Balance
A game might have a boss that seems unbeatable.
This boss might have random attack patterns, abundant HP, deadly abilities, or multiple phases.
However, players must realize and believe that there's a chance to defeat the boss. Otherwise, few players would bother playing the game.
Even those who persevere may pause the game for a while to regain their sanity before resuming.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 263rd time!]
But what if the game was designed to be impossible to win?
[Congratulations, you have died for the 264th time!]
What if the boss phases weren't just one or two phases, but a thousand?
[Congratulations, you have died for the 265th time!]
Each phase not only amplifies the boss's power but also duplicates the boss.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 270th time!]
What if the seemingly formidable boss was just a regular mob?
[Congratulations, you have died for the 275th time!]
What if the game couldn't be paused and forced players to keep playing endlessly?
[Congratulations, you have died for the 280th time!]
What if each defeat was not just mentally agonizing but also physically painful?
The pain equivalent to death, as it is indeed the death.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 290th time!]
Despair.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 300th time!]
That's what Aditya felt as he saw Bob 2 reappear alongside Bob, blocking his path.
If one Bob required all of Aditya's abilities and intellect to defeat, what would happen with two Bobs?
Bob + Bob 2 wasn't simply 1 + 1 = 2.
It could be 3, 4, 5, or infinite!
The attack patterns, combinations, and strategies executed by both Bobs were so precise that even if Aditya had three heads and six hands, it would feel insufficient. Especially when he only had one head and two hands.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 400th time!]
When Aditya tried to block Bob's attacks, Bob 2 would come to stab his leg.
When he wanted to avoid Bob 2's slashes, Bob would come to decapitate him.
When he wanted to attack Bob, Bob 2 would come to slit his throat. When he wanted to flee, Jeff would hurl his spear, piercing his chest.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 500th time!]
And now Aditya understood.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 650th time!]
In this game, he had no allies.
He had no faction.
He had no friends.
Everything within the Pendant of War was created to kill him.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 800th time!]
The stones on the ground, the green grass, the blue sky, and the blowing wind — they were all designed to inflict pain beyond mere torture.
Despair.
[Congratulations, you have died for the 1000th time!]
...
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...
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...
"HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT! HUFT!"
"I wanna stop! Please make it stop!"
You can't~.
"Isn't this enough? Aren't you guys entertained enough?"
No, we don't~.
"I wanna go home! Please… let me go home!"
Make your choice then~.
...
...
...
...
...
Aditya clenched the Garuda pendant in his hand so tightly that his knuckles bled.
With trembling hands, he placed the Garuda pendant into the transparent blue panel.
In an instant, he found himself in the white room again, feeling nauseous and dizzy.
Since his first encounter with this white room, Aditya understood that it was not a place for rest. The nausea and dizziness he experienced here were almost unbearable.
He had returned to this room repeatedly, trying to communicate with the transparent blue panel in front of him. However, unlike the first time he was in the white room, the panel no longer responded to his words.
All he felt now was nausea, dizziness, and discomfort emanating from the room.
He didn't know how long he could stay in this room but the discomfort he felt was so disturbing that the crowded Bubat square felt much more comfortable.
He felt as though even if he managed to stay in the white room, the game would eventually force him out and return him to the Bubat square on its own.
--Menu—
[Shop]
[Mission]
[Exit]
With trembling hands, Aditya directed his gaze to the three menu options that appeared again. His face was pale, and his body trembled intensely. Although he didn't want to give up, he couldn't take it anymore.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He was sick of seeing the blue sky, he was sick of feeling the warmth of the hot sun, he was sick of stepping on the soft green grass, he was sick of standing on the brown earth, he was sick of hearing Wisesa curse, he was sick of seeing Bob's frozen face, and he was even sick of seeing Jeff's grim face.
He was sick of it, he wanted to rest, he wanted to...
[Do you want to surrender?]
[Yes] [No]
His finger moved closer to [Yes].
Is there anything I haven't done yet?
Maybe there is a way to defeat Bob and Bob 2.
Maybe if I can move faster, then can I avoid both of their attacks?
Maybe if I hide while staying away from Jeff I can survive.
Maybe if I follow Jeff from behind, we can win against Bob and Bob 2.
Maybe if I begged Gajah Mada for mercy I would be allowed to live.
Maybe if I...
Maybe if…
Maybe….
Mayb…
May…
Ma…
M…
[Yes]
...
...
...
…
...
"Promise me, that you will never give up on life…"
[Do you want to commit suicide?]
[Yes] [No]
"Mom?"
"AARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!"
The tip of Aditya's index finger stopped just before he could touch [Yes].
"No, wait wait wait wait wait! I can still do this! Yes, Yes, YES!!! I still have many options!"
No, you don't~
"I still have many possibilities! There are still many that I haven't tried yet!"
No, they aren't~
"SHUT UP!!!!"
He pulled his hair until it tore from the roots. He banged his head against the floor until it bled. And he bit his lip until it was cut off.
Aditya looked again at the three menu options in front of him.
His finger pressed [Shop].
He had checked this option before, but he immediately closed it because everything sold in the [Shop] required real money. And right now, he didn't have a single penny in his pocket.
