[GO! LEAVE THIS TO ME!]
MUSCLE GORILLA MAN HAS APPEARED!
――――
Captain Trail stared at the message displayed on the TV screen while holding a controller.
"Eh, isn't he getting a bit stronger? Isn't this bad?"
He operated the game controller and entered a command.
"Alright, let's add another 10 million views of power."
――――
[GORILLA MAN'S ATTACK!]
[TRAIL TOOK 0 DAMAGE!]
――――
"Ah, maybe I made him a bit too strong! Balancing is hard."
Trail was playing a game in his private room. The scene was being filmed and streamed live on iTube.
He was playing an 8-bit style retro game. If you were being kind, it was nostalgic; if you were being harsh, it was outdated. Furthermore, it wasn't a famous classic hit, but a game so obscure no one had heard of it. Gaining views with this would normally be difficult.
However, just by using the name of the top iTuber, Captain Trail, viewers flocked in by the thousands. He was hitting play counts that average posters couldn't even dream of reaching.
His Nen ability, Captain Trail's Slaughter Game, allowed him to collect aura from viewers who came to watch his game videos. The aura obtained from a single view was as miniscule as advertising revenue, and the viewers who were collected from remained entirely unaware.
The collected aura could then be sent to the game's protagonist, 'Captain Trail.' As the play count increased, his parameters could be strengthened.
It was no exaggeration to say he had dedicated his entire life to creating this 'game.'
Trail was born into a perfectly ordinary family and spent a normal childhood with nothing particularly unusual. However, his family wasn't very wealthy, and he rarely had opportunities to get the things he wanted. Back then, he wanted video games so badly he constantly begged his parents.
For the sake of his son, his father visited acquaintances and managed to obtain an old game console. The emotion of receiving it as a gift on his ninth birthday was a memory he could never forget.
An old piece of hardware from generations ago with only one game software. Trail played that game to death with his friends. He didn't remember how many times he cleared it. He played it so much he could play it without even looking.
The software was a role-playing game. The protagonist was a hero going to defeat the Demon King, the enemy of the world. A classic story with no twists. However, it was a title that had sold decently, praised at the time for allowing relatively high freedom of play.
The protagonist could earn money and level up by defeating monsters. They could help people in trouble and receive precious items.
They could also break into other people's houses to steal or kill innocent townspeople and travel companions. However, the story didn't branch; there was only one ending. The hero who defeated the Demon King was praised as a legend and lived happily ever after.
He played every event in this game countless times. Like a machine, day after day. That was the origin of Captain Trail.
He began to wish to become the protagonist of a game. He thought that if he 'killed bad guys,' 'got money,' and 'leveled up' like a hero, he could become a protagonist. And he actually did it.
As he stood before a corpse, gripping a metal bat soaked in blood, he finally realized that this reality was a world far removed from a game. But trapped in the gap between those two worlds that could never overlap, he found he could no longer return to where he came from.
Doing the same things as a game in reality wasn't fun at all. It was only because he could project himself into the protagonist within a constructed world that he could enjoy a fictional story. He thought about how he could make reality and fiction, the two worlds, compatible.
The Nen ability created at the end of that mad thinking was Captain Trail's Slaughter Game. In its production, he was greatly influenced by the game Greed Island.
A game made by Nen users. Due to its scarcity, he couldn't play Greed Island, but he got the idea of creating a game through Nen.
Constructing a game program with Nen, a method to collect energy needed to maintain the system from external sources, and the most important 'protagonist and player emotional synchronization' system. Through this, a player could maintain clear self-awareness while deeply empathizing with the game character. The character, in turn, could entrust their operation to the player with peace of mind.
"Ah, this is it... this is the game I wanted to play...!"
Trail gripped the controller, his body trembling. An emotion rivaling the birthday present he received as a child coursed through his entire body.
In this era, game technology has advanced significantly. It's overflowing with high-quality games with exquisite graphics that could be mistaken for the real thing, beautiful music, and high quality. Those are certainly wonderful. From the perspective of children born today, they might feel that playing old-generation classics is a waste of time.
But the more he was buried in saturated titles, the more strongly Trail remembered his childhood memories. When school ended, he would run home. He would throw down his bags and flip the switch on the console in front of the TV.
