A World Warped by Mods
Prism Arts is a modded game.
DLCs and mods lean so heavily toward the adult side that everyone thinks of it as nothing but an eroge, but in theory, it's an open-world game with mods added on.
Depending on which mods are applied, the difficulty and atmosphere can vary wildly.
From basic mods that enhance character appearances,
to mods that extend or shorten the main story length,
mods that add new storylines,
mods that remove or add existing enemies,
and even mods that increase gate spawn rates or make gates never appear at all.
There are plenty of non-eroge mods too.
It all depends on how far they've been applied...
"Huh? Why?"
Lee Ji-ah stared at me blankly and asked back.
...She's cute.
For starters, the appearance enhancement mod is definitely applied.
"Shall we keep looking around for now?"
"Yeah, sure."
I pretended to be uninterested and headed toward the history hall.
Lee Ji-ah followed me, glancing around.
The history hall we arrived at... was on a ridiculously massive scale, way bigger than I'd imagined.
"Whoa..."
"Unbelievable..."
They'd built an entire separate building for it.
What the hell happened in the past to justify this?
Damn, this is messed up...
This world is insane.
That's the conclusion I'd reached.
What the hell is going on here?
For one, the main story ended ages ago.
Ages ago is an understatement. It wrapped up ten years back.
That's still manageable, at least.
The real problem is that every single story mod has been applied, turning history into a complete clusterfuck.
Records show Purgatory connecting to a gate three years after its lord fell, leading to another invasion—
or secret societies forming post-demon god descent to subjugate it, even though the demon god still hasn't been defeated.
It's absurd.
"Hey, Ji-ah."
"Yes?"
"What do you think of this place?"
"Hm... It's interesting. The Hero Association's done so many different things."
"Doesn't anything seem off to you?"
"Nothing really stands out as weird?"
The fact that this ridiculous history is recorded straight-faced means one thing.
The mods have glitched out.
My plan to blitz the main story and live easy? Busted.
The main story's already done and dusted.
So my options are limited: keep coasting like this, or clear the unresolved story mods...
From what I saw in this exhibit hall, the Great Labyrinth storyline hasn't been touched yet.
I need to dig into that.
"What's up?"
"Nah. Just thinking how they resolved so many incidents in such a short time."
"Guess that just shows how amazing the Hero Association is."
"You think?"
Maybe... Nah, no way.
The Hero Association isn't that impressive.
"Think we've seen enough here. Ready to head out?"
"There's another exhibit over there! Looks like they have war trophies on display..."
Lee Ji-ah was totally enchanted.
No, I have to do something...
-Beep beep. Beep beep beep.
An unfamiliar ringtone blared.
Lee Ji-ah's face stiffened instantly.
"Ah... Do-jun, give me a sec to take this call..."
She pulled out her phone from her pocket and slipped into a shadowy corner.
A phone?
In the Prism Arts world, cell phones are relics of a bygone era.
Why's she still using one of those?
Quite a while passed, but Lee Ji-ah still hadn't returned.
Just as I started wondering if something was wrong, a message popped up from her.
Something must've come up.
That happens.
We haven't even known each other a full week yet. Of course I don't know all the details.
In the meantime, I need to learn more about this world.
I wandered around Prism.
Now that I had a grasp on the situation, the scenery looked different.
At first glance, it had seemed overwhelming...
Now the whole world felt at peace.
Do I really not have to do anything?
Just play it like actual Prism Arts?
The freedom level spiked so hard it's disorienting.
If only there was some clear goal...
"Hey, cadet! Got a minute?"
Lost in thought while wandering, someone called out to me.
Turning around, I saw a group of cadets in suspiciously shady uniforms.
"We're doing a quick survey right now. Mind sparing some time if you're free?"
"Ah, sure."
"We're surveying how Prism cadets feel about their career plans."
Turns out they were just pitiful long-term students clinging to Prism.
Their sketchy vibe started looking more like desperate folks hunting for kindred spirits.
They handed me the survey form, packed tight with questions.
The first item... Are you an Awakener?
Question 1: Are you an Awakener?
Tough first question.
Am I an Awakener?
I've got this shady power called Thirteen Palms Covering the Sky that I've never heard of in my life.
But does that count as awakening?
I don't even know exactly what it does... and the blanks... ah,
I've got my future goal now.
