Paying to Win in a VRMMO: Volume 2

by Blitz Kiva

  “Yeah, yeah. We get it. Of course!”

  Ichiro’s assertion had been sounding like it was going to run long and be pointless, so Iris forcefully cut him off. Despite that, Ichiro’s expression was far from dissatisfied. In fact, there was a definite feeling of glee mixed in with it as he arrived at the table.

  It really did give her chills. A shiver ran up Felicia’s back. She had never known her second cousin to enjoy talking with a woman that much. Of course, she knew that he wasn’t the kind of narrow-minded man who would let Iris’s occasional objections get under his skin, but what was with that... that strangely peaceful, satisfied expression?

  “Does it bother you?” Kirschwasser smiled from where he stood beside the obviously nervous Felicia.

  “Y-Yes, of course,” she said. “Doesn’t it bother you, Mr. Kirsch?”

  “I knew what Master Ichiro had in mind when he approached Iris... being a loyal retainer.”

  “Th-That gets under my skin! It really annoys me!” she cried.

  “Ha ha ha. If I may say, Miss Felicia, you seem determined to look at Master Ichiro through a certain filter.” Even Kirschwasser’s lighthearted laughter was exactly like that of Ichiro’s when he was in a good mood, which just served to make Felicia feel even crabbier.

  Asuha Tsuwabuki, age 14, was still subject to rampant attacks of ego. It was the age where it was very hard to control one’s feelings. Felicia puffed out her cheeks and stomped her way to a chair.

  “Now, let us begin,” Ichiro said softly, hands folded on the table.

  An audience had already formed around them. Of course, they had all originally come to the Akihabara Forging Guild to buy the guild’s superior equipment, but the sight of Ichiro Tsuwabuki — who had grown quite (in)famous over the incidents of the past few days — made them very curious to see if he was about to start something else.

  “It all started the day after I spoke to you at Great-grandfather’s party,” Ichiro said. “First, I began playing NaroFan...”

  ◆　◆　◆

  Ichiro Tsuwabuki had bought the commercial-grade game hardware, the Miraive Gear Cocoon. More precisely, he had bought two of them.

  The machine, developed by Pony Entertainment, Inc., was sideways compatible with their personal headset VR Drive machine, the Miraive Gear X. The Miraive Gear X already had an incredible eight teraFLOPS of processing power, but the Cocoon came mounted with a laser cooling system on top of that, giving its processing a floating point number of up to 200 teras. These specs gave it the processing power of the supercomputers of old, and the thought that you could buy such a thing for just a bit over 100 million yen was a terrifying sign of the march of technology.

  When he mentioned this to Sakurako, she just shouted, “I don’t know about that!”

  A moment later, she calmed down enough to add, “But I’ve heard that a Senjo no Kizuna cabinet can go for about 15 million apiece, so from that point of view, I see why so few arcades carry the Cocoon. And since it’s for playing internet games, that would change the price point.”

  “I have no idea what Senjo no Kizuna is,” Ichiro answered. They occasionally had conversations like that, too.

  Usually, only arcades licensed by the Entertainment Business Law could buy cabinets that had an internet connection, but Ichiro had sent out a request to Pony and been approved for the purchase. The Tsuwabuki family and Pony Entertainment, Inc. usually had a rather complicated relationship, but as customer to seller, it was different.

  And so on that early summer day, as the sweltering sun beat down, the proudly hard-nosed Director of Sales for Pony Entertainment, Inc. and a few of his subordinates brought that monster machine which was the size of a compact car.

  “Mr. Tsuwabuki, for your direct purchase of our Miraive Gear Cocoon, we offer you the most heartfelt...” he said.

  “Right,” Ichiro cut him off. “You can skip the pleasantries. They’re all nonsense, anyway.”

  “I am Daigo Aragaki, Sales Director for Pony Entertainment... Regarding setup and installation...”

  “Oh, I’ll handle that, too,” Ichiro said. “I intend to play it myself, after all. The thought of someone else tampering with it is nonsense.”

