Part 1
That time, I must have shown a dumb expression with my mouth wide open.
（Huh? Huh? What is this?）
I am currently in midst of a gra.s.sland. The strong sunlight is extremely blinding, reminding me of the sun in summer.
And this is impossible. I should be at home, inside a 6-tatami big room on the second level.
That’s right. After returning home from school…… without even taking off my uniform, I dived into the kotatsu…… and picked up the controller of the most advanced next-generation console by Mantendo, ZII…… facing the 20-inch LCD screen TV and began playing 『Gears Baron’s Resurrection』…… Hmph, that’s right. (TL note: kotatsu is the little table with a heater that j.a.panese like to sit in, google if you are interested and Mantendo is a parody of Nintendo)
Until that moment, I remembered everything clearly.
Th..then why! Why am I suddenly in a completely different place!
The kotatsu and controller have disappeared, but I am still maintaining the position of holding the controller and sitting in the kotatsu, while sweating profusely.
My instinct screamed: Oh no, the situation is very bad. But I was like being tied up, unable to move.
“Woah Ah”
Suddenly a shadow zoom past, me who was shocked by it, recovered and reflexively looked up.
A bird is flying in the sky, and past me, flying in the distance, becoming smaller and smaller.
I widened my eyes. That bird is obviously bigger than an eagle or a vulture and it has feathers like that of a peac.o.c.k.
（What! What exactly is that!?）
I gingerly stood up, observing the situation in my surroundings.
This is a wide gra.s.sland. The cloudless sky has a vibrant blue that would let someone feel good, this reminds me of the sky at the Sahara Desert in special program that I saw on television. Gra.s.s that has grown until knee length, leaves with jagged edges, though it looks like miscanthus but yet it is definitely not miscanthus.
The blood from my face have completed drained away. I shouldn’t have gone crazy? Desperately trying to calm myself down, I tried to grasp for clues in my memories.
（That, let’s start from the morning when I got up. Washing my face, eating breakfast, and going to school. Because today is the last day of the 3rd semester, hence there is a closing ceremony. After listening to the princ.i.p.al’s long speech, I was finally released……）
“Is that Yuugo……?”
That seemingly familiar voice interrupted my thoughts. Looking behind, my cla.s.smate/buddy, Miyamoto Shou was standing there.
“Shou?”
Wearing his school uniform, short, skinny, with his silver-rimmed gla.s.ses, along with a small mole at the edge of his mouth. I can’t be mistaken, this is the Shou that I know.
“Yuugo! You are Yuugo!”
With an expression that looks that he was about to cry, Shou rushed over.
“Now what exactly is going on! I should be at home, playing the game! Why am I here?”
“I was about to ask you that. By right, I should be at home too! And yeah I should be playing 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』……”
“Me too. Playing 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』……Eh eh eh eh eh!? What is that! The thing at your head!”
Shou’s eyes were wide opened, with his line of sight directed slightly above my face.
I looked up.
In an instant, it seems that something slipped past. Though I kept rotating to get a good look, but no matter how I do it, I could only see a little bit. It seems like “that” is on my head, moving along when I move my head.
（Huh?）
At that moment, I noticed it.
There is a red and blue stripe on Shou’s head, and showing Shou’s name.
Based on instincts, I understood that it should be also the same thing on my head.
“This.. is that? Don’t tell me red is HP and blue is MP gauge? Showing Yuugo, is that saying the character’s name?”
Shou said while pointing at the thing on my head with trembling fingers.
“Shou’s head is also showing it.”
“Is that true!?”
“Yes. Don’t move and stay still.”
I reached out, wanting to touch the strip above Shou’s head with my hand.
Though it can be seen but it can’t be touched. It seems to be a hologram and my hand just pa.s.s through it.
Shou faced me and did the same.
“What?…… What exactly is this……”
“Hey, Yuugo. We were chatting on the way home after school right? Talking about how interesting 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』is.”
“Ah, yes.”
