Another Frontier Online

Two men walk down the main street of Anhemdar, the capital of the kingdom.

One was the leader of the massive clan "Bandit", Jolt, who dressed like a barbarian. The other was a man in black, Viktor, who was the deputy leader.

Both Jolt and Viktor were in their late twenties, but the reason they looked so much tougher than that was probably because their faces were a bit tough. However, both Jolt and Viktor were well cared for, so I was admired by the members.

Jolt's been melancholy since this morning.

There is a large clan meeting today.

That's why I came back from a floating island in the sky that I was exploring. It's usually a fun meeting, but this time it's true that I don't want to participate.

Jolt sighs many times as he walks toward the luxury hotel "Camelot" in the capital city where the clan meets.

The Royal Capital is the place with the most players, so it is lively and busy, but it makes Jolt's feelings heavier. Because the gap between you and your surroundings is highlighted.

I sighed again, wondering why it felt so dark when I was playing a game.

Viktor walking beside Jolt is smiling bitterly.

How many times did you sigh?

“That being said, is there anyone you don't want to meet?”

"Even in virtual reality, you better watch your language."

"It doesn't matter if you say it or not." Either way, it's up to you to bring trouble. "

Jolt let out a big breath after saying that.

Rather than bringing troubles - something troublesome is already happening. It was influenced by the clan participating for the first time.

The clan is a "shooting star".

The members of that clan and Jolt know each other in real life.

"Oh, I wanted to go to the East like Hayato."

Isn't that what you hate?

"From Hayato's point of view, I don't want to see anyone." But don't you think you've had a good relationship on the empty island? "

"I don't know. We ran around with people we didn't want to get involved with. You don't have to put it on your face to hate me, do you?"

"You can't say no to that, can you?"

"To anyone, hey." Well, I'd appreciate it if you took that into account. It just doesn't change the fact that they brought the trouble. It's possible that you don't care. "

"I hope so." You've really done a terrible job. "

I should have asked my parents to do it.

"Are you kidding me? They asked me for a pinpoint." My parents gave me the information to sell me a little. "

"If you say so, yes." It's ironic that I don't like that kind of distance and it's used the other way around. "

“You're right, but you're right.”

Jolt pose as if he was teasing.

"But it's strange, but nothing has happened since then, right?" What hand did Hayato use? "

"You shouldn't ask that." Another star is intertwined. "

"Seriously?"

Star is a common synonym for both people, meaning that the foundation with the name of the constellation is involved. In this case, he warns that another star, a different foundation from the one that brought the problem, is involved.

Jolt had previously taken the Foundation Scorpion to Hayato, who was exploring an island in the sky.

I couldn't refuse it because it was a reality. In the first place, it is impossible to refuse an order from the foundation to Jolt. I reluctantly responded to the request.

As a result, even in virtual reality, the NPC maid shot the opponent.

The NPC did it, but even the children know what kind of revenge Hayato has for hiring that maid.

It's the story Jolt brought in, and I was going to help Hayato if I had to.

But nothing in particular, and a few days later at the council meeting, this virtual reality "Another Frontier Online" came up with the idea that the blood relatives of the foundation Libra were investors.

We have also received information that the Lebra humans have defeated the Scorpion in their council. I don't know the details of what happened. But it seemed quite surprising to the people at the foundation.

Since then, there has been an increase in new players in virtual reality, and Hayato normally plays with virtual reality.

Why would that be the case? That's because Jolt knows some things, and he doesn't know them very well.

But there are some things I know.

(The leader of the Black Dragon... I don't know him in reality, but I'm sure. Given the circumstances and the consequences, the Scorpion would not have known. Besides, I came into contact with Hayato, not Ney-sama. Hayato is likely to be involved in this virtual reality independently of the foundation. I don't know what that means. I don't want to explore it poorly, because it involves Lebra. I don't want to compete with them personally.)

