Chapter 1
Crackā
Beneath a pitch-black sky where even the moonlight was swallowed by thick storm clouds, in the middle of a desolate wasteland scarred by violent battle.
A colossal being slumped onto a lonely throne, its labored breath ragged as if it were about to collapse. With a voice on the verge of death, it spoke.
āā¦Magnificent.ā
One of its wings was torn off, its side blasted open to the point where its ribs were laid bareāyet its golden eyes still gleamed with sharpness, and its silver scales shone faintly.
It was the Dragon King of Destruction, Bahamut, who once commanded legions of drakes and wyverns, spreading fear and despair across the continent.
Now, gazing down at the human who had annihilated all of his minions and stood before him, he continued.
āA mere mortalā¦ To reach this place in such a frail body, one not even properly blessed by that damned goddess.ā
A war had erupted between humans, blessed with the goddessās grace and dwelling in fertile lands, and monsters, driven into barren wastelands and forced to live wretchedly.
āBrave one. Be proud! Even if your deeds are not wholly your own, to oppose me with but half-power is worthy.ā
At the warās outset, humans had grown complacent under divine protection, softened by peace. They were helpless before the twelve Demon Kings and their armies.
Yet, though monsters had nearly driven mankind to the brink of extinction, their ambition was ultimately thwarted.
āTo achieve what even that heavenly god could not, you haveā¦!ā
It was by the man before himāand the soldiers of his domain, hailed as humanityās final bastion.
Rumbleā
āHa! Finally cleared it!ā
Amid the devastated battlefield left by the fight, a man gazed at Bahamutās corpse as moonlight broke through the retreating clouds. His lips curled in satisfaction as messages floated before his eyes.
[You have slain the Dragon King, Bahamut.]
[You have defeated all twelve Demon Kings.]
[Peace returns to the continent of Aeter.]
[Unbelievable Achievement!]
[You are the first to clear Nightmare difficulty!]
[We honor your incredible skill and perseverance.]
The manāLee Hajun, a popular streamer who had recently risen in fame for his skillāgrinned.
The game, Defend Humanity, had been the worldās top title for over ten years, dominating the market despite being single-player only. Its popularity stemmed from several things:
Immense scale and high-fidelity VR immersion.
A vast web of choices leading to thousands of possible paths.
NPCs who behaved like real people, not data puppets.
Multiple difficulties, each with unique endings that fueled competition.
Chat flooded in immediately:
āNo way, you actually cleared Nightmare?? lmaoā
āFewer than five people worldwide have beaten Hard, and you solo Nightmare? wtfā
āI couldnāt even beat Normal after 100 tries in 5 years. How do you even clear Nightmare?!ā
The chat scrolled endlessly. Hajunās broadcast, which had around ten thousand viewers during the Bahamut fight, suddenly skyrocketed past one hundred thousand.
Messages in English and Chinese popped up tooāapparently the news had already spread overseas.
āOf course. Itās Nightmare difficulty, after all.ā
Not even the worldās top gamers could handle āVery Hard,ā let alone āNightmareāāa difficulty even the developers had once called āimpossible.ā
For anyone who played Defend Humanity, watching this stream was a must.
āAlright, you all saw it! As promised, first-try Nightmare clear! Next time, Iāll challenge with a different playthrough, so make sure to follow and come back tomorrow!ā
After wrapping things up and seeing the numbers continue to rise, Hajun finally ended the stream, exhaustion setting in.
āUgh, stiff as hellā¦ Hm?ā
Ding!
Just as he was about to exit the game, a new message popped up.
[Congratulations!]
[By clearing Nightmare difficulty, you have unlocked Hell difficulty!]
[Would you like to challenge it now?]
[Y / N]
āā¦Hell difficulty?ā
A brand-new difficulty, never mentioned in the past ten years. Hajunās eyes widened in astonishment before glinting with excitement.
āSo Nightmare wasnāt the end. There was a hidden mode!ā
As both gamer and streamer, there was no way he could let this go.
Without hesitation, he clicked.
āIāll just take a quick peek before tomorrowās stream.ā
He had no idea this choice would change everything.
āMmā¦ā
When the new game began, Hajun awoke on a soft bed. He slowly sat up, scanning the unfamiliar room. Unlike before, it was smaller, sparsely furnished.
āWhat the? The starting pointās different?ā
A hidden difficulty indeed. It was unlike any playthrough he had experienced.
This was golden streaming material. Grinning, Hajun spotted a mirror by the door and walked over.
āBut why does my body feel so heavyāhuh?ā
He froze.
The body in the mirror was strange, unfamiliarā¦ yet oddly familiar.
It looked almost like the playable protagonist, but slightly different. A frail figureāone who resembled the heroās brother, a wastrel who, in the original game, appeared only in a portrait due to his weak health.
Heart pounding, Hajun opened the status window.
<Eric Aeter>
āJust as I thoughtāwait, what?!ā
Eric Aeter. Same surname as the main character, Allen Aeter. But then Hajunās eyes locked on the stats below, and he went cold.
<Eric Aeter>
Level: -99
Strength [1]
Agility [1]
Endurance [1]
Magic [1]
āNegativeā¦ Level 99?!ā
