Chapter 2

W-well, I guess it might be worth checking out. Besides, I need to find out how accurate the map is, Lorna thought, trying to justify her actions. She wandered to some nearby bushes, and pushing them aside, she found something glittering among the foliage—a small coin. “Th-the map was right…! There’s exactly five hundred shil here!” For someone as dead broke as Lorna, even a measly five hundred shil was cause for celebration. And yet… “How did it know something like that? What the heck is this internet thing…?” The internet seemed to know not only that someone had dropped money in the middle of the woods, but also the exact amount they had dropped. Was that even possible? …This is seriously creepy. Perhaps Lorna had underestimated the power of the internet’s knowledge. More terrifying still was that the information it contained didn’t seem limited to merely the Ipple Woods. “Map…List…?” Lorna timidly touched the words. “Wh-what is—?” The screen shifted to display a page containing what appeared to be maps of every single location in the entire world. This included even the deepest parts of as-yet-unexplored dungeons. There were even maps of hidden passageways inside the royal palace. That was when Lorna noticed the following page titles: List of Important People, Complete List of Equipment, and Complete List of Skills. Her own skill began to terrify her. “Th-this internet thing is…unbelievable.” That was underselling it. Something had finally dawned on Lorna. There’s…no way this skill could be worse than a G-Rank skill. The B-Rank skills like Magic Sword that her brothers were always boasting about, and even the A-Rank skills she had heard about in rumors—all paled in comparison to Internet. “This skill… It must allow me to tap into the wisdom of the gods.” What was written on this screen was the very truth of the world. It was like a divine bookcase that contained all knowledge. “That’s what this is… That’s the power of the internet.” Lorna swallowed the lump in her throat. If I can learn to use my Internet skill fully, then… There was no telling how much knowledge and power she could access. Just thinking about it made her tremble. But then… “Lorna… You should live your life freely. The way you want to.” …her mother’s dying words suddenly came back to her. When Lorna was a child, her mother would often regale her with tales of the outside world. She loved her mother’s stories and always wished that one day, she, too, would be able to see the world for herself. But she was the daughter of a noble, and she had obligations. She would never be allowed to venture out on her own. Her father had forbidden her from ever leaving their estate, and she had grown up believing that, just as her mother before her, she would spend her entire life within the confines of the family home. But now, with the power of the internet at her disposal, maybe, just maybe, she could live a life like the heroes in her beloved stories—a life of freedom. A life where she could travel to all sorts of places, eat all sorts of yummy foods, meet all sorts of interesting people… As these visions of her new life grew grander and grander still, Lorna’s heart began to pound in her chest. “I think that, maybe…it’s for the best that I was kicked out before I learned about the power of the internet.” If Lorna had understood the limitless powers at her disposal before being cast out, the Guugelheit family would surely have locked her away and used her as a tool. In the worst-case scenario, everyone in the world might have come after her for her power. She could have been kidnapped or assassinated… It could have caused wars! This skill of hers was simply that amazing. “W-well anyway…I should look up more stuff…more and more and more!” Knowledge was power. There was still so much she needed to know. Brimming with energy and impatience, Lorna touched the screen once again, and… “Uh. What’s this weird thing that just popped up? An…ad? What’s an ad? O-oh geez. How do I go back to the last page…? Uh, let me see. Maybe I have to tap this X? Ugh, come on! Why is the X so small?! I just… Wh-wha—?! W-w-wait…!” For some reason, the so-called ads began to multiply and multiply until… “…N-no! No, no, no…!” Lorna stood in complete shock. Something new was written on the screen, right in front of her face. [!] CRITICAL SYSTEM FAILURE [!] Warning: Tap the UPDATE button below to install the latest repair software. Your files will be deleted in 230 seconds. “Th-the internet… It’s broken?!”