Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Test of 0.5 before Launch

Before releasing version 0.5, Nate needed to test it first. This update was much larger than previous ones, and he couldn't be sure it was bug-free.

He opened his friends list and saw that "Crawford Seam," a contact he had added during his visit to the Magic Council headquarters, was online.

Sigma Male: "Mr. Crawford, the Magic Council board is ready."

Sigma Male: "Click the text below to sync it with your Magic Net. After restarting, you'll be able to see it."

Sigma Male: "Magic Council ERA (Sync)"

Crawford didn't reply, but Nate saw his name go dark, indicating he had gone offline. A few moments later, Crawford logged back in.

Crawford Seam: "I see it! Nate, what should I do next?"

Sigma Male: "I've granted you full permissions. There are instructions on how to use it."

Nate had to personally guide him through it to ensure Crawford didn't get confused.

The full name of the board was "Magic Council ERA." Once Crawford clicked sync, his ring would have complete access to the board.

It took a full 30 minutes for Nate to explain most of the features.

Sigma Male: "Right now, there isn't much content on the board, but you can add and edit it as you see fit."

Sigma Male: "For example, you could start by writing about the history of the Magic Council, its structure, and its noble ideals."

Crawford Seam: "Fantastic! Thanks, Nate!"

Crawford Seam: "I'll take a closer look and make sure to host you properly next time you visit the headquarters."

"Visiting the headquarters is never a good thing. Who would want to go there unless absolutely necessary?" Nate thought, rolling his eyes. After a few more exchanges with the old man, he opened a chat with another friend.

He quickly sent a message.

Sigma Male: "'Weekly Sorcerer' is complete. Just click the link below to sync."

Jason: "Cool!!"

Before Nate could even send the message, the journalist Jason had already replied with a "Cool!"

Sigma Male: "Weekly Sorcerer (Sync)"

Sigma Male: "Once synced, your account will have full permissions."

Sigma Male: "I'm sure with your intellect, you'll figure it out without needing my help."

Having sent that off, Nate didn't bother with further instructions, leaving Jason to figure it out on his own.

With the two new boards handed over to their respective owners, Nate turned to what he really needed to test: two new features—[Magic Net Express] and [Voice Chat].

"Who should help me test this?" he wondered, scanning his friends list. Seeing that Lucy was online, he decided, "You'll do!"

He force-synced her account to update with the new features. Shortly after, Lucy went offline and then quickly sent him a private message.

Gotta Earn Money: "Nate!!"

Gotta Earn Money: "I suddenly lost connection to Magic Net just now. Do you know what happened?"

Gotta Earn Money: "I asked in the guild chat, and it's only happening to me. My ring isn't broken, is it?"

...

In her apartment next door, Lucy had just gotten out of the bath, wrapped in a towel as she dried her damp hair with one hand and typed with the other.

Just then, a notification popped up.

User "Sigma Male" is requesting to voice chat with you. Do you accept?

There was even a countdown. After five seconds, it would automatically decline.

"Voice chat?" Lucy muttered in surprise. "It's finished already? So, the sync earlier was an update?"

Curious, she pressed the accept button.

The next moment, Nate's voice sounded in her mind.

Nate: "Hey, can you hear me?"

"!!"

Lucy jumped in surprise, completely unprepared.

Nate: "Hmm? Is something wrong, Lucy?"

Lucy: "I'm here."

Lucy quickly responded aloud before realizing she didn't need to speak out loud.

Lucy: "I can hear you. This is amazing! Is this telepathy?"

Nate: "You could think of it that way. Say a few more things. I need to make sure there are no issues."

Lucy: "Uh... What should I say?"

Lucy was getting a bit excited. This voice chat seemed way more convenient than typing, and she could hear Nate's voice directly. 'His voice is so nice', she thought.

Lucy: "Nate's voice is so nice."

Lucy: "Wait!!"

Lucy: "Why did my thoughts get transmitted directly!?"

Nate: "You're doing just fine. Keep it up; I like hearing the compliments."

Lucy's face flushed red with embarrassment. Standing in her thin slippers, she was so flustered that she wished the floor would open up and swallow her.

'This annoying guy! Is he doing this just to tease me?' she thought.

To her horror, that thought was transmitted through the Magic Net as well.

Lucy: "...That wasn't me! I didn't say that!"

Nate: "I heard it loud and clear. I'm docking your pay."

Lucy: "Nooo, you devil, demon, vampire!"

Lucy: "Nate's the best! You're so amazing, handsome Nate. Please don't dock my pay."

Lucy desperately tried to convince herself as she kept repeating praises in her mind.

Nate: "Alright, I'm done teasing. Seems like there's a small issue with voice chat. I'll need to fix it later."

Having private thoughts transmitted wasn't exactly a good thing for users, even though it was amusing.

Lucy: 'So, I'm your test subject?'

Lucy: 'You owe me for this, Baka Nate!'

Lucy: "Wait, no!! I didn't mean to say that!!"

Lucy was mortified, burying her burning face in her hands. She was sure Nate would walk over from next door at any moment, so she hurried to her drawer, pulling out some clothes.

Nate: "Calm down, Lucy. I still need you to help me test one more feature."

Lucy: 'More? Will I get paid for this?'

Nate: "I'll raise your pay by 100J."

Just then, another prompt appeared on Lucy's Magic Net interface.

User "Sigma Male" is sending you a Magic Net delivery. Do you accept?

'Delivery?' Lucy squinted at the notification, instinctively pressing the accept button.

Suddenly, a golden magic circle appeared in front of her.

In the next instant, the underwear she had just pulled from her drawer vanished before her eyes.

Lucy: "My underwear!?"

Her shocked inner voice immediately got transmitted through the Magic Net.

On the other end, Nate held up a book he intended to send over, only to find that the book hadn't been delivered. Instead, a pair of lacy underwear had materialized on top of it.

'What the...? Whose dumb coder made it switch the sender and receiver like this?'

'Oh, right. That's me.'

Seeing the black lacy underwear in his hand, Nate sighed in disbelief. 'This is way too skimpy...' he thought. 'But, gotta admit, the rich girl has bold tastes.'

Nate: "Didn't expect this from you, Lucy."

Lucy: "Give it back!!" (mortified scream)

As her voice rang in his mind, Lucy, still wrapped in her white bath towel, burst through the door from next door.

~~~

Btw, Lucy's Nickname in internet is [Gotta Earn Money]

If there's an inconsistent nickname you found please let me know, I'll fix it.