Chapter 12
Ding.
Finally regaining his composure, Seung-eon saw a message pop up before his eyes, informing him of his current situation.
≪STAGE 1: USER has entered the ‘Medieval Era.’≫
Ding.
≪USER is currently being mistaken for the seductive ‘witch Sola’ who has bewitched many men.≫
Ding.
≪Sola’s execution by burning is scheduled for noon tomorrow. To survive this situation, find the hidden escape route!≫
Due to the unfortunate accident, much of Seung-eon’s memory of past events remained hazy, particularly the developmental stages of “ECO.” Only a few major events stood out.
The very first thing Seung-eon did after regaining consciousness from his deep sleep was, of course, to review the overall “ECO” project.
“Starting off hard, huh.”
Right after entering the virtual world of “ECO,” the first thing he faced was a public execution by fire.
“Reading about it and experiencing it are completely different.”
Although Seung-eon knew everything there was to know about the ECO project, seeing it in pictures, reading about it, or hearing it described was not the same as living through it.
Woo— woo—
The sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting in the distance echoed clearly through his ears.
“The most important thing is how much of what we planned we can actually implement.”
Team Leader Seo Yi-soo of Development Team 3 accepted Seung-eon’s proposal because, unlike other companies that made empty promises, LUKIN had invested heavily to faithfully realize the game he had envisioned.
“CEO… Team Leader Seo is seriously a devil.”
“Please save me, CEO! I can’t take this anymore!”
“…Just kill me instead…”
Seung-eon didn’t fully remember the beta test, but the exhausted expressions of the Development Team 3 staff crawling under the workload remained vividly in his mind.
“Well, we did make something impressive.”
What matters most in a VR game is how closely its virtual world resembles reality.
The fact that even distant sounds like insects and birds outside the prison could be heard this clearly meant that Team Leader Seo had done a good job.
“Huh?”
While seated and organizing his thoughts, listening to the ambient sounds outside the cold prison, Seung-eon’s body suddenly moved on its own.
“What the—?!”
It was a reenactment of his actions during the beta test.
He stood up, chains on his legs clinking, and approached the tightly spaced iron bars. Then, he reached out with his right hand and grabbed a bar.
“It’s… solid.”
Even though it was a virtual world, he hadn’t expected such a realistic tactile sensation. The hardness he felt through his fingertips startled him.
“Feels a bit… loose?”
He thought that with a few shakes, he might actually be able to bend the bars.
Perhaps his past self had thought the same.
This time, it wasn’t his right hand but his left that reached out. Gripping one bar in each hand, Seung-eon hesitated for a moment before trying to pull them apart.
“Trying to escape?”
A voice came from somewhere, and his head reflexively turned toward it.
Startled, Seung-eon spotted a guard wearing an old helmet.
One step, then another.
As the distance between them closed, the guard’s black eyes became visible through the slit in the helmet.
“How long has he been standing there?”
A sense of instinctive wariness welled up inside him.
After awakening in the house where he first opened his eyes in ECO, Seung-eon was suddenly accused of being a witch.
Then, an angry mob had dragged him to this remote prison, and he hadn’t seen a single soul since being locked up—until night fell and darkness spread.
Not once had anyone appeared outside the cell.
And now, a guard out of nowhere?
Seung-eon stared silently, puzzled, at the helmeted guard watching him.
“You shouldn’t leave yet.”
“What?”
His mouth moved on its own. Clearly, even Seung-eon during the beta test had been bewildered by the guard’s casual tone.
The guard kept his eyes fixed on Seung-eon and continued.
“Someone will be coming soon. Wait until then.”
“What do you—”
“Sola!”
Before the disinterested guard could finish, a loud voice echoed from afar.
It was easy to tell from the shout that the person running toward them was a man.
Seung-eon hesitated, unsure who it might be.
“It’s the Crown Prince,” the guard said in a low whisper, as if to clear up the confusion.
Crown Prince?
In ECO, the user’s era and scenario were randomly assigned, and so were the characters they encountered.
Was the Crown Prince really the first male character Seung-eon was destined to meet?
“No… Technically, the first was—”
Seung-eon glanced sideways at the guard now standing silently by the wall.
Clank!
“Sola!”
The excited man dashed right up to the bars, shouting.
“I don’t understand what’s going on. You—called a witch? The only thing you’re guilty of is being breathtakingly beautiful! How could someone like you be a witch?”
He even emphasized his wide, passionate eyes.
“There must be some mistake. Yes, something’s definitely wrong! I’ll go to His Majesty at once. I’ll plead that you’ve done nothing wrong except be beautiful! I’ll demand your immediate release!”
For the “User” who began the game in a prison route, this was their first hand of assistance.
But every word the man spoke was embarrassingly cringe-worthy.
With dazzling silver hair and a flamboyant royal outfit, there was no mistaking it—he was indeed the Crown Prince.
Shing!
Just as Seung-eon watched the prince’s face turn red with emotion as he gripped the iron bars and shouted for her release—he suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at the guard’s throat.
What the hell—?!
“Open this gate at once!” the silver-haired prince thundered.
“This woman is no witch. I, the Crown Prince, will personally prove it!”
Spittle flew from his lips as he declared:
“She is the future consort of the Crown Prince—not a witch who seduces men! If there is any fault, it lies with the gods who crafted her so perfectly!”
Okay, now you’re just being dramatic…
“And besides—how could there be a witch in our peaceful kingdom? It’s unthinkable! So open this gate at once! What good is it to imprison such a delicate woman?”
He was relentless.
Even Seung-eon, who was watching all this unfold, was dumbfounded by the prince’s absurd logic.
“Is this the male lead buff or something?”
Come to think of it, there were a few male characters that Development Team 3 had worked especially hard on.
Wanting to target a young female audience, they had begged for extra budget and even hired famous models to create these striking characters.
Seung-eon looked at the handsome silver-haired prince, now threatening the guard again.
If this guard were an ordinary NPC, he probably would’ve panicked at the prince’s command and hurried to open the cell.
Yes—if he were an average NPC, that is.
“I follow your command, but would you wait just a bit longer?”
“Wait? How long?”
Glancing at the moonlight filtering through the prison, the guard calmly replied.
“Let’s see… until dawn, maybe?”
That’s basically…
“…him saying he’s not opening it.”
