The greatest misconception that people have about virtual reality is the fact that its existence instantly kills the single-player genre. This is a gross misunderstanding. After the concept of virtual reality evolved into a feasible, achievable goal, game developers lost their minds. If anything, the single-player space as we knew it transformed into a cradle of ambition. All of the stories and worlds that developers wanted to craft for players could now be fleshed out to the furthest extremes of their imaginations.
What died were those familiar franchise characters, and their deaths were unfortunately swift. No one wanted to control the plumber or the green-clad lad to save the princess. No one wanted to create a character and watch from behind the fourth wall anymore. Especially not when they could save the princess themselves and experience the arduous journey firsthand.
I was ecstatic when virtual reality became a tangible dream. While the world was losing its shit over VR and the market was flooded with VMMORPGs, I was witnessing the miraculous changes of what it meant for a game to have an open world. VMMORPGs do an excellent job of creating memorable characters and introducing epic quests into a world that everyone can experience. However, it can also be extremely partial to the wealthy and unforgivingly ruthless to the unfortunate. Some job classes can be only selected by one person in the game. Some quests can only be completed once, and the rewards for repeatable quests can be less for those that experience them too late.
Another thing I find problematic is the fact that everyone has to experience the game at the same pace. This is extremely disadvantageous to those that would prefer to play while keeping their day jobs. Sure, the time difference between reality and the virtual world can be increased, but not everyone would welcome such a change due to the potential dangers it could pose to the brain. Therefore, the time differential is usually set at a ratio of 1: 3 for the safety of the majority.
Single-player virtual games, specifically SPVRPGs, don't run into these issues because they give us options. Most of these games can be tailored to the player's preferences. Even the dangerous settings like the pain level and time differential can be adjusted once the individual consents to all the liability waivers that shields companies from responsibility. Naturally, such options are reserved for adult gamers, but it brings me to my point of the single-player game transforming into a much more intimate experience.
I had a feeling something big was going to happen when almost all the critically acclaimed single-player studios and developers merged to become Dreamware Dynasty. Sure enough, the new developer released their first game along with the VR console. Fans of their previous single-player experiences were all praying that Dreams Dynasty's new game would silence any doubts about the death of our favorite genre. Thankfully, the first VR game from Dreamware Dynasty, ironically named Heavenly Dynasty, was a frightening success. They had proven that stories could still belong to the players and that we didn't have to share it with anybody.
Life continued as usual. However, my life in the real world and the virtual world were two entirely separate things. I was already a somewhat successful streamer when the first VR consoles were unveiled, so I didn't want to stop releasing content. With that being the case, the important question was how could I make sure that my content stood out from the rest.
When I purchased my full body VR capsule, I immediately went online and signed the waivers needed to access the more dangerous options. Starting with Heavenly Dynasty, I played with the sensory settings, including pain, at 100% and maxed the temporal setting at 1: 8760. For every hour I played, one year would pass in the virtual world. Of course, my sanity was often questioned, but I knew myself. I always play games to the end and then I replay them with a different class, race, or goal. My patience didn't need to be questioned. Not only that, if even the creators of the console dared to create the settings, then why wouldn't I dare to push them to the limit? Besides, I've been streaming under the name Samsara, and now I finally had a chance to live up to my name by living in the virtual world.
I immediately discovered that I had underestimated the obsession that Dreamware Dynasty put into their games. After detecting my settings, I was even allowed to chose the starting age for my character, allowing me to fully craft my backstory before interacting with an unabridged storyline. It had never occurred to me that Heavenly Dynasty had been a drastic gamble for them. How in depth should they be with the world building? Should they build it from scratch, or should they pick and choose some unique points after copying from Earth? How much free reign would they give the AI to craft the personality of the NPCs? Should they give supporting characters set lines, or should they only plot their overall story, the characters so-called destiny, and let the AI fill in the blanks accordingly? With this game, Dreamware decided to go all in and allowed the player to choose how deeply they wanted to immerse themselves in the world.
I remember that I was well rested the day before the game released so that I could play as much as I could in one go. I knew I would be in a dormant state, but I didn't want to stop my first playthrough short for something as trivial as rest. As I navigated through the start menus and tutorials, I knew my life would be drastically changed.
I created what I wanted my character to look like as an adult, and my relatives were spawned from that. Later the following day, my capsule opened up after twenty-nine hours, my stream went live sixty seconds before that. My channel had a record-breaking twenty million viewers as I bawled my eyes out on the floor. I had finally realized where I was when I heard my auto-directed movie blasting from the surround sound. I couldn't possibly stream a full lifetime, so I had set it so that the AI captured critical moments of my life and pieced it together for my channel. Major plot points wouldn't be missed, and even different character perspectives were included. I still have that movie saved to this day. It's a three-hour tragedy.
It started off with me as the prodigal son to a famous general of the kingdom. My father had been destined to die before the storyline, but there was no way I could prevent it as a child. Although the military men were strict, there were many mentors and teachers that stepped up in place my father. I was correct in suspecting that they were trying to get into my mother's good graces. I studied and played around in school, not realizing that my mother had already lost heart and was sleeping around when I was away. By the time I graduated at eighteen, the main storyline had finally kicked in.
The king wanted to expand the borders, and I entered the military with an excited heart. I believed in my strength, and never suspected just how unprepared I was.
My lover at the time, a classmate from the academy, was never mine at all. She was doing to the bidding of her true love, the crown prince, by keeping an eye on me.
Why? While wallowing in depression, my mother neglected to inform me that my father was the king's disguised twin brother and that I had a claim to the throne.
After scraping by with my clumsy system-assisted skill on the battlefield for ten years, I eventually failed to become a general and retired. My so-called lover, who went home before me, had left an invite at the barracks. When heading to her home for our long-awaited reunion, I had the unfortunate pleasure of walking in on her and the crown prince in bed. The smile he had when he looked back still bugs me to this day.
