If Version Madness

The next day, I did not go outside Bran.

“After all, the time when a DAY opens is fixed.”

Unless I forcibly opened it like I did on DAY 3.

“Everyone will be busy, so maybe someone who doesn’t belong to any faction shouldn’t wander around.”

Provocation should be used at the right time and place.

That is the secret to lasting long, isn’t it.

In other words, a gap for rest.

“…Though this isn’t what I meant to do.”

The tail end of my mutter was swallowed by a thunderous roar that shook everything around me.

It was a composite sound.

The earth rumbled, heavy things crashed down, and between them echoed the shriek of a massive creature.

Kiiieeeeeeek!

I looked up.

I was buried in thick shadow.

The overlapping shadows of gigantic monsters surrounding me.

A creature whose entire body was glossy blue, with shark-like teeth growing where its eyes should be.

Another that flapped enormous skeletal wings every time it moved, despite its body being nothing more than a chunk of black stone.

And more……

Enough.

There was no point listing them.

Those monsters charged at me all at once.

『Second-Class Divine Spirit Post-Apocalypse Creature “Tannin”』

『Third-Class Spirit Beast Post-Apocalypse Creature “Lindwurm”』

『Third-Class Spirit Beast Post-Apocalypse Creature……』

A Second-Class Divine Spirit was on par with five-star Master Creatures.

Just a single swipe of a forepaw or a flap of a wing would be a disaster to ordinary people.

And countless beings like that were rushing at me, enough to blacken the sky.

Without even taking my hands out of my pockets, I tilted my head and looked up at them crookedly.

Current Available Points: 34494234392332232784884283012913838

Purchase Stat

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Purchase Skill

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Item “Mountain-Shattering Sword” purchased

Current Stat (Strength 9037) creates synergy with item “Mountain-Shattering Sword”

Item “Sword That Breaks a Mountain in One Strike” evolves into “Sword That Scatters Mountain Ranges in One Strike”

Purchased skill effects applied.

Blessing granted to equipped item.

Durability of “Sword That Scatters Mountain Ranges in One Strike” rises to Divine grade

I grabbed the sword handle that suddenly appeared in midair and swung it.

The darkened sky split apart along its trajectory.

With horrifying screams, countless post-apocalypse creatures fell to the ground as chunks of flesh.

“Waaaaaaah!”

Cheers erupted from all directions.

People who had not been visible before flooded in.

From those surrounding me came endless praise……

“Hey, you lunatic.”

I finally snapped.

At the same time, the surroundings flickered and everything vanished.

The post-apocalypse creatures I had slain with a single strike.

Even the countless people cheering at my performance.

In the midst of that, I grabbed one of the tearful gallery members applauding wildly by the collar.

As the surroundings completely melted away, his face changed into another.

“Hahaha, still not enough?”

“You crazy bastard, where did you even get 3D glasses. Take them off.”

“Hahahaha. After playing like that, your violent tendencies still aren’t resolved? Want to go again? This is really serious. Because of a few violent people like you, most innocent gamers get misunderstood…….”

“I think the root of that violence is you, you bastard.”

I grabbed Caliban and shook him.

“Oh dear. You really never know satisfaction, do you? I gave you a bleeding-heart mega-service because you were depressed.”

“Bleeding-heart mega-service my ass. Quit this shitty VR.”

We’re already inside a game and you make me play another game inside it?

What kind of lunatic are you?

“It’s like giving someone studying for TOEIC a computer certification textbook and telling them to relax with that.”

“Hahahahaha. Strange. Aren’t games more fun when you use cheats?”

“They’re fun because you don’t use cheats!”

“Hahahahaha. That only applies to people with good control.”

“Are you saying I have bad control!”

Infinite Mode Deactivated

My status window rapidly returned to normal.

Only then did I release Caliban.

“No styler, and my precious robe got wrinkled.”

I glared sharply at him.

Caliban smiled beneath his robe.

“That’s harsh, darling. I’ve been running around trying to cheer you up.”

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

I stared at the giant tilting his head and then blurted out what had been on my mind.

“Have you actually played around with other non-humans a lot?”

“Hahaha. What do you mean by that?”

“You did this kind of thing and they got seduced?”

“Hahaha, that’s what you meant?”

Before I noticed, he grabbed one of my hands.

I let it be, and he pulled me, spinning me around.

This insane bastard.

