Hiro Aoi, a 24-year-old leader of a VR game strategy team, participates in the closed beta test of a new full-dive VR title 'Abyss Eternal.' But minutes after starting, all players find themselves unable to log out. The game has become a prison where 'you can't return to reality until you clear it.' In despair, Hiro discovers his teammates are trapped too: Hayase, a brilliant strategist; Rine, a chaotic magic user who laughs at crisis; and Kai, a famous streamer trying to turn the situation into
Trapped in the Virtual Abyss - Noisy, useless, but reliable
Standing before the Boundary Gate had been yesterday.
The three of them had placed their hands together, said "Let's come back alive," and stepped into the pale blue light. That chill and tension still lingered in the core of their bodies. The path leading to the 2nd Floor lay beyond the misty lakeside they'd crossed.
But that wasn't the story for today.
The additional commotion that crashed into 蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) and the others as they stood before the Boundary Gate came five minutes before departure.
"Wait for meeeee!!"
The moment the voice rang out, all three of them spun around.
Silver short hair cut through the wind as it came rushing from beyond the stone pavement. With aqua-blue eyes gleaming and an ear cuff on his left ear swaying, a man came running, gasping for breath.
凱 悠真.
He usually carried himself with a carefree, cool demeanor, but today was different. He stopped in front of them, breathing hard with his hands on his knees, wheezing as he caught his breath.
"...I, I want you to take me with you too"
Silence fell.
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) looked down at 凱 悠真. Disheveled silver hair. A sweat-dampened forehead. You could tell he'd run here at full speed.
It took less than three seconds before 早瀬 真一 crossed his arms and spoke.
"Chronicler isn't a combat class. There's zero strategic value in bringing you along for the 2nd Floor conquest"
"Zero? That's harsh!?"
"Zero. You'd just be dead weight"
"...Well, it's true I can't fight. But I can auto-record maps, and auto-generate monster encyclopedias——"
"I know that. Which is exactly why I'm saying it. The 2nd Floor demands underwater combat. Visibility is poor with the mist. Adding one more person just means one more thing to protect"
"So you will protect me!"
"That's not the point!"
早瀬 真一 raised his voice in a rare display of emotion. 凱 悠真 took it head-on but didn't back down.
"I understand. There's definitely a possibility I'd be in the way. But——"
凱 悠真 paused for a moment. His usually joking tone became slightly more subdued.
"Going solo has hit its limit. The range I can record is too narrow. And...honestly, I'm getting a little tired of being alone"
The words sounded light, but they weren't.
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) looked at 凱 悠真. A man who'd always wanted to be watched by someone as a streamer was saying he was tired of being alone. His tone was casual, but 蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) could sense what lay beneath it.
Beside him, 璃音 raised her hand.
"凱さん, you seem fun! Let's make him a party member!"
"Your criterion is 'seems fun'?"
"But he actually is fun~"
早瀬 真一 pressed his temples.
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) turned back to 凱 悠真 after thinking for a moment.
"The Chronicler's auto-map recording and monster encyclopedia generation——if those are truly useful, there's value in bringing you. Securing visibility in the mist is the biggest challenge on the 2nd Floor"
"...Really?"
"But there's a condition. Show me your abilities. Right now"
"Right now!?"
"You had the stamina to run here, didn't you"
"That's...well, okay, I'll do it!"
When they returned to the emerald grassland before the Boundary Gate, a pack of wind lizards——D-rank monsters inhabiting the 1st Floor that fired wind blades and moved at high speed——remained. They became active toward the end of the day, and today the timing was unfortunate.
"Alright, let's test you. 凱, just record from the back"
"Got it! Full backup support mode!"
Combat began.
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) stepped forward and readied his sword. 早瀬 真一 analyzed the situation from the rear and called out instructions. The moment 璃音 began her incantation, one of the wind lizards charged at high speed toward her.
"璃音, right!"
"Got it——but don't come at me!!"
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) cut in and deflected with his sword. The sound of scales cutting through air rang out.
In that instant, 凱 悠真's voice came from behind.
"Ooh, that was a clean move! Evade into counter——wait, it's coming at me too!?"
"Stop talking and stay in the back!"
"I know! But if I don't commentate, my sense of——"
"Not needed!!"
凱 悠真 ran around shouting. Commentating while running. Making movements that were unclear whether they helped or hindered. 早瀬 真一 muttered in a low voice, "Which one are you?"
璃音 resumed her incantation. This time carefully, checking each stroke before moving her fingers. The magical light gathered small and tight——
"璃音, hold it there! The pattern's starting to curve!"
"Oh, you're right! Um, um——"
"Just redraw the last stroke. Take your time"
"...Okay!"
The light burst with a snap. A small flame-type rune spell hit the pack of wind lizards directly, and three of them flinched simultaneously. Not a misfire. A properly controlled strike.
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) finished off the rest with his sword, and combat ended.
Everyone caught their breath for a moment. Wind blew across the grassland. The evening light slanted in.
"凱, check the origin mark for everyone"
凱 悠真 lowered his gaze to his bracelet-type item.
"Ah——I'll send this to everyone"
Data was shared to everyone's origin marks.
The wind lizards' movement trajectories. Attack angles and speeds. Weak points——the full body with low HP and the specific attack points most effective against particular sides. Monster encyclopedia data auto-generated during combat was cleanly visualized and organized.
早瀬 真一 stared at it silently.
"..."
"早瀬さん?"
"...This guy's data might actually be more useful than I thought"
"Right!? This is my true value!!"
"Shut up"
"But you actually acknowledged me!!"
"I said it once. Don't get cocky"
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) turned toward 凱 悠真.
