Is.LaidOut. From now on, we will refer to you as Player.]
…Am I dreaming right now?
[SYSTEM: We will now begin a simple tutorial.]
The text’s tone was mechanical. Despite my dazed stare, the screen unfazedly updated with new text.
“Just a moment…”
As I barely managed to murmur, the curtains automatically drew back, letting sunlight flood in through the large window.
The room, entirely adorned in black, looked dreary yet somehow managed to retain a sense of luxury in every item present.
Sitting on the bed in such a room, a chill ran from the tips of my toes as the text on the blue window changed.
[SYSTEM: If Player wishes to view your character’s information, please say or think ‘Information’.]
“Information or whatever, just listen to me…”
As I said that, new text appeared, far more cryptic than before.
[Greed Demon Lord, Luhel.
Lv. Max
Race: ?
Attribute: Ice
Main Skill: Can make it snow within a 100M radius. While it is snowing, other ice attribute magics cannot be used. There is no time limit, and the skill can be canceled at will.]
This character… isn’t it one of the demon lords from BattleFlower?
From the name to the main skill, it was all information I was familiar with. I could feel my hair standing on end from the roots.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be the way to the afterlife?”
[SYSTEM: We provided you with an opportunity to rid yourself of the regrets of life. Therefore, this place is not the afterlife but a new foundation for the player’s life.]
“My regret is that I couldn’t save Lian…”
I stopped talking as a thought suddenly hit me.
Asking to see my information had shown me one of the villains from BattleFlower. And then there was the talk of giving me a chance to rid myself of life’s regrets.
Even with my usually slow wit, I could quickly figure out the answer.
I was to live as one of the demon lords that my favorite character must defeat.
[SYSTEM: You will need to clear main quests, hidden quests, and affection quests moving forward. Based on these, achieving your final goal will allow you to fulfill your wishes.]
The information provided by the blue window was still confusing, but as someone who frequently played games, it wasn’t too hard to understand.
It seemed that being turned into a character from BattleFlower meant I was embedded with a system related to the game.
“What happens if I fail the quests?”
[SYSTEM: We believe you will not fail.]
The lack of a direct answer was telling. Failing a quest probably meant a one-way ticket across the Styx for me, right?
There seemed to be some ulterior motive at play.
Using this system window to communicate was suspicious enough.
Like the person who had stopped me on the street preaching their beliefs, there was nothing trustworthy about this situation. But it seemed like this was the only lead I had in my current situation.
“There’s only one thing I want. To save Lian.”
[SYSTEM: We hope your wishes come true.]
As if it had read my mind, the blue… no, the system window offered words of encouragement before disappearing.
“If this is a dream, it’s one hell of a story to tell over drinks for the rest of my life.”
Everything happening felt too real to be dismissed as just a dream.
I pushed off the silk blanket and stepped out of bed, heading towards the mirror.
Reflected back was a face I had seen many times before. Silver hair with a slight wave and chillingly blue eyes.
I looked a bit dazed, my expression frozen as I swallowed a bitter laugh.
“Would’ve been nice if they made me an extra with hidden powers instead.”
Of all things, why a demon lord?
The thought of Lian coming after me, bloodthirsty to kill me, suddenly made me wish for death. Maybe crossing the Styx wouldn’t be so bad after all…
“Sigh…”
With a sigh, I brushed my hair back.
Isn’t there a saying about turning crises into opportunities?
Might as well go with the flow for a bit. After all, it’s a golden opportunity to see my favorite character in the flesh.
