The Last Player: When the Game Became Reality

A Party Built on a Lie

Ethan didn't tell Mina about the figure he had seen in the underground chamber.

Not yet.

There were already too many questions.

The strange map.

The hidden chamber.

The six-person memory.

The system's warning.

And the message that had appeared after they left.

[PHASE ONE: SUCCESS.]

Someone had wanted Ethan to come back.

Someone had been waiting for him.

And Ethan had no idea why.

The others walked ahead.

Leonard led the way.

Kieran carried the equipment.

Mara and Daniel discussed the map in low voices.

Mina stayed beside Ethan.

Noah was nowhere among them.

That bothered Ethan.

He had expected the mysterious man to follow.

Instead, Noah had simply disappeared.

Mina noticed Ethan looking behind them.

"Looking for someone?"

"No."

"You've been looking behind us for the last five minutes."

Ethan smiled faintly.

"Old habit."

"From the game?"

"From surviving."

Mina gave him a suspicious look.

"You really don't know how to relax."

"Neither do you."

"That's because I have to keep you alive."

Ethan laughed quietly.

For a few seconds, the tension disappeared.

Then Leonard stopped.

Everyone halted.

"We're here."

Ethan looked ahead.

The Hunter Association stood across the street.

Leonard had arranged something.

Ethan didn't know what.

And that was exactly what bothered him.

________________________________________

Party Registration

The registration hall was crowded.

Hunters filled the building.

Guild representatives were recruiting.

People argued over dungeon assignments.

Newly awakened players stood nervously in line.

The world was changing faster than anyone could understand.

Leonard approached the information desk.

The clerk looked up.

"How can I help you?"

Leonard placed a document on the counter.

"Temporary party registration."

The clerk glanced at the papers.

Then froze.

Her eyes moved toward Leonard.

"Wait..."

She looked at him again.

"You're Leonard Cross."

Leonard nodded.

The clerk's expression changed immediately.

She looked at Kieran.

"Kieran Ash?"

Kieran gave a small wave.

Then Mara.

"You're Mara Voss."

Mara smiled politely.

"That's me."

The clerk looked at Daniel.

"Daniel Rook."

Daniel sighed.

"Unfortunately."

The clerk's eyes widened.

"You were all players from the original game."

Kieran laughed.

"Apparently we're still famous."

"Apparently?"

The clerk looked nervous.

"You were among the highest-ranked players."

Leonard glanced at Ethan.

"That was a long time ago."

The clerk finally looked at Mina.

Then Ethan.

Her expression changed again.

"And you're Ethan Vale."

Ethan nodded.

"Yes."

"The player who broke the assessment crystal?"

"That happened."

The clerk stared at the six of them.

"You are all forming a party?"

Leonard answered:

"Yes."

She entered their information.

One by one, the names appeared on the screen.

Ethan Vale.

Leonard Cross.

Kieran Ash.

Mina.

Mara Voss.

Daniel Rook.

Six members.

The clerk looked at the screen.

"Party name?"

Nobody answered.

Kieran looked at Ethan.

Ethan shrugged.

"Anything."

Mina immediately spoke.

"Don't choose something embarrassing."

Daniel grinned.

"How about Last Stand?"

"No."

"Tower Breakers?"

"Absolutely not."

Kieran laughed.

Leonard remained quiet.

Then he looked at the six names on the screen.

For some reason, his expression became distant.

"Ascendants."

Ethan looked at him.

"Why that?"

Leonard didn't answer immediately.

"It's a name that feels right."

Something moved inside Ethan's chest.

A strange sensation.

Recognition.

Not memory.

Something deeper.

He stared at the word.

ASCENDANTS

The name felt familiar.

Impossible familiar.

Like he'd heard it before.

But he couldn't remember where.

Mina noticed.

"You okay?"

Ethan blinked.

"Yeah."

The clerk entered the name.

[PARTY REGISTERED]

[PARTY NAME: ASCENDANTS]

For a fraction of a second, the screen flickered.

[OLD PARTY RECORD DETECTED.]

Ethan's eyes widened.

The message disappeared immediately.

Nobody else reacted.

"Did you see that?"

Mina looked at the screen.

"See what?"

Ethan stared at the registration terminal.

Nothing.

The message was gone.

He swallowed.

"No."

________________________________________

The First Mission

The Association didn't give them much time to settle.

A mission appeared almost immediately.

[E-RANK DUNGEON DETECTED]

Location: Northern District

Estimated Difficulty: E

Recommended Party Size: 4–6

Objective: Investigate dungeon core.

Leonard accepted it.

Ethan immediately noticed something strange.

"Why this dungeon?"

Leonard looked at him.

"Because it's close."

"No."

Ethan pointed at the mission details.

"The dungeon appeared six hours ago."

"Yes."

"So why is the Association already sending a newly registered party?"

Leonard's expression became serious.

"Because someone requested us."

"Who?"

"We don't know."

Ethan stared at the mission.

"Then why accept it?"

Leonard didn't answer.

Mara looked at Ethan.

"Because refusing might be more dangerous."

Ethan looked at her.

She was serious.

Daniel folded his arms.

"Besides, if someone is trying to lure us somewhere..."

He smiled.

"...we might as well see where they're taking us."

Ethan looked at Leonard.

"You're all strangely comfortable with danger."

Leonard answered quietly.

"We've had practice."

The words struck Ethan harder than they should have.

We've had practice.

He looked at the six members of the party.

For a moment, he saw something that wasn't there.

