Published at 25th of March 2019 11:06 pm

Volume 6: Chapter 1: Murderer

1

As usual, Akatsuki entered a pathway which was not very wide. In a deep corner of the production street, this zone was a remodeled basement full of wooden boxes.

This was the storefront of the production guild Amenoma, evident from the large number of worn-out Japanese swords on display with the 'pick up' option disabled. Among the many weapon crafting guilds, it was a weird guild that specialized exclusively on Japanese swords.

The members who ran such a strange guild were not normal themselves. Because of their enthusiasm in crafting, ingredients and tools were overflowing from the grand-scale forge inside. Even the storefront had crates of unfinished blades and ingredients, looking more like a warehouse.

But this was convenient for Akatsuki.

Being bombarded with greetings of 'welcome' pressured her and she would be put off by a sales clerk recommending her products. Akatsuki was shy by nature. Although she could converse freely with her guildmates Naotsugu and Nyanta, and was warming up to Tohya and Isuzu, she still found it hard to handle people other than them.

Akatsuki was thankful that she could browse Amenoma's merchandise in peace (because of the laid-back nature of this guild).

"Hmmm…"

Akatsuki recalled the way around and walked to a corner of the store.

Japanese swords that could be used by many classes were displayed in this section.

Glass displays were uncommon in this world. The swords were simply hung on the wall.

This zone was owned by the guild Amenoma so the sale items had been set to be immovable by others. Akatsuki who was not a guild member was unable to take the items with her even though she could touch them. She could examine the items and see the stats on her status screen, so it was not an inconvenience to shoppers. They did not need to worry about shoplifting either, a very convenient setting.

There were dozens of swords in this section.

Akatsuki had set her eyes on several of them.

In Elder Tales, the conditions for equipping an item could be seen through its status screen. For example, this 'green steel Kodachi-black wrought hilt' could be equipped by Guardians, Samurai, Assassins, Swashbucklers, Bards, and Kannagi; these 6 classes.

Samurai could basically equip all swords, but if the status screen of the sword did not include Samurai in its user list, they would not be able to equip that sword. On the other hand, Monks could not equip most swords, but they could equip the ones that specifically stated that they could be equipped by Monks.

The main weapons in Akatsuki's Assassin class were bows, swords, blades, and whips. But they could also equip a wide array of other weapons because they belonged to the weapon-based class. Akatsuki had used the Kodachi since Elder Tales was still a game because she thought it was cool, but she had grown to love it because of its practicality after the Catastrophe. With her experience in Kendo, this was the weapon she found easiest to use.

It was tough to choose a weapon. Akatsuki browsed through the list she was familiar with after repeated usage. There were probably tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of weapons in Elder Tales. But it was common knowledge that the choices were much more limited for an Adventurer seeking an ideal weapon.

In terms of weapons, there were one handed swords, two handed swords, spears, axes, pole arms, bows, staves, clubs, gauntlets, throwing weapons, whips, and other special weapons. The number of each weapon type was different, but each type had about 10% of the hundred thousand weapons available.

Another issue was the levels needed to equip weapons. In Elder Tales, there would be higher-tier weapons available for every ten levels you gained. Every Adventurer needed to refresh their equipment after leveling 10 levels since they would lose out to players of the same level if they did not upgrade their gear. Hardcore players would pay even more attention to their equipment and review it frequently. With the level cap at 100, they would need to change their weapons 20 times if they upgraded every 5 levels.

Another thing to note was the 12 classes available to players. Take a Kodachi for instance. Assassins focusing on agility and attack power would consider different attributes compared to a Kannagi concentrating on magic power and elemental defense, and they would choose different Kodachi. Similarly for Assassins, their preference between higher damage and higher attack speed would affect their weapon choice.

Applying these conditions would filter the choices further down from the 10% suitable by level rank. The choices would dwindle down to a manageable amount despite the overwhelming total number of available weapons.

For Akatsuki, there were about 10 choices.

Here lay another giant problem.

The possibility of obtaining them.

In Elder Tales, without exception, the most powerful weapons were the rewards of major raids. Akatsuki had no experience in major raids. She was confident of her level and gaming skills, but that was the limit of Adventurers who only went for party battles. Also, 90% of the raid weapons dropped had a 'no trade' attribute. That meant they could not gift or sell the items obtained from raids. Unless you took part in the raids and picked them up on-site, you would never be able to obtain them.

Although Akatsuki had 10 weapons on her wish list, only 2 could be traded without taking part in major raids.

"… Welcome."

Akatsuki turned and faced the source of the voice.

Standing there was a girl about Akatsuki's size. Dwarves as a race were about the height of a human child, so her actual height might be taller. They had several traits that were beneficial to production players, and were a popular race among the production guilds.

Her name was Tatara, guild master of Amenoma, a craftsman with great crafting skills. Akatsuki knew her and acknowledged the greeting with a nod. Although she knew Tatara, they were not acquainted at a level where they could chat casually yet.

