kscans

Chapter 364 - War of Attrition

Ox, the leader of the clan Rampage, was waiting for Nestor and Parsha in the Great Forest of the Undead, today's battlefield.

It was a territorial dispute as part of the "Conflict" event. Yesterday, they had been defeated, and Deep Impact had been taken. With no means to stop the airship, it couldn't be helped.

And participating in a battle you knew you couldn't win was pointless. With that thought, he had logged out early yesterday. Thanks to that, he made it to work in the afternoon and only had to take a half-day off.

He had been emailing the admins for a while now, asking them to hold events only on weekends, but the reply was always the same. To put it simply, "We have no plans to adjust to real-world circumstances."

Reality and virtual reality were to be treated as separate, with the latter not being influenced by the former. That was likely their policy, but Ox always thought that if they were going to use Earth's standard time, they could at least show that much consideration, never mind the weather.

That said, this virtual reality was run by the Libra Foundation. He didn't want to get on their bad side by complaining too much to the administration, so he had recently reduced the frequency of his emails.

Besides, his company was funded by the Libra Foundation, so he wasn't criticized when he took paid leave. His boss would give him a slightly annoyed look, but as long as he finished his work properly, there were no grounds for complaint.

The only problem was that many of his coworkers took time off with him.

"Senpai, aren't they both late?"

The person who called Ox "Senpai" was Miliara, a member of the same clan. She was three years his junior, with straight blonde hair and square-framed glasses.

In reality, she would be unable to move in her clunky silver armor that covered her entire body, a giant sword strapped to her back. But perhaps due to work-related stress, her fighting style was a rather frightening 'crush them all' approach.

She was also the one who had gotten Ox to start playing this game.

"Like those two would ever be on time, right?"

Responding to Miliara's words was Heath, another member of the same clan.

He was Miliara's peer and Ox's subordinate. He was quick and accurate at his job, but due to his rather flashy appearance, his performance was often doubted. Only Ox had evaluated Heath without being swayed by his looks, and ever since, Heath had looked up to Ox as his superior.

In virtual reality, his skill composition was scout-based, and he wore leather equipment with a hooded cloak.

"It can't be helped. I asked Parsha to gather some information for me. She's probably late in scrutinizing it. Her behavior is eccentric, but she seems to be serious at her core."

Parsha of the clan Despair Angel was a bit over the top in her speech and actions. But that was just role-playing. Ox didn't know what she looked like in real life, but he suspected she was probably a serious office worker.

"What about Nestor-san?"

As Heath asked, Ox let out a small sigh.

"From what I've heard, he fell from the airship he boarded. It's possible that fear will keep him from participating today..."

Ox's words made the other two's faces twitch.

It was what they called trauma. There was no pain, but you could feel gravity and the visuals were as real as reality. If so, falling would also feel real. Even if there was no physical abnormality, it was possible for psychological problems to arise.

"The other side does some nasty things. I guess that's what makes them NPCs."

As Heath murmured this, Ox rubbed his chin with his right hand.

Seeing this, Miliara asked Ox.

"Are you thinking about something?"

"No, I was just thinking that even if the opponents are NPCs, the person who made them is quite something."

The two tilted their heads at his words, and Ox continued.

"This event is a series of battles. It's effective not just to defeat the enemy, but to rob them of their will to fight for future encounters, wouldn't you say? I don't know the specific reason he fell, but a defeated player can't be moved. In other words, he wasn't dropped after being defeated. He was blown off the airship by some kind of attack. By doing so, they not only instilled fear in Nestor but also gave the impression of danger to any players who witnessed it. It might have been a coincidence, but if it was intentional, it means they're accustomed to battle. And if it was intentional, it means there's someone out there who made an AI capable of such thinking."

Miliara and Heath let out an impressed "Ooh," but Ox was thinking about something else.

(It's possible Hayato gave the order, but he doesn't seem like the type to think that far ahead. It was probably the NPC's independent decision, but how on earth did they manage to create an AI with that kind of thinking? Lutz once said that the NPCs in this world might be tracing famous people from the past, and maybe that's true.)

Lutz of the clan Starkest had said that Hero Ivan might be an imitation of the Virtual Gladiator world champion.

At the time he heard it, Ox had considered it trivial information, but if it were true, it was highly likely that the NPCs Hayato had on his side were such famous individuals.

