People who play too many games are often labeled with slurs like loser or waste of life. But those who are too good at games are called god-tier lifers.
Everyone always said I was living a god-tier life. Truthfully, all I did was play a lot of games—but I ended up landing a job, shooting ads, and even representing my country. And I’d even promised to marry Kessler, the character I met in-game. No matter how you look at it, yeah… I asked Kessler, staring at him:
“What do you think would’ve happened if I’d been born in the Joseon era?”
“Why?”
“I was born at just the right time. If I’d missed this by even a few years, I wouldn’t have been able to play Nexus Requiem.”
Games are a product of their time. Even the still-young history of esports tells that story. StarCraft declined, RPGs rose up to become national obsessions, Nexus Requiem launched, and eventually, the world built by AI cracked open the gates of virtual reality gaming.
If I’d been born just ten years earlier or later, my time wouldn’t have come at all.
Whenever I said this, the response I got was always the same, as if scripted:
“Woo-rim, even if you were born back then, you’d have still made it big—at something, somehow.”
That was the standard response he got whenever he, someone who’d always walked the elite path, played the what if game.
“Maybe we saved the country in a past life.”
“Really?”
But of course, Kessler’s answer was different. The way his mind just automatically loops us into a ‘we’—typical.
“Yeah.”
His confident answer made me start laughing quietly. So cute. Seriously, if I got to spend my whole life with a guy like this, there’d never be a dull moment.
***
Like my nightly ritual, I logged into Last Shadow before bed—and nearly screamed. Shadows stacked so high above me, I couldn’t even see the ceiling.
Cough, cough.
—He’s awake! He’s awake!
“What the hell is all this? Clean it up, it’s dusty in here.”
The souls cheered in delight.
—You slept all day.
—We were worried.
—We thought the world was ending.
I’d gone AFK while reviving souls in the underworld, claiming I was going to take a quick nap. But time in here passed about three times slower than in the real world, so they must’ve thought I’d ditched them for good.
“Good thing there’s still a world left to save. A person needs proper sleep, but thanks to you lot, I didn’t get any deep rest.”
—Got it. Next time, we’ll shhhhh.
“You better.”
He tossed a half-hearted scolding at them and stretched.
I tossed a little scolding their way and stretched my arms.
Then, to help them, I pulled out a soul-soothing incense candle from my bag and lit it. From experience, the more sealed-off the space, the better the scent worked.
[These are worn-out souls who can never repay you.
Will you still help them?
Yes / No]
“Yes.”
As I began, the souls, buzzing with anticipation, started to form shapes, carried on a faint breeze that drifted in from somewhere. The tiny ones watching curiously clapped their hands in delight.
***
When I was still a fox, I was bound to Kessler through subordination. But now, as a human, I wore a wedding ring, so I was once again recognized as his spouse. As a result, since I’d been playing the game in human form lately, Kessler’s in-game satisfaction level had skyrocketed.
[Kessler]: Where are you?
[Yeo Woo-rim]: I’m in the underground saving beggars. Wanna come?
[Kessler]: Yeah, I’m on my way.
Since spouses’ locations were visible on the map, it’d be easy for Kessler to find me. Meanwhile, I ventured deeper into the underground.
???’s resurrected souls: 710 / 10,000
—Your nameplate hasn’t been registered. Distribution of public merit points is on hold.
I’d removed the name tag I once used for Jung Da-hoon, and now my body was like a phone without a SIM card—data kept piling up, but nothing was being credited.
Anyway, once I hit that “ten thousand,” something was bound to happen. So I planted soul-soothing candles wherever I found a tangled mass of souls.
[SYSTEM]: Frail souls feel at peace. Soul body formation speed has increased.
As time passed, the process sped up. The ones who revived early had all been part of the labor class in life, so the moment they were mobile, they threw themselves into the work of soul collection like tireless ants.
Their diligence was on a whole different level compared to the upper-class souls who only thought about bossing others around.
By the time I’d cleared out one whole corridor—
[SYSTEM]: You no longer have the power to resurrect souls.
The red warning window had been flashing and beeping for a while now, complaining about accumulated fatigue—and finally, even my soul energy had run dry.
“This is it for today.”
Resurrected souls: 2,210 / 10,000
‘At this rate, I’ll save them all in a few days.’
That number was only possible because I’d converted all my merit points into soul energy.
“I’ll be back, so don’t go wandering around looking for me.”
After marking my current location, I reached out toward Kessler, who was walking up to me.
“Hey, baby fox.”
“Our real baby is here?”
“Finished your quest?”