"Erm…"

But Akatsuki was still grateful for Tatara's presence. Tatara had the reputation of pouring all her love into her swords, evident from her rare subclass of Bladesmith, a high grade Blacksmith. She was reserved socially, not talking to the customers visiting the storefront and was laid back about doing business. She was one of the few people Akatsuki was not afraid of.

Akatsuki asked her about something she was concerned with.

"Pardon me, may I ask what happened to the sword that was displayed here?"

Her voice was a bit stiff. Akatsuki got tense when asking questions to people who were not her guildmates. As Akatsuki thought about all this, Tatara slouched lazily on the counter and replied: "I sold it."

This was a stunning revelation to Akatsuki.

Akatsuki frequented Amenoma for the past 2 months.

The high-level equipment Akatsuki was after was horribly expensive since it was a rare tradable weapon drop from raids. Amenoma was selling it after modifying it, but from what Akatsuki knew, Kodachi were not in demand here. That's why it had remained unsold after 2 months, and Akatsuki assumed that even if she did not buy it, the store would not be able to sell it.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's true. I remember… It was paid in cash."

"Woo…"

She was at a loss for words. This was totally unexpected.

Akatsuki looked to the wall again and confirmed the presence of 'Meito-Haganemushi' which she wanted the most, as well as the absence of 'Sentou-Byakumaru'. 'Sentou-Byakumaru' had an ability that could be activated, invoking area frost damage. It was highly effective against opponents with high physical defense, but area damage was difficult to control in some situations. She should be glad her favorite weapon was still available.

"… Want to buy?"

"Woo woo woo…"

She could not vocalize her answer to this question.

(Of course I want to. I want it so bad.)

As a weapon-based class, Assassins relied more heavily on their weapons' quality than other classes. In addition, Akatsuki had some personal agenda. She wanted better weapons.

But high-quality weapons were so expensive.

The weapon at the top of her wish list, 'Meito-Haganemushi', might get sold too if she left it alone. But the price tag was twice the amount of Akatsuki's entire fortune.

No matter how much she wanted it, she was unable to mouth the words 'I want to buy'.

Akatsuki had been battling monsters daily. She had kept this up since the Sand Leaf mopping-up campaign, after Shiroe got cooped up in the guild house. But after the Catastrophe, there was a limit to the means to secure money in this world by yourself.

Shiroe, no, maybe Maryele or one of the other guild masters of the Round Table Council might be able to come up with the money easily, but it was a heavy burden on Akatsuki. She forced herself to look away from the beautiful blade in the black sheath, shaking her head several times to express her intent.

It seemed like Tatara was not that interested in improving sales. Since Akatsuki was not buying, she continued to rest face down on the counter. The counter was just like her bed.

Akatsuki grabbed the hilt of the Kodachi she had equipped, to take her mind off things and left Amenoma.

For the young girl who wanted to improve her combat capability, there was still somewhere she needed to go.

2

The streets of Akiba welcomed the scenery of December completely.

Yamato was cooler than the Japan of the old world in the summer, which translated to a more brutal winter too. It had snowed several times in December. Although the snow did not pile up yet, the wind was becoming chillier by the day.

But Akiba was a city of Adventurers.

Although there was an increase in the number of People of the Land, two-thirds of the pedestrians on the streets were Adventurers. Adventurers had tough bodies and did not fear the cold, but they could also equip an aquamarine ring that could regulate body temperature if it got too chilly for them.

Akatsuki rushed through the streets in the morning light.

Her destination was the suburbs. Akatsuki blew her summoning flute at the southern edge of Akiba, calling forth a black stallion to her and mounting it.

(I want to get stronger…)

Akatsuki said to herself in her heart.

This thought surfaced once every day… No, she thought about it dozens of times daily.

Akatsuki reached for the sheath on her waist with her fingertips.

This 'Changing Kiln' sword was a top Production-class weapon that had been with her before the Catastrophe happened. It was not a weak Kodachi, being one of the best weapons you could get through party-level adventures.

Akatsuki thought she was similar to this weapon.

She was in the top ranks in 6-men party battles, completing her assigned duties perfectly. But there were higher tiers in Elder Tales, and that was major raids. Akatsuki did not have any experience with these raids. She avoided them because of the long waiting time and the complicated personal relations involved.

Another reason was that no one asked her.

But the fact remained that Akatsuki did not have experience with raids. This meant she could not get the Artifact or Phantasmal-class equipment available only through these raids. There were battle guilds like Black Sword Knights and D. D. D who were the top of their league in Akiba. There should be top-ranked Assassins who were better than Akatsuki and with equipment that would make her green with envy.

It was the same when she compared herself with Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Nyanta.

They were part of the legendary Debauchery Tea Party that had top-notch Adventurers who rivaled those of major battle guilds.

Compared to her comrades, her abilities paled in comparison.

Akatsuki was a competent Assassin, she might not be top-class, but she definitely was at the peak of the 2nd class. But she was not a top-class Assassin.

