Chapter 4: Realism Doesn't Dictate Quality, But The Reverse Is Another Story

『In the distant ancient times, there was an era called the Age of Gods.』

Ah, it's that typical prologue stuff.

『The great Divine Beings spun life for future generations, and then vanished.』

『Time passed, and we, who inherited the will of the Divine Beings, spread across the earth as they wished, spinning the great flow of life...』

…………

『We, who live in the present, look to the past legacies breathing within history and ruins to find the Divine Beings'—"Skip." Do you wish to skip the prologue?』

"Skip."

I read that part in the manual. Skipping the prologue without hesitation, my consciousness fully dives in, and physical sensations finally wash over me. Since my height and build are different from my real body, I look around to move a bit and get used to it...

It was a forest... Well, I knew this would happen. Unlike other Origins, the "Wanderer" has a randomized starting spawn located "somewhere in the beginner area." You have to reach a town on your own, or if you are defeated by a monster, you respawn in a town via a "Waking from a Dream" scenario. Apparently, the "Cursed Child" origin starts in a back alley of a town. I have to admire how elaborately this is designed.

"For now, let's grasp the status quo."

I open my status screen.

PN: Sunraku LV: 1 JOB: Mercenary (Dual Wielder) Money: 9,000 Mani

HP (Health): 30 MP (Magic): 10 STM (Stamina): 20 STR (Strength): 10 DEX (Dexterity): 15 AGI (Agility): 10 TEC (Technique): 15 VIT (Vitality): 1 (2) LUC (Luck): 30

Skills:

• Spin Slash
• Knuckle Rush

Equipment:

• Right/Left: Mercenary's Twin Blades
• Head: Gazing Bird Mask (VIT+2)
• Torso: None
• Waist: None
• Feet: None
• Accessories: None

Truly majestic paper-thin armor, and relatively high Luck. Walking the fine line between pervert and hero, I'm nearly half-naked with dual blades.

"I won't hesitate anymore. I left my internal conflicts back in character creation...!!"

Anyway, what should I do now? If I just want to sort out my equipment, I should probably just let something kill me quickly so I can respawn. But, it might be good to test out the combat first.

"Amazing... My body moves so smoothly."

This is simply a matter of when the games were developed, but Faer-kuso, created in the dawn of Full Dive VR, had somewhat clunky movement. The avatars in this game, however, can move extremely close to reality. I know there's a synchronization system used upon logging out to ensure in-game movements don't affect your real body, but I can move so exactly as I intend that I feel like that system isn't even necessary.

"Gigi!!"

"Oh."

My opponent for the glorious first battle of Shangri-La Frontier is a major monster that rivals dragons in the fantasy genre. Though, in "Adults Only" fantasy, they tend to be hideous green dolls that get weirdly strong...

"A Goblin, huh."

"Gugyagigi!!"

Goblins... or rather, humanoid monsters smaller than the player, are a type of enemy mob that appears in almost any game with combat elements. Naturally, they appear in Trash Games too. For a second, the nightmare of humanoid monsters spawning infinitely from all directions flashes through my mind, but I shake my head to dispel it.

"...Hup."

"Gya!?"

I dodge the Goblin's charge—which was far too straightforward—and trip it up. In some games, touching an enemy with anything other than a weapon results in instant death (the Owata-style), but in this game, mere collisions don't seem to register damage. However, the physical physics engine is working hard; the Goblin, having its legs swept, faceplants spectacularly into the ground.

"Parallel... to the ribs!!"

"Gyaaaa!!?"

In modern Full Dive action games, increased realism means that simply punching something randomly won't deal damage, regardless of the visual description. It varies from Trash Games where flailing wildly deals damage, to Trash Games where they built the internal organs so realistically that you have to hit specific vitals or account for durability. I tested it just in case, but it seems ShanFro is a God Game that has built this part properly. Instead of blood, red polygons scatter from the wound. Perhaps because I depleted its HP in one hit, the Goblin breaks down into bubbles of polygons and vanishes. It seems to be the type where items drop on the ground rather than needing to be carved from a corpse. There was an incident a while back where a game was too realistic and it became a criminal matter, so this is likely a precaution. Back then, the anti-game faction's criticism that "games distort values" was intense. I remember some talent, acting like an intellectual, made an extreme statement: "If the only education you can provide loses to entertainment, then don't have children. Parents and teachers should all go back to elementary school." That caused a massive flame war that spread everywhere. If I recall, I was growing corn in Thrilling Farm around that time, and I got pissed off because giant monsters trampled all of it. Good times.

"The drop is... oh."

Basically, everything turns into polygons and disappears, meaning whatever remains on the ground is the drop item. I pick up a stone axe—which is hard to call "high quality" even as a compliment, consisting merely of a stone tied to a stick with vines—and it decomposes and is stored in my inventory.

"Hmm... 'Goblin Hand Axe,' huh."

Dual-wield compatible, durability is below half... Well, it's a template drop for a Goblin. I won't use it as a main weapon, but maybe I'll use it when I want to save durability on my Mercenary's Twin Blades... In that case, I need one more.

"If I remember correctly, this game has a hidden 'Hunger' parameter too..."

If so, I need to hunt monsters for a while to see what they drop.

......Ah, this feeling comes regardless of whether it's a Trash Game or a God Game. The exhilaration of diving into a new world and thinking about what to do next is something you rarely get in real life.

"Now then, let's not forget to enjoy this!"

I take a step forward into the pathless forest, searching for a road called "Objective."

Author's Notes & Lore

Half-Naked Start: By the way, there is a fairly high probability of players starting half-naked. The truth is, selling your equipment at the character creation screen yields a higher price than selling weapons at a blacksmith in-game.

Translator's Remarks

• "Owata-style" (Owata-shiki): Sunraku references games where "touching anything other than a weapon results in death." This refers to "Owata's Great Adventure" (a famous Flash game) and the sub-genre of "I Wanna Be The Guy" style platformers where any collision is an instant kill.
• Imigo (Cursed Child): Translated as "Cursed Child" for the Origin name. It refers to a child born under taboo circumstances or considered bad luck.