"Absolutely fucking garbage."
I said simultaneously as I typed furiously on my keyboard.
Sitting in my work chair in my apartment as the only sound audible was the loud and rapid clicking from the keyboard.
Why was I so pissed?
Well, have you ever played one game from an indie company that was so good you assumed they could only make diamonds in the rough.
Well that was what I assumed too when I played 'The Villain's Last Trial.'
It was a low budget game made by a few engineers so the graphics were a bit lacking but everything else—Spectacular.
From the story to the soundtrack to the gameplay to the emotions attached with each of the heroines—everything could be felt.
Rumors had it that 'The Villain's Last Trial' made more than two hundred million dollars from the initial fifty grand put into the game.
And so... everyone waited for the next game.
I won't lie, expectations were through the roof. If a second game wasn't as good—let alone better than the first, they'd be tagged as a one hit wonder.
So, as a gamer I was lenient with the waiting time. Perfection took time and everyone knew that, but perfection never took five years.
Five goddamn year.
For this hot steaming pile of dog crap.
They finally released the second game, 'The Hero's Party.'
After five years of waiting and one year of advertising with some of the best graphics you'd ever seen in your life.
Soundtracks from top artists that'd be binge worthy, and yet...
I sighed, leaned back as I raised my hand to my temple to rub them.
I can't even remember how many keyboards I broke.
The Hero's Party.
As the title suggests, a Hero's Party goes on a journey to defeat the Demon King.
The only problem in this is that the journey is not smooth for the main character.
And, for your information—
This Game—
—Has Four Heroes!
And three of them, including the main character, are men, at first the remaining two appear as ordinary villain-type supporting roles.
Like a supporting actor that will one day get knocked down and give you the sweet feeling of victory after hard work.
It reassures the players and allows them to focus on the story and the growth of the protagonist.
Then what's so strange?
By the time you would feel it, it would already be too late. The heroines will already be squabbling under the control of other heroes, totally lost to other hero's hand in blink of an eye.
Well… even in that state, you can struggle to get them back somehow. The producers were aiming for that too, and so they did put in quite a few options.
"No matter how you look at it, the people who made this are real goddamn bastards."
In order to avoid NTR, I tried so many things—
Whether it was making the character grow stronger by grinding, spending quality time with the heroines or paying for an event, or even making a whole different choice—I tried all the choices that a player had.
And what was the end result of that effort?
Fucking same!
Growing your character?
But your character is already weak~ Even the growth rate is so much lower than other heroes~
Raising the affinity with the heroines?
Ah, they will be taken away by force anyway~ If you go back later, they will already be obsessed with another hero's 'magic'~
At first it gives a little hope, and then fucking steals it away with effective interest!
Dear producers, you surely do know how to effectively give despair~
'By the way, is this how people perceive Heroes in the outside world nowadays?'
I fell into my thoughts as I saw the title screen of 'The Hero's Party'.
With the start of the beginning, the three heroines and the main character were smiling and walking down the street.
The surrounding scenery looked beautiful.
Through the lush green fields, streams flowed, and the sun was shining brightly.
Of course it looked beautiful and realistic, the budget alone could buy a real island.
"It's a trip to subjugate the Demon King… haa, no shit Sherlock…"
As soon as the game started, they were thrown into the battlefield without knowing left from right.
Though realizing that it was useless, I had craved for it and gave myself a hell training for a year long.
Pretty heroines? Touching events? Love scenes?
Where do such things matter on battlefield?
If you look around carefully, you can easily find the cut off head of some pretty ladies.
And these bastards were travelling comfortably, loitering here and there, and in the end NTR happens and all shit fall downs.
In this game, you never know where the NTR may pop up the next moment.
I know because I've played this shit. Suppose, the woman you thought was pretty is having a go with another man the next day.
Who would get a happy type erection by looking at such things?
If there is a person who can do it, I have the confidence to worship him as a god—and a moron.
'…Am I being an asshole here?'
'Maybe I'm judging it based on the success of the last. Should I give it another try?'
Cancelling my review, I took a sip of cold beer on my table and entered the game once more.
I sighed and pressed to start the game.
I thought to check it out one last time, just in case. A nth hope for a pure love ending commemorating with the nth try? In fact, there shouldn't be something like this.
Whatever, it wasn't like any possibility existed, but I didn't want to leave the slightest of possibility behind.
—CLICK.
As soon as the game start button was pressed, a bright flash of light comparable to the solar circle fulminated from the monitor along with the cheerful sound of game's starting.
"Oh shit, my eyes!"
I closed my eyelids and blocked the light with my arms.
After a while, the flash disappeared.
What happened suddenly? Is the monitor broken?
No good… I don't even have the money to fix it!!
With that thought in mind, I pulled my arms away and opened my eyes.
A wooden wall came into view. On the floor, a mysterious magic circle was devouring the blood flowing from my palm.
I rubbed my eyes.
Nevertheless, the wooden walls and the mysterious magic circle remained the same.
I got up touching the wall.
