ITSG 01

Episode 1

The Reason I Started Playing

The reason I started playing the game was very simple.

Because it was the only thing I, who had been living in a hospital since childhood, could do.

A solitary room of barely 100 square feet.

For me, who had become isolated and alone from the world early on, games were like a window to another world.

It was the only place where I could experience unfamiliar yet beautiful scenery and feel the presence of people beyond a small monitor. When I stayed in that vibrant place, I truly felt alive.

So perhaps, even when my parents, who had long realized there was no hope, abandoned me in this room, it wasn’t that sad. I was even grateful for the computer they left behind, as if it were their final consideration.

What’s fortunate about it is…

Perhaps Heaven took pity on my sickly body, or maybe it was because I was overflowing with talent.

[Warning! Hadum scatters despair!]

Countless blades rain down from above.

A vicious pattern that bestows death the moment they touch you, regardless of current health.

The boss’s attack, which had frustrated countless gamers attempting the raid so far, mercilessly struck the ground. But…

Swish-swish-swish!

With near-artistic movements, I dodged them all, wedged into the openings, and drove attacks home.

[You have dealt a critical wound to Hadum!]
[Warning! Hadum summons darkness!]
[Warning! Hadum’s seal is breaking!]
[Warning! The land is tainted by Hadum’s aura!]

Then, warning messages flood my vision. Simultaneously, a sinister aura begins to emanate not only from the giant boss monster but also from the blades embedded in the ground.

Darkness spreads like overlapping AoE fields, swallowing the terrain. Each one is an instant-kill skill that takes your life upon contact, proof the boss has entered its final phase.

‘What a truly trash mob.’

I prepared my stance during the brief opening that occurs before the final phase begins.

From here on out, it’s uncharted territory that no other gamer has ever overcome. Hadum, the final boss, lives up to its title with its annoying patterns: instant death, AoE fields, invincibility, status ailments, attack reflection, unavoidable attacks… it’s almost suspicious whether it was made to be beaten at all.

But my heart races more with anticipation than worry.

‘But it’s doable.’

Because in moments like this, I felt more alive than anyone else.

“Grooooooar!”

The giant, majestically occupying the center of the map, lets out a roar as it raises its upper body like stretching. A signal that it’s now released from invincibility and entering the true final phase. I charge toward the boss simultaneously with its roar.

[You have entered Hadum’s domain.]
[Darkness is eroding you. Player’s health is decreasing.]
Current Health 98%…
97%…
96%…

Ignoring the rapidly depleting health, I fluidly dodge the cascading blades again. The boss’s patterns are etched into my mind from hundreds of attempts. I evade, deflect, block, and parry the relentless attacks, slowly closing in.

The gap between attacks, a fleeting moment. I don’t miss that chance and thrust my sword.

71%… 70%… 69%…

My eyes follow the boss’s movements.
My mind works more sharply than ever before.

[Hadum roars!]
52%… 51%… 50%…

Along with my health, the boss’s seemingly endless health bar also begins to scrape the bottom. Kill or be killed—from here on, it’s purely a race against time.

Of course, compared to the boss, my pitiful health and the instant-kill attacks force me to focus solely on evasion. Considering the tricky patterns, defeating the boss was a slim chance. But…

Swhoosh-crash!
“Kraaaaaaah!”

[Hadum’s health has dropped to 10%!]
[Darkness thickens!]
[Warning! Player’s health is decreasing rapidly!]

There’s no hesitation in my movements.

30%… 25%… 20%…

Swish-swish-swish!

18%… 15%… 11%…
-Hadum’s health…!

Ignoring the noisy alerts, I focus solely on dealing damage. The hundreds of attempts and my entire life, melted down to boost my specs to the limit for this moment. Every process until now was for this moment.

‘This is fun.’

I slip through the gaps, swinging my sword. I exploit the openings in the pouring attacks to stab. I dodge and stab, parry and slash, block and clash.

From point to line.
From line to point.
From vertical to horizontal.
From horizontal to vertical.

Movements that are free and unrestricted, manifesting as I think them—something I could never do in reality.

The giant flails, scattering attacks and laying waste to the surroundings, but not a single fragment touches me.

