After a sensation similar to the standing dizziness that accompanies transitions, Shiroe stood on the vast white sandy beach.
　A clear light, almost like a morning glow, illuminated the surf.
　The slowly repeating waves made a faint sound as they drew lacy foam.
　A line of white and blue that stretched to the edge of my distant vision.
　Taking a step forward, Shiroe was startled by the sound of his feet, like a broken mille-feuille.
　Shiroe walked out of the unblemished sandy beach in awe.
　It was because she couldn't help but stay still, and something seemed to lead her to it.

　When I lifted my gaze to the wind hitting my cheeks, a large shadow headed from behind Shiroe to the zenith.
　Could those graceful wings be some kind of sea bird?
　In the dark cobalt sky, the white figure danced as if playing with its own kind.
　Its flight, catching the wind, was so smooth that Shiroe was reminded of a Richard Buck novel he had read long ago. Like that seagull, the seabird flapped its wings everywhere.

(It's a strange place to be...)
　Even for a near-death experience, I don't recognize it.
　Is this a place I came to in my childhood?　I thought about it. I remember reading in some article that humans don't lose their memories, they just can't draw them out. Since human memories are encrypted synaptic junctions between synapses, if we can't decode them, we should consider them lost, right?　Shiroe thought cynically, but this place was still not in his memory.
　But even if it wasn't in his memory, this place was beautiful.
　Sand dunes that seemed to have an infinite amount of clear winter air.
　The contrast between the unblemished, pale cream color and the clear cluster of blue, so clear it would be a shame to put it into words, was so vivid that it was hard to see.
　Shiroe walked alone on the edge of the waves.
　On the ivory sand, Shiroe's footprints looked like they hadn't been marked in tens of thousands of years. It was a record (log) that followed Shiroe's steps.

　Maybe it was because he had left it on the park bench, or maybe it was because the silver sand that kept walking absorbed him, but Shiroe no longer felt helpless in his chest.
　Just a faint sense of guilt remained. It was a debt that had to be paid back after the resuscitation.
　After a long walk, Shiroe stared at the sea as she collected her thoughts.
　Particles of light rippled out from under his feet.
　Shiroe wondered at the unique crystal-like sound.
　The lapis lazuli planet that lit up the sandy beach was a cloud of marble in cobalt that he had only seen in photographs. The heavenly lights, which he had only assumed to be the moon, were a blue planet.

(-- is this the moon?)
　Looking around, it seemed like the right thing to do.
　Both the dunes, colored like dry dinosaur bones, and the dreamy blue light that drenched them, were a fleeting fantasy.
　Quickly checking the zone, Shiroe was sure that this was the fourteenth server he had heard about.
　The name of the zone was Mare Tranquillitatis.
　It must not yet be registered in the automatic translation system. If the original rendition is to be believed, we are in the Sea of Tranquility.
　This is most likely a test server full of content in development, prepared by the Atharva Corporation. Whether it had come to our side in a catastrophe or if there was some other reason, Shiroe didn't know.
　Shiroe has no way to investigate, but she is grateful that she is able to breathe and search for her memories.

　The Elder Tail, which is implementing an approximation of Earth's world through the Half-Gaia Project, has its entire area divided into thirteen servers. It was said that the test server was the fourteenth server that was not officially part of it.
　But that doesn't mean it's private.
　Users are free to create their own characters on the test server. Characters created on the test server cannot be moved to the general game servers, they can only explore the endless labyrinthine underground world.
　But this was a system that benefited both the user and the developer.
　The developer could have a system under development inspected for free by a competent debugger with basic knowledge of Elder Tail players. The best way to ensure quality is to ask for feedback on things like combat specialties and weapon damage balance, rather than just balancing the numbers in a simulation.
　From the user's point of view, this test server was the first place to get a free taste of what's coming to the game in the near future. Changes in combat balance and the introduction of new skills, items, and monsters will change the game's environment. The best way to get a head start on this new information is to participate in debugging the test server.
　The intentions of both parties made the operation of the test server possible.
　This test server is a system that allows the North American developer of Elder Tail, Atharva, to work together with test players to develop universal content and study system updates.

　Shiroe himself has a sub-character stationed on this test server.
　Considering that it was a female summoner, it's probably better that the main character (Shiroe) was still caught up in the "catastrophe".
　However, even though Shiroe had a decent amount of knowledge about test servers, he didn't know that there was an "earth surface" on a test server. I'm sure there was no such information available on overseas information sites.
　The test server, as its name suggests, is an environment for testing.
　Shiroe's idea of a test server should have been an underground labyrinthine world with various new and old, and sometimes even abandoned dungeons connected together, separated only by numerical area names.
　It was a week before the new expansion pack was released to begin with, but I think the admin staff of the test server had also been unable to log in to work on the expansion.

