《The Game Master's Adventure》 Prologue: Same beginning, different story (SKIP if you read the alternative version) ¡°Ugh¡­ How in the world do people even hack in a VRMMORPG? I mean seriously! The coding within virtual reality games are way different than computer codes!¡± ¡°Leave those issues with the Development Team, our job is to report our findings and remove abusive players. That¡¯s it.¡± Somewhere in the future where virtual reality games are real, blah blah blah. I¡¯m certain you heard of this before, let¡¯s just skip to my introduction. My name is Verden Kyler, a Game Master in this virtual reality world. Oh, and do not mention about my appearance. I haven¡¯t change one bit since I was eleven years old for some reason. No, doctors did not try to find out for the reason behind my ¡®eternal youth¡¯, leave it alone. Anyway, in this world call Avant-Garde¡¯s Mirror Sky; the first virtual reality game and a role-playing game to the boot. Everything is as realistic as possible, the NPCs, the mobs, the weather, temperature, etc. It¡¯s very high quality, and surprisingly not an expensive game in this day of age. Avant-Garde¡¯s Mirror Sky boast around six million people playing. Yeah¡­ With a fan base that large, one would be surprise how many jerks and hackers are in it. Did I mention that this is for the US and European servers in total? Yeah¡­ So, to counter all these problems the creators and stockholders hire us Game Masters/Moderators to patrol the game and help fix some bugs (We mostly fix the bugs¡­ Boring stuff). Thing is about Game Masters is that we have a strict rule of no interference unless it¡¯s an event, dealing with abusive players, or otherwise stated. The bright side is that we have reality warping powers, which we barely used unless it¡¯s a GM Event. ¡°Remind me again what macroing is?¡± My co-worker Curtis Hester is a decent guy. A bit complaintive but he gets the job done very well. I pulled out my Rulebook and told him what macroing is. ¡°Macroing is a third party program that allows individuals to perform tasks automatically without the player itself. It¡¯s a bit more complicated than that¡­¡± ¡°Got it. My question is why? Virtual Reality was made for people to enjoy it like they do in real life! What¡¯s the point of letting some program do everything for you?¡± ¡°I get your point¡­ But it doesn¡¯t matter right now. I locked onto the IP Account.¡± The individual who was using the macroing program already fled, but I got his/her Account Number. We can leave it to the Development Team to determine if its account is tainted by third party programs that has provided players unfair advantages. If we had gotten there and visual saw them hacking, then we could pass judgement on them. ¡°So we¡¯re done?¡± ¡°Yup¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ How¡¯s your romantic life?¡± ¡°I should make that a taboo subject, if a lady try dating me¡­ Let¡¯s not imagine how wrong it would look. I look like I am eleven, in game and real life.¡± ¡°Then why not make an avatar that makes you look older?¡± ¡°I hate people who try to create an avatar that doesn¡¯t represent them¡­ Especially those guys who pick a female avatar.¡± Seriously, you can use the Auto Avatar Creation to create an avatar that looks just like you. Of course, some people won¡¯t do that for several of reasons. I won¡¯t hold it against them, but to create an avatar of an opposite gender is perverted. ¡°Hmm, good point I guess. By the way the GM Event will begin tomorrow. We can finally unleash our power upon these puny players!¡± ¡°Curtis, I¡¯m still task with patrolling the game.¡± ¡°Oh right. Wait didn¡¯t you volunteer to patrol?¡± ¡°I get paid extra by doing so. Not that I need it, but somebody got to keep the game safe.¡± ¡°Alright, good luck then.¡± Curtis took out some shades from his white uniform and put them on his eyes. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this make me cool?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Game Masters have special uniforms that varies depending on their tasks and server affiliation. When new players start, they are given a Guide Book on who is a real Game Master and which ones are fake. Curtis wears something like a white and black school uniform with our Game Master emblem attach to the shoulders and right chest. Dark blue gloves and neon outlined black boots. As for me¡­ I wear a black hoodie with the Game Master Emblem, black pants and black boots (wearing all black). My size makes me stand out, so I don a black and white mask to cover my face. Okay, so the reason why I have this kind of uniform is because after that incident in the GM Event with people treating me like a kid. I asked for another type of uniform that could conceal my appearance and the executives happily agreed since my rage is legendary. Keep in mind that we Game Master are invisible to the player¡¯s eye for obvious reason (catching hackers, duh).If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Our shift is almost over.