Cheating the System

(A/N: In case it's not clear, this is no longer virtual, and the game has become reality, though the players have no way of knowing that. Since there'll probably be confusion, I'll just say it: all non-players have been exterminated, the game (by that I mean my heavily, heavily altered version) has become reality (the players can't be sure of that fact), and the world itself is heavily altered. Hope that clears up any confusion.)

As the place I was transported to was going legitimately crazy, I made sure that I didn't get trampled and tried to escape the plaza.

Stomping on a few feet that were in my way and making sure I wasn't seen by those victims, I made it out of the storm and journeyed through the streets.

There were little shops in the streets, the sky was bright and blue, and the road itself wasn't even brick; it was dirt.

What barbaric place have I been transported to?

The first road was made in four-thousand B.C., and these people aren't even at that level?

Well, the plaza I was transported to was stone, so maybe the streets aren't thought to be important enough to warrant a stone road?

Actually nevermind, I'm focusing on the wrong details.

I can't have my fun if I die of my ignorance before anything else.

I guess that gathering information would be the best choice.

Noticing an apple stand near me, I wandered over there and started up a conversation with the owner.

"How much do your apples cost?"

The stand is dirty and the owner smells like he hasn't bathed in a month, so I don't expect a high price.

Wait… price?

Fuck. I don't know this world's currency system yet.

"Twenty-five Cor, boy."

I guess "Cor" is this world's currency?

Glancing at my inventory, I noticed that I had fifty Cor to start out with.

I doubt this game is cheap enough to only give enough currency to buy two apples.

Is he scamming me?

I can't be sure, so I just won't buy anything. I don't have any use for some mediocre fruit.

"What is Cor?" I asked, examining the man more intently this time.

He wore a white shirt, one that you'd expect from some medieval peasant, with brown pants and thin slippers to match. His skin was slightly tanned, more so than the other people I had the displeasure of seeing.

"If you aren't going to buy anything, then get out of here, boy."

"What kind of answer is that?" I questioned. "Your customer asks you a simple question and you can't even give an answer?"

Coming closer to the wooden stand, I started pressuring him for some information, until he replied once more.

"If you aren't going to buy anything, then get out of here, boy."

The same response as before?

"Listen here, friend," I said while looking him straight in the eye, "I'm just a wandering traveller, it would only be expected of you to be hospitable to your guests, no?"

"If you aren't going to buy anything, then get out of here, boy."

Again?

Actually focusing on his eyes this time while looking at him, I noticed something.

He's not even looking at me, it's like he's staring behind me.

His eyes are glassy, they aren't quite… alive? It's the best way I can describe it.

Is he some robot?

Wait, he's not a character, so he's a Non-Player-Character; an NPC.

If the "Fallen God" truly wanted to create a world, he would've made living inhabitants for it.

This creature is just an Artificial Intelligence with predetermined responses and no mind to truly think with.

If that's the case…

"I have tried my best to be kind to you people, yet you insult me like this?" I exclaimed in mock surprise.

Picking an apple from his stand, I assumed there would be some sort of reaction, yet there… wasn't a penalty for stealing?

Seeing that there would be no response no matter what I did, I simply emptied his apple supply into my inventory.

What? He's not even a real human, he'll be fine.

As I walked away there was still no reaction from the man, so I assumed that it's all good.

How braindead is this supposed "Fallen God" if I can steal from this world's "inhabitants" and receive no punishment? At least it makes up for him not leaving any clear explanation of this world's currency.

Maybe there's a beta tester who knows more about this game's currency system and other information?

Well, there's nothing stopping me from claiming a few more things before I find some more information.

Checking my inventory, I noticed it stacked items with a limit of one hundred.

Apparently, without other gear to carry things, the limit to my inventory is also one hundred slots.

Or maybe I'll discover another way to expand it, who knows.

But with one hundred inventory slots and items being able to stack up to one hundred, I can theoretically carry ten thousand items.

Haha, HAHAH!

I could rob this whole market if I wanted to!

And I do indeed want to.

