Dimension Wave: Volume 1 E-Book

Aneko Yusagi

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Dimension Wave
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 313

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Dimension Wave—a super popular VRMMO game where players can experience several years of fantasy in just twenty-four hours of real time.
Enticed by the entry ticket his sisters won, a young man takes part in the project’s Second Wave. However, as soon as he enters the world of the game, he finds that his sisters have played a trick: he’s been transformed into a girl with the cringy name Kizuna†Exceed.
But instead of letting it get to him, he decides to chill and take this new life as it comes.
Without sparing a fraction of a second deciding, Kizuna immediately chooses to fish rather than fight on the front lines in this fantasy world. Alongside his sisters, Kanade and Tsumugi, a Japanese-style beauty named Shouko, Yamikage the fake ninja, and other quirky comrades, he works to enjoy his second life to the fullest.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Prologue

Chapter 1: The Dismantling Knife and the Worn-Out Rod

Chapter 2: Herring and Dismantling

Chapter 3: Altorese the Merchant

Chapter 4: Revenge and Results

Chapter 5: Spirit of Glass

Chapter 6: The Second City

Chapter 7: The Shadow That Crawls from the Dark

Chapter 8: An Efficient and Lucrative Spot with No Competition

Chapter 9: On to the Great Blue

Chapter 10: A Small Mistake, a Large Experience

Chapter 11: Dimension Wave Kicks Off

Chapter 12: The Frontliners

Chapter 13: Defensive Battle

Chapter 14: Dimension Wave Complete

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Color Images

Table of Contents

Prologue

Want a fulfilling new life in another world?

The Second Life Project: Second Wave!

Dimension Wave taking applicants. Deadline approaching!

“How about it?”

The backgrounds and the subjects were so realistic, I could have sworn they were photographs. It had to be a big deal, seeing as the article sprawled across seven whole pages of a gaming magazine.

“I’m not quite sure how to answer that question...”

Out of nowhere, my two sisters had stormed up to me and shoved a magazine in my face. Without providing any context whatsoever, they’d enthusiastically asked, “How about it?” while exuding an air of triumph.

Honestly, I had absolutely no idea what they were trying to ask me. The magazine article seemed to be about a game, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested. Unfortunately, the genre was listed as an MMORPG. Personally, I leaned more into those laid-back games where you cycle through daily routines. You know, like Harv*st Moon and World N*verland.

My reaction was immediately met with protest.

“Oh come on! Don’t be such a spoilsport!” cried my big sister.

Which was followed by my little sister’s, “Yeah! Live a little!”

Where was all this energy coming from? Not to brag, but the three of us usually got along pretty well for siblings. We played together a lot, and my sisters were both pretty hardcore gamers.

“So anyway, what do you think about the game?” my little sister asked in a saccharine voice. She was laying it on quite thick. She was so enthusiastic it was creeping me out a bit, but I still owed her a fair chance since we were siblings. I swallowed down that emotion and took another good look at the magazine.

Dimension Wave—it was an online game. From what I could gather, players would work together en masse to fend off enemies that came in massive waves: Dimension Waves, as they called them. Skimming through, it was your typical RPG fare where the players would defeat monsters using a wide array of weapons and magic. There were even several races to choose from.

Oh, but it looked like there was fishing too. That was more up my alley. I preferred a game where you could take it nice and slow.

Hm? This part seems a bit different from your typical explanation. What’s this?

The article read: “Players are meant to experience an uninterrupted new life within the game and so, as was the case with the hugely popular First Wave, they will be unable to log out until the game has been completed. With that said, time moves differently in the game than it does in real life. Although it will take a few years for the game to be cleared, this will equate to only twenty-four hours in real time, perfect for office workers who find themselves lacking in leisure time! If you want to take part, please enter the URL below!”

And that’s all she wrote. The article jogged my memory, though. I recalled the stir it had caused a year ago. The Second Life Project produced by a popular VRMMO studio, was it?

Just as the magazine said, the game used a system where months or even years in the game would translate to only a matter of hours in reality. It was particularly popular among working adults, and the fact that you had to live out the whole experience from beginning to end without logging out had led to the “Second Life” part of the name.

Due to the nature of the game, they only held a session once a month, and—barring a few contrarians—most people seemed quite satisfied with the experience. At least, that was what I remembered reading online. A friend of mine wouldn’t stop heaping praise on it, so it must have been quite the experience.

