Episode 16. I Picked C. (5)
Of course she had to agree—what else could she do? Sephirah watched the players' conversation with Aiden with a disinterested expression.
Aiden issued his warning in the form of a question, and the players responded with choices fitting their personalities. Short, curt replies like "Yeah" or "Got it." What surprised her here was that these players, who always loved picking the weird options no matter the story, all obediently agreed without a fuss.
'What's gotten into them? These contrary little rebels who do the exact opposite of what they're told.' Sephirah had expected at least one to give an unexpected answer. There were always those curious types who picked the obviously wrong choice just to see the outcome, so she figured one out of four might jokingly say no for fun.
But no one ignored Aiden's warning.
"Remember that. This isn't an empty threat."
With those words, Aiden quietly turned and walked away. Claire followed after him. The four players left behind didn't know what to do next, glancing around awkwardly as if waiting for a new quest or cutscene.
No more of that stuff now, geez.
"…Hey, kids, hey!"
She whispered, cupping her hand over her mouth in mock secrecy as she leaned forward dramatically.
"We don't have quests anymore. If you're bored, go find something to do yourselves."
"…?!"
"For now… think of this as the tutorial's over. Fill up all those stats you have. It'll be fun. Got it? Got it?"
Just as she wondered why no one was responding, one player slapped his knee and flashed an OK sign with his hand. After he answered with his body language, the others started nodding or waving their arms to show they understood, one by one.
"You weren't thinking of me as an NPC just now, right?"
She tossed out the question just in case—though she knew it was unlikely. But the four players, mute as they were, somehow managed to convey genuine surprise. What on earth had made them think that?
"Fine! Story's over!! Get lost and do your own thing!"
Sephirah gripped her wand tightly in her left hand and thrust her right hand out. The players, spooked as if under attack, bolted in panic. Had they logged off, or used Fast Travel to somewhere? Either way, she'd sent them packing, so they wouldn't meet again for a while.
Now the NPCs had gone upstairs, and the players had scattered to their own tasks. Only Sephirah remained, standing between the two worlds.
"Haa…."
Her feet wouldn't move. She couldn't think of anything she wanted to do. It felt just like right after finishing a quest—one story ended, waiting for the next. No rewards, but the anticipation of something new. She should be rushing after Aiden for the next chapter, but she couldn't bring herself to move…
Because she didn't like how today's ending turned out.
'Isn't this just half-assed…?'
Had she done something wrong? Sephirah doubted herself. There must have been a better outcome. Something clearly visible, tangible gain in hand.
Not the usual obvious rewards like gear—she'd given up on that once quests vanished.
Thanks to the massive EXP from PK—killing players—her level had risen sharply. An hour ago, Sephirah was level 26. Judging by the skills they used and damage taken, the new players averaged around level 25. Exact numbers needed verification, but PK EXP clearly outstripped typical quest rewards.
'Then everyone must've leveled up pretty nicely too.'
Hasselhoff, who'd faced the most players, went without saying. Unlike Sephirah, whose fight ended prematurely due to intruders, he'd whittled them down to the end. Purely by level, he'd pull slightly ahead.
Aiden had no clear level, but he grew the same way as players, so he'd likely changed somehow too. Unexpectedly, they'd all gained EXP and leveled up together.
The one unsatisfying part?
'This isn't just good for us.'
Any player could farm EXP via PK. That's why Sephirah couldn't fully approve of Aiden not taking any.
"…Should I chase after him now and convince him?"
She'd seen him head up the stairs, so he'd be on the rooftop. No way he'd leave mid-conversation. She wanted to persuade him. No matter how she thought about it, this outcome felt lacking.
Tell him there was an easier, better way, convince him, spark greater interest. With that resolve, Sephirah finally moved to follow Aiden.
[87/128]
Much later, as she climbed to the rooftop, the massive UI still lingered. It had been there since the operation began, drawing players' eyes and goading them to kill like it was required. Aiden stood right beneath the UI he'd summoned, turning his head as if he'd been waiting for Sephirah.
