CH ss - 4

Our characters …… lying on the ground.

The screen reads “GAME OVER” in large letters.

I put the controller on my lap and sigh.

Then I heard a voice through my earphones.

“Hey, Towa!”

“What are you doing here, Kenichi?”

“We can’t clear this, can we?”

“What a coincidence. I think so too.”

“Uh … I’m sorry it’s my fault.”

A weak voice from Rin emanates from the lovely monk in front of us.

It’s a wonder that characters with no facial expression on the screen instantly look like they have flowers when Rin’s voice kicks in.

After a long battle, we got the safest jobs – I was a bandit, Kenichi was a hero, Rin was a monk, and Fuji-san was a magician.

The reason it didn’t take this long is probably due to Rin’s “real luck”.

There’s also Kenichi, who has the same specifications as Rin, so maybe the synergy kicked in.

This party is well-balanced, and it seemed to be possible to clear the game if we attacked normally. …… But that’s not how this game works.

Well, fortunately the game doesn’t start from to be like that from the start.

“And yet, Towa, this game console is overloaded, isn’t it?”

I agree with Kenichi’s dumbfounded voice. “Yes, it is.”

Yes, this game does indeed pack too much in.

A sad piece of hardware that came to prominence at a time of great competition, only to disappear due to a number of bugs. …… This is what this console really is.

If all the elements that went into it had worked, and the quality of the presentation had been high, it might well have become the most advanced hardware of its time.

Unfortunately, the technology just wasn’t up to the task.

The goggles that were supposed to be used for VR games nowadays only allow you to look at the game screen.

You don’t actually move your body, you’re just using a controller. ……

The game says it’s “immersive with stunning sound!” But all you hear is the voice coming out of the earphones attached to the goggles…….

Talking at the same time makes a lot of noise, and if you overdo it, the system turns off.

And the best part is.

“Towa-kun’s character is always funny, no matter how many times I see it…”

Yes, it’s the character’s face settings.

Most people who play this game will scan in their own faces and use them, not the faces of NPCs.

It’s designed to make you feel like you’re on an adventure.

However, the scanning performance is horribly poor and no matter how much I try, it won’t recognize my face.

In this case, I had no choice but to choose the face provided by the system …….

I don’t know what the producers were thinking, but the faces of the NPCs are those of animals like dogs and cats.

And even that is randomized due to the specification of being very realistic.

It’s so realistic that it’s clearly out of place in the game…….

If I could have done this, I would have put my effort into something else.

“I mean, why does everyone else look so good but me? …… It’s supposed to be buggy and not load very well…….”

As for Rin, the disturbance in the screen looks like a halo…….

“Haha. You can’t blame us for trying, can you? And Towa looks good too!”

“It sounds like you’re being sarcastic. Why is my face a raccoon?”

“You look like Ponta-kun. You’re adorable.”

“…… Might be the way to go.”

“Really……. I don’t understand Rin or Fuji-san’s feelings…….”

I sigh and look at the game screen.

It’s a strange feeling to see Kenichi in the game and feel like I’m looking at him.

When I was on my own, I just enjoyed the irrationalness of it all. ……

Whenever I think about this, I find myself reflecting on the game over earlier.

“I mean, Wakamiya~. You should control your recovery magic! It’s not worth it to use it on Towa, who’s only down a few milliliters.”

“I’m sorry ……. When I see Towa-kun injured, I use it by reflex…….”

“…… Rin is overprotective.”

“You know how Kotone gets pissed off and shoots magic without thinking? You know, the kind that has a long cooldown time……”

“… I couldn’t resist the temptation to fire off that huge …… spell. I’ll never forget that feeling.”

Normally in RPGs, as you level up, you’ll eventually learn some awesome skills, but in this kusoge game, you’re fully prepared from the start.

The only problem is that your stats are still the same as they always are in the beginning, so if you unleash a massive attack like Fuji-san, you’ll either run out of MP or collapse.

Well, it’s a technique that’s not supposed to be used in the early stages of the game, which is probably why it breaks down in so many places.

One of them is getting caught in an ally’s attack and taking damage…….

I didn’t expect to be killed by my allies so many times …….

