Chapter 268: As Long as Humans Have Time and Money, They Can Gain an Advantage in Almost Any Situation

"Hey, he's clearly not looking so good, is he gonna be okay?"

"It's fine, it's fine. Sunraku-kun actually moves better when he's just the right amount of withered."

"Like how a candle burns brightest right before it goes out?"

"Exactly, exactly. Ever since he started pulling his second all-nighter, he's been moving in a way that makes you think 'Is he chipping away at his actual lifespan to move?', but if you dunk him in energy drinks and expose him to sunlight, he'll be right as rain, so it's perfectly fine to just leave him be."

"Who the hell is in a state of constant climax? I was just busy with all sorts of Unique stuff yesterday."

"Ah, speaking of that, once this mess is over, your physical custody will be handed over to Library and the Saint Fanclub."

"Can I go home?"

I could not.

............

.........

......

An energy drink mixed with milk, and an omelet heavily sprinkled with sliced sausages, resulting in it looking like a monster shedding tears of blood (ketchup) from a massive amount of eyeballs. That's the fuel currently keeping me running, but honestly, I feel like I'm lacking in vitamins.

"Cows are herbivores, so aren't beef and milk basically vegetables?"

"Sorry Kyogoku-chan, he might actually be a lost cause."

"Excuse me?"

"Let's fix him with some percussive maintenance."

A full swing aimed right at my cheek. I tilted my head to dodge it while executing an eye-poke. Tch, she dodged it.

"........."

"........."

"Alright, stop messing around. We're having a strategy meeting now~"

" "U-i." "

Kyou-timate is tilting her head in confusion, but this is just our normal operational state, so please don't mind us.

"Well, no matter what's inside, the outer shell has top-tier stats. On top of that, their equipment is incredibly robust."

"The insides might be a bit questionable, but since they're members of 'Black Wolf,' they all possess actual player skill too. Though they aren't exactly PvP specialists."

Two veteran PKers were currently explaining the situation to me and OiKatzo, two people who had basically just graduated from the Novice stage in terms of actual playtime. Or rather, are they under some sort of strict geass that forces them to prefix everything with an insult about their opponents' personalities?

"Well, I'm secretly connected to Momo-chan behind the scenes, so we can counter three out of the five."

"I just witnessed some horrible match-fixing."

"The mind games begin long before the battle even starts, Katzo-kun. But putting that aside, the real problem is the Saiga sisters, isn't it?"

Rei-shi, also known as Psyger-0, and her older sister—the top brass of Black Wolf—Psyger-100. Regardless of who's piloting them, those avatars boast hardcore-gamer specs with maximum enhancements and armaments.
Even if you know it's coming straight at you, it's hard for a human to dodge a maglev train. It's even more impossible if you can't prepare a countermeasure beforehand.

"I'm as happy as can be about this, but we're not throwing the match, right?"

"She said that having the leader of Black Wolf lose so easily is unacceptable."

I briefly glanced at the opposite side of the coliseum designated as the venue, looking at the members of Black Wolf. While the rest of them wore rather relaxed expressions, Psyger-100 was the only one checking her stats with a dead-serious face.
This entire situation was apparently built upon a conspiracy between her and Pencilgon, but I wonder what her true intentions really are.

"Momo-chan possesses the 'Swordmaster' job and has completely mastered Quintet. She's basically a perfect superhuman, after all..."

"Swordmaster, huh..."

If I recall correctly, Aramis's job was also Swordmaster, wasn't it? Things like Solo or Quintet don't just sound like straightforward firepower mechanics... Don't tell me, does it refer to the 'number of swords'?

"The Saiga sisters truly are a massive pain to deal with. Both of them use PvE-oriented builds, but their firepower is so absurdly high that it works perfectly fine in PvP too..."

"Or rather... Is it alright if I ask a question now?"

Kyou-timate cut in, completely interrupting Pencilgon, who had been passionately explaining just how troublesome the Saiga sisters were.
Twitching her ears—which belonged to a category entirely separate from humanity—the beastman swordswoman looked around at the four of us.

"...Where's the last person?"

"Ah, right, that! Sunraku-kun said 'Leave the last person to me,' so I left it entirely up to him since it sounded interesting, but seriously, where are they?"

"I'm voting he gender-bends and claims 'I count as two people'."

"It's honestly amazing how TS fanart of you regularly gets posted on the threads, you know."

Leaving aside OiKatzo, whose eyes had completely died with a sun..., I haven't overlooked a single thing regarding that.

"Alright, question time. What are the rules of this representative battle?"

"...? Five members selected from each clan fight each other, right?"

