I'll Spare Your Life for Now
I'll Spare Your Life for Now
001.
"Haa. Nothing is fun anymore, no matter what I do."
If a lover dies, first feed them drugs. Build defense installations with prisoners' babies. Harvest prisoners' organs and sell them for silver coins.
That's why the forum where people who play this game gather is even named the Organ Trafficking Gallery.
Settlement simulation, Ram World.
I have already played over 16,000 hours of this game, where you rule settlers like a god to build and nurture a miniature village.
Even back when I first crossed 10,000 hours, I thought the fun would be endless.
Because there were a massive number of mods that brought different kinds of fun.
'But now, there's nothing left to devour...'
At first, mods were everywhere. I devoured them at a crazy pace.
Because of that, the mods to devour soon ran dry. Lately, chatting on the Organ Trafficking Gallery is almost more fun than the game itself.
[Question] I'm a newbie, how do I level up settlers' medicine skill fast?
First, capture a prisoner, chop off their arm, and then make them practice taking off and attaching a prosthetic arm over and over.
Today as well, after generously handing out tips to a few people, I was searching around daily to see if there were any interesting mods.
One day, a peculiar post caught my eye.
'Huh?'
I had imagined that linking this game with AI would be interesting. But it seems skilled modders have already developed such a mod to some extent.
I clicked on it right away, and a sample screen appeared.
'Huh??? This looks fun.'
The world that used to feel like drab data comes alive through AI. Having interaction seemed much more fun than playing alone every time.
'Wow... Is it because it's a language AI model?'
My curiosity was piqued.
But there was a fatal problem.
"It costs money?"
There was a free version.
This isn't entrails. It's a scream bursting out from within me.
Those words were not a declaration. They were an ambition.
"Ah, what is this?"
The free version tasted far too much like a machine.
To do it properly, you have to pay money. It's not even an online game.
"Ha... Fuck. That's absurd. Isn't there any good way around this?"
I scoured the posts trying to find a way.
"Huh?"
I clicked it immediately.
'Could this be an opportunity?'
I read on.
In the comments, there were only people complaining that 10,000 hours was ridiculous.
I paused.
This recruitment was tailor-made for me. I immediately captured my playtime and sent it.
'Oh, please. I'll get picked, right?'
I spread the wings of my imagination about the AI mod in my head.
While I was feeling anxious, a reply arrived right away. I frantically clicked on the email.
[ I was looking for someone just like you. Congratulations on winning the entry for the 《Outer God of the Rim》 mod! ]
"Oooooh!!!"
Just like that, I leaped up from my chair and threw jabs into thin air. With an excited heart, I kept reading the email.
[ The moment you read this email, the mod is already installing. Well then, I'm counting on you from now on. ]
"What?"
At that moment, the computer fan started whirring furiously, so I looked at it, but it soon quieted down.
Flustered that some strange program might have been installed, I grabbed the mouse to check, but the game was already launching automatically.
On the monitor screen, 《Outer God of the Rim》 appeared in large text. And as a welcome message, 'Become an Outer God and lead your settlers.' was written.
"Oooooh? What the, awesome."
In that moment, I threw away any thoughts of this program being super suspicious and was instantly mesmerized. Anyway, I had no personal info to be stolen, nor money to be taken.
On the screen, there was only <Start>.
Click.
"Wh-What, does it start right away?"
As the loading bar filled up, Tips started passing by underneath.
▶▶▶▶▶▷▷▷▷▷▷ / 50%
"Ah... Is the mod itself one-coin?"
Anyway, a settlement that wasn't one-coin didn't give me dopamine anymore. There was nothing to fear now.
"Ah, yes, yes. Got it."
▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶▶ / 100%
"Huh? It's starting!"
My heart was pounding.
[ After her home village was burned down in a raid, Vivian ran far away with her two younger sisters, finally making it all the way here. ]
'Huh?'
In the original game, you carefully choose which settlers to start with, but without any of that, an in-game pop-up appeared immediately.
"What, it even picks the settlers for me?"
[ The escaped Vivian and her sisters formed a contract with you, believing your word that you would protect them. Will you truly be able to protect her well? ]
It seemed to be a setup generated by the AI on its own.
"Aha! So it's this style?"
Wouldn't an AI be a storyteller itself, skilled at crafting narratives? So it seemed to have come up with an appropriately tailored difficulty on its own.
"Well, I like this kind of flavor too. So are these girls my starting pack?"
Not bad for a start. Unlike my past challenge runs where I always started naked and alone in extreme terrain, at least the temperature here is mild.
It even gives me three initial settlers. They are dressed, and even have weapons, crude as they may be.
This was practically a freebie.
'Huh? They're talking.'
Finally, the long-awaited moment of the AI experience had arrived. The three of them gathered at the dining table, chatting. I observed them like looking down at a cross-section of an anthill.
"Eonni, will the Outer God really protect us? What if he's an evil Outer God? I heard that could happen."
"Don't worry too much. I'll pray hard every day and beg him to make sure you two are protected, no matter what happens."
"Oh...! Fuck! It's already fun!"
