Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 144

Iron Wall

The Capital of Rage that the clearing group discovered.

That information immediately spread through Pandora.

The information was kept secret, but it got spread out by someone.

Like that, the clearing groups scrambled to challenge the Capital of Rage ahead of others but――.

「……No way」

The master of a guild that had made great advances due to the reorganization that occurred inside Pandora fell on his knees.

He was looking up to the castle――floating island that they had created as their base.

Since Ponsuke’s guild rose to prominence, the clearing groups also proactively endeavored to put their base on floating island.

The floating island was slowly crumbling and falling down. It was  swarmed by the monsters that spawned endlessly from the capital of Rage  and rained down attacks on it.

Their base was getting destroyed.

Not only that, a lot of the players fighting on the ground were also  losing against the monsters. They turned into red light and vanished.

The guild master held his head in his hands.

「Even us have reached max level here. We also bought a lot of paid  items――we also have a complete series of guild items, and yet」

The guild that had just gained prominence as a new clearing group had been totally defeated without being able to do anything.

They were a large guild with more than a thousand members, but they  were completely helpless. That information too was quickly spreading  through Pandora.

「……How can you clear something like this huh」

The despairing guild master was surrounded by gigantic monsters and vanished as red light after receiving their attacks.

◇

School.

Akito was preparing for the next class during break time.

But, what entered his ears from his surrounding were talks of Pandora.

「Did you watch?」

「Yeah, that one where the rising guild [Papipupepon] lost right? Something like that is just hopeless.」

「The guild master said that the guild is disbanded, is it true?」

Girls also joined the talk of the boys.

「No way! What about the guild items? Those can’t be traded right?」

「The rumor is that they’ll vanish if the guild disband.」

「Ee~, then they should yield them to us first before disbanding~」

Now this was the common sight.

Nobody felt that it was out of place at all.

Akito let out a small sigh. Riku called to him at that timing.

「You seem dispirited lately. Is something troubling you?」

「……Erm. Well, I’ve a lot of things on my plate.」

「Is it woman trouble?」

「What else is there other than that.」

Akito laughed it off. Riku was looking at him with sympathy.

「The information broker really did something unnecessary.」

Akito told Riku about his circumstance.

About how the information broker sold his information to some select few.

Normally it would be an unforgivable action, but Akito had no time to protest and make the problem even more complicated.

「Hey, more importantly about the Capital of Rage――」

Riku made a complicated expression when Akito changed the topic.

「I can’t imagine how to clear something like that. Even raiding it on  floating island will be hard, and you’ll only get beaten up by monsters  if you amass your force on land. It’s an absurd city.」

The Capital of Rage’s difficulty level was impossibly high.

Akito pondered about the clearing.

(……It’ll also be bad if the capital stay unconquered like this. Or rather, why’s the management not making it easier to clear?)

If he was at the management’s side, he would make the game easier to clear so their plan could continue along.

Akito was concerned that there might be a reason behind it. Then Riku made a suggestion to Akito.

「Hey, can you make some time at the other side? A meeting that  gathers the guild masters will be held. I was told to invite you too.」

「Me?」

「That’s right. After all Ponsuke is famous. Don’t you know that your  guild is already counted as a prominent guild in the whole Pandora?」

Ponsuke was leading a guild that was one of the best even in Pandora.

In the society right now, it was a position that was really valuable.

Akito smiled vaguely and glossed it over.

「I-is that so? But, I might want to participate in that meeting. It’s about the clearing right?」

「Naturally. What else is there? Ah, also about the time slot……can you login at midnight just for this time?」

Akito nodded to Riku’s request.

「Got it. Perhaps I should notify everyone.」

The situation inside the class had changed greatly compared to last year.

Maya approached while Akito was feeling slightly uneasy.

「You two are talking alone again? There’ll be suspicion if you two are too close with each other.」

Riku made a disgusted expression and spoke back to Maya.

「I didn’t expected that a student council member has that kind of taste. Can you please not accuse us with that kind of thing?」

Maya made a triumphant look toward such Riku.

「My, that’s too bad. I’m normal you know? It’s not like I’m saying  that relationship between men is bad but, don’t drag Ponsuke into that.  If you do……」

When Maya narrowed her eyes to apply pressure, Akito grasped her  hand. Maya instantly looked shocked. Her cheeks reddened and she turned  adorable.