I didn't have the right to be upset after such a long time apart, but it didn't stop me from going home in a funk. What awaited me was my drug-addled mother entertaining multiple men. The very same men who generously guided me when I was a boy. I didn't even have time to be appalled before I was struck down from behind.
The crown prince had followed me home after failing to enrage me at my ex-lover's place. He went on about the only woman I care for being my mother, and he proceeded to have his turn with her as well. Once they were done, she was beheaded, and my head rolled shortly after.
Thus, my first life in VR resulted in a bad end. I had multiple saves since this playthrough had only been on normal difficulty. I could reload the game at any time. I remember looking at the chat that had exploded. I don't recall what I had said after that since it feels like centuries ago, but I'm sure I mentioned how awesome the game was and how immersed I was. I cautioned fellow gamers to be meticulous with the game settings since the game world could be a dreamland or nightmare based on what was selected. I think I even shared what I had my settings on before ending the stream. After that, I took a week off and studied loads of books related to strategy and political intrigue.
Long story short, I ended up restarting the game with my birth save and kicked ass. I turned off all assists and milked those years my father was around to teach me. Then I grew up, kicked more ass, and turned the crown prince into an eunuch. The real journey of Samsara started after that first successful playthrough. Dreamware Dynasty had even reached out and decided to sponsor me. As long as I checked in with the therapist they sent every three days, I could delve into the game as many times as I wanted.
With me leading the way, others decided to go for complete immersion as well. No one was as insane as I was and living a complete life inside the game. Most decided to start at specific ages while skipping to major plot points that required action and critical decisions. I made it a goal to use every life to explore any secrets and to experience as many things as I possibly could. As other studios released their games, I lost myself in the endless cycle life and death. I lived multiple lives as both the hero and the villain. I've saved the world more times than I can count, and I've even lead to its destruction on more than one occasion. I've married princesses, femme fatales, and other heroines of various races. I speak from experience that having a harem of a hundred women is just asking for trouble.
I even lived on after the game was over and lived to a ripe old age with my family. I raised prodigal sons and heaven-blessed daughters. I know the feeling of hating iron for not becoming steel. After the first few experiences of fatherhood, I pray every day for fathers in real life that have to raise daughters. My hair has greyed early on too many occasions whenever they leave the house.
War was a frequent event throughout my virtual lifetimes. I dare to say that I can even scare myself now if I get serious. Despite that, I didn't believe in things like killing intent or bloodlust until Dreamware Dynasty had to start replacing my therapists more frequently. They all mentioned something about being uncomfortable around me. There was an especially bad case where I died while screaming 'Valhalla' at the top of my lungs. Even I knew that the session I had that day didn't go so well. I've never had the chance to apologize to that therapist.
From exploring the final frontier to building civilizations that have withstood the test time. I have experienced a plethora of virtual lives. So when the reigning king of SPVRPGs, Dreamware Dynasty, released the latest jewel in their crown of achievements, I pre-ordered immediately. It wasn't too long after that someone from DD actually sent me a copy of the game way before release.
From the very beginning, The Summoning completely took away the option of being born into the fantasy world. The entire premise was that I would have to start in a replica earth and be summoned over. The game definitely proved to be a challenge due to missing out on the preparatory years in the fantasy world. If that wasn't enough, we're thrust immediately into a world war against the dreaded demon race. Now, I've killed my fair share of DKs, demon kings, across the years, but this is the first time that Dreamware Dynasty presented us with their own vision of a world plagued by demons. If there was one more thing that I had to mention, its that they actually gated the difficulties this time. On their own website, Dreamware Dynasty clearly mentioned that other than the default difficulties of easy, normal, and hard, the five higher difficulties would forcefully change the settings of their consoles. They even stated that the final two difficulties could not be played without the VR capsule. Other than that, no information about the game was released. As usual, Dreamware left it up to the players to uncover the secrets of their new world. Which really means that everyone was waiting for me to write a guide.
-Bigbropun: @GuruSamsara I need help!! I'm stuck at Vessa Fortress and I'm under siege by the elves!! WTF!! We were supposed to ally against the demons!!
↳GuruSamsara: Do you know how to find undercover demons?
↳BlindBunny: Demons can go undercover!? O_O
↳GuruSamsara: Yes, apply holy damage to the suspected persons
↳Bigbropun: Yes, guru! I've read all your previous tips!
↳GuruSamsara: Then surely you traveled to the capital of your allied nations and personally delivered this sensitive intel? Or you at least unmasked a demon in front of the right people?
↳Bigbropun: Sending a messenger isn't enough?
↳Hungryboi: Bruh…no. Just...no
↳Rimking114: You do realize that the demons would have more than one spy right? With the risk of having their plans disrupted in multiple kingdoms, they would definitely make sure that messenger never delivers the message.
↳GuruSamsara: I try not to depend on the kingdom's messengers with something so important. It's best to just do it yourself if you don't have anything else to do. If you have to send a message, refer to the sticky thread about securing supply chains against demon sabotage. It goes into detail about demons that are frequently used in ambushes. Unfortunately, I'm still working on my guide. I'll also assume your intel from the elven kingdom is cut off. The king's nephew is proficient in earth magic, and he's probably digging a tunnel under the fortress. In the life I experienced it, it was only him and his personal army that tried to take the fortress. I waited until he went in with his few elite and buried him alive.
↳Rimking114: That's one of my favorite clips so far. The irony was brilliant. I love your channel. I've been subscribed since Heavenly Dynasty.
↳ GuruSamsara: Thanks for the love and support. I'll have more footage out soon.
-Micsicklovin: @GuruSamsara I have a crush on sword instructor Kara at the Royal Academy, but I'm not making any progress. She always blows me off whenever I try to ask her out. Any idea why? I can't get enough of that rack!!
↳GuruSamsara: Well if you stopped checking out her chest and paid attention to what she was saying, you'd probably realize that her every other breath mentions her mentor, Swordmaster Burns. You can start by whoopin' his ass. Otherwise, you're going to end up visiting her office later only to hear her having some 'private lessons'. Don't let that old dusty fart NTR you bro. I may not have pursued her, but the sounds coming out of her office that day were too much for my sensitive ears. Smh.
↳Micsicklovin: Fuck! Swordmaster Burns!? That dude is hella strong!
↳Quickquitter: GG bro. There are other fish in the sea
↳Gogether: Damn, bro. My heart hurts for you just imagining the scene. I didn't think the old man still had it in him.
I played life after life in The Summoning, digging out everything it had to offer. Within the first few lives, I unlocked every difficulty. Once I released a screenshot of the difficulty descriptions, many players wailed in despair. After hard mode came veteran, hero, wargod, crusade, and armageddon. Veteran wasn't too bad, enemies hit a bit harder, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Hero and wargod forced the player to take positions of leadership on the front lines. Wargod mode even turned off the combat assistance. I was still good to go in the face of those difficulties. I already had centuries of combat experience under my belt and was a fully decorated general in many of my virtual lifetimes. I started to run into trouble with the crusade difficulty. Enemies received another damage buff and the status menu was hidden. I spent a couple lifetimes in this difficulty adjusting to using my senses to determine the opponent's strength. I almost couldn't believe how much I relied on my character status menu until it was gone. Thankfully, I was constantly aware of my own strength and adapted. I was even thinking about asking DD to add that as a permanent game option. That was until I played on armageddon mode.
Almost every convenience of the player was removed in armageddon mode, and the game menus were restricted to the rank of my classes and passive bonuses that I got from those classes. There was no world map, no in-game clock, no in-game web browser. Then to top it all off, there was no saving, and I only had one life. Whenever I logged out, the game would be paused, and it would resume where I left off after a ten-second countdown. I struggled to reach the demon king my first run since the demons were more adaptable and cunning.
Once the final fight began, my party wiped. For some reason, my entire party turned into cannon fodder. The individuals that I specifically befriended and groomed pre-summoning, were completely steamrolled by DK. That's wasn't the worst part though. The part that I couldn't wrap my head around was the fact that crusade's DK and the armageddon DK were two entirely different people.
All the demon kings up until that point were red-skinned buff dudes. The new demon king was one of those 'demonically' handsome dudes. I didn't give though, I reviewed everything and went at it again. I made it a bit further on my second go. When I say further, I mean we pushed him enough to summon his colossal black dragon before we were wiped. In both instances, my party dies first, leaving me to solo DK. Looking at it from a worse case scenario, I deduced that my party was destined to die at the demon king's hands no matter what. So the problem lied in the fact that I wasn't strong enough to solo the final fight. Without any ideas, I just played the game repeatedly.
Live, fight, and die. I played like that for almost a month in real life. In The Summoning, I had lived a few dozen lifetimes, but I was stretching them out a bit by taking more breaks since I didn't have a solution to my demon king problem. I asked my new therapist, Stacy, but she didn't have an idea either. In fact, she even accused me of being an escapist. Technically, I'm running from the demon king to reality, so I let her have the point.
As time dragged on, I wished DD had let me be born in The Summoning world. I knew for a fact that I would be more than powerful enough if I could have just started from the beginning. The very second I thought that was the beginning of a new path. It had occurred to me at that point that there was always a weird setup when we were first summoned. We arrive in the world as a rank 10 commoner, but when we first go to change jobs, the commoner class is there except its rank 1. Although the chance was small, I grasped onto that nagging thread and discovered that commoner was the hidden class all along. While in the replica earth, we max out the commoner class, but we didn't gain any of the benefits from doing so. By resetting my commoner level in the fantasy world, I reset my foundations. The only problem with this is that the difficulty of the game makes another jump due to the delay of my progress. Although it's still armageddon difficulty, I personally call the hidden difficulty doomsday. On doomsday difficulty, the world isn't fighting against the demons, they are fighting to retake the world from the demons. I lacked the strength to participate and had to watch the world crumble a few times before I found what I was looking for.
I'm proud to say that I now stand ready to face the demon king. After my most recent trip to the frontlines, everything is now in place. I previously logged out while I was eating with the soldiers in the barracks, now I need to head back to my room since my new armor was supposed to be delivered. I get up to head back and end up hearing a familiar voice on my way down the hall.
I freeze at the sound. I've romanced three women in this life, and even though all of them are strong enough to walk around naked in the barracks and not get harassed, two of them have sensitive identities that make them easily recognizable. It just wouldn't be convenient to meet me here.
I stood outside my door and listened to the voice humming softly on the other side. Only Cuelin would still be in the mood to wait for me to come home like a loving waifu in this place. I barely entered the room before a slim figure comes rushing to me. I catch her in my arms as a breeze carrying her scent fills my mind with a scene of flowers and towering trees.
Cuelin is considered tall for an elf since she stands a bit taller than me at 6'4. Her days outside in the forests gave her light brown skin a honey glow. A head of wavy black hair shrouds her shoulders like a curtain if she wears her hair down. What she lacks in curves comes in the form of elegance and poise. Then again, her chest has always been a source of envy for women of every shape and size. It wouldn't be wrong to describe her as top-heavy.
"What took you so long to get back?" she pouts while her arms are wrap around my neck.
I resist the urge to embrace her and reply. "I had to make sure the army was ready to march. It's time to bring this nightmare to an end."
"So you're confident that you can bring it all to an end, huh? Then does that mean…" Cuelin's voice softens as she leans in for a kiss, I narrowly dodge as her lips land on my cheek. She pulls back from me and scowls. "Still?"
