Chapter 6
The Chronicle Online that Arsia slept in had entered its tenth year of service, a second-generation virtual reality game.
If one thought about the fact that Arsia’s existence had been revealed twenty years earlier, the time gap seemed odd at first. But upon reflection, the reason was deceptively simple.
Arsia was not fixed to any single location. Whenever the time came, she would simply move to another.
A talented treasure hunter or a nation with exceptional information-gathering might have noticed that Arsia remained hidden online, yet simply searching every corner proved fruitless.
“Arsia possesses a will of her own.”
Connected to the Hollywood system, she could reach any place imaginable and breach even the tightest security to carve out her own domain. The fact that the game’s administrator, Lord Ariel, acted only as a middle manager for Arsia made that truth clear.
To obtain Arsia, one had to approach Manuel Lucas himself rather than chase the hidden location. Knowledge of Earth proved invaluable in that research, though it needed no lengthy explanation.
Yet a single question lingered.
“Aside from my own game stats, how could the unique options bestowed upon Arsia as a supporter even function in reality?”
Without supporters inside the game, Arsia should have remained asleep forever. After all, the Arsia in reality claimed she had been created by Manuel Lucas. The system of Chronicle Online had been established long after his death, yet Arsia’s compatibility with him was astonishing.
“This seems impossible without seeing the future.”
But it was precisely here that Manuel Lucas’s terrifying legacy revealed itself. Arsia truly possessed a will. She could slip through any defense connected to the Hollywood system and build her own territory. More than simply implanting her system, she could add or modify settings to suit her own preferences.
Virtual reality linked the human brain directly to the server via terminal. Arsia had used this to brainwash the game’s creators into obeying her instructions. In effect, she had hacked human minds.
“This is no different from hacking a brain.”
How terrifying a concept. The kind of thing only seen in science-fiction films. If Manuel Lucas had simply willed it, he could have controlled every human using the Hollywood system.
“By the way, Arsia.”
“Yes, Master.”
During a rare moment of leisure while hunting orcs and waiting for their respawn, I called out to Arsia standing quietly and staring at nothing.
“While I’m connected to the game, what happens to my body in reality?”
“I switch to Eco Mode and rest. However, monitoring remains active to protect Master.”
“If trouble arises outside, you can immediately report it or respond yourself?”
“That is correct.”
How convenient beyond imagination. While I connected to the game, my real body lay defenseless. Yet now I had a guardian.
No matter how misunderstandings arose in the future, I would keep Arsia in my room.
“Master.”
At that moment Arsia reported the orc respawn. I raised my magic staff and began casting.
“Magic Missile.”
Our fighting style was simple. Arsia, the tank, would draw the monsters’ attention while I finished them with magic.
Normally a first-class mage’s power could not compare to a sword, but I owned equipment that had been overpowered by pay-to-win and purchased at a low level. Thanks to that, monsters at my level fell in one hit.
Since Arsia had joined, I no longer needed to endure pain from being beaten by monsters. That fact made me thankful my class had been fixed as mage.
After all, the hardest period of hunting had been levels one through ten when I wielded only a sword without skills.
[Level 30 achieved.]
The sweet level-up message came as usual. I clenched my fist.
[Legacy Quest Step 2]
Condition: Level 30 reached (clear), defeat Orc Warrior Kants
Reward: Manuel Lucas’s Tower 3rd floor unlocked
Now I only needed to defeat the named monster, Orc Warrior Kants, to clear the quest. Clearing Step 2 would unlock the 3rd floor, along with a far superior legacy than at the 2-circle level. My excitement could not be contained.
With only one named monster left, I would probably obtain the reward before the session limit. The combination of leveling and pay-to-win power was indeed explosive. Growth was frighteningly fast. I would likely maintain this pace until level 100.
“Orc Warrior Kants… Never heard of it before?”
I used the quest window’s tracking function to locate the orc. The map showed an unexpected location.
“Here?”
It was the 1st floor of Manuel Lucas’s Tower. That meant the monster had been created specifically for the legacy, not as a normal Chronicle Online monster. My brows furrowed slightly as I targeted it.
I would move according to plan. But what was this feeling of unease?
[Movement to a secret space by Lord Ariel.]
As the teleportation message rang out, the surroundings changed. The 1st floor of Manuel Lucas’s Tower felt like a waiting room. A vast space surrounded by marble with nothing else. Yet there was one difference.
A tall green humanoid wearing a greave on one shoulder glared at me.
