CH 104

Ting!

Heavenly Flower’s stopped moving. Without warning, her body suddenly became rigid.

“Ms. Heavenly Flower? Why did you suddenly…”

Miho started to call out in surprise, but froze in place before she could finish speaking. An outside observer might have thought that Miho and Heavenly Flower had just stopped talking, but their eyes trembled.

Click!

They weren’t in suspended animation for long, only two seconds at best. One might not even have noticed the pause, unless they were observing very closely. It seemed as though there was just a brief pause during their conversation before they started back up again.

“… ah. What were we talking about again?”

“Eh? Ah. Merlin. The weird spell that Merlin used.”

“Right? It’s interesting, isn’t it? Based on what he said, it doesn’t seem like it’s his own spell. It’s an ability that some humans possess; I believe they call these humans ‘passengers’.”

Their current conversation had nothing to do with what they were speaking of just moments ago. Merlin had never even talked about a concept like ‘passengers’, but Heavenly Flower used the term naturally, as if she had known it her whole life.

“Oh, Ms. Heavenly Flower. Can I be assigned to go out on the next expedition?”

“You want to go out on the next expedition? It already has a designated monster… ah, I get it.”

The designated monster had died during the last battle, and the mood among the other monsters had been quite gloomy. However, the gloominess had dissipated fairly quickly, as deaths were common among monsters due to constant battles.

“I see. It’s time for you to go to the Holy Shrine and receive our prophecy. I was so busy that I forgot… so, you want to go?”

“Yes.”

“But it’ll be dangerous. Miho, you show great potential in your monster magic abilities, but even excluding the Three Great Monsters, there are still about forty other monsters who are more powerful than you. None of the others are particularly interested in the prophecy, but even amongst our fox people, you’re only tenth in the pecking order.”

There were many powerful forces and factions on the main continent, and many of them harbored ill will against the monsters. Although there were some who had good relationships with monsters, and the expedition would only go through friendly territory on the way to the Holy Shrine, no one could be absolutely sure what dangers lied ahead. Even within groups that had a positive relationship with the monsters, there were always dissenting voices within that could present a problem to the largely defenseless expedition. Hence, in order to be chosen for the expedition, one had to possess a certain degree of ability and power.

Miho laughed. “Yeah… but if I have someone to accompany me, then it’ll be different, right?”

“Someone accompanying you? The being that accompanies you to receive the prophecy won’t be able to… ah, I see.”

Heavenly Flower clapped her hands together, as if she suddenly realized something. Since she was quick-witted, she soon caught on to who Miho was alluding to.

“Right. He has abilities, and he works well with you. Did he say he’s going to the main continent?”

“Yes, he said he’d go after taking a couple days off.”

“Then, that settles it. You can go.”

Receiving Heavenly Flower’s authorization, Miho’s expression brightened.

“Wow, thank you, Miss!”

“O-ho. You’re only nice to me when things like this happen. It seems you really like that boy.”

“Eh? It’s not like that!”

Heavenly Flower gave a knowing chuckle as Miho started twiddling her thumbs. The idea of crossing the Sea of Chaos had been deleted from their minds long ago.

***Ambush & Surprise***

- Wait, you can’t do it again? Did you close shop?

“Ah, sorry. I don’t have time these days.”

He was twenty-six years old. Having turned the corner towards his late twenties, Yusei couldn’t help but sigh after hearing the frustrated voice from the other side of his phone call. He understood why she felt angry. As a partner in their joint venture for the last two years, suddenly stating that he wasn’t able to do something put her in an awkward and tough situation.

- What do you mean you don’t have time… did you get a job? Well, I suppose based on your resume, you could probably find a job easily.

“Hmm? Oh, no. It’s nothing like that. I’m just at home these days.”

- Eh?! You’re saying no to my request even though you’re doing nothing at home?

All Yusei could offer was an awkward laugh, as he couldn’t think of any reply. He had always looked down on those in Japanese society who were referred to as Hikikomori, but now, he found himself in their exact position. He had thrown off all his responsibilities and locked himself up in his house to play a game. How was he supposed to tell her that he was no longer planning on working so that he can focus on playing DIO?

- Ugh. Something is definitely up. Anyways, you really need to get on this ski instruction opportunity. A bunch of kids from rich families will be there, so it’ll be great money, and you could make some connections as well. It’s because of your reputation that I came to you first; any other freelancer would have already jumped at this life-changing chance.

He would have also jumped at the opportunity too, but right now, he couldn’t imagine tearing himself away from DIO in order to do such ‘insignificant’ work. Fortunately for him, he had been able to reach level nine, but that was only because Hanma had reached level nine a week before him in DIO time (which was less than a day in real life). This had pushed Yusei to try harder, and his wealth of experience and a bit of luck had allowed him to make the right decisions at the right moments. Even now, Yusei was unsure if his actual abilities lived up to what his level nine status represented, so he was determined to continue devoting everything he could into the game.

He was only logged out at the current moment because he was forced to by the system. Even now, he was itching to log back onto the game, so as to not waste a second in gaining more experience and fully absorbing what he had accomplished so far.

