I bombed Northwest school.
(That sentence makes me sound like a terrorist.)
Well, it was true. I was using terrorist-like tactics: constant bombing and suicidal detonations. Some of the flare zombies I employed had grenades attached to their bodies, enhancing their blast effect. As I ran upwards through the sky, I made it to the apex of my journey. I breathed in the air and wondered if it was fresh. I lived in the city all of my life, where the exhaust polluted the atmosphere. Could I even tell and appreciate the difference?
(I always wanted to do this...)
It only happened four times, but I had dreams where I could levitate. I remember the mental sensation flowing through me. The exhilaration, the adrenaline, and the pure joy I felt from defying gravity. I was no longer bound by physics and laws. Within my dream, my stomach and heart held fluttering butterflies. When I was younger, I would imagine the cold weather brushing against my hair and pressing against my skin while the winds roared as I flew.
Now... I didn't have to imagine anymore. It was momentary, but the heavy, depressive weight that pressed down onto my chest lifted, and a faint sense of elation flooded in. It was fleeting, though, and the cold numbness that consumed my emotions came back. Still, this moment was to be savored. If only I didn't have to taint it with the blood of the damned.
I switched the grenades and fireworks with smoke bombs and decided to take the humane route George wanted. I threw them at the school's roof, but they bounced off as they impacted. Sadly, the rooftop's sports field had a wire mesh overhang, protecting it from my projectiles.
(Fine then. Time take a Terraria strategy.)
When I played Terraria, I discovered the recipe to coat bombs in slime and made them stick to surfaces. I was about to apply this same logic.
(I need to melt the metal mesh.)
I took an incendiary bomb from my pocket, bought some sticky slime from the Dokkaebi shop, and lathered the bomb with it. I produced a flame with my index finger and ignited the wick.
"Sayonara."
I bid farewell to the explosive in my hand and let it go. It tumbled through the air until smacking against the overhang.
(Did it stick?)
A blooming conflagration of flames answered my question. I assumed the fire melted the mesh until it was a drooping mess of molten steel. I was still standing upon an air step, removed from the fighting. I upholstered the new NN-14 blaster pistol from my side and began my descent. I threw smoke grenades through the hole, and they exploded, showering the area with red and purple smoke. The soldiers and slaves choked as the fumes entered their eyes and throats.
(Damnit. I'm hurting the civilians.)
"Red Warrior, hold your fire; I'm entering the rooftop."
-!Bitz!-
"Got it."
Through my helmet's vision, I saw the soldiers and slaves scrambling.
"Someone's here!! Find them!!"
"The King is directing his stigma!"
I continued to walk but felt... weaker. I felt the muscles in my body shrink and my affinity for mana dimming. Soon, I found out the reason.
[You are under the effect of an AoE stigma!]
[The effect of "100 Percent Americanism" is denying your human rights!]
[The effect of "100 Percent Americanism" has reduced all of your stats!]
[The effect of "100 Percent Americanism" weakens your mind!]
[The effect of "Three Fifths of a Man" is directed at you!]
[The effect of "Three Fifths of a Man" does not affect you because of your ethnicity!]
[Nebula "Masters of the Klan" are sneering at you!]
I gritted my teeth. A racial stigma was affecting me right now. Not all the stigmas given by the Constellations used flashy flames and explosions; some were rooted in prejudice and a sense of superiority. All Historic-grade Constellations had at least one that affected an ethnic group. Japan was one of them - they had a stigma called "Colonization," which weakened Korean citizens.
The U.S. had "100 Percent Americanism," which I believe was created by the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. It denied multiple races and religions, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Japanese, etc. I was oh-so-lucky to be in the last category.
[The effect of "100 Percent Americanism" weakens your mind!]
[Fragment of the 4th Wall has negated the effects!]
Fragment of the 4th Wall protected my mentality, but it could do nothing for my decreased stats. I felt my sluggish movements as I sprinted through the smoke and fog. As I ran, I threw firecrackers, which exploded and filled the air with sparks and gunpowder. There was a reason I called this Operation: Dark Storm.
