Chapter 628: The Abendrot Leading to the Divine Elephant

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Firstia. It is the Town of Beginnings, the place where almost all players who land in Shangri-La Frontier visit first... but today of all days, or perhaps starting from today, that common sense was going to be overturned.

"...Say, doesn't it feel like there are a lot of high-level players around?"

"Well, I just started myself, so..."

Players who had just logged in for the first time, excitedly hoping to become the protagonist of their own story in this world of ShanFro, kept their voices down as they wondered why, interspersed among pioneers wearing similar beginner gear to themselves, there were players clearly clad in high-level equipment.

And it wasn't just one or two of them; there were at least a dozen within a single person's field of vision alone. Or perhaps they stood out even more because there were several unnatural empty spaces created around them, as if the weak were yielding the right of way to the strong.

"Umm...?"

"Hm?"

"Is it alright if I ask you a quick question?"

"Ah, sure thing. You want to know why we're here, right?"

"Ah, yes. This place... is basically a tutorial area, isn't it?"

For instance, a high-level player coming to pick up a real-life friend who was just starting the game.

While the possibility of that wasn't exactly zero, it was hard to believe that applied to all the high-level players whose numbers were still currently increasing. So why were they here?

When asked that question by an archer who looked like they had literally just started, the swordsman gave a wry smile and voiced the answer to their doubts.

According to him, a "certain rumor" that had spread among frontline players over the past few days was the reason why an unfitting number of powerhouses were gathering in Firstia.

And the reason why so many people had gathered over a mere "rumor" that hadn't even been officially announced was because of the source that sparked the rumor, and the clan that had broadcasted it.

"Ah, do you know about 'Tsuchinoko-san'? He's pretty famous."

"Tsuchinoko-san... Is that an NPC?"

"No, he's a player—the first one to defeat a Unique Monster in this game. He rarely interacts with people, or rather, no one ever knows where he is or what he's doing in the first place, so he's called Tsuchinoko."

Apparently, this Tsuchinoko individual had leaked information saying, "Something is going to happen in Firstia!" to ShanFro's largest lore-investigation clan, and the reason everyone was here was because that clan had widely broadcasted the information.

From what he'd heard, this Tsuchinoko individual was the kind of person who constantly advanced through uncharted territory, and combined with his elusive nature, no one but the man himself knew just how much unknown information he was hoarding.

"Is it a user event or something?"

"Who knows. But if a guy who's constantly pulling off all sorts of crazy stuff says so, it's worth waiting to find out... I think that's the general vibe bringing everyone here."

Receiving a satisfactory explanation for the time being, the rookie archer bowed their head to the swordsman whose player name displayed overhead was "Reiji."

"I think I'll wait around for a bit too."

"Hmm, I don't know if you'll be able to participate since you just started, but it feels like something is definitely going to happen, so that might be a good idea."

Since this player named Reiji didn't actually know the exact details of what was going to happen or at what time, the tense atmosphere of beginner players and high-level players mingling together continued for a while... and then, right around the time the sun set, "it" arrived.

"............"

High-level players possess more or less well-rounded equipment. That means the "sound" they make when walking differs from the distinct footsteps of someone in starting gear or someone running around unequipped after selling everything.

However, the footsteps of the man who appeared in Firstia were the sound of unequipped sandals. So was that man a player who had just started? No, that was strictly only referring to his footsteps.

"So that's Tsuchinoko-san..."

"What the hell is that weird pompadour headgear?"

"Why is he wearing a modified gakuran in a fantasy world..."

"As expected, it's a bunch of gear I've never seen before."

"Wait, isn't he kinda battered up?"

Worn over a mostly half-naked torso was something resembling a black coat with a hem stretching down to below the knees or shins... though looking at the design, it was clearly a school uniform that had been modified to function as a coat. Looking as though he were inviting the question "What era's fashion is that?", the man kicked aside the gravel with a crunch, crunch as he advanced through Firstia.

"Is that him?"

"Hmm, I've run into him about twice before, but he looks completely different every time, so I can't be absolutely certain... but probably."

"So frontline players can form-change, huh," the onlookers thought. While bathing in gazes tinged with those partially-correct-but-mostly-incorrect sentiments, Tsuchinoko—or rather, Sunraku—continued walking. And then, the oddly shaped headgear completely enveloping his face, and those rugged "eyes" that could almost be mistaken for a robot's, locked onto the archer and the swordsman.

Ignoring the archer, who took a step back in a panic thinking his rude stare had been noticed, Sunraku strode right up while bathed in the evening sun and focused his gaze on the text displayed above the swordsman'sReiji's head...

"...Hm, wait, is that Reiji-shi?"

"Ah, hey..."

"It's been a while. Since the Siegwurm battle, right?"

"Yeah, probably around then."

"Man, your gear changed, so for a second I thought you were someone else."

"Hahaha........."

Apparently, this player named Reiji was more than just an acquaintance to the rumored Tsuchinoko-shi. Fortunately or unfortunately, the words Reiji quietly muttered—"My appearance hasn't changed nearly as much as yours..."—only seemed to reach his own ears, but a hint of respect mixed into the gaze the archer directed at Reiji.

For some reason acting like he had taken a bizarre amount of damage, Sunraku glanced over at the archer... tilted his head in confusion for a moment, but immediately looked away.

"Say, Sunraku... san. What exactly are you doing this time?"

"Hm? Mmm... Unlocking the map. I was actually planning on doing this way earlier, but I got forced into an unexpected detour. Like seriously, what kind of disaster seed is that, why the hell did you force it onto me..."

Sunraku seemed to be muttering complaints under his breath, but neither Reiji nor the archer could make out the words. Perhaps because the helmet was designed to completely enclose everything from the tip of his chin to the crown of his head, his voice was quite muffled.

