Chapter 11: The Calm
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Sorry guys, better late than never, right? I've been working on this chapter little by little for nearly three months, which is ridiculous. But yeah, I've realized that I can't write fantasy, contemporary, comedy, and conversation worth a damn. To make up for it I spend a lot of time refining, but if I spend too long on it my mind goes numb. So I've decided I need to space it out with some sci-fi (my favorite genre), so on the side I'll be working out a crossover with Muv-Luv.
If you're over 18, I recommend playing the three english-translated Muv-Luv games. It was a great emotional roller coaster. I exceedingly advise not spoiling yourself in any manner.
Disclaimer: the first game is a typical dating sim. It isn't until the second game that it gets into stride and the third game to truly lay out the emotional masterpiece (imo) that it is. Until then, the first two games are for character and world building. If you decide to go through with it, good luck!
Note: There are two games, Muvluv Extra and Muvluv Alternative. Muvluv Unlimited, the second in the series, can be unlocked by beating the two main heroines' routes in Muvluv Extra.
On topic: I'm changing Aine's name to Sigrun, because I'm just not digging the name Aine. Changed Fortitude in Chapter 2 to allow stat distribution.
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The wolf growled, raising its haunches. It didn't wait long before attacking, thinking its considerably lower-leveled foes to be easy prey.
Veritas clipped its open jaw with a kick, sending the wolf tumbling about in midair on the spot with the ferocity of the attack, followed up by a rising knee. The wolf, now some ten feet in the air and unable to maneuver or dodge, could only flail feebly against Gunter and Kirhi's ranged fusillade. The wolf survived the attacks and recovered, but the brunette Warrior was waiting for it as it fell. In minutes, the fight was over, the level 92 wolf's lifeless corpse skidding across the floor. It lay still next to a pile of like wolves, all killed in the same manner. The dungeon they were farming weighed in at level 94, far above their own visible levels. Like with the snow elves, Veritas had no doubt that, with his true strength outstripping his displayed level, he could challenge any of the dungeon's monsters in single combat and come out the victor. Unfortunately, wolves moved in packs, and any one pack could cause a wipe of their party. Gunter had finished the Basic Training Program, making the archer somewhat statistically his equal, but they were two against a dozen.
So, they'd been luring wolves away one at a time. Given their strength, the party could beat one without too much fuss, two tops. Three would breach the realm of safety and be dangerous.
Though a fully immersive world, rules had to be in place to ensure balance. Non-special, non-humanoid enemies obeyed typical RPG mechanics, such as systems that defined which character would take aggro, or when to heal or attempt to flee. Some measure of artificial intelligence supplemented this, such as allowing the wolves to communicate with one another as real animals do and truly act as a pack. Also, to facilitate player convenience, a feature known as Level Identification allowed these enemies to make choices based upon players' levels.
Based on the type of enemy and the player's level, a variety of choices could be made: With packs, the presence of a high-level player character could prompt the pack to attack en masse, or even flee altogether if the gap was deemed too large. For low-level characters, packs could consider them easy prey and swarm them, or they could even consider hunting weak players too much trouble and send only a few from the pack. Because monsters benefited from killing other monsters and players as much as the players themselves did, their thought algorithms would also take into account the worth of committing certain actions in relation to enemies of certain levels and numbers.
So, although it seemed as if easy food had appeared, because the wolves perceived that it wouldn't give them much experience, only a few peeled off to give chase... only for these unsuspecting predators to be ambushed with surprising and deadly force. Now, even if these enemies were the least strategic of the various enemy intelligences, every being in Royal Road had the capacity to learn throughout their lifetime (Which was rather pathetically small for monsters).
Having already read this from the various guides he read in his free time, Veritas cycled between different wolf packs. Occasionally though, a pack would realize what was happening and send a significant number of wolves. When that happened, the party followed their contingency plan and ran for their lives, getting out of the dungeon and to the safety of their tree-borne shelter, the one Veritas had set up at the beginning. Between trekking the twelve hours back to the dungeon from the village and waiting an hour or two for the pack to give up and move on, anyone could tell which was the better choice.
The massive experience they garnered by killing enemies thirty levels higher, combined with the double experience rate, brought in a veritable waterfall of level-ups. Naturally, morale was at an all-time high as a result.
"Whew, I leveled up again," Kirhi announced. "Gunter, what about you?"
"I'm close, one more fight should do it."
"This is great, I've already gained four levels since we started about half a day ago. But I've been thinking..."
"Thinking what?"
"Well, y'know... about this quest... It isn't like we're locked into a quest once we take it, so..."
"You're suggesting we abandon the quest," he replied tersely, his tone showing what he thought of the idea.
