Chapter 304: The Young Girl Crowned with the Fastest

Author's Preface
I caught a cold, so I was resting (playing Granblue) while shooting up Red Bull, but somehow it got worse. Why...? (Non-stop headache and runny nose)

Whoops, looks like three minutes are almost up. Time to change equipment.
A jazz-like melody played by a string instrument that sounded like a cross between a violin and a guitar was playing in the background.
While looking around the mysterious place with no windows or doors, I followed behind the woman in the dress, but...

At the counter where the seemingly older version of the owner of "Serpent's Apple" stood—an NPC I suspect might be a clone—a young girl wearing a bizarrely revealing bikini armor was sitting in the corner, munching on meat with a mosha mosha sound. Even if you don't tell me, I'm pretty sure that's the Bounty Hunter known as Tias, isn't it?

"This place is basically a guild for Avengers... That being said, there aren't that many members affiliated with us, you know?"

Hidden Job "Avenger." The class that had just been presented to me was essentially a "specialized profession that only accepts high-difficulty cases."

"In this world, there are wishes that cannot be fulfilled. For example, a request to subjugate a beast so dangerous that even the Kingdom's Knight Order is forced to ignore it due to its sheer difficulty. Or the plea of a poor young girl seeking incredibly expensive medicinal herbs because they are too difficult to harvest."

"The ideology is splendid, but... is it just a charity?"

From the sound of it, they just seemed like volunteers running around for the sake of the world and its people. But when I asked that question, the woman who called herself the "Boss" fanned herself and shook her head.

"That is only half the reason. The other half is to provide a battlefield for people like you..."

"...I see."

The legalization of violent means. Putting a leash on potential risk factors... Gathering thrill-seekers like battle junkies and having them clear difficult problems that the surface society either couldn't handle or simply ignored.
If that's the case, the "Bounty Hunter" system is basically just an NPC-exclusive class that narrows the Avenger's targets down strictly to PKers. Well, obviously, even if the targets are PKers, leaving their punishment entirely up to players is a bad idea. It would probably generate even more aggro than just PK-ing in town.

"So? Does being invited mean I'm immediately hired?"

"Let's see... Your abilities are already guaranteed, so that would be fine, but how about you tell me a little boastful story first?"

A boastful story? Self-promotion? You want me to tell you just how much power I hold... Right, I have an errand to run after this anyway.
I pulled out a Crystal Scorpion stinger from my inventory that I hadn't used because I had a surplus of materials. I also pulled out a dud Roenanva Amber Crystal that I had dug up but turned out to be "empty inside," rendering it basically worthless in terms of game value.

"I go to that place (Crystal Nest Cliff) quite often. If you want, I can give you that Amber Crystal as a present?"

"Oh my, oh my... This is a far greater treasure than I expected. Perhaps the rumors aren't entirely wrong after all."

Rumors... Rumors, huh... Whoops, three minutes.

"I've been curious about this for a while now, but what exactly are those rumors...?"

"Let's see... The most prominent one is probably 'The Phantom of the Night Dash who repelled even the Emperor of the Night'."

"Phantom..."

Do I explode flashily when I die or something? Actually, who the hell spread a rumor like that? An NPC? Did it originate from an NPC? Damn you, Lycaon, I'll never forgive you.

"Sometimes wearing a mask modeled after a bird, sometimes a mask modeled after a fish... There were even rumors that you strode around covered entirely in white cloth, but I never imagined you could freely change even your gender. Perhaps calling you a 'Phantom' (Questionable if even human) isn't entirely incorrect...?"

"I'm incredibly reluctant to admit it, but the sorrow of not being able to deny it because it's based on facts..."

I guess this is what they call the results of my daily conduct... It's Lycaon's fault, I swear I'll never forgive her. The counter just keeps spinning and spinning.
Since changing clothes every single time is a hassle, I quickly applied Scorched Bone and Crushing Flesh. Despite the fact that I had been constantly swapping equipment and then suddenly started stabbing myself, the Boss didn't even twitch an eyebrow. She really is an NPC with quite a bold setting...

I was feeling impressed by that, but then I saw a burly, rugged middle-aged man wearing a maid outfit (long skirt, not a mini) and a handsome man wearing what looked like a normal suit—but upon closer inspection, was clearly a suit tailored for a career woman—walking past us with heavy steps, looking like they were just getting off work. It seems the theory that she's just used to seeing bizarre things has suddenly surfaced.
Wait, were all of those outfits custom-ordered by players? The Dress-Up Squad took the joke way too far... Damn it, that looks like so much fun.

"Well then, since today was just a light introduction, how about we discuss the details at a later date?"

"...Understood. I suppose I'll take my leave for today then."

And so, stepping onto the floor carved with a magic circle, I returned to "Serpent's Apple." After leaving the private room, I had the owner pack me an apple pie (it seems to recover a lot of hunger, so I kinda want them by the dozen) and went home to sleep.

.........Yeah right, as if I'd fall for that!!

(Hired just by being invited? The system is completely denying that right now!)

My main job listed on my status screen was still "Mercenary." In fact, I hadn't even cleared the job quest yet.
In other words, there's absolutely a catch here. I don't know if it's a surprise test or what, but as long as a quest exists, there has to be some kind of event...!

