Chapter 2

The progress of science is remarkable.

What used to be mere fantasies has now become a part of everyday life.

This is no exception in the gaming industry.

Rather, it could be said that this industry is one of the fields where such 'fantasies' and 'imaginations' are relatively easy to realize.

Among them, there is a certain game company that has turned childhood desires, which could only be expressed in two dimensions, into reality with the latest technology, but that's just a charming aspect of it.

In short, there have always been a certain number of people who have been captivated by the imaginary worlds of fantasy and science fiction.

And those people from the past have, thankfully, brought these fantasies to life in the form of games.

A high school graduate, now enjoying a carefree university life, is also benefiting from this.

The fourth-generation virtual reality sensory game, commonly known as the "Full Sensory Projection" type.

This game uses a revolutionary electronic device control technology called BCI, which reads brain waves—essentially, a system that reads the player's thoughts and outputs them into a virtual reality.

Furthermore, the "Full Sensory Projection" not only outputs but also receives stimuli from the virtual reality, providing a new function that feeds back the 'five senses' to the player, beyond just sight and sound.

In other words, the "Full Sensory Projection" made it possible to provide players with a second world—a complete virtual reality.

As a result, "Full Sensory Projection" VR games became a huge hit, spawning numerous titles and causing a global frenzy.

Among them was a game titled [Tactics Chronicle].

As the title suggests, it is a strategic simulation sandbox game.

Establishing a country, nurturing it, defending it, attacking others, and eventually becoming a great nation.

The genre of strategic simulation games focused on national management has been a classic genre since the early days of offline single-player games.

However, this game had a fantasy element where a human king leads a nation of monsters, and it had a game system that leaned more towards RPGs.

Moreover, this was the first game in this genre to adopt the "Full Sensory Projection" system, and it was developed by a game company known for its thorough attention to detail, which contributed to its high pre-release expectations.

After being delayed three times, [Tactics Chronicle] was finally released, and it lived up to the hype, capturing the hearts of many players.

It could be said that it was a masterpiece that only comes out a few times a year.

――Of course, I bought it.

He muttered to himself in an empty room.

He wasn't making excuses to anyone, but it was normal to queue up the night before the release.

The game company was famous for not disappointing core users, so he had been looking forward to it for a long time. The frustration and sadness he felt when the third release date was delayed were profound.

Finally, he got the game and was hooked. He was deeply immersed in the world of [Tactics Chronicle], to the point where he had no time for other games.

He can still vividly remember the day he first played it.

On the first day of the release, he rushed home from the track and field club with the game in hand. Entering his room, he lay down in the dive pod—Mizuki Tsukasa, the character name [Helian], descended onto the land of [Alkymira] as a king.

An expansive, grand prairie stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the middle of it stood a small wooden hut.

This was the starting land of [Alkymira], the kingdom ruled by King [Helian].

The first thing he felt was the wind.

The soft touch of the green breeze caressing his cheeks.

The sound of the wind rustling through the tall grass reached his ears like the sound of gentle waves.

Next, the scent of flowers and the smell of the earth.

And the overwhelming presence of the vast prairie before his eyes.

For someone who had only played console games up to the third generation, the realism was so moving.

"――Let's start building our nation. Our adventure begins here!!"

He shouted these words, unable to contain his excitement, and ran out into the empty prairie.

Thus, [Helian], leading three monsters, took his first memorable step into [Tactics Chronicle].

――Years have passed in real time.

[Alkymira], led by King [Helian], has grown into a superpower, surviving through turbulent times, sometimes thriving and sometimes on the brink of collapse, and overcoming various challenges.

Today, as he logged into the game without getting tired, [Helian] was greeted by a multitude of monsters gathered in the capital to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the kingdom.

＋ ＋ ＋

"Wow, it's quite a sight."

King [Helian] of [Alkymira] sighed in amazement.

Looking down from the castle balcony, he saw a scene where famous monsters from all over the world were leading their armies and gathering in the central square of the capital.

Beastmen, demons, ogres, giants, elves, dwarves, dragons.

