Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 7

Dancing

Morning.

Akito was lying prostrate on his table. He was recalling about yesterday.

Riku was looking at the screen of his tablet while sometimes glancing at Akito.

「You’re looking dead right from the morning. What’s wrong? Did you get into argument with those two?」

By those two he meant Alfie and Mariela who was in a party with Ponsuke.

The level of the three of them had surpassed 10, but based on their  racial and job composition and some other things, other players tended  to think of them as casual players――in other words players that  prioritized having fun rather than clearing the game.

Because of that even when they tried to recruit more player to join  their party, most of the players who responded to them were only joke  player or eccentric player.

But that wasn’t the thing that was worrying Akito.

「Actually I purchased the Counter skill. The skill seemed superior  when I tried looking it up. I got convinced and even used up my skill  points for it. After that I never managed to execute the skill even  once,」

Each skill had its own requirement to activate. There were also a lot of skills with very strict activation requirement.

What was required for that was the player skill.

Riku took off his eyes from his tablet and looked at Akito in exasperation.

「Counter you say……that’s the biggest example of skill that got  revised at the large scale update of the early days. It’s powerful but  its activation requirement had been made to be even harder, so only  those who are prioritizing clearing the game are using it.」

The skill could be obtained even at the early stage and it was also powerful.

It also didn’t consume any HP or MP while dealing large damage to the enemy.

But, because of that at the early days of Pandora more and more  player prioritized getting job and learning skills that were centered  around Counter. It was causing problem game-wise.

The management then reduced the counter’s power and made the  activation requirement more severe, which caused the value of Counter  skill to drop drastically.

Akito held his head in his hands.

「As I thought! I knew that something was strange. I thought that the  internet information was strange and sure enough my instinct was right!  Shit! Even though I had spent a lot of points to max just my Counter  skill!」

Riku was astonished by Akito’s story.

「There are a lot of other skills that you should have gotten first  before that! You really blundered there. You chose to be orc at the  start, then now you chose Counter……no, wait」

Riku started fiddling with his tablet and showed a video to Akito.

The video showed a player with a sword, at the moment when the player executed a successful Counter.

「Uwah, what’s this? That movement isn’t human.」

The player was facing a monster and jumped, then he twirled in the  air and then dashed……in the first place that movement wasn’t human.

Riku was smiling.

「This player is a defiant. Aa, I mean it in a positive way. Though in your case you’re an actual defiant.」

Akito had once told Riku about the orc party he encountered. It made Riku laughed at him hard.

「No, I’m not like that.」

Riku continued the talk and opened the blog of the player.

「Look at this. This person apparently built his own body just for game.」

The blog contained various information like the player’s usual diet until his training menu.

The player himself wasn’t shown, but a part of his room was displayed through photo.

The room was filled with a lot of tools for muscle-training.

「Normally you will just get the fighter job to loosen the skill’s  activation requirement but, this player ignore it and still can move  like this. You can only call him a defiant.」

If it was only about player skill, the player in the video was undoubtedly at the top ten inside the game.

Akito felt impressed while putting his hand over his mouth and watching the video.

He looked at Riku’s face after the video ended.

「And? Are you telling me to do strength training too? I can’t buy the  tools, and even if I have the money I don’t have the space to place  them in my room.」

Akito’s room was for someone living alone. It was cramped.

His daily life would be hindered if something big like a strength training tool was placed in it.

Riku shook his head.

「Stupid. This person is releasing information what kind of specific  training is needed for what skill. Err, for Counter……oo! Amazing,  Counter has AA difficulty rank. It’s at the second place from above.」

It seemed the difficulty rank was personally decided by the video  maker. There it said that Counter was a skill that was really difficult  to use.

Riku checked the training menu.

「The required training is……speed reading and dance it said.」

「That’s definitely bullshit.」

Akito immediately retorted negatively. After all it said that the way  to master a very difficult skill was through speed reading and dance.

It only sounded like a lie.

Riku looked at Akito with a serious gaze.

「You, do you know how much people are worshipping this guy inside the  game? It’s this person who’s saying that so it must be effective. You  should at least give it a try.」

Akito looked at Riku doubtfully.

「You can complain after you try it and there’s no result. Saying that it’s impossible right from the start is just pathetic.」

Akito thought that Riku had a point and nodded.

「Well, I’ll give it a try. I guess I can try searching at internet  for the speed reading training? But, for dance……the people below me will  yell at me if I dance in my room.」

Riku looked up to the ceiling after he heard that.

「If I remember right……ah, that’s right!」

Riku recalled something and told Akito about something.

*

Capital of Hope.

This city was the base of the game’s early stage. This city also contained all the fundamental things.

Dojo to learn the basic movement in game, or cram school intended for  production job――such tutorials were also prepared in this city.

