Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Solo Auto-Hunt (3)
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The biggest difference between games from the past—say, 20 or 30 years ago—and modern games is 'convenience.'
In old games,
-If a mission popped up, the fun was in finding it yourself!
They forced players to figure out the paths on their own.
But as the information age exploded, technology advanced rapidly, and the mobile gaming market boomed, games started to change.
Hard games stayed brutally difficult.
Easy games became ridiculously simple.
In some games, players were little more than direction-key jockeys moving characters to the next spot.
Some even automated the trip to the next stage entirely.
Extreme automation.
This applied to tackling missions too.
"I can see it clearly. The path to the next stage."
Ahead of the Illinois stretched the endless ocean, but atop it shimmered a circular transfer portal where not a single wave crashed.
Even at a glance, that calm circular patch amid the churning sea looked unnatural. But asking someone to scour this vast ocean and find it? They'd lose their mind.
The area spanned at least a 50km radius of open water, and the portal to the next stage was a puny 40 meters across?
There were only three ways to spot something like that.
One.
Sail in like this, then scout the sea from the air to map it all out.
But the flocks of monstrous birds you faced right upon entering the Tower made that a hassle. Better to skip it.
Two.
Bring your own boat and search the waters.
But you couldn't exactly drag a warship in. Hunters entering the Tower straight into an ocean? At best, they'd paddle in on a lifeboat or yacht.
So, three.
Use the special feature for advancing to the Tower's next floor.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Mission] [Mission Tracking] [Auto-Tracking Activated] 'An essential feature in any open-world mobile game.'
Not just open-world—mobile games specifically.
A world that avoids burdening players with fatigue.
Games like that rake in sales, have high commercial appeal, and get rave reviews for convenience.
Thanks to that, I spotted the transfer portal with zero effort.
The in-game screen on my smartphone showed it sparkling too, complete with a shimmering light trail pointing straight toward it.
'Thinking back to the previous games, this is all the goddess's guidance.'
Fermata 8X.
The 8 wasn't random; it was the latest in a series from Fermata 1 onward.
Built on consoles but ported to mobile at some point, where it made bank and funneled cash back into the console titles.
Of course, the company making the 'mainline' series—what gamers call the 'home branch'—was over in Japan, not the mobile spin-offs.
Korea's NPia had licensed the IP and developed this version.
Word was, Japan was seeing massive sales for [Fermata 8] itself.
'When I tackle Japan's S-Rank Tower later, I can drop some bait.'
I'd have to hit Japan eventually.
The Towers scattered worldwide, the colossal one looming in the sky—they all needed clearing. Japan hadn't conquered all its own S-Rank Towers yet.
After finishing the U.S. ones, should I aim for that presumed SS-Rank Tower in the sky next?
Or keep knocking out S-Rank Towers globally, turning it into a world tour?
Either way, I had time.
Staring down this transfer portal mid-Golden Gate S-Rank Tower clear, already plotting the next one proved it.
"Master. We're almost right in front of the transfer portal."
Elaine snapped me out of my thoughts.
The Illinois had pulled up to the portal, now less than 100 meters from the bow.
"Shall I go ahead and scout it?"
"Think we can pull the Illinois right through the transfer portal?"
"We could, but if it leads to some weird spot after we commit, that'd be trouble."
Elaine clasped her hands modestly.
"With the ocean out here, what if it's some tiny cave inside? That'd be a problem, right?"
"True enough."
What if I gunned the Illinois excitedly, only for the field to be smaller than the ship?
"Scout it out for me?"
"It might not end with just scouting."
Elaine drew the sword at her hip.
"I might end up wiping everything out."
"Perfect. You're on."
I settled into the captain's chair on the bridge and fired up a different game—not Fermata—for position checks.
"If things go south, sprout wings and glide, or dive underwater. Hang in there if the environment's funky. If it looks clear to enter... we'll ram the Illinois right through."
The Illinois still had plenty of mana left.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ * * *
[Meanwhile, outside. One of San Francisco's government buildings. The temporary 'Golden Gate Clear Emergency Operations Room.']
"...Accordingly, this 'Jump Booster' appears to be a highly specialized function tied to mana release."
The Black woman at the front of the room pointed at footage of the warship on the screen, facing the grim-faced officials seated before her.
Warship jump.
An utterly baffling physical phenomenon, and one whose intent was equally opaque.