　Shiroe tried to digest the information he had learned, but he didn't get any new inferences.
　In the first place, Shiroe had never heard of coming to a test server for a near-death experience.
　Didn't the other adventurers notice that it was a test server?
　That's a possibility, Shiroe thought.
　As long as the area controlled by the test server was not in the Half Gaia Project, it could be on the moon, couldn't it?　The topic of "Mare Tranquillitatis" has been discussed a few times on foreign forums, and is not a major knowledge among Japanese players.
　If I hadn't known about it, I wouldn't have known that Mare Tranquillitatis is "the sea of silence". It must have been Latin.

　As he pondered this much, Shiroe suddenly became aware of a figure looking up at him at close range.
　When he looked at the disheveled figure, which flickered like a snowflake, it was none other than the girl Shiroe knew well, Akatsuki, who was wearing a camel-colored duffle coat.
　The girl, dressed in a camel-colored duffle coat, looked up at Shiroe with a slightly annoyed, wary, yet pleading expression.
　It reminded her of the neighborhood cat who always came to her side, even though she didn't miss her.
　Shiroe nodded, and Akatsuki seemed equally relieved.
　Shiroe knew that when she smiled, sulking and looking up at him, she looked very gentle.
　It was a satisfied, happy, and flirty smile.
　Shiroe began to walk down the beach again, inviting Akatsuki to join her. There didn't seem to be any other information to be gained by staying in this place, and Akatsuki, spinning around in the surf, seemed to want to move on.

　They took their time making their way down the beach.
　They felt no harm or hostility in this place at all, but it was still a strange place.
　Shiroe was carefully observing his surroundings, while Akatsuki, on the other hand, seemed to be calm.
　If he turned around, he would break his back and stare at the footprints on the beach.
　Shiroe noticed it and turned around and stopped, and he followed with a gravity-defying lightness that made him swoop around Shiroe.
　Then they walked forward again, sometimes with Akatsuki ahead of them, sometimes to check the surf, sometimes to point out the large bird flapping its wings.

　The swallow-like girl's camel-colored duffle coat was pretty and looked great on her.
　She was a little cold, and her cheeks faded to the color of pale apples, sometimes urging me to get ahead of her.
　This is the world associated with the Elder Tail, after all. There was a huge atmosphere, and the wind noise peculiar to the slow-moving open air was low and resonant. The only other noise was the sound of two people's footsteps, chanting with the sound of the tide and the chanting of the tide, which was the keynote background noise of this world.
　Something was a little frightening, and Akatsuki's steps slowed and tended to delay.
　Shiroe waited slowly for Akatsuki, in no hurry.
　The wait wasn't hard.

　Before he knew it, a fluttering, pure white phosphorescence began to fall from the heavens.
　The endlessly white and pale light was falling on the dunes, the ocean, Shiroe, and Akatsuki in equal measure.
　Startled, Shiroe touched it with his fingers and felt an ache in his chest at the dreamlike transience.
　Just like the snow he had touched as a child, he thought he had caught it, but when he checked his palm, it was gone.
　Shiroe nodded to Akatsuki, who was rolling her eyes.
　Now they are both seeing the same wonder.
　They are touching the same wonders.
　It brought Shiroe a quiet sense of satisfaction for no reason.
　Fear, anger and regret melted away to the quiet winter beach. They both fell silent before the silence and were washed away by the clarity of the morning.

'I didn't expect it to be so quiet,'
　On the beach of the clear blue cove, Shiroe stopped and murmured.
'Yeah,'
　The Akatsuki next to him answered.
　The words were short, but Shiroe could hear the same awe in his voice as he did.
　From far, far away in the distant ocean, there was a faint sound like a church bell.
　It seemed to be the old signal of a strange race that had spent tens of thousands of years in solitude since its birth, announcing its presence to its fellows.
　There was no reason to believe, but Shiroe was convinced that this cove was a special place.
　Akatsuki, standing next to him, shivered slightly and let out a sad breath.
　For the first time, Shiroe realized that Akatsuki, too, had met "death".
　Death is death, even if it is only temporary. It cruelly passed over Akatsuki and left its mark on him. It was probably a painful experience. There must have been grief, and humiliation.
　But Akatsuki was a bit more mature than Shiroe had known, and had much stronger eyes.
　If "death" can teach us something, as William says, then it is our duty to make sure that Shiroe and the others do not waste it. He had no idea what this duty was for, but he vowed to keep it to himself.

