kscans

Chapter 92 - Connecting Hearts at the Summit

To be honest, for someone who had cleared it once before, re-conquering the [Spiral Crimson Tower] wasn't difficult.

Well, the action was still devilishly hard, but what was more important in this dungeon was the accumulation and memorization of information, rather than pure action skills.

Once you've mapped out a strategy from start to finish, as long as you don't forget it, you can reliably replicate the clear.

"And that's how it's done."

"The... usual..."

Back in the goal room after several hours. Beyond the crimson, glittering archway, the girl collapsed on the floor glared at me with teary eyes, her breathing shallow.

Hey, wait a minute. I didn't do anything wrong this time.

I gave a thorough explanation beforehand, so it's not my fault!

"Oh, honestly...! I take my eyes off you for just two days, and you really go and, ugh...!!"

Uh oh, this feels a bit different than the usual nuance, doesn't it?

I sense she's feeling a bit competitive about the progress I've made yet again, but...

I'd like to say this loud and clear—as expected, Sora-san is quite something herself.

"Man... `Scareless` and `Cradle` are just too insane..."

"Th-That's... um..."

This re-run, which we challenged with Sora's support, was, I'm sorry to say in the face of a formerly unconquerable dungeon, so much of a cakewalk that I almost yawned.

It was the result of a synergy with my newly acquired skills, but among them, the combination of the concentrated MID boost from `Scareless` and `Foresight Eye` was key.

With thirty levels' worth of status points poured into it, my actual MID value, including accessory boosts, was a whopping 550. That's even higher than the 500 average for a pure mage player.

Fueled by that massive MP pool, I kept the mana-guzzling `Foresight Eye` active at all times.

With an MID of 100, the attack prediction only lasted ten seconds, but now it easily surpassed thirty. With the regen effect from a pre-dosed MP potion, I could maintain it for about forty seconds.

And forty seconds was more than enough to get from start to finish... When you're blasting upwards at over 300 kilometers per hour, even a deceptively long path doesn't take much time.

As if that support wasn't enough, there was also the `Cradle`'s magic sword bullet-hell counter.

As long as the scales of `Scareless` were tipped in my favor, Sora's stats would decrease, but unlike with her old skill, she could still participate in combat.

So, it was no problem for her to fire off magic swords in every direction while being carried in my arms. The swords' attack power was reduced due to her significantly lower MID, but they were still effective enough to knock down the [Ruby Bullets] with a graze, thanks in part to the enemies' own high speed.

As a result, the number of attack prediction lines in my vision drastically decreased. I didn't even need to rely on the [Angalta] shield, and I reached the goal with less than half the evasive maneuvers I needed on my first clear.

"Well, well, let's just be happy that we're both growing so remarkably..."

"Ugh... I'm worried about what's going to happen later..."

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, as they say. I know the feeling of being hit with an inexplicable anxiety when things go too smoothly—but, well, putting those feelings aside.

"So, how was the all-important clear reward?"

"Hah... —Um, yes. For that, I'm truly grateful."

She let out a sigh as if to push out her mounting worries. Perhaps that helped her switch gears, because she stood up, bowed her head, and smiled.

From the look of it, she must have gotten a fitting reward. I didn't get any clear notification or results screen... but then again, the first-clear reward is apparently an upgraded version of the normal reward, so that's to be expected.

"Um... it's called the [Crimson Rabbit Choker]."

As she spoke, Sora materialized the reward from her inventory. Resting on her outstretched palm was a choker adorned with a small, rabbit-shaped gem.

The gem was smaller than the one on the [Crimson Rabbit Ornament], giving it a more delicate and cute feel.

And though it was a normal reward, its origin was, as expected of a high-difficulty dungeon, a high-end piece of equipment in terms of overall quality.

"So the normal reward comes as a finished accessory... oh, excuse me?"

I gestured with my finger and glanced at her for permission. Sora nodded with a smile, and I tapped the [Crimson Rabbit Choker] to bring up its details window.

[Crimson Rabbit Choker]
Accessory: Choker
MID+50
Untradeable
A piece of jewelry that holds the small blessing of the Ruby Rabbit. A fragment of the undying prayer grants its wearer protection, keeping the fate of death at bay.

