Chapter 32

【Announcement】

It has been decided that "The Latest Game is Too Amazing" will be published as a book by "Hero Library."

This is all thanks to your support. Thank you for always cheering me on.

For more details and updates regarding the book publication, I will report them in the activity report, so please refer to that for any topics related to the publication.

Please rest assured that there will be no digest version or deletions due to the publication.

The school has finally entered summer vacation after the end-of-term ceremony. Although the mountain of homework makes me feel gloomy, I'm happiest that I'll have more time to play "Another World." I have no plans for the summer vacation, though. Ha ha, ... it's a bit depressing.

"Another World" will also officially launch its service to coincide with the general summer vacation. According to the online game information site, there don't seem to be many changes from the open beta test. The only thing that has changed is that the paid items have been unlocked. I'll check the official site later to see what items are available. There's still some time before the official service starts.

While browsing the online game information site, I came across an article that caught my attention. It was about the service of an online game I used to play being terminated. The official statement did not provide a reason for the termination, but the article suggested that the decline in players due to repeated changes in the game's specifications, a lack of new events, and the rise of next-generation online games like VRMMORPGs were the causes.

So, that game has ended. Although I haven't played it recently because I've been focusing on "Another World," I can't help but feel a bit of loneliness now that it's gone. Memories of the first day I logged in and the times I defeated monsters flash through my mind.

However, online games are not a charity. Server maintenance costs money, and the salaries of the game operators are not trivial. If there's no prospect of revenue, the service must be stopped. In fact, while about 100 to 200 online games start service each year, nearly 100 online games are forced to end their service, and this trend is gradually increasing. Only a few online games have lasted for over ten years.

From the user's perspective, it might be frustrating to have the characters and items they've spent time and effort on disappear. However, most online game terms of service clearly state that the operators are not responsible for any damages incurred by users due to the termination of service. When creating a user account, users must agree to the terms of service, so it is not a problem for the operating company to terminate the service and delete user data.

The end of online games is not an exception for "Another World" either. Although it has made a grand debut as the world's first VRMMORPG, it won't be able to maintain its advantage forever. In ten or twenty years, other online games with improved features will appear, and the day when "Another World" comes to an end will eventually come.

However, given the current popularity of "Another World," it's unlikely to end soon. Since it's a subsidiary of the company that developed Valgea, and no other VRMMORPGs have been announced, the service of "Another World" will likely continue for a while to promote the sale of Valgea.

Now, it's time for the official service to start. To purchase paid items, you need to buy points using web money or a credit card on the official site, and then use those points to buy the items. Since I don't have a credit card, I bought 2000 yen worth of points (1 yen = 1 point) with web money, but I hope it's enough.

I immediately checked what paid items are available. There are a wide variety of paid items, and they are cheaper than I expected. Each item costs around 100 to 200 yen. There's even a set sale of five "Book of Blessing" items, which double experience points, plus one free. They're really trying to make money. There are also items to reset status points and skill points, but I don't need them for now. There are even recovery items. It seems that these recovery items have no drawbacks when used in emergencies, which could be useful in player-versus-player battles. I might buy them later, even though I don't need them now.

There's even a resurrection item called "Substitute Doll." It can be used to fully restore HP and revive a player or another player in a death state. (If used on yourself, it can be set to activate automatically.) Previously, the only way to revive a player in a death state was through a healer's resurrection skill. However, there is a limit to the number of these paid items you can carry at once, and since they are paid items, you can't use them casually. Still, if you can revive yourself, it would be useful in emergencies.

Among the many paid items, the one that caught my attention the most was... the gacha. Gacha, or the random item distribution system, means that you can get a rare item randomly by spending a certain amount. In the case of "Another World," it costs 200 points (200 yen) per draw.

Some people might think that you won't get a good item from this kind of gacha. In the past, there were social games on mobile phones and smartphones that had a "complete gacha" system, where you had to collect a set of items to get a rare item, and it could cost hundreds of thousands of yen to complete the set. However, this became a problem, and now there are regulations to ensure that you always get a rare item, and the maximum amount you can spend to get all the rare items is strictly defined. However, rare items have different levels of rarity, so items with easier acquisition conditions can automatically become "dud" items, and it can still cost a lot to get all of them.

However, this gacha seems to have some pretty good rare items. Especially valuable are the vehicle-type paid items. According to the item details, many of the vehicles in the game are faster than those sold in-game, and some are even more luxurious than the dragons I've ridden before, including a carriage that can seat multiple people. Moreover, these are gacha-exclusive items that cannot be obtained elsewhere. To celebrate the start of the official service, you can get five draws at a discount. Wow, this is a gacha that really understands player psychology. ...I might just fall for it!

