《Fiddler in Another World》


 Prologue

    I''m Hotaru. That''s all you need to know about me. Why? Because I''m boring. But don''t worry, I won''t be talking about me. Because if I did, then this story won''t amount to much now, would it?


    No, I''m here to talk about what I do and what I did that got me here. I''m a game tester. Not just any kind of game tester, but the best of the best. What do I do? As my job title states, I test games, but that''s obvious. To be specific, I find bugs and glitches in a game and report it before release. But that alone won''t make me any special, right? So, what separates me from the others, makes me the best? The thing is, I have a knack of finding all kinds of exploits in a game. No matter how good the game is programmed, I''ll still find quite a bit of exploits at the end of the day.


    If you''re now saying to yourself, "That''s still boring!", I can only ask you to stay awhile, because that''s not the interesting part yet; it comes after that. What could possibly be interesting about my work? Well, while testing a game, I may have found a way¡­ to a different world.


    Yes, you heard that right. Do I have your attention now?


    ¡­


    Good. Before talking about the "otherworld", I feel like I should talk about how I found it in the first place. As many say, "the journey is just as interesting as the destination." Don''t worry, as I''m telling the story, I won''t boggle your mind with tons of computer lingo; I''ll keep it as simple as possible. I''ll try, at least.


    I was hired by a company (can''t disclose its name, sorry) to test their latest game¡­


    (flashback)


    Wow¡­ that''s a really tall building.


    The Alpha Building. The tallest building ever made by man (so far). Standing at almost 200 floors tall, the Burj Khalifa of olden times is nothing compared to it. Of course, a building, however tall it is, amounts to nothing if it houses useless things. So, the Alpha Co. rents their floors only to the best companies, each a pioneer of their own field. That includes the company I will be working for.


    As a human told to have an almost mechanical (figuratively speaking) brain and thought processes, I am devoid of appreciation for aesthetic beauty. With this in mind, hopefully you''ll understand when I say that this building, which many deemed to be elegant and the most beautiful art of modern times, is just a normal building, both from afar and within.


    I head up towards the front desk to register myself and get a temporary pass only valid until the end of my work here. Security is tight; they don''t want a repeat of 6/12, an event even worse than 9/11 back in the day. If even one of the passes, temporary or otherwise, doesn''t check-out by the end of the day, a full lockdown is initiated, an initial team is immediately sent up to the tracked pass, and all floors are searched, one by one, with no nooks and crannies left unchecked and no stones left unturned. The owner of the pass in question is then shot with both a stun gun and tranq gun on sight, no exceptions. However, nothing like that happened so far since the opening of the building, so here''s me hoping I don''t become the first.


    I arrive at the 101st floor. You may ask, "How long did it take you?" Well, no time at all. You see, one of the wonderful inventions the pioneers invented is the teleportation pad. It''s still experimental, so nowhere else will you find one, except here. Being a building for pioneers, it must have state-of-the-art technology too!


    On arrival, a short girl in her 20s behind the front desk greets me.


    "Welcome to ***** Co. How may I help you?"


    "I''m the game tester you hired, Hotaru."


    "Welcome, Hotaru-san. Please, follow me."


    She leads me to a white room with nothing except a cryochamber-looking capsule and a standard PC.


    "Please wait here."


    After she left, I immediately observe the cryo capsule. To be honest, throughout my career working with big companies and pioneers, I''ve never seen anything quite like this. Its black finish shines under the white lights. It is sleek and stylish, unlike the bulky form of a typical cryochamber. Moreover, cryochambers are required, by law, to be colored white. Furthermore, placing a cryochamber here is pointless, so it must have a different purpose.


    Hmm¡­


    Could it be¡­ a full-body VR machine?!


    If it is, then I''ll be amazed that they were able to keep this under the radar for so long! But really! Gone are the days when we have to rely on VR headsets and holograms for gaming entertainment. To be honest, gaming with those has gone a bit stale lately. But now, with this machine, the possibilities are endless!


    As I am looking at this machine in amazement, the doors open and someone steps inside.


    "Hotaru! Long time no see!"


    My best friend, Ryouta, steps in and hugs me.


    "How are you doing? Heard a game tester is coming to test our game. Didn''t know it''s gonna be you!"


