Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 3

Episode 3

"Log out!"

Cannot log out at this time due to an unknown error.

"Delete character!"

Cannot delete this character at this time due to an unknown error.

"Delete account!"

Cannot delete account at this time due to an unknown error.

"You crazy game...!"

After shouting the same words into the void for hours until my throat was raw, I collapsed into a chair with a look of despair.

"Sob, my throat hurts..."

I sniffled, clutching my painfully raw throat.

It wasn't actually hurting, but as the brain synchronized with the virtual reality, it made a certain amount of pain feel real.

Of course, only 'to a certain extent'.

If they made you feel extreme pain leading to death, they'd be hit with a class-action lawsuit from the users...

It was that moment.

Recovery Potion Containing Lizard's Vocal Cords

Drinking this potion temporarily increases HP recovery speed and gives you strong vocal cords, allowing you to scream nonstop like a Lizard.

You have enough of the required ingredients. Would you like to craft this potion?

(Craftable quantity: 100)

"Huh."

I let out a dry laugh at the system window that suddenly popped up.

Come to think of it, since I was an NPC, I could instantly craft any item or potion I wanted, as long as I had the ingredients.

I was thrilled when I was saving up money, but now that I was trapped in the game, it was just absurd.

"...How on earth do I get out of here?"

Staring blankly into space, I muttered, on the verge of tears again.

I'd tried to exit the game countless times, but it wouldn't close, as if there was a connection bug.

"My body... will it be okay?"

Two years. Two years!

No matter how fast game time flows compared to reality, two years would mean at least 24 hours had passed in the real world.

The time a human can survive without eating or drinking anything is 72 hours.

If I don't get out within that time, I might be front-page news.

'Woman in her 20s dies from game addiction, the dark side of virtual reality games...'

A plausible headline popped right into my head.

And on top of that, my miserable form, starved to death, huddled at my desk with the VR device on...

"Nooo!"

I shot up from my seat and paced anxiously around the small shop, trying to think of a way out of the game.

If I lived with my family, someone would have told me to quit gaming and forcibly taken the VR device off me.

Unfortunately, I was an orphan with no living relatives.

Besides, as long as I was logged into the game, it was considered being at work, so no one would even notice I was missing.

'I'd have to be on the connection standby screen to even use the operator chat.'

Since I was already connected to the server, all I had were the permissions available to an NPC, like 'Block Malicious User (Ban)' at best.

It would be better to find another operator who was logged in and ask for help...

"...Wait. Chat?"

Suddenly, an idea struck me like lightning.

This game, whose official release had been postponed for years due to over 300 version upgrades for bugs, had, true to its reputation, installed bug report NPCs all over the place.

Reports were in a real-time chat format, and any operators logged in had to check and address them as the top priority.

'Good! I. Will report. A bug. Right now.'

Usually, I got pissed off by users who constantly cursed in the chat for trivial reasons like delayed rewards.

But now that it was happening to me, I fully empathized with the users who cursed it out as a 'buggy-ass shitty game'.

I ran out of the apothecary with a look of grim determination, but soon stopped in the middle of the main street, looking dismayed.

"Right. I'm the only NPC here..."

The bug report NPC was usually inside the temple or church in each region.

But Dover Village was disconnected from the scenario and a place users rarely visited, so it didn't even have a temple.

The bug report NPC was probably in the next village over, near Count Hailey's estate, but it was a four-hour walk.

Normally, a user would never have to walk.

They'd buy a 'Teleport Scroll' from a general store NPC or would have tamed a horse or pet monster to ride early on.

But there was no way I, who had just been holed up here mining coins, would have anything like that.

"Damn it, what do I do."

It was then.

"Since Jack left the village, this horse is mine! How dare you block a Hero's path!"

A commotion suddenly erupted in a part of the village busy cleaning up the damage from the monster horde.

"B-But, Hero. These horses originally belong to my family..."

"Still, this bastard! Are you a Hero or something? Huh?!"

Dover Village Hero Gayle

Dover Village Stableboy Tom

It seemed one of the Hero lackeys was still around; a large brute and a much smaller boy were arguing in front of the stable.

But that's not what caught my eye.

Lv.9 Swift Steed-type Monster

'That's it!'

Level nine was pretty decent for this rural backwater.

I quickly jumped in front of the stableboy, who was just about to be hit by the lackey.

"Tom, will you sell me this horse?"

"Shari...?"

"What. You're that witch, the potion junkie bitch?"

Angered by my sudden appearance, the Hero lackey grabbed my shoulder hard with a nasty expression.

"Can't you see I'm talking?! Don't mess with me. My comrades must have caught all the monsters before they left, and you selfishly snatched... "

"Ban."

