Chapter 592: The Mercenary Business is About Money and Loyalty
Author's Preface
I'll finish it in the next chapter! (Practice swing) I'll finish it in the next chapter! (Practice swing)
The moment I channeled energy—the very energy that even now contributes the most to human prosperity—into this helmet, I felt a sensation as if my brain were expanding.
Two brief, instantaneous blackouts akin to dizziness occurred, and by the time my vision stabilized, the world had already been expanded.
You are merely looking at things; you do not truly comprehend them. As if being lectured thusly, information far surpassing what the eyes alone could see flowed, floated, and vanished... It even made me feel as if I had somehow become incredibly smart.
But I'm sure it's just an illusion, a misunderstanding that doesn't even qualify as a hallucination. Nevertheless, it remains a fact that this MR-compatible full-face helmet has broadened my world, and───
"Huh!?"
W-Wait, I feel like I just received some dangerously weird brain waves... A-As expected, maybe there really is something residing within this helmet that can't be explained by simple science... Tch, but even so, the only thing capable of reading the complete All-Badugamosu set—which I specifically took some of Rei-san's time to gather—is this notorious AR-compatible pumpkin helmet.
"The four Badugamosu... if you gather and scan them all, something will happen."
And I can't shake the feeling... that this information will surely become the key to unlocking the door blocking my path to victory in this battle.........
Well, if I'm being honest, it's actually because I have a gut feeling that if I don't do it now, I'll definitely forget later. My opponent is a hardcore bourgeois gamer who probably owns a ridiculously expensive personal planetarium machine, so if push comes to shove, I'll use this as a shield.........
◆
A sudden defection, a sudden betrayal. The first to break free from the ensuing state of stupefaction was G-Cup Breast Meat-shi.
".........Don't you think this situation is a little too theatrical for me to believe it isn't a lie?"
"Don't like dramatic developments? I figured pulling off the biggest result with the best timing is exactly how you sell yourself."
I toss the handgun I was spinning in my hand onto the floor, taking a step forward while gesturing to show that my hands are empty.
"No, as expected, I cannot trust you. There is no guarantee you aren't carrying a bomb capable of piercing Sanctuary. If we are to talk, we do it with you standing right there."
"Ooh, quite the vigilant one. Then how about this?"
Taking two steps back, I ostentatiously show off the item I pulled from my inventory before pressing the switch with a firm gumu.
『.........Wha!? An explosion from inside the ship!?』
Cutting Board-shi, who had remained silent until now, raises a voice of astonishment over the comms. G-Cup Breast Meat-shi also seems to be checking a console or something, but assuming the game hasn't bugged out, he should be able to see Cutting Board-shi's 3rd Ship violently spewing explosive smoke from its exposed flank.
"My bad, Cutting Board-shi, but suddenly slipping right into the middle of a rally by pure convenience... There's no way that was just a coincidence, right?"
『To think you'd target my own ship......... Tch, output is dropping, the cannons are unusable... You set me up!』
".........I see, a worm within the lion's body. But I don't understand, what is your reason for betraying him after coming this far? If you simply defeated me, you would have received your appropriate reward."
The Great Wall, having eaten an explosive blast from the inside out, won't last much longer. Toward me, the one who caused it, G-Cup Breast Meat-shi's vigilance loosens just a fraction. It seems he's more curious about *why* I did it rather than *what* I'll do next.
"Well, to put it simply, connections and rewards... For certain reasons, I'm in need of support from heavy whale players."
"Hmm? But surely Cutting Board over there would suffice for that."
"Given the nature of the scoop, I figured Cutting Board-shi—who might be powerful, but is isolated—wouldn't be enough. Hence my actions today... Honestly, it's probably faster to just show you."
Let's see, if I remember correctly, the moment I scanned them, they were added to my save data as an item... Huh? I totally thought it'd be at the very bottom of my inventory, but where is it? Ah, found it. It was completely stored in a separate category.
"It's far too massive of an exclusive scoop for an individual to hold on to... G-Cup Breast Meat-shi, someone like you with vast connections could surely gather enough people to conquer this, right?"
"That's........."
"Super-Civilization Autonomous Constructing Metal Con──*pffft*........."
Silence. Desperately suppressing the corners of my mouth that were about to burst into laughter, I give a single cough and correct myself.
"*Ahem*, excuse me. Super-Civilization Autonomous Constructing Metal Control Terminal... This is a terminal that fulfills its original intended role by sending a specific signal to a certain lifeform."
"Super-Civilization............ Could it be."