If you look into it, you'll find more information. But if you do that, the risk is too great because the foundation is involved. What are the consequences of doing just that to satisfy your curiosity? It is more obvious than looking at the fire.

Viktor hid his voice for a moment before he could see Jolt shut up.

Could it be that this is such a bad project?

“Oh, no. It's not that extreme, and you have to do something weird.”

"So this is about the shooting star?" Something similar happened this time? "

I wasn't thinking about it, but I'm taking Viktor's story to change the subject. Besides, the matter is a big problem now.

"As expected, I think you'll tell me." I'm afraid you just don't know what to say. Besides, according to the investigation team, it seemed to have caused a lot of trouble for Hayato. "

“I heard that. You fought in a former slum shop. They also bought the base next door. It seems they sold it at 30% less than what they sold at Hayato's store."

Thirty percent off, huh?

"The NPCs together are powerful." If you want me to stop harassing you, you can be one of us. I wonder what she's doing, too. "

To Viktor's words, Jolt returned nothing but a chin strangle.

What's the matter?

Would it be harassing?

What do you mean?

"I've never been to his shop, but according to the research team, there are always portions of every quality, armor, and dishes of three stars and above. The main thing is selling consumables, and I think they're selling them cheaply."

"Hayato is a production man." That's why you sold it at the base next door, right? Wouldn't that be harassing? "

Sales are falling. That's a lot of damage for a production man, Hayato. Sometimes the money doesn't come in, but if no one buys the products that are sold at the store, the taste of the production job will diminish. Perhaps harassment is effective enough.

"It's true, but it's impossible to keep the consumables at 30% discount." The cheapest consumables are bought right away, so they run out in no time. If I could do it, it would be about a week. "

It's okay if you temporarily lose sales.

“If it doesn't sell for a month or two, it will have an impact, but the stock will run out before then. But you know who they are. It must be a strategy to snatch customers away with a temporary discount.”

“After that, I'll put the price back - no, a little cheaper than the Hayato store?”

I don't think so. I don't think there's a chance of winning.

"No chance of winning? Why is that?"

It seems that Hayato's shop is almost out of stock.

"Almost out of stock...?"

It would be nice to hear from the players about the stable supply, right? I was wondering if I could get the same amount for the same price when I snatched the customer. "

You can always buy a lot of the items you need. It is valuable in games where inventory exists. For adventures such as expeditions that take a few days, you'll need a lot of food and potions.

It's cheap if we make it ourselves, but it takes a lot of time to make it. Many people think it would be more efficient if they could buy that time in-game currency. The idea is that it is easier and faster to make 100 potions of money than it is to make 100 potions. In the first place, it's hard to improve my skills.

You will also be able to assign that skill separately. It can be a valuable shop for small, medium-sized clans with few members.

"Besides, I asked our production team if we could imitate Hayato's store." What do you think the answer was? ”

Can't you do that?

That's right, but the reason is interesting.

Is that funny?

“We know what we can sell in Hayato's shop in a day, but I can't imagine selling that quality and type of item every day without running out. If you're going to do it, you'll have to produce it all the time while you're logged into the game. That's why he said he didn't want to do it even if he could."

"You don't want to do it, do you?" It would be amazing to let our production team say that, but I don't really know how great Hayato is. "

I'm going to talk about what the greatness of a production job is.

Nowadays, there are additional recipes that can create new equipment, and you can differentiate between items that can be made, but you can also create a large number of other items as a guide.

However, mass production can also increase manpower. As a Viktor, I didn't seem to attach much importance to it.

“Do you remember when we fought Tiamat with the Hayatoes on the empty island?”

"Speaking of which, the production team was surprised." You said you didn't have that speed, but what do you mean? "

“Yes, that's right. He doesn't have the usual speed to create production items.”

"How fast can you make an item?" It's about five seconds since there's a performance that floods with light at hand? "

"One thing, but if you want to make more than one, you have time to pick an item from the production menu." In his case, it's almost no time. I also glanced at it, but my hand was always glowing. "

"Are you kidding me?"