¡± ¡°Yours is almost over¡­ I still have to track down those Item Dupers¡­ Annoying brats, duplicating items just to make profit¡­¡± ¡°Yeesh. Well see you later Verden, logging out!¡± ¡°See you later.¡± Curtis¡¯s avatar envelope in a bright light and vanish, logging out of the system. Tracking down the Item Dupers, I teleported to the Community Market where players can sell their items and other sorts of virtual stuff. No one saw me since I am in Stealth Mode. ¡°Now then¡­ Item inflation rate for the Draconic Aural Blade is up by 65%... Market Stall #127¡­¡± I pulled out my holographic clipboard (its call a Stat-Checker) that display statistics of the game. There are countless of things I could get from my Stat-Checker, but right now I am focus on locating the player who is selling duplicated items. A notification popped up on my Stat-Checker. It¡¯s the same notification for all the staff who patrol the Avant-Garde¡¯s Mirror Sky world¡­ It caused an uproar a few years ago. Just to simplified things, players can get a simple headset that can transfer their minds into the virtual world. But there is another way if you¡¯re fancy and rich, a capsule that can preserve your body while you¡¯re in the virtual world. Apparently, after an earthquake that hit his home. The missing player name Richard Anderson vanish from his capsule along with his Account file. The guy is from some sort of famous company and let me tell you; they raised an uproar. They thought that we were behind the ¡®kidnapping¡¯, but after considering how absurd the claim is¡­ Well they went quiet and went on a manhunt for the CEO¡¯s son. Anti-climactic. Of course, the company that hired us. Avant-Grande Inc., issue every staff members who patrol the game to be on the lookout for Richard, also known by his player name: Tsrif. Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t know what happened. I¡¯m not even sure if we are able to locate the guy. Could be a hoax after all. I ignored the notification since I didn¡¯t detect any abnormalities in the game. Teleporting to Market Stall #127, I did a scan on the items unnoticed by the Merchant Bot. There¡¯s about three ways you can sell your items in this world. One is by trading, the other is by standing at the stall to sell things yourself, and lastly hiring a Merchant Bot to stand in your place. It¡¯s very simple, the seller lists a price and the buyer (if they have enough cash) buys it. Five Draconic Aural Blades, we have a system that allows us to determine if these items are counterfeit or not. Some sort of genuine code created from the game itself. Duplicating the items also duplicates the complicated code. In a sense every item is one of a kind. And all five of these high level weapons have the same code. I pressed on my ear where my Communicator is to chat with the Security Team Operator. ¡°Verden here. I found five duplicated items that is currently being sold at the Community Market. I am transmitting the player¡¯s file code.¡± ¡°I got the files code. Five Draconic Aural Blades, am I correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good work, we¡¯ll deal with the offender. Many thanks Verden; hopefully we can update our security system on time. Sorry about this.¡± ¡°No problem, keep up the good work.¡± The Anti-Duplicating System is part of the security system that detects items being duplicated and identifies the offender to the Security Team. Because the system is in the Alpha stage, Game Masters and Moderators have to personally check the items that are being duplicated when the system is being updated. The Market Stall along with the Merchant Bot disappeared into thin air leaving several pair of eyes staring at the empty spot. My break has arrived. ¡°Accept.¡± Stretching, I decided to go to the Caf¨¦ in Refallel City. It¡¯s a city where most people started out, so you will see a lot of newbies and veterans there for hangout. Did I mention you can drink and eat in this world? The flavors and such is realistic, but you won¡¯t be actually full just be eating virtual food. Still, the food here is great. I wonder how people are able to program taste buds¡­ Teleporting¡­ Or warping¡­ Whatever people call it these days. ¡­ Refallel Caf¨¦ is an extremely large caf¨¦ that could be mistaken for some sort of large fancy mansion. Many chairs and tables of different sizes due to the variety of species like those common elves and human sorts. The NPCs that work in the caf¨¦ are often the guards, servers, bartenders and musicians. I¡¯m here for the warm air and somewhat peaceful mood. I don¡¯t need to order anything since I can conjure up my own meal and even influence NPCs to do my things, which we barely use actually¡­ I really don¡¯t want to draw attention to myself, so I went outside of the caf¨¦ where the soft green grass were and lay down. To ensure that I really don¡¯t draw attention to myself, I am still in Stealth Mode. I just want to lay down and enjoy the ray of sunshine, it¡¯s a lot better than the real world since we don¡¯t have annoying tiny insects crawling around the grass. That also includes those annoying flies, so¡­ Virtual World for the win? ¡°What a scrub, you actually focus on perfecting your escape and healing over damage? Really?