ICHIBAN USHIRO NO DAIMAOU - Volume 7, 2 — Let’s Go to the Video Game World

Volume 7, Chapter 2: Let’s Go to the Video Game World

 

“A-chan. Fantasy is great, isn’t it?”

This sudden comment came from Keena.

There was no context for it. After all, it had come early in the morning in Akuto’s dorm room. Keena had snuck in at some point and was scooping white rice into her mouth with a wooden spoon.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Akuto sat up in his bed and replied to her comment. He showed no confusion over the odd situation of this red-haired girl entering his room and eating rice. He was used to her doing that.

“Fantasy, A-chan. Like swords and magic,” she declared while munching on the rice.

“Isn’t that what we do all the time?” asked Akuto in confusion.

However, Keena held up her spoon and waved it back and forth.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. That’s not it at all, A-chan. Fantasy is about heroes who come from another world and captured princesses.”

“Yeah, I suppose you won’t find those in real life,” said Akuto while feeling that something was off about that statement.

A voice denying what he said came from above.

“You two do not seem to realize how special you are.”

Korone, an artificial human known as a L’Isle-Adam, jumped down from a shelf near the ceiling. She lived with Akuto because the government had ordered her to observe him, but she seemed to be leaving Akuto be recently.

“I suppose there is that. Anyway, have you been reading some old book again?” asked Akuto.

Keena shook her head.

“No. I found a fun video game.”

—I sure am hearing about video games a lot recently. Come to think of it, I never got that girl’s contact information. Maybe I’ll find her if I start playing some video games.

“What kind of game is it? I’m interested, but I’ve never played any.”

“This is the one I’ve been playing.”

Keena displayed the game on a mana screen. It seemed to have been created by someone named Yoshihiko.

“See? It’s as fun as rice,” said Keena as she played it a bit.

Video games in his era used holographic video, but the story and gameplay had not changed much from long ago. The aspects humans found enjoyable did not change very much.

“I’m not quite sure what you mean when you say it’s as fun as rice. Do you mean it gets more fun the more you chew on it?”

“C’mon. Rice is fun.”

“…Okay. Anyway, what kind of game is it?”

Akuto peered at the mana screen. It was an online RPG in which one had an adventure in a fantasy world, but its special feature was the ability to wage war by commanding troops. One could prepare many soldiers besides the player character and the size of that army would grow as one gained levels.

“It looks like a war game.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to be a commander. You can be a kidnapped princess. Then you just have to be kidnapped and an army will come save you.”

“Saying you ‘just’ have to be kidnapped is kind of amazing, but I guess it is a game… Hm? Does that mean a war begins because you were kidnapped?”

“Yeah.”

“So that’s what’s fun about that.”

Akuto somehow understood.

“I am amazed you came over in the morning to talk about video games,” said Korone.

Keena clapped her hands as she remembered something.

“Oh, right! The thing is, the student council president said she would be leaving early this morning, so she wanted A-chan to go and do her job.”

“Doesn’t she have the three officers for that?”

“They’ll be going, too. In fact, she was borrowing Hiroshi-kun too. It seems they were called in last night.”

“If that’s the case, I have no choice. I wonder what happened.”

Akuto stood up and prepared to ask her to leave so he could change, but he suddenly realized something.

“But why were you the one to come tell me that?”

“I was up all night playing games. I happened across the president when she was about to leave.”

“…I see. Don’t you need to get some sleep?”

“I’m fine. As long as I eat rice, I can go for a while without sleep. And if I get tired, I can just skip class.”

“You live as a free a life as always.”

Akuto had Keena leave and removed his pajama top.

And then someone spoke from behind him.

“I did not think you would try to sexually seduce me like this.”

“Wah!”

He turned around to find Korone standing directly behind him.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to ask you to leave.”

“You find it natural for us to be together. You could say we have the same relationship as a husband and wife.”

“Don’t be ridiculous… Anyway, you always leave on your own when I change.”

“Yes, but something caught my attention about what you were discussing.”

It was rare for Korone to say something like this. She usually did not interfere outside of teasing him. Akuto’s expression grew serious.

“Something caught your attention?”

“Yes. I am in a bit of a dilemma given my official position, so I will put it bluntly: you are being targeted by a certain plan. However, I have been forbidden to reveal the contents of or stop that plan.”

“That…sounds bad.”

Akuto understood the gravity of the situation. Korone was a L’Isle-Adam and she acted on the orders of the government. Inside the government were a radical group that wished to eliminate Akuto as quickly as possible and a moderate group that generally wished to protect him. She had to receive conflicting orders on a lot of the details.

“Yes. So please be careful. I will do everything I can.”