Watching various races gradually gather, he felt a deep sense of accomplishment, seeing the results of his efforts. The orderly march of the various legions stationed at different bases was also a sight to behold.

In this game, performing an [Event] would increase the morale, loyalty, and happiness of the citizens based on the completion level.

Moreover, since the founding anniversary celebration was a [Special Event], its effects were quite high. It would be a waste not to do it.

Additionally, it could also reduce the rebellious spirit of the recently annexed ogres, making it a two-for-one deal.

It was quite a bold move for the ogres to challenge his kingdom at a time when all the legion leaders were gathered.

To be honest, even for ogres with low intelligence, this was an extremely reckless act.

Even if there were no legion leaders, the boss ogre only led a force that could be easily suppressed. What was he thinking?

...Well, the AI of the boss ogre was just particularly stupid.

"There, the Eighth Legion has arrived. Dragons really stand out, don't they?"

Descending from the sky were dragons.

A single dragon could burn down a city, and a group of them was descending onto [Alkymira]'s square.

To some, it might look like a scene from hell, but the red dragon leading the group was the Eighth Legion Commander, meaning this group of dragons was also part of [Alkymira]'s army.

"I should prepare for the event."

Turning his back to the descending dragons, he recalled the considerable effort it took to add the proud dragon race to his forces and felt a slight sense of accomplishment, thinking, "Well, we've come this far."

He then changed his equipment to ceremonial attire in his office, spent a few minutes, and confirmed that the legions had finished lining up on the [Map]. The various stage devices to enhance the speech's effect were also set up. Everything was ready.

Then, it was about time for "her" to arrive.

Knowing the NPC's behavior pattern as the king's aide, [Helian] started counting down to the door.

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

At zero, there was a gentle knock.

When [Helian] said, "Come in," the person who entered was as expected.

"Excuse me, King [Helian]."

A woman in her early twenties entered quietly.

Her silver hair was styled in a wolf cut, and her almond-shaped eyes, visible under her bangs, glowed amber. She was tall for a woman, standing at about 170 cm. Her posture was straight, giving the impression of a capable adult woman.

She wore only a breastplate that wrapped around her left shoulder and chest, leaving her right shoulder and navel exposed.

Her lower body was protected by thigh guards, and she wore a skirt-like loincloth, giving the impression of a lot of exposed skin.

However, this was designed to prioritize mobility for her style of close combat, and all of it was top-tier armor.

Additionally, wolf-like ears protruded from her hair, and a fluffy, large tail swayed from her waist, indicating she was a wolf-type beastman.

She was [Lieve], the king's aide and the commander of the First Legion.

"The preparations for the [Founding Anniversary Ceremony] are complete. Please move to the [podium]."

She bowed politely to King [Helian], speaking a sentence automatically formed from several key words.

"Understood. Good work."

[Helian] felt a slight sense of emptiness at the perfect timing of her greeting, but it also meant he was taking this game seriously.

Just a game, yet a serious one. "Approach everything with seriousness" was [Helian]'s motto.

"Then, I will move to the [podium]. Follow me."

"Understood."

Following the verbal [Key Language], [Lieve], the First Legion Commander, followed [Helian] out of the office.

He recalled how impressed he was with the well-designed AI when he first started playing.

Perhaps the 150th anniversary founding celebration was making him sentimental.

(Well, what should I say for the speech?)

He thought about the speech as he walked.

No matter what he said, the result of the [Speech] action would be the same, but it was the attention to detail that made the game more immersive and enjoyable.

Time is a finite resource, and it should be used effectively and intensely. In other words, it should be enjoyed to the fullest.

(Alright. I'll go with a colonel style. When it comes to speeches, that person is the one.)

As [Helian] decided this while walking down the corridor to the podium, it happened.

"Huh?"

Noise flickered at the edge of his vision.

Thinking the connection rate with the dive device had dropped, he checked the system window, but it was normal.

Tilting his head in confusion, he began to hear noise as well.

