Shiroe's group was also dragged everywhere. Naotsugu started talking about battles while surrounded by low level players. Crescent Moon Alliance was a young guild, and just a few members were level 90. And they only reached level 90, but did not go for the content beyond. "In other words, the important thing is that the level of the teammates match each other. Levels are not important, what is important are the things beyond levels." "Beyond levels? You mean ultimate moves?" The young swashbuckler Shouryuu whose face was red from all the drinking asked Naotsugu who was biting into his chicken kebab. Shouryuu was the guild's battle team leader and had raided together with Naotsugu several times. To him, Naotsugu was like a hero. "Hmmm... That is... Panties!" Naotsugu's strong announcement stopped everyone in their tracks. The atmosphere in the room was really awkward, even Shouryuu had the expression "What is this guy saying?" Naotsugu seemed to notice the weird atmosphere, and tried to break his way through and says: "That was just a joke... eh, what were we talking about? To win battles by leveling, the reason you lose will be your level being too low, right? If you reached the level cap, what does that mean? It implies that at the level cap, you can never beat the opponents you lose to since you can't level anymore. That will just be sad and depressing to the extreme! To avoid such situations, we have to research winning tactics as well as work together with our teammates. Without these two aspects, you will lose no matter where you go. It will be too late if you realize this after reaching the level cap. People who have never co-oped with others will not develop good teamwork with others just because they lost. On the other hand, even if your level is low, you can still work on your tactics and teamwork, and will be the strongest formation when you finish your training. The important thing is to ask yourself "What other ways can I contribute?" My bro Shiroe is a master of this, because he is "Black Heart Glasses", willing to do anything to secure victory!" The crowd seemed moved by the speech this time. But if Shiroe heard what he said, he would probably say something like "Don't use me to draw aggro!" They moved on to chat about tips and tricks in handling different type of enemies, debating all kinds of topics. No matter whether they were good or bad players, everyone in this world loved gaming, and even after they were transported to an alternate world, they would be eager to learn once they recovered their spirit.
If it was
"Did the small guilds do anything to change the situation?
"Err... Yes. For example a few small guilds suggested setting up an alliance to solve the problem of raiding grounds. But it didn't go too well... Since all of us are small guilds, our member sizes are not the same. There will be disagreements when going over the details, which leads to discontent. Or people unable to suppress their willful opinions. In the end the alliance broke after a quarrel and a number of the guilds decided to end it, and get absorbed by a large guild."
So there was such a thing, Shiroe thought.
In a way, this couldn't be helped. While it was the same as securing raiding grounds, good raiding ground vary for each level. Hence the grounds preferred by each group differed according to the level and number of members of each guild.
If you wanted to work together to secure a raiding ground, you would need to keep your selfish desires in check and work together selflessly. Big guilds might have enough control over their members, but for small guilds, conflicts were unavoidable and it was hard to come to a consensus.
"Another thing, the Black Sword Knights and Silver Sword guilds are attempting to break 91."
"Ah?"
91, that should be referring to level. With the 'Novasphere Pioneers' expansion, the level cap must have been increased, so this was not surprising. Since the level cap had been raised, you would be able to develop beyond the old level limit of 90.
But didn't you have to defeat monsters level 85 and above? Since the game world had become our new reality, Shiroe wondered if there was a need to risk such a dangerous battle.
"Big guilds are already strong now, but it is impossible for the number of players to increase correct? So it is not just players, the number of high level players will also affect the influence of the guilds. Consider this, Black Sword Knights are elitist..."
Shiroe nodded and agrees with Maryele's point.
Black Sword Knights were an arrogant force in Akiba. With their elite-only policy, there were no members that were lower than level 85. The guild only allows members over the level of 85 to join anyway. Black Sword Knights was a pure-blooded battle guild.
"Black Sword Knights is still upholding its joining requirement. Black Sword Knights is a famous guild, our Crescent Moon Alliance cannot even compare to them, right? But compared to the 1500 members of D.D.D, they pale in comparison, since they have absorbed quite a number of small guilds. As for the Black Sword Knights, they are unable to absorb guilds due to their entry restriction, so they are aiming to go beyond level 90, focusing on quality over quantity to win."
"But how are they going to..."
This was the core of Shiroe's doubt. He understood the motives and also the considerations and tactics, but was there a way to succeed? "By using 'EXP Pot'."
"... EXP Pot."
In Elder Tales, this was a famous support item. By drinking this potion, you could slightly increase your attack and recovery powers, and receive twice the EXP in battles.
There was another effect. In a normal case, you need to defeat monsters that are less than 5 levels below you. But with the potion, you can gain EXP even if you defeat monsters 7 levels below you.
The effects of the potion last for only 2 hours, but it would help you earn EXP during its effective time.
