Log Horizon Volume 7 (2/2)

Chapter 4: Guild Master

1

This appeared to be a street on a late night.

But the surroundings were bright, the street lights casting a long shadow of him on the ground.

Shiroe thought it was late at night because the shutters of the shops were closed and there was no one around. It was unbelievably quiet.

After passing through a McDonald's and a mobile shop, he lowered his gaze as he went by a floral shop's sign board. These were scenes he had grown tired of. There was no sign of people in this silent street.

Shiroe was walking on a street that was an hour away from Ikebukuro by train. According to the locals, it was near a station that was forcibly included into the Tokyo subway line. Stations with similar names with prefix 'north' and 'south' could be found around the area, a sign that this was a suburban satellite town.

Shiroe was born and raised here.

But this city built on lies was a stranger in Shiroe's eyes.

The population in this new city was vast.

It was full of facilities meant to bring convenience to the residents.

But the distance from the inner city was awkward. For example, the citizens would make their way to the inner city for electric appliances, clothing, and entertainment, so there were no shops worth mentioning here. That was the sort of place this was. It was convenient and had everything. But when you really wanted to find something, you couldn't.

It could not be viewed as a mini city, it was akin to a supplementary space for Tokyo, a place without its own heart.

Shiroe's parents moved to this town after marriage. A two story house that wasn't too big or small with plenty of other similar buildings in the area. Be it the residence, station, the leftover farmland, or the trees, they were all unmemorable and ordinary sceneries that could be seen all over Japan and were fading slowly.

There was nothing worth protecting in this town without its own heart, so it changed slowly over time. Even the people that frequented the station building, shopping mall and the shops changed periodically. The residents also changed at a high rate.

This was also reflected in Shiroe's circle of friends. Shiroe felt that it was a waste for one third of the elementary school classroom to be empty. They planned for this amount of students. Shiroe didn't know if this was the effect of the aging population or the city planning estimate being way off. From elementary to middle school to high school, his classmates were ever changing. Looking back, this could be viewed as the metabolism of this new town. The young Shiroe felt that the world was blurry and untrustworthy and that people or things going missing was nothing abnormal.

(Speaking of which...)

He raised his head as he recalled something.

There was a small place called Brinjal Curry around here. The candy house, wallet shop, and fruit store were right beside it. That was a place he frequented with his friends when he was in high school, a cheap and memorable place.

The signboard that had a dubious drawing of an Indian was gone.

Shiroe was puzzled for a moment, but remembered with a hint of loneliness.

He carelessly forgot that the Indian curry house closed down. It was replaced by a beef bowl cafe for a few months and then taken over by a ramen franchise with a flashy signboard. Shiroe remembered seeing that when he went home during college vacation.

He went into the ramen restaurant once and would not want to taste the disgusting food ever again.

Even though they went out of business, Shiroe still wanted to try the taste of the curry house one more time. The owner was an Islamic person speaking with a Yokohama accent and did not look like an Indian. The curry was Japanese flavor instead of Indian style (it tasted like Vermont instant curry). It was priced reasonably and came with a large serving of eggplants, not a bad place to eat once in a while.

(It's a pity it closed down.)

He sighed as he lifted his head to look at the shop, the flashy signboard of the ramen franchise restaurant with black and red words. Shiroe stopped and observed the shop carefully. On the roller shutter was a sign saying they were closed on Wednesday. The restaurant was usually decorated with lots of flags, but it was quiet now. He could not make out what the sign above the shop was saying, it was all a blur to him.

Shiroe scratched his cheeks and came to a conclusion.

(So this is what it means to lose your memories.)

Shiroe had forgotten what this ramen franchise was called.

"So that's how it is."

It was not too surprising.

He already expected this, and he didn't feel like it was a major loss. Memories were fragile, disappearing like the items inside a treasure chest with a broken lock.

He remembered the scene of Silver Sword failing in their challenge.

He understood the risk of dying in a raid. Normally, raids needed to be challenged multiple times to accumulate experience, recalibrating their strategy in order to emerge victorious. Unlike the fight against the Sahuagins and goblins, the opponents were around his level, so failure was within expectations.

Shiroe felt a troubling sense of loneliness.

This faint emotion was nostalgic.

It filled the life of the young Shirogane Kei.

It was the same for elementary school, middle school, and after.

Before he realized it, Shiroe was holding on to these feelings as he took a night stroll.

He had lived in this town from birth till high school but he could only read 20% of the signboards clearly.

The ever renewing population came into brief contact with Shiroe before disappearing. But from their perspective, Shiroe was the one who disappeared. A meeting so brief they barely left any trace. The trace would then disappear from their minds completely.

By thinking rationally, it was Shiroe who forgot, while the shops were the ones being forgotten.

But Shiroe couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness as if he were betrayed.

Shiroe felt ashamed as he looked for an excuse.

His classmates from elementary and middle school had definitely forgotten about him.

He didn't mesh well with his classmates due to missing classes. Since he spent his time in the library till the evening, it was only natural for them to not remember him. Even Shiroe could not recall his old classmates. This situation overlapped with his memory of the shops, making him feel remorse.

Shiroe felt a wave of willful anger wash over him.

His hometown seemed to have everything, but it left no trace in Shiroe's heart.

Shiroe walked along the silent street illuminated by the mercury lights.

He just noticed he had left the downtown area and crossed the abnormally deserted bridge. Shiroe strolled down the street leading to the elementary school which was lined with trees.

A shadow which was supposed to be a friend rose from the ground, Shiroe didn't feel anything out of place when the petite figure walked beside him. The two of them passed by the green Gingko tree and the bench in front of the bus stop and continued walking under the night sky.

Shiroe was the only one moving in the streets, but he could hear the distant sound of heavy vehicles driving by. With the growl of the wind in the background, Shiroe walked on with his eyes on his feet.

Passing through a big park, Shiroe followed the meandering path aimlessly. The park was lit by the soft glowing lights. As expected, there was no one here.

Tiles with drawings of fish covered the bottom of the man-made pond. It was made shallow and wide to accommodate the children playing in them. The light reflecting off the water surface made Shiroe turn away. Shiroe and the shadow sat on a bench overlooking the man-made pond.

Shiroe concluded that this was a near death experience.

He died during his raid with Silver Sword.

According to the laws of this alternate world, he would revive at the entrance of the raid zone. During the lag time before he respawned, Shiroe, who just went through the bizarre experience of death, was watching a dream.

He leaned back on the bench and looked into the sky.

There were no stars in sight.

(So I ended up here in the end.)

Shiroe let out a lonely laugh.

Shiroe had spent countless nights on this bench. He grew up in a dual income family and would scowl impatiently when social workers asked why he was alone in the park. He was a regular here.

He didn't really like anything here. He just had no other place to go. There was just him alone in the house. The feeling of discomfort washed over him even if he hid under his blanket. He was also afraid of the young men and women dressed fancifully in the downtown area. In order to forget this unpleasant feeling, the grade-schooler Shiroe made his way through the streets at night to idle on this bench. That was the only way.

Although he didn't suppress his chest with his eyes shut like he did as a grade-schooler, the faint wound brought a silent certainty to Shiroe. He was certain that he had failed.

Shiroe frequented here often in the past.

The adults commented that the young Shiroe was mature, smart, and exercised self-restraint. That was why children about his age seemed irrational and barbaric to Shiroe, creating a gulf with other kids. As a result, plenty of unhappy things happened.

He squandered his classmates' good intentions.

Heartlessly slapping away the hand they offered him in good will.

He looked down on the kindness they showed.

He ran away from fights he should have stood up for.

He failed to comprehend the feelings and hardship of his parents.

All these were delicate irreversible failures.

The young Shiroe cried on this bench after every failure, promising himself to do this and that. Sometimes he completed the task wonderfully and thought things were going well. But as expected it was a failure, holding on to the feeling of being defective as he sat on the bench.

'... Just die and you will understand. The incompetence, the bad side and the ugliness of yourself. Die a hundred times and you will understand a hundred times. They can't go on because it is too hard to face them.'

He recalled William's words.

He now knew why people gave up raiding.

Compared to losing his memories, a pain that felt more compelling and unbearable.

Shiroe was familiar with this feeling and the meaning behind it.

If he would teleport here every time he died, that meant the city on earth Shiroe grew up in had died before.

If this was what death meant, Shiroe had gone through it countless times.

That night when he threw away an important notebook, or that evening when he slapped away the hand his friend offered him. The night when he was made to say, "Be careful" with a fake smile, and the time when he bid farewell to the library.

Death was the feeling of wanting to die.

Even though it had faded, Shiroe knew it very well.

It was the feeling he bore in his chest. Not just defeat, but the reopening of the wounds of previous failures as well. Hadn't he tasted this many times? He had gone through this enough times to not want to do this again. But before he knew it, he ended up here again. He had lived over a dozen years, would he ever get away from this bench? His doubt stuck to his back like a shadow.

His future seemed so far away.

After a dozen years, the amount of time was still beyond Shiroe's comprehension. In this indefinite amount of time that he lived, would he keep on repeating his mistakes?

He remembered Demiqas who grit his teeth and knocked Shiroe away.

Shiroe didn't understand why he did that.

Shiroe didn't recall doing anything that would prompt Demiqas to help him.

William offered his help after saying "Alright, no problem."

Shiroe could not comprehend why that young man would lend Shiroe his hand.

In Shiroe's mind the only thing he did was made William lose face.

He didn't know all sorts of things. He hated his foolish self.

The same with Naotsugu. Shiroe came all this way while holding back information from his friends.

Shiroe was not wary of Minami. Shiroe was not guarding against Minami's spy. He was already aware of the spy's identity.

Shiroe remained vigilant about an unknown third party.

He unclenched the fist he balled up unconsciously.

Other than Adventurers and People of the Land, perhaps there was something else out there. He suspected it to be the Kunie clan, but it was not them. But this 'something' definitely existed.

Like ReGan said, Shiroe and the others were summoned to this alternate world by a global level spell. It was just a coincidence that the game and this world were so similar. But was that really possible? Although the chances were not zero, there should be a better explanation out there.

Shiroe recalled that the research and development of technology that could read brain waves was ongoing. They were attempting to use brain waves to input commands or perform simple communication with patients in a vegetative state. According to the latest reports, they were able to view a person's dream via video. The research was mainly conducted in the medical field, and would probably move towards entertainment and space exploration by the next decade. It was great news that caused quite a stir online.

But the research had not advanced to the practical application stage yet. Maybe a secret international organization was researching in secret, experimenting with inducing a game like virtual world among its subjects.

But it was something else for tens of thousands of Japanese to experience this, that's just stupid. Also, Shiroe and the rest were not wearing any special equipment.

There must be a better explanation for this.

Shiroe had endured the sick apprehension that something was wrong for the past few months. This feeling was heightened when he heard about the Spirit Theory from ReGan. Building on the basis of the concept, he violently probed into the darkness with his imagination and thinking.

Shiroe used the convenience of the Round Table to request all sorts of research.

Roderick came up with the possibility of flavor text becoming reality. Soujirou found out about the changes in the ecology of monsters. Michitaka investigated the flourishing vegetation in the south. Charasin surveyed and collated information of rumors in the League of Freedom Cities Eastal.

The investigations revealed heaps of evidence that a third party existed. This strengthened Shiroe's suspicion. Something coincidental that they 'just happened to think of' was also evidence of the third party's activity.

(But I can't use those things as an excuse. I was taking it too easy. I stopped searching, bound by fear.)

There was so much more that Demiqas could do. The same with William.

He should have confided with Naotsugu. And Nyanta too.

Shiroe's worry had brought so much trouble to the people around him. He knew all that, but wasted the chance because of his lack of effort.

People important to Shiroe must be waiting for Shiroe there. The wind blowing tonight was like an invitation for Shiroe to return back to his guild.

They were living proof that Shiroe was cowardly and lazy, and pushed others away.

Shiroe stood up, determined to return to the others.

He would be letting everyone down if he couldn't even do that.

And he owed Kinjo an apology.

Shiroe was suspicious and did not say his piece.

What a pity. He should have shared everything. For the sake of the future Shiroe believed in, he had to convince Kinjo. As a fellow human being living in this world, they should discuss the pressing issues together.

Although he had no basis, Shiroe felt something staring at him. And that something had always been there since the Catastrophe happened.

Shiroe who stood up on reflex heard a familiar voice for a moment.

A whisper hinting on an upcoming meeting.

2

Shiroe felt a brief moment of vertigo and found himself on a white sandy beach.

The sunlight reflected off the clear ocean.

The waves rolled in slowly, making faint sounds as they washed to the shore, leaving foam in their wake.

The ocean met the sky at the horizon and extended as far as the eyes could see.

Shiroe was surprised by the crunching sound he made when he took a step.

He started to walk along the pure white shoreline, looking at the flawless beach in awe.

He couldn't do anything by staying here, something seemed to be guiding him on.

Shiroe lifted his head as the wind blew on his face. A shadow loomed from behind and took to the sky.

What kind of seabird had such beautiful wings?

The bird frolicked with its mates in the dark blue sky.

Looking at them gliding in the air, Shiroe was reminded of a novel by Richard Bach. The birds flew like seagulls, flapping their wings wherever they went.

(Speaking of which, what an amazing place this is...)

He had no impression of this even though this was a near death experience.

Did he come here when he was young, he wondered. He read somewhere that humans who had forgotten about things had simply lost their means to recall these memories. These memories were encrypted into the nerve cells and synapses of the brain so they couldn't simply be retrieved unless the human could break the encryption. Shiroe thought about complicated matters, but he still couldn't remember this place.

But, even though he had no memory of ever coming, it was still a beautiful place.

The clear winter skies and the sand dunes which extended all the way into the air.

The cream colored beach formed a perfect contrast with the aquamarine ocean.

Shiroe walked along the shoreline alone.

The footprints he left in the white sand looked like they could have been left behind millions of years ago. They were a record that followed Shiroe's path.

Maybe he had left it behind at the park bench, or it was simply swept away by the silvery sand under his feet, but Shiroe's sense of helplessness no longer lingered in his chest.

Shiroe walked for a long time, looking out into the ocean as he organized his thoughts. Light rippled in the sand with every step he took.Only a faint sense of guilt still remained. It was a debt he knew he had to return after he respawned.

A clear crystal sound raised Shiroe's doubts.

The heavenly body that illuminated the beach was a sphere of blue covered with clouds, something he had only seen in photographs. He thought it was the moon at first, but it was bright enough to light up the sky, a blue planet.

(... Is this the moon?)

As he looked around him, this appeared to be the correct answer.

The sand dunes that were like parched dragon bones and the turquoise lights surrounding him. This was a scene out of a fantasy.

Shiroe checked the name of the server hastily and was convinced this was the rumored 14th server.

The name of the server was Mare Tranquillitas.

It was not registered on the auto translation system. Taking the original text into consideration, this place should be called Sea of Tranquility.

This was probably the test server of the Ataravu Corporation which was filled with content that was in the midst of development. He chanced upon this place because of the Catastrophe, but Shiroe was not sure if there were other ways to this place other than through death.

With no means of finding out, Shiroe was thankful that he could still breathe as he explored the depths of his memories.

According to the Half Gaia project, the earth-like world of Elder Tales was divided into 13 servers. This meant that the 14th server was an unofficial test server.

Despite this, it was open to the public.

Players could freely create characters on this test server. Avatars created on it could not be migrated to the normal servers. They could only be used to explore the endless dungeons and the wide underground world of the test server.

This was a win-win situation for both the players as well as the developers.

Players with basic knowledge of the game were excellent debuggers, pointing out bugs and errors in the system being developed by the company for free. Apart from helping with the balancing of the damage and effects of new skills, it also helped garner feedback from players on improving the gaming experience.

For the players, the test server allowed them to experience changes that might be implemented into the game in advance, such as the combat system balance, new skills, items, monsters, and how all these changes would affect the game environment. Being a test server debugger was the best way to obtain first-hand information on the new system.

