Chapter 195: Sharing the Same Heaven - Part 1

Author's Preface

Honestly, this is a pretty questionable chapter, so I'd appreciate it if you could just accept it for what it is and brush it off as a simple protagonist power-up event.

To get straight to the point: absolutely nothing happened.
It seems there wasn't any automatic transition to the boss fight or anything like that. Because of this, the Ruluiath Strategy Team temporarily disbanded. We're on free time until the final day... the morning exactly seven days after we were dragged down into Ruluiath by those black octopus tentacles.
The site of the final battle is the blue castle located in the very center of the circular city. Perhaps out of caution, not a single person has set foot in it yet... Maybe a beta tester has been there, but it's an unprecedented, completely unexplored area that no regular player has ever stepped foot in. On the seventh day, everyone, NPCs included, will raid the castle and challenge the giant octopus to a subjugation battle.

"Phew... I was the one who suggested 'let's go in under perfect conditions on the seventh day', so it'd be pretty pathetic if I just spent the whole time playing games."

Since I'm a minor, smoking IRL is naturally an express ticket to getting arrested. But this is a Virtual Reality game. No matter how much alcohol I pour into my stomach or how much smoke I draw into my lungs, the alcohol and nicotine will never accumulate in my real body. To begin with, cigarettes in this game act as healing items; as long as you play this game, everyone's a smoker.
Well, if there's one problem with alcohol and smoking being the primary healing methods, it's that the character creation is unnecessarily broad, letting you play as anyone from an old man to a literal child.

"The criminal aura radiating from this appearance is off the charts..."

My point of view as I blow smoke out of my mouth is much lower than usual, and the fingers holding the crumpled cigarette are far thinner and more delicate than usual. Generally speaking, humans refer to someone with this appearance as a "little girl."

A trash game that, in a certain sense, boasts a notoriety even greater than Faeria Chronicle Online. A survival gun-shooting game where the only things you can rely on on a deserted island are yourself and the pistol in your hand, and in the online environment, every single player is your enemy. Its name is "Survival Gunman."

This game, which had its online servers shut down for a certain reason, can still be booted up and played offline. It's a trash game, yet for a certain reason, it trades at an incredibly high price... and I managed to get my hands on it back in my second year of middle school. Actually, I was a day-one purchaser.

"Man, it's been a while since I've breathed this air."

In my memories, Faeria Chronicle Online, a.k.a. Faeria Trash, currently reigns as the undisputed number one trash game, but if you asked me which trash game changed my life, I'd point to this game without a second of hesitation.
Well, that doesn't really matter right now. The reason I came back to this game was in preparation for the Ctarrnid fight. Just like how I previously practiced against the bosses of "BenP" in anticipation of the Wethermon fight.

The defining feature of this game is the fact that humans—who are lightly equipped, yet still armed, trying to survive on a deserted island—sit at the absolute bottom of the ecological pyramid. Even the bugs you can use as healing items will kill you with poison if you let your guard down, or swarm you and bite you to death. You don't often get the experience of trying to catch a fish, only for the fish to catch you instead.
But the things that truly pounded humanity down to the bottom of the food chain aren't those things. Whoops, looks like one of them showed up while I was busy reminiscing.

"Hmm, a Mutton, huh... It's fairly strong, but I suppose it's acceptable for a slightly intense warm-up."

I'm not talking about a sheep meant for a Genghis Khan barbecue with two or more permanent teeth. [*1] The thing that parted the tall trees as if they were mere blades of grass isn't a sheep, but a creature with skin so thick it repels poor rifle shots despite just being skin, and a massive body proportional to that defense... It's a pig. Namely, a Demon Pig.
By the way, magical elements don't exist in this game; the name "Demon Pig" just comes from the fact that it's a pig resembling a monster.
You might think a feral pig is just a boar, but if you let details like that bother you in a trash game, you'll never even be able to press the start button.

"It's a brief reunion, but I'm counting on you, partner."

A handgun with a suppressor. Its firepower is naturally inferior to a magnum, but this baby has saved my life countless times.

"Now then! I'll sear the sheer terror of the 'Silent Kill Little Girl' of the μ Server into every last corner of your meat until you're well-done, you pig bastard!"

In this game, the mobs that spawn are basically either incredibly small swarm-types or incredibly massive solo-types. And this specific situation—a one-on-one duel that's practically "Kaiju vs. Human"—is exactly the know-how I want to regain for the upcoming Ctarrnid fight.

"Just die alreadyyyyyyy!!"

And let's have tonkatsu for lunch!!

