Please Read!
Authornote: No. I am not dead or anything with the Please Read! However, this is important. With how much I fixed up the old chapters, including a new prologue, I wanted to give you, the fans, a chance to read it and tell me what ya think before the next chapter is posted this weekend. This is to also give a heads up to readers not following as if I don't get any reviews telling the old ones are better or people say the new ones are better, I will be deleting the old chapters and releasing the next chapter... Which will make the chapter count the same as before I did this update. The next chapter will be definitely coming out this weekend and finally answer the question everyone's been asking in my reviews. Hint, this story follows the light novel version of Log Horizon which is ahead of the anime, hence why I am using it since Season 1 of the anime stopped at Book 5. That means certain things in the anime won't match up to the light novel due to cutting stuff down to fit anime format. Now, thank you for letting me get this out of the way and I am sorry for the short hiatus and now I am trying to get a roughly monthly release of all three stories. However, next chapter also tells about how you guys can possibly help with keeping this goal, though optional as my fanfiction will always be free for obvious reasons.
Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto or Log Horizon. They belong to there respectful owners and this is just fanfiction.
Volume 1
Prologue
I never knew... That day... Would change everything in my sad, pitiful life to something more.
"Boss, we are going to be forced to delay Alpha testing. We are having issues getting the game to connect to the main network."
"Slurp!" A shadow within a dark room filled with monitors gulped down a container of ramen while his feet were moving computer mice connected together so he could do two with one foot. "That's understandable. I noticed the code connecting Elder Tales' servers to here is a bit shaky at the moment. Probably because of the expansion going online in a bit. Since it is a seamless type of release and many players are online for the celebration, it's probably keeping the testing servers from connecting." A pre-teen voice filled the room, though the hum of the air conditioner and computers almost covered it up. "Send an email to the main developers and see when the first long maintenance is after the expansion to try and concede then where the least amount of players are on."
"Are you sure that will work? There are many people wanting to play this game. I am amazed that such a foreign idea has become so popular even with keeping a tight lip over this." The voice from the computer said. "In fact, the technology itself is amazing! To chat with you over screen is usually near impossible to do unless with major size batteries and they don't last long at all!"
"That's why we are introducing it with Elder Tales." The boy sighed before noticing text on his screen. "This place knows too much of war and not enough of actually getting along and having fun with even your enemies. So, by using Elder Tales, we can get everyone on board while also showing the better applications of the technology through the game instead of war. I still know there will be parties who will want to use this for bad means... But, that is why we are setting this up to instantly nip it in the bud. As for the players, I put the programming of Elder Tales in the consoles a demo for a testing ground for new players. It will allow for one to get up to level 20 and one character of the four made in that demo can be transferred to the real game. However, I made it so it won't trigger till after twenty-four hours after the expansion so it can have the latest data." The boy said while typing into the computer and separating the mice after throwing his empty ramen container behind him.
"Amazing, Boss! You're like a god!"
"I am no god." The boy said, logging into Elder Tales under the character known as Las Boss. "Even I am limited by the mortal realm. However, what I am good at is being an observer which sadly even ninja have forgotten. If they just stopped and looked around them, over half of their conflicts would never start to begin with. How do you think the ones who are really in charge got into their positions? They carefully observe what is going around them and then acted accordingly. Though, I am not really good at 'predicting' far ahead like many other observers, but my abilities to quickly access information and process it, form loose plans, and also set up small plans that I can build off of in a fly makes up for it. Though, you better send that email soon or else I will make your life miserable."
"Yes, sir!" The voice cut out for a new one to come up.
"Las Boss, what was that in the text box?" The boy looked at the screen, showing him looking at the ground and noticed all he said was in the chat box near his icons.
"Oops...Sorry about that...Just talking to a co-worker and my speech to text plug-in for Elder Tales caught it. Looks like it's working pretty good... Oh, my co-worker called me a god... He hasn't ever played Elder Tales, so does not realize that within this world there are plenty of people like you and me. They just don't shine in the real world where the morals and ideas of what a few believe should be what suppose to be real is shoved down everyone's throats."
"You're starting to sound like a bad guy... What happened? You used to brag about wanting to be a ninja. Did you finally give up?" The voice of a young man asked as the boy controlling Las Boss began to have the character move on the screen.
"Sort of... I realized my talents were wasted trying to keep going to the academy... I realized... I was just being an idiot chasing after a pipe dream that would never come true as even though I thought becoming a ninja would be awesome... Instead, I just kept pushing myself further downward. So, I change course and began using my real skills and passions to lead my life... It's been a rough last couple of weeks, but my life is beginning to slowly form to what it should be instead of my fake ideals."