From the tips of my hair to the down on my toes.
All my nerves feel concentrated here, in this moment.

8%… 5%… 3%… 2%…

Why is it?
Even though death is right before my eyes…
Right now, brimming with more vitality than ever, I feel so incredibly happy it’s driving me crazy.
Even if I were to die right this instant…
I’d have no regrets.

Finally…

KABOOOOOM!

The monster, large enough to occupy half the screen beyond the monitor, collapses with a heavy, thunderous noise.

‘Finally….’

-Ding!

Simultaneously, a notification appears.

[You are the first to defeat the World Boss Hadum!]
[Your name will be remembered forever in the Black Desert Hall of Fame!]
[Achievement Unlocked!]
[A title has been engraved upon your soul.]

Total combat time: 127 hours.
The end-game content and final boss of Black Desert.
Hadum, called the Impregnable Colossus, had never been defeated until now.

The sole player who achieved the feat of single-handedly handling a World Boss that should have required the entire server’s users to raid.

And the title granted to only one person in all of Black Desert.

Demon King.

This was the achievement I had devoted my life to.

OMG!!@#!@#!@# IS THIS FOR REAL?
So someone really did get that title.
Wow, I stopped watching midway, but he actually got it. Must be over 100 hours, is he insane?
LOLOLOL I never imagined someone soloing the final boss.
Isn’t that the boss where even the Korean strategy guides aren’t out yet? Heard they haven’t even finished mapping the patterns. LOLOLOL
LET ME WIN THE LOTTO! LET ME WIN THE LOTTO! LET ME WIN THE LOTTO!
222222222!!!!!!!!!!!!
333333333!!!!!!!!!!!
At the end, he wasn’t getting hit at all. Did he memorize all the patterns?
Seems like it. To do what the strategy guides haven’t even finished… alone… I’m dying to know his specs….
LET ME SUCCEED AT ENHANCING! LET ME SUCCEED AT ENHANCING! LET ME SUCCEED AT ENHANCING!
●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇
ㄴWhy is this guy lying down?
^They say he fainted from shock.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL
Isn’t this a bug exploit? How do you solo a World Boss?
LOLOL you didn’t watch, did you? If you saw it yourself, you wouldn’t say it’s a bug.
I wonder what the reward was? It’s practically the final boss, so did some end-game gear drop?
OMGOMG I’m camping the marketplace starting today.
Hey, be reasonable. Would that person sell end-game gear? He’d use it himself.
Ah LOL I hope only material items dropped and nothing good.
FR LOL My stomach hurts so bad~.
But it’s so damn cool. How do you even think of soloing that?

The chat buzzed with heated reactions for a long time. I hadn’t spread the word, but it seems people gathered after seeing my audacious solo raid attempt. It’s understandable they’d be curious, given it was an undefeated World Boss. I didn’t even notice when so many had gathered, focused on the fight.

Moreover, as my achievement was announced via system notice, more and more people flocked to check the news over time.

The chat filled with excitement and shock…
I could have basked in that reaction, but I quickly slipped away through the crowd. Something else was more important.

Demon King.

The name granted to only one person under the heavens.
The kingly status engraved upon the soul leads its owner to a fitting destiny.

‘Finally, finally, I got it….’

With bloodshot eyes, I stared for a long time at the phrase floating above my character.

The rarest title among the countless titles in Black Desert, granted to only one person. When I first learned the condition was to solo the final boss, I thought it was impossible.

But I also thought it was worth that much.
From then on, I prepared thoroughly to defeat the boss.

I built up specs sufficient to land effective hits on the boss.
I attempted hundreds of times to learn its patterns.
How much time I poured into obtaining this title…

Thus began the 127-hour-long battle.
I didn’t sleep for 5 days straight, and couldn’t even eat properly.

But now, it’s over.

A satisfying feeling, tingling in my head from the sense of accomplishment of attaining what I so desperately wanted. Then, relief…
And finally, sadness…

As the tension eased, fatigue washed over me, but I pushed it aside and checked my status window, letting out a dry laugh.

“I can finally die now.”

Was it the day I received the terminal diagnosis?

I first encountered Black Desert purely by chance.
Around the time I felt powerless facing death, an ad caught my eye like fate.

