Act 1

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– I see. So, it was you, the Black Knight. The fallen hero, Hayden Reich, a star that plummeted from the sky.

A mocking voice was heard from beyond the blood-covered black armor.

Wiping his bloodstained sword with a handkerchief, he sneered with a bitter smile.

-So, even you, once hailed as a hero by the people, have come to this. Shouldn’t you have done better when you were exalted as a hero? If only you had cared for your own safety in that splendid mansion, this tragedy wouldn’t have happened.

Next to the fallen body, right by the black-armored man, lay a woman in a pool of sticky blood.

– Such a pitiful thing, unaware of her place. It seems she won’t last much longer.

-Julian…

– Yes.

– Spare Rinne… Haven’t I served the empire faithfully as a knight? So please…

Thud.

Before Hayden Reich, the Black Knight, could finish speaking, Julian plunged his sword into the woman’s heart.

The woman, barely alive, now ceased to move altogether. She had stopped breathing.

-Always cut off the enemy’s breath completely. Didn’t the Master teach us that?

-Then… would you be able to cut off my breath as well, so mercilessly, your master?

Hayden’s words were met with a smirk from Julian.

Though his narrowed eyes did not show any warmth, his appearance was like a demon wearing a branding iron.

-It’s not a difficult task.

He swung his sword.

Cruelly, as if it were a matter of course.

***

“No way, this isn’t a joke right now!”

I blurted out my dissatisfaction, looking at the monitor, incredulous at the absurd development.

The content of the video I had just watched was simply unbelievable.

Is this a provocation to the fans who have loved the game until now?

“Is this how Hayden dies so meaninglessly in the DLC trailer?”

This thought suddenly occurred to me.

Do these guys even think about making money?

The video I was watching was a DLC trailer for a game by ‘Promwell Soft,’ titled “Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now.”

I had been clenching my fist in anticipation for the DLC of the long-awaited game.

But when the trailer was released, my excitement was shattered, replaced by disgust and disappointment.

And for good reason.

“He’s the protagonist, Hayden Reich!”

In “Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now,” the protagonist is ‘Hayden Reich.’

But in the DLC trailer, he ends up a cold corpse.

The main part of <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now> is a famous game that has captured people’s attention with its diverse AI, various stories, and splendid action among many other attractive elements. It has a huge fan base worldwide, including in Korea, and I was one of those fans. What made me a fan of this game, more than anything, was its characters. More precisely, I was strongly attracted to the protagonist, ‘Hayden Reich.’

“The Hero of the Northern Front, a genius at hunting demons.” In a world of despair, constantly plagued by demons, he was the strongest. Of course, it’s natural for the protagonist to be strong, but what I loved about him was his noble and heroic conduct even in desperate situations, leading not only himself but everyone towards a hopeful future.

And now, such a living legend and the protagonist of the work, ‘Hayden Reich,’ dies so meaninglessly? “And by the hands of Julian?” A distant relative of the prestigious Crypart family, and a knight raised by the protagonist ‘Hayden Reich.’ After being taught by Hayden how to survive on the Northern Front, he becomes a degenerate who turns his sword against his master blinded by selfish desires.

The game’s protagonist, Hayden Reich, ends up being killed by such a traitor. This was too lackluster to be the end of the protagonist who had led such a famous work until now. I was infuriated by the blunder of the production company, ‘Promwell Soft.’

“It’s just unbelievable…”

Although just a character in a game, I was inspired by ‘Hayden Reich.’ A noble who went to the Northern Front of the Empire to ensure that no one else would suffer the loss of family to the ‘Demons,’ as he did. A black knight who pursued his own justice grandly, without imposing his philosophy on others.

Such a cool protagonist deserves an equally grand end. Many players who had a positive view of this game must have expected and wanted that. If, like me, they experienced being Hayden Reich, exploring the world, protecting the empire, nurturing a disciple, and feeling the warm camaraderie with companions, it’s impossible to accept any exceptions.

Even if he had to die tragically, such a nonsensical end is really incomprehensible. How could such a great character be killed by a mere traitorous disciple, who can think of nothing but stabbing his master in the back? Anyone who has played games would know that this doesn’t make sense.

But seeing the game company, which made the game, upload such a trailer for a DLC, I couldn’t help but get angry. It’s almost an insult to the game fans!

[Looks like Julian is the protagonist of this work.]

[Why is this narrow-eyed villain the protagonist of this title?]

[There must be a reason. Seems like they’re trying to show that in this work.]

[I trust Promwell Soft, so it’s a definite pre-order for me.]

