On a late summer night, strong winds from the ocean blew forcefully inland. With each gust, the air grew increasingly colder.

In a deserted street, a couple walked side by side. However, something about them seemed off—they didn’t look pleased. The clearest sign was in the eyes of the beautiful young woman.

Suddenly, she stopped, stepping into the glow of a streetlight.

Before the weary-looking young man could fully turn around, he was met with a shocking statement from the girl behind him.

“Ryoshu… I’m sorry, but… let’s break up.”

The night air was already freezing, yet her words did nothing to ease the cold. On the contrary, they sent an even deeper chill down his spine.

A sudden shiver ran through Ryoshu. He swallowed hard, but his throat was so tight that he could barely breathe.

All he could do was stand there, stunned. But before the silence could drag on, he let out a deep sigh, breaking the stillness of the quiet street.

Ryoshu forced a smile, though he couldn’t completely hide the sorrow on his face. After struggling to find the right words, he finally spoke, offering the most heartfelt—and final—words of love he could muster:

“I see… then I hope you find someone who deserves you more. It’s getting late, so I should head home now. Goodbye.”

He had already sensed this coming, which was why he seemed to accept it so quickly. Too quickly.

Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving the girl standing alone in the dim light, feeling abandoned and guilty.

But Ryoshu wouldn’t know that. He was too caught up in his own storm of emotions.

‘Should I look back at her one last time?’

Like a gust of wind cutting through the night, he dashed away—like an arrow, sharp with pain, yet unable to shed a single tear.

‘This is the last time… right? But… why?’

Eventually, he could no longer hold back. He ran faster and faster, as if he had never run before in his life. His breathing grew heavier, and the tears streaming down his face only made it harder to catch his breath.

Finally reaching his apartment, Ryoshu stopped in front of the door with his full name on the name tag—Amemiya Ryoshu.

Despite his turmoil, he opened the door gently and shut it just as softly.

His tear-filled eyes blurred his vision, but he could still make out the state of his room—an absolute mess.

There were no trophies, no certificates—nothing on the walls or shelves to suggest any accomplishments. It didn’t take long to realize that he was unemployed.

This run-down apartment was nothing compared to the mansion he had sold just a week ago.

A hint of regret lingered, but he had long been accustomed to poverty.

His gaze landed on a fallen picture frame on the bookshelf—just like always.

‘This is starting to feel like a habit,’ he thought, picking up the frame and setting it upright.

The photo showed four people: a father, a mother, and two children. Just an ordinary family portrait—one that could be found in any household.

But to Ryoshu, this was his most precious possession.

A memory that made him both happy and unbearably sad.

This was his family. Or at least, it used to be.

Now, only the two people in the center were still alive, having grown into respectable citizens.

His parents, however, were gone.

And this photo was the only thing he had left of them.

Their deaths had been so sudden that they never got the chance to write a will. As a result, all their assets fell into the hands of the children's legal guardian.

That guardian had no conscience, no mercy. They took every last cent his parents had left behind, and then, with a fake smile and an ice-cold voice, they threw Ryoshu and his younger sister out of their home.

"We can’t afford to take care of you anymore."

Even a child could tell it was a lie.

Just thinking about it made Ryoshu’s blood boil.

But he had loved his sister too much to let her suffer.

So, he swallowed his pride and begged those heartless people to at least provide for her.

‘Did I really bow my head to them?’ he recalled bitterly. ‘But… you can’t eat pride, can you? And thanks to that, my sister had food and shelter! It was worth it!’

Trying to reassure himself, he shook off the shame of his past.

He had dropped out of high school to work and support both himself and his sister.

Now, as a result of his sacrifices, his sister—two years younger than him—had a stable job at a reputable company.

‘She doesn’t even care about everything I gave up to get her here. Not that I need anything in return, but… couldn’t she at least ask how I’m doing? Show a little respect?’

Still, Ryoshu couldn’t blame her.

It had been his choice, after all.

He thought back to the day they were separated.

His sister had clung to his shirt, refusing to let go.

Stolen novel; please report.

He had turned around, hugged her tightly, and whispered in her ear:

"I’ll come back… I promise."

That day was burned into his memory as if it had just happened.

The loss of his parents had left a deep, unfillable void in his heart.

It had shaped him into the lonely, melancholic person he was now.

‘Maybe she hates me for breaking that promise… or maybe it’s because I’m already 22 and still unemployed… Who knows? Haha.’

He let out a dry chuckle, a sound filled with exhaustion and unshed tears.

Most people go drinking with friends after a breakup.

But Ryoshu?

He turned on his computer—the only expensive thing in his messy room—and launched his streaming software.

It was a habit.

A secret job he had done to earn money for his sister.

Looking at the familiar interface, memories of his past success flooded back.

‘What am I even doing? It’s all over, Ryoshu. Stop clinging to the past.’

With a heavy sigh, he closed the program and opened a game instead.

The game that had changed his life.

Rainfall Disorder.

Or at least… it once had.

The day Rainfall Disorder launched, it took the gaming world by storm.

A hardcore 3D open-world RPG set in a modern fantasy world, where players had to grow stronger alongside the main characters and progress through the Main Storyline.