This was the reality Akatsuki was facing.

The best of the 2nd class.

She was the same as the weapon she was using.

She was thinking of advancing to the worst of the top class in equipment when she visited Amenoma, but the top-class weapons were too expensive for her. She felt ridiculous visiting the shop everyday.

Akatsuki dismounted near 'Birdland Duvacha'. She was not planning anything sinister, she just wanted to move in silence.

After traversing the overgrown forest for a while, her view was blocked by the greenery.

This was a well-traveled path in the forest, designed to meander about by the developers. This was a design technique to make a small area look bigger than it really was.

'Birdland Duvacha' was a type of field maze. Even though it was outdoors, the area was confined by the meandering paths and was set as a place to fight monsters.

But after the Catastrophe, you could bash through the maze in a straight line instead of sticking to the meandering path, although it might be troublesome and slower. It took some effort to climb up and down the cliff, but it was an easier route for the light and agile Akatsuki.

'Birdland Duvacha' was about 40 minutes away from Akiba by horse. As a zone with level 80 monsters, Akatsuki who was level 91 would not be able to get EXP here, but it was a safe place for her to travel in. The monsters that appeared here could be beaten by her safely and would not fall in one hit, a suitable place for her to try out her weapons and skills. Akatsuki had visited this place for battle training many times before.

The group she was looking for was also training.

After bashing through the bushes for a while, she could hear the sounds of battles. The sound of iron clashing, the harsh sound of freezing air and the sharp noise of lightning. The Black Sword Knights were going through group training today.

Akatsuki looked for a depression in the ground and lay low. She could see the whole training ground through the vegetation from her position.

Two parties of Black Sword Knights were going through a fierce mock battle. Akatsuki used her Tracker subclass to hide her presence as she watched the Black Sword Knights train.

Rumors of 'Over level' started to spread around the time of the Libra Festival.

It started out as an urban legend and began to spread among the populace.

In Elder Tales, the special moves of Adventurers were expressed in the form of skills. Skills offered Adventurers the ability to perform many feats under certain conditions, but they were normally restricted to what their class was capable of. An example would be the skill Assassinate used by Akatsuki which Assassins could learn after reaching a certain level. As the Adventurer's level rose, they would have access to higher forms of the same technique. For instance, Assassinate III which awakened at level 47 was weaker than Assassinate IV which was learned at level 57.

But the same Assassinate IV would have different power depending on who used it. And that was dependent on the skill level. The skill you learned after gaining the requisite level was known as the 'Comprehension level'. You could use the skill but it lacked in power. By using specific items or investing 'mastery points', you could improve the skill to 'Novice', 'Intermediate', 'Hidden', or 'Secret level'. Intermediate level required the use of an 'intermediate scroll' which was crafted by a high-level Adventurer of the same class. Hidden level needed a 'hidden scroll' that was made from rare item drops, which could be purchased for a high price.

But it was different for the 'Secret level', which required completing a raid level quest to obtain the 'secret scroll'. This was the reason behind the gap of the top-class Adventurers in major guilds and 2nd class Adventurers like Akatsuki. These skills were hard to master.

As for 'Over level', it was rumored to be a tier higher than Secret level.

It was a level that did not exist before the Catastrophe, when Elder Tales was still a game.

As the skill level increased, its power could be seen in many areas.

Although the skills differed slightly, Assassinate was an attack skill, so it purely increased attack power. From what Akatsuki remembered, the attack power increased by 22% if she progressed it from 'Comprehension' to 'Secret level'. There was no telling how much the power would improve if she reached 'Over level'.

Although she had heard nothing but good things about 'Over level', its existence remained just a rumor because the Adventurers who could confirm and say for sure were few in number. About half the people in Akiba did not believe that 'Over level' existed. The other half remained skeptical of its power. Akatsuki only believed it existed because Shiroe said so.

(If I can get my hands on 'Over level', I will be stronger…)

Akatsuki thought this as she hugged herself.

Most of Akatsuki's skills were at the 'Intermediate' or 'Hidden level'. It was more then enough for party-level Adventurers, but it was weak compared to the members of major guilds. This was the obstacle Akatsuki was facing.

But 'Over level' definitely existed.

Since Shiroe said so, it must be true.

Out of all the Adventurers in Akiba, the members of the Black Sword Knights would be the ones most likely to reach this skill level. Honesty and D. D. D probably had members with 'Over level', but the elitist Black Sword Knights had a higher chance of finding such people.

Although she was not sure how to master 'Over level', considering the fact that the 'Secret level' was learned through special raid-level quests, it should be the same for 'Over level'. That was what the word on the street said. The way to learn 'Over level' was basically unknown. Without the support of online guides, the spread of knowledge in Elder Tales had ground to a stop, and the value of knowledge was remarkably high.

That was why Akatsuki was enduring the chilling cold of December, curling up under the trees to observe the Black Sword Knights' training. If another Assassin used 'Over level', she could confirm its power with her own eyes. If it could be learned by going through a quest, she wanted to know how to go about it.

