D.I.O

What the passerby said was correct. Of course, everyone developed at a different rate based on their abilities and skill levels. This could also be seen in university exams, as a person who lacked the capacity to achieve a high score probably wouldn’t succeed even after re-taking the test for five or ten years. However, an adept and knowledgeable test taker would be able to score high on their initial attempt and possibly obtain first place. The reality was that people had vast differences between them, whether that be in inherent gifts and skills or the effort they put into their craft.

“I guess she’s just smart. Either that or she possesses great adaptability.”

“There’s a limit, though! Even if you take my class ranking from every year in elementary school to university and add them together, I would still be above the 100th spot, but I don’t think I can ever surpass Level 7! You’re telling me that a girl who looks like she’s in high school is a Master?”

Like the passerby said, this wasn’t normal. It was true that there were some people who would get a 100 on an exam while others would only get a 30. Yet, did it make sense for a middle schooler to study for a month and ace a test while a university student spent four years studying and still scored lower? Moreover, how would this make the university student feel? For that individual, it wouldn’t matter how much the middle schooler studied! The middle schooler should have never been able to obtain such a result in the first place!

“… Perhaps she’s an administrator?”

“Who knows? She might just be a fuckin’ genius.”

“Woah, how could you combine such a filthy word with ‘genius?’”

It seemed that the two guys found this humorous as they quickly started giggling before their conversation shifted to other matters.

“What are we going to do about tomorrow’s wave of attacks? The first wave only had 1,000 monsters, but they were still able to cause this much chaos. Aren’t there four waves tomorrow with 10,000 monsters in each one?”

The man’s statement was correct, as the first wave of attacks was just to show users what to expect later on. However, the other man shook his head.

“No, the players were caught off guard during the first wave. Since this is the beginner village, some users were probably in dungeons or doing some other training when the Siege Quest began. The message boards have been lighting up ever since the devastation of the first wave, so I’m sure there’ll be more people present tomorrow.”

“I guess. I’m sure the users who died in the first wave will be grinding their teeth in anticipation as well.”

“Maybe another hidden Master will come out?”

“Oh, come on.”

As he listened, Merlin purchased a sandwich from a nearby store, finding the two player’s conversation to be quite entertaining. It seemed the next wave of the Siege Quest would become a fierce clash. Merlin felt that he should also make some preparations.

“I need to purchase a well-made bow first. Since the battles might continue for a while, I can’t just rely on my hand skills.”

The Golden Pill Immortal Technique was optimized for short bursts. It was helpful for short-term fights, but since the user’s internal energy would quickly deplete, the technique wasn’t suited for more prolonged battles. Rather than dealing with minor foes, it was best to use the skill against a single formidable opponent. Furthermore, Merlin didn’t possess a high level of internal energy, nor did the Golden Pill Immortal Technique replenish and recover internal energy at a fast pace. The only reason Merlin had been able to hide this weakness was that he had reached a high level of understanding of the technique.

“Hmm?”

While mindlessly walking around, Merlin suddenly stopped. This was because he saw a large shop with a sign that read ‘Exchange Center.’

“Exchange Center… that’s a place that exchanges money, right? But then, why is it so big?”

In addition, there were many people within the center. The center building was three stories tall, and each floor was over 10,000 square feet. Based on the aura that he could sense, Merlin knew that hundreds or even thousands of people were inside.

“There shouldn’t be that many people who want to exchange their money.”

As he mumbled to himself, Merlin walked in and was soon greeted by a woman who was in her thirties. Above her head was a nametag that read [Exchange Center Guide – Ellen], and as with all the other NPCs in DIO, she was beautiful.

“Welcome to the Exchange Center. Is this your first time coming here?”

“Huh? Can you tell just by looking at me?”

Hearing Merlin’s astonished response, Ellen smiled.

“Guide NPCs like me are given a special skill by the system. Anyway, since you haven’t been here before, you probably don’t know much about what an Exchange Center can do.”

“Right.”

Ellen nodded and raised her index finger into the air to create a magic circle, drawing as if her finger was a pen. Soon, a clear ring rang out from the magic circle.

“… Huh?”

“Why are you so surprised? Is this your first time seeing cloning magic?”

Without any warning, Merlin saw two Ellens in front of him.

“C-cloning magic? You used cloning magic?”