To understand what she is referring to, I have to first confess that I haven't had sexual relations with any women in this life. I have very good reasons for making this choice, the main one being what I call Amaterasu's anti-demon napalm. It's a super effective mixture of my personally made virgin oil and sacred fire, and it can only be made by me. This puts me in the awkward position that I find myself in now. After the credits roll, I definitely won't hold back, which is also why I still pursued my love interests even though it's with a mostly platonic approach thus far. I was too focused on killing DK to woo them before, but I could fill notebooks with the information I gathered about them along the way. This life is actually the first time applying what I've learned to courtship. Yet, I may have been too thorough. They've been getting a bit antsy the closer I get to my confrontation with the demon king. If I'm not careful, I'll end up giving in to their wiles.
"There's no rush. You've waited this long, so surely you can wait a bit longer." I rub her back to calm her down, such a move is really rare from me now that it's down to the wire.
"You're about to run off and fight to the death yet you can't show even a little more affection? Aren't all men supposed to be lustful beasts?" she sneered.
Cuelin can be extremely sexist. She's really toned it down around me though. I'm just that good.
I couldn't resist smiling as I say, "If I was like other men, would you be in my arms right now?"
"Hmph. I would be convinced if it was just me, but you haven't touched any of us!" She pushed me away in a huff.
"Oh, you've met Soo'Ti and Amanda?" I reply casually. With Amanda's information network, meeting Cuelin and Soo'Ti is only a matter of whether she wants too or not. Revealing herself with this timing is probably her way of putting pressure on me. So cute.
Cuelin points at me with an incredulous look on her face. "You don't even deny having other women!"
"You...never asked though? I even mentioned that I had close friends that I needed to help from time to time. I mentioned that I had a close elf friend to them as well."
"So you lie just any other man. How convenient that we're all just close friends." she said with a stoic face. I think I could see a layer of frost slowly spreading. It must be my imagination.
"Would you rather I claimed you as my woman without even having the resolve to be more romantically involved with you. How would you describe our relationship?"
"Whose idea was it to maintain such an awkward relationship!? With all that you've done for us, which of us aren't willing!? You claim that you need to remain pure for this battle, but you do such a vile thing to yourself every night!? Don't think that we don't know! I for one don't believe you're as pure as you claim!" Cuelin yelled as she jumped into my arms again and hammered down on my shoulders.
God damn it, Amanda. If you saw that while spying on me, could you at least keep it to yourself? I smile wryly. "I can still be considered pure since I haven't been with a woman. After being teased by an elven beauty, wouldn't I need to release my pent-up frustrations? Men have needs after all."
She hammered at me even harder. "And women don't!? Do you know how shameful I felt learning how to clumsily relieve myself because of you!? I thought I was worse than a beast! You even have the gall to say the word tease around me!? You'd scheme for all sorts of opportunities to grope my chest just to awaken my body to those lustful feelings! I was the model for purity before running into you! Doing such things in the past and now you claim purity! What kind of hypocrisy is this!?"
"Okay, okay. I was wrong for doing those things back then. I should have properly taught you how to relieve yourself so that you wouldn't suffer." I chuckle softly while hugging her body closer to me. I was careful not to move my hands to her butt.
After her rant, her gaze softens and she wraps her arms around my neck, slyly running a hand through my hair. "I want a proper apology. You really don't know shame, so your words mean nothing. But you always say that you're man of action. Do you dare to kiss me like you did back then?"
Cuelin, please don't ask for my life. I'm screaming mantras in my head while trying to ignore how your bosom is somehow able to smother my entire chest with comfort. I expel all my thoughts with a sigh. "Would we really stop at that? I don't believe that you came to see me with pure intentions."
"Fine." she gives me a fed up look before giving up. Then she pulls out two glasses and a bottle of wine from her space ring. "At least have a drink with me before you go."
I grab the bottle and take a quick whiff. "I would love to have a glass if this wasn't laced with an aphrodisiac. And if my memory serves me correctly, the next few days would actually be a good time to conceive for you."
I expected her to reply with our usual banter, but when I look over due to her silence, she's sitting with her head down on my bed. Her sobbing voice comes from behind her hair. "Amanda said that the demon king is much stronger than we think and that we should be prepared for the worst."
Cuelin looked up with tears flowing. "What happens if you don't come back, Alex? I-I wouldn't have anything left of you except memories and baubles. My heart is overflowing with dread. Please, I just want to have something of significance to remain behind with me just in case."
Looking at this former tsundere that's transformed in the water-made woman before me, my heart softens. Yet, I have to keep my life against the demon king. Without Amaterasu's anti-demon napalm, my doomed party won't even serve as a distraction against the dragon.
I gently brush her hair behind her ears and plant a kiss on her brow. "You have to have faith in me, Cuelin. Haven't I always come back? Trust in me one more time and I'll let you bare as many children as you want."
Her ears redden as she returns a kiss on my chin. "I said I only wanted one. Don't get carried away."
"That's only because you haven't experienced the joys of making children. Now, are you going to stay and help me with my armor?" I chuckle and ask. Cuelin nods within a serious look on her face. I would hope she would be a bit more light-hearted, but I can't complain since she's sending me off without knowing if I'll return.
After I'm fully equipped, I make my way to the smithy in the barracks to pick up my new sword. I was expecting it, but it's still weird to see death knights guarding the entrance.
I step up to walk through the door but they take up arms to block me. I ignore them just as their fiery sockets flash with understanding. No doubt Soo'Ti sent them a command before I demolished them.
I walk into the forge to see a figure sitting on the anvil with her back toward me. The glow of the forge adds orange highlights to her dark-brown bob, but it also makes her skin paler than the average dwarf.
"What took you so long with the elf? You couldn't possibly have bedded her before me?" the figure says, before turning around to face me.
Soo'Ti is probably the cutest dwarf in this world. While other dwarf women look more mature and valiant for their age, Soo'Ti has a round baby face top off with a little button nose. She's tried everything to make herself look tougher. She works out every day, but due to her innate magic talent, all the power she gains is hidden beneath a pair of thin, delicate arms. To her credit, her shoulders have some slight definition, which is also why she loves sleeveless shirts like the one she's wearing.
