Pandora of Fantasy And Reality Chapter 146

Rage

The thing called efficiency was important.

Ponsuke understood that from experience.

(With this I’m level 150!)

He was facing a monster that was bigger than himself and beat it down  with his fist, but this was a monster that should need level 170 to  reasonably match it.

What allowed him to plug the gap of more than twenty level were player skill and firm grasp of the enemy’s weakness.

He was getting a ton of experience point from fighting and winning against such powerful enemy just barely.

When the monster that looked like a big hermit crab shut itself inside its shell, Ponsuke hit it with his fist.

His attack skill, Hakkei activated and the monster was blown away. It changed into red light.

「Yosh, I’ll keep going until I hit level 160. Then I’ll return back to base.」

Prey was watching Ponsuke doing that in exasperation.

「It’s great that you’re motivated, but is it fine for you to overdo it like that?」

The season was changing into winter.

Snowy landscape could also be found inside Pandora now.

Ponsuke’s shoulders dropped.

「There’re a lot of events in RL, so to be honest I’m venting my stress here.」

It was winter holiday.

Christmas was right around the corner.

Ponsuke’s worry was the eight people who were his guild members and also wives――and more.

Ponsuke had become a famous player with his guild becoming famous too. Various invitations came to him because of that.

Request for guest appearance in TV program.

Interview request.

There were also requests normally asking him to participate in offline meeting.

There were also invitations from beautiful women who bought information about him.

「I would definitely be in cloud nine if I don’t know anything.」

Prey laughed.

「How about you relax at least for a bit?」

「They aren’t looking at me but Ponsuke. Those people aren’t interested with what’s inside.」

He understood from experience that what they were interested with was the virtual world’s avatar, not Naruse Akito.

Ponsuke wasn’t someone who could have a good time with women who were mad from Pandora’s influence.

「More importantly, what about the Capital of Rage?」

Prey shook his head.

「The clearing keep failing. There are also some players trying to  work together with players from different time slot, but the result is  the same. I heard some managed to cross the wall, but what do you think  were waiting for them there?」

The information that Prey brought came from the former executive of the management.

「……It was something over the maximum level 255. Apparently the description was 255+20.」

It would be difficult to win when there was a level difference of ten.

And even the monsters who popped up there as mob were around that level.

「No wonder the players who crossed the wall fell into despair.」

「When they thought that they finally got through, they ran into  another obstacle. Now then, what’re we going to do? The rumor that the  Goddess Statue is needed for the clearing is spreading. There’re also a  lot of players who want to test it. Should we participate?」

Ponsuke faced the spawning monster and took his stance.

「The rumor is spread by the information broker isn’t it?」

「Naturally. It seems they’re panicking. Before this, they applied  pressure to abolish the login time limitation even if forcefully.」

The information broker and others of the new management were unable to keep up appearance.

「……I’m thinking of trying out after I maxed out my level.」

Prey also nodded to Ponsuke’s words.

「Guess so. The outsiders are already getting rowdy.」

Ponsuke thought.

(Even so, why is Pandora preparing that kind of unconquerable city?)

He even got the impression as though it had no intention of allowing the clearing to happen.

◇

Christmas Eve.

Akito was wearing a Christmas hat while doing part-time work.

Yakumo was also wearing the same Christmas hat.

「Hey, Po……Akito」

Akito turned around and focused on Yakumo who almost called him Ponsuke.

「Senpai, in RL――」

「I corrected myself midway there so forgive me.」

Yakumo apologized with a fawning tone. Akito scratched his head in exasperation.

「And, what is it?」

「Today is Christmas isn’t it? Rather than going to the hotel, the two of us can――」

Maya entered the store while Yakumo was saying that.

She was running out of breath.

「Haa, haa……I come to pick you guys!」

Yakumo clicked her tongue.

