Trapped in a Game That Flopped

Chapter 4

Episode 4

"Finally! Sob, finally...!"

I cheered and hurriedly stood in front of the NPC.

Me: Excuse me! I've been trapped in this game for two years and two months, you know?

I can't log out, I can't disconnect, nothing works!

This seems like a serious bug, please force-quit me now.

Hurry!

In less than one second, the chat window was filled with my complaints.

Maybe because it's connected to brainwaves, this game automatically inputs your thoughts when the chat window opens, without the hassle of typing.

"The chat came, hoo, hook... I can get out, finally. Hah, hah..."

It was an excellent feature for me right now, full of rough thoughts and anxious eyes.

GM Ari: (Typing...)

As I anxiously stared at the chat window waiting for a reply, I still felt quite relieved.

It was a nickname I'd never seen, but being a GM (Game Master) meant they were high-ranking among the operators, high enough to be on the Production Team.

Employees like me, who were in charge of trivial matters, usually had 'Helper' attached to the front of their names.

'Right. Of course, it's an unprecedented bug where a person is trapped in the game.'

I was sure I would get a reply saying they would execute a force-quit immediately.

But the reply that actually came back was.

GM Ari: Aha, is that so.

"Aha, is that so...?"

GM Ari: You must have been very flustered that the game wouldn't end, Adventurer.

My mind went blank for a moment at the reply, which felt even more soulless than an NPC's.

Of course, all the operators were ground down day and night, dealing with hundreds of users and fixing bugs.

'Isn't this really too much?'

Me: Flustered? Are you kidding me? A person is trapped in the game, a person!

Me: And I'm not a user. Can't you see I'm an NPC character?

Me: I'm an operator too. I logged in to work and got trapped!

I furiously spammed the chat window.

Fortunately, I finally got through to them.

GM Ari: Ah! It's confirmed now. You weren't a user.

Me: Yes! I'm an operations team employee. I logged into the server as an NPC character to check a bug and got trapped T_T Why can't I disconnect?

GM Ari: Excuse me, but could you please tell me the ID you logged in with for verification?

Me: sari_sss

I was a little suspicious, wondering what kind of Production Team operator can't even look up member info, but I was in no position to be picky.

I obediently gave my ID.

GM Ari: Thank you. Operations Support Team Shari, your identity has been verified. You are currently logged in as the 'Dover Village Apothecary NPC Shari Azrael' character.

"Ahem, hem."

I got a little embarrassed at the operator's blunt reply and cleared my throat for no reason.

The trend of horizontal structure-something-or-other in organizations had taken off, so everyone at the company used an English name.

But to think that even that English name was the same as the character name I created and logged in with...

How very like a game company employee.

Me: Now that I'm verified, can you please just log me out quickly? It won't end, no matter how much I shout. It's already been two years in game time.

GM Ari: Oh dear, I checked, and it seems an error occurred when server access was restricted for the emergency system check. T_T

Me: ?

Me: Then what happens to me?

GM Ari: First, would it be alright if I forward this to the Server Management Team, find a solution, and then reply to you again?

Me: No!!

I was aghast at the reply and objected.

Me: I waited two months in game time just to get this bug report reply!

Me: And it's been over 24 hours since I put on the VR device. What if I die?!

GM Ari: (Typing...)

The word 'Typing' flickered several times in the chat window, as if they were typing yet another long, soulless answer.

Honestly, being trapped in the game wasn't the big problem.

Most of the people in here were voluntarily trapped.

The only important thing was that my real body might be starving to death.

Now, just 48 hours.

No, not even 48 hours were left.

I waited for the operator's words, feeling like my blood was drying up.

GM Ari: ...Then how about we send an employee to Shari-nim's home? So they can remove the device.

Me: Yes! Please do it right away!

GM Ari: Is the address registered in your employee information correct?

Me: Yes!

GM Ari: Then we will take action immediately. I know it's difficult, but we would appreciate it if you could wait just a little longer.

"It's done!"

And with that, the chat with the operator ended.

I didn't know how much longer I'd have to wait, but I wasn't as desperate as before.

In any case, it was because I now had hope that if I waited just a little longer, I could finally escape this crazy situation!

And if I thought about it like the ultimate optimist, living as an NPC in the game wasn't actually bad.

Even if I was hungry, my stamina was low, or I couldn't sleep.

One potion was enough to take care of it.

Besides, I was near max level, so there was no risk of dying like the low-level users who had just started the game.

'Well... is it not so bad? It's no different from being a rich, unemployed person.'

I had bought quite a lot of things from the general store since first arriving at Count Hailey's estate, but my coin balance was still plump.

And since I'd banned all the AIs that bothered me, only peaceful days continued.

Except for the worry about my real body, which might be starving to death.

Naturally, I didn't even think of returning to Dover Village and just sat and waited in the temple.

Thanks to me being there every day, the AIs who came to pray at the temple seemed to regard me as homeless and didn't even pay me much attention anymore.

Thank goodness, the disaster of having to wait two months didn't happen this time.

One day, after about three days had passed.

I, who had been spread-eagled in front of the gods' statues, shot up when I saw the flashing light above the NPC's head.

GM Ari: Thank you for waiting so long, Adventurer... no, Shari-nim!

Me: What happened? Why am I still here?

GM Ari: First, it seems I have to deliver some unfortunate news. The Server Management Team says they still haven't found the cause of Shari-nim's game exit error. T_T

GM Ari: Also, an employee went to the address registered in your employee information, but they said no one was home.

"What!"

Is this what it feels like to have sparks fly from your eyes?

I gaped endlessly like a goldfish at the unexpected news before I barely managed to type.

Me: Are you sure they went to the right place? If I'm not at home, where would I be!

GM Ari: Yes. They even called a locksmith and forced the door open, but they said the house looked like it had been empty for quite some time. Could you perhaps be somewhere else?

Me: That can't be... did you check the office? I'm not at the office either?

GM Ari: Yes. We checked both Shari-nim's department and desk, but you weren't there.

"That can't be..."

Like an idiot, I just kept repeating 'that can't be' before I started slamming my head with both hands.

"Remember, you idiot! Remember!"

But no matter how much I slammed my head and demanded, if I wasn't at work or at home, where else would I go?

'I was definitely freed from overtime for the first time in a while, had a nice, spicy drink at a street stall nearby, and then went home...'

My memory was hazy, maybe from being in the game for so long.

On top of that, I wasn't in a sane state, having a record of losing control of my mind, assimilating into the virtual reality, and living like a real NPC, doing grunt work.

But I couldn't just stay trapped in the game and die like this.

Me: Then please, just file a missing person report for me! I don't have any family to report me missing, you know? T_T

GM Ari: I'm truly sorry, but that's impossible. Only immediate family members can file a missing person report for an adult.

"Fuck...!"

It was one disaster after another. My vision blurred as if I would faint at any moment.

I barely held onto my sanity and asked.

Me: Then... then what do I do? Do I just die like this? As a game addict who starved to death wearing a VR device...?

GM Ari: For now, we will look into every possible method, so please don't worry too much.

GM Ari: The Server Management Team will find the cause soon, and we will check the company's closed-circuit footage to figure out Shari-nim's movements.

Me: How long will all that take?

GM Ari: It's expected to take about two days.

Me: Two days??!!!

Me: That's 48 hours!

Thwip.

What is this sound, you ask. It's the sound of the thread of sanity I was barely holding onto snapping.