The success of the test server was only possible because of the benefits both parties mutually enjoyed.

While Ataravu Corporation (North America) developed the original Elder Tales, its consequent global updates and versions were the fruits of the test server and its many debugger-players.

Shiroe had an alternate character in this test server.

That avatar was a female Summoner, so the Catastrophe happening to his main account was a good thing.

Although Shiroe was quite knowledgeable about the test server, he wasn't aware that there was a 'surface'. Such information could not be found on international sites either.

As its name suggests, it was an environment created to conduct tests.

The test server Shiroe knew was a collection of dungeons identified only by numbers and the concept of temporal continuity did not exist as old and new versions coexisted at the same time.

When he thought about it, the fact that players couldn't log on to the test server the week before a beta-release of an expansion pack was probably because administrators were tasked with implementing the upgrades.

Shiroe chewed on the information he already had, but was unable to come up with new theories.

He had never heard rumors about being transported to the test server when one died.

Had any other Adventurers noticed that this was the test server?

Shiroe thought that it might be possible.

Since the Half Gaia project didn't encompass the test server, did that mean it was situated on the moon? Such topics had been brought up in overseas forums several times, but were not common knowledge among Japanese players.

Shiroe wouldn't even have known this was the Sea of Tranquility without this background knowledge. The name was in Latin after all.

As Shiroe thought about this, he noticed a figure looking up at him from a very close distance.

The figure belonged to someone Shiroe was very familiar with, Akatsuki.

The young girl in a caramel jacket gazed up at Shiroe with a mixed or troubled, wary and pleading look.

She reminded Shiroe of the shy stray cat that kept on running to his side.

Shiroe nodded, calming Akatsuki down.

He knew that smiling at this elegant lady would turn her pout into a very gentle expression.

A happy and satisfied smile with a bit of shyness.

Shiroe started to walk on the beach, an invitation for Akatsuki to join him. He wouldn't be able to get more information by staying here, and Akatsuki who was twirling by the ocean seemed eager to move on.

The couple took their time walking along the beach.

They couldn't sense any hostility in this place, but this was a whole new world for them.

Shiroe was watching the surroundings carefully while Akatsuki was taking it easy.

Akatsuki turned around watching their footprints in the sand.

Shiroe stopped and turned back. Akatsuki caught up effortlessly with weightless steps, running circles around Shiroe.

The couple continued to advance. Akatsuki led sometimes, played with the waves once in a while or pointed at the birds flying gracefully.

The caramel coat suited the cute swallow-like lady very well.

Maybe it was cold, but her face appeared to be slightly red and she would hurry to the front at times.

This must be the world of Elder Tales. With its clear skies and carefree sound of the wind that was unique to the outdoors. It created a symphony together with the waves, forming the background music to this world, with only the footfalls of the couple audible.

Akatsuki seemed to be afraid of something as she slowed her pace and fell behind.

Shiroe waited patiently for Akatsuki.

He was not bothered by the wait.

Suddenly, shiny snowflakes fell from the sky.

The scenery was white all around, be it the sand, the sea, Shiroe or Akatsuki. They were all showered under the white glow.

Shiroe reached out and attempted to touch it, but his chest hurt as he was reminded of the fragility of his dreams.

Just like touching snow as a child, he couldn't grab and observe it even if he wanted to.

Shiroe nodded at the wide eyed Akatsuki.

The two of them were looking at an unbelievable sight.

They were going through an incredible experience.

It brought an unfounded sense of quietness and satisfaction to Shiroe.

Fear, anger, and regret all melted away in this wintery seaside. The two of them were speechless in front of this sight.

"This is such a quiet place."

Shiroe said as he stopped at the cove with clear blue waters.

"Yes."

Akatsuki beside him answered.

Although it was a short exchange, Shiroe could feel the sense of awe from the sound of her voice.

The toll of a bell sounded from the other side of the sea.

It sounded like an unknown race that had spent tens of thousands of years alone signaling to its comrades.

Shiroe had no basis for this conjecture, but he believed this cove was a special place.

Akatsuki trembled slightly, sighing sadly.

Right then, Shiroe remembered that Akatsuki was also experiencing 'death'.

Although it was temporary, 'death' was still 'death'. It fell onto Akatsuki miserably, leaving a mark. It must be painful, full of humiliation and regret.

But Akatsuki was more mature than Shiroe imagined, her eyes filled with strength.

If this would teach him the meaning of 'death' just like William suggested, Shiroe had the obligation to not waste this lesson. Shiroe swore an oath in his heart.

If this cove took away memories in exchange for teaching Shiroe the meaning of death, then he could offer them himself.

Shiroe made a wish.

In order to become a better person than yesterday, it was a necessary ritual to move beyond regrets and work towards his goals.

Shiroe took out a small blade from his pocket and cut off a piece of memory.

Akatsuki followed Shiroe's lead and cut off the tip of her ponytail, letting it fall into the sea.

The falling snow and the blue seas were all fragments of memories.

The soul in liquid form played the symphony of the waves.

The tears of Adventurers who did not make it to this cove congregated in this ocean. It was not an assumption but a belief. Shiroe could see the Spirit Theory at that moment.

A tiny hand grabbed Shiroe's coat.

Shiroe didn't look away from the sea and muttered, "Amazing."

Both Akatsuki, who was nodding, and Shiroe calmed the excitement in their heart as they looked out into the sea.

"Did you fall, Akatsuki?"

Akatsuki looked surprised by Shiroe's words and nodded gently.

Akatsuki raised her head and opened her petite mouth.

She wanted to speak.

But this was very difficult for the young lady. No matter how hard she tried, her mouth closed into a line.

Instead of sorrow, Akatsuki's tearful eyes were filled with regret. Akatsuki withheld the pain in her chest, keeping it away from Shiroe.

Shiroe's heart ached as he looked at her. Akatsuki failed after taking on a tough challenge. Shiroe wanted to help her, but he was not by her side.

"Is that so? I am the same too. I died."

"You too my lord?" "Yeah."

He could see that scene when he closed his eyes. He could hear the steady counting of Silver Sword.

The clashing of blades, the burning inferno and freezing gale magic.

He was not regretting because of failure.

Shiroe was regretting not giving his best. Not accomplishing the things he should have done.

But Akatsuki's eyes were bright.

She might have failed, but she was not giving up.

Shiroe didn't know what had transpired, but he sensed that Akatsuki felt the same way as he did. This pain was Akatsuki's treasure. The determination to take back her glory.

So there was no need to console her.

"I failed. My forecast was too naive... I didn't put in my trust."

He didn't speak more than necessary.

He held back in offering assistance.

He didn't do his best.

"I'm not sure."

Akatsuki sounded like she was on the verge of tears, tempting Shiroe to say something. 'No worries. I understand. Akatsuki did her best, I know very well. You are a little lost now, but a detour is necessary for Akatsuki.'

But Shiroe couldn't say all this right now. The young lady was still battling. Shiroe was also fighting. The raid battle had not ended for either of them.

"This is strange. I never thought I would meet Akatsuki here."

"Right. My lord, this is strange."

He touched Akatsuki's small forehead. He prayed that he could convey the things he was unable to convey over to her.

Shiroe couldn't erase the past. But as Adventurers, they could rise and take up the challenge again.

"That's why, I want to try again."

"I want to have another go too... That's what everyone taught me."

Countless snowflakes fell from the sky.

This world was made from countless memories, forming a horizon with no end.

Understanding this made the world shine brighter.

Shiroe could hear the sound of waves from far away.

Light flooded the whole area, drowning Shiroe and Akatsuki to their toes.

Shiroe smiled at Akatsuki. Their time here was ending.

But they would definitely meet again.

The hand Shiroe was resting on Akatsuki's head fidgeted, he felt troubled. If it were the norm, Akatsuki would have given him a flying kick, admonishing him for treating her like a kid. But the kick didn't come and Akatsuki had a serious expression, so he missed the chance to let go.

Akatsuki looked as if she wanted to say something. But her voice was overwhelmed by the sound of flowing water. He could feel the touch of her silky hair lingering on his fingers.

Shiroe was definitely saved by her gentleness.

3

William opened his eyes and stared at the sky high ceiling.

A painful and hoarse sound leaked from his throat.

He know how pitiful he looked, but he couldn't stop himself from moaning. He rubbed his eyes violently. Their moisture was obvious to the touch.

He cried like a child. His pitifulness made him feel deflated.

The number of groans he could hear around him increased.

The members of Silver Sword respawned one by one.

This was the entrance to Abyss Shaft, the starting point of the zone.

William's group was wiped out and respawned here.

This was what happens when you were annihilated in raids, different from normal death.

Three raid bosses appeared at the same time and decimated William's group.

Two things were clear to Silver Sword.

First, there was no way to win this fight.

Raids were balanced in difficulty, allowing players of similar levels to win by a tiny margin. Guilds trained repeatedly and equipped their best items to duke it out with the boss, only to win by a hair in the end. That was what raids were about. For a fight with 3 raid bosses at the same time, it was no exaggeration to say that the chance of winning was zero. They knew this very well because they had gotten used to raid battles.

There was no chance of winning this.

The dark despair filled William's heart.

And the second point was... unbelievably grave news. If raid bosses could ally with each other, this could happen anywhere. Silver Sword wouldn't be able to win any other raid battle in this world.

If the quest level was low, for example level 50, they would be able to handle it even if there were 2 raid bosses. But that was not the raid battle William had in mind. They were not a group that found joy in bullying weaklings.

William wanted to challenge raids of the same level, a hot blooded raid battle, but their hope for this had been destroyed.

Williams breathed out a sigh of cold air, feeling a sense of fatigue tormenting him.

He could say the same for his comrades. Low spirited grunts could be heard all over the place.

Everyone in Silver Sword should have reached the same conclusion as William.

The world had denied William and his group.

William forced his withered body up. What he saw was the defeated Silver Sword. This was not the time to joke that he was unwilling to let his comrades see his pathetic side. It wouldn't be so hopeless if they were simply wiped out. The other members' hearts were broken, lacking the strength to even stand, just lying down or curling up in a ball, suffering and devoid of any strength.

Physical pain was not lethal to Adventurers. But the scar of being abandoned by this world was burned onto their souls.

He heard the sound of sniveling. It was the pathetic sound of adults crying.

William understood why. William experienced it too.

Memory loss was trivial. Compared to the safety conscious D.D.D. Compared to the elite team of Black Sword Knights. Compared to the annoying egalitarian Honesty. William was certain that Silver Sword had been wiped out the most in the entire server.

He understood his blunders and deficiencies the instant between deaths and respawning, freezing his soul. The chilling thoughts ground away his comrades' spirits. Winning by a hair's breadth was fine. Failure was okay too, they could heal, grow, and try again. But this failure they couldn't atone for and the regret they couldn't wave off kept lingering.

Voices from his past filled his head.

(So, what is the use of this?)

(Eh... Games huh... Hmmph.)

(Still playing PC games? Isn't mobile gaming enough?)

(Staying home for the holidays?)

Eat shit.

Williams cursed.

(You won't go to karaoke even if we invite you.)

(So you talk to your PC? Wah...)

(Why not take up a hobby that will be useful in the future?)

(It's fine, there are people like this too. What's the harm?)

Eat shit.

William rubbed his face violently.

He wanted to stand up strongly, but his knees trembled shamefully.

He wanted to scream, but he had no words to inspire his guild mates. Should he promise that they would be victorious in the next battle? He couldn't deliver that. It was a lie. Should he ask everyone to cheer up and challenge another raid? He couldn't do that either.

Or could he show a cold face and say "Let them say what they want"? He couldn't do that. His comrades were in despair, he wouldn't be able to reach them with those words.

William's mouth opened wide, his eyes wandering like a lost child.

He looked at Dinkuron. Toko. Junzo. Elten Gracia.

And at his own feet.

William was speechless as he looked at the dismal state his guild was in. After such a merciless beat down, he understood his laziness and incompetence. His heart had sunk to the bottom, there was nothing left.

William searched frantically.

Words that he could share with his comrades.

But he couldn't find anything in his cowardly heart.

"Is this the end?"

He heard a murmur.

He didn't know who, but it was definitely one of his guild mates. From a corner of this spacious hall. All the members who heard held their breath. This was what everyone was afraid to even think about.

The doubt forced William into a corner.

'... Let's return to Susukino and be a charitable guild that upholds the peace.

The People of the Land will be grateful. This is a dog eat dog world. Life is especially hard in Ezzo Empire with all the monster attacks. The people have their hands full just staying alive. In Susukino, Adventurers just need to be gentle and polite to enjoy enormous popularity. Hanging out with the People of the Land, getting a girlfriend would be great. Stop bothering with raids, Silver Sword can handle the task of defending the city easily.'

The stupidity of this line of thought made Williams burn from the inside.

"Maybe. This might be it. I agree... But so what? This is shit."

Williams was driven by his sense of regret and fought back in defiance.

That was a great way to live.

Exchanging a life of danger for a peaceful and comfortable living.

But that was no different from the adults who gave William 'advice' with a smug expression.

"We failed. Wiped out. This might be the end. It was all in vain. Just like what that bunch of people who call us idiots always say, we're trying to do something that is beyond us. Gaming nerd hikkomoris. Losers... But, so what. We already knew this. From the very beginning. We just like gaming. We chose this path."

But even if they failed, even if this was the end, he would not stop.It was fine even if it ended, William thought.

There was something he could not let go of.

William felt a burning heat go up his spine and continued.

"This is no big deal. Just losing in a raid. This is not the first time. No need to be so surprised. This is just a mark on the win lose column of this server. Gaming is for kids. Be an adult and return to society... I won't say anything like this. I won't let anyone say this. We lost, and are the worst kind of people. But even if there is a god, I won't let him say we are wasting our time."

Raids were special for William.

It was the heart of Elder Tales, the center of this universe.

"You ask if there is any meaning behind this statistic recorded by the server. Of course there is. Because I said so. I decided that it is a great and amazing thing. Even if God had decided the correct value of everything, it is not applicable in the whole world. People who believe such a dumb idea will never understand. You are wrong because the things you believe in have no value, people who say that will never ever understand. No matter how stupid it looks, or if all of this is a bloody fake, it doesn't matter if I, if we feel that it matters. Isn't this our choice? This is what I choose!"

He could not forgive anyone insulting the sacred oath in his heart. William remained defiant despite the unbearable pain in his heart.

The members of Silver Sword pushed themselves up and sat on the floor, looking at their guild master.

"We have lived inside Elder Tales for a very long time... Whenever formidable foes appear, we will ready our bows and sharpen our swords and take them on. Assaulting them while shouting like children. We win some, we lose some. That's right, all of this are just 1s and 0s in the database, so what. We are in this for the thrill of battle. That was great. We party hard when we win, splitting the phantasmal spoils cheerfully. If we lose we will hold reflection meetings till the break of dawn. If you dare say this is meaningless then let them say it. This has nothing to do with toys or cheap loot. If we feel that this matters enough for us to spend our time here, then this is our reality!"

William shouted. Filled with regret and fury, he spat out the thoughts in his chest.

But that was all he could do.

His action was like a flame burning bright and hot and then smothering out. Winning and losing was a part of battle.

And raids were the most sacred of all battles.

Inviolable.

Denying this was the same as denying the large amount of time William and the others had invested into this. William lost in this fight and was the loser. And they were unable to do anything to overturn this fact.

That's why William and the others had nothing else to say.

He had nothing left to inspire his guild mates.

"... Because this is the way we are, right? We don't give a shit about guys who have this or that. Those Mr. nice guys have everything, so they have no need to do this... Do you guys have it too? Good at everything. Able to make friends wherever you go. Or maybe you are smart, cool, or have a cheerful demeanor, even the knack for telling jokes is fine. Anything, able to glitter in the real world, a sparkling feeling. Do you have it...? I have nothing, nothing at all."

William lowered his head, rumbling on in a tiny voice.

It was no longer about the secret of holy battles.

It was a work of non-fiction, mild and uninteresting compared to Elder Tales, the small confession of William.