However, it wasn’t without controversy... There were reports of some players changing how they spoke or acted after a session. It just went to show that spending a few years in the game was enough to influence someone’s personality.

On another note. That friend of mine ended up getting a girlfriend in the game, and they’re still together in real life. Ptooey! Lucky him, huh?

As a side note...participating in the game wasn’t cheap. Or at least, it wasn’t supposed to be cheap. Not only was the game itself expensive, but it required specialized equipment to play. And the business, well, it was a business, so there wasn’t much to say about that. The point being, it was a game that normally fell outside of a student’s price range.

“So, why bring this up?” I asked. Honestly, participating in this was way out of the question. I couldn’t see pleading to mom or dad ending in anything but a firm “No.”

“Huzzah!”

Then, with the same high spirits, my big sister pulled out an envelope. It was from the Second Life Project.

“D-Don’t tell me...”

“Now be amazed! It’s a game entry ticket!”

“Where did you get that? You didn’t do something illegal, did—”

“She won it in a gaming tourney! This was the prize!” my little sister happily explained, completely disregarding my joke.

There was only one tournament that could have offered the entry ticket as a prize; it had to be the arcade fighting game tourney held by one of the company’s subsidiaries. I’d read about how it was a packed event with a deluge of people who joined in just to get those very tickets. To think my family was a part of that crowd... It’s an odd feeling.

“And get this. One ticket is good for three people!” my big sister smugly proclaimed.

And my other sister was so excited, it looked like she might zoom off at any second.

“Three...? That’s a dubious number, don’t you think?”

Isn’t it usually two or four? I’d heard stories of couples and spouses taking part together to deepen their relationships. And other stories where they broke up because their relationship fell apart in-game...

Anyways, does that mean I can join too? No... Wait a second.

“Hey, how much would these go for on auct— GHAH!”

My little sister’s fist found its way into my right cheek before I could finish.

“As if we’d ever sell it, stupid!”

“I mean, we could sell one piece of paper and go on a family tri— GHAH!”

This time, my big sister’s fist caught my left cheek.

“Personally, I think we can wait until we’re working adults before we pay mom and dad back for all they’ve done for us.”

How faithful to their desires they were. But then again, the ticket wasn’t mine to begin with. I didn’t really have a say in what happened to it.

“So there’s the two of you and... Are you planning to invite another friend?”

“Huh?” they both cried out.

And, “Hm?” I grunted back.

They were both looking at me in disbelief.

“You don’t want to play?”

“No, not really.”

It did sound enticing, but the fact it was a VR game gave me second thoughts.

“I don’t have the right constitution for VR game systems.”

VR game systems, or more specifically, dive-type online games, were a breath of new life that stirred up the world of online gaming. It was a futuristic concept that—until recently—had been limited to the realm of cyberpunk science fiction.

Indeed, they were supposed to be the dive-type games of hopes and dreams, but though they did cause a commotion when they first launched, they were only well received by a handful of gamers.

This is something I think a lot of Japanese gamers will understand, but for starters, the experience itself was a factor. The digital worlds of dive-type games just didn’t sit right with a lot of people.

Just like how pixel sprite games still maintain their popularity, the players who had gotten used to gaming while staring at a screen just found it to be a completely different and less enjoyable experience. I was born into an era of beautifully rendered 3D models, so it didn’t bother me, but I heard there were quite a few people who resisted the transition from sprites to 3D. But, well, if that’s all there was to it, I wouldn’t have been so averse to dive-type games.

That brought me to my second point: the strong influence of human brain waves on performance. Recent discoveries proved that brain waves, or what was termed computational power, could vary greatly between individuals. In essence, the source of what was previously called instantaneous decision-making ability or decisiveness was determined to be related to the speed of electronic transmissions within the brain. Unfortunately, this transmission speed also affected the performance of dive-based games, leading to a disparity in user experience based on natural ability.

In short, there were gamers cropping up all over the place, complaining that the starting line wasn’t the same for everyone. Save for a few players who managed to adapt well, the demand for dive-type games wasn’t nearly as high as expected.

That being said, touch screens weren’t well-received at first either. As science progresses, I’m sure the consoles will improve too, and individual ability will be less of a factor. But we’ll first need to get to that point before these sorts of games really take off.

Actually, I think I heard something about that recently...

