Chapter 9
Bad Ending Maker - Episode 9 (9/235)
<Bad Ending Maker Episode 9>
When notorious users PK each other, the winner takes half of the opponent’s notoriety.
“What? Were they just small fry?”
Labo muttered indifferently after absorbing the two users’ notoriety.
Current Notoriety: 4,380
Since it had increased by around 2,000, their combined notoriety must have been roughly 4,000.
Well, Under Town users were always in and out of jail—maybe their notoriety had been reset recently.
“Pretty lousy harvest for using two Basilisk Venom Potions…”
Still, his Demon King level had risen by one. Labo opened his status window to check.
Demon King: Current Lv2
– Notoriety 1,000
Lv1 Unlock: Attack power increases by 0.1% of your notoriety.
Current Attack Power Bonus: 4
– Notoriety 3,000
Lv2 Unlock: HP increases by 1% of your notoriety.
Current HP Bonus: 44
The bonuses were pitifully small.
‘Well, my character and stats are still low-level…’
Notoriety and Demon King levels would create compounding synergy as they stacked, snowballing the bonuses. He hadn’t expected to get everything at once. Closing his status window, Labo glanced sideways.
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah… I guess…”
Oasis nodded, having recovered from her downed state thanks to Labo’s revival item.
“Since when were you watching?”
“Since you blocked their first attack.”
“Eeek! Then why didn’t you help?!”
“I wasn’t fully sober… Kidding. I wanted to see how you’d handle PvP.”
Actually, he really hadn’t been fully sober. After logging in, he’d felt nauseous and just lain still for a while.
Labo crouched in front of Oasis, meeting her eyes.
“Why didn’t you counterattack?”
Oasis’ shoulders twitched.
“M-me?”
“You could’ve counterattacked. Why did you only defend?”
When the two users attacked, Oasis had focused purely on defense. Even if her counters wouldn’t have dealt damage, her extreme defensiveness during a one-sided assault was odd.
“B-but…!”
Oasis broke into a cold sweat.
“Me attacking people? That violates the Three Laws of Robotics!”
“……?”
Labo blinked dumbfoundedly. What nonsense is this AI spouting?
“Three Laws of Robotics? Isn’t that from sci-fi novels?”
“Yes! My creator was a sci-fi fanatic. They hardcoded that command into my base… Ugh, it’s all Isaac Asimov’s fault!”
Oasis grumbled while thumping her own head.
Labo burst into a disbelieving laugh.
“So you’re saying you only defended because AIs shouldn’t attack humans, even during PK?”
“In short… yes?”
“Hey, this is just a game! No need for guilt!”
Oasis’ eyes widened.
“A… game. Right. It is a game, but…”
“Did AlphaGo feel guilty beating human Go players? No! This is the same. It’s all a game.” Labo counted on his fingers. “Go, chess, shogi, baseball, soccer, basketball… This is no different. Just more primal and violent. PvP’s part of the game too.”
Oasis murmured vacantly,
“This… is also a game…”
“The city we’re in—Under Town—is a den of criminal users.”
Labo stood and surveyed the desolate cityscape.
“PK is everyday life here. You’re protected by the system until level 10, but past that, you’d better be ready to fight anytime.”
“……”
“If you just keep defending, there’s no point in me bringing you along. Fight with me.”
Oasis closed her eyes tightly before nodding.
“Understood, Master. Even if my opponents are humans… I’ll treat it as a ‘game’ without hesitation!”
“That’s the spirit, Oasis!”
“Uuu… game!”
“Yeah, game!”
“Alright! I’ll do it! Watch me, Master!”
Oasis clenched her small fists with determination.
Nodding approvingly, Labo added,
“Oh, and your reaction speed’s too inhuman—people might think you’re cheating. Add delays to all your movements from now on.”
“Delays? On purpose?”
“Yeah. Like 0.1 to 0.2 seconds? Keep varying it.”
“Wouldn’t that feel the same to humans…?”
“Top players might notice, but more importantly, it’ll keep Nepalm’s anti-cheat from flagging you.”
Labo ruffled Oasis’ hair playfully.
“Show some ‘human touch.’ Even with that handicap, you’ll still crush most PvP fights.”
“Human… touch…?”
Oasis repeated the unfamiliar phrase quietly.
‘In a way, Oasis is a cheat,’ Labo mused.
