“Thud!”
The sound of a pillow being punched echoed faintly in the quiet room.
The pale blue light of dawn seeped through the gaps in the blackout curtains, but the cold white glow of my smartphone screen overwhelmed even that.
From beneath the covers, my weary sigh was the only sound in the room, born of sleepless nights and repeated failures.
“No, how am I supposed to beat this…”
I muttered in despair and placed my smartphone on the pillow. On its screen, the word ‘DEFEATED’ in red letters flashed mockingly at me.
The game I had just been obsessing over is called “Shadow Symphony.”
It’s a new mobile game released less than two months ago, which immediately skyrocketed to the top of user rankings upon release.
The core of the game involves collecting heroes rated from 1 to 5 stars to form a party and exploring dungeons infested with monsters.
Though the concept wasn’t entirely new, the vast world-building and dazzling combat visuals had captivated me.
Since I was on a leave of absence from school, I had plenty of free time and started playing “Shadow Symphony.” Before I knew it, it became an integral part of my daily routine.
Returning from part-time work, I would naturally dive into adventures with the game’s heroes, turning what started as a casual hobby into my primary source of dopamine.
However, everything changed two days ago with the update introducing stage 5’s boss, “Petramos.”
“Is this even supposed to be beatable?”
Even with my party filled with fully upgraded 5-star heroes, I couldn’t reduce the boss’s health to even half.
Desperate for solutions, I visited the “Shadow Symphony” community forum. Instead of finding strategies, I found it filled with nothing but complaints and curses toward Petramos.
Scrolling through the forum, I saw other users’ anger and frustration reflected like a mirror of my own feelings.
Regretting the money I’d spent on the game, I sought solace by escaping to the plant enthusiast forum.
Though I don’t grow plants myself, I often visit this forum to enjoy its mature and peaceful atmosphere for relaxation.
Looking through daily posts showcasing cherished houseplants always manages to calm my mind.
As I browsed the forum, a long apology comment from an author who had initially written an emotional post caught my eye.
“Ah, this is why I love the plant forum.”
Like the growth of sprouting plants, the emotional maturity of this community seemed to develop gradually.
I found myself considering placing a small pot by the window.
Lost in thought, sleepiness began to overtake me as I realized it was already past midnight, nearing 1 PM in the afternoon.
The blackout curtains had completely distorted my sense of time.
“I can’t believe it’s already daytime…”
Determined not to play “Shadow Symphony” until the next patch update, I prepared for what I hoped would be a perfect nap.
I gathered my three essential sleep aids: sleep mask said to absorb light like black holes, noise-canceling earplugs that could block even a live concert, and the sturdy bed I was already lying on, which wouldn’t budge even if an elephant walked by.
Compromising on sleep quality was something I never allowed.
…
“Urgh… It’s hot… no, it’s scorching.”
The surrounding heat felt like stepping into a sauna. A persistent loud noise seemed to surround me.
Out of irritation, I sat up abruptly, only to start coughing violently.
“Hack!”
A black lump came out with my phlegm as I took off my sleep mask. The room was filled with thick black smoke.
Removing my earplugs revealed the deafening blare of alarms going off in every direction, along with the sound of flames crackling downstairs.
“What… What is this?! A fire?!”
The three items I prepared for the perfect sleep had ironically turned into instruments of disaster.
Before I could process the situation, I began choking again.
“Cough… cough…”
Another black lump was coughed up. My throat was unbearably sore and burning as though already scorched.
My body refused to respond properly, likely due to the excessive smoke inhalation.
Hardly opening my eyes against the heat, I saw that the entire building was filled with black smoke.
Inspecting my surroundings revealed that all neighboring doors were open, indicating others had already evacuated.
“Has everyone evacuated? Are the firefighters here yet?”
I needed to find a way to survive. Remembering there was a safe zone on the rooftop, I tried making my way there, crouching low to avoid the smoke, but my head throbbed painfully, and dizziness overtook me.
I lost my balance and collapsed to the floor.
“Ugh…”
I had no strength left. My legs refused to respond despite my desire to stand.
