Chapter Text
* heh, didja really think you would be able to...
Before I can even finish my sentence, my body is cut wide open. The sacred cloister is stained with fresh blood.
...How many times has this happened? How many times have I been killed, how many times has this world been reset? I can't even remember. The slaughter of monsters by humans began one day and has not ended.
* so... guess that's it, huh?
Meaningless advice. I don't even want to say it out loud, but my mouth naturally moves. Because I am a character in a "game," I have to act in a way that has already been determined. There is no way I can resist.
* i'm going to grillby's.
* papyrus, do you want anything?
With people losing interest and walking away, I turned to my brother, who was not supposed to be there and spoke to him. Naturally, no response comes. My body gradually turns to dust and my consciousness fades. At first, I thought, * (I can finally take a break), but then it resets again and the same thing happens all over again.
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* hahaha, it didn't work this time either.
I am completely reduced to dust, and dead, and spend only a short time in an empty, dark space before I am reset. Here, I am no longer a game character and can speak freely.
But what does that matter? There is no way to stop the player from resetting, it's just empty time.
While I was in this self-loathing state, a light came from beyond the space.
* ...i knew it.
The light is evidence of a reset or a load, so to speak. When the light comes on, I'm either asleep in my bed at home or standing in the middle of the corridor again.
I don't even have the energy to ask for help anymore. No matter what I do, it won't matter. If I had to go through this, I wish I had never seriously studied the distortion of space-time.
The inner light completely envelops me. Oh, I have to play the lazy, pun-loving skeleton character Sans again..
...it was supposed to be that way.
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* ...what?
When I woke up, what I saw in front of me was a place that looked like an office, which I did not recognize at all. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was blue, making me want to close my eyes. I wondered if I was dreaming of a life on earth that I had only briefly experienced in the past.
I think so, and in an old-fashioned way, I pinch my cheek...which is impossible because it is bone-crushing, so I try to smack my head.
* ouch...
A definite pain. This is definitely not a dream. Then why am I in this place? Stuck in the situation, I didn't notice the voice approaching from behind me.
"That's why, sensei! Why are you charging so much again!"
"No...because of the character I wanted..."
"Even if that's the case, is that something you're going to do by cutting your own living expenses? Moo~...that's why ...... eh...?"
"What's the matter, Yuuka...... n...!"
Finally, I recognized the voice and turned around. There stood a tall human man and a girl with dark blue hair and a strange ring on her head, facing me.
* ...uh, you guys, i don't know where i am...
"...Intruder! How did they get through this tight SCHALE security... and what do they want?"
"....!"
The girl was holding a long, thin object. The moment I recognized it as a "gun", I sensed that my life was in danger and entered into a battle stance. However, it is not a good idea to challenge an opponent whose ability and battle strategy are unknown.And moreover, I'm the easiest enemy, with stats of 1 in all categories. It was reckless.
The action I should take now is...
* ...…ah!
"What are you going to do? I'm going to be quiet...heh? Gone...?"
I'm going to use my "shortcut" ability to escape. Since I don't know where I am, I have no idea where I will end up, but I want to go to an unpopular place at all costs to sort out the situation.
"It's gone. It's like magic."
"Magic... sensei, are you hurt?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm fine."
"I'm glad to hear that. But what the hell was that intruder...?"
"I don't think that person is an intruder. I don't think that person is the intruder."
"...Why?"
"I don't know...that puzzled look on his face, it's like I was here when I found out..."
"You mean you were sent here from somewhere? No way, that's unrealistic..."
"But this is just my speculation. There are no particular signs of being vandalized, so let's forget about this now and get to work, shall we?"
"I agree. We have a lot of paperwork to do today, so let's get started."
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How many shortcuts have I taken since then? In one place, I was almost caught in a gunfight, and in another place, I was almost frightened by an ill-looking group of people. What an unsafe area!
What struck me as odd was that I saw only robots, dogs walking on two legs like royal guards, and the occasional girl, but no human men. I can say with certainty that this is not the earth I know.
* ...... look at how exhausted i am now. if i use even one more shortcut, i'll be buzzed.
* i have to... get... to... a... safe... place... at any... cost.
My head is a mess from fatigue and confusion, I think desperately. I really wish I had done a little more exercise to build up my endurance, and I walk unsteadily, thinking that even walking is difficult at this point. If I run into someone with a gun in my current condition, I will surely die.
* heh, it would be better to just die, so i can be free of this pain...
* ...... hmm?
Weakened in mind and body, despairing of my fate and muttering nonsense, I saw a structure that was much larger than the surrounding buildings. Within the gate that surrounds it, I see buildings of various sizes.
...It is a school. I read about it in detail with illustrations in a book I read in my spare time when I visited the library. It seems to be a facility for many human children to improve their academic and moral skills, which will be important in their future lives.
However, I did not feel any sign of people. Is it a holiday, or has the school closed? Either way, if there was no one there, it was the perfect place to take a break. After confirming once again that there was no one there, I used what little strength I had left and went inside.
"......who?"
I didn't even have time to notice the silver-haired girl with a blue scarf who was watching the scene from behind me.