The flavor text itself wasn't much different from the [Crimson Rabbit Ornament]'s, but the stat bonus was more modest—though 'modest' here is still a five-level bonus. My sense of scale is getting warped by all these broken items I've been getting.

The effect was also more modest compared to the [Crimson Rabbit Hair Ornament]... or rather, it's better to say it's a completely different thing.

Simply put, it acts like a disposable HP tank during combat. It's like extra armor or a temporary heart container, the kind of thing you see in various games.

The extra HP can't be replenished by healing, but the effect seems to reset at the end of combat. It works every battle without needing maintenance, and the amount of extra HP is quite significant, at thirty percent of the wearer's maximum health.

I'd say it's a perfectly excellent piece of equipment.

If anything, the [Crimson Rabbit Hair Ornament (Original)] is just too insane. No matter how many times I look at it, I can't make sense of how broken it is.

"That looks great. The MID bonus synergizes well for you, and the special effect will serve as good insurance for a light-armor user—and most importantly, it'll look absolutely wonderful on you. Congratulations."

"Oh... thank you."

How could it not suit her? Ever since I saw the [Crimson Rabbit Ornament], I thought, "Sora would love this," but more than that, I thought, "This would look great on Sora."

Personally, I think the contrast between gold and crimson is a powerful one.

Sora must have noticed my expectant gaze. She looked a little shy, but smiled and said, "I'll put it on," and—

"How does it look...?"

"Perfection."

No unnecessary words were needed. that one word said it all.

A translucent crimson rabbit, sparkling at her slender, white throat.

The design, which simply highlighted the brilliance of a single small gem, perfectly matched the graceful girl's charm.

"It suits you perfectly. It's wonderful."

I echoed the words she had used to praise my new look, and Sora's cheeks flushed noticeably as she turned her face away.

"Th-... Thank you."

My partner, who politely thanks me even while embarrassed, is so cute it's dangerous.

I'm aware of how creepy I've been, fawning over Sora's cuteness lately, but is there any man who could interact with this girl and not fawn? It's not my fault, is it?

Whether she's like a little sister or whatever, cute is cute, right???

"...Um, Haru-san."

As I was deploying my self-justifying, mysterious line of thought and trying desperately to keep my expression from slackening, Sora, her face still red, tugged at my sleeve.

This is exactly the kind of thing you do, I thought as I looked at her face—and seeing her unexpectedly serious expression, I immediately suppressed my frivolous attitude.

"What's wrong?"

Recognizing her hesitation, I prompted her with a consciously calm tone.

"W-Well... The thing is, I can't stay in the virtual world for very long today."

"Okay."

"I originally came... um... to talk......... um, to give you my... my answer."

"...Yeah."

—To be honest, I had noticed from the start.

From the moment we met, her atmosphere felt slightly different than usual.

After parting ways with that kind of exchange last time, it was only natural that I would notice, being conscious of it myself.

Her answer—in other words, her reply to my partner contract proposal.

Watching Sora, who, despite her fumbling, was bravely trying to spin her words... I felt the thorns of anxiety that I had been pretending not to see deep in my heart gradually disappear.

—And as that gave me some composure, I knew I couldn't leave it all to her.

In situations like this, a man has to be cool, no matter how many times he fails.

"Sora."

"Y-Yes!"

Putting aside all the frivolous feelings like 'cute' or 'charming'.

When it comes down to it—I genuinely want to be with her.

I want to adventure with her and, one day, see the ends of this world.

And... the fact that she feels the same way about me, this miracle of a connection that I can somehow be certain of, is what I find more precious than anything.

So—ah, that's right. So this is, without a doubt, a proposal.

Because it is, without a doubt, a wish from the bottom of my heart to be with her, wherever our journey may take us.

"—Please become my partner."

Once more, for the third time, those words.

Cheeks flushed as red as they could possibly be.

Eyes, moist with emotion, opened so wide they looked like they might spill over.

Lips, pressed together as if to hold back a flood of various feelings.

And—the small hand, tugging at my sleeve, which showed no intention of letting go.

Everything I saw as we faced each other seemed to convey her heart to me.

And finally, after a long, long mental preparation, Sora—

"—...Yes."

—gave a single nod, and showed me a smile like a blooming flower.