"Hey, why now? It's a special event, and the management should be more careful. Other countries are also celebrating their founding anniversaries, right?"

He sighed and stopped, thinking it would probably be fixed soon.

He waited for the noise to settle, but then—

"Wh-What!?"

Suddenly, his sense of balance was thrown off.

The red carpet on the corridor floor swayed in his vision.

It felt like being thrown into an old drum washing machine.

His sense of balance was completely disrupted, and he couldn't stand properly, so he sat down on the corridor floor.

"Hey, what's going on!?"

He shouted, but the strange phenomenon didn't stop.

This time, after a brief sensation of floating, a shock as if he had been pushed from below hit his entire body. It felt like the car he was in had briefly flown and then crashed.

As if that was the signal, his sense of balance finally started to return. The noise also subsided, and after about ten seconds, his vision and hearing stabilized.

"It's finally over... What was that? A bug? Or some kind of natural disaster event?"

He grumbled as he stood up.

An event that disrupts a special day like this is unacceptable.

"King [Helian]! Are you alright!?"

[Lieve], who ran over, carefully examined [Helian]'s body.

She seemed to be checking for injuries.

"Hmm? Ah, I'm [fine]. Don't worry."

The immediate action of the NPC suggested that this phenomenon was not a bug. It was likely a natural disaster event.

Given the shock, it was probably a major earthquake or a meteorite impact.

Either way, it was an unpleasant natural disaster. It would cause widespread damage to facilities, take time to recover, and lower the happiness of the citizens.

Why today of all days, he thought, while worrying and looking outside the castle.

Then, he noticed that the scenery seen from the corridor window had changed.

"..."

The town was still intact. That was good. There were no collapsed buildings or fires, and no craters were visible.

So, what was the problem?

Beyond the walls surrounding the town, where there should have been a vast prairie, a dense, oppressive forest had spread. It looked like a jungle or a sea of trees.

"...What is this? A large-scale magic spell affecting the terrain?

No, but the Third and Fourth Legions are in the capital, right? A large-scale magic spell that can break through their cooperative barrier can't be cast by a single caster.

And with the Sixth Legion here, it would be impossible not to detect a large-scale spell or ritual in advance... So, this isn't the work of an enemy force.

Then, what if the capital is suddenly covered by a forest, it must be..."

A natural disaster event? Or a divine trial event?

Either way, it's not a good situation.

"Th-This...!"

[Lieve], standing a little behind, whispered in a trembling voice. From her appearance, it seemed she was affected by the bad status [Fear].

Unusual.

She has the [Brave] trait, which should give her resistance, but this must be a highly impactful event to cause [Fear].

This is troublesome.

"Calm down, [Lieve]. Let's return to the [office]. Follow me."

Using the [Key Language] to make [Lieve] follow, he hurried back to the office.

The office was equipped with a communication item, a gem. As soon as he entered, he touched the large gem on the side table and activated it.

This would allow communication with other bases where gems were placed.

First, he tried to connect to the nearest base to check the extent of the event's impact, but—

"...? Access denied? No, there's no option to select the connection destination?"

Why is this happening?

This has never happened before.

Access denied is not a problem. In the past, bases had been captured by enemies or jammed, preventing access.

But the absence of the connection destination option is strange.

[Helian] opened the [Map] in confusion.

"...Huh!?"

It was gone. The [Map] itself was there, but none of the bases under his control were displayed.

Worse, the entire area outside the capital was gray, indicating unexplored territory.

The world map, which should have been completed after exploring every corner of the world, was now a gray map with only the capital marked. He was momentarily stunned.

Is this a serious bug?

There shouldn't be any unexplored areas in the superpower [Alkymira]... but,

"I remember hearing something about this. I think it was that the world is not just one continent, but multiple worlds exist on a single planet..."

In this game [Tactics Chronicle], not all players gather in one open world, but a certain number of players participate in several worlds.

And this game has as many playstyles as there are players.

While the basic concept of building a nation is mandatory, the playstyle can vary widely. As a result, each world develops its own characteristics over time.

