Chapter 4: Welcome to Hell: Force of Six

“I’m full.”

A dark-haired beauty with striking looks pats her stomach, wearing the happiest expression in the world.

They say everyone has two faces, but the Sujin at the convenience store and the one now are worlds apart.

Anyone else would’ve been shocked to see the difference.

“Been a while since I ate this.”

On the desk lies a scattered lid and an empty ramen bowl, completely devoured.

Ramen.

Back when Sujin was stuck in the game, it was one of the top three foods she craved—a Korean staple snack.

Perfect for a quick meal or a drinking sidekick.

“Of course, my go-to drinking snack, my dad’s nutritious meal.”

Oops, did I mess that up? Whatever.

Rustle rustle.

Having devoured the ramen and drinks, I pull a beer can from the plastic bag.

The cans I swept up at the convenience store.

The cold beer in my hand makes me happy.

Chik.

The can fizzes as I open it—must’ve gotten shaken on the way.

But I don’t care.

What matters is I’ve got a cold beer in my hand, and that’s the truth.

I pop the can open and chug.

Gulp.

The refreshing fizz floods from my throat to my stomach.

The sharp, bubbly taste follows.

A small happiness I haven’t felt in ages sparks joy.

I down the whole can in one go, then, channeling Michael Jordan, toss it toward the trash can in the corner like a free throw.

Clang.

The empty can lands cleanly in the bin.

“Nice shot.”

Is there such a thing as simple happiness?

Eating good food, drinking with a vibe, and tossing an empty can into the trash—that’s happiness.

“But it’s too quiet.”

Drinking alone feels boring.

I need something to fill the silence, and the TV in front of me fits the bill.

I grab the remote and turn it on.

The screen lights up with a blue background and a sharply dressed, handsome news anchor speaking seriously.

“What’s with the news?”

It’s on a news channel, so I quickly flip it.

News is only fun during exam season.

The next channel shows a gaming tournament—commentators passionately narrating and players moving their characters on a giant monitor.

“Oh!! XPEN makes a mistake there!!!”

“Ugh, a blunder like that in the finals…!!”

The commentators’ booming voices fill the room.

Why are they shouting?

Curiosity piqued, I stop flipping channels and watch the tournament.

“And GUN AIR takes the set score!!!”

“Oh, XPEN must feel awful!! Losing the set because of their mistake—hope they can pull themselves together.”

“Yes! It’s just one set!! Focus, and they can still win!!”

GUN AIR? XPEN? Unfamiliar terms swirl in my head.

My curiosity skyrockets, and I grab my smartphone to look up the game they’re covering.

“If this is the game they’re broadcasting…”

On NewTube, I find a stream titled <Force of Six Finals! GUN AIR VS KKT>.

This must be it.

“Huh?”

A painfully familiar name hits me.

Force of Six.

The words rattle my brain.

“What the…?”

How could I forget Force of Six?

My head starts throbbing.

Drunk already? No way. One beer doesn’t make an adult tipsy.

“Fck…”

I press my right hand to my forehead. My hand, chilled from holding the beer, transfers its coldness to my skin.

The game I was trapped in for years was Force of Six.

And now it’s on my TV, being played in a tournament.

“And GUN AIR takes a one-point set score!! This Force of Six tournament is absolutely thrilling!”

The commentator’s voice blares.

My mental state starts to crack.

“Phew… fck.”

White smoke swirls before my eyes.

I’m out on the balcony, smoking the world’s worst cigarette.

A cool breeze tickles my face, and the city’s neon-lit nightscape fills my view.

“Damn, the view’s nice.”

Perfect scenery for smoking, but I’m not in the mood.

Force of Six, the game I was trapped in.

It’s back in front of me.

Tap tap.

I flick the finished cigarette and stuff the butt into an empty beer can.

The smell of alcohol and nicotine rises, but it’s outside—it’ll dissipate.

I unlock my smartphone.

The screen shows the Force of Six game icon and a wiki entry about it.

I scroll slowly, reading the description.

A virtual reality game released in 2028.

A flagship tactical FPS game.

An FPS where you shoot enemies, but each character has unique abilities, secondary weapons, and gadgets that can turn the tide.

Mainly 5v5, but large-scale faction wars and guild battles are key elements that make Force of Six fun.

…That’s what it says.

“Fcking garbage.”

I don’t even bother checking the characters.

I’m already pissed that this game is back in my life.

“Who made this sht?”

The bastards who did this to me.

Turned me into a woman and blocked my past memories.

I dig through the wiki and find the company behind it.

—Publisher: Potato Soft.

“Potato Soft…”

It’s a different name from the company that made Force of Six in my original world.

‘Maybe digging into this company will turn up something.’

I leave the wiki and search for Potato Soft online, diving deep into the company.

After two hours, I find nothing.

It’s a painfully normal company, even a model one contributing to society.

The only suspicious thing is how quickly they released the game.

Developed in 2028, started in 2027.

“Smells like bullsht.”

It’s fishy, but there’s nothing I can do.

Flying to their U.S. headquarters to explain my situation would just get me labeled a crazy woman.

“There’s nothing I can do.”

I lack info about this world, and the fact that the company here has a different name from the one in my original world bugs me.

Still, I keep searching for related news without giving up.

Then I find an article.

“What’s this?”

It piques my interest.

Drawn by the clickbait title, I open it, and the content is intriguing.

The gist: The Force of Six World Championship (FodCup) winners and famous streamers were invited to tour Potato Soft’s headquarters.

They even had a private meeting with the chairman.

Below, comments overflow with envy.

—

KKT is the Truth: So jealous, when can we go?

ㄴ Nerf Smoker: You can’t lol

ㄴ DongtanPantyThief: Lmao only famous streamers or FodCup winners get to go, how’s a normie like us supposed to get in? Haha

ㄴ Let’s Go Mars: Pie in the sky?

ㄴ ㅇㅇ: If you’re jealous, start streaming lol

—

“Look at this.”

I smile as I read the article.

A chance to meet the company’s chairman.

Two paths:

Become a famous streamer—too random.

Or the surefire way: win the FodCup, the Force of Six World Championship, to earn a meeting with the chairman.

Hope starts to spark.

“Hah, fck, that’s how it’s gonna be.”

Reinvigorated, I open NewTube on my phone and search for the FodCup stream I saw earlier.

I didn’t notice before, but the stream has 300,000 viewers.

“Insane.”

It’s the finals, and Force of Six is popular, but that’s a crazy number.

Like a small city’s worth of people watching.

Besides the official broadcast, other streamers are live with titles like <Let’s Watch the FodCup! KKT VS GUN AIR>, with fewer but still significant viewers enjoying the event.

After watching for a few dozen minutes, I get sucked into the game’s charm.

Virtual reality that gets guys’ hearts racing, tactical FPS.

And the maps? They’re identical to the training grounds I used in Six.

Memories flood back.

Not exactly fond ones, but I kinda enjoyed that training.

Even if getting hit by rubber bullets hurt like hell.

“…I need to play this game now.”

Force of Six, shaking my heart.

Force of Six, which might hold clues to my past.

I decide to buy a VR device immediately.

The rotten water’s coming! Just wait!