The 8-bit game world that began there led him into days of grand adventure. Imagination created the world. He could truly become the 'Hero' from the bottom of his heart. And now, he was back in that emotion. Trail was immersed in the game with eyes shining like a boy's.
――――
[TRAIL'S ATTACK!]
[1780 DAMAGE TO GORILLA MAN!]
[GORILLA MAN DEFEATED!]
――――
"Haha... Hahaha... Ahahahahahaha!!"
The head of the enemy graphic fell. The enemy sprite flickered and disappeared. That was the only change in the image, but within Trail's brain, linked emotionally with the protagonist, neurotransmitters were secreted abnormally, and he was overcome by an insane pleasure.
Immersed in the joy of playing this wonderful game, he felt grateful. Many people had cooperated to bring the development this far. It was a path that could never have been achieved alone.
Captain Trail's Slaughter Game was a joint-type Nen ability. Trail acted as the core of the program, but he couldn't execute this ability alone. It was a major project shaped after trial and error, where comrades inspired by Trail's philosophy had provided their own Hatsu to make up for a lack of memory.
The Nen formula constructed on the cyber world, with several developers' aura combined in complex and bizarre ways, possessed impregnable security. No matter how excellent a cyber-police officer or a hacker-hunter might be, there was currently no means to break this protection.
He had panicked a bit when the ship's main system was hacked by Milky, but that was a situation before the game had been launched. Now that the game had successfully started, it would not accept any external interference.
While a significant change had occurred in the original progression plan for the fan meeting, that happening had instead become a spice to liven up the game. The 'death game' involving top iTubers and 2,000 spectators shifted into the 'Slaughter Game' presented by Trail.
No matter how much the route veered, the ending would not change. Mass murder—the happy ending—was the only one.
Many victims caught up in this incident likely wondered how the massive event planned by Trail could be executed and where the enormous funding was sourced from. The truth was absurdly childish and vulgar.
It was because they wanted to see it. People being robbed of their dignity and dying like trash. To watch that sight from the other side of a safe monitor "like watching a game." For that alone, they could comfortably waste tens of billions or trillions of money. Powerful figures from various circles supported Trail and watched the footage of this death game in real-time.
That was the destination for humans who had exhausted their desires and were bored with luxury—the root desire of man. Thus, Trail named his ability Slaughter Game. He was certain that genre was the final stop for all entertainment.
This game was currently in development. There were a mountain of issues to be cleared before a consumer version could be released.
But Trail dreamed that a time would come when many people would hold this game in their hands. A time would come when students finishing classes, employees after work, and the elderly spending their remaining years could casually enjoy the 'game.'
And the protagonists existing for the number of players, the 'Captain Trails,' would leave their names in history as the worst heroes ever.
This fan meeting was a celebratory shot. He would show the world the dawn of a new era.
"The birth of the Hero Trail!"
――――
[...]
――――
"Hm? This person is definitely..."
There was a change on the game screen. Immediately after defeating the enemy called Gorilla Man, one person from the group that had begun to flee returned. It was difficult to tell with the pixel art graphics, but it appeared to be one of the iTubers, Six.
Trail had been slightly worried about her treatment. This was because orders had come in from a large-scale sponsor.
The powerful figures of the underworld supporting Trail each had different positions. Some supported Trail's philosophy entirely, while others just wanted to use his game system for military purposes; even calling them supporters, everyone's goals weren't perfectly aligned.
This game system held the potential to become a revolutionary military device depending on future development. It was a Nen ability so powerful it could change the common sense of war. That was why Trail was protected even if he carried out insane projects, but because of that, the intentions of various supporters sometimes clashed. The sponsor who gave orders regarding Six was one such example.
Trail didn't know the identity of the sponsor well either, other than the fact that they were associated with the Mafia. About two weeks ago, an order had come to incorporate a large-scale clinical experiment of a newly developed drug into the game content.
From the client's perspective, since many people were going to die anyway, they probably felt they might as well shove an experiment in. Since the meticulous planning had already been completed by then, Trail wanted to refuse, but he couldn't go against the sponsor's wishes.
