I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game Chapter 90

Most of the villagers have barely handled anything more dangerous than a kitchen knife.

No matter how good the weapon I hand them, they won't be able to wield it well.

Furthermore, the stronger the weapon, the easier it is to hurt the user.

If they were dolls, I wouldn't care, but I can't let people face such risks.

That's why I made them the most basic weapons.

Swords, axes, spears, and the like.

The clever village chief set up a barricade to block the beings from the deep sea, but no matter how much I thought about it, it seed difficult to survive two nights.

'Is this why players had to sell weapons in this village?'

Looking back, I saw so strange elents that seed like Easter eggs.

Texts like suddenly being unable to request support because all communication networks were cut off, or not being able to sleep because of a strange sll.

I overlooked it, so I wasn't able to prepare in advance.

'What am I supposed to do?'

The only thing I could do now was to create weapons.

A saw-staff that could grind down enemies.

A flathrower that spits fire specialized for deep-sea creatures.

However, if used incorrectly, these are dangerous weapons that could eat the wielder instead.

As I hesitated, the third barricade fell, and a tentacled monster with dozens of eyes broke through.

There was no turning back now.

I handed them the strongest weapons I had at the mont.

The flathrower blazed, and the saw-staff spun, cutting down the creatures.

The morale of the villagers gradually rose.

I felt a montary sense of relief and looked over the people's condition.

They were all exhausted.

They were maintaining tension and fighting well, but the stress and fatigue were clearly at their limit.

I stretched my hand out toward the outside.

However, I was blocked by an invisible wall and could not go any further.

The people were fighting, yet I couldn't help them from here.

No matter how strong the weapons, the users are only human.

At this rate, they'll all die.

"Aaaaaargh!"

'Austin!'

As expected, what I was worried about happened.

He dropped his saw-staff, severing his own foot in the process.

Austin's stomach was then pierced by the monster.

He scread, but soon his head was crushed, and he died.

I've only seen him twice, but I rember our warm conversation.

Why is human life so easily crushed?

If his body was made of iron, he wouldn't have died.

If I had foreseen this situation, Austin wouldn't have died.

"Kyaaaaaaaahh-!"

'Fram...'

Fram was eaten by the monster.

Her last words were her screams of pain as she was devoured like a crop being harvested.

I didn't like Fram.

Because she was foolish and self-centered.

Despite the n's dissuasion, she mustered up her courage and went into battle.

Even when her slender arms twisted and horrifying scenes unfolded, she still lifted her weapon.

But in the end, her end was so terrible.

If there were such a thing as a god, he couldn't allow this sight to continue.

Those who sohow managed to stop the enemies fell one by one.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

Behind them was a shelter where children and the elderly were hiding.

"...?"

In the distance, soone was running towards us.

A small boy.

It was Tom.

"Hey! Give a real weapon quickly! Not this wooden sword!"

Tom said as soon as he saw my face.

That was a foolish statent.

A child's body was useless in battle.

The height of inefficiency.

But what if we took off that tiny arm and converted it into a prosthetic arm?

Naturally, I rebuked Tom.

"Stop talking nonsense and just run away!"

"If you won't give a weapon, I'll fight with this wooden sword anyway!"

"Wait! Stop!"

Tom didn't listen to and ran straight to where the monsters were.

This wasn't courage, it was recklessness.

At the very least, I didn't want him to die in vain.

Oddly, Tom achieved so surprising results in keeping the enemies at bay with his light wooden sword.

But, regardless, I continued to pound against the invisible wall in the video.

Bang!!

"Run away!"

I shouted as I slamd my fist at the invisible wall.

In the video, I was hitting the wall hard enough to make my hand bleed, looking quite desperate and urgent.

"Damn it! Everyone run away! I can't hold out anymore!"

"Stop whining! If we don't stay, what will happen to the kids?!"

"The chief is right! Stop whining-"

Crunch.

Just as Tom rebuked soone for whining, he was crushed by a giant tentacle.

"Tom!!"

The village chief scread.

But even that was a luxury, as an even greater threat approached.

A monster larger than any creature we had ever seen appeared, destroying the bakery building.

People were crushed in an instant without being able to resist.

So were squeezed to death like fruit.

Others took their own lives with the weapons I had made.

Where is the being who can save this desperate situation?

If angels or gods exist in this world, surely they should save these helpless lambs.

Why is no one saving them?

Even the Devil would be fine.

Soone save them.

...

...I'm stupid. I'm so fucking stupid.

Why am I looking for God now when I've never been interested in religion before?

God may not exist.

But what is certain is that I am useless trash here.

It's not them who should be the first to be trashed, but , and yet I stand here alone.

I want to get out.

I want to get out. I want to get out. I want to get out.

I'd rather die out there with them.

"..."

The chief is looking at .

The village chief, who is about to be trampled to death by a monster walking behind him with a loud noise, raises his mouth slightly as if he has given up.

