A grotesque lifeform with an unnaturally elongated body was performing a disassembly show right before my eyes.
‘Truly a game for 19-year-olds,’ I thought.
Every time I swung my blade, plump chunks of flesh—no, blood—spilled out in a way that was oddly satisfying… no, disgusting.
And so, the battle ended with the white android.
After splitting the severed head in half to ensure a perfect confirmation kill, she had completed her task.
Thud, thud.
She began walking briskly toward me again.
‘Don’t tell me she’s going to mistake me for one of those grotesque lifeforms and attack me!’
[I’d rather not deal with that kind of misunderstanding. Too cliché.]
And besides, what kind of imposter could possibly mimic such a sturdy and reliable man (a virgin, no less)!
Her golden eyes stopped right in front of me, locking onto mine.
‘Truly, a god-tier game that captures only the best aspects of human beauty without any flaws.’
Her beauty was enough to slap even the most handsome celebrities.
Come to think of it, this must be the average appearance of androids in this setting.
[…Maybe humanity’s extinction wasn’t such a bad thing after all?]
“Um…”
“Yes, yes?”
[…My bad thoughts were interrupted.]
“Well… according to the computer, ‘clothing’ is an ‘equipment’ created by humans.”
“Huh? Ah…”
“But, sir… why are you in a state of nudity? If that was the standard attire for humans, I’ll immediately file a complaint with the main computer connected to us androids to correct the information. So, if you don’t mind, could you clarify?”
‘So, she’s asking if extinct humanity lived naked as a daily routine?’
‘Isn’t this a huge misunderstanding? But then again, in the 21st century, there were people who claimed aliens built the pyramids, so…’
For the sake of the main computer, which stores only accurate human knowledge, I decided to explain.
“Well, I just don’t have any clothes to wear.”
“Ah…”
I bashfully clasped my hands in front of my groin and confessed the truth.
‘But was it just my imagination?’
Gulp!
“Huh?”
Ahem…
Something about the android in front of me…
‘Her gaze keeps drifting downward, doesn’t it?’
The android who had inadvertently saved me went by the codename: P927JSO261PA.
Shortened to ‘Levi,’ she introduced herself as one of the last hopes humanity had created to eradicate the grotesque lifeforms from Earth’s orbit.
She was part of the ‘Great Abomination Extermination Protocol,’ commonly known as the ‘Rescuer Program.’
“Loyalty. I am codename P927JSO261PA, a combat android belonging to the 4th Unit of the Rescuer Program. You may call me Levi.”
“Nice to meet you, Levi. My name is Kang Chanwoo.”
“Chanwoo. We androids were created for the preservation of humanity. Although… I was taught that no humans survived by the time the Great Abomination Extermination Protocol began… Still, as an android, there’s no reason for me to address you, a human, with honorifics.”
“But…”
“Please feel free to speak comfortably. Android Law, Article 0, Clause 1: All android rights and freedoms are determined by humans.”
‘So, there’s an Article 0 in Android Law?’
‘I thought it started from Article 1, especially since some of the more scholarly androids in the story always started quoting from Article 1.’
But perhaps because a human had appeared for the first time in the story, I ended up learning some trivia even I, with 20,000 hours of playtime, didn’t know.
“By the way, if you’re part of the 4th Unit… that means you’re a combat unit, right?”
“?! How did you know that?”
“Huh? Well… I mean, we humans created androids, so isn’t that just common knowledge…?”
Earth’s land, sea, and air had all been annihilated by grotesque lifeforms.
Just before extinction, humanity launched a massive cradle-like spaceship capable of self-control and development into space—the Rescuer Program, or R.P.M.
“Everything is for humanity.”
R.P.M. was equipped not only with a babysitter system capable of developing combat androids but also with the genetic material of humans, capable of reproduction, in preparation for the day when Earth would become a harmless planet again.
Thus, R.P.M. periodically dropped fully developed androids from space back to Earth to signal the beginning of a ‘new humanity.’
Among the android units created by R.P.M., those specialized in combat were called the 4th Unit.
[The 1st Unit was support, the 2nd Unit was survival, the 3rd Unit was stealth, the 4th Unit was combat, and the 5th Unit was the elite unit with balanced stats, right?]
