Chapter 1 Get Isekai'd
My name is Axel Ezra, and I am a middle-aged man in my forties. I work as an MMORPG game developer at a well-known gaming company, and my salary is decent enough to support myself.
"Hey, Axel could you check the bug I sent you through email? Thanks," one of the employees said.
"Okay" Axel replied.
He opened the bug description that had been sent to him. The complaint read:
(Why is this game so difficult? And why do I spawn in random places that don't match my level? I have to go through all the trouble of creating a new character again. Are you guys even serious about making this game?)
Axel let out a long sigh. "Haah….. Shouldn't this bug be assigned to another team? Why do I have to handle this one?".
Then Axel's friend, Fuji walked over to his desk. "Hey, what's wrong? Why do you look so gloomy? Come on, let's grab some coffee. It's break time, isn't it?"
Axel complained to Fuji "Look at this. Your team is supposed to handle this bug. Why did the complaint end up here?"
Fuji looked at Axel's monitor then he smiled and scratched his head. "Ahaha….. well, people make small mistakes sometimes."
Then Fuji thought for a moment and asked, "So, what do you think the solution is?"
Axel blinked in confusion. "Huh? Why are you asking me? You're the one who should be thinking about that."
Fuji laughed. "Hahaha sorry-sorry don't get mad. Come on, let's eat first and then take a smoke break, okay?"
Axel sighed and stood up from his desk. "Fine."
They headed to the cafeteria.
"Maybe I've found the solution. I'll work on it after we eat," Fuji said with a villain-like grin.
Axel gave him an awkward smile. "Good if you've found a solution, but don't blame me for whatever crazy idea comes out of your head."
Axel's expression darkened. "Looks like I'll have to work overtime. The boss asked our team to develop the latest update, so I have to stay at the office."
They sat down at a table and started eating.
"Yeah, this company is really cruel" Axel muttered.
"It's famous on the outside, but the employees are treated like slaves," he added bitterly.
Suddenly, out of nowhere Fuji brought up something personal. "So….. how's your wife?"
Axel's mood instantly worsened. "Ugh, don't talk about that unfaithful woman here. Just thinking about her makes me sick."
"But what about your child? Are you going to leave him—"
Before Fuji could finish, Axel slammed his fist on the table and glared at him.
Fuji calmly responded, "Alright, if you don't want to talk about it."
Axel looked at Fuji and felt guilty. "Okay… I'm sorry for that got carried away and please don't bring my personal problems into work, okay?"
Fuji looked at him and nodded. "Okay."
They finished their meal and went back to work.
Later that night, Fuji returned to Axel's desk.
"Hey bro, I'm done. The bug you mentioned I didn't exactly fix it, but I turned it into a new feature instead. Hihihihi!"
Axel looked at Fuji looked like evil grind and who seemed proud of himself. "Good. Just remember to take responsibility if the boss gets angry and don't blame me."
Fuji shrugged. "Whatever i don't care anymore. I work like I'm not even being paid for what i do."
He then glanced at Axel's monitor, which was filled with lines of code. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard either. It's not healthy and you never know when you got fired right? So don't push yourself too hard"
Axel replied calmly, "It's fine, working like this helps distract me from my problems. So…. yeah."
Fuji patted Axel on the shoulder. "Alright, I'm heading home first. I can't wait to see my family."
Fuji left the office, while Axel stayed behind, continuing his work alone in the quiet night.
It was already midnight, yet Axel was still busy working. Some of his teammates couldn't take it anymore and had fallen asleep at their desks, their heads resting on their keyboards. Others were still awake, forcing their tired eyes to stay open.
Ever since his wife cheated on him, Axel had buried himself in work. He drowned in endless tasks and overtime, using them as an excuse to avoid remembering that bitter incident. But while his mind tried to stay strong, his body told a different story.
"Come on… just a little more," he muttered.
The sound of his keyboard grew faster and sharper, echoing through the quiet office.
"Yes… finally done. Haah…"
He let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling.
"After all of this, I want to go to the countryside. I don't want to see another keyboard or monitor ever again. I just want to be free. I've been looking around—there are some cheap houses I could afford. Maybe I'll retire from this job… and just die there peacefully."
Axel slowly closed his eyes while sitting in his chair.
(It feels like I'm underwater… My body feels like it's floating, light as a feather…)
His consciousness faded.
Axel fainted right there in his chair.
Several hours later, Axel's body began to feel restless.
An intense heat wrapped around him—starting from his skin and seeping into his lungs. His throat felt dry, every breath burning as if he were inhaling fire.
"HAAAAAH… hah… hah… what the—"
He forced his eyes open.
Before him stretched a vast continent covered in blistering lava. Rivers of molten fire flowed endlessly, erupting in violent bursts. The ground cracked and split apart, spewing flames into the air.
"What is this…? Don't tell me I'm in hell? No no no, this has to be a dream. I'm sure of it."
Suddenly, a bubble of lava burst nearby, splashing a small amount onto his skin.
"AAAAAH!!!! It's burning!!!! Grrrghhh!!!"
The pain was real terrifyingly real.
"Why does it feel so real? Is this actually happening? What's going on? Where am I?"
Panic consumed him.
"No way… am I really in hell?! HELP!!! Anyone!!! Uhk—uhuk—!"
As he screamed for help, coughing from the scorching air, a blue translucent screen suddenly appeared in front of his face.
"Welcome, Player, to the game Aetherion Fall."
Axel froze.
"That name….. isn't that the MMORPG I developed?"
The blue screen flickered, and the text changed.
"For the tutorial, please say: Status."
Axel stared at it in disbelief.
"…Status."
Another screen materialized, displaying his information.
