30,000 Rounds Should Be Enough, Right?

A black one-handed sword in the corner of a large, lavish stall caught Wang Shui's eye.

Wasn't that the fucking [Elucidator]?!

Wang Shui, who had never undertaken a mission alone, was astonished. His first awakening mission had taken place in a near-future science-fiction world, where he watched people in powered armor slug it out.

Whether from his usual customers or his limited number of friends, he had never heard any familiar terms.

For a full six months, ninety percent of the information he received had come from various battlefield worlds.

Driven by curiosity, Wang Shui opened the item information:

[Otherworld Key · Elucidator · Pseudo (special item · blue)]

[Tier: 1]

[Danger rating: 1]

[Alteration type: real, gigantic)]

[Activation time remaining: 10 days]

[Time flow rate: 300×]

[Description: A dungeon world key split off from a Fantasy Realm Key, connected to a dungeon of a fantasy world. The dungeon underwent alterations during separation. Danger unknown.]

Uh, what? It wasn't a sword? It was a key?

"Interested, buddy?"

Seeing Wang Shui staring blankly at the sword, the stall owner came over enthusiastically.

"This is good stuff."

Right, the classic salesman's opener.

"A while back, a bunch of big-shot lone wolves from cohort A got their hands on a Fantasy Realm Key. The system identified it as a special world they could settle in permanently, but the world-control mission they received was to help the world's favored person transform human society."

Uh-huh. A ninety-nine percent chance that meant helping the harem king, Kirito.

"But that world was this inexplicable real-world setting. No supernatural powers, no large-scale wars, and not particularly advanced technology, either. It left those big shots at a loss."

"So they applied to the system for world-conquest assistance and split a bunch of dungeon worlds off the original key. Since an entire dungeon world collapses if its protagonist dies, they decided to find the protagonist through brute-force enumeration. Once they found him, everything else would be easy."

Enumeration? Killing them one by one, you mean?

"Yep, that look tells me you get it. The warmongers and deranged serial killers they hired started indiscriminately wiping people out, beginning with the upper echelons of every sector. In the end, several of the serial killers developed psychological problems from all the killing, and they still hadn't found the protagonist. So the big shots suspected the protagonist was an ordinary person and the plot would take a long time. They simply spent more money copying another batch of keys and cast a wide net, recruiting heroes from all walks of life to join the grand undertaking. This is the third batch of keys. An unknown world still in the exploration phase-not much information, but plenty of resources~"

An unknown world?

Wang Shui thought for a moment, then asked:

"In an ordinary world, the resources would just be things like mineral deposits. And if it's a dungeon world, what happens if someone goes in and slaughters people indiscriminately, killing the protagonist by chance? Wouldn't everyone else who gets kicked out still be punished by the system?"

"No need to worry about that. The big shots have made it clear: normal exploration only, no massacres. Besides, the third batch of keys is tier one. With tier-one abilities, anyone who tries to stir up trouble in there will get booted out within ten minutes."

While the stall owner explained, Wang Shui had already connected to the [Dream Network] to search for relevant information. He soon found the posts from the cohort A big shots.

Unknown-world exploration. No violent brute-forcing. First-batch death rate: 10%. Second-batch death rate: 30%.

According to the posts, the heroes in the first two batches had mostly coasted along, and most had survived for several hundred days, demonstrating how safe the world was.

In the end, the system determined that they had not encountered the main events behind the world's changes and kicked them out with very light penalties.

Of course, it wasn't all bad news. At least the death rate had risen.

Awakeners generally wouldn't provoke native armies in unknown worlds; the risks far outweighed the rewards. A rising death rate could only mean they had encountered the main storyline and run into dangers they had no choice but to face.

Wang Shui rubbed his chin as he read. Had Akihiko Kayaba boiled these heroes' brains?

Judging by the times, not one of them seemed to have survived until SAO was cleared.

Wait, did nobody actually know this was the world of Sword Art Online? The more Wang Shui scrolled through the posts, the faster his heart beat.

