Chapter 68

□【Holy Knight】Ray Sterling

In the Alter Kingdom, there are four <Masters> of <Super-Class Embryos>—<Super-Class> individuals.

From the one-sided annihilation of the PK clan that had sealed off the capital, it was clear that each of them possessed combat power that was in a different league.

According to Marie, the difference in combat power between lower-class, upper-class, and super-class <Embryos> was significant.

She had said, "To put it in perspective, lower-class is like a dog, upper-class is like a tiger, and super-class is like a dragon."

It was a difference that seemed almost hopeless in terms of biological capabilities.

Given that <Super-Class> individuals possessed such overwhelming combat power compared to other players, it was inevitable that they would be studied and information gathered about them.

Especially regarding the reasons why they were <Super-Class> and their <Super-Class Embryos>, these were the top priorities for investigation.

However, even the <DIN> had very little information on the <Embryos> of the Alter Kingdom's <Super-Class> individuals.

Apart from one, the names of the <Embryos> were unknown, and their abilities and characteristics could only be guessed.

That one individual was the leader of the kingdom's largest clan, the [Pope] Fusou Tsukuya, but the other three <Embryos> remained a mystery.

As Marie had mentioned before, it was speculated that the <Embryo> of the [Destruction King] was a battleship, but this had not been confirