osmw1 - Tumblr blog

osmw1 · 3 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 18 — Zombie Virus

“Did...did we get it?” Kiryu, who was sitting beside me, managed to get his words in between fits of coughing.

I surveyed the cabin. “Umm, is everyone alright?”

“...All good here,” Kiryu kept coughing.

“Me too, somehow,” Elizabeth chimed in.

“Oh, thank goodness...” It was quite the crash, but we somehow managed to get out of it with only a few cuts and bruises. I knew it was minor, but I just couldn’t help but to grab a handful of herbs from Kiryu’s pockets and jam them into his mouth.

I peered out of the cab window to find the Administrator groaning and motionless on the cold ground. “Looks like good effect on target. I think we can catch You!”

I pulled my head back inside before rappelling down the makeshift bedsheet-rope. The friction burned my hands before I could reach solid ground.

There You was in her unassuming bob cut and peach-colored dress...still hammering away the Administrator with the butt end of an empty gun.

“What are you doing?! Let’s get out of here already!” My screaming didn’t seem to get through to her, leaving me with no choice but to get physical. Unfortunately, she had the upper hand; I was about to wrestle her away but she flung me off. “Boof!”

“Take it easy, Sera! Now that we’ve rendezvoused, couldn’t we just all travel together to some other game? Check the phone!” As always, Kiryu had a practical solution.

“Oh... Yeah, maybe. Hold on, let me check really quick!” I opened the app on my phone, and it left me wide-eyed. It was the exact same as before. “...It’s still gray...”

“What? Why the hell is it still gray? Why can’t we move her somewhere else...?” Kiryu furrowed his brows as he stared at You, who was still thrashing away at the Administrator like a feral beast.

“What...what do we...” I muttered with my head in my phone, but I couldn’t look away. There was something different.

“Is something the matter, Sera?” Elizabeth voiced her concern for me, having noticed I was frozen in place.

“Uh, look at this...” I pointed to the screen. The three of us plus You were in a game titled “??????????????????????????????????????????”. Deadman’s Conflict 3 was no more.

“Wha...—” She crumpled to the ground.

“What? What’s wrong?” Kiryu knocked You out before coming over, before the three of us fell into a silence.

“Do you have any idea what this means, Kiryu?”

“...Not much to go off of. But judging from what’s happening around us, I think something must’ve replaced the world of Deadman’s Conflict 3,” he said as he stared into my phone. “I thought it was weird how the Administrator totally ignored us earlier. Must’ve bugged out or something.”

I took in his words and then looked over at the lump of flesh. The Administrator had already regenerated all the damage it received from the collision. It clambered upright and started tearing apart the world again, like ripping tiles off the floor.

The dark, purplish skybox peeked through the spots of missing background. I wasn’t sure what it exactly was. It seemed like some sort of pixel art, but I knew it was definitively not DC3.

“Crap. The world’s coming apart. Let’s get out of here as quickly as possible,” Kiryu warned.

“Yeah, you’re right...but what about You? I’d like to get her out of here too, but she’s still grayed out.” I trembled as I flickered my gaze at my phone and then back to her.

Elizabeth was observing You as well, and she pointed at her, “Hey, hold on. Look... She’s injured.”

I looked at where she was pointing. On You’s neck was a humanoid bite mark.

Oh no.

Attentive as ever, Kiryu saw me fall into utter despair immediately then looked where I was looking. His look was one of immense pain.

“...This might be a dumb question, Sera, but people turn into zombies when they get bitten here, right?”

“...Yes, they do. Well, no, umm... Like many other games, the player in DC3 doesn’t get infected when bitten by any regular old zombie. I think it’s different story with the sequels, but getting bit in this game shouldn’t zombify the player.”

“So, there’s a chance that You hadn’t been infected by the bite then?”

“...I’m afraid not. That bite mark looks to be from a special infected, never mind the whole being grayed out and unable to travel out of this world thing. She must’ve been bitten in the story event.”

“What do you mean?”

“In the middle of the game, there’s a fight where the protagonist gets infected with the zombie virus and then has 24 hours to find the vaccine. If not, then the protagonist gets turned into a zombie.

I’m thinking that’s what happened to her. She must’ve triggered the ending before managing to find the vaccine. That’s something that can happen in the game as well.”

“Argh,” he spat out his frustration, “the road we came from got blasted all to hell by the missiles, so no turning back for the vaccine either. If we can’t save You and we can’t move her out of game, then...I don’t think there’s much we can do for her at all…” He followed up with a deep sigh.

You’s breathing was rough as she fell into a coma. Kiryu could only silently shake his head at the sight. “…We’re out of time, Sera. Let’s leave this game before it’s too late for us.”

I turned to Kiryu’s somber face. I felt the need to say something—anything at all—but I had no words. I looked at the Administrator who was still peeling away at the backdrop before finally checking the Vital Watch. There was no telling whether the thermobaric missile ending had been canceled or not. And if not, we would have less than 20 minutes before reduced into a fine mist.

“…Kiryu. Elizabeth. You two should leave for the dating sim world,” I pleaded.

Kiryu looked as though he detested the idea.

Neither was Elizabeth accepting of it, asking, “What are you planning to do?”

“I’m…going to make my way back to two levels ago, go to the pharmacy, and get this drug called Zombinal.”

“The name suggests otherwise, but I’m guessing Zombinal is the vaccine?”

As I responded “Yes,” Kiryu delicately lifted up my wrist to check the Vital Watch on my forearm.

“Let’s see… You’ve got 20 minutes until the bombs drop. You’re making the trip only because you know you’ll make it back, I presume?”

“I...should make it back.”

“What you’re saying is that there’s no chance in hell.”

“…”

“…You’re going to throw your life away like that?” His question was sober.

I bit my lip unawares before responding, “…It’ll be fine, Kiryu. I’ve made sure that you and Elizabeth will get away safely, even if I were to die. There’s nothing you two need to worry about.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking if you’re planning to throw your life away.”

“…I know I’m being selfish,” I said as I looked up from the Vital watch and locked eyes with Kiryu. “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse—a public health nurse—because I’ve seen too many people mourning their loved ones when a simple vaccine could have prevented all the suffering. If only I could prevent those cases… You know?”

Kiryu listened in silence as I strung together the words in my mind. His facial expression did all the talking—he understood of my feelings, yet he was telling me to save myself.

I understood him back completely fine, but still I shook my head. “I started on this career path hoping to save just one life, to prevent just one grieving person in this world. I might have forgotten why because of my bullshit working conditions, but I know I’d never forgive myself if I were to give up on You. I can’t let go of this.”

“…I see. I never knew how serious you are about being a nurse,” he replied with a sigh.

“Not just any nurse—a public health nurse! I studied real hard to get my license, you know?” I pouted.

“No offense, but I don’t think your average Joe has any clue what the difference between the two are,” Kiryu quipped as he pokes at the phone in my hand before continuing, “And Elizabeth…”

“Umm… Yes?” Elizabeth flinched when he suddenly called out to her.

“Unlike Sera, you actually properly play your otome games, right? Of all the ones we can jump to, which one do you reckon would be the safest?”

“Uh, umm… The safest world would likely be Mabataki Academy Memorial. The game is set in modern day and it features the least combat in its series,” she points to one of the games listed in my phone.

“Alright. Elizabeth, then that’s where you’re going. It’d be dangerous for you to stay here any longer, seeing how you’re not much of a fighter.”

“…Okay. I’ll conquer the world of Mabataki for us.”

“‘Conquer,’ huh? It sure sounds like a peaceful time.” My sarcasm didn’t detract from Elizabeth’s determination.

“It won’t be. Look—there’s already two people there,” she pointed to the screen. Elizabeth looked worried for a few seconds, before finding her seriousness again.

“…Look. I haven’t brought it up until now, but only in-game items have been replenishing here—items like weapons and equipment that we can normally purchase from shops. But background objects, like food or bottles of water? Those don’t respawn when we take them out of the supermarket.

So it would only be natural that people fight over a device that let them move between worlds. Do you see what I mean?”

“You’re saying sustenance and survival comes into play too. That’d be a reason that people would kill each other for if things take a turn for the worse.”

“The fewer the mouths to feed, the more food there is to go around. It’s been on my mind this whole time...but I couldn’t find the courage to tell you two. I’m sorry.”

“But you just did, so thank you,” I said to Elizabeth with a warm smile. She had her face turned away in fear of how we would react. I could tell that deep down she was inherently a good person.

“Hey, Elizabeth?”

“…What do you want?”

“When you get inside Mabataki, don’t worry about conquering it or anything, okay? Just do whatever you can to survive for, like, twenty—no, fifteen minutes. After that, you’ll know whether I manage to catch up to you two or whether you’ll return to the real world without me.

And I know you’re not one for violence. I could tell by the way you held that rifle in your hands that it didn’t sit quite right with you. Don’t force yourself to fight.”

With tears in her eyes, Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, but her anxiety was holding her back. She finally found her words and told me, “…I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t go dying on me!”

“Of course not. We’ll get out together,” I agreed with a smile before returning my focus to my phone. It was my first time on this app, but it wasn’t anything too hard to figure out. Elizabeth disappeared before my very eyes the instant I tapped the OK button.

Damn. I really just teleported her.

“Your turn now, Kiryu.”

As I was about to send him to another world, Kiryu forcefully snatched the phone out of my hands.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Which way is it?”

“…huh?”

“Which was is the vaccine?” Kiryu asked, as he stuffed my phone into one of his pockets.

I pointed towards the direction of the medicine, as if his calm yet firm voice compelled me to do so. “T-The door there…it’s all bombed out of shape. But it’s not a destructible object in the game, so I’m not sure how we’ll find our way back…”

Almost instantaneously did Kiryu quickly step towards the metal doors to mow them down with his crowbar.

“Wha…” I was flabbergasted when I saw the doors creaked and bent back open. What the hell is he capable of…?

“I thought I told you already. I’m not about to let you die.”

I had no answer for him.

“Why do you look so surprised? You were the one ripped the “KEEP OUT” tape apart in the beginning. Showed that it doesn’t make a lick of difference whether the environment is supposed to be destructible or not.

I’ll throw You over my shoulder and we’ll march back with the remnants of our troops. Let’s go get that vaccine.”

■Vaccine

While they are normally to prevent disease, there are also vaccines effective after exposure to the pathogen. For example, with post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies, it can be effective when taken generally within 24 hours of exposure to the virus and prior to onset (though it is not useful after onset.)

In the game, the definition of “vaccine” is ambiguous and the workings of the zombie virus vaccine are vague. The effects of the vaccine also change if it is taken in a cutscene versus in-game.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /ch015/ /ch016/ /ch017/ /ch018/ /next/

#Crowbar Nurse #CBN #AVGTL #Average Translation

2 notes · View notes

osmw1 · 3 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 17 — Conscious of Change

“Sera, the brakes… Sera! Please!”

“Huh...?”

“Stop the truck! Get my cane off the pedal!”

“Oh... Uhh, right!” I heeded Elizabeth’s shrieking and pleading, dislodging the cane depressing the accelerator. But before the truck could come to a halt, we had sent a Minotaur airborne. Its faint mooing trailed behind as it soared through the sky.

“Is something the matter?” I slowly lifted my head up to look at her, but Elizabeth was focused on bringing the truck to a halt.

“It’s them. They were there.”

“Who’s ‘them’?”

“The Administrator!” Elizabeth let go of the steering wheel and plastered her face to the driver’s side window. She was dripping with absolute terror. Her sight was fixed on someone in a pink dress... Or rather, it was on the monster that the person in pink was battling. It wasn’t very like her to be in such a big shock.

Before I knew it, I was already standing up and squinting into the distance to where Elizabeth was pointing.

“The Administrator is that...thing?” I realized I was scowling at it.

Well, that thing sure is big.

It was the size of a big pickup truck, maybe even a cube van. Tanned—and oddly enough—slimy. Protruding out its flank were its ribs or something. And it had eight, no, ten reddish eyes on its body.

What a mysterious amalgamation of human bodies…

“I wouldn’t have expected that thing to know how to code a game.” My eyes were half-closed as I vomited my inner thoughts.

“It sure doesn’t look the part,” Kiryu nodded along to my stream of consciousness.

“Right? I suppose that thing breaks code more than it does make code.”

The three of us stooges all had our hands and faces pressed up against the windshield.

“Wait, is that thing not a monster from some game? It definitely looks like it’s something out of a mid-90’s Super Fam RPG! It’s called the Last Evil Demon or something or other.”

“Come on, that’s way too cliched,” Kiryu shook his head in disapproval. “And there’s no way you’re old enough to be in the Super Fam generation.”

“You’re correct. Most likely, I had only watched my older brother play it. The Super Fam was already so old by the time I was old enough to play. I could never get the cartridges to save, so I never really got into it myself.”

“Oh, that’s probably ‘cause the back-up batteries were probably dead is why. You gotta take apart the cartridge and then swap out the button cell inside to fix that.”

“You do realize that now is not the time for this?!” Elizabeth snapped back, cutting short Kiryu’s retro game trivia corner. “Anyway, no! Listen! That thing was more…humanoid before. I have the feeling that it used to be able to speak! I swear, I recognize the faces stuck on it!”

“You have a…a feeling that it could speak before?” Kiryu furrowed his brows.

I snapped to attention too when I heard Elizabeth shout. So what she’s saying is that thing used to be human before it turned more and more monster-like?

Before I could ask, I was interrupted by the truck shaking furiously.

“Eeek! Wh-What was that?!” Elizabeth shrieked out with her head between her knees.

Kiryu was more proactive. Looking out the window and clicking his tongue, he reached over to arm himself with his crowbar. “Damn, the bastards are climbing onto the truck!”

Mere moments after, a Heart reached in from the window with one of its tentacles.

“Gaaaah!” Elizabeth curled up in the fetal position as she screamed for her life.

It took Kiryu a split second to react, striking the slithering appendage and knocking it over.

I looked out from the window on my side too. A number of Hearts and zombifying monsters were crawling up towards us. No doubt this is because we stopped the truck.

“Oh no, no, no! Gotta get them off of us!”

With the stock of the rifle nestled in my shoulder, I pointed out and down from the truck and started blasting. There was quite a good handful clinging on, not to mention that we didn’t have the help of the Army from Hell either. We had to quickly get them off of the truck before their numbers overrun us, so I asked for help. “Elizabeth! Grab the extra rifle over there and lend us a hand!”

“H-Huh? Umm, uhh…okay!” She seemed a little hesitant retrieving the gun strapped onto the seat. And then as if imitating me, Elizabeth pointed her gun out the window and started firing.

But…

“Augh!” A single shot from the assault rifle was enough to send her tumbling backwards and onto her behind. “Sera! I can’t! I can’t do this! The recoil is far too strong for me!”

“Huh?”

“How the heck are you strong enough to handle it anyway?! Did you grow up shooting like an American or something?!”

“Huh. Good point.”

There was a painful icy feeling seeping into my chest. Why hadn’t I been aware of it before? There’s no way a tiny young girl like Sera would be able shoot a rifle like this. But the thought had previously crossed my mind. Of course there’s no way a regular person would be able to control the recoil of an automatic rifle. I suppose my excuse is that in the heat of battle, and with so many things to panic over, the concern simply disappeared from my mind.

I had another terribly uncomfortable gut feeling.

Elizabeth had said that the Administrator was originally human, and it was able to converse too, right? Who’s to say that my body isn’t changing the way like how the Administrator’s is? What’s happening to me and my body?!

“—Save the fretting for later, Sera! Concentrate on getting to You!” Kiryu called out to me in between swings of his crowbar. His voice somehow always calms me down, always brings me back to the moment.

“You’re right… Let’s get them!”

“Good. You focus on eliminating the enemies! Elizabeth, try and shake ‘em off! I’ll step on the gas for you!”

“G-Got it!” Elizabeth threw herself over to the steering wheel in a fluster and the truck shunted forward. Wriggling through the window and onto her hand was another tentacle. And as soon as she squealed, Kiryu swung his crowbar and pitched the monster away from the cab.

“L-Let’s go!” Elizabeth roared and the truck did too.

“Elizabeth! Steer the truck right into the Administrator! We should be massive enough to take the impact straight on!”

“Okay!” She might said it with conviction, but Elizabeth’s face reflected her anxiety as she braced herself for what was about to happen. The truck surged ahead, on course to hit our target.

We all had our tasks and there was something I needed to do. Something only I can do.

As I leaned out of the window and tossed my infinite ammo rifle onto the hood of the truck, Kiryu barked out, “Sera?!”

I paid his panicking no heed. My skirt fluttered in the wind as I hopped up on top of the truck.

I really am physically changing, aren’t I?

My first priority was securing my rifle. And as I stood up onto the hood, I couldn’t help but ruminate.

My body is changing.

Never have I had the physical fitness to climb on top of a speeding truck.

Just what is going on with my body? But it’s no time to be pondering to myself right now.

I absorbed my surroundings to shake the thought off my mind and realized that we were in a do or die situation. I knew I had to take care of the monsters climbing onto the truck.

Did I have a plan B? What? Hell no! It’s not every day you get to use the Hammer of Dawn!

A few got thrown off when the truck sped forward, but there were more zombies still clinging on. What’s worse was that some of them were gunning for the driver’s seat. With a rifle in one hand and a crowbar in the other, I did what I had to get them off.

I took a quick glance at the Administrator. We were close—just another ten, fifteen seconds until impact.

Wait. What?

It only took the quick second or two, but I had realized when I looked at them. In her pink dress, You was firing all the heavy weapons she had at the Administrator. Her weapons tore up the buggy neon ground, exposing a differently colored world beneath. However, it didn’t seem like the monster cared at all.

The Administrator’s ignoring You…because he’s focused on something else?

I knitted my brows, but I knew I had no time to dwell on it right now. There were still three, four enemies left to deal with—all of them Eaters too. But we were on rough roads and the zombies had poor footing, sending back down to the ground as soon as they stood onto the hood.

The Administrator was only a stone’s throw away. I climbed back into the cabin and braced for impact. “I got rid of the pesky ones! Time to get the big one, Elizabeth! Oh, and try to miss You if you can!”

“Gee, I wouldn’t have— Never mind, get ready!” she yelled at the same time as we made contact.

The crash of the impact and the detonation of the airbags shook us to our cores.

“Ngahhh!”

■ Administrator An amalgamation of many human faces. This kind of creature can be seen in many types of games, perhaps revealing the lack of originality of its creators.

According to Elizabeth, it seems as though the Administrator had the ability to speak Japanese. However, it does not seem to be mentally all there yet. What does the Administrator manage? Does it actually have the ability to govern anything? Or perhaps, is someone else responsible for everything? Find out…in the upcoming chapters.

Author’s notes: A bit of a digression, but the whole “Plan B? Hell no!” bit is from Gears of War, Act 5 Chapter 7: Train Wreck. It’s become quite the meme amongst Japanese PC gamers.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /ch015/ /ch016/ /ch017/ /next/

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Note

Will you continue translating Dimensional Wave?

I will not be continuing Dimension Wave. I mentioned this before, but I’ve gone pro with translation now. It wouldn’t be right to be translating this novel series without permission from the creator or publisher. I apologise for the disappointing answer, but I hope you will understand where I'm coming from.

#DWV #news #Amomynous

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 16 — I’ll Do Somethin’ About It

Wh-What was that?!