It was said to have been refined from a special mineral. The mineral, which became glass-fiber-like particles when crushed, entered the body through the skin. And once in an addicted state, the toxins would activate by being blasted with radio waves of a specific frequency, bringing about a rapid change in life force.
'A new drug to evolve humanity' or 'pushing Nen abilities to the next stage'—Trail didn't trust the suspicious experimental details. But looking at the results, he couldn't say the explanation was entirely nonsense. While far from a safe practical stage, it could be said there were certain results.
And regarding that drug, for some reason, the iTuber Six seemed to hold some information, and he had been told by the sponsor not to kill her. He had thought about whether he should take her in as a companion and protect her, but he was given the difficult instruction to torment her to a degree that wouldn't kill her.
Ultimately, he had planned to hide one 'Trail' within the Silver Team and protect Six according to the situation while cornering her, but the plan had been changed due to a series of unexpected events, settling into its current form.
"What should I do? I hope I can hold back properly."
This fan meeting was also the first full-scale practical test of the Slaughter Game. Because of that, there were parts where he hadn't yet accurately grasped the protagonist's reinforcement sensation from the ability. He assumed Six had come to retaliate, angry that her companion was killed, but if he intercepted poorly, there was a risk he might kill her.
However, the power level could also be adjusted by the will of the playable character, Rock himself. Since he had been informed of the circumstances, he shouldn't kill Six here. Trail decided to leave the restraint to the playable character.
But he would realize in the next moment that such a thought was entirely unnecessary concern.
――――
[DEMON KING HAS APPEARED!]
――――
Trail's body froze to the point where it felt like the blood in his veins had turned to ice. A warm sensation flowed between his legs. Incontinence. His bladder, which had been holding back urine during the long hours of gameplay, collapsed helplessly.
But he had no time to be distracted by his disgrace. While leaking, he entered commands at maximum speed, converting all available views into aura to strengthen the playable character to the limit.
The fear Trail was currently sensing was the exact same emotion felt by the playable character, Rock. In other words, Rock, facing the enemy, was harboring that much threat toward Six.
The TV monitor image switched from the field screen to the encounter screen. A pixel art graphic representing the enemy was displayed in the center of the screen.
The enemy shadow, appearing to be a girl with white hair, was clad in equipment resembling crumbling red armor. He knew nothing more. The enemy's name was determined by a system where it was named based on the playable character's subjective view.
Was this really Six? Was this the pressure of a girl who had just learned Nen? Facing the enemy with an ominous name, many questions surfaced in Trail's head. But conversely, that was also a sign of composure.
Trail shared emotions with the playable character, but he wasn't actually facing the enemy on-site. To him, this was ultimately a 'game.' To ensure the protagonist didn't flinch before a powerful foe of a different level, Trail was able to act calmly despite receiving the strange enemy's pressure. He entered the attack command.
――――
[TRAIL'S ATTACK!]
[MISS! DEMON KING TOOK 0 DAMAGE!]
[DEMON KING'S COUNTER!]
[TRAIL TOOK 4800 DAMAGE!]
――――
"Eh...?"
A sensation as if something had been crushed felt through him. Naturally, just because the protagonist took an attack in a game didn't mean damage would be dealt to the player.
That common sense was overturned. Cracking sounds came from his right arm. Something hard was squirming under his long-sleeved shirt. Immediately after, an agony he had never before experienced was poured into his body.
"It... it hurts... agh, AGHHHHHHHHH!?"
He tumbled off the fluffy sofa. Screaming so hard his throat felt crushed, he writhed in the narrow gap between the table and the sofa.
"Ihi... IHIIIIIIIII!!"
Before he knew it, he was biting his own lip. He bit down with enough force to grind the flesh, causing a massive amount of bleeding from his mouth. With that pain, he was trying to distract himself from the pain in his arm. An agony beyond agony. Nothing he did could lessen it in the slightest.
Red succulents were growing out of his right arm, tearing through his clothes. Roots were spreading. They were eroding his body. Following the blood vessels, reaching all the way to the ends of the capillaries, his entire interior was being replaced by roots.
He understood that even his Nen ability was being eroded. The Slaughter Game had fallen into a state of functional stop, and the video stream had cut out. He could no longer collect aura from viewers. The program he had built over many years was being destroyed in an instant.
