252. return (2)
‘Are there any problems with vital signs?’
‘yes. No problem. It’s in good condition.’
‘Is there any concern about side effects from exposure to soul energy?’
‘It seems to be filtered and there is no problem. I don’t see any abnormal signs.’
‘okay. I’ll wait until he wakes up.’
I’m a little distracted by the buzzing sound.
It’s as if something in my head has woken up from a long sleep.
beep… … .
Beep… … .
beep… … .
Quite a familiar ECG sound.
‘what? Why does it sound so close?’
When I come to my senses, I realize that this ominous sound that I hear only in an intensive care unit is coming from me.
“Here… … ?”
I open my eyes with difficulty. no my eyes are open Because I couldn’t get enough without opening my eyes. Where the hell is this place, and what is this strange feeling that surrounds me?
“Woke up. Aren… … no Suspension.”
“?”
When I open my eyes, there are many people looking down at me.
The sight still hasn’t returned properly, leaving a blurry afterimage, but it was clear that it wasn’t just one person.
It was a scene you would often see in a medical drama. And circumstance… … .
“… … Is my name Hyeonsu?”
“That’s right. What a strange thing. You can’t remember your name even though you’ve returned to reality.”
“Maybe it’s also an influence?”
“… … It’s probably the only possibility. Let me rest for now.”
“yes.”
These people were very good at talking about things I couldn’t understand. No, was it a ‘person’ in the first place?
The blurred vision became clearer.
The unfamiliar ceiling caught my eye first.
‘Is it strange to say that it’s unfamiliar?’
Having lived in another world for two and a half years, the ceiling of a modern building feels awkward to me now. The lights were too bright. Unlike the soft lighting of the Magic Stone, it was dazzling.
“How are you feeling?”
A woman dressed as a researcher raised her glasses and asked.
“I do not know.”
Anyway, judging from the information I have obtained so far, it seems that I have returned to reality.
There were no surprises about meeting an unknown ‘god’ or meeting an unknown alien. Rather, I should say that I am fortunate.
At least you can hope that the words will work. In fact, they were quite friendly to me. At least so far.
“Ugh.”
I struggled to get myself up. but it didn’t happen
I don’t know how much time has passed in reality, but I must have been lying down for quite some time, judging from the fact that my body didn’t have any strength.
When I tried to get up while supporting my wobbly arms, the place I was lying on automatically moved and raised my upper body.
“Lie down. You will be powerless.”
“Oh, thank you.”
of modern civilization.
It feels like a long time ago. Magic was also amazing, but I realized once again that sufficiently developed science and technology are not very different from magic.
When I got up, I realized something strange. It wasn’t a hospital where I woke up.
The place he was lying on was not a cold hospital bed.
“This… … .”
I was still asleep in something similar to a sleeping device, like something you would see in a sci-fi movie set in the future. Looking around, a large glass cover was open like a lid.
On my left arm were four hose tubes leading to glass tubes. Each contained an unknown liquid of gold, silver, red, and blue.
It’s a color combination you’ve never seen before. However, why is this connected to my body?
“You don’t remember anything from looking at this?”
“… … Yes.”
I really don’t remember anything.
I clearly remember that I am a 21st century modern man, but nothing else comes to mind. It felt like all the most important information had been deleted.
“This device is a soul connection device. It is a machine that extracts the soul and sends it to the virtual world.”
“then… … Has it been developed?”
I felt that the science and technology of modern civilization is amazing. When did you get this far? Have I been lying down longer than I thought?
“This is a device developed by Hyeonsu. Don’t you remember?”
“… … Yes?”
The pain felt like being hit in the back of the head with a hammer.
* * *
“… … Siana. stop it.”
Hoya stopped Siana with a devastated face. However, Siana was unmoved.
She was sniffling and using her mana to the limit. Blood flowed from his eyes and mouth.
“stop it! Then you will die too!!”
Ackerman also discouraged Cyana.
From his point of view, the magic Cyana was currently casting seemed quite dangerous. Also, since I could clearly see how much Siana was pouring out her mana, I had no choice but to stop her.
If left as it is, even Amon Siana would die.
Cain was silent. She hugged the fainting bell and stared silently at Syana’s magic.
Aren was floating in the air thanks to Siana’s magical power, and all kinds of unrecognizable magic circles were piled up in layers around Aren’s body.
It was a strange sight. Magic never seen before.
There is no one in the world who can properly explain that. It was such a strange magic.
However, based on Cain’s keen insight, he was able to roughly guess what kind of ‘phenomenon’ was happening.
‘I’m stopping time… … .’
I wasn’t sure.
That’s just how Cain sees it. Only the space around Aren was cut off from the world, and time seemed to stand still.