Characters that used to be like silent miniature dolls were now opening their mouths as if breathing alive. I was deeply moved. The dialogues I had only imagined were now visible right before my eyes.
"Haha, trust me! I'll completely cybernetically modify all your bodies later so you'll never die."
Humming happily, I tried clicking on a settler with the mouse to move her.
"Huh?"
But it was strange. Commands weren't working. I couldn't command her to move, nor could I command her to perform tasks.
A tooltip suddenly popped up.
I paused and stroked my chin.
'So it really is a conversational AI model mod.'
It meant that when I initiated conversation, it descended like a Revelation as if it were God's will, and the settlers would judge and act on it.
'There are pros and cons to this.'
Like a self-proclaimed hardcore veteran, I quickly began to analyze. Since it's a verbal command, it might be less precise than directly clicking to issue commands.
However, because they judge and act on their own, you could say there's less need to micromanage minor details.
'Shall I give it a try?'
When I clicked <Bestow Revelation>, a chat window popped up.
A blinking prompt. Since it was free points (pt), I typed lightly.
I clicked <Send>.
Then, Vivian, the eldest eonni, suddenly froze at the dining table and moved to the side of the table.
Looking at her status window, it read [ Slumped down and crying ].
The graphics were terrible, but I could imagine it.
"Woah, shit! It's implemented to this extent? This is fucking fun!"
Having resided alone for 16,000 hours in a world that was always dead, tasting this liveliness moved me so much I was almost brought to tears.
I straightened my back in the chair I was slouching in, resolving to play properly.
Anyone could see that these points (pt) to bestow revelations were the core resource. The balance was displayed on the bottom right of the screen.
[ 1,000 pt ]
'How much is it per revelation?'
I clicked the <Bestow Revelation> button again.
[ 1 message within 80 characters: 100 pt ]
"Ah. Makes me wanna reroll."
I had wasted my first free points (pt) in vain. But with such plausible difficulty, my heart pounded, dopamine rushed in, and my brain began working in overdrive.
'Then 10 times in the early game? For now, I'm not given many chances.'
The strategy is to issue key revelations only at the right moment and secure points (pt) efficiently!
Then how do I secure these points (pt)? Right when I was wondering about that, a pop-up suddenly appeared just in time.
[ Quest: One of the raiders pursuing Vivian's group has tracked them down. Since it's only women here, they might end up facing a terrible fate, wouldn't you say? Will you be able to defend against him well? (1,000 pt) ]
"Aha, like this?"
I hurriedly moved the screen to check the raider's position. He was quite far away. It would take a while for him to arrive.
In that case, it was time to use the textbook method to block an early raid without taking damage!
Unlike the base game, the settlers in the mod didn't seem to know a raid was coming. I hurriedly pressed <Bestow Revelation>.
[ Balance: 900 pt ]
Vivian, who had been hugging her younger sisters in tears of emotion, suddenly froze. Then her character began to tremble violently.
Instead of doing what she was told, she was just standing like that.
"What, why is she like this?"
I checked her status window.
[ In Panic ]
"Huh???"
She seemed flustered upon hearing that enemies were coming.
"Ah, what. The AI designed the details super meticulously? Do I have to soothe her?"
My interest grew even more. I spent points (pt) again.
[ Balance: 800 pt ]
Then Vivian hid her younger sisters in the corner, and suddenly trembling, offered up a prayer to me. A message popped up.
As I paused, a pop-up window appeared.
[ Bestow Revelation: Basic Trap Crafting Method: 500 pt ]
For a moment, one of my eyebrows twitched. I knew it seemed too easy.
"Aha, like this?"
Buildings are unlocked using points (pt). 500 pt is worth spending. Traps are early-game essentials.
I immediately clicked <Approve>.
[ Balance: 300 pt ]
Soon, there was a flash above Vivian's head, and she began dismantling a nearby chair to quickly craft a wooden trap.
I issued the final revelation.
[ Balance: 200 pt ]
Vivian seemed to hesitate for a moment at my words. However, as if making up her mind, she took her younger sisters with her and did exactly as told right away.
The raider, having found our location, sprinted over here in no time. He started attacking the door.
Kwang! Kwang! Soon the door burst open, and the raider faced Vivian.
The raider's filthy line popped up. And with his gaze fixated on Vivian, he took a step forward.
Peoeok.
The trap was a success. I checked the raider's status.
[ Right Leg: Amputated ]
The raider was easily incapacitated.
"Did I beat it?"
A simple victory.
Ttiring.
[ Quest Completed (1,000 pt): Oh my! Nobody got hurt? Honestly, this much is basic, right? ]
That's right. This much is basic.
Vivian and her younger sisters were hugging each other tightly, comforting one another.
"Eonni... A-Are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, girls! The Outer God saved us."
But it wasn't over yet. I spent 100 pt for a very important revelation.
Receiving the revelation, Vivian flinched before patting her younger sisters and muttering.
It seems AI Vivian is misunderstanding me a bit.
"What are you talking about? Keep him alive so I can harvest his organs and sell them."
This is just the beginning.