Chapter 36: A World of Games and War

“Are those other characters also controlled by people in this room?”

After killing the human swordsman, the two figures standing opposite remained completely still.

It was clear they were merely part of the numerous virtual characters, suggesting that the entire hall might be networked.

“Yes,” Angelina confirmed.

“However, not everyone here is playing this specific game.

The characters on each card can grow stronger in one game and then be utilized in others.”

As she spoke, she withdrew her card and led me to a different table, one with a distinct appearance.

What lay beneath its transparent cover was again different.

This time, the map area was quite small, featuring only two virtual figures engaged in combat.

‘This is just a versus game, isn’t it?’

There was no need for her to explain; I had already grasped it.

It was as if various esports and video games had been transformed into magical versions and placed within this very hall.

“There’s still a slight difference,” Angelina corrected me.

“It is said that many of the skills and moves used by the corresponding characters here actually exist in reality.”

‘Is that so?’

I observed one of the human spearman characters, and their attack style indeed bore a striking resemblance to some of Tiffany’s abilities.

‘What about an angel’s skills?’

An idea for enhancing my own power immediately sprang to mind.

I had long been pondering what abilities I, as an angel, could possibly wield, and this seemed like an unexpected windfall.

“No wonder you chose to buy an angel card; truly, you have foresight.”

I yearned to pat Angelina’s shoulder in approval, but she was significantly taller than I, making such a gesture feel awkward.

Instead, I opted to pat her back.

“Actually, I’ve already tried it,” she replied, a hint of helplessness in her expression.

She inserted her card into the tabletop and demonstrated for me.

“Most of an angel’s usable skills involve light magic, with almost no options for physical attacks; they can only strike with the longsword provided with the card.”

Evidently, Angelina’s control skills were not particularly impressive.

Her opponent was a bird covered in golden scales, emanating bolts of electricity.

After just a few rounds, the eight-winged angel was struck down, charred black, and then 3 Illusionary Demon Points were deducted, leaving her with 19.

It seemed only two possibilities remained.

Either the card’s creators were themselves unaware of an angel’s true abilities and had merely set them according to common knowledge.

Or, angels genuinely only possessed light magic.

Given that I had yet to uncover any definitive answers about my own angelic abilities, I leaned towards the latter explanation.

“And what about these without the transparent covers?” I asked, pointing towards several people who appeared to be playing cards.

“They are indeed playing cards,” Angelina explained, glancing in the direction of my pointed finger.

“On those tables, Illusionary Demon Cards display their point information, and victory or defeat is determined by their value and the specific rules.”

“However, the stakes in those games are very high, requiring many cards to participate.”

“Someone like us, with only one or two cards, probably couldn’t join.”

‘There are so many variations,’ I marveled, surprised that a single small card could facilitate so many different games.

From what I could see, there were likely more than just these three types of gameplay available.

After observing everything, it was clear that this was essentially a grand arcade from another world, albeit one based on magic, with merely different ways to play.

‘So, those Illusionary Demon Points are used to exchange for things, right?’

I didn’t need to guess; I already knew.

It was abundantly clear that the main draw of these games lay in their benefits; otherwise, who would bother coming here?

“Of course, they serve a significant purpose.”

At the mention of this, Angelina grew slightly excited and immediately led me to a counter-like area within the hall.

Various prizes were displayed there.

A service attendant handed me an exchange list, and I was astonished to see many valuable items, including the Storage Ring Angelina had often spoken of.

However, the required points were quite daunting: a staggering 10,000,000.

‘You didn’t buy the card just because you saw you could exchange for a ring, did you?’

I shot her a sidelong glance.

While my estimation of her wasteful spending habits decreased slightly, the sheer number of points required for the ring instantly made me abandon all hope.

I doubted one could accumulate enough points even by spending every day here, and there was a good chance of losing everything.

The first item on the list was the exchange rate for Sila: 500 points to 1 Sila, meaning the ring here cost 20,000 Sila.

‘That’s not cost-effective; a ring outside only costs 15,000 Sila. This is clearly a rip-off.’

‘Did this girl not even know basic arithmetic?’

“The exchange rate here fluctuates,” Angelina explained to me, flipping to the later pages of the list.

“Yesterday, when I checked, it was 600 to 1.”

“Moreover, you can also convert Sila into points through special trading methods.”

“And what’s more, there’s this.”

I looked where she pointed, and there, surprisingly, was an ‘Introduction to Light Magic.’