My eyes darted around in a panic, but I could neither see nor hear anything.

None of us had the slightest clue on what had just happened.

It was for but a split second that the world fell into darkness before any color had returned.

“Eek…”

Elizabeth failed to hide her shriek as she swallowed in our surroundings, though it was a fair reaction.

The world was illuminated in bright neon greens and reds… We were bathed in this unnatural saturation and brightness.

“Oh, jeez… It like we’re in a glitched SNES game. This is hilarious!”

“Argh! It most certainly is not!”

“Did… did the game crash just now?”

Clearly, Elizabeth did not find the situation as amusing as I did.

Crash, though? What did Kiryū mean?

“Crash? What’s that supposed to mean?”

My brows furrowed before I even noticed.

“Exactly what the name implies. Something unexpected messed up the game.

Maybe… it’s because the ‘Thermobaric bomb ending’ and the ‘truck ending’ both got triggered. If the devs didn’t expect this possibly to happen, then the game could’ve crashed…”

“Oh, no… With the colors all messed up like this, we won’t know what’s going on anywhere…”

I examined the environment far off in the distance and took out my phone.

Just as it was before, the game that ‘You’ was in was greyed out and couldn’t be changed.

No. It was still too early to give up on them. It was still early… but the situation was getting worse by the second.

“Our hellish troops are still with us, but New Nick had disappeared already… What should we do? Just how will we get to ‘You’…?”

I may have been down in the dumps, but Kiryū was ever vigilant and surveying our surroundings.

“Don’t let it get to you, Sera. Remember how I said that if it’s a technical problem, then I can do something about it?

… The level is still physically the same, except for the color… Alrighty.”

The moment he finished speaking, Kiryū reached for his crowbar, his knuckles turned white, and splattered the blood that had covered his weapon of choice.

“Kiryū! Ew! Bodily fluids are biohazardous, you know? Go brush up on your standard precautions!”

“…”

Rather than paying me any attention, Kiryū darted his eyes around.

However, that wasn’t for long as he visibly had a light bulb moment.

“… Sera, gimme the chalk!”

“Huh?”

“How much time do we have until the thermobaric missiles hit? Gimme 30 minutes… I might be able to do something or other!”

“Huh? Uhh… o-okay!”

After I had retrieved it from the NPC, Kiryū snatched the chalk set out of my hands and got straight to drawing on the ground.

“K-Kiryū…?”

The only breaks from his work were to periodically glance up at the landscape.

“… Just what is going on?”

After the initial panic of seeing our exchange had subsided, Elizabeth wondered what Kiryū was doing on the ground as she watched him.

“You two can sit and chill in the truck. I’ve gotta work out a few things on my own.”

What other choice did we have?

Elizabeth and I climbed into the cabin of the truck without a word of protest and rested our eyes. With how ragged we all have been running, a few minutes of sleep makes a huge difference. Between nodding on and off, Elizabeth and I managed to squeeze a few words between us.

“… Hey, Sera?”

“What’s up?”

“You know how I was teasing you earlier about Kiryū? Erm, if I really do get on your nerves, then don’t hold back and get angry at me, okay? I know I tend to get carried away imagining people coupling up.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you when you go too far. But I’m alright right now.”

“Good.

Oh, erm, if Kiryū’s attention is unwanted, then I’ll see if I can subtly do something to help. Like, if he’s too overbearing when I’m not around, let me know.”

“Huh? No, he’s not like that at all.

I’m fine with how things are right now.”

“Hmm, I see. I suppose you like the fact that you two get along well, then.”

“…”

“… If you don’t quit making that face, Elizabeth, I really will snap at you.”

After our conversation, I took out my phone every now and then to check up on the status of ‘You’, afraid that they would disappear somehow. Though she understood my anxiety, Elizabeth chided me for wasting the battery and I reluctantly turned off my phone.

Kiryū had been quietly working with his chalk, save for one outburst that involved hollering about how this world is “Y-up”.

Then, another ten, twenty minutes later…

“Sera! Elizabeth! I’ve got it!”

My eyes snapped open, awakened by Kiryū’s exclamation.

“Holy cow! The truck grew a few sizes!”

I looked down from the window only to have my knees go weak.

It was like looking out of the windows of a second, maybe even third-floor apartment.

That could only mean the truck was bigger. Not only was the cabin more spacious, but even the seats were wider. No, they were beyond just wide — they were too big for me now.

I could hardly believe what was happening.

“All I had to do was to mess with the scale value of the object.”

He couldn’t have hidden that smirk even if he wanted to.

It just naturally comes out every time he finds and abuses a bug.

Are all game devs this smug?

“Wh-Wh-What does that even mean? How did this even happen?!”

“Y’know how the game crashed, right? And that led to all the weird colors around us?

Well, that’s because the part other information got jumbled into the part that’s supposed to be for displaying color.”

He squatted down and gave the ground a good smack with his hand before continuing on,

“It could be any info in the wrong place that’s causing the artifacting, like dialogue or the size of objects.

When you call the wrong info that’s supposed to determine the color of objects, that’s how you get all the messed up colors. You can even change it like this… See?”

“… Oh, the truck is back to normal now.”

“If you change the color to what it’s supposed to be, the truck’s size is also back to what it’s supposed to be. Now, let’s crush everything between us and “You” with our giant truck.”

Kiryū’s cackling was infectious; I couldn’t help but to do the same.

We stripped the army of their supplies and loaded all of it into the back of the truck.

With the sheets we have left, we tied a rope from the driver’s seat to make getting in and out easier._ I mean, the truck way too big._

And with a turn of the key… the engine roared into life. All aboard.

“Let’s go!”

We had a ways to go until we reached our destination, but I was getting way too excited already.

I buzzed with excitement as I gripped the steering wheel.

“… You do have a driver’s license, right, Sera?”

Kiryū voiced his concern.

“Nope. But I used to rip around in those little go-karts for kids.”

“What?! That’s not the same thing, you idiot! I’m driving!”

It wasn’t Kiryū who tore me off of the steering wheel and then stuffed me into the passenger side, but it was Elizabeth.

“What, can you drive trucks, Elizabeth?”

“I’m licensed to drive and I have played quite a bit of Trailer Simulator too. So, to answer your question, yes.”

“… That means you’ve only driven in video games! You’re practically a newb yourself!”

“Better than Sera by any means! Are you saying you can drive, Kiryū?

… I didn’t think so.

Now, we have but an hour left until the thermobaric missiles drop on us, so let’s book it.”

For some reason, Elizabeth looked very awkward as she fell into a moment of silence, looking down beneath the wheel.

The footwell was absolutely dark and cavernous.

“What’s the matter?”

“…”

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?”

“… the pedals… I can’t reach the pedals…”

—In the end, we spend another 10 minutes to make Elizabeth’s cane larger. But even then, petit little me had to work the accelerator with the big stick in Elizabeth’s place.

No rubble or debris could stop the giant truck. Even mobs of zombies were crushed by the force of this great tsunami.

Anything enemy too strong would be then slaughtered by the army.

Though we were still bathed by the neon hues of the scenery, none of the zombies or monsters seem to be affected.

As blood and guts spray from all the zombies, Kiryū had only one thing to say about this world of blinding blues and magentas,

“This is like seeing one last dream before taken by the reaper.”

“What? Naw, I’m having so much fun here!”

I jammed on the accelerator with the mithril walking stick and enjoyed the scrolling backdrop.

“We’re almost at the place where the protagonist goes for the ‘Thermobaric missile ending’…”

“Never mind the protagonist, I wonder what ‘You’ is doing,” Kiryū asked.

“The door back to the previous stage is broken, so maybe ‘You’ is stuck at the very end.”

I contemplated out loud as I climbed on top of a two-story building, rattling the debris beneath.

We overlooked a sprawling rainbow square. It was hard to recognize from the weird colors, but this is definitely the end for the “Bomb ending”.

Then, turning to look at us was a giant of a woman.

Fluttering in the wind was her pink dress… Clearly, she wasn’t the game’s protagonist.

That’s probably… ‘You’.

■”You” in the Peach-Colored Dress

An unknown being from the beginning to the end. Did she trigger the ending out of ignorance? Or perhaps was it planned…?

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /ch015/ /ch016/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

2 notes · View notes

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 15 — Fanficcers Ship, That’s What They Do

Back in front of the safehouse, the three of us had begun planning our endgame strategy together.

“This would be the path to get to the truck ending.”

I drew a line on the ground with a stick of chalk. Kiryū and I came across a set of sidewalk chalk on our way home and now we were putting it to good use by drawing maps. … Originally, it was meant to evoke the image that children were playing in the streets one day and then suddenly getting attacked by zombies, but it was never shown in the actual game for ethical reasons… Oh, and if you wanted to know, the set had every color a kid could ever need.

“Go this way, then here, turn here, then like this, then… and that’s our goal. Simple, right?” “Turn this way here?” “No, no. It’s that way there.” “Oh… so, like this?” “No, not like that. Like this.” “And then that way?” “No, the other way.” “Then this way.” “No! I’m telling you, that way over there…” “Gaaah! Knock it off, you two! Neither one of you are making any sense anymore!”

Elizabeth interrupted our serious and earnest preparation session.

“What is going on?! Ever since you have returned from the firing range, you lot have been completely incoherent, mainly because you are deliberately avoiding any eye contact! What on earth happened between the two of you?!” “Umm, erm…”

Stumbling with my words, I glanced at Kiryū who immediately looked away in a fluster. Both of us must’ve been embarrassed about how I had run up and hugged him earlier.

“… N-Nothing at all! There’s nothing that you have to worry about, Elizabeth!”

I squeezed my eyes shut and shrieked back at her, but I don’t think it helped my case at all.

“… I see. So, that’s how it is,” Elizabeth responded in a low whisper. “Huh?"

I opened my eyes to see her grinning from ear to ear.

“Umm, Elizabeth?” “I see. I understand now. So, that sort of stuff happened at the firing range.” “Wha—?!”

My head was about to snap off from how hard I was shaking my head, but Elizabeth wasn’t reacting to me at all. She was dripping with fraught just a moment ago. I guess it was good that she’s got her spirit back, but where did all of this excitement come from?

“Umm, are you alright, Elizabeth? Is something the matter?” “… I apologize for the late and abrupt introduction.” “Huh?” “I am but yet another wage slave from Shinjuku. My hobbies include dating simulations, reader-inserts, and providing dating advice to the friends around me.” “Reader-inserts?”

The term seemed to have thrown Kiryū for a loop.

“What are those? I come across lots of fan labor made by women due to the nature of my work, but I’ve never heard of that one before… Any clue, Sera?” “No, not one bit.”

As I shook my head again, this time, Elizabeth responded with a chuckle.

“Not a surprise, seeing how Sera is but a normie… Reader-insert is but a small subgenre within fanfiction. It is a type of story in which the audience inserts themselves as the protagonist, paired with a canon character. Though it doesn’t get much attention, the subgenre has quite a few followers worldwide, even outside of Japan, where they’re sometimes called x readers .” “What does the x mean though?”

Elizabeth readily answered his question.

“The x denotes pairing. You would put the character name before the x to signify the work pairs the character and the reader in a relationship, usually a romantic one. Authors overseas usually write in second person, but here in Japan, we use cookies and scripts to pull the reader’s name from their account and insert it into the text. … And for your reference, I stan canon/OC pairings. That is to say, rather than using the reader, I prefer stories with OC.” “OC?”

Kiryū was thrown for loop after loop, then he looked at me.

“… Any clue, Sera?” “No, not one bit.”

Elizabeth sighed in exasperation as I shook my head for the third time.

“You truly know nothing, don’t you…? ‘OC’ is short for ‘original character’. Anyway, getting back on track and to summarize what I mean, I indulge in observing the romance between other people. Just listening to my friends and family gushing about their love interests is simply not enough. Instead, I have to reach out to dating sims and fanfiction to satiate this desire of mine. Though I don’t care much for getting directly involved. That is why I am delighted to see this unfold.” “… What exactly is unfolding here?”

My question had only pleased her more.

“Why, of course, the situation between you and Kiryū! You two are almost like grade schoolers in how you are so conscious of each other now.” “Yeah, right! What are you talking about?!” “I am so not!”

Somehow, we both picked the most childish ways to respond to her. It was likely just him panicking, but the way how Kiryū said it was exactly how a grade schooler would.

Elizabeth mockingly scoffed back, “Heh. It’s obvious, seeing how flustered you two are. So, something did indeed happen at the firing range, then? I’m not about to judge. However, with how confused you two are, you have also lost your teamwork and communication. Now, hurry up and tell you love each other and embrace already so that we can proceed with the ending with clear heads.”

She extended her hands out towards us, as if she were waiting on something to happen.

“Think about us for a moment, Elizabeth! Surely, it’s obvious that you’re asking for something totally unreasonable!” “I am?” “Yes, you are! I haven’t met Kiryū in person before, you know? There’s no way I could even consider anything romantic between us! My feelings towards Kiryū are purely and genuinely one of respect!” “Right, sure. So she said, Kiryū.”

She takes an upwards glance at him as she spoke. Kiryū simply nodded and brushed off her comments as to end this embarrassing topic for good.

Elizabeth, why did you have to go and bring that up…?

I sighed in defeat as I looked up at Kiryū, who looked just as fed up with the situation as I was. I’m sure we were both thinking the same thing as we couldn’t help but chuckle at our predicament.

“… See how in sync you two are?”

In a complete reversal, she had turned to a sage; her expression was calm and gentle and her laughter dry, but different from the teasing tone that marked her previously. … A thought randomly popped into my mind: Oh, that’s right. She’s got her teaching license, doesn’t she? Perhaps she’s taught boys and girls in her class that acted the same way. Interrupting my thoughts, Elizabeth continued,

“It’s good and well that you two are in sync but remember that our teamwork crumbles if you two are being awkward and refuse to look each other in the eyes. Cooperation is just as important in slaying zombies as it is in folk dance in PE class. Nothing will work to your favor if you are embarrassed. Don’t forget that our lives are on the line too.” “You’re… absolutely right.”

I nodded after listening to Elizabeth. She smiled back as if to say, Just as long as you understand. I have the feeling that she had messed with us only to snap us out of our emotions. She has my gratitude for that, but yet… having how bothered I had been pointed out made me feel a little sheepish.

“… I know perfectly how to get to the truck ending, so don’t worry about memorizing this.”

I punctuated my explanation with a sigh,

“But to give everyone the gist of it, our plan is to take a bit of a detour to slip past the traps ahead of us as we force our way to the enemies and bosses. After the detour, we’ll barrel down the missile-torn roads in our truck towards ‘You’… That’s the plan, at least. Should be a piece of cake.” “A piece of cake? There were exactly zero parts in your plan that sounded easy.”

Elizabeth squeezed her temples as if she had a terrible headache. Raising my head upwards, I looked into her eyes, reassuring her that we’ll be fine, and she smiled.

“Don’t worry. Let me take care of massacring the zombies. Sure, it may be a little rough ahead, but we’ve got so many toys in our arsenal, so let’s have some fun enjoying this game too. Let’s just step on the gas and see if we can’t power through it.” “I trust you, Sera.”

The man of few words picked up his crowbar.

“The path is as you marked out, right? There ain’t much time. Let’s get a move on.”

He wasn’t kidding about hurrying; he sped off, leaving Elizabeth and me to frantically catch up. Elizabeth saw the blush on my cheeks and empathetically patted my on the shoulder with a gentle smile.

“… You have fallen for Kiryū, haven’t you? Perhaps you are surprised at how sudden these feelings came?” “I-I’m telling you, I haven’t! Really!”

I desperately shook my head from side to side, but… unfortunately, I can’t seem to shake Kiryū off my mind. Still, she's mistaken. These aren’t romantic feelings… I don't think so, at least. It was easy to brush off her earlier comments as a joke, but the longer I contemplate about this, the more embarrassed I get. I hadn’t given much thought about the Kiryū in real life up until now. I mean, I understand there’s a person in there, but I was charmed by the handsome Kiryū Sōichirō. And because of that, I’d been treating him like an actual in-game NPC. I was even being smug and cavalier to him.

I don’t think I would act like that anymore. I don’t think I could. I can’t even look him properly in the eyes.

“Is that right? Well, in that case, I should best stop teasing you about it. My apologies for being insensitive. But what really happened between you two?” “Umm… He was doxed? I doxed him?” “What? How did something like that happen?” “I guess I could say… I knew someone who spoke like him?” “And you knew who he really is from just that?” “Yes? But ma-maybe not? Huh. How the heck did I figure who he is from just how he spoke? That’s weird. That’s really weird…” “… Who the hell cares?!”

Kiryū interjected, severing our conversation. It seemed like he didn’t know where he was going and had to backtrack to us for guidance.

“Let’s hurry up and finish the damn game! That’s all that we should be focusing on right now!”

He was unnaturally worked up and visibly flustered. I can understand why. I mean, his face was all over the internet… But what if he never gets over it? Poor guy. Men sure have it rough in their thirties.

And so, we set off for the truck ending in this amusing yet awkward mood surrounding us. … Or at least until we get into combat again, where Kiryū and I returned to our normal selves. Hurrah, zombie games. Praise be unto zombie games. All hail mighty zombie games.

“—Muahaha! See you bastards in hell!”

As we progressed on the canonical route, the windows on the fifth floor of a mixed-use building smashed open, freeing a bunch of NPC’s. The moment they hit the ground, they became emotionless weapons of war, attacking all the zombies around them, and throwing them into disarray. The NPC’s jump down one by one as I laugh manically, putting off Elizabeth.

“… You know, I had expected an expert on zombie games to be… cooler than this…” “You can’t beat them if you worry too much about looking cool, Liz.” “Have you considered whether I preferred to be called ‘Elizabeth’?” “But your name is just so long. Anyway, zombie survival games are complex, you know? Sometimes, you’ve gotta do crazy things to win.”

The new soldiers rushed the infected, handily defeating them. Since they’re a low-level mob, so I’m not worried about killing too many of them. They don’t give too much experience anyway. As soon as I said it out loud, though, Kiryū wielded his crowbar and went wild at the zombies.

“Ooh, impressive. You’re really swinging for the fences.”

Before I knew it, I was already awed by Kiryū. It wasn’t just me though. Elizabeth was equally impressed.

“Kiryū is quite well-versed too, I see… Zombie games are simpler than I had thought.” “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Liz. This happens all too often. They watch a god gamer play and think they can do it themselves too. But once they try it for themselves, they get their butts handed to them. Still, for someone claiming he’s never played this kind of game before… Kiryū really is seriously good.” “Mm.” “Ah, we’ll get bombed if we head straight here, so let’s climb over the rubble to our right.”

As I was trotting to the hurdle, I looked behind my shoulder to find Kiryū hacking away at the zombies as if he were possessed.

“—There it is! That’s the truck!”

After climbing the rubble hill, we reached a plaza where the deuce and a half was abandoned. There’s no mistaking the flat dark earth behemoth as anything but a military vehicle. As the name suggests, it was designed to haul 5,000 lb of cargo.

“Let’s ride this bad boy all the way to the end.” “… Don’t you need the key for it?”

Kiryū, late to the party, ran his fingers along the truck and wondered about how to start it. He was dripping with sweat, likely from his killing frenzy.

“Of course, we need the key. That’s why it’s in your pocket,” I say as I plucked it out of his pocket.

