Chapter 1: Prologue

Monsters keep coming, endlessly.

I pull the trigger in response.

—Click, click!

But it's nowhere near enough.

—Kieeeeeeek!!!

A long, scythe-like hook mercilessly tears through my body.

Razor-sharp claws sink into my flesh.

Countless fangs bite down without a shred of mercy.

[You have died.]

It's just something I'm watching on a screen, and yet it feels so real.

"…How the hell am I supposed to beat this?"

The Defense.

A notoriously difficult FPS defense game that has gained worldwide infamy.

And yet, no one has ever seen its ending.

The dreaded 100th stage.

The wall that not a single player has managed to overcome.

For the 487th time, I have failed once again.

"…Sigh."

After being discharged from the military due to an accident, my life had become a mess. But The Defense had been a ray of hope for me.

I had done everything I possibly could across those 487 attempts.

But the result was always the same.

[You have died.]

Failure. Failure. And more failure.

'What the hell am I doing wrong?'

I had researched everything—the optimal builds, the best traits and items for each stage, even the hidden mechanics.

My aim had long since reached inhuman levels; I never wasted a single bullet. Every shot landed in a monster's weak spot.

And yet, there was only one reason why I kept failing.

—Click, click.

[Remaining Ammo: 0]

"Ah, for f—"

Out of bullets.

Again.

—KIEEEEEK!!!

[You have died.]

Goddamn bullets.

That was always the problem.

"…Sigh."

Failure #488.

After years of trying, I finally came to a conclusion.

"It's impossible."

The Defense is an unwinnable game.

The best gamers in the world had thrown themselves at it for years, but not a single one had made it past the 100th stage.

By now, you'd think someone would have used cheats or hacks to clear it—but the game's security was so airtight that even the usual FPS hacks were nonexistent.

"…I can't do this anymore."

I had tried everything.

And even with all that, I couldn't win.

"Well, at least it was fun while it lasted."

For someone like me, who had been living like a shut-in, The Defense had given me a reason to keep going.

But it was time to let go.

'I'll just leave it as a memory.'

I was about to delete the game and move on when—

—Ding!

A message notification popped up.

It had been months since I last received one.

'Huh?'

At first, I thought it was just spam.

But when I saw the message, I doubted my own eyes.

[The Defense Trainer.exe]

The Defense… Trainer?

'What the hell?'

No explanation. Just a single file attached.

And something felt off.

There was no sender.

"…Are they seriously trying to scam people like this now?"

I was about to ignore it, assuming it was some kind of bait.

But then—

"…Huh? Why won't this close?"

The message window wouldn't shut.

Sensing something was wrong, I tried to force my computer to shut down—but even that didn't work.

'Is this…hacking?'

Panicking, I reached for the power button on my PC.

If nothing else worked, I would just force a shutdown.

But then—

'…Wait a minute.'

Something felt strange.

An eerie sense of fate.

They say coincidences stack up to become destiny…

For some reason, I couldn't ignore this message.

'Even if it's a virus… there's nothing important on my PC anyway.'

At one point, I had dedicated my life to The Defense.

I had no important files.

The only thing installed on my computer was The Defense.

Worst case scenario, I could just wipe everything and reinstall.

But what if this trainer was real?

Then I might finally… see the ending I had been chasing for years.

That temptation alone was enough to solidify my decision.

'…Screw it. Let's do this.'

I didn't hesitate long.

Click.

The trainer launched.

I blinked at the simple, almost underwhelming interface.

It only had one function.

「Unlimited Ammo ON/OFF」

「Current Status: OFF」

That was it.

But somehow, that made it feel more legitimate.

'…Well.'

No programmer or hacker had ever bypassed The Defense's security before.

Even if this trainer only had one function, that alone was a game-changer.

For me, just that one cheat was enough to guarantee victory over the 100th stage.

'If this is real…'

My heart pounded.

I had spent years trying to beat this game.

I was about to give up completely.

And yet, right at that moment, the opportunity I had been waiting for appeared.

'Of course, I have to test it first…'

I immediately launched The Defense.

I also activated the trainer.

「Unlimited Ammo ON/OFF」

「Current Status: ON」

I wasn't taking any chances.

[New Game]

Instead of using my old save, I decided to start fresh.

If I really had unlimited ammo, I could optimize my build from the very beginning.

As I pressed "New Game," the character creation screen appeared.

I used my saved data for everything minor, including appearance customization.

After so many attempts, I had long since created a preset file for character customization.

'That's not the important part.'

I quickly moved on to selecting traits.

The default traits included things like Quartermaster, Sharpshooter, Dexterous Hands, and several others.

