Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Minor Safety Filter
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Whoooosh!
A desolate wind swept across the land, carrying sand with it. This was the eastern wasteland, just outside the gates of the Roeid Duchy.
A good distance from the gates, ferocious monsters began to appear sporadically. Perhaps they were influenced by the demonic energy stirring beyond Erin's Gorge. They were far stronger and larger than any monsters I had encountered before.
"I can see why the Alpharion Empire never bothered to conquer the eastern wasteland beyond the Roeid Duchy."
I nodded to myself.
Aside from the powerful monsters inhabiting this place, the land itself had no territorial value. It was a barren expanse, different from a desert, and beyond it lay only the endless Erin's Gorge.
The coast beyond the gorge could be used as a port, but all trade in this world took place within this single continent. Besides, the Alpharion Empire had other territories bordering the sea, not just the one past Erin's Gorge. Until they began interacting with other potential continents, the eastern coast held little value. Of course, that might change once everything, including the interdimensional interference, was resolved and this world began to develop.
But even if it was uninhabited and barren, it was still officially Alpharion territory under international law. The existence of such a vast, uncontrolled land within its borders must have been a thorn in the empire's side.
"However."
Shhhwing!
Kiiiik!
After dispatching a giant spider before me, I found myself furious.
"What is this!?"
The liquid spewing from the spider's wound wasn't some grotesque green blood, nor was it a gruesome red.
Why were the monster's wounds pixelated, and why was white milk coming out?
Is it because of this? Is this why?
[Safety Filter]
I glared at the faint green veil hovering before my eyes.
It wasn't particularly distracting, nor did it obstruct my vision.
But for some reason, the monsters were 'censored.' The spider's grotesque appearance wasn't replaced with a cute teddy bear or anything, but the blood and wounds looked strange.
Having now reviewed the patch notes in detail, I could guess the cause.
"As of today, Astria Online has become a game for ages 12 and up."
Astria Online, which had been an adult-rated game, was re-rated for ages 12 and up with this patch.
Now, minors could play the game too.
This had actually been announced beforehand. It just hadn't drawn my attention, as it wasn't expected to significantly affect existing adult players.
The commercial I was in, which I never watched to the end, was already advertising Astria Online as a game for ages 12 and up.
In that case, the thing that applied to players under the age of majority was surely...
"This 'Safety Filter'."
Swish, swish.
Fuming, I stretched out my short arms and waved them around, as if trying to wipe away the green veil. But cruelly, the Safety Filter remained.
This was a big problem for me.
I play this game to feel a sense of realism, but something like this constantly reminded me that it was just a game.
Why? I'm an adult. Why is this applied to me?
This was clearly a bug.
Hana Games had become a major corporation after launching this game. But seeing how they handled things so sloppily, it seemed they still had some bad habits from their smaller days.
I fiddled with the interface settings for a bit before using the GM call function to report the bug.
Vwoom.
A moment after I made the call, the face of a beautiful, blonde-haired woman in mage robes appeared before me.
Team Leader Han Yeo-reum.
The person from the marketing department who handled my commercial, and a strange being who knew about the Astria Continent before it became a game.
Seeing her face, I puffed out my cheeks.
Is she the only GM available?
Her image, floating in the air, was a hologram. It seemed she was only transmitting video.
Why isn't she coming here in person? I'm in a hurry.
- Oh my, our adorable Rain! What can I do for you? I'm so sorry, we're swamped with inquiries since it's a patch day. Oh, yes. It's nothing serious.
It seemed Team Leader Han Yeo-reum was handling another player's inquiry at the same time.
Nothing serious? There's a major bug!
I waved my hands around angrily.
"Excuse me, what's this green filter? Why is milk coming out of the monsters?"
Han Yeo-reum's busy movements momentarily froze.
- Oh, huh? The Safety Filter was applied to you, Rain?
"Yes. Please do something about it quickly."
The holographic Han Yeo-reum wore a troubled expression.
- Why would that pop up for you? Did the person in charge mess up while batch-applying the filter to pre-created minor accounts during maintenance? Goodness. Rain, could you please bear with it for a little while? I'll have it fixed for you by the end of the day.
