Published at 25th of March 2019 11:06 pm

Volume 1: Chapter 2: Small Assassin

1

… 4 days later.

It had been 4 days since they drifted ridiculously into an alternate world.

After bidding farewell to Maryele, Shiroe and Naotsugu traveled all over Akiba scavenging for information.

Naturally, there were new facts discovered every day.

The simplest thing that they understood was that they would still get hungry.

Shiroe already noticed something was wrong when they said their goodbyes with Maryele. But their feelings of nervousness and fear over their current situation overwhelmed this sensation, so they kept searching for information till their legs were numb. Night fell without Shiroe and Naotsugu recognizing the feeling of hunger.

But they lost to hunger in the end and headed to the market to purchase food just before dawn. Shiroe and Naotsugu brought their food to the abandoned building where they met earlier to enjoy their unhealthy 'supper and breakfast'… It concluded in a painful experience.

Shiroe bought roasted chicken with orange and tomato sauce, chocolate cake and green tea. Naotsugu purchased seafood pizza, mashed potato with bacon, caesar salad and orange juice.

It sounded extravagant, but both of them were level 90 players, wealthy enough to buy as many of these player crafted meals in the market as they wished. It looked like a bright, fresh, luxurious and sumptuous meal.

But the food all tasted the same.

In Naotsugu's unassuming words, they tasted like 'soggy crackers, without any salty flavor'. Shiroe had no choice but to agree with this review.

The beverages had different colors, but they all tasted like tap water.

It wasn't so disgusting that you would spit it out and it didn't seem poisonous. You felt full after eating, so it was indeed food, but it was an experience Shiroe and Naotsugu could do without.

They were not sure how to react, since it was not disgusting enough to make you curse or swear. You would sulk as you ate more of it, as if the hope in your heart was starting to fade away. It was disgusting in a pathetic way.

They confirmed something else about the variety of food they bought.

All the food they ate was crafted by players, with the NPCs selling it on their behalf.

Apart from the main classes, Elder Tales also had countless subclasses. The food was made using the cooking ability of a Chef, one of the subclasses.

Subclasses were independent of main classes, so in Elder Tales, there could be Samurai Chefs or Sorcerer Chefs.

These Chefs could create the food Shiroe and Naotsugu ate according to their Chef level, but cooking in Elder Tales was very simple.

Stand beside a cooking facility, choose the ingredients from the game menu and input the use command. The food ingredients could be gathered from different areas. You could get meat from monsters sometimes or pick it up from dungeons. There were also seeds you could plant in fields.

Basic ingredients were sold by NPCs and could be purchased from other players in the market as well.

Anyways, you could choose from the list of food you wished to create by using the use command on the ingredients. After selecting your desired dish, you needed to wait 10 seconds before the ingredients vanished and were replaced by the finished product.

Did the problem lie with this simplified process?

This was the deduction Shiroe and Naotsugu made.

They had also confirmed the ingredients themselves had taste the previous day.

Oranges and apples were tender and juicy, freshly caught fish smelled like usual, the salt and sugar purchased from NPCs tasted salty and sweet respectively.

But the products made using these materials all tasted like 'tasteless soggy crackers'.

This process was enforced in this game world, and they couldn't do anything to change that. They could not tamper with the ingredients either. If they tried to boil them, the ingredients turned into a weird paste.

With no other choice, Shiroe and Naotsugu bought salt along with their food, sprinkling the food with salt as they ate. It was still a pitiful meal, but at least it was better than chewing wax.

Since you needed to eat, you would need to use the bathroom, which was also a necessary action, and that was confirmed rather quickly. Since they were guys, Shiroe and Naotsugu had no problems as long as they were fine with doing it outdoors.

But they did wish there was toilet paper.

Shiroe heard Naotsugu mumble 'the girls have it hard', but he pretended not to hear it.

There were many things that couldn't be helped no matter how hard Shiroe thought.

They found out they could not do without sleep.

Shiroe had great stamina, unlike in the real world. His level 90 body had high physical stats even as a magic attack class, and these numbers were reflected on his body.

But fatigue and sleepiness were two different things, and Shiroe and Naotsugu grew drowsy after moving for a period of time.

Shiroe and Naotsugu checked in once they reached the hotel, renting a zone to use as their residence. They hadn't used this function when Elder Tales was just a game, since they could just find any random alley in Akiba if they wanted to log off. They would disappear from the game world if they weren't playing. But this obvious choice for players was no longer applicable to them.

Since they were still in the game when they were sleeping, they would need a physical place to rest… And they didn't return to their original world when they woke up.

Speaking of returning to their original world, they had confirmed one other thing.

You could revive if you died in this Elder Tales world. The players who died in this world respawned in the cathedral after some time.

If the game mechanics still applied, players would lose part of their EXP and gold when they died, but Shiroe and Naotsugu hadn't experienced this yet, so they couldn't tell for sure.

Since they could revive after dying, that meant they wouldn't disappear if they died in this game world. It sounded like good news from this perspective, but this also meant that their hope of going back to their world through death was gone.

Eating and dying.

From these two essential concepts of survival, they could conclude that this was a contradictory and twisted world.

At a glance, this world seemed to be a faithful replication of Elder Tales. Shiroe and Naotsugu, who had retained their abilities and wealth from the game, were living in this game world where monsters roamed freely. But a game is a game and couldn't be replicated in an alternate world. Compared to the real world that obeyed the laws without contradiction, Shiroe felt that this world was imperfect and full of loopholes.

The best example of this was food. Grilled fish made from fish and salt didn't taste like salt or fish, just something that looked like grilled fish but tasted like soggy crackers.

