Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 58

Epilogue

The homepage of Pandora’s Box Garden

A new article about the development staff was added there.

It was about the large scale event that was hidden in the Capital of Temperance.

The article touched about the activation requirement for the event  would be impossible for MMORPG and the comments from the developer about  what went behind the scene.

The event developer said.

『The event itself was formed after the World of Greed was liberated  and the Capital of Temperance was liberated. But, I never expected that  it would take this long until someone found it (lol)』

The developer said that the event of the queen and earth dragon had been included at the phase of the first large scale update.

And then the staff said that even though the game was VR which was a  new environment, many players were thinking of it using MMORPG as their  basis.

『Originally a virtual world should be freer. But, we are also  responsible because at that time the technology hadn’t caught up and we  developed it using MMORPG as the model but……the players themselves are  strongly fixated with their own assumption, thinking that things have to  be like this or that.』

The development staff mourned that stereotypes were formed in the  players because Pandora was modeled using the standard of online game.

『But among them there are also players who are really free. But some  of them……might be seen as malicious depending on how you see it. But,  they are players with zeal for Pandora. They recently became famous  through this video. You know, that flying orcs video. I can only smile  wryly seeing their zeal going to a completely different direction like  that (lol)』

Even while saying that, the developer said that for the sake of those  players who were enjoying the game seriously, he had listened to their  demand once or twice, within the limit that wouldn’t break the game’s  balance.

The passion of the orcs had also moved the developer.

『Actually about the earth dragon subjugation event, it was planned to  be erased at the next large scale update. They said that it must be no  good if it stayed undiscovered by the players for so long. Even though  there were thousands of players, the event wouldn’t start no matter how  much time passed. My heart was pounding. I had put a lot of effort to  create that event, and at the previous large scale update the event’s  requirement got eased up and the balance reconsidered.』

The developer was happy that the event could be played with a bang before it got erased.

『I also never even expected that it was an orc player who was hated  by the elves that discovered the event. I was so happy that I splurged  with the reward guild item. My boss scolded me after that (lol)』

The development staff talked about the events that had vanished without getting discovered by the players.

『As expected there aren’t that many events as big as this one that  are hidden. But, there are still a lot of events that are hidden in  Pandora. There are a lot of events that never get discovered even once. I  hope that all you players will search for them all.』

Then the article moved to the developer’s hardship during development and events in the future.

Like that, at the end――.

『The game called Pandora’s Box Garden is modeled after Pandora’s Box  just as everyone know. A lot of disasters came out from the box and only  hope is left behind at the end. I’m thinking of this game as something  more than a game, it’s an entrance to a new world. Please see it as the  development staff team creating a new world, not just a game.』

――The article was finished with such strange comment.

But, that sentence was filled with a large implication for those who knew the truth.

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The Capital of Discernment.

Inside the guild that was set up in a place with complicated  location, the information brokers who were wearing robe to hide their  face were gathering around a round table.

They were having a heated discussion about the developer’s comment that was posted in the homepage.

「What does he mean by new world, what a bullshit!」

「Are those guys planning to become god or something?」

「The world that is in the middle of being cleared right now is also like that, what arrogance.」

The top players had liberated the Capital of Diligence and now they  were challenging the World of Arrogance. The information brokers were  declaring that the development staffs were arrogant too in regard to  that.

The leader explained about the progress of the clearing.

「I have a bad news. The country is also taking action. They started  setting up VR machines in public facilities too. The next generation  machine will become cheaper and easier to obtain. The hurdle to play  Pandora is rapidly shrinking. The environment to make it easier to play  is being set up.」

Pandora’s Box Garden had secured a player base that numbered more  than forty million people. It was gathering an enormous amount of money.

And this increase in player population made not only the company, but also the development staffs happy.

After all they could obtain a great amount of sample data from that.

Pandora’s Box Garden was a type of test site.

Furthermore it was a huge test site where even the country was involved.