In one world, a player focused entirely on internal affairs and neglected military development from the beginning, creating a parody of a non-warfare nation from an old robot anime called [Zank Kingdom].

Many players in that world found it amusing, and [Zank Kingdom] continued to develop as a nation specialized in internal affairs, protected by neighboring countries.

And they—traveled to space.

'What, are you kidding?'

'Why are they breaking the atmosphere?'

'Isn't this a fantasy game?'

'While we're battling goblins, something sci-fi is happening?'

'One guy is playing a different game, man.'

'Civilization gap, lol.'

'Hey, wait. I think something is floating above our country. Is that a satellite cannon?'

The dedicated bulletin board turned into a festival, with chaotic chat messages flying around.

It turned out that [Zank Kingdom], observing the planet from a magic satellite they had launched into the stratosphere, discovered another continent.

This continent was about the same size as their own and, although it was jammed and not clearly visible, they confirmed the presence of several nations.

In other words, the assumption that 'a world is a single continent' was suddenly challenged, and the theory that multiple continents exist in a single world gained traction.

Unfortunately, [Alkymira], led by [Helian], had not discovered another continent.

They had been unable to explore the open sea due to a constant storm since the beginning of the world and had not even confirmed that the world was round.

However, it wouldn't be strange if another continent existed beyond the storm.

Now, the [Map] [Helian] was seeing, which was gray, indicating unexplored territory, strongly suggested that [Alkymira], which he ruled, was on an unknown continent that had not been explored at all.

In other words, this was...

"Forced transfer? A divine trial event that moved the capital to another continent? Wow, really?"

To overlay this on the founding anniversary celebration is insane, he thought, cursing the game's management team.

"...No, wait."

But, if he changed his perspective, this might not be a bad event.

[Alkymira] had been a superpower for a long time. There were no unexplored areas left, and for the past few decades in game time, they had been focused on wars with allied nations and internal affairs, with no real adventures.

However, if new unexplored areas appeared, it would be inevitable.

Exploring new lands and resources would be an exciting situation.

Recalling his first day of gameplay, when he was cutting through the unknown with his own hands, he was able to smoothly change his perspective.

Moreover, consider this.

While he had dispersed his forces across various bases, he had recalled the leaders and main forces of each legion to the capital for the founding anniversary celebration.

Starting anew on a new continent in this state would be like a "New Game Plus."

There might be existing player nations on this continent, but the forces he had were elite troops of the superpower [Alkymira] in [World No. 3]. There were many ways to handle the situation.

...

At the 150th anniversary founding celebration, the king and his elite forces were transferred to a new continent.

However, the elite forces, led by the king, achieved remarkable success on the new continent.

They obtained unknown resources and triumphantly returned to the old continent, where their beloved citizens awaited.

Wow.

If he imagined the future, this could be a thrilling event.

"K... Kuk, kuk, kuk."

He couldn't contain his excitement.

He felt like doing it.

A suppressed smile spread across [Helian]'s lips.

"King [Helian]? Is something wrong?"

[Lieve] looked at him with a worried expression.

It was a fresh and new expression and gesture he had never seen before.

...So, [Lieve] becomes this meek when in [Fear] state.

The contrast with her usual self was not bad. Moreover, it was a very realistic gesture. The AI team of the game company had done an excellent job.

"[Lieve]. It seems our [capital] has been [forcibly transferred] by an [event]. We need to assess the current state of the country.

I will give the minimum instructions to each legion. You should also contact each legion commander, gather information, and work to understand the current situation."

"...Yes, understood. As you wish."

[Lieve] bowed deeply and left. [Helian] watched her go and then displayed a touch-panel aerial projection display.

He called up a tactical virtual window for issuing commands and quickly sent instructions to each legion.

The First Legion would continue to assist the king.

The Second Legion would check on the safety of the residents and maintain order.

The Third Legion would treat the injured and inspect and maintain the capital's barrier along the outer wall.

The Fourth Legion would use magic to survey and investigate outside the city.

The Fifth Legion would