Chapter 129 – Star Fall (12)

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– D. Asset3315 : Notice – This is the Area Chatroom for ‘professor’ Gyosu Park. Please take in note that any severe criticism or spamming with lead to repercussions from the Dome Streamer Support Branch.

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– aiosye2222 : What an interesting character….

– Somebodyhellme : Yeah. It isn’t easy for an autopilot to do that well.

– Nigromaa : Doesn’t he have it too easy though? He put his character on auto and he’s still streaming and getting donos? Gyosu’s one hell of a sellout.

– arms5275 : How dare you little youthful motherf—er to mention the great sir Gyosu Park’s name like that!

– Adagio : You think it’s easy making your character like that? Trash noobs like you wouldn’t even know what trials he went through to get to that level!

– arms5275 : It’s always those scared wusses that say those things! Bastards like those guys should get their intestines pulled out to hang their useless bodies!

– CalloftheTax17 : We have confirmed your nickname and all activities on the Community. Solemnly prepare your will, Nigromaa. The days until the church visit you are not far.

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“…These guys don’t even need me to be playing to fight each other.”

Checking the area chatroom right after getting into the game pod, Gyosu tried to suppress the unpleasant feeling and entered the second chatroom.

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+ Player ‘professor’ has entered the chatroom!

– arms5275 : I swear, if I ever meet that guy, I’ll skin him alive and dry it for jerky to eat with whiskey….

– professor : Hello. Gyosu here. I have a question I wanted to ask….

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– Andante : Woah.

– yobananaboy : the real one? the real Gyosu Park?

– Nigromaa : fr? frfr?

– Hitchi! : G, Gyosu sir! Uh…. I’m also a solo survivor near Area 47! I live a, alone and f, female…. so please come check up my generator sometime!

– Whitesmith : Professor’s here!

– sheony : G, Gyosu sir! I live in Area 42! Please message me if you come near here!

– D.bioteam : Forgive us for asking, but when will you be available for a visit…?

– CalloftheTax17 : EVERYONE SHUTUPPPP!!!!! HE HATH SAID HE HAS SOMETHING TO SAYYYYY!!!

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Halt!

The chat that was scrolling up at a speed I couldn’t read stopped like it was paused. It felt like the blinking cursor on the screen was urging me to hurry up and talk.

‘This is why I didn’t want to come here. They’re too much.’

This isn’t going to work. I was thinking of buddying up with some of the useful ones, but I’m just gonna say what I need to and ditch this place.

After roughly scanning the messages above, Gyosu carefully started to speak.

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– professor : Uh…. first of all, thanks. It’s nothing big, just looking for someone.

– Andante : Gyosu Park is…. looking for someone?

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The chat quieted once again. And bursting out into that silence was an explosion of reactions.

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– Andante : Are you looking for a person?

– browknee : Is this… the rumored BDSM recruit? I did think they would slowly start to expand…..

– Whitesmith : Area 41! Call me Whitesmith sir! I cannot reveal detail information on the Community but I am a part of a group of 7 survivors! I have learned a bit of metalworking during the war! I can cut through anything with the right tools!

– sheony : Area 42! Solo survivor! I’m a single woman in her 30s! I am currently selling wheat I grow in a small greenhouse connected to the shelter! I can kill people too!

– handymandy : Area 45. Leader of Scavenger team of 24. I don’t like boring ones like the Dome or whackjobs like the Raptors, so just wandering around at the moment. Looking at the path BDSM took recently, I believe this would be a satisfactory place to be a part of. I trust that you know what it means for a group of over 20 members to have survived in this world, so I’ll be expecting a positive response. Ah, for the kids, they’re all good at different things, killing people being a basic of course. Their farming skills are on a completely different level of specialization compared to those normal survivors who just dig through dirt. Through expertise in several different fields, we disassemble buildings and extract core resources, decompose and refine collected scraps and put them up on the Marketplace.

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The chat got all excited amongst themselves, and a list of self-introductions appeared like it was some sort of interview.

‘Well, this is a mess. I didn’t mean it in that way.’

Reading through them was more interesting than I thought, but because leaving them be would make the rumor that we’re finding new members a new fact, I quickly continued talking.

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– professor : It’s not that. I wanted to check if anyone visited our shelter recently. Someone keeps on leaving scraps at our doorstep as protection fees.

– Andello : I, It’s me! I left them there! I do not know the nearby geography….. but do you know the building debris with the big red X drawn on it? I moved into the building next to it!

