“……Impressive, Hero.”Puk—With a harsh, meaty sound, the white blade pierced straight through the man’s heart.The Holy Sword Ascalon.Struck down by the Hero’s divine blade, the Demon King finally fell.The Demon King’s hand, which had been gently caressing the Hero’s cheek smeared with blood, soon lost all strength and went limp.Moments later, his body collapsed powerlessly onto {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the altar, dissolved into a shower of black motes, and scattered into the wind.Shaaa—The altar became empty, as if nothing had ever been there in the first place.At its lonely center lay a single, radiant orb shining in every color of the spectrum.The Orb of Life—able to bestow new existence upon all creation.With this, the ruined world could be reborn once again.“……”Without a word, the Hero picked up the orb and gripped it tightly in her hand.Crunch—The Demon King had fallen, and the world was saved by the Hero’s hand.But the Hero’s expression wasn’t bright.No—if anything, her face looked… sorrowful.Kuguung—kuguguung—And with the crumbling of the Demon King’s fortress, the long story came to its end.***Click—Inside a dark room.I leaned back in my chair, watching the ending credits roll across my monitor.“Phew.”Letting my body sink into the seat, I lifted my gaze to the text glowing at the center of the screen.[Mir-Ellin Saga]It was the newest title from Mir, a subsidiary of the global IT conglomerate New Age—currently the hottest studio in the industry.A vast, open world. A brand-new progression system. Lifelike characters so vivid they seemed to breathe. And, well… all that other promotional fluff.The game hadn’t even been officially released yet, but the teaser alone had the entire gaming scene buzzing with hype.Recently, a world-famous celebrity had even appeared in its cinematic trailer.Of course, having actually played Mir-Ellin Saga myself, I’d say it didn’t quite live up to all that excitement.‘…Still.’Whatever the reviews, finishing a story—reaching the end—is always one of gaming’s purest pleasures.That’s what keeps me playing, and why I love games in the first place.As I sat there savoring the moment of completion—Bzzzz—The phone on my desk started to vibrate.When I picked it up, I saw a message from Director Lee Yeon-hee of Mir.– Dr. Cola Zero, have you finished testing the new game?After checking her message, I turned my eyes back to the ending credits still rolling across the monitor.Mir-Ellin Saga was still an unreleased, unfinished project.But as a long-time player recognized for my skill and experience, I’d been allowed to test its alpha build.That alone said a lot about how much trust I held in the gaming scene.Slap—I lightly patted my cheek and stood up.Anyway, I’d cleared every available route today.After staying up several nights straight to finish the game, I deserved at least a few hours of sleep. She’d understand.“Agh, damn…”Dragging my exhausted body toward the bed—Bzzzz—The phone buzzed again. Another message.– Actually, we can already see your completion log in the database, so no need to confirm. I’ve sent a car to your hotel. Please come right away. ^^‘…This woman.’I frowned slightly at the unilateral tone.Pulling the blackout curtains aside, I peeked out the window.Sure enough, a gleaming black limousine was waiting right in front of the hotel.“Tch.”I really just wanted to crash at home, but what could I do? It’d feel wrong to send a car that far back empty.With a sigh, I threw on my jacket and headed out.***“Long time no see. It’s good to have you back.”The top floor of Mir Tower.A stunning night view of Seoul sprawled beneath the glass walls.Guided by two bulky men in black suits and sunglasses, I stepped into the VIP lounge, where Director Lee greeted me with a bright smile.“You haven’t changed at all, Director.”I smiled back and sat across from her on the plush sofa.Lee Yeon-hee—an intelligent, striking woman in a business suit.Years ago, when I was making waves as a top-ranked player in multiple games, she’d been the one to offer me the position of game tester for Mir.At first, pride kept me from accepting—being a top player, not a QA grunt. But in the end, I caved.‘The money was too good to refuse.’Since then, I’d been working as an external consultant, testing Mir’s upcoming titles as a side job.A shut-in gamer like me getting to meet a corporate director one-on-one? That was all thanks to this gig.‘Still, how the hell does she never age?’She looked exactly the same as when we first met.After exchanging the usual pleasantries, we got right down to business.“So, to the point,” she said with a smile. “You’ve completed a hundred playthroughs by now. How was it? Satisfied?”“Yes. Overall, yes. Should I start with the positives?”“Whichever you prefer.”I set my teacup down with a soft clink. “Alright, then.”I began outlining the game’s strengths—what impressed me, what worked well.It was, after all, the only productive thing I ever did as a homebound gamer, so I made sure to be thorough.She took out a notebook and pen, jotting down my words in neat handwriting.In this digital age, a notebook seemed quaint—but the soft scratch of pen on paper was oddly pleasant.“I see. Then what about the drawbacks?”Straightening my posture, I moved on to the critique.No matter how polished a game, there are always a few things that stand out.And after years of playing countless titles—most of them at the highest ranks—spotting flaws was second nature to me.