East and West (2)
The female-bodied Operator, famous in High Gear, was called "Lady" among the operators.
Partly because she never lost her composure even on battlefields overflowing with firepower....
"Lady seems upset again."
There was a sting of contempt in Number Seven's tone.
"Don't get me wrong. You're the only oddball among the operators who actually plays High Gear, so I'm asking. Are you okay, Yahweh2? If you leave it like this, it might one day topple the Operator's throne. Better to exile it now—"
"What of it? The reason Operator ranks number one has nothing to do with me being an operator."
Number Seven chuckled.
"No, I was just wondering if you were getting nervous. How about it? If you want, I can tweak the event a little for you."
"Number Seven."
The voice was cold.
"Don't get cocky. Twelve operators built High Gear, but I was the original designer. I won't tolerate event expansions that contradict the initial concept."
"Heard that. Kinda annoying."
Number Seven snapped back immediately.
"I'll admit you're a genius, but we're gathered here to test a perfect world. Not to make a playground for a lonely girl."
Kiiiiiiing!
A high-frequency noise that could split eardrums slammed the operator meeting feed.
The Operator shouted, "Do you want to die? What do you know about me? Want me to blow your brains out right now?"
"Go ahead and try if you can."
"Number Seven! You…!"
At that moment the lollipop icon spoke up.
"Stop! Please stop!"
Whether it would work or not, the skill to instantly block the Operator's noise attack was impressive.
"You always do this at meetings, so I can't even go to class. Can't we just focus on the agenda?"
"That jerk keeps making me furious!" Number Seven didn't back down.
"And what about you? What are you going to do if an operator colludes with users? Do you know how many bug tests I run every time I prepare an event? It's nauseating." "Technically speaking, technically. You can just log in sometimes and check if things are working, right? You're practically a god. You don't have to hunt all day. Just max your status and sweep everything. I still don't understand what your perfect world is supposed to be. What do you want to do in High Gear?"
Silence settled over the channel.
"I— I don't know."
The Operator said.
"Can a created world ever be truly perfect? If users eventually ignore it, then it's a lie."
Thoughts drifted through the silence.
"Yeah, I ran away from reality because I hated it. So I don't have a choice. What I want to do in High Gear… is probably just to live. My heart is here. So for me, this is real."
Number Seven asked, "Are you satisfied with that? Everything was made by you. What if a serious bug pops up? Even if High Gear falls into ruin, could you still live there?"
A late reply came.
"…I only said I wanted to live. That's all. I'm leaving first. As for the agenda, I'm personally not guilty. Keep that in mind when you vote." The High Gear icon vanished.
"Hmph! She keeps raid times like clockwork. Hey, I'm logging off too. Abstain on the agenda."
When Number Seven also cut the connection, the smile icon moved the meeting along quickly.
"Let's vote immediately. For punishing Yahweh2 press 1; not guilty press 2."
Numbers appeared on ten screens.
"Alright. I'll save today's minutes and lock the meeting. See you next time."
Yahweh2 — not guilty.
The Wasteland from earlier.
Shirone and his party cranked High Gear's output to maximum and hunted Metal Wolves.
"Hey! It's running! Shoot! Shoot!"
As the rifle spat fire, the Metal Wolf twisted sharply.
Destroyer707 frowned when only debris flew from the ground.
"Agh, annoying! That's weird. Didn't we used to take these down so easily?"
In fact, the Metal Wolf's average level hovered between 6 and 7—a relatively weak creature.
DesGongju said, "That's because your level's too low. Usually you reach level 7 in the Iron Home before coming out."
Shirone offered a plan. "We can't win a straight power contest. This is an open plain, so we can't use terrain. We'll create it."
"Set a trap?"
"No. One person fires to widen the Metal Wolf's path, and two run straight to cancel out speed differences. Herd it into a one-way lane, and the last person finishes it."
UltimateCodename nodded. "Good plan. If we rotate roles we can raise levels evenly. Once you pass level 5, you should easily handle Metal Wolves."
They resumed hunting according to Shirone's plan.
Kiiiiing! Kiiiiing!
With sharp mechanical whines, Metal Wolves collapsed to the ground and they leveled up immediately.
"This is crazy; the experience's huge because the levels are so low. Even one kill pushes the bar up a lot."
"Yeah. This will be quick."
After taking turns hunting, Shirone's party all reached level 5.
Shirone's eyes gleamed. "A new feature unlocked. Search radius: 200 meters."
DesGongju said, "Yeah. It's an AI function that activates at level 5. Now info on users or creatures within 200 meters will appear. Same for codenames."
