Log horizon
Log Horizon : The monk
By its eleventh expansion pack, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Elder Tale has become a global success, with a user base of millions of players. However, during the release of its twelfth expansion pack: Novasphere Pioneers, thirty thousand Japanese gamers who are logged on at the time of the update suddenly find themselves transported into the virtual game world and donning their in-game avatars.
1) Apocalypse (part 1)
Inside Japan server
City of Akihabara
'The sky is so blue...'
"wait a minute...the sky is so blue ? What the..." a girl with white hair and green eyes sat up and look around herself.
"...wait a minute...this seems the city of Akihabara...but it can't be, Akihabara is a city in the game...how could i see it so well ? " the girl noticed that her physical aspect had changed "wait a minute...white hair, grey pants, red t-shirt and black armor ? ! Why i am in my avatar ?! I don't understand!... One moment...ok breath Ray...breath...let's try to remember what happened..."
Flash back
In a typical teenage girl room a black haired girl was sitting at her desk
" yes mom...don't worry i'll be fine it's not the first time you and dad had to suddenly leave for a work trip..." the girl said in the cell in her hand. She was at her desk with her pc opened.
[ i know honey but we promised you to take you out tomorrow night for celebrate your victory in the drawing competition...] the voice of a woman came from the phone.
" well to compensate you and dad will take me to the amusement park, the new one that opened last week. Ok ?"
[ ok , we are in. Oh honey before i forget can you please clean the house tomorrow ? ]
" ok no problem see you soon mom, say hi for me to dad"
[ don't worry honey will we home before you go to shopping with your friends in a few days. Good night sleep well] .
" yes, good night to you guys too" this ended the call.
" sorry mom but i won't go to sleep soon. Today there is the new expansion, i will play for a while and then go to sleep. I guess that what she not know can't hurt her. Oh here is the new expansion...let's go!"
End of the flash back
" and after that what happened ? Ok, let's try to log out...i can't log out!" she said after trying the log out button. Fortunately she seems still able to use the menu of the game.
Her scream was not the only one in the city
" it's seems that i'm not the only one in this situation...and now what i do ? Come on Ray you can't let you go to the negative side! Oh let's see who is in the same situation that I know!" the girl said.
She opened her friends list
" most of my friends aren't on line...ah the troublesome guys are active...better leave them alone...oh...no way! He is in the game ? It's been a while since i saw him or talk to him...let's see if our genius know something ".
The girl touched the button chat
Drin...
Drin...
Drin...
[ hello ?]
" ah Shiro- sempai! It's me! Ray! Where are you ? I'm alone! I don't know what is happening! And.."
[ Ray calm down. Breath...now are you calm ?]
" yes...thank you. Like always, you know how to take me when i'm agitated...Shiro-sempai...do you know what is happening ?"
[....unfortunately not yet. Listen, are you in Akihabara right ? Let's meet to the Silver leaf Tree in Akihabara ok ?]
" ok, i will see you in a few moments " Ray ended the chat.
A few minutes later
' here he is...uh ? He is not alone ? I can't see who is the other person from here, let's go near them',
" Shiro-sempai! Sorry, i'm late some nasty guys had tried to attack me for answers that i didn't have, so i punch them until they let me go" Ray said with a smile.
A tall guy with dark eyes and glasses turn around. He wear a white mantle, in his hand his inseparable staff.
" it's fine, the important thing is that you are here...look who log in in after two year "
Ray look behind Shiro, to see another familiar face that she didn't see for years
" no way! Naotsugu-sempai ? It's been ages since i last saw you!" Ray said to the tall men behind Shiro.
Naotsugu was dressed in his grey armor, his inseparable shield near him.
" Yo! Little monk! It's been a while since we saw each other" the new found friend said to Ray while wave his had to greet her, " So Shiro, we are all here. Do you have any ideas about the situation we are in villain with glasses ?" Naotsugu said to Shiro.
" it appears that we are in the world of Elder Tale.First of all i want to confirm something, what is the last thing you remember ? I was playing when the extension update, then i was here in the city. You ?"
" me too" Ray and Naotsugu said together.
" but what we can see and feel with our sense, is different respect when we played behind the screen of the computer right ? " Ray asked to the two men.
