High Gear (HIGH GEAR)(1)
As soon as the Operator ended the voice chat, Shirone turned and said, "Let's go. We have to meet him right now." Fermi realized.
"You've never done this before, have you? The Operator's level is 487. He's fourth in the global level rankings. You, on the other hand, would be starting at level one. Do you seriously think you can use magic in High Gear?"
"I have a rough idea. But you never know until you actually fight, right?"
Magneti's mouth hung open.
"All right, listen."
Fermi sighed. "In High Gear you get bonus status every time you level up. Levels increase by hunting creatures, and that usually scales with play time. Because the death penalty is harsh, it's better to hunt creatures below your level. But the Operator is both a user and an administrator. Do you know what that means?"
"You mean their play time is short?"
"Yeah. Much shorter than other users. And yet they keep rank four. That means they hunt insanely efficiently — they're not just some idiot who relies on level and gear. Of course, their gear is top-tier. And they get a 487 bonus status on top of that."
Shirone nodded.
"I know it's a disadvantage. But we have to beat the Operator to mine the Dearbis."
"No, it's not just a disadvantage…" Fermi trailed off.
He could say that because he'd already turned many impossibilities into possibilities before.
"Gnashing your teeth in High Gear is useless. The system numbers are everything. No amount of longing will change those figures."
"Fine. Just try playing. Once you're inside, you'll change your mind."
Shirone looked back at Magneti. "How do I get in?"
"I'll send you to the tutorial, but first we need to create a user code. Tell me the codename you want. Codes already claimed by others can't be used except in special cases." Since she wouldn't be in that world long, the codename didn't matter much.
"Well, something like—"
"You should pick your codename carefully. High Gear's customization is eighty percent free content, so it's often hard to identify someone by appearance alone. A codename becomes the user's face."
Fermi added, "Pick something you like. It's not just about mood — inside High Gear it matters."
"Then I'll use Shirone."
He'd wanted to discourage using his real name, but it wasn't unheard of.
"All right. I'll check." Magneti manipulated the screen and shook her head. "That codename is already taken. There's already a user named 'Shirone.'"
"What?" Shirone was stunned. "Someone's using my name?"
"It's common to borrow famous people's names. They become aliases, after all. A name like Shirone would fetch a high price."
"They trade names…?"
"If you insist on the real name, how about adding numbers? Shirone1234, that sort of thing."
That felt wrong.
"How about Shirone Arian?"
"I'll check." This time she shook her head again. "That one's taken too."
Just as irritation was about to boil over, Fermi suggested, "How about Yahweh? It'll be taken, of course, but at least you can add a number. It's a certain vibe."
She only wanted to avoid a fake real name, but Shirone seriously considered it. Before she could decide, Magneti checked. "That's taken too. Amazing. Yahweh1 through Yahweh12 are all reserved. Yahweh13 is available. How about Yahweh13?" Who on earth?
"If one name like Yahweh has that many, how many users could there possibly be in High Gear?" Fermi said. "Quite a lot, but not as many as you'd think. Those are mostly ghost users — real-world people brought in and pre-reserved. Vagrants, people with huge debts. If the person in reality dies, the reservation frees up."
Shirone's eyes hardened. "They'd kill someone just to sell a codename?"
"Who knows if it's just for a codename…" Magneti said. "If you don't like numbers, I can recommend codes that include 'Yahweh.' These are unused options generated from analyzing user patterns."
Magneti read the recommendations aloud. "I am the true Yahweh. Yahweh Strongman. Yahweh—I'm just right. Girl Yahweh. The suspicious Yah—"
"Stop." Magneti nodded as if she understood the sentiment. "Truly popular. If these are the recommended codes, you can assume all the decent names are already taken. Well, that also shows how famous the name is."
Fermi pointed out, "Being number one isn't bad — 'I am the real Yahweh.' The fourth-place 'Female Yahweh' is a neat concept. You can change gender with paid content."
"No. No way."
Fermi snorted. "Anyway, since you're getting into High Gear, this isn't a bad route. How about buying a platinum codename?"
Magneti added, "Platinum codenames are paid. The name displays in gold, so duplicates don't matter. Competition is fierce, but because they're pricey you have a good chance of getting a decent name."