If there is anything that prevents her from being treated as a young girl, it's her womanly curves. If the neck and up was an accident by the gods, then they fully compensated her from the neck down. Just looking at her wide hips, it's easy to tell that she has a booty that's a part of the package. Thankfully, she wore plate armor a lot in school so she didn't have many suitors by the time I was summoned. Add to her having the height of a dwarf at around four feet, and most other men had probably suspected that someone's young daughter was playing knight.
I return from adoration and reply swiftly, "I haven't bedded anyone. Please don't slander my good name."
Her rosy lips curled up. "Of course you wouldn't. No matter what they think, it's my bed that you'll crawl into first. They don't have enough meat on their bones."
I can only shake my head. I can't deny that she is blessed, but completely ignoring Cuelin's assets is nothing but denial. "Have you seen my sword by any chance?"
"You mean that trash the so-called master made? Are you going to take trash to fight the demon king, Xander?"
I want to cry, but I have no tears. "Master Stroud can still become a divine smith, you just beat him to it."
Apparently, my answer set her off as she rises to her feet on the anvil and coldly replies. "So you remember that I'm the only divine blacksmith and you still didn't come to me."
"You weren't available at the time."
"Don't play coy! You know how to get to the dwarven kingdom! You're sworn brothers with the king!" Soo 'Ti screams in rage. She tries to calm her rapid breathing as she continues, "Thankfully, that Amanda person notified me, or I would have wasted my youth waiting for you to come to my forge. Come closer."
Watching her beckoning me with her slender hands like some thug boss leaves me tickled, but I obey and step before her. Suddenly, she reaches out as if to choke the life from before changing her mind and cupping my face. Her dark, coal eyes start to water as she whispers, "It's good to have friends, but as my man, I can't help but feel unsettled from the way they spoke about you. I'll have a long talk with you when you return to the mountain, but I'll focus on the sword for now. There's still time to enhance it. All you have to do ask."
"A divine smith has high fees."
"I obviously wouldn't do it for free. Since I'm the best, I deserve the best," she whispers while caressing my face. "I won't ask too much, you're my man after all. Just slowly repay me with your body later. For now, your virginity will settle as the deposit."
If our genders were reversed, this would seem really bad, but that still depends on the perspective of the person making the payments. In a normal situation, I could pay the deposit and first few months of installments today. However, my virgin oil would degrade to regular cooking oil if I did this. So in response, I give her a quick peck on the cheeks and say "Sorry, chubby cheeks, I can't stay today, but I wouldn't mind setting up a payment arrangement for the day after the demon king dies."
Her expression contorts from a blissful daze into a mournful rage. I take a step back before she can claw at my face. Losing her target, she turns around, revealing the handle of a sword that still came up to her shoulder while standing on the anvil. How the hell did I miss that when I walked in? Did she store it?
She grabbed the handle and threw the massive greatsword in my direction, screaming, "Take this trashy sword then! I hope it falls apart in the middle of the fight!"
Although the sword was huge, it still stabbed halfway into the walls of the forge due to sharpness. I pull out the sword out just in time to dodge another sword. I can still hear Soo'Ti spitting fire as I run out.
"I hope the demon king rips that flimsy armor and that trash guardian you call a tank to shreds! No one can protect you like I can! You won't fight by side and won't take my creations!? Who wants an idiot like you that doesn't know what's important! You cheater! Y-you bully!! Y-"
I ignore the rest since her shouting started to morph into wailing. It was bad enough that Cuelin softened me up. Then Soo'Ti somehow makes me feel ungrateful. Amanda… you sure knew how to pick the order. I want to see exactly what you have to say to me after organizing this fiasco.
I make my way through to the heart of the capital and waltz into the castle like it's my own backyard. Truth be told, there are plenty of ways to become king if I was a bit more ambitious. Then again, it's enough with just one lifetime's experience of doing that much paperwork. I'll leave that to someone else. I'm comfortable being the hand behind the curtain.
I eventually arrive before the throne room doors and enter. The moonlight shoots down through the windows and scatters against the marble floor, the white light gives the whole room a gentle glow. I eye the throne only to find it empty. I can sense her in the room, but without any hostility toward me, even I can't pinpoint a direction. She'll reveal herself in time.
As I thought that, a hand reach out and turned my face to look at a goddess level beauty with long silver hair. Her lithe yet voluptuous figure was wrapped tightly in black cloth. She would definitely pass for a femme fatale if it wasn't for the glint of the diadem over her brow. This borderline empress controls the kingdom in the light but rules an empire in the shadows.
She studies my face with cold grey eyes and asks, "Did you enjoy the return gift I prepared for you?"
"I would have preferred to see them after the fight, but it's not bad to see them before. You seem to have gotten better at hiding from me?"
"When I imagine the shadows as your embrace, not even you could find me so easily," she replies before she lunges at lightning speed to steal a kiss. I clench my teeth before her warm tongue slides between my lips. After greedily sucking away to her heart's content, her eyes narrow with suspicion. "You used to attack me the same way. Yet, you're suddenly as receptive as a block of wood, Alejandro."
She slips away and begins to pace the room with her hands behind her. The moonlight emphasized her white skin as it lands on her body. "The fact that you haven't taken that next step in our relationship has always bothered me. You can fool the other two, but I know that the Life Keeper class is quite powerful already. So this excuse about the virgin oil is insulting. You would deny us, deny me what I want because of some trifling oil? Oh, Alejandro. I know you're doing this for something else."
Her figure disappeared into the shadows before reappearing on the throne. All of a sudden, a formless pressure suppressed the room. She looked toward me without a trace of the warmth she displayed earlier. "So I began to ponder, Alejandro. You know what happens when I begin to ponder. I begin to think of all sorts of terrible things. For instance, why would you interact with us to such an extent and help us to increase our strength to such a degree? You've gone well beyond earning our goodwill. Is it to command the elite of our race and take them into battle? You don't need us for that. Is it for the resources of our respective races? What couldn't you have at this point if you wanted it? Then one thought suddenly occurred to me…"
"And the conclusion?"
