The next day...

Aika City was as noisy and bustling as usual. Everyone minded their own business, and discussed topics that interested them. One of the most discussed items was the previous day’s auction.

Which guilds managed to win a bid for which equipment, and which players won bids for which items…

Players rarely spoke about topics like which locations were great for killing monsters and leveling up. Most of these players were just in the game to spend five years of time.

Earth was mired in never-ending war. Everyone there lived through each day nervously, because nobody knew if they would still be alive when the next moment came…

Worlds in virtual games were wonderful, and many people were willing to spend their time in those illusions. However, the fire of war didn’t allow that to happen because nowhere was safe on Earth. Nobody knew if they would be stuck forever in a virtual reality.

Everyone was talking about their respective topics in elation, happy from the bottom of their hearts. Every person’s radiant smile was just so genuine…

Blue Maple accelerated through the crowd. He had just accepted a quest from the Mercenary Union, and had accidentally wandered into a bustling street because he wasn’t very familiar with the place.

“Eh? Why is...