Prologue

Author's Note: The story starts from Chapter 1, but I haven't written it yet (ㆆ_ㆆ). If, for some reason, I didn't get bored of writing and actually published it, you can skip the prologue—though I'd rather you didn't (if you can play 30 minutes of LoL, you can read this).

The screen flickered weakly in the darkness of the room, illuminating Yoon Jiho's tired face as he adjusted lines of code and refined details on the interface of his greatest achievement, Elementa. Elementa was created with only one purpose—to let anyone escape from frustrating reality and enjoy a fantasy world filled with history, fun, and, for the most experienced players, an endless story that Jiho had crafted.

One day, out of curiosity, Jiho entered the Elementa forum and was shocked. No one liked his game. Everyone complained about how difficult it had become after the latest update and how the game was already dead. Every message on the forum was a complaint about some mechanic or how complicated it was to understand the game's story.

Jiho, enraged, responded to every message and gave his reasons—reasons that, while valid, no one accepted. He had forgotten something: this game was made for everyone's enjoyment, not just his. Realizing that he had been too absorbed in trying to escape from his dreadful world and had ruined the only good thing in his life, Jiho let out a bitter sigh and did it.

—There's no point in continuing this… —he murmured, moving the cursor to the option to delete the project. With a single click, Elementa disappeared from the server.

A void settled in his chest, but he knew it was the right decision. He could no longer escape to Elementa whenever things went wrong. He decided to go out to clear his mind, hoping that this decision would change his life for the better. He walked through the city, thinking about what to do next.

—Maybe I should go back to working at the family's flower shop… I don't think they'll be mad that I ran away back then… right?

As if fate refused to let him be happy, a truck lost control, its brakes screeching, and then…

SMASH!

Then, a voice.

—Hey, hey, hey… WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!

Jiho opened his eyes, surprised by the scene before him. A man with an eccentric appearance, dressed in a lab coat that looked like it came from a cheap anime, stared at him with an exaggerated expression of indignation.

—What…?

—Jiho! Jiho, Jiho, Jiho!

The man snapped his fingers, and a chair appeared out of nowhere. He sat down theatrically and sighed.

—You don't understand what you just did, do you?

Jiho tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond.

—Am I… dead?

—Something like that… But there's something more important: YOU CANCELED ELEMENTA!

Jiho's confusion grew.

—And…?

The man suddenly stood up, pointing at him as if he had committed a terrible crime.

—WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'AND'?! I WAS SO CLOSE TO THE ENDING!

Silence. Jiho blinked.

—… What?

—Oh, right. I didn't introduce myself. I'm God, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you ruined my entertainment, and I can't let that happen.

With a snap of his fingers, the void around them changed.

—I'm going to give you a chance. You'll live again, but with one condition.

Jiho felt a chill.

—What condition?

God smiled mischievously.

—Finish Elementa for me.

Before Jiho could say anything, light engulfed him.

—Was that a dream?

A baby's cry filled the air.

Jiho opened his eyes with effort. He felt weak, strange. He couldn't move properly. Something was wrong… or rather, everything was wrong.

—A baby? Why is there a baby here…?

He tried to speak, but only a babble escaped his lips. He was in a crib, surrounded by other cribs. An orphanage. He took a deep breath, trying to process the situation, when a floating window appeared before his eyes.

[Welcome to the Creator's System]

Jiho shivered. His suspicions were confirmed.

[Current Missions:]

[Permanent Mission: Save everyone who wasn't supposed to die.]

[Daily Mission: Kill a monster for the first time.]

[Reward: Creator's Guide.]

[Failure Penalty: -1 point in the Beauty attribute.]

Jiho felt a cold sweat.

—Damn it, just when I had finally decided what to do with my life.

He tried to move, but his body wouldn't let him. He exhaled in frustration and looked around. More cribs. More children.

N/A: While writing this chapter, I imagined Piglet as the protagonist, and for some reason, it made me laugh way too much.