Dimension Wave

“What the hell is this place?”

Several hours had already passed since we started our search.
Speaking of which, we had a slight grasp on the map. However, we had no clue what was going on on the ship. Enemies were approaching from the front and back, and as time passed their numbers increased.

We found out that the Pirate Skeleton is a resurrection-type monster.
A certain amount of time after it gets killed it revives and attacks the player again. You only gain exp the first time you kill it. After that, they give no more.
If you get hurt, there is little you can do to recover.
Although they can fight in the energy shield. The more the enemies’ number increases, the more damage they receive. It is only a matter of time before the energy depletes.

“Yamikage seems okay now.”
“Naturally, one shall become accustomed after many hours have passed.”
“You did a great job Yami!”
“Lady Tsugumi….”

The two of them are becoming fast friends. Honestly, they’re quite the amusing duo.
On that note, would Shouko and Sheryl become friends with Alto…
No, no point worrying about this.

We have been wandering around for a while now. But we have yet to run into Shouko and her group.
They might be in a place that’s separated from us by warp points, we have no way to contact them.
What’s the meaning of this?
It is impossible to imagine an RPG without dungeons where you have to solve mysteries, but…

“Huh?”
“Whatever is wrong?”
“Is there something?”

I compare the map and the place we’re currently in.
If you look carefully, the map doesn’t match the reality.

“The map is wrong…”

In that case, it doesn’t make sense to fill in the map.
In hindsight, we had to pass through many doors along the way.
If there is indeed a warp function, you wouldn’t even notice if you kept walking around in circles.
I thought it was just spacious.

This is a gimmick in the game.
However, once you figure it out you can find a way to clear it.
After all, I like solving these kinds of gimmicks.
One of the reasons I wasn’t as enthusiastic about MMORPGs is that MMOs tend to focus more on character development and have fewer puzzles for me to solve.

“Tsugumi, I need to think of a solution. Can you keep the enemy off me?”
“Of course!”

If I determine the path we took from the starting point.
From there I can see how many doors we entered, which direction we entered, and how long the path was…
There are about eight doors that we have yet to enter.
Now, if I am correct about our current location… What is the closes door we haven’t taken yet?

“I’ve got it. This way!”

As I said this Tsugumi just finished defeating one of the resurrected pirate skeletons that didn’t give exp.
Tsugumi had a weird sparkle in her eye.
This girl really likes RPGs.
Or maybe it is more accurate to say that she likes all kinds of games.

“What did my lady discover?”
“Well, if the map is wrong you have to believe in your own memory right? So I worked out the path we took from the start till here.”
“How did my lady manage this?”
“This is common in old RPGs didn’t you know? Well, if I had some paper I could’ve used it but we don’t have any so.”

I know it would be faster to just use a strategy website or something, but this is my hobby you know.
Because of that, I spent a lot of my time stuck in dungeons trying to solve the riddles. Eventually, I started drawing the shape of the dungeon and the exits on paper.
I didn’t think it’d come in handy here.

“Over there! Looks like… a hole?”

The three of us arrived at one of the places we had previously skipped and saw what looked to be the main hall.
Chandeliers hung from the ceiling. However, the pale room gave off a dreadful feeling.
No, isn’t it strange?

“Hey, this place is a ghost ship now, but what do you think it originally used to be?”
“Wasn’t it a pirate ship my lady?”
“That’s impossible. Would a pirate ship have such a luxurious room?”
“But, the monsters are pirates so.”
“Well, that’s indeed the case…”

Is this ship just based on a real ship?
Or maybe this is just part of the riddle, but even that is a misleading possibility.

“Anyway, let’s explore the area–”

Suddenly there was noise, the things in the room started rattling and shaking.
I look up and see one of the chandeliers swinging wildly looking like it’s about to drop.

“Dodge!”

I shout as I jump to the side.
The energy shield alone isn’t enough to defend us against this kind of trap.
A cracking sound similar to an explosion rings out as the chandelier falls down.
I get hit by a few sharp shards. However, they deal between 10 and 20 damage so it is still doable.
The air is littered with wood chips and sawdust making it impossible to get a clear look at your surroundings.

“Yamikage, Tsugumi, are you guys okay?”

My call gets no response.
There’s no way they got hit right?
No, even if they did get hit. Yamikage wouldn’t have died instantly.
She has the highest HP in the whole party.

“Oh no! Another trap to split us up.”

The main hall has been changed into a different room and there is no sign of Yamikage and Tsugumi.

I’ve got this eerie feeling.

I had long since forgotten what it feels like to be scared by horror, but I think this is how I felt the first time I watched a horror movie.
It is scary to get separated from your group that you have worked with for a long time like this.

It kind of reminds me of that time I had to wait alone in the department store when I was little.
Thinking about it now, there must’ve been a sale going on at the time.
My mom quickly told me to wait and made me stay there sitting on a bench.
That was careless no? What if I was kidnapped?
Anyway, I waited for my mother.
At first, I was happy that an adult trusted me like this. However, as time went by, I got scared because I was surrounded by strangers.
My imagination went crazy and I even imagined I got abandoned.

Clearly, being alone is scary.
Before I knew it I was surrounded by Shouko, Yamikage, and Sheryl and I started partying with them.

“I have to quickly solve the riddle and meet up with everybody again!”

I slap my cheeks twice with both my hands to get myself fired up again and started walking.
I knew where I was because of the terrain around me.
In this game, the proportions of a building are actually similar to real ones. So if you find a strange space in a house, it is possible there might be a secret room over there.
Based on the path I’ve traveled, the place I have yet to go to…

“That way.”

I hurry along the corridor.
On my way, I got attacked by a group of pirate skeletons.
I leave too much up to Shouko, Tsugumi, and the others. From now on I am going to learn how to fight and I am going to improve my skills.
I know so many strong people. It would be really nice to have them teaching me huh…

“Now… I’m on my way.”

I run down the corridor that I believe to be the solution.
So I can get rid of this lonely feeling.

TN: I am so sorry for the big gap between updates >.<
I kinda forgot that last month was filled with deadlines for my master thesis so I thought I could use that time to prepare a stockpile for my exams…
I have another 2 weeks of exams ahead of me, but after that, I have nothing else to do.  So I’ll try and update in those two weeks but no promises.

If you notice any weirdness in the chapter do let me know. I am posting this at 1 am before I forget so some errors might have slipped through I’m afraid.

Also for the next chapter. That one is 3 times as long as a regular chapter so I was thinking of posting it in 2/3 separate parts if you guys don’t mind. Makes me feel like I’m actually making some progress.