"Don't give me that, Gunter, you know as well as I do that this is practically suicide! Why can't we just level and then leave? You didn't want to take the quest either, if I recall!"
"We owe Veritas-nim a debt."
"And the way things are going, that debt will only continue to increase."
"Kirhi..." He knew as well as she did that they were leaning heavily on the overwhelming difference in combat that Veritas possessed.
What they all knew, though it was left unsaid, was that the penalties for death were severe, even more so for players that became murderers. A portion of players' total supplies – everything they had on their person, including their equipped equipment – would drop as loot upon their death, and they would not be able to log in for four in-game days.
A random number generator would determine whether items were dropped as loot or kept by the player upon revival. Once every item was assigned a status, the game's systems would implement the hard cap on the percent amount of loot dropped. This hard cap was determined by the player's level; as players got stronger, this cap would increase linearly. If the amount of items with the drop status exceeded the cap, the game would remove the status from the items starting from the lowest rarity. For high-level players with lots of rare equipment, death could be called a catastrophe, though this would be equalized by the large amounts of gold they would generally possess at that level, with which they could replace their lost items.
Given this, no one wanted to die a fool's death, with nothing to gain and everything to lose. Granted, by the game's standards, they were still quite new, being under level 100, the point currently designated as roughly the point in time that a player begins to understand the majority of the necessary game mechanics.
"No, no," he assured, "it's alright Gunter-nim. I don't really mind if she speaks her opinion. Though the truth might hurt, I've always believed that the truth needs to be told. I know I'm impulsive and a bit irrational, but I promised to help them. NPCs or not, I always keep my word. That's my veritas."
Kirhi sighed. "You're really stubborn. Also, just a bit irrational?"
"I've heard both those things too many times to count," he recalled, smiling, "but I prefer to consider myself tenacious. Sorry if you felt like you had to go along with my stupid impulses."
"You're wrong about that, Veritas-nim. At first, I was just helping out a new player, but your amazing skills and resolute integrity seriously earned my respect. Even Kirhi, she wouldn't have come this far if she didn't feel the same way, right?"
"Hmph... well, we're gaining levels so I can't really complain. And if we actually manage to complete the quest, the rewards would be nice too..."
"Well, I'm sure you get the gist of it, Veritas-nim. If she really wanted to leave, rest assured, she'd already be gone. She's quite the forceful girl, Kirhi."
"Independent and charismatic."
"Yes, yes, whatever you say Kirhi."
"Shut up, Gunter." She kicked him in the shin lightly. "Fine. Fine. I won't bring it up again, but let it be known that I recommended we drop this quest."
"Noted, Kirhi."
The party returned to farming the dungeon to the best of their ability. By grinding constantly, by the end of the second day, they could pull and eliminate two to three wolves reliably. As the days passed, the respawn timers of the monsters could not keep up with the rising speed of their farming, so the party managed to break through to enter the next section of the dungeon. These areas were corridors, far narrower than the caverns that the wolf packs roamed. Their mobility reduced, the party again focused on pulling a few enemies at a time. Though the dungeon-finding boost was invaluable, it would be wasted if they died, given how long it took to return. They took their time, making sure that they would be able to survive as they moved forward. There were times for taking risks, and times for playing it safe.
It didn't take much longer for the boost itself to wear off. It almost felt like the week had passed by too quickly. In truth, the boost was merely a bonus, the true value being the monopolization of a dungeon until it became public knowledge.
Still, the three intrepid players continued through the dungeon. Even without the experience boost, the level difference between themselves and the monsters meant they could continue leveling at an accelerated pace. Veritas scouted out and set up small safe areas where they could rest when they weren't fighting, sleeping for precious few hours before waking up to continue the hunt. In a little over two weeks, they fully explored and cleared the dungeon.
Technically, clear was a misnomer, as monsters would always respawn, but the act of exploring every nook and cranny of a dungeon was synonymous with clearing, because one could only do so by being strong enough. To weaker players, clearing a dungeon meant that, in the process of clearing, they had become strong enough to handily defeat every monster inside. Otherwise, exploring the dungeon would be too difficult while being harrowed constantly.
In a typical game, a dungeon was an uncommon, winding instance filled with enemies, secrets, and bosses. In the world of Royal Road, dungeons were far more common, each nation potentially having a dozen or more dungeons. For balance purposes however, the vast majority of dungeons in Royal Road did not contain bosses of any sort. In Royal Road, bosses were special enemies possessing overwhelming power for their level bracket, appearing only under special circumstances, such as secret quests and world-changing events. These bosses dropped very rare, often unique, equipment. The high difficulty of boss fights coupled with the low number of actual bosses existent in the game meant that the marketplace for the rarest items would not become over-saturated, keeping prices high and the economy stable.