But if you sprinkled salt on grilled fish, it actually had the taste of salt. Sprinkling salt made food salty, but food crafted with salt didn't have that taste.

Shiroe and Naotsugu tried grilling fresh fish with a heat source such as a campfire, but no matter what they did, it didn't become the grilled fish they were familiar with, and instead turned into a mysterious black paste.

It was the same with sleep and using the bathroom.

These were functions unnecessary for games.

But in this Elder Tales world that became reality, they could get drowsy and really need to sleep.

There was something wrong with this world, no matter how you thought about it.

Since it was a world, there should have been a set of laws. But whether it operated like Elder Tales or followed some strange physics associated with alternate worlds, they were unable to tell.

It might be a bizarre combination of both, turning this world into a chaotic mystery.

A lot of things were confirmed by the 4th day.

On the 2nd day in the alternate world.

Shiroe and Naotsugu decided to go into the field zones in Akiba. They headed to the adjacent zone that was just beside the area outside the city gate, the Archive Tower Forest.

Since it was close to the starter city of Akiba, Archive Tower Forest had low difficulty. The zones surrounding all five major cities were usually suitable for low level players to train. High level monsters lurked in zones like the deep hills that were far away from the city zone. This was common knowledge in Elder Tales.

This was a typical ruins field zone with monsters about level 20 roaming around. Similar to the abandoned buildings in Akiba, they were covered in vines and parasitic plants.

As its name suggested, Archive Tower Forest was a zone with many bookshops, libraries and a research lab that was connected to several dungeon zones. The enemies were weak, their drop items included 'Secret Level Skill Scrolls', so it was popular among novice Adventurers.

The enemy monsters were only about level 20.

Shiroe and Naotsugu were level 90 players with good equipment and vast experience, so they wouldn't gain any EXP no matter how many such monsters they defeated because of the difference in levels. They only came to the novice zone to experience battle in Elder Tales in a relatively safe environment.

The battle was not proceeding as they expected.

It wasn't because the enemies were strong. The goblins and grey wolves fell with a scratch from Naotsugu's sword. Even Shiroe who was an Enchanter with the weakest attack in the game could kill them with one shot.

That was the extent of their level difference.

But being able to defeat enemies didn't mean you would have an easy time fighting them. When Shiroe saw the grey wolves and the goblins attacking with rusty blood-splattered axes for the first time, Shiroe was terrified and almost collapsed from his feet giving out.

His breathing rate was 10 times faster than normal. Even though he took in lots of air, he felt suffocated, which narrowed his field of vision. The enemy attacks would not harm him… If Shiroe hadn't convinced himself that this was the case, he would probably have fled by now.

And he confirmed this after some time.

The level 90 Shiroe had at least 8000 HP while Naotsugu who used the class with the strongest defense, Guardian, had over 13000 HP. The goblin's attack could only deal single digit damage.

Even if they howled fiercely and swung their axes with all their might, their blows felt painless, like the punches of a grade schooler.

Shiroe and Naotsugu cooled down after ascertaining this fact.

They didn't get hurt after regaining their composure, but the fighting remained difficult.

The laws of physics of the real world they took for granted were twisted together weirdly with the rules of Elder Tales. They could see these effects everywhere they looked.

When fighting in a party in Elder Tales like

Shiroe and Naotsugu, you took note of your allies' HP through the status screen and chose the appropriate tactics and coordinated with each other almost subconsciously.

Would other enemies approach while you were fighting the enemies in front of you?

Would the enemy link up with more monsters or call for reinforcement?

Which enemy was the priority target?

Which foe could you keep at bay for now and take out later?

Various details like these were important elements that would affect the battle.

But it was hard to even confirm each other's HP in this environment. The HP values would be displayed if they focused on their forehead, but fighting in a dangerous place with debris all over while keeping track of these numbers in their mind was next to impossible.

Shiroe could still spare some time to observe the battlefield as a mage. But the Guardian Naotsugu had to engage the enemy on the front line to protect his allies and would lose the ability to grasp his surroundings, fighting almost blindly.

"This is harder than I thought."

Naotsugu sighed as he ate a meat bun for lunch. The enemies were weak so there was no need to be too concerned with HP. But this wouldn't do when fighting foes of the same level.

The food tasted like soggy crackers, even though its appearance was that of a meat bun. Shiroe and Naotsugu reviewed the details of the battle while eating the tasteless food they had grown tired of.

The two of them had no martial arts background.

For amateurs like them, they had no idea how to handle the emotions and fear during fights, and were seriously doubtful that they could simply get used to them through live battles.

But in the back of their minds they knew they would face major problems later on if they were frightened by level 20 minions. Elder Tales was a fantasy adventure game that derived most of its entertainment from battling monsters. If this was a world affected by Elder Tales or was the world of Elder Tales itself, getting used to battle was a necessity to survive here.

Fortunately their bodies were stronger than expected.

Their high levels kept them from getting tired, and they could regain their vigor after resting a few minutes if they did get tired from traveling or battling. Shiroe and Naotsugu spent most of their days out in the field and their evenings in the pub or visiting people they knew. They conversed with players in the same boat as them and gathered any news.

Akiba appeared peaceful on the surface during these four days.

There were no major commotions like Shiroe had feared would happen.

Maybe after confirming the abundance of bland food and their ability to respawn, it allowed them to regain the most basic sense of security.

But there were still some incidences that couldn't be ignored.

Firstly, the volume of market goods on sale had dropped.

Most players had come to the same conclusion as Shiroe and withdrawn their merchandise.