「It’s still work time here.」

「There’s only 15 minutes remaining right? Aa, I’m telling my car to  wait outside, so we’ll be able to go to the hotel right away. Everyone  is waiting there.」

It was impossible for him to spend Christmas with just one person.

If he spent it alone, there was a large change that someone would  visit his home. Akito complied with Maya’s suggestion of celebrating  Christmas in hotel.

(It’s this pattern again.)

He was feeling fed up inside.

He was fine with being able to spend time together with Yakumo and  Maya, but his feeling became wretched when he thought that this wasn’t  purely their affection.

(……The day we’re going to the Capital of Rage is also close. I need to pull myself together.)

Akito focused his mind.

But, when he noticed he was falling asleep during the night.

◇

The Christmas day inside the virtual world was becoming hot topic.

The inside of Pandora was getting excited when they heard that a  major guild was bringing out the Goddess Statue that was the key for the  clearing to do power scouting.

Players were gathering in front of the live broadcast at the Capital  of Hope. They were watching while eating food they brought from stall as  though it was a movie.

It wasn’t just the Capital of Hope. Such sight could be seen in many of the worlds.

An NPC who became a player in a major guild saw that while smirking with his eyes hidden under his hat’s rim.

He was hiding his mouth with his hand.

Arcadia could be seen from the floating island that was his guild’s  base. The Goddess Statue was placed in a visible position and it was  shining.

「it’s finally the unveiling, goddess-sama.」

The number of flying ship marching to the Capital of Rage――was swelling to several thousands.

The objective was to scout, but a lot of guilds were gathering in order to confirm with their own eyes. This was the result.

Monsters were rising up from the Capital of Rage. The floating islands and flying ships started firing.

The monsters charged through without paying attention to the  bombardment, but the Goddess Statue radiated golden light and blasted  them away into red light.

The Goddess Statue was holding a box with both its hands.

That box was emitting seven colored light.

「What a sublime radiance! Let’s lock everything inside the box just  like that! Let’s return everything that was once liberated from inside  the box and restart everything!」

The clown was getting excited.

The players were also excited by the sight unfolding before their eyes. Nobody was listening to the clown’s shrill voice.

.

.

.

Inside Arcadia.

Ponsuke who was watching that sight crossed his arms and sat down on the guild master’s chair.

(So the rumor is true.)

Calls came one after another. Those calls were from the participating guild masters.

There were guilds wanting to go to war over the Goddess Statue, and also guilds wanting to fight together to clear the world.

Blaze yelled amidst the many calls from other guild masters.

「Oi, something’s strange!」

Ponsuke used his hand to sweep away the projection screens floating around him and stood up. He ran until the window.

He pressed his hand on the window’s rim and saw red light enveloping the Capital of Rage.

「W-what?」

It wasn’t just monster. The outer wall became red light particles and  vanished. The inside of the capital became completely exposed.

The monsters also became smaller. Their level were also decreasing drastically then they vanished.

All the red lights flowed into the box the Goddess Statue was holding.

Prey zoomed the image of the Goddess Statue and his expression turned bitter.

「……The box is opened」

The wall that so many players had failed to conquer until now, and  also the monsters inside the city were pointless before the Goddess  Statue.

Ponsuke slammed his fist on the window’s rim.

「How can this be allowed. Who will accept something like――」

However, everyone other than the orcs inside that room were entranced by the sight.

Mariela muttered.

「……Pretty」

Alfie was spreading out her arms.

「Look. Even the castle vanished and become red light.」

Naia looked entranced.

「How captivating」

Anri dropped the spear in her grasp.

「……Look, Ponsuke. The Capital of Rage is already vanishing.」

Inaho leaned forward and put her hand on the window’s rim.

「Everything is over with this isn’t it? The seven capitals are all conquered isn’t it?」

Inaho turned around. Ponsuke was looking dumbfounded at her.

「What are you saying, Inaho-chan? Something like this is strange. You can’t call this a game.」

Lily shrugged.

