Soon To Die

This semester was pure hell.

Half the group project members ghosted us. I even dozed off during an exam and had to rewrite the answer sheet.

It’d been a while since I’d felt that kind of panic. After barely surviving the exams and reaching the end of the semester, I finally turned on my computer. I’d been so buried in assignments that I forgot how thrilling the sound of it booting up could be.

Once it fully started, I opened a browser and headed straight to the game’s homepage.

Freesia, the online MMORPG.

I’d been playing it steadily since its open beta five years ago.

Logging into the homepage after a month away felt familiar yet oddly nostalgic. Let’s see how much has changed.

“Is a trash class doomed to be trash forever?” The moment I checked the patch notes, a sigh escaped me at the news of a nerf to my main class, Berserker.

The one skill I relied on had its damage slashed. A class already mocked for its low defense and HP, now getting its main skill nerfed? Isn’t that just cruel? It’s like they’re shoving it into a coffin with no hope of revival. I’d raised it with love, but this was getting ridiculous—maybe it was time to look for a new class.

What class should I pick if I start fresh? Pondering this, I logged in and launched the game.

Freesia’s logo flashed, and when I selected my character, “SoonToDie,” the loading screen appeared.

After a few seconds, my character stood in the vast open world. I’m finally back in the game.

My sanctuary!

Excitedly heading to tackle some overdue quests, I grinned at the ping of an incoming whisper.

[Whisper/Beta > SoonToDie: What’s this?]

[Whisper/Beta > SoonToDie: SoonToDie’s making a comeback??]

[Whisper/SoonToDie > Beta: Yup, back starting today.]

[Whisper/Beta > SoonToDie: Lol, a ton of main quests dropped. You’re in for a grind. Let’s hit a dungeon after!]

[Whisper/SoonToDie > Beta: Ok lol.]

A bunch of new main quests?

I’d only checked the balance patch notes and hadn’t looked into the updates.

Was the story so good I had to dive in right away? Or did they add a dungeon that unlocks after clearing the main quests?

Feeling a spark of excitement, I checked the quest locations and got to work.

The quests were on the easy side. Makes sense—gotta keep things accessible for casual players.

Clearing quests one by one, even breezing through a solo instance dungeon, I froze at a sudden scene, clapping a hand over my mouth.

The story wasn’t just good—it was phenomenal.

A storyline centered on my favorite NPC, Altania? How could anything top a story featuring my ultimate fave?

With her flowing red hair and unmatched skill that earned her the title of allied commander, Altania was unlike other NPCs who just bossed players around.

She supported and cared for players, making her a fan favorite for tons of users, not just me.

When she first appeared, the fan art boards were flooded with her. Sure, she was just a bunch of 0s and 1s, but her presence in the story was breathtaking.

[Whisper/SoonToDie > Beta: Are you kidding me??? Ugh, Altania 😭😭😭😭 It’s the main story?! 😭😭😭😭]

[Whisper/SoonToDie > Beta: Holy crap, this is insane. Did you see? That’s my fave;;;]

[Whisper/Beta > SoonToDie: Lol, finish it, it’s wild. You could go all-in on this 😛]

That good, huh? Beta’s words sent my heart racing as I dove back into the story. Altania’s epic performance throughout the quests brought a warm smile to my face.

I could watch her forever and never get bored. Altania’s the best.

Her green eyes glowed red as she drew a greatsword larger than herself. It was the Berserker’s signature skill, “Frenzy.” This was why I’d stuck with the much-maligned Berserker class—because of her.

I’d been enchanted by how cool she looked using Frenzy and picked the class without a second thought.

As I wiped away tears of awe, the screen suddenly shifted, and a new NPC appeared, holding a gun.

A sinister vibe oozed from his dark mask. This guy’s trouble, isn’t he? Probably set up for a big role later or something.

But why the sudden cutscene when Altania was about to shine?

“Wait, no… It can’t be… right?”

Someone, please tell me this is just a delusion. Tell me I saw it wrong, that it’s all a dream, and shake me awake.

I let go of the keyboard and grabbed the monitor with both hands.

The masked NPC, flashing a vile smirk, loaded his gun and aimed straight at Altania.

A shot rang out, the bullet moving in slow motion. Altania, unaware of the sniper hidden in a blind spot, didn’t see it coming and collapsed as the bullet struck her.

SoonToDie, my character, dropped his weapon in shock and rushed to cradle her.

Altania gave a faint smile before going limp, her life fading away. As SoonToDie wailed, the cutscene ended.

I couldn’t blink. It was like I’d forgotten how to breathe.

