Chapter 735: Serpents Gathering at the Apple

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Einwurf, the nation that lays down the law on the Eastern Continent. Two kings currently face off over a single throne.

But such a thing is merely a petty squabble among humans. The kin of the Genesis writhe, and the advancing world gives birth to threats unbeknownst to mankind. In the midst of all that, who becomes king... is truly a trivial matter, is it not?

"...So? What exactly are you saying is here?"

"Ojou-sama, no matter how much power we acquire, the fact remains that there are only two of us and one entity. We really should increase our 'military force'."

"Humans who we don't know when they will betray us? You want to go out of your way to increase them?"

"That is why we are going to bring humans who will not betray us onto our side."

This is the New Continent Frontline Base, the headquarters for players challenging the New Continent.

Two individuals walk through the crowd... One is a young man dressed in a shabby shirt and pants in tatters, looking entirely inappropriate for an action game character, even if it were a damaged-clothing design.

The other is an individual whose head is almost entirely concealed by a hooded cloak, retaining just the bare minimum design as fashion to barely pass off the excuse of "it's designed to look like this."

Occasionally spilling from the edge of the hood in time with her steps was frighteningly white hair and a face... Strictly speaking, the woman hiding her hair and eyes glared at her surroundings with a red gaze that was a bit too thorny to simply be called displeased.

If anyone happened to meet her gaze, they would likely experience the sensation of a frog being targeted by a predator.

"Will not betray? What awfully convenient humans you have found."

"They are... well, people who are lively in a somewhat unique way, but precisely because of that, if it is you, Ojou-sama, they probably won't turn hostile."

"You are being roundabout."

"Nghhh!! ...Kuh."

Grind! The wooden high heel worn by the woman stepped on the instep of the man's foot, twisting into it. No matter how much damage feedback is regulated by national law, if an electric current suddenly flows into a structurally weak part of the human body, a groan is bound to leak out.

However, despite having his instep twisted and stomped on, the man—recovering his HP that had dropped by about ten percent with a somewhat happy expression—displayed the name "Shiyu" above his head while succinctly explaining things as they aimed for their destination... a place serving as a base for certain players.

"They are people who get excited by beautiful girls."

"..............."

Precisely because of that, they can be trusted not as comrades, but as mercenaries. Ojou-sama... or rather, Goldunine's appearance is that of an albino beautiful girl. Moreover, she exudes an inorganic... one could say demonic atmosphere that cannot be reproduced through player character creation.

If asked to protect her, perhaps they would listen. If it were them, who are passionately obsessed with Bounty Hunters, maybe.

Thinking this, Shiyu brought the Goldunine he calls "Ojou-sama" here. The twin-headed giant serpent she commands is not here. If it could hide its presence, that would be one thing, but dragging that massive body around would completely ruin any attempt at camouflage.

"Um, I know it is disrespectful... but please, towards them, well... try not to inflict harm upon them first..."

"What exactly do you think I am? Hmm?"

Trace. A thin white finger stroked Shiyu's chin, the sharp claw at its tip splitting his skin and inflicting DoT on Shiyu.

"Well, fine. If they prove useless, it is simply a matter of crushing them..."

Stopping Shiyu, who was about to enter first, the woman... a single Unique Monster, Goldunine the Inexhaustible "Ojou," forcefully threw open the door to a certain cafe. And stepping one foot inside—

"Listen up..."

"───"

Slither. Her eyes met with a self that was not herselfGoldunine, whose upper half was exposed from an empty space.

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"We're storming the place! Heck yeah!"

"Are you an idiot?"

"The one calling someone an idiot is the idiot! That's common sense!"

Changing the scene to in front of the Serpent's Apple New Continent Branch cafe. Standing there, glaring at the cafe's door with an imposing Nioh Stance, was a man.

Even in Shangri-La Frontier, where one can create various avatars—beautiful men and women, old and young alike—this exceptionally prominent, heavily muscled giant of a man took a step forward while puffing out his chest as if to show off those muscles... only to have his advance canceled by a flying kick from a small, white-haired girl right behind him.

