Chapter 465 - White That Rends the Dark and Crimson Fireworks, Part 1
“……………Alright, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“It looked like the dough you just casually punched exploded to twice its size. What kind of principle causes a phenomenon like that?”
“The latent magic element I let rest in its base state reacted with the casting oil kneaded into the dough, causing a hyperexcited expansion. It’s a reaction similar to pseudo-fermentation.”
“As always, I don’t understand a single millimeter of what you just said.”
This was after I had fulfilled my duty as escort for the two ladies on their walk and returned to the base.
From the various options for killing time, I had volunteered to ‘help the head chef,’ but his cooking methods were so mysterious from start to finish that I was proving to be completely useless.
Even if I were assigned menial tasks, Arcadia’s streamlined cooking system meant there was truly nothing for me to do. The most I could offer was to be a lively presence next to him.
Some would call that a hindrance. It’s a sad thought.
“I get the feeling you cook a fair bit in the real world.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“I can tell by the way you stand in a kitchen. A novice doesn’t pay attention to the flow of movement.”
I see. The fact that Tetsu-san can say that means he must be more than just a fair cook in the real world himself. Standing in a kitchen in both worlds… He must be a true-blue cooking enthusiast.
“Ironically, people like you are often unsuited for cooking in this virtual world. Real-world common sense gets in the way, and they just can’t accept the absurd cooking methods here.”
“Huh… Is that how it is?”
“Yeah, that’s how it is. It’s probably the same logic that allowed you, someone still new to this virtual world and unbound by its conventions, to vault straight to the top.”
“I’m not so sure you can lump those two things together.”
It’s true that in some cases, having partial knowledge is worse than having none at all, making it easier to learn… I suppose.
Well, I was hoping to learn by watching, but if I’m suspected of having no talent for it, then it can’t be helped. Just watching is interesting enough, like some crazy chemistry experiment, and he doesn’t seem to mind my chatter, so I’ll continue being the lively one—
“Tonight’s raid.”
“Hm?”
Just as I was about to ask another question about the cooking process, which intrigued me to no end, Tetsu-san spoke up.
He was usually the listener, so this was a little unusual.
“Assuming the scale doubles again from last night… Will you be alright?”
What I saw in his dark, calm eyes—calmer than my partner’s orange ones—was not the color of worry, but the color of concern. It’s not that the meaning was different, but the direction was.
In other words, he wasn’t saying, ‘You better do a good job,’ but rather, ‘Don’t push yourself too hard.’ And really… everyone here is just too nice.
“No need to worry. I’ll be unveiling the real deal, Crown Ver. 3.0, so you can look forward to it.”
“…I see. In that case, I’ll be looking forward to it.”
And that’s precisely why I can strike a pose and act cool—it feels completely worth it.
◇◆◇◆◇
On the third day, just before the appointed time of 10:00 PM VM time.
As the forest began to stir once again, the thirty-two combatants, excluding myself, stood at their respective posts, awaiting the start of the battle.
Five teams of six were assigned to the decoy storehouses, while the remaining two players, chosen for their defensive builds, were tasked with guarding the three artisans.
We had ample time to prepare, and our meetings had been thorough. Though I could sense their tension from a distance, they were not on the verge of panic.
Now, as long as I don’t mess up, everything will be okay. And the ‘adjustments’ to prevent any such mess-ups were completed last night… so, well, you know.
As long as the System doesn’t go completely haywire with the game balance and throw a ‘red’ army of [Stardust Beasts] at us, there shouldn’t be a problem.
If they did something like that, you can bet I’d be sending a strongly worded feedback email immediately. You got that, right?
“Well, I doubt that’ll happen, though.”
On the roof of the barracks—no, even higher than that. I stood on a newly constructed high platform, muttering to myself. The night wind blew, and I brushed away the annoying white hair that whipped across my face.
It was a watchtower built for durability alone, with no ladder to climb, no internal mechanisms, and no safety railings—just a tall, sturdy structure of timber. It was not for watching, but for a solo stage.
Standing over ten meters tall, with a platform about five meters in diameter, this great tower had only one purpose.
To serve as an unyielding stage for the one who would rampage upon it.
