Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 57
57. Mari-nee and a certain seamstress’s monologue (Part3)
One evening, there was an unusual uproar of voices from the village.
Curious, I went to see what was happening, and there I saw a villager scratching and pulling at his chest.
At first, he wore a pained expression, but soon his face transformed into a grotesque visage with protruding horns, and the withered body of the elderly man became covered in enlarged muscles.
I will never forget this transformation.
“Akki possession…”
As I muttered those words, a horde of players rushed towards the villagers who had turned into Akki at the same time.
I applied a technique with an Aikido motion to the leading player, utilizing the momentum to sink him into the ground.
To the players who halted in vigilance, I threw the submerged man.
“Isn’t this the player named Valeria who interfered with our hunting last time?”
“She let an NPC escape and attacked us. What the hell are you trying to do?”
“Wanna die again? You B$@^!”
The number of players emanating killing intent was roughly thirty.
The situation wasn’t much different from before, but there was the man who had helped me, and there was this village.
The difference in strength remained the same as last time.
So the outcome might not change either.
“No…”
“Huh? What are you blabbering about?”
I slammed my clenched fist into the face of the man who had opened his mouth.
Immediately, I swept the leg of the player next to him.
As he fell, I aimed for his neck, stomped, and then threw away the approaching hand.
Then, the Akki joined in, and it quickly turned into a melee.
Continuing to punch, continuing to kick, I fought with all my might… and was defeated.
And then, in a cruel twist, after immobilizing me with magic, they turned one villager after another into Akki in front of me.
Even though I wasn’t deeply involved, people whose faces and names I knew were being robbed of their lives.
Unable to even speak, and finally, it was the turn of the last villager, the man.
Even facing death, the man didn’t show a hint of fear.
He just seemed to embrace resignation, accepting everything as it was.
But for just a moment, I felt like his gaze was directed at me.
And then, at the moment when the man was possessed by Akki.
Unlike before, the Akki that appeared was much larger, with claws that extended like scythes rather than nails.
“What the hell is this, a mutant?”
“No way! It’s super rare!”
“I can’t wait to see what kind of drops it gives!!”
The players swarmed around the Akki, around the man.
And he faced them all alone.
When the position of the moon in the night sky visibly changed.
He was still fighting.
And not only that, he was holding his own against the players and still going.
Considering how the previous Akki were quickly defeated by sheer numbers, this was abnormal.
“Damn, this guy’s tough.”
“He’s surprisingly strong, a few of us got sent back to respawn.”
“Yeah, but he’s on his last legs now.”
I received a knockback blow, and he fell right next to me.
His HP was dwindling rapidly.
Yet I couldn’t do anything.
I couldn’t help him in any way.
It was so sad, so frustrating, I couldn’t stop the overflow of hatred within me.
“Do you want power?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want to stand and demand power from others?”
Looking closer, he was staring directly at me.
No, was the spirit of Akki speaking through him?
Without hesitation, I responded to the inquiry.
Instead of regretting my helplessness and living with it, I wanted to resist.
“Lend me your power. In return, you can do whatever you want with me.”
“Is that acceptable? It is not an offer…”
The Akki spirit that detached from him possessed my body.
The transformation was dramatic.
Emotions vanished into a vortex of negativity, replaced by an intense impulse for destruction.
Just before the last shred of reason disappeared, next to the ridiculous stats I had, the name of my job had changed.
It now reads [Rakshasa Lady]. (???)
My memories from that point on are vague, I don’t remember much.
But one thing was certain—I killed every player except myself.
In the village, now shrouded in a melancholic silence unlike before, I knelt beside him, the sole survivor, feeling regretful.
Beside him, his familiar cat nestled close.
What should I say to him?
We players brought this tragedy upon him.
He was the victim.
Though unknowingly, I had supported defeating the Akki, I couldn’t deny being involved, and I didn’t want to.
Nevertheless, whether he knew my thoughts or not, he calmly addressed me.
“Don’t worry… everyone will eventually die.”
“…”
“Your eyes now, they’re too bright, too dazzling, as I face death.”
