Chapter 117

"W-wait...!! I don't know anything about that!! I've heard talk, but... a bottom-rung guy like me has nothing to do with it!!"

The alchemist shouted in panic.

"There are rumors that the higher-ups conduct experiments we can't even imagine. But I swear I don't know anything about them...! A-aaagh...!!"

"He's probably telling the truth. They're such a secretive organization that we haven't found so much as a trace of their leadership."

"Using players as experimental material without killing them... How is that even possible?"

"I know. Just when you think you've seen everything, something like this happens. Apparently, that research has actually harmed people in the real world. Well, the government made an announcement a few days ago, so you must have seen it."

Gareth sighed.

"People are being hospitalized or treated for mental disorders... They came to play a game and ended up ill. How does that make any sense?"

"I... see."

Woojin had no way of seeing a government announcement. Gareth's words gave him a rough idea of the situation, but he couldn't suppress his bitterness.

His only connection to the outside world was the in-game message board, the community forum. All he could do was occasionally read news from outside through other people's posts.

Unless someone told him, he wouldn't even know what was happening in the world.

"Oh, if you haven't seen it, it's on the community forum too. Take a look."

"... What?"

"Someone uploaded a video of the announcement. The comments on that post seem to be causing quite a stir."

At that moment, something clicked in Woojin's mind.

'Of course. You can't link to external sites on the forum, but you can upload files.'

Gareth had said it without much thought, but to Woojin, it was enormous.

'That's right. If I ask someone to post outside information on the forum... I could get news from the real world without just waiting around.'

It could even become a means of communication.

He had played solo at first, but now he had people around him.

Having discovered another possibility, he unconsciously clenched his fist tighter.

"So [Plaz], the continent's largest alchemy association, has issued a major quest targeting the alchemists who manufacture virtual drugs."

The quest called for capturing alchemists involved in the incident alive, or gathering evidence of virtual drugs and various experiments.

CLICK

Gareth fastened something around the alchemist's neck.

"It's a capture device developed by [Plaz]. They made it together with the magical engineering organization [Heaven Ultima]."

WHIRRR

As the handcuff-like collar locked into place, it gave off a faint mechanical hum.

"Once the collar is on, the wearer can't log out for an hour."

"You mean it forcibly keeps them inside the game?"

"That's right. It's convenient, since you don't have to keep them in combat."

"In Thorn Bach, I saw militia bastards build a prison and lock players up. They could log out, but their characters were trapped, so they couldn't play."

Rather than looking pleased, Woojin frowned.

"This does the opposite. It traps people in the game by stopping them from logging out... Are we really in a position to condemn those people? Does this look normal to you?"

"Of course it's dangerous. But this is the first virtual reality to use all five senses, isn't it?"

As time passed, people used virtual reality for more than simply playing games.

Holding meetings, gathering with friends who lived far away... Virtual reality had its benefits, but just as many drawbacks.

"There's bound to be a great deal of trial and error."

Following the government's announcement, chaos had also erupted at The Pase, the company behind [Evil Tale].

Using NPCs as test subjects was already controversial, and now experiments had been conducted on players while they were logged in.

Complaints poured in, and reporters filled the lobby.

Some wondered whether this was a crisis for the previously unstoppable The Pase. Ironically, however, [Evil Tale] had only grown more popular under the media's barrage.

'A world where you can do anything?'

Amid the public's enthusiasm, [Evil Tale] had even achieved the staggering record of 500 million concurrent users.

"People are calling for virtual reality protection laws... Countries around the world are in an uproar," Gareth said with a sigh.

"This item was made specifically for this incident. Only players selected by Plaz can receive one. I imagine they'll disappear once this is over."

"Still... forcibly restricting logout like this seems likely to create another problem..."

"That's why The Pase held a press conference."

"... What did they say?"

"Problems inside the game must be resolved inside the game, and players must pay the price for their characters' actions."

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, quite literally.

"That's bold. It isn't easy for a company that size to make such a controversial decision."

As someone who had run a company himself, Woojin found The Pase's decision surprising.

"They're taking a beating from every direction, but they've certainly made headlines. Plenty of people actually love how refreshingly blunt the statement was. I hear the Dark Forest is packed with new users now."

Woojin smiled wryly at that.

'I don't know who's behind it, but they're brilliant.'

They had turned a crisis into an opportunity.

"But what did you mean about launching a quest?"

"Exactly what I said. [Plaz] offered a bounty and created a quest."

"Players can create quests?"

Woojin recalled entering the Count's Chamber.

The alchemists had been the reason that hidden dungeon appeared, after all.

"No, they can't. Players can commission bounties through the Adventurers' Association, but they can't create quests."

"Then...?"

"The head of Plaz is an NPC."

"... What?"

"Think of it as similar to the Red Tower. Plenty of players belong to it, but its head, Ratan Gray, is an NPC."

