A faint sweetness always follows the Lord of Pleasure.To pursue pleasure to the extreme — that is the very nature of the Lord of Pleasure.They cannot bear boring situations for even a moment, nor do they have any intention of doing so.
[That's boring. There's nothing to see here. And this one… it's just way too dull.]
Then what about fun situations — can they endure those?Not really.Even when something is supposedly entertaining…
[Ugh! Do you know how many times I've seen stuff like this already?]
A monarch with a temperament that grows bored mere moments in —That is the Lord of Pleasure.Eyes twisted with boredom scanned the scene before them.
[Hmm? Well, this part at least looks a little promising…][Sigh, never mind. I can already tell exactly how it'll go. So boring!]
All around, countless playmakers were hosting mini-games in different areas.The Lord's feelings shifted constantly while watching —Brief amusement, quickly followed by boredom, then delight again, then boredom again…
Is it even possible to continuously entertain such a monarch?
[Tch. Even after completely changing the game board, this is how it turns out? Maybe next time, I should scrap the entire playground and make something completely new…?]
Tears welled up in the Lord's eyes.Last time, they had genuinely enjoyed it. That was why it had been reopened — but perhaps because the core structure remained unchanged, the excitement simply wasn't there.The anticipation in the Lord's heart gradually began to fade.A situation unfolding predictably — that's what bored him.
[Boring, boring... Huh?]
That was the case — until a certain sight caught his eye.While watching several dull mini-games, the Lord's eyes suddenly widened.His gaze had landed on "Guardian Stone Defense,"A mini-game long abandoned. A game where all you do is fend off monsters.
[I made it myself, but it was a mistake. All you do is block — that's it. Where's the fun in that?][Even the hidden mechanics… they're pointless if no one ever finds them…]
The Lord muttered in disappointment.Yes, there were hidden elements placed for the sake of fun — but they were meaningless. No one had ever tried to find them.But just now — something curious entered his view.A scene he'd only imagined, never expecting to see realized.
— What, what the heck?! Why is that person—?!— Wait, hold on… are they going in alone?!
A man, his face hidden under a hood, jumped down from the platform.The sudden and bizarre act left the other players stunned, and even the monsters, who had been heading toward the platform, paused to stare at him blankly.But that lasted only for a moment.
— KRAAAAHHHHH!
The monsters swarmed the man all at once.From any reasonable perspective, the situation was hopeless.The man who'd dared such a stunt would surely be torn to pieces by the monsters —Even the Lord of Pleasure expected as much.And yet… at the same time, he hoped.
[No way… no way… no way…]
He hoped this man would shatter all expectations,Go beyond the tired script of a forgotten game,And show him something truly unpredictable.
KWA-D-D-D-D-RRRRRKK!
That man — Han Yoosung —Was very much someone capable of doing just that.Shadows surged upward. The darkness spread across the area suddenly reared up,And then transformed — into all manner of weapons.
Swords, spears, axes —Each weapon, born from shadow, began to move with wild fury.
— Grk—grraaahh—what the hell?!— KYAAMAAHH!!— Wh-What even is that?!
The monsters shrieked as they were shredded limb from limb,Their formation torn apart in an instant.
And then—
FWOOOOM!!
A fierce wind trailed behind him.With a storm-like charge, Han Yoosung tore through the ranks of monsters in an instant, heading straight for the portal where the creatures had emerged.
What he was aiming for —The crystal core at the heart of the portal.
His fist, wrapped in a bloody whirlwind, struck it without hesitation.
CRAAACK!
His punch cut through the air —And the raging crimson wind shattered the crystal.As the portal lost its core, it began to flicker and distort… and then vanished completely, without a trace.
He had destroyed the portal.
And with that, Han Yoosung slammed his foot into the ground once more, propelling himself forward.
[...Unreal.]
He dashed across ground swarming with monsters.By all rational standards, it should've been impossible —He should've been overwhelmed, surrounded, and slaughtered on the spot.That was the logical outcome.And yet — logic had just been overturned.
[That's it! That's what I wanted! You can destroy the portals! You're not just supposed to stupidly block the monsters — you can go out and destroy them!]
[This — this is what I've been waiting to see!!]
The Lord of Pleasure let out a joyous roar.
Normally, even he would've grown bored again by now, his joy burning out as fast as it came.But this time… was different.It had to be different.
Because his anticipation had finally been fulfilled.
[Why do you think I even put the portals in the game?! Every single time, they just stood there trembling — never daring to step forward! Do you know how frustrating that was?!]
When people immerse themselves in a story, they carry with them a sense of anticipation —A hope for what will come next.A hope that the scene they're longing to see will unfold.A hope that their expectations will be fulfilled.
The Lord of Pleasure was no different.When he created his playground, he had carried many expectations.
— If I set this up here, then they'll probably move like this, right?— This might be too well-hidden… but if someone manages to find it...— If I leave it like this, it should be fun, don't you think?
Like a child dreaming up scenarios with their toys,The Lord had filled the playground with countless possibilities —And waited for the players to discover them.He longed for them to fulfill the expectations he had crafted.
But that day never came.Until now.
[Yes… That's it…]
Amidst the hellish battlefield swarming with monsters,Han Yoosung, slicing through the chaos, destroying portal after portal —The sight he presented was everything the Lord had hoped for.
[That's it. That's what I was waiting for… That's exactly it!]
