Lucien A. Zevreil.
A name that needed no introduction.
Not in that world, not in that cursed game where legends were created only to be broken, and stories began only to die halfway through.
The game was called 'Zero: A Broken End', and just like its title whispered with a cruel sort of honesty, it was a masterpiece stitched together with madness.
It was a game so finely crafted in its world-building, yet so deeply, violently flawed in its soul, that it made players fall in love with it just as it drove them to the edge of their sanity.
Just like how negative attracts people most.
Alex had also played it with his friends while overcoming lonely nights and sleepy mornings, which had become a hobby for him, even if it was a bad one.
He had played that game thousands of times over, all for the sheer joy of walking through that breathtaking, at the same time brutal fantasy world that felt more alive than real life ever did.
And yet, even after all those hours, even after knowing every secret door, every hidden item, every heartbreaking twist and bugged-out boss battle...he still couldn't reach an ending.
Neither a good ending nor a bad ending.
The main character of this cursed game died in every single route he could think of; it was just impossible to save him.
And it wasn't just Alex.
Millions of minds from every corner of the world had taken a swing at it.
Each one hoping they'd be the one to finally pull this tragic beast to the finish line, only to end up face down in the same dirt, again and again.
They screamed, cried and eventually became insane as they couldn't think of a damn ending.
But later, they realised their pitiful state as they begged for an ending.
Any ending, even a tragic one, would be fine.
Just let Lucien die with purpose, or live with pain, or ride off into the damn sunset on a dragon made of regrets.
They didn't care.
They just wanted to stop trying.
But the devs? The developers didn't give a single pixelated damn.
They left the game untouched.
Left it still hard, still unfair, and still mocking everyone with its shining game screen.
Until one day, the weight of disappointed fans, crushed expectations and plummeting sales caught up to them, and they collapsed under their own ambition.
The company shut down itself as the servers went cold, and 'Zero: A Broken End' became exactly that—a broken end which was still unfinished to its literal end.
Most players moved on, casting it aside like a bad memory as days passed.
But not all of them.
Some of the most die-hard fans, those with fire still burning in their chests and perhaps a little too much free time, tried to revive this game illegally.
They tried to rewrite lines of broken code as the madness had overtaken them.
However, they got arrested at the end, which led to major conflict in the industry as many supported their ambition.
That was off the topic, though.
The main thing was simple to live in this damned world, which was like to survive in a place where the sky itself seemed to watch with cruel amusement, where fate rolled its dice behind every shadowed corner, and where death came not as a surprise, but as a routine.
And the reason it was so twisted, so unpredictable, was because 'Zero: A Broken End' had never followed a straight path; every player, every playthrough, every action led to something entirely different and unforeseen events.
It changes alliances, cruel betrayals and the kind of plot twists that made people scream at their screens and laugh through their tears.
And now, Alex who had found himself trapped in this hellish masterpiece had no choice but to face those very same scenarios, not from behind a keyboard, but with his own body and flesh.
He knew the world. That was both his greatest gift and his deepest curse.
Because knowing what came next didn't mean he could stop it.
At least not in this world, but he could certainly try it.
He remembered the turning points, the flags, and the choices that eventually led to the fall of empires.
He knew the monsters hiding behind smiling faces, the secrets buried beneath the marble floors of noble halls, and the chain of events that would drag this world into ruin.
But what he didn't know—what no one had ever known, no matter how many times they played_was how to reach the end, which didn't end with 'him'.
Because to save the main character until the last scenario was nearly an impossible task which obviously meant the end of world.
As for Lucien, surviving till then would be difficult for him.
********
[LUCIEN'S POV]
For some reason, my eyes felt distant, like they were looking at something that wasn't really there.
I stared at the ceiling motionlessly while my body lay straight on the bed.
My mind was running with thoughts that felt too foreign, as If my thoughts were clouded in mists.
It felt like that weird moment when you're not sure if you're dreaming or just losing your mind?
That was me at the moment.
Should I believe what I was seeing?
Honestly, I didn't know.
It was just... ridiculous.
I mean, I was literally living, breathing and blinking inside a game in pure flesh and blood.
Even saying that in my head sounded insane.
And yet, the proof was right there.
I couldn't ignore it or pretend I was just hallucinating after eating expired instant noodles.
I had played this game enough times to know every nook and cranny, every texture glitch and every overly dramatic staircase.
And now I was standing right inside one of them.
And that butler I met earlier?
I knew him.
The way he moved, the way he talked—it was exactly like one of the characters in the game.
Not a major character, sure, but still he existed.
So yeah, it wasn't some VR dream.
I had actually died.
Pretty sure it was the truck-kun who took my life and achieved the sole purpose of its life.
It must have crashed directly into the cafe, which caused an instant death for me.
Honestly, I was kind of glad about the last part. At least death had the decency to skip the painful transition.
But the fact that I was casually thinking about my own death like it was a mild inconvenience?
Yeah, I had to question if I was even mentally stable.
Still, if my brain could process this without crashing, I guess it was working fine.
Probably.
Then I wondered about my friends for a second.
Were they alive?
Dead?
Or did they also go through the same fate as me?
I pondered over it, but there was no way for me to find out as of now.
I just hoped they were safe since they had something to lose, not like me.
They had dreams and families and actual plans for life.
Me? I was just sort of… existing. Living day to day like it was some responsibility I didn't sign up for.
At most, I was trying to keep my parents happy wherever they were now.
But yeah, if someone had to get isekai'd into a cursed, no-win game, I guess it made sense that it was me.
I blinked a few times and looked around the room.
It was exactly like I remembered.
Big, flashy, medieval style polished wood, velvet curtains, gold trim on everything like someone was trying too hard.
But it wasn't pure medieval either—this was a modern game, after all, so there were weird upgrades: weirdly clean furniture, crystal chandeliers, heating vents disguised as wall patterns.
Still, it screamed luxury.
And it made sense.
After all, I had woken up in the main villa of the southern dukedom.
Yeah, the dukedom's not a commor's house or something.
However, it was not something to feel happy about since I knew the reason for it.
'Oh! Crap'
And that's when it hit me again, the thing I was trying so hard not to think about.
This body.
I mean… seriously?
Not only was I stuck in this nightmare of a game world, but I also got transmigrated as Lucien A. Zevreil.
Out of every character in the game's massive roster, I ended up with the most punchable one.
Well, third most punchable, if we're being technical. He was ranked number three on the "Most Hated Characters" list, which was basically the holy trinity of game scumbags.
No one remembered the protagonist's full name, but everyone remembered those three.
They were the walking disasters of the story.
They were beautiful, overpowering, and absolutely unbearable.
Just thinking about them made my stomach churn.
KNOCK! KNOCK!