Chapter 195: Together Under Heaven — Part One

[Honestly, this is pretty out-there content, but I'd be grateful if you could just accept it for what it is—a simple protagonist power-up event.]

I'll give you the conclusion upfront: nothing in particular happened. Apparently, there was no automatic transition to a boss fight or anything like that. So the Ruluiath assault team disbanded for the time being, and everyone went into free action until the final day—the morning marking seven days since we were dragged into Ruluiath by those black octopus legs.

The site of the final battle is the blue castle at the center of the circular city. Perhaps out of caution, not a single person has set foot inside it yet. If there were testers or something, that might be different, but it's likely an uncharted area no player has ever stepped into. On the seventh day, NPCs included, we'll all storm the castle together and take on the giant octopus.

Sunraku: "Phew... It'd be pretty damn ironic if the guy who said 'Let's go in at our best condition on the seventh day' spent all his time gaming, huh."

Since I'm a minor, smoking in real life would obviously be a criminal matter. But this is a VR game. No matter how much alcohol I pour into my stomach or smoke I pour into my lungs here, it won't accumulate any actual alcohol or nicotine in my real body. In the first place, this cigarette is what you'd call a recovery item in this game. As long as you're playing this game, everyone's a smoker. Well, if there's one problem, it's that even though smoking and drinking are recovery methods, the character creation ranges from old men to small children—way too broad for its own good.

Sunraku: "The visual criminal vibes on this are insane..."

The smoke I exhale drifts from a viewpoint lower than usual, and the fingers pinching the crumpled cigarette are thinner and more delicate than usual. Generally speaking, people call a person with this appearance a "little girl."

In a sense, a trash game that's even more notorious than Fia-kuso. A survival gun-shooting game where, on a deserted island, the only things you can rely on are yourself and the pistol in your hand, and in online mode, every player is an enemy. Its name is Survival Gunman. This game's online mode has been shut down for certain reasons, but it can still be launched in offline mode. For certain reasons, despite being a trash game, it trades at extremely high prices... I managed to get my hands on this game back in my second year of middle school. Hell, I was a launch day buyer.

Sunraku: "How do I put it... it's been a while since I've breathed this air."

At the very least, among the trash games etched in my memory, Fia-kuso—Fearia Chronicle Online—now reigns as the undisputed number one. But if you asked me which trash game changed my life, I'd name this one without hesitation. Well, none of that matters anyway. I came to this game with the Ctarnidd fight in mind. Yes—just like when I practiced against the "Constipation" boss in anticipation of the Wethermon fight.

This game's defining feature is that even lightly armed humans surviving on a deserted island are at the very bottom of the ecological pyramid. Even the bugs you can use as recovery items will poison you if you let your guard down, or swarm and kill you. You don't often get the experience of being fished yourself while trying to catch fish. But the true culprit that's slammed humans down to the bottom of the food chain isn't any of those. Oops—looks like reminiscing has summoned one.

Sunraku: "Hmm, a Maton, huh... Pretty strong, but I guess it's within acceptable range for a tough warm-up."

Not a sheep for Genghis Khan with two or more permanent teeth. Shoving aside the tall trees like grass, the creature that appeared has thick hide that repels even half-assed rifle rounds despite being nothing but skin, and a gigantic body proportional to that hide—it's a pig. That is to say, a Demon Pork Maton. Incidentally, this game doesn't have magical this or that. The "Demon Pork" name is basically just because it's a pig so monstrous it might as well be a demon. You might think a feral pig is basically a wild boar, but if you worry about that kind of thing in a trash game, you won't even be able to press the start button.

Sunraku: "It's been a short reunion, but I'm counting on you, partner."

A suppressed handgun. Its power is naturally inferior to even a magnum, but this thing has saved my life countless times.

Sunraku: "Alright, you bastard pig—I'll sear the terror of the Mu Server's 'Silent Kill Loli' into every last fiber of your meat, well-done!"

In this game, enemies are basically either extremely small but swarm-type mobs, or extremely large but solo-type mobs. And this situation—which you could call a "kaiju vs. human" one-on-one—is exactly the kind of know-how I want to recover in preparation for the coming Ctarnidd fight.

Sunraku: "Diiiiieeeeee!!"