Using the names of the main cast and various events as keywords, Wang Shui quickly searched the [Dream Network]. As far as his not particularly thorough checks could establish, there was nothing related to Sword Art Online anywhere on the network.

Not only that, Wang Shui also searched for some ubiquitous anime, as well as manga, literature, films, television shows, and more. There was no information on any of the dozens of works he remembered most clearly.

Shit. Was I the only one who came here from back home?

Amid his surprise, Wang Shui's eyes lit up... This seemed like a pretty good choice of mission!

No supernatural powers, no particularly advanced technology, and a sufficiently peaceful world. The most dangerous things were microwave-style game headsets and antisocial lunatics who wandered around with syringes all day.

Well, damn. This could work!

Perfect for a cowardly camper like me... Pah, I mean a cautious farming build. Never mind where the farm is-just tell me this isn't cautious.

"I'll take it, boss. How much?"

"Ohoho, that'll be thirty-five thousand. Will you be paying directly in Dream Points, or with thirty-five silver coins?"

"How-how much?! Thirty-five thousand?! Bro? A trip to Flower Street only costs me a few dozen! Is inflation that bad at your stall?!"

Wang Shui nearly choked to death on his own spit. After working from dawn to dusk for half a year, he had only saved a little over fifty thousand after shop rent. He had absolutely no equipment on him and hadn't even started gearing up, yet he was already about to spend nearly all of it?!

"Little brother, you're new, aren't you? Cohort E? This is a key to a specific world, and a safe world at that. As long as you don't wander around after entering, you basically won't get yourself killed. You think the important part is that little bit of resources inside? No way, no way. Don't tell me you thought you were the only one who could see its value as a safe option? This thing basically guarantees you can coast through one solo mission! I've already sold over a dozen keys from the third batch. What did you think I was selling it as?"

The stall owner had Wang Shui firmly in his grasp. His smile wasn't particularly mocking; it simply held a seasoned veteran's satisfaction at dealing with a newcomer.

Hmph. I'm from cohort C, you little shit. You'd drop dead from shock if I told you!

Painful as it was, Wang Shui still bought the key. He even shamelessly pretended to be a newcomer and played the sympathy card, hoping to haggle down the price, only for the owner to send him off with a set of [Initial Life Support], commonly known as small red potions.

Tucking the set of five small red potions into his pocket, Wang Shui continued browsing the market in his worn work clothes, the Elucidator on his back.

He had no choice. Never mind weapons and armor-he hadn't even prepared ordinary consumables.

Generally, veterans kept daily necessities in their personal storage spaces. Pots, bowls, and pans aside, plenty of ready-to-eat food, fresh water, ropes and snares, wilderness survival tools, and the like were all essential.

Those who were more particular, or knew their destination, could also exchange for some local currency. It wasn't very expensive.

Oh, one thing worth mentioning: gold was also expensive in the [Dream System]'s damned exchange system.

Wang Shui couldn't find yen, or any other currency he recognized.

Just, please connect to the worlds back home soon, OK?

Fortunately, there was a solution to this situation-right at the stall selling miscellaneous survival supplies!

[Orphan's Wish (consumable · blue)]

[Tier: 2]

[Description: A special consumable. Confirm its use at the start of a mission to obtain an orphan's identity in an unfamiliar world, along with a certain amount of starting resources based on rarity.]

Although its name was a little strange, this was a very well-known item.

Considering that most awakeners had basically said goodbye to their parents forever anyway, few people found it off-putting.

Blue rarity, apparently a craftable consumable. He had no idea what skill was used to make it, but at three thousand apiece, the market seemed pretty good.

Wang Shui was tempted, but he was heading into the world of anime tomorrow, so making money would have to wait.

Since he was going to the Sword Art Online world with a mission to complete, he would most likely be dropped into Tokyo Metropolis.

He didn't yet know what kind of starting resources he would receive. Just in case, Wang Shui bought two cases of vacuum-packed compressed nutritional meals and three large thousand-liter tanks of drinking water.

That pile of supplies basically filled his beginner storage space.