    "Aren''t you in the department handling employees? You should have seen my name there, Ryouta-san."


    "Ehh¡­ They don''t trust me enough for hiring. They say I''m too ''biased.'' Also, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me with a -san? I swear, we''ve been best of friends for years, yet you still call me with honorifics!"


    *I think they don''t let you handle hiring because you ARE biased; every cute face or slender legs you see, you hire immediately, no questions asked!* I thought quietly to myself.


    Also, it is true that we''ve been best friends for years, but every time we meet is for business; I''m just being polite and professional, you know!


    "Anyways, you''ve seen that girl in the front desk, right? What do you think of her? Cute, right?"


    "Yeah, cute." I say in a nonchalant way.


    "That''s it?! No other opinion?! And I even handpicked her myself¡­ I swear, something''s wrong with that brain of yours!"


    "Can we get on to business?"


    "Straight to business, huh? Fine. The game this time is an MMO. You know how they are; lots of exploiters looking to get ahead than everyone else. We want you to find as much exploits as you can before release, which is a week from now."


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    "I see. How about this capsule? What is it?" I ask as I point to the thing in question.


    "Ahh¡­ I''m sure you''ve already inspected it and came to a conclusion as to what it is, right?"


    "Yes, I just want to confirm my guess."


    "It''s a full-body VR, first of its kind! This is the prototype, but it works just as well and looks just as good as the commercial ones."


    "Really?!" I ask excitedly.


    "Yes, really. I swear, getting excited with technology but not with girls¡­ There''s no hope for you, is there?"


    *Of course, these things are more interesting than girls!* I think to myself.


    "That doesn''t matter! How does it work?! Can I try it now?!"


    "W-Wait! Do your work first!"


    "I really can after?! Ok!"


    "Yes, you can after. *sigh* You never change. Everything you need is already there; the source code, your favorite IDE, everything."


    "Thanks, Ryouta-san!"


    " *sigh* No problem. I''ll just be here if you need me."


    He then steps out and closes the doors behind him. Now that I''m alone here, I better get started. I have 5 days to work on this, so if I finish everything by today, I''ll have 4 more days to play with this baby! Hehehe, that seems like a plan.


    *Ok. Exploits, show me yourselves!* I quietly whisper myself as I start working on it.


    ¡­


    "It''s already been 5 hours, huh? Well, it doesn''t matter. I just need to check one more thing and I should have everything done with an hour more to spare. Here I come, VR!"


    I say that as I open the last source code file I need to check.


    "Huh? What''s this? Is this it, or did I miss something?"


    This last file is named CreateWorld.cs and it only has one function inside, even though I expected more because¡­ isn''t this the code responsible for creating the whole MMO world? Another weird thing is that the only function inside it is called Teleport¡­ however, this is not being used anywhere, which means that this will never run at all.


    Hmm, I should test this but it would be a breach of contract if I change the code in any way at all. Even if I just change it back after, they''ll know. Knowing these guys, I bet they''ve been watching me work ever since I started.


    But I have a plan. With the dev version of the game, I can access the console. Not only that, but any function can be run in the console to make debugging easier; it''s just the matter of knowing the command to actually run the function. I know that the game engine they are using is a custom one based off a game engine I happen to know very well. So, without wasting any more time, I type this in the console:


    runfunc -adef ******** ~/Scripts/Managers/CreateWorld.cs Teleport -n 0


    Basically, the letters after the dash mean:


    - a: run with admin privileges using a password


    - d: run in debug mode


    - e: specify a file with a directory


    - f: force run function


    - n: specify number of arguments. In this case, none.


    How do I know the password? Well, this command is already deprecated, meaning it''s old and shouldn''t be used. Typically, game devs remove this functionality before the game''s release to avoid exploits like what I did. But since they have game testers like me to test their games, they didn''t seem to bother worrying about exploits at all. Now, getting to the password. This is the only command to use a unique admin password (separate from the system password used by other commands, which is one of the reasons why this command was deprecated). I just lucked out that they haven''t changed the admin password at all, and I won''t even be surprised if they don''t know about the command in the first place. You know what the default password is? It''s just "password". I swear, they''re too lax!


