Chapter 404: Your Name is Plural

Author's Preface
Beatrix... you're practically a Gold Brick, you know that... do you understand... if you don't perform well in a Dark Sword Party, do you understand what happens to you...

I wonder when they'll resell the skins.

In times like these, 【Hollow Sea Mirror】 is incredibly convenient. Not just as a decoy, but because it allows you to confirm from a third-person perspective the 'Bad End' pattern of what happens if you lose.
Like a massive bunch of grapes, a huge swarm of child spiders piled onto the decoy, and after confirming from a safe zone that they all eventually exploded and scattered into nothingness, I followed the guidance of the mysterious figure—a girl giving off an incredibly strong 'wimp' vibe that I haven't felt in a long time—and dived into the suddenly appearing cave before the endlessly spawning Armilet Gargantulas could notice me.

Hehehe, a total of 120 Armilet Gargantula Component Crystals... Much obliged. The more I slash, the more I produce; I'm making a killing here.

"Idiot! Idiooot! I told you to hurry up! And you won't stop picking up pebbles!"

"Because I'm the one who decides the value of these pebbles."

There's a god who discards, and a god who picks up, right? If you have infinite inventory space, obviously you're going to pick up everything you can.

That being said, even if they're its own kin, my armor is only tough enough to let me roll away if I take a direct hit from the shockwaves of those suicide explosions. If I had kept that up, Isana Togetsu probably would have snapped eventually.

"H-Hmph! Anyway, you should be grateful to me for saving you!"

Contrary to her tone of voice, the mysterious girl piled up rocks to block the entrance with a sense of urgency that didn't allow for a shred of leniency, utilizing movements refined by habit.
Speaking of wimps reminds me of the Forest-folk, but I can't find the characteristics common to them in the mysterious NPC right in front of me. If so, is her wimpy attribute derived from her character itself, or is she from a different race...?

No, to begin with...

"Ugh, my rock-stacking skill is getting better and better... W-Well whatever! Follow me!!"

Is this girl really a humanoid race?
While giving half-hearted replies to the girl—who had pulled herself together and was proceeding deeper into the strangely misshapen passageway—I casually grabbed one of the rocks she had stacked up, and... it didn't move.
It seems they aren't just rocks in appearance with completely hollow insides. STR... no, I won't say anything just yet.

A cave... It feels a bit too leveled to be called that, but to call it a tunnel, the handiwork is a bit too sloppy.
If I had to describe it, it's like someone took sandpaper to the inside of a natural cave... it gives off the unnatural feeling of being half-assedly altered by human hands.

"But at least it's safe."

Above is a beam hell, below is a grand war. I thought there wouldn't be a safe zone anywhere other than the outer perimeter, but... I see, it's exactly like they say: it's darkest under the lighthouse. I drink a potion to recover my stamina, wanting to believe that, for the time being, there won't be an instant-death scenario.
Putting that aside. Nine times out of ten, this is a Unique Scenario, right? Lately I've been doing nothing but material farming and whatnot, so it feels like it's been a while since I've triggered a Unique. I'm going to brag about this to Katzo, spectacularly.

That being said, I can't discard the possibility that this cave itself is a hidden area, and she's just a fixed NPC located deep within it. And even if it is a Unique Scenario, it doesn't necessarily mean the NPC is an ally.
Anyway, I need to make some progress. If I don't trigger the flags and advance the event, I won't even know what kind of quest or Unique this is.

While superficially acting relieved that I had reached a safe zone and letting my guard down, internally I hone my consciousness to respond to a surprise attack at any moment.
The cave seems to continue deeper than I thought, and we just keep walking straight down a dim path... meaning, a path with no light.

"Well, anyway. Thanks for saving me... It's a pretty bizarre location for a home, have you lived here long?"

"...Well, I have spent quite a dense amount of time here."

I bet the noise from the Neighborhood (Battlefield) is terrible...
Naturally, it wasn't long enough to cross the entire continent, and before I knew it, under the guidance of the mysterious girl, I had arrived at a spacious area.
Nice, it's the perfect size for combat. However, I can't use 【Bradyon】; I'd become a stain on the wall. In that case, I'll rely on Overflow for mobility and... whoops, my bad, let's advance the event.

"...And? Was going out of your way to save me an act of goodwill?"

"...O-Of course I expect you to repay the favor for saving you! So that we can escape from here!"

'We'? ...No, I won't ask right now. More importantly, she's approaching me. An escape scenario? Well, that's pretty standard, but... hmm, let's wait and see.

"I saved you! Meaning you will save me too! Right?"

"Yeah."

It's dim. This place is way too dim. It's about as dim as early morning when the sun has only just slightly risen. Because of that, the girl's figure is also somewhat blurry. She's wearing strange clothes, looking like a Daruma Otoshi where every tier is a different color.

Hmm? I feel a sense of déjà vu, or rather... no good, it's stuck in the back of my throat.

"...But you see, I don't feel like entrusting my back to someone whose identity I don't even know."

"Hoh? You're saying you can't trust me?"

