Project: Alternative

Chapter 17: Confronting for answers (Eru)

It was surprising to meet Jun-kun in this world. He was the Moderator of our world so I thought he wasn't the one who was sent to find us. Maybe there were only a few Coders out there so he was the one who got sent on a mission.

I had lots of questions for Jun-kun though. From our conversation earlier, it was obvious that he was hiding something. If it somehow involved our situation, I should confront him.

We ate dinner and the innkeeper was very nervous that a noble was staying in his inn. He kept on apologizing for having simple food but Reine didn't mind it. She was completely fine with eating bread and drinking milk. There were mashed potatoes too but there wasn't any meat.

"Do you have an idea how we can find the other people who got transported here? My connections may be wide but I don't know if I can find all of them", Reine asked.

"Don't worry. The Admin is performing a General Scan as we speak. He's trying to find the IDs of each transported individual and will send a message once he finds one of them", Jun-kun answered.

"How does that even work?" I asked.

"General Scans worked like this..."

He then began his explanation as we ate. Reine had other questions like what Coders were and was curious about the world beyond Servers.

"So there's a world where all Coders gather?" I asked.

"That's right. CyNet is a place between Servers. Only Coders can enter there", he answered.

"And what is in CyNet?" Inugami-san asked.

"It's like one huge building. There are lots of rooms for Coders. There's also a huge meeting hall where Admins convene every now and then. Also, there's an Academy where Fledglings train with their abilities."

"How does a Coder get born?" Reine asked.

"Coders can't reproduce. Even if by some chance two Coders fall in love with each other, they can't create a new Coder. We just pop into existence and other Coders will find us."

"So does that mean you don't have any parents?" I asked.

"That's right. I appeared out of thin air and I was found by the Coders. After that, I got sent to the Academy and started my training. I was given the title of a 1412."

"You've said it multiple times but what does being a 1412 mean?" Hoshimachi-san asked.

"It's like being an honor student. There's no such thing as equality and there will always be some differences between one thing and another. The same can be applied for Coders. Some of them may be better in certain things compared to others. A 1412 is just a Coder who is talented."

"Nerd", I muttered.

"Says the guy who reads long fantasy books and watches sci-fi movies."

There wasn't a need to start an argument so I decided to let it slide. We continued our dinner and after that, we headed to our rooms. Jun-kun was hiding something and it was time to confront him about it.

I walked towards his room and knocked on the door.

"Come in", he said and when I opened it, I saw him staring out the window.

He then closed it and looked at me with serious eyes.

"I think I know why you're here", he said.

I closed the door and waited for his explanation. A violet screen appeared in front of him and when he pressed it, a gun materialized.

"Here. This is a weapon created by Sera", he said.

What?

"Don't worry. This gun is made from a technology of another Server. It's already adjusted to make sure there aren't any codes that would conflict."

"Wait. What are you doing?"

"This gun is like one of those sci-fi guns in the movies you watch. It shoots out lasers and depending on the setting, it can kill. It can go like a magic that's called Saber Light. I'm sure you can even shoot out dangerous beams like a certain Saiyan."

"I'm confused. Why are you giving me a weapon?"

"Huh? Didn't you come here since you realized how dangerous this Server is? I thought you would want to have a way to be able to put up a fight so I just gave you something you're used to using: a gun."

"Is it because I was using it back when we discovered each other's secrets? Wait a minute! That's not what I'm here for!"

Jun-kun looked confused. Was he really expecting me to be looking for a weapon?

"I'm here to ask the truth about the Dump File", I said,

"What truth?" he asked.

"From our earlier conversation, I have a hunch that there is something more. You said that the Dump File is most likely created from the inconsistencies created from the transported people's codes. If that is the case, there should be more 1.5 GB Dump Files appearing here and there."

Jun-kun looked away.

"You said that the Dump File must have been formed by other conflicts instead of the ones in the transported people. Can you elaborate on that?"

Jun-kun sighed.

"I may have contributed a tiny bit in the formation of the Dump File", he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's simple. Each and everything is a code and that includes my current vessel. I edited my codes so I would have an enormous mana capacity and an impossibly fast mana production. Thanks to those codes, I created a huge conflict that was enough to create a 1.5 GB Dump File."

"Why would you even do such a thing?!"

"I wasn't thinking straight back then since I was panicking. When I found out that Suisei was sent to a forest filled with monsters that was around 300 kilometers away, I had to find a way to make sure that I would get to her quickly. That's why I carelessly edited my codes and used Flying Magic to get to her location in less than 15 minutes."

"I know you are a Hoshiyomi so I understand how you panicked. But be more careful next time. The Dump File caused huge damages when it attacked. If Cyan Nyan didn't interfere, we would've lost some lives."

"I know. It was completely stupid of me. I was out of my mind when I found out that Suisei was sent to this Server. I even shouted at the Administrator to prioritize finding her. Although, it was good that I did. If I was late, then she would've been the dinner of some monsters."

Wait a minute...

"You prioritized saving her over me and Inugami-san?"

"Ah."

"Inazuma Jun... Can you explain?"

A violet screen appeared in front of him and interrupted our conversation. Another screen appeared and he began reading it.

"We found another one. He's in a city called Krusmond."

"What's his name?"

"Kageyama Shien."

"Kageyama Shien?!"

Jun-kun was surprised by my outburst. He was about to ask a question when the door opened and Hoshimachi-san entered the room.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked.

She was wearing her pajamas. After seeing two pillows on Jun-kun's bed, I had an idea what was going on.

"I can explain", he said.

"Yeah right. I'm leaving you two alone. I have the delicacy to not interfere with my friend's private affairs", I told him and left the room.

While walking to my room, I still couldn't believe it. That person was sent to this world too and I had to save him? This was an awkward situation.

After all, Kageyama Shien was a dangerous mafia boss.