This type of potion might be powerful, but there was no need to complete major raids or quests to obtain it, so almost all players had used it before.
As a game withstanding the long test of time, Elder Tales had been increasing its level cap over the years. This resulted in a trend where people who joined later needed a longer time to catch up to those who joined earlier. To counter this issue, the developer provided all kinds of aid to help them level faster. This potion was one of the measures.
To put it simply, players below level 30 would receive a free potion every day. This was a kind service by the developers hoping the players will "reach mid-level faster and enjoy the game".
He didn't have any place he wanted to go.
He just wanted to get away from this unknown dark feeling, or he wanted to confirm this emotion. Shiroe was not sure what he really thought.
He felt that there was a heavy thing in his chest, similar to how the sea at night provided no sense of ease. It felt like asphalt, dense and dark and incomprehensible, an unidentified object. Even though it had a big volume, there was nowhere to vent it, it simply existed there.
(It simply exists, but...)
Shiroe understood.
This emotion that he had nowhere to vent.
Evildoers exist, Hamelin did not have good guys, and given the chance, Shiroe would fight them just like he did with Brigandia.
But even if Hamelin was evil, they were just a small part of the evil. The current situation in Akiba was not the fault of Hamelin, it was due to all sort of events that "could not be helped". The current Akiba was the result of these events accumulating. The depressing atmosphere of Akiba frustrated Shiroe and he had nowhere to vent it.
Shiroe understood that if he vented this emotion on Hamelin, he was just throwing a tantrum.
He held his breath and kept walking.
Throwing a tantrum was ugly.
Shiroe was unwilling to vent his frustration just to make himself feel better.
Shiroe was unable to shake this dark emotion. In Shiroe's mind, venting out at Hamelin was even uglier than what Hamelin is doing.
(But, if it is like this...)
If it was like this, Shiroe wouldn't have any place to vent his frustration.
Hamelin was the small-time evil, so it was still okay.
But, who was the greater evil?
Big battle guilds might notice the source of "EXP Pot", but they pretended not to see in order to expand their influence, were they wrong?
Even though the beginners know they are being oppressed, but they were willing to accept that they were weak and hope to gain protection by submitting themselves, were they wrong?
Small guilds understood the inequality between guilds, and wished to break the stalemate by forming an alliance. But in order to protect their own interests, they turned to infighting, playing politics. Were they wrong?
All the players understood the atmosphere in the city was worsening but they chose to not do anything about it, and not take responsibility. Were they wrong?
He was unable to come up with an answer. It was impossible to come up with an answer. Shiroe knew that a perfect answer did not exist. And he was carrying too big a burden from the start, and he was carrying it on his own free will.
(Thinking that it is a burden is an arrogant thought, this is just the debt I owe... I am just running away, I became a solo player on my own free will.)
Shiroe was not sure what
Because of her experience, Minori understood this was something that 'cannot be helped'.
Sometimes, it was cruel to be a child.
It meant that you could not realize your dreams through effort.
Minori was also a child; she was just as troublesome as the handicapped Tohya. A child was sometimes as heavy a burden as a handicapped person.
For example, Minori could not drive Tohya to the hospital, which was normal since she was still in middle school. This was also expected, and would be a burden on their parents.
With no abilities, unable to take care of themselves, no one was willing to help, and their dreams were never coming true... These were factors that would annoy those you like, or make one a bother.
In this world, being low level was similar to being guilty, as it means that you were a burden.
Minori closed her eyes and opened the menu.
Her friend list was very short, with only the names of her brother, a few beginners she knew from Hamelin, and Shiroe. Minori used the cursor in her mind to gently touch Shiroe's glowing name.
To Minori who had lost everything, this was a treasure no one can take from her.
(I should have asked Shiroe-san to teach me even more things...)
Minori thought as she wrapped her cloak around her cold body. The night seemed longer than usual, the dull pain in her chest was keeping her awake.
Suddenly, she heard a soft ringing sound in her ear.
She inhaled sharply, making a noise louder than she expected, surprising her.
The name she was caressing in her mind was now shaking.
Minori checked to see if she had activated the telepathy function by accident, which had no sign of use. This was a call from Shiroe, and at this time right before dawn.
The ringing started again.
Minori knew from experience that only she would hear the sound. But if she made any noise, it might alert the Hamelin members or disturb her roommates' sleep.
Even so, Minori could not ignore the ringing sound.
She operated the menu and said "Yes" in a barely audible voice.
"Eh... Good evening, can you hear me? This is Shiroe."
"!"
This was not only a familiar and nostalgic voice. It was also a bridge to the happy times of the past which filled Minori's heart.
In the dark and humid bedding, covered by a dirty cloak, Minori sobbed softly.
