Ch.8Chapter 8. George (3)

Chapter 8. George (3)

After MeleeSpy’s post, there were no new posts for four days.

As if everyone had made an agreement, the community went quiet. The first silence to visit the community.

What could have happened to make them all go silent?

The next post was from the same person who had written the last one.

[MeleeSpy: Just Live

Banding together? Clearing the game? Going home? Not a chance.

You saw the dark clouds moving, right? It was dark as hell all day, so there’s no way you didn’t see it.

Why do you think George’s raid team went quiet? Why are all of you quiet?

Everyone figured it out. That’s why you’re all just lurking like crazy.

Stop with the delusional thinking and think about it seriously.

Was “Surviving as Paladin” ever a game that could be cleared in the first place?

It was a survival RPG game. What’s a survival game?

Isn’t the goal to survive as long as possible? The RPG part is just secondary.

Hey.

You can’t go home. You can’t win.

Give up.

Stop showing off and just live quietly until the end.]

…What were these dark clouds about?

I could only guess that something very bad had happened to George and his raid team.

Even after MeleeSpy’s post went up, the community remained silent for several hours.

[ShotgunAttack: What is this?] (2)

[PewPew: Where am I?] (4)

[NotACatfish: Is this the “Surviving as Paladin” game?] (7)

[MorningTentInstaller: I’m trapped in a cave right now, can someone contact the police or fire department…] (4)

Only after these fresh newbie posts appeared did the community become active again.

[DinosaurPunch: Foraging Diary #1

Today’s foraged item: Infected Giant Caterpillar.

It took a long time to cook over fire because it was so huge.

Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. I think I gagged about five times while eating it, but I finished it all.

Lesson: Bug bastards are useless in this world too.]

Ah, this is when DinosaurPunch’s foraging diary began.

[Bramanda: Newbies, read the previous posts

There’s a lot of good information that will help you survive.

I’m pretty busy right now so I can’t explain everything one by one, but if you have questions, ask in the comments.]

[SamuraiJackson: Question for newbies

Did anyone get dual swords as their starting weapon?

If you did, join our ‘Dual Sword Crew’.

Let’s spread the word that dual swords are the perfect combat technique that unifies offense and defense.]

This one has quite a few comments.

[MorningTentInstaller: Aren’t dual swords a symbol of defeat?]

ㄴ [SamuraiJackson: It’s not just dual swords, it’s a specific style]

[Abraham: I smell green tea somewhere]

[FullPlay: Historically, the fate of those who wield dual swords has not been good]

ㄴ [SamuraiJackson: I’m fine because mine is a specific style]

[NotACatfish: Dual swords? Are the two swords different sizes?]

ㄴ [SamuraiJackson: That’s right. One is short and one is long. The short one can be used for defense. It’s a practical and professional sword technique.]

ㄴ [NotACatfish: It would be better to just carry a sword and a small shield. The height of inefficiency.]

ㄴ [SamuraiJackson: Maybe it’s because you’re NotACatfish… you have no sense of romance.]

In the end, there were no other dual sword users.

The influx of newbies and the continuous stream of random posts revitalized the community that had been stagnant due to George’s silence.

[Twanky: Twanky’s Growth Diary 1.

From today, I’ll write a growth diary every day. It’ll be more interesting than DinosaurPunch’s foraging diary!

I reached level 2. I feel like carnivorous infected give more experience points than herbivorous ones.

Is it because carnivores are stronger, or because they’ve eaten many herbivores?

Well, whatever. I’m tired of infected now. It’s time to aim for something bigger, so I’m thinking of going down near the village. Avoiding the demon’s gaze is too easy now. They’re slow and can barely move.

At my current level, I could easily take down a cultist.

Richard who bullied me, the teachers who just watched, even that bitch Stacy who called me a white pig and humiliated me…

Now I can deal with them by infusing my sword with holy light.

I’m no longer a dwarf fatty who’s not even 160cm tall.

I’m a holy super soldier with an alpha male body. The ‘Paladin the Thundercock’.

You can do it, Twanky!

Mom and Dad, watch over me from Earth!]

There was never a Growth Diary #2 from Twanky.

…This isn’t even black comedy.

[NotACatfish: Finished reading through the community

So what happened to George?

Is he dead? Or is he just too scared to speak up?

Why is MeleeSpy the only one getting all worked up?]

Some users probed sensitive topics, but of course, there were no answers.

NotACatfish… you’ve always been tactless.

That’s probably why you write creepy and bizarre posts like “Has anyone killed people from this world?”

