――Muggy as hell. A sticky, nasty heat brushed my damp cheek, and I slowly opened my heavy eyelids.
Maybe it was from the crazy bright light during transport, because the back of my head was pounding with this annoying throbbing pain.
The ground touching my skin felt like bumpy, uneven pebbles and rough, wet sand. …Lowkey hurts.
”…Ngh,” I groaned.
I let out a raspy sound and forced my heavy upper body up.
The ground I put my hand on was reddish-brown sandstone full of heat, and I yanked my hand back with a “Hot!” I cried out and stood up.
And right after that, I looked around and sucked in a breath, totally speechless.
”…What on earth is this… this is far too much,” I muttered, taking in the surroundings.
What spread out in front of me was a world my common sense couldn’t explain.
On both sides of my vision were swarms of unbelievably huge rock walls.
Layers of reddish-brown and white strata piled up dozens deep, standing vertical and stretching on forever.
Even looking up, the top was just way too high.
”Enormous…” I whispered, looking up.
Surrounded by these overwhelming rock walls, I even got this illusion like I’d been dropped to the bottom of an abyss.
Every time dry wind blew through the valley, this low “Whooo…” groan echoed from nowhere, bouncing off the rock walls again and again.
……So this is the stage for the third Game, huh. I checked around but there wasn’t a single other person besides me.
And at my feet, a silver metal tube and one black backpack were just tossed there.
”Is Yuna alright…? Ugh, my head hurts… They teleported me so roughly, damn God,” I grumbled to myself.
Maybe it’s from the transport… my head is throbbing.
For now, I called up my status screen to figure out the situation.
I used ‘Mapping’1 to get my current location.
”Huh…? This is far too vast!” I shouted in surprise.
I couldn’t help but snap at the see-through mini-map of ‘Mapping’ that popped up in my vision.
’Mapping’ can automatically read and record the terrain within 5 kilometers around me down to the details.
But the map that showed up now had everything past a 5 kilometer radius painted pure white, because this Game field is just way too huge.
From what I can see on the map, there don’t seem to be any monsters nearby.
I zoomed in on the overhead data with ‘Mapping’ to check, and man, this terrain was bizarre all over again.
Countless giant rock pillars packed all the way to the edge of the map.
Each one boasted a massive size of 50 to 100 meters.
Some stretched thin toward the sky, some were like thick towers, some bent halfway up.
Thousands of rock pillars wrapped in red and white strata patterns jutting up from the ground… it was literally a ‘sea of rocks.’
”Is Yuna not nearby…” I muttered, checking the map.
I tapped the map over and over without thinking, but not a single glowing dot besides me showed up.
Right――this ‘Mapping’ skill is a great tool that can perfectly see and record the terrain and buildings around you, but it had one clear weakness: “it can’t tell you where other Players are.”
So even though I can grasp the terrain, I can’t pinpoint where Yuna is in this vast ‘sea of rocks.’
”Finding her will be a real pain… And truly… it is incredibly hot. So humid,” I complained to the air.
I quickly stripped off my school blazer and tossed it into ‘Inventory’2, then popped open the collar button on my dress shirt.
Even just standing there for a bit, sweat was pouring down my forehead.
”Nobody’s watching, so I can just take care of this, right…? Come, First Demon Sword…… ‘Abyss’! …And then, ‘Water Creation’ ‘Liquid Manipulation’!” I murmured, activating my skills.
After checking around, I formed a cool sphere of water above my head with ‘Abyss’ and shoved my head right into it.
The chilly cold wrapped around my heated scalp and face, and the best kind of comfort shot through me.
”Ahhh〜〜〜! I’m alive again〜〜〜!” I exhaled in relief.
――Feeling refreshed! After cooling my head and feeling clean, I operated the status screen again with way too much energy.