"This is just my opinion, but as an A-Rank Hunter and mother of two sons..."
The Black woman, A-Rank Hunter Big Angel, hopped lightly from the floor upward.
"My boys never just walk in games—they always spam the jump button. Probably something like that."
"...[Big Angel]?"
"Yes, Mr. President."
"How do we spin that convincingly to the public?"
"......."
President Luigi's words left the assembled aides, congressmen, governors, and even A-Rank Hunter Big Angel momentarily silent.
"This is our job. Even if it's some 'young gamer' stunt, we repackage it as political, neutral, heroic. That's what we do."
"Image crafting, sir?"
"Exactly. Like how you built my image in the campaign, we craft one for [Master]. Not 'jumped a warship for no reason,' but with a solid justification."
"...Well, there's the 'elevation difference.'"
One aide pointed to footage before the jump.
"The Golden Gate Tower entrance is up from sea level, so say he jumped to reach it."
"No maglev or wings, so jump it is?"
"Yes. It's not like it has side-mounted fans to turn into an aircraft carrier."
"In that case..."
President Luigi touched his index finger to his lips thoughtfully. Everyone in the room glanced around, half-expecting eavesdroppers.
"...Should we demand 'flight' features in every game with the Illinois?"
"Better to help summon a separate airship. Watching my son play Pokémon, he pulls out birds for flying, fish for water."
"...Sigh."
President Luigi tilted his head back.
"At my age, trying to get into games is no joke. Should've ditched football and played Nintendo with friends as a kid."
"That football heroics saved a kid from a ruptured dungeon and got you elected."
"Fair... Alright, listen up."
President Luigi thrust his index finger skyward.
"Past aside, now we know Master's power ties to 'games,' we support this industry nationally."
"...Games."
"No overthinking. Like physics and aerospace fueled nukes back then, games are the surest Tower-clearing tool now."
"But this is one man's issue."
"Just one? Undiscovered Awakeners, future ones—could be more like Master. Even if just him..."
President Luigi nodded with conviction.
"If that one guy's the hero saving America—the world—then America and the world back him. ...Who knows?"
The president quietly traced an 'S' on the table with his finger.
"He might leave a suuuper summon to guard America when he heads elsewhere."
"That."
Big Angel raised her hand.
"If it's summoned from games, not comics or movies..."
"Yes?"
"Uh, that S-Man in games... what was it?"
Big Angel scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.
"Fell to darkness and conquers the world with his power..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Fifth summon.
Obviously, grinding homework with Kiharu was padding out full-clear characters from old playthroughs.
But still.
"Alice?"
[You've finally called for me!] ....
"What're you talking about?"
[You only call when you need me!] "I call when I need you."
[Hing...] The Summon Management app's AI, Alice, pulled a sad face.
The popup in the bottom right looked downright gloomy, so I rubbed the screen with my thumb.
"You wanna come out here?"
[Huh?] "Like the others, out in the real world? I could look into it."
[W-Well... it's not impossible...] "Don't tell me."
Just a hunch.
"You wanna be Illinois Alice?"
[Huh?] "Like, as its control personality."
[Oh, no, that won't work.] I figured she'd jump at it, but Alice shut it down flat.
'Not rejection—denial?'
Can't be done.
[Not impossible, but Illinois is Illinois.] "...Talking like it already has its own control personality?"
[Well... yeah...] Alice hedged, neither confirming nor denying, but I got the gist right away.
'Unlocks later, then we meet?'
Illinois.
Not yet—means wait till it hatches itself.
Combat, navigation—it handled everything flawlessly. Just some factor beyond our control.
"Alice."
[Yes!] "Honestly, just calling to chat."
[.......] "Look at the situation, right?"
On the smartphone screen.
"No one's stopping Elaine from advancing to the next floor."
Elaine unleashed overwhelming power, slicing through the monstrous birds on the next floor.
She moved like lightning before their blood could even stain her, leaping off one's torso toward the floor above.
"Well, now."
Before she knew it, she was at the boss room entrance.
Elaine entered—and found another vast sea.
"......!!"
Just sea.
And a colossal monstrous bird soaring above it, easily over 30 meters wingspan.
"Dry. Retrieve all drones."
"Drones?"
"Yeah. Looks like... we gotta go in."
I raised one hand high.
"I'm heading to the boss room myself."