Kono Sekai ga Game da to, Ore dake ga Shitte Iru (WN) – Chapter 40

The basic skill, usable just by equipping a weapon, served as the first skill, with newly learned techniques added as second and third skills. Among these, the eighth skill of the Ninjato was a technique called ‘Illusionary Mirage.’

In ‘Nekoneko,’ bugs related to skills were usually overlooked. However, two instances – the ‘Aerial Jump’ that caused the ‘Flower Gold Sky Walker Incident’ and this ‘Illusionary Mirage’ – were corrected in the initial patch.

‘Illusionary Mirage’ was difficult to learn and awkward to use, resulting in very few practitioners. The effects it produced were not very impactful either, leading to a lack of widespread recognition online. However, it possessed a bug that had a truly fatal effect on game progression.

This skill involved repeatedly teleporting and slashing within a radius of approximately ten meters around the user. As an eighth-tier skill, it was supposed to be quite powerful, but its usability was severely lacking.

Teleporting randomly within a ten-meter range, it was practically impossible to hit anything unless enemies were densely packed. It could barely be used as an emergency evasion, but the teleportation points also had damage detection. It didn’t allow one to avoid area-of-effect attacks, and the final teleportation location became the user’s position upon skill completion. This could leave the player in a stunned state directly in front of enemies or make them freeze up, unable to judge their position and get hit. Honestly, it wasn’t a very useful skill.

More importantly, this skill had a major issue. Since the skill repeatedly teleported and slashed in rapid succession, the player’s vision would change drastically every less than 0.5 seconds. It was far beyond mere dizziness. While there were individual differences, players who used this skill would, with high probability, feel nauseated afterward.

Its destructive power was such that complaints about this skill led to the visual movement during skill use being considered a real-world issue, and it was later heavily patched along with other fast-paced skills.

Despite this, a peculiar individual (it’s said that over 80% of heavy ‘Nekoneko’ players are eccentric, with sensible people like myself being the extreme minority) continued to use the skill and discovered a useful bug. It was colloquially known as the ‘Mirage Wall-Breaker Bug.’

Just hearing the name likely allows one to imagine its function. ‘Illusionary Mirage’ repeatedly teleports randomly, and the player ends up at the last teleportation point. The condition for the random teleportation is simply ‘a space within a ten-meter radius where the player can exist.’ Therefore, regardless of whether the destination was supposed to be inaccessible behind a locked door or an empty space that should be impossible to enter, the player could be teleported there without question.

For example, by continuously using ‘Illusionary Mirage’ in front of a locked room, eventually, the last teleportation point would be inside the room, allowing entry into places that should normally be inaccessible. Furthermore, since movement was only successful if a space that the player could exist in was available, the common tragedy of ‘being inside a stone’ with teleport bugs didn’t occur. Theoretically, by continuously using the same skill, one could always return to the original location. It was a bug with very little risk, provided one was willing to endure the nausea.

However, going to inaccessible areas could cause unexpected chain reactions of bugs. More importantly, this bug, despite being discovered late, was fixed very early. The skill was modified so that the player would return to their original location at the end of the skill, eliminating movement through the skill. Of course, the use of this bug rapidly declined after it was patched, but in the meantime, many amusing videos utilizing it were recorded and spread online.

Among them was a video called ‘The Rihito Royal Family’s Mask Family.’

In ‘Nekoneko,’ royalty were generally event-exclusive characters. Perhaps to emphasize their royal status, or because creating companion events was troublesome, or because it was deemed inappropriate to have royalty as companions in a game like ‘Nekoneko,’ they could not be made into companions or engaged in normal conversations.

However, their roles in events were formidable. King Rihito Fulfil would occasionally make an appearance during audience events, while Queen Merialda and Princess Shelmia would take the lead in events like the ‘Capital City Attack,’ striking down numerous monsters with their exceptional magical prowess.

Their rarity seemed to enhance their mystique, touching people’s hearts. Both the Queen and Princess were regulars in popularity polls, with Princess Shelmia, in particular, once vying for the top spot with the ‘Helpful Cheater’ Mitsuki Hisame. It was amidst this fervor that the video ‘The Rihito Royal Family’s Mask Family’ was released.

The royal palace generally had many restricted areas, with the audience chamber being the only regularly accessible place. However, in ‘The Rihito Royal Family’s Mask Family,’ rooms clearly not belonging to the audience chamber were visible, and there, along with the King, were the Queen and Princess, who should not have appeared outside of events. It was a situation never meant to be possible, with the three royalty facing off – clearly a scenario utilizing the ‘Mirage Wall-Breaker Bug.’

But that wasn’t the only oddity in the video. Despite there being four people, including the Player, in the same space, the family had absolutely no dialogue. The King sat regally on a chair, just like in the audience chamber. Beside him, the Queen stood for some reason, and the Princess sat on the chair opposite the King, not even blinking. Essentially, they were all event-exclusive characters with no dialogue or daily behavior set, so they were all doing nothing. However, seeing characters with refined faces, typical of game characters, standing and not moving was unsettling.