'Dover Village Hero Gayle' is permanently banned from this region.

It was a waste of time to even deal with this insignificant AI bastard.

I had no idea what was happening to my real body at this very moment.

"Oooh! As expected, Gayle has also left for another village, following the other Heroes..."

Shushushuk

The boy muttered as he watched the man's form vanish in an instant.

It seems that's how a permanent ban looks to the AIs. Whatever.

"I'll give you 100 coins."

I dug into my pocket, pulled out a gold coin, and held it out.

It was a good thing I didn't take off the robe. The NPC-exclusive costume, the shabby robe, had a pocket, or rather, inventory, with unlimited capacity.

Paying 100 coins to Dover Village Stableboy Tom to purchase Lv.9 Swift Steed-type Monster.

Current Coins: 4,012,900 C

Unlike those bastards who ripped off the villagers just because they were 'Heroes', I, who had legitimately purchased a mode of transport, was a bit surprised to see my coin balance.

I hadn't looked at it in a while, so I didn't realize my illicit savings had piled up this much.

"...Are you also leaving to become a great Hero now, Shari?"

The AI character asked as it watched me prepare to leave.

"As if. Why would I do something like that?"

If I get out of here, I might just permanently delete my ID and quit my job.

I snapped back irritably and hopped onto the horse.

Using one Potion of Lizard's Leg Muscle.

- A potion blended with the toughest leg muscles from a Lizard's muscle fibers, effective only on the same monster type...

"Heeheeheeng!"

I frantically fed the horse potions and whipped it repeatedly, cutting the four-hour journey down to two.

As soon as I entered the Count Hailey's estate region, I ran straight for the temple.

Count Hailey's estate was the region where the first main scenario unfolded, right after the tutorial, so the temple should have been bustling with users.

But maybe because of the access restrictions from the emergency check, it was quiet except for the AIs.

This was an incredibly sad thing for me, as I needed to ask for help from anyone who was logged in.

Fortunately, I quickly found the bug report NPC, who was wearing the same robe as me.

In the center of the temple were statues of the gods worshipped in this game world, and the NPC was right in front of them.

"Welcome, pitiful priest. The gods are always open to all who seek help."

As the priest-like NPC recited its fixed lines, a menu appeared in the air.

1. Check current region map.

2. Check current region quests.

3. Check monsters appearing in current region.

4. Check current region character relationship chart.

5. Report malicious users and bugs.

"Bug report! Bug report!"

The system window immediately changed into a chat window format.

Bug reports are handled via real-time chat consultation. Connecting you to an available consultant now.

...

I stared at the chat window with its blinking cursor, my eyes full of elation.

...

...

We are sorry. It is currently outside of real-time chat consultation hours. Consultation hours are weekdays from AM 09:00 to PM 19:00...

But my jaw dropped at the message that immediately popped up.

"Ha, ha... Does this make any sense?"

I laughed hollowly.

'It's not consultation hours because it's past seven?'

Of course, I also thought that getting off work on time was very important.

I also wanted to kill the bastards who, as if they'd planned it, would start a chat at 6:59 PM, right when I was the only operator left, to complain that quest rewards were too low.

But, but...

At least those bastards could screw me over, go back to playing their fill of the game, log out, and sleep soundly, couldn't they?!

"Please... I'm so scared..."

I shoved both hands inside my hood, tore at my hair, and shrieked.

"I'm going to die like this! I'm telling you, I'm going to die...!"

'Becoming a pathetic game addict who starved to death wearing a VR device...!'

I sobbed and collapsed in front of the priest NPC.

As if it was trying to mass-produce addicts, the game wouldn't let you know the real time once you were logged in.

On top of that, this game went beyond simple virtual reality implementation and transmitted smell, taste, and even a sense of space and time via brainwaves, so game time was experienced just like real time.

'Is that why users stuck around despite over 300 version revisions?'

It was truly an amazing and fucked up innovative technology.

At least there was a warning that popped up after a few hours of game connection, but maybe because I was an NPC, I didn't even get that.

Therefore, I had no way of knowing how much time was left until daybreak in reality.

I could only... keep waiting.

And so, one day, after about two months had passed in game time.

Me: Excuse me, I'm an operator. This game won't log out.

It is currently outside of consultation hours.

Me: XX, I said the game won't log out!!

It is currently outside of consultation hours.

Me: You XX bastards!! It's been a month!!! Why would you make a shitty game like this, XX! XX!

It is currently outside of consultation hours.

Me: Please save me... T_T There's a person here T_T

To me, who had been leaving furious chat messages while traveling back and forth between Dover Village and Count Hailey's estate every day.

GM Ari: Hello, this is GM Ari. You've encountered a game logout bug?

A reply from a consultant finally came.