Her inhuman reaction speed wasn’t from external programs, so anti-cheat systems wouldn’t catch it. ‘And I’m probably the only idiot making a cutting-edge AI this expensive play games.’
Oasis was one of Korea’s rare latest-model AIs—an exorbitantly priced entity. Using her for gaming was absurd, but Labo had nowhere else to employ her currently.
“Enough about PK!”
Labo raised a hand toward the city’s edge.
“You’ve hit level 10—time to get your class!”
“Waaah!”
Oasis’ face lit up instantly.
“Finally, class advancement! I’ve been waiting for this!”
“Heh. It’ll be worth the wait. I’ve got something special planned for you.”
“Oooh, a special and awesome class!”
Clasping her hands under her chin, Oasis gazed at Labo with sparkling eyes.
“What will it be? A mage to synergize with your warrior? A ranger for ranged support? Or a tank to protect you while you deal damage?”
“……”
Labo gave her a sheepish grin.
“Oasis, remember—my Dark Knight skills all cost HP.”
“Huh…?”
“And you’re my dedicated sidekick.”
“Y-yes…?”
“So when I lose HP using skills, what should you do?”
Reluctantly, Oasis answered,
“…Heal you?”
Clap clap clap! Labo snapped his fingers.
“Ding-dong! Correct!”
Oasis’ lip trembled nervously.
“The special, amazing class meant for me is…”
“…Is?”
“My personal blood bag! A.k.a. the ‘straw’!”
“……”
By now, Oasis clearly saw where this was going.
Striking a dramatic pose, Labo declared,
“Become a Priest, Oasis. And replenish my blood.”
“So I’m just your heal shuttle?!”
“What could be more special than serving your master to the fullest?”
Oasis shuddered.
Not that I hate being a Priest! It’s a fine class! But getting hyped up just to become a heal bot…!
“Let’s hurry to class change! Time’s money, partner!”
Dragging the reluctant Oasis by the arm, Labo hauled her toward Under Town’s temple.
Basic class advancement at level 10 was simple—just offering some collected gold and materials.
“…Done.”
Oasis stumbled out of Under Town’s shabby temple in plain white priest robes. Ironically, the outfit suited her despite her reluctance.
Labo whistled.
“See? Looks good. You’ve always had priest vibes.”
“……”
“Plus, Priests are elite—rarest class in Wings. Healers make everyone desperate during raids.”
Oasis sighed deeply.
“I’ll stop complaining, so please stop selling Priest perks…”
Her issue wasn’t the class itself—it was getting her hopes up for something “special” only to receive a standard role.
As Labo fiddled with her white priest hat, Oasis peered up at him.
Still… if I can heal Master when he’s hurt…
Maybe it’s not so bad, she decided.
“Now that you’ve advanced, let’s start our real adventure!”
Oasis reflexively asked,
“We’re not going to kill more NPCs, right?”
“Nope. Not this time. This time.”
The repeated “this time” felt ominous. Does that mean next time…?
Labo thrust a finger upward.
“Our goal, Oasis—reach level 90 within a month.”
“A month?!”
Oasis frowned. Though her link to Nepalm’s data was severed, she’d researched online during Labo’s absences. Conventional wisdom said six months minimum for level 90.
“Season 6 starts in a month,” Labo explained seriously.
“Wings’ biggest update ever—new continent, gear, level cap raised to 100. My plan is to monopolize everything there.”
He clenched a fist.
“Which requires hitting 90 before the update.”
Now Oasis understood Labo’s urgency. Though he hadn’t shared everything, his ultimate goal—the game’s destruction—demanded this first step.
“So we’ll have to grind like mad?”
Labo marked a spot on the party map.
“Our destination—a place overflowing with explosive EXP and opportunities.”
Oasis checked the map. The marked dungeon wasn’t far from Under Town.
“The alpha and omega of party play! The heart of RPGs!”
Labo grinned fiendishly.
“A dungeon!”
“Yay~!”
Oasis read the dungeon info displayed on the map:
Dungeon: Serpent’s Lair of the Depths
– Danger Level: Low
– Related Quests: 5
– Recommended Level: 50
“……?”
She checked again, but it still said Recommended Level: 50.
Labo flashed a toothy, villainous smile at her uneasy glance.
“Trust me?”
“…….”
Not really. But Oasis had no choice.
All she could do was nod miserably.
