Chapter 142: Virtual World

[South]

<You are inside a dark cave. You cannot see anything.>

As a novel, it felt a little frustrating. Hisno had wanted to try hunting monsters, so after groping around and wandering for a while, he reached the Goblin Cave. But once he entered, he could barely tell which direction was which in the darkness, and no matter where he went, the same message kept repeating.

[East]

<You are inside a dark cave. You bump into something. You cannot see anything.> <Something hits you. You writhe in pain.>

‘Huh? What is this?’

And it seemed he had probably encountered the monster he had been looking for so much, but he still could not see what it was and could only get beaten. In truth, this was because Hisno had come unprepared. He should have learned magic beforehand, or at least bought a torch.

Not knowing this, he simply tried ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attacking the way he had learned in the tutorial earlier.

[Attack with short sword.]

<You swing the short sword. But because you cannot see anything, you cut through empty air.>

“Huh?”

<Something hits you. You writhe in pain. Tears well up in your eyes. If you keep getting hit, you will probably die.>

“Ah! What am I supposed to do!”

He could not even counterattack, and it was enough to drive him mad. But he could not just die, so he hurriedly typed.

[South flee]

<You cannot see anything. You hit the cave wall. You failed to flee. Something hits you.>

“Ah, damn it!”

Hisno hurriedly changed direction.

[East flee]

<You cannot see anything. Fortunately, it seems your opponent cannot see you clearly either. You crawled away disgracefully, but somehow managed to escape from the enemy.>

“...”

The mocking message made Hisno feel as though he had been toyed with for quite a while. In truth, this was actually lucky. Since it was probably a goblin that also could not see well in the dark, he was able to escape like that. If it had been a Giant Cave Bat that used ultrasonic waves, he likely would not have been able to run away at all.

After wandering for a long while, he eventually escaped the cave and returned to the original city. Then he exited the game, searched through the related bulletin boards for information, and only then learned that he needed a torch.

“Ah...”

In this way, he stumbled around and gradually explored the world inside the game.

He also met other people there. This happened when he had already hunted a few goblins and was beginning to gain some confidence, though his equipment window was still shabby.

[Anyone hunting Armed Goblins?]

He was walking around the village, looking for some way to get equipment cheaply, or to see if anyone was selling cheap equipment, when a message suddenly appeared. He had not typed anything himself.

But he soon remembered that this was a game enjoyed by multiple people together. He also recalled seeing on the bulletin boards he had searched thoroughly that there was a way to shout like this.

“Uh, so.”

The Armed Goblin was a monster he also wanted to hunt. He was struggling because he had no equipment, and that goblin dropped equipment, however poor it might be. But it was too strong for his current level, so he had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only been watching helplessly. With a companion, however, the story changed.

[Hello. Say.]

He remembered how to chat and typed the command somewhat clumsily.

<Hello.>

Fortunately, he seemed not to have made any mistakes, and the message appeared without issue. Hisno waited for the other person’s reply with his heart pounding.

<Ah. Hello, Dwarf Berserker.>

Dwarf Berserker was Hisno’s ID. When the other person spoke to him, Hisno felt a strange thrill. It was as though this virtual world had suddenly become even more alive.

Even when he wandered alone, all kinds of images filled his head. But thinking that there were other people like him made it feel downright electrifying.

<Do you want to hunt Armed Goblins together?>

<Yes. Let’s hunt together.>

As soon as Hisno answered, a party invitation message arrived.

[Accept]

<You have joined the Armed Goblin Subjugation Party.>

His new companion’s name was Monster Sizzler. His class was Mage. Hisno, who did not even have a class yet, admired the fact that the other person was actually a Mage.

But once they entered battle, that admiration cooled immediately.

<Monster Sizzler used lightning magic. The Armed Goblin feels tickled by the electric massage.>

“...”

In truth, this was only natural. This was an extremely beginner zone, and while Monster Sizzler was slightly ahead of Hisno, he was also in a situation where he needed to hunt Armed Goblins to obtain shabby equipment. On top of that, he was someone who had stood in the middle of the village shouting for companions because he could not hunt them alone.

In any case, the two fought desperately and hunted Armed Goblins.

<The Armed Goblin has fallen. A Goblin Longsword has dropped.>

“Oh!”

When Hisno saw the equipment drop, he immediately typed quickly.

[Pick up. Goblin Longsword]

Strictly speaking, if something dropped, he should have discussed it with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his companion first. But this was an item for a warrior. Hisno did not have a class yet, but since he was fighting in close combat, he could be considered a warrior. So it was his share.

But the other person apparently did not think so.

<There is no such thing.>

“Huh?”

For a moment, Hisno wondered if he had made a typo and checked the log above. But there was nothing wrong with his command. Then the answer was obvious. Monster Sizzler had picked up the equipment first.

<Excuse me, Monster Sizzler. Did you pick up the equipment?>

<Yes.>

Hisno’s expression soured as he looked at the monitor. He paused for a moment, then began hitting the keyboard again.

<Isn’t that sword my equipment?>

<Huh? I’m still using a sword too.>

“...”