The system clock ticked onward, and a palpable presence began to spill out from the rustling forest. The voiceless [Stardust Beasts] announced the beginning of their ‘march’ with a tremor that shook the earth—
“—…Heh, of course. I knew it.”
The trees swayed, leaves scattered, and a new ‘starry sky’ broke through the ocean of the great forest. Its appearance confirmed the hints that had been presented to us all this time, turning them into a solid answer.
A long neck, a long tail, and a massive body equipped with wings so vast they could be mistaken for the night sky itself.
The shape of its head was a bit unique, slightly deviating from the classic, cool fantasy staple, but…
“—A Dragon… I guess. So it really is the zodiac.”
There was no other name more fitting than ‘Dragon’.
Starting with the Monkey, then the Wolf, Boar, Rabbit, Snake, and Sheep… Seeing them all lined up like this, anyone would have figured it out. I had no way of knowing if this was the theme for all [Stardust Beasts] or just the ones in this forest, but it was safe to assume it was confirmed.
The Wolf was a slight outlier, but I figured it was fine to just treat it as the Dog.
Also, to be honest, I thought a big shot like the Dragon would appear on the final day. My prediction was off, which is a shame—but in a way, it’s just what I wanted.
For a debut performance, the flashier the better, for both my opponent and myself, right?
In that case, let’s start with a resounding celebratory cannon fire.
“—[Ruby Rabbit Bullet].”
In my right hand, I summoned a single, crimson-glowing matchlock. Compared to modern firearms, it looked more like a ‘stick’—a firearm with an extremely simple structure.
For a work by that legendary artisan, its form was surprisingly plain, almost anticlimactically so—if you ignored the fact that it was made entirely of a single crimson color from muzzle to stock, and that crystals were sprouting wantonly from all over the barrel.
For a little while now, I’d had one complaint about my build.
Seeing my partner and the other special-class fighters, all of whom possessed ‘strengths’ that I lacked in varying degrees, only made it more apparent—
I couldn’t help but feel that something was lacking. That’s why I had this made.
…Alright. The starry sky on the ground began to flood out from the edge of the forest, while in the air, the number of giant, winged starry skies increased, one by one.
Plenty of targets. No need to hold back. Let’s get this started.
My arm extended straight towards the sky. Whether throwing or shooting, it was all the same. True to my word, I would ‘punch from a distance.’
The match cord was lit with the flame of my magic.
I pulled the trigger with a mix of anticipation and tension—a live-fire test without any practice shots, born from my absolute faith in the words and skill of my personal Magic Crafter. The trigger pulled without a sound—
“Nngh—!”
The force was enough to nearly blow me, the gunner who had planted my feet firmly on the stage, right off my perch. With a tremendous recoil and a deafening roar, a crimson warhead was launched from the gun barrel as it shattered into dust.
And then—3, 2, 1,
“—Boom.”
The warhead—a reactive round packed with my magic—struck one of the Dragons right on target. The moment it sensed the ‘prey’s’ magic in close proximity, it detonated.
This was nothing like the low-power shrapnel-scattering 《Exploding Bullet》.
A crimson light of magic erupted, completely engulfing the Dragon’s massive body… As I stared in shock, the light faded, leaving behind nothing but empty space where the stars once were.
“…Huh?”
Obliterating the Dragon I hit without a trace was just as I’d hoped, but the shockwave knocking several others out of the sky was more than I expected—or rather, completely unexpected.
I had heard it had a ‘spec that boosts its power according to my total MID,’ but… no, this is good. This is very good.
This is precisely the area-of-effect firepower I wanted…!
“All hail Kagura-san. In that case, well—”
In both hands, I summoned Number 2 and Number 3 of the shattered matchlock.
My inventory was packed with plenty of ‘stock.’ And my ‘reloads’ would last as long as my MP—with a raw MID value approaching fifteen hundred—held out.
I could already sense the shock—a shock even greater than my own—coming from all directions. But the approaching horde of [Stardust Beasts] wouldn’t flinch or wait.
And that’s why,
“—Let’s kick off this fireworks festival with a bang!”
There was no need for mercy or hesitation as my fingers closed on the triggers.