"Oh, so you are no longer pretending to be a ninja?"
"Oi! Shiroe! I was never pretending! If I was, then I would never have the callouses and other things a ninja in training would have! You know how hard it is to properly learn to use a pen display pen with such callous hands or build a PC with such hands where being able to feel the tiniest of parts is important!" The boy puffed out his cheeks in anger. "Agh! If I realized it sooner, I would have saved myself so much trouble!... In some ways... Life is a crappy game. Even when the world I live in could be passed off as one of Earth's games."
"Las Boss... Were you on a game binge again?" The voice asked.
"If you call what we do a game binge, then what is our 72 hour duet runs?" The boy smirked with hearing a groan from the voice. "Though, sort of... I been playing and working non-stop for a week with small breaks."
"... You haven't slept?"
"I have, but power naps. Elder Tales has been working my butt off trying to get my region's servers up after hearing I quit the academy roughly three or four weeks ago... Can't remember... However, looks like we will have to delay on our side due to how heavy the traffic is with the expansion coming online soon." The boy looked at a timer which was counting down to zero, still having several minutes left. "Not that I don't mind as once we get the servers connected, I will be able to sleep as much as I want. To keep myself from losing my sharpness, I been playing Elder Tales in between my work which has been mostly coding and such. If I was doing my favorite work then I would be in trouble. Though, I made a new item that I have on my character right now off based of what Jakom will be releasing. Want to see it? I made a recipe so you can make it on your own."
"Seriously? Aren't your bosses going to get mad again for you hacking the game."
"I didn't hack. This will be a new item available after the first big update as a promotion item for the console the Elder Tales team will be releasing, designed by me! It works also as a great PC for artist like me and CAD users like yourself!" The boy gloated while hearing banging on his door. "Nani?"
"Open up, Dope!" A voice muffled through the door, but the boy sighed with not able to get who it was.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Someone at my door. Not like I am going to answer. If it's urgent, they'll break down my door or come through my window."
"...I do wonder where exactly you live where breaking down the door or coming through the window is normal."
"You would be surprise. The Old Man has spar doors and windows in his office due to some of the nuts. Oh, are these the noobs you were asking me to teach items? So cute! A Samurai and Kannagi! It's like those fantasy novels where the samurai protects the priestess or princess!"
"They are twins who just started the game. I was hoping since you are more knowledgeable on items, you could give them some pointers I would miss."
"Sure! In fact..." The boy typed on his keyboard and a bing went off from the computer. "A present for them both to teach bind on equip items!"
"Did you hack the game again?"
"No, these are some special items that will be available once the expansion kick in. The two accessories I just gave them are for a beginner's level quest and the items are a new type that grow with the user that is usually only seen with the highest level items. This is to make up for some of the new EXP up items that will be coming out after the first big maintenance after the expansion. Though, tell them to equip it now or else it will disappear if it doesn't register before the expansion."
"You're bosses are gonna to kill you."
"Nope! Some of us GMs have been given these items to give out to help spread the word with me having the pre-launch items since I am the only GM on at the moment. Well... Always the only GM on during launch due to obvious reasons... Though I have the really rare ones for one of the GM events once the expansion lauches which is basically tag!"
"Oh, god... I take that back... Your bosses want to kill the players. Don't they realize your speed stats?"
"Hence all the items I am going to be holding will be the mostly high ranking and for speed."
"Oi! Idiot! Answer you-Holy shit! It reeks in here!" A female voice hit the boy's ears through his headphones, but he ignored it.
"What was that about, Boss?"
"I just got some guests. They probably never seen a NEET's room before."
"Technically, you're not a NEET as you have a job."
"In my culture, unless it is a practical art form or seen as extremely beautiful, one's job if it involves art is seen as not an occupation if it is not to standards." The boy sigh, not even looking behind him as he heard several pairs of footsteps. "Though, it's amazing how easy it has been for me to get clients for graphic design after just showing them some of my work from Elder Tales. Not that it may not matter since I have been made the director of making the server and art here."
"Is that smart? You're just a kid."
"Oi, oi! Shiroe! You're mean! You forgot my own skills. This game mimics real life when it comes to the businesses within it. Also, you forgot our own titles-Please don't touch my computers." The boy sigh, spotting a few hands reaching for the mice connected to his other computer.
"Then why is my name on it?!" The female voice roared, not that the boy even looked at her.
"Oh... You're from the academy." The boy sighed, "I just simply made a bunch of characters and character sheets based off those that left a small impression on me from the academy for future character research in my work before dumping all unnecessary information from the academy out of my mind, including people's names and such."
