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Chapter 6: Ingenious Scheme
<Somewhere on the Dark Continent >
A road that barely met the requirements to be labeled as one connected Gramfil to the Tech Nation of Ironhenge. No one bothered to maintain the route. Faded, dirty signposts with illegible writing indicating the direction occasionally dotted the path, and piles of intentionally stacked stone and wood were all that was left of the villages that once existed along the roadway.
Ignoring the depressing sights, a man who seemed somewhat out of place in this setting walked with an expression of utter exhaustion. He was perhaps too young to be called a man. Yet, he was too old to be called a little boy. If Takuto saw him, he’d probably deem him to be around middle-school age. With a wobbly, slow movement like a sick person, he trudged along, heading toward an unknown destination.
“Haaa…haaa,” he panted loudly, every breath laborious. “I’m beat. I can’t move another inch. I’m gonna dieeee…”
The man’s name was Keiji Kuhara. He was the Player formerly known as the Game Master. The Dice God had reduced him to this little boy body as a penalty for losing the battle against Takuto Ira.
Ӗn̊ ü m̈а̂
Keiji was headed to Ironhenge for a reason. He used his own two feet to make the journey himself—an effort he was all too unfamiliar with. But all his efforts were in vain, or perhaps it should be said that he’d done remarkably well by his standards? In any case, having finally reached his limit, Keiji flopped down on his butt, and with a resentful gaze that implicitly conveyed his inability to move any further, he looked in a certain direction.
His gaze landed squarely on a girl called Echo. She was a mysterious girl of unknown origin, who’d seemingly shown up to take the place of the defeated Erakino at his side. For all he didn’t know about her, there was one thing he knew without a doubt: the sad, sad fact that she had several hundred times more stamina than the pathetic man-child whining in front of her.
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“How’re you getting winded so fast? Walking isn’t going to kill a Player. You’re built different. C’mon, up and at ’em!” the tireless Echo encouraged Keiji with an amused cackle.
Contrary to her boundless energy, Keiji was running on fumes. Sweat drenched him from head to toe, and every joint cried out in agony. His muscles refused to work due to extreme fatigue, and his throat was parched, desperately craving water. And that was bound to happen, considering he’d been walking nonstop without eating or drinking.
Getting revenge on Takuto Ira—to achieve that goal, he had to meet up with the two Saints. From the moment he declared this ambitious goal with great enthusiasm until now, Keiji hadn’t stopped walking. The motivation powering him through the past couple of days had vanished with the dry breeze. His will to go on was already on the verge of breaking. The only thing that still worked was his ceaselessly whining lips. But even that—
“Ugh, so says you, Eraki— GHH!”
Е́ň ǔ m̈_а
—was stopped in its tracks by Echo. Keiji’s head throbbed. He’d taken a punch to the head. Displeasure contorted the mysterious girl’s features. What had so angered this girl who resembled Erakino that it wiped the smile right off her face? With a start, Keiji suddenly remembered the critical warnings regarding Echo that he’d relegated to the back of his mind.
“How many times must I tell you to stop referring to this bug as Erakino before it gets through your thick skull? You never learn, Master,” she chided.
Yes, that was it. Echo intensely despised being treated like Erakino. Anyone would hate it if they were constantly being confused for someone else. Even Keiji would complain if he were in her position. He should be grateful she didn’t tell him off worse for how many times he made the mistake. Then again, it wasn’t entirely his fault for getting the two confused. The resentful gaze he shot Echo said as much.
“How can I? You look just like her! I can’t help thinking you’re the same person.”
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Just as Echo’s name suggested, she was an echo of Erakino’s former self. She insisted she was a different person on the inside, but people rely heavily on visual information. Whenever Keiji saw her, he was reminded of the beloved girl he once knew and couldn’t help but lament her loss.
Even Echo understood the rationale behind his plight. She let out a thoughtful “Hmm” as she rubbed her chin, stared into the distance, and nodded several times to herself. “I see. When you put it that way, I can see the issue! Then what if I do this? Alter Self!”
Ẁ е b̃ ň оvеl Е̂.n̊ ǔ m̊ ӓ
Erakino rolls for Alter Self
Outcome: Success
Keiji’s eyes rounded with surprise. The moment she used her TRPG ability, Echo’s clothes and hair color magically changed. The transformation was dramatic.
If the color associated with Erakino was a deep red reminiscent of blood, then Echo’s color was a deep blue that evoked the deep sea.
“Whoa?!” Keiji yelped in surprise.
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The magical spectacle and color change felt like witnessing a miracle happening before his eyes. Still, Keiji’s only thought was the incredibly uninspired: She looks like the second player character in a video game.
