< Player Status >
Name: Kim Soo-hyun (10th Year)
Class: Normal Swordsman (Normal, Sword User, Master)
Affiliated Nation: Terra
Affiliated Clan: -
True Name · Nationality: One who contemplates the world and desires seclusion, Summit (頂上) · Republic of Korea
Sex: Male (33)
Height · Weight: 181.5cm · 75.5kg
Disposition: Lawful · Chaos
[Strength 86] [Endurance 92] [Agility 96] [Stamina 78] [Magic 48] [Luck 36]
(Remaining Stat Points: 0)
< Achievements (21) >
< Special Abilities (1/1) >
< Potential Abilities (4/4) >
No thoughts come to mind. I absentmindedly roll a small orb in my left hand.
"User Kim Soo-hyun."
Ten years. I achieved what I had so desperately longed and dreamed for during that long time. But even so, it hasn't disappeared. The overwhelming sense of loss and the piercing pain inside me still torments me.
"User Kim Soo-hyun. May I ask once more?"
A soft but beautiful voice gently brushes against my ear. Drawn to that voice, I slowly raise my head. As I look up, the ashen brick floor comes into view. Just as my gaze captures a space roughly thirty pyeong wide, it halts.
The Room of Summoning—where everything begins and ends. And in the center, on a rectangular altar, wings shimmering with faint white light flutter softly. Feeling hollow, I fix my gaze on the 'angel' sitting on the altar.
"Confirming once again. Do you truly wish to turn back the time of Whole Plane?"
"Yes."
I slowly nod and look straight at the angel. Her beauty—enough to be called the pinnacle of aesthetics—her flawless skin, her revealing attire that barely covers her, all of it focused only on me.
But I feel no desire. Not her beauty, not her affectionate gaze. Nothing stirs my heart anymore. Since 'that day,' I've lost all emotions.
"We cannot understand. None of us angels, including myself, can understand you."
"No, you're wrong. I don't need your understanding, Seraph."
My voice is chilling. Seraph's voice trembles slightly, something I've never witnessed before. That means what I said must have truly shocked her.
Though she wavered for a moment, Seraph soon regains her emotionless expression and calmly begins to speak again.
"User Kim Soo-hyun, you've accomplished every mission in Whole Plane and became the first to reach the summit."
"So what."
"That's not 'so what.' You've obtained the Zero Code you so desired. You have the 'qualification.' With that, you can achieve anything within its limits."
"Seraph. This conversation is already over."
"Return to Earth? That's fine. You can go back with all your current abilities intact. Stay in Whole Plane? That's also fine. With the Zero Code, you could rule all continents, become more than a king."
I sighed, pressing my right hand to my hip. The familiar grip of the sword fits perfectly in my palm.
"Hoo... Ten years of falling for that sweet talk was enough. I'm tired now, Seraph. I won't say it again. No matter how much you try to sway me, I won't reconsider using the Zero Code."
I grasp the handle tightly and channel magic through the circuit. Feeling the power rise through me, Seraph falls silent for a moment. But only briefly. Her gaze softens with pity—she's clearly not giving up on persuading me.
"The Zero Code belongs solely to User Kim Soo-hyun. We have no authority to interfere. That's why it's such a pity. To use an artifact of such power merely to turn back time is absurd."
"..."
"I'll ask one last time. Do you really want to repeat those painful ten years?"
Her tone is almost pleading now. Suddenly, laughter bubbles up from deep within. For no particular reason, just a hollow laugh.
I laugh silently for a while.
This is not Earth. It's another world entirely, called "Whole Plane," where daily life is anything but ordinary.
I slowly close my eyes. Recalling everything I've experienced, I begin to trace my steps back in time.
I first entered Whole Plane ten years ago, when I was 23, full of hope for the future. My last memory of Earth was happily heading home after completing two years of military service.
I fell asleep on the train, and when I woke up, I was in this very 'Room of Summoning.' In front of me stood an angel with white wings, like something from a dream.
Confused, unaware of anything, I begged to return home. But instead, I was sent to the so-called 'Rite of Passage' to prove myself as a user. I had to survive being hunted by monsters I had never seen before.
Seven days—the test period—was a brutal battlefield of survival. Only after surviving that week could I gain the right to enter Whole Plane as a 'User.'
But that wasn't the end. Whole Plane was the true beginning. If the Rite of Passage was a short war, Whole Plane was a hell with no end in sight.
Then began my life in Whole Plane.
All I wanted was to live. I adapted desperately to survive in that irrational world. Clinging to the hope that I could return home once I reached the end, I endured for ten long years. I only ever wanted to live—and to go back—with those I could never leave behind.
