Chapter 128: Dawn Breaks, Overcoming Regret... No, That’s Not It
I've done it. I've really fucking done it. I force the surging regret down under a thin layer of accomplishment and somehow keep a straight face. Screaming and flailing in this situation would be too pathetic even for me. I glance sideways at Rei-shi and Akitsu Akane—both of them are probably processing the exact same thing I just received.
Lycagon’s Bonus Unique Scenario, “Light of Courage, Banishing the Dark,” has fallen into the hands of two people: the trump card of the Schwarz Vulf clan, something I can’t control, and a player who’s a walking mass of unpredictable variables. From here on out, I don't know if I'll even be able to stay involved with Lycagon. And it doesn't stop there—even keeping "Epic of Vorpal Bunny" under wraps...
Sunraku: "Haaah... This is stupid."
Akitsu Akane: "Huh?"
Sunraku: "Ah—nah. Just some stray thoughts."
That's right. Moaning about it now won't change a damn thing. You can't rewind an event that's already triggered. Figuring out how to recover from here—that's what makes a good gamer. And for the record, time-slipping via save data is not an option. Besides, scheming is Pencilgon's domain anyway. It'll work out somehow, probably... Once that woman gets her hands on power, her final-boss switch flips, and eventually she'll get taken down, but now's not that time yet.
Psyger-0: "A Bonus Unique Scenario... So this is what you need to challenge a Unique Monster..."
Sunraku: "Yeah. For Wethermon the Tombguard, the scenario was 'From This Shore to the Other Shore, With Love.' That's the one that let us take him on."
Akitsu Akane: "I-I don't really understand it all, but is it okay if I accept this Bonus Unique Scenario thing too!?"
Sunraku: "You're fine, you're fine. Accepting it makes things more fun. Besides, we couldn't have won that fight without your backup."
That's right—as long as it's fun, it's fine. Fussing and agonizing and crafting strategies, things moving according to plan... that's never suited me as well as charging into total darkness with nothing but a single torch. And the "Guiding Light" special status—that's probably going to be the key to the Bonus Unique Scenario. If paralysis and poison are status ailments, then this is... not an ailment, but not normal, either. Something in between. At times like this, just shut up and read the description.
Special State: Guiding Light A state in which the bearer harbors a small flame within their body that shows the path to the Emperor of Night through the pitch-black darkness of night. When the Unique Monster Lycagon the Nightslayer exists within a certain range, it indicates Lycagon’s direction. Lycagon, who binds darkness itself, can paradoxically cast off light. The flame granted by Lycagon is a part of Lycagon—a discarded fragment of light.
Sunraku: "So basically, it's a radar."
Whether that "certain range" covers a wide area or a narrow one will determine if this thing is useful or worthless. But at the very least, it's clear this is the passport you need to challenge Lycagon. Unlike "From This Shore to the Other Shore, With Love"—where you had at least some idea of where to go and what to do from the start—this time I'll probably have to track Lycagon down myself. I glance into the darkness. There's no visible form, but I'm dead certain of it—an unseen gaze, staring at me through the dark. Fine. If you're gonna hole up at home, I'll search every corner of the earth, every edge of the sky, every depth of the sea, and drag your ass out. As if sensing the will to challenge packed into my stare, the invisible pressure lets out something like a laugh and begins to scatter into nothing... Wait. Hold the fuck up.
Sunraku: "Oi, don't you fucking dare wrap this up on your own! Hold it right there, you damn mutt!!"
You're supposed to be an AI—did you seriously forget!? The conditions written in the description have been met, and I'm not letting you just forget about it.
Sunraku: "Your clone carved this ‘curse’ into me. I beat your clone, so you’re going to remove it properly!"
The damn Lycagon curse. Now that I've hit level 99, the balance between its benefits and drawbacks has tilted heavily toward the drawbacks. The only ways to lift it are to have it dispelled by Eristella, the Saint of Love, or to have Lycagon remove it. And even though we defeated the clone as a party, defeating it still counts. Hehehe, I await you, challenger! —No. I won't accept some trite ending like that. That bastard understands human language. At the very least, its AI is advanced enough to grasp nuance even if it doesn't know the literal meaning of words. Which means it damn well understands what I'm after, standing here yelling while slapping my own legs and torso.
Sunraku: "At least let me put on some goddamn equipment!"
Half-naked against Wethermon. Half-naked against the Golden Scorpion. Half-naked against area bosses. Even when I spout some cool line—still half-naked. I don't want defense. I want the bare minimum of human dignity. Even if this is a challenge run, at least let me wear some fucking pants.
