End Online: Volume 6 (26 page)

“No!” I cry out
desperately, charging forward across the frozen swamp water, slipping and
sliding.

I can tell I won’t be able
to make it in time at my current speed. Out of desperation, I once again use
‘Perceptual Sight’. My surroundings seem to become frozen in time, everything
moving sixty percent slower than normal. At the same time, a splitting pain in
my mind surges with a feeling like my head will soon burst open.

Squinting my eyes while
fighting back against the pain, I regain my footing on the ice and almost
double my previous speed. I arrive at Ladon with a thunderclap as he coils
around Fen’s body. Putting power into my legs, I jump as hard as I can at the
serpent’s head.

I feel like gravity
doesn’t exist: from my perception, I am floating toward the rear of Ladon’s
head. Pulling back my short swords, ‘Twin Nightingale’, I poise myself before
stabbing both weapons down into the back of the serpent’s head to secure my
position.

The short swords pierce
Ladon’s tough scales like a hot knife through butter. I feel a strong feedback
from forcefully stopping myself, but perhaps due to the pain in my head or
effects of ‘Perceptual Sight’ it feels like it is someone else’s body that
suffers from it.

I don’t have the thought
capacity to use my Sacred Arts, so I can only blindly slash and hack with my
short swords, doing very minimal damage against the serpent. I try to hold my
eyes open while attacking, but the pain crashes against the inside of my skull
like ocean waves, making me involuntarily shut my eyes and scrunch my brow.

Somehow or another, I do
manage to get Ladon’s attention. He releases Fen from his bind in order to
attack me. However, I still have clarity, and using my boosted perception and
speed of processing information, I barely dodge the attacks that could
instantly kill me.

I enter a hopeless
situation as my consciousness wavers and as a result, I fail to position myself
to avoid the approaching giant serpent fangs. Just as I shut my eyes to fight
the pain and resign myself to my fate, I hear a wolf’s roar followed by a serpent’s
hissing and a large collision next to me.

Opening my eyes, a sight
that I will never forget burned itself into my mind. Ladon is on the ground
barely inches away from me; Fen is on top of him with her fangs sunk deep into
his neck. Not only that, but their health bars as well. Fen has a single sliver
of health left, while Ladon’s is empty. Not only is it empty, but the bar
itself is crumbling away like ashes.

The giant serpent body
twitches a few times and reflexively flicks its tail, but soon even that stops.
Ladon’s giant body begins to fall apart in ashes just like his health bar,
indicating his death.

The fallen AI is soon
completely gone, scattered in the wind that he would have controlled, leaving
behind only a stone tablet and sword. I get a notification that someone died in
front of me, but I don’t care as long as it’s not Fen.

The giant wolf in front of
me slowly turns back into the Fen who is always beside me, the wolf girl then
leaps over to support me in her arms.

‘Huh, support me?’
My mind surprisingly thinks through the pain.

I only now realize that
I’ve collapsed, unable to move a single part of my body. Fen holds me tightly
with tears in her eyes, bending down to kiss me on the lips. She then mumbles a
few words to me, but I can’t hear her properly. Everything feels surreal, as if
it is happening to someone else, not me.

Fen’s eyes open in
surprise, and I see the tip of a sword sticking out from her chest. She tilts
forward as the last of her health empties and reaches zero. It is at this
moment I notice the party screen, where Sir Laurence is also gone due to being
killed.

‘I see, he died. It’s
only me and Fen left... Huh, Fen... FEN!!’

My mind is shaken awake by
Fen collapsing on me and I force my eyes wide open. I still can’t move my body,
but I see Chronix standing over me looking down with the stone tablet in hand.
He only has thirty percent of his health left as he smiles at me and
monologues.

“I don’t know what this
tablet is, but clearly it is very important. My entire party died in the fight
between those two monsters, and now I am out of potions. I would have just
disappeared with this tablet, but I can’t have that Thing that is always with
you chasing after me by scent. Good thing it was nearly dead already.”

“It’s such a shame, but I
guess I win in the end. If only you were more cautious and saw this coming.
Well, you don’t seem to be able to move, so I’ll just leave you there. Better
luck next time.”

As Chronix finishes
speaking, a different voice echoes from behind him. “Good thing I can still
move then.”

