“Huh?”

 

In just a few seconds, Baeksan regained her senses.

 

However, not realizing that she was standing, she collapsed to the ground, scraping her knee.

 

“Ow!”

 

Baeksan groaned as she held her knee.

 

‘…?’

 

At the same time, she realized that she was dressed in shabby attire. No, it was more appropriate to call it a robe.

 

As she lifted her head in the unfamiliar situation, a vibrant market street unfolded before her.

 

“Discounted goods for sale! Blue Moon Fair, only for a day! Selling rare treasures from the Northern lands today!”

 

“The circus is about to start! Please enter, ladies and gentlemen!”

 

“Pumpkin candies for only one coin!”

 

Busy people bustling about, the sound of chuckling laughter, the aroma of something roasting.

 

‘A festival? No, more than that…’

 

The problem was that Baeksan had a memory of witnessing this scene before.

 

‘This… is it ‘Another Saga?’’

 

It was undoubtedly the street she used to see on the screen of her mobile phone.

 

The shape and color of the roofs, the shadows of the Imperial Palace in the distance, the patterns on the plaza floor…

 

Everything was the same.

 

‘A game? Am I inside a game right now?’

 

She felt a moment of surprise. However, there was something even more astonishing.

 

 

[ Hans ]  A farmer. Ordinary. Likes skewers.   [ Annie ]A farmer’s daughter. Skilled in embroidery.  [ Aster Horn (Tiransa Sogd) ] Pretending to be a clown in the circus, but actually a spy for Sorok. Investigating the internal affairs of Orquenina during the festival.

 

 

Baeksan felt dizzy.

 

‘…Why do people have name tags above their heads?’

*  *  *

 

Baeksan sat down in a corner of the festival street, quietly observing the scene.

 

No matter how much she thought, there was only one answer.

 

‘I died.’

 

And she had crossed into ‘Another Saga.’ She didn’t know why, but…

 

It seemed like she had gained some strange abilities along the way.

 

Baeksan moved her head slightly and looked at a gray city rat rummaging through a trash bin. Then, a semi-transparent window appeared.

 

[ Gray City Rat ]Excited about the rare festival. Enjoys rotten cake. 

 

“…”

 

She didn’t want to know about the rat’s culinary preferences, but there was nothing she could do when the information was provided automatically.

 

“Sigh.”

 

Baeksan sighed and looked at the crowd.

 

She was honestly overwhelmed by confusion.

 

‘I might have been better off just dying.’

 

Yet again, she was alive. And this time, in a strange world.

 

For a moment, she felt disoriented.

 

But she quickly brushed it off by cursing at the sky, as she usually did.

‘The more I think about this problem, the more I’ll get depressed. Why me, and that kind of stuff.’

 

She was already immune to such thoughts.

 

There wasn’t much choice, was there? Everyone has lived like this since they were born.

 

‘But more than that, my past life, Inferno Stage.’

 

Frustration suddenly surged within her.

 

‘Dirty and wretched. This time, I’ll live differently!’

 

She wouldn’t die from overexertion this time. This life’s goal was to prosper.

 

With that in mind, she felt like she could even enjoy this abrupt life in a game world.

 

‘And with this ability, surely…’

 

A smile crept onto Baeksan’s lips.

 

 [ A quest has been triggered.] 

“…Huh?”

 

[ To the player who wished for the world’s destruction after experiencing such great trials, hope is given. The system will assist the player in creating a ‘ruined world.’ ] 

“…Huh?”

 

<MAIN QUEST>Bring about the world’s destruction.– Reward for success: Divinity acquisition– Penalty for failure: ??? 

 

“…”

 

No way. What is this, damn it?

 

No matter how many times she blinked and looked again, the words remained the same.

 

Baeksan barely recalled her final thought before dying.

 

‘This fxcked-up world can go to hell for all I care!’

 

No… that doesn’t mean it’s supposed to apply after it transfers over!

 

“…Abandon quest!”

 

 

[ Not possible. ] 

 “Argh!”

 

Baeksan grabbed her head and let out a scream.

 

‘I should have wished for a lottery win! Why did I wish for failure?!’

