The Last Player: When the Game Became Reality

The First Memory

Ethan didn't go home immediately.

He stayed inside his grandfather's house, sitting at the same dusty table where Adrian had left the photograph.

He couldn't stop looking at it.

There were seven people standing in front of the Tower.

Six were strangers.

The seventh was him.

Or someone who looked exactly like him.

Ethan turned the photograph over.

Nothing was written on the back.

He checked the corners.

Nothing.

He held it toward the sunlight coming through the window.

Still nothing.

"That's impossible."

He said the words quietly.

Maybe Adrian was lying.

That was the simplest explanation.

But Ethan knew something was wrong.

The photograph looked old.

Really old.

The edges were worn.

The paper had yellowed.

There was no sign of digital editing.

And the clothes people wore weren't modern.

He checked the date printed on the bottom.

June 17, 1998.

The same date as the first entry in his grandfather's notebook.

Ethan's chest tightened.

He remembered June 17.

Not 1998.

But fifteen years ago.

The day he first installed Eternal Ascension of Tower.

He had been a child.

He remembered sitting in front of an old computer.

He remembered the loading screen.

He remembered creating his character.

But there was something missing.

A gap.

A small part of his memory that he had never questioned.

What happened before he created his account?

Ethan closed his eyes.

He tried to remember.

Nothing.

Only darkness.

Then—

a sound.

A bell.

Dong.

Ethan opened his eyes.

The room was empty.

He looked around.

Nothing.

Then the bell sounded again.

Dong.

His vision blurred.

The house disappeared.

He was standing in a field.

The sky was black.

There were no stars.

No moon.

In front of him stood a massive tower.

Ethan knew this place.

He had seen it thousands of times.

The Tower.

But this one was different.

There was no entrance.

No interface.

No monsters.

No players.

Just an enormous structure reaching beyond the clouds.

A young boy stood beside him.

Ethan looked at him.

The boy looked familiar.

Then he realized—

it was himself.

Much younger.

Maybe ten years old.

The younger Ethan was holding something.

A small piece of crystal.

He looked at Ethan.

"You came back."

Ethan couldn't speak.

The boy smiled.

"You took longer than I thought."

"Who are you?"

The boy laughed.

"You."

Ethan stared at him.

"What is this?"

"Our first memory."

"First?"

The boy nodded.

"Before the game."

Ethan's heart pounded.

The boy turned toward the Tower.

"You wanted to climb it."

"Why?"

"Because someone told you to."

"Who?"

The boy looked at him.

Then whispered:

"Yourself."

The vision shattered.

Ethan woke up on the floor.

His breathing was heavy.

The photograph was beside him.

The notebook was open.

A blue window floated in front of his face.

[MEMORY FRAGMENT RESTORED.]

[6% → 7%]

Ethan stared at it.

He hadn't killed anything.

He hadn't gained experience.

He hadn't completed a quest.

He had simply remembered.

That meant the hidden potential wasn't only connected to strength.

It was connected to memory.

Ethan stood.

He suddenly understood why the system had called it Hidden Potential.

It wasn't merely a talent.

Something inside him had been sealed.

When Ethan finally returned home, Mina was waiting outside.

She looked angry.

"You disappeared."

"I had something to do."

"For hours?"

"Yes."

"You could have told me."

Ethan stopped.

"I'm sorry."

Mina's expression softened slightly.

"Are you okay?"

Ethan looked at her.

He wanted to tell her everything.

The photograph.

The Tower.

Adrian.

The memory.

But he couldn't.

Not yet.

"I'm fine."

Mina stared at him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe I did."

She sighed.

"You're impossible."

They entered the house.

Ethan checked his parents first.

They were sleeping.

That gave him a small sense of relief.

Then he went to his room.

Mina followed.

She sat on the chair.

"You said you had something to do."

"I found something."

"What?"

Ethan hesitated.

Then he showed her the photograph.

Mina stared.

She looked at Ethan.

Then at the photograph.

Then back at Ethan.

"That's you."

"I know."

"How old is this?"

"1998."

Mina's eyes widened.

"That's impossible."

"I know."

"Who took it?"

"I don't know."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"Then who is that?"

Ethan shook his head.

"I don't know."

Mina stood.

"You keep saying that."

