Chapter 371: Sprint Through, With a Fire in Your Heart!

Author's Preface 
Updates are back, ora! (Kicks down the door)
The plot isn't finished but I'm just writing on pure momentum (Make a difference with setting power) (More importantly, I want to focus on the ancient era, the middle ground between the Divine Age and the modern era).

"A-A dragon...!!"

『Hm... To intrude upon my resting place, you wretched insect. I could crush you underfoot in a single breath, but let me engrave your insolence down to the last scrap of your flesh...』

『No, wait... Insect, you are hiding it, but what is that engraved upon your face.』

"Eh? This? I got this when I fought Siegwurm-san!"

『Siegwurm, you say...! Hmph, to so carefully nurture an insect that opposed him, as expected, he is truly a being of little consequence!!』

"Well, he completely vaporized me with a breath attack normally, though! Oh, right, um... By any chance, is your name Noirlind-san?"

『Hmph, for an insect to know my grand name... Very well, I shall permit you to praise me before you meet your inescapable death.』

"Praise...? Compliment...? Um, invasion event? Aggro? Other players, er, Pioneers were also saying 'That guy is insanely dangerous!'"

『Kukukuku... Naturally. For I am the true King, after all.』

"Noirlind-san, you were a King!"

『Hm? Hm... Well, I suppose so. Standing at the apex of the insects subjugated by my power, if you call me a King, then I am a King.』

"The King of dragons, a Dragon King, right!"

『For an insect, you seem to know your place. Unlike those slaves cheering for that accursed Gold, I quite like that you are baring your fangs at him... Though in the end, it is merely entertainment until I crush you.』

"Come to think of it, why are you so hostile towards Siegwurm-san, Noirlind-san?"

『Is it not obvious. Even though I am the true King, he carries himself with a face that practically screams, 'I am the absolute apex.' There can only ever be one King, and that could only possibly be me!』

"Is that so? I think it's perfectly fine to have as many Kings as you want! I think what's important is what you're aiming for!"

『What I'm aiming for... you say? A lowly insect speaks of what it means to be a King.』

"Hmm... Is this my personal theory? Philosophy? Um... well, anyway, that's just how it is—"

『...Hmph, you speak big words for a mere insect.』

"Ehehe... But, if we're talking about that, the people I know are amazing too, you know?"

"Everyone, absolutely everyone, is someone I admire... my goals."

『.........Hmph.』

"That's why I'm cheering for you, Noirlind-san!"

『......What?』

"Because—"

It hasn't been very long since we took a direct hit from the info-bomb dropped by the bomber "Akitsu Akane", but that's that and this is this.

Helping the Pitch-Black Dragon Noirlind, who half-destroyed the frontline base and is currently gathering the most aggro of anyone... I can't shake the feeling that this is clearly an "Agent of Evil" route or something similar, but separate from that, I have my own route to pursue.
Right now, I am starving for both money and experience, and to achieve the latter, I was visiting the cafe "Wandering Sword"—the gathering place for Avengers and Bounty Hunters—to meet someone who could be considered the perfect fit for the job.

However,

"Hoaaahhhhh, Tias-tan! Tias-tan! Can I take a picture!?"

"........."

"Ah, that's it! That's incredible! The golden ratio—right now, I am comprehending the very essence of the true golden ratio!"

"What the hell are you doing, you freak (Survival)?"

"Aah!? ...Oh, what, it's just you, Sunraku."

Where did the man who fearlessly smiled and fought monsters larger than dump trucks with his bare hands on that isolated island go? The guys from the φ (Phi) Server, the Survival followers, would cry if they saw you playing a Babiniku avatar and hovering creepily around a little girl. Though to be fair, the φ Server was called things like the "Barbarians," the "Gorilla Nest," and the "Primitive Settlement," so they'd probably end up crying while having a massive fistfight instead.

By the way, our μ (Mu) Server was called something like "Slasher Horror" because people kept getting stabbed in the back the moment they let their guard down. Scary stuff...

"...Do you know him?"

"Well, you could say we're old acquaintances, I guess."

