Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 121: Gaia Live

Well, talk about an unintended off-guard reveal. Not only did we learn that there is something more to the [Gaia Live] than we originally thought, but that the NPCs were basically alive in the virtual world. I wish I could process all of it, but I'm too busy dealing with a guy geeking out on me and Kazuki as "legends". I don't want to recall that stressful memory, but I've begun to regret my lazy character design on [Isekai].

After that brief shock, we agreed to let three college boys named Lucas, Harley, and Brycen join the conversation. I'm a bit uncomfortable with people older than us, but after their first impression, I notice that they are not all bad in my book. Considering that guy, Brycen seemed to be a bit laidback like Zac, only he doesn't seem to be a Casanova-type. The same can be said when it comes to Harley with Damon, though less stern than him.

But back to the main topic, I turn to Mr. Spears as he clears his throat.

"Alright, now that that unintended meeting is over, how about we get back to your questions, you two?"

Probably a wise idea. "Right," I speak up. "Regarding what you said, how in the world did an AI program give most of the NPCs in [Isekai] their own AI? Isn't that impossible with the current technology we have right now?"

"It is true that it is impossible with what we have. But your father managed to bypass it by simply having [Gaia Live] assign roles and commands to other NPCs and gave an incubator to the important ones for the game's lore."

"Incubator?" Kazuki repeats in confusion.

"It means a program that evolves depending on the information the AI has fed into," Brycen explains. "I heard it's very recent since they tested it with AI prompts and art in the last few years. It's controversial to everyone, but it was very successful in the first stages of the testing."

Huh. This guy knows his stuff. I wonder if his major is computer engineering.

"Controversial? Why is that?" Kazuki asks again.

"While it was successful, the art and writing created by AI were met by a backlash of artists and writers," Lucas explains next. "It mostly uses the art styles from other artworks and writing styles and plots from novels that were fed into the programs to create them. It's a big issue when it comes to copyright and it's also complicated with the laws themselves."

"In other words, it's very complicated," I conclude to give Kazuki a short form explanation. "Either way, the incubation feature of the program is a mixed bag. I'm just surprised Dad used it to help [Gaia Live] create some NPCs for [Isekai]."

"It's not only that," Mr. Spears speaks up. "It helps with the near-realism of the game's setting. Their emotions, personalities, and goals are tied not only with the lore and story, but themselves as well."

So they also possess their own individuality, too, huh? That's very interesting. I guess our interactions with Bai Hu, Veritates, and Acutus were a bit real after all.

"If that's true, then the towns and cities in the game are somewhat alive as well?" I ask, wanting to confirm something.

"You can say that. Most of the events are determined not only by the players' actions but also by the NPCs."

I see. That explains that last sudden event with the potions. If I recall, it all started when their stock got attacked by a sudden rush of monsters. Was that a hint of things to come here?

"If that's the case, I'm sorry in advance for asking this out of the bloom, especially with your brother, Hayate." Lucas clears his throat as we look at each other in confusion. "But what happens if an NPC dies? Will there be consequences to the world itself?"