As for equipment, he felt... perhaps he could save on that?

There wasn't much to worry about in Sword Art Online's real world. As an awakener, he might get screwed over by someone from his own faction, but around tier one, everyone was pretty united... right?

Out of caution, Wang Shui wandered around and found a firearms stall.

Pistols, rifles, shotguns, submachine guns, and heavy firearms.

Those were roughly the categories, and every model was locally produced.

They looked rather bulky, black, and crude, but the surface metal was actually quite malleable. Simple processing could change their appearance.

The standard calibers were 5 mm number-one rounds, 7.5 mm number-two rounds, and 10 mm number-three rounds. Guns that used special ammunition were more expensive.

Guns with so-called unlimited ammunition did exist, but they weren't very practical, cost far too much, and came with quite a few requirements for use.

Wang Shui had practiced shooting over the past six months, but he hadn't acquired any firearm-related skills. He didn't know why.

As far as marksmanship went, his level was what several thousand rounds of practice had bought him. He could merely handle firearms smoothly.

So he picked a middle-of-the-road pistol:

[BSS022-A1-"Worm" (pistol · white)]

[Tier: 1]

[Damage modifier: 15-25]

[Trait · Worm Barrel: An active-metal barrel that can change barrel size after a ten-second transformation, accommodating number-one, number-two, and number-three ammunition.]

[Description: Manufactured by the Pabel Weapons Workshop in Iron Edge City. Classic Blackstone Group firearm models are all in stock. Special ammunition also available in bulk. Interested buyers are welcome to visit No. 21, First Avenue, Iron Edge City Commercial District!]

Well, damn. You could advertise in system information? You learned something new every day.

Its exterior was a little rough, but it felt excellent in his hand, much tighter and sturdier than the battle-worn communal guns at the shooting range.

Ten thousand number-two rounds with rigid metal-pointed bullets, no compressed magazines, and twenty standard magazines holding twenty rounds each thrown in for free.

Together with the bare gun, without any extra attachments, the total came to eleven hundred.

Yes, the gun cost one hundred. The ammunition was quality stuff, at 0.1 points per round. Wang Shui planned to stock up some more on Artisan Street back in the slums. He couldn't say ammunition from the little workshops there was ten times cheaper, but it was certainly five or six times cheaper.

Really, by all rights, there was no way he would need this much ammunition in the Sword Art Online world.

But Wang Shui suffered from severe indecisiveness, a collecting habit, a hoarding habit, and compulsive learning.

The first few were fairly common. Compulsive learning basically meant that whenever he saw someone demonstrate an ability, he went-Holy shit! Awesome! I want to learn that too!

Then his enthusiasm lasted three minutes.

Unlike an ordinary passing impulse, during the initial burst of compulsive learning, he genuinely devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying-until he got lazy.

It was an incurable condition that wasted a great deal of time and had no clear purpose.

By this point in his shopping, aside from thirty-five thousand for the key, three thousand for the orphan certificate, and just over a thousand for the gun and ammunition, the miscellaneous supplies hadn't cost many points.

With over ten thousand still saved up, Wang Shui returned to the slums and bought three sets of autumn and winter clothes, plus two sets of summer shorts and short-sleeved shirts, from a clearance shop. They had no attributes and weren't supernatural items, so ordinary clothes like these were extremely cheap.

Shoes, on the other hand-shoes that could withstand a supernatural person's strength were expensive.

Fortunately, Wang Shui didn't need to worry. His attributes weren't much higher than an ordinary person's, so he didn't need to buy special supernatural shoes.

After packing his luggage, Wang Shui soaked in a bath to relax, then took out a huge pile of books...

Comprehensive Electronic Information Technology, Comprehensive Automation, Computer Engineering and Programming, The All-in-One Comprehensive Physics Guide, Mathematical Tools, and so on.

There was a lot of material, and every book was a hefty, comprehensive volume. Although their titles didn't mention it, they contained a great deal of integrated interdisciplinary knowledge, which was quite complicated and obscure.

