#avgtl

Let me go home already… I can’t think straight anymore…

I was tapping away at an outdated computer in the nurses’ station and doing today’s documentation.

The location is Shinjuku. The time, wee hours. A hellhole of a hospital ward with a window to the night outside. The nurses of this ward start their day way too early and end their nights dizzyingly late. Even when neglecting my hunger and hygiene, I can get only four, five hours of precious sleep a day. Such are my circumstances when working hours are this long.

I haven’t really done anything at all lately. I don’t have the time to game or hang out with my friends… the only thing I’ve done other than work is scrolling on my phone…

I silently sighed inside.

Society thinks us nurses to be huge flirts, headstrong, and highly paid. I’m sure there are some out there who are like that. … not me though. I’d say I’m the complete opposite of that.

When I was a teenager, I played games all day and cared too little about looking pretty, leading me straight down the path of being a loner. By the time I did care, I was a university student busy with studying and practicum. Outside of school, my girlfriends and I would be in stupidly high heels and partying like there was no tomorrow.

Though I like talking with people, I was always too timid for my own good. Not only did my seniors always yell at me, I also have literally zero experience in relationships. … I suppose faking it and going to clubs did get me attention from shallow guys, but the thing is that I have never been popular with the opposite sex. That’s why I can’t stand people who are blessed with confidence.

… I’m completely twisted. I know. I’ll probably end up in my thirties with everybody saying that my standards are too unrealistic and no one interested in me…

I sighed out loud this time. And as for the highly paid part? That’s probably not true for me as well. My take home pay is a little over 180,000 with more than 100 hours of unpaid overtime. Still, in this “Land of the Setting Sun”, that’s probably considered well-paid.

There are all sorts of nurses, y’know?

I’m neither well-paid nor well-versed in relationships. I’m just a sham who loves her zombies. I had once prided myself on my love for nursing, but the soul-sucking work as of late led to the flames of my passion burning out. I’m simply a lifeless drone.

Ughhh, I need to let loose and wipe out some zombies… I can’t stand working anymore…

Shoving those memories aside, I begrudgingly returned to recordkeeping. Now, let me describe what a day for a newbie nurse with no time for fun or zombies is like. After five hours of sleep, I wake up and head to my ward. I look up the details of the patients I’m in charge of on the piece of crap computer. Once that’s done, I make sure all the medicine and IV drips are good to go. After handing off things to the night shift, I begin making my rounds. There’s not even a moment spare to get water or go to the washroom. Even when working such a long shift, I say goodbye to lunch breaks if it gets busy. It doesn’t matter your level of seniority, you effectively get only five minutes. If it’s bad, it’s closer to 30 seconds… I fly into the break room, stuff my face with food, and eat it while walking back to the desk. Then, I get back to logging or preparing for the midday debriefing. I’m sure… I’m sure other places are like this too. In every hospital is a ward this depressing.

… oof. Crap. Nearly fell asleep there.

That moment of microsleep was most definitely because of sleep deprivation. The steady chime of the patient monitoring system and the clattering of keyboards from other nurses working overtime fill the room. I glanced at the watch I had stuffed in my pocket—12:30, later than usual.

It’s past midnight already, eh? Still, even when everybody lives around here, Shinjuku at night is still a little dangerous.

Even then, none of us dayshift nurses have gone home yet. That’s just how things work here. I casually looked up from my PC.

Colorful neon signs and lit offices contribute to the dazzling lights in the nightscape. It shone through the window across the hallway from the nurses’ station. Low-intensity aircraft warning lights dotted countless skyscrapers. The red lights on top of the buildings were like a constellation twinkling together. Its beauty never fails to take me out of reality.

 … though I may be sleepy, even at this hour, the streets were not. The lights revealed everybody who was still awake.

Until I started working, I never knew the nights of Shinjuku were created and supported by people like me—the slaves to society.

 People are used and discarded every day to maintain this beautiful dazzling world.

… and just as that thought floated across my mind, my view of the night sky worrisomely fluttered for a moment.

 Hmm…? That’s weird.

I couldn’t tell whether my vision was blurry or that my head wasn’t functioning properly. Though what was very clear was that I was far too tired. Then, I got lightheaded for a split second. As soon as it passed and I breathed a sigh of relief, I clutched my chest in pain.

 I’m going to die… oh yeah, I’m totally dying.

As my heart stabbed with every pulse, I took a deep breath only to find my head spinning again.

… frankly, I’m not doing so well.

This has been a frequent occurrence lately. I hold back the wave of nausea as I struggle to form sentences in my head… then suddenly, the exhausted head nurse rushed over to me in a panic.

“—the management is coming around! Hurry, hide yourself in the linen room!”

Once I realized the head nurse was shouting at me in a quiet voice, she stood me up by my shoulders. And before I knew it, she shoved me into the linen room at the far end of the nurses’ station and slammed the door shut.

… ah, not this again…

I subconsciously sighed. This happens every day in our ward. Basically, it’s to conceal the fact that us newcomers are forced to work overtime. If the head honchos of the nursing department find out, they would chew out the head nurse.

The directive of this sweatshop of a hospital is supposedly to eliminate overtime and, officially, newcomers aren’t forced to do so. That’s why when the head of the department swings by, us newcomers get spirited away.

That’s fine and all, but… damn it. The computers automatically logout after 10 minutes of inactivity, so there goes all my unsaved data…

Looks like I’ll have to redo everything, which means I’m stuck here until at least 1:00. I squatted down and subconsciously sighed again. Guess I don’t have much of a choice but to sleep until they come get me. As I shut my eyes close in exhaustion, I felt a strange vibration coming from my pocket.

 … huh? A notification? I thought I turned off my phone…

I doubted myself as I reached into my pocket. When I took a look at my phone, the screen was pitch black but oddly enough, some text was showing.

… hmm, what’s that? Is that English?

The excessive number of symbols made me question whether it was really English or not. It may have been pitch black, but it was just bright enough that I could tell the screen was on. That and the green text showing clued me in on that.

… what’s all this about? Did some super hacker breach my phone? Wait, are there people who hack smartphones in the first place?

I looked down at the screen in confusion… hmm? What? Hold on… The green text scrolled past at a blistering pace. The line practically disappears as soon I tried to read it!

 “… what?!”

I was fully awake when I reflexively cried out loud but was still too late to cover my mouth shut. The directors should have still been out there on their patrol. I hope they didn’t hear me.

Whaaaaaaat. Huh?! Augh! What’s going on?!

A scene of pure sci-fi unfolded in front of my very eyes. Talk about a complete one-eighty from my depressing daily life.

No, seriously, am I being hacked? Is this what it’s like? This looks more like magic to me though!

Unfortunately, a Neanderthal who can’t even do basic addition on Excel like me had no idea what was happening. I don’t get it… but I knew that this wasn’t supposed to happen.

sudo…? apt-get install? Hey, hey, hey, hey! Don’t go installing anything weird on my phone without my permission! It’s now asking for a password… and it’s being filled in!

My eyes went wide as ••••• popped up in the password field.

But… I didn’t even do anything…

I was speechless. Then, while my jaw was still on the floor, the door violently swung open… as someone came barelling through.

■Protagonist

The protagonist is a super overworked rookie nurse who was on the verge of dying. Once you get her on the topic of zombie games, she'll yap on for even longer than the intro to The Final Countdown—though it's not an opportune moment right now.

contents: /ch001/ /next/

Heaving a sigh, I stood the assault rifle up against the wall then sat on one of the dining chairs… one that the old man wasn’t. I know I’m in a game, but I’m still not about to sit in the old man’s seat.

