Chapter 44: First Day of Exile, Already Bored

".........Sugar, Caffeine, Rice."

Head hurts... not enough... fridge, fridge...

"............Kaaaah!"

Energy drink! Vitamin supplements! Pastries! Waking up at noon and starting with this! The pinnacle of unhealthiness is the best! Well, it's like drinking a hangover cure; I do eat a proper breakfast too. Full-dive games consume energy, so if I don't replenish my nutrition, it negatively affects my performance. Slurp—sipping the energy drink through a straw, I quickly whipped up a simple breakfast. Homemade salmon flakes on top of rice, some seaweed, a little shichimi spice as a secret ingredient, then just noodle soup base (mentsuyu) and boiling tea to complete the impromptu Ochazuke.

"Ahhh... that hits the spot."

Mainly mentally. Eating isn't just about nutrition; it's about fulfilling desires. I quickly shoveled the Ochazuke into my mouth and returned to my room, contemplating my strategy from here on out.

"For now, I can stay in Rabituza even after finishing the scenario. But the problem is, I've run out of things to do..."

Thanks to the title "Honorary Citizen of Rabituza," I can stay in Rabituza even after clearing the Unique Scenario. But the issue is that there's surprisingly little to do here. Or rather, since Rabituza is a hidden area independent of the main map, there is no "outside of Rabituza" to speak of. If you just want to watch rabbits for some animal therapy, this might be the perfect environment, but at the very least, there's absolutely no "Pioneering" or "Adventure" to be had.

"Besides, there's that Unique Scenario too..."

Unique Scenario: "Epic of the Vorpal Bunny." A new scenario that triggered after clearing "Invitation from the Country of Rabbits." Just from the name, it exudes a dangerous aura. I missed it at the time, but it's a monster of a unique quest that requires a recommended level of 80—practically the level cap. In my estimation, it's probably related to Vash's... or rather, Weissash's (who smells distinctly like a Unique Monster) storyline.

I confirmed that accepting a Unique Scenario doesn't restrict my main progression, so I accepted it for now. However, the flag to advance the scenario is another cryptic riddle:

"When the soul of the Age of Gods trembles, that Rabbit shall narrate the Epic."

I have no idea what that means. Based on personal experience, this type of condition is usually something a low-level player can do nothing about. Age of Gods... Oh right, I forgot. In this world's lore, the civilization that perished long ago is called the Age of Gods, right? If that's the case, I'd have to seriously research the lore, but...

"It's a pain in the ass..."

When I briefly checked a walkthrough site before, I once opened a lore theory site to see if there was any useful info. What awaited me was a mountain of speculation so massive it took my connection—which is pretty good—twenty seconds just to load. Apparently, there are clans dedicated solely to lore hunting, and on top of that, individuals posting their own theories, resulting in that colossal amount of information. Sifting through that to find relevant info would be back-breaking work, and more importantly, I just can't muster the motivation.

"I guess I'll put the Unique on the back burner for now... So, what next...?"

We circle back to the initial problem. The current situation is unexpected to begin with; originally, I intended to enjoy the game wherever the wind took me. Now it's a life of exile. No, I'm used to being chased by players or hiding in various ways, but jumping into that situation voluntarily is different from being thrown into it.

"Then, should I just reveal the Unique?"

I inadvertently voiced what is likely the smartest method, but I immediately scoffed at it. I prefer being the Only One over being Number One. Even if they tie me to a chair and spawn-camp me repeatedly, I won't reveal the Unique. Besides, even if I did reveal it, would anyone believe me if I said, "I showed my Vorpal Soul to Lycaon of the Night Attack and it triggered a Unique Scenario flag"?

"Hmm..."

Well, let's just log in for now.

I tried telling Emul something along the lines of, "I want to go outside, but being hunted is tough," and the response I got was:

"So, Sunraku-san, you want to hide your appearance, is that it?"

"Hmm, hmmm... Well, I guess ultimately that's right..."

There might be equipment or methods to hide one's name that I just don't know about. As for appearance, I could probably fool people at first glance by wearing armor. However, even if disguising my appearance to escape public scrutiny quickly is the optimal solution for me, the cursed restriction of being unable to equip torso and leg armor comes back to bite me here. Plus, my look is pretty flashy, so I stand out even compared to players who run around naked.

"In that case, I know a place selling some good stuff! It's this way, desu wa!"

"Eh, there's a shop here!?"

Emul led me not to the streets of Rabituza... but inside the Rabbit Palace, in front of a single Vorpal Bunny.

"Ohn? It's Emul-neechan. What's up?"

"Sunraku-san! This is my little brother, Peets, desu wa!"

"Nice to meet ya. You're that guy, right? The bird person who's the Night Emperor's fav."

"Bird person... No, this is just a mask. I have a proper face underneath, look."

Head equipment can be removed separately. I took off the Bird Mask of Glaring and showed my real face to Emul and this newly discovered third talking Vorpal Bunny. Come to think of it, I put a lot of effort into making this face, but I've barely shown it. In a sense, this bird mask has become my face... Wait.

"Why are you guys so surprised?"

"You could just take that off normally!? I thought you couldn't take it off due to some deep, complicated reason..."

"No, not particularly... I just had no reason to take it off."

I've discarded defense anyway, so I had no reason to remove it or buy a replacement. If anything, the time to change equipment was when I bought the Geppap (Split-Blade) gear, but the only option being a burglar mask was the problem. Actually, don't look at someone's bare face with the expression of a sniper who just got flanked in an FPS... It might not be my real face, but that doesn't mean I don't get hurt.

"Ah-Ahem! A-Anyway, if you can take off that mask, then it's convenient! Peets, didn't you say you got your hands on some interesting cloth before?"

"Cloth? Ah, that. I thought it'd be interesting and sell well, but... since it just looks like plain cloth despite the price, I haven't found a buyer... Even though I went through a heap of trouble to get it from a Beastman ritual outfit."

Cloth?

Author's Notes & Lore:

Rumors:

• There are rumors in Fasta, Secondil, and Thirdrema about a suspicious NPC in a robe named "Peets" who appears randomly and irregularly, always drinking some kind of beverage.
• Or that there is an NPC who deals in rare items never seen before, but sells them at exorbitantly high prices with extremely vague descriptions, making one doubt if he actually intends to sell anything at all.

Translator's Remarks:

• "Ochazuke": A simple Japanese dish made by pouring green tea, dashi, or hot water over cooked rice. Sunraku's recipe includes salmon flakes, seaweed, shichimi spice, and mentsuyu.
• Peets' Dialogue: Peets speaks in a Kansai dialect (Osaka-ben), indicated by words like "Ohn?" "Nee-chan," "Yana," "Gyousan" (a lot/heap).