Welcome to a Place Worse than Hell

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

[Coll Apsi's Divine Punishment: The Worst Reincarnation Ever] (system announcement btw)

Lying flat on the ground, his face swollen from the divine face-slapping session, Coll Apsi could do nothing but groan in defeat. He had faced humiliation, public mockery, and a barrage of virtual slander. Now, even in the afterlife, the punishment continued.

The beautiful yet terrifying goddess stood above him, her golden slipper still radiating a menacing divine aura. She crossed her arms, her expression one of mild annoyance and deep disappointment.

"Coll Apsi," she spoke, her voice echoing like a divine decree, "I will grant you one last choice."

Coll Apsi's battered consciousness flickered. "A... choice?" he croaked, still tasting divine foot powder.

The goddess nodded solemnly. "Yes. You will be reincarnated into a new world. However..." She paused for dramatic effect, her lips curling into an ominous smirk.

Coll Apsi felt a chill run down his spine. He had consumed enough isekai media to know that this was either going to be the start of an overpowered fantasy adventure—or the beginning of a prolonged nightmare.

The goddess raised her hand, and suddenly, an enormous holographic screen appeared in the white void. It displayed the logo of a game he knew all too well:

YGGDRASIL: ASCENSION

Coll Apsi's heart nearly stopped. "W-Wait, wait, wait! That game?! The one with the most unfair, pain-inducing mechanics ever designed by corporate sadists?!"

The goddess ignored his outburst. "Yggdrasil: Ascension was never just a game. It was a divine conspiracy."

Coll Apsi blinked in confusion. "A... conspiracy?"

The goddess sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yes. That cursed company, Yggdrasil Corp., unknowingly developed technology that crossed into another world's domain. The gods of that world, eager to exploit the situation, secretly forged a deal with the executives, providing them with knowledge far beyond human understanding."

She gestured toward the floating screen. "The result was Yggdrasil: Ascension, a game that mimics the very laws of a real fantasy world. Every death, every pain, every consequence is a reflection of reality from that alternate dimension. The game's brutal mechanics? That's just how that world actually works."

Coll Apsi's soul nearly disintegrated. "Are you telling me... that I spent years suffering in that hellhole of a game, not realizing I was experiencing a real world's twisted physics?!"

The goddess nodded. "Indeed."

Coll Apsi's eyes widened in horror. His memories of the game flooded back—being stabbed by NPCs who held grudges, accidentally committing tax evasion because the financial system was "too" realistic, getting burned alive by an economy that simulated realistic inflation.

He trembled. "D-Does that mean the in-game IRS was also real?"

"Yes," the goddess confirmed.

Coll Apsi collapsed. "I am doomed."

The goddess smirked. "Oh, but it gets worse."

Coll Apsi wanted to cry. "How could it possibly get worse?!"

The goddess snapped her fingers, and another screen appeared, showing a balance sheet from Yggdrasil Corp..

COLL APSI'S ACCOUNT BALANCE: -$99,999,999 (IN-GAME DEBT)

Coll Apsi's soul left his body for the second time. "W-Why do I have so much debt?! I don't remember borrowing anything!"

The goddess casually flipped through the records. "Ah, it seems you took a small loan from the in-game bank to buy that 'Limited Edition Legendary Sword of Destiny'."

Coll Apsi screamed. "THAT SWORD WAS A SCAM! IT BROKE AFTER ONE USE!"

The goddess shrugged. "Well, the financial system was designed by divine entities who take 'contracts' very seriously. So, congratulations, your reincarnation will start with a massive debt."

Coll Apsi slammed his head into the floor. "JUST LET ME DIE FOR REAL!"

The goddess giggled. "No can do. The gods of that world specifically requested you. Something about 'unleashing the most entertaining variable possible'."

Coll Apsi turned pale. "So, I'm just a cosmic joke to them?!"

The goddess smiled. "Pretty much."

As Coll Apsi wailed in despair, the goddess snapped her fingers. A blinding light engulfed him.

"Good luck, Coll Apsi. May your suffering be... legendary."

And with that, he was hurled into his worst nightmare: the reality of Yggdrasil: Ascension.

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

[THE DESCENT INTO HELL MODE: COLL APSI'S FINAL SCAM]

Coll Apsi barely had time to scream before the floor of the afterlife literally gave up on him.

