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.Hack//New Testament - Chapter 31

Published at 11th of April 2020 07:16:46 PM


Chapter 31

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“That’s why,” said Lios.31

“I would like to ask you guys to survey the area.”

“You say you want to ask, but…,” BlackRose grumbled.

“In essence, you’re forcing us…”

“Did you say something?”

“No, nothing.”

“Um, Lios, I have a question,” I interrupted.

“What’s in this area?”

Lios shook his head with a sullen look. When I met him in real life, I was surprised at the difference in appearance from his PC. It felt like the movement of this Lios synchronized with the real Lios.

“I don’t know. That’s why I want you to investigate,” he said.

“Since dawn yesterday, there has been a data anomaly in this area. Perhaps… a virus-eroded monster or the like is lurking around.”

“That’s a virus bug, right? You have to deal with it again, don’t you?”

“Is there a problem?”

Lios stared at BlackRose.

“All I’m asking is that you to do what you can. Go on now.”

On the way to Chaos Gate, BlackRose complained about Lios’ insults.

“Well, he didn’t have to say those things.”

“Is that okay, Kite?”

“What is?”

“Doesn’t it seem like we’re being used to run errands for Lios?”

About half a month had passed since BlackRose and I began to work with Lios.

We started going on adventures in The World under Lios’ instructions.

Lios would inform us of area words with suspicious activity and we go to the place and report back to Lios on what happened there.

Occasionally a virus bug was encountered, resulting in a dangerous battle.

“But it seems that Lios has his own ideas,” I said, calming BlackRose.

His attitude in the game was like that, but when I talked to him in real life, I felt something like sincerity.

If he ignored what a child like me says, that’s all there was to it. At least he had come to meet me and he had listened.

Somehow, Lios was trying to fulfill his responsibilities on his own.

I thought he, at least, wasn’t like the adults who were domineering and just looked at the surface.

 

The destination area had been eroded by the virus.

This was to be expected as it was the same as before.

“Hm, huh, is someone there?”

BlackRose, walking ahead of me, stopped.

“Hey, long teym no sea.”

It was Mia who had spoken. Mia was a mysterious PC who looked like a mix of a human, a cat and a rabbit, and who was not clearly identifiable as a man or a woman.

Behind Mia stood the Wavemaster Elk.

Since we first met, I’d adventured with them on several occasions.

Mia was the one who was most active in setting up parties, though Elk didn’t seem to be welcoming of working with me or other PCs.

“Huh? What did you say just now?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, my langwidj is weird. Incidents of internal noyze sometimes make my input sistem go crazy.”

It seemed to have a strange and unexpected effect.

“I’ll definitli be ending soon.”

“Your text is hard to read! I can’t really understand it without a guide of some sort,” BlackRose said. She already knew the two of them.

“Heeeeei, you two,” Mia said.

“Will ewe goh to the deepest part of this done-john with me? It’d be grate if you come. Let’z goh together!”

So it turned out, we were going together.

As usual, Elk didn’t seem willing to accompany us, but it couldn’t be helped.

Only Mia was in good mood. Mia continued to speak in garbled words.

“This playce has Aromattik Grass. I need to get sum kwikly.”

“What kind of item is Aromatic Grass?“

I asked the question I had been pondering for quite some time.

“What does it do?”

“It doesn’t dew anything. I just coalect them,” Mia said.

“I don’t know why, but looking at Aromatic Grass calms my mind…”

“Do you think an item that has no use is wasteful? But waste is necessary,” Mia continued.

“A system without waste is actually very fragile. Only in waste can one find the key to opening a new door…”

Elk, who was walking beside Mia, called out.

“Oh, Mia. Your text display is improving.”

“It’s true. I’m back,” Mia said with glee.

“That was interesting, though. But it’s been a while, a little in tents u no?”.

“Oh, it’s seems to have started up again.”

“Oh no…”

 

Later, we reached the deepest part of the dungeon without incident.

BlackRose and I defeated the virus bug there, and Mia and Elk seemed happy to find the Aromatic Grass.

When we returned to the root town, we parted, but Mia’s garbled letters remained unfixed.

“Sea you l8r!”

Mia waved her hand until just before the transfer out.

I had a weird sense of deja vu.

My former classmates overlapped the shape of Mia waving their hands.

On the day I transferred schools, they waved at me. I knew I couldn’t see them again.

 

I reported to Lios and he grunted as though displeased.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, the data erosion of the area was spreading and there was a virus bug at the bottom, so we defeated it. That’s everything.“

Lios remained silent.

“What’s wrong? Tell us if you have any concerns,” BlackRose said brashly.

“Well… the magnitude of the data anomalies is far greater than before. Just when you got back from the field. I thought something might have happened to you.”

“But there was nothing else.”

“Didn’t you immediately encountered a virus bug?”

“Yes, I fought against monsters… after I got down in the dungeon. Yes, definitely.”

Lios still seemed to be thinking for a while, but eventually shook his head.

“Understood. Thanks for your hard work. Today’s mission is over. Dismissed.”





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