kscans

Chapter 378 - The Hero's Return and a Deal

The battle around Abaddon ended in victory for Hayato and his allies.

The biggest factor was that with Hypnos absent from the battlefield, Deite was in an unstoppable state.

Even for important characters in this world, rules still exist. Once you leave an event battlefield, you cannot return. Since neither Hypnos nor Amanda could come back, Deite, knowing Hayato was safe from being abducted, charged into Abaddon alone.

The interior of Abaddon is teeming with insect monsters, so the female players generally did not enter. With the exception of a few, most remained near the Area Stone, which meant there was no shortage of guards for Hayato, a fact Deite had taken into account.

Deite fights with martial arts and magic. She possesses a rare piece of equipment classified as a weapon, a book called "All or Nothing" that enhances her attack and healing magic, but she only uses it for casting spells. Otherwise, she is fundamentally bare-fisted.

Currently, Deite does not possess any Hand-to-Hand Combat skills, but that didn't matter. No player could stop her.

Despite the narrow spaces, no attack could touch her. Even when a spell with an attack range that filled the entire passage was used, she would instantly nullify it. When a massive number of players were gathered to block a passage in a human wave tactic, she wiped them out with attack magic.

They tried their best to stop her, but their opponent was simply too much. They could slow her advance somewhat, but they could not halt it.

While the enemy was focused on stopping Deite, the other clans took different routes to advance toward the opposing side.

Loana had set traps on every route, but Relic, Sonia, and the members of the Treasure Hunter Guild, who arrived on the battlefield later, disarmed them, preventing any significant casualties.

The difficulty of disarming traps changes based on the difference between the Trap Skill and the Trap Disarm Skill. Much like with locked treasure chests, it requires solving a complex puzzle within a time limit, and the skill difference alters that time limit.

The traps Loana had set with her level 200 Trap Skill were of considerable difficulty and had a short time limit, but Relic and Sonia made up for it with their superior technique.

"I can't lose to the younger generation just yet," Relic said with a smile, but his face showed a level of fatigue that revealed his immense concentration. Sonia was the same. After disarming the traps, she said, "Have some consideration for my old bones," and went to wait near the Area Stone.

And on the lowest level route of Abaddon, the giant centipede rare monster, the "King of Insects/Poison," had been approaching the former Demon Lord's Army, but Ash and the male members of "Dragon Soul" defeated it.

Lunaria, who had declared, "Centipedes are the Demon Lord," charged into Abaddon with Gil and the members of the Ten Dark Knights upon learning of its defeat. Lunaria, Deite, and the players from the major clans began to gradually push the enemy back within Abaddon.

The area by the surface exit was the most dangerous, but when Gil and his unit made a united suicide charge into the enemy ranks, the opposing side crumbled. The other players swarmed in, and in the end, Lunaria destroyed the Area Stone to claim victory.

As is customary, a victory celebration was being held at their headquarters after the battle ended.

The fight concluded before noon. It was still going strong in the evening when Hayato returned from work.

"No one follows the plan!" Randa was drinking desperation juice while Ren and Suien consoled her, but it wasn't just the female members who didn't want to fight on a battlefield full of insect monsters. The men felt the same way.

Everyone was having a good time, celebrating that it was finally over.

This time, the return of Ivan made the celebration particularly lively.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't have come back until I beat you. Go on, betray us and join the other side now."

"Cecil, you're the same as always."

"Huh? Don't talk like we haven't seen each other in a while. We fought together before… though I don't remember when."

"You don't even remember."

Ivan had been pestered by Cecil for a while now. Her words were unreasonable, but it was to be expected from a battle maniac like her. Ivan, however, seemed used to it and was handling her casually.

Hayato approached Esha and Noat, who were eating and drinking at the same table as Ivan and his group, and Ivan noticed him.

"Yo, Hayato."

"I was surprised when I got your voice chat. Is everything okay?"

This was, of course, a question about whether he was okay after his memories returned, but he phrased it vaguely since Cecil, whose memories had not returned, was present.

"Yeah, Relic came here right after and explained things. So I'm good. Relic was here until a little while ago, but he looked tired and is sleeping in his room."

"We did have him push himself today."

With that, the conversation ended. There were many things Hayato wanted to ask, but it was difficult with Cecil around.

As if sensing the situation, Surya, who had logged in, came over with wine and glasses.

"Cecil, don't just stay over there. Come have a drink with me, it's been a while. Hayato-san made some good wine."

"Oh! Surya, you're here today. You've been a bad friend lately."

"Work at the Tamer Guild has been busy. Come on, I'll be your drinking buddy."

"Alright, let's drink then! We'll be over there. Ivan, if you're gonna betray us, do it soon!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Cecil joyfully slung an arm around Surya's shoulder and walked away.

