This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

After everything was said and done, and by that I mean Shizu being done puking her guts out, we found ourselves back in the same room as before assuming the same positions as last time. Nothing had really changed, except for probably Guidance having the gaudiest clothes out of all of us, even somehow out-dressing a literal Imperial Princess in her own capital city.

"What?"

I raised an eyebrow at Guidance\'s questioning tone. I just couldn\'t help but stare at the dev still sitting on the bed. Her clothes just gave her an air of professionalism that I rarely associated with her voice. With her newly-dubbed [Keystroke] strapped on to the right side of her belt like a massive keychain, I honestly didn\'t know what to think of her at the moment.

"You look amazing," I bluntly complemented.

"T-thank you..."

She blushed, surprisingly. I guess her shy personality was still in there despite everything that she might try to hide it.

Meanwhile, on the small couch beside the door, Shizu was still replenishing what she just lost. I\'ve bought her a few more of the [Bento Boxes] that she liked, and she was scarfing them down like a professional bodybuilder. I mean, she was already on meal five out of six. How else was I supposed to describe it?

"I didn\'t think Shizu would look this..." Guidance trailed off beside me as we watched the one NPC in the room do her thing. "This... inelegant..."

"Well, if you\'re responsible for her personality, you only have yourself to blame," I shrugged.

"And I accept that. It\'s just that... This is just surreal..."

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed at the dev\'s complaints. Seriously, she built the entire world around us. What right did she have to complain? Also, "When am I getting my own set of clothes? I\'m gonna look stupid walking beside you two with just a cotton shirt and pants."

Guidance hummed as she brandished her keyboard, "What do you even want anyway?"

I froze.... What did I want anyway in terms of clothing?

"Well?"

"Something cool, I guess?" I hesitantly replied, my uncreative brain doing back-flips to try and come up with a concept. "Maybe a coat like yours?"

"Pfft-" Seriously?! "Can you come up with something original, Moriya?"

"Sorry for not being the artistic type then," I scoffed. "Cause clearly, that\'s your specialty."

She flinched at my words, but quickly recovered herself as she fired back. "I\'ll have you know that you are correct in your assumption. I\'m a graphic designer at one of the biggest software firms in the country."

"What country?" I teased. "Keep in mind, we\'re stuck here now."

"I-"

"Done!"

Guidance and I immediately had our attention taken away from us as Shizu announced her victory. Six empty bentos were now stacked right on top of one another by her side as she patted her still flat belly, the princess flashing a satisfied grin as she beamed at us.

"Thanks again, Stranger- Err- Moriya," Shizu smiled, correcting herself as she then turned to look at Guidance. "M-My Lady... I apologize for the-"

"S-Stop that. I\'m no lady," Guidance immediately cut the princess off, her own stutter thankfully tapering off the more she spoke. "How many times do I have to tell you that I\'m not a god?"

The dev\'s harsh nature made Shizu\'s smile falter a bit before the princess somehow reinforced it with an even bigger smile. "Oh! Got it, My Lady-"

"Stop it!"

Even I flinched at Guidance\'s sterner tone. The poor princess\'s smile fell completely, replaced with fearful anxiety as the dev let out an apologetic sigh beside me.

"Look, I... I\'m just not used to being called that, okay?" Guidance reluctantly admitted. "If you\'re gonna call me anything, call me by my handle. At least it won\'t feel as awkward as \'My Lady\' or some other title that I don\'t deserve."

I sagely nodded at the dev\'s tone, honestly relating to her struggles as I decided to add in some thoughts of my own. "Still, you\'re technically the god-"

"Don\'t."

"Heh... Well, it was worth a shot," I chuckled.

"Sorry, M- Guidance..." Shizu apologized, her hands firmly on her knees as she bowed her head low. "I\'ll do my best to address you properly next time."

And once again, another uneasy silence blanketed the entire room. With me having no dog in this race, I guess it was up to me to get the ball rolling again.

"Okay, can we get back on the task at hand?" I suggested with a smile. "Namely, to even see what that task even is?"

"Isn\'t it clear? We have to stop the war before it gets too far," Shizu quickly voiced out her thoughts. "With two- err... three additional [Somatics] on the Empire\'s side, we can launch our own attack on the enemy before they can try to encroach on Kattleynan land again."

I hummed at the princess\'s blatant nationalistic bent. It was a goal, at least, but what did the dev have to say about all of this? "Guidance?"

"Yes?"

"What\'s our next step, do you think?"

Guidance fidgeted in her seat, her over-the-top clothes suddenly looking like it was threatening to swallow the poor woman as she meekly spoke. "I... I guess we can follow the Main Quests but..."

"You think they\'re not gonna be working properly anymore, right?" Cause why would they be?

The dev nodded, "With Shizu being all grown up and the Empire on high alert... They are on high alert, right?"

I found myself looking out the window. And sure enough, the guards were still there. "Yep. Soldiers are all over the streets."

"Then we should be around the time when [Vestyge] will try and launch a full-scale attack on some of the outlying Kattleynan Islands," Guidance muttered out. "You should be around level forty for this, Moriya, and yet you\'re only, what? Nineteen?"

"Twenty-three, actually," I corrected. "Can\'t you see my levels?"

Guidance\'s eyes widened, "Yeah... Why can\'t I see your levels? That shouldn\'t be possible..."

As if clockwork, the dev immediately whipped out her keyboard again. Looking at the floating screen, she typed furiously as her face only devolved further with every keystroke.

"This.... This isn\'t right... I shouldn\'t be an NPC!"

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

AN: Kindly vote so that I can get back to 2 chaps per day ^^