Chapter 366: The Dualistic Nature of the Secret-Keeper

The underdog defeating the absolute favorite. It's the classic "Giant Killing" trope universally loved in countless stories since ancient times. However, if the underdog completely fails to comprehend the sheer gap in power between them and their opponent, then pulling off that miracle becomes fundamentally impossible.

It seems his selling points are speed and precision, but unfortunately, I'm pretty confident in my own mobility and critical hit accuracy.

In that case, unlike that first time we met, if I can just beat on Julian entirely by himself without worrying about my back or other knights interfering, it's actually incredibly easy to dodge his attacks—which Only target vitals—and carve him into pieces in return.

"Ohoho, looks like you lack the necessary DPS."

"Gu, ooh...!!"

Carved up from head to toe, Julian collapsed onto the ground. Trying to beat me after I've removed my level cap, acquired Triple-Digit Skills, and even received massive stat corrections on top of all that... He simply lacked the necessary specs.

"Well then, it'd be easy to finish him off right here..."

But still, I wonder if killing him with an Avenger skill accumulates Karma... No, but if I actually try it out and my name turns red, that's gonna cause a whole lot of annoying problems later...

"Die!!"

"Pardon my poor footwork."

"Fugeah!?"

Just as he tried to launch a surprise attack from his prone position, the heel of my high-heel completely pulverized Julian's forehead. Unfortunately for him, I'm already highly accustomed to high-heel combat. Female character equipment often prioritizes appearance, meaning you get stuck with high-heels or skirts a lot, which can honestly be pretty inconvenient...

"Y-You bastard...!"

It's my treat. Go ahead and enjoy the taste of dirt to your heart's content... Haaah! Treating someone to a mouthful of dirt is the absolute best!!

That being said, what should I do now... Considering I already stepped out in front of everyone, making a mad dash away from this situation would be seriously uncool. But I really don't want to resort to murder either, hmmm...

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, Fräulein?"

"Uwah."

What the hell is with this pretentious pretty boy? Put on some glasses, man. Some glasses. If you do that, Iwamaki-san will definitely make you her main course... in a dating sim kind of way.
He showed up out of nowhere and is acting incredibly overly familiar... Is he one of those thirsty cybering freaks? You fool, I haven't even severed my real-life ties to manhood yet... Kukuku, let's take a nice look at this foolish man's name, shall we?

PN: Arthur Pencilgon

"Why don't you leave this to me... Sun・ra・ku・kun?"

"Fuee..."

Why the hell did you turn into an aesthetic-style pretty boy... Meanwhile, Akitsu Akane is a hulking, muscular old man... I don't understand Ctarrnid-kun's tastes at all... Is his sexual preference truly that of the abyss...?

"W-Why are you here... I thought you returned to Fifticia."

"Nfufufufu... Did you know, young lady? Ships are actually capable of traveling across the ocean."

What the hell are you... Don't tell me.

"Are you saying you came all the way from Ruluiath to here on a ship?"

"Very perceptive of you. It was quite the arduous journey, you know...? Our food ran out, so we starved to death, revived, and then starved to death again..."

What the hell kind of death march is that? Just go back to the Old Continent normally like a sane person... Why the hell did you come to the New Continent side...

"Does that mean OiKatzo and the others are here too?"

"Naturally. And keeping that in mind, allow me to present you with a choice... Commander of the Third Knight Order, Lord Julian?"

The true motive behind the First Prince's utterly incomprehensible actions—a coup d'état—was revealed. Upon hearing about the First Prince's conquistador-esque plot to enslave the demi-humans of the New Continent, it's safe to say the players' opinions almost universally shifted to the side of the Former King... no, the rightful King, Torvante.

Well, it's rare for every single opinion in a given place to unify perfectly, so as the information spreads, there might be some players who side with the New King... But even taking that into account, surviving this situation with just NPCs is practically impossible right now. In other words, checkmate.

Above all else, there's the presence of the Forest-folks that Tottori—not actually Tottori—brought along. And then there's Pencilgon and the Ctarrnid subjugation squad, who endured a respawn death march all the way from Ruluiath to the New Continent. Meaning, with the clans "Black Wolf" and "Library" both taking Torvante's side, Julian and his NPCs don't have even a one-in-a-million chance of winning.

"After all, no matter how many times you cut them down, they'll just keep reviving..."

Infinitely respawning hardcore gamers is peak trash-game design. Maybe I should pull a mob train with "Scar-red"-kun...

Putting that aside, with Julian getting his ass completely handed to him by me, the Third Knight Order was practically in a state of captivity.
Fortunately for them—if you can call it that—there wasn't a single player willing to slaughter the entire Third Knight Order and risk raising their Karma values. Which is exactly why the devil herself is currently toying with the incredibly difficult-to-handle Third Knight Order with a completely sleazy grin on her face.

"───Now then. Would you rather have your men charge headfirst into the Lord of the Sea of Trees until every last one of you is dead, or would you prefer we escort you back home on that ship over there... I wonder which one the brilliant Knight Commander will choose?"

"Y-You fiend...!"