"I bet Cecil won't change at all even if her memories come back…"

Esha agreed with Ivan's murmur.

"Personalities don't change that much even if memories return. Well, I'm scared she'd blurt it out on the spot if her memories did come back. She probably couldn't keep quiet."

"I do wonder if it needs to be kept quiet, but I guess now's not the time. Anyway, I was surprised to hear a hundred years have passed. And that Earth wasn't destroyed. I even suspected you were an intelligent life form from another planet, Hayato."

"For all you know, humans today might look like octopus monsters."

"I'll save that surprise for when we can log out. But things have gotten interesting, haven't they? This Amanda person hijacked a spaceship and is trying to take over the world?"

"It would be interesting if it were just a game…"

To Hayato, it was anything but interesting, but perhaps due to being a big shot, that was how Ivan saw it.

And what was hard to understand was how freeing Ivan led to Lutz joining their side. According to what Deite had investigated, Ivan had undoubtedly fought Lutz under Amanda's orders and deliberately lost.

Though it was only speculation based on the circumstances, there was a possibility that Ivan was a spy for Amanda, just like with Xenobia.

"I don't suppose you're a spy, are you?"

"Nah. Lunaria turned me down, and I wanna find a wife in the real world. Virtual reality is no good."

Ivan said this, then looked from Esha to Noat in turn. After that, he sighed.

"I'll take that as a declaration of war."

"Depending on the reason for that sigh, I'll sing the Hero's flame song. I'll spread the word that ‘Hero’ is an embarrassing title, so be prepared."

"That's what I'm talking about. Anyway, Hayato, I'm surprised you can put up with Esha."

Hearing that, Hayato nearly fell off his chair. He barely caught the table with his hand, but his posture was completely broken.

"Wha, wait a minute. Esha and I aren't dating."

"That's right. Master is my servant."

"How can you contradict yourself so much in such a short sentence?"

The back-and-forth between Hayato and Esha continued, while Ivan and Noat watched with thoroughly exasperated expressions.

"This is them flirting, right? Can I punch him?"

"I agree with Ivan on that. It's so much I can't even watch without eating a donut."

"I want a girlfriend too. It's weird that I'm strong but not popular, isn't it?"

"I think you would have been popular if you also had a good personality, were clean, and had money. There's more, but those are musts."

"That's not even me anymore."

After this pointless conversation went on for a while, Lunaria approached their table.

The ever-curious Benitsuru was nearby, sending a heated gaze toward Ivan.

Ivan gave a small wave to Lunaria in greeting.

"Yo, Lunaria. Rosalie got in the way earlier so I couldn't say hello, but starting tomorrow I'll be fighting as part of the former Demon Lord's Army, so I look forward to working with you."

"Okay. I'll work you to the bone, so do your best as a subordinate of the Demon Lord."

"I'm not exactly thrilled, but I'll be your subordinate. By the way, the young lady over there… are you a samurai from the Eastern Country?"

"Is this the first time we've met? I'm Benitsuru Azuma. I'm the princess of the Eastern Country and like, Luna-cchi's best friend. I've heard so much about you from Simon, so it doesn't feel like we're meeting for the first time."

"I'm Ivan. Simon… you mean that samurai? Why are there so many battle-crazed women around me…?"

Simon had been with Ivan and his group for a time during the Necropolis expedition, and she had held mock battles with Ivan at their base. She had also sparred with the Maid Chief, and back then, Ivan couldn't rest in the dungeon or at the base.

Ignoring such circumstances, Benitsuru drew closer to Ivan.

"Is it true Luna-cchi turned you down!?"

"Yes. I turned him down completely and utterly. If he were a little less overbearing, more of a gentleman, and had better table manners, there might have been a chance."

"I feel like I just said this, but that's not me anymore. Do you guys hate me or something?"

Lunaria answered Benitsuru's question, and Ivan shot back a retort.

After that, everyone started talking about love.

Hayato alone left the scene, saying he had to prepare for tomorrow, and it was probably a wise decision.

Back in his room, Hayato checked the status of his storage.

He had run out of citrus fruits from making too much Neutralizer today, but Keith and the others from "Over the Top" had brought a large amount of materials as thanks.

Furthermore, "Bandit" and "Imperial" had also brought materials as thanks for the Neutralizer's discovery, so the storage was filled with a massive amount of materials.

Hayato was about to start maintaining equipment and crafting medicines and food, but he quickly stopped and thought about Deite.

Deite was investigating the meaning of Amanda's and Hypnos's words. He hadn't seen her since the battle, and she hadn't responded to his voice chats.

Deite's available functions were currently severely restricted, making her investigation difficult, but she had said there were still things she could look into.

