Author's Note:
Character Map:
"X" = Loid Orcus (protagonist)
"(X)" = Loid Orcus (strong inner thought)
°X° = Makina
•X• = Soul Goddess Aksa
^X^ = Sebastian (AI Assistant)
X>X = Chat Window/Panel in the Livestream
*X* = God and Goddess
#X# = Deities
Others:
[X] = Status Board/What is written on it
--- = POV Change
|||| = Time Skip
(X) = Explanation/author
([X]) = Sound effect
---
X> "Yes, we can't keep the goddess waiting! Don't worry about us; the Status Board and others are self-explanatory for us who live in the 22nd century with Full Dive Virtual Reality (FDVR) and RPG games everywhere. We already have ideas about it!"
X> Nodding Sentiment agreement Etc.
I see.....(weep)
A long pause stretches out as I feel a pang of disappointment. After all, I had poured hours into creating an elaborate presentation with slides, diagrams, and even easy-to-understand examples for every type of audience. But now... it was all just effort wasted, fading away like a distant dream.
(I sulk... just a bit. Alright, maybe a lot. I mean, they could've at least pretended to need the lecture, right?)
Just as I'm about to dive deeper into my misery, Makina's voice cuts through my thoughts.
°(Loid, your brainwave patterns indicate a lack of focus. Please regain your bearings as we're approaching the second phase of the act.)°
"(...weep... Aye, Makina.)"
I take a deep breath, wiping away the metaphorical tears of my heart. I have no choice but to move on. Maybe... maybe there's a silver lining here.
I convince myself to focus on the positive side: at least I don't need to explain every little thing. Maybe it's not so bad. I can just jump straight into the real action and save myself some breath.
"Alright then,"
I say, with a half-hearted grin,
"let's proceed to what we're about to do next!"
As I finished speaking, the image on the video screen changed, and my VTuber model or avatar disappeared, leaving only the Goddess's avatar on the screen.
With the disappearance of my avatar, another figure appeared on the screen, resembling a human image and half-naked, wearing only dark blue jeans below.
Although the disappearance might be bewildering, as it appeared on the stream with great importance—considering it was for the people of Earth and concerned serious matters about another world—other than that, it wasn't too odd.
What was odd, however, was that where the human figure's head was supposed to be, there was instead a chest. At first glance, you might think it was some sort of mask, but upon closer look, you would notice that around the chest's opening were sharp, protruding teeth, and within, where the keyhole would normally be, was a bright, golden orb and with the same appearance another 2 inside the chest
With this much detail, you would experience the phenomenon called pareidolia, which makes objects with familiar patterns look like a face of some sort. With that, you would understand that the figure on the screen was cosplaying the character who had just disappeared.
As the audience connects the dots, a collective realization dawns upon them—this peculiar figure with the chest for a head is indeed the host of the stream. But before they can confirm their suspicions by flooding the chat with questions, the figure suddenly moves.
The chest-headed figure swivels its "head" side to side, startling the viewers. Then, it raises one arm, examining its hand with that unsettling, golden "eye" in the center of its chest. It flexes its fingers, then raises its other arm, repeating the gesture. Afterward, it lifts one foot, then the other, testing its balance, and without warning, breaks into a sudden jog, circling around before stopping right back where it started.
With an exaggerated, almost theatrical flourish, it addresses the screen,
"Hi and hello, dear guests! Look at this—what do we have here? I have a body! Quite the surprise, isn't it?"
The chat falls into an awkward silence:
X> ...
X> ...
X> ...
X> ...
X> ...
I stand there, stunned. Somehow, what I just said feels like it dropped my IQ a few notches. And judging by the deadpan reaction of the audience, I'm pretty sure they feel the same way.
X>.....what a great Doro the adventurer (Dora the explorer) reference...I think?...
X> ...
X> ...
X> ...
X> …what a great Doro the Adventurer (Dora the Explorer) reference… I think?…
X> ….. X> ….. X> …..
Stop, I get it.
"Haha, well, in this segment of the stream, I'll be showing you how we can gain power by increasing stats, acquiring skills, and learning abilities."
With a thick skin, I pushed through the shame and continued the stream, immediately changing the topic to escape the awkward atmosphere. The audience, seeing my effort, rode along and didn't say a word, respecting my attempt to move forward.
With that, I proceeded to the place arranged according to the plan.
Grayish marble-like ceilings, walls, and floors lined my path. After a few turns, I arrived at my destination.
In front of me stood a gigantic marble double door with intricate murals and high-relief statues carved into it.
Like a magnificent and fascinating artwork, carved within the door was the figure of a maiden who, despite being sculpted from marble, exuded beauty and an aura of holiness and divinity.
X> Whoa, would you look at that.
X> What amazing murals and statues.
X> Yeah, it's so incredible that I wonder if a human even made it.
X> Well, we're in a fantasy world, so maybe it wasn't made by humans. Perhaps it was crafted by dwarves.
X> Dwarves, huh? According to some mythologies, especially Norse mythology, they're said to be the most skilled artisans. So, based on that, maybe the murals and statues are their work.
X> Speaking of dwarves and artisans, I wonder if anyone today could create art like this.
X> Yes, there are some, but unfortunately, they all passed away over a hundred years ago. "Modern" sculpture took over with their semi-4D printers, and now people dare call themselves sculptors in front of such true artisan work.
X> Excuse me, it hasn't been confirmed that dwarves made this.
X> Regardless, to the earlier question—no, there's no one in our generation who could made this. Our art died a century ago, the day AI was born. Say no to AI; bring back the era of human art!
X> Ah, it seems we have an art rebel here. Better call the admin.
X> Leave it, they have the right to protest. X> Art, etc.
Ignoring the comments about generational art issues, I took another step, and a sound was heard as the gigantic double doors opened, seemingly without any visible force, from our world's perspective.
As they opened, the doors revealed their immense thickness, suggesting that back on Earth, such a door would require specialized machinery to open. Yet, here, there was no machinery in sight—it appeared as though the door opened by itself.
Inside, the ceiling, walls, and floor were also made of grayish marble.
At the center stood a white marble altar with a statue of the same maiden from the door murals, carved into the walls at the front of the altar.
I stepped forward, kneeled before the altar, and offered a prayer.
"Soul Goddess Aksa, Guardian and Giver of Will, Goddess of Spirit, have mercy and bestow your grace. Your follower is here."
With that, a familiar flashbang and blackout occurred as my consciousness left my body, and everything went dark...