I know.
It seems I wasn't the only one muttering that. Glancing over, I spotted the satellite-system pseudo-female pro gamer amidst the crowd, sporting the exact same distant stare.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, he turned toward me... and then slowly averted his eyes. The hell? What are you pretending to be a stranger for, you bastard?

"OiKatzo-kuuuun?"

"Stop slowly shuffling toward me, it's creeping me out!"

"Don't be so cold... What the hell are you pretending not to know me for, huh?"

"Take a good look at your own outfit..."

Hm?

"I'm cute, aren't I."

"You're devastatingly mismatched with the morning sun, idiot."

So, like a vampire taking a trip to the beach? Although the original True Quiet deployed regardless of the time of day anyway.

"It honestly feels gloomy just being near you."

"I mean, if there was a person actively scattering negative ions everywhere, that'd be pretty scary."

"There's someone radiating a totally negative aura right in front of me."

"...Even though your entire life is basically passive voice."

"Alright, it's a fight! Right now, I'm offering them completely free of charge!"

"Here's your physical cooling-off period, oraaaa!"

"Heeeey, let's stop the stupid humanities-versus-science fights, alright? We're actually in the middle of a serious scene right now."

You should be grateful you didn't fall prey to my Return Policy Punch... That being said, demands made from an unequal standpoint are never anything good. Suicide charge into the Lord of the Sea of Trees, meaning "Scar-red," or get forcefully shipped back to the Old Continent on the sailing ship Pencilgon and the others arrived on. Wait, aren't both of those just death...

"What a terrible person."

"Seriously."

"And your actual honest opinion?"

"Wouldn't it be fine to just strip off all their gear and turn them into fish food? Mother Nature will hide the evidence, so it's perfectly fine. As long as we all keep our mouths shut, it's functionally an accident."

"If they respawned, we probably could have used them as infinite punching bags for leveling... I wonder if we can recycle them with resurrection magic?"

"Are you the undisputed king of absolute scumbags?"

Putting OiKatzo aside, I actually have the kind of nature-loving humanity capable of feeling empathy for the environment, you know... Well, jokes aside.

"Well, personally, I'd recommend the grand survival voyage. I highly doubt you have even a one-in-a-million chance of winning if you charge at 'Scar-red'-kun."

"Huh? Wasn't the boss of this forest supposed to be a guy named 'Scar'?"

"............It's just a figure of speech."

"Apprehend him!!"

"Gueeee."

Stop iiiit! My health is literally 1, so if I let my guard down for even a second, I'll die!

"Including That specific matter, I think it's about time you spit out all the information you're hoarding. Right?"

"That specific matter............ Which one?"

"The fact that you actually have multiple candidates is already completely absurd..."

Well, it's true I've been hoarding way too much information to myself lately. Rabituza is one thing, but stuff regarding Raid Bosses is honestly something that should probably be made public anyway.

However.

"What's with this attitude from guys trying to squeeze information out of me completely free of charge, hmmー?"

Demanding me to spit out information while keeping me in a full-nelson is a bit contrary to the code of honor, wouldn't you say?
I'm phrasing it like I have a point, but in reality, I'm just annoyed that they successfully mounted me and are forcing me to talk.

"Well whatever, I'll talk, I'll talk. So, what do you want to know first? The beautiful Sunrako-chan will answer anything."

Yes, you over there. The one who had the courage to raise your hand first despite us having absolutely zero prior acquaintance. I salute you.

"Ahー, what kind of Raid Monsters have you encountered so far?"

Hm, sharp question... I guess players who have grinded this game enough to reach the New Continent naturally have good intuition. No, but that Re... Revengeance? Whatever it was, that guy didn't seem all that impressive... Well whatever.
For some reason, the movement of his mouth feels strangely unnatural... Is it lag?

"Raid... Raid, huh... There was the Devouring Great Crimson Clad, the Crazed Ultramarine... Ahー, thinking about it now, maybe that burning broccoli was a Raid Monster too? It definitely had that kind of world-lore-boss vibe to it..."

"───Heeh, now That is certainly fascinating..."

The player I called on had his mouth completely closed. However, his voice alone echoed through the empty air... and with every single syllable, the tone shifted, returning to a voice I was incredibly, horrifyingly familiar with.

"Y-You bastard... Deep Slaughter!?"

"You're far too naive, Sunraku-kuuuun..."

Don't tell me this bastard hid behind someone and perfectly copied their voice...!?

"Hey, you're acting all 'Impossible!?' right now, but didn't you just casually slip up and blab it yourself, Sunraku-kun?"

"Hah!?"

Alright, how should I escape from here? If I get caught, I feel like I'm gonna be restrained for at least half a day.

Author's Afterword
If you only look at the visual, it's totally a picture of a handsome glasses-wearing guy aggressively making a move on a widow.
No matter how much of a beautiful girl she is on the outside, the fact that you can't see the facial expressions oozing from her inner personality is a massive advantage...

By the way, I eventually want to write about the Pencil-squad's Ruluiath capture log (I'm not saying it'll be anytime soon).