Still, why is this even happening…? Because my phone glitched…?

Thoughts ran through my head as I was trying to figure out my situation. It was then I noticed the desk to the side… the key was on the desk, just as I remembered reading about on the walkthrough site.

Might as well take it.

Kiryū looked understandably bewildered as he watched me take the key.

“Umm, hey… Sera? What’s that key do?” “It’s super useful and since I don’t have a pocket… would you please hang on to it? Anyway, what did you mean by that? Sera?”

I looked up at Kiryū. He looked back at me with a troubled expression. He knows my name, even though I’m sure we’ve just met.

“… I’m not sure if you realize it yet, but right now, physically, you’re Sera Harvey, the protagonist of Dead Man’s Conflict 2.” “Are you for real?” “I swear. I’ve never played any zombie games before, but I’ve seen this series at the game show in Tokyo before.” “… that’s… very surprising…”

As stupid as I may have sounded, I had no other words but those. Subconsciously, I began looking at my hands… and then my feet.

My long, fair legs were peeking through the bottom of an adorable green sundress. My hair was in a shade of dark bluish black. And tipping my small, slender hands were my fingernails in pink.

… this is definitely not my own body. This body belonged to the beauty who contrasted the deplorable battlefield of Confi City, the stealthy one-man army of Dead Man’s Conflict—Sera Harvey.

“… I’m Sera…”

I shook my head in denial as I finally realized who I was.

“What the heck happened to me…”

The truth was sickening, troubling. This situation was all too ridiculous. Kiryū, as if he understood how I felt, began his explanation.

“From what I can tell, you’re just an average Joe who got dragged from the real world to this side.” “… that’s what it seems like. I swear, I was just a rookie nurse working free overtime in a sweatshop they called a hospital… Kiryū, this is some sort of a dream, right…?”

This would be strange topic if I were in a dream, but I still had to ask… I still needed that small glimmer of false hope for consolation.

“… it’d be nice if it were a dream.”

Kiryū shrugged as he spoke, sounding just like a doctor giving a patient bad diagnosis. He continued with a heavy heart and gently broke the news to me.

“… but I don’t think this is simply a dream. I don’t know how else to describe it, but we’re inexplicably trapped in this world.” “No…” “I feel you. It’s hard to accept. But have you ever been dog-tired and out of breath in a dream before?”

I couldn’t help but shake my head and answer with no.

“… I haven’t had a dream like… that… I suppose. Isn’t this a little too unrealistic though? Zombies only exist in fiction. The concept of the reanimated dead just doesn’t make sense. It goes against the laws of physics. They show all signs of being dead, you know? And how can they produce any adenosine triphosphate to move? I don’t even know how I got here in the first place… to this world…”

I was at my wits’ end by now.

—I opened a door to another universe by working overtime and getting my phone hacked.

No one would believe that. It’d make more sense if it were just a dream. Or maybe I’m in some sort of web novel. They say the hit genre right now is about getting reborn into a game world. Even my brother mentioned he was into that sort of novels and anime. I felt more and more ill as I think about all of this. To begin with, I was on the brink of death at work up until moments ago.

“… real life blows. Were you working overtime too?”

Perhaps he could sense my mental state, Kiryū forced a small smile and began to sympathize. His words seemed a little cool yet gentle. I slowly looked up at him. Kiryū looked as shallow as he did handsome, but the way he spoke was more than genuine.

“Me too. Just now—rather, hours ago, I was stuck at work debugging with the whole team.” “… what’s that?” “You play a game thoroughly to make sure that it’s free of any bugs. It’s a time-consuming process in which gotta play the game over and over again. People from other departments would get on your case and check in with you too. I really thought I was gonna kick the bucket. Then, before I knew it, I got trapped in this ridiculous world.” “I see…” “… I guess I should apologize too. I might look like a real stud, but inside, I’m really an old fart. I’m just like you, from the real world. Except that I’m a 30-year-old software engineer working for a game dev company.”

I let out a slight giggle in spite of myself. At first, I assumed he was a little too serious and awkward, but he’s actually quite kind.

“You can’t call yourself an old fart yet when you’re just 30.” “I appreciate that, but you’ll feel it too when you turn 30. People younger than you will make fun of you for everything, so you gotta be prepared for it.” “Hah, that sounds rough… oh, by the way, do you know who your character is?” “Kiryū Sōichirō, right? I’ve, uhh… seen it at the game show.” “Oh, so you do know!”

Letting his guard down a little, Kiryū laughed with me. He looked like the world’s hottest playboy, but I’d be no better if I said that out loud. We’re both adults who are sick and tired of their jobs, but we certainly don’t look the part.

“I’m glad you’re smiling again. I wouldn’t know what would happen to me if I hadn’t found you too.” “… what do you mean? Were you with someone else?” “Yeah.”

His smile faded into a frown.

“… I found you as I watched my friend get eaten by zombies.” “Like, in a cutscene?” “No… he was a real person. He lost his cool and tried to clear a horde with his bare hands.” “That’s such a movie cliché…” “I don’t get it either. He was saying we’re not going to be rescued anyway… I guess he was at his limits couldn’t handle it anymore.”

Kiryū looked down at the ground and heaved a sigh.

“… please, be strong. For me. We’ll think of some way to safely break out of this world. We can do this together. So please, promise me…”

As his voice trails off, I looked down at the ground and felt a wave of anxiety building up in my chest.

—is he saying we might die in here like his friend…?

But what did he mean that he wasn’t going to be rescued? Does he know something we don’t…?

Silence fell in the bloody, musty room. … then, I remembered something very important and I grabbed the assault rifle. Shit. Christ. This is bad. We can’t afford to be just sitting here.

“—Sera, wait! Let’s talk about this some more!” “There’s lots I want to say too, but I just recalled something really important. In this game, we’re in danger until we reach a safehouse.” “… we’re in danger?”

Kiryū now looked very serious.

“… you mean, they’ll keep spawning and respawning, coming at us?” “That’s exactly it.”

I’m glad that Kiryū, being a game dev, quickly understood what I’m talking about, but I can’t rejoice yet.

“The longer we stay at a location, the more enemies will spawn.” “Ugh. That sounds like the whole world is gonna get laggy… but I get what you mean. It’ll be dangerous if we stay here any longer. We’ve gotta keep moving so they don’t form too big of a horde…” “That’s right. We should head to a safehouse ASAP. But, before that…”

I stopped in the middle of my sentence to rack my brain. There was so much we should be doing.

—what are the locations of this game like?

Are there any places where I can’t return?

Are there any key items that I should get before I leave?

 “… before we head to the safehouse, there are two things we have to recover.”

I walked towards the exit as I explained things to him.

“First, I need to pick up the ‘smartphone’ I dropped earlier. Second is the ‘Vital Watch’ that gets dropped in the beginning of this level.” “Vital Watch?”

Kiryū followed behind me.

“It’s critical to our safety that we get that watch. Have you… never played any DMC game before?”

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders no.

“They say you can do whatever you want in these zombie killers, but they aren’t my thing.” “I see. In that case… umm, the Vital Watch looks like an Apple Watch.” “I see.” “It’s a gadget that… how should I explain this? In short, it’s kinda like a status screen that you can wear around your wrist.”

I grabbed my left wrist with my fingers to demonstrate to Kiryū.

“It fits right around here, and it displays your vital stats, the currently time, and other basic info like that. DMC3 holds your hands throughout the game so that it’s easy to get into it. I think we should be able to find it in this world too.” “I see… diagetic UI, eh?”