    When I run the program, nothing happens. Well, that''s to be expected since I haven''t even turned on the VR machine. But I can''t use it until my job is over. So, I make the exploit report (rhymes, right?) while omitting the runfunc exploit (I won''t be able to use the Teleport function otherwise) and walk over to Ryouta to hand it in.


    "What''s this? Is this the exploit report?! This quick?! You sure you got all of them?"


    "When have I ever failed you?"


    "True true. I just didn''t expect it this quick!"


    "Yeah¡­ So, as promised, you''ll let me use it, right?"


    "The VR machine? I did promise¡­ Fine, you can use it. Just don''t break it or pry its hardware box open like last time, all right?!"


    "I won''t, I promise!"


    "You also told me that the last time!"


    "How will I even be able to pry it open with my bare hands?! I''m not that inhuman!"


    "True. Just get on with it quick! Also, since you finished waaay too early, you don''t have to come back tomorrow."


    "Even if I want to?"


    "Let me rephrase: you CAN''T go back tomorrow."


    "But I thought the contract''s like last time!"


    "They changed the contract because you always finish early before, then fiddle with, and even break, some things afterwards. Now, your contract only holds until you finish the job. You should be grateful that I''m giving you a pass ONLY this time!"


    "¡­ Fine. Can''t argue with you anyways."


    "Good. Just be out by 9 pm. You don''t want the guards going full-lockdown and harassing you just because you played too much. Anyways, I''m done for the day. See you next time, and good job!"


    "Ok! See ya if I ever see ya!"


    With that, Ryouta picks up his suitcase and walks out of the offices. Now, I have the full place to myself, not that I care though. I only have about an hour to play with this baby, but it should be more than enough. Since I can''t type from inside the capsule, I set a macro typing the command on timer, and go into the capsule. Wow, it''s actually comfy in here.


    In 3 more secs, the command should run.


    3¡­


    2¡­


    1¡­


    (darkness)

 Chapter 1: A New World

    "*yawn* Where am I? That was a nice nap."


    I look around me and see the most breathtaking scenery. I see the birds tweeting and fluttering around me, smell the green grass that gently waves with the wind, and feel the gentle breeze that softly caresses my cheeks. I swear, I''ve never seen this much greenery before in my life.


    "Wow! And I thought nothing but new tech could ever amaze me."


    After staring in awe (been standing there with an open mouth for a full ten minutes), I first check what I can do to interact with the game. I try swiping on the air.


    "Hmm¡­ that doesn''t seem to work. Oh, what''s this?"


    Around my wrists is a wristband I have never seen before. It''s your typical rubber sports wristband; too simple for my tastes. But maybe you can buy or earn a cooler-looking one in the future? I just hope that''s the case; after all, I do want my Flame of R*cca wristband!


    I try tapping on the wristband. A hologram menu pops up, that''s no surprise. Let''s see¡­


    - Character


    - Inventory


    - Friends


    - Options


    - Log Out


    I click on Character.


    "Ehh?! Why is my name D142? And why don''t I have an avatar? Oh, right, I skipped the character creation because I skipped to world creation. Let''s see, does this thing have a console?"


    I click on Options. One of the options is called Dev Mode, which is currently off. That must be it. They''ll probably be removing this before the release, hopefully.


    After turning it on, a submenu next to the main menu pops up. It has all kinds of things, like godmode, noclip, and other typical OP commands designed for devs. Well, I''m kind of a dev and I have access to these, so why not use them? Who doesn''t want to have godly powers in a different world?


    I immediately click on Godmode, but it shows me an error:


    "Error: Cannot find the character D142. Have you created your character yet?"


    I guess I really need to create my character then. How? Remember the console command that can run any function? I can use that to run the CreateChar function. Now I just need access to the console. I look at the submenu once again.


    "Let''s see¡­ console, console¡­ Ah, there it is!"


    I really didn''t worry much if it doesn''t exist, since I can just log out and run the necessary commands in the PC. But this makes it more convenient. I click on Console and type in this command:


    runfunc -adef ******** ~/Scripts/Managers/CharacterManager.cs CreateChar -n 0


    It''s the command from before; the only difference is that it gets a different file and runs a different function.


    "Error: No overload for function ''CreateChar'' takes 0 arguments."


