Vaudevillain - Chapter 23: Interlude: John

I’m telling you, acting is really just a hobby. Not the VTuber part.

In a world where darkness was always a step ahead further and the light was late and bleaker, “Grim Dark Online” has become a well acclaimed VRMMORPG, drawing players into its thrilling depths. But when hackers breach the game's firewall, players including Kenji find themselves trapped in this virtual reality after an abrupt system shutdown.As chaos unfolds, the World Soul Barrier collapses, unleashing a horde of demon gods and their minions upon the realm. The Cult of Black Snake, the Silent Nightstalkers assassins, and the slaughter of the Immortals threaten their very fabric of existence. With the World Soul and the World Tree corrupted, Kenji must navigate this perilous landscape armed only with his last playthrough’s knowledge as a Warrior and several other Classes.Previously, he had conquered the God of Death, a necromancer villain, and earned the title of God of Slaughter. But now, faced with the onset of devastation, he is thrown back to the beginning of this nightmare.Desperate to reclaim his former power as a warrior, Kenji discovers that fate has other plans. Instead, he is bestowed the class of Necromancer—the very embodiment of his past fears. This transformation offers him an unexpected opportunity to rise above his previous limitations. With the unique ability to summon minions that mimic his battle instincts, Kenji possesses greater firepower and tactical versatility than ever before.Now, he must embrace his newfound abilities and confront the demon lords and gods that threaten to consume his world. As a warrior trapped in the body of a necromancer, Kenji’s journey is one of survival, adaptation, and redemption in a realm where darkness reigns. Will he harness the power of his newfound powers? Or will the very darkness succumb them all?

I’m a high school student who became an author after debuting at Dengeki Bunko. After taking a year of hiatus from school to write my work, I transferred out to another high school to study, and met a girl called Eri Nitadori in school, a rookie voice actress cast as a character in the anime adaptation of my work.

In school, we treat our professions as a secret. However, Nitadori’s very popular in class, and I’m a loner…the only chance we get to talk to each other is when we take the Limited Express train together every Thursday, seated side by side as we head off for an anime, After Recording.

To improve her skills, she asked me questions regarding the profession. While I was answering the questions regarding the process–how did it end up like this.

This is what I last remembered before I lost consciousness, and the story of my near-death experience.

One day, unfortunate news flew all the way to the Mage’s City. The mage, Solar Xing Ayra’s, entire family had been killed in an accident. Thus, he must now become the next Lord of the Solar family. The childhood home he returned to felt unfamiliar and strange. He barely managed to conduct a funeral with advisors that regarded him with suspicion. After fainting from various stressors, he woke up and… “Hello, Master. Nice to meet you!” ^o^ From now on, I’ll be the cute GM spirit fulfilling Master’s dreams: ‘Adventuring the world!’, ‘Fun estate management!’ I’m so happy to be with Master from now on, yay! “Enter a name ______” … What is this pebble-like spirit that calls me ‘Master’? No matter how you look at it–these level-up quests and these system windows…they were similar to a game’s user interface from his previous life. What is this… thing that seems more suited to modern civilization? Reminiscing on the games he had longed to play, Ayra worked hard on the quests. And, slowly, he also began exploring the territory. However, the territory… [D-234 days until the fall of the Solar estate.] “There are 234 days left till ruin…?” Alright, let’s start with the coronation ceremony. Things will work out somehow.