Aiders Room.
I sat facing Aider in this stark room, still devoid of color or any noteworthy furniture.
It had been a while since I had a one-on-one conversation with this self-proclaid Director.
There are countless issues I want to bring up, but lets start with the most pressing matter first.
"Ive noticed that an additional enemy legion invaded in this stage."
"Yes, Im aware. It was the Werewolf Legion, wasnt it?"
"It wasnt a Dark Event, there were no warnings, and they just barged in."
I gritted my teeth.
"If this continues, it will be difficult to keep strategizing. At least we need to stick to the established ga rules to continue playing, dont we?"
"Youre absolutely correct. This was a blatant violation of the ga rules."
Aider nodded his head.
"Thats why a penalty will be applied to the monster legion in the next stage. Youll find it easier next ti."
"..."
Listening to Aiders response, I clenched my fist tightly.
"I have a fundantal question."
I glared intently at Aider.
"What is a Player? Why are we battling monsters in the form of a ga?"
"..."
"So, the monster legion gets penalized in the next round because they broke the rules? Does that an theyve also agreed to these rules? What exactly governs how this ga works?"
Suddenly, I recalled the words I had heard from the Emperor in the Imperial Capital.
- A being on another level, discussing the fate of the world, commanding the lives of others through words, directly fighting for the worlds hegemony. Those who are qualified to play chess themselves.
- That is what a Player is.
- To put it more simply, you could also call them a Ruler.
The Emperors definition of a Player was slightly different from what I had always thought. Not simply soone who plays a ga, but soone who holds and debates the destiny of the world.
Could this ga that this so-called Director is making participate in be a concept stemming from the sa context?
"On the chessboard nad the world, nurous Players are playing chess called war," Aider slowly began.
"And here in this monster frontline, we are unfolding the match according to our local rules."
"Local rules...?"
"The Nightmare Demon King who has occupied the Lake Kingdom, and the human commanders who are guarding humanitys last defense line."
Aider started arranging the chess pieces that were on the desk.
"Under mutually agreed-upon rules, they keep attacking and defendingwhichever side conquers the others base first and kills the others king is the victor in this defense ga."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The chess pieces were ticulously placed.
Pawn.
Knight.
Rook.
Bishop.
Queen.
"This is in accordance with the pact made between the Demon King and the human commanders, and will continue until one side is completely annihilated."
Thud!
Lastly, he placed the King on its spot.
Having finished arranging the chess pieces, Aider slowly pulled his hand away from the board.
"I am the Director who established these rules, and Im here to oversee the direction of the ga."
"Who made the pact to play the ga with that Demon King?"
Aider stared at in silence. Stunned, I pointed to myself.
"You cant an...I did?"
"Technically, its the Third Prince, Ash."
I let out a silent scream.
Damn it, Ash! Again?! Youre the root of all evil! The center of this chaotic, convoluted ss!
"The Demon King agreed to the rules, and both players have taken their seats at the ga table," Aider said, offering a bitter smile.
"However, due to various reasons, Prince Ash couldnt continue with the match... so he needed to find a proxy."
"That would be , wouldnt it?"
"Correct, RetroAddict."
It felt like a recurring story, but there was one new significant point.
My opponent.
My match partner.
The Demon King who controlled all nightmares was also a player.
And like any human, he was playing by the rules...
...As if it was so light-hearted ga.
While we were struggling, he casually threw his army into the battlefield one by one.
"...Anyway, I got it. Whats next?"
There was much to discuss.
First, complaints about the Achievent Shop.
The Achievent Shop barely offered any in-ga items to assist gaplay; it mostly provided system conveniences.
So, I had barely used it.
Aider sought my understanding, saying they were preparing for an updateessentially remodeling the shop.
We talked about various other things as well.
"My lord, I am the director of this ga, not the referee," Aider said, promising maximum assistance. "I clearly wish for your victory. Even if I cant provide direct help, I intend to make things as convenient as possible for you."
"..."
"I share a fate with you, my lord. Please do not forget this."
At that mont, I rembered sothing my second brother, Fernandez, had said back in the Imperial Capital.
- Oh, and Aider, who is at the southern front as your adjutant...
- Dont trust that immortal too much. Hes a scam artist.
I glanced at Aider, who was smiling awkwardly behind his oval glasses.
"Immortal and a scam artist?"
Im missing sothing about this guy...
I decided to investigate further later.
Our one-on-one eting concluded. Although it felt like we hadnt discussed much, several hours had already passed. It was already late afternoon, nearing evening.
As I left Aiders room, I asked abruptly.
"So whats your relationship with Naless?"
But Aider remained guarded until the end.