Not only that, but rare equipment in-game was, in most cases, vastly superior to their same-leveled common counterparts, which could grant significant bonuses to the user. By limiting the supply of rare equipment, Unicorn Corporation was also instituting a soft ceiling for player strength. Of course, given enough time and money, a dedicated player could surmount the ceiling, but given Royal Road's skill-focused combat system, even a powerfully equipped player could be outfought by lesser equipped foes.
Though disappointed, yet relieved, at the lack of a boss, the three-player party exulted at their accomplishment. Still, they stayed to hunt for a third week, this time at a more leisurely pace. They could kill the monsters with ease now, but their levels were still below that of the monsters, so they could keep milking the dungeon a little further.
At the end of this period, the trio found themselves just about matching their prey's levels. Veritas was now level 90, Gunter 83, and Kirhi 77. He'd gained 25 levels while Gunter gained 23 and Kirhi 19. Despite being a higher level than either of them, he'd managed to level faster by being the main damage dealer. Kirhi, on the other hand, had gained less because she was the only one of the three that hadn't completed – or had much use for – the Basic Training Course, and so dealt damage in line with her level, not above.
This was a little rankling, and it wasn't uncommon for Kirhi to complain – mostly to herself – that it wasn't fair that she was at such a distinct disadvantage.
Still, even being somewhat carried by the other two party members, as a Mage whose primary disposition is that of a nuker, Kirhi dished out very respectable damage in her own right.
This way, the three often made good headway into the dungeon through brute force. Though, to be honest, their party setup was hardly appropriate for long-term dungeon clearing. Without a healer or some other type of supporter, training for long periods of time were difficult, as they had to take breaks regularly to recuperate from their wounds.
If only someone like Sigrun-ssi were with us, we'd be leveling even faster. Veritas sighed quietly. He was used to fighting all-out, relying on his natural sturdiness and the healing properties of Kyuubi's chakra to keep him going. The way he fought in Royal Road, striving to avoid getting hit at all, was closer to the ideal fighting style of a shinobi, but he still couldn't feel entirely comfortable fighting that way. He never was the type to take the roundabout route to his destination, and being forced down this path was tiring.
Truth be told, if he could increase his Fortitude stat, it would let him fight more recklessly, but... Easier said than done, especially if the enemies are strong... And I can't help but reflexively dodge, so the stat doesn't go up... This is also why I wish we had a healer. I wouldn't have to worry about my HP so much and I could really fight the way I want to, and I could raise those stats without worrying about dying... I don't really want to put my precious skill points into it if I have a choice, when I can focus on offense and rely on my reflexes.
From what he'd read, the Fortitude stat could be increased a number of ways. As he'd surmised, points in this stat would be awarded when a player takes a set amount of damage, fights while at a low HP, or by suffering from numerous debuffs. The damage required for stat increases was a percentage of the total HP, rising every fifty points in the stat, acting as a pseudo-soft cap to Fortitude so that high-level players couldn't rapidly farm the stat.
Combat classes gained the stat at roughly the normal rate, while craftsman classes gained at a reduced rate of about three-fourths of the normal rate. By needing to take half again as much damage to gain points in Fortitude, combined with the inability to wear heavy armor and having less HP and few defensive skills, craftsman classes had a hellish time raising Fortitude.
No wonder they're so unpopular amongst the majority of players, becoming a good craftsman requires dedication beyond the call of duty.
In any case, the word roughly was used because every class had an individual modifier. For example (While limiting to two significant figures to simplify the illustration), Archers had a 1.1x modifier, Rogues 1x, and Mages .9x.
Warriors, their subclasses, and some special non-Warrior classes such as the Paladin, had modifiers roughly half again as much the normal rate, letting these frontline classes be the first to earn the stat category itself and raise the stat faster than any other class. Warriors had a 1.4x modifier, Knights and other shield-wielding subclasses had between 1.5-1.7x, while the dual-wielding, offense-focused Berserker class had a reduced 1.2x modifier.
Basically, each class had its stat growths tailored to the type of combat they were meant to participate in.
As for Veritas, despite being a Warrior, he still had less than a hundred Fortitude at his level, far below the norm. A quick look at the stat window showed that he had 61 in the stat.
So low... no wonder I take so much damage when I get hit...
Unbeknownst to the Warrior's worries, Kirhi exclaimed, "Ah, feels good to finally get a breath of fresh air!" She breathed in deeply, savoring the first time they'd stepped outside in the past three weeks.
"We really profited from that dungeon, but I agree, it was starting to get rather droll and stuffy in there."
"Heeh~, I'd think you'd be well used to stuffiness, the way you hole yourself up in your room all the time."
