Episode 13. Status! (1)
It was still midday, mere moments after the three players had met their end in the same spot. Having finished his business, Aiden returned to a safe haven via Fast Travel.
It was a small room perfect for quiet conversation, with no passersby to interrupt.
“……”
The two who had returned fell silent for a few seconds, each waiting for the other to speak first.
Since we put off the questions to come here, maybe Claire will start by asking something.
She said she'd explain once we got back, so the old man should talk now, right?
Caught in this mutual standoff of saints waiting for the other to break the ice, an awkward mishap ensued.
“Well then.”
“Yeees?”
Thankfully, Aiden spoke first as he took a seat, dispelling the awkward air.
“You said you saw the UI just now.”
“If you're talking about that blue square in front of you... yeah. Can you show it to me?”
“Of course.”
Aiden mentally commanded the UI to display anything, expressing his intent to view it.
Some information on Realization has been provided. Express intent to view.
Your understanding of Players has deepened. Express intent to view updates.
The UI appeared in the center of Aiden's vision, just as before. It centered on his gaze but didn't follow if he looked elsewhere.
“Ah, yeah, that's it!”
“You can see this? Really?”
“I told you, that's the one. You were frowning at it earlier, like this.”
To confirm, Aiden pointed at the UI with his hand, but her answer remained the same. To prove it further, Claire leaned in close, trying to grab it with her hand.
Info on Realizatio―――n. Express intent to view.
On Players ―――. Express intent to view updates.
The UI glitched in Claire's grasp, failing to display text properly. As she waved her hand, it fluttered limply like a sheet of paper in the wind. Did this thing have a physical form?
“When did you start seeing it?”
“When was it... around when you subdued that player and started arguing?”
It had been visible from the sidelines. Just then, the UI's description as a ability to “visualize everything given to players” crossed Aiden's mind. Now that it had taken visible form, was the system visible to others too? Or was it something only Claire could see, like before?
“So, what is this thing?”
“It's what told me what players are.”
“Ah... huh? Last time you said it was a voice.”
“Now it's even kind enough to write letters.”
“Hmm.”
The UI continued fluttering in Claire's hand. She even crumpled it with both hands, but it sprang back to normal the moment she let go.
“Ugh……”
A moment later, Claire flipped the UI around and said,
“What does this say?”
“The content is a bit long to explain……”
“No, even if I flip it upside down, the text looks backward.”
Whoosh.
Claire unfolded the UI and showed it. It was obvious, but from Aiden's side, the text wasn't reversed. When she flipped it like paper to check the other side, it still read straight from his view.
“Same even like this.”
“Then would you like to check it from beside me?”
“Oh, can I?”
After hearing this, Claire shuffled over with short steps and sat next to him. She crossed her legs comfortably and peered in. Without flipping the UI, she viewed it from the opposite direction, and finally, she could read the text properly.
“Whoa, from here it looks normal.”
“Even if you can read it, you won't understand what it means.”
“Pfft, I can read just fine. You've seen me do it so far.”
Claire boasted that she could figure out unknown words from context. Though it wasn't the issue, she was already glued to the UI, starting to read.
“Information on Realization... provided……?”
“……”
“Ughhh, what does any of this even mean?”
As expected, she could read the words but grasped none of the context. It was only natural—like trying to follow a fairy tale from the middle.
“I told you it'd be hard to understand.”
“Jeez, your friend sure uses a lot of tough words.”
“Shall I explain what it's about?”
“...Yeah.”
Claire quickly set aside her pride and asked for help—perfect timing for Aiden. Three days ago, he couldn't share much because the voice couldn't be heard by others. But now that the written version was visible too, he could convey everything about his situation.
As he reached this conclusion and prepared to command the UI to display everything viewable—
“Hey, kids?”
A voice, still childishly lively but more subdued than usual, cautiously interjected.
“What are you doing in my hideout?”
It was Sephirah, catching them in the act of real-time home invasion.
“You're back? You said you were busy earlier.”
“Hi, Sephirah.”
The two NPCs greeted the hideout's owner from their seats without much need to look up.
They'd just glossed over it, but this was a player hideout accessible only by Fast Travel. From the sofa they sat on to the guitar on the armrest and the weapon rack against the wall—it was all Sephirah's.
“We've been here longer than you.”
“You weren't around earlier.”
“That's 'cause I was chatting in the other room... Wait, why are you in my hideout?”
“I needed a place where no one was clueless about players, and this was it. Didn't want to get labeled as some weirdo babbling to passersby.”
