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“Yay-usa! It’s such a thrill to fire the main cannon-usa~. Thanks, Boss~.”

The Admiral Rabbit is overjoyed. It hopped up and down in the admiral’s seat, wiggling its butt in a festive mood. It was eagerly waiting for the perfect moment to fire the main cannon and did not give up.

The monitor is displaying the view outside, showing the aftermath of the Snow Rabbit Cannon. 

A large section of the ruins has been gouged out, turning everything in the path of the Snow Beam into an icy corridor. All matter was converted into ice, turning the abandoned houses and buildings into powdery snow, creating a mystical scene that danced in the air. The icy path stretched out straight, creating a few kilometers of empty ice ground. You could say it had transcendental power.

“That guy was waiting for the perfect moment while the Boss was focused on the battle-usa yo.”

“They took advantage of the moment when I went to prepare a carrot snack and left my seat.”

“Huh? I wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t sleeping at all. What happened-usa?”

The Operator Rabbits, who had been ordered to monitor the Admiral Rabbit, were furious, believing it was a crime committed in a brief moment of carelessness, and they pouted angrily. It seemed full of gaps, but to the Operator Rabbits, it was just a slight moment of distraction.

“Kyaa! Lan is dead! W-What are you doing, you murderer?!” (Chihiro)

“No one can survive that! Were you planning on killing him when you got the opportunity? I’ll kill you even if it costs Dry’s life!” (Dry)

After seeing the aftermath of the transformation into an icy world, Chihiro and Dry were furious and tried to attack the Admiral Rabbit.

“Wait-usa. The Boss isn’t affected by allied attacks-usa yo. Look, see for yourself.”

“Oh, you’re right. He seems to be standing there just fine.” (Chihiro)

“Giving us a nice smile I’ve never seen before.” (Dry)

Lanpeach was shown on the monitor, standing alone in the swirling snowflakes. It was a little silly with snow beginning to pile up on his head, but there doesn’t seem to be any injuries, so Chihiro and Dry were relieved.

Lanpeach was smiling brightly in the sunlight rather than the usual villainous smile, and then he suddenly disappeared as the snowflakes sparkled.

A slight depression appeared in the snow-covered ground, which then scattered with a quick puff.

“Boss, approaching at Mach 0.5 speed-usa!”

“Approaching at four times the usual speed-usa!”

“Running with a huge smile on his face.”

Lanpeach, who had strengthened his supernatural physical abilities and body techniques, ran like the wind without leaving footprints in the soft snow. The Operator Rabbits reported this leisurely.

“Ababa, this is bad-usa. That’s a furious minor villain Lanpeach Kouza-usa! Run away~”

“Boss is really angry-usa”, it said, trembling with fear, jumping from the Admiral’s seat only to be caught by the ears and suspended in midair.

“Where do you think you’re going, Admiral? My head is covered in snow, and it’s very cold. I might catch a cold because of it.”

It was Lanpeach who grabbed those ears. 

He instantly arrived at the command room, moving at nearly the speed of sound. 

With a dazzling, radiant smile, he leaned close to the rabbit whose ear he had grabbed. The ever-present smile made it all the more terrifying.

“…Uhaha, long live the big gun doctrine! I have no regrets, and I’ve discarded reflection; I was prepared for the consequences when I shot-usa!”

The Admiral Rabbit, laughing, said it had no regrets since it fired the main cannon.

“This guy is shameless! To the cell with this rabbit. Make it reflect there!” (Lanpeach)

“It’s ready-usa yo!”

At just the right moment, an Operator Rabbit brought out a cardboard box labeled “jail”, and the Admiral Rabbit was sealed inside. The box was then taped shut, completing the seal.

“I’ve reflected-usa. It’s lonely here~, please let me out~.”

A hole was poked in the corner of the cardboard box soon after, and the Admiral Rabbit’s nose stuck out, sniffing and whining. It was likely that, if left in the corner of the room, someone would feel sorry and open it in less than a day.