"Hmm..."

"The Continental Alchemy Society, founded by Rahad—the Sage of Truth—is the largest alchemists' association, but its membership is strictly NPC-only. Plaz, on the other hand, was founded by Kendrick Elric and accepts players too."

"... Kendrick Elric?"

When Woojin repeated the name, Gareth caught on to what he was asking.

"That's right. He's the younger brother of Sig Elric, the boss of the Dark Forest dungeon, [Alchemist's Laboratory]."

"Huh... I see."

Hearing the name Sig Elric after so long brought back memories.

"May we take this man with us?"

"Go ahead."

"I'll give you a share of the reward once we complete the quest."

"There's no need. You were pursuing them in the first place. Just let me know if you find any information on the matter I asked you to investigate."

He meant his request concerning Sarbandin.

"Understood."

Woojin shook Gareth's hand in farewell.

"Kim Chan. Did you ditch the Red Tower for Ulda?"

"O-of course not! I'm just... doing a quest with them."

"It seems meeting you has made the Red Tower boring for him."

"W-when did I ever say that?!"

Kim Chan hurriedly waved his hands and shouted, looking embarrassed by Gareth's remark.

"He went to Thorn Bach to see you, and that's where he ran into us."

"Did he?"

Woojin chuckled and looked at Kim Chan.

"If the Red Tower's boring, just leave. Since you mentioned visiting Thorn Bach, there's an apprentice mage there named Nissen."

"An apprentice mage...?"

"Yeah. He's an NPC. Go meet him. You might find something more interesting than the Red Tower."

"... Even so, I'm past the level where I'd team up with an apprentice mage."

"You're weaker than Nissen."

"Ugh...! Why do you always have to put it like th—whoa!"

Pushing aside the disgruntled Kim Chan by the shoulder, Jane stepped in front of Woojin.

"You have to visit our alliance next time. Promise?"

Her sparkling-eyed gaze seemed to make Woojin uncomfortable, and he turned toward Gareth.

"She's my niece. And our current leader."

"Your leader... You mean the one who received the World Quest?"

"That's right."

"I've really, really wanted to meet you! You have to tell me about the Black Dragon. Promise?"

Her exuberance lightened an atmosphere that had been weighed down by their grim discussion only moments before.

"Of course. I have something to discuss about the World Quest too."

He was working on the quest himself, after all.

"Where do you intend to go now?"

"First, I'll go to the Kingdom of Tekan and collect my companions. Weden's there too."

"Oh...! He's with you?"

"Yes. He's training with House Balan. Once that's finished, we plan to head to the Great Forest."

"The Great Forest?"

"Yes."

Woojin nodded.

* * *

"Hyaaah!!!"

"A little more!! You're too slow to react after Rapid Fire!! Pick up the pace!!"

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

An arrow struck squarely in the head of a training dummy on the parade ground.

Even while she ran at full speed, her arrowhead remained so steady it barely wavered.

THUNK!

The arrow embedded itself.

CRRACK!

Then another arrow struck the one already lodged there, splitting it in two. The halves curled away like pencil shavings.

[Ruen has acquired the title - Unerring Aim.]

"I did it!!"

Seeing one arrow embedded in the other, Ruen threw up both arms and jumped for joy.

[One week of training has been completed.]

[Side Quest: Training with House Balan has been cleared.]

[You acquire skills as a reward.]

▶ Skill: You have learned Mighty Bow.

▶ Skill: You have learned Critical Shot.

[You gain a set amount of experience.]

[Congratulations.]

[You have leveled up.]

▶ 49 → 50

As the notifications ended, pure white motes of light swirled around Ruen.

[Congratulations.]

[You have met the minimum requirements to travel to the central continent.]

[Embark on a new adventure.]

"Congratulations. Though you're already on the central continent."

"... Master!!"

At the sound of Woojin's voice, Ruen hurried over to him.

"When did you get back?"

"Just now. It looked like today was your last day of training, so I watched instead of interrupting."

"Hehe... Then did you see? I went like this..."

Excitedly, she drew her empty bow and pointed toward the dummy with the arrows lodged in it.

"She's remarkably skilled. She completed training that even most knights would struggle to keep up with. She must have gained a great deal of experience."

The instructor gestured toward her as he spoke to Woojin.

"Thank you for all your hard work."

"It was a pleasure to teach her."

After exchanging farewells, the instructor headed out of the training ground.

"Are the Red Knights well prepared to march?"

"... Pardon?"

The unexpected question made the instructor tilt his head for a moment.

"Of course. We can march at any time," he replied confidently.

"That's good to hear."

Remembering his promise to Aswell, Woojin said no more.

'If he'd wanted a report delivered, he would have asked me, since I was returning to the kingdom.'

It was out of his hands now.