Endex sewer's temporary shelter.
I'm fiddling with a game console connected to a CRT TV.
"How do you turn this thing on?"
Click-
I accidentally turned on the power while randomly hitting it. The screen flickered and a somewhat retro font appeared.
[Base of Dungeon Dungeon]
"Base of Dungeon Dungeon…?"
An hour ago, Soliette came out from inside this.
She popped out of the TV like some video phantom with quite a few injuries.
"Shion, you have a call."
Soliette, who was behind me, said. She, who had appeared blood-soaked, had quickly recovered, and I responded while staring at the monitor screen.
"Answer it."
"Yes. …Hello?"
There was Soliette's character in the game.
[Solize]
│Advanced Human │ Lv. 5 Rogue │
◆ Strength:＋３
◆ Agility:＋２
◆ Endurance:＋１
◆ Intelligence:＋１
◆ Intuition:＋ 4
◆ Charm:＋２
◆ Luck: ９
I'm not sure why it's Solize, but the 2D character the size of a thumb was subtly cute.
However, the head is unnecessarily large for a wall character, making it a third of the body.
"Shion. The call was immediately cut off. Who is this 'Lunatic'?"
Soliette asked, handing me the smartphone. [Lunatic] was displayed on the screen.
It's Elise.
"Elise."
"Ah. I thought the voice sounded familiar. But why is she Lunatic?"
She sat next to me. I pointed at the TV screen.
"More importantly, what this?"
"Didn't I send a text?"
Soliette pointed at my smartphone.
"…Oh, that?"
Suddenly, I remembered the text Soliette sent when I was trapped in the desert.
[Soliette : Lol]
[Soliette : Found a fun game lol]
"So this was the fun game?"
"Yes. Base of Dungeon Dungeon. It's a CD game released 9 years ago… Was this Shion's place?"
Soliette looked around the inside in curiosity.
"Hiding in the old Endex building, this is an interesting place to stay."
"Where did you find a game like this?"
Soliette shrugged her shoulders.
"It was a coincidence. I have a habit of spamming the community when I'm bored."
"Spamming?"
"Yes."
She showed me her smartphone. There were posts she had spammed on a famous anonymous community.
[Knightmare is not dead, he's alive @@@@@]
[The Knightmare caught before was a fake @@@@@]
[Knightmare is not dead @@@@@]
[Black cows thinking Knightmare is dead????@@@@@]
My face got a little hot.
"…Hey, stop doing this."
"What are you talking about? Information is obtained through these trivial actions. The posts are written with a hidden IP, so they won't reveal my identity."
"No, it's too much like a troll."
"Oh, look at this. This is a comment on one of these posts."
─I know he's alive too. Saw him in Bethune. So stop spamming, you look like an idiot.
"One person fell for it. I didn't know what Bethune was, so I purposely provoked them a bit more."
└What the hell is Bethune, you XXX? Why the sudden cursing, XXX?
It was Soliette's reply, and I was speechless.
"...."
"I don't usually behave like this, but I got excited when they said they saw Knightmare. But look at this reply."
─Base of Dungeon Dungeon;;;; You saw him there too, right? That guy is practically an NPC.
"I immediately started web surfing. I knew it was a game, but there were no sites selling it online. I requested the information guild to find a place selling physical copies. It was Trick City. I went and bought it."
"How much was it?"
"The CD was 30,000 Ren, and the dedicated game console was 20,000 Ren. The price was suspiciously high, so I bought it. I roughly set up a TV and started the tutorial…"
So the reason for buying a CRT TV that might break tomorrow was to save money, in a way.
"You started, and it was fun?"
"Yes. That's why I texted you, Shion."
"Hmm."
I took the CD out of the game console.
The exterior is not special, but the material is quite different from other CDs. It seems to exude mana at a glance. Mana stone… It seems to be made of a material related to magic at least.
In fact, if you just put the CD in this game console, it operates using the CD itself as a power source, even without electricity.
