kscans

Chapter 323 - A Map with No Discernible End

After successfully touching the monolith and making a swift exit from the 'Red Circle' annihilation site, the party headed northwest towards their second destination. The army of red was visually overwhelming, but in terms of total difficulty, it wasn't a big deal. The veteran rankers were, of course, fine, and even Sora, who regularly keeps up with me, showed no signs of fatigue. But—

"Sora-chaaan!"

"Wah!?"

Upon entering a new forest area and finding a truly idyllic stream, Tiger Lucky declared a break without any warning. Before Sora could even wonder what to do with the sudden rest period, Rinne swooped in, picked her up, and carried her off somewhere. They're probably off to have some girl talk. Have fun, you two.

—So, when I asked about the need for a sudden break, Maru II-shi explained. With time in the virtual world flowing at a rate of 1.5 times that of reality, an 'expedition' that takes up half a day in real time would feel like a full eighteen hours. Pushing through long dives and suffering from sensory fatigue would ultimately waste a lot of time and, in the worst-case scenario, lead to that. Therefore, regardless of whether you're tired or not, it's standard practice on these kinds of expeditions to take breaks, big or small, between each event.

"Plus, on raid-scale expeditions, players have varying levels of fatigue resistance. Support-type players, for example, have a tough time just with the travel."

"I see…"

Maru II-shi and I were by the stream. A little ways off, Sora and Rinne were in the shade of a large tree—and when I looked for Tiger Lucky, he was wading barefoot in the shallow stream, stretching. Nature suits him. He is a tiger, after all.

"You know, I just had a thought."

"What's up?"

I had fully expected to be barraged with questions about Sora's abilities, but surprisingly, the trio's reaction was limited to high praise right after the battle. Rinne might be grilling her one-on-one right now, but… if no one was going to ask, I'd use this break time for my own questions.

"Transfer gates, they exist outside of safe areas too, right?"

"They do."

"And players can set them up themselves, I hear."

"They can."

So my memory's correct. Good.

"Then what's the point of traveling on foot like this? And if players can set up transfer gates, you'd think they'd have placed one at that 'annihilation site' we were just at."

"Ah… well, if we could, we obviously would."

When I posed the obvious question that had been bugging me during our long run, Maru II-shi's response was just as I'd expected. Yeah, I figured. The fact that they hadn't meant it was probably impossible. So, what I wanted to know was the reason why.

"Right, you've only been playing for less than three months, haven't you?"

"I'm a bit ignorant of this virtual world's ways, I'm afraid."

"No, no, this world has more information than reality, right? I can barely keep up with current events, I don't have time to dig through past info."

"…You can say that again."

Wow, I was a little moved by how perfectly he sympathized with my dilemma. That's exactly it. New information on current content keeps pouring in, so there's no time to study existing information…!

"Asking questions when they pop into your head is the best way to resolve them, I think. You'd be hard-pressed to find a gamer who hates talking about game knowledge."

"I know, right?"

Come to think of it, I had fun teaching Sora about various terms and concepts, too…

"So, about the transfer gates. To put it simply, there's a limit to the area where they can be placed. Specifically, within a hundred-kilometer radius of the Great Bell Tower at the center of the safe area… you can't place them any further out than that, no matter what you do."

"Ah… a distance limit. That makes sense."

—Wait a minute. Does that mean Ui-san's hideout is surprisingly close to the city? Irori said you can only reach it by going through the transfer gate in the correct sequence… maybe it's some kind of barrier that's invisible from the outside. I'll have to ask my master directly next time.

"By the way, Haru-san, have you heard? The talk about the South getting serious about aiming for a [Colored Monster] subjugation."

"Hm?—Ah, yeah, I've heard."

Heard is an understatement; positionally, I'm on the leading side. Well, in reality, I'll probably just be used by Iris as 'manpower'—

"In that case, are you aware that Arcadia's system will be 'expanded' with the subjugation of that [Colored Monster]?"

"I know about that, too, for the most part."

It was a story Iris had explained to me the other day in connection with the subjugation of the 'Red Circle.'

"When Riertahelia of the Red Circle was defeated, there was a world announcement that 'Clans' were unlocked, right? And then there was the early implementation of the 'Marriage System,' I believe."

