LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 1 - Epilogue.
“May I ask you one thing?”
On the endless barren plains stood a girl.
Silver hair down to her waist, silver eyes void of emotion.
Though her frail frame looked as if it may break upon touch, her appearance radiated a sense of balance and perfection.
A demon whose heart was pierced by the girl’s sword asked in a dry voice,
“Why, with such power, did you not kill me sooner?”
The girl’s eyes widen slightly as if somewhat surprised.
But only for a moment.
She muttered quietly in a bored voice,
“It seemed it was time to let you go.”
“I see.”
The demon looked around, making a deflating sound.
Its black eyes saw the countless corpses of demons covering the plains.
It felt no anger.
All emotions were powerless before the overwhelming difference.
“In the end, the era of demons did not come. No, perhaps it was a foolish dream from the start.”
Countless corpses of demons spread as far as the eye could see.
“To be slain so brutally, by a single person…”
Thousands, tens of thousands of demons.
That entire army was brutally slaughtered by a single girl.
Any resistance, any mighty power they so prided, was meaningless before this girl.
“I acknowledge you. Savior of humanity. This is… the defeat of the demons.”
With those final words, the demon’s body turned to white dust and scattered into the air.
The corpses scattered at her feet also turned to dust and disappeared one by one.
The girl watched it all indifferently.
[New achievement added: Recognition from the Demon King.]
[Final quest “The End of a Long Battle” has been cleared.]
[You have completed the game.]
– Sword God Sisilia has defeated the greatest Demon King.
– Peace has been restored to Another World.
A tremendous achievement no one has accomplished before.
However, there was no satisfaction on Sisilia’s face.
The message filling her vision just felt annoying.
She closed the message window and lay on the ground, looking up at the sky.
“It’s beautiful no matter how many times I see it. They really made it well.”
The night sky was embroidered with countless stars.
It was hard to believe this was virtual reality and not the real world.
This is the first virtual reality MMORPG game, “Another World”.
It was a revolution at birth, but now it barely hit 1,000 concurrent users, a fossil of a game.
The developers announced they would not end service until the game was cleared, but everyone was skeptical.
‘The clear conditions are too absurd.’
The greatest Demon King.
Dozens of insta-kill attacks, a colossal health pool, endless patterns.
For 10 years, not a single user had succeeded in defeating it.
But now, “Another World” has been cleared.
By the undisputed rank 1 user, Sisilia, alone.
‘What a shame.’
In fact, she had the stats to clear it a few years ago.
Still, there was only one reason she had put it off until now.
‘In the end, I couldn’t find them. A talented newbie.’
She didn’t want to end it on her own selfish terms.
She wanted at least a few others to witness this sight together.
But even after several years—
No user had reached her position.
After all, everyone failed to even clear the mid-boss “Demon King.”
“If I had done better, maybe I could have defeated the Demon King together with newbies.”
Was it just the worthless dream of a veteran with nothing to do?
Sisilia had spent the last 3 years just searching for newbies.
There were some newbies even in this dying game. But they all quit due to the absurd controls and difficulty.
However, if she had been a bit kinder…
If she had helped them more clearly…
If she had gifted them more expensive items…
‘It’s all meaningless now.’
Sisilia closed her eyes.
It’s already in the past.
Like her spent youth, the end of Another World’s service is a set path.
But since it’s the final moment, let’s enjoy the lingering emotions to the fullest.
If she keeps lying around like this, a notice announcing the end of service will probably appear.
She decided that would be her bedtime.
“Are you trying to leave now, hero?”
At the sudden voice, Sisilia opened her eyes.
She recognized the old man standing in front. He was an NPC from a big city quest.
“Why are you here…?”
Before she could even question it, other NPCs revealed themselves.
They were people she had helped in the past.
“Thank you so much for your help back then.”
“I will never forget your grace in letting me see my daughter’s smile again.”
“Hero. You were our hope.”
For a moment, Sisilia was dazed.
NPCs who had received her aid at some point. From her novice days to recent quests.
They had all gathered here.
“I’ve seen it all. Your battles, your many anguishes in the past days.”
“Everyone left, but you alone remained resolutely to protect this world.”
‘The pattern is different.’
Sisilia was certain.
‘It’s a newly applied script.’
This was a cinematic the game company made just for her.
“Thank you. That’s all I can say.”
“Hero. Are you leaving?”
“Please don’t leave us. We still need you, Hero.”
The hollow look on Sisilia’s face gradually returned to normal.
And soon, a small smile appeared.
‘So they went this far for me. Thank you.’
Children hugging Sisilia’s arms.
Fairies flying around.
She patted the children’s heads and looked at each of them in turn.
She remembered every single one.
What quest it was, how she felt then.
All those memories melted into this moment.
“It really is the end now.”
Sisilia passed by them, suppressing her emotions.
As if flipping through pages of a photo album, memories flashed by.
At the end, where she arrived—
The being she first encountered when logging into this game was standing there.
“Goddess.”
She was the NPC Sisilia first faced in the character selection window “Path of Light.”
The symbol of this game and the starting point of the story.
“Strange hero who came seeking a strange world.”
Sisilia looked at the Goddess indifferently.
‘I wonder if this is what a real goddess would feel like?’
Even those who criticized Another World acknowledged the quality of the Goddess.
She felt there was indeed a reason for it.
As the Goddess reached out her hand, a gate dyed in bright light appeared in front of her.
A gate that seemed to bless her return to reality.
