Before we could even head for the illegal arena, there was one mountain I had to cross.

The game I’d borrowed from Shu.

When I returned to the cabin over the weekend, Yun was there.

“That’s trespassing,” I said flatly.

“Did you buy a scooter?”

He ignored my accusation completely and asked that instead.

“Would’ve been better if you got a motorcycle.”

“I got it cheap from Hesh,” I replied.

His younger brother wasn’t using it anymore.

He’d offered to give it to me for free, but I insisted on paying something. Hesh seemed to have an unusually good relationship with his brother; he often said he wished the boy could become a Badger too.

Well, it couldn’t be easy, watching only your younger brother grow old.

I hadn’t bought a motorcycle because I didn’t even know if I had a proper license. Supposedly, my car license had been registered illegally during my administrative entry, but who knew.

Yun turned off the TV, which had been playing the news.

“You’ve got your mission team with Ricardo,” I told him after washing my hands in the bathroom.

He acknowledged it with silence.

He was, as always, a man of no unnecessary movement.

“It’s Ricardo Sordi, Asil Fiscer, Bobby Winter, and me. Four in total.”

“All regulars for that kind of mission,” Yun said dryly, shaking water off his hands while watching me set up the game console.

“You know the last two?”

I’d met Bobby Winter before—twice.

Once during the pig incident, and once when I went out to D Zone. But both times, I hadn’t been able to properly talk to her. During the pig fight, there wasn’t even time to say hello. That time, she’d been with Trevain, Leeho, and Sylvia. Even when we met again in D Zone, we barely exchanged greetings.

I hadn’t spoken to Bobby at all, really.

This time, I’d make sure to introduce myself.

I said as much to Yun while powering on the console. The TV lit up with a cheerful sound.

Asil Fiscer—that name was unfamiliar.

“If I remember right, he used to be a cop,” Yun said.

Ah. So that’s why he got picked for this mission.

We sat down in front of the modest living-room TV. Yun declined my offer to use the beanbag and instead leaned his back against the wall. I made some iced coffee, handed him one, and sat down in front of him with my own cup.

Honestly, I’d wanted to play this alone, at my own pace...

But having Yun here at least meant I wouldn’t have to explain anything later.

The title “FROM E” appeared on the screen.

“What kind of person is Asil Fiscer?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the display and lifting the cool glass to my lips.

“Hot-tempered,” Yun said simply.

“...That’s it?”

“He once grabbed me by the collar.”

Pfft!

Coffee sprayed from my mouth.

What the hell?!

I coughed violently, choking and gasping for air.

When the burning in my throat finally subsided, I shot my head up.

“He grabbed your collar?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

He grabbed Choi Yun’s collar?

“Did you say something wrong?”

“No.”

“Then were you being an ass?”

“No.”

“Then did you hit him first?”

“No. What do you even think I am? He just came up and grabbed me out of nowhere.”

“Out of nowhere?”

“Yeah.”

“Why would he—?”

Was he insane?

Yun’s face stayed utterly expressionless.

“Don’t know.”

“...Excuse me?”

“I knocked him out before he could shout whatever it was.”

He said it in the same tone as if explaining a weather report—he hadn’t been curious then, and he wasn’t now.

“So I never heard the reason.”

“...He never came back?”

“He did. Came back, bowed his head, and apologized.”

Yun took a sip of his iced coffee. The clinking of the ice filled the quiet room. His eyes, half-lidded, were heavy with boredom.

“Said he’d been too worked up. I said fine and left it at that.”

“...So you still don’t know why he grabbed you.”

“Yeah.”

“...Got it.”

I’d have to ask the man himself someday.

There had to be a reason. Trying to steady the part of my brain still in shock, I turned back to the TV. Since Asil had come back to apologize, at least he wasn’t completely deranged. Must’ve been some kind of misunderstanding.

Whatever that misunderstanding was, I’d find out once we got to know each other better.

I sighed, wiped off the coffee I’d spilled, and sat back down.

I pressed the title screen, and the game began. Just like at Shu’s house—the title faded, and the opening scene appeared.

A stubby little two-headed character with a giant sword stepping out of a castle.

The character’s name: Hildebert Taleb.

I stared at it for a long moment before breaking the silence.

“Why is Senior Winter always picked for colosseum missions?”

“Her father’s from that side, I heard,” Yun said.

“That side?”

Which side—police, or mafia?

Before I could ask, Yun elaborated.

“Her father runs several famous restaurants. I don’t think they’re completely legitimate.”

“Oh...”

