I loved games since I was little. The reason was simple. Spending all my days in a hospital, naturally, I had nothing else to do but play. And as time went by, games became a part of my life. But if you've done something for a long time, it's normal to get tired of it.
«Damn... Is this AI decision real? Why are you giving that bastard a cure?».
At some point, no matter what game he played, it was no longer as enjoyable as before. It wasn't a gender issue like AOS, RPG, FPS, etc. Every game that came out every year was garbage. The plots and universes were practically traced, and the systems lacked depth.
I wanted a game with something more special. That's when I discovered Dungeon and Stone.
Type. Click, click.
The genre was single-player RPG. It was a foreign indie game. It did not have support for the Korean language and used 2D pixel graphics, something unusual these days. To be honest, the game was far from my taste. Still, it was free, so I installed it to try it out. It didn't take me long to fall in love with him.
«Wow, we almost died in the end because of this fucking priest».
It was an unusual game in many ways. When a character died, they had to be trained from scratch. NPCs were essential to the progress of the game, and the degree of freedom was also extremely high for a vertically scrolling game. The skill system and universe were attractive, and the story was interesting even in English. More importantly, there was a strange specificity to this game.
Tap-tap. Ta-ta-ta-tap.
As a utility worker who had just been assigned to work on the subway, I immersed myself fully in Dungeon and Stone. It was not easy. Combat in this game was not simply done with HP/MP. Even with the statistics complete, a miscalculation could mean the disappearance of the character he had been playing for three months.
«Go for it...»
I had been playing this game for two years and hadn't even gotten halfway through. Giving up my pride, I searched the internet for a strategy. But since I couldn't find it on Korean websites, I had to translate it from English to read it. Still, they weren't much help. There weren't many overseas users either, so there were very few related articles and no useful advice. Instead of those who played it for only a month or two and classified it as a failed game, I, who had been seriously exploring this game for two years, understood it much better. So I stopped looking for a strategy.
«Three up, four left, one down, two left, then six up again, and four right. Finally, avoid the trap and... good».
This was the game I came up with when I was desperately looking for a new game to play anyway. As long as it took, I decided to move on on my own. Y...
«Ugh».
Just like that, I got to where I was now.
[Gateway to the Abyss.]
My current character was in front of the portal connected to the final boss room. But of course he wouldn't see the end until he visited this place several more times. It was not a game where you could defeat the boss in a single attempt. Still, I could feel how nervous I was right now about the stiffness in my fingers.
«The final boss...»
It may not mean anything to some, but it took me nine years to get here. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this game had been with me throughout my twenties. Even when I was discharged from public service, when I returned to school after years, and even the day I received an acceptance letter for the job I wanted after graduating, I had always played Dungeon and Stone.
[Do you want to enter?]
When my character approached the portal, they asked me if I wanted to enter. Of course, I clicked [YES]. However, since it was the final boss room, a rather sinister message reappeared
[You may never come back.]
[Do you still want to enter?]
From the player's point of view, it was an unnecessary warning. Why wouldn't I come in here?
[Yes No]
When I clicked [Yes], the screen went to a loading screen. Watching the blackened monitor, I focused all my attention on the game.
How many patterns will this type have? What are its attributes? It has to have an instant death move. Mm, I should forget about trying to succeed the first time and gather as much information as possible, because I may have to completely discard the leveling method or combination.
My brain, stimulated by excitement and anticipation, was only thinking about the final boss, so I realized it a step too late.
[You have reached the abyss.]
[Tutorial completed.]
Tutorial completed? No wait. Why is it written in Korean? Wasn't Dungeon and Stone only in English?
[The broadcast will begin now.]
At the same moment, a bright light burst out. The light was so intense it was hard to believe it was coming through a screen.
«Ugh..... Fuck! My eyes!»
In an instant, everything turned white. I felt a ringing in my ears and an unknown heat touched my skin. My mind quickly became cloudy, as if I had been given a numbing injection. Normally I was confident in my ability to cope with crises, but at that precise moment, I had no idea what was happening.
Flash!
I lost consciousness when the light became more intense. And when I opened my eyes again, I was a barbarian in the game.