NoveLight ™
"When I saw it directly back then, it didn’t feel like this, but now, looking at it from the air, I really… I can finally feel that Eugene has transcended humanity in many ways."
"I couldn’t move like that now. Around that time, I spent about a month doing Glory and Honor and sharpened my instincts a bit... Still, it was quite fun. Somehow, I managed to do it."
"What about the sudden trouble that came to me because of all the weird things you guys did over there?"
"Ah."
EPCOT Disney Studio, Glory and Honor Area.
The Glory and Honor Area, which boasts a beauty comparable to the Terra and Dark Zone Areas, features the newly popular landmark—a vast, gentle hill larger than a soccer field, filled with holograms and camera drones.
For the most part, it's a rest stop where tourists visiting the theme park can take a break and enjoy the scenery, but from 3 PM to 5 PM… a holographic diorama unfolds to make it feel as though one is experiencing what happened when I implemented 1:300 in real-time.
Around 2:55 PM, access is blocked, and gradually, enemies begin to appear on the hill.
A rectangular spear formation of around 40–50 people.
Dozens of cavalry.
Five Armstrong cannons.
Numerous archers.
And across from them, armed with a dagger and hand axe, is me.
I knock away the arrows and charge into the Pike formation like a piercing strike, then grab a spear and throw it to intercept the cavalry. I dodge the Armstrong cannon fire and repeat similar actions. Eventually, when no one is left alive on the small ridge, Lorentina appears to face me.
A battle of superhumans, the kind that no famous Marvel movie could ever match. Every time an attack hits, we’re thrown back by several meters, exchanging blows so fast they can’t even be seen by the human eye.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but at that point… I was having a lot of fun. Besides, it was enjoyable. Opportunities like that to push my body to its limits don’t come by often.
"If I had the same physical abilities as Eugene and went there... I’d probably have been crushed by 300 people."
"Ah, I was thinking the same thing."
"The combat skills and sense of the archetype can’t be replaced by just physical ability. The main body and Rain were completely wiped out by the archetype and turned to the other side for the same reason."
"...Do you have to praise my face like that?"
It was quite a mess.
And that wasn’t even the end of it. Unlike the Dark Zone Area, where power and skill are revered, Glory and Honor users—those who believe strength is everything—began to worship me. Even when I finished the advertisement and returned to the Dark Zone, it was the same.
I even got a nickname. "War God." They all seemed to be planning to burn me to death with the flames of embarrassment.
And surprisingly, that wasn’t the end of it.
"...Why are they selling daggers and tomahawks in Disney World?"
"Oh, don’t worry. They’re covered with special covers, and you can’t even open them unless you’re more than 5 kilometers away from Disney World. Plus, their location can be tracked in real-time until they’re opened."
"Well, that’s fine, but…"
Fairburn-Sykes Sponsored, Eugene Dagger.
Two blades for $1000.
Winkler Co. Sponsored, WK Combat Axe.
One for $650.
Of course, since the royalties from those companies are still being deposited into my account, I don’t have any real complaints, but seeing Disney World selling these things, my mind just kind of wandered off somewhere far away.
But aside from that, the quality was amazing. The person working at the store opened a box with multiple electronic locks and showed me two blades and one tomahawk. That’s when I knew the quality.
On the blades, laser-engraved English words. One had "Honor" inscribed, and the other "Glory." The tomahawk had the handle inscribed. Below that was my personal pictogram, released alongside the Final Championship victory.
There was even a quality guarantee certificate, and when I saw it, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.
"I think I’ll buy this."
"When I go back to Korea, I’ll need to get a sword possession permit, find a customs broker... a lot to do."
"Why buy something so useless?"
"Well, yeah... but..."
"By the way, everything here is mass-produced. Later, I’ll contact Fairburn Sykes and WK to ask if they can make a limited edition or something. So, don’t think about it for now."
At the same time, I quickly turned my gaze away.
Logan, Lorentina, Olivia, Harmonie, Dice, Jin, Rain, Mav, and mine included, maybe around eight sets? Actually, since I already have plenty of blades at home, I didn’t really need this addition, but... well, I guess it’s a souvenir.
The Icarus gear, responding to my will, converted the details and sent them as an email to the dagger manufacturing company. I imagined I’d soon receive nine links in my inbox to customize the length, color, design, and more.
Additionally, as I patted the heads of the Triple Mecha youngsters, who reacted more human-like than people, I promised to give them even more unique gifts later, and they went absolutely wild.
Since I couldn’t even take these items to Korea, it seemed better to push that expectation aside for now.
"At this point, the youngest shouldn’t have to pay the entrance fee here."
"...That’s true."
What should I say?
Maybe it was because of some sort of collaboration with Icarus, or maybe it was because of all the achievements I had accumulated, or perhaps it was both... But seeing my accomplishments embedded in the theme park for all the users was like chocolate chips in cookies... it felt strange.
Still, considering that I couldn’t predict when my next visit would be, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to enjoy this sight once in a while.
Thinking that, I added:
"Let’s head to the last area. Let’s go check out what the fantasy world full of dreams and hopes looks like."
