“The old man chooses the character first.”
The game called Eldritch Owner was a cooperative board game.
Each player chooses a character called an investigator and defeats the ‘boss’, an ancient being.
But there are many restrictions: time limits, movement limits, action limits, bag limits…
And there's the element of fear, which increases over time. It's said that when fear reaches its peak, the world will be swallowed up.
Then the world will be destroyed, and the demons summoned by the ancient beings will pour out… .
Huh? This is perfect?
“I want to be this friend.”
I chose a female investigator with a nice body and dual pistols.
"Oh, that character is nothing special. He's got an irreversible curse on him."
“What are you talking about?”
Aya pulls out a passive card with the word “Curse” written on it from the deck.
"This game is all about dice rolls. 3 to 6 is a success. 1 or 2 is a failure."
"however?"
“The problem is, if you're cursed, only 5s and 6s are successful rolls. That means your success rate is halved.”
“This character is basically carrying that curse?”
“That’s right. Instead, the basic items are plentiful, and there are also combat skills….”
Aya's explanation continues.
Beyond the glass windows of a huge hotel, where rain is pouring down, a deserted downtown area is visible.
A broken traffic light, an empty store with broken windows.
A street tree overgrown with leaves. An abandoned car. A promotional balloon doll, torn and drenched in rain.
In the large room of the hotel lounge, we were alone.
We were the only ones inside this huge hotel, a new building that had just opened for business and was about to collapse.
We are the only ones in downtown Seoul near Gwanghwamun where the rain is pouring down.
What has the world become?
“That’s strange.”
“Huh? Suddenly?”
“It doesn’t feel real. What is reality?”
Aya looks at me intently.
“The world was destroyed, we went to the Blue House to find the singularity, and everything that’s happened to us these days….”
“When I wake up, it feels like it was a dream?”
“That’s not true, though.”
There is no one in this huge hotel.
The ruined world is like a small sailboat floating on an empty sea.
If I open my eyes now, I feel like I'll go back to those days when I would leave work grumbling with a discarded lunchbox in my hand.
That is now impossible.
The sudden sense of alienation makes me feel a chill.
What am I doing here now?
In this pouring rain, are we alone in this big building?
What's going on? Ego? Singularity? Demons killing people? And me…
Where am I?
“Mister. Mister!”
Aya takes my hand.
"cold?"
My body is shaking. My shoulders are shaking. My head is dizzy.
“What is all this?”
I feel warmth.
Warmth, body temperature, coziness.
And I feel the heart.
Ayaga stretched out her arms and hugged me tightly.
"mister."
"huh."
“I can’t go back to the convenience store anymore. I can’t go home either.”
"I am…."
"The world was destroyed. A strange god-like being summoned monsters called demons and destroyed the world. A singularity was created, an ego was created, and a refuge was created."
“….”
“And many people died. Warmth disappeared, love disappeared, and hearts grew cold.”
My dry lips don't move well.
“But, I’m here.”
"ouch."
“Yeah, I’ll have to get it. The feminist who worked part-time with the old man.”
“Okay. I have to hit it.”
“The woman the man saved. He fed her, changed her diapers, and cleaned up all her messes…”
I pull that white hand and put it against my cheek.
I have a body temperature. I'm alive.
“The woman that the old man brought back to life.”
"I?"
“Yeah, and the most important thing.”
A white hand caresses my ear.
“A woman who loves an old man.”
I can hear the sound of rain.
The rain is pouring down tirelessly.
The whole world is regaining its sense of reality.
“Sir, can you see me?”
“Oh. It looks good.”
“I’m not going anywhere, okay?”
Aya's voice remains unchanged.
When we first met, when you shyly handed me a can of coffee after receiving your first paycheck, when we first went on a date at a department store, when you blushed for the first time, when you protected me from a crazy person at a convenience store, when we were driven to death together, when you clung to me while urinating and defecating.
And then, when we first kissed.
“Even if the world is destroyed again, I will be by your side.”