Race : Human
Level : 1
Stat Points : 0 Skill Points : 0
HP : 100
MP : 1000
STR : 1 INT : 10
AGI : 2 WIS : 2
VIT : 1 PER : 2
END : 1 LUK : 1
Active Skills : None
Passive Skills : None
Title :
Irregular ExistencePermanent Level Cap
No maximum level limit. Presence Blur
High-level entities can sense abnormalities.
• You are not bound by this world's fate. Double titles
can use equip two titles
"What the hell is this…?"
Axel stared at the floating blue screen in disbelief. Everything felt real the heat and pain, even the suffocating air. And yet, at the same time, it felt utterly ridiculous.
"I actually got thrown into a game that I helped create?"
He eyebrows furrowed
"Wait… but this title… I've never seen it before during development."
The status screen flickered again and changed into a new set of words.
"After leveling up, all your stats will automatically increase by 1 point. HP and MP will increase by 10 points, scaling according to your VIT and INT."
Another line of text appeared.
"Stat Points can be used to further increase your attributes beyond the automatic level-up bonus."
"Skill Points are used to increase the level of both Active and Passive skills. However, skills may also improve through repeated usage."
Axel swallowed hard.
"This system… it's exactly the same as what is in the game"
The screen continued.
"Titles are special designations obtained through hidden achievements. Some titles may grant unique effects."
Axel's eyes narrowed.
The text shifted once more.
"Next tutorial: Inventory. You may store items according to your END stat. The higher your END, the greater your storage capacity."
"…Inventory."
Immediately, another translucent window opened. It was filled with neatly arranged empty boxes—rows upon rows of slots waiting to be filled.
"All empty… figures."
The tutorial continued without pause.
"Next tutorial: Map. You may view areas you have explored and place markers. Red dots symbolize enemies. Larger red symbols indicate boss-level entities nearby."
"…Map."
A wide screen unfolded before him but it was almost entirely black. Only a small circular area around his current position was visible, surrounded by endless darkness.
"Hm… I guess that's because I haven't explored this place yet. That's why the map is still black."
Then he slowly looked up at the sea of lava surrounding him.
"…Which means I'm currently standing in an unexplored hellscape."
A heavy silence followed.
"If this is really Aetherion Fall… then that means this world runs on the mechanics I know."
But one thought sent a chill down his spine despite the heat.
"…Or maybe it doesn't anymore."
Then the blue screen appeared again.
"Congratulations. You have completed the tutorial. Your rewards have been added to your inventory."
Axel blinked in confusion.
"What? Since when was there a reward for finishing the tutorial?"
Then he suddenly remembered Fuji—the player complaints about the game being too difficult and Fuji claiming he had "found a solution."
"Ah. Don't tell me this is the new feature Fuji added."
Axel quickly opened his inventory.
Three items were listed inside:
Note to Player2 Blackhole BombsMap Clear – 5 Miles
Axel's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"WHAT?!!! Fuji, are you trying to get yourself fired?! Why would you give overpowered items to beginner players at the very start?! Is this the solution you were talking about?!"
He suddenly remembered Fuji earlier villain-like grin.
"Haaah… so that's what you meant by 'feature,' huh?"
Axel rubbed his forehead.
"…Well, I can't exactly scold him now."
His gaze shifted to the first item.
"Note to Player… what's this?"
He selected it.
A blue screen unfolded before him again.
"Ah… is this Fuji note to the players? Let's see."
The message read:
"Hi, Player. I've handled so many of your complaints that they even got misdirected to another dev team. If you're reading this, I'm honestly sick of working at that company. I'm not paid fairly for what I do and I'm not the only one. My friend too. I hope he can find peace somewhere. He's had a really terrible week lately.
By the way, this is my farewell gift to you all. So, goodbye. I can't wait to see my boss's face. Mwuhehehe."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Axel burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha! That idiot… I didn't even realize he was planning to quit the company."
He wiped tears from the corner of his eyes.
"wait a minute, maybe he didn't quit immediately. He probably waited for his bonus first. That makes sense."
Axel shook his head, still chuckling.
"Unbelievable hahaha you really went out with a bang Fuji."
Axel looked around again. Lava flowed endlessly across the cracked earth, volcanoes erupting in the distance as pillars of fire shot into the sky.
"Ah right this game seriously needs to be fixed and The boss shouldn't have allowed random player spawns. They should've been placed in a proper tutorial zone or something. Seriously… what was he thinking? But even so, the game is mysteriously trending, is it because players can buy and sell items with real money? Haah, I don't know anymore."
Then realization struck him like lightning.
"Wait Isn't this bad? I started in this location."
His face slowly paled.
"Isn't this area near one of the strongest bosses the Calamity Fire Dragon?"
Without wasting another second, Axel opened his inventory and took out the item Map Clear – 5 Miles.
"Please work…."
He activated it.
Instantly, the map screen changed. The darkness disappeared, replaced by a fully revealed terrain map stretching five miles in every direction.
"Okay let's check."
His eyes scanned the map.
Red dots everywhere.
"Hmm around a hundred? No tw… two hundred?!"
His breathing became uneven.
"I'm dead yup absolutely dead. I don't even know what happens if I die here but I'm pretty sure it's not a good idea to find out. And because the pain I feel its really real so yes I didn't know anymore….. I hate my boss"
Slowly Axel dragged the map toward another direction.
And then he saw it.
A massive red dot.
His face went completely pale, his expression twisting in pure panic.
"I really gonna kill my boss"
About 700 meters away, a gigantic red marker loomed on the map, surrounded by clusters of smaller red dots.
"Its a raid boss! Why the hell was I summoned here?!"
His voice cracked as he shouted at the burning sky.
"I REALLY HATE MY BOSS!!!!!".