Chapter 45 - Waking Up in a Sealed Space
"…Ngh…"
"Oh?"
It had been a little while since we’d dove into the transfer gate to escape the dust storm—maybe about thirty minutes since I logged out. My ears picked up a faint voice, and when I turned to look, I saw the avatar, which had been an empty shell, starting to stir.
I moved closer to her through the dark, damp air, and just as I crouched down, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Welcome back. How are you feeling?"
"…Strange," she said.
Sora, looking somewhat dazed, shifted awkwardly while leaning against the wall. It looked a lot like she was just waking up.
"I think… it’s because this was my first time… relogging while leaving my body here…"
Apparently, the process was different from her usual logins. Seeing my partner so out of it—more than I’d ever seen her—made me a little worried, but her words were clear and her expression was calm.
"…Yeah, good. You seem to be okay."
Relieved, I sat down next to Sora, who still seemed unable to move.
"…Haru-san."
I felt a tug at my sleeve. When I looked over, my just-awakened partner was staring intently at me.
"Yeah?"
That upward glance is devastatingly cute, could you please not… Shoving that stupid thought aside, I prompted Sora, who had an unusually childlike air about her.
"…Thanks to you, I was able to calm down. Thank you so much."
With her own confirmation that she was safe, the whole ordeal was finally settled. I laughed it off with a casual, "Don't worry about it," and she responded with a modest smile.
Combined with her sleepy, dazed face, she exuded a healing aura that completely erased the fatigue from that miserable boss fight. I was awestruck by its power—enough to purify just about any guy—and I had to fight to keep my cheeks from relaxing into a goofy grin.
Come to think of it, I just now noticed an unfamiliar icon blinking in Sora's status bar. Her half-open, dazed eyes seemed to perfectly represent a "just woke up" state… This condition seemed to be a system-level debuff.
Maybe it’s some kind of penalty for relogging in an unsafe area? The debuff icon, which was already blinking when I noticed it, vanished without a sound a few seconds later as I idly watched.
"So, um… what exactly led… to this…?"
Now that Sora was back, it was time to get on the same page. The pure confusion in her voice was completely understandable; our current situation could be summed up in one simple phrase: "What the heck?"
Alright, let's start by taking a look around. To your right, you’ll see a black rock 'wall.' To your left, you’ll also see a 'wall.' And allow me to introduce the low ceiling, which feels especially oppressive, perhaps due to the stark contrast with the vast space we were just in.
Opening up in front of us is a cramped 'passageway,' not even three meters wide. Perhaps it's the designer's special touch, but the light sources placed sporadically in this sealed, lightless space create a rather eerie atmosphere—seriously, where is this place?
It was no wonder Sora was tilting her head in confusion. After passing through the transfer gate in the Great Flowing Sand Cavern with her avatar, I hadn't been sent back to the city of Istia, but rather spat out into this mysterious space.
Typically, defeating a boss in a beginner area makes a transfer gate appear, which then returns you to the city. I'd jumped in without a second thought, but I never imagined the game would suddenly break that established pattern.
"So, to be honest, I'm just as confused as you are."
I explained everything that had happened, from the end of the boss fight after she logged out to how I ended up here. Her reaction was—
"I-I see…"
It’s written all over your face, you know? You’re thinking, "I see, but I don't get it at all."
"It looks like a cave, or maybe some kind of dungeon… but as usual, there aren't any tips or pop-ups."
I'm sure I could figure it out instantly by looking it up outside the game, but Arcadia is fundamentally lacking in explanations and route guidance. Tackling it for the first time is pretty hardcore; I can only imagine the screams of agony when it was released three years ago.
"A dungeon… Oh, but it looks like we can log out," Sora noted.
"Oh, really?"
Sora, tilting her head while navigating her window, pointed it out to me. I glanced at her menu and, sure enough, saw the "Log out?" prompt. Well, that part is always the same no matter where you are, but the usual warning that appears in unsafe areas was missing.
"For a safe zone, this place doesn't feel very safe at all…"
I muttered, looking around the bleak little room. Sora gave a wry smile in agreement. When I checked for myself, the passage ahead was indeed an unsafe area, as the warning message appeared.
"A temporary safe zone, huh…"
Having just barely survived a death trap loaded with gimmicks, I honestly would have preferred to just go back to the city.
I could always just headbutt a wall and end my life, but… I recently saw the death penalty for "suicide" on a guide site. A full day with halved stats, a reduction in accumulated experience, and, as if that weren't enough, a chance of skill loss. Seriously?
Apparently, you can reacquire the skills if you follow certain steps, but that’s way too harsh. I can feel the developers putting on the pressure, as if to say, "It's possible in the system, but ethically, it's a no-go, got it?"
It's probably a consequence of this being a virtual reality that's indistinguishable from the real world; they might be concerned about the psychological feedback on a player's real-world personality. This game is generally unforgiving with penalties for actions that go against real-world ethics.
"It looks like… we can't go back to the city yet," Sora said.
"Yeah, there's no transfer gate, not even a single pebble lying around."
The space, devoid of any objects save for the crystals providing light along the walls, seemed to silently scream, "Hurry up and move on."
…Following that pain-in-the-ass boss, I'm starting to feel like the game designers are trying to pick a fight with me. Or is that just my imagination?
"Well, even if this is an extra round, I need a break… Whoa, is that the time? It's lunchtime."
It was about noon in the real world. The wisest course of action might be to log out for now and rest.
"You've been playing for quite a while since this morning. What are you going to do, Sora?"
Sora had been logged in since the morning, which was unusual for her, and she had already exceeded her daily average playtime. When I asked her, however… she seemed to be lost in thought.
"Um, Haru-san."
"What's up?"
"Would you mind if we explored just a little bit longer?"
It was a surprising suggestion, considering I was already in full-on break mode.
"And your reasoning is?"
"After such a difficult boss battle, for the game to not even send us back to the city and just throw us into the next area without any explanation… I just thought that would be a little too mean."
I agree. I was just thinking the designer has a nasty personality.
"So, maybe this place is less of a dungeon and more of an extension of the boss fight… Um, how should I put it?"
"Ah… you mean like an epilogue?"
"Um… something like that. I thought maybe if we go a little further, we might find the goal surprisingly quickly."
Hmm… she has a point. The fact that the area outside this small room is an unsafe zone gives me a bad feeling, but it’s hard to believe they would set up yet another long and grueling trial right after we overcame that vicious, spectacular series of challenges that couldn't be summed up as merely "difficult."
It’s not just hard to believe; I don't want to believe it.
"…Let's give it a shot. Who knows, maybe the goal is right around the corner."
"Yes!—Ah, um, I know I'm the one who suggested it, but you must be tired too, Haru-san, so please don't push yourself."
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'd rather get this over with so I can rest without anything hanging over my head."
It seemed Sora's curiosity had gotten the better of her. As she belatedly started fussing over me with concern, I felt that healing warmth again and stepped into the passage that gaped open into the dimness.
Ahead, the path, faintly lit by unreliable glowing sources, was filled with a quiet darkness.
I've reached 100 bookmarks. This is incredibly encouraging.