Kiryū nodded along as if he completely understood me.

“It sounds like we should definitely get our hands on that Vital Watch. … but your phone? Is it really worth the risk it to get it back?” “Definitely. It was because my phone glitched up that I got sent to this world. It’s very likely a key item, don’t you think?” “Your phone glitched…?” “I’ll tell you the details once we get moving. We can’t sit and chat here anyway.”

He seemed really interested about what happened to my phone.

“In any case, we should definitely go back to get it. We must. I just have to post these pictures online, y’know?” “… what was that?” “Nothing at all. You’re hearing things.” “No shit?”

I digressed but brushed it off with a clap of my hands.

“Well, that’s not important right now. We should get hurrying though! Oh, and where’s your phone?” “Oh. I don’t have it with me.”

Kiryū scratched the back of his head and shrugged his shoulders again.

“I fell asleep at my desk… and when I woke up, I was lying face-up in this world. My phone is probably still on my desk at work.” “Alright, then for now, let’s go retrieve my phone.” “Gotcha.” “Then, we’ll go get the Vital Watch.” “Yep.”

—and so, that was our plan.

First, the phone. Then, the watch.

… the Vital Watch should have dropped after the first section of the game… it should be our first item. Right now, though, we’re at the end of the first locale—Downtown. That means we’ll have to backtrack through the stage.

—… “we’re not going to be rescued anyway”…

That phrase kept coursing through my mind. Nothing but bad feelings welled up in my chest as I looked downwards.

… but now’s not the time to get all depressed.

If we stay here any longer, the game is going to spawn too many zombies. I shook off my anxiety and I tried to cheer up both Kiryū and myself.

“We don’t know anything about our situation, nor do we know anything about how to get back to our world… but let’s keep playing this game. That’s all we can do.”

■Sera

Sera is a rookie nurse whose real name is unknown. Also, a bright and cheerful wild child. She grew up with her brothers—one older and one younger, both two years apar from her. From her grade school days and up till year one of university, she had been obssessed with zombie games. Now, she is suffering the consequences.

contents: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /next/

“So, in other words, Veno Yveval and I are completely separate beings. I’m just a guy who was summoned from another world. I’m sure you guys have some sort of legend of summoning humans from parallel worlds, right?”

I think I recall Veno mentioning a fairytale like that. Hearing this explanation, her face turns even paler.

“Th-That would mean… the spell which we thought would weaken a monster…” “In Veno’s case, then it would mean you’d kill a tough monster by simply killing some stranger. A pretty good deal for you, I’d say.” “Damn… I shall report this exactly as you have said to the Kingdom of Saint Yggdra. To slay a monster like that is… completely unacceptable. If there is a way for me to atone for my sins…” “Innocent people from parallel worlds have been forced to sacrifice their lives, so I can’t justify it. But… I’m sure you dragonslayers can find atonement.”

The dead cannot simply come back. Celes and her squad might have innocent blood on their hands, but that’s just how this world is. It’s not fully their fault though. Whoever created a spell like Forced Possession Summoning should be to blame. They should forbid people from ever using it again.

“You… are right. I now realize that you have guided my path time and time again, Cohgray.” “Don’t worry too much about it. I’m glad to be able to open up to you as well.”

I reached my hand out. With just a tinge of fear, she took my hand and shook it.

“Thank you…”

It seemed like she could undo Forced Possession Summoning.

“Yukihisa…” “Muuu…”

Both Arleaf and Muu turned to me with heartbroken looks on their faces.

“Yukihisa… are you going to return to your world?” “I’m only here because of Veno’s Mana, so I’m not sure either.” ‘Aye. Your presence in this world may perhaps be maintained by my Mana.’

So, does that mean if the spell gets undone, I’ll return to Japan?

“But…”

Oof… Arleaf eyes swelled up with tears. This hurts, Arleaf… but I really can’t help it since our goal is to lift the spell after all.

“Are you… going to leave?” “I still don’t know yet, but, umm… err, Arleaf…”

I took her hands in mine.

“Veno will still be around even if I’m gone. So, please… please don’t be so sad.” ‘Do pardon me for being unable to consume the lass’ cooking.’

Oh, shut up! You’re such a blabbermouth.

‘Well, lass… in the even that he returns to his world, I shall try to summon him for thee.’

What? Veno plans to summon me on his own terms? It was unreasonable how they summoned me in the first place, but wouldn’t it be unreasonable the second time as well?

‘Dost thou wish for otherwise? Even though thou always complainest.’

Hmm… well, you guys are like family now and no way do I want to work in that company again. Not to mention that Veno has already defeated Virage once and for all, so I wouldn’t mind being here. I’ve enjoyed my days here, y’know?

“Lord Holy Dragon…” ‘Nothing to fearest then.” “Thank you.” “It seems like Miss Arleaf can hear the dragon’s voice too. Have you come to a decision?” “Yes, we have.” “Then come with me. Our mages are waiting.”

We headed to the courtyard of a church to find an incredible number of mages waiting to begin undoing Forced Possession Summoning. Then, they began casting all kinds of spells at me, attempting to lift the spell. It seems like the townsfolk are peering in from outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the Holy Dragon.

“Let us proceed!”

The head mage called out one last time before casting a spell at me. Just like before, the energy poured into me… and after a while, I floated back to solid ground. … don’t feel any different though.

“Umm… so, did it work?” “Very odd. I tried reversing it, but…”

The mages put in so much research into Forced Possession Summoning, but they now all hang their heads down. … what? You guys figured out how to cast it but not undo it?

“A-Apologies, Cohgray.” “No, it’s uhh… I guess it was easier said than done.”

Man, it would’ve been great if it worked.

‘Tsk… that means we have to continue as is for a little longer.’

Sounds like it…

“Though we may have failed… our appreciation does not change. We revere you and the dragon—Lord Yveval, I mean—as holy figures. Let us guarantee your safety from now on. We would be honored if you were to accept our feelings.” “Oh. Yes. It’s my pleasure?”

I guess we’re now saints in three religions. I’m glad they put aside their differences to be so courteous. We were even warmly welcomed to the palace too. Oh, and Veno’s wide-area spell easily took care of the curse that was placed upon Nisua.

But talk about a one-eighty from fugitive to saint. I barely have to ask and people immediately say yes to my requests. It kinda felt good. It was scary and nerve-racking to lay low and live as a fugitive. In any case, even though civilization is quite a bit behind, life here is stable. I was more than happy to not have to fight anymore.

‘Is that not something to celebrate?! hic! It truly has been too long since I have indulged like this.’

The town offered their finest liquor to Veno, so he’s back on the bottle. Since I’ve got Poison Absorption, I get a light buzz but no hangovers. Pretty handy. I thought somebody might try to assassinate me to wrest control over the world, but poisons don’t work at all on me. I’m sure any assassin would know that… but I’ve also got quite the entourage of bodyguards. Celes didn’t even return home to cure her sister and instead is protecting me. I lived a life of peace… for about two weeks.

 “Are you sure, Cohgray?”

After being relieved of her post in the Dragonslayers Corps under the guise to return home, I asked Celes for help to break out of the palace that so cordially received us. In the cover of night, we executed our plan. “Yeah.” “Mu.” “We will be on the run again, Yukihisa.” “You’re right. But if I stay there any longer, I’ll become a waste of skin.”

