Otherworld TRPG Game Master

Chapter 82: S2. Star Plateau Emergency Response Committee

Connection of the Assistant Administrator confirmed. Welcome, 'Yuna The Greatmage'.

Sleep order for the Administrator. confirmed Would you like to proceed? => Yes.

Sleep process completed.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

An attempt to upload unauthorized information about ID_013 (#Outer God) was confirmed.

Warning(!): The following information might be a malicious program such as a Succubus. Would you still like to proceed? => Yes.

Processing⋯⋯.

Upload completed.

※

The cursor blinked on the last line of the command input panel.

There was no turning back now. She had succeeded in cutting That out and transplanting it to an NPC. Now, it was Yuna's responsibility to deal with all the ensuing side effects. Yuna crouched down and stared at the screen.

Her reflection on the screen was filled with anxiety and nervousness. She asked herself again, Did it really have to be this way?

He was holding up better than she expected. Sometimes she thought something might go wrong, but she kept a firm grip on the important parts and kept them safe. It might just be a…time bomb that will set off after a long time... Perhaps after 50 years.

“⋯⋯If only he had been a little dumber or less competent.”

She remembered him laughing happily while reading things like the “Internet” and “comics” together in a simulation world modeled after his own world, discussing odd things like resources and modeling.

If only he was a fool who could only innocently laugh and talk. If only he had been a fool who could spend a century conducting only simulation research, spending that entire time alongside Yuna.

If only that was the case… She might’ve been able to wait and see.

His talent shone like a star. That's why her face turned pale when she thought of him using that talent for evil. Right now, Yuna could stop him if he ever harbored bad intentions.

No, in fact, Yuna could kill him.

But what if he had a little more time? What if he stole the faith of all kinds of people through his sessions, expanded his territory, and eventually encompassed the whole world?

No one would be able to stop him if he decided to make the world a living hell. The world in the session showed her this; a terrible future where evil beings look down from the night sky.

Killing the few to save many. It was something she had done before. It was easier this time. At least the Academy students wouldn’t die. Yuna had pushed the students into hell with trembling hands.

Hoping for a future where everyone could smile at the end of such a hell.

===============================================================

Attempt to share resources to ID_127 (#Niolle) by ID_013 has been confirmed.

Yuna: So, it’s talking to Niolle?

Yuna : Can I see the contents?

ID_127 : You enjoy tearing yourself to pieces and giving each part away, don’t you? Keep doing so in the future. Well, you might end up living a miserable life as a madwoman, but at least Bennett and Tara, who benefit from it, will be happy⋯⋯ (Omitted).

Yuna: ⋯⋯Block it!

Blocked by the Assistant Administrator.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

Date Change as a result of ID_013 has been confirmed.

Settings Value Change as a result of ID_013 has been confirmed.

Messages have been sent repeatedly from ID_013 to the Assistant Administrator. (14319 messages / 347 images)

Yuna : Uh, uh?

Yuna: Why would the time change? And why is the sun spinning around?

Yuna : Wait, the authority⋯⋯ "It's cool if the sun disappears and the stars go out when the Outer God descends, so the authority to change the map background is built in."⋯⋯, this was what… That used?

Yuna : Why are there so many popping up? Wait, it sent them to me? What is this about an omelet recipe? Photos, eck, ah, i-it’s sending me weird stuff⋯⋯! Wait a minute, the command line is⋯⋯ blo-block it. Block all communications that it’s sending me!

Would you like to block notifications related to ID_013?

Yuna : Yes.

Yuna : Aht⋯⋯.

Yuna : ⋯⋯N-No. Just stop it from sending messages for now. Did something happen while it was blocked?

Some allocated Resource Values had been shared by ID_013 => ID_098 (#Blackguard Man). Strong hostility towards ID_128 (#Tara) has been granted.

Yuna : Wait, Tara, she’s defenseless right now⋯⋯.

Yuna : Are there no friendly NPCs around?! Sally, give Sally superpowers right now⋯⋯! W-Wait, t-there i-isn’t enough storage capacity?

Yuna : BENNETT!!!

Yuna : Ask Bennett for help. Say Tara’s in danger! So like, make him feel a sense of crisis and⋯⋯! Make his way back shorter.

Commands from the Assistant Administrator confirmed. Executed.

Yuna : Is it resolved now⋯⋯?

※

Bennett arrived in time to save Tara. Yuna relaxed and slid off the back of her chair. Something terrible almost happened.