Imitating past great figures and celebrities with AI. It was still in the research stage, but if the thought processes of those who were called geniuses in their time could be used today, it could yield substantial profits. The problem was that there was no way to confirm if they were truly being imitated.

That aside, Hayato had placed in the top five in a previous event, a Clan War. And he had defeated Bandit, said to be the strongest among the major clans.

AI, still in the research stage, is sometimes inferior to humans. Despite that, Hayato's clan, limited to just ten members, had beaten Bandit. They wouldn't have been able to win without gathering some exceptional NPCs.

However, this was just a story in virtual reality. What Ox wanted to focus on was a more realistic matter, that somewhere out there was a person capable of making such an AI.

(This virtual reality, this AI... I wonder how many geniuses are involved in this. If I were told to make the same thing, my only answer would be that it's impossible or would take 100 years. No, I feel like even 100 years wouldn't be enough.)

Ox and his team were system engineers. They were the type to do anything from design to development if they received a request, but this virtual reality was not something they could create just by being told to.

They could create the virtual space itself with enough people, time, and money, but they had no idea how to wirelessly transmit the brain's electrical signals to a server in real time. Furthermore, the technology to show images directly to the brain through the optic nerve, rather than seeing them with the eyes, would require a genius specializing in that field.

(The server is said to be on a spaceship, so it's highly likely they're living and developing there. I'd like to work there just once, but to prevent information leaks, I probably wouldn't be able to leave for a decade or so. And my confidence in being reasonably competent would likely be shattered.)

Ox had started this game because Miliara invited him, but the biggest reason was hearing that the young heir of the Libra Foundation was involved.

Even as part of the working class, he could choose his job freely. Ox was aiming for a career move up the ladder and had even thought about one day taking a job directly under the Foundation. However, to aim higher than his current job, he needed some kind of opportunity.

He didn't think for a moment that playing this game would provide that opportunity, but he was interested in a virtual reality that the Foundation's heir was directly involved in, and so he accepted his subordinate's invitation.

Ever since then, he has been hooked on this game. Not as mere entertainment, but in the sense that he is interested in the technology being used.

He has an efficiency-focused playstyle, and people sometimes say he must be like that in real life too, but Ox scoffs at the idea.

If you think about efficiency in life, playing games is inefficient from the get-go. He wouldn't say there's nothing to be gained, but the cost-performance ratio for the time spent is low. It would be far more efficient to be reading a paper on new technology.

But there was no doubt that being in contact with this virtual reality was stimulating him in various ways. Technology that was said to be impossible existed here. The experience of it himself was stimulating Ox's brain.

Ox clenched and unclenched his right hand.

(This alone is considerable technology. I'm not wearing a glove for motion capture, yet it's sending information about nerve transmissions. And it's not just me seeing it. Others can see it too, which means it's being transmitted to the server with almost no lag. How on earth is something like this possible...)

Ox was always expressionless, but he was always impressed by the technology here, and there were times he couldn't suppress his thirst for knowledge. So much so that he tried not to log in for too long.

"Senpai, what's wrong? It looks like Parsha-san is here."

"...Hm? Ah, sorry. It seems I was lost in thought."

Brought back to his senses by Miliara's words, Ox looked toward Parsha.

As usual, she was wearing a black and white dress and holding a black and white parasol. She walked gracefully with it open and resting on her shoulder.

And behind her were women in all-black and all-white dresses. They were the twin sisters who were executives of the clan Despair Angel, named Noir and Blanc. These were not their real names, more like nicknames, but they would get angry if you used their real names, so he made sure not to.

Parsha, having come right up to Ox, smiled slowly.

"I have forcibly emerged by partaking of the two darknesses, the space between reality and dream. That place is much like a doll of God, which can only live where there is heaven and earth."

Ox's thoughts froze. He could understand the words she was saying, but not their meaning.

He shot a pleading glance at Miliara and Heath, something he would never do at work, but they both looked away.

"Parsha, sorry, but could you put that in words a human can understand?"

"...Two cups of coffee woke me up. The latter half doesn't mean anything in particular. Meaninglessness is the principle of the universe...!"

"So you overslept."

"When you reply so bluntly, it makes me look like a strange person, so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop. As expected, only he can... ahem! Well, that's fine. Oh yes, this will be my excuse, but there is a reason for my oversleeping. Noir, that."

Noir, whose black hair was waved and fell to her shoulders, handed Ox a piece of paper with something written on it.