William had truly exhausted everything. But even so, the guild master of Silver Sword continued to face everyone.

4

"I have never mentioned this before, was hesitant to say it, but all of you are my friends. Because I can't make friends if I don't play games. How pathetic. I have no motivation... I only made it this far because of this game... It is the reason why I am able to understand how you feel. Just controlling the character with my keyboard. Ah, this guy wants to heal. That guy has retreated, but he really wants to stay at the front lines, something like that. This dude is hesitant to ask, but he really wants those magic buffing gauntlets. Not just these. This one cares about his teammates. Even though he is scared, he still shouted out loud. Giving your all into the game despite being dead tired. I know, I understand very well. I really do."

William squeezed out his thoughts in fragmented sentences.

These were his unpolished, real thoughts.

All he had left was a tiny flicker of fire.

Elder Tales had taught William many things. If not for this, this inarticulate high-schooler wouldn't have been able to found a guild.

Unable to empathize with others. Introvert. Inconsiderate. Uncoordinated. Impatient. Unable to read the mood. Unable to gel with others.

Being accused of all this, the boy withdrew socially. Elder Tales gave the boy a chance to connect with others. He treasured this connection and guarded it carefully. Elder Tales was the first friend he hugged with his skinny arms. If William listened carefully, Elder Tales would reveal many secrets to him.

The first secret was teamwork.

There would be players who did well and players who didn't. If there were people with great skills, there would be people with mediocre skills. What needed to be done in order to cooperate was easy: just accommodate them. Players fared poorly because William did not know what they wanted to do. By adjusting their styles to each other's, most players would be able to get along well.

Over time, he started raiding.

The level of difficulty in group fights increased gradually, but William did not give up. The group of people he networked with became larger over time. They were people he could get along well with once he got to know them.

The second secret was that their win rates improved as they chatted mindlessly through the night. William learned that those lame jokes had the mysterious power to decide the outcome of a raid.

William learned so many things.

Everyone would have good or bad days. The condition of each individual was important. He would care about how the others were doing. There would be hot headed guys and moody guys. His friends would bear all sorts of problems. This was expected. William realized everyone was in the same situation as him. He understood slowly what they wanted. It was very simple. They were all here for the raid battle, of course they wanted victory.

Who should we heal? Which enemy should we focus our fire on? Move in to attack or take turns and conserve energy? Do we go all out or cap it at 70%?

Even if conflicts arose in their quest for victory, everyone was still working for the best outcome, it was just that the execution wasn't smooth enough. They worked out the errors one by one. Eventually, they edged out a small victory, bringing enormous joy for William and his friends.

The third secret was bitter for Williams.

He learned to seek the advice and forgiveness of others.

Williams learned this after his team mates endured his tantrum. He understood after learning it that it was a necessary lesson.

Most battle guilds are short lived. There are at least 20 members winning and losing in harsh raiding conditions. It would be fine if they obtained treasures from every hunt, but phantasmal items might not drop even if you won a challenging raid. There would be members who would be unhappy, and bickering for spoils would in turn harm their relations. Under such conditions, battle guilds would disperse in less than 6 months.

When the inevitable intra-guild feud pushed Silver Sword to the brink of dissolving, William learned the de-escalation effect of dialogue. William learned to trust people around him, to say what he really felt. His guild mates understood that their leader was rash, but he was not malicious. This was a lucky break for a battle guild.

William thought about how much better it would have been if he had learned these secrets earlier. But on the other hand, he only learned them because he wanted to protect his guild.

As William learned the secret of being with others, Silver Sword gained fame as an up-and-coming raiding guild.

"That is why I understand... the feeling that this is the end. Game over. We are finished. I can genuinely feel it. This is probably it. But..."

William understood.

Everybody was disheartened right now.

He knew, challenging such an important raid and ending up here like pitiful dogs. He couldn't even look his pathetic friends in the eye.

"To be honest, I was so happy when I came to this world. You guys probably felt some joy too. There shouldn't be anyone here who totally hates this situation right? This is the world of Elder Tales. The world we are so passionate about. The place where we are better at fighting raids than anyone else. I think things will work out. Putting this nonsense aside, I am glad I can spend time with you guys. All of you are losers. Well, I'm a loser too. Whatever, it's fine if we can fight in raids. In this world, no one can treat us like idiots."

William sniveled.

The battle-hardened sniper elf known as the Eyes of Mystery was no more.

"Even so, it is unacceptable to run away because we failed! Come on! We might not win. We will probably lose. It's almost a given we will fail. But no, there are things we cannot give up on. What are we going to do if we go back now? What legacy will we leave behind if this goes on...? Our addiction to Elder Tales is on the stupendous level. I have played Elder Tales for 2 years. I think about it from morning to night. I think about it even when I eat, shower, or sleep. I even study for the sake of Elder Tales. It's fine if you say I have no life. I am a gamer with no social life. I will be overjoyed the whole night because of one unique item, a social outcast. I give my heart and soul for this. That's why I won't back down even if the number of raid bosses increases by 2 or 3. Besides, where can we escape to! Escape to a place where gamers are treated like retards? Making friends without fighting raids? Calling this a waste of time with a smug smile? Such bastards should just die."

Unreasonable.

Not escaping meant you would keep on dying? He considered this for a while.

They were able to hold on so far because there was a chance of victory. But it was hopeless now.

'What you are doing is playing games, it is the same even if this world had changed. You bunch of good for nothing can't even beat the game now...' How were they going to face this reality?

"I... I have run away before. It weighs heavily in my heart, but I understand now. In the city of Akiba, at the first Round Table Conference. I just came into contact with this world back then and all I wanted to do was fight in raids. For the sake of raiding, I gave up on joining the Round Table Council. It's true, no lie. Also, I was thinking, 'what is this bunch of people trying to accomplish. Isn't that a waste of time?' I also thought, 'going at it so seriously even though there is no way it will work, what a bunch of pigs.' I despised them. I almost wanted to beat them all up, I really did. What a joke. I understand now. I was running away. I ran away because I thought it would fail."

But there were players who didn't run.

For William, it was a sense of longing.

In the face of challenging raids, a legendary group that did not form a guild held their own against powerful battle guilds.

The newbie William was thrilled by their exploits.

This newbie aimed to join this excellent group one day and worked towards that.

When William grinded to level 90, that group disbanded. William felt betrayed. They didn't wait for him. The members all went their own ways and did not form a guild. He didn't understand why they were abandoning their legacy. That's what William thought.

"But Shiroe won. He completed a quest I thought was meaningless and impossible to win, and established Akiba. That was a quest to build a city, not an easy thing to do... I think he is a great raid commander."

The players who persevered and didn't run.

The player he looked up to in the past was amazing indeed.

"That Shiroe lowered his head and asked for help, so I took the job gleefully... It is natural to have no chance of success. With the Black Heart Glasses here, you know how hard this trip is going to be. Just look at his smug and sadistic face and you will understand! But... I still felt happy. I thought it would be fine if we won. Because... we are crazy game addicts!"

The atmosphere was heated. When William looked up, he saw the pained expressions of his comrades who had nowhere to go.

They might win if they tried again.

He entrusted the heat of this feeling to them. William had ignited the fire in his guild mates.

But he didn't feel victorious or any sense of accomplishment, just a heavy sense of pressure and responsibility.

Guild Master William was leading his guild to a hopeless place with no chance of victory. Neither Krusty nor Isaac would make such a decision. They would maintain their identity as a battle guild, understand the intent of the Round Table Council and provide assistance, that's how good they were.

(I am a seriously stupid guild master.)

William bit down on his trembling lips.

The taste of iron spread in his mouth as he ignored the eyes on him and searched for a solution.

He wanted to win. He thirsted for victory like never before, not for his own glory, but a strong desire to win it for his friends.

5

Shiroe awakened just like the dawn dying the sky blue. He could hear a speech like rays of light reflected from the water.

A sorrowful groan.

The voice of a man protesting against an unreasonable reality.

William's voice was soft, but Shiroe heard him clearly as he regained consciousness. Pushed along by William's words, Shiroe began to talk to himself.

Shiroe, who spent plenty of time alone, talked to himself frequently. Since there was a 'self' that answered questions, it was evident that he was consciously replying to the question.

He started with working out the situation and evaluating what the future held.

Sweeping aside the feeling of being hung over and his doubts about respawning, Shiroe started analyzing the strategy for the raid battles and the surrounding zones.

He understood within the first 15 seconds that they were in a very difficult situation. It was more appropriate to say it was impossible. Only 24 players could invade this zone, so it was impossible to match the enemies in strength.

They could defeat '7th of the garden' Ruseato by itself.

They understood its 'characteristics' very well. Black mode possessed powerful single unit attacks and reflected close proximity attacks with wide area attacks. White mode regenerated health and summoned minions.

In general, all raid bosses had 'characteristics'. They would perform special actions or take on alternate forms according to the amount of time that had passed or the percentage of health left. Understanding these 'characteristics' and coming up with plans to counter them were the basics of fighting raid bosses.

They had completed their research on the 'characteristics' of '7th of the garden' Ruseato. This didn't mean that victory was assured, but they could win this by practicing a few times. The practice run need not be a fight to the death. Even if the front line collapsed, they could make a strategic retreat. This meant there was a chance of victory.

The attacks of the titans, '4th of the garden' frost giant Tarutauruga and '3rd of the garden' flaming serpent Ibra-Habura were another matter. The scouting reports for these raid bosses were incomplete. They were not sure how similar they were to '4th of the prison' Tarutauruga and '3rd of the prison' Ibra-Habura, but the blows that wiped out Shiroe and the others were wide area attacks. Probably normal area attacks with cool down times of 50 to 150 seconds. They were not mortal blows or 'characteristics' they had to work around. Shiroe didn't know where to start.

The attack were launched simultaneously. On top of that, there was a chance the other boss in this zone would enter the fray. No matter how you looked at it, you had to wave the white flag. There was no way to win this.

Shiroe heard the alarm ringing in his heart. "Don't think about why it can't be done, think about a way to solve this." Shiroe was thankful for this quote, but it was easy to say, but the requirements were always so intense.

In Shiroe's mind, there were blue cards to his right. These were his advantages and weapons. Silver Sword's proficiency, the existence of allies, and the support of the Round Table Council, things he knew.

The challenge he faced morphed into cards some distance away on his right. Ruseato, Tarutauruga, and Ibra-Habura. And an unknown boss. They had explored and mapped out the dungeon for the most part. There were just 3 or 4 more bosses left.

He came up with several plans and lined them up before him according to their feasibility. All of them provided dismal chances of success, so he tried to mix them up to increase the probability of winning. There was not much to discuss as they were not ready for practical application.

All sorts of reforms in this world were limited to individuals. Take the development of cooking recipes for example, the level of the Chef dictated the success of making the dish. The constraints were much stricter in battles. There were lots of powerful weapons in this world, but they were governed by the level requirement. For example, if Shiroe made a Gatling gun or a mortar, he couldn't use them. Instead of powerful weapons and magic, what was important was coming up with a way to break through.

He knew this was just picking on semantics, but Shiroe was dismissing the word retreat from his dictionary.

This time, Shiroe was analyzing the weak points of the enemy instead of the advantages Shiroe had.

Most raid bosses had a fixed attack pattern. There might not be any obvious weak points, but looking carefully, there were gaps between attacks which he could exploit.

The moment of inspiration struck, and Shiroe grabbed hold of this line of thought desperately.

Be it prison or garden, they were the guardian of something. Now that they were self-aware, were they still bound to their obligations? Although they worked together in the last fight, the fact that reinforcements only arrived when the battle was heating up was something they could use. But he might be putting too much expectation in this.

Shiroe threw his wishful thinking away and searched for a more practical strategy. But after dozens of simulations, he couldn't think of a more realistic idea.

The plan with so many flaws held the best probability of success.

He didn't work out the correct probability, but it was worth a shot.

"Yo, Shiroe, are you awake?"

"... Yeah."

The voice came from Naotsugu who was observing him.

Shiroe sat up and stretched his stiff back. Beneath him was a marble platform covered with a blanket. He was not sure what happened, but it seemed that someone carried him onto this marble while he was asleep.

Naotsugu, who was glancing his way, relaxed when he saw Shiroe adjust his glasses. He turned around and gazed into the central square.

Tetora sat with her knees to her chest nearby. There were just the two of them beside Shiroe.

He could hear William talking. He couldn't believe that this was the guild master of one of the leading guilds within the server. His voice was trembling slightly but it was full of pride.

Shiroe heard his speech when he was lying there with his eyes closed.

He could hear plenty of groans and sighs of frustration at their own powerlessness.

Shiroe let out a long sigh and nod.

As Shiroe's group gazed at them, the Silver Sword members in the central square picked themselves up slowly with their eyes on their guild master. This speech was not meant for outsiders like Shiroe to hear. Shiroe felt awkward about this and was glad that Naotsugu moved him to this corner away from the crowd. But William's speech was necessary for Shiroe. The man standing there was the 16-year-old version of Shiroe.

Elder Tales brought too much pain to Shiroe.

He was given lots of nicknames. He was constantly used like utility tools by others and no one looked him in the eye.

But at the same time, it brought him great gifts.

Chief Nyanta, Nurukan, Aihye. Everybody was great friends. He learned to be easygoing from Kanami. He learned self-restraint from Kazuhiko. He learned about trust from Naotsugu.

Shiroe watched Silver Sword from afar, thinking to himself that it was a fine guild. Not only was William a fine guild master, but so were the guild members who made it through 'that'. He felt a stinging pain in his chest. What if he were the one there under these circumstances? He would definitely pull himself up, but whether he would be able to inspire his comrades was another question.

What would he say to Minori and Tohya when he was disheartened? What could he do for Isuzu and Rudy? He couldn't see himself being able to do anything.

He thought briefly about Akatsuki, but all he could see in his mind was the angry face of the petite Assassin.

Shiroe was amused and laughed.

'Protecting my lord is my duty, so mind your own business,' she would probably say something like that.

Humans were complicated. Shiroe knew that Akatsuki was worried about him. She always looked like she was shunning away from others, but Shiroe noticed that she was more worried about him than anyone else. Shiroe knew that Akatsuki was fighting her own battles out there too.

This was not the time to wallow in self-pity.

"You want them to win. Right, Mr. Shiroe?"

Tetora, who was hugging her knees, swayed her body and muttered.

Shiroe could only see her back from his view. But he still replied with a determined 'yeah'. He was relieved. Shiroe wanted to win. He wanted to make it through this challenge with this raiding group, Silver Sword. Tetora's straightforward words helped Shiroe materialize the will in his heart.

"You have a way with words."

"I am a top-class idol after all."

Naotsugu and Tetora made a short exchange as they looked at William, who was gazing into the distance.

Even though they didn't say much, their wills overlapped. They were not sure what victory entailed, but they definitely wouldn't let Silver Sword rust away.

They had already decided. The problem now was how to execute it.

"So, what should we do? Any ideas, strategist?"

Naotsugu tone remained bright and positive. Although he phrased it as a question, he just needed confirmation. Shiroe's best friend had no doubt that there was a way to win this. He was confident that Shiroe would definitely think of something. Shiroe adjusted his glasses and replied.

"I have something I need to tell Naotsugu. And Tetora. And William. And everybody. Why we are fighting this raid. What lies in the deepest end? Why do I need money? I need to explain myself. I ignored the good will of everyone, hoping to complete the objective by myself. If you are willing to forgive me... I have a plan that just might work. But just barely. The chance of success is about 15%."

"Just the way I like it."

"Perfect."

"I also have things I need to tell Mr. Kinjo, and the things regarding this land. This time, I am going to look him in the eye and say it."

Chapter 5: Consideration of Friendship

1

The Abyss Shaft raid team used one week for preparation.

They reinforced their camp and made dozens of forceful reconnaissances. They wiped out all other enemies except the bosses. They did their best to replenish their perishables and headed towards the battlefield.

Federico felt his breathing become shallow and took a deep breath.

The scenery in front of him was no different from last week.