Going up to each stand, ignoring the lines they automatically say to anyone who comes close to them, I simply picked as many of their products as I could.

Making sure to only take one hundred of each item to leave space, I filled my inventory and went on my journey.

I could sell all of these and become rich!

With ten thousand goods, I could buy weaponry galore and live comfortably!

Leaving behind the barren market, I took my first step out of the marketplace.

This is how my life in the new world starts! Living comfortably with plenty of cash to save me when I need it.

A great leap forward into a bright future -

"STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM! NOBODY BREAKS THE LAW ON MY WATCH!"

My aspirations were cut short as I heard a galloping horse.

Wait… don't tell me that my thievery only counts as thievery when I try to leave the marketplace with the items…

Glancing behind me, I saw a burly man, dressed in some light armor and carrying a lance, chasing after me on a horse.

Fuck.

Surrender? I doubt I can outpace a horse.

But I robbed this whole place, who knows what my punishment will be.

This place seems to be stuck in the olden days, with a medieval-like town and literal peasants as citizens.

Let's just say that punishments in the medieval times weren't as light as modern punishments.

A light case of thievery would receive a fine, but ramping up from there it could be the loss of an ear or hand, being whipped for your crimes, and death by hanging was also another one.

I just stole a whole marketplace worth of goods, so I'd really rather not take my chances.

Sprinting into an alleyway, the dirt ground filthying my boots and splashing against the walls as my feet pounded against the muddy ground, I only regretted being so hasty.

Wasn't my purpose just information gathering? I got carried away, didn't I?

I would strangle my pursuer if I could, but I doubt I can face a knight in battle at my current strength.

Glancing behind me, I saw that the man was forced to go slower at risk of running his horse into the alley walls.

Maybe I could actually escape him?

Turning back around, I continued my sprint, turning the corner and running into another player.

How could I tell he was a player? He had a name hovering above his head, what I presume to be a username.

He also had the SAO starting equipment on.

His orange hair was disgusting to look at, incredibly unrefined.

He was also incredibly obese, and the most noticeable part, he was black.

I'm sorry to say this, but I don't associate with minorities.

If he wants to find company, he should return to Africa.

However, I'm afraid I have bigger problems to take care of.

"Watch where you're going my G," he said while dusting himself off. "You'll hurt yourself running that fast."

However, when I looked at him I simply saw an opportunity.

Not answering, I simply grabbed him by the neck, taking him by surprise, and threw the orange haired black man on the ground where I just came from.

"WHAAA-"

The horse and the knight came barreling out of the alleyway, crushing this supposed "EatDatPussy445" beneath the horse's hooves and tripping themselves over, crashing into the wall opposite them.

Run, or attack?

Attack, definitely attack.

Grabbing my starting spear out of my inventory, I rushed towards the man and skewered his fallen horse.

I reached into the black man's pocket and pulled out a small vial of poison, carefully uncorking it. I poured the toxic liquid onto the tip of my starting spear, watching as the man's horse writhed in painful death throes. The man himself was frozen in fear, unable to move as I advanced towards him, ready to deliver the final blow.

As the man's face contorted in shock, I grabbed his own lance, a nice, silver thing, and impaled him with both weapons.

Maybe it was premature, maybe it was hasty, but it worked out for me in the end.

To be quite honest, killing that man wasn't as hard as all those novels and TV shows try to make it out to be.

Maybe I don't feel anything because I don't think of him as a real person?

Something to think about, for the Japanese players in here.

Wait. I got experience points from slaughtering these two?

Noticing my experience bar filling itself up, my level changed from one to five.

"I won't complain over levels, but I will complain when I get hung for killing a guardsman."

Noticing that the street the alleyway went into was empty, with not even an NPC in sight, I quickly gathered the weapons from the man's body.

Looting his corpse, finding a few hundred Cor and a map, I ran.

I dropped a few stacks of items in an alleyway while running away - some fruit and a deck of cards - to make space for the weapons and map, and kept running.

Eventually arriving at the plaza where I was teleported, I assessed my loot and situation.