"It doubled. It was 100 meters at first."
"Oh? How did you know? That's not even in the manual. We measured it ourselves."
"Just… a mage's gut feeling."
"The search radius is really important. Outside it the AI doesn't operate, so auto-aim and all that won't work. The only thing you can see is a codename, and even that only within visual range. At 500 meters or a kilometer, you can't even check who hit you."
"That favors snipers. So that's why Endoscope fired with the scope maxed out at 200 meters."
"That's basic. At higher levels, combat range passes one kilometer. Users fly and even fire anti-personnel missiles."
Shirone nodded. "Got it. As level increases, AI functions multiply and perform better. Add increasing output, and a one-level gap becomes huge."
"Right. There are five major AI types. You activated auto-aim, recoil compensation, and search radius. One more unlocks at level 7 and another at 9. I'll explain them while we hunt. From level 10 you enter the world of selective options."
"Aha, so that's why it didn't open earlier."
Shirone couldn't deny it. 'Honestly, it's fun. The system teaches you step by step as you level up.'
In that respect, Tenman's presence felt precarious. 'Well, that's the operators' domain.'
For now, wanting to enjoy High Gear as a user, Shirone went back to hunting.
Killing level-10 Metal Scorpions and Metal Worms pushed the experience bar rapidly. Scorpions shot acid from their tails, and the worms burrowed underground—annoying abilities.
At level 7, the penetration-correction function activated.
"Nice."
DesGongju explained, "It's not core, but many variables stem from penetration correction. The key isn't probability. If it registers a hit, it will pierce armor. That means even very strong enemies have a chance for a headshot."
"Really? Then maybe we could beat Operator?"
"Short answer: it's possible. But the probability, in my opinion, is less than 0.001 percent. Let me explain. Aim at my forehead with the rifle."
When he aimed at DesGongju's brow, an aim reticle appeared.
A 100% marker popped up inside the reticle, and a red line traced a ring around it.
When that red line formed a perfect circle, the 100% marker glowed gold.
"Ah—"
"See? The important thing in penetration checks is the AI's computation time. With an old iron helmet like this, computation finished in about two seconds. If I'd fitted parts, the required time would increase according to the armor's durability. Of course, if you equip better weapons, the time shortens."
"Understood. So if I aimed at Operator now—her durability would be top-tier. Wouldn't the penetration check take ages?"
"No. In that case, instead of 100 percent you'll get a 'Critical' judgment. The rifle's limit can't surpass the armor's durability."
"But you said 0.001 percent."
"That was for when you've equipped a better weapon. Anyway, the Golden Wheel will support you. You're going to fight with a rifle? Do you think Operator will just wait until you activate penetration correction?"
"Well…"
"Still, it's a great function. You and Operator are extreme cases. Normally, if it succeeds you can pierce armor up to ten times your weapon's power."
"But it's much harder."
"Heh. That's why this matters more in boss creature raids. At higher difficulties, creatures' durability skyrockets. A 'Critical' judgment then is like a drop of rain in a drought. They say some creatures become physically unbeatable if you fail critical even once."
"Yeah. I get it."
They resumed hunting.
From now on the XP needed for level-ups rose sharply, so they had to hunt continuously for three hours.
Destroyer707 said, "Let's call it today. It's getting dark, so hunting efficiency will drop. We should conserve High Gear power, too."
"Power's dropping?"
"Not something we need to worry about at this level, but just in case. At high levels the batteries eat energy like crazy." UltimateCodename broke off a piece of dry wood he'd found in the wasteland.
"Let's make a fire. We don't need a sentry, but prey could still come."
Using flint taken from the Iron Home, they kindled a campfire. Shirone sat by the blaze.
'The heat feels real.'
Probably like a dream.
"Yahweh2."
Looking up, DesGongju hesitated, cheeks slightly flushed.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Um… we're having some fun. If it's okay, would you like to join us?"
Understanding what he meant, Shirone glanced at Destroyer707 and UltimateCodename. From their casual expressions he felt it.
'Right. This is… a virtual world.'
'Their appearances are all lies too, of course. I'm probably the only one here who cares about feelings.'
Shirone declined politely. "Sorry. I feel a bit awkward."
"Okay then."
Smiling, DesGongju returned to his seat and started a quiet game with his friends.
Crackle. Crackle.
Sparks leapt from the campfire and Shirone sank into thought.
'What is real?'
Three people across from him were kissing, and beyond them lay fathomless darkness.
'Where do feelings…'
Shirone reached out, his hand dangerously close to the flames.
'Where are they located?'
"Ooh—"
The campfire was hot, and yet ice-cold.