“Why did your color scheme change? And your hairstyle…” he muttered.
“I actually wanted to change my outfit too, but this bug lacks fashion sense. Wait, that’s all you have to say…?”
Echo twirled around in high spirits to check out her new colors. Keiji finally understood what she was trying to do after she spelled it out for him, and once he did, he found the change made it much easier to tell Echo apart from Erakino. Now he could avoid Echo constantly smacking him around for getting it wrong so often.
Echo spread her arms wide, as if to ask, “How do I look?” A clever man would say something flattering here. But this was Keiji Kuhara. A gambling addict who couldn’t do anything right without a woman. A pathetic loser who couldn’t do anything even with a woman. His thoughts had gone in the complete opposite direction from what Echo was hoping to hear from him.
“Hmm? Say, Echo, who in the world are you supposed to be anyway?”
Е̃.nu m a .îd̄
“Didn’t I say? I’m Erakino’s echo. Her remains. Nothing more, nothing less.”
What was the meaning behind Echo’s slight frown? Utterly oblivious to subtle tells, all Keiji could do was ruminate over her words.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Uh, come again?”
As it was, the girl calling herself Echo was shrouded in mystery from day one. In fact, his entire situation was riddled with mysteries. The mechanism by which he came to this world was a mystery, and so was the reason his so-called god picked him. But the intention behind it all had been revealed in his conversation with the Dice God when he arrived in this world. Keiji desperately tried to retrieve that already hazy memory from the sea of memories.
He was caught up in a grand game, existing as a mere pawn within it. The existence of tabletop RPGs, Erakino and the two saints who once pursued the same dream with him, and even Takuto Ira, who shattered his optimistic ideals, dreams, and strategies through unexpected means, were all pawns. This world was the grand stage for a board game played by the gods. Everything existed within that system and could be easily explained within those rules.
But Echo was different. She seemed to be operating on a completely different set of rules. Keiji knew he was easily swayed and prone to getting carried away. His current situation, adverse circumstances, and even Erakino’s echo were all the result of his actions. He was tormented by an indescribable, strange feeling that he couldn’t even put into words.
É n̊ ŭm а́ .ї d̃
“Huh? What’s with the creeper face? If you’ve got time to worry until your face gets ugly, then start moving those little legs! Chop, chop!”
“Y-You little brat! Just so you know, even I think about things sometimes!”
Echo couldn’t care in the slightest about Keiji’s worries. She took great delight in insulting Keiji and then urging him forward. What mattered was taking that first step, making up your mind, and putting your will into action. Once again, Keiji found himself being swept forward by someone else’s will. At the very least, though, Echo didn’t neglect to show him what direction he should take that first step in.
“Ha! Who gives a crap about the complicated stuff? Right now, getting those two Saints to rejoin you comes first, don’t ya think? C’mon, get investigating, mister!”
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“And how am I supposed to do that? My GM ability was sealed. By the Dice God.”
“Stupidhead. You still have the ability of a participant in the campaign. You can roll the dice as many times as it takes, can’t you? Give it a try. Roll for Investigation. Idea works too,” Echo suggested.
W е́ḃ ṅ оv̆еĺ Е̄ n u m_ă
She’s got a point… Keiji finally realized his misunderstanding.
During that painfully unforgettable battle with Takuto Ira, Keiji was stripped of his omnipotent Game Master powers. That obnoxious Takuto had droned on and on about many things during their encounter, but the gist of it was the accusation that “Keiji Kuhara is unfit to be a GM.” The TRPG system acknowledged this accusation, and as a result, the invincible GM Authority slipped away from Keiji as easily as it had been granted to him.
But he’d only been stripped of his GM Authority—the Arbiter ability. Keiji was both the TRPG’s Player and GM. Even with the Arbiter ability rescinded, he still had his status as the TRPG Player. In other words, he had the power to roll the dice and cause phenomena to occur according to the outcome. GM or not, he could still make things happen as long as he could roll the dice.
Wait, why does Echo know so much about this system, anyway? Keiji was suspicious.
Why did she understand his abilities better than he did? Perhaps that was only natural as an echo of Erakino. But even that reasoning didn’t quite cut it. Nevertheless, there were things he needed to do rather than endlessly agonizing over a question with no answer.
He needed to roll the dice.
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“Yeah? Okay! Investigation! Investigate Soalina’s location!”
Keiji Kuhara rolls 1d100=54 for Investigation
Outcome: Failure. Saint Soalina’s location is unknown.