Sitting down on a bench, noticing how there were only a few clusters of players conversing, rather than the mob there was earlier today, I paid no heed to them.

I saw that one's name was "Shizu-San" and nearly vomited; I will not associate with these weeb scum.

Looking at my actions in hindsight, I was definitely too hasty.

But it was fun, and risks have to be made for benefits.

Most importantly, it was fun.

But next time, I need to be more careful.

While I don't care what I'm known as, I don't think being hunted as a murderer is the best course of action.

Checking my inventory, I noticed an alert in my notifications box that I seem to have received a couple minutes ago.

"Dear Player Hegemaniac,

"We hope that this message is not inconvenient, however, we thank you for showing us such an obvious flaw in the system. Seeing such an obvious thing being exploited so easily has shown us yet another thing to fix in this glorious world, and we have seen fit to reward you for your help.

"After finishing reading this message, you will receive enough experience points to advance five levels.

"Sincerely, the Cardinal System.

"P.S. We implore you to not exploit our world's inhabitants again, but you can be forgiven as it is your first offense."

I… was rewarded for robbing an entire marketplace and slaughtering a guardsman and his horse?

At least the "Fallen God" values quality entertainment.

Scrutinizing the letter's contents, I noticed how there was no actual information on the fixes themselves, or about how they had been fixed.

Checking my level, I saw that it was already ten.

Well, I won't - what's the saying again? Ah yes, - shoot a free horse in the mouth.

Hopefully strength increases exponentially with each level; having ten times the strength of the people below me would guarantee my safety and amusement.

Checking the map I received from the guardsman, I saw that it was a map of this city.

While I want a map of the world to satisfy my curiosity on the geographical changes, I suppose that can wait. Checking out my immediate vicinity is more important for now.

This town is named "Katakura" - a distinctly Japanese name.

So I'm in Japan?

Great. Just great. No wonder my luck has been down; living in these animals' homeland has cursed me.

Though, I don't expect much from the enemies here, considering they're Japanese, but it's better to be cautious.

Checking my own spear, I noticed that it's not as strong as the guardsman's lance.

While a spear is easier to use, strength is what takes priority right now.

Though I'll be easily identified as the murderer of the original owner when I use his weapon in combat.

Nevermind, I'll just use the spear.

Getting up from my bench, noticing that the sky was beginning to darken, I started walking to the fields outside of the town using the map.

Maybe I can have some fun, fighting is easy to me after all.

As the tall grass crumpled under my leather boots and the orange sky turned red, I encountered a beast.

A creature that looked like a boar, with tusks and a brown hide.

i'd have to be cautious. Currently, the most important thing is strength, and I can't even use my weapon optimally.

Retrieving the spear from my inventory and announcing my presence to the muscular creature, it began snarling.

Gripping the spear as I'd seen people do in movies - I had no other technique to rely on - I waited for the enemy to approach me.

While having the privilege of the first strike is usually what you'd want in these cases, I doubt I'm skilled enough to properly reap the benefits from such a thing.

I'd most likely get skewered by those tusks and left to the worms if my attack failed, so I will simply wait for it to come to me.

As the beast rushed me, crushing dirt and grass beneath its feet, I stepped aside at the last moment like a matador would for a bull, and stuck my spear out towards the creature's path.

It couldn't stop itself, what with the momentum it had built up, so it skewered itself on my spear and began bleeding.

It didn't bleed pixels like you'd usually see in a VR game, it bled real, liquid blood.

Crimson flowed down my weapon, and as the creature whimpered in pain on the ground, I put it out of its own misery.

Splashing blood on the ground with my strike and the animal leaking fluids turned the grass red, matching the sky.

[CONGRATULATIONS.

Experience Points Gained: 50

Cor Gained: 10

Items Gained: Boar Flesh]

Looking at my experience bar, probably not even five percent filled up from that kill.

Well, these things are probably meant for single digit level players, and my level ten does not fit that criteria.

Wiping my spear clean on the long grass, I thought about that battle.

While it may have looked like I did magnificently, I can restrain my ego and see the value of my actions.