"Looks like we need another CD to play together?"
It meant to buy mine too. There were two CD slots in the game console from the start.
"…Do I have to buy it?"
Soliette asked doubtfully.
"Of course."
"..."
Then she bit her lip. She crossed her arms as if she was upset.
"Shion. Where did the salary I gave you go─? Did you overspend─? Wasting is not good."
"This is also work. So you should buy it."
"...No. Are you trying to suck me dry, Shion?"
Soliette deliberately made her eyes moist.
"It won't work, so if you want to play together, buy it. If you want to play alone, play alone."
…Damn.
I ignored Soliette, who was muttering quietly.
"Anyway. Was Knightmare in the game?"
"There were rumors about Knightmare."
Soliette's face became serious again.
"I heard the NPCs talking about Knightmare, and the description matched the Knightmare we are chasing."
I narrowed my brow in doubt.
"It's a game released 9 years ago?"
"This game is an online game where people actually enter. So what do you think?"
Excitement slightly filled Soliette's eyes. I turned the CD upside down.
"...Knightmare is, in this game?"
"Yes. There is a possibility… But that CD."
Soliette squirmed with a nervous face.
"Please be careful with the CD. It will break."
"It won't break just by touching it."
"...Give it to me."
Soliette, who snatched it away, sighed in relief while holding it in her arms.
"But it's almost the second quarter now. Will you have time to play games?"
School starts in 5 days.
Moreover, the provisional assembly day is just two days away.
"Just get this CD and game console. From the second quarter, the schedule will be somewhat predictable, so you should be able to play on weekends."
Indeed, if the first quarter of the college board was a series of unpredictable tasks, the second quarter would be a bit different.
"This is an online game, right?"
"Yes. So Shion and I can-"
"Buy another CD from Trick City."
"…Huh."
Taking a deep breath, Soliette collapsed onto the bed as if she was exhausted. I chuckled.
"Okay. I'll buy it. You must be tired."
"Really?!"
"I'll just buy it. You handle the reimbursement."
"…No─"
Soliette collapsed back onto the bed.
* * *
Trick City. I am here as 'Dale Kal'. I also came to get some information about [Base of Dungeon Dungeon].
For reference, Soliette has logged back into [Bethune Dungeon]. It was quite a fascinating sight.
As soon as you insert the CD and infuse it with mana, you get sucked right into it.
"Bethune Dungeon? I don't know. I'm not interested in games."
At the bar 「A Glass of Whiskey」, the owner Gustav poured me a glass of whiskey and said.
"I see."
"But I do have some work for you."
"…Work?"
I fiddled with the glass.
It's not common for a bar to offer work first. Even for the D Section, at least the pre-regression me had never experienced such treatment.
"You're a mage recognized by Lato. It's worth 300,000 Ren."
"…"
300,000 Ren. It's a tempting amount.
If you add 100,000 Ren from C01 to 300,000 Ren, you can build a mansion and a laboratory in a suburban vacant lot. Before the house prices rise any further.
"What's the job?"
"──I'll explain that. Mage Dale."
A new voice rang out from behind me. I turned around.
A short-haired woman who somewhat resembled Layla, but with a much sharper and more finicky impression.
The owner of [Valmant Manaology]─Kanya Wieder.
"Before that, are you looking for 'Bethune Dungeon'?"
She raised her eyebrows and walked over to sit next to me.
"Do you know about it?"
"I do. It's a game released by Trick City C Section. I don't know much about it because it was released when I was a kid, but I do have a CD."
"…You do?"
"Yeah. But mine is a bit different. It's a 'noble family privilege', a premium version. When it was released, the developers distributed it only to the most prestigious families in A Section. If you take this job, I'll give it to you. I don't play games anyway."
Noble family privilege. It sounds good, but right now, 300,000 Ren is more tempting.
"What's the job?"
"Oh, right. I was a person from a prestigious family in A Section. Wieder, you know?"
"…"
"Hey, Kanya. He's asking about the job."
