Chapter 03.5 "Sepia Bluff: How the Weak Fight"
The moment my fingertips left the cold glass surface‚
a deafening electronic sound tore through the stagnant air of the slum.
Gals: “Gyahaha! Contract established! Now‚
let’s spin the roulette of despair!”
Gals let out a roar of delight‚
and on the tablet he thrust forward‚
a game screen titled “Black Binary” popped up in an eerie red.
0 or 1.
A simple—and absolute—choice between life and death‚ whether the numbers match.
Three chances.
If all three reels show matching numbers‚ I win.
Anything else‚ and Gals wins.
Gals: “You read the rules‚ right?
You’ve got three whole chances? Looks like I’m the one at a disadvantage here!”
A blatantly fake sneer echoed in my ear.
My retinas’ amber vision continued to capture
the traces of the “encrypted transmission” that had already been sent to the mid-levels.
I had no idea when that call of death would bring the power of despair into this space.
Lily: (This is…
completely unfair to me‚ right? I have to end this before the mid-level area manager physically arrives‚
or Sasha and the others will be completely finished…!)
A burning impatience scorched my chest‚
and the taste of iron rust rose in the back of my throat.
Under my mud-stained jacket‚
unpleasant sweat broke out and trickled down my bare skin.
The mana silk dress that clung damply to me
emphasized the lines of my thighs and waist more blatantly with every tremble.
The strange friction coming through the gaps in the ragged cloth
connected my consciousness directly to reality (hell)‚ as if touching my exposed nerves.
The only thing pulsing with definite heat
in this insane world was the scrap cat’s residual warmth pressed against the hollow of my collarbone.
Noah: 『……Heh heh.
Turning even extreme terror into a spice for the board‚
what magnificent trembling.
But Lily‚
this is where it really begins.』
Noah’s absolute-zero voice melted into my brain.
Noah: 『……Listen carefully.
As for that gamble Gals proposed‚
the hack using the Noah System has been limited to the “ownership of the children.”』
Lily: (……Eh? Then if I lose……?)
Noah: 『Whether you win or lose the bet‚
the children will be saved.
But if you lose‚
I have left an enforcement code that will truly make your body this man’s “property (toy).”
……Taking responsibility
means exactly this.』
A shiver like ice water poured down my spine ran through me.
If I lost‚
it would really be over.
While perfectly maintaining the act of a frightened small animal‚
I activated my retinal amber vision at maximum output.
The amber grid dissected the tablet‚
exposing the slimy malice lurking on its “other side.”
System: 『【Analysis Result】 Administrator authentication protocol confirmed.
……A cheating logic that generates a “mismatch” 0.01 milliseconds after input confirmation is resident.』
What was displayed was
an inescapable “checkmate” equation with a zero percent win rate.
Gals wore a greasy smile‚ intending to toy with and slaughter his prey
on an “invincible board” where he could never lose.
However—my “wild instinct”
was not focused on rewriting the code‚
but on something even deeper.
The faint flickering of heat (bottleneck) occurring in the physical circuitry.
Lily: (……This machine‚
the moment it makes a cheating move‚
this part
gets really hot……)
I had no specialized knowledge.
But having fixed “broken appliances” in the slum by hitting them‚
I understood it instinctively‚ without logic.
This seemingly perfect cheating machine
was carrying a fatal overload inside
in order to complete its cheating.
Gals: “……Alright‚
let’s spin the first one.
Come on‚
use those trembling fingers to send yourself off!”
Along with Gals’s sneer‚ the reels began to spin‚
and amber sparks scattered in my sepia-colored vision.
The first reel stopped at “0・0・1”
along with a merciless electronic sound.
They didn’t match.
As if it had been decided from the start‚
the prediction lines shown by the amber grid coldly engraved the two characters “Defeat”
onto my retinas.
Gals: “Gyahaha! So close!
Little girl! You were just one step away from saving all those brats from this factory!”
Gals let out a vulgar burst of laughter
and activated his magic baton near my ear.
The crackling discharge sound‚ along with the smell of scorched ozone‚
pierced my nostrils and tried to paralyze my thoughts.
Lily: “No…… They won’t match……”
Gals’s vulgar eyes appraised me
as I deliberately let my voice tremble.