And for lunch, I'll have tonkatsu!!

Rakuro: "Ow ow ow... Yeah, when you're rusty, you end up taking a few hits... In my prime, a no-damage run would've been easy."

I get up from bed, roll my right shoulder—which carries a lingering, dull heat—and head downstairs.

After that, I went on to take down owls and tigers with base sizes rivaling large dump trucks. Somehow, I feel like the anti-giant-monster movements that had been slumbering deep in my body are coming back. Yes—that feeling of moving while treating a monster as a kind of movable object. It's nostalgic. Takes me back to my active days in "Sabagan."

Rakuro: "Tonkatsu delivery... Oh, they've got it, they've got it."

Being able to order delivery anywhere with just a mobile device—modern Japan is the best. Order placed... and—

Ding-dong!

Rakuro: "Including delivery, one second?!"

World record delivery RTA? That's insane... Yeah, as if. What could it be? Dad's out on an offshore fishing trip with some fishing buddies he apparently met recently. Mom's gone to see some kind of beetle with a name like "Shobokuresugakuburu" at the World Beetle Exhibition. Rumi... Right now, getting involved with Rumi is about as dangerous as lighting a sparkler directly over a pool of nitroglycerin. She's probably at her part-time job anyway, so I'm the only one who can answer the door.

Rakuro: "Yes?"

Courier: "Hello, delivery for you!"

Rakuro: "Ah—just a moment."

A courier. Did Rumi order clothes? Or did Dad get a new fishing rod? No way—did Mom buy a new insect specimen...? God help me, don't tell me I have to relive the nightmare of last spring's "World Moth Selection"? That thing nearly caused a legitimately unfunny biohazard.

Rakuro: "Yeah, I'll take it."

Courier: "No, no, I'll carry it in—it's pretty big."

Rakuro: "...Big?"

Looking behind the delivery guy, I can see a large truck that clearly isn't meant for carrying small parcels, and I can hear the voices of at least two men inside saying "Alright, lift it up!" Wait, something that needs two or more grown men to carry? Don't tell me Mom bought a terrarium? The memory of last Christmas, when the entire family of three had to stop Mom from trying to recreate a South American ecosystem in our house, flashes through my mind. Could it be that the project—which was supposed to have been frozen—was secretly in progress all along? No, Mom would've been way more subtle about it... Right.

Rakuro: "Um, who's it addressed to, and what is it?"

Courier: "Ah, yes. This here is a 'UCE Chair-Type Full-Dive VR System Pro' addressed to 'Hizutome Rakuro'-sama, plus one cardboard box. Man, this is the first time I've ever seen anyone personally own the commercial-use model... Uh, hello? Sir?"

—FORCED SHUTDOWN OF THOUGHT—

—REBOOTING THOUGHT—

—ONE UPDATE EXISTS. REBOOT ONCE UPDATE IS COMPLETE—

—What the hell is this?

Rakuro: "U-Um... Wh-Who... Sent This...?"

Courier: "Huh? Uh, let's see... Cyber Battalion... A VR system delivered from a pro gaming team—were you running some kind of giveaway, sir?"

Rakuro: "Ah—Yeah, Something Like That. Uh, Excuse Me For A Moment."

Courier: "So, where should I put this?"

Rakuro: "Sorry For The Trouble, But Please Bring It To My Room. Upstairs... Yes, Right."

I need to conduct an interrogation. Immediately.

Subject: Oi, you From: Sunraku To: Modor Katzo Body: What the hell is this, what's going on with that thing

Subject: Re: Oi, you From: Modor Katzo To: Sunraku Body: The fact that you've slipped into Kansai dialect is making me laugh. Judging by that reaction, looks like it arrived.

Subject: Re:Re: Oi, you From: Sunraku To: Modor Katzo Body: Is this some new kind of prank? If this is cash on delivery or something, I'm seriously considering legal action. Huh?

Subject: Re:Re:Re: Oi, you From: Modor Katzo To: Sunraku Body: Calm down. You think I'd send a commercial-grade VR system as a prank? Our top brass sent it as a gift to "No Face"-sama. It's free. F-R-E-E.

Subject: Re:Re:Re:Re: Oi, you From: Sunraku To: Modor Katzo Body: Nothing's scarier than free stuff, y'know? Unconditional goodwill from anyone who's not a main character is usually a trap down the line, y'know?