“… Oh, that key, the one we weren’t supposed to get until the second week. That means the truck ending shouldn’t be open until then, too.” “That’s right. This isn’t a canonical ending, but rather an Easter egg, much like the so-called UFO ending.”

I stepped onto the running board, heaved myself into the driver’s seat, and stuck the key into the ignition.

“Oh, my. An ending in which the protagonist gets abducted by aliens? How amusing. I wonder if I can find a video online once I return home.”

As she says that, sparks rained down from the sky, igniting the buildings in our vicinity.

“S-Sparks are falling down on us all of a sudden!” “This cutscene plays once the key is in the ignition. It’s proof that my plan is working, so don’t worry.” “A-Also, another copy of Nick just appeared, and he’s terribly hurt!” “And he’s so much more handsome. Yep, that’s the Nick from the cutscene.”

I jumped off the driver’s seat to inspect this New Nick. Covered with cuts and soot, New Nick scanned his surroundings and suddenly started shouting in English.

＊＊＊ＥＮＧＬＩＳＨ＊＊＊ “N-Nick began speaking in English!” “Don’t worry, Elizabeth. He’s shouting something like, ‘Like hell I’m going to stay in this shithole.’” ＊＊＊ＥＮＧＬＩＳＨ＊＊＊ “And a middle-aged man just appeared, screaming something in English too!” “Like I said, it’s all good. He’s an NPC that only appears in this cutscene. And this guy is yelling, ‘I feel you, man. Ain't like we’re gon’ find survivors no more, so let’s skedaddle on out of this nightmare of a town,’ or something to that effect.”

I explained to Elizabeth beside me, as she curiously and attentively watched the two white men speak.

“… Hey, Sera? Why do they speak so monotonously? It’s completely different than in Glee…” “Oh, did you watch Glee as well?” “Back when I was still in university, I thought it would help with my English. It didn’t take long before I was hooked.” “Wow, how diligent of you. Umm, well, this sort of thing happened a lot when Japanese video games got localized. Even though they hired proper voice talents, for some reason, they still read their lines off a script. The acting was just awful in Resident Evil and those speedy blue hedgehog games…”

Nick clapped his hands, interrupting our chit chat.

“Ah, that’s Nick saying, ‘Let’s hurry on out of here.’ Alright, Kiryū, Elizabeth. Let’s hop in too. Of course, New Nick and the random NPC are planning to leave town, so we’ll have jack the truck before that happens. That way, we’ll be able to reach ‘You’ and the ending area. After that, then we can escape…”

Before I could finish, the world fell into darkness, accompanied by an odd screeching noise.

■ ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊　　ＥＮＧＬＩＳＨ　　＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

A reference to the cult classic Kowloon’s Gate, an adventure game from more than two decades ago. It’s not the author forgetting to fill in the English dialogue! In the original game, ＊＊＊ベトナム語＊＊＊(Vietnamese) would be displayed when a certain Vietnamese character speaks. (Yes, the voice acting was in perfect Vietnamese too.) It’s theorized that this was either simply a joke or that the developers didn’t have the resources to add a typeface with Vietnamese script support. How’s this for an obscure reference?

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /ch015/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 14 — Vows of Love and Banging Against the Wall (No, Not Like That)

“Three hours left until game over, eh?”

Kiryū looked as if he were lost in thought. Difficult thoughts.

“Since you’re so familiar with this game, Sera, lay it out for us. What’s our best plan of action? After all we’ve been through to train our army and to gather munitions, it’d be a waste to simply ditch them here. But if evacuating to the dating sim world is the better choice, then so be it.” “Hmm, what should we do…?”

I too had to collect my thoughts. Now that we had all cooled off, it made it a little easier to think.

“… It would be simple enough to go to the dating sim world. However, we would leave DMC3 in its ‘bad ending’, meaning that we might possibly never be able to return here.” “Perhaps. But since the game would be finished… the game might start from the beginning again.” “Yes, of course that’s possible as well.”

Elizabeth had a point. The game may very well restart.

“Once thing is for sure though. Now is our only chance if we want to save this world. The town may be destroyed by thermobaric missiles next time we come back. Not to mention that the player ‘You’ who triggered the ending might not want to simply give it all up either.”

Saying that, I then turned to the two of them with all seriousness.

“And so, let me suggest an idea. Let’s rewrite the ending.” “Whaddya mean?”

I nodded at Kiryū, acknowledging his curiosity.

“Before the thermobaric bombs drop on Confi City, we will go trigger the ‘truck ending’ conditions. If we manage to pull that off, then we can avoid the ‘thermobaric missile–strike bad ending’.” “… And on the chance that we don’t manage to?”

Elizabeth spoke with such nervousness, I could almost see her quivering as I replied.

“… In the case that we can’t find ‘You’ within three hours, then we would probably have no choice but to abandon them. If we can’t get the truck ending to start, then we’ll immediately jump to the dating sim world.” “Hmm… Well, it’s worth givin’ it a shot.”

Kiryū was willing. That leaves just one.

“If we don’t, it might come to bite us in our asses when we get back home. We’ll have to live with those demons, y’know?” “… Heh, I suppose so. Okay, then.”

She responded with a slight chuckle, but still evidently nervous.

“Yes, you are correct. It is obviously wrong to not save a life when we have the ability to do so. … The opposite was true for my last time. It was as if killing each other was the obvious answer. I didn’t want to die, so I believed that abandoning others was the correct choice. But that isn’t right, is it? … Truthfully, I’m extremely grateful that it was you two whom I met in this world.” “And here I thought your apprehension was towards us.”

I had hoped that cracking jokes would ease her if just a little.

“We’ll be alright, Elizabeth. It’s not like what we’re trying to do is really that difficult. All we have to do is run over a couple of zombies with a truck on our way out. If we really do find it an impossibility, then… yes, unfortunately, we may have to give up on saving ‘You’. But in that case, the next world we’ll hop to is a visual novel dating sim for girls. Sure, we don’t know which exact game it is yet, but think about it. We’ll have so much Kiryū-level eye candy to feast on!”

Elizabeth held back another quiet laugh as Kiryū gently rapped the back of my head with his knuckles.

We then spent about thirty minutes to talk over our truck ending action plan and equip our hellish army. Elizabeth didn't have the stamina to even be in a shouting match, let alone a full-on brawl with zombies, and so we delegated her to hold down the fort. With the troops standing guard outside, we figured she should be safe in the safehouse. That left Kiryū and me with a handful of soldiers. Our plan was to head to the end of Uptown, gang up on the gun shop owner miniboss, and then steal his grenade launcher. That’s where we were at now: duping the nade launcher at the gun range.

“Ah, jeez, I could really go for a drink right about now.” “I thought you’d be pukin’ already seein’ how much you just guzzled down.”

Kiryū poked fun at me, but I shook my head no.

“That stuff doesn’t hit the spot. It tastes exactly like booze, but you can’t get drunk off it at all.”

A disappointed sigh crept out from my lips.

“I wish I had some of the real stuff. That way, I can drink to forget all about this scary stuff and hurry home to snuggle in bed.” “… Are you scared?”

I couldn’t help but feel a little irked by his question as he handed me more launchers.

“Of course I am. How could I not be? You know we’re making a huge gamble for this city that’s potentially going to be wiped off the face of the earth in just a few hours, right? Of course I would rather just say ‘screw it’ and curl up in a blanket.” … But there’s no way I could possibly do that.”

I heaved the launchers into the buggy and then a deep, heavy sigh. I don’t know what he was thinking at the moment, but Kiryū looked straight at me before speaking.

“… You really are strong.” “As if. I’m not in the slightest.”

I brushed him off with another shake of the head.

“… If I seem in anyway strong, that’s a misunderstanding on your part, Kiryū. I’m wracked with anxiety over what if I made the wrong choice for us. Because the truth is I’m not strong at all, but that’s why I’m trying my damnedest to put on a brave face.” “Even if it’s just you putting on a brave face, I can’t count how many times you’ve saved me in this world.”

My thoughts froze as my eyes bulged wide. Still, I had to keep my hands moving. I began tying the extra launchers onto the soldiers with makeshift ropes. But as I finished, Kiryū faced me directly.

“… I saved you, huh? You sure like to exaggerate.” “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I haven’t. We’ve been in a hopeless situation ever since the beginning. But I’ve managed this far without losing my marbles was all because I had you with me.” “… It’s not like you’re okay just because you’ve met me. You’re always so calm and calculated in your every move.” “Think back to when I questioned Elizabeth. Do you still think so?” “Well… I mean…”

I looked down at the ground before I knew it. I mean, he’s right. He did lose his cool that time. Kiryū scratched the back of his head as he continued, as if he were felt awkward or embarrassment.

“… Like I said before, there’s no one who understands this all as well as you do, someone who’s a total zombie game nerd. Maybe you’ll be right. Maybe you’ll be wrong. But whatever it may be, you’ll have our unconditional support in whatever you choose to do. And being here in this strange, weird world, I don’t blame you one bit for thinking it’s scary. But there’s nothing to be too afraid of either… we’ll be alright. We’re in this together.”

He finished speaking by gently placing his hand on top of my head. It was obvious that Kiryū didn’t mean to hit on me, but rather simply wanted to give me a pep talk.

I remember thinking the same when we first met: Kiryū’s hand sure is warm…

I blinked as I felt the warmth of his palm. Whether it was intentional or not, it brought me composure, allowing me to think. … To think about how Kiryū speaks. How he can’t help but point out all technical inaccuracies. How he’s just a little too serious and a tiny bit tactless. I had the same thought before I fainted, but I’m absolutely certain I’ve met Kiryū before. No. I’ve heard his voice before. I thought about it at length and came up with only one possible explanation.

“… Umm, Kiryū?” “What’s up?” “I… I just had a sudden thought.” “Mhm?” “Kiryū, you mentioned you were a game dev, right? In Shinjuku?” “… Yeah, that’s right.”

His affirmation had a tinge of curiosity. Curious as to why I brought it up now. I looked into his eyes.

“There’s something about the way you speak that gives me a nagging feeling that I’ve heard your voice somewhere before. And, we were just talking about it earlier, but I said my friends and I like to hang out and play dating sims together.” “Yeah.” “Of course, that includes Rainbow Dreams as well.” “…” “It somehow came across my mind just now. My friend who’s a big fan of Kiryū Sōichirō had once showed me this video. I remember her getting super excited about how this game dev who was rumored to be Kiryū’s model posted that video. About a year or two ago, a video about a dating sim developer playing the party game Werewolf came out, right?”

His mouth may be closed, but Kiryū’s eyes were locked open. It seemed like I had hit the nail on the head. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered for confirmation.

“Hey, Kiryū. Perhaps your real name is…” followed by the name of the game dev’s in that video.

“… That’s me.”

He muttered and slumped his shoulders in disappointment or so I thought… but his bright red cheeks and banging the wall suggested he was more so mortified than anything. The walls of the shooting range were shaking by now, yet he kept punching with all his might. It made me wonder if he could tear down the building by himself. I suppose it was extremely shameful for his name to be doxed. Looking at bashful Kiryū somehow made me embarrassed too. I chuckled out loud before I could catch myself.

“Ahaha… I had a hunch, but I didn’t think you’d admit to it either. Oh, wow, Kiryū, so you’re the one who made Rainbow Dreams, hey? How about those rumors about you being the model for Kiryū? Is that true too?” “N-No way! I have nothing to do with that game! I was simply hired to do the programming for it, so I have nothing at all to do with the writing or art! The character designers or producers used my likeness without my permission is all!” “You are involved in the game then? That’s so impressive and amazing. It’s the first time I’ve met someone who was part of the team that made one of my favorite games!” “Gah…!”

Kiryū flinched as he saw my beaming face. Seemingly, he didn’t expect me to be so wowed by it all.

“… It’s a visual novel dating simulator catered to a female audience, y’know?” “I’m familiar.” “But it was made by a dude.” “And that’s super cool!” “Y-You think that’s… cool?”

Kiryū scrunched up his face, bewildered by the fact that anyone would think it was a positive thing.

“I think it’s honest work… But you don’t seem to like it very much, do you?” “… I didn’t have much of a choice; it was the only work I could get.”

I blankly blinked at his response as he avoided eye contact with me.

“No choice? Oh, that’s right. You seemed to know quite a bit about VR games, FOV, haptic feedback, and stuff like that. Was that what you really wanted to do instead?” “Oh, that… I’ve just been reading a lot into it lately is all. Not that I’m an expert in it or anything. I’ve made a little test project before, but I haven’t made any published any games like that before. … Making your own game with your own abilities then putting your name out there in the world… It’s a really daunting thing, y’know?” “Wow… But you’re still making Rainbow Dreams. I still think it’s amazing how you’re a part of this game that’s beloved by so many people. … Oh, Kiryū! When we get back, do you think I could get your autograph? I wanna brag about you to my friends!” “Whaaaaaat?!”

This time, he was flabbergasted but also looked as if he hated the very concept of what I had just said. I panicked and tried to take back my words.

“I’m so sorry! You don’t have to. It’s just that… I thought it’d be something nice to look forward to when we make it safely back home. But now that I think about it, you’re embarrassed by this all, right? Sorry for asking for such a weird favor. Let’s just forge—” “No, that’s alright. I’ll do it.” “Huh?” “… I’m nobody famous or nothin’, so it’s not like my signature is particularly exciting or what have you. But if it makes you happy, I’ll sign as many things as you want. So, let’s all get out of this together alive. That’s a promise, Sera.” “… I promise!”

I didn’t think I would’ve been so overcome with emotion, but I found myself jumping into Kiryū’s arms. After a brief moment of shock, he dryly laughed aloud as he patted me on my back. … And though we were surrounded by the unstoppable hellish army lugging around giant grenade launchers, we paid them no mind at all.

—We’re definitely making it out of here alive.

Whatever paralyzing fear I felt in my very core had disappeared in an instant.

■Werewolf Also known as Mafia, Werewolf enjoyed a brief fad where game developers and gamers would gather in person and stream themselves playing together. Kiryū is presumed to have most likely been roped into playing. As it was an utmost humiliating memory for him, Kiryū seemed to have tried everything in his powers to scrub the video off the internet but to no effect.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

2 notes · View notes

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Dimension Wave Chapter 34 — Limited Dimension Wave

“What’s with all the ruckus at this hour?”

Alto sleepily rubbed his eyes. Beside him stood Yamikage and Tsugumi, both of whom were asleep minutes ago as well. Yamikage had adjusted to living on the seas and has been sleeping properly too. Tsugumi was still half-asleep.

“The ship is being pulled along by something.” “Surely ‘tis but a wave.” “If it’s just a wave, then I don’t know why my Helmsmanship skill isn’t working at all.”

I was able to keep the ship from capsizing when the storm hit us, but I don’t know why it’s not doing anything now. Was it because I caught the Humongous Squid? That shouldn’t have anything to do with it. But if it is, then my fishing must’ve affected something. I mean, that doesn’t really make sense though. We should’ve only been jostled around a little by the drag of the squid. Maybe we simply triggered a flag for the Sea of No Return… but that would be awfully optimistic thinking.

“Be on gua—What?”

I turned around to see who tapped my shoulder. But there wasn’t anyone there. I mean, obviously not. Everybody on board is standing in front of me. To my right are Yamikage and Tsugumi. To my left are Alto and Sheryl. Ahead of me is Shouko. Who would be there to tap me on my shoulder?

“Kizuna, what if there were ghosts on the sea?” “Well, I’d expect you to be a little more scared…”

The lady standing right in front of me seemed as if she could see more than we could. I’m not scared enough to be shrieking out loud, but Shouko looked extremely serious considering the possibility of ghosts and stuff… Well, I know Dimension Wave is only a game, but I wish she would at least pretend to be scared. But someone else was.

“… phantom ships.” “S-S-Su-Surely you jest, miladies!” “Well, I s’pose ghost ships and pirate ships are nautical staples.”

Neither Sheryl nor Alto seemed surprised. It’s true that MMORPG’s usually have them as dungeons or events. Hell, it’d be more surprising if they didn’t show up on a nautical RPG. And why are you pissing your pants already, Yamikage?

“Yeah, you’re right… That would explain why the mist and the sudden chilliness too.”

Visibility had rapidly worsened. The fog, eerie and disturbing, was extremely well done on the developers’ part. Drowsy before, but Yamikage was now trembling. Was she that terrified?

“Hey, Yamikage. It’s a little clichéd, but would you let me scare you with a ‘boo!’?” “How! You would be such a knave!” “Figured you’d get mad.”

I don’t think my joke went over very well, but I also don’t think it made much of a difference that I warned her first.

“Thy mere suggestion has wrought me with fury!” “Fine… then how ‘bout you, Alto?” “No way, José! I’ve got the heebie-jeebies already!” “Heh, I never said I was actually gonna do it, but your guys’ reactions was amazing.”

It might’ve been more fun to push them, but the other three…

“Do tell why you are looking at me like that.” “… try me.” “You’re so oopy spoopy, big bro!”

Yikes. I don’t know what I expected out of my sister, but I really don’t want her to act all cutesy with me like that again.

“But in all seriousness, a ghost ship, huh? Sounds like it’ll be tough.” “Even during the day~!”

Well, the whole party’s leveled up a bit and even I’m at about half the Energy I used to have. I’ve also been using Transmutation to get some Energy out of the squid I fish up, but since the skill is only at rank I, it takes quite a bit of time to cast. Plus, since I get about 5-15 Energy per squid, that’s only about 700 Energy per hour. I’ll probably have to keep using the skill to level it up to II, but it’s yet to pop up even though I’ve been at it for a while now.

“I-I-Is that the ship, perchance?! Oh, but I am so frightened!” “What’s truly frightening is that you still haven’t acquired Night Vision.”

She probably sleeps through the night, but I’ve had it unlocked for so long already. More importantly, though, I looked over to the direction she was pointing. It was glowing in a ghostly white light, emitting a full body sense of dread. The realism of it all truly spoke to the beauty of VR.

The ghost ship was absolutely colossal. Our sailboat was only about 20 meters in length, but we were completely eclipsed in comparison. Sheryl explained that leisure watercraft over 25 feet (approximately 7.6 meters) are designated as cabin cruisers. But this was more like a yacht. It had the space for multiple living quarters and other facilities on board. It was probably, what, ten times bigger us and it had suddenly appeared in front of us. The sails were in tatters and its planks crumbling. If it weren’t for the mysterious white light that it’s emitting, you’d think this ghost ship is just some floating rotten junk. If this were a horror movie, there would be a theremin playing in the score right now.

“Yamikage.” “Gah!” “I… I just wanted to speak to you. No need to be shrieking or anything…”

And just for kicks, I turned to look at Alto and then gazed past his shoulders. He seemed out of it. Whatever it may be, their reactions are top notch. You’ve just gotta have at least one person in your squad like these two!

“I think I respect you a little less now, Kizuna.” “Whaaat? Just because there’s a ghost ship?” “But the look on your face!”

Haha! Oh, this guy. But I suppose there are more important matters at hand. Like the ghost ship.

“Like I was saying, let’s be on guard and prepare for combat. Something like this has gotta have enemies on board.” “Understood.” “‘kay.” “Mm-hmm!”

The three of them replied with confidence if not enthusiasm. The other two? Cowards. Especially that Yamikage. Get a grip! At least Alto’s got an excuse. He’s been busy trading up till now, so he might be a little underleveled. Yamikage, though, has the strongest stats out of all of us. With her Drain, her numbers are better than even Shouko. But, I mean, if she’s simply afraid of ghosts and spirits, then there’s nothing you can really do about it.

