Recently, I've started training late at night, partly inspired by Komachi. I thought I might put some effort into mastering the game.
Once I confirmed that Moridori-san had gone to sleep, I quickly left the house for my favorite secret spot: the training field for my new technique.
It's the first level of the advanced dungeon and has the least amount of difficulty, allowing for low-stress hunting.
I ran towards the dungeon, eager to get started.
・
・
・
In the game Megashuva, there is a type of boss called the Root Boss.
They are bosses specifically designed for the heroine route, and can be considered the final boss for each route.
They are the worst enemies that appear at the end point of the story, the endpoint of the plot.
There are a total of 8 main heroines in the Megashuva story.
Including the extra routes, there are more than 30 endings available.
The strength of the bosses varies depending on the route, but there are 4 that are abnormally strong.
These 4 are considered extremely powerful bosses, even among the hidden bosses.
They are modeled after the four horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation.
One of them, the larval form of the emperor Kaiser who governs famine and the scales, was incinerated and vanished from this world before he could awaken.
Therefore, only three must be defeated.
They are the bosses that govern "dominance and plague", "strife and confusion", and "death and devastation", respectively, bringing terrifying calamity to the world, with absolute power.
Whether I defeat them or Kazane does is irrelevant.
If they appear, they must be defeated without fail.
If even one of us, or any living being in this world, fails to defeat these three, the world will be destroyed, leading to a bad ending.
I or Kazane and other strong people must defeat them. There can be no salvation. They are undoubtedly a stain on this world, an existence that produces calamity.
Literally kill them.
I hate fighting to the death. It doesn't suit my nature.
Nevertheless, we must surely overcome them.
We must win.
It's for the sake of my dream... In the end, that's how it'll turn out.
"It's a decision as a person living in this world."
If the story of Megashuva were to happen in reality.
If this calamity were to manifest in this world.
An enormous number of people in this world would die, a countless number of lives.
A mass slaughter and genocide that humanity has never experienced before would occur.
There may not be enough evidence to prove this.
There may be a branching path, and it may not happen.
After all, it was just a game setting, and only one of the endings of the story.
The √ route, where those bosses didn't appear, is much more prevalent.
However, we can't be optimistic.
It's better to act as if they'll appear.
Regardless of whether or not they appear, it's premature to act on it right now.
We're still in the first semester of our second year.
There's still plenty of time, and yet, not enough.
At the moment, I can't do anything.
At the moment, we don't know where the other hidden bosses besides Kaisel Magus are, or whether they're even present.
Those guys only appeared in the late game.
At the present time, it's unfortunate that the game's story did not depict where those guys are and what they are doing.
Maybe the game administrators intentionally omitted that part.
Even if we find them, it would be useless to die in vain.
All I, a weakling, can do is to make the most of the time available.
We know when they'll appear.
We just need to increase our hand in preparation for that time.
That's all we can do.
The hero Kazane has taken on the role of defeating the Demon King.
Let's leave the other boss enemies with the role of demon kings to Kazane.
After all, she is a hero and a savior.
However, these three are different.
They are the End Point of Calamity, a disaster that far surpasses the Demon King.
They are likely impossible to beat without the power of a player.
Many players have struggled with them, and it took a long time and effort to conquer them.
As someone who leads a life as an NPC, I hate it, but if they were to appear, I would have to step up as a phantom for that decisive battle.
That fight will be a Har Megiddo battle, which will decide the fate of humanity, between:
The player with the perspective of a god
and
The calamity of the apocalypse, which nests in this world
I have recently started to think that maybe I was called upon to change the future of this world as it approaches its end.
Even if I end up dying, I will make sure to take them down with me.
I will make Kazane stronger, so she can handle it even if I die.
"I have come to like this world."
I train with single-minded focus.
At night, I enter the dungeon and defeat dragons to level up.
I also make it a daily routine to train in martial arts forms to hone my skills.
Recently, I learned fog magic.
I am steadily getting stronger.
"I will definitely do something about this world.
I will definitely bring out the smile of the heroine.
I will bring a happy future.
Don't underestimate me.
・
・
・
The massive dragon's body was filled with various weapons and let out a groaning cry, its death throes echoing.
"I'm sorry. Your fate ends here."
With lightning-fast speed, I raised my long sword and brought it down on the sluggish dragon's neck without hesitation.
Its tough outer skin was smoothly cut, and I felt the sensation of cutting through flesh, the feeling of severing muscles, and a slight resistance that must have been bone.
After experiencing the sensation of dissecting the flesh, the giant head, equivalent to the size of two people, rolled to the ground.
This was where I defeated the boss of the first floor of the advanced dungeon unscathed.
"Pathetic."
This is still not enough.
It seems that students of Mahoro Academy can graduate early regardless of their grades if they can clear the Advanced Class 1.
It should be possible to clear Advanced Class 1 even while yawning.
Too weak. What happened to the Mahoro students being elites?
You guys are just small fry, boasting in a fish tank.
In this world, there are super-class dungeons known as inhuman habitats.
I didn't think there were more than a few people who had reached them, past or present.
Expecting too much from the world's fighting force may not be wise.
In the first place, the five-star characters of the game Megashuva seem weak in this world.
Maria and Komachi are honestly weak.
Perhaps it's because they haven't been fully developed yet, but I try not to have too high expectations.
If that's the case, it's certain that Ayaka Chiaki, the abnormal one, is a heretic in this world.
At this point, she's the only one who can rival me or surpass my strength.
I want to add her to my team.
It's Ayaka who decided it.
She's the first ally.
The party members are Ayaka.
"Kazane needs some advice soon."
Strengthening Kazane is also essential.
What should I do?
Shall I guide her through that ravine dungeon?
Yeah, let's do that.
There are also strengthening items and events.
But before that, I need to take care of the first-time killer enemy over there.
"Tomorrow, let's go ahead and tackle the hidden valley dungeon.
On the way home,
I look up at the sky which has just started to turn slightly blue.
Soon it will be sunrise.
Today, I trained a little too hard.
It's not something that happens often.
Maybe my state of mind has changed? Or maybe it's just distracting thoughts.
I think I've been thinking too much today.
Well, nevermind.
I need to rest for a while.
"I'll prevent the worst outcome."
To change the future bad ending where three knights appear at the same time,
An ending that I didn't know about, a story of the final destination.
To modify the worst possible ending that wasn't even in the story of Megashuva.
That's what I believe I can do, as the only player bug invited to this world.
Alone, I mutter quietly while looking up at the morning sun,
"This kind of ending is just wrong."