"Oh, by the end of the day? Can't you do it right now?"
- Hmm, it's hard to explain in detail, but interfering with your avatar during live service is complicated for various reasons. Of course, if you really want, we could disconnect everyone right now and go into emergency maintenance to...!
"No! Pl-please take your time!"
I frantically waved my hands in dismissal.
If they went into emergency maintenance because of me, I'd feel bad for all the other people who are enjoying the game right now.
"Haaah."
After ending the call with Team Leader Han Yeo-reum, I sighed and let my sword hang limply.
I had no appetite for hunting.
I squatted down and idly drew circles in the wasteland dirt with my finger.
Now what should I do?
Hunting wasn't urgent. The quests were sequential anyway, and no elite dungeons had been discovered yet. Something would probably only turn up once players reached that distant gorge, Erin's Gorge. Even if an elite dungeon were discovered soon, it would take time to open, just like before.
My plan was to level up ahead of Chris, who was busy with work, and then power-level her at a good grinding spot once I found one.
Having ventured far into the wasteland, I looked back toward the now distant walls of the Roeid Duchy.
Come to think of it, Eleonora did ask me to visit the ducal estate sometime.
My plan had been to level up first, then explore the entire Roeid Duchy before visiting the estate.
Kwaaaaa!
Suddenly, a strong wind began to blow nearby.
I turned my gaze toward the source of the sound.
"Oh."
I let out a gasp of admiration at the magnificent tornado that had formed in the wasteland.
A whirlwind of sand shot up from the wasteland floor, sucking in several giant spiders.
"Is that Aerial?"
The Mage's new Ice Crystal Tower skill, 'Aerial'.
A skill specialized for mob gathering. It didn't contribute much damage in single-target boss fights, but it was incredibly useful for leveling like this. Against named monsters, it also had the effect of disrupting their vision and lowering their attack accuracy. It was less of a DPS skill and more of a reliable utility skill used mainly for mobbing and debuffing.
Since Mages already had 'Arcane Burst' for maximum damage, having a skill like that wasn't a bad idea.
Kwaaaang!
Kiiieee—!!
Arcane Burst exploded upon the giant spiders gathered by Aerial. The spiders collapsed, spewing milk. It was an excellent skill combo.
The caster of Aerial, a male Mage who had just dealt with the spiders, looked in my direction. He seemed a little surprised.
"Oh, Rain? It's been a while."
"Eh."
He recognizes me. Who was he again? His face seemed familiar.
"I'm Puukkilkkil, the Mage from Skada's raid party."
"Ah, Puukkilkkil. Nice to see you."
I chuckled. I remembered him because of his strange username. He was the Mage who had been with us when we first formed the alt raid party for the Tree of the Abyss.
The alt raid party, also known as 'Skada & Red and White Team 2', disbanded after a certain amount of farming was complete. Many of the Red and White guild members had leveled up their alts, and the team was split and downsized to run carries, including members who had already finished farming in the main team.
This was the first time we'd met since the banquet at the Alpharion imperial palace, so it had been almost a month.
"Why are you squatting down instead of hunting? I thought you'd be the first one to push ahead, Rain."
I stuck my tongue out slightly and gave an awkward smile.
I couldn't exactly say, 'I don't feel like hunting because milk comes out of the monsters.'
"Hmm... I just don't feel like it's that urgent right now."
"Really? In that case, how about visiting the Orc Forest?"
"The Orc Forest?"
I tilted my head.
The Orc Forest was the first hunting ground you encountered after starting Astria Online—the so-called 'newbie zone'.
"A ton of newbies joined after the patch today. Even with the expansion out, only people who have finished farming the Tree of the Abyss can really hunt properly in this wasteland."
"What are they doing there?"
"Seems like they're power-leveling newbies and selling carries for the 'Cave of the Orc King'."
My jaw dropped.
Today, on the release day of the 'Endless Gorge' expansion, Astria Online had become a game for ages 12 and up.
The newbies starting today would include some adults, of course, but most of them were probably minors.
They're selling carries to take money from little kids?