"Yes."
"How is it that we’re just now heading to the only sane part of the neighborhood after 9 hours in the theme park? The end of times is near."
With Logan’s sharp remark, we stepped into a new area we had never visited before.
It was the beginning of fantasy.
"Ha ha, ha ha ha… suddenly taking all the mecha youngsters and leaving us behind... I guess this calls for an explanation, Eugene..."
"You're out of your mind."
Meanwhile, in another world—New York.
The shark, who can’t resist anything fun, was filled with jealousy.
It was just another ordinary day.
"Looking at this, I suddenly thought—what would happen if the youngest or people like us went to a place like a fantasy world?"
"What would happen? Unless there are guys who can change the terrain with magic or swords, we’d probably snap the spines of those reckless kids. We’d spend most of the money on ingredients."
"If people who can change the terrain with magic or swords have reached that level through training or whatever, shouldn’t we be able to get there much faster?"
"...You guys are really writing a novel, huh?"
Adventurer guilds, various races, one-dimensional jobs, and all sorts of clichés.
But if they suddenly appeared in reality, would anyone be surprised or impressed?
The word fantasy originally referred to something imagined, something shaped by people's imagination, a stark contrast to the reality we live in.
And Disney World recreated that fantasy in reality, most concretely represented by the giant World Tree-shaped building standing in the center of the Terra area. The leaves were holograms, so it was unique in that sunlight could pour through.
Anyway, the overwhelming visual made me think that. The Dark Zone Area and its air felt different. Not just the feeling, but literally. I heard that they spray a little bit of perfume in the air in each area, so people can enjoy the ambiance through their sense of smell.
And true to what they said. In the Dark Zone Area... I don’t know how, but it smelled like death. It was kind of suffocating. A mix of earth and grass, with a hint of burnt smell, rusted cars, and aged concrete.
But here… what should I say? It smelled fresh.
There were plenty of things to draw people’s attention.
"...Why are there so many people here?"
"Well, this is the magic demonstration area. It’s set up inside a huge sphere that can accommodate around 350 people, and the holograms inside can recognize people’s movements and bring the appearance of magic to life in reality. There are supposed to be several more like this inside the World Tree."
"So that’s why people are lining up like that."
"The right line is a bit different. That one is for the viewing area. They say you can watch different kinds of battles happening in the magic demonstration area. We’ll probably have to go that way if we enter."
Magic.
Magic, huh?
There were two things to check: the current time and the group's interest. Since the sun was still high in the sky and it wasn’t even close to sunset, there was no need to worry about time. Everyone seemed curious about magic, so interest was high.
So, the nine of us moved to the right, and the line there started to shrink at a speed incomparable to the left side. As we quickly moved inside, a sudden curiosity sparked, and I asked Harmonie.
"Have you tried Terra?"
"No. If I had died in the Dark Zone, I might have switched to Terra. To be honest, I only tried the Dark Zone because I was curious..."
"Have you tried Terra?"
"No. If I had died in the Dark Zone, I might have moved to Terra. Honestly, I only ended up trying the Dark Zone because I was curious..."
So, there are things like that in Terra too, huh...
Anyway, back in the past, I might have considered trying a different game, but right now, I wasn’t thinking about picking up anything new. In just a few days, I’d have to fly to Russia, and after that, I’d have a new raid to tackle. And after that… I’d probably need to head back to the US. The Fourth Final Championship was waiting for me.
Maybe sometime next year. But it wouldn’t be the early part of the year. If things go badly, I might end up having a one-on-one meal with the President of the United States.
We slowly entered inside.
Suddenly, Rain asked from behind.
"Master, what is magic?"
"...Basically, it’s a supernatural phenomenon that can’t occur physically, and here… well, it’s the process and result of converting an unscientific energy source into reality’s energy."
"Unscientific energy?"
"Just assume that it exists. It’s all part of the process of the IF (Imaginary Fiction)."
Of course, the second one had no idea what that meant and had a blank expression.
That was to be expected. After all, fantasy and magic were things created by people’s imaginations, adding plausible backstory to things that didn’t exist in reality. So, for Rain, who didn’t understand the yearning for the unknown and the fantastic, it must have felt like talking about another world.
Thus, the explanation had to be as simple as possible.
"So, for example... let’s say I suddenly make fire from my fingertips. With no reasonable explanation. Would that make sense?"
"It wouldn’t."
"Exactly, that’s magic. Suddenly, fire shoots out of your hand and hits the enemy, or water freezes the opponent... That’s the essence of magic—totally unfounded."
Finally, the Mecha Biamz all nodded.
In the end, understanding magic was about grasping the concept of irrationality created by imagination. Soon enough, they started babbling on their own.
"So, if we attack with our tails, does that count as magic?"
"From what I’ve heard about the archetypes, determining whether something is magic or not doesn’t depend on destructive power. But since the unknown can also be expressed as an unpredictable variable, projecting that kind of energy could also be considered magic."
"Wouldn’t it be better to just threaten the other guy instead?"
...Yeah. You all use magic as much as you want.
This is really driving me crazy.