Chapter 1:

If you were given the chance to go to another world… would you take it?

It's a question often tossed around these days—one almost everyone has pondered at least once.

Who wouldn't be tempted? A world brimming with adventure, unfamiliar faces to meet, and uncharted lands to explore—it sounds exhilarating, doesn't it?

But in the end, it's only a fantasy.

A harmless daydream people use to escape from the monotony of their daily lives.

After all, there's no such thing as "another world."

At least, that's what he used to believe until the impossible happened to him.

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His name was Ryan.

Just an ordinary office worker—the kind you could find in every corner of the city. Average in every sense of the word. His life was a monotonous cycle of work, sleep, and survival.

The only thing that brought him any comfort was gaming.

Ever since middle school, he had been playing the same MMORPG: EDEN. It wasn't particularly groundbreaking—just another online game among thousands. So why stick with it for so many years? Why not move on to something newer, flashier, more populated?

The answer was simple.

He loved it.

Even after all this time, EDEN never lost its charm. It gave him something no other game could—a sense of belonging, of peace. That feeling of being completely absorbed—when hours slip by unnoticed, when reality fades away and the only world that matters is the one inside your screen.

That was what EDEN meant to him.

Unfortunately, the player count didn't share his passion. Year after year, the numbers dwindled. One by one, his online friends vanished, until now—only he remained.

A lone adventurer wandering a digital world that had long since gone silent.

Most days, all he could do was farm materials, grind experience on his alt, and revisit old maps. Still, he was amazed the servers were even running. With so few players left, the company should've shut it down ages ago.

"Maybe the owner's just stupidly rich," he once joked to himself.

But deep down, he was grateful. EDEN had carried him through some of the hardest moments of his life. When reality became unbearable, it was the one place he could escape to.

That night, as he logged in out of habit, a faint ping echoed from his computer.

A notification.

Ryan frowned and glanced at the monitor. An announcement banner from the game company blinked at the top of the screen.

He clicked it.

[Dear Player of EDEN,]

[We apologize for the sudden announcement.]

[It is with deep regret that we inform you that EDEN's servers will be permanently shut down tomorrow morning.]

[Despite our efforts to sustain operations, we are unable to continue maintaining the world of EDEN.]

[Thank you, dear player, for all these years.]

For a long moment, Ryan just stared blankly at the words.

Then, frustration boiled up inside him. His hand slammed against the table.

"Don't joke around!" he shouted, voice cracking.

But the announcement didn't change. The letters stayed there—cold, final, unfeeling.

The world he loved…The only place that had ever made him feel alive…would vanish by tomorrow.

And no amount of shouting could stop it.

Ryan eventually forced himself to calm down.No matter how angry he got, it wouldn't change anything. The decision had been made.

He leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the faint glow of the monitor. His heart still ached, but the outburst had drained him.

"…Forget about sleep," he muttered under his breath.

If EDEN was going to disappear, then he'd stay with it until the very end. It wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway. Tomorrow was the weekend—no work, no meetings, no alarms. Just him and the game that had been his world for more than a decade.

He closed the announcement window and opened the character selection screen.

Twenty portraits appeared before him, neatly arranged in rows—a record of years spent in this digital realm. The maximum number of slots allowed by the developers.

Each one carried a piece of him: experiments, memories, stories he had once tried to tell.

But his eyes drifted to the very first name on the list.

[Aetherium]

His very first character.

The one he had created back in middle school. His main account.

A bittersweet smile tugged at Ryan's lips.

"Man… it's been that long, huh?"

He selected the portrait, and the image expanded across the screen.

Aetherium stood there—black hair streaked with faint traces of white, giving him an older, weathered look. A long scar ran down the left side of his face, crossing over an eye that was permanently shut. It was purely cosmetic—an aesthetic choice from his younger, more dramatic days.

He remembered thinking it made the character look mysterious and cool.

Back then, he'd been in that phase—chuunibyou, as people liked to call it. He had poured all his teenage imagination into crafting Aetherium's story: the half blind noble swordsman who carried the curse of eternity, wrapped in a black-and-gold robe concealing battle-worn armor beneath.

Ryan chuckled softly. "God, I was so into it back then."

Still, the design held up surprisingly well. Aetherium's build was unique—a swordsman who didn't focus on raw damage, but on weakening enemies through layered debuffs and status effects. A strange hybrid class that no one else had bothered to try.

Most players wanted power. He had wanted style.

Even now, that eccentricity made him proud.

He hovered the cursor over Aetherium's profile. The old backstory he had written so many years ago flashed briefly on the side panel—a tragic tale of loss, revenge, and redemption that only teenage Ryan could've come up with.

He sighed wistfully. "If only the devs let us rewrite backstories… I'd fix half of this mess."

But the system never changed. Backgrounds could only be written once, at creation. Locked forever, like a digital memory frozen in time.

And somehow, that permanence made it all the more precious.