But other than those, there were also a lot of facilities that could only be found in VR game.

They were entertainments that could be experienced personally like it was truly real.

One of the reasons why Pandora’s Box managed to secure the greatest  number of player within the country was the entertainment district in  the Capital of Hope.

The main story isn’t interesting. Who care about sword and magic. I don’t want to bother with fighting.

There were those kinds of players. An entertainment district was  prepared in order to draw them into this game and it had become a big  hit. There were many players who played this game just for that.

Mariela stored away her usual attire like her weapon and armor. She was wearing only her clothes while looking around.

The townscape was also pretty. It was modeled after the townscape of  foreign country in the past that was remaining in the recording――tourist  spot and the like. It was fun just simply watching it.

「It feels like I’m going travelling.」

Stalls were lined up along the street. Delicious scents drifted to the surrounding from them.

Performer NPCs were displaying their performance. Many players were watching them.

Alfie was walking in her red dress. Her long skirt fluttered along  with her movement. With her current appearance it would be easy for her  to blend into this place.

「This is an area for players to enjoy the game in another way isn’t  it? That’s why you can also use electronic money here when buying  something.」

Normally player would go outside to defeat monster and earned money by selling drop items.

But players who didn’t want to do any fighting could buy the product here with real money.

Ponsuke bought one skewered meat from a stall.

「One please.」

The stall’s owner clicked his tongue.

「Here, take this and get lost quickly.」

At this point the thoroughly shitty attitude of the NPCs started to  make Ponsuke wondered if perhaps the developer was actually doing  amazing job.

(Their obsession is the real deal at the very least. Though they’re putting all their effort to the wrong direction.)

The price of the skewered meat in real money was only several yen.

Its price in game’s currency was ten times of that.

In the first place it was a skewered meat that only prioritized the flavor. It didn’t have any effect at all in-game.

Ponsuke tried eating one. It was certainly delicious.

「It’s salty sweet. Delicious.」

After he said that he crushed the skewer in his hand. It became particles of light and vanished.

But Mariela and Alfie were staring fixedly at Ponsuke.

「What? If you two want to eat that then just buy it.」

Alfie sighed and shrugged while shaking her head.

「You don’t know how to treat woman Ponsuke-san. I understand that  you’re gay but, I think it’ll be better if you fix your attitude a  little.」

But Ponsuke was unwavering.

「Before that you should stop talking about me being a gay like it’s a  fact. More importantly, I think it should be ahead of her……」

Ponsuke’s party had a reason for coming to this area.

Mariela put her hands behind her head while walking.

「I was wondering why you want to come to this kind of place and in  the end it’s just for dance? That really doesn’t suit an orc.  Ponsuke-san, you absolutely chose the wrong race. How about changing  it?」

The race that Ponsuke chose, orc had brutal appearance so it wasn’t really popular among the players of this area.

Because of that many players were pointing their finger at Ponsuke and laughed when they saw him.

「I’m telling you I’ll think about it after trying this avatar first for a while. Before that I want to get used to the game.」

Ponsuke planned to play the game for some time while gathering  information, and then he would use his experience and information to  create his next avatar.

To be more accurate, he was planning to remake his avatar after he became able to use Counter.

Alfie tilted her head.

「But, if you do that then the gap between our level will keep widening you know?」

Alfie said that as though it was only natural. Ponsuke turned around with a surprised expression.

「……So what? You two can just play with other people then.」

Mariela and Alfie kicked Ponsuke.

It caused warning screen to pop out because they did it inside the city, but they themselves paid it no mind.

「That hurt a little. Painful thing is painful no matter how tough an  orc is. I’m telling you that I don’t have that kind of hobby!」

*

「EVERYBODY, YAAYY! WE’RE GOING TO DANCE AND DANCE TOO TODAYY!」

An NPC with tanned skin wearing tank top and sunglasses appeared in high spirits before Ponsuke’s party.

「Then first, dance dance following after me, DANCINGG!」

The instructor NPC twirled on the spot, but there was nobody else other than the three of them inside the wide practice hall.

The building――facility that the three of them entered was actually also a facility where people could learn to dance.

Some players wanted to taste the experience of a vacation in their two days inside the game.

The game developer built this exclusive dance facility for that kind  of player. The inside of the facility had the venue for hula dance and  also ballroom dancing.

That kind of dancing experience and being able to practice it was a  popular activity but……there was a dance that although it was relatively  popular in the real world, it was unnecessary inside the game world.

……It was exercise dance.

No matter how much player danced inside the game, it wouldn’t affect  their fat in any way. Player didn’t show any interest toward intense  dancing.

(Realize it before you make it, developer. Well, it’s still a dance,  and Riku said it will serve as dance practice so I’m using it though.)