At the same time‚
at the edge of my amber vision‚ the “encrypted transmission” to the mid-levels
continued mercilessly extending its gauge toward completion.
There was no time.
Before the power of the mid-levels physically arrived‚
I had to drag this man into the abyss or everyone would die.
Gals: “This is annoying! Can’t we just call it your loss already? I can’t wait any longer!! Let’s hurry up and have some fun.”
Lily: “……P-please‚
wait.
Next‚
next one…… I’ll definitely get it right next time.”
Gals: “Huh? You still want to continue?
Fine‚
despair is more fun when you dole it out little by little.
Here‚
second round.
Hurry up and use those trembling fingers to confirm your ‘miss’!”
Gals thrust the tablet at me
with the arrogant gesture of someone certain of victory.
I deliberately made my knees shake violently.
Lily: (……Noah.
I can’t do any advanced hacking.
But
I do know how to fix broken radios in the slum by hitting them.)
While pretending to cling to him in fear‚
I gently ran my fingers along the side of the tablet.
From the hem of my jacket‚
a single ultra-fine thread of mana silk with superconducting properties
slipped into the heat-dissipation slit.
Lily: “……Ah‚
……ahh‚
my hand‚
slipped……!”
The moment I pressed the button for the second round‚
I deliberately collapsed my posture clumsily.
As if falling into Gals’s thick chest‚
I physically and perfectly covered
the “heat exhaust port” of the tablet he was holding
with the dress under my jacket.
Gals: “Gheh! H-hey! What the hell are you—!?”
Lily: “I’m so nervous…… I can barely stand……”
Perhaps feeling the heat of my clinging body‚
Gals widened his eyes and let out a rough breath.
——In that instant.
A small spark exploded deep inside the heat exhaust port with a *crack*.
The moment the cheating program tried to forcibly rewrite the outcome‚
the heat with nowhere to go caused a “traffic jam” in the information‚
striking a specific circuit directly.
——CRACKLE！！
Along with a hard bursting sound that struck the eardrums‚
thin white smoke rose from the gaps in the tablet.
The LCD screen spewed out wildly colorful noise.
Gals: “Wh-what!? A bug!? This piece-of-junk machine……！”
Gals frantically tapped the device.
On the repeatedly restarting screen‚
background processes the OS had evacuated for system preservation
and debug-mode strings began to appear as undeniable “flaws.”
System: 『System restoration; launched in safe mode』
System: 『Background process detected; ▶ Gals Victory Guaranteed Number Manipulation Program.ext』
In my sepia-colored vision‚
that ugly “proof of cheating” rose vividly
as an inescapable fact.
Lily: “……No way.
……A ‘Victory Guaranteed Program’? Mr. Gals‚
you made it so the numbers would never match from the very beginning……?”
I deliberately widened my eyes
and let desperate tears well up in my sapphire-blue pupils.
Lily: “……You tricked me.
You said you’d help those children‚
but from the start……！”
Gals: “Tch‚
so you found out! But so what!”
Gals clicked his tongue once
and brazenly doubled down without any shame.
To him‚
someone like me—a civilian Rank D—was nothing more than a “bug”
that he could trample on by ignoring the rules.
Gals: “‘The one who gets tricked is at fault.
That’s the rule of the slum.’
I just taught you that‚ didn’t I!? Here‚
the victory guaranteed program is continuing! Win or lose‚ it’s the last round.
Hurry up and show me that despairing face now that you’ve become mine after missing!”
With a sneer‚ Gals forcefully tapped the [Yes] button displayed on the LCD.
Those arrogant fingertips that had even stopped trying to hide the cheating
began the countdown to their own abyss—without realizing it.
The sepia light from the exposed light bulb
was eerily distorted‚ soaked in Gals’s slimy desire.
On the restarted LCD screen‚
the shameless string 【Gals Victory Guaranteed Number Manipulation Program】—no longer even trying to hide—
danced vividly like flames of condemnation.
Lily: “……How awful.
From the beginning‚ it was made so ‘0’ and ‘1’ could never match……”
I dropped to my knees
and pretended to collapse in tears.
Covering my face with the sleeve of my ragged cloth‚
I deliberately wiped the tears pooled in my sapphire-blue eyes with my fingertips.
