NOVEL WEB Arc 8: Motivation – Chapter 8
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Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
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"Speech"
Time*
Arc 8: Motivation - Chapter 8
A week later*
Daisuke felt bored out of his mind once more, something that became more frequent as time went on. It shouldn't have been possible with him having the Omnifabrication and all the beautiful women in his life. Even his desire to travel the multiverse seems to become less of a goal and more of something not worth doing now.
The sound of Nobunaga ordering her soldiers outside had long faded into the background, blending seamlessly with the white noise of his restless thoughts. The only reason Daisuke knew this was happening was by glancing out the window from where he stood, staring with dull, listless eyes. The scene below was of disciplined chaos, with soldiers moving precisely under Nobunaga's commands. Yet, the energetic life and activity outside felt worlds apart from the boredom that enveloped him in the living room of his house.
"More tea, Master?" Altera offered as she stood beside Daisuke, holding a beautifully ornate tea set tray. The delicate porcelain cups, adorned with intricate floral patterns, clinked softly against each other as she shifted her weight. Her presence was calming, a stark contrast to the turmoil within Daisuke's mind. She looked at him serenely, her eyes searching his face for any sign of acknowledgment or response. The fragrant aroma of freshly brewed tea wafted through the air, a small comfort.
"Sure." Daisuke said dully as he took the teacup from Altera. Predictably, the tea spilled over him, the hot liquid searing his skin. "Ow." He muttered, more out of habit than actual pain. With a weary sigh, he activates Omnifabrication, effortlessly fixing the mess and drying his clothes instantly. Once again clean, the teacup rested in his hand as he took a careful sip, savoring the warmth and subtle flavors. Yet, even this small pleasure couldn't improve his depressing mood.
He stared into the amber liquid, reflecting on its pointlessness and wondering what had led his mood to spiral into such a deep, unavoidable unhappiness. At this rate, he might as well use Omnifabrication to forcefully get rid of the negative emotions he has been experiencing for some time now.
Daisuke drank the entire teacup in one long gulp, the warmth of the tea offering a fleeting comfort. He handed the empty cup back to Altera.
Taking a deep breath, Daisuke decided to take more drastic measures to address his pervasive sense of despair. He activates the Omnifabrication, together with the immense powers of Great Red and Ophis.
He materialized a small, special pill, its surface shimmering with a soft, rainbow glow. It was a marvel of creation, designed to clear his mind and lift the heavy fog of his depression with a mix of hope and desperation.
Daisuke tossed the special pill into his mouth, feeling it dissolve instantly upon touching his tongue. The sensation was both surprising and pleasant as the liquid remnants flowed down his throat and settled into his stomach. From there, a soothing energy began to spread throughout his body, gradually making its way to his head. He closed his eyes, relishing the cool, refreshing sensation that seemed to cleanse his mind. The weight on his mind lifted gradually. A faint smile curved his lips, the first genuine sign of relief he had experienced in what felt like an eternity. As the pill's effects continued to work their magic, Daisuke's thoughts became clearer, and the oppressive darkness that had clouded his mind began to dissipate.
Feeling better than ever, Daisuke allowed himself a moment to relish the newfound clarity and lightness that had replaced his earlier sorrow. However, he didn't linger in the joy of this experience for long. With a focused thought, he used Omnifabrication to create a sheet of paper that floated gently into his hands.
The paper quickly filled with future routes, each path carefully mapped out and annotated with brief summaries of potential futures.
Daisuke's eyes scanned the sheet, absorbing the possibilities with a newfound sense of purpose.
Sure enough, Daisuke slipped into one of the future subroutes of the main path he had been aiming for. The difficulties of his plotted routes had not accounted for the overwhelming surge of negative emotions that struck him. Even the presence of Scathach, who had recently reentered his life, couldn't help him of the boredom that led to his depression.