“After that it was about this topic right? Saying how good it would be to be able to enter the world of RPG.
This state of having the red and blue stripes and the character’s name above the head is exactly the same as the characters inside 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』. ”
“This is a lie right? Don’t tell me this place is……”
“Inside the game……?”
“No, wait. Don’t be silly, how can there be such a thing!”
“If there is a theory that I can understand then quickly tell me!”
How is that possible!
I moved my line of sight away from Shou and began to observe the scenery in the surrounding landscape.
“Shou, there is something I am a bit concerned about since just now. The scenery here, it seems like I have seen it before…… but yet it seems like I have never seen it before……”
“Ah. I have got the same feeling since just now as well. Now Yuugo, if I have gotten it wrong, I hope you can tell me directly. ”
Shou gently poked his silver rimmed gla.s.ses with his index finger. My friend’s habit seems like an alien’s behavior to me now.
“This should be within 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』,I guess? The starting place is randomly determined in this game right? I started from Aruda village. Yuugo?”
“I started from Aruda village too.”
“This place, isn’t it the gra.s.sland nearby Aruda village?”
……!
I attempted to find the words that can refute Shou.
But I failed.
I, Itsukushima Yuugo is a game player.
My father is a person who nearly dedicated his entire life to games. Being at the dawn of the j.a.panese gaming culture, when it was. .h.i.t with a s.p.a.ce Invader wave, it had a deep impact on father’s generation.
Father’s youth was full of pa.s.sion towards gaming, becoming a gamer. Next it was the decision to game as a career and now he supports his family with a game store and a game centre.
Because of this, my home is just like a games museum. Ignoring the s.p.a.ce Invader arcade cabinet that was my dad’s starting point, there’s the Game N Watch that’s the pioneer of home use portable game consoles, promoting j.a.panese consumer culture toward the world’s family computers, which contributed to the machines now known as Automatic Navigators (GPS) and PC engines, and almost all of the so-called TV games hardware are gathered here as well. Moreover, almost all of the software that were made for all of the hardware are gathered as well, if there’s a game otaku that can achieve this, shouldn’t that be worthy of respect?
The me who grew up in such an environment, it is inevitable for me to become a gamer. Rather than saying that I am playing, it is more like breathing, since in my earliest memories, I having playing games.
Okay……
What exactly is 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』that Shou and I have been talking about?
For the sake of the people who don’t know, I better explain it. That is a RPG game on the next-generation console, ZII.
It has yet to be released. The game company that developed this game is recruiting beta testers and the selected testers are given the beta version of the 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』.
The beta version is the stage of the game before release where there are still a few bugs. The beta testers wanted to play the latest games before they hit the market. Hence no matter how many bugs they encounter, they cannot be angry and upon discovering any bug, they have the obligations of reporting to it the companies.
Last year in May, Shou and I partic.i.p.ated in the Tokyo Game show that was organized at the Makuhari Messe. Upon reaching the company’s stand and seeing the advertis.e.m.e.nt for the recruitment of beta testers for 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』, we partic.i.p.ated and due to our luck, we were selected. 2 months ago…… which is early January, we received our copies. (TL note: Makuhari Messe is a real place in j.a.pan)
After that, Shou and I were both captivated by this RPG. Shou and I both loved games very much, especially RPGs. And this 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』is perfect enough to mesmerize us.
This game setting is like this. The setting is that monsters are rampaging, other than humans, there are still elves and dwarfs, a fantasy world with sword and magic—— Eternal. In Eternal, the devil who wants to destroy the world, Gears Baron has resurrected. To stop it, the players embark on a journey…… This is considered a slightly old fashion setting.
But 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』’s system is extremely incredible. “It is a 3D world where even the most subtle places are exactly the same as the real world” “Through the most powerful engine, GS8, it replicates the physical phenomena as though it is like the real world!” “All the NPC are equipped with AI, moving as though it is like a real human!” “Automatically generated NPC!” “Automatically generated tasks!” “To be good or evil is your freedom! You can be a hero! Or be an a.s.sa.s.sin! Save the world or destroy the world, you get to decide!” Similar slogans can be seen everywhere but these are actually worth of being called.