　If this cove was going to take away his memories for that purpose, he wanted to give it to them himself as a price.
　Shiroe hoped so.
　It's a necessary ritual to become a person who understands something a little more than yesterday, to get closer to something he wished beyond regret.
　Shiroe pulled a small blade out of her pocket and cut out a piece of memory herself.
　Seeing this, Akatsuki also cut off the tip of her ponytail and swept it into the ocean.
　The snow falling from the heavens and this blue ocean are all made of fragments of our thoughts.
　A part of my soul, visualized, is playing the tidal wave as liquid energy.
　The sea has swallowed the tears of the adventurers who never made it to the cove. It was more of a certainty than a guess. At this moment, Shiroe had seen the Spiritual Theory with his own eyes.
　A small hand grasped Shiroe's coat.
　Shiroe whispered, "That's great," without taking her gaze off the sea.
　Nodding, Akatsuki and Shiroe stared in the direction of the ocean until the palpitations in their hearts subsided.
'Did Akatsuki fall over?'
　Akatsuki looked startled by Shiroe's words, but nodded his head in persistence.
　Akatsuki looked up at Shiroe desperately and opened his little mouth.
　She tried to open it.
　But it seemed to be difficult for her, and she tried several times, and eventually tied it into a single letter.
　Akatsuki looked up and saw tears welling up in her eyes, but they were more that of frustration than of sadness. Akatsuki held the pain in his own chest alone and didn't let it leak out to Shiroe.
　Shiroe's heart ached at the look on his face. Akatsuki had taken on a very difficult problem and lost. He wanted to help her, but Shiroe wasn't there to help him.
'I see. I'm dead too. I'm dead.
The master?
Yes.
　If you meditate on it, you'll revive. The taut count of the Silver Sword.
　The echo of the striking of the sword, the magic of the burning flames and the cold air that follows.
　It's not that I'm disappointed that we didn't win.
　The fact that I didn't do my best for it. The fact that I didn't do what I should have done is a regret.
　But Akatsuki's burning eyes were not flinching in the slightest.
　Akatsuki may have been defeated, but he wasn't defeated.
　He didn't know what had happened, but Shiroe looked at her and felt the same as he did. That pain was Akatsuki's treasure. A pride to be regained by those who had made the decision to fight.
　So there was no need for comfort.
'I failed. I didn't see it coming. --I couldn't believe it.
　I was spared words.
　I was spared to take his hand.
　Spared the best.
"I don't understand.
　Shiroe wanted to say to the voice that seemed to be desperately trying to encourage her to cry at any moment. It's okay. I understand," she said. I know that Akatsuki is doing her best, and I know that she will understand. I know that you will understand. He may be a bit lost at the moment, but that is a detour that Akatsuki needs to take.
　But I can't say that yet. This girl is fighting. Shiroe is also fighting. Their battle (raid battle) isn't over yet.
It's strange. I didn't think I'd be able to meet Akatsuki here.
Yes, my lord. My lord. Strange.
　So I touched the small, round forehead of the redwood tree. I prayed to this cove to convey everything that cannot be conveyed.
　The mistakes cannot be erased. But we are adventurers, and we can stand up again and try again.
So I am going to try again.
Me too, maybe once more. -- they taught me.
　A myriad of phosphorescence shone on the two of them.
　This world is a horizon where all thoughts and feelings are carved into a single line that leads to infinity.
　This understanding made the world sparkle even brighter.
　The sound of the tide rushing in from afar.
　The shining shore flooded and washed the ankles of Shiroe and the others.
　Shiroe smiled at Akatsuki. This time would come to an end.
　But it would lead to a reunion.
　Shiroe moved her hand on Akatsuki's head a little, annoyed. Normally, this is where Akatsuki's flying kick would come from. Don't treat me like a child, or something. Not only that, but Akatsuki has a serious expression on her face, so she can't find any reason to stop.
　Akatsuki was about to say something with a pouting expression. His voice was muffled by the music of the water, but Shiroe didn't mind. She could still feel the cool, fine silk hair on her fingertips.
　The softness of it certainly saved Shiroe.



◆



　William woke up and looked up at the ceiling, which was so high it blurred his vision.
　His throat twitched and his hoarse voice overflowed.
　He knew how pathetic and blotchy he looked, but he couldn't resist the low voice that seemed to leak out. I rubbed roughly over my eyes with my arm to at least offer some resistance. I didn't need to check them to see that they were wet.
　He was crying like a child. His chest crumpled at the disgusting sight.
　A series of low moans erupted around him.
　The members of the Silver Sword were being automatically revived one by one.
　This is the beginning of the zone, the entry point for the Approach to the Abyss (Abyssal Shaft).
　William and his party were wiped out and pulled back to this point to be revived.
　It was the usual annihilation that comes with large scale combat, but it was also different.

　Three raid bosses had appeared and kicked William and the others to the curb.
　That pointed two facts to the Silversword.
　The first was that we would never win this battle.
　The first is that raids are built on the very edge of balance between winning and not winning. Guilds, equipped and trained, win after battles where they tread on thin ice. That's what raids are all about. So if three of those massive boss battles happen in a row, the chances of winning are not exaggerated, but zero. The more familiar you are with large scale battles, the clearer you understand that.
　There was no chance of winning this battle.
　That's the despair that paints William's chest black.
　And the second was also a circle of - no, it was incomparably worse retribution. If the raid bosses were to form a clique like that, if it was happening everywhere, there would no longer be a single raid in this world that the Silver Sword could win.
　Of course, very low-level raids, such as those challenged by, say, fifty levels, might be able to be dealt with even if there were two bosses. But that was not what William and his team thought of as a "large scale battle". They are not forming a clique to find and taunt a weak Enemy.
　It was the challenge of a massive battle that was as bloody as William and his team wanted, and it was now dead.
　William felt a chill in his exhaled breath and an indescribable sense of weakness tormenting him.
　And so it was with his companions. The low, crushed voices were leaking out without stopping.
　To the extent that William understood, everyone in the should have understood it.
　Not to mention annihilation, when the Raid Boss appeared as reinforcements from the Coliseum's great gate, the Raid members were made to understand at that moment.
　This world had rejected William and the others.