"Owwwww... I guess I really am rusty, taking a few hits like that... In my prime, a no-damage run would have been easy."

Getting out of bed, I rotate my faintly throbbing right shoulder in circles as I head downstairs to the first floor.

After the pig, I went on to defeat owls and tigers with the base size of large dump trucks, and I feel like the movements for fighting giant monsters—which had been lying dormant deep within my body—have finally returned.
That's right, the sensation of moving under the assumption that the monster is a type of moving object... Ah, so nostalgic. It really brings back memories of my active days in "Saba-Gan." [*2]

"The tonkatsu delivery... Oh, it's here, it's here."

You can order delivery anywhere with just a single mobile device; modern Japan really is the best. I place my order, and...

Ding-Dong

"One second, including delivery time!?"

Are you the World Record holder for delivery speedruns?! That's amazing, hey... Like hell. What could it be?
Dad went sea fishing with a fishing buddy he recently met, and Mom went to some World Beetle Exhibition to see a beetle with a name that sounded something like Shobocres Gakuburu.
Rumi is... getting involved with Rumi right now is as dangerous as lighting a sparkler directly over nitroglycerin, but she's probably out at her part-time job, so I have no choice but to answer the door.

"Yes?"

<<Hello, delivery!>>

"Ah, please give me a second—"

A delivery... Did Rumi order clothes? Or did Dad order a new fishing rod? Don't tell me Mom bought a new insect specimen...? Give me a break, you want a repeat of the "World Moth Selection" nightmare from early spring? We almost had a genuinely un-funny biological hazard on our hands back then.

"Ah, yes, I'll take it."

"No, no, it's huge, so we'll carry it in for you."

"...Huge?"

Looking behind the delivery guy, I see a massive truck that's clearly not meant for carrying standard parcels, and I can hear what sounds like two or more men calling out, "Alright, let's lift it—"
Wait, hold on, something that requires two or more grown adults to carry? Did Mom actually buy a terrarium?!
The memory of my family of three banding together last Christmas to stop Mom from recreating the Amazonian environment inside our house flashes through my mind. Don't tell me that frozen project has been moving forward in secret?! No, if it was Mom she'd be much smoother about it... Ah, wait.

"Umm, who is this for, and what exactly is it?"

"Ah, right. This is... an 'UCE. Chair-Type Full Dive VR System Pro' and one cardboard box, addressed to Mr. Hizutome Rakuro. Man, this is the first time I've ever seen an individual own one of these commercial-use models... Umm, hello?"

───Forced Thought Shutdown

───Rebooting thoughts

──────There is one update available. The system will restart once the update is complete.

───What the hell is this.

"E—Excuse me... f—from whom exactly... did this package originate...?"

"Huh? Uh, let's see... Cyber Battalion... For a pro gaming team to send you a VR system, did you win a sweepstakes or something?"

"A—Ah, y—yes. P—Please wait just a moment."

"Umm, where should we carry this?"

"I apol—logize for the in—convenience... but please bring it to my r—room. On the second floor... y—yes, exactly."

I have some interrogating to do.

Subject: Hey, you bastard
From: Sunraku
To: Modoru Katzo
Body: What the hell is the meaning of this? What the hell is that thing?!

Subject: Re: Hey, you bastard
From: Modoru Katzo
To: Sunraku
Body: It's hilarious that you slipped into a Kansai dialect. Judging by your reaction, I guess it arrived.

Subject: Re: Re: Hey, you bastard
From: Sunraku
To: Modoru Katzo
Body: Is this a new kind of prank? Because if this is cash-on-delivery, I'm legitimately taking legal action, you hear me?!

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Hey, you bastard
From: Modoru Katzo
To: Sunraku
Body: Whoa, calm down. As if anyone would send a commercial-use VR system as a prank. It's a present from our top brass to the esteemed "No Name." It's completely free. Free of charge!

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hey, you bastard
From: Sunraku
To: Modoru Katzo
Body: Have you never heard the phrase 'there's nothing scarier than something free'?! Unless you're a main character, unconditional goodwill is usually a trap for later!!

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hey, you bastard
From: Modoru Katzo
To: Sunraku
Body: Your brain is too infected by games. Why don't you cut out energy drinks and games for a bit and try meditating? Well, it's pretty transparent that it's an upfront investment to get you to join us. You'll probably get an official email from them soon.

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hey, you bastard
From: Sunraku
To: Modoru Katzo
Body: Setting that aside, I don't remember giving Cider Butter Cake or whoever the hell my address.

