1 Prologue

[Kai, let's break up!] A woman's voice could be heard from the other side of the phone.

[Sure.] Kai agreed without hesitation and hung up.

As he hung up the phone, he felt a familiar emptiness inside. Another breakup, another failed attempt at finding love. It had become a pattern in his life, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was the problem.

Kai was born into a wealthy family, and money had never been an issue. He was born into a life of luxury, with every material possession one could ever want. But as he grew older, he realized that money couldn't buy him happiness anymore, and it certainly couldn't buy love.

His parents were distant, always focused on increasing their already massive wealth. He was left alone in a sprawling mansion with only an elderly nanny for company. At first, he longed for their attention and affection. He called them every day, hoping to hear their voices and feel their love.

But as time went on, he became numb to their absence. Money had become his sole focus, and he used it to buy his way through life. He had girlfriends, but they were only with him for his wealth. He had friends, but they were only interested in the perks that came with being associated with him.

He longed for love but didn't know how to find it. He lived a fake life, pretending to be someone he wasn't.

After another breakup, Kai found solace in the world of video games and discovered a game called "Twilight Chronicles." It was originally created for female players in mind, but had since attracted a large male audience thanks to its addictive fighting mechanics and endless content. Kai was initially drawn to the game's impressive graphics and fast-paced action, but he soon found himself getting lost in the world-building and character development.

In the game Twilight Chronicles, there were countless playable characters. You could choose to play as a male or female lead.

But one character caught Kai's attention: Caius. He was the only average-looking character among the handsome male leads, and his fighting abilities were weaker compared to the others.

Caius was engaged to a beautiful woman named Adeline, who appeared in every other character's storyline as a villainess, although she was not playable. Caius's gameplay mostly consisted of him trying to court or save Adeline.

Despite all his efforts, Caius didn't receive the love he longed for from Adeline. When she asked for his help in courting one of the male leads, Caius obliged.

"Isn't it natural that you help me, since we are childhood friends?" Adeline asked.

"Yes, of course," Caius replied, his head hanging low.

"You didn't really think that our engagement would work out, did you? You should know that I'm way out of your league," Adeline said, furrowing her brow.

Caius let out a nervous chuckle. "Haha Y-Yeah, I know. You're right."

"Good. Now listen, this is the plan—"

Thudle—

Crack—

"What a simp! No wonder no one wants to play with his character. It's just getting annoying as the gameplay progresses!" Kai yelled as he destroyed yet another computer screen.

"...."

'How many screens does this make?' The maid wondered as she rushed into the room.

"Bring me another computer!" Kai demanded.

"Right away, sir," the maid replied, bowing slightly before hurrying out of the room, unfazed by Kai's outburst.

Few years later~

Kai had been playing Twilight Chronicles for years, and thought he knew everything there was to know about the game.

[Defeat The Final Boss: Arcturos!]

But as he faced the final boss, a giant serpent named Arcturos, he realized he had been wrong. This wasn't just a dating sim game with a few RPG elements - it was something else entirely.

The fight was intense, with Arcturos unleashing waves of dark energy that threatened to consume everything. Kai had to use all his skills and the best equipment he had acquired over the years to survive. 

Finally, after what felt like hours of fighting, he emerged victorious.

As Kai caught his breath, he couldn't help but wonder why a game marketed towards women would have such an epic boss battle. The confusion was interrupted by a message that appeared on his screen:

[Congratulations! You have defeated the final boss, Arcturos, and saved the world from eternal darkness!]

He started to wonder why Arcturos was even in the game. Was there more to the story than he had realized? He dug into the game's lore and discovered a hidden realm called the Shadow Plane, where a group of people known as the Eclipse Cultists were planning to bring about the Nightfall - a permanent darkness that would engulf the world. Arcturos was the key to their plan, and Kai had just saved the world from their twisted machinations.

He sat there in disbelief for a few seconds as even after playing for years he was not able to save that villainess Adeline, and the end of Caius's gameplay's ending was an unusual boss fight unlike other characters where their gameplay ends with them marrying the male or female leads.

Trying to process what had just happened, Kai muttered, "I can't believe I actually did it. But how did a dating sim game turn into a battle against the forces of darkness?"

As he looked at the game's map, he was shocked to see that most of the continent had been destroyed by the Nightfall. The previously vibrant Starlight Academy, which was the starting point of the game, was now dark and ominous.

Browsing the Twilight Chronicles community, Kai saw that other players were frantically posting about losing their game data, with some blaming a mysterious black serpent that had appeared out of nowhere. However, to his surprise, there were no reports of any successful battles against the seemingly invincible Arcturos.

Even top-ranked players were conceding that his high magical resistance and ability to absorb and release magic made him impossible to defeat. Some suspected it was a bug in the game.

But luck was on Kai's side. He had used a massive amount of money and focused on learning an exceptionally rare weapon skill instead of raising Caius's magic attack power. This made him the only player in the game who could deal significant physical damage to Arcturos.

"It looks like I'm the only one who has killed it," Kai said to himself with a sense of pride and accomplishment. "I've spent years mastering every skill and tactic available to Caius, and now, I've finally overcome what seemed to be the game's ultimate challenge."

'So, money can indeed buy happiness huh,' He chuckled as he thought inwardly.

But just as he was about to bask in his glory, the world began to warp and twist around him. He was being pulled in all directions, and a warning message appeared on his screen:

[Game malfunction detected. Inquire with support team for further assistance.]

"W-What the hell is going on?" Kai frantically tried to turn off his screen, but it was no use.

As the world faded to black, a strange voice echoed in his mind:

[You have proven yourself worthy, adventurer. You are the only one who can save this world.]

"Save the world? What is this voice talking about?" Kai asked himself.

[But beware, the true enemy lies ahead. The fate of the entire realm rests in your hands.]

With those cryptic words, Kai's consciousness faded away, leaving him with more questions than answers.

***