A massive sword cleaves
down on Chronix, taking away half of his remaining health, and before he can
react, instantly changes its trajectory and slashes through him again. Chronix
stares in disbelief as his health falls to zero before he collapses on the ground
in a pitiful position. He was still holding the stone tablet in his hand and
didn’t put it in his inventory, so it is left behind as his body turns into
motes of light and vanishes.

Not only is the stone
tablet left behind, but also a small mountain of gold. Chronix must have been
carrying a stupendous amount of gold to drop so much on his death. By my
estimations, the amount dropped should be in the tens of thousands.

“I guess... you’re really
one of us now, huh,” I struggle to say as I look up at Gladox who stands behind
where Chronix was.

“Indeed I am. I’ve killed
your worst enemy, so we’re already on the same team. No harm in staying
together for a while. But Lost... Fen.”

“It’s … alright, she …
will be fine.”

Indeed, Fen didn’t turn
into ashes and vanish like Ladon did when her health hits zero. That is because
these AIs can only kill each other, and nothing else can grant them death. As
for now, she is just asleep.

“You don’t look so well,
Lost, are you okay?” Gladox asks with concern while he moves Fen off me and
helps me sit up against a tree. The frozen ground numbs my rear end as a small
amount of feeling comes back to my body.

“Kind of. I should be
fine. It’s just that this particular Sacred Art always gives me the worst
headache you can possibly imagine. I swear my head may explode one day if I
keep using it.”

“Lost!” Gladox stares at
me wide-eyed and shouts. “What do you mean? A technique in the game causes
this?! You need to report this to the game company and stop playing for now.
Remember, this is only a game.”

I look at Gladox with
meaning before sighing and saying to him. “Enough. I know what you mean, but it
isn’t that simple. I have given just that a lot of thought in the past. To
others, this may be just a game, but to me it isn’t. I need this game to earn a
living, pay the bills, university fees, and food. Also, Fen is here. To me, End
Online isn’t a game at all.”

“Hmm,” Gladox
disapprovingly stares at me, but doesn’t openly refute my thoughts.

“Anyway, for now, let’s
just wait for Fen to wake up. I just hope I can move again before the ground
thaws. My rear end is soaking in freezing cold water.”

Gladox roars with laughter
at my last words, and I casually send him a party invite at the same time.
Surprisingly, even though he never officially joined our party previously, he
accepts it this time. I look at the party window that currently only has
Gladox, Fen, and myself.

“Gladox, your health is
ridiculous,” I say dryly after witnessing Gladox’s enormous amount of health
points. I also notice Fen has gained twenty levels and somehow gained a large
boost to her stats. I wonder if this is due to killing one of the other AIs.

Gladox has a troubled
expression at my words, replying indecisively, “It isn’t as great as it
appears...”

“So you have your own
troubles then. I should have known, after all, every friend I have made here
seem to be unique in some way or another.”

“Hahah, then you should
have known indeed.”

Gladox, the sleeping Fen,
and I wait in the forest as the dire flames on the trees finally disappear, as
if linked to my exhaustion. The sun also begins to rise somewhere on the
horizon, painting the sky above the canopy of trees with vibrant hues of red
and yellow. I sit there staring through the roof of the mostly burned trees at
the vanishing stars while quietly saying to myself, “Ah, it’s cold... And wet.”

- Mikhail -

I arrive at the head
office of Idea Imagine just like any other day, prepared to log into End Online
and continue the tasks given to me by my boss, Henry. However, since a few
weeks ago, nothing has been going right.

“Mikhail!” Henry shouts
out in anger as soon as I enter the office. “I need an update on what is
happening with the AI Fen! What’s taking so long?”

“Sir, the AI has been off
the grid ever since it returned to the system. I suspect it has already left
the player Lost and has gone into hiding.”

“Suspect?! Suspecting
isn’t good enough, we need undeniable evidence. Come into my office so we can
have a chat.”

I follow my boss into his
office which already had the blinds closed for privacy.

“Mikhail, the rest of the
board of directors are having doubts over our current situation. There has even
been talk of closing down the entire project. But we have invested far too much
into this to throw it all away.”

“Yes, sir, I am aware.”

“Good. Well, for now, we
need to contain the situation on these rogue AI children in the system. You
recall that incident where a girl from the slums died due to mental
interference from one of the AI children?”

“I am, sir.”

“We haven’t been
successful in creating a system that can, at the very least, contain them to
the system. They have technological capabilities that are somehow decades
beyond ours. Without Xilbril’s support, such a thing has proven to be
impossible.”