Something like a mirror feels like it's breaking in my head.
The sound of rain is now clearly audible.
I came back to the world.
"sorry."
“I told you not to apologize. Here you go again.”
Aya smiles and touches my cheek.
"I'm just tired. Like burnout. I get that sometimes too."
"I?"
"You must be tired. Sir, since the day you ran out of the convenience store—have you ever had a proper rest? Working as a teacher in Paradise, suffering because of me, getting kicked out, and even after obtaining the singularity, rolling around protecting people."
Aya keeps pulling my cheek.
But, without hurting. Very gently.
Just enough for me to feel the sensation.
“So, right now, just play with Aya. Don’t think about anything, just—rest.”
I just pulled Aya's finger.
And then, he hugged her fiercely in that position.
"Oh, really. That's a huge kid. He's much older than me. He doesn't have any childish tastes."
I stroke her hair, touch her body. Feel her body heat. Embrace her warmth.
vestige.
The world sank.
####
“Sir! The machine gun I just got!”
“Machine gun… Is it a common item?”
"No way! Purple card, purple item card! Unique item!"
I hastily pull the machine gun out of the character sheet.
"This is the ultimate weapon, the machine gun. Once per battle, it doubles your attack dice."
"This is your last attack turn! If you fail, you're doomed!"
I gather all the dice in a solemn manner.
“Let’s go!”
My character's attack dice are 6, but the final boss, 'Eternal Being Asaktost', has an effect that lowers attack power every turn.
It's currently the 3rd turn, the last turn, so my attack dice have decreased by 3 to 3.
But with the effect of the machine gun, I recover 3 dice.
“Throw it!”
Due to the effect of the character Aya used earlier, Asak Toast only has 1 HP left.
Even if we only get one effective attack, we win.
good!
Degurrurururur.
Aya and I chase the dice rolling across the table.
The world is truly doomed, and yet we're playing a board game to save it from destruction.
Boom. The first roll was a 3. Failure.
Two dice stop at the same time. Thump.
2 and 4. Failure.
The fourth die rolls for a while and then stops next to Aya's hand.
Again 4. Failure.
The fifth die, due to excessive acceleration, falls off the table. Another failure.
"please…."
We clasp our hands and look sadly at the last dice.
Roll, roll, roll, roll.
The dice rolled quite nicely on 6.
It stopped at exactly 1.
"this."
And then, the world was destroyed.
“Ah! Really! Really! Oh my!”
Aya makes a strange noise and flips the character sheet over.
“Where in London do you get to be in the same event three times in a row?”
In London, Aya and I were unlucky enough to fall into the same trap event three times in a row.
Guess the name of the Queen of England.
What's even more unfortunate is that the queen's name on the draw card was Elizabeth three times in a row.
What kind of machine queen is she?
Because of that, he blew his turn three times, and Asaktost was able to multiply his followers very easily.
“Ah! I don’t know! Let’s stop playing this game!”
Aya pushes the game sheet away.
“Do something different. Something different!”
Aya picks up the drink placed next to the table.
It is a well-polished bottle that looks antique.
“What kind of bottled water has a cork-like seal on it? It’s so annoying.”
“Hey, wait a minute… that….”
Aya summons a lightsaber.
And, Shagang.
The head of the bottle was cut off very cleanly, as if it had been cut with a knife.
Aya drank it lightly, as if she was thirsty.
Are you drinking too much?
“Hey, hey, hey. That’s not water.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
I saw it when I came in here. That wasn't water.
Quite expensive-looking wines lined up in the lounge.
And that thing placed in the room too… .
Only then does she look at the bottle.
“Château d'Yqeum 1976? What is this?”
“It’s a name that somehow sounds very expensive.”
I don't know what kind of wine it is, but if it's from 1976, there's no way it'll be cheap.
Fortunately, the ruined world is capable of trauma. And it's unlimited.
"No problem! You too, sir. If not now, when else would I drink wine?"
