Chapter 250: The Conclusion of the Wolf Strife: In the End, the Final Answer is Physical Language

Author's Preface
The dilemma where the less time I have, the more sentences come to mind.

Exactly. This discussion is a surprise party specifically targeting "Liberios" and him alone.
The contents of the conversation up to this point and the sudden intrusion of the other clan representatives were all decided beforehand, and everything regarding Rei-san's treatment and the PK issues were merely tracing over predetermined decisions.

The objective was to sever Liberios and his followers from the clan, acting upon a request from the leader of Black Wolf, "Psyger-100."
I don't know the specifics of what they plan to do or how they plan to do it, but considering both Pencilgon and the sharp-looking Psyger-100 seem to be scheming something, I suppose I don't need to worry about it.

"...I can't accept this! They're underestimating 'Black Wolf'! Isn't that right!?"

The heat is just right. A perfect level of heating where he hasn't noticed the slight sense of wrongness, yet hasn't quite reached the point of losing his mind either.
If I were to offer advice to Liberuos as a senior victim: when dealing with Her (Pencilgon), the correct answer is either to never let your calm thinking falter, or to just quickly lose your mind and beat her down. If you think about it half-heartedly, you'll just fall right into her trap, you know?

"Calm down, Liberios."

"But it makes no sense! Psyger-0 is one of the highest-class players in ShanFro, you know!? Simply handing her over to 'Wolfgang' just by paying money is...!!"

Compared to silently leaving a group or silently retiring from the game entirely, I'd say this is almost too dutiful. It's not like quietly leaving a mere in-game group comes with any legal repercussions, anyway.

Besides, making money in this game is a pretty massive pain in the ass, so allowing a withdrawal only upon achieving a massive financial quota is actually on the strict side. Wait, money...? Money... Cash conversion... Ah, OiKatzo, are you ready? Ready, set, go.

"T-That kind of thin—Ouch!"

I delivered a silent spear-hand strike to his flank. You've turned into a total wooden actor, you idiot. That's exactly why you can't trigger Uniques yourself. Unlike you, I've already tripped the flag for Goldunine too.

"You better remember this... Ahem, if that's how it's gonna be, why don't we just settle this with a, like, representative battle or something?"

"43 points."

"Around 58 points?"

Kyou-timate, aren't you grading him a bit too softly? You should be strict and give him a harsher score instead of spoiling him.
OiKatzo's role was to propose the idea of "settling the matter with a duel."

If you're wondering why we kept OiKatzo in reserve just for something that trivial, well... it's simply because Pencilgon, Kyou-timate, and I had picked way too many fights prior to this.
It's the so-called phenomenon where "options added later on look strangely appealing." Because they are directing their "hostility" toward the three of us, the words of OiKatzo—who had remained silent up until now and toward whom their directed emotions were thinner in comparison—would sink right into his mind.

Well, to put it simply, if Pencilgon or I—having relentlessly taunted Liriririri-kun and the "Black Wolf" Rinrinrin Faction present—suddenly said, "Let's settle this with a battle!", they'd obviously suspect an ulterior motive.

While gazing at OiKatzo's fists trembling with indignation at our harsh grading, I wondered how and why things had suddenly turned into a battle manga development, and worried whether Liburios would actually fall for such a blatant proposal in the first place...

"A representative battle?"

They got hooked instantly, including the guys standing behind him... Can you guys try to think about the ulterior motives a bit more?
Dodging the gaze of the Magical Girl (Old Man Installation), who was staring at me constantly as if she had nothing better to do and wanted to ask me something, I watched OiKatzo spew lines exactly as written in the script with his radish-tier acting... Ah, nope, I'm bored. I'll just mess around with Inventoria.

"Let's see, since 10 'Slumbering Jewels' sell for 4 million Mani, if I combine this and this..."

Nn~. I vaguely realized it when I got the title, but doesn't my total net worth easily blow past a billion Mani? The jewels alone number in the four digits, and I have a ridiculous amount of treasure-type items aside from the jewels too.

The problem is whether I can convert all of this into Mani or not, but I actually have one idea regarding that.
It'd be great if I could just casually bribe Pencilgon with cash and have her set up a connection smoothly... If it works out, I'll be a billionaire overnight, and I'd probably even be able to shoulder Rei-san's debt.

Just then, a single gaze fixed itself onto the Inventoria integrated into my wrist.

"...Hey, what is that?"

"Uwa, so close. Ah... Josette, was it?"

"Yes, nice to meet you. So, you and those two are wearing the exact same thing, and at first I thought it was some kind of proof of being clan members, but..."

Josette shot a brief glance toward Kyou-timate. Well, this is an item possessed only by the initial members of "Wolfgang"... the three of us who challenged Wethermon the Tombguard, after all.

"So, what is it? If you can pull up a window with it, it's not just a mere Accessory, is it?"

No seriously, you're too close. Stop bringing your face so close. It smells raw, you know?

"Well, how should I put this... To sum it up in a single phrase: .........Infinite Inventory."

"Come again!?"

Although I only muttered it quietly, the person who reacted the most to an accessory that solves the carrying capacity limit in this game wasn't Josette, who had asked the question, but Team 10PM's overworked paid lea—no, PT Overwerke.

