“Log out!”
「Currently unable to log out due to an unknown error.」
“Delete character!”
「Currently unable to delete the character due to an unknown error.」
“Account withdrawal!”
「Currently unable to withdraw the account due to an unknown error.」
“This damn game…!”
After hours of shouting the same phrases at the top of my lungs, I slumped back in my chair in despair.
“Ugh, my throat hurts…”
I grabbed my sore throat in pain and sniffled.
It wasn’t actually hurting, but the synchronization of my brain with the virtual reality made it feel somewhat real.
Of course, it was only to a certain extent.
If it was made so intense that it would cause excruciating pain leading to death, the company would be collectively sued by the players…
That was the moment.
「 [Recovery potion containing a Lizard’s vocal cords] 」
「 – When consumed, this potion temporarily increases the speed of HP (Hit Point) recovery and grants
strong vocal cords that can scream without rest, just like a Lizard.- 」
「 You have sufficient materials. Would you like to craft the potion? (Craftable Quantity: 100) 」
“Hah.”
I laughed in disbelief at the system window that appeared out of thin air.
Come to think of it, being an NPC allowed me to craft any desired items or potions as long as I had the materials.
I used to get excited about accumulating money, but now that I was trapped in the game, it was driving me crazy.
“…How the hell do I get out of here?”
I stared blankly at the empty air and once again fell into a state of despair, muttering to myself.
I had tried countless times to end the game, but either a connection bug occurred or it simply wouldn’t log me out.
“What about my body… Is it okay?”
Two years. Two years!
No matter how fast the game time flowed compared to reality, two years meant that at least 24 hours had passed in the real world.
The maximum time a human can survive without eating or drinking is 72 hours.
If I didn’t get out within that time, I might end up as a headline in the newspaper.
‘Young woman in her 20s dies from game addiction, the dark side of virtual reality games…’
A plausible headline popped into my mind.
Along with it, the image of my miserable self, wearing a VR device and starving to death in front of a desk…
“No way―!”
I jumped out of my seat and paced nervously around the small store, trying to figure out how to get out of the game.
If I had lived with my family, someone would have forcibly removed the VR device, telling me to take a break.
Unfortunately, I was an orphan.
Moreover, once I was connected to the game, it was considered as being at work, so no one would know I was absent.
‘I can chat with the management only when I’m on standby.’
Since I was already logged into the server, all I had was the authority of NPCs, such as blocking malicious players.
It would be better to find another operator who was also connected and ask for help…
“…Wait. Chat?”
Suddenly, a solution flashed through my mind like lightning.
Due to more than 300 bugs, this game has been continuously delayed in its official release for several years. True to its reputation, bug reporting NPCs were placed everywhere.
Reports were sent in real-time through the chat system, and the operators who were logged in had to prioritize checking and taking action on them.
“Great! I’m going to report a bug, right now.”
I used to get angry at players who cursed in the chat over trivial things like delayed rewards.
But now that it had become my own problem, I fully sympathized with those players who cursed at the “Bug-infested Trash Game.”
I rushed out of the Apothecary with a big smile on my face, but soon stopped in the middle of the street with a dejected look on my face.
“That’s right. I’m the only NPC here…”
The bug reporting NPCs were usually located in temples or churches in each area.
However, Dover Village was detached from the main scenario and it was a place where players rarely visited, so there was no temple at all.
The bug reporting NPC would probably be near the adjacent village, [Count Hailey’s Territory], but it was a four-hour walk away.
Ordinary players would naturally never have to walk there.
They could purchase “Teleport Scrolls” from the general store and teleport or tame a mount or pet monster to ride.
But stuck in this situation, where I was mining coins, it was impossible for me to have those things.
“Damn it, what should I do?”
It was then.
“Now that Jack is out of town, this horse is mine! How dare you stand in front of a Hero!”
Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the center of town, where people were busy cleaning up the damage caused by the monster attack.
“But, sir Hero, these horses are ours to begin with…”
“Even so, this bastard! You think you can be a hero? Huh?!”
[Dover Village Hero] Gail
[Dover Village Stableboy] Tom
There seemed to be a leftover trash hero as a massive figure and a significantly smaller boy were locked in a struggle in front of the stable.
However, that wasn’t what caught my eye.
[Lv.9 Horse-type Monster]
‘That’s it!’
If it was level 9, it was quite decent for this rural area.
I quickly stepped in front of the stableboy, who was about to get hit by the trash Hero.
“Tom, do you want to sell me this horse?”
“Shari…?”
“Hey. Aren’t you the apothecary witch?”
Apparently angered by my sudden interruption, the trash Hero gave me a fierce look and grabbed me by the shoulders.
“Can’t you see I’m talking right now?! Don’t interrupt. In case you didn’t notice, all of my comrades have left after catching the monsters, and you’re here, blocking my way…”
“Ban.”
「‘[Dover Village Hero] Gail’ is permanently banned from this area. 」
It was a waste of time to deal with such a petty AI.
