The outside of the thick glass walls was filled with a gray landscape. NCB24 delivered news of the annual climate crisis in a flat voice, (it was the same last year and the year before).
The ceiling shield, which physically separated the outside from the inside of the city, had someone drilled a hole in it (not me for the record), and outside, blizzards hit the streets like ice chunks.
Only the dimly glowing neon signs and hologram billboards in the faraway blurred view faintly informed that this city was still alive.
Despite the terrible weather, I extend my sincere condolences to all the workers in the world who are working hard for credit.
I looked out at the skyscrapers covered in snow and sent a short prayer of about three seconds.
With a lighter heart, I settled into my plush chair.
Going out in this weather was a torture for health and body.
Especially for someone like me, whose cold could evolve into flu – auto-dark evolution, if you will.
Having briefly cleared my mind by looking out the window, it was time to enjoy the game again.
I exhaled lightly after a deep breath and shifted my gaze to the outdated input device, the computer screen.
I lost track of how many minutes it had been.
They were still fighting, huh.
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): No way!! It’s a dagger, so why is the warrior rolling the dice to eat it!!! ]
[ P77648(Warrior): But my damage graph is higher… hmm… should the ‘dealer’ warrior not take it? I don’t know… I’m confused… ]
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): ? ]
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): ??? ]
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): Where do you live? ]
[ P77648(Warrior): What if I eat the armor and try being an evade tank? Hmm… is it a bit tough for your hands? I misspoke… ]
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): Where do you live? ]
[ P77648(Warrior): Haha ]
“Hmm.”
I wanted to look out the window again.
41. A Truth Like a Lie (1)
P77648(Warrior).
He is one of the ‘Warcraft buddies’ who has been leveling as a warrior with me for many years in this game.
He was present when five warriors gathered to form the guild called the [Warrior Craftsman Union], and he was the one who first suggested creating the guild and even named it.
Though he got scammed by me and then switched classes, he hasn’t given up on the warrior profession after realizing the truth.
He possesses patience that ranks in the top 5%.
On the other hand…
Grepejamiohnya(Thief).
Considered a close-range dealer profession that competes in damage per second, he transmuted into the ‘Thief,’ always ending up at the bottom of damage charts in our raid party.
Simply put, he’s got terrible control.
In another party, he would have been told, ‘Get out of our party.’ then leave with deep regret, but…
Maybe due to the higher average age of the players in this game, thankfully there’s little opinion to kick him from our fixed party. (It did come up.)
Anyway, if I had to pick a side between these two, it would be obvious.
However, the fact that I’m the raid leader makes it complicated.
It was also true that the Warcraft buddy broke basic rules.
Although our party’s thief is doing the least damage, has the most deaths, and is loud in chat, a dealer is still a dealer.
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): Well, leader, say something! Or I’ll post about the incident on the bulletin board (typing…). ]
Having organized my thoughts up to that point, I calmly typed in the chat.
[ ImARealWizard(Warrior): Di di do… ]
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): ? ]
First, I gathered my emotional focus.
[ ImARealWizard(Warrior): Di do… It’s all so… difficult, I can’t understand… ]
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): This guy has gone mad being a real warrior (typing…). ]
Now’s the time.
[ ImARealWizard(Warrior): Ahem… it’s an item bound to you… isn’t it meaningless to keep fighting? We have how many party members waiting, how long do we have to fight? Let’s just set a separate flag later and have a nice match with Rak’Shir and proceed through the dungeon first, okay? ]
[ Grepejamiohnya(Thief): … ]
The raid was still ongoing.
The thief (the victim) couldn’t continue chatting, as if doused with cold water upon realizing the fact I was trying to ignore.
The reply that came next was from the artificial intelligence wizard sitting next to me.
[ Eve(Wizard): What is Rak’Shir? ]
Ah.
Doesn’t it exist in this world…?
Instead of chatting, I looked at Eve and opened my mouth. Julia, who was also in the same raid party and had been listening to our conversation, seemed curious as she looked at me.
“A duel that presumes death.”
“?”
“A world where you can feel the culture of survival of the fittest and meritocracy… a world of cold competition.”
Eve tilted her head slightly.
“Is it different from PK?”
“If you refuse, you become a coward.”
“…?”
Eve didn’t seem to sense much difference from regular PK outside the village, looking quite confused.
I elaborated for her.
“In short, it’s just PvP. Like an ordinary duel system… Ah, it’s still not in this game, huh.”
“…Hmm.”
Eve hummed in thought.
I had said it jokingly, but surprisingly, Eve was taking my words seriously.
I waved my palm at Eve.
“Just half of it is a joke, so don’t think too much about it. Ah, it seems the fight is over. Let’s go ahead with the dungeon now.”
I manipulated the character that had stopped moving.
It was a time for peaceful dungeon raiding.
*
And the next day.
An unexpected game update log suddenly appeared.
I checked the content of the notice.
【New Update, Duel System】
…Huh?