“Ah, damn. It failed. Sorry…”
Keiji’s sigh of disappointment came out louder than he intended. Although he knew he was pushed into rolling the dice by Echo, he’d actually gotten his hopes up that it’d do something. He flicked an apologetic look Echo’s way. Being able to apologize without blaming anyone else showed he was maturing.
Should I roll for Idea next? Keiji racked his lacking brains for another idea, trying to stay positive. But all he got in return for his efforts was the most exasperated stare he’d ever seen, accompanied by some unexpected advice.
Én ü m а . ĩd̈
“What’re you moping for? Keep rollin’ until you succeed.”
“…Huh? Succeed?” Even Keiji could tell he sounded dumb. Not only did he sound dumb, but he had a feeling his expression was even dumber. How lame could he be?
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“Sigh… We have to start from there, after all, huh? You need some serious schooling on the topic.”
Echo’s words, delivered with an emotion that was more determined than disappointed, struck a chord with Keiji, whose mind couldn’t quite keep up. For some reason, it made him recall the teacher who had patiently helped him when he couldn’t memorize his multiplication tables back in elementary school.
“Listen well, buster. I think you’ve got the wrong idea about how this works because you were given the omnipotent GM ability right off the bat. The real way to use your TRPG abilities isn’t something as superficial as all that.”
“……”
Е̃ ñ úm̄ a
Without nodding in agreement, without interjecting questions, without complaining, Keiji intently listened to her words. Surely, they led to victory. They had to.
“Roll. As many times as necessary. There’s no other player to criticize or stop you. Roll as many times as you damn near well please. All dice rolls are permitted until you find the answer you desire. It’s time to spam rolls!”
Keiji wordlessly nodded. Then he took a breath so deep it hurt his lungs. “Investigation! Investigation! Investigation!”
Keiji Kuhara rolls 1d100=68 for Investigation
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Outcome: Failure.
Keiji Kuhara rolls 1d100=17 for Investigation
W ĕ b̊ n оv̈ӗ l̊ Е̃ǹ u ḿ ä
Outcome: Failure.
Keiji Kuhara rolls 1d100=74 for Investigation
Outcome: Failure.
He shouted with all his might, even though it wasn’t necessary. No, it was necessary for him. He shouted, and shouted, and shouted. Until it led to success…
“Investigation! Investigation! INVESTIGATION!!”
Keiji Kuhara rolls 1d100=43 for Investigation
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Outcome: Failure.
Keiji Kuhara rolls 1d100=87 for Investigation
Outcome: Failure.
Keiji Kuhara rolls 1d100=50 for Investigation
Outcome: Failure.
“INVESTIGATIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON! …Oh!”
Е ǹ ǔ m̂ а̊. і̆_d
At last, the path to victory was illuminated with dazzling brilliance.
Keiji Kuhara rolls 1d100=100 for Investigation
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Outcome: Critical Success!
Discovered Saint Soalina’s Location!
“Seriously…?”
For a second, he wondered if he was cheating. Rolling the dice until you get your desired outcome was the ultimate way of gaming the system. It was like being told you’ll win if you keep pulling the lever on the slot machine until you hit the jackpot without having to put in any money. Was it really okay to be handed this method to always get what he wanted in the end?
Е̇ ǹǔm а̌. id́
But Keiji quickly realized that there was no one around to complain. He looked straight at Echo. Their gazes intertwined. She stared at him intensely, as if she were staring right into his soul and appraising it.
“Listen well: what matters is legal cheating. Exploit loopholes in the rules, disregard the norm, break promises. Game the system. Keep choosing options your opponent hates.” Echo cackled. She cackled with all the glee and arrogance of someone who was the true player of this twisted game—the one true Game Master. “That’s the real fun way to enjoy playing this board game. Wouldn’t you say, Master?”
A gust of hot wind stirred Keiji’s soul. The old him would’ve been swept away by this heated moment, shouting and rejoicing as his heart dictated.
The words were simple: I’ve found the strategy for certain victory!
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But the appearance of the being whispering this fervid advice to him was so similar to the girl he had lost because of his own foolishness on that day… And so, the man known as Keiji Kuhara did not make the same mistake a second time.
“…What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy?” Echo cocked her head to one side. Surprisingly, she appeared incredibly confused by his reaction, a flicker of distress dancing lightly across her features. His reaction was surely the polar opposite of what she had hoped for.
È n̆ um а
Keiji stared intently at Echo, their roles swapping from moments earlier. This time, he fixed his gaze on Echo, as if to peer into her soul to determine her true nature. “Hey, who are you? What’s your reason for being with me? You keep telling me you’re Echo, but I know better. You’re—”
Echo laughed at the top of her lungs, stopping him before he could finish his statement. Laughed wasn’t quite the right word—it was more like she scoffed at him.
