Hearts of Tower.

A dating sim that took the gaming world by storm.

But not just for its romance.

No—this game was infamous for one reason:

The achievements.

Every single one was a nightmare to unlock, pushing players to their limits.

Even the so-called "easy" ones demanded the impossible—slaying monsters in absurd numbers.

Goblins, ogres, slimes, two-headed wolves, orcs, giant venomous snakes, flying whales…

A thousand kills each.

But the "hard" ones? Those were downright sadistic.

Perfectionist's Curse – Finish the entire game without taking a single hit.

True Love Waits – Reach max affection with all love interests without talking to them.

RNG Hell – Obtain all legendary drops, despite their 0.0001% drop rate.

Iron Will – Defeat the final boss at level 1 using only starting gear.

Heartbreaker – Get every love interest to fall for you, then dump them all right before the final act.

No Saves, No Regrets – Play the entire game without reloading a single save. Say the wrong thing? Break a heart? Too bad.

I Did It for Love – Reach the top floor only because a romance option made you.

These were just a couple of the "hard" achievements…

Hell, the exact amount of grinding required to achieve 100% completion in Hearts of Tower was unknown—because no one had ever done it.

Even the most dedicated players, those with over ten thousand hours in the game, stood no chance.

No-lifers, as they are called, had tried and failed.

Why?

Well, it's quite simple…

The game devs were assholes.

Of course, not every player played for achievements.

However, for Luka, achievements were the only reason he played games.

There was nothing more satisfying than fully completing a game, and every game he bought, he made sure to finish 100%.

So, when he bought Hearts of Tower, he loved the challenge at first, grinding for hours upon hours, pushing through sleepless nights in pursuit of completion.

But after all that effort—after beating the game countless times and earning only a handful of achievements—he came to a painful realization.

He hated the game.

Despite being the #1 player on the leaderboard for most achievements earned, Luka was still a massive hater of the game.

He'd flood Hearts of Tower on Steam with one-star reviews, start endless forum rants, ect, ect.

And now, Luka found himself trapped inside the very game he had spent countless hours cursing, grinding, and hating, all while obsessing over the impossible task of 100%-ing it.

Worst of all, he had no idea which character he was or which Act he was in.

He couldn't grasp how far along the main character had progressed.

Everything felt uncertain…

"I need to take a moment to breathe and figure out which Act I'm in—or if I'm even in an Act at all. Once I have that clear, I'll be able to better grasp everything." Luka told himself, as he walked over to the window.

He opened it slightly, letting in the fresh air and the cool breeze, taking a deep breath and savoring the smell.

"I need to play this smart. I've played this shitty game countless times. I can do this," Luka hyped himself up.

Turning toward the closet, he walked over and opened it, as he then began rummaging through the clothes.

"As expected, the closet is filled with modern clothing," Luka muttered under his breath, confirming his already known-knowledge of the game.

Despite Hearts of Tower being set in the 15th century, it had inexplicably included modern clothing, along with other reality-breaking inconsistencies.

Though, given the fantasy setting filled with magical creatures and monsters, it wasn't exactly surprising that it didn't align with reality.

Picking out silver underwear, socks, and a black tracksuit with white lines running down the middle, Luka began to strip off his night robe and slip into the new set of clothes.

He was ready to work out.

Of course, he wasn't about to forget about the daily quest.

Ignoring it would lead to a penalty, one that would leave him disabled—a fate he definitely didn't want, especially considering how weak his body was.

Luka knew he needed all the time in the world to complete it, so he prepared himself mentally for the grueling task ahead.

"Okay, I'm all ready. I'm a grinder, so this will be a piece of cake. I won't struggle, I won't struggle! I can push through this…"

He was mentally preparing for what was to come.

Heading toward the door, Luka opened it in one swift motion. "Alright, let's get moving!" He then began walking down the giant, luxurious hallway.

"What—? What's happening?" Serene asked, caught off guard by his sudden appearance and words. She jumped to attention, quickly hurriying after him, keeping a respectful pace behind him.

Luka, without even looking back, replied, "I'm heading to work out." He stretched his arms:

"By the way, is my mother or father home? I'm a bit surprised they haven't noticed where all those health potions were going. They're not exactly cheap, after all."

Serene paused for a moment, her brow furrowing as she raised an eyebrow. A small question mark seemed to form above her head:

"Young Master, might I remind you? Your esteemed mother has passed years ago, and your father is currently attending your older sister's graduation ceremony. You may have forgotten, but the Master did inform you he would be away for the week."

Luka tilted his head slightly, feigning surprise. "Ah… that's right. Seems I've been a bit out of it lately..." he murmured, almost as if remembering something:

"But, just to confirm… the Saintess isn't part of the graduating class, is she?"

Serene shook her head, her voice steady. "Saintess Elysia? Of course not. She doesn't attend until next month, which happens to be when your starting year begins as well."

"Thank God…" Luka whispered to himself, a sense of relief washed over him:

'So, it seems Act 1 hasn't even started yet. I still have plenty of time before the game officially starts!'