The animal went down in two strikes, and all I had to do was let it run itself through my spear. While this can be a testament to my battle tactics, barely any technical skill was required for the actions.

Fighting the animals in this area won't do much for my skill, my level is so beyond what is recommended for this area that it only takes two hits to down an enemy.

However, that's exactly what I need for right now. I could just spend my days grinding the small fries that pose little to no threat to me and raise my level easily, though it would take some time; technique and skill can be discarded when such an opportunity faces me.

While I was thinking about what to do now, I noticed that the boar's body started disintegrating to pixels, unlike when it bled.

The sky was getting darker, and I decided to start treading back to the town.

Walking through the gates, going back to the plaza, I asked the nearest player if there are places to sleep in this town.

"Hey, craven boy," I said as he turned towards me. "Is there a place to sleep in this town?"

I never said I'd ask nicely.

He was wearing the starting equipment, this time in a blue color, and was short.

While I did raise my height when creating this character, even in my original body I was taller than this kid, and now I towered over him.

Though he appears to be a child, I doubt he actually is one. Probably someone who wanted to mess around with people in the game while masquerading as a kid, and is now stuck in that body.

Though it wouldn't be unbelievable for a kid to play this game, some parents are giving children phones before they even attend school.

"What does craven mean?" he asked as he placed his hands behind his back.

So he's an imbecile too.

"Nevermind, it's not important. Answer the question."

"Before you ask that young man any more questions, can I have a chat with you, good sir?"

A man walked up to me, wearing light armor, and seemed to have left his lance with the horse near where he was sitting.

A guardsman?

"Please come closer to me," commanded the guardsman.

Wait… when that boar disappeared, did it respawn or did it simply blink out of existence? It would be much more effective to just recycle the mobs rather than make new ones every time a monster died, so if I'm going by the assumption that mobs respawn, do NPCs respawn as well?

Scrutinizing the man and his horse, they looked eerily similar to the two I had killed earlier today… and cross-referencing the lance next to his horse to the one in my inventory, they were exactly the same…

Fuck.

The man I killed has respawned, and is now right in front of me.

I can only hope that I truly am Heaven's Favored Child, because the only way to escape this situation is with the feature of NPCs not remembering their deaths.

Well, the other option is slaughtering my way out of here and escaping, but I digress.

"Yes, my friend?" Not paying any more attention to the cowardly child next to me, I turned my full attention to the guardsman.

"Let me see your weapon. You seem quite familiar."

He's already suspecting something, the weapon will just confirm what he thinks.

"As you can see, I just came out from hunting monsters, and unfortunately, my sword broke when I was fighting a boar."

I used a spear when I killed him, saying "sword" when he assumes I have a spear will make him doubt my identity, and with the broken weapon lie, I don't have to show him my weapon, since I "don't currently have one."

"I see… well in repayment for answering my question, I can tell you that the nearest inn is over there," he said while pointing towards one of the streets leading out of the plaza. "Go down that road and turn to the right, then look for a sign that says 'INN.' You won't miss it, and it only costs fifty Cor to stay a night."

"Okay."

He waved me off and returned to his post, petting his horse.

Should I leave this town as soon as possible? It's a risk to stay here, what with the guardsman being alive, but that's a problem for future me.

I don't have enough information on the current state of events to make an informed decision, anything right now would be too hasty.

What if there's a bounty or something out on the killer - in other words me? Or what if everyone is ignoring the death, since he respawned and all? And there's also that notification from the "Cardinal System" saying I'd be forgiven since it's my "first offense" - does that extend to the townspeople as well?

But I set aside all of these problems for the future.

As I walked to the inn, I thought about the events of today.

I was too hasty with the marketplace theft, I didn't think about my decision enough and let greed take over.

I overreacted at the guardsman's "resurrection", all it took was a few lies to defuse the situation.

I truly am lucky that he didn't get a good look at me when he died, or maybe he forgot it.

Either way, tomorrow should be more fun, and if it's not, then I'll make my own fun.

I'm in the fantasy world equivalent of Japan, why would I ever let these people live their lives in peace?