While Loveta fights a level 62 mutated bat, Murakami fights a giant dummy with machine gun hands, level 68.

The two apparently go well in their fights, but meanwhile, I’m having a hard time challenging a spear-wielding, drill-tailed serpent, level 40.

We are all in a swamp by the way.

ZOOOM!

The snake sinks its tail into the ground and the bulldozer appears right under my feet, causing me a lot of damage.

[HP: 12.8K/25K]

“Tch!”

Do I use fortification skills? Or do I continue with the explosion ones? Fortification skills will certainly boost explosion ones, but they will end up reducing the number of explosions I'll be able to launch next time... Urgh, you know what? Phanta, do the damage per mana cost-benefit calculation for me!

I ask her this as I keep running and shooting arrow after arrow at the serpent. Some are knocked back by its spear, but others hit it squarely, making it moan in pain!

[Huh? You might as well have a skill that improves your brain capacity, no? If you continue like this, you will certainly end up lazy! Can you just imagine what would you do without me?]

...It would be definitely a pain! Glad you're here anyway, hehe!

Phanta sighs.

Yeah... sometimes it feels like I abuse Phanta's goodwill, but what can I do? She's my assistant, isn't she? But sure enough, having a brain strengthening skill would certainly suit me well, after all, having to keep thinking systematically while running around is not easy! This is not an “ordinary game” after all, I have my life on the line on this one.

[Player Kazuki, use only agility fortification skills and then continue with explosion ones. The snake is only beating you for being faster, so at least try to balance it out on those terms!]

Agility, huh? Hum, it makes sense, let's see!

“Skill: -0.1 gram loops!”

[System Warning: Player Agility increased by 30% for 20 seconds.]

My arms and legs get lighter and the number of arrows I hit the snake per second increases dramatically. A glowing aura covers my whole body.

“Ssssssss! Syah!” Annoyed, the snake repeats the same attack as before, sinking its tail into the ground.

Despite a slightly better dodge on my part, its blow still hits me hard, and another fraction of my life is gone.

[HP: 10.2K/25K]

Damn it! I need to go further!

“Skill: -0.1 gram loops!”

[System Warning: CD time not yet finalized.]

Tch, I keep forgetting about that. This time I have to wait between repeated use of the same skill is a pain!

Okay, if I can't use this skill again, I'll have to use a similar one..., should I use that one? No... better save it for another time. I'm going to keep myself this fast and improve only my techniques.

Now, shall we go with the explosions??

“Skill: Detonation of 30 dynamites!”

KABOOM!

The arrow is fired, and a good fraction of its HP is gone.

I run far away and cast my other skill.

“Skill: Sonic Canary!”

ZOOOM!

Another arrow is launched, this time with super speed, hitting the enemy hard.

“SSSSSSSSSS!” The snake rages and our fight get even more fierce.

[System Warning: Party member 2, ‘Scarllet’, is at low HP.]

Huh?? What the—?!

I quickly look across her diagonal and find her cornered on the floor. Her swords had been broken, and the machine-gun fire was hitting her nonstop.

—Shit!

“Loveta, Murakami is—"

“Yes! I got it! Grrrrrr!”

Loveta attaches the end of her chains to the half-dead bat and, using it as the iron ball of a mace, delivers a super blow to the dummy’s head, bursting it completely. Both dissipate. I also hit the snake a few more times before making it joins the graveyard of the outcasts.

“Murakami! Are you okay?!”

She was badly injured, her arms and legs covered in cuts. Despite a very rapid post-fight regeneration ability, her wounds were slowly healing given the vast amount that was all over her body.

"I'm better now, thank you..."

She slowly stands up and, as expected, doesn't make any eye contact with me.

“Grrrrr! What's your problem, huh?! All the battles are like this now! We're always having to save you! And what annoys me the most, you keep ignoring my Master like this, despite all the attention he's been giving you!” Loveta shouts in anger.

"Calm down Loveta, you know she had been kidnapped..."

“Hmph! It doesn’t matter! You have nothing to do with this event! Actually, you saved her from death! How could she—”

I put my hands on her shoulder. “It’s enough, really.”

The purple eyes girl sees my serious face and simply crosses her arms turning her face to the side. She was in fact, angry.

Murakami once again tries to apologize; her gaze was rather pained.

Argh! How I wish things could go back to the way they were before! Again, fuck you, Lamya!

I approach the dead snake and collect its items. My level was now 42.

“H-help!!”

Hm??

“Hey, did you hear that?” I ask the two of them, who also paid attention to the scream. It was echoing from the southern direction of the swamp.