    Huh? I guess it takes in some arguments, unlike Teleport. What could it take in? I check the manual for CharacterManager by typing the command:


    man CharacterManager


    It shows me, among other things, that CreateChar apparently takes in a boolean, or a true/false value, and that boolean is named isDevModeOn. Wait, would this mean I would get more options if Dev Mode is on? Hell yeah I''m turning it on! I type in this command again:


    runfunc -adef ******** ~/Scripts/Managers/CharacterManager.cs CreateChar -n 1 true


    Now the function takes in 1 argument, a boolean with a value of true. The function runs, and another screen pops up in front of me. It''s the Character Creation screen! Huh? It looks like any other Char Creation screens in terms of functionality. I thought I''d get more options because of Dev Mode! Useless devs, putting an argument that''s not even used in the function! Oh well, I''ll just create my character.


    Hmm, what should I name him? Hotaru? No, that''s too personal. Hmm, how about Darknight? Noooo, that''s too chuuni! Ugh, I hate naming characters in games simply because I''m not creative enough to think of a good name. Hell, it takes me even hours just to think of a good enough name.


    Oh! How about Fiddler? I like fiddling with games, and I also play the violin. Fits! That''s one aspect done with.


    What''s this? More names? Uugh¡­ now I have to think of a realistic first and last name. Oh, there''s a button that gives a random name. I''ll just choose randomly. Hmm, Homura Tomiji¡­ Good enough. Oh, it also asks me how to show my name. How about just the nickname? Yeah, that''s good enough. Now, onto the actual character creation!


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    (After making my character a bit taller, a bit more handsome, and a bit more muscular that my real self)


    "Done! Finally over with that. I just really want to try out the dev commands anyways, so it''s not like I''m keeping this character."


    I click Next.


    "Whaa? More things? Oh, it''s for choosing the class and setting the skill attributes! Nice! I''m always a magician in games, so I''ll go with that. Woah, what''s with this skill attribute points?! It''s 999!"


    I try adding to INT.


    "It never goes down either! Does this mean I can just max out all my skill attributes? There''s even a button for maxing out each attribute so I don''t have to keep clicking! Ohh, this must be the change when Dev Mode is on¡­ and I thought the devs are useless! O great devs, sorry for my ignorance and for doubting you. You guys are awesome!"


    With that said, I max out all my skills because why not?


    "1M HP?! And 2M MP?! This is too OP! It''s just for devs though so it should be fine."


    After staring there in amazement, I click Done.


    "Finally done with that! Now let''s try Godmode. Huh, nothing happened. Wait¡­"


    Since I created my character, my wristband now always shows my basic stats similar to UIs in games, and when I look at it, both my HP and MP show their values as infinity.


    "Seriously?! Well, it''s godmode after all, so that should be expected. But if this was the actual game¡­ it would totally be OP! No, beyond OP!"


    I then click Noclip. My body instantly becomes like a ghost and the status on my wristband now shows ''Ethereal''. I try going through the floor and¡­ I went through! I can fly anywhere too!


    "Let''s try flying to that town over there. I still have 30 more minutes, so that should be more than enough time."


    It''s a small, countryside town with only about 10 or so houses.


    "I must be in a rural area. I kinda expected that I''d start somewhere closer to a city, but apparently not."


    I go to one of the houses.


    "Hmm¡­ I wonder if anyone can see-"


    " *shriek* A ghost! It''s a ghost!"


    "Well, that confirms that."


    I immediately go through the floor to hide. I hear others running towards the woman that shrieked.


    "Where is it?!"


    "There! It went through the floor!"


    "Then it''s really a ghost! Ogata, go fetch the exorcist! We don''t want another one rampaging here!"


    Uh oh, this is bad. I better get away before I attract any more attention. But "another one"? Oh, you naughty devs. You guys must have done the same thing too.


    By the way, what''s with their AI? It almost seems too realistic. Now that I think about it, I did not even see any code about AI, events, or anything concerning the world. What the hell?! I only saw that Teleport func- Wait, does that mean, it actually teleports you to another world?!


    "Ehhh?!"