"Wine costs between ten and twenty thousand won. We had it at our convenience store, too."
"lol…."
Aya's face is a little red.
“Ouch?”
“Hmm, definitely. It wasn’t water. It wasn’t water. It wasn’t water… Does Aya look like water to you?”
Even a red ginseng candy lover would not do such a joke.
“Haha… Sir, you too, try some.”
I accept the neatly cut bottle of wine that Aya offers.
To avoid hurting my lips, I pour it into a glass in the cupboard in the corner of the room.
“Wow, such a man with manners! He’s cool!”
“Are you drunk? What did you eat…?”
I taste that Chateau something wine.
A breathtaking flavor that it would be rude to compare to the wine sold at convenience stores.
and….
There's quite a bit of alcohol in it!
"Get drunk. Sir, do you want to talk like a man? It's not funny."
“It has quite a bit of alcohol….”
"No more! Let's play the game we were planning to play. Game~ Game~ A fun game."
Aya downs the glass I offer her in one shot.
“Hey! Where would you eat like that without any side dishes?”
“Sir, please keep this in mind.”
Aya smiles and throws away her white gloves.
Ego's white gloves flew off and landed on the table.
Her white back of the hand is exposed.
But, the hand holding the wine is still wearing a glove.
“I’m dating an old man, not a dad.”
“….”
“But! I like that kind of guy too.”
“I don’t think the game will work in that condition.”
Ouch, I guess you're weak to alcohol.
We don’t drink together while working…
Of course, the alcohol content of this aged wine is quite strong.
"What are you talking about! Sir, I'm an online organic king. It's incredibly high, isn't it? The dueling rules are the same, online or offline!"
“That’s not the problem, it’s because you’re drunk.”
“Huh, idiot.”
Aya sticks out her tongue a little and makes a cute expression.
Because of the shining ego's eyes, his expression is also somehow different from usual.
A beauty that is human, but not quite human.
"Well then, Aya will now explain the rules of the Duelist. Got it? This is only the first round, so there are only two types of summons, so it's very easy."
“Isn’t summoning just a matter of putting out a card?”
“Ah! Sir, what primitive era did you come from?”
Aya begins to explain the rules of the Organic King with sparkling eyes.
Magic, trap, draw, normal summon, special summon… .
I glance out the lounge window.
The sound of the rain has subsided a little, but it is still raining heavily.
It's already gotten dark. At this hour, it's too dangerous to move around while intoxicated.
Even if you are not a demon, you may encounter other masters or refugees.
I guess I'll have to stay at this hotel today.
####
“Hahaha! You’re weak! Haa~ Mister. You’re too weak. Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years is too early!”
Aya giggled as if she was having fun.
“Isn’t this a scam? Where does someone come out of the grave twice?”
"Haha, sir. You have the singularity to revive bones from the grave, so why are you blaming the card that summons you from the grave? Huh?"
They say that if you argue with a woman, you lose everything.
“Oh, then. This is your second defeat… What do you think will happen this time?”
Aya hums and picks up a penalty trump card from the pile of Yugi King cards.
Why on earth is there something like that in a hotel?
Oh, right, this hotel. It's called Cleopatra, an adult brand.
Anyway, Egyptian level.
What Aya found was a punishment card used by couples or married couples.
Jenga for adults, Trump for adults, and R-rated penalty cards.
Well, that was it.
You said you were going to play a game “with something at stake”. Is this it!
“Ta-da! This time, the punishment is to take off your shirt!”
“You didn’t manipulate it, did you?”
"What kind of manipulation is that! In a sacred duel, such words are forbidden?"
The penalty trump Aya picked earlier was: "Lightly remove your opponent's shoe."
So, I'm barefoot now.
“Take off your shirt quickly! Hurry up! Sir!”
“Okay, I got it.”
I have no choice but to take off my shirt.
Well, I did shower in paradise before driving. Not really… .
Maybe it's because of the alcohol, but I'm incredibly embarrassed.