I saw a man crouching near a garden bed, holding his antique pistol.
-!POH!-
"Gwaah!!"
The blaster in my hand was called the NN-14 pistol, but it had another name: Rey's blaster. It was used in the Battle of Takodana as she fought the First Order. I crouched and ducked behind bins and flower beds as bullets whizzed by my head.
"Move! Move! Move! There's an intruder!!"
-!POH!-
Red bolts of plasma erupted out of my gun, but I kept the shooting to a minimum. As I ran, I encountered a slave.
"Aaah- mmmff!!"
"Be quiet."
I pressed my gloved hand against the woman's mouth. Her eyes filled with shock from seeing me, but she gradually calmed down after a moment.
"Where's the entrance to the rest of the school?"
She hesitantly pointed in one direction.
"There he is!!"
"Move!!"
I pushed the woman behind a flower bed and ducked from the incoming bullets. I peered through the smog and saw the entrance.
-[Ethan!]-
-[Herald?]-
-[Aren't you going to take her?! You need to save the slaves to win the game!!]-
-[There's another way to win this game.]-
-[I know, but it's riskier.]-
-[All the options are risky right now. I might as well go for the one that has more gains.]-
I saw soldiers tugging slaves by their collars as they retreated into the main building. Other soldiers were spreading out, and I saw their shadowed figures in the mist. I aimed my blaster and was about to unleash a volley until I saw a message.
[Fragment of the 4th Wall has forcibly activated "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" Lv. 3!]
[Stage 2 of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint is activating!]
(I don't wanna die....)
(I'm afraid....)
(I don't wanna do this...)
(Where is he?!)
I felt the fearful, frantic thoughts of the soldiers. Their emotions flooded in and felt like my own. Why did Fraggy do this?
[Y ou ma de a pro mise to Ru pert.]
(Damnit.)
I couldn't remember Rupert's words exactly, but he said stuff like "Not all of them are the same" and "Young men are doing stuff against their will." I remembered my words and how I made a promise to spare as many men as possible.
"Bloody hell."
I dug into my pocket and pulled out a purple box. It was three inches cubed, but when I placed it onto the ground, it grew larger until it was one meter cubed. This item was the [Shrinking Storage Chest]. Its original form was a Minecraft Shulker chest, and I received it from the Toy Dungeon by making one Confederate soldier give it to me.
I opened the chest and saw the contents inside. Unlike Minecraft, I couldn't fit 27 stacks of items in the vessel - I could only fit items within a meters worth of space. One such item was this blaster rifle: the F-11D. This weapon was used by First Order Stormtroopers and was a standard item. Like its Imperial E-11 predecessor, it had three settings, lethal, stun, and sting.
(This is so stupid.)
I set the weapon to stun. I closed the [Shrinking Storage Chest] and shrunk it down; alas, the item also had a closing sound effect that echoed out.
"Eh?"
I heard boots crush dirt and gravel as they approached. I crawled into a different hiding place and saw a soldier holding his pistol, aiming it into the smoke-filled shadows.
-!Phing!-
As I pulled the trigger of my rifle, a blue ring emitted from the barrel and enveloped the soldier completely as they fell to the ground. I walked to the body and pressed my finger to their neck; I felt a pulse. The man was only unconscious.
[Absolute Constellations like your nonlethal methods.]
[Some Absolute Constellations have sponsored 1000 coins to encourage your nonlethal behavior.]
(Hmph.)
I saw three figures walking among the flower beds. I emerged from the shadows and fired three shots in quick succession, nailing all of them. Sadly, this revealed my location. Unlike bullets, the stun rings were quite visible to other parties.
"He's over there!"
Bullets flew in, and I threw myself to the ground to avoid them. If I stood up now, I would be peppered with lead, and my chest would resemble swiss cheese. I only had one method to advance to the school's entrance.