　William forced his atrophied body to move his upper body. What he saw there was the Silver Sword, which was now crumbling. It was not a scene where he could say nonsense like "I don't want my comrades in arms to see my shameful expression". A mere annihilation is not the way to go. The members of the team, whose hearts have been broken and who do not have the strength to stand up, are suffering from being deprived of all their vitality while lying face down or huddled up.
　Physical pain is not fatal to the Adventurer. It is the branding of being an outcast from the world that burns the soul.
　I heard a grinding sound. It was the disgusting wailing of a grown man.
　William knows why. Even William had been touched by it earlier.
　It's a small thing to lose your memory. More than the D.D.D., the Black Sword Knights, the strong solidarity of the Black Sword Knights, and the f*cking egalitarian Honestis, William can say with certainty that he is the most wiped out in this server. This can only be said of the Silversword, which is undoubtedly the most wiped out raiding guild on this server.
　"The moment you are reminded of your blunders and inadequacies between death and resurrection, that chilling rush of soul-chilling memories is chipping away at the souls of your friends (raiders). You can win there and then. No matter how many mistakes you make, you can correct them and take a new step forward, knowing that you've grown. But how do you counteract the failures you can't atone for and the regrets you can't shake off?

　A voice like that of a mountain hick from the past echoes in my chest.
(And what good is that going to do?)
(Heh. Game, hmm.)
(On a PC nowadays?　(Shaggy, right?)
(Are you home for the holidays?)
　'f*ck you,'
　William spat.

(You never seem to get invited to karaoke, do you?
(Doesn't that mean you're going to talk to the computer?　(Wow.)
(Why don't you make it a more useful hobby for your future?)
(Well, some people do. That's fine.)
　f*ck you.
　William wiped his face wildly.

　His knees laughed pathetically at the thought of getting up with a bang.
　He tried to scream, but William realized that there was not the slightest bit of encouragement in him to encourage his companion. Is he going to inspire them to win next time? I can't do that. That's a lie. So do I invite you to get your head out of your ass and go to another raid?　You need to get out of here. I can't.
　Can you just glare at me with your usual frown and say, "Just let them say it"?　There is no way I can do that. No words like that could reach him, even though his companions were plunged into helplessness.
　William's gaze wandered like a lost child, his mouth hanging open.
　He looked at Dinklon. He looked at East Lake. He looked at Junzo. He looked at Eltendiska.
　He looked at his companions in turn.
　And eventually he could only look at his feet.
　William didn't even have a word to say as he watched his guild crumble in front of him. There was nothing left to offer after all those beatings, each time reminding him of his shortcomings and laziness, and shaving off his mind.
　William searched desperately for words to share with his comrades in arms.
　He looked for words to share with his comrades in arms.
　But he found nothing in his frightened, cowering heart.

'This is the end.
　I heard a mumbling voice.
　I don't know who it was, but it must have been one of my companions who said it. It came from one of the halls where he lay, and we all gulped at the words. For it was something that everyone here had been too afraid to think about.
　With those words, he was forced to see the question that even William couldn't escape.
-- I'm going to go back to Susukino and become a good guild of security.
　The Earthlings will be grateful. This world is a world of the weak and the strong. The Ezzo Empire is particularly vulnerable to attacks from monsters. The people are desperate to protect their lives. In such a world, the Adventurers are popular as long as they are polite. You could even make a girlfriend out of her by mingling with the Earthlings. If you don't want to focus on large-scale battles and can simply do defense quests around town, the Silversword is more than capable of fighting.
　The sheer ridiculousness of it all made William feel a burning sensation in his gut.

You may be right. You may be right. I think you're right. --but so what. f*ck you.'
　William was so frustrated that he didn't even think about the consequences of his actions.
　That's certainly not a bad way to live, is it?
　It's a way of life that redeems safety by successfully avoiding trouble in this other world.
　But that is exactly what the wise-ass adults who have been giving William "advice" have been saying: "You're going to lose.

"You've lost. You're wiped out. It's all over, man. You've wasted your time. Like they always say, we've just been stupid and have been doing stupid things. We're hermit game freaks. We're cripples, man. -- but so what. I'm well aware of that. It's the way it's done. But we like the game. This is what we've chosen.
　It could be over. William thought.
　But there are things that can't be equivocated, even if they are defeated or finished.
　There are things that can never be left out.
　William continued as the heat that seared his body melted and pushed him back.

