Prologue - Last Day in Earth

No one knows when they'll die. That's what people often say. Therefore, many believe that life should be lived wholeheartedly.

It sounds good, indeed. However, in practice, we often have to ignore others in order to enjoy life. We trample on them, push them aside, and even make them suffer.

But is it wrong?

After all, everyone does the same thing. Although some do it for moral reasons to hide their guilt.

So did I.

I haven't been to class for a week. More precisely, since the semester started. I've locked myself in my room and cut off contact with the outside world. I've chosen to finish the game I just bought.

You can call me annoying, lazy, and irresponsible. But what do I care? There are many people out there who are worse. Some waste money gambling on online sites, even though their families are struggling. Others smoke in public, oblivious to the coughing child next to them. "I'm depressed, that's why I need a cigarette. You little brat, how do you know how hard my life is," or something like that is what they will say.

I just want to enjoy life without any effort. And, unfortunately, this world doesn't allow that.

My mouse glided slowly, moving the loot from the boss. I had just defeated the fourth boss of the game. It had taken me two whole days to defeat him. The previous bosses had taken less than an hour. But this boss was different. Its mechanics were complex. Many players were complaining about it in the community, asking for nerfs or something. Skill issues, that's what I thought.

"Ah, I think I need to go to the bathroom for a moment," I said, standing up from my computer.

I moved my arms, relaxing my body, which hadn't been out for a week. I nearly fell over, feeling like my energy had been sapped just by moving my body a little. I just realized I hadn't eaten in two days.

I staggered to the bathroom. After relieving myself, I grabbed some instant noodles from the kitchen, boiled some water, and then brewed them as I returned to my room.

"It's getting late," I muttered as I opened the window. Raindrops thumped repeatedly against the glass. Lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a rumble of thunder. It's raining quite heavily tonight.

My mind wandered a bit. If I'm not mistaken, my friend had called me repeatedly this afternoon. As usual, I ignored them, just like I did my parents. Besides, I knew what they were calling for. It must be about a college assignment.

Hmm, are they still working on that college assignment, in this heavy rain? Haha, of course not. No normal person would bother working on an assignment in the pouring rain. It lasted until nighttime, too.

Before I knew it, the noodles in my hand were gone. I put the trash in the corner of my room, along with food wrappers and other trash. I just realized it's been a while since I cleaned my room. Drink cans, food wrappers, and dirty clothes were scattered around.

I returned to my computer and started playing the game I'd paused earlier.

This game has recently gone viral, with many gamers playing it. Even non-gamer content creators have joined the fun.

The game is quite simple, actually. It's an RPG set in a magical academy set in a fantasy world. A world where humans and other mythological creatures like elves, dwarves, beastman, dragons, and demons live together. You play as a protagonist who has just entered the magical academy. You live a life like a typical school, only mixed with fantasy, magic, and other fictional elements.

In the game, you have two protagonists to choose from: a male character named Nolan and a female character named Alya. Like most RPGs, you can build your character however you like, with various magical elements or classes. There's also a wide selection of weapons and skills.

Furthermore, you can create a party with various races and classes. You can choose from elves with advanced magical abilities, dwarves who can craft advanced equipment, beastman with superior physical abilities, or even rare races like dragons that can be obtained through special events.

Perhaps that's what draws people in. Rarely does a game offer such freedom in a fantasy world as this one.

Nolan started walking as I moved him. I chose a male character because he looked cool. Also, because the story felt more connected with him. Again, this is just a preference.

"Hmm, what's the best thing to do after fighting a boss?" I muttered. I could just move on to the next main story, but I was afraid the boss would be more difficult than the last one. Should I level Nolan up so he wouldn't have a hard time fighting the next boss?

"I'd better farm first. I don't want to have to repeat the process over and over again just because I lost a level."

I opened the party menu and checked Nolan's status. "Oh, so he's already maxed out. Then let's go check out my party." I switched to looking at the other characters who weren't fully built yet.

Pet. Suddenly, the lights went out.

"Ah, shit." I cursed under my breath. It seemed like it was the heavy rain. Luckily, my computer was plugged in. I quickly saved my progress and turned it off.

Lightning flashed again in the distance. It looked like it would take a while for the lights to come back on. If it's like this, I'd better look for information about the main story going forward.

I picked up my phone from the bed. From the lock screen, I could see a string of missed calls. Probably around a thousand. Not bad, considering I hadn't checked my phone in a while.

I read the messages they'd left. There were probably some important ones.

From my classmates, angry that I'd missed my group work. Ah, this must have been the one calling me, the call history was still fresh. A class group busy discussing a college assignment. My parents calling repeatedly for no reason. Probably just missing me or something.

Drrrt, drrrt, drrrt. My phone vibrated. I nearly threw it away in shock.

It was a friend of mine. I forgot her name because I hadn't saved her number. I pressed the decline button.

"Hello? Is that you... Kevin?" A girl's voice came from my phone.

Ah, I think I pressed the wrong number.

"Kevin? You weren't in group work earlier, were you? I was looking for you," she said over the phone. "Um, I don't know what to say. But, err, how should I explain it? I'm really at a loss for words."

Why are you calling me then?

"Oh, what should I do? I don't know how you're doing, but I hope you're okay."

Huh?

"Oh yeah, I've already done your part. Don't worry. Get well soon," she said, ending the call.

Huh? Wait? What did she mean? She called me just to wish me well?

Then, she thought I was sick? What rumors were spreading in class?

Strange girl, I thought.

Forget it. I have important things to do.

I opened the game community. Looking for a discussion about the main story I was about to play.

"Just as I thought," I said. It turned out the main story after this would be more difficult than before. Some special characters were needed to make defeating the boss easier. Plus, there were items to be found through dungeon exploration. "Hmm, as long as I know the mechanics, I shouldn't have any trouble." For some reason, I felt a little excited.

Pet. Suddenly, the lights came back on.

Wow, just in time. Let's just get to farming.

I stood up and walked over to my computer. But suddenly—

My legs wobbled. The world felt shaky. My vision blurred.

My hands tried to find something to hold on to. It failed.

My head hit my computer desk hard.

Instantly, my vision went black and I slowly lost consciousness.