“Thanks. This must be what the president is dealing with.”

Akuto almost removed his pajama pants, but realized Korone was staring at him.

“I almost took my pants off without thinking. Could you leave for a moment?”

“No. I cannot leave your side for an instant,” said Korone with a serious expression.

But Akuto had known her long enough to understand this was a joke.

“Could you please stop with those jokes?”

Meanwhile, Lily hid on the road near Imperial University’s scientific research building. She held anpan and milk while she staked out the place like a police detective. She was observing the room Michie had located the day before.

The light was on in that room. In the dimness of early morning, only that window had light coming from it.

“I want to begin my attack while no one else is here,” muttered Lily.

“Eh? You’ve gotten permission, right? You can’t just go in and attack the place…”

This question came from Hiroshi who had been dragged along against his will. He stood next to Lily while nibbling at a breakfast of a cream-filled bread, but his eyes opened in surprise.

“If I had permission, I wouldn’t be hiding and staking out the place. I’d have charged in right away. The three officers are investigating the surrounding area. Once they’ve confirmed the situation, I’m going in.”

“Going in?”

“I’ll force our way in and beat the crap out of whoever’s inside. What else would I mean?”

Hiroshi could not help but panic.

“Wait! Then why did you bring me along!?”

“Oh. I guess I never mentioned that.” Lily nodded with a look of realization. “I’ve learned that Yamato Bouichirou’s subordinates are putting together a certain plan.”

“Eh? Yamato Bouichirou’s…?”

Hiroshi was at a loss for words.

It had gone through various twists and turns, but Yamato Bouichirou had been the one to give Hiroshi the anti-demon king combat suit he had used.

“That’s why I called you. You may not be much help in a fight, but you might know something or they might be in a special position as far as they are concerned.”

“Eh? But I don’t know anything about this.”

“I know that. I just mean you might remember something given the chance. And if you happen to be an important existence to them, I can use you as a hostage.”

Hiroshi paled because Lily’s voice did not contain even a hint of joking.

“Wait. You’re…joking, right?”

“Of course not. I’m willing to make a few sacrifices if I can kill 2V.”

Lily’s eyes had completely glazed over in anger.

“Wait. Isn’t this just a personal grudge? …Anyway, what is this plan? Didn’t you come here to stop it?”

“What’s wrong with a personal grudge? And I’m not thinking about stopping that plan.”

“Eh?”

“The plan is to seal Sai Akuto in the virtual alternate dimension. Most likely, he will either be left there with no influence on the outside world or they will kill him inside.”

“And you aren’t going to stop them?”

“Why should I care? That’s his personal problem. As long as the majority of the students are safe, it’s not my problem.”

As Lily made that announcement, she received a telepathic communication. It came from the three officers.

“Good. I’ll tell you when I’m going to go in,” replied Lily as she tossed aside her anpan and milk.

She grabbed Hiroshi’s hand and started walking.

“Wait, president. I’m not ready…”

“I’m not waiting around. If we don’t go now, people will start to arrive.”

Lily pulled on Hiroshi’s hand and entered the grounds.

Imperial University was opened to the public. Outsiders often visited the individual laboratories. For that reason, Lily easily arrived at the door to their destination.

At the very least, there had been no resistance or traps so far. Lily was still cautious and she glanced at Hiroshi as she reached for the doorknob.

Hiroshi assumed she wanted something from him, but he was shocked when she kicked down the door without waiting for a response.

“Wh-what are you doing, president!?”

But Lily did not respond. After kicking down the door, she immediately entered the room. She did not enter the way one normally entered a university laboratory. She looked like special forces entering a terrorist hideout or a yakuza attacking a rival group.

Lily rolled inside while keeping her stance low. She held her arms forward while glancing around the room. She specialized in a spell that freely extended her arms, so she could fire her fists like handgun bullets. If she caught sight of someone, she would blow them away in the next instant. But that was only if she had a target.

“What!?”

Lily’s expression stiffened at this unexpected turn of events.

Despite the lights being on, no one was inside.

There was nowhere to hide in the room. Shelves of documents and experimental equipment cluttered up the laboratory, but the space felt cramped even with one person standing inside.

“Did he get away? It couldn’t be.”

Lily telepathically checked with the three officers. They replied with puzzled voices.

“Check closer! They might be tricking you!”

The instant Lily barked that order, a single ray of light glittered on a desk in the laboratory.

Lily took a defensive stance, but it was the light of a mana screen. It showed a man with a forgettable face. In other words, it was 2V.

“damn you!” roared Lily, but it seemed the footage was not a transmission.

A preset message began to play.

Before 2V finished speaking, Lily leaped backwards. She reached out and grabbed ahold of Hiroshi who was standing still in surprise and she rolled out of the room.

