Otherworld TRPG Game Master - Chapter 295



Chapter 295 – S5. The Roaring Stellaria ~Awakening Dawn~ -1

I had a brief, fleeting dream.

The “Meteor” successfully defeated the “Great Monster,” and Pilot Kim returned with an awkward smile, while the “Stellaria” halted its hurried evacuation to prepare for a festival.

They stacked large wooden logs to create a massive campfire and lit it. The flames, the very beginning of human civilization, blazed to celebrate victory, and before it, people danced.

Gordius and Woo Chae-rin sat side by side on a hill, keeping a respectable distance, watching the scene unfold. A joyful festival that hinted at the flourishing and resurgence of human civilization.

The wizard of another world gazed upon the precious victory he had achieved and finally resolved to claim his rightful reward. He casually broached the subject with the girl sitting next to him, Woo Chae-rin.

“Chae-rin, it seems I’ve done quite a lot for you. How do you plan to repay me?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“There are various ways to settle the debt. I can accept money, goods, or even… a contract. If you agree to a long-term partnership that lasts until the contractor’s death, I will waive the entire amount.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯Was that strange?”

The lack of response from Woo Chae-rin was so peculiar that Gordius felt awkward and fidgeted with his sleeves. Perhaps it would have been better to confess honestly. Had he twisted his words unnecessarily? Was it really that off-putting?

He was afraid to turn his head and check her expression. It was even terrifying. He knew that every experiment is refined through observation and feedback, yet, for some reason…

He was inexplicably terrified of confirming her presence.

“⋯⋯Chae-rin?”

When Gordius finally turned his head after a long hesitation, he realized why she had not answered and why he had been so afraid.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Because she was dead.

Woo Chae-rin was dead.

In his dream, she had no head.

—

As his frozen eyelids finally opened, and Gordius began to breathe again after ten long years, the first thing he encountered was…

A one-armed girl silhouetted against the setting sun, reaching out her hand toward him.

“I know it’s a bit odd to say this after being rescued, but… we need your help. Will you join us once more in ‘Stellaria’?”

Stellaria.

His foggy mind began to flicker to life, one by one, from the frayed edges of his loosened brain cells. Great monsters, meteors, magical engines, defeat, frozen capsules, Woo Chae-rin, death.

Damnable death.

A dizzying wave washed over him. Past memories rushed by like a panorama, clawing at Gordius’s heart. It had been just moments ago.

The one-armed girl made a startled expression as she watched Gordius touch his forehead. Perhaps a newly thawed person needed time to think.

Or maybe she hadn’t heard?

“⋯⋯Um. Let me start over. I’m sorry for the late introduction, Wizard. Thank you for saving me—”

“I heard you.”

“Oh, you did? That’s a relief. I thought I might have spoken too quickly.”

Gordius reassembled the information. The place where he had opened his eyes was a ruin. But it was a familiar ruin. Judging by the shapes of the terrain and debris, this was indeed the underground bunker of Stellaria.

It had collapsed terribly, but…

And there it was, the 7-meter small craft waiting with its sleek form. It had a sophistication that stood in stark contrast to the much bulkier appearance of the “Meteor,” like the difference between a truck and a sports car.

Then, the one-armed girl before me.

Given the circumstances, she was likely the girl I had saved. Although there had been quite a distance back then, I remembered her as a child around ten years old. The girl standing in front of me now looked to be in high school.

Perhaps she had even crossed into adulthood, despite her malnourished state.

All of this hinted at the merciless passage of time.

“…Report on the current situation.”

“Ah, yes. Today is the year 2037, and the Great Monster, well, the Great Monster has fallen asleep again—”

Gordius’s struggle to escape the confusion appeared to the one-armed girl as the demeanor of a ‘veteran who starts assessing the situation immediately upon waking from stasis.’ How could he ask for a situation report right away?

He truly was the one who developed the magic engine. His extraordinary nature was evident.

The one-armed girl began her clumsy explanation, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Once she finished her thrilling and exhilarating account that traversed past and present…

Gordius neatly summarized her scattered narrative.

“Ten years have passed. The ‘Great Monster’ has returned to an inactive state, brainwashing the awakened with its hypnotic waves, and the brainwashed awakened… the ‘followers’ are currently the most threatening.”

“Yes!”

“Those who escaped from ‘Stellaria’ have formed a new Stellaria… and the one leading the ‘New Stellaria’ is a man named Joseph.”

“He was quite a famous wealthy person. He even built a theme park named after himself. He can be a bit of a handful, but he’s not a bad person. Well then… for now, let’s take you to the headquarters! Please get in!”

Whoosh. Whirr.

With a springy movement, the one-armed girl dashed up the surface of the craft and settled into the cockpit with natural ease. She then maneuvered the robot to extend a hand.

Once Gordius climbed onto the robotic hand, she carefully lifted him closer to the cockpit. However, he hesitated, unable to board.

“Come on, get in!”

“…It appears to be a one-seater.”

