Back to where it all started...

{I am rotten water}

Fate online , a virtual reality game that appeared 15 years ago.I fell in love with this this game as though possessed , and devoted my whole life to it.

-15 years later

(Hey...

Hey , Lee Eojin-Ee~

Why are you going for the strengthening?What are you up to now?)

"F*ck , this damned loan shark , are you keeping an eye out even in the game?"Lee Eojin thought angrily."Where does even someone earn profits with principals set this high?You have to wait for a life changing chance!"

(N-Now wait a minute.... Don't choose rashly and stay calm.)

Please...Please just once....Show us hope....

[Due to the fact that there have been no more new players to replace us , all the old players filling up the user base are called 'THE DECEASED'.]

[I am 'ROTTEN WATER' who continued playing for fifteen years since I had no other game to stagnate in.]

"All that there is left to do is to make the strengthening successful!"

[ It was fine at first.I had no idea that I would play this game for 15 years.I have been squadron leader , guild master and castle lord.The taxes that I had collected from the castle were enough to make a living.However...]

"Grade 7! Even if it's Just of grade 7 , it should be enough to cover the principal."

[The lifestyle of this gaming addict will finally come to an end!]

{Strengthened sword +1' has been generated.}

[I already have a great feeling about this.But a coward wouldn't be able to touched the strengthening core!]

{The strengthening was successful.Strengthening sword +2 has been generated.}

The strengthening was successful.Strengthening sword +3 has been generated.}

"Nice...go on..go on." Lee Eojin said in excitement while putting the next core.

{The strengthening was successful.Strengthening sword +4 has been generated.}

"Not yet , let's ramp it up some more!"Lee Eojin said while quickly putting the next core happily.

{The strengthening was successful.Strengthening sword +5 has been generated.}

"Very nice that's not bad at all!"Lee Eojin said.

(Oho , Lee Eojin . You seem to be up on your luck today?)

[I probably came straight to the 5th strengthening level since I supplied the refinement stone directly.The gamble till now was half the momentum! From here on its the real deal!]

"GOD ,

JESUS.

BUDDHA,

THE JADE EMPEROR,

ODIN,

ALLAH,

MOHAMMAD,

ZEUS,

OBELISH,

TURBANED,

ZARATHUSTRA,

MARIA,

SEALED EXODIA'S,

LEFT ARM,

RIGHT ARM,

HEAD,

SHOULDER,

FEET!

Please lend me your strength!"Lee Eojin nervously said.

"Gooooooooo"Lee Eojin said while putting in the next core with his shaking hands.

{The strengthening was successful.Strengthening sword +6 has been generated.}

"Yes , today really is something else!Now all that's left is for the strengthening to succeed!"Lee Eojin energetically said while putting in the next core.

{The strengthening was successful.Strengthening sword +7 has been generated.}

"Hell yeah!"Lee Eojin said while jumping happily.

[I don't have to be scared of that loan shark anymore.Don't I already have the principal amount to repay now?]Lee Eojin thought .

(????)

"It's a fresh start..."Lee Eojin said while crying happily.

[A weapon that has survived until the start of contracts...the strengthened sword.With this i could make even more money by hunting top grade monsters.Is it really necessary to pay off the debt right now?If i sell this blade what will be left of me?Come on , what can you possibly do empty handed?I am thirty five and i am just a game addict.Just once more , just one more time?The price difference between 7th and 8th grade is huge right?Mine was a ruined life to begin with.What's the point of a fresh start with nothing left over?It's a life without any family ,friends or a lover.If it's successful with the principal.....i can surely buy an apartment...]Lee Eojin said with greediness.

(OI,Lee Eojin!Have some restraint!Are you still sane...)

"Great , goooo"Lee Eoji said while quickly putting the strengthening core inside the sword.

{The strengthening was successful.Strengthening sword +8 has been generated.}

"Aah,success!GOD,so you do exist!"Lee Eoji said with a sense of accomplishment.

(Just what kind of day is today)

"Just what kind is it..."Lee Eojn said crying happily.

"GO"Lee Eojin said while putting the core in with his shaking hands.

(Hey you are you crazy?)

"I have already told you this is my chance to change my life!"Lee Eojin said angrily.

(Stop you crazy bastard!What if you lose it all?)

"A +9 grade...It's chances are probably slim!A0.00000012% chance!But if i can cross that threshold,i will have that's nowhere on the level of +8 strengthening !A luxurious apartment in gangnam!Recovering all my relationships with people whom i have drifted apart from!Some of my earliest and most dazzling years of my life,days better than even those could now come.A legendary +9 weapon created with my own hands.It ill be special, because i am special because today it is 'do or die' "Lee Eojin said with greediness.

{BZZT}

{The strengthening has failed.The strengthened sword +8 has been destroyed.}

".......HUH?Why is the +9 grade weapon not in my hands?Wasn't today supposed to be the day i could achieve anything"Lee Eojin said nervously.

(...OI , Lee Eojin-ee you are going in...which one will you go into?Into a half-body barrel cement or into a vat to be ground into chicken feed? )

"F*ck , even if i had stopped after the 7th strengthening i'd have had a new life!Even if i had stopped after the 8th strengthening,i'd have gotten an apartment!What on earth was wrong with me?If i had stopped,i could have lived as a decent person from now on....No , that's not right.I shouldn't hve begun the strengthening at all.I shouln't have ever taken loans.I should have never started playing this game.I wouldn't live my life like this if i could go back to 15 years ago....But now it's too late.as one of the 'DECEASED' all could do is rot away."Lee Eojin said while crying sadly.

"...What?I feel dizzy,,,is it stress from hypertension?Lee Eojin said while falling down on the floor.

Suddenly...

"W-What?...Where am I ?"Lee Eojin said to himself.

"AH, you have woken up Lee Eojin-ssi,i was worried..."Doctor said to Lee Eojin.

"...EH?"Lee Eojin said,

"Do you recall?You just applied for the new casual experience team recruitment,but you experienced a seizure while testing the open beta version and had to be brought to this hospital."Doctor said to Lee Eojin.

"Casual experience team?Open beta?What does this mean?It's a very familiar scene..."Lee Eojin thought.

"As an apology,the management will provide you a new capsule as well as a small sum of condolence money.The faulty capsule was immediately discarded after use.Of course, we hope that this is kept confidential to outsiders by all means..."A man in black suit and trousers said to Lee Eojin.

"Is it deja-vu?A sense of reality was slowly returning.Has it been only 15 minutes since i laid down inside the capsule.And i was fully conscious.Someone without family or friends, simply thrown into a society....NO WAY...HAVE I GONE BACK TO PAST?"Lee Eojin who was shocked said to himself.