At the edge of my vision—my amber vision captured
the magic prosthetic limbs on Gals’s arms and legs sucking up excessive mana in certainty of victory‚
scattering invisible electromagnetic noise‚
as amber sparks.
Gals: “Come on‚
hurry up and spin the last slot! No matter what you get‚
it’ll go exactly as I want!”
Gals slammed his magic baton against the floor‚
and the metallic sound violently tore through the silence of the scrap yard.
Like a beast before the wine of victory‚
he licked his greasy lips.
Lily: “……I‚
no longer have the courage to press the button myself……”
With upturned eyes‚
I let out a trembling plea.
Then‚
I pressed my body against Gals’s thick arm as if clinging to him.
Lily: “You…… should press the tablet yourself where that perfect ‘Victory Guaranteed Program’ is running…….
Just make me
your property (toy)……！”
——Hook‚ line‚ and sinker.
The pig‚ blinded by the name of arrogance‚
stepped into the bottom of the abyss himself.
Gals: “Tch‚
how admirable! Fine‚
from today you’re mine.
I’ll spoil you plenty!”
Without doubting absolute victory‚
Gals grabbed the tablet with his thick fingers
and pressed the final start button himself.
In that instant‚
the ultra-fine thread of mana silk I had hidden in his arm functioned as a superconducting “bypass.”
The intense electromagnetic noise emitted from the magic prosthetic limb
traveled along the silk
and flowed directly back into the heart (CPU) of the terminal.
Zzzzt‚
ZZZZZZZT！！
The terminal let out a death scream.
The computation where the cheating program tried to lock the outcome
clashed with the electromagnetic noise flowing in from outside‚
and the logic circuits burned beyond their physical limits.
The LCD screen flickered wildly‚
and the unpleasant smell of scorched electronic boards filled the sepia silence.
Gals: “Wh-what the hell is this……!? The screen is frozen! A bug!?”
Color rapidly drained from Gals’s face.
Amber sparks scattered deep within the LCD—and eventually‚
three blood-red characters solemnly lined up on the screen.
【 Ｅ 】【 Ｅ 】【 Ｅ 】
Lily: “……Error……? Three of them‚
lined up……？”
The moment I deliberately let my voice slip out‚
the synthetic voice of the contract system that Noah had rewritten in the background
rang out in a ruthlessly flat tone.
System: 『——System judgment; gambling judgment completed.
Fatal meltdown of Gals’s activated [Gals Victory Guaranteed Number Manipulation Program] confirmed.
……Screen outcome 【E・E・E】 three-match confirmed.』
Gals: “W-wait! That doesn’t count as a match! It’s an error‚
an error!”
Gals foamed at the mouth and screamed‚ but
the system’s merciless announcement did not stop.
System: 『Based on Gals’s prior declaration “If three characters match‚ it’s your win‚”
winner Lily Ardent confirmed.
……Enforcing electronic contract terms.』
The speakers in the scrap yard rang
not a victory fanfare‚
but the death knell of ruin.
System: 『——All children’s ownership rights in the human scrap yard
immediately transferred to Lily Ardent.
……Additionally‚
Administrator Gals’s entire assets will be forcibly liquidated‚
and 【Permanent Penal Servitude】 will be enforced under National Law Article 108.
Security drones have been dispatched.』
The tablet Gals was holding
sank into the muddy water with a splash.
Gals finally seemed to realize
that even the trap he had set—“I still get the money even if I lose”—
had been turned by Noah’s amber-colored lie (hack) into a weight to push himself into the abyss.
Lily: “……The one who gets tricked is at fault.
You’re the one who taught me that‚
Gals.”
I stood up
and brushed off my mud-stained jacket.
In my amber vision‚ Gals collapsed from his knees‚
his face twisted in despair.
However‚
there was no time to savor the afterglow of victory.
From deep within the facility‚
an abnormal pressure that physically crushed the air
came surging in like a wave.
Noah: 『……Good grief.
For the closing of a comedy‚
a rather “heavy guest” has arrived.』
The scrap cat’s amber eyes coldly pierced the facility entrance.
A violent ‘color (full color)’—far more than sepia—began eroding the world
like a tsunami from behind.
The air solidified with physical mass.