2V’s mocking voice reverberated throughout the room.

“Godd*mn you!” shouted Lily as she began lightly beating Hiroshi on the head as she held him in her arms.

“Eeee! Stop! President! Please calm down!” n)-0𝒱𝑒𝔩𝔟In

“Are you sure this method is okay? Isn’t it a bit odd?” asked Yoshie.

“Don’t worry. Everything is going well,” replied 2V.

Yoshie and 2V had immediately begun implementing their plan once the preparations were complete. The device to control the virtual alternate dimension had been programmed and they had magically transferred themselves close to the school.

Yoshie’s ability to complete the programming faster than Lily had expected and 2V’s usage of a magical transfer to escape had won out in the end. Magical transfers cost quite a lot, so they were not used unless one had a very good reason.

“They misjudged how seriously we were taking this. Even if we are sneaking around, this is still a government project.”

“I suppose I should be grateful I can have my research backed by something like that. Anyway, why did we have to come to the school? Isn’t this an experiment to control the virtual alternate dimension?”

“Ha ha. Come to think of it, I never explained that part to you.”

2V laughed and pointed across Constant Magic Academy’s schoolyard. The morning assembly was being held there. Yoshie and 2V stood where 2V’s tent had been located during the large-scale battle recently held here.

“We will seal him inside.”

2V pointed at the boy standing atop the podium rather than on the grass. When Yoshie saw him, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Him? But I just spoke with him recently.”

“You spoke with him? Do you not know who he is? He is the demon king,” said 2V carelessly.

“Fwohhh! That’s a surprise. I didn’t know that. Hm? We’re going to seal him inside?”

Yoshie’s eyebrows moved up.

“Yes. If he is sealed within the virtual alternate dimension, he will have the same level of power as a normal human. A lot of people want to kill him without causing any damage to those around him.”

2V grinned.

“Kill him?”

Yoshie was clearly confused, so 2V suppressed laughter and continued speaking.

“Exactly. That is the government’s project. I apologize for deceiving you, but you do not need to worry about this. You will not be considered a criminal for doing this. And taking part in a killing is something everyone should try at least once.”

Yoshie was so shocked she covered her face with her hands.

“I-I don’t understand how you can think like that. Hey, can’t you rethink this?”

“No. I’m not trying to threaten you, but you’ll be wanted by the knights if you don’t do this. Ha ha ha. What is there to think about? Not doing it is a crime and doing it isn’t. You don’t have a choice in the matter.”

2V could not help but laugh.

Yoshie bit her lip.

—What can I do? Wait, there might still be something I can do. I might be able to turn everything around. I need to stay calm. Stay calm…

“Okay. I don’t like it, but I have no choice. I just have to set up this device, right?”

“Exactly. Thank you for your cooperation.”

2V gave a triumphant laugh.

“I have to seal him as a normal human. Those are my orders, right?”

“Yes. Don’t even think about doing something else instead.”

“There’s nothing I could do. I have no choice. I understand that.”

Yoshie leaned over the virtual alternate dimension control device.

The device was a cube with 50 cm sides and it had a keyboard and monitor embedded on one side. Yoshie used them to operate it.

“What does it feel like to help kill someone you talked to, even if just once?” asked 2V cruelly.

Yoshie could not help let the disgust appear on her face, but she responded calmly.

“It’s painful because there were things I could sympathize with him about. I just hope he will understand to a certain extent.”

“Hmm. I see. I don’t know what it is you want him to understand, though. Is it something you need him to think? Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s best to put your all into your work even if you have to ignore your feelings.”

“I agree with that. But in the end, people are made to only do what they want to do. I only spoke with him for a bit, but I get the feeling we have an understanding of each other. And so I somehow understand what he wants to do. In other words, I get the feeling he will be able to overcome this as long as he is given a chance.”

“A chance? What are you talking about?”

“Heh heh. This is what I’m talking about.”

After her extremely calm yet passionate announcement, Yoshie activated the device without waiting for 2V’s instruction.

“Wh-what did you do!?”

For once, 2V panicked. Even a strategist on 2V’s level could not tell what she was thinking.

“What did I do? I activated the device. This will transfer the surrounding people and objects into the virtual alternate dimension. Just to be clear, I made sure to do everything you told me to do,” said Yoshie.

A low rumbling could be heard as the virtual alternate dimension control device activated.

“The surrounding people and objects!?”

Surprised by those unexpected words, 2V stretched out a hand to grab Yoshie.

“It’s too late,” muttered Yoshie.

2V was unable to grab ahold of Yoshie. 2V’s vision was already distorting. space itself was glowing and sinking downwards.