Anyway, George’s story ended here. A user with the nickname ‘George’ never wrote on the community again.

As the small hope that George had launched crashed miserably, the community that had been focusing on survival and strategy died.

[Ghooulr: Food recommendations (mainly meat)] (7)

[OhDoManlyMan: Virgin in my dreams~ I like you~] (4)

[FallenPaladinKnight: How to make delicious seasoned weeds.txt] (5)

[ITrustedTheMonkeyUncle: Live streaming taming a twisted hellhound infected with paladin energy] (2)

[NotACatfish: Tell me your type in men]

[MeleeSpy: ㄴ This bastard pretending to be a woman is so fucking annoying~]

[FullPlay: Has anyone tried board games?] (11)

It was reborn as a community dealing with everyday stories, hobbies, and complaints that could be seen anywhere.

***

A week had passed since Kanto and the warriors began clearing out the infected.

“I’ll be going now!”

– Don’t overdo it.

Daily life repeated without anything special happening. I had collected about 2,000 points and gained a new blessing.

[Divine Possession: You can attach yourself to the body of a follower. Extreme fatigue may be felt if used for too long.]

Divine Possession. A blessing that lets me enter someone else’s body. It’s basically possession.

The funny thing is, I’m currently possessing a character in the game, and now I can possess someone else from here.

Let’s call it double possession.

Now I don’t have to just browse the community with a fixed body. That’s great.

I didn’t actively write posts or comments in the community, just read past posts, but even that was mentally draining.

There were many posts that baited people with interesting titles only to deliver infuriating content.

[MeleeSpy: A god-like being descended on the capital? Is everyone seeing this?

“S-Sorry. I’ve never actually seen anything like that. I just wanted attention…

Huh? You’re not that angry?

I knew everyone loves me~~!”

Transcendent: “Sigh… Hey, EunuchBro. Take care of this.”

EunuchBro: “YES SIRㅡ.「MASTER」ㅡ. Executing 「Transcendent’s」 orderㅡ.「SYSTEM: THE SLAUGHTER」activatedㅡ.”

“Hey hey why do you have a red rabbit tattoo on your navel!!! Wait when did you get so close!!! AAAAARGH!!! Help me!!! It hurts so much!!! I’m sorry!!!”

EunuchBro: “I have made the subject「give up」on their「Life Cycle」.”

Transcendent: “Excellent.”]

[ITrustedTheMonkeyUncle: Live streaming touching a paladin nun’s chest

Oh my… you naughty thing!! That place is xxxx~]

You crazy bastard. Don’t even think about it.

It was nothing short of a march of pain.

“…Are you going to do it now?”

Paya, the Blue Moss tribe’s priestess, glances at me.

We’re still awkward with each other. We haven’t really become close despite a week passing.

It’s not that I haven’t tried to talk to her… the timing was always bad.

Paya is also very busy as she’s in charge of educating the tribe’s children, essentially working as a kindergarten principal too.

– Let’s do it.

I answered quickly.

Spending so much time alone on the community has made me space out even when people are in front of me. I should be careful about that.

I cast the blessing ‘Divine Possession’ on Paya.

The screen went dark…

Eyelids lowering, then opening, and small, soft hands came into view.

– Looks like it worked.

“Wow…!”

– You can move.

Feet toddle forward.

“Where should we go?”

– I want to see the tribe.

After my descent ritual, the tribe members hadn’t gathered at the altar again.

There was some reason for it. Something about Lord Roa being uncomfortable or bringing bad luck or whatever. Anyway, this is my chance.

“Okay.”

Paya walked toward the tribe with small steps.

This might sound like something an obsessive nerd would think, but I wanted to see the faces of the people I’m supposed to protect. I couldn’t see them clearly on the first day because everything was so chaotic.

Regardless, I am now their god. That’s my role, and if I can’t avoid it, I must have a sense of duty and responsibility.

I’ll naturally develop affection for the tribe members.

…MeleeSpy’s post (not that fucking EunuchBro one) comes to mind.

Give up, stop showing off and just live quietly… was that it?

I think this Roa entity has quite a bit of potential.

In the “new content proposal” I sent to those game company bastards, Roa’s role was positioned like a DLC boss.

Right now it’s just a pathetic wooden dragon totem, but who knows what it could become with growth. It’s definitely worth pursuing as a “king ghost” or “long-term investment” angle.

So I don’t want to give up and just live yet.

I mean, I’m a god, for fuck’s sake. Let’s try to do something.