Title: How to pursue a happy ending in a world destined for destruction.
A Fusion Fantasy Novel by Sim Seobaek.
Chapter : 1
Everyone knows that all beginnings have an end.
But when that end finally arrived, accepting it was another matter entirely.
Just like any other day, I launched the game out of habit, only to be greeted by an announcement.
An announcement I'd been seeing consistently for the past three months.
<Notice of Service Termination for Ark No. 11>
The first time I saw that notice, I wondered if I was still half-asleep.
After I came to my senses, I got furious. I even begged them, promising I'd spend more money if they just wouldn't shut the game down.
After three months of raising hell, all I was left with was the cold, hard truth.
The fact that it was time to let this game go.
“So this day has finally come.”
With a heavy heart, I stared at the game screen I would never see again after today.
The name of the game, which I could confidently call the game of my life, was ‘Ark No. 11’.
It was a mobile gacha game set in a post-apocalyptic world, one where the surface had been completely destroyed by mutated lifeforms called ‘Parasites,’ all centered around a being known as the ‘Queen’.
After the surface fell, the only places humans could survive were on twelve aerial battleships known as Arks.
I especially loved the story of Ark No. 11, which was the focus of the main plot.
True to its apocalyptic setting, every character was burdened with a dark past. Despite that, I was completely captivated by their stories of overcoming their trauma and growing stronger.
。
And after that... Well, what else is a gacha addict to do?
I pulled on the gacha. In other words, I burned my money.
As my affection for the game grew, I got drawn into PvP, which I'd only planned to dabble in. After pulling out all the stops to hit Rank 1, I got greedy and could never bring myself to step down.
And so, from Season 1 to the very last, I became that madman who never once gave up the Rank 1 spot in the arena.
Of course, the amount of money I spent was no joke. Every time I posted about my gacha pulls on the community forums, I'd get comments like these:
-Welcome, our server host lololol
-Paying the server bills, I see
Damn vultures. They only swarm when my pulls are a total bust.
Anyway, I can't say it was all sunshine and rainbows, but Ark No. 11 was a genuinely good game.
The story updates were consistent, and the new characters were always high-quality.
Some players complained that the monetization cycle was too fast, but it wasn't like every update dropped a must-have, meta-defining character.
Besides, you couldn't say there was nothing to do if you ignored the competitive modes. There was plenty of other content, and the update schedule was reasonably paced. It was a well-regarded game that was hugely popular for a while.
But, as the updates slowed, the content began to dry up. Naturally, players started leaving.
Letting go of a game I'd poured years of my life, love, and wallet into... Honestly, I was a wreck.
All the unresolved plot hooks, the unreleased characters...
And on top of that, the thought of never seeing the characters I'd raised again made me want to go lie down in front of the game company's headquarters in protest.
If I'd known it would end like this, I would've gone to the offline events.
Mulling over my belated regrets, I took one last look at the characters I had poured so much time and money into before the servers shut down for good.
Defender, Warrior, Healer, Mage, Marksman, Assassin, and even the support class, Alchemist.
Looking at the countless characters, their glittering costumes, and their exclusive equipment, I felt a pang in my chest.
“Damn, I really poured everything into raising them.”
I briefly wondered just how much time and money it took to get this far, but I decided to stop that train of thought.
I was depressed enough as it was. There's no need to swallow that particular red pill.
“I loved you.”
A whole five years. From the day this game launched to the day its service ended.
Was that a long life for a mobile game? The thought crossed my mind, but then again... no, mobile games seem to last pretty long these days. I couldn't help but feel a bit down thinking about it.
I don't even have another game to play once this one is gone.
What am I even supposed to do with my life now? Pushing the thought aside, I looked over my displayed characters one more time.
From the character I hated for being such an ass in the story, to my absolute favorite who always graced my main lobby screen.
And even the records of unreleased side characters, visible through the in-game archives.
As I retraced the story, recalling where I'd met each and every one of them, a particular character suddenly caught my eye.
Lazar.
A strange one. He was clearly a member of the Ark No. 11 crew, central to the game's setting, yet he was never released as a playable character.
A character who, despite holding the title of Alchemist—a position treated almost like nobility, no, royalty in this world—showed a strange lack of any significant role in the story.
