Chapter 48
CHAPTER 48
We wouldn’t wait for Lios’ instructions . We would move at our own discretion .
As soon as we had decided this, an email from Aura arrived . It was timed as if it had been waiting for our decision to form .
Subject: Ple@$e
Sender: Aur&
Message:
I will b@ w@i+ing at
Λ Lambda Server Merciless Lamenting Furnace .
Be sure t() c0me .
Don’t look at Cubia this time .
&le@se . Segment .
We had Wiseman stay in town to track Helba’s whereabouts, and BlackRose, Balmung and I decided to go to the area .
“What is this segment she mentioned?” asked BlackRose who had finished reading the email .
“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly .
“But I think you’ll understand if you meet Aura . ”
The area’s spawn point was a dark red polluted field .
We ran through some noise .
Aura was in the deepest part of the dungeon .
Just like last time, she was floating in the hazy air .
When I tried to talk to her, I was surprised to see a crimson bead emerging from her chest .
Maybe this is the segment she was talking about?
I found it to be somewhat familiar .
When I had killed the Reaper Skeith, three spheres scattered from him . This was one of them .
The red ball rose into the air and was drawn into Aura’s body .
It seemed that Aura’s translucent body was shaking and her outline became defined .
Aura moved her lips . It seemed that she was desperately trying to bring something to our attention .
“What is she trying to say?” BlackRose whispered .
I walked up to her and tried to listen .
Suddenly I heard a grotesquely hoarse voice .
Of course it was not Aura’s voice . It was…
“Cubia!” yelled BlackRose .
A huge pale root emerged from the ground between me and Aura, obstructing us . Aura’s body swayed as if it had been fuelled by the momentum of the roots, and it disappeared .
“Wait, Aura…” I called out, but it was no use .
Aura was gone .
It was the same as before . I was obstructed by Cubia again .
Cubia’s roar echoed across the area again . The area was swallowed by darkness, and Cubia appeared in front of us .
“So big… that thing is massive! Can we fight such a thing?” Balmung, who had not experienced a battle with Cubia, groaned .
“If I don’t defeat it, we’re done for!” BlackRose yelled .
The third encounter with Cubia was a fierce battle .
When we were first confronted by Cubia, we weren’t a match for our opponent and we were blown away in a breath .
After that, we were able to strengthen ourselves and drive off Cubia in the second battle . After that, with Balmung at our side and having grown further, we should have greatly exceeded the strength of the previous Cubia .
Despite this, Cubia toyed with us, confounded us, and even drove us close to the point of destruction .
We could have been defeated without Balmung‘s tireless efforts .
Indeed, Balmung was a trained player worthy of the cool name of “Descendant of Fianna . ”
At the end of a long struggle, he finally delivered a final blow to Cubia .
The mortally wounded Cubia screamed in pain and slowly began to sink to the ground .
We did it, I thought .
However, a moment later, Kubia jumped up and disappeared as if sucked into the sky where the color tone had been reversed .
Got away again .
We had seemingly won, but Cubia was just driven away .
Cubia was stronger than before .
It’s true that we aren’t fighting against small-fry monsters that are like the players, but despite gaining a lot of experience points, Cubia was growing faster than we were .
If there were to be another battle with Cubia, how intense would it be? I could only imagine…
“But Kite, I understood something,” BlackRose said suddenly in a confident voice .
“Huh? What is it?”
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“Cubia doesn’t want you and Aura to meet each other . ”
I recalled that now .
Now that she had mentioned it, she was correct .
Every time I tried to meet Aura in response to her call, Cubia was there, obstructing it all .
“But… what happens if Aura meets me? Why does Cubia get in the way?”
“That I don’t know,” BlackRose answered quickly . “Well, why don’t you ask Wiseman about that?”
That was right .
The World was said to have been created with the Epitaph of Twilight as its foundation . Then, it would be best to ask the expert, Wiseman .
No, wait .
I noticed something strange .
Cubia had not been listed in the Epitaph of Twilight .
Why was that?
After this info, I would have to ask Wiseman about it .
When I returned to Carmina Gadelica thinking about such things, some unexpected people were waiting for us .
Merchant NPCs . It was the Pig Race Squad .
Lios was standing in the center .
All had their arms folded and were silently staring at us .
“Don’t act again without permission,” Lios growled in a low voice . It was a voice that sounded as though it absorbed all the bad humor in the world .
“I’m trying to stabilize the data, so I don’t want you to make any moves . Please be careful in the future . If not, I’ll have to penalize you . Let this be a warning to you…”
He gazed at us in turn .
“Understood?”
I was reluctant to say that he was so generous .
“I don’t understand . ”
“What was that?”
Oops . I had inadvertently spoken out loud .
