Authornote- Surprise! Bet no one was expecting a Friday update with the early upload. I actually am doing a triple chapter upload for this Friday as celebration for Black Friday(more like the fact I got out of doing the madness than the actual event, heh heh). The upside of buffers is it makes it possible for me to do this for holidays and such without worrying to much. Hope you all enjoy this holiday treat!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Log Horizon. This is a fanfiction used to help with my writing skills and the fact I enjoy writing stories like these. All I own is the ideas and sub-plots used to make this fanfiction and explore Log Horizon and Naruto in a different way. Also, don't own any of the games and anime I make reference to in this story, but still got to give homage to video games since this is technically a video game fanfiction as well.
Well, this escalated quite quickly, Las Boss sighed, peeling an orange. His party was in relaxed at a table. Still, four days and the markets still are wiped out of major supplies. No one even has an Appearance Reset Potion. Even the henge is not worth constantly using even after adding mastery points to it. Las Boss looked at Shiroe and Naotsugu. Both looked a bit depressed, but trying their best to eat the food before them.
My gag reflex is still as strong as ever. I can't even eat this tasteless shit. I thought only the patrons at the orphanage could pull off tasteless food. Las Boss bit into an orange piece. His only salvation was the fact ingredient items had taste. Hence the past four days, he had eaten nothing but fruit and vegetables. And occasion fish that could be eaten without cooking, but those were now really rare on the market now along with other ingredient items.
They had tried cooking like in the old worlds. Yet, everything that Naotsugu and Shiroe cooked turned to strange goo or charcoal. Las Boss cooking looked the same horrifying way it did in his old world. None of them had the courage to test it, even when Las Boss explain his cooking always taste good even though it looked like it could star in horror game. Though, even Las Boss did not want to test his food with seeing the other two's cooking.
But, food is the least of our worries. Las Boss took note of the billboard in the inn they were in. It was covered with flyers for guild recruitment. Even the people around them were giving them worried glances. From looking through the menus, almost all the people around them were in a guild.
-I rather not get asked by another guild again today.- Las Boss wrote on his pad, pushing it into the middle of the table for the other two to see with a quill pen on it. Shiroe put his tasteless sandwich down and took the pad.
-I understand. Though, all three of us prefer not to be bound to a guild.- Shiroe wrote, pushing it back into the middle. It was the only means of private communication they had in such a public place since the chat menu was gone.
-Correct. Also, I don't want to give Maryelle a burden festival. If we joined her guild temporary only to get out of these invites, we could draw unneeded attention to her guild due to our past.- Naotsugu added.
-It's also easier to get information with not being bound by a guild. However, it seems Akiba is setting up an order in the worse kind of way.- Las Boss wrote, all of them frowning. With everyone in a panic, everyone was turning to guilds as a way to find solace and allies. But, due to the chaos created, many people have shifted to an Us Vs. Them mentality. If they weren't in the guild you were in, you couldn't trust them. Outsiders without a guild were seen as either potential recruits or a threat.
-Yes. But there is nothing we can do.- A tired sigh came from Shiroe's lips as he pushed the pad back.
-In a sense, food and survival is easy to get. Yet, it is hell with food that tastes like soggy crackers and all drinks taste like tap water.- Naotsugu added his opinion on the pad.
-That, and dying does not take us out of this world.- Shiroe pointed out, the tired look on the three only getting heavier. As soon as the trio got back to Akiba on the second day being trapped in this world, they found out Adventurers do revive in this world. Some guy pissed off the Royal Guard and got himself killed, reviving in the Cathedral some time later. However, that was also when everything began to go downhill.
It was an odd version of chaos that Las Boss never seen before even with the many experiences he had. The guilds going into requirement mode and people quickly becoming suspicious was one thing he expected. Yet, now, the issue was the boredom. Unlike in some of the stories Las Boss watched and read as well as seeing it with his own eyes in his old world, mostly everyone in this world had a means to earn the money or supplies to easily get food and water. That and getting a place to stay was just as cheap. Hence there was no need for survival as it is simply given to them.
There's no purpose. A game needs a purpose to be enjoyable, Las Boss thought, though he already had his own goals. Though, at the moment, he could only gather information that only now seems pointless to him. Something is wrong with my memories. I can't even remember my hair color from my old self. However, I wonder if this is the same for everyone else?
Las Boss knew Shiroe and Naotsugu at least know how they look back in the old world. Though, they had avatars that closely match their old bodies albeit some minor differences. All my characters look differently from me, so Shiroe and Naotsugu probably escaped my issues with similar characters. Even the female one… That's it! Naruko! Las Boss went wided eye, realizing something. I made one character based off myself if I was a female. So, with remembering that, I was at least a blond hair, blue eye kid. My name also went with Naruko. Let's see. Naruka? Naruta, Naruki, [ ].
