"Ah, damn trash game."
Here, we have a trash game.
Flashy character designs, a solid story, a standard worldview.
A game that possesses every element required to be a hit.
However, if there is a reason why the modifier 'trash' is attached to it...
"Why are there so many bugs?"
Bug. An error that occurs during the process of executing a program.
It is a phenomenon frequently found in other games as well.
The types are certainly diverse.
Wall clipping, item duplication, levitation, stage skipping, etc...
You could say there are more bugs than there are games in the world.
Bugs are something that inevitably exist as long as a game is running.
Then, what is the problem?
'Lanne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen.'
Shortened to Neugeume.
There were too many bugs in this game—far too many.
To the point where having a dozen per stage was standard.
Despite the advantages mentioned above, this is the reason I called Neugeume a trash game.
"But... should I call this a charm now?"
A savory scent of crap. Although trivial bugs were scattered everywhere, there was actually nothing harmful to the player.
Most were funny or helpful to the user; things from which unpleasantness had been removed.
In short, it crossed the 'Big Fun Mountain'.
These points went viral in the community, and it instantly rose to become a popular game.
The funny thing is, perhaps the developer realized this too, because they declared they would keep their 'original intention' and decided not to fix the bugs at all.
'Just a crazy game, really.'
I was also a gamer of many years, but it was the first time I saw a developer so brazenly declare they would just rake in the cash.
'Well... that's already a story from four years ago.'
Four years since the release of Neugeume.
The game had established itself to some extent, and I had also played it consistently for four years.
I was quite a famous figure.
Not because I played the game well in a normal way, or because I hit number one on the entire server.
It was because I was the person enjoying this game in the most peculiar way.
[Nickname: PlayingToFindBugs]
[Total Play Time: 14,032 Hours]
I deliberately went around looking for bugs.
Discovering bugs inside the game, perfectly mastering them, and even grafting them into gameplay.
Perhaps due to my peculiar playstyle, I went viral in various ways.
[What is this person's identity? Where do they find these things every time??]
[Wow, they used the wall clip bug to skip the stage entirely.]
[He's not just a veteran, he's rotten water, seriously lol]
[This person is just the God of Bugs fr]
[If the old generation had the Bug Master Fabre, the new generation has BugFinder...]
The strategy guides I directly uploaded to the community received hot attention.
Perhaps due to that influence, requests for appearances from famous broadcasters were frequent.
[Breaking) Yes-Kyung Channel declares they will try to recruit the BugFinder artisan for a guest seat (shivers)]
[Fr? That channel with 3 million subscribers?]
[Will he finally appear in reality this time?]
[Won't happen. Cha-bak-nam also failed doing that.]
[Da-bin too, anyway there are many people who got their offers rejected.]
Of course, I rejected all broadcast appearance requests.
Because I just wanted to leisurely enjoy the game.
Becoming noisy here and there wasn't really my taste.
Anyway, I was proficient in hundreds of bugs.
Starting from the aforementioned wall clip, teleporting to specific coordinates, invincibility in specific states, guaranteed hits, damage manipulation, etc...
"At this point, you have to see me as a living legend."
Pointless self-talk. I turned on the game today as well to upload a strategy guide.
'Come to think of it, was this the 1000th run?'
The run count that had unknowingly hit 1000. It means I repeated this act for a whopping 14,000 hours.
Not normal play, but play spent finding bugs.
"Neugeume..." (Meaning 'Lanne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen')
It was a moment where I was filled with deep emotion. Even though a moment of reality hit me, my hand moved click-click. Setting up the play.
[Difficulty: Impossible]
-Challenges the highest difficulty.
[Additional Option: Hell Path (地獄道)]
-All spawned monsters maintain a Berserk state.
-The difficulty of appearing hostile forces increases by 300%.
-All basic stats of the player are fixed at Rank E.
[Story to Play: All]
-You must clear the stories of all characters to see the ending.
-Story 'Alice's Nightmare' is applied.
-Story 'Carmilla's Night' is applied.
-Story 'Don Quixote's Reverie' is applied.
-Story 'Javert's Iron and Justice' is applied.
Settings complete. Let's go. Just as I was about to move the mouse.
Ding-!
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked!]
[You have reached the 1000th run for the first time since the game's release!]
[Calculated as current Rank 1, a privilege will be provided accordingly.]
A message appeared on the screen. Reading it roughly, it seems they are giving a privilege to commemorate the 1000th run. My interest was piqued.
'A privilege... will they give game currency? Or a multi-run package?'
Where is the veteran who wouldn't get excited over content seen for the first time?
After taking a screenshot of the achievement, I continued moving the mouse.
The choice that appeared subsequently.
[Would you like to receive the privilege?]
Yes / No
Why ask something like this? It's obvious I'd take it.
Click-.
Without much thought, I clicked the button labeled [Yes]. And the next moment.
Whooosh-!
"Ugh...?"
A pure white light burst out from the screen.
The price of a careless click returned cruelly.
"..."