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“Please cooperate with Helba . ”
I decided to say it . There was no taking it back . I just had to persuade him .
“What…”
Lios, who seemed to be caught off guard, opened his eyes .
“What are you saying?”
“He’s telling you he can’t listen to your instructions!” yelled BlackRose .
“We can’t do it alone . We’re at our limit,” I said .
“But Helba knows something we don’t know . If you work with Helba, we may be able to resolve the case . ”
“Hold on . That’s wrong…”
“Throw away your silly pride and join together . Please . For The World…”
I bowed .
“Please believe in Helba . ”
Suddenly, Lios yelled .
“Be quiet!!!”
The space quivered .
BlackRose and I suddenly crumbled from by the tremendous roar and the two of us fell backwards . I saw Balmung go backwards out of the corner of my eye . His right hand was reflexively trying to grasp the hilt of his sword . The roar was that powerful .
For some reason, the Pig Squad were lined up with their backs straight .
Lios looked down at us .
“Do you guys really think that? Do you guys, players of The World, really believe in hackers?”
He wasn’t loud anymore . He was back to my usual calm tone .
But Lios was clearly angry .
“Why don’t you study the history of the Internet in your current school lessons? What happened in 2005?”
I was full of answers . That is… I was learning them . In modern history, we learned the history of the Internet by dividing it into two parts, before Pluto’s Kiss and after Pluto’s Kiss .
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“The network society ended due to the network crisis caused by the Pluto’s Kiss virus . You must have experienced it . The economy, humans and the relationships between all things were deprived of the optical infrastructure of networks . There was initial turmoil and uncontrollable delays to daily activity . Billions of tragic comedies played a concerto . It was a ten-year old boy who created the malicious virus that destroyed the existing core software and security, and shook the human race with the crisis of a nuclear war . Four years later… Kite . He’s the same age as you . Pluto’s Kiss is said to have held back technological innovations for 20 years . ”
Lios continued, like a teacher standing in front of a podium .
“It’s not just Pluto’s Kiss . The history of the Internet is the history of hackers’ follies . The number of troubles caused by the self-centered hackers who come to mind is as numerous as the stars . Even if I make a chronological table and list it all, there isn’t enough space to list it all . I told you to believe in Helba . Helba is a hacker . Do you lot know how much you’re losing for someone like Helba right now?”
We couldn’t even reply .
“You saw Net Slum . I think that irregular city is damaging The World . The existence of that city simply puts an unreasonable load on the server and continues to cause great damage to our company . You can’t imagine how much the average person would have to work to earn the amount the company makes . Hackers unjustly steal money like it’s just breathing to them . That is not all . That town hides a lot of hackers . It is a hotbed of crime . There is also a rumor that it is a base for money laundering,” the voice of Lios echoed .
“You told me to set aside my pride . If anything goes wrong, I’ll give you as much as you like . Alright, listen carefully . I take pride in the task of system administration . This is not just me . All employees at CC are proud of their system managers, debuggers, graphic designers, programmers, game designers, public relations, general affairs, and human resources . I’m proud to be working for the world’s best game – The World . For users who enjoy “The World”, I would do any job . I would do even the toughest overtime . ”
Lios’ voice changed only slightly .
“But, do you guys, the users, believe that hacker? Is that what you tell me?”
Lios closed his mouth there . We had no words . There was some sort of sadness at the bottom of Lios‘ words . However, there was silence for a moment . Lios opened his mouth again .
“There’s no helping it . I will carry out your punishment . I will impose the penalty!”
Penalty? I stood on guard reflexively . But nothing happened . Not to me anyway . Instead, BlackRose screamed . Balmung also called out in surprise . Their bodies began to take on the effect of being under a special spell attack .
“Kite, we can’t interfere directly with you while you have the bracelet . But there are many ways to block your movements,” Lios said .
“I have lowered your friends to level one . Moreover, no matter how many battles you win in the future, their level will not improve . Experience points will never accumulate . ”
What was that? What a terrible thing to do .
“You are not strong enough to do something alone . To block your movements, I will lower the level of your companions . That is all . ”
“You’re foul!”
BlackRose returned to us, screaming, but Lios just laughed . It was a dry way of laughing that could be taken as self-derision .
“That’s right . Foul, isn’t it? This is the adult way of doing things . To protect this world, we are always being subjected to a barrage of criticism . If you don’t rely on these means, you won’t last long . ”
He changed his tone and said in a low voice .
“BlackRose . Balmung . I want you to think that it was at least a kindness that I didn’t delete you . Kite, let me tell you in advance . If you invite another player to form a party, they will be penalized with the same penalty!”
“No! That’s…” yelled BlackRose .
“From now on, you may not party with others without our permission . Understand? That’s all . Dismissed!”
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