Ch.316[Chapter 316] Beta Test

However, Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica’s worries did not last as long as expected.

As always, there was never a shortage of events surrounding Sir Dominic.

“Excuse me… Sir Dominic?”

“Hmm?”

Sir Dominic realized that his surroundings had suddenly changed due to someone addressing him.

A black space. Unfamiliar, yet familiar.

Sir Dominic pondered for a while about where this space might be, but soon realized it was the place where he had met something wearing a black suit before first coming to Gachaland.

If that’s the case…

“It’s been a while, you too.”

The one who just called Sir Dominic must be that suit from before.

“…Indeed. It might have been a while for Sir Dominic.”

And Sir Dominic’s guess was correct.

…

Only two people existed in the black space.

Sir Dominic and the Man in Black.

Of course, that’s setting aside the question of whether to count the suit as a person.

A space without all those people who had gathered for the Tier Evaluation, not even Sir Dominica.

There, Sir Dominic sipped convenience store coffee from his inventory while looking at the Man in Black.

“So, why did you call me here?”

Sir Dominic thought the Man in Black before him had summoned him.

Of course, this was just a guess, but Sir Dominic’s intuition was usually quite accurate.

“I thought it ended with sending me to Gachaland last time.”

“Well, I understand. Our work is generally like that. However—”

The Man in Black took out a tablet from inside his suit and scribbled something.

He did the same when they first met; it might be a habit of his.

“If our mission during the alpha test was headhunting, from the beta test onwards, it’s a bit different.”

“The beta test is different?”

Sir Dominic tilted his head at the Man in Black’s words.

“What could be so different? Gachaland will continue as it is—”

“It can’t continue as it is now. It’s a mess, full of all sorts of strange things.”

The Man in Black interrupted Sir Dominic and continued.

“…To get to the point, we’ve been carefully selecting people with adequate value in Gachaland.”

“Selecting? And those with adequate value?”

“Gachaland is a place where you can overcome even death if you have value, but that doesn’t mean everyone has the same value.”

The Man in Black scribbled something on his tablet again.

“Among them, we selected those with ‘adequate’ value.”

“Why do that? Those with high value, or—”

“We could select those with high value. But that kind of operation would lower the value of Gachaland itself.”

“The value of Gachaland.”

Sir Dominic mulled over those words again.

The value of Gachaland.

“Yes. In Gachaland, your value is respected, but what about the brand of Gachaland itself? How much value does Gachaland itself have?”

Well, it would easily be in the hundreds of millions, the Man in Black said jokingly.

“During the alpha test, we got various reactions through the Stars, but those were from Stars friendly to us. From the beta test onwards, all kinds of Stars will flock in.”

Sir Dominic began to listen carefully to the Man in Black’s words.

“In such a situation, always selecting those with high value? It might be good at first. But what about after that? Those with the next highest value would be selected, but in a situation where those with the highest value already have everything, would there be a place for those selected later?”

The Man in Black’s words were not just about the value of Gachaland itself, but about how long that value would last.

“But if we start selecting those with low value, the beta test would be a mess. Who would want to use people that nobody wants to use?”

There might be some who would, the Man in Black added.

“That’s why we first select those with adequate value, and then gradually select those with higher value. And we’ll lead those with lower value to remake… no, new changes to make them into people with better value. That’s the secret to our Gachaland’s long-term survival.”

Sir Dominic nodded at the Man in Black’s words.

He didn’t understand everything, but the Man in Black’s dedication to Gachaland was conveyed sufficiently.

“Fine. I understand how special your feelings are for Gachaland. But what does that have to do with me being here now?”

“Ah, I apologize. I got sidetracked for a moment.”

The Man in Black operated his tablet to listen to classical music, trying to calm his passionate emotions.

“As I said earlier, we’re selecting individuals of adequate level. And Sir Dominic falls within that criteria.”

The Man in Black paused here.

And when Sir Dominic stared at the Man in Black, he continued as if enjoying the gaze.

“I have a proposal for Sir Dominic. This is a question that Sir Dominica will also receive.”

The Man in Black made one proposal to Sir Dominic.

“Would you like to become one of the 21 individuals selected for the beta test?”

That was a proposal that could be a big decision for Sir Dominic.

“…Why 21?”

Sir Dominic decided to be a bit cautious with this difficult question.