「Maya, don’t be angry. Riku is my friend. There isn’t any romance in it.」

Maya lost her attitude just now. Her gaze wandered around before she nodded happily.

「S-sorry. Ah, the class is going to start so I’ll go back to my seat.」

Riku saw Maya’s demeanor and shrugged.

「You’ve gotten better in handling woman huh.」

「……I had no choice other than getting better. Think of it as an indispensable skill for guild master.」

I don’t wanna that kind of indispensable skill, he said that. Riku laughed.

◇

The guild masters of guilds that were called as clearing group in  Pandora gathered in the base of a veteran guild of the clearing group.

It was a large meeting room. A lot of guild masters gathered there without regard of the time slot.

Everyone understood that the clearing quest this time was just that difficult.

The one in charge of presiding the meeting was one of the guild masters of the clearing group.

He was dressed like a clown.

「Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to gather here.  Normally we’ll crush each other with no mercy but, please hold back just  for this time.」

Among the lineup of guild masters here, naturally there were also  guilds that were in conflict with each other to expand their respective  influence.

The atmosphere couldn’t be called peaceful.

They were rivals who were trying to outdo each other.

Even the clearing group consisted of various type of players, from  hardcore player to casual player who just barely qualified to join in.

Their policy and their way thinking also were different from each other.

There was no way they could get along with each other.

「Now then, the guild [Papipupepon] was defeated but, before listening  to everyone’s opinion I shall state my opinion first as the one who  called for this meeting――『Honestly, we won’t be able to win with just  ourselves isn’t it?』, that’s what I’m thinking. Aa, by we I mean only  the players and guilds that are active in the same time slot with me.」

The clown was making a difficult expression. Perhaps he had  calculated the combat strength of the Capital of Rage and also gathered  the information of the clearing group that challenged it.

「To be honest, I’m throwing up my hands here. No matter how hard I  work gathering combat force, the gathered force won’t be enough with  just a single time slot. It still won’t be enough even after hiring  mercenary NPCs and increasing guild members temporarily. I was thinking  of buying paid items with a budget in the hundreds of millions, but  there won’t be any need of this if it’s possible to win with just that.」

In fact, it was said that among the guilds that had challenged the  Capital of Rage, there was a guild that had spent a total of several  hundred million yen for paid item.

Even so they still failed. The difficulty level could only be called monstrous at that point.

Ponsuke put his hand on his knee and listened to the talk seriously.

Beside him was the guild master Pinky listening to the talk with her elbow on the table. She was looking exasperated.

「If it’s still no good with several thousand people each spending nearly ten thousands for paid item then this is impossible.」

Ponsuke also nodded.

「It’s not really good to be overly reliant of real money after all.」

「No, that’s not what I mean. Everyone already understand that it’s  impossible to win with our current strength even if we use paid item to  the limit.」

It was fine to just increase the number of people. Anyone thought of  such thing, but just how many people they had to gather and how much  money they had to spend to make the clearing possible?

They went out of their way to gather Ponsuke and other guild masters here.

The answer had already come out.

The clown cleared his throat while,

「Ee~, that’s why……can’t all of us here work together?」

The meeting room descended into chaos.

「Don’t screw around! I don’t need to cooperate with you guys!」

「We’re just still lacking the necessary information for conquering the city!」

「Getting along with those guys? Screw off!」

Insults flew around. Pinky covered her ears and sighed.

「Well, it’s obvious that this is the result. Thing won’t be this hard  from the start if everyone can get along with each other. Obviously  backstabbing will occur even if you try to form an alliance.」

Even players who usually got along with each other could commit betrayal depending on the possible benefit.

Even Ponsuke had experienced it.

(Then, what has to be done to put this situation in order?)

The clown was observing this situation calmly.

Pinky was pondering for a little bit.

「Looks like that clown is just providing this venue. No, perhaps he has achieved his objective with this.」

「What do you mean?」

「He should have known that it’s impossible even if he suggest to  everyone here to work together. We can’t agree with each other anyway.  ……But, even just the fact that all of us have gathered here once is big.  The failures will keep mounting on even after this, and when everyone  cooled down they’ll all think 『As expected we need to work together  huh』.」

Pinky analyzed that was the purpose of gathering everyone here.

But, the person herself added jokingly 「It’ll be great if that’s the case」 saying that she might be wrong.