"Are you alright, Boss?" Shiroe asked, confused when Las Boss stood up. Las Boss took his pad and wrote on it.
-Sorry. Just realized something. It might be a wise idea if we pool our funds and buy a base.-
"Ah...What do you mean?" Naotsugu asked, raising an eyebrow at Las Boss.
"No way. You're thinking the guilds could…" Shiroe hushed his voice, confusing the Guardian.
-Yeah. Every building and zone is for sell. We noticed this with exploring the markets the other day. It's a huge investment, but big guilds could pull it off with careful planning and combining with other guilds to gain more resources. So far, I think they will be only going for resources and large places to cover their guild. But, later on, it could change.- Las Boss wrote, hiding his relief. I can't tell them I can't ever hear my own name in my thoughts. But, how is it possible for the instant I think of a name, a blank space appears?
-Ah, that would mean a guild could take over an inn and refuse to service players they don't like. That's wrong.- Naotsugu wrote. Shiroe and Las Boss, however, looked at each other. Las Boss could see what he was thinking and nodded.
It can be much worse, Naotsugu. Which is why my other goal is to ensure the safety of my friends. At this moment , there's only two. That is quite amazing considering I had no living, viable friends in the old world outside Shiroe over the computer. Las Boss watched as Shiroe and Naotsugu stood up with quickly finishing their breakfast. -Since we got a good idea of how fighting works through training, let's scout Akiba. We might find more information today with letting things settled down.-
"Agreed. A break from training would be good. We need to also sell the loot we don't need and visit the bank." Shiroe said as the three of them walked out of the inn. "Ah, Boss, what other skills do you have outside that new one?" Shiroe asked, pulling out a small notebook of his own.
-Tried Bushin no Jutsu, but it got and error and disappeared from my list. Probably due to I could never use it in my old world. The Bushin no Jutsu was a jutsu that allowed you to make illusionary copies of yourself for distraction and evasion purposes. I do have the Kawarimi no Jutsu which allows me to change my position with other things like a log. It now act like a teleport spell for very short distances. I also still have the Kakuremino no Jutsu which allows me to hide myself by using a special fabric to hide with my background. It has become a hate management and hiding skill. I have also gained two odd bonus skills which is quite odd. I gained Taijutsu Mastery and Ranged Weapon Master,y which are the only two without a Class transfer spell.-
"Class transfer spell?" Shiroe asked, taking notes in his notebook.
-All classes can learn Jutsu, but once you hit Intermediate with the jutsu, you gain the class transfer spell, a unique spell or spells depending on the jutsu unique to that class. You get to keep both the jutsu and class transfer spell, which that spells opens a skill tree to open new spells the normal class does not have. Though, E-rank or basic jutsu just like I have only have one or two skills that can be gained from them. The higher the rank of other jutsu, the more transfer spells and skills- Las Boss wrote, sighing. -Seems the Mastery Skills get a pre-set before they can work which I chose the Evasive for my Taijutsu Mastery and chose Throwing Weapons and Long Bows for Range Weapon Mastery. I just hit Intermediate with all the skills, but my Class transfer spells have yet to appear due to there is a purposed delay depending on how many you level up at one time to keep players from spamming out new skills too quickly.-
"That's just broken," Naotsugu sighed, shaking his head at Las Boss. "Broken festival, indeed."
"Actually, that isn't broken. The Mastery skills that is." Shiroe answered, looking up from his pad with writing what Las Boss showed him. "This reality must of carried his skills over due to it matched the jutsu system. The developers were probably trying to figure out how to bring other ninja related skills into the jutsu system and balance them with the game. It's actually quite smart as it gives new content for high level players like us."
"An alien world where ninja live and technology is far behind? Fishy story festival to me." Naotsugu said, frowning at the two mages. "I mean, when you learn of another planet with life, you expect aliens and maybe them being at the same technology level or higher."
"I know it is hard to take, but Boss actually showed me photo evidence to prove it from his reference photos for the...Wait, Boss, the expansion was called Homesteading in the Noosphere, right?"