(Powerful… The fight was won in an instant.)

By observing them from the sidelines, she could tell that the Black Sword Knights were strong. Aside from the Assassins, the other classes of Adventurers were also at a remarkable level.

'—Hey, put your back into defending. '

'—Use more strength, this amount of damage won't do!'

'—Your legs are not steady enough!'

The members of Black Sword Knights who used these rough words freely were an elite group that only took in the top 1% of players on the Yamato server.

Their movements, coordination and equipment were beautiful and powerful.

Just looking at them moved Akatsuki to the verge of tears.

Although she could not do anything other than fight.

She was weaker than others in battling.

Akatsuki recalled that night of the festival and the profiles of her lord and junior illuminated by the bonfire. They were a pair of birds flying high, beyond Akatsuki's reach.

She wished to be by Shiroe's side. Very strongly.

But Akatsuki was unable to grasp Shiroe's point of view. So now she had to pay the price.

(I want to become stronger…)

Akatsuki said to herself in her heart again.

But repeating this would not make her stronger, and Akatsuki understood this. She also knew how foolish she was, observing the Black Sword Knights this this way. She did not have the strength to accomplish anything.

The Akatsuki who was protecting Shiroe's secrets was lonelier than anyone in the winter of Akiba.

3

The glass bottle was so huge that describing it as a bathtub made from glass was more adequate. A peach-colored fluid swirled around the glass container. A man on a stepladder threw some pale brown leaves in casually.

Although the fragrance that arose with the steam smelled similar to cocoa, the frowning Roderick knew it would not have any taste.

This was a research lab that was known as 'Roderick's Workshop'.

Just one of the rooms inside The Roderick Firm's guild tower.

A guild tower was another way of saying a guild hall. For The Roderick Firm that bought entire buildings to use as their base, it was an appropriate name for this place. Especially for a skyscraper like this.

One of the major production guilds of Akiba, The Roderick Firm, purchased seven buildings in the northern region of Akiba to serve as their guild base. One of them was Roderick's personal research laboratory, which was filled with research apparatus made from glass.

Although there were smaller pieces of equipment, most of the apparatus were similar to the container he was using, as big as a bathtub.

To craft items in Elder Tales, you just used the game menu selection and it would be made in 10 seconds. This method remained viable in this alternate world. But to achieve the new possibility Roderick was after, it was necessary to forego the game menu and start from scratch.

They would need bigger machines for mass production.

When the Round Table Council was formed, Shiroe showed them the possibility of creating brand-new items.

The first to bloom was the food industry, followed by the furniture-making realm and the developing world of fashion. There were new inventions announced by the craftsmen of Akiba everyday as technology advanced rapidly.

But there was some technical knowledge that existed in the old world which could not be replicated by the craftsmen here. Roderick was one of them. He was a Pharmacist, a production subclass that could create balms and potions that were common in fantasy games.

Since 'Recover HP by 180' potions did not exist in the old world, he could not use the old world as a reference to brew such a concoction. The Alchemist, Sigilmaker, Jeweller and other fantasy production classes faced similar issues.

But that did not mean they could not craft new items.

If the ingredients and techniques of the old world were not applicable here, they would have to examine and experiment with the ingredients existing in this world. Recovery and strengthening potions up to level 50 had been developed in the half-year that had passed, and there had also been significant improvements in Sigils and jewelry-making.

For Roderick, the mass production of 'minor appearance reset potions' was a major breakthrough. Unlike the real 'appearance reset potions', it was a weak version that could only reset 2 out of the dozen settings like gender, height, weight, body shape, hair color, eye color, and skin color. But thanks to the prevalence of the potion, Adventurers who were distressed because their gender differed from the old world could now rest easy.

Following this, Roderick analyzed high quality potions like 'Ambrosia', 'Theriaca' and 'Yomotsumike', mass producing them and reverse-engineering alternatives through research.

The Roderick Firm was one of the 3 major production guilds, but the direction it was taking and its goal differed from other crafting organizations.

When Elder Tales was just a game, items were crafted by choosing the ingredients using the game menu. The items that could be crafted varied from subclass to subclass and there was a need for many ingredients. Before going into production, the craftsmen needed to gather numerous 'recipe scrolls'.

Take Pharmacists for instance, they could create instant HP recovery potion, HP increase potion, HP recovery over time potion, all kinds of ability enhancing agents, 3 types of antidotes, preventive anti-toxins, dozens of poisons (to be applied on weapons), speed increase potion, attack speed increase potion… etc. There were new stronger potions available to the subclass with every 10 level increase so Roderick was able to mix over 600 types of potions back in the game days. That was the number of recipes he had.

But it was hard to gather all available recipe scrolls, even more so for beginners or normal Adventurers. To reach the stage where you could make any type of potion at required a huge investment of time and in-game wealth.

