NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70
Okeanos.
The name of a river said to have surrounded the earth and the god who ruled the sea before Poseidon in ancient Greece and Rome.
And in the Gray City, it’s one of the ultimate content, the only legal way to experience the beautiful natural scenery rather than the desolate gray world within the game.
To see Okeanos in the Gray City, one must gather information on all materials, skills, and beasts existing within the game, and complete mapping of all areas.
Then, a quest notification arrives for players who achieve that feat, but its contents are not predetermined and are randomly decided.
For example, fishing 50 fish in the Gray River and raising them in-game for two weeks, or exploring all regions in reverse order according to the mapping sequence.
And now, Natsune and I have satisfied all the prerequisites to go to Okeanos, and a quest notification with special conditions has arrived.
[Path to Okeanos]
[Kill all allied allies.]
“…Huh?”
An incomprehensible quest.
“Um, um, is it possible for me to… ask Natsune about this?”
[…Yeah. It says to kill all allied allies.]
This is ridiculous.
Why is there such a condition? It would’ve been fine to just give a normal condition.
I’m feeling dizzy.
[Ah! What if we dissolve the alliance and then re-establish it….]
“Um, n-no, that won’t work.”
The special condition for the path to Okeanos is decided randomly, but once set, it never changes.
The only way to change this special condition would be to use a nuclear bomb to revert the game to its starting point.
But right now, that would never be allowed….
[Then how about we dissolve our alliance first and ask for understanding from the others….]
“O-Okeanos only occurs once in a game.”
Okeanos is a privilege granted only to the player who first conquers all areas and items in the Gray City.
What’s important is not that everything has been conquered, but that it was conquered ‘first.’
Therefore, once the map where Okeanos has appeared exists, it will never appear again.
If you want to see it again, you would also have to use a nuclear bomb to revert the game to its starting point.
[…I see.]
Hearing my answer, Natsune’s voice echoed in disappointment.
[Haa…. We both really worked hard, didn’t we.]
And saying that, Natsune’s character came over to my side and plopped down on the ground as if demoralized.
It looked as if all the efforts we made up to now were completely meaningless.
Ugh, of all the conditions to get this one…
This quest is filled with human malice, it’s so scary.
It completely ruins all the trust we built up until now.
Then the chatroom filled up with negative comments, and the tone of the broadcast naturally began to darken.
[Haa….]
“Th-there must be a way…!”
[Huh?]
“There’s got to be a way to find a, a solution…!!”
But I didn’t want to give up.
If I gave up, Natsune wouldn’t see Okeanos, and if Natsune gave up, she wouldn’t see Okeanos either.
That couldn’t happen.
We absolutely had to see Okeanos together.
I didn’t want to make the last memories and efforts spent over the past four days with Natsune meaningless.
Even if it meant starting the exploration over from the beginning….
“There must be a way! We’ve been trying all this time to see Okeanos…!”
[Natsune….]
Honestly, I couldn’t see an answer with my knowledge, but….
If we could work harder and see a magnificent sight rather than giving up here…!
[Natsune. We’re friends, right?]
“Um… yeah! We’re friends, so we can find a way together…!”
[That’s a relief.]
Whoosh!
“…Huh?”
An unpleasant sound pierced through the air.
And my screen strangely turned gray.
Hahahahaha!
Natsune didn’t seem to hesitate at all when she stabbed you, lol.
What was spilling onto the ground was blood.
The place pierced by the knife was my chest.
“N-Natsune…?”
My mind couldn’t comprehend the situation.
I prayed for someone to tell me this situation was a dream, but reality coldly stared back at me.
Seeing my character crawling on the gray-tinged screen and Natsune’s character looking down at me, the answer was clear.
“W-what is this…?”
Natsune stabbed me.
[Natsune: You said you’ve seen Okeanos before, so this time, let me have it!]
“B-but… we were going to find a way together until the end…!”
[No way. The conditions don’t change, and Okeanos only occurs once, right? Then there’s no other way but to kill all allied allies. Someone among Natsune and me must die.]
Natsune’s words were cold and objective.
So cold it was terrifying.
[If one of us has to die, wouldn’t it be better for the one who’s already seen Okeanos to give up?]
“That’s true, but….”
This ending that felt like everything we built over the past four days was being trampled on….
“You said we were friends…?”
[Because we’re friends, I believe Natsune will sacrifice herself without holding a grudge against me.]
“I-I can’t believe this…?!”
Ah, I’ve been ruined, lol.
Is Mei-chan going to be betrayed by her favorite Natsune like she was by Izutomo and Suzuhachi?
From today, Natsune is officially Mei-chan’s abuser!
“This journey… was my idea, right…?!”
[Natsune told you before, right? The Gray City is a game of the strong eating the weak where alliances don’t mean anything. If you’re betrayed, it’s the victim’s fault.]
“But I believed Natsune wouldn’t betray me….”
I thought we would stay together until the very end….
[Sorry, Natsune. I’ll be sure to take a screenshot and send it to you, so please forgive me?]
“Ah….”
Once again, the unpleasant sound of a blade penetrating flesh echoed.
And the two words that appeared on my screen signaled my character’s undeniable death.
[You Died]
“This can’t be….”
This has to be a dream.
Natsune betraying me to kill me in the end is just impossible.
There can’t possibly be a cute voice saying “please forgive me” while stabbing me in the back.
[Nanasé: I’m sorry, Izumi! But we’ll always be friends, right?]
But the chat that came afterward forced me to recognize the cold reality.
“…I’m done here.”
Now, the world of the Gray City holds no meaning for me….
Bye, Izumi!
It’s sad for Mei-chan, but why is this so funny?
Why do the people who hang out with Mei-chan seem to turn sadistic?
It’s all Mei-chan’s fault…!
★
Christmas.
A day to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
But in Japan, Christmas is not a holiday.
I can’t express how sad I was when I first learned this fact.
Yet, I found out that the only country that considers Christmas a public holiday in Northeast Asia is South Korea.
Didn’t the dead also resurrect? Can’t you give Christmas a holiday?
Was Jesus’s power only this much? Christians, you should reflect on this.
Of course, I’m agnostic.
But that doesn’t mean I hate Christmas at this moment.
In fact, I like it.
Because we get winter vacation during Christmas.
Indeed, Jesus is amazing!
“So everyone, make sure to rest well during the break!”
“Yeah!!!”
The classroom was bustling with social butterflies excitedly arranging plans to meet during the winter break.
Since I obviously couldn’t mingle with them, I quickly packed my things and stood up to leave the classroom.
“Kayanoh!”
And it was Miyauchi who captured me.
“We’re planning to have a Christmas party today, so come with us!”
“…Huh?”
With a resolute gaze that promised rejection, Miyauchi was looking at me.