Dimension Wave Chapter 23

“… there sure are a lot of casualties . ”

That was my first impression once I returned to the First .
I’m not sure if the devs specifically made a post-Dimension Wave Lurolona, but all the buildings in here were damaged or in ruins . The town was completely unrecognizable .
It’s a little weird thinking two weeks ago, Lurolona was my base of operations but now, it’s like this .
Surprisingly, the people going in and out of town were very lively .
Well, Dimension Wave was a pretty huge event . I guess in terms of regular MMO’s, it’d be like a major patch or something . People are probably excited about what’s to come .

“Why is it so cold here though?”

Perhaps because the first city is close to the sea or maybe because it’s the sp.a.w.n point, but Lurolona is usually pretty warm . It felt like an Indian summer lulling me to sleep .
But now, after Dimension Wave happened, it’s rather chilly .
Now that I think about it, it’s neat how there are temperatures in games .
It’s almost as if I’m in a parallel world or something .
Now then, let’s go talk to some people and start gathering intel .
First, I should talk to my sisters .
Then maybe I’ll call Alto . He probably has lots of information from all his connections .
As soon as I figured out my plan, I felt something strange about the air around me .

“… is it snowing?”

It was .
Many people around me noticed it too and felt just as weirded out as I did .
Snow isn’t anything special in a game, but this reeked of a cataclysm .
It’s almost as if this were the beginning of Ragnarök .

“… thanks again, Shouko . ”

I open my inventory and select the Powder Snow Haori .
It wasn’t that cold at sea, so I didn’t need the coat, but I’ll definitely need it, now that it’s snowing .
Just like how I worn it last time, the haori surely doesn’t match my Western-style clothes but at least it’s very warm .

I reached the square where I said I’d meet up with my sisters .
I had a feeling that they chose here on purpose .
Tough-looking warriors in full suits of armor and high-leveled mages with robes and towering staves were hanging around the square .
They’re obviously frontliners .
It was odd thinking how Shouko was with them just a week ago .

“Now, where are those two…”

I walk around the square in search of my sisters .
Compared to our party members who are in regular clothes, these people were absolutely menacing with their swords and armor . But now that I think about it, that’s par for the course in MMORPG’s .

“Big brooo!”

Tsugumi called out from behind .
Both of my sisters are using their natural voices in game, so I was able to pick them out instantly .
… it’s a little unsettling to hear their real voices in another universe though .

“Hey, Tsumu—”

Before I could finish greeting her, she ran and dove at me—in armor, not to mention .
It wasn’t a full set of heavy armor, but it sure wasn’t light either… medium armor, perhaps?

In any case, she was a ma.s.sive projectile that was flying my way .

“Whoa!”

I was afraid I wasn’t able to, but I caught her .
Then, I swung her around three times as if we were in some sort of anime .
She was lighter than I thought though .

“Hehe!”

Her flapping animal ears showed just how excited she was to see me again .
I wanted to pat her on the head, but Tsumugi is taller than I am .
Maybe it’s a little weird to pat someone taller than small little me .
Gah! How lame!

“Hmm?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Mm… nothing . I’m glad you’re okay, big bro . ”
“I’m glad to see you safe as well… you seem really high-level though . ”

Her armor was black with red accents .
It looked like a long armored skirt, both cool and cute .
Her weapon was tucked away, but I’m sure she’d look good with anything in her hand .
I’m sure people must have lots to say about a regular citizen me with little sister who’s a knight . But hey, we have different objectives, so different equipment is totally normal .

“Ahaha, I just turned level 26!”
“… 26?”

I didn’t mean to question her out loud .
Sheryl is level 21 right now .
Since Shouko and Yamikage took Naval Combat, Sheryl had gained quite a few levels too .
It’s just a little odd that they only have a 5-level gap between her and Tsugumi, even accounting for how Tsugumi said it gets grindy after level 20 .

