Chapter 179: Engine Stall, Lost Time Fantasista

Oh, I'm logging out? I totally thought we were going straight into Round 4. My senses felt completely disconnected from the outside world, but soon I began to register the air touching my skin just like waking up in the morning. Opening my eyes, I saw the inorganic shell of the VR headset covering my entire head, and a deafeningly loud roar of cheers slammed against my eardrums.

"So loud..."

"You brought this on yourself, idiot."

"Shut up, Restroom War."

"If you make too much of a fuss, the mic might pick up your voice."

That would be a problem. Sure, I'm currently the mysteriously masked "No Face," but under the pumpkin head, I'm an incredibly average human being, so getting lumped into the same category as a bomb maniac and a restroom freak is something I'd rather avoid.

"More importantly, why did I log out? Did the draw count as a loss for both of us?"

"No, because you two idiots were fighting like you were shaving years off your lives, they decided to throw in a short break."

"So Round 4 is happening..."

How should I put this? I'm completely exhausted, physically and mentally. After that Double KO just now, I feel like I've put out absolutely everything I had to give. Wouldn't it be better if I just quickly lost and passed the baton to Katzo...? Right as I thought that, Katzo tossed a full can over to me.

"Here. We're fresh out of Tonight, so I borrowed this from the Assault Company guys."

"Oh, seriously?! It's Backdraft!"

Crkt, psshh! I cracked it open and chugged. Ooooh... I can feel the caffeine surging through my body. The caffeine from the Riot Blood: Tonight I had practically burned through was being fully replenished, and vigor was overflowing from within me once again. Like, violently rushing through my veins in a way that definitely isn't healthy!

"Wait, this is the Japanese version...? Is it really okay for you to refuel my gasoline like this?"

"Do you literally view caffeine as gasoline...? Haha, if I interfered with you here, it would affect my... ahem, my affection rating. And besides."

"Besides?"

"Even if Sylvia loses, since I maintain a 70% win rate against the guy who beat her, paradoxically, that would make me the strongest."

"What kind of moon logic is that...?"

Does this guy not know what a rock-paper-scissors matchup is? No, he obviously understands the concept of a three-way deadlock, so there's no way...

"Hmm, even though your face is completely hidden by that helmet, I can still tell you're looking at me like I'm an idiot."

"I would never look at you like an idiot. I'm just deeply concerned."

About your intellect.

At the end of the day, Sunraku cannot win against Sylvia. That was an absolute, undeniable fact to Katzo—to Uomi Kei.

Admittedly, watching that last match even from a Pro Gamer's perspective, it could only be described as terrifying. What happens when you pit someone with the exact same playstyle—and the raw power to rival the undefeated meteor—against Sylvia Goldberg...? By now, the internet was probably blowing up, talking non-stop about Sylvia and the pumpkin-headed freak who actually pushed her to the brink.

However, being "strong" alone is not enough to beat Sylvia. Sunraku at his absolute peak hype was capable of reaching Sylvia's throat; even that final Double KO could have easily gone either way. But seeing how completely exhausted Sunraku looked after logging out, Katzo was certain of it. If they had a rematch on another day, Sunraku might actually have a chance at winning, but right now? It was impossible. Because the true, most terrifying weapon of the player known as Sylvia Goldberg only grows stronger the longer a fight drags on.

(Still, Sunraku... you did an amazing job.)

Sylvia Goldberg's greatest weapon wasn't her mechanics that drastically scaled with her hype, nor was it the battle sense that earned her the title of "Real Metius." It was her monstrous, machine-like stamina that refused to degrade in performance no matter how intense the battle became, or how long it lasted. That was the ultimate weapon that kept Sylvia undefeated.

Fighting her was like fighting a final boss whose HP bar you simply couldn't whittle down. That incredibly simple yet utterly brutal truth was the true terror of Sylvia Goldberg, the very reason she once achieved a completely insane score of "50 consecutive wins" in a gauntlet mode.

(I honestly didn't expect him to actually drag her all the way to an Extra Round.)