"Hey wait a second Sunraku, depending on your relationship with Tias-tan I might just..."

Slide (A photo of Loli Sensei in a maid outfit)

Slide (Wordlessly holding out 10 million Mani)

"I'm in the student position."

"I sell out, and I buy with money... A successful distribution channel has been established."

No it hasn't, you're the one consuming everything.

"More importantly, the fact that you're here means..."

"Yeah, prostrating myself at the church, giving donations, serving at soup kitchens, buying indulgences... I did everything I possibly could to clean up my Karma value. Pulling that glitch guy was huge."

Thinking about it carefully, just as Psyger-100 poured her heart and soul into defeating Lycaon, this guy is directing all his passion toward the Bounty Hunter Tias. If so, putting effort into Avenger cases is a natural conclusion.
And since I fulfilled the conditions right in front of the Dress-Up Squad, replicating it shouldn't be too difficult either.

"Since Bounty Hunter is an NPC-exclusive job, I completely overlooked it... I never thought there was a hidden job in an even broader category."

"That makes sense... So, are the other members becoming Avengers too?"

"Ah, the conditions themselves are known now, but you still need at least a draw against a Bounty Hunter, right?"

I see. Because it purely requires player skill, there won't be a sudden massive influx of them.

"But I am standing here carrying the expectations of my members on my back. So without further ado, Tias-tan, first, please put on this smock..."

Pat pat.

"Aah?"

"Newbie, I'm your instructor."

This guy (Survival) is probably the culprit, isn't he.
A heavily muscled middle-aged man wearing a maid outfit with a very, very nice smile on his face placed a hand on Survival's shoulder.

"W-Wait a minute. I was going to have Tias-tan personally train me..."

"Rest assured, I'll beat the mindset of an Avenger into you down to the very marrow of your bones."

"Noooooooooo! T-Tias-taaaaaaaan!!"

Ah, Survival, surely he must have decent stats even if he hasn't broken the level cap. For example, if Lutia had done the same thing, he probably could have escaped...

However, Mr. Bounty Hunter Tour is a specialized tank. His STR and VIT numbers are definitely several tiers above Survival's. Assuming his battle style hasn't changed since his isolated island days, he's a grappler focused on footwork... He definitely can't win in a pure test of physical strength against a specialized tank.

In ShanFro, he might have chosen a female avatar, but struggling in vain, the woman letting out pathetic (in a man's voice) screams was grabbed by the scruff of the neck by a hulking macho man and dragged away... Namu Amida Butsu.

"...Sunraku, you should choose your friends more carefully."

"Yeah, definitely."

"Also, girl."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Full throttle, my feminine charm...!!

"Master............ I'll have a Single Venti Caramel Almond Hazelnut White Mocha Two Percent Chocolate Chip Extra Whip Extra Caramel Sauce Extra Chocolate Sauce Extra Topping Dark Mocha Chip Cream Frappuccino, please."

He says they're out of stock. Wait, do you even have that in the first place?

"By the way, Tias-Sensei, I have one request."

"...What?"

Snap! As I snapped my fingers in a dramatic fashion, the master of the "Wandering Sword", perhaps playing along, placed a luxurious two-tiered cake decorated with cream and apples in front of Loli Sensei.

"...Oh."

"For the sake of my future studies... Could I have a sparring match with you just once... Tias-sensei."

The "Secret Law (Law)" presented by the Skill Gardener Elke upon reaching triple-digit levels... A "High Connection" (Synchronous Concatenation) system that allows the user to freely combine and un-combine skills that normally couldn't be reverted once fused.

There are two requirements for this.
Instead of the massive amount of EXP normally required, the first requirement Elke presented was a colossal sum of money.

And the second one is...

"I absolutely wish to experience Sensei's absolute technique... the legendary 'Tachyon' (Transcendent Speed)."

To solidify the image of the "target skill," one must observe the real thing, regardless of whether it's a player, NPC, or monster.

Author's Afterword

Akitsu Akane-style perfect communication technique: praising the other party while dodging landmine trigger words by a hair's breadth. If a normal person tries this, they'll stomp right on a landmine and get blown to bits.