Man is the only creature that possesses "shame." Cast aside shame, and you're no different from a beast. That's a quote from a game I played once, and honestly, it's a damn good line. The game itself was a stupid one-note gag—an action game about flipping girls' skirts—where the voice acting was genuinely desperate and intense, but the facial textures were such trash that the characters just looked like they were wearing cheap masks. If you could overlook that gaping flaw—the equivalent of curry with its roux taken away—the dialogue was actually pretty entertaining. A trash game, but those words hit perfectly right now. Offline, sure, whatever. But having other online players' eyes on me while I'm half-naked? That shit wears you down. And now I'm about to enter Fifticia, which probably has a player population that makes everything I've seen so far look like a joke. When I started clearing this area with Rei-shi, I'd already resigned myself to either exhibitionist play or hood-play, but... if there's even a chance I can wear clothes, I'm clinging to it. Though, instead of clinging to Lycagon, I blew Lycagon’s jaw to pieces, hahahaha!
A strange silence descends. For the NPCs like Emul, this is a suicidal act of madness—lodging a complaint against Lycagon, one of the Colossi. For Rei-shi and the other players, it's the baffling sight of a player lodging a complaint against an NPC. Everyone holds their breath, waiting to see what response Lycagon will give. At last, the presence—which had been on the verge of fading away—converges back to a single point, and I feel its gaze turn toward me. There's even a faint trace of awkwardness in it, like someone who, just as they're about to hang up the phone, suddenly hears, "Ah, wait, one more thing!" and barely stops themselves from cutting the call. But, well, even at rock bottom, a Unique Monster is still a Unique Monster. The bare minimum of dignity is maintained.
Sunraku: "Now let me put on some clothes (hurry up and lift the curse), would you? (Lift it, you mutt.)"
Lycagon—staring at me—remains silent for a moment. Then, in the instant I catch the shape of a wolf within the darkness, a shock slams through my body, and I'm hurled into the air—caught by what is unmistakably the pressure of a mouth. I know that surviving with a sliver of HP means this isn't sudden overtime, just an event sequence, but it's way too rough on the heart.
Emul: "S-Sunraku-saaan!?"
Sunraku: "Whoa, slimy! This is bad, I'm getting the hard-candy experience!"
Emul: "You seem surprisingly calm... wa!?"
I'm not calm. My brain just can't keep up with what's happening, so my thoughts are bypassing my filter and coming straight out my mouth. Also, pulling an all-nighter with zero prep might be making my mood swing in weird directions... GYAAH, don't roll me around on your tongue! Yeah, the head's a bird, but tasting me won't give you chicken flavor! Ah, shit, I'm falling—falling—I'm gonna fall into Lycagon’s stomach! After coming this far, I do NOT want to end up as Lycagon’s midnight snack!!
Sunraku: "Ubweh."
With a graceless spit that practically comes with its own ptooie sound effect, I'm discarded onto the ground. You bastard... I finally understand how gum stuck to the pavement feels... At least wrap me in paper and throw me in the trash... But that action must have been a motion to trigger some kind of processing. And given my demands and what Lycagon just did to me, the status screen should tell me exactly what changed.
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PN: Sunraku
LV: 99 Extend
JOB: Mercenary (Dual Blade User)
1,000 Mani
HP (Health): 80
MP (Magic): 50
STM (Stamina): 100
STR (Strength): 100
DEX (Dexterity): 100
AGI (Agility): 100
TEC (Technique): 80
VIT (Vitality): 1601
LUC (Luck): 129
Skills:
· Unbroken Lightdance
· Mind Over Mountain
· Formula Drift Lv.1
· Moment Sight
· Agatram Lv.1
· Trial Traverse Lv.1
· Possessed by the Great Asura King
· Gravity Zero Lv.1
· Flit Float
· Mánagarmr Pride
· Lethal Secret Art: Mirror of Fading
· Burnout Lv.1
· Riot Axel Lv.1
· Bloody Ideology
· Lethe Vanisher
· Dirty Sword Lv.1
· Sword Breaker’s Havoc
· Lethal Sword Art: Half Moon Cut, Third Form
· Sengoku Burai Lv.1
· Sword Dance: Spinning Blade
· Persistence
· Melostic Foot
Equipment:
L/R: Gilta Brille
Head: Non-Standard Special Armored Head Casing [Glosswing] (VIT+1200)
Body: Lycagon’s Contusion
Waist: Excavated Polished Waistband [Ancient Soldier] (VIT+400)
Legs: Lycagon’s Contusion
Accessory: Inventoria
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Lycagon’s Contusion If one marked by Lycagon manages to triumph against the Nightslayer's alter ego, Lycagon no longer recognizes the bearer as prey. It is proof of a worthy "enemy"—one to be hunted down personally—and a mark of strength acknowledged by a Colossus. The curse carved into the bearer's soul cannot be lifted by any means short of shattering the black wolf's true form. "Monsters at or above the bearer's level will actively choose to engage in combat." "Monsters at or below the bearer's level will actively choose to flee." "The bearer nullifies all 'curse' effects." "The bearer receives a bonus during conversations with NPCs." "The bearer cannot undergo Conversion." "Equipment worn on body parts afflicted by Lycagon’s Contusion will be destroyed after a set period of time."