East Country and West Country (1)
Shirone guessed what had happened.
Destroyer Demon707 and his group had nudged Krayner's trajectory a few degrees with a synchronized barrage.
They'd come back to save me.
The angle was only around ten degrees, but for Shirone in a state of hyper-focus it was the only opening.
"Thanks. Because of you—"
"You idiot!"
Destroyer Demon707's eyes went wide. He spun and dashed back at once.
"What are you doing? Get out of here, now!"
When Shirone turned, the Tenmen who'd returned to the start point were firing rapid volleys from their rifles.
"Ugh!"
Hobbling on one numb leg, Shirone threw himself across the line.
The shooting stopped the moment he crossed the boundary.
"It's done. It's done now."
Death Gongju let out a relieved sigh as Shirone looked back toward Iron's Home.
Tenman 10, supported by his men, was making for the exit.
The Mightiest Codename said, "It's useless. The start point's already been altered. Even if you kill us, you'll just respawn."
"You, Yahweh2."
Tenman 10 halted at the border and asked, "East Country or West Country? Whatever your allegiance, come join our guild. We'll back you up to Magnan level and then guarantee ten percent of profits."
Destroyer Demon707's expression changed.
Magnan is level 260. Are they for real? Supporting someone from level one would eat through a ton of Eunha.
Before his codename was changed, the highest level he'd reached was 183.
"I'm not interested in the Tenmen."
Tenman 10 narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? Of course we're the home base. Tenmen operations are just—never mind. Think it over. Our guild ranks among the top five on the mainland."
The faces of Destroyer Demon707's group darkened.
That's a threat.
Even big guilds rarely put out an assassination order against a specific user—there has to be a pretext, and if public opinion turns, it's hard to keep a guild together.
But you can always make up a pretext. Especially with someone like Yahweh2.
Just dodging bio bullets would be scandal enough back on the mainland.
"No."
Shirone was firm. "If you have a base elsewhere, that makes you worse. Not telling us your guild name proves it. Do whatever you want. I'll crush you."
"…You'll regret it."
Tenman 10 had no better comeback, but then his High Gear powered down.
When he vanished from the start point—reduced to a corpse in the system—his subordinates sputtered and fell back, pointing angrily.
"Be careful. I'll remember your codename."
After the Tenmen disappeared from the landscape, Shirone turned back toward the electronic wasteland.
"Let's go. We have to reach Atogram by tomorrow at the latest. You'll take us, right?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah."
Yahweh2's blunt refusal of Tenman 10 had left them shaken.
I thought he was naive, but he's unexpectedly fierce. Iron's Home—start point.
When Tenman 10 opened his eyes, Sancho was scowling beside him.
"Boss."
"...What happened?"
"He left. We offered him a scout position, but it didn't take. He wasn't even afraid of an assassination order. He must belong to a large guild."
"Tch. How did one person get through us? Word'll spread soon—so embarrassing."
Destroyer Demon707 didn't care much for shame.
"But it was weird. Dodging bullets in a bio state—"
"AAAAH! AAAAAH!"
Sancho couldn't hold back his rage.
"How dare that bastard headshot me? Hey, did you record it? Send it to admins now."
"Will it help? The video can't be edited. Our voices will be on it."
"Hah! What are they gonna do? But exploiting a system bug in gameplay is a whole other level. Permanent ban—make sure they can never log in again."
"...Alright."
Tenman 10 opened the operator request page at the top of the meta-reality.
The video file uploaded.
Shirone asked, "We have to spend the night in the electronic wasteland? Atogram's really that far?"
Death Gongju tapped his chin. "Far? If you run, about three hours. Past level 100 it's thirty minutes flat. The problem isn't distance so much as level."
The Mightiest Codename explained, "It's height, not distance. The end of the electronic wasteland is ringed by a barrier. To clear it, a High Gear with at least level ten output is necessary."
"I see. So we level up as we go. Are there mobs here?"
"Of course. Parts are hard to get, but early on you can earn a decent amount of Eunha. Farm here, then buy a beginner package at Atogram—that's the right play."
"I get it. Beginner package." Destroyer Demon707 frowned. "Still, I don't get how you, a total newbie, stood up to Tenman 10. If they put you on their kill list at base, we're all screwed."
Shirone wasn't especially scared himself, but he didn't want his companions harmed.
"There's a friend waiting at Atogram. He'll probably handle it."
"That merchant? What's his codename? If he's resourceful I might know him."
"Olga's son."
All three turned their heads at once.
"What! Olga's son?"