Yeah, after living the high life for two weeks, I felt like an absolute degenerate. In the end, Arleaf—who originally followed me around as a helper—became my lover and finally, my wife. Wait… now that I think about it, that sounds really bad. Anyway. As we’re trying to break ourselves out, Muu’s in the corner shaking up and down with a dirty look… it feels like Muu is expecting Arleaf and me to get hot and heavy tonight, but that’s not what we’re doing! I felt like a completely useless person living like this, so I begged Celes for her help to extract me out of this place and set off on a journey together. It’s not like we could undo Forced Possession Summoning anyway.

‘Good heavens… thou spoke of being a “corporate slave” before, but are humans from thy world so unaccepting of extravagance? Not being able to fully relax is a real shame.” “My body has been naturally healing itself ever since I came to this world. If I relaxed any longer, I’d turn into a blob.” “You are a very earnest man, Cohgray. I have much to learn from you.”

After leaving palace grounds, we hopped onto a coach that Celes had prepared ahead of time.

“Cohgray, they will definitely go searching for a missing saint. It is still not too late to return.” “I know. I’ve left them a message just in case.”

Before we escaped, I left a note on the desk of my room. I explained how there are still many in this world who need our help and my reasons for doing so. Basically, everything that would sound good. Of course, I made sure not to incriminate Celes in the letter. I said I’d return in three days too. I think I’ll be alright.

“They will only hunt you down.” “Well… I’m used to being on the run.” “Then, where shall we go? Shall we go searching for my relatives for clues to undo Forced Possession Summoning?” ‘‘tis a good plan. And honestly, the lass’ ancestor wrote not nearly enough in his journal.’ “They’ll probably be waiting for us there…” “If they are expecting us to show up to Miss Arleaf’s relatives, then let us go to somewhere like my hometown where they surely shall not be expecting.”

Not to hide in plain sight or anything, but Celes technically took her leave before I escaped, so they shouldn’t connect the dots.

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.” “Understood, then let us head to Niez.” “Okay! I will follow you to the ends of the world, Yukihisa.” “Mu!” ‘Good grief. Thou hast made more comrades, but in the end, still a fugitive.’

I guess so. We gotta start with undoing the spell though. I’m still a Poison-Wielder. And I’m still a fugitive.

‘Aye. However, I feel better than ever.’ “You’re right. Well, everybody, sorry to trouble ya… but let’s do this!” “Yeah! (Mu!)”

… seems like I’ll still be a poison-wielding fugitive for the next little while.

Thank you very much for being with me on this journey to the end of my first novel series! I sincerely hope everyone has enjoyed Poison-Wielding Fugitive as much as I have. As well, I hope everyone will continue supporting me by reading my other novels and upcoming ones as well. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you very much.

what would you like to read next? suggest titles for me to translate!

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Did his condition worsen?! Sensing something amiss, Celes perks up and rushes inside. In his room was the scene of Wayne striking a pose at us; his muscles glistening.

“Oh, welcome home! Somethin’ the matter?”

That’s our line! We were worried something happened to you, you old fart!

“Mu!”

Muu flexes too and begins imitating Wayne.

“… umm…”

We all turn our eyes toward Rurika.

“Since he hasn’t been able to work for so long, all of his pent-up energy is being unleashed all at once. Please, do something about him…”

That’s what it was? Jeez…

“So? What’d y’all bring home? I’ve come up with a few plans of my own too. I can work all night!”

… ugh. I wouldn’t have guessed that Wayne and Arleaf are related. He’s more like the proprietress—they’re both monsters brimming with energy.

“Uhh… in that case…” We hand over all the minerals we got from slaying the ore monsters and from mining.

“Whoa! That’s quite the biggun you bagged!” “Yeah, we couldn’t have taken down Safkrym without Celes, so save the best parts for her.” “You got it. Now, stand back and watch my hammer sing, boy.”

After giving the mats a once-over, Wayne starts the work on our equipment. Rurika—though exhausted from dealing with him—watches on with a tender smile. Still, better to be too full of energy rather than how he had been before. We head on over to the forge.

  While Celes already had an idea what she wanted to get made, Wayne planned something good for us. Everything’s been paid for already and our armor is finished too.

Elba Leather Coat (Toxic) Quality: Legendary Required level: 45 Bonus effects: Extreme Toxicity, Low Chance of Contracting Bloodflower or Dorimsvoyta, Magic Proficiency Increase (Medium), Water Resistance (Greater), Self-Regeneration, Cloaking, Camouflaging Skills Increase, Footstep Noise Reduction, Sensing, Curse Resistance (Medium) The hides of Elbatoxin—whose toxins are still imbued within— Crocgator, and King Boss Rat are stitched together to form this formidable piece of armor. Drains Mana while toxins poison the user. In exchange, all poison damage is maxed when this armor is equipped. Tougher than the average metallic armor and grants user Self-Regeneration at the cost of Mana. This magnificent work protects the user while granting the user deadly powers.

It’s called a coat, but it’s more like leather armor. The collar kinda looks like the frill on Elbatoxin’s neck. Maybe he chose leather armor for me because my skills are quite Ranger-like. It’s a huge leap from what we’ve been using up till now, eh? At least it’s leagues ahead of my old Smoke Armor.

‘The toxic nature of the armor would not normally allow any other human equip it. But for thee, ‘tis nothing but a boon.’

It’s so toxic, it could transmit deadly diseases. That said though, I haven’t caught either of them yet. Plus, I could use the Extreme Toxicity effect with my Poison Absorption to send my stats sky high. I tried it on and I could feel the warmth of Self-Regeneration slowly seeping into my body. And, it also slowly replenishes my stock of poison.

The only downside is that my natural recovery rate would be reduced. Still, it’s way better than my previous equipment all in all. I feel quicker on my feet than ever before. It’s just like the times where I had been in the poisonous swamp. Of course, they drilled into me the fact that no one else must put equip this Elba Leather Coat. The average joe would no doubt drop dead from putting this on.

I’m not sure exactly what it’s made of, but Arleaf received a beautiful set of robes. If I were to hazard a guess, it’s probably of a combination of Elbatoxin, wolf, and rat hides. From a cursory glance, it doesn’t look that much different from what she had been wearing before though. Wayne’s a blacksmith, right? All this sewing and stitching must be Rurika’s handiwork then.

Elba King Leather Vestment Quality: Superior Required level: 55 Bonus effects: Poison Resistance (Medium), Miasma Resistance (Medium), Magic Proficiency Increase (Greater), Magic Correction, Casting Time Reduction (Lesser), Voice of the Soul (Miniscule) The hides of Elbatoxin—whose toxins have been thoroughly removed—and other monsters have been cut incredibly thin and sewn together for this combat-ready dress. Drains Mana to repel poison and miasma, making gas masks redundant in light miasma. However, the voice of the dead would be ever so slightly perceivable to the user. In exchange, it grants the user resistant to dark magics. Allows user to slightly drain Mana from the souls of the departing.

The description is giving me real bad vibes. Will Arleaf really be okay equipping this? She said that after trying on the dress, these… triangular things would swarm onto her. That’s probably images of the King Boss Rat’s last moments, I’m guessing. Completing her set is a new staff. It’s a simple staff with a crystalline object affixed to the top of it.

Elba Lens Rod Quality: Superior Required level: Base level 50 Bonus effects: Magic Proficiency Increase (Medium), Dark Magic Proficiency Increase (Medium), Magic Attack Increase (Greater), Magical Accuracy Increase (Medium), Familiar Proficiency Increase (Medium) Low chance of bacterial magic activation under normal attacks. This staff uses the lens of Elbatoxin’s eyes as a catalyst.

