ETHTKE chapter 1- Prologue

At first, I thought it was just a peculiar dream.

[Welcome to ‘The Catastrophe of Initia’!]

Suddenly, I came to my senses, and a dazzlingly colorful phrase appeared before my eyes, almost like a game.

I blinked in confusion at the familiar-looking system window. But then, fragments of memories flashed through my mind, snapping me back to reality.

‘The Catastrophe of Initia’!

No wonder it felt familiar.

This was the fantasy novel I had enjoyed so much that I stayed up countless nights reading it.

But why was the system window from that novel appearing before me?

Could it be that I was so immersed in the story that I ended up dreaming about it?

Recently, I had been forced to work overtime for several days because of my boss, and now, I was having strange dreams.

I thought nothing of it and just laughed as I reached out toward the bright light in front of me.

[SYSTEM WARNING!]

“…What?”

I only started to feel something was wrong when a warning message, ominously flashing red, appeared, clearly indicating danger.

[This system respects the player’s opinions. Please choose one of the following options.]

• Time limit: 5 seconds –

[1. My love, you look beautiful today.]

[2. Was it you? The one who dared to bewitch me.]

A new window suddenly appeared, offering ridiculous choices.

But…what were these absurdly cringe-worthy lines supposed to be?

“It doesn’t seem like you respect my opinion at all…”

Moreover, there wasn’t even a question, just these options hanging in the air.

How was I supposed to choose if I didn’t even know what I was responding to?

[5, 4, 3…]

As I stared dumbfounded at the window, the numbers started to blink and count down as if urging me to make a decision.

The bomb icon at the bottom made a crackling noise, adding to the sense of impending doom.

Fortunately, there was no explanation of the penalty for ignoring the options, but that only made me more anxious, fearing the unknown consequences.

“Well, it feels like no matter what I pick, it’ll be the same… If I have to choose, I guess option 1 is slightly better?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, I pressed option 1, and suddenly, the space around me began to twist.

[SYSTEM: Resetting based on the player’s choice. Loading… 1%]

“Wait, reset? What?”

But this suspicious system window… Why does it seem like it’s been avoiding any clear subject?

The rapidly increasing percentage quickly reached 100%, emitting a brilliant light.

“This…seems really dangerous-”

At that moment, my heart began to pound wildly, a sense of urgency filling my chest.

But just as quickly, a new window appeared before my eyes.

[SYSTEM: Reset complete. Loading new data.]

“No, don’t load it…! Stop, I said stop!”

Just as I was about to curse the system, my vision flickered and went black.

“Kill the criminal!”

Ugh, it’s so noisy… My head hurts… What happened?

As I slowly opened my eyes to the loud, chaotic noise, I found myself surrounded by thick, black smoke.

And standing in front of me…

“…Baek Yigang?”

My lips moved on their own as I saw the figure vaguely visible through the smoke.

I was certain it was Baek Yigang, even though I’d never seen him before.

Recognizing him was only natural.

Baek Yigang was the final antagonist in ‘The Catastrophe of Initia,’ and I had read the novel countless times, even following the webtoon adaptation.

In the story, he was so arrogant and unlikeable that all the characters despised him… He was one of the most distinctive villains.

As I was slowly grasping the situation, a sharp blade flashed towards me from nearby.

What? So suddenly? I’ve only been awake for 10 seconds, and I’m already facing a death ending?

I instinctively flinched, trying to avoid the impending death, but my entire body, including my hands and feet, was tightly bound, making it impossible to move.

Thankfully, the ropes weren’t thick, so I could probably break free if I tried, but first…

I needed to assess the situation.

Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed like an execution was underway.

An execution of ‘me,’ no less.

What a horrifyingly brutal dream.

“Stop, wait.”

In the midst of my confusion, unable to even scream, Baek Yigang’s voice halted the incoming blade.

Then, he spoke again.

“You, how do you know me?”

His voice, filled with suspicion, reached me.

How do I know him?

Well, I’m one of the countless readers who have followed you from text to illustration.

