章 144: The Most Reliable Server
"Going to visit Dengeki Bunko together?"
Without thinking much, Izumi Kotomi immediately replied, "I might have something going on that day, so I can't join you guys. You all go have fun."
"Is that so? That's a shame. So it will just be me, Yui, and Megumi going. I asked Mashiro before, but she declined. She said she wanted to stay home and draw," Yukino Yukinoshita said, turning to look at Mashiro Shiina, who was sitting behind Kotomi. Over the past few days, Yukino had realized that Mashiro wasn't cold; she simply wasn't good at starting conversations.
The impression that Mashiro was difficult to approach probably came from the aura of genius that surrounded her.
"You three enjoy yourselves," Kotomi said with a smile.
"Kotomi, don't you want to come?" Yui asked, puzzled.
"I just want to stay home and sleep in," Kotomi replied with an embarrassed smile. To her, Dengeki Bunko wasn't really something worth visiting. She had already been there many times, and it had long lost its novelty.
Honestly, she preferred staying home and catching up on sleep rather than visiting an editorial office she was all too familiar with.
Plus, authors didn't particularly like visiting the editorial offices themselves...
After all, going to an editorial office usually meant one of two things: routine work discussions or being "politely" invited by an editor because the deadline for a manuscript had passed, and they needed to finish it in a small, confined room.
"Alright then. But I'll take lots of photos and show them to you later! I wonder if we'll get to meet Izumi-sensei at Dengeki Bunko?" Yui said excitedly.
Recently, whenever she had free time, Yui would log onto the Dengeki Bunko website to check if Sword Art Online's second volume had been released or when the first volume's physical copy would come out.
"Even if you do go, it's not guaranteed you'll see him. Authors aren't employees, after all. And when you visit, make sure not to take pictures randomly—you might be mistaken for a corporate spy," Kotomi joked, although she was thinking to herself, You definitely won't meet him! Because if everything goes as planned, I'll be sleeping in at home on that day.
"Really? That's a shame..."
"But anyway, it's already Thursday. You should put thoughts of visiting Dengeki Bunko aside for now and focus on studying for next week's monthly exams."
"Yes, ma'am!"
...
Finally, after the school day ended, Kotomi headed to the art club. She wasted no time, removing her jacket and rolling up her sleeves before resuming her work on Twilight Sky: Sunset.
She had already finished the background sketch, but adding the character into the scene wasn't easy.
Often, the best positions for the scenery and for the character could conflict with one another.
Normally, artists in such situations would erase the conflicting part and redraw it, following the original plan. However, Kotomi didn't take the safest route. Instead, she carefully experimented with placing the character sketch directly over the existing background.
This approach was slower, as she had to constantly consider the composition and anticipate the visual effect of the final image, making frequent adjustments to ensure the balance was perfect.
Even a minor misstep would cause her to pause and carefully correct it.
But this method allowed her to find the best position for the character in real time, helping her identify and resolve the conflicts between the figure and the landscape, creating a more harmonious result.
When Hibiki Naegi, the art club president, finally arrived, delayed by some earlier matters, she was surprised to see Kotomi so focused. Kotomi had been in the art club for almost a month now, and although her talent and skill were evident, she always seemed to lack true focus.
But now, for the first time, Naegi saw the look of serious concentration on Kotomi's face!
After a moment of surprise, Naegi smiled warmly with a sense of pride:
"Finally showing your true skills, huh, Kotomi?"
Speaking softly to herself, Naegi then turned to the other club members, reminding them to stay quiet and avoid disturbing Kotomi.
To Naegi, Kotomi had clearly entered "the zone."
For any artist, being able to fully immerse oneself in their craft was precious.
It went beyond mere concentration—it was immersion.
The artist's entire being became absorbed in the world of color and composition.
This state was something every artist dreamed of achieving. To lose oneself entirely in the act of creation, to be completely absorbed in bringing one's vision to life on the canvas, was a sublime, almost dreamlike experience!
Unfortunately, reaching that state was rare. Concentration was easy, but full immersion—now that was something you couldn't simply force.
Time flew by, and just before the club meeting ended, Kotomi finally set down her brush.
She had finished the character sketch.
Not only did the character blend seamlessly with the landscape, but their position in the scene was perfect—so much so that Kotomi couldn't help but describe it as flawless.
Even the slightest misalignment would have ruined the balance.
"I can't wait to see how this painting turns out when it's done," Kotomi said with satisfaction, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
She had been so focused that she forgot to take a break.
This kind of state of mind—one of complete immersion—was something she had never experienced in her previous creative endeavors.
As if sensing her thoughts, a system notification appeared before her:
(Note: When writing or painting skill levels reach Level 6, the host will have a 10% chance of triggering the "Perfect Creative State"—also known as the Immersive State—during each creative session.)
(Note: After reaching Level 6 in writing or painting, each subsequent level-up will not only provide the usual benefits but also increase the probability of entering the Immersive State.)
"Is this some sort of upgrade from the system?"
Right after Kotomi spoke, another screen popped up, this one with a sleek, cyberpunk aesthetic:
[Would you like to check the current probability of triggering the Immersive State in detail?]
Of course, Kotomi pressed 'yes' without hesitation.
She was eager to see how likely she was to "crit"—or rather, trigger the Immersive State—during her next creative session.
[Checking probability, please wait…]
[System buffering…]
[System delay...]
[System service currently unavailable. Please try again later or switch to offline mode.]
???
What the—!
This dumb potato server was acting up again!
The "God-Level Heroine System" system had many great features, but its server connection was as unreliable as infamous "potato servers," and it was starting to get on her nerves.
"Kazumi! Can't you switch to a more reliable server?!" Kotomi yelled in a voice only she and Kazumi could hear.
Kazumi quickly brought up a new screen:
[Don't worry, don't worry. We're working on it. The system is currently being patched.]
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