episode_0001

South Korea’s orphan, twenty-five-year-old Kim Min-seong, a part-timer’s paradise.

You could say that this is the modifier that describes me.

Of course, there was another word that described me in the Internet world.

‘The rotten waters of the ‘simulation doom’, a crazy game that is so fucked up.’

Yeah, that’s me, the Rotten Water of Rotten Water from the simulation game called Doom, which has a name that smells like rot.

To put it simply, it is a very ordinary game with only one setting: choose the position of the crown prince or crown princess and date a saint or saintess to save the world.

But there’s another reason why I’m called rotten water in this game.

That means I’m the only one who found the happy ending route in this crazy game where going here leads to a bad ending and going there leads to a ruined ending.

“Today was fun too.”

Honestly, this game is the only light that shines in this crazy daily life where I don’t know how to live.

I played the game so much that I had memorized all the lines and situations, but that was okay.

There were so many routes that it felt overwhelming, and finding a happy ending on any of them was more enjoyable than I thought.

It is certain that no one who played this game would have ever thought that each of these small elements would affect the ending.

So what are those factors? Well, first of all, I’m so tired that I go to sleep and wake up.

Let’s find out then.

***

“Hey, you little brat! What time is it and you still ain’t up?! All the crops are gonna dry up and shrivel up!”

“Ugh… !”

I was startled by the sudden shout that hit my ear and I sat up in my seat.

What the heck, who is that?! Who was yelling?!

Also, are you still acting like a regular soldier after losing a game, knowing full well that the crazy guy next door has a really bad soundproofing system?

slap!

As I was trying to figure out the situation, a woman who looked older than me approached me and started hitting my back hard.

It hurts so much, like a heartbeat…?!

“Who, who, who are you…! Who are you to say this…!”

“Who are you, who are you! Your mother!”

What is it?

What kind of nonsense are you saying to me, an orphan who has no mother?

“Oh, oh. I guess I was dreaming because I was so tired last night. After working 12 hours, playing a game for 4 hours, and then sleeping was crazy… ”

slap!

“Kkwah!”

No, but this hurts too much to be a dream?!

“If you don’t come to your senses quickly, I’ll take away your food, so know that!”

I was blankly staring at the back of a middle-aged woman who was grumbling and getting angry and leaving, and only then did I come to my senses and look around.

“… Where is this place?”

The place I slept was a small, cheap, semi-basement studio that had absolutely no soundproofing and had mold growing on the walls.

And what is this rag-like thing?

Is this a bed?

It looks like it would hurt my back more than the cheap bed in the studio…

“Oh, it’s surprisingly soft… ?”

This is a SiXs bed that surprises people with its unexpected softness…!

Unwavering comfort… that’s not the issue.

The bed was okay, and the walls looked like they were from a pretty old house, but it was at least much more comfortable than the studio I was living in, and it felt like a place that had been touched by human hands.

“Theo, if you don’t come out soon, your mom will be really angry?”

And then, through the crack in the door that the middle-aged woman who called herself mother had left behind, a low but very cheerful voice was heard.

“Hey, over there… Hey… !”

“Huh? Hey, you say? Even if he’s a shameless guy, isn’t it a bit much to say “hey, hey” to your father?”

Squeak-

The man who opened the old door and came in had a very ordinary-looking expression, just like the middle-aged woman earlier.

Black hair, black eyes, and comfortable clothes that make anyone who sees him say he’s a farmer.

“Uh, that father…? Father…?”

“Suddenly, you’re calling me dad, or father. Are you crazy? Did you have a strange dream?”

Dream? Which one?

The boring reality I’ve been living in? Or this one?

“Anyway, come out and eat. I have to eat and then go to work.”

Before I could fully grasp the situation, I was led to the dining table by my father, and there was a rather sumptuous breakfast laid out for me.

It had been a long time since I had eaten breakfast prepared by someone, so I ate my rice in a hurry, thinking that even if it was a dream, I should at least eat and wake up…

“You little punk! Don’t work harder today! If you do that, the rice will all die. What?! Didn’t your dad teach you?!”

slap!