The goods left for sale on the market belonged to the players who weren't logged in, but even those sold out over time.

There were rumors of major guilds cutting off supplies, and the items that were sold out were starting to gain popularity. There were many players with production subclasses, but they had stopped working in reaction to the situation.

Another effect was the recruitment campaigns of the guilds. Or the players without guilds looking for one.

Humans were creatures that found solace in numbers. Many carefree players without a guild decided to join one after experiencing this event.

You could tell which players joined which guild by checking their status through the status screen. But it was hard to find out all this information when you were inside the game.

So Shiroe could only estimate based on the ratio of the players he saw, but he did feel a sharp drop in solo players.

Shiroe and Naotsugu who were both level 90 received many invitations just walking the streets.

But the two of them declined all offers.

Ignoring Shiroe, Naotsugu had no reason to reject them. When Shiroe queried him, Naotsugu replied with a smile: "Getting to know companions is the result; not the reason. You need to move forward fearlessly and make friends through the process of battles."

The Debauchery Tea Party had not been a guild, it was just a coalition of players. For the two of them with a history in such a group, guilds were just an unimportant title.

And the two of them didn't think joining a guild provided any safety when facing such a critical and confusing incident.

But most people thought differently from Shiroe and Naotsugu and saw guilds as something they could depend on.

The twins Shiroe was accompanying the day of the incident seemed to have joined a guild as well. He only saw them on the streets in passing, but they seemed to be safe allowing Shiroe to breathe a sigh of relief.

Players without a guild wanted to join one for the feeling of security. Lots of guilds started recruiting campaigns in response to such demands. Some guilds canvassed for players without a guild, but there were other examples of several small guilds merging or famous major guilds headhunting specific players.

Shiroe didn't get why the guilds wanted to expand until Maryele explained it. It had something to do with the comfort of staying in Akiba.

After that incident, some players thought they had barged into an alternate world, which Shiroe felt was reasonable.

But the players felt much more frustrated over this ridiculous state of affairs than Shiroe had expected. These emotions gathered together in the form of a guild and formed a consensus of 'If you are not with us, you are against us'.

They could trust their guild mates but not others. This was the natural defensive reaction when living in such a hostile environment.

But this atmosphere was too strong, making friction between guilds obvious. They wouldn't be attacked since Akiba was a non-combat zone. If there were any attempts to fight, steal from or kidnap anyone, the guards would instantly appear to arrest the player in violation.

But harsh words and harassment would not be judged as combat actions. There were many ways to get around the restriction of combat actions to harass others, even more so for players trapped in this world.

Small guilds were often the victims of such harassment. Maryele tried to conceal her troubled face with a smile when talking about this.

Shiroe had found out some important information regarding zones as he was discussing this topic with Maryele. He casually opened the status screen and noticed an unfamiliar tab below the tab related to guilds.

It was unfamiliar, but he had seen it before.

This tab displayed information of the zone you were in, detailing 'Japanese server / Akiba / City area - No monsters / Battle restricted zone / Entry Restriction (None) / Exit Restriction (None)'.

Shiroe, Maryele and Naotsugu were talking in a small alley. This provided a summary of this zone and Akiba which had no problems.

The issue was the next line.

'This zone is not owned by any person or guild. Sale price is 700 million gold. Monthly maintenance fee is 1. 2 million. Purchase? (Yes / No)'

… This line was displayed when you were buying small abandoned buildings, hotel rooms or guild halls like the one Crescent Moon Alliance was in.

But Akiba city was now a tradable asset, even though it required an astronomical amount of money.

Naotsugu and Maryele had thought Shiroe was joking when he pointed this out, but they were dumbstruck when they checked it out themselves.

Shiroe was a high level veteran player and was wealthier than others. Shiroe had about 50,000 gold in assets in the bank. So he was certain 700 million was not something a single player could come up with.

But if a major guild pooled all their resources… even though that was probably impossible… it was possible for them to gather this amount of cash.

Assuming someone succeeded in buying the streets of Akiba, the buyer would be able to set the entry and exit restriction here, including any people or guilds the buyer hated… they could be barred from entering this city.

The members of Crescent Moon Alliance spread out to investigate under Maryele's instruction, and they found out this purchase line was displayed in almost all the zones.

In other words, be it city, field or dungeons, all the zones were open for sale right now, the exceptions were places that already had an owner… for instance a zone like Crescent Moon Alliance's guild hall. In this situation, the owner would have another option to turn their ownership into a land deed item.

The fourth day after that incident.

The expansion campaign of the major guilds was no longer just a tactic to increase the guild's size in the eyes of Shiroe's group.

2

Shiroe and Naotsugu left their hotel and headed for the market on the morning of the 5th day to buy food for the day. Naotsugu looked downcast as he dragged his feet on their way there.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I feel disheartened thinking about the nasty food we have been eating."

Shiroe could empathize with Naotsugu. Shiroe didn't think he was a gourmet and his diet in the real world was nothing to be proud of. But he realized now how good his meals were in the real world.

(The fried chicken of the fast food chain… was so tasty. Packs of ramen that costed 68 yen and yakisoba bread were great too. They were really an amazing delicacy.)

And also red tea, coffee, and sodas.

All the beverages tasted like tap water, which was really unbearable. These beverages were made with ingredients that included well water anyways.

Well water tasted like tap water too. So it tasted like tap water because of their tongues, it was all just normal water.

It was still water after adding various ingredients, which felt like a scam to them.

"… I guess we can only eat that."

"Well, you are right. But I think we can get better food even in prison. I saw it once on a TV special about Abashiri prison, the food looked nice."