Turn your daily life into an adventure.
Black Desert always awaits you.

Intrigued by the line promising to change my hellish days, I casually started the game.

And that choice was truly beyond expectations.

Not only the stunning graphics that amazed my eyes,
but also the captivating, vast worldview, overflowing content,
and the immersion, as if playing a single-player game despite it being an MMORPG.
But what drew my heart more than anything else was…

The insanely high degree of freedom.

The freedom, as if truly traveling a new world myself, made me immerse quickly even though it was my first time playing.

Because only while playing this game could I escape the disgusting hospital room and feel truly alive.
To me, this game was nothing less than a second life.

Therefore.
Before facing death, I wanted to leave my mark here.

“Cough! Cough-hack!”

My body, having stayed up for nights, began to scream as if it couldn’t take it anymore. As if protesting, demanding to sleep now…
But I wiped the bloodstains from my hand indifferently on my clothes and looked at the mirror.

Skin darkened from lost vitality, a gaunt face, a body so thin it looked like it would shatter if poked. Stains and bruises here and there, the long tube running down my arm…
From head to toe, except for my bloodshot eyes, I looked like a sick person. No, more like a dead person.

‘It doesn’t matter now anyway.’

Staring dazedly at that reflection, I then turned my head and shifted my gaze to the monitor.

The title proudly floating above the character, decked out in top-tier gear and exuding majesty.
In stark contrast to the me in the mirror, it was dazzling, brimming with life, beautiful…
Truly, the result of pouring my entire life into it…

-“Hey, I heard you finally succeeded?”

Just as I was examining my character for a while, someone sent me a whisper.

-“Yud?”
-“Yeah. I was watching and couldn’t stand it anymore, so I woke up from sleep, and the forums are going crazy. What happened?”
-“What happened? I beat it.”
-“That’s what I’m saying! How did you beat it?”
-“By dodging what needs to be dodged and attacking when I can attack.”
-“Can’t you explain in more detail?”

The whisper was from Yud. Though talkative and annoying, he was a named top player who had reached rank 2 in Black Desert’s PvP rankings. A guy who occupied one of the few friend slots I had, having become friends by exchanging information in-game. He must have logged in right after seeing the forum post.

-“Huh? Please, just tell me. Is Hadum some ordinary boss? Even if the first clear is gone, I plan to attempt it soon.”
-“If you’re asking out of curiosity for your own attempt, look up the video. There were many spectators, so a hunting video is probably already out.”
-“Eh, watching a video and hearing from someone who experienced it firsthand are the same? Besides, I already watched the necessary parts of the video.”

He’d already watched that much? He’s fast. At this rate, it’s better to tell him before he pesters me more.

-“Well. Honestly, it’s all about seeing and dodging, so I’m not sure if telling you would help.”
*-“What? You expect me to believe that now? Hey, Hadum’s final pattern had gaps of barely 6 frames between attacks! That’s 0.1 seconds! You’re saying you saw and dodged that?”*
-“Yes.”
-“Wow… You’ve completely transcended the realm of ordinary humans, huh? You know, with that reaction speed, you’re faster than a sports athlete?”
-“It’s doable if you try. You could do it too if you adapt.”
-“You madman… How can you say that now…”

Honestly, my answer just shut him up. Always so dramatic…

But I didn’t particularly deny Yud’s words. No, rather, the word ‘madman’ suited me perfectly.

What I achieved was a feat granted only to the one person madly devoted to Black Desert, recorded on the server forever until the day the game disappears. It was only possible because I was madly into this game from the start.
I succeeded because I was insane.

-“But… then what are you going to do now?”

Breaking the silence after my astonishing explanation, Yud asked.

-“If it’s okay, want to party up and enter a PvP tournament or something?”
-“Huh? I refused that last time.”
-“No, you cleared what’s practically the final content. You must have nothing left to do now. My PvP rank is high, so opponents won’t be easy, but with you, I think we could beat anyone.”

It seems he really liked me. He’s proposing again even though I flatly refused his team invitation before.

Well…
He’s not wrong.
I’ve done everything there is to do in this game except PvP.

But.

-“Sorry, I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”

I deliver the refusal without a moment’s hesitation.