The production menu is closed each time an item is made. To make it again, you need to open the menu using items such as a knife or a shredder and then select the item you want to create. It has a bad reputation, but there is no sign of improvement.

Repair by blacksmithing skills and recycling back to materials are other alternatives, but they are generally how to create production items.

"It's true. While you're fighting, your hand always shines, except when you give the item to a friend." Plus, you can instantly change the items you make while watching the battle. I still know how many items to make in a row, but it's kind of weird to pick multiple types almost no time. ”

It only seems like Quyi, but from the point of view of mass production, it's pretty good.

Jolt laughed and nodded at Viktor's words.

"Well, the average person is about half or less." And Hayato can produce as many hours as he has the ingredients. ”

"As a production job, you can work for a few people." Moreover, multiple production skills can be used. "

"That's right. If we had more people, we could do more than Hayato, but we wouldn't be able to gather so many productive jobs, would we?" Besides, most of the players are part-time combat workers. There's no one in the house who can only produce all day. It's difficult even for an hour in a row. Just thinking about it doesn't stand a chance against a shooting star. ”

But right now, Hayato is going to the east country, right?

"I think it's about trying to do damage, but maybe it's just a little drop in sales, and there's no damage." I don't think about the daily sales volume. If a customer comes to Hayato's shop, the regular price will run out in no time. "

"Harassment doesn't mean anything."

"Probably -- but then there's a possibility that something will come around." Ah, no, no. "

Having said that, Jolt and the others arrived at the hotel "Camelot".

Jolt decided not to sigh and then stepped into the hotel.

Large-scale clan leaders and a number of assistants were already waiting in the banquet hall on the tenth floor of Camelot.

The furniture in the room is of good quality and quality, and you won't see it if it's realistic. Although it is a virtual reality, the carpets, desks, chairs, etc. are of the highest quality, and the walls are as attentive as paintings.

When Jolt and Viktor entered the room, some of them greeted them with a smile and raised their hands. Jolt and the others returned it.

Originally, a clan meeting was like a debriefing to avoid a large-scale clan expedition.

Clans with many members have to adjust their schedules. When I finally got to the expedition on a fixed schedule, there were other large clans and I had to retreat. It happened a lot.

It began with the idea of avoiding it so that there would be a place for discussion.

Some people said that it would be good to do it by voice chat, but I decided to meet and talk about it because it is such a realistic online game and it doesn't taste like voice chat. There has been a gradual increase in the size of clan meetings, with coordination and exchange of information on joint visits to hunting grounds.

The total number of allies now stands at over a hundred, allowing clans with considerable visibility in Virtual Reality to participate in this meeting.

There are other large clans, but they often take the method of checking the schedule set here and matching it.

Affects many clans. That's this clan meeting. It is recognized that it is quite honorable to be able to participate in this.

Currently, the clans here are eight, including Jolt's bandit. A shooting star is supposed to join us here.

All but the shooting stars were already there, sitting around a large round table about three meters in diameter.

There are two free seats. Jolt sits on one of them. And behind him, Viktor stood and held back.

"Hey, Jolt. You've been to Sky Island lately, haven't you?" Do you have any awesome rare items? "

The man next to Jolt spoke to me.

Keith, the leader of the clan "Over the Top".

A clan that means overestimation, overdoing, it is a firepower-focused battle group and is said to be more than any other clan if it strikes damage in a short amount of time.

In order to focus on firepower, the equipment became disorganized, and many members had a poor balance of appearance. However, only the leader, Keith, was equipped with a bright red set inspired by the sun called the Apollo series.

"If you ask Jolt to do that, he'll ask for another piece of information."

Laughing, the man to the left of Jolt said so, the leader of the clan "Imperial", Rauzal.

In the sense of the Empire, Raunzal himself is also called by the two names of the Emperor, and his leadership and command are said to be high.

