kscans

Chapter 211 - An Old Man's Ramblings

After a desperate battle, Hayato and the others defeated the Mosasaurus.

As the strongest creature in the sea, it was a tough fight, but Hayato's group was also composed of the strongest members, so they were never going to lose. But they were heavily depleted.

They had used up almost all the medicine-type production items Hayato had prepared. Furthermore, they had no more lumber to repair the ship. Normally, they should turn back once and restock their items. The barrier was deactivated for a day thanks to the switch. There was enough time to go back and prepare again. The game system was probably designed for that.

But that was for people who didn't work or for Sundays. Today was a weekday, and Hayato and Esha had work at the cafe in the afternoon. They didn't have time to go back and restock. So, they decided to enter the lake building with almost no production items.

"Even with Lunaria-kun and Esha-kun, it was quite a tough fight. Maybe I need to lower the Mosasaurus's stats a bit."

"Diite-chan, you're not trying to use us to adjust the game balance, are you?"

"…Of course not. But well, this place has existed since the game's launch, and you guys were the first ones to come here. So I was looking forward to seeing what would happen. I won't deny that I got some good data."

(Didn't she say we could win?)

According to Diite, the basic strategy was to fight using cannons, and fighting in close combat was unexpected. The victory could be attributed to Esha's Destroy and Lunaria's Black Swan. Because of that, Lunaria was getting carried away as usual. But she was soaking wet. The Black Rose members were using fire magic around her to dry her off.

"Are you okay, Lunaria-san?"

"I'm the Demon Lord, so it's a piece of cake. A monster of that level is child's play."

"No, I mean, you were drowning, are you okay? Rosalie-san had to save you, didn't she?"

Towards the end, Lunaria committed the reckless act of fighting in close combat in the water. She jumped into the lake herself. Without the Diving Skill, her HP gradually decreased, but she managed to survive with the healing magic from Diite and the others, and in the end, she dealt the finishing blow to the Mosasaurus. Everyone thought Lunaria could swim, but it seems that was an effect of Black Swan. As soon as the battle ended, the effect wore off and Lunaria drowned. Seeing this, Rosalie jumped into the lake and saved Lunaria.

"I'm the Demon Lord, so I'm fine. Rosalie-chan is—"

"I'm fine too. But it's a little cold, so could I have some hot coffee?"

"I can give you as much of that as you want. What about you, Lunaria-san?"

"With plenty of milk and sugar. I demand the Lunaria Special."

"Yes, yes."

She had named it herself, but Lunaria couldn't drink coffee unless it was a drink with plenty of milk and sugar. In fact, it was closer to saying she put coffee in sugared milk. After giving them their drinks, he approached Esha. Lunaria dealt the finishing blow, but Esha was probably the one who contributed the most damage.

"Are you okay, Esha?"

"I just fired Destroy, so I'm fine. I didn't take any damage. However, I won't be able to fire Destroy for a while, so it might be dangerous if another strong enemy appears."

"It won't be for about thirty minutes. And while there might be strong enemies inside that building, we'll be aiming for the treasure without fighting, so I think it'll be fine."

"I bet there's one right before the final treasure, though. I'd like to bring that treasure back if possible… Should we have Cecil charge in? I'll shoot them all together from behind with Destroy."

"Esha, I can hear you!"

Cecil's voice came from quite far away. But she didn't sound angry, so it was probably their usual banter. Rather, the fact that she sounded like she could shoot her from behind even if they were on good terms was a little scary.

According to Ney, there were powerful dinosaurs on the lowest floors of the northeast and northwest buildings as well. A Triceratops and a Stegosaurus. Both were genetically modified, and Hayato heard they not only breathed fire but also used magic. Considering that, it was certain there would be a boss-like dinosaur in the lake building as well.

(If it's a dinosaur boss, there's only one thing it could be…)

Hayato was a little excited about this. A boy's dream, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Hayato was no exception. It was a shame it would likely have fantasy elements, but that couldn't be helped. The Mosasaurus they just defeated also used attacks like an ultrasonic wave and a charging attack while spinning its body called "Health Spiral." Attacks it probably wouldn't do in reality.