Uncover all twelve hidden abilities marked with question marks.
Bonus: Experience the uncleared mods too.
It's an eroge at heart, but rooted in modding.
Goal set—no time to hesitate.
Time to start right now.
"Ah, wait! Where are you going?!"
I ignored the pitiful long-haulers and headed straight for Prism's main building.
Prism's main building has an exhibit hall.
Unlike the Hero Association's propaganda spot, this one sticks to verified facts, so it's more trustworthy—but way less fun.
Seeing the history laid out so plainly just gave me a bigger headache.
The Purgatory lord gets subjugated, but then why does a gate to Purgatory open again?
And there's no record of subjugating the lord a second time to close it.
A gate opens and closes without a boss? Come on.
But that was minor compared to the rest.
There's a mod called the Great Labyrinth.
It adds a dungeon completely separate from gates. While typical mods toss in a small dungeon or two, this one blankets an entire city with a colossal seven-floor mega-dungeon, packed with monsters, artifacts, and heroines. The creator kept updating it religiously, making it a fan favorite.
Of course I applied it too, and sure enough, the Great Labyrinth exists here.
But...
"The Great Labyrinth got duplicated?"
There are two Great Labyrinths.
One on the Imanitus Continent—what folks call the otherworld—and one in South Korea.
I can't even fathom how mods clashed to cause this.
Still, it's a fun mod, so I'll check it out when I have time.
Neither has been conquered yet, so opportunity awaits.
There was a heroine added by the Great Labyrinth mod that I particularly liked...
Lost in happy memories, I heard footsteps behind me.
Turning, there was Dean Han Myeong-sin.
"Unexpected. A cadet in a place like this. Most head to the Hero Association exhibit."
"Hello, Dean. I checked out the Hero Association one, but it was all success stories. I want the real history, not just the wins."
She seemed pleased with my answer, smiling warmly.
"A rare upright cadet these days. Anything in the exhibits catch your curiosity? I'll share what I know."
"Well, then..."
I asked the dean about the Great Labyrinth.
Do both have the same structure?
Why no separate names to distinguish them?
Why haven't they been conquered yet?
And so on...
Listening to my questions, the dean replied.
"The Great Labyrinth... Brings back memories."
No, it wasn't just a reply. It was a full-blown drama.
"Back when I was still active, South Korea was chaos. New gates popped up daily; delays in subjugation meant monster floods overwhelming the country. Our Awakeners couldn't close them all, and freshly researched magic wasn't battle-ready. Amid the desperate fight to reclaim territory, we discovered the Great Labyrinth."
"So, no time to conquer it?"
"Not just that."
She caught her breath and continued.
"How much do you know about the Great Labyrinth, cadet?"
"Just that it has seven floors and its own leveling system."
"Exactly—that's the issue. The Great Labyrinth is like its own world with different laws. No matter how powerful an Awakener's abilities, entering applies the labyrinth's rules, weakening them. That's why interest waned."
"Ah, I see. Mages don't care either?"
"Mages face the hurdle of learning a new magic system, but they're better off than Awakeners. Do you know the status gap between Awakeners and mages in South Korea?"
"Awakeners get better treatment."
"Right. With society ignoring mages, the Great Labyrinth got sidelined too. Though lately, fewer gates and rising demand for labyrinth magic stones are sparking conquest efforts."
"Got it. Thanks for explaining."
"No trouble. Ask anytime."
The dean left with a satisfied tsk, handing me her business card.
She must've just needed someone to chat with.
This card's weight... it's no ordinary paper.
That single number inscribed adds the heft.
Getting close to Dean Han Myeong-sin isn't easy, but scoring this so quick? Lucky break.
Is the goddess of fortune smiling on me?
There's a week of free time from entrance ceremony to regular classes.
Pre-cadets can use Prism's facilities to prep as needed.
As part of my prep, I'm at the slave market now.
Official name: Magic Auxiliary Material Market.
From a gamer's view, I don't need magic reagents—and crucially, it sells humans and heteromorphs stripped of rights for some reason—so it's conveniently called the slave market.
Prism cadets get one free auxiliary material per semester.
I came early to snag a character I like before others claim them.
Slave heroine... the term alone gets the heart racing.
A heroine with a legally defined superior-inferior dynamic. Exciting just thinking about it.
And at that slave market, I
met my fated partner.