Daisuke rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he continued to analyze the sheet of paper. Each route, each possibility, seemed to blur into the next as he searched for something he couldn't quite name. With a deep breath, he flipped the paper over, revealing a side he hadn't yet explored.
The back of the sheet was different. It was less crowded with routes and more focused, containing a detailed analysis of his recent feelings of boredom and depression.
Unbeknownst to him, an unknown force had been at work, manipulating the very fabric of reality to sow seeds of discord and despair within his mind. Utilizing the Worm's will of the planet as a secret channeling medium, this unknown had orchestrated a subtle but potent infusion of negative emotions directly into his consciousness.
The insidious influence seeped into his thoughts and emotions like a creeping shadow, subtly tainting his perceptions and distorting his desires. It whispered doubts and insecurities, amplifying his feelings of boredom and uneasiness, steering him unknowingly towards a future subroute that he had been trying to avoid.
"Master, do you desire my service to satisfy your sexual needs?" Altera asked, her voice devoid of emotion, her expression blank. Yet, her eyes betrayed a subtle flicker of longing and concern.
"It's fine." Daisuke said with a gentle smile, reaching out to rub Altera's head."Maybe later. I'm not in the mood right now."
What is left unsaid is how he is somewhat afraid whenever Altera becomes a bit too excited and ends up breaking one of his ribs or a couple of bones during sex. He will have to create another special pill to improve his body's durability or just outright use Great Red's powers to cause his injuries to become an illusion.
"Now, let's go out and see how the others are doing." Daisuke said as he walked towards the front door. Altera quickly and gently placed the tea tray on a nearby table, her movements precise and efficient. She then hurried over to the door, eager to assist him.
In her haste, Altera's immense strength, usually kept in check, betrayed her. As she reached for the door handle, she applied too much force. With a sudden, jarring crack, the door, along with a notable portion of the wall, was ripped away. Bits of plaster and wood splintered and scattered across the floor, leaving a gaping hole where the entrance once stood.
Daisuke stopped in his tracks, "Still need to work on that control, Altera."
Altera's eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Master. I didn't mean to—"
Daisuke held up a hand to stop her. "It's alright, Altera. No harm done." He reassured her, fixing this easily with Omnifabrication. Let's just go see how the others are doing."
With a nod, Altera stepped aside, allowing Daisuke to pass through the front open door.
"We have big plans ahead of us, Altera. Things are going to change, for the better or the worse." Daisuke grins.
Author note: Alright, that's the end of this story. It's a lame way to end, yeah. I know. Also, there are many plotholes as well. In hindsight, I should have gone for the original personalities of the MC in the original series. But, if I do plan to make a sequel to this story, I would develop this story's MC to become like the original, or close at least.
Anywho, the sudden way to end this was somewhat in such a way is because of how I needed to develop the MC's personality. From a somewhat curious go-with-the-flow guy in the beginning to an empty guy, and finally ends up with a heavy dose of depression due to lack of experience on how to be 'happy' if you want to say, until I lead to giving him a drug to make him happy with joy.
Honestly, my original version of this story was aiming for an ending for blazing glory, short due to all the MC's stuff he made over his journey in the multiverse, returning to KonoSuba to deal with the gods, specifically Eris. But something came up, and I had to scrap it along with the original version for this new one.
Sorry for not making the ending exciting, guys. My bad. I was not expecting to lead the story to... this. Hehehe.
Now, with this story done and maybe potentially have a sequel with all the plotholes and foreshadowing I've made to be used in the following sequel. If I get to that point, like my other stories... yikes.
Anyway, thanks for reading! I'm going to have to think about which stories to take the Friday slot for uploading or outright make a new story, which I should really not do with the many stories I already have. But, damn, do I lack the motivation to do it. Again, my bad. I am still researching the best world for the ending of Failure IS An Option story, and man, it's hard. I found a couple, but I had to scrap it or just wasn't satisfied with it.
Sorry for the short chapter, especially for the ending. I couldn't think of any other way that doesn't end up leading to the following events in Worm.