  Ichiro Tsuwabuki’s ability to deal so flippantly with that hard-nosed Director of Sales suggested he had a bit of a hard nose himself.

  The men in their work clothes entered the apartment. It was awash with the sort of luxury that they would probably never again witness in their lives, yet they did not stare nor bat an eye. They were model professionals.

  Following Ichiro’s directions, they brought the load, still in its packaging, into a room, then tore the cardboard, styrofoam, and plastic wrapping apart to reveal it. The surface was all flawless, metallic silver curves, punctuated by the engraving “Mi-L/RiveGear COCOON” written in stylish blue letters. The transparent black plastic facings atop the silver body gave it a truly futuristic image. A form that could encase an entire human body with room to spare.

  “Wow. You did buy the Cocoon!” A maid entered the room with a joyful cry.

  This was something that got the attention of the workmen. She was holding a tray in both hands with several glasses on it.

  “You’ve all been working very hard, and it must be hot out there. Why don’t you wet your whistles?” The maid — Sakurako, obviously — walked between the men with a beaming smile, and offered them each a glass of ice. She then poured a sweet-looking liquid into each glass. The men, including Aragaki, all hesitantly put the glasses to their lips, and their eyes widened at how delicious it was.

  “I couldn’t believe he bought one for me, too,” the maid said excitedly. “I’ve never been happier to work for Ichiro-sama.”

  “Well, it’s hardly a dent out of my bank account,” Ichiro said.

  The maid giggled. “I think I’ll be able to have a more fulfilling NaroFan life than ever before. Hehehe...”

  “Yes.” Ichiro looked over the documents Aragaki had handed him while the package was being opened. He also flipped quickly through the nearly 300-page tome of a manual.

  Once he finished reading, he took the toolbox that Sakurako had brought and removed the cabinet panel with seemingly practiced hands. He removed the bundle of cords, gave them a look-through to discern precisely what they did, then extracted them one by one and began hooking them up. He seemed to have no trouble with it whatsoever. Even Aragaki was amazed.

  With nothing left for them to do, they had no choice but to leave as Sakurako saw them off with her angelic smile.

  About half an hour later, the online connection for the ultimate VR game system in the penthouse floor of the luxury apartment complex Tsuwabuki Pavilion Sangenjaya was ready to go.

  “Which means it’s time... for this!” As she spoke, Sakurako pulled out the Narrow Fantasy Online premium package.

  The limited edition had originally had a very small first printing, and the used games shop he had bought it from hadn’t hesitated to mark it up. To find it, Sakurako had had to roam all over Akihabara, using black market sale routes known only by staunch otaku.

  And so, the young heir Ichiro Tsuwabuki could finally begin playing the game. The VRMMO, rather.

  First, there was a need to make an avatar. According to Sakurako, the game’s avatar options were so extensive that a person could spend a whole week or more fussing over them, but after a mere five minutes, Ichiro rejected them. It seemed that no matter how he combined the options, he couldn’t recreate his own face.

  Ichiro bought 3D modeling software on the spot, worked it to make a face that looked enough like his, then overlaid the modeling data onto his avatar. Overlaying original graphics required a payment in real-world money, but to Ichiro, the cost was basically like throwing a coin into the charity box.

  The pride that compelled him to be himself even within the game was an admirable thing, although it walked the line of disgusting narcissism.

  Afterwards, Ichiro finished setting various parameters
for his character. After choosing his race, class, and beginning skills, he received an announcement:

  “Choose your pay-to-download course and additional options. You can change this later.”

  In addition to the basic fee, there was the “Extra Course,” which increased the wares available in NPC shops and lowered their cost; and the “Royal Course,” which slightly increased the money and EXP you got from defeating monsters (by 10%). There was also the “Starter Course,” which thankfully could only be used during the first month of play, and gave you extra bonuses for things like income and EXP.

  “Additional options” referred to helpful pay-to-download services. The “Basic Item Pack” let you buy packs of potions and other consumables with real money, and “Booster Pack” gave you significant boosts to the money or EXP you earned for 24 hours. Some might say there were almost too many options, but for working adults who didn’t have a lot of time, they were useful methods for catching up with the heavy users. The pay-to-download equipment was also beneficial to players who preferred fashion over effectiveness.