In the case of Imperial, it is not an equivalent of an alliance, but the largest clan with many clans under its umbrella and a total of nearly 300 members.

The strongest of them are called the Imperial Knights, and they all wear the same silver armor. However, only Louzal is very flashy with his golden armor.

These two clans have already been famous since the beginning of the game and are very early clans, just like Bandit.

The two of them have spoken a lot since that time, which is why they started the clan meeting. For Jolt, he was a close friend and a rival.

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to." A shark monster named Megalodon can be caught in a lake on an empty island, but there are two rare items to drop, such as the tiamatte, the upper species. It's a dagger that is guaranteed to generate random bad stats by ignoring poisoned women's swimsuits and defenses. "

All the members here were surprised.

I have the impression that Jolt is secretive and adds considerable value to the information. The Jolt revealed the information in return for nothing.

"Hey, hey, what's up?" Have you even caught a cold? "

Keith asks Jolt worriedly. Raúzal is surprised to open his mouth, but if you know the old Jolt, you can't help it.

"I just didn't think it was something to hide. Mostly, you guys start by building airships."

"Give me your information." There's only one more blueprint left. "

"There's a fee."

When Jolt said that, he laughed that it was the usual Jolt.

With that, Jolt opened his mouth with a serious look.

Isn't there someone from the shooting star?

I asked Jolt, hoping he wouldn't come like this.

Alvy, the leader of the clan "Kiss of Death", raised her right hand slightly and asked for permission to speak.

The reason for putting it on is unclear, but the leader, Alvy, is quite a beauty, and people around him say that if he were to be touched, he would die.

Alvy is a woman in her early twenties in a white dress with thin lines. She is said to be a blonde with pale hips, blue eyes, and a fairy in appearance, but it is precisely that, with songs and dances, and even violin performances, she can master the three supports and weaknesses by herself.

There were many fans, both men and women, and I was often asked if I could go on a joint expedition. Although it is a budding clan, there is a history of increasing the number of clans that form alliances to support her.

The Alvey opened his mouth to permission to speak.

"I'm talking about how the leader of the shooting star is going to be unable to come due to reality." I think you're lagging behind because of that. "

"Hey, the leader, hey"

Jolt said it in a confusing way.

But no one pursues the word. Jolt's face was so different earlier that he looked in a bad mood. It is common knowledge that Jolt's personality deteriorates at such a time.

After that, the hall door opened after long enough to chat endlessly.

"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your patience."

It was Ronios in butler clothes who came in. The silver hair covers the eyes, so I don't know whether it's a man or a woman in the distance, but the voice is definitely a woman.

The lady in the maid's clothes next door was Cremola. We keep our heads down in silence.

Ronios and Cremola immediately moved to the free seat, but did not sit in the chair and stood behind it. And Ronios lowered his head again.

"I'm sorry about this." My master is unable to come to us due to a sudden change in reality. I'm asking you to apologize. ”

"No problem because it's natural to prioritize the convenience of reality"

When Raúzal says so, he casts a saying to the effect that there is nothing wrong with everyone.

"Then let's get started." We're in the middle of an event, and we're running out of time. "

That's what Jolt said.

Jolt was clearly in a bad mood when the topic of the shooting star came up. Ronios smiled as the members around him thought so.

"Jolt-sama is right." It's not what we say if we're late, but let's get started. This is the first time I have attended this clan meeting, so let's start with the description of the clan- "

That's what Ronios said and started explaining.

The clan meeting ended in about an hour.

Each clan's schedule is adjusted, and places such as information exchanges and item exchanges are also adjusted.

I thought the clan meeting was over, but Lutz, the leader of the clan "Stelkst", raised his right hand lightly.

The most powerful clan name is based on the belief of killing boss monsters in solo, and there is a history of Lutz defeating monsters like ten in a row and becoming famous.

Later, the solo players who admired Lutz gathered to study the battles in the solo clan "Sterckst".