As Ryan continued scrolling through his characters, revisiting them one by one, a sudden notification flashed across his screen.

He froze.

"…Another announcement?" he muttered.

For a brief moment, his heart sank—half-expecting yet another cold, corporate message reminding him that EDEN's end was inevitable. But when he focused on the window, he realized something was different.

This wasn't an announcement.

It was a direct message.

Ryan frowned. "A DM… from the developer?"

Confusion washed over him. Why would the developers bother messaging him personally? With EDEN's player base reduced to almost nothing, was this some kind of privilege granted to the game's final survivor?

The thought amused him more than it should have.

Maybe they're refunding me, he thought wryly. I'll even take thirty percent at this point.

He clicked the message.

------

[Dear Player, Ryan.]

I am what you would call the developer of this world.

Thank you—for supporting EDEN until the very end.

The world I created was flawed. Incomplete. And yet, through players like you—and the others who once walked these lands—I came to understand something important.

Even a world confined to a screen can only endure for so long.

■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■

This is only the beginning.The real trial will begin soon.

T̶̨̖̦̤̜̎̀̊̑̈͌̌͐͛̕̚ḧ̶̢̗̩̩̃a̵̱̠̿͛͑̌̇̊͛ť̵̡̡̡̤͍̆̈́̾͒ ̶̨̼͔̰̗͍̝̠̦̅͊̿i̵͕͑̿̈́̈́̓̽̕͝s̸̨̭̖͖̖̜͙̀͂͑̔͐̇ ̶̨̡̢͍͚̯̯̼̲̇̔̿̋͘w̷̧̧̯̫̖̲͙̞̏̆h̴͙͉͇̓͌̇́̒͆͐̊̀͋͝ỳ̵̰̯̃̈͊̎̓̑̋̋͑͠ ̷̡̘͖͇̮̦̔̄̿́́̅̊̕I̶͉̮̮͊͗̈́̄͒͗͋̃̆̕ ̷͓̱͕̜̮̪̀̾͝ͅh̷̪̺͍͖͉̹͗͋́̂̈͜ą̶̛͇̹̼̜̞̱́͐̔̀͐͐̈́̂̕͝v̴͓͙͑̀̐̽̿̎̋̆̊͑ė̷͇͔̊ͅ ̸̲́̑̈́͆͊̿̚̚͝c̶̯͈̬̜̖̞̅̆͗h̴̘͇̯̘͉̙͗̇̈́͜͝o̶̡̱̩͈͗͛̓s̴̡͖͉͈͖̬̰̾̓̇̈́́̌͛̓̚͝e̷̢̱̠̲͔͔͎̪͙͓̒̈́͝n̵͖̗͇̯͍͎̉͝ ̴̫̫̮̽̋̽͐̈́̄͂̆͒̚ỹ̶̡̨̛͓̝̲̞͙͘o̶̡̺̜͎͑̑̍̎ư̶̢̽̊̎ͅ,̸̠͖̗̑̽̈́̕ ̵̠͕͉͙̰̲͍̒R̵̪̩̻̮͉͚̂̾̔͝y̴̝̿̓̕ͅa̵̡͚̯͒̿̿̆̌͊n̶͕͈͝,̶̡̱͉̭̬̮̺̗̲̑ͅ ̵̪̜͆̇́̓̋̀͝͝ͅt̵̨̡̖͉̱͔̖͉̞̄͊̾̓́̅õ̸̼̲̩͖̿̓̏̌͜ ̴̢̖̘̝̱̥̣̤̲͗̏̀͂̅́̇̂c̴̱̱͕̫̺̾̄͗̇͋̔̚ͅo̶͈̪̲̦̝̻̳͕̼̩͛̋͂͂̄̕ḿ̵̨̨̛̛̯̳̟͔̝̤̜͕͒͂̍͘͝ͅp̵̥̼̊́́͋ͅl̴͔͆̑͑́̀̽̿̾̽̐̎e̴͈̯͕͈̣͕͌͐̀̎̀͋̍̍t̵̨̨̤͍̹̫̘̼̗̎̏̔̽̏̚͠͝e̴̛̛̞͔͇̅̾̆ ̸̡̛̰͙̯̲̹̱̜̻̙͐̌͛̈́̂̎̚͜ẃ̵̪̥̦̙͚̝̂͠h̸͚̏͋̉̀͂̋̑̌̄͜a̶̟̗̼͋̐̓ț̸̡̞͚͙̩̰͙̒̀͛͝ ̵̫̼͛͆̓̂̿͠͠i̸̫̭͇̦͓̘͍͛̄́̓͂́̏͆̀͆ṡ̶̢̤̫͈͊͐̐ ̷̛̛͖̲̙̄̐̅̊͆̈̋͂̂m̶̨̛͇̯͙͖̫̲̍͘î̸̳̼̗͎͉͉̯̗̉́͋͌̇̇s̶̡̻̮͍̣̬͖̝͎̦̈́s̷̰̯͔̠̖̣̱̱̠̘̔͂͌̊͛͌̿̅͌̓ͅî̶̧̨͇̹̺͒̾̈̐̈́̇̏n̶̨̢̬͈̙͎̭̍ͅg̵̨͓̼͇͚̊̐̆̇̔̌̑͘͜͝.̷̢̛̩̗̘̱̺͔̎͌͛̈́̑̄͊

I hope you enjoy your gift… tomorrow.

