Mode/ Combat
Shiroe Race: Half-Alv Enchanter, Level 90
Electrical Fuzz!
I see them.
Confirming seven briar weasels!
Careful! To your right!
I know.
Bring it.
Th-These things are tough...
I'll have to use a Shield Smash... What the...
These controls suck!
Naotsugu!
Two from the left!
Th-They stink... Get off me!
It's hard to grasp a situation when the field of vision is reality.
Akatsuki?
Same here, my lord.
It's all I can do to hold them off.
Akatsuki Race/ Human Assassin Lv. 90
Naotsugu Race/ Human Guardian, Lv. 90
Naotsugu! Akatsuki!
Shiroe Race: Half-Alv Enchanter, Level 90
Fall back for now!
Roger!
This isn't like a game at all...
It isn't a game.
This is
our new reality.
They're coming...
My lord!
Wait...
I'll use a Nightmare Sphere.
A triffid?
Oh, no... Where did it come from?
Shiro!
My lord!
Enchanter, Lv. 90
All of a sudden, there I was.
The Apocalypse
The Apocalypse.
Where am I?
The smell of moisture in the air, and the bright sunlight...
The Silverleaf Tree...
Could this be...
Akihabara?
What's going on?!
Is this Akihabara?
This can't be happening...
Why am I dressed like this?
What's going on?
Get me the GM!
Are you listening?!
I-I don't...
Ow...
Skills Quest
Equipment Items
Wh-What?
Wait, this is
a status screen, isn't it?
Does that mean...
Items
Dezanegg's Magic Bag
I can control it...
Log Out
No good... It won't work.
What's this?
Friend List
My friend list!
Friend List
Let's see...
If their names are lit up, does that mean they're here?
Even Tohya and Minori are here?
Naotsugu...
No Guild Naotsugu
I know, voice chat!
If I can talk to him via telepathy...
Shiro? Is that you, Shiro?
Naotsugu!
Hey, Shiro!
Naotsugu...
Naotsugu Race/ Human Guardian, Lv. 90
Hmm?
What?
Oh, it's just, you look the way I pictured you...
So do you.
An intelligent man, with glasses and nasty, beady eyes.
My race is supposed to be Half-Alv...
So, I log in for the first time in two years...
And what the hell's going on?
Tell me anything you know, nasty-glasses.
I don't know, either.
But...
It appears we're in the world of Elder Tale.
Wasn't today the day they planned to add the new expansion?
Yeah, The Novasphere Pioneers.
Up until the second they executed the update, I can remember everything.
And the next thing I knew, I was here.
Same with me.
This is definitely Akihabara.
I've seen it hundreds of times in the game.
But...
The sky stretches so much further.
Yeah.
And it feels like I'm really touching it.
Which means...
I guess this isn't a dream.
Then we're in the game, huh?
I thought that only happened in fantasy novels.
You think we can get home?
I don't know.
How did we get here, in the first place?
Yeah.
I know... We may not be able to return quickly.
Which means...
We should be ready.
What do we do?
Let's gather information.
We have to know more about this world.
That's true.
Good to see you as calm and analytical as ever.
I'm counting on you, Strategist.
Calm isn't the word I'd choose.
I know this isn't what you expected,
but welcome back to Elder Tale, Naotsugu.
Yeah!
The buildings and roads were just as I remembered.
In other words, just like the game.
Looks like I can use my items...
Quest Items Food Potions
As well as my magic and skills.
But it looks like we can't log out...
I checked, too.
Want to have a look at the outside zone?
No,
not yet.
Right.
I'm sure monsters are out there!
No way!
You go check it out!
Hell, no... You go.
What's going to happen to us?
Shut up!
Help me! Someone, help me!
If you're back in the game,
you work must have calmed down.
Yeah.
What really sucks is there aren't any cute girls at work.
Who cares?
What was that?
You're just a closet pervert!
I'm not a closet anything!
There are two types of men in this world.
Open perverts who admit it,
and closet perverts who won't.
I am the former!
And I love panties!
You are the latter.
Yeah, yeah.
And I know you love them, too!
What's wrong?
How tall are you, Naotsugu?
In real life.
183 cm,
just like in Elder Tale.