However, since life does not always go according to plan, Yusei surrendered.

“What are the dates?”

- January twenty-fifth through the thirtieth.

“There’s not much time before it starts.”

There wasn’t much time left until the twenty-fifth, but in DIO it was more than two months of in-game time. That amount of time was enough for Yusei to fully grasp and absorb the new skills and abilities that he learned. All this was possible because time in DIO moved twelve times faster than in real life. He was able to gain time while logged into DIO, but…

‘I need to spend some more time in reality. I’m starting to lose track of what’s real and what’s not. I need to be careful before I go crazy.’

- Yusei?

“Ah, sorry, Kotono. Can you give me some time to think it over?”

- Hmm. Well, I’ll try to delay giving them an answer then. But I need a response in two days, Yusei!

“Thanks, I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

- Hmpf! I’ll make sure you do.

Kotono’s sassy reply cued Yusei to end the call. When he glimpsed outside the window, he realized that the entire area was covered in white snow. It had been snowing all night.

“Whoa, it snowed. I never left the house, so I didn’t even notice.”

Yusei’s occupation in the real world was a sports instructor. His generic title was appropriate, as his job involved many of the things he did best; health training, dance, swimming, aerobics, squash, ski, kendo, paragliding, and many more. He was a multi-talented athlete, and on top of that he was a good teacher. He often received offers to teach, but he didn’t like to be stuck in one place, so he mostly worked as a freelancer.

“Ski instruction…”

Yusei had many licenses in various sports fields. In spring, he often taught golf. In summer, he taught swimming and rafting. In winter, he often taught snowboarding and skiing. Skiing usually led to the most money. It had become more mainstream in recent years, but skiers still tended to be a more affluent bunch.

“If I can defeat level nine monsters on a constant basis, I should go ahead and take on the ski instruction opportunity. It’s not like I’m going to get to level ten anytime soon… wait, is it even possible for me to reach level ten?”

Yusei was always confident in anything he took on, but DIO’s level up tests were unlike anything else. In other games, users could typically gain levels through accruing experience, but DIO challenged users to constantly develop and prove their abilities, and tested how quickly they could absorb and master newfound skills.

Unlike in real life, where a person could improve a skill just by spending time working on it, spending a lot of time in DIO did not necessarily equate to any advancement. One would have to constantly learn and master newfound skills and abilities. Additionally, the learning curve was different for all users. Most users would probably not be able to reach level ten, even if they were to play the game their whole lives. In other words, there were only a select few users who could achieve level ten.

“To be honest, those who can’t pass level five now will never make it out of the lower levels. Not everyone in the world has it in them to constantly learn and develop.”

As he mumbled to himself, Yusei organized the room a bit before heading to his bedroom. In his hand was a CD player that he had purchased on the internet.

/In the beginning, I was sad…

There was nothing that I longed for…

However, I still desired. And I wished.

I wanted to create an entirely new world.

I will find freedom here./

The force and power of the speaking voice was overwhelming. It was like listening to the tenor of tenors; a Tenore Drammatico.

Whoosh.

The login process was quick. As Yusei felt his consciousness become fuzzy, his surroundings changed. Soon, he found himself in a town square filled with many other users. It was one of the resting areas on the east side of Starting.

“Phew…”

As he breathed out, he used Exchanging Muscles to circulate internal energy throughout his body. Among the various self-defense techniques, Exchanging Muscles was known as the most mysterious technique. It always kept one’s body in optimal shape using the constant circulation of internal energy. The user gained strength and stability through the technique, as original qi cycled through and was absorbed by every part of their body. The fulfilling feeling it produced was like nothing that could be experienced in real life.

Screech.

As he channeled strength in his closed fist, he heard his metallic gauntlets give off a screeching noise. He wore two-piece armor, one that covered his shoulders down to just above his belly-button, and another that covered his hips to his thighs. He also wore arm guards on both his arms and ankle guards on his feet. Numerous marks could be seen on the used, but still sturdy arm and ankle guards, illustrating just how many battles they had seen. His helmet covered every part of his head except his eyes, making it hard for anyone to see his face.

Since the armor he had on wasn’t full-body armor, there were many uncovered areas. These parts of his body were protected by a dark-reddish fabric.

He had gauntlets on both of his hands. A thirty-centimeter shield, stretching from about his wrist to his elbow, was attached to his left gauntlet. His right gauntlet had three powerful magic cores encrusted on it. In emergency situations, a user could use their Trigger Voice to activate the preinstalled spells within the magic cores. He also carried a one-hundred and fifteen-centimeter longsword on his back.

“I wonder if Hanma is logged in.”

Most users would have considered his attire to be a formidable set of fighting gear, but for Adol, this was just his regular outfit. His armor, which fell between heavy and mid-weight armor, looked fairly hefty and somewhat cumbersome to move around in, but Adol was able to do everything with this gear on, from eating to shopping. He was so used to this gear that it did not restrict his movement at all. Moreover, with his developed and powerful physique, the heft of the armor was negligible. Adol had another set of plate-mail available in his gear set that was used exclusively when it was really time to fight.