“Something wrong?”
“N-No, it’s nothing . ”

I brushed it off, but what’s up with that?
Like with any MMO’s, grinding must be tough .
It’s quick to level in the beginning, but players probably need a lot of exp to level up later .

“You must be the brat’s older brother . ”

A party of four drew near as I snapped back to my senses .
A Human male spoke to me .
Whaddya mean “the brat”? She has a name, y’know? Well, Tsugumi is a bit of a brat, but still .
The man has brown hair with white streaks and a set of white armor—exactly what you might imagine a hero to dress like in an RPG . He’s probably the party leader .
Behind him are a Human female in a robe with a two-handed staff in her hands; a young Jewel male with a magical tome; and a young Elven male clad in light armor .
No Spirit? What a shame .

“Yeah, I’m Tsugumi’s older brother . My name is Kizuna . ”
“I’ve heard of ya . Tsumugi and her older sister turned you into their younger sister, right?”
“… more or less . Well, I’m not exactly complaining either . ”

“Good to meet ya, Kizuna . I’m Rosette, but everyone calls me Roz . ”

Roz extended his hand .
No reason to refuse his handshake .

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re a frontliner, right, Roz?”
“Yeah, I guess . It’s all thanks to Tsugumi and Rei . ”

I’m not sure who Rei was, but probably one of the three behind him .
For some reason, my first impression of Roz was that he’s like the protagonist to a dating sim .
Three guys and two girls—about average for RPG’s .
It looks like the one with the big staff is Rei who wields light magic; the one with the tome uses four different elements of magic; and the one in light armor wields a bow .
Roz is their tank then? Party leader matches his looks too .
Oh, and I was correct in my a.s.sumptions . I can just tell .
Well, it’s definitely good team comp for an MMORPG, so it’s easy to guess .

“So, how far are you guys with investigating the Dimension Wave?”
“I heard that there’s a new location popped up between the First and the Second . ”
“… a special event map, eh?”

I wonder what’s there . Probably a fight though, I’m guessing .
It’d be fitting if a boss monster came crawling out of that fissure in the sky .

“We’re guessing something’s gonna happen in three days . ”
“In three days, you say?”

—three days later would mark one month since we’ve sp.a.w.ned in this game .
Yeah, that would make a lot of sense .
It’s reasonable that the first big event would come after one month . Of course, we can’t be 100% sure, so we should investigate into this some more . But we’ll say it’s in three days for now .
That means we’re a.s.suming that there’s gonna be a raid three days later .
… the first thing I can do to help is tell them about gutting weapons .
If I let everybody know now, they’ll probably have time to prepare before the boss fight .
I’ve earned a lot from keeping this secret already and these guys have been taking care of Tsumugi as well, so maybe I—

“Wouldya look at that? Sir Hero’s hanging out with a Spirit . ”

As soon as I was about to tell them my secret, someone calls out to Roz from behind .
It’s a good-looking guy with blond hair . Well, n.o.body’s really ever ugly in a game .

“… it’s you guys, huh?”

Roz seemed to be a pretty cool guy but now he’s got a frown on his face .
Well, judging by how they spoke to him, he probably doesn’t want to get involved with those guys either .
Behind the blondie was three other people, all dressed similarly to Roz .
Probably around the same level and frontliners too, if I had to guess .

“Spirits may be a weaker race, but that’s nothing you should be saying to people in their faces . ”

Roz snapped back at him .
Was he defending me?
I mean, I literally just met the guy and he’s standing up for me .
What a good dude .

“They completely useless if they so much get sneezed on, am I right?”

The four of them were laughing among themselves .
… oh, let me have at him, won’t you?
These guys look like a bunch of thugs you’d see in a manga or something .
I didn’t know people like them really existed .
Why did a bunch of normies like them join this game anyway?
That’s what’s odd to me .