They’re homing in on me for some reason…….

“That’s right, Kotone-chan! Please think more about Towa-kun, who was injured by that magic.”

“…… Rin is the one who’s running out of recovery magic, isn’t she? That’s why the hero is the first to get killed.”

“I’m a reflexive person, so I can’t stop it, but Kotone-chan should be fine as long as you keep your emotions in check.”

“…… Rin should be able to avoid pressing the buttons in the first place.”

“” ……………… “”

The conversation was interrupted and only the game audio flowed.

The background music was the sound of battle, for some reason, as if the atmosphere had been read.

“Whoo!” “Mmm…….”

“That’s enough!”

“”Ouch!””

This exchange, which could be called a fight, seemed to be stopped by Kenichi.

“Hmph~!”

“Mmm~……!”

Oh, I see they’re still at it.

But what is it?

This smiling exchange, reminiscent of a kitten fight, is …….

It’s soothing to watch…….

Well, to be precise, it’s soothing to listen to.

“Towa~, don’t just stand by and watch, please stop it…….”

“No, even if I tried to stop them, it would be beyond my power.”

I’m definitely going to lose to Rin, and I’m sure I can ………… win against Fuji-san, but I’m afraid of what comes after.

So the best option would be to warmly watch the two of them.

“No, no, no. There’s a way to deal with Kotone, but there’s a way to deal with Wakamiya.”

“Yeah? Is there such a way ……? I don’t think there’s anything we can do about reflexive behavior in general. Fuji-san aside. “

“…… What do you mean by ‘aside from me’?”

“Oh, there it is~. There’s a way! How about we give it a try??”

“Holy moly, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Ignore …… both of them and ……. Kenichi, just remember me later, okay?”

A cold voice …… that sent chills down my spine.

Oh no. I’ve been fooling around too much, and it looks like I’m doomed after this.

But …….

I’m going to do my best to rub it in Kenichi’s face!

“It’s a bit of a hassle to move around, isn’t it? I can’t believe I have to go through the same place the person in front of me went through.”

“Well, it’s a damn game.”

“It’s also amazing that the game screen blacks out if you’re off by even one step. It’s nerve-wracking in a different way…….”

The game is controlled by four people at the same time, but it freezes if you are five squares away from the first person while moving in the game.

Moreover, the decision is a mystery, and it happens even when you say, “You weren’t far away from me just now!” Even when you’re in the middle of a fight.

So, as a result, everyone seems to follow the path I take.

It’s a pain to have to say, “Next right, take two more steps and then stop.”

“Rin, this kusoge game is profound, isn’t it?”

“It’s amazing ……. I can’t help but wonder if it’s intentional…….”

“This is not the only example. There’s a lot more to it than that.”

“… What is there? ……　I’m just curious.”

“I don’t have to ask, but I can guess. For example, the route that Towa was taking has a meaning, right? The boss at the end of the game suddenly appears and so on….”

“Oh, that’s right, Kenichi! You have a deep understanding of kusoge games.”

“I’m not happy with your praise!!!”

It’s not uncommon for bosses to appear among the normal small monsters, or for the weakest monsters to become unusually tough and take almost no damage.

This is the game’s famous “all fields are minefields”.

I heard that a number of players have broken their controllers because of this…….

Well, it’s a great game in a way that even after the volunteers find this strategy, they still find the bugs.

“Well, let’s just level up and hit them with physical weapons!”

“Then we could have had four warriors, couldn’t we?”

“It’s impossible because you can’t get experience with warriors for some reason. ……. It seems to be a bug that occurs when there is only one job.”

“Wow, ……this is really a kusoge game …….”

“Isn’t this fun?”

I could feel the indescribable air from Kenichi and Fuji-san, but Rin gave me a cheerful, “It’s fun!”

Enjoying everything is good, isn’t it?

Well, it’s possible that Rin’s feelings can’t be measured by a normal person, but…….

I stretched and grabbed the controller again.

“For the time being, do you want to go to the first and last boss? Then I think I’ll be able to do something by the end of today. “

“I’m worried about the way you said that…….”

“Well, just watch and you’ll see.”

This is how we began our mission to increase our levels and beating monsters with physical weapons.