“The strength of both countries was essentially even,” he answered. “This includes the nations’ power, the soldiers’ levels, and the fighting ability of important tians. However, the strength of Masters on top of that is a different story.”
“So you’re saying they lost to Dryfe because of the difference in the number of players?” I asked.
Dryfe certainly seems like a nation where those who like it would really like it, so maybe a bunch of players joined it, I thought. ...No, that can’t be it. If that were the case, this kingdom would also...
“The reason they lost is because out of all the Masters that were eligible to join the war, most didn’t participate,” he said.
“What?” It was an answer I didn’t expect.
The fate of the kingdom was at stake, and it was a big-time event, yet they didn’t participate?
“The king of Altar was, how to put it, an old-fashioned person,” my brother said. “He said, ‘This is a crisis for our kingdom. Warriors of this nation, now is the time to rise up!’ It was great that he gave this speech and joined the front-lines, but that was it.”
“That was it?” I asked.
“There were no rewards. Essentially, he felt that if you belong to this nation, then it’s a given that you should rise up during its crisis.”
...I get that the fate of the kingdom was at stake, but I still feel that’s being a bit cheap, I thought. Is that how it’s normally done?
“Of course, for Masters... for players, they’re enjoying this world but they aren’t staking their lives on this game,” my brother said. “If they die, they just can’t log back in for 24 hours. That’s why even if the kingdom was in a crisis, there were many who thought that if there wasn’t anything to gain, then there wasn’t any meaning in participating.”
I would be just the opposite, I thought. If the login restriction was the only negative that came from dying, then I would consider joining the war, but I guess everyone thinks differently. There is the cost of the healing items you use during battle, and it’d be a huge minus if you fought some strong enemy and your equipment got destroyed.
“Regarding this issue, the fact that Dryfe on the other side clearly stated their rewards was a big factor,” he explained, and went on to describe them.
Apparently they had been quite exceptional.
They had offered 5,000 lir for every Kingdom of Altar soldier defeated. For each Embryo holder — in other words, each Master — the reward had been 50,000 lir. In addition to this, they had offered various rewards for defeating key people, such as rare items and a privileged status within the nation.
As a result, the morale of Dryfe’s players had risen, while the motivation of players in the Kingdom of Altar had dropped considerably.
“There were even some players saying things like, ‘I want to fight on Dryfe’s side,’ and ‘There might be a rare event if this kingdom gets destroyed,’” my brother said.
I wasn’t sure what to say. As a gamer, I can’t say I don’t understand how they feel. I can understand them, but...
“And the real decisive blow for the crushing loss was that the Kingdom of Altar’s Big Three — the top players for the kill rankings, duel rankings, and clan rankings — all passed on participating.”
“Rankings?” I asked. “They have those?”
“That over there,” he said and pointed outside the window.
This restaurant faced the square with the water fountain where I had met up with my brother. He pointed at a splendid-looking notice board in front of the water fountain.
“That’s the Kingdom of Altar’s ranking board. It’s updated every three months in game time. There are the kill rankings where you compete with your accomplishments defeating monsters. Then there are the duel rankings for PvP achievements, and the clan rankings that compare the size of clans. The top thirty ranking players for each of these is listed there.”
“Hmm,” I said.
“And this part is important: the only players that can participate in wars are the ones in those rankings. As for the clan rankings, if you’re a member of a clan within the top thirty, then you can participate. So you could temporarily join a clan as a mercenary and fight in a war.”
So in any case, that means a player can’t fight in wars unless they make it into those rankings.
And at the time of the last war, the top-ranking players for each category, known as the Big Three, had supposedly said the following when the kingdom sought their participation:
The top of the kill rankings, King of Destruction (name unknown), had said, “I don’t want to participate in a big event and carelessly expose my face.”
The top of the duel rankings, Over Gladiator Figaro, had said, “I’m not interested in sloppy fights.”
The leader of the top clan on the clan rankings, High Priestess Tsukuyo Fuso of The Lunar Society, had said, “We were unable to reach an agreement with the Kingdom of Altar.”
