Player 1

Chapter 29 Level 2(8)
After the repairs were completed, I flew back to the base immediately.I have been watching the news for the next time.The news of Flobalz has spread all over the world, and now every hunter is trying to get there, and the hunters who have arrived are fighting fiercely with the "sixth man" in order to win and protect their keys.

Almost every news item is about the fierce battles taking place in various "forgotten places".The Big Hunters Guild reached an agreement again and launched a fierce joint attack on the "Sixth Man".This was only the beginning of what would become known as the Battle of Flobalds, but even though it was only a prologue to the opening chapter, the casualties on both sides were still significant.

In the meantime, I keep an eye on the scoreboard, and I believe the Sixth Man will still be able to earn the Emerald Key while fighting.Sure enough, the next one to find the Emerald Key was Sorrento, whose score rose by 17000 to rank fourth.

Now that the "sixth man" already knows how to get the emerald key, I am waiting for other "sixth men" to increase points like Sorrento, but to my surprise, the next one to increase points is Soto, at this time It was less than 10 minutes before Sorrento got the emerald key.

I don't know how Soto escaped the "sixth man" all over Flobalz, found a house, and collected nineteen treasures to get the emerald key.

I continued to watch the changes on the scoreboard, expecting Dato's score to go up, but that never happened.

What's even more strange is that Dayto's name disappeared from the scoreboard without a trace after Soto found the emerald key.I think there is only one explanation for this: Dayto was killed.

0024
For the next twelve hours, Flobalz was in turmoil.The hunters joined in the melee one after another.

The "sixth man" gave up the pointless attempt to guard the two white houses of 510 with a large army.Although their troops were numerous and well equipped, they were too spread out.Only seven of them got the emerald key that day.And after the hunter guild launched a fierce attack, they suffered heavy casualties, and were even forced to retreat steadily.

In response to this situation, the top management of the "Sixth Man" adopted a new strategy.The situation is already very obvious, controlling more than [-] demon worlds is nothing but wishful thinking.Therefore, they concentrated their power in the ten demon realms near Antarctica, established force fields in these ten worlds according to the old method, and guarded them heavily.

This contraction strategy worked, the Hunters Guild was unable to capture any of these ten worlds (and it was not necessary, there are now more than 500 demon worlds open for them to enter and exit), the "Sixth Man" began their Assembly line production.It can be seen that there are countless "sixth men" lined up outside each white house, and they are getting emerald keys and 15000 points one by one.Everyone can clearly see this process, because the score of the "sixth man" on the scoreboard is gradually increasing.

In contrast, the points of hundreds of hunters have also increased.Since the location of the emerald key is no longer a secret, it is no longer difficult to unlock the quatrain and find a way to pass the level.For all those who pass through the first door, getting the Emerald Key is a piece of cake.

Here's how it looked on the scoreboard after the Flobalds battle:

high score list

1. Artemis 129000
2. Parsifal 128000
3. Edge 127000
4.IOI-655321 122000
5. Soto 122000
6.IOI-643187 120000
7.IOI-621671 120000
8.IOI-678324 122000
9.IOI-678330 120000
10.IOI-699423 120000
Although both Soto and Sorrento scored 122000 points, since Sorrento scored 122000 points earlier than Soto, he ranked ahead.Artemis, Edge, me and Soto remained in the "Five Tigers".But seeing Sorrento's name ahead of Soto makes me uncomfortable.

I pulled the scoreboard to the bottom, and there are five thousand names on the list, and there will be more and more.No one on the message boards seemed to know what happened to Dayto, the rumors were varied and it was generally believed that he died at the Battle of Flobalds, but no one witnessed his death.Except maybe Soto.I sent Soto several chat requests and he never responded.I guess he, like me, was too busy trying to find the second door before the Sixth Man.

Sitting in the fortress, I stared at the words on the emerald key, reading it over and over again, as if I had been enchanted:
Take the test and continue the mission

Take the test and continue the mission

Take the test and continue the mission

Yes, but what kind of test is that?What test do I have?Kobayashi Maru test [120]?Pepsi Challenge[121]?Could this clue be any more vague?
I tucked my hands under the mask, rubbed my eyes in frustration, and decided to take a break and take a nap.I put the emerald key back in my inventory when I noticed the paper next to it.I know that this paper must be used in the process of unraveling this line of characters, but I don't know how to do it.I pondered for a while longer until my eyelids began to fight before I finally quit Oasis and fell into a heavy sleep.

