Fraudulent Conversation

"Saint, Saint!"

The soldiers cheer as I come by them, passing the divine miracle of healing through their bodies.

Ah, but soldiers, I am no saint.

I'm just a fraud.

[…]

This is a fun game.

Whoever made this really knows what I want, it's got the randomness and rng, the skill requirements, mechanics, and an infinite story. I could be anyone, do anything, and get different endings by doing so.

It made me giddy to play it.

Thank god.

Thank god someone made this game.

It saved me, saved me from hours of boredom, playing games I didn't enjoy. This is truly one of the  happiest moments of my life!

I played the game for 13 years.

The game was so good that there were still a good amount of active players and a thriving community, about 2,000 people. The only problem was that the game only ran on a singular system of code and translating the game would take at least a decade, and with the way the game is, the graphics weren't phenomenal to say the least.

By the time the 13 years had passed there were only 300 players left since the most popular game platform no longer supported it.

The concurrent charts were only declining every day.

[Asher: what's up?]

Clack, clack.

[Duri: game dead?]

[Asher: yeah.]

Clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: I haven't even finished the game yet.]

[Asher: you only say that because you haven't cleared the hardest difficulty yet.]

I paused.

The hardest difficulty isn't set by the developers, it was agreed upon as the hardest scenario with the hardest background, with the worst possible combinations.

It was a run with the shittiest rng, odds, and player character.

I probably only made it through 75% of his story before I died, that's just an estimate though since the scenarios only end when you obtain what is considered a perfect clear.

Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: you know how hard that fucker is to play? I've done over 11,000 attempts already, I've gotten the furthest out of everyone, yet I don't even get to finish the game because the devs are shutting it down.]

I was seriously pissed, I paid for the game, dlc, and everything so why couldn't I keep it? It just had to be one of those live service games.

I honestly expected it to be shut down earlier, with player counts dwindling and the money no longer coming in, it was wonder why they supported this game as long as they did. Though it makes me wonder, what are they even doing live service for?

It just feels much worse when I'm so close to the end.

[Asher: there's ten minutes left, you have anything else to rant about?]

Clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: not really, I seriously enjoyed this game, the bastard devs should've given me more time to beat the game.]

[Asher: you really think you could beat it?]

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: if not me, then who? I'm the only one who even made it past the 50% mark, and even reached 75%]

[Asher: you know this route is just ridiculously hard right? I'm pretty sure the devs didn't even expect anyone to grace the 30% mark]

Clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: if the settings weren't all fucked it'd be a lot easier, the player character literally needs to be set have the weakest body, ugliest face, and a shit background. I'm personally creating a guy destined to die.]

[Asher: you still got to 75% even then? How?]

Clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: because I'm better than you.]

[Asher: you really are a bastard, even til the end.]

I looked at the game clock.

11:57:56

Clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: fine, I'll tell you a little bit about how I failed my 75% run.]

[Asher: oh? The progidal fucker is finally giving away information?]

Clack, clack!

[Duri: fuck off then.]

[Asher: oh my glorious god, don't leave the sheep stranded out here with even a drop of water.]

This fucker switches up so quick.

Clack, clack.

[Duri: it was just because the avatar was ugly.]

[Asher: you serious?]

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: yeah, it was just because the character was too goddamn ugly, the challenge is literally impossible because the fourth quadrant doesn't recognize you as human since the avatar is so fucking ugly.]

[Asher: that's not good, the game should have complete freedom.]

11:58:37

Clack, clack, clack.

[Duri: not like they can do anything about it now, the devs made a broken game.]

Though that's just because of this ridiculous challenge run, the rest of the game had zero bugs.

[Asher: huh…that's unexpected, you found the first bug in the game.]

Clack, clack.

[Duri: well, it's not really a bug…]

11:59:08

[Asher: It's also an impossible feat to find a bug in this game, you know? That's because the game literally simulates that exact scenario of the other world as it happens.]

Clack, clack.

[Duri: what?]

[Asher: I'm saying that it's simulating every exact thing that happens because the other world is real, everything that's simulated is a real living creature, a real world.]

What is this guy saying?

[Asher: you won't get it unless I show you, which I plan to do. You really achieved an impossible feat, you deserve a reward right? I'll make that challenge of yours possible, and I'll even give you the chance to play it.]

Clack, clack, clack!

[Duri: what? Is that really possible? Are you a dev?]

[Asher: the service is ending because the monopoly on the constraints of that world are running out, we can't keep resetting anymore. Only the original timeline of that world remains now, which means you've only got one chance.]

Is this guy trolling?

Damn, I even got all excited because he said he'd make it possible.

[Asher: I'm the creator of this game.]

What?!

[Asher: I'll give you the last file of this world with the added changes, it's already preset and ready to go, you've just got to press start.]

I opened the file he sent me, double clicking on the .exe file. 

11:59:59

My eyesight turns blurry for no apparent reason.

[Asher: this is the last world after all, no it'd be more proper to call it the first. I can't just have you half-assing it with no risks after all.]

12:00:00

My eyes registered the end of service before they were blocked out by darkness. 

"Where am I?!"

Every inch of my body hurt, I could literally feel the pain of just having my heart beat, as I moved around my joints would ache as I tried to move around the room. My body didn't feel as if it had the proper strength to move around, and my skin felt as if it were being pierced with pins and needles.

I couldn't tell if it was cold or hot, if my feet were on the floor or not.

"What is this?! What have you done?!"

Light suddenly burst into my pupils.

"What is the matter, Young Master?!"

My vision was still blurry, the darkness and light blurred together, the people in front of me seemed to meld together.

"W-who are you?"

"Young Master, it's me, Emily, your maid."

I heard her whisper to the other person.

The other person brought something close to my face, and when I blinked again, I could see their faces.

"Young Master, can you see me now?"

"Y-yes, I can, I can see again!"

She picked me up and carried me to my bed, I looked up at the roof of the bed.

Roof of the bed? This is really fancy, there's no way this could be in my room.

Hey fuck, this isn't my room!

She propped me back up against the pillows.

"Where is this place?"

"It's your room Young Master."

"No I mean, where is this place? As a whole."

The maid shows a confused face, almost as if to ask if I had finally lost my mind.

"This is the Dukedom of Noctum, who proudly serves the Alaric Royalty."

Noctum, the worst starting background, and Alaric the royalty of Carissan, the very families that play huge parts in "Other World."

I've…been abducted into the game?