At first, given his class, we all wondered if he was part of some major plot hook. An unreleased character had to be holding some big secret, so many players, myself included, dug for clues. But in the end, nothing was ever revealed before the game shut down.
Because of this, players often joked that he was a character the developers had put in and then forgotten about.
It wasn't like he was the only character like that, but because of his prominent class, he was an unfortunate soul who got teased more than most.
This was especially true because Lavien, another Alchemist from Ark No. 11, even got an awakening sequence and was a top-tier performer.
Recalling the memes about him that circulated among the players, I casually tapped the screen to move on to the next character.
As I passed the time like that, I suddenly realized it was one minute to shutdown.
Back in the lobby, I stared blankly at my nickname in the top-left corner.
‘StopTheShutdown’.
。
I'd even changed my long-standing nickname to this in a desperate plea. In the end, it was all for nothing.
As I stared at the name with a bitter heart.
<Connection Failed>>
With that message, the game running on my phone force-quit.
The clock had struck the hour. The game's service was officially over.
Unable to let go, I tried to launch the game again. Of course, it wouldn't connect.
I was just pointlessly tapping at my perfectly functional phone screen when it happened.
A notification for a new email popped up.
Who could that be? Not many people would be sending me an email at this hour.
With that thought, I opened the email without any real expectations. The moment I saw the greeting, my jaw dropped.
-Hello, this is GM Rebecca.
GM Rebecca.
The most familiar GM name to the players, the one who always posted on the official forums.
What are you doing here?
Was someone sending this just to mess with me? But the moment I checked the sender's address, I was speechless.
“Why is this the official address?”
It was the official company email address, the very one I'd been spamming with inquiries ever since the shutdown notice went up. I hurriedly began to read.
-To Captain StopTheShutdown. Thank you for your long-standing love for our game. First, we have carefully read the inquiry you sent.
‘The inquiry you sent.’ Those words made me try to recall what I'd recently sent them. Then, I remembered what I did on the day the shutdown was announced.
Honestly, I wasn't in my right mind when the shutdown notice dropped. I remember being so heated that I fired off an email to the official support address…
What did I even send?
Given my state of mind back then, I couldn't for the life of me remember what I'd rambled on about. I tilted my head in confusion and scrolled down, only to sigh at the next part of the email.
-You inquired about the future direction of the story and whether we have plans for a new title or a sequel. First, we must inform you that due to internal circumstances, we are unable to disclose future story details.
Ah, right. So that's what I asked.
It would've been better if I didn't remember at all. The vague memory is just making me cringe.
No! But you guys are the ones who bailed in the middle of the story! You're the ones at fault here!
As I rationalized to myself, I slowly scrolled down the email. My eyes suddenly stopped on the next line.
-However, for Captain StopTheShutdown, who has shown such immense love for our game, we would like to offer you an opportunity to participate in a story renewal project.
“…What?”
-We are planning a renewal that will allow users to directly intervene in the story, revamping the old system where player involvement was limited.
By installing the attached file, you, Captain, will be able to intervene in this renewed world.
They shut down the game, and now this? Have they finally lost their minds? I wondered, blinking blankly as I slowly examined the attached file.
Wait, for real? This isn't some kind of virus, is it? Are they trying to sell off customer data now that the game is dead?
As the thought crossed my mind, I pressed the button for the file and let out a hollow laugh.
“Well, not that it matters if it is.”
Who cares. My personal information is practically public domain at this point anyway. What's the worst that could happen?
I ignored the warning about an app from an unknown source and tapped the install button. Immediately, a new notification window popped up on my phone.
“…What a strange thing to put so much effort into.”
The notification window was designed to look like a parchment contract, and it contained only a single clause.
<Do you accept Rebecca's invitation?>
Finding it a little novel that there was a signature line instead of an 'Accept' button, I casually scribbled my signature with my finger.
And in the next moment.
I didn't even have time to react.
An incredibly intense light started blasting out of my phone.
“Shit. What the hell is this—”
An ear-splitting roar sounded as a brilliant explosion dyed my vision white, swallowing me whole. And in its midst, I lost consciousness.
And when I opened my eyes.
I was inside the game.
Transmigrated into the body of Lazar, an extra who was treated as nothing more than a background character.
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