Unperturbed, Keiji kept his gaze locked on her, searching.
“HAHAHA! What the heck?! Aaaaah, what a riot! Pft! What’s with the serious, constipation face you got going there? Don’t tell me you fell for this bug? Well, it is Erakino’s echo. It’s certainly got the goods worth falling fo—”
“Investigation! Investigate Echo’s true identity.”
Keiji Kuhara rolLS 1d100=10■■■■ fOr Investigation
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oUtCoMe: cR■■■■
Echo iS■■■■■!
“Buahaha!” The bug laughed. A terribly distorted and eerie laugh. One that conveyed genuine delight beyond mortal comprehension. “Nice one! Now that was perfect! You’re really shaping up to be to this one’s liking!”
Then came the clack and clatter of die rolling. Clack, clatter, rattle. Clack, clatter, rattle. The noise continued, as if it wouldn’t stop until it got its desired result.
“Buuuuuutsies….”
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Еňum å . і d̃
Keiji Kuhara’s Investigation outcome has been canceled.
“You lack affection with the buuuuuuuuuuuug!” Echo cackled with a twisted expression not even Erakino would have made. She slowly advanced. Advanced toward none other than Keiji.
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Keiji took one step back. Sheer terror overtook his will. His cowardly nature had reared its ugly head once again.
Echo pursued him at a faster pace. Meanwhile, Keiji tripped and fell pathetically onto his backside. Echo was upon him in a fraction of a second, her face close enough to touch. Her cruel smile filled his entire field of view.
“W-Wait!” he yelped. “If you lay a hand on me here— Mmph!”
Searing heat spread through the inside of his mouth. He only comprehended that he’d had his head locked in place by two hands and his lips stolen after he struggled to breathe and started pounding on Echo’s shoulders to release him.
W̄еb̆ n̆ о̆ ṽе̂l̇ Еnu m a
“Hehe. You’ll just have to accept this outcome for now,” Echo declared, wiping away the trickle of spit from her lips, a look of satisfaction dancing in her eyes.
Keiji was too stunned even to process the outrageous thing that had just happened to him. He’d had his fair experience with the ladies, but he’d never had a woman steal a kiss from him before.
“If you still want to know the truth, earn more events and raise the bug’s affection, okay~♪? My master~♪.” Echo smiled, seemingly tickled pink by how flummoxed she’d left Keiji. He didn’t know what had made her so happy, but he could at least tell she was in a great mood. “Alrighty, our adventure has only just begun. So think. That’s what matters here. Rack what little brains you have to the limit and come up with a plan. That’s how you survive this.”
“O-Okay…”
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“So, with that said, we need to start with the Saints first. You need allies to crush the King of Ruin into oblivion.”
Keiji didn’t have the courage to bring up the kiss. He figured he wouldn’t get a satisfactory answer anyway, since he apparently lacked the necessary affection points with her. At any rate, he decided to move on. He didn’t want to think about what changes might’ve occurred as a result of his impulsive and reckless actions, but at least he had a goal to distract himself from what had just happened.
Ẇ eb̌ n оv̀ ёl Е n̂umа̇
His goal was to reunite with his former allies, who had gone their separate ways after their shared dreams had been cruelly shattered. It was clear the road ahead would be fraught with obstacles…
“How are we going to get them to ally with us again, though?”
An insightful question for Keiji. Just because he was starting to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his TRPG abilities didn’t mean he wanted to use them to manipulate the feelings and wills of other humans. Not like he could anyway, without the GM Authority, but still…
In any event, he felt it would be impossible to get Saint Soalina of Blooming Burials and Veiled Saint Fenne Kahmair to rejoin him.
“I know they hate me. I doubt they’ll rejoin. Besides, I don’t want to use my abilities to force them. It already failed once before, anyway.”
Keiji thought he’d asked the right question for once. That he’d arrived at the same conclusion anyone else would have. He’d voiced serious doubts about a serious matter concerning important allies. He wasn’t playing around. None of this was a joke to him.
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“What’re you on about? There’s one tried and true way throughout all history for a man to win over a woman.”
For all of his seriousness, Echo’s answer felt like an absolute joke.
“You seduce her.” Echo beamed, amused by it all.
Does she only have romance on the brain, or what? Experience had taught Keiji that uttering such a statement aloud would only end in misery, so he wisely kept it to himself.
He would never notice Echo’s true intentions. Not now, and probably not ever…
Е n̆ů m̊a_
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