CH 6

To the village

(Bersleid: Sticking with “her” and “she” from now on.)

“Oh…”

Raising a slightly silly voice… Kurenai looked at her initial clothing, a simple and cute white dress with gold decorations around her neck and waist. She moved around a bit to see how her feet felt.

She’s been walking in the woods for a while, but she’s never noticed the feeling – it felt real.

The realistic feel of your feet sinking into the soil and the fallen leaves as you step on them.

The hard feeling that stone and tree branches give you.

You can feel the smell of the vegetation and mulch unique to the forest, and hearing the rustling of the leaves in the wind.

“I truly feel like I’m in reality.”

Once again, she was reminded of just how great her father and his friends are.

Such technology that creates a landscape like in reality; it would have been a pipe dream 20 years before the dawn of full dive VRMMO.

“What’s wrong, little girl?”

“Ah, its nothing!”

Seems like, while I was thinking my walking speed dropped.

I quickly chased after the man who was leading me from the “Grey Bear” earlier.

He’s a middle-aged man, with reddish-brown hair that’s been cut short. Although, he doesn’t seem like he trains, he still has some muscles, probably thanks to doing daily labour. In terms of appearance, if he were in the real world, he would definitely be able to call himself “Ikeoji”. (Bersleid: “Ikeoji” means good-looking mature man)

Kurenai’s current body has a short stride, so if you walk side by side with a bit of a brisk pace, she will be left behind. The man stroked Kurenai’s head.

“Well… you’ve saved me. Even though you’re still young… It’s amazing.”

“No, I’m glad you’re safe. I was lost, so thank you very much for guiding me.”

While feeling the tickling sensation of my head being stroked, I replied.

When I attempt to smile… I think I’m smiling properly, it’s hard to tell, since I haven’t looked in a mirror to take a look at myself, so I’m not confident… He looks a little embarrassed and looks forward.

I didn’t have much confidence because I skipped my character creation… but judging by his reaction, it seems that he can’t bear to look it. It is a relief.

–He’s having a small talk like this, but… he’s still just an AI-controlled NPC.

A male NPC, who responds so smoothly and naturally, that’s hard to believe.

This was made possible by adding various environmental information to a basic AI frame that can mimic the structure of the human brain, to a certain degree, to simulate growth…It is the result of new technology.

Naturally, it takes a lot of time and effort to manually configure and generate each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of NPCs within the game.

Therefore, a new technology was developed to randomly generate residents based on the specified environmental information.

It seems, that a huge core program that supervises and manages NPCs and automatically generates sudden quests, exists as part of the basic frame, that supports the foundation of the game.

In fact, my father, Sora, is also part of the team that completed this AI’s training method and the management system that oversees it.

Kurenai was a student who had just finished compulsory education, and as expected, she didn’t understand the technical matters that her father, who was one of the best engineers in the country, said.

However, she had some knowledge about its features from her father’s boastful description of the new technology they had created.

Naturally, since NPCs help you advance the story, they must have made the necessary adjustments, such as adjusting their thoughts and restricting their movements and actions, but at least their responses are almost the same as real human beings.

And they feel pain when they get hurt, and grieve when someone close to them dies–if they are killed them, they really die.

Even if this world started with today’s release, the NPCs who live in this world have been living for many years since.

–This is what the “world in five minutes hypothesis” looks like when observed from the outside, that’s what Kurenai thought deeply.

“Really, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“You’re one strange girl.”

He smiled wryly at Kurenai’s serious words.

“It’s almost time, we are about to leave the forest. Speaking of which, is there anywhere for you to stay overnight, Miss?”

“No, I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t even know where this area is.”

Originally, all she had to do was to log out, but Kurenai can’t do that now.

However, even though she has a girl’s body, she probably wouldn’t be attacked in a game that wasn’t designated as an adult-only game.

In that case, it would be fine to stay outside, but for Kurenai, who is a modern child, it is hard to forgo the convenience of a bed, at least.

“I want a house.” she thought so earnestly.

“Is that so? Would you like to stay at my house for a little while? 　My brother who was living with me, had moved out to the city, so there’s an empty room in the detached house that I’m currently not using.”

“Really, thank you!”

“No, no, I’m the one who owes you a thanks, so this much is fine.”

“Alright.” Kurenai made a fist pump in her heart, when she got a place to stay for today. It is said that mercy is not for the sake of others, but I think it is true. (Bersleid: I’m not good with idioms, so yeah, I’m leaving the second as it is.)

“Then let’s go and get out of here.”

The moment he said that, the trees that covered ended and the view opened up.

“Ah…!?”

After exiting the forest, the moment the sunlight hits my body, it starts to fall forward. I was about to fall flat onto the ground.

“Oops, are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just a little bright and I feel a bit dizzy.”

While holding her wobbly head, she hurriedly came up with an excuse, but in reality, it was probably due to the effect of “Weak to Sunlight (Weak)”.

After leaving the forest and being exposed to the sunlight, I felt a dizzy and my skin had a slight burning sensation to it.

“It’s not unbearable… but it’s more painful than I expected.”

It might be necessary to get a cloak to cover my whole body, as soon as possible.

—Kurenai was deeply relieved. She was really glad that it wasn’t “Weak to Sunlight (Strong)”.

“I see, you’ve been in the dark forest for a long time.”

“Yeah… ahaha.”

She laughed, successfully deceiving him. She let out a sigh of relief in her heart.

In the past, humans and demons fought for supremacy over the continent during the Human-Demon Wars.

Even though they had been living harmoniously with each other under the rule of the empire. But, in the current situation, I don’t know what people on the human side think of ‘Noble Red’, which is classified as part of the demon race.

“I need to be careful.” she thinks to herself.

What jumps into her crimson eyes, when she raises her face, is a calm landscape that spreads out unobstructed.

Kurenai and the man are on a slightly elevated hill.

From there, what spread out before her eyes was a wide area filled with ploughed fields, some had crops sprouting, surrounding a small town. In addition, there was a huge lake.

“Welcome, young lady.

At the same time as he said that… a notification that said, ‘Arrived at a new area: Lakeside Town’ appeared at the edge of Kurenai’s field of vision.