“Haah~ Well, I guess it’s good that we know the power of the Snow Rabbit Cannon now.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach, possessing [Body Beyond Logic], could nullify any attack that wasn’t intended to harm him. In game terms, friendly fire was disabled. The Admiral Rabbit had fired while aware of this.

Lanpeach still found it frightening even though it was confirmed that friendly fire was disabled.

◇◇

After confirming the rabbits’ combat strength, Lanpeach returned to the Lanpeach Complex, and everyone started a celebration in the evening at the bar. Everyone proudly talked about what they saw today, and there was plenty of talk to go around, making the evening lively.

“Seriously, Peach-oniichan, you have become too strong. Dry can’t catch up no matter how hard I try. Teach me the secret to your training. Dry will train with it too.” (Dry)

Lanpeach, who was enjoying a drink at a corner of the table, was asked this question with a serious, somewhat lonely look by Dry, which caused a twinge of guilt, but this was unavoidable.

“I have a special training method, but it wouldn’t work for you, Dry… Hmm.” (Lanpeach)

He couldn’t possibly say that he was gaining experience points by completing quests, acquiring skills, and leveling up. So, he crossed his arms and looked troubled.

“Have you ever seen a platinum-colored slime wearing a crown? I’d settle for a metal-colored slime.” (Lanpeach)

“Are you referring to an ore slime? I’ve heard of metal slimes and gold slimes, but never of one wearing a crown.” (Sage)

Sage answered that he was familiar with them while eating.

“Oh, so they do exist. Have you ever heard of anyone powering up rapidly after defeating one?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach was hoping for a monster with a lot of experience points. The idea that came to his mind was that of a gamer.

“I’ve heard that they’re popular because their bodies are mostly ore and can be sold at a high price after defeating them, but I haven’t heard of anyone powering up rapidly.” (Sage)

“Well, things can’t be that easy, huh. Yeah, that makes sense. If they were that good, they’d have gone extinct long ago.” (Lanpeach)

It seemed there was no such convenient situation.

“The quickest way to get stronger is to defeat monsters or enroll in a magic academy and learn the proper use of mana. Scientists of old proved that defeating monsters allows your body to absorb a small amount of spirit energy and grow stronger.” (Sage)

“Defeating monsters, huh…” (Lanpeach)

“Yes, when I was younger, I occasionally defeated monsters captured alive by explorers to strengthen my body.” (Sage)

With this being the general understanding, Lanpeach thought to himself that this world must be the beta version as he swirled his beer. Or more like, the method of power leveling was pretty brutal. As expected of a system based in reality.

[Good thing this isn’t a world where you gain experience points by donating money, don’t you think?] (Libra) 

[If it were, I would have chosen to be a merchant.] (Lanpeach)

He replied to the shrine maiden, who floated on his shoulder and snickered, and shrugged his shoulders.

“To be honest, the best way to get stronger is to buy good equipment with a lot of money and defeat higher-level monsters. There’s no shortcut. Every journey of a mile begins with a single step.” (Lanpeach)

“Lan, isn’t it supposed to be a journey of a thousand miles?” (Chihiro)

“Dry has talent, so it’s fine.” (Dry)

Chihiro poured a beer to Lanpeach, so he gratefully accepted it with his cup and took a sip.

Dry is one of the protagonists. Her absorption rate of spirit energy is incomparably better to that of the general population. Dry might envy Lanpeach, but to the average person, she had a cheat-level body they would be jealous of.

If what Guy said is true, spirit energy can only be absorbed from monsters of a higher level. Or, rather, it seemed to be the spirit energy necessary for growth.

[That’s exactly right. You need high-quality spirit energy to strengthen your body. And strong monsters contain that high-quality spirit energy.] (Libra)

Libra provided the expected answer, confirming Lanpeach’s suspicions and making him sigh.