Hisno was momentarily speechless. It was not because he found it absurd, but because he recalled their previous adventure. As Monster Sizzler said, his magical power was still pitifully weak, so he still used a sword. Come to think of it, the damage he dealt with his sword was actually higher than his magic.

They both used short swords, and although Monster Sizzler was a Mage, Hisno had no class and there was a slight level difference, so Monster Sizzler’s sword damage was also slightly higher.

So objectively speaking, it was more efficient for Monster Sizzler to take the sword. Hisno had felt happy and thought it was his when it dropped, so he felt a little wronged, but he decided to understand and let it pass.

<You have to give me the next one that drops.>

<Yep. Of course.>

The two began hunting Armed Goblins again for quite a while. It felt like they fought desperately for around twenty minutes. It was still not easy, but perhaps because the Goblin Longsword was indeed good, Monster Sizzler’s damage felt about fifty percent higher than before.

Hisno watched that damage enviously while praying for his own item to drop soon.

Then, a little later, an item dropped.

“...”

Hisno was instantly disappointed. That was clearly not his item. But when he calculated that Monster Sizzler could take it and he could use the Goblin Longsword instead, his expression brightened again.

<Monster Sizzler. Did you pick up the item?>

<Yes.>

<Then please give me the Goblin Longsword.>

<Huh? Why?>

“...”

Hisno’s expression soured again. But since he was someone who had experience in society, he knew that other people’s thoughts were not the same as his own and that conversation was necessary to narrow that gap. He bit his lip once, then began typing again.

And since he knew that with this type of person, making a request would not work and he had to speak logically, he went in that direction.

<We agreed that I would take the next equipment that dropped. But you didn’t give it to me and just picked it up.>

<Yes, that’s true, but this isn’t something Hisno needs. It’s Mage equipment.>

<...>

<But it’s better for you right now, so I’ll give it up. Instead, please give me the Goblin Longsword you took earlier.>

Hisno thought he had explained things in a fair and reasonable way, and waited for the other person’s answer. But there was one thing he had briefly forgotten.

Not everyone thought reasonably.

“You little...!”

Hisno finally snapped. He immediately began pounding the keyboard. In fact, he had seen people like this in real life often enough, so while he had hoped it would not happen, he had also expected it and already thought about what to do.

[Leave Armed Goblin Subjugation Party]

<You have left the Armed Goblin Subjugation Party.>

[Attack Monster Sizzler]

<You attack Monster Sizzler.>

Monster Sizzler seemed flustered, as though he had not expected Hisno to attack immediately like this.

<Huh? Why are you hitting me!>

Hisno found the question “why” absurd, and he had plenty of things he wanted to snap back with. But since the fight had already started, he could not waste time answering that.

[Attack with short sword.]

When an attack flew in instead of an answer, the other side either got angry or reacted reflexively and began counterattacking.

<You feel tickled by the electric massage.>

But it was a weak magic attack. Hisno ignored it and kept typing busily, even drinking the potion he had saved. Monster Sizzler began swinging his sword after that, but it was already too late.

Perhaps the first strike and the relentless follow-up attacks had been effective, because Monster Sizzler, whose HP had already dropped considerably, judged that he was going to lose. So he tried to flee.

But he was unlucky.

<Monster Sizzler attempted to flee. He could not escape.>

And under the continued attacks, he eventually collapsed. Monster Sizzler hammered at his keyboard, but he could not stop his character from falling.

<Monster Sizzler has fallen. A Goblin Longsword has dropped. A Goblin Bone Staff has dropped.>

“Hehehe...”

Hisno chuckled and picked up both items. Since the competitor who would snatch them first had already disappeared, his fingers moved leisurely over the keyboard.

<Hey, you! %#&%$^$>

<Hehehe. This is justice!>

Monster Sizzler spat out curses, but Hisno laughed and mocked him, then left the area with the joy of victory.

A little later, insults came flying through whispers, but after learning how to block someone from the bulletin board, he blocked them and then erased Monster Sizzler from his memory.

In this way, MUD games taught the people of this world for the first time what a virtual world was.

It was an astonishing experience and a source of enjoyment. Many people became deeply absorbed in it. However, that did not mean it was a commercial success.

The number of users was sufficiently high. A thousand concurrent users might seem very small compared to packaged games selling a million copies each, but considering the limitation of having no graphics and the fact that this was still the dawn of online games, it was by no means a small number.

And that number was rapidly increasing as well.

The problem was that Spirit Space ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was still free. At present, not only the MUD game but all Spirit Space content was fundamentally operating at a loss. There was no income and only expenses, so that was only natural.

But this situation would not last much longer.

That was because the release of the Magical Connector, which Ras had set as the point for switching to paid service, was not far away.

“What matters now is reducing resistance to the paid conversion as much as possible.”

Giselle spoke in a rather solemn tone. As the person in charge of Spirit Space, her reaction was only natural. Until now, the response had been tremendous, so it felt like they were sailing with the wind at their backs. But if that could not be connected to profit, then as a business, it would ultimately become a failure.

Of course, from the moment Spirit Space was released, they had already clearly stated that the free period was temporary and that it would become a paid service in the near future.