Gustav gave Kanya a look.
"Ah. Okay. It's simple. There's a 'former Senator election' in Trick City soon, and the guy who's running for Senator in our Section, D 44 Section, is human garbage."
Thump- She hopped over to the counter and pulled out a file from a drawer.
"Read this."
I took it from her.
The target was on the first page.
His name was 'Mason Onan'. A bald man with a beard.
"That bastard is even a strong candidate for election, which makes things more complicated."
Bearded bald Mason. He's in my memory too.
Just as Kanya said, he's quite a piece of human trash. He made his money through all sorts of illegal activities, bribed his way into becoming a senator, and planned to suck the blood of Trick City for a long time.
I naturally asked,
"Do you want him dead?"
"I'd love to just off him, but politics isn't that simple. If we kill him, another one just like him will pop up. Our request is to completely destroy his power base so he can never run for election again."
Kanya squinted at me.
"Sir mage, the reward for completing this request is the money our Section people have pooled together. It really shows how much of a piece of shit Mason, the bearded bald guy, is. Of course, even if you, sir mage, refuse, we'll push on with the request."
"..."
I looked at Kanya. Kanya furrowed her eyebrows.
In the future I know, this request fails, and [Valmant Manaology] and D 44 Section suffer continuously.
Even after 7 years, Kanya herself would mumble about it whenever she drank.
"If you want, I can arrange a team. There are guys who would do it if you split the share-"
"It's not needed."
I refused.
Teams are cumbersome, and I always kept the money to myself.
"I'll take it on alone."
"Oh, such confidence."
"Any leads?"
"A ledger."
Kanya held up a finger.
"That bearded bald Mason doesn't trust people at all. He thinks everyone is just like him. He's made a ledger, and in it, not only his own corruption but also the corruption of the others in his power base is all there."
A guy who holds onto the weaknesses of his allies because he doesn't want to be betrayed is no different from a traitor.
"I got it."
I tucked the file into my coat.
* * *
...On a night when dark clouds reach out to the full moon. [D-3], one of the more secure sections in Trick City.
I'm standing on a tree branch with a clear view of the target's mansion.
"It's typical of politicians not to live in their own districts."
While running for office in D 44 Section, he himself stays in a section with high land prices and good security.
Politicians are usually like this, but Mason is too much of a criminal to be called a politician.
─Splash.
Just then, Grawl ran through the bushes. He was a scout I had sent out before infiltrating myself.
─It was easy~ Mission complete!
"...What? You're done?"
The first order I gave to Grawl was to scout the mansion. The second was to locate the ledger. The next was 'if possible' to retrieve it.
─Yes. There was a security barrier inside the mansion, but what's the nature of a stone~ It absorbs and conceals magic, doesn't it? I wasn't detected.
Grawl pulled out a tattered ledger from the bag on his back.
─And~ they had put the ledger in a mana stone safe. For me, a stone, it was very easy. I opened it right away and took it out.
"...Uh. Good job."
I didn't expect it to end so easily.
Grawl rubbed against my ankle, purring.
─You're building a lab, right?
"Report."
I received Grawl's ledger. I skimmed through its contents, starting with 'Memory' just in case…
"Wait."
Something's off.
Not the contents.
The ledger itself is strange.
R-elix─ 「Treasure Hunter」 has been activated.
「Treasure Hunter」 allows one to quickly grasp the 'essence' of any object, including its structure and usage, not just treasures.
Therefore, this is both a genuine ledger and a special artifact.
A trap that activates the moment it falls into the hands of an outsider.
"…Run!"
─Huh?
I hurriedly ran, stepping towards the city area of D-3 Section as fast as possible.
As I leaped over the bushes and trees in the suburbs, at the moment when I was running with large strides similar to a wild monkey.
Roaaaaar───!
A surge of magical energy condensed in the sky. A mirage formed in the space.
I looked up at the sky.
「Teleportation」 triggered through Mason's ledger.