"That's the one."

Setting aside the marriage part, clans—organizations for mutual aid between players—are functions that the developers should have had ready from the start. An online game where crucial systems like 'Guilds' and 'Clans' are unlocked through player progression is, needless to say, unheard of.

"This is a crazy game, really."

"It's an insane game, really."

But that's what makes it good—or not, but regardless, from these facts, it's the common understanding among players that 'subjugating a Colored Monster expands the game system.'

…Now, why did the conversation turn from the limit of transfer gates to this topic?

"The White… the [White Throne], it uses teleportation, doesn't it?"

"It does……………Wait, ah, is that what you mean?"

"That's what I mean—the 'reward' for subjugating the [White Throne] might be an expansion of the transfer gate system… or so we hope. Well, it's just a maybe, but still."

"I see… Now that you mention it, that seems like the only possibility."

The [Tsarkalv of the White Throne]—it governs 'boundaries,' was it? As a divine messenger governing domains and space, it certainly seems plausible that it would be involved with the transfer system.

"Realistically, it's hard to imagine they wouldn't do something about that."

"Hm… What do you mean?"

When I tilted my head, unable to follow his train of thought this time, Maru II-shi opened his system window with a smile, saying, "It's simple." He vigorously expanded a map of this world in the air—the world map data.

"This world is just too big. It's impossible to aim for the 'end' without being able to create relay points like transfer gates."

"…It's that bad?"

I'd heard it was big, vast, and endless, but… I never imagined it was to the extent that a ranker from the Northern Faction (Nortalia), whose mission is 'adventure,' would declare it 'impossible' with such a distant look in his eyes.

"Can you believe it? This map, as of now, is apparently larger than the area of all of Earth's continents combined. It's insane, right?"

"What???"

What? What did he just say???

"Even an elite team specializing in travel, running for months with the sole purpose of advancing, can't see the end of the world, let alone an ocean. And what's more, you'd think it's just empty space, but the furthest confirmed areas are littered with undiscovered dungeons if you look for them."

"That's terrifying… Is this game genuinely one you can 'play for a lifetime'…?"

"At the very least, it's a paradise for people who love to travel. In fact, there's a rumor that half of Arcadia's population are true 'enjoyment' players who are just reveling in a carefree journey through another world."

"Wow…"

There's still so much I don't know…

"—Are you done talking?"

"Whoa-hey!?"

A whisper from a distance close enough to feel her breath on my ear made me literally jump up and take immediate evasive action. Within two-tenths of a second, I had secured a safe distance of several meters and turned around to find Rinne standing where I had been, looking pleased with her successful 'prank.'

Damn… She calls me her 'favorite' and all that, but she doesn't hold back when she messes with me, does she…!

—Then, with a splash, Tiger Lucky climbed out of the river and gave me an exasperated look.

"What are you doin', lettin' out a pathetic scream like that?"

…Oh, what, are you done enjoying nature, Mr. Tiger? I'd bet money that if the same thing happened to you, you'd have the exact same reaction. You would, wouldn't you?

"Oi, what's with that annoying look on your face? If you've got somethin' to say—"

"Alright, alright, please don't start roughhousing every time you get a chance."

"The break's been long enough. Let's get going, Master."

"Hey, wait, what are you guys doing, don't pull me…!"

And so the tiger was secured on both sides by his disciple and junior, flapping about as he was hauled out of the water. Hmm… it seems he's fine with Rinne touching him. Is it just because he's used to her, or does he have a hard time with/a soft spot for quiet girls like Sora…?

"………………Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all."

And why is Sora-san, who has appeared next to me at some point, smiling so happily? I'm glad she's enjoying this expedition, but… I have a feeling she's especially enjoying watching me act like an idiot…

"Come on, let's go too. We'll be left behind!"

It's probably not—just my imagination… but oh well. Urged on by my partner, who's been in a good mood since this morning, I broke into a trot, tossing my disorganized thoughts to the ground without a second thought. Honestly, if Sora's reaction had been so-so, I was planning to tone down the casual guy-banter… but from the looks of it, she's rather enjoying it. I'm having fun, Sora's happy (?)—then I guess it's all good. I'll spend the rest of the day in this relaxed mood.