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Oh. I thought that I had seen a message similar to that before, but I found it faster than I expected.

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– professor : Ah, there. You can’t find anything better than that if you don’t have a shelter. Good spot. That’s one down. Anyone else? I heard there was three.

– Andello : One is probably my wife! We visited separately so you don’t mistake it as an attack.

– professor : Then two. Is that everyone?

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There were a bunch of messages, but most of them were about whether they were really going to protect them, or that they were disappointed that they were that kind of group, and other useless side talk.

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– professor : Anyway, I’m saying this in advance in case more people come to visit. First, I don’t need those offerings or protection fees or whatever. Don’t to our doorstop and do a strip show, we won’t pay you. We have a kid at home to, so really don’t. It isn’t good for their education.

– Andello : B, But I read a post on the Community that it was procedure to visit like that…..

– professor : Quit the bullcrap and don’t come anymore. We won’t protect you, and won’t take your fees. The reason why I came here was to say that we’re going to do it the Wasteland way. You know, right? No living within 500m of another home. We’re just a trio of normal Wasteland survivors. Let’s live our own lives. Got it?

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That was what he came here for. Ian said he was going to think of a way, but the best way is just to tell them officially like this. They should know not to come and ask for protection, no…?

Whisper whisper—

Mumble mumble!

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– sheony : That’s….. permission right?

– esomak : how humble and gracious…..

– Andello : I think that means only up to the 500 meter radius is personal territory, and anything outside of that we can come live in.

– handymandy : And he doesn’t want to take protection fees either. That seems a little too soft….. don’t tell me he’s thinking of making a grouped survival area. Like a satellite town?

– Adagio : I’d say it isn’t impossible. He’s located at the outskirts of Area 47 where it’s connected to Area 45, 45, and there’s just enough amount of distance between the Dome too. But it’s still close on a vehicle, so it’s easy to trade. Area 47 was already pretty crowded, so it was in a difficult position to take in new survivors, but if it expands into its surroundings like this, it’ll be easier overall. Since the Dome’s going to be more than welcome to have more civilian survivors, it shouldn’t be too hard to arrange. And BDSM is allied to the Dome too. It might actually work.

– professor : Did you guys even f—ing hear me?

– CalloftheTax17 : We will go! We heard you loud and clear! Followers! Pack your bags! Our leader is calling for us!

– Gauz : A new district in Area 47 you say…. I’ll need to talk with our chairman. Maybe we could open a branch store….

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We’re f—ed. I poured water to douse the fire that was getting out of hand, but it only made it explode! It must have been a jerry can!

’…Should I just say that I’ll kill them all if they come?’

[I think you’re too late. There were probably some people that started to run over here the moment you said something about good spots and stuff. Now that things turned out this way, let’s try to use them to their fullest. It’s a plus-minus zero, isn’t it? Minus the danger from mutants. Plus the danger of outsiders. If there are some really useful guys, let’s bring them into the BDSM. It’s a caravan. There’s no harm in expanding our numbers.]

’…I don’t know. Yeah, I guess it isn’t bad to live all clustered together. I told them that the border is 500 meters, so I can chop off a guy’s head if they try to do something funny and hang it on the door.’

Looking at the chat, which at some point brought up a map they downloaded from somewhere and is fighting over the land, saying that they already saved this spot and that they’ll kill anyone who takes it before them, Gyosu quietly escaped the chatroom. I don’t know anymore. I’ll tell Ezel to sort things out later.

Whoooosh!

The odd feeling of my mind going blank when I enter GG is usually a little disgusting, but it felt comfy today. Maybe it was because I got caught up in a flurry after trying to pretend like I was a leader I wasn’t in the chatrooms. I really don’t get along with large groups of things after all.

‘Let’s see… I’ve been outside for about a day, so about 5 days should have passed here. How far did we come…?’

“Captain. Why did you stop eating all of a sudden?”

Around the point where he was synced enough to distinguish his senses, he heard a heavy, low-pitched voice next to him.

“Hm? Ah. Borka.”

I thought we would be walking somewhere, but when I regained my senses, the group was seated around a table in a rowdy setting. The smell of food, alcohol, an oddly stinging smell of sweat, and a sensual ammonia scent…

“Tavern? Is this Tobrune?”

“Were you dreaming? You were all dazed all of a sudden. We’ve been in Kingsland for a while now.”

“Kingsland? Already?”