“Did you forget how much she helped with unlocking the second city?!”
“Spirits are supposed to have lots of HP!”
“And without her, we would’ve lost . ”

Roz and the blondie argued with each other .
Frontliners sure are dramatic .
Well, this much is expected in an MMO .
High-leveled players just love to argue about experience, items, mobs, and the like . I’ve had my fair share of this before .
Hmm?
I turned around to see Tsugumi tugging at my sleeve .

“They’re people we usually compete with to farm monsters, since our parties are pretty similar . ”
“I see . ”

Their party consists of a tank, a mage, another mage, and an archer too .
A typical, effective team . It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them hunting at the same area .

“What are they arguing about anyway?”
“So, in the raid to unlock the second city, a Spirit really helped us out . We would’ve all been wiped out if not for that Spirit . ”
“Well, he’s not wrong in that Spirits do have lots of HP . ”

To be precise, it’s Energy and not HP .
But their conversation sounds kinda familiar .

“Speaking of which, what happened to her? I haven’t seen her around lately . ”
“Yeah . I haven’t seen her since about a week… a bit more than a week ago . Maybe she left the party . ”
“Huh, is that right?”

A bit more than a week ago?
That’s right when I stopped fis.h.i.+ng .

… wait, they’re talking about Shouko .

If I remember correctly, Shouko mentioned she there unlocking the second city .
There’s a possibility that it’s someone else, but everything seems to line up perfectly .
Shouko described them as a bunch of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds before too .
It seemed like her enemies weren’t just the monsters .
Her equipment is all set up for avoiding getting hit .
If she can’t block, then she’d dodge .
That makes sense… since she needs her HP for her party .

“Well, Sir Hero, don’t get sucked in by a Spirit, hey?”
“You can mind your own business . ”
“Smell ya later, then . I’ve got better things to do anyway . ”

The blondie walked back where they came from .
He was pretty pumped up for someone who has “better things to do anyway” . Oh, whatever .
Right, I gotta tell them something .

“Thanks, you guys, for helping me find my good friend . ”

I meant to shout louder, but they didn’t seem to have heard me .
What do they call that? Selective hearing?

“Sorry about that . I apologize if I’ve ruined the mood for you guys . ”
“Well, that’s only normal in online games . Don’t worry about it . ”
“Thank you . ”
“It’s true that Spirits are kinda weak too . ”

Other races are better suited to combat .
You’d have to really know how to use Spirits to use them effectively .

“I don’t agree though . ”
“Is that right? It means a lot coming from a frontliner like you . ”
“They mentioned it too, but we would’ve lost the raid to unlock the second city if it weren’t for Spirits . You guys may be weak against mooks, but definitely the opposite against bosses . ”
“I see . ”

Now that I think about it, Yamikage’s Drain did 3,000 per hit against that Lizardman Dark Knight . She did quite a bit of work there .
No other race could’ve done that within two weeks of playing this game, right?
And with our HP—or Energy—we don’t die very easily .
Well, I know first-hand just how hard it was to get three weeks’ worth of Energy . Regular mobs aren’t all that bad though… and Shouko seems to like the experience gain at sea too .
Whatever . I’ve got better things to do too .

“More important is Dimension Wave . ”
“Yeah . What are ya gonna do, Kizuna?”
“I’ve seen Tsugumi already, so I guess I’ll check in with my older sister and other friends . ”

I can’t forget that Shouko and them sent me on a scouting mission either .
Alto can’t be far off from here either .
We’ll learn a lot from Alto, I’m sure .
If there’s gonna be a big raid in three days, then I probably should get new equipment too .
We’ve got mountains of mats from the monsters at sea .
I promised I’d give Romina dibs on special gutted items too, so I should head her way .
Three days doesn’t seem like a lot of time to me now .
I should be quick and careful with things .