  Ichiro couldn’t be bothered to explore them thoroughly, so he just bought them all.

  With that all finished, Dragonet Magi-Fencer Ichiro Tsuwabuki was ready to touch down on the stage of the game.

  When he opened his eyes, he appeared to be in a small room. There was a wood-grain floor and a simple bed, and a small, unvarnished table in the corner that felt rough to the touch.

  Naturally, there was nothing electric of any sort. Through the glass of the room’s lone window, he could see a peaceful townscape with brick-lined streets.

  To his five senses, everything seemed perfectly natural. He walked around the small room a few times, feeling both the hard texture of his boots and the familiar weight of his own mass. The provided dresser wasn’t well-made by any stretch, but he could see the attractive face of “Ichiro Tsuwabuki” that looked just like his own, and his symmetrical form clad in leather armor, within it.

  Could human ingenuity really deceive the brain to this degree? Ichiro was, for once, speechless. This was quite extraordinary indeed. He could see why so many people were obsessed with this game.

  He knocked three times on empty air with the back of his fist, a key motion that caused the menu window to open up in front of his eyes. It worked with a combination of thought activation and virtual touchscreen. (Technically, it was possible to control the system only with the former, but giving a real sense of “I’m in control” was better to prevent detachment from the conscious mind; thought activation alone often caused accidental call-ups.)

  The menu window contained many options — he could check his stats, his equipment, assign Skills and Arts, and more. He touched “Config,” which brought up a menu regarding pay-to-download items. One could check their virtual currency balance for the logged-in account (he hadn’t bought any, so this was zero, naturally) and credit card information here.

  There was also a list of items already bought, and a list of course names and pack names. Each pack name was accompanied by a wrapped box icon, and touching each one caused a message window to appear.

  “You got Potion x5. You got Antidote x5. You got Remedy x5. You got Reviver x5. You got Fatigue Restorer x5...”

  Ah-hah, so that was how it worked.

  Ichiro opened the game items he had bought with real-world currency one after the other. Then, he touched the “equip” listing on the menu window. It displayed an image of Ichiro himself dressed in his leather armor. There was a list of things he could equip to each area of his body, and the lists also included armor and accessories that could be bought with microtransactions. The pay-to-download equipment did seem to have better abilities than the starter equipment, though the defense bonuses didn’t seem to be much of an improvement. Many of these items were tie-in from popular anime series; purely for fashion, most likely.

  Very good.

  The leather armor was insufficiently suited to Ichiro’s vanity, so he tapped a few choices from the list and equipped them instead.

  He walked down to the first floor and left the building, where he found a Knight he didn’t recognize calling out to him.

  “There you are, Master Ichiro!”

  References to external appearance meant nothing in a VRMMO, where one could lie about how they looked. Nevertheless, the man standing before him was a virile middle-aged man with striking slicked-back silver hair. The name above his head was “Kirschwasser.” The broad one-handed sword on his belt and heavy-looking kite shield on his back indicated a high strength stat. The clink of metal upon metal sounded out as he walked towards Ichiro.

  Several seconds later, Ichiro spoke. “...Are you Sakurako-san?”

  “That’s right!” The voice was deep and resonant, nothing like the usual voice of Sakurako Ogi.

  “Oh, nonsense,” he complained. “This does no one any good.”

  “Aw, what do you mean by that?” Sakurako Ogi’s Knight looked surprised when Sakurako realized that Ichiro’s avatar looked exactly like Ichiro himself. When he explained that he had even used modeling software to accomplish the look, she seemed dumbfounded.

  “Of course, it does cost a lot of money to overlay original graphics, doesn’t it?” she asked, as Ichiro tested his avatar with a few basic motions, opening and clenching his fists, twisting his torso. He was enjoying being able to move the fictional body as he wished, as well as the impediments that the game’s strict stat systems placed upon such movements. Of course, these too were all sensations created by quantum signals, but to bring that up would be nonsense.