“Although it’s different from how a chakra or aura practitioner creates clones, the results are fairly similar. As you can see, there are many customers here, so I have to spread my attention out evenly. Welcome to the Exchange Center.”

As she spoke, Ellen’s clone walked away to deal with other business. This scene surprised Merlin, but the remaining Ellen talked to him in a gentle tone.

“… because I wouldn’t be able to serve our other customers. This is why the larger stores and banks use NPC guides who have this particular skill.”

“Wow! Can I learn it too?”

“Of course not. That is our special skill.”

After stating this, Ellen guided Merlin deeper into the building.

“Why are there so many people here?”

“That is because they have many things to do here. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to state that most of the money and experience that users obtain gets spent in this center.”

As she explained, they moved to a storage unit that was labeled [Money Exchange]. Here, there was a similar NPC to Ellen, and he was named Hal.

“This is a new customer, Hal.”

“Oho, the beta test is almost over, but we have a new customer?”

“Some users spend most of their time in dungeons, so nothing is impossible. Anyway, can you print out a registration form?”

“Okay.”

As Hal nodded, he started typing something into a computer-like device sitting on the table in front of him. Without much delay, a device akin to a printer started to send out a document of sorts.

‘Huh? They’re using electronic devices?’

Above the computer was a nametag that read [Not for Public Use].

“Merlin, what nation are you from?”

“Huh? Isn’t it obvious? I’m clearly Korean. Do I look like a foreigner?”

“Obvious? Why is it obvious that you’re a Korean?”

“We’re talking in Korean.”

Merlin couldn’t help but feel lost as he stared at Ellen’s ever-smiling face. While he might be a bit on the slow side, Merlin wasn’t an idiot. So, he began to focus on the other people around him, listening to them speak.

“… What?”

They weren’t speaking Korean. Yet, at the same time, they also weren’t speaking English, Chinese, or Japanese, and it wasn’t French, German or Russian either. It was an entirely new language that sounded completely different from anything else he’d heard. Merlin couldn’t believe that he was speaking like that this whole time.

‘Well, looking back….’

Even the signs for the Exchange Center and other stores had characters that were written in a funky language. Up to this point, he had read everything without any trouble, so he hadn’t put much thought into it.

“The language is called Sevic. It’s the universal language used in Dynamic Island. This language is understood and used for everyone that logs onto DIO, so whether you’re American, Chinese, or Japanese, you won’t face any trouble communicating with others.”

“To learn a new language just like that….”

For Merlin, this method of communication was unfathomable. In Korea, people spend over two billion US dollars just to learn English. If languages could be learned and used with this much ease, wouldn’t that market be completely transformed?

“I understand what you might be thinking, but this system doesn’t work ‘outside’ DIO. Moreover, you’ll completely forget the language once you log off. You might pick up some words here or there, but it would be similar to picking up a few words after watching a foreign movie.”

“Hmm.”

Merlin wasn’t giving up so easily. Despite lacking any technical expertise, he knew that the mere existence of DIO’s language system signaled that it was feasible in the first place, which meant that similar programs could be created. He might even be able to make a translation device.

‘All those guys who studied English like there was no tomorrow will detest DIO….’

Merlin chuckled to himself as he daydreamed. ‘It’s good that I didn’t waste time studying. Hahaha…’ Apparently noticing this, Ellen gently slapped Merlin to bring him back to reality.

“Anyway, fill out this registration form. You have a bank account number, right?”

“I do, but… why does this registration form need my bank information? Are you trying to scam me?”

“Shut up and write it down. This clone has a time limit. I still have a lot of things to explain to you.”

“Ah, okay.”

Merlin dutifully nodded his head and started writing down his name, national registration number, address, bank account number, and anything else deemed necessary. Fortunately, the registration form didn’t ask for any extraneous information, so he finished within five minutes.

“Done. Then, I’ll continue explaining. You’re Korean, so you probably use Won.”

As she said this, she pointed down at the table. There, a chart detailing exchange rates could be seen. It stated that one gold was equal to 51,200 Won, or roughly 50 US dollars.

“… What does this mean?”

“One gold is worth as much as 51,200 Won.”

“Eh? Does that mean if I give you one gold, then you’ll place 51,200 Won in my actual bank account?”

“It’s nice that you’re starting to understand quicker.”

Ellen spoke matter-of-factly, but Merlin didn’t seem to notice as his mind began to race. In-game currency had always been traded and exchanged offline, but no game developer had ever had the gall to create their own official currency exchange.

