NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12
After the first update notice for ‘Maple Leaf Story’ was released, reactions were not good.
This was because I had already been playing well, but due to the update, I couldn’t log into the game for about three hours.
As soon as the update was over, users logged in as if they had been waiting.
“What’s going on? What’s changed?”
“Cash shop?”
The first thing that caught my eye was the cash shop.
There, instead of meso, the ‘Maple Leaf Story’ currency, were cash items that could be purchased with real money.
To buy cash items, you had to go to the Central Bank of the Continent and link your artifact to your account.
In-game cash usage meant money would be deducted from the linked account.
“What the… There are no actual benefits?”
“It’s just a cosmetic item. Who would buy this?”
“On top of that, you have to register your artifact at the Central Bank? No way.”
Most users turned away from the cash shop.
You couldn’t use them at all until you registered your account in real life, and they weren’t items that made you stronger just by equipping them.
Of course, there were useful items like teleport stones, but you could play just fine without cash items.
There were hardly any users willing to endure the hassle of going to the Central Bank.
Still, some users showed interest in the cash shop.
Next up, updates were made to the character information.
You could check the basic information of characters you encountered, and among them, an “Popularity” section was newly added.
Once a day, you could raise or lower popularity for the same person once a month.
It seemed like there were titles to be gained when your popularity increased, but it didn’t seem to hold much significance.
“Popularity? Why was this even created?”
“I don’t know…”
It didn’t take long for users to figure out how to use it.
“Oh, that guy again…!”
A user who was out hunting.
Having just advanced to a cleric’s second job, his hunting grounds were frequently taken away.
A troublesome user who kept following him and interrupting his hunts.
At that moment, the newly updated popularity system popped into his mind.
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
A notification window appeared right in front of the troublesome player.
The player had already returned to town.
Opening his info window, he saw his popularity at -1.
It didn’t have any other effects, but it still felt annoying.
“Ugh… This is boring. I should head back.”
With the user who was annoying him gone, he returned to town.
There, groups of users had gathered.
“Hey, that’s him! xPowerArcherx!”
“I got messed up by that guy too! That troublesome jerk!”
“Me too! Me too!”
“…?”
Users approached him.
He stepped back, bewildered.
But opening the opponent’s info window was possible as long as he was within a certain distance.
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
.
.
.
What the…?
In the blink of an eye, his popularity dropped to -11.
Panicking, he rushed out of town.
While his stats weren’t affected yet, the number -11 felt like a brand on him now.
And -11 was just the beginning.
“Minus 11? This looks like a troublesome situation.”
Even without doing any troublesome acts, users who encountered him began to lower his popularity, seeing it already diminished.
Wherever he went, his popularity dropped, and soon he was nearing -50.
Furious, he tried lowering someone else’s popularity in return.
But he could only lower popularity once a day.
Compared to the multiple users lowering his popularity, he could only retaliate against one, which was a huge disadvantage.
He even lost more popularity at one point after trying to retaliate, only for that user to bring others in, causing him more loss.
“…Minus 58? Sorry, but I don’t think you can join our party.”
With his popularity so low, no one wanted to party with him.
He could no longer partake in party play or boss raids alone.
“Damn…! What is this nonsense?! Why did Illusion Tower go and make such an update?!”
Finally, he exploded.
“It’s already ruined anyway, I’m not putting up with this anymore!”
His popularity was already too low to recover.
In the end, he decided to resume his troublesome acts.
Just sitting there and having his popularity decrease felt more unfair.
“snickers That’s that idiot from before.”
Then, he spotted ‘Empire’s Light’.
It was a female cleric user with a foolish manner of speaking.
Her appearance seemed oddly flamboyant, but it was undoubtedly her.
“Oh, oh no! That’s that guy!”
As expected, ‘Empire’s Light’ screamed helplessly as she was stolen from her spot.
He continued hunting, laughing at the ridiculous sight of her.
“Ha-ha. This is it. Popularity? It’s already as low as it can go!”
“I-I… I’m not letting this go this time!”
Struggling, ‘Empire’s Light’ pulled out a uniquely shaped item and brought it to her mouth.
It was something that looked like a trumpet.
And when ‘Empire’s Light’ spoke into it…
(Loudspeaker) Empire’s Light: “xPowerArcherx is being troublesome at the Lace Lair hunting ground! He’s stealing all my hunting prey!”
Her words were broadcasted to all users on the server.
“…What’s she doing?”
In her childish way, spouting nonsense was just typical for Zebit.
He continued to hunt while looking down at Zebit with disdain.
However, that was only for a moment.
Within a minute, users who had been hunting nearby flocked into that map.
“Zebit! Are you okay?!”
“That jerk! He’s the one! I’ve had trouble with him before!”
“…?”
And they all charged in to lower his popularity.
“What the… guys, stop it!”
“You should stop! You troublesome jerk!”
“Take this!”
“Ugh!”
In an instant, his popularity plummeted to -100.
He hurriedly used a scroll to return to town.
But that was just the beginning.
“Oh? It’s xPowerArcherx.”
“?”
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
“Hey, isn’t that the user that appeared on the loudspeaker earlier?”
