Chapter 1: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Epilogue.

"May I ask just one thing?"

On an endless, barren plain, there was a girl.

Silver hair reaching down to her waist, silver eyes from which no emotion could be read.

Though her frame was so delicate it seemed she might break if embraced, there was a certain balance and perfection to her appearance.

A demon whose heart had been pierced by this girl's sword asked in a dry voice:

"Why, with such power, did you not kill me sooner?"

The girl's eyes flickered slightly, as if somewhat surprised.

But only for a moment.

She muttered softly in a bored voice:

"It seemed like it was time to let go now."

"I see."

The demon looked around, making a deflating sound.

His black eyes saw the countless demon corpses covering the plain.

He felt no anger.

All emotions were powerless in the face of such overwhelming difference.

"In the end, the era of demons never came. No, perhaps it was a vain dream from the start."

Countless demon corpses strewn as far as the eye could see.

"To be so utterly slaughtered by a single person..."

Thousands, tens of thousands of demons.

That entire great army had been mercilessly slaughtered by a single girl.

Any resistance, any of the mighty power they had been so proud of, it was all meaningless before this girl.

"I acknowledge you. Savior of humanity. The demons... have been defeated."

With those final words, the demon's body turned to white dust and scattered into the air.

The corpses at her feet also turned to dust and disappeared one by one.

The girl watched it all impassively.

[ New achievement, Acknowledgment from the Demon God, has been added. ]

[ The final quest, 'The End of a Long Battle', has been unlocked. ]

[ Clearance successful. ]

<World Message>

-Sword God Cecilia has defeated the most vicious Demon God.

-Peace dawns on Another World.

An incredible feat that no one else had accomplished.

Yet there was no satisfaction on Cecilia's face.

The messages filling her vision just felt annoying.

She closed the message window and lay down on the ground, looking up at the sky.

"It's still pretty, even after all this time. They really did a good job."

The night sky was adorned with countless stars.

It was hard to believe this wasn't reality but virtual reality.

This was the first virtual reality MMORPG game, 'Another World'.

It was revolutionary when it first came out, but now it's a dead game that barely reaches 1000 concurrent players.

The developers announced they wouldn't shut down the service until the game was cleared, but everyone was skeptical.

'Because the clear conditions are too bizarre.'

The most vicious Demon God.

Dozens of instant-kill skills, enormous health, endless patterns.

Not a single user had succeeded in defeating it in 10 years.

But now, 'Another World' had been cleared.

By a single user named Cecilia, the undisputed rank 1.

'It's a shame.'

In fact, she had the specs to clear it years ago.

The reason she had put it off until now was just one:

'In the end, I couldn't find them. Talented newbies.'

She didn't want to end it on her own.

She had hoped that at least a few people would witness this scene with her.

But even after years—

No user had reached her level.

They couldn't even clear the 'Demon King', who was just a mid-boss.

"If I had done better, could I have defeated the Demon God together with newbies?"

Was it just a dream of a bored veteran player with nothing better to do?

Cecilia had been wandering around for the past 3 years, looking for newbies.

There were newbies even in this dead game. But they all quit due to the clunky controls and insane difficulty.

But, if she had been a little kinder.

If she had helped them more reliably.

If she had given them more better gears….

'It's all meaningless now.'

Cecilia closed her eyes.

It's already in the past.

Like the years that had slipped away, the shutdown of Another World is a foregone conclusion.

Since it's the last moment, let's enjoy the lingering feeling as much as possible.

Probably if she just stays still like this, a notice announcing the end of service will pop up soon.

She decided that would be her bedtime.

"Are you about to leave now, hero?"

Cecilia opened her eyes at the sudden voice.

She recognized the old man standing in front of her. He was an NPC from the capital city quest.

"Why are you here...?"

Before she could wonder, more NPCs appeared.

They were people she had helped in the past.

"Thank you so much for helping me back then."

"I'll never forget the kindness of letting me see my daughter's smile again."

"Hero. You were our hope."

Cecilia was momentarily stunned.

NPCs who had received her help at some point. From her beginner days to recent quests.

They were all gathered here.

"We've seen it all. Your struggles over the years. All your anguish and countless hardships."

"Everyone else left, but you alone remained steadfast, protecting this world."

'The pattern is different.'

Cecilia was certain.

'This is a newly applied script.'

This was a cinematic created by the game company just for her.

"Thank you. That's all I can say."

"Hero. Are you leaving?"

"Don't leave us. We still need you, hero."

Cecilia's blank expression slowly softened.

And soon a small smile appeared.

'They're going this far for me. I'm grateful.'

Children hugging Cecilia's arms.

Fairies flying around her.

She patted the children's heads and looked at them in turn.

She remembered every single one.

What quest it was, how she felt at the time.

All those memories were melted into this moment.

"It's really the end now."

Cecilia suppressed her emotions as she passed by them.

Like turning the pages of a photo album, memories flashed by.

At the end, where she arrived—

The being she encountered when first logging into this game was standing.

"Goddess."

She was the NPC Cecilia first met in the character selection screen 'Path of Light'.

The symbol of this game, and the starting point of the story.

"Strange warrior who has come to this strange world."

Cecilia looked at the goddess indifferently.

'Is this what a real goddess would feel like?'

Even those who criticized Another World all acknowledged the quality of the goddess.

There seemed to be a reason for that indeed.

As the goddess extended her hand, a gate tinted with bright light appeared before her.

It was like a gate blessing her return to reality.