Extracting the essence of a good RPG with additional elements, this is such a product. Moreover though it is a beta version, but yet there is no bugs that are like bugs to be found. If one wanted to force it, it would be that entering the dungeons and towns, the load time is a bit long. This is too incredible.
Shou and I played both day and night, even in school when we meet, we discussed what we did in 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』. Even on the official website, the beta testers have nothing but praise for it.
So on that day in the way home, after the closing ceremony , Shou and I said.
“It seem that Mantendo’s ZII cannot fully showcase the highlights of its hardware. But once 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』 goes on sale, it might just reach 1 million sales!”
“ I think so too.That is too addictive.”
“It is as though I have really become one of the people inside the fantasy world. The village, the town, the gra.s.sland, the forest, all of them are done so realistically. Enemies with the same shape but different colors did not appear at all, you can really feel the pa.s.sion of the producer from this.”
“It feels like an evolved version of the buXXbion that was released on the Xbox360 platform. In the physical engine, the ripple on the lake caused by a gentle breeze and the rotating look when the leaves fall, all of them are like the real deal. The AI of NPC is also incredible enough to make people think that they are talking with real humans.”
“Yes yes! I liked buXXbion too. That game is in European style, hence there is some people who are unable to accept it due to the looks, which is a pity. With regards, this game uses a style which j.a.panese also likes.
When designing the character, one can choose his preferences during the character creation. This is also an important point!”
“So saying, Shou where have you played until?”
“The story? Hmm…… Before this, I have already changed job to become a magician. When training, it gave me a shock. The experience points needed by a magician is really a lot. Attack magic, a.s.sistance magic, recovery magic, summon magic, it is actually an all-rounder which can use everything! Though it is interesting that it can do everything, but the training is ridiculous.”
“It is like the sage in doraXXe.”
“Yes yes. So because it can do all sort of things, it is extremely interesting so I picked up a lot of tasks.
So I didn’t really touch the main story line. How about Yuugo?”
“Me too, I didn’t touch the main story much. After becoming a G.o.ddess Knight, I have been leveling up.”
“What level are you at now?”
“78.”
“Huh? Isn’t that a bit too much? Just how addicted are you!”
“There is also the matter of sleepless nights. But G.o.ddess Knight can specializes in a single attack, hence it becomes easier to train when one levels up. Also, don’t know if it is a Bug or it is just specific, I found a method to obtain large amount of experience.”
“Oh? Like doraXXe’s mud hand level method or like WizarXXry’s gray demon leveling method? Woah, tell me how to do it!”
“It is fine telling you, but other than G.o.ddess Knight, the other jobs’ attack power is not enough, it is likely not possible. Moreover for a job like a magician, no matter how you think about it, it is impossible.”
“So it is like this. Then at the 2nd week, I will choose other characters to try. But it is too much to raise a character in this game to LV78, especially since this game uses calculations to increase the required experience to level! Really, Yuugo is really the representative of gamers!”
“It’s just that I like Grinding.”
“Well saying, this game really makes people feel like not moving the main story. Or should we say do not wish for it to end? It feels like a pity to end it.”
“Yes! It is like that! Wanting to always stay in the world of Eternal, this game will give people this sort of feelings.”
“Right? But if I was to say it is a bit dissatisfying…… Though we can hire NPC mercenaries to form a party to adventure, but single player RPG is a bit lonely. If there is an online version to team up with other players to adventure, it will be nice.”
“Yes. If I can adventure with Shou, it will definitely be interesting.”
“Yuugo and I happen to be have a melee job and a range job, we should be good partners”
“Yes. Saying about being greedy…… I will sometimes imagine about it. About how good will it be if I can enter this game world.”
