I was, as usual, thinking up settings for trash games. But the setting for a new game I came up with had a little too much information to be brushed off as just one element of this work, and I could not suppress the beast I keep inside myself from stirring, so I have been thinking about posting it as a new short story.

For now, I want it to be separate from SLF’s setting, though maybe I could make it a kind of star system.

Though, of course, all the settings I gave up on halfway through are what become the other games inside SLF!!!

Chapter 409: Seeking a Place to Belong, Zero Leagues

For example, sharpened concentration can affect performance.

But concentrating also means cutting off every other thought.

With KEEP OUT wrapped around my waist, I hung from the outer edge of the Crystal Crown and let out a long breath, forcing myself to relax.

At the very least, I had to. The tension in my body was wound tight enough that I might have broken myself otherwise.

Saina: "Amazement: The mana self-combustion phenomenon Master just used temporarily rewrote Master’s physical data to abnormal values... I never expected you to be able to control it."

Sunraku: "Uh... improvisation, guts... and experience, I guess..."

That was close... Seriously, it felt like I had sprinted across a tightrope on pure instinct.

No, not felt like. That was exactly what I had done.

Still gripping Goldsheen and Netherlight, I hung there as the Imperial Crystal Twin Scorpion above me finally ran out of health and burst apart into mist.

A mountain of items hit the ground below, a patch of earth countless scorpions had trampled over and over.

A massive amount of experience poured in. Hearing a sound effect I felt like I had not heard in ages, I pulled myself back over the edge of the Crystal Crown.

Sunraku: "Could I reproduce that even with practice...?"

That was completely a product of being fired up. If I tried to reason my way through that motion, I would definitely die.

Still, my first Imperial Crystal Twin Scorpion kill was not the only good news...

Heh heh heh. I finally leveled up.

After killing so many Crystal Scorpions without leveling once, I had started wondering how absurdly high the experience requirement was.

But finally.

Let’s see...

Oh!

All my Clear Sky Style skills had advanced to their next stages! And I had unlocked something new, too.

First, Clear Sky Style: Whirlwind had evolved.

After “Hayakaze,” then Whirlwind, the next one was “Todorokaze,” huh?

Unlike Hayakaze, Whirlwind was a quickdraw skill whose power rose the wider I swung. What kind of quickdraw technique would this one be?

Still, I wondered how many stages remained until “Tachikaze,” probably the final form...

Clear Sky Style: Thunderclap had become “Hakurai.” Thunderclap had been one of those force-release skills that inflicted a concussion state on anything it touched, so how the hell did it evolve from that into a lightning-strike attack?

Was it some Taoist-magic kind of thing?

Clear Sky Style: Raging Waves had become “Sakinami”...

Reading the description, was this like a counter throw? That was another skill whose use would take some thought.

And the new skill I had unlocked was Clear Sky Style “Bokyo.”

Had there been a technique like that...?

After thinking for a few seconds, I remembered something that seemed to fit. There had been an area attack that Saint-chan’s holy water (innuendo intended) had canceled out.

Sunraku: "No time. Grab everything and let’s get the hell out of here!"

Saina: "Understood. Resources recovered by this unit will be registered and transferred to Master’s Inventoria."

Sunraku: "Now that’s service...!!"

Time to leave, time to leave!

No, wait. Actually...

Sunraku: "All right, Saina. Leave this to me and go on ahead."

Saina: "Question: The purpose of remaining here is un— Correction: Understood."

You’re catching on. Let’s aim for maximum efficiency.

I watched Saina descend below with KEEP OUT, which apparently worked better as a wire-action tool than a simple rope weapon, like some rescue worker rappelling down.

Then I slung my pickaxe over my shoulder and looked around the Crystal Crown.

Sunraku: "Confiscating a place because the residents aren’t home, huh?"

Yeah, yeah. This place was yours.

Sunraku: "But right now, it’s mine."

Take it back, then...

If you can!!

I hereby declare the opening of the Super Clang-Clang Festival in the Crystal Crown!!!

Sunraku: "I’ll strip every last pebble here for resources!!"

I beat my chest as if to fire myself up, then wrapped myself in black lightning.

The blessing of a skill mixed with the blood running through my veins, and power surged through my whole body.

I raised my pickaxe and stepped into the kill zone of a beam that was about to fire.