"Kyou-timate is correct. OiKatzo, go stand in the hallway."

"Isn't that stray bullet a bit too unreasonable?"

It's a joke, just laugh it off.
Exactly. The rules of this representative battle dictate a PvP match between five members belonging to each clan. In principle, helpers from outside clans are not permitted, which is precisely why Kyou-timate joined "Wolfgang" in the first place.

"Alright, second question... Exactly when does a Resignation become official?"

This is where natural intelligence shows. While OiKatzo and Kyou-timate were still tilting their heads in confusion, Pencilgon alone seemed to realize something. She looked at me with a very... yes, a very amused smile.

"Eh, seriously?"

"Yes, seriously."

"What do you mean?"

Pencilgon glanced at me. Since I don't possess the particular fetish of finding pleasure in explaining things with a smug face, I decided to hand the explanation over to her.

"Hmm, well, it's a very simple story. What do you think is the quickest way to overturn a 5-vs-4 disadvantage?"

On the opposite side of the coliseum, objectified Mani was handed over from Rei-shi to Psyger-100.
Li... Ri? Um, while the Sub-Leader with a name that sounded like "Leveling" stood there dumbfounded with his mouth hanging wide open, Rei-shi, having successfully become a solo player, walked over to us.

"Um, well... Arthur Pencilgon-san."

"Yes, yes, what might it be~?"

"Um... I would like to request... admission into the clan 'Wolfgang'."

"Okay! Welcome, welcome! We welcome you with open arms!"

The easiest way to overturn a 5-vs-4 disadvantage? That's obvious. If you pluck one person from the enemy's side, it becomes 4-vs-5, giving us the advantage.

I remembered it perfectly, Black Wolf-san. Your leader definitely said, "We will permit your withdrawal from the clan the moment you repay the amount of money the clan spent on your training, plus the cost of the Magic Scrolls consumed."

Earning tens of millions, or possibly even hundreds of millions of Mani in such a short period of time would be difficult... Normally, that is.

But I am a Billion Getter officially recognized by the System. My total assets exceed even a billion.
Rei-shi compared this strategy to "buying someone's freedom," and she wasn't entirely wrong. We were simply transferring the contract binding Rei-shi over to Wolfgang. I still had more than enough pocket change to spare, so I didn't mind footing the bill, but since Rei-shi is so painfully earnest, she insisted on paying me back for the advanced amount. Regardless, at least for this exact moment, Rei-shi's affiliation is "Wolfgang," and the side lacking a member is "Black Wolf."

"By the way, Sunraku-kun, exactly how much money do you have on you right now?"

"I won't cover a single cent of your debts."

"That phrasing means you've got quite the stash saved up, huh!? Considering Zero-chan's debt and your attitude... Don't tell me, your on-hand cash is in the billions...?"

It's genuinely terrifying how she managed to roughly grasp the contents of my wallet just from that brief exchange.
Pencilgon has been paying off her debts through various underhanded negotiations, but her past criminal record means she still has a massive amount of debt remaining. Discovering a walking vault loaded with cash right next to her made her start hustling immediately, but my intentions remain unchanged.

"Don't you have even a shred of spirit to help out a dependable Onee-san!?"

"OiKatzo, if you theoretically had several billion on hand, would you pay off Pencilgon's debts?"

"Like hell I would. Watching her writhe in the agony of debt makes my rice taste better."

"Dammit... If I were in your position, I'd be saying the exact same thing, so I can't even argue back...!"

We're all super good friends, so watching our friends suffer makes us really happy.

If this is what you call friendship, humanity probably needs a hard reset...

"Ahem. Well, we'll take our time negotiating the money side of things later... Now then, you certainly pulled off an unexpected fine play by snatching Zero-chan."

"Ou."

"My bad, but I don't feel like waiting for a 5-vs-4 to turn into a 5-vs-5 either. Let's just do a 4-vs-4."

According to her, bullying them any further might cause the other side to literally explode. As expected of Pencilgon, truly a master of keeping her victims half-alive.
It seems she's still plotting something else, but I'll refrain from asking about it for now.

"Alright, the other side seems to be itching to beat the crap out of us, so I'll explain the strategy."

Smiling brightly, Pencilgon floated a smile overflowing with confidence—truly befitting a model—and said but a single sentence.

"Katzo-kun, use the Tactical Mecha and sweep three of them."

"Alright."

She pronounced the death sentence of "Black Wolf."

Author's Afterword
The protagonist isn't the only one hiding information.

I glossed over it, but I'll write about exactly how Sunraku liquidated his mountain of treasure into cash eventually. I need to connect it to the upcoming developments, after all.