“Yes, that is the dream of gamers. Born in the peaceful and prosperous j.a.pan, though it is bad to say this, but I still hope that I am not an ordinary j.a.panese High School student but a magician who lives in the world of swords and magic, Eternal. Even if it is a life accompanied by danger! I want to be a magician!”
“But this is a dream that cannot be realized. Well, goodbye then.”
“Ah, wait. Yuugo, are you free this spring break?”
“This spring break is sure to be occupied by 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』. So I guess I will be very busy.”
“Then it seems too heartless to say lets meet in the new semester? I will go visit Yuugo’s home during the spring break. But as to what we will do or chat about when we meet, it is still about playing『Gears Baron’s resurrection』.”
“ I know. But I will still say this, my elder sister will be working during spring break and so she will not be around. My younger sister has gone skiing in Hokkaido with my mother.”
“Huh huh? What is this, so boring. Then I won’t go.”
“Oi oi!”
“Just joking. Then lets meet next time!”
……
…………
So that is it.
Our dream came true.
Part 2
“Wh..what is this? Ah, no, what should we do? What should we do to return to our original world?”
I panicked.
Ah, yes, a normal person would panic right?
“Huh? Original world? Return? Why?”
Shou blinked through his silver-rimmed gla.s.ses, looking at me as though he has seen an alien.
“Why? This is Eternal! It is a different world! ”
“Oi, oi,oi. Yuugo, you are, what are you saying.”
Shou laughed happily.
“If this is really inside of 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』, it will be too incredible isn’t it? We can really live as a warrior and a magician! It’s a dream come true! A gamer’s dream! We can really live as a warrior and a magician! This is no longer a coveted situation that RPG fans dreamed of!”
“Eve……even if you say so, I am completely unprepared…… Though I said that I want to enter the game world, but isn’t this a bit too sudden?”
Though it’s embarra.s.sing, but I am really unsettled.
As though being suddenly taken to overseas, and then being thrown on the road there, that sense of unease fills me.
“Don’t show this sort of expression. Rather than that, if you don’t properly enjoy this situation, then that will be a loss! Right?”
Shou patted my shoulder.
“The display of HP, MP and character name also means that the status bar can be shown right? What should I do? Ah! It came out! It came out! When you think of displaying the status bar, it will appear!”
I stared at the excited Shou, or rather, stared at the status window which suddenly appear in front of Shou, completely unable to look away.
“Oh oh oh oh! This is great! I was still thinking what I should do if I need to restart from LV1, quick look! It is the same as my last save! Oh look oh look, even my job is a magician! The other status are also the same as the saved data! Ah, this character is extremely hard to train.
I saved it before LV UP，if the attribute is not good, then I will reload.
See, this INT is very high right? Ah oh!”
I also tried to think of “Show Status Bar”。
It is unbelievable! The status window appeared once I thought of it!
Job is G.o.ddess Knight, looking at the STR and VIT values, this is indeed the value of the character that I am training in 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』.
“But that, ah, all of my G is gone.” (Editor note: G as in gold.)
Shou gave a shocked expression upon my words and panicky checked his status window.
“Hey~~~~What is this! The G that I desperately saved! No matter what kind of garbage weapons i got, I sold all of it to the stores before managing to save it! It is actually 0! Huh? Saying so, I remember that, Yuugo and I do not have any armor or weapons. We are only wearing uniforms.”
“Check the equipment window?”
The moment the words ended, an equipment window opened in the air.
While looking, the names are clearly shown as bold. “Underwear”, “Student Uniform(Top)”, “Student Uniform (Bottom)”, “Socks”, these sort of joke like equipment names are shown.
At this moment, I noticed that in the inventory “shoes” are not listed so I looked down at my feet.
Though I am wearing socks but there aren’t any shoes.
Seems that it kept the equipment that I had in the room while playing 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』…… Ah, no, wearing…… equipment…… no, that’s not right, it’s clothes, that way and brought me into this world.