    This is bad! I better get away here before I destroy anything. They talked about a ghost rampaging before. It must have been one of the devs maxing out their stats and maybe they just touched something but can''t control their power. If that''s the case, then I really need to get away here before I cause any damage!


    I fly off to my starting point and quickly press Log Out.


    "Whew, got outta there before anything bad happened. But, if my guesses are correct that it''s not VR but instead an actual, different world, then how did they even find that world? For now, I''ll just get away from here and go home."


    I''m tired with all the work and play but, furthermore, my mind is filled with a lot of questions and only guesses to answer them. I''ll ask Ryouta tomorrow about it, not to mention I also need to tell him about that runfunc exploit. It''s too dangerous in the wrong hands!


    I get home and, with all those worries tiring me, I immediately go to sleep.

 Chapter 2: Questions

    The next day, when I wake up and take a bath, I notice a wristband around my wrist¡­ Wait, a wristband? From the game?! How was I able to bring it back to here? I shouldn''t have been able to¡­ if that was a game. If that was just another world and I was teleported to and from it¡­ then it''s possible. Does that really mean¡­ that I just got back from another world?! Calm down, Hotaru. Don''t get too excited now¡­ I still haven''t gotten any solid answers. All these are just assumptions. Maybe I just forgot that I put one on last night¡­ Nope, I can''t remove it, meaning this is not a normal wristband and could very well be the one from the game. I have to ask Ryouta!


    I immediately go to The Alpha building to finally get my questions answered. Since I''m visiting, I only get a guest pass which is only valid until I get out of the building. I teleport using the teleportation pads up to the 101st floor. When I get there, I ask the "cute" (I, for some reason, am unable to see cute, thus the quotes) front desk lady where Ryouta is.


    "I''m sorry, but he''s not in the building right now. He mentioned going to lunch with old friends. Shall I call him?"


    "Yes please. Tell him it''s something important."


    After calling him, the lady tells me that he is currently at a nearby karaoke place. I thank her, then immediately go to the said karaoke place since I had no other business in the building anyways.


    Wow, quite a place! I thought it''s just gonna be a normal karaoke place but I suppose they can be as elegant as this! Well, this is one of the richest parts in town, so I shouldn''t even be surprised. I ask for Ryouta in the front desk, and they promptly lead me to his room. Before meeting Ryouta, I have to hide the wristband just in case he recognizes it. Last thing I want to happen is to be put in jail for intentionally using an exploit for my own gains while working.


    "Oh hey, Hotaru! Come in, come in!"


    Ryouta invites me in to the room. Wait, isn''t this a hall? This place is huge! I''ve never seen a karaoke room this big before. The biggest I''ve seen is probably only 1/6 the size of this! He then beckons me in to his karaoke party. Or rather, isn''t this just a party? No one is even using the karaoke machine; everyone is just eating and socializing with each other. I did not expect this much people either; he did say lunch with his old friends, unless these are all his old friends?! I didn''t know a man can have this much friends until now! (This is coming from a man with only one friend¡­ I''m so lonely¡­)


    Enough about feeling bad for myself, I have so many questions to ask Ryouta.


    "Ryouta, I have a lot of important things to ask you. Can we talk outside?"


    "The host should never leave his party early. Just tell it to me here."


    He drags me a bit farther from the others.


    "So, what could possibly be important that you can''t ask me some other time?"


    "It''s about the game. The game is a VR MMO using that capsule, right?"


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    "Yes, why?"


    "Well, I''ve looked through the code like usual and I''ve found everything to be weird. I mean, so many things are not there yet, like AI and events and world generation¡­ Unless you didn''t give me all the code?"


    "No, that should be everything. Are you telling me the game is incomplete?"


    "Well, not really. You see, when I looked at the code that handles creating the world, I only found one function there named Teleport. Now I''m thinking that maybe the code is lacking because that''s really all that''s needed and that there''s no need for more because¡­"


    "Because¡­?"


    "The pod teleports the player to another world instead? I mean, that would be amazing! Why haven''t you told anyone yet? I''m sure many-"


    "Hahaha, that''s ridiculous! There''s no way that could possibly be true! Maybe the code I gave you is lacking, after all. Don''t worry about it. I''ll ask around. But for now, just enjoy the party!"


    "But-"


    "Everyone, cheers for my friend here!"


