Story Reader / Event Story / Lingering Stars / Story
Standing before the rust-streaked server unit, the pink-haired girl is trying to organize the wires coming out of the relic.
This thing is the subserver of the virtual world "Challenger 99" from back in the Golden Age. You're not gonna tell me you've never heard of it, are you?
It's a virtual world that a bunch of scientists came up with, and I heard it's got a bunch of Easter eggs in there that pay homage to the Golden Age.
Here, put this on the back of your neck and sit however you feel comfortable. You should've been through it a few dozen times already in Babylonia, right?
Teddy sits down against the metal casing of the machine and hands over two fiber optic cables with patch connectors at the ends. She pats the marble tile next to her invitingly.
Planting junk code... Deep dive begins!
You feel your arm tightly held onto as the world around you vanishes in the blink of an eye.
Hold tight and breathe!
You smell the scorching scent of gunpowder that permeates the air as crimson dusk fills your eyes. Countless specks of red light flicker and glimmer on the hillside not far away.
The Sky Eye has delivered its judgment. The biggest threat to mankind... is none other than mankind itself. The extermination protocol is now in effect...
Don't you think they're coming on a little too hard a little too early?
You haven't even finished talking when a grenade materializes above your head, followed by a deafening explosion that reaches your ears...
Never thought I'd ever find myself in a melee profession.
When the smoke is gone, you see Teddy standing before you with a colorful shield made up of petals.
Beats me... It's probably gonna feel like how it feels when someone whacks you in the head with a hammer when you're sleeping?
I just found a key, and I think we just might be able to skip a few stages with it. Buy me some time.
A stream of data flashes past her pupils as Teddy types away on her terminal with one hand.
Next to Teddy, you pull out your gun and destroy the machines trying to come up this way with perfect aims.
C'mon, we're in the virtual world now. Mind being a little more creative and using a different gun there?
Following a deafening bang, a futuristic electromagnetic sniper cannon lands on the ground, its base reminiscent of an old-fashioned anti-aircraft gun emplacement.
Now facing the control panel, you take aim at the peak of the mountain and pull the trigger—with it, the sniper cannon starts sending countless positron beams flying, each of which is powerful enough to wipe out an entire nation. Like raindrops, the positron beams are now falling right on the center of the mechanoid army.
Head down!
Teddy flings her shield at a mechanoid that tried to approach you.
Focus on taking care of that army. I'll handle the guys that try to come up this way.
Under perfect teamwork, you and Teddy manage to keep the mechanoids at bay.
Code planted. There, found it!
The moment Teddy presses the enter key, the dim sunset suddenly turns into a dark purple starry sky that goes on as far as the eye can see.
Welcome to the end of the virtual world, players. Congratulations on making it this far—where you shall be shown Challenger 99's Easter egg.
Did we accidentally trigger some kind of challenge achievement because our scores are too high?
I'm Challenger 99's stage designer. A lot of people want to know where I hid the Easter egg. Is it under the room where you meet the final boss? Or is it right behind where you find yourself at the beginning of the game?
Now, there is only one thing you need to do if you want to see the Easter egg, and it's simple: on a day as special as this, two players just have to play the game together at the same physical location and clear one stage.
We've grown used to doing things on our own as technology improves, to the point where we no longer remember what it feels like to embrace love in reality. I don't know how many people are going to see this message, but as I'm saying this...
I have my fair share of regret, and I just want to ask all of you to please cherish those you love... This virtual world is the Easter egg I'm leaving all of you with. Going forward, you're more than welcome to swing by whenever you want to enjoy some time together or revisit any stages of your own choice.
Wait, this is it? I thought the Easter egg would be a treasure map or something like that.
Sitting lazily at the center of the kaleidoscopic galaxy, Teddy pats the empty space to her right like she did before the two of you entered this world, gesturing for you to sit next to her.
This place is so quiet and beautiful. I totally thought we were going to have a crazy time playing the game...
Which reminds me, though... that I do lock myself away in glitchy programs that I come up with. I feel like that's where I get to enjoy peace of mind away from all the crazy things in the real world.
A star quietly flashes past the two of you. With a stretch, Teddy lets out a yawn, her face aglow with the starlight that's made its way here through countless centuries' worth of traveling.
See all these planets? This place is connected to all the stages. We can go into any one of them whenever we want to now.
Let's see what we have here... "Star Hero" sounds like fun. I want to give this a try. What do you say?
Oh, did I tell you that I hacked your exit protocol before the deep dive? Which means...
That you're not leaving until I'm ready to leave.