"Wh- So do you! Everyone stays in their room a lot to play Royal Road!"
"Yeah, but you were a... what do the Japanese call it... a NEET shut-in, even before Royal Road came out."
"Eunhi! You know I hate it when you talk about that shameful past!"
"Heeeh, so your real name is Eunhi?" Veritas butt in.
"Damn it Gunter! Look what you've done!"
"Is your name something to be embarrassed about? It's a pretty name. Rolls off the tongue really well."
"Oh, uh... thanks...? And it's not that it's embarrassing, but that's just MMO etiquette. Here, you're your character, not who you are in real life."
"Oh? But I think that a person's true nature shows up anyway. I mean, it's really, really hard to perfectly maintain a false persona." After all, I have experience in that field... since my cheerful personality used to be a false mask. I was saved by those around me. I could've easily become like Gaara and hated everyone else.
"Uhm, Veritas-nim?"
"Hm? Sorry, Kirhi-nim, did you say something?"
"You were spacing out for a bit there." She looked mildly concerned with her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Is something the matter?"
"Ah, no, it was nothing. Just remembering something from the past."
"I don't mean to intrude, but perhaps... you knew someone like that, Veritas-nim?" Gunter asked hesitantly. "Someone who hid their true self behind a facade? You sounded really confident about your statement, so..."
"Oh sure, lots of people did that where I grew up. Showing your true emotions was a sign of weakness. Even I had a mask of my own when I was a kid."
"Sounds harsh."
"It wasn't too bad, though thanks for worrying Gunter-nim. As you can see," he made a sweeping motion, as if introducing himself showily, "I turned out just fine."
Kirhi chortled at the last statement. "That's considered fine?"
Gunter, too, smiled. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to agree with Kirhi. You aren't exactly the perfect specimen of normality, Veritas-nim."
"...!" He crossed his arms in an act of subtle insecurity, embarrassed. Well, even I know that I can be a little over-energetic, but I didn't think it was that obvious either...
Really, even someone like me could tell, and we're not exactly known for being normal either.
"Who's there!"
Kirhi and Gunter adopted quizzical expressions and glanced at each other.
"Veritas-nim, we're the only ones here."
"...?" He looked around in confusion. "...?!" I swear I heard someone's voice though...! Several moments passed with no further mysterious voices speaking up, so he hesitantly shrugged it off. I must be imagining things... Maybe my recent lack of sleep and tiredness is the cause.
After all, the only applicable real-world factors that made a difference in-game was experience and mental state.
Though, if mental state makes a difference... then, what does that make Kurama...? He's sealed in me in, I guess a spiritual way, and we have a mental connection... Maybe that bastard Kurama's managed to find a way to get his voice heard by me in-game, and is playing an elaborate prank on me... Agh, I hate thinking hard...
"You alright in there?" Kirhi rapped sharply on his forehead, eliciting a short yelp of surprise and a bit of pain. "You keep going blank on us, Veritas-nim."
"S-Sorry... I've just got a lot on my mind lately." And you just knocked off thirty points of my health, woman!
"That'd make two of us," sighed Gunter.
Kirhi shoved him lightly. "What are you on about?"
"What are you on about? I don't know about you, but those exams are stressing me out! Lately, coming onto Royal Road has been more like an escape from reality than hobby gaming."
"Well, that's what happens when you're formerly a shut-in that's a few grades behind everyone else and has to catch up."
"And who, might I ask, was responsible in the first place for my complete loss of self esteem?"
She scuffed the ground bashfully with the tip of her boot. "How was I supposed to know that you'd take it so personally?"
"Y-You... You pantsed me in front of the entire student body!"
"Aw, lighten up a little, what's a joke between friends?"
"There's a fine line between joking and psychological trauma. And you clearly stepped over the line!"
Veritas couldn't help but smile warmly as his two party mates argued with each other. They really do remind me of myself and Sasuke. I wonder how that broody bastard's doing right now... He stepped forward. "Alright, alright, we get it," he parted the two gently, "you're best friends and not afraid to admit it."
"Hmph. Consider yourself lucky, Gunter."
"As if, I had you squirming in the palm of my hand."
They continued to squabble and banter as they headed back to the village to resupply. As they walked, Veritas closed his eyes and smiled, remembering better days.
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Naruto stretched while continuing his exploration of the city. Though its vastness rivaled Konoha's, the sprawling metropolis was far more dense in population and services, the rising skyline dwarfing even the tallest buildings in his village.
They might even be taller than the mountain the Hokage's faces are carved into, wow.
Today, he was traversing the Yongsan Electronics Market, browsing the wares and learning more about this world's technology.