While the King and sometimes the Queen would react to the Player’s movements in the audience chamber, similar to Marielle from the ‘Marimite Dojo,’ the Princess didn’t move at all. Truly, not an inch. She probably wasn’t even breathing. Witnessing this was when I truly realized that ‘Nekoneko,’ no matter how realistic, was still a game.

Perhaps the strangest thing was the cameraman who filmed the silent, stationary family for 30 minutes. Regardless, this incident caused a stir online regarding the royal characters. Princess Shelmia, in particular, was nicknamed ‘Doll Princess,’ and her popularity plummeted… or so it seemed. In some circles, her popularity actually soared, instantly surpassing Hisame in the popularity poll. Incidentally, she was quickly overtaken shortly after when it was revealed she wasn’t a marriageable character, but that’s another story.

Ultimately, what I want to say is that the NPCs’ AI in ‘Nekoneko’ clearly varied in performance. Some characters, like the ‘Doll Princess,’ were obviously given superficial settings, while others exhibited intelligent responses that made you think, ‘Is someone actually controlling this?’

And then…

“Big brother~? Are you the ‘Hero’~?”

This girl, who started clinging to me as I walked through the Capital City, is a prime example of the latter.

(Why did I have to get entangled with something so troublesome right after arriving…)

I couldn’t regret it enough. Perhaps it was because I was lost in my own joy after being alone for so long. After disembarking from the Magic-Sealed Ship, I intended to explore the Capital City. I carelessly walked past the main gate, and that was a mistake. I ran into a famously notorious mob character, a rite of passage in the Capital City: ‘Poison-tan.’

“Hey, hey. Big brother. Are you the ‘Hero’~?”

A small girl, looking like she was in the early years of elementary school, followed behind me. Without engaging in any events, she was a mob character whose name wouldn’t even appear when you hovered your cursor over her. However, ‘Nekoneko’ players had nicknamed her ‘Poison-tan,’ and she was feared by many.

While feared, she didn’t directly harm players like other event characters in ‘Nekoneko.’ She simply asked questions. “Are you the ‘Hero’?”

This question itself wasn’t particularly unusual. In most RPGs where the protagonist is inherently the ‘Hero,’ it could be considered somewhat of an obligation. However, no matter how you answered, she provided responses that were more human than a Human. For instance, if you replied, “Yes, I’m the Hero,” she’d say, “Heehee, big brother is so funny! You’re only level fifty-two, right? You can’t even beat a ‘Lone Lime’ in the plains, so how are you going to defeat the Demon Lord~?” This would significantly drain the Player’s ‘lifeforce.’ Conversely, if you said, “No, unfortunately, I’m not the Hero,” she’d reply, “Oh, I see. I’m sorry, big brother. Looking closely, you have such a ‘mob face.’ If someone like you were the Hero, everyone would be disappointed. I’m truly sorry for asking such a strange thing.” This would shatter the Player’s spirit.

Even if you tried the seemingly safest response, “Whether I’m the Hero or not is unknown for now,” she would retort, “Big brother, you’re amazing! Even though you’re much older than me, you can’t even answer such a simple question. You’re truly amazing. How can you live your life so shamelessly~!” Her repertoire of words was astonishingly vast; no matter what you answered in an attempt to outsmart her, you were refuted with a completely different line. If a player, annoyed by this, lost their temper and attacked, she would counter with unexpected strength, pin the player to the ground, and say, “Hey, hey. You can’t win with words against a small child, so you resort to violence, and on top of that, you lose and crawl on the ground. How does that feel~? Hey, how does it feel right now~? Hey, hey, tell me~, hey.” The ‘Nekoneko’ staff were truly masters at provoking people’s nerves.

Now, frankly speaking, unlike straightforward individuals like Ena or Hisame, I, who am not particularly good at verbal arguments, couldn’t possibly win against her in a debate. Besides, Poison-tan, despite her harsh words, didn’t cause any actual harm. One could simply let her venomous remarks pass. However, being unilaterally defeated in an argument like in a game wasn’t enjoyable.

(Fortunately, I have a way out now.)

Character behavior is perhaps the most changed aspect since the game became reality. Just as I obtained the Fire of Sh through unconventional means, or arranged to use the confessional alone through Marielle at the church, or managed to avoid Hisame’s marriage event by altering the method and winning condition of the match. With Human opponents, there are always loopholes. So far, talking to her was the only means of interaction. Her AI didn’t accept any other actions. But in this world, which is both a game and reality, such things are possible.

“Hey, hey, big broth–… Huh?”

Her words suddenly stopped. It was because I thrust ‘something’ I took out of my bag towards her nose. Then, I forced a smile to appear as friendly as possible and said,

“Ah, would you like to eat a candy?”

That’s right. In this world, which is both a game and reality, one can choose options not present in the game. If you see her not as a game character, but merely as a precocious child, the answer becomes clear. Not through verbal debate, but through appeasement with sweets. This is what I considered the only correct answer.

Her response was…

“………”

Silence. The most talkative character of all said nothing. She didn’t take the candy I offered either. Instead, she ran towards the nearby gate. Then, she started speaking to a guard standing by the gate. Naturally, I can’t read lips, so I can’t decipher what people far away are saying. But, for some reason, I inexplicably understood what she said while pointing at me.

“‘–Officer, it’s him.'”

I bolted at full speed.