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been extremely hostile towards me for no reason. Did your healer abandoned you?¡± There seems to be some sort of argument between two people, one burly man and a well-built teen. The burly man is the one who called that kid a scrub; whatever that means¡­ Kids these days¡­ Anyway, I got their account names. The burly guy is called Hercluses similar to Hercules from Greek (?) mythology. The teenager is called Veoter. According to my Report List (shown by my Stat-Checker), the burly guy, Hercluses is a douche-bag. Having been reported by 16 people for verbal abusive and harassment to the extreme. The other guy has nothing on him. I may be off duty, but I can still perform my task to a smaller extent. Especially abusive players who love to harass others just for fun. At least I think they do it just for fun. We can do a minor suspension, but I feel like I would let this guy off a bit since I am in a relaxed mood. I decided to simply drop a thunderbolt on him. Yup, we¡¯re the big guys upstairs. Don¡¯t mess with us. Part of the clear blue sky went dark purple followed by a thunderous roar. A single purple lightning bolt (or is it thunderbolt still? I have no idea...) struck Hercluses causing him to spaz and stiffen immediately. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ Go grind some¡­ Golems? Golems?¡± The burly man staggered away while everyone near him moved out of the way. The expressions on everyone¡¯s face is priceless. Here¡¯s a fact: that thunderbolt can in fact do damage, but because I felt ¡®harmless¡¯ today I let it deal no damage. The catch? It causes a status effect called . That guy is wandering the opposite direction of where we wanted to go. Don¡¯t worry though, it¡¯s only for ten seconds. Well, time to sleep and hope nobody stands on me. They¡¯ll go through me actually but that¡¯s still somewhat unpleasant¡­ One hour nap is all I need in this fine and nostalgic area¡­ ¡­ Chapter 1: A different world "Huh? Wha-?! I''m awake!" I scrambled toturn offmy Communicator. "What was that all about?" I pulled out my Stat-Checker and viewed the time. "... What?" 4:48 AM?! It was 3:21 PM when I took a nap. Notice, PM not AM. Did I slept through the day? "Nah, impossible. Clock must be broken..." That would explain why my Communicator was spazzing out. I press on my Communicator to report this to my manager. I frowned. "The hell?" No... Better yet. Where the hell am I?! I glanced around. I''m pretty certain I didn''t sleep in this medicore area. The grass are slighty yellow and somewhat unkempt. The Rafallelcafe that was around here looks entirely different. The huge cafehas been replaced with some sort of restaurant joint! Vandalism? I don''t even recognize this place! "Ugh, must be a new update. Let me logout..." There''s no logout button on my screen. Rubbing my forehead, I keep muttering to myself that it must be some sort of bug. "I don''t think I get paid enough to do this." "Unknown NPCs?" Now that the AI mentioned it... There''s way too many NPC looking people walking around.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. They all look like civilians with dull looking clothes. No armors, nor weapons can be seen. "This must be some sort of bug... Or massive hack..." "Are you telling me to kill everyone here?" I am super stressed right now and taking my stress out on something unknown doesn''t sit well with me. I don''t know where I am and I have no idea what''s going on. I can''t logout, I can''t contact my managers... Do I still have my powers here? I pulled up my GMSkillScreen and saw a small indicator. "My abilities... Are unrestricted?" "I don''t think... Not now, they... Ugh, look.They don''t look like they''re doing the game any harm." Oh boy... I really don''t know what I am getting myself into... "Transport me there." I found myself in an alleyway with three thuggish looking people towering over a man. "P-please! I will pay you back! I swear!" "You can''t pay back the interest in your state, bud!" It looks like some sort of loan sharking... "Please!" "Nah, we''re going to take all your assets and sell you and your family to the slave market. Maybe keep your daughter for the boss, haha!" ... That''s sick. I think I had enough. I turned