kscans

Chapter 49 - The Fate of Online Games

The day after the battle with the clan "Blood Knights," Hayato decided to hold a victory celebration at the headquarters.

Hayato's clan, "Daedalus," had risen in the rankings and was now in second place. Considering their current points, if they won their remaining two matches against A-rank opponents, they could finish the Clan War event within the top five.

If they did, they would receive a prize of one hundred million yen in the real world. Hayato's dream could come true.

(I need to stay focused. If I come this far and don't get the prize money, I might just cry.)

Thinking this, Hayato thanked his companions. They had overcome a clearly impossible situation with their strength.

Hayato only had production skills and no combat power. The NPCs made up for that with their strength. It was nothing but luck.

(My life is all about luck. The fact that Esha came here, that I got to know Ash and the others, it's all luck. I should at least splurge on the food for the celebration.)

With that in mind, Hayato began preparing for the victory party.

The victory party was quite lively.

The main reason for this was Maris's pets. The calico cat, Siegfried, and his male calico mate had become the idols of the female members.

Esha was still being bitten by Siegfried as usual, but thanks to the food, her HP seemed to be recovering as soon as she took damage.

"What do you think, Ren-sama? This gentle nibbling. You could say he's already my pet."

"From any angle, I think that's a serious bite. Anyway, his belly is so squishy and nice to touch... uhihihihi."

"Um, Ren-san, Siegfried is scared, so please don't laugh like that. And did he suddenly show his belly when he saw you, Ren-san, because you're a dragon? It's a pose of complete submission, isn't it...?"

While Esha, Ren, and Maris were chatting while watching the cats, the male members were completely engrossed in the Hercules Beetle. The men from the mercenary group also surrounded the beetle and were looking at it.

Everyone was saying it was amazing, but Hayato didn't really understand what was so amazing. It was true that it fetched a high price, but it was an insect.

Fortunately, Ash and the others were not part of that circle, so he approached them.

"You guys aren't interested in the beetle?"

"I'm not particularly interested. What about you, Relic and Mist?"

"It seems to be called a black diamond in some circles, but it does not possess the beauty I seek."

"I was chased by a much larger beetle in the Demon Country, so I don't like them. In fact, if I see one, I have to attack first or it's dangerous."

For now, he understood that none of the three were interested.

It wouldn't do to get excited over a beetle talk, so he tried to offer another topic, but before he could, Ash asked him a question.

"Didn't you invite Diite to the victory party?"

"I did, but she said no this time. She said it would be awkward to celebrate with us when she didn't participate in the Clan War."

"If she's going to say that, then the same goes for my mercenaries. And Diite helped out when Maris was getting her Griffon, so I don't think she needs to worry about it."

"I told her that too, but I couldn't get a positive reply."

Incidentally, Hayato had also invited Ney and the others, but they had also declined. For the same reason as Diite, because they hadn't participated in the Clan War. They also said that it wouldn't be good for Hayato's burden of preparing for the victory party to increase.

However, they had told him that if they ranked in the top five in the Clan War, he had to treat them in the real world. In other words, they were asking for an offline meetup.

(An offline meetup, huh. But, aside from everyone else, Ney is definitely a rich girl. I'm not sure if she'll treat me the same way when she sees the real me. I'm from the working class, and the place I live is—)

In this game, "Another Frontier Online," your appearance was somewhat blurred, but your name and gender could not be faked. Right after the game started, there was some criticism about this, but the administration stuck to their stance of, "If you don't like it, don't play."

It was a strong stance, but it was still popular as the world's first full-dive VRMMO that realistically reproduced the five senses. The fact that no similar games had come out since was probably another reason for its popularity.

When he thought that far, Hayato suddenly realized.

(Oh, it's a game. This isn't reality, it's a game. I forgot because everyone seems so human.)

"Hayato, is something wrong?"

Ash's words made Hayato realize he had been lost in thought.

(Oh shoot, I should be enjoying myself with everyone right now instead of thinking about such things.)

"Sorry, I was just thinking that the food was running low. I'll go get some more."

Hayato said this and headed to the storage where the prepared food was.

When the victory party was over, the members went home.

Hayato was left alone at the headquarters.

Numerous empty plates were on the tables in the dining hall, and the situation, which had been so lively just a moment ago, was now too quiet, making him feel somewhat lonely.

Hayato was no exception, and he felt lonely in this situation.

He sat down in a chair to change his mood and took out a coffee to drink.

He enjoyed the aftertaste and aroma, but it didn't change his mood. There was something on his mind. The more fun he had, the more it swelled with the rebound.

(Everyone is an NPC. What will happen when the game ends someday? No, it might be better if the game ends. If the virtual reality disappears, the AI will also disappear. The problem is when I quit while the game is still going.)

The fate of online games, service termination. It would surely come someday.

Even if the service didn't end, the time might come when he would quit the game. If he didn't log in, Hayato's character would cease to exist in this game.

What would happen to the NPCs then?

He had never thought about such things before because he had only interacted with normal players. Of course, when he quit a game, he would say goodbye to his player acquaintances before quitting.

But what should he say to the NPCs? Hayato didn't know.

"I'm going on a journey, maybe..."

"Are you going somewhere, Master?"

"Whoa!"

Esha was standing behind Hayato before he knew it.

Thinking he was alone, Hayato was so startled that he fell off his chair.

"That was quite a nice expression. I'll put it in my best memories. You have no right to refuse."

"E-Esha? What's wrong? Did you forget something?"

Hayato looked up at Esha from the floor where he had landed on his bottom.

"No, I came back thinking there might be some leftover food to take home."

"I think you ate all the food, Esha?"

"I thought there might be something you hadn't brought out yet. A maid's intuition cannot be deceived, you know?"

"...Well, fine. Then wait a moment. There's something I was planning to bring out today, but the quality was bad. It's four stars, but is that okay?"

Hayato said this as he stood up.

"According to common sense, four stars is a high-quality item, but if you say so, Master, I will take that poor-quality item. Before that—"

Esha stared at Hayato. Hayato somehow stared back at Esha.

"What was that about going on a journey just now? If it's a souvenir, please make it something edible."

Hayato hesitated. He wondered if he should tell her the truth. In the first place, he couldn't talk about quitting the game due to AI Protection.

However, he was also curious about how she would react, so he decided to change the nuance slightly and talk about it.

"Going on a journey isn't the goal. Actually, I was wondering what everyone would do if I were gone. I was just thinking of a scenario where I went missing on a journey... What would you do, Esha?"

Esha tilted her head slightly, but her face became serious as she spoke.

"You are the only one who would hire me, Master, so I would find you wherever you are and bring you back."

For a moment, his mind went blank at those words, but the next moment, he burst out laughing.

She said she would search for him if he disappeared. The reason itself was very Esha-like, but Hayato genuinely thought she might do it. For some reason, he felt happy about that and ended up laughing.

Esha frowned at Hayato's actions and took out her gun.

"I was hurt by your attitude even though I answered seriously. Where can I shoot you? I recommend the arm."

"No, sorry, sorry. I was happy. I was just thinking that even if I were kidnapped, you would come and save me, Esha."

Esha looked at Hayato with suspicion, but after a while, she put away her gun.

"Well, I suppose it's fine. So, do you have any plans to disappear from here? Like being kidnapped by the Demon Lord. What kind of princess are you?"

"...No, I have no such plans. I'll be here. For a long, long time."

Hayato said this and then headed to the storage to get the food to give to Esha.