Elbatoxin is really making himself useful after his death. It was a huge pain in the ass, but I guess the useful mats redeems it.

‘This is proof of the blacksmith’s skills… but never had I thought his work would be this splendid. Even in my hoard, I have nothing that can hold a candle to these treasures.’

Such high compliments from a connoisseur like you, Veno? Well… the Smoke Armor you gave me was pretty good too, wasn’t it? Not to forget, the stuff you gave me in the beginning was for easy to use for novices; of course, it’s going to be a huge difference.

Oh, and since Muu is a Warrior, it got a helmet and a cuirass made of metal. It must’ve been tough making armor to fit them. But it’s not like we haven’t tried stuffing him in regular armor though.

‘Forget not that Muu is a Myconid. In the past, I have seen before a Myconid in the shape of a particularly muscular human.’

Will Muu evolve into that? Despite sounding selfish, I would much rather Muu stay the way they are now.

‘Thou art being difficult for Muu… ‘tis not such a bad thing to become muscular, is it?’

Isn’t it? And suppose that Muu will naturally evolve, will it really become like that?

‘Let us worry about it when it happens.’

Right. He grew out of some mold on my robe. I think Muu still has that robe. I remember seeing it use it as a mat to sleep on top of. In any case, Wayne seemed to have made all of that while we were out on our trip.

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Celes’ comrade then introduced us to his father and brother. Well, we probably seem like nothing more than Celes’ escort, so I briefly introduce myself too.

“I’m sure my wife will be very glad to see you all.”

The man then leads us to his bedridden wife. Just what kind of illness plagues her, I wonder.

‘By the looks of her, it seems not to be a common one.’

Well, their whole family is pretty glum about it. Though, the rest of them seem healthy. That says a lot about the disease though. Heck, I almost feel like a doctor already. I approach my patient.

“Welcome, and tha—cough, cough—thank you for coming.”

Inside was a middle-aged woman with a hand on her chest and a pained look on her face, clambering out of bed to greet us. Needless to say, but her complexion is sickly; she’s visibly unwell.

“Oh, you needn’t get up. Please take it easy. I am Celes, a friend of your son. I have always been relying on his strength. He is always laying his life on the line to fulfill his wishes. I would like you to know that his goals are ours, too.”

She’s talking about something we’re not expected to understand. Celes speaks while grasping the woman’s hand, showing her earnestness. And perhaps it’s getting through. Celes’ reassurance puts a warm smile to her face.

“And are those more mates behind you? I am so glad my son has met so many friends.” “Umm, well… yeah. That’s right, Mom.”

Celes’ comrade hesitates for a bit but goes with the flow. It wouldn’t be necessary to pick nits and correct her. But, judging by their exchange… you just know that the mom is very ill. If this were Japan… it’d be close to late-stage cancer. Seeing her son and his friends paying her respects moved her to tears. It’s oddly comforting. Anyway, let’s get to the point and see how her condition is.

“Would you mind if we took a look at you? We are well-versed in medicines and potions.” “Cohgray, the madam is not sick per se…” Not sick? Oh, right, they mentioned it earlier. “Still, Cohgray is proficient at creating recovery potions. It might be beneficial for him to take a look. What do you say?” “Right… well, if he is a friend of yours, then I can trust him.”

The woman gives her approval with a gentle smile. With her consent, I get closer and check her situation out. But, of course, it’s Veno who’s doing the diagnosis.

‘Hmph. Leave it to me and I may be able to come up with something.’

He’s really the kind to help anyone. What happened the ol’ “Take responsibility!” and half-hearted Veno? He’s grown to be a lot more positive since we all left Nisua together.

‘Hold thy tongue. Hurry and examine her!’

Alright, alright. I think it’d be better if I had a stethoscope for situations like these, but maybe Veno can tell just by looking at her.

“It stems from here…”

Oh? There’s a particularly afflicted part? She rolls up the sleeve on her right arm and pulls down her clothes to her chest. … what is this? A black welt? It snakes from her arm right up to her chest. The tip of it even has a bruise, almost in the shape of a dragon’s head. You might even mistake it for a black dragon tattoo or something.

‘This is… ugh. I cannot believe something like this still exists.’

Veno disgustedly mutters out. It seems like he knows something about it.

‘Certainly, this is no disease. It would be more accurate to call it a symptom of a curse. Bloodflower was actually modeled after this. You could even say this is the original. ‘Tis a hex.’

That whole diagnosis is a big yikes. Just thinking about Bloodflower again makes me nervous.

‘’Tis nostalgic for me. The lass’ ancestor and I only met because he was also afflicted by this curse, seeking me out to slay me.’

Why don’t you explain it everything before you start reminiscing about the past?

‘Aye, that is fair. This curse… this hex is called Dragonfall’s Charge. This abominable curse is created with forbidden magics by man long ago.’

It’s man-made?

‘Aye. The rulers of yore sought dragon parts and dragon treasures. So, they placed this hex on adventurers and then publicly blamed dragons for it, compelling the adventurers to take up arms. It is utmost cowardly.’ “It is an abominable curse placed by dragons to cause humans to suffer. To dispel it, we must slay its source…”

Celes chimes up as I examine the patient. It’s exactly as Veno described it.

‘Of course, this spurs the development of the young men in this family. They must grow up to be a hero so that they can one day defeat the dragon lest his precious family succumbs to the curse.’

I don’t get what Veno’s point is.

‘I have seen many dragons falling because of this. It concludes with the tyrants lifting the curse in exchange of the dragon’s treasure, materials, and even territory. ‘Tis inevitable. Humans are, quite truthfully, fearsome creatures.’

But jeez… the culprits are still at large.

‘To return to the topic of the lass’ ancestor and I, the method to lifting the curse was well-known in his time. ‘Tis strange that the curse still exists.’

Well, doesn’t it mean that the method has been lost in time?

‘Perhaps. He was always a forgetful one.’

So, do you still remember it?

‘Hold on. It may be easy to lift… aye, but there is careful handiwork, so the old method would not work. But, for a dragon like me…’

Veno had already begun to dispel the hex. It might sound like a bit of software engineering jargon, but it’s almost like a high-speed, high-bandwidth wireless connection.

‘I have concluded the analysis. I even have some clues as to the source of the curse. ‘Tis rather despicable how the curse was placed. Back then, they would bury a medium in the home to afflict the household. This, however, is the work of someone who had many dragons slain.’

Veno showed me the results of his analysis and the source of the hex in my vision. Then, he spawned a piece of parchment with instructions on it.

“Please assemble for me high-ranking Mages and Priests who are capable of performing rituals.”

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It’s almost as if it was no surprise to her.

“Miss Arleaf, your cooking is a truly a rare talent. Please keep on developing it for the future of mankind. As a favor to me.” “Err… maybe ease up and not bully Arleaf too much. It’s not exactly something she’s proud of.” “If you—someone who wields so much power—say so, then so be it, Sir Cohgray.”

And then, we explored the dungeon and gathered plenty of materials. It was my first time using a pickaxe and it was almost an emotional moment for me. We’ve also had a few easy fights during our time in there. I even leveled up to Lv 48. I’m now able to use many more poisons, with a good portion of them being not weak, but moderate-level. Furthermore, it seems like they require less time to create too. Oh, like Arleaf, I got Dart Sense and also Assassin Sense too. But that second one sounds a little disturbing. I wish I got something more than just these magic-type Senses though…

‘Thy profession is much like a Ranger, so this much is expected… not to mention, your traps also use magic. I would go so far to say that thou art one half Ranger and the other half like a monster.’

