Ch.76[Chapter 76] Reset

“Ah, can you hear me? If you can hear me, please press [Yes] next to you. If you cannot move your body, just saying ‘yes’ is enough.”

The coder’s voice spread throughout the stage through the system.

“To those currently inside the stage. We are informing you that there is a problem with the stage and we are taking quick measures to fix it. A hard reset will begin soon for smooth operation, so please prepare for the impact.”

“How much time do we have left?”

“3 minutes and 32 seconds until reset. After that is still undetermined.”

The coders took extraordinary measures to resolve this bug as quickly as possible.

It was an unavoidable choice to solve the codes that were tangled like yarn with glue poured over it, making them difficult to separate.

“First, notify the people. Whether we announce problems or not is a separate issue.”

“Okay.”

The bunny girl coder started broadcasting again through the system window.

“The reset will proceed in 3 minutes. Please prepare for the impact of the reset in the safest place possible. Once again, we inform you. In—”

“Damn it.”

The Hatter coder had finally completed writing the reset command.

Now, once the error data was replaced with intact data and integrity checks were performed, the reset would begin immediately.

As the team’s youngest coder, he had experienced bugs before, but this was his first time dealing with a bug that penetrated the entire stage, making it impossible to control his trembling hands.

The Hatter coder closed his eyes tightly and reached out with shaking hands toward the input button.

And the integrity check for the reset began.

To a previous file without the slime, the source of the error.

…

“3 minutes remaining. Everyone prepare for the reset. We continue to inform you—”

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica looked at each other at the voice coming from the system window.

They were told to prepare for the reset, but how exactly were they supposed to prepare?

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter if we just stay here like this.”

Sir Dominica sighed.

“As a tanker, can’t you withstand one impact?”

“That’s true.”

Sir Dominic nodded.

At that moment, the slime couldn’t control its trembling core, seeming anxious.

The file integrity check for the reset had begun.

Currently, the slime was in a state of being one with the stage.

It was shuddering at the strange sensation of the integrity check scanning the stage.

It didn’t want to die.

It wanted to remain as an Easter egg in the corner of the sewer.

Although the slime had gained intelligence, that intelligence was only at the level of a dog or cat.

In a crisis situation, all the slime could think about was survival.

Sir Dominica sighed looking at the slime.

“Hey, other me. Do you have a phone?”

Sir Dominica took out her phone from her pocket.

There was barely 2 minutes left. There was no time.

“I do have one. Why are you looking for a phone?”

Sir Dominic questioned Sir Dominica’s actions as he took out his own phone.

“I’m trying to move part of this guy here.”

Sir Dominica had unknowingly taken a liking to this simple-minded creature.

Even if antivirus software removes EXE files out of caution for viruses, it’s not that the antivirus’s intention is wrong, but rather that it’s reacting excessively.

Of course, Sir Dominica had heard this from her boss and security expert Sherlock, so she didn’t know the exact meaning of antivirus.

She just thought, “Oh, it catches bugs or viruses instead of us.”

“But this slime has merged with the stage and messed everything up.”

Sir Dominic was well aware of the impact bugs had on stages.

How much had he suffered in the first bug stage he encountered while working as a guard?

“But the original was harmless. It was just an Easter egg. The bug actually happened elsewhere.”

About 50 seconds remained.

Feeling urgent, Sir Dominica reached out toward the core in the black liquid.

The slime, thinking the hand was reaching out to pet it, approached without any suspicion.

“Sorry. This might hurt a bit.”

Before the slime could express any doubt, Sir Dominica’s hand grabbed its core.

And in that state, she pulled it out and urgently said to Sir Dominic:

“My phone’s capacity is too small to hold it all. I need your help.”

Sir Dominic was speechless seeing Sir Dominica’s sudden action, but thinking that what’s done is done, he sighed.

About 20 seconds remained.

Sir Dominic finally held out his phone.

The slime’s core split into two parts, compressed, and began to be implanted into each of their phones.

“The reset will begin soon! Prepare for the impact!”

3 seconds remaining.

Finally, the slime’s core was completely divided in two and transferred to Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica’s mobile phones.

“The reset is—”

And everything turned white before their eyes.

With a feeling of floating, Sir Dominic felt like he had hit something.

When he came to his senses with a gasp, he was no longer in the stage filled with sticky black liquid, but in a room full of portraits.

Sir Dominic raised his upper body from the velvet sofa and looked around.

“This time I woke up first.”

Sir Dominica was sitting at a table by the window, drinking coffee.

Judging by the instant coffee on the table and the torn coffee packet next to Sir Dominica, it seemed to be a provision in this waiting room.

Sir Dominica handed a pre-made coffee to Sir Dominic and said:

“Is the reset over?”

Still unable to escape the confusing situation, Sir Dominic sat in the chair opposite Sir Dominica and drank the coffee she handed him.

“I don’t know. Judging by how normal everything looks, I guess it is.”

