Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 118
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 118
30. Opportunity Quest Stage 8 (2)
After finishing my daily routine (in-game) and returning to reality, I lay down on my bed and examined the data on a hologram.
It was a book handed to me by Chester, the Opportunity Administrator, titled with the rather unusual name, "Why Rondel Cannot Advance into Space Despite Possessing Superior Technology."
That material contained the reasons why Rondel's technology could not help but develop asymmetrically, even though magic had commercialized SF-level technology.
[Physical force is a subordinate concept to supernatural power (magic, Aura, Divine power, Spirit Power).]
Even with Grand Duke Lucas, who hails from Earth, this world's weapons are thoroughly skewed toward magic.
Even for infantry personal firearms, considering cost, using gunpowder and bullets would be far cheaper than magical artifacts, yet they insist on issuing expensive magic guns, don't they?
Gunpowder exists, and this world excels in metallurgy, casting, and alloying technology, so firearm manufacturing isn't impossible either.
Nevertheless, the reason Lords stubbornly arm their soldiers with magical firearms is that the physical force of gunpowder and ammunition cannot exert its full power in the face of magic and supernatural abilities.
No matter how much you spray a heavy machine gun, it can't even pierce a 2nd Circle shield.
No, not even shield magic is needed.
Against personal firearms, even simply magic-treated leather armor wouldn't be penetrated.
A tank's armor-piercing shells are useless before 3rd Circle defense magic, and the high-explosive warheads of ballistic missiles, Earth's primary weapons, can also be fully blocked by 4th to 5th Circle barriers.
Therefore, Grand Duke Lucas speculated that a 7th Circle Great Shield could even stop a nuclear warhead, and ultimately gave up on introducing Earth's weapons into this world.
'Supernatural power is answered by supernatural power.'
Grand Duke Lucas couldn't accept this at first either.
Because the barriers that were easily destroyed by a Knight's sword were so overwhelmingly strong against mere physical force.
So he tried imbuing mana into physical attacks and did all sorts of things, but the conclusion was that making artifacts was simply easier, more economical, and more effective.
That is why, even though a Grand Mage from Earth changed the world, bullets cannot be seen on the battlefield.
'There's a reason the people of this world call missile systems outdated.'
Missiles were a weapons system Grand Duke Lucas ambitiously attempted to introduce, which briefly showed some promise before disappearing.
That brings to mind how, in the war against the Croysen Empire, the Kingdom of Rhinehearts harshly criticized the Heaven-Piercing Fortress's self-destruct attack as an outdated missile attack.
The reason the Heaven-Piercing Fortress's self-destruct attack was effective, unlike missiles, was that the warhead wasn't gunpowder it simultaneously overloaded dozens of the fortress's mana engines to trigger a mana explosion.
That said, Earth's military power is not to be dismissed before Rondel.
Because the book clearly states as much.
[However, this law applies on Rondel, where the power of the goddess Sepia is strong. If the same experiment were conducted under the same conditions on Earth, the results could differ.]
On Rondel, even if you launched a nuclear warhead like a regular missile, it couldn't easily bring down even a single Heaven-Piercing Fortress.
Its magic-treated thick armor and the barrier covering its entire body were a UFO in themselves.
But if a Heaven-Piercing Fortress were to leave Sepia's domain and fall to Earth, it was uncertain whether it could display the same majesty.
[The reason cost-effective Earth-style science failed to become mainstream and magical engineering prevailed is largely due to Sepia's policy of prioritizing such supernatural powers.]
The book then went on to point out this world's asymmetrical technology in relation to space, which is the title of the book.
[Rondel possesses conditions far more favorable for advancing into space than Earth. To lift objects into the sky, a 2nd Circle Float spell can easily do it, and using Teleport, it's even possible to erect a space station beyond the atmosphere in an instant.]
[But Rondel doesn't even attempt to launch a satellite, let alone a space station.]
[I investigated to confirm the reason, and as a result, I learned that it's all because of the goddess Sepia.]
I took interest and touched the holographic window to turn the book to the next page.
[It is said that the goddess restricted each race's sphere of activity, designating boundaries so that they could not encroach upon one another's environments.]
[If that's the case, doesn't this mean that, like Rondel, there are planets belonging to other factions in space?]
[Just as they say there's a garden of spirits on the moon, the Heavenly Tribe and the Demon Tribe might each have their own planets not far away.]
The Rondelians, loyal servants of the goddess, strictly followed the rules she had set, but Grand Duke Lucas, who was born in another world and accidentally crossed over to Rondel, had more than a hint of a rebellious streak.
And so, when Grand Duke Lucas achieved the 8th Circle, he proceeded with a plan to launch a probe equipped with Rondel's version of the Hubble telescope to explore space, and as a result, he came to realize a terrifying truth.
[He came to realize that this world is completely different from the universe to which Earth belongs.]
The first emotion felt from the words written in the book was deep despair.
Though it was wrapped in curiosity, it was because, as he launched the probe, he had harbored the hope that Earth's solar system might be among the stars twinkling in the night sky.
But as the passage shows, he was expressing that this world is fundamentally a different place from the universe to which Earth belongs.
[Apart from Rondel, the moon, and the sun, nothing existed in the vast universe.]
[The stars visible when looking up at the sky from Rondel, and even the Milky Way all of it was nothing more than an illusion.]
Thanks to that, even I found myself staring at the night sky beyond the balcony with a vacant expression.
"All of that is an illusion?"