Small red plants were popping up all over his body. It was a state where it wouldn't be strange to die—where it would be strange not to die. But he was being kept alive. He continued to be given pain with no escape, while still living.
The fountain of life gushing from within his body kept him tied to existence. Plants grew from his eyeballs, making it impossible to see anything. But within his head, the 8-bit game BGM was playing at an abnormally high volume with cheap beeps and boops.
How much time had passed? When Trail woke up, he was lying stuck in the gap between the table and the sofa.
He quickly checked his body. No abnormalities were found anywhere. No red plants were growing. He let out a deep sigh, as if exhaling air from the bottom of his stomach.
Had that been a dream? He hugged his own shoulders, sobbing and trembling. It was an experience his brain refused to even remember. He was profoundly grateful from the bottom of his heart that he could just live normally, returned to his usual self.
Suddenly looking up, the TV monitor caught his eye.
――――
[WHO ARE YOU?]
[PLEASE ENTER YOUR NAME]
=> [________]
――――
His consciousness was foggy, as if a haze had settled over it. Without thinking deeply, he operated the controller and typed in his name. He was trying to settle his severely unstable spirit by playing the game as usual.
――――
[OH! HERO TRAIL! I HAVE BEEN WAITING!]
[PLEASE DEFEAT THE DEMON KING AND RESTORE PEACE TO THE WORLD!]
[DEMON KING HAS APPEARED!]
――――
Looking at the encounter screen displayed on the TV, his heart shrank. His throat grew dry as if the saliva in his mouth had evaporated in an instant. That amount of body fluid erupted from his entire body as sweat.
"D-damn it, this is a kusoge... this game is...!"
――――
[FIGHT]
[GUARD]
=> [ITEM]
[RUN]
――――
The battle system in his Slaughter Game was not turn-based. If he dawdled without entering a command, the enemy would attack first. In reality, the playable character was actually fighting. But was it okay to launch an attack like before? Born of hesitation, he considered the other options.
――――
[ITEM]
=> [SEED] [SEED]
[SEED] [SEED]
[SEED] [SEED]
[SEED] [SEED]
――――
The item column was filled with mysterious items. He thought about using one for better or worse, but the courage to select didn't rise. The sense of urgency that the enemy might take the initiative and the indecisive resolve that he shouldn't attack carelessly made him take the middle-ground choice of 'GUARD.' Even while understanding, himself, that it was a bad move.
――――
[TRAIL STRENGTHENED HIS DEFENSE!]
[DEMON KING'S ATTACK!]
[TRAIL TOOK 6950 DAMAGE!]
――――
And it repeated.
Passing through a despair that made him crave death, he woke up again. Stuck between the sofa and the table, he didn't even have the energy to stand up.
"I've had enough... enough...!"
He cried, burying his face in the smell of the carpet dust. The jarring BGM was echoing in the room. The game screen would be displayed on the TV. He even refused to pick up the controller.
BeepBeep
As he did, he heard a faint noise within the BGM. He realized it was the sound effect that played when a command was entered. He raised his face and looked at the TV screen.
――――
[WHO ARE YOU?]
[PLEASE ENTER YOUR NAME]
=> [SI__]
――――
He wasn't touching the controller. Despite that, the name field on the screen was being filled with characters.
――――
[WHO ARE YOU?]
[PLEASE ENTER YOUR NAME]
=> [SIX_]
――――
He was overcome by a vague anxiety. If he left it like this, something terrible would happen. He didn't know why, but he thought so. He hurriedly tried to re-enter. It was an input of only four characters, but the operation proceeded at a snail's pace.
"Wait... what was it again...?"
――――
[OH! HERO L! WHO ARE YOU? PLEASE ENTER YOUR NAME]
=> [________] HAS APPEARED!
――――
"Enough! I've had enough!"
――――
[FIGHT]
[GUARD]
[ITEM]
=> [RUN]
――――
"Stop it... please..."
――――
[________ HAS RUN AWAY!]
[HOWEVER, YOU CANNOT ESCAPE!]
――――
"Someone... help..."
――――
[________'S ATTACK!]
――――