The sharp, blazing sunlight stung my skin.
The wind that blew by wasn’t stuffy at all; instead, thanks to the surrounding flora and thick trees, it carried the crisp taste of clean air.
A ruined city center.
Trees forced their way between buildings, a testament to the relentless strength of nature.
Small patches of grass and plants squeezed through cracks in the asphalt, growing steadily until they finally broke through the road—a surface far harder than themselves—to emerge above the ground.
It was a scene that symbolized the end of the world, yet it had become a world reclaimed by nature.
“Munch, munch.”
I was walking alone, eating a hamburger.
Why a hamburger all of a sudden? If anyone were wondering about that...
Wow, I never thought I’d run into a situation like this in my life.
I was a shut-in gamer and an unemployed bum, but I’d always enjoyed subculture tropes and parody fanfics full of wild fantasies. Perhaps that was why I was able to adapt to this situation so quickly.
Now, about a day and six hours after I’d fallen into this place, I realized I possessed a “special power.”
“I can’t believe the stuff I’d been hoarding while raising Eunwol would actually come in handy.”
There is a game called Maple Leaf Story.
Once, it was a game everyone played for the sake of “adventure.”
Once, it was so famous that it became a cornerstone of its era.
It was the game that came to mind whenever you saw a maple leaf, the gold standard for modern fantasy adventures.
But now, it was a tragic, fallen game—ruined by bugs, embezzlement by the developers, and game-money inflation caused by the tyranny of greedy "rice-bugs."
“But seriously, this is delicious. I’m on my third one and I still don’t get sick of it.”
The old-school charm had been thrown out the window. Maple Leaf Story had become a game where only absurd damage and top-tier specs survived.
It had turned into a game where everything was judged by cash spending—also known as investment—and the sheer efficiency of character growth.
I had invested a whopping 3 million won into that game to squeeze out 10 million won’s worth of efficiency, and I had picked my three favorite characters to max out.
And among those three, I had a "bus shuttle" character—the kind you fully build just to carry newbies as a gimmick.
I had every single item belonging to that character, Eunwol.
Of course—
“This actually works.”
I could even use actual skills.
Six hours earlier.
I had found a pair of knuckles just as I was about to move from the rooftop of an abandoned building.
After discovering the [Appsolabs Knuckle], I went through several checks.
What if I imagine it, or think of an inventory? Would it appear?
Feeling the heavy weight of the knuckles in my hand, I recalled the kind of settings you'd find in a parody novel.
Then, an "inventory window"—the kind mentioned in webtoons and parodies—appeared. I soon realized its structure was identical to the inventory system in Maple Leaf Story.
Oddly enough, the only equipment I had were the [Appsolabs Knuckle] and the Cloak of Gentleness. Everything else consisted of potions, consumables, and food items I’d bought and stored for the sake of the character's concept.
“No other items or cash items... and the only equipment is the [Appsolabs Knuckle] and the Cloak of Gentleness? Sigh... the only unusual thing is...”
Ting.
“...This is gold, right? Crunch. Hmm... it feels like gold...”
I was in a situation where I had one set of gear and a mountain of consumables.
When I tapped the "meso" amount, neatly displayed as "1,000,000,000," the number dropped by about 50,000, and a money pouch engraved with a maple leaf appeared.
It wasn't paper money, but a pouch filled with gold coins.
When I bit into one, a clear tooth mark was left on the maple-engraved coin, though I still couldn't be entirely sure if the metal was genuine gold.
Only after sorting through my belongings did I begin to process my situation and how I was supposed to survive.
For now, I figured I either had to find a way out of here or make this area my base. With that in mind, I began a slow exploration of the surroundings.
“Hm? What’s that?”
While wandering for six hours and filling my stomach with hamburgers, I spotted something between the abandoned buildings.
Perhaps it was because I’d served in the infantry and reconnaissance during my military service, but that old knowledge was finally paying off.
I approached carefully, scanning for any dangerous elements in the vicinity.
