Game Over, NPCs

Kaden Watt’s words hurt me for a split second, but I quickly let go of the moment. More than feeling upset, I was relieved. It was a good thing that Kaden could only pick up on conversations between the System and me. Otherwise, he would’ve seen right through my fake affection. The exposure could have been a major setback for my mission progression. As I stood there in a daze, Kaden charged forward and tore into me. “Dad, chosen players like you make me sick! You never cared about anyone else’s consent. You forced Mom to be with you. I feel disgusted that your blood runs in me. I regret every moment being related to you.” As my six-year-old bore malice unbefitting of his age, Silvia ran her fingers along his hair with a faint smile before nudging him to Simon Bartone. “Kaden is right. Every second by your side in the last few years made my skin crawl. Now that your System is gone, I could keep you around so long as you stay out of drama.” With her tone dripping with ge

Anyway, the child, with just a bit of time with Simon, turned on me completely. The divorce was finalized in a week. Without another word, Silvia hurried away to embrace her true love. That night, the romantic merger between the Watts and the Bartones was featured everywhere. The approach was classic Silvia. True to her heart, she couldn’t wait to stake her claim and announce her engagement.I turned on the TV with a blank face. The wedding was a huge deal, held at the city’s swankiest hotel, complete with fireworks and synchronized drones. The history between Silvia and Simon had been rewritten into the perfect romance, wiped of any trace of my existence. Given all the romantic gestures and lavish spending, it must be real love. No one would’ve spent that much otherwise. I stared at the transfer transactions with multiple digits. I didn’t lose out for sure. Before I could change the TV channel, my phone rang. It was Kaden. Standing in the thick of the celebration, he st

That night, I got a call from Kaden. His little face, bearing some resemblance to mine, looked in distress. “How many times do I have to tell you, Dad? Don’t ruin Mom’s chance at a happy life. Why won’t you stop making everybody miserable?” Kaden fell into contemplation, seemingly weighing his options on what to do with me before letting out a sigh. “Grow up, Dad. Mom is getting married next week.” I nearly burst out laughing when Kaden mentioned the wedding. The wedding was the opportunity I had been waiting for. My disappearance at the right time would push Silvia to devastation. By going through the raw heartbreak, Silvia would then learn to love and cherish. Oblivious to my plans, Kaden simply grew frustrated with my long silence. “Did you hear me? Can you have some self-respect? You’re making me look bad.” Kaden fired off one angry line after another. “Yeah, sure, of course.” I brushed him off with a nod before blocking his number. Life was bliss without t

However, Silvia was at her wits’ end. With Kaden constantly crying for me, she could barely stay focused at work, often spacing out during meetings. Plus, she stank. Unable to stop my body from decaying, Silvia had to watch the rot take me while being caught in a cycle of self-destruction. Simon pleaded with Silvia. Stripped of everything, Simon had to grovel at her feet. “You promised me, Silvia. You can’t just dump me. You told me that we’d get married and be together forever. Calvin is gone. He doesn’t love you. He didn’t belong in this world anyway. We are the perfect match. I’ll care for you and Kaden. Just stop this.” Simon, his eyes welling up with tears, looked fragile and broken. Without looking up, Silvia simply gazed off into the sky. “No, he won’t abandon me. He’s just upset. That’s all.” Silvia sent Simon abroad, never allowing him to set foot back into her life. I stopped the System right there. Through my experience in quests, I knew that it was the male

With the knife slipping out of Silvia’s grip, the System jumped in to rescue the male lead with its powers. The world was beyond saving. Even if Silvia spared the male lead’s life, there was no way to revive their love story when the plot had deviated from the script. The Core System emerged. By triggering an Armageddon, everyone in the world would be wiped out.“Do you feel any regret, Player?” I shook my head at the System’s irrelevant question. “Am I getting a bonus?” I cared far more about my rewards than these characters’ lives. Such was human nature. Once I made up my mind that the characters were all data, my empathy didn’t apply to them. Since I stayed neutral, the Core System teleported me back to the real world and gave me a promotion. Talk about a blessing in disguise. No more world-hopping for me. All I had to do now was work behind the scenes and troubleshoot for other players, providing them with walkthroughs. Life was bliss when I didn’t have to deal w