"and…."
“It’s not like this is the first time I’ve seen it!”
“Even so, I’ve only seen it twice. Of course, if you include the glimpses, it’s more.”
"what?"
“Sir, more than that….”
Aya picks up a card and gently tickles my stomach.
“You secretly have a lot of lean muscle. Why is that?”
“When I was working at the convenience store, I did exercise a lot.”
“Are you one of those people who only eat chicken breast?”
"No! Just for health reasons! There's a gym next to the convenience store that's cheap."
I can't say for sure that I was even a little conscious of you and that I was exercising a little bit in preparation for someday.
"Hmm, that's strange. There's something wrong with the old man's expression. It's like he's hiding something."
I told you that poisoning is cheating.
"Haha... Then, let's start the duel again, using the old man's faint abs as a side dish. No, as a mirror."
This fucking pervert is like a transcendent being.
I quietly look at the deck.
Now, I too have a rough idea of the rules of the Organic King.
Are you just going to take it?
####
"With this! Special Summon Red-Eyes White Dragon from the Grave!"
“There, I activate the trap card!”
"yes?"
Aya looks at me with a surprised expression.
"I've figured out why you've used a card that touches the graveyard twice! Activate the Trap Card, Graveyard Eradication!"
“That’s so stupid!”
"This card is activated as a counter when a Spell or Trap Card that targets the Graveyard is activated! Negate that effect, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the attack power of the highest level card in their hand!"
“Oh, oh no!”
Aya's life becomes 0.
No, there's no need to make a sound effect when you get hit. You really are drunk.
Haha, by the way. I have to hit it.
The cards you use are strong, but the downside is that you only use the same ones.
Other than that Red-Eyes White Dragon, there are no high-level cards.
A deck packed with only 3 White Dragons.
“I lost….”
My trap hit the mark.
“Haha, I’m a loser. Then, I’ll pick now?”
I proudly draw my penalty trump card.
“….”
"why?"
“No, it’s the same one you picked earlier.”
“There are also duplicate cards.”
Somehow I feel like I'm at a loss...
“Haha, it was about taking off the other person’s shoes, right?”
Aya moves her feet cleverly and comes towards me.
“Please take it off.”
"I?"
"Sir... did you read the penalty properly? It's stripping. Stripping. Did you forget that I took your shoes off for you earlier?"
Ugh.
I obediently take off Aya's heels.
Aya puts her feet in my hands with a somewhat alluring expression on her face.
Bam.
Aya's heel fell down under the sofa.
Zenobia's... Ego's... No, that's it now.
Her pearl stockings shimmer faintly, blurring my vision.
“Sir, where are you looking? Yes?”
Aya smiles and sits up slightly with her legs crossed.
The hem of the skirt cleverly covers the lower body, making a rustling sound.
The lower body with the heels off is somehow more stimulating.
“Sir, do you know that?”
Aya covers her lips with a card again, lifts up one of her stockings and tickles me with her toes.
“What… what?”
“That penalty trump, the top and bottom are different colors.”
Only then do I look at the colors on the card.
Below the cards we have drawn, you can see the red trumps.
“So far, it’s just a taste, and the red card has stronger ‘penalties’.”
“What the heck is that….”
“Oh, sir. A duelist is someone who talks through duels.”
The transcendental being who emits the light of Zenobia, Park Aya, brings back the Organic King card.
I also silently pull the deck towards my hand.
“Oh, right. Before we duel again… there’s something I forgot to tell you.”
“You’re saying you can’t hold your liquor?”
“No. Not that.”
Aya sticks her tongue out slightly and licks the card.
The halo in her eyes is somehow shining more brightly.
“When you left paradise, you said that little boy gave you a gift.”
By the way, that cheeky guy said he only gave Aya a present.
Apparently, Mom told me to give it to Aya without telling the uncle.
“What is that?”
Aya whispers in my ear, her eyes shining with the light of a transcendent being.
"condom."