Chapter 2: Mass Slaughter Drama
Still don't get it? Last episode! Merhen, who risked her life slashing the necks of hideous, evil monsters to protect humanity! But those ungrateful humans don't treat our hero like royalty—instead, they shove spears in her face and toss her in jail....... Will Merhen overcome this crisis and rain bloody retribution on those backstabbers?!?! Episode 2: Mass Slaughter Spectacle. Let's get it started!!!
I flipped through my pre-made PPT slides one by one, narrating in my sweetest, peppiest voice. Oh, and the illustrations? All hand-drawn by yours truly.
The chat exploding with fire reactions? Totally worth the effort—my heart swelled with pride.
"Yep! For anyone who missed yesterday's stream or skipped the Newtube clips, that was your clean, concise recap. Glad you all loved it—makes me proud too. Alright, diving straight into the story!"
I glanced away from chat for smooth streaming. Right as the game loaded, bam—my character in a dingy prison cell.
"...So how the heck do I bust out?"
No obvious escape route. Then footsteps echoed. And out stepped the source: a sharp-eyed, bureaucrat-type woman character.
I shook my head on sight. Had to.
"Glasses girl already? This bodes ill......"
Can't be helped—she was rocking glasses. ...Nah, glasses have potential in their own right. Especially on a prim, intellectual type; ditching them could spark that killer gap moe. Still, as a glasses skeptic, I couldn't help but mourn this tragedy.
But story waits for no one. It rolled on regardless.
{??? : You the human who entered the [City]? What's your name?}
{My name is....}
[Please enter your name.]
"Whoa, naming the protag now? That's unusual."
National rule is naming at game start, after all. No biggie, though—I knew exactly what to pick.
{Merhen: Merhen. It's Merhen!}
{Katarina: Merhen, eh? Fine name. I'm Katarina, mayor of this [City].}
"Or maybe it subverts expectations and she's the real mayor."
I bantered lightly with chat while soaking in the cutscene. First reveal: why they locked up the protag. No outsiders ever reached the [City] before—thanks to the Dominators' Apostles lurking outside.
{Katarina: That's why your presence is so alien. Two possibilities: A warrior strong enough to fell Apostles... or an Apostle disguised as a human who can infiltrate the [City].}
Option A? No biggie. Option B? Could shatter the city's fragile peace. Protag's mere existence sows panic. Easiest fix for a leader: off the intruder, pretend it never happened.
But Katarina didn't take the easy road. It wasn't right.
{Katarina: If you're innocent, I'll apologize and treat you like royalty. But as the city's leader, I must judge if you're truly trustworthy.}
Katarina's logic tracks... but with chat raging like that, my own back tingled with paranoia. Betrayal flags are otaku genre catnip, after all—shaking my resolve.
{Merhen: ...I'm a weapon sent by the gods to drive out the Dominators and return this land to humanity. You can trust me.}
{Katarina: Words are cheap. Trust needs proof. Got any?}
{Merhen: This work?}
Protag flashes the drop item from the opening boss. But Katarina just shakes her head.
{Katarina: Not enough. We could've taken that Apostle ourselves. Acceptable losses for infiltration. Need something stronger———}
{Merhen: How 'bout this?}
Merhen pulls out a chunk from that off-path powerhouse enemy I scrapped. Katarina's face? Pure shock.
{Katarina: ...No way!!! You took down Karata's Elite Soldier?!}
{Merhen: Yup. Tough cookie... but I won.}
{Katarina: Strong enough to fell Karata's Elite... If you meant harm, we'd be done the second you entered. ...Sorry for doubting. VIP treatment—best room now!!}
...Huh? Wait.
"Guys... did we just skip a quest?"
Why the hype? That "Karata's Elite Soldier" was loot from an enemy that ignored my commands—pure player agency. And it just rewrote the story.
Follow the script? Ignore protag warnings? Skip that boss? No scene like this. It's not minor dialogue tweaks—player actions reshape the narrative big-time. How many such branches? How intricate? Dev costs must be astronomical.
"Kids... what if this is some rich chad's vanity project? Nothing else explains it."
"'That tracks,' huh? Even AAA packages don't go this hard... Or am I overhyping 'cause I only play mobile otaku slop? Am I the weird one?"
I tilted my head innocently. Chat erupted in debate—perfect for heating things up. Let 'em superchat their sides? Nah, it fizzled quick.
{Katarina: Truly sorry for doubting. Let me apologize again.}
{Merhen: No worries. But I need a favor. Your help.}
{Katarina: Our help? We'll do what we can... but combat? Useless. We're too weak against Dominators.}
{Merhen: It's fine. I'm a weapon and blacksmith. I can imbue [Possibility] into beings, forging anti-Dominator gear. Swords, spears... even people, with low odds.}
Plot twist!
"No way..."
{Merhen: Can't solo it. Time to recruit allies.}
Cutscene over—back to controlling Merhen. New menu options popped up. But my eyes locked on one: [Possibility] Imbuement.
Trembling, I clicked. Cue... character gacha screen?!
"It's a gacha game!?"
Everyone figured package game: killer graphics, soulslike genre staple, branching story. But gacha...
"Folks, gacha games are always online-only. Still not clicking? Updating this graphic fidelity on a schedule!!!"
Online gachas live or die by constant updates. Raider's visuals? Beyond "impressive"—unreal for sustained patches.
Chat's take? Spot on. Only explanation: abducted aliens slaved away. Pure madness.