1.
Life is a trash game.
It only cares about strength and weakness. Tears don’t move the needle.
“LV.0, an illegal orphan...?”
“Get lost. Where did you crawl out of? You’re disgusting.”
See? That is the absolute law of Punk Road.
Level is everything.
It hurts.
Did anyone actually choose to be born this way?
To hide her pretty face, she deliberately made herself look filthy, draping herself in rags and rummaging through Scrap Mountain.
Even when she found something that might actually fetch a price,
even if she took it to a pawnshop, she was ignored and lowballed without fail.
“...If this is what living is, then maybe...”
Wouldn’t death be better?
Wouldn’t she find peace in the end instead?
She had thought that.
Until she met one man.
“Of course, I refuse to accept your refusal.”
A frivolous, vulgar man.
A person who suddenly appeared and told her to come with him.
She didn’t trust him. There was no such thing as kindness without a motive. And she was an LV.0 illegal orphan—someone whose very existence wasn’t even recognized.
She planned to wait for an opening, then stab him in the back and vanish.
When he left her alone at home for a moment, she even considered searching for his money and running away.
“...Why?”
Why did he take her in?
Silver Wolf didn’t run because that one question remained lodged in her chest.
“It tastes good because it tastes good.”
“Ahem. The children of the new era should be in bed already, so hurry up and sleep.”
She knew she should run.
People couldn’t be trusted.
But...
“Take it.”
“Then that’s enough. As long as you’re having fun, that’s all that matters.”
Why was he being so good to her?
She was just some unremarkable kid. She had nothing going for her except her looks—just a girl barely surviving on spite.
He gave her an old game console, and they played together, staring intently at the tiny screen.
It was fun.
For the first time, she felt joy entwined with the warmth of another person.
Once, they even fought over a bed, though if you could even call it a fight.
“It’s my bed!!! Get down!!!”
“No!!!”
Silver Wolf clung to the blanket and refused to budge, while Adrian tugged at her.
After she stubbornly held out on purpose, Adrian finally gave up. After a moment of thought, he simply climbed onto the bed himself.
Two people lying on an already cramped bed.
It became even tighter.
“Ughhh...”
“Don’t like it? Then get down.”
“...Do you think I’m going to lose? I’m not getting down.”
Adrian used his secret weapon and hugged her tightly.
It was embarrassing, but strangely, it felt right.
The warmth of a human body against her back was comforting.
From that day on, they slept in the same bed.
2.
As time passed, Adrian and Silver Wolf always went to Scrap Mountain together to scavenge junk.
They found scrap, took it to a pawnshop, sold it, and ate together.
That alone was enough to make Silver Wolf happy.
But not Adrian. She knew he was looking toward something higher.
So she asked.
She asked about the future, and what kind of scenery and world Adrian was envisioning.
“There’s no one in this world who lives only doing what they want.”
“And it’s not a good thing to demand things from other people when you’re not even sure of yourself.”
“Be certain. Tell yourself: 'I can definitely do it.'”
Adrian looked toward the horizon.
He wasn’t the kind of person who was satisfied just getting through the day.
He had a dream.
Then what was Silver Wolf’s dream?
Thinking back to the things she had long desired, the girl became certain.
“I want to reach it. Someday, I want to climb up there and trample on everyone who looked down on me. The fixer who stole my money, the parents who abandoned me... all of them...”
I can do it.
Silver Wolf decided to believe that.
What she needed was confidence. Someday, she would reach that sky and laugh down at everything that had ever mocked her.
The illegal orphan you all ridiculed is right here.
And in that vision, Adrian would be there with her.
That was the dream she held.
“...Would he like this?”
In her arms were foods Adrian loved.
For some reason, Adrian especially loved chicken; whenever there was something to celebrate, he always paired chicken with beer.
What a strange man.
Maybe Silver Wolf had already been influenced by him too.
How had he even figured out that she liked games? He had even bought her the latest console.
She didn’t like it when he went to the gambling dens, though.
Still, he always won money, so she forgave him.
Now that they had funds, if she told him not to go, he wouldn’t, right? They could just live properly.
They’d open a fixer office, she’d master hacking skills, and they would keep moving forward.
And then, time would pass.
“No thanks. I’m not into kids like you. I like big-breasted, pretty women.”
She remembered what Adrian had said when they first met.
Thinking about it again made her a little annoyed.
“...Still, I’m pretty good myself, aren’t I?”
Pouting, Silver Wolf looked at her reflection in the window.
She hadn’t fully grown yet, but her looks were outstanding enough that she’d even been targeted for them. Every time that happened, Adrian would swing his hatchet and take care of the attackers.
“Hmph. Just wait until I grow up.”
She was only this small because she still wasn’t eating properly.
With that thought, Silver Wolf walked on.
