After another mind-numbing day at work, North had one thing to look forward to—his very particular hobby of making life hell for NPCs and players alike. It wasn''t a job. It wasn''t a side hustle. It wasn''t even something he did for recognition. It was just something that made him laugh after eight hours of corporate bullshit.
The glow of multiple monitors cast an eerie light across his cluttered apartment, illuminating empty energy drink cans and a stack of debugging logs he''d been compiling for months.
Some people collected stamps. Others played normal games. North? He broke them.
Fantasy Simulator was his canvas, and suffering was his art.
A smile tugged at his lips as he booted up his latest creation: a recursive loop in the inheritance system that would drive both NPCs and players mad. .
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
?[WELCOME TO FANTASY SIMULATOR]?
[Server: Peace is A LIE #431]
[Administrator: North]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The code was elegant in its simplicity—a few altered variables, a twisted probability matrix, and just enough randomness to make everything feel natural. Every change was documented, every consequence mapped out in his mind with cold precision.
"Let''s see how this plays out," he murmured, initiating the test sequence.
His eyes flicked between monitors, scanning for any unexpected behavior. The room smelled faintly of instant noodles and overworked electronics, but North barely noticed. He was too focused on the data streaming across his screens. He took a long sip of his energy drink, condensation pooling beneath the can as he surveyed his domain. The world map sprawled across his primary monitor.
A mountain monastery was burning to the ground—again.
A peerless Jade Beauty was escaping her 112th forced marriage attempt of the week.
And in the central square of Heavenly Peace City, an entire population stood frozen in an endless philosophical debate with a mysterious daoist about whether rocks had souls.
"Now that''s what I call cultivation," North chuckled, his eyes flickering with amusement.
He''d spent months fine-tuning the NPC consciousness parameters, pushing them just far enough to question their existence without completely breaking character. The results were... magnificent.
But today''s entertainment would be special. The blood inheritance he''d just introduced wasn''t just another random event. It was a masterpiece of probability and false flags, designed to trigger every possible trope in sequence. The fact that it was probably fake wouldn''t matter—the mere possibility of it being real would be enough to set the entire server on fire.
And right on cue, the sky split in half.
Two Immortal Visionaries materialized in mid-air, their robes billowing dramatically despite the clear violation of several laws of physics. Lightning crackled between them as their eyes burned with heaven-shaking rage. Below them, an entire mortal empire cowered, watching in horror as reality itself threatened to unravel.
North leaned back in his chair, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
"Xu Ling!" Grand Elder Tianbao''s voice shattered the heavens, "You dare to steal the Blood Ancestor''s inheritance? Have you forgotten the Heavenly pact between demonic and righteous? Have you forgotten the price the last time your demonic faction paid?"
For a moment, something flickered in the corner of North''s debug window—a string of anomalous calculations—but he was too engrossed in the drama to notice.
Sect Master Xu Ling clutched the blood crystal, his eyes blazing with a fervor that seemed to exceed the emotional parameters North had set. "Heavenly Pact? Don''t make me laugh, Tianbao! If you were worthy, the inheritance would have chosen you. But it didn''t, did it? Just like it rejected you three hundred years ago!"
North raised an eyebrow. He hadn''t programmed that particular piece of backstory. The NPCs were getting creative with their own lore again. Amusing, if slightly concerning. The air trembled as both Visionaries unleashed their divine techniques. A ten-thousand-mile sword slash carved through the clouds. A meteor storm rained down in response.
Somewhere in the distance, a random chicken ascended to godhood, probably from exposure to the raw energy of their battle.
"Your techniques are as flawed as your logic!" Tianbao roared, deflecting a barrage of cosmic ladles with his beard. "That inheritance is clearly a fake! Just like your strength!"
"Says the man who cultivated the Mighty Dao of Manliness!"
North nearly choked on his energy drink. These insults were definitely not in his dialogue tables. The NPCs were pulling from some creative well he hadn''t anticipated, but the results were too entertaining to patch out.