“Ah ah ah ah! Then, though only now did I realize! Yuugo, you are the original Yuugo! Woah wah, then I am also the original me?”
Without Shou saying, I also immediately realize the same thing.
“Looks the same as the Shou from the original world. Not like the character made from the design.”
“Hey? Well that is really boring. I spent a lot of time designing my character, creating an unprecedented, perfect character! Because I also wanted to live as a hunk! I also wish to grow a bit taller! Ah! Yes, yes! There is that!”
“What is it?”
“This is inside of 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』 and I am a Magician! That also means the me now may be able to use magic? Magic! Oi, what do you think?”
“Then let’s try. Ah wait! Don’t use magic that is too strong. Gently use a small scale magic, gently.”
“Okay!”
Shou stood with his feet apart and point his right hand at the skies.
“Is there any request?”
“Anything is fine. just try using.”
“Then……”
Shou took a deep breath.
“Giga Flash!”
……
…………
Nothing happened.
“That is a skill from another game right? Stop with the boring jokes, quickly! Also, didn’t I ask you to use a small scale magic? ‘Giga Flash’ or ‘Lightning’ what really appears then it will be really bad!”
I used a slightly angry tone to scold Shou.
This guy has this bad habit of occasional tendency to go too far like a car without a brake.
“I’m Just joking, don’t be angry. Then, for real now.”
Shou took a deep breath again.
“Fireball!”
An increasing hot wind starts to stir, blows towards my face.
While thinking so, in Shou’s hand, a fireball about the size of a watermelon appeared and flew towards the skies.
“It app……eared…… It appeared, for real……”
Shou could not hide his surprise, gently trembling.
It is the same for me.
I noticed the blue bar above Shou’s heads has a small part that turned white.
Then the use of magic caused MP to decrease… right?
“This is definitely correct.
This is not a dream right? Oi, Yuugo, I am not dreaming now, right?”
“Do you want to try the traditional method?”
I pinched Shou’s face strongly.
“How?”
“It hurts.”
“Do the same to me.”
“Okay.”
……Ouch ouch ouch! You used too much force! I quickly brushed Shou’s hand away.
“Yuugo. After I pinched you, your red strip slightly decreased. That means your HP decreased? Right?”
“So as to say, it is really……”
“This is inside of 『Gears Baron’s resurrection』! It is definitely so! Yahoo!”
“Now is not the time to be happy! What should we do next?”
“What what to do, this is a RPG, there is only one thing to do right? Defeat monsters, earn G, buy weapons and armor! Ah, yes yes! Should also go to other villages and town for sightseeing!”
Monsters.
I have an ominous feeling about this word.
If this is inside the game, if it is the fantasy world of sword and magic, Eternal. then monsters will appear right……?
“Anyway this gra.s.sland is nearby Aruda village, one of the beginning villages right? Then we should go to Aruda village first! With mine and Yuugo’s levels, even if we don’t have any weapons or armor, we should be able to instantly kill the monsters that appears here.”
“……Yes, after all staying here will not change anything……”
“But where is Aruda village? It has been a long time since I adventured nearby in the beginning village, my memories of it is very vague. Also, using the TV screen to see the scenery and using my own eyes to see, the feel is very different and the sense of direction is also very blurry……”
“It should be going through that forest and continue down?”
I pointed to the patch of forest opposite the gra.s.sland.
“It seems to be so.”
“Let’s go and see.”
“Yes!”
So Shou and I began to advance on the gra.s.sland.
“So saying, monsters…… What sort of monsters appears here……?”
I still have an ominous feeling for this word.
“That I remember. Because regardless of appearance or actions, it is very disgusting. Giant ants.”
“Ah, right that’s it!”
“This game and the beginning of WizarXXry or MegaXXn ShinⅢis is similar, from the prologue it has been merciless, the game balance difficulty is really high. That’s to say when the level is low, you will die continuously. The setup isn’t completely inflexible which happens to be my favourite type. But ever since the Fireball technique…
Saying halfway, suddenly there are hot winds gathering, in Shou’s hand, a fireball is released and that dangerous fireball brushes past my face.