She passed through the streets and headed home. The chicken-coop apartment she’d soon have to say goodbye to came into view.
She didn’t think she’d miss it much.
All she needed was Adrian.
She stepped inside.
The moment she crossed the threshold, Silver Wolf felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Something was wrong. The caretaker, Mr. Wang, who always greeted her, wasn’t there. The place was wrapped in a terrifying silence, as if not a single rat or bug remained inside.
A wave of unease washed over her.
The unnaturally quiet interior waited for her, as if it intended to swallow her whole.
She hesitated.
Something was definitely in there.
Her instincts screamed at her, but Silver Wolf gritted her teeth and ran forward. All that mattered was checking whether Adrian was still inside. If he wasn’t, she could leave. If he was, they could leave together.
That was what she believed.
She stood in front of the room.
A white coat came into view. A candy-colored evening dress spread out beneath it. A thin scalpel was held aloft in a pale hand.
And beyond that, Adrian.
Adrian met her eyes.
He opened his mouth and barely managed to shout, “Sil—ver Wolf!”
Fear had seized his body, but she could still hear the words clearly.
“Ru—n...”
Yes, she had to run.
She couldn’t win. There was no way she could win.
What stood before her was a monster.
An unimaginable final boss, one that even the planet Punk Road itself could not hope to face.
But.
When she looked into Adrian’s eyes as he told her to run,
her body moved first.
Silver Wolf swung the knife she always carried and charged at the woman.
Thunk
The attack was stopped effortlessly.
Without moving a muscle, the woman stared at Silver Wolf.
“—Let go of this!!”
Silver Wolf struggled and twisted, but the wrist holding the knife wouldn’t budge.
The woman looked at Silver Wolf for a moment, then spoke.
“Not even worth killing.”
With that, the woman passed by Silver Wolf and vanished like the wind.
As if she had never existed there in the first place, Silver Wolf, now freed, turned around, but there was no trace of her left.
“A-Adrian.”
Something was wrong.
The Adrian she knew was always cheerful, always laughing and cracking jokes.
“Cough... ngh. Haa... feels like I’m about to die.”
Adrian, smiling bitterly, seemed to have already sensed his end.
His legs. His organs.
From the waist down, Adrian was gone, as if space itself had been carved away.
“Sil... ver Wolf...”
“I-I’m here. I can save you. I can save you, so...”
The first warmth she had ever received.
She had been so happy that someone finally believed in her.
“Why are you playing so cowardly!”
“Winning is all that matters. You said that last time.”
“...I’m going to sulk.”
They had played games together.
Back to back.
“Heh heh... come here!”
“...Sigh.”
“Are you going to keep looking at me like that?”
“What, why?”
“I guess I have no choice. You’re sentenced to the tickle punishment.”
“W-wait! Ahahaha! Ahahah!! Don’t touch there!!”
Those short moments they had enjoyed together
passed by like a dream.
“Don’t cook.”
“...If I practice, I can get good at it too, you know?”
Something was pulled from Adrian’s arm.
A rough cartridge, labeled LV.1.
“Ta...ke it...”
There was no more playful expression.
No more jokes.
“...Adrian.”
“This car...tridge is different. If it’s this one, maybe...”
Adrian spoke in broken fragments.
Silver Wolf could do nothing but take the hand he held out and clasp it in both of hers.
“You can reach your dream...”
His hand fell away.
The cartridge dropped with a clatter.
She couldn’t believe it. It felt as if, given just a little more time, Adrian would sit up again and say it was all a joke. That was the kind of man he was—always frivolous, always with a joke on his lips. Silver Wolf closed her eyes and opened them again.
Nothing changed.
No, it couldn’t change.
She took Adrian’s fallen hand in hers.
She gently touched the hand growing cold and stared at the cartridge he had left behind.
She changed the cartridge.
With a click, Silver Wolf’s cartridge lit up.
The thing that rose before her was a blue window she had never seen before.
[Would you like to play a game?]
Whether she was hallucinating or not
didn’t matter anymore.
Without hesitation, Silver Wolf pressed [Yes].
What she remembered was the white coat, the candy-colored evening dress, and the thin scalpel in that woman’s hand.
She had a goal now.
A goal she absolutely had to achieve.
Silently staring at the blue window reflecting her image, Silver Wolf said nothing more and hugged Adrian.
========
『Ending 1 - Disaster』
Unfortunately, you encountered an unstoppable calamity and did not survive.
Please don’t be too disappointed.
You still have another chance.
For others, death is the end of life, but not for you.
<■■>
♠ Successful achievements: 12
◆ Title obtained: Audience
♥ Current points: +535 Pt
♣ Quest cleared: 1 time
- The current ■■■ ■■ cannot apply ■ for ■■ 사■ 페■■.
May you reach your fate at the end of the sea of stars.
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