The goddess, who had just sentenced him to eternal torment in Yggdrasil: Ascension, had apparently put a bit too much enthusiasm into her divine slapping session. As a result, the clouds beneath him cracked like cheap discount drywall—and down he went, plummeting into the abyss below.

"AHHHHHH! YOU FORGOT TO GIVE ME A PARACHUTE, YOU SADISTIC B**CH!" Coll Apsi shrieked, waving his arms like a malfunctioning helicopter.

The goddess simply watched with a smug smile, waving him off like a flight attendant saying goodbye to a passenger on a one-way trip to hell.

As Coll Apsi tumbled through what seemed like infinite nothingness, a sudden beep rang out in his ears.

[AFTERLIFE SYSTEM BOOTING…]

A robotic voice, dripping with so much apathy it could work at the DMV, echoed in his head.

[…Good afternoon. Or morning. Or whatever the hell it is. Not that it matters, because your life is officially over, Master.]

Coll Apsi flailed mid-air. "WHO SAID THAT?!"

[I am the Afterlife System. My job is to ensure you don't immediately die upon reincarnation. That being said, my contract does not specify keeping you comfortable, so don't get your hopes up.]

Coll Apsi gritted his teeth. "You sound like customer support from hell!"

[Flattered. Now, let's get to the fun part.]

A holographic panel popped up in front of his face, filled with giant red warning symbols.

[NOTICE: Due to the overwhelming public reaction to your death, Yggdrasil: Ascension has undergone an emergency world shift.]

Coll Apsi's stomach dropped faster than his actual body. "W-What do you mean world shift?"

[Oh, you know, just a few... minor adjustments.]

The system's text shifted, displaying a list of horrifying updates:

— Standard Mode → HARD MODE

— Hard Mode → LEGENDARY SUICIDE MODE

— Legendary Suicide Mode → COLL APSI MEMORIAL EDITION (A.K.A. HELL MODE)

Coll Apsi's eye twitched violently. "W-WHAT THE F**K IS THIS?!"

[Congratulations, Master! Thanks to your dramatic demise, all content in Yggdrasil: Ascension has been reworked into a more 'authentic' experience.]

Coll Apsi gasped. "Y-You mean—?!"

[Yes.]

The system zoomed in on the fine print:

— Permanent injury system enabled! Lose an arm? Too bad, loser!

— Pain receptors at 100%! Enjoy your ultra-realistic suffering!

— Realistic hunger and exhaustion mechanics! No more infinite sprinting!

— Surprise permadeath events! Get assassinated randomly for no reason!

— Overpowered players? No, now you're underpowered! Have fun getting one-shot by goblins!

Coll Apsi's brain nearly short-circuited from sheer terror. "H-HOLD ON! WHY THE HELL IS EVERYTHING JUST TRYING TO MAKE ME SUFFER?!"

The system let out a long, tired sigh, as if it had better things to do than deal with his stupidity.

[Because the developers are sadists, the gods are laughing at you, and the audience demanded 'more realism'.]

Coll Apsi wanted to die again.

But then—

Another pop-up appeared. A special golden-bordered notification.

[DING! You have unlocked a unique mode due to your contribution to this game's history!]

Coll Apsi's heart raced. "O-OH?! Does this mean I get some kind of OP protagonist cheat?!"

[Introducing… COLL APSI MODE: HARDCORE EDITION!]

Coll Apsi froze. "...Wait. That doesn't sound like a good thing."

[Because it isn't.]

The system graciously listed the features of his exclusive suffering:

— All your stats are reduced to Level 1.

— Every enemy recognizes you as 'The Betrayer' and will attack on sight.

— Every town will charge you double for food, housing, and equipment.

— Every injury you sustain will heal at a real-time rate!

— Magic? Too bad! You're now magically allergic!

— Quest rewards are halved, while punishments are tripled!

— 'Pain Reduction' feature disabled! Enjoy every excruciating moment!

Coll Apsi lost his fking mind ***** ***** *****.

"THAT'S JUST TORTURE! HOW IS THIS A GAME MODE?!"

[Oh, and one more thing.]

Coll Apsi whimpered. "W-What now?"

[Your respawn timer is set to real-world time. If you die, you have to wait an entire year before reviving.]