“To be precise, 20 cards, 21 people.”

The Man in Black’s answer was prompt.

As if he had anticipated such a question.

“Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica’s cards will be bundled together. You can use them individually, or use 2 slots for a tag match rule. In fact, those above are quite… fond of the gimmick that Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica have.”

“Fine. That answer is sufficient. But I have another question. Why us when there are other tanks?”

“That’s the same.”

The Man in Black’s answer was without hesitation.

“Among the 21, a total of 4 tanks will be included. To be precise, 3 cards. Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica, Miss Pandemonium, and L-003.”

“What about the other 17?”

“Probably 11 dealers and 6 supporters. Assuming everyone accepts our proposal.”

“Hmm.”

Sir Dominic rubbed his chin, pondering the Man in Black’s words.

The Man in Black’s proposal didn’t seem bad yet.

“Are only those 21 being selected?”

“No. We plan to add some 1-tier and 2-tier individuals who are deemed impossible to remake… rework… no, rehabilitate. I think the final number might reach around 100.”

Sir Dominic nodded, understanding the Man in Black’s words.

Given how many people are in Gachaland, only 21 being selected seemed unlikely.

100 was still a small number considering the population of Gachaland, but it was an understandable figure.

A proposal that seemed to have no downsides.

Then suddenly, a thought crossed Sir Dominic’s mind.

Though thinking it unlikely, Sir Dominic voiced it to the Man in Black.

“…May I ask one more question?”

“By all means.”

“Then, I’ll ask. Where are these 100 people ‘going’?”

“…”

The Man in Black remained silent at Sir Dominic’s words.

It was contrary to his fluent speech just moments ago.

Sir Dominic looked at the Man in Black with sharp eyes.

The Man in Black seemed to hesitate, starting and stopping several times, before finally speaking.

“…How did you know?”

“It’s obvious. I found it strange from the beginning when you talked about selection.”

Sir Dominic replied to the Man in Black.

“Moreover, saying things like 21 people, 100 people, as if selecting a limited number. If it were within Gachaland, there would be no need to select anyone. The citizens would handle it themselves.”

Sir Dominic’s reasoning was quite logical.

The Man in Black touched his wavering face for a moment, then sighed and raised both hands.

As if surrendering.

“Of course, Sir Dominic is right. The 100 people we’ve selected will go to a different place, the other side of Gachaland.”

“The other side of Gachaland?”

“Yes. A parallel world, you might say.”

Sir Dominic immediately thought of Sir Dominica.

“But… wasn’t the parallel world destroyed?”

Sir Dominic remembered what Sir Dominica had said when coming to Gachaland.

He recalled hearing that the parallel world had been shattered and disappeared.

“The parallel world still exists.”

The Man in Black stated firmly.

“In fact, the parallel world was another version of Gachaland we were creating, but due to our mistake, the parallel world was damaged.”

The Man in Black continued with a somber tone.

“And we’re trying to restore that parallel world by selecting 100 people from Gachaland to carry out recovery operations there.”

“Recovery operations.”

“Work like eliminating twisted monsters, or residual thoughts left in the parallel world.”

Sir Dominic found the Man in Black’s words quite interesting.

“Actually, I didn’t want to mention this part. Because we were planning to make it possible to travel between Gachaland and the parallel world.”

The Man in Black gauged Sir Dominic’s reaction.

“Only for the 100 people we’ve selected.”

There might be more added, the Man in Black added.

“What do you think? Doesn’t it pique your interest?”

Sir Dominic looked at the Man in Black.

The Man in Black raised both hands again, as if to show he was hiding nothing this time.

“…Indeed it does.”

And to that gesture, Sir Dominic gave an honest answer.

The Man in Black seemed to smile.

Of course, his face wasn’t visible.

“Now, if you understand the general content… you can sign here.”

The Man in Black handed the tablet to Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic felt a sense of déjà vu in this situation.

It was like this when he first came to Gachaland.

Thinking that, Sir Dominic chuckled.

He had signed like this back then too.

Two dots, and a smiling mouth. A sign of happiness.

“Good.”

The Man in Black took back the electronic device.

This too was something that had happened before.

“Welcome to the beta test, Sir Dominic. Have a happy day.”

Sir Dominic laughed heartily, reminded of that time.

It wasn’t the most pleasant moment since coming here, but it was at least the second most pleasant time.