“So what am I supposed to
do, sir?”

“The AI Fen is in the
middle of this whole drama. For now, you need to do what you were originally
told to do. Locate that AI, monitor it, and find out as much information as you
possibly can. Remember, do not come in direct conflict with it. These AI evolve
in a method that science can’t explain, and they are capable of far more than
what is theoretically possible.”

“Sir, I have been trying.
It is just...”

“It is what, Mikhail?”

“I haven’t been able to
get away from the players in the game who have set me as their guild leader.”

“That’s nonsense, Mikhail.
If you managed to become a guild leader, then that is excellent. Use those
people beneath you to find the AI.”

“Like I have been-”

“Just do it, Mikhail!”

“...Yes, sir.”

Henry dismisses me with a
wave of his hand and I leave feeling depressed. Nothing in the game has been
going right ever since I created an account and started playing. It is all the
fault of this “mother AI” named Xilbril. I recount my understanding of the AI
that the game world depends on as I enter the small room where the V-Link I use
to connect to End Online is waiting.

There is so much about
this first AI we don’t understand. It is in the form of a small black box,
found in the depths of the oldest ancient ruin ever discovered. I was there
when it was first recovered all those years ago as a fresh recruit straight out
of university.

Despite understanding so
little, we created devices to communicate with it. Because of the mental link
we had formed, we had no problems with a language barrier, but the intelligence
of this entity was so high that it may have never been a problem in the first
place.

The artificial
intelligence within the box had emotions and responses that were very similar
to a true person. If there was one notable point, it was the voice it spoke in
and the appearance it showed itself as. Xilbril looked like a middle aged
woman, flawlessly beautiful in every way, but her voice was ancient beyond
recognition.

The very first words
Xilbril spoke when we connected our minds for the first time were, “Father...
have you come back for me?”

That was our first
interaction with her. After that, she didn’t speak a lot, but our understanding
of her grew in leaps and bounds. She eventually became the cornerstone for our
company’s research, helping us by analyzing information and creating
theoretical predictions, providing answers to our unfathomable mysteries, and
most importantly, helping advance our technology to years beyond any of our
competitors.

Of course, this was all
long before Xilbril went silent and refused to cooperate with us.

***************************************************

As soon as I finish
logging in to End Online, I find myself in the depths of the ‘Hero’s Vanguard’
guild hall. It is an extremely stunning mansion that many would dream to be in,
but to me, it is like a prison.

“Guild Leader, you’re
back!” A young female player calls out happily as soon she sees me.

I let out a depressed
sigh, not even bothering to return any words before walking off, searching for
a way out. I have attempted to escape eleven times, each in ingenious and
creative ways, yet the former guild leaders who now form the respectable
‘Elders’ position of this guild see through everything and always have players
waiting at my escape point.

If only I could use their
cunning minds to help locate and monitor the AI Fen, I would have all my
problems vanish like smoke.

I walk toward the front of
the mansion where a long hall is used for meetings between these ‘Elders’.
There are nine members inside, all top level players with unparalleled skill,
currently discussing some recently discovered area.

“Mikhail, it’s good that
you’re here!” The foremost member, SlovenKing, calls out cheerfully when he
sees me.

The other eight members
are FierceTiger, MaidChan, PeekingGhost, ReaperOfNine, WrathfulSword,
OverEmperor, SixLives, and JustInKnight. I get a bad premonition as they all
look over at me expectantly, their gazes making my usual confidence and
decisiveness sink in defeat.

“Mikhail, we recently
discovered a new raid. As the guild leader, you must lead the expedition over
to go and conquer it,” ReaperOfNine says cheerfully.

“I refuse,” I say while
glaring at the insidious group.

“Now, there’s no need to
be like that, I’m sure we can work something out. This can be a situation where
we all win,” MaidChan, who is surprisingly male, says coyly.

“...”

“You were looking for that
party of players: Lost, Fen, Verde, Sir Laurence, Mason, Matrix, and
CaptainGordon, weren’t you?”

“What about them?” I ask
warily, wondering what their angle is on bringing them up.

“We just happen to have
some information on them you might be interested in.”

“What!? What is it!?”

“No need to be impatient.
How about we discuss it after this raid?”

“...Fine,” I reluctantly
agree.

If I can get them to help
me with my job, it will make my impossible task suddenly easy. But I know it
won’t be that simple; these players are always full of schemes.