My character is taller than I really am.
So this body doesn't feel quite right...
That's what you get for showing off.
Anyway...
To some degree, your game character reflects your real self.
What are you doing?
That's dangerous!
You're...
Akatsuki!
Akatsuki Race/ Human Assassin Lv. 90
What? You know him?
We were in a party together.
Not much of a talker, but a good assassin.
So you're also here, Akatsuki.
I'm Naotsugu, a guardian.
Whether you're an open pervert or not, let's get along.
You say that to someone you just met?
Yup!
Shiroe, I've been looking for you.
I want you to sell me a potion...
An appearance-changing potion.
That voice...
Akatsuki, you're a girl?
No wonder you never spoke much.
Appearance-changing potions...
Those are rare. They only distributed them once.
I remembered Shiroe had one.
L-Let me go...
I thought you wouldn't use voice chat because you were playing as an assassin.
Are you okay?
It's all right now.
She's hot!
The real deal!
Akatsuki Race/ Human Assassin Lv. 90
Female
You saved me.
I really appreciate it.
I-It's fine...
I retract my earlier statement.
You can't be either an open pervert or a closet one, because...
You aren't a man!
Shiroe, is there something wrong with him?
There are many things wrong with him.
Why is that?
In any case, he's messed up.
So, Akatsuki,
did you adjust your character to be closer to your real size?
Yes.
You should have done that in the first place.
Games are fun because you can do things you couldn't in real life, right?
But once I was stuck here, it was very inconvenient.
Inconvenient?
Ah! You mean like the bathroom!
Shiroe, is it all right if I knee this strange man in the face?
Ask before you do it, shrimp!
Don't call me a shrimp!
Anyway, how much do I owe you?
Oh, don't worry about it.
I can't do that.
I don't want anyone saying I wouldn't repay a favor.
But...
If it's that big a deal, you can...
Shiroe, is it all right if I knee this strange man in the face?
I said to ask before you do it!
And I didn't even finish!
You were about to say something bad.
I was, but...
Anyhow, why don't you stay with us for a while?
Strategist! Explain.
That's true... We can't leave her by herself.
Akatsuki...
Didn't you refuse to join a guild?
Assassins are lone wolves.
We aren't in one, either.
But right now, I think it's better to stay in a group than go alone.
Are you all right with that, Shiroe?
We'd be happy to have you.
I see...
Then, as a ninja, I shall revere you as my lord.
Ninja? Lord?
Wasn't she an assassin?
You have saved me from the dire fate of being transformed into a man.
Thus, I must work to repay you.
That is what requiting a debt means.
From now on, as your ninja, I shall protect you.
Well, um... Thanks.
Then we're a team!
Aren't more People of the Land around than before?
Albel/ People of the Land
The NPCs that inhabit the world of Elder Tale
call themselves People of the Land.
And we players are called adventurers.
Want to buy something, guys?
You mean we can eat these?
No time to waste thinking about it!
I'll take rice dumplings and green tea.
Sure thing.
What is this?
They all taste the same.
This...
It feels like a soggy cracker, without salt.
And all the drinks taste like water.
What's up?
Incoming Call
Someone's calling me.
Who is it?
Marielle Crescent Moon Alliance Welcome!
From Marielle?
Guild Building Japan Server Akihabara City/ No Monsters No PVP Entry Restrictions/ None Exit Restrictions/ None
Yeah, she leads the guild known as the Crescent Moon Alliance.
It's weird how the guild building is nothing but doors, though.
Each Guild Hall is its own zone.
Only the really weird stuff is still like a game.
Guild Hall 236 Guild Master: Marielle Guild Name: Crescent Moon Alliance Entry Restrictions: Yes ID: Shiroe No Guild
How cute.
This is the guild master's room?
Shiro!
Marie!
Are you okay? You must be hungry!
Eat something... Not that it has any flavor!
Calm down, Marie...
Marielle Race/ Elf Cleric Guild Master: Crescent Moon Alliance
What's this?
Do you have a girlfriend now, Shiro?
No!
You're so adorable!
Want a lollipop?
Shiro, where were you hiding this hot chick?
I haven't been hiding her.
Who's this?
Naotsugu!