He even had to delay paying this month's rent and find a kind-hearted donor (Shandy) to borrow money from.
"Oh, why I miss Mrs. Murni and Shandy now hahaha..." he laughs.
[Shop]
- Demigod Body (Platinum): Rp. 5.179.089.300.000- ($ 320.290.000)
- Keris Empu Gandring -No Curse- (Platinum): Rp. 3.625.362.510.000- ($ 224.203.000)
- Gatot Kaca Armor (Gold): Rp. 1.726.363.100.000- ($ 106.136.800)
- Excalibur (Gold): Rp. 1.035.817.860.000- ($ 64.058.000)
- Hanoman Servant (Silver): Rp. 517.908.930.000- ($ 32.029.000)
- etc.
Balance: Rp. 50.000- ($ 3,07)
Close.]
Seeing the pitiful amount of money in his bank account, Aditya could only spit in frustration. Observing his own poverty reminded Aditya of his normal life.
Strangely, it brought a sense of calm to his tumultuous mind.
The voices he heard seemed to quiet down, allowing him to think more clearly. However, the discomfort of spending more time in the white room reminded Aditya that time was running out.
The cheapest item in the [Shop] was an (Iron) category item priced at a minimum of Rp. 2,000,000,000 ($122.920).
It was shocking and blood-boiling to think that an iron sword could cost billions of rupiah. But Aditya had no other choice; the [Shop] was the only option that came to mind.
"HEY YOU! System, GM, or whatever! Answer me!" Aditya shouted at the blue transparent panel in front of him.
But, as before, there was no response.
However, Aditya knew that someone was watching him. Watching him play Pendant of War, enjoying death after death, smiling at his torment, and laughing at his despair.
"You said you'd harvest my organs if I chose to surrender, right? That means my body has value! Isn't that right? Answer me!" Aditya yelled again, but still, there was no reply.
"If that's the case, I want to sell one of my organs to you! I want to sell my kidney! I know its current value is Rp. 2,400,000,000 ($147.504), so you can't fool me! Answer me! I want to sell my kidney!" Aditya shouted once more, but there was still no response.
Aditya waited, enduring the increasing discomfort he felt, knowing that his words would soon be answered. He wouldn't leave the white room until he got an answer or was kicked out by the game system.
Until, just as he felt he was about to pass out from the nausea and dizziness, an answer appeared on the blue transparent panel in front of him.
[Why should I buy your kidney now when later, when you surrender, I can get it for free?]
'I? Not We?' Aditya thought silently.
He had always assumed that Pendant of War was created by a large corporation with a specific purpose, potentially harmful intentions for the lower-class society like Aditya.
They must have been powerful enough to violate the laws of sovereign nations and disregard human rights, as boasted by many superpowers.
But he never imagined that what he read was not "We" but "I."
How powerful must he/she be to create a game like Pendant of War?
"Are you God?" he wanted to ask.
Why did Aditya think he was talking to a God? Didn't Pendant of War make him suffer, showing clear cruelty?
But for Aditya, God is all-powerful, and whoever is all-powerful cannot be kind. And if you are kind, then it's impossible for you to be all-powerful.
So, God must be cruel.
But that wasn't the point to discuss right now, so Aditya swallowed his question.
"No, you are wrong! Very very wrong!" Aditya replied.
[Oh? How can I be wrong? Didn't you think I was a god?]
Even though it was just text, Aditya could almost hear the mocking tone from what he read on the blue panel.
Aditya wasn't surprised that he/she could read his thoughts.
He was pulled into the world of Pendant of War only based on the device hanging around his neck. So, it was highly likely that Aditya's body hadn't teleported to this world, only his mind.
Therefore, everything Aditya thought was clearly displayed in front of him/her.
"It's not 'When,' but just 'If'!" he said loudly, his lips beginning to curl into a sneer.
['If'?]
"Yes, just 'If.' If I surrender! You don't know for sure when or will I surrender! I don't know how you made this hellish game, but I know you have a specific purpose. Whatever it is, it must be related to me having to keep playing for as long as possible!"
Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Aditya tried to formulate the right words in his mind before speaking.
"Perhaps you will profit from selling my organs after I surrender later. But that profit won't be as big as if I keep playing Pendant of War. So, me continuing to play Pendant of War is far more profitable than surrendering to you! Isn't that right?"
Without waiting for a response, Aditya continued.
"If that's the case, then you should also help me keep playing this game. I promise you I'll keep playing this game! Besides, I'm not asking for anything for free from you. I'm selling my kidney as a guarantee that I will keep playing until I win!"
Aditya's breath raced as he finished speaking.
He looked intensely at the blue transparent panel in front of him. His heart was pounding so loudly it sounded like thunder.
But there was no response from him/her anymore. The blue panel in front of him seemed frozen, making Aditya's heart beat even faster.
Before he could faint from the unbearable discomfort of the white room, suddenly a response appeared, bringing color back to Aditya's pale face.
*Ding!
[Thank you for topping up.]
[Balance: Rp. 2.400.050.000- ($ 147.507,07)]
[Happy Gaming!]
"fufufufufufuhahahahahahahahaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"