My lips trembled, but no words came out, as if I’d lost the ability to speak.

A single tear fell, splashing onto the keyboard. That one tear became a stream, and I cried silently. I loved her so much. I played this game for Altania, and they hit me with this betrayal.

[Shout/SoonToDie: Who wrote this story?]

[Shout/SoonToDie: Whoever wrote this, come out right now!]

[Shout/Angel: Lmao, you saw that? 😂😂😂]

[Shout/Boss: Dude, some people haven’t seen it yet. No spoilers;;]

[Shout/SoonToDie: Shut up, story writer, watch your back at night!]

[Shout/SoonToDie: If you get jumped, you’ll know it’s me, you bastard!]

[Shout/Beta: 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂]

Laughing? You’re laughing right now? Our first love, Altania, is gone, and you’re laughing? You wanna fight?

[Shout/SoonToDie: Laughing? You think this is funny?]

[Shout/YoungYongYang: Stop spoiling;;;]

[Shout/YoungYongYang: There are newbies who haven’t seen it;;]

[Shout/SoonToDie: All you laughing bastards, meet me in the arena!]

[Shout/Beta: Lol, I’m a healer. Fighting in the arena’s a bit much, no?]

[Whisper/Beta > SoonToDie: You actually mad???? I just…]

[Whisper/Beta > SoonToDie: Your reaction was funny…]

[Whisper/SoonToDie > Beta: Ugh… I can’t even talk right now.]

[Whisper/SoonToDie > Beta: How could this happen? How could they do that to Altania?]

“How could they?! Altania! The coolest, most popular Altania! How could they kill my fave so pointlessly? How?!”

I bought every cash item like a sucker! Do they know how much money I’ve poured into this game? I’ve probably funded three of their office buildings! I worked part-time jobs and dumped all my earnings here, eating instant noodles to survive, and this is how they repay me? I slammed my innocent desk and took a deep breath.

Hoo… I tried to calm down with deep breaths, but the rage wouldn’t subside.

How could I stay calm? My favorite character was killed in the most absurd way.

If I were the type to stay calm in a situation like this, I’d have shaved my head and joined a monastery, not stuck around in the real world. Then my phone buzzed with a message.

[Kim Jae-hyung: Knock knock?]

[Kim Jae-hyung: Park Jung-woo?]

[Kim Jae-hyung: Drinks to celebrate the semester’s end?]

[Kim Jae-hyung: The gang’s getting together.]

[🖕]

[Kim Jae-hyung: If you don’t wanna come, just say so. Why the middle finger? 😅]

[Kim Jae-hyung: Total jerk vibe 😅^^]

Drinks?

As if I’m in the mood… Maybe I’d crack open some soju alone at home, but going out to laugh and clink glasses with friends? Not happening.

“Argh… damn it…”

What was that NPC at the end? The gun guy.

Yeah, he’s the problem. If it weren’t for him, Altania would still be out there, her red hair flowing as she dominated the battlefield.

So, the gun guy’s the real villain.

[Whisper/SoonToDie > Beta: Sis.]

[Whisper/Beta > SoonToDie: Yo?]

[Whisper/SoonToDie > Beta: Who’s the gun-shooting bastard?]

[Whisper/Beta > SoonToDie: Oh, that’s the Gunner. New class that just came out.]

Gunner, huh? I quickly opened the homepage and checked the class page.

The word “Gunner” glaring back at me sent my blood pressure soaring.

Know your enemy to win every battle, right? I’d learn everything about this class and take them all down.

I studied every detail, watching skill videos to understand their mechanics.

Even checked the forums, where people were saying the Gunner’s a balance-breaking monster thanks to new-class buffs.

That’s fine. They’ll get nerfed eventually. And no matter how strong their damage is, it’s useless if they can’t hit me.

If I dodge their attacks, their fancy damage means nothing. I scanned their likely movement skills, running mental simulations.

After thoroughly studying the page, I took a deep breath and smirked.

The story’s already out—no changing it. But accepting it quietly? My anger was ready to erupt like a volcano. So what’s the next step?

“Gunners, you’re all dead.”

Call me petty, I don’t care.

Judge me all you want. I can’t forgive the ones who killed my fave.

Since I can’t kill the story’s NPC culprit, I’ll settle for slaughtering every Gunner player I see.

Innocent players who just picked the class for fun? Their crime is choosing the class that killed Altania.

Every Gunner in sight is getting PK’d, no exceptions.

And… it’s about time to move on. I never wanted Altania to die, but the timing feels oddly right. Without hesitation, I clicked the button.

[SoonToDie has left the Myth Guild.]