These books were actually quite hard to come by-not because they were expensive, but because there was little demand for books covering such a broad range of knowledge. Their compiler had produced the series with the intention of creating a knowledge encyclopedia, and the print run was very small.

The compiler was also an awakener and had made them purely out of personal interest, since having the system instill the relevant skills naturally came with the corresponding knowledge.

Still, they did circulate among lifestyle-type awakeners, and Wang Shui had obtained some of them.

Of course, Wang Shui wasn't cramming at the last minute now. In fact, he had memorized all twenty-two books long ago.

By memorizing, he meant directly importing electronic documents into his memory. That didn't count as learning skills, so his shitty talent wouldn't block it.

But simply having knowledge in your head didn't make you a scientist.

Practical ability, creative thinking, and computational ability mattered more than textual knowledge alone.

Knowledge imported into memory slowly faded over time. In the short term, as long as you knew what knowledge you needed, you could recall it quickly.

It was something like an open-book exam. You could consult the book, but you had to know what knowledge you needed.

Wang Shui was reviewing the books now partly to reinforce his knowledge. He felt it might prove useful in a modern society.

The other reason was to help him sleep. Yes, he was a little nervous now and couldn't sleep.

Wang Shui flipped through the books very quickly. When his eyes caught a heading and a classic example, the corresponding knowledge ran through his mind.

Wang Shui had also discovered long ago that reviewing knowledge felt much the same as making the corresponding item by hand. He simply didn't know why he still couldn't acquire skills.

The books would have stood twice Wang Shui's height if stacked together, yet he reviewed them all in a mere five hours.

His brain felt like mush, and he soon fell asleep.

The next day, an invigorating message hauled Wang Shui out of bed.

[Dream System warning! Lifestyle-type awakener · Half Bottle of Water, you have remained in a safe city for six calendar months. If you do not undertake any solo exploration mission before 23:00 tonight, the system will forcibly transport you to a world in urgent need of personnel.]

In urgent need of personnel? More like cannon fodder...

The time was... ten o'clock. Fine, this system was worth getting along with. If Wang Shui's previous boss-or rather, department manager-didn't see him by nine, he would express his concern in such an exceptionally passive-aggressive way that it made Wang Shui physically uncomfortable.

At least this system knew to wake him at ten. It wasn't passive-aggressive, either, and wouldn't dock his pay. It merely wanted his life.

A good boss. Hope I get you again in my next life.

After changing into clean clothes and leaving the cheap hotel, Wang Shui didn't return to Brother Hei's repair shop.

There was no need for goodbyes, and he might not see Brother Hei anyway. He could skip the email, too; that asshole would only mock him.

Wang Shui bought another twenty thousand cheap number-two rounds nearby, along with ten cases of "ham sausages." The little workshop's owner was grinning so hard first thing in the morning that his front teeth looked ready to fall out.

He actually still had some money. Given the purchasing power of Dream Points, if he were only buying low-level gunpowder firearms, Wang Shui could equip a sizable force.

Unfortunately, a beginner's personal storage space held only five cubic meters, and the three large water tanks took up a considerable amount of room.

No danger, no danger. How many bullets could a mere Akihiko Kayaba take? Even Lord Kirito was only flesh and blood. Besides, the SAO phase was the only part with any threat of death. At worst, I could simply stay out and lie low in the real world. Lord Kirito would take care of that damned game designer himself!

And so, reassuring himself along the way, Wang Shui arrived at the mission plaza loaded with dangerous goods. There weren't many people there in the morning.

He drew the Elucidator from his back, connected to the [Dream Network] mission center, selected solo exploration, and inserted the sword into the key slot. White light flared, and the Elucidator vanished.

A set of information appeared in the previously empty mission panel:

[Exploration mission · Fantasy world (altered dungeon)]

[Tier: 1]

[Danger rating: 1]

[Alteration type: real, gigantic]

[Time flow rate: 300×]

[Description: An unknown altered dungeon of a fantasy world. Danger level unknown.]

Was this... my journey through infinity?

"Begin mission."