"Yeah."

Now that Naotsugu mentioned it, Shiroe felt the same way.

Shiroe studied in a public school before going to high school. The lunch provided by the school might not be great cuisine, but it was much better than the soggy crackers in this world.

"I'm wondering about something."

"Wondering about what?"

"Is this a torture chamber where god forces us to eat bland food all day?"

How could that be? Shiroe thought, but it couldn't be denied after considering carefully. It might sound ridiculous, but they were in a ridiculous situation right now, so they couldn't take anything lightly as a joke.

"If that is is true, this god has a good sense in torturing."

"I know, right? Forcing us to eat poisonous food that makes you puke blood is some kind of hell, right? It has the feeling of devils force feeding you."

Shiroe seemed to recall a level of hell in Buddhism which seemed to have this sort of punishment.

"But the current situation is different. This stuff should have nutritious value and no poison. The taste is bland, but you can still eat it. Just eating a meal should be fine. But there is nothing else, it will always be this taste and our morale will drop deeper and deeper… This is a high end level of harassment, right?"

"That's why I say this is a good sense of torture… But his taste in torture is irritating."

Just as Shiroe and Naotsugu were chatting leisurely about this.

*Plock*

A pebble fell beside his feet on the asphalt road following this sound.

Shiroe looked up and saw a three story building on the verge of collapse that used to be a shop house. At the entrance was a tall man.

"It's Akatsuki-san."

Black hair and dark clothes with fine facial features, the man did not remove the mask covering his mouth as he acknowledged Shiroe with his eyes.

"An acquaintance?"

"Yeah, this is Akatsuki-san, an Assassin."

Shiroe walked towards Akatsuki as he introduced him to Naotsugu.

Shiroe met the extremely silent Akatsuki a year ago.

He insisted on communicating through text in this age where voice chat was prevalent, but it helped to create the atmosphere of an Assassin.

There were many players who focused on role playing like Akatsuki. Shiroe saw them as players who placed emphasis on the atmosphere of the game.

When Elder Tales was just a game, Akatsuki didn't act as a 'player controlling the character Akatsuki', but as a 'resident of Elder Tales' known as Akatsuki, basing all his words and actions on this.

It was rude to call this playing pretend since this was another way to enjoy the game, so no one could criticize.

Shiroe thought Akatsuki was a competent player. Silent but didn't bother others or curry for favors, the opposite of Maryele in a sense.

He would carry out his duties perfectly in a party and didn't forget to care for his allies. Care meant more than words of encouragement, such a player was valuable in this time and age.

An important thing was the lack of awkwardness in his silence.

A quiet atmosphere could make you feel uneasy, but Shiroe felt a sense of kinship in some ways and was not uncomfortable fighting alongside him. Shiroe felt they were not totally silent, but were communicating without words.

Take their teamwork in minute supporting actions for instance.

Any small interactions during the rest between battles was a 'conversation' of care and concern.

Shiroe's impression of him was a professional Assassin when adventuring together.

"What is it Akatsuki-san?"

Akatsuki gestured with his chin and entered the run down building. It didn't appear to be a separate zone, just a backdrop in the field zone.

They entered the dimly lit ruins on Akatsuki's invitation.

"What is he like, Shiro?"

"Akatsuki-san is a role player who is very competent in the game. He's probably depressed by this situation too."

Naotsugu asked quietly and Shiroe replied in an equally soft tone.

They couldn't see Akatsuki anymore, he probably headed to the very back of the building. This seemed a bit too rushed from Akatsuki's usual demeanor.

He could smell wet sand. The morning sun shone through the gaps of the partially destroyed walls and the small windows illuminating the room.

This was indeed a shop, and was some sort of restaurant. It was a vast and chaotic space with furniture scattered all over.

Akatsuki turned around and looked at Naotsugu, part troubled and part accusatory.

"Akatsuki-san, he is Naotsugu, a Guardian and my reliable old friend that can be trusted."

"I am Naotsugu, nice to meet you! Whether you are an open pervert or a closet pervert, let's get along well!"

Shiroe introduced Naotsugu to Akatsuki after seeing his gaze.

Naotsugu greeted with his overly familiar style. Even though Shiroe thought he shouldn't talk like this to someone he just met, Akatsuki seemed too melancholic to bother with the crude Naotsugu.

(Was Akatsuki-san so tense before?)

Shiroe thought about this in the suffocating silence.

(I remember he was a quiet but flexible player who liked battling…)

"I have been looking for you."

Akatsuki said in a barely audible feminine voice after a short silence.

"You have business with me?"

He still seemed deeply troubled. He took a few deep breaths before steeling himself and said:

"I want you to sell me an Appearance Reset Potion."

Akatsuki spoke softly but the contents were audible. But the meaning behind these words took some time to register in Shiroe's mind. Shiroe took some time to think about what he meant.

'Appearance Reset Potion'.

This was a limited item that was distributed during one of the events in Elder Tales. Shiroe remembered it was a promotional event to attract more players to Elder Tales, and this was the reward item for participating. This promotional event was a combined effort with an Internet broadcast, but the content was very crude, just a mediocre voice actress doing a radio interview to promote her song. It was a failure of an event that the developers wanted to pretend never happened.

Since it was a game with 20 years of history, there were several such events that were beyond the word stupid. The variety of items limited to events was also very wide.

The characters that represented the player in the game were set at the beginning of the game.

8 races, 12 classes, name, gender, as well as height, body shape, hair style, hair and eye color could all be adjusted. Body shapes were customized using about a dozen figures like chest circumference, leg length, waist and shoulder width. Since your appearance and body shape didn't affect battle abilities, lots of players opted to use their actual appearance in the game.