Now───!!

Saina: "Good morning, Master. May I hear the results?"

Sunraku: "Twenty-three Tsaberil Imperial Treasure Crystals, six Imperial Crystal Twin Scorpion Precious Jewel Carapaces, two Light-Storing Pincers, and one Supreme Crystal Stinger."

Saina: "Understood. A-rank evaluation."

Wait, I was expected to do more than that?

Seriously? So I had to aim for a high score now?

Sunraku: "But that meets the conditions. Escape is possible... Possible..."

Saina: "Question: What is it, death-seeker?"

I had noticed something.

I had just noticed something really bad.

No, wait. It was not like Sammy-chan had earned hatred as directly as a dragon would.

Ah, fuck.

In the short time I had known him—her?—I had already figured out Sammy-chan was basically a huge lump of kindness. But even taking that into account...

Ugh... Fuck...

Humanity’s...

Humanity’s malice would not leave Sammy-chan alone...!

Because Sammy-chan was...

Obviously a rare enemy...!

And while players kept advancing more and more Bonus Unique Scenarios, they were starving for something one-of-a-kind...!

Sunraku: "Just asking... WIMP, do you have anywhere to go?"

WIMP: "No."

Yeah, that figured!!

I covered my eyes and looked up at the sky.

Unfortunately, this was a cave Sammy-chan had painstakingly melted out with poison breath, so there was no sky to look at. But I would not have been able to take this otherwise.

Sunraku: "Oh, God...!"

I did not know whether it was the Three Gods Faith or whatever, but right now I wanted to pray.

Fuck!

You could tell from the conditions for the Bonus Unique Scenario: I had to support this coward snake and Sammy-chan.

The broad flow of the Bonus Unique Scenario was probably keeping Reptica alive and fighting that Goldhuneenay.

Maybe I could at least disband the party...

But even then, the minimum requirement was a base for Reptica (WIMP) and Sammy-chan.

Sunraku: "Should I use Bryubas...? No, it’s too far away... It’ll be a problem if anyone spots them even once. Getting from almost the center of the continent to the outer edge is impossible... Go without anyone noticing? Sammy-chan could... No, it can’t be permanent invisibility. Fuck..."

WIMP: "W-what is it all of a sudden?"

I was thinking about your new home!

I was about to say that, then suddenly realized something.

Sunraku: "Hey, WIMP. What would you do if there were a place where you’d be reasonably safe and protected from outside enemies?"

WIMP: "R-really!? Where!?"

It was a Columbus’s egg. I just had to change how I looked at it.

More specifically, eighty percent of my work over the last few hours would become pointless, but there was only one place where we could meet the conditions as quickly as possible.

Without a word, though with a bitter smile, I pointed down at the ground.

WIMP’s eyes lit up with hope. She froze for a few seconds, then started trembling once she understood what I meant.

Sunraku: "I-I mean... There’s a security system too, right?"

WIMP Reboot.

WIMP: "Nooo!! I don’t waaaant to!!"

Sunraku: "Come on! Quit complaining! The strongest security possible is guarding the whole area and the sky above it!!"

WIMP: "That just means we’re completely surrounded!!"

They were just guard dogs that refused to listen to a goddamn word I said!

WIMP flailed around, expressing NO!!! with her whole body. I started putting together my argument to persuade her.

Sunraku: "Wait, wait, wait! I’m not saying you have to rot here forever! Listen! Thanks to Sammy-chan, this cave is pretty damn spacious. You know that, right?"

Saina: "Affirmative: Due to the contribution of Sammy-chan, the Asarutels Snake, this cave serves as a rare safe zone within Sigmonia Canyon Frontline."

Sunraku: "That’s right. Good point, Saina. You’re very Intelligence right now."

Somehow, the busted junk had deployed only Shoro’s arm and leg armor, then struck a smug pose.

I gave her some casual praise, scrapped the WIMP escort plan, and urgently began a new operation.

That’s right.

I was going to become a master renovator.

This dim cave...

I would turn it into the finest luxury suite imaginable...!!

The Imperial Crystal Twin Scorpions got tragically written out...!

Sorry, I came up with a Sunraku maneuver while writing that I want to debut in the Siegwurm fight...!

Sorry, Imperial Crystal Twin Scorpions...!