Chapter 4.1

For a moment I curled up in surprise at the feeling of floating in the air.

<SYSTEM> This is a situation that damages the mind of the ‘Player’. You will be automatically logged out.

I smirked at the system message that filled my view.

‘Yes! As expected, my prediction was correct.’

In the end, as long as it was a game, it had to force shutdown when a situation that could cause real damage to the player would occur.

I gently closed my eyes as I waited for the logout – I was too scared to even look down. Suddenly, I heard a familiar and annoying electronic sound and frowned.

TING!

<SYSTEM> An error occurred. Unable to perform logout.

“Huh…? Isn’t this the sound when there’s an error?”

TING!

<SYSTEM> An error occurred. Unable to perform logout.

TING!

<SYSTEM> An error occurred. Unable to perform logout.

<SYSTEM> An error occurred. Unable to perform logouttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.

I held my breath at the letters that filled my screen. It made unpleasant noises as if the keyboard had been pressed incorrectly.

Does this mean that you can’t log out even when the character you were playing dies and the mind would be strained?

Even if it was an error, it was too fatal! And if there was ever a precedent for such an error, UNITA, a giant production company, would surely collapse.

It was only a moment of leisure to be dazed and stunned at the same time.

‘Is this what it feels like to be crushed?’

It was a terrible sensation that I never wanted to feel again.

When I finally hit the ground, the crushing sensation spread throughout my body. My face collapsed and my brain was crushed. Thick and sticky blood covered all of my vision.

It was a mess, but even before I could register the pain, a message fell with an ear-splitting ring.

<SYSTEM> An error occurred. Logout failed.

<SYSTEM> The game will restart.

<WARNING: Penalties incurred due to mental damage.>

‘It’s already unfair to feel such pain in death, but there was even a penalty?!’

Without the opportunity to appeal for the injustice my world began to spin around.

* * *

In a sense of haziness whether it was a dream or reality, I witnessed the death of Edith Abina numerous times. She, along with the appearance of the players who took her death lightly.

Edith was beaten to death by the Marquis in the Punishment Room, or was pushed down a cliff by Lirina, but usually she died in the hands of the player.

I found the death I gave to Edith as a player in fleeting deaths.

“Hmm? I have to kill Edith Abina 10 days prior to the end of Curtis’ confinement?”

On the gray screen, I shrugged my shoulders and clicked my mouse without hesitation.

“I’ll suggest going on a boat trip together and then push her over.”

I was bored as I already saw seven happy endings, and I wanted to target Curtis’ imprisonment endings. Pretending to be her friend, I followed the ‘Friend of Edith’ route, which was a condition to see Curtis’ imprisonment ending. I didn’t even blink as I pushed her back without much guilt.

Edith, a wicked woman but was especially naïve, drowned in the dark waters with no one to help her. Edith’s miserable face, unable to cry properly in shock of a friend’s betrayal, shook beneath the water’s surface.

‘…so I became Edith? Is this karma biting me back?’

I punched in the empty space in frustration.

“But Edith Abina was a game character! You guys were the ones that came up with a route that needed her to be killed to see the other endings!”

It doesn’t make sense to lock up a person in a game as punishment when she didn’t actually commit murder in reality. If so, more than half of the people in Korea had to be trapped in SimCity.

“We are making a route. What you are saying is embarrassing. Our game is famous for ensuring a high degree of freedom.”

I jerked at the smooth voice that resounded in my head, and hurriedly turned around.

In a white space that could make you crazy, a lone colorful man approached me with a kind and businesslike smile on his face. But somehow, it still felt distant.

“…Helper?”

The handsome man with long hair tied to one side was an NPC that existed to help new players.

“Yes, Player. I’m a helper who exists only for you.”

The man, looking quite similar to the game illustration, was charming with a well-dressed tailcoat and monocle that matched his whole aesthetic design.

‘Naturally, he is handsome because he’s an NPC for a women-oriented game. UNITA really paid attention to details.’

Perhaps that was the reason why I admired him for being as handsome as the target characters, but I couldn’t understand why my fists were balled up and shaking when I saw his smiling face.

“You’re a helper?” my voice raised with desperation, grabbing his stiffly ironed shirt. “Then get me out of this game right now!”

“That’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“Player, this is <Experience! Scenes of Life>. You are not trapped in the game,” the helper said with a sweet but sharp voice, as he calmly pushed my hand away.

“This is the world of Edith Abina, who perfected artificial intelligence by repeating numerous deaths.”

Edith Abina’s world?

As UNITA was also a leading company for AI development, games produced by them were often AI-based.

‘So, is this a game where Edith Abina is the main character?’

It could simply be an error in the unpublished game beta test. Come to think of it, I think I saw an announcement that UNITA’s new game based on <Experience! Scenes of Life: The Saint> would be released soon.

The helper noticed my puzzled face and smiled as he opened his mouth and said, “Before the player reaches the goal she has set, <Experience!> Even I, the helper of <Scenes of Life>, can’t get out of here.”

“What nonsense is that? If I don’t hurry back, I could die!”

Humans were said to survive without water for three days to a week, but I probably wouldn’t last long because I was weak and didn’t exercise regularly.

“Then you’d better hurry up and play,” the helper continued despite hearing the agitation in my voice. “The ratio of time between the world where your body exists and this world isn’t much different from the existing game. If you spend about a year here, you will surely die.”

“But if I don’t log out for that long, the production company will notice the error-”

The helper shook his head and said, “As I said, this world belongs to Edith Abina. Player, <Experience!>. You are already logged out of the <Scenes of Life>.”

“…what?!”

Helper grinned, casually trampling on my last bits of hope.

“Of course, before that, if someone visits your house maybe you’d have a chance to escape.”

I’m going to die.

I was convinced by the helper’s words.

I’m pretty sure I’d die at this rate. I’m a reclusive loner with no family to contact, so I don’t think anyone would come by my house.

“What is Edith Abina’s goal?”

When I asked in a rush, the helper stroked his monocle and grinned as he said, “Are you ready to play games now?”

“Do I have any other choice?” I snapped.

The helper ignored my sarcastic reply and then cut the air with his left arm.

“Then let’s start the game.”

~ Extreme Work in the Romance World: Saint Edition ~

‘Extreme work?’

I frowned at the red-font letters in front of me.

The name of the game was Extreme Work.

I felt a strange feeling come up from the red title.

<A special opportunity given to you to experience a new world all within the comforts of your own room!>

<Experience the extreme works of the world of the Romance vividly~!>

For some reason, I glared at the nasty system message, but the helper’s gentle voice said, “Player, you always had other options.”

<The game will begin shortly.>

“It’s just that you didn’t pay attention.”

I turned around at the sound of his scattering words, but the helper was already gone.