The Beginning of Death Game

On the outskirts of the Subcore District, I found myself trapped in an endless battle—completely alone—against the forces of the Abyss.

The monsters I faced were born from the Abyss Core, a vast pit of darkness that links directly to the main Abyss Dungeon.

This place was a forbidden zone—especially for a Level 1 player like me.

But curiosity got the better of me.
I snuck in... and came face-to-face with a swarm of Ratscourge—mutated mechanical rats with poisonous attacks.

No matter how many I took down, more just kept coming.

I used my skill [Drive Slash], thrusting forward with full force and unleashing an area attack in front of me. It drained 10 Stamina from my bar, leaving me with just [ST: 10/50].

“Damn it... even with that, they just keep coming. Ugh... is this the end for me?”

I had 200 HP left. I slumped in place, accepting my fate.

“Well, whatever... I’ll just respawn at the starting point anyway.” I closed my eyes, ready for death.

But then—

A massive slash rang out through the air, followed by an eruption of flames.

I opened my eyes, stunned. All the Ratscourge were gone—burned to a crisp, reduced to floating pixel particles.

“You alright?” came a soft voice from beyond the fire.

Slowly, her figure appeared.

A woman with long crimson hair and piercing green eyes. She wore silver and red armor and held a blazing red sword that radiated power.

I was mesmerized. She looked like a rose blooming in a sea of fire.

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay… Thanks for saving me.” I bowed slightly, flustered.

“Thank god! It’s rare to see a beginner this deep into a danger zone,” she said with a small smile. “You're lucky I found you. By the way… are you lonely? Is that why you're wandering around by yourself?”

“Haha… no, nothing like that. I just got curious and wandered in. But… what made you ask that?”

She pointed to my in-game name. “It’s right there—[LonelyKyou -_-]. Pfft! What’s with that emoji?!”

She covered her mouth as she giggled, her cheeks turning slightly red.

“A-Ah... right, my name...” I laughed awkwardly.

I’d completely forgotten I used a joke name when I created the account.

“Forget that name. Anyway, thank you again. And your name is… [CrimsonAyane]? Cool name!”

Honestly, it screamed chuunibyou, like she fused her favorite color with some fantasy theme. But wait… that name sounded familiar.

I checked the Abyss Code Online player rankings.

“No way… you’re [CrimsonAyane]?! The number one player right now?!”

My jaw dropped. I was face-to-face with a living legend.

She wasn’t just famous—she was the strongest player in the entire game. The reigning champion of the recent PvP tournament. Leader of the most powerful faction, Scarlet Sanctum, known for coordinating raids and clearing top-tier Abyss Dungeons.

I was so shocked I fell backward.

“Haha, you’re overreacting,” she said, laughing. “But yeah, I’m CrimsonAyane. Nice to meet you, LonelyKyou.” She smiled warmly, offering her hand.

I took it and smiled back. “Nice to meet you too…”

She then brought me to a safer leveling zone on the outskirts of Subcore Slum.

There, she patiently taught me everything—how to manage Stamina, level up efficiently, use healing items, and understand the player ranking system.

“So I can’t use EtherCode elements until I hit Level 2, huh? Got it. I’ll work hard!”

“Exactly! Once you reach Level 2, your EtherCode gets unlocked randomly. It’s easy—I’ll help you with that,” she said enthusiastically.

We started grinding Crackling Wisps—glowing orbs that explode after a few seconds.

She warned me: “When they turn red, get back—they’re about to blow.”

I followed her instructions and earned a decent chunk of EXP. Then she taught me an efficient farming method: gather the Wisps together and let them explode all at once.

I didn’t hesitate.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The Wisps exploded simultaneously—and then, a notification popped up:

[Congratulations! You’ve reached Level 2!]

[EtherCode Unlocked!]

[You’ve been assigned an EtherCode that matches your affinity.]

[You obtained: EtherCode - Volta!]

Volta—an electricity element that focuses on shock attacks, burst combos, and chained damage.

I smiled. I was finally getting stronger.

I told Ayane, and she looked genuinely happy for me.

“That’s a strong one, especially for your Saber class.”

I thanked her again.

Then her expression shifted. “Oh no! I totally forgot—the Raid Boss spawns in 10 minutes!”

Before she rushed off, she sent me a friend request.

I accepted it and checked her profile—Level 8. Insane. I still couldn’t believe someone like her took the time to help me.

“Well then, see you around, LonelyKyou!”

“Uh—yeah… see you, CrimsonAyane…”

See me again? That made me weirdly happy.

“Haha just call me Ayane!” she said, flashing a bright smile and waving.

“Alright… see you, Ayane.” I waved back.

That was the day I met her.

After that, she kept helping me—teaching me everything about the game. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. It’s been three months since we met, and we still played together every day.

She became the light that lit up my otherwise dull, grey world.

But that light... didn’t last forever.

On the night of December 21st, 2035.

12:00 AM.

Ayane vanished.

She, along with all the other players who were online at that time.

They disappeared—vanished from the real world.

It was a supernatural phenomenon.

Players of Abyss Code Online suddenly vanished without a trace… while playing the game.

Then he appeared—an entity calling himself God 404.

He streamed footage of the missing players—they were alive, but trapped inside the game.

“You all have six months to finish this game,” he declared. “If you fail… this world ends!”

He unleashed glitch-like particles that obliterated buildings in real-time. I witnessed it myself—standing in Tokyo Plaza.

Chaos broke out.

People screamed, ran, collapsed.

There were casualties all around me.

I then looked up at the giant screen and was shocked. I caught a glimpse of someone I recognized.

"Ayane…This... this can’t be real…”