The imposing dark purple figure of '7th of the garden' Ruseato loomed in the center of the circular arena.

The arena where the battle last week was fought was shrouded in silence.

Federico kept his eyes on his party leader Shiroe and waited for the signal.

Federico felt this taciturn young man had changed over the past week.

He mingled more with the other party members after that defeat. Federico knew he was a good Enchanter, but he was even better now. Federico had gotten used to the new staff Shiroe drew out from his bag.

They could not afford to hold back anymore, they had to do whatever it took to increase their probability of success. Federico felt that Shiroe had responded well to their expectations.

The problem of food reserves was also resolved by Shiroe's group.

They provided ingredients from their bags without reservation, improving both the quantity and quality of their meals. The party's beginner Chef Vuorinen was grateful. Some members commented 'so you couldn't bear to part with your food before this?' but that opinion faded away in no time.

They were guests of Silver Sword after all, so they couldn't push the blame solely on Shiroe and his group.

Being wiped out was the turning point.

Although 'death' was scary and painful, it could bring people together sometimes. Friends from high school or college could get along quite well, but the bonds between members of raid groups were on another level. Sharing this painful experience together elevated their relationships from friends to a band of brothers.

(Although you can't be friends with people you despise...)

Federico thought as he bit his lips.

(But brothers in arms can't work together if they hate each other.)

That was the case for Shiroe. It was the same for Demiqas too.

Azalea closed his eyes in meditation and raised his right hand.

He cast the Summoner's spell Soul Possession. With it, the Summoner could possess a summoned familiar for reconnaissance. He dismissed the spell, shook his head a couple of times and made a curt report to William. "The standby mode position remains unchanged. No signs of other enemies."

The same result after a week of repeated scouting.

The raid bosses might have learned to cooperate, but they still had their own thoughts and preferences, they weren't perfect. Log Horizon's Shiroe mentioned this several times this past week. If you talked to him, you would find that he was a nice chap who thought far ahead. But according to the rumors from Akiba, Shiroe was a mastermind who could manipulate the minions of hell.

(I'm fine with him being either type.)

Federico thought.

Shiroe was an introvert. His shy expression felt like a brick wall. His explanations were hard to grasp and a bit long winded. But these were minor flaws. The members of Silver Sword couldn't really criticize others. They were just a bunch of recluses, every one of them had issues of their own. Shiroe might be a weird guy, but among Federico's friends, he belonged to the bunch with common sense.

Shiroe chanted a short spell and activated it. The Enchanter's Elixir spell increased the potency of recovery spells.

Vuorinen cast Heartbeat Healing, conjuring a bright green light that was injected into Federico's body. The recovery rate had definitely increased. Federico was grateful to Shiroe who continued to cast buffing magic on everyone.

Preparation time was over. It was time for Silver Sword to shine.

This was the continuation of that night when William bared his heart for all to see.

They counted down quietly. Naotsugu rushed out as it went down to zero. The Guardian in the 2nd party left the others far behind and charged '7th of the garden' Ruseato alone.

(Wait for it. Wait for it...)

William's left arm was stretched out horizontally as he surveyed the whole arena. Federico and the others were waiting eagerly. William stared at Naotsugu's back, waiting for the first attack.

"Castle of Stone!!"

Naotsugu roared as he lifted his shield. This was the special skill of Guardians that negated all damage. Using these 10 seconds of invincibility, Naotsugu took the first hit of the raid, the fierce attack Death Knell Moon.

"Now!"

William charged as he shouted.

Federico was right behind him.

Death Knell Moon and Kneeling Dark Silver Swing were the special attacks of Ruseato in black knight mode. Even the elite tank Dinkuron needed the support of defense buffs and health regeneration in order to endure these two attacks. Shiroe's comrade Naotsugu negated it with his Castle of Stone. From their previous battle, they had determined that Death Knell Moon had a cool down time of 90 seconds. This meant that Ruseato couldn't use Death Knell Moon for the next 87 seconds. Ruseato didn't have any other powerful wide area attacks.

Kneeling Dark Silver Swing was a powerful single target strike. During this time, Federico and the others could move to their assigned positions safely.

Although this was to be expected in raid battles, a Guardian from a small guild pulling it off so perfectly made Federico smile.

Even now, they were afraid of 'death'.

But their emotions were sky high.

The moment he charged forward with his comrades at his side, the instant they executed their difficult team battle, Federico's heart was like a toy plane flying in the wind. Others might think this was a dumb and naive emotion, but Federico borrowed the patented quote from his guild master, 'I don't give a shit.'

Just like that night when William screamed and challenged the world, this was the path Federico chose.

Federico had died numerous times since he arrived in this world.

Time and again he rose back from the darkness. He was reminded of the regret and frustration over and over again.

But he had no memory of meeting his comrades in the darkness, and he found out it was the same for his comrades when they chatted. This made Federico glad. Some said this was only natural as they were just playing a game. But to him, Silver Sword was his home and he could call his guild mates brothers without hesitation. He felt that all this was proven.

... Friends.

It felt awkward to say this term.

At his age, it was troublesome to differentiate friends from acquaintances, and it was hard to classify people like this anyway. They might be close or distant to you, it didn't really matter. As a fresh graduate entering the workforce, this was how Federico felt.

But hearing the term friends from his high schooler guild master, his eyes felt warm. Federico felt complicated.

Maybe he would return to the original world one day.

The daily life alternating between his work place and residence. In reflection, having the resolve to die in a fight was really incredible.

It was not bad, but he would definitely refuse if he was asked to stop. This was a raid zone, and they were the raiders.

"Viper Strike Rush!"

Using the dark purple gauntlet as a springboard, Federico leaped into the air and attacked Ruseato's arm with his flamberge. The venomous Viper Strike Rush did not deal a lot of damage, but it added the bleeding debuff and reduced accuracy by 4%.

This number was not trivial for raid battles. They would be able to reduce healing by this amount, lowering the MP usage rates, allowing them to keep battling longer. Federico would say that this was the 4% that would increase their chance of winning.

Dinkuron relieved Naotsugu's duty as the main tank.

He might be the handsome boy in Silver Sword, but he was equipped with phantasmal armor from head to toe, and wouldn't back down even from Isaac of Black Sword Knights. Contrary to his normal gentle voice, he was shouting loud enough to shatter eardrums. War Cry, a skill that extended the effects of items and increased resistance to status debuffs.

Federico felt a surge of energy through his body.

He moved to Ruseato's back and dealt much heavier blows than before. Alternating between vertical and horizontal strikes, his skills allowed other attackers to deal heavier damage. Considering the battle plan this time, having a good start was crucial.

About ten meters away from the edge of the arena where the battle with '7th of the garden' Ruseato was being fought, the sound of two dull metallic thuds could be heard.

Silver Sword's Samurai Ranodomaru used 'Zentetsuken'.

As they had investigated in advance, cutting out a bar from the metal gate was enough for humans to pass through easily.

Federico snuck a glance as he continued his attack.

(It isn't time yet!)

The attack output against Ruseato was ramped up. There was not much Ruseato could do. Naotsugu had nullified his most damaging skill, and he had nothing that could take out Dinkuron's watertight defense.

Dinkuron and the others would be massacred with ease if Ruseato called for aid, but it had suffered less than 10 percent damage so far. He probably wouldn't ask for help yet... Federico was able to wipe away his fear by following this line of thought.

There was no guarantee. There was a chance that the other 2 bosses would join the fray at any time. Other bosses might turn up too... There was simply no way to tell. These were all deductions made through scouting the map and the team work among the Guardians.

With the slow passage of time, Federico kept up the attack and kept the status quo, waiting for the plan to start.

They thirsted for victory.

They wanted to quench the thirst in their hearts, putting their all in strike after strike.

Federico's sword Sigh of Musuperu turned into a mini typhoon through the might of Adventurers, pelting the armor of Ruseato with numerous blows. Cracks appeared on the armor under the fiery attacks, the ricochet scratching Federico's face. But Federico paid it no heed.

Federico didn't know he was the kind of guy who preferred doing things right until recently.

He understood this in the past week.

Wanting to be victorious did not equate to the desire to bring down powerful foes, gaining fame or fortune. It definitely did not equate to bearing emotions of hate or anger.

He just wanted a proper reward.

This was a raid William wanted to win so bad that he cried.

A fight where Silver Sword laid their lives on the line.

Federico didn't want all their efforts to be for naught. He didn't want this to be a meaningless challenge they kept up because of their own stupidity. If that were true, wouldn't that be sad?

He bore no grudge against Ruseato. He even felt a sense of respect for it.

Federico and Silver Sword just wanted to verify one thing.

They were not wrong. They were stronger.

All he wanted was to prove it.

"The limit point!"

William let out a shrill cry as the support and healing characters rushed off. '7th of the garden' Ruseato was morphing. The armor covered in cracks shed off like a layer of skin, revealing a body as white as snow beneath... its appearance had changed to that of the white knight mode.

The black armor turned into a shadow like swamp, turning into countless warriors. The Adventurers within the trap zone of Ruseato had restricted movement. It stuck to their feet and stopped the players from moving. In order to avoid this area, the raid group changed its formation.

"Hurry! Shiroe's party will lead!"

Following William's command, the group jumped into the other side of the iron gates one by one. '3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura awaited them there.

The counterattack of Federico and company started here.

2

Demiqas was among the first to infiltrate the western passageway.

The corridor with a high granite ceiling interspaced with giant pillars extended in a straight path far ahead. The end of the tunnel was hazy like the sunset, but they knew through advance reconnaissance that flaming snake Ibra-Habura was in the large hall ahead.

Demiqas looked around restlessly as he followed Naotsugu in front of him.

In Demiqas' eyes, the armor clad Guardian Naotsugu was as slow as a tortoise. He might look like he was sprinting, but his speed was half of Demiqas'. Demiqas would be able to pull away with either a Wyvern Kick or Phantom Step.

But he would just charge headfirst into the flaming snake if he did that. He had to stay behind Naotsugu to avoid that even if he hated it.

The group was led by Naotsugu and Demiqas.

The tank of the 1st party Dinkuron was the rear guard, fending off the shadow warriors as they retreated. They couldn't move fast this way. With their main defensive party fighting in the rear, Demiqas and the others had to hold the front.

The opening phase of the plan was simple.

The last time all hell broke loose, '3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura and '4th of the garden' Tarutauruga opened the giant gates and entered.

The gaps in the gates were too narrow for them to slip through, and it seemed that they could only be opened from the other side.

The scripted event was probably the two gates opening up after they defeated '7th of the garden' Ruseato. But that was not the case this time.

The plan this time was to use the maze-like layout of the dungeon.

This meant that using this arena as a prison to isolate Ruseato was the gist of the plan. Ruseato was unable to pass through the iron gates and enter the passageway so he couldn't pursue the group escaping through the western passageway. But it was possible for him to break down the gate with his destructive attacks, that's why they engaged Ruseato until he turned into the white knight mode with weak attacks. If they didn't defeat all the shadow warriors, Ruseato wouldn't be able to move when in white knight mode.

They had already scouted ahead using a covert type summon. They had already been briefed on several possible situations that might arise, but it was a relief for this situation to prevail.

Ruseato couldn't open or destroy the gate and was effectively nullified. The frost giant Tarutauruga situated in the east might open the gate into the arena, but he wouldn't be able to access the western passageway, just like Ruseato. They had been cut out of the equation. If Demiqas' group defeated Ibra-Habura and progressed into the depths of the zone, they could conquer this dungeon.

... But none of the raid members felt that it would be so easy to achieve victory.

Even if they defeated Ibra-Habura, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be another raid boss waiting. According to Shiroe's interpretation of the dungeon layout, you could reach Ibra-Habura's lair by going the long way from the eastern passageway. Once Ibra-Habura fell into danger, '4th of the garden' Tarutauruga would definitely rush over.

It was only an optimistic speculation that Ruseato and Tarutauruga could not destroy the iron gates. They should assume that it would buy them some time, but would eventually fall. And if it did, they couldn't attempt this again since the gate would be destroyed.

That's the situation. Even though Demiqas and the other Adventurers could respawn, the situation would keep on changing. The same opportunity would not come twice. The members of Silver Sword were tense as they ran down the corridor.

(Damn it!)

But this was to be expected.

There was no way to predict all the possibilities. Even grade-schoolers knew this. There were so many uncertainties in this plan and anything could happen. Like waking up on a Sunday morning to eat breakfast while watching TV. How many times could things go just the way you wanted? Things not going your way was the norm in the real world.

The alternate world of Elder Tales lured you into letting down your guard and forgetting about uncertainties. You thought that this was just a game, thinking everything would go just as you planned. Because you could do that, it created the illusion that everything you did would be successful.

He was beaten badly by Shiroe.

Demiqas knew. This world where things didn't go your way was their reality. And he knew because he fell for the illusion. He was tricked by the game-like appearance he saw in his tiny world. His journey here was the same. But he had warned himself to not let his guard down. But his wariness dripped away slowly like water flowing from a tap and he underestimated this world again.

(I wasn't careful and failed in this dull place. I was taking it lightly and failed... Because I underestimated that bunch of people, that's why I failed.)

Demiqas remembered the skinny lady with her hands on her hips looking at him.

An unhappy face, she was probably looking down at Demiqas. That couldn't be helped. Demiqas had hurt the People of the Land deeply. He didn't kill anyone, but he had treated them with violence, traded them like commodity and worked them like slaves. Of course he would be hated. The only reason stopping them from seeking revenge was his physical prowess.

That woman was thin like chicken ribs, lacking sex appeal. When Demiqas glared at her with his fierce eyes, she would say with a mocking smile. 'If you think you are the master just by saying it then just kill me.' That was her favorite phrase. 'If you can't kill me then get out of the way, don't get in the way of my chores.' She scolded him.

Demiqas was utterly defeated.

People of the Land died when they were killed. They knew this very well, but they lived on valiantly using this one life they had. They used what little they had to leave their mark on this world. Demiqas' life seemed so cheap in contrast.

Demiqas underestimated this alternate world.

He lost to Shiroe because he thought this was just a game.

Before he could learn from his errors, he lost against the powerless People of the Land.

He lost to Silver Sword too. He was defeated when they met for the first time in that bar, and he was floored over and over again, leaving Brigandia in a dire state.

And now, he lost to the raid bosses. There might be a way to salvage this, but he lost to William as a guild master. Even after that crushing defeat, there were still 20 odd gaming nerds willing to follow William.

Demiqas had nothing left to lose.

The white corridor made from stone bricks came to an end abruptly.

The tall ceiling had reached the new height of a 6 story building. The giant spherical space before them was shaped like an egg 30m in diameter.

The walls were made from yellow stones with bright orange stripes. Stairs several meters wide along the walls spiraled down into the pit. Puddles of blue waters were scattered all over. The vast space had surprisingly bright colors, illuminated by white lights.

"This smell..."

"Ah ah, hot spring festival."

Naotsugu answered Shiroe in a way that even Demiqas understood. This was the smell of sulfur. The stones had all been soaked in various chemicals.

The group descended down the stairs spiraling round the edge of the pit. At the bottom lay the sleeping giant snake Ibra-Habura.

This was probably the raid boss' standby mode.

As they planned, Naotsugu leapt off from the end of the stairs and charged at the great serpent.

The support was minimal, but they didn't have time to make complete preparations. Naotsugu headed in without complete preparations.

Naotsugu attacked with the support of Tetora's reactive heal and Vuorinen's healing over time. Demiqas couldn't see any hesitation in his action, an excellent move.

Demiqas bent slightly and jumped off like a spring, flying through the air. The members of Silver Sword also joined the fray.

It became a chaotic battle immediately.

The opening at the corner of the pit was probably the 'answer'. At the deepest end of this entrance was the finish line. But there were no 'convenient' gates blocking the entrance to block off any pursuers. They had to take down '3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura here. And they needed to do that before '4th of the garden' Tarutauruga arrived.

The distance attack team probably lost their cool, shooting ice arrow spells prematurely.