“Fret not, dear brother,” my little sister assured me. “The pod-type system has a built-in brain wave standardizer program, so it should be all right for anyone to use.”

“Ah, right. So that’s why the entry fee is so high.”

The pod-type was a higher-spec version of a VR gaming system. Unlike the usual setup where a head-mounted display was plugged into a normal computer, a person was fully immersed in a pod filled with a special breathable liquid as they connected to the game. It was a device straight out of a mad scientist’s lab.

As I’d let on before, this machine was why people needed to enroll to participate, and it cost a fair bit of money just to run it for an entire day.

“Okay, I get that even I would be able to play, but don’t you two have anyone else you want to invite?”

“I’ve been given the chance to play with two other people, so won’t it be more fun to play with my little brother and sister?” said my big sister.

“Yeah, yeah!” my little sister chimed in.

Finally, I relented. “Then I’ll join you. Thanks.”

Yeah, there was no way around it. It made me pretty happy to hear them say that. And so, I ended up participating in Dimension Wave.

†

Thus came the day of the game. The three of us hopped aboard a train and made our way to the venue. Even though my sisters had pestered me into coming early, the place was already packed when we got there.

All we had to bring were our entry tickets, and USB sticks containing character data, which were distributed to players in advance. Since character creation was a lengthy process owing to the game’s specifications, they wanted it done in advance.

My character was one I’d meticulously planned out three days prior—I’d decided to go with a muscular giant of a man. I realized that macho characters might not be the most popular, but I personally found them cool.

As for race, the options were Human, Demihuman, Elf, Jewel, and Spirit. I ended up going with Spirit. It was a rare race in these kinds of online games, one that apparently lacked the concept of HP, MP, and level. The official site only had a little bit of info, and I’d have to figure the rest out on my own. Honestly, it was a toss-up between Jewel and Spirit for me, but I ultimately settled on Spirit. I was a sucker for strange gimmicks.

Incidentally, my big sister chose Human, while my little sister went Demihuman. I didn’t ask them about it, but after I’d spent enough time putting off the question, they stormed up to me in a huff and told me of their own accord.

“Oh, it looks like they’re starting to let people in,” I announced to my sisters, who had become antsy in anticipation, prompting them to begin their fretful advance.

Along the way, we passed through a station where I handed an ID-embedded ticket to an employee in exchange for a blue, plastic key with a number on it. Then farther down, the path divided in two. It seemed to split between men and women.

“See you later!”

“Buh-bye!”

After waving my sisters goodbye, I went down the men’s path and arrived at a changing room. It was quite spacious too. I tracked down the locker with a number that matched the one on my key and found a set of clothing inside. They had to have been made with the measurements I’d provided to the official site along with my entry number.

I quickly started changing into them. The clothes had a design like those pilot suits you see in anime and felt strangely skintight. In fact, they were embarrassingly skintight. Seeing how the guys to my left and right were both donning theirs in embarrassed silence, they seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Apparently, the dive pods originally got a bad rap owing to the fact that players had to enter them completely naked, so the company went and designed clothes specifically for them. These clothes also contained emergency life-saving features, among other things. It was yet another cost that added to the high entry fee.

With that on my mind, I finished changing and made sure to lock my locker before hurrying along.

“Whoa...”

What greeted me was the sight of rows upon rows of the sort of pods I could imagine being used to put someone into a cold sleep. Each was meant to facilitate an entire person, being just about as large as my bed back home.

“Let’s see what we have here...”

Where and how to stick the USB, how to properly close the pod, it was all indicated with large, conspicuous stickers that didn’t leave any room for misinterpretation. As directed, I stuck my USB stick into the port, entered the pod, and made sure it was properly sealed before I slowly settled in.

As there was still time before it began, I thought about what I’d do in-game. My sisters both mentioned they’d take combat-focused jobs, but I had something else in mind. I wanted to try out the fishing I’d seen in the magazine.

Admittedly, fishing did seem like a bit of an odd focus when playing an MMORPG, but kicking back and taking it easy did seem to fit with the Second Life producer’s MO. Not that there was any point in dwelling on it now. Surely I’d find my own objective if I played enough of the game.

As I was lost in thought, I suddenly realized that I’d completely forgotten about the events that lent their name to the title of the game—the Dimension Waves. It was up to players whether they wanted to participate or not, and I was still on the fence about it. But I just knew my sisters were going to join and...I wanted to be able to provide a bit of support, at the very least.