“If you two are that bad with ghosts and stuff, you wanna stay behind?” “… Stay behind? Here?” “Yeah.” “I shall follow you till the ends of the Earth!” “I mean, it’s probably safer if you stay here and wait for us.” “Hell to the no! It’s a billion times scarier to be here alone!” “I guess? I grew up watching a lot of this stuff, so I guess I’m used to it.”

My sisters and I used to always rent horror flicks and watch them together. There’s even new VR horrors where you watch in first-person. I’m not crazy about the genre as a whole though. But enough contemplating. Let’s charge on board.

Vrrt!

There was a crackling noise. It was a noise I’ve heard merely two weeks ago. It’s here… With a bright flash of light, time and space warped—

—Limited Dimension Wave.

Kizuna†Exceed (Captain)

Hakoniwa Shouko (Vice Captain)

Yamikage

Sheryl

Tsugumi†Exceed

Altorese

A menu popped up with a list of our names. Once past the blinding light, it looked like the dungeon was located below deck. There was no information on the minimap except for each of our locations. Everything else was pitch black. It’s probably one of those hidden dungeons that pop up in games all the time.

“Limited Dimension Wave?”

I muttered aloud to myself, but everyone else was similarly confused by what it meant. Shouko had already readied her weapon. It’s like she’s some sort of disciplined soldier, ready to engage in combat at the drop of the hat. Sheryl was simply looking around with her usual blank expression. Tsugumi had her battle scythe wielded in both hands. Her lower body trembled while her animal ears twitched agitatedly. Alto seemed out of it, just as before. And then there’s…

“Eeeeeeeeek! No, it’s too scary! Help meee!”

There was about one person who was almost repulsively afraid. But wait. Where did that verbal tic of her go? She’s actually that terrified? I mean, she was scared before, but… I don’t know, I feel bad for putting her through this now.

“Yamikage, it’s alright!” “… Kiz!” “… Who?” “… Miss Kizuna.”

I have so much to say about her correcting herself, but I can save that for later. I’m not about to ask her what she thinks about me though. But Yamikage. Just what is she? I’m sure if I got to know her, I’d understand her more and guess to how she is as a person. Not her character, but rather the actual player behind the ninja. I mean, of course, it’d be rude for me to pry. In online games like this, you never know who’s comfortable sharing what with whom. This is all just theory, but in my mind, Shouko is from old money, Sheryl… I’m not so sure about, Tsugumi is obvious, and Alto is probably… a little older. You know what they say about books and covers though.

“Chill, Yamikage. We’re in a game. Even if there were ghosts, it’s all just a game.” “… I understand, milady.”

From below her, I looked up straight into her eyes… And seemingly calmer now, she nodded in agreement. Alright, with her out of the way, I had to get a handle on the situation. I just had to pay no mind to Dark Shadow holding on to my sleeve.

“So, what’s does ‘limited’ mean?” “… With restrictions.” “I mean, if we look at it literally, then I suppose it’s a restricted Dimension Wave?” “I believe it to mean that it is limited to the current party listed in the information screen.” “Ooh, that makes sense…”

This was something I’ve seen more than once in MMO’s. It’s not dissimilar to instance dungeons and party quests. Tsugumi had played one that was all about co-op with your party members. It’s a total cliché, but I’ll bet that we’ll have to clear this dungeon and then defeat a boss. We’ll get quest rewards and boss drops at the end too. And we’re probably limited to doing this once a day or once a week or something. I get it now. That’s probably why it’s limited.

“Alrighty. No point to standing around like this. Shall we?”

contents: /prologue/ /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /ch015/ /ch016/ /ch017/ /ch018/ /ch019/ /ch020/ /ch021/ /ch022/ /ch023/ /ch024/ /ch025/ /ch026/ /ch027/ /ch028/ /ch029/ /ch030/ /ch031/ /ch032/ /ch033/ /ch034/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

2 notes · View notes

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 13 — Time’s Up, Game Over

An ominous combination of a whine and a roar boomed in the distance, sending shockwaves throughout the walls of the building.

“Wh-What, what is happening out there…?”

Elizabeth nervously glanced around. This underground safehouse should hold steadfast against the most terrible of attacks… but what was happening was undeniably terrifying. Moments later, the skies boomed again in the same fashion. She scrunched up terrified, so I went over to stroke her back. And while soothing her, I perked up my ears.

… An airstrike?

The city sounded like and shook as if it was being incessantly bombed.

There shouldn’t be any air raids like this in game… No, it can’t be!

My eyes widened as a frightening possibility came across me.

“… Whoa, hey! Sera! Where are you going?!”

I had no time to spare to respond to Kiryū. Instead, I rushed over to the red steel door and pulled the lever downwards with all my might. The door opened with a dull groan, revealing the metallic staircase that connected the bunker to the ground level. Loud clanks accompanied my mad dash up the steps. Upon reaching the top, I was not greeted by the usual horde of zombies, but by the lack of. The rest of the soldiers in our hellish army that were now idling seemed to have been serving violence to the living dead, leaving none to swarm me as I exited the entranceway.

As soon as I peeked above ground, I was filled completely with dread and my body was paralyzed:

—I was overwhelmed by the distinct blast of afterburners.

“… Jet fighters!”

Kiryū, who had given chase, cried out behind me. Splitting the skies were numerous fighters in the midst of showering Confi City with air-to-surface missiles. Black smoke engulfed all directions.

“It’s too dangerous out here!”

Leaving little doubt as to whether that was suggestion, Kiryū grabbed the scruff of my neck and dragged me back into the safehouse.

“… As far as I can tell, the worst-case scenario is happening,”

I looked him dead in the eyes and firmly spoke,

“I hadn’t expected this, but someone… someone other than the three of us triggered the start of the game’s ending.”

His gaze narrowed.

“I see. That’s a possibility I hadn’t even considered…”

After Kiryū clicked his tongue, Elizabeth, who lacked a complete understanding of the situation, asked for clarification.

“Erm, correct me if I’m wrong, but… doesn’t that mean some other player reached the ending for us? I would think that to be beneficial, is it not? It would save us the trouble from having to wonder what would happen after the game ends.” “Unfortunately, Elizabeth, there is a huge problem. Judging by the way Confi City is being bombed… the only thing that comes to mind is that this is the bad ending. Everybody dies.” “Wha—?! Actually?!” “… Don’t tell me that’s the ending with nukes dropping.”

Kiryū roughed up his scalp in irritation.

“I could tell you that you’re wrong, but I would be lying. Strictly speaking, they’re not exactly nuclear bombs either, but still…”

Whatever solace that fact might have brought, it did not show on my face.

“If everything goes according to the game, then this is step one of the government’s ‘Sterilization Operation’.” “Sterilization… That’s quite the name.” “I know. There’s many options for sterilization, such as autoclaving, direct flame, dry heat, ethylene oxide gas, and gamma irradiation. It’ll definitely be direct flame this time… I think.

In any case, if things go as I expect them to, the bombing runs should continue for a bit more. The end comes ‘three hours later’… Confi City will be wiped from the Earth by thermobaric missiles. That’s the ending where the protagonist fails to get help, and not a single soul remains.” “Talk about worst-case scenario…”

He responded with a sigh, but Elizabeth seemed to be taking it far worse. She was pale as a ghost and looked as if she would almost pass out. I don’t blame her; I think I would prefer to pass out too. No matter how you looked at our situation, we were in peril.

“Not just DMC, but other survival horror games also seem to give you a mere week to beat the game and it’s almost never enough time to get the good ending. I really should have anticipated this to happen. It would’ve been nice if we got the chance to take our sweet time…” “What other endings are there?”

Kiryū quizzically asked.

“I used to think that the best one is the ‘truck ending’, where the player and the other survivors nab a deuce and a half and leave Confi City behind as a lost cause.” “Hmm.” “You never really discover the truth behind the story, so it’s not technically a good ending. On the flip side though, because it results in the least casualties, I’d say it’s more positive than not. Well, at the very least, it’s a better ending than getting blanketed by thermobaric missiles…”

The mood in the room felt heavy and tense.

“… Umm, may I make a suggestion?”

Seemingly having recovered from the shock, Elizabeth hesitantly raises her hand up.

“We should leave this game at once and travel to another, so we can get back on our feet. What do you two think?” “Right. You’ve mentioned that Sera’s phone can do that. Might not be a bad idea.”

Approving of her proposal, Kiryū reached into his pocket and handed me my phone. Again, I have no pockets in my clothes, so he was holding onto it.

“Sera, turn on your phone and launch the app for me.” “… Is it really alright? The app’s not cursed or anything, right?” “It’s fine. Last time it was on a laptop… but it should work the same though.”

I powered on my phone and launched the untitled app as per her instruction.

“You should see an option to switch games in the app.”

Elizabeth peeked over my shoulder as she tapped and swiped my phone with her slender, graceful fingers. Upon opening Untitled, the screen displayed a list of all characters and the games they’re currently in. Now Kiryū too had his curiosity piqued, hovering beside me and looking at my phone.

“… Interesting.

Sera Harvey (Core)...... Dead Man’s Conflict 3 Kiryū Sōichirō...... Dead Man’s Conflict 3 Elizabeth von Oldenburg...... Dead Man’s Conflict 3

… That’s how they do it? Anyway, if you tap on the name of the game, a dropdown list should appear… and from there, you can choose other games. Click ‘OK’ and they’ll be transported over, it seems like. Though whoever made this app probably doesn’t really know much about computers. Shit’s real sloppy.

And aside from us… there’s only one other person here in DMC3. It’s probably them who triggered the bad ending.”

Kiryū pointed at the part of the screen that said: YOU.

“Whose character is this YOU referring to? Is that you, Kiryū? Is this me?” “YOU might even be an unnamed player character in their original game. Who knows?”

There seem to be ten other people who were summoned from the real world. All of them are under their respective character’s name though.

“Seems like none of our real names are shown and instead, we’re all under the name of whichever character’s appearance we’ve taken.” “The same previously too.”

While we were talking, I tried tapping on YOU’s current game. Except, unlike how a dropdown list appeared for Kiryū, it wasn’t allowing me to choose other titles.

“… Hmm? YOU’s current game is grayed out here and I can’t select it, even though it’s working for other characters.” “Perhaps they did they not survive the bad ending?”

Kiryū’s face darkened. A drop of cold sweat rolled down my back.

“Hey, Kiryū… do you think it’s possible that, umm, YOU is actually already dead? Though it wouldn’t really make sense story-wise…” “… Nah, they should still be alive. I think. Before I met you, I watched some guy get eaten in front of me and his name isn’t even on the list. I think they made it so that dead characters don’t show up.” “I see… In that case, we need to hurry and save them…”

I couldn’t help but feel a foreboding feeling about what was to happen. Can we really save them? In this weird, unpredictable world? … I can’t say so for sure. Maybe we should hurry up and jump into a dating sim instead.

“By the way, Sera, I am wondering if you recognized all these games.”

Elizabeth spoke as she pointed to the dropdown.

“Let’s see… Yes, I do. They’re all my favorite games that I have played to death.” “I had a feeling. The girl who was the core last time said the same…”

As I scanned through the list of games, a fleeting moment of pain was on Elizabeth’s face. … But her expression quickly changed to one of disgust.

“Wait, what is the deal with you? And you have played all of these to death, you said?” “I’m a junkie.” “… Not to mention that they are all zombie survival horrors too… It is almost miraculous that so many of us humans are still alive. The only decent world we could go to is this… dating simulation game.” “I get very excited when I kill walking rotting corpses.”

I shrugged with a sigh.

“… It doesn’t seem like Rainbow Dreams, the game Kiryū Sōichirō is from, is showing up… even though I spent so much of my time on that game.” “That is one of them so-called social network games, isn’t it? I have never seen any of those game worlds show up before. It does not matter whether it is a PC or console game, but it has to be a ‘proper game’.” “Hmmmm, I wonder why.”

Kiryū interjected with a scoff.

“Rainbow Dreams was designed so that most of the code would be located server-side instead of client-side. Assuming we’ve got a monster out there who is reverse engineering all these game worlds, there’s no way they’d easily recreate Rainbow Dreams.” “…” “…” “What?” “Oh, nothing… It’s just that you kinda seem so familiar with Rainbow Dreams, Kiryū.” “You’re wrong. I’m not. I have nothing to do with that game.” “…” “Stop looking at me like that.”

I could go on forever digging at Kiryū, so instead, I switched my attention to Elizabeth.

“We’re in a bit of a pickle, aren’t we? There’s only the one game world that would be safe… the dating sim.” “Is there a problem with that?”

Elizabeth seemed confused.

“There’s a huge problem with that! I only play these games when I hang out with my friends while laughing at everything in it. I mean, sure, I’ve blogged about it a little, but I don’t really remember the details, you know? I don’t know if I could beat it in one go.” “What…? What did you just say…?”

Exasperation and aghast were choice adjectives to describe her right now.

“Dating sims… and making a ruckus with your friends…?” “You don’t do that?” “I absolutely do not. And if you do, you are just a normie who doesn’t take dating simulations seriously enough. Listen carefully, Sera. When you play dating simulations for women, you must have no one who can so much interrupt or influence you. You need an empty, quiet place to play from your heart…”

Elizabeth spoke like that traveling salesman from that one manga series who just loves his meals. I can’t speak for the others, but for me at least, the three of us just shooting the breeze helped me to gradually calm down.

… We’ll be fine. No need to panic.

■Normies Literally meaning a “normal person”, the term “normie” has been in popular usage on the internet since the early 2010’s. Stereotypical normie activities include dressing in revealing Halloween costumes and doing anything to take the most Instagra☆mmable photos. (Though there are normies who participate as mixed-sex groups, Sera was enrolled in a predominantly female nursing program and as a result has not participated in such groups.) Contrary to popular belief, female normies participate in typical “nerdy” activities too, such as reading manga with friends and complaining that “all the boys worth anything are 2D”. They may also play female-oriented dating simulations as a uproarious group. They do not play zombie survival horrors.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Dimension Wave Chapter 33 — A Battle under Moonlight

It was our fourth day out venturing on the Sea of No Return.

The waters were calm, making for easy experience and loot. That was of course a good thing, but a few problems had surfaced.

“We’ve finished all the food that we brought.” “… ‘Kay.” “Oh, and we’re also out of bait. Once we eat through the fish I’ve caught, then we’re out of luck.” “W-Whatever shall we do?!” “There’s nothing worse than an empty stomach~”

We never planned to be on a long voyage. I mean, when I said that we brought food, it’s really nothing more than just simple rations. Well, it’s not like I can’t fish without bait, but it’ll be a little tricky to feed all six of us. My cooking skill isn’t that refined either, so it’s more than likely it’ll result in a few failed attempts. That means we absolutely need to obtain and maintain our supply level.

“It ain’t all bad though.” “What do you mean?” “See, we’ve been without fresh water for a few days and we’re alright, aren’t we?” “… I see.” “Altorese is indeed correct.”

It’s true. Water should have been a problem long ago. I remember someone saying that if you go hungry in the game, it might become a problem once you’re finished playing. It probably has something to do with the program that brings us back to real life. As my real life friend once said, Dimension Wave is like a dream that you can vividly remember. There’s something sad about that, but hey, at least playing this probably won’t hurt your school grades too bad, unlike video games. … Let’s get back on track to the problem at hand.

“It’s a game after all. We might feel hungry, but that’s just a virtual thing and we won’t die from hunger. Worst case scenario might actually be overeating.” “I don’t think that far ahead… Well, anyway, let me see if I can’t do anything about getting us more food.”

In the end, I was thrown back into fishing, which was what I wanted to do from the beginning. No more high-quality bait means that I won’t be able to catch us anything big like tuna but I’ll still be able to get smaller fish. Here was where my shining lure came into play. Since it’s always lit up, I’ve been using it as my light source at night. I also found out that the lure can’t catch me anything during daytime, but it attracts squid at night. Or so says Alto anyway.

“Hello, shining squid lure.”

Makes sense that you need a squid lure for squid. I mean, it looks like a normal lure… except for the part where it lights up. In any case, I could solve our hunger problem with it. Let’s get that squid. Not that I can catch anything but squid at night. In mere days, I caught myself close to 500 of them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

“I bite my thumb at thee, Miss Kizuna!”

Such were the hurtful words hurled unto me. Even Sheryl needed to vent her frustration of too much squid. That was by shooting them out of her ballista.

Day in, day out, it was me, my fishing rod, and squid. Never mind the fact that I had over 1,000 of them in my inventory. What a lure. I still stood by the words I said that day at that time at that location: it’s worth every penny.

But there’s something about the Sea of No Return. Not sure what it is, but monsters come out only during the day. Even back at the outskirts of the First City, monsters would come out at night. What, did the devs want to give us a break or something? Seems highly unlikely. In any ordinary RPG, you’d find old clichéd dungeons like The Labyrinth or The Endless Desert where every route takes you down a different path and you can’t get out unless you solve a puzzle. It kinda feels like that. It’s getting close to a week out here at sea and we’re all getting a little stressed. Of course, the fact that we only have squid definitely contributes to it. We’ve gotta do something about this.

“Are they biting?” “… Oh, it’s you, Shouko.”

I was a little surprised when someone spoke to me since I get lost in my thoughts while late night fishing. Shouko sat down beside me and gazed up at the moon. The moon’s out tonight… It sure looks bigger in this world than the real thing. Big as it is though, it doesn’t shine very bright.

“Nature sure is wonderful.” “Something bothering you?” “Oh, no… Though I realize this world was created by people, who would think that a single storm would change all of our lives?” “Yeah, you’re right.”

We were unlucky getting sucked in by the storm, but I didn’t think that would result in all six of us living together on this ship. Up until now, we all had our individual rooms at our accommodation. It almost feels like we’re on a field trip together, at the risk of sounding like I’m taking this a little too lightly. But especially because of that, we must find a way to get through this together. Games are designed to be figured out if you pay close enough attention to the details. If we can’t find the answer, it means we’re not looking hard enough.

“Kizuna, you have a bite.” “S’alright. Squid aren’t that hard to catch.”

The tip of my line was bobbing up and down.

… No, wait. That’s no squid.

I had tirelessly fished for the past few days, so I know what squid feels like. There’s nothing but squid around here at night and it’s not because of my light-up lure. But that’s the problem. I’ve caught a thousand of them but this ain’t one. This had to be a rare catch. Literally. Anyway, time to reel…

“Come!”

—Kathunk! I’ve had a bite like this before and it’s a day and night difference compared to my normal catches. This… this was it. This was the Giant Herring.

“No, can’t be. This is more powerful…!” “Kizuna, it’s pulling our ship.” “… Damn! Go get Sheryl for me! I need her Harpoon skills or maybe…” “On it!”

I didn’t have the mental capacity to track Shouko as she disappeared under deck. My full attention was on the tip of my fishing rod. The line was connected directly to my cranial nerves. And when I felt it, I pulled… and reeled.

The reel, a compatible pairing to deep sea fishing and lures, was a new addition to my rod. It wasn’t too easy to the hang of it, but it provides a lot more leverage. The complex part is casting with a lure. It seems like it’s not too dissimilar to how they work in real life. Anyway, trust me when I say I feel like I’m one with my rod.

