I Killed the Game’s Heroine

Chapter 1

Arc 1: Today, I killed one of the main characters in the game. Or maybe it was yesterday.

***

To cut to the chase, I killed the heroine in the game today.

Did she think I’d spare her just because of her pretty face? The answer is unknown. Then again, it doesn’t matter since her neck is already sliced open, and her head is rolling on the floor.

“…… Shit, I can’t keep doing this. It’s fucking exhausting.”

I kicked one of the meat chunks nervously, one of the many pieces severed or disassembled into small bits in front of me. It made a dull sound as it lifted off the ground, bursting alongside the splatter of blood.

As I watched the scene and tried to catch my breath, the thick smell of blood filled my nose, and my head began to ache.

Starting when the moon was high but before midnight and continuing until the sun rose, the dismemberment was gruesomely simple, turning a human into mere chunks of flesh.

If my head had been in a stable state, I might have forgotten entirely that this was once a human being.

No, it wasn’t human to begin with. Sure, blood splattered everywhere, but technically speaking, it wasn’t human. It wasn’t human blood.

I’m not trying to justify my actions or mumble some twisted, delusional nonsense after brutally killing someone.

I’m saying this because, physically and biologically, this thing was not human.

Forensic science, nor the laws of this world, wouldn’t convict me of murder for killing this thing, and no body would be left behind.

Alright, enough of the excuses. Let me tell you why I ended up killing it.

I’m not good with words, so if anyone reads my thoughts, I hope they’ll be generous enough to understand what I’m getting at.

First, let’s talk about this world and what I am.

This world is, as commonly said, set inside a game…

What genre was it again? A mobile visual novel game? Something like that.

The game’s title is “Love of the Spirits.”

And within this game, I’ve possessed an unknown extra character.

Though I’ve never played it myself, I unintentionally learned about the game because my younger brother would constantly turn it on the computer with the volume blaring, narrating everything for me, even though I didn’t want to hear it. But that’s not the important part.

That should give you a rough idea of my situation, so now let me tell you how a nobody like me ended up killing one of the game’s beloved heroines.

Once again, let me emphasize—I killed the heroine character named Yeong Hyeong.

This being, which was my enemy, had hair as black as the night and mismatched eyes—one red and one yellow.

She was so beautiful that anyone, regardless of gender or age, would stop and stare as she passed by.

Her long hair didn’t carry the usual scent of perfume. Instead, it had this unique fragrance, like the damp earth after rain. It wasn’t unpleasant; in fact, it was a refreshing scent, unlike dirty soil.

If she were to become a celebrity, she’d immediately rise to the top based on her looks alone.

But again, she’s not human. In the world of this game, she’s classified as a Spirit, a being that merely resembles a human.

In this game’s lore, malevolent spirits are born from human fears, reverence, and terror. These dark entities attack people.

Occasionally, however, a particularly strong one will appear that takes on a human-like form and becomes impossible to kill, and people call them Spirits.

Endowed with divine power and abilities, people worship these Spirits instead of fighting them.

In exchange for their devotion, they receive power, which they then use to exorcise malevolent spirits. It’s a typical occult fantasy worldview—this is the nature of this world.

People prattle on about how it’s the personification of natural disasters, but I don’t care about that.

This wretched thing, Yeong Hyeong, killed people.

But that wasn’t shocking or new to me. I already knew she was a killer thanks to the game.

Yeong Hyeong, according to the game’s setting, is an unusual case. She was born from the fear and terror of darkness, but instead of becoming a malevolent spirit, she became a Spirit.

Though she was suppressed as a Spirit, her essence made her hostile toward humans. Despite being revered as a god, she killed people whenever it suited her, until she met the protagonist and stopped.

That’s the story in the game. But just because she stopped killing doesn’t mean the ones she killed come back to life, does it?

Personally, I thought she was just a fucking bitch. I couldn’t understand why anyone would like a character like that, and it made me wonder why the developers even created her.

According to my brother, Yeong Hyeong was actually incredibly popular in the game, contrary to what I thought.

She consistently ranked first in popularity polls, and supposedly, she fell in love with the protagonist at first sight. They said her voice was beautiful, too.

Despite viewing humans as less than animals, she was devoted to the protagonist, constantly providing fanservice and sexual appeal, which is why she had such a large following.

