Chapter 167: Dancing and Dancing In the Foreign Theatre Part 1
Chapter 167: Dancing and Dancing In the Foreign Theatre Part 1
「In this game, NPCs play much bigger role than in any other and can be way more annoying……」
Does that mean we’re one step closer to technological advancement becoming a looming threat over humanity?
The sound of fancy toys being scattered around, ear-shattering blasts of explosions, and Pencilgton’s villainous laughter all merge into one cluster of sounds. Faced with a maniac like that, both the civilians and the police force could only rely on a Hero to come and save them now.
Help me, Hero! Mister Doctor, save us! If it’s you, I’m sure you can save us all…… Lines like that could be heard all over the city……
But the NPCs were no longer NPCs here. Not anymore. Now they were nothing more but a flesh tsunami that was holding the Hero back. As for Villains, there was no need to concern yourself with them: you could kill them, mutilate them, step all over them, all without the slightest bit of consequence. Heroes can’t do that. Or rather, acting like that would not be considered Heroic in the slightest.
Therefore, it wasn’t before long that the Hero’s willingness to help caused him to lose sight of the Villain.
All that was left were the desperate cries for help and agonizing roars filled with pain.
「Kyaah!」
Sasahara Eight’s scream echoes loudly through the microphone. On the screen, bomb-rigged NPCs were blowing up one by one, with Dr. Sandalphon being caught in between them.
「Uwaah…… This is no longer a fighting game…… Is this supposed to be some kind of simulation?」
Those words would only serve to fuel Pencilgton’s efforts if she was able to hear them. The way she was laughing right now certainly would give demons and monsters a serious run for their money.
A whole lot of people in the audience were screaming as well, but so far there was no complaints. And while Dr. Sandalphon was doing everything he could to save as many people from their doom, Pencilgton was watching his efforts closely…… From the deck of the helicopter she managed to sneak in and threatened the pilot with a bomb. Right now she could watch almost the entire map while no one would be able to spot her.
「Ever since yesterday I was watching this helicopter closely and managed to pin down its exact trajectory……」
Just as Yggdryer’s meat-shield strategy in the previous match, this match was also proving that using the NPCs and steering them in a right way was a potent strategy that should not be underestimated. Of course, some strategies would be far more intricate than the others, and some of Villains’ actions would make Heroes’ efforts look like mere playing around.
Also, as long as the Villain does not perform any hostile act in the open, his name and face remain hidden from the NPCs, so they could be practically invincible. And knowing that can give you all the advantage you need. But I wonder if it’s really okay to release a game like that worldwide? Wouldn’t that raise some concerns regarding the nature of some of the strategies people would come up with?
「Hoo boy, it looks like her “Last Boss Mode” switch has been flipped already.」
Clock Fire laughs on board the helicopter, making a face that would only be considered a parody of a smile. She then waved at the pilot to take the helicopter closer to the ground and jumped out of it. A few seconds later the helicopter exploded, and while the twisted metal carcass came crushing towards the ground a rain of fire and metal came down on the surrounding streets and buildings.
After escaping the NPCS suicide bombings, Dr. Sandalphone then saw Clock Fire waving at him from the top of the building. In just a short span of time, Clock Fire managed to turn the whole city into a warzone, where every single step could be potentially dangerous and could spell you end.
「Player Lucas enters the building! Player No Name also goes to meet him…… But no! Ahh! She goes into the elevator! Just get off it and walk normally!」
「Umm, objectively speaking, Player Lucas could have taken the elevator to the top. The fact that he’s climbing up the stairs is even more ridiculous……」
Even though I felt sorry for “Skelecom” since Pencilgton was simply toying around with him, I was impressed of Pencilgton. She was slowly using all the time limit while making it look so natural, that no one would even suspect a thing.
Once Dr. Sandalphon managed to get to the roof, his only reward was the sight of Clock Fire annoyingly waving her hand at him from the ground. In this situation, no one would really be expected to make a proper decision based on sound judgement. Even if you try to stay calm, you must be seething inside.
Thinking of the shortest route down possible………… There is one such path, and he wasn’t going to miss it. Especially since there were ways to make the descent even faster.
「Remaining time is nine minutes and forty three seconds…… More than enough to have some fun, I’d say.」
This game does not have fall damage. So in order to catch up with fleeing Clock Fire, Dr. Sandalphon jumped off the roof and went straight down towards her. It was then that he was met with “Come On!” a Villain gauge technique that allows to place two camouflaged bombs in any point in space. By the way, those bombs were melon shaped for some reason.
The rest was a simple arithmetic problem. If you subtract thirty from both one hundred and twenty, which figure will reach zero first?
「Wha?」
「No, what? Even if you say that……」
When you involve NPCs in your game that can act with a certain degree of freedom, such disgusting…… I mean, brilliant tactics become possible. It is cheap, it is nasty, but it is also quite effective.
It’s not the problem of being strong, or predictable, or how easy to deal with something is. It’s the problem of doubting yourself. And doubting what the enemy will do next gives birth to an entirely different problem.
Someone like Lucas should have been able to predict that during a freefall animation his movements would be greatly limited. And knowing that his enemy was using remotely controlled traps, he should have anticipated a trap. The signs were all there.
However, he wasn’t thinking straight. Not with so many NPCs blowing up all around him, being unable to utilize his Hero powers and overall annoyance with his enemy. All of the above factors created this particular situation. And just when he realized his mistake, he was already having a proverbial knife on his throat.
「Somehow, “Satan” is the only word that comes to mind to describe this.」
「…… As strange as it sounds.」
It is only natural that the path to the boss shall open only after braving many hardships first. That rule is as old as oldest RPG games, and it is equally as ruthless.
「Now, it looks like the show is finally about to start.」
「She wasn’t taking his seriously up until now!?」
「It wasn’t even the real thing up until now!?」
Geh, just when did Sasahara Eight-san managed to get here with her stupid microphone!? Now what do I do? I was originally planning to say “because she’ll make things even more dramatic to stall for even more time.” But I cannot announce that to the entire world. And what’s this? Where do you think you’re sticking that camera, huh!? Get that thing away from my face! Ahh, for fuck’s sake!
「Ehh, umm…… Well, as you can see, she mainly prioritizes making a good show over playing efficiently…… Hmm, Ekhem, what I’m trying to say, once you set the stage, it is difficult to just get off of it just like that, don’t you think?」
S, stop it! Don’t look at me like that, Natsume-san! And what’s with that look!? Is this the famous “Ah, so this guy has trouble with speaking in front of a large crowd of people~.”!? That’s right! I have a problem! Do YOU have a problem with that!?
No, calm down, me. Roleplay, remember? Roleplay. Right now you’re cool and cynical pumpkin-head mercenary, and the fact that maybe tens of thousands of people are looking at you right now shouldn’t really disturb that role.
「Or rather, it’s not that Villains really want to engage Heroes in direct battles, yes. It may sound bad and cowardly, but once you stop to think about it, it really is not all that bad. …… It’s just their very nature, so to speak?」
「What do you mean by that?」
No, off to send Natsume-san a telepathic call for help! Help me! Help! ME!!! …… And of course she ignored me! God fucking damn it!