"Tch, I bet it’s just another rookie hunter meddling where he shouldn't..."

Loveta was referring to the area we're in. Here, according to her, the spawn rate of corrupted dreamians is high, which is not recommended for inexperienced hunters.

Without a second thought, we head to the spot and find a rabbit boy huddled in a bush, his sword thrown to the side. He was shaking and crying. Surrounding him were four level 33 giant spiders, along with a scorching level 46 skeleton.

We immediately get into our battle pose, and just as we're about to attack them, a guy with spiky purple hair appears through the trees. Raising one of his hands, he pronounces:

“Mind Break.”

A ghostly mannequin appears below his right hand, attached to his fingers.

“Argghhh!” The skeleton screams in agony and turns to the spiders to attack them with its flaming ax. The movement it makes is completely synchronized with that of the puppet.

Wait a minute, is that guy controlling a corrupted dreamian with only his hands?!

As soon as the last spider falls, he moves his fingers again, causing the skeleton to commit suicide.

We all become open-mouthed.

What insane power...! Who is that guy anyway?! A hunter??

"Hey bunny, if you don't mind, I'll keep these fragments, okay?"

“R-right!! They are all yours!!”

Still scared, the rabbit boy picks up his fallen sword and jerks it out of place.

The man then notices us. “Yo! Why are you looking at me like that? Something in my hair?” Doubtfully, he places his hand over his hairstyle. “Um, I certainly made sure to keep all strands of hair up…”

The ease he displayed in dealing with things was certainly stunning.

“Oh, we just showed up to help that rabbit boy... But since you already did it, we're on our way out.”

"I see, I see... Wait! Isn't that the Silver Princess??” He stares at Murakami, taking a few steps toward her.

ZOOOM!

Without thinking twice, she creates a sword and points it at him, causing him to jump back.

“Stay away.” Says her, coldly.

“Oops, oops! Sorry! I got excited... Hehe!” He looks at me. "Lucky you, huh? Have a sexy wolf and a little princess by your side. What's up? Have you gained the Empire's trust?”

“Grrrrr! Mind your words... cactus man!”

“I no longer belong to the Empire. Now, if you're done with your stupid talk, excuse us.”

The two had certainly been furious. But I must confess, I was getting somewhat annoyed too... I just can’t forgive the curious way he looked at them!

“Okay, okay… Phew! If you insist so much, I'm on my way out. But you know, it was a good choice of you, Princess, to distance yourself from them.” He says, already on his back.

A good choice to have distanced herself from the Empire...?

“Wait, what do you mean by that?”

He stops his walk, giving a slight smile.

“Gya! Master, are you going to keep talking to him?!”

“I'm sorry Loveta, I don't like him either, but I must confess that it piqued my interest... Why did you say that?”

“Oops! Looks like I got your attention, haven’t I? Haha! Let me ask you another question. Do you happen to know why the Empire goes after soul-linkeds?”

“…To purify them?”

He starts laughing again. Tch, what's his problem?

“Purification does exist, but it's just the first step of a process... Do you know what the second is? I'll give you a tip: Worship or death! Haha! Oh, and if you only recognized the true importance of one of these” He shows one of the fragments he carried. "You would know why the Empire encourages your hunt so much!"

...Huh?

As soon as he finishes speaking, a little girl appears beside him. She had short blue hair which reached her shoulder. She looked very serious.

“Galen, why are you talking to them? We are not in a recruitment period. Let's leave now, lord Balzebear is waiting for us.”

Wait, Balzebear…?

“My Queen! Sweet as always! Sure! I was just making small talk...” He turns to us again “Well, that's it, it was nice talking to you guys, hope to see you again soon! Oh, and by the way, unlike the Empire, we gather the shards for a greater purpose! That’s it, take care!”

Before any of us could speak anything else, they just disappear into the swamp.

“Grrr! But what a waste of time!! I bet our hunting goal today went down the drain!”

While Loveta vented her indignation, Murakami reasoned.

“I must confess that since I joined the Empire, I had never heard of a second stage… It would be unwise to believe the words of a stranger, however.”

"Have you never seen him in Azurya, Murakami? He seemed to know a lot about the Empire.”

“No...”

...And once again she goes into that mode of not wanting to talk straight to me. Anyway, Balzebear, right? That sure got my attention. The way they said it, they seem to work for this Balzebear guy, who was the same person Lamya referred to before she died... In other words, there's a good chance I can get my revenge by going after them.

Hehe, things are starting to get interesting… Get ready, spiky head and blue head girl, because the next time we meet, things won't flow the way they did just now!