Darkness.
I couldn't remember much, but before I knew it, my life flashed before my eyes and I died.
...Or so I thought.
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▶ [Create checkpoint]
▷ [Create checkpoint]
▷ [Create checkpoint]
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Just when I was about to die, a strange floating screen appeared in front of me.
'I remember seeing a documentary where they said that upon death, someone experiences hallucinations.' Was this it, I thought. But why does my hallucination look so strange? Almost like a game screen.
'Is this retribution for playing too many games?' Though I had quit playing games ages ago because of work, I clearly remember playing games all day in the past. Perhaps this was a way for me to remind me of the most enjoyable times of my life.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
'Can I touch it?'
Mustering every last bit of strength, I pressed on the floating screen before me.
—Ding!
A loud chime echoed inside of my ears as the floating screen changed.
「Checkpoint saved - The Barlow's trials」
'The Barlow's trials?... Strange, this name rings a bell, but I can't quite put my finger on it.'
My breathing was starting to become fainter. My consciousness was also slipping. Even so, another chime rang inside of my head.
—Ding!
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「Would you like to restart?」
▶ Yes
▷ No
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'Restart?'
A bitter smile appeared on my face. With each passing second that my life was fading, I started to realize how far gone I was.
But.
'Who cares.'
Using every last bit of my strength, I pressed on the [Yes] option. I had nothing to lose anyway. I mean, I was practically on death's door. The moment I pressed on that option, a string of long text entered my vision.
—Ding!
「Loading checkpoint」
「Loading checkpoint」
「Loading checkpoint」
...Or so I believed.
I had already passed by then.
—Ding!
「The game will now begin. Good luck!」