The NPC harboring Thatacted with the utmost malice. That whispered evil words to Niolle and manipulated people into attacking Tara. That moved according to what would make the players suffer as much as possible.

Though That started off slowly at first…

After Yuna blocked That from talking to Niolle, That seemed to have realized that there was something interfering from the outside. That used every means possible to blind Yuna and strike at her blind spots.

She assumed that the Evil God imbued with That would become self-aware. She had also assumed that That would try to sabotage her, but she didn't expect That to adapt so quickly, even using the System to fight back.

She thought, at best, That was preparing to descend and kill the students.

"Did I miscalculate⋯⋯? No, no you can do it, Yuna. It’s only 7%. It's trapped in a simulation. And I’m the admin, so I just have to somehow draw it out and hit it."

It was under the GM's authority to manage NPCs. Although the Outer God was now running rampant, there was a significant difference in authority. It wouldn’t be able to fight back.

Tara was being comforted by her party members. Her face, usually bright and confident, was now covered with dark shadows. How shocked must she have been when she was attacked while defenseless?

What if… I just stopped now?

“S-Sorry, I’m sorry, Tara⋯⋯! Sorry, Niolle⋯⋯!"

After a moment of hesitation, Yuna chose to proceed.

===============================================================

Yuna : Nice, since I gave them the Goddess' Crystal, all they have to do is keep going like this and hit it! If Bennett proceeds with the ritual, something will feel off and the Outer God will descend and⋯⋯.

Yuna : ⋯⋯But why does it seem so quiet?

Some allocated Resource Values had been shared by ID_013 => ID_099 (#Passerby Man). Strong hostility towards ID_128 (#Tara) has been granted.

Some allocated Resource Values had been shared by ID_013 => ID_101 (#Young Girl). Strong hostility towards ID_128 (#Tara) has been granted.

Unidentified data shared by ID_013 => ID_037 (#Cult Leader),

Some allocated Resource Values had been shared by ID_013 => ID_103 (#Stern Gramps). Strong hostility towards ID_128 (#Tara) has been granted.

Yuna : Is there a way to take away its authority?!

Yuna : “I was only planning to use the AI that listens well, so I didn’t implement a separate function to take away its authority.”⋯⋯? Wo-Wouldn’t it have been better to just do it together? No. I can handle it on my own. Eung.

Yuna : Okay fine, you’re gonna keep targeting Tara, is that it? No, it's fine. If necessary, I can just shoot a beam. What can you even do if I delete the data completely!

Yuna : Let's delete the Passerby Man, no, let's move him underground so it can’t do anything. Move all the corrupted NPCs here, to the basement!

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

Yuna : Why is the Cult Leader like that? Why did he suddenly bulk up⋯⋯?

Yuna : Did I perhaps miss⋯⋯something?

Yuna : Is it about⋯⋯ 2%? Are you saying it separated itself and merged with the Cult Leader? Why? N-No, if I can split it and get rid of it, it’s a good thing for me⋯⋯ I think?

Yuna : Yeah! Bennett, Niolle, wipe him out! Replenish his soul with a backup so it wouldn’t be damaged by the Black Magic⋯⋯ done!

Yuna : YOU DID IT-!! BENNETT-!!

Map Migration Command entered by ID_013. #Niolle and #Bennett moved to S3.

Warning(!) The map in question is empty. Empty spaces can cause psychological trauma to players. Please place objects.

Yuna : ACK!!

Yuna : It’s okay, it’s fine. I just need to load in any map. Pero, let’s go with Pero’s homeland. What I would do, uhm, from there is⋯⋯ not certain, though.

An abnormal reaction has been detected from Player #Tara.

ERROR CODE 017 : “Metamorphosis Occurrence.”

Yuna : ⋯⋯⋯⋯.

Yuna : No, n-no. Tara, they’re all alive. It’s a misunderstanding. Don’t be in so much agony. That, that’s not Bennett’s corpse.

Yuna: I didn't mean to hurt you this much.

Yuna: I-I’ll stop, I’ll stop now. I'm so sorry⋯⋯.

Attempt to forcibly terminate by the Assistant Administrator => On Hold.

Warning(!) The session is currently in progress. Abrupt forced termination may cause unexpected side effects. Please calm the consciousness of all players and try again.

Yuna : ⋯⋯⋯⋯.

It is determined that a defect has occurred in the ongoing scenario. Sending an emergency call to the Administrator.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

===============================================================

Have you ever seen the void?