“… Here, Kizuna.” “Sheryl, you think you can use your harpoon and hit where I tell you to?” “… Possibly.” “Please! I won’t be able to do this alone.”

I mean, harpoons were originally for spearfishing anyway. It makes for a perfect weapon against a huge sea creature. That’s why I don’t think anyone would be more suited for this job other than Sheryl.

“… Where?” “Hold on…”

While we attacked and defended, I also tried to locate where the aquatic animal was. My mind and my rod are one. I… should know where it is. It should be like searching through with my mind, probably. Oh, I see. The Crystal of Mediation must’ve pulled its aggro. Maybe that’s why I was able to catch a thousand of them squid. But this… thing… I feel its hatred searing my skin. And it’s…

“Right there!” “… Bomber Lancer.”

A mid-tier skill for Harpoon-type weapons. It was a mid-range combat skill where you throw the harpoon like a javelin. With one hand on the cord, Sheryl chucked her harpoon out with an explosive visual effect. The missile audibly sunk deep into the creature. Reeling it in was instantly easier, but it started moving again.

“How many more can you do?” “I’m fine.” “I’m counting on you.” “‘Kay.”

It wouldn’t sit well with my pride if I let Sheryl do all the heavy lifting. As difficult as it was, I kept on reeling. From time to time, her harpoon would whiz by… It was strong enough to nearly stunlock the bastard. It helped immensely as I tried to fish it up.

“Keep it up!” “Mm.”

The battle dragged on, wearing down on our spirits. At least our enemy’s stamina is also being exhausted. But of course. It’s a 2v1. No way we’d lose.

“Sheryl, our next bout will end it!” “… Aight.”

With her harpoon gripped firmly, I signaled her to attack with all her might. And our enemy…

“… I mean, I get it, but.”

We fished up—or rather, hunted—a humongous squid. It’s apparent that it’s related to the Giant Herring. Thank you very much. We couldn’t exactly heft it up on board, so we had it towed along with a rope. I mean, I say hunted, but we’re not sure yet if it’s a monster or not. “Kraken” wouldn’t be an unfair name for it. … I mean, Sheryl took it down with her attacks, so I guess it is a monster? Anyway, the harpoon is perfectly suited for fighting sea creatures.

“… Kizuna.” “Hmm? What’s up?” “I think you should gut it soon.” “Why do you… Ah, whatever. Gotcha. I’ll do it.” “Hm.”

I didn’t get the feeling she would answer even if I were to finish asking her, though there was something like a gleam in her eye. I guess shooting squid out of the ballista would’ve been effective, but eating nothing but it is another story. Not to mention that Sheryl had eaten the most out of any of us. … Maybe she likes squid? I decided it would’ve been wiser to not ask her and just to gut the Humongous Squid in silence. What I got was:

Water Deity’s Tentacle, Water Deity’s Fin, Water Deity’s Head, Water Deity’s Arm, Water Deity’s Mantle, Water Deity’s Heart, Water Deity’s Eye, Water Deity’s Shell, Top Quality Squid Ink, Top Quality Trimmed Squid

Just like with the Giant Herring, I received a surprising number of items from gutting. Maybe all of them boss creatures are like this, eh? And I suppose it was originally a squid turned water deity? Hmm, I wonder… what kind of weapons I could make with these parts…

“Sheryl, we’ll discuss it with everyone else, but have these items.” “… You sure?” “Why do you question it?” “Hm.” “I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just feel like it would be better if you held on to them.” “Hm.” “Call it a gut feeling. Speaking of which… that was kinda uncharacteristic of what you said earlier.” “… Not really.”

Whatever. Not like it’d help if I hounded her over it anyway. In any event, I handed over all the items I received by gutting the Humongous Squid. We’re still undecided, but it’d be nice if she could make a good weapon out of its parts.

“Kizuna! Sheryl!”

While we were basking in the glory of defeating the Humongous Squid, Shouko called out to us in a less delighted tone. I’ve seen her flustered only a handful of times since we’ve first met.

“What’s wrong?” “The ship is moving by itself.” “I’m pretty sure that’s what ships do.” “No, I don’t mean it like th—” “Kizuna.”

Sheryl interrupted Shouko as she pointed upwards. Our sails were furled. I looked around. A calm night without so much wind or waves. There was no one using Helmsmanship. And yet, despite so.

… Our ship was traveling at an unnatural speed.

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 12 — The Lamer the Technique, The Stronger the Kiryū

My consciousness resurfaced from the depths of a deep dreamless slumber, similar to the feeling of waking from anesthesia… or so I’ve been told by my patients.

My tongue squirmed, trying to rehydrate the dryness in my mouth. I surveyed my surroundings while still lying down… I knew where I was.

Uptown — the second stage of the Emergency Partition Plan and lovingly nicknamed Safehouse by fans of the game.

We managed to make our way here at last…

A sigh of relief trickled from my lips was followed by another deep lungful in, but the dry air cut my trachea as if I were breathing in razor blades.

Glimpses of the bare, windowless room peeked through the impenetrable red iron door. Where I had lain wasn’t a bed, but something closer to a bench you’d find in the waiting area of a hospital. The air in here was musty, evident that this room has long since seen visitors. And it was also dry because the air conditioning units lack a humidification feature?

Though glad as I was to make it here safe and sound, equal amounts of bitterness welled up in me, cursing the reality of the situation: This was no dream.

I’m not sure how we got in. Normally, you’d need to find a hidden NPC or the key in a secret room… well, I suppose I should count my blessings.

Lying here all day wouldn’t do us any favors. I sat up while taking another large breath.

“Finally awake, I see. It’s a shame that you are not dead.” “… Oh, it’s you, Elizabeth.”

Some distance away, the voice emanated from an office chair that looked to be built by the lowest bidder. The sour look on her face indicated the fruit she was munching on might have been as well.

“You fainted as soon as things had settled down. Kiryū turned pale as a ghost, fearing that he had pushed you too hard.” “Oh, jeez… Sorry about that. That was poor timing though, seeing things haven’t settled down. Not until we reach the safehouse, at least.” “We were fine. Sure, we might have taken a few wrong turns, but we managed to stumble our way here alright. It was nothing we couldn’t handle on our own… so he said. You have been running on fumes and working long hours, haven’t you? Adrenaline only gets you so far before your body clocks out.”

With her hand clutching her temple, Elizabeth looked just as poorly. More jarring was how tied around her ankles was a makeshift rope fashioned from bedsheets.

“Speaking of which, where is Kiryū anyway?” “Him? He took two NPC’s with him to the supermarket in search for more food. … look at this. All this just to make sure I wouldn’t kill you.” “Hmm? What about it?” “These sheets are all part of Kiryū’s contraption. He tied my ankles to the lever that opens the door so that if I were to force my way towards you, the zombies would all rush in.” “Wow.” “He even went around confiscating any objects large enough to be a weapon and tucked it underneath the bed you’re sleeping on.

She looked helpless all tied up like that. … Kiryū sure is cautious. But that makes it even weirder for someone so cautious to run out on his own, leaving behind me and Elizabeth, a potential threat. I guess I should first check the place where a rifle should be… Wait, what?! There’s only a pistol and a shotgun here!

“… I wonder if he’d be alright with just two NPC’s…”

I mumbled as I sat up from the leather bench. Why did he go and do that? I mean, you can have up to five soldiers in your—err, survivors following you at the same time.

“He said he was going to recruit the NPC’s that he left behind at the start of the game. I suppose he is also going to take the chance to level up as well.” “Why is he in such a… Oh, maybe he’s worried about the seven-day limit.” “What limit?” “So, after seven days pass in this game, an endless amount of zombies will come and overrun you and that means game over.” “How awful.” “I know, right? Such a shame, especially because it’s such a fun game.”

I awkwardly chuckled before taking a sip of water from a plastic bottle underneath the bench, instantly dissolving the parchedness from before.

“… Sorry that we left you just lying there.”

Her words slowly stumbled out,

“That Kiryū really wanted to help, but besides you, none of us knew how to use syringes. Stuffing your mouth with herbs couldn’t wake you up either.” “Yes, I suppose Medicinal Herbs don’t help with fainting.” “Right…”

Elizabeth’s response marked the end of the topic. I looked towards her to see the remainder of half-eaten fruit resting on her lap and her lips sucked in. She must have been fraught, nervous.

Shoot. How do I break this awkward silence…?

My nursing training can come into play here. Hark, thee! … Umm, I learned this technique called assertive communication in class… What was the trick to it again?

“… The air in here sure is dry.”

Panic beset me and the words that came out were nothing but unengaging small talk.

“Yes… I suppose powering down the air conditioning would help.”

Elizabeth followed up with the pointless topic I offered, perhaps similarly hoping to cast away the awkwardness.

“I already tried doing so with the controls on the wall but to no avail. Perhaps the cooling system is centrally controlled. The air conditioning in the lecture halls at my university were just as annoying too.” “Oh, maybe, yeah… Speaking of which, what did you study in university?” “If we know too much of each other, it would just be awkward if either of us dies. … I mean, if you really want to know, I suppose I do not mind telling you that I am licensed for early childhood education, elementary school education, and childcare—where I currently work.” “Wow! That must’ve been a lot of hard work.” “It certainly was… and I was frequently rewarded with unlawful overtime. Hard work sure pays off.”

She turned her gaze upwards and unto the ceiling; I couldn’t help but to sigh too.

“It’s tough before and after graduating, hey? I guess I’m in the same boat as you. Being thrown into this world sure is scary, but also, being torn away from my super overworked lifestyle isn’t the worst thing either. I mean, it’d be bad if we were trapped here forever though.”

At the very least, I was able to share a laugh in agreement with Elizabeth.

“I wholly understand you. There really isn’t too much you can do with your own powers to escape the confines of a terrible job. Perhaps this world was created as… something like respite care. Less than likely though…” “Hey, Elizabeth?”

Though interrupting the girl deep in thought, I managed to find resolve and approached Elizabeth.

“I’m wondering if you could tell me a little about what you know about this world.” “…” “I don’t see myself surviving if we continue on like this. More importantly, though, someone important to you died so that you could return to the real world, am I right…?” “What makes you think so?”

Her voice strained and wavered.

“Gamer sense,” I said with a shrug and a smile, and continued.

“I’m sorry if I’m wrong, but that’s probably the reason why that a know-it-all like you is hurting. But even then, you’ve experienced something very painful, haven’t you?” “You’re…”

Her voice trailed off and the safehouse sunk back to a silence. Not an awkward like before, but a silence for scrambling thoughts.

“… it isn’t as if I know more than the very basics.”

There was another good length of time before Elizabeth expanded on her thoughts.

“There’s seemingly an administrator in this game.” “An administrator?” “At the very least, that is what they called themselves. Perhaps it would be more prudent label them as the creator of this world. Someone or something with a twisted sense of purpose. We stand no chance of overcoming that being for as long as we share the same world.”

An overpowered being.

She continues,

“I don’t know of what it wants. What I do know is that all the people who get summoned here are always exhausted and one of them are designated as the ‘core’.” “What happens if you get picked to be core?” “Nothing comes from it… No, actually, they get to bring an electronic device, like a phone or a laptop. With it, you can check who is in which game and to travel between game worlds. You know that already though.” “Right, I remember.” “The games available are… Well, last time, they were all games which the core had played lots. It may be the same this time around. We also never have successfully charged the device last time, so use your phone with great caution.” “Argh… I’ll try my best not to check my phone. Let me actually just turn it off…” “A sage idea.”

Elizabeth concurred with a nod.

“Till this day I have no idea what it… the Administrator wants. Maybe it’s some sort of alien with unfathomable technology, or maybe it’s some time traveler hoping to destroy all wage slaves. Or maybe, it’s the vengeful spirit of someone who was worked to death. I don’t know.” “…” “You’re thinking it sounds ridiculous. But honestly, that is all I know. From the two times I have been through this, the bastard is possibly recreating these game worlds with an emulator or something. Our consciousnesses is then pulled over to this side then assigned to the physical bodies of characters from various video games. And then…” “If the core dies, does that mean… everybody else gets liberated?” “… Yes, there is that as well.”

Her assent was marked with discomfort, but I was only looking for the facts. I assured her that was the case and there was no need to feel guilty for it before further probing her.

“Just for reference, when was the first time you were brought to this side?” “The spring of 2014. The second time was… autumn in 2016. I truly have no luck with workplaces.” “Was it the first or the second time that you witnessed the death of the core?” “The second. First time around, I had returned before I knew what was going on. I suppose the core was killed, but I have no idea. For both cases though, I ended up simply losing conscious for about a week in the real world.” “I see. And have you beaten the world, like, as a game before?” “No.” “Okay. Have you ever been chosen as the core?” “No… The core for my second time here was someone who I got to know well. A good friend.” “That… that must’ve been tough.” “Yes, I suppose.”

In a sense, discomfort, but more so a mournful pain marked her confirmation this time. No doubt that it was an excruciating experience.

“She told me she worked at a bank and that she liked games. Perhaps people who like to game are more likely to be chosen to be the core… Or perhaps not. I mean, I game quite a lot too.” “Ya boy’s a hardcore gamer himself too.”

A third voice interjected and joined our conversation. I looked up without thinking; Elizabeth whipped around in a startle. Behind her stood Kiryū and the unstoppable hellish army in tow. He’s… really looking like something else. The buggy was filled to the brim with supplies. Various weapons and ammunition were dangling from each soldier, tied on with the makeshift rope. Among everyone else, though, Kiryū was carrying the heaviest load: Nick. The frozen protagonist was cradled to his back with what seems to be a baby sling made with the same reused bedsheets.

“Sounds like liking video games is the requirement for being transported to this dimension and not for being chosen as the core. There’s probably ‘nother factor we’re missin’.”

How can someone be so cool when he speaks but look so lame cradling an adult baby?

“Since when did you return?!”

Elizabeth couldn’t hide the fact that he took her by surprise. There’s something else though. She looks tenser than she was before. Being threatened to be eaten by zombies and being held prisoner would do that you. Conscious of that, I interrupted the two of them.

“Hey, Kiryū! Hey! We were in the middle of a serious conversation just now. Which part did you start listening in from?” “Pretty much from the beginning.”

He severed the connection between Elizabeth’s ankle and the door lever with a knife. His knot seemed to be too tight to be untied by hand. Kiryū’s really not going easy on her, huh? No, it’s more than that. Look closely—isn’t he gritting his teeth like he’s Harry Callahan?

“It must’ve been really hard for you to hold back from ridiculing her theories, I bet.” “… you don’t know the half of it! How the hell would an emulator be capable of recreating worlds, let alone transferring consciousnesses?! That’s too much fiction to your science. What, do we all have electrodes sticking into our brains or somethin’ right now? No, wait, you’re right. We’re in the middle of an alien abduction because that’s totally what it is.” “Yeesh, okay, I get you. Jeez. We were just chatting, y’know? Just wondering about the what ifs. Smiling and nodding can be the key skill to good communication, Kiryū.” “That’s a skill I couldn’t care less about. Unfortunately, I can’t help but to call you two out on your scientific inaccuracies. I’m in too deep with machines both as work and as a passion to care about interpersonal relationships.” “In too deep with machines? Are you some sort of inventor?” “In a sense… Like, I do a lot of benchmarking. I love running benchmarks on every video card that comes on the market.” “… Where’s the fun in that?”

Fed up with our conversation, Elizabeth heaved a sigh. Kiryū untied his sling and threw Nick off of his back and onto the ground.

“Kiryū! There’s only one Nick in the game, so treat him better!” “As if. More of him popped up at the beginning of the level. I also took the chance to secure a large batch of unlimited ammo rifles too.” “Uh… what?!” “I explored a bit of the map we’re in right now… Just a bit ahead in the game is the Shooting Range, right?” “Um, yes, that’s right.” “I found a really rudimentary bug there.”

He had a smug smile as he looked around at our army.

“So, you know how when you’re at the range, you can shoot your guns dry, leave, and come back to them at max ammo, right?” “Oh… that’s right. It was like that in the game as well.” “I tried it out with the pistol first. I shot it until I was out of ammo, left the gun on the ground, and then left the range… What do you think happened?” “… What happened?” “A fully loaded pistol appeared in Nick’s hand. I went back inside, and the empty gun was still just lying there.” “… Whoa, no kidding! That means you can generate endless guns like that!” “Bingo! Awesome, right? Just like you said, we can do that to get as many guns as we want. But it seems like we can only duplicate guns available at the range, so I couldn’t get any more combat knives. I’ve seen similar bugs in other games, so that got me thinkin’ if I could get it to work here… but there you have it.”

There were no other words other than “smug” to describe Kiryū’s face. I took a careful look and noticed all of the soldiers were wielding assault rifles with unlimited ammo. Not only that, but every soldier had a bedsheet baby sling and a Nick on their backs. We had more in our army than I could count. There were at least twenty of them in the room.

“Wait, what about the five-follower limit… Oh, I get it! Nick’s a player character too!” “That’s exactly it. Each Nick we have, we get five more soldiers.” “Awesome! We’re duplicating everything!” “Pretty good thinking, eh?” “Oh, boy, this is going to be so much fun!” “I hate to admit it, but I’m getting a little excited too.” “… What in heaven’s name are you talking about…?”

Left behind in our excitement was Elizabeth, who didn’t understand any of it. Someone who doesn’t even know who Sera is of course wouldn’t know anything about zombie games. It took a thorough explanation of the game’s system for her to finally follow along.

“I see. Well, in any case, it’s plain to see you have accomplished something incredible. Still, why has Nick multiplied?” “When I began to take Nick away from start of this level, the game kept wanting to return Nick to the proper spawn location for the level change. And since there wasn’t a limit, I just kept doing it until I had about twenty Nicks.” “How curious. Nick would disappear from your hands and be returned to the spawn area… is that not a little weird?” “Well, it’s a bug. Normally in the game, it’s neither possible to leave a gun at the range nor is it to take the protagonist away before the game even starts. Can’t say I’ve expected any of this to happen the way it did.” “This world is very curious indeed. Kinda makes you wish that the creators made up their mind whether they wanted a survival horror or a sci-fi game. Oh, right! Let’s dupe the grenade launcher afterwards. We shouldn’t have access it to it just yet, but I’ve got an idea how to get our hands on one.” “What are you planning on doing with all this firepower…?”

After seeing the sly smiles on our faces, Elizabeth was utterly fed up with us. However, seeing where we were now, what other choices did we have? We’re gamers after all.

“First, let’s go and beat this game. You don’t know what that’s like though, right, Elizabeth? We’re going to take total control of this zombie-infested world with our superior firepower. Maybe on your first time here, someone else went and cleared the game and that’s how you got out. You never know.”

As soon as I said that, a terrible roar echoed in the background.

■Kiryū, II

A software engineer who is… supposedly very cautious. Nevertheless, he lets his guard down around Sera, but that should prove to be fine. Thirty years of age but acts like a smug twenty-three-year-old when he discovers bugs. Kiryū may seem to be too cruel towards Elizabeth, but perhaps he is normally this suspicious towards women—or rather, anybody. Though it may be inevitable due to personal reasons, nevertheless, it does not detract from the fact that he is too wary.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Dimension Wave Chapter 32 — The Sea of No Return

“So, any suggestions what we do next?”