"There's a big hole in your heart... I would've liked to fill it a bit in this village but... I'm sorry."

Don't say that.

I have to get out.

I have to fucking get out.

I have to find a passage... A passage.

Any small hole will do.

"..."

The in the video, looking like I'm not in my right mind, roll my eyes like crazy and stop at one place.

I found it.

A hole.

A trash can where poorly made equipnt and leftover materials are thrown away.

Maybe I can get out through there?

No, I can get out.

I can fucking get out.

I shoved my head into the hole.

I can't get in.

Of course.

This hole wasn't made for people to pass through.

It's a place where cold inorganic things without hearts go in.

It was never ant to be a passage.

"...A machine. That's what the people at the factory called ."

Sotis, when pushed to the edge, people try to escape the oncoming terror.

One of the ways is to lie.

Just like my relative... No, my father lied when he was at the end of his life.

I kept mumbling.

"I am a machine. I am a tool. I am a doll."

A technique to empty your heart that I learned while working at the factory.

The heart gradually grew colder as I actively utilized it.

The tears for the dead, the tears of joy I might have soday, all erased, I sank deeper into the void in my heart.

'Look at now. I couldn't save anyone. Not my father, not the chief, not Tom, nor anyone else in the village. In the end, I was useless.'

-So, are you going to stay that way forever?

A voice is heard.

It's a voice I've heard sowhere...

'...I don't know.'

-If you're useless, then just make yourself useful.

The voice was sweet, like the voice of the Devil.

The voice guided , who was wandering through the depths of my heart.

What the voice showed were the machines of the factory.

'I see. Machines and tools were always useful. Then, I just have to beco a machine, too.'

I ultimately abandoned my heart.

the soul slipped slowly into the hole.

In the pitch-black darkness.

A black seed sprouted.

The body began to be remade anew.

A black seed germinates.

The body is recreated.

I had succeeded in denying my humanity by lying to himself and deceiving reality.

"..."

Twisting reality itself, I, now an imperfect transcendent being, stepped outside the workshop.

There, many monsters spotted and rushed to stop as if they sensed sothing was wrong.

I slowly advanced.

I slaughtered the monsters in front of one by one and crossed the pool of blood with my cold feet.

As the monsters died, I beca more perfect.

And finally, I killed the last monster and stood on the mountain of corpses and looked around the village.

"They're all dead."

The corpses of monsters and humans were all over his feet.

Among them was the corpse of an old man whose na was probably Geppetto.

"..."

I felt nothing.

Surely that man had once been precious to him.

But as a creature now made of iron and wood, I couldn't even guess what expression to make.

Why did I want to protect this person in the first place?

"Hmm..."

Yes, I must have wanted to protect him because he'd been human, like .

However, I couldn't understand my past actions.

If I had truly wanted to protect these people, I could have modified so of them into living weapons to put up a better fight, if not guarantee victory.

Soft human flesh was inefficient, after all.

"Waaah!"

A girl's scream broke his thoughts.

The child crying in front of the corpses is... Cassie.

Since I had once cared for her, I couldn't help but take an interest.

But why is she crying so sadly?

Ah. It's a simple thing. The death of one's own kind makes a living being feel fear.

She was likely afraid she'd die as well.

There was no guarantee this was the last of the monsters.

The world likely sward with even more of them.

Don't cry, Cassie.

I'll go on a trip and co back soon.

I'll modify you.

You're special, so I'll give you a body that will never die!

Oh, and while I'm at it, I might as well modify the rest of the villagers, too.

Actually, no, let's upgrade all of humanity to fight the monsters!

How magnificent.

How useful a machine I am!

Beep.

Suddenly, the Pinocchio in the video froze.

Soone had paused the video.

The imrsion shattered, and I realized I was sitting in a movie theater.

"Do you really think so?"

"Alice."

Alice, seated beside , asked with a sad expression.

She looked as if watching that video reminded her of herself.

Alice continue.

"A goal followed only through cold logic will lead you nowhere in the end. Even if you modify everyone using the power of the Machine God, you won't find happiness in that."

Alice spoke as though my actions were aningless.

And since she acted like she already knew the answer, I asked her.

"Then... What should I do? Honestly, my heart is still empty. I don't think I'm obligated to agree with you, either."

"The answer to that is here."

Alice held out sothing.

It was a seed with a rainbow glow.

"I made this with the power of monsters tied to emotions. It's... A bit crude, but... I'm not good at creating things. The thing I planted in you when we first fought was a very small amount of this."

"Hmm..."

"I wish you'd accept it. There were so monsters who didn't want to lend their power, so I took it by force, and I had a hard ti. Even now, most of them don't respond when I talk to them because they're upset."

"I'm not one to get swept up in the atmosphere. I don't know what you've done to this seed, and it doesn't sound particularly appealing to . So..."