(One day everyone will agree, huh)

Ponsuke watched the meeting while thinking of what they could do at the present time.

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Air spot.

The orcs gathered in that area that was outside of the management’s control to talk with Ponsuke and Prey at the center.

Prey rubbed his chin.

「In short, you’re saying that there are several big problems with the clearing.」

Ponsuke nodded.

「Yes. It looks like they’re waiting for the attempts to continue failing like this. What should we do?」

「We can make suggestion but, it’ll be you Ponsuke who decide. It’s your guild. You can do as you like.」

「I’m troubled here because I don’t know.」

Ponsuke’s shoulders dropped in dejection. Prey gave him a suggestion.

「I have several suggestions. Will you listen to them?」

「Yes」

「First is investigating the Capital of Rage. Let’s try fighting there  for real. Of course, it’ll only be for reconnaissance. Second is to  investigate the clearing information one more time. It’s to confirm that  there’s nothing we’re overlooking.」

Ponsuke thought that those were reasonable and nodded.

「Third is to put our force in order for the sake of the coming day.  This is a must. Not only we need to stockpile items, we should level up  our avatar and polishing our player skill at the same time. Other than  that, recruiting more members for our guild I guess?」

All of the suggestions were reasonable.

But it was also a fact that there was no other method than those.

Prey made a forced cough and put on a serious face.

「After that there is this important suggestion I have to make.」

「W-what is ti?」

Ponsuke also became nervous.

「Actually there are some inexcusable people who are thinking to  change the setting of the priestess NPC inside the guild. People who are  starting to prattle that a priestess should look like a washboard loli  with cool personality. As our guild master, Ponsuke-kun should also  firmly scold those fools who are trying to meddle with our holy  priestess! The priestess is best as she is right now! Those wretches  don’t know just how much effort we made every day to prepare offering to  priestess-sama so she can reach max level and wear the best equipment  set. Bring down the iron hammer of judgment on them!」

「Judgment to them!」

「Glasses gentle looking big breasted girl is justice!」

「It’s not about appearance. It has to be the current priestess-sama and no other!」

「This one think tsundere is better than cool personality gozaru! I’m in approval with loli though」

「Oi, hang the bastard who mentioned tsundere just now!」

All the orcs raised their hand and roared. Ponsuke was growing apathetic on his lonesome.

「……I’ll use my authority to make the priestess NPC to treat even the orcs kindly. I’ll make her super kind.」

Prey clung on Ponsuke’s leg.

「Why!? Ponsuke-kun, why are you going to do something like that!? Aren’t we comrade!?」

Ponsuke kicked away Prey and returned to the base with the seriously  panicking orcs chasing after him. There he changed the priestess NPC’s  setting.

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At the temple branch.

In front of the goddess statue, the priestess NPC was standing with an affectionate smile toward the orcs.

「……You wanted this right?」

But, what she was holding was a whip.

Prey was kneeling with reddening cheeks.

「Priestess-sama!」

The priestess NPC was swinging the whip with a smile.

That attack was merciless. At the same time it was a reward that made the orcs’ wish came true.

「Kyahn!」

When Prey yipped, the priestess NPC’s cheeks reddened and she shivered.

「What a nice yip! Here, your reward, one more for you!」

A beautiful leg stretched out from under her loose priestess uniform and stepped on Prey with stiletto.

The priestess uniform was hiding it from view, but it seemed she was wearing fishnet stocking over her legs.

The NPC that had became extremely kind toward the orcs were doing her  best to respond to the demands of the orcs, even more than when she was  extremely loathing them.

「Try crying with even nicer voice!」

……What she was doing was the same no matter what her setting was. Rather, it felt like this one was going in a worst direction.

Ponsuke fell on his knees seeing how the priestess NPC ended up.

「Nothing changed! Rather this is even worse!」

The orcs looked at Ponsuke.

「As we thought guild master is our comrade.」

「Yeah, I can feel the love inside the whip. This. This is what we really want!」

「We will follow you guild master forever!」

Ponsuke couldn’t make sense of anything anymore.

「Just whatever.」

Prey looked at Ponsuke and gave him a thumb up with a happy face.

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After that two weeks passed in the real world――but there was still no progress with the clearing of the Capital of Rage.

The players couldn’t even cross the city wall. Some guilds couldn’t even reach it.

When many players almost gave up……information that the guild item  Goddess Statue was the key of conquering the capital spread out.

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