Nice to meet you!
Naotsugu, huh?
Wh-Wha—
You're pretty buff!
You play sports?
No, um...
I mean, this is armor...
What is her problem?
She's scaring me.
Marie, stop it.
Another one!
Hot girls everywhere!
Henrietta Race/ Human Bard Crescent Moon Alliance
Henrietta!
Oh, dear...
I apologize for summoning you here, Shiroe.
Given what's happening, I'd like to exchange information...
She's so cute!
There they go again...
Um...
Save me!
Do you want to share information?
Then what about the Crescent Moon Alliance members?
Including myself, nineteen are online.
Eighteen are in Akihabara.
Eighteen of nineteen?
I'm told that, along with Akihabara, the other four major cities on the Japanese server,
Shibuya, Minami, Susukino, and Nakasu are all in the same shape.
And the inter-city transport gates are offline.
In other words, teleporting elsewhere is impossible.
The Akihabara adventurers are all meeting with their guilds, just like we are.
Some guilds are also looking to recruit.
At a time like this, the more people on your side, the better.
But even if this isn't our world,
we're all very familiar with Elder Tale.
Not necessarily.
You remember the new expansion, right?
The Novasphere Pioneers.
I get it.
If they've added that new expansion,
then monsters, items, and quests may all be different.
This world may not be the Elder Tale we know.
H-Hey, Shiro...
I know you aren't a big fan of guilds.
But...
Would you like to join ours?
Marie?
Debauchery Tea Party is gone, right?
And right now...
I'm sorry, Marie.
But I can't yet.
That's a great guild master.
It's all she can do to stay under control, but she's still acting so friendly.
Wasn't Debauchery Tea Party a legendary guild that disbanded?
No, no...
The Tea Party wasn't a guild.
It was a small group that never formed a guild,
but managed to complete several large-scale battles called raids.
And Shiroe was their strategist.
How long are we going to be stuck here?
How long will they just sit around there?
Die and you can escape.
In stories like this, that's pretty common.
And sometimes, if you die in the game, you die in real life.
When it was just a game, you'd revive at the Cathedral.
But we can't very well experiment.
But even if you do revive, what about your penalty?
What's wrong, my lord?
Let's try it.
The Archive Tower Forests?
We're level 90.
That's the level cap.
Normally, low-level monsters would just ignore us.
But in this area, the monsters will aggro on sight.
So it's the perfect place to try it, my lord.
Oh! You can't use your mini-map in the outside zones.
Briar Weasels.
Level 28...
Briar Weasel Rank/ Normal
These guys are nothing!
W-Wait...
Naotsugu...
It's hard to enter commands while monsters are running at you!
There's a difference between "using" and "mastering"...
Get into formation, as discussed!
It doesn't hurt as much as I expected.
But unlike when you play the game,
trying to fight monsters in front,
while keeping an eye on your party and overall situation...
This won't be easy.
To survive in this world, we must
hurry and learn its rules and how to fight.
But what do we do?
Akatsuki?
How did you do that?
I don't know...
My body just moved on its own.
Naotsugu!
Don't use your commands.
Try to use your body to feel the motion!
What are you talking about?
Just do it!
I don't get it, but fine...
Shield Swing!
My lord, this is...
Elder Tale.
An MMORPG with over twenty million worldwide players.
Without warning, an estimated thirty thousand Japanese alone...
And several hundred thousand worldwide...
Were trapped in a world just like the game.
Nightmare Sphere!
Cross Slash!
Assassinate!
Later, they would come to call this day...
The Apocalypse.
Serara, what's wrong?
Serara Crescent Moon Alliance
Susukino Japan Server Edge Zone/ Susukino City/ No Monsters No PVP Entry Restrictions/ None Exit Restrictions/ None
Serara...
Say something!
Marielle, I...
We found her!
Over here!
Serara!
One day, we found ourselves trapped in another world.
There, we fought and hurt one another.
But it was only a game, to keep our minds off the fact
that we weren't even allowed to die.
When a young girl in the Crescent Moon Alliance, Serara,
runs into danger in a distant northern land, Shiroe sets out on a journey.
Next time: The Battle Of Loka.
The Battle of Loka
This is our reality.