“Then, I’mma go look into this some more, Roz . I’ll leave Tsu—I’ll leave my sister to ya . ”
“Bro-bro! I can take care of myself!”
“You sure about that?”
“What do you mean?!”
“Hahaha . Tsugumi’s the strongest of us . She takes care of us more than the other way around . ”

… that’s a prodigy gamer for you .
I headed off on my own as I reflected back on how I treated my sister like she was some sort of dead weight .

“… there sure are a lot of casualties . ”.

That was my first impression once I returned to the First I’m not sure if the devs specifically made a post-Dimension Wave Lurolona, but all the buildings in here were damaged or in ruins . The town was completely unrecognizable It’s a little weird thinking two weeks ago, Lurolona was my base of operations but now, it’s like this Surprisingly, the people going in and out of town were very lively Well, Dimension Wave was a pretty huge event . I guess in terms of regular MMO’s, it’d be like a major patch or something . People are probably excited about what’s to come

“Why is it so cold here though?”.

Perhaps because the first city is close to the sea or maybe because it’s the sp.a.w.n point, but Lurolona is usually pretty warm . It felt like an Indian summer lulling me to sleep But now, after Dimension Wave happened, it’s rather chilly Now that I think about it, it’s neat how there are temperatures in games It’s almost as if I’m in a parallel world or something Now then, let’s go talk to some people and start gathering intel First, I should talk to my sisters Then maybe I’ll call Alto . He probably has lots of information from all his connections As soon as I figured out my plan, I felt something strange about the air around me

“… is it snowing?”.

It was Many people around me noticed it too and felt just as weirded out as I did Snow isn’t anything special in a game, but this reeked of a cataclysm It’s almost as if this were the beginning of Ragnarök

“… thanks again, Shouko . ”.

I open my inventory and select the Powder Snow Haori It wasn’t that cold at sea, so I didn’t need the coat, but I’ll definitely need it, now that it’s snowing Just like how I worn it last time, the haori surely doesn’t match my Western-style clothes but at least it’s very warm

I reached the square where I said I’d meet up with my sisters I had a feeling that they chose here on purpose Tough-looking warriors in full suits of armor and high-leveled mages with robes and towering staves were hanging around the square They’re obviously frontliners It was odd thinking how Shouko was with them just a week ago

“Now, where are those two…”.

I walk around the square in search of my sisters Compared to our party members who are in regular clothes, these people were absolutely menacing with their swords and armor . But now that I think about it, that’s par for the course in MMORPG’s

“Big brooo!”.

Tsugumi called out from behind Both of my sisters are using their natural voices in game, so I was able to pick them out instantly … it’s a little unsettling to hear their real voices in another universe though

“Hey, Tsumu—”.

Before I could finish greeting her, she ran and dove at me—in armor, not to mention It wasn’t a full set of heavy armor, but it sure wasn’t light either… medium armor, perhaps?. In any case, she was a ma.s.sive projectile that was flying my way

“Whoa!”.

I was afraid I wasn’t able to, but I caught her Then, I swung her around three times as if we were in some sort of anime She was lighter than I thought though

“Hehe!”.

Her flapping animal ears showed just how excited she was to see me again I wanted to pat her on the head, but Tsumugi is taller than I am Maybe it’s a little weird to pat someone taller than small little me Gah! How lame!.

“Hmm?”. “What’s wrong?”. “Mm… nothing . I’m glad you’re okay, big bro . ”. “I’m glad to see you safe as well… you seem really high-level though . ”.

Her armor was black with red accents It looked like a long armored skirt, both cool and cute Her weapon was tucked away, but I’m sure she’d look good with anything in her hand I’m sure people must have lots to say about a regular citizen me with little sister who’s a knight . But hey, we have different objectives, so different equipment is totally normal

“Ahaha, I just turned level 26!”. “… 26?”.

I didn’t mean to question her out loud Sheryl is level 21 right now Since Shouko and Yamikage took Naval Combat, Sheryl had gained quite a few levels too It’s just a little odd that they only have a 5-level gap between her and Tsugumi, even accounting for how Tsugumi said it gets grindy after level 20

“Something wrong?”. “N-No, it’s nothing . ”.

