Acquiring a Console Game
"What kind of game does Liria want?"
"Liria is fond of Tetris."
"Tetris?"
"Yes, Sister Silvia."
It was one of the handful of games Liria remembered from her previous life — quite possibly the most famous game in the world. Remade across countless versions, it was a contest of both physical reflexes and mental acuity, which meant Silvia would almost certainly enjoy it as well.
"Then we shall try it next time."
"Yes, Sister Silvia."
"Tetris has incredibly simple rules, but it's been around so long that the skilled players are everywhere."
"I see."
Silvia found herself genuinely curious about the Tetris Liria wanted so much. Na Sujeong decided she would recommend a version with ranked modes — the kind you could play online, which meant they could even show it off on stream.
Liria saw Yu Jaeseung and Song Jisu home, sending them off with coffee to last them through the weekend. She told Kim Gayoung's group, Na Sujeong, and the rest of the staff that they were free to drink as much as they liked over the weekend as well. There was a real chance she and Silvia wouldn't even be on Earth, but she hadn't forgotten the coffee benefits.
Liria intended to ask Na Sujeong for console game recommendations — for her older brothers. She knew far too little about games herself, and she needed the help.
"Liria desires a game console that can be enjoyed without the internet."
"Would that be for playing in Selenia, by any chance?"
"It would."
"Does Selenia have electricity?"
"It does."
Liria had already seen what Electricity Stones could do, and she was confident they would work even without a power cord. And if anyone could recommend a good console, it was Na Sujeong, who knew games inside and out.
"So Selenia can use electricity too."
"Behold."
Liria drew out an Electricity Stone and showed it to them, then explained how it worked. Watching a smartphone charge from one had given her an idea: the electricity stored inside might well power other electronics too. She didn't know the precise mechanism, but thinking of it as an external battery was close enough.
"That's just a battery, isn't it?"
"It really is. That's amazing."
"And since Liria and Silvia can both use lightning magic, they can basically use it forever."
"That's actually incredibly useful."
For Liria and Silvia, who could wield lightning magic, an Electricity Stone battery was effectively unlimited so long as they had mana. As long as the mana stone could hold a decent charge, a single fill-up would last them a long, long time. They had no idea what the stone's actual capacity was — but for the two of them, it hardly mattered.
"Ah — in that case, I have just the thing."
Na Sujeong walked them through how console gaming worked. In the old days, people had played off discs, but the technology had advanced until downloads became an option. You saved games to the console's internal storage, and you could add external storage as well. Pay for the console and the downloads, and you could play without any internet at all — including versus matches. Some games even let four people play on a single machine, and the moment Liria heard that, she knew she had to buy one. With a console, her family would be able to have a wonderful time together.
"Liria wishes to purchase them this very instant."
"Should I come along too?"
"If Sujeong unnie doesn't go, who will? The rest of us don't know a thing about this."
"Gayoung, you go this time."
"Would that be all right?"
"Gayoung unnie is the only one who hasn't gone with her yet."
"All right, then. I'll go."
"We'll hold down the cafe."
Liria and her companions piled into the car and headed for a store that sold consoles. Once they arrived, they followed Na Sujeong to the right section, where Liria bought the console Na Sujeong had recommended, along with a monitor and a laptop. She also picked up a video camera for filming during tomorrow's adventurer work. After stocking up on all sorts of food from the store as well, the group headed back to the cafe.
A delicious smell greeted them the moment they returned, and they realized at once that Kim Gayoung's group had ordered delivery. While the others had been out shopping, Lee Nami and Park Dahye had tidied up the cafe and called in food.
"Welcome back, Gayoung unnie."
"Mm."
"How was the drive with Liria?"
"The best."
Kim Gayoung wasn't particularly fond of driving, but a drive with Liria had been an absolute delight. Even so, she'd kept her focus on the road, saving her fill of Liria's cuteness for the moments they were stopped.
"Shall we start downloading the games while we eat?"
"We should."
"If you would."
Missing another evening meal with her family was a shame. Someday, she hoped, there would come a day when they all went out to eat together on Earth.
"Which games should I download?"
"A racing game and Tetris, if you would."
"Just the two for now?"
"That will do."
Na Sujeong downloaded a racing game and Tetris onto the internal storage as requested, and they all sat down to dinner while they waited. By the time they finished eating, both games had finished downloading, and Na Sujeong gave them a quick rundown of how to use the console.
Silvia decided they would have Na Sujeong's other recommendations downloaded onto the external storage while they were away in Selenia. If Na Sujeong was the one suggesting them, they were bound to be fun.
Liria felt a swell of gratitude toward the others for ordering so much food — enough to take back to Selenia. Once they returned, they would call Silvia's family as well, and everyone would sit down to a meal together.
[Photos of Silvia and Liria, plus screenshots of every Time Attack track — all 1st place]
This is genuinely incredible. They swept every Time Attack track for 1st place in a single day. Watching Silvia's Kart Racing skills is awe-inspiring in the truest sense of the word. Starting today, I'm running Time Attack along Silvia's racing lines and aiming for 2nd.
Conquered Kart Racing in a single day, then immediately hit Diamond in All Retire.
Reaction time: 0.01 seconds.
They are not Earth life-forms. If they were from Earth, it wouldn't make sense unless they were androids. Therefore: dragon and elf. Confirmed.
You guys aren't still in denial, right?
The reaction-speed test site crashed today from all the traffic after those 1st-place records. I watched her take the test from start to finish, and I swear she hit the button BEFORE the light even turned green.
And then it just displayed 10ms. Like that. I have no idea how she pulled off five in a row. I kept thinking, "Why is she pressing it while it's still red?" — and then 10ms pops up and I just sat there stunned.
Anyone who saw it live will know what I mean. I figured it was a predictive mash, but is five consecutive predictive hits even statistically possible? Has to be a site error or some kind of cheat.