”Alright, what’s this Game called this time!” I declared, focusing on the screen.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
■ Player Information
Player Name
Kageyama Manato
Player No
０００ (Early Access Player)3
Games Cleared
[２]
Current Difficulty Setting
[HARD]
Game in Progress
[Select (Force Select)]
Number of Treasures
[０/４]
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
This time’s Game Title is ‘Force Select.’
Force means “forced,” or does it mean (Fourth) “number four”?
Select probably means “choice.”
Is it a Game where you’re forced to choose something?
If Yuna were here she might’ve analyzed it for me, but unfortunately I’m alone right now.
And what stands out is the ‘Number of Treasures: [０/４]’ entry below that.
”Oh, I understand now! This time’s clear condition is a treasure hunt where I collect these 4 ‘Treasures’!” I realized out loud.
I don’t really get what the “Select” in the title means, but oh well, no point thinking too deep about it.
――Basically, I just gotta look for treasure, right!
With my ‘Mapping,’ I’ll pinpoint the treasure chest locations in no time and find them.
The Difficulty Setting also went up from Normal last time to [HARD].
――God really knows how to be classy.
Maybe he answered my wish of “I wanna play a Game with more challenge.”
――No matter how high the Difficulty Setting goes, I welcome it!
”By the way, what are these things that were lying at my feet? Starting items for this Game?” I wondered, inspecting the items.
I picked up the backpack and silver tube that were on the ground.
Are these key items essential for beating the Game, like the Partner Ring last time?
I opened the silver tube. It looks just like a water bottle.
Inside was a colorless, clear liquid.
When I used the ‘Appraisal’ skill, “Silver water bottle, water” showed up bluntly at the edge of my vision.
”Hm… what, it’s merely water,” I noted, shaking my head.
I can make infinite water with ‘Abyss,’ so I don’t need this.
I closed the cap and stored it in ‘Inventory.’
Next I opened the zipper on the black backpack and checked the contents.
What was inside: 5 packs of what looked like CalorieMate for Emergency Rations (1 box, 4 bars).
And… for some reason, an old-school small handheld game console… a so-called ‘Game〇oy.’
It’s the original type. The color is a retro light gray.
When I opened the back cover, there were 4 AA batteries inside.
”…No, why? …A Game〇oy?” I questioned out loud.
I couldn’t help but roast myself.
The top has a small monochrome LCD screen, and the bottom has ‘A’ ‘B’ buttons and a cross d-pad.
Curious, I checked with ‘Appraisal.’
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
■ Item Information
Name
God Boy (Limited Item)
Owner
Kageyama Manato
(Description)
Exclusive item for ‘Force Select.’
+ Continuous use time: 30 hours.
+ It’s fragile to impacts so don’t drop it!
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
”There’s no ‘START’ or ‘SELECT’ button…. God Boy, it’s well made, but… the quality is sloppy in places. I take it that’s God quality for you,” I observed, examining the handheld.
I found a slide switch on the side that clicks, and tried flipping it ON.
The LCD screen glowed faintly, and black dot-matrix text appeared.
[MADE IN GOD]
”It’s a God-made custom console! Give me a break!” I complained.
I turned the switch off once.
Looking at the cassette slot on the back, it was empty right now.
”Is the exclusive software lying around somewhere…?” I pondered.
When I searched the backpack carefully again, a square gray cassette with no label came out from a small zippered pocket inside.
”Oh, there it is, there it is!” I said to myself.
I pushed the cassette firmly into the slot on the back until it clicked, then turned the power switch on again.
”Alright, this time the screen actually switched!” I noted.
Text flowed across the screen with Famicom-style beep-boop sounds.
[Hey there! Players! ]
[From here on, you’ll be taking on a Game made by God! ]
[Find the 4 Treasures and clear the Game! ]
It started with God’s goofy tutorial message, like always.
So this time’s main content is definitely ‘a treasure hunt to find the 4 Treasures.’
For someone like me who has ‘Mapping,’ this Game content is way too much of a tailwind!
Things are getting interesting!
As long as I find where the treasure chests are, it’s a clear!