off my Stealth Mode and shouted. "Hey!" All three thugs turned their heads behind them. "Ah? Who''s the brat?" "... Excuse me?" "Oi, look at the emblem on his clothing." "Mighty fine clothing. That mask too! I think this kid is some noble son! Nab him!" Two of the thugs blurred and appeared behind me. The man being extorted cried out. "K-kid!" "... I. Am. Not.A. KID!" [Smite] My twoassilants instantly exploded into golden ashes before fading out of existance. Not a single trace of them left behind. The last thug looked dumbfounded and dropped his dagger. "Wha... What did you... No. Please! Spare me!" He started kneeling on the floor with his hand clasp. "Were you going to spare him?" I motioned at his victim. "Please... I''m sorry..." He prostrate himself before me. "... That teleportation spell isn''t going to save you." "?!" A bright light emitted from his vest cueing the teleportation array. [Null] The teleportation array shattered instantly. "Damn it!" The thug blurred into a shadow and rushed out of the alleyway. "I had enough of this." [Smite] The shadow erupted into a golden light and faded away. The only one left is their victim, the man who was being extorted. "You may leave." "A-ah... Yes! Right away! Thank you very much!" The man stumbled and ran out of the alley way. I turned my Stealth Mode on before I staggered over. "This can''t be Rafallel City... It doesn''t look this worn down." "Quiet. I need to think this through..." Chapter 2: Where to start? Okay... Stress level is low. I feel numb as I pacified bystanders while I delete a lot of NPCs labelled as harmful by the AI. It''s starting to dawn on me that this world is still technically a game, but everything is also considered living and not a pile of game codes. This is Rafallel City. I no longer doubt that. The banners that hung on some walls and lamp post bear the royal family coat of arm.The Regalia family is the ruling party of the Kingdom ofRefallelia. At least I think. Hm? Apparently, my cleansing has warrented some sort of investigation. Squadron of armored troops spread out and started asking citizens about something. One of them stuck out to me. A man with a mustache riding a horse. He appeared to be the captain, or some high ranking officer. Let''s get closer, unnoticed. "Reporting to Major Vurnseil, sir! We''ve lost all contact with our assets. Those who had been within the vincinity have no recollection of them, sir!" By assets, I am assuming some of the spies and assassins I smited not too long ago. The major clicked his tongue. "Have you detected any traces of magic on them?" "The results came back negative, sir." "Damn! The Head of Intelligence will be chewing us out on this! Private, contact the court mage. Since the young genius knows a lot about magic, let him carry the load. Maybe the brat can sort this out." "Yes sir." I heard resentment in that tone of his. Court mage huh... I haven''t been to the royal castle now that I think about it. I think I should be making myself known there. Why? Because I need answers. And... I need someone to talk too. This AI companion of mine isn''t helping. [Location: Refallelia Castle] I teleported myself onto a balcony of the large castle. It looked like the place has underwent some sort of construction. Some of the towers were missing with thick walls in place of where they used to stand. Sighing, I navigate past the residents of the castles. I''m in Stealth mode, they can''t see, hear, nor touch me. After phasing through several walls to get to the Royal Library. The Court Mage Suite is an office located at the top of the library''s floor. I found that there was no one inside.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Where could the court mage be?" I glanced down the lower floors and notice a librarian making his way to his counter. Should I ask him in person, or extract the information. No harm will be done to the librarian of course. I''ll just know what he knows. "I''ll just extract the information from him." I''m glad that these Unknown NPCs entities are still susceptible to GM''s power. We''re absolute gods here. [Extraction... Complete] "I just need to know where the court mage went. He might know a few things or two... The king or queen might too really... Why didn''t I? Agh, forget it." I pulled up my screen and read through a series of text. Wall of texts. It turns out that the court mage got a call and is now heading towards the throne room. How convenient. "Teleport me to the Throne Room. The one in Refallelia Castle." I found myself at the center of the throne room. A middle age man and a slightly younger women sat on the throne. They must be the new king and queen since I don''t recognize them. The king is a large man with brown hair with powerful looking arms and legs. According to my stats, this guy is level 132. That means he''s