The Offline Meetup
Meeting? That's when it happened. Eriel, who had been silently circling around me while peering at my surroundings, tossed out a question.
"What in the world are you doing, just staring into empty space like that since earlier?"
"Ah, this? It's the system."
"System?"
I gave Eriel a quick rundown on the system.
"Hmm… I spend most of my time in the spirit realm, so I don't know the details, but… isn't that the 'Blue Window That Breeds Ruin' you're talking about?"
"The Blue Window That Breeds Ruin?"
That sounded like one hell of a ominous nickname.
"Yeah, now that I think about it, it was recent. Around 30,000 years ago, I suppose. On the Ereinia continent in the middle realm, living beings started seeing the blue windows, and eventually, ruinous demonic beasts emerged from the blue spaces, which the dragons barely managed to repel."
Come to think of it, Eriel was an eternal being like a god, who lived longer than dragons—hell, she didn't even die. Of course she'd know about events from back then.
"P-Please tell me more about what happened!"
"There's not much more to tell. That's all I heard."
"Huh?"
"It was only a few thousand years after those blue window demonic beasts were repelled that I finally descended to the middle realm once."
"So you didn't join the fight?"
"Yeah, I got the call, but for some reason, I couldn't cross over to the middle realm. Probably the power of that blue window."
Thinking about the system's powers now, blocking dimensional passages between the spirit realm and middle realm would be a piece of cake…. The more I dug into this, the uneasier I got.
"Will we end up ruined like that too?"
"Who knows. And Ereinia didn't perish. They held out and bounced back in just a few thousand years."
Just a few thousand years…. My sense of time was getting all warped.
I decided to shelve this depressing topic for later….
"I'm about to get to work now. Want to head back to the spirit realm?"
"No way. I'll stick around and look some more."
"No causing trouble, okay?"
"Hmph, I can't stray far from you anyway."
"Yeah, yeah. Then watch some TV."
"TV?"
I turned on the TV, and Eriel's eyes widened a bit.
"Oho, what an intriguing device. No mana at all… this is… the power of that lightning bastard…. Hmm?"
"There's a Lightning Spirit King too?"
"There is one with power and stature similar to us four kings, but he's no king."
Eriel answered without even looking at me and got completely absorbed in the TV. I turned my back on her cute face glued to the screen and checked the community window again.
Good, everyone's online.
No sooner had I sent the message than a clear, cheerful notification chime rang out, followed by a reply.
Her text oozed warmth and genuine delight. I inwardly cheered and casually tossed out the bait.
I slipped right into the opening, smooth as silk.
Even with my total peddler lines, OldPriestess responded positively.
I nearly stuck out my tongue at my own shamelessness dragging in national ideology, but to this otherworld saintess, it apparently sounded perfectly noble.
Oh… straight to inviting me to video chat from the jump. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of showing my face or personal info. But to catch a tiger, you've gotta go into its den. Plus, to hit my goal of master rank, I needed to solidify ties with these heavy hitters.
And right then, the system alert chimed.
'OldPriestess' has invited you to a secret holographic video chat room.
Accept the invitation? (Entry fee: 100,000 points will be deducted.)
"……100,000 points?"
100k points just to join one video meeting. That's a hefty sum in real money. But considering the opportunities and info I'd gain, it wasn't a bad investment.
"Yeah, I'm in."
I coolly hit accept, and a new system message flowed out.
Preparing entry to the Multidimensional Community's video chat room.
For 'consciousness transfer,' please assume a comfortable position in a safe area. Video chat cannot be used during intense physical activity or combat.
Oh… so it sends my consciousness itself to a virtual space? Felt just like logging into a VR game.
My private workshop had a luxury sofa and plush bedding for quick rests during repairs. I locked the door tight, lay down on the bed, and closed my eyes comfortably.
Attempting entry. Checking user's vital status.
Video chat usage confirmed.
Projecting user's consciousness into secret chat room (Room No. 1774).
Fwoosh—!
With the system's mechanical tone, my vision went black. And moments later.
"……Whoa."
What kind of video chat is this? It's full-on 4D holographic.
There were apparently different types of video chats. When I opened my eyes, I was in a grand, antique round table conference room straight out of a medieval European fantasy movie set. Marble pillars, soft chandelier lighting. My outfit was the same comfy work clothes and hoodie from the workshop, and I stood at the entrance to the room.
The moment I appeared, the four figures seated around the massive round table all shot to their feet, welcoming me enthusiastically.
"Ooooh!! You've arrived!! That young man must be the Repairman!!"
"Hahaha! Welcome, young friend!! I'm the Royal Alchemist!!"
I blinked and scanned the two old men approaching me. One was a sharp-faced mage in a deep purple robe with a prim noble mustache. The other, beside him, was a bald grandpa with a shiny dome, exuding a kind, jolly vibe.
"Oh! I can tell just by looking. The robed one's the Tower Master, and the shiny-headed one's the Royal Alchemist, right?"
They both widened their eyes at my spot-on guess and burst into roaring laughter.
"Hahaha!! What eyesight! You could tell at a glance?"
"Nah, you guys look exactly like your nicknames."
"Kahahaha!! Yeah, anyone could see I'm the Tower Master type."
Man, this felt weird. After endless smartphone text trades, face-to-face talking was like finally meeting old online game guildmates IRL for the first time.
Beside the two grandpas stood an unreal handsome guy and a stunning beauty. More precisely, the woman beamed a radiant smile, while the man crossed his arms with a super sulky, pouty 'hmph' glare aimed at me.
"Hmph. So, Repairman. Nice to meet you. How was the World Tree fruit? Suited your taste?"
Pointy ears. Long, shimmering golden hair. The moment he spoke, the beauty beside him sighed and scolded the man.
"Hmm… Elder, it's not a good look to be so petty when meeting our benefactor for the first time. You're hundreds of years old—act with some dignity…."
The handsome elf man snapped back.
"What do you know, blabbing like that?! It's the World Tree fruit, the first in 1,000 years!! I still dream about it!!"
But the saintess wasn't one to back down.
"Oh? Elder, are you saying you'd rather protect the World Tree fruit and let your elf kin die from the plague?"
"Th-That's not what I meant!! I'm grateful, I am!! I'm just wistful!!"
I gaped blankly at their bickering. Oh… so that's a real elf. I'd imagined some ancient treebeard with a waist-long beard for a forest elder. This was a 20-something stunner who could devour any idol group's center.
"Nice to meet you, Elder! Thanks to you, I've been hugely blessed."
I bowed politely, and only then did the elf elder nod and return the greeting.
"Yeah… well… as long as you're using it well…. Ahem… nice to meet you too."
And finally, our eyes met—hers. The one who'd defended me and chewed out the elder. She gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt and curtsied toward me.
"Pleased to meet you, Repairman. After only text chats, it's an honor to see your face and hear your voice in person. I'm Lianess, using the nickname OldPriestess in the community, humbly serving as the Saintess of the Church of Light."
Her face and aura could be summed up in one word: Saintess. Dazzling golden hair like sunlight shattering, pure white priestess robes modestly hugging her curves. Yet they couldn't hide her overwhelming beauty, and a holy glow seemed to emanate from her mere presence. When she flashed me a bright-eyed smile, my heart pounded wildly.
No way, fuck, what the hell? If the saintess is that gorgeous, how am I supposed to deal? Just looking at her face sparks all kinds of blasphemous thoughts!!
Seeing the saintess's face alone made those 100k points totally worth it.