Chapter 1
Crack—
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.
“…Magnificent.”
One of its wings was torn off, its side blasted open to the point where its ribs were laid bare—yet 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.
“A mere mortal… To reach this place in such a frail body, one not even properly blessed by that damned goddess.”
A war had erupted between humans, blessed with the goddess’s grace and dwelling in fertile lands, and monsters, driven into barren wastelands and forced to live wretchedly.
“Brave one. Be proud! Even if your deeds are not wholly your own, to oppose me with but half-power is worthy.”
At the war’s 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.
“To achieve what even that heavenly god could not, you have…!”
It was by the man before him—and the soldiers of his domain, hailed as humanity’s final bastion.
Rumble—
“Ha! Finally cleared it!”
Amid the devastated battlefield left by the fight, a man gazed at Bahamut’s 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 man—Lee Hajun, a popular streamer who had recently risen in fame for his skill—grinned.
The game, Defend Humanity, had been the world’s 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:
“No way, you actually cleared Nightmare?? lmao”
“Fewer than five people worldwide have beaten Hard, and you solo Nightmare? wtf”
“I couldn’t even beat Normal after 100 tries in 5 years. How do you even clear Nightmare?!”
The chat scrolled endlessly. Hajun’s broadcast, which had around ten thousand viewers during the Bahamut fight, suddenly skyrocketed past one hundred thousand.
Messages in English and Chinese popped up too—apparently the news had already spread overseas.
‘Of course. It’s Nightmare difficulty, after all.’
Not even the world’s top gamers could handle “Very Hard,” let alone “Nightmare”—a difficulty even the developers had once called “impossible.”
For anyone who played Defend Humanity, watching this stream was a must.
“Alright, you all saw it! As promised, first-try Nightmare clear! Next time, I’ll challenge with a different playthrough, so make sure to follow and come back tomorrow!”
After wrapping things up and seeing the numbers continue to rise, Hajun finally ended the stream, exhaustion setting in.
“Ugh, stiff as hell… Hm?”
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]
“…Hell difficulty?”
A brand-new difficulty, never mentioned in the past ten years. Hajun’s eyes widened in astonishment before glinting with excitement.
‘So Nightmare wasn’t the end. There was a hidden mode!’
As both gamer and streamer, there was no way he could let this go.
Without hesitation, he clicked.
‘I’ll just take a quick peek before tomorrow’s stream.’
He had no idea this choice would change everything.
“Mm…”
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.
‘What the? The starting point’s different?’
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.
‘But why does my body feel so heavy—huh?’
He froze.
The body in the mirror was strange, unfamiliar… yet oddly familiar.
It looked almost like the playable protagonist, but slightly different. A frail figure—one who resembled the hero’s 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>
‘Just as I thought—wait, what?!’
Eric Aeter. Same surname as the main character, Allen Aeter. But then Hajun’s eyes locked on the stats below, and he went cold.
<Eric Aeter>
Level: -99
Strength [1]
Agility [1]
Endurance [1]
Magic [1]
‘Negative… Level 99?!’