The next day. We looked like drowned rats, but at least all of us were still on board. Basically, we had been sucked in by the storm and barely made it out alive. That wasn’t the last of our problems though. Our heading and location were all sorts of messed… the map didn’t help either, as it doesn’t how which direction we faced. And maybe we were so far off track, we couldn’t even use a Tome of Returning. But we did know at least the name of this area: The Sea of No Return.

“Y’all wanna just respawn?” “Alto, you’re suggesting that because we’re Spirits, aren’t you?” “You know I don’t mean it like that, bud.”

It looked like as if what he had just said meant nothing to the bastard. Him, Sheryl, and Tsugumi might not have much of a problem with dying and respawning, but it sure means a lot to us Spirits.

“Let’s keep trekking on if we’re going to die anyway! Since we’re going to get a death penalty either way, why don’t we keep going forwards?”

Tsugumi’s been all smiles since we’ve brought her on board. Maybe that’s how she is, or maybe she’s comfortable opening up to Yamikage and Sheryl and the rest of us. My sister has been so excited about it, I felt like I’d be doing her a disservice if were to even consider anything else.

It’s not like Tsugumi’s really into RPG’s in the first place though. MMO’s, and especially VR ones, always devolves into nothing but combat for her. To be fair, VR games tend to be a little boring with action, but since she’s so good at combat, she’ll plow through them using deliberately underleveled characters. Well, it’s fun just watching her, but only because of how excited she gets.

“… we don’t even know which way’s forwards.” “It’s like we’re trapped in The Labyrinth or The Endless Desert or some other sort of typical RPG dungeon.” “… ‘kay.” “But it’s a little surprising, eh?” “‘Kay.” “But I… I haven’t even said explained anything yet…” “‘Kay.” “Kizuna, you mind interpreting for us?”

We might be used to how talks, but I guess it was a little tough for Alto who’s just met her. So be it, then. Glad to be useful.

“So? What’s surprising?” “Yeah, see, I didn’t believe half—actually, most—of what you said about the sea and stuff, but now I’m beginning to change my mind.” “And why’s that?” “Like you said earlier, being lost in a dungeon would be the typical RPG thing. You know, like you clear the area to get farther, and then at the end, you get some sort of legendary sword or something. Maybe you really are onto something, Kizuna.”

That’s exactly it. From all the games I’ve played, players usually get bogged down by a difficult bit then get rewarded with a key item that’s important to the story. It’d be nice if there were a walkthrough or strategy guide, but since we’re the first ones playing, we’ll have to fumble our way through this Sea of No Return. If we want to cross the ocean, then we have no choice but to head forwards.

We ended up wandering through the Sea of No Return.

“Kizuna! Yamikage!” “Hmmmph!” “Aye, aye!”

Attacking us were Bladed Mermen and Skyraiders—aquatic and avian monsters, respectively. Defending us were: Shouko, armed with a fan-type derivative weapon in each hand; Tsugumi, with an evolved war scythe; and Yamikage, the one-trick pony.

I didn’t think we’d break a sweat with two former frontliners, but the enemies were tougher than I thought. We were likely facing enemies harder than we should be since the storm had thrown us to who knows where. With little Energy, I was no match for them at the very least.

“Round Dance, the First: Counterstrike!”

Shouko twirled around as if she were really dancing while unfolding both of her fans. It may have been a small AoE attack, but it was enough to hit the enemies up close and farther back.

I suppose “Round Dances” need explaining too… The more these attacks are charged up, the more defense it lowers and the more damage it does, if I recall correctly. They seem to be more offensive than defensive. That being said though, the charge time with Round Dances are much longer compared to Wild Dances, but it also deals a lot more damage. Shouko’s just started using these new skills, but they seem to suit her better. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but Shouko feels like the type to dodge attacks, rather than to parry them—like how she performed acrobatics when we fought Cerberus.

And not to mention the other day… the day when I bought my light-up lure, I discovered Shouko had yet another talent. She’s just as capable with her left hand as she is with her right—she’s ambidextrous. She can even write with both hands.

Shouko really is hot shit.

Jokes aside though, dual wielding isn’t such a surprise and characters usually fight just as well with either hand in normal video games. Skills, of course, are something you activate then you let the system work out how it goes. It’s a different story for autoattacks in VR games, however. I don’t know a lot about the subject, but I’ve heard that handedness has a lot to do with your brain. Going by that, fighting well with both hands in a VR game would probably need a lot of talent.

I also remember watching some retro TV show saying how left-handedness can be an advantage in things like sports. With VR games being the product of science experiments, it might be safe to assume they’ve counted for handedness too. Well, that’s neither here nor there though. Oh, and by the way, I’m just another right-handed average joe.

“She really blows your expectations away, eh?” “You sure you wanna stick around here, Alto? You’re gonna get killed.” “… be careful.” “So? What kind of expectations are we talking about?” “I meant, like, my first impressions of her.”

I’ll agree that first impressions of Shouko can be a little deceptive. She may seem soft-spoken and well-mannered, but she’s got a violent side to her. Don’t forget that she’s the one who said that offense is the best defense when we were participating in the Dimension Wave. … it’s almost as if she’s from a different generation or something—almost as if she’s a general from Sengoku Japan or the Three Kingdoms of China.

“Oh, I’ve just remembered. Have you been using your Crystal of Mediation, bud?” “… what are you gonna do? Sell it?”

—Stone of Mediation. The ones purchasable at NPC shops grant one bonus effect. On top of that, it also grants something called “Shield Energy” and it works much like an HP gauge like other races have. And, much like an HP gauge, it naturally recovers over time. The only thing about it is that it doesn’t grant that much more health. The weaker ones give about 50 and the best one only gives 1,000 extra points. For balancing’s sake, Stones with low Shield Energy might have a more potent buff and vice versa. I guess it’s up to the player to choose what they want more. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that Yamikage chose one that buffs her dark magic. Unlike her, though, my build is all over the place, so I chose a stone that improves my Masteries.

“Remember back when we first met, like… I don’t know, a month or so ago? Remember that crystallization from before?”

Oh, right. I totally had something like that. It’s lost somewhere in my inventory, but I should still have it somewhere. Let me just look for it real quick. Unidentified, huh?

“There it is. This thing, right?” “You still haven’t identified it yet?” “I mean, I got it before the system was even implemented into the game…”

To be fair, I suppose the system just hasn’t been activated until recently. I’m sure I’ll find more items that haven’t been patched in too.

“Well, how ‘bout I identify it for you then? I’ve checked out a few items from my line of work, so you could say I’m pretty experienced at it.” “Sure, but I’ve got no money on me.”

With the glow in the dark lure, reel, and cooking utensils, I am out dry. These Stones of Mediation might be good, but if they are, then it’s probably too rich for me…

What, you think I’m the type of guy to hound my friends over a few bucks?” “What, would I be wrong?” “Of course! No way I’d ask for money for something like this.” “Sorry for assuming. Please and thank you, then.”

I handed over the unidentified crystal to Alto and he looked at it with a magnifying glass? a loupe? A soft light enveloped the loupe as soon as he muttered “Item identification.” Immediately, the jet black crystal turns into a pale blue.

“Yep. Looks like you fished up something similar to a Stone of Mediation.” “Fishing and gutting are the only two things I do well anyway.”

Maybe I should try equipping it. It’d be more accurate to say I’m transferring over the soul from the Stone though since they’re kinda like holy artifacts.

Beginner’s Crystal of Mediation Shield Energy: 700/700 +2 Fishing Mastery Attracts more attention from nocturnal sea creatures.

Looks like this one gives two bonus effects and it gives a lot of shield. That’s really special. Even the name is different. The ones in shops are called Stones and this one is a Crystal. That’s probably because of the skills and stuff though.

“Honestly, thanks a bunch.” “Any day, my man. You’re always finding ways for me to make money, so don’t even mention it.”

Our sailing adventure was off to a good start.

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 11 — Good Cop, Bad Cop

“Never heard of ‘core’ used in this context before. Elizabeth, right? Go on and explain everything you know to us, though no promises that we’ll take your word for it.”

Kiryū tapped the crowbar against his own shoulder as he questioned the girl. And though she knows full well that he couldn’t be convinced otherwise, Elizabeth simply stood there biting her bottom lip and holding back tears.

“Elizabeth?” “I… I have nothing else to say…”

Her curled silver pigtails bounced and her eyes, like daggers, pierced through Kiryū.

“It’s not like anyone would believe me anyway!” “We’ll worry about that. All you have to worry is telling us the full story.” “That girl is the ‘core’. If we kill her, this game will end, and we will be able to go back to our world. … I can say no more.” “I don’t think we can accept that suggestion. Anything else?”

Elizabeth looked as if she were about to cry before but tears now started to well up after hearing Kiryū’s curt rejection. She crumpled down onto the ground, cradling her head between her knees. She wasn’t tugging at our heartstrings… no, she seemed like she was so confused, she herself didn’t know what else to do.

… aww, jeez.

My hand was scratching the back of my head before I knew it. It wasn’t exactly hard to see why Kiryū was being so suspicious of Elizabeth, given how she suddenly attacked us and how she’s saying that Sera (me!) needs to die.

This conversation is going to end up nowhere like this…

We started off on the wrong foot, but she probably knew a lot more than she was letting on… and I needed to know what she knew. The less she talked, the more trouble I’d be in.

Up until now, Kiryū and I didn’t have much of a plan; we were more or less diving head-first into this adventure of sorts. That we were in a strange and unfamiliar world meant it would be a matter of time until we fell into a trap. I was dying to learn anything from someone who has been through this situation before.

… there was something else that had caught my attention though. Elizabeth was visibly and thoroughly haggard.

Well, that’s not much of a surprise… It was just mere moments ago that she had woken up after passing out in the midst of working overtime.

While observing her, I came to the conclusion that Kiryū and I were the weird ones for having any energy at all after waking up on this side. I mean, I hadn’t had a wink of sleep and yet I felt like I could take on the world.

… there was something strange going on not just in this world, but in my body too.

Sure, I was a little tired, but I was still able to move around. And that’s really strange. It was definitely not something I expected to be able to do, seeing how I was—quite literally—deathly exhausted.

Though I was aware of all this, I still wanted to ask Elizabeth a few things.

“Hey Kiryū, would you mind if I spoke to her privately?” “… I absolutely would mind. Don’t forget that she tried to kill you. You can’t possibly “chat” with someone who means to harm or kill you. What we need to do is interrogate her.”

Kiryū, leering over his shoulder, was evidently ready to kill Elizabeth if needed. … and I’m sorry to say it, but dude’s mega scary. I mean, he was clearly past being calm and collected. It was almost as if he has had past trauma with “someone who meant to harm or kill him”.

“Umm, perhaps you’re right that it wouldn’t be very possible… but hey, think about it. You know how you were checking out this place and the pebble fell through the ground all of a sudden, right? Well, with such a messed-up physics engine, where we are now wouldn’t make for a great place to fight.” “… you have a point.”

My words were getting through to him.

“And I know that you said that we should be cautious around her, but you don’t really believe we should kill Elizabeth, right? In that case, why don’t we call for a truce and talk to her instead?”

I then turned back around to face Elizabeth. She was still stiff and very much on guard, but at least my words got through to her too. Appealing to people’s emotions was a skill I often used at work.

“Why don’t we get a little more comfortable, Elizabeth?”

I paused to think for a moment before speaking to Elizabeth. She responded by looking back at me, eyes narrowed.

“First of all, let me just say that you don’t even worry about attacking us earlier. I’m going to lay my rifle down, so we can all let our guards down, okay?” “Sera!”

Kiryū may have snapped at me, but I simply shook my head.

“… I don’t think we’d be giving off the right impression if we marched right up to Elizabeth—who is unarmed, mind you—with our weapons drawn, and said, ‘let’s have a chat’.”

She snickered at my remark, meaning that it’s gone exactly to plan.

“Why don’t we exchange information? But let’s sit down first. You’ve been working overtime up until just now, right? Keep squatting like that and you’ll just end up even more tired. What do you say?”

I led by example and began to sit down as I spoke while Elizabeth eyed me with suspicion, furrowing her brows. Still, she followed suit and very timidly copied my motions. I know it’s a little weird, but if you ignore the fact that she tried to kill me, she… acts almost like a kitten. Once we got on the ground, we… didn’t fall through. Oh, thank goodness.

“Umm, by the way, Elizabeth…” “… what?” “Right now, we’re not technically in one of the playable areas of the game, and so things fall through the ground sometimes. Try not to move around too much, okay?” “Eeeep!”

Following a curious yelp, Elizabeth turned from side to side to examine her surroundings. … this area did look like a normal stage at first glance but knowing that things can just simply slip out of bounds was a terrifying thought.

“Let me explain our situation first. I was a newly-hired nurse working from 5:30 in the morning to 12:00 midnight who suddenly found herself in this world.”

Elizabeth looked like she would have nodded politely if not for our current circumstances. … she seems familiar with that kind of lifestyle, so what I had said didn’t really surprise her. Much like us, she’s another rat in this race, I guess.

“Beside me is Kiryū who is—was? a software engineer. You were working overtime too, right?” “… we were about to release a new game and it was all hands on deck with debugging.”

Kiryū hesitated, but still reluctantly told us about himself.

“I fell asleep while working and the next thing I knew, I was here. You and I passed out then woke up in this parallel universe too, right, Elizabeth? Seems like a pattern to me.” “… yes, I was entering data one moment and was waking up the next.”

There was a pause before she apprehensively spoke again.

“That means it wasn’t the same for her… for you, Sera?” “Right.”

I responded before continuing.

“I was in the middle of working overtime when the higher-ups came by to make their rounds, so they stuffed me in a linen room.” “They did what to you?” “If the administrators found out us newcomers were working overtime, they’d tell the head nurses off, then the head nurses would get all pissy at us ward nurses. That’s why they hid me in the closet until after the administrators finish their rounds. But while I was in the closet, my phone went crazy? and as I was panicking, a portal to this world opened up.” “… the heck?”

She looked blankly at me.

“That is the first time I have heard of anything like that.” “No kidding! It was pretty shocking. I only took their offer because they advertized that their turnover rate was under 5% and there would be little to no overtime. But in reality, people were quitting left and right and I haven’t left work even once on time.” “That is ridiculous, though it happens all too often. But that wasn’t what I was referring to; what do you mean your phone ‘went crazy’?”

She dryly scoffed, but I was more confused about her than she me.

“You mean you haven’t heard of anything like this the last time you came here?” “Correct. Last time and the time before that, we… we started killing each other before we ever had a chance to talk.”

That was certainly not what I expected to hear.

“Is it like a battle royale–type scenario?” “No. But it… how should I explain it? I believe there is only one person who is able to bring their smartphone, laptop, or any electronic devices like that into this world.” “Just one.” “Correct. Just one. And they are designated as the ‘core’. And on the electronic device—your phone, in this case—should have a feature that wasn’t available before. It is the key to leaving this world.”

I instinctively gulped as I listened to her. A new feature… that would be the untitled app.

“It would make things much more convenient if you have it. Without it, you would not be able to freely move around.” “What do you mean by that?”

My head titled to one side.

“You mean… we could go back to our world?” “No, not like that, but you would be able to migrate to the world of another game. You could… if you so choose to, transfer me or the man too.” “That does sound convenient.”

I may have been positive about it, but Elizabeth’s expression was anything but.

“Yes, perhaps. However, if this world is the same as the ones I have been in before, then there should be other humans here too… Then it would be a matter of when, not if, that people start fighting and killing for the electronic device.” “Why would people start killing each other?”

She casted her gaze downwards, as if she had said too much already.

“… must’ve happened before, then.”

Before I could say anything else, Kiryū looked at Elizabeth for an answer. She hesitated and looked as though she was doubting herself, then finally nodded, confirming what Kiryū had said.

“Correct. It started with just arguing, but one thing led to another, and it escalated to people killing each other. Then, in the midst of it all, the original owner was killed too. The next moment, I woke up back in Japan. That’s why I’m sure, if we…”

She let out a small sigh instead of finishing her sentence.

“I have told you too much already… but so be it. I know I stand no chance against him, so take this chance to kill me now.” “I think I prefer ‘nurse’ to ‘murderer’.”

Seeing the frown on my face and hearing my response, Elizabeth sat there bewilderedly and stared at me before giggling out loud. … good. That should have established at least a little trust between us. She was even looking a little more relaxed too.

I don’t think we can get to the heart of the matter by questioning her any further…

—Honestly, it’d take quite a leap in logic to get from “a useful electronic device” to “killing each other for it”. I mean, people don’t just go around slaughtering people, right? Sure, this may be a strange place to be dropped into, but jumping straight to murder isn’t normal. Working together like us is normal. And if that doesn’t work out, then splitting up and working independently is normal. The people Elizabeth were talking about skipped quite a few pages in between, but I’m sure she was trying to gloss over some of the less savory details.

Telling us the whole truth probably wouldn’t be very convenient for her, I’m guessing.

Or at least that was what I assumed, but now wasn’t the time to get to the bottom of the matter—that would only work against us.

I really want to ask her more, but you know what they say about curiosity and cats.

If there’s something a patient doesn’t need to know, then nurses must never point it out. Otherwise, a simple conversation could turn into a questioning or an argument. It would then lead to distrust between the patient and health professionals—a breakdown in communication—and the patient wouldn’t get the help they need.

It wasn’t too different from the situation with Elizabeth. Prying it out of her would only strain the delicate relationship we have. I needed more time to get the whole truth out of her. Who knows? Maybe a good opportunity will jump out at me…

I took a sidelong glance at Kiryū. He had an odd smirk on his face and a shrug on his shoulders.

“If you want to work with her, well… fine with me.”

Kiryū being Kiryū, it didn’t take long before he calmed down and collected himself; the anger and impatience that was in him was now all gone. With a bitter smile on his face, he bent over and picked up the cane, only to relinquish it to its owner.

“… from what little you’ve said so far, it seems like there’s still a gap in what you know. You’re still unsure if killing the ‘core’ is the means to returning home.” “Yes, I suppose.” “Then we all stand to lose if we were enemies—after all, we are law-abiding citizens, not killers. It would be much preferable if we can all make it back to Japan without having to resort to murder.”

Elizabeth’s response to Kiryū was a moment of silence along with a blank stare at her weapon. It was a sudden transition between that and a burst of laughter.

“… I suppose you are right, Kiryū. Not only would I lose to you again, but we have a common goal towards which we should fight together. … and Sera, I shall belay killing you until I am certain and confident it is the right choice.

We left the Slums and returned to the Downtown district. Of course, it was through headbutting a wall again. Though we were safe from enemies, we risked falling through the ground in that place… it would be a constant and unpredictable danger.

Plus, we were now thirsty and hungry. Elizabeth said that anything that would be in the original game should also appear in this world, so I figured we should head towards the “Supermarket” stage to obtain some water and canned goods. … and all told, I’m grateful to have sat down and spoken with Elizabeth. I’m glad to have befriended someone who has experienced this before—even if this friendship were only temporary.

Perhaps due to losing to Kiryū in their battle, she also decided to tag along with us, and she seemed to not want to leave my side. Whether that’s because I protected her or whether she’s still afraid of Kiryū because he struck back with his crowbar was yet to be known.

Though honestly, I’m still afraid of Elizabeth… I mean, she did try to kill me.

In any case, I figured I should stick with Kiryū but also to keep an eye on her. She’s… probably a well-balanced individual with no homicidal tendencies, but there was also something in the back of my head telling me to be careful.