It was a snug one-seater at that. There was hardly any space left once the pilot sat down and closed the lid. To fit in here… they would have to be as close as one body.

Especially with a girl wearing a tight pilot suit that revealed every curve of her body.

“But if you manage to fit well, it should be fine. Come on.”

The one-armed girl patted her thigh.

Gordius let out a sigh and climbed onto the girl. He pressed against her, but a problem arose. Due to the height difference, her line of sight was obstructed.

“I can’t see ahead. Could you just, um, move a little to the side?”

“…”

“I still can’t see…”

He shifted his position. This time, Gordius climbed in first, and the girl followed on top as he tried to close the cockpit. In this case, her cheek was pressed against the glass. Naturally, she couldn’t turn her head.

“Ugh.”

“⋯⋯I’ll just go separately.”

“But we must protect the two of you, Choi and Jeo⋯⋯.”

“Open the hatch. ‘Meteor Strike.’”

In the end, Gordius attached a rock-made chair to the shoulder of the craft and boarded it. The regret that he should have done this sooner was an unwelcome addition.

Regret⋯⋯?

“Well then, I shall escort you with ‘New Stellaria!’”

“Wait. I have something to gather.”

“Huh?”

Among the many regrets swirling in his mind, Gordius recalled the most critical one from the monster extermination operation. The incomplete mass weapon ‘Meteor Strike,’ which used the rocket engine that Woo Chae-rin had brought along.

A decisive blow that could pierce the Dragon Scale, left unfinished due to a mere week’s time. It might still be buried somewhere. Here.

“Just to be sure, have you ever explored this place⋯⋯ the Stellaria underground bunker? Not you, but anyone else.”

“No, this is probably the first time. It’s close to the monster, so raiders and followers tend to steer clear.”

“Then it must be here. A weapon to defeat the ‘Great Monster.’”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯!!”

The one-armed girl jumped in the cockpit, hitting her head on the hatch.

But even the pain couldn’t quell the wave of excitement. The mysterious organization ‘Old Stellaria,’ which had fought against the ‘Great Monster’ almost uniquely and meaningfully⋯⋯ did they even have a secret weapon prepared?

The thought of the developer of the magic engine and a weapon sent shivers down his spine.

“Is there really something like that?! Down here, I mean? I’ll look for it right away! Just a moment. First, I need to contact someone. Ah, this is Hummingbird. Nest, respond.”

-This is Nest. Did you find it?

“They say we can defeat it! The Great Monster!”

-What nonsense⋯⋯ why would we take down a sleeping baby? Don’t say weird things, just hurry back if you found it. If it wakes up, we’ll take the blame.

“I’ll be taking the weapon, so get ready and wait!”

-If you found a person, just return quietly-!

Click.

The one-armed girl’s eyes sparkled as she turned to Gordius.

“Master, where should we start?”

“⋯⋯There’s no need to start anywhere. We just need to gather ‘Meteor Strike’ and get out quickly. It’s going to get noisy.”

“Oh, oh⋯⋯ Meteor, Strike. But noisy⋯⋯?”

Creak. Creak, creak, creak.

The magic was being drawn in. The talented pilot, the one-armed girl, could feel the intangible current. Soon, a response appeared on the dashboard that managed the magic engine.

[Warning: A powerful magical current of Type II engine level is occurring nearby.]

The Type II engine had enough output to operate medium-sized robots ranging from 7 to 10 meters, and it was the most powerful engine possessed by the “New Stellaria.”

Such output—was emanating not from a machine, but from a human. From a single person.

As the ground caved in, intricate magic circles were etched into the earth, and at the center of the swirling magical energy, the sorcerer of this world completed the incantation.

The girl witnessed the true essence of the sorcerer.

“Fly from the ground and fall to the sky. ‘Gravity Reversal.’”

Kuuwaaah—!!

Debris in the area erupted with a thunderous roar, rising one by one into the air. The remnants of the underground bunker floated, adorning the sky. And the collapsed facilities revealed their insides for the first time in ten years.

The duty room, the dining hall, the materials storage, Woo Chae-rin’s room, and… the control room.

Memories were deeply embedded beneath the rubble. Everyone remembered. They recalled every moment of the month spent living inside. Gordius clenched his fist tightly.

“…That’s it. That container. Twenty meters.”

“I’ll grab it right away! But, can we lift it…?”

“I’ll maintain the gravity reversal on that container, so we should be able to lift it.”

“Oh, ohhh…!!”

Wiiiiiing— thud. Thud.

The robot moved, lifting the container, which was about three times its size, with its arms. The magical engine groaned as if it were dying, but it was manageable.

The one-armed girl and Gordius quickly exited the scene. Soon, the debris that had risen into the air fell back to the ground. A tremendous noise and a cloud of dust erupted.

“Yay—!!”

The one-armed girl laughed.

From the shoulder of the running robot, Gordius glanced back at the spot where the underground bunker had been. Memories were once again buried beneath the earth. Woo Chae-rin was no more.

Times had changed, and just moments ago, in the flowing communication between the girl and the middle-aged man—there had been a significant phrase. Why bring down a sleeping child?

