Eternal Setsuna, Fleeting Towa
After purchasing the used physical copy of Berserk Online Passion—aka B.O.P.—at an electronics store, Azusa returned to his Tokyo apartment. He washed his hands, gargled, and began preparing a simple dinner: white rice, miso soup with green onions and fried tofu, vegetable stir-fry with ground pork, and cherry tomatoes for dessert. As always, he clasped his hands, said, "Itadakimasu," and ate, then thanked the meal with "Gochisousama" before cleaning up.
Washing the dishes, he sipped hot milk to unwind, showered, and changed into pajamas. After hydrating and using the bathroom, he laid out his futon, set up his VR gear, and placed a water bottle nearby.
"Hydration, check. Gear, check… It's about 8 p.m.," Azusa mused. "Nighttime's too late to swing the Vorpal Chopper with Lycaon's afterglow—it'd draw too much attention. So, my options are the White Iron Dagger, Marsh Dagger, and Madness Breaker. But Madness Breaker's a last resort—using it's just asking for trouble."
Confirming his available weapons, he set up the VR gear, lay on his futon, and logged into Shangri-La Frontier as Pepper, descending into its nocturnal world.
"Hey, Pepper-han! Evening!" Aitoile greeted, leaning close, her breath tinged with alcohol. She held a gourd flask and a skewer, with a plate of Mad Frog tongue skewers—crafted by Tible—on a nearby table.
Glancing out the window, Pepper saw a radiant full moon illuminating a cloudless night sky, its glow bathing Rabbits and the Rabbit Palace in a breathtaking sheen, outshining the twinkling stars.
"Now that's a moonlit sake vibe," Pepper remarked.
"No moonlit night's complete without a drink. Wanna sip, Pepper-han?" Aitoile offered.
"Thanks, but I've got a meeting with someone important. It's hush-hush, top-secret stuff," Pepper replied.
The Unique Monster: Wezaemon the Tomb Keeper. Arthur Pencilgon, with her deep ties to this quest, had dropped a bombshell during their deal in the Four-Wheel Eight-Wheel Marsh Wilds, ensuring Pepper couldn't back out. His efforts to stay under the radar had finally paid off. Just then, an owl swooped to the window, delivering a letter.
A notification flashed: "A Messenger Bird Email has arrived." Assuming it was from Pencilgon, Pepper opened it.
To: A-kun
If you're reading this, you're logged into Shangri-La Frontier. As we discussed in the Marsh Wilds, I'm sharing info on Wezaemon the Tomb Keeper.
On full moon nights, like tonight, there's a mossy wall in Senchibankou's Jungle Hollow—accessible from Thirdrema—that the moonlight doesn't touch. I've attached an image. I'll be waiting there.
Image
I know you get it, but make sure no one follows you. Shake them off if needed, even if it means PKing to keep this secret.
You're clever, A-kun, so I trust you'll handle it. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, big sis can go wild for you—no problem.
Come meet me, okay? I'll be waiting.
Arthur Pencilgon
The message's urgency—PK if necessary—underscored its weight, yet the final line's softness felt oddly out of character. Is this really that Pencilgon? Pepper thought, uneasy.
"Time to move," he said. "Aitoile, can you open a gate? And after that, stay put, okay?"
"Off to a secret rendezvous, huh?" Aitoile teased, her voice slurring slightly.
"Yeah, they want to meet one-on-one," Pepper confirmed.
"Got it. I'll hang back and stay hidden, then?" she asked.
"Exactly. Hide in the shadows after opening the gate. I'll be back right after the meeting."
"Roger that!" Aitoile said, tipsy but focused, opening a gate to Thirdrema's back alleys. She slipped into hiding as Pepper blended into the darkness, avoiding prying eyes and heading for Senchibankou's Jungle Hollow.
To fulfill his pact with her, he raced toward the jungle.
Arriving at Senchibankou's Jungle Hollow, Pepper followed the image from Pencilgon's email, navigating along a mossy wall to rendezvous with her. The glow of Horal Mushrooms and moonlight filtering through the trees painted a fantastical nightscape, distinct from the daytime jungle, with insects weaving through their cycle of life.
