episode_0001

Tap tap tap.

【If you choose option 2 while passing the Eternal Ring and the Beads of Truth here, it will lead to the true ending. I hope this guide was helpful.】

CherryBlossomLover: I broke the true ending in one playthrough;;

DragonHornMerchPleaseSoUrgent: Level-max rabbit, this is just unbelievable.. Some can’t even make it past the third playthrough..

DongtanSwordCastleMissyHeart: Every time I see a level-max player, it feels insane..

WhyIsBlackCatExtraLine: Level-max players.. Please, next, provide a guide for Black Cat Clan…

LevelMaxRabbit: ….There’s no route for the Black Cat Clan.

WhyIsBlackCatExtraLine: They say it’s the highest freedom…ㅠㅁㅠ (sobbing)

···

Tadak-tap.

I nodded my head as I saw a user crying while replying to comments on a post.

“That’s a shame.”

Uttering those words, I turned my gaze back to the game screen that had lit up once again.

Exploring the world as if licking it, I had already spent over 22,000 hours playing this game.

“The Day the Flowers Fall”.

The reason I started playing this game was simple.

I received a request!

“What does playing a game have to do with a request?”

Ah, perhaps I didn’t explain it well.

Let me first explain about my profession.

I am a game strategist.

People who like English call it something like “investi” or whatever, but I’m just a game strategist.

How can being a game strategist be a profession..? You might say I’m just a game-loving bum, right?

..But it really is a profession.

Hmm..

For those who don’t believe, let me explain..

It all started when I wrote a strategy guide for a failing RPG game.

To me, who was taking care of younger siblings, studying, and earning money at an orphanage, the game was a whole new world.

Luckily, I received a donated computer, and shocked by the game recommended by the director, I enjoyed that game with all my might.

Playing games after playing with my siblings like crazy and putting knowledge into my head after studying, playing games before going back home after work, and playing games so much that the director said, ‘This isn’t it?’, I eventually started writing game guides.

The reason was.. well,

It must have been after the eighth try failed due to the lack of skills of the few newbies going on a raid together.

I couldn’t stand it when others kept making mistakes and causing failures in the raid, especially since I couldn’t play games for long anyway.

I roughly chose a nickname based on the name written on a doll nearby, wrote a strategy guide, and shouted, “Please read this before going on a raid!”

…

And a few months later, the game became a hit.

I don’t know what exactly people liked, but the influx of players poured in thanks to the 91 strategy guides I posted, leading the game to prosperity.

Thanks to that, the game company donated several more computers to the orphanage, allowing the kids to play games without any worries.

So, did I continue playing that game happily?

…No.

After a while, I quit.

The newcomers who joined were unable to perform tens of times better than the previous newbies.

Why couldn’t they avoid that..?

So, after filling in the numbers and defeating the final boss solo, I quit.

Anyway, various game companies sent me emails after I quit that game.

They all asked me to play their games and write strategy guides.

Excited about unraveling fun games and making money, I stopped working part-time for a while and played games voraciously, writing strategy guides.

Before I knew it, I added my ID to Game Master and was called GM LevelMaxRabbit.

In any case, the reason for telling this long or short story is one.

I received another request.

The game I received a request for is

“The Day the Flowers Fall”.

What kind of game is this

Based on a romance novel.. that

Yes, it’s a female-oriented dating simulation game.

The first thought that crossed my mind when I received this game request was:

“Huh… really?”

Why on earth would someone entrust me with a dating simulation strategy, of all things?

All the games I’ve played before were games that could be cleared as long as one condition was met.

In contrast, for someone like me who hasn’t left their room in seven years, a dating sim?

Except for orphanage family members, I have no close female friends.

And if asked to strategize a male-oriented dating sim, I would have fled with a “Oh, no way…”

But now, the person who requested it must be cursed before I curse them.

Upon seeing the compensation written at the bottom of the email, I changed my mind.

“Hmm, should I give it a try?”

It wasn’t solely because the compensation was quite substantial.

How many zeros are there… No, no

It’s because I’ve never tried this genre before!

It’s about embarking on a new challenge!

And after starting the game, I realized.

This game is a devil disguised as a dating sim.

This game was

Really

Truly

Filthy difficult.

How can a dating sim be this hard?

Reflecting on my past casual attitude towards dating sims where you just click through choices, I felt remorse.

In this game, even one wrong choice leads to people dropping dead like flies, and during battles, a moment of carelessness results in your hard-earned party members being wiped out.

Having underestimated dating sims and tasted their spicy flavor,

I gazed upon the illustration of my character losing light in their eyes after being wiped out by the boss in Act 1, and selected ‘Restart’ from the options of ‘Return’ or ‘Restart.’

My eyes were probably gleaming at that moment.

I got stabbed by a villain due to a wrong choice.

Selected ‘Restart.’

Party members said they were going home for a bit and ended up dead in their hometown.

Selected ‘Restart.’

Found out their favorite food and gifted it, only to realize it was poisoned. Arrested for poisoning and executed.

Selected ‘Restart.’

Took up an adventurer job and formed a party, but fell into a trap and died.

Selected ‘Restart.’

Thinking I could handle it by now, I challenged the boss, only to have my upper and lower body separated in one blow.

Selected ‘Restart.’

I kept selecting ‘Restart.’

Even if I die,

Even if my painstakingly raised party members die,

Even if a beloved character dies,

Even if the boss goes berserk,

I kept restarting until I finally reached the first ending.

【··· And so, they lived happily ever after.】

My character, dressed in pure white, was smiling brightly.

Beautiful and happy.

Both my character and the male lead associated with my character

As I watched them, I slowly moved the mouse and clicked ‘Restart.’

It was not enough.