Demiqas cursed at their incompetence, but Naotsugu just barely managed to draw Ibra-Habura's attention.

A fire storm appeared before his eyes, feeling more like a natural disaster than fighting a monster. Naotsugu used Anchor Howl and became a sturdy suit of armor, swinging his sword to aggravate his foe. In the short time the fight had gone on the amount of hate the tank drew from the monster was still unstable, Demiqas had already learned that. He understood how much the attackers wanted to deal damage as soon as possible, but being too hasty might pull in too much hate and lead to tragedy.

"Fortress stance! Let me test the performance of my new armor and shield!"

Naotsugu braced himself and leaned forward, as though as he was holding up a wall with his back. Blue aura jettisoned from his heels, this was the defensive skill used by Guardians. He blocked the enemies' strikes with his shield while attacking with his sword. This skill traded mobility for a boost in defense, a skill not available to Monks like Demiqas.

But Demiqas had skills Naotsugu lacked too, which were wings known as mobility.

"Ora ora ora! Aura Saber!"

Demiqas launched a downward flying kick from midair.

The attack followed a path similar to the slash of a giant axe, hitting the scales of the burning snake. It must have some effect. Aura Saber ignored defense ratings and damaged the opponent directly. The Energy Protection spell of the Druids reduced flame damage significantly, so Demiqas wouldn't lose too much health as he attacked.

Demiqas dodged the tail of '3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura, which was the size of a mini bus, with his Phantom Step. He leapt into the air with afterimages trailing behind him and unleashed a Wyvern Kick.

Wyvern Kick again.

Another Wyvern Kick.

The sole of his Storm Assault Sabaton Boots, which seemed to be cut directly from heavy armor, sent mind numbing shocks to the scalp of his head. If he were to do this in Susukino, the abandoned buildings would crumple into a mountain of debris. Not just Demiqas. As Demiqas flew by in a blur of green, Federico was also striking with his flaming blade repeatedly, surrounding Ibra-Habura with the other melee fighters, like midgets around a giant.

Suddenly, Demiqas' feet emitted a silvery glow.

This was Shiroe's buffing spell Keen Edge.

(That bastard!)

Demiqas snapped his tongue in displeasure. He wanted to spit, but his mouth was dry because of the immense heat emitted by the giant snake. Demiqas attacked Ibra-Habura mouth to vent his anger with Tiger Echo Fist. It had low accuracy, but he couldn't miss when the size of the raid boss was so big.

The slithery eyes of the reptile focused on Demiqas, filled with killing intent.

"Wide area attack, fall back!"

The melee warriors left the front lines on William's command. But Demiqas remained behind like a guardian statue, crossing his arms in front of his face. Demiqas wanted to take the hit straight on.

Without any hesitation or regret, Demiqas expressed his will in his own way.

Demiqas didn't move an inch as the flame vortex spewed by Ibra-Habura encircled him.

3

Naotsugu watched the sea of flames coming at him. This was different from what he saw through his monitor when playing the game. It felt like as if the poisonous flame was sticking onto him and swallowing him whole.

But even in this hellish scene, Naotsugu maintained his stance leaning forward with his eyes barely open.

He felt hot with the flame roasting him. But the sensation was on par with lying naked on asphalt under the bright summer sun. It hurt, but was bearable.

Naotsugu observed that the flames hit him in waves, and took a deep breath as one wave subsided. He held his breath as if he were diving in water. He was doing this to prevent damage to his lungs, but it seemed like he wouldn't be hurt lethally even if he breathed some of the fire in.

(That arrogant Monk isn't bad in a fight.)

Naotsugu was covered by Tetora's reactive heal, Vuorinen's health regeneration and Toko's damage negation shield. These spells were known as classic healing magic. The wide area attack, Merciless Purgatory Feast, was strong. The damage negation shield of a Kannagi could cancel out 6000 points of damage. Together with the reactive heal of 900 points, the damage seemed too low. Naotsugu wouldn't be surprised if the hit just now pushed him to the edge of death.

Demiqas shared the brunt of the damage with Naotsugu.

He probably used Cover Ring, a skill which allowed you to share the damage taken with teammates nearby. Demiqas the Monk had higher resistance to elemental attacks and health than Naotsugu. By spreading out the damage this way, Naotsugu would be able to stay on the frontlines. Naotsugu had a newfound respect for Demiqas.

"Alright, here I go! Taunting Blow!"

Naotsugu attacked to aggravate Ibra-Habura.

The giant flaming serpent was terrifying. The enormous head butted with a force which rivaled a heavy truck, the wide open mouth was as intimidating as heavy construction machinery. It closed in with the speed of an out of control train, making your legs stiffen and vision narrow.

But Naotsugu shook off the pressure and cracked a smile.

He was pushing himself, he had no spare strength to smile at all.

But having nothing to spare was hard to explain. You didn't really feel that you were running on empty, but it did seem like you had nothing left. Even if you had a 3 day weekend, you still couldn't find the effort to do your chores. Even during the hellish period when you were so busy you had to sleep in the office, you could still find the strength to find a particular brand of pudding in the convenience store. That's how it was.

That's why he still had the spare energy to smile. He could squeeze one out even if he was running on empty.

Naotsugu held on to this belief and swung his blade.

Pulling in hate with his roar, adopting a defensive stance with his shield, he refused to back down.

And he kept on smiling. That's how Naotsugu was when he took on the role of the main tank in a raid group.

"Bring it on!"

Everyone should have noticed Naotsugu's shout. William gave instructions from the back, "Maintain damage output and shift to the left!"

Naotsugu's smile deepened. As expected, William got it.

It had been more than 3 weeks since they invaded Abyss Shaft. They could build on their mutual understanding during this period of time. Naotsugu understood how William thought. William should be able to understand Naotsugu's intentions as well.

Naotsugu's body was bathed in recovery spells repeatedly, pushing his hit points up.

Demiqas was doing a great job, but his health had fallen below 30%. Unlike Demiqas who was brought in like a relief pitcher in baseball, Naotsugu had no time to rest. Sharp scales were fired at Naotsugu repeatedly. To reduce damage and tank the next big attack, replenishing Naotsugu's health was the basics in ensuring the safety of the group. Naotsugu accepted their assistance without hesitation.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Naotsugu thought about the old days.

That was a fun place to play in, compared to this alternate world. Naotsugu served as the main tank for the Debauchery Tea Party, so he had experience with raids. In fact, Debauchery Tea Party was a group that went for raids at an insane rate because of Kanami's nature. She treated the raids as just an obstacle blocking their way. They went to challenge raids in overseas servers because she wanted to see new sceneries, what a joke.

"Hey, get over here!"

His new Armor of Silver Oath was really dependable. It was sturdy with all parts connected tightly. There were no loose pieces hanging around. The Gaze of Lionheart shield was excellent too. It provided better cushion against the shock to his wrist. He could keep on fighting with such equipment in hand. If he shifted his shield in the way of the bright spots in his vision, he could even push back the attack from Ibra-Habura's tail. He could feel the increase in defensive power.

"Do you even lift? Bring it on festival!"

Naotsugu roared with brute force.

"Whoa. Mr. Naotsugu, you are fired up!"

Tetora suddenly approached and chatted casually.

Naotsugu leaned even more to protect Tetora from the flames shouting "Leave this to me!" Tetora pulled herself up onto Naotsugu's shoulder and stood facing the arena. She spoke with a clear voice.

"Everyone! How's your fighting spirit?"

The battle was still intense, so no one gave a definite answer to Tetora. But everyone could see her. This was obvious as they would see Naotsugu who was tanking the fierce attack of '3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura when they attacked Ibra-Habura. Tetora was speaking to everyone on the battlefield while standing on Naotsugu's shoulders.

A wave of clashing sounds filled the hall. That was the best they could do to respond to the question of this petite idol. Swords and axes rose and fell, frost and lightning rained down on the monster.

Tetora was satisfied with the sound, made a taunting expression and raised the wand in her right hand into the sky.

"Alright, let’s fight together! Work hard everyone! Go, go!"

Tetora's courageous and loud voice could make you forget that you were in the underground. The sound reverberated through the air and reached out to her comrades.

Aurora lights with the colors of the rainbow appeared above them. The curtain of light shimmered, shooting stars flew out and pleasing music could be heard. This was the Cleric's special spell Aurora Heal. It was meant to be used for raids, with a wide enough range to cover a hundred Adventurers with its healing light.

"What a great view festival!"

"Of course, I am an angel after all!"

The Cleric was all smiles as she spun rapidly and shot out healing spells like arrows. The speed and skill were even better than the healers of Silver Sword due to Shiroe's support, an excellent raider.

Naotsugu used this opportunity to attack.

Everything was going well so far. As Shiroe had expected, the hit points of '3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura was less than that of '7th of the garden' Ruseato. It also lacked alternate forms and means to recover health. It only had wide area attacks and the 'characteristic' of sapping the hit points of everyone in the zone.

But the team already knew this, and has equipped anti-heat equipment from their bags and cast the appropriate anti-elemental spells. Even though '3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura had a lot of hit points, they had already managed to grind half of it away. They should be able to win if they kept up this pace.

(But we can't let our guard down.)

Naotsugu watched the movements of the flaming snake while paying attention to the surrounding situation.

"Incoming!"

"I got it covered!"

Naotsugu wasn't telling that to Tetora alone. Everyone else understood his intentions too.

He was playing the role of a shield. Naotsugu's confidence was mandatory for the main tank of a raid.

'We can win this time.' 'We should be able to pull this off.' If you approached a problem with such a mentality, it didn't guarantee victory. If it was so easy to win, there will be no need for any of Shiroe's stratagems. But if your mind was full of thoughts like 'We are going to lose', 'Let's give up', you would really lose. That's how a raid went.

If you wanted to inspire your teammates, gimmicks such as shouting were acceptable.

The hand on his shoulder took away the heat from the fire, the soft touch spread through his body. This was Tetora's Minor Heal. In order to release the full potential of the Cleric, she made her way to the center of the flame vortex, supporting Naotsugu with her sunny words.

Tetora understood too. Their nonsensical dialogue could turn into everybody's strength. Naotsugu understood very well and was in a good mood. He didn't squeeze a smile out to calm the others, but was really smiling from his heart.

"Have you fallen for me, Mr. Naotsugu?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Isn't this the place where all sorts of flags are raised?"

"Your inopportune words mess up the mood!"

Naotsugu blocked the spear-like attack of the tail as he playfully deflected Tetora's question. He already knew the answer and felt anxious about it. Naotsugu wanted to respond to Tetora's gentle feelings and snuck a glance at her.

"I have something to report to Mr. Naotsugu."

"I'm busy right now!"

"If I don't say it now, I will miss the chance to tell you."

Tetora fidgeted her body, her clothes rubbing on her skin loudly while the battle raged on. Naotsugu knocked away the flying debris of sulfuric rocks with his arms and legs and said, "What is it?"

"Actually, I have joined Log Horizon."

"Eh?"

Naotsugu was no longer glancing sideways, he had turned around to face her.

He could see the confidence oozing from Tetora's face and flushed cheeks.

"Lying festival."

"It's true."

"Why?"

"I want to play with Naotsugu some more." She giggled as she cast Heal continuously, the self-proclaimed idol was in a great mood. But she hit Naotsugu's flank with her wand like a cat toying around every time she cast a spell, which irritated him.

"Anyway, who gave you permission?"

"Mr. Shiroe did."

"What have you done Shiroe?"

But they had to stop fooling around. Ibra-Habura stood upright like a theme park attraction, opening its mouth and taking a deep breath. It sucked in air and fire noisily. This was the preparatory movement of the wide area assault Merciless Purgatory Feast it used earlier.

"Incoming!"

"Melees pull back! Federico stay and keep debuffing, damage reduction!"

Naotsugu and William shouted at the same time.

The formation changed once again. The melee fighters withdrew like an ebbing tide.

Pulling back from the firestorm would minimize the damage taken. Minimizing damage not only made the job of the healers easier, it also aided in conserving MP.

But the formation was in disarray.

The Summoner Azalea in the 4th party fell down even though there was nothing to trip him, and was shouting something. Naotsugu couldn't hear it. William issued a speedy instruction in response: "Dinkuron, behind you!"

While their formation was still a mess, a new battle had begun.

There were two ways leading into this arena. One of them was the white granite passage where Naotsugu and the others had entered from. Another was the cave at the bottom of the pit.

A blue giant wearing barbaric furs had emerged from that cave. '4th of the garden' Tarutauruga had joined the fray.

4

It would be a lie to say they didn't panic.

This was expected after the painful experience they had gone through. But they snapped out of that moment of stiffness with a shout from William.

The Guardian Dinkuron, the pride of Silver Sword, rushed out like a bullet, taking on the frost giant with Castle of Stone. The titan swung his club, which was several meters wide, at the elf warrior, who took the hit as if it were nothing. He stood his ground, marking the entrance of the lair as his territory. He had no wasted movement, the skill of a raider who had gone through hundreds of raids.

Shiroe adjusted his glasses that had slipped because of his intense movement and wiped the sweat on his brow. The second change of event was within his expectations.

'7th of the garden Ruseato' was unable to break through the iron gates.

But the 2 raid bosses on the east and west side of Ruseato, Ibra-Habura and Tarutauruga, could enter that arena as well as move into each other's base.

Even if they nullified Ruseato, the flaming snake Ibra-Habura and the frost giant Tarutauruga allying together was a given. Normally, this would be an instant failure. There were no full raids that could withstand the fury of 2 raid bosses at the same time. Their combined efforts were overwhelming.

But was that really so?

After Shiroe respawned, he drew up a plan with this point in mind.

Shiroe and Silver Sword were wiped out in the battle at the arena because their formation was broken by the surprise attack of the other bosses. Analyzing from the victims' stand point, Ibra-Habura's wide area flaming attack coincided with the frost giant Tarutauruga's freezing wide area attack. Just one of these attacks was enough to kill off the defensively weak rear guard, so it was no surprise they were wiped out when both attacked at the same time.

But could their tank take the special attack from just one of them?

Shiroe still remembered the battle with Ruseato, and he felt that another raid boss in the same zone wouldn't overwhelm Ruseato's attack prowess by much. It might be more devastating, but not twice as powerful. Shiroe concluded that it was possible to fend off the attack for either Ibra-Habura or Tarutauruga.

Shiroe deduced that they could hold off both raid bosses if their range of damage didn't overlap. The battle plan was based on this theory.

In this underground lair with just enough space for the raid bosses to move, Naotsugu was holding off Ibra-Habura in the southwest corner. Tarutauruga's attack from the northeast corner was defended by the Guardian from Silver Sword, Dinkuron.

The two shield warriors adjusted their position to keep the wide area attacks at bay.

It was a challenge to adjust their position. The healers had to rush between both fronts to support the tanks. But if they were too far apart the healing would lag behind. Although it was safer to have a bigger distance so the wide area damage wouldn't overlap, they would be out of the range of the healers.

If they maintained the distance to support either side, there were no spaces which were 'not in range of either boss wide area attack'. For the magic and ranged attackers, they had to be wary of wide area attacks from either side, adjusting their position constantly.

When William heard Shiroe's plan he smiled and answered,

"We can win this, Mr. Shiroe."

Determined to prove his words, William attacked with blinding speed, his arrows drawing a continuous line between his bow and the target. And his commands were issued as fast as his arrows.

Shiroe was also giving everything he got in this fight.

Now was not the time to hold back.

They were fending off the terrifying attacks of these 2 raid bosses. But only because of Dinkuron's Castle of Stone. He did not use it earlier to save it for this moment. To take control of the fight, the two tanks would require the support of healing spells, meaning that the 6 healers in the group would be draining their MP at an alarming rate. The members had been holding back since they knew this might happen, but if they were too stingy with their support the vanguards would die. With the battle hanging on a thread, the death of the tank meant the collapse of the frontline and the inevitable fate of being wiped out.

The hope of clearing this zone would extinguish along with their deaths.