Keeping the moss wall in sight, he jogged for a few minutes until he spotted Pencilgon lurking in the shadow of a tree, beside a wall untouched by moonlight.
"Hey, you made it, A-kun," she said.
"Sorry if I kept you waiting, Towa," Pepper replied.
"Nah, I just got here. No one tailed you, right?" she asked.
"All clear," Pepper assured her. Pencilgon scanned the surroundings, listening intently for other players.
"…Good. You shook any tails. Nice work, A-kun," she said.
"It's a big deal, right? Gotta be careful," he replied.
"Yep. Let's go meet 'Setsuna,'" she said.
Pencilgon ran her hand along the unlit moss wall, and it crumbled, revealing a passage just wide enough for one person.
"A hidden path…" Pepper murmured.
"Found it by chance while gathering items in the jungle," Pencilgon explained.
Following her, Pepper crawled through the passage. Emerging, they found themselves in an open area, distinct from the jungle, bathed in the full moon's glow. Countless red spider lilies bloomed in a circle around the clearing, where a single withered tree stood tall at the center.
At its base sat a translucent woman in modern clothing, her hair in a braid, a mole near her lower lip. She leaned against the tree, speaking softly as she noticed Pencilgon.
"Well, Arthur… it's been a while," she said.
"Hey, Set-chan! Been a month," Pencilgon replied warmly.
Despite PKers typically having abysmal NPC affinity, this "Set-chan"—Setsuna—seemed an exception, her bond with Pencilgon evident. Then, Setsuna's gaze shifted to Pepper.
"You're with someone new today," she observed.
"Yep. This is Pepper, my junior. He's one of the aces to take down Wezaemon," Pencilgon said. "Still weak, but I'll whip him into shape."
At level 30, Pepper couldn't argue with "weak." But Setsuna—Setsuna of Distant Days—shook her head.
"No… that's not it. I've never seen someone carrying both the 'strong presence' of 'Kuro-chan' and an item imbued with such powerful intent," she said, smiling faintly. "That girl must really like you."
"Kuro-chan" was almost certainly Unique Monster: Night Assault Lycaon. But how did Setsuna sense the Vorpal Chopper, its afterglow sealed in his inventory? Pepper's questions piled up.
"…Pepper-kun, we're having a 'talk' later, so don't run off, okay?" Pencilgon said, her tone sharp.
"I'm exercising my right to refuse," Pepper shot back.
"Denied," she snapped.
"Figures," he sighed.
Pencilgon, ever sharp, had caught the hint about his afterglow weapon, locking him into revealing it later.
"Thanks to you, I remembered the past… thank you, Pepper," Setsuna said, her smile warm.
"…You're welcome," Pepper replied, letting the weapon issue slide.
"So, Set-chan, can you tell Pepper-kun about 'that guy'?" Pencilgon urged.
"…Alright," Setsuna said. A screen appeared before Pepper.
Unique Scenario EX: From This Shore to the Other, With Love
Would you like to start?
[OK] / [NO]
The screen displayed the scenario title and options. Pepper glanced at Pencilgon, who nodded slightly. Steeling himself, he tapped OK. The scenario began, and Setsuna spoke quietly.
"He… Wezaemon… was my lover. A small misunderstanding led to my death… and ever since, he's guarded my grave, for so long… forever."
Wezaemon the Tomb Keeper devoted eternity to guarding Setsuna's grave.
(An eternal tomb keeper… that's Wezaemon,) Pepper thought.
"I don't know how much time has passed since I died," Setsuna continued, resting her hand on the tree. "When I realized, I was… like this. I don't cling to regrets, but…"
She paused, her gaze drifting to the glowing full moon.
"The past is over. It shouldn't bind someone's present or future. But he's still trapped by my grave, by the past. I can't bear it."
In games, save-and-load or resetting let you rewrite the past, present, or future. But reality—like life—was a one-shot live game, with no do-overs. Wezaemon, chained to the loss of Setsuna, had stopped time, unable to move forward, Pepper realized.