As a result, the other ranking players’ already low motivation had been brought down even further.
I’m sure they could see it’d be a losing battle, I thought. And like that, the war had started without many of the ranking players.
The ones that had participated had included some of the ranking clans, players that had temporarily joined them, such as members of fan clubs for popular tians like Liliana, as well as naive players.
The result had been a terrible sight.
The scene on the battlefield could only have been described as a massacre. The overall number of players had been disparate, and most devastating of all was that the top-ranking players on Dryfe’s side had all participated.
Top of the Dryfe Imperium’s kill rankings, King of Beasts.
Top of the Dryfe Imperium’s duel rankings, Hell General Logan Goddhart.
Top of the Dryfe Imperium’s clan rankings, Giga Professor Mr. Franklin, leader of the clan, Triangle of Wisdom.
Two out of the three had Superior Embryos, and their fighting power had been enormous. The Knights of the Royal Guard Commander and the Arch Wiseman had died at the hands of these three. Even the king had been killed.
“If things had kept going as they were, without a doubt, this kingdom would’ve been on a straight shot to ruin,” said my brother. “But after being forced to give up a third of our territory, the nation of Caldina began their invasion into Dryfe. Except for some troops they left behind in the territory they took, the rest of Dryfe’s forces retreated back to their homeland, and so the Kingdom of Altar managed to survive by a hair.”
However, my brother continued to explain, since Caldina had already pulled out of Dryfe, Dryfe would likely attack again in a few months.
...He was right, I thought. This wasn’t a fun story.
“So what’s this about you saying that Liliana resents you?” I asked.
“That’s because I was one of the ranking players listed there that didn’t participate,” he said. “Moreover, the former commander of the knights that died in battle was Liliana and Milia’s father.”
“...Man,” I said. This really isn’t a fun story.
“And so, having heard this not-so-fun story, what do you plan to do, Master?” Nemesis, who had been engrossed in her food this whole time and hadn’t joined our conversation, asked.
“There’s nothing I can do, right?” I asked.
What will I do when Dryfe attacks again... well, for now, I’ve already made my decision.
“Even if there’s no reward, I’m not too keen on refusing to participate,” I said. “Even if there’s a cost, I would think there’s some value in taking part.” Even if you were to just view it as a game event.
“Yeah, well, you’re right about that, but the players’ mood at the time was more of a boycott against the cheap nation,” said my brother. “I even get the feeling that Dryfe might’ve prepared their crazy rewards as a way to create this mood.”
If that’s the case, then the Kingdom of Altar probably lost to Dryfe strategically before the battle even began.
“Why didn’t you join, Bro?” I asked. “Was it because of the lack of reward for you, too?”
“...In my case, it was because having my equipment break would equal exposing my real face.”
“...Ahh, yeah.”
Well yeah, that would be a huge problem, but still...
“Well, I’ve changed my equipment since then, so I’ll be joining next time,” he said.
That costume’s DEF stat and physical damage reduction are certainly impressive, I thought. Although it’s still a gag item, no matter how you look at it.
“The next time we do fight, though,” he continued, “the strength of their nation will have increased, while ours will have weakened. So it’ll be tough.”
“Weakened?” I asked.
“Since losing the war, there have been a lot of players switching to different nations. There are even tians leaving the kingdom. People on online chat boards have been saying things like, ‘The Kingdom of Altar is past its prime,’ and ‘It’s game over.’”
I remained silent.
Defections, refugees, and rampant resignation... That’s the path of a country headed towards collapse in the real world.
“With the latest update to the rankings, about 70% have been replaced,” he said.
“Hmm...” I said. Put another way, now might be the chance to get on the ranking boards.
“In that case, I guess I’ll start from there,” I said.
Listening to all this has helped me solidify my plans... no, my plans are still the same, but my goals have increased.
“Have you decided on a new objective?” asked Nemesis.
I nodded. “As things stand, there aren’t a lot of things I can do, and I can’t take part in the war.”
Which is why...
“First I’ll raise my level,” I said, “and then I guess I’ll aim to get onto the rankings.”