[I feel like there could be a hidden technique like absorbing spirit power from high-quality spirit crystals to level up…] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach had a feeling that an enemy would appear soon, laughing loudly about how the rich were the strongest, while holding a large number of high-quality spirit crystals.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about money. Money for equipment, money for training, money, money, money. I hate it. The rich are the strongest no matter the era, huh?” (Lanpeach)

“You’re absolutely right. The strongest explorers almost always have a sponsor or come from a wealthy family. But if that’s the case, Dry-san, I will sponsor you. You can’t have too many strong explorers… and, well, those rabbits tend to go overboard, so having someone to keep an eye on them from behind would be more than enough.” (Sage)

The direction of the glance is toward the table where the rabbits are sitting. Although they are adored as mascots, being held and petted by the residents, Sage seems to have judged them as useless because of their erratic behavior.

“Oh, that helps! Then I’ll take good spirit armor and head into the Spirit Ward where strong monsters appear!” (Dry)

Dry leans forward in excitement. If it’s high-performance, even higher-level monsters can probably be defeated by brute force. Her eyes gleamed, filled with the expectation of becoming stronger, making one want to pat her head.

“Support me too, Sage. Won’t you give me some good equipment?” (Lanpeach)

“Haha… Sorry, Lanpeach-san, I can’t sponsor you.”

(The Builbeat is a calamity-class monster that can ravage an entire sector even in the Surface Districts, requiring a military response. Even though it wasn’t fully grown, he still defeated it so easily. He must have been wearing spirit armor from the Underground District. There’s no need for me to sponsor him.) (Sage)

Sage refuses, not even considering the possibility that the monster was defeated bare-handed, convinced that there’s no better equipment than that from the Underground District. 

Of course, Lanpeach misunderstands this as a difference in treatment between a minor villain and a beautiful girl, and groans.

“Papa-shan, aah~. I got this omelet this morning.” (Koume)

“Ooh, good girl, Koume. Alright, let me pat your head.” (Lanpeach)

“Kya~! Pet me, pet me. I love it when Papa-shan pats my head!” (Koume)

Koume climbs up onto his lap and offers the omelet, so he munches on it, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere, and Lanpeach falls in thought.

About how happy he is. He has a lover by his side and a base where he can live safely. Isn’t it okay for this to be the Lanpeach end? 

After all, the Powder of Elements has different final bosses depending on how each protagonist’s main story progresses. Lanpeach’s final boss was Krita. After defeating the incredibly strong Krita, he could happily live off passive income in the Lanpeach Complex. The end.

‘That sounds good, right? In the Lanpeach route, there’s no mastermind aiming to destroy the world, so maybe I’ll discuss it with Libra’ -he muses, slightly tipsy.

“By the way, did you hear? The Dream Island Spirit Ward has been closed off. Apparently, the military is stationed there or something.” (Sage)

Sage casually mentions this while eating.

“Huh, I wonder what that’s about. I have no idea.” (Lanpeach)

“? Dream Island is Peac—mgh.” (Dry)

“Huh? You want to eat an omelet?” (Lanpeach)

Although Dry has no memory of it, Lanpeach stuffed an omelet into her mouth just in case she said something unnecessary.

“It’s just a rumor with low credibility, but…they say the area has turned into a normal grassland. Not a single monster left. Well, there shouldn’t be any such land on this planet overflowing with abnormal spirit energy though. If there is, it would be in the Underground District, right?” (Sage)

“Really, really, there’s no way, there’s no way.” (Lanpeach)

(Maybe I’ve had too much to drink, my speech is a bit monotone. Chihiro-san, could you please stop looking over here?) (Lanpeach)

“Ah right, spring is coming soon, so I should get back to my activities as an explorer. I tend to rely on my acquaintances, so I’ll be working in the Northern District for a while instead of the Southern District.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach suddenly decides to continue his activities as an explorer, thinking that a middle-ground ending isn’t an option. It is definitely not that he is planning to lay low until things cool down.

It seems that Lanpeach still has to keep playing the game.

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