Avenger. Judging from the name and the Boss's explanation, it's hard to imagine it's just a simple labor force.
At the very least, looking at "Ancient Craftsman" and "Divine Craftsman"—which seem to be hidden jobs of a similar nature—it's only natural there's an event. Even the production job "Ancient Craftsman" had a combat event, so what kind of event awaits a hardcore combat job?

"Ki... mugugu!"

"Aaaand here we go!"

A scream that threatened to tear through the late-night air of Eighthold... or rather, a muffled voice that sounded like someone was forcibly suppressing a scream. Despite there being a few players around, for some reason none of them noticed.
But right there, a scene was unfolding that practically screamed, "I was being chased and running away, but I got caught."

A woman struggling desperately despite her lack of strength, and a rough-looking man pinning her down, trying to drag her into an alleyway... I see? So you're trying to test my sense of justice? Okay, fine by me.

"I've saved enough captive women to write an encyclopedia by now...!"

It's fine. I'm wearing clothes, so no one's going to yell "Additional Pervert spotted!" That's right, right now I'm a mysterious, beautiful girl warrior dashing gallantly to the rescue of a lady in distress!

"Here I co..."

"P-Please help me...!"

Just as I was about to dash forward, I felt a small sensation grab my hand. Stifling the urge to stumble forward, I turned around to see a young child looking up at me, her eyes brimming with tears that looked ready to spill over at any second.

"My little brother, my little brother is being attacked by a monster...!"

"Ngu..."

You're throwing a branching choice at me right here!? Damn it, in any normal game, this is obviously a route split...! A choice even an idiot could understand...!
Which one is it? Which one is the correct answer...!? Wait, are both of them events? Or did I just trigger an entirely unrelated flag!?

I don't have time to hesitate over which is correct and which is a mistake. My Employment (Job Change) rides on this choice......... In that case!

"Five seconds."

Not enough caffeine, you say? It wouldn't be strange if my body could synthesize its own caffeine by now, so just go!
Activating Levin Trigger: Hazard. Calculating the absolute shortest, fastest route. Although it had begun to fade, I was currently bathed in moonlight, meaning Wolf's Pride (Managarm Pride) was fully unleashed. Right now, I'm probably even faster than I am during the day.

"Fast!"

Coordinate RNG: Good. A straight line connected me to the two who were about to vanish into the alleyway.

"Est!"

Start Dash: Passable. There was a split-second Hesitation (Loss) when shaking off the little girl's hand, but I'll let it slide.

"So!"

Suppression Procedure: Extremely Good. I didn't spend all that time acting as a punching bag for an ultimate-bottom fish—who casually incorporated martial arts he "just happened to think of and dabbled in a bit" into his practical combat tactics—for nothing!
An alleyway. That means there's a gap between buildings, meaning I have Walls (Footholds) on both my left and right.

"Lution!"

I honestly didn't think I could actually pull it off.
Even though I possessed Gravity Zero, which is basically an upgraded version of it, I missed the sheer convenience of my makeshift Ricochet Step. Using a manual reproduction of it, I launched an accelerated flying kick straight into the jaw of the scoundrel.

And then, a mid-air landing that would be utterly impossible according to real-world physics... No, a mid-air foothold. While I was at it, I kicked away the limp NPC and danced through the air... The moment I landed, I deactivated Levin Trigger: Hazard. Even I was mesmerized by my own sheer speed, a speed that completely eclipsed the limits of the physical recoil penalty.

Also, it seems three minutes had passed because my clothes burst open. Scorched Bone and Crushing Flesh is constantly smoking and annoying, and on top of that, it feels like I've stuck a Heating Pad (Kairo) to my body, which is also annoying, so keeping it constantly active isn't really a good idea.

"I'm pretty sure this was the absolute fastest..."

It was just far too perfect. If there was an Any% Thug-Kicking Speedrun category, that movement could have taken the world record.

However, an entirely unexpected person appeared in an entirely unexpected place to object to my record.

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

.........

......

"───Four seconds and a little bit. There was a lot of wasted movement, so there's room for improvement."

"F-Fast...!?"

Coordinate transfer? No, there was a tiny puff of dust swirling at the spot where the young girl had just been standing. If the mass that had been there vanished due to teleportation, the dust would simply rise straight up from the ground. But the dust in front of me was drifting slightly to the left.
In other words, it was an ultra-high-speed movement based entirely on physical calculations.

No, wait. There isn't that much of a difference between my speed while Levin Trigger: Hazard is active and Lutia's "Mach." And the speed during the Overflow state is still barely within the limits of what the graphics engine can render.

Which means, her current speed is even faster than Lutia...

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

.........

......

"───This is an aptitude test. Since Lutia stepped out for an errand, I'm in charge of you..."

Which means,

"Loli Sensei (Tias)...!"

Turning around, the young child from earlier had entirely shed her powerless facade—along with her clothes. The young girl wearing bikini armor stared at me with quiet eyes that looked like glass beads.

The karma of the Dress-Up Squad is far too deep.

Author's Afterword
Explosive Nakedness: "Too fast."
Illegal Nakedness: "Too slow."

Visual Danger Zone.

The "Bounty Hunter System" was joyfully created by two geniuses working together to ensure PKers get absolutely beaten to a pulp, but:

"We have to flesh out the lore properly."
"You're fleshing it out too much."
"Ah?"
"Oh?"

It seems water and oil couldn't mix after all.
Apparently, Tias and Lutia have enough lore packed into them to write an entire spin-off novel.