The Roderick Firm was started with the goal of completing the library of recipe scrolls. The recipe scrolls could be duplicated using rare ingredients. The craftsmen working in a guild gathering recipe scrolls would be able to learn from the recipe scrolls they had on hand, which was a big advantage over other craftsmen.

It was only natural for The Roderick Firm to shift their focus to research and development after the Catastrophe.

So far, all those interested in research and development as well as high-quality craftsmen were all gathered in The Roderick Firm.

Adventurers who applied techniques from the old world, trending towards mechanization and mass production would join Oceanic Systems. Those who liked doing business and working with the People of the Land congregated at the 8th District Shopping Center. Oceanic Systems had their own sales department, but The Roderick Firm outsourced their retail to 8th District Shopping Center and other merchant guilds. His members were all academics spending their spare time thinking about new experiments.

The Roderick Firm guild towers gradually became a mess, stuffed with complicated experimental apparatus and scrolls tabulating their experimental results. MMO games were popular among high school and college students. Since they were still in school, they were comfortable in this guild that was like a research facility.

Most of the members referred to themselves as part of the Roderick Research Laboratory, or Rod Lab for short. For them, this was a place where they could have fun doing research, just like a school with lax discipline.

With activities like the popularity poll for the girls of 'attachment rice ball house', compared to a homely guild like Crescent Moon Alliance, they were growing accustomed to this world in a different way.

In this gigantic room with high ceilings located in the center of the guild hall, Roderick turned his head.

A young guild member was calling for him. The young boy went off after leaving a guest behind. Roderick stepped down from the stepladder and greeted his guest.

"Good day Nyanta-san."

"It's evening already nya."

Roderick thought for a moment. (It should still be morning…)

"The night will still come even if you skip lunch nya."

Nyanta answered the question in Roderick's heart. Nyanta looked at the surroundings with interest as he brushed his whiskers, and then nimbly took out a letter from his pouch for Roderick.

After reading the letter, Roderick felt troubled.

This was a letter from Shiroe of Log Horizon. This part was obvious. The contents were a request about investigation and development of the world, which was within his expectations. Their exchange of letters had been increasing recently.

There are countless flora and fauna in this alternate world as well as ores and minerals. Formulating new concoctions and checking their effects in order to craft new items was incredibly fun. From the materials needed to craft items from game menus in Elder Tales, they had a rough idea of the efficacy of each ingredient. By organizing such knowledge, they were able to develop new exciting products.

The Roderick Firm was a place where research fanatics gathered. Although they worked on different aspects, the guild members were all dedicated to their fields in the same way.

It was the same for Roderick too. But immersing himself in the joy of research meant leaving his Round Table Council duties to the other guild masters and troubling Shiroe the most. So he found it hard to reject Shiroe's request.

And Shiroe's letters normally brought benefits to The Roderick Firm. Roderick would commercialize Shiroe's observations and meet with promising guilds and Adventurers as per Shiroe's request. He had never lost out while working on Shiroe's requests.

But the letter this time was not as clear as his previous correspondences.

It had just a few lines.

"That seems to be the case nya."

"Do you know about the contents of this letter Nyanta-san?"

"Not at all."

Nyanta shrugged his hands at the stunned Roderick. Nyanta apparently had no idea.

'… I would like a catalog of magical items owned by the major guilds, and to investigate their effects. Especially the items with flavor text, would it be convenient?'

"Wait, anyway… I won't decline this request. But to investigate this, I will need Phantasmal and Secret level items, it's going to be expensive. Is that why he is asking me for help?"

"There are no such treasures in Log Horizon nya."

"There should be quite a few at your place right?"

"Nya haha. A lot of our family is in their growing phase, so we need money everywhere nya."

The calm laughter of Nyanta displayed the steady side of an adult. He could only be described as a gentleman with his usual neat and stylish demeanor.

Roderick sighed to signal his acceptance.

Since Shiroe said so, this experiment would benefit them sooner or later. Although this research required a big budget, it was still a manageable amount.

The task of investigating these items was definitely most suitable for The Roderick Firm to take up. Most of the recipes in Yamato could be found here, and there were fanatics who were more interested in research than food here.

"There are several issues I want to consult you about. Join me for lunch?"

"I already told you it's evening nya."

"Then let's have some ramen."

"If you insist nya."

Roderick and his long-time friend left the research lab he had stayed in for several hours. This This friend of his shrugged.

Winter had come. A meal with hot soup would definitely be delicious.

4

It was a freezing night.

The metallic breeze that was colder than yesterday blew through the city. Kyouko sneezed loudly and looked around her. That was a big one, how unfeminine.

Soujirou would be disillusioned with her if he saw this. She continued to rub her itching nose as she thought about this.

For Adventurers above a certain level, a cool breeze in the winter was nothing to worry about. But they would be lying to say it was not cold. With visual and audio information telling them 'this cold is unbearable', the cold attacked their psyche more than their body.

That's why Kyouko was quickening her pace and was returning to her guild house.

Probably half the members were already sleeping in the guild house.