'Appearance Reset Potion' allowed you to change the appearance of your character that was set just like its name suggested. As previously explained, appearance didn't affect fighting strength so this was just an item to use for fun. The item was rare since the event was a failure, but it was a good way to change the mood of the game.

At least until now.

"Aka, Aka, Akatsuki-san, could it be…"

Akatsuki glared at Shiroe.

"You are a girl?"

Akatsuki straightforwardly nodded contrary to her professional hitman look.

Her feminine voice sounded like a girl although she tried her best to conceal it. In this world where conversation with a keyboard was impossible, she was unable to hide her gender anymore.

"That is a surprise."

Naotsugu standing beside Shiroe was also stiff from the shock.

3

Shiroe retrieved the 'Appearance Reset Potion' from the bank warehouse and returned to the crumbling building. Akatsuki breathed a sigh of relief as she received the orange potion.

"Please wait for a moment."

Akatsuki said before disappearing into the depths of the shop.

But she didn't go to another room. Akatsuki seemed to have left her belongings behind the screen that separated the kitchen.

(How careless, she is not living here, right?)

Shiroe thought, but this was not the mood to throw a punchline.

"Hey… Are you fine… ?"

"Don't worry about… Hnng!"

"What happened?"

"This potion causes a lot of pain."

Akatsuki drank the potion immediately, he could see orange light the same color as the potion shining through the screen. Akatsuki seemed to be in agony as she replied worrying Shiroe, but his face turned white the next moment.

He could hear the sound of several disposable chopsticks snapped in half by brute force. A scream so horrible that you didn't want to know how it was made came from behind the screen.

(Wait a minute, hey!)

"Uu tsu… Gu tsu…"

Shiroe wanted to go check on her out of concern, but his legs seemed to be nailed to the ground. Listening to the moans of Akatsuki confirmed that she was a woman, definitely a young girl.

Even though her moans continued, Shiroe dared not open the screen to avoid seeing her naked.

No wonder Akatsuki didn't use voice chat.

Everyone would know she was a girl if she did, and it was an inconvenience for her to role play as an Assassin too.

Shiroe finally realized this.

"She has lots of troubles too."

Naotsugu brushed off the dust on a stool and sighed after saying that. Shiroe was surprised too.

But this was a possible scenario. With the prevalent use of voice chat in online games, players using different genders were uncommon but not unheard of.

In terms of online games, Elder Tales was a traditional and complicated game suitable for hard core players. Although there were no differences in the enjoyment of the game for either sexes, according to the articles Shiroe saw in magazines, girls preferred to play casual games.

According to Shiroe's rough gauge, the ratio of men to women in Elder Tales was 7 to 3.

Akatsuki had an in-depth understanding of the game mechanics and liked to battle, so Shiroe had never suspected she was a lady.

"It's fine now… you have my gratitude."

A young girl about 150cm in height with long flowing hair walked out from behind the screen. As he imagined from listening to her voice, she was a beautiful young lady.

Her clothing was loose since her height shrank by 30cm, she looked like a child wearing her father's work clothes. Her white ankles and slender fingers were visible from the pants and sleeves she rolled up, giving off a cute feeling like a small animal.

"Wah, she's hot, the real deal."

Naotsugu said softly with his mouth slightly open.

Shiroe felt the same.

The basic appearance and hair style in this world seemed to follow the settings of Elder Tales. But from his recent observations, the players inherited their facial features from the real world.

Shiroe was a Half-Alv in this world, a mixed race of human and the ancient Alv race, the basic body settings were skinny and strong sense of curiosity. Shiroe had confirmed through the mirror in the hotel that his facial features really reflected his real world counterpart. His wicked beady eyes stared right back at him from the mirror, making him a bit depressed.

The same theory could be applied to Akatsuki. Akatsuki was human unlike Shiroe.

Her face was definitely that of a beautiful young girl.

She had big black eyes, a white oval face and brows that looked like they were drawn with a brush. Since the face in this world reflected her real self, then she must be a pretty. pretty… No, a traditional beautiful young lady.

But Akatsuki's new body was really petite, shorter than Shiroe's shoulders, maybe not even 150cm.

Players could modify their character in detail… including the body and face of the Adventurer. The character Akatsuki created was quite tall, more than 30cm taller than the current Akatsuki.

Shiroe felt really out of place while walking with just a few centimeters in height difference, Akatsuki must have felt a dozen times worse than Shiroe did.

"It must have been hard for you."

Shiroe was stiff from shock, he didn't think Akatsuki would be such a beauty.

The one breaking this tense atmosphere was Naotsugu.

"I retract my earlier statement. You cannot be an open pervert or a closet pervert since you are not a guy. You are the one who is wearing panties, so know your place!"

He might be right, but he was really pushing it. Akatsuki didn't get what he was saying and made a perplexed expression.

"Shiroe-dono, is there something wrong with his head?"

"That's not it… There are many things wrong with him as a person."

"Why is that!?"

"In any case, he's messed up."

Akatsuki said after glancing at Naotsugu.

Maybe it's because she was finally free from the voice chat restriction.

Akatsuki was much more willing to converse with others compared to the time Shiroe met her in the game. But her quiet nature didn't change Shiroe's impression of her.

(No, I'm still unaccustomed to her cute voice.)

"You say messed up! How can I not make any dirty jokes as an upright man of society? This is my sublime obligation. But a girl like you wouldn't understand even if I explain…"

Naotsugu puffed out his chest proudly. Akatsuki gave him a look and snorted.