"All races suddenly prospered and flourished despite our bleak situation as soon as you decided to take action. It was through your hints and guidance that each of us discovered power that we couldn't have dreamed of before. You were summoned to this world, yet you seem to know so many of its secrets? Where are you getting your information? Why is it that so many good things seem to come from your hands after you take it from the hands of the demons?"
"Oh, you're suspecting me of being a demon spy? Then I can suspect the worst case scenario that you put together. It probably has me leading the best and brightest of the allied races to the final battlefield and having them all slaughtered in one go, right? Then the rest of the world would be ripe for the picking. What a wild imagination you have."
Amanda stood up from her seat and walked down the steps. Her expression softened, "It is far-fetched. Especially when the demons lack any real powerhouses except for the demon king himself, but I still have my suspicions."
"If I told you I could see into the future and knew how everything would end, would you believe it?" I smile wryly.
"If I told you that I go find a man to satisfy my desires after every time you turned me down, would you be jealous?" she said while flashing a spiteful grin.
This chick can be really petty sometimes, but my expression doesn't waiver. "My heart would burn with jealousy, sweetpea. Do say such hurtful things."
"You say that, yet how odd is it that I don't believe you." her cold expression returns as begins to pace in a circle around me. "All three of us our powerful women in our own right and have a prominent place among our people. To keep us hanging on with only your sweet words and promises is frustrating to no end. I'm beginning to suspect whether or not you really care for us at all. You're fine with anything so long as it's within certain boundaries, but if our display of affection is too much you withdraw. Then you turn around and say it's for oil. How curious, how strange."
She paced until she stood in front of me and glared fiercely. "Cuelin offered to give you all the ancient spells once they were taken from that hidden tomb and translated. Why didn't you take them? Couldn't bear the responsibility?"
"Her elders would behead her the next day for giving away military secrets."
"Soo'Ti desperately wants to forge equipment for you. She was willing to empty the kingdoms secret treasury for a single sword!"
"She would bankrupt the kingdom doing that. I don't need a decline of a nation on my conscience in the heat of battle."
"Then what about my offer. I told you time and again that we could rule an empire. An emperor on the surface, and an empress in the dark. All the power in the world would be at our fingertips!"
"You would push me to the forefront and risk a civil war? You already have so many enem-"
"Sophistry!" she roared. "You know very well that every problem you've stated could be resolved as soon as you step forward to solve it. You know what I think? I think this is nothing more than you satisfying your pride! You would rather fight the demon king on your own terms than to accept our help since it would be too easy otherwise. You'd rather play with your life than let our hearts be at ease."
"As expected, sweetpea knows me the best." I say as I reach out and pull her toward me. Before I even wrap my arms around her, her body fades like a puff of smoke.
"Did you feel that? That emptiness and dissatisfaction the moment I didn't obediently fall into your embrace? I experience that feeling multifold whenever I'm with you. It frustrates me to death!" Amanda complains as she walks out from behind me to pace again. "I have everything that I want, except for you. Whenever you leave, you don't know how the frustration builds up until my heart aches. Of course, I'm fine after a good night's rest. Then roll over and realize the face I wanted to see still isn't you, it's just another man that I wished was you."
I reached out for her again, and this time she obediently fell into my arms. I whisper, "I'll make it up to you after I return. It isn't much longer now."
"No, you'll be staying here for the night and providing me with an heir. There plenty of spells that can assist, so you won't have to worry about the success rate. You want to play with your life, that's fine, but I won't let my heart die with you. It won't matter whether you love us or not. I just have to give all my love to our child," she commands as she pulls away from me. As she walks off she stops and turns her head. "I'm going to have a bath first. If you leave now, don't expect me to be so welcoming even if you return victorious. We may not be able to go with you due to our circumstances, but that doesn't mean we'll always be waiting for you."
If the game allowed it, I would take all of them. Unfortunately, only the summoned have that privilege. I sigh internally. Trust Amanda to be the one to give ultimatums in this fashion. With no options left, I draw my sword and stab it into the ground. I sighed again and knelt down. I memorized all the Life Keeper moves after playing through crusade mode once. The Life Keeper's Oath is equivalent to a knight swearing fealty, but it's more like a slave contract and a life insurance policy at the same time. I have to time everything carefully. If she commands me to give up my booty, I won't have a choice.
Amanda's head snapped back to look at me with wide eyes. A devout aura fills the room and runic patterns spill out in a circle around me. "I, Life Keeper Alexander, declare Amanda Beatrice Cecilia Moonsilver as my heart's keeper. Her words are my laws and her will is my purpose."
Rays of light that seems like chains sprouted from my chest and wound around each of her hands. Amanda seemed to realize something from my words since she was running back with a panicked expression. I cast a timely barrier that divided the room. Seeing that, she pulled out her swords from the shadows and repeatedly slashed at the barrier and screamed. "Allie, what are you doing!? Don't scare me!"
Hearing the way she called me I couldn't resist a smile. This kuudere is too inexperienced to demand anything from me. She'll probably be angry for a bit, but after that, it would cause to much pain in her heart to command me to do anything. "I vow to follow her until I perish. Should that day come where my light is extinguished, Iet the power I wield be transferred so that the light lives on through her."
Light spreads from the chains wrapped around her hands and begins to draw runes of light that give out a soft glow. I can feel a connection, and her rapid heartbeats thunder in my ear. Calm down sweetpea, I'm not harming you. Even as she slashes madly at the barrier with tears pouring down her face, I have nothing but warm feelings in my heart.