After posting a walkthrough on the cafe, I clicked ‘Restart.’

3,000 hours passed, my character became an empress. Clicked ‘Restart.’

4,000 hours passed, my character became the queen of the elves. There were no longer any human nations. Clicked ‘Restart.’

5,000 hours passed, my character seduced four men simultaneously, leading to a world war.

As I watched the war between the men who desired my character, I ascended in an unnamed temple.

Clicked ‘Restart.’

6,000 hours passed, I started seducing female characters instead of male characters. Surprisingly, it was possible. Clicked ‘Restart.’

7,000 hours passed, seducing those who couldn’t access the walkthrough led to the world’s destruction. Clicked ‘Restart.’ Sent an email to the developers asking for more playable characters.

8,000 hours passed, all my favorite characters wanted to create a happy world. Clicked ‘Restart.’

10,000 hours passed, despite sending an email to the developers about the lack of freedom, there was no response. However, they added more playable characters. Tried selecting a character other than the protagonist. Clicked ‘Restart.’

15,000 hours passed, uncovered all routes of every playable character. Sent an email to the developers requesting more open-ended happy endings.

Clicked ‘Restart.’

22,000 hours had passed. In the first round, clad in just underwear and armed with a dagger, I cleared all the way to the final boss without getting hit, uploading the video and beaming at the review index that was through the roof. It was a moment of pure joy. However, since causing a scene on the forum was unforgivable, I got a one-week ban. Once my head cooled down, I would naturally feel remorse. I emailed the production team, expressing my dissatisfaction with the lack of freedom.

Tap tap.

And so, today, I sent another email to the production team.

Lack of freedom.

I understand it’s based on the original novel, but I hope the characters who were ultimately unhappy in the novel find happiness.

If possible, I’d appreciate it if you could make the Black Cat Tribe playable too.

Strangely enough, a response always came within seconds to minutes.

Ding!

Look.

The reply was as expected.

[Due to the existence of the original novel, changes are difficult without the author’s permission. We are always grateful for your enjoyment of our game, and we hope for their happy ending…]

Changes are difficult due to the original author.

Please enjoy the happy endings of the original characters.

As usual, I let out a bitter laugh at those words.

The scripts at the end of the main characters’ happy endings were always the same.

[And they lived happily ever after.]

Observing this, I pondered.

…What about the supporting characters?

What about the extras who briefly appeared on the game screen?

Are they not allowed to be happy?

Some might say I’m too immersed in this.

They would argue that the game is meant to be enjoyed as a game and that it reflects the original work well.

Yes, that’s true. I’ve become too engrossed.

I was curious about the stories of the supporting characters within the game that I’ve repeated countless times and the passing extras, hoping for their stories to end happily too.

Emily from the general store.

The Black Cat Tribe in the alley.

Blacksmith Pan.

James from the Knight Academy.

Khan from the Blue Wind Tribe.

Butler Sebastian.

…

In addition to them, the protagonists of the stories I’ve seen and failed to save over 22,000 hours continued to come to mind.

I simply wanted to see them.

To see them living happily even at the end.

Before writing another email for them, I read the last part of the response email from the production team.

[…However, if you wish, we offer you the opportunity to make changes yourself. Would you like to proceed?]

…Opportunity?

What does it mean to be able to change things directly?

Does it imply they will provide a cheat code for direct modifications?

After a brief contemplation, I hovered over and clicked “Yes” beneath the email.

Click.

Yes.

I want to see.

For that, I am willing to use a cheat code at least once.

As I made this resolution, contemplating whether I could even change my favorite character into a heroine, a blinding light erupted from the monitor.

-!!!!!

After some time passed, the room, once filled with light, returned to darkness, leaving only the flickering monitor behind.

…

Let’s think about this.

Did anyone actually anticipate receiving a significant email from the production team and experiencing such an event?

Anyone?

Bang!

….

Seems like no one did now.

Anyway, while someone might have predicted this turn of events, I certainly did not.

How on earth did I get sucked into the game world in just one click??

I denied my reality and reminisced about my original life.

In my early twenties… a gamer… no girlfriend… average looks, average height… huh?

Being transported into a game world… could it be okay?

I gazed at my ‘current’ self in the full-length mirror before me.

Jet-black hair, eyes as dark as coal, yet upon closer inspection, they held galaxies of shimmering light.

Despite my young age, my limbs were well-defined, and my face, sharp but handsome.

And there was even a maid standing beside me, expressionless, attending to my appearance.

Huh… maybe it’s really okay?

No, no, it can’t be…

For a moment, I mentally scolded my momentarily fascinated self and snapped back to reality.

A dark-haired, dark-eyed, sharp and handsome man.

With a maid assisting, likely a nobleman at the very least.

Initially bewildered by the realization that this place was a world within a game, I soon cheered.

It was a different method than I had expected, but now that I can change the story myself.

And thinking about the enemies I have to face for that, I worried for a moment, then soon smiled, assessed myself in the mirror, and straightened my shoulders again.

Who am I really..?

So, I am..

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

I looked pleased in front of the mirror, then shrugged, laughed again, and shrugged once more. Seeing this, the maid asked with concern what I was thinking.

Ha, hahaha..

I looked at the maid and asked, “What’s my name?”

At that question, the maid’s expression turned strange.

Before, it was like ‘No way..’, but now it seemed like ‘Wow..really?’…

Even so, isn’t that expression too much..?

However, the maid quickly composed herself and answered.

“You are Viscount Von Adelheid.”

“..Right.”

Yes, my name is Viscount Von Adelheid.

I’m the idiot who pesters the protagonist in the tutorial of , gets hit, and drops out of the academy.

Ah, this guy is not it..