NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Having somehow managed to escape Instructor Lyrica’s enthusiastic recruitment, I finally made it out of the Adventurers’ Guild.
Next to me was Tatsu-san, who like me, was gazing at the unfamiliar cityscape.
“… Are you leaving already?”
“Yeah, I’ll log out at the inn first, but then I’m heading to the Merchants’ Guild. I don’t intend to continue as an adventurer, so there’s no point in staying here any longer…”
“I guess this is goodbye then. It’s going to be a bit lonely…”
“Well, it’s not like we’re saying farewell forever. If our bases are in the same city, we’ll probably run into each other now and then.”
As I said this with a smile, the edge of my vision suddenly started flashing.
▶ You have received a friend request from Tatsu. Do you accept? ▶ Yes No
Of course, I’ll accept.
Without hesitation, I press “Yes”.
“Well, you know. If there’s anything you need advice on, feel free to contact me anytime, okay?”
“And if you need any advice on production-related matters, I’ll listen depending on the price, you know?”
“Shouldn’t you say ‘I’ll take the job at a friend’s discount’ or something?”
“Well, I’ll think about it~”
“Oh no. Our friendship is already cracking…”
While enjoying a lively conversation with Tatsu-san, we eventually part ways at a suitable point. It seems Tatsu-san is off to buy equipment for adventurers.
As for me, it’s time to find an inn and log out.
While buying some meat skewers from a food stall, I ask the old man at the stall about a good, affordable inn. He recommends a place called “The Dragon’s Slumber Inn.”
After listening to the old man’s directions, a map appears at the edge of my vision with a pin dropped in the black area, so I guess that’s where I need to go.
“Mm! Hot and juicy! Delicious!”
By the way, I hear some dishes can give you buffs, but other than that, food items are really just for flavor. You don’t actually need to eat to survive in the game.
There’s no fullness meter or anything, so eating for players is more of a hobby.
But even though it’s in a game, if you can taste the food this clearly and it’s this delicious, maybe it’s worth getting the [Cooking] skill.
No, if I try hard enough, the skill might naturally develop, so maybe I should make an effort to cook more often?
I think about these things while eating my meat skewer…
That’s how delicious it is!
“Come to think of it, I got the [Storage] skill along with [Appraisal]. If I buy ingredients and store them, I might be able to cook whenever I want.”
While defeating monsters and getting stronger to progress to tougher areas is the essence of RPGs, leisurely developing skills as a hobby like this might also be an enjoyable way to play the game.
I wandered around town aimlessly and reached my intended inn about an hour later. The sky had already grown quite dark by then.
In contrast, the inn was brightly lit, bustling with guests eating dinner. It seems the first floor doubles as a dining hall.
“Ah, welcome!” “I’d like to stay. Do you have any rooms available?” “Just a moment, please~”
A ponytailed waitress was working busily. At first glance, she looked like a freckled redhead, but she had horns growing from both temples. Hmm, doesn’t seem to be human.
“We have single rooms available. It’s 18 merit stones for one night, two days. With lunch and dinner included, it’s 25 merit stones.”
Hmm. My resolve to train in cooking is already wavering. Glancing at the dining hall, I see all the customers with happy expressions.
Mmm…!
“…Then, I’ll take a room with meals for five days, please.”
My determination crumbled completely.
But I’ll definitely cook something myself soon!
I’ll work hard to get that [Cooking] skill!
“That’ll be 125 merit stones.” “Here you go.” “Thank you very much. Your room is 206, at the back of the second floor. Here’s your key. Once you’ve put your luggage away, please come to the dining hall. We’ll be serving dinner soon.” “Ah, could I have dinner first? I don’t really have any luggage to put away.” “Um…?”
The waitress girl observes my armor intently, her voice sounding a bit confused.
Hmm, she’s wondering if I’m not going to take off my armor, huh.
“Ah, you see, I’m a Dullahan. The armor is kind of part of my body, so I can’t really take it off even if I wanted to.” “Oh, I see. I apologize for the misunderstanding. In that case, please take a seat over here.”
I’m led to a corner of the dining hall to enjoy today’s dinner.
Today’s menu is Minotaur meat beef stew.
I savor the beef stew, dipping in a firm bread that’s similar to a galette.
“Mmm. So happy…”
The Minotaur meat tastes like high-quality beef. But unlike in reality, the fat doesn’t sit heavy in your stomach, so you can keep eating and eating.
The beef stew was filled with thick chunks of Minotaur meat, but each piece crumbled delicately in my mouth, asserting the true flavor of beef.
“If it’s this tender, it must have been stewed for a long time, but why does the meat’s original flavor and umami come through so strongly? Is it because it’s Minotaur meat…?”
