Chapter 569 - Time Passes
The virtual world, Arcadia.
A dream, a fantasy, an aspiration made real in the modern era, born from humanity's first and only complete virtual reality technology. It was, as the world acknowledged, another reality.
It was three and a half years ago that I first casually wanted a ticket.
It was two years ago that I started my career and was able to begin saving.
It was two months ago that my desire to get into the virtual world as soon as possible finally exploded.
And it was last month that I finally set foot inside.
The faction I chose was, of course, Istia. I knew full well it made me seem like a trend-chaser, but as a massive fan of a certain player, there was no way I could even consider another faction.
Together with my girlfriend, who had started her own Arcadia fund alongside me, our virtual life began as members of the Eastern Faction of Conflict, and… well, let's just say we went through a lot.
With the help of NPCs and veteran players, we somehow managed to break through the tutorial, the [Trial Spheres of Partition], four days ago. I lost count of how many times I thought, A tutorial… really?! but the whole adventure was, in a word, incredible.
Better yet, a 'Festival' was kicking off just as we were about to get started for real.
There was no end to the fuel being thrown on my roaring motivation, and as a rookie, I boldly ventured out into the streets of Istia, feeling like I had finally gotten the hang of things—
"SOMEONE! HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Swallowed by a great tsunami of players that would put that infamous 'overwhelming welcoming party' to shame, I was swept away, screaming a genuine plea for my life out of sheer terror of being carried off to who-knows-where.
Still, screams and cries echoed from all around, so it seemed I wasn't the only poor soul in this predicament. Even for the Eastern Faction, I thought the veteran players were supposed to be gentlemen and people of good sense… Had the festival driven them mad?
The torrent wasn't so violent that it would knock you over, but that was the problem; it was an orderly, raging current, making it impossible to disrupt the flow and fight against it.
At this rate, there was no hope of reuniting with my partner, who had been lost to the waves in a split second. The moment I gave up on changing my situation and decided to just let myself be carried away…
Poof. Without any warning, my body was lifted into the air.
No, not lifted—
"—Quiet, you'll bite your tongue."
I had been pulled up by someone.
I couldn't understand the situation or what it meant. My mind went blank, barely registering the single arm wrapped around my waist, holding me, and the human tsunami receding below.
The mid-air stroll that defied comprehension came to an end in just a few seconds.
"—Whoa, that's amazing…! I mean, really… uh, um, um! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Hey, hey, calm down. Don't worry about it…"
I landed on a rooftop without the slightest impact. While I stood there, stunned into silence, my girlfriend, who was already there, was talking with 'someone'.
A young man—probably—wrapped in a mouse-gray cloak turned to me.
"Hahaha… Well, that was rough. I thought it was a shame to see a lady get tossed around like that, so I helped your girlfriend here first."
He pointed to my partner, her face flushed with excitement.
"Then she told me she got separated from her partner, so I fished you out, too. I was a bit rough pulling you up, but are you okay?"
Beneath the hood pulled low over his eyes, the faint outline of his mouth showed a simple, kind smile—the smile of a good Samaritan.
"Ah… uh…? Y-Yes. My avatar is fine…"
"Glad to hear it. Well, I told your girlfriend a relatively safe route… The festival isn't going anywhere, so take your time and get there safely."
"Well then, excuse me…" the young man said, leaving behind a crisp farewell—and a voice that I had listened to so much it was practically ingrained in my ears.
"……………………Hey, uh, listen…"
"Yeah…! Yeah…!!"
"We might just die tomorrow…"
"Maybe…!!"
The young man, a hint of pale blue visible from under his gray cloak, soared gracefully through the sky… and then, in the blink of an eye,
He vanished into the far distance.
◇◆◇◆◇
"Ah, here comes the celebrity."
"Honestly…"
"Haru-kun…"
"Youngster… you really did it this time."
"—…Huh? What, what, what? Did I do something wrong???"
Upon returning from my 'duty', I was met not with words of appreciation, but with four pairs of meaningful stares. Putting aside the amused little ones, the troubled and exasperated faces of the three older members suggested I had messed up, and that was something I couldn't ignore.