By the way, these five classified android units appeared as selectable classes when first playing <Star’s Doll>.
Of course, the most recommended unit for newbies was the 5th Unit, with its evenly distributed stats.
Next was the 1st Unit, which could act as a supporter behind NPCs, or the 2nd Unit, with its tenacious vitality that made it less likely to encounter certain death.
Or the 3rd Unit, which could use ‘stealth skills’ to escape from near-death situations.
And the white android in front of me, Levi, belonged to the 4th Unit.
While it sounded impressive as a combat unit…
[It’s basically a unit for hardcore veterans.]
Of course, as a combat-specialized unit, it boasted the strongest combat power among androids.
But one had to think carefully.
This game, <Star’s Child>, while containing soul-like combat elements, was also a real-time survival game with ‘thirst’ and ‘hunger’ mechanics.
A combat unit that, while capable of fighting well, inevitably falls short in areas like “gathering” or “construction” compared to the other four units.
With all their stats poured solely into combat, they became infamous as the “newbie-killer unit,” where clueless newbies would pick them thinking stronger is always better, only to quit soon after.
***
“Hey, Levi.”
“Yes. What is it, Chanwoo?”
“Um… I feel bad asking this right after we just met, but could you lend me some spare clothes?”
“Spare… clothes, you say?”
“Yeah. The truth is, I’ve been wandering around naked because I don’t have any clothes.”
As Levi and Chanwoo exchanged greetings, the red sunset painted the sky above.
As evening fell, the temperature gradually dropped, making the chill noticeable.
So, by chance, Chanwoo had also met an android responsible for the safety and survival of humanity.
Even if it was just ragged clothing, he decided to ask Levi for some spare clothes.
Srustle.
“But what are you doing now?”
“Hey, Levi? Why are you suddenly trying to take off the bodysuit you’re wearing?”
“I apologize, Chanwoo. I currently don’t have any spare clothes. Instead, though it’s not much, I’ll give you the bodysuit I’m wearing.”
“You don’t have spare clothes…?”
“No, forget the bodysuit.”
Clothes that cling tightly to the body should only be for women.
Men just look ridiculous in them.
Even if I freeze to death, I’d rather not be seen in a sleek, skin-tight bodysuit with everything on display.
And there was one more thing that didn’t make sense.
“But how can you not have spare clothes? Usually, when androids land on Earth, R.P.M. deploys a few extra skins… I mean, clothes, don’t they?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I’m an android from the 4th Unit of R.P.M., and I’ve only been on Earth for 89 days.”
“Wait, but why don’t you have spare clothes already?”
“Because I ate them all as ‘food.'”
“…What?”
Like in other games, it’s common for games featuring attractive female characters to sell skins.
Even in Doll of the Stars, they seemed to know how appealing their female characters were, as they provided three free skins without needing to buy DLC.
“But you ate all of them?”
“They were edible when roasted.”
Confidently.
She said it so confidently, as if eating clothes was the most normal thing in the world.
Her expression showed no hint of understanding why this might be strange.
Truly, she was the epitome of a combat unit with nothing but fighting on her mind.
‘Clothes, after all, are made from animal hides or theoretically edible fibers… so they can be eaten… Hmm. Well, of course… Mhm!’
Still, it was such an absurdly inefficient diet that veterans would never recommend it.
‘I mean, burning through a skin just to satisfy hunger?’
That’s not about cost-effectiveness; it’s pure extravagance!
But as someone who was saved, it felt awkward to nitpick.
So, I decided to treat the lost skins as if they never existed and wondered what kind of equipment she might have in her inventory.
“Hey, Levi. Can I check what’s in your inventory?”
“You mean the inventory system? Of course. Normally, checking the contents of an inventory is restricted to superiors and fellow comrades. But for someone like you, Chanwoo, a human, I can ‘open up’ anytime.”
“So, you’re saying…”
“Just say the word, and I’ll ‘open up’ for you anytime.”
‘Just say the word, and she’ll open up?’
Of course, it’s about the inventory, but still, this is (because of combat) a 19+ game.
It never fails to meet my expectations.
And so, to check the inventory, Levi began pulling out items she had farmed from the fourth-dimensional space connected to her android body.
From the valley between her chest, where the on/off mechanism of her bodysuit was located, she started retrieving items one by one.