  “Sir, I assume you’ve never created your own designs with modeling software, then?” Ichiro asked.

  “I lack the technology,” the Knight said. “And, well, to change item graphics, you need a crafting class. Master Ichiro, are you that obsessed with appearances?”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Ichiro said. “It’s not that I care what others think about me, but I do want to look like myself, in a way that satisfies me, personally.” In that regard, his current Faerie Armor did not quite make the grade.

  “Well, at least you admit to it, Master Ichiro,” the Knight said, looking annoyed.

  “Is something the matter?” he asked.

  “There are quite a few NaroFan players who are obsessed with appearances... Of course, it’s not something I’m particularly concerned with.”

  One of the most popular features in any MMORPG was the character editing function: the ability to painstakingly craft your character from their face to their silhouette, and pick the equipment that was most flattering, or coolest, or cutest, as you preferred. There was no small number of users who used their avatar more like a dress-up doll than anything else.

  Narrow Fantasy Online, and VRMMOs in general, made full use of that multitudinous character edit function, and many, many users worked hard to create the most attractive avatar possible. Some of them even used it to present as another sex, as made obvious by the maid-cum-Knight that now stood in front of him.

  But that was not the real problem.

  However much effort someone put in to their character editing, the nature of VRMMO was that the player became their character completely. They had to move that character with their own hands and feet, and see through their eyes. They couldn’t watch themselves heroically slaying all those mobs.

  They could not, to put it bluntly, ogle their own character.

  This was a blind spot of VRMMOs that its creators failed to realize, and it had caused internet crossplayers to flee the game in massive numbers.

  “And so, to appease those who still wished to view their characters in action, they added a skill known as ‘Perspective Change’ that allows one to view their avatar from a third-person perspective,’” the Knight concluded.

  “Ugh, nonsense.” Even the young heir had to let out a groan at that. “I see you didn’t pick a female character, Sakurako-san.”

  “Well, just think of it as a form of cosplay,” th
e Knight said. “I really enjoy this sort of roleplaying. I’m not using it right now, but I took ‘Perspective Change’ for fun, too.”

  “Though you more or less cosplay every day in real life, as well,” Ichiro said.

  “Ha ha ha!” Knight-Sakurako let out a cheery laugh in his gravelly voice, then cleared his throat. “Master Ichiro, Master Ichiro, I am the dedicated Knight, Sir Kirschwasser, of a line that has served House Tsuwabuki for generations. I’ve come to act as your bodyguard as you explore the new continent of Asgard. What do you think?”

  “Hmm, I see,” Ichiro said. It seemed Kirschwasser was already mentally designing the scenario. Of course, from the game setting standpoint, it was hard to imagine how such a long-standing master-servant relationship could exist between Dragonet and Human families, but it wouldn’t matter in terms of their progress through the game. To nitpick would be nonsense; if that was what his servant wanted to do, he would allow it.

  But now that he’d begun playing, what to do next? He’d started playing because of Asuha, but she currently had tests, and so wouldn’t be around for a week. Which meant that Ichiro Tsuwabuki had no particular objective. The closest he had was a desire to explore every corner of the fictional space created by the Drive technology.

  When he ran that by Kirschwasser, the Knight assumed the smug look of the experienced gamer, and responded, “Let’s raise your level.”

  And so they did.

  They went out the front gate of Starter Town into a grassland that spread as far as the eye could see. Vispiagna Meadow contained no powerful mobs, and it was easy to acquire provisions and healing items there. Thus, it was considered a sort of practice stage for newcomers to Narrow Fantasy Online to grow accustomed to the controls and the game system.

  Tsuwabuki Ichiro and Kirschwasser ignored all that and headed straight for the Volgund Volcanoes.

  This region was designed for characters of level 20 to 30. Once a player had gotten used to NaroFan, taken off their training wheels, and formed a party, the Volgund Volcanoes were usually their next destination. It was not an appropriate place to take a player who had debuted less than an hour ago, but there was a method to Kirschwasser’s madness.