A few hours later, at [-]:[-] am Oasis time, the sound of the scoreboard changing woke me up from my deep sleep.I logged in and opened the scoreboard with almost horror.Did Artemis go through the second door?Or did Edge or Soto win the honor?

But their rankings have not changed.The score increased to 200000, and the person who climbed to the top of the standings was named Sorrento, and the icon of the second door appeared next to his number.

I stared blankly at Sorrento's employee number, wondering what it meant.After passing through the door, Sorrento must have got the clue about the crystal key and became the closest person to victory.

I suddenly felt nauseous and had trouble breathing.I figured I must have some sort of panic attack or mania, or be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.I sent Edge a video request and he didn't answer.I don't know if it's because I'm busy with other things or I'm still annoyed at seeing me.I wanted to call Soto again, but Dayto must be in a bad mood now that his character had just been killed.

As for Artemis, I want to go to her fortress and talk to her.But thinking that she couldn't find the second door after taking the emerald key for several days, and the "sixth man" solved the puzzle in less than 24 hours, it may make her blame herself too much and don't want to be with anyone - especially me - talk.

Even so, I finally called.As usual, no connection.

In desperation, I can only talk to Max.While his glib voice was reassuring, hearing the words were AI rather than real made me feel more alone.There's only one system assistant software in the world who can fucking talk to me.

I didn't want to sleep anymore, and turned on the news directly, and found that the fleet of the "Sixth Man" was still swiping the emerald key on Flobalz in an orderly manner.

Apparently Sorrento has learned his lesson. The "sixth man" no longer made a big move, exposing the location of the second door that only he knew.Over the next day, they sent ten more people through the gate, and these guys who improved by 200000 points knocked Artemis, Edge, Soto, and me out of the top ten.

The first page of the scoreboard has nothing left but IOI's employee number.

To make matters worse, when I was convinced that the situation was as bad as possible, the facts refreshed my perception again.Two days after Sorrento passed the second gate, his score rose by another 30000 points.The crystal key was found.

I sat in the fort, chewing the news in silence.It is undeniable that the victory has been drawn.I always thought the victor would be a noble, honorable hunter.But really, for the past five and a half years, I've been just fooling myself, and so have other hunters.Reality is no fairy tale, the bad guys win everything.

For the next whole day, I refreshed the scoreboard almost every five seconds, waiting for the ending in boredom.

Sorrento, or one of the "Halliday Experts," has solved the mystery of the second door.Even though the results were on the scoreboard, it was hard for me to face the fact.Every step taken by the previous "Sixth Man" relied on Artemis, Edge or me.How could they have found the second door by their own ability?Maybe just shit luck?Or have they found a new, revolutionary way to cheat?

My mind was a mess and I was completely at a loss.Not to mention understanding the clues on the emerald key, I don't even have the slightest idea about it, not even the most unreliable guesses.

Another night passed, and the "sixth man" swiped a bunch of crystal keys.Every time they improve the score, I feel heartbroken, but I can't control my hand to refresh the standings.

My heart is sinking into the abyss little by little, and all the hard work of the past five years will be in vain.I foolishly underestimated Sorrento and the "Sixth Man", so I must swallow the bitter fruit I planted.Now the walking dead, working for an evil corporation, are within easy reach of an Easter Egg.

I seem to have fallen into a hopeless pit.I've lost Artemis, and now I'm losing the victory I've been chasing so hard for.

I've made up my mind, I'm going to find a kid in my fan club now, a penniless low-level rookie character, give him everything, go back to the fort, activate the self-destruct process, and sit in the command center Waiting for a thermonuclear explosion to level everything.I'd see myself die, with Game Over displayed in the center of the screen, and I'd end up taking off my mask and leaving the apartment for the first time in half a year.Take the elevator, or simply climb the stairs to the top floor for a workout.

There is a garden on the top floor of the apartment building. I have never been there, but I have admired the beauty of it online.The top floor is surrounded by Plexiglas to prevent people from jumping off the building.But this is no more than a joke, since I moved in at least three determined people have flipped over it.

I'd sit on it for a while, breathing in the unfiltered air of the city, letting the wind blow by my skin, before flipping through the glass and letting myself fall to the other side.

If there was any plan for the moment, this is it.

Just then, Soto made a voice call.I didn't want to answer, the bell rang again for a while, and then it turned into a video message.The message was short, he was coming to the fort to deliver something.What Dayto asked for in his will.

