Gimmick

「…What is this place?」

We had already been exploring for several hours.

All we had figured out was that we were grasping the map to some degree, but we had no idea how the interior of the ship was structured. Enemies kept coming from the front and back, increasing over time.

And we realized that the Pirate Skeletons were reviving monsters.

Even if defeated, they would revive after a set time and attack the players again.

Moreover, we only received experience points the first time and zero after that.

If we took damage, we had limited means of recovery.

We could fight within the range of our shield energy for now, but the damage we took increased along with their numbers. Depleting our energy was only a matter of time.

「Yamikage seems to be okay now.」

「Well, you do get used to it after hours pass.」

「Good job, Yami-chan!」

「Tsumugi-dono…」

These two weirdo are deepening their friendship.

If that’s the case, then Shouko and the others are bonding with Alto… somehow, I don’t feel quite right about that.

No, nevermind, I won’t worry about it.

Still, we’ve been wandering for so long without encountering Shouko and the others.

It’s possible we can’t meet up due to warp point locations, and we have no way to contact them either.

What does this mean?

Puzzle-solving dungeons are certainly an integral part of RPGs, but…

「Huh?」

「What is it?」

「Did something happen~?」

I compare our current location to the map.

Looking closely, the map’s structure doesn’t match reality.

「The map is wrong…」

In that case, filling out the entire map would be meaningless.

Now that I think about it, we’ve gone through doors numerous times.

If there was a warp function, we could be going around in circles without realizing it.

No wonder it felt so spacious.

This must be a game gimmick.

But once you figure out the trick, the way to solve it should become clear.

I like solving these kinds of RPG gimmicks, you know.

One of the reasons I never got too into MMORPGs was because they focus more on character development, with fewer puzzle-solving elements like this.

「Tsumugi, let me think for a bit. Can you keep the enemies off me?」

「Yup!」

I’ll trace back our entire path from the starting point.

Going by the number of doors we entered, the directions, and the length of the paths, and working backwards from there…

There are about eight areas we haven’t been to yet.

Assuming my calculations of our current location are correct, the closest of those eight is…

「Got it. This way.」

As I say that, Tsumugi defeats some Pirate Skeletons that don’t give experience.

Tsumugi’s eyes are sparkling oddly.

She does like watching RPGs from the back, after all.

Well, she just likes games in general, really.

「What did you figure out?」

「Well, if the map is wrong, we have to trust our own minds, right? So I traced back the route we took from the start.」

「You can do something like that?」

「It was normal in old RPGs, you know? Though we’d use paper if we had it, but we don’t right now.」

It’d be easier to use a walkthrough site, but that’s not my hobby.

Because of that, I’ve spent countless hours stuck in puzzle dungeons. In the end, by mapping out the dungeon layouts and where things were on paper, I memorized them.

I never thought it would come in handy here, though.

「Found it. It looks like… a hall?」

The three of us visit one of the eight areas and arrive at what seems like a large hall.

There’s a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the blue-white room lends an eerie atmosphere in contrast.

No, wait, isn’t this strange?

「Hey, while this is supposed to be a ghost ship, what kind of ship do you think it originally was?」

「Not a pirate ship, is it?」

「That’s impossible. Would a pirate ship have such a luxurious place?」

「But the monsters are pirates, right?」

「That’s true…」

Did they simply model it after a real ship?

Or is this another misdirection as part of the puzzle-solving?

「Anyway, let’s explore the area and――」

Suddenly, the room starts shaking and making noises.

When I look up, the chandelier is swinging wildly and about to fall.

「Get out of the way!」

I shout and leap to the side.

If you get hit by a trap like that, shield energy alone won’t be enough.

An explosion-like shattering sound rings out as the chandelier drops.

A few sharp shards hit me, but the damage is in the range of 10 or 20, tolerable.

Wood chips and dust fill the air, obscuring my vision.

「Yamikage, Tsumugi, are you two okay?」

No response.

I hope they weren’t hit.

No, even if they were, Yamikage wouldn’t die instantly.

She has the highest energy, or rather HP, among the party members.

「Tch! Another separation trap?」

The area that had been the large hall has changed to a similar but different room, and Yamikage and Tsumugi are nowhere to be seen.

There is a feeling of fear.

I had long forgotten the feeling of fear from horror movies and such, but I think this is similar to when I first saw one.

Being separated from comrades you’ve journeyed with for so long is scary, it seems.

In a way, it reminds me of the time I was left alone at a department store as a child.

Thinking back, it was probably because of a sale or something.

My mom told me to wait here and left me on a bench.

But that was careless. What if a child gets kidnapped?

In any case, I waited for my mom.

At first, I was happy to be entrusted by an adult, but as time passed, I became anxious, surrounded by strangers, and grew afraid.

I had the unreasonable thought that I had been abandoned.

So this is what it means to be alone, huh?

Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten that feeling, having Shouko, Yamikage, Sheryl and the others around.

「I have to solve this quickly and reunite with them!」

I slapped my cheeks twice with both hands and mustered my resolve to start walking.

I know my current location based on the terrain.

In this game, just like in reality, building sizes are proportional to the real world. So if there is an unnaturally large space in a house, you could find a hidden room from the outside.

With that in mind, the areas we haven’t been to based on where we’ve explored are…

「Over there.」

I hurry down the path.

Halfway, a group of Pirate Skeletons gave me some trouble.

I’ve been relying too much on Shouko and Tsumugi. From now on, I’ll learn how to fight and hone my player skills.

Since I’ve got such strong people around me, I should have them teach me.

「…I’m coming now.」

I ran down the path that had already led me to the answer.

To banish this loneliness.