I don’t know whether to thank Veno or to blame Veno for that. I guess that’s what makes me unique though. And my Poison Absorption also got upgraded. It’s now Deadly Poison Absorption. Maybe I’ll get even better buffs from Arleaf’s cooking from now on.

‘There is no man more fitting for Arleaf than thee. Art thou prepared for that?’

Perhaps she heard Veno speak, Arleaf bashfully looks over to me and then at the ground. Yeah. She’s cute. Just seeing her like that fills me with joy. But… yeah. She’s a good girl. I’ve got to treat her right. Wait for me until I can at least protect you from anything that comes our way.

“Umm. It won’t be long until I get strong.” “Of course…”

Gosh, this is a little embarrassing. Well, I should be happy that I leveled up so quick from Arleaf’s Poison Cooking. I even kinda want to advance my job too.

“Muuu!” “Muu-Muu’s even leveled up a bunch too, all thanks to Celes.”

Muu’s now Lv 41. He’s learned how to use storage magic on small objects. Before the battle, he made his axe appear out of thin air much like Veno can. It’s not until long until we all go for our advanced jobs, right? On our way back, I noticed a few pools of toxic gas. And with Hunting Sense and Veno’s incredible sensing powers, we even managed to avoid a couple of traps. As soon as we got out of the dungeon, Celes stands on her tippy-toes and makes a big stretch.

“Whew… it is rare that dungeon crawling with such a small team goes well. There is much potential to be unleashed when adventuring with you, Cohgray. Let us work hard together in the future as well.” “Oh, no, it was all you, Celes.” “I am very happy to hear you think that. Well, then…shall we head down the mountain and rest up? Or perhaps return to Master Wayne’s to use these materials before returning? It is a difficult decision…” “What can we expect to find deeper in the dungeon?” “Hmm… it might be a little tricky for you and your party as it gets a bit tougher. To ensure your safety, you should get new equipment or at least change to an advanced class.”

It’s that hard, eh?

‘Having sensed the mana in there, I know that the walls deep in the dungeon are warped. In that case, there might be another monster vying for territory. It shall surely be dangerous.’ “Though we’ve fought a rare large monster already, taking another one would be pretty rough.”

Maybe it’s better if we go back and get our equipment sorted out… It would be irresponsible for us to venture on, thinking that it’d be easy. I’ll defer to the veteran and head home.

“Alright, let’s go back then, shall we?” “In that case… let us return to Master Wayne.” “Okay.”

With that, we began heading home. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a direct coach that would take us there, so we had to take a little detour. Well, it’s not like it’s a big difference anyway, so I’ll enjoy the wagon ride. We sure earned lots today too.

‘Aye, quite so. They were very helpful with helping you gain levels. Not only was it a fruitful hunt, thou shalt even catch up to the little lass soon.’

By the way, are we at the level of mid-rank adventurers yet?

‘Good question. Indeed, thou hast a high level in thy base profession. But perhaps not enough to consider another profession yet.’

Maybe there’s still a long way for me to go. I’d like to just enjoy myself, but it sucks to be stuck in limbo though.

‘I remember the lass’ ancestor had once said that he enjoyed the thrill. And no matter what came his way, he had always been moving at his own pace. In that sense, perhaps thou art already a mid-ranking adventurer.’

There’s so much I want to say, but whatever. Then, our coach stopped by at a village…

“Hmm? Excuse me. Please hold for a moment.”

Celes calls out to an adventurer-looking person walking down the road. It seems like the adventurer knows Celes as well, warmly chatting with her. In the end, her acquaintance makes a gloomy face. Then, Celes returns to us with a troubled look on her face too.

“It seems like I will need some more time here. I apologize, but please go on without me.” “Is something the matter?” “Muu?”

Celes answers Arleaf’s question with a pained look in her eyes.

“Yes. This is the hometown of one of my comrades. I learned that his family is quite ill… and I offered to pay them a visit.”

Whoa… she really is a saint.

‘Are we but convenient strangers to her then? She has already decided to leave us and visit some friends.’

Well, we’re planning to head back to Wayne to drop off the materials anyway, right? She’ll catch up to us while Wayne is busy at the smithy. Maybe she’ll even be in time for the next coach that stops here. Is it really something to be complaining so much about?

‘Nay. But I am sure there are those who would be so narrow-minded.’

Man, I don’t understand Veno’s view on humans…

“It’s nothing you should be apologizing for. Right, Yukihisa?” “Yeah. In fact, couldn’t we come with you? If they’re sick, then maybe I can do something about it.”

I’m sure any friend of Celes can’t be that bad of a person. It might be nice for all of us to check up on them. Of course, it’s not like I’m expecting Veno to be able to cure anything. But if it’s nothing too serious, maybe we have a chance.

“To be precise, it is not exactly an illness… but I shall accept. If you are fine with it, then let me speak to my friend.”

Celes goes to speak to her comrade and explains the situation to him. He was agreeable and understanding and so, we’re heading off together.

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Two girls—actually, my older and younger sister—showed up out of nowhere with grins on their faces. They stuck this video game magazine in my face and hounded me over the article. Honestly, I have no clue as to what they’re trying to do. Well, I’d be lying if I said I had no interest in games. But the write-up seems to be about an MMORPG. I’m more of a fan of games like Harvest M○○n and Animal Cr○ssing. I like that comfy, casual pace.

“Ugh, you’re suuuch a bummer!” “I know, right?!” “…”

What’s with them? They’re so hyper. Even if it’s me saying, I think we get along well. We game together since both of my sisters are very into it. Well, it’s probably because of my influence on them, considering that I’m the only guy of us three.

“So? So? Whaddya think?” my younger sister asks me in a cutesy voice.

Her excitement is almost annoying, but since she’s my sister, I hold my tongue and continue reading the magazine pushed up against my face.

Dimension Wave

Looks like it’s an online multiplayer. Skimming through the pages, it looks like players get to work together with allies to fight off enemies. All their weapons, magic, and monsters are pretty typical too. Oh, you can also go fishing. I like stuff like that. It’s nice and relaxing. There are various races to choose from too. Oh? The description seems kinda odd. What’s this?

—Continuing with the well-acclaimed playstyle of the first phase, Phase II of the game will also not allow players to log out until the session has been completed. This further encourages players to fully experience a second life in the game. However, in-game time differs from real-life time. Though each session will require years of in-game time to be completed, it will translate to 24 hours of real-life time. This means that even players who are in full-time employment will be able to enjoy all of the content. We are now accepting new applicants, so don’t hesitate to sign up! Please visit the address below for details.

So it says. Oh, that’s right. I remember now. It was about a year ago when they caused a big stir. It was the guy who planned to create a whole “second life” thing in a VRMMO world.

And as it says in the magazine, months and years in the game will only be just a few hours in the real world. The game targets young professional. For the sake of giving them the chance to live a second life, players also can’t simply logout until the game is done. Content is released monthly to pretty high praise, save for a vocal minority. Or so I’ve read on a gaming news website. Even my buddies were raving about it after trying it out. Is it really that good though?

The problem is that people’s demeanors change after playing. I mean, if you spend seemingly years in the game, it’s bound to affect your personality. There’s even this disgraceful bastard who not only got a girlfriend in the game but is still going out with her IRL.

Fuckin’ normies!

… I should mention that cost of entry is rather high. Not only do you need special equipment, but the game itself costs a lot. After all, the developers and retailers need to make money. In short, it’s not spare change for a student at the very least.

