I'm a college student addicted to games.
Action, arcade, racing, educational—you name it.
I played them all like a drug addict—greedy, tireless. But don't worry, I knew how to manage my time. My grades were always safe every semester.
One day, a new game popped up on the app store.
Its title: "Clean the Filth from the Already Filthy World."
At first, I thought it was literally a cleaning game.
But it wasn't.
It was an MMORPG where players could shape their characters however they wanted—no fixed classes, no factions, no moral alignment.
It didn't take long for it to explode in popularity.
Including me, of course.
The game was pure fun.
Not just the gorgeous visuals, but also the thrilling storylines and events. And yes—it was completely free.
I wasn't top rank in my region, let alone globally.
I just played the way I wanted, following my own view of the game.
Playing like any other gamer.
Playing for fun.
But if you ask me what I hated the most?
The answer is: demons.
In this game, they usually showed up as enemies or NPCs offering tempting rewards. Sometimes they were annoying antagonists, sometimes even powerful allies. Hell, some players even made them their in-game lovers.
It was insane.
And annoying—not because I was single, but because they were just... irritating.
Worse, many players got strange quests from demons—
From petty pranks and harassing other NPCs, to assassination missions against fellow players.
The community once flooded the company with complaints. They never responded.
In fact, players who were close to demons, or had relationships with them, formed their own community—worshipping demons, spreading their doctrine, even acting like aggressive salesmen in other forums.
It reminded me of sales tactics from a certain novel...
Never mind that. Back to the point.
That's why I took the initiative to become a hunter.
From that day on, I kept hunting.
Hunting demons.
Didn't matter if they were enemies or NPCs. I didn't care.
What mattered was that they had to disappear from this game.
I killed them all—from the oldest to the newborns. Without mercy. Without hesitation. Without compromise.
And then one day, a system announcement appeared mid-game:
"Demon Slayer."
I was given that title.
Announced to the entire server as the first person to earn it.
The community went wild. Forums blew up. Speculations flew everywhere. But why should I care? The system kept my privacy safe—my name and ID weren't revealed without my permission.
And that title—Demon Slayer—felt like a perfect fit for someone as charismatic as me.
So I kept going.
Day by day, the number of demons dwindled.
One thing unique about this game: once something dies, it never respawns. Except for players.
One death means permanent.
That's what made every event feel exclusive. Miss it, and you'd never get another chance.
I liked that system. Probably because I'd been playing since launch.
If you started now? Yeah... sorry.
After years of hunting, finally—
Every demon was gone.
Not a single one left.
I didn't do it to be a hero. Not to represent anyone. Not for ideology.
I did it because I chose to.
Consciously.
Deliberately.
"..."
"My hands are dirty."
...
Since the day demons went extinct in the game, the communities that once worshipped them turned their anger toward the company, the development team, and the head of the company—known simply as the GM.
Protests flooded the forums. Even gaming influencers were caught up in heated debates on social media. The topic was always the same: remove the permanent death system.
And from the company's side? Not a single word.
The GM? Completely silent.
After the demons were gone, in-game events stopped getting updates. No new content. No roadmap.
One by one, players began to retire.
Including me.
And in time, the company shrank… and eventually went bankrupt.
Strangely, though, there were never any complaints from its employees.
No reports of layoffs. No wage disputes. No voices at all.
The loudest were the players—those who had lost their escape from reality.
Weird.
If anything, it should've been the employees who suffered most.
I began to feel guilty.
To think… maybe, all of this was my fault.
So I contacted the company.
Sent a long email—filled with an apology and one question: Was this all because of what I did in the game?
But their reply… wasn't what I expected.
---
To Player [XXXXX], ID: [XXXXXX]
Thank you for playing our game: "Clean the Filth from the Already Filthy World."
We appreciate your dedication, time, and journey within that world.
Regarding your question about the impact on the game world and its current state, we can confirm: there are no issues directly caused by your actions. You have played as intended, and the system has found no violations or irregularities.
For your achievement as the first player to earn the title:
"Demon Slayer,"
we are pleased to offer you a special opportunity to claim the system's final reward.
Would you like to continue as the Demon Slayer?
(This decision is permanent and cannot be undone.)
Please choose:
[ YES ] [ NO ]
— Development Team
---
I didn't know what they were thinking.
But somehow, getting that reply made my heart feel a little calmer.
Maybe because… they answered. That alone was enough.
I thought about their offer. For a long time.
But in the end, I chose YES.
I figured—this might be my last chance.
I waited.
Hours.
Days.
Weeks.
No reply.
I reached out to them again. No answer.
Months passed.
Years went by.
Dozens of times.
And now… I've grown old.
I have a family now.
My wife is an ordinary woman—not as beautiful as the heroines from fiction novels. But she's gentle, loving, and humble. I'm glad I proposed to her back then.
We have three children. They're all grown up now. Independent. They no longer need to hold their father's hand. Watching them grow made me happy—yet also a little sad.
Now they have children of their own. My grandchildren.
They crawl with their tiny hands and call me "grandpa." A word… that reminds me of my own age.
Time really does fly.
My body, which once could run across digital battlefields, now can't stand for more than five minutes without gasping for breath.
And now, I can only lie here.
My eyes are always heavy. My body constantly weary. The strength to get up… feels like it's already left me.
It's been so long since I last heard from that company.
So long since I stopped hoping.
In the middle of a long daydream, suddenly…
I felt something wet on my face.
I opened my eyes.
My wife was crying beside me.
Her face wasn't as firm as it used to be,
but those tears hid a softness that had never faded.
Slowly, I lifted my hand—
and brushed her cheek.
On the other side of the bed, my children stood, also in tears. My grandchildren clung to their legs, their eyes filled with confusion.
It was rare for all three of them to come home together. They each had their own lives. Their own homes. Their own distances.
And now they'd come back… because I was leaving.
Ahh… how cruel of me, making the people I love cry like this.
So… this is what death feels like?
My vision began to blur.
The scent of the world faded.
Their touch disappeared.
Only sound remained.
Crying.
Calling my name.
How pitiful.
…
But then, suddenly, I felt something strange…
Wind.
Wind?
I opened my eyes.
And the world… had changed.
Damp air. Moss-covered ground. Towering trees all around me.
I sat up.
And in front of me… floating in the air… was a transparent blue window.
With the words:
[ Welcome back, Player. ]