"How much?"
"One hundred million Galaxies."
That was the referral reward Fermi had gotten. "Also, you can only buy one. Remember, a codename is your face in High Gear."
"Hmm. What's the value of a hundred million Galaxies? I can't picture it." "It's not small. A hundred million is the top referral reward — Yolga's Son got that. Rewards depend on the referrer's ranking." Magneti raised a finger. "But a hundred million isn't absolute. Value depends on scale. If you need to fill a hungry stomach, a one-point meal is fine. But there are hundred-million-point meals too. When scarcity defines value, there's no upper limit. High Gear's the same — even a tiny performance edge can be worth a hundred million times more."
Fermi said, "Go platinum. It's your referral money, so you should spend it, but to convert it normally you'd have to clear certain stages first. And if your goal is to beat the Operator, a hundred million Galaxies won't even buy you snacks."
"Haha! True." Magneti smiled briefly, then hid it. "All right, I'll search for platinum codenames."
She narrowed her eyes. "Oh? Yahweh was reserved, but Yahweh2 is available. Yahweh3 and Yahweh4 are taken, but Yahweh2 is free, which means—"
Fermi said, "Someone probably died."
"Yes. A lot of codes were erased after the spiritual boundary opened. Reservations rose too, of course. This one was probably deleted very recently."
Fermi suggested to Shirone, "How about taking it? Even if it's not original, it's worth investing a hundred million Galaxies."
Shirone's eyes went blank. "Yahweh2…"
For the first time he understood a little why people obsessed over codenames.
Magneti offered consolation. "You may not like it, but there's hope. Become a ranker in the Dual category. If you get into the top 100, you gain the right to change your codename. Even if someone else owns the name, rankers get exclusivity."
"All right, I'll take Yahweh2. I don't care what the codename is — just get me in."
Fermi glanced at his watch. "I'll log in soon too. After the tutorial, come to a city called Atogram. Let's meet in the Freedom Square there tomorrow evening."
Because it was a world without magic, even fast travel would take half a day.
Fermi asked Magneti, "I'll go first. Send me via avatar memory. Codename: Yolga's Son."
"Transmitting. The last recorded location is the Thunder Mountains — the Tomb of the Colossal Machine."
A circular blue light formed at Fermi's feet and his body dissolved into the air.
Shirone, who'd been watching curiously, looked at Magneti when she spoke. "All right. I'll register 'Yahweh2' as the user codename. Once your avatar scan finishes, you'll be moved automatically."
A ring formed at Shirone's feet too, but it didn't dissolve as quickly as Fermi's. He felt an odd constraint.
"This is kind of uncomfortable."
"You're sensitive, aren't you? Users connecting to High Gear have special coding embedded in their avatars. Without it, you can't link the simulation's numbers. Restrictions are applied to avatars as a kind of lock — without them you can't trigger events. Also, if a user deliberately destroys the system, they're treated as illegal and stripped of all rights, so be careful."
"Does that happen often?"
"No. There's never been a user who destroyed the system using avatar techniques in High Gear's history. But this time is different."
It was the real Yahweh.
By the time the explanation ended, Shirone's avatar began to bubble and dissolve.
Just before he left, one more thing came to mind. "Um, Magneti. Thanks for earlier. Because of you I was able to contact the Operator…"
"There you go again." Magneti propped her chin on the table and smiled.
"I told you, didn't I? This is a fake world. Fake names, fake faces — all kinds of lies run rampant here. If you forget that, no matter how strong you are you'll suffer."
"But you understood my sincerity. You must be a good person in reality, Magneti."
"…That's an honor."
Even though she knew she shouldn't, she spoke anyway. "Shirone, I think this — though the world is fake, the people inside it are real. In reality we live bound by so many constraints. We hide and dress ourselves to avoid sullying our names and faces. Here, those things don't exist. In High Gear, people's natures are laid bare. Don't expect things like today to happen often. You must live fully as Yahweh2. So please… whatever happens—
"I hope you don't get hurt."
"Aaah?????"
Shirone's voice seeped into the air as particles of light rose toward the ceiling.
In the empty hall Magneti's voice echoed, "New user registration complete."