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The room fell silent.

Ryan stared at the message, his breathing slow and shallow. Several lines were completely unreadable—blotted out as if something was deliberately blocking his ability to see them.

"…What the hell?"

His confusion deepened as a far more unsettling thought surfaced.

How does he know my name?

Ryan had never used his real name in EDEN. Not in his profile. Not in chat. Not even in private messages. He had been careful—always had been.

His gaze drifted back to the final line.

Tomorrow.

A dull ache throbbed behind his temples. He rubbed his forehead, trying to steady himself.

"Chosen… me?" he murmured. "Chosen for what?"

The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. His unease grew, curling in his stomach like a knot pulled too tight.

Then he let out a hollow laugh.

"Hah… yeah, right."

He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "Nice prank, developer."

That had to be it. Some kind of final joke—maybe they'd guessed his name by coincidence, or scraped it from somewhere. Scary, sure, but nothing more than a cheap trick to mess with the last remaining player.

Or so he told himself.

Exhaling slowly, Ryan closed the message window.

Whatever that was, it could wait.

He clicked on [Aetherium] character.

"If this really is the end…" he said quietly, watching the loading screen appear,"…then I'm seeing EDEN off properly."

The game began to load—for what Ryan believed would be the very last time.

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Morning came.

Ryan was sprawled on the floor, his back against the side of the bed, an empty bottle rolling lazily near his hand. Sometime during the night, exhaustion—and alcohol—had finally claimed him while EDEN continued running in the background.

He groaned and slowly pushed himself upright.

Sunlight poured through the window, unfiltered and merciless, crashing straight into his half-open eyes.

"Fuck—my eyes," Ryan hissed, throwing an arm up to shield his face.

His head throbbed. His mouth felt dry. The world spun just enough to remind him that drinking after staying up all night gaming had been a terrible idea.

After a moment, he steadied himself and looked toward his desk.

The computer screen was dark.

"…Huh?"

Ryan blinked, then stood up properly. His gaze sharpened as he moved closer.

Yesterday—no, last night—EDEN should still have been running. Even if the servers were scheduled to shut down, the launcher should've been there.

His stomach tightened.

He sat down in front of the computer and woke it up.

The desktop appeared.

And EDEN was gone.

Ryan frowned. "Where… is it?"

He scanned the screen again. No shortcut. No launcher. No familiar icon.

Panic crept in.

"Wait—what?"

He opened the search bar and typed EDEN.

Nothing.

His fingers moved faster now. He opened a browser and searched for the official website.

No results.

"…What?"

He refreshed. Tried different keywords. Nothing came up—not the homepage, not the forums, not even old announcement posts.

His breathing grew shallow.

"No, no—this is stupid…"

Ryan opened a video site and searched for gameplay videos. Surely someone had uploaded footage over the years.

But there was nothing.

No walkthroughs. No guides. No clips.Not even a mention.

It was as if EDEN had never existed.

Ryan leaned back slowly, his heart pounding.

"…What the hell is going on?"

Then—

The floor lurched.

Ryan barely had time to react before the entire room began to shake violently. Shelves rattled. Objects crashed to the ground.

"An earthquake—?!"

He staggered and dove under the desk just as alarms began to blare outside—long, piercing sirens echoing across the city.

This wasn't normal.

Earthquakes happened occasionally, sure—but this was on an entirely different scale. The shaking didn't stop after a few seconds.

It kept going.

Five minutes passed.

Ten.

By the time it finally subsided, Ryan's arms were trembling not from the quake, but from fear.

Slowly, cautiously, he crawled out.

The room was a mess.

He grabbed his phone with shaky hands.

Social media was in chaos.

News alerts flooded his screen.

And then he saw it.

Across every major headline, every breaking report—

Gigantic towers had appeared across the world.

One in every country. Rising from the earth as if they had always been there.

Ryan's breath caught.

"…A tower…?"

A memory surfaced—unwanted, chilling.

Tomorrow.

The developer's message echoed in his mind.

"This can't be…" Ryan muttered, a hollow laugh escaping his lips. "It's just a coincidence, right?"

Right?

He stared blankly at his phone.

Who—or what—was the developer of EDEN?

Ryan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Panic wouldn't help. Whatever this was, he needed to stay rational.

And then—

A blue, translucent screen materialized in front of him.

Floating. Impossible. Unreal.

Ryan froze.

[You have been chosen as a character in the story.]

"…Ah?"

The word slipped from his mouth without thought.

His mind went completely blank.

The blue light filled his vision.

And then—

Everything went dark.

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