Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 14

Departure

In the school’s classroom.

The lesson was already over. Akito and Riku were talking before the homeroom started.

Recently the topic of their talk was only about Pandora. The time  they were talking with each other had also increased compared to before,  perhaps because now they had shared interest.

Riku was holding his tablet while lending his ear toward Akito’s story.

A video was being played in the tablet’s screen. From a brief glance, Akito saw that it was a video about game guide.

「Paid item and equipment? I don’t have any problem with them though I  have reservation about equipment. I once heard that it will mess up  your sense of design. It’s different matter if you use paid equipment  everyday like Alfie-san though……uoh, this player is awesome.」

The player inside the video was displaying an inhuman move. Riku was nodding in admiration watching that.

「I’m of two minds whether I should buy a lot of healing items or not.  There are the regular items that we can normally get inside the game,  but the paid items have far faster effect. I’m also thinking that it  might be good to just use real money to get materials for strengthening  weapon and also game money.」

Akito too was trying to make a thorough preparation before going into his first boss fight.

But Riku didn’t really agree with his line of thought.

「You won’t last if you get too overboard like that. For something  like this you better decide from the start how much money you’re going  to set aside for it each month. Your wallet won’t be able to last if you  go too far, and you’ll lose creativity to deal with the game mechanism  if you relied on paid items too much.」

Riku advised that it was better to not solve everything with paid  items if he wanted to enjoy the game. Akito felt dissatisfied hearing  that.

「That advice doesn’t sound persuasive at all coming from someone who sink tens of thousands yen into the game each month.」

Although Riku was working part-time, a student like him was throwing  20000 until 30000 yen to a single game each month in addition of the  monthly playing fee.

Riku didn’t sound convincing at all when he told Akito that paid items were no good.

「Stupid. There are many who throw money in the range of 50000 or  100000 just for paid items. Compared to them spending 20000 per month is  still pretty safe.」

Just what kind of basis he was using to decide whether an amount was safe or out?

Akito thought that, but he still arrived at the conclusion that certainly, it would be boring to solve everything using money.

(In the first place I can’t spend that much money routinely. In that  case perhaps I should limit myself to around 1000 yen for healing  items?)

Riku closed the video application and then he put it inside his bag.

「Well, just have fun. Boss fight is really fun. It also has BGM  playing during the battle, and added with the atmosphere makes it  completely different from normal battle. It has improved a lot more  since the previous large-scale update, so even the veteran players can’t  find anything to complain about. I guarantee you that it’ll be fun.」

There would be a large scale update each time a world was cleared. The game Pandora’s Box was evolved every time it happened.

Akito noticed that there was a part of himself that was looking  forward to the next large scale update when the World of Sloth was  cleared.

(The game is already satisfying enough even now though……)

Then the class president Maya approached Akito before the teacher entered the classroom.

Akito who was lying down on the table lifted his face.

「Eh, president?」

「Sorry, can you stay behind after school Naruse-kun? I have a little  favor to ask. It won’t take long, so it won’t make you late to your  part-time work.」

Akito nodded.

「I don’t mind.」

「Great, thank you.」

Maya returned to her own seat.

Her long brown hair that was arranged into half up hairstyle was swaying as she walked.

Akito and Riku watched her back.

「It feels like the president is often talking with you recently. Are you perhaps going out with her?」

Riku asked teasingly. Akito sighed.

「I’ll brag about it right away if that’s the case. In reality I was just asked to help out.」

As expected Akito couldn’t tell Riku about Maya’s love consultation.  He told Riku that Maya simply pushed some chores to him to do.

*

At Akito’s part-time workplace, Mild.

The time had gone past 9 PM. Akito and Yakumo were waiting for the  two university students who would take over for them in the next shift.  They were talking near the cash register because there was no customer  currently.

The cash resister was near the entrance. There they could immediately see if any customer was coming.

They were a bit relaxed because originally because they would be  relieved from their shift when it was fifteen minutes past 9 PM.

They had finished cleaning up and the preparation for the change of  shift. There was also no customer, so they had nothing to do.

In addition, the employee at the back office right now was a nice lady in her forty.

Yakumo looked outside and sighed.

「It’s raining.」

Rain started falling outside. Akito too dropped his shoulders in dejection when he saw that.

「What a pain. I don’t bring umbrella today.」

He glanced at the vinyl umbrella that was sold near the cash register, but all of them had price around 500 yen.

(Hmm, 500 yen is a bit expensive.)

Akito thought that it would be no problem for him to get a little wet. He could just wash the wet uniform tomorrow.

Tomorrow would be a public holiday.

There would be no part-time work nor he had any plan.

The only thing that he might call a plan for tomorrow would be the  first boss fight that was waiting for him in the virtual world.

It wouldn’t be against area boss or field boss, but a boss fight in its true meaning.

But Yakumo made an unexpected suggestion.

「I have an umbrella. If you’re fine with only as far as the station then I can walk with you.」

「Eh?」

Akito scratched his head while feeling surprised by Yakumo’s offer.