"Federico, debuff attack power and attack range."

"Understood!"

"Tetora, increase healing rate."

"I can't increase anymore!"

"I will help you... Force Step!"

Shiroe cast a special support spell on her. It reduced the cool down time for all spells Tetora had. The reduction was less than 20%, but the effect was significant. Aurora Heal had a cool down of 600 seconds. With Force Step, she could cast it again after 480 seconds. The MP usage would be even more intense, but Shiroe countered this with Mana Siphon. This was a MP management skill which allowed Enchanters to share their MP with others.

A normal combat party could simply recover MP by resting. That's why people often underestimated the value of an Enchanter specializing in MP management.

But Shiroe liked this uncommon specialty and had been building his character around this.

He felt light headed with the loss of MP, but he continued to attack, calculate, and supply MP. He could strengthen the recovery powers of healers like Tetora and Vuorinen. He could help offensive characters like Federico improve their attacking powers too. As he took in the situation of the battlefield, Shiroe's mind focused on the minute details.

"Right here!"

Vuorinen stuck his hand into a puddle that smelled of sulfur and chanted a long spell. It was a special summon available to Druids. A light floated up from his fur gauntlet, rising into the sky. The green light suddenly materialized into a tree. Only Druids with mastery over nature and fairies could form a contract to summon 'Secret of Life' after clearing a high level raid.

"4th party, rally to me!"

The mages rushed under the shade of the tree before William's shout even finished.

The well-known summon 'Secret of Life' was a skill which conjured a magical tree. By staying under the shade of that tree, you would be bathed in green light and recover HP gradually. The recovery rate was less than the healing spells of Druids, but the long healing period provided a big boost to the raid group as a whole.

Shiroe was calculating.

Just like that time he showed Minori, Shiroe was processing the information of the battle and looking into the future. Behind his glasses, his eyes gazed further ahead in time as he calculated.

Twenty four people was 4 times the number of Minori's 6 men party. By increasing the number 4 times, the capabilities and combinations of their actions increased manyfold. He analyzed, chose, scrapped, and combined all these possibilities, 'reading' them.

Reading every attack and heal of his group mates.

The waves of overlapping debuffs reduced the threat of the enemy. The invisible amount of hate accumulated and the feasible actions they could take.

The constantly changing hit points of his comrades were like equalizer panels in Shiroe's eyes.

He could perceive the ripples in the ever decreasing battle timeline and analyzed each small segment.

"Naotsugu, speed up!"

"Okay!"

"Mr. Bolognese, pull back!"

"By your command."

Each action formed single 'words'.

When they were connected, they formed a purposeful 'essay'.

Shiroe could see Naotsugu's face in his mind. He could also see Tetora's smile and William's smug face. The faces of Federico, Vuorinen, Demiqas, and all other members of Silver Sword appeared too.

Shiroe nodded.

Shiroe finally understood what William meant.

The battle became a 'story' in Shiroe's hand.

It was a marching song that inspired wounded hearts to soldier on.

Shiroe was also touched by William's secrets. That was a feeling that encompassed Shiroe during his days in the Tea Party, a nostalgic and peaceful feeling.

Shiroe held his White Staff of the Wings of Ruins and chanted his spells, executing the plan he devised through his 'Full Control Encounter'. Karma Drive spliced through the air like a giant bird towards Ibra-Habura, leaving a myriad of flashing symbols in its wake.

(15%... 16%... 18%...)

Shiroe bit his lips and concentrated.

Vuorinen's summon, 'Secret of Life' was a good move. The spell recovered more than 30% of hit points for 10 people.

The wide area attack Merciless Purgatory Feast of the flaming snake still had a cool down time of 180 seconds. Vuorinen could counter with Life Burst and Mercy Rain. Next one would be at 360 seconds. Naotsugu could use Castle of Stone again after his cooldown was finished. 540 seconds later would be Tetora's Aurora Heal.

As he concentrated, the world became a blur as he 'read' the ending.

'3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura could fall before the 720 seconds mark. Shiroe's Karma Drive allowed comrades who dealt critical hits to the flaming serpent to recover MP. If they maintained the current pace, they could deliver the final blow to Ibra-Habura before the 700th second mark.

They could then turn their full attention to the frost giant Tarutauruga.

Taking the remaining MP into consideration, there was no guarantee they would win the next battle, but there was still a chance of victory.

Even though they were walking on thin ice, it was still possible.

To put the plan into action was the reason for Shiroe's existence.

To accomplish this, he had to calculate until the very end. Shiroe entrusted his overheating heart into the freezer.

"Please maintain damage output at the current level."

"You heard him, Black Heart Glasses has spoken! Give it your all, defeat the enemy! Don't show any mercy!!"

The moment William issued this order, an ominous black object fell into the center of the pit.

Drip.

Drip.

The black mass rose from the ground, turning into humanoid silhouettes wielding weapons.

Shadow warriors... Minions spawned from the body of '7th of the garden' Ruseato. Their combat prowess was a far cry from Ruseato, but they could match up with several Adventurers easily.

Shiroe suppressed his urge to scream and raised his head to look up. He could see a darkness spreading out from the passageway onto the ceiling. It fell from the ceiling like droplets of oil and morphed into shadow warriors.

Ruseato couldn't get past the iron gates.

But the dark minions he spawned were able to slip through the gaps just like Shiroe's group did, following them into this battlefield.

5

This development was not totally beyond Shiroe's expectations.

The shadow warriors were minions spawned from '7th of the garden' Ruseato. He predicted that they would pester the raid group once the battle began. He only envisioned the need to clean up the handful of shadow warriors that spawned during their initial attack, not the immense darkness spreading on the ceiling, the number of shadows was too many.

... The number of shadow warriors that spawned was equivalent to the number of people damaging black Ruseato.

Shiroe was the one who found out about this.

For this battle, they had taken care of all the shadow warriors who followed them before starting their attack on '3rd of the garden' Ibra-Habura. If that were the case, Ruseato should have zero minions.

Since Shiroe's group had moved on, there shouldn't be anyone dealing damage to Ruseato. There shouldn't be any shadow warriors spawning from Ruseato. The reason so many shadow warriors were created...

Shiroe realized the only explanation.

Ruseato pierced his body with his own halberd.

A shadow warrior spawned because of the damage.

The single shadow warrior and Ruseato did damage to the black armor, spawning two more minions. Rinse and repeat. By sacrificing itself, Ruseato fulfilled its potential of raising the army that was flowing in from the passageway.

"Vanguard!"

Shiroe reacted before he finished his thoughts, screaming his instructions.

Just a bit more. No need for 700 seconds, they could take down Ibra-Habura in 600 seconds. They would have the manpower to spare then. (I have to buy time,) Shiroe thought. (How much time did we take moving from the arena to this place? '7th of the garden' Ruseato spawns a batch of shadow warriors in about 200 seconds. At this rate, how many minions have spawned? 31. At most 63...) He came up with the answer immediately. The latter number would be hopeless, but the former number left a small chance of survival. Shiroe had to do this, even though he felt sorry, he still shouted,

"Attack and kite them away..."

This was like a suicide mission. Getting the herd of shadow warriors to chase you while escaping their wrath. The Silver Sword member Junzo was about to respond, but a stubborn raider rushed out before he did.

"Kyaaahhhh! Out of my way! Phantom Step! Wyvern Kick! Ahhhhhh!!! Taunting Shout!"

Demiqas double jumped in the air as if he were leaping off invisible platforms. He flew in the air like a rocket, spinning as he shouted. That was the provocation skill available to the warrior classes. For an instant, Shiroe saw that all the shadow warriors were focusing on Demiqas.

All members of the raid group including Shiroe saw the long haired Monk when he stopped for an instant. Demiqas seemed to be looking at Shiroe furiously. Shiroe lost his balance when he lost sight of Demiqas because of his fast movements.

Shiroe didn't know what was happening as he floated in the air, feeling overwhelming speed as he moved backwards.

"...!"

Naotsugu was definitely yelling. But Shiroe couldn't hear him as the scenery in front grew distant.

Shiroe seemed to be moving at an amazing speed within this large hall. Like being in a giant dryer machine, he rapidly experienced sudden acceleration and deceleration.

A shadow warrior appeared before him, ready to swing its battle scythe at the surprised Shiroe. But Shiroe's vision spun as if he had a hangover. The view before him disappeared because of the huge, heinous and dark silhouette of a greave.

"Irritating! Phantom Step!"

Demiqas leapt into the air, leaving the enemies swarming him behind.

Demiqas grabbed Shiroe by the back of his neck as he flew all over the place.

"What are you-?"

"Silence, fucking glasses! Wyvern Kick!"

The blood splattering on his face was warm and smelled like rust, but it calmed Shiroe down.

Was this Demiqas' vengeance against Shiroe by messing up the raid? Or did Demiqas have some plan in mind? Shiroe was not sure. Demiqas was grabbing Shiroe by the back of his neck, similar to a hunter holding its prey.

(But this situation. Isn't too bad...?)

If he looked at it from another angle, Shiroe was like a cannon attached to Demiqas.

With this in mind, there was only one thing to do. Shiroe cast his weak Enchanter attack spells in all directions.

Demiqas should be using Drag Move on one of the minions, but he grabbed Shiroe for some reason and was dragging him all over the place. Maybe he was simply using his level 90 plus wrist strength to carry Shiroe like some sort of cargo. It was possible with the abnormal physical ability of Adventurers. Both scenarios were possible.

But the important thing was that they were pulling the shadow warriors away from the raid group.

"Go to the northeast passageway."

"Shut it, stop nagging instructions."

"Mind Bolt!"

"You damn ink bottle!"

Demiqas' attitude remained hostile, but he changed his bearings.

He kicked the faceless shadows and broke through, rushing towards the passageway while being targeted by countless foes. Shiroe organized the information through his shaking vision. He could see about 20 minions. Including those out of his view, there should be about 30. If Demiqas stopped and was supported with healing, he could last for 15 seconds. If he made do without support, he would only survive half that time. Shiroe found it meaningless to calculate how long he would last, but he knew the answer the moment he started playing Elder Tales. He would be dead in 3 seconds.

"Hey Shiroe!"

As a shadow attacked with a low stance, its head expanded and exploded like a watermelon.

That should be William who dealt the final blow.

"It's meaningless to support here, focus on Ibra-Habura."

"Listen, Black Heart..."

"William! Defeat the enemy!"

His voice reached the proud guild master, but Shiroe was not sure how William would think of it. William looked at Shiroe again with concern and shouted, "All parties focus your attack on Ibra-Habura! Sorcerers! Don't hold anything back, throw everything you have at it!"

The scenery melted before his eyes as Shiroe was moved at top speed, dodging the club of the frost giant Tarutauruga.

The friction Shiroe felt on the back of his neck made him itch. He noticed the encroaching white film near his feet.

"Tarutauruga's White Night. It will reduce movement speed, use fire..."

"Not my problem! Lynx Tumbling!"

Demiqas ignored Shiroe's warning, moving ahead while mocking the freezing spell. Lynx Tumbling gave Demiqas the agility of a feline, and he ran on top of the club dashing for the frost giant's wrist. He sprinted for the shoulder next, aiming for new heights. Tarutauruga, who breathed out white mist because of his freezing aura, was kicked by Demiqas in the face as he accelerated.

Demiqas moved with a speed similar to a roller coaster with its safety features removed. It would probably send all its riders to the hospital on its first day of operation.

Loop, tornado, slalom. The invisible threads known as hate bound dozens of shadows as Demiqas led them on a dramatic high speed chase.

Shiroe heard shouting behind him. He couldn't make out what they were saying. Shiroe thought that they were words of encouragement. They should be supportive words from his fellow raiders in Silver Sword as he leapt into the jaws of death.

The noise of the raid battle subsided as they entered the dark passageway. They would need to fight on for another 580 seconds. After that, they would need to rescue Dinkuron and engage the frost giant.

That's why the 2 of them traveling hastily in the dark corridors could not relax. Shiroe kept on casting his spells with negligible attack power.

Astral Bind and Nightmare Sphere would hinder the movement of the shadows for a few seconds. He couldn't target all of them, but he needed to keep pressuring their pursuers. If he let up, Demiqas, who was carrying Shiroe, would lose a lot of hit points. Not just hit points, Demiqas' MP was dropping rapidly, the price he paid for breaking away forcefully. They were lucky to have made it to this passageway. The two of them were still alive as they moved through the dark corridor.

"Don't use Wyvern Kick for the time being."

Demiqas did not respond.

They could see the shadow warriors about 30m away from them. Shiroe had given up casting magic outside the effective range, focusing on supporting Demiqas with magic instead. In this situation, mobility was more important than attack power. Demiqas dragged Shiroe in the darkness as Shiroe concentrated on his Enchanting spells.

Shiroe didn't understand why Demiqas brought him along.

The kiting strategy was working great so far, but Demiqas probably didn't plan all of this.

Shiroe didn't understand the irrational thinking of this brute and didn't agree with it.

Even after raiding together for so long, their hate and suspicion for each other remained strong.

Demiqas used violence on the People of the Land in the city of Susukino.

It didn't mean only Demiqas was at fault. In the confusion of the Catastrophe, he probably thought that this world was still a game. Demiqas was probably driven by fear when he created all the trouble. The guild Brigandia was notorious when Elder Tales was still a game, a gathering of ruffians. From an outsider's view, the power struggle within the guild might be the cause of their extreme actions.

Shiroe felt there were reasons why they acted that way and understood their thought process. But he was still unable to accept it.

Demiqas abused the People of the Land and violated their rights. He even took part in human trafficking.

And he stalked Serara, causing her much distress.

Shiroe didn't have such a fetish. He could not understand and was unable to forgive.

What a disagreeable man. That's how Shiroe felt about Demiqas.

A lot of time had passed as he thought about this.

Shiroe saw the dark passageway in his view. He wasn't sure how many shadow warriors there were, but he felt that it was unwise to be too far away. Demiqas taunted and attacked them relentlessly just now. It was unlikely for the minions to forget their hate, but it would be prudent to play it safe. The raid would fail if the shadow warriors returned to the hall. Even now, they did not know if they had pulled all the shadow warriors away.

"Stop, we are too far away. Wait for a while."

But Demiqas didn't seem to hear him and continued running.

Shiroe got angry and yelled several times for Demiqas to stop before Demiqas complied. Shiroe was displeased with Demiqas' action and started to protest.

"What are you thinking? Even if you keep on running..."

Shiroe was thrown into the corridor ahead before he could finish, stopping only when his back hit a wall. As Shiroe nursed his wrist Demiqas glared at Shiroe and spoke.

"Hey, Enchanter. Say my name."

Driven by anger, Shiroe thought 'How about calling him Dental Care?' He took a deep breath, lifted his head to look at Demiqas, and chose silence.

This was the first time Shiroe looked Demiqas right in his eyes, and he was at a loss for words.

Demiqas approached Shiroe and leaned forward with a serious and determined expression. Demiqas' eyes were full of resolve, there was something he wouldn't back down from.

Shiroe wanted to accuse him of bringing up such a stupid topic at such a critical juncture, but dropped this idea when he saw Demiqas' face.

Just like William's wish that could not be compromised, everyone else had something similar.

It was the same for Shiroe too. That was why he did not join any guild for so long.

Even Demiqas had such feelings.

Time passed by slowly as Shiroe thought. He realized the anger in his heart was similar to self-loathing. Shiroe who felt helpless during the Catastrophe and didn't do anything met Demiqas who felt helpless and resorted to violence. Demiqas became an outlet for Shiroe to vent his frustration.

Demiqas did some unforgivable things. Shiroe needed to rescue Serara. But it was hard to say whether Shiroe had the right to punish Demiqas. Shiroe was just Shiroe, Shiroe was not the law.

(Even if I had the right to pass judgment... Robbing someone of their name is unforgivable.)

Shiroe realized he had stubbornly refused to address Demiqas by his name.

He thought that he was different from this brute, not recognizing him as a fellow human being.

That's the attitude Shiroe had taken.

