SFMC 01

Chapter 1: Starting Point

[‘Reina Serenia’ has died.]

How many times have I seen this message?

I slammed the desk in frustration—too absurd, too unfair, too suffocating.

Thud!

The keyboard jolted slightly, clattering.

No matter how angry I got, the message before me refused to change. Naturally.

Beyond the monitor, which reflected a world frozen in pause, lay the lifeless body of my favorite character, Reina Serenia.

The world she existed in was an outdated game called Spell Breaker.

The premise was simple: the illegitimate child of the Empire’s emperor enters an academy, builds their foundation, takes revenge on the imperial family, and eventually saves the world from an unprecedented crisis.

The gameplay itself wasn’t anything groundbreaking. What made the game shine was the depth and realism of its characters—each felt like a real person.

Among them, Reina was a background character with a slightly unusual setting. People called her a “bit part.”

You might wonder what a “bit part” even means in a game, but no matter how much you tried to save this character who dies in the early part of the story, she would always end up dead—no matter what you did. That’s how she earned the nickname.

A minor character you could grow attached to but who would always die soon after, no matter how hard you tried.

I used to think the same.

Back when I had just started playing Spell Breaker, I stumbled upon a forum titled “Save Reina” while looking for game strategies.

The board was filled with attempts to save her—tens of thousands of failed efforts.

At first, I couldn’t understand why people were so obsessed with a character as fragile as a sunfish.

But despite the mountain of failures, people didn’t give up. And eventually, I joined them. I started trying to save Reina, too.

I wanted to understand why everyone was so crazy about her.

As I dug deeper into the game and got to know Reina, I was completely drawn in.

Despite her grim past, she was always cheerful and bright.

No matter what powerful foe she faced, no matter the danger, she never backed down.

She had a belief that she could do everything herself and an unrelenting will to achieve it.

At some point, I found it impossible to not like Reina.

But despite the game being relatively moderate in difficulty, trying to save Reina was harder than any horror game.

So even the most persistent players gave up over time.

Now, with the game long past its prime, I was the only one left on the “Save Reina” forum. What was once a place for thoughtful discussion had turned into a dumping ground for hate comments.

“Still playing this all day? Real jobless loser. Might as well put this guy in a museum as a specimen of failure.”

“This isn’t love, it’s obsession. If this freak ever dated, he’d get dumped and turn into a murderer. Wait—he can’t even get a date. Thank God.”

To most people, such comments would be deeply demoralizing—but I was fine.

I wasn’t some jobless loser. I only dove into the game after work. And the recent holidays gave me more time to play.

Okay… maybe the “no girlfriend” part stung a little.

Still, even after enduring cruel comments and countless failures, today—just today—I felt like giving up.

If I had failed due to lack of skill, a mistake, or a flaw in the plan, I could’ve accepted it.

But the problem I encountered today was more fundamental.

The method I devised turned out to be impossible to implement within the game’s system.

Everything had gone smoothly at first.

Like always, I saved Reina using a safe route and eliminated the enemies that were meant to kill her.

When situations seemed hopeless, I’d abuse bugs—making Reina invincible by pushing her through walls, or using rapid pause-clicks to dodge enemy skills while attacking.

Yet, despite the game allowing all those exploits, it blocked my most realistic and straightforward plan from being executed.

No matter how many times I saved and reloaded, nothing changed.

It felt like a malicious design decision deep within the game’s code.

Damn developers. If they hated Reina so much, they should’ve just made her a plain villain.

Or at least made her less charming. Why bother creating such an appealing character just to kill her?

Crushed by despair, I slumped into my chair.

Maybe this was how the others felt when they finally left the forum.

I recalled a line I once read on the board:
“Escaping the Reina Save Forum is proportional to intelligence.”

I always thought I was the most persistent one for being the last to remain, but maybe I was just the dumbest—too late to realize that Reina couldn’t be saved, too foolishly attached to let go.

Maybe that’s why I was the last one here.

…I guess it’s time to give up.

Honestly, half the reason I started this was because I couldn’t let go.

But now, maybe it’s time to move on.

Saving Reina won’t change my life.

She’s just a character in a game.

…That should be true.

But I couldn’t give up.

In the end, I grabbed the mouse again.

“…Just one more run.”

If I failed this time too, I’d finally let go of everything.

With that, I hovered the cursor over the Start button on the title screen.

Usually, I’d analyze my failures, spend a couple of days making a new plan before starting again.

But my best strategy had already failed.

There was no point in racking my brain further.

So this time, I decided to throw caution to the wind and start the game purely on a flash of inspiration.

The title screen faded, and the game began to load.

As I stared at the spinning grey loading icon, a wave of drowsiness hit me.

Normally, I would’ve fought it off to continue playing.

But I’d already been at it for days, and I was exhausted.

Maybe I should just nap for a bit before continuing.
That thought circled my mind—but I slapped my cheeks to wake up.

You have to start strong.

Yet, as if mocking my resolve, sleep swept over me like an ambush.

* * *

“Young master, we’ve arrived.”

I slowly opened my eyes at the sound of an old man’s voice.

Still dazed, I rubbed my eyes.

What was I doing…? Oh, right. I was waiting for the game to load.

But the screen before me wasn’t a monitor.

It was a small room bathed in orange light.

Everything shook slightly. I glanced out the window and realized I was in a carriage—large enough to be a room.