Six figures.

Standing together.

Covered in blood.

A Tower behind them.

Then—

the image disappeared.

Ethan grabbed his head.

Mina immediately caught his arm.

"Ethan?"

"I'm fine."

Leonard stared at him.

He knew.

Ethan could see it in his eyes.

Leonard knew exactly what had happened.

But he said nothing.

________________________________________

The Dungeon

The entrance looked ordinary.

Too ordinary.

A broken stone archway stood between two cliffs.

No monsters.

No warning signs.

No mana distortion.

Ethan studied it.

"This isn't an E-rank dungeon."

Kieran looked at him.

"How do you know?"

"The entrance."

"What's wrong with it?"

"The Tower doesn't build entrances like this."

Mara frowned.

"Then what is it?"

Ethan stepped closer.

The stone archway had six small markings carved into it.

Six.

One for each member of the party.

Ethan touched the first.

Nothing.

The second.

Nothing.

The third.

Nothing.

Then he touched the sixth.

The entire entrance shook.

Everyone stepped back.

[PARTY RECOGNITION COMPLETE.]

[SIX PLAYERS CONFIRMED.]

Ethan's expression hardened.

"Party recognition?"

Leonard stared at the gate.

"No..."

Mara looked at him.

"What?"

Leonard's voice was barely audible.

"It remembers us."

Ethan turned.

"Who is 'us'?"

Leonard didn't answer.

The gate opened.

Darkness waited beyond it.

Then a system message appeared.

[WELCOME BACK.]

Ethan froze.

The words disappeared.

Mina looked at him.

"What happened?"

Ethan stared into the dungeon.

"It said welcome back."

Kieran frowned.

"Maybe it's talking to the party."

"No."

Ethan looked at the six of them.

"It was talking to me."

Nobody spoke.

Then something moved inside the dungeon.

A distant sound.

Metal scraping against stone.

Leonard drew his weapon.

"Formation."

The six immediately moved.

Ethan noticed something strange.

They didn't need instructions.

They already knew where everyone belonged.

Kieran took the front.

Mara positioned herself behind him.

Daniel moved toward the left.

Mina covered the rear.

Leonard stood beside Ethan.

It was instinctive.

Practiced.

Natural.

Like they had done it countless times.

Ethan stared at them.

"How long have you all fought together?"

Leonard didn't look at him.

"Long enough."

"That's not an answer."

Leonard finally looked at Ethan.

"No."

His expression was strangely sad.

"It isn't."

A roar echoed through the dungeon.

The ground trembled.

Ethan raised his sword.

"Then let's see what we remember."

They entered.

________________________________________

The First Door

The dungeon contained no monsters.

That was the first thing Ethan noticed.

They walked nearly five minutes without encountering anything.

Then they reached a door.

Six symbols were carved into it.

Each symbol corresponded to one of them.

Ethan stepped forward.

The system appeared.

[PARTY MEMORY TRIAL]

[CONDITION: ALL SIX MEMBERS MUST ENTER.]

[FAILURE: MEMORY LOSS.]

Mina looked at Ethan.

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't."

Leonard approached the door.

"I'll go first."

Ethan stopped him.

"No."

Leonard turned.

"Why?"

"Because this trial isn't asking us to fight."

Ethan looked at the symbols.

"It's asking us to remember."

The door opened.

Inside was a circular room.

No monsters.

No treasure.

No exit.

Only six mirrors.

One for each person.

Ethan approached his.

The reflection looked normal.

Then it smiled.

Ethan didn't.

His reflection whispered:

"You forgot them."

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

The reflection raised its hand.

Behind Ethan's reflection stood six silhouettes.

He could not see their faces.

But one stood closer than the others.

A man holding a sword.

Another carried a shield.

Another held a bow.

Another carried a staff.

Another stood beside Ethan.

And the final silhouette—

was watching from far away.

Ethan turned around.

Nothing.

He looked back at the mirror.

The silhouettes were gone.

Only his reflection remained.

Then it whispered:

"You'll remember their names."

The mirror shattered.

[MEMORY TRIAL INTERRUPTED.]

[MEMORY RESTORATION: 8%]

Ethan stepped backward.

Leonard immediately grabbed his shoulder.

"Ethan."

Ethan looked at him.

For one brief moment, he saw another face.

Not Leonard.

Someone else.

A name almost surfaced.

Riven—

The memory disappeared.

Ethan stared at Leonard.

Leonard's expression had gone completely pale.

"Did you see something?"

Ethan swallowed.

"No."

Leonard knew he was lying.

But he didn't challenge him.

Instead, he looked toward the darkness.

"Then we need to leave."

Ethan looked at the door.

"Why?"

Leonard's voice dropped.

"Because this dungeon isn't testing whether we can survive."

The lights suddenly went out.

Leonard finished:

"It's testing whether we can remember."

A system message appeared in the darkness.

[HIDDEN CONDITION DETECTED.]

[THE ASCENDANTS MUST REMEMBER.]

Ethan's heart stopped.

The word appeared again.

ASCENDANTS.

But beneath it—

for less than a second—

another name appeared.

[RECORD SEALED.]

Ethan reached for it.

Too late.

The screen vanished.

Then something whispered from the darkness:

"One of you remembers everything."

Ethan raised his sword.

"Who?"

Silence.

Then the dungeon answered.

"Ask Leonard."

Leonard froze.

Ethan slowly turned toward him.

Leonard didn't move.

And for the first time—

he looked afraid of Ethan.