The negotiation with the 8th District Shopping Center… or rather, the idle chat with them made her return this late. But the result was the large amount of goodies in Kyouko's Bag of Holding. She even managed to get 3 salted salmons. With this, some of her friends would definitely shed tears of happiness, this was the taste of their hometown after all.

(If this goes well maybe Soujirou-sama will…)

Kyouko smiled as she fantasized about Soujirou.

(Lunch with just the 2 of us, the menu is rice ball of course, with salmon inside. 'Soujirou-sama, there's rice on your face okay?' 'Eh? Where?' 'It's on the right. ' 'Eh? Where?' 'You are such a messy eater… Let me get that for you'.) Then she would eat it. Fufu, something like that.

Kyouko blushed in the dark alley.

In the chilly winter breeze, the 12-chamber engine of the young girl was running at full power.

The athletic Kyouko raised her temperature easily. This was a body with a good metabolism rate. If it were Fragrant Olive, she would have collapsed from a nose bleed by now. Kyouko could not hold a candle to the anemic elf's delusions.

"Ahchoo!"

She let down her guard imagining the lunch scene. A young maiden sneezing so loudly, that was careless of her.

In middle school and high school, she was teased a lot for her sneezing. 'Why are you acting like an old man Kyouko!' She could remember that even now, the lines of her schoolmate from the wind instrument club. And she really liked that boy too. How dare he compare a maiden to an old man. That really hurt.

With her one-track mind focusing on the sports club, she was a girl who laughed out loudly in class and was not really a maiden. But he should have picked something else to comment about instead. Such as 'I caught a glimpse of your great talent from your grand sneeze'. No, wait, that would be even more infuriating.

Kyouko thought about such things as she rushed towards the guild house.

She just noticed that sneezing in this world was the same as the old world. Although this was within expectations, it still seemed remarkable when she considered it in depth.

(Just coming to an alternate world is already unbelievable.)

She retorted to herself.

She was not in top condition because of all that sneezing.

Something green and icy stirred in the cold air.

The night breeze going through the gaps between the abandoned buildings made the trees sway. When she finally noticed, a man was standing in the darkness ahead of Kyouko.

About 1. 75m in height, a man with long hair. Wearing a sleeveless black tank top and leather pants. His limbs were equipped with jet black armor giving him a strange silhouette, but this level of strangeness was common among the Adventurers of Akiba.

What made Kyouko stop in her tracks was the silent intimidation she felt from him.

A chill going down her spine made Kyouko stop and take a step back unconsciously.

Displeased with the distance created, the man walked towards her.

The pale illumination of the Bugs Lights set up by the Round Table Council gradually shone on the man stepping out of the darkness. He was wearing a black mask the size of a blindfold and holding a green blade that seemed to be sucking in light from the surroundings.

Facing the blade that seemed to be lifted by strings, Kyouko's body reacted faster than her mind.

Kyouko was an experienced level 90 Guardian. Although she was known as one of the harem girls of West Wind Brigade, it was still a top 5 battle guild in Akiba.

As captain of the 2nd battle party, Kyouko was a veteran in a fight.

But that was all thanks to Kyouko's body of an Adventurer.

The flash of silver seemed to slash through just millimeters away from her eye, making her break out in cold sweat. The first thing she grasped was the killing intent that was coming after her. The man in front of her was trying to kill Kyouko. The next thing to come up in her mind was the term 'PK' which was immediately dismissed by the term 'city zone'.

(No, it is impossible to kill someone in the city zone.)

(The guards will teleport over and stop you if you try.)

So she just needed to hang on until the guards made their way here.

The worst thing that could happen was dying. But even if she died, she would just respawn in the cathedral. This was the privilege of Adventurers. There was nothing to be afraid of. And there were no beings in existence that could send her, a level 90 player, to the cathedral so easily. Guardians had the highest defense among the 12 classes. Although she was not wearing armor while walking the streets, the physical defense of her body was still effective. No problem, she could handle this. There was no need to panic.

Kyouko tried to calm herself.

But she failed.

The man charged in so close that their lips were almost touching, smiling with his mouth wide open, letting her look deep down into his throat. This ground the calmness Kyouko collected into dust.

Too fast. Even her level 90 dynamic vision could not keep up. No, this was not speed, but a skill. If she watched closely, he was squirming like a formless being, like a needle that was sewing the gaps between your thoughts up, closing the distance instantaneously.

What she saw was just the first few seconds of the strike of his sword.

Kyouko looked at the man holding the hilt of the sword extending out from her belly.

Wrong.

The man had pierced her with his sword.

Instead of screaming, it was akin to vomiting all the air in her lungs out. Kyouko leapt.

But the man was twisting the sword piercing her thigh with a grin when Kyouko landed.

Because of a bad status effect, Kyouko was bleeding profusely from her wounds. Kyouko was struggling in the back-alley like a wounded hare. She could not even scream properly, her limbs numbed like a fever patient.

