I loved games since I was a kid.
The reason was simple.
When you're stuck in a hospital all the time, games are the only thing you can really do. As time passed, they naturally became a part of my life.
But you know how it goes—
Do anything long enough, and it starts to feel stale and boring.
"Ugh, seriously… is that AI logic for real? Why would it heal them in that situation?"
At some point, no matter what kind of game I played, it just didn't feel fun anymore.
It wasn't about the genre—AOS, RPG, FPS, whatever.
All the new games coming out every year felt like garbage. The stories and worlds were all copy-paste, and the systems had no depth.
I wanted something with that extra spark.
That's when I discovered Dungeon & Stone.
Tadadak. Click, click.
It was a single-player RPG.
An indie title from overseas.
No Korean language support. It used old-school 2D pixel graphics—rare these days.
Honestly? It wasn't my type of game at all.
But it was free, so I figured, why not give it a shot? I installed it on a whim… and before I knew it, I was completely hooked.
"Damn… almost got wiped 'cause of that damn priest."
It was a weird game in all sorts of ways.
If your character died, you had to start over from scratch.
You had to have NPC companions to make progress, and despite being a side-scroller, the freedom it gave you was insane.
The skill system and worldbuilding were captivating, and even though the story was in English, I still found it fascinating.
Most of all, the game had this unexplainable something.
Tadadat. Tadadadak.
At the time, I had just been assigned as a public service worker on subway duty. That's when I started digging deep into Dungeon & Stone.
It wasn't easy.
Combat in this game wasn't about just managing HP and MP.
Even with full health, one wrong decision could erase a character you'd spent three months building.
"…Alright. Let's do this."
After over two years, I still hadn't even reached the halfway point. Swallowing my pride, I finally started looking up guides.
But there was nothing on Korean sites, so I had to read English posts with a translator—though they weren't much help.
There weren't many players overseas either, so guides were scarce and barely useful.
Honestly, compared to those who quit after a month or two, calling it a "trash game," I had way more insight from struggling through it for two years.
So, I gave up on guides altogether.
"Three steps up, four left, one down, two more left, then six up, four right… dodge the trap at the end… okay."
I mean, wasn't this the game I'd finally found after endlessly searching for something worth playing? No matter how long it took, I decided I'd clear it on my own, by my own hands.
And then…
"Hoo…"
That brings us to now.
Gate of the Abyss
My character was standing in front of the portal leading to the final boss room.
Of course, I wouldn't see the ending on this first try. This wasn't the kind of game where you beat the final boss on your first attempt.
Still, my tense fingers made it clear just how nervous I was.
"The final boss, huh…"
To some people, it might not mean much.
But for me, it took nine years to get here.
You could say I spent my entire twenties with this game.
When I was discharged from public service duty…
When I went back to school and re-enrolled…
When I graduated and got accepted to the job I'd been hoping for…
Through it all, I kept playing Dungeon & Stone.
「Do you wish to enter?」
As I moved my character closer to the portal, a message popped up asking if I wanted to enter.
Of course, I hit YES.
But since it's the final boss room, the game pulled up one of those dramatic messages.
「You may not be able to return.」
「Are you sure you want to enter?」
From a player's perspective, it was a bit much.
Like hell I'm gonna say no at this point.
「Yes / No」
I hit Yes, and the screen changed to a loading screen.
As the monitor faded to black, I pulled my focus tighter.
How many phases would this boss have? What element? It'd definitely have insta-kill mechanics. Yeah, forget beating it now—just gather intel. I might need to completely rethink my build or team comp.
My brain, buzzing with excitement and adrenaline, was entirely consumed with thoughts of the final boss.
Which is why I didn't notice it right away.
「You have reached the Abyss.」
「Tutorial complete.」
Tutorial complete?
Wait—why is the text in Korean?
Wasn't Dungeon & Stone only in English?
「Initiating transfer.」
The moment I felt that disconnect, a blinding light exploded around me.
So bright, it was hard to believe the source was just my monitor.
"Argh, shit! My eyes!"
In an instant, everything went white.
A strange ringing hit my ears. Heat I couldn't explain coursed through my skin. My consciousness dulled like I'd been hit with anesthesia.
Normally, I pride myself on staying calm in a crisis.
But this time, I had no idea what was happening.
Flash!
As the light surged even stronger—
I lost consciousness.
And when I opened my eyes again…
I had become a barbarian inside the game.