Still, it's really impressive. Back home we had some of this stuff, like computers and radios, but man... If we had even half the stuff they have in this world, it would be amazing. And the stuff we did have back home is peanuts compared to the stuff they sell here!
"Those automatic rice cookers looked quite convenient."
Yeah, it'd have been nice to have a machine cook the rice for me instead of doing it myself in a pot. That way I don't need to keep watching and waiting for it because it might burn.
Ever since he'd come to Korea, a persistent struggle had shown itself in acclimating to the food here. As he found out, his home in the Elemental Countries was very closely related to the nation of Japan not far from Korea itself. Japanese food tended to have more seafood, be sweeter and milder, while Korean food had more meats and soups, were saltier and spicier, and had more side dishes.
In particular, he liked the pickled radish, takuan, which was called danmuji here. It was one of the several pieces of food that he was familiar with, so he was thankful for its presence here.
That aside, the vast shopping grounds covered over two dozen large buildings, and dated back to the late 1980s. Over a century later, it still remained the hub of electronics for Seoul. The capital city of Korea managed to survive through global recessions and even war. During the latter half of the 21st century, war broke out within the Eastern Power Bloc.
The Eastern Power Bloc was the name given to the loose economic and technological alliances of very nearly every Asian nation, in an attempt to put themselves on par with the Western nations.
In the aftermath of that war, one could say that Seoul still remained short of the prosperity it experienced during the height of the last pre-war economic boom. Still, the national capital managed to scrape by as the government's massive nationwide restoration and reconstruction projects began to finally show the fruits of their labor, at the cost of nearly depleting all of their foreign cash reserves and and trade surpluses.
Now, with the economy finally on the upturn again and the advent of near-true virtual reality in the form of Royal Road, optimism throughout the nation was at an all-time high. Unicorn Corporation was Korea's jewel, and as long as millions of people around the world played the game with an almost religious fervor, the corporation's – and by extension the nation's – prestige would continue to rise.
Did you know, Kurama, that this country used to be separated between a North and a South?
"Oh... really, now."
Please sound more excited.
"I can promise nothing, brat."
Well, people will still call the different areas North and South Korea out of habit, but I read that they got unified after the war ended, which I guess added on an even bigger problem of supporting an entire nation of poor people on top of repairing war damages.
"What can I say, humans being humans...?"
Stereotypes aren't very nice.
"Stereotypes exist because they are grounded in enough truth."
The year 2107 by the Gregorian calendar, the greatest advances of the past century were in communications, interactivity, and militarily. Poverty and starvation remain rampant, even as developing nations are beginning to attain a modicum of true modernity. The brushfire wars that occurred during the first half of the 21st century, and World War 2.5 that ran from 2081 to 2085 wrought radical changes in the global power balance.
This non-nuclear world war broke out in South America, Africa, and Asia. The introduction of unmanned warfare, pioneered by the United States, showed the world that, even on battlefields without human combatants, warfare was brutal and unforgiving. Not only did many nations expend copious amounts of natural resources in the drone wars, but it was not uncommon for drones to indiscriminately attack civilian targets, using the justification of being around military complexes.
In the end, the war resulted in the dissolution and creation of many nations, ranging from capitulation, renaming, separation and combination, or rebellion and revolt. India, China, and Brazil became internationally acknowledged superpowers at the turn of the century as a consequence of the gains they made in the war. This much he'd researched using massive online encyclopedias.
At the time, he'd remarked to himself that, even in another world, man's innate selfish nature seemed to remain a constant. Given that the brutality of this world's past wars made his own look like mere squabbles, Naruto had assumed that this would deter nations from making war, but that didn't seem to be the case. Then again, this world suffered from severe overpopulation like he'd never been able to imagine, along with a spate of other problems like global warming and desertification of large swathes of land. Compared to the territorial disputes and grudges of his own world, Naruto had to admit that this world carried far more serious problems.
Ooh, what's that?
He stopped by a store advertising high-end wafer-thin monitors that could be used for both television and computers.
So thin! I'd kill for monitors this lightweight back home! He remembered having to move those heavy monitors for some of the low-ranked missions, which were basically odd jobs.
Through the glass, Naruto could see that all the screens were playing different news channels. His knowledge of the Korean language was getting better the longer he spent in the library, but learning a language wasn't something he had the patience to commit large periods of time to. Naruto spent about one day in a week or two to study the language, and he usually had a headache from recalling his clones and absorbing the mass of new information. Currently, he estimated himself to be at about first-grade level, knowing the alphabet and being able to read the words, though not understand them. Not yet, anyway.
