Urgent recruitment‼ How to Save the Ending World ▚ I'm a certain NPC girl from a discontinued VRMMO service, but somehow managing to survive again today - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: How Does Diversity Make Us Forget Our Purpose?

“In virtual reality, you might be able to indulge without getting fat, but it’s better to refrain.”

“Hmm, and what’s the reason behind Senpai reaching that conclusion?”

Unchanged from his student days, Takatou Shirou, a young tech professional at EC, smiled wryly at Satoko’s straightforward attitude. He sensed the potential impact on the brain that receives stimulation.

Asserting that excessive dependency on food would inevitably lead to similar consequences as illegal drugs like stimulants, he explained, “Providing real sensations in the Full Dive virtual space is dangerous, so there are legal restrictions. Tools to adjust that kind of experience tend to be highly illegal.”

“Prudence is the best policy, right, Kuwabara?”

“Again with the strange words…”

While sighing at the junior girl who had developed a habit of imitating him or using complicated language, Shirou advanced his chopsticks during the dwindling break time.

Managing to finish the grilled salmon set at a pace where one could still savor it, he called out to Satoko, who was still nibbling on the ginger pork. Then, he left the company cafeteria and returned to his own department on the upper floor.

Simultaneously experiencing the movement through the camera embedded in the glasses-type terminal, beside collecting as much information as possible about UnderWorld, the general-purpose pseudo-personality, Crim, began consolidating various details.

(As expected, there are people dabbling in illegal activities like drugs, prostitution, gambling…)

The management, dedicated to providing a post-apocalyptic world, also handles the exchange between the proprietary “virtual currency” and cash. However, due to the nature of the two-way exchange, monsters lurking in UnderWorld’s dungeons, with the exception of a few named ones, don’t drop valuable items.

In this world, it’s common to buy various items and armaments, enjoy meals, and entertainment by either purchasing virtual currency or working as an employee at approved establishments.

However, in player-versus-player battles, winners can steal a certain percentage of the loser’s funds. This has led many of the hundreds who have acquired the app to engage in street battles on the outskirts of the desolate city, rather than exploring dungeons.

(Since it doesn’t increase the in-game virtual currency, the management doesn’t incur losses in the exchange with legal currency. As long as individuals move within the existing framework, it’s fine, I guess?)

True to its advertising as a social experiment, the overly elaborate economic system has resulted in players’ actions going off track. While shaking his head at the players’ tendency to deviate due to the unnecessarily intricate economic system, Crim turned his attention to the reinforced armor they gathered.

In this game, the armaments for each individual are generated during the first login, tailored to the deep-seated psychology of the players. The electronic body’s form when transitioning to combat mode is referred to as “Mechanical Beings” or “Kaijin.”

According to the covert SNS app, which he had struggled to find, the somewhat fitting image depicted a pseudo-hero wearing a full-face mask and covered in metal parts armor, standing against a backdrop of a crumbling building.