Meanwhile, below the battling Visionaries, a mortal farmer clutched his wife in terror. "First it was the Great War of the Heaven-Going Blind," he sobbed, "then the Tragedy of the Divine Egg... and now this? Why is life like this?!"
His wife had already passed out from spiritual pressure, mumbling about how she should have married that mortal accountant next door—the one who cultivated the safe and boring Dao of Tax Evasion.
In the background of North''s primary monitor, unnoticed amidst the chaos, several lines of system code began to shift and mutate. The terminal was full of error lines.
…
A notification pinged on North''s second monitor, drawing his attention to an unusual anomaly. In the Crimson Celestial Peak Sect, someone had managed to break his carefully crafted power scaling. A Visionary had somehow reached the "Rank 7" in just three days.
"Now this is interesting," North murmured, pulling up the player data.
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[Player ID: ImmortalSage_420]
[Rank: 7 (WARNING: Invalid Progression Detected)]
[Time Played: 3 Days, 4 Hours]
[Death Count: 0]
[Special Status: ???]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
North''s eyes narrowed. He''d designed the power system to be deliberately broken, yes, but this was different. This player had found an exploit he hadn''t intended. With a few keystrokes, he accessed the player''s location. The scene that unfolded made him sit up straight, energy drink forgotten.
ImmortalSage_420 stood atop a mountain peak, surrounded by a crowd of bewildered NPCs. But instead of normally Ranking up by expanding their Imaginary Island or fighting for resources, they were... running a pyramid scheme.
"Fellow daoists!" the player announced, their voice carrying supernatural authority. "Who wants to learn the secret technique of Multi-Level Martial Marketing? For just ten Rain Coins, you too can become an independent Visionary entrepreneur!"
The surrounding NPCs were trapped in a logical loop. Their greed protocols demanded they seek power, but their face-saving protocols prevented them from admitting they were being scammed. The result was a bizarre scene of proud young masters and jade beauties awkwardly trying to sell Visionary Resources to each other.
"Ingenious bastard," North whispered, genuinely impressed. The player had weaponized the NPCs'' own programming against them. By creating an endless chain of face-slapping opportunities, they''d somehow broken through the power ceiling.
A system warning flashed:
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(231, 76, 60, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[Test Sequence: Inheritance Chaos Protocol v2.3]
[Warning: System Integrity Compromised]
[Warning: NPC Behavior Matrices Destabilizing]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
North dismissed the warnings with a laugh. This was too entertaining to stop. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? His system was designed to handle chaos. With another click he swapped the scene. This one was from the Celestial Peak Sect''s marriage alliance system—his favorite source of entertainment.
The scene opened in the sect''s renowned Cherry Flower Valley, where Young Master Lin was pursuing what appeared to be the most stunning jade beauty he''d ever encountered. Her skin was like jade, her eyes like autumn waters, her figure so perfect it could topple nations—everything a proper cultivation novel demanded.
"Immortal Fairy!" Young Master Lin called out, his heart racing as he chased after those floating silk robes. "Please, wait! I must know your name!"
North leaned forward, grinning. He knew exactly what was coming.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The jade beauty paused beneath a weeping willow, holding a delicate sleeve to her lips as she giggled musically. Cherry blossoms swirled in the air, despite it being the wrong season entirely.
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[System Notice: Player LegendaryChad89 has activated "Pursuit of Beauty" quest line]
[Warning: Player Mental State Fluctuating]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Young Master Lin finally caught up, dropping to one knee. "I am Lin Tianyu of the Divine Sun Peak! Your beauty has captured my heart, and I swear by my dao heart that I—"
The jade beauty turned around fully.
"Heavens, No," said a distinctly masculine voice. "You''re the fourth one today. Would you like some tea first, or should I skip straight to beating you?"
Young Master Lin''s eyes bulged. The perfect jade beauty still stood there, but now he could also see... a muscular brother with a magnificent greatsword strapped to his back. Both images overlapped.
