Unsolved Case ⑴
Melkidu Dorian Village.
Sirone and his party entered the bar and ordered a light meal and beer from the staff.
The name of the man who identified himself as a detective was Curtis.
He said he was from the Kingdom of Aeron and that it had already been two years since he came to Melkidu.
The food came out 10 minutes later.
“How do I pay?”
When Sirone asked, Curtis, who was holding a beer, wiped his chin and said.
“Wow. You don’t have to pay. Money doesn’t exist here. “It’s a murderer’s resting place.”
“then?”
“I’m just leaving. As long as there is a crime point, criminal activity will not be recognized by people. “If you commit a crime after drinking a glass of beer, 2P is consumed.”
” aha?”???
I roughly understood it.
“It costs 5P to stab someone with a knife, so it’s quite expensive. Of course, crime points accumulate as you cycle, so there will be no burden for now.”
Iruki asked.
“By cycle, do you mean that Melkidu is structured in the form of an orbit?”
“yes. To be exact, it’s 2 tracks. It is divided into an outer track and an inner track. There are 468 blocks on the outer track, most of which complete missions. However, when you reach a certain block, you can enter the inner track.”
“What is the inner track like?”
“It consists of 197 blocks and you can strengthen your Crime Dice or buy special items in the store. The special thing is that you can only do one turn on the inner track. When you finish going around the block, you have to exit to the outside track. However, there is an exception to this as well, and that is when we enter Melkidu.” Eden asked.
“Isn’t this Melkidu?”
“Of course, but the only place with symbolism worthy of Melkidu is the core. The goal of all players is to collect points on the outer track to enter the inner track and complete a cycle there to reach the core. “If they don’t reach the core, they return to the outer track and continue this crazy killing spree.”
“Why are the murderers trying to get to the core? Is it to avoid tracking?”
“…It’s not at that level.” Curtis held his beer glass, thought about it for a moment, and then drained the rest of the drink.
“I can’t tell you exactly because I’ve never been there myself. But I heard a rumor. “I’ve been touring the track for two years because of that rumor.”
His eyes became cloudy.
“I was twenty-seven years old, my daughter Edri. I liked traveling. That day, I was excited about going to the beach with my friends. Remember, it was no different from usual. “I packed my bags, put on my makeup, and kissed my wife and I on the cheek.”
‘It was your daughter.’
“I decided to go with my friends. Everyone was friendly. Nia Belita Daisy. We were supposed to meet at Schiff Square and leave, but “he disappeared.”
When I was attending Tormia’s magic school, I read it in the overseas section of the newspaper.
“okay. It was broad daylight. Nia and Belita lived downtown and Daisy lived uptown. According to eyewitnesses, they saw my daughter in Schiff Square. He looked very edgy, and another person testified that he was reading something on the bulletin board in the square. But that’s the end of the information. “My daughter has never been in the world since then.”
“Maybe it was the work of a known criminal…
“What do you think my job is? I’ve done everything I can to research. But it’s no use. What’s even more surprising is that my friends also went missing around the same time. “Even in the same city, the square is two kilometers away.”
Curtis took out a cigarette.
“I’ve been looking for it for three years. Underworld back alleys, human trafficking, magic, witchcraft, etc. Then I heard a rumor about Melkidu and that’s how I ended up here.”
“Are you saying we can find your daughter’s whereabouts in Melkidu?”
“Yes.”
He blew out a thick puff of cigarette smoke.
“Melkidu’s Core is where every crime that occurred in the world is recorded. It is the headquarters of all unresolved cases. “If only I could clear this murder game.”
“What is that…
“Why is it a haven for murderers? If you clear this game, what you did in real life will become a perfect crime. In other words, it will become a permanent unsolved case.”
It didn’t sound logical.
“How does that happen? “If it’s an actual cold case, there are witnesses and evidence… Ah.”
One thought passed through my mind.
“Crime Point.”
Crimes committed using Crime Points in Melkidu are not recognized.
“okay. What kind of system do I think this is? It seems like the act of collecting points by going around the track acts as a special power that can affect reality. After arriving at the core, the killer is able to manipulate his records and go back to reality. In other words, new crimes can be committed while remaining safe.”
Iruki said.
“It feels like the vanishing of Habitz. The properties of the hidden code will be similar. “I think it’s a system that allows you to apply the crime points collected here to reality, just like taking objects from Drimo to reality.”
Curtis put out his cigarette.
“I will find my daughter no matter what. Collect crime points to enter the core. It’s not easy. There are two ways to enter. Either you collect a ton of Crime Points or you get super lucky. They say that if you perform a special mission on the inner track, you can enter the core regardless of the crime point. Of course, because little information is shared, it seems to be currently being dismissed as a rumor.”
‘The Devil’s Bible.’
It seemed to have something to do with Giyorgi’s ability to escape the members of the Catacombs.
While I was lost in thought, trying to organize the information I heard from Curtis, the bar door opened.
“Buy a candle. “Buy candles.”
“uh?”
Nade opened his eyes wide.
“What about that woman?”
He was a man who had been stabbed in the neck by a killer on the street just 30 minutes earlier.
Curtis turned around.
“Most players who played in Melkidu are resurrected. Of course, there are non-event players who do not respawn. “Resurrection time may vary depending on the mission.”