"No comnt," he said.
Stubborn till the last, huh?
"Alright, just answer this then. Does Naless have anything to do with the true ending conditions?"
"Ill only say, not entirely unrelated."
Aider grinned, giving a vague response.
So that ans shes related. I let out a snort.
In the end, nothing changed.
Whether theyre hostile players or whatever, I beat the crap out of the Demon Kings minions and wipe out the monsters.
In doing so, I protect the people within my reach.
As always, I keep doing what Ive been doing.
Step by step, towards the Clear.
***
Sitting in the lords office, I sipped my coffee while looking at the system window in front of .
"Hmm..."
This is what popped up on the system window:
[Rank Promotion Quest]
- Target: Damien (N)
> This character possesses abilities beyond his current rank and is eligible for promotion.
> Upon promotion, the characters stats and skills may change.
> A special consumable item is needed for promotion.
> Would you like to proceed with the promotion?
Rank promotion!
It ans that Damien, who is currently N-Rank, could get a rank increase.
First of all, it was ridiculous that Damien was N-Rank to begin with.
Although he should be around N-Rank as a healer, he is a possessor of [Far-Sight], one of the most broken abilities in this damn ga!
The problem is... this is the first ti Im seeing this promotion thing.
A characters rank changing?
Ive never seen or heard of such a thing. At least not in the 742 tis Ive played.
The system says stats and skills might change, but I have no idea what that could lead to.
I want to think it will be a positive change, but this godforsaken ga is full of traps, so I cant be sure.
I still have to do it.
It might sound a bit cruel, but the likelihood of N-Rank stats and skill sets getting worse is zero.
The real concern is if sothing incompatible with the current Damien appears.
Anyway, I will proceed, but...
Whats the special consumable item for promotion?
I expand the list and look,
"Ah."
An item na imdiately catches my eye.
[All kinds of Orb of Ascension]
"Talk about fitting the bill, geez..."
I took out Jormungandrs Orb of Ascension from my inventory. Its the item Jormungandr spat out before it vanished.
[Jormungandrs Orb of Ascension]
- An orb filled with the essence of Jormungandr. Used to elevate ones existential rank.
Back on Earth, legends like this are pretty common.
When a serpent or a similar creature trains to beco a dragon, its concentrated power forms this orb, the Orb of Ascension.
Having just one orb allows the creature to ascend into a dragon, but if it gets greedy and collects more, it can never beco a dragon. At least thats how the legends go.
Was Jormungandr, who looked like a serpent, actually an aspiring dragon?
Serpent or worm, whatever it is. Its just perfect that he left behind the exact item I needed.
Damien was currently at my estate. I summoned him to the office.
"You called, Your Highness?"
As soon as Damien entered my room, I raised my hand and yelled, "Stop!"
"Stand right there, Damien! Yes, right in front of that full-length mirror!"
"Eh? Uh, okay..."
Baffled, Damien hesitantly stood at the entrance of the room, right in front of where the full-length mirror was placed.
"Good, just look at your reflection in the mirror."
Damien seed puzzled but nonetheless stood, looking at his own reflection in the mirror.
"This is a monuntal rank-up scene; gotta witness it in all its glory from every angle!"
Without hesitation, I used the Orb of Ascension item and completed Damiens rank-up quest.
[Rank-Up Quest Successful!]
Whoosh-!
A gray aura spread out from Damiens back. It was the color of an N-grade.
Roar!
Right after that, the color began to change. I swallowed hard, my throat dry.
Whats going to happen to our Damiens rank?
R? SR? Or could it be, SSR?!
Blue? Purple? No, just give gold, please!
O Almighty! Im trusting in you!
As I clasped my hands and prayed, Damien seed to sense sothing as well. He looked down at his own body, his eyes widening in surprise.
And then
Flash!
It was neither blue, nor purple, nor gold.
A bright, translucent light poured out from Damiens back. My eyes widened in disbelief.
Huh?
What rank color is that?
Then, its identity was soon revealed.
Ding!
[Hero character Damien will have a rank change.]
> Damien(N) Damien(EX)
"...Ah."
I stood there, mouth agape.
EX rank?
As in exceptional?
...I didnt see this coming.
Shortly after, a flood of ssages filled my system window.
[Hero character Damien(EX) will have a job change.]
[Hero character Damien(EX) will have skill changes.]
[Hero character Damien(EX) will have stat changes.]
[Hero character Damien(EX)...]
[Hero character Damien(EX)...]
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
As I stood there gaping at the screen overflowing with notifications, Damien looked at with a distressed face and asked,
"Uh, Your Highness, sothing feels weird... Did I do sothing wrong?"
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