    "Cheers!"


    "Now drink up and forget all your worries for once!"


    "Okay, I''ll just try a bit. I can''t handle my drinking after all¡­"


    "You''ll be fine! Hahaha! Just drink up!"


    "Okay, here goes."


    ¡­


    "Uuughh¡­ Where¡­ am I?"


    My head aches like hell... So this is what they call hangover. How much did I even drink? At least I''m in my apartment now. Thanks, Ryouta! Ugh, I don''t think I can work today. I''ll just call in sick.


    (After a day of puking and severe hangover)


    Finally, my head is a bit clearer now. I''ll never drink alchohol ever again! Just thinking about it makes me wanna pu- no, don''t even think about it. No, I can''t stop thinking about it! I''m gonna puke aga-


    "Bleeerrrghhh!"


    (After two more pu- blleeerrghhh- 3 more)


    Ahh¡­ I''m really feeling awful now. I can''t work like this! I gotta call in sick again. Good thing I still have a year of vacation days¡­


    (After finally resting and putting all that traumatic experience behind)


    "Aaahhhh¡­ I''m feeling way better already. Thinking about it doesn''t make me puke anymore. Now that I think about it, the whole thing is just ridiculous and silly! I can never understand why people drink!"


    While preparing for work, I remember that I still haven''t told Ryouta about the exploit I found.


    "Oh right! The exploit! I''ll just pass by there and quickly tell him about it."


    I went to The Alpha building early in the morning and into their floor.


    "Is Ryouta-san here?"


    I asked the front desk lady.


    "Sorry, he left for a business trip and won''t be back until the end of June."


    "That''s about 30 days from now."


    Should I tell the others instead?


    Hmm¡­


    Nah! I''ll just wait until Ryouta gets back. I''m sure it won''t be discovered that quick. Plus, I wanna play around with it more; I still have many things I wanna try. I can''t possibly be that bad, right?


    I leave the building and quickly go to my work.

 Chapter 3: OtherWorld

    June 1st. The day the game, OtherWorld, gets released. If you still haven''t noticed, it''s the MMO I''ve worked on. Of course, I''m also excited for the game, not only because I wanna see my name in the credits, but also because I get to go to another world! I''m the only one, besides the devs, that knows about it though. Although Ryouta never gave me a straight answer, I''m already sure of it; just look at that name! With the release of the game is also the release of the first ever full-body "VR machine". Of course, I already preordered mine and had it delivered as soon as possible, so it just arrived this morning. After eating and taking a bath, I immediately dive in to my new machine.


    "Fuuuu! I''m so excited for this! I don''t think I''ll be getting out after going in! Should I take a whole year vacation? Yeah, let''s do that!"


    With work literally out of the way, I immediately dive in (again) to my new machine. Let''s do this!


    When I open my eyes, I''m standing in a white room. Huh? This didn''t happen before. Oh! This must be like that scene in K*nos*ba where the main character is bestowed a wish by a goddess. Although I doubt the same is gonna happen here. This is probably where you can create your own character with the help of a guide or something. Speaking of the guide¡­


    "Welcome to OtherWorld! I am Alyssa, your gui- wait a minute! You already have a character?! Next!"


    "Wait what?! That''s it?! What if I don''t like my character?"


    "Then remove your wristband and try again! Next!"


    "But I can''t remove my wristband!"


    "Then suck it up and play your character! Next!"


    "Ugh, why are you so rude?!"


    "Look, kid! I''m tired of whiney bastards like you. I''ve been dealing with you lot for the past 2 hours and I can''t bear it anymore!"


    "Who are you calling kid?! For your info, I''m already 25 years old! *buffs chest* I bet I''m even older than you! And if you hate this so much, why do it?!"


    "Hahaha, 25?! Try 240! And I do this not because I want to, but I get paid to. Life is hard, y''know."


    "You''re a ghost! What could they possibly pay you?"


    "I''m not a ghost, I''m a high elf! This is just my projection! And for your info, they pay me in gold per hour! Per hour! Not per day or per month, but per hour! You know how much that is- you know what, you won''t understand. Why am I trying to argue with a kid?!"