those warrior kings. He is also named Richard IIIof Refallelia, of the Regalia Family. That is a long name... Hey... Richard... That name reminds me of Richard Anderson, the disappeared CEO''s son. Ugh, now''s not the time. The queen is has long flowing dark blond hair, with a petite body. Her name is Izzih Regalia, with all the long noble titles. Two figures were kneeling in front of them. I believe the one to my left is the court mage. He is a teenwith light blond hair and wears a pince nez. They other is a man in a plain looking uniform. It said on my screen that he''s the Head of Refallelia''s Intelligence. "That concludes my report, your highness." The man finished whatever he was reporting. The king, Richard III nodded and directed his gaze towards the court mage. "Do you have any ideas what we are dealing with? Court Mage Zeiss?" Zeiss shook his head. "I will need to interview those who were affected, but based on what I heard. It appears that this is far beyond what we would understand." "Elaborate." "I can only make baseless guesses. Either this is the work of the gods, or we are facing with someone or something that has the ability to alter one''s memories in an unorthodox way. A methodthat either is too powerful for us to detect, or is in a sense is not magic at all." The man beside him raised an eyebrow. "Not magic at all?" "It is hard for me to explain what I am picturing... Let me put it like this, an Ancient Frost Dragon can spew a breath so cold that it has been witness to freeze even fire. Some scholars even concluded that its breath can freeze time itself. Yet the breath it breathes is not considered magic despite numerous records of tests. Even the most powerful mage back then were unable to replicate its ability." "Oh, I see." Everyone in the room nodded. Ah yes. The Ancient Frost Dragon, has instant death ability called [Death Breath]. Very high tier. This game doesn''t have a level cap, but still players have a hard time fighting that sort of creature. "But why would someone or something be interested in our spies?" "Forgive me your majesty. As of now, I am uncertain of what is happening. I will put all effort into this investigation. You may rest assure." I think now''s my cue, but first I need to ensure that I don''t get interrupted. There appears to be some elite guards in the throne room, but they''re nothing. Wonder what happened to theSentinel Mondes... They were the elite guards that protected the royalty here. These guys here aren''t worth squat. I need to isolate the room first. Good, now for my entrance. [Stealth Mode Off] I appeared behind the two kneeling figures and casted stasis on the four elite guards that were in the room. "Sorry about that, but I believe I can answer that." Chapter 3: Discussion "Hey, that rhymes." The uniformed man leaped away from me like a frog and pulled out a short sword from his uniform. He looked very surprised. Zeiss casted a shield around everyone while frowning at the guards who were put in stasis. Meanwhile, King Richard III had stood up and looked like he was about to attack. What a scary expression... I put my hands up to show that I mean no harm. "Sorry, but I had to make sure that no one can interrupt me. This room is a replica that I made while you guys were talking. Please, relax and let''s talk." Richard looked at me with steady eyes. "I mean no offense, but you''ve intruded on my domain and asked for us to simply talk?" I took off my mask and pulled down my black hood. Maybe someone will recognize me? After all, NPCs are suppose to know who I am. That is... If these guys can even be called NPCs anymore. The uniformed man looked somewhat appalled. Maybe he knows who I am? "A child?" Okay... Maybe not. My eye twitch a bit. I forgot to screen the uniformed man''s name. Appearently he is Difa Kundermen. That''s a funny name. Difa seemed to notice my eye twitch and changed his tone. "My apologizes, I did not mean to offend you." Difa relaxed his guard and lowered his short sword.Zeiss on the other hand looked at me intrigued. "Ahem..." The king cleared his throat.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "You didn''t answer my question." "Oh, sorry. I was hoping someone here would recognize me if I take off my mask." How stupid am I? My uniform is enough to get at least some recognition... "That still does not answer my question." "What was the question again? Oh yeah! Yes, I actually was expecting that we all sit down and talk." I materialize a large table that landed in front of me and two chairs. The king and queen already have their throne. Now that I think about, the queen was overlooked. Eh... The king looked irritated. "Why?" "Because I need to know what''s going on with this world. I could extract the information from all of you without permission... But I don''t think you would like