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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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— External Record (5) —
Blessing of the God of Chains
The character will absolutely obey the player’s commands during this playthrough.
This was the blessing I had been waiting for.
The one that would allow me to control that idiotic Allen.
And so, I began my 101st playthrough.
‘With Absolute Obedience, even Allen should be able to handle a wolf.’
He usually froze in terror whenever he encountered a wolf, but with Absolute Obedience, it shouldn’t be a problem.
I was a little annoyed that he had learned [Swordsmanship (B)] on his own, but it was better than him dying a stupid death early on, especially in such a crucial playthrough.
Besides, it seemed like [Swordsmanship (B)] would be more useful for him right now than [Precociousness].
To my surprise, he was making surprisingly clever decisions.
Well, not surprising, exactly. More like… he was doing exactly what I wanted him to do.
‘I knew he was getting smarter with each playthrough…’
But this playthrough was different.
He was being far more proactive, as if he trusted my Absolute Obedience to keep him safe.
He was exploring new routes, taking risks I never would have considered before.
For the first time ever, one of my Allen playthroughs reached the Trial.
Each hero had their own unique Trial.
And this one… I had never seen it before.
An endless desert, stretching out as far as the eye could see.
Allen walked and walked, his small figure dwarfed by the vast expanse of sand.
I only used Absolute Obedience to make him drink more water, to prevent him from collapsing from dehydration.
But for some reason, I felt compelled to observe him, to let him struggle on his own.
Watching him walk through that desolate landscape… I saw a reflection of myself, of my own struggles, my own quest to prove something to the world.
It was like… a miniature version of my own journey.
Eventually, he collapsed.
It wasn’t because he was physically exhausted. Based on my past experience with him, he still had the strength to keep going.
But I wasn’t sure if he had the will. I had been in a similar situation once before.
And I hadn’t gotten back up.
So I watched him.
I wanted to see if he could overcome this obstacle, if he could find the strength to rise again.
I waited and waited…
Just as I was about to intervene, to use Absolute Obedience to protect him from a pack of approaching wolves…
He got up.
He used his relic to drive away the wolves.
It was as if… he was taking the first step on my behalf, proving that it was possible to overcome despair, to find hope even in the most desolate of places.
Allen’s journey continued.
He made mistakes, of course. Sometimes his decisions differed from mine. But I decided to trust him.
I only intervened when he truly needed my help, when he was in mortal danger.
Perhaps it was because I had raised him for 100 playthroughs, but there was a strange connection between us now, an understanding.
I could usually grasp his reasoning, even when his actions seemed illogical.
And the times I couldn’t understand… well, trying to decipher his motives was part of the fun.
But eventually… problems arose.
After Libero’s comment about my swordsmanship interfering with Allen’s growth, I had tried to refrain from using Absolute Obedience to control his fighting style. It was frustrating, but I persevered.
But then, I was forced to use it during a dangerous encounter.
Lately, he had been making more and more decisions that differed from mine.
And his foolish act of mercy, sparing a bandit, had almost cost him his life.
I couldn’t let him die.
So I used Absolute Obedience.
And from that point onwards, he became wary of Absolute Obedience, distrustful of its influence.
That wasn’t my intention.
I had been trying to limit my use of it precisely because I had anticipated this outcome.
‘Damn it.’
Frustrated and exhausted, burdened by the weight of our unresolved issues, he eventually sought out the Trial.
I couldn’t fault his decision. It made sense.
As his Trial began…
I instantly recognized its setting.
It was a replica of Allen Pleak’s playthroughs, from the first to the 100th, the ones I had personally guided him through.
But that wasn’t the main issue.
‘Absolute Obedience… disabled?’
Of course.
The Allen of those 100 playthroughs hadn’t had Absolute Obedience.
I was worried. Could he handle it without my control, without my guidance?
But my worries were unfounded. He navigated the Trial with surprising competence.
He was stronger than any version of Allen I had ever raised.
There was only one thing that might explain this sudden shift.
‘His first Trial.’
When Allen had collapsed in the desert…
What had happened to him?
His transformation had begun at that point.
‘What was he thinking? What was he feeling?’
There was no way to know.
But one thing was clear: he wouldn’t have made it this far if he hadn’t gotten back up.
He had overcome that moment of despair, and it had changed him.
He had mistaken the recordings of his past playthroughs as memories, clinging to the past, desperately trying to change it.
And in his relentless pursuit of a better past, he had eventually stumbled upon the truth.
He had figured out the Trial’s nature.
But just as he was about to reach the reward screen, something unexpected happened.
The loading screen reappeared, and he was sent back to his 13th playthrough.
‘Why?’
I soon found out.
He sought out Libero and began training under him.
And he continued to do so in subsequent playthroughs.
‘He’s putting in so much effort…’
His dedication, bordering on obsession, made me close the emulator window I had been using to watch his playthrough.
My own reflection stared back at me from the dark screen.
I was the one who had given up, using my injured leg as an excuse, trying to find meaning and validation through Allen.
‘What am I even doing?’
He had already proven himself.
He had surpassed my wildest expectations, while I remained stagnant, trapped by my own limitations, my own fear.
I minimized the emulator window and gazed at Allen’s determined face.
He had become a skilled swordsman, even without my interference, without my control.
‘Maybe I should start studying coding again.’
It wouldn’t be easy.
Just like the world of swordsmanship, the world of coding was filled with talented individuals, people I might never be able to catch up to, no matter how hard I tried.
But it was better than giving up without even trying.
‘First things first…’
I looked around my messy room.
‘I need to clean this place up.’
I noticed the overflowing ashtray filled with cigarette butts.
I emptied the ashtray into the trash, then hesitated, staring at the remaining cigarettes in the pack.
And then I tossed them in as well.
My phone vibrated.
I dismissed the low battery warning and saw a new text message.
‘What’s this?’
— This record is a preserved copy before deletion by ?. Distribution is prohibited. —
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