Usually, one would say it was just a void. A feeling of emptiness. Though such expressions are spoken, as long as people live, they would never truly experience emptiness. After all, humans stand right between the sky and earth.

Even if they were being chased by hunting dogs in the mountains, or hiding in a pot to escape a robber in their house, there would always be something there. The scratchy soil, the smooth surface of a pot, the world sensed through one’s own body and five senses.

Even if a knife stabbed one in the heart, until the very last moment when their blood drained and cooled, wouldn’t Mother Earth warmly embrace them? Therefore, there was no such thing as nothing. That was why humans weren’t meant to know anything about true emptiness.

"⋯⋯⋯⋯."

But now, Niolle truly understood what the void meant.

There was nothing at all. In that place.

Even when she reached out her hand, there was nothing to touch. There wasn’t even any air to breathe in. No warmth or emotions to share. She didn’t even know if she was alive or dead.

Expressing this simply as ‘black’ was an insult to color. Niolle desperately missed the glimmering blackness of space that she’d seen through the telescope. An empty space without anything to interact with felt extremely lonely.

What exactly am I experiencing right now?

The only reason Niolle was able to stay sane was because she was in contact with Bennett. In a void where their very existence seemed like it would melt away, they were able to exist because they recognized each other’s presence.

She hugged Bennett's body tightly as she drifted off.

How much time has passed?

Eventually, there was light. They felt a pull as if being sucked somewhere, and Bennett and Niolle were ejected into a desolate desert.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯Heu, ack.”

Niolle breathed. Gravity pressed down on her shoulders and sand crackled between her fingers. Sunlight stung her eyes. Everything felt so very welcoming. As she cradled Bennett’s body, she looked around.

Where were we sent to? Where… is this place? Is it possible for us to go back?

The two people, who had crash-landed in the middle of a dying world, were in a physically and mentally vulnerable state. Continuous battles and failures eroded them like acid rain, exposing their fragile hearts.

Stabbing at such a heart was the Evil God's hobby and goal. The Goddess who protected this world was easily defeated. So, the only thing left to do was to torment the two people using any available means.

It was like carving a gemstone into a work of art. Each facet of a sparkling jewel represented a deep and sharp wound. Once the wonderful carving was completed, a brilliant jewel that spread light everywhere was made.

I wish there were more gems in the world. So that it could shine even brighter.

The Evil God stretched out its tentacles. I will stimulate and twist your loving mind into a toxic obsession. With the repeatedly ingrained helplessness, I shall make you realize that you are, in the end, a pitiful human being who can do absolutely nothing.

Since you have lost everything in pursuit of a feeble justice, I will deceive you into wishing you had abandoned that meager morality sooner and make you hate the beliefs you had so cherished. I will make you realize that there is no way to save your younger sister and the reason for that is solely due to your own incompetence.

There was plenty of time. Molding a young and tender heart into a desirable shape does not require much effort. Let’s start with whispers. Let’s make you believe that your failure to stop the Cult Leader’s final curse was due to your own greed.

That young man fought for you, burning even his soul for you, yet you found that mere lifespan too precious. And so, you used only that crystal to cast spells. If you had sacrificed even a year of your own life, the Cult Leader would not have had the chance to use magic.

Then, ultimately, the one who punctuated all these failures… was you. It was your fault, from beginning to end… Niolle.

A dark shadow stretched towards the girl who was drenched in fear and dread. The stars laughed and chattered, waiting for the girl's mind to be slaughtered. The only thing she could do was cover her ears and turn away…

That was when the Evil God's whisper was distorted and cut off.

⋯⋯Who are you?

At the same time, the Evil God felt a cancerous mass starting to grow from deep within itself. It was a poison that, if left unchecked, would corrupt all of its data. The Evil God let out a silent scream and contorted its body.

The sun rose. The moon and stars receded as the brilliant light of the sun illuminated the world, their shadows catching fire and turning into ash. The Evil God heard someone's whisper among them.

“Stop. This fuckery ends here.”

The Wizard who had opened his eyes drove away the night.

===============================================================

It felt like I had had a long dream. Honestly, it wasn't a good dream.

It was a story about a GM who only focused on the results and not the process. He really wanted to include a dragon at the end of his session. The reason was simple. It was because he prepared many things for the dramatic battle against the dragon.

Battle Data that included an image of a large dragon, sound effects of roars, a magnificent battle map, appropriate background music, and fun gimmicks.