"No! I don't want this! I never asked for this! Allie, you bastard! You're doing this to spite me! Remove this barrier! I com-"
I quickly cast silence on the barrier. That was close. I have to get away now while she's still angry, but I walk up to the barrier first. With the most arrogant snort I could muster, I say, "Hmph. It's no use screaming, I cast a one-way silence on the barrier. You dare to doubt me. I may not have said it out loud, but I have always returned affection through action. This barrier is going to hold up for a while, but feel free to go around through the other side. I can promise I'll be long gone by then. Let's see if you dare to command me when I return. I bet your heart will feel like it's being cut into a thousand pieces!"
Amanda breaks down in a tearful heap with a look of extreme grievance. Satisfied, I turn grandly and make for the door just to hear a subtle cracking sound. I turn just in time to see Amanda thrust at the barrier with precision in a tornado of dark power. The minuscule crack in the barrier spreads a bit. Seeing the progress, Amanda looks back at me and makes a crazed smile and mouths 'I'll be right behind you <3'. The heart emote obviously wasn't there, but I felt like it fit the expression on her face. I feel that my virginity would be in danger if I don't leave right now. As such, I make a break for the door and make my escape from the castle. I feel like I can see an image of Amanda chuckle as I run away in an ugly fashion for her amusement.
After leaving the capital, I make my way back to the front lines with my new gear and all the virgin oil that I had saved up. There's nothing to be said about the campaign as I fight my way to the DK's castle with my party. I have always made it to the castle without a problem. This time it's more Iike a tour through a museum. Soon enough, I'm standing on the roof where DK likes to sit on his throne and look down on the world.
At our arrival, DK looks over and smiles at me. "So it's the hero. It's been too long since we last met."
I scratch my head playfully. "I don't remember meeting you though?"
"It wasn't that long ago. You don't remember when I almost stole your precious queen from under your nose?" DK smiled evilly.
"Oh, you're the panty thief from that time! I couldn't recognize you since you had all that stuff on your face. It must have been dust from that ass-whoopin' that I was giving you. I remember you escaping at that time."
"It wasn't our time to fight after all. Not to mention that it was your home ground. I wouldn't want to be played to death so far away from home. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long. Though I'll admit, you've come sooner than I expected." DK answers cooly.
"Stand back and watch. Handle anything that comes to interrupt our battle." I call out over my shoulder and charge the demon king. He pulls out his sword and we're soon clashing with white and black flames flying around us.
The plan that I've developed is to solo DK from the beginning and let my party fend off the dragon once it appears. So long as they use Amaterasu's anti-demon napalm as instructed, it should die without a hitch.
DK's broadsword sweeps past my neck. In that moment before he combos with his backswing, I pull my greatsword up to my shoulder and riposte. It would usually be awkward to do with such a huge blade, but I can pull it off. The huge blade quickly slashes down at his shoulder, but DK leans back and only gets a shallow cut across the chest. Corrosive blood shoots out and I squint to protect my eyes
DK returns the previous wound with a cut to my arm. The armor is ripped through easily and I'm wounded just like that. I really want to blame Soo'Ti for jinxing it. However, unlike DK, my wound is gradually healing. Not only that, some of my blood spilled onto his hand and he cries out in surprise. It turns out that my blood is corrosive to him as well, just at a much higher degree. Top tier holy for the win!
Realizing the dire situation, the demon king raises his head and shouts, "Come out!"
From below the castle, a giant figure flies up and eclipses the entire castle with its silhouette. A black dragon with twisted asymmetrical horns and bat wings roars in the night. Following that, the mage of my party pulls out a horn and blows. It's the signal I've been waiting for.
Beyond the castle, I can hear the groan of catapults. At this moment, when the dragon has just made its entrance and is at its most arrogant phase, ceramic orbs rain from above. Our archer may be destined to die, but that doesn't mean he's trash. Using arrow rain, he accurately hits every target and a rain of virgin oil. DK smirks as if he knows that setting the dragon on fire isn't going to work. Unfortunately, my virgin oil isn't ordinary, and my holy fire happens to be a perfect match.
I sneakily throw a fireball and watch as DK's face lights up with understanding, then contorts with rage the moment after. "Move out of the way!" he roars.
It's too late though. The virgin oil catches fire mid-air and blossoms like a deadly rose. Although the first volley was only enough to cover a wing, the dragons agonizing bellows are a testament to the effectiveness. Any other substance would burn out quickly and the dragon would only suffer severe burns, but my virgin oil will endure. The dragon's wing is soon ruined and it plummets clumsily from the sky and crashes down.
"Engage!" I shout backward. The party rushes to begin phase three by finishing off the dragon.
"I won't let you do what you want!" DK roars again while freeing up a hand to try and cast spells.
I ramp up my pace and secretly urge the team to hurry up. Although I can definitely hold DK off, he has two hands, and preventing him from giving my party a dead end with sneak attacks is taking most of my attention. Despite all that, I instinctively throw some heals everytime I hear someone behind me scream in pain.
Eventually, the death throes of the dragon sound out across the battlefield and cries of celebrations sound out below. As discussed in the previous plan, the party descends to help out below, thus avoiding death by DK. That itself has to be worth an achievement.
I twirl my blade and readjust my stance. "It's just me and you now DK. It's a shame about the dragon though. You didn't deserve it."
"It was still useless in the end. Nothing for you to be concerned with." he growls and jumps back into the fray.
We fight for what seems like forever. Then just as the demon king is on his last legs, he purposefully takes a burning chop that nearly cleaves him in two. The blood finally sprays into my eyes and I hurriedly roll to the side to avoid any attacks. Unfortunately, DK used that time to cast instead of swinging his sword. I could tell because of the surging mana coming from his direction and the fact that he chucked his sword at me after predicting where I would roll.
"I may not have much left, but I can at least take you with me. Soulbound Hatred!" DK roars with his final breath.