I brushed it off, but what’s up with that?. Like with any MMO’s, grinding must be tough It’s quick to level in the beginning, but players probably need a lot of exp to level up later

“You must be the brat’s older brother . ”.

A party of four drew near as I snapped back to my senses A Human male spoke to me Whaddya mean “the brat”? She has a name, y’know? Well, Tsugumi is a bit of a brat, but still The man has brown hair with white streaks and a set of white armor—exactly what you might imagine a hero to dress like in an RPG . He’s probably the party leader Behind him are a Human female in a robe with a two-handed staff in her hands; a young Jewel male with a magical tome; and a young Elven male clad in light armor No Spirit? What a shame

“Yeah, I’m Tsugumi’s older brother . My name is Kizuna . ”. “I’ve heard of ya . Tsumugi and her older sister turned you into their younger sister, right?”. “… more or less . Well, I’m not exactly complaining either . ”. “Good to meet ya, Kizuna . I’m Rosette, but everyone calls me Roz . ”.

Roz extended his hand No reason to refuse his handshake

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re a frontliner, right, Roz?”. “Yeah, I guess . It’s all thanks to Tsugumi and Rei . ”.

I’m not sure who Rei was, but probably one of the three behind him For some reason, my first impression of Roz was that he’s like the protagonist to a dating sim Three guys and two girls—about average for RPG’s It looks like the one with the big staff is Rei who wields light magic; the one with the tome uses four different elements of magic; and the one in light armor wields a bow Roz is their tank then? Party leader matches his looks too Oh, and I was correct in my a.s.sumptions . I can just tell Well, it’s definitely good team comp for an MMORPG, so it’s easy to guess

“So, how far are you guys with investigating the Dimension Wave?”. “I heard that there’s a new location popped up between the First and the Second . ”. “… a special event map, eh?”.

I wonder what’s there . Probably a fight though, I’m guessing It’d be fitting if a boss monster came crawling out of that fissure in the sky

“We’re guessing something’s gonna happen in three days . ”. “In three days, you say?”.

—three days later would mark one month since we’ve sp.a.w.ned in this game Yeah, that would make a lot of sense It’s reasonable that the first big event would come after one month . Of course, we can’t be 100% sure, so we should investigate into this some more . But we’ll say it’s in three days for now That means we’re a.s.suming that there’s gonna be a raid three days later … the first thing I can do to help is tell them about gutting weapons If I let everybody know now, they’ll probably have time to prepare before the boss fight I’ve earned a lot from keeping this secret already and these guys have been taking care of Tsumugi as well, so maybe I—.

“Wouldya look at that? Sir Hero’s hanging out with a Spirit . ”.

As soon as I was about to tell them my secret, someone calls out to Roz from behind It’s a good-looking guy with blond hair . Well, n.o.body’s really ever ugly in a game

“… it’s you guys, huh?”.

Roz seemed to be a pretty cool guy but now he’s got a frown on his face Well, judging by how they spoke to him, he probably doesn’t want to get involved with those guys either Behind the blondie was three other people, all dressed similarly to Roz Probably around the same level and frontliners too, if I had to guess

“Spirits may be a weaker race, but that’s nothing you should be saying to people in their faces . ”.

Roz snapped back at him Was he defending me?. I mean, I literally just met the guy and he’s standing up for me What a good dude

“They completely useless if they so much get sneezed on, am I right?”.

The four of them were laughing among themselves … oh, let me have at him, won’t you?. These guys look like a bunch of thugs you’d see in a manga or something I didn’t know people like them really existed Why did a bunch of normies like them join this game anyway?. That’s what’s odd to me

“Did you forget how much she helped with unlocking the second city?!”. “Spirits are supposed to have lots of HP!”. “And without her, we would’ve lost . ”.