My brother would go on and on about Yeong Hyeong’s “charm” every day.

Even though I never played the game, I knew that Yeong Hyeong was a despicable character but also extremely popular.

Even after being transported to this world, my perception of Yeong Hyeong didn’t change.

Honestly, even though she killed people, it’s not like she tried to kill me, right?

Even though I’ve been thrown into this world, there is a way back home. And there are goals I need to accomplish to return.

That’s why I bought weapons from the shop, a perk of my possession, hunting malevolent spirits for money without even giving Yeong Hyeong a second thought.

But then that damned bitch killed the only friend I made since coming to this world.

She butchered him like an animal, leaving no body behind. My friend, completely innocent, was killed by Yeong Hyeong just because they happened to make eye contact while walking down the street.

People killed by Spirits are treated like victims of natural disasters. No, it’s worse.

The victim’s family isn’t even told the circumstances of their death, or how it happened, because revealing the truth might weaken people’s faith in Spirits, who supposedly protect humanity from malevolent spirits.

The friend who helped me was someone I met when I had nothing—no status, wandering the streets in the body of a child. He took pity on me and extended a hand of help.

His mother also treated me like her own child in this world.

But that damned bitch killed my friend, leaving no body behind.

I watched his mother cry every day, waiting for her son, unable to even hold a proper funeral after receiving the sudden news of his death. Something inside me snapped.

I don’t care if she’s a popular heroine or how pretty her face is—how the hell is any human supposed to let this slide?

My brother once said that Yeong Hyeong was so beautiful, you could forgive anything she did because your heart forgives her.

Now, I would say this to my brother:

“If you think you can forgive her just because she’s pretty, that’s not your heart talking—it’s your dick, you fucking bastard.”

Pretty or not, how could you look at that bitch and still let it go? I couldn’t.

So I swore to kill that damned woman.

But Spirits are invincible in this world, so even if I wanted to kill her, there was no way to do it. Normally, I’d be left grinding my teeth in frustration.

However, the god or whatever it was that sent me to this world, or something similar, presented me with an opportunity.

A message appeared in the shop, another perk of my possession:

[Special discount for first-time skill purchase! EX-grade skills available for up to 5 million won!]

For only 5 million won, I could buy a special skill that could even kill a Spirit.

It was an absurdly expensive amount for me at the time, but I emptied my savings, painstakingly gathered from hunting spirits, to buy the skill.

Though I had every intention of killing her, I hesitated up until the very last moment, standing in front of her.

Was it really right to kill something that looked human and had intelligence, just out of revenge? Could I really do it? I agonized over it, truly.

“Who’s that? I don’t remember the names of every piece of trash. Don’t you feel the same? Like how you don’t remember every insect you squash on the street? Same thing.”

When I asked if she remembered my friend, that’s what she said. That’s when I knew for sure—she wasn’t human. She was a beast.

And the only proper response to a beast that attacks humans is to put it down. You fucking piece of shit.

“Is that so? Then die.”

I immediately rushed at her, driving my sword into her heart just like I had with the other spirits I’d killed. Yeong Hyeong’s eyes widened in shock as the blade pierced her body.

“A-a mere human dares to—!”

She screamed, more in anger than pain, trying to do something, but I was quicker. I beheaded that damned woman with an axe and spent the next six hours cutting and sawing her corpse to pieces without rest.

She might have died the moment her head was severed.

But for the sake of my friend, and all the people this wretched woman had killed, I tore her body apart, venting their grievances upon her.

I suppose I should be grateful.

Even though I had bought a skill to kill Spirits, it wasn’t some magic curse to make them drop dead on command. I had to physically do the killing myself.

Given how strong Spirits are, I wouldn’t have been able to exact my revenge if she hadn’t underestimated me because of my appearance and laughed in my face.

Thanks to her arrogance, I managed to drive the blade into her neck.

When I saw the shock in Yeong Hyeong’s eyes as the blade entered her, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I wiped the smirk off my face and brushed away the sweat dripping from my chin, turning my gaze away from the corpse in front of me.

Come to think of it, what did the protagonist of this game say to her? Something about understanding each other, even though she wasn’t human?

The thought of it twisted my face into a sneer.