Unfamiliar sky. I mutter inadvertently.
"Fuck."
I let my guard down. To think this was the buildup to a possession.
"Haa... That was already a month ago."
I spit out a sigh. It's already been a month since I fell into the Neugeume worldview.
"All sorts of things happen, really."
Tap tap-. I tap the empty air. A blue window rising before my eyes immediately after. It was a screen that exactly resembled the game UI.
Ding-!
[Difficulty: Impossible]
-Challenges the highest difficulty.
[Additional Option: Hell Path (地獄道)]
-All spawned monsters maintain a Berserk state.
-The difficulty of appearing hostile forces increases by 300%.
-All basic stats of the player are fixed at Rank E.
The status window written exactly as set. How bewildered I was at first.
Ding-!
[Basic Stat Info]
-Strength: E
-Stamina: E
-Agility: E
-Mana Sensitivity: E
Furthermore, because the basic stats were all fixed at Rank E, it was a headache in many ways.
I recall the short but thick month.
"Well... still, somehow, I survived until today."
What day is today? It is the very point where the original work begins. The day the protagonist and the main characters enter the Academy.
This day has come only after enduring a long month.
'Although it's only the beginning from now on.'
I fiddle with the admission recommendation letter in my pocket.
Yes, the real game started now.
[Difficulty: Impossible]
-Challenges the highest difficulty.
The difficulty of this world is Impossible.
As you can feel from the name, it is a heinous Hard Mode. A mode where even a slight slip leads straight to world destruction.
'I have to stop it.'
In the case of Impossible difficulty, if you don't know the strategy, you can never clear it.
In other words, it means the world will be destroyed if I don't intervene.
Helping others or whatever, I have to stop it first so I can live.
That's why I'm trying to enter the Academy too.
'First...'
There was a place I had to stop by. A path I had to cross before the Academy entrance exam.
"The road is a bit gloomy."
A path leading off alone. It was the spot where the player spawned when starting the first run. It was also the place where the prologue progressed.
'I have to find Lanne quickly.'
Lanne, the protagonist of this game.
While heading to the Academy to take the entrance exam, she discovers people in danger.
A carriage attacked by cultists.
The righteous protagonist does not hesitate and steps up to save them. —That is the prologue.
"Why can't I see her? Did she leak to another side by any chance?"
Dense forest. There was nothing but thick bushes around.
Only a single road where a carriage could run connected through.
Perhaps because the fog was thick, securing vision was also difficult.
A scenery that was nothing but gloomy.
"Tsk, if I can't find her, I'm screwed."
I walk along the path. Just as I was grumbling and examining the surroundings.
"Oh."
Found it. I discover silhouettes shimmering in the distance.
An overturned carriage, and people standing next to it.
And something with a body size that would be three times that of the carriage.
A certain girl was blocking the front of the wriggling monstrous organism.
"Bingo."
I approach closer. As the silhouettes become clear, a sound glimmers in my ears.
—Everyone run away! I will handle this somehow!
Lanne Kihano.
The protagonist of this world, called by the alias 'Don Quixote'.
Fitting for an aspiring knight, she was covered in plate armor.
'She looks exactly like the illustration.'
Golden hair, faintly shining purple eyes.
She was a beautiful girl who snatched your gaze instantly. If there was a flaw, was it that she was frowning heavily?
Well, it couldn't be helped. If something like that was standing in front of you, anyone would be similar.
'So that is the prologue boss.'
The gatekeeper in charge of the prologue. If it were a normal game, friends like slimes or goblins would appear, but Impossible Mode is different.
—Grrrraaaah...
A bizarre crying sound. Hundreds of hands wriggle.
Within the hands that looked creepy, a grimoire was held in each.
The single head is covered by a robe.
That bizarre appearance creates a sense of fear.
'That mug looks vicious.'
Moreover, a height that would easily be 10 meters.
A body larger than three carriages stacked together.
Ding-!
[Name: The Reader]
-Species: Ghost
-Description: An invincible enemy. It seems best to run away.
The guy's name is 'The Reader'.
A ghost that devours life and transcribes existence.
Called by users as Jangbung-i.
Among Ghost-type monsters, it is a guy located in the highest tier.
—Kuh, haa...!
Even in front of such a guy, Lanne did not back down at all.
Had they already clashed a few times?
Her pauldrons were broken, and her body was a mess covered in dust.
However, the protagonist's back was still standing facing the weak.
'Kuh, that is the spirit of a hero.'
It was exactly like the cutscene seen several times in the prologue.
The protagonist pointing her spear confidently in front of trembling people.
Truly righteous.
'Well... separately from that, she won't be able to win.'
The current Lanne can never beat Jangbung-i.
Weakness, strength... it's not a one-dimensional problem like that.
Because it was set so that victory is impossible from the start.
'Gimmick-type boss.'
You know those, right? Boss monsters put in so you don't catch them from the start.
I mean things that absolutely do not fall due to story direction.
It is a case that can be frequently found in other games too.