“Woah waaaaaaah! Fire! Fire came out!”
“Idiot! Be careful! Do you want to kill me?”
“No, that, I only said the name of the spell then it activated……”
“From now on please be careful, I beg you.”
“Hmm，that，what was I about to say? Ah yes, after learning fireball…… Heck，defeating giant ant became a lot easier. Yup, I wanted to say this.”
“Then I also have no weapons, so if giant ants appear, I shall depend on it to settle it.”
“I understand. But with Yuugo’s LV, those kind of weaklings like slimes and goblins, you should be able to defeat even while bare handed right?”
“……Looking at status bar, it is like that……”
While walking, I looked at my hand, testing my grip, lightly clutching before releasing.
Shou became able to use magic after arriving in this world.
Then, what about me?
My LV is very high and I am G.o.ddess Knight which specializes in attack power.
That is to say, the me of now, has the tremendous power to instantly kill a monster in my body.
But is that really so……?
Though it is so, I was still wary about the attacks by monsters while I was walking.
To me, the laid back, optimistic and lack of tension character of Shou is one of the reasons for me being uneasy.
“Shou.”
“Huh?”
“A Magician can using recovery right?”
“Attack, a.s.sist, recovery and summon, I can do everything. But also, the required experience is a lot and so LV up is also very slow.”
“If anything happens, I shall depend on you to use recovery.”
Hearing me say this, Shou awkwardly scratched his nose.
“I will not leave you in the lurch, you are my friend after all.”
“Thanks.”
Shou and I are gamers, we have been together since beginning of Middle School.
Next year we will be high school soph.o.m.ore, so we have been together for about 4 years.
Ah.
Though it is full of surprising events, but it is good being able to be together.
Only…… that though Shou is happy because of his dream came true, I still miss our original world.
Because of the unease that we might never be able to return, this makes it so I am unable to fully enjoy the situation before me.
Though we do not know the way to return, but since we are able to come here, then there should be a way to return. I hope.
Currently it is better to go to Aruda village to take a look, it will be good if we can learn about something……
“Ah…… While I are playing the game, I didn’t realize it. But now when I am actually walking, this gra.s.sland is really big.”
“Yes, it seems that it will take some time before we reach the village.”
Just then……
A shrill came from the front.
Shou and I were shocked and stopped moving.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes I heard it! It is the sound of a human!”
With a fast pace, as though it was swimming in the sea of gra.s.s, it was getting closer to us.
“What……what is that……”
A red-haired girl was running towards us while holding a sword in her right hand.
With a expression twisted in fear, it seems like she is fleeing from something.
There seems to be like a huge black block is chasing her tightly!
（That is a monster? That girl is fleeing because she is chased by the monster?）
We must go save her! I thought of it subconsciously.
The true face of the monster that is chasing the girl is about to reveal itself.
That is a gigantic ant.
With a black carapace reflecting the sunlight, the 6 legs moving at a high speed.
That ridiculously large ant is much more realistic than seeing it through the screen of the TV and also much more scary.
Because of fear, goose b.u.mps appeared all over my body and my body also stiffened.
Then at this moment, the girl fell.
The sword in her hand flew, happening to land in front of me.
（Hey! Shou! Quickly use magic and kill that monster……）
I turned and looked at Shou.
But Shou has a pale look.
“Woah! That is! Monster? Its a monster! Ah disgusting! It is really disgusting when looking at it from near! I am scared of bugs the most! The ants in Earth DefeXX Force are already disgusting enough! And in reality, I am also scared of c.o.c.kroaches, ah really!”
No……
This guy cannot do it! Only I can do something!
“Help me! Help~~~~~”
The girl looked up and shouted for help.
And I recovered because of her screams.
I pulled out the sword in front of me, and desperately slashed towards the black monster.