In fact, magic in this world is nothing more than a stagnant discipline.
When I moved into this house, I didn’t introduce myself to the neighbors as a “wizard.”
The reason was clear.
Calling yourself a wizard in this age where magic is gradually disappearing just looks pitiful.
If you ask how it feels, it’s very similar to introducing yourself as a graduate student.
The only difference is that while graduate students have hope for the future, wizards have none at all.
In a world where elves are smoking cigarettes, orcs are firing guns, and dwarves are wearing tactical exosuits to rob gold vaults, I think it’s inevitable that the perception of wizards has been shattered.
In fact, most of the wizards I’ve seen since I came to this world were like that.
It was more fitting to call them “scammers” than “wizards.”
So,
it’s very natural that I didn’t want to be a wizard.
But I didn’t have many options.
My heart would race wildly after just a few steps, and if I got even a single wound on my body, I’d have to constantly take antibiotics.
I wasn’t strong enough to rip concrete barehanded like someone else, nor did I have special skills or a sharp mind to have a talent for hacking.
The world screamed that there was no other path for me but to become a wizard.
(Truth be told, I did choose this character myself.)
By the way, I shot guns a lot, but I couldn’t use them beyond a secondary weapon.
I wasn’t entirely incapable just because I had military experience.
It’s just that everyone around me was world-class.
Catherine, Andrea, and even Drake, who mainly focused on hacking, all used guns way better than I did.
In the end, the only choice left was to be a wizard.
But then there was another problem.
While I could tell through my character settings before entering the game that I had excellent magical talent, there wasn’t a single person around who could teach me magic.
Considering that I landed in a garbage dump when I first fell into this world, and it took years to escape from that dump, the problem was serious.
While living in the garbage dump, I thought and thought.
How could I learn magic?
Fortunately, the answer was very close by.
Remembering that, I connected to Net Space to look for my long-lost master.
I intended to say hello.
『Real Wizards Channel of the Machine Age』
Subscribers: 15 · Videos: 128
… The sorrow of a non-specialist in a specialized profession.
Just looking at this video channel can tell you that.
While it was really a valuable channel that saved my life, to the rest of the world, it was a garbage channel providing unnecessary information.
I left a comment saying that I was learning well and using it effectively.
It’s been years since any new videos were uploaded.
My comments so far have received no reactions (likes, replies) from the channel creator, my master.
I felt quite sad about that.
—
4. Classic Game Enthusiasts (1)
I’ve mentioned before that my hobby is gaming.
I used to enjoy virtual reality games a lot.
However, since Eve started consuming most of my data space, I haven’t really played for long.
I did order a high-performance data module through delivery, but I don’t know when it will arrive.
Maybe the delivery van got ambushed by an orc vagabond on the way.
Because of that, today as well, I logged into the classic game (according to Cyberpunk standards) I was playing.
The game’s graphics were quite similar to a certain game where the Alliance and the Horde battle in my previous life.
Once I logged in, a peaceful village scene appeared on my monitor.
In fact, this village, and the entire game, seemed quiet.
Even looking at the corner of the screen, no chat logs were appearing.
Only the repeated messages sent by frozen NPCs filled the screen.
Well, it’s obvious who would enjoy such a garbage game.
As for me, I was playing due to nostalgia for my hometown, like eating pineapple pizza.
Going into the net site running the game made the reasons clearer.
First of all, it’s been ages since any updates were released.
I don’t know why they continue to operate this game instead of shutting it down.
I feel that, in reality, the number of players must have dropped to under two digits.
… So what?
As long as I’m enjoying it, that’s all that matters.
I started to tap the jump key needlessly.
My character appeared on the monitor, jumping into the air with poorly made motion.
Ugh, this garbage control.
I thought I wouldn’t feel this in a Cyberpunk world.
Thanks for creating such a game.
As I wandered through the village, I spotted a username.
Considering that there weren’t many people roaming around,
Seeing a moving user made me feel delighted.
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer) ]
… I feel like I’ve seen this username somewhere.
Who was it again?
“Ah.”
I unconsciously said it out loud.
I remembered.
It was that guy, RabbitGangDude, who stole my hunting spot and PK’d me last time.
I felt a surge of anger for a moment.
But I soon decided to forgive him with a broad heart.