“This academy, I, and the control device itself are being transferred to the virtual alternate dimension expanded around the God Megis.”

“The device itself!? You fool! You have no idea what will happen!”

“True, the device is meant to be left outside. But if I don’t bring it inside, you could use it. Also, I added in an element you hadn’t thought of. To give myself an advantage on the other side, I used the video game I programmed as the world control program. This will allow him to do something. That is what I believe.”

Yoshie was calm. As she held the device in her arms, she too sank “down”.

“Tch! You thought of all that in just an instant!? But I will be going with you.”

2V used his left hand to grab his extended right arm at the elbow. And he pulled that right arm off at the elbow. This was only possible because he was a doll.

And 2V threw that right arm toward the device. Yoshie noticed and covered the device with her hands, but that right hand grabbed tightly onto her hand.

“I will be sending just my arm there!” shouted 2V.

And the surrounding world splendidly “sank to the other side”.

A bit before the device was activated, Akuto stood on the podium while trying to figure out what to say.

Today, a morning assembly was being held in front of the entire student body. With the student council president and three officers gone, Akuto had been appointed to take their place. He had no choice but to take care of the morning assembly.

At Constant Magic Academy, the headmaster almost never gave a greeting. Instead, the student council president would give advice concerning the students’ lives and tell them what the student council’s policies were. Akuto had to do that now.

“This week’s motto is ‘work to make the school more beautiful’, but you must not think of this as nothing more than cleaning.”

After announcing that he was acting in place of the president, Akuto gave that declaration, but he realized he should not have done so. He was not explaining the policy. Instead, he was giving his interpretation of the ideology behind it and hoping to begin a discussion from there. As he continued speaking, his argument seemed to travel in an odd direction. He began to struggle to find the right words.

“Filth collects in complicated spaces one rarely touches. It is the same as dust collecting in the spaces between tangled wires. To clean that, one must untangle the wires and unplug everything. In other words, true cleaning cannot be accomplished without breaking everything down and building it back up. Making the school a more beautiful place means to remove the mental sediment that has built up in each and every one of you. And that sediment builds up in the complicated spaces one rarely touches. The wires from before are a metaphor for this process. In other words, it is important that we all break down our mental systems that have become set in stone.”

Despite being the one speaking, Akuto found himself unable to control the odd direction in which his speech was headed. The students began muttering to each other at his extreme ideas.

“Is he telling us to doubt our common sense?”

“No, he mentioned our mental systems, so he must be telling us to try going completely nuts.”

“I see. A speech from the demon king really is something else.”

—No. That isn’t what I meant…

Akuto was troubled.

“Now what is this mental system? It is related to how humans comprehend their surroundings. To lessen the mental burden, people simplify their comprehension of things. Even attending this school is the result of this simplified comprehension. Learning and going to school are not actually identical concepts. That is what I mean by a system. You must not forget that those comprehensions that you have set in stone are connected to the system of society.”

An even greater stir ran through the students.

“He isn’t telling us to go nuts. He’s telling us to actively destroy the system of society!”

“This is anarchism! And at the morning assembly!”

“And from a substitute speaker!”

—Huh?

Akuto thought deeply about what he should say next.

“No. I am merely saying this beautification process should be turned towards our set ideas as well. Those will eventually leave us inert. If we are aware we carry society on our shoulders, we must actively keep up the difficult fight for a new era.”

“Wow. He’s turning the morning assembly into a political rally!”

“A fight for a new era? That sounds like something an agitator would say!”

“I was keeping quiet because you were a substitute! But I won’t let you have your way!”

It did not look like the commotion among the students was going to die down. Angry shouts washed over Akuto.

—Not good. I need to calm them down…

“Silence! No matter how much of a commotion you cause, it will not affect the legitimacy of my words! I have said nothing to be ashamed of! No matter who speaks the words, you should listen to them as an explanation of their path! And if you will not listen, it means this academy has left the proper path! If that is the case, you will soon come to regret…it…”

By the time Akuto realized how arrogantly he was speaking, he was almost finished. His tone gradually fell toward the end, but the students did not notice that timidity. This was because the entire academy began “sinking” partway through.

“Wha…!?”

“Kyaaah! What is this!?”

“Is it the demon king’s power!?”

“Eeee! Are we descending into hell?”

Screams filled the schoolyard. However, the entire academy – screams included – continued to sink into space itself.

—This sensation!

Akuto recognized it. This was the same sensation from when he had entered a book.

—So does that mean…

Akuto suspected Keena for an instant, but when he spotted her among the students, she was standing next to Korone and looking shocked.

—Wh-what? Then what is happening here!?

