Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: The Alchemist's Collar
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"Hold on a second...!! I swear I know nothing about it!! I've heard the rumors, but... I'm just a lowly peon—it's got nothing to do with me!!"
The alchemist shouted in a panic.
"There are whispers that the higher-ups are running experiments we couldn't even imagine. But I swear on my life, I know nothing...! Ah, aaah...!!"
"He's probably telling the truth. It's such a secretive organization that even the top brass leaves no trace."
"Using players as lab rats without killing them... Does that even make sense?"
"Tell me about it. Things have gotten downright insane. Apparently, that research has already caused real-world casualties. You must've seen the government announcement from a few days ago."
Gares let out a heavy sigh.
"People checking into hospitals or getting treatment for mental breakdowns... They logged in for a game and came out broken. How does that even compute?"
"I see..."
Woojin couldn't have seen the announcement himself, but he could piece together the gist from Gares's words—though it left a bitter taste he couldn't shake.
His only window to the outside world was the in-game bulletin boards and community forums.
Every now and then, he'd catch snippets of external news from posts people uploaded there.
It was a life where, without someone spoon-feeding him info, he wouldn't even know what was happening in the world.
"By the way, if you missed it, it's up on the community boards too. Take a look."
"...Pardon?"
"Someone posted the announcement video. The comments section is blowing up."
That sparked something in Woojin's mind.
'Right. They can't link external sites on the community, but they can upload files.'
It was an offhand remark, but to Woojin, it was a game-changer.
'Exactly. If I ask people to post outside info on the community... I won't have to just sit around waiting. I can get real-world updates.'
It could even open a line of communication.
He'd started as a solo player, but now he had people around him.
Squeeze—
Discovering yet another possibility, he unconsciously tightened his grip on his fist.
"So, the continent's largest alchemy association, Plaz, has issued a massive quest targeting the alchemists making these virtual drugs."
The quest involved capturing alchemists linked to the incident alive or gathering evidence on the virtual drugs and experiments.
Click—
Gares fastened something around the alchemist's neck.
"It's a capture device developed by Plaz. Made in collaboration with the magitech group Heaven Ultima."
Whirr—
A faint mechanical hum emanated from the handcuff-like collar once it locked on.
"Once it's on, logout is blocked for one hour."
"You're forcibly trapping them in the game?"
"That's right. No need to keep them in combat mode, so it's convenient."
"I saw self-appointed vigilantes in Torn Bach build a jail to imprison players. Logout worked fine, but they locked the characters away so no one could play."
Woojin frowned at that instead.
"This is the opposite. Locking them in the game by blocking logout... We can't really blame those guys, can we? Does this seem normal to you?"
"Of course it's dangerous. Full-dive VR like this is still brand new, after all."
As time passed, people used VR for far more than just gaming.
Virtual meetings, hanging out with distant friends... It had its upsides, but the downsides were piling up too.
"Bound to be a lot of trial and error."
After the government announcement, chaos erupted at The Phase, headquarters of Evil Tail.
Even using NPCs as test subjects was controversial enough, but running experiments while players were logged in? That crossed every line.
Claims poured in, reporters swarmed the lobby.
Some called it the end of The Phase's golden streak, but ironically, the media backlash only boosted Evil Tail's popularity.
'A world where anything goes?'
Riding the wave of frenzy, Evil Tail shattered records with 500 million simultaneous users.
"Calls for a Virtual Reality Protection Act are everywhere... Governments worldwide are in an uproar."
Gares sighed again as he spoke.
"This item's specially made for the incident. Only players vetted by Plaz can receive it. It'll probably vanish once this blows over."
"Still... forcing logout blocks like this feels like it'll spawn even bigger problems..."
"That's why The Phase held that press conference."
"...What did they say?"
"Problems in the game get solved in the game. Players must pay for their characters' actions."
An eye for an eye, pure and simple.
"Bold move. For a company that size, dropping a decision like that amid all the controversy isn't easy."
As someone who'd once run his own enterprise, Woojin was impressed.
"They're taking heat left and right, but the buzz is real. Plenty are calling it a mic-drop moment. Word is, the Dark Forest is swarming with newbies now."
Woojin gave a wry smile.
'Whoever's behind that has a sharp head.'
Turning crisis into opportunity.
"So, what do you mean they issued a quest?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Plaz put up a bounty and created the quest."
