Although the two women looked about ready to jump at each other’s throats any moment now and start tearing each other to pieces, the truth is that both their muscles and motor capabilities were very poor at best. If they were allowed to continue like that, this whole argument would soon devolve into something that was even more pathetic than a fight between two hamsters. So it was best to let them rest while they still had the chance for that.
「Okay, first of all: Amachi. The data has not been tampered with, so the two Unique Monsters were defeated fair and square, without cheating being involved…… On that much I can assure you.」
「…… I think it’s too early to be so certain about that.」
「The fact that the timing of defeating those two Unique Monsters is so close to one another is nothing but a sheer coincidence. Various players were trying to beat Wezaemon for quite some time now, and Kutanid’s quest was also known to at least a number of players.」
「…… Well, I guess so.」
「Now, your turn, Tsukuri. And I want you to take it seriously. You say that you haven’t tampered with the Unique Monsters’ data…… Can you swear to us that you didn’t do that? On your grandfather’s grave?」
「That’s a really cowardly way to corner someone, you know, Tsukuyogi? But sure, whatever…… I swear on my grandfather’s grave that I didn’t do anything.」
Both Tsukuyogi and his wife had been really busy for the last couple of day, so it was true that their marital relationship got a little bit cold recently. However, Tsukuyogi’s beloved wife had prepared him octopus-shaped sausages as a part of his bento. This meant that right about now he was pretty much invincible when dealing with these two.
And since the two women knew exactly what was going on with him, a merit of having worked with the same group of people for a prolonged amount of time, they also knew that trying to resist him right about now would be pretty much a wasted effort. So for now, the two decided to sheathe their anger and call it a truce. At least for now.
「In all seriousness now, shouldn’t we be more concerned about the fact that there is the same Player Name appearing in the list of the subjugators of the two Unique Monsters?」
「I’ve already did a background check on that. Thankfully it’s none of the “relatives”. It is just a regular player……」
「What gives? You did something like that without feeling the need to inform us beforehand?」
「But here’s where things start to get weird: it’s only been a month since that particular player started playing the game.」
For a moment out there, there was a complete silence.
Amachi looked as if she swallowed something utterly bitter, Tsukuyogi looked as though he heard something incomprehensible and Tsukuri’s eyes widened in shock.
「There’s more where that came from: that player also managed to start the questlines for Unique Monsters Luukan and Weissash.」
「…… Could it be one of the Alfa Testers?」
「No, that’s not possible. I’ve double checked with the databases of both Alfa and Beta testers, but nothing came up from it. Moreover, since that player managed to achieve two separate conditions for Luukan’s Curse Marks only around level eighteen, I suspected that he might use some cheats or third-party tools, but here it was also nothing.」
「Could it be that a true monster have descended onto my world?」
「I think we must make a statement on this. Achieving two separate conditions for the Curse Marks could be just a fluke, or a stroke of luck…… It could have been thanks to that player’s “skill”…… But it might have been thanks to none of the above as well……」
The other two understood what Amachi was saying all too well. Since there was a player who was clearing one important quest after another in ShangriLa Frontier, it was now open to debate whether or not they should interfere with that player.
「…… No, we shall do nothing about that.」
「And may I ask you why?」
Perhaps he was tired from standing up, because Tsukuyogi reached out towards the office chair and sat down on it. He knew that he had two women that were basically Gods when it comes to ShangriLa Frontier right in front of him, but even for them such statement was the peak of arrogance.
「Gods should love everyone equally, but only observe. They should not interfere with their creation.」
「Was that perhaps a quote from Nietzsche?」
「Oh, so perhaps you have a better solution? Please submit it on paper, then. Limitations: one page, and the language should be simple, so that even a mental gorilla would be able to get it.」
However, Amachi shook her head and let out a deep sigh.
It is true that before that player arrived on the server, the world of ShangriLa Frontier was in a state of stagnation.
That stagnation was partially the result of the anticipation for the new content in form of a new continent, but it was also thanks to a whole lot of meaningless efforts they had to put into balancing the game. The reason for that being that the number of available classes and jobs have increased considerably.
「Do you want to discard one more precious memory and put it in the trash? Well, you’re the World Creative Administrator, so if that’s what you want, I won’t say no to you.」
Now then, Amachi tapped her cheek with her finger as to allow her mind to switch gears, and voiced out a different kind of concern.
「Well, there is actually something else I wanted to discuss. Two matters, to be honest. And I wanted to talk about it ever since yesterday.」
「Hmm…… What would that be?」
「‘Boss Gaki’ and ‘Freeloader’.」
「Oh, yeah, just pass me the requirements and I’ll see that it is done.」
What happened to the terrible atmosphere that was filling the room up to that point? Tsukuyogi felt that his stomach was starting to hurt once he realized that they are like a group of kindergarteners on the loose: one moment they fight each other, only to get united and venture to do pranks and tricks the very next moment.
「When it comes to the former, we should release some new preview.」
「Really now, you’re just like children that cannot hold anything back…… I’ve already implemented the necessary data into the “Orchestra”, so be sure to give it a look later. Ohh, but regarding that thing from before…… maybe a little punishment should be in order here?」
「It would be so nice to just be able to kick ‘Boss Gaki’s’ ass…… The latter is just a request for maintenance. It reads literary: ‘I didn’t do anything and it somehow broke’.」
「Fufu…… No matter how you look at it, it’s such an old-fashioned excuse…… Fufufu, it’s kinda embarrassing, like a parent who can’t leave their children on their own for even a minute.」
It was even more ridiculous since nothing in this life would happen entirely on its own. And both of those matters were so simple and down to earth that compared to the previous conversation it was something that would cause one to want to rip their own hair from their head. However, if Tsukuri were to handle everything on her own, it is possible that she would sooner rather than later die because of overwork.
And just because of that, Tsukuyogi was always the one who was taking the vast majority of the mundane work onto himself. It was simultaneously satisfying to see the work done and the project of ‘Boss Gaki’ advancing smoothly, but at the same time having to deal with those two women constant bickering was drastically increasing the amount of the stomach medicine he was forced to consume. And that’s a fact.
And because of the ordering mistake about a month or so ago, his stomach was now in such a bad condition that he had to take even greater dosages of the medicine. Seriously, if it wasn’t for his beloved wife’s cooking he would have probably dropped dead long ago.
「Look, if you have nothing more to say, then please stop interrupting my blissful time and get out…… Like, right now.」
「Even without you saying that, there is a whole lot of work that needs to be done before adding the fourth stage of the World Quest into the game.」
「…… But you are also a member of society, so please remember to work in moderation.」
「Now… then. That example player…… Was it a “Leviathan” from last month? Oh, there it is, there it is.」
Playing with her personal mobile terminal, a device that was not yet introduced to the general public, Tsukuri was searching for the information on a certain player she had in mind.
Looking at the log records of that certain player, Tsukiri started to smile even without realizing that. Right about now she looked like a God who was looking down onto his own creation, as well as a mother that would gaze upon the struggles of her dear child.
「Hmm…… “Tsukuyomaru” is out of the question, but “Kyojuro” should do the trick quite nicely here…… Well, I wonder if I’ll be able to observe something good.」
The hand of God changes the file classification without much of a problem. There was a list of several Player Names…… and at the very bottom, the latest position read “SANRAKU”.
It is not a God’s job to love every single person individually. It is to observe them. Otherwise ----
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