The comments were absurd. Everyone seemed to care only about the fact that a sequel was coming, not interested in the ‘ridiculous death of Hayden Reich.’ Among them, there were even those who defended ‘Julian Crypart Frason.’

Yeah, honestly, I was also tempted by the news of the DLC. But it shouldn’t be like this. Isn’t this something that, as a game fan, I should protest against? But why are people defending it?

[Would you like to cancel your pre-order?]

“Sigh…”

As I pressed the cancel pre-order button, I sighed deeply, looking at the message that popped up. 

<Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now> was not just an ordinary game for me. It was my little sanctuary, helping me forget the stresses of being a fledgling in the workforce.

The game was designed to immerse myself in the character of ‘Hayden Reich.’ In any situation, in any episode. But to ruin such a haven like this.

[Your pre-order has been canceled.]

Still, what can I do? As just a gamer, my only option against the production company’s decision is to boycott. This is the only way I, as a fan of the game, can show my discontent.

“I should water the orchids.”

I got up and watered the orchids, which I had recently started growing as a hobby. Sometimes, when I felt unsettled, tending to the orchids and wiping their leaves brought me peace. It’s no wonder that many older people enjoy growing orchids. The unique sense of calm they offer is soothing. Some say growing orchids is like nurturing the soul. I hope you, at least, don’t end up like that game and grow strong and upright.

Ding!

Just then, a notification sound came from my computer.

“What’s this?”

I paused what I was doing and checked. It was a message from the site that handles game distribution. The sender was…

“Promwell Soft?”

The producers of <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now>. The very ones who shattered my sanctuary to pieces. Clicking my tongue internally, I opened the message. It was surely going to be an automated response to my cancellation.

[Hello]

But, contrary to my expectation of a standard automated response, the message was surprisingly straightforward. Just a light greeting, nothing more.

[From the producers of <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now>, Promwell Soft.]

As I read mindlessly, another message arrived.

[Yes, I know.]

[You are ‘Lee Si-hoo’, who has been playing our game for 5 years, right?]

[Yes, that’s right.]

[We received a notification that you have canceled your pre-order for the <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now> DLC.]

Would the production company really send a personal message for something like this?

Well, that’s another matter.

If they were planning to make the story like that, they should have anticipated that customers would leave! The more I think about it, the angrier I get. How could they kill off the protagonist so meaninglessly? Could it be… they really don’t understand what they did wrong?

But, I no longer wanted to argue about it. What’s the point of saying anything to someone who doesn’t understand what they did wrong? It’s like casting pearls before swine. And the moment I saw the DLC trailer and canceled my pre-order, any affection I had for ‘Promwell Soft’ had melted away like snow. Expecting another game from a company that ruined my favorite game so senselessly was nothing more than a vain hope.

Just as I was about to get up from my seat, another message arrived.

[It seems you didn’t like the direction of the story this time, Mr. Lee Si-hoo. How about you try changing the story yourself?]

Reading the newly arrived message, I scoffed. Are they serious with this approach? How low are they willing to stoop…

“Uh······?”

Rumble -!

Just then, with a loud noise, a tremendous light leaked from the turned-on monitor. 

What’s happening? What’s going on here? It’s not like the computer broke because of that message, is it?

“Ugh… Ahhhhh!”

While I was confused, the light emanating from the monitor enveloped the entire room. I hastily forced the computer to shut down.

Thud 

The previously noisy room returned to silence.

“Phew… What on earth was that…”

I turned my head to look at the now quiet monitor. That phenomenon was not ordinary. It felt as if the light was trying to pull me somewhere. I might be imagining it, but if I had just stayed there, who knows what unimaginable situation might have occurred. I felt a sense of dread creeping up on me.

“Thank goodness I reacted. If I had just stayed there…”

Crash─!

That’s when it happened. The sound of something breaking, and my vision started to blur. Desperately, I looked around.

Ah.

‘What the…….’

What broke was the orchid I had been carefully growing. I’m not sure if the orchid that was on the table fell to the floor, but the pot was shattered, and the soil was scattered messily on the floor. Naturally, the orchid, which I had cherished and wiped every single leaf of every day, was broken and torn from the fall, looking unsightly.

Although I felt momentarily downhearted, there was no time to pay attention to that.

“Why am I getting closer to the floor?”

Thud!

Before I knew it, I had fallen to the floor just like the orchid. I tried to get up, but my body wouldn’t respond. 

‘What is this… hey…’ 

My eyes started to close as if I was under anesthesia.

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