On the screen, he saw a video of a sleek looking aircraft flying. He'd read up on that too, and was amazed at how the humans of this world had managed to keep airborne a metal monstrosity weighing thousands of kilograms and make it fly. Though the screens didn't emit any noise, there were subtitles on the screen if any passerby wanted to watch a bit.
[... and now we turn to experts in the military-industrial complex, we welcome Han Saejin from Hyundai Heavy Industries. Saejin-ssi, what are your opinions on America's newly announced F/A-72?]
[Ah, the F/A-72, I believe our government has offered America a bid to purchase several of them.]
[Really? So soon?]
[Yes. Naturally though, they declined to sell the fighter. America might no longer be the single dominant superpower in the world, but like the Russians, their weapons technology is highly sophisticated and innovative. To sell classified weapons tech to another nation, even to an ally, could be dangerous to their national security. At best, we would only receive watered down versions of the aircraft.]
[That's true. But on the technical aspect, do you think the new fighter will be as significant as the American military claims it to be?]
[In my personal opinion, while I may dispute just how significant they say it will be, I will say that the new fighter will surely change how air-combat is waged. As you know, true artificial intelligence for unmanned fighter aircraft have long since hit a technological dead-end.]
[If I recall correctly, the problems were two-fold, right?]
[Yes. One problem was creating a mainframe housing small enough to fit into the desired airframe. This can be circumvented by using a large airframe, but because of the diminishing returns of stealth features and the lack of meaningful progress in the development of jet engines, large airframes would be vulnerable to detection and wouldn't have the necessary speed or maneuverability to get out of harm's way.]
[And the other problem was that, even if they managed to create a self-thinking AI that could also adeptly maneuver in all three dimensions, simulations against finely tuned AI showed that the natural instinct and experience of veteran pilots outperformed the reaction speed and logical actions of AI pilots, right?]
[Right, no matter how logical an action might be, it is exactly because it is logical that it can also be predicted and countered, which is one of the biggest problems being faced when considering AI for purposes outside the convenience sectors. The only exception to the norm are AI that have been hooked up to supercomputers for their processing. Those have been able to beat humans a good amount of the time.]
[But the F/A-72 is unmanned, or so I've heard?]
[That's half right. What the USAF has managed to do is to fully utilize virtual space and pilot the aircraft remotely through the virtual realm.]
[Virtual realm... you mean like Royal Road?]
[Exactly so. As you know, in Royal Road, time appears to pass four times quicker than in reality, letting players experience a longer period of gameplay within the same time frame, which is achieved through some feats of complex quantum physics that I won't discuss here. Anyway, what experts have done is to emulate and reverse this in real-time, that is, perceiving our own reality at slower speeds. The technical specifications of the proprietary software are classified, but what has been revealed is that the pilot, from the virtual world, perceives time as passing at roughly half that of real-time.]
[Could you elaborate on that for us?]
[Certainly. What it means is, in layman's terms, is that for every second that passes in reality, the pilot has experienced that second in 1.5 seconds. Let's say we had one minute to make a decision. Using this technology, a person would, in the same span of real-time, have one-and-a-half minutes to make that same decision.]
[So to them, time is moving slower?]
[At the core, that is basically what it is.]
[What are the ramifications for such technology?]
[Pilots of the F/A-72 will be able to take quicker notice of threats and make more rapid maneuvers, as well as make aerial maneuvers that would normally be impossible for humans to make because of the intense G-forces applied on the body. At the same time, by retaining all the experience and instinct of the pilots in an unmanned setting, the F/A-72 will, in many cases, outperform, if not outfight, conventional unmanned fighter aircraft.]
[Impressive!]
[The clinch on the deal is that, even if the aircraft is shot down, the pilot remains alive at a remote distance. Not only that, but the pilot will have even more experience, so as to apply that when flying another F/A-72, repeated ad nauseam. What the USAF is doing is emulating a true AI capable of learning. With this, as long as the technology doesn't get leaked, the USAF has guaranteed their aerial superiority for the next decade, at minimum!]
Naruto turned away and moved on. He hadn't been able to understand a lot of the words, but what he did learn was that nations were still intent on developing more deadly weapons meant to kill more people, while reducing the chances for their own to die. Technically it made sense, but it nevertheless left a bad taste in his mouth.
It's like creating more deadly jutsu, all it will end up doing is cause more and more deaths...
"That's nature, kid. I won't be so arrogant as to say it's restricted to just humans. It's natural for organisms to evolve to better hunt their prey so that they will prosper more. Though in this case, it's weapons that are evolving."
But...
"Naruto, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for peace, you should know that best. These are different circumstances in a different world. Even if you try to compare the two, the Elemental Countries alone only houses a few million people, whereas a single country here has at least five times more. It's like apples and oranges."