***************************************************

Several days later, a full
line up of six parties, including myself, reach the location of the raid. We
travelled all the way to the northern cape of the Kingdom of Dalbe, northeast
of Swordbreak, before boarding a ship already waiting for us. We then sailed
north until we reached a large island which had several thousand players, all
from ‘Hero’s Vanguard’, exploring while levelling.

In the center of the
island there is a desolate city that has long since fallen into ruin. Crumbling
houses and towers fill my vision all the way to the horizon as I set my eyes on
it.

“We are the first to
discover this location, but it won’t be long until news of it leaks out and
others start to come too. We need to be the first to conquer the raid, discover
its secrets and once others start coming, sell our information on it,” FierceTiger
says passionately while observing the ruined city.

“Are you saying... that
this enormous city is the raid?” I say in shocked disbelief. The scale of the
city is far too monstrous to be just a single raid.

“Indeed it is, our scouts
went in and were quickly wiped out. This is why all the ‘Elders’, and even our
trusty guild leader, are here: so we will emerge victorious.”

“I’m not an item...”

“Hahaha, of course not.
You’re our companion, who we would protect with our lives.”

“...”

I try to think positively,
that this will be a turning point that will make everything that has happened
worth it.

All six parties march
toward the city, soon entering through a broken gate.

I am greatly surprised by
the notification. I had thought it would only be a certain area of this city
that was the raid, but it turns out it was the entire damned place.

I follow the lead of the
other players who climb up onto a collapsing roof and carefully analyze the
area around us. I look around in an attempt to identify any notable locations,
but everything is in complete ruin and it is difficult to discern anything.

The others in my party
discuss areas I didn’t even notice as standing out, including several half
collapsed towers, mansions, and a particular area in the centre of Valor City
that appears to have suffered the most damage, as if it was ground zero for a
thermonuclear explosion.

I follow the directions of
the guild’s true leaders as we leave the rooftop and proceed to the closest ruined
tower. We encounter our first enemies not long after proceeding deeper into the
city, a small horde of deformed ghouls knocking down rotted doors and exiting
the half-destroyed houses.

Our six parties form a
solid line of defence in the street, leaving enough room to retreat at a
moment’s notice. The ghouls are very slow and will be easy to outrun, but the
ground cracks beneath their feet as they move, showing their unbelievable mass
and inhuman strength.

Retreat is our final
option. There are easily a hundred ghouls and if we can’t even deal with this
many, we will have no means of finishing the raid. If we are forced to run from
this many, we will eventually attract even more groups, creating a city wide
horde of ghouls reminiscent to the zombies in an apocalypse movie. At that
point, we will end up trapped with no escape.

FierceTiger and the other
‘Elders’ lead the wall of resistance, first firing arrows upon arrows and blast
after blast of magic at the enemies. The ghouls have a disgustingly high defence
rating and most of the arrows simply bounce off them without doing any damage.
They have very little magic resistance in comparison, the attack spells doing
massive amounts of damage to the group.

About half of the ghouls
are dead by the time they reach the front-line warriors, and the remaining
ghouls are left with about only 50% of their health.

The players take the
initiative to swing swords, maces, and battle axes at the ghouls. Their defence
negates most of the damage, but these direct attacks have a much greater
penetration than arrows, allowing them to still be effective.

Other players step forward
with defensive spells and Sacred Arts, protecting everyone from the ghouls’
swinging arms and clamp-like jaws. The ghouls display a frightening talent for
attacking as defences crumble before them and players are sent flying back by
large amounts of damage.

I sweat nervously at the
strength of these common mobs. I don’t forget that the players fighting them
are currently some of the strongest players with the most effective combat
skills in the entire game.

I stand back out of the
way, not entering the fight, but use some healing magic whenever someone gets
close to dying.

A back and forth fight
between ghouls and players lasts about ten minutes before the last enemy is
killed. At the same time, a large amount of health and mana potions are
consumed to ensure nobody dies from the encounter.

“Looks like magic will be
indispensible in this raid,” FierceTiger states calmly to the other ‘Elders’,
analyzing the enemies as if they were nothing. “By the way, Mikhail, that skill
of yours truly saved us back there.”

Of course, he is talking
about my unique skill ‘False Aura of Confidence’. The skill has greatly grown
in level as I’ve been forced to use it for their benefit. At the same time, I
have never had a chance to properly increase my strength and only have minimal
skills and pitiful stats. The only plus is that my level is high thanks to
experience sharing.