"But you look unwell, take this."

Naotsugu tossed a canteen full of well water over.

Since all beverages were just like normal water, Shiroe and Naotsugu gave up and bought canteens recently. They filled them up with the cheapest beverage, well water.

"Thank you for your concern."

Akatsuki looked surprised, unable to determine whether Naotsugu was a weirdo or a kind and caring person. But Akatsuki took the bottle and finished the relatively full canteen, she seemed to be really thirsty.

The three of them relaxed, settled into their most comfortable positions and chatted amongst each other in the slightly humid shop.

Akatsuki had not been eating well these past five days and had been hiding in this building to avoid others.

Shiroe didn't understand why she did this, but agreed when she gave her reasons.

Her body was dramatically different from her real self, so she felt uncomfortable just walking. She would be fine just walking leisurely on the streets, but she would be in trouble if she met any issues.

And the chance of a problem occurring was really high.

She couldn't communicate with text messages in this world, so she would need to speak, be it shopping or contacting her acquaintances. She could still use pen and paper to converse, but that would just make her look suspicious.

There was no penalty if she talked, she would just be a man with a girly voice. But an imposing tall assassin talking with a female voice was out of place and would definitely attract the attention of others along with trouble. Akatsuki's deduction was probably right.

"I recalled Shiroe-dono mentioned that you had an Appearance Reset Potion when we partied together, if I had this… I should be able to break free from my predicament."

"I see."

Naotsugu continued.

"I guess you should have played the game using this shrimp-like body in the first place."

"Don't call me a shrimp."

She glared sharply at Naotsugu.

Akatsuki had strong eyes. She was like this before drinking the potion, but after reverting to her original body, Shiroe felt her eyes were full of determination and imposing spirit strong enough to drill through boulders.

"Isn't a shrimp just a shrimp?"

"Messed up people have no right to say that."

Naotsugu ignored her glare and continued to tease her.

But apart from teasing, Naotsugu also took out food and drinks from his bag for Akatsuki. His casual way of showing his kindness really fitted Naotsugu's way of doing things. Akatsuki also understood this and stopped brooding over this topic. She was just uncomfortable since this was the first time she met someone like Naotsugu.

"Games are fun because you can do things you couldn't in real life, right? It's the same for fantasy or science fiction worlds. Changing my height was one such leisure of mine."

Akatsuki pouted and answered a bit begrudgingly.

She did have a point.

"Ah you are right, that can't be helped."

Naotsugu said sympathetically and peeked at Akatsuki.

"…"

"Yeah, this can't be helped, it is not Akatsuki's fault. I am with Akatsuki, everyone has the right to dream."

Naotsugu gave a thumbs-up with a smile as if he understood everything. Akatsuki jumped and kneed Naotsugu in the face the very next moment.

"Don't use your knee! Your knee!"

"Shiroe-dono, is it alright if I knee this strange man in the face?"

"Ask before you do it!"

Shiroe laughed happily at their interaction.

And the two of them were not really on bad terms which made it funnier.

Naotsugu complained 'he just wanted her to be a good kid', Akatsuki requested 'please deal with this weirdo'. After laughing for a while, Shiroe restrained his snickers and asked Akatsuki:

"Do you feel better after reverting to your original body?"

Akatsuki considered the question for a moment and replied with a serious expression.

"The body of a man is cool and the attack distance is long… But I am deeply troubled."

"Is it? What trouble?"

Naotsugu asked.

They just met, but they were already acting like old friends. Shiroe recalled that Akatsuki was the type that was cautious in personal relationships, but maybe she let down her guard because of Naotsugu's nature.

"That… going to the bathroom is troubling."

Akatsuki looked at the floor and answered vaguely.

(It will be sexual harassment if you carry on, Naotsugu!)

"Ah, so you had a penis then!"

(Don't add insult to injury, Naotsugu!)

"Ah, that, let's talk about something else! Did you adjust your character to be closer to your real size?"

Shiroe changed the topic awkwardly to aid the hapless and blushing Akatsuki by raising this question. She was short for a female.

"Yeah, correct."

Akatsuki adjusted her baggy clothes and answered with a serious expression.

(She is acting this way to conceal her embarrassment after hearing Naotsugu's sexually harassing words…)

But Shiroe felt this girl was more serious in her ways than normal and would tend to stare straight at the person or thing she was looking at.

Akatsuki had a habit of staring at things without ever averting her gaze, which was probably how she acted in the real world.

It gave off the impression this petite girl would always do her best at whatever task she took on.

"With the height issue resolved, walking should be easier now right?"

"I am grateful for your help."

Akatsuki thanked him curtly.

Her surly manner of speaking, abrupt actions, and habit of staring.

This combination overlapped with the silent and professional warrior Shiroe knew. Although their appearance differed, a sincere and serious demeanor seemed like Akatsuki's nature.

Shiroe felt the petite young girl in front of him was slowly merging with the 'Akatsuki' he knew.

"How much do I owe you? Can I pay with my entire fortune?"

Akatsuki stared as usual at Shiroe with her focused eyes and said these shocking words.

"I only have about 30,000… Forgive my lack of funds."

"No need, don't worry about this."

"That won't do. That potion was an event limited item, a rare treasure that cannot be found again. It must be priceless, 30,000 shouldn't be enough."

That was right in theory.

Even though it was just gathering dust in the warehouse, but it wouldn't be surprising to charge a big premium on it now.

"…"

"…"

But was this really an item worth a fortune? Shiroe doubted it. It was a useless item until now anyway.