"That's cruel, Boss. Maybe you should have my title."
"No, no. I just wasted my life and realized my mistake. In order to work properly, I had to let that useless stuff get out of my head to begin with, though I kept some important stuff just in case. You know how I work. I suck at planning ahead, but with my quick analyzing and back up planning skills, I can easily match you."
"True. That's why I always know you got my back. But, still, to forgot even people's names is rude."
"Useless information is useless information. There is no reason to remember names if I don't expect anything from them. Especially since my last hopes of believing my skills would be useful to others and finally could trust others was dashed with this world's system."
"That's troublesome..." A male voice asked while the boy heard the others gasp.
"Simple. The people of this world only focuses on those who have a great output to what is expected. Simply focusing on the individual instead of what works till possibly later on. That is the academy. Everyone is focused so on making the 'best' ninja, that they fail to realize what is really important to develop to make successful ninja or even army! Even the students fail to realize that with everyone force to fight each other for the 'best' spot. How are you expected to fight with such arrogant people when you do a mission?"
"Baka! You're the one arrogant." The female voice shouted.
"Heh. True, Boss. Maybe you were in the right to quit. Is there any other schools that you can go to as they just lost great talent even if it is for planning instead of fighting."
"Nah. Konoha's only 'full career' school is the ninja academy. Hence why I just jumped into my side career full time. Though, it's amazing how fast I managed to bring a business never seen before into this area. I will at least not become the stereotype of a 'starving artist.'" The boy sighed, opening a window on another computer with coding appearing in the screen.
"Hey, can I try what you are doing?" A different voice asked, pointing at the screens still on the character menu, showing a good list of characters.
"Sure. Just wait a bit after the expansion opens. I need to see what's keeping the test servers from connecting from the game, but I rather not test my connection with having more than one character up. I purposely logged of my other characters I was playing out to make sure of it." The boy sighed, "Might as well let you guys have some fun for coming all this way only to get nothing out of it. I am not returning to the academy."
"Were you playing more than one character again?"
"Hai! I'm not known as the One-Man Party for no reason! I am up to six characters at once, though I am still figuring out which three characters to level up to 90 to meet up with my original raid team. I am hoping with my new free time to do a party raid by myself." The boy chuckled before pouting with someone bobbed his head.
"What the heck are you talking about, Baka! And stop ignoring us!"
"Sounds like you have troublesome visitors."
"Not really. After giving up the pipe dream, I just stopped worrying about pleasing people. Just like I do in the game. My ability to trust people in the real world has finally being crushed, so there's only one person I can trust inside and outside the game fully. Makes me wish I was born your brother. Life is a crappy game that we can both agree on. No matter what you do, everyone is against you."
"I wish not or else your NEET would have spread to me... And I also take back what I said. You are a game obsessed NEET."
"Then, what does that make you? You have been a gamer longer as me. Huh? Oh! Expansion is about to launch. Celebration time!" The boy chimed while putting an item in his toolbar that looked like a popper.
"Wait... How the heck are there poppers in game?"
"You didn't check your server mail. Everyone who has been in the game for expansion release is getting one to pop if they want. It's a one time used joke item, but it worth celebrating since a lot of my item and concept designs are going to be released in this expansion!"
"You just like to mess with people."
"Aie,Aie! Mister Party-Pooper!"The boy chimed, looking at his side screen. "Huh?"
"What is it? One of your guests break your computers?"
"That's rude, whoever you are." A calm male voice said.
"No... Is this why the servers were not connecting? The coding for the game just went weird on me." The boy said, looking at screen of code. "Hm...This can't be right... Unless someone put an inside joke in the code." The boy said as the counter on the other screen was only a minute away at hitting zero. "If this code translate correctly, it says 'To those who lived double lives, your life shall become one. As your purpose is now to be solidified into the world. Thank you for your sacrifice. We welcome you, the Adventurers, to Theldesia and hope you enjoy your new home. To whoever is able to read this, we bless you with a unique skill.'... What the hell? Someone must have been dru-Nani?" The boy noticed on another screen with several programs flashing red. "What the hell? Is someone using the expansion to hack the game?" The boy said, starting to type before seeing the counter next to his game play screen hitting zero. The instant it did, the boy's eyes widen as the screen when blank and some kind of video like sequence played. "This isn't part of the game!" Shining flame-like words appearing on a black screen, the sky falling away from him and a darkness-like sticky asphalt with a bright moon flying through the darkness... Then the boy's own vision went black when a buzzing like sound hit his ears.