“But still……”
It made sense, especially to Sephirah, who knew plenty of cringey scenes where leads blabbed insider info in public. The hideout had been furnished and expanded over multiple loops, so their chatter here caused no issue...
“Weren't you wary of me?”
Aiden might not welcome Sephirah warmly even after their honest talk. Coming to her room just hours after wariness over her being a player felt off.
Aiden replied coolly.
“I was, until earlier.”
“Until earlier? And now?”
“Now I think you're decent enough.”
“Whoa, what changed your mind?”
Aiden scanned Sephirah up and down and muttered in a similar tone.
“Just figured you're on the tame side.”
“...Huh? What?”
As Sephirah looked puzzled, Claire clapped softly and giggled.
“Ahaha, I think I get what the old man's saying.”
“What is it? Insult or compliment?!”
“C'mon... heh, no way it's an insult.”
Sephirah blinked in bewilderment, utterly devoid of suspicion. Every player Aiden had met and killed so far was an obvious threat—ones that demanded immediate action to save his life or prevent a village from burning.
But Sephirah was different.
She hasn't targeted innocents that I know of, and even if it was coincidence without surveillance...
Sephirah had never aimed for innocent lives. The blood Aiden spilled chasing her might even exceed hers. No intent to kill him showed. She knew who he was but only showed curiosity.
Sure, she stole freely and ditched people into danger like any outlaw.
But it felt like facing a petty thief after serial killers.
With that face and personality, serial killer? No way.
As Claire had quipped, her playful eyes sparkled. Her expert escapes and dramatic fuss over underground ghosts lingered vividly. It was hard to see her as like the players he'd faced; if it was all an act, maybe he should fall for it once.
“Don't worry. It's a compliment.”
“Feels like you NPCs are ganging up on me? Forgot the part about treating me nicely?”
“Well, perfect timing then. Come here, Sephirah.”
“Uh... okay.”
Quick to switch tones.
Even so, Sephirah toddled over to Aiden. Now Claire was peering right in his face, and Sephirah crowded close too. It was suffocating.
“Sephirah, can you see this thing I'm pointing at right now?”
When asked if she saw the UI, Sephirah nodded slightly in surprise.
“Yeah. Looks kinda familiar.”
“What do you see?”
“Hmm... status window?”
Players like Sephirah called it a Status Window? It didn't feel official at first glance, but Aiden instantly grasped why.
“It's the UI. The one you told me to unlock.”
“Oh, really? A bit different from what I imagined... but cool! I can see it too.”
“I was about to show you what's in my head with this. What do you think?”
“Me too!”
Sephirah took the bait instantly. As a player at the origin of these powers, she needed no real explanation. She likely knew more than Aiden about the abilities and stats from the “voice.”
Aiden hoped this would deepen her interest and yield advice on future unlocks.
“Scenario Denial... Realization? What's all this?”
Perfect—Sephirah, scanning the UI, had bitten.
“Not sure exactly. They rise sometimes when I act.”
“Like challenges or progress bars. More systematic than I thought.”
“Insult or compliment?”
“Compliment.”
Satisfied with Aiden's subtly shifting speech, Sephirah peered deeper. Her eyes first caught the latest updates: messages to view info on “Players” and “Realization.”
“Aiden, checked this info yet?”
“Not yet. No time.”
“Do it now! I might explain what it means.”
“That's why I called you over.”
“You……”
Sephirah glared prickly-eyed, but it held no threat—self-made character design she couldn't complain about. Before she could speak, Aiden expressed intent to view the UI info, drawing her gaze.
Your actions have greatly accelerated Realization progress to 10%.
Understanding of Players has reached 20%.
Viewing information.
The three focused on the expanding blue window.
Players possess ordinary human notions. Perhaps seeing the future, they desire an even more equal and advanced world.
Your ultimate goal is to uncover why players with clear good-evil concepts act like outlaws. More concretely than now.
This is what you must achieve. The reason everything began.
Become a player.
[In 4 days, max player capacity increases from 30 to 128.]
[From now on, what was indestructible may be destroyed.]
“Wordy. No clue what it means.”
“……”
“You hear stuff like this alone all the time? Makes me feel bad for you now……”
Claire trailed off, turning right. Strangely, neither spoke. One the UI's owner, one a player—yet both fixated on the last two lines, eyes scanning up and down repeatedly.
“...Aiden, this isn't just writing what you want, right?”
“No way.”
Shaken by the shocking news, Aiden pondered reasons mentally. Why increase player capacity?
The “Player” metric rose three days ago—when capacity increased then too. And today, at 20%, from 30 to 128.
“The higher this gets because of me... the more players come?”
A bold leap, needing deeper thought, but perhaps...