(I never tried this before...)
I switched my rifle to my left hand and gripped the Crimson Mana Sword in the other. My speed was reduced, so I wouldn't be able to deflect the projectiles as quickly.
(No sacrifice, no victory.)
-!Ksshhhhh!-
I ignited the blade, and red light spilled out, announcing my position. I activated Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint stage one, hoping to know where they were aiming.
"There they are!!"
"Open fire!"
-!!BANG!!-
-!!BANG!!-
-!!BANG!!-
-!Kish!-
-!Krish!-
"Hurrgh!!"
My sword deflected most of the bullets, but some penetrated my defenses. I felt a bullet lodging above my knee, and another bullet grazing my thigh. Still, I charged with my reduced speed. Despite the incoming blows, I ran forward, slicing and shooting the men. I cut apart their weapons, slashed their limbs, and stabbed them in the shoulders. None of my attacks would cause permanent damage, but it would maim them for now.
"YOU!!"
A tall soldier armed with a cavalry saber stood his ground and glared at me. I spun my crimson sword in my hand.
"HURA!!"
He grunted as he charged, and I engaged him. His metal sword sparked as it encountered mine until it was denting in several places. He was pushing me back due to his higher stats and height advantage, but I held my own. After tiring this fight, I aimed my blaster at his thigh, switched to lethal, and blew a scorching crater into his leg.
"Guahh!!"
He fell backward. As he did, I plunged the point of my sword into his shoulder, and he let go of his saber, which I kicked away. I switched back to stun and shot him. His head stopped thrashing, and he went limp.
[Fragment of the 4th Wall is nullifying your pain!]
I was about to walk forward until I heard something from behind. I turned around and aimed my rifle, but it was a slave holding his arms up.
"Don't shoot, don't shoot!"
I still kept my gun aimed at him. This could be a ploy.
"Please, help us!"
"I already am. Do you know where the King is?"
"N-no, I don't. Please, I saw the scenario contents. Please, save these kids."
The slave stepped away, only to reveal a group of young children standing behind him in a line. None of them were above the age of thirteen.
"I don't have time for this."
I was about to turn my back to them until I realized something.
(Wait!)
When I looked back, I saw a person I thought I wouldn't see again. A young boy I saw ages ago and nearly forgot. He looked different from back then, but he was still familiar. I gripped the handle of my blaster.
"Fine."
-!SLAM!-
"Spread out!!"
I turned around to see the rooftop entrance opening, but I switched my rifle to lethal and opened fire, causing the soldiers to duck back in before they could come out. I threw a box of firecrackers at the door, which would discourage them from coming out for a few minutes.
"Follow me."
The children treaded behind me until we made it to the edge of the rooftop field.
(How the hell am I going to get them down?)
[Ha ck saw Rid ge.]
(What?)
[U se the strat fr om Ha ck saw Rid ge.]
(How do you know about that movie?)
[I saw cl ips of it fr om yo ur memo ry.]
That was right. I watched clips of the movie on YouTube. Andrew Garfield's character used the strategy of tying a rope around the wounded soldiers and lowering them off the ridge. I quickly bought a rope from the Dokkaebi shop and tied it around the upper body of one child. Using the gen encrusted onto my helmet, I summoned flare zombies to my location. I lowered one child after the other until I came to the last one. I held my lightsaber in my hand. If I killed this boy, I could get what I wanted. Still... I made a promise to kill teenagers 14 and older if I needed to.
"Off you go."
I lowered this child to the ground, and the flare zombie grabbed him.
[Eat...]
(No. Take them to the blue zone. Now.)
I made the flare zombie resist his urges, and it carried the children to the zone. I saw the last child looking back at me with tears in his eyes. I activated character profile.
[The applicable individual is not a character!]
[You have encountered another Fragment of the 4th Wall!]
(I'll have to get it later.)
I turned my attention back to the battle. I had to find the King. If I acquired their flag, this asinine scenario would end, and I would stand as the victor.