"Is this a bug?! I disguised myself as an NPC and still got spotted!"
The flesh used for the disguise vanished instantly, revealing ultra-high-density metal. Some parts were bent from the initial impact, but a swarm of nanomachines repaired the structural flaws in a heartbeat.
Minions materialized in the air, devouring the scattered experience points. Honestly, so many parts of this game don't even have particle effects.
"The physics feel solid, though. This shouldn't be a small indie team's work."
There was friendly fire; he could even damage himself if he mishandled his skills.
"But linking an Open World with Rogue-like mechanics is just weird. The XP from these mobs is static, yet the level-up requirements are scaling exponentially."
At this rate, once he hit a high enough level, his only choice would be to focus on large-scale destruction and constant map-hopping just to keep up.
Then again...
"It is pretty satisfying."
Clack!
1400 HW of energy poured down from the sky, restructuring into various weapon platforms the moment they broke through the dimensional barrier. His firepower was hundreds of times greater than the grunts surrounding him.
He realized he could now use a version of that skill the pink-haired boss used in her second phase.
His energy bar refilled rapidly. He didn't let anyone capitalize on his brief moment of vulnerability.
War, noise, and tens of thousands of minions birthed from the void—all contributing to the city's systematic erasure.
"Is it just me, or do these armed mobs drop more XP than the ones before?"
Bullets sparked against his body, dealing a resounding "0" damage due to his absurd defense stats. Kaito stepped toward the only elite mob in sight and raised his hand.
"Wait, wait! I'm the high-ranking Commissioner of Mu's Capital! We can—"
BOOM!
Cannon fire erased the man's head. Kaito didn't slow down, even with the "blur" filter applied to the scene.
"If they ever hire voice actors, I wonder what that elite's dialogue would actually be?"
Just as Kaito was about to keep farming, a shimmering attribute card popped out of the corpse.
Why?
The guy felt weak. If the previous elite dropped a card because Kaito was low-level, why did this one drop one? Pure RNG?
"Is the game still in Alpha? Feels like there are a lot of loose ends."
He paused to check the card.
[Additional Attribute Choice:]
Attack Speed 3 → 4
Skill Frequency 2 → 3
Vitality 0 → 1
"The randomness is weak. Once you pick a path, the game sticks to it. Does the designer know how rare these drops are?"
Kaito chose Attack Speed.
Attack Speed 4: Your attack speed is increased by 80%.
Suddenly, he noticed his minions were vanishing at an alarming rate. They were being wiped out by mobs swarming from the city and... from outside the city?
God damn this Open World Rogue-like. Am I supposed to be hunted by the boss during the early game?
"I can't let this drag on. The 'fun factor' is going to tank if I don't finish this."
He let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot comply."
The officer from Mu was taking a hard line, blocking the path of the MOTH army.
Elysia ignored the bickering. Regardless of whether it was Mu or even the most eccentric parts of the world, no nation allowed foreign armies into their capital at this stage.
"Mu thanks your organization for the intel, but your current actions constitute a violation of our sovereignty! If you persist, we have the right to use force!" the officer declared righteously.
Elysia stood still. She felt she had changed; at least now she could hold her ground instead of rushing in to spout useless platitudes.
"Your capital just blew up."
As a mere "attendant," her sudden interjection wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears.
The Mu officer was about to snap at this "impolite" girl, but then...
On the horizon, a massive mushroom cloud of fire and dust roared into the sky. Reflected in everyone's shrinking pupils, the air seemed to solidify.
"Mutual destruction?"
The MOTH officer nearby sounded shaky. The thought of fighting something that could produce a mushroom cloud was terrifying.
"Excuse me. Sorry."
Elysia instantly neutralized the leadership of both sides and pulled out her First Laboratory badge.
"By order of Dr. Mobius, I am taking command of the scene. Everyone, maintain order and prepare for rescue operations. I will personally scout the city."
Everyone in MOTH knew Mobius represented the First Lab—theoretically the highest authority. Since Mobius was born in Mu, she still carried weight there. The orders were executed immediately.
"Ma'am! I can help too!"
Himeko's father, Hime (Trace), rushed forward. This was his gamble—win and get promoted, lose and at least Bianca gets a hefty pension.
Elysia glanced at him. She remembered him being decent—not on Sakura's level, but not a "one-shot" grunt either.
"Prioritize your own safety," she instructed before darting off like an arrow.
She didn't dare delay. She remembered that this Herrscher seemed to be constantly adapting to its powers, and now it was pulling out all sorts of new tricks.
She thought she could remain calm, but the city after the shockwave was a graveyard of ruins and agonizing screams.
Less than one in ten survived. Damn it, how did he manufacture that thing so fast? And it wasn't even a prototype!
"Unforgivable..."
She whispered to herself. Her custom compound bow was reinforced by an invisible force, the string humming with power.
However, as she vaulted over a high wall made of nanomachines—thinking her resolve was unbreakable—what she saw made her mind go blank.
Perched atop a mushroom bomb nearly ten meters high and several meters wide, the boy sat leisurely, picking away "decayed" flesh and replacing it entirely with nanomachines.
"I knew it. In an Open World Rogue-like, the major characters have emotional coding."
Kaito muttered to himself, finishing the flesh removal as the countless gun barrels on his back merged into one.
He felt like an idiot. He thought the boss was chasing him and wanted to farm some quick XP, but he'd ended up blowing up most of his own minions in the blast.
"Gonna fight back?"
He asked casually, though he couldn't tell if these poorly-modeled beings were even capable of speech.
First shot!
As expected, it missed. The pink-haired girl—presumably a late-game boss—was insanely fast.
Elysia's figure was like a ghost, her beautiful eyes radiating pure killing intent.
"Wonder how deep the emotion module goes?"
Kaito aimed the massive barrel directly beneath him, but the Boss didn't flinch or slow down.
"Guess it's not that deep. Whatever, let's just charge up another one and see if I can blow this girl up."
The rewards from a late-game boss in a rogue-like might not be a game-changer, but killing her would definitely improve his user experience.
Elysia didn't even have time to notch an arrow; she swung her bow with enough force to create a sonic boom, smashing right into Kaito's chest. But the self-destruct command had already been issued.
Yet, at the moment the mushroom cloud was about to rise...
[Flawless Dome!]
Kaito: "?"