"Demiqas."

"Yeah."

"... Demiqas, I despise you."

"Me too, Log Horizon's Shiroe."

Shiroe and Demiqas had come to terms.

They agreed to disagree.

"That's why..." Shiroe words were interrupted abruptly.

The brute placed his hand on Shiroe's chest and sent him flying. Shiroe rolled along the corridor like trash once again. Shiroe curled his body up and rolled, reaching the goal, a cold steel door, like a soccer ball.

"You can wait for your death here, Shiroe. I am still busy with these guys."

Demiqas started running again without giving Shiroe a chance to respond. Green flashes could be seen in the dark corridor shooting into the distance like a meteor.

Several thoughts Shiroe was unable to articulate overlapped each other as Shiroe was left alone in the darkness.

6

Behind the door was a dazzling garden.

Gears that were several dozen times Shiroe's height turned slowly. These gears were connected to the elevator through an intricate system, controlling the circulation system.

The purpose of this vast space was clear with a glance.

On the production line that looked like it was designed by Escher, an amazing amount of gold was being moved.

It was a giant mechanism with gears and pistons, controlling the flow of gold coins.

A white pavement placed between the gaps of the machinery led into the depths of the hall. The path was filled with flowers and greenery. As Shiroe moved ahead, he would sometimes cross a small arch bridge, other times he would pass by a pond full of gold.

This garden was the vortex of gold Shiroe expected to find.

The sound of numerous bells ringing made Shiroe turn his head. A series of chains tilted an iron chest the size of a bus forward. The crisp sound of millions of coins formed a metallic melody as coins flowed out from the iron chest.

He had no other words besides amazing to describe this sight.

The path meandered around the operations of the machinery. Getting just one bag of gold from the conveyor belt would double Shiroe's wealth. He thought about how much gold was in this garden, but realized that it was impossible to tell.

There was more gold here than he could imagine.

Shiroe didn't think that the contract he brought along was weak.

But it might pale in comparison. If it were Shiroe from last year, he probably would have run away. But he was different now. Shiroe came to the depths of Palm and entered Abyss Shaft with firm resolve.

"... Welcome. Although I wished that you didn't make it here, I still have to say it."

The angel was '9th of the garden' Uru, the final boss guarding Abyss Shaft. Just 4 meters in height, it was small in stature compared to the other monsters they had encountered so far, but was definitely more powerful than the other bosses. Even if he had brought the rest of Silver Sword along, the chance of victory was still 50/50. It would be suicidal for Shiroe to fight alone. If he actually brought the raid group along, they would probably fail since they were worn down with the consecutive battles. Shiroe ignored the threat before him and looked straight at the young man.Beside the gigantic golden lake, Shiroe saw Kinjo with his guard. Shiroe squinted his eyes, looking for any difference in Kinjo, but failed as usual. Kinjo stood behind the crystal angel as he awaited Shiroe's arrival.

(The color of his lapel pin is different, that's the only difference. It really is hard to tell them apart.)

He had met Kinjo in the cabin on the snowy mountain before, and greeted him during a banquet in Akiba city. He also saw Kinjo at the counter when he performed bank transactions in Susukino.

That's the role Kinjo played. That's how the Kunie clan was.

When Elder Tales was a game, they played the role of a bank employee based on the same avatar of the People of the Land. That was the origin of the Kunie clan, Shiroe deduced. He could see fear, wariness, and pride in Kinjo's eyes.

(It must be terrifying for them. Even though he has '9th of the garden' Uru under his control, the Adventurers still managed to infiltrate this place... We saw it as a hopeless fight, it is the same for them too.)

Shiroe tried to imagine their plight.

A group of 20 odd immortals charging into your home base like an avalanche.

This was like a zombie siege. They would rise again even when you wiped them out, wearing down the defense gradually. There was nothing more terrifying. It was normal to feel fear and be on your guard. But Kinjo still stood before him despite the danger, probably because of his pride. The pride as a People of the Land and the will to protect Yamato.

They had followed the words of their ancestors till this day, watching over Yamato.

Their unity and loyalty was beyond the imagination of Shiroe, a modern Japanese man.

"I came here to speak with Mr. Kinjo."

"Then we have the obligation to hear what you have to say."

"..."

Shiroe stiffened when he heard Kinjo's words.

He had expected this, but Shiroe's suspicion at the cabin had raised unnecessary tension, and this was his punishment. Shiroe was trapped by Kinjo's hostility. And that was why this young man in white had the duty to finish their conversation.

"Can you explain this flowing river of gold?"

"... Ah, it is. As promised, we will disclose the secrets to you. All the gold in Yamato originates from here and will ultimately return here. Even we do not understand the ultra-ancient technology that controls the distribution of the gold. The gold will be distributed to monsters or even dungeons like this one from this giant viscous stream. This system is the dark secret of Yamato, a taboo secret guarded by the Kunies for hundreds of years."

... Shiroe realized a fact from Kinjo's speech.

For normal People of the Land and the nobles of League of Freedom Towns Eastal, the Kunie clan's management of this system could be seen as a form of betrayal. They would probably think that the Kunie were funding the goblins and orcs.

Shiroe, who knew that Elder Tales was a game, wouldn't think of it this way. If you thought of it as a system, it was neither good nor evil. But Shiroe had no confidence that the People of the Land who had fought lengthy wars with the demihumans would view it the same way. If this fact was exposed, everyone in the server would boycott the operations of the Kunie clan. It might even lead to riots and genocide.

Kinjo was right to be wary. Shiroe didn't consider their circumstances well enough.

"My group and I have no intention to make this fact public."

Unsure of how convincing he actually sounded, Shiroe promised Kinjo.

"... since you made it here, you have the right to bring gold back as dictated by the law of my ancestors."

Shiroe's thoughts weren't conveyed to Kinjo. Kinjo remained guarded, speaking in a tone he had practiced repeatedly.

"With our long history, a part of the documents left behind by our ancestors is missing. We are not sure ourselves whether you can bring back a thousand or a billion gold coins. All I can do is pass on the words of our ancestors to you."

Kinjo stared at Shiroe with flaming eyes, burning with determination.

They might not be wielding blades, but this battle was as intense as the fiercest fight he had ever gone through.

Shiroe gulped under his gaze, his throat feeling parched. He noticed how weak he was. He was smooth and coordinated when directing policies through the Round Table Council, but right now, he felt as though his knees were going to give way.

He remembered the profile of William's crying face. The concerned expression Akatsuki made when she looked up at him. The worries of Naotsugu as he joked around with him. Chief Nyanta, who had been watching over him, Minori, Tohya, Isuzu, and Rundelhous, who put their trust in him.

What he was feeling now was not weakness.

Tetora commented that she wanted them to win.

He craved victory for the sake of others. The bitter memories of unfulfilled wishes motivated him to search for the best ending possible. The solo player Shiroe who had no responsibilities as a loner was no more. Shiroe thirsted for the ending more than anybody else. Because he was bad at empathizing with others, he had no other ways to repay their kindness.

"The gold of the Kunie is a cursed treasure. No matter how much of it you gain, it is not wealth. Your greed is a monster you are nurturing. That's how the world ends."

Kinjo's words sounded like an ominous prophecy, but Shiroe chose to interpret it as the Kunie giving their blessing.

In the depths of Shiroe's heart, he was glad that he made it here.

Surrounded by the melody of countless bells, Shiroe and Kinjo shared a moment of silence.

Shiroe took out a contract from his magic bag slowly, and tore it in half. The torn contract transformed into gentle light and flames, the sparks dispersing like butterflies before the wide eyed Kinjo.

Gold appeared out of thin air.

"This is..."

"The contract has been completely accepted. The Round Table Council does not seek wealth."

Shiroe told Kinjo with a faint smile.

What Shiroe actually wanted to say was the continuation of the failed conversation they had had in the cabin on the snowy mountain.

"We don't want ownership of the guild building. We think we are strong enough to live on in Akiba peacefully. We are grateful to the system which offered us this opportunity, but it is time to end our tenure. Even if disputes were to arise, there must be a way for us to overcome it, that's our conclusion... This contract art ceremony only works when it is signed and then destroyed."

Shiroe puffed his chest out before the confused Kinjo.

"This was not just my own intention, but also the will of the Round Table Council too."

"We transfer the ownership of the guild building, cathedral, commercial hall and all public areas to the Yamato server itself. The contract will be destroyed to make this transfer permanent."

He went through numerous hardships and long discussions to reach this stage.

There were some who thought it was foolish to give up ownership of these zones.

But after doing a cost benefit analysis, this was the plan they came up with. Purchasing a zone for the rights to administrate it just by paying a onetime cost sowed the seed of mayhem.

Zone owners didn't stand to gain from their investment. But faced with the threat that another party might purchase the zone... which meant an attack, they had no choice but to buy it first. This was why the Round Table Council used all their budget and took loans from the major guilds to purchase the cathedral, commercial hall and the city zone of Akiba.

But upkeep became a problem.

The maintenance fees for the guild building alone were manageable. But the upkeep for all the properties of the Round Table Council had now exceeded 10 million gold monthly. This was a heavy burden on their finances.

The threat of an attack would increase the pressure on defense. A committee centered on Shiroe and Henrietta explored the possibility of reducing this burden. After numerous discussions, they formulated the plan for this expedition.

"This... You mean that all the gold here will be used for the purchase?"

"That's right. All the gold in Yamato originates from here and will ultimately return here. That's what you said right? Since the contract has been accepted, the funds were used as dictated by the contract and came back to this place after the purchase. Just as I planned."

"Mr Shiroe, did you came here just to explain this?"

"In a way, yes."

"What about your request for a loan... What is all that about?"

Shiroe pushed his slipping glasses back with his finger.

"That is the main issue. We want to purchase all the zones in Yamato, the forest, the mountains, the lakes, the sea and everything else. By destroying the contract immediately, we can give the rights of all the zones we brought. I proved it is possible just now, so we will do the same with all these zones, relinquishing our rights and transferring them to Yamato... The land of Yamato should be returned to Yamato itself."

Kinjo clenched his fist so hard that it turned pale, holding back his heightened emotions.

"We won't purchase zones that are in the form of buildings. Maintaining the status quo won't affect your clan, but we hope that all the free zones will have the status of being permanently unowned. Also... The People of the Land can't buy zones."

This thorn had been stuck in Shiroe's heart for the longest time.

"This is an abnormal situation. The Round Table Council does not wish to spark off a war. We do not wish to deny the landownership of others. But I feel that the promise made between people will be sufficient. The zone purchasing system is unnecessary for us. Please loan the necessary funds to the Round Table Council. In order to stop our path towards destruction, please finance us."

7

The ground was uneven and smelled of sulfur.

He felt that it looked dumb to lie down in this place, but William still laid down anyway. If he turned his head to the side, he could see black arrowheads and rags dyed in weird colors. It was probably someone's equipment, it was a mess around here.

His whole body felt hot and strained, even turning his head took lots of effort. The empty spherical space was eerily silent, the sound of geysers and water dripping seemed incredibly loud.

Smelly, hot, painful and tired, this miserable time was also a joyous moment. William knew the wetness he felt on either side of his nose was not blood, but he didn't bother to wipe it away. His arms were in protest mode, unwilling to work because of excess bow usage. All his comrades were on the floor crying anyway.

They won.

They expended a huge amount of resources, and some of the raiders were out of battle commission for now. There was one time when they were caught in a tug of war between fainting and resuscitation spells. William felt the premonition of defeat when the bloodied Demiqas returned with the shadow warriors in tow. But their effort in bringing down Ibra-Habura paid off. The 2nd party bought time by holding off the passageway and they managed to pull off the win in the chaotic fight that followed.

They had run out of gas. If the black armored Ruseato were to show up now, they would be smashed to oblivion like a baby. The raid group collapsed on the floor from fatigue. They were covered in mud, having endured ice and fire, totally exhausted... But they were shining brightly.

William sat up with his abdominal muscles, looked around him and laughed.

It was soft, but was very cheerful.

They won.

William thought that was impressive.

It was an unspeakable joy. It was as if all of his regrets, remorse, anxiety and disappointment were wiped away. "Awesome, we did great," William whooped in delight. William felt embarrassed at his limited vocabulary, but it was just for an instant.

(We pulled off a spectacular feat! Awesome, what a great bunch of friends!!)

Federico continued to lay back as he waved his hand.

Dinkuron stuck his hand into a puddle to cool off. His bangs were messy, the image of a cool guy was lost.

Odiso lay prone, waving his wand like a tour guide. Timid Alraunes popped into existence, hesitant to act. A moment later, they dragged water bottles out of the bag and distributed to everyone.

Only a handful of members could move, they were pushing themselves just to sit up straight. It was not an exaggeration to say Silver Sword was just a step shy of annihilation.

But even if they were on the verge of defeat, a win was still a win.

(Ahh, that was really awesome.)

William was like an idiot who kept repeating the same phrase, repeating the word awesome in his heart over and over again. His mind was hazy, the image of his friends grew blurry and disappeared. But William insisted that wasn't because of the tears flowing out of his eyes.

"We won."

"Yeah."

"We won."

"We finally won."

The soft murmurs repeated time and again in the hall.

When William heard their words, his heart was full of joy. He was terrible at making speeches, but the dialogue between his comrades lacked creativity too. It wasn't any different from him and it made him happy.

"Hey guild master."

"What's up?"

William answered Federico whose voice was breaking. Federico pushed his upper body up like a sick patient. "That, over there." He gestured at the mountain of treasure with his chin. These were the drop items and gold from the flaming serpent Ibra-Habura and frost giant Tarutauruga. A huge pile of gold, valuable jewelry and dozens of rare materials. There were phantasmal level weapons and armor too. They defeated 2 raid bosses, so the rewards were doubled too.

Basically, equipment could not be transferred. The raid captain William would keep them safe, and distribute it to the members.

There were all sorts of ways to split their stash. They could use a point system based on raid attendance and bid for it, or give the equipment to those who could equip them. Or the ones who wanted the item would play a game of rock paper scissors. The choice of system to use was a problem all guilds had to test through trial and error.

Phantasmal items were powerful, and raids were often conducted in order to obtain them. These items with special abilities and great attributes could only be won through raids, earning fame and respect from the whole server. They might even represent the glory of the guild, like the Black Sword Knights.

There were many guilds that dissolved because of disputes in splitting the loot. Because of this, every guild had to spend lots of effort in managing and distributing the rewards from raids.

Silver Sword had been using a point system since Elder Tales was a game. Members earned points by joining raids and auctioned off the reward to the highest bidder. But for unknown bosses they defeated for the first time, the loot would not be given out through the point system, but allocated on the discretion of the guild master William. There would be minimal dissatisfaction if they used the point system, but the items would simply fall to the person who wanted it more, but not necessarily be given to the most suitable player.

William presented the powerful weapons to the best possible person through nomination, taking the efficiency of future raids into consideration as well.

After recovering enough strength, William stood up and approached the mountain of treasure. Multiple windows opened, detailing the variety of items they won through the raid boss on his status screen. The name of the items conveyed how powerful they were.

That was normal. They were the first to defeat raid bosses above level 90. Reaching the top of the hill he had always yearned for, William was so calm that he even surprised himself.

'Eyes of Ruin-Chaos'

'Anti Fire Freezing Blade'

'Ouroboros Scale'

They were all fascinating. All participants of the raid could access the information. They pushed themselves and sat up, checking the windows floating in midair before William. Their hopeful gazes fell on the young man with silvery hair, who considered a while before saying to his teammates.

"'Laurel Talisman'. This..."

A metallic talisman with intrinsic gold markings.

Four petals formed a circle within the frame, a glorious piece of art made with expert craftsmanship.

"I think we should leave this for Black Heart Glasses."

Suddenly, the air became thin. This tingling tension you felt when entering hostile territory.

Federico sniffed the air and spoke softly, "It is getting warmer."

It was clear to all the raid participants that the raid in this zone was over. By rights, they still needed to take out '7th of the garden' Ruseato to clear the zone, but there was no need for that anymore. The zone had lost its hostility towards William's group, it was now a safe zone.

