Ch.18[Episode 18] Aftermath of the Event Stage

“That was quite a strange experience.”

In the security office of System Industries.

Sir Dominic told the security v.a.l.l.o.c. about everything that had happened so far.

“Gachaland is a place where normal people are abnormal.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. laughed pleasantly as he bit into a donut.

“Normal people wouldn’t come to Gachaland in the first place.”

Sir Dominic nodded unconsciously, but something bothered him.

If what v.a.l.l.o.c. said was true, wouldn’t that mean he was strange too?

“But something’s odd.”

After stuffing the remaining piece of donut into his mouth, v.a.l.l.o.c. spoke as if genuinely puzzled.

“You said you met villains, right?”

Sir Dominic nodded instead of asking if he was included among the strange people.

Rather than addressing Sir Dominic’s concerns, v.a.l.l.o.c. stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Having lived in Gachaland for quite some time, v.a.l.l.o.c. found more than a few things strange about the situation.

“Is something wrong?”

Sir Dominic wiped off some fluorescent green substance stuck to his shield with a cloth.

He wasn’t sure when it had gotten there, but this sticky substance on his shield wasn’t coming off easily.

“Well, you see.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. seemed to be organizing his thoughts but got stuck, speaking with a voice still full of doubt.

“Villains, by nature, shouldn’t act so nicely.”

v.a.l.l.o.c.’s head seemed to throb as he picked up another donut and took a big bite.

His body was signaling that he needed sugar from thinking too hard.

“In Gachaland, life doesn’t really matter. As you know, you can come back to life if your value is proven. Down there, some tier 1 natives even sell their lives for just a few Credits, claiming death is their value.”

Not that I’m saying you’re like that, junior, v.a.l.l.o.c. added.

“In a world where life is treated as entertainment, there are plenty who view human lives as less than insects. Especially villains.”

Sir Dominic’s hand stopped wiping the fluorescent substance.

Come to think of it, hadn’t he experienced death several times while fighting bugs?

It had seemed so natural that he hadn’t even felt anything about dying.

“So, what were these villains’ names?”

Unable to reach a conclusion despite his best efforts, v.a.l.l.o.c. asked what seemed like a central question.

“They called themselves the secret society ‘E.V.I.L.’ Something like Napellin Petite Doubt.”

“Napellin Petite Doubt…”

v.a.l.l.o.c. briefly wondered if there was a villain group with such a name.

“Napellin… Napellin… Where have I heard… Ah.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. finally remembered where he had heard that name.

Ten years ago, the mastermind behind the Gachaland Massacre.

Napellin III, the Archdemon of Revelry.

“I heard he was sentenced to 100 years in indie game form because the madness he spread in Gachaland was so severe.”

v.a.l.l.o.c.’s headache worsened.

If that Napellin was this Napellin, there would be absolutely no reason for him to be kind to Sir Dominic.

“Well, I suppose it’s because I’m a Newbie.”

Sir Dominic finally finished wiping off the fluorescent substance.

He had cleaned it so thoroughly that the shield now reflected his worn eye patch like a mirror.

“Newbie… a Newbie…”

Thinking he might have found a clue, v.a.l.l.o.c. remained lost in thought.

Feeling guilty about eating donuts alone, he unconsciously handed one to Sir Dominic.

“Ah. Could it be that?”

Sir Dominic, taking the donut from v.a.l.l.o.c., stuffed it into his mouth until his cheeks bulged.

His three-head-tall body was so flexible that he could fit a donut larger than his mouth in one bite.

Fascinated by this remarkably flexible sensation, Sir Dominic swallowed the donut whole when startled by v.a.l.l.o.c.’s exclamation.

“Hey, junior. Can you check your settings screen right now?”

Dejected by the suddenly vanished donut, Sir Dominic tried to enter the settings screen as v.a.l.l.o.c. suggested.

However, still unfamiliar with Gachaland’s controls, Sir Dominic had no idea where to find the settings screen.

“Press the gear icon on the back of your card.”

Seeing him struggle, v.a.l.l.o.c. explained in detail.

Finally finding the gear icon, Sir Dominic pressed the button.

Sound settings, video settings, control settings.

Various options appeared, but Sir Dominic didn’t know what to do, so he remained still.

“Now press account security. Yes. The 12th from the top. Or is it faster to count from the bottom? The 3rd from the bottom.”

Following v.a.l.l.o.c.’s instructions, he pressed the button and found his information there.

[Sir Dominic]

-Gachaland Citizen

-Knight from Feralant

-System Industries Security

-Newbie Protection System currently active (22 days remaining.)

“Ah, I see.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. understood after seeing one particular line.

“So this law actually got implemented. I’d only heard about it.”

Unlike v.a.l.l.o.c., who was talking to himself and reaching his own conclusions, Sir Dominic didn’t understand the current situation.

An explanation was needed.

“What exactly are you understanding here?”