that." "Is that a threat?" The room got back to very tense again. I''m also at the limit of my patience. "That was not my intention." I snapped my fingers and a chair sprang up from behind me. I pulled up and rest my hands on the table. "I''m lost in a world that isn''t what it should be." Difa glanced at the king. The king sighed and waved a hand at him before sitting down on his throne. Difa pulled up with the chair along with Zeiss. Difawas the first to speak. "Were you the one responsible for the disappearance of our spies?" "Yes, I didn''t like what they were doing. Human trafficking is illegal you know." "..." Whatever Difa was about to say was interrupted by Zeiss. "You said you were lost in a world that isn''t what it should be. What do you mean by that? Are you from this country? Another world?" This blond mage is starting to give me the creeps. He''s staring at me with those curious eyes like a scientist with his specimen. "It means that this entire world isn''t suppose to be what it currently is. And yes, I am not from this world. I think." Difa rolled his eyes. "You forgot to ask for his name. We don''t even know who he is." "Oh right, my introduction. My name is Verden Kyler, a Game Master." "Game Master?" King Richard III frowned and appeared to be in deep thoughts. Both Zeiss and Difa looked towards their king, curious. "Your highness, do you know something?" "There were records of powerful beings that even the Sacred racethemselves wouldn''t dare challenge..." Oh thank god... At least someone was kind enough to record us down. Eh? Who are these Sacred race? "Obviously no one would challenge a Game Master. What is this sacred race you speak of?" Zeiss spoke up. "They were divine beings that could be of almost any race. Some were elves, humans, beastmen, demons..." I think I know who these sacred beings are now. "I think you mean players... There was nothing sacred about them. Bunch of grown brats if you asked me." "Ah? Of course they''re sacred! Have you heard of Kritical and his group of heroes? He saved the world from the 72 Malefics! And SwordFang..." Everyone in the room groaned. The king face palmed, the queen covered her face with both hands, and Difa put his head on the table. Something tells me that I opened a Pandora''s box... I can mute... Right? Chapter 4: The new world It turns out I can''t mute an NPC. Even if it''s a Unknown NPC entity that my AI keeps blaring about. The blond teen with pince-nez wouldn''t shut up. The guy talked for almost half an hour about all the deeds that the players had done. Ranging from that one guy was the first to beat the hardest raid boss on the server, to some random players that saved an entire city during an event. I did not expect such a fanboy to be here. Much less, a court mage. "... Are you done?" "Ah? Oh yes! I''m so sorry. I got carried away." "Finally!" Difa cried out and rubbed his head. He then turned to King Richard III. "Your highness, I would love to stay and hear Verden''s... Explainations, but I have meetings to attend." "Hm, of course. You may leave." Really? He can''t leave since this room is a replica. "This room is a replica. You can''t get out unless I let you out." "Eh?" But I''m not going to hold this guy back. I don''t really like cunning people like Difa. Already he''s got several plans that includes me in the equation. "Here, see you later." I waved my hands and a door materializes in front of Difa. "Uh..." "It leads to out of the replica room. I still need this area to hold a conversation you know." Difa made a face. "How will I explain to the Royal Guards about this?" "Difa has a point, I am certain that the castle is in an uproar over our disappearance." The king looked at me. "If you would please, Game Master Verden. I ask you to return us to where we were. Though I do not really understand how your ''replica'' works, I am assuming we are not really in my throne room."This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "And this conversation...?" "We will continue this talk, even after we''re back in the throne room. I promise." Zeiss nodded at the king''s word. Difa merely shrugged. "... Fine. Deactivate!" The door burst opened and many elite guards filled the room, weapons drawn. The king raised his hand for them to stop. "I''m alright, empty this room. We currently like a influential guest." "Huh? Er, yes sir!" The person who appears to the captain looked confused, but didn''t dive any deeper. His eyes glanced over and saw the four frozen guards that I put on stasis. "... Sir...?" "Oh, I almost forgot." I removed the stasis from the four guards. They blinked and frowned at the sudden change in the room. "Did... We spaced out?" The king responded to them kindly. "No, you all may be dismissed. I would like to talk with our guest here. He means us no harm." Motioning towards me. Everyone