If there was a Tyrannosaurus, he was both excited and scared to see what it would do. A few minutes later, once everyone was fine, the ship started moving. Sonia was at the helm, heading for the building. They were about halfway from the land, so it was another three or four kilometers.

While moving, Hayato happened to see Relic. He was standing on the port side of the ship with his arms clasped behind his back, looking out at the lake, but there was nothing in particular where he was looking.

"Relic-san, what's wrong? Do you see something?"

"Ah, no, I don't see anything in particular."

"And yet you seemed to be looking at the lake so seriously."

"I wasn't looking at the lake. I was thinking about the Mosasaurus from earlier."

"That's unusual. May I ask what you were thinking about?"

Relic looked a little surprised, then smiled at Hayato.

"The Mosasaurus from earlier was said to be quite strong in the sea, wasn't it?"

"Yes, one of the treasure hunters was very knowledgeable. He said it was at the top of the underwater predators."

"It's embarrassing to say, but I was also at the top, so to speak, as a hacker. I came to love the act of hacking and snuck into all sorts of places, and before I knew it, that's where I ended up."

Hayato had heard about this from Diite. Relic, known as the Fire Serpent—Red Snake, was a master hacker back in the day. He was caught on purpose to save Anneliese. Diite's view was that he would not have been caught otherwise.

"I was thinking about what that Mosasaurus thought after becoming the apex predator."

Realistically, the answer was that it didn't have the intelligence to think anything, but that was probably not what Relic was thinking about. Hayato waited for his next words without replying.

"It didn't want to act like a king, nor did it want to boast to anyone. It just lived as it pleased and ended up there. I was wondering what it wanted to do with the power it had obtained that way."

"Relic-san, are you thinking you want to do something with your hacking ability?"

"You are sharp. Yes, I never thought about it in the past, but when I reached my late sixties, I became greedy. If I could leave this power to someone even after I die someday, it would be proof that I lived. Ban was a failure, though."

Hayato thought. Relic didn't want to leave behind his hacking ability; he wanted to leave behind proof that he had lived. But Hayato couldn't quite understand that way of thinking. He was young, so he didn't feel death was near, and he didn't have any power to leave behind. If he had to say, it would be his cafe, but he didn't think that was proof of his existence.

What Relic was thinking could be seen as the anguish of someone who had obtained something, so Hayato had never thought about it. And Relic said he had never thought about it in the past. In other words, it was a desire that only came with age.

"Um, I'm sorry. I understand what you were thinking, Relic-san, but I haven't reached that state myself, so I can't really say anything—"

"Of course. This is just an old man's ramblings. Hayato-sama, whose life is just beginning, couldn't possibly have an answer. And I'm not asking for an answer; it's about what I want to do."

That probably referred to Relic's future. Only virtual reality, only reality, or a life going back and forth between both like Hayato. Relic had no reason to live in virtual reality and no reason to return to reality. Furthermore, he didn't need a life of going back and forth between both. Hayato had no idea which one he would choose.

As if understanding Hayato's thoughts, Relic smiled.

"It is not something for Hayato-sama to worry about. This is something I must worry about. Please rest assured that I will decide after enjoying this world with everyone a little more."

"No matter what the result, it's not like we won't be able to see each other, but I can't help but think about various things—If you do return to reality, please try the coffee I make. It's on me."

"That would be wonderful. One point for living in reality—Come to think of it, according to Esha, the taste is about a two-star level?"

"Personally, I think it's about two and a half stars…"

"Oh my, then is that a minus point?"

"Relic-san…"

"I am just joking. I have not decided yet, but if I do decide to return to reality, then I will gladly—it seems we have arrived at our destination."

The ship had arrived at the center of the lake. The surrounding members were beginning to prepare to disembark.

(This might be the last dungeon I can adventure in with Relic-san. I have to enjoy it properly.)

Thinking this, Hayato slapped his cheeks with both hands. It didn't hurt, but it got him fired up.