Junko was also able to recognize what was happening.

“This is the inside of the virtual alternate dimension, isn’t it?” asked Junko when she found Etou Fujiko.

“Yes, I am sure of it. Even if I did not enter into that one before.”

Fujiko soothed the female students who approached her. She had a much more demonic personality than Akuto and practiced black magic, but the students had yet to discover who she truly was. The female students even referred to her as “onee-sama”.

When the crying girls heard what Fujiko had said, they looked up at her.

“Onee-sama, you know what this is?”

“Yes. This is most likely the virtual alternate dimension used for magical transfers. I witnessed a similar phenomenon once.”

Fujiko glanced around.

Constant Magic Academy was within a forest. Its grounds had always contained a large expanse of nature, but the forest was much thicker now. It felt as if a jungle was approaching. And the scenery was blatantly different from usual. The flora was obviously not the type seen in the island nation making up the empire.

“It seems the entire academy was transferred over.”

Fujiko looked toward Junko and Junko nodded.

“But senpai, the school building…”

Junko pointed toward the school building.

It was definitely the school building, but its appearance had somehow changed. One of the students in the schoolyard realized what the difference was.

“A fortress… It’s a fortress! This is what it looked like back when it was a fortress!”

The school building had almost no windows. The few it did have were high up and the narrow type used as an arrowslit. The smooth walls prevented entry and the main entrance was shut with a thick gate.

“I had heard the school building was a fortress during the first demon king war,” said Junko and a stir ran through the surrounding students.

“Then have we gone back in time?”

Junko denied that possibility.

“No. If so, the fortress would not be abandoned. We have not travelled to a different era. Instead, we should assume this world has been modified by certain rules. That is how the virtual alternate dimension works.”

“This world has been modified by certain rules?” asked a female student.

Fujiko nodded.

“Yes. In other words, we can assume this is the world within a story or within a video game!” she said based on her past experience.

A sudden voice then responded to her.

“Exactly. I shall explain the rest. Also, I must apologize.”

It was a clear male voice.

Fujiko and the others all turned in that direction.

They saw a boy who seemed to have come from the jungle. He had a slim but noble appearance.

He had long hair and wore old-fashioned armor.

“My name is Yoshihiko. Please listen to what I have to say.”

Yoshie was not surprised by the change to her appearance.

She had modified the virtual alternate dimension so that change would occur.

—I’m glad I loaded the game data just in case.

To escape 2V, she had used a game of her own design as the rules for the virtual alternate dimension. It was the imaginative fantasy war game based on the first demon king war that Keena had played.

—Now, then. The rules of the game are gradually coming back to me, so I need to figure out what to do.

Yoshie thought calmly about how to oppose 2V’s plan.

She had fled into the virtual alternate dimension in order to protect Akuto. And she had the control device. It could not be interfered with from outside. 2V’s arm had made it inside, but she had yet to find it. However, she doubted it could influence anything.

—If the game’s program is altered from the outside, this could be bad. But any fundamental changes would effectively make the student’s hostages, so it should be impossible.

She doubted even 2V would do anything which would cause an indiscriminate slaughter. The one thing known for sure about him was that he worked for the government.

—That means my goal is to contact the demon king. And if I can eliminate 2V before that, I’ll do that. That sums it up well enough.

After gathering her thoughts, Yoshie decided to appear before the students. Given what would happen afterwards, she could not tell them the truth of the plan, but she had to take responsibility for getting them involved.

—But this should be perfectly safe. After all, the rules of the game control this world. And I designed the game, so I understand this world better than anyone.

“Yes. In other words, we can assume this is the world within a story or within a video game!”

As soon as she exited the jungle and walked onto the schoolyard, she heard a beautiful voice.

—Fwohhh! Someone already understands the situation? I had heard this was an excellent school, but that’s amazing.

Yoshie was impressed and she took a step forward.

And then she realized she had yet to decide how to speak as a guy.

—Oh, crap. I never did a voice chat or anything. How should I speak to sound masculine? Um…Oh, I know. I just have to speak like the guys in otome games.

Otome games were games girls played to enjoy virtual romances with beautiful boys. Naturally, only extremely beautiful boys appeared in them. Yoshie had limited samples to draw from when it came to boys, so she had no other choice here.

“Exactly. I shall explain the rest. Also, I must apologize.”

Yoshie was surprised to hear her voice had become male as well, but she was satisfied because it sounded exactly like a character from an otome game.

“My name is Yoshihiko. Please listen to what I have to say,” said Yoshie.

“You will explain? You must apologize?”

The students all began asking questions at once. Countless gazes poured onto Yoshie. She was not very good at speaking directly with people, but she decided she could manage while using a different face.