I have no idea what’s happening to my real body at this moment.
“Oh! Indeed, Gail also left for another village like the other Heroes…”
Shhhhh―
The boy murmured as he watched the man disappear in an instant.
It seems that permanent bans feel that way to the AIs. It’s probably for the best.
“I’ll give you 100 coins.”
I searched my pocket and pulled out a handful of gold coins.
I was glad I didn’t take off my robe. The NPC-exclusive costume, [Shabby Robe], had unlimited pocket space, which meant inventory capacity.
「 Paid 100 coins to [Dover Village Stableboy] Tom to purchase [Lv.9 Horse-type Monster]. 」
「 [Current Coins: 4,012,900 C] 」
Unlike those scumbags who preyed on the villagers with just the job of a “Hero,” I had legitimately purchased a means of transportation, and seeing my coin balance surprised me.
I didn’t realize that so much had accumulated during the period where I didn’t pay attention.
“…Shari, are you leaving to become a great Hero, too?”
The AI character asked me as they saw me preparing to leave.
“As if. Why would I do something like that?”
If I leave from here, I might as well delete my account and quit my job.
I replied in exasperation and leapt onto my horse.
「 Consumed 1 potion containing [Lizard’s Leg Muscles]. 」
「 -A potion formulated with the toughest leg muscles of the Lizard’s muscle fibers. Effective only on the same monster type… – 」
“Heeheehee―!”
Feeding the potion to the horse like crazy and repeatedly whipping it, I reduced the 4-hour distance to two hours.
As soon as I entered [Count Hailey’s Territory], I rushed straight to the temple.
[Count Hailey’s Territory] was the area where the first main scenario unfolded right after the tutorial. Normally, the interior of the temple would be bustling with players.
However, due to an emergency maintenance restriction, it was deserted except for the AIs.
As someone who needed help from anyone online, it was a rather sad situation for me.
Fortunately, I quickly found the bug reporting NPC wearing the same shabby robe.
In the center of the temple stood statues of the gods worshiped in this game world, and the NPC was right in front of them.
“Welcome, dear priest. The gods are always open to those who seek their help.”
With the NPC in the appearance of a priest reciting their scripted dialogue, a menu appeared in the air.
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1. Check the map of the current area.
2. Check the quests in the current area.
3. Check the monsters that appear in the area.
4. Check the relationships of the characters in the current area.
5. Report malicious players and bugs.
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“Report a bug! Report a bug!”
As I shouted, the system window immediately transformed into a chat window format.
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Bug reports will be conducted through real-time chat consultation.
Connecting you to an available counselor.
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I looked at the blinking chat window screen with eyes filled with excitement.
. . .
. . .
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Sorry, it’s not currently within real-time chat consultation hours.
Consultation hours are weekdays from 09:00 to 19:00…
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However, my mouth dropped open at the message that appeared right after.
“Ha, huh… Does this make any sense?”
I laughed in disbelief.
‘They say it’s not consultation time after 7 o’clock?’
Of course, I thought that leaving work on time was very important.
When I was the only one of the Operation Helpers left at work, I wanted to kill the bastards for chatting at 6:59 as if they were targeting me and complained about the low quest rewards.
But, but…
At least those jerks must have finished the game, exhausted, and went to sleep, right?!
“Please… I’m so scared…”
I put my hands inside the hood and cried out as I tore my hair out.
“At this rate, I’ll die! I’ll die, I’m telling you!”
‘I’m going to be a pitiful game addict who starved to death on a VR device……!’
I sobbed and slumped down in front of the priest NPC.
It seemed like they were trying to mass-produce addicts. Once I logged into the game, I couldn’t tell the passage of real-time.
Moreover, this game went beyond simple virtual reality implementation and transmitted sensations such as smell, taste, and spatial awareness through brainwaves. So, game time felt like time in the real world.
‘Is that why there were still players even after 300 revisions?’
It was truly an amazing and fucked-up innovation.
Although there was a warning that a few hours had passed since connecting to the game, it didn’t exist for me, probably because I was an NPC.
Thus, I had no way of knowing how much time was left until the real daybreak.
All I could do was to only continue waiting…
– ̗̀ ˚ ·* ༊*·˚ ˊˎ–
It was one day after about two months or so in the game world.
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― Me: Excuse me, I’m an operator. I can’t close the game.
― This is not the consultation time.
― Me: Fuckers, I’m telling you the game won’t end!!
― This is not the consultation time.
― Me: You bastards! It’s been a whole month!!!
What kind of crappy game did you create? *$#^$%! ^#$%*!
― This is not the consultation time.
― Me: Please save me… ㅠ-ㅠ There’s someone stuck here.
ㅠ-ㅠ ㅠ.ㅠ ㅠ-ㅠ
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I was traveling back and forth between [Dover Village] and [Count Hailey’s Territory] every day, leaving angry chats.
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― [GM Ari] : Hello, this is GM Ari.
You said you were experiencing a game-ending bug?
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Finally, a response from an operator arrived.
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