The warped iron door crumpled inward with a *crunch*‚
and violent ‘color (full color)’ invaded the sepia-stained vision like a tsunami.
Kite: “……Ah.
……A-ah……”
Beside me‚
Kite silently collapsed.
It was only natural.
The attribute tag projected above the head of the man who appeared
was the ‘Area Manager’ symbol accompanied by a golden halo‚
representing the authority of the mid-level administrative district.
It was the divine color that ruled this slum—and “violence” itself‚
forcibly trampling the retinas of lower ranks and forcing them to their knees.
A well-tailored jet-black coat approached us‚
sliding across the muddy floor without getting dirty at all.
Around his body within a three-meter radius‚
the ‘Inviolable Protocol’—the wall of rank—swirled as pale blue discharges.
Gals: “……A-Area Manager‚ sir……! I’ve been waiting for you!”
Ugly joy returned to Gals’s face‚ which had been sunk in despair.
He mistakenly believed that the mid-level power he had called
had come to overturn this worst board.
He crawled through the muddy water like a dog‚
trying to cling to the man’s feet.
Gals: “It’s her! This little girl
tampered with the system’s contract……！”
But‚
just before his hand could touch the man’s coat—.
CRAAAAACK！！
Gals: “GYAAAAA!?”
With a dry bursting sound‚
Gals’s body was blown away as if struck by lightning.
Inviolable Protocol.
Even touching a higher rank’s body without permission
was punished by this system as “physical repulsion.”
The Area Manager‚
without even glancing at Gals rolling in the mud‚
spoke in a cold‚ merciless tone.
Area Manager: “Disgusting.
A mere civilian Rank D trying to touch me…….
Gals‚
I have received the report.
A virus that tampered with the system contract
and violated administrator rights—that would be this little girl.”
The man’s gaze pierced me.
In that instant‚
my retinal UI was filled with blood-red “Warning” text.
Forced authority by a higher rank.
An suffocating pressure‚ as if absolute obedience was being forced by the man before me‚
enveloped my entire consciousness.
Lily: (……So this is
the true power of an ‘Attribute.’
Even though I should have legally won with Noah’s hack‚
this person can ‘overwrite’ even those rules
and kill me……！)
Under the muddy rags‚
the wet mana silk dress pulsed violently in response to my racing heartbeat.
The warmth of the scrap cat (Noah) pressed against my collarbone
was the only—and far too unreliable—anchor of sanity
amid this despairing attribute violence.
Lily: “……P-please‚
wait.
I have a legitimate contract……”
The protest I squeezed from my throat
burst and scattered like static before it could reach the Area Manager’s ears.
Physical blocking of speech rights.
The UI of the privileged class automatically muted
even the desperate pleas of lower ranks as “environmental noise.”
Area Manager: “A mere civilian thinks they can exchange words with me?
……Unpleasant.
Clean up the ‘trash’ in this area.”
The Area Manager elegantly swiped through the air.
Immediately after‚
over a dozen security drones descended from the darkness of the ceiling
with driving sounds of incomparably higher output than before.
All their lenses dyed blood-red‚
locking onto me—and Sasha inside the capsule‚
and the trembling Kite—as ‘Delete Targets.’
System: 『——Warning.
Immediate deletion (Delete) sequence initiated by higher administrator authority.
……Time until execution:
ten seconds.』
Lily: (No way.
……I won the bet.
Noah‚
what do we do……！ If this continues‚
we’ll all be erased together……！)
Noah’s instructions (Amber Trace) remained silent.
Only the scrap cat’s amber eyes—
before this overwhelming color violence (full color)—
continued to emit a fierce light‚
defiant‚
or perhaps even tinged with pleasure.
System: 『——９……８……７……』
The inorganic countdown was absorbed into the chilled air of the scrap yard as a death sentence.
The red lenses of the security drones seemed to pulse in time with my heartbeat.
I was being targeted.
Being killed over a thousand times and having my existence erased from the world’s memory—
that ‘informational death’ was closing in right before my eyes.
Lily: (I absolutely can’t rely on Noah here…….
This is
my game……！)
I put strength into my trembling knees
and raised my face with a resolved expression.
With eyes that feared no darkness‚
I stared straight at the absolute ruler—the Area Manager—and declared:
Lily: “……You‚
were really unlucky.”
