Golden Experience

Chapter 119: “Lyra”

“Phew, what a sense of liberation.

Originally, full-body armor is created primarily for defense against slashes, and it’s not something you should wear during close combat or when explaining things. But we can talk about full-body armor later. For now, let’s continue from where we left off.

Um, I think it started when I applied to be a Closed Alpha Tester.

Rare-chan probably heard about it, right? The rumor that this game is created using world simulation technology.

When I first heard this rumor, I thought it was impossible. Mainly due to technical and cost issues. Even if this company is a global hitmaker, it’s unlikely they have connections to such unreleased technology, and even if they did, it’s uncertain how much funding would be required for its operation, not to mention the infrastructure for operation.

But leaving that aside, the game itself seemed interesting. So, I applied. And luckily, I was chosen as a tester.

There were strict confidentiality agreements about not disclosing anything about the game, but that’s normal for an alpha test, and ethically, I had no intention of spreading information to anyone.

So, at this point, my plan was just to get a glimpse and solidify the direction a bit so I could make a strong start when the official service started.

And then, I set foot on the land of this world.

Not in this town, but in the capital of this country, I felt the air, interacted with NPCs, sometimes killed, and spent a day. By that time, I was really thinking of taking this game seriously. It had been a while since I felt this way.

But no matter how much I thought that, it was just an alpha test. Even if I did my best, the avatar’s data would be deleted once the test was over. It had no meaning.

However, that was only about the tester’s avatar.

This world is so detailed. Even if system glitches were found in this test, would they reset the maps and objects to fix it? Despite being so meticulously crafted, and NPCs living their lives desperately.

So, I decided to take a gamble. Well, even if it failed, the data would just disappear. The original plan wouldn’t change. So, if it was just a test, there would be no harm in trying.

During the alpha test, I gathered funds using every means possible.

Mainly by attacking NPCs known as wealthy individuals.

At night, when everything was quiet, I would sneak into mansions and stores, put safes into my inventory, and escape. I did this as much as I could in one night.

The next day, in a place where no one could see, I would destroy the safes and take out the contents. If something needed a key, I would leave it as it was for the time being.

I repeated this until the end of the test, and on the final day, I snuck into a noble’s mansion and threw everything that looked like a family heirloom into my inventory.

I buried the obtained wealth in a corner of a safety area within the monster territory, which I had chosen in advance.

If I won the gamble and these objects were not reset, I could start the next test with a good advantage and if I could connect that advantage to the official service, the benefits would be immeasurable.

Of course, I applied for the next test as well and became a tester.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s easy to compare, but do you know that once a tester passes a test, they are prioritized for the next one? That’s why the number of participants increases with each test, but well, that’s fine.

Suppressing my excitement, I watched the tutorial. Oh, you might not know, but the lines of the tutorial AI subtly change between the first and second tests. Furthermore, the lines during the open beta are different. Let’s leave this detailed stuff for later.

Anyway, on that day, I aimed for the location where I buried the treasure.

Since in the recent tests, everyone spawned in the capital cities of each country, there was no problem with movement.

But the density of testers was high, so I just had to be careful not to be followed.

The place I arrived at was undoubtedly the place where I buried the treasure, but the vegetation had grown thick.

There was no trace of someone burying something. I was desperate, but I noticed that only the flowers growing there, different in color from the surrounding flowers, caught my attention.

Just to be sure, I dug there. And there, the treasure I had buried was sleeping.

The different color of the flowers was because the soil composition was different in that spot.

At that moment, I was convinced.

I don’t know if this game is a world simulator, but using technology close to it, it was undoubtedly developed with the intention of creating a real world.”

“Long!”

“It’s really long… Well, the story is interesting.

And after passionately talking about how NPCs are living desperately day by day, there’s a slightly shady vibe when they’re raiding them. It’s like, ‘Oh, this person is definitely related to Rare-chan.’”

“So, in the end, what is Lyra trying to say?”

“Well, the story continues from here. Come on, have some tea that my maid brewed for you. There’s also tart. I baked it myself. Even without skills, you can do things in reality, but there are no special effects. Oh, don’t rush, there’s still more. This is something you liked, Rare-chan.

Now, that’s how I uncovered a part of the truth of this world and gained immense wealth.

Of course, in this test, just like the previous one, there wasn’t much meaning in leveling up the avatar. I continued to focus on earning funds.

However, this time, what I did was not criminal like the last time. I started a business with the funds obtained from the previous test.

And at this point, when I tried to establish a trade company, I realized that ten in-game years had passed since the last test. The trade company I raided last time had collapsed, and the wealthy individuals had fallen.

The reason my buried location was overgrown with vegetation was not because the objects had changed but simply due to the passage of time.

So, I came up with an idea.

To claim that I defeated thieves and retrieved the stolen noble treasures, trying to establish connections with the nobility. If the stolen items appeared immediately, suspicions might arise, but it had been ten years. Moreover, I looked young. The likelihood of being involved in the events of ten years ago would be low. My appearance was randomly set, thinking that even if someone witnessed the previous crime, they couldn’t link it to me now.

In essence, I planned to gain favor through manipulation.

And so, I increased trust, achievements, and financial strength.