What the hell is going on? Was I kidnapped? But everything here looked so high-end…

I was still trying to make sense of it when the carriage door opened.

“Young master! Are you alright?!”

An old man with a dignified expression stood there.

He wore a tidy butler’s outfit, though his bulging muscles nearly tore through it.

His slicked-back white hair and the scar under his left eye gave him the aura of a battle-hardened veteran.

Once he saw I was unharmed, he relaxed and sighed deeply.

“You almost gave me a heart attack, young master. Please don’t scare your humble servant, Albert, like that again.”

Young master? Me?

Before I could ask, Albert reached out his hand.

“Well? Have you had your fun startling me? Time to get off the carriage.”

“W-Wait!”

I stopped him and asked,

“Who… are you?”

Albert sighed heavily, staring at me.

“Are you pretending to have amnesia again? I’d normally play along, but not today. Today is your entrance exam for Iris Academy!”

What?!

Iris Academy?!

That’s… the name of the academy in Spell Breaker—the main setting of the game.

Could I… have been transported into the game?

Hard to believe. But looking at Albert, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

I mean, a butler with muscles like that doesn’t exist in real life.

Strangely, I wasn’t panicking.

My pounding heart slowly calmed, and another emotion surfaced.

If I’ve really entered Spell Breaker, maybe I can succeed in saving Reina here—where I failed in reality.

And then, my heart began racing again—for a different reason.

But there was a problem.

I didn’t know who Albert was.

I’d memorized the game lore front to back, and there were no characters I didn’t know… except the lowest-tier background ones.

That could only mean one thing—I’d possessed the body of a total extra.

Not a good sign.

Still, I understood the timing.

Since I was here for the entrance exam, this must be the tutorial phase.

Which meant it was the perfect time to get close to Reina.

Good. That’s all I need.

My mind settled.

If Albert’s calling me “young master,” that means I’ve possessed a noble.

And from the way he isn’t questioning my amnesia act, it seems like this body belonged to quite the troublemaker.

In that case, let’s gather some intel with confidence.

“Who am I?”

Albert sighed again, thinking I was faking amnesia.

“You are Van Astreia, second son of the Astreia Ducal House—a prestigious magic family that has produced countless Tower Masters and serves as the Empire’s spear against its enemies.”

Van Astreia.

I remember that name from the lore.

The problem is, Van was just a slightly more notable extra.

Also… he was infamous as “the Empire’s biggest scoundrel.”

Worse still, the only detail given in the game was “He’s a wanderer who causes trouble wherever he goes.”

That’s it. Just a few complaints from other characters.

Despite being the heir to a great ducal house, he had no real presence in the game. He disappears completely after Year One.

So, I’ve possessed a scoundrel. A nameless scoundrel at that.

I held my head in despair, and Albert took that moment to extend his hand again—before I knew it, I was standing outside the carriage.

I blinked in confusion. I hadn’t even felt my body move.

Despite those bulging muscles, his movements were swift like an assassin’s.

Wait, didn’t he say this family produced Tower Masters?

Why does this butler move like a knight?

While I stood there in awe, Albert adjusted my clothes and spoke kindly.

“I know no one else sees it, but I know you’re a deep and thoughtful person. You said you didn’t want to go to the academy—but you also said you must. I’m sorry I can’t do more for you. But even so, I wish you happiness.”

What kind of setup is this?

So… my character pretends to be a scoundrel but is actually not?

I wanted to ask more, but I didn’t want to raise suspicion by sounding too serious.

“You must go now. Please endure just a little longer. If it comes to it, I will give my life to free you from that academy.”

Give your life? Isn’t that a bit extreme…?

By the time I looked down, my outfit was perfectly neat. Albert smiled faintly and stepped back.

“As you know, Iris Academy doesn’t allow attendants inside. So this is where we part.”

He bowed respectfully.

“It will be tough, but I believe in you, young master.”

What kind of scoundrel was I before to earn this much trust from someone like him?

Well, I’ll figure that out eventually.

I stepped back slowly, waved at Albert as he straightened his back.

“Don’t worry! I’m not planning to leave the academy!”

I don’t know what Van’s intentions were, but I can’t leave after just one year.

Albert wiped away a tear with a handkerchief from his breast pocket.

“Young master… You said that to reassure me, didn’t you? Thank you… sniff!”

Van, you should’ve treated him better…

Anyway, I turned and looked up at Iris Academy.

Towering spires rose beyond the grand gates, flanked by walls carved with ornate patterns.

This was the main setting of Spell Breaker, and the place where I’d finally meet Reina Serenia.

Standing at the gate, I steeled my resolve.

I don’t know if this is fate, coincidence, or a divine joke.

Maybe I died back in the real world.

Dying while gaming—what a way to go.

But it doesn’t matter.

If this world is Spell Breaker, my goal is clear.

Save Reina.

I made that vow before falling asleep.

Now that I’ve awakened again, I’ll finally save her this time.

I’ve played Spell Breaker for nearly five years, but this world is already full of things I don’t know.

What happened to Van, who I thought was just a side character?
Why am I here?
Is this a game world—or a real one?

But I wasn’t afraid.

This world was more familiar to me than reality itself. I’d lived through it thousands, even tens of thousands of times.

So now, I just want to achieve the goal I failed to reach before.

I have only one goal:

To save the character I loved dearly.

To save my favorite background character.