"Yeah. His personality's a bit difficult, but I trust him with this kind of thing. Don't worry too much—"
"What are you saying! He's an East Country ranker! His duel rank is fourth overall! That Olga is really your friend?"
"I guess…? We went to the same school."
Death Gongju's eyes lit up. "So when we get to Atogram, can we meet him? Huh? You'll introduce us, right?"
"Of course. I won't let Tenmen or anyone else harm you because of me."
"Harm? This might actually be—"
Destroyer Demon707 thought, Not just a top-100 ranker, but Olga's son. This is huge. I'm definitely heading East Country.
He searched Olga's son and the guild emblem took up the rank entry.
East Country guild ranking No. 1: Gold Coin Wheel.
He grinned at the thought of the Gold Coin Wheel emblem next to the codename.
Shirone asked, "What's with the giggling?"
Destroyer Demon707 shook his head. "Huh? Nothing. Anyway, I get it now. You want to be a ranker too? Don't pretend you don't know me later."
"I didn't come here to go pro. It's personal—I need to beat someone."
"That happens. A match in High Gear to settle things. The opponent should be West Country. What's their codename? I'll look them up."
"Operator." Silence fell.
There was no need to search, but everyone's thoughts scattered.
"Is it a knockoff—"
"No, that Operator is the real deal. I heard they're the strongest in High Gear."
He really knows nothing. Otherwise he wouldn't be so casual about "I heard they're the strongest."
"Alright. As a veteran, I'll say this: your chance of beating Operator solo is zero. I don't mean to put you down—the High Gear system is like that."
Death Gongju said, "Higher level raises engine output. But that's the simple part. As AI level rises, combat convenience skyrockets."
Shirone had already felt it himself.
"Even at equal levels, power varies wildly by parts. How you set selective options can change everything. Do you think you can match all those elements anytime soon? Operator is an early adopter—one of the best rigs you can field in High Gear."
The Mightiest Codename added, "Their combat sense is top-tier. Undefeated and number one in the duel rankings—that's what it means."
This wasn't a world grit alone could conquer.
"But I can't give up. I'll win no matter what. How do I meet Operator?"
Seeing real determination in Shirone's eyes, Destroyer Demon707 sighed deeply.
"All right. If you really mean it—"
He tossed aside an empty magazine, loaded a new one into his rifle, and slammed it home.
"We're going to hunt like crazy."
Operator meeting room.
Twelve screens ringed the round table, each bearing a mark for a different department.
They were also the undercoders' outcasts; they never showed their real faces.
"A system report has been filed…"
The voice on the feed was voice-modulated.
"It happened in Iron's Home. We'll play the recording—watch, then discuss."
The footage played across all twelve screens.
"Remove the rectangle! Don't aim at the target—predictive fire into space!"
Shirone, recorded from Tenman 10's viewpoint, struggled on-screen.
The operators said nothing.
Even after Sancho went down to a headshot and the conversation at Iron's boundary ended.
"All right."
Number Seven spoke first.
"It's not my field, but I thought Eidolon Arts were blocked. Did the firewall fail?"
The Yo mark said, "No. No sign of intrusion or attack. Meta processes show nothing abnormal."
"Then what is that? Is that even a person? How did they dodge something faster than Mach?"
The Smile mark said, "Logs suggest extreme time distortion under extreme concentration. In other words, nerve signal transmission temporarily outpaced the projectile—"
"Exactly!"
Number Seven snapped. "We blocked both magic and schema—how could that happen? Is he calling himself a god?"
The Black Circle mark said, "The codename Yahweh2 is suggestive. Is this the Yahweh I know?"
The Gear mark said, "As Tutorial Administrator I don't have to answer, but I stake my admin honor: this isn't someone exploiting a systemic loophole."
Number Seven said, "That's an unusually grave tone for you. What's Yahweh—someone's name? Handsome?"
"Do you not understand how the world works? Go eat some Dream Stars and take a walk."
"Are you picking a fight with me right now?" the Lollipop mark snapped.
"Now, now—enough. Our review finds no systemic error. Interpretation varies by judgment. Isn't our design motto that every user gets equal opportunity in High Gear?"
The Yo mark said, "But you can't police individual perception. Even in the same situation, sensory differences change reactions. Denying Yahweh2's perception is denying the individuality of all users."
The Smile mark agreed. "If it doesn't violate design intent, it's fine. Honestly, the Tenmen living in Iron's Home don't exactly embody High Gear's motto, do they?"
"That's entertaining. That is entertaining," Number Seven said.
"Anyway, since we brought up design intent—what does our lady think?"
Silence fell. Then the screen with the High Gear mark signaled.
"Are you hesitating, Number Seven?" It was Operator's voice.