“??”
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
.
.
.
Now, everyone he saw started lowering his popularity.
Some even chased after him to lower it while he was running away.
“Stop it already!!”
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
[Your popularity has decreased by 1.]
.
.
.
“Aaaargh!”
In the end, his popularity dropped to -291.
Considering there were 1500 current users, that was an astounding figure.
And at this rate, it would keep plummeting.
With each new user he encountered, they lowered his popularity, and those who knew him whispered as he passed by.
His stats remained unaffected.
But the mental stress tormented him.
Initially, he hadn’t thought much of that -1, but now it loomed over him like a mountain.
“Please, stop! Stop!”
Eventually, he had no choice but to log out of ‘Maple Leaf Story’.
*
The Grand Banquet Hall of the Imperial Palace.
Today was the Emperor’s birthday banquet.
It was the birthday of the Emperor, who held a pivotal place in the continent and its power.
All major figures of the continent gathered on this day.
As expected, politically important discussions were held there.
“Did the prince also purchase ‘Maple Leaf Story’?”
“Indeed. It arrived the day before, and I waited in line to buy it. The time spent waiting was absolutely worth it.”
“Could you share your nickname? If possible, would you like to participate in a boss raid together?”
“Hahaha! That sounds wonderful, Duke. I can’t believe I didn’t know someone like you! It would be great to bond over ‘Maple Leaf Story’.”
“Hahahahaha! Excellent! I believed the prince would join ‘Maple Leaf Story’!”
Normally, that would be the case.
But the conversations at this year’s birthday banquet felt a bit different.
No, not just the Emperor’s birthday; most social gatherings were like this.
“How impressive! Your popularity exceeds 50.”
“Hoh hoh hoh. It’s nothing. Compared to famous Zebit, I’m nothing.”
“Then shall we exchange popularity tonight?”
Everyone was talking about ‘Maple Leaf Story’.
Whether they played or didn’t, it was all that anyone would talk about.
A minority of those who had played made appointments in ‘Maple Leaf Story’ and created a stronger network among themselves.
Those who hadn’t bought it were envious, eagerly counting down to the next production schedule.
“Have you heard? There will be a new update along with the next production schedule.”
“Oh, is that so? Where on earth did you hear such high-level information…”
“I have a connection to the Blue-haired Merchant.”
“Oh wow…! If it’s information from the Blue-haired Merchant, there’s no doubt! What’s the update about?”
“Hi… this is something not just told to anyone, but I heard a guild system is being implemented.”
“Oh… So we can form a guild in there. I can’t help but look forward to it.”
“The most surprising news is that… after that update, a job with an entirely new story will emerge.”
“Yes, yes?!”
“It’s said to be a knight order… ah… just hearing the explanation is thrilling. I hope that day comes soon. So, what will you do about this transaction?”
Anyone who knew the update schedule instantly became popular at the party.
Plus, numerous nobles were lining up to connect with the Illusion Tower.
However, most Illusion Mages were commoners, so there were no close noble connections yet.
“Hm… What exactly is this ‘Maple Leaf Story’ that has caused such an uproar?”
“It’s an artifact released by the Illusion Tower. Apparently, it allows one to experience a new world.”
“…Illusion Tower? Is this what everyone is raving about over an artifact from such a place?”
The Emperor clicked his tongue at the scene in the party.
“What a disgrace…”
He frowned at the young nobles who fell into such strange culture.
The current Empire’s second Emperor. Rai Leonis.
He had fought hard since the previous Emperor’s reign to build the current Empire.
Thinking back to his younger days filled with blood and struggle, today’s young nobles seemed unbearably lazy.
They were obsessed with some odd game instead of training or studying.
“…Is it really that fun?”
While he thought that, he, too, was human.
Having heard so many rumors about ‘Maple Leaf Story’, it seemed like it would be incredibly fun just to listen to it.
The Emperor secretly wanted to try it but felt he couldn’t dare because of his majesty.
He even heard he had to go directly to the merchant group to purchase it.
No matter how much he wanted to, being an Emperor, the thought of standing in line was just too much to bear.
After the raucous banquet ended,
There was a report delivered to the Emperor during the state council.
Once again about the Third Prince.
“…What on earth is the Third Prince up to now?!”
Kaboom—
He had decided to invest in the Illusion Tower under ridiculous conditions.
He had even affixed his seal to the contract, leaving no room for escape.
If he didn’t uphold the contract with the Illusion Tower, whose stock was rapidly soaring, the imperial family’s prestige would surely fall.
“But we can’t waste such a large sum of money. We’re gaining nothing in return.”
“Bring the Third Prince immediately…! Ah… no, that won’t do.”
The Emperor took back his words, intending to summon the Third Prince in anger.
After all, he wasn’t the kind to listen. Engaging with him would only add to the stress.
“What should I do about this…”
While pondering a solution, a thought crossed the Emperor’s mind.
“…Call the Illusion Mage.”
“Pardon?”
“Mages are knowledgeable individuals. It would be easier to have a conversation with them than with that Third Prince.”
“…Yes. I will contact them.”
Perhaps, he could obtain ‘Maple Leaf Story’ without standing in line.