"User Kim Soo-hyun, what are you thinking about? Could it be..."
The moment I think of the word "bonds," a surge of emotion wells up. I shake my head forcefully. Now isn't the time to reminisce.
"Ah, just remembering old times. Still, calling it 'ten painful years'—I guess you do have at least a little conscience?"
"..."
"That's right. Thanks to you all, I experienced suffering I never needed to go through. For ten whole years."
"User Kim Soo-hyun."
Seraph seems to be reading my emotions, observing me closely. Just as I'm about to tell her to stop, her beautiful lips part and a calm voice flows out.
"If you're thinking of Users Kim Yoo-hyun and Han So-young... then I understand. You have enough GP points to grant multiple wishes. There's no need to use the Zero Code to go back to the past…"
'I hate to admit it, but that bastard was right.'
I knew this was coming. Before she finishes, I unsheathe my sword and swing it with full force.
Ping!
A sharp sound tears through the air. The shockwave shakes the altar where Seraph sits, but that's all—it disappears against her white shield without a trace.
"User Kim Soo-hyun... I understand how you feel, but this is meaningless. I believe you know that as well."
Of course I know. A user cannot harm an angel. But still, I swung the sword—to declare that my will would never change.
"Just before he died, Astaroth said it. That you're all the same after all."
"You believe a demon's words? You, of all people?"
"But it's true. Can't do this, can't do that. In the end, it's all the same."
"Wait, wait, please let's just talk. I believe I've explained your request thoroughly."
"You said I wasn't qualified. So I said I'd go back in time and earn that qualification again. What's your problem now?"
"Soo-hyun!"
Ping! Ping!
"Don't yell. I'm not deaf. And call me properly, like you always have—with 'User'."
Another wave vanishes. Seraph stares at me with sorrowful eyes, unable to believe my actions. But I don't care. I grip the sword, now glowing with a fierce blue flame. As I channel more magic, the flame intensifies. Seraph bites her lip.
"This is my final warning. Put away your sword. Even if you can manipulate settings, your core is still human. If you think you can kill a being of higher dimensional hierarchy, you're mistaken."
"Is that so? Then maybe I'll ask the Zero Code to grant me the authority to kill you."
"You do hold the usage rights. However, activation of the Zero Code must go through us. Let go of your foolish dreams."
"You sound confident. I wonder if there really is no way."
"User Kim Soo-hyun. This is a pointless debate. But…"
Seraph seems to want to say more, but sensing the cold fury burning from my blade, she clams up.
"...."
"...."
A heavy silence falls between us. I calm my rising anger and slowly lower my sword. Then I quietly raise the Zero Code held in my left hand. A small, beautiful orb glowing with deep blue light. How could something like this hold such power...
"Seraph. I don't want to fight anymore. I don't even want to talk. If you truly understand how I feel, and if you truly care about me—please."
Her eyes widen at the word "please." I extend the hand holding the Zero Code toward her. My resolve is firm.
"Please, once more. I want to go back. To ten years ago, when I first arrived here."
Perhaps sensing my earnest will, the Zero Code begins to glow brightly. I open my hand, and the orb floats into the air, gently arcing toward Seraph's altar. She catches it with a dazed look.
Her vacant gaze soon meets mine, entangling silently in the air.
How long did we stare? Slowly, very slowly, her lips part.
"If that is truly what you wish."
"..."
"I will respect your decision."
"Seraph."
She looks at me blankly, then speaks with a drained voice.
"Don't misunderstand. As I said earlier, you currently hold a significant amount of GP. To waste that is not rational."
I shake my head. I'm going back—what use are Gold Points now? But Seraph doesn't agree. Her hands begin moving at an invisible speed, as if manipulating something.
"It's unbelievable, but your will has activated a response from the Zero Code. Very well. As a helper, I will adjust the finer details. Of course, nothing will harm you, not even slightly. I'll see you again when the process is complete."
Process? See me again? Just as I was about to question what she was up to—
Before I could even speak, a deep, booming voice filled the Room of Summoning.
"Request from User Kim Soo-hyun received. 27%, 58%, 77%, 100%. Loading… Approved. Commencing execution of Code Name: Zero. All systems prepare."
Creak, creeeeak.
Suddenly, the sound of rusty machinery filled the air. The Zero Code, now in Seraph's hands, burst into a radiant light and floated into the air.
Flash!
Blinding light floods the room. The mechanical noise continues. A strange sensation sweeps through my body—familiar. Like the feeling of twisted space when the Hell Gate opened during the Atlanta recapture mission.
The light becomes blinding, obscuring even Seraph's figure. At last, I close my eyes tightly, surrendering to whatever comes next.