“Oh?”

“Well then, participants, it’s almost time. We ask that you please refrain from exiting the pod until the game begins.”

I thought I had longer to go, but as it turned out, I’d been immersed in my own thoughts for quite some time. I was only snapped out of it when a voice played on the sound system, and a liquid began to fill the pod. The liquid was green... Or rather, it was just taking on the colors of the lights in the pod.

Was this part of the presentation? It seemed to be a colorless substance. It filled the space in no time at all, and though I immediately stopped breathing by reflex, soon enough I instinctively resumed out of want for air.

I was surprised. I could actually breathe. I’d still been half in doubt up to that point.

Loading Data 0%... 100%.

Load Complete. Performing Brain Wave Standardization Stress Test.

Images were streamed into my eyes—no, they were flowing directly into my brain. A scene unfolded before me, even more beautiful than reality. It was a video of a fantasy town with all sorts of people moving to and fro. The sound was also crystal clear, picking up everything from the touting of a nearby merchant to the disorderly footsteps of the crowd.

Due to my poor physical compatibility with VR, I usually got terrible lag whenever using a standard VR game system. Yet surprisingly, everything was playing smoothly, and the resolution was immaculate. That’s a specialized machine for you.

Test Complete. All Procedures Complete. The Game Will Now Begin.

I still wasn’t very comfortable with words being sent directly to my brain without going through my ears. It felt like I’d slipped into a world of science fiction, but surely the level of modern science was just higher than I thought. It would have been nice to say I was excited, yet honestly, I felt strangely unsettled. I glanced around nervously when suddenly, my vision cut out.

“That one was a bit unpleasant.”

This wasn’t limited to games; it applied to all dive-type systems in general. The sensation of having your vision go black like that didn’t sit right with me; it felt too much like turning off a TV.

An unsettling reminder that the world I was living in wasn’t reality.

Benedictio vitae tuae!

Blessing... Life... “A Blessing Upon Your Life”?

Latin wasn’t really my forte, so I couldn’t know for sure. I pondered these foreign words as my consciousness slowly faded away.

Chapter 1: The Dismantling Knife and the Worn-Out Rod

The text, “First City, Lurolona” appeared in the bottom right corner of my vision.

“Hmm...?”

I’d been unconscious for a few seconds—no, less than a fraction of that if we were calculating in real-time. If the developer’s explanation was to be believed, my flow of time would be completely different from this moment onward.

So we’re supposed to live here until the game’s complete?

I looked around and found myself in a scene that surpassed reality.

White stone pavement, a western castle that towered in the distance... On closer inspection, the pavement was slightly dirty. If I had to describe it, perhaps I’d say it added a sense of reality? The stones certainly existed; they were part of a real, lived-in world... It was that kind of dirtiness.

“Oh? It’s started! Hey! Umm... Your in-game name... Right, Therese! Over here! C’mon!”

“Ah, there you are! Ta... I mean L’Arc!”

A handsome man and a pretty woman were staring deeply into each other’s eyes. They were a Human male and a Jewel female. Did that mean they were real-world acquaintances that managed to spawn near one another?

“Aight! Let’s have some fun, then! The game’s only just begun! I’ve been pretty busy lately, so let’s stretch out this short vacation as much as we can!”

“Of course! We haven’t been able to see each other lately... It’s been so long since we were alone together...”

“Right on!”

Look, I get that you’re putting out a rosy atmosphere, but you’re not alone...

At the very least, I’d confirmed the fact that there were players who plotted to stretch out their time off with the game. It wasn’t a complete waste of time to stick around.

The voices of those who’d just logged in chimed in one after the next and soon I was surrounded by the noisy hustle and bustle of a crowded street. I’d played VRMMOs before, but this was the first time it had ever felt so real to me.

“Now then, let’s keep my excitement in check, and start the... Hmm?”

I heard a strangely high-pitched voice.

The character creator let you freely customize your voice type, but the one I heard was a female voice that just screamed, “I made liberal use of that system.” I’d definitely set a stern, gritty voice; at least, it wasn’t anything close to the loli voice I was hearing. Did I make a mistake somewhere?

I have a...bad feeling about this. I quickly checked my reflection in the window glass of a nearby store.

“Yeah, that’s clearly a girl, thank you very much,” I muttered to myself.