seemed to frown, but didn''t complained. After everyone left the room, the remaining people are Zeiss and King Richard III. The queen left along with her attendance. She hasn''t say anything despite all of this, quite impressive. "This replica thing. Is it some sort of spell?" Zeiss asked me with those curious eyes. "Hm... Not certain if it''s magic or not. More like manipulation of reality?" I''m not certain if this place can be called reality even... How would they react if this world is, in a sense, not real? "How does it work?" "How about I finish my questions first before I answer yours?" He''s not peeling away from me! "I''m listening, Game Master Verden." (Richard III) Finally... "First things first. Where am I? I know that this is the Kingdom of Refallelia, but this place has changed greatly. What do you guys call this world? Earth?" "I see... We call this world Grandia, I am the fifth generation since the start of this kingdom. There were two others before with the name Richard, therefore, I am Richard the Third. Hrm... I believe I haven''t introducted myself yet..." "There''s no need. I naturally know all your names. Something doesn''t sit well with me... Who was the first Richard?" The king looked confused, but answered anyway. "The first king was Richard Regalia, he was the king consort to Tanya Regalia." Tanya Regalia! She''s the queen NPC that ruled the Kingdom of Refallelia! Did he just say that Tanya Regalia was his ancestor?! "... How long ago was Tanya''s reign?" "Hm... I can roughly guess. Around five centuries ago, I believed." My mind is torn between... Something. On the one hand, I''m freaking out over a game that literally aged! The other one is that I somehow time travelled within the game and everything is as real as terriblesingers! "Five centuries? Five centuries... This Richard the first. You said he was a consort, that means he married into the royal family. What was his original surname?" "Hrm... I can''t remember." "Anderson, I believe. Your highness." "Ah yes. That was the one." So I finally solved the lost colony of Roanoke Island? Holy shit... "Impossible... So he was here this whole time? But times had passed for five centuries... So that means he''s dead..." "Game Master Verden? Are you alright? Why are you interested in my family history? Game Master Verden?" Chapter 5: Legacy It seemed that I blacked out for a few seconds. Zeiss was putting his hand on my forehead and was applying some sort of healing spell. King Richard III looked concerned for me. Of course, that doesn''t work on a Game Master. I gently patted his hand away. "I appreciate your kindness, but nothing works on me." "Huh?" "Healing, harming, or anything aside from simple physical contact won''t affect me. You don''t need to tend to my distress. I''m just shocked that hundreds of years had passed in this world." Both Richard III and Zeiss relaxed, somewhat... But Richard III still had a doubtful look. "Game Master... That is your title, am I correct?" "Yes." "If taken out of context, it means someone who is control of that of entertainments. Such as sports... But it seems that is not the case judging by your mysterious powers." This guy isn''t overlooking the details. That''s high quality kingship there. "Your assumption is actually spot on. I don''t mean to be cruel or give you a sense of inferiority, but this entire world was created for the entertainment of those back in my world. Don''t freak out now." I don''t think that was a nice way of dropping such a bombshell... "... I see..." King Richard III appeared to be in deep thoughts while Zeiss looked somewhat confused. "Are you stating that the world we live in was in a sense, your playground?" "I''m afraid that is exactly what he means, Zeiss. After all, our world history... Is a bit incomplete." "..." I kinda feel sorry for Zeiss now. Despite his creepy curious nature, he''s still young and bright. I think... Anyway, I don''t know how I would handle if I found out that the real world I live in was a simulation.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "I... Don''t really mean to make you question your existence. I''m merely stating the facts, but I suppose somethings are best kept in the dark." "That kind of information would be best withhold from the public." "Again, I am sorry for dropping such a crushing fact." "Continuing from my question, now that we established the background of your title; I am assuming that the Sacred race is from your world and that the Game Masters existed to uphold order." "Yes, spot on. What gave that away?" "You belittled what countless called the Sacred race. Whereas others will admire them and strive to take their place. Your tone appears to be that of overseeing spoiled children. I simply made the connection." This guy is savvy. "Ah, Game Master Verden! If I may. Does that