“So? How are you going to pay for it?”

Honestly, even if you begged Mom and Dad for it, they’ll tell you off…

“Heh heh!”

My older sister remains reasonably excited and brings out an envelope. The Second Life Project is written as the sender’s address.

“No, you didn’t…” “I sure did! Here’s the acceptance letter.” “How did you get this? Who did you have to—” “Remember that tournament I won a while ago? This was the prize!”

She spoiled the answer but also my joke. The license was a prize for winning a tournament for this fighting game, which was made by another company of the same conglomerate. I’ve read that they’re making a lot of money lately. My sister definitely signed up the tournament just so she could get her hands on the license. It’s almost weird being related with these girls.

“Three people can sign up with one of these licenses, ya know!”

Here is my older sister who’s grinning from ear to ear and my younger sister who’s almost physically buzzing with excitement.

“Three people? That’s an odd number, eh?”

Isn’t it normally two or four? I’ve heard stories of couples who played together and came out with a stronger bond than ever. But I’ve heard that the game made things worse for some people too. In any case, it looks like I’m invited too. … wait, hold on.

“Hey, why don’t we put these up on an aucti—boof!”

Before I could finish my sentence, my right cheek encountered my younger sister’s fist.

“No way, you dummy!” “No, hear me out. Selling just one of these would give us enough money for a family vaca—boof!”

This time, it was left cheek, older sister.

“I believe I can leave the whole taking care of Mom and Dad thing until after I become a productive member of society.”

They sure are loyal to their desires. Well, it’s not the license is mine anyway, so I don’t really have the right to tell her what do with it.

“So, who’s player three?” “Huh?” they simultaneously interjected. “Hmm?”

The two girls stare at me as if I were speaking alien.

“Don’t you want to play too?” “Uhh, not really?”

It does sound interesting, but I’m iffy about VR games.

“And plus, I get kinda woozy from VR setups.”

VR machines and these fully-immersive online games have been sweeping through the gaming industry. Just before, the sci-fi subgenre of cyberpunk was very popular. Fully-immersive online games made a big splash when they first came out as it was almost as if cyberpunk has become reality. A large portion of gamers were very positive about it too.

Firstly—and I think a lot of Japanese gamers can sympathize—is that a lot of these physically-stimulating virtual reality games rub people the wrong way. For example, like how retro-styled games with pixel art are still really popular, people are used to gaming through a big TV screen. It’s hard to transition away from that concept. Even though I was born into a world where beautiful 3D games were the norm, I’m sure there were people who rejected the transition from pixel art to low-poly graphics.

Well, if that’s the case, I shouldn’t be opposed to these fully-immersive games.

Secondly, the games are very affected by the player’s brainwaves. It’s been recently proven that mental output and processing power vary greatly from person to person. In other words, a person’s ability to judge and reason have been proven, which is why fully-immersive VR games—games that depend on those functions—are heavily dependent on the player’s abilities.

To sum it up, there were gamers who were dissatisfied with the apparent unequal starting lines started cropping up. And excluding the small portion of people who physically and mentally fared well, the sales number weren’t so hot. Well, I guess it’s kinda like when touchscreens first hit the market. Those resistive ones weren’t so good and people didn’t love them. But as technology gets better, so will the performance of VR machines, and I’m sure it’ll then be a big hit.

Hmm, I swear I’ve heard someone tell me this before.

“Y’know, big bro, vat-type VR games have built-in brainwave normalizers so that anybody would be fine, right?” “Oh, is that right? I guess that’s why they’re so expensive then.”

Vat-types could be described as high-performance VR machines. They’re different than regular head-mounted display units hooked up to a computer. Vat-types connect the player by immersing them in a vat full of liquid in which humans can breathe. It’s really something straight out of a mad scientist’s lab. And to speak frankly, the reason why vat-types are invitation-only being because this is tech from the near future—it must cost a whole lot of money to operate.

“Well, I get that even I can play, but don’t you two have anyone else you could invite?” “It’s a ticket for three people! It’d be a lot more fun to go as siblings, don’t you think?” “Yup, she’s right!”

It seems like the three of us are closer than I thought. That makes me rather happy, to be honest. And so, that’s why I’ll be participating in Dimension Wave too.

The day has finally arrived. The three of us go to the venue by train.

Even though my sisters rushed me out of the door, a lot of people had arrived already at the event site. We brought a few things with us, including the license and a USB flash drive that was distributed to all the players. Stored in the flash drive was the data of our created characters. It takes quite a bit of time to customize a character, so they got us to do that ahead of time.

I made my macho mountain of muscles about three days ago. Swole characters aren’t ordinarily popular, but I think they’re cool.

Humans, Lycanthropes, Elves, Jewels, and Spirits were available choices for your character’s race and I chose to make a Spirit. Spirits don’t have levels, HP, or MP, so it makes them pretty special among MMOs. They had a bit of information on their official site, but I had to figure most of that out by myself. Jewels seem interesting too, but I ultimately decided on a Spirit.

I like the unique races.

As for my sisters, the older one picked Human and the younger Lycanthrope. I didn’t ask them, but they told me anyway.

“Oh, looks like they’re starting to let people in.”

Even before I had said that, those two were already restless and had begun heading inside. And why am I at the end of the line anyway? Eventually, I handed one of the three passes to a staff member and got in return a key with a blue plastic number tag attached to it. Then, we were split into two lanes—one for men, one for women.

“See you later.” “See ya!”

I waved them a simple goodbye before heading into the men’s changing room. It’s pretty big in here. I opened the locker with my number on it and found a set of clothes inside. Before the event, we were told to send in our measurements along with our authorization codes so that they can get it tailored to us.

I put my valuables inside, though that consists of only my phone and wallet, and put on the special clothes. It looks like a plugsuit straight out of an anime or something. It’s really elastic. The guys beside me are being awkwardly silent changing into their suits. But even without saying, I can tell they’re thinking of the same thing. I think they used to submerge you in the nude, but after some criticism, they came out with these tailored plugsuits. They even contain emergency life-saving measures. That’s probably one of the reasons why it’s so expensive as well. After changing, I double-checked to make sure my locker was locked and then hurried out the door.

“Whoa…”

The vats lined up row by row was really a spectacle seemingly taken out of a mad scientist’s lab. They’re actually pretty big, even though it’s just for one person. It’s as big as my bed at home.

“Let’s see, let’s see.”

There’s a large sticker placed instructing which way to stick the USB flash drive in and how to shut the door. It’s so simple, anyone can get it right with a quick glance. I plug in my flash drive into the port, hopped in the vat, made sure the door was closed, then slowly lied down. There’s still 10 minutes left until it starts. I take the time to think through what I’ll do in the game.

The two of them mentioned that they were picking a combat class, but I had other plans. I’d think I’d like to try the fishing activity that was in the magazine the other day. I know it might be a bit weird to just fish in an MMORPG, but the whole point of this game is to live a second life, right? I’ll live it leisurely. I haven’t thought much about what’s after though. I’m sure I’ll find a goal while I play. Just as I was thinking about that, I suddenly remember that they had an event called Dimension Wave going on, just like the title. I totally forgot about it up until now. I still have to decide on whether or not to participate, but I’m sure my sisters will. I’d like to at least play support for them.

“Oh?”

Time snuck up on me while I was lost in thought. An announcement played as they started to pump the liquid in. It’s green, I thought… but it was just the reflection of a light inside the vat. On second inspection, it’s actually colorless. The vat filled up in a flash. I’ve subconsciously held my breath, but I can naturally breathe in the liquid. What a shock. I really can breathe. Honestly, I wasn’t actually sure until now.