Various things were written there. It was the result of the information gathering Ox had requested yesterday.

"Impressive. To have investigated this much in one day... no, you must have been up late researching. This is a great help."

"I may have fallen, but I am still an angel. If a person seeks help, I shall save them. However, I will take a part of your soul as payment."

Ox was unsure how to react, but for the time being, he just said, "Thank you." Then he checked the contents of the paper in detail.

(The airship blueprints should be manageable. We'll need to prepare our own by next time, or it will be one-sided like yesterday, depending on the location. If the members of Despair Angel can handle it, I'll count on that. And... I see, this seems to be correct.)

"So the Demon Lord really is weak against ghost-type monsters."

Something to that effect was written on the paper. Apparently, they had confirmed it with the residents of the Demon Capital Zardogia in the Demon Country.

In a previous Stampede event as well, the Demon Lord did not participate until the very end. That was because the dragon that attacked the Demon Capital summoned Undead.

But that problem was solved thanks to a single NPC. That was the songstress Noat Vabeck, who was said to be living at Hayato's base.

The story was that she used the Song Skill "Requiem," which could be used to counter ghosts, to suppress their reappearance, and in that time, the Demon Lord defeated the Underworld Dragon Onyx Rod.

(We can't win just by dealing with the Demon Lord, but we can reduce their strength. And the Great Forest of the Undead has a lot of cover. They shouldn't be able to use powerful long-range attacks. If we can seal the Demon Lord and force a close-quarters battle, we should have a chance.)

"If we can defeat Hayato and the NPC named Noat, we have a high chance of managing something. If you find those two, I want you to defeat them immediately. Also, deal with anyone who uses Requiem right away."

"Um, Ox-san, I understand the reason for taking out the person named Noat to render the Demon Lord useless, but why defeat Hayato? Is he that dangerous?"

When Heath asked, Ox nodded.

"There are two reasons. One is that Hayato is likely the clan's leader. By defeating Hayato, his clan members and their allied clans will disappear from the battlefield. Though, if he's a production class, he might have changed the leader."

"I see. Then what's the other reason?"

"The other is to prevent them from repairing their weapons and armor. Unfortunately, if we want to beat them, our only option is to win by numbers. It's a strategy of chipping away at their strength by destroying their equipment, but that becomes difficult with Hayato around."

"Ah, I see. So we can't beat the NPCs in a straight fight after all?"

"It's probably impossible. It's written in the report you gathered, but the black knights and maids guarding their Area Stone are apparently quite skilled. We probably can't destroy the Area Stone while ignoring them. So we'll drag it out into a long battle with superior numbers and aim to destroy their equipment. Considering not just this time, but future battles as well, that's the best approach."

This event would continue until one side's Area Stone was destroyed or until midnight. So far, the matches had been decided by noon, but that was because the opponent had been holding back.

From now on, battles could last late into the night, but fighting all day in an online game is difficult. You need to log out for meals and other things.

But NPCs have no such restrictions. They can truly fight all day. The only way to get them off the battlefield is to defeat them. If they could be defeated in a normal fight, there would be no problem, but the NPCs allied with Hayato were powerful.

He had received reports of some NPCs being defeated, but he hadn't heard of any of the leader-class NPCs being taken down. That was the same even when Hayato was kidnapped and they were holding back.

Ox was convinced that if there was any hope of winning, it was to exhaust the opponent's equipment.

Amanda's sword, Durandal, was an exception, but all other equipment had durability. It could be fixed with Blacksmithing or Sewing skills, but that required materials.

Items could only be brought in from one's own item bag, so even NPCs couldn't fight endlessly.

It wasn't a way to win against all NPCs, but Ox was convinced that against the NPCs guarding the Area Stone, it was the only way.

(Thinking about it this way, Hayato having only production skills is also frightening. He can't defeat monsters, so his playstyle is limited, but in events like this, he can be more active than anyone. Still, the materials he can bring in aren't unlimited... huh?)

Ox frowned, then looked at Heath's face.

"Heath, are there any places in this great forest where you can get ore?"

"Ore? I believe there are rocky areas in the northeast and southwest of the forest, and you could mine there. But logging is better here, since you can get rare Magic Trees."

"That's not what I mean. If it's mined, the enemy will obtain materials. Let's secure those places just in case. With Hayato on their side, if they can repair their equipment endlessly, we have no chance of winning. Also, places that could be used as a base... there's the vampire's mansion. We should secure that too."