"That, ah… can you just treat it as a free gift?"

"I don't want anyone saying I wouldn't repay a favor."

From Shiroe's perspective, this pair of pleading and glaring eyes were making him uncomfortable. Akatsuki was a beautiful young girl, so her looks had strong destructive powers.

"If you are so concerned, just use your panties… Fu wah!"

Akatsuki once against elegantly kneed Naotsugu in the face. The angle was just right, even though Naotsugu was sitting down on a pile of debris this time.

"Akatsuki-san has good reflexes."

"Hold on, hey, closet pervert, whose side are you on!"

"Shiroe-dono, is it all right if I knee this strange man in the face?"

"Didn't I say to ask before you do it!?"

Akatsuki's action of pointing at Naotsugu and asking for permission was cute and mischievous, Shiroe couldn't help smiling at that.

"Eh, forget it. Let's not talk about the price of the potion for now. Hey, Akatsuki."

"Don't forget to use honorifics."

"These trivial things don't matter, shrimp."

"Don't call me shrimp. And this is an important matter, if I accept Shiroe-dono's limited items without repaying him, I will be shamed forever."

Akatsuki refused to budge.

Naotsugu looked at the pouting Akatsuki and turned to Shiroe, shifting his gaze between them and said:

"No, the things you are talking about are unimportant. Anyhow, why don't you stay with us for a while, Akatsuki?"

"… Ah?"

This seemed to surprise Akatsuki.

She seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Tactician, explain."

Naotsugu said his piece and dumped the rest on Shiroe as though it was Shiroe's duty.

He said something that was not discussed ahead of time… Although Shiroe thought this way, he still agreed with Naotsugu's proposal.

"… Yeah, I think this is a good idea."

But thinking 'this idea is good' was not equal to 'this idea is easy to explain'. Naotsugu said this out of good will, but it felt like a penalty game forcing Shiroe to hit on a girl, making Shiroe feel embarrassed.

"… I don't want to say this, but Miss Akatsuki is a petite girl and after reverting back to your original body, that… ah, your appearance and voice might… get you into issues easily. The important thing is Miss Akatsuki is not in a guild. Do you have any plans to join one?"

"I am not used to guilds since Assassins are lone wolves."

Shiroe's words made Akatsuki frown.

"I thought so. We are both free Adventurers, freedom panties festival."

".

"

"… Shut up, pervert."

"If you have plans to join a guild, then it's fine… But people will bother you if you are not in one, right? The big guilds want to increase their battle powers, so they will invite anyone they see. They will put in even more effort to scout if it is a female player."

"Is that so… ?"

"To secure a base and exchange information… I think it will be good to have some connections."

Akatsuki nodded in agreement.

(Akatsuki-san is not good with socializing with others.)

Shiroe didn't think of himself as a very sociable person, but Akatsuki had a cold atmosphere around her. When Elder Tales was still a game, Akatsuki showed her kindness through wordless actions. Although Akatsuki was quiet, she didn't really hate being with others, but very few players realized that.

From what Shiroe knew, the combat specialist Akatsuki knew very few people, and he was the one she worked with most often.

Dealing with things this way in a game was fine. Since it was just a game, it was okay to enjoy it any way you wanted if it didn't bother others.

But this world was no longer a game.

Since Akatsuki was such a beauty, her nonchalant attitude could spark off some serious problems.

(I am not sure how deep Naotsugu thought about this… in a sense, being in a team together is a good thing, but…)

"Isn't this great? Assassins are great at taking out people, right? While we are engaging the monsters, she can sneak behind them and deliver a killing blow, a beautiful combo dealing out justice to the bad guys' festival!"

Naotsugu said with a grin.

(This is correct in terms of teamwork… But what is this festival thing he keeps mentioning?)

"Eh, would you mind Shiroe-dono?"

"We'd be happy to have you. No matter what obstacles we face, it will be safer with the 3 of us working together."

"I see, then as a shinobi. I shall revere Shiroe-dono as my lord."

Shiroe's words made Akatsuki hesitate a while, but she nodded, looking with her unique piercing eyes that seem to be forever focused.

(Shinobi? Lord? Isn't Akatsuki an Assassin?)

Although he had some doubts, it still sounded like a good idea to Shiroe.

"My lord has saved me from the dire fate of being transformed into a man, thus I must work to repay you. This is what requiting a debt means, as your shinobi I will protect you from now on."

Akatsuki said these words with shifty eyes that were not like her. Naotsugu was not bothered by the bruises on his nose and grinned widely at Shiroe.

"So that settles it, we are a team now. Welcome to the party, shrimp."

"Shut up, idiot."

"We are a unique three-men team, please treat me well."

The trio hit each other's canteens in the messy shop house, toasting the formation of their team.

4

A few days after Akatsuki joined the team.

Their area of operations gradually shifted to the field zone near Akiba.

There were several reasons for doing this, one of them was the difficulty level of the battles they faced in Archives Tower Forest.

The basic structure and tactics of battles followed that of Elder Tales faithfully. But there were major difference in terms of fighting techniques and skills.

Elements that were not important when playing the game… Like the angle you swung the sword or raised your shield, the terrain around your feet, how to get into position, there were now many more details to consider when fighting. Teamwork and field of vision were also major concerns, and most importantly the mental obstacle of fear was hard to break through.

Shiroe's first thought when practicing outside with Naotsugu was 'this is going to be hard'. But after going through several field trips, his view changed into 'this is harder than I imagined'.