Ryoshu navigated the game effortlessly, engaging in a fierce battle against a notoriously difficult boss.

The NPCs fought beside him with stunning realism, reacting like real people rather than artificial intelligence.

That was the game’s greatest feature—an almost perfect simulation.

But in a single careless moment, the boss unleashed a devastating attack, wiping out both Ryoshu and the protagonist, Haruki.

“Damn it.”

He slammed his already worn-out desk.

“I’ve played for six years and still make rookie mistakes?!”

He was an experienced player—not a genius, but not terrible either. His viewers often described him as ‘average’.

Ryoshu immediately exploited a game glitch to reverse the outcome.

Unlike players, in this game, once a character—main or supporting—died, they were permanently gone.

It was one of the reasons Rainfall Disorder was considered nearly impossible to beat.

For two years, no one had cleared it—until a legendary player finally did, making global headlines.

After that, more and more people began finishing the game.

Ryoshu himself had been the 69th player to beat it.

“Done!”

He slammed the homemade button that stopped his speedrun timer.

He checked the final time:

“17 hours… 24 minutes… 15 seconds… and 5 milliseconds! A new personal best!”

Proud, he uploaded his run to the official speedrun site.

But when he checked the leaderboard, he frowned.

“The top player cleared it in 14 hours now? How are they getting faster?!”

Feeling dejected, he switched to social media.

His notifications? Zero.

With a sigh, he turned on the TV.

"Just next week, we'll get to experience the Virtual Reality version of the game that has taken the world by storm—Rainfall Disorder."

Ryoshu started paying closer attention, even though he had known this information for quite some time.

"Here with us, we have the CEO of the multimillion-dollar game company, Ber Productions. Welcome, sir."

The company's CEO was a young man, yet he carried himself with remarkable composure, exuding the aura of a successful businessman. And the truth was, he indeed was one.

"Hello. Today, I am honored to represent my company on this program to share more about what you just mentioned."

The female host smiled brightly at his politeness and eloquence.

"We’re all eagerly anticipating this game. Can you share some of the major changes in the upcoming version?"

"Haha." He chuckled lightly, covering his mouth in a natural manner. "We believe it’ll be much more exciting if players discover those changes on their own. But there is one thing we can confidently say."

He paused, looking straight at the camera, making even Ryoshu curious about what he was about to say.

"This game will completely change the world."

Suddenly, the TV screen glitched out amid his excitement. Then, the familiar black-and-white static appeared.

"Damn, I forgot to pay this month’s cable bill. Just when it was getting good..."

Though frustrated, Ryoshu quickly turned back to his computer screen, which was still on.

"VR version... huh?"

Only one more week until the VR version was released. But he barely had enough money to cover his own living expenses, let alone afford a VR headset to play.

As much as he regretted everything that had happened in the past, Ryoshu felt like this was the perfect time to let go of that miserable past and change for the better.

Everything—being unrecognized by others, losing his parents early, and now even his younger sister, who had her own job and worries—had shaped him.

"I don’t want to bother her anymore. No, from now on, I won’t bother anyone. I’ll just focus on making money. Nothing else."

But honestly, he found that pretty ironic. The game Rainfall Disorder had given him everything, and now, it had taken it all away—his money, his wealth, his relationships.

Yet, despite all the misfortunes, he couldn’t bring himself to hate the game. In fact, he could never hate it.

Ryoshu simply loved the game, not because it once helped him financially, but because every time he played it, he felt genuinely happy and at peace.

And after a few sleepless nights, he had finally completed the game—one last time.

"And this will be the final time."

It left him feeling nostalgic, yet oddly satisfied. But playing for several days straight was enough to let sleep finally take over.

He visited his channel one last time and deleted it, feeling a pang of regret as he recalled his golden days.

"And finally..."—He opened his computer’s drive and deleted the game, preparing to sell his PC so he could focus entirely on work.

"That’s it... time to sleep."

And then...

There was no then.

When he woke up, Ryoshu found himself in a completely unfamiliar room. At first, he reacted like any normal person—panicking, afraid he had been kidnapped or something. But he quickly forced himself to stay calm and examine the room for clues—or, if he was lucky, a phone.

Yet, the room was eerily empty, making him even more anxious. Perhaps his survival instincts were kicking in—being in a place with nothing meant he was easily observed.

"Damn it, I’m done for. Did I really get kidnapped?!"

He carefully pulled back the curtains and looked out the window, which was far more modern than the one in his old apartment. As he surveyed the city outside, something immediately caught his attention.

The entire city was incredibly futuristic—so advanced that it felt like he had stepped into an era far beyond his own time. But there was one detail. One very interesting detail.

"Why does this city look so familiar?"

A sudden ding rang out, and he noticed a message appearing on a watch he had just realized he was wearing.

"What the hell is this?"

The message displayed itself before his eyes. Ryoshu squinted and read the bold text on the floating notification.

"Invitation to Spiral Academy—"

And he realized it. He should have recognized it earlier when he looked at the cityscape.

"How could I not realize it? I’ve spent over a thousand hours staring at this city."

"Oh, Spiral Academy... huh?"

Looking at the world outside, Ryoshu finally came to a conclusion:

"Yeah... this time, I’m really screwed."