"Eh, seriously? Unlimited? Like, the weight too? Ah, I look forward to working with you from now on."

"Ah, sure."

Following a dignified, perfect ninety-degree bow, he smoothly approached me.
I was slightly bothered by the fact that Josette swiftly took a step back to create distance the moment the male avatar approached, but well, whatever.

"Eh, does this come from a Unique Monster? I super want it... I'm asking just in case, but is trading it impossible?"

"To answer your questions in order: there's no weight limit, the weight doesn't change no matter how much you stuff inside it, it's a reward from defeating Wethermon but it seems like a general-purpose item, and the moment you equip it you can never take it off, so trading it is impossible from the start."

During the Wethermon battle, the rewards were: "A Secret Arts scroll containing the techniques used by Wethermon," "The reactor of a non-standard tactical mecha beast that Wethermon likely possessed," and "An accessory that seemingly harbors some hidden effect."
During the Ctarrnid battle, the rewards were: "The eight chalices used by Ctarrnid," and "A bell that warns the player of some impending crisis."

Both of these examples are "items related to the Unique Monster," but Inventoria is the sole exception that doesn't fit that pattern.
In terms of the Divine Age, it might be related to Wethermon, but it feels more like a treasure chest meant to store Wethermon's items that can be reused even after taking the contents out... That's the vibe it gives off.

The deduction derived from that is: "While the items contained inside the storage key Inventoria are exclusive to the Wethermon battle, perhaps Inventoria itself is a general-purpose item."
And if that holds true, then somewhere in this world of ShanFro, there must be an enemy that drops Inventoria, or an area where it is placed as an item. In that case, the most suspicious candidate is, as expected...

"Unique Monsters really do seem to yield great profits, huh... Even so, since our clan has decided on a policy of prioritizing World Quests, I'd appreciate it if you could let us know in advance the next time you plan to challenge a Unique Monster."

World Scenarios, huh... The transition of the world progressing every time a Unique Monster is defeated. It's already been confirmed that something will happen in the "Fourth Stage," at the very least.

"The information has probably spread already, but a massive dragon appeared on the New Continent, and the vanguard group is in absolute chaos right now."

"A massive dragon?"

"Yeah, yeah. My guild mem—I mean, clan member ran into it for the first time in a pick-up group. Since it seems to have spawned due to the progression of the World Quest, I'd really like to know the timing of when the next Unique Monster gets defeated beforehand."

I see. What exactly did Pencilgon use as bait to lure the clans other than Library into joining the alliance? In the case of Team 10PM, she used the timing of defeating Unique Monsters and the progression of the World Quest as bait, huh.

If the World Quest progresses upon the defeat of a Unique Monster, then what we did is essentially the equivalent of advancing someone else's save data without permission.
Given the nature of the MMO category, where specific individuals cannot be given preferential treatment, being able to grasp the exact timing of when the situation will shift becomes a massive advantage. You could say it's like being able to detect a sudden tornado before it even happens. After all, "Time is Money" is a saying for a reason.

"A talking black dragon that appeared on the New Continent, and that monster harboring a strong hostility toward Siegwurm, one of the Unique Monsters... Just what exactly is its true identity? We of Library also hold high expectations for Team 10PM, who possesses an edge on the New Continent."

Ugeh, the fake magical girl finally barged into the conversation too.

"Summarizing the statements of the eyewitnesses, it can be deduced that there are likely several other 'Dragons' that harbor hostility toward Siegwurm. Furthermore, considering the various human sub-species present on the New Continent... this could very well turn into a massive conflict engulfing the entirety of the human races on the New Continent."

"You're as fast as ever at compiling information, huh..."

"Compiling fragmented information is my job, after all."

After returning a light reply to PT Overwerke's words, I averted my gaze from the sparkling eyes of the magical girl—who looked adorable strictly on the surface—that made no effort to hide an aura screaming Give me more information, please, and suddenly shifted my gaze toward Kyou-timate.

".........Fufu."

The way she was rubbing the pommel of her katana made it look as though she was rejoicing at the battle that would arrive in the not-too-distant future. And that indicated that Pencilgon's eloquence had successfully wrapped Ribaribari right around her finger.

A representative battle between the clan "Wolfgang" and the clan "Black Wolf."
If we win, all of our unreasonable demands go through. If they win, full disclosure of information. High risk, high return? This is pretty much exactly what the bastards planned; an utterly terrible story from start to finish.

The scheduled time is a week from now, at night, five-on-five... Nn? I heard the plans yesterday, slept a bit, and arrived at today, so...

A week from now?

Author's Afterword
A duel breaking out through a natural flow.
Q: Would they really fall for such blatantly suspicious guidance?
A: In real life, maybe not, but right now, even though it's cyberspace, they are inside a fantasy world.

• Shining Knights of the Holy Shield
  The official clan name is "Saint Fanclub," and "Shining Knights of the Holy Shield" is the name of an organization established by NPCs. In other words, "The clan 'Saint Fanclub' slotted itself directly into the framework of the Shining Knights of the Holy Shield created by NPCs."

The Leader of the Shining Knights of the Holy Shield, the shield of the church, is known as a very strict individual.

The leader of the Saint Fanclub—a group of roleplayers and followers of a certain NPC—is one of the strongest tanks in ShanFro, and rumors say she might genuinely be a lesbian.