Subject: Re:Re:Re:Re:Re: Oi, you From: Modor Katzo To: Sunraku Body: Your brain's way too infected by games. Why not quit energy drinks and gaming for a bit and try meditation or something? Well, I won't deny you can kinda see through it—"consider this an advance investment, we'd love to have you join us." A formal email will probably come eventually, right?

Subject: Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re: Oi, you From: Sunraku To: Modor Katzo Body: Actually, I don't remember ever telling you—or Cider Butter Cake or whatever the hell you're called—my address.

Subject: Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re: Oi, you From: Modor Katzo To: Sunraku Body: Ah, about that. At the after-party, you gave your address to that pencil bastard, didn't you?

Subject: YOU————!! From: Sunraku To: Pencil Warrior Body: LEGAL ACTION——————!!

Subject: Re: YOU————!! From: Pencil Warrior To: Sunraku Body: It was gonna come out sooner or later anyway, so who cares~! I'm the one who took way more damage from having my identity casually exposed to a corporation, you know————???? Besides, they'll probably honor NDAs and stuff. Probably.

Subject: You guys, seriously... From: Sunraku To: Pencil Warrior, Modor Katzo Body: Try imagining how I felt when an absurdly huge package addressed to me by name just showed up out of nowhere...

Subject: Re: You guys, seriously... From: Pencil Warrior To: Sunraku Body: Tonight's drink is gonna taste great.

Subject: Re: You guys, seriously... From: Modor Katzo To: Sunraku Body: Smiling truly enriches the heart, don't you think?

Rakuro: "Those goddamn scumbags...!!"

Privacy is legally protected, you know? Have those bastards forgotten that? No, well... now that the source is clear, the item itself—if there were no strings attached—is honestly something I'd be happy enough about to do a little dance for three days and three nights... Ugh...

Courier: "Want to open it here?"

Rakuro: "Ah, no, I'll assemble it myself, so it's fine."

Courier: "Alright, then please do the fingerprint authentication here—"

In this day and age, fingerprint recognition registered alongside address information serves as your seal. I press my finger to the tablet the delivery guy holds out, let it scan the data, and after a few seconds of loading, identity verification is complete.

Courier: "Alright, thanks very much—"

Rakuro: "Thanks for your hard work—"

Right, then... I see the delivery guy off, lock the front door, take off my shoes, climb the stairs, and return to my room. Now, what do I do with this? Accepting this is practically equivalent to being scouted by the team Katzo belongs to. After receiving something this big as a gift, treating it carelessly would be... No, but university is a non-negotiable condition. To shake that, I'd need a family conference... no, a family interrogation... no, basically family torture...?

My thoughts churn sluggishly downward, but my body is honest. With unhesitating hands, I open the cardboard box, pull out the VR system inside, and...

Rakuro: "Vweeeeh."

An involuntary weird noise escaped my throat. No, I mean... sure, it probably left an impression, but it's not like this is my favorite character or anything...

Rakuro: "This is... way too elaborate..."

The chair-type full-dive VR system I pulled out... Its outer shell covers the mechanical parts with reinforced plastic, and on the right side, huge illustrations of Cursed Prison and Prison Breaker are printed. On the left side, there's an emblem-style design of a mercenary wearing a metallic pumpkin helmet, with a "NO-FACE" logo printed beneath it. Also, looking closely, the Cyber Battalion logo has been quietly slipped onto the chair's backrest.

Subject: P.S. From: Modor Katzo To: Sunraku Body: That design—both of them are prints of original illustrations hand-drawn by the original author. So that VR system is a one-off—only one in the world.

Rakuro: "I'm happy, but... I'm happy, damn it...! This is practically blackmail, and it hurts...!!"

I've found the analogy that perfectly captures my current situation: it's the moment you sign a contract with a devil.

—Ah, but even so. The highest-class environment for the coming Ctarnidd battle has unintentionally been set in place.

[This long arc title, "Together Under Heaven," is something I decided I absolutely had to use back in the earliest stages of designing Ctarnidd as a character.]

[Also, let me state this clearly here: within the main story of this work as currently envisioned, the protagonist will NOT be changing jobs from student to pro gamer.]