—Reading data 0%・・・100%. —Data import complete. Beginning brainwave normalizer load test.

I can see it. Rather, it’s being projected straight into my brain. A scene prettier than reality appears before my eyes. Lots of people are walking in the streets of this fantasy town. The sound is coming through too. I hear everything from the male voice of the shopkeeper to the noise of shuffling feet and footsteps. In normal VR systems, you get the tiniest hint of lag, even if it’s not much. But in here, not only is it running without so much a hitch, the fidelity is extremely high. That’s specialized equipment for ya.

—Test complete. Game will begin after all processes complete.

It’s a weird feeling. The voice goes directly into your head without me needing to use my ears. I was thinking that I’ve totally entered a sci-fi world, but tech in the real world is more advanced than I thought. I guess you could call it being excited, but oddly, I couldn’t calm down and stop looking around everywhere. But right as I do so, everything disappeared.

“That can’t be good.”

I’m not just talking about vat-type machines, but when any piece of electronic suddenly goes black like if you yanked the plug out, it kinda makes me feel weird. It’s like as if the world that I’ve been living it just suddenly disappeared.

And then—

—Best wishes to your new life!

previously: /ch000/ /next/

Well, after we got the food out, I crushed the remaining Hamburg steak in my hand. Then, we got Celes to take an antidote and we also healed her, so all in all, she took practically no damage. It might’ve been bad if we were any slower. If not actually dying, she would’ve been laid up for at least two weeks.

“Like I told you, you’d be risking your life tasting my food…” “I apologize… but Cohgray, how in the world do are you able to eat all of it…?” “It’s a quirk of mine. Some people call me the Poison-Eater.” “… I have heard of that name before, but to think that person is you, Sir Cohgray. You truly are astonishing. By the way, what exactly was that?” “It’s my cooking. I was born with a unique skill which causes all of my cooking to become some sort of poison.” “I—I see… so, that was why you weren’t cooking.” “Right…” “Forgive me for being so tactless…”

Celes apologizes before standing up. It’s not like I eat Arleaf’s food because I like her for her cooking or anything. I mean, she is cute, and I do like her. But there’s a whole slew of different reason why I get her to cook for me. It’s a little embarrassing though.

‘Leave the misconception be.’

I’m super worried about that, but it’s not like I can explain the truth to her either.

“Feel free to take your time, okay?” “No, I would like to avoid staying any longer. We mustn’t dally. Let us go.”

Celes then gallantly strides forwards and into the mineshaft. Along the way, she equipped her gas mask. Honestly, I’m kinda uneasy about whether she’s really fine or not, but I guess we can’t help but follow her… With that, we headed deeper into the gallery.

I wondered if it’d be tight inside, but the tunnel stretches five meters across. There’s more than enough room to move around. We walked in only a little bit… but it kinda feels like we’ve entered a dungeon.

“We shall be going deep inside. Brace yourselves. The shape of this dungeon shifts every so often, thus maps are not all that useful. Be careful.” “Understood.”

It’s a space warping–type dungeon, eh? Like the swamp dungeon, it’s rather well-lit in here, but not blindingly so. The path ahead is long… the shaft seems to stretch on forever.

“There may be toxic gas in the air, so be aware.” “Alright. I’ve got some Ranger-like skills, so I’ll take the lead.” “It would be better for me to… but if you wish to, Cohgray, go ahead. Do your best to be careful.” “Gotcha.”

I’m up front, following behind me are Celes, Muu, and Arleaf. Veno senses the monsters for me and I point them out. Celes and Arleaf quickly attacks them with Muu and I assisting. The monsters we encounter are much like the ones on the mountain, but in different colors. We encountered all sorts of monsters; from Wistaria Rocks and Bordeaux Rock Golems to little golems like Cyclamen Pink Iron, Plum Bronze Golem, and Ash Grey Silvermen. And since I’ve got both Celes and Arleaf killing them for me, it’s hard to get a feel for how strong these monsters are.

‘It would not be too difficult for thee. We are still at the beginning, aye?’

When there are pockets of toxic gas, Veno shows me how to detour around them or how to vent it out before advancing forward. The gas smells rather floral, hey?

‘It is a little questionable to relate poison with flowers, but so far, things are going well. Thou seemst to have become used to this already.’

I guess so. Not to mention, I’m getting a whole lot of experience from this. Every time a monster is defeated, I see my levels tick up. Freakin’ sweet. Praise be to power leveling.

It’s going swimmingly, almost as if it’s easier than the swamp dungeon. Veno’s Mapping really helps too. The dungeon doesn’t change its shape too often, so it’s actually quite useful. Suddenly, we encountered a bunch of rock-type monsters a lot more frequently.

We’ve got Silver White Lance Mithrilmen and Shadow Blue Hammer Magic Silvermen.

… talk about a long name.

‘Thou needn’t worry about their colors; simply regard them as Mithrilmen and Magic Silvermen.’

Oh, you’ve got a point. Anyway, their equipment seems to be a part of their bodies. Not only is the experience is good, but the ores in their bodies are what we’re here for.

“Hmpf! Is that all you’ve got?!”

As Celes sweeps wide with her sword, the monsters swing their weapons. The clash makes a shrill noise.

“Aqua Shot!”

Arleaf said it’s dangerous to use fire in a mineshaft, so she switched to attacking with water magic. It’s pretty dang strong, so even if she doesn’t kill them outright, her magic still helps obstruct the enemies’ movement.

“Muuuuu!”

Muu puts up a good fight with its axe, but nowhere near the level of the two ladies.

“Swing your hip out more!” “Muu!”

Muu’s attacks get stronger with pointers from Celes. And me? Well, I’ve got a crossbow lent to me by Wayne and it does a good job too. But it’s kinda plain and it doesn’t really kill. I could let out a poisonous mist, but I’ll likely hit Celes and Arleaf with it too. The only other poison that would be good would be my new Mollifying Poison, I guess. They’re rocks, so they’re bound to be hard. I get the feeling that Paralysis Poison wouldn’t do a heck of a lot on them.

‘It is not the case that it is ineffective, but unfortunately, thy poison is more akin to living creatures. Thou must increase your poison vocabulary.’

Then what’s a good poison on these rock-types?

‘There are silencing-type poisons which lowers defense. Silencing refers to the obstruction of their magical abilities, reducing the amount of mana in their system. It would be fairly effective against these monsters. Of course, anything to lower their hardness would be another option. Other than that, perhaps something to induce confusion would be good. However, it would not work unless the poison gets circulated in their systems.’

That’s hard to picture in my head. I mean, for an ex-software engineer from modern Japan like me, I’m basically told to imagine a whole new concept.

‘Nay, they are but stones and ores after all. That means they have a body. If you inject poison into their bodies, then it would circulate in their system.’

What about monsters without a physical body then? Like spirits or something?

‘Then mists would be effective against them, much like the same reason why holy water is effective.’

Hmm… there’s a myriad of different ways to use poison, huh?

“Wha—?!”

Celes squats down low in preparation of something. What the heck is happening? Then suddenly… the walls deep inside get wider and wider. What? Is the shaft shapeshifting right before my eyes? As the thought crosses my mind, something draws closer with a loud ka-thunk, ka-thunk. They sound like the footsteps of something heavy.

“Seems like we’re lucky today.”

Celes flashes a fearless grin and readies her sword. For some reason though, I don’t think there’s anybody that would agree with her statement…

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