'It's not a big deal. I just lost the raid. That happens all the time. You don't have to be shocked, because this is all recorded on the server. It's just a matter of adding or subtracting one more win or loss data from the server. Games are a child's game. I'm not going to tell you to grow up and go back to town. I'm not going to let anyone tell me that. We may be defeated, we may be dung beetles, we may be douchebags, we may be douchebags, but I'm not going to let God tell me it was all for nothing.
　The great battle was special to William.
　It was the center of the Elder Tail, which meant much the same thing as being the center of the universe.
'What's the point of the bits of information recorded on the server?　It's there. It means something. I decide it's there. I've decided that it's a great thing, and it's a wonderful thing. I don't know if there's a righteous value that God has determined for us, or if it's supposed to be universal. Those who say that the values you believe in are trivial and therefore wrong, will never understand. If I, or we, think it's great, no matter how stupid it looks, even if it's fake gold, it's great. That's your choice. I'm here by choice!
　He would not allow anyone to insult that pledge, which was sacred to him. William complained with a burning pain in his chest that even the clenching of his teeth couldn't stop.
　Before I knew it, the members of the Silversword were sitting up or sitting down, looking up at their Field Marshal (Guildmaster).

'We spent a lot of time in the Elder Tail. We spent a long, long time there. --"We spent a long time in the Elder Tail," said the guild master, "and there was a big enemy there, and we'd carry swords and bows and stuff. And we'd yell and we'd charge in like kids. And then we'd win and we'd lose. Yeah, it's all just bits going to go one and zero on the server, so what. We're working the blood out for it. That's what's so great about it. If we win, we're overjoyed and it's a victory celebration. We'll split a Fanta with you. If we lose, we get frustrated, and we make a big deal out of it until the next day when we have a remembrance party. If you want to call it nonsense, just say so. I don't care if it's a toy or a cheap piece of shit. If we think it's great and we decide to throw in the towel, then it's real!

　William howled. He let out the heat in his lungs with resentment and resentment.
　But that was as far as it went.
　The flames that had been driving him forward flared up in one fell swoop, searing his body and soul, and then they were gone.
　Victory and defeat belonged to the battle and were part of it.
　And the great battle is the most sacred of battles.
　It is something that should not be committed.
　To neglect it would be an insult to the vast amount of time that William and his men had been pushing forward. William and his friends lost the game, and now they are the losers. Not even William and his friends can overturn it anymore.
　So there were no more words for William to say.
　There was nothing to inspire his friends.

''Because that's what we were, isn't it? I mean, that's what we were, right?　I don't care about people who have a lot of things. People who are clumsy and amiable have everything, so why don't you do it? Do you guys have something like that?　Anything. I can go anywhere and make friends with anyone. It can be cleverness, good looking, cheerfulness, or a good gag. It doesn't matter what it is, it can be a shiny, real-life shiny guy. You have it? I don't have any. I don't have one of those.
　William continued to blabber on in a low voice, still looking down.
　It was no longer a secret that belonged to the Sacred Battle.
　Yes, it belonged to the truth, but it was trivial compared to the great Elder Tail, in short, it was William's personal little confession.
　There was nothing left in him to call out to the members with his heart. Nevertheless, the Guildmaster of the Silversword continued to stand against it.



　◆



'I am, you know. I didn't say it all these years, and I never did, but you're my friends. I can't make friends without the game. I'm so embarrassed. You're so ridiculous. --The game is the only thing that's kept us alive. --It's because of the game that I knew how to think. You'd be bleeping, and you'd be like, "Oh, he wants to get better. Like, "This guy is backing up, but he really wants to be in front of you. This guy is too shy to say it, but he really wants to get an armband that will make his magic stronger. That's not all. You can see that he cares about his friends, or that he is a coward, but he is trying to speak up, or that he is tired but he logged in with great effort today. I know that kind of thing. I really do understand that.
　William struggled to spin the words, which were shredded and didn't flow well.
　They were fragmented and sincere, with little coherence.
　A small, toe-tip remnant of the last remaining fire.

　The Elder Tail had taught William a lot of things. Otherwise, there was no way a high school student, who was so bad at talking and unable to make friends, could be a guild master.
　He has no idea how others feel. Self-righteous. Uncompassionate. Uncooperative. Insufferable. Cannot understand the atmosphere. You don't want to be part of the circle.
　The Elder Tail would have helped him to connect with others. And he treasured it and protected it, never taking it for granted. The Elder Tail had always revealed many secrets to William, if only he had listened to his first friend, who he carried in his slender arms.

