“Well, that was kinda weak, wasn’t it~? I’m left feeling a bit unsatisfied. It didn’t exactly set me on fire…just like unignited coal.” (Touka)

With the summoner dead, the Stone Snake crumbled into sand, and the Topaz shattered into pieces. Touka stomped her feet lightly to shake off the heat from the battle.

“I was just too strong. Besides, a spirit user is weak unless they use a good magic gemstone. They’re basically walking treasure chests.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach doesn’t know the word modesty. He glanced at the dead Avege and casually wiped the blood off his hands.

[Quest Complete: Retrieval of the Flying Arrow. 15,000 EXP obtained.] 

[Boss Defeated: Avege. 3,000 EXP obtained.]

It appears that the quest has been successfully completed. The hall was littered with corpses, a scene straight out of a nightmare, but Lanpeach felt satisfied with the successful outcome.

[Aah! The battle ended before I could analyze the enemy’s level! That was my only chance to shine!] (Libra)

[Doesn’t it make you sad to say that, Miss Support Shrine Maiden?] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach ignored the silver-haired maiden’s teary complaints, and sat down next to Avege’s lifeless body, whose head was now embedded in the floor. He then reached out for the severed arm that was still plunged into the Item Box.

“Empty everything inside.” (Lanpeach)

A small leather pouch emerged from the Item Box with that false command.

[It seems like a low-grade Item Box, one that can only store up to ten kilograms or so.] (Libra)

[He probably thought this was enough to keep his magic gemstones from being stolen.] (Lanpeach)

A colorful array of gemstones glimmered when Lanpeach opened the pouch, casting light on his face. They were all likely magic gemstones.

“Wow, there’s a lot of them, old man. But if he had so many gems, why did he bother being a scammer?” (Touka)

Touka peeked in from the side with a puzzled expression, but Lanpeach knew the reason from the game.

“All of these are support from his backers. Or rather, it’s high-interest debt disguised as support. Every single one of these magic gemstones is a loan.” (Lanpeach)

His backers are the type that fund scammers and thieves while keeping their own hands clean.

“Uhaa~, doesn’t that mean we’re in danger for snatching these? Guys like that will come after us, regardless of whether we’re good or bad.” (Touka) 

Villains don’t care if you’re a good person or if you had a legitimate reason for defeating them after all. Especially loan sharks -they don’t care about logic.

In other words…

“Exactly. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Don’t you feel a thrill knowing an ambush event is coming?” (Lanpeach)

To a player, it’s just a lucrative event.

“Mumumu, you’re a strange one, old man. Most people would be scared.” (Touka)

Touka grinned along with Lanpeach, proving she was just as much of a weirdo.

“I’m a minor villain after all. Besides, I’m planning to take care of those guys too… Oh, here it is. I knew he had it.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach found a single key among the gemstones in the small pouch and grinned. This was what he was after: an old, silver key.

“Huh? Doesn’t this key look just like the golden key from my place?” (Touka)

“Right? This is the real prize. With this key, you can access the Graveyard of Bows. Avege must’ve stolen it from the main family.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach jingled the silver key and stored it in his Dimension Pouch.

“The Graveyard of Bows?” (Touka)

“A portal opens, but it leads to an empty place. People have always wondered why a key like this exists, but…” (Lanpeach)

(There were rumors in the game that there was another key, and now I see there really was another one.) (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach felt a thrill of excitement at the upcoming quest that was unsolved in the game. But first, he needed to finish the current quest episode.

“Boss, congratulations on completing the quest-usa! I brought the Flying Arrow back!” (Mimi)

Mimi appeared at just the right moment with the spirit armor in her arms, trotting over cheerfully.

“Thanks, Mimi. And what about the other items?” (Lanpeach)

“There was nothing else on the shelves aside from this uniform. It seems like I cleaned up while I was sleeping? Am I amazing? Am I amazing? Is Mimi amazing?” (Mimi)

“You adorable little rabbit with a flower field for brains.” (Lanpeach)

“Kyuu~” (Mimi)

Lanpeach gently petted Mimi’s fluffy fur, and she closed her eyes, almost drifting off to sleep. The softness and fluffiness felt incredible. The best part of having a pet is getting to pet them, Lanpeach thought. The second-best part is when they snuggle up to you.

[But it doesn’t look like we were able to recover any items, Soldier. Don’t worry, though! With this sharp lawyer, Libra-chan, on the case, I’ll retrieve everything through the courts. I object to that opinion! I kind of feel like your argument doesn’t quite add up!] (Libra)

Libra raised her hand dramatically, looking determined yet slightly ridiculous. Lanpeach learned the meaning of dumb cute.

[I’ll be waiting with low expectations.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach rolled his eyes, wondering if she was seriously planning to play the role of a thief’s lawyer. At least the Flying Arrow was still intact, which was a relief. It seemed she hadn’t touched it.

“Phew, I’m glad. If it had been stolen, Grandpa would’ve been furious… Huh? Why aren’t you letting go, old man?” (Touka)

Touka tried to take the Flying Arrow from Lanpeach, but for some reason, he wasn’t giving it to her.

“Uh, well…” (Lanpeach)

The reason for Lanpeach’s hesitation was simple: the Flying Arrow retrieval quest was already complete. He had earned the EXP.

What that meant was…

[Hand the Flying Arrow over to Touka willingly.]

[No way I’m giving back something this good. I’ll take it even if it means killing you!]