'No matter what you do, you can't win.'
Actually, not a single scratch was made on Jangbung-i.
Lanne's spearmanship was only blocked every time.
It was the same in the original work.
Evacuating the people and escaping alive is the standard strategy.
'Of course, I will use an exploit.'
I step forward. If you ask if I have the power to beat that guy, naturally, no.
Look at my stat window again and talk.
[Basic Stat Info]
-Strength: E
-Stamina: E
-Agility: E
-Mana Sensitivity: E
At this level, let alone an Academy cadet, these are stats that would make for a good match with a passing farmer.
In short, a weakling. I didn't have the power to beat the guy.
However, if it's a method to beat the guy, I had one.
Because a weapon that transcends the limits of stats existed.
'Bug.'
Things I memorized, memorized, and memorized again in my past life.
Those were implemented exactly as is in this world too.
I pick up a tree branch at my feet.
—Grrrraaah...?
Did it notice my presence? Jangbung-i looks this way.
Whether it did or not, I fiddled with the tree branch.
Because there was a bug that worked only on the boss here.
'It's been a while.'
That guy has defense stats set to infinity.
Nullification of all physical attacks, nullification of magical attacks.
A crazy weight class where weakness doesn't exist.
However, the HP possessed as a default value is merely 1.
Since the defense can't be penetrated anyway, they set the health bar thin.
'I just have to force my way through.'
The bug I will use from now on is an application of this mechanism.
I hold the tree branch in my hand, alternating between the left and right hand.
Touch three times with the left hand, seven times with the right hand.
Repeat this process.
—Grrrraaaah!!
In the meantime, Jangbung-i designates me as the attack target.
Because the guy prioritizes the enemy with the lowest basic stats.
My basic stats average Rank E.
It means I am the weakest in this field.
Chwaruruk-.
Hundreds of books flip over, making noise.
Gloomy demonic energy swarms around.
"Over there! P-Please run away...!"
Lanne looks at me with an expression saying 'Oh no'.
Ready to rush over with her shield right this instant.
Even in such a situation, I was calm.
"Hmm."
There is a most basic bug.
A bug that can unconditionally inflict 3 damage to any target.
It doesn't matter if the armor is thick, the attributes don't match, or if they receive a blessing.
If it is a creature with a health bar, it applies unconditionally.
'If the damage is 3... it's at a level where you have to hit a slime a whopping 100 times to catch one, though.'
Therefore, activation is easy, but there aren't many places to use it.
If there is a unique place worth using it...
"Hey Jangbung-kun."
Right here, this guy. If I keep grasping and releasing the tree branch, an anomaly soon occurs.
Haze shimmering on the side branches as if the surroundings are breaking.
The bug has manifested.
—Guaaaaaaah!!
Jangbung-i screams a chaotic noise.
It was a momentum that seemed like it would melt my flesh and bones right now.
Just before the demonic energy poured over my head like that, I wiggled my finger.
Thwack-.
As I scratch the empty air, a swaying leaf extends out.
The surroundings crumple like a static screen.
Crash-!
Cracks appear as if a mirror has broken.
A world shattering into pieces.
Beyond the cracks split here and there, only Nothingness (無) where nothing exists shimmers.
It was an error that occurred after twisting providence with a bug.
The distance narrowed as space tore, and the leaf lightly touches the monster's body.
"Caught you."
Simultaneously with that mutter, the shadow shatters into pieces.
The haze of the tree branch transfers like sparks splashing on oil.
A short scream.
—Geuh, Geu-aaaaah...!
The flesh splits into countless fragments.
It breaks, breaks, and breaks... decomposing until it reaches a state where visual confirmation is no longer possible.
The concept of Nothingness (無) devours existence, and after that, only pure white margin remains.
As if erasing graphite on a notebook with an eraser.
'Deletion (消滅).'
The gigantic body hid its traces like a lie.
The stench of the terrible demonic energy, and the thick fog that had settled heavily also lift.
"Phew..."
The vision that brightened up sharply.
Sunlight shining through the dark clouds illuminates my surroundings.
An effect that appears only in special situations.
Ding-!
[Impossible Achievement Unlocked.]
-Defeated Prologue Boss 'The Reader'
-Reward: Mask of the Evil God x1, Robe of the Evil God x1, Grimoire that Should Not Exist x1
Perfect performance. As I am momentarily intoxicated with myself, I hear a voice from behind soon after.
"This, what in the..."
Purple eyes staring blankly this way. Golden hair sparkling receiving the sunlight. Our protagonist was currently out of it.
"How, did...?"
Eyes meet. Originally, first impressions are important in things like this. I smile so the opponent doesn't get scared.
Whoosh-. My hair flutters in the wind that blew just in time.
"Greetings."
Remnants of the bug remain at my fingertips.
Haze swarming as if to crumple the forest.
Even in the background breaking in layers, I just stood calmly.
The girl's purple eyes shake as if overwhelmed.
"I am a passing traveler."
It was a world-class gentlemanly greeting.