It took Sila an hour to finish his story. That was because after he had told them about how he had t Montra, Bluebird and Burapha were urging him to tell them what he had done since he first entered the ga. Sila told them everything except what happened in the Mansion of Seven Deadly Sins. He didnt forget that his reward would be confiscated if he told anyone. Sila didnt care about his card, but as that was a duo quest, he was more concerned that Lone Wolfs card might get confiscated if he were to tell them.
Because Sila took an hour to tell his story, he missed his chance to reunite with Poluk, Viola, and Divine who had appeared in Lockheart City.
I finally understand, said Bluebird.
Hm? What do u understand? Sila asked.
Many things. But there are still puzzles left.
What are they then? Just tell us already. Stop acting like you know everything, Burapha said.
At least, I now understand the bigger picture more than Sila himself.
More than ? Sila wondered. He was the one who told the story. How could Bluebird be confident with saying he understood the story better than Sila?
Sila still doesnt know the secret of Monster Soul. It isnt strange that you cant connect the dots in your own story.
Wait. Please stop. Are you sure youre not spouting nonsense here, Big Brother? I cant see how Big Brother Silas story is related to Monster Soul Online, Burapha argued.
Is that so? Then, let ask you this: There are tons of virtual reality gas out there. Why did Montra pick this ga to play? Bluebird tried to give a hint.
Sila and Burapha were really curious. Right after the brain-scanning technology had been approved by the masses ten years ago, the era of virtual reality gas ca. Monster Soul Online was launched two years ago, but it was not very popular due to its degree of freedom being too high. Its level of harshness was just not suitable for everyone to enjoy playing. Despite this, there are still many hardcore players that like it as it is. Hence, even though Monster Soul Online has never been the most popular virtual reality ga, it has never fallen from the top ten rankings.
Is this matter really related to Montra? Sila asked.
It is related to all of us, Bluebird said.
How?
Let ask one more question. Why do you play this ga, Burapha? Bluebird inquired.
Its because of my dad. He ordered to play this ga. My ho is a lance dojo. My dad was once invited to play this ga during its testing period. Once he ca back, he suddenly ordered to play it. Nevertheless, my dream is to beco a businessman in real life so I kept declining. I ended up playing it a few months ago though, Burapha answered.
As for , I started playing because my friend recomnded it to . He is my sparring partner, Bluebird said.
I still cant see how all of these things are related to each other, Burapha wondered.
Let firstly tell you about Monster Soul. Do you guys know how many years have passed since this ga started operating?
There will be a celebration campaign for their second anniversary soon, so two years, am I right? Burapha guessed.
Youre close. Actually, this ga has been operating for three years already. Its just that the first year was its closed beta.
Closed beta shouldnt be included. It was purely for testing the system, wasnt it? Burapha argued.
If they just wanted to conduct a normal system testing, how co your dad was invited to participate? Bluebird pointed out.
Burapha was speechless. Thinking about it, he really couldnt understand the reason. His father also didnt explain anything to him. He just left ho for several months until he ca back and invited Burapha to play the ga as well.
Is this conversation still about Montra? Sila asked. He had listened for a long ti but still didnt see how things connected to him or Montra.
Keep listening and you will see soon. What I am about to say is classified information that our guild doesnt sell to anyone. This matter is top secret. There are many people who know about this though.
Wait, wait. How co there are many people who know about the secret? Isnt this contradicting? Burapha argued.
Dont interrupt , man. Listen to first. The thing is, this gas creator had a dream to create a lawless virtual reality world. He wanted to build a world that will beco a battle stage of monsters. In the end, he was successful in creating a virtual reality world nad Monster Soul. However, he discovered that this world was missing sothing. Although there were vicious monsters and humanoid artificial intelligences, he wasnt satisfied. The thing that was missing was the life.
The life? Sila pondered.
Yes. You can call it the flow, emotion, diversification, life, or anything else. The thing is, the ga was lifeless. Despite having the most advanced AI, ultimately, they are just machines. Despite how it seed like they could think for themselves, their ability to think was rely a product of a machine learning. The ga creator wasnt content with his world. Thus, the ga began to change.
The thing that computers cannot replace is humanity. Although humans arent perfect like machines, isnt that imperfection life? Once he had this idea, he invested a lot of money to contact and invite master-class experts from all over the world to participate in playing this ga during the closed beta. Buraphas dad must have been one of them.
This conversation reminded Sila of one thing. Three years ago, his teacher had indeed left the dojo for months. His teacher had ntioned about going to do so business abroad though.
During the closed beta, the ga was much harsher than how it is currently. There were no levels, health points, or system windows. Only personal ability mattered. The ga creator had collected such data and later implented the skill system.
As you may know, using a brain scanner affects the users physique. The brain, mind, and physique are connected to each other. If the brain registers pain, the physique will also feel pain even if there is no external wound. In other words, if the brain thinks the body is being developed, the physique will also be developed.
You an, if we keep playing this ga, one day we will beco superhuman? Burapha asked.
You have been reading too much manga. How can such a thing be possible? What I am trying to say is, this ga can help you gain experience that you cant obtain in real life. There is a risk of dying in actual combat but you can die anyti in this ga. Dont you agree that this ga is very suitable for practicing actual combat?
Youre right. So techniques of martial arts are too dangerous to be used on a real person, aning the user cant properly learn it or improve it. However in this ga, you can freely use them, Sila agreed.