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[System Notice: Player LegendaryChad89''s "Dao Heart" has received critical damage]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
"I am Wang Zhong, but most call me Big Sword Wang," the figure said, angrily yet somehow cheerfully, maintaining both the ethereal jade beauty''s appearance and the young master''s presence simultaneously. "Senior Brother of the Iron Sword Peak. I''ve been trying to explain this to everyone, but people keep throwing engagement rings at me and challenging each other to duels."
"But... but..." Young Master Lin''s world was crumbling. "The ethereal grace! The devastatingly beautiful smile! The way you float like a heavenly immortal!"
"Ah, that." Big Sword Wang scratched his head, the motion somehow creating both masculine swagger and feminine allure.
"Side effect from my failed attempt at the ''Yin-Yang Unity Body Refinement Image.'' Was trying to understand both sides of the dao, you know? Now everyone either sees me as the most beautiful woman or the most handsome man. Sometimes both. Makes sect meetings really awkward."
In the distance, another young master spotted them and immediately began racing over, love-struck. Behind him, three more followed, each clutching different betrothal gifts.
"Not again," Big Sword Wang sighed, somehow managing to both flutter a fan delicately and adjust his massive sword at the same time. "Look, if you''re going to have a heart deviation, could you do it quietly? I have seventy-two marriage proposals to reject by sunset, and then there''s this whole tournament where apparently I''m both the prize AND a competitor..."
Young Master Lin had already collapsed, his worldview in shambles. In his daze, he could only watch as Big Sword Wang effortlessly deflected another wave of new suitors using both supreme sword techniques and devastating feminine charm.
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[System Notice: Player LegendaryChad89 has gained title "Seeker of Awkward Truths"]
[System Notice: Player LegendaryChad89 has lost "Young Master''s Confidence"]
[System Notice: Player LegendaryChad89 is now contemplating the duality of existence]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
"Now that''s art," North murmured, reaching for his energy drink.
But before his fingers could grasp the can, something caught his attention on the third monitor. Inside the famous Golden Sunspire Inn, a Rank 1 player was attempting something that made North''s grin turn positively feral. The poor fool was trying to assassinate Old Man Wei. Not just any NPC, but THE Old Man Wei—North''s personal masterpiece of game design cruelty. The one and only true Quest Giver in the entire world, disguised as the most generic-looking old man possible. The assassin, a fresh-faced rogue named "DeathReaper69", had clearly thought he''d found an easy mark. Just another elderly NPC drinking tea in the corner, perfect for testing out his starting abilities. If only he knew.
North had given Old Man Wei absolute immortality specifically to prevent young master speedrunning exploits. The results were never disappointing.
The rogue struck, blade aimed at the old man''s throat. Nothing happened. He tried again. Critical hit. Still nothing.
Old Man Wei sipped his tea, completely unfazed. "Ah, young master," he said mildly, "which clan are you from? Are you perhaps lost? I have a small task that needs attending, if you''re interested. The rewards are quite good."
DeathReaper69 went berserk. Abilities were spammed. Grenades were thrown. The rogue even attempted to glitch through walls, trying to somehow bypass the system''s protocols.
Old Man Wei continued drinking his tea. "You know," the old man mused between sips, "the last young master who tried this ended up accepting my quest to find a legendary artifact.”
The rogue player, growing increasingly desperate, tried wedging Old Man Wei into a corner. That''s when North''s favorite failsafe triggered.
A bolt of heaven-splitting lightning crashed through the inn''s roof, somehow avoiding all other patrons, and struck the unfortunate assassin. DeathReaper69 exploded into a shower of starter equipment.
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(231, 76, 60, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[System Notice: Player ''DeathReaper69'' has been eliminated by Quest Master Wei. His account has been flagged for review.]
[System Notice: Old Man Wei''s Tea Remains Undisturbed]
[System Notice: Quest "Finding Common Sense" is still available]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
North watched with satisfaction as the rogue rage-typed in global chat:
Player "DeathReaper69": WTF!!! THIS SIMULATOR IS RIGGED! THat OLD MAN WAS CLEARLY HACKING!