Since Akatsuki was a frontline melee class, it would be better for her to get used to this early. They were in a party for now, but they didn't know how long this alliance would last, so all of them agreed that they should get used to the basics of fighting during their time together.

Another thing was the existence of the Crescent Moon Alliance.

After their initial visit, they dropped by the guild quite often to exchange information.

Unlike Shiroe's party, Crescent Moon Alliance had some production players. Although Shiroe had a production subclass as a high-level Scribe, Crescent Moon Alliance had a greater variety of craftsmen.

They knew more people in the city and had better efficiency in collecting information than Shiroe's group.

Since they were trading information, it would be better to investigate the field zones and train at the same time. This was the other reason.

To ensure their minimum level of safety, there were also other people in Akiba who were taking action like Shiroe's group. But most of the people in Akiba were just spending their days idling around, unable to accept this new reality even after a week had passed. There might be someone… Maybe god or game masters who would save them? The players held on to this hope.

(If they do not hang on to this hope, their hearts might just crumble.)

Shiroe could empathize with them, he was just not optimistic enough to believe in this hope.

If this was just a prank and help did arrive, that would be great and Shiroe would be relieved. His life in college may not be that wonderful, but it was the world he was familiar with and grew up in, he definitely wanted to return.

Even if this was an event orchestrated by the officials, it was an undeniable fact that they could be trapped here forever. Someone who was extremely cautious would not bet on the possibility of rescue and live his days so fruitlessly.

Akiba was the biggest server in Japan and the starting city for new players. The major cities might differ slightly, but the zones surrounding them only had low-level monsters, a safe area suitable for beginners to explore.

Shiroe's decided to investigate each of these zones and gradually work their way to high level areas. If you just considered their level, Shiroe, Naotsugu and Akatsuki were all level 90.

Even if they took hits in the low-level zones, they would not suffer much damage. The enemies would not attack recklessly once they understood how powerful Shiroe's group was.

In this sense, it was possible to avoid battles. But Shiroe's group wanted to fight all kinds of monsters whenever possible.

The enemies' attacks were not damaging, but they would still involuntarily flinch when facing the strikes of various monsters. Their harsh breathing, suffocating stench of blood and malicious intent definitely couldn't be felt through your computer screen.

Even if they were low-level monsters, the fear of battle was enough to make Shiroe's group back away.

They were low-level foes that wouldn't yield any EXP, but Shiroe's party still fought those several times to study ways to handle fighting and to get used to the feel of the battles.

Their battle formation usually had Naotsugu take the lead.

When Naotsugu charged within striking distance of the enemies, it signalled the beginning of the fight.

The Guardian Naotsugu used his heavy armor and shield techniques to fend off the monster's attack. 'Taunting Shout' was one of the basic skills of Guardians with the effect of enraging the enemies. The taunted monsters would then focus on Naotsugu, keeping Shiroe and Akatsuki safe from attacks.

As they expected, it was hard to check the status screen when fighting fiercely on the front lines. When Elder Tales was just a game, you just needed to select a monster to attack and your character would keep attacking it. The character would also evade the enemy's blows with a fixed rate, there was no need to worry about parrying the attack with your sword or blocking with your shield.

You just needed to click the skill button to activate it.

But you needed to keep your eyes on the movements of enemy in front of you when fighting in this alternate world and keep attacking with your weapon repeatedly.

Your vision would narrow when facing the approaching monsters and you wouldn't be able to see the movements of all the enemies.

Shiroe's group designed several formations and battle codes after several discussions. Their conclusion was to let Shiroe who was away from the front line to monitor the whole battlefield and give instructions, which was the safest bet.

Shiroe needed to support with magic while keeping abreast of the surrounding situations and his allies' status.

Most of the Enchanter's spell were mediocre. Keen Edge was one of the few spells Enchanters could cast that was very helpful. It increased an allies' weapon attack by 30% for a few hours, there was no need to recast it during battles.

There were other spells that could be used, but their usage was largely dependent on the situation. Shiroe's main duty was to watch the surroundings and manage his allies' status.

Akatsuki had grown familiar to Shiroe and Naotsugu as teammates after many practice sessions.

Assassins were one of the three weapon attack classes and had the highest attack power among the twelve classes.

They differed from the warrior classes which were proficient in intercepting the enemies' attack on the front line. Contrary to that, weapon attack classes did not have their toughness in defense or the skills to lure enemies.

Simply put, the duty of weapon attack classes was to finish off the enemies lured in by the warrior classes. Among the three, Assassins specialized in killing off enemies speedily. The 'Assassination' skill used by Assassins could deal almost 10,000 damage in an instant.

Akatsuki dashed agilely through the battlefield.

Her petite body had amazing speed, you would have trouble tracking her movements as she rushed towards the enemies. This was 'Hide Walk', a skill of the Assassins allowing them to traverse to their opponents' blind spot and increasing the success rate of the next attack.

Her running figure with her black hair flowing behind her was as smooth as a liquid, so beautiful it was mesmerizing.

Naotsugu blocked the fangs of the enemy with his shield and jumped back with the flow, Akatsuki would swing her blade with haste striking their flanks to stop further attacks on Naotsugu.

The cooperation of the front and rear guards was a tactic that oversaw the whole battlefield; the teamwork of 2 vanguards was directly related to the fight itself.

This was why there was a need to repeatedly fight enemies, so they would know each other's modus operandi by instinct.

Shiroe on the other hand was in charge of confirming their status, re-positioning them to keep the enemies off balance. He would occasionally cast Enchanter spells to trick or limit the movements of the enemies, moving the battle to their advantage.

After a week of practice, Shiroe's team was able to handle level 50 enemies.

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