1. The Last Light on the Screen
Link remembered the final moment of his life clearly.
It was 3:00 AM.
The digital clock at the bottom-right corner of his monitor blinked coldly—03:00.
The room was dead silent, except for the overworked PC fan whining under heavy load. The pale glow of the screen cast harsh light over his exhausted face, draining any remaining life from his eyes.
After two weeks of nonstop overtime, he should have collapsed long ago.
Instead, he felt… strangely excited.
On the screen, the battle had reached its climax.
This was the final challenge of Terraria—the Moon Lord.
His character weaved frantically through a storm of Phantasmal Bolts, the health bar flickering dangerously at the edge of death.
"Just a little more…"
His eyes were locked onto the Moon Lord's exposed heart. Only a thin sliver of red remained. One more hit—just one—and the god would fall.
He would finally complete the game.
Just as his finger moved to press the hotkey—
Everything froze.
His body stopped responding. Not just his fingers—his entire body felt locked in ice.
His heart clenched violently.
It was as if a spiked iron hand had grabbed it—then tore it apart.
"…!"
Pain exploded. Darkness swallowed his vision instantly.
On the screen, his character stood still.
A beam of Phantasmal Deathray swept across.
The last thing reflected in his eyes were two glaring red words:
YOU DIED
"…Damn it… of all times…"
His body slumped forward, his forehead smashing against the keyboard with a dull thud.
As his body went cold—
So did the screen.
The music cut out.
Only silence remained.
[Detecting strong survival instinct][Detecting high-intensity obsession: Target—Terraria][Reconstructing soul… Matching plane: Terraria (Real Mode)]
2. Rebirth
"—Hah!!"
Link shot upright, gasping for air like a drowning man breaking the surface.
His hand instinctively pressed against his chest.
No pain.
No tightness.
No fatigue.
Even the constant exhaustion that had followed him for years… was gone.
He looked around.
This wasn't his apartment.
Grass. Sunlight. Wind.
Towering trees stretched into the sky. The air felt impossibly fresh, filled with oxygen so pure it almost hurt to breathe.
This was too real.
A translucent blue interface slowly unfolded before his eyes:
[Status: Healthy (100/100)][Mana: 20/20]
At the top-left corner of his vision—
A row of familiar red hearts and blue stars.
"…I got isekai'd."
Link was silent for a long time before letting out a bitter laugh.
"And into a world where even the air wants me dead."
3. A God's Compensation
The interface shifted again.
Golden text appeared.
"Due to your 'exceptional contribution' to this world, the gods grant you the following compensation:"
Information flooded directly into his mind.
[Phase Storage (Inventory)]A 60-slot dimensional storage independent of reality.
In this world, ordinary people would collapse after carrying a few stones.
He could carry tens of thousands—effortlessly.
[World Map]A full holographic map.
Currently covered in fog of war.
But once explored, resources, traps, and chests would be permanently marked.
[The Wiki]
The ultimate reward.
In the original game, one of the most frustrating things for beginners was the lack of crafting guidance.
The Guide NPC could only help so much.
But the Wiki—
It contained everything.
Ore depths.
Boss AI patterns.
Crafting trees.
Hidden mechanics.
It was more than knowledge.
It was control.
4. First Manifestation
With a thought—
The air distorted.
"Whoosh—"
A Copper Shortsword, Copper Axe, and Copper Pickaxe appeared in his hands.
They were heavy.
Rough.
Real.
This wasn't a game anymore.
This was survival.
"Plop."
A wet sound came from the grass.
A Slime—half his height—bounced into view.
A status panel appeared instantly:
[Enemy: Slime | HP: 14/14][Behavior: Simple attack pattern. Next jump predicted in 1.2 seconds.]
"…Come."
Link lowered his stance.
Years of instinct kicked in.
The Slime jumped.
He sidestepped—
Then thrust.
-7
The blade pierced into its gelatinous body.
He pulled back, repositioned—
Then struck again the moment it landed.
-8
The Slime burst apart like a water balloon.
Gel scattered.
With a thought, the drops vanished into his inventory.
5. The Guide and the Goal
"Hello, adventurer."
A familiar voice.
Link looked up.
A man in a brown shirt stood not far away.
The Guide.
"My name is Guide. If you ever feel lost—"
"No need."
Link cut him off.
Calm.
Certain.
"I know how to craft torches. I know how to build houses."
He paused slightly.
"And I also know…"
"…you'll eventually become the sacrifice to summon the Wall of Flesh."
Silence.
The Guide froze.
"…Sacrifice?"
His expression tightened.
"What are you talking about?"
Link didn't answer.
He simply looked toward the horizon.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in burning orange.
Beyond it—
Forests. Cracks in the earth. Darkness waiting to come alive.
None of it was unfamiliar.
He had beaten this world before.
Or at least—
He thought he had.
The Guide stared at him.
Something in his gaze changed.
Not confusion.
Something else.
"…What you said, I don't understand."
He spoke slowly.
"But there's something you need to know."
Link didn't turn.
"This world…"
"…is not the game you think it is."
The wind brushed through the grass.
"There are no saves."
Link's hand twitched slightly.
"No reloads."
"No respawns."
The Guide's voice dropped.
"If you die—"
He paused.
"Then you die."
Silence fell.
Darkness crept closer.
Night was coming.
Link slowly turned back.
There was no fear on his face.
No surprise.
Only silence.
Then—
He smiled.
Cold.
Faint.
"…Good."
The Guide blinked.
"If there's no second chance…"
Link raised his sword, pointing toward the darkening world ahead.
"Then I won't die."
His voice was low.
But steady.
"If this world's rules are meant to crush me…"
"…then I'll tear them apart."
"One by one."