“This is an experiment in controlling the virtual alternate dimension. It was originally meant to be a small-scale experiment, but all of you were caught up in it by mistake.”

That comment brought on cries of anger and fear.

Yoshie’s face clouded over with fear.

“Wait. Please calm down and listen.”

A voice cut in to rein in the students. The voice belonged to a girl with short hair and a dignified aura.

“I am Hattori Junko. Please continue.”

The girl naming herself Junko nodded toward Yoshie. Yoshie smiled back.

“Thank you.”

But Junko averted her gaze. Yoshie was disappointed her thanks had been denied, but she had to continue speaking.

“That is what I must apologize for. But please do not worry. The experiment was in creating a virtual reality game. As long as you heed the warnings I give you, you are in no danger.”

“Warnings?”

“In other words, I will tell you the rules of the game. First, you might truly die if you do not return to the real world within a week of in-game time.”

“Eh? Then how can you say we aren’t in any danger!?”

“My apologies. I am only saying this for your safety. One week is the longest anyone has been able to remain within the virtual alternate dimension. It is being controlled this time, so you will likely be safe even if you stay longer than that. However, no food is being brought in from outside. One week in-game is equivalent to a dozen or so hours in reality. Your physical bodies will not starve or die of thirst in that time.”

“…I see.”

“Second, even if you die in this world, you will simply return to the real world. In other words, you can return by dying.”

“Eh?”

Everyone was surprised to hear that.

“I’m not sure I can believe that.”

Everyone began giving similar comments and tilting their heads.

—It is true that would be hard to believe. Um…what should I do? I know!

“Are there any animals around here? Were there any being raised in the academy?” asked Yoshie.

One of the students pointed toward the edge of the school building. A chicken coop had existed there, but it was gone now. However, a chicken was wandering around.

“Huh? The coop is gone, but the chicken is still here.”

“Please watch that chicken.”

Yoshie drew a dagger kept in her armor and threw it toward the chicken. The sharp tip sliced the chicken’s neck apart.

“How could you!?”

Some of the female students screamed and covered their eyes, but the ones closely watching the chicken let out gasps of surprise.

The severed chicken head and the body that continued running for a few steps both blurred and then disappeared. It was reminiscent of watching a video disappear.

“Eh?”

Voices of surprise rose from the students.

Yoshie grinned inwardly.

—Fwohhh! That’s a game for you. I’d never hit throwing a dagger in real life, but it was dead on. I was too panicked to notice it before, but being in a video game is even better than I had imagined. Wait, I have to continue my explanation.

“Now, the animals created within here are different.”

Yoshie picked up the dagger that had soaked in the chicken’s blood but now shined spotlessly. He turned toward the jungle and spotted an animal walking out. It was a rabbit.

“Watch that rabbit.”

Yoshie held up the dagger once more.

“Eh? But it’s so cute. Can’t we just catch it?”

A girl near the rabbit walked toward it.

The rabbit’s red eyes rolled around in its head and its ears stood up. Its cute behavior drew the girl even closer.

“Watch out!” shouted Yoshie.

“Eh?”

The girl was confused.

And the rabbit jumped.

But this was not a cute little hop. It leaped straight toward the girl with obvious intent to kill.

“Shaaaahhh!”

With that strange cry, fangs that looked like sharp knives grew from the rabbit’s mouth.

“Kyaaah!”

The girl covered her face with her hands, but the rabbit shot straight toward her throat. If its fangs pierced her throat, it would rip out her carotid artery.

However, Yoshie lopped off the rabbit’s head before it could reach the girl.

With two dull sounds, the rabbit’s head and body fell separately to the ground. The blood oozing from the wound stained the ground. Sticky blood could be seen on the dagger sticking into the ground.

“It isn’t disappearing?” muttered the girl.

“This is a murderous headhunting rabbit. I think you should understand now that this is a game. And you should understand what it means to die here. This corpse will disappear after a while, but it will remain much longer than that of a life form brought in here.”

Junko spoke up as Yoshie gave her explanation.

“But telling us to die in order to return is a problem. I will not go so far as to say you are lying, but it might not work right and people will have a mental reluctance to die. Is there no better way?”

As Yoshie thought how to answer that, a beautiful girl with long hair spoke.

“I believe the condition to leave the virtual alternate dimension is to complete the planned events here.”

The girl was Fujiko. Yoshie realized she was the same one who had made the perceptive realization earlier.

“Yes. Completing the game will likely allow us to leave. I will now give a simple explanation of the game’s rules. Your roles here have been determined by your personalities. While here, you will fight, obtain victory, gain experience, and level up. As this is an experiment into the effectiveness of using the virtual alternate dimension, the combat and magic skills you gain here will remain with you when you return to the real world. Your brain will have learned the behavior patterns. It is the same as never forgetting how to ride a bike once you learn how.”