But—
“...What is this...”
“...Wait, I feel like I've seen this somewhere before.”
As I got closer, the bizarre yet strangely familiar design revealed itself to be a machine.
It had spider-like legs, a smooth surface, and a cold, metallic touch. The center, which had lost all its light, bore marks that looked as if it had been sliced through by something.
“It looks like the machines from Terminator... no, I definitely remember seeing this somewhere.”
It was motionless, looking as though it had been abandoned for years.
Seeing this robot-like thing, covered in moss with joints rusted to the point of collapse, I couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity.
I looked around for other clues, but found nothing. Feeling an instinctive sense of dread, I quickly left the area.
“Why do I feel so uneasy...”
===========
Evening eventually arrived.
As the sun sank beyond the horizon, the sky became a beautiful blend of orange and deep navy.
“Wow... it looks like a painting.”
I found a secluded spot, gathered some fallen branches and dry grass, and started a fire using friction.
I'd seen people do this in videos, and it always looked incredibly difficult.
“Did my stamina and strength increase? This isn't even that hard.”
Aside from snapping a few branches, I managed to get the fire going quickly. I added the gathered kindling along with some scrap paper and trash to increase the heat.
“Whoa, it looks rough, but it’s actually super warm. Heh, I don't even need a windbreaker.”
After lighting the campfire, I took some fruit and a whole roasted chicken from my inventory for a simple meal, then wrapped myself in the Cloak of Gentleness to block the night wind.
It looked like a mere rag, but the moment I donned it, a warm energy enveloped my body, completely shielding me from the cold breeze.
Eating roasted chicken and fruit by the fire, I gazed up at the beautiful evening sky—a sight rarely seen in the city.
“...Seriously, what happened? If the world ended, there should be some survivors...”
I hadn't found anything else since that robot-like machine during the day.
The lingering anxiety from that encounter made the warm air feel chilly again. I clutched the Cloak of Gentleness tightly, lost in thought.
Should I settle down here, or keep wandering to find other survivors?
Food wasn't an issue; I had potions and a massive hoard of food items I'd collected for the concept. I had hundreds of them, and the portions were substantial, so I was set for a while.
What am I missing? If this is the world of Maple Leaf Story, there is one suspicious 'region' that comes to mind... but the problem is, that place disappeared a long time ago.
In the past, there had been a theme map and storyline called “Neo City.” It was a divisive setting, and as far as I remembered, there were no monsters or creatures there.
At most, there was that one broken, motionless, rusting robot.
Furthermore, the surroundings looked like a classic apocalypse setting—something that had been decayed for decades—so I couldn't find a definitive answer.
I'll just camp here for tonight and go scouting again tomorrow.
Just as I was clearing my meal and preparing a place to sleep, it happened.
Grrrk—
Grrrgrrrk—
“Hm? What’s that sound?”
I heard something scraping.
Aside from the crackling of the campfire, the area was silent, making every small noise amplified.
Focusing on the sound of something dragging across the ground, I determined it was coming from the ten o'clock direction.
Carefully, I turned my head.
Someone dressed entirely in black was walking toward me. They carried a coffin larger than themselves, and their face was hidden by a helmet and a heavy hood.
They were still far off, and I was just about to call out when—
Grrk.
“Huh?”
The mysterious figure stopped and turned their head toward me. I felt as if our eyes had met.
I couldn't see their face through the helmet, but the feeling that the coffin-bearer was staring directly at me made me freeze in place.
Once we acknowledged each other, the coffin-bearer moved first.
Thump. Clack—
They carefully set the coffin down, then gripped something like a “box” from their back and pointed it at me—
“Huh!? Wha—aaagh!”
Whoosh! Kaboooom!
A mass of brilliant light flew toward me, and the spot where I had been sitting exploded.
Then, several more flashes of light flickered.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Bwoooom!
“Aaaaaaagh!”
I scrambled away, desperately trying to dodge the explosions raining down on me.
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