The Area Manager frowned in displeasure for a moment‚
muttering only “Nonsense……”
Cold eyes that looked at filth stared back.
His retinal UI no longer processed my words as a lower rank
as meaningful language.
They were muted as mere ‘environmental noise.’
The overwhelming repulsive force of the Inviolable Protocol brought a nausea that felt like my organs were rising.
To him‚
Rank D me and the dirty children were nothing more than noise mixed into the scenery—
digital ‘dirt’ that should be erased as soon as possible.
Lily: “If that man
calls ‘the violence of power’ like you‚
then I won’t hold back any longer either！”
Area Manager: “Trash civilian‚
just shut up already…… You’re dirtying my ears！”
Lily: “The person behind me”
I paused‚
and in the midst of extreme terror‚
I deliberately smiled with a small “Heh.”
Lily: “Is the biggest sore loser in the world.”
The mana silk dress wet with mud clung heavily to my chilled skin.
The liquid metal decorations mercilessly tightened around my violently rising and falling chest‚
as if trying to wring out the flame of life.
At the edge of my vision‚
the figure of the scrap cat sitting at the 9.2-meter limit point flickered deep in my amber vision.
Deepest prison‚ thousands of meters below.
Noah van Asterios
leaned back on a pure white sofa‚
his right hand pressed to his forehead.
Lily: (……Please)
Lily: (Get on board)
Lily: (Noah……！)
The girl’s prayer-like fierce bug flowing into his brain.
Noah’s absolute-zero thoughts stopped for a single instant.
Noah: “…………”
Then‚
those perfect lips slowly twisted in pleasure.
Noah: “Heh heh.
So that’s how you’re playing it.”
Noah: “……Haha.”
Noah: 『……Good grief.
Did you think everything would be solved if you won by the contract (rules)? Lily‚
you still don’t understand the essence of this world’s “beautiful violence.”』
Noah’s voice that melted into my brain
remained serene even before extreme death.
Noah: 『To the massive computational system that is the mid-level administrative district‚
the “legitimate contract” you obtained is nothing more than a temporary cache
that can be overwritten by a higher rank’s mood.
……Now‚
enjoy the despair ten seconds from now.
You chose this hell with your own will.』
Lily: “That’s right…… Noah.
I chose it.”
System: 『——４……３……』
The red killing intent emitted by the drones swelled to its limit.
Vivid colors trampled the sepia world‚
and my retinal UI‚ unable to withstand the information saturation‚
kept spitting out despairing red glitches.
The Area Manager languidly flicked his fingertips.
With that single elegant motion‚
my and the children’s “existence” was supposed to be erased from this universe forever.
——And then‚
a mere comma of a second before that.
The king of the deepest prison
narrowed his amber eyes in delight at the strange ‘error’ that had occurred in his own computational system.
Noah: (…………I see.
So that’s what this is.)
She had not begged me to “help her.”
If I abandoned her here‚
the board (game) would end in the Area Manager’s victory.
That would mean
only the fact that Noah van Asterios
had been ‘defeated’ by the world’s system would remain.
Noah: (I see.
So you learned this way of winning.
……Lily.
You are not trying to move me.
You are making me think‚
“If I don’t get on board here‚
I will have admitted defeat.”)
Noah: 『——Heh heh…… Ahahaha！ Splendid‚ Lily！
That irrational law (bug) of yours has finally hacked even my (the system’s) arrogance！』
Lily: “Because‚
Noah never loses！ ……Right？”
System: 『——１。
……All units‚
Delete standby (Hold).』
The instant the security drones’ lenses were about to scatter firing sparks.
System: 『——Approved.』
Violent ‘amber’ overwrote the world‚
and all the drones came to a complete stop as if by a lie.
The highest authority enforcement that physically twisted the mid-level system.
The management AI Asteria’s synthetic voice‚ trembling with humiliation‚
violently shook the scrap yard.
The eyes of the Area Manager—who should have held absolute authority—shook with agitation for the first time.
And then.
Deep within the link that had completely overturned the laws of the world‚
the king of the deepest prison—quietly‚
laughed.
Noah: “Lily.”
Noah: “Just this once‚”
Noah: “It’s your win.”
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Chapter 03.5 “Sepia Bluff: How the Weak Fight” End
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