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hey, you bastard
From: Modoru Katzo
To: Sunraku
Body: Oh, that. You gave your address to Pencilgon at the Sunraku celebration party, remember?

Subject: Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!
From: Sunraku
To: Pencil Warrior
Body: Legal actioooooooooooon!!

Subject: Re: Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!
From: Pencil Warrior
To: Sunraku
Body: It was going to get found out sooner or later anyway, so who cares~! Honestly, the damage is way worse for me since I had my real identity casually outed to a corporation! Besides, they'll adhere to confidentiality agreements and all that stuff, probably.

Subject: You guys, seriously, you guys...
From: Sunraku
To: Pencil Warrior, Modoru Katzo
Body: Think about how I feel, suddenly having an absurdly massive package delivered right to my name...

Subject: Re: You guys, seriously, you guys...
From: Pencil Warrior
To: Sunraku
Body: My evening drinks are going to taste amazing today.

Subject: Re: You guys, seriously, you guys...
From: Modoru Katzo
To: Sunraku
Body: Smiles really enrich the soul, don't they?

"Those absolute fiends...!"

Privacy is something protected by law, you know! I seriously suspect those guys have forgotten that.
No, well... since the source is completely clear, as long as there are no strings attached, the item itself is something I'd honestly dance for three days and three nights in joy over receiving... but still... ugh...

"Should we open it up here?"

"Ah, no, I'll set it up myself, so it's fine."

"Alright, then just a fingerprint authentication right here, please."

In this day and age, fingerprint recognition registered alongside your address information replaces physical stamps. I press my finger against the tablet the delivery guy holds out, let it scan my data, and after a few seconds of loading, the identity verification is complete.

"Alright, thank you very much."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Now then... I see the delivery guys off, lock the front door, take off my shoes, head up the stairs, and return to my room... Now what do I do with this? Accepting this is practically the equivalent of accepting a scouting offer from Katzo's team. It'd be awful to just treat it poorly after being gifted something so incredible... but still, going to university is an absolute, non-negotiable condition in this house. Doing anything that shakes that up will result in a family conference... no, a family interrogation... more like family torture...?
My thoughts sink into the depths of a depressed spiral, but my body is honest; my hands move without hesitation, opening the cardboard box and pulling out the VR system inside...

"Veeeeh."

A strange sound inadvertently leaked from my throat. No, well, it certainly left an impression on me, but it's not like it's my favorite character or anything...

"They put way too much effort into this..."

The chair-type Full Dive VR system I pulled out... The exterior shell made of reinforced plastic covering the mechanical components had massive illustrations printed on it. On the right side, a massive print of Cursed Prison and Prison Breaker. And on the left side, an emblem-like design featuring a mercenary wearing a metallic pumpkin helmet, along with the logo "NO-FACE." Also, looking closely, I noticed the Cyber Battalion logo casually stamped right onto the backrest of the chair.

Subject: P.S.
From: Modoru Katzo
To: Sunraku
Body: Both of those designs are prints of original, hand-drawn illustrations by the original creator, so that VR system is a one-of-a-kind model. There's only one in the entire world.

"I'm happy about it...! I really am happy about it, but...! This practically feels like extortion, it hurts so much...!!"

I finally figured out the perfect metaphor to concisely describe my current situation: this is exactly what it feels like the moment you sign a contract with a devil.

───Ah, but even so.
In preparation for the upcoming Ctarrnid fight, I've unintentionally ended up securing the absolute highest-class environment imaginable.

Author's Afterword
The title for this long arc, "Sharing the Same Heaven," is a title I had absolutely decided I was going to use from the very initial stages of designing Ctarrnid's character lore.

Also, I'd like to make this explicitly clear right now: within the main story currently planned out, the protagonist will not be class-changing his real-life occupation from Student to Pro Gamer.

Translator's Notes

•  *[1] Genghis Khan / Mutton / Demon Pig: A triple-layered Japanese pun. "Jingisukan" (Genghis Khan) is a famous Japanese grilled mutton dish. The monster's name in Japanese is written as "魔豚" (Demon Pig) but ruby-texted to be read aloud as "Mutton". Sunraku is highlighting the absurdity of a trash game naming a giant pig "Mutton" when mutton is agriculturally defined as meat from an adult sheep with two or more permanent teeth.
• *[2] Saba-Gan: The nickname Sunraku uses here is Saba-Gan (鯖癌). While it’s a phonetic abbreviation of "Survival Gunman," the specific kanji used literally translates to "Mackerel Cancer" (with "Mackerel" / Saba being standard Japanese internet slang for "Server")