I initiated a voice request to him.You could feel Soto was heartbroken, he sounded in pain.Even from the expression of his character, I can feel the loss and helplessness of the real person behind him.He was downright depressed, even worse than me.

I asked him why he gave me Dayto's "inheritance" so that his brother could recreate a character and get back the items he originally owned.But Soto told me that his brother will never be able to recreate the character.When I asked why, he assured me he would tell me when we met.

0025
An hour later, Max told me Soto had arrived.I allowed his ship to enter the Falcon and park it in the hangar.

Soto's ship is called the Kurosawa, after the BEBOP in Cowboy Bebop[122].This starship has been their vehicle for as long as I've known them.The wingspan of the spaceship is so long that it barely fits through the Falcon's hatch.

I stood on the tarmac to greet Soto.He was wearing black mourning clothes, and his expression was the same as what I saw in the video.

"Pasifar-san." He bowed deeply.

"Soto-san." I solemnly returned the salute, and then stretched out my palm. This gesture was decided when we were doing tasks together.He grinned and slapped his palms lightly, but his face was soon occupied by a sad expression.I haven't seen Soto since Tokusho (not counting the "Daisol" ad), and his character seems to have grown a bit taller than before.

I took him into the "living room" that no one had visited before, and the furnishings here were the same as the TV series "The Birth of a Family".Soto also recognized it, he nodded slightly, then ignored the chair, and directly knelt down in the middle of the carpet.Embarrassed for a moment, I also knelt down and faced him face to face.After a long silence, Soto finally spoke, but kept his eyes on the floor.

"The 'Sixth Man' killed my brother last night." His voice was barely audible.

I froze, "You mean they killed his—character?" Although I subconsciously denied this meaning, I still vaguely hoped that I was wrong.

Soto shook his head. "No, they broke into his apartment, dragged him out of the haptic chair, and threw him off the balcony. His house was on the 43rd floor."

Soto opened a web page window in front of me, and there was a Japanese news on it, which was translated into English by the translation software.The headline of the news was "Another suicide by squatting at home", and the content said that a young man named Toshiro Fujiwara jumped to his death from a 43rd-floor apartment in Tokyo.I saw Fujiwara's student card in the news, and the person in the photo doesn't look like Daito's Oasis character at all.

Seeing me finish reading the news, Soto closed the window.I hesitated for a while and asked, "Are you sure he killed it? Because his character was also killed?"

"I'm sure," Soto said, "Dato wouldn't commit suicide. The 'Sixth Man' broke into Flobalz's apartment while he was fighting. Only to kill him in real life, the 'Sixth Man' Only then can we really kill our competitors.”

"I'm sorry, Soto." I didn't know what else to say, I knew he was telling the truth.

"My real name is Tamura Karatsu," he said, "You should know my real name."

I smiled and bowed. "Thank you for your trust," I said. "My real name is Wade." Time to be honest.

"Thank you, Wade." Soto returned the gift.

"There's no need to be so formal, Tamura."

He was silent for a moment, then cleared his throat and began to tell Dayto's story.Words gushed out of his mouth, eloquently.He really needed someone to talk to about the tragedy that had just happened.

"Daito's real name is Toshiro Fujiwara. I didn't know until I watched the news last night."

"But... aren't you brothers?" I had speculated that Daito and Soto lived together and were related by blood.

"My relationship with Dayto is hard to explain," he cleared his throat again. "We're not brothers, at least not in real life. But in Oasis... you understand? We haven't met." He slowly raised his head and met my gaze.

I put out a hand and patted him on the shoulder, "Trust me, Soto. I understand. Edge and Artemis are two of my best friends, but I haven't met them either. In fact, You can also be considered my good friend."

He bowed his head. "Thank you." I dare say he was on the verge of tears.

"We are all hunters," I tried to break the awkward situation. "We live elsewhere, in an oasis. For us, the oasis is the real world."

Tamura nodded and was silent for a while.

Then, he began to tell the story of his acquaintance with Fujiwara.They were both in the Oasis Home Squat Assistance Group six years ago.Squatting at home refers to people who choose to be alone out of society. They like to lock themselves in the room, read comics and play "Oasis" from morning till night.The concept of squatting at home has been around since the turn of the century, but it took off after Halliday's Easter Egg Contest began.Across the country, millions of young men and women have locked themselves in their rooms, isolated from the rest of the world.Elders sometimes refer to their offspring as the "missing million".

(End of this chapter)