「The clearing speed is also speeding up. At this rate the World of  Arrogance is going to get cleared in one month in RL time. If that  happen, there will be only the Worlds of Lust and Rage remaining. At  this rate it won’t even take two years to clear the whole thing.」

If that happened――.

「――The world will end.」

The information brokers gulped.

The leader was planning to overturn this situation somehow.

「The government and the operating company are impatient. It’s  affecting the real world but, they’re planning to continue with the plan  while ignoring that.」

Information broker.

An information broker who seemed to be female from her voice suggested that they should execute a certain plan immediately.

「There’s no more time. It’s the moment for us to execute our plan.  The Selectors at our side will surely do it. Besides, the orc Selector  is capable.」

The leader fell into thought.

He was the information broker who usually exchanged information with Ponsuke.

「……Let’s do it.」

Everyone nodded.

「If we don’t do it――our world will perish.」

It was just a game.

But, that game was holding the fate of the world.

Ponsuke was going to get dragged in the middle of that conflict.

◇

Yakumo was cooking at the share house where she was living.

Normally the kitchen wasn’t used except for its microwave or refrigerator, but recently Yakumo was using it by herself.

The soup that was boiling inside the pot was done. Around her, Yakumo’s seniors and juniors were waiting.

「Yosh, it’s done.」

Yakumo tasted the dish and felt satisfied by the result. Then she brought it to all the other girls who had been waiting for it.

Since some time ago, everyone would be present to eat when it was Yakumo’s turn to cook.

Yakumo was also cooking as practice, so it helped her that there were other people who would sample her food.

「Yakumo-chan, you’ve become really skilled. I can only think that  you’re lying that you don’t have a boyfriend when your cooking is this  good.」

When a senior said that, Yakumo poured even more soup on her plate while answering.

「Well, this is like a hobby.」

A junior was helping Yakumo with distributing the food. She tilted her head.

「But, senpai was looking at a fashion magazine before this wasn’t it?」

Everyone started teasing Yakumo.

Yakumo’s face reddened slightly. She then finished distributing the food and sat down to eat.

「T-that’s unrelated. It’s for this offline gathering that I’ll go to after this.」

The senior looked exasperated at Yakumo.

「You……you will regret it if your expectation is too high you know?  Relationship in internet or virtual world is the same, but there won’t  be anything good if you bring that kind of relationship to the real  world.」

The junior was laughing.

「Senpai, is that advice coming from your personal experience? But,  Yakumo-senpai too should be careful. Because, there are a lot of players  who are seeking for encounter.」

The other girls were also agreeing with those opinions.

「I know someone like that. He kept asking to have an offline gathering. That was why I changed my avatar into male.」

「You can just use the face of someone famous. The men will be wary like that and won’t come near.」

Yakumo was listening to the conversation with exasperation.

Previously some of them would complain about the food during dinner,  but now nobody was expressing any dissatisfaction with the food.

「Rather than that, how’s the food this time?」

The senior said to Yakumo.

「It’s delicious. Yakumo-chan will be a good wife in the future. How about I introduce you to a man?」

Yakumo looked disinterested and continued eating.

「I’m not interested so no need.」

The junior was smirking while looking at Yakumo.

「Senpai, you’ll marry late if you say something like that.」

Yakumo tightly grabbed the junior’s head in her grasp. Then she strengthened her grip while smiling.

「Senpai it hurst! Give! Give up!」

The night was growing late like that.

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[Hiragi Jun] who called himself as Lighter in the virtual world was thinking seriously in his study.

Various data was lined up in his computer’s screen.

Someone knocked on the door of his study. It was Jun’s wife.

「Dear, you are still not finished?」

Jun hurriedly turned off the screen.

「Aa, sorry. I’m finished already.」

Jun’s wife thought that he was worrying about his work.

But, in reality he was worrying about his plan from here on with his  friends and information gathering. He was pondering of how they would  sell their product efficiently.