However, the session's story went a little differently than he expected. He thought the players would want to defeat the dragon, but instead, they wanted to marry the dragon. To be more precise, one of the players wanted to marry her and the rest of the players wanted to help.

After completing a commission, the players bought all kinds of gold and silver treasures and even a fresh cow, offering it to the dragon. Then, accompanied by the Bard’s amazing performance (He rolled a 20 on a 20-sided die), he launched a heartfelt confession attack.

Though the GM thought the player's confession attack was fun, he also really wanted them to have a battle against the dragon. So he thought. 'Aha, I guess they can just do both, then.'

The GM allowed that declaration to pass and the player and the dragon were successfully married. And after describing their happy newlywed life, suddenly, the dragon, struck by a Frenzy spell from an evil wizard passing by, lashed out with her claws.

A fight ensued and the newlywed groom had to kill his bride by plunging a sword into her head. After the session ended, the GM and the players had a huge fight, and the team disbanded.

For reference, that newly-wed dragon-obsessed groom was me.

The moral of this story was that trying to force something on players that they didn’t want was a sure way to invite trouble.

Tragedy? Sure, it’s nice. Trials and hardships? Yep, they’re nice too. However, all these should serve as footholds to help push the players forward. Unless, of course, the player enjoyed tormenting their own character.

After all, wasn’t it better for every story to end with a happy ending?

With such thoughts, I woke up.

“Ughhhhh⋯⋯."

I stretched as I got up.

Sometimes, you know… Wasn’t there like a pleasantly refreshing awakening where you felt like you had slept really well? That was the case right now. It felt like a rock that had been weighing on my head was 7% removed. My mind was functioning well and I wasn’t in all that bad of a mood.

I also felt like the world appeared more vibrant and colorful. Each step I took made my heart flutter and just the sight of rustling leaves felt like it could inspire me for an hour.

It felt like I rediscovered the excitement and thrill I had lost.

It seemed like the Purple Magic Tower Master’s therapy actually worked. What on earth did she do to make it so effective?

Had the session ended?

What kind of ending had occurred? The route where they went back to Day One and completely fucked up the cult? Or perhaps, the route where they went even further back to save Isaac as well? Had any couples formed?

Was Tara able to think for herself and move forward on her own? Was Niolle able to find a more realistic sense of justice by compromising with reality? Was Bennett able to reflect on his path once again?

I was excited. My heart raced.

Logs, let’s check the logs. It wouldn’t feel the same as following along in real-time, but at least I’d be able to alleviate the regret of not being able to oversee it until the end.

[Tara, instead of saving a couple more civilians⋯⋯ don't you want to kill more of the Order of the Silver Twilight?]

Huh?

"⋯⋯Be, nnet, t⋯⋯!"

Oh⋯⋯.

“I’ll kill them all.”

Um.

I laid back down and closed my eyes. For a moment, it felt like I was having a nightmare. I thought that if I slept and woke up again, I'd wake up to a world where the session had ended on a hopeful note.

But of course, there was no shot of that happening.

“Ah, shit⋯⋯!”

Although it wasn't the Tower Master’s intention, I felt like I was gonna get cancer from the session that got fucked up in record time. If tragedy struck, she should have used that tragedy to create something like love or friendship⋯⋯!

I sprang up. There was no time to escape from reality. Since the story had started turning into a shitfest, it needed to be salvaged somehow.

I quickly rushed to the control room.

“W-wha, wh, wh-what, d-do I do.”

The Tower Master, who confidently told me to trust her, was malfunctioning. It felt like a situation where an elementary school kid froze in panic because he didn't know what to do after getting hit by ransomware while playing on his dad's computer.

“Move!”

“Eueck⋯⋯!"

I took a look at the system log.

ID_013, the NPC set as the Evil God. I wasn’t sure what chemical reactions took place, but when something inside my head was taken from my head and transplanted to it, it seemed to have turned into something like a virus.

When it started gaslighting Niolle, trying to ruin her, the Tower Master blocked it. But then, it got angry and started spamming all kinds of disgusting memes and nonsensical comments. It seemed like the Tower Master got fucked over after getting caught up in it. And then she displayed the fumble of the century.

You are⋯⋯ disqualified as a Forum Moderator, Yuna!

Although Tower Master was a veteran at blowing shit up, she had a critical weakness in precision operations. As a result, it seemed like the chaos caused by the Evil God’s outburst had inadvertently acted as a counter.

