Vrischil stood tall with her arms crossed, staring out over the expanse of snow stretching before them. The freezing chill of the ice plains paled in comparison to the chilling questions that had been occupying her mind.
"Alphonse," Vrischil called out without a shred of pleasantry, her voice as cold as the polar wind. "You said one hundred and twenty-seven Players have already died. Not even twenty-four hours have passed since the server shut down. What was their cause of death?"
Alphonse let out a long sigh. He wiped the frost from his monocle.
"From the sequence of images I acquired through the Akashic Terminal, the majority of their deaths were due to a ridiculous, yet incredibly lethal reason: geography."
"You mean their landing locations?" Vrischil asked.
"Precisely," Alphonse nodded. "Imagine a low-level Player with a merchant or crafting class suddenly dropping into the middle of a monster's lair, plunging into an ocean in the midst of a violent storm, or falling directly into the crater of an active volcano."
"Without the system interface and protective items, death claimed them before they could even comprehend what was happening," the Guild Master explained.
Arcus nodded in agreement with an air of faux wisdom. "Makes sense. If a low-level Player without an Area-of-Effect skill had dropped into my swamp earlier, they would have been chewed to death by hundreds of Swamp Lizards."
"Or if a Player who landed here didn't possess long-range spatial mobility skills like you, Al," Vrischil added, her eyes sweeping across the frozen sea in the distance.
"They would die a slow death from hypothermia or starvation in the middle of this ice plain. Without an Inventory, they carry no supplies."
"Where exactly did you land, Al?" Arcus asked curiously. "Did you land in a dragon's nest and fight tooth and nail before rendezvousing with us?"
"No. I landed in a relatively safe forest. The only threats I encountered there were a pack of Level 15 Dire Wolves," Alphonse answered in a modest tone, intentionally shattering Arcus's dramatic expectations.
"But more interestingly, I encountered the natives of this world. A tracking squad."
Arcus instantly took a step forward, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Natives?! What do they look like? Are they knights clad in glowing magical armor? Is their power on par with ours?!"
"I am not entirely sure," Alphonse answered calmly. "I observed them from the air while cloaked in an illusion. I haven't interacted with them or seen them in combat."
Alphonse tapped his chin, analyzing the memory. "However, judging from their equipment... they appear to be weak. The civilization in this world seems to be stuck in a medieval era."
"They wore leather armor and wielded cold weapons—steel swords and spears. There was no indication of advanced technology like firearms or synthetically crafted magical relics."
He turned his gaze toward the south. "It seems there is a human city not far from the forest where I landed. I haven't investigated it in detail yet."
"Wait a moment," Vrischil interjected, her expression tightening. "You said the majority died because of terrible landing locations. What were the other causes of death?"
Alphonse's golden eyes dimmed. "PvP."
A brief silence fell over them. Arcus frowned. "Killing each other?"
"A small fraction died murdering their fellow Players," Alphonse continued. "Just like in the game. Some Players encountered one another and immediately fought, or simply wanted to test their strength."
"The problem is, they didn't realize that death here is absolute. There is no respawning at the nearest temple."
"And the remaining few..." Alphonse looked directly at Vrischil. "...were killed by the natives of this world."
Vrischil scoffed in sheer disgust, her gaze sharp. "Are they absolute fools? It's blatantly obvious the entire game interface is gone, yet they still kill each other like children in a training arena. And are the natives here truly aggressive enough to boldly murder Players?"
"We are anomalies that fell from the sky, Vrischil," Alphonse countered logically. "The natives undoubtedly felt threatened. And as for the Players, they were still intoxicated by their god-like power. A truly ironic end."
Arcus stroked his chin, mimicking a wise sage. "What a pathetic way to die. If they had known they would eventually transmigrate to reality with their avatars... I bet those millions of casual Players would have grinded and leveled up like maniacs, and probably sold their real-world houses just for high-tier items."
Alphonse looked at his blonde friend with an evaluating gaze. "And what about you, Arcus? If you encountered an unknown Player in this world, would you immediately fight them?"