"You idiot! Why are you charging in so recklessly!?"

"Don't you know? Machos never hesitate!"

"You're just hesitating in bloodlust!!"

The origin of all this started when the man dragged the recluse-prone girl outside, declaring, "Let's go eat something delicious!"

The reason the girl stayed cooped up in the first place was the highly pressing matter of her own personal safety. Yet, she was completely steamrolled and dragged out by a principleStance that wasn't even roleplay: "If it's me, a macho man like Hollywood star Augusta Ortiz, I can handle any danger!"

And as the skin-headed giant who did the steamrolling and dragging—"AugustaOugasei"—and a single Goldunine the Inexhaustible, "Nine," were walking, they spotted a hooded woman entering the cafe... and Nine realized it.

───That is a self that is not herself.

And Augusta, who grabbed the arm of Nine—who was trying to leave this place without hesitation—and held her back, proposed a charge instead of a retreat... End of flashback.

"Listen here... What are you going to do by storming in? Ambush her and finish her off!?"

"No! You see, there's a quote Ou-sama said in 'Rampage Tactics'..."

"So who exactly is this Ou-sama..."

"Listen well, Nine-chan... 'Muscles, when used nicely, are a million times better'!!"

"...? ...??"

Leaving aside Nine—who tried to understand the words, couldn't, tried again, and only grew more confused—Augusta passionately preached his pet theory inherited from the Hollywood star in a high-pitched voice that was the exact opposite of his appearance.

"It's not good to just start punching right away! First, you talk it out, and if that doesn't work, then you punch!"

The intended meaning within the movie was "use your strength wisely," but the fifth graderplayer who misinterpreted it as "first go through the steps, then punch" steadily approached the cafe's door while gripping Nine's arm.

"Wai... Idiot! Idiot! Reconsider... Ah jeez! Ophion, get ready!"

Unable to resist the strength of Augusta—who boasted the exact same muscle-brained stats as the person he admired separately from the Hollywood star—Nine called out and spoke to the small bulge on her un-grabbed left arm.

The moment the small snake, peeking its head out from the sleeve of the clothes Augusta highly recommended, flicked its tongue...

"Alright! Your nightmare is here! I'll take a whiskey on the rocks!!"

Kicking down the door and charging in with a handgun raised—accompanied by a movie line that, no matter how you look at it, is a preemptive declaration of war—Augusta dived into the cafe "Serpent's Apple," taking Nine with him───!!

"............"

"............"

And Nine saw it.

A massive white serpent, so large it seemed to occupy the interior of the cafe all by itself, fixing them with a wary glare.

A self that was not herselfsingle-digit number accompanied by a fearsomely empowered giant serpent that disappeared and reappeared with every breath, as if there had been nothing there from the very beginning.

"Gyaaaaaaaaah!!"

The fighting spirit that had barely flared up—thinking there might be a one-in-a-million chance—was instantly extinguished.

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And so, the one watching this entire sequence of events while eating a salad was me.

"...What is this."

Since dawn was approaching, I disbanded the party with Rei-shi, Imron, and Cashew Nut, and respawned at the frontline base while testing "how many meters can I swim if I dive into magma with no equipment on." Feeling a bit clear-headed, I came to the Serpent's Apple to shoot the breeze with Survival, but...

(Save me... Save me...!)

I feel like a bizarre telepathic wave just flew over from Wimp—who was completely frozen with a smug face right in the middle of performing her gag "I appear from thin airSammy-chan's mouth" upon the arrival of these strange guests, who were most likely Goldunine sisters... but it's probably just my imagination.

Master, can I get another one of these freshly-caught Elasticaris salads?

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Author's Afterword

By the way, from the perspective of "Ojou" and "Nine", the composition looks like "An unnervingly unreadable single-digit number was waiting in a human settlement, lying in wait alongside a giant serpent capable of freely projecting and erasing an incredibly vicious aura".