"I heard that the shooting star made a mess with Daedalus' Hayato. Is that true?"

Some people are surprised by the words, and there are various reactions such as making a painful face.

Ronios, whose gaze was concentrated, nodded without thinking of it.

"Yes, there is no doubt. I apologize for the inconvenience. I heard later that Hayato of Daedalus had made a decision like an inviolable treaty. I hope you'll forgive me for thinking that the new arrivals are rampaging.”

Ronios lowered his head as he said so.

So you're going to stop making trouble anymore?

That's what Jolt said.

This is not unusual, and everyone knows that Jolt has given various consideration to Hayato from his attitude at previous clan meetings.

Even though it is a game where there is no interpersonal battle but a clan war, it is too disadvantageous to turn Bandit against the enemy. The price will be needed, but the information that comes from Bandit will be of great value.

Bandit's information, which is investigating a lot of things in the game, cannot be gathered online, and I want every clan to be able to get their hands out of their throats.

If Jolt is just bluffing, he won't follow the information even if it's valuable, but it's not too hard to listen to Jolt's requests, given the level of contribution he's made so far. That's why I didn't touch Hayato or his clan.

That was the situation, but the shooting star made a move. The members who didn't know if Jolt was in a bad mood were convinced.

"I'm sorry, Master Jolt." This is my husband's intention, so I can't say I won't do it anymore. "

"... that's the plan."

Jolt twitched his arms and closed his eyes in silence. I guess it's the attitude of not saying anything anymore.

Seeing Lauzal, he opened his mouth.

"Ronios, please tell your husband." Don't be too disrespectful. Everything is free in this virtual reality. But there is a trap in that freedom. I know you've made a lot of trouble, but if you don't, you'll be in a situation where you won't be able to play the game. Hayato was particularly close to the NPCs. If you do something strange, you will be devastated. "

"I know what you mean. There is a similar order in this world as in reality. If you break it, the NPCs will punish you."

"I hope you know." And Hayato is Jolt's favorite. I won't ask you a favor, but if you do too much, Bandit will be an enemy. "

Ronios smiled so much that he could tell just by his mouth.

"I know that, too. Mr. Jolt, can I have a moment with you? I wanted to talk to you about a lot of things."

Jolt slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ronios and nodded without saying anything. And I closed my eyes again.

Finally, it became a strange atmosphere, but this was the end of the several clan meetings.

Only Jolt and Viktor, and Ronios and Cremola remained in the conference room.

Jolt was the only one with a tense atmosphere, but Ronios smiled slightly, and Cremola was utterly expressionless.

Viktor checked the room a lot and finally checked the hallway before locking the door.

“It's okay, there's no one around.”

Jolt nods to Viktor, looks at Ronios and Cremola, and gets up.

Have a seat, Master Ronios, Master Cremola.

Master Jolt looks very grumpy, doesn't he?

Ronios, who felt much more shattered than before, made such a statement.

The words distort Jolt's face.

"Please don't make me do this." Because it shrinks the life of the product. If you're not good enough, you'll die. "

"Then I have committed the crime of attempted murder." But that's not how it works, is it? I was in the same position a few years ago. "

Ronios laughs and says that.

Ronios then raised his frontal hair, tied it behind his head, and sat down in a chair. Gracefully put your feet together and put your weight on your back, then put your arms together.

Cremola, the maid, sits in a chair and starts drinking tea. I just don't want anyone to have it, just me.

Jolt sat in a chair and looked at Ronios, holding his breath.

"What are the foundations doing?"

"It's the same for you, isn't it? Well, in your case, it all comes back. [M] It looks like the owner is still trying to get you back."

“I'm not going back. Because I want to live freely and freely."

“I agree with that. I'd love to talk about it, but you seem to have something better to say to me than that, don't you? It's an old centipede. Let's hear it."

(Oh my, this is where my clan meets...)

Looking at Ronios, who was smiling, Jolt grinned, but patiently decided to talk.