-“Do you have other plans or something?”

Plans…
More like, I have one last thing to do.

-“No.”
-“Huh? Then why are you refusing?”
-“I’m going to delete this character now.”
-“Wh-what? Hey, did you just say you’re deleting your main?”

My answer clearly flusters Yud.

*-“You’ve been raising this for over 10 years. Plus, with your current specs, you’re practically the strongest on the server. Does it make sense for the rank 1 player to delete their character?”*
*-“I might be rank 1 now, but if I leave it as is, others will catch up soon. I don’t want to see, nor imagine, such an ugly sight.”*
-“You sound like someone leaving for good… Don’t tell me… are you thinking of quitting the game entirely?”

I didn’t bother answering Yud’s question. My body had long reached its limit. It wouldn’t be strange if I died anytime…

But even if I were to die right now, I have no regrets left.
I’ve left all records of my life here.

However, I shouldn’t leave alone, abandoning my character that’s like an extension of myself. I know all too well how terrible it feels to be abandoned.
We’ll just disappear together.
This character and I.

-“Even though they say leave when the applause is loudest…”

Yud seemed at a loss for words at the sudden news. Well, someone who enjoys games normally probably can’t understand. I had no intention of explaining my situation or forcing him to understand anyway.

-“Persuasion… won’t work, will it? Can I ask why you’re quitting?”
-“I’m sorry. It just turned out that way.”
-“No, no. It’s okay. I already knew you were a secretive guy.”

Still, I’m grateful he doesn’t pry. Originally, I planned to check the title and delete immediately.
But I thought having this final conversation wasn’t so bad. Perhaps it’s the wish that at least one more person in this world would remember the disappearing me.

-“But it’s a bit disappointing.”
-“Why?”
-“The items you have. Not just the equipped ones, but this raid reward must be huge too. It’s a shame.”
-“Is that so.”
-“Yeah. So, speaking of which, what did the boss drop?”
-“Aren’t you going to beat it too? Wouldn’t it be more exciting to find out then?”
-“That’s true, but who knows when that will be? I might die of curiosity waiting.”

He seems really curious about the reward…
Well, I can show a final act of goodwill.

Just as I opened my inventory with that capricious thought…

‘Huh?’

My gaze landed on something at the edge.

■■’s ■ Stone.
(Bound Item.)

The primordial ■■ sleeps within.
Using it will immediately cause ■■….
■■■■….

An unfamiliar item of a form I’ve never seen before, even after devoting half my life to this game.

‘Is this also part of the World Boss clear reward?’

No matter how much I think, that must be it.
But no matter how much I rack my memory, this type of item is a first.

‘Is it a black stone used for enhancement? No, it’s similar but somehow different…’

Puzzled, I tilted my head.

‘Did it auto-acquire?’

Since it’s a bound item, it probably entered my inventory automatically along with the title achievement…
I can’t even guess what it’s used for. Moreover,

‘But… why can’t I read anything?’

Where the description should be, only strange symbols are visible, and I can’t check the content.

‘What? A bug?’

My heart, slightly swollen with anticipation, quickly deflated. I thought it was something important, but it must be a bug. Maybe the game developers never expected anyone to obtain the title. Otherwise, a bug like this wouldn’t occur.

Anyway…

A spherical stone as dark as pitch.
Unfamiliar, but its appearance isn’t particularly special…

Yet, curiosity is a gamer’s instinct. Just as I was about to click the mouse, wondering if it had some use…

[Use the item?]

The phrase appeared in the center of the screen.

[※Upon use, the item will disappear. Disappeared items cannot be recovered.]

Use? So it’s a consumable? But…

“Why does the warning sound so serious?”

Cannot be recovered?

After quietly reading the text, I scoffed and let out a hollow laugh. As if I’d hesitate over a mere item.

[Do you really want to use the item?]
(Use) / (Cancel)

I’m about to delete this character anyway, and I’m destined to log out of life itself soon. Whatever happens doesn’t matter.
No, rather, my true desire is for something—anything—to happen that would make my heart race a little.

(Use)☜

The moment I nonchalantly clicked the button, ignoring the warning…

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, a dizzying head.
My vision goes dark along with…