Unlike a game where the player was watching a screen while playing,  in an immersive type game few player would be fine with any kind weapon  as long as it had powerful status.

There was a powerful equipment in the shape of a Speedos.

Its parameters were excellent. However, the avatar would become naked even if it was wearing other equipments too.

There were also players who would be fine with using such equipment, but in general most players wouldn’t use such equipment.

Parameter, design, ease of use, there were various factors at play.

A group of capable craftsmen inside the game could posses a certain type of brand power and earned a lot inside the game.

It wasn’t good to simply create things. Such depth was alluring for Jun.

「Is there trouble in your work?」

Jun’s heart skipped a beat hearing his wife’s words.

(No, there isn’t really any problem right now at work, rather it’s going quite well……)

It was inside the game where he was going through quite the hard time.

There was a rival group. His craftsmen group also didn’t have any  combat strength, so they were having a hard time gathering material.

「You don’t need to worry. The company is doing fine.」

Jun reassured his wife while walking out of his study.

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◇ Omake

※ This is completely unrelated with the main story.

You won’t understand the content unless you have read the author’s other work.

It’s “strongly recommended” to reader who only want to enjoy this story to go back.

For those who are curious, try reading the author’s other work too!

Or rather, this omake is intended for those who know about the author’s other work.

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Akito was dreaming.

It was a dream of riding a boat and crossing a river.

(Come to think of it, it makes me think of Sanzu River when dreaming about crossing a river.)

He thought of such thing in a daze while stepping on the land. Then he saw a blue haired man approaching.

For a moment he thought that it was that malicious player, but the man had a different atmosphere.

「W-who’s there!」

But the man didn’t give any clear answer.

Behind that man there were other men gathering in droves.

From what he saw, all of them had good looks――in other words they were handsome men.

Akito was wary, but then the men gave him applauses.

The man who was standing at the forefront spread out his hands.

「Do you think I’ll just wait while simply beckoning from the other  side of the river? You’re wrong! I――we’ll surround our comrade who come  to this side unknowingly so they won’t be able to get away!」

The man was wearing an ugly and vulgar smile. Akito was dumbfounded and took a step back.

When he looked behind him, he saw that he could still jump back on the boat.

Thinking that he would be able to go back, he turned around and broke into a run.

――Immediately.

「YOU WON’T GET AWAYYYY!」

A black haired man who Akito didn’t even know leaped at his foot.  That man hugged Akito’s foot, so Akito lost his balance and fell. His  hand reached toward the boat that was getting further away.

「Wait! I’m getting on! I’m getting on the boat!」

His hand that reached out toward the boat got grabbed, by a man who looked really exhausted.

「You should stay at this side too. You should walk the path of  misunderstanding where before you realized it you’re already getting  into marriage.」

Everyone should be met with misfortune too. The two men were having a  look that seemed to say that. Akito shook them off and ran away.

The boat was already too far away. It was disappearing into the mist.

The men were approaching. Akito ran away with all his strength.

「Don’t let him get away, follow him!」

「This guys is our comrade too!」

「This way, he’s over here!」

Three men were chasing after him. But, the black haired youth looked around.

「Eh, where’s Rudel?」

The blue haired man shook his head.

「That guy is no good. After all his genre is different from us.」

The tired looking man was looking really frustrated.

「Even though I was made to marry that radio miss who can’t be talked with at all……you should come over here too!」

Akito didn’t know why but, he felt that it would be over for him if he got caught.

He felt an indescribable fear and ran away from that place――――.

「――Hah!」

He got up and looked at the clock. It was 4 AM.

Akito woke up at the usual time. He covered his face in relieve.

He pressed his hands on his face and noticed that he was drenched in sweat.

He let out a long sigh and muttered.

「Thank god it was just a dream. Just why did I see that kind of dream?」

Then his smartphone rang twice.

It was the sound that notified him that he got mail.

There were two mails, from Mariela and Alfie.

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