“That’s part of it, but we also lightly flambé the meat before stewing to seal in the flavors. Ah, welcome!”
A passing waitress explains this to me. Hmm, so it’s not just about the ingredients, but the cooking method is also carefully considered.
Well done, Dragon’s Slumber Inn!
Fully satisfied with my dinner, I head to my room. The room has a simple interior with one bed, a side table, and a closet. There’s a window, but it’s an armor window that doesn’t let in moonlight.
Instead, there’s a lantern on the side table.
“I wonder if this lantern runs on oil? Or is it more fantasy-like with a magic stone?”
In this world, when you defeat monsters, you get something called merit stones, which are used as currency.
Magic stones are these merit stones imbued with magical attributes, used to help in people’s daily lives – or so it said in the manual.
“It’s making a rattling sound, so it seems like a magic stone.”
I shake the lantern a bit, and it seems it’s indeed powered by a magic stone.
When I press the switch, a soft light illuminates the surroundings, about as bright as a small lamp. It creates a soothing atmosphere, as if lit by an aromatherapy candle.
“The ambiance is nice. It’s a shame the flame doesn’t flicker though.”
For some reason, you can stare endlessly at campfires or bonfires, but this lantern just glows like a fluorescent light, so you can’t watch the flames.
Hmm, that’s disappointing.
“Well, I guess it’s about time to log out.”
I lie down on the bed, turn off the lantern, and call up the status screen. I try to start the logout process, but…
“Huh? What’s this?”
▶The number of game participants has exceeded 100,000.
▶Logout processing is not available due to event preparation.
“Event preparation…? I wonder if they’re doing something to commemorate the release?”
100,000 people is the same as the initial sales figures.
I thought these kinds of events usually happen after some time has passed, but it seems the management here is eager from the start?
If I hadn’t heard about the bugs from Tatsu-san, I might have been more excited, but with that and the [Balance] issue, I can’t help feeling a bit uneasy…
▶An emergency event will begin.
▶Players, please look at the sky.
I guess if I can’t log out, I have no choice but to participate in the event?
For now, following the system’s announcement message, I open the inn’s armor shutters.
The sky above is a beautiful starry night without a single cloud.
Glancing around, I see various monster-like players here and there looking up at the sky.
There seem to be quite a few players who started as monster races.
Suddenly, clouds appear in the sky, forming the face of a man. He’s a middle-aged man with narrow eyes and glasses. His 7:3 parted hair reminds me of a salaryman from the good old days.
I know this man’s name.
He’s Koichi Sasaki, the Chief Producer of Yggdrasil Corporation.
Since he took the lead in creating LIA, he’s been interviewed by many media outlets, so many players probably recognize him.
Mr. Sasaki raises one hand slightly in greeting and begins his opening remarks.
“Hello, LIA users. For those who know me, hello again. For those who don’t, nice to meet you. I’m Chief Producer Sasaki. Thank you for enjoying LIA, which we consider almost like our child. While our initial shipment was 100,000 copies, reservations for the next production run of 300,000 copies are already filled, and our development team is dealing with the happy problem of overwhelming demand.”
Huh. So they’ve already started taking reservations for the second lot, and those are full too.
Well, I guess it makes sense. You can experience an almost entirely different world here. If people want to experience this amazing feeling, it’s natural, right? Though I suppose I can think this way because I was lucky enough to be selected.
“And now, due to the great sales, we’ve decided to give a surprise present from us, the management. Everyone, please look at the logout button in your system menu.”
“The logout button?”
I thought it would be something like a gift arriving in a present box or something…
When I shift my gaze to the logout button, I see the logout button that was there slowly disappearing.
…Huh?
Another bug???
“Oh, I hear some voices of confusion, but please don’t worry. This is all working as intended.”
Wait, it’s not a bug? It is a bug, right?
“You see, to create this LIA, we poured in all our technology, passion, and energy… We put our very lives into creating this. The development team nearly died more than once or twice. That’s how much passion we put into creating LIA…! So, we can’t really accept people treating it like any other game, getting bored and quitting just like that…!”
Huh? Somehow, this is starting to sound ominous. Wait, what?
“We’ve put our lives into creating this game, so we think it’s only fair that players put their lives into playing it…! So, we decided to add some special features to make sure you play seriously! For example, this!”
▶Pain settings have been changed to maximum. ▶Pain will now be equivalent to the real world. ▶This setting cannot be changed hereafter.
“What!?”
“If your arm is cut, you’ll feel the appropriate pain! If your stomach is pierced, you’ll feel the corresponding agony! It’s only with these things that humans can truly become serious! This is what we’re looking for! We want you to enjoy the game seriously… as if your life depends on it!”
“This is insane…”
▶Incoming friend call from Tatsu.
I immediately accept the friend call.