From the distortion caused by that formula, a massive meteor-like entity was falling…
────!
An immensely powerful spirit descended. The ground shook violently with the impact.
My Perion activated in an instant. Its appearance itself was a threat to life.
I stepped back and gripped the wand at my waist.
Whoosh…
The burning heat, and the concrete debris fluttering in the smoke.
There was a figure standing majestically in the scene of destruction, like a myth. The muscular figure dressed in a bandage-wrapped face and a uniform, reaching up to 3m, was not human, but rather a giant-like figure.
"…Huh."
He is a monster from the underworld.
Among them─── a named member of the Master Cartel.
His name is: 'Blind Brute'
───.
The Brute took a step towards me. Just that stride closed the gap. It was a speed that surpassed even my Acceleration-enhanced perception.
I tried to deploy a formula, but it was already too late. He threw a punch first.
Thud───!
A whirlwind-like fist.
Just before my skull could be crushed, Grawl spread itself like a shield and blocked it.
──!
One blow disintegrated it, but it quickly morphed like mud and entwined with the Brute.
─Run!
I took advantage of the gap and hurriedly fled.
…Now I understand a bit of the situation.
If a monster like that suddenly appears in a request, anyone who takes it will naturally fail. There's no way to succeed. It costs millions of Ren to summon a monster from the Master Cartel for just one minute, no, just three minutes.
However, the reason I specifically came to the city is different.
The public safety of D-3 Section is stable. It's a great Section to raise a child.
In other words, salvation will come if I hold out a little longer.
The absolute rule that 'monsters that have come to the surface are exterminated' is also valid in Trick City.
I just need to hold out.
With that in mind, I reached the middle of the city crosswalk.
Roaaaaar───!
The Brute charged at me, wearing Grawl on its face.
Thud─! Thud─! Thud─! Thud─!
He barreled down the path, toppling all the street lamps in his way.
─...Master, R-elix.
Grawl's voice, on the verge of death, seeped in. I activated R-elix's magic. In addition, I cranked up the intensity of the Perion in my central nervous system.
A burning sensation as if my brain was being cooked.
"...Haah."
A deep breath.
Time stretched out in an instant, and the Brute's speed slowed to a crawl.
Acceleration of thought,
Upgrade of perception,
Expansion of memory.
Within that, I searched for a way to stop him.
I recalled countless Magic Spells I've seen so far.
Not just now, but in all futures, those mysteries that I could only envy or marvel at....
I simply disassembled those stored in my Database, assembled the disassembled parts, and gathered them.
I created a completely different new formula.
I created a variable.
Swoooosh....
A pure white formula emerged from the R-elix on my right forearm. The condensed magic within it soon formed a chain and soared.
Whooosh───!
It wrapped around the Brute's entire body.
Neck, arms, waist, everything.
Every last bit of his mana.
───!
The Brute was bound.
Restrained.
Suddenly, he was right in front of me, fist outstretched.
──!
Nevertheless, he shook his body once.
───!
Twice.
────!
Thrice...
Unfortunately, the chains were not invincible.
However, the goal has already been achieved.
There are many eyes watching this mess around me. Many people are holding their smartphones and reporting it elsewhere.
Therefore....
Roaaaaaaar——!
Another figure descended from the sky.
─When a monster comes to the surface, it's an extermination! Don't you know?!
A human landing in front of the Brute.
She doesn't look like a knight, nor does she look like an execution squad or a self-defense force of Trick City.
I saw her back.
She was, in essence, a suit from head to toe.
Judging from the future I know, she's the most reliable suit.
She was, once, a suit I was a fan of.
─Hey. Are you okay?!
She asked me. I tried to smile blankly, but.
"Ahead!"
I hurriedly pointed forward.
The Brute's fist, which had somehow escaped from the chain, roared───!
─Huh?
She was utterly swept away by the Brute.
─Aaah!
Whooosh...
Roaaaaar───!
She was flung into a building.