"Because I don't have the answers."

She looked at him for several seconds.

Then quietly asked:

"Are you scared?"

Ethan didn't answer.

Mina stepped closer.

"It's okay if you are."

Ethan looked down.

"Yeah."

It was the first time he'd admitted it.

"I'm scared."

Mina didn't laugh.

She didn't make a joke.

She simply sat beside him.

"You don't have to figure everything out tonight."

Ethan nodded.

For a while, neither spoke.

Then Mina noticed something on the desk.

The grandfather's key.

"What's that?"

Ethan looked at it.

He hadn't told her about it yet.

"It's from my grandfather."

She picked it up.

The tower symbol suddenly glowed.

Mina dropped it.

"What the—"

The room went silent.

A blue window appeared.

[COMPATIBLE PLAYER DETECTED.]

Ethan's expression changed.

"Mina."

She stared at the screen.

"What does that mean?"

Another message appeared.

[SECONDARY PLAYER: ELIGIBLE.]

Then—

[CONNECTION FAILED.]

The key stopped glowing.

Mina looked at Ethan.

"What just happened?"

"I don't know."

Ethan picked up the key.

This time, nothing happened.

But something had changed.

The system had recognized Mina.

That meant the Tower wasn't only interested in Ethan.

The next morning, Ethan and Mina went back to the Hunter Association.

This time, Ethan wasn't there to register.

He wanted information.

The building was busier than before.

Hunters were forming parties.

Guild representatives were recruiting.

People were selling equipment.

The world was adapting.

Ethan approached the information desk.

"Excuse me."

A woman looked up.

"How can I help you?"

"I want to know about hidden classes."

She paused.

"Hidden classes?"

"Yes."

"Are you asking about special classes?"

"No. Hidden classes."

The woman's expression changed.

She lowered her voice.

"Why?"

"Because my assessment failed."

She looked at his registration record.

Her eyes widened.

"You're Ethan Vale."

"Yes."

"The crystal that broke?"

"Yes."

She looked around.

Then she leaned closer.

"You shouldn't talk about this here."

Ethan frowned.

"Why?"

"Because you're not the only one who noticed."

She handed him a small card.

"Come back tonight."

"Why?"

"I'll explain."

Ethan looked at the card.

No name.

No address.

Only a time.

11:00 PM.

He looked back at the woman.

She had already turned away.

Mina whispered:

"That doesn't look suspicious at all."

Ethan almost smiled.

"Definitely not."

That evening, Ethan waited outside the Hunter Association.

At exactly 11:00 PM, the lights on the third floor turned off.

One window remained illuminated.

Ethan and Mina entered through the side door.

They climbed the stairs.

At the top, the same woman was waiting.

She opened the door.

Inside were several people.

Five men.

Two women.

All awakened.

All wearing different guild insignias.

Ethan immediately recognized one of them.

The man sitting at the center.

He had been one of the strongest players in the old game.

Ranked #12 globally.

Ethan remembered him.

Leonard Cross.

But Leonard looked at Ethan with something completely different from admiration.

Fear.

"You finally came."

Ethan frowned.

"You know me?"

Leonard stood.

"Everyone who played the old game knows you."

"I don't mean my ranking."

Leonard shook his head.

"No."

He walked toward Ethan.

"I mean something else."

He stopped directly in front of him.

"You were never supposed to reach Floor 1,000."

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

Leonard looked at Mina.

Then back at Ethan.

"Because the last time you reached the top..."

He swallowed.

"...the world almost ended."

Silence filled the room.

Ethan stared at him.

"What happened?"

Leonard's expression became grim.

"You don't remember?"

"No."

Leonard slowly shook his head.

"Then you're in more danger than we thought."

He placed a document on the table.

Ethan opened it.

At the top was a single title:

PROJECT: LAST PLAYER

Below it was a photograph.

Ethan's photograph.

But this time—

there were words written underneath.

SUBJECT: ETHAN VALE

STATUS: MISSING

LAST LOCATION: FLOOR 1000

DATE: 1998

Ethan's hands went cold.

Mina looked at him.

"Ethan..."

He couldn't answer.

Because one thought had finally become impossible to ignore.

Maybe he hadn't spent fifteen years playing the game.

Maybe—

the game had spent fifteen years waiting for him.