Valen teleports back to his seat. He holds his fan and stays quiet. The room settles. Anya's soldiers step back and take their positions behind her.
I notice Adrian. He leaps back into the room.
This world changes you in ways you don't notice. Even without mana, Adrian shouldn't move like that. Not on Earth. I start to wonder if hidden stats exist, like in the game.
Too much from the game never carries over.
Everyone sits. The conversation continues like nothing happened.
"So," Sho says, tired. "Dad, what's the current agenda?"
Mr. Sato looks down at his notes. He sighs. "There's no agreement on anything. Outside of legalizing forbidden magic and researching the magic system."
Sho exhales. "The World Guild won't like that. We'll close this agenda for now."
"What?" Anya says. "What about making anti magic forbidden?"
Sho shakes her head. "That won't stop Pendant or anyone copying it." She pauses. "Some of you already use forbidden magic. A ban won't change behavior."
"Let's combine the next two agendas," Mr. Sato says. "No reason to sit here in silence."
"So currency and other topics?" Arthur asks.
"Yes," Mr. Sato says.
"What's wrong with the currency?" Arthur asks.
"It's not the currency," Sho says. "It's the trend. Look at bounties. Look at mine. Prices will rise. Monsters don't respawn, they don't drop gold. We hunt them, harvest them, and sell parts. Supply stays tight. Demand grows. Rare items get rarer."
"Not to mention the ten rings." She looks around the table. "Do any of you know my current bounty?"
Everyone looks at the Black Cats.
Archer sighs. "Last I checked, around one hundred platinum."
Sho nods. "That proves it. That's one hundred million. Mine used to sit near twenty five platinum. It keeps climbing. We need to get ahead of it."
"In the game," Yuto says, "we had currency sinks. Gambling. Repairs. Money left the system. Here, it doesn't. NPCs spend it. Rent. Food. Everything. I don't see a way to control that."
"I want regulated prices," Sho says. "Potions. Food. Core goods. We also need to track black market trades and assassinations. We need to prevent chaos."
"Prevent chaos," Yin repeats.
"My goal is to move away from the World Guild," Sho says. "That's why this isn't recorded. No transcript. It's wrong that one guild controls the world and player affairs."
"And how do you plan to do that?" Yin asks.
I get a better look at her now that things calm down. She looks older than most of us. She said she was a teacher. I'm not sure how much of that is true.
Her hair is long and ash blonde. It falls past her shoulders with soft layers. A small floral piece rests at the side of her head. Her eyes are violet blue. Calm, but sharp.
She wears light ceremonial armor over a pale blue and white dress. The armor sits across one shoulder and her chest, lined with gold. A glowing blue crystal rests at the center.
A small dagger sits in her lap.
Yin starts speaking again. It catches me off guard.
"The World Guild already sits in every part of this world. Charters. Laws. Bans on magic. I've never met a single member in person."
"They're heroes," Sho says. "I met them once. They said after they defeated the Demon Lord, before the world was cursed and the World Tree began to grow, they became the heroes. Each of the four branches of the World Guild belongs to one of them."
I look over at Adrian. He stares out the window like nothing matters. Valen watches him, but Adrian doesn't react.
I keep looking. I forget the room. I smile, even though he won't see it.
The world feels distant. He doesn't look at me. It doesn't matter.
My eyes move to his eyepatch. I wonder if that's what he's thinking about. I wonder if he feels what I felt back then.
I think about that fight often. Things would've changed if I were stronger. I don't regret what happened with Wan, but I watched him die in front of me. That pain still wakes me some nights.
I think about the green haired man who killed him.
Jester.
I focus on that thought. The voices in the room fade in as the conversation goes on.
—------------------------
"Hey," my voice calls out
"We have a problem," the voice says. It sounds like me. Another version of me.
"What is it? I'm busy here."
"A fight is about to break out."
"Who's fighting?"
"They aren't fighting yet but .."
"I can't come. The summit is dragging on. Have True Body create another clone."
"I already did. She can't or won't."
"How important is it?"
"A 5/10."
"Once it reaches a 7, let me know."
"Thank you," Number 6 says. "Number 1."
—------------------------------
"And what do you intend to do?" Yin asks.
"I'll defeat them," Sho says. "I'll issue a new order. I want all of you with me."
"That's stupid," Arthur says. "There may be billions of players, but there are hundreds of billions of NPCs. We should focus on beating the tower, not chasing something like that."
"And what if we can't?" Sho snaps. Her voice rises. "What if we can't beat the tower? Then what? Do we live under their rules, or do we make our own path?"
The room goes quiet. I can't tell if it's fear or something else. Sho notices.
"Listen," she says. "I know I speak harshly. I care about your opinions. If you have something to say, say it."
"In that case," Ripley says, "how strong are these heroes?"
"I don't know," Sho says. "They didn't feel like they had as much mana as me. But they're heroes for a reason."
"I thought NPCs couldn't use magic," Orin says.
"That's a common misconception from the game," Sho says. "NPCs couldn't use magic there. Only designed heroes could. Here, that's not true. NPCs can use magic like we can. There's no real difference between us and them. The only difference is origin. They were born here. We came from another world."
"If there's no difference, why don't NPCs climb the tower?" Arthur asks.