Arcus puffed out his chest proudly. "That depends! Man or woman first! If it's a woman—especially a beautiful one begging for protection—then naturally, this handsome prince would shield the princess from the cruelties of the world!"
Vrischil shot him a murderous glare. "And if it's a man?"
"If it's a man..." Arcus shrugged, "he must bow down and worship me as the Main Character, of course. If he refuses, I will scrub his existence from reality with my starlight arrows!"
Vrischil let out a harsh scoff. Meanwhile, Alphonse chuckled softly, quite entertained by Arcus's ego, which clearly hadn't changed in the slightest.
However, the laughter didn't last long as Vrischil posed a much heavier question. "Alphonse. Did any Level 100 Players die during this initial wave?"
Alphonse remained silent for a moment, rewinding the various recordings of death he had witnessed in the Akashic space.
"From the visions of death I saw... the vast majority were mid-to-low-tier Players. A Level 100 Player, with all their physical resistances and passive skills, should be fully capable of surviving most of those lethal scenarios."
"Then..." Vrischil narrowed her eyes. "...is there any tangible threat capable of killing a Level 100 Player in this world?"
"I don't know yet," Alphonse answered honestly. "I plan to ask the Akashic Terminal that specific question shortly... once my Mana reserves are fully replenished."
Arcus looked surprised. "Wait. What did you do to drain your entire Mana pool, Al?"
Alphonse looked slightly awkward. He scratched his neck. "Well... I pushed myself a bit too far. I asked the Akashic Record four consecutive questions regarding the identity of this world, the number of Players, your coordinates, and the number of survivors. As a result... my Mana capacity was emptied, and I suffered a mild nosebleed."
Vrischil's face darkened instantly. She pointed at Alphonse with an enraged tone.
"Do not be reckless, Alphonse! You are a Mage! A sorcerer without Mana is the softest target on a battlefield. You lack the physical strength to survive a fatal close-quarters attack!"
"He really can be incredibly stupid sometimes, considering he's a genius," Arcus mocked, smirking.
Alphonse could only manage an awkward laugh.
"The primary issue right now is regeneration," Alphonse interjected seriously. "The natural Mana concentration in this world is vastly inferior to the game's. I cannot replenish my Mana rapidly through standard meditation alone."
"Just use Mana Crystals or Monster Cores to recover," Arcus suggested casually.
"Are your ears stuffed with snow, Arcus?" Vrischil cut in coldly. "We are bankrupt. Our treasury vanished alongside the Inventory."
"Oh, right," Arcus chuckled innocently. "Well then, we just need to ask your omniscient god where the nearest Mana Stone mine is, and claim it for ourselves. Simple, right?"
Vrischil stared at him. "It's a rare day when your minuscule brain actually produces a good idea."
Arcus frowned. "Are you complimenting me, or are you trying to pick a fight?!"
"Enough," Alphonse mediated before they could draw their weapons on each other. He held out his hand. "Empty whatever is left in your pockets. How many Mana Stones or Cores do you currently have?"
Arcus patted his leather belt pouch and pulled out three vials of red healing potions. "I have no stones. Only these. I was too busy styling my hair before I logged in."
Vrischil sighed softly. She reached into the pouch at her waist, producing three vials of healing potions and three pristine blue Mana Crystals the size of a thumb. She placed the crystals alongside the single, pitch-black Monster Core from the Frost Giant Bear in front of Alphonse.
"This is everything that remains," Vrischil stated flatly, though a hint of restrained anxiety laced her voice.
Alphonse stared at the small assortment of items. Without hesitation, he took only the three Mana Crystals and the single bear's Monster Core, then pushed the potion vials back toward Vrischil and Arcus.
"Thank you. Keep your potions," Alphonse said. He then pulled out the ten Dire Wolf Monster Cores from his own pouch. "In that case, wait for me while I absorb this energy. Do not wander off."
Alphonse sat cross-legged on the ice. He gripped one of the wolf's Monster Cores in his right hand.