「Is that alright senpai? The station is in the opposite direction of your house isn’t it?」

Yakumo put her hands inside the pocket of her green apron, and then she laughed.

「It’s not that far away so it’s fine. I’ll be troubled if you catch cold and can’t come to work.」

Akito smiled wryly.

(Ahaha, so it’s like that. Well, certainly it will be hard for her if she’s by herself here.)

Sometimes the full-time employee would help out if one part-time  worker didn’t come, but the other part-timer would have to do almost all  the chores by themselves.

This supermarket was still quite spacious even though it was small. It would be hard for one person to manage it alone.

「Then please do.」

「It’s good that you’re honest. Even so, those two are late.」

The time was already ten minutes past 9 PM.

The two university students still hadn’t arrived to the supermarket.

*

The time was five minutes before 4 AM.

Akito had finished dressing up himself. He checked that the door was  locked and no source of fire was on, then he sat on his bed and turned  off the light to darken the room.

The light from the street light near the apartment shined through the curtain’s gap. It told him that it was still dark outside.

「Now then, I already took a bath and went to toilet. The rest is just like always.」

Akito put on the headset and lied down.

「……I need to buy specialized pillow for headset.」

He muttered that while staring at his self-created pillow that was made from bundled up towel blanket with its center depressed.

「Now then, I wonder how this day will turn out.」

*

In front of Yakumo’s room.

「Senpai, you’ll play Pandora too today? You really have a lot of fun with it.」

Yakumo ran to her junior who was also a fellow player. Both of them were prepared to head to the game world after this.

「I guess. It was more fun than I thought. I’ll have a boss fight today so I need to get fired up.」

The junior smiled seeing Yakumo like that.

「If senpai is enjoying it then I myself am also happy as the one who invited senpai into it. Then, I’m going now.」

The junior returned to her own room. Yakumo also entered her own room.

She immediately sat on her bed and activated her VR machine.

「Ponsuke is also fired up, so I need to do my best too.」

*

In Maya’s room.

After Maya finished preparing everything, she put on her headset and lied down.

「……Haa, time moves really slow.」

The free world.

The fun world.

Waiting for time to pass until she could enter that world felt very long.

「Today is an important day for Ponsuke, so I have prepared a lot, but will it be enough?」

Her level was over 30. She had numerous paid items and equipments  that had become available for purchase. Alfie who was equipped by such  things were very strong.

Although that strength was only status-wise.

「Perhaps I should also join a dojo? Just relying on my self-defense  class doesn’t feel enough……starting that at this point won’t really  help, but it’ll still be better than nothing.」

Her consciousness was gradually travelling toward the virtual world as she was thinking that.

*

At the entrance of the Capital of Hope.

A cart was prepared near the huge gate.

It was a cart but not the type that got pulled by horse. It was linked to a monster in the place of horse.

The cart was made from wood with long benches placed along its sides.

It looked small but this was a virtual world so it felt surprisingly spacious when one entered inside.

Even five huge orcs getting inside would be alright.

Mariela’s eyes sparkled when she saw the cart.

「Hee, so this kind of vehicle is also used.」

The leader of the orc party Prey smiled seeing the excited Mariela and explained.

「The place is far after all. We will waste a lot of time if we go there on foot, so we’ll use this to shorten the travel time.」

Alfie in her new red dress got into the cart.

「It’s unexpectedly pleasant inside. But, this thing looks like it will shake a lot though?」

It was made from wood and didn’t look like it had anything installed to soften the shaking.

Ponsuke was also worried about that.

「I don’t want to get motion sickness inside game.」

The tsundere orc Dume crossed his arms and glared at Ponsuke.

「You don’t need to worry about that. We’ll arrive in less than an  hour. Besides, even though it’ll be shaking it will be just to create  the right atmosphere so there’s no need to worry.」

Ponsuke nodded.

(Dume-san’s attitude is cold, and yet he’s actually really kind.)

The other orcs were also kind. Everyone of them was gentlemanly player despite their appearance.

However the orcs had no desire to compromise about their fetish at all.

Everyone got into the cart and they departed toward their destination. Then Prey broke the ice.

「By the way, it looks like your party only has three members even now. Are you three acquainted even in RL?」

Ponsuke waved his hand.

「No, we got acquainted with each other at our first day playing.  Since then we kept playing together until today. We don’t know each  other in RL.」

The serious looking orc Gido nodded with a smile.

「To have flowers in both hands in this world as an orc. That really  makes me jealous. Still, there’s the talk that the pretty girls have it  great as expected even though here is a virtual world.」

The last orc, Deidada crossed his arms and tilted his head.

「Is that really true? No, certainly the RL will lose its luster if  you have pretty girls right before you in here. You look like you’re  living an enviable life here Ponsuke.」

The orc party laughed.

Ponsuke was also laughing. Then Mariela lightly elbowed him from the side.