"Sephirah."
"Whaaat, giving me the cold shoulder for being late?"
Knowing he didn't need to strain himself to reply anymore, Aiden said nothing. Kinda disappointing.
"…Where's everyone else?"
Sephirah exaggeratedly scanned the surroundings. The UI, Aiden, the sun still high overhead. The scene was as expected, but it felt empty. Claire had come up first, and Hasselhoff or Loqi should've been around too. No one in sight.
"I asked them to give us some space for a bit. They're probably listening, but I said it's fine."
"Whyy?"
"Looked like you had something to say."
"Oh…?"
Sephirah sidled up to him cautiously, gauging his mood. Aiden leaned lightly on the scratched railing, and she mirrored his posture. Together, they gazed at the sky.
"How'd you know? Am I that obvious, or have you gotten better at reading people?"
"You're obvious. Pouting lips, weird wide eyes."
Sephirah panicked. "No way, when did I do that?"
"Just now, while I was talking."
"Liar…!"
"…Figure it out yourself."
Seeing Aiden's take-it-or-leave-it attitude, Sephirah sighed in resignation and accepted it. Fair enough—he wouldn't waste time chatting without reason, or lie just to tease.
"Yeah, I do have something to say. Been thinking about it."
"Spit it out. I cleared the space for a casual talk."
"Okay… those players we caught earlier."
"Yeah."
"Didn't you think of an easier way?"
Aiden paused, clenching and unclenching his fist lightly. Not a huge conversation, but he chose his words carefully before answering.
"I did. Probably the same as you."
"So then…."
"You're saying—why complicate it? Just kill players for EXP. More efficient, right?"
Sephirah nodded immediately. No corrections needed.
"You get it. So why overthink?"
She regretted his decision. Killing players gave EXP—and it applied to Aiden too. If we took them all out, they'd gain an edge right away. Especially survivors from the brawl; the EXP would've been huge.
"Why not at least lock them up?"
Other options existed: steal their EXP, or permanently reduce player numbers. Clear, visible benefits.
But now? Monitor them, keep relations intact? Sephirah couldn't see the merit.
"…You're right."
Aiden readily agreed with her player-logic view.
"We have a sure way to eliminate players, yet I let them live. Maybe I did make the wrong call."
"Then why?"
"For the long term, this felt right."
Of course Aiden had considered what Sephirah suggested. Kill survivors for EXP, grow strong enough to handle any threat solo. Or imprison them to neutralize all players this round, buying temporary peace.
But Aiden looked even further ahead.
"You know best, but players aren't enemies we must fight. They just overlap badly sometimes, but they're persuadable."
"Right?"
"But if I ditch talk and strike first? Then I'm truly their enemy."
"…Yeah, you could see it that way."
Players' oddity: up close, they're just ordinary people full of conversational hooks. That's why Sephirah stayed by his side, why she could help understand or gather intel on them.
But if Aiden had seen players as pure foes from the start, skipping dialogue? Even this shaky trust wouldn't exist.
"Unfortunately, I can't solo thousands of charging players with just my body."
"Yeah."
"Need allies who won't turn hostile mid-fight."
"Keeping them alive has benefits, huh."
"What do you think?"
Sephirah pondered. She got why Aiden took the roundabout path. It wasn't pointless. But would this choice lead to a happy ending for him?
Had she picked the right branch for a good end?
"…Proper endings are always like that, aren't they?"
She imagined herself nearing an "ending" soon.
"Aiden."
"Yeah."
"From my experience, the path to the happiest ending is always the same. Show mercy, kill less, act nice… ignore the easy way for the frustrating, hard detour."
Always. Rare exceptions. Merciful players without evil deeds were essential for happy ends—no karma backlash, no surprise enemies. Game-wise: harder paths yield better rewards.
That clicked. Sephirah understood Aiden's actions. So predictably wholesome, no bad end in sight.
"Alright! Let's do it your way."
She nodded, stepped closer with a grin.
"Your way, toward a happy ending."