"From what the heroes told me," Sho says, "they gave up the ability to climb in exchange for protecting their cities from monster attacks. Three of the eight heroes died to make that happen."
Yuto speaks up. "So they traded their lives to cast a spell that protects the world."
Sho nods. "That spell has a limit. NPCs can't use floor magic like we can. That's why they travel through dungeons instead."
She pauses.
"I'm sure NPCs have reached the final floor. This world has existed like this for hundreds of years. I don't think what we believe is fully true."
"What do you mean?" Rhy asks.
"We're climbing to the hundredth floor because of the game this world comes from," Sho says. "But we have no proof this world follows those same rules."
"So you're giving up?" Rhy says.
"I'm not giving up," Sho says. "I still plan to climb. But what happens when we reach the hundredth floor and we're still trapped here?"
She looks around the table.
"Whether we like it or not, we're stuck here for years. Maybe ten. I just think…"
Knock. Knock.
The door opens. Teruki and Rei walk in.
Teruki bows. "I'm sorry. I got emotional."
"No need to apologize," Sho says with a small smile.
Teruki doesn't notice the broken glass. Rei does. She looks at me, then at Adrian and Valen. She understands. They both sit.
"What did we miss?" Rei asks.
"Nothing important," Sho says. "We were discussing the World Guild. We combined the last two agendas to save time."
"Currency, right?"
Sho sighs. "I shouldn't have called it that."
"So you're worried about the state of the world over time," Rei says.
"And weaker players," Sho adds.
"You mean the players you hate," Rhy says with a sigh.
"Relax," Sho says. "That was a joke. You're not still mad, are you?"
"You told me to kill myself because I struggled in a dungeon."
"Since we're being honest," Rhy smiles, "we should all say what we think about Sho."
"Hey," Sho starts, but Anya cuts in.
"I think Sho needs to act more mature," Anya says. "She's the strongest player. It looks bad when the heroes meet someone who acts like a child and talks about weak players like that."
"I .. "
"I agree," Ripley says. "Putting your feet on the table at your own summit is disrespectful."
"That's …"
"I don't have issues with Sho," Yin says. "But if things go wrong, it would be better for her to step back than keep up a false persona."
Sho looks at her. "What do you mean?"
"If someone close to you dies," Yin says, "you'll become unstable. You'll turn into what you hate. If that happens, you should step away before you make choices you regret. You're young. You'll make mistakes."
Veil nods. "I lived on Earth for sixty two years. I've seen people collapse under less."
Sho clicks her tongue. "I'm strong enough to protect the people I care about. I doubt anything will happen to them."
"I think you need to listen more," Lilith says.
"I agree," Lyra says with a small smile.
Sho exhales. "You're all exhausting."
The room quiets. Some people smile. The tension fades, but not fully.
"Speaking of that," Hex says, "why did you ask me to come?"
"Right," Sho says. "This is a good time."
Her tone shifts. Lower. Controlled.
"I heard a guild accepted an assassination request on one of my members."
Ripley stiffens. "And you think it's mine?"
"I do. Even so, I want your help. I want you to find out who took it."
"Who's the target?" Ripley asks.
"Selene," Sho says.
"And if we decide to go through with it?"
"I'll protect her."
"Would you kill us?"
"No," Sho says. "But this leads into my next point."
She looks at Pendant.
"I want to build a prison system. Convert a city, or a group of cities, into a place to hold players. Criminals. Player killers."
"Why involve me?" Pendant asks.
"Your anti magic," Sho says. "With it, no one escapes. Not even mages."
Pendant smiles. "You're giving me a lot of work for someone who claimed not to know me."
"The Crusaders have enough NPCs to form a guard force," Sho says. "Or another guild can take it. We might even need a prison guild."
"I want it far from everything," she adds. "Edge of the first floor. Hidden. Underground if needed."
"I've said this before," Risto says. "We need a way to jail people. Relying on death is crude."
"If we do this," Pendant says, "we'll need a justice system too. Laws. Courts."
"There were layers of law on Earth," Sho says. "I'll form a sub guild to handle it. We can't depend on NPC prisons. It will fail. We've been lucky so far. No one has caused large scale chaos alone. That will change."
Lyra nods. "We haven't faced a true villain yet. It's been us against the tower. That won't last."
"If any group does it," Hex says, "it'll be the Ten Curses. I've heard Thousand Eyes is involved in illegal activity."
"Illegal activity?" Lilith asks.
"Children have gone missing on the first floor," Hex says.
The room shifts.
"And what does that have to do with us?" Pendant says.
Hex looks toward Lilith. "Why hasn't Thousand Eyes appeared in public? Why stay hidden and focus on research? What happens on the lower floors?"
"Be quiet, Hex," She says.
Hex shrugs. "Too early, I guess. You'll see."
Pendant smiles, then pauses. She looks at Sho.
"I want payment."
Sho blinks. "What?"
"For the work," Pendant says. "Avatar research. The colosseum. The prison."
"I don't think we can afford that," Sho says.
"Call it a debt," Pendant says.
"I'm not taking a debt from you."
Pendant tilts her head. "Then pay me."
Sho exhales. "Fine. We'll pay you."
"Sho(Guild) will, or you will?"
"I promise I'll pay you," Sho replies.
She looks around the table.
"Anything else before we end?"
"Yes," a small voice says.