Normally, she should also check with Infinity, but that apparently couldn't be done without being in a room deep within the Demon Lord's Castle, so she was leaving it alone for now.

Hayato felt a vague sense of dread. He couldn't explain it well, but it was a situation where his heart was uneasy.

Amanda was plotting world domination, and if she won this event, she would achieve it. However, Hayato couldn't imagine Lunaria losing, and it was also questionable whether Amanda was serious, so he didn't feel much tension.

But when he learned that Hypnos was doing something unrelated to the event, Hayato got an indescribably bad feeling.

He had formed a decent bond with Hypnos. His hostage life in the Demon Lord's Castle had only been for about a week, but after eating and sleeping together for that long, feelings developed. He had trusted him to a certain extent, but there was a high probability that he had been mistaken.

It was selfish of him, but he also felt betrayed. He had sent a voice chat to Hypnos to try and talk, but the lack of a reply was another source of his unease.

Haya_to took a deep breath and then slapped his cheeks with both hands.

(There's no pain, but I think I'm fired up now. A lot is going on, but first, I need to prepare for tomorrow. Whatever the circumstances, we have to win.)

Haya_to took out his favorite hammer and began maintenance on the equipment that had lost durability.

— At the same time. The Demon Lord's Castle.

Ox, from the clan "Rampage," had come to the Demon Lord's Castle.

It wasn't just Ox. Nestor and Loana were also there.

The reason for this situation was that Hypnos had appeared while they were at the Rampage headquarters, discussing tomorrow's battle with Nestor and Loana.

He had invited them, saying, "I have something to discuss, would you come to the Demon Lord's Castle?"

More than half the territories still belonged to the New Demon Lord's Army, but an atmosphere that they probably couldn't win anymore had spread, and the New Demon Lord's side was in a state of resignation.

A single victory might make a comeback possible, but that one victory was difficult. They had gathered to discuss this, but no good ideas emerged. It was then that Hypnos's invitation came, so they decided to hear him out.

Hypnos opened a rift in space, and when they stepped through, they were instantly teleported to another location. They were told to wait in that room, so they were quietly doing so.

"Is this really the Demon Lord's Castle?"

Loana answered Nestor's question.

"I think so. It's dark, but the town visible outside the window is the Demon Capital Zardogia. Based on the location, it must be the Demon Lord's Castle."

"Huh, you can tell all that? Then what does he want to talk about after bringing us all the way here? Is this a game event?"

Neither Ox nor Loana could answer that question.

It was common in games for an event to start by performing a set action, but this game had nothing of the sort. It was something you learned soon after starting this game. Doing the same thing did not guarantee the same event would occur.

As they remained silent, Lutz came in through the door.

They exchanged greetings, surprised.

"Lutz, you were called too? It's not my place to say, but are you sure it was a good idea to switch to this side?"

It was clear to anyone that the former Demon Lord's Army was dominating. Siding with the losing team couldn't be called a wise move.

To Ox's words, Lutz replied, "It's not a problem."

"There's something more important than winning or losing this event."

Ox just said, "I see," and didn't press further. He knew that with Lutz's personality, he wouldn't answer even if asked in detail.

And Ox wasn't too concerned about the event's outcome either.

He wanted to win against the long-established major clans, but he would be satisfied just by beating Rauxal. However, in the current situation, even getting close to Rauxal was difficult. The former Demon Lord's side was that strong.

If he could win the event, he wouldn't need to beat Rauxal directly, but since that was also difficult, he had to win in a direct confrontation.

Winning in a game didn't mean much, it was just self-satisfaction. However, it was difficult in reality, and this was his only point of contact now. He wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine somehow, but no good ideas came to mind.

As he was thinking about this, Hypnos returned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. First, let's change locations."

Hypnos said only that and held his right hand up to an empty space.

Then, a distorted-looking door was created there.

The expression that came to everyone's mind was "bugged." It was a rare sight in this virtual reality. The image was unstable, and parts of it were flickering repeatedly.

"I'm moving to a special place so we won't be overheard. If you don't want to, you can wait here. However, once you enter, what happens inside is confidential."

After saying only that, Hypnos opened the door and went inside.

He said he didn't want to be overheard, but the question of "by whom" arose. Being in the Demon Lord's Castle, there was no way anyone from the former Demon Lord's Army would hear them.

There was also the question of what lay beyond the door, but he disappeared without them being able to ask. If they wanted to talk, it would have to be inside.

As Ox hesitated, Lutz approached the door and placed his hand on the knob.

"You came this far and you're not going in? You'll probably hear something interesting, you know."

Lutz said this, opened the door, and vanished inside.

Ox looked at Nestor and Loana, then nodded. He placed his hand on the doorknob.