“Ouch! It hurts… !”

Whether this is a dream or reality, understanding the situation and all.

Without even being able to escape from the work that started as soon as we finished eating, we ended up spending half the day doing farm work until lunchtime without any harvest.

Shit… is this give and take?

If you receive something, then you must also give something back… .

Okay, I’ll definitely run away without eating lunch.

***

It was lunchtime and everyone was going to go eat.

I too was so hungry that I thought I would pass out, but I ran to the hill near my house to figure out the situation.

Well, from what I’ve heard from his parents, it seems like Theo wasn’t a very honest guy to begin with.

It’s also because I thought I wouldn’t get in big trouble for doing something like this.

So, after wandering around the village to get some general information, I was able to find out a few facts.

First of all, this is not a dream.

I tried to wake up from my dream by jumping into a nearby stream and rolling down a hill, but instead of waking up, I just felt sick.

… In fact, the heart touch I felt since morning was so vivid that I should have guessed that it wasn’t a dream even without doing this.

It seems that it is true that if you have a bad head, your body will suffer.

Anyway, the next thing I found out was that the clothes people were wearing and the architectural style of the houses they lived in were so similar to the South Korea I used to live in that I thought it was some kind of rural area in South Korea, but that wasn’t the case.

I picked up a newspaper that had been lying on the bench and read it. It said something about an empire and a holy empire.

It’s just like the world in the novels or games I used to see in Korea.

“… .”

And the biggest problem is…

“Fuck, why the hell does it have to be destruction?”

This is a world of simulated destruction, even if you roll forward and backward.

Empire? Holy Empire? Yeah, I guess those are settings that can be found in any game.

However, it doesn’t make sense that the name of the empire and the name of the Holy Empire’s saints are all the same in other games or novels.

And usually, if you’re going to do a favor, it’s common to do it with the person you know best, right?

Besides, even if it’s a novel or game that I know well, it’s nothing but a simulation of destruction.

So, it’s a good idea to give advice here.

Who am I anyway?

“Isn’t that rotten water?”

Rotten water of rotten water.

Complete all endings.

A person who knows all the elements that lead to a happy ending.

Are you going to bring destruction to me like that?

Oh, it actually gets better.

But the reason I am so desperate is this one thing.

… So who am I… .

“No, if you’re going to do a possession, shouldn’t you have one of the main characters be possessed?!”

All the lines, events, and endings that I know from the beginning!

It’s all done from the main character’s point of view!

If they aren’t the main characters, aren’t they just useless?

Oh, is that really it?

Is there a hidden truth protagonist or something like that?!

Right, is that so?!

So there was something like that that even I, a person who chews, didn’t know about?!

Tiring!

[ The Iceman has figured out his situation! ]

[ Awaken the status window! ]

Wow, shit!

Look at that amazing thing! Huh?!

Look at the timing of awakening as soon as I say I’m the real main character! Huh?!

Yeah, this is what I wanted!

[ Status window awakening completed! ]

[ Would you like to load it? ]

“Okay! Yes! Show me right now!”

[ Activate the status window! ]

Okay, then let’s go and take a look.

The real protagonist’s cool status window!

[ Status Window ]

Name: Theo (Kim Min-seong)

Age: 20 years old

Occupation: Villager

… ? Wait, something seems wrong?

Huh? Yes? No? Something’s wrong?

[ Additional loading begins because some parts are missing. ]

“Ah, as expected!”

Phew… There’s no way a villager like me would give you something with no stats in the status window.

Me? Huh? A possessed person, a possessed person!

The original Iceborne players just get stat boosts!

The status screen is cool and what?! I’m getting that kind of thing!

[ Loading of missing parts has been completed . ]

[ Reactivates the status window . ]

[ Status Window ]

Name: Theo (Kim Min-seong)

Age: 20 years old

Occupation: Villager

Title: Ugly Son

…? No, so what has changed?