Just as I was about to respond casually, the system window appeared again.

[SYSTEM: Based on the player’s prior choice, the ‘First Words of Glory’ will automatically be output as ‘Welcome Response.’]

Wel…what? What’s being output?

Wait, this seems ominous. Could it be that…?

“My love, you look beautiful today.”

Sure enough, my mouth moved on its own.

My cheeky reply burst out like a scream, freezing the once fiery atmosphere around us.

In front of my eyes, yet another notification window appeared, and I stood there, stiffened by the embarrassment of uttering such an awkward line for the first time in my life.

[SYSTEM: Welcome! Player ‘Cheong Dowoon,’ survive in ‘The Catastrophe of Initia’!
The only way to escape is to receive a ‘sincere thanks’ from a major character!
Welcome Gift: The chances of receiving a sincere thanks from the major character who received the Welcome Response increase by 2%.]

What?

What kind of crazy system is this?

Are you telling me I have to make Baek Yigang thank me?

Can’t you see how cold the atmosphere has become?!

It wouldn’t be surprising if someone came to cut my head off right now…

And a ‘sincere thanks’…

Where have I seen that…?

A shiver ran down my spine as I felt an eerie and familiar sensation.

I was sure I had seen that insane scenario somewhere before.

A strong sense of déjà vu washed over me.

Surely, this system window… No, it can’t be.

This is all just a dream from being tired; there’s no way I could have possessed someone.

“Hah, it’s a good thing it’s just a dream…”

If this were reality, I’d be biting my tongue right now from the sheer embarrassment.

But what does it matter, it’s just a dream.

The thought that it was all a dream gave me a strange sense of courage.

I tore off the ropes that bound me with a bit of strength and approached Baek Yigang, feeling the shocked stares of the people around me.

His white hair, as cold as a winter night, and those deep, violet eyes beneath, were intensely mysterious and otherworldly.

“Wow, you’re really Baek Yigang? You look exactly like you do in the webtoon. You’re so pretty…”

Out of curiosity, I grabbed his face and lifted the hair covering his forehead, revealing a cross-shaped scar above his eyebrow.

It was the scar he earned in the Northern War, the one unique symbol only Baek Yigang had in this novel.

“Ugh, what the… Let go.”

“Your Highness!”

Baek Yigang’s furrowed brow showed clear discomfort at having his face grabbed by me.

And then, the knights around us, finally snapping to attention, hastily pointed their swords at me.

“Wow, you’re all glaring at me just because I touched the villain’s face. Even if it’s a dream, getting stabbed by a sword still hurts, you know.”

As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, I slowly let go of Baek Yigang’s face.

Instead of getting angry, he simply made a small gesture, and all the swords pointed at me were lowered.

“Your Highness, are you alright? How dare this fearless criminal…!”

The knights who had been supporting Baek Yigang after I released him now glared at me as if they were ready to kill.

Wait, ‘Your Highness’? Why is he being called that?

The Baek Yigang I know is a fallen dark wizard… Ah, that’s right.

He was a crown prince before he turned to the dark side, wasn’t he?

“Completely forgot, it was such an early plot point.”

Well, he’ll soon be betrayed by the second prince, lose his position as crown prince, and become a fallen dark wizard…

But this version of him is quite refreshing to see.

“I have no idea what you’ve been rambling on about. Ken, take this criminal to the underground prison. I’ll personally interrogate him before the execution.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

With a dry glance, Baek Yigang gave an order to the person next to him and then turned his back on me.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

But then, as if he had just remembered something, Baek Yigang paused and met my eyes with a sly smile.

“I can’t accept your feelings. I’m not into big, dumb guys.”

After finishing his sentence, he turned away without hesitation, and I could hear a faint chuckle as he walked off.

“Ha, anyone would think I just confessed or something.”

As I was caught by the knights and could only stare blankly at Baek Yigang’s retreating figure, a sudden sense of foreboding washed over me.

A gut-wrenching feeling that if I got involved with Baek Yigang, I would never escape unscathed.