Walking closer to Kiryū prompted him to speak to me in a low tone.

“… not too shabby at all, Sera. Didn’t think you’d use me in a good cop/bad cop routine.”

He muttered to me with a wry smile, but I wasn’t exactly following.

“What’s that about the police?” “Oh, what? You—never mind… it’s a classic interrogation technique. But even more impressive how you managed to pull it off without knowing about it.”

I couldn’t share the smirk on his face before the conversation about police officers had ended.

Interrogations, huh? The way Kiryū spoke when he tried to interrogate Elizabeth earlier… I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere before. Where is that from? Don’t tell me I’ve actually met Kiryū in Japan before.”

I had nothing, but I had to get it off mind for now.

So, where do we go from here? Well, first, we’ve cleared the “Downtown”. Then after, we’ll raid the supermarket in the early stages of “Uptown,” Following that in Uptown would be the safehouse… which we’ll simply pass on by. We decided to head to the last part of this area, which is the hospital where we have to gather syringes and meds. After that, we would head back to the safehouse to rest up. We’re on a tight schedule, but with our hellish army with us, we should be able to pull through.

“You think we’ll beat the game, Sera?” “Yeah, we’ll beat it, no sweat. The troops have gotten so strong, I almost feel bad for the zombies.”

One of them, nicknamed Ortega, can take down a zombie with a single strike of a plastic garbage bin. Strap the Vital Watch on his wrist and… it showed “Level 10” with good vitals. Even a Tank wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

“Let’s head to the supermarket for now.”

Getting to the supermarket was a walk in the park. Our unstoppable army from hell practically one-shots Minotaurs and Tanks. Feels good, man.

“This has to be some kind of a joke… how does a plastic toy hammer defeat an armored vehicle?”

Elizabeth, taken aback, exclaimed aloud. It didn’t take long to reach the grocery store, making easy loot of fruit, bottled water, bread, canned goods, and other essential items. Inside the store was a mid-level boss—the now-psychotic store manager. “This is my store!” he shrieked, but it took only a second to silence him for good.

We bagged our own groceries with the paper bags at the registers, loaded them into a buggy, and continued plundering. Oh, and Nick? Well, of course we brought him along—in the cart. After finding and switching to plastic and reusable shopping bags, even our army guys helped out by tying the handles together. It was a totally ridiculous sight.

We then passed by the safehouse and entered the hospital.

Tourniquets, needles, syringes, alcohol swabs, cotton wool… you name it, we took it. In the linen closet, we found clean pillowcases to fashion makeshift backpacks out of them. Fresh sheets would be useful too. All this looting was hard work, and when I finally thought I found a spare moment to take a break… I started to feel faint.

“Sera!”

Kiryū caught me right before I faceplanted. It was odd, considering I felt like I could take on the world… or so I thought at least. The last thing I remembered was going into shock. Then I blacked out.

■Princess Elizabeth

The human inside Elizabeth doesn’t get in much exercise. No wonder she lost in a test of strength against Kiryū. A diligent person, but perhaps tends to worry too much. Her cries are particularly unique. Adores cats but loves dogs too. An animal lover, if anything. Though she runs a blog about female-oriented dating simulators and updates her Mugtome like a photo diary, neither platform has received updates as of late. Has one older brother. Her favorite TV show is an American musical comedy-drama series that takes place in a high school. Later in this story, an impossibly handsome stud of a real estate agent falls in love with Elizabeth and follows her around like a dog, much like something out of a cartoon. As that does not happen until later, Elizabeth is merely some loser for now.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Dimension Wave Chapter 31 — Merchant of Death

“Yet another stowaway, miladies!”

For the past three days since we’ve brought Tsugumi along in our party, we’ve been traveling back and forth between land and sea, giving our best to grind some levels. But then, yet again, Yamikage interrupted the silence with her shouting below deck. Oh, and by the way, there’s only a few hours left to recap until we catch up with how the six of us ended up like this.

“H-Hey, hold on!”

Name: Stowaway A. Occupation: merchant of death. Age: unknown. The four of us—well, five now, including Tsugumi—forced yet another to walk the plank. Three sharks would always appear below the waters whenever we did this. Perhaps we were enjoying this a little too much.

“So, Stowaway A… or rather, Altorese… what are you doing here?” “Don’t pretend like you don’t know me! Whatever! Just help me out of this!” “I’d love to, but I’m busy fishing.” “Well, aren’t you a lovely catch?! Please, I beg of you! We’re friends, aren’t we?!” “Alright, alright. I was just joking. I’m not about to kill you.”

It’s not like it’s that big of a deal if you were to fall overboard anyway. All there is to it is a death penalty and then you get respawned at your last save point. Maybe it’s just scary because it’s VR. It probably feels too real, like how violent M-rated VR games caught a bit of flak from the media when they first came out.

“Tch, another acquaintance of Miss Kizuna…” “Sorry to disappoint.”

The plank seemed to be a little too addictive to everyone besides me. In any case, Alto was due for a questioning.

“So? Why did you stow yourself away in the cargo hold?” “Yeah… so Kizuna told me that you guys fell overboard. Well, I’ve been real curious since then, but there’s only a handful of people who craft boats.” “That’s why you snuck aboard?” “Oh, I’ll do anything for money!”

Buddy, that’s not something to be proud of. If anything, it made me want to push him over right there and then. Damn moneygrubber. He likely found out about our seafaring escapades from the rumors—y’know, the rumors spread by the three hijackers we defeated a few days ago. Alto should’ve been able to sort through the truth from the lies though. I guess he must’ve thought this could be profitable.

“Assuming that to be true, what are your intentions, Altorese?”

Shouko looked far from joking around. I mean, fair enough. No one else has met Alto other than me.

“Please let me in on this!”

That’s what he’s like. Alto’s the kind of guy to get all chummy with friends or foes to sell them arms and items. You’d be glad to have him on your side, but his true allegiance is with the coin. He’ll probably sell any knowledge gained from the sea since his clientele is quite broad. He trades with the frontliners, crafters, and even the roleplayers. Anything that he knows, the whole world will soon know too. It was a real sticky situation. If we say no, we might piss him off. If we say yes, who knows what would happen? Ugh, what a headache. Well, better friend than foe.

“Alright. But keep in mind that the monsters at sea are totally different than at shore.” “Bluefins and seabreams, right? And don’t forget the mats from Brave Birds and Blue Sharks too…”

He knew all about the monsters out here without any of us saying a single thing. It’s fair to say he’s done his research before coming here. With a hand to his mouth, Alto put on act for us.

“Gutting-type weapons… an unpopulated area… experience… lots of items… spirits…”

Yamikage looked at me worriedly. He’s already figured everything out already, I’m afraid.

“I mean, I’ve known about this for a while.” “And everyone else too, I assume.” “As far as I know, only three including you, Kizuna, though I’m sure there probably are more people who know. Still, you’re one of the few people who wield gutting-type weapons.”

Buying favors with money, keeping people quiet, and selling information to only a select few is exactly what a merchant of death like him would do. No, the surprising thing is that gutting weapons hadn’t become any more popular, even with the secret out in public. You’d think every party would want at least one person with a gutting weapon. I just can’t wrap my head around why no one has made a huge deal out of this.

… hmm, but maybe because… The Cerberus Slaughter popped up in my mind.

If we wait until no one’s around to carve mats out of bosses, or perhaps… Supposing that we do keep up with this plan, I’d need to learn some stealth skills. Not a low level one like Yamikage had used before, but something that powerful enough to mask my footsteps. I knew this from the moment I held the Cerberus Slaughter:

—This is why I can’t give up gutting weapons.

Well, whatever. If everybody knows how it works, then there’s no need to keep it a secret any longer.

“What say you, Sheryl?” “… I trust you.” “Gotcha.”

I figured I should let him about the potential of seas. You know what they say about making assumptions.

“Hey, Alto. Let’s talk hypotheticals.” “What are you saying?” “Right. What we’re thinking is that there’s a new continent on the other side of the ocean. Judging by how powerful the enemies here are, this should be the correct path forward after conquering the first continent. Shouko managed to get quite a bit of experience during the Dimension Wave event, so we should be able to tackle on the enemies on the other side. And that means good loot.”

Most of what I had said may have been convenient white lies, but even if I don’t know what’s ahead for sure, they’re damn good guesses. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not doing this just to go along with my lies; I’m sure there’s something out there. Though, it wouldn’t exactly be wrong to say that my true motives lie within my dreams and the romance of sailing the seas. Be that as it may, I can count on Alto to invest in this… even if he may have his own hidden intentions.

“So? Will you invest in this pipe dream of mine, O Altorese, the merchant?” “Of course I would.” “It’s almost scary how easily you’re agreeing to this.” “Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not betting my money on a pipe dream; I’m putting my money on the discerning eyes of yours, Kizuna—the very ones that knew to turn empty cans into gold.”

His expectations were high, but the whole can thing was nothing but luck. Well, chalking it up to luck would be irresponsible and I wasn’t about to argue about it either. Still… Alto seemed to have got a little more jaded over this past month.

“Well, I suppose it’s a good thing a merchant of death like you would invest in us, but what are your plans going forward?” “If I’m a merchant of death, then you’re the biggest loser, seeing how you were #1 in damage received.” “Who you callin’ a loser?!” “Please, no fighting, you two!”

And so, we took Alto into our party and things have been going well so far.

… that is if you ignore the dark storm clouds floating in from the east.

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 4 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 10 — The Villainess Princess Awakens

“Christ… we were so busy looking around us that we didn’t notice her right there. Does she seem okay?” “She’s unconscious… but she’s breathing, and her heartrate isn’t abnormal.”

I had one hand at the tip of her nose and the other on one of her wrists. Her chest was rising and falling with every breath and I could feel her pulse by her radius. She wasn’t even that pale either.

“This girl is quite the villainess princess.” “A vil—what?”

Kiryū’s face twisted in bewilderment. I suppose he’s never heard of the term.

“Umm, you know how in dating sims for girls, there’s always an evil rich girl character?” “Can’t say I’m familiar with female-oriented dating simulations.” “That was rhetorical. But you seemed to know a thing or two about them given the way you were speaking.” “…” “… fine, whatever. The evil rich girl character hates the heroine and treats her like dirt, and in the end, gets her just deserts.” “Oh, yeah, I get what you’re talking about… the punching bag for the player, in a sense.” “… that’s a little blunt, but, I mean, you’re not wrong…” “So, that’s the kind of character this girl is?”

Kiryū eyed the villainess princess who had lain on the ground.

“That’s right. Her name is Elizabeth. She was the rival of the protagonist of a popular fantasy visual novel from about ten years back, called DokiDoki☆Alice in Bourgeoisie Country.” “… what.” “As I said, she’s from DokiDoki☆Alice in Bourgeoisie Country.” “Huh?” “How many times do I have to tell you that it's DokiDoki☆Alice in Bourgeoisie Country. Elizabeth is an evil landlord who bought up lots of real estate and torments the protagonist because she moved in to one of Elizabeth’s properties without paying her respects. That cane over there? She uses it to beat the protagonist. Elizabeth may look cute, but she’s awfully ferocious, you know?” “DokiDoki☆Alice in Bourgeoisie Country… I have never heard of a title this absurd and ridiculous before.”

I could tell Kiryū was getting more exasperated as he muttered.

“Though the developer folded up quite a few years back, they still perform the DokiABC musical from time to time. It’s stubbornly popular. Anyway, in the game, you’re supposed to build relationship with your tenants and buy up property with your goal of being the most powerful landlord in the world.” “Tenants… property…” “You even fight against unscrupulous gangsters trying to buy up land, ultimately leading to you protecting your tenants in a gunfight showdown.” “… it, uhh, doesn’t exactly sound like it’d appeal to women, but what do I know…”

Kiryū slumped down and blinked blankly, seemingly shell-shocked from the newly acquired info.

“That’s why it’s funny though. Her curled silver pigtails, her purple dress, and her mithril walking stick… that’s Elizabeth, no doubt about it. Evil princesses like her are a common trope in novels, but they don’t come up too often in games, hey?” “… the more I think about it, the less I am sure of anything. Anyway, should we wake up said Elizabeth here?”

He wisely switched topics, to which I nodded yes while bending over to pat Elizabeth on the cheek.

“Hmm, I’m not sure if she’s a heavy sleeper or what, but she’s not waking up… she’s human, right?”

I looked up at Kiryū for an answer.

“… well, she’s clearly a character from another game. She’s got to be human.”

His answer sounded more like a sigh.

“Let me try swinging a little harder… hmm, no, nothing.” “Slap her any harder and I’d start feeling bad. Let’s leave it at this. There’s something more important, actually. Let me see your phone.”

His tone made it sound like he had a bright idea, so I reached into my pocket and pulled it out for him.

“Since we’re not in a proper part of the game, there shouldn’t be any enemies sneaking up on us. Staying here for the rest of our journey would be preferable.” “That makes sense… oh, the passcode is my birthday, ‘0511’.” “Change it right now.” “Noooo, don’t wanna.” “I’m not asking.” “Ouch, ouch, ouch! Fine! How about, umm… ‘1337’?” “No, because now I know it. Don’t go telling people your passcode. And add a few more digits too, so it’ll be harder for people to memorize. You never know when people are going to trick you with social engineering.” “Jeez, you nag more than my mother. I’ll change it as soon as I get back to the real world, okay?” “… I’m going to hold you to it. That’s a promise now, you hear?”

Unimpressed at my half-hearted reply, Kiryū scowled as he tapped the four digits to unlock my phone.

“… to no one’s surprise, we’ve got zero reception. Was there anything else different on your phone aside from that ‘Untitled’ app?” “No. Gah, I’ve only got 30% battery left. It would be nice to find a place to charge up.” “I don’t think we’ll have any luck here. We don’t have a Micro-USB cable anyway.”

It’d probably be better not to get my hopes up in finding some way to charge my phone here in Confi City.

“… alrighty. Why don’t we try launching this ‘Untitled’ app…?”

Uncertainty plagued Kiryū’s words as he kept his sight fixed on my phone.

“Let’s take a look and see what happens, I guess…”

My response wasn’t any more confident. This ‘Untitled’ intrigues me… but should we really be tapping on it? It’s not some sort of cursed app, is it? It’s not going to start a countdown to our demise or anything?

I was scaring myself more than anything…

“… oh, shit!”

His voice took me by surprise, both because it was sudden and very unlike him. The next thing I knew, my phone was back in my hands.

“Huh?”

What came immediately was the piercing ring of metal clashing against metal.

“Whoa?!”

I instinctively ducked and curled up into a ball before I dared to look at what was above me…

—The evil princess, Elizabeth, sent her mithril stick down upon my head, only to be intercepted by Kiryū’s crowbar at the last possible moment.

☆

“… I’m ready for your apology anytime now.”

Like swatting a fly, Kiryū effortlessly parried Elizabeth’s attack while flatly sending his words at her. She disappointedly looks down at her cane, frustrated at her loss in the test of strength. To be fair, Kiryū is uncannily powerful…

“We have no hostile intentions towards you. However, what you have just done cannot be seen as anything other than an act of hostility. Do you understand?” “…”

Elizabeth’s kept silent—her loss of words and doubt of what was the correct action were evident. She chose to raise her weapon again. Kiryū responded with no leniency and knocked her weapon away from her hand. Her fighting spirit was similarly disarmed.

“From what I can tell, you had awakened, stood up, scanned your surroundings, and immediately elected to attack as soon as you had noticed us.”

His words were calm as so was she. Rather, it would be more apt to describe Kiryū as composed as he picked his words very carefully.

“What reasons do you have to attack us? Explain yourself.” “…” “I will not do act with violence if you were to explain yourself. However, keep your silence up and… I, if not we, will consider you as an enemy.”

The gravity and severity of Kiryū’s tone weighed down on Elizabeth, who now seemed to be holding back tears as she bit her lower lip. I felt not so much uncomfortable, as much of a sense of déjà vu, perhaps? His speech was obviously unusual, but the cold and logical manner of his words were… like from some game… and how he stared blankly into the distance front of him… hmm…

“… umm, just wanted to double-check, but Elizabeth, you’re a human being from Japan, right?”

I raised my hand as I spoke up, almost as if I were asking for permission.

“Kiryū—err, this man here—him and I are were working overtime in a Japanese firm and hospital, respectively, before we were transported here. Were you a person in a similar situation? Or perhaps, are you from this game—or rather, this parallel universe?”

My question was met with Elizabeth shaking her head and a scoff, directed at herself if anything.

“… no, I’m no NPC. I’m just a regular human being who was just working overtime as well. So, who am I this time? Elizabeth?” “What do you mean ‘this time’?”

Kiryū immediately picked up what she put down.

“You’re saying you’ve had this happen to you before?” “… yeah, I suppose. If I look like a character from a game and this world is some sort of incomprehensible game world, then… yes, something like this has happened to me before.”

She spoke slowly. But unlike before where she was calm, now she was deliberating on her choice of words.

“Your character is… Kiryū Sōichirō from Rainbow Dreams High School☆Fantasia, right? And you over there?” “Umm, I’m Sera, the heroine from DC2. I mean, I look like her is all.” “Of course. So… whose phone is that?”

She pointed towards the phone that had been tossed onto me. Just as I was about to respond to her though, Kiryū stopped me in my tracks, perhaps to prevent me carelessly divulging any information.

Elizabeth knew what was up just from that. The smirk on her face was sickening. She looked like… she was about to cry—like as if she was forced to do something unpleasant. It was an expression of someone who fights back against the odds, knowing full well how grim they are.

“… I see. So, it’s yours, Sera.” “What does that have anything to do with anything?”

Perhaps he was being protective of me, Kiryū stepped in between Elizabeth and me as he answered her. Oh, no… did I mess up and say something wrong?

“As I have mentioned before, you attacked us all of a sudden. Anyone else would have been too stunned to do anything, but you knew what to do from the moment you looked at our surroundings,” he pointed around as he spoke, “The way you attacked us, you seemed like you knew exactly what you had to do.” “…” “That means you know what’s going on here and you know how to get out, don’t you?”

His sternness now was a stark contrast to the Kiryū just moments ago, stuffing herbs in his pockets and flailing his crowbar around. Any bystander could tell that he was being on guard.

“Heheh… you’ve hit the nail on the head. You could say I know a little something about this world.”

Elizabeth mockingly scoffed again. And as before, the tears in her eyes didn’t seem to be happy tears.

“… the girl is the ‘core’ of this game. For as long as she lives, this game will never end.”

■Villainess Princess

A trope most commonly associated with female-oriented web novels and seldomly seen in video games. Usually, before the evil rich princess character gains her riches, status, and men, she would have a tragic backstory or event. This usually elicits the player’s empathy, making them question why she is in the role of the antagonist. It is also perhaps the way she overcame her adversity was how the rich girl was led onto the path of the villainess.

Author’s notes

In the field of disaster medicine, it is taught that when triaging without a proper blood pressure meter, systolic blood pressure can be approximated by feeling which areas of the body still has a palpable pulse. A radial pulse should measure 80 mmH, 70 mmHg by femoral pulse, 60 mmHg by carotid pulse, etc. For example, if only the patient's carotid pulse is palpable, their pulse pressure should be about 60 mmHg. If a patient’s normal blood pressure is unknown, a rough rule of thumb would be to consider them to be in shock if if their systolic blood pressure reads under 90 mmHg. (The author's notes were translated without any prior knowledge or understanding of medicine. Please do not use it as any sort of reference or help. Apply critical thinking to anything you read anywhere.)