I don’t know what it was, but it seemed like Cyana was using tremendous magic to save Aren.
Cain held his breath as he cheered for Siana’s struggle to the death. For now, we can only hope for Siana’s success by uniting in one mind.
“Siana, you are really dangerous!”
“Stop it, don’t do it… … ! dead people can’t live Then you die too!”
“Everyone, don’t interrupt.”
Cain stopped them. The only thing Cain can do is help Cyana focus.
Cain laid Belle on the floor and pulled Ackerman and Hoya by the ears.
She was also badly wounded, but she didn’t care. That wound, because nothing hurts more than losing Aren.
“Aww.”
“Hey, why are you like this? Cyana is in danger!”
“You fools. What do you guys think of Siana?”
It is true that she uses her magic to the extent that it is dangerous even for Shiana. However, Siana’s eyes were shining more intensely than ever.
Shiana’s eyes, shining like ruby jewels, were filled with a certain inexplicable certainty.
The genius magical girl, Shiana, must have a purpose for what she is doing. Although they are rivals, Cain values Siana more highly than anyone else.
“When it’s time to dry Siana, take care of the saintess. That’s what helps.”
It is undeniable that the more Cyana uses her magic, the more her life force is consumed. If Bell could assist her from behind, at least it would be much easier than now.
“hurry.”
“Uh, uh… … .”
Sending Ackerman and Hoya to Belle, Cain gently placed his hand on Cyana’s shoulder.
“I’m weak, but I want to help.”
Cain closed his eyes and carefully began to transmit his magic to Siana. I wanted to help somehow.
Even if it was the blood of a bird’s feet, if it was to save Aren, Cain thought that his own life was worth it.
Cain put his precious heart into the great magic that twists time, adding a handful of magic power.
Aren’s time was still standing still.
* * *
“… … So. Am I still in a vegetative state?”
I asked, removing the oxygen respirator.
It was difficult to breathe because of the series of shocking facts, but he finally regained his composure.
“yes. That’s right. It was a big accident. Your legs won’t move, right?”
“Yes.”
I shifted my gaze and stared at the skeletal leg. In reality, I was crippled.
“I hear too much about it, so the side effects could be great. Would you like to hear more?”
It was confusing.
Now I was no different from a dead person.
A vegetative human with only consciousness attached.
I was even told that it would be difficult to maintain consciousness unless the blue drug of the soul connection device was continuously administered.
The question started with ‘Why am I in this device?’
– Mr. Hyeonsu. it was what you wanted
The researcher wearing glasses gave an explanation. Keeping an eye on my vital signs so I don’t get shocked as much as possible.
Well, every time I heard the truth, it strained my heart.
My name is Hyunsoo Kim. Original age is 32 years old in modern time. It is said that he was the chief developer of ‘Warriors Company’ here.
I was scouted by this game development company in recognition of my genius, and I have been making games in charge of development of the virtual reality game ‘Warriors Kingdom’.
… … Yes.
The memory of being a deceased person, which I thought I had cleared countless times, was fabricated.
In fact, ＜Warriors Kingdom＞ had not even been released yet, and it was said that only the final test progress was left.
But one day I got into a big accident… … It is said that it was like a corpse that could never wake up.
When the doctors ordered everyone to give up, my colleagues tried an unverified ‘soul connection’ to somehow save me.
―That’s how I was able to barely try to talk.
―Hyeon-soo, you could only maintain your sanity with this connection device.
―Mr. Hyeon-soo, who devoted everything to game development, decided to become a game tester himself. at your own risk.
―The first project that went on like that was ‘Return’.
It is said that I have already conducted a game test.
That is to enter the game as a ‘regressor’.
Through a total of five regressions, the last time I caught various bugs and insufficient stories in the game, and checked the stability and risk of the connection device.
-When returning… … . There were no problems with the return process, and even after returning, my memory was fine.
―There were a lot of problems with this ‘possession’.
In order to ensure immersion and verify the story, it is said that they entered the game with minimal memory manipulation.
The point of being a modern person and the deceased person of this game. Everything else that was unnecessary was erased.
Even things like wanting to go back and trying to remember names were subject to deletion. It really couldn’t have been more surprising.
As a developer, I was an incredibly toxic guy.
―Unlike before, several variable elements were inserted. Such as changing the gender of an existing character or adding a character that did not appear.
―It was in the same context that Hyeon-soo created the character ‘Arren Blackfire’ that he possessed. It was Hyunsoo’s idea. There were a lot of interesting settings.
―That seems to be the problem. There were too many variables. Create new characters, form new relationships… … . Hmm.
―In addition, possessing a person with the concept of a demon worshiper, there were many risk factors. To eat the souls of the great demons… … .