"I approve your joining. But during combat, you stay in the back absolutely. Focus on recording"
"Understood! Leave it to me!"
"...As a record keeper, then I permit it"
凱 悠真 threw up a flashy victory pose. 璃音 clapped her hands. 早瀬 真一 turned his face away.
They returned to the Lantern Tavern as evening fell.
The lodging house "Lantern Tavern (Lantanea)"——the base of operations for 蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) and the others in Rendvaal, where the orange light of lanterns and the smell of stewed dishes always greeted them——when they opened the door, the proprietress メルダ looked up.
She swayed her chestnut bob hair gently, her dimpled cheeks appearing.
"Oh, you've grown in number"
"Nice to meet you, I'm 凱 悠真!"
"Yes. Welcome, 凱. ...You're all starving, aren't you? Wait just a moment"
メルダ withdrew to the kitchen. After a while, dinner for four was laid out on the table. Roasted wild boar that rivaled the specialty of the tavern "Swaying Wheat Ears," with sautéed root vegetables as a side. Freshly steamed bread. Soup with a slight kick that warmed the body.
The moment 凱 悠真 sat down and saw the plate, his eyes gleamed.
"This is it...this is it! This is what lodging house food should be!! I want to eat this in the real world too!!"
"You make a fuss about everything, don't you"
"Doesn't your tension go up seeing food like this?"
"It doesn't"
"I think most people's would..."
璃音 raised her hand hesitantly.
"Hey hey, now that we're all four together, let's make a toast! I can make light orbs, you know. Small, cute ones"
"Don't"
"I haven't done anything yet"
"The moment you suggest using rune magic, it's a no. If you cause a misfire in this place, I can't face メルダ"
"...But I want to toast"
"The feeling alone is enough"
"A toast with just the feeling..."
璃音 made a slightly disappointed face. But in the next instant, her expression switched to "Oh well!" Her ability to switch gears was fast. This was the essence of 璃音's natural airheadedness.
"Then just a little! It'll be really small!"
"Were you even listening——"
璃音's fingertip traced through the air. One stroke of the pattern at a time, carefully. Maybe she'd gained a little confidence from the successful combat earlier. She finished the final stroke.
A light orb was born. A small, cute one.
It exploded.
BOOM!
Smoke and flash. The table shook. Everyone froze for a moment.
Silence.
The roasted wild boar on 蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ)'s plate was beautifully charred black.
"..."
"Permanent record footage!!"
凱 悠真 turned his gaze to his origin mark. The recording function was active.
"You really..."
"I'm sorry! But the feeling of the toast came through, right!? It lit up properly!"
"That's not the issue!"
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) gazed at the charred meat. He poked it with his chopsticks. The outside had gone beyond crispy to charcoal. But what about the inside?
He put a small piece in his mouth.
"...Yeah, it's a little delicious"
"Huh!?"
"Why!?"
"It probably got more fragrant"
"Isn't that being too positive?"
"...蒼井 紘, is your mental fortitude a monster's?"
Laughter spread. 凱 悠真 laughed holding his stomach, 璃音 relaxed saying "I'm so glad~~!!", and 早瀬 真一 made a bitter face while the corners of his mouth rose. メルダ poked her head out from the kitchen saying "Another misfire?" with an exasperated look, but brought additional meat. That's why メルダ was メルダ.
After the meal, they spread a map on the table.
"Starting tomorrow, we begin the full conquest of the 2nd Floor"
The four of them gathered around the map. Centered on the city of Calmvassa, the lakeside area of Silent Lake spread out. Much of it was white due to the mist, obscuring details.
"The 2nd Floor has two challenges. One is poor visibility from the mist. The other is water terrain. We might not be able to approach the dungeon entrance without passing through the floating settlement on the lake"
凱 悠真 leaned his face close to the map.
"Then my map recording becomes super important! Auto-generation doesn't stop even in the mist! I can record position data even with zero visibility"
早瀬 真一 crossed his arms and paused for a moment.
"...Certainly, 凱's function is most effective in the mist"
"That's rare, 早瀬 being straightforward"
"Just this once"
璃音 turned toward 凱 悠真 and smiled gently.
"It was good we made 凱さん a party member from the start~"
"璃音ちゃん is the best!!"
"Shut up"
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) looked at 早瀬 真一's profile. The corners of his mouth were raised ever so slightly. Whether he didn't notice or was pretending not to notice was unclear.
蒼井 紘(あおい ひろ) didn't point it out.
"Alright, let's go as four tomorrow. We'll cover each other's weaknesses as we advance"
"Tomorrow's the real start!"
"...Well, at least fulfill your role as record keeper"
"That means you acknowledged me, right!?"
"Just once. Don't make me say it twice"
凱 悠真 started to say "I want to show the viewers——" but stopped.
Then, quietly, he continued.
"...Oh, I don't have viewers yet"
He said it with a laugh. But his voice was a little small.
璃音 looked at 凱 悠真.
"We're watching you"
"...Huh?"
"Every time you do something, we're all watching. All four of us"
Her face was blank. Natural, as if she'd simply said what came to mind.
Which was why it was heavy.
凱 悠真 looked at 璃音 for a while, then simply said "...I see."
There was no usual banter. Just a genuine smile.
メルダ's sound of clearing dishes came from the kitchen. The Lantern Tavern's lantern swayed in orange. The 2nd Floor map remained spread between the four of them.
Beyond that map lay a misty water domain no one had yet stepped into. The underwater altar where the Whirlpool Maiden Ilmira waited. What monsters would emerge from the mist was still unknown.
But tonight, that was fine.
The party of four was complete here. That was enough.
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