Roz and the blondie argued with each other Frontliners sure are dramatic Well, this much is expected in an MMO High-leveled players just love to argue about experience, items, mobs, and the like . I’ve had my fair share of this before Hmm?. I turned around to see Tsugumi tugging at my sleeve

“They’re people we usually compete with to farm monsters, since our parties are pretty similar . ”. “I see . ”.

Their party consists of a tank, a mage, another mage, and an archer too A typical, effective team . It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them hunting at the same area

“What are they arguing about anyway?”. “So, in the raid to unlock the second city, a Spirit really helped us out . We would’ve all been wiped out if not for that Spirit . ”. “Well, he’s not wrong in that Spirits do have lots of HP . ”.

To be precise, it’s Energy and not HP But their conversation sounds kinda familiar

“Speaking of which, what happened to her? I haven’t seen her around lately . ”. “Yeah . I haven’t seen her since about a week… a bit more than a week ago . Maybe she left the party . ”. “Huh, is that right?”.

A bit more than a week ago?. That’s right when I stopped fis.h.i.+ng

… wait, they’re talking about Shouko

If I remember correctly, Shouko mentioned she there unlocking the second city There’s a possibility that it’s someone else, but everything seems to line up perfectly Shouko described them as a bunch of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds before too It seemed like her enemies weren’t just the monsters Her equipment is all set up for avoiding getting hit If she can’t block, then she’d dodge That makes sense… since she needs her HP for her party

“Well, Sir Hero, don’t get sucked in by a Spirit, hey?”. “You can mind your own business . ”. “Smell ya later, then . I’ve got better things to do anyway . ”.

The blondie walked back where they came from He was pretty pumped up for someone who has “better things to do anyway” . Oh, whatever Right, I gotta tell them something

“Thanks, you guys, for helping me find my good friend . ”.

I meant to shout louder, but they didn’t seem to have heard me What do they call that? Selective hearing?.

“Sorry about that . I apologize if I’ve ruined the mood for you guys . ”. “Well, that’s only normal in online games . Don’t worry about it . ”. “Thank you . ”. “It’s true that Spirits are kinda weak too . ”.

Other races are better suited to combat You’d have to really know how to use Spirits to use them effectively

“I don’t agree though . ”. “Is that right? It means a lot coming from a frontliner like you . ”. “They mentioned it too, but we would’ve lost the raid to unlock the second city if it weren’t for Spirits . You guys may be weak against mooks, but definitely the opposite against bosses . ”. “I see . ”.

Now that I think about it, Yamikage’s Drain did 3,000 per hit against that Lizardman Dark Knight . She did quite a bit of work there No other race could’ve done that within two weeks of playing this game, right?. And with our HP—or Energy—we don’t die very easily Well, I know first-hand just how hard it was to get three weeks’ worth of Energy . Regular mobs aren’t all that bad though… and Shouko seems to like the experience gain at sea too Whatever . I’ve got better things to do too

“More important is Dimension Wave . ”. “Yeah . What are ya gonna do, Kizuna?”. “I’ve seen Tsugumi already, so I guess I’ll check in with my older sister and other friends . ”.

I can’t forget that Shouko and them sent me on a scouting mission either Alto can’t be far off from here either We’ll learn a lot from Alto, I’m sure If there’s gonna be a big raid in three days, then I probably should get new equipment too We’ve got mountains of mats from the monsters at sea I promised I’d give Romina dibs on special gutted items too, so I should head her way Three days doesn’t seem like a lot of time to me now I should be quick and careful with things

“Then, I’mma go look into this some more, Roz . I’ll leave Tsu—I’ll leave my sister to ya . ”. “Bro-bro! I can take care of myself!”. “You sure about that?”. “What do you mean?!”. “Hahaha . Tsugumi’s the strongest of us . She takes care of us more than the other way around . ”.

… that’s a prodigy gamer for you I headed off on my own as I reflected back on how I treated my sister like she was some sort of dead weight