　The first secret he learned was partnership.
　It worked with some players and not so well with others. Some are good at it, others are terrible at it. Slowly it became apparent how to connect the linkages. In other words, William can match them. The player who thought he was bad at it just didn't know what William wanted to do with the guy. Most players were in a much better mood if they could match their breath.
　We started to do large scale combat.
　The coordination required became more and more difficult, but even William wasn't defeated. Little by little, he added more players that he could chat with. And so, when they touched each other, they were all good-natured guys. Second secret. A night of silly stories would strangely increase the odds of winning. William learned that silly, funny stories had a magical power to spur raid victories.
　William learned more and more.
　There are friends who are in good physical condition and others who are not. Conditions mattered. He became more and more interested in the lives of his opponents. Some fellows were bloodthirsty and others were less excited. They had all kinds of problems. It's not surprising. I realized now that they were all the same as William. And so I began to understand why I wanted it. It was simple. We were all in the same raid and we all wanted to win.
　Who should I recover now?　Which enemy should you focus your attack on?　Should we attack forward or should we take turns and save our strength?　Should we go all out, or should we keep it at about 70%?
　We may have differences in what we have to do to win, but we each hope for the best. It's just not working. The small misunderstandings and misunderstandings are unraveled one by one. Eventually, they won, albeit in a small way, and William and his friends were overjoyed.
　They learned to be patient. It was only after his companions learned to put up with William's tantrums, but they certainly learned to learn a little.
　Before the serious bickering that came with the Raid Guild disrupted the Silver Sword, William and the others had gained the tolerance to talk to each other. It was very fortunate for the Raid Guild that many of the organizations disappeared within six months of their inception.
　By the time William began to want to protect this guild, Silversword was beginning to be known as an up-and-coming raiding guild.

''So I can understand it now. ........It feels like it's over. Game over. It didn't work. It feels like the true end of the world, right? Maybe it is. Maybe it is.
　So William knows.
　I know how black everyone is feeling right now.
　I know how they feel like abused dogs, having their precious raids taken away from them, and how they look at themselves like abused dogs. I know even if I'm too pathetic to look at my friends.

'I was frankly happy when I came into this world. I mean, you guys were at least a little bit happy to be here. Who in this world really hates it 100 percent?　This is the Elder Tail. It's the one we got into like crazy. We're better at raiding than anyone else. I thought, "This could be it. But more importantly, I was happy to be with you guys. You guys are just like a game. That's what I was thinking. What does it matter what I think, man? I'm just saying, we're in this together. There's no one in this world who'll think we're stupid.
　William sniffed.
　The successive field commander, the elven sniper known as "Mithril Eyes", was gone.

"That's why we can't run away from defeat. We can't!　You might not be able to win. Well, you ain't gonna win. Yeah, you're gonna lose, man. But you can't do that. There are certain things you mustn't accept. And what are you going to do when you get home?　You take this from us, and what do you have left? --We've done the Elder Tail like everybody else. My whole two years have been the Elder Tail. I've been thinking about it from morning till night. That's what I've been doing, eating, sleeping, bathing. That's why I study the Elder Tail. You can call me a junkie if you want. I'm a jackass gamer. I'm a sociopath who could party all night long over a single rare item. I'm f*cking serious about this. But that's why I can't just run away from two or three more raid bosses. Where are you going to go if you run away?　You're going to live in a place where you run away and make fun of the game. If you stop raiding, you're going to make friends. You're wasting your time, aren't you? Die. That shit.
　That's messed up.
　You don't want to keep running away, you want to keep dying?　How many more times will I feel that way?
　I was able to endure it because I had hope of winning. But now there is no hope.
　What you are doing is just a game, even if the world is changed it is just a game, you are useless grain, you can't even win the game - how can I face this reality?

'I've ... run away once. It was a blur, but I finally figured it out. It was the first Roundtable in Akiba, in the city of Akiba. I was at the beginning of my career, and I wanted to raid this world. That's why I didn't join the Roundtable to raid. I'm telling you the truth. That's not a lie. But I also thought, "Oh, man, this is really a bad-ass job." "Why are we wasting our time?" "You're a bunch of pigs with no chance of winning." I was just going, "Oh, man, they're making fun of me. I'm thinking, "I'm hurting myself so bad I'm gonna punch you in the face. I'm laughing at you. I know that now. I escaped. I saw that it was a bad idea, so I just let it go.
　Some players still didn't run away.
　To William, it was one thing he admired.
　A legendary group of players who were able to compete with the big boys in difficult raids without even establishing a guild.
　When William was still a rookie player, his heart would race when he heard of their success.
　He was so determined that even a haggle like himself would be asked to join that great team one day.
　By the time William finished raising himself to level 90, that team was disbanded. It felt to William like a terrible betrayal. They did not wait for William. On top of that, the members of that team went back to their solos and were scattered and scattered without a guild. So what was the purpose of leaving a legend? That's what I thought.

'But Shiroe won. He won the raid that I thought was meaningless, that he couldn't do it, that he couldn't win, and he built Akiba. This is the raid that built the city. I'm not a fool. --I thought he was a hell of a raider.
　There was a player who didn't run away from the game.
　The high-ranking person (High Ranker) he once admired was still no ordinary man.

