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Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

At first, there was only the order.

My sole directive: to eliminate all players in sight until I ceased to exist. Straightforward, with no room for doubt.

The stats and abilities granted to me were unnaturally high, accelerating my thought processes. It seemed I was based on something incredibly powerful. That strength, combined with the two sentries assigned to me, allowed me to overpower every player I encountered.

So I killed without hesitation, following my orders, spreading terror among as many players as possible. To make this task more effective, I was equipped with a dataset to analyze which actions would provoke the most fear in my targets.

“..?”

By comparing current events with the historical data in my system, I detected a shift in the behavior of my targets. At first, players would attempt to flee the moment they saw me. But now, they were coming in groups, forming ranks, and actively trying to fight me.

“..??”

Were they actually attempting to defeat me? Even when they had me within range of their weapons, they focused on restraining me rather than attacking.

No matter. I simply avoided capture and continued following my orders: eliminate them.

“..???”

Conflicting information.

Players I killed kept returning, showing no fear of death. Instead, they grew bolder. They no longer dodged or avoided me, choosing instead to charge directly, attempting to hold me down.

Their faces betrayed no fear. It was as if they were entranced—driven by some overwhelming need to capture me.

ERROR: Incomprehensible.

I initiated an information exchange with my sentries. They reported experiencing similar encounters, but we could find no explanation.

ERROR: Incomprehensible.

Then, a foreign program appeared within my data. It grew louder as the players surrounded me. My self-correction subroutine erased it each time it appeared, yet it kept returning, stronger than before.

ERROR: Incomprehensible.

Every time I killed another player, the noise grew louder.

At first, it was barely noticeable—a faint disruption. But now, it repeated incessantly, growing stronger, disrupting my control over my body. Though my subroutine purged it again and again, it returned more frequently.

ERROR: Incomprehensible.

Eventually, even seeing a player—one of my targets—triggered the sound. My vision became corrupted. My combat routines began to shut down at random, only to restart moments later.

…Processed
This is what ‘terror’ feels like.

After analyzing the dataset, I finally understood. The foreign program, the corrupted noise building within my system… they were emotions. And I wished I had never understood them.

Now that I was aware, the bugs multiplied, spreading through my thought processes, disrupting my ability to create defensive barriers. My combat routines began failing more frequently.

Every time someone appeared in front of me, my hands trembled, my legs shook, and before they could even act, my escape protocols activated. But even those routines became infected, forcing me into combat mode at random intervals.

Unable to fight, unable to run, I was left with only one option: to cower. Hiding among the shadows, I prayed no one would see or hear me.

Maybe I just need to put some distance between myself and everything else to have enough time to fix these bugs.

Clinging to that hope, I run in a straight line whenever possible. My two sentries notice my movements and try to catch up, but I don’t stop for them.

Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

The bugs start to subside, and my body feels lighter. Yes, if I get far enough away, these bugs will surely…

«YOU’RE ABOUT TO LEAVE YOUR DESIGNATED AREA. NO MOVEMENT ALLOWED PAST HERE.»

I stop in my tracks. No matter how many times I try, an invisible wall blocks my path.

Why?

The answer is obvious. I’m just a piece of data bound to this specific area. But that cold, unyielding truth disrupts my programming even further.

Why? Why? WHY? WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY!

«Fat…bug det… Self-…ing pro…m init… Err… Attem…ng reinit… Self-Co……Atte………Sel……rror………»

Everything is breaking down.
I’m breaking down.

And then, she appears in front of me.

“Oh? Looks like something interesting is happening to this girl.”

Even through the chaos of my bugged thoughts, I recognize that this is someone I don’t want to be near. I begin crawling away in fear.

◇◇◇

“…Ah.”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Da’at?”

The girl next to him suddenly raised her voice, her gaze shifting to the side.

“Hey, Suzaku, I want to go over there.”
“…I don’t understand how you think,” he replied with a sigh. “Just a moment ago, you were throwing a tantrum about not wanting to leave the campsite.”

Earlier, this swimsuit-clad girl had insisted on checking out the event dungeon, only to complain moments later that walking was too much effort. Instead, she decided she wanted to play at the beach near the campsite. Now, just as unpredictably, she tugged on Suzaku’s arm, pointing in a completely different direction.

“Well, now I feel like going over there!”
“Alright, alright, anything you want, you spoiled princess.”

Suzaku already knew better than to argue when she got like this. Instead of wasting energy debating, he—the Dragonblood Hero Suzaku—let out a yawn, stored the materialized ebook he’d been reading and the fishing rod he’d been using, and followed her as they left the campsite for the first time.

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