The more perceptive students gave joyous comments when they heard that.

“That’s great. So if we keep defeating things like that rabbit over the week we spend here, we’ll have learned combat magic we couldn’t learn at most training grounds.”

—Now they should be able to enjoy this game.

Yoshie was delighted and she nodded.

“Now, please try to open a mana screen just as you do when checking the internet in reality,” she instructed.

Everyone opened a mana screen in their student handbooks. It displayed various parameters and the available in-game commands.

“You can see your parameters and the commands related to the rules. These may change, so keep an eye on them as you take action. The special characteristic of this game is the ability to command armies of NPCs. The size of that army will increase as you level up, so use them to their fullest.”

As Yoshie spoke, Fujiko asked a question.

“What is needed to complete the game?”

“This game is won by defeating the demon king.”

The instant Yoshie said that, the schoolyard’s atmosphere changed.

“Defeat?”

“The demon king?”

A stir ran through the students.

“Come to think of it, Sai Akuto isn’t here.”

“Soga Keena and Korone are gone, too.”

The students spoke as they glanced around the area.

—That’s an odd reaction. Is he hated because he’s the demon king?

One’s role in the game was determined based on one’s personality. That meant Akuto would naturally become the demon king.

Yoshie felt the conversation heading in an odd direction, but the surrounding atmosphere then veered in an even more dangerous direction.

“Nice! So we have to defeat the demon king to escape this place! We can get back at him for everything we go through on a daily basis! And defeating the demon king is sure to give you tons of experience, right?”

“Plus there’s no risk in dying. Not that I want to go out of my way to die.”

That understanding spread through the students and their muttering began to change to cries of joy.

—Huh? Huh? This has gotten strange. Let’s see… What should I do? I need to settle things here.

Yoshie began to panic. She was also worried by 2V’s presence. He was an uncertain factor and she had no idea what he would do.

—But I have this armor as a last resort. Although it’s only any good as a reset switch. I need to gather the students and bring them all back to the real world.

Yoshie stroked a hand along the armor she wore. That armor was the current appearance of the virtual alternate dimension control device.

“It seems a human will has altered this world,” said Korone as she stared at a mana screen.

“That happened before, right? We managed to alter the contents of a book to a certain extent,” said Akuto with a nod.

“We have been given the roles that suit us best in this game world and can leave once the game has been completed. It is the same as before.”

Korone had been the first to realize a mana screen could be opened. She had read through the manual and grasped most of what Yoshie had explained.

“The roles that suit us best?” complained Akuto.

Akuto, Korone, and Keena were in the main hall of a huge castle. The inside was dimly lit, a luxurious gold throne sat in the center of the back wall, and a red carpet stretched out before it.

Sitting in that throne was Akuto who wore gauntlets with claws, spiked shoulder armor, and other overly ornamental armor. In other words, he was dressed in the perfect final boss style.

“A-chan, you look so cool.”

Keena was enjoying herself. She wore a robe and appeared to be a priest.

“I wish I had been a princess, but I guess it would’ve have been weird for the demon king to come rescue the captured princess.”

Keena opened a mana screen and checked her parameters.

Class: Priest

Level: 10

HP: 20

Strength: 6

Magic: 18

Army: 10000

“Army?”

“This game lets you command an army, right?”

Keena snapped her fingers. A line of warrior priests who wore white cloaks over their armor appeared in the hall.

“I see. So you play at war.”

Akuto nodded in understanding. At the same moment, he had an unpleasant thought.

“That means everyone will be coming to defeat me, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. By the way, don’t you usually start at Level 1? Are we being given special treatment because we are the enemies?”

“Come to think of it, you might be right.”

Korone’s comment led Akuto to open a mana screen of his own.

Class: Demon King

Level: 99

HP: 9999

Strength: 25

Magic: 25

Army: 200000

“They’re all at the max values.”

“It seems the human limits for strength and magic are set at 18.”

Keena and Korone both commented on Akuto’s parameters.

It was a complicated feeling for Akuto.

“If I’m this strong, everyone will attack me at once, won’t they? But if I let them defeat me, the game will end, right? Maybe that’s for the best.”

“Ehhh? You can’t do that. You have to enjoy the game,” complained Keena.

However, Akuto had no obligation to listen to her.

“No. Everyone might be in danger if a week passes. It would be best if I lost as soon as possible. In fact, maybe I should kill myself right here…”

“Wait a second.”

Korone stopped Akuto with a serious tone of voice. Her tone of voice was always serious, but it had a sense of urgency now.

