Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse! - Chapter 1

The world froze.Literally froze. The chattering students, the falling cherry blossoms outside the window, even the dust motes in the air – all suspended in perfect stillness.“Oh wonderful hero,” a melodious voice echoed through the room. “Your world faces a terrible crisis, and you have been chosen to—”“No,” he said flatly.A pause. Then a shimmer of golden light coalesced into the form of a beautiful woman in flowing robes. She blinked at him. “I... what?”“I said no. I'm not interested in whatever quest or destiny you're selling. Pick someone else.”The goddess's perfect features creased in confusion. “But... but you've been chosen! The prophecy speaks of a warrior with a fierce spirit, one who—”“Lady, I don't care about your prophecy. I've got enough problems here without adding some fantasy world's issues to the mix. Now un-freeze time and leave me alone.”“You don't understand,” she pressed. “Our world is being ravaged by the Demon King's armies! Millions will die without—”

What if you could hack the strongest heroes and turn them into your devoted companions?Once feared as the Heavenly Demon, Zain stood above all—unstoppable, unrivaled, unchallenged.But his reign came to an end when so-called righteous cultivators banded together to eliminate him, believing they had purged the world of its greatest evil.Yet death was not the end.Reborn in a world dominated by heroes and champions of justice, Zain awakens a mysterious Hero Hack System—a power that doesn’t just defeat heroes but rewrites them.With a single command, he can shatter their convictions, twist their destinies, and rebuild them into something new.A ruthless warrior queen? Now a loyal blade at his side.An untouchable holy maiden? Now eager to obey.The strongest hero who once stood against him? Now kneeling before him, waiting for his command.With every hero he hacks, his harem of once-unshakable warriors grows. But as he reshapes this world to his will, one question remains—who gave him this system, and what price will he have to pay?They ended his reign once. This time, he’ll reign over them all.

Su Xue, a woman in her mid 20s, is struggling both in paying rent and finding her path in life. Her latest stint has her trying to become a popular League of Legends streamer, though to poor results. One day, she is interrupted in the middle of a livestream by a surprise visit from her landlady. She is informed that she will be having a new roommate. The landlady’s nephew, Lin Feng, a 18 year old boy who has just transferred over to Shanghai for his last year of high school.

Though initially opposed to it, Su Xue reluctantly agrees to the arrangement. She learns that the two share a common interest—League of Legends—and that he’s really amazing at the game. Lin Feng also reveals to her he wishes to become the best professional League of Legends player in the world.

The next day. Lin Feng attends his first day of school as a transfer student at High School 13. He meets Ouyang and Yang Fan, and the trio find a common passion in League of Legends. Lin Feng is then introduced to Ren Rou, the president of the esports club with a fiery personality, and Tang Bingyao, a quiet bookworm with a love for money and a surprising talent for the game.

A little about Lin Feng’s past is revealed. He was a once pro player, the youngest in history and a contender for the best player in the world. Until the finals of the Season 1 World Championship. There, he lost to his arch-rival, an equally brilliant Korean youth. That was the peak of his career, and also the turning point in his life. He stepped down from his team and disappeared from competitive play altogether. Now, after a four year long hiatus, he aims to make a comeback

Over the next couple of weeks, Lin Feng learns about the upcoming Shanghai 16 School Tournament, and that his school’s esports club had performed especially poorly the previous year. He agrees to coach the club’s team and help them win the first place trophy this year. And so, he starts the members of the club out on an intense training bootcamp.

Meanwhile, the Season 5 League of Legends World Championship is taking place at around the same time. Tian Tian, one of Lin Feng’s former teammates and best friend, is on one of the Chinese teams playing at Worlds. After a poor showing, he is on the verge of a mental breakdown. Lin Feng witnesses everything in a viewing party with the esports club members and becomes worried.

On the day of the Shanghai 16 School tournament, Lin Feng reunites with Tian Tian on the phone. He tells Tian Tian he’s going to return to the professional scene, that he’s making a new team and plans to invite him. But Tian Tian has to vow not to give up at Worlds and keep winning. Tian Tian agrees, and Lin Feng promises he’ll fight alongside him. Lin Feng then heads into his match with renewed resolve, to climb from the bottom all the way back to the top, and overcome the rival that defeated him so many years ago.

[Infinite Regression Genre] In any fantasy novel, regression is a guaranteed cheat key!What if it’s the ability of [Infinite Regression]?There’d be no need to worry about any bad endings. After all, the protagonist would eventually reach a happy ending.“Cheat key, my foot.”I tried it myself just to find out otherwise.The myths of regressors’ success depicted in all those novels are actually fake…It was all just vile propaganda!“This run is doomed too.”This is not a story of success; it’s a tale on the aftermath of failures.Thus begins the heartfelt documentary of a man with 1183 runs of experience!Writer: UndertakerEditor: Oh Dok-seo