‘This is possible!’

At that moment, I genuinely couldn’t deny my excitement.

A book on magical knowledge, something I had always desired, was actually available here.

In truth, the exchange cost for this book was exorbitant, even far surpassing that of the Storage Ring, demanding a full 27,500,000 points.

Converted to Sila, that amounted to 55,000, though it was still considerably cheaper than prices found elsewhere, especially compared to the Adventurers’ Guild bookstore.

‘This is indeed an alternative method for acquiring magic books, but it still feels incredibly distant.’

I sighed, returning the list.

I had to admit, Angelina possessed considerable foresight in this regard, perhaps even a bit too much.

Having almost squandered her entire family fortune, she had only gained these seemingly unattainable possibilities, which struck me as incredibly uneconomical.

“Everything has to start somewhere, which is why I bought the cards first,” Angelina offered, sensing my thoughts and flashing an embarrassed smile.

“Fine, do as you please.”

Having thoroughly understood everything, I stepped out of the shop.

With only a few hundred coins between the two of us, we absolutely had to return to the Guild to accept quests and earn money.

At the very least, I believed this was the most effective method for now, and it offered the added benefit of training.

Noticing Angelina seemed intent on staying, and considering we were both adults, I felt it inappropriate to restrict her.

I could only caution her, “These games have losses. While your points won’t drop into the negative, there are certainly rules to prevent unlimited farming of points, or else this exchange rate wouldn’t exist.”

“So, whatever you do, don’t try to exploit that. It would be troublesome if something went wrong.”

Angelina nodded gravely.

She, too, recognized that the rules for acquiring points contained many seemingly obvious loopholes, yet whether one would exploit them was an entirely different matter.

By the time I returned to the Adventurers’ Guild, it was already afternoon.

The hall was unusually sparse today, with only a few scattered individuals waiting in line.

My gaze fell upon the notice board, and I was surprised to find a medium-level quest that remained unclaimed.

Although the required collateral points were 1,300, and I currently possessed only a little over 200, far from enough, its specific requirements presented a possibility.

This was a quest that explicitly required multiple participants to complete.

Its objective was to travel to another city and assist with its defense, offering a reward of 3,000 Sila per person.

It had been posted with the stipulation of recruiting at least four members at once.

In other words, a team of four or more was necessary to accept this quest, which might explain why it had remained available until now.

‘I’ll go find Tiffany and the others to do it together!’ I immediately thought.

While Angelina’s and my points were insufficient, that didn’t mean theirs were.

Furthermore, our combined numbers would certainly meet the requirements.

Thus, I promptly exited the Adventurers’ Guild hall and hurried towards Tiffany’s home.

****

“Tiffany!”

I stood at the door of Tiffany’s room, knocking for a considerable time, yet receiving no answer.

It appeared none of them were home.

I had rushed over, fearing the quest might be taken by others if I delayed, but now it seemed my efforts were in vain.

As I exited the weapon shop’s backyard and passed its entrance, the owner called out to me.

“You’re a friend of the group renting upstairs, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I replied, my expression one of confusion.

I wondered what he wanted with me.

“It’s like this,” the owner said, appearing quite amiable as he stepped out upon my reply.

“The young lady who rents told me to leave a message for you if you came by.”

“Her two male friends who live opposite her have gone to war with the army, and she herself has to leave for a while due to an urgent mission.”

“She was afraid you wouldn’t know if you came.”

‘So that’s what happened; no wonder I couldn’t find anyone.’

‘Come to think of it, Tiffany hasn’t been to my place in two days, so this spot must have been empty for quite a while.’

“Thank you for the trouble,” I said casually, then a question suddenly struck me.

“You mentioned ‘gone to war’? Has a war broken out?”

“It seems so, but I don’t know the specifics.”

He was merely a weapon shop owner, yet many who went to war likely bought weapons from him, so he could only offer information he had overheard.

“Apparently, there have been numerous monster attacks near the northern border, which is why the royal capital has begun dispatching reinforcements.”

‘I see.’

If a war had indeed broken out, then the sparse number of people in the Adventurers’ Guild could also be explained.

Most likely, many individuals had been drawn to the conflict, especially a war against monsters.

This suggested that the medium-level quest was also connected to these events.

Regardless, the quest was ultimately a bust.

Yet, I couldn’t simply remain idle; I needed to hurry back to the Adventurers’ Guild and check for other tasks.

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