I let out a long breath, forcing my shoulders to relax. My lips curled into a smirk.The Author didn't remove it which means it is due to the action of another existence.
"Like hell I'm dying here… Option two."
A soft chime soon followed as the screen disappeared.
[You have chosen Survival]
[You can move now]
My body stretched and I pushed up fast. I yanked the kitchen knife from my desk (yes, it was there) and headed for the door, every nerve screaming ready.
Why the hell does this feel like a damn mash-up of horror and a game? Seriously, who is this guy, trying to mess with me?
But now half of me was bracing for some nightmarish creature lurking outside, while the other half was expecting a humanoid female monster because, of course, the author still hasn't told us if this is supposed to be romance, bromance, or harem. And no, don't ask why I even considered the last two, okay?
Huh… what do you mean I can't control my reproductive urges? I have a girlfriend, and yes, we've been intimate, so don't even imply I can't handle my own urges until the limit that I would do it with some kind of monster.
But shifting my focus, I snapped, "Who's there?" Knife raised, eyes sharp as ever. No one's catching me off guard tonight.
The Door creaked open but... instead of fangs, claws or tentacles which I expected.(The Author told me to say so)
"Hyung!"
A bright, annoyingly familiar and irritating voice came out.Great... just what I didn't need.
Seriously, Author?! Couldn't you just throw a succubus or some other monster at me for once instead of… my sister showing up? I've gotta use protection with my girlfriend, and here I am, chained to your ridiculous plot. My life really is the worst.
I let the knife dip slightly, my eyes begrudgingly settling on Kim Haeryn, my little sister grinning at me like a idiot from the hallway like she owned the place.
Twenty-one. Second-year med student.
Standing there like she hadn't a single care in the world which is annoyingly perfect, of course.
"I'm your adorable little sister, Haeryn!" she announced, flashing a V-sign like she was auditioning for some idol gig.
I let out an exaggerated sigh, dropping the knife like it was nothing, then grabbed her cheeks and pulled just enough to make her squeal.
"Ow ow ow! Hyung, stop!"
I smirked, narrowing my eyes. "You little brat. Seriously, do you enjoy giving me heart attacks? Text like a normal human being next time, will you?"
She pouted, rubbing her cheeks.
"Hyungnim… I didn't want to stress you out. Not after… last time."
Her words made me pause for a second.
"Yes, you little brat. I was stressed because you got bullied and didn't even say a damn thing about it, then somehow got caught up in that mess."
I released her cheeks and leaned back against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking every bit the unimpressed older brother.
"So," I said, leaning slightly on the doorframe.My voice dripping with sarcasm "you're here to check up on me now that I've retired?"
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"…Retired?"
"Yeah," I said, voice sharp, almost smug. "I quit streaming."
Her face froze for a moment, then—
"What?"
I didn't bother with her tone and walked straight to the kitchen.
"What now? Grandpa's already stressed about your life, and my friends are itching to play some games with you."
"Sounds like him," I replied firmly. "But just because I quit streaming doesn't mean I won't play games. Tell your friends I'm in."
"By the way, it's morning. You want breakfast or not? I'm guessing, knowing you, you haven't eaten yet."
She smirked and said, "It's just like you seem to know me better than I know myself. Oh, and thanks for going to make my breakfast ready in Highschool and middle school."
A few minutes later, the sound of eggs sizzling in the pan filled the apartment. The aroma of cooking meat made the air warm and thick.
Haeryn perched at the counter, chin resting on her palm, eyes on me or maybe more honestly, on the food. Her stomach soon rumbled, betraying her patience.
"Hyung…" she murmured, voice soft but curious.
"Are you… happy with Choi Seulbi-unni?"
I paused mid-flip, letting the spatula hover in the air, but didn't answer. Partly because… I didn't have one.
That's when the chime hit—a sharp, crystalline ding that cut right through my thoughts.
[A Message Has Arrived.]
[Messenger:Queen of the Blood Ruins.
"...No way."
[Would you like to view the message?]
[Yes/No]
I wiped my hands on a towel, then tapped 'Yes' without hesitation.