―It was out of the range of predictions. It’s going down a really dangerous path.
Now, I can understand the elements that were odd one by one.
A character called ‘Argon’ that hadn’t been seen before, or ‘Hilda’ who appeared as a woman. All the settings in the game that have changed are for this reason.
The more I talked, the more I remembered the darkening of the faces of those who were my colleagues.
―I think the biggest cause is ‘possession’.
-yes?
―Return started from the beginning if you took the wrong route, but possession was different. Simply put, the ‘relationship’ has not been reset.
―In other words, the assimilation has gone too far. It is often referred to as overindulgence.
―The influence of the people around me was too great. As the bond deepened, overindulgence became serious.
Certainly, my thoughts have changed over time.
He gave affection to and interest in Siana, whom he considered only a character in the game. The degree to which I value all the people around me has become stronger. Enough to risk my life in the end.
―Since the assimilation got too bad, the ‘trigger’ didn’t work either.
―Ah, a trigger is a device that brings back some memories of reality. this is your idea It was a countermeasure to break the over-immersion right away in the event of too much assimilation.
―The elf’s prophecy and Necrotula volume 2 were the triggers.
-But how was it? You had only a little doubt. There was no memory coming back with a headache.
It is from here that the problem has become serious.
My fairytale got too bad, I tried to wake him up. that nothing worked.
―Rather, I doubted the system and regarded it as an enemy.
―It was impossible to comment directly because of the rules you made.
―So I had no choice but to use ambiguous words such as story damage rate or fate destruction.
―It was because of your insistence on thorough immersion.
Showing him the prophecy should have brought some of his memory back. I should have known that I’m actually a game tester, and I have to go back.
When that became impossible, it was inevitable that it would become more and more twisted.
―I put the devil’s egg in a hurry. He also changed his face to Hyeonsu’s.
―Oh, no way.
– Do you understand now? The devil’s face, it’s your face.
A face that is often seen… … . For some reason, the demon lord’s face seemed familiar, so I guess that was the reason.
Unlike the game, the demon king was born in a human form for a reason.
―The Demon King was a device to bring Hyeonsu back.
-no wonder… … .
―Since the access point was the academy dormitory, the place to open the return gate should also have been the academy.
He had no intention of killing me openly, and that’s why he forced himself to open the gate to the academy.
“The state of being possessed was the problem.”
“yes. But in the end, it must be fortunate that he committed suicide and returned.”
After reminiscing, he opened his mouth again.
The beeping and beeping was still there, and the blue drug was constantly flowing into me.
“What are all the other drugs?”
He asked, pointing to the gold, silver, and red drugs. All I knew was that the blue drug was my mental maintenance drug.
“Silver is the drug used during regression.”
“Originally, it was purple, but after using it up, it turned silver.”
“Then, the rest… … .”
“yes. It is a drug used for possession and reincarnation. Currently, Hyeonsu’s body is injected with red color. Now, if you extract the drug, the ‘possession’ test is completely over. If you pull this out, it will turn silver.”
“The gold color is for reincarnation, the final test.”
… … The color is somehow familiar. However, there was no time to focus on such things right now.
“then. What will happen now?”
He turned his head and asked.
“Hyeonsu. We’ll have to stop testing until your memories return. It will take some time for the fairy tale to unfold.”
“If necessary, I will arrange for you to consult a psychiatrist as well. It will still be very unfamiliar. The assimilation still looks serious.”
The two laughed and said. Don’t worry.
“no.”
It didn’t matter to me.
“Those guys.”
“If it’s those guys… … ? Protagonist and heroine?”
“yes.”
“haha. I’m just saying this now, I didn’t know that Hyun-soo would capture the hearts of all the heroines! I haven’t seen Hyeon-soo like that~ He’s always immersed in game development, so he doesn’t think women are interested.”
The female researcher joked playfully, but the male researcher’s expression was particularly serious.
“The game world, are you talking about it?”
Anxiety filled his face. The feelings he feels are probably right.
“Oh, hmmm. Since the ending is over, that world must be closed. Because it is a virtual world that has already been created, there is nothing to disappear. We just continue to live in the virtual world. It’s just that the access aisle is closed. Data deletion is also impossible. It is truly an independent world that has been created. There’s nothing to be sad about. It must be a temporary emotion that you feel because of fairy tales.”
The female researcher wiped her glasses and said it was not a big deal.
The male researcher’s expression was serious, unlike hers.
“you… … . no way.”
At his words, tears ran down my cheeks. like a trigger.
I’ve been holding back for a while, but I couldn’t stand the surge of emotions.
therefore.
what does that mean
A fairy tale or something, it was just a story that doesn’t touch me now.
Only one thought comes to mind.
“I want to go back.”