I was actually afraid that he would do something like this so I had prepared a spell in my armor that would work as a substitute. It would have worked had my armor not been completely ruined from the fight. The funny thing is that my body is pretty much unharmed due to my regen, but this soul attack is going to be a pain in the ass. I cast all my mental barriers and throw in a soothing soul spell just in case.
I can hear epic background music from the game as DK's final attack hits. It's...extremely unpleasant. A simulated soul attack is almost like having heartburn and a constant acid reflex episode multiplied by ten thousand. Just when I think that's it, I start to hear alarms ringing from my VR capsule recommending that I log out due to an abnormal heart rate.
I figured that it's just me being hype from my win so I dismissed the warnings. That's only until a heart monitor pulls up in front of me showing that I'm flatlining. Did Dream Dynasty give me a bugged copy? The capsule is trying to resuscitate me and has alerted the paramedics, but I don't think they'll make it in time. I live in a penthouse that's only accessible with a password. It'll take a bit to get permissions, and in a moment like this where every second counts, the odds that they'll make it in time aren't good.
Since I already turned off the automated log off feature, I'll just stay put and hope for a timely rescue. In the meantime, I'll pretend it was good ole DK that got the last hit.
Black flames burst out of the wound made from that last sword chuck and now I'm having to feel a burning sensation in my guts for some reason. Feeling tired, I slump over and roll on my back. The new music sounds good, hopefully, I make it to the credits.
"Allie!!"
My vision that just returned is fading at the edges as Amanda conveniently appears after everything is over. It's a nice touch from the AI, so I'll take it.
She runs over and pulls me into her arms. I must look like hot garbage because she's bawling like I'm not going to make it or something.
"Allie!! You said you would make it up to me, so you can't die here! I order you not to die! Did you hear me! I know you like to play tricks, but you need to listen to me this time! Please!! Please!" she cradles my head and rattles on in despair. I think can even feel her tears on my face. As if realizing she's the only one here, Amanda screams, "Where the hell are the clerics! I need help! Someone help me! Allie, you have to hold on! Soo'Ti is on the way, she can stabilize you!"
Damn. So this was actually a good end. Soo'Ti would have arrived to harbor my soul and nurse it back to help. Bravo, AI, bravo! To bad the problem is in real life. I won't be able to enjoy the free roam this time. I didn't even get the chance to use the after death feature. I could've watched how my family faired after I passed away. I'm sure my kids with those three would have been superstars.
"Sweetpea...I'm s-sorry. I-I l-love you." I stutter with my last breath.
"Allie! Hang on! Just a little longer! Look, she's here now! Just a few seconds! Allie, please!" Amanda's shrill pleas sound so far away. I vaguely hear the cries of 'Alex' and 'Xander', so Soo'Ti and Cuelin made it on time.
Then that's it. Everything fades to black. I've experienced dying in VR multiple times, and fading to black usually ends with me in the capsule. Yet, it's going to be different this time. I'm agnostic anyway so I look forward to what comes after. I hope it's a nice surprise. If there's nothing, then my consciousness will be cut and I'll henceforth cease to exist.
Yep.
Any minute now.
Or maybe this is limbo? I have plenty of good memories to go over, but I may eventually go nuts without my therapist.
-Samsara, can you hear me?
Oh, sexy honey-voice lady?
-Look at that, he remembers you just fine. You were worried for nothing.
-We need him just the way he is, so I was just worried there was a mishap while retrieving him
-No matter, let's explain what's going on first.
So far there are three different voices. I don't really know any of them though.
-Don't know, huh? But you recognize my voice? No matter I'm sure you're more curious about what's going on. To be honest, we may have been a bit hasty. Earth is very easy to access since it doesn't have magic. It's like there aren't any restrictions at all. Let's just say that the game that you just finished was an exam of sorts.
An exam? So I passed, right?
-Yes, you did. However, it was beyond our expectations that you would succeed on armageddon difficulty. We were already satisfied with your performance on crusade. Thankfully, we waited a bit longer and witnessed something miraculous.
You guys bugged my capsule, didn't you? I got an early copy of the game, which never happened before, and suddenly I die as soon as the game ends? I don't believe in coincidence in the first place.
-I admit we were a bit hasty, but Samsara...do you mind if I call you that?
Alexander is also fine.
-Alexander, I want to apologize for ending your life prematurely. It's just that Oracle was too surprised when you beat armageddon. It was created with every worst-case scenario that she could foresee and we instructed the game director we implanted to make the demon king impossible to beat.
If you wanted him to be undefeatable then why create the Life Keeper class? Anybody can get by with that. It's not that hard.
-I'm afraid that's not so. In the time it took to bring your spirit to our plane, five years have passed on Earth. No one has even gotten close to beating armageddon even knowing that Life Keeper exists. The time period after resetting to a commoner is too brutal for someone without your patience and skill.
That fills my heart with pride as a gamer. Now, since you mention an oracle and you seem to have been watching me play. I assume you're going to send me to a world that's similar? I hope it's reincarnation. Is it?
-Yes. The game was an exact replica of that world and the crisis that it will face from the forces of darkness. We want to intervene directly, but that would give an excuse for the chaotic gods to step in as well. We can only send someone down just as the chaotic gods created the demons.
An exact replica? How long until the war starts like in the main storyline?
-It isn't long now. Thankfully, Oracle foresaw this happening a good deal ahead of time. Instead of spending 18 years on earth to be summoned. We can send you down to be reborn. Due to your extensive theorycrafting, we are aware of the most beneficial start that you'll need. Don't worry. Our only hope is that you won't hold a grudge against us and plunge the world into chaos.
It frustrating that you couldn't wait a little bit, but as I'm being reincarnated into that world anyway. I'll be sure to hunt down my women and save the world. I have unfinished business with them. I'm really looking forward to it.
-Then off you go. Be careful. The future is always changing. I would say don't use the future as a crutch, but you're quite experienced with that already aren't you? Farewell, Alexander.
Farewell, sexy honey-voice goddess. Leave everything else to me.