Before reading the following content, please note the following:
1. **Content Sensitivity:** This narrative includes explicit descriptions of sexual themes and may not be suitable for all audiences.
2. **Emotional Impact:** Expect intense scenarios and complex emotional dynamics throughout the story.
3. **Mature Themes:** Themes of attachment and seduction are explored within a simulated gaming context.
4. **Psychological Considerations:** Remember that the characters and events are fictional and may not reflect reality accurately.
5. **Self-Care:** Prioritize your well-being while reading. Take breaks if needed and seek support if discomfort arises.
6. **Informed Consent:** By reading further, you acknowledge these precautions and consent to continue at your discretion.
Thank you for your understanding and take care while engaging with the content.
Sincerely,
Tl Bree
“We’re the ones who should be asking for your trust, Player Seo Jia.”
And so, on that day, the contract for all the strategies to conquer the bad endings was established.
* * *
[Do you accept the succession rights?]
[Yes/No]
[Limit time 3 seconds… 2 seconds… 1 second……]
A dubious choice appeared in front of Dia. This was clearly the first choice in the game “For Your Misfortune.”
In front of the system that appeared after a whopping three years of game time, she was speechless. She was so deeply immersed in Dia’s life to the point where she wanted to deny that her life had been a game.
[Due to time limit, ‘No’ is selected.]
And so, with a bewildered look, ‘No’ was selected without any enthusiasm for the first choice.
“We can’t go back to Hittite right now.”
Dia’s mouth moved as if reciting lines. Hastily shutting her mouth, this time scenarios floated around in her mind. It was also the will created by the system.
She would remain. She had no interest in solving her sister’s death or inheriting the throne of Tabarna. She didn’t have the courage to get involved in the chaotic political struggle.
It was Dia’s emotion triggered by choosing ‘No.’
“Dia is the only legitimate successor of Tabarna. If you don’t return, an unsuitable person will become the emperor.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“…I apologize for the rudeness, but Panku recommended Lord Theos.”
Panku referred to the noble assembly in Hittite. In the system of checks and balances, Panku wielded more power than the imperial authority.
Dia swallowed dryly. It seemed like this session was doomed.
But since she had to clear the bad ending anyway, it didn’t seem to matter much.
As Dia muttered to herself, Khan looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Have you forgotten Lord Theos?”
At his question, Dia recalled three years ago. Before the excursion, that is, when she was still in the Hittite Empire.
Back then, there was clearly a neatly dressed man beside her sister. He was tall, handsome, with cold eyes. He seemed very kind during their brief conversation, but she couldn’t see through him.
Finally, Dia remembered who he was.
“I know. He was my sister’s fiancé.”
“Good to know you remember.”
The fiancé of the emperor succeeding was certainly an unprecedented event. But if Panku pushed for it, the story would change.
“Weren’t there any objections in the council?”
“That… there were none.”
Dia bit her lip. Seeing the silence even in the council, they must have sided with Panku as well.
As the only legitimate heir of Tabarna, now that she was abroad, it wouldn’t be strange for anyone to covet the throne.
“Khan. How did my sister… die?”
“She was said to have died from overwork in the palace…”
Khan couldn’t continue his words. But even without hearing it, she could guess. There was no way her healthy sister would die from overwork. If it was murder, she wouldn’t know.
At that moment, chills ran down Dia’s arm. Even though it was just a game, the suspicion that her family might have been murdered made her uneasy.
“…”
In this development, choosing ‘No.’ It felt like a hollow laugh would come out, but she decided to relax.
Since she had already made the mistake, she had to see it through to the end. Her mouth began to feel itchy.
Once again, the system’s predetermined dialogue naturally popped up.
“If we return to Hittite now, it will only cause trouble over the succession issue. In that case, I’d rather pray for my sister here at this temple.”
“But, Lady Dia…!”
“Please, leave me alone now.”
* * *
Crash!
Her eyes opened, and Dia’s body, which had stiffened like a corpse, melted away in an instant. A piercing heat. The loud cries of birds from somewhere.
Before her eyes, she saw a bustling city.
The Lannu Kingdom. The scenery that should have appeared peaceful was ominously terrifying.
She touched her damp forehead with her hand. Cold sweat was dripping down. New letters appeared in her left field of view.
Bad Ending 1: The Price of Blood for Cowards
You have been killed by an unknown person at the Lannu Temple.
Game Tip: To smoothly progress through the game, go to the Hittite Empire to uncover the assassin’s identity and increase the obsession of the targeted character.
Game Progress: 1/21
“I… died….”
The previous night, she had visited the Lannu Temple as directed by the system. There were no people in the sanctuary. It felt eerie and suspicious.
Dia could sense that something bad was going to happen there. And her intuition didn’t fail her.
While kneeling in front of the statue of the goddess Maat with her eyes closed, Dia’s throat was slit by someone who approached her silently.
Blood spurted like a fountain along the knife line drawn on her skin. And within seconds, she lost consciousness and collapsed.
The killer was someone well-trained enough to cut her carotid artery from behind in one breath.
“Damn it….”
Even after waking up from death, Dia still felt cold. The feeling of the blade touching her throat was still vivid.