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 5 years

Text

Dimension Wave Chapter 30 — A Springboard unto Death

“I bite my thumb at thee, Miss Kizuna!” Yamikage shouted out from the deck.

We’re back at sea, as we usually are. The only thing different was that water surrounded us in every direction. There was no land at all to be seen.

“Oh, picking a fight, huh?” “I can take no more squid!” “I understand, but Sheryl, you too must give due respect to our bounty.” “… I’m not wasting food. Just repurposing it.”

The first glance of yet squid again had Yamikage shrieking, while Shouko chastises Sheryl for loading our lunch into the ballista. But there were two others.

“Ahaha, you guys are hilarious!” “Ugh… why did I sign up for this…?”

Tsugumi had a good laugh, but Alto was far less impressed. How did the six of us sailors end up like this? you may ask. Well, let’s go back to about a week ago, to the day after we beat Dimension Wave.

We decided we needed a day off. Actually, it’d probably be more accurate to say that we needed a day to walk to the Second City to research the newly implemented items. By chance, we bumped into Romina and with the warm support from everyone, I had her make me a new weapon out of the parts I got from gutting Cerberus. Romina eyed me with suspicion when I handed the items to her, but she said nothing of it and forged me some proper equipment. I mean, it was only natural that I stood out just a little when I’m the only one with a huge inventory of Cerberus’ parts.

In any case, what she came up with was the Cerberus Slaughterer—an unadorned blade that like nothing but an oddly matte black kitchen knife. A weapon forged from the mats of a boss monster that powerful, it should be accordingly lethal. Well, should… … but I wouldn’t know. I didn’t even have the Energy to equip it. So, away it went into my inventory, biding time until I can wield its potential.

Then, we went shopping to check out the updated weapon types, Stones of Mediations, and other new stuff in the game. Along with a newly purchased reel, I had a beaming smile plastered on my face as Shouko, Yamikage, Sheryl, and I made our way to the Second City. Then, I saw it.

—The lure.

It was glimmering—no, rather, it was glowing. We came across a merchant selling a lure that would glow in the dark. Or better yet, a lure for night fishing. 10,000 serin was its price. As soon as I showed any intent on purchasing it, Shouko immediately tried to stop me. You absolutely cannot buy this, Kizuna. Do not be swindled, she pleaded, but alas, it was to no avail—my wallet would soon be 10,000 serin lighter.

“You are being completely cheated by the merchant! Please, just listen to us!”

I had no regrets. I still have no regrets because, though it unbeknownst to any of us at the time, I definitely did not make a bad decision. At the end of the day, I went to bed and slept soundly, pleased with a peaceful and successful shopping trip.

The next day. After deciding that I should regain my lost Energy, we set off back to our floating home base of a sailing ship. Things were still fine at this point.

“We may not risk thee taking damage, Miss Kizuna. Thou art best to rest in the cabin.”

Maybe I was still tired from all the shopping I did the previous day, I left the deck to the rest of them and went to a nap as suggested. There are two bedrooms in the cabin. But for some reason, I felt a little embarrassed to be the only one sleeping and so, I locked the door before the Sandman visited me.

“Gah! Help!”

A few hours later, I was awoken by the racket outside. I stepped up and out to the deck and immediately understood the situation.

… my fellow party members were engaged in some sort of act of piracy.

To sum up the bizarre turn of events unfolding in front of my very eyes, my sister, Tsugumi†Exceed, was about to be thrown overboard. In the water waiting for their meal were three Blue Sharks. Honestly, it seemed like a slapstick routine more than anything.

“What the hell are you guys doing?!”

I snapped to my senses and shouted at them. Shouko was the first to respond.

“Executing a stowaway!”

All of my attention was on them. Something must’ve happened while I was asleep, but frankly, I really didn’t want to know. I just didn’t have much of a choice but to talk things over with them.

“Come on! Tsumugi’s my sister! What the hell happened?” “Judgement upon stowaways on our vessel!” “You stay quiet!” “… stowaways are shark food.” “I don’t have a clue what you mean.” “Seajacking shall bring demise unto us!” “I told you to stay quiet, Dark Shadow!”

Our arguing brought me nowhere closer to understanding what was going on, but at least I saved Tsugumi for now. I had to coax them out of their frenzy before I could get a good grasp of the situation. Apparently, while I was sleeping, a group of four that were stowed away in the bilge tried to hijack our ship. Our party members engaged the hijackers at the bow and easily rounded them up, as the hijackers didn’t have any naval combat–related skills. —And then.

“Are you for real?!”

That still didn’t explain anything. Then, they told me they were discussing what to do with the hijackers when one of them called out to Shouko.

“Remember how we were allies?”

He tried to fish for sympathy. It seemed like they were the people Shouko used to run with before coming to us. After seeing how well we did in the Dimension Wave, there were snide remarks about how “the likes of us Spirits” must have played dirty. It made Shouko’s blood boil, and so now, the hijackers were being dangled above the water.

“I’ll make sure to spread rumors.”

His last words were befitting of a heroin in a dating sim game. With one down, it leaves three.

“Goodbye to you two, too.” “We’ll kill you in the next Dimension Wave.” “Wh—aaagh!”

They sure can talk a lot of trash. It was a slog to get through what Shouko and the others had to say too, but I had little choice but to listen. Anyway, it turns out that the hijackers found Tsugumi hiding in a barrel, hoping to pop out and startle me.

“What a bunch of tools!” “Yes, they were quite the characters.” “Don’t pretend like you didn’t go crazy either, Shouko.” “Sorry…”

I never woulda thought that she would flipped out like this. Tsugumi then began to explain why she was here.

“I snuck here because you and your party seemed to be having so much fun, big bro…” “What, did you have enough of your permadeath run?” “I muttered that under my breath! You weren’t supposed to hear that!”

Unfortunately for you, I’m not hard of hearing It’d be weirder if I couldn’t hear you since I’m standing right next to you. And it’s not like I have super good hearing either. … not that I know of, at least.

“What’s a permadeath run anyway?” “… it’s a roleplaying thing in VRMMOs.” “Hmm, don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

According to Sheryl, it’s common in virtual worlds where you can’t voluntarily logout, making it kind of like a “if you die in the game, you die in real life” kind of roleplay. The rest of the party would kick you and cut off communication if you die, I assume.

“Wait, I didn’t know they were doing that!”

Well, I’m not about to criticize anyone how they play the game, but I can’t say I’m enamored with the idea. Maybe the frontliners are more dedicated to their role because they play on permadeath rules. Who knows.

“If everybody’s okay with it, maybe we can let Tsugumi into our party.” “But of course.” “We are indebted to your sister for bequeathing us her aid during the Dimension Wave.” “‘kay.” “But I mean, y’all just tried to feed her to the sharks…”

None of them could look me in the eyes. Did you think I’d forget about this? Tsugumi joined our party without an apology from any of them.

True to their words, the hijackers had been spreading false rumors about us back in the cities. Alto caught wind of it, explained the truth, and seemed to have turned the tables back on them. Glad that someone’s got our back.

And those were the events that led to Alto joining us.

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note

osmw1 · 5 years

Text

Crowbar Nurse Chapter 9 — Fighting Alongside Him, Even if It Takes Us To the Ends of the Earth

“Kiryu! Are you okay? Seeing you drive yourself into a wall like that makes me wonder if you’re really human.”

“...! Well, looks like you’re alright on your end.”

Landing firmly back on the ground, Kiryu looked over his shoulder and responded to me. Him gritting his teeth told me that repeatedly running into a wall had hurt.

“Yes, the troops should be fine on their own now… we’ll let Nick and the army take care of the enemies in the area. We’ve cleared this stage already, so we can consider it a safe zone.” “You really are something else… I know I’ve asked you if you could do something to stall them, but I didn’t expect you to build a fully-functioning automated zombie-killing system.” “I couldn’t have done it without you coming up with the bait. If it were just me all alone, I probably wouldn’t be still alive.”

I forced a half-hearted chuckle.

“If anything, you’re the one who’s been amazing, Kiryū. I had completely forgotten about bugs and glitches. I didn’t believe you at all at first, but it seems like there’s really a spot which we can use to escape this world…” “Yeah… if I keep attacking this wall, I’ll be able to get past it bit by bit and eventually clip through it entirely.”

Kiryū points to the wall with his chin and to which I nod along.

“Right, and that’s amazing. But… you know, Kiryū, not only do we have the unstoppable army from hell, we also have Nick now. That means we can safely fight the zombies with combat tactics and strategy. You don’t need to force yourself anymore.” “…” “…” “… b-but I want to try.” “Okay. Then let’s do it together.”

He scratched the back of his head after my awkward outburst.

“You don’t need to suffer with me either.” “Well, joining you would be a bit of a headache…”

My forced laugh didn’t make it any less awkward.

“Why are you so focused on this one wall anyway? Are your game dev senses tingling?” “Well, kinda, but also, I just want a clue…”

He paused to let out a melancholic sigh.

“... a clue on how to get out of here. The more I think about what “here” is, the more confused I get. If we’re truly in a game, then there’s gotta be bugs that we can exploit. Something like this wall here.”

Kiryū patted the wall as he spoke.

“Hackers aren’t people who try to force their way through an impenetrable defense. Rather, they scan every nook and cranny where they think they might find chinks in the armor. … I still don’t understand much about this world, but I’m certain, with enough patience and perseverance, I’ll find a bug somewhere. And it’ll be by exploiting those bugs that we’ll find our way home… or so I think.” “Kiryū…” “Y’see, Sera…”

Kiryū looked down at me with a grave face.

“… you have the skills to survive in this world. You were so calm and collected, even when our situation seemed so bleak. But that won’t get us home. There’s no point to survival without a goal. I’m a game dev. Let me handle getting us home… and luckily for us, cracking security is my forte.” “Hey…” “We’ll be alright, Sera. We’ll definitely make it back home.”

He followed his words with a soft, clumsy smile—a telltale sign of someone not used to smiling.

“… you’re right. We’ll make it out of this.”

I couldn’t help but follow suit and smile after seeing his. I realized I came to adore his beautiful smile. —Ignoring the fact that Kiryū is a total hottie from a dating sim game, there’s still something calming about his smile. It’s scary to even imagine how I would be without him… I’d still be lost and wandering alone. I turned and faced the direction of downtown, where zombies and NPCs were killing each other.

Under the thick black smoke billowing out the skyline, monsters ran amok in the city. It was a scene from hell.

Being thrown into this world is frightening. It still frightens me. But I’m glad to have met him…

I was in reflection.

… with him by my side, I can do it.

We’ll laugh at silly things together. We’ll search for our escape together. No matter how bleak our way may seem, we’ll fight through this together.

“… let’s escape past the walls together, Kiryū.”

The profession of a common goal came out of my mouth as I turned towards Kiryū. Be it playing a game or looking for bugs, it’s better with two heads than one. Kiryū cheerily responded with another smile and he showed me the way.

“Thanks. Well, ladies first.” “... what are you so happy about?” “Things are more fun when you get to share it with someone. Isn’t that obvious?” “Running into a wall head first is fun for you?” “Ha-ha, very funny. No, but exploiting bugs is. Okay, listen up, Sera. Stand like this, right up against the corner… yeah, just like that. Now, keep jumping as hard as you can into the wall and you’ll find yourself clipping through it.” “Alright… ugh, I bet this is gonna hurt.”

I might have been grumbling about it, but after closing my eyes shut, I did exactly what he said and began ramming into the wall… though at some point, it really did start to hurt my head.

“You can stop jumping, Sera! You’re through!”

His voice came from beyond the wall. I gingerly opened my eyes and the scene that lay before me was… indescribable.

It was just as Kiryu described—I was beyond this world.

☆

“Whoa…”

Entering another dimension had rendered me speechless, dumbfounded. There were yet more dilapidated buildings here, even more than the Downtown area in game.

I recognize this place… I’m in the Slums.

Hanging from the sills of broken windows was laundry that looked more like rags. An abandoned bicycle lay in the streets below, but anything worth money has already been plundered.

‘The Slums’

Though I may have seen it countless times, I had never stepped foot in the area.

They teased it in the trailer, but this area never made it into the final game…

I racked my memory as I looked around. Not so surprising was the fact that there weren’t any enemies around. What was though, was the backdrop.

The scenery reflects in the sky…

Shivers ran down my spine.

What’s usually the background of the game was now duplicated and plastered all over the space above. But even so, I remembered all of this. This tree stood beside this building, as it did when I played the game. This creepy, odd scene was so… familiar.

I remember someone hacking their way into the Slums portion of the game and uploaded it for everyone to watch…

This space was weird. The buildings and the trees that surround them seem to be crafted out of flimsy sheets of plywood. Almost as if they’re scenery built for a school play. But… scenery pieces and props don’t float in the air, as far as I know. I’m definitely not back in the real world yet.

—Will we really be able to break free of this bizarro world?

“… looks like we’re definitely trapped in another world.”

Instinctively, I spun around to the voice that was behind me. It was Kiryū, and he was here before I even realized. He was grimacing and clutching his head. Must’ve been from running into the wall too hard.

“Guess we really are in an alternate game dimension…” “What do you mean by that? We’re not actually in the game?”

Kiryū’s eyes were shut, still wincing from the pain.

“Yeah. All of the bugs are still present, but this is too well-refined to be the actual game. Take for instance… oh, like my belt here. I’ve strapped the crowbar and the rifle with unlimited ammo to my belt. There’s no way the characters in game could do anything like this.”

He spun around and showed me his backside and there were the crowbar and rifle hanging off his belt.

“Jeez, you’re going to shoot yourself in the butt, Kiryū. … well, but you’ve got a point. There’s no way in the game to stick a gun in your waistband like some gangsta. Oh, and thanks so much for bringing my gun here too.” “You’re far too careless. You know there are zombies out there, right? You can’t afford to leave your weapon behind.”

Kiryū sighed before scanning our surroundings.

“… we’re able to do things we shouldn’t. Things show up that shouldn’t. There are a lot of things we do that require really complex calculations, and we’ve really broken the physics engine too… there’s no way we’re in a game.” “That’s true. Not only have the zombies been freely roaming, we’ve been moving around with way too much freedom than the game would’ve allowed… I’ve never seen this before when I was playing, that’s for sure.”

I looked around once again before shrugging.

“It’s impossible on a technical level, huh?” “Yeah. This world we’re in is barely believable as fantasy, let alone science fiction.”

His eyes narrowed, staring off into the distance. Then, silence fell between us. I was lost in my own thoughts as I glanced around the thin, fake-looking buildings.

Will we make it back alive? How are things like back in the hospital? I wonder if my disappearance caused a huge stir. Or maybe time isn’t even elapsing while I’m on the other side…

Kiryū broke my train of thought as he began to smack the buildings and throw rocks at them. Then I noticed the unusual, distorted shadows by my feet.

“… the resolution of the shadow mapping is really low… clipping over the wall to this side didn’t change a thing.”

Mutters accompanied Kiryū as he examined the different bugs in this world… then, a rock by his foot fell through the ground and disappeared.

“Whoa, is physics not a thing here?!” “… seems that way. We should really watch our step. We might end up falling through the ground and disappearing too.” “What the…” “Well, I guess if you fall, you fall. There’s no helping it, even if you were to worry about it.” “… but you were just telling me to be more careful. Your curiosity beats your risk aversion, hey? It totally shows on your face. It’s saying, ‘exploiting these bugs is too fun to miss out on,’ you know?” “…”

I caught a sheepish, embarrassed smile on his face before I turned to looking around again. I’d be lying if I claimed to totally understand everything he’s said, but I know at least that this side of the wall is a lot weirder than the other side. We really should be more careful…

“… oh. Oh! I just remembered, Kiryū.” “What is it?”

Like a certain theoretical physicist would do, Kiryū had been bashing his red crowbar against every object he saw to make sure there weren’t any bugs that he might have forgotten about.

“I just can’t help but feel like this is all sci-fi. Are you sure we’re not trapped in some sort of game world, like the protagonists in Lance Art Online?”

While voicing my concerns, I sat down on the ground, leaning on a wall. It looked safe enough anyway. He answered with shock.

“We were just working unpaid overtime, weren’t we? Where did we get the time to start playing video games?” “Umm, our memories probably just got a little scrambled. You know how popular VR gaming has been real popular lately? Someone probably knocked us out, kidnapped us, brought us to some underground testing chambers of a secret government agency, and made us guinea pigs to test out the newest VR headsets! … whaddya think?” “It’s just a little farfetched.”

Kiryū snickered as he playfully smacked me on the top of my head.

“Could you feel that?” “Totally.” “Me too. We both physically felt it. No game is capable of this level of haptic feedback. If a player hits anything with their hands, then the same amount of energy should be sent back into their hands. That would require actuators. Without them, we would have neither the senses of “touch” and “being touched”. We haven’t even dreamed of having a gaming console or VR system with that level of technology.” “Dang. Sci-fi is endlessly deep.” “It’s not sci-fi either. We’re at the brink of large-scale development of that kind of tech.” “Hmm… stuff like that kinda goes over my head, but I assume it’s still not feasible to fit all that into a glove.” “You’re exactly right.”

He nodded.

“That’s why if we were really in a current-gen VR game, we would phase through other players and walls. The collision detection isn’t at that level yet. Plus, I don’t think any headset could provide such an expansive field of vision.” “I guess… that’s kinda lame, though. It would’ve been cool if we were stuck in a VR game world.”

Kiryū snickered again.

“I feel you. But think about it. Firstly, if we were really stuck in a VR world, we could simply take off the headset and get out of here.” “I think the in Lance Art Online, the players couldn’t get out because their brains were hooked up to the game.” “That’s the least believable part. How would you even connect a brain to a game? We don’t have that sort of technology yet. What, did they crack open their skulls, plug in electrodes, and stick a USB port out through the back of their necks?” “No way, that’s super lame. And grotesque.” “Gross, sure, but I don’t think anybody would do that much for ‘just a video game’ anyway.” “Oh, I’m not so sure about that.” “It doesn’t sound very lucrative either. … there’s no way any company would develop something that over-the-top. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about being stuck in a VR world.”

With a shrug and a smile, Kiryū dismantled my theory before becoming dead serious.

“Anyway… it doesn’t look good for us. If we’re really lost in some of alternate game dimension, then how are we meant to get back? What’s the key to solving all of this…?” “…”

I grimaced at the words Kiryū said to himself. —How do we get out of this world? I haven’t got the slightest idea… Not ideas, rather I had tears started welling up before I knew it. I had more important things to be anxious about, though.

“And, umm, Kiryū? I was wondering…” “What’s up?” “Are we… stepping on someone?” “…”

We instantly turned our heads down to the ground to see a purple lump trampled beneath our feet.

“Agh, we totally are!”

We weren’t strictly stepping on a body, but just a skirt—the skirt a girl was wearing. I knew she probably wasn’t an NPC simply by looking at her grandiose clothing. She’s one of us… someone trapped in the body of a video game character.

■VR headsets

A headset for VR games. Though there was a setback in the mid 1990’s, this medium found its resurgence in 2012. It was then a teenager and his handcrafted prototypes received remarkable crowdfunding support and ultimately, rapidly leading the current trend.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /next/

(leave me a tip on Patreon?)

1 note · View note