kscans

Chapter 295 - Consultation about the Event

A month had passed since Mist and the others returned to the real world.

They now worked at the colony "Hospital," but they still came to the café with considerable frequency.

Mist, Damian, Relic, and Sonia, all four being wine lovers, often gathered to drink together. Hayato wished they would drink his coffee too, but he figured that was asking too much.

In the game, the Treasure Hunting event had ended during that month, and players were busy speculating about what would come next.

Hayato remembered Diite telling him before that the next event would be advantageous for Tamers, but he hadn't heard any more details. He was merely thinking he might ask Maris for help if he decided to participate.

Diite had consulted with him before the last event. Just as he was thinking she might contact him soon, an incoming call appeared on the phone monitor set up in the café.

The monitor displayed the name "Diite." He touched the screen to answer, and Diite’s face appeared.

"Hayato-kun, do you have a moment?"

"I do. Is this about the next event, by any chance?"

"I appreciate how perceptive you are. I’d like to consult with you again, if that’s alright."

Diite had a high dependency on Hayato. If it were just about consulting on the virtual world, Esha and the others were available, but she never did so without Hayato. She would always approach Hayato first, or consult with him as part of the group.

Esha and the others were originally members who had been asleep on the spaceship Aphrodite. The only people from this era who knew Diite’s true nature were Hayato and the members of Kokuryu, so he suspected there might be some kind of line drawn between them.

She communicated with Ney frequently, but that was strictly professional. Furthermore, it seemed there was a strict no-spoilers condition, which meant these kinds of consultations were limited to Hayato alone.

He couldn't bring himself to turn her away when she relied on him, and he wanted to help her, as it seemed Diite had her own share of struggles.

It was partly Hayato’s own hope, but he suspected that Diite wanted to understand humans, or perhaps become their equal.

A human-like AI and a mechanical AI. He didn't know which was superior.

Still, as a human, he was happy that Diite, an AI, was making an effort to understand humanity. He wanted her to incorporate emotion into her thinking, not just approach everything mechanically.

Of course, that over-empathizing had also nearly gotten her absorbed into the virtual world.

With all these thoughts in mind, Hayato smiled at Diite through the monitor.

"Of course, it’s fine. Should I log in tonight?"

"That would be a great help. If Esha-kun, Ash-kun, and the others are available, please invite them as well. I’d like to hear a variety of opinions."

"Got it. I’ll see you tonight, then."

"Sorry to bother you when you’re busy. See you tonight."

With that, Diite smiled at Hayato through the monitor before disconnecting.

Seeing expressions like that made him feel she was already quite close to being human, but he would then remember her occasional mechanical side and think she still had a ways to go.

Esha, dressed as a waitress, approached him.

"Was that Diite?"

"She wants to discuss the next event tonight. Are you free, Esha?"

"I have no problem with that. But, the next event, you say. Since I’m treated as an NPC, I can’t receive any prize money. I plan to negotiate to see if I can get it as a player character. I mean, there will be prize money, right?"

"I haven’t heard about prize money, but you’re right, that’s an issue."

Esha was a player treated as an NPC.

Although she now moved between the real and virtual worlds as a player, she was still categorized as an NPC within the virtual world. No matter how well she performed in an event, she wouldn't receive any prize money in reality.

"Ren-san and I are more on the management side of things, so we need to get paid for that."

"I guess you could look at it that way. It's true that you're essentially resolving in-game events, or troubles. You should definitely negotiate with Diite-chan."

"Frankly, I think you should get paid too, Hayato. You’ve been dragged into so many things in-game and in reality, you’re at a level where you could probably sue and win, you know?"

"Maybe so, but when I think of the NPCs as real people, I just want to help them out."

The virtual world was not reality. Whatever happened in the virtual world didn't affect reality, but the NPCs there were just humans who had forgotten the real world. They lived their lives believing that world was real.

If they were living, they had emotions, and life had its ups and downs. Even if it was a virtual reality, if someone was in trouble, he wanted to do something to help.

"You’re a softie as always… though lately, I’ve started to think that might be one of your good qualities."

"Are you complimenting me?"

"No, not at all. But while it’s fine in the virtual world, please don’t get involved in any strange business in reality."

"I’ll be careful. Ah, welcome."

A customer entered the café.

Hayato and Esha returned to their work.

That night, Hayato, Esha, Ash, Ren, and Diite gathered in the headquarters’ dining hall.

Rose the maid and Noat the songstress were in a room on the second floor, but Diite had adjusted the base’s settings to prevent their voices from reaching them, ensuring no unnecessary information was leaked.

"Thank you all for coming."

When Diite said this happily, everyone replied that it was no problem.

"Well then, since it’s getting late, let’s get right to the topic of the next event."

According to Diite, the next event would utilize the Monster Encyclopedia system.

The Monster Encyclopedia was part of a system available to all players, though it wasn't a physical item. It was a feature that could be checked from the system menu. No special action was required, information was automatically recorded when a monster was defeated.

The next event would use an item that adapted this mechanic, called the Monster Sealing Encyclopedia. The premise was that when a player defeated a monster, that monster would be sealed within the book.

The system was designed to award prize money upon reaching a certain number of registered monsters, with top-ranking players receiving additional prizes at the end.

This meant that defeating a wider variety of monsters would lead to a better chance of earning prize money.

"Those with raw combat power will have an advantage, of course, but Production Skills will be needed to summon special monsters. I don’t think it’s an event that completely neglects certain players, but what do you think?"

Whether one could aim for the top spot or not, the event seemed designed for many people to enjoy. For anyone without a specialized Production Skill build like Hayato, normal combat wasn't an issue. They could undoubtedly earn at least some pocket money.

"I think it sounds good. The number of new players has been increasing recently, so this could be a good opportunity for them to join a clan or start their own and fight together."

"I’m glad to hear you say that."

"By the way, what did you mean before when you said Tamers would have an advantage?"

"I did say that in the Eastern Country. It has to do with the Animal Knowledge Skill and the Monster Knowledge Skill. Players with those knowledge-based skills and the Taming Skill can use an ability to detect nearby monsters and animals."

Those two knowledge skills also had the effect of increasing damage against their respective targets, but they were also a major factor in the success rate of the Animal Taming Skill. They were likely essential skills for any Tamer.

Having either of the two skills along with the Animal Taming Skill allowed a player to learn skills called "Animal Detection" or "Monster Detection." These skills let the user discover monsters and animals in their vicinity, like a radar. The higher the skill level, the wider the range.

"Until now, it only gave you vague information that something was nearby, but for this event, the skill is getting a version update. It will now allow for more detailed specifications, like searching for undiscovered monsters or untamed animals. Of course, you’ll also be able to specify unsealed monsters as a condition for the event, so Tamers will have an advantage."

"Ah, I see. In that case, this is an incredible buff for Tamers."

In online games, specifications were constantly being updated. Some changes were minor, while others were major. This version update would be a very welcome one for the Tamers.

Now that they had a general idea, it was time for questions.

"Will my father and Agres and the others get sealed in that book if they’re defeated? And what about me and Ren…?"

"That’s a good point. Let’s exclude Named Monsters and NPCs."

"Will cursed animals appear!?"

"There will be new monsters and animals, but no cursed ones. What is a cursed animal, anyway?"

"My Animal Taming Skill is negative, but will there be a buff for that?"

"If we were to buff the negative side, it would be in the direction of making them dislike you more. Would you be okay with that?"

Perhaps everyone was excited about the new event starting.

What was supposed to be a short meeting turned into a long night of discussing the event.