It was a brief moment, but she felt the pain of suffocation. Above all, the sensation of her fingertips falling onto the ground. She couldn’t forget that moment when memory and life vanished.
Was this really a sensation in the game? Can it be reproduced so perfectly? Even if she murmured thinly, there was no way to confirm it without logging out.
Then, Khan ran towards her.
“Lady Dia. Urgent announcement.”
“—“
Once again, to deliver the news that her sister had died.
“Tabarna has passed away.”
Now Dia wasn’t surprised. She didn’t even pretend to be surprised.
“Okay. Who has the right to succession?”
However, she thought she should quickly grasp the situation. Someone wanted to assassinate her. They had followed her all the way here to Lannu.
Her instincts, honed by clearing hundreds of games, were telling her that the main culprit was in her homeland, the Hittite Empire.
“Ah… You’re not surprised. Currently, the two candidates for succession are Lord Theos and Lady Dia.”
Khan seemed flustered. It seemed as if Dia already knew about her sister’s death.
But there was no time to act awkwardly. She had been assassinated, and she needed to uncover the mastermind behind it.
There was now only one thing Dia had to do: go to the Hittite Empire, investigate the truth, and see the ending of the game.
[SYSTEM: Tutorial End. Entering the Common Route for Characters.]
The system notification appeared again.
“Will you accept the right of succession?”
[Yes/No]
Before the warning window appeared, Dia chose “Yes.” Then, a line of dialogue flowed from her lips like a lie.
“No one but me can become the emperor of Hittite.”
It was a solemn tone that overwhelmed the atmosphere more than she had expected.
“Prepare to leave. I’ll go back to the empire right away.”
Dia’s determination lifted the corners of her mouth. The real game was starting now.
* * *
Hittite Empire.
Nadad, the newly appointed secretary of Panku, was energetically playing with a reed pen in the meeting room of the convention hall after the assembly. He wrote Nesa, the capital of Hittite, in a neat line on the rectangular slate.
Having passed the secretary exam as the top scorer and being appointed to Panku, which everyone admired, he diligently performed his duties even after long working hours. He was writing minutes of the meeting without losing steam despite the late hour.
It wasn’t boring. The meeting was as long as usual, but today, interesting topics were discussed.
It was about the next Tabarna’s succession test.
Various tough methods were mentioned, which were the thorns in the nobles’ eyes.
It was a strange thing. Ever since the news came two days ago that Dia Meskener, the younger sister of Anya, was returning home, there had been disturbances.
From the prime minister of the administrative mansion to the priests of the temple, everyone had been busy since the early morning due to the meetings, as if they were rolling their feet in anticipation of the unexpected return.
Nadad continued to write until late at night before stretching. Then, he put the still-dry slate into a wooden box and tied it with a leather strap along with the stylus.
But as he was about to get up from his seat, he heard footsteps nearby.
The nobles must have all returned to their mansions by now.
Instinctively sensing something suspicious, Nadad instinctively hid under the platform.
Soon, the door of the convention hall opened, and a stranger entered.
“You’ll not be overheard here. Report.”
Nadad held his breath.
Due to the darkness outside, their faces were not visible, but he could tell there were two men. They were tall and sturdy. And next to them stood a man with his face covered with black cloth.
“It’s a failure.”
“…What happened?”
When the tall man asked in a restrained voice, the man next to him immediately kneeled.
“Khan Heramut was guarding the side. It would have been risky to act rashly.”
“Where are they now?”
“Nearby villages of Hattusa. When the sun rises tomorrow, they will enter Buyukale.”
“…It’s a failure. We need to find another way to eliminate them.”
Nadad’s pupils widened as he listened to their conversation.
Khan Heramut was the imperial bodyguard appointed by Tabarna for her sister.
So, at this moment, there was only one person he was guarding. Dia Meskenet, the last descendant of Empress Anya Meskenet.
Sweat pooled in Nadad’s clenched fists. His breath became faster and faster.
“It’s difficult to dispose of bodies in Buyukale. We need a plan to extract them without killing…”
“Shh, wait.”
At that moment, the standing man looked towards where Nadad was hiding. He could faintly hear someone’s breathing. It sounded like the wheezing of a pig trapped in a cauldron.
The man stepped towards the platform. What jutted out behind the pillar was Nadad’s brown hair.
The man immediately drew a dagger.
“There was a rat here.”
Nadad’s shoulders twitched in response. He slowly raised his head and saw the man pointing the dagger at him.
Nadad’s pupils flickered.
“You…!”
He also recognized the man’s identity. Why didn’t he realize it sooner? The black shadow looming over him grew larger in front of him.
Finally, the man plunged the dagger into Nadad’s heart.
“Ugh… Cough…!”
Blood splattered on the wooden box Nadad was holding, even on the marble floor and platform.
“Get rid of it.”
When the man ordered, Nadad’s lifeless body rose from where he had been kneeling.
Only then did the cool moonlight begin to seep in through the windows of the convention hall. It was as dazzling as it was dark outside.
The man wiped the blood-soaked dagger with a cloth and licked his lips.
He was thirsty.
Thirsty enough for a sacrifice to quench his desires.