 

Having made an empty wish, she couldn’t blame anyone else.

 

After cursing at the sky again, Baeksan forced herself to take a deep breath.

‘This isn’t the time.’

 

As an orphaned veteran of life’s ups and downs, adaptability was one of her strong suits.

 

Baeksan calmly examined the quest window.

 

“First, this ‘attaining divinity’.”

 

If she succeeded in the quest, she would attain divinity. It seemed good just by looking at it.

 

However, what about the others? If the world collapsed, people would surely die. Why would anyone dream of becoming a deity in a new world to that extent?

 

‘Anyone who would want that must be crazy.’

 

Next was the penalty for failure.

 

“What does ‘???’ mean…?”

 

Baeksan squinted.

 

‘At least it won’t be death. The system said it would help me.’

 

That was a small consolation.

 

Having already died once, the sensation of death was so horrifying that she didn’t want to experience it again. 

Baeksan had only experienced a fleeting moment of complete darkness.

 

In the meantime, she felt like she had encountered something terrifying and dreadful.

 

Suddenly, a shiver ran down her arm, causing Baeksan to tremble.

 

‘At least in this tutorial stage, the penalty for failure isn’t that bad.’

 

But she didn’t want to succeed either.

 

“What should I do about this…?”

 

A heavy sigh escaped her.

 

She pondered in her spot for a while, but the problem was seemingly unsolvable in the present.

 

“Still, since there’s no deadline, maybe somehow…”

 

Being in a game world, it might be a good thing after all. If this is a ‘Quest,’ there should be a way to abandon it somewhere.

 

‘I don’t know much about 〈Another Saga〉, but there must have been temples.’

 

If the gods here weren’t ghosts, they might be able to help her in some way.

 

‘Well, for now… rather than temples, I need to adapt.’

 

Baeksan gazed at the street again.

 

Due to the yellow lanterns lining the street, the night sky appeared dark blue.

 

The crowd, brimming with joy on their faces, was moving in one direction. It seemed to be the center of the festival.

 

‘…I can’t just keep staring blankly like this forever.’

 

Baeksan stood up, tucking her robe tightly, and plunged into the crowd.

 

‘This is my world now.’

 

*  *  *

 

As she wandered the streets, Baeksan familiarized herself with how the system window worked.

 

Names or windows didn’t always pop up automatically. They appeared faintly.

 

But if she focused on something or thought about it, names would intensify and semi-transparent windows would appear.

 

                                                   

[ Pumpkin Candy ]  Cheap candy made by hardening molasses in the shape of a pumpkin. 

[ Yeba ]Hans’ donkey. Has a nasty disposition. Looking for a chance to escape. 

Like this.

 

The abundance of information easily made her tired.

 

‘It would have been nice if there was an OFF function.’

 

Suppressing her embarrassment, she shouted, “OFF!” But unfortunately, there was no such function.

 

In addition, while strolling the streets, Baeksan confirmed once again that she had indeed entered 〈Another Saga〉.

 

The timing seemed a bit earlier than the game’s setting. She could tell from people’s conversations.

 

“They say strange fog is covering the mountains these days, and the trees are withering and dying…”

 

“I heard that, too. Do you know the reason?”

 

It was probably a disaster called “Jangdok” (noxious air, a toxic and humid air that arises in damp and hot lands).

 

The plot of the game 〈Another Saga〉 wasn’t overly complex.

 

Jangdok descends from the mountains in the north and west. Various disasters and monsters follow.

 

The protagonist, a farmer, sets out for the mountains in anger because the monsters are ruining their fields.

 

They then resolve the disasters, gradually become known, and become a hero.

 

That was the basic framework of 〈Another Saga〉.

 

Despite the brewing disasters and descending monsters, the world wasn’t necessarily post-apocalyptic or difficult to live in.

 

Just looking at the street, it was easy to ascertain that it was a highly prosperous society.

 

And even as the game progressed, this atmosphere didn’t change much.

 

So, the conclusion?

 

‘The monsters are the protagonist’s problem. As for me, I’ll enjoy a good life with this ability.’