Chapter 10

The divine sword Aegis is imbued with the power of the goddess of flowers. Perhaps because of this, several flowers bloomed from the base of the sword where it was pierced, and colorful petals flourished in this stark white room.

I am no longer surprised. At this point, I can only think, "Ah, that's how it is," in response to such a level of supernatural phenomena, marveling at the growth of my own heart. It's a rather unpleasant kind of growth.

But the flowers. I sipped the nectar from the flowers to stave off my hunger. As expected of the goddess of flowers, the nectar was abundant, very sweet, and I believe it was rich in calories. It was delicious, but there is a limit. Since it was thick, I drank water to help it go down my stomach.

Sipping flower nectar is something I haven't done since elementary school.

When I checked the system messages, there were two new ones.

One was the login bonus.

Today's login bonus was a voucher for household appliances.

Is this to encourage a civilized life? But I won't be fooled. Even if I get appliances, they won't work without electricity, right?

The method of use is to tear the ticket and say the name of the desired appliance. I tore the ticket and shouted that I wanted an electric blanket.

An electric blanket folded from above fell down. With this, my sleeping bag life is over.

... After a little investigation, I found that even though the plug wasn't connected to the outlet, it started to warm up. In that case, I should have gotten a refrigerator.

And the other message.

● Currently, there is a significant difference in the progress of the game among users, and the response team has received a flood of complaints about the unfairness.

In response to this, our operation and development team has decided to provide emergency compensation to users at the lower end of the ranking to balance the power difference. We ask for the understanding of users at the top of the ranking. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to users and viewers.

A unit confirmation coin has been added to the gift box.

There are many things I can infer from this message.

First, there are many people who, like me, have been imprisoned. And we are being made to play some kind of game. I don't know what kind of game it is, but it seems that there is already a significant difference in the progress of the game, even though it's only the seventh day of imprisonment, and a flood of criticism has come from the viewers.

Viewers, as far as I can tell, there are no surveillance cameras, but they must be broadcasting using some kind of advanced technology.

The people who imprisoned me seem to have at least two teams: the operation and development team and the response team. Given the scale of this game, it must be a fairly large organization.

The important point is that a flood of complaints has been received, and the reason is the power difference. The fact that they are hurriedly responding to the complaints suggests two possibilities.

First, the difference is real. A power difference means a difference in combat ability.

I am useless, so I look at Aegis. Am I supposed to use this Aegis to prepare for combat and, in the future, be forced to fight to the death with other users?

It's a terrible possibility. Indeed, my weapon, a flag, is not suitable for combat. The difference with users who have drawn guns must be overwhelming.

No, maybe it's better that weapons are available. There might be users who are still starving and fighting with their bare hands.

The second is that the viewers are quite VIPs.

They can use such technology and facilities for a game.

They must be quite influential. Therefore, they can't ignore their opinions and have reluctantly provided compensation.

One idea came to mind. Try to please the viewers.

Pretend to be a funny clown, attract the viewers' attention, and become their favorite. If their favorite is in danger of dying, they might feel sympathy and help.

... The ranking is a problem. Most viewers will focus on the top rankings, and they won't care about the bottom rankings. Only those with bad personalities will care.

If this game is modeled after social games, there should be rewards for the top-ranked users to advance the game. These rewards will further widen the gap.

... There might even be penalties. Punishment games for the bottom-ranked users.

Well, let's stop thinking for now and try the gacha.

The usual free gacha.

Clank

UC 'Mahjong Set'

What appeared was a mahjong set. Not just one, but four sets.

Four chairs and one table. Each table has a machine attached to play mahjong automatically. There are four sets. When I touched it, it moved, just like the electric blanket, powered by some mysterious energy.

Unlike the game of life, mahjong can't be played alone. Four sets are just a waste.

And today's main event, the unit confirmation coin.

It looks like a brown coin. On the front, there is a mark of three deformed people standing, and on the back, a human face, a smiling emoji.

Glossary

'Unit'

A living being that supports the user. It will absolutely obey your commands.

In other words, a living creature will appear.

The food situation might worsen, but to please the viewers and change the current situation!

Clank

C 'A Dozen Homunculi'

When I turned around, they were there.

A group of beautiful men and women.

Six men, six women. A dozen, meaning 12 people, counting people by the dozen.

They had pale skin and white hair, but their eyes were bright red. They all had handsome or beautiful faces, were thin, but the men were muscular, and the women were petite but well-endowed.

Their attire was also white, with mantles, boots, and Western-style white clothes. Some wore pants, others skirts, all different.

They didn't move a muscle and stared at me intently.

"Ah, introduce yourselves first."

They looked at each other in confusion and made gestures. A cross mark in front of their mouths.

Can't they talk? No, that's a lie.

They can't talk, but they can read. They played mahjong all night, reading the instructions together.

The first communication in seven days healed my heart, which was aching from loneliness.

They seemed to enjoy it, though they didn't show much expression.

And they were surprisingly strong. Why did I lose the first time? I am an experienced player, and they are beginners.

Glossary

'Ranking'

A ranking determined by the votes of the viewers, deciding which user will be [edited] [edited].

I don't know what kind of ranking it is, but since I received compensation, I must be at the bottom of the ranking.

'Response Team'

A team that handles users and viewers.

'Mahjong Set'

Four chairs, one table, and one automatic mahjong machine, in four sets. Comes with instructions.

Operates on mysterious energy. Has an automatic scoring function.

When a player declares a reach, a suspenseful BGM plays, and various performances occur when a player wins with a high-scoring hand or a special hand.

When a player wins with a thirteen orphans hand, confetti pops and a spotlight shines.

'A Dozen Homunculi'

Twelve homunculi, six men and six women, with white skin and red eyes.

Homunculi are artificial life forms created by the European alchemist Paracelsus. However, they are small and die when they come out of the flask.

These homunculi are considered different from Paracelsus's homunculi.