… But by saying apples aren't like oranges, you've already compared them.
"!" Kyuubi roared in slight frustration. "Don't be a smartass, you brat! Just because you can quote Kakashi and one of his circular arguments doesn't mean shit!"
Gladdened by the short conversations he could have with Kyuubi whilst outside the simulation pod, Naruto continued down the road, smiling widely.
"Kid, what's with that disgustingly bright smile..."
Oh, just savoring our talks. I'm really glad that I can talk to someone at all about the old world, even just a little.
"Hah! Getting homesick are we?"
It'd be weirder if I wasn't homesick, you mangy fox!
"... I've been wondering..."
Mmm? He stopped to peer at a more portable screen before deciding to move on to building 7 and browse the computer wares there.
"When you enter that stuffy pod, your consciousness enters what you call a virtual world." The blond made a vaguely affirmative noise. "Then what happens to me? I am technically also part of your consciousness, bound to your mind, body, and soul through the seal."
… You're right, that's weird...
"It's possible that that device only allows a single consciousness to enter, or so I assume, in which case... Wouldn't it be possible for me to enter that world as well if you created a clone and let me assume control with my chakra?"
Huh, I never considered that... Wait... then I could technically create a bunch of clones and have them play as well...!
"Theoretically, but where would you get the funds to realistically buy all those pods?"
That's true. I'd be stretching it just buying another one, considering that it's taking longer than I thought to get into the nitty-gritty of money-making in the game. Then again, maybe I could create clones before I get in the pod and have them keep watch or study or something. But... how would that work when I'm experiencing time four times faster? Would I even get the knowledge from their dispelling themselves while my mind is in the virtual world?
"Idiot, the only way to find out is to try it for yourself."
Who're you calling an idiot?! I know what you're up to, you're dying of boredom while I'm in Royal Road and you want to try it yourself! Well! Let's see if I'll help you do that if you keep insulting me!
"... You might need reminding that any time you're in trouble, I'm there to bail you out. Since we operate on a mutual agreement basis now, I can just refuse to give you my chakra."
Naruto frowned, drawing a few looks. That would hurt you too, Kurama.
"But the look on your face would be so priceless, it might even possibly be worth dying for." The fox chuckled sinisterly as he began imagining who knows what in his mind.
You know, you're really lucky I don't still have the Sage's powers, else I'd domesticate you.
"Hardy har har. As if being sealed inside an idiot like you weren't already bad enough, now you're being fresh with me."
Ooh, look over there! He pointed forward as the elevator doors opened. That computer is glowing blue!
"..." Kyuubi decided to remain silent and let his charge continue to explore and learn more about this world.
xxxx
"I gotta say, if there's one thing these elves seem to do well, it's selling really cheap healing herbs." Kirhi walked away from the snow elf, arms laden with greens. "Way cheaper than in Rosenheim, that's for sure."
"Maybe because – sorry for the stereotyping – the elves are closer to nature? Or maybe they're just better hunter gatherers."
Veritas nodded at Gunter's remarks. "Yeah, when you live in a forest, learning how to hunt and gather is vital."
For the moment, their temporary base of operations when in the village was agreed to be High Priestess Nyxia's home. Frankly, she was the friendliest of the snow elves, and obviously the most influential, so the chance of anything happening while there would be slim. When they'd returned, the party had informed the priestess that the first point of interest had only lead to a dungeon and asked for suggestions on where to go next.
"I would not suggest going too far north at the moment. You seem to have become stronger since I have last seen you, but the strength of hostile foes increases drastically as you move north. Ice wraiths and rogue elves are some of the most dangerous foes you'll meet there."
"Rogue elves?"
"Yes, human Kirhi, elves that were formerly part of the village. They left for many reasons, whether by being unable to attempt to coexist alongside humans whom they felt antagonized us, or simply feeling as if they are so superior as to look down on races with less longevity, among other reasons. It is unfortunate, but whatever their reason, if they attempt to hinder the village, then there is no other choice but to eliminate them."
"Eliminate?" Kirhi looked slightly aghast. "Couldn't you negotiate with them? You're the High Priestess, after all..."
"Normally, this would be the case, but they have already disobeyed my own orders and the rules of the village, becoming antagonists that further the cause of the humans of Helmstad and aggravate them to hostilities against the village."
"So... basically you're saying that would count as capital punishment for the crime of treason," muttered Veritas in a low voice.
This would never, ever, be anything less than a difficult subject. Though peace had come to the lands back home, capital punishment remained to those who abandoned their villages. Even though the five ninja villages had come to terms and understanding with one another, human nature didn't change, and for those who sought power selfishly and hurt others, no mercy or quarter was given as the hunter-nin descended upon them. Naruto naturally hoped for and believed in the best of people and appealed to their better judgment, but he was not always successful.