Just then, a shadow that was naturally smaller than Reiji and the archer, and even smaller than Sunraku's unusually tall avatar, approached while looking up at Sunraku.

A young girl, dressed in an outfit that looked like it belonged in an anime broadcast on weekend mornings, opened her mouth and spoke...

"Yo, Sunraku-kun. I've been hearing rumors in Thirdrema, is that by any chance your doing?"

Even by a margin of a hundred miles, the tone that came out was absolutely not a voice that should have emerged from a young girl's throat, causing both Reiji and the archer to widen their eyes in astonishment. To be fair, as a returnee from the New Continent, Reiji's astonishment was more along the lines of "I knew about it, but this is the first time seeing the real deal," whereas the absolute beginner archer's astonishment was "I was completely caught off guard."

In response to the question from the terrifyingly deep-voiced young girl... or rather, The Professor, Sunraku looked somewhat awkward as he muttered a defensive excuse.

"Ah... It's kind of my fault, but also kind of not my fault... Actually, no, it probably is my fault for leaving it alone."

"Hmm... Well, I've received some highly grounded comments from my people in Thirdrema saying, 'That was just awful,' you see."

"No, I mean, yeah, that was pretty awful, but still..."

Suddenly, the archer noticed that while Sunraku was conversing, he was simultaneously operating his menu. Was he trying to pull out an item or something?

"Alright, Professor. What is located past here?"

"The first land players step onto when starting the game... the spawn point. No, I suppose there's no need to dodge the question... It's just mountains and cliffs, that's all."

"Yeah, exactly. As far as anyone can see, that's all there is... I feel bad for the beginners, novices, and rookies, but they're just gonna have to accept this as the fate of real-time progression and give up."

Taking physical form out of thin air, the object Sunraku grasped tightly was a gun... No, while it possessed a grip and a trigger, it lacked a muzzle to fire bullets; it was a "something shaped like a gun."

Holding it up to the sky, as if lecturing it, or perhaps just talking to himself, Sunraku questioned the "mystery" of this world.

"Originating in the Divine Age, passing through Antiquity, and arriving at the present. It doesn't matter where the Pioneers go. Where did they come from? I think I'll ask that question directly to the source... Hey, am I right? 'Isana' told me. Your name is 'Ivory', or perhaps..."

Click. The sound of the trigger being pulled echoed unnaturally clearly. In an instant, a massive number of windows generated around the gun-shaped device, and simultaneously with their convergence, a light was unleashed.

The beginners who had just started understood: this was the reason the high-level players had gathered.

The high-level players understood: this was the true nature of the rumored "festival."

And then, like a detective pointing a finger at the culprit, the host of the festival declared that name with absolute certainty.

"Bahamut Ship Three... Behemoth!!"

The earth trembled, the mountains roared. Players and NPCs alike swayed, swayed, swayed. Some couldn't remain standing from the sudden earthquake... but it was no earthquake.

There are no precise maps in this world. But on the Old Continent, where human civilization had progressed enough to form nations and unify the land, reasonably high-quality maps did exist.

However, as of today, those maps were rendered one generation obsolete. Why? Because right here in Firstia, the very shape of the map was changing.

"What the hell?!"

"The trees are... vanishing?!"

"The mountain is...!!"

"No, that's not a mountain!!"

"I-Is that optical camouflage?!"

Right before the eyes of the human race, the rising mountain shifted its form. The thickly overgrown trees fulfilled their true purpose as physical holographic camouflage and faded away, exposing the steel they had been concealing. As the first layer of the double-layered textures vanished, the crystallization of wisdom and science hidden beneath revealed itself.

O humans, my children. You have finally found me, it seemed to say.

『...It has been a long, long time, yet looking back, it feels quite brief.』

It can't be, the players thought in astonishment.

To the east of Firstia... what they had thought was just a mountain—devoid of towns, devoid of monster spawns, merely consuming a bit of stamina to climb—was actually a massive beast of steel clinging to the continent, lying flat on its stomach.

"A boar?!"

"No, you're wrong, look over there, the parts buried in the ground are linking together... Is that a long nose?"

"It's an elephant!!"

PWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!

A mechanical driving sound distinctly different from the divine whale rang out high into the sky.

The voice that seemed to speak to every human present in Firstia was being emitted from that elephant; even if one wanted to look away from that fact, the divine beast of steel was simply far too massive.

『Ah, my adorable and brave children. You have finally managed to find me... This Interstellar VoyageBahamut-class Arcology Ship, "Behemoth."』

Incredibly massive propulsion boosters planted themselves onto the ground like four limbs. No, if one looked closely, they would see that it was standing by "stepping" on the empty air several meters above the ground. It was an innovation designed to prevent its ultra-ultra-ultra-massive weight from crushing the continent when it was constructed on its hole-riddled mother planet before setting out for the sea of stars, but neither those in a position to know this, nor those who weren't, were looking around closely enough to notice.

Witnessing this spectacle, the man who had triggered it muttered quietly to himself, not intending for anyone to hear.

"I wonder if I can just bail after getting the information I want... Nah, probably not."

『My name is Ivory. I am the Artificial Intelligence entrusted with the womb and cradle by the wise men of the Divine Age, the gatekeeper who watches over the departure of Pioneers, and awaits their return... Now then, the game of hide and seek is over, my children... It is time to study.』

The beast of the God of Fate awakened, welcoming the Pioneers with words overflowing with affection.

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Author's Afterword

As an aside, the archer Reiji was talking to so familiarly is a real-life woman inside, playing a somewhat eye-catching female character who sold her torso armor to make some quick cash.

Sunraku: (Wait, didn't he have a party member named Mia? Actually, I'm just not gonna touch that, we aren't close enough for me to act like a peeping tom...)