“When I kill humans, I become special.”
The orc warrior Kants approached aggressively, name tag on his head, delivering a meaningful line. A normal orc warrior would have no trouble against a magic user supported by a tank, but this one radiated an aura that victory seemed difficult.
[Use of consumable attack items such as bombs or scrolls is impossible.]
With the use of useful items for easy hunting also prohibited, I quickly understood the battle’s purpose.
“Now I see. This is a training device for real combat.”
Was it trying to strengthen its disciple? I gave a small laugh and focused forward.
“Arsia.”
“Yes.”
Moments later the orc began running, gradually increasing speed. I immediately ordered Arsia to defend. She raised a shield larger than her body and prepared for the impact.
“Die, human!”
The distance closed in an instant. Muscles covered in green skin swelled, and the greave swung with terrifying force.
Watching Arsia’s fragile form block the attack of a two-meter-tall monster seemed impossible by mass or momentum alone, yet…
-KWA-AANG!
The sound of an explosion echoed. Arsia was not the one who retreated; it was the orc warrior Kants. Arsia’s defensive power, even among unique supporters, was exceptional.
“Kuk!”
Kants looked genuinely surprised, as if he could not believe he had lost in a raw strength contest. Game monsters should not act so realistically, yet he did.
-Zing.
But the expression vanished quickly. The reason was simple: the moment of collision had already completed my magic casting. I pointed at the completely exposed face of Kants.
“Magic Missile.”
A blue aura formed at my fingertip and turned into light beams that destroyed his right eye.
-KWA-CHIK!
[Critical Hit!]
“Kyaaah!”
Thanks to my pay-to-win gear, the Magic Missile surpassed first-circle levels. Against an equal monster it could have killed instantly.
-Boong!
“W-what?!”
Yet the orc did not fall. He kept coming, eyes bursting and still showing fierce determination.
-KWA-AANG!
Once more Arsia had blocked every attack. I checked the HP above his head and frowned.
[Orc Warrior Kants]
HP 5,300 / 5,500
“T-that’s insane.”
Ignoring total HP, he had taken fatal damage yet remained absurdly tough.
-Kwaang! Bong! Kkang!
Kants, despite his rage, attacked Arsia’s shield first, then glared at me from behind. Arsia’s shielding of me had been flawless, yet the shockwaves still felt terrifyingly close because the senses had synchronized through the legacy.
-Ting!
Sparks jumped before my eyes repeatedly. If that greave ever pierced Arsia’s shield and reached me, the pain would be unimaginable.
I was not bluffing when I said I did not feel tense against such a fearsome aura. I had lived over forty years, including death itself. I had even drunk poison as a child. Fear and clouded judgment had never been options.
“Dig!”
-Kung!
A firm stance was essential when wielding any sword, not just the greave. When the orc stepped forward, I used the Dig spell to steal his footing. The green giant staggered, allowing Arsia to use Shield Charge and knock him down.
“You’re scared.”
I clicked my tongue briefly and cast Magic Missile again. The panicked Kants tried to rise, but Arsia would not allow it.
-Kung! Kung! Kung!
“Y-you cowardly—”
Whenever he tried to stand, Arsia knocked him down with her shield. No matter what desperate moves he made—swinging the greave, rolling, or flailing—he could not rise against her unbreakable defense.
“Magic Missile. Magic Missile.”
In the meantime I cast and unleashed Magic Missile over and over in perfect rhythm. No matter how tough he was, continuous attacks drained his HP without mercy.
Only after a long time did he escape the shield prison, by which point his HP had fallen to less than ten percent.
“If he had dropped the greave and tried to use ground techniques, he might have escaped faster.”
Even strengthened, the program was still bound by its code. The greave he refused to release was itself interfering with his movements.
“Krrrk!”
Kants charged forward like a berserker, face twisted in rage. Yet the pressure on him had long vanished. The battle ended quickly when I defended and attacked safely.
[Defeated Orc Warrior Kants.]
This fight had been the result of quick thinking and unyielding calm.
[Legacy Quest Step 2 cleared.]
[Next section of the tower unlocked. Manuel Lucas’s Tower 3rd floor is now open.]
I nodded in satisfaction and immediately headed to the 3rd floor.
—Manuel Lucas’s Tower 3rd floor.
Similar to the second floor yet slightly wider and more ornate. As expected, a massive bookshelf on one wall drew my gaze, and in front of it sat an ornate box with striking decorations.
Treasure Chest 2
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