“Huh? Oh. That. The Newbie Protection System.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. pointed to the bottom line in response to Sir Dominic’s question.

“Was it five years ago? There was a brief period when veterans were excluding Newbies. That’s when the Executive branch said they would implement a policy to protect Newbies.”

I guess that’s what this is, v.a.l.l.o.c. muttered.

“Anyway, if my memory serves me right, while that program is active, all external threats will be blocked. It gives Newbies time to adapt.”

You’re more of a Newbie than I thought. It usually lasts a month.

v.a.l.l.o.c. looked at Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic was carefully reading his information on the settings screen, fascinated by something.

A bright smile spread across his face, finding it quite an interesting experience.

Well, as long as he’s having fun. That’s all that matters in Gachaland, thought v.a.l.l.o.c. as he bit into another donut.

His throat feeling blocked, he took out a paper cup, tore open a packet of instant coffee, and filled it with water from the coffee pot.

The sweet bitterness enveloping his tongue made him feel a bit better.

“Come to think of it.”

Suddenly, v.a.l.l.o.c. shared his thoughts while looking at Sir Dominic, who was innocently staring at the system screen.

“You’re quite remarkable. When you think about it, in just over a week, you’ve learned about the system, been kidnapped by villains, caught bugs…”

“Is that remarkable?”

Sir Dominic tilted his head.

The imbalance between his three-head-tall body and large head almost made him fall, but Sir Dominic managed to regain his balance.

Interesting. Really.

The more I dig, the happier I become.

As Sir Dominic was about to fall into a sudden sense of happiness, v.a.l.l.o.c. continued.

“Usually, about a month is the benchmark for new arrivals.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. stuffed another donut into his mouth.

“If you look at the average new user, most stay in Story Mode. What’s it called? Efficient pathing? That’s what many of them talk about.”

Living life efficiently, I don’t understand what that means at all, v.a.l.l.o.c. grumbled.

“Anyway, most people aren’t like you, enjoying various things. Everyone’s either farming for the best equipment or hitting dummies until they get some broken trait to increase their value.”

Sir Dominic understood what v.a.l.l.o.c. was saying.

It seemed he was particularly strange even in this strange world.

“I do it because it makes me happy. How odd.”

“I don’t know what you mean, but you’re definitely not normal.”

Sir Dominic said this innocently, but from v.a.l.l.o.c.’s perspective, Sir Dominic was the most alien existence in this world.

“Ugh. By the way, donuts are too delicious these days. Maybe it’s because they changed the flour to witchwort mountain flour.”

“You do have a sweet tooth today.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. had already devoured thirty donuts today.

Considering they were simple glazed donuts, it was an impressive amount.

Embarrassed by this fact, v.a.l.l.o.c. cleared his throat awkwardly and scratched his cheek.

Unconsciously picking up another donut, v.a.l.l.o.c. seemed to realize his mistake, put it back in the bag, and tried to change the subject by saying anything that came to mind.

“By the way, I just realized, shouldn’t you be preparing for your tier evaluation soon? This year’s evaluation is right after the event ends.”

“Tier evaluation?”

Sir Dominic thought about what a tier evaluation might be, then recalled it was about raising his star, or rather, his value.

“Tier evaluation, huh.”

Sir Dominic pondered. Given the word “evaluation,” there would certainly be some criteria.

For Sir Dominic, who was unfamiliar with Gachaland, it was clearly a burdensome term.

“I think I’ll pass this year. A promotion to tier 3 might be manageable, but tier 4 involves a minimum 2-day, 3-night pressure interview. Plus, I still don’t have enough skins.”

A natural stream of incomprehensible veteran terms.

Sir Dominic didn’t know what these words meant, but he thought he didn’t need to know yet, so he remained quiet.

Instead, he started asking what he was truly curious about.

“What’s the test to go from tier 1 to tier 2?”

“It’s different each time.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. began to think deeply about what it was like when he became tier 2.

“In my time, it was about killing a wolf. Back then, the standard was based on stats, so if you could kill a wolf alone, you were tier 2; if not, tier 1. But these days, there are all sorts of additions, so I’m not sure.”

v.a.l.l.o.c. went into “back in my day” mode, but his advice wasn’t helpful to Sir Dominic.

“Still, judging by the difficulty so far, I think you could easily promote to tier 2. Wait, would that make you the fastest tier 2 ever?”

v.a.l.l.o.c. took out his smartphone and searched for something.

Fastest tier 2.

“Ah, no. The fastest was someone who took the test right after getting citizenship. The youngest was 13. Darn. I was excited about you achieving a record.”

Sir Dominic felt that v.a.l.l.o.c.’s words were sincere.

“Tier evaluation…”

Sir Dominic pondered this new term carefully.

And finally, he said to v.a.l.l.o.c.:

“Where can I buy a smartphone?”

Sir Dominic’s interest was focused on the smartphone.