With flashy graphics, two warriors clashed axes in battle.
[Prove your purity with death!]
[Coward, or only winners!]
The video was about three minutes long.
When was all this made?
Eventually, one warrior, soaked in blood, stretched out a finger toward the screen.
With a loud shout reminiscent of a military recruitment poster from some country.
[I Want You For Rak’Shir.]
The screen went dark.
In the blackened monitor reflected my face and Eve’s, watching my reaction.
“… ”
“… ”
Hmm.
What reaction should I give to this?
I rolled my eyes slightly to glance at Eve.
Eve was looking at me with a quaint expression, like a cat waiting for praise.
To others, she appeared as expressionless as always, but I could tell the difference.
“…Ahem.”
“Yes.”
The cat ear-shaped auxiliary cyberware on top of Eve’s head perked up.
So that thing can move?
Clearing my throat for a moment, I mechanically smiled and praised Eve.
“…It’s a good update. People will likely react positively.”
“It’s all according to my calculations.”
Eve lifted her head, as if to say Ahem.
…It probably will get good reactions.
More people would seek Rak’Shir than look at the incident bulletin board.
Soon, a bloodstorm would rage in the game….
Habitually logging into the game, just in time, a whole message alert popped up through the chat log.
《 Grepejamiohnya(Thief) has challenged P77648(Warrior) to a duel. 》
Oh.
《 The battle will start shortly. 》
For some reason, I can smell blood.
As I stood from my chair, Eve looked up at me.
“Will you not check the update?”
“…Ah, you mean will I not watch the duel?”
I shook my head gently.
“I just remembered something important.”
Besides, people don’t call catching ‘pigs’ a ‘combat.’
They just call it slaughter.
From my numerous raid experiences, I already knew painfully the control differences of the two. I wanted to watch a duel, not an execution.
I extend my condolences to the thief character….
Anyway, I explained to Eve what I had to do.
“I’ll be back from the 4th-floor guest room.”
I genuinely had something I had forgotten about.
I planned to ask Teddy and Dal about the mana power plant near the incinerator, but I had completely forgotten after hurriedly getting into the raid party.
After petting Eve’s head to stop her from following me, I got on the elevator heading to the 4th floor.
I wouldn’t need multiple people to go since I’ll be back quickly. We’re in the same building, after all.
Once I arrived at the guest room floor, I knocked on the door where Teddy and Dal were staying.
– Knock, knock.
…..
There was no response.
– Ding dong, ding dong.
Even after pressing the intercom button, no voice came from inside.
Where could they have gone?
Honestly, that chance was low. Since Dal’s limb adjustment hadn’t arrived yet, there wouldn’t be a need to go out into the chrome-filled streets.
I suddenly had a bad feeling.
It wasn’t the usual spine-chilling anxiety, but the thought of ‘… could it be?’ tinged my mind.
I directly opened the closed guest room door.
The locking mechanism was wide open.
Since the building was directly handled by Monolith, the inside of the guest room was very luxurious. There were traces of life all over the place, as if to prove Teddy and Dal had been there.
“…!”
Fortunately, what I feared the most was not the case.
Voices of people were faintly leaking from inside.
A growling, scratching voice, it was Teddy.
I let out a sigh of relief.
…Exactly what were they doing inside that they weren’t paying attention to the intercom?
I walked into the room with heavy steps.
“Ugh. Seriously!”
“…Teddy, quiet down.”
“No, this doesn’t make sense?!”
Teddy’s boisterous voice contrasted sharply with Dal’s calm tone.
I slightly frowned, glaring at the loud Teddy.
In front of Teddy was an outdated input device— a computer.
…
Oh?
At that moment, sensing my presence, Teddy and Dal turned around. They must have heard my footsteps.
“Why are you here all of a sudden? Is something wrong? …Or are we too loud?”
“Only Teddy’s loud.”
“…Loud.”
I ignored Teddy’s mumbles and looked at the monitor he was operating.
On it was a gray screen and a character collapsed in the center.
Above the character’s head was written [ Grepejamiohnya(Thief)].
…Is this a coincidence, or fate?
“What’s going on?”
“…Oh, it’s just I know this game.”
“Oh, you too?”
Teddy’s distorted grin appeared.
…Well, that’s not unreasonable.
Having lived underground for a long time, he had mentioned he was gradually taking on hacking jobs. That meant he most likely had more illegal jobs than legal ones.
Considering this game’s original identity was the ‘Backworld Network,’ it wasn’t surprising.
However…
“You should quit the game.”
“Why out of the blue… And it’s not that I have poor control. That guy is OP!”
I never thought I’d hear the day a warrior is called OP.
Your control is indeed poor….
I shook my head.
*
Anyway, I briefly explained my reason for coming to see them.
“What’s next to the incinerator? The mana power plant?”
“Yup.”
Teddy looked at me as if I were a sick person.
“…Are you out of your mind? Where would that be?”
I thought the same.