    "You know, you don''t have to argue if you quit your job¡­"


    "You know what, you''re right! I quit! To hell with this! I already earned enough money anyways. I''ll start a new life somewhere else so I don''t have to deal with you lot! Rose, take over for me from now on!"


    Fufufu¡­ she''s cute when she''s angry. Wait, did I just say cute?! Oh no! What''s happening to me? What did she do to me?! Did she awaken my hidden lust for elves? But she''s old! But she''s cute! But she''s annoying! But those¡­ *boing* Oh no! Noooo! I''m really changing! Someone help me! I''ll never be the same ever again! Noooooooo!


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    With that, I start my adventures in another world.


    "Ahh¡­ I can never get tired of this view."


    I am once again at the spot where I logged out last time. Speaking of last time, my character is still the character I created. Wait¡­ does that mean?! I quickly check my Character screen.


    "It is! It''s still my character with all the OP stats! I don''t know what to feel about this! I mean, wouldn''t anyone be happy being immediately strong in another world?! But then¡­ wouldn''t I be going against what I am? I find exploits to prevent these kind of things, but I then use exploits to get ahead of everyone else. Isn''t that just dishonest? ¡­ Nah, it should be fine! It''s the devs'' fault anyways; they forgot to purge their servers before release! Or do they even have servers if it''s a real otherworld instead of a virtual one? Well, it doesn''t matter. Now, let''s see what max stats can do."


    I go to a fairly remote area in the plains to test out my powers. By the way, even though I already have max stats, I''m still level 1, so I don''t have any skills yet. I don¡¯t have any magic skills either. The only attacks I can do are only everything I can do in the real world, like punching. So I try punching the floor to test my strength.


    *BOOOOOMMMM*


    I''m now standing in a crater I created just using my fist. You wanna know how big it is? To put it into perspective: Imagine a big salad bowl used for serving salad. Now put half a peanut at the bottom in the middle of the bowl. That peanut would be me, and the bowl would be the crater. And that''s just with a punch, an attack considered really weak in any games. Imagine if I instead use a skill, say a fireball, or even a high-level skill, like a meteor! Would it even be possible to destroy the whole planet?! I shiver just thinking about it.


    Anyways, I really want to, if possible, tune down my strength. And I want it fast! I can''t keep going like this when I can destroy everything just by fighting monsters. I especially like this place!


    So, what are my options? Well, if I remember correctly, there''s a function in the CharacterManager code to edit any character. Maybe I can use that? Since my character was brought here through my wristband, maybe my Dev Mode would also be with me? I click on the wristband to open the main menu and click the Options¡­ Nope, no more dev options anywhere in the menu.


    Am I really gonna be stuck this powerful? Would I be like that king with the golden hand but can''t touch anything? No, I won''t let it be like this! There must be a solution! Or, better yet, an exploit! If there is an exploit, I can and will find it! I probably won''t find any exploits with the wristband (since I''ve already found and reported all except one of them) so I must find exploits of this world. But first, I must gather some information. That first town that I visited should be a good start.


    I run back to the top of the hill I spawned in and down to the town entrance in less than 5 secs.

 Chapter 4: Little Town of Grens

    I think I haven''t described this town yet. This town is one of those typical real-world medieval towns. It has a wooden fence all around big enough to stop any small monsters but small enough to put a fight against bigger, more serious monsters. I say monsters because I''m assuming there would be some like in other games; this would be a boring game otherwise. However, their "guards" are nothing more than peasants; they wear their normal clothing and wield their rakes and pitchforks. They don''t seem to have much training and discipline either; some sleep on the job and some are too skinny to actually put up a fight. Since there are some trees near the entrance where I hid to, they haven''t seen me doing my fast running (which would probably freak them out if they did). One of the guards stops me.


    "It''s not often we get visitors this far from the city. Who are you?"


    "I''m just a traveler."


    "Oh, but you don''t look like a traveler. Travelers I''ve seen are mostly merchants in decent clothing, typically with their donkeys and wagon. I don''t see you having neither. So, who are you, really?"


    I look at myself and realize that I''m no better than a hobo; my clothes are ruined and dirty from my little experiment earlier.


    "Ahh, that''s¡­"


    "It''s ''either'', Nishimura-kun. And we don''t drive away visitors just because of their looks. We''re better than that!"