「You hear that Ponsuke, you have flowers in both your hands. Are you happy?」

Mariela asked mischievously. Alfie was also listening attentively for his answer. Ponsuke shook his head smilingly.

「Not at all.」

The next moment, two full powered elbow strikes hit Ponsuke from both sides and he writhed in pain.

「W-why……」

Ponsuke was in pain, but the faces of the orcs who were sitting  across him warped in hatred when he turned his gaze to them asking for  help.

「Don’t show off you brat!」

「Shit! I’m jealous.」

「The situation is also the best!」

「You’re the only one who I’ll never forgive.」

The orcs were jealous of him getting hit and treated Ponsuke coldly.

「You guys are too absorbed with your own fetish!」

Ponsuke held his sides while looking at the mercenary NPCs who were sitting quietly.

They feared that the boss would also get stronger if they brought too  many mercenaries. Based on their research online, they decided that  just bringing two NPCs would be best and brought a magician and a monk.

Both were female NPC because the mercenary NPCs that they used in the previous trial were being lent out to other players.

Gido sighed.

「Haa……will someone please step on me?」

Gido were sending glances at Mariela and Alfie. In respond the two looked coldly at him, which caused him to shiver.

「Those eyes……it’s the best!」

Alfie pressed her hand on her head. She shook her head a little.

「They are good people if only they aren’t like this.」

Prey grabbed Gido’s collar and lifted him up.

「You bastard! How can you get stared scornfully by yourself……you aren’t our comrade!」

「Heheh, first come first served. At this rate I’ll also be the first one who get stepped on.」

Dume stood up.

「Screw you! I’ll get stepped on first!」

While they were doing that, Deidada alone kneeled in front of Mariela.

「Don’t ask me anything. For now just step on me……」

Mariela looked down on him with a cold gaze. It made Deidada writhed on the floor of the cart.

「Aa! Those eyes are great! It’s the best!」

The inside of the cart was filled with such chaos until they arrived at the destination.

(Can’t this cart run faster?)

Ponsuke looked outside the window and did his best to kill time while averting his gaze from the happening inside the cart.

*

At the entrance of the forest.

There two orcs wearing steel helmet and carrying large shield and spear were standing.

When the cart arrived, they crossed their spear with each other to close the route into the forest.

「What is your purpose for coming here?」

The orcs usually would attack with no question asked, but here they called out to the cart.

Ponsuke quickly got down and showed himself before the two orcs.

The two orc guards narrowed their eyes at Ponsuke.

「A warrior from other village? What’s your business in Agu Village?」

Ponsuke spoke the words that he heard from the information broker before.

「I come to take the trial. I wish to talk with Agu’s elder.」

The two orcs looked at each other. Then they nodded and lifted their spear to open the path.

「We welcome you, warrior from other village. We pray that our god smile to the powerful orc who challenge the trial.」

Ponsuke turned around and nodded. And so he led the cart to enter the forest.

The orc village came into view after walking through the straight path for a while.

Inside the forest where trees and plants were growing thickly, there  was an open space where the orcs had cut down the trees. There the orcs  were living in wooden buildings and tents.

Everyone got down from the cart after it stopped at the entrance of the settlement.

When they looked around, they could also see some female orcs here and there.

the orc village came into view.

「Wow, even the female is burly here.」

The female orcs had large chest and smaller face than the male. There  were also some of them who had pretty look, but all of them had tall  height and burly body.

Prey also looked at the surrounding and nodded.

「Getting punched with those arms will send us into unconsciousness nicely.」

Just where is this guy looking at?

Even while thinking of such thing, Ponsuke led everyone toward the biggest building in this village.

An old orc, the elder was sitting on a chair there. His hand was holding a wooden staff.

Mariela whistled.

「They have a nice mood going here.」

An orc NPC with Mohican style was standing beside the elder. He was glaring at Ponsuke’s group.

Ponsuke talked to the elder.

「Elder of Agu Village, I come here to take the trial. Give us permission.」

Then the Mohican orc standing at the side stepped in front of  Ponsuke’s group. Everyone’s gaze was turned toward him and he nodded.

「Elder, they all possess the qualification. There are also a human and an elf, but there should be no problem.」

Then the elder opened his mouth. The Mohican orc walked back toward his original position.

「O warriors from outside. To take the trial of the orc means to put your life on the line. Do you understand that?」

Ponsuke nodded to show his acceptance. The elder orc lifted up his staff and then hit the floor.

「You have spirit! Let’s immediately head toward the trial. Ogres are  also living at the depth of this forest. Among them the red ogre is  especially vicious and prey on orc. You shall defeat him and bring back  his horn.」

Ogre――a humanoid monster with the appearance of a demon and possessing horn. It had wild and very aggressive temperament.

Defeating that monster would be considered as success in the trial.

「In the eve of your victory over the red ogre, I shall grant you the  Proof of Strength as the proof of your success in the trial.」

The quest’s generation screen appeared when Ponsuke nodded.

The half-transparent screen floated in the air, and then the ogre subjugation began.

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