kscans

Chapter 319 - The Shape of the World

Why are Arcadia's four factions named after the cardinal directions?

Come to think of it, I'd never once considered such a simple question—but looking back, it is indeed strange.

The Eastern Faction (Istia), the Western Faction (Vestol), the Southern Faction (Sotalm), and the Northern Faction (Nortalia).

In other words, where does the 'east, west, south, north' element of each faction come from?

Their respective main districts… or rather, their 'fields,' are all floating in a separate dimension as part of the tutorial area, the [Trial Spheres of Partition]. That means directions have no relevance. If we were to view Istia's city as the 'Eastern Faction,' it would create the nonsensical state of being East (though it's not located in the east).

So, why is that? The answer, apparently, lies in this world's past.

Arcadia's calendar—the proper term is supposedly the 'Celestial Calendar'—seems to be set in the year '110966 of the Celestial Calendar.' This means the game 'Arcadia' started its service in '110963 of the Celestial Calendar'… no, more accurately, it was December of four years ago, so it would be '110962.'

Well, the specifics don't really matter. What's important is that this world has been imbued with such a depth of time. And since such a setting exists, it naturally means that there's a historical setting leading up to the present.

To get straight to the point, this world once had a civilization of NPCs in which we—the 'players'—did not exist.

What's crazy is that you can't just dismiss it as mere 'lore.'

A vast world that feels infinite.

Time acceleration technology of unknown principles.

And ultra-advanced AIs that seem just like real people.

It's only natural for anyone to think this way: 'Could it be that this world truly accumulated its own history to arrive at the present?'

It's a thought that's both thrilling and chilling, a fantasy-like imagining that won't stop… but in any case, that's the background.

—And so, to put it simply, that's the reason the current four factions bear the names of the cardinal directions. They were named not in the present, but in the past.

Originally, 'Arcadia' was a single, pure world, before all these strange alternate dimensions and such came into being. In that era, there were four 'nations' that existed in the east, west, south, and north. Those nations, carved out from the world and isolated, are the prototypes of the current 'factions.'

Now, if you'll allow me to state my conclusion after being subjected to this history lesson—

"—It's so ridiculously grand that I can't even wrap my head around it…"

"You ain't kiddin'."

"It's complicated, isn't it?"

"Nah, I actually kind of like this stuff."

Unlike Tiger Lucky and Rinne who agreed with my reaction, Maru II-shi seems to be the type who enjoys this kind of deep, heavy lore.

I like it too, normally, but I'm the type who enjoys immersing myself in it after I've thoroughly played a game.

"…In any case, you're amazing, Sora-san. That was a big help."

I said, bowing my head to the 'teacher' who had just given the lesson. Her knowledge is as impressive as ever. I'm truly in awe.

"Ahaha… I've done a lot of research on the world's lore and history."

"Your explanation was super easy to follow! You'd probably be a great teacher!"

Rinne, who takes every opportunity to praise and dote on Sora, was a little overwhelming, but it seems Sora's usual shyness is starting to fade.

While I felt warmed by my partner's not-so-displeased expression, I turned back to face the hellish landscape spread out before me.

We'd been running for about an hour since leaving the safe area.

Running, running, and running… we finally arrived at our first destination. The reason I'd suddenly asked Sora for a lecture on 'the world's origins'—

—was this.

"Riertahelia of the Red Circle… the Annihilation Site, huh?"

We were approximately five hundred kilometers due south of the [Safe Area] in the [Garden of Divine Creation], which is considered the central part and houses the Great Bell Tower that invites the chosen. This was a colossal crater, the scar left by a 'divine hand' that had scooped out the very earth where the Southern Faction… no, the [Southern Kingdom Sotalm] must have once stood.

—And this was the place where Iris, the [Sword Queen], had slain one of the [Colored Monsters] with her own hands about two years ago.

"See that massive monolith in the center?"

"Yeah, the bright red one."

"Well, everything here is bright red."

It was a colossal, circular crater, so huge it warped your sense of distance. It was exactly like the hidden area where I encountered the [White Throne] in the past. At the center, as Tiger Lucky pointed out, stood another gigantic monolith.

Just how big is that thing…? In terms of scale, it looks about the same size as the [Tsarkalv of the White Throne].

…And now for the problem: everything else.

Just as Rinne said, a countless swarm of 'red' filled every inch of the landscape. It was so overwhelming that trying to distinguish one from another felt absurd.

There were 'dogs' and 'cats.' The 'birds' flying in the sky were so numerous and varied it was as if no two were the same, and there were even 'fish' swimming through the air. 'Lions,' 'hippos,' 'bears,' 'giraffes,' 'rhinos,' 'monkeys,' 'rabbits,' 'deer,' 'goats,' 'lizards,' 'snakes'—and a whole bunch of insects and other things.

An almost infinite variety of 'creatures,' all rendered in pure 'red,' stained the surface of the crater, creating a living sea of animals.

…………Can I be honest? This is so damn disgusting.

"—Our first event for today is to cut through those things and touch the monolith."

"…Are you serious?"

"A-Are we really jumping into… that…?"

This time, even I was legitimately freaked out. Sora, who had been playing teacher to lecture us—or rather, to escape reality—turned visibly pale.

"It's not as hellish as it looks. I won't say it's 'easy for anyone,' but they're basically just the dregs of a defeated 'Red,' so…"

"They're not that strong. It's just that the sheer number of them is super gross."

"Yeah, the number of 'em is just deadly insane."

So are they 'not that strong' or 'deadly insane'? Make up your minds.

"By the way, they respawn the instant you kill them, so you can't wipe them out. The only way through is to force a path with brute strength and run… that's the only strategy."

I see… and the reward for doing so is that encounter bonus I received from the [White Throne] in the past. Fifty levels' worth of status points is a huge deal. It's nice that there's still a way to get it even after the original was defeated.

…Though I wish they'd considered the scale a bit more.

"Well, I'll be blunt, this'll be a piece of cake—for the five of us, that is."

"This is some serious overkill."

"Honestly, I could probably handle this on my own. The grossness is the real enemy, though."

The tiger trio seemed completely at ease.

Good grief…

"…You guys are reliable as hell."

"I'll do my best not to hold you back…!"

In any case, as Tiger Lucky said, this is just one of the events. It's a waste of time to be scared right at the start. I'll trust the words of my seniors and get this over with quickly.

Now then… come to think of it, for an online game, and this late in the game for me—

"Alright, let's go raise some hell!"

It's time for my first party play in Arcadia.