The Lord of Pleasure, who had gone so long without having his expectations fulfilled…
[Pleasure Gauge: 32%, 39%, 45%...][The Lord of Pleasure is experiencing overwhelming excitement!][Han Yoosung's stats increase by 20%!]
The reward — a powerful buff.Han Yoosung could feel it: his body had become lighter.
Would he be glad for the buff? the Lord of Pleasure wondered.
And Han Yoosung,In the best possible way —Betrayed that expectation.
"I don't need the buff. I'll handle this with my own strength — so just watch."
[Ma-ha… Mahahaha…!]
As if to say, Take back your buff.The Lord of Pleasure burst into uncontrollable laughter.Expectation. Joy. Emotions he hadn't felt in ages came rushing in and exploded into laughter.
And along with it, came a new anticipation.Just how much more fun could this human possibly bring him?
[Mahahahaha!!]
And Han Yoosung —Did not betray that expectation.
*The mini-games continued.Each time, the number of players dwindled.Many were satisfied with the rewards they had already earned —Others feared pushing further would mean certain death.
Han Yoosung was the lone exception.
— "Wh-what the hell?! Is that even possible?"— "How many mini-games has he cleared by himself now?"— "Uh… our game isn't progressing at all by comparison…"
Han Yoosung was rampaging — in the truest sense.Defense games, boss hunts, treasure searches, maze escapes, and more —He completed every mission with overwhelming dominance,And in ways no one could have ever predicted.
[Yes! That's it! That's the one! That's the secret I hid away in that spot!]
[You found it! This is the scene I was waiting to see…!]
And not just vaguely —Han Yoosung fulfilled the Lord's expectations with surgical precision.He actively sought out and triggered the hidden mechanisms the Lord had placed throughout the playground.It was no surprise the Lord was utterly delighted.
[Pleasure Gauge: 4%.]
As for the other players, their gauges barely moved.Hovering in the single digits —The only silver lining was that, thanks to Han Yoosung, the Lord was so entertained that their scores didn't go into the negative.
And Han Yoosung?
[Pleasure Gauge: 85%.]
An absurd figure.Eighty-five percent.And the most terrifying part —It was still rising.
After all, who was the Lord of Pleasure?
A being who just moments ago had been cackling with joy,Only to suddenly fall into utter boredom in the blink of an eye —A monarch as fickle and capricious as chaos itself.
— "He's keeping that kind of Lord satisfied…?"— "What kind of buff must he be getting at that level? 80% bonus? More?"— "Hah… damn it…"
The other players stuck in the same mini-game as Han Yoosung could only groan in frustration.How was this even possible?
Simple.
"Anticipation makes boredom bearable."
If one could endure boredom for just a little while —If it meant they could eventually witness the moment they were waiting for…If such anticipation existed —Then boredom could become something else entirely.A spice to make the eventual joy even richer.
That was exactly what Han Yoosung was aiming for.
— "With a guy like that around, is there even a point in continuing?"— "No matter what we do, it won't matter, right?"— "Might as well give up now…"
The other playmakers, unaware of what Han Yoosung was doing,Naturally began to think that way.
As long as Han Yoosung was present,They believed that no matter what efforts they made,The Lord of Pleasure would never look their way.
And that belief took root in everyone.
— "…I'm giving up here."— "Same. There's no point in going on."— "Me too…"
One by one, the players began to forfeit.They were the ones who had landed in the same mini-game as Han Yoosung.
Those who weren't in his game looked on, bewildered.
— "Wait, what? You're giving up? You were almost done!"— "It's pointless. All that's left is to risk our lives."— "See you outside."— "W-Wait up!"
The number of players dropped sharply.
But the Lord of Pleasure didn't mind.His attention was no longer divided.It was completely — obsessively — fixed on one person: Han Yoosung.
And Han Yoosung, too, could feel it.The full weight of the Lord's attention bearing down on him.
Just as he had planned.
Everything was falling into place —Except for one thing…
A terrorist act by the other Lords.The monarchs who had suffered collateral damage because of the Lord of Pleasure were now forming an alliance —And they would inevitably launch an attack against this unpredictable variable.
Unless something else intervened.
And as for how they would strike…
Didn't they use the Gate? Wasn't that how they wiped it out last time...?
But for now, there were no suspicious figures in sight.Naturally so —The allied Lords would have gone to great lengths to conceal their movements,Carefully sneaking their own Oathbearers into the game.If even the Lord of Pleasure hadn't noticed, there was little chance anyone else would.
Well then — there was only one course of action.
'For now, I'll just have to keep clearing games until the storm hits.'[Looks like I'm playing the clown again.]'Yeah, no kidding.'
But if it's a clown's role with rewards, it's not so bad.And so — another mini-game began.
[A new game has begun.][The Lord of Pleasure claps enthusiastically in delight!]
By now, not many players remained.At most, just a few hundred.All of them had gathered in one place —An empty expanse that appeared to be a vast, featureless plain.
But only for a moment.
The plain began to change.Tension gripped the remaining players as the ground shifted beneath them.
And then—
"..."
Among the players,There were some who were tense for a different reason.
Several players were breaking into a cold sweat —Not from anxiety about the upcoming game,Not from fear of what was to come,But from the burden of the role they had been given.
In the stillness,A voice whispered in their ears.
— Be ready...— Destroy the Gate...— It's time to bring ruin to the Lord of Pleasure…
They were the voices of the other Lords.
And so, with hearts tangled in conflicting emotions —Loyalty, pressure, fear, purpose —The game began.
Perhaps, the final game.