And not just that... Long, jet-black hair, a young body, tiny hands, tiny feet, a practically nonexistent chest. My clothes—presumably starting equipment—consisted of a simple, white dress.

The game even went as far as to recreate the sensation of wearing a skirt, including the chilly, airy feeling between my legs.

Kizuna†Exceed has received a multi-chat request. Do you accept?

A voice echoed directly in my head. The sender was Tsumugi†Exceed—a name I didn’t know.

But, come to think of it, that’s pretty similar to my name. Let me guess, you’re the one who did this to me.

There was a system ding as soon as I accepted the multi-chat thingy, and immediately, the noise died down and I could hear only two other voices.

“Ah, there you are, big bro.”

“Yoohoo.”

In fact, they were two very familiar voices. They seemed to be using the exact same voices they had in real life.

“Don’t ‘there you are, big bro’ me! Why did my character’s name and appearance change?! And don’t think you’re off the hook either, stupid sis!”

My older sister’s name read Kanade†Exceed, and I felt a growing urge to lodge a complaint at their naming sense. The three of us shared a last name, following a kanji, symbol, western name format. This sounds like a terminal case of chuunibyou.

“I mean, your big sis always wanted another little sister,” my big sister claimed.

“I wanted a little sister too!” added my little sister.

And together, they asserted, “That’s why we had our brother join in!”

“I...see.”

I let out a sigh. To think I’d already be lamenting my life in a video game. Here I was, wondering why they never asked me what appearance I’d chosen... As it turned out, they’d already rewritten my data yesterday.

“That’s not all.”

“Hmm?”

“We’re going to be living in this world for months, maybe even years. I wanted a connection, something to tie us together.”

“Sis...”

She had a reason, apparently. No, wait, is that any reason to turn me into a girl? Isn’t this a case of unauthorized access on my computer? And wait, I have to keep this up until we’re done with this game?!

“And...”

“Go on.”

“When we introduce ourselves, don’t you think calling us the three sisters rolls so well off the tongue?”

I just stared at her for a moment in silence. Am I supposed to laugh here? I’m pretty sure this is where I get mad.

“Fine... Whatever. I guess going with a different gender will really make this feel like I’m living a second life.”

Being the only boy among my female siblings, I’d experienced this unfairness several times before. This was supposed to be a fun game, and shouting at my family was only going to put a damper on that.

“So what are you going to do now?” my little sister asked me.

“Hmm, well, for starters, I’ll get a fishing skill and start fishing.”

“You really love all that side content, don’t you, Kizzy?”

“Kizzy...”

What is this? This indescribable discomfort? Why does it feel like they’ve stationed me as the youngest of the three sisters?

“At least continue to call me big brother.”

“Aww...”

“You already turned me into a girl. It’s the least you could do.”

“Urgh, well, have it your way.”

And why does it sound like she’s being forced to make a huge concession?

“I plan on going out to hunt. Same old. What about you, Kanade?”

“I haven’t decided what type of gear I’ll be using yet, so I’ll have to start at the shops.”

“Then we’re going to be going our separate ways?”

“Right. I’ll call you...I mean, message you later.”

“Sure.”

The chat cut out, and my hearing returned to normal.

All right, I guess I’ll go fishing. It’s what I was originally planning on, in any case. If I remember right, you unlock skills as you go.

I concentrated on opening up the status, skill, and item screens from the menu.

Name: Kizuna†Exceed / Race: Spirit

Energy: 1000 / Mana: 50 / Serin: 500

Skills: Energy Production I, Mana Production I

Items: Beginner’s Weapon Box, Beginner’s Energy Potion x10, Spirit Manual

I chose the Spirit Manual from my inventory, causing a palm-sized book to manifest in my hand. Flipping through it revealed lines upon lines of text that were not in Japanese, yet I could still read them regardless. The language was apparently called Spirit Tongue.

“Let’s see here...”

The manual read: “Unlike the other races, Spirits do not have a concept of level, HP, MP, STR, AGI, INT, MND, DEX, or LUK. These values are all combined into a single value called Energy. The more energy you have, the stronger you will become. If your energy increases, you will in turn take less damage from enemy attacks. However, caution is advised, as taking HP damage, and doing any actions that deplete MP will also use up Energy.”

I see, it’s quite an odd race.

The short of the matter was that raising a single superstat would boost offense, defense, HP, and MP, along with everything. But this even included level. Using too much Energy would effectively mean losing levels.