With these connections, I considered what else I could leave for the next test.

Money was already good enough. I couldn’t think of a use for it.

So, items. Only tangible items could be carried over, and if I could obtain special items using these connections, carrying them over would give me a bonus.

Among the stolen… recovered noble treasures, there seemed to be special items bestowed by the king. Thanks to those achievements, I was invited to the royal castle. Honestly, I thought I was lucky at that time.

The reward presented by the king was either gold or a position.

Even if I received a position, it wouldn’t have much meaning, but at that point, I had already received enough gold. So, I tried requesting a position.

In return, they asked me to pledge loyalty to the king.

Don’t you think that’s a kind of scam?

Originally, it should be a reward, but demanding loyalty in return, what’s that about?

Well, once you say it, you can’t take it back.

At that point, I didn’t understand what pledging loyalty meant. So, I nodded.

And I got it.

The item needed for the reincarnation into a Noble Human, the “Azure Blood.”

The moment I received this item, I understood how to use it.

According to the king, certain items called artifacts in the game had such functions. In other words, it was a manual.

And at that moment, I understood one more thing.

The noble treasure I was supposed to have recovered— the item that became the reason for being invited to the royal castle. That was also an artifact.

And probably, the gold I was supposed to receive here was hush money.

So, when demanding loyalty in exchange for a position, there must be something to silence me.

I stored the Azure Blood I received in the inventory and committed suicide on the spot before anything could happen.

Although I had established a trade company with great effort, there was no help for it now.

After respawning in the company’s room, I stored all the company’s safes in my inventory before the company was confiscated by the country and disappeared. As a bonus, before disappearing, I sneaked into the mansion of the noble who facilitated my visit to the royal castle, and I took away all the family heirlooms and wealth. Well, it’s a fee for the trouble.

And then came the Open Beta, well, it’s already Early Access.

This time was troublesome. After all, the initial spawn location was random. But I didn’t need to hurry, and I moved toward the vicinity of the capital like a normal play, earning experience points along the way. I used all the money I earned on the way to prioritize movement. It was just money lying around. I reached the capital using carriages or something, in about two days.

There, I collected the saved funds, used the hidden Azure Blood, and became a Noble Human.

So far is the story of my reincarnation. And from here, it’s the story of how I became the lord of this town. Well, this part is a short story.

At that time, this town was without a ruler, essentially a direct territory of the royal family. The castle was cool, and I wanted this town. Well, there was another reason, but since no one asked, I won’t say it.

Actually, even this time, a few years had jumped from the previous test.

Upon investigation, the noble who had taken care of me at that time had fallen, and their bloodline had ended. They had shown loyalty to the royal family until the end, and somehow, the story of their downfall was passed on as a kind of heroic tale. However, losing all their wealth and ending the lineage, there was no territory to give to the fallen noble family. The land that family had was granted to another noble.

I thought I could make use of this.”

?Noble Humans, it seems, can only be born through the marriage of Noble Humans.

Offspring from mating with Humans will all be regular Humans.

So, at this point, having no history of using the ‘Azure Blood’ managed by the royal family and suddenly existing, I was undoubtedly from some direct noble lineage, but my true identity was unknown.

The ‘Azure Blood’ I once received seemed to have disappeared along with the bodies of the thieves, and in any case, there was no evidence that I had used it at this time. There was no suspicion cast upon me.

So, I stepped forward. As the direct descendant of that fallen noble. The dagger with the family crest that I had was the most convincing evidence.

Of course, this dagger was borrowed from the noble family for the last time, but the royal family didn’t know when it was lost. So, it couldn’t be linked to the theft incident at that time.

There was a certain conviction that this would be the case to some extent. No matter how much trust I had in my vassals, the royal family wouldn’t manage the financial situation of a family. If they did everything, it would be uncomfortable, and eventually, loyalty would be lost. Breaking relationships between people is always about money. Usually.

So, I was officially recognized as a revived noble. However, the former territory was now someone else’s. I couldn’t just snatch it away, claiming it was originally mine.

So, I requested the royal family.

Could you please grant me one of the direct territories of the city under your jurisdiction??

“… That was long.”

“… Sorry, I won’t ask unnecessary questions anymore.

But, you know, the two of you look incredibly alike… the way you act haphazardly and quirky, especially.”

“… Don’t you think we don’t look alike?”

“No, you do. In appearance and behavior, even in the dangerous actions. It’s not something you can usually say about a creature that looks just like a human. The vector is reversed, but it has the same vibe as a ‘cooperator.’ Also, that super excited face when explaining is exactly the same.”

“I thought the story might be too long, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Did you listen to what I said?”

“So, was the next story about the full-body armor okay?”

“Don’t need it.”

“Don’t need it.”

“Then, how about the story of the Tutorial AI?”

“More importantly, how did you guide me here? And how did you plan to defeat me? Also, about that magical-resistant armor.”

“Wait, aren’t you forgetting something fundamental? On purpose?”

“What is it?”

“Your purpose for coming here! Weren’t you looking for the whereabouts of the royal family in Hiers?”

“Oh, right, that’s what I was doing. Well then, let me explain that next. It might be a bit long.”

“Eh?”

“Huh?”