Thats correct. So, after the closed beta had ended, there were many experts that didnt want to return to their ho but wanted to continue playing this ga.
Burapha couldnt comprehend the thoughts of those experts, but Sila could fully understand. He said, I can understand them. To us martial artists, there is always the longing to fight against a skilled opponent. Therefore, a world where we can fight for real without having to hold back, where there are tons of monsters, where there are experts all over the world gathering, it is like heaven. No one would want to leave such a place.
Thats true. Though, not all of them decided so. Sixty percent of those people have family or important matters that required their return to take care of. Nevertheless, the ga creator created the AIs based on their personalities. Although they are not as talented as the originals, they are enough to be their substitutes. As for those who decided to stay, if they remained as players, the normal players would have no way of competing with them. Thus, the ga creator defined roles for each of them to play.
Role?
Yes. A role regarding the backstory of Monster Soul. These roles would prevent them from leaving so place or forcing them to perform so duties. However, outside the restrictions befalling on them, they can do whatever they want. These people are called independent NPCs.
Theyre kind of like the individual players who arent affiliated with any guilds. The independent NPCs are not controlled by the system. This aspect makes this ga more complex and realistic, which is what the ga creator wanted.
I still cant see how this story is related to Montra though, Sila said.
Youre looking at the leaf without seeing the tree, and looking at the tree without seeing the forest. The related thing is, those experts are influential people in real life and tend to have tons of disciples. Most veteran players in this ga are either those who know nothing of this gas history or those who had it suggested to them by others. Based on Silas story, Montra is likely to be the latter.
Regarding Montras reason for playing this ga, I dont see how it is connected to Big Brother Sila, Burapha argued again.
It is surely connected. This world is the center of realitys battleground, so Montra being the strongest player is like saying he is more skilled than other martial artists. Most people wouldnt dare to offend such a person. Sila, arent you curious how your teacher has been missing for many days, yet there arent any clues? This is because many people are on Montras side.
Be it the real world or Monster Souls world, there is one fact that will always be true. Power reigns over everything. In the real world, power might co in many forms like wealth or fa. But in Monster Soul, only strength matters.
But this is only a ga. How can real life be related? Burapha couldnt help but argue once again.
This world might be nothing but a ga in your opinion. For many other players however, this ga is a reality and the reality is instead just a ga for them. This ga is too real. People deeply imrse themselves in it. For those who dont want to be Montras in-ga enemy, they would feel the sa in real life. Among them are influential people in real life and are likely to have authority over a trivial investigation into a missing person.
Sila was speechless and didnt know what to do next. At first, he just wanted to get revenge on Montra. Later, he changed his plan to ask for his teachers whereabouts before obtaining his revenge. How co the problem had beco this complex?
There is a solution to this problem though, Bluebird said.
Is there a solution? Sila wondered. The issue seed too big for him to handle alone.
The solution is simple yet difficult.
The simple part is, you just have to defeat Montra in a fair fight. The majority would change their standing and beco yours. Montra uses his single hand to cover the sky, declaring himself as the strongest in Monster Soul. His distinctive point is that he has never lost in a battle. However, this is also his weakness. If he loses even once, his sphere of influence would collapse. There will be no more support from others. After that happens, it will depend on what you would like to do next.
What is the hard part?
The hard part is the sa thing as the simple part. Montra has never lost in a battle because he is a genius fighter. I despise Montras face too but I have to admit that his superior fighting ability is real. He is among the earliest players of this ga. Based on our guilds latest information, Montra is currently at Marquis Rank, level 1000. He has yet to choose an elent so he can use spells of all elents. Despite that, he miraculously possesses hundreds of high-tier spells. He has also learned and mastered more than thirty types of martial arts. He is a genius among geniuses. Other early players like him cannot achieve half of what he does.
Martial arts, more than thirty types!? Burapha exclaid.
Sila was as shocked as Burapha. There are many martial arts in this world, each of them different from each other like languages. So are similar, while so are completely different. For Montra who had mastered thirty types of martial arts, it wasnt the least bit exaggeration to hail him as a genius fighter.
Silence fell over the group. Sila felt like he was facing a very big hurdle; a mountain nad Montra that was too tall for him to see the top. Sila couldnt help but inwardly question: if Montra was this skilled, why did he have to play dirty in the match? Sila might not have been Montras worthy opponent even if that was a fair match. Is this related to how his teacher went missing?
Well, dont stress yourself out. Dont just focus on the end of the road. Try solving the problem bit by bit. The problem will eventually beco smaller. Bluebird hit Silas shoulder.
I just realized how serious the problem that Big Brother Sila faces is. Anyway, I will try to help you, at least financially. A huge amount of money might be needed to pick a fight with a large guild like the Heaven Dragon guild, Burapha said.
As for , Im poor and broke. But I know a lot of people. I will try searching for your teachers whereabouts, Bluebird said.
Really? Can you do that? Sila wondered.
I also have so connections even in real life. I might find so clues if Im lucky.
Sila smiled. Thanks, you two. I will surely return this favor.
The gratitude is accepted, but the return is not. For friends, helping each other is natural, Bluebird said, which Burapha nodded in agreent.
The first assembly of these three players was the beginning of a new legend that would cause the world of Monster Soul to undergo a drastic change in the future.
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