“We will not forget your dedication.”
At the queen’s words, everyone knelt on one knee to pay their respects.
“May you be safe in your world as well.”
‘If I go there, I won’t be able to see them again.’
This was just a game.
They were merely coded NPCs.
She knew that, of course.
However, the tugging, ringing emotion in her heart was unavoidable.
Sisilia lowered her head.
10 years.
She had been playing this game for 10 years.
Coming home after school, throwing her bag, and turning on the VR gear first.
On the day of college entrance exams, the day she failed her first job interview, when she was depressed when she was happy, she was always with this game.
Realizing she could never again play the game she had devoted half her life to, an indescribable emotion washed over her like a receding tide.
To her, this wasn’t just a simple game—
It was a precious memory.
‘I wish they would preserve it.’
Of course, she knew it was impossible.
VR MMORPGs have high maintenance costs.
No matter the title of being the first virtual reality game, with maintenance costs reaching billions, they likely couldn’t sustain it any longer.
“User.”
“…Yes.”
The Goddess, who wore a faint smile, called to her.
Sisilia suddenly came to her senses.
“Thank you so much for playing all this time.”
The Goddess bowed her head deeply.
The other NPCs were frozen as if time had stopped.
She belatedly understood the situation.
Ah, so the Goddess was actually a GM.
No wonder the AI seemed exceptionally good.
“No… thank you for going this far.”
The GM smiled.
“We had to do at least this much. You stayed with our boring game until the end, after all.”
“It’s not boring. This game is fun.”
Even as she spoke, Sisilia felt bitter.
If it was fun, there wouldn’t have been a service termination.
“A sequel to Another World is planned as well.”
“Oh, really? I’ll be sure to play it.”
It was an empty promise.
She no longer had time to play games.
She was no longer at an age where she could freely play games after school.
The age for acting spoiled had passed.
“So about that, I really want to select you as a tester.”
It was difficult. She had said it offhandedly, not expecting them to take it so sincerely.
‘What should I do?’
She had definitely said she would, so refusing now would be rude.
Even if it is just for the sake of the developers who did a special update for a single user.
‘It should be okay if it’s just a little. I won’t be at the company all day, after all.’
Maybe she could play it occasionally after work.
A virtual reality open beta game likely wouldn’t demand a very high level.
“Okay. I’ll give it a try.”
“Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you… I would have been at a loss for who else to pick. There hasn’t been a single person this dedicated until now.”
“Ah, yes.”
She gave an awkward smile.
Still, having her efforts acknowledged by the GM didn’t feel bad.
“How should we handle the customization?”
“Um, well… just… keep it like this, please.”
Sisilia’s face reddened slightly.
After all, while she was a man in reality, she was a “woman” in the game.
The GM showed no particular reaction.
Instead, she smiled gently and nodded.
“Do you need any other special privileges?”
“…Special privileges?”
“Ah, I didn’t mention this. Though it’s an open beta, there won’t be a wipe. In other words, you can keep playing normally.”
‘Does that mean I can keep going as is? With only one tester.’
She blinked, feeling renewed surprise.
They weren’t usually such a generous game company, so why were they giving this special treatment?
“Of course, you’ll have to keep it a secret from others.”
“Ah, yes.”
If word got out that a single individual received such a big privilege, there would naturally be an uproar.
Well, she had no intention of playing the game until its official release anyway, so she accepted it with a light heart.
“Then for the special privileges you want…”
“No, it’s already a sufficient privilege to be able to play the game early.”
The GM seemed to want to say more, but she deliberately cut her off.
“That’s my style, too.”
“I see.”
“The game would be boring if it was easy, don’t you think?”
Worried that cutting her off may have been a bit rude, she deliberately spoke in a joking tone.
Fortunately, the GM didn’t seem to mind much and smiled back.
“You’re right. I was mistaken. That way, it would be more fun for you.”
“Yes.”
An awkward silence passed briefly.
To never forget this sight, Sisilia took a screenshot on the highest graphics setting one last time as she looked around at this beautiful scene.
“You really made it well. I probably won’t see a sight more beautiful than this in my life.”
“…You’re saying the words I most wanted to hear.”
“You deserve to hear it. There won’t be another game company that goes this far for its users.”
Sisilia looked at the GM with a smile.
“Thank you.”
“…!”
Droplets of tears slightly formed in the corners of the GM’s eyes.
Sisilia’s instinct to protect was greatly stimulated by her appearance, but recalling that a bearded middle-aged man could be inside somewhat dampened the feeling.
“Then I’ll get going now. Log ou-”
As she was about to log out, the GM spoke hurriedly.
“User! Don’t log out. Please enter that gate.”
“What?”
“We worked hard to make it.”
“Ah, yes.”
‘What else is there?’
Though puzzled, she nodded as it wasn’t particularly difficult.
“Then, may you be safe in that world as well.”
The Goddess stared at Sisilia for a moment, then took a few steps back and bowed deeply.
At that moment, time also flowed again for the briefly paused NPCs.
“Hero! You must remember us!”
“Stay healthy!”
A busy life would be waiting for her when she returned to reality.
She may never again have the leisure to pour dozens of hours into gaming like before.
But the memories here would surely become a force to sustain her life.
‘Though it will be short, I should take the testing seriously too. Since they went this far.’
The light of the gate enveloped her, growing stronger and stronger.
“Hero! You must be happy in that world too!”
The final voices of the NPCs could be heard.
She slowly, but decisively, stepped through the gate.