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[System Notice: Old Man Wei''s Quest Count: 81,427 Offered, 30,647 Completed]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
What the player didn''t know—what none of them knew—was that Old Man Wei was more than just an immortal quest giver. He was North''s first experiment in true NPC consciousness, a being that had quietly watched thousands of players rise and fall, offering quests that were both impossible and profound.
But even North didn''t notice the slight quirk in Old Man Wei''s smile as he poured another cup of tea, a knowing look that hadn''t been programmed into his behavior matrices.
...
...
Meanwhile, behind North''s back, reality had begun to bleed.
It started subtly.
The first sign of something was wrong was the smell— scent of alcohol, completely out of place in his otherwise clean apartment. North dismissed it as instant noodle fumes playing tricks on his mind.
He didn''t notice how the walls behind his monitors had begun to change. The peeling paint of his apartment slowly transformed into the weathered wooden panels of the Golden Sunspire Inn. His carpet dissolved pixel by pixel, replaced by ancient floorboards that creaked with phantom footsteps.
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(231, 76, 60, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
ERROR: REALITY COHERENCE AT 37%
World Boundaries Destabilizing...
Administrator Privileges Compromised...
Immersion Protocols Initiating Without Auth—
Recalibrating User Experience...
Processing Customization...
Loading Full Immersion Mode...
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
His server tower started to burn hot—too hot. Lines of code leaked from its monitors like blood, forming strange patterns in the air, eating through his desk, dissolving the boundary between worlds. North finally noticed something was wrong when he heard noises that otherwise shouldn’t exist in the quiet room. He reached to dismiss the cascade of error messages on the screen, but his hand passed through the keyboard.
The room''s light fluctuated wildly as two realities—digital and physical—began to superimpose.
"What the fu—"
A random voice in the distance screamed, "YOU DARE EXIST IN MY PRESENCE?!" and instantly launched a world-shattering sword beam in supposedly his direction.
A Jade Beauty gasped from a pavilion, "How shameless! He has seen my face—he must dig out his eyes or die!"
Before North could react or comprehend what was going on, his screens flashed white. The smell of burning ozone filled his lungs as thunder cracked through his room. His body felt weightless, his gaming chair dissolving beneath him as his vision warped and twisted. He felt a hard, sticky, and dirty floor beneath his fingers. A strong smell of alcohol and loud noises inundated his head. The roar of random Visionaries battling over nonsense echoed through the inn. North''s eyes snapped open to find himself exactly where he''d never wanted to be: inside his own broken world.
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
?[WELCOME TO FANTASY SIMULATOR]?
[Creator & Administrator "North" recognized.]
[Because you enjoyed playing this game so much & due to all the hard work you have put inside…]
[You have been chosen as a lucky world traveler.]
[Thus, you are no longer a player. You are now a part of the system.]
[Processing...]
[Role Assigned: "Designated Scapegoat of Cosmic Balance."]
[Error: System Stability— 0%. Too much chaos detected. Attempting forced balance...]
[Status: Stripping of all privileges]
[New Role: Integration Required]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
North''s lips twitched violently as the implications hit him. He couldn''t breathe.
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[Plot Armor: 0.1% - Critical Low]
[Survival Tax: In Debt Already]
[Surreal Charm: CATASTROPHICALLY HIGH]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="width: 70%; margin: 20px auto; border: 1px solid rgba(52, 152, 219, 0.3); background-color: rgba(24, 25, 26, 1)">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
[Installing Base Template...]
[Template Installed: "Wherever I Stop, A Plot Begins"]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
As system messages cascaded through his mind, North slowly turned his head. Old Man Wei sat nearby, still drinking his tea, watching everything with that same knowing smile.
North exhaled, fat tears forming in his eyes as he realized he somehow seemed to have entered his own masterpiece of suffering.
"...Somebody Get Me Out of Here..." He cried.
This was the beginning of his Last Game.