Were they exhausted from the ‘Great Monster’ subjugation? Had they accepted that monster as a natural phenomenon and merely changed their goal to survive? Even while carrying the name “New Stellaria”?

From noble mtl dot com

Surely, they couldn’t be unaware that this was, in the end, a path to a slow death.

Then, what should I do?

It was a foolish question.

“…It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Her voice rang clearly in his ears.

– I’m counting on you for the future. Goldie!

Having been entrusted with such a request, there was no turning back. Someone had to follow in Woo Chae-rin’s footsteps, and if that was the case… he would see it through. This time, he would succeed in subjugating the ‘Great Monster.’ In a world without her.

He answered, transcending ten years of time.

“Yes, Chaerin. But this debt will be repaid at a very… high price.”

Gordius was a miser; he wouldn’t engage in a losing deal.

—

Headquarters of ‘New Stellaria.’

It was also an underground bunker, but the facilities and size were significantly better than those of ‘Stellaria.’ It seemed to have been built with a larger investment.

Before the one-armed girl and Gordius stood a middle-aged man. He was adorned with extravagant luxuries, and his goatee made him look rather sly.

The one-armed girl smiled and saluted the middle-aged man.

“The Hummingbird has returned! Commander!”

“Hey, Kim Yoon-seo! Don’t just cut off contact like that! Anyway… what’s this container? Are you the magician who supposedly created the magic engine?”

The middle-aged man, Commander Joseph, ruffled the top of the one-armed girl Kim Yoon-seo’s head… to which Gordius spoke directly.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Have you given up on hunting the ‘Great Beast’?”

“You’re getting right to the heart of the matter. I like that, you know? But… I understand your feelings. From your perspective, your organization has been wiped out in an instant, so you must have a thirst for revenge. But.”

Commander Joseph cut him off sharply.

“People are tired now. We haven’t even scratched that thing for ten years, and even if we could create a massive robot like the previous ‘Stellaria,’ it wouldn’t be able to move. The output of the magic engine just can’t handle it. Our scientists all agree that it’s ‘impossible.’”

“‘Stellaria’ managed it.”

“I know. But in the end, it failed. I’ll be honest with you… This girl, Kim Yoon-seo, sent it off after singing, and while she’s the developer of the magic engine and all, I’m not expecting much. Ten years have passed, you know? In that time, graphics cards have advanced several generations.”

The commander was skeptical.

‘New Stellaria’ had absorbed the foundational technology that Woo Chaerin had scattered around, gaining independent technological prowess.

Based on that, they were able to produce small to medium-sized robots and operate several of them, currently establishing the largest force on South Korean soil.

How they managed to move an 80-meter hunk of scrap metal in the past remained a mystery… but even if they could restore it, wasn’t the ‘Meteor’ just a loser of the times?

A sense of disillusionment.

Commander Joseph tilted his head skeptically, arms crossed.

“I’m not sure if I can invest in you.”

“Ah… that’s the opposite. I didn’t come here to seek investment; I came to collect royalties.”

“What?”

“The patent for the foundational technology of the magic engine, and the fees for the trademark of the name ‘Stellaria.’ You’ve used it quite a lot over the past ten years. Based on my calculations, I think I should be able to claim this entire facility.”

“Wow… that’s downright shameless, isn’t it? Go ahead and try, where are you going?!”

Ignoring the commander’s response, Gordius stepped further into the bunker.

He could seize it by force. He could kill the commander and take his place. Using magic, it wouldn’t be difficult. But that would be akin to cutting off his own flesh.

He knew a more effective and quicker way.

Gordius had been observing the back of Woo Chae-rin for a long, deep time. He understood how she captivated and drew people in.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Gordius stepped into the facility, his footsteps echoing, and shouted to the workers of “New Stellaria,” who had been listening to the commander’s verbal sparring.

“I will sell you ‘World Salvation’ at a bargain price!”

“………!!”

“I built the giant robot ‘Meteor’ in just one month, and I almost defeated the ‘Great Monster.’ Why do you think that creature fell into a long winter slumber? Because it was beaten with a huge iron club!”

A murmur spread through the crowd. Among those crushed by ten years of defeat, those weighed down by reality, a new wind began to blow. What leads people is the gravitational pull of conviction.

He shouted.

“Your time. I will only need three months. By paying just that short amount of time—what you will grasp in your hands is world peace! An era when the Great Monster was absent, a time when survival was a ridiculous joke!”

He shouted with all his soul. And he spoke with his back.

Gordius ignited the flame of hope… or rather, he set it ablaze. He sowed a firm conviction that enchanted the people and ignited the fire of hope.

Three days later.

“……… As a result of gathering public opinion, our ‘New Stellaria’ has decided to commence the construction of a giant robot for the extermination of the ‘Great Monster’ over the next three months. Well, I remember when I suggested this, everyone said it was pointless, but damn, here we are—”

“You’re amazing, Wizard!”

Gordius had taken hold of ‘New Stellaria.’