The inside of the door was a spreading darkness. Hypnos and Lutz had stepped into this darkness.

Ox also hesitated for a moment, but then he stepped into the darkness. He entered with his whole body.

There was a momentary headache, but it was just for an instant. The next moment, he was in a small room.

It was a room of bare concrete. There were no windows, and though there was no light source, the inside was bright. In this place completely devoid of any sign of life, there was only a wooden round table and a few chairs. And the things here were also bugged, their images unstable and parts of them flickering.

And it wasn't just Hypnos and Lutz. There were two others. The Demon Lord, Amanda, and the samurai, Nanagi.

The four of them were sitting in chairs, and three chairs were empty.

"Sit wherever you like."

Amanda prompted them with a smile, and Nestor and Loana sat down cautiously. Ox sat down last.

Seeing this, Amanda nodded once and opened her mouth.

"You heard before you came in, right? What we are about to discuss is strictly confidential."

It was unclear how much power those words held, but Ox and the others nodded.

Seeing this, Amanda smiled again.

"I'll be direct. Nanagi and I are human. This one here, Hypnos, is an AI."

Before Ox and the others could comprehend those words, Amanda continued.

"Also, it's bad news for you, but we can't win this event. It's that kind of scenario."

"Wha, what are you…"

Unable to grasp the situation, Ox barely managed to say that, but Amanda raised her right index finger to her lips.

"Questions later. I have something I want you to hear, based on what I just said."

Amanda's gaze moved as if to survey Ox and the others.

"I'll grant your wishes. In return, I want you to grant my wish. I don't think it's a bad deal, what do you say?"

Silence fell over the room.

There were many things they couldn't understand, and besides, there was the question of whether they could even trust her words.

"Is this a game event? And what do you mean, you'll grant our wishes?"

Loana, clad in black, said this. Her expression was hidden, but her voice was calm.

"You're Loana of Raven, aren't you. Hypnos."

"Loana's wish is her sister. She's searching for her sister who ran away from home in this virtual reality."

"What…!"

This time, her voice could not be called calm. She stood up so forcefully that her chair fell over with a loud crash.

Ignoring the situation, Hypnos continued.

"You think if your sister sees your face, she'll run away. So you hide your face and gather information about her. Am I wrong?"

"How do you know that…?"

"It's a private matter, but I said it to make you understand this isn't a game. Don't worry, I won't say anything more unnecessary. Should I tell the two of you as well?"

Hypnos turned his gaze to Nestor.

"You're earning money for a friend who was sent to Colony ‘Dead End,’ aren't you? Funds to hire a retrieval specialist, I suppose."

"You're kidding…"

Nestor's face was as if to say that was the truth.

And now he turned his gaze towards Ox.

"It seems you lost to Rauxal from a rival company at work. And he poached your subordinates, too."

That was indeed true, but so many surprising things were happening in succession that he didn't know what to be surprised about anymore.

"And you're hoping that a game related to a Foundation might give you some kind of contact. You seem to have high ambitions."

"You know that much…?"

He was so surprised that he became calm in a strange way. And then he remembered the words about granting wishes.

"You said you'd grant my wish, but what exactly do you plan to do?"

"In your case, I'll create an opportunity for you to fight Rauxal in virtual reality. I can also introduce you to someone from a Foundation. Ah, by the way, it's not related to Libra. A completely unrelated Foundation."

Ox was surprised at how casually he used the word "Foundation," but he thought that perhaps Amanda and Nanagi were related to a Foundation.

"Th, then what about my wish?"

Nestor looked at Hypnos with serious eyes.

"I could give you real money, but more than that, I'll directly retrieve that person from Dead End for you."

"Are you serious…?"

Hypnos looked at Loana.

"I already have information on your sister. If you want it, I'd like you to grant our wish."

"…I want a guarantee."

"I can only say you'll have to trust me. I'm not going to force you to accept. But let me just say, even if you don't agree to this deal, if you leak information anywhere other than this room, things will get very bad for you. In virtual reality, and in the real world too. In that case, I want you to imagine something far worse than the worst you can think of."

Hypnos looked at Ox and the others with a wicked smile.

"As Amanda said earlier, we can't win this event. But if you grant our wish, I'll grant yours. You see, I want collaborators not in this world, but in the world ‘outside,’ to win in a different way. Please think it over carefully."

"Then, let me hear this wish of yours. No, tell me the whole story."

"Does that mean you might not accept depending on the circumstances?"

"That's not it. I've already decided to accept. But if I take a job without knowing the details, I can't improvise when it matters. That's just how I always handle client requests."

"I see, a good answer. Now, what will you two do?"

Nestor and Loana nodded immediately.

"Very well. Then what we want you to do is…"

And so, a deal was struck to grant each other's wishes.