Chapter 196: Reaching the Heaven Part 2 Part 2

Above all else, that crazy maneuvering it’s the source of the damage of this frame. It is really taxing for the ‘body’, but this is the optimal build. And believe me, I have tried many different, even more complicated builds and combinations of acrobatics and acceleration, but the more complex you go the more compromises you have to make.

「But still, who would have thought that you could pull off such crazy moves in this game……」

「Actually, I have changed my current VR system for a newer one, so that might be the reason why.」

「Could it be, a business-purpose one?」

When I nod my head, Mold opens his eyes wide in surprise. Mold then wrapped his hands around his sides and crouched on the ground, looking as though his stomach suddenly started to hurt. At the same time his expression was something alongside the lines of ‘It’s unfair that technical specifications give you advantage!’. You sure you want to act like that, Mold? I am fairly sure that soon enough you shall reach this game’s allowed pain threshold.

「Yeah, I set this thing up for a test drive, but as you can see, this horsie tends to be too rowdy at times. And I cannot have that. …… Since I’m a bird and all that.」

「Pufuh……」

「Sanraku, could you please stop turning Mold into a useless person with your lame jokes? It’s really inconvenient.」

「And how is that my fault?」

「It would be bad if he remembered one of your jokes while navigating and made a mistake as a result.」

Saying that Rust sulks her shoulders down, apparently giving up on the idea of having a rematch, at least for today. All around us I could hear people talking in excited voices, discussing new strategies and possibilities. Something in my gut tells me that boosters and thrusters are going to be bought en-masse around here in the nearby future, with people being inspired by the battle they have witnessed on the screen…… But all of that was making me feel kind of enthusiastic as well.

「Honestly, I am still not entirely sure if this moment right is not a dream.」

「It may very well be.」

「I might have been lucky to be able to catch a blue bird here.」

「And what is that supposed to mean?」

「You see, I really love this game. I think that if I were about to die, this game would probably be the last thing that would ever cross my mind. And for this game, the appearance of Kingfisher seemed like some sort of a turning point to me…… At least I think so.」

「Okay, but I repeat: what is that supposed to mean?」

A coincidence is nothing more than that, a coincidence. The fact that a black cat crosses your path does not necessarily mean that you’re going to be struck with misfortune every single time. Oh yeah, while we’re being at it, I should probably ask Rust about it.

「Hey, Rust. Since the sequel to Nephilim Hollow has been announced, does that mean you are going to stop playing ShanFro?」

It would be great if Rust wanted to focus all of her efforts on one single game, and if that game is going to be Nephilim Hollow and not ShanFro, I have no right to convince her otherwise. However, my contract with Rust and Mold still stands. To show them Mechas in ShanFro. I would absolutely hate it if the two of them left Shanfro without achieving that goal.

「I’m still on the fece when it comes to ShanFro, but…… I’m definitely going to stick with NephHoll. What is this Black Doll thinking, using ShanFro system for such a depopulated game? Idiots, complete and utter idiots, and I’m going to follow them for the rest of my life……!」

「Eh, seriously?」

ShanFro system is a system derived from the game that implemented it first, which is ShangriLa Frontier…… In other words, a system that allows to create a virtual reality that is crazy similar to reality. According to Rust, this Balck Doll person, who is the head of the Nephilim Hollow project as well as the person responsible for the marketing of the product, announced that they will be incorporating ShanFro system into the sequel, since there is no better game than Nephilim Hollow to utilize the system to its full potential. And using an already existing system instead of making a whole new one would also cut the costs and development time tremendously.

I see how it is. One does not need to have an open world game when using a system like that. You can only create one city like in Galaxia Heroes: Chaos, or even a single region instead of a whole new world. After that it is mostly a matter of managing your resources in a creative way. And if you manage to do it all just right, you can even create a high speed mecha combat game that could potentially turn the whole industry upside down.

With that thought in mind, I do really think that Rust is lucky. After all, despite the low playerbase her favorite game is receiving a sequel. This only goes to show that the developers and publishers see the potential this game still has. Often it is that no matter how popular the game, if the higher-ups won’t make a decision there will be no sequels, and eventually the game will depopulate and fade into oblivion.

Personally, I do not mind that. Part of the reason is that some of my favorite games are those games that are already a thing of the past, but other reason is that getting a sequel does not guarantee that the game is going to be improved on. Moreover, the history of gaming industry knows a ton of cases where the further down the sequel hole a series went, the worse games it was starting to get. We’ve seen it way too many times.

That is why a sequel should be something more than just some upgraded mechanics and a number ‘2’ slapped in the title. Being able to witness the birth of a sequel thanks to the ShanFro technology is a true privilege, especially for someone who had seen just how poorly that can end in the past. It also fills my heart with some truly mysterious feelings. And seeing how Rust and Mold were excited for that sequel, it makes me feel ever so slightly envious. For them, and for the new players that are going to discover this game.

「So, how about you, Sanraku…… Are you going to buy it once it comes out?」

「…… Would you like me not to buy it?」

「Buy it, don’t buy it, it’s entirely up to you. I cannot force you to do anything.」

It was at this moment that I realized something. Right now I was playing Nephilim Hollow as well. But what do I want to do with it?

I think about that while looking at other players gathered here. Do I really have to thanks Sh*t Chronicles Online for being right here, right now? It all started with me playing it and getting so irritated that it made me want to leave the sh*tty games behind forever. Then I started playing ShanFro, restarted playing Nephilim Hollow, hid my face and went on to fight foreign professional gamers…… Suddenly all of my actions and my life were no longer feeling as if they belonged to me.

「For the time being, I want to focus entirely on our battle against Kutanid. I can focus on the unrealesed sequel to some other games later. We start our battle tomorrow, so try to get a good night’s rest and don’t play too much, okay?」

「…… Of course. Besides, I need to get used to ShanFro’s system even more in preparation for Nephilim Hollow 2. I’m not going to let some stupid Kutanid beat me, and I will definitely ride those mechas.」

I could clearly see the flames of determination burning up in Rust’s eyes. I knew it at that moment that I could count on her.

「A bird…… That is also a horse……A horse? What’s a horse…… Puh, kukukukuku……」

「Stop laughing all by yourself! It’s creepy enough as it is!」

「I think that this time around it may be even more severe……」