In the end, that means Rondel is a giant cage with restricted activity zones.
But I didn't rush to judgment even at Grand Duke Lucas's anger-laced reaction.
The reason was that there was still a great deal of this book remaining.
[55/220]
Furthermore, if this world's sphere of activity were limited to Rondel alone, there were many things that wouldn't make sense.
Where in the world do the Demon Tribe who constantly invade Rondel come from?
Could it be that the goddess sends them periodically for her own Entertainment/Diversion, like an event match?
[No, this Rondel is a world of magic. I must not approach it with a conventional mindset. I, Manuel Lucas, need to break free of my fixed ideas as an Earthling.]
And Grand Duke Lucas apparently felt the same way, as he decided to approach things magically rather than only observing outside the world visually like his previous exploration.
Instead of Rondel's version of the Hubble telescope, he loaded a Mana detection device onto the probe.
He judged that planets would inevitably have Mana concentrated in them, and that if he could find similar energies, he would be able to observe the true, invisible form of the universe.
"Ooh."
Grand Duke Lucas's prediction hit the mark perfectly.
One piece of data was attached to the book, as countless dots printed against a pure white background could be seen.
That was the true face of the universe, disguised as barren emptiness.
But Grand Duke Lucas could not continue his space exploration.
[Suddenly, the Holy Son barged in with the Holy Knights and arrested me.]
[Because I had done something the goddess forbade, they called it blasphemy, or something like that.]
[Looking at it now, I've become certain that the reason people show no interest in space isn't because they're devout believers of the goddess, but because of this goddamn church.]
As I read the book, I let out a hollow laugh.
I had only ever thought of Grand Duke Lucas as an awe-inspiring genius, and had never imagined he had such a human side.
[The Emperor of the Bringham Empire donated a huge sum of money, and with a plea for forgiveness and a promise to prevent recurrence, I managed to get out of it.]
[But I couldn't give up my interest in space. So I created equipment that could observe the true form of the universe from the ground.]
[I had poured enormous sums into the previous two explorations, so funds were short, and the Emperor helped cover part of it.]
Surely it's not just my imagination that the Emperor of the Bringham Empire at the time seems pitiable?
[And so I built the equipment, and I was able to confirm three facts.]
[First, due to the concealment effect, they cannot perceive each other, but there are two more inhabited planets within the same solar system. There's no room for doubt. It was clearly the worlds of the Heavenly Tribe and the Demon Tribe.]
[Second, the coordinates are warped so that arbitrary travel between planets is impossible. To invade another planet, one must cross space directly, and this method is strictly forbidden by the goddess. Now I understand why demons go through such ridiculous contortions to come to Rondel.]
[Third, a considerable number of the constellations known on Earth also exist here. This world has a deep connection to my homeland.]
As I looked through the research journal he had compiled over such a long time, I found what could be called the core of this book and swallowed dryly.
"The constellations overlap?"
What this implied was immense, and hopeful.
But I had to tilt my head at the constellation data he had attached...
"Mirror image?"
Because several of the constellations I knew were flipped left and right as if reflected in a mirror.
[It occurred to me that perhaps this place is the mirror world of the Earth I was on.]
I narrowed my brows at the book's content, which ultimately reached that conclusion.
"...."
I understood what Chester had meant.
He wasn't certain himself, but he had a vague inkling.
"Is the 'black star' the goddess spoke of referring to a planet on the opposite side of the mirror world? In other words, Earth?"
When Chester recommended this book, I had thought the black star the goddess mentioned was just, 'Ah, it must be another planet.'
But what if this world is Earth's 'mirror world'?
Then that could be interpreted as meaning a problem will arise between this world and Earth.
"If that's the case, it'd be a global threat so why did the goddess mention it so casually?"
In the end, something will happen between Rondel and Earth, but the damage won't be severe?
I stared into empty air, organizing my thoughts, then shouted up at the sky as if in protest.
"Ah, so what am I supposed to do about this!? Can't you just tell me what's going to happen!?"
Even having realized something I didn't know, it was just as frustrating without any clear answer.
"And I can't even share this data."
What exactly am I supposed to do?
What am I supposed to do level up, of course.
"Rraaah!"
The moment the game's connection restriction lifted, I logged in and immediately resumed hunting.
For the past few days, I'd been fighting Dragonkin in preparation for the Balrog battle, and the named Dragonkin great warrior I discovered deep in the dungeon had combat power comparable to Balrog, making it perfect for a rehearsal.
But was I too eager?
Or was it because yesterday's events were clouding my mind?
"Adrian-nim!"
A catastrophe occurred I misread the timing of its area attack.
I had to get behind Arcia quickly, but it seemed impossible time-wise.
"Huh? Hey, what are you doing?"
So I used a bind spell on Bug, who was positioned slightly closer than Arcia.
He had been running to get behind Arcia too, but when I suddenly grabbed his ankle, he looked bewildered.
I hid behind Bug's small back.
-Boom boom boom boom boom boom!
"Kuaaah!"
"Sorry, I can't afford to lose EXP."
"You damn piece of shiiiiit!!"
And so, though I lost a lot of HP, I succeeded in surviving the area attack, and I dashed forward, offering my thanks to Bug, who had collapsed, charred black.
"I won't forget this debt!"
Then I unleashed 7th Circle spells at the named Dragonkin great warrior.
[You have leveled up.]
Thanks to Bug's noble sacrifice, I safely reached level 250.