—Feeling the roughness of unpolished wood.
I could finally feel my body. But this was not my body.
Little by little.
My gaze traced downwards.
Thin and small.
"Uh… um… this.. what… so…"
After stuttering a few times, I took a deep breath and slipped my hand into the back pocket. Of course, there were no cigarettes that should have been placed there.
"Haha! What the fuck!"
Do you know the 5 steps to accepting truth?
I saw it on a website, somewhere on the internet, was it something from a famous American psychologist who wrote it in a book?
Oh, why was I saying this outta nowhere? Because my current situation was very similar to that.
"Is this a dream? Oh, I guess I fell asleep, I had been playing games for so long. Maybe because I pulled nighters for quite a few days."
'Could I just be hallucinating...? I did drink a lot of beers. But when did beers cause hallucinations?'
First stage, denial.
"No, why the fuck me?! Out of all those other humans and worlds, why am I the only one?!
I've already experienced this! Already gone through so much pain! Why torment this poor soul?!"
Second stage, anger.
"Aaaah god… Please… I'd rather be sent to the army twice. That hell has already juiced me once, but nevertheless, I'll give my best."
Third stage, negotiation.
"Ah….hah, really."
Fourth stage, depression.
"Yeah, damn, I guess I was meant for a different world. I just wasn't destined to live on Earth. Bye-bye, my beautiful planet…"
Fifth and final stage, acceptance.
With my emotions dead, I stared blankly at the wall. Took all of two hours but I think I handled that well... considering.
Crappy fantasy wooden wall. I thought I'd never see you again.
Turning my head, there was something like a small notebook.
I picked it up and read the content.
Roughly speaking, there was a description of the situation so far, apologies, things to be done in the future, and—
Oh, that's it.
So, I am inside a game now.
Wow, seriously… I'm Kieran, the protagonist of 'The Hero's Party'!
There had been rumors that his pepper was very small. Shall we take a look?
"…"
Dang, is it really that small?!
Haha! I've never seen anything only as big as a little finger in my whole life! And now—it's mine.
"Screw this shit!"
I tossed the notebook with my emotions.
Son of a bitch.
If you're going to die, go die alone. Why are you dragging me into this?
I groaned and stepped out.
The place I came out of was a hut situated in the remote parts of this village.
'After coming out of the hut, turn right and then go straight, wasn't it so?'
As I walked according to what was written in the notebook, I saw a building with a sign on it that spelled—
"Ryokan."
The fifth room on second floor you can see as soon as you enter.
As I entered the inn, the group of villagers who were drinking and the innkeeper of the inn were drawn to me.
"Oh, my hero! Where were you at this late hour? Did you have your dinner? I have some chicken stew left, should I bring it for you?"
"Nope."
I answered briefly and went up straight to the second floor.
The innkeeper and villagers' expressions were a little strange, probably because I didn't treat them as kindly as Kieran did.
Well, whatever it was, I'll just end up thinking that something bad was happening.
I opened the fifth room, went in, and threw myself on the bed.
I fell asleep praying that all this would be a nothing but a dream when I woke up.
The next morning, looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, I realized once again, that this was the hard reality smacking right on my face.
"I want a fucking cigarette."
—KNOCK KNOCK!
Knocking sounded on the door.
"What are you doing inside, Kieran? Are you still sleeping?"
—KNOCK KNOCK!
"Kieran?"
—KNOCK KNOCK!
—KNOCK KNOCK!
—BANG! BANG!!
"Hey, Kieran! Answer me! Are you still sleeping…. What? The door isn't locked..?"
Ah, it's noisy.
I covered my ears with a pillow.
Even so, I couldn't stop the noise, the sound of thumping footsteps drew closer and something hard hit me right in the back.
It hurts.
I tossed and turned around, signaling that I needed some more sleep. Perhaps the person didn't notice my signal, so he hit me in the back again with the hard thing from earlier.
"Kieran! Wake up! How late are you going to sleep?!"
Well. Now, if I don't respond, this disturber will continue to be like this.
I removed the pillow covering my ears and turned my head.
Right then, I saw a cute girl with long smooth hair, further split into two ponytails.
A little shorter than the average girl and was holding a long wooden staff in her right hand.
'Wow, it's a heroine~'
A tsundere, one who was mesmerised by the Hero's good looks, and the only tsundere heroine in my party.
Her name was, uhm, Eri?
"Oh Eri, why are you waking me up, gghhh?"
"Why waking you up, huh? It's because everyone except you is awake!"
"So?"
"So??! So you ask?! Come out quickly! Everyone is waiting for you."
"Why?"
"Why?! We are supposed to stay here for just one day and then move on to the next location! Go, wash up quickly and get out."
After pointing to the water in the gourd, Eri turned around and tried to leave the room.
"No, it's annoying."
"What?"
She looked back at my voice with her eyes widened.
It had to be—
'Because I'm back in my bed.'
"What are you doing now?"
"I told you once already, I'm tired too… I want to… sleep…"
I don't want to continue… this hero…
I don't…