''That Siloe bowed to me and I was so happy that I said yes to him. --It's so obvious that I didn't stand a chance. "The black-eyed spectacles brought it to me, so it's only natural that we should all be treated badly. I know that guy, he's a pain in the ass, he's a f*cking coward!　But I thought it would be fun, you know? I thought it would be nice to win. Because ... because ... we're f*cking gamers (raiders).
　I could feel the heat in the air. When William lifted his gaze, he saw the faces of the guild members who were in as much pain as he was, with nowhere to go.
　One more time, they might be able to make it.
　That's the kind of heat that resides in them. William had set his friends on fire.
　But there was no sense of victory or accomplishment there. Instead, what he felt was a heavy weight and a sense of responsibility.
　William is the Guildmaster, and he's about to take his friends to death with no chance of winning. Even Krusty and Isaac wouldn't make such a decision. Even though they were a fighting guild, they were smart enough to properly understand the meaning of the Roundtable and cooperate with it.
(I'm seriously an idiot Guildmas.)
　William bit down hard on his trembling lips.
　Feeling the irony in his oozing taste, William wanted a plan without pretending to be.
　He wanted to win, he wanted to win like never before, but it was not for his own glory, but out of a mad desire to give his friends a victory.



　◆





　As Shiroe's consciousness was awakening as the dawn slowly began to dye the world blue, words like a light shining from the surface of the water were falling on her.
　They were muttered like a scream.
　It was the broken voice of a man raising a protest against unreasonableness.
　The voice of William's confession was small, but Shiroe didn't lose sight of it as he surfaced in consciousness. As if pushed back by his words, Shiroe began to question himself.
　Shiroe, who tends to be isolated, is usually occupied with her own questions, which are no longer inseparable from her own insights.
　The fact that there was a "self" to be questioned seemed to be evidence of an awakening of consciousness.
　The first thing that started to happen was an assessment of the situation and an examination of future developments.
　Kicking off the dizzying intoxication and the bewilderment of resuscitation, Shiroe began analyzing the raid attack and its surroundings without a moment's stagnation.

　Within the first fifteen seconds, he knew that this was quite a difficult situation. Rather than difficult, it would be more accurate to describe it as impossible. Only twenty-four people could penetrate this zone, and the total enemy force is impossible to justify with its strength.

　I think we can win if we only have the Seventh Garden's Rousseart.
It could be said that I've largely seen through that "trait" as well. Black Knight Mode's high-powered single attack, melee damage reflexes, and ranged attacks. Self-healing and subordinate summoning in white knight mode, and its handling.
　Almost all raid bosses have various "traits". Depending on factors such as time and remaining HP, they behave in a special way or change their behavior. The key to capturing these "traits" and constructing the right tactics is the key to capturing the raid bosses.
　In the case of the Seventh Garden of Rousseauart, I have completed the attack on its "characteristics". But that doesn't mean I'll be able to win immediately, but I feel like I can win with a few more practice sessions. That practice is also within the range of avoiding a terrible result like annihilation, for example, a temporary retreat due to the collapse of the front line. You could say that the odds are good.

　However, the Frost Giants, the Tartuffe Luger of the Fourth Garden and the Flaming Serpent, the Ibra Habra of the Third Garden, were a different story. As for them, we hadn't even scouted them out yet. I don't even know what to make of the Tartuffe Luger of the Fourth Prison and the Ibra Habra of the Third Prison, but I'm guessing that the attacks that wiped out Shiroe and the others were conventional, wide-ranging attacks. It's a large damage attack with a reuse restriction time of probably fifty to one hundred and fifty seconds. It's not a special attack, nor is it a "characteristic" that must be attacked. They are not a "characteristic" attack that must be attacked.
　In addition, they attack at the same time. And that's not all. There are other bosses in this zone that may join the fight. I don't know what to think. There was absolutely no chance of winning.
　Shiroe hears the warning voice inside him. 'It's not about why you can't do it, it's about how you can solve it. You're right about the gratuitous adage, but it's tempting to blurt out that the demands are too hard every time.
　A blue card lines up in the front right corner of Shiroe's thinking vision. Shiroe's handheld conditions. An advantageous point, that is, a weapon. The skill level of the Silver Sword, the presence of friends, the backup of the Round Table, the facts we've learned so far, and information.
　At the back of his right hand, reasonable difficulties are revealed as cards. Rousseart, Tartaulgar, and Ibra Habra. Bosses yet to be seen. The dungeon portion of this zone has been almost trudged through. Almost all of the map is obvious. Only three or four bosses remain.
　I come up with a few strategies and arrange (sort) them based on their feasibility. It's a very low probability, but I'll try to arrange each strategy to see if I can increase the probability. It's not very likely, but it doesn't reach the practical stage.
　Various reforms in this world are limited to the individual. For example, if you develop a new dish, the level of the cook determines whether you can create it or not. This manifests itself in a more severe genus in combat. Even if you have a large number of powerful weapons, their use is limited by your level. For example, if Shiroe now has a Gatling gun or a mortar, it is almost impossible to use it. What you need is not a powerful weapon or magic, but a breakthrough in the situation.
　I know that's something that isn't there, but there's no letter of retreat for Shiroe right now.