[Tier A - Mana Drain]
The reddish glow of the Monster Core faded rapidly, siphoned directly through the pores of his hand, before the stone finally crumbled into grey dust.
One by one, he absorbed the energy from the eleven Monster Cores.
His forehead creased deeply. His jaw clenched tight, enduring the searing heat surging through his veins. Even though the surrounding temperature was well below freezing, beads of cold sweat began to drench his temples and neck, a testament to the agonizing process of subduing the feral energy.
However, the moment he switched to absorbing the pristine blue Mana Crystals, a drastic shift occurred.
As soon as the stable, crystal-clear energy began to flow through his fingertips, the wrinkles on Alphonse's forehead vanished instantly. His facial muscles relaxed. His eyes fluttered open slightly, radiating a calm satisfaction.
He exhaled a long, steady breath, as if he had just consumed a draft of cool mountain spring water after swallowing hot coals.
The pristine crystals continued to provide a steady flow of energy for ten full minutes before finally crumbling into grey dust in his palms.
Half an hour passed in the silence of the ice plains.
When Alphonse opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Arcus chewing on a piece of steaming, golden-white meat. The savory aroma of roasted fish filled the air around them.
"Yo, Alphonse! You slept like a log!" Arcus greeted him, cheerfully waving half of a whole fish in his hand.
Vrischil stepped closer, offering a freshly roasted fish to Alphonse.
"Thank you, Vrischil," Alphonse said sincerely, taking the fish.
"Hey! I was the one who caught that fish from the frozen sea!" Arcus protested.
Alphonse rolled his eyes. "Alright. Thank you, Arcus the Sagittarius."
Arcus nodded in satisfaction. "That's much better."
Alphonse took a bite of the fish. The texture of the meat was tender, dense, and incredibly juicy. His eyes lit up slightly. "This is phenomenal. Did you cook this, Vrischil?"
"Of course she didn't!" Arcus answered, his mouth still stuffed with meat.
"That Elf just scorched it with a burst of her fire magic. No seasoning, absolutely zero grilling technique. This fish tastes amazing simply because the monster's meat is of premium quality, not because of her cooking skills."
Vrischil shot Arcus a look as cold as the ice beneath them, but she didn't argue because it was entirely true.
Alphonse smiled, teasing Arcus. "And just how did you manage to catch a fish in the middle of an ocean covered by thick ice?"
Arcus puffed out his chest, pointing proudly at his eyes.
"Are you underestimating these unsealed eyes of mine? I could see the shadows of the fish moving miles beneath the ice layers. I simply aimed with my starlight arrow, pierced through the ice, and... boom! Dinner is served!"
Vrischil, who was still chewing her food with refined grace, spoke without turning her head. "For the time being, ensure those perverted eyes of yours stay far away from me, Arcus. Or I will gouge them out myself."
Arcus glared. "Hmph! Who would want to peep at a woman like you anyway?! Your skin is probably coated in toxic poison!"
Vrischil stopped chewing. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. Her right hand moved slowly, resting on the hilt of the Fractal Ruin at her waist.
"That's enough. Stop bickering while we eat," Alphonse interjected swiftly, saving Arcus's life before the lethal blade was drawn.
Alphonse finished his fish quickly. He wiped his hands clean and stood up, looking at his two comrades with a deadly serious expression.
"My Mana is fully restored. I will initiate the Akashic Terminal now."
Arcus patted his chest confidently. "Relax! Focus on your god-like thoughts. I will protect your mortal body out here."
Vrischil merely nodded slowly, drawing her sword and adopting a combat-ready stance.
Alphonse closed his eyes.
[Tier EX - Akashic Terminal]
Golden light erupted from his eyes. Alphonse's consciousness was instantly pulled across dimensions, returning to the boundless realm of light filled with billions of universal records.
Standing before the rotating structure of the Cosmic Mandala, Alphonse looked up, his voice echoing through the void.
"Show me," Alphonse commanded. "Identify every single threat in this world of Orion... capable of killing a Player with a Level 100 Combat Job."