It should be five days’ distance just to Tobrune. I know it’s close to Kingsland, but a couple days early? Did something happen?

While Professor was struggling to get an idea of what was going on, the two old men next to him, Ottman and Aldrich, shared a look and snickered amongst themselves, then nudged his side.

“Hahah! Of course, he has much on his mind. Why, we discussed it on our way here! Our leader here has many worries of his own. I thought he was just saying nonsense when he said he just turned 20 with that face, but the worries he had were just like a young man’s in his twenties! Ahahahah!”

“Precisely! When he mentioned with that build of his around the campfire that he had something on his mind, I thought we were involved in something serious again! But who knew…? Pfffft!”

“Gwurrrh. Ghost oldie. Don’t tease big small human. A mateless male in heat may also seek tree holes. Big small human is showing much restraint.”

Pat pat.

Receiving the empathetic gaze of Notum, Professor fell into even deeper confusion. Worry? Heat? What the hell did they talk about?

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– Jokass : LMAOOOOOO clip, clip this HAHAHAHAHAHAH

– takealook : oh our great leader, who knew he had such a crippling problem LOLLLLLLLLLL

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When I checked just to make sure, like I expected, these guys knew everything.

‘This part of streaming sure is convenient sometimes. There’s always someone watching, even when I’m not here.’

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– professor : did something happen while I was gone? another problem?

– Noru_is_druig : Oh lookie here! It’s the body’s owner! What do you mean problem? Nothing, pffft, happened

– Soygaybar : Nothing happened. (Insert Zoro meme)

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’…I’m so f—ed.’

Something did happen. From those reactions, something incredibly shady happened while I was away!

Desperately trying to think of what could possibly have happened in the past five days that should have been completely peaceful, Professor hastily checked the system log.

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There it is. ‘Meaningful conversation’ and ‘incredibly deep personal conversation’. What exactly did my character talk about? The autopilot mode usually progressed in the route as close to the normal Player’s actions as possible. My character. Who just turned twenty and made it through all sorts of harsh trials like a chad. What personal thing would that sort of character talk about at night with his close companions, emotions amplified by the campfire and starry skies…?

“Heheheh. I didn’t know that Captain was such a romantic man. A woman of the desert is waiting for your arrival.”

“[At the end of where those stars she taught me point, is where I will meet her. Her name, let’s say, is Rakshasha. Her real name is only mine to keep.] Ahahahah! How touching of a story! Professor, when this war is over, why don’t you quit everything else and become a bard?”

“You deny it, but I can sense through my entire body how excited you were. Have hope! You said that woman called Rakshasha was quite powerful amongst the Desert Kingdoms, so you might actually meet them in Kingsland! We came into this tavern because you strongly insisted that this place was connected to the Moon Shadow.”

“Ohohohoh! To see that you can find such a small thief guild’s mark with just a glimpse of an eye! The power of love! You cannot ignore it! As it is one of the emotions that rings one’s heart the deepest! Ahahahah!”

Bang!

Listening to Aldrich tease him with his raspy voice, Professor slammed his head into the table. He couldn’t bear to look up.

’…Damn it. I thought we just traveled!’

Thinking about it, ever since he played as the character ‘Professor’, his life has been a series of crises and problems. If he was asked about a happy moment in his life, there was just one. When he looted the mage tower with Rakshasha. His experience with her and the kiss that she gave him were engraved into the mind of the character called Professor, and with the warm night vibes of a campfire, flowed out on its own!

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– takealook : Hey, prof. You look busy outside, so just leave for a couple more days, can you? Your character’s one hell of a streamer LMAOOOOO

– Speedwagon : It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Player’s character is an ego created by the Player’s mind. So even if Gyosu Park pretends he’s fine, he’s actually starved for affection in the inside.

– Noru_is_druig : Look. How nice is it being honest? Now, let’s forget all of the eyes of the world, and switch this to an 18+ only stream. Rakshasha’s opulent bosom! Her curvy body! When the water that splashed on her from the rafting trailed down her tanned skin, and she twisted up her hair…. Ahhh! I’m gonna go rewatch the recording!

– Jokass : Careful, you’re gonna wear it out.

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Ahh. Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh—

This is embarrassing. So f—ing embarrassing!

The entire world knows [Age 24 / M / Gyosu Park / Zero Dating Experience] now! I was wondering why there were so many messages emphasizing that they’re women or asking, ‘Wanna go see my generator?’ in the second chatroom; it’s because they saw this! Oh, mother! Your son’s marriage chances are over! He’s known as the national cherry boy now!