These were those two choices. When Lanpeach had played the game, he remembered being impressed by the Flying Arrow’s excellent stats during his virtuous playthrough. But he couldn’t recall which option he chose.

The Flying Arrow had a rare attribute of negating long-range attacks. If Lanpeach equipped it, there’s a high chance he could dominate.

“…Well, I’ll return it anyway. I’m a good guy who works hard for his friends.” (Lanpeach)

“I gave them the Flying Arrow in the first place because you told me it was for the sake of pulling off this plan, you know, old man!” (Touka)

“Oh, yeah, I did, didn’t I?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach was a minor villain who had forced the quest to happen in the first place. A villainous character seeking rewards through his own contrived plot.

(But why didn’t Touka fall for the scam? Normally, she would’ve, given her personality.) (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach tilted his head in confusion, but Touka was now entirely focused on Mimi, cuddling her and smiling blissfully as she stroked the rabbit’s head.

(It’s probably my fault. She was more interested in aliens than in the scam because I was with her.) (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach shrugged and smiled wryly, watching Touka, who had a heart of steel, lovingly pamper the rabbit despite the dead bodies surrounding them.

“Well, I guess I’ll leave the cleanup of this building to pawn 1.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach pulled out his smartphone and looked around. Most of the spirit armor was nearly intact since he had executed so many headshots.

“Hey, Chihiro? Can you ask Krita to handle the transactions? The location is—” (Lanpeach)

And so, Lanpeach’s inconspicuous debut in the Northern Sector came to an end. Since there were no witnesses, ‘inconspicuous’ was indeed a fitting description.

◇◇

Back at the hotel, Lanpeach sprawled out on the bed and let out a sigh. The sky outside the window was already dark, signaling nightfall. Although underground, the time seemed to sync with the outside world. 

His body was comforted by the soft bedding, and sleepiness began to creep in. Mimi was already curled up next to his pillow, fast asleep.

“I’m pretty exhausted. It still takes a toll on you even without a scratch.” (Lanpeach)

[That’s because you’ve been killing people. Your mind is tired.] (Libra)

“People? Were there any? All I saw were Thug A and others. All game characters.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach replied casually and yawned, feeling the fatigue set in. Libra watched him closely and thought…

[Looks like you are not lying. You really do have the mind of a god, Soldier.] (Libra)

[Just call it a gamer’s mindset. When enemies show up, all I see are pixelated characters.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach’s mind was immersed in the game world, almost as if he was using it to escape reality. This is partly the reason why he couldn’t fully perceive the reality of this world. 

Well, he saw people charge into gunfire without fear and dying instantly, so it is no wonder he thought that way.

Libra chuckled softly, knowing that Lanpeach wouldn’t hesitate to kill thousands of enemies because it is a quest, yet she didn’t judge him for it.

(The mindset the [Space Library] requires. Given what’s to come, Soldier’s mental structure is actually a relief, so there’s no problem.) (Libra)

“But for now, I need to get moving. There are items I need to retrieve.” (Lanpeach)

[Raise the Extraterrestrial skill to level 5.] (Lanpeach)

[Acquired. [Space Shop], [Storage], and [Item Analysis] have been acquired. [Item Analysis] has been assigned to the support character, Libra.]

Lanpeach used 1,500 EXP to raise his Extraterrestrial skill to level 5.

[While I’m at it, raise the Transcendental skill to level 5.] (Lanpeach)

[Acquired. Obtained [Transcendent Body].]

Lanpeach, ever meticulous about his EXP, used an additional 500 points to raise the Transcendental skill.

[Cloakroom: Colony’s Cloakroom Facility.]

[Space Shop: Colony’s Store.]

[Transcendent Body: Reduces all incoming damage by 20%.]

[You have achieved level 5 in both Extraterrestrial and Transcendental. You have unlocked the fusion skill: [Divine Spirit Fusion].]

[Divine Spirit Fusion: Temporarily fuses with a support character.]

“Huh? What’s this ‘Divine Spirit Fusion’? This wasn’t in the game.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach scratched his head, surprised by the unexpected skill. Meanwhile, Libra excitedly smacked his head.

[Mufufufufu~! It’s finally here! I didn’t know either, but it looks like I can become a divine spirit! Now I can really shine as a support character!] (Libra)

(There’s more to it than that, but I’ll keep that secret!) (Libra)

[Is it like Element Fusion? I’ll have to test it out later…] (Lanpeach)

He had been disappointed that he didn’t have Element Fusion because he is an original character, but discovering a hidden skill made him grin with anticipation for the power he could gain.

“Alright, let’s check if the items we retrieved are safely stored in the [Cloakroom].” (Lanpeach)

[Are you sure they’re in the Cloakroom? What if the rabbit stole them?] (Libra)

“Items obtained during an expedition go straight to the Cloakroom. So they should be there. I hope so, anyway.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach got off the bed and selected the Cloakroom skill. When he pressed the button, a light enveloped Lanpeach and Libra, and they disappeared.

In the next instant, they found themselves in a lobby with a view of space. The walls were glass, revealing the starry sky outside, with a blue planet below.

“Oh, you finally made it here. I thought you were never going to level up and decided to leave everything to me. I had almost convinced myself that all of this was a gift for me.” 

A black-haired girl, who had been carefully inspecting the items spread out on the floor, smiled at Lanpeach as he arrived.

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