The Game Master arrived on the scene.
He stood out immediately. Unlike all the other players clad in fantasy-style armor of every kind, he was dressed in a simple office suit. He wore thin-framed glasses and had neatly combed light brown hair in a bob cut.
Game Master: "So, what's the problem?"
A chorus rose from the crowd of people angry at me—some accusing me of being racist, others of cheating. In all that chaos, I hadn't even managed to speak with my friends. I hoped I had seen wrong, that they hadn't actually reported me. But no—they had vanished into the crowd.
"I'm afraid I'm the problem," I answered.
Game Master: "Yes, that much is obvious. With accusations like these, I have no choice but to inspect your character thoroughly. Come with me."He touched my shoulder, and we teleported into a completely white room with a single control console. It was too white—almost blinding.
Game Master: "According to player reports, you really did say that word. Are you an idiot or something? But let's put aside the racism accusation. The way you one-shotted a player twenty levels above you, completely at random—that's strange. So? What kind of cheat system are you using?"
"I'm not a cheater. It's that weird skill—it activated on its own, basically forced me to say that word, and it also drains all my attribute points, keeping me from leveling up properly," I said.
The Game Master immediately opened my profile.
Game Master: "What skill? I don't see anything."
"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?" I shouted.
I opened my profile window.
[VerbTank]
I hated that term so much. I thought I had left it behind—left it in my old life. But it was still there.
Game Master: "I'm sorry, but with these accusations and the evidence on hand, I have to ban you permanently from the game. Nothing personal. As you know, your account is tied to your real-life identity, so don't bother buying a new Full Dive device or creating new accounts—it would be pointless. Please don't give us more trouble."
"Sure, I understand," I replied.
The Game Master placed his hand on my shoulder and said:
Game Master: "Ban ID: Nero N. 456235"
Suddenly, a spark burst from the contact between his hand and my shoulder.
{Passive Skill [VerbTank]: Death successfully avoided}
{Passive Skill [VerbTank]: Your understanding of the formula [Ban] increases}
'What? Death? Wait, what the hell kind of formula is "Ban"? That's a console command, not a game spell!' I thought.
Game Master: "What the hell?! What did you just do? What kind of cheat system is this??"
"I told you already—I'm not a cheater!" I opened my profile window right in front of his eyes. "See?!"
Game Master: "Okay, now I do see it. But what kind of bug is this? 'VerbTank' isn't even in the list of in-development skills—never heard of it."
"I have no idea. Honestly."
Game Master: "Your fault or not, what you did still happened. I can't just let it go—I have responsibilities. Being a Game Master is a job, I'm not here playing around like you kids. You understand that, right?"
"Yes, I understand."
Game Master: "I'll teleport you to a newly released high-level zone. Life won't be easy for you there. It's incredibly far from all other areas, and based on our estimates, it'll take even professional players months of main quests to reach it—so I can't imagine how long regular players will take."
He put his hand on my shoulder again, though with a bit of hesitation this time.
Game Master: "TP ID Nero N. 456235 to Green Hell"
'Green Hell?! Shit, that doesn't sound welcoming at all.'
Another spark flared between us.
{Passive Skill [VerbTank]: Irreparable damage prevented}{Passive Skill [VerbTank]: Your understanding of the formula [TP] increases}
'As soon as I get some time, I'll figure out everything about this damn skill,' I told myself.
Game Master: "I figured this would happen. Fine, let's try something else."
He created a teleport stone linked to the new zone.
Game Master: "Touch it and go. I don't want to see you again, kid. And if you have even a shred of self-respect, don't ever log in again."
I didn't answer.
I touched the stone. This time, no glitches.
I found myself in the middle of a forest, flat on my ass. Everywhere I looked, there were trees, dry leaves, and the sounds of animals I really hoped were far away. It was too much for one day.
I logged out. I still needed to clear things up with my friends.