"Your appearance isn't trustworthy."

Dammit!! Stop hitting me with perfectly sound logic!!
That being said, the mysterious girl walked right up to me and grabbed my right hand, wrapping it in both of hers. What's this, a handshake? But it's a really weird way to hold it, or rather...

"Therefore..."

Hoh? I see, the true nature of that weird grip has been revealed. You little... grabbing a person's hand like you're holding a hotdog or a rice ball. And then? Opening your mouth wide... oh my, those are two unusually developed canine teeth, distinct from a wolf or a lion's. No... Fangs.

"I will make it so you can be trusted!!"

Right there, all the pieces of dissonance connected. Taking the deduced answer into consideration... I intentionally let her bite me.

"........."

"........."

My HP decreases slightly. Slowly, with a pikiri-pikiri sound, Cracks begin crawling up my body from the back of my bitten right hand. Still biting down, the corners of the mysterious girl's mouth curve upward, and because she's stepped into an arm's reach, I can clearly see her eyes.

Reptilian snake eyes, huh...!!

"F-Fufufu... With this, you will listen to what I say...!"

"My bad, but it's Resist."

Pashin! An effect like something bursting popped on my right arm. Looking down, the Curse (Poison) that had been advancing its erosion while cracking my arm just moments ago had, before I even noticed, its invaded territory completely painted over and expelled by the scar-like pattern extending from my torso.

Lycaon's Scar is a higher-tier curse. Although the actual mark is carved onto the torso, its area of effect extends from below the neck to above the waist. In this game, arms are also treated as torso equipment—probably for compatibility with knuckle-type weapons... but that's a trivial matter.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Sunraku... and I know your name."

It's been a while... no, is that not right given your biology?
I ready the two distinct blades of 【Duxram】 and see right through her name.

"Nice to meet you, Goldunine. Your sisters took good care of me."

"Sammy-chan!!"

Bloodlust. A distortion occurred in a place where there should have been nothing, and the True Gaze Bird Mask caught onto something and activated its effect.
And the moment after I backstepped, trusting the system's reaction, a massive physical mass slammed into the exact spot I had been standing.

"A reptile connection, huh...? Pulling off a camouflage mimicry like a chameleon."

With a distinct shurororo... sound, a giant serpent materialized from the empty void, glaring at me while flicking its bifurcated tongue.
I see, a monster with mimicry in a dimly lit battlefield... Troublesome. And to top it off, it's a Unique Monster...? I haven't even unlocked the EX Scenario yet, is this an unwinnable event?
No, I don't have the Tome of Truth so I can't say for sure, but 'Goldunine the Inexhaustible' probably refers to that Goldunine. If so, then is this the black Tsuchinoko I fought in the defense battle... Reptica? Or whatever it was called? Is there a chance I can win this?

"Kh... to think my power was repelled...!"

"You sure went about things in a roundabout way..."

Don't tell me this is a trap event that inflicts a curse? Even if it is, it makes no sense—what's the point of setting a trap in a frontier, or rather, a demonic realm like this?
I see, it's true that if you set a massive trap in a place like Tearplaten, players would probably swarm it. But lying in wait in a place like this, where players could easily die before even reaching it, wouldn't yield much of a catch.

"But I assume you're prepared for this. I'll have you know... against a stupidly huge Naga, I'm a death-frenzied madman who refuses to even select the retreat command, got it?"

Fine then. I'll drag as much information about the Unique Monster out of you as possible, and if I get the chance, I'll finish you off, you bastard.
But can I do it? Restricting my skills against a Unique Monster is pushing it too far, isn't it? Bait them outside? Don't be stupid, even absolute chaos has its limits.

Shurushuru, the giant serpent coils up, as if to protect the mysterious girl... no, Goldunine. But the threat level is probably higher for the one being protected. If so, should I view that snake as an option part?
Enemy mobs functioning as massive option parts larger than the main body itself aren't that rare. The advantages of being a snake, the disadvantages of being a snake... if I can see through those, I should be able to maneuver even in this area, which isn't exactly what I'd call spacious.

"L-..."

".........L-?"

What is it? Goldunine is trying to say something. A magic incantation? The giant body of the serpent is a simple physical barrier; can I interrupt it?

However, the words spun from Goldunine's mouth were something even I couldn't have possibly anticipated.

"L... Let's just call it a draw...?"

"Ha?"

The moment after I almost went completely limp at an unbelievable, Mega-wimp declaration.

"───Old Generation Anomaly (Artifact) reaction confirmed. Conquista Doll [Elma=317 (Saina)], Sleep Mode deactivated, I am executing the reboot process... Anomaly confirmed, requesting swift rescue <<Hurry Up Help Me>>."

Something that had flown from one end of this cave to the other at breakneck speed smashed into the wall... and a pair of Spandex Shorts (Ass)—missing both legs from mid-thigh down—growing out of the wall was spouting something like that.

Ehh...?

Author's Afterword
I forgot to mention it, but Wimpy-nine-chan has twintails.

She has twintails.