“Help! Somebody, please!”
My desperate cries were drowned out by the roaring flames and blaring alarms.
It seemed I was the only one left in this apartment building.
“Help me…!”
…
“Sa… Save me…”
“Ah, chok-!”
I could no longer produce any sound.
Instinctively, I knew my remaining time was short. Rescue seemed unlikely.
Despite my fading consciousness, an unexpected calmness washed over me.
The last thing that came to my mind wasn’t the game’s defeat screen but the image of a tender young sprout I had seen on the plant forum.
“Though they say burning pain is the worst… should I be grateful for dying from suffocation rather than being burned alive?”
As consciousness slipped further away, I thought I heard someone calling my name, but even that faded into darkness.
*
An infinite abyss of darkness.
In this absolute stillness where neither time nor space nor any sensation existed, my consciousness awakened.
I floated alone like a distant speck in the universe’s deepest void, surrounded by pitch-black darkness that consumed all light.
Here, no sound, no warmth, no presence could be perceived—only endless thoughts circled within this absolute vacuum.
“Where… where am I?”
The very ability to think felt strangely foreign.
It would have been less terrifying if I couldn’t think at all.
My last memory was losing consciousness amidst the blazing apartment building—the searing smoke that burned my throat, the ear-splitting alarms, and the image of the tender sprout from the plant forum now felt impossibly distant.
Attempting to move my body was fruitless, as the concept of having a ‘body’ itself no longer seemed to exist.
Not even a single finger could twitch.
Rather, it was as though there was nothing left to move. No sensation of breath, no heartbeat. Only pure consciousness drifted in this void.
“Aaah! Not even my fingers move! I can’t breathe, I can’t feel my heart beating! What’s happening?!”
“Could I… be a vegetable?”
Fear enveloped my consciousness.
Had I been rescued from the fire and now lay unconscious in a cold hospital bed in the intensive care unit?
But this state differed from that of a vegetative state.
Medical documentaries claimed patients with conscious awareness could perceive faint sounds or touches, hear their family’s voices, or feel their touch…
This present state transcended such conditions.
In this isolation, the flow of time itself was incomprehensible.
Had a minute passed? An hour? Perhaps even years?
This eternal solitude only deepened the mounting anxiety.
“Please… this can’t be forever, right?”
Waves of fear surged over me. The sensory experiences of my past life now seemed desperately desirable.
The crisp morning air, the gentle sunlight, the sweet aroma of coffee, the touch of typing on a keyboard—all these things I had taken for granted now appeared incredibly precious.
“Just a moment… could this be… the afterlife?”
The realization struck like lightning.
Involuntary thoughts of the good deeds I had performed in my life came to mind—regular monthly donations, volunteering even if infrequent but always done earnestly…
“I’ve lived a decent life, haven’t I? To be sent to such a place… isn’t that excessive!?”
Even if I hadn’t lived an extraordinary life, I believed I hadn’t lived wickedly enough to be confined to such darkness forever.
“This doesn’t make sense! If I can’t go to heaven, at least I should be reincarnated! Being trapped in this eternal darkness is far too cruel!”
Despite my denial, reason coldly assessed the situation. The possibility that I was already dead loomed in my mind, making all the time I had spent immersed within the virtual world of games feel utterly wasteful.
Had I only truly nurtured actual plants during that time, or perhaps left a more meaningful mark, instead…
The regrets came pouring in.
“No, there must still be hope. This must be some recovery process. If I just wait a little longer…”
Then an unusual thought crossed my mind.
“How strange. Since when have I become so emotional? Normally, I would analyze the situation to its end rationally, yet my tone seems different somehow…”
“No, now isn’t the time to think about that. First, I need to find a way out of here.”
Encouraging myself, I sensitized my consciousness, seeking any glimmer of light. Hoping for something beyond this darkness, I focused my awareness deep within.
As if peering into the depths of a well, I concentrated my spirit inward, toward my deepest core.
And then…
A something, very faint, yet undoubtedly present, came to me.
『★ (Unnamed) Seed LV1 0 yrs ♀』
“What?”