“First of all… the story.”Some parts broke the narrative’s coherence, and there were several one-off characters who appeared briefly and vanished, making the disjointed pacing even more obvious.They’d gone all-out on the visuals, yet treated the background and cast like disposable props. For a company that rich, it was pure resource waste.At my comments, Lee scratched her forehead with the end of her pen.“Hmm. I personally don’t see any issues with plausibility. Stories like that can happen even in real life, don’t you think?”“They can.” I nodded.Sure, real life can be stranger than fiction—history is full of twisty, unbelievable stories.But fiction doesn’t get that luxury.If the audience isn’t convinced, all the realism in the world means nothing.When I explained that, she fell silent for a moment before nodding.“Understood. I’ll forward that feedback to the scenario team.”“Alright. Next.”I shrugged lightly and continued.“This ties into what I just said, but some character arcs are downright absurd.”I pointed to several faces on the tablet screen.It was like they’d tried to weave in subplots but gave up halfway, leaving them as pointless red herrings.And one in particular stood out.An important antagonist in Mir-Ellin Saga’s Academy arc.The delinquent scion Loen de Valis.A high-born troublemaker who loathed the protagonist for entering the academy, tangled in multiple key characters’ paths—a figure who should’ve mattered.They threw out all kinds of hints suggesting a deeper story, only for him to pop up as a mid-boss and die like a joke, never to be mentioned again.The moment I brought him up, Lee’s eyes gleamed.“Ah, I figured that part would catch your eye. So, what’s your take?”“Nothing grand. Just my personal opinion. I’ve included the details in my report—you can check there.”I tapped the USB drive sitting on the table.They claimed it was for security—whatever the reason, Mir still insisted on these relics.“Got it. Then I’ll review your report and adjust Loen’s stats and storyline accordingly.”She accepted my suggestion easily.That was enough about story and character.My main focus, after all, was game balance, not narrative design.‘Since I started consulting for Mir, none of their releases have had serious balance issues. They’ll take this seriously.’We spent the rest of the night talking about characters, boss fights, items, and skill trees—so long that dawn was already peeking through the skyline when we finally wrapped up.Blinking at the light, Lee widened her eyes.“Oh my. It’s morning already. How about staying over? The facilities here are quite nice. You could even test some other prototypes while you rest.”She gestured toward a wall lined with displays of Mir’s upcoming titles.Normally I’d have jumped at the chance to test a new game, but right now I was dead tired.“No, thank you. I’ll rest at home.”At my firm refusal, she nodded without protest.“Alright then. Safe travels. And your payment’s been transferred—please confirm it.”Ping—I checked my phone. The bank notification showed a deposit with a string of zeroes.Always punctual when it came to money—that’s one thing I liked about her. With that much, I could live comfortably for months.“Got it. You’ve worked hard too, Director.”After parting with her, I was escorted back to the limousine.And on the way home—“…Hm?”Something felt off. I’d been dozing against the seat when my eyes snapped open.BEEP—!A deafening horn, blinding headlights flooding my vision.Realization hit instantly, followed by a weary sigh.‘…Knew I shouldn’t have gone out today.’That thought barely finished when—KWAANG—!A violent impact swallowed everything, and my consciousness was gone.***And now—this is the reality I’m facing.“……”I stood blankly in front of a mirror, staring at myself.I’d always thought I wasn’t bad-looking, but compared to the boy reflected there, I didn’t even come close.Pale skin, jet-black eyes that looked like they could swallow light, sharp features under dark circles—The very picture of fragile decadence. A sickly, bandaged, skin-and-bone boy.The model looked… painfully familiar.Staring at those gleaming black pupils on the other side of the mirror, I muttered as calmly as I could.“A common cliché.”Truck accident. Reincarnation. Possession.The most overused setup in anime, novels, and games.Tired, maybe—but when it happens to you, it hits different.First, the body I’m in.Loen de Valis.The academy’s infamous delinquent. The villain I’d just been criticizing with Lee moments ago.And now… I’m him.“……”For a while, I just stood there, dazed—then shook my head to clear it.One thing was certain.‘In stories and movies, the slow ones—the ones who deny reality—always die first.’Dream or not, the only thing to do is face it head-on.If it’s a dream, I’ll wake up. If it’s real, the one who moves first wins.At least the location wasn’t totally unfamiliar.‘Inside Mir-Ellin Saga.’I’d tested every route, every event. A hundred full clears.I knew this place better than anyone.I quietly clenched my fist.Sure, Loen was a poorly balanced mid-boss trash mob in the Academy chapter—but lore-wise, he was from a noble line and his stats weren’t half bad.‘With Loen’s abilities and my player knowledge combined, I can handle whatever this world throws at me.’“...Haa.”Clap—I lightly slapped my cheeks to focus and opened my eyes again.While I was still sorting my thoughts and deciding my next move—Knock knock—A sound came from beyond the door.Someone was here.‘Good.’The first encounter with an NPC—or rather, the first person of this now-real world.I took a deep breath to steady myself and called out toward the door.“Come in.”

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