“Mana is an equivalent to the skill points and proficiency levels of other races. Consume Mana to acquire and upgrade skills as needed. Skills are divided between those that consume Energy on use and those that constantly consume Energy. As with other races, new entries will be added to the list of available skills when you perform the corresponding actions required to unlock them. For Spirits, Mana must be used to purchase and upgrade skills from the list. Acquired skills can be maintained by consuming Energy. When a skill is no longer needed, you can downgrade the skill and refund half of the Mana used to upgrade it. If your total Energy drops below zero due to skill cost, randomly selected skills will be downgraded until the Energy value is positive again.”

It seemed that energy management was an important aspect of the Spirit race.

Well, I’ll just take it as it comes.

I closed the manual and shoved it back into my inventory.

Next, I picked out the Beginner’s Weapon Box. The box was lined with all sorts of weapons and—as one might expect from the beginner label—they all looked quite plain.

I pulled out a one-handed sword—it was hard to go wrong with swords, after all. As I tested its weight in my hand, a simple description of the weapon appeared before me. I skimmed it before returning it to the box.

Although there were plenty of weapon demonstrations on the official website, I didn’t know which one was right for me; and so, like my big sister Kanade, I had yet to decide on anything. In fact, out of the three of us, it seemed only Tsumugi had a good idea of what she wanted.

“Oh?”

I spotted an interesting weapon among them. Let’s try taking it out.

Weapon: Beginner’s Dismantling Knife

Description: A knife made for taking apart the spoils of the hunt.

Dismantling Weapons—A category of weapons made to take apart flora and fauna. Increased item drops after defeating monsters.

What a short description. The sword one talked about how it could be used with a weapon and the characteristics of the skills associated with it. This isn’t giving me anything.

Yep, let’s go with it. It seems interesting.

With the dismantling knife in hand, I selected “confirm.”

Do I just need to hold the knife to equip it?

The status screen showed Energy and Mana, but it didn’t have any entries for equipment. It was hard to tell whether I’d gotten any stronger or not by holding it. With that said, it was pretty common in VR games for anything held to be counted as equipped.

Forget about that. I’ll need a rod if I want to fish. Now where can I find a rod? The tool shop seems like a safe bet. I selected the map from the menu. The town I’m in right now is... It’s called Lurolona. I searched for a bag-shaped map marker and began walking toward it.

The tool shop was a gray, square building, the sign next to it depicting a drawstring bag. The place was already packed with Humans, Demihumans with dog ears and tails, pale-skinned Elves with pointed ears, and Jewels with blue gemstones embedded in their chests. The clientele came in all shapes and sizes.

Is it just my imagination...or are Spirits the only ones I don’t see?

Entering the tool shop, I found a plethora of items on display. From healing potions to seeds, to dirty paper, copper, hammers, pots, frying pans, mortars, hoes, pickaxes, shovels, and fishing rods.

Oh, fishing rods.

The rods they had were nothing more than strings tied to wooden sticks; they were shabby little things that looked like they’d come straight out of a shonen manga. But what choice did I have? I couldn’t fish without a rod.

Now on to the price...

It was six hundred Serin.

Oh, so that Serin thing on my stat screen was money.

I was, as it turned out, one hundred Serin short.

Do I have anything to sell...? I checked through my inventory. There was the dismantling knife I’d just obtained, my Beginner’s Energy Potions, and the clothes on my back. Judging by the feeling on my skin, I was wearing undergarments too, and even if I had no clothes, I could just buy some later. It seemed that one Beginner’s Energy Potion could sell for twenty Serin.

“Could you buy these off of me?”

“Certainly. There are Beginner’s Energy Potions, correct? One of them will sell for twenty Serin. At five Beginner’s Energy Potions, your total comes to one hundred Serin.”

There was the ding of a cash register, and the amount of Serin in my possession shot up to six hundred. I got the fishing rod and headed straight back to the counter.

“One Worn-Out Rod, is it? That will be six hundred Serin.”

Hey... I know this is a game, but are you really going to call the things you’re selling from your own shop worn-out...?

One of the Humans browsing the store even let out a nice, audible, “Pfft.”

“Look at this, Therese. It says Worn-Out right here.”

“How awful.”

If I’d actually been transported to another world, I’d never shop at this place again... But retorting to an NPC was an exercise in futility. I contained the feelings welling up inside of me and claimed the Worn-Out Rod as my own.