In fact, Sir Dominica was just as confused, but she was trying to maintain her composure.

“Eight including me. Everyone’s here.”

Sir Dominica counted the number of people and nodded.

Sir Dominic looked around at those words.

He hadn’t noticed earlier because he was disoriented, but beyond the velvet sofa were six others who hadn’t yet regained consciousness.

As tankers, Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica had faster basic recovery rates, so they woke up first, but the six dealers and supporters had not yet recovered from the shock.

“Recovery protocol execution.”

“Process complete. Rebooting.”

The first to wake were the two Zeros.

The crescent-shaped Zero, dented all over as if it had hit various places from the impact, and the android Zero with its synthetic skin peeled off revealing the circuits inside, looked around as soon as they woke up, and soon completed their analysis.

“The reset is complete.”

“We’re alive.”

The expressionless android with a malfunctioning expression module and the crescent-shaped machine with lubricant leaking from its lens, possibly due to some malfunction, hugged each other.

“Seeing that… no, never mind.”

Sir Dominica wanted to say something to Sir Dominic while looking at the artificial intelligences composed of data, but she held back her words since they were still inside the stage and didn’t know when the coders would arrive.

Sir Dominic roughly guessed what Sir Dominica wanted to say, but as she tried to maintain her composure and act, he decided to join in the act.

“I have something to ask you.”

“Yes. To you knights.”

Dr. Banshee and Dr. Phantom stood before Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica, having woken up at some point.

In fact, Dr. Banshee and Dr. Phantom had not fainted from the shock.

The two, who knew a bit about coding, had knowledge about how to prepare for the impact of a reset.

However, they had pretended to be unconscious, waiting for Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica to wake up, in order to have an opportunity to speak with them alone.

Sir Dominic faced Dr. Banshee, who was staring intently at him.

Emerald eyes sparkled beyond curly brown hair.

“Sir Dominic. Did you perhaps have a younger sister?”

“Ah.”

Sir Dominic felt a pang in his heart.

A slight crack appeared in his fortress-like happiness.

“You did.”

“It would be more accurate to say I had one.”

Dr. Banshee’s words were simple, but that single sentence pierced Sir Dominic’s heart like an arrow, revealing emotions he had been gradually forgetting.

A tombstone hidden beneath the mask of happiness.

On the day Sir Dominic heard the news of his sister’s death, he buried his sorrow deep in his heart.

That tombstone was Sir Dominic’s most sensitive part and his greatest regret.

Sir Dominic closed his eyes and recalled the past.

On the day he became a knight in Feralant, Lady Alice delivered bad news.

‘The village where you lived was attacked by the undead. There were no survivors. Not even corpses, just emptiness.’

‘…When did this happen?’

‘Half a year ago. When you were in the midst of your training to become a knight.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Because you wanted to become a knight. Because you wanted to return to your family as a knight you could be proud of. Rather than being trapped in the past, I kept it hidden until now so that you could one day stand proudly before them. I’m sorry.’

That day, Sir Dominic howled like a beast.

The simple peasant Dominic was no more.

Only Knight Dominic remained, dedicated to serving Feralant.

Sir Dominic recalled that time and gave a bitter smile.

“Was your sister’s village called White Rock?”

“It was.”

“…Was the reason for your sister’s death due to an attack by the undead?”

“It was.”

“Then…”

Dr. Banshee’s voice became tearful.

Sir Dominic was confused as to why Dr. Banshee knew these facts, but upon hearing her next words, he realized the reason.

“Perhaps, did your sister have unruly curly hair and emerald eyes, brother?”

Sir Dominic looked at Dr. Banshee’s moist eyes.

Sir Dominic appeared to be a seasoned knight who had been through thick and thin, but somehow, the Sir Dominic reflected in Dr. Banshee’s emerald eyes looked like his childhood self.

“…Doremi?”

Sir Dominic looked at Dr. Banshee… no, Doremi.

The image of his sister, buried beyond memories too old, faintly came to mind.

And that image overlapped with Dr. Banshee.

Sir Dominic’s hands trembled at this unbelievable truth.

Why hadn’t he recognized her?

With trembling hands, he reached out to caress the cheek of Dr. Banshee, now Doremi.

The same was true for Sir Dominica—

“Kyaah!”

A sudden scream broke this touching atmosphere.

It was the scream of Hime and Tsuki.

“Kyang! What is this? Why have I turned into a fox?”

“Goodness! Why did my race value change instead of just my skin?”

Sir Dominic turned his head to look at Hime and Tsuki.

They had been lying on the sofa covered with blankets, so he hadn’t noticed, but they had not only fox ears and tails but had literally turned into foxes.

A fox in kunoichi attire and a fox wearing an iron helmet spun around the room in confusion, adding to the chaos.

It must have been a problem caused by the impact of the reset.

Unryu Musashi had told his daughter that to win love, she should become a fox.

And goodness gracious, they had actually become foxes, albeit temporarily.