kscans

Chapter 12 - Chapter 12

"Help Rena? Did something happen to her?"

Only a few hours had passed since we cleared that dungeon together. If something happened in that time, did that mean she entered one of the dungeons that appeared in the real world and got into trouble?

But Rena was skilled enough to fight even without a vanguard. Even if she had to use beginner equipment for the first time in a while, she wouldn't struggle with something like the Black Dungeon. Besides, her SPs would never let her do something so dangerous in the real world.

"Lady Rena has been abducted by the being calling itself the Goddess who made the dungeons appear in this world."

"The G, Goddess? And you said abducted. Is this for real?"

Todo-san’s serious expression made it clear he wasn't joking.

"Please, look at this. It shows the moment my lady was taken by the Goddess."

I looked at the smartphone he handed me.

It showed Rena right after the announcement that FWO and the real world had synchronized was broadcast worldwide. Judging by the camera angle, it seemed to be footage from a security camera installed in her mansion.

[Synchronization between the real world and Farhlm World is complete.]

'What does it mean, synchronized with FWO?'

'My lady, the earthquake just happened. Please stay away from the window.'

A maid was stopping Rena, who had tried to check outside.

'Oh, you're right. I'm sorry.'

'Let us move to the safe room now. Your safety is our first priority, my lady.'

'Yes. I understand.'

Just as the two of them were about to move.

[Shinonome Rena has been selected as the commemorative prize (trophy) for the Kanto area.]

Another announcement played. I hadn't heard anything like this.

A trophy was an element in FWO, referring to powerful weapons or rare items you could get for clearing a dungeon.

And when you cleared a Grade 3 dungeon, you could get an NPC who would support you. In other words, a character who would act autonomously without player input.

I had a bad feeling about this.

'Don't say such ridiculous things, calling me a trophy!'

[You have no right to refuse. I am the one who made the dungeons appear in this world. In the words of this world, I am a Goddess. My decision is absolute.]

'A G, Goddess? That's impossible...'

'Rena-sama! Y, your body!!'

Her body was turning into light and vanishing.

'No, I don't want this! Wait...'

'My ladyyyy!'

In just a few seconds, Rena's form disappeared.

As I stared in stunned silence at the sight of a person vanishing, the voice of the self-proclaimed Goddess echoed.

[There are those watching this, are there not? I have decided to make a being who is liked and watched by many into a trophy. That way, you humans will try your hardest to clear the dungeons. If you wish to reclaim Shinonome Rena, then clear the Spring Dungeon. I will be waiting.]

The video ended there.

"They've got to be kidding... What is this Goddess? Making Rena into a prize? That's!"

That's not something anyone has the right to do. It was an unbelievable violation of human rights.

"We attempted to track my lady with all our resources. For emergencies, all members of the Shinonome family have a small GPS woven into their clothing. We followed it, and as a result..."

Todo-san glanced outside the moving car.

A massive, pale blue tower stood there, piercing the sky.

It looked just like it did in the game. That was the Spring Dungeon.

"There is no doubt that Lady Rena is at the very top of that tower."

"...So you want me to help clear the dungeon. But that place is..."

"We understand. The Spring Dungeon is Grade 3. We cannot even enter it without first clearing a Grade 2 dungeon somewhere. Ever since we discovered my lady's location, the Shinonome Group has used its full power to attempt an infiltration, but all attempts have ended in failure."

They had done everything they could before coming to me for help.

Todo-san and the others must be desperate. If possible, I wanted to help too.

"If there's anything I can do, just say the word. I can at least provide guidance on how to clear it. If I teach a professional martial artist or someone an efficient route, I think they could clear a Grade 2 dungeon in about half a day."

Many of the monsters moved differently from their FWO counterparts, but the species that appeared were almost the same. So if you looked at an FWO walkthrough site, you could find out which enemies would appear in the real-world dungeons. If you knew the enemies, their attributes, and their weaknesses, you could easily plan a counter strategy.

It would be many times faster to have someone more mobile join the rescue team for Rena than for me to do it myself.

"Do you have any candidates for the clear team? If you have any videos of them doing sports or something, it would be easier for me to give advice on suitable weapons and strategies for them."

"We would like to ask you, Hayate-sama, to rescue my lady."

"B, but... I'm just a high school student."

"An ordinary high school student does not move like this in the real world."

Todo-san swiped the screen of his smartphone.

It showed me leaping high into the air, spinning as I sliced the dungeon's final boss to pieces.

"Whoa! That's a great shot!! Can I get this video later?"

I knew this wasn't the time, but it was filmed from such a cool angle that the words just slipped out.

