Chapter 599 Earth's Progress
Within a few weeks of leaving Earth, a lot of changes already happened. The world's perception of the supernatural eased up and those who had yet to accept it started to dwindle.
The fear of alien invasion also disappeared but with the old fossils and the Earth Defense Force sitting at the helm, they ordered the governments not to keep their citizens in the dark. They could do so slowly to prevent panic from spreading, that way even when video leaks about mysterious phenomena continued to flood the internet, the majority would have the idea of which one was a hoax.
The conflict in real life between countries had also stopped. There are no more soldiers in army bases waiting for orders from their superiors to attack. Everyone's attention switched to the world's most sensational game, the Pathways Online.
Within the first week of its launching, those who were lucky enough to get their Full Immersion Chamber became totally engrossed in the endless possibilities offered by the game.
Of course, with its advent, Polaris and the other old fossils prepared a countermeasure in case people got addicted and stopped being productive in real life.
Those who died in the game and were forced to wait for a day or two before they could log in again were encouraged to continue with their job before the game's launch. And given that there's a time limit on how many hours one could play, the players were forced to continue with their daily lives.
Nonetheless, that didn't stop people who started writing on the internet about the game.
Online forums and video clips started to be flooded with interest. The trend gradually shifted from social issues that were generated because of the long-time peace to the total hype for the game.
Celebrities and popular names also started advocating for the public to get their Full Immersion Chamber as soon as possible. Although some of them were paid by Polaris's company to endorse it, it didn't take long for others to do the same without getting paid after having a taste of what it was like to freely adventure in a virtual world.
Of course, posts and videos telling everyone they could bring back their progress in real life also became more apparent.
To prevent widespread crimes being committed, Polaris and the Earth's Defense Force along with the national governments started policing those who would abuse their meager power outside of the game.
That didn't stop the inherent greed of people though. Societies and organizations began to be created dedicated to the people who found out about the benefits of the game.
Thankfully, after some of them experienced that whatever they received inside the game could be crushed easily by the people of the Earth's Defense Force, they started focusing more on building up their associations inside the game.
At the moment, the game was already running for more than a month after its launch. During its first month, Polaris and his company Levatus raffled more Full Immersion Chambers for the general populace.
Ranking of Countries and Individuals is also implemented to show the prestige one would receive from continuing to play it.
And lastly, to further encourage the people to try it out, in-game treasures and weapons were distributed for those elites or through a large quest that every player became a part of.
They got teleported to one isolated map to complete that quest and those who excelled in it received those prizes.
According to the last report I heard, Polaris also started arranging for nations to start some kind of competition.
Since the denizens of Earth in this era were more patriotic to their respective countries, they're bound to feel the honor of representing them in something like eSports.
However, that might take a month before the first competitions could start.
For now, among the early players, the strongest already reached the 4th Realm of their Mortal Pathway. They're still quite weak when it comes to the content of the games but some thought that they're already invincible in real life. Those who took that step were easily suppressed and started to be monitored by the EDA.
Since no one graduated yet, the game would probably continue to be a sensation until everyone stepped foot at the first stages of their Mortal Pathway.
With the Level 3 Earth Energy continuing to recover, there were already people who would naturally awaken.
Anyway, that's probably the most significant change on Earth to date.
Though it's important for the continued survival and the recovery of Earth's strength, we have more important tasks to do.
Upon returning to Earth, my Companions led by Nysia, Irja, and Yumiko traveled to the headquarters of the Earth's Defense Force to present the captives to the other fossils stationed there
As for me, I brought Yuko, Yse, and Fleur to meet with Hajime and my father back at the Academy.
Of course, the white-haired woman was with us.
Since we'd be needing the sly old man's help to complete my end of the deal, I told him almost everything that happened while my father listened to the side.
Luckily, they're both here and not outside the Earth, preventing invading Space Vessels from reaching the world.
"I get it, Kuramoto-kun. It is imperative to erase her memory and wipe away her Pathway's progress. However..." The sly old man said after I told him what kind of assistance I needed from him.
He's the one who put a seal on Yuko's memories, after all. He should have the means to do it for this woman as well.
Or maybe not.
The woman is a peak Rank 3 Transcendent. Perhaps if we didn't arrive in that world, she'd breakthrough Rank 4 in a few months or a year.
If this sly old man was going to say that it was impossible for him, she was probably too strong to be tampered with by his ability. Or his ability was not enough to fully erase her memories.
"You can't do it?"
"Erasing her memory and turning her into a blank slate is impossible. We can only assist you in retrieving her Pathway and resetting it back to Mortal Rank. You're going to have her assimilate our world's inherent Energy, am I correct?"
"Yes. I will also bring her back to her peak state after it."
"I see." The old man nodded. His meaningful gaze then landed on Yuko and Yse.
"Father, is it really impossible?" Yuko inquired. She also thought her father would be able to do it.
"I apologize, Yuko-chan. But it is out of my current abilities." The sly old man bowed. He's probably sincere about that.
My father on his side also appeared solemn. He's a pure combat Transcendent, after all. He's only here because of me and the old man.
"Alright, then who can deal with her memories? That's the deal I made with her mysterious Eye. If her memory of me remained intact, her hatred for me would just consume her."
"I see. I believe you already know the answer to that Kuramoto-kun. There's an entity that can simultaneously do what you're asking for."
"You mean that guy?"
Ah. Of course. It's the hateful World's Will of Earth. If it's him, it's definitely possible. But I still had to try here first. Considering our last interaction, I still loathe dealing with him.
"Indeed. However, there's another one."
As the old man said that, his eyes focused on me, obviously gesturing that the other entity that could accomplish the same feat was none other than me.
"Dai-kun. The World's Will's Authority that he handed to you..." Yuko said, understanding what her father meant.
"Yeah. That seems to be the case. If I wield its Authority, it's possible for me to do both. I may have to do it inside the Source Energy Core though."
Of course, it won't be easy. I'm still unaware of the process to take. However, if it means not dealing with that hateful guy, then I'll do it.?Just that, since I have to do it there… encountering that guy would be inevitable.
Haa. I guess I could grit my teeth and accept this reality then. We have to finish this soon and return on our journey. We cannot be relaxed yet.
"Alright. We'll be staying here for a few days first to prepare. Can you look after her?" I said as I handed them the bound, unconscious woman.
Following that, I turned to my father, "How is mom?"
"Brat..." With a wry smile, he answered while scratching his head. He didn't expect me to suddenly bring her up to the conversation.
Still, with his smile relaxing, I could sense his relief, "She's fine. With you traveling away from our world, she has been feeling lonely these days. You should visit her. Bring your Companions too if you can."
"Dad, shouldn't you be with her then?"
"I am going home to her at night! You know I'm busy too. Hurry up and become a Sage for us so I can stay at home."
"Yeah, right. I'll do that soon. Give me a little brother or sister, alright? Before we give you grandchildren." I smirked.
Yuko and Fleur blushed at what they heard before giggling filled the room, amused at our father-and-son bantering.
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