Ox gave various instructions to Miliara and Heath. And he gave detailed instructions to the members of the clan Rampage on what to do.

After giving a round of instructions, he decided to confirm something he didn't quite understand in the paper.

"By the way, what's this about two sisters falling from the sky?"

"It is as it says. I was in the midst of a ball, so I did not see it, but apparently they fell from the airship where 'The One Who Has Mastered Change' was. After that, they seem to have started fighting on the ground. Perhaps they are something that fell from the heavens, just like me."

"Change...? Ah, you mean Hayato. So it was the airship Nestor boarded... I'll have to check if they're friend or foe just in case. By the way, what will you do, Parsha?"

"It depends on their move, but we will summon 'Those Who Have Accepted Death' and fight. Just as they have 'Requiem,' we have 'The Song of Raging Spirits.' Leave 'The Whale That Drinks the Moon' and 'The Fairy of Death and Destruction' to me."

"...I see. I'm counting on you then."

It was unclear who she was talking about, but if she was going to do something, Ox convinced himself that it was fine.

(Well, now it's just a matter of whether Nestor shows up or not. It would be a help if he could at least play defense. We could also use some other small but strong forces...)

With that thought, Ox waited for Nestor to arrive.

"...and so, that's why there's a high probability they're thinking of a war of attrition!"

Near the Area Stone in the Great Forest of the Undead, Randa, the Grand Strategist of the Demon Lord's Army, adjusted her glasses as she spoke.

Lunaria nodded in agreement.

"As expected of Grand Strategist Randa-chan. Give her a cookie."

"I'll take it!"

Randa took a Demon Lord-branded cookie from Rosalie and crunched on it.

Hayato was a little concerned since it was Randa saying it, but he was convinced that they would indeed have no other way to win.

He had his item bag full of materials for repairing equipment, but it wasn't enough to last a whole day. And to fix his allies' equipment, he needed Adamantite ore.

Ney and the others had gathered some for him, but it wasn't an infinite supply. So some members had spare equipment made from metal inferior to Adamantite.

After finishing her cookie, Randa resumed her explanation, using a pointer on a monitor displaying a map of the Great Forest of the Undead. Today, she wasn't the devious class rep character, but the devious female teacher.

"The places we want to occupy in this great forest are the rocky areas in the northeast and southwest, and Mist-san's mansion in the center. We're invading from the east, so we want to secure the northeast rocky area first. I'll leave this to you, Hayato-san and your team."

"Got it. We definitely need to restock on materials."

After that, Randa continued to explain the strategy to each person. When she was finished, Lunaria raised her right hand energetically.

"As the Demon Lord, I propose we ignore the places to occupy and aim directly for the Area Stone. We won't let them have a war of attrition. Let's all unite and destroy their Area Stone. That's more fitting and cooler for a Demon Lord."

"Impossible."

Lunaria puffed out her cheeks slightly.

"To say impossible to the Demon Lord, you must have a proper reason. Explain yourself."

"The forest is teeming with ghost-type monsters, so we need to deal with them first."

"That is indeed important."

"So, until we create a path to their Area Stone, you will be on standby, Your Majesty. In other words, we're saving you."

"Saving me..."

"Anyone can destroy the Area Stone, but we have to have the Demon Lord do it. Simply put, you're the grand finale."

"The grand finale..."

"The Victory Road for the Demon Lord to walk. Until it's prepared, you must remain composed. That's cooler."

"Adopted. Everyone, follow Randa-chan's plan."

Was the Demon Lord a pushover, or was Randa a master strategist? Everyone thought it was the former, but they all nodded with a warm feeling, thinking this was just like Lunaria.

Hayato, who knew a bit about Lunaria's circumstances, felt conflicted, but he thought this was probably just as Lunaria, who wished to forget reality and have fun with everyone, would have wanted.

"So the plan is as I just explained, but it's highly likely the Demonfolk will appear this time. Be careful not to engage them alone, and if possible, I want you to destroy their equipment rather than just defeating them."

The Demonfolk. They were members of Lunaria's former clan, Ambrosia, but their consciousness had been stolen and only their avatars were being used. So they weren't that much of a threat, but their equipment was quite powerful.

Considering future battles, destroying it would weaken their forces later on. It was the same thinking as the other side, but Randa emphasized that they should aim for that too.

Just as everyone nodded, an announcement was made that the battle in the Great Forest of the Undead had begun.