Chapter 3: To the Cutting Edge of Efficiency, What Do You Sacrifice?

Shangri-La Frontier. Released in the spring of last year, it is a game that sits at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Faer-kuso, despite belonging to the same category. It was even certified by a certain world record organization earlier this year for having the most simultaneous active players.

The lore posits that thousands of years ago, a fleet of colonial ships traveling through space... well, things happened, they left behind a new breed of humanity, and then perished. It offers a fantasy world setting where the civilization level is medieval, yet sci-fi elements can be introduced without feeling forced, allowing players to live freely within it. Unlike Faer-kuso, where "antis" desperately scour the game to find even a single good point, the reviews here are overwhelmingly positive, with the few antis being washed away by a tsunami of fans.

"I'm starting to feel like it's disrespectful to even line this package up on the shelf next to the Trash Games."

Leading my collection is the Legend of Legends, Faer-kuso. Then there’s Cosmo Buster, a sadistic FPS Trash Game where enemies spawn infinitely from 360 degrees around you. Thrilling Farm, a Die Hard simulation Trash Game that tells you to run a relaxing farm while giant creatures spread catastrophic damage like typhoons once every in-game week. Survival Gunman, a deserted island survival Trash Game (where you are expected to hunt giant creatures with nothing but a pistol) that actually caused hospitalization incidents and now sells for premium prices. And Unite Rounds, a post-apocalyptic Trash Game where the drop rates for every item are so insanely low that, despite being a co-op game, the looting and pillaging between players has reached "End of the Century" levels. There are still more Trash Games... Whoops, careful. I was about to get trapped in my memories of Trash Games, just like getting distracted reading manga in the middle of spring cleaning.

I place the Shangri-La Frontier package in a spot separate from the Trash Game Zone, put on my headgear, and lie down on my bed.

"Alright then... let's start."

1. Use the toilet (both number one and number two) and ensure proper hydration and nutrition beforehand.
2. Unless you have a reason to play "hardcore" (standing/moving), lie down on the bed to play.
3. Keep a bottled drink nearby so you can hydrate immediately upon waking up.

After confirming the Three Cardinal Rules of VR Gamers, I began a game that wasn't a Trash Game for the first time in I don't know how many years.

"Heh... Amazing. You can even change your height and gender."

Character creation is a staple of this type of MMORPG, and I was impressed by the degree of freedom in the making process. Race, physique, accessories, horns!? ...I see. With this much freedom, it would be rare to clash completely with another player's appearance unless by sheer coincidence.

"Now, what kind of look should I go for..."

I am of the school of thought that one's game character should look different from one's real self. Streamers who broadcast their gameplay or people confident in their looks seem to reflect their own appearance in the game, but I believe that "Game" and "Real" should be separate existences.

"Hmm? Ah, so this is the type where you skip the character visual creation and decide on the Job first."

Apparently, in this game, your Origin and Job provide modifiers to your stat growth. Since some character builds are dependent on Job and Origin, I decided to settle those first.

"Woah... It takes five seconds just to scroll through? How many occupations are there..."

Actually, are things like "Knight (Sword User)" and "Knight (Spear User)" treated as independent entries? What a hassle... It would be better to just have everyone start with a wooden stick and let them choose a weapon later. But perhaps this excessive attention to detail is the reason it's called a God Game. In that case... let's see. Based on DPS and learnable skills, I'll go with Mercenary (Dual Wielder).

"As for Origin... Hmm."

Born into a wealthy family, born ordinary, orphan, cursed child... It seems all of them come with a set of positive and negative modifiers... Oh.

"Wanderer... This looks good."

It’s an Origin where defense is hard to raise, but you get a bonus to Luck. If I recall, critical hits and drop rates in this game are affected by Luck, so it’s likely a fairly important parameter. Well, it probably isn't a "you win as long as you have this" stat, but there's no harm in having high Luck. So, having formed a rough image based on my Job and Origin, I proceeded to create my character based on that... I did, but.

"This is........."

What was completed was a tall, slender male character, half-naked and wearing a bird mask... strangely enough, almost the exact same appearance as when I cleared Faer-kuso. To put it mildly, a pervert.

No, let me make an excuse. I don't know who I'm making it to, but still. I looked up various things about this game, and apparently, it is possible to sell your initial equipment during the character creation stage. The Mercenary starts with "Mercenary Gear," and selling this fetches a pretty penny. Specifically, it triples your starting funds. In this type of game, money is not something to be taken lightly. Since it's a full-dive type, taking on quests involves physically running and jumping yourself; the effort required for a single quest is quite hard. As someone whose style primarily relies on number of hits and mobility, I wanted to invest in weapons rather than armor. Hence, the sale of the armor... However, unlike Faer-kuso, Shangri-La Frontier has a massive population of logged-in players. Playing half-naked with my bare face exposed is a bit too painful... So, I decided to equip a mask modeled after a bird with oddly intense eyes, called the "Gazing Bird Mask", which was available in the character creator.

"This is... No, as long as the system allows it, there must be others doing the same thing!!"

I scolded my internal conflict with a vague trust in the "hardcore players" I hadn't met yet, and moved to the final step of character creation: setting the Player Name. That said, I have no hesitation here. I use the same name in every game. Therefore, I will bestow the name that has conquered numerous Trash Games upon this pervert... no, upon this Wandering Mercenary.

"Sunraku, it is..."

Hi (Sun) - zutome, Raku (Luck) - ro. It's simple, but Player Names are usually like that.

"Now then, show me the power of a God Game...!!"

Final confirmation complete. The Wandering Mercenary (Half-Naked Pervert) finally descends into the world of Shangri-La Frontier.........!!

Author's Notes & Lore

International Players: Shangri-La Frontier is technically accessible from overseas, but due to lag and various other reasons, the environment is harsh for serious gamers. As a result, the number of foreigners moving to Japan after the release of ShanFro has fluctuated (increased... or maybe not). Furthermore, since most players are Japanese and language support for anything other than Japanese is practically non-existent, it is a game with a high barrier to entry for foreign gamers. In other words, anyone playing ShanFro despite these hurdles is a considerable gamer.

Translator's Remarks

• Sunraku's Name: As mentioned in the text, "Sunraku" is derived from his real name, Hizutome Rakuro. The kanji for "Hi" (陽) can be read as "Sun," and "Raku" (楽) means comfort, ease, or pleasure.