"It's not that you did something wrong, exactly…" started the seventh-ranked member, looking hesitant.
"It seems some things about you will never change," added the third-ranked member, tossing a pointed remark my way. And then—
"It's everything and nothing. I sent you out there to handle minor troubles… not to cause a scene yourself, Acrobat."
A sigh. The second-ranked member leaned back heavily in his chair at the Round Table and looked up at the ceiling.
Hmm… hmm… I think this calls for a formal apology on my knees. Yes, it does.
"…If, if you would be so kind, could you please inform me of the specific charges against me…"
I sat formally on the floor, and no sooner had the words left my mouth than a system window flew in front of my face. Irori had thrown it. A quick glance revealed a forum thread buzzing with sightings of the 'Acrobat' from all over, filled with the voices of those he had 'rescued'.
"……………………No way… How did they know it was me?"
"Hey, onii-san, are you fundamentally an idiot?"
"'Fundamentally'? He was a basic idiot from the start."
"Haru-kun…"
"Even so, ain't you been gettin' a bit too relaxed and careless lately?"
They weren't holding back, but wait a minute.
"Hey now, I was being stealthy…! I was wearing a hide cloak, and I was careful not to be seen when flying—"
"You don't have any detection skills, onii-san, so you wouldn't know, but that stealth cloak isn't all that powerful. It just has a perception-dampening effect that makes it harder for people to notice you. For those who can see, you're clear as day. What Tetra-kun and Momo-chan have is on a whole other level, you know?"
"You're… kidding… No, wait, hold on. But I've walked around town in this thing before and no one ever said anything or caused a fuss—"
"Do you really think the ladies and gentlemen of Arcadia would make a scene and mob a player who's clearly wearing a stealth cloak and broadcasting 'I'm being incognito'?"
"The player base is too wholesome!!"
If I'd been making such a fool of myself, I wish someone had told me sooner. But I couldn't sink so low as to shift the blame now, so I cursed myself for blithely assuming my disguise was working perfectly.
Well, yeah… No matter how much I hide my face, flying through the sky is a dead giveaway, isn't it…
"Well… I suppose that's part of your charm, though."
"The world prefers people who are a little bit clueless, after all."
Whether that was supposed to be a follow-up or what, the words from Goldow and Hinayo stung deep.
"Enough. We'll leave the idiot be… actually, we can't, so just listen from there."
"Yes…"
Crushed by Mi-na's recitation of the facts, I no longer had the right to even quip back at Irori's merciless words.
"Participant entry is closed, but as expected, the number of people has exploded since last time. This is going to be the longest one yet."
"Well, we all saw that coming."
"Thanks to certain people who kept hyping things up endlessly."
"…………"
As all eyes turned to me again, all I could offer was silence.
It wasn't just that existing players were more motivated; the wave of new players, which had calmed down after three years, was surging again for some reason… I'd been teased about my role in that for the past two months, to the point I was sick of it.
"Whatever. It ain't a bad thing for the festival to be lively. It's more of a pain, but let's get fired up, you lot. Haru, you too. Stop sulking."
"Your turn won't come for a while, but once the preliminaries start to wrap up, you'll be buried in duties. Get it together and be ready."
"On that, uh… you can count on me."
The speed at which I could switch gears lately was a strength I could now openly boast about.
"—Alright. Senpai, help me with some final adjustments."
"Yes, of course, kouhai."
"Don't get too into it and burn yourselves out!"
With a wave to the little one's teasing remark at my back, I activated the teleport to the training room with Irori. I might have stumbled at the start, but I'd just have to make up for it from here.
Two months have passed since that day—the day the newcomer known as the 'Acrobat' conquered the second un-cleared dungeon and was truly acknowledged by the world.
Today is the selection match for the eleventh 'Four Pillar War'.
I'll be sure to give it my all and fulfill my duties as a title holder.
"Feels weird to think it's been four months since the last one…"
"…To me, it feels like only four months ago."
I reminisced about those nostalgic days when I faced this event as a newcomer, a challenger.