“Hey! Hey! You psycho, I’m getting dizzy! Stop spinning!”

“Ahhh, so picky.”

The spinning suddenly stopped.

My vision was still swaying when Caliban wrapped himself around me from behind and rested his chin on the top of my head.

“You don’t like this, you don’t like that. You’re so cruel, Master.”

“You son of a…….”

“Wasn’t this servant’s effort commendable? I hoped for some bonus points for that.”

One of his hands traced the air.

As he mimicked stretching a screen between his thumb and index finger, small windows floated into view.

Inside them, ‘I’ moved busily.

“Wow, how valiant. Our darling. I might fall for you.”

“Don’t talk over my head.”

“Look at that. One swing and everything’s devastated.”

“Stop talking over my head, bastard.”

“This is worth keeping, right? Should I upload it to the cloud?”

Where is there even a cloud in this world, you lunatic.

Whatever.

“They say in fiction you should fulfill the desires you couldn’t achieve in reality.”

“So you gave me a cheat-key version VR experience?”

“It’s not VR though. Hahaha.”

He tapped one of the screens.

It shattered silently, scattering colorful fragments through the air.

It looked like a jewel butterfly.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen the jewel butterfly recently.

Still, since everything worked fine, there probably was no issue.

“It’s an if version.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Hahaha, it’s very different.”

No matter how much I tried to push him away, he stuck like rice cake.

But now he stepped back.

“I didn’t create something from nothing.”

He tapped the remaining screens like playing an instrument.

Each tap popped out a piece like a puzzle.

“It’s an edited version. If our darling had been this powerful, how would the selection have gone. What would have happened. What would have happened. The result of that imagination is—ta-da.”

He presented the newly assembled screen to me.

I squinted at the version of myself inside it and muttered.

“A patchwork……”

“Hey now. It’s an if version.”

“You called it edited. You’re a damn scammer.”

“Scammer? Caliban is hurt, hyung.”

“Not satisfied with being a pirate, now you’re a con artist too.”

He covered his eyes with his robe sleeve.

Considering only his mouth was visible to begin with, now his whole face disappeared.

“Sir, this game hasn’t updated in forever and I’m bored. When’s the next event?”

Since he refused to stop acting pitiful, I sighed and looked around.

“Anyway, this greenhouse seriously lacks content.”

The place Caliban and I were holed up in was the greenhouse.

I walked to a random spot and lay down.

Bushes of ruby and emerald camellias supported me like a hammock.

We had used this place as a base for only a few days, yet it felt strangely comfortable.

Still, lying there staring at the ceiling grew dull.

Which meant……

“Looks like the depression’s mostly gone.”

Caliban had crawled next to me and spoke.

I frowned reflexively but did not deny it.

Because he was right.

“See. Chaos helps.”

“…….”

I stared at the ceiling glittering like a diamond on display and replayed the recent memories.

Acting like an overpowered cheat-laden protagonist.

Being mistaken for a saint and worshipped for things I did not do.

Throwing money off buildings.

Well, it was VR.

Yes, it was chaotic.

Chaotic enough to forget the disgust and twisted gloom I did not even know who to direct at.

“They say if you take care of a beagle, you won’t have time to be depressed because you’re too busy walking it.”

It felt exactly like that.

But for some reason, I did not want to admit it was thanks to him.

It probably was not done purely for me anyway.

Our ever-fair Lord Caliban, after all.

“If Caliban therapy worked, please like and subscribe—”

So I decided to be a little petty.

“I’m sick of the greenhouse.”

Caliban froze mid-gesture of forcing an imaginary like button.

“You showed me all sorts of things, but it was still inside the greenhouse. Even if I like staying holed up, this is too much.”

“Really? Then shall we go out?”

“At this rate I’ll start digging into the ground in another direction…… Hm?”

I raised my head slightly from the bushes to look at him.

Caliban grabbed my waist and pulled me up.

No, more accurately—

“You lunatic, am I luggage?”

He hoisted me onto one shoulder.

“Alright. Let’s go out.”

No matter how hard I hit him, the strength-mage did not even blink, only laughing.

Is he made of stone?

Why does my wrist hurt instead?

“Caliban. Caliban. Apply that cheat one more time.”

“Hahaha.”

“Lord Caliban, I’ll kill you painlessly.”

“Hahahaha.”

“Professor Caliban, I’ll just shut your mouth and stop.”

“Hahahahaha.”

Damn it…….