But even so, Kyouko fended off several attacks agilely thanks to her powerful Adventurer body.

Kyouko continued to shriek unsuccessfully, trying to regain her composure, struggling to figure out how to escape from this predicament.

It seemed to have been a long time.

Much too long.

Shaken by fear of the man who liked to stab as he pleased, Kyouko lost track of time. But it seemed to be too long.

"Ah, ah. Ahhh."

As he pierced Kyouko's breast, the man's blood red maw twisted into a smile as he looked at Kyouko.

"The guards aren't coming."

After comprehending these words, Kyouko's mind was full of questions buzzing like background noise. This was against the rules, such things never happened before. Kyouko swung her fist at the man in response to this unreasonable announcement.

A blade sprouted out from her fist.

This was a rather farcical scene. The man leapt back and stopped Kyouko's fist with his piercing strike. This was a speed and technique that surpassed the level 90 Kyouko. Soujirou's Over level Clairvoyance might be able to keep up, but she could not see through the attack.

Kyouko continued to resist with punches and kicks.

Although Kyouko had no martial arts training, the body of Adventurers had the ability to toy with a bear in battle. Her attacks were absorbed and devoured by the sword. The single blade in the man's right arm seem to split into thousands of copies to protect the man and cut up Kyouko.

She did not get it.

Why didn't the guards teleport here? Why was PK allowed in the city? Why was there a monster infiltrating Akiba? Kyouko didn't get it.

Kyouko could not even think logically as she fought on, driven by a feverish heat. If Kyouko seemed feverish, the man could only be described as insane. The man with a slimy smile seemed to be torturing or playing around, piercing Kyouko's body everywhere.

The late night battle ended in silence.

The breeze blowing between the buildings blew away the sound of the battle.

Kyouko fell with her head full of questions. The man's sharp blade pierced through her neck like he planned all along. As the color faded from her vision, Kyouko could see her blood staining the blade crystallize in the cold and disperse into the air.

Although it was the middle of winter, the frozen blood looked just like the petals of a Sakura flower.

Frostbite was settling in the wounds on her limbs. Her messed-up paralyzed limbs made her cry tears that did not originate from sorrow.

Kyouko was sent to the cathedral in accordance with the law ofthe law of this world. When the young girl opened her eyes and reached the guild house where her comrades were waiting, it was already morning.

And so, the rumors of the Murderer spread on the streets of Akiba along with the intimidating winter chill.

5

A murderer was haunting the streets of Akiba at night.

The news spread faster than the wind throughout the city. There were 3 victims on the very first night, 1 casualty on the 2nd night. A party of 5 fell to the Murderer on the 3rd night.

Since veterans of battle guilds also fell to him, this proved the combat ability of the Murderer was beyond that of a level 90 Adventurer.

It was believed initially the incident could be solved easily.

Firstly, in this world of Elder Tales, numbers were equivalent to strength. Even if the Murderer was stronger than let's say 3 people, the party system could be used to form a group of 6 to take him out if there was a need.

There was another unique feature of this world. Although all the victims died by the hands of the Murderer, they were still 'alive'. When Adventurers died, they would respawn in the cathedral. So witness testimonies and intelligence on the Murderer were plentiful.

Enbart Nelles.

No guild.

Level 94, Samurai.

A head of dark blue long hair, a mask covering both his eyes. Metallic armor that covered his limbs.

With these characteristics in hand, the investigation should have been a piece of cake. The incidents happened late at night, but they could search for him in the day too. West Wind Brigade and Honesty who suffered casualties were leading the search for the culprit.

But after looking for a week, they didn't find the Murderer while the body count continued to rise.

Adventurers killing Adventurers was known as PK (Player Kill). This was one way to play the game, but was restricted to certain zones surrounding Akiba, enforced by the Round Table Council. Adventurers who persisted in PK activities were known as PKers (Player Killers), but would not be known as 'Murderers'.

To begin with, the city zone of Akiba was protected by guards.

If any violent incidents occurred, a magic alarm would sound at the guardroom. The People of the Land wearing special armor, the guards, would then move on scene to apprehend the culprits. You could tell there was something strange happening from this point alone.

The Round Table Council had already interviewed the guards at the guardroom during their investigation. The result indicated that the guards did not detect anything wrong when the incidents occurred. In terms of the Elder Tales game system, it had judged that no PK occurred.

News of the Murderer spread like wildfire in Akiba.

But that was not out of fear of the case.

It was closer to being a ghost story or a paranormal occurrence.

Death was not a risky matter to Adventurers.

There would be some form of penalty, which was the danger of losing your memories of the old world. This fact had been gradually made known to the public by the Round Table Council carefully. Even so, a large part of the populace were very concerned with the risk of memory loss. This was reflected in an increase in the number of Adventurers focusing on crafting in the city.

But most of the citizens were relaxed about this news.

That was because Adventurers who had died dozens of times commented 'The memory loss is not a problem at all'. And they continued to function normally in the city, living on as usual with their friends.

