Prologue - Bad Dreams
Oh look, it's another original chapter. A flashback...for a non-cyborg? Eh. Guess it's some of that "foreshadowing" or something.
Well, whatever! Let's move on to the termination already!
Anyways!
Who is the random snake lady? What is she dreaming about? What does any of this have to do with termination? Tune in next time, to find out!
1 - Tiberius’s Friends
Oh no. Not an Adamant Bull Worm! Whatever shall our gang do about that?
Anyways!
Can the group safely scout the Adamant Bull Worm? Can the group get the cheapskate Vafum to help them? What’s going on in Velusitum? Tune in next time, to find out!
2 - What Do You Mean, “Don’t Terminate?”
And so 00P has been introduced to the concept of grinding. No, 00P, respawning enemies doesn't mean you rush to end the mission, they mean you delay so you can farm all that juicy juicy experience!
Wait…should we not have told that to the cyborg who doesn’t need to eat, barely needs to sleep, and doesn’t run out of mana? Um…i-it’s ok. You can’t find the persons of interest in the dungeon, 00P! So you can’t just stay there until you’re so OP that nothing else in the world can threaten you! Got it?
Anyways!
Can the author distract 00P from realizing the implications of infinite grinding? What will 01R do at this sudden meeting? Can 00P and friends terminate…err…save the dungeon? Tune in next time, to find out!
3 - Terminate the Adamant Bull Worm!
Ain’t no worm too big or too ornery for NSLICE-00P! Unfortunately, Agedia will now have to tell Vafum she broke yet another lance.
Anyways!
What will Vafum do when he finds out Agedia broke yet another lance? What is 01R planning with the pretender-imposters? What does NSLICE-00P think about metal-eating worm subordinates? Tune in next time, to find out!
4 - Terminate . . . err . . . Save the Mines of Might!
Obviously the Great-High King of all the land thought of 01R’s simplistic plots long before the traitorous minion ever could! And these lowly rat monsters would have bowed to his self-evident majesty and might!
He definitely doesn’t desperately require assistance.
Anyways!
Will Vafum and Agedia now help 00P with her quest? Can 01R and 02S save the snack…err prevent the Great High King’s triumphant rise? Can Snuan escape or betray the terrifying rat-thing knight? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - The Might of the Legion
Oh hey! The Legion actually did something! NSLICE-00P doesn’t have to deal with all the incursions herself after all! Which is good, because she technically doesn’t care about incursions unless she or the friendlies are about to get killed by one.
I’m sure the knife from hell isn’t anything to worry about.
Anyways!
What is the dwarves’ decision? How will Vibius handle the powerful wandering mercenary in his province? Can the Legion continue to do its job and avoid unrelated third parties picking up the slack? Tune in next time, to find out!
5 - Establishing Priorities
I am definitely not also reprioritizing what to do because I gave 00P entirely too many opportunities to follow-up on. Because I'm definitely not just winging this whole thing and doing whatever. There is definitely a plan. Yes. Somewhere. Probably. Possibly. Maybe.
A-Anyways!
Can 00P determine the nature of her current reality? Will she efficiently gather data on psychology? Will 01R emerge victorious from this fight? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - The Alert Is Sent! The Boss-Queen’s Servants Call for Aid!
Hmmmm, sorry, I didn’t intend for this to be an interlude at first, but it ended up longer than anticipated, and timing-wise this stuff needed to happen and conclude concurrently with NSLICE-00P and Ateia’s conversation. Can’t say 01R started a fight and then have him just getting started the next morning, can we?
Anyways!
Can 01R become a warrior worth-deserving of the wise-mighty-gracious boss queen? Will Snuan be allowed into the safe-secure colony? What is the Great-High King thinking of now? Tune in next time, to find out!
6 - Shifting Focus
01R, the rogue who dreams of becoming a barbarian. Hm, if only he had access to some sort of upgrades that could increase his firepower...
Anyways!
Can 01R and Rattingtale acquire the power they need? Will Snuan be subjected to experiments? Will NSLICE-00P unlock the secrets of the Banishment spell? Tune in next time, to find out!
7 - Divining the Answer
01R can fly now. Flying iron rats.
Anyways!
Can 01R learn to fly? What happened to NSLICE-00P when she cast that spell? Did she gain any useful data? Tune in next time, to find out!
8 - Premonitions
Thought about doing the whole status here since it’s been a while but meh, I’m tired. Besides, generally save it for relatively important moments, so eh. (From the Future: Thank goodness for all the audiobook listeners I got lazy!)
Also, we must terminate the Divination spell. How dare it give 00P bad dreams?! We’re coming for you, whoever made that spell!
Anyways!
Are NSLICE-00P’s organic components malfunctioning, or is something more at play? And what does Magister Vibius want to speak with Ateia and Taog about? Tune in next time, to find out!
9 - A Dark Secret
Welp that could be a problem.
Anyways!
What will happen to Ateia and Taog? What is about to happen in Utrad? What will a certain cyborg’s response to this be? Tune in next time, to find out!
10 - The Status of the Friendlies
Wait, you mean we can’t just terminate the guy who’s supposedly still doing his job and has sufficient authority to justify his actions? It would create hostility with the Empire at large? That’s…um…
…NSLICE-00P, how do you feel about sneaking?
Anyways!
Can NSLICE-00P determine the status of the friendlies? Will she end up manipulated by Magister Vibius? Will the situation require a direct response? Tune in next time, to find out!
11 - We Must Continue to Rely on Negotiations
I’m sure there’s a good explanation for this and we will all talk this out calmly like logical adults.
Anyways!
Will a new Empire rise in the north? What will Magister Vibius’s response be? Will we talk this out calmly? Tune in next time, to find out!
12 - Aggressive Negotiations
Ah, yes, we are calmly talking things out like adults. Lying to one another and resorting to bluff and bluster when we don't get our way! Adults do that, right?
Anyways!
How will these negotiations conclude? Tune in next time, to find out!
13 - Operation: Rescue Friendlies
Well well well looks like someone's earned themselves one free termination. Good luck, Magister Vibius. You're going to need it.
Anyways!
What will the gang do now? How will the Magister report this to Caelinus? Does Magister Vibius have a non-zero chance of survival? Tune in next time, to find out!
14 - This Unit Absolutely Will Not Stop, Ever, Until You Are Terminated
And so it begins. NSLICE-00P vs. the Legion, go!
Why doesn't she just use the Equalizer on the obviously magical storm, you ask? She will try that first thing next chapter, actually! So stay tuned!
Anyways!
Who will emerge victorious in the coming battle? Can NSLICE-00P overcome the might of the Legion? Is the Legion prepared for a cyborg dungeon core? Tune in next time, to find out!
15 - The World-Conquering Legion vs the Ultimate Weapon
Gasp plan orbital bombardment didn’t immediately solve the problem. Isekai armies aren’t allowed to be competent, what gives? What do we do now?
Anyways!
Can NSLICE-00P find a way past the Legion’s defenses? What can we possibly do when plan orbital bombardment fails? How can she reach and terminate her target? Tune in next time, to find out!
16 - Explosive Innovation
Welp, they tried their best.
Anyways!
How will the battle conclude? Is there anything left the Legion can do? Tune in next time, to find out!
17 - Terminate the Rebel Scum!
I should probably show NSLICE-00P’s full status here, but eh. I got lazy and had to double check the numbers to make sure everything’s correctly updated lol, so it'll be in the next chapter. Because right. This is a LitRPG. We’re supposed to have statuses and stuff. And the last time I showed the status was like, almost fifty chapters ago. Whoops. (From the Future: And then it turned out I showed the status too much. Dang it, I could've been so much lazier back then!)
Also, not showing XP for the kills in this chapter cause we're just going to consolidate it with the like 800+ Legion kills she got before this. Considered just using the kill counter here too but eh, the scale has dropped so these notifications are more useful here. Might be hard to notice the triple digit kill counter increase by 2 lol.
Anyways!
What will be the conclusion of these things…and the consequences? Tune in next time, to find out!
18 - The Aspiring Emperor’s Final Order
…went through and sorted all the numbers beforehand, and the status still took forever to update. Turns out I forgot little things like the fact that I completely changed the magic system such that the spell list had to be redone and I hadn’t actually displayed it since said change so had to do so now.
…must…resist…urge…to terminate…status… (From the Future: No! Don't resist! Give in to your anger! From the audiobook perspective the status is evil!)
Anyways!
How will the negotiations conclude? What’s next for Utrad, Turannia, and the Empire? What will the wider world think of these events? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - Mission Report: Utrad
All right everyone, put your bets in because the race is on! Who will get themselves terminated first: evil cult or idiot court politicians? Can they take on the favorite of random unrelated dungeons? And of course, the Ursanus is always waiting in the wings!
Anyways!
Who will win the race to termination? Tune in next time, to find out!
19 - Keep Calm and Comply
Plot twist, the deserter boss was honestly concerned about the girl being left alone in an empty mansion. It’s not safe hanging out in the lawless city alone, you know! What’s she going to do if she runs out of food or a monster makes its way inside? There’s safety in numbers and mobility, you know.
Anyways!
What do the Northern Court’s people want with NSLICE-00P? Can Agedia restore order in the meantime? Tune in next time, to find out!
20 - An Imperial Invitation
How many subtle social norms did NSLICE-00P terminate in her brief conversation with Princess Caecila?
Yes.
So I’m sure everything will be fine!
Also, Agedia you were supposed to be an Utrad-only character, why you coming along now? But then it's like, does it make sense for Vafum and Agedia to just be like 'oh ok good luck with the court politics you all!'? Well, no, not really. So here we are. Dang it girl, I'm still working on the last minor character who decided they'd become part of the gang because it made logical sense!
Anyways!
Is the gang prepared to enter the world of court politics? How many social norms will NSLICE-00P end up terminating? What happens if Agedia becomes sober? Tune in next time, to find out!
21 - Taking Flight
This unit is programmed for destruction, not etiquette. Oh well! A dysfunctional Court doesn’t matter to NSLICE-00P! She’s busy analyzing as much of the ship as she can.
Anyways!
Can Princess Caecila find a way to hold the court together and atone for her role in the chaos? Will Rector Aemilia finally gain some clout back in Corvanus? What will the cyborg that doesn’t care about any of that do in the meantime? Tune in next time, to find out!
22 - The Princess’s Plea
Help me NSLICE-00P, you’re my only hope! But unfortunately, Imperial credits are no good here, NSLICE-00P needs something more real.
Anyways!
Can Princess Caecila find something that will benefit NSLICE-00P enough to intervene in court politics? How will the rest of the Northern Court react to NSLICE-00P? Is the capital ready for their new visitor? Tune in next time, to find out!
23 - The Emperor of the North
Meanwhile, NSLICE-00P observes that the valued allies have become more valuable! It's a good thing with no major consequences, right? Well, as long as it makes them more efficient at fulfilling their contract!
Anyways!
Will all this aid NSLICE-00P on her quest? How will the Northern Court respond to these events? Is anyone in the Court not a jerk? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - Checking in on the Land of Rain
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
One of my patreon readers was interested in the Turannians' response to all this. I wanted to do their reactions eventually anyways so I went ahead and did it...and may or may not have gotten kind of into it. This interlude's like the longest chapter oops.
I'm sure Uscfrea gaining command of several Legions plus a bunch of skilled and talented individuals from Utrad will be absolutely fine.
Anyways!
How will Uscfrea integrate these newcomers into His Queen's realm? How much will Tiberius drink at this news? Can Governor Aemilia turn things around with her family's support? Tune in next time, to find out!
24 - Stealth and Shadows
Fortunately NSLICE-00P’s protocols state that she should not terminate anyone’s puppies under any circumstances. Her creators knew better than that.
Now hopefully everyone else knows not to try and terminate NSLICE-00P’s…err…’valuable allies’.
Anyways!
Can NSLICE-00P upgrade her stealth network? Can Ateia and Taog navigate this situation they’ve found themselves in? How will the Imperial Mages’ Academy react to NSLICE-00P? Tune in next time, to find out!
25 - The Imperial Academy Arcanum
What, you mean you can’t record pages as fast as your eye can intake data and then instantly recall anything you’ve ever recorded? Classic organics. I did, in fact, consider using drones like EldritchPasta mentioned, but figured it might be slightly disruptive depending on how loud they are/inconvenient for them to turn pages/roll scrolls based on how their grasping parts are shaped.
Besides, we don't want her to read the WHOLE Library in one sitting. Do you...do you know how many spells I'd have to think of for that?!
Anyways!
Can Apprentice Callisunus guide NSLICE-00P as she requires? What will NSLICE-00P find in the Empire’s accumulated mystical knowledge? Will the gang follow all the rules of the Library and avoid seeing the special Fist spell? Tune in next time, to find out!
26 - Analyze the Other World!
Gasp the valued allies...aren't...valuable? How could this be? That's like...could it be that NSLICE-00P was just carrying them the whole time? I'm shocked I tell you, shocked!
Well, not accounting for the fact that they motivated NSLICE-00P's connections with the Empire in the first place and prevented her from coming into conflict with it a couple times, but historical value is not the same as current value so whatever!
Anyways!
When will NSLICE-00P confront the discrepancy in her components? What will she do about this 'emotional attachment'? And can she find a way back to Earth? What will she do if she does? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - Investigations
And so it begins.
Oh well! NSLICE-00P is busy with her totally, definitely theoretical thought experiments!
Anyways!
Can Faustus find proof of the existence of other Material Planes? Can Consul Noxisius ‘guide’ the newcomers on the ways of the Empire? Can Magister Verrucosis bring a new asset under his command? Will Aedile Hortensus’s wait and see approach pay off? Tune in next time, to find out!
27 - Just Give This Unit a Little Space
Spatial magic is hard. I’d explain why it’s hard, but I’d need an in-depth understanding of physics to do that. And physics is hard. I mean, physics isn’t hard for NSLICE-00P I guess, but they’re hard for the magic circles, so the magic circles are complicated. Like, super complicated. Like super super complicated.
I mean, she’s super good at magic, but she’s only really used basic elements and shapes so far, so like, can you just slot ‘Space’ into a bolt spell? Well I get to decide the answer to that question and the answer is no! It’s definitely not just because I’m not sure if I’m ready for 00P to be teleporting around just yet!
Anyways!
Can NSLICE-00P bring Spatial Magic down to reasonable levels? Can she ensure the safety of the friendlies while pursuing her primary directive? What intel does the Magister Exploratores have to share? Tune in next time, to find out!
28 - Picking Up the Trail
Just when the politicians were making their move, random unrelated dungeons and monsters came swooping in to take the lead! Who will get themselves terminated first? Will the champion Ursanus make an appearance? The race is on!
Anyways!
Where is Ateia’s father and what is he doing? What is this threat he’s facing and can Ateia grow strong enough to join the fight? Who will end up being terminated first this arc? Tune in next time, to find out!
29 - Efficient Training
At first I was gonna have her do this at the Academy so a bunch of mages could bust aneurysms but eh, this is just the way the cards fell. Congratulations, everyone at the Imperial Mages’ Academy! You get to keep your egos intact…for now!
...the spell list we terminated is about to explode again, isn't it? Oh no...
Anyways!
Can Ateia and Taog grow strong enough for the challenges ahead? How many spells is NSLICE-00P about to gain? Will the Imperial mages avoid having their egos terminated? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - Un-Bear-able Torment
Hm, I didn’t expect this to be an interlude, but it turned out I have a lot of side-characters to touch up on while NSLICE-00P runs through her new spells. It’s almost like someone just added a bunch of characters haphazardly without figuring out how to devote adequate screentime to them all. Whoever did that, I will have words with them! Something like that would almost be as bad as giving a LitRPG character two ever growing status tables that become excessively difficult to keep track of!
Regarding the reaction to NSLICE-00P creating new spells on the spot…when NSLICE-00P modifies a spell circle by pulling out and replacing pieces of it, she’s just doing that in simulations in her head, not with a visible magic circle, and then casts the new spell. So the people don’t actually realize exactly what she’s doing, to them it just looks like she’s casting a spell, maybe a spell she’s not fully comfortable with if her modifications require iteration to succeed.
Still surprising for her to be practicing and mastering new spells in the field without guidance, but not as completely shocking as what she’s really doing.
As for 00B only having one evolution, I’m thinking that as a cyber-bear cub he has to grow a bit first before the options show up, so his first evolution is just the next step. I think if he was a default bear cub he might have more options here, but since he already has the ‘cyber’ attribute he’s kind of already on a path for the early choice.
Anyways!
Will Princess Caecila and Co ever learn the truth of NSLICE-00P’s feats? How many spells will Lilussees learn before she goes back to sleep? Can 00B make the Great Mother proud and defeat the evil squishy thing? Tune in next time, to find out!
30 - The Gift of Knowledge
Is that enough spell list expansion for now? I thought about just not specifying what she got but eh, that ends up with her trip to the Library becoming a Batman utility belt of convenience.
And while I do love convenience, I figure NSLICE-00P is OP enough that she should be able to make things work with what she got without a Bat-Shark Repellent. Although, I suppose if she had a Bat-Bear Repellent when she arrived that might have helped.
Anyways!
How much will NSLICE-00P expand the spell list? Can Melion learn the intricacies of electronics? Who is visiting the gang? Tune in next time, to find out!
31 - Treasured Relationships
Ah yes, the template noble messenger. I am certain we will all act reasonably and in a manner that does not result in any sort of termination. More importantly, magic loot get!
…Princess Caecila has no idea what she’s done. As far as the Empire is concerned, NSLICE-00P is just a really good mage. The Grimoire of Arofinas Leolar contains all sorts of knowledge and spells, but manually applying that to one’s practical spellcasting would take a lot of time, study, and practice, even for a senior mage. A good way to give her something she wants without accidentally granting her immediate unspeakable power, so that they have time to solidify their relationship with her. Because not even the Sun Elf Archons can just glance at a magic circle they’ve never seen before and immediately cast it. That would just be ridiculous.
Right?
Anyways!
Will Senator Balbus be smart? What knowledge is contained in the Grimoire of Arofinas Leolar? Has the Emperor made a wise choice of gifts for NSLICE-00P? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - A Bear-y Nice Home
This interlude is brought you by my patron LionessLover who asked the question 'did Seero ever increase the monster hangar side for the now much larger bear?' To which I said...oops I didn't think of that until now. So...um...go random explanation for why 00P didn't immediately identify and resolve that issue!
Anyways!
Can Ateia and Taog do anything to help 00P…or will they forever hold her back? Can Senator Balbus turn this around? Tune in next time, to find out!
32 - A Foolish Ploy
Thank Taog, template politician’s relative! He saved you from having your ability to cause harm terminated!
I mean, to be fair it’s not like they can just lock up an Imperial Friend, but it’s the thought that counts, Taog. You tried your best to be helpful! You saved Seero...maybe a couple minutes of dealing with bureaucracy. Maybe an hour or so if the guards wanted to be sticklers for policy and didn't know how to handle an Imperial Friend off the top of their heads.
Anyways!
How does a true Elteni fight? Will anyone have their ability to cause harm terminated? Will NSLICE-00P introduce this world to drone warfare? Tune in next time, to find out!
33 - Congratulations, You Are Being Assisted. Do Not Resist.
Ah yes. The answer to having tons of side characters that may or may not be competing for screentime already? Introducing moar characters, muahahahahaha!
Sidonia, don’t you dare become a part of the gang. Agedia’s already fulfilling the quota for powerful mentor types!
Anyways!
Can NSLICE-00P convince Magister Cnaeus to help? Can the Legion’s reinforcements possibly deal with a corrupted dungeon? Will Sidonia remain in her intended role? Tune in next time, to find out!
34 - Reconnaissance in Force
So the exact numbers for NSLICE-00P’s XP reduction, since I didn’t feel Melion should randomly have this much detail: After she passes level 100, anything fifty levels or more lower than her will give 1 XP, anything a hundred levels or more lower will not give XP. This applies to both Personal and Dungeon level, but as per all other XP calculations applies to each of them separately from the other. Note that again, this only applies to her getting XP from personal kills outside of Dungeon Field range. Mana absorption from the Dungeon field, XP from the Otter Burrow, and Dungeon XP from things dying within her Dungeon Field are unaffected.
Essentially, 00P getting XP like a person == subject to XP reduction. 00P getting XP like a dungeon == not subject to XP reduction.
Because otherwise the Empire would 100% have slime farms for infinite XP grinding lol. Which…actually why don’t they do that to get to 100…
Um…That’s…Skills are as important as levels? What’s that? After they train up the skills? Um…
Oh I know! Historical disaster when the slimes got out of hand makes that very risky! Life finds a way, they were so preoccupied with if they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should sort of deal! Because slimes are super adaptive so if you murder thousands of them over time they eventually evolve a way to not get murdered! And other monsters take more effort to tame and raise then they do to just hunt! Or as one of my patrons suggested, repeatedly killing the same monster gives diminishing returns! Something something the Aesdes can’t be deceived as well!
…LitRPGs definitely don’t present lots of loopholes that would 100% be exploited by any society that lives in one. Because RPG gamers definitely don’t exploit every loophole they can find for infinite XP. Please ignore my 1000+ turn Fire Emblem save, I definitely didn’t have Anna grind money off of infinitely spawning reinforcements for hours on end.
Anyways!
Can NSLICE-00P, Sidonia, and the Legion defeat a corrupted dungeon? Will NSLICE-00P’s mana reserves hold, or has she recklessly burnt too much at the start? Have the Aesdes patched up all the infinite grinding exploits? Tune in next time, to find out!
35 - Terminate the Corrupted Dungeon!
Well that was easy. Barely an inconvenience. But like, I thought about trying to drag it out, but then I thought, nah. NSLICE-00P's kinda got this, got the hard counter and everything. Well, if they wanted NSLICE-00P to actually have an interesting challenge, maybe they shouldn’t have made their demon vines so flammable!
What’s that? They thought they accounted for that? She was supposed to run out of mana by like, the third floor at best? And a normal dungeon should have been overwhelmed trying to fight back with conventional attributes? It’s not fair for a hero to have dungeon levels of mana regen, or for a dungeon to have access to holy magic?
Well that’s what they get for abusing the corrupted dungeon exploit!
Anyways!
What will everyone’s response to this be? Will Sidonia survive with her ego and fundamental assumptions of magic intact? Will the administrators acknowledge the dirty corrupted dungeon cheater’s balance complaints? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - Mission Report: Verdant Forest Dungeon
Lifehack: A flamethrower gives +5 to CHAR in every situation! That’s why NSLICE-00P can get away with anything with that dang smile of hers. How could we say no to that face (and the promise of an extremely violent death)?
Anyways!
Can Magister Ausonius ‘advise’ his boss? Will anyone end up testing the dragon? What is Senator Balbus planning? Tune in next time, to find out!
36 - Inconvenient Truths
Sidonia, are you sure it’s a good idea to give NSLICE-00P access to restricted elemental magic? I thought you were reporting on her, you know you’ll have to report all this now too? And more importantly, you’re going to make the author have to think of more spells! xist10 did the math and concluded NSLICE-00P already has 2205 possible magic circle combinations from her current attributes, shapes, and modifiers! How exactly do you want me to think of MORE, and powerful enough ones to be classified at that, huh?!
Oh, the Estrith thing? Eh, I’m sure it will be fine.
Anyways!
Just how many more spells will NSLICE-00P get out of this? Will the Imperial Academy become the laughing stock of the Empire? Will Estrith have a pleasant hunt? Will she ever figure out what the squiggles mean? Tune in next time, to find out!
37 - Terminate the Scheme!
Political scheme, terminated!
So at first, I wanted 00P to sweat a bit more. I was hoping to have Estrith get provoked and get in trouble for acting violently (with the dirty guards onsite conveniently ‘forgetting’ to mention the whole trafficked pup situation), Balbus would have her arrested and try to turn opinion in the Senate against ‘the violent barbarians attacking innocent merchants’ as a result, while 00P would struggle to figure out how to help Estrith while maintaining cordial relations with the Empire (and so respecting local laws), only for Agedia to show up with the evidence and turn the situation on Balbus instead. 00P would further realize vulnerability to situations where she may not want to immediately terminate her foes and so have some growth from this.
Only…it didn’t work. I couldn’t think of a legitimate reason to remove Estrith from 00P’s side without 00P following along close enough to intervene, since if 00P is unoccupied she won't let Estrith just go off on her own, and if she is occupied then Estrith would need to ask her permission to go off on her own given the Royal Guard status, which would lead to 00P coming along to rescue the captured friendly. And I couldn’t think of a way to produce the scenario if 00P is actually present when the altercation happens, since she'll just handle it efficiently.
So I gave up, and decided to go with the OP isekai protagonist solves the issue with their cheat skills and friends in high places instead! Yay OP cheat powers making political schemes entirely irrelevant! I mean, I was struggling to even think of a scheme that could possibly have any effect on a super OP cyborg with diplomatic immunity and absolutely no concern for her public image beyond maintaining access to the library. Provoking Estrith into violent assault with a kidnapped Dobhar pup was the best I could come up with that wouldn’t either just fail outright or else result in immediate termination. Well, schemes that result in immediate termination could hypothetically complicate 00P's relationship with the Empire, but then the schemer has to be willing to get terminated or be stupid enough to believe that they won't get terminated. Which I guess Balbus is that stupid but he at least wants to seem smarter! Besides, Ateia had a chance to attempt being useful this way! Kinda sorta! Maybe!
Eh, well, not sure I’m fully happy with how this played out but the story goes on either way!
I'm guessing it also feels a bit strange to have an anti-slavery Roman Empire, but eh I find the way slavery is handled to be one of the more questionable aspects of many isekais, and I didn't really want to touch on that in this story one way or another...binding magical dungeon contracts and invasive cybernetic implants via a cyborg demon lord with no concept of free will aside. I also do, in fact, have a lore reason why fantasy Rome doesn't like slavery (a lot of pre-Empire human civilization started as slave revolts against demon lords and elvish empires so most humans are historically hostile to the concept, and good relations with the dwarves and other races prevented them from going down the 'revenge enslaving of non-humans' route.), and well, I guess there's a reason they've normalized necromancy. The undead are even cheaper! Living minions need food and rest and stuff and they're always complaining!
So yes, fantasy Rome may have employees with life-long not-at-will magically-enforced contracts, debt structures designed to be unpayable, conscription and corvee labor, mandatory resettlement of immigrating tribes, and maybe some prisoners with jobs, but definitely no slaves! The gladiators are all professionals here and 00P isn't buying people, so it's ok! Summoning monsters doesn't count!
Anyways!
Can any schemes threaten the OP cheat protagonist with diplomatic immunity? Can former Senator Balbus appeal to the Empire after scheming against said Emperor's friend? Will Agedia ever forgive her uncle? Tune in next time, to find out!
Interlude - Home Visit
So many interludes this arc, huh? But I guess that's what happens when we have a million side characters and enter a politics arc haha.
Anyways!
Can Estrith figure out the ways of the Empire? Can Consul Noxisius salvage this situation? What does Princess Caecila think of the Queen of the Dobhar's territory? Tune in next time, to find out!
38 - A Slew of Offers
Oh look, not just an original chapter, but an entire original arc! I thought up more political schemes that might possibly not result in immediate termination after all! The other factions are going to get in on it after all!
Good luck to them! I'm sure it will all go well!
Anyways!
Will Aedile Hortensus act...honestly? What is Verrucosis scheming to reveal NSLICE-00P's 'exaggerations'? Will there be any immediate terminations? Tune in next time, to find out!
39 - Deal or No Deal?
Gasp. A politician interacted with NSLICE-00P and didn't end up getting terminated. How could this be? Isekai politicians aren't allowed to acknowledge the obvious threat of the MC and so deal with them in a mutually beneficial rather than fully exploitative manner!
Ah well. Maybe we'll get some termination with the other guy.
Anyways!
Will Aedile Hortensus fulfill the deal...honestly? Will the trade bring the calculated benefit to NSLICE-00P's subordinates? Will we get termination after all? Tune in next time, to find out!
40 - A Military Exchange
Oh no! Verrucosis plots to...obscure NSLICE-00P's true capabilities thus hindering potential hostiles' ability to plan effective countermeasures? NSLICE-00P will...be totally fine with that, wouldn't she?
Sigh, we might not get immediate termination after all.
Anyways!
Will Verrucosis succeed in obscuring NSLICE-00P's true capabilities? Will NSLICE-00P put a stop to this truly dastardly plot? How will the exercise with the girl solo-casting strategic spells go? Tune in next time, to find out!
41 - Exercise Able Terminator
Gasp, the scheme is succeeding! Now all potential hostiles will prepare for NSLICE-00P as if she were a regular archon and assume that standard Legion tactics are sufficient to handle her! Whatever shall NSLICE-00P do about that?
Oh, she's fine with it, and even finds that outcome to be efficient. Sigh, guess that means no termination today.
Anyways!
Will news of NSLICE-00P's "defeat" have any consequences? Do the participating Legion troops share that assessment? Will we ever get some more termination? Tune in next time, to find out!
42 - The Gates of Obliteration
Is that a plot I detect? Eh, well whatever. The Legion got it covered, so I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about!
Anyways!
Can the Legion hold the line against the sudden wave of corrupted dungeons? Will the Northern Court be forced to rely on the Queen of the Dobhar? Will NSLICE-00P accept Consul Noxisius’s apology? Tune in next time, to find out!
43 - Deceived
Well…um…this is going well. This…um…could be bad, huh?
Anyways.
What happened to NSLICE-00P and Ateia? Can Agedia overcome a Herald of the New Dawn? Can Estrith and Taog escape their predicament? Tune in next time, to find out.
44 - Heralding a New Dawn
...yes, um, this is going very well...um...not to worry 00P can still deal with this right?
What's that? Oh. Um. This...could be bad.
Anyways.
Can anyone stop the Heralds of the New Dawn now? Or will the boundaries of the Material Plane be torn asunder...at the cost of Ateia's life? Tune in next time, to find out.
45 - Lost Once More
So, one of my patrons wondered how I was going to conceive and describe a truly alien Realm of Chao...err Obliv...err...'Mana'? To which I say: easy! I just picked a Realm that you can't see in the first place!
Anyways!
Can NSLICE-00P find a way out of this location? Are her organic components correct about the threat to the friendlies? If so, can NSLICE-00P prevent their termination? Tune in next time, to find out!
46 - Counterattack
A note on Banishment: The mechanisms of the spell involve connecting to the streams of Holy mana flowing through the world, so the spell itself wouldn't function in a Realm of Mana. Maybe it could be adjusted to but 00P lacks the knowledge to do that, and wouldn't be able to iterate on it while her mana isn't regen-ing. Admittedly, I should have had her try the spell at least once, but I kind of forgot, lol. Welp, that's one for the edit list! (From the Future: Oops, forgot it on the edit list too, lol. Oh well!)
And so 00P escaped from Eternal Night, no problem! Somewhere, in another universe, a certain immortal demigod has a sudden urge to terminate an entire Realm of Mana for trademark violation and slander by proxy.
Now all we have to do is find Ateia! Um...she's safe, right? She's alright...right?
Anyways!
Can the group find and rescue Ateia? Can anything stop 00P from terminating the hostiles? Will the Realm of Eternal Night survive this utterly atrocious display of incompetence that insults its very ancestors? Tune in next time, to find out!
47 - Terminate with Extreme Prejudice!
Hostiles, terminated! Mostly! Herald of Rain, better lock your doors at night! And hope that 00P can't find you because locks won't stop her.
And guess what guys? Ateia is about to be significantly more useful! She can probably do things now! And at a reasonably high efficiency! Probably! I'm sure the lazy system manager voluntarily reporting something is nothing to be concerned about!
Note: there is, in fact, a specific reason why Ateia spoke with the pre-sentence quantifier as opposed to the other subordinates.
Anyways!
Will the Herald of Rain escape termination? Can Ateia do things now? Will any of this end up having consequences? Tune in next time, to find out!
Epilogue - Mission Report: ???
Just in case it’s not clear, Colleöne == Personal System Manager, Shialnor == Dungeon System Manager.
What's that? I just copied Tolkien?
You're absolutely right. I mean, come on! I'm not going to top the Ainur and Valinor! Plus, the Eru - Ainur - Valinor setup works well for a LitRPG world in my opinion (as it should given the whole Tolkien inventing modern fantasy deals), and, you know, aren't as much of jerks as the Greco-Roman pantheon mostly is, which helps with the whole lighthearted comedy deals. As fun as 00P terminating Zeus for hitting on her and Ateia and Estrith and every female monster subordinate she has would be, even she might need to grind a bit more for that feat. I will state though that the Quenya-ish names are just what they call themselves, they do have Latin...err 'Imperial' names among the Empire that I haven't actually decided yet.
Anyways!
What will the Aesdes decide to do regarding this situation? Will Colleöne reunite with her great great great great (...) great great granddaughter? Will Shialnor manage the work of integrating an entirely new Material Plane with NSLICE-00P's dungeon record? Can the Herald of Dawn investigate this traveler from another world? Tune in next time, to find out!
NSLICE-00P’s Final Status
Ah the status. Yes, the status. The double status that takes over an hour for the audiobook to recite and far, far longer than that to compile and review for inconsistencies. Here is my deep and nuanced comment on it now that all is said and done:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Anyways!
Can the author and readers continue to handle the status? Is this even the status's final form? Will NSLICE-00P make it even bigger? Tune in next time, to find out!