I drew several times, but I didn't get any rare items (though I did get "Book of Blessing" and "Substitute Doll"). With one draw left, I really hope I get a rare item! I pressed the button on the screen, and an animation of a capsule toy lever turning played. Normally, the capsule would pop out, and the contents would be displayed, but this time the animation was different. The background of the capsule toy glowed rainbow colors when the lever was turned. Oh, maybe this is a special animation for a rare item! This is really promising. The item I got was... a carriage! With this, I can move with my party. For me, who is looking for party members, this is the best item I could get. My dream is to fill this carriage with many companions someday...

I've bought the items I wanted, so let's start the game. I take a deep breath and pick up my Valgea. Yes, I can do this. After setting up, I choose the capital of the Commune Union, Clermont, as my starting point. I wonder if I'll get to meet Lady Alexia and Irene.

I arrive at the portal in Clermont, the starting point. Normally, portals are located at the edge of the town, but this one seems unusually deserted. Clermont is the capital of the Commune, but it's much quieter than other capitals like Mauct and Stroebriessen. The windows and doors of the houses are closed, and I can't even see inside. Hmm, is this normal in the Commune? The town is empty and lacks vitality. I'm curious, but for now, I'll head to the Adventurer's Guild.

The Adventurer's Guild is closed. What's going on? It can't be a holiday... There have never been holidays before. So, something irregular must have happened. However, I don't see any other players, so it's impossible to meet Lady Alexia and the others. When will I see them again? ...I hope I can see them again.

I walk around the town, but it looks like a ghost town where people have suddenly disappeared. I can't tell if it's a bug where NPCs aren't placed outside or if it's part of an event. Such a large-scale event is rare in MMORPGs, but there was a town-wide event recently.

I considered deleting my current character and creating a new one, but since I've already bought paid items, I can't transfer the data, and I can't delete it carelessly. There's no choice. I'll go to a place where there are people—maybe the neighboring town. If that doesn't work, I'll have to go to the Kingdom of Castel or the Empire of Vaiksel. Let's use the carriage! I select the carriage icon from my inventory and take out the carriage. The expression "take out the carriage" sounds strange when you think about it.

Nearby, the space cracks like glass, and a two-horse carriage emerges from a black hole. The two horses are not as large as the dragons I've seen before but are one or two sizes larger than normal horses. Their bodies and manes are pitch black, and they have eight legs in total. They are clearly not ordinary horses. The harness is decorated, and the bit is made of gold, shining against the black body. The large, four-wheeled vehicle is simple and black, with blue flames in the lamps. The carriage is also covered, with a roof over the driver's seat. The two horses stop in front of me, neighing, and the hole that split open closes as if rewinding. Wow, this is really cool!

I tentatively approach the horses and pet them, but they don't resist and look at me with their big, round eyes. Despite their size, they seem quite gentle. They'll probably listen to me well.

Let's go! I get into the carriage, take the reins, and snap them like I've seen on TV to make the horses move.

By the way, in modern-day Japan, how many people actually ride horses? I think most people have only experienced pony rides, which are usually gentle and not very fast, and only for about ten minutes. I haven't ridden a horse since I was a child and did a pony ride. As for driving a carriage, I've never done it. I have no experience with it.

In other words, what I'm trying to say is that the horses start running with an acceleration like a car. I have to grip the reins tightly to keep from being thrown off. My hair flutters in the wind. The direction is determined by the horses' whims. This is the completion of a runaway express carriage.

It's racing towards the city gate. I see soldiers at the gate, but I'm not in a position to worry about them. The city gate is not closed, but there are barricades. Normally, I would want to make a U-turn here, but this runaway carriage is not listening to me and shows no signs of stopping. I cling to the thin reins in fear. The moment I close my eyes in fear, a loud collision and a floating sensation run through my body. There's no pain, but I didn't expect to experience the floating sensation of a roller coaster in a carriage. Fortunately, I didn't run over the soldiers, but I'm shocked by this carriage.

I seem to have made it out of Clermont. But, horses, horses, where are you going?

***

The Commune Union is a country located west of the Kingdom of Castel and east of the Empire of Vaiksel. Although it is smaller than the two large countries to the east and west, it is a thriving commercial nation due to its strategic location between the two large countries