But now, it was time to change things up.

[Quartermaster]

A trait that increases the maximum amount of standard ammunition and special weapons you can carry, while also providing bonuses to supply logistics.

Under normal circumstances, [Quartermaster] was an essential trait in The Defense.

With an endless onslaught of monsters and beasts, you needed every last bullet.

But this time, I removed it without hesitation.

If this trainer was real, I wouldn't need [Quartermaster] anymore.

And since it was such a crucial trait, it cost a lot of trait points.

[Trait Points: 30]

That gave me 30 freed-up points—enough for three standard traits.

I invested those points into new traits:

[Superhuman Stamina] [Agile Movements] [Superhuman Willpower]

Even after using up all my trait points, I wasn't done optimizing.

There was still one more method left—Penalty Traits.

Unlike standard traits, penalty traits imposed debilitating drawbacks on the character.

However, each penalty trait refunded trait points, making it an integral part of The Defense's character system—allowing for greater customization and playstyle variety.

[Insomnia]

At first glance, [Insomnia] seemed like a simple debuff.

It inflicted a permanent sleep-deprivation effect, reduced recovery from rest, and even removed accuracy bonuses, forcing you to rely purely on manual aiming.

But hidden within it was a secret mechanic—Ether Sensitivity.

'There was a lore explanation for why insomnia existed, wasn't there?'

Ether was an otherworldly energy.

Characters exposed to Ether could awaken superhuman abilities.

Normally, Ether had to be surgically implanted later in the game through a risky operation.

However, with [Insomnia], I could potentially gain Ether sensitivity naturally.

'And besides, Ether Soldiers have way too many penalties.'

They weren't worth the trade-off in terms of raw power.

'It's better to gain Ether from [Insomnia] and use my class change for something else.'

[Trait Points: 10]

Since [Insomnia] was still a penalty trait, I got 10 trait points refunded.

I selected a few more penalty traits:

[Hand Tremors] [Nearsightedness] [Sudden Deafness]

Unlike Insomnia, these traits didn't have hidden mechanics.

They were purely disadvantages.

But I had used them countless times before.

For a veteran player like me, minor inconveniences like shaky aim, blurred vision, or partial deafness were nothing.

[Trait Points: 30]

'Alright…'

Now, I selected traits I normally couldn't afford.

After hundreds of attempts, I had already perfected the best build.

Now that I didn't need [Quartermaster], I had extra points to play with.

I went all in on firepower.

[One Shot, One Kill] [Firepower Specialist] [Heavy Rounds]

Normally, these were great traits.

But they weren't viable in past runs because I never had enough bullets to sustain them.

[Trait Points: 0]

'Hmm… feels like I'm missing something.'

Even with this setup, my character was already stronger than any of my previous runs.

And if the trainer was real, I might actually be able to clear the 100th stage.

But still…

'Might as well take a risk.'

If it failed, I could just reset and try again.

I was no stranger to repeated attempts.

[Possession]

A penalty trait that refunded 30 trait points.

Taking this trait inflicted constant auditory and visual hallucinations throughout the entire game.

Despite the massive point refund, most players who picked it regretted it instantly.

—Trash Trait.

No amount of extra points was worth the endless, unpredictable hallucinations.

Even so, I took it.

I felt like I could handle it.

And more importantly, I had a hunch.

After hundreds of failed attempts, I was starting to suspect that Possession had a hidden effect.

'I don't know for sure… but I'll find out.'

With the 30 points from [Possession], I selected even more powerful traits.

With everything ready, I moved my mouse.

It was time.

[Start Game]

[Searching for a character that matches the selected traits...]

[Search complete.]

───────────────

Name: Carl Marcus

Rank: ─

Class: ─

Carl Marcus is a descendant of a tribe that practices totemic faith. They listen to the voices of spirits. Carl Marcus rejects these beliefs, yet he cannot escape the voices that haunt him every night. Due to his origins, he is viewed with suspicion. He will face many hardships. An exceptionally skilled warrior. He possesses unparalleled marksmanship, a hardened body, and an unshakable mind that will not falter before the whispers of spirits.

───────────────

'Carl Marcus? I've never seen this character before.'

Not only that—he didn't even have a rank or class.

'He's not a soldier?'

After 488 attempts, I thought I knew every character in The Defense.

Even if I hadn't played them personally, I had studied every possible option.

But Carl Marcus was completely new.

'This is definitely different.'

Maybe—just maybe—this time, I'd finally see the ending.

My excitement surged as I clicked Start Game.

[Starting game.]

"...Huh?"

A sharp ringing noise pierced my ears.

───BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

A blinding light swallowed me whole.

***

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