"Big Sister..."
"In truth, the reason I established Pioneer Squad was simply to help others as much as possible within my limited capacity, to refine strategies, and to minimize dangers for everyone. But it seems that wherever there are people, there will inevitably be schemes and conflicts. This isn't the Pioneer Squad I wanted. Rather than continuing like this, perhaps it's better to..."
Her voice abruptly stopped.
Helena bit her lip lightly, ultimately unable to voice the thought.
After all, she had founded Pioneer Squad. She couldn't bear to hand over her hard work to others.
"Big Sister, let's go find John first. Maybe he has a solution?"
...
"A solution? You want a solution? That's easy."
Inside the alchemy materials shop!
With a wrench clenched in his teeth, John continuously hammered away at the Golem Remains, speaking indistinctly, "Just kill him with one stroke, and all problems will be solved."
"You see? Didn't I tell you? John thinks the same way."
Hearing John's response, Exiled Immortal's eyes lit up as if he had found a kindred spirit.
"...But killing Yuta might make the situation uncontrollable."
"You're overthinking it. Those people might have the guts to stir up trouble, but when a real life is taken right before their eyes, they'll all be scared out of their wits. You, you worry too much. Yuta, and your childhood friend, what's his name?"
"Lawrence."
"Ah, yes, Lawrence. Exiled Immortal could kill them both with ease, couldn't he? With those two pests dead, everyone would be overjoyed."
Having hammered the last bent piece of metal back into shape, John struggled to his feet, casually tossing the wrench and hammer aside.
"Exhausted..."
"Any ideas about this golem?"
"None at all. I have no idea how to get this pile of scrap metal moving. I haven't even figured out what to use as a power source."
"Can't you just supply it with electricity like a toy we played with when we were kids?"
Exiled Immortal chimed in at the right moment, immediately earning a glare from John.
"Buddy, if you don't understand, don't speak nonsense, okay? These things, including the parts, weigh at least a ton.
Where's the power source? Where's the electricity coming from? Do you know about internal combustion engines?
They're great at converting heat energy into kinetic energy. Even if you could magically create an internal combustion engine, do you know how much fuel it consumes?
Driving a steel machine to perform complex movements requires far more kinetic energy than just running an engine.
Even strapping together two F1 car engines might not be enough. And taking a step back, do you have crude oil? What would you use as fuel?"
Listening to John's barrage of questions, Exiled Immortal felt a headache coming on. He hadn't even graduated high school, and he was a poor student at that.
He didn't understand a word of what John was saying, so he could only scratch his head with a sheepish grin and remain silent.
"Ultimately, this is a magical device. It can't be explained by simple mechanical principles. Alas, it's too thoroughly destroyed. If it still had its internal components, I might be able to think of something."
John pinched the bridge of his nose, helplessly storing away the Golem Remains, and turned his gaze to Helena.
"There's no way I can finish this in five days. I don't have a clue right now. Let's focus on researching the wild roaming BOSS. I'm okay with forming a team for that, but only with you and Exiled Immortal.
As for the rest of Pioneer Squad, I'm not interested, and I won't take a bunch of incompetents on an adventure to hunt a BOSS. Sorry for being blunt, but I think you understand, Helena."
"I understand, but right now, more and more players are noticing this BOSS. What if some players try to interfere while we're fighting it?"
"Warn them once. If they persist, I don't mind taking action. Compared to others, I value my own life more."
"You see? Big Sister, what did I tell you? It's not just me being aggressive; John thinks the same way. There's an old saying in our hometown: 'Indecision leads to trouble.' Right now, we have two best options: either take out Yuta and reorganize Pioneer Squad to show them who's the real captain, or simply quit. Frankly, joining John wouldn't be so bad."
Exiled Immortal spread his hands helplessly. "If we keep dragging this out, and Yuta and his crew completely take over, it'll be too late."
"Let me think about it..."
Helena's hesitation was something John could fully understand. After all, it was a matter of life and death.
If a player dies in the game, their real-world body enters a state of brain death. So, if players start killing each other, it would be like opening Pandora's box.
The reason there had been so few player murders so far was that everyone was still rational and restrained.
But once someone tore open that wound, public order and morals in this post-apocalyptic world would become a complete joke.
Player-on-player killing was about to begin in earnest!
"Let's do this, let's have Lily weigh in. Lily, if it were you, what would you choose?"
"Uh... me?"
Lily, who had been playing the role of a wallflower for a long time, suddenly looked flustered when asked about this matter.
"I-I don't know. I just feel that killing is really not good, but I also don't want to see Helena being bullied. Johnny, could you help Helena?"
"Help? How can I help? I could kill Yuta, but that would turn an internal conflict into an external battle, putting Helena in an even tougher spot."
"Then what should we do? Maybe you should quit, Helena. Johnny is very kind. If you join us, you and Johnny can look out for each other. What do you think, Johnny?"
Lily, after all, had received a higher education. The moral teachings she had learned over eighteen years made it hard for her to accept such a drastic change.
Having not yet witnessed the darker side of human nature, she couldn't easily disregard the value of life.
Unlike John, who had already died once and felt numb to the concept of killing.
In his past life, John had killed many people for various reasons.
He had come to terms with the idea that he could be killed without complaint.
The principle of "those who kill are killed" was a natural law to him.
If his own killings were for treasure, the two traitors in his former team were driven by the same motive.
There was no sense of one being more noble than the other. John's only grievance was what those two bastards did to Lily.
Bad people deserve punishment, but good people, especially kind-hearted ones like Lily, shouldn't suffer. So if John ever encountered those two again, he would still act without hesitation.
"If you really can't bring yourself to do it, I don't mind doing it for you. Whatever decision you make, I think we'll all support you."
"John... thank you so much."
"No need to thank me, we're friends after all."
Before John could even flash a warm smile, the door was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang, capturing everyone's attention. Out of breath but smiling, Fara stood in the doorway.
"Fara, what's going on?" John asked, frowning in confusion.
"Mentor, I found it!"
At these words, John's eyes lit up. He stood up abruptly and asked eagerly, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely sure!"
"Hurry, show me!"
John rushed to meet Fara, following him out of the room. They reached the shop's entrance, where two burly men were struggling to lift a crate off a wagon. John's excitement grew even more.
"Mentor, I had my friends in Everglow City inquire about it. Finding what you wanted cost me a lot of money!"
"Don't worry, as long as it's the right thing, I'll reimburse you fully and teach you a new alchemy technique!"
"Deal! With your word, I'm relieved. Ta-da! Is this what you were looking for?"
With that, Fara unlocked the crate and opened it, revealing an ellipsoid about two meters in diameter, covered in intricate patterns and mechanical components.
"This is the [Golem Core] you wanted!"