"It seems that guy has done something."

Dinkuron said as he brushed the dirt off his fringe.

The negotiation Shiroe mentioned before was probably a success. He was sure it would work, but William still felt a smile on his face when it really did.

"Well, this is a great item. It increases your durability and capabilities, a top class equipment. So, let's give it to... Black Heart. He is not part of Silver Sword, but he is still a battle brother."

Affirmative responses echoed throughout the pit.

As he listened to his comrades' answer that was full of pride, William began giving out the next item.

8

Four days after bidding farewell to William.

Shiroe's group landed on the highway bridge that was covered in greenery. Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Tetora waved good bye to the griffons, which left because their limited usage time was up. They strolled casually along the ancient asphalt road.

"Mr. Naotsugu is being so cold!"

"I'm not, I told you that I hate riding with a pillion because my armor is heavy!"

"Not this again, you keep using the same excuse. Are you reserving that spot for a special someone?"

"That hurts! What is with your sharp retorts?"

"Fufufu. Because I am an idol!"

Shiroe looked up to the sky as he listened to the two of them bicker.

A nice day out in the winter. It would probably last an hour or two during this season with the sun shining on Shiroe's path ahead.

Shiroe linked up with William's group after the raid, leaving the Palm tunnels for Susukino. It was a warm and happy journey, unlike their trip to Palm.

Demikas' attitude changed drastically. He was nonchalant as usual, but he didn't clash with the Silver Sword members anymore. He didn't converse with Shiroe's team as usual, but Shiroe was fine with that.

They chatted a lot with the members of Silver Sword during their way back to Susukino. They obtained practical intelligence, exchanging information of life after the Catastrophe.

Their discussion was not limited to just sharing their worries in this world.

Silver Sword had a good idea of Akiba's current situation. For the Adventurers who could communicate via telepathy, they could obtain information no matter how far away they were as long as they knew someone there. But Silver Sword was not too sure about the latest inventions and news. Shiroe felt there was no need to withhold his knowledge, and shared all he knew. In return, Shiroe learned about brand new ingredients they found in Ezzo Empire.

They spent the most time discussing the large amount of materials they won in the raid. Shiroe was given some of them, but Silver Sword kept the lion's share. If they wished for it, 8th District Shopping Center and Grandeur would be willing to visit Ezzo to trade with them. Silver Sword needed to sell their spoils of war to replenish their supplies too.

They gathered around the campfire every night, eating their diminishing supply of food. They discussed about the loot they obtained, the creation of new equipment, and what their future held... The topics were no different from the times when Elder Tales was still a game.

All the participants including Shiroe felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

They won the raid after enduring so much hardship.

There was no need for words, it was fine this way.

Naotsugu hummed as he polished his new gear. Tetora sat on a boulder and smiled as she swung her legs. Even Demiqas joined in with the usual scowl on his face, resting his head on his arms lazily. Shiroe continued to follow the discussion of Silver Sword as he watched this scene. This was a souvenir for his short journey.

He talked briefly with William.

William wanted to stay in Susukino. Titans had been roaming around as a field raid. This was no different than the Elder Tales game era, but new monsters would join in the fray infrequently. The 'Eyes of Mystery' explained to Shiroe clumsily how to repel them while healing at the same time, making preparations for the next raid. William added that he was worried about Susukino.

Shiroe nodded to acknowledge William's plans. He had no complaints about his decision. William was an outstanding guild master and this seemed to be the right call.

"Add me to your friend list."

William said. Even if you added someone to your friend list, you would not be registered with the other person's list. But you could call them if they were on your list, so there was no need to request for others to add you.

Shiroe understood that William meant to say 'Call me if you need help.'

William’s expression was milder than normal, probably feeling embarrassed.

"I already added you."

Shiroe replied.

"Good," William answered and lifted his hand as a gesture.

There were only a handful of elite raiding groups in Elder Tales. No matter how big a guild might be, they could only deploy a few raid groups. There were no more than 500 raiders in Yamato server, a number large enough that there wasn't a need to hang out persistently with the same group. There were plenty of chances for them to fight alongside each other. Shiroe learned this from William.

It was the same even if this was an alternate world. Shiroe thought that these relations existed when he was living back on earth, just that he didn't know. There were many people fighting along with Shiroe, just that he was not aware. This was quite a big discovery for Shiroe.

It was the same now too, Shiroe had many comrades just that they were not in the same guild.

Their main objective for returning to Susukino was to pick up ReGan. He had gotten used to living in a hotel, piling documents all over the place. Books he took from somewhere and notebooks filled with his writings surround him, making him look rather excited.

ReGan wouldn't be leaving Susukino for a while. There appeared to be some progress in the inter-city transport gate research. Shiroe bid good bye to ReGan and left Susukino. ReGan would need to investigate other transport gates, and promised to meet up with them in Akiba.

They rode continuously on the Griffons and finally arrived at Lightport. If the Griffons could last another 30 minutes to 1 hour, they would be able to reach Akiba easily, it was a pity they didn't have enough time. But the distance was not so far that they had to make camp for the night.

They walked for a while to warm themselves up and summoned horses, wanting to reach Akiba by the evening. Naotsugu and Tetora took it easy with this in mind.

"Wah, wait a minute, hey, don't climb up!"

"Can I climb up after waiting for a minute? Please answer."

"Are you acting like a kid and kidding me?"

"A kid won't smell as nice as me, fufufu."

"Where did you learn to talk like that... ah, hmmm? Woah, right."

Naotsugu stopped bickering with Tetora, putting her down as he dashed ahead before the summoned horse reached them, shouting "Sorry, my bad!" Tetora sat on her butt and pouted, then circled around Shiroe with a displeased expression.

"It's not going well. Is my charm lacking?"

"Don't go overboard when teasing him."

"It won't be fun if you don't toe the line."

Tetora puffed her chest out with a shining and confident expression. Shiroe shrugged.

"When are you going to tell him you are a boy?"

"I will keep it a secret until Mr. Naotsugu finds out, it's more fun that way."

"Now is an important time for Naotsugu emotionally, right?"

Regarding his relationship with Maryele.

Shiroe pondered about it. Although the man himself thought he kept the secret well, Shiroe and Nyanta had been silently supporting him from behind the scenes. But they were doing so with their heart, they had no intentions to meddle physically.

"Roger, leave it to me!" Tetora was all smiles, Shiroe sighed as he wasn't sure if Tetora really understood. Shiroe knew Tetora knew how to read the mood, but that didn't mean she would act appropriately.

Although he accepted it because of the flow of things, Shiroe was ultimately the one who allowed Tetora to join. He would feel bad if it troubled Naotsugu.

Aside from her pranks, Tetora was talented in both character and battle capability. She was the one who wanted to join anyway, and Shiroe's good friend also gave his recommendation.

"I didn't stay in Susukino because of Mr. Kazuhiko's order."

"I will take your word for it."

"If it were Mr. Shiroe... you can save more people than me."

"Log Horizon is not a charitable organization."

"But this world is not heartless enough for people to ignore each other’s plight, right? How troublesome."

She's right. Shiroe agreed with Tetora's world view.

Buying the guild building to protect Akiba before unrest troubled the city.

But that was not enough, so they purchased more zones.

But they couldn't pay the upkeep fees, so they undid the contract and forbade it from being owned privately.

Hence, Shiroe thought all of the entire Yamato server needed to break free from the system.

Their concept was logical.

The zone ownership system had the potential to bring tragedy in the future, this was clear to everyone. As the first to use the system, Shiroe felt that he had the responsibility to clean up the mess.

In order to execute his plans, he spent a long time contacting all sorts of people and even traveled to Ezzo Empire and an underground dungeon. This world was not simple at all.

(But this is just business as usual.)

When he thought about it, it had been this way since the Debauchery Tea Party days.

Unexpected events would happen when they executed their plans. Even if they felt their power was not enough, that had always been the case. "That was the star you were born under, don't give up!" Shiroe remembered KR's irresponsible words.

"Ah~!"

After going around the dangerous hill of debris, their vision broadened. Tetora pointed in front and rushed ahead. A group of people wearing clothes of differing colors right ahead waved their hands at Shiroe. Tetora kept her speed up, causing a stir in the crowd as Naotsugu tried to explain hurriedly.

Shiroe smiled awkwardly, advancing slowly with a warm feeling.

The chief, Minori, Tohya, Rundelhous, Isuzu, and Crescent Moon Alliance's members came to welcome them. Naotsugu was in a panic as Maryele and Tetora clung to him from either side; Henrietta smiled gently as she bowed quietly; Serara who looked so blissful beside Nyanta; Shouryuu and Hien were here too.

As Shiroe moved ahead and waved at the others, he felt a presence behind him and turned around.

"Did you grow taller?"

"My lord is so mean!"

His comment seemed to make Akatsuki unhappy, but she really looked more matured. Her new ninja garb and scarf seemed gentler compared to their meeting at the beach.

Shiroe couldn't help staring at her cute and petite face. "My lord, don't be so rude." Akatsuki dashed to Shiroe's back.

Shiroe's eyes followed Akatsuki as she hid under his arm. This scene was the same as usual, warming his heart.

Akatsuki also fought her own battles.

Just like his discovery on the white sandy beach, Akatsuki definitely brought something back too.

And she got stronger too.

The world was still turning.

While Shiroe was working hard, his comrades were also doing their best in other places. Just like William, he had many comrades running alongside him even though he couldn't see them. This was a reliable, lifesaving piece of information. After concluding his long journey, Shiroe returned to Akiba, uniting with comrades fighting alongside him once again.

Shiroe searched for the words to convey his understanding, but he couldn't do it smoothly because of the quiet happiness. But there was no hurry, there was still lots of time to do so.

Akatsuki looked up at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Akatsuki, I'm back."

"Welcome back, my lord."

The lost sparrow obtained her treasure after much hard work, returning to the tree branch to rest her wings.

Even though the stubborn guild master committed some mistakes along the way, he still fulfilled his mission and returned to his base.

The two of them were like children displaying their spoils of war, smiling as they greeted each other after returning home.

Afterword

Long time no see, everyone, and for those of you who are here for the first time, nice to meet you, I am Touno Mamare.

"Hey hey hey, how can you greet us with a straight face, didn't you say you'd publish this volume in the Fall (with self-derision)?" Sorry, sorry, I've been apologizing so much recently that it has become a habit. However, I reap what I sow. When the current book hits the bookstores, it should be time to welcome Christmas (as spoken by a great prophet). Thus, Mamare shall spoil your Christmas with the foul fruit of my own reaping! (Like a great demon king)

"Say, why did you use such a kind of statement as 'Nice to meet you' in your greeting?" That's right, it's because the Log Horizon TV anime has begun airing. By the time this book has reached you all, it should be halfway done. Thanks to everyone, the anime was splendidly made and I'm very certain that we have friends new to the series watching it.

Thank you all for buying "Log Horizon 7: Gold of the Kunie". Due to the aforementioned reasons, I hope this book can also find its way to new readers as well. Correction, this book could reach your hands not because of the power of prayers, but through the publisher's publication, the printer's printings, the dealer's hard work in distributing, and the bookstores putting them up for sale that this is made possible.

Putting this aside, coming up next, let's talk about the female protagonist of season two of the Afterword. That would be Mamare's editor, Miss F-ta. Everyone knows about the meetings authors have with their editors, right? The process where we argue over the writing and try our best to see eye-to-eye is very intense (referenced work: Moeyo Pen). The same goes for Miss F-ta and Mamare; we would spend day and night engaged in heated discussions.

"..."
"..."
"It's raining."
"That will deteriorate the mood."
"Have you already eaten?"
"I can still eat."
"Can we eat?"
"Let's eat then."

Without considering about when you last ate, thinking only "Can I eat this" might be the secret of youth. This is the reasoning that Mamare has learned. No, it's not this thought that makes me slack off and not do work.

Deciding based on "whether I can still eat or not," rather than how long has it been since my previous meal, perhaps this is the secret of youth. This is a fact that Mamare has learned. Nope, it's definitely not me trying to slack off.

Come to think of it, Miss F-ta's claim that "Women are carnivorous", as quoted in the previous Afterword, received quite a response. I tried asking around 20 women: "Do you like meat?" All of their responses were: "Yes, I like meat."

Really?
Seriously?

This is a culture shock for Mamare. So women love meat this much? No, I'm not denying that there are women who love eating meat, obviously such women do exist. However, I didn't expect the probability to be so high (from personal observation, 100%). Just in case, I tried asking Mamare (little sis), whose staple food is carrots, and she said, "Meat that's someone else's treat is very delicious." I always treat my little sister to meat. Once again, I've become smarter.

Talking about important events that have happened to Miss F-ta recently, she bought a new laptop. A MacBook Air, a really fine computer. She always uses this laptop, be it during meetings or her free time.

"Miss F-ta, using that laptop makes you look like a capable pink-collared worker."
"Ain't that right?"
"Yup."
Kachakachakachakachakacha, da! (smirk) 
"You look cool."
Kachakachakachakachakacha, da! (smirk)
"You look cool."

Her gesture as she strikes the Enter key and her smug expression looking this way after that is really like an office lady's. Incidentally, Touno has never worked with an office lady in uniform before, so the office lady in this account is a delusion. A pink-collar worker who loves eating meat, and would sit in an amusement park teacup hollering, "Dammit!"

Dammit.

Following this report on recent events, I present to everyone Log Horizon 7.

Making friends is very difficult, even more so after entering working society.

To make new friends or maintaining friendship is very hard, and not only that, even accepting someone as a friend is difficult as well.

As students, we believe that we can be friends so long as we can do something for each other, and feel the need to prove our relationships with action.

After entering society, one would find that the things that we can do for our friends are terribly limited. Unable to share their burdens, nor solve their problems for them, we lament our inability to help out and wonder if we can call ourselves their friends.

Shiroe isn't good at making friends, but he's not the type that does not treasure them; he is definitely a person who hold his friends dear. Including Naotsugu and the new arrival Tetora, his companions and friends are gradually increasing. For guys to befriend each other is a troublesome and yet simple matter, all it takes is for them to just go wild in a raid, that's all.

Friendship is such that, we don't need the other party to do anything for us, nor do we need to do anything for them, and we can still treat each other as friends. In the first place, as outsiders, there's really not much that we can shoulder for each other.

At the most we could go for a meal together, and be the one to treat him to it.

The expenses for meat is nothing, of course I'll be happy to foot the bill.

The equipment on the character featured at the beginning of each chapter are the results of fan submissions sent through tweets during August 2013. The ideas we used were from @Dateryu, @IGM_masamune, @RN_oinu, @SakamotoRiji, @ebiusl, @haniwatw, @hige_mg, @hpsuke, @iron007dd22, @kane_yon, @kuroyagi6, @makiwasabi, @makotoTRPG, @me_pon, @momon_call, @roqku, @sig_cat, @yamaneeeeee, thank you all! Even though a lot of the submissions did not make it into publication, I am still grateful to all those who participated. In fact, Mamare received a lot of overseas submissions, there are readers from various countries supporting Log Horizon!

For detailed and up-to-date information, please visit http://mamare.net. The website also offers information on Mamare's works outside of Log Horizon as well as information about the anime. Come to think of it, the TRPG is coming out as well.

As we move to a close, I am grateful to Mr. Masuda Shoji who oversees the publication (thank you for taking time out frequently to participate in the anime's screenwriting discussions), our illustrator Hara Kazuhiro-sensei (Tetora is so cute), the Tsubakiya Agency for the layout designs, and the petite Ms. F-ta from the editorial department! Mr. Osako took great care of me this time too! Finally, I would also like to thank Mr. Kosuda and Mr. Nishi from the printers for accommodating to my unreasonable requests, thank you both of you! Sorry for submitting my drafts so late!

All that's left is for everyone to enjoy this volume to your heart's content, please help yourself!

Touno "My dream is to buy a new laptop and practice typing in a stylish manner" Mamare

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