When I pressed the ‘A’ button, the screen switched to the next text.
[First, let’s move to the Game start point! ]
[At the start point, you’ll be given 4 choices! ]
[Which one you pick is up to you! ]
[Depending on your choice, you can get various items! ]
[Please! Use them to help your treasure hunt! ]
[In this Game, it’s up to you whether Players cooperate or fight each other! ]
I see…!
First I move to the ‘Game start point,’ and there I pick one of 4 choices.
So that’s why the title is ‘Force Select (4 Choices/Forced Choice).’
The dots connected and it made sense.
Depending on the choice you pick, you get various equipment and items to give you an edge in the treasure hunt.
Players can cooperate, or kill each other and steal from each other, huh.
……Same old lawless vibe.
If possible, I’d rather solve things peacefully instead of killing each other.
With this kind of Death Game that makes Players paranoid of each other, the going rate is that cooperating from the start works better than half-heartedly dragging each other down.
But I’m not gonna force other Players to cooperate.
It’s common for people to have different Game stances.
Either way, nothing starts unless I go to the start point.
If Yuna also got safely transported into this Game, she’ll definitely be heading for the start point.
I pressed the ‘A’ button again.
[Remaining to destination: 8 kilometers]
[Direction: ↑]
”Ohh…. Still difficult to read as always. The Game screen is far too lazy,” I grumbled, staring at the display.
What showed on the screen was just the distance to the destination and a compass-like arrow icon.
When I turned, the arrow spun around too and kept pointing in a certain direction.
Apparently if I go 8 kilometers in the direction this arrow points, I’ll arrive at the Game start point.
Pressing ‘A’ more didn’t change the screen, and pressing ‘B’ went back to the previous text screen.
I set a marker on the straight line the arrow pointed along, 8 kilometers ahead… in the still-white unexplored area on ‘Mapping.’
I can’t check the terrain, but the direction should be right.
I turned the power off and put God Boy back in the backpack.
Just in case, I decided not to put the backpack in Inventory and instead carry it on my back.
This is to avoid looking suspicious with empty hands if I run into other Players.
”Alright… wait for me, Yuna! I’m heading over right now!” I declared.
And just as I pumped myself up and took a strong step forward, the very next moment…….
Drip… drip drip.
Whoooosh!
”Whoa!?” I yelled, ducking down.
I didn’t even have time to look up.
As if the nasty muggy heat from before was a lie, the sky suddenly went dark, and a crazy torrential downpour attacked.
Water droplets like a waterfall slammed down, instantly stealing the heat from the wet reddish-brown sandstone.
”What on earth, terrible luck right off the bat…!” I cursed under my breath.
I hurriedly slipped into a big crack in a nearby rock――a deep shadow that looked like it could block the rain.
Watching the heavy rain pour down with a splashing sound, I wrung out the sleeve of my soaked dress shirt and let out a sigh.
And, with nothing to do because of the rain, I killed time by checking my Unique Skill ‘Accelerate II’ and increasing the number of God Boys with ‘Material Editing.’
…Better safe than sorry, right!
Trivia:
- Manato’s Player Number 000 and Early Access status hint that he was one of the first people ever pulled into this Death Game, which may explain why he treats it so casually.
- The title ‘Force Select’ is a pun Manato himself can’t fully decode – Force can mean ‘forced’ or ‘fourth,’ which links to the 4 choices and 4 Treasures in this stage.
- Manato’s habit of talking to himself and roasting his own gear shows he’s already cracking under isolation, foreshadowing how important finding Yuna will be for his mental state.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A Unique Skill that auto-reads and records terrain within a 5 kilometer radius, but cannot detect other Players’ positions, a deliberate limitation that forces Manato to search manually.
2 ↩ A personal storage skill that lets the user stash items in a pocket dimension, used here to ditch his school blazer in the heat.
3 ↩ A special designation given to Players who entered the Death Game before its official launch, implying Manato has been involved longer than most.