“T-this… is a joke, right?”

“Are you going to exchange anything?”

“… One gold.”

“Good.”

Ellen accepted the single gold coin that Merlin handed her, and the gold promptly disappeared from her hands.

“One sec. [Log Out].”

A magic circle appeared, and after thirty seconds, Merlin disappeared.

“Why do humans from that planet have so many concerns?”

“It’s a rough world out there, my queen.”

Hearing Hal’s words, Ellen’s gaze became piercing.

“… Are you tired of living, Hal? I told you not to call me like that.”

“Hahaha. Our queen wouldn’t smack the faithful leader of her knights, right?”

Ellen snorted after hearing Hal’s snide remark.

“Shut it, knight leader! You’re weaker than any guard walking around here.”

“Ack! Why do you have to poke me where it hurts? Still, I did survive thirty minutes.”

“Yet, you eventually lost.”

“Ugh…”

Hal sighed as if he had been hurt by her comment. However, Ellen wasn’t done. She went in for the kill.

“You should at least be an honest, hard-working office employee, right?”

Hal hadn’t given up, though, and he began to fight back.

“Hmph. This is coming from a mere guide.”

“W-what did you say?!”

“Ugh. The reality is, we’re now a guide and a general employee, my queen. Can’t you accept that we’re essentially on the same level?”

The two bickered for a moment, but eventually, Merlin materialized from a magic circle, and the two instantly stopped.

“Well? Did you verify that I was right?”

“I don’t understand… but y-yeah. Although… Are you trying to gain my trust with a small exchange of money to scam me out of a larger amount?”

“Does it make sense to create and operate DIO just for a scam like that? Are you planning on converting 100 trillion Won or 100 billion USD?”

“Well…”

Merlin could only mutter under his breath after hearing Ellen’s pointed question. After thinking about it, DIO possessed so much useful and revolutionary technology that it was idiotic to set all this up just for a simple scam.

“Anyway, similar to how you can exchange gold for money, you can also do the opposite as well.”

“Instead of some simple exchange, you guys are planning on taking over the entire financial system. What kind of game developer-”

“Quit arguing. Anyway, do you plan on converting any in-game currency into Won or vice versa?”

“Not now.”

“Then, let’s go up to the second floor.”

Ellen dragged Merlin up the stairs. Similar to a department store, the second floor had a multitude of shelves with goods displayed on them.

“What is this place?”

“This is where you can purchase items. I think the closest equivalent would be a general store? However, this place does deal with quite a few odd-ball items.”

While saying this, Ellen picked up an item that was as long as a finger from a nearby shelf.

“Oh, the item description is written on the shelf. The item is… a translation device?!”

Stunned, Merlin did an appraisal.

“This is a low-quality item? Then what is a high-quality item?”

“Dang, 42 languages?”

“DIO is a multidimensional universe. You’ve already passed a couple of level-up tests, right? Up to the Level 4 exam, all interpretations and translations are carried out by the system. Yet, if you have passed Level 5, are taking part in a normal quest, or are simply exploring, interpretation and translations aren’t provided. If you want to communicate with an Elf, you need to know how to speak the Elven language. Similarly, you need to be proficient in the Dwarven language to talk with a Dwarf. This is also the same for other languages outside of DIO. For instance, you would need to speak Chinese to speak to someone from China. If neither of you knows each other’s language, then you guys can’t communicate.”

“But how do you put languages into this thing? The description only states that it can save languages.”

“Look on its side.”

“The side?”

Merlin turned his head and saw a row of magic stones, each the size of a small coin. He couldn’t easily understand what the magic stones did, so he used appraisal.

“Oh, man, purchasing an entire language. Miss Ellen, how many languages are available?”

“Huh, miss?”

Ellen was surprised at Merlin’s abrupt use of the somewhat respectful yet affectionate title. He had only stated the title subconsciously, so Merlin looked at Ellen with large, round eyes.

“Huh, you don’t like being called miss?”

When Ellen saw a look in Merlin’s eyes that said, ‘Oh, she must be a missus. Too old to be called a miss,’ her gaze became penetrating.

“No, keep calling me ‘miss.’ There are over a hundred languages displayed on this shelf, and you can also request any language that you like. There are too many languages that exist, so I can’t really give you a specific number.”

“Ah, really- wait?! English!”