“It ended too fast. Damn this glass body.”
Just as he threw himself into my arms and started rubbing up against me—
[Bori]: Ugh, seriously, I can’t do this anymore, ffs
[Bori]: Aren’t we all getting on KakaoTalk?
Suddenly, Bori Noona went off the rails. I had nothing pressing at the moment, so I jumped into the chat. What happened?
Bori:
All the other teams are hauling water drops right now.
She’d even used a period—a rare occurrence. One by one, the little number counters beside each message disappeared as everyone saw it, but no one replied. That silence said it all: the mood had gotten serious.
KebabGudasaai:
Sorry.. I was stuck on a personal quest
Seong Juwon:
I had no choice, I’m a Fox Ambassador
Jung Da-hoon:
I had a photo shoot……
Apparently even Kebab had ditched, leaving Bori Noona to haul all the water drops alone… I started getting curious about Kebab’s situation. Last I checked, his class was Scale Trainer. He worked with abandoned scales that formed into small souls, taming and raising them. If he was on a personal quest… was it a class advancement?
[You don’t need to push yourself so hard, Bori.]
Bori:
Oh lolol why? You quitting the game or something? lolol
[Can we hop on a quick call?]
I called her from the chat. I selected just Bori and rang. A moment later, my big dumb mug popped up on her screen under “Call Participants.” Kessler’s profile pic.
I turned around. We were literally in the same room. Why’d he join the call?
As soon as Kessler entered, Jung Da-hoon and Kebab hopped in too. It quickly became a group call, but that was fine. Everyone needed to hear this anyway.
“Bori.”
—Yes.
“Listen to me carefully from this point on.”
Gulp.
—Yes, I’m listening.
I started with just enough weight in my voice.
“You heard from Jung Da-hoon about what I’ve been doing, right?”
—Yeah, you’re reviving souls underground. I get that. But the issue is that everyone else has ditched everything and dumped it all on me.
“Just as it’s been until now, your role will remain the most crucial.”
—Huh?
“There might be a coup soon. Kessler is assisting me, and Da-hoon is tied down as my double. Kebab, well…”
I honestly didn’t know.
“Anyway, that’s why your role matters. Please keep monitoring the other players like you’ve been doing, and stay active. If everyone disappears, people will get suspicious and assume we’re all off doing some secret quest. But if even one person stays active, they’ll just assume, ‘Oh, that team only has one slacker.’ And Da-hoon—go help Bori out too.”
—A coup? What are you talking about…
Her voice had softened. I explained everything: about the underground world where oppressed souls were gathered, and how I was focused on reviving them.
—But will they really revolt? Weren’t they supposed to be kind…?
“Individuals might be kind, but crowds are different. The less they have, the less they fear. And I can feel it in my bones as an Undertaker. Every time I see those power-hungry souls, their rage gauge ticks higher.”
—Oh my god… Got it. I’ll keep grinding then. And I’ll keep an eye on the other players too.
“Yes, just don’t get too deeply involved.”
—Got it. But you could’ve told me sooner!
“I only confirmed it this morning. From now on, I’ll communicate immediately. Please do the same, everyone. And on that note…”
I paused for effect. Someone had been spamming hearts nonstop without saying a word.
“So, Kebab—what kind of quest did you go off to do?”
—I’m on a job quest. When I went with Bori to share the water drops, the lake was overrun with fish. It looked like the Water Spirits were having a tough time maintaining the water quality. And, well… you know how fish bodies are covered in scales, right?
“Right.”
—I used my class skill to gather the rotting scales that were drifting in soul form and turned them into minions. The water quality improved right away. Then one of the Water Spirits asked me to check out the other lakes too… So now I’ve accidentally ended up on a linked quest.
“Ah, is that so?”
—Yeah, it feels like a Master Quest.
My curiosity was mostly satisfied.
“Anyway, Bori.”
—I’m all better now. I’m heading back to Neo City with the water drops tomorrow. Can I drop by and see you, Woo-rim?
“Of course. Come by anytime.”
—Okay. I’m looking forward to it, hehe. Sorry for making a fuss earlier!
“This isn’t just a solo game, it’s a team game. You had every right to be upset. From now on, I’ll try to share quest progress as much as possible.”
Just as I ended the call and was about to get back into the game, Kessler wrapped his arms around my waist and lightly tossed me onto the bed.
“Fox throwdown.”
“Wah! Why, why, why?!”
“It’s already midnight.”
“Already?”
Snore. Kessler feigned sleep while hugging me tightly, so I hugged his thick body right back.
I definitely felt like playing more—but my eyes were already closing.