That bastard probably said that because her face was pretty.

If this murderous bitch had looked anything like my old commanding officer, would he have said the same thing? No, he’d have beaten her senseless first.

I spat on the split-open head of the disgusting creature, which was slowly turning to dust as the dawn light crept in.

At least I got my revenge, even if it was just a small part of it.

With a heavy heart and exhausted body, I was about to head home when—

“Yeong Hyeong!”

Suddenly, I heard someone calling out that bitch’s name.

I had lured her to this abandoned building specifically to avoid any people from showing up, but now, of all times, someone had come here?

What the hell?

When I checked, there was a boy running toward me, his expression desperate, looking exactly like the illustration my brother had once shown me from the game.

It was as if fate had brought him here. There was no logical reason for him to be in this place, yet here he was, running as if guided by destiny.

The protagonist was standing there, staring in despair at the shattered remains of Yeong Hyeong’s body, scattered in the middle of the wreckage.

But only for a moment.

The boy, with his handsome face, looked at me—the one responsible for this scene—and asked:

“Why… why?! Spirits are no different from us… did you really have to kill her? Was there a need to do something so horrifying?”

His tone was full of grief and regret as he looked at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

He’s young.

How old is he supposed to be, according to the game’s setting? Judging by his uniform, it looks like he’s a kid.

The game starts with the protagonist enrolling in an academy for Exorcists, right? I’m not entirely sure.

I only know this much about the game because my brother would spend at least two hours a day explaining the story and lore to me, trying to get me to play it. I’ve never played it myself.

So, let’s see.

From what my brother said, the protagonist doesn’t see Spirits as dangerous natural disasters or gods due to a special experience he had when he was young. He sees them as equals.

Because of that belief, he talks to them and puts faith in the idea that they aren’t just divine beings, but entities that humans can coexist with.

I looked at his face.

Given my brother’s description and the illustrations, I thought he’d at least be a college student.

But now, seeing him in person, from his expression and demeanor, I’d say he’s at most a high schooler.

He’s young. That’s why he’s talking like this. He’s naive, ridiculously naive.

He believes that Spirits are just special beings with personalities, that you can talk to them, and since they grant you power, he’s convinced he’s right.

So, it’s clear as day that he doesn’t even consider the possibility that he might be wrong.

“Yeong Hyeong killed my friend. Butchered him like an insect, leaving no body behind. That’s why I killed her.”

Though he was younger than my brother, I still needed to say what needed to be said. I looked the boy in the eyes as I spoke calmly.

The boy, who had been accusing me just moments ago, began to tremble as soon as I uttered a single sentence.

His eyes, which had been full of confidence, now started to shake, as if he was a child caught doing something wrong.

I could see the tears welling in his eyes.

I suddenly felt tired of the whole thing. What’s the point of picking on a kid just to make a point?

I shut my mouth, turned my body, and walked away. I could hear the boy muttering something behind me, but I ignored it.

After spending all night cutting, chopping, and tearing that body apart, my strength was completely drained.

I collapsed onto a decrepit sofa in an abandoned building I was temporarily using as my hideout and thought to myself.

In those possession stories my brother often recommended, the protagonist usually has some kind of goal that drives them forward.

In my case, the only thing that appeared when I first possessed this body was a message saying, “Survive until the end of the game’s story.”

It also explained that the money I earn here would become mine once I return to the real world, so I spent my time exorcising malevolent spirits like it was a job, steadily accumulating money.

If I hadn’t sworn to kill that damned woman, I would have quietly gone about my business, gathering money until it was time to return to my own body.

In those stories my brother showed me, the possessed protagonist usually gets entangled with the characters of the world, struggling to achieve their goals, but—

I don’t have any of that. I just need to bide my time and return home.

I only have one goal: make enough money by exorcising malevolent spirits and go back to my original life.

[Special Quest]

[Enroll in the Academy for Exorcists and achieve the top grade.]

[Reward: 500 million won]

[Will you accept? Y / N]

“Hey, you over there! You look human, right? It must have been scary being all alone, but don’t worry! We’ve got friends just like you, and we band together!”

“Uh. No thanks. I’m not buying whatever you’re selling.”

I ignored both the quest window and the woman who had suddenly appeared in front of me, closing my eyes.

End of Chapter