Adol moved two to three meters with each step. Though his swordsmanship skills weren’t developing very quickly, his cultivation technique, reaction technique, and shield wielding skills had all increased by leaps and bounds; he was currently markedly higher in those techniques and skills than other similar users. His movement ability had reached such a high level that his movements seemed to adhere to their own laws of physics.

“Wow, look over there. It’s Adol Christine.”

“Ah, he’s one of the party members that defeated the sandworm, right? His defense skills were crazy back then. That sandworm was a hundred meters long, but that guy was able to stand firm while being attacked head-on by that giant monster.”

“Ack! Really? I could understand if a user who specialized in magic power or internal energy was able to do that, but can someone do that with just their physical strength?”

“I’m not totally sure. Anyway, that guy could be hit by a dump truck and not even flinch.”

Adol heard murmurs all around him. It was a common occurrence after a party member had recorded him fighting against the level fourteen main raid monster in the Desolate Desert. Since DIO was a game where one’s skill and abilities determined how far one could level up, many users looked at upper-level users like popular sports figures.

A female user approached Adol tentatively. “E-excuse me.”

“Hmm? Yes, may I help you?”

“I’m a f-fan! I-if it’s not too much trouble… could you sign…”

Adol was at a loss for words. He didn’t consider himself a star, so why would anyone want his signature? Since it would be awkward to decline, Adol clumsily accepted the paper pushed towards him and scribbled down his signature. The girl user then asked,

“Umm… can I also take a screenshot with you?”

“… Sure.”

“Thank you! Camera!”

When the girl shouted, a camera made of smoke appeared in the air. Of course, this camera wasn’t an ability or skill that the girl possessed. It was an ability that all users could access, a selfie-like feature called screenshot.

“Cheese (Kimchi)!”

Adol let out an awkward laugh. Not caring if he smiled or not, the camera took a screenshot and then disappeared. Screenshots could be accessed offline and printed, at the user’s discretion.

“Thank you! I hope all your efforts pay off and that you reach the Master level!”

The girl user ran off towards a group of other girl users, screaming with delight. Adol could vaguely hear their comments, things like ‘Wow, lucky you!’ and ‘You really did it’.

Adol laughed awkwardly again. “I’m so lost.”

Fortunately, since he wore a helmet that covered his face, his true identity was not exposed to the public. However, he couldn’t avoid being recognized in-game. Of course, since his face was not known to the public, some would think that all Adol needed to do to avoid any unwanted attention was to change his gear, but since his username showed above his head, there was no way to fully hide his identity. It was possible to keep one’s title or guild affiliation hidden, but there was no way to hide a username.

“To think, I’m a popular figure just because I’m highly ranked… am I becoming a pro gamer?”

It wasn’t easy for him to let go of this thought, as many pro gamers were making good money in the real world. To brush up on one’s skill and constantly develop into an upper-level user, one needed to spend a lot of time hunting monsters, as this was the best way to gain firsthand experience and develop one’s skills. In the process of such hunting, upper-level users would obtain many drops, and since these drops were from relatively high-level monsters, they would fetch quite a high price.

For example, when Adol defeated the sand worm, the value of the items he obtained easily went for over one million Won. The true value of the items were even more incredible, considering that the drops had been split evenly between the six members of the party. Though the sandworm was a difficult monster to defeat, it had taken the party just an hour to defeat the main raid monster. In other words, he had earned a million Won in just an hour.

“Well, the price of drops will fall as more people enter the upper-levels… but that’s still a while away.”

Even though the closed beta had been exclusive to users who had the most talent and highest potential, many of those users had not reached the upper-levels. Of course, there were exceptions like Arthur and Cruze, who were geniuses amongst geniuses… but it was still quite a feat for someone to reach the upper-levels within such a short amount of time, as DIO had been out for less than a month.

There were some like Adol and Hanma who were able to reach the upper-levels within a month without having any uniquely special talents, but it would not be entirely truthful to say that these users had only played for less than a month. It wasn’t like all the users were born in DIO, with only a month's worth of knowledge and experience. All the users had lived their own lives, possessed their own sense of logic, studied in their trades and crafts, and worked on developing their talents in real life. In essence, DIO was a playground to develop oneself even further.

“Well, I can’t say I could have reached this level without the Training Room.”

Adol walked as he muttered under his breath. Then, a sound chimed in his ear as a text box popped up in front of him.

Ding!

/A new post has been posted on the Announcement Page./

“Huh? An announcement?”

Dynamic Island was popularly known for rarely posting things to the Announcement Page. Despite the game’s popularity, if one went to the Announcement Page on the official DIO website, they would find less than ten posts.

‘Half of these public announcements have been worthless and unimportant. I guess the occasional important post pops up once in a while, but most users will find out about the changes anyway if they just continue playing the game…’

Adol wasn’t able to continue his train of thought. He suddenly heard screams from all around him.