“What is it?”

“I have looked over the data as much as I can from inside, but there seem to be some dangerous elements.”

“Dangerous?”

“Yes. It seems three elements are influencing this world. I predict their interference will lead to effects not in the original program.”

“Three elements?”

“The first is Soga Keena. In other words, you.”

Korone pointed at Keena and Keena looked confused.

“Me?”

“It seems this interference with the virtual alternate dimension is possible by using your mana vibrations. In other words, you can change the rules with your will.”

“Change the rules? I won’t do that. After all, this is the game I know,” said Keena with a smile.

However, Akuto understood what Korone meant.

“I see. It was Keena’s power that brought us into that book, too. Was it because Keena knew the rules this world is based on that we entered so easily this time?”

“Most likely.”

“But I don’t see how that’s dangerous. We can leave after Keena enjoys the game a bit.”

“Allow me to continue. The second element is that the virtual alternate dimension control device was brought into this world.”

“Wouldn’t that kind of thing normally be left outside?”

“Yes. There must have been some kind of mistake. This means the control device can interfere with itself. Depending on what happens, it is possible we could fall into an irrecoverable situation that cannot be controlled.”

“That sounds serious…but you said there’s another dangerous element?”

Akuto gulped. It seemed they could not simply enjoy the game.

“The third is an existence inside the virtual alternate dimension that does not obey the rules.”

“Eh? How could that be? Wasn’t everything here created around those rules?”

“I do not know the cause, but my analysis of all the data shows there is someone not following those rules.”

“Understood. Let’s assume this person is here. How is it a problem?”

“I cannot predict what small problems it will cause, but I can predict one major problem it will cause. If someone is harmed by this existence not following the rules, they will be truly damaged rather than simply taking damage in the game.”

“That…really is dangerous.”

Akuto realized the gravity of the situation.

If this person ignoring the rules attacked and killed a student, that student would not return to the real world. They would truly die.

“Where is this person who can ignore the rules?”

“I do not know and it is likely impossible to know. I do not even know if they have malicious intentions. The odds are high that the accident you fear will not occur. However, if they do mean harm, the students will be killed while believing it is only a game.”

“Understood. Either way, we don’t have time to enjoy this. We need to exit this world immediately.”

Akuto began to stand up from his throne, but Korone stopped him.

“You cannot do that. The game’s rules do not allow the demon king to commit suicide. In other words, even if you disappeared, the program would produce an NPC to take your place. You would escape, but the other students would still be in danger.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Nevertheless, finishing the game quickly would be safest.”

“Then isn’t there almost nothing I can do? I just have to be killed without putting up much of a fight.”

“No, there is a simpler way.”

“A simpler way? How could there be?”

Akuto shook his head, but Korone replied with a serious expression.

“We slaughter them all.”

“What?”

“We achieve absolute victory by slaughtering them all. The demon king sends out his army to kill all of the attacking adventurers and achieve game over.”

“Wait. But that…”

Akuto could not help but hesitate.

“What are you afraid of? The more time passes, the more the uncertain factors will grow. Also, our opponent’s levels will rise. Providing them a swift death would be the safest for everyone involved,” said Korone plainly.

She was right. Akuto could see no holes in her argument.

“But…”

“No buts. We will hunt down the adventurers while they are still inexperienced. Let us make it rain blood. Or perhaps it would be more efficient to capture them, gather them in one spot, and bury them alive. At any rate, it is crucial that we kill them efficiently. That is the final solution.”

Korone moved her face toward Akuto. The look in her eyes was serious. The look in her eyes was always serious, but it looked even more serious than usual.

“…Do you want to kill them by any chance? Do you see this as a game?”

“Of course not. Oh, driving them all to a cliff and sending a stampede of cattle to send them off the cliff would be both efficient and quite a spectacle.”

As she spoke, Korone kneeled before Akuto.

“Give me the order and I, Demon General Korone, shall make a bloodbath out of the rebels.”

“…You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

Akuto was conflicted, but Korone’s idea was the safest if he ignored her cruel jokes.

“Understood. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Thank you very much. I ensure you I will bring victory to the demon king. All hail the magnificent demon king! Glory to evil!”

Korone thrust a hand into the air and Keena delightedly joined in.

“Glory to evil!”

“Glory to evil!”

And then more voices joined in. At some point, the large hall had become filled with soldiers in black armor and ugly demonic beasts. They raised a storm of growls, stomped their feet enough to shake the earth below them, and swung their arms up into the air as well.

“Glory to evil! Glory to evil! Glory to evil! Glory to evil!”

—Even if this is a game…this has gotten out of hand…

Akuto silently complained.