Ponsuke thought that but, he then though there was no problem because they could use it.

When the music played, the appearance of Ponsuke and others got transformed into training wear outfit.

「This is really interesting.」

Alfie checked her own appearance through the full surface mirror and her eyes and felt delighted.

Ponsuke thought that she certainly had a good body seeing her wearing such training wear that described her body line clearly.

(If only she isn’t an uncle in the inside……well, let’s just forget it.)

Even if she was actually a beautiful girl, he might get exposed in  the internet in the worst case if he tried anything with her. She was a  middle-aged male in the inside, but they couldn’t do anything stupid.

The NPC played a light song for the three who weren’t used to dancing. He used it to watch their movement.

「Alfie good! You’re also good Mariela, really good! Ponsuke! ……You have your work cut out for you, okay?」

Ponsuke……Akito didn’t have any talent for something like dancing.  Because of that what the NPC said was no different than calling Akito  who was inside Ponsuke as no good.

Mariela was watching Ponsuke while grinning.

「Oh ho, so even Ponsuke-san who usually danced at the forefront is actually bad at dancing.」

Alfie also joined in.

「Don’t be so blunt like that. Don’t you see how pitiful he is?  Although I had gotten the feeling from even before that he would be no  good in this.」

The two who were able to dance were giggling. Seeing them like that made Ponsuke gave it his all to dance.

Then the NPC yelled.

「NOOOOOO!! Ponsuke, you is super duper hopeless! If it’s like this then ME will look after YOU man to man!」

The tanned macho man using mock English――the muscular NPC ended up dancing together with Ponsuke the whole time after that.

*

「LET’S DANCING!」

The location was the grassland.

Ponsuke held his one-handed sword in reverse grip and angrily stabbed  the monster along with the ground. He was venting his anger.

It created the effect of the monster being sent flying before vanishing.

After that the three of them were dancing for around six hours, but unlike the other two, Ponsuke showed almost no improvement.

Mariela’s arrow pierced a flying monster. It turned into red light and vanished.

Alfie sheathed her weapon and shrugged.

「Geez, having a talent that is only mediocre is more bothersome than  not having any at all isn’t it? It’s a pain knowing that you will be  able to do it but you have to spend a lot of time for it.」

Going through a man to man instruction with a very quirky NPC for six hours.

That night at the inn, Ponsuke even saw the NPC came out inside his dream and yelled 「LET’S DANCINGGGGGGG!」.

Mariela stretched her body.

「Even so it’s amazing that he can spend six hours doing that, although in this world you can’t really get tired.」

Nearby the orc Ponsuke roared in frustration while venting his wrath on a monster. In contrast the two were calm.

The way Ponsuke would break out running the moment he saw a monster and started hacking at them truly looked like a monster.

Alfie looked around and waved her hands in a big way.

「That orc is a player! Please don’t attack him!」

She was waving her hands toward a party that consisted of a human, dwarf, gnome, and elf.

The elf who was readying to fire an arrow aborted her preparation. She waved her hand back and apologized before leaving.

Mariela felt relieved.

「Thank god they are good people.」

Sometimes there were players who would still fire arrow or magic even knowing that they were attacking other player.

When their attack hit Ponsuke, it would also leave small damage thanks to orc’s durability and the system’s influence.

A large difference in level and a lot of time would be required if  someone wanted to be player killer. But the system would issued a  warning when high level player attacked low level player.

The game’s environment made it hard to be player killer. ……Though that didn’t mean it was impossible.

Because there was also a system for duel between players, battle between players were mainly held through duel.

The fight between Ponsuke and Rook was also a type of duel.

But there were still players who liked to harass other player. The two of them considered that as a problem.

Alfie was also sick of such thing.

「Still, we can’t just leave Ponsuke-san……it should be fine to just  call him Ponsuke now isn’t it? We can’t just leave Ponsuke alone.」

Mariela sighed seeing Ponsuke going in a rampage.

「Yeah. It’ll be a bit heartless of us if we abandon him.」

The two of them weren’t knowledgeable about the game. But if they looked for new friend then they would surely find one quickly.

And yet they couldn’t abandon Ponsuke no matter what.

Alfie seemed to recall something and projected her status screen in the air.

She looked at the friendship meter’s entry there.

「My friendship meter with Mariela-san is 33. And it has reached 45 with Ponsuke. I wonder if this number is high or low.」

Mariela also checked hers.

Her friendship meter with Alfie was 33, no different from before.

But, the friendship meter between Ponsuke and her was――.

「I’m also 41. I’m at the range of 40 just like you……perhaps if it’s in the real world it’s like being friend?」

The friendship meter between them was getting higher. Although it was  hard to increase the value due to their racial affinity, the time they  were spending together every day in the same party was helping along the  meter’s progression.

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