“Hello, Tatsu-san!” “Hey, Yama-chan! Are you seeing this?” “I’m seeing it! What are they thinking?” “Honestly, I have no idea…”
Did they go crazy from the massive amount of development work?
I don’t say it out loud though.
Sasaki continues.
“As soon as this event started, the addresses of the initial winners were immediately sent to the police. You will likely be transported to hospitals or facilities soon. There, you’ll be on IVs, but don’t worry, you won’t die of starvation. However, this doesn’t apply if the virtual gear is forcibly removed by external means.”
Normally, if you take off a display-type headgear, a safety device activates and your consciousness returns, but…
“Unlike normal virtual games, LIA is connected more deeply to the brain via electrical signals. That’s why we can produce the most realistic experience. But because it’s so deeply connected to the brain, there are reports of significant impacts if forcibly disconnected. In the worst case, you might become brain-dead the moment the virtual gear is removed.”
I think I’ve heard that in the early stages of developing virtual games that manipulate brain signals for sensory experiences, such accidents were common… Has LIA ventured into that territory!?
“This ain’t no bluff. Actually, I’ve heard similar stories from the development site. Like people not waking up for about three hours after the game ended. I thought they were just made-up stories, but were they actually true?” “The brain is delicate, so even if it’s a bluff, I wouldn’t want to test it.”
Looking around the town, all the apparent players seem confused.
Well, anyone would be bewildered if suddenly confronted with this kind of situation…
“Also, if you die and aren’t resurrected, you’ll really die in the real world, so be careful. Resurrection potions haven’t been found yet, but when they are, I recommend entrusting them to reliable players and cooperating to progress through the game.”
Wait, if you die, you really die?
Isn’t this what they call a death game…?
“Let me say this one last time. We’re holding this event because we sincerely want you to take the game seriously! We’re not forcing you to kill each other! We hope that through life-threatening adventures, true friendship, true courage, and true trust will be fostered! That’s why we want you to approach the game seriously!”
“How selfish…”
“Well, it’s childish logic – ‘we struggled, so you should struggle too’…”
Our opinions are scathing.
But wait, what exactly constitutes “clearing” this game?
“Tatsu-san, in LIA, do you clear the game by defeating the Demon Lord?”
“There is a Demon Lord, but I’m not sure. This game doesn’t seem to set defeating the Demon Lord as the ultimate goal.”
So, what would it mean to clear this game? Collecting all items? Maxing out levels? None of these feel right.
“Now, I wish you all the best! When you clear the game, you’ll be released from it! So, please enjoy the game to the fullest!”
With those words, Sasaki’s image disappeared into thin air.
“It might be fake…”
Tatsu-san says.
“Listening to that speech, it sounds like we just need to progress through the game and defeat the Demon Lord. But that’s exactly why it’s suspicious. I think the real way to clear the game might be something else.”
“You think so too, Tatsu-san?”
I felt the same way. If anything, it feels like they’re trying to steer us towards fighting the Demon Lord.
“LIA is a game with unprecedented freedom. You can defeat the Demon Lord if you want, but I’ve heard it was designed with the basic principle of playing freely. So, I don’t think it would end just by defeating the Demon Lord.”
“Tatsu-san, you should leave the Adventurers’ Guild soon. If the atmosphere turns to Demon Lord subjugation, the adventurers in the Demon Lord’s territory will definitely get the short end of the stick.”
“Yeah, there’ll probably be people stirring things up in the world chat or on message boards… Especially human adventurers might say unreasonable things… Like ‘You’re close, so do something about it.’ But even so, if adventurers from the Demon Lord’s territory move to defeat the Demon Lord, everyone would understand that’s basically an act of terrorism, right? It would be strange to make that a game clear condition, and I don’t think everyone’s that stupid, so I’ll continue being an adventurer for a while.”
“Don’t misjudge when to quit, okay?”
“Well, I’ll do what I can. See ya.”
With that, the voice chat with Tatsu-san ended.
I quietly close the armor shutters and turn on the lantern light again. Then, sitting on the edge of the bed, I recall the events of today.
A lot happened.
I spent time obsessing over my avatar,
Chose a random unique skill that turned out to be overpowered,
Engaged in back-and-forth combat even with weak monsters,
Met Tatsu-san and went through the tutorial.
Come to think of it, my sister is also playing LIA. I wonder if she’s caught up in this commotion just like me?
But well, unlike me, she’s a beautiful girl with good sense. She might actually be enjoying herself.
Still, the most impressive thing today was—
That totally broken unique skill called [Balance]…
“A management that can’t properly adjust or debug the game is starting a death game… Are they sane?”
The problem is ongoing, but the cheat I’m holding is so overpowered that I actually think this problem might be solved quickly.