Contradictorily, he had yet to truly take a life that hadn't already been formerly dead. However, he had indirectly ordered the deaths of those renegades who refused to negotiate, leaving the dirty work to his entourage. That wasn't to say he wasn't prepared to take a life with his own hands. Most certainly, he could easily recall situations where he had come within a hair trigger of deliberately ending someone's life, most often in anger. Still, taking lives unnecessarily was something he'd struggled with constantly, weighing morality on one hand and practicality on the other. There was no real universal answer, as Kurama had told him at the market.
"You seem to be at odds with that decision, human Veritas..."
He shook his head, clearing his worries from his mind. "I'm sorry, when the time comes I'll do what's necessary." To be honest, the issue at this point is the same as it was back at Ahrah, though on the opposite side, taking lives instead of saving...
In the end, those who oppose the forest's will must receive judgment from the forest's guardians.
"!" Startled, Nyxia took a step back.
At the same time, Veritas turned to the left and right, trying to find out who the unknown voice belonged to.
"Wha- it's glowing!" Kirhi pointed at his pouch, which gave off a slight glow.
Veritas rummaged through his pouch's inventory, finally coming up with the Spirit Stone that he'd gotten in Ahrah. It glowed softly with a green hue. If I remember correctly, they said this could hold spirits, but I don't remember picking one up. He selected the item, which presented a few choices hovering just above the surface of the stone. Hm, press the Use button...
The stone's glow intensified, before leaving the stone itself entirely. The glowing green orb hung in the air lazily, drawing every eye in the room. It began to shift about, until finally taking a small humanoid form.
Finally, you notice me! Gods! What are you, deaf!?
"..." Veritas stared blankly at the sprite, then at the window that appeared in front of him with a crystal-clear ring.
::::
Spirit Stone Elemental
While the spirit stone is active and channeling the spirit's corporeal presence, stats are reduced.
[Major spirit] -10% to all stats.
::::
"..."
"Well, since it's called a spirit stone, then that must be a spirit, right?" Gunter deduced.
"But when did this happen? We were with Veritas-nim ever since Rosenheim..."
"Ever since... Rosenheim... That means, before I even left Ahrah...?"
That's right, you oaf! Honestly, to treat a major spirit like this is almost criminal!
He turned to Nyxia. "Major spirit?" That was on the window too... Gah, that stat reduction, why is it so damn high!
She cleared her throat, seeming a little off-put. "There are three types of spirits, minor, major, and maximus. Minor spirits are what we elves summon to cast elemental spells. Major spirits are more like a fighting companion, and maximus spirits are the pinnacle of spirithood. They are the strongest spirits in the spiritual realm, and each maximus spirit has the equivalent strength of a punitive force."
"Wait wait wait, why are we talking about this now?"
"You didn't hear it, Kirhi-nim?"
"Hear what?"
Only those with a strong affinity towards a spirit's element can hear the spirit, the spirit said, which Nyxia relayed.
"How did it get in the stone? Aren't I supposed to actively store a spirit inside?"
"Normally, that is the case, yes." the High Priestess looked slightly troubled. "However, there have been cases, recorded in our ancient history, of the forceful possession of an object or being by a powerful spirit or numerous spirits." She paced around the room. "In cases like that, what usually happened was that the spirit itself felt a strong affinity with the object or person, rather than drawing a spirit with an affinity."
"So... it's kind of like a girl pushing themselves on a guy instead of a guy looking for a girl?"
"What's with that analogy, Kirhi..."
"That... could be put that way, yes, human Kirhi."
"Any way to get rid of it?" asked Veritas, his expression completely deadpan. Stat reduction, stat reduction, state reduction... It'd be like having that bastard Orochimaru's seal on me all over again.
Wha-!
"No, once an elemental has been called, it can only disperse by using up its power or choosing to leave of its own accord, if the relationship or affinity towards its wielder becomes too weak."
"But why would you not want it, Veritas-nim?"
"Gunter's right, I'm feeling jealous already!"
"Uh, heh, long story... I used to know a schizophrenic, and then I've got this huge stat reduction as well." Can't tell them that I normally speak to a voice in my head as well.
As well!? Who else are you consorting with?!
He slumped his shoulders as the spirit blasted question after question at him. What did I do to deserve this?
xxxx
Done. Notice: I may alter the final conversation at my convenience, as I really just wanted to finally upload this and stop worrying about it for a bit. Always, always, please don't hesitate to send me some constructive criticism about how conversations are, or maybe lack of humor, plot holes, out of characterness, and on and on. And also tell me what I'm doing right, so I can keep doing it right.