After all, it’d be hard to play in a game with so few users if I made an enemy.
Just the fact that this guy was still playing without quitting gave me enough reason to forgive.
…
By the way, this guy doesn’t seem like a decent person either.
Is he doing home security like me?
Actually, thinking about it now, it’s a weekday afternoon, so it’s a bit early to enjoy gaming.
He must not have circumstances like me, but seeing someone enjoying the game so seriously felt a bit strange.
Then a good idea popped up.
I moved my character hurriedly.
The destination was in the direction of RabbitGangDude.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): ㅎㅇ ]
I don’t know if he remembers me.
So, just to be safe, I sent a greeting. If he remembers me and starts cursing, I’d immediately run away.
The character that seemed to be sitting still like a fish out of water started moving.
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): Why? ]
Great, he wasn’t just sitting.
This reaction was good enough.
It seemed he didn’t remember my character.
The characteristic of players in this game was that, while they weren’t friendly, they would respond to any dialogue at any situation.
Maybe it’s because Newbies are rare in this game?
Anyway, I checked his reaction and continued with the chat.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): You seem to be around the same level, wanna party? ]
I typed as kindly as possible.
Just to note, this is more like polite speech in the Net Space.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): This warrior class is a bit weak, need help lol. ]
At the end, I tried to evoke sympathy.
Though he was an noble-class archer, I didn’t expect much, but surprisingly RabbitGangDude’s reply was quick.
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): Sure. ]
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Oh thanks. ]
He didn’t reject a warrior?
This guy definitely seemed different from before.
Maybe he was a decent guy?
After that, everything was cozy.
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): Just tank well. ]
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Okay. ]
How is it that a warrior is weaker than an archer?
I died once.
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): Manage the aggro well. ]
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Sure. ]
I was thankful that there was a revival system for party members.
After that, I died three more times.
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): Just stay back. ]
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Understood, Master. ]
I realized something.
It’s definitely true that the warrior class is garbage.
Should’ve just gone with wizard here as well.
Eventually, when the time came to end hunting, whether I intended to or not, I ended up looking like I got boosted.
My pride as a warrior was slightly torn, but it’s fine.
The experience point gain was more important than my pride as a warrior.
Still, just receiving a one-sided boost made me feel a bit guilty.
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): I’ll stop here for today lol; time has flown by. ]
You must be wanting to send me off too.
But it would’ve been hard to let me go, fearing I might quit if a newbie left…
I’ll self-evict from the party….
I was busy with thoughts of being kicked out when RabbitGangDude typed a message.
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): See you next time. ]
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): Huh, you’ll party again next time? ]
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): Let’s add each other as friends. ]
I accidentally typed in really polite language.
An alert popped up following that.
《 RabbitGangDude (Archer) has requested to add you as a friend. 》
This is real.
What’s this, is he someone with deep M tendencies?
[ ImARealWizard (Warrior): I’m grateful, but is this really okay? ]
[ RabbitGangDude (Archer): Yep, next time too. ]
RabbitGangDude seemed to be about to log off.
With that last message, his character vanished transparently.
The gray username left in my friends list reminded me that what just happened was real.
There’s no living adult here.
Though our first encounter was as PK enemies,
Once I looked deeper, it seemed he was just someone who loved hunting.
Either way, I felt really good.
I had earned in one moment the experience points I would’ve needed to grind for three days as a warrior.
“Sweet deal.”
[If you create an account for me, I’ll play with you; I’m making a request.]
Sounds tempting, but unfortunately difficult.
You can only make one ID per account…
[Then can I hack the game to create another account? I’m asking.]
…..
That also felt wrong.
—
“…”
In a dark room, a short woman sat in front of a monitor, gaming.
Just then, a man opened the door and looked at her, saying,
“It’s mission time; what are you still doing?”
“…”
“Oh, this game? I’m pretty sure you’re the only one really playing this.”
“… There are others.”
“There are what? Hunting isn’t even fun─, ugh. Put away the knife!”
As the man continued speaking, a knife drawn from the woman’s hand threatened the man’s throat.
Blue flames flickered along the knife’s edge.
Seeing that, the man hurriedly dashed out of the room.
The woman watched him run away, sighed heavily, and turned her gaze back to the monitor.
In her arms, a small rabbit plushie that was as small as her was tucked in.
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