With a reluctant gesture, he took off his glasses, murmured something, and handed them to me.
“Put them on.”
The glasses handed to me had swirling patterns on the now transparent lenses.
As I put them on, the destructive impulses swirling within me oddly calmed down.
“Till the end, you’re a bother…”
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
It might have been a bitter smile, but it was the first time I saw him smile.
“Someday, someone will accept those eyes.”
His body gradually lost its contour.
“Until then, consider it a loan…”
With that, his cat let out a cry, and they both vanished.
Until the end, without even telling me his name.
All that remained was the glasses he lent me…
After that incident, I continued to defeat the players who bore a grudge from it, and I continued my production as usual.
However, unlike before, I no longer pursued performance in the things I made.
Even if the performance dropped, I started making things that suited the individual.
This was the same in real life; I stopped designing novel designs and instead focused on designs that allowed people to be themselves in the clothes they wore.
From another perspective, it might seem like a lack of individuality.
Indeed, many customers drifted away.
However, amidst that, there were people who empathized with me.
In order to respond to those people, I prioritized dialogue over efficiency and designed clothes that allowed them to be themselves.
Just like how he had arranged those glasses for me in the end.
They might look uncool now, but those glasses were the best for me.
Unlike before, they didn’t sell as much, but on the contrary, I received more photos of people happily wearing the clothes I made.
And as time passed, on the day Mebius World Online officially launched,
I changed my name to “Roulette” during character creation, as a symbol of change from before, and also from my beloved passion.
However, there was an unexpected event here.
It was when I selected my job.
“Roulette-san, normally you would choose your preferred job from the initial jobs, but if you don’t mind, could you choose [Rakshasa Lady]?”
“Isn’t that a second-tier special job? I shouldn’t be able to choose it initially.”
“Yes, so this is an exception. I’m also perplexed, but it’s because he insisted on it.”
“He?”
“He said, ‘Make sure to repay your debts.'”
Saying that, what was handed to me was those spiral glasses he lent me during the beta test.
To have something that I thought was lost, something that was always with me, made me feel like tears were welling up.
“…There’s no assumption of carrying over from the beta test, right? Is it okay to make such an exception?”
“Internal checks have been completed. I see value in the connection between you two to make this exception. However, the decision is yours, Roulette-san.”
“I…”
Looking at the glasses in my hand, the pause wasn’t hesitation.
It was just that I couldn’t catch up with my emotions after receiving this unexpected gift.
After a moment, I put on his glasses.
“…That’s your answer, isn’t it? I respect that decision.”
With Zagreus’s words echoing in my mind, I became “Roulette” and stepped into the new world of Mebius World Online, accompanied by his glasses.
Utilizing the knowledge gained from the beta test, I leveled up, strengthened my equipment, and finally became able to make the things I liked. The first thing I made was a small, cute plush creature, based on a cheeky little animal. I lined up several plush toys I made at a stall.
I deliberately chose a location away from the busy areas for my stall, even though occasionally people passing by would stop to look, their interest quickly faded as it had nothing to do with strength.
“It’s a natural reaction, isn’t it?” I muttered quietly, adjusting my tone to match my new name and the glasses.
“Well, it’s self-satisfaction, so it doesn’t matter,” I added, more monologue to myself than anyone else.
As I murmured to myself and squinted at the blue sky, I noticed a girl standing in front of my stall.
“Th-this is adorable…” She gazed at the plush toy I had made first with sparkling eyes.
“If you’d like, please feel free to take it and care for it,” I said to her, and after hesitating for a moment, she gently cradled the plush toy as if it were a treasure.
Oops, my cheeks loosened involuntarily…
As we exchanged words, I found myself completely taken with the girl, Maria-san.
Of course, part of it was because she chose the plush toy she was touching now without hesitation from the decent number I had prepared.
But I was also drawn to her sincerity.
“Maria-san, would you like to take that one home?” Before I knew it, I was saying that to Maria-san.
I didn’t know why.
But for a brief moment, it felt like I heard his voice…