Chapter 2: Herring and Dismantling

With the Worn-Out Rod in hand, I arrived at the area on the map slathered in blue—the ocean. It didn’t feel right to just cast the line from the sandy shore, so I searched for a random pier, took my position, and dropped the thread.

Ten minutes passed... Not even a nibble.

Going off of the rod’s description, it was supposed to be possible to fish even without the Fishing Bait item, which increased the probability of getting a bite. Unfortunately, I was coming up short.

Still, when all was said and done, it felt nice to space out and stare at the blue sky. Even if it was all a game, the smell of the salty sea was in no way lesser than reality. Above all, the wind was gentle and the temperature divine; it truly was the perfect day for fishing.

In your typical game, the clouds in the sky would be stationary or would follow set movement patterns. But as far as I could tell by gazing out at them, these clouds seemed to operate on their own physics engine, causing them to come together, disperse, and drift in the breeze.

“Hey, lady. You’ve got one.”

“Oh? You’re right.”

The rod twitched with light vibrations coming from the tip. I immediately stood and pulled it up. Though I hadn’t put in too much force, it lifted all too easily.

Herring Acquired

A herring was added to my item list. Looks like you really can catch stuff with a stick, some string, and no bait. That’s a game for you.

“Thanks for telling... Oh, they’re gone already. Were they in a hurry?”

I tried to offer my thanks to whoever it was that called out to me, but they had unfortunately vanished. Perhaps they’d coincidentally stumbled upon me while they were running elsewhere.

In any case, I’d learned a thing or two about fishing. I dropped the line again.

“Herring, huh? I think I remember them being used in Kyoto-style cooking.”

There were pots and frying pans in the tool shop. Perhaps I’d be able to cook up some seafood dishes if I got a cooking skill.

If there’s herring, I might be able to catch mackerel, sardines, and horse mackerel too. Maybe even tuna and sea bream if my fishing skill goes up.

Incidentally, what sort of tuna would it be? Albacore, or bluefin? Did they even program in multiple species? Personally, I was quite particular about tuna species. As I let those thoughts consume me, the tip of the rod started tugging again.

Herring Acquired

It was another herring. Herring... Herring roe, sliced herring, herring soba, salted herring, smoked herring...oh, come to think of it, surströmming is made of herring too.

Surströmming... I’d seen it on TV before, but I’d never eaten it in real life. Apparently, the smell tended to linger something awful, so I wasn’t really keen on trying it anyway.

I’ll pick up some kind of cooking skill when I get the chance, I guess. And...if I ever feel like it, I’ll make it myself and see how it tastes in-game. I do need to know what game herring tastes like, after all.

†

“This is going much better than I thought.”

Two hours had passed since then, and I’d gotten quite a haul: seven herrings, three sardines, and one horse mackerel. Now, I wasn’t about to blend reality and fiction, but had this been the real world, it would have been considered a fine catch. Especially since every fish I caught was edible.

“But...they do vary in size.”

I only caught one horse mackerel, so I wasn’t so sure about that one, but the seven herrings did have some variety. Some were longer and some were wider.

Is there a rarity scale? Or maybe there is a quality rating, or something like that?

Thinking back, the tool shop had been selling copper along with everything else, but if that was mined, unrefined copper, then perhaps it came with a quality rating as well. The weapons and armor that used higher-purity ores would be the better ones. Probably.

Come to think of it, I’ve got that Beginner’s Dismantling Knife. The way things are going, I might be able to fillet the fish.

Drawing the sheathed dismantling knife from my hip, I faced a herring.

“How do I even do this?”

I’d never actually prepared fish before, so it was mostly guesswork. I believe you’re supposed to strip off the scales first.

Using the back of the knife, I started shaving away at the herring. There was a scraping sensation as a number of the scales were peeled off.

Small Fish Scale x4 Acquired

Oh, you’re a convenient knife, aren’t you? Glad to have you on the team. If scales are items, then the meat and bones are most likely items too. All right!

“Ah.”

I got a bit too hyped up and put in a little too much strength. The knife was embedded deep in the fish’s torso. And then, without yielding any meat or bone, the herring was gone. This truly was the world of a game after all. Everything leading up to it had hardly felt any different from reality, so I was a bit shaken up.

Anyway, let’s try cutting up all the fish I got.