Chapter 0 : Wish

Outside the window, a strong wind is blowing.

A gloomy sky and trees with only a few leaves remaining.

The trees sway their branches vigorously, as if surrendering themselves to the strong wind.

Watching that, I mutter:

“How enviable. Standing tall like that, just letting the wind carry you.”

A man speaking nonsense like that exists.

“What are you talking about?”

My older sister laughs as if she can’t believe what she’s hearing.

“Trees can’t move, you know? They can’t eat anything either. And you’re still envious?”

“Well, isn’t that the same for me?”

“But you can eat.”

She places a meal in front of me as she says this.

“I told you not to do things like this. I can manage on my own.”

“…Stop complaining.”

“…I don’t even have an appetite.”

“Still, seeing someone who was wasting away while sleeping all day regain their energy is a relief.”

I couldn’t respond to her words.

Even though the doctor says my condition is only getting worse, I’ve been feeling more alive lately.

This can only mean one thing:

A fleeting revival before death.

Burning the last remnants of life just before the end

Ten years ago, the car my parents and I were in had a severe accident.

Both of my parents died instantly on the spot.

I was severely injured and hospitalized.

Diagnosed with paralysis from the waist down.

After that, my weak mind couldn’t withstand reality and crumbled.

I ended up with a mental illness and, eventually, even developed cancer.

Truly, there isn’t much time left for me now.

“Sis.”

“Yeah?”

“What will you do if I die?”

“…Don’t say things like that.”

Yeah, let’s not talk about unnecessary things.

I should focus on doing everything I want to with the time I have left.

“Sis, do you have any wishes?”

“For you to get better, you idiot. What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Do you have a wish?”

“I… want to be a bird.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to fly in the sky.”

“What the heck is that?”

She burst out laughing.

I was being serious, but she’s so indifferent.

After chatting and laughing with my sister, I opened the mobile game I had been playing for the past five years.

“You’re running out of time too, just like me.”

It was a game my sister had recommended when I was struggling with my illness.

She said it was fun and suggested I try it out.

The game was called Hero Fantasy.

A generic fantasy game where you play as a hero to defeat the Demon King.

Today was the day they announced the game’s service termination.

“Damn it. What’s up with that hatchling?”

One unique aspect of the game was that the hero was ridiculously weak.

And the neutral mob, the dragon, was insanely overpowered.

“Come on, even at max level, you still can’t beat it?”

Since the game was ending, I decided to take my cherished character to the endgame content: dragon hunting.

But I died from the breath attack of a Level 1 hatchling that had casually wandered out in front of the dragon’s nest.

How pointless.

Right after that, a large notice filled the game screen:

[Thank you for being with us.]

• Greetings, heroes. Thank you for loving our game all this time.
  After much deliberation, we regret to inform you of the game’s service termination.
  This decision was made due to prolonged financial difficulties, and we sincerely thank all of you who have played.
  Though our journey ends here, the journey of you heroes will continue.
  The entire Hero Fantasy development team wishes you the best on your path forward.
  — GM tls.

Anyway, a month after the game ended, the service of my life began shutting down as well.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The mechanical sounds pierced my ears.

“Patient! Patient!”

“Minho! Minho, stay with me! How am I supposed to live without you…”

Through blurred vision, I could see a woman with neatly tied hair, her tears falling in droplets.

I saw my sister holding my hand tightly and crying.

My poor sister. Ten years.

She had cared for me from her early 20s into her early 30s.

With my failing vision, I looked at her and spoke:

“Sis, you have to be happy.”

“Y-Yeah, I will… Please, please don’t go.”

“Now, you need to meet a good guy and get married.”

“No, I can’t!”

“…In the next life, if there is such a thing.”

“What about the next life?”

I didn’t know what I was saying, but I felt an urge to speak.

“I want to be a bird.”

“…What does that even mean?”

Ah, she laughed.

My sister smiled through her tear-filled eyes.

“If that’s the case, I’ll come find you.”

“…Alright.”

That was the last thing I managed to say before my vision completely faded.

A heavy drowsiness crept in.

It wasn’t painful at all.

It felt like everything was finally coming to an end.

Even my hearing grew faint, and at some point, I could no longer make out my sister’s words.

It felt like I was the only one left in the world.

My body felt light, as though it was floating, and I couldn’t feel any pain.

“So this is how it ends.”

Honestly, it felt meaningless. I wished I could start over, even if just once.

The moment I thought that—

[Thank you for staying with us until the very end.]

[You have been identified as the last active player in the game Hero Fantasy.]

A voice rang directly in my head.

‘?’

[Now, we will grant you a special reward.]

[To honor your long journey, you may make one wish.]

A wish?

‘What kind of wish exactly?’

[Anything at all.]

I was confused.

Just moments ago, I had felt empty, yet suddenly my mind felt sharp and clear.

Was I dead?

What was this?

[Any wish can be granted in any form. However, only one wish is allowed.]

Before I could fully process it, my lips moved on their own.

It felt as though the words were drawn out of me.

“…I want to fly in the sky.”

I wasn’t even sure why I said it.

Why did I feel so drawn to the idea of flying?

[Understood. Your wish has been confirmed. A suitable body will now be synthesized.]

‘Wait, a body?’

[Confirmed. Congratulations.]

[May your new life be filled with blessings.]

Wait, hold on a second—

Before I could make sense of the situation, a blinding light enveloped me.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself encased in a hard shell.

‘M-My body isn’t moving properly.’

It felt like I was submerged in some thick liquid.

What is this?

Am I… Did I really turn into a bird?