When Sunraku almost accidentally won, Katzo had genuinely worried about the guy's memory, wondering if he had completely forgotten his original promise. But as a result, the baton was being passed to Kei in the absolute best possible condition.

(Though, if I'm being honest, I personally kinda want to see what happens when two tension-monsters cannibalize each other.)

Being surprisingly sharp when it comes to weird things, Sunraku surely understood the real meaning behind Katzo tossing him another energy drink. It was a push, a silent message saying, "Go fight with everything you've got."

If Sylvia lost, then that was that. If Sylvia beat Sunraku, then it would simply fall to Katzo to be the one to finally shatter her undefeated record.

"Are you sure about this? Even though Natsume-chan, Sunraku-kun, and I all worked so hard for this."

"...Well, as much as it pisses me off, I trust Sylvia when it comes to that."

In the end, the world always converges back to the standard tropes. No matter how far you stray onto the path of evil, in the end...

"In the end, the Hero always wins."

Right now, there are three things pissing me off.

First: the fact that I lost the bet guessing which characters the Star Rain players would pick twice, meaning I'm officially on the hook for buying the sushi. Oh, and Sylvia picking Metius was guaranteed, so she was excluded from the bet.

Second: the Riot Blood: Backdraft I was handed was the Japanese version. Dude, give me the American version! The fact that he deliberately gave me something that wouldn't let me go completely full-throttle just shows how thoroughly nasty his personality is.

And third: the look Katzo gave me as I headed into the Extra Round was completely identical to the look you give an NPC destined to die in an unwinnable scripted event.

I see how it is. While I'm over here desperately masking a chronic headache and full-body lethargy with caffeine, Sylvia Goldberg was cheerfully answering interview questions looking completely fresh and energized. Seeing that, it was obvious that her stamina was on a completely different dimension, entirely separate from her mechanical skill. Weren't you literally fighting like it was a deathmatch just a second ago? Why the hell are you so peppy?!

There's a massive difference in mental fatigue between fighting players and fighting monsters. Sure, I've fought completely through battles against the Golden Scorpion, Lycaon, and that Killer Whale Bastard, but those fights technically have a decent amount of intended openings built into them.

Even if I say so myself, that was a pretty damn intense fight, yet the undefeated Hero-sama didn't look exhausted in the slightest. I doubt a prolonged fight is going to cause her performance to drop at all.

I get it. Between an exhausted amateur and a Pro Gamer who still has plenty of gas in the tank, it goes without saying who's going to win.

But Katzo, let me tell you something: I am currently pissed off. It might not generate the same explosive burst of instantaneous firepower as when Sylvia Goldberg looked at me with those bored, disappointed eyes, but I am still more than angry enough to think, "I refuse to go down for free."

You need motivation to conquer a game, but the reason you start a game has nothing to do with logic! I'll show you that even Villains have their own ways of scattering beautifully!

"In the Extra Round, both players' Gauge accumulation rates are doubled. Furthermore, NPCs that don't appear in normal rounds will spawn..."

Basically, the system is actively encouraging a short, decisive battle. Glancing at the military NPCs surrounding me—who were aiming assault rifles, not handguns—I began to move while imagining the grim reaper that would undoubtedly arrive in a few dozen seconds.

"Time to go shopping."

That tank over there looks nice. I wonder if a fighter jet will show up?

Author's Afterword
Is this guy seriously okay, having his mental state actively toggle based on the presence of caffeine...? (Said like it's someone else's problem)

It's not like I was delayed because I was busy breeding for a minimum Speed IV Brave nature, no way... Yes, I'm sorry. [*1]

With the fateful day looming closer, I wonder if I can actually maintain my update pace...

Translator's Notes

• *[1] Minimum Speed IV Brave nature: A reference to competitive Pokémon breeding, specifically trying to breed a Pokémon with the "Brave" nature (boosts Attack, lowers Speed) and a 0 IV in Speed, often used for "Trick Room" strategies. The author is once again apologizing for playing video games instead of writing.