Tap tap.

Professor raised his bloody forehead because someone tapped his shoulder. A man who seemed to be the owner of the tavern flinched, then pointed at the large dent on the wooden table.

Clink—

[Paid 300 sil]

Ah, the cold, harsh reality. You never leave a moment to yourself.

Whether I felt sad or not, the world continued without me.

‘Yeah, forget all of that! The real me will solve the problems in reality! I’m not Gyosu Park right now—I’m Professor, half-mute with a weak-ass body! Warrior Professor!’

I quickly wanted to bury away those terrifying memories. Another memory; cover it up with some other shocking thing.

For now, he decided to check the other things on the log aside from ‘autopilot Professor’s shocking confession!’

Danglter is the village where the dark mage used to be. My report that we defeated a high-ranking dark mage probably had an effect, but with the western front in shambles, the importance of the land that I’ve secured in the east got that much more important, which is probably why they sent people out this quickly to set up an outpost.

[Mmm… I don’t think there’s much of a problem here. You are doing your job well, but since all you use as an excuse for the source of detailed information is ‘I heard it from the Queen’, they don’t completely trust you. But even with that, for an autopilot character, isn’t it a pretty big plus to get authority over the church’s secret intelligence branch?]

‘That’s… true. The system must have approved that a lot of my playthrough was solved with my tongue. Looking at how even my autopilot character has a silver tongue.’

First of all, it was an incredibly good thing that Borka’s relationship status was maxed out. His objective was to use the church’s intel to find his kidnapped children after all. Since our status has peaked now, he probably shouldn’t leave me even after finding his children.

“Intercepted messenger’s horse… so this was why we got here early. I thought that all of the horses would have been collected for the war, so we would have needed to walk the whole way back.”

But he must have still had some moral left in him since he promised to deliver the message as well, and looking through his inventory, he found an item called [Messenger’s Desperate Letter].

“Let’s see… [The Dinsfer Kingdom cannot send reinforcements due to a sudden civil war. Atuan Saegan’s group, found as corpses after being ambushed by an unidentified being. Due to sudden declaration of war from the Fordyce Kingdom, the three city-states, including Tenuim and Shuron, were unable to send reinforcements]… No wonder the messenger tried so hard to deliver this news. Our mute buddies must be moving along busily right now.”

“That looks like a military letter—are we allowed to open it like that? Even though you are a Warrior…?”

“Of course we can’t, but of course we should. It’s a letter with a noble’s stamp on it, and the messenger was in a hurry to deliver it to the point he was close to fainting. How can you not open it? You just don’t need to get caught. Who am I? I’m a mage!”

Grinning at Borka’s stunned face, Professor started to return the letter he finished reading to its original state.

First, he rolled up the parchment paper and tied it. Adjust the half-torn seal back in its place as close as possible, use a drop of water to create a soft copy, then melt the wax in the candlelight and press down the water drop mold…

“Voila! Ma-gic! Looks just like new, right?”

The parchment letter that has not been opened was complete.

Looking at that, Ottman gripped his forehead and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Look at him. Water magic is known for its pure images, and yet he manages to utilize it in such a way…”

“Keheheh! Just call it creative magic!”

“It is a good thing. A man with skilled hands is popular with women.”

“Yep, yep. Our captain would get all the love if there were any women around.”

“Ughhhh! Please! How long are you going to tease me with that for?”

“Gwurh. It is not embarrassing thing. One day, big small human will find female who is attracted. I don’t like though.”

“Don’t comfort me, Notum! That’s even worse!”

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– Noru_is_druig : ??? : You’re a good person. There is someone out there for you. But not me.

– Jokass : 0 Confessions 1 Rejection LMAOOOOOOOO

– takealook : It’s easy killing a Type 3 mutant but dating is hard LOLLLLLLLLL

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It won’t go away. No matter how many times I change the subject, these people are going to tease me for days, heck, weeks with this!

“Euh, ahhhhhhhhh!”

Surrounded by mocking laughter on all sides, what Professor ultimately chose was…

“Kahahah! Where are you going? Romantic young man!”

“He’s going to look for a tree hole. Positive.”

Escape. Behind him, who ran out of the tavern with a crimson-red face, was a broken swinging door, an even angrier tavern owner, and his group, handing him more silver coins.