The Tower Master could’ve blasted the entire session into smithereens with an Information Bomb, but then the log and everything else would’ve been completely destroyed, so she was probably too scared to use it.

For now, I launched a preemptive measure.

No matter how much it rampaged, I was the Administrator. The hierarchy of abilities I had established was clear. I opened the Settings Section of ID_013 and hammered in all kinds of character traits.

In actuality, the Outer God was a beautiful young girl who loved humans so much that she would play nasty pranks on them occasionally, but actually loved them, secretly printing bromides and sticking them in the corner of her room, and her default fashion was Gothic Lolita clothes, cherishing her black cat panties most, and since she had a slightly tiresome personality, if the amount of praise during a date fell below a certain level per unit time, she would get annoye──.

The fat ‘Get fucked, idiot’ made it stutter. It was scrambling to block me by using the editing authority I had set so that it could adjust the NPCs according to the situation. Since I had bought some time, let’s break it down.

1. The session was full of tragedy.

2. I want to turn this into a happy ending.

3. I need to get rid of that tragedy-masturbating malicious virus as well.

Let's take it step by step. I can do it. After all, tragedy could be a catalyst for a happy ending.

“Y-you, you’re awake.’

"⋯⋯⋯⋯."

Tower Master cowered, shrinking back and shivering. Even while she trembled with a Huaaaak, akin to a puppy that knew it had messed up, she still looked up at me apologetically.

When I pinched her cheek, she closed her eyes and let out an Euuuenggg. She was still just as cute as she always was.

No, now was not the time for this.

After-treatment, compensation for players caught up in this incident, giving a punishment to Yuna, and giving a punishment to me for dumping it all on Yuna and sleeping like a log all had to be pushed back for now.

“Modeling that can allude to 100 years later.”

"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"

"10, 9, 8⋯⋯."

"⋯⋯!!!"

Tower Master, who had shrank to the point of almost becoming one with the floor, jumped up and started carving out the modeling as soon as work was assigned.

That 'Evil God' was a vile bastard that only wanted the players to suffer, throwing all my efforts, meanings, and intentions into the dumpster. It was an existence that was diametrically opposed to my beliefs. It was unacceptable.

I shall use all the tragedy you created as fuel for dreams, friendship, and love, you fucking bastard.

Although I launched a preemptive measure, there was no way to remove the punk right now, so I would have to continue breaking through its interference until the completion of the session. But still, it was worth trying.

The method of reviving the players’ spirits that had been completely shat on through continuous trials and failures.

The way to do that was to show them how their efforts had meaningfully improved the world. That their efforts definitely had meaning. That their actions were not in vain. And they needed to know that only one step remained in completing that.

Operation⋯⋯ ‘Time Sync’, commence.

===============================================================

The world on the verge of the Outer God’s descent was dark and bizarre. Shadows gained life, turning into monsters worthy of nightmares, and time shifted slowly then quickly, while the dying found their last rest in madness.

In such a world, the Fallen Saintess wielded her sword.

Among the fanatics who were looking up, entrusted by the stars, a slender body leaped in. The fanatic resisted the intruders who had interrupted this blessed and glorious moment.

But they couldn’t escape from the Saintess’ thorny vines emerging from her sleeves.

“Absorb them, 『Thorns of Lament』”

“Keuaaaaah-!”

She drained power from the heretics, wrapped it around the Demonic Sword, and reaped them anew. As long as there were living sacrifices to absorb with her Metamorphosis, she could fight endlessly.

Crackkk.

After she tore off a fanatic’s head, Tara sighed and looked at a shattered window. Her blood-soaked reflection was visible in the broken glass. She could not exactly see what expression she was wearing because the section that displayed her face was cracked.

Thump.

Tara threw the fanatic’s severed head on the ground. Her anger grew fiercer, but the ashes of that rage also accumulated in her heart. Heavy, grave, and empty.

Killing them more and more wouldn’t bring her comrades back.

But after feeling that terribly lonely void, the flames of wrath flared up once again. If she continued like this… If, at the end of the repeated raging and killing… Only ashes remained in her heart… What would become of her?

Right as she was lost in these fear-laden contemplations…

Bzzzz.

"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"

The image reflected in the window flickered, before showing a completely different… somewhere. A scenery where some buildings remained similar to the surroundings, but looked much older and broken.

A phenomenon that occurred as the Outer God neared, thus causing time and space to twist into disarray. The window was reflecting the future, 100 years later.

And in that place, Tara saw Bennett and /genesisforsaken