Spending My Retirement In A Game

Eisen watched as his former version snapped back into the memory, following the path of what had happened back then. The memory Eisen just finished creating an item, and placed it to the side next to him, when he looked at the open door that plenty of sunlight was shining through. At its side, five small heads could be seen peaking inside. They were five kids, curiously looking at Eisen while he was working.

"Hello there. Can I help you?" He asked with a smile on his face, approaching the kids. But once he got close enough to the door, they simply turned around and started running away. With a slight laugh, Eisen leaned out the door and looked at their backs, while the current Eisen for the first time saw what those five originally looked like.

They were Tank, Deedee, Supp, Ranger, and Croco, running away after being spotted by Eisen. Most parts that the current Eisen was actually seeing were related to those five, and he was watching them grow up step by step. He watched as they learned to fight and hunt. He watched as they became dumb teenagers, and then brilliant adults. It was sort of heartwarming to Eisen, but in the end, he knew that something was going to change soon. However, the one thing that he was focusing on wasn't the way that this town looked, or the way those kids behaved... but rather, the fact that their names hadn't changed. They were still called 'Tank', 'Deedee', 'Supp', 'Ranger', and 'Croco'. At the time, the former Eisen had no idea that those were names related to games. It seemed like he only learned that much, much later. But just that fact alone made this situation just the weirder.

But that wasn't the important part right now. Instead, it was that the former Eisen had gone off on a journey for a few years. In the meantime, those five grew into splendid adults in basically every single way. And then, one day, Eisen came back to town. Tiredly, he entered his smithy, placing his bags on the ground, when he heard a knock on the open door.

"Welcome back, Eisen." Tank said with a broad smile on his face. He towered over the old man, excited to finally see him again. Eisen immediately greeted him with a big, tight hug, "How've you been? Did you grow even more since the last time I've seen you?"

"Haha, I hope not, I'm big enough already." He pointed out, while Eisen couldn't help himself but laugh, "We're in a place filled with nothing but giants, and I myself can be dozens of times bigger than you. And you think you're big enough already?" Eisen asked him, and Tank just smiled back, "I'm as big as I need to be, I guess." With that genuine answer, the current Eisen felt another pit form in his stomach. He had already remembered how kind, calm and gentle Tank had been during this time... but now, he was only filled with anger and hatred toward Eisen. Maybe he was different while he wasn't around. At least, that was all that he could hope for.

"How long are you staying this time?" Tank asked, and Eisen thought about it for a few moments, before shrugging, "A couple weeks, maybe months. I'm not sure, I just want to take a bit of a break, you see?"

"Of course, of course. Ah, and you came at the perfect time." Tank explained, "Ranger just started building his house, so he could use some help with that."

"Ah, I think I saw the site on my way here. It looks quite nice so far, albeit a little big, don't you think?"

"...Don't tell anyone you heard it from me, but I'm pretty sure Ranger is going to ask Deedee to move in with him, once the place is finished." Tank explained excitedly, "I'd be really happy to see those two settle down together like that."

"It's been a long time coming, for sure." Eisen replied, "Come on, let's see them." He suggested, walking out the door with a calm, happy expression. Meanwhile, the current Eisen's expression couldn't be any different. He was bitter, and sad, and felt like throwing up right here and now. Did he really ruin the lives of people this happy, and then even dare to think that he was in the right to do so? What the hell was wrong with him?

"Just skip to the important bit, alright? To that underground place." Eisen said, watching the next 'scene' that was supposed to play out before him simply pause. He would remember everything anyway, so he didn't have to watch all of this in such excruciating detail. That was something he could do whenever he needed to in the future anyway.

The paused figure of Eisen faded away, and instead showed him laying in bed, sleeping. The current Eisen was about to yell at his former self to make him stop playing around, before suddenly, the ground began to shake. Eisen sprung up from his bed, trying to orient himself, and quickly rushed outside to see if something happened. And there, Eisen noticed the absolute silence of this town. This eery, disgusting silence that made him just want to run away and never come back. That silence had quickly been cut through by the sound of something limp dropping to the ground. Across the corner, Eisen could see it. The figure of Tank, holding the lifeless body of his mother. But something was wrong. Tank had a large, gaping hole in his chest, and fleshy, black vines were growing from the place where his heart was supposed to be, wrapping around nearly every part of his body, as if they were controlling him, while Tank himself wore an expression that could only be described as pure horror. His eyes had sunken in completely, or maybe it was safer to say that they looked like someone squashed them with their thumbs. His cheeks were ripped up, black blood pouring out of them, while tears of terror and grief covered his face.

"What... what's going on?" The Eisen from within the memory asked confused, when a figure appeared behind him, its body forming out of the same black substance that the current Eisen trapped with bright flames earlier.

With a casual, gleeful expression, they quickly explained, "Ah, I figured I'd help you out a bit. I managed to develop a way of amassing experience in a truly efficient way, so that you can hurry up and reach the peak already." The being said, and Eisen turned around and cut its body in half with a blade that seemed to appear out of nowhere, "Samuel?! What the fuck did you do?!"

The figure's body stayed split in half while it continued to speak, utterly unaffected, as if it wasn't even really there to begin with, "Hoho, I'm not Samuel, but I'm one of his helpers~! He tasked me of finding a way of assisting you. The other four following behind you will receive your guidance, after all, but you? You're all alone, so we had to find a way to make up for that fact." The being explained with a broad grin, "What do you say? It's useful, right? Just for you, I created tools that will drain each bit of experience in the target they kill, and accumulate it with every step they take. Then, that experience will be fed directly to you! It's great, isn't it? You can do whatever you want, and they will do all the hard work for you!"

"That's why you turned Tank into... into... that?!" Eisen yelled out in nothing but fury, while the being laughed hysterically, "That's what they were born for, after all. You've been gone for quite a while at a time... so I've had the opportunity to make proper use of the natural ressources of this town. Everyone here is doing everything they do, just for you. They live and die, for your sake."

Eisen looked back startled, "You turned this town into a cult, without me even knowing about it?!"

"Well, that part is on you, I didn't even put much effort into hiding it, you know? Anyway, the more important part is that you will soon hold the experience of a few hundred years worth of generational experience that continued building up! That should give you a few levels!"

The Eisen of the memory slowly turned around, and looked at the end of the alleyway. A group of people had gathered, all kneeling in front of him. And with just a few swings of his hands, Tank pulled them limb from limb, brutally ending their lives, fully against his will while being manipulated by that... thing.. By the first true Demon that Eisen had ever encountered.