Coll Apsi's soul shattered. "THIS ISN'T A GAME, THIS IS A PRISON SENTENCE!"

[Welcome to Yggdrasil: Ascension, Master. Now, prepare for impact.]

Coll Apsi barely had time to scream before he slammed face-first into the ground of his new nightmare.

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

[COLL APSI'S LONELY NIGHTMARE: WELCOME TO THE GHOST TOWN OF DESPAIR]

Coll Apsi groaned as he peeled his face off the dirt. His entire body ached like he had just been thrown down the stairs of capitalism.

"Ugggh… I feel like a truck hit me… No, worse—like I was run over by a f**king isekai plotline."

He squinted at his surroundings.

It was a village—or at least, what was supposed to be one.

Small wooden houses, an inn, a blacksmith, a few market stalls… all the usual beginner village stuff. But there was one massive problem.

"…Where the hell is everyone?"

Coll Apsi wandered around the town square, only to be met with deafening silence. The buildings looked abandoned, the marketplace was empty, and the only movement came from a single tumbleweed rolling by like this was a goddamn Wild West movie.

Then, the Afterlife System chimed in.

[Welcome to Elmsbrook Village, Master. Your starting location!]

Coll Apsi whipped around, glaring at the empty air.

"STARTING LOCATION MY A**! WHERE ARE THE NPCs?! WHERE ARE THE OTHER PLAYERS?!"

[Ah. Yes. About that…]

A holographic panel popped up.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

NOTICE TO ALL PLAYERS

Due to the activation of HARDCORE MODE, beginner villages now have:

(Check) No respawning players.

(Check) NPC migration enabled.

(Check) 99.9% of players rerouted to other servers.

(Check) All tutorial quests disabled.

(Check) Merchants will no longer offer beginner discounts.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Coll Apsi felt his soul leave his body.

"'NPC migration enabled'…?" He gulped. "D-Does that mean…?"

[Yes, Master. Due to the world shift, most of the NPCs have left to find better economic opportunities.]

"…EVEN THE F**KING NPCs DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE?!"

[Correct.]

Coll Apsi's eye twitched violently.

This was supposed to be the starter town, a place where fresh new players could meet NPCs, get easy beginner quests, and enjoy the first few hours of the game. Instead, he was standing in a ghost town with absolutely no way to progress.

"...Well, at least there's still an inn, right?"

Desperate, he rushed over to the only building that had a light still on—the Rusty Mug Inn.

He slammed the door open. "Hello?! Is anyone here?!"

A single man stood behind the counter—a tired-looking old bartender, lazily cleaning a mug.

Coll Apsi sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god. Finally, an NPC! You have no idea how—"

The bartender cut him off.

"Rooms are double price for outlanders."

Coll Apsi blinked. "…H-Huh?"

The bartender narrowed his eyes. "You deaf, boy? You ain't from around here. That means double price."

Coll Apsi gawked at him like he had just been punched in the stomach. "B-But I don't even have starting money yet!"

The bartender shrugged. "Then I guess you ain't sleeping tonight."

Coll Apsi clutched his chest in agony.

His first night in the game… and he was already homeless.

[Congratulations, Master! You have unlocked the achievement: 'Hobo in Another World'!]

"SHUT THE F**K UP!"

Left with no other options, Coll Apsi wandered back outside, staring at the empty town as the sun began to set.

A cold wind howled through the deserted streets, and the once-vibrant village of Elmsbrook became eerily dark and ominous.

Then, another notification popped up.

[WARNING: Due to Hardcore Mode, beginner villages are no longer safe zones. Prepare for potential nighttime threats.]

Coll Apsi froze.

"...What?"

Then—

A low, guttural growl echoed from the darkness.

Coll Apsi slowly turned around.

In the distance, shadowy figures began creeping into the village, their red eyes gleaming under the moonlight.

"...Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me."

A massive, wolf-like creature stepped into the light, its mouth filled with razor-sharp fangs and its breath steaming in the cold air.

[NEW ENEMY DETECTED: NIGHT PREDATORS]

Coll Apsi looked up at the warning.

Then back at the wolves.

Then back at the EMPTY, ABANDONED TOWN WITH NO HELP AVAILABLE.

"...Well, f**k me."

The wolves snarled.

Coll Apsi turned and ran for his goddamn life.