"We will never forget your dedication."

In sync with the queen's words, everyone knelt on one knee to show respect.

"May you be safe in your world as well."

'If I go through there, I'll never see them again, right?'

This was just a game.

They were just coded NPCs.

Of course she knew that.

But she couldn't help the aching feeling in her chest.

A tingling and throbbing emotion.

Cecilia bowed her head.

10 years.

She had been playing this game for 10 years.

After school, she would rush home, throw her bag aside, and turn on the VR device first thing.

Even on the day of the college entrance exam, on the day she failed her first job interview, when she was depressed or happy, she was always with this game.

Thinking that she could never play this game again, to which she had devoted half of her life, an indescribable emotion washed over her like an ebb tide.

This wasn't just a simple game for her-

It was a precious memory.

'I wish they could have left it.'

Of course, she knew it was impossible.

VR MMORPGs cost a lot to maintain.

Even with the title of being the first virtual reality game, they wouldn't be able to continue with maintenance costs alone reaching tens of billions of won.

"User."

"...Yeah."

The goddess with a faint smile called to her.

Cecilia suddenly came to her senses.

"Thank you so much for playing all this time."

The goddess bowed her head.

The other NPCs were frozen as if time had stopped.

She belatedly understood the situation.

Ah, the goddess's true identity was a GM.

No wonder the AI seemed unusually good.

"No... Thank you for doing all this."

The GM smiled.

"We had to do at least this much. You stuck with our boring game till the end."

"It's not boring. This game is fun."

Cecilia felt bittersweet even as she said it.

If it had been fun, there wouldn't be a service termination.

"A sequel to Another World is also planned."

"Oh, really? I'll definitely play it."

It was an empty promise.

She didn't have time to play games anymore.

She was no longer at an age where she could play games to her heart's content after school.

She was past the age of acting spoiled like a child.

"So, we'd really like to select you as a tester."

This was awkward. She didn't expect her casual remark to be taken so seriously.

'What should I do?'

She had definitely said she would play, so it felt impolite to refuse now.

Even for the sake of the developers who went out of their way to give a special update just for one user.

'A little should be fine. It's not like I'll be at the company all day.'

Maybe she could play occasionally after work.

An open beta VR game probably wouldn't require such a high level of commitment.

"Okay. I'll give it a try."

"Thank you so much. I was so troubled about who I should have chosen if it wasn't you… It was difficult because there hasn't been anyone as proven as you until now."

"Ah, yes."

She smiled awkwardly.

Still, it didn't feel bad to have her efforts acknowledged by the GM.

"How would you like the customization?"

"Hmm, um... Just... leave it as it is."

Cecilia's face reddened slightly.

That was because, while she was male in reality, she was 'female' in the game.

The GM showed no particular reaction.

Instead, she nodded gently with a soft smile.

"Is there any other perks you'd like?"

"...Perks?"

"Ah, I didn't mention this. It's an open beta, but there won't be a wipe. In other words, hero, you can continue playing as normal."

'You mean I can keep playing as it is? With only one tester?'

She blinked in surprise.

The game company wasn’t usually this generous, why do they give her such a special perk?

"Of course, you'll have to keep it a secret from others."

"Ah, yes."

Of course there would be an uproar if one individual received such a big perk.

Well, she had no intention of playing until after the open launch anyway, so she accepted it lightly.

"Then, what perks would you like..."

"No. Being able to play the game first is already enough of a perk."

The GM tried to say something more, but she deliberately cut her off and said.

"That's also my style anyway."

"I see."

"If the game is too easy, it's no fun, right?"

She said it jokingly on purpose, feeling like she might have been rude to interrupt.

Fortunately, the GM didn't seem to mind much and smiled back.

"You're right. I was mistaken. That would be more enjoyable for you."

"Yes."

A brief, awkward silence passed.

Cecilia, wanting to never forget this sight, took one last look at the beautiful scene, etching it into her memory with the best mental screenshot.

"You've really created something amazing. I doubt I'll ever see a more beautiful scene than this in my life."

"...You've said the words I wanted to hear the most."

"You deserve to hear them. There probably won't be another game company that goes this far for their players."

Cecilia looked at the GM with a smile.

"Thank you."

"...!"

Tears welled up slightly in the GM's eyes.

Their appearance was so endearing that it stirred a protective instinct, but then she remembered there might be a scruffy, bearded man behind that avatar, which kind of ruined the mood.

"Well then, I'll be going now. Log ou-"

As she was about to log out, the GM said urgently.

"User! Instead of logging out, please enter through that gate."

"Pardon?"

"I, uh, put a lot of effort into it."

"Ah, okay."

'What else could there be?'

She was puzzled, but it wasn't a big deal, so she nodded.

"Then, I hope you fare well in that world too."

The goddess gazed at Cecilia for a moment, then took a few steps back and bowed deeply.

At that moment, the NPCs' time, which had been paused, began to flow again.

"Hero! You must remember us!"

"Stay healthy-!"

When she returns to reality, a busy life will be waiting for her.

She might never again have the luxury of pouring dozens of hours into a game like before.

But it was clear that the memories from this place would become a pillar of strength to support her life.

'Even if it's for a short time, I should take the tester role seriously. They've gone to such lengths for me.'

The light from the gate enveloped her, growing stronger and stronger.

"Hero! You must be happy in that world too!"

The last voices of the NPCs could be heard.

She slowly, but firmly, stepped through the gate.

Next Chapter

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