「My, isn’t it fine? This kind of ending is also good.」

Fran was also agreeing.

「Conquering a capital is bone-breakingly hard after all. Besides, do you know how many fortresses we have taken down until now?」

Inaho clung on Ponsuke’s arm.

「That’s right. You can just think of how hard we had it until now. In  fact, a lot of things happened to us as we made our way until here.」

The fortress clearing and guild war.

Certainly a lot of things had happened.

Ponsuke shook his head.

「No. Something like this isn’t good. If the capital isn’t conquered――」

The lid was closed after everything got sucked into Pandora’s box.

Everyone inside the room saw letters that informed them that the  capital had been conquered being drawn in the air. They became excited  and cheered.

The messages and comments that were delivered to them were also the same.

Ponsuke pressed his hand on his head. Then Prey placed his hand on his shoulder.

「Ponsuke-kun, sorry but I want you to logout immediately.」

Ponsuke nodded.

Cheers were breaking out all over Pandora after witnessing such impossible sight.

Nobody was complaining about the ending that was unacceptable as a game and as a player.

It was a maddening sight.

◇

When Akito opened his eyes, he was lying on a large bed.

Around him were females in their underwear wearing headset.

Their consciousness was inside Pandora right now, but that wasn’t the way to dress up in winter.

「……The AC is managing the temperature but, they’re really dressing lightly.」

He stood up and picked up some clothes when the door got knocked.

The knocking’s rhythm was unique. He immediately opened the door and found familiar faces standing there.

「We were right to be on our guard huh.」

「Uoh! What an enviable sight.」

「Just underwear huh.」

Some of the orc players were logging in from the hotel.

Akito closed the door and locked it.

「They’ll be angry if you peek.」

「Hmm~, that’ll make us happier.」

「Will they despise us as pervert?」

「That’s a reward!」

As expected orc players were hopeless. Akito was thinking that while they raised their walking speed toward the elevator.

One of them was contacting their other comrades.

「Yeah, we had met up. Wait in front of the hotel. Eh?」

But something was strange.

Akito also sensed it.

「……What?」

They went down with elevator, but there was nobody in the lobby.

Certainly it was an early time of past five o’clock in the morning.

However, it was too quiet.

In a hotel there should be several staffs on standby to deal with  visitor. This was a big hotel that should have such respond ready in  place.

Akito took out his smartphone and checked the internet news.

「It’s not updated?」

Normally there should be news update but, none of them were updated.

The broadcasted news was about the last capital getting cleared.

Furthermore they were like preview video.

『All the capitals have been cleared……but, the fight is still not over yet.』

It was a preview about the second season. Surely it had been created since some time ago.

It seemed to have been set up to be released at the same time when the clearing finished.

『New threat is attacking each world! Legendary class monsters are standing in the way of the players!』

A dragon over level 300 with golden body and red horn.

The video was showing the dragon blowing away people who seemed to be  the players. Following behind the dragon were silhouettes of monsters.

The only monster that made an appearance was the legendary dragon  with still undecided name. It only had the word dragon written as its  name.

So these guys will make appearance next, Akito couldn’t have a simple thought like that.

One of the orc players found a hotel staff collapsed on the counter.

「Oi, hang in there! W-what? This guy, he’s wearing the new VR machine on his head. What the hell is he doing in work――」

Looking carefully, there was also a staff lying on the sofa.

That staff was also wearing the newest type VR machine on his head.

『The monsters keep coming. And then, a new trial is waiting for the players!』

The PV’s speech was echoing through the hotel lobby in vain.

A car arrived in front of the hotel while he was watching that video.

Coming out from the car was a woman in full gear.

「Is everyone here? We better hurry. The situation is worse than we expected.」

Akito and others ran into the car.

The last line of the PV was――

『Pandora’s battle is――still not over. The true battle will begin now!』

――announcing that. To Akito it sounded like it had different meaning then intended.

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