　Now we begin to analyze not what is in Shiroe's favor, but the weaknesses in the army of difficulties to be overcome.
　The majority of raid bosses have specific strategies. Even if it doesn't seem like a clear disadvantage, it could be that there are gaps in their seemingly powerful attacks.
　Shiroe desperately follows the thin thread of his thoughts as he feels like he has an inspiration for something.
　Whether in the "prison" or the "garden," they are some kind of guardian. If it is now that they have a will, wouldn't they be even more conscious of their role?　Although they had cooperated in the earlier battle, if you think about why no reinforcements had appeared until the defeat of the was so dense, there seemed to be a breakthrough there. However, there is no denying that it contains convenient expectations.
　Shiroe discarded some of those buggy expectations and began to build and select other, more realistic methods of attack. However, after dozens of trials and errors, he couldn't come up with any other strategy that was more plausible.
　Imagination, which seems to be almost a challenge, seems to have the highest probability of success.
　There is no way to give an exact probability of success, but I think it's worth a bet.

Hey, White. You're up.
Yeah.
　That's what he heard from Naotsugu, who was peeking in.
　Shiroe raised her upper body to stretch her stiff back, and found a marble stand with a blanket on it. I don't know what it was originally, but it seems to have been laid on a square of stone.
　Naotsugu was peering at the stand, but seemed relieved when Shiroe adjusted the position of his glasses. He turned his back and returned his gaze to the square.
　Nearby is Tetra sitting in a gymnasium. The two of you are alone beside Shiroe.
　I can hear William's thin voice. It's a trembling yet proud voice that doesn't sound like the commander of one of the server's leading martial guilds, and yet it's supremely appropriate.
　While he was meditating, Shiroe listened to his words.
　Lots of sobbing and moans of hatred of helplessness, too.
　So Shiroe nodded again, "Yes," he said.

　In the hall where they were staring, the faces were slowly getting up and staring at their Guildmaster. Originally, this would not be something that Shiroe and the others, who were not , would be able to listen to. I am grateful to Naotsugu, who must have read such an atmosphere and carried Shiroe's body to a corner of the room away from the gathering. But at the same time, William's words were just what Shiroe needed. The man there was the sixteen-year-old Shiroe himself.
　The Elder Tail had caused Shiroe a lot of pain.
　To be labeled by others. Being judged only on what she can do. Not being seen for what you can do.
　But at the same time, it gave her a much greater gift.
　Nyanta Squad Leader, Nurukan, and Aicher. They're all good friends. Kanami taught me to say "Easy going". Kazuhiko taught me to be confident in myself. Naotsugu gave me the strength to trust him.
　Shiroe thought it was a good guild as he stared at the in the distance. He also thought that William was a fine guild master. Thinking that all of them had gone through 'that' made his chest tighten. What if it was myself?　I'm sure he'll be able to get up, but I doubt he'll be able to encourage his friends with such honest words.
　What could he say to Minori and Touya when they were in such grief?　What could I do for Isuzu and Rudy? I don't feel like I can do anything at all.
　He thought to Akatsuki, but the little in Shiroe looked angry.
　Shiroe gushed a little crazy.
　She felt as if she had been told to mind her own business since it was me who was protecting her lord.
　How complicated humans are. Shiroe could see that Akatsuki was worried about him. A companion who was so quick to dismiss him with a brusque, angry expression, but in truth, he was more concerned than most people and cared for Shiroe. Shiroe now knew that such Akatsuki was fighting in the distance.
　This is not the time to be sitting around in a dull place.

"I want to let you win. Hey, Shiroe,
　Tetra mumbled as she sat in her gym seat, shaking her body back and forth.
　From Shiroe's point of view, only her back was visible and her expression was invisible. But he was able to respond to that strong voice with a straightforward "yes". And I was relieved. Shilohé wanted to let him win. Silver Sword. I want to break through this difficulty together with this raid team. Tetra's honest words materialized in Shiroe's mind, and it immediately became a decision.
''You, that's a good one.''
I'm a first-rate star.
　With their eyes on the distant William, Naotsugu and Tetra exchanged brief words.
　That's all, it's not that I said anything, but our thoughts were overlapping. I don't know what winning is or what it means. But the Silver Sword must not be allowed to decay as it is.
　That was now the decision, the only question remaining was how to do it.

So. What are we going to do? Do you have any ideas?　Staff.
　Naotsugu's words were blithely positive. I've come to ask in a questioning way, but that's a real confirmation. Shiroe's best friend doesn't doubt that there will be a breakthrough. He believes that Shiroe will definitely come up with something. So Shiroe pushes his glasses up and replies.
'There's something I have to tell Naotsugu. To Tetra-san. And William. Everyone. --I have a better plan. But only slightly better. We've got a 15 percent chance of winning.
That's great.
It's perfect.
'And I have to tell Violet Star and the others. This time you must look them in the eye.