Looking from the tree to the moon, Setsuna addressed them both.
"He used the… progr—magic I created to build a barrier. By reversing coordinates to the 'other side' using moonlight's magic, he ensured no one could interfere."
(Did she just start to say 'program'?) Pepper wondered, but she pressed on with critical details for facing Wezaemon.
"But on a 'new moon night,' when moonlight fades, the barrier weakens, opening a path to the 'other side' where he resides."
In short, Pepper would accept the scenario from Setsuna on a full moon night, like tonight, and in two weeks, on the new moon, he'd face Wezaemon in the "other side" coordinates.
"So, we'll fight Wezaemon in that hidden space," Pepper said.
Setsuna nodded quietly, then turned to them, bowing her head.
"Please… put him to rest. Please, for Wezaemon."
Her plea carried the weight of her love—a man who cherished her so deeply that her death bound him to the past. She needed him freed, or she'd never find peace herself. As Pepper processed this, Pencilgon spoke boldly.
"Leave it to me, Set-chan. I'll assemble the ultimate team and take down that stubborn Wezaemon for you!"
Pepper nearly caught a cold from shock. Pencilgon, the epitome of villainy, a scheming mastermind, speaking with such fervor?
"You, getting this fired up? Are you sure you're not a doppelgänger?" Pepper teased.
"Alright, Pepper-kun. Apologize with seppuku, and big sis might forgive you. How about it?" Pencilgon shot back.
She's the real deal, Pepper thought, dodging seppuku with a mock bow. "It's just… weird seeing you, who laughs at others' misery, get so invested in an NPC."
"Even I get passionate sometimes," Pencilgon muttered, glancing at Setsuna, who smiled softly despite her transparency.
"Set-chan… Setsuna, she's… I don't know, her story hits close to home. It doesn't feel like just a game…"
She trailed off, but Pepper caught her drift. Time to poke the bear. "Oh, I get it, Pencilgon. You're seriously emotionally invested in Setsuna, huh?"
He grinned, half-laughing. Gamers fall for games for countless reasons—systems, music, epic stories. But connecting deeply with a character, seeing yourself in them, is a common spark. Pepper himself had felt that joy in retro games, finding characters he loved or related to.
"…Yeah, fine, you nailed it!" Pencilgon snapped, her face flushing. "Go ahead, laugh! Mock me for getting heated over a game, Pepper-kun!"
But Pepper didn't laugh. Sitting cross-legged, chest puffed out, his eyes sparkled as he spoke.
"I'm not laughing, Pencilgon."
"Getting fired up over a game? That's awesome. Pouring your heart into a character? Hell yeah! That's proof you're living this moment, this instant, fully immersed as the player Arthur Pencilgon."
Right now, Pencilgon burned to save Setsuna, to topple Wezaemon the Tomb Keeper—an undefeated pinnacle of Shangri-La Frontier's strongest monsters, a feat no one had achieved.
"Games are 'just play.' You pause when time's up, return to reality when the credits roll. But that's why we can be serious, get obsessed. If you savor every second and end the game thinking, 'Man, that was fun,' then it's not the developers or anyone else—it's your victory, Pencilgon."
He laid it all out, maybe a bit too passionately. Pencilgon laughed—not from embarrassment, but something like gratitude.
"Haha! You're right… you're so right," she said. "You've always had that stance about games, haven't you, Pepper-kun?"
"Thanks to you, I'm pumped," she added, extending a hand. Pepper grabbed it, standing up.
"Let's do this, A-kun. Let's take down the ultimate monster."
"Damn right. It's our deal—I'll see it through to the end, Towa," Pepper vowed.
Under the cloudless, moonlit sky, two gamers swore to achieve the impossible: slaying a Unique Monster.
"Oh, and about that 'talk'—let's have it at Thirdrema's Snake Apple, the usual spot, okay, Pepper-kun?" Pencilgon added.
"Here we go…" Pepper groaned.
Setsuna's Wish of Distant Days, Pencilgon's Passion
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