A New World, An Immersive Game Experience



Ignorant of the developments happening in the shadows, the world excitedly tuned in for the ANW tournament finals. Those with access to the game, aka headsets or cabins, used them to log into a virtual stadium. Honestly, this method gave viewers the best view possible. 

Still, even if it was better than being at the actual stadium, being where the action was happening just left a different lasting experience. Not to mention all the neat functions the company had brought out. Playing around and casting magic IRL had certainly been fun for everyone who had made the trip. 

"Let's give a big welcome to the two guilds who have shown themselves truly capable of vying for the first-ever ANW Guilds World Cup!"

Due to the nature of the tournament, being split into three categories, there were three 'World Cups'. Another new addition to this year's tournament. And what would officially establish it as the first World Cup. 

The other categories had already been finished and their world champions crowned. The final was the match between Japan's national team, Nihon, and Phoenix, an independent team.

Excitement was high, and while many believed Phoenix would win in the end, one could never be sure. Especially not when one guild carried the pride of their homeland and the other had no such weighty expectations. 

The announcer continued to talk, laying the field for the battle to come. Most viewers were already well aware, but some information was new to everyone. Then came a massive bomb. 

"With all that said, I would like to change the subject for a minute." The announcer, standing in the center of the arena—with holograms illustrating his earlier talks—smiled at the crowd. 

"Last year, Eldrian surprised us with an unexpected visit in the finals. At the time, we had tried to downplay the event. But the truth is he had managed to find where the tournaments are being held."

"Indeed, the tournaments aren't happening on some different server. He didn't hack his way into the match. He found his own way within the game."

"I know many of you have already suspected this. Naturally, you might ask where the arenas for the tournaments are." The announcer paused. "Well, Gaia is simply too massive. It's a world several hundred times the size of Earth. Honestly, it doesn't make much sense that such a world can even exist."

That got a bunch of nods from the viewers. They had simply thought that the 'maps' were somehow sectioned off on servers or something. 

"The truth is, the entire world is being simulated at all times." That didn't quite make things clear to all the viewers. "What I am trying to say, is this world, several hundred times the size of Earth, is always active."

"You probably already know this. The NPCs can't be as realistic as they are if they were constantly placed into an inactive state to save computational power."

"Without getting into specifics..." The announcer started, now beginning the doctored story he was about to tell the world. "We simply don't have the servers to fill the entire world. Honestly, we have questioned the development team several times on why they had made such a massive world."

"Well, we never managed to get a clear answer. But we now had a problem. We couldn't manage the entirety of Gaia. Not without losing the burden, somehow. The easiest method is, sadly, conflict. And limited the inhabitable land."

"That's right! The source of the Invasions is our attempts at keeping the game active at all times!" 

It wasn't a perfect answer to the questions players had been asking, but it explained some of their questions. Sure, it gave them a slew of new ones. But, for now, players who had searched for a reason behind Miracle's apparent cruelty, were happy. 

The NPCs were too realistic. Miracle's stance had always felt extremely cruel. Inducing wars that could even lead to genocide, without flinching. Never backing down. Always saying it was just how it needed to be. 

If this was the truth behind it, the players could accept it. Sure, it made them question why the company would ever make a world larger than their servers could support. But given all the crazy things going on behind the scenes, maybe it was in someway necessary. Or so many players thought. 

"Clever, isn't it?" Erik asked. He and the others were watching from in their 'waiting room'.  A virtual space similar to personal homes. 

"Not really. But I can see what they're aiming for." Nikki replied. "They've gone too far in a lot of ways. And this is setting the stage for future reveals. Really, it doesn't mean anything. But it satisfies some questions players have been asking more and more off."

"Still doesn't touch on the subject of magic." Ilmadia countered, and as if on cue, the announcer looped back to Eldrian. 

"What does this have to do with Eldrian's surprise visit in last year's finals?" He asked, giving a few seconds for everyone's attention to return. 

"The answer is rather simple. While we reduced the amount of enhanced land, the other land still exists. Maybe we can put it into an inactive state. But who knows what would happen if we handled it incorrectly. We don't want to risk the realism of ANW slipping. Not for any reason. The consequences could be dire..."

"Since we already had the land, our solution for the tournaments was to simply place their arenas in these lands. They are uninhabited, after all."

Not wishing to make his speech too long, the announcer explained that Eldrian had simply found a secret method of getting to these lands. Making it sound like a hidden quest or something. 

Naturally, this got the players hyped. As for Eldrian, he couldn't come out and say he had had the help of the AI—who was responsible for both creating and maintaining ANW.

The AI, according to the public, was simply an advanced help system. Not actual sentient beings. Heck, while most players thought of NPCs as 'real', they wouldn't, couldn't, see them as the same as other people. 

They were realistic, and real in all sense of the word. Yet, they weren't really humans. They were still NPCs. 

It was an ugly can of worms that most players didn't want to deal with. As long as things didn't go too far when in their sights, they could turn a blind eye. 

"Now. With all that said, I think we should get back to the match. It is sure to be an existing one. Who will come out the winner?" He asked, pausing for dramatic effect. 

"Will it be Phoenix? A guild who has, for years, shown their strength. Who had claimed the first clear of many high-ranked quests, and also the first clear of an Epic-Ranked Dungeon."

"A guild which has a claim on not one, not two, but three forts. One for which they were given governmental rights by the kingdom. A second which one of their members has claimed rights due to their nobility ranking. And a third, which they have built themselves from the ground up."

"Or..." He paused again. "... Will it be Nihon, representing their homeland? Fighting for their pride and honor, wishing to establish themselves as the first country to lay claim on the ANW World Cup!"