In any case, the fact that Adventurers needed to live on in this world was inevitable.

Even if they fell to the Murderer, they would not lose too much.

Another thing was the high confidence level they had in the Round Table Council, although few would actually say it out loud.

The governing body of Akiba, the Round Table Council that was formed less than a month after the Catastrophe had achieved both tangible and intangible results. The Adventurers might come from different backgrounds in the old world, but they shared a common experience in this new one. That was the shock brought by the Catastrophe and the devastation that followed. Their representatives who answered the call of duty and were capable of running an event as big as the Libra Festival were the pride of the Akiba citizens.

Just the term 'Murderer' showed how strange this case was.

The unfathomable occurrence that was beyond the game setting, the demon that struck like a catastrophe… did not cause too much damage. It struck fear into the hearts of people, but was just treated like a paranormal incident. Even though he was roaming free out there, he would be caught eventually, that's what the citizens thought.

Ever since the Catastrophe, there had been many strange incidents, with new reports every day. Akiba, the biggest Adventurer city on the Yamato server, gathered all the news in the region. Mysterious things, mildly interesting events, terrifying incidents, worrisome happenings, all sort of news congregated here.

Certainly the Murderer was not a trifling matter.

But there were more pressing issues facing Akiba right now.

The biggest news right now were the "raid on Seven Falls" and the "rise of the giant guild in Minami."

The Akiba expedition force that was victorious in the battle of Sand Leaf was finally starting their invasion of the Seven Fall Citadel. The Goblin King who was crowned in the 'Return of the Goblin King' quest would adjust his strength according to the activity of the Adventurers. After being ignored by the Adventurers following the chaos of the Catastrophe, the Goblin King had become the strongest raid boss ever in the history of this quest. He even sent an army in an attempt to conquer Sand Leaf.

No matter how difficult the quest got, they were just goblins. They were not a threat according to the game settings.

But there was still the possibility the knowledge of the game might not translate perfectly to this world after the Catastrophe. Even if the Adventurers didn't see the goblins as a threat, the goblins could be deadly to the People of the Land.

That was the reason why the Round Table Council was sending an elite army to subdue the Goblin King.

A 450 men army led by commander-in-chief Krusty.

The decision to send the army was to raid the goblins as well as bring peace to the northeast region of the land. At the same time, this expedition was also a part of the negotiations with the League of Freedom Cities Eastal.

With Krusty and Issac the heroes of Akiba taking the field, along with Charasin and Akaneya supporting from the back.

The burden on the other members of the Round Table Council also increased substantially. They were rumored to be spending their days in the guild building or their guild halls, buried in work.

News of the attack on the Seven Fall Citadel was one of the headlines grabbing the attention of the citizens.

The 450 men army had already set off, and the people believed they would return victorious. But the supply lines and back-end support were also crucial, so they must be ready to provide them with aid. This was something they needed to be prepared for, and could not be ignored.

The other big news was the rise of Plant hwyaden which was dominating the west.

Most Adventurers bore complicated feelings about the city of Minami.

For the players in Yamato who hailed from Japan, the governing body in Minami was similar to a form of dictatorship.

For a game like Elder Tales, it was only natural for countless guilds to coexist. The chaos in Akiba evolving into conflicts between guilds was a natural progression.

To unite all the guilds in such a short window of time felt a bit forceful.

But it was hard to point out what was wrong with this system. It was too early to say something was wrong just because it was a dictatorship. From the news coming from the Minami, scuffles between Adventurers were dropping. They were going about it a different way than Akiba, but it seemed the Adventurers were living together in peace and harmony.

For Adventurers playing on the same Yamato server, it was not surprising to have old friends or comrades living apart in either Akiba or Minami. Stories of Adventurers in Minami inviting friends in Akiba to move over, or players in Akiba asking comrades in Minami to relocate here were common.

In the end, it was hard for the Japanese to talk about politics in their daily lives.

With the difference in Akiba and Minami you could understand the news with just a general knowledge and a bit of background. But it was awkward to bring it up as a conversational topic, an issue all Adventurers were aware about.

Speaking of the difference in population size, Akiba had more citizens. But the Adventurers in Plant hwyaden were twice that of Akiba's biggest guild, Oceanic Systems.

The people knew this situation would make waves in the future, but were reluctant to talk about it, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Between these 2 major pieces of news, Akiba passed each day full of tension steadily. That's why the citizens didn't think much about the Murderer although they were aware of him.

The Murderer did not appear on the 4th and 5th day.

But Honesty's patrol team was wiped out on the 6th day.

The Round Table Council raised the alert level steadily. Although no curfew was set, the citizens were reminded to avoid going out at night. It was not too bad if the victims were Adventurers, but it would be really bad if any People of the Land were to fall. The casualties so far had all been Adventurers, but that didn't guarantee the safety of the People of the Land.

At this point in time, no Adventurer understood what the appearance of the Murderer meant on the grand scale of things.

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