“But I doubt he’s full-on mafia either. Ask the Personnel Director if you want the details.”

“Understood. What’s she like, personality-wise?”

“Don’t know. She’s especially scared of me and Yehyeon.”

Ah.

I smiled faintly at the screen.

That made perfect sense.

I was still scared of Yun too. Our relationship had warmed enough that I could joke with him sometimes, but that didn’t make his cold nature any less intimidating. His chill could make anyone shiver.

It always would.

And Yehyeon—well, she was the Commander. Fear was natural there.

Neither of them were the type to easily show their real personality. I’d asked the wrong man the wrong question. Maybe I’d ask Ami about Bobby next time.

Thinking that, I placed my thumb on the joystick.

I’d been stalling with idle chatter out of fear, but now it was time to face reality.

“If you’re bored, you can leave anytime,” I said.

“Just start,” Yun replied, in the way only he could.

“And don’t stop halfway through.”

Of course not. I’m the kind of player who clears the final boss once I start.

I nodded and began.

*** 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

When I came to my senses, the cabin was dark.

The living room glowed faintly blue from the TV screen.

I slowly lowered the controller from my hands.

It was over.

I had beaten the final boss.

The story in the game reached a happy ending. The pulse-pounding music faded into calm, peaceful tones. The characters gathered together, laughing brightly.

The protagonist stood among them, eyes curved in a smile.

I stared at the character bearing my own name.

The end...

It was a traditional-style RPG.

A swordsman protagonist setting out with companions to [N O V E L I G H T] cleanse a cursed castle. A final boss called Source of the Plague, the cause of the corruption. From E wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it was a well-made indie game—fun, solidly built.

The gameplay was simple, the freedom limited, but the backgrounds and props were detailed, rich. There were plenty of Easter eggs and collectible elements. I could see why it had a cult following.

The story felt clean, natural, logical—no plot holes, no broken settings.

Almost like it had really happened.

I listened vacantly to the ending theme, lost in feeling.

Then Yun, who hadn’t moved or spoken the entire time, broke the silence.

“This kind of thing’s fun for you?”

Argh—!

The mood shattered instantly. After all the lectures I’d endured from Colton Wiseman on “taste” and “efficiency,” I scowled and snapped my head toward him.

“Could you respect my preferences, please!”

“Why the sudden outburst?”

Yun, motionless like a statue, commented calmly.

He had a point, but I didn’t relax my expression.

I glared at him—sitting motionless against the wall, still as a ghost in the dim room.

He stared straight into my eyes.

“So,” he said.

“Yes?”

“This story—was it yours?”

I stared back.

I couldn’t look away.

He slowly stood for the first time in hours, hands sliding into his pockets. His eyes drifted to the TV screen.

His voice came rough and blunt.

“The swordsman with the longsword—fighting the monsters in the castle with his companions. That’s your past, isn’t it?”

I stayed silent for a long time.

The ending music faded. Silence filled the cabin, the faint hum of the console the only sound.

When the weight of it became too much, I finally broke the quiet.

“How did you know?”

“The final boss’s traits were identical to the Reversed God,” he said flatly.

“And you flinched every time a new character name was revealed.”

“...Sharp of you.”

“The world you lived in before you came to Earth,” he continued.

His dry tone jabbed at my chest.

“The world you all lived in—that’s where it happened, isn’t it.”

It was.

It was my story—one I had long forgotten. From a distant age, long before I ever set foot on Earth. Memories that had faded over time on this planet.

Someone had turned those memories into a game. Simplified, yes, but perfectly rendered.

Probably for me.

“That’s right,” I said, letting out a bitter laugh.

“As I played, the memories started coming back.”

“Hilde.”

I lifted my head at the sound of my name.

Our gazes met in midair. Yun’s eyes revealed nothing of what he was thinking.

“I don’t really care how the war started,” he said.

“...You don’t?”

“No. It happened. Knowing the truth now won’t change anything.”

How like him.

I didn’t know why he’d suddenly brought this up, but I nodded slowly.

He wasn’t one to speak without purpose.

He went on.

“I don’t care what kind of life you lived before Earth, or how you ended up here either. At least not now. Finding that out won’t change anything either.”

“Then what does change, if I find something out?” I asked.

His piercing gaze locked onto my golden eyes—like a predator eyeing its prey. I waited for his answer.

For a man who’d claimed no interest in games, he’d sat there motionless till midnight watching me play.

He broke the silence in an icy tone.

“Hildebert—what are the creatures?”

Some of them had chased me to kill me.

To punish the traitor.

Following the will of my own kin—of the Titans.