    "I know it''s ''either''! I''m just¡­ testing Suguro here!"


    "Umm, Nishimura-san¡­ I got a higher grade than you-"


    "Shut up! Also, am I not a guard? What the hell''s my point then if you keep inviting visitors in like this? ¡­ Fine, but he''s your responsibility! Don''t blame me if something happens because of him!"


    "Yes yes, Nishimura-sama. Thank you for being so understanding, goshoujin-sama¡­ :P"


    You forgot the /s! He might misunderstand! Why is he blushing? Can''t you see, he DID misunderstand! *sigh* I go in and walk with the girl that helped me.


    "Please forgive Nishimura-kun. He can be a bit¡­ passionate sometimes. Anyways, welcome to our little town of Grens! I''m Nonaka, your tour guide for today! *giggles*"


    Ahh, this girl¡­ I don''t think I can handle her.


    "What''s your name?"


    "Oh¡­ I''m Tomiji Homura, but you can just call me Homura."


    It would be weird if I give my nickname to someone I barely know if this is another real world. I know I definitely won''t do it back in my world!


    "First names already, huh¡­ So¡­ what really brought you here?"


    "Umm¡­ As I''ve told Nishimura-san, I''m just a travell-"


    "Tsk tsk tsk. I can tell when you lie, you know!"


    *gasp* She''s sharp! *sigh* There goes my paper-thin cover. I can''t keep lying like that, anyways. I have to tell her the truth and be ready for any consequences. "Actually, I-"


    *giggles* "I was just kidding! I really can''t tell if someone''s lying at all! But seeing how you fell for that easily, I don''t think you''re a bad guy, right? I''m sure you have your reasons for lying, too. I won''t pry¡­ just, if you want to, you can tell me about it or anything at all! After all, they call me Clear Ears oneechan not literally, but because I''m a good listener! Now, enough about me. Let''s continue with the tour!"


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    It is confirmed: I really can''t handle her.


    She tours me around their simple town joyfully, and all I can do is nod in response. Continuing my description of the town from the inside, Grens is big enough to fit at most 15 families. It''s not a big town, but even so, it looks quite busy; everyone has their own role to play. Men chop wood, farm, and tend to the animals, while women take care of their young, clean, do laundry, and cook for their families. Children old enough help either out on the field or at home, while those too young play with others in their age group. However, what really surprised me is the school at the edge of the town. It is bigger than any of the houses around here, so it''s quite hard to miss. Now that explains it when Nonaka corrected that guard''s grammar... wouldn''t that mean they''re more advanced when compared to medieval towns of my world, since even peasants get access to education? Nice!


    During the tour, many people wave at Nonaka; she seems quite popular among the townsfolk. They''re a bit wary of me, however.


    Finally, Nonaka leads me to the last stop of the tour.


    "This is our blacksmith, Shoji-san. Seeing you don''t have any weapons on you, you would probably want one, since it can be quite dangerous outside the town, especially at night. Don''t worry, we won''t drive you out. You can stay as long as you help out around town. Anyways, if you have any weapons you want or you want one made, Shoji-san can sort it out for you. Although, I won''t expect much from him if you''re looking for some high-quality stuff."


    "Hey, don''t sell me short like that! I''ll have you know that I apprenticed under Haldred-sama himself, so I can manage some high-quality weapons and armor, providing you give me the proper materials. It''s not my fault the last customers expected me to create a great-quality sword using only felboar bones and troll fangs; it''s like building a proper house using only dirt, it''s ridiculous!"


    "Right right, I''m sure it''s completely their fault! :P "


    "¡­! ¡­"


    Shoji-san stands almost 6 feet tall. He has a muscular build and intimidating gaze that can make anyone tremble. But even he can''t do anything against her. Are all girls like this, or is it just her? Nonetheless, she''s scary!


    "Anyways, before I officially end the tour, I should introduce you to someone that can provide you with a roof over your head for a while. We don''t really have inns here, since merchants don''t stay for long and we don''t get much ''travelers'' passing by here."


    This girl¡­ she really doesn''t trust me, does she? Well, I''m a stranger here, after all, so it can''t be helped.


    *giggles* "Follow me!"