“Hmm.”
When they thought it wasn’t human, Shirone and the others felt a lot lighter.
“It’s true that it feels uncomfortable. Even if it’s fake, the taste and reactions are the same as real people. At first, I cleared the mission by only catching the villains. This is really the same as real society. But this method is less efficient. “At some point, I became as insensitive as other murderers.”
Perhaps that is the meaning of Melkidu’s existence.
“There are many other ways. You can set the building on fire or tear it apart in the city with a multi-shot crossbow. But such crimes consume a lot of Crime Points. The killer earlier stabbed a passerby with a knife he bought at a weapon shop, right? That’s because Dorian’s C-rank missions don’t have great rewards. No matter how well you roll the dice, it’s hard to get more than 200P. Therefore, he was killed in a way that saved crime points.” Sirone understood.
“The reason you didn’t fight us was to save your own points.”
“that’s right. The rule that when a crime attack occurs between players, one side’s points are automatically deducted until they reach 0 is to prevent disputes between killers. Who would play this game if we killed each other out loud? However, there are those who take it and fight. “To steal the item.”
Nade asked.
“What happens when the points reach 0?”
“The whole world will know about the crimes you have committed so far. The security will chase you. You end up in prison, pay a certain price and start over from the starting point. Let me be clear: don’t get into such a stupid situation. You guys can’t do anything. “If you don’t have Crime Points, you can’t attack the guard.” Eden asked.
“How many crime points are needed for magic?”
“That’s a pretty difficult question. I heard from 1,000P to 100,000P. The reason you don’t know the details is because no one tells you their point. I definitely remember. Points are everything. There is no such thing as combat efficiency among players. “The moment you collide, your points are deducted as much as the opponent’s points.”
One moment of mistake can cause you to lose all the points you have accumulated so far.
“So when you attack someone, you should only do it if you are 100 percent sure. Also, just because you’re confident doesn’t mean you’ll kill anyone. “This is a case where the opponent has an expensive item, needs to kill the player on a special mission, or kills due to personal desire regardless of the points.”
Curtis searched his pockets and put his Crime Dice between his fingers.
There were three in total, one octahedron and two hexahedrons.
“If you go into the inner track early on, I recommend strengthening your dice rather than buying items. Of course, items are essential in Melkidu, but they are not very efficient in the beginning. Rather, they just become prey for the point conglomerates.”
“okay.”
“It’s also a time game. If you don’t collect points as quickly as possible, you will be eaten. Now I’m going to move to another block. If you have any questions, ask now.”
Sirone asked.
“Why did you help us? According to Mr. Curtis, isn’t this a waste of time? “I’m not even an accomplice.”
“That’s right. However, what I realized after working on the track for two years is that you surprisingly need an in-machine. As you know, the dice determine the player’s actions. But that’s why we need to create more relationships.”
You never know when or where we will meet.
“The fact that I have Crime Dice means that I have already cleared the Dorian Village mission. Once you arrive at Melkidu’s starting point, villages 2 through 12, where the first player jumps first, you will usually stay there for one to two days. Veterans are good, but it’s hard to understand their true intentions.”
Sirone and the others understood.
“It means there is room for cooperation if we meet in the same block later.”
“Not just anyone gets to choose. You guys
have been through all sorts of hardships, right? You can tell by looking at their posture or eyes when they encounter an enemy. You can’t fool a detective’s keen eye. Let’s exchange information or items, or perform cooperative missions. “You’ll get more crime points.”
“yes. We will also collect the necessary information. “I hope you find your daughter’s whereabouts.”
I liked the fact that he wasn’t a murderer.
“okay. May the God of Dice be with you. “It’s a common greeting in Melkidu.”
Curtis took out a card with his left hand. “The Wind God. Activate.”
The card glowed and evaporated, and three dice rolled across the bar floor.
The numbers 3 2 6 came to mind, and two Xs were added in between them.
‘It’s multiplication. Did you use an item?’
As the three numbers combined to become 36, Curtis turned to the group.
“Oh, I’ll give you one more tip. “In Melkidu, make it a habit to always close the door.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his body glowed brightly and exploded into extinction.
Iruki said, looking at the empty beer glass that was left behind.
“36 spaces. Even though the god of dice turned away from me, I went far. “So Curtis is currently stuck in space 42.”
Sirone stood up.
“It’s impossible to chase it with the dice we have. Well, we just need to attack it from the beginning.”
A system voice was heard.
-The bar owner is keeping an eye on you.
“huh?”
When I turned my head to the counter, I saw the owner looking at the group with dark eyes.
‘Now that I think about it…
the victims of the killer were aware of the crime, unlike other non-players.
“Shall we?”
Nade asked.
“It can’t be helped.”
One, two….
“Bounce!”
As the four people ran to the exit at the same time, the owner chased after them with his eyes raised.
“at there! “You thieves!”
“Aaaah!”
Sirone, recalling Curtis’ words, went out and slammed the door.
“ha. ha.” I looked at the door very nervously, but the owner didn’t come out.
“what? “Is it quiet?”
After exchanging glances with his friends, Shirone walked back and opened the door…
“Welcome. “It’s Dorian’s Tavern.” The owner was standing at the counter, welcoming them with a smile, as if it had always been that way.
Iruki muttered.
“It’s the perfect crime.”