"... you are Minori right?"
Unable to suppress her emotions, her tears flowed out from the depths of her nasal ducts. Shiroe spoke again. Minori was unable to answer, as making a sound might arouse the suspicion of others. And she was unwilling to let Shiroe hear as she lost control of her emotions.
Minori nodded in her heart repeatedly, but she could only utter in a barely audible voice "Yes".
"..."
"..."
The sound of breathing passed between them. Minori used all her might to control her nose from making any sound. She was so nervous that she could see stars in her eyes. Why now? Why look for me? These questions circled her head.
"Minori, listen to me. Cough once for yes, twice for no. If I said something wrong or you want to express something cough three times... Is that OK?"
Shiroe's question made Minori understand with a shock.
(He knows, Shiroe-san knows everything.)
Shiroe knew Minori's situation, he knew what kind of place Hamelin was.
Minori felt that her mind that had been numbed by the repetitive force of labor was slowly recovering.
(Shiroe-san is the one person I don't want to trouble...)
Ever since she joined Hamelin, Minori understood that even for players 10 levels higher then Tohya, as long as you were a beginner in Elder Tales, you would lack knowledge regarding this alternate world.
Knowledge was the strongest weapon in this world. The lack of knowledge kept beginners from progressing out of this phase. The knowledge she learned from Shiroe became the strength helping them to carry on. Even in a tough environment like Hamelin, they received better treatment compared to other beginners, all thanks to the knowledge Shiroe shared.
Minori had always regarded Shiroe as her benefactor.
She also wished that he became more than her benefactor.
"If you understand, cough once."
Minori gathered the sparse warmth in her body and just managed to moisten her throat.
She made a tiny coughing sound.
Her throat was dryer than she imagined, Minori felt embarrassed by the sound she made.
I owe Shiroe a lot, I must repay him, Minori thought as she swallowed her saliva and listen attentively.
"Minori and Tohya are in Hamelin?"
A cough.
"You have been giving your 'EXP Potion' to Hamelin."
Another cough.
"...Are you okay?"
"..."
In the room so dark you could not even see your hand, the silence was so heavy that you could almost touch it physically.
With this line of questions, Minori understood what Shiroe wanted to ask, and that he wanted to do something for her.
But it was painful because she knew. Minori didn't know how Shiroe was going to deal with this event. But the issue was not the method. The issue was that Shiroe was determined to rescue Minori and Tohya.
What sacrifice would Shiroe need to make to save us? In this alternate world where you need to fight to survive, the two of us would be a burden. What would Shiroe need to give up for our sake?
What was our worth?
If that was the question, there was only one answer.
(We are okay, there is absolutely no problem... we get to eat everyday, my tailor level is rising slowly. Tohya and I can still live here, that's what Tohya would say. That is why... it is okay.)
The voice in her heart seemed to be telling her this from the view of a bystander. As if she was closing the door of hope, Minori coughed once.
...Which meant we were fine.
"Is that true?"
Shiroe asked again with a gentle tone, reminding Minori of her days playing together with him.
Tohya attacked monsters suddenly, Minori would rush over to support, but her presumptuous action attracted more enemy reinforcements.
Shiroe used his sleep spells to incapacitate the reinforcements, Tohya fought with all his might, and Minori healed everyone as much as she could. But there were too many foes, their HP was always in the red danger zone, healing until MP runs out. There were several times when Minori thought "This is it, they are wiping us out", but the three of them still survived.
Minori heard that 90 was the highest level in Elder Tales.
EXP would be deducted as a punishment for death, but Shiroe accompanied the both of us who were about level 10 always at the verge of death. Minori felt guilty and embarrassed about this fact and apologized repeatedly, knocking Tohya's head and forcing him to apologize too.
We could not let Shiroe lose EXP because of us. Even so, Shiroe gave a smile like a child.
I am enjoying myself, this is an adventure after all. Some techniques can only be learned by going through danger... I feel that Minori is slightly too polite, are you having fun? I had a great time.
Minori felt her soul was saved by this gentle voice. It was the same kindness as before, which could not be seen.
That was why Minori coughed only once.
...Which meant I was fine.
This way, I would be able to talk to him with a smile the next time I see him. It would take some time, her appearance was messy like a wandering child. She did not shower, and didn't dare to call herself a girl.
There was a dull pain in her heart, but it was definitely better than bothering Shiroe, Minori convinced herself with a reason which she thought was absurd.
"...I understand, you are fine, let's go out and play some day. I want to play with the two of you, because it is fun. That's why... wait for me a while more."
"...!"
Didn't this mean he did not understand at all?
No, maybe he said this because he understood everything.
Minori's conflicting thoughts clashed in her heart; the tears overflowed from the depths of her eyes; why would Shiroe say something so reckless? Why did he say something so gentle?