Soon, a purple, translucent window bloomed before me, far larger than the earlier ones before.
The Queen of the Blood Ruins. An A-rank hidden dungeon boss from the first floor. A monster so deadly that even top-tier players steered clear of her… unless they were practically suicidal.
And yet… she was sending me a message.
---
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Messenger: Queen of the Blood Ruins.
Message:Enter the tower as the first player to set foot inside… or face my wrath.
---
The kitchen went completely silent.Haeryn frowned, picking up on the sudden change in my mood.
"Hyung? What's wrong?"
I didn't answer. My eyes were glued to the message, my mind was racing.
I knew this dungeon. I knew the Queen. Every trick, every pattern, every hidden lore detail. I had memorized it all.
Because I'd studied her.
I'd spent years researching Aeternum, compiling everything: the hidden bosses, the event triggers, the lore all the way to the 100th floor.
In the game, she was just another boss to obliterate. Here? She had the audacity to message me… threatening me with my own dialogue. Really? She thinks she can intimidate me? Cute,I must say.
My grip on the spatula tightened until my knuckles went ghost-white.
If that tower had actually appeared in Seoul… this wasn't a game anymore. The rules? Completely rewritten. And I didn't plan on losing.
And somehow…
I could feel it. I'd already been marked.All thanks to this damn Author, the one who now have me completely in his grip.
The kitchen carried the warm scent of sesame oil and grilled meat, mingling with the earthy bitterness of steeped green tea. The eggs sizzled softly until I slid them onto a chipped porcelain plate. Out of habit, or maybe anger, I made two servings.
Haeryn padded into the room, her damp hair sticking slightly to her shoulders from the morning shower, dressed in the plain white blouse she always wore for rituals. She sat across from me, offering a soft smile. The kind that reminded me she wasn't a kid anymore, though my mind stubbornly sometimes thought of her as thirteen.
I slid a plate toward her. "Eat up. You're going to need energy before we head out."
Her eyes flicked to the food, then back to me, a faint sparkle in them. "You… you still cook like Mom," she said, voice soft but teasing.
That hit me harder than I expected. For a moment, the hiss of the pan vanished, replaced by the sharp echo of twisted metal, shattered glass, and flashing red lights. I swallowed, forcing my voice to sound steadier than I actually felt when I finally spoke.
"Are you here today… for Jesa?"
Haeryn's expression softened, and she cupped her hands around the warm mug. "Of course. We have to honor the deceased. It's the least we can do."
The word "deceased" hung in the air like smoke. Haeryn always said it like that .formal, polite, trying to keep some distance. Me? I called them what they were: our parents. No sugarcoating, no pretense. But maybe that was her way of keeping herself sane.
I took a slow sip of my tea, letting the bitter warmth anchor me. Didn't make the pain go away, but it reminded me I was still here. Still standing. Still me.
Uncle's family would already be waiting at the small ancestral altar, incense curling lazily into the air, portraits staring down like silent judges. We'd bow, lay out the offerings, and call the names one by one.A ritual older than any game I'd ever conquered, older than any challenge I'd ever faced.
Funny, isn't it? I could read every move in Fafnir's Rage, predict every hidden raid pattern, memorize every secret dialogue tree. But real life? Grief, family, the messy pulse of it all… I was still fumbling, still hunting for the right inputs like some noob in a game I couldn't pause.
And today wasn't just about Jesa. It hit me that something had shifted, in me, in the rules I thought I'd mastered, even in the world I swore I had mapped out. Nothing felt predictable anymore.
I guess I'm finally starting to understand my world.Now, that the game I thought was just pixels and code has come alive.
While we ate, you might wonder why I still call myself an orphan, even with relatives around and Haeryn right here beside me. That word "orphan" clings like a badge, doesn't it? Sounds dramatic, maybe even a little self-pitying. But I don't use it for sympathy. The truth is… our parents died in a car accident when I was seventeen and Haeryn just thirteen.
I blinked. Outside the window, a shadow detached itself from the black tower, stretching taller and wider than any human should, and it seemed to be moving toward us. Maybe I was Hallucinating or it was Reality.
[To be Continued...]
[End of Chapter 4: