POV: Gzeph

I finally find someone to take care of this troublesome world and that freak of a boss Alex just has to interfere at every critical moment.

sigh

At least I can finally stop pretending that everything is ok for the rest of the week. Pulling myself together in front of clients is always exhausting. Not looking forward to next week...

Too many things deviated from the plan, I need to get the numbers straightened out, won’t get any sleep otherwise; that mess will just eat away at my nerves.

My sleeping schedule is already a mess... if this situation continues like this it will be the death of me.

So what does the simulation say...

With my original plan, the chance of success should’ve been 85.3% to a 5% chance for catastrophic failure but that didn’t account for personality... if I adjust the numbers accordingly...77.6% to 6.6%. Worse but still tolerable.

Oh, wait no, Alex just HAD to occupy the company’s business net for private purposes today.
And I suspected the guys in the lab at first; goddammit, guess I owe them more than a round at the bar for the scene I made...

So because of Alex, the upload stalled at 82.6% and only 71.4% of the total files are usable, so with totally insufficient information...

carry the infinite

we’re down to 49.5% to 22.1%. Basically need to win three coin flips in a row. Shit odds but still better than just sending someone blind.

Unbelievable how much effect those few notes have. It shows that the centuries of preparation were worth it – or would have been!! If that freak hadn’t forced my hand today... I explained multiple times to the big wigs what the consequences would be so why did they listen to that braindead moron?!

Urgh, I need a beer...

Oh, damn, right, the fridge is empty. Didn't have time to go shopping today.

So there’s finally a candidate that has some compatibility with Deteoh and then he has to make outrageous demands!!

table slam

I mean I get it, we’re asking the impossible from one soul, and even if not, a reward is certainly in order.

But couldn’t it have been something that is paid afterwards? ...knowing Alex he’d certainly do everything in his power to avoid paying the promised reward, so no, it had to be upfront, shit.

I didn't even notice my hand reach for my forehead - it is frighteningly cold.

And instead of letting me at least finish within those restrictions, Alex has to interfere AGAIN. Something about one girl dumping him yesterday and another being unhappy about a jewel necklace he gave her earlier that day. Goddammit man, you’re married!! I'm not your thrice-cursed relationship counselor!!

I should’ve just recorded the conversation and forwarded it to his wife. I don’t have time for your shit, Alex! Do the universe a favor and get divorced, or better yet, jump into a black hole!

...

Now, what did the soul take at the end? I search through the doorstopper of a report on the case.

Eva, neither you nor I have a gift for brevity, huh?

Her report says it was Vampire Lord and Silver Elf. At least they stuck with the Wizard option. A double waste. I can't really argue against the former, it is the price the soul wanted after all. But that fire weakness alone is crippling.

A real dragon is already nigh undefeatable, add its main weapon as your weakness and it gets beyond ridiculous. Maybe we’re lucky and the dragon just stays home. Ah, who am I kidding? Given the shit of today, I'd be surprised if it hasn't laid eggs and raised a whole family. Maybe comes to visit in the first week.

What were the skills on Silver Elf again... a cure ability, undead can’t use those. Can’t really blame them, I forgot to mention that. Stealth at least is half decent.

sigh

But seriously, just find a decently sized settlement, go to the ruler, flash your ‘Lost One’ credentials and most of the problems you could want to solve via Silver Elf would already be addressed!

So the current config is down to... 11.8% to 60.1%.

I think I’d have suggested Rune Elf which would be... 19.7% to 33.8%, almost double. Too bad there’s no way to change that now.

A massive far cry from what it should’ve been, thanks boss, just thanks.

Getting too tired, barely can see colors anymore. Not that I could see half of them correctly in the first place.

Ok, so already down to 11.8% to 60.1%.

sob

Why’s there more in Eva’s report? They also changed age and gender. I should've talked with them about the reason - goddamn Alex!!

I run the simulation again and the numbers are dropping and dropping.

Please just stop already...

Please... stop...

sob

11.3% to 63.2%

sob

No, no, I can still salvage this.

As long as we don’t go below 10% to above 70% I can still pull this around from here...

I have to. I owe it to you, Yulia.

What else is changed...

sniff

Oh, right we would have needed all 20 titles.

And that Vampire setup wastes... a minimum of 2, potentially even 3 title slots? Shit, are you kidding me!?

I take a deep breath.

I’m THIS close to throwing the computer out of the window.

‘Nobility’ just to reach the second tier, can’t avoid the prerequisite, wish we could, ‘Daywalker’ to not instantly melt in the sun, that one is necessary, and with a 92% likelihood, they take the bugged ‘Blood Addict’ title... just perfect.

sigh

Where do we stand if we get the 8% chance, which 2 titles can we spare... yeah those two would go. They have the lowest impact.

So now it is... 10.6% to 69.5%

Shit. Shit. Shit.

My vision gets even blurrier...

No calm down, there’s still a massive 0.5% wriggle room... Damn you, Alex!

And the more likely case that they take ‘Blood Addict’ let's see, I think we should take out that one title... 9.1% to 72.8%

and now add the bugged title...

sob

That leaves us at... 4.2% to 84.4%

sob

From the original 85.3% to 5% all the way down to 4.2% to 84.4%.
Fuck you, Alex.

Wish I got a way to send them the optimized build plan, or at least a warning not to take that title. Anything...

thud

I don't even notice how my head lands on the desk.

...

I should just proceed as if that soul failed.

This is frustrating. And all because of that freak...

Graham needs to fix that shit title yesterday. No way around it. If he can't... maybe I'll see you soon, Yulia,  can I at least have that? No, thought so.

Fuck, even getting close to Graham's office is always a pain with that moron Alex around, as if he got nothing better to do.

...do I dare ask if it was even an advantage to send a soul at all?

It's so late into this whole mess that the odds for it to get solved natively can't be above 0%. Please tell me that would be something like 1% to 99%.

sob

Please, I need... some meaning in what I’ve done...

sob

I run the simulation with no ‘Lost One’...

5.4% to 72.7%. You’ve got to be shitting me, Alex!!!

crash

There goes the computer.

...

...

...

Good, only the monitor is affected.

I should’ve listened to my guts and not sent that soul, protocol be damned.

Sending no one would have been 5.4% to 72.7%, we had a chance of a 5.4% to still save that world... and a 72.7% chance of a demon lord escaping from there and threatening all of creation.

All because Alex had to be Alex.

Boss, I regret not punching you harder. At least you'll be out of my hair for a couple of weeks.

I turn to a drawing of my late fiance, “Please tell me... I did the right thing, Yulia, please... tell me it wasn’t for... nothing.”

Finally... I pass out.

3QGN73

So far this was the hardest chapter to write, and going by my notes I doubt it leaves the top 5; I still have doubts that I got across even 10% of the despair Gzeph feels.

Just in case it wasn’t obvious by now, mentally Gzeph is NOT in a good place.
Overworked, suffers from lack of sleep, depression from whatever happened to Yulia and then the Deteoh situation on top for which he prepared for decades which his boss then screwed up.

Coherent thoughts are not to be expected.

As far as I’m concerned the simulation is correct for the information Gzeph has.
But if you want to drive him literally insane you could point out a couple of details he got wrong:

• He’s super tired; in his delirium, he chose a Rune DWARF instead of the intended Rune Elf.
  Rune Elf has way less HP than even Silver Elf. In fact, out of the elf sub-races I have statted out they are the ones with the lowest HP (rune) and the one with the highest (silver) among the elves. What is a close call now would be a death sentence with Gzeph's choice.
• Gzeph is partially color blind. Over the centuries this has extended to him not even caring anymore about the verbal difference between red and green (in his native language they sound as similar as hue and blue). As such he mistakenly chose a green dragon as the most dangerous optional foe instead of a red one. The jury is still out on whether we’ll see that sidequest.
• He has no insight into how specific dungeons operate.
• He operates under the wrong assumptions regarding the number and types of ‘demon lords’.
• He has the wrong 'win condition'; just because a world is saved once doesn’t mean it stays saved. I’ve already dropped too many hints for that to be the endgame of the story.