mean you know all the distinguised people of the Sacred race? Does your powers allow me to relive in the Golden Era?" This kid... How did he become a Court Mage? "I do have recordings of them..." "Show me!" Zeiss almost pounced on me. His face was closed to mine and the pince-nez almost fell off. "Why are you so obsessed wth them?!" King Richard III sighed and waved a hand at Zeiss. "He has always been fixated on the Sacred race. His hometown thrived from a Sacred building and the residents are dedicated to their idols." That sounds... Disturbing. "I have never heard of these Sacred buildings. I''m pretty certain you don''t mean any religious buildings like temples and such." "I don''t know how to describe it, but I believe the closest thing people could describe it was a castle of sorts." "Hmm... Sounds like a Guild Stronghold. Where is this place?" Zeiss answered: "Roughly 760 miles north from the Kingdom of Refallelia. It is considered neutral territory." I believe that''s in the densed forest. Guild can build structures there as outpost and such. They cannot build near any of the NPCs town, cities, etc. Only out on the hunting grounds at specific locations. "May I ask you another question, Game Master Verden?" "Go ahead." "If you are capable of holding the order among the Sacred race, then how powerful are you?" "Good question. There are many Game Masters, and every single one of us is invincible. You can say that we are near omnipotent." "I see... If you wanted us gone, that will be no problem for you." "Don''t worry, I don''t plan on destroying anything yet." "That is somewhat assuring." Zeiss has been silenced this whole time. He seems to be thinking of something, which I really don''t want to know. It''s a gut feeling. "My turn to ask questions. So roughly five hundred years ago, the Sacred race disappeared right?" "That is correct, according to records; they simply disappeared one day. Not a single trace of their existence, except some of their structures and gears." "What happened after they disappeared?" "I am not entirely certain, but without the Sacred race to keep powerful monsters away. There was some upheaval around the world. Not much, but some kingdoms fell apart or was replaced." That would make some sense. I supposed... "And no one asked why the ''Sacred'' race disappeared?" "There are many theories to this day, but none had any proof backing them. What''s left is only their legacy, nothing else." I sat back and rubbed my forehead. I''m starting to get a headache from this time travel crap. The real question now is what do I do? HIATUS! So sorry! Contract Agreement I, the Signer, hereby agree to the terms of conditions set by my Contractor. Upon completion, I, the Signer will receive the provisions granted by my Contractor. In exchange, I, the Signer will be responsible for fulfilling the task enacted upon me by my Contractor and is required to fulfill it with disregard of mine and others beliefs, ethnics, and secular immunity.
  1. Upon completion, the Contractor will ensure that the Signer will be provided the capacity to inflict upon others, and provide no sort of interference to the Signer:
    1. Misfortune
    2. Minor Psychological Manipulations
  2. Upon completion, I, the Signer will be required to fulfill the following requirements enacted upon me by my Contractor:
    1. Provide my Contractor with negative energy stemmed from misfortune that I will inflict upon others.
    2. In the event where I, the Signer, is the direct or indirect cause of the victim¡¯s death, the victim¡¯s soul will be redirected to my Contractor.
    3. I, the Signer, must fulfill the conditions above for 4 years.
      1. I, the Signer, must provide at least one Minor negative energy to my Contractor per day.
      2. I, the Signer, is not required to provide my Contractor the souls of my victims daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
  • If I, the Signer, bestow my Contractor the souls of my victims, will be provided a grace period of 4 days.
  1. During the grace period, I, the Signer, am not required to fulfill any of the provisions enacted upon me. Grace periods can be accumulated and cannot be revoked.
I, the Signer, agrees to the terms of conditions listed above and will abide all following requirements as long as my Contractor also agrees to the terms of conditions listed above. Upon signing the contract, I, the Signer, and my Contractor will abide the tasks enacted upon us by the conditions listed above.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
  1. If I, the Signer, failed to fulfill any of the tasks or requirements, then I, the Signer, will forfeit my soul.
  2. If my Contractor failed to fulfill any of the provisions, or violate the term of agreements, then the contract will be revoke with the Signer¡¯s provision granted undefiled.