"Yes, exactly. I'm glad you catch on quick......... I obtained it, you see. The phantom Diamond Badugamosu-kun Doll.........!!"
This time, G-Cup Breast Meat-shi's vigilance was entirely painted over by an astonishment surpassing even that. The Badugamosu Quest. It's something that even the absolute top-tier players of Galaxy Traveler—players who could treat even Cutting Board-shi and G-Cup Breast Meat-shi like rookies... the Elder Players who spend cash at a level that even Cutting Board-shi finds slightly off-putting due to their short remaining lifespans, boasting a logging-in rate so absurd it's as if they wouldn't mind if their real bodies were found dead on their VR machines—have completely failed to conquer......... The reality is that they haven't even found the key to the door, yet here I am, suddenly appearing out of nowhere as the existence of that very "key."
"Obviously I'm not planning on competin' with heavy whales like you guys, but the more connections, the better."
"It's true that Cutting Board has made many enemies over here. Relying on us to gain a broader base of support... Yes, that does make a certain amount of sense."
"Not that it's crowdfunding or anything."
Rather than making Cutting Board-shi my sole patron, I deliberately displayed my "capabilities" to G-Cup Breast Meat-shi as an enemy, using the resulting damage and his own connections to pitch myself through an undeniably clear showcase of performance results. Finally seeming to comprehend my actions and strategies, G-Cup Breast Meat-shi stood up from the chair he was sitting on.
"Kukuku, your individualism became your undoing, Cutting Board......... When you restart from Earth, how about you begin by making some friends?"
『............You sure talk big.』
"The moment the Great Wall became incapacitated, this match was practically decided. I won't even offer you a recommendation to surrender anymore......... Just become space dust as you are."
『............』
"And............ What was your name again?"
"I'm Sunraku."
"Hmm, Sunraku-kun. I was entirely convinced that they would be the ones to gather all the Badugamosu, yet an existence like you just happened to tumble in. What a coincidence......... However, I liked your self-promotion. The Great Fleet of the Twin Hills will gladly cooperate with you."
".........In that case."
"Yes, with the victory of this battle in hand, we shall challenge the mysteries of Badugamosu............ That is how it shall be."
Standing up and walking over to me, G-Cup Breast Meat-shi extended his hand............ Everything was going exactly according to my plan. With the absolute certainty of victory, I opened my mouth.
"By the way, G-Cup Breast Meat-shi."
"What is it?"
"What do you think is the most important thing in the mercenary business?"
"Let me think............ Backing the winning horse, perhaps?"
Wrong.
"It's Money and Loyalty." [*1]
A gunshot.
"Wh.........at.........!!?"
"A word from you, please."
『Pfft......... Fufukukuku, my, my, apologies. The hidden camera prank was a massive success.』
Bullets can only travel in a straight line......... That is normal. That is the fundamental premise. But the bullet fired from *that* gun draws an arc, guided by built-in sensors and a flexible barrel system, purely to guarantee a hit right between the eyes.
The price for this is guaranteed non-lethality. Whether you pump ten shots or a hundred into a target, it's the ultimate flat-of-the-blade strike that can never reduce HP below 1. A dragon's eye that will forever remain unpainted.
Curving deliberately to avoid my shoulder, the bullet sinks straight between G-Cup Breast Meat-shi's eyes, violently blowing his body backward. Throwing up a thumbs-up as I turn around, I see the figure of the giant snake—bearing three bullet holes in his helmet—standing back up without a single issue.
Author's Afterword
・Blind Dragon
The sightless dragon, Garyo-Futensei (Leaving the dragon's eyes unpainted). Basically, a flat-of-the-blade smart pistol.
Through built-in sensors and special variable rifling, it can reliably send bullets directly to the area corresponding to the target's head. However, because the bullets themselves also require specialized processing, it comes with the severe demerit of extremely low power. In terms of gameplay mechanics, "It guarantees a headshot, but no matter how many times it hits, it cannot reduce HP below 1."
To be blunt, it shouldn't hold any value beyond being a collector's item, but this time, it was used by Sunraku—who gleefully cooperated in Cutting Board-shi's grand hidden camera prank—as a disguise for friendly fire.
By the way, the reason Python used this instead of a normal gun was that he couldn't operate his window to fake his death, and he needed a guaranteed headshot to cause a flinch without missing. Also, in Galaxy Traveler, the moment an item is "dropped on the ground" (meaning intentionally discarded, rather than accidentally dropped), you can temporarily relinquish ownership of it.
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