"This was broadcast worldwide and is also available to view in the archives."

"Huh, oh, right."

"It has been viewed over three billion times."

"Thr, three billion!?"

Apparently, I had gone massively viral without knowing it. If the circumstances were different, I probably would have done a weird dance to celebrate.

"Currently, the entire world recognizes you, Hayate-sama, as the greatest dungeon clearer. Furthermore, when we showed your dungeon clear to the combat analysis AI developed independently by the Shinonome Group, it concluded that no other human is capable of the same movements."

Was I not human? I'll admit I pushed myself a little...

"After that, we had professional martial artists, accompanied by professional FWO players, attempt to clear the Black Dungeon. However, they were unable to do so. The problem seems to be that without the knowledge and judgment, plus the physical ability to take optimal action in an instant, they cannot respond to emergencies."

"I see. By the way, what happens if you take damage in a dungeon?"

I had cleared the Black Dungeon without taking any damage, so I didn't even know if monster attacks hurt. Todo-san seemed to have a lot of information, so I thought I'd ask.

"If you are injured, you will bleed, and your bones can break. And if you suffer a fatal wound, you are ejected from the dungeon with no external injuries. Those who have experienced this are physically alive. However, they remain unconscious, and none have yet woken up."

"They don't die, but they don't wake up... Does that mean a resurrection item is needed?"

This was a different mechanic from FWO.

But it might be possible to help those who died in a dungeon and lost consciousness. There are items for that. In FWO, items to resurrect fallen comrades during battle became available starting from Grade 3 dungeons.

It seemed I needed to clear a Grade 2 dungeon quickly, not just to save Rena, but for the sake of people in trouble all over the world.

"Todo-san. I have something to discuss."

"Yes. Anything at all."

"I'm not good at partying up with people, so I want to clear it alone. I'm aware that I'm being selfish when Lady Rena is in trouble."

Even for her sake, I couldn't move through a dungeon with a large group of people.

Because of past trauma, in the worst case, I could become unable to move.

"We have taken the liberty of looking into your circumstances, Hayate-sama. A solo clear will be no problem. According to the AI's prediction, as long as the optimal equipment can be prepared, you can clear a Grade 2 dungeon in three hours and twenty minutes."

Seriously. That AI is amazing. That's the same as the fastest clear time I had imagined.

"We are also aware that the materials needed for weapon enhancement can be gathered in the Black Dungeon. Even as we speak, we have people gathering the necessary materials for the Grade 2 dungeon clear. They are proceeding slowly, as they are acting with a safety margin while watching your videos over and over."

"What. Does that mean you're putting the materials on the 'Market' for me?"

"That is correct."

That was a huge help.

The most tedious and difficult part of the game was gathering materials to enhance weapons and equipment. Well, if I had the time, I'd want to fight with weapons I'd made by gathering the materials myself. It's more fun that way.

But I couldn't be saying that right now.

In FWO, Farhlm World Online, you could either hunt monsters yourself to gather materials, or you could use in-game currency to buy materials sold on the Market. Conversely, you could also sell materials or weapons you'd crafted on the Market.

A key feature of FWO was that the Market could be used even inside a dungeon, allowing you to buy and sell materials to enhance your weapons as you went.

"Come to think of it, I don't think the enhancement funds were displayed in Gold."

When I was clearing the Black Dungeon, I enhanced my equipment a few times, and the cost was displayed in yen. For some reason, I started with several million yen, but could it be...

"It seems the payment is drawn from your real-world savings."

"Are you, serious."

My vision went dark.

I had been thoughtlessly using the enhancement method that had a high success rate but also a high cost. My displayed funds had dropped to about a tenth of what they were, but I had assumed I could easily make it back by selling materials on the Market.

I can't believe it was my actual savings.

"From now on, please do not worry about funds. Aim for the fastest clear with the best equipment."

"...Meaning?"

"We, the Shinonome Group, with our one million employees and total assets exceeding 500 trillion yen, will support you, Hayate-sama, with all our might. We will gather all the necessary materials for enhancement. We will provide as much funding as you need. Therefore..."

Todo-san gripped my shoulders.

"We are counting on you to save Lady Rena."

This was insane. I was getting pumped. I had the ultimate sponsor.

The speedrun I'd always dreamed of might become a reality.

Seventy percent of me wanted to save Rena. The other thirty percent was the anticipation that, with the strongest backup imaginable and no concern for funds, I could clear the dungeon with maximum efficiency, perhaps even surpassing the AI's prediction. I began to reconsider which Grade 2 dungeon I should challenge.