"Players can create quests?"
Woojin recalled entering the count's room.
The hidden dungeon had spawned because of these alchemists too.
"No, not at all. You can post bounties through the Adventurer's Guild as a player, but creating quests? Impossible."
"Then...?"
"Plaz's leader is an NPC."
"...Come again?"
"Think of it like the Red Tower. Lots of players join, but leader Ratan Gray is an NPC."
"Hmm..."
"Rahad the Sage of Truth founded the continent's biggest alchemy association, but it's strictly NPCs only. Kendrick Ellic's Plaz, on the other hand, lets players join."
"...Kendrick Ellic?"
Woojin repeated the name, and Gares caught on immediately.
"Right. The brother of Sig Ellic, boss of the Alchemist's Lab dungeon in the Dark Forest."
"Heh... I see."
Hearing Sig Ellic's name after so long stirred fresh emotions in Woojin.
"Mind if we take him?"
"Go ahead."
"We'll give you a cut of the quest rewards once it's done."
"No need. You were already chasing them. Just let me know if you hear anything on that commission I posted later."
It was about Sarbandin.
"Got it."
Woojin shook Gares's hand in farewell.
"Kim Chan, you ditched the Red Tower for Ulld?"
"N-No way! Hold on... We just teamed up for a quest."
"Meeting you made the Red Tower feel dull, huh?"
"Wh-When did I say that?!"
Kim Chan flailed his hands in embarrassment and yelled.
"I went to Torn Bach to see you and ran into them."
"Is that so?"
Woojin chuckled and eyed Kim Chan.
"If the Red Tower's boring, just leave. Since you stopped by Torn Bach, check out an apprentice mage named Nisen there."
"Apprentice mage...?"
"Yeah. NPC. Might lead to something more fun than the Red Tower."
"...I'm way past the level for hanging with apprentice mages."
"You're weaker than Nisen."
"Argh...! Why do you always...! Ugh!"
Jane shoved Kim Chan's reluctant shoulder aside and stepped in front of Woojin.
"Come to the union next time. Got it?"
Her sparkling eyes made Woojin glance awkwardly at Gares.
"My niece. She's the union leader now."
"Union leader... You mean she got the World Quest?"
"Spot on."
"I've dying to meet you for real! Tell me all about the Black Dragon, okay?"
The heavy mood from moments ago lightened a bit with her bubbly energy.
"Sure. I've got World Quest stuff to share too."
He was on one himself, after all.
"Where to next?"
"Tekan Empire first, to grab my comrades. Weden's there too."
"Oh? That guy's with you?"
"Yeah. Training with the Balan family. Then straight to the Great Forest."
"Great Forest?"
"Yep."
Woojin nodded.
"Haaah—!!!"
"A bit more!! Your reaction after rapid fire is too slow!! Pick up the pace!!"
Swoosh—!! Swish swish—!!
The arrow struck dead center on the straw dummy's head in the training yard.
Even mid-sprint, the arrow's tip was steady as could be.
Crack—!!!
It embedded deep.
Crunch crunch...!!
The next arrow landed right on top, peeling the first one away like pencil shavings, splitting it neatly in two curls.
"Yes!!"
Luen pumped her fists in the air, jumping with joy at the stacked arrows.
As the notifications faded, a shower of pure white sparkles danced around Luen.
"Congrats. Even though you're already in the Central Continent."
"...Master!!"
Luen bolted toward Woojin at the sound of his voice.
"When did you get back?"
"Just now. Saw it was your last day of training, didn't want to interrupt, so I watched."
"Hee... You saw it, then? Me doing this..."
Beaming, she drew back the empty bowstring and pointed at the dummy.
"Impressive skills. She's completed training that'd exhaust most knights. Must've gained a ton of experience."
The instructor nodded toward her and addressed Woojin.
"Thank you for your efforts."
"The pleasure was mine teaching her."
The instructor bowed and left the yard.
"Is the Red Knight Order ready for deployment?"
"...Pardon?"
Cocked head at the unexpected question, then:
"Of course. Ready to deploy anytime."
A confident reply.
"Good."
Woojin recalled his promise to Aswell and said no more.
'If he wanted a report, he'd have asked me on my way back to the kingdom.'
This was out of his hands now.
"Luen, to the Great Forest."
"Yes!!"
Before the flames of war arrived.
"Time to job change."
Time to get to work.