-Yeah. It was a joke on the essay it is named after, but it was to also introduce the concept of software and computers to my world through Elder Tales.- Las Boss's eyes widen, realizing where Shiroe was going. -That's right! The Falling Moon Noosphere Event! It would be when the final mini-server for my world would connect to Elder Tales, creating new player cities across the servers to allow the servers to connect to the combined Noosphere Server that is for my world! The back story for the quest was another world, appearing like a moon, would appear in the sky and kick the quest started on both side to expose the two worlds. We called the first test servers the Moon Server with the Alpha Server was suppose to connect to the game at the expansion.-
"Wait. So, Elder Tales would become intergalactic to a tech-backwards world?" Naotsugu asked in shock as they began to walk again.
-My world knows all too well the problems caused by war. Hence why I was hoping to use Elder Tales as a means to bring some peace to my world by showing the good such technology can do.- Las Boss showed what he wrote, but frowned in thought. But, there's been no signs for the quest since we got here. However, when you put the fact my memories are glitching out, then things seem to be more than it seems. But why is it only my most recent memories only affect? All the rest of my memories are perfectly fine, which is what I would expect with a lengthy save file to lose if corrupted like mine.
"How was the new player cities and new zones to form?" Shiroe asked, snapping Las Boss from his thoughts.
-There is five mini-servers combined into one that is the Noosphere server, each representing the five major shinobi countries. Each takes that country's ninja village and capital and combined them for the player cities. Those will be called Craters with appearing in five location as if embedded into the world.- Las Boss changed the page to continue. -The rest of the areas appear as floating islands or part of the outstretched areas of the Craters. Don't know much on the floating islands due to we were still finishing up the Craters. The islands were also being done by the main developers with wanting to make sure we give good content and use it as a base for us to make our own content in my world.-
"Wait, seriously? They were planning to make this world a full scale model of Earth instead of the half it is?" Naotsugu asked as they were passing a lake. Las Boss head a rock hit the ground behind them and looked back to see nothing.
"Yes. From what Boss told me with helping him, they originally wanting to expand the game world to match the exact distance instead of it behind half Earth's real size now with the Half-GAIA Project." Shiroe adjusted his glasses as they heard another rock hit behind them. "However, with finding out Boss's world is real, they thought it would actually make for a better player experience to have two worlds meet and make the other half of content and servers from Boss's world."
"Even the developer believe this lying troll?" Naotsugu asked, giving a skeptic look at Las Boss.
-My reference photos proved it too them. As well as the now several assassination orders put on my head just to get those reference photos due to how tight lip of the ninja villages are with taking photos of major places in the village.- Las Boss sighed, though raising an eyebrow at the shocked looks from the two. What? I was obtaining technically information from spies. Though the spies were confused as to why I just wanted basic photos of buildings, landmarks, and such even after I told them I was using the references for artwork. Wait a second...
"So, you're world really is a dangerous place to live. It is a good thing you gotten yourself out of the ninja academy." Shiroe sighed, though giving Las Boss an understanding look.
-Even non-ninja live in danger. It's a horrible shit game where everyone is constantly trying to outwit the other so badly that I can easily see the manipulation and strings of lies all over. What's the point of even becoming a ninja when your voice won't matter in all the noise covering the truth?- Las Boss heard another rock hit behind them, but looked at the lake.
Not all my memories are missing. Just specific ones and the stuff connected to those, Las Boss pondered, hearing Shiroe and Naotsugu discussing Naotsugu's job that forced him off Elder Tales for a while. Is it corruption like my voice? I remember everyone from Elder Tales, my work, and so on, but barely anything on myself from the old world, the academy, and the outside details of my work connected to Elder Tales. Oh, yeah, with all that has been going on, I haven't checked my Friend's List.
Las Boss opened his menus and went to his Friend's List. However, he was shocked when seemed to short, buzzing with noise as he tried to read the names. What the? Why is my Friend's List acting up?
"Boss! Look out!"
"Ee?" Las Boss looked up only to get drenched from the boulder thrown into the lake next to him. Lovely. Drench again. Las Boss shook, trying to get as much water as he could off before it seeped into his clothes.
"What the hell are you doing? That's dangerous!" Las Boss sighed, looking at where Naotsugu was shouting at. He saw a man dressed in dark cloth armor, looking much like a ninja with his face covered with a ninja mask and head covering. He was leaning against the second floor wall of a collapse building he was standing in.
"It's Akatsuki-san," Shiroe said, recognizing ninja figure.
"What? You know him?" Naotsugu asked, confused.
"Boss and I partied with him before. He is not much of a talker, usually using the text system like Boss. However, he's a good Assassin." Shiroe explained, some relief on his face.
Probably thinking it was some people experimenting how to kill without summoning the Guards, Las Boss sighed, noticing the Assassin motioning them to come to that building. Though, why is Akatsuki still silent? Is he like me? Las Boss pondered, following his compared to the building.