Shiroe not accepting her concern caused frustration, guilt, confusion. Troubling Shiroe caused the feelings of guilt and sadness, as well as positive emotions of joy, kindness, bliss and hope.
...And trust in Shiroe.
Two different emotions intertwined, tumbling like the inside of a washing machine. She needed to say something, but does not know what to say.
This was her last chance to stop Shiroe.
Minori coughed. How many times should she cough? Once if she wanted his help? Or twice to reject his offer? Minori let her tears flow freely, then coughed once, then twice more.
"What happened? What do you want to say?"
(... I coughed three times. No, I didn't want to say anything Shiroe-san... Shiroe-san is not our parent, Shiroe-san is a nice person, but we do not have the right to rely on you. That's why you do not need to shoulder burdens such as ourselves.)
But she did not say these words.
In Hamelin's guild hall, in this quiet and moldy room, Minori suppressed the sound of her breathing to the point of almost suffocating.
"As I said, if you want to say anything just cough three times. I understand. I will think of a way to hear what you want to say. For me, I have already decided to do all I can. As I said when we were with Tohya, 'Vanguards who do not trust their support will die as a punishment, supports who don't trust the vanguard will join straight after.' So I believe Minori's 'I am okay', Minori must also believe that I will be coming to save the both of you.”
The conversation ended without a soft disconnecting sound.
Minori curled up like a ball, like she was hugging herself.
Shiroe, who did not accept her willful actions made Minori's tears flow endlessly. As if a storm was brewing deep in her ears, she was unable to affirm herself.
But something warm and concrete that did not exist an hour ago grew in her heart.
5
Everyone was present when Henrietta opened the door.
Two days had passed since the lively party that took a whole day to clean up. The Crescent Moon Alliance's atmosphere had returned to its calm state.
"Did something happen? This is a sudden invitation."
"Please have a seat, Henrietta."
Guild master Maryele said.
The leftover food and bottles were scattered around the Crescent Moon Alliance meeting room yesterday, but now the room was totally clean, giving it a refreshing air.
4 people sat around the edge of the big table.
For the Crescent Moon Alliance, guild master Maryele, the one in charge of accounts, Henrietta, and the battle and farming leader, Shouryuu. The three of them were the ones leading the guild.
On the other side was Shiroe.
(Oh... Shiroe-sama.)
"Shiroe-san has something to say to us."
The younger Shouryuu said after checking with Shiroe.
"But we have not heard anything yet."
Maryele said, but Shiroe had a tense expression. Shiroe had sharp eyes, and had the habit of staring. But he seemed be more quiet and bold today. His imposing aura was overpowering, and his round glasses did nothing to soften his eyes.
(Erm...)
The way Shiroe was right now was etched clearly into Henrietta's memory.
The normal Shiroe was a dependable young man, but he was different from before.
"Thank you everyone for taking care of me. Today I invited you here... First of all, I want to thank Mary-nee and everyone in the Crescent Moon Alliance."
Maryele waved her hands in front of her in reply to Shiroe.
"Don't mention it! It is nothing really!"
Shouryuu also waved his hand softly to show Shiroe that he need not be concerned about this. The food was delicious, and they didn't spend much money. The important thing was that the guild also had a good time, since the party was also for them to enjoy. The guild was also discussing about thanking Shiroe's group properly in the future.
"No no no, it is okay, because I have thoroughly enjoyed Akatsuki-chan too."
Henrietta recalled Akatsuki's cute reaction with a dreamy smile. As for the subject who was weeping during the incident, let us ignore that for now.
"This evil guild gathers beginners and confiscates their 'EXP Pot', which is probably sold for money, I don't think that this can be tolerated... that is what I feel now. Between either liking or disliking, I dislike this way of doing things."
Shiroe said with a gentle tone. Hearing this, Shouryuu stopped moving.
He was starting to comprehend what Shiroe wanted.
"The guild you mentioned, is it Hamelin? That is a...rather nasty guild, not a good place. But they have the support of the big guilds..."
Henrietta brought up an obvious query. The subject was Hamelin, but the Black Sword Knights and the Silver Swords were their customers. Those two guilds were in the top 5 battle guilds of Akiba.
"Yes, I want this guild to disappear."
Shiroe said directly.
A deep silence fell in the meeting room.
Maryele sighed softly.
(Mary was expecting something like this...)
Henrietta understood why she was so tense.
"You.. you say disappear, that is... you want to destroy the guild? Is that true? Is there a way to make a guild disappear? If we defeat them by PK, that may bruise their ego a bit, but to destroy the guild itself is a bit..."
Shouryuu stammered.
Henrietta had the same doubts.
There were two ways to