" this is definitely Akihabara, i've seen it hundreds of times in the game" Naotsugu said,
" but.." Shiro said.
" the sky stretches so much further " Naotsugo finished his sentence
"yeah, and it feels like i'm really touching it" Shiro said touching a rock. " i guess that this isn't a dream ".
" then we're in the game, huh ? I thought that only happened in fantasy novels" Naotsugu said,
" but how is this possible...it doesn't have any sense! More importantly...Shiro-sempai do you think we can get home ?" Ray said looking at the men that since the day she meet him, in every situations had every time an answer.
" i don't know. How did we get here, in the first place ? I know...we may not be able to return quickly. Which means...we should be ready " Shiro said fixing his glasses.
" what do we do now ?" Naotsugu asked with a grin
" let's gather information, we have to know more about this world "
" that's true, good to see you as calm and analytical as ever. We are counting on you strategist " Naotsugu said .
" you are right Shiro-sempai, in this kind's of situations we should gather information and stay calm."
After their little reunion the three of them started to walk in the city, with their moral a little more light.
" by the way Ray...i know i was away for two years but what is that dark light armor you wear, it doesn't look like it's a normal armor for the monks" Naotsugu asked to his younger friend.
" uh ? Oh! It was a prize that i got after a difficult raid. Since i was the only monk in the party the leader of the group gave it to me. It's the armor of the black dragon, it has special abilities. Unfortunately i know some of them other are still unknown. It's a rare item so i think i'm the only one who has this type of armor" Ray said with a proud smile.
While they were walking they notice that every player in the game was desperate and in search for answers like them. Someone was even tried to received answer from the NPC, but even that was a dead end.
Shiro suggested that for the moment they shouldn't leave the city since outside there are different types of monster and until they understand something it was better to stay in the city.
While they were walking Shiro started to talk to Naotsugu
" since you log in after two years, i presume that now it's all good with you work right ?"
" that's right...but ..."
" but ?" Shiro and Ray asked together
" but what really sucks is there aren't any cute girls at work!" Naotsugu said .
" Who cares ?" said Shiro,
" apparently him, Shiro-sempai" Ray said.
" what was that ? You're just a closet pervert! And Ray is a girl so she can't understand!" Naotsugu said with an angry tone of voice,
"i'm not a closet anything " Shiro said
" i'm sorry to be a girl " Ryo said with an angry tone of voice.
" listen well you two! In this world there two types of men! Open perverts who admit it, and closet perverts who won't. I am the former! And I love panties!" shouted Naotsugu with an exciting tone of voice and " you Shiro are the latter".
" yeah, yeah" said Shiro like he hadn't listen to his speech,
" Naotsugu-sempai...i should tell you...since you are in the first group...the men in the first group are men that in a way or another will be put in jail" said Ray with with a disbelief tone of voice and " oh another thing, you should be warning, some women can decided to kick you if they heard you talk about panties".
Shiro took some passes and find himself on the ground
" what's wrong ?" said Naotsugu
" how tall are you Naotsugu ? In real life i mean" Shiro asked
" 183 cm, like in the game"
" you Ray ? "
" uhm…..165 cm like in the game too. Why did you ask how tall are we sempai ? "
TIC
" my character is taller than i really am, so this body doesn't feel quite right..."
Tic
Tic
' a rock ? Why a rock fell?" thought Ray, she looks around to see if there was an enemy. The two male continued their discussion when
SPLASH!
" what are doing ? That's dangerous!" Naotsugu screamed to the figure in a ruined building,
" you are...Akatsuki-san" said Shiro.
"that Akatsuki ?" said Ray,
" you two know him ?" Naotsugo asked them
" we were in a party together, not much of a talker, but a good assassin " said Shiro,
" i never meet him in person but i have heard rumors about him, in the assassins community he is pretty famous " said Ray.
The trio followed the assassin in the ruined building, when they found the man he was leaning against a wall. He looked in pain.
He wore a typical ninja outfit, but the most shocking aspect of him was his voice
" Shiro-san i need your help" said the assassin, but his voice wasn't a masculine voice like they expected in fact it was a female voice.
…..
….
….
"YOU ARE A GIRL ?!" shouted the other three.
To be continued