Chapter 154 : I Have Nothing to Say to an NPC Like You

So, people really do laugh when they are speechless to the extreme.

Milly stared at the black curtain that pierced the sky and earth, at the words displayed on it, and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards uncontrollably.

She laughed.

Not a joyful laugh, nor a self-deprecating one, but an awkward laugh born of the absurdity of being pushed to the limit by reality.

Her shoulders trembled, her face changing color. She was on the verge of breaking down in front of the sudden truth.

Milly raised her fist and slammed it into the black curtain. There was no pain. Her fist was repelled the moment it touched, and the text changed.

[No Path Ahead, Please Turn Back]

Refusing to give up, Milly extended her palm toward the curtain. The tentacle that shot out was also repelled instantly.

[Stop Trying, There Really Is No Path Ahead]

What a joke.

From the moment she had sensed something wrong, she had prepared for the worst. She was ready to accept anything. But when the truth was right in front of her, she realized her preparation was useless.

She hadn’t transmigrated to a fantasy world from a novel. She had transmigrated into a game world. And an unfinished one at that.

No wonder the dissonance was so strong. No wonder some things were inexplicable. The citizens of Starlight City had never seen a living demon, yet their hatred was intense. Milly had simply believed it was due to the Church’s propaganda, indoctrinated from childhood, making them believe without question.

Milly looked at the screen, wanting to say something.

Now it seemed it was all base code at work. The hatred of demons was hardcoded into every NPC. No wonder her exposure had gone so poorly.

She had exposed herself to protect the Silver Falcon Squad, but every member had turned their weapons on her.

The base code was still working. Whoever wrote it had programmed them to identify a demon and immediately switch them from ally to enemy, regardless of the situation.

Back then, she had questioned their sudden change of face, calling them NPCs. She had protected them, only to be treated as an enemy after defeating the Shadowblade Beast.

It seemed her accusation was spot on. They really were NPCs. The rest of the Silver Falcon Squad were NPCs. Tifna wasn’t just a program, but a slightly special one, a program that had broken through the base code. If she continued to develop, she might eventually awaken consciousness.

And that wasn’t the only strange thing.

Thinking back to her escape in the city, some things were too coincidental. Every time she shook off the pursuing knights and found a new hiding place, a squad of knights would appear right in front of her. At the time, she had thought it was just bad luck. Now it seemed they had literally spawned in her path.

Like monsters in a horror game, spawning on your necessary route.

As for Stacy, who was staring at her… Milly shifted her gaze from the black curtain to Stacy. This guy was probably a program too, a game character, an NPC.

But how far Stacy had developed was hard to say.

Intuition told Milly that Stacy’s situation might be even more special than Tifna’s. Perhaps she had not only broken through the base code but had also awakened her own consciousness.

That was why she… no, wait. From the moment they met, that guy had wanted her to leave this world.

Suddenly, Milly thought she knew Stacy’s goal. That guy knew the world was fake, so she was desperate to leave. But as a created character, she couldn’t leave on her own. So she needed an outsider, a player, to help her leave.

That was why she didn’t know how to leave. No wonder she had forced Milly to leave but hadn’t told her how, instead making her find it herself. Because she didn’t know. She wanted to copy Milly’s method, or find a way to leave with her.

No wonder she was so eager for her to leave when they first met. She was afraid of missing her chance with this outsider player.

Although she had awakened her consciousness and knew the world was fake, she was still a created character. Stacy’s knowledge was limited. She couldn’t find a way to leave, so she pinned all her hopes on Milly.

To force her to leave as soon as possible, and to prevent accidents, to cherish this rare hope, she had resorted to extreme measures, trying to make Milly submit completely. For Stacy, that was the safest way to achieve her goal.

Only by keeping the opportunity firmly in her own hands was it safe.

But Stacy obviously hadn’t expected her to be so stubborn. And later, when Milly realized she was the important one, that Stacy needed her, Stacy’s attitude began to change.

Stacy must have realized it too. Milly, the player, was the main body, and she just needed to use Milly’s program.

Just then, Milly noticed Stacy’s gaze. There seemed to be a hint of concern in it. But was that concern programmed, or from her awakened self?

“Milly… let’s go back. I told you, there’s nothing here.”

“Nothing?”

“No, there’s plenty here. This concerns the truth of the entire world.” Her guess was right. Stacy’s understanding of things outside her programming was limited.

“You know, there’s a lot of stuff here.”

Hearing Milly’s answer, Stacy frowned. There was nothing here. Was Milly’s brain broken from the shock of disappointment?

“Milly, you…”

Stacy was about to check on Milly, but Milly pushed her hand away.

“I have nothing to say to an NPC like you. You wouldn’t understand anyway.”

“NPC? What are you talking about?”

Milly must have really lost her mind. Stacy frowned deeper. She needed to check the little one’s head, even if she refused. But then, an even stranger situation occurred.

After speaking those strange words, Milly suddenly pressed herself against the black curtain, repeatedly squatting and standing at the edge of the world, like a broken machine.

“Milly?”

“Quiet. I’m glitching.”