"It's good not to get swept up. It's completely your decision. So you're not going to take it?"

Alice kept holding out the seed to , urging to make a choice.

If I was suspicious, I didn't have to accept it.

Or I could take it and throw it away later.

"I..."

Why was I hesitating?

I'm a machine. I saw it in that video.

How useless I was as a person with emotions.

How worthless I was as a human.

Soone who protected nothing and only repeated failures.

"Pinocchio. You in that video. You, a human, are wearing a mask. But that is a mask that only you can see. You cannot read expressions because you have abandoned your own. Aren't you curious about what kind of expression you, who had emotions, would make in front of a mountain of corpses?"

"..."

I don't want to be curious.

It's different from not being curious.

So kind of incomprehensible rejection is rising.

It must be because of the seed that Alice planted in my body.

"Like the ghost story about a corpse under a cherry tree, face the horror that lies beneath the splendor. Face the fear and regain your will. Don't hesitate because of past failures. Don't let past failures make you hesitate. We can make it... As long as we try."

"Regaining emotions is ultimately nothing more than a downgrade for ."

When I said that, the in the video, who should have stopped, suddenly started talking.

"But sotis it's better to use a weaker, more suitable weapon than to just blindly use a strong weapon."

I retorted.

"Maybe you don't have a choice. When you're really cornered, you have to take out a strong weapon."

"You can think about that later. We're not blacksmiths who only make weapons."

"Even if you make tools for everyday life, they won't help you fight."

We talked back and forth as if we were debating.

Arguing with myself makes realize that finding the truth through conversation is a long and arduous path.

"It helps us understand and communicate with them."

"...We have to protect people."

"That's right, we have to protect them. Arm them with weapons, and protect them yourself. Tools have many uses. Sotis you can suppress your emotions and take up weapons. However, it's also necessary to understand and communicate with them."

"Who would benefit from having emotions?"

When I said that, the version of in the video fell silent.

Was it decided, then?

However, the in the video only moved slightly to show the mountain of corpses that were covered by his body and the crying girl.

"...Cassie is crying."

This ti, it was who closed his mouth.

-Waaah! Where did everyone go?

My hands were shaking.

Alice gently held my wooden hand.

She handed a seed.

I took the seed.

"A terrible misfortune has occurred. We can't truly console her. But we can cry with her."

-I miss you...

I planted the seed in myself.

The seed sprouted as if it had been waiting.

-Sister...

POV Switch - Alice

Both the Pinocchio in the video and the one outside the video shed their masks simultaneously.

Pinocchio's wooden face collapsed, revealing a human face.

Her expression was filled with anger and sadness.

Tears fell down her cheeks.

"Ahhh... I wanted to protect them. I couldn't even save my father... I wanted to save them this ti! They're all dead! Because I was complacent! Because I was weak!"

She scread and then lowered her head and cried.

This place was her inner world.

If she tried to fill this space with tears, she could easily do so.

Those tears would beco the nutrients that would grow Pinocchio's new heart.

"You are a devil who created weapons (tools) because you wanted to protect people, but when faced with a great disaster, you abandoned your heart and chose to beco a tool. Because you abandoned your heart, only your purpose of protecting others remained, and you ended up with a twisted ending. Now, I hope you will go down the right path, even if only a little."

"..."

"It seems you'll need more ti."

Leaving Pinocchio's sobbing behind, I exited the theater and headed toward the end of the still-darkened hall.

After a while, the gear that had been hidden away finally revealed itself.

"Now that the plan is ruined, isn't it ti for you to show yourself again?"

[...]

"You damn piece of scrap tal."

As I spoke venomously, a face of the Machine God erged from part of the gear.

It was a ridiculous sight.

[So you insist on ruining everything.]

"Pinocchio was a machine beyond your control. So your plan was to corrupt her and take her power for yourself, right?"

If cockroaches were this tenacious, even Sesco would have given up.1

But now, it's truly over.

Last ti, the core and the clones were separate, but Pinocchio's scale must have compressed everything, including the clones, into this one gear.

[I rely seized an opportunity from a crisis.]

"I see. Now it's the end."

[Indeed. The end, I suppose. But... It was entertaining, I must admit.]

I laughed in disbelief.

"Ha! You did all this grandiose stuff, but in the end, it was all fun? Was tornting people and making them cry that much fun? Yes, it was fun! Terror is inherently thrilling. But entertainnt should never co at the cost of human lives."

In my mind, the Queen of Hearts shouted.

Off with his head!

I slowly grabbed the gear that was small enough to fit in one hand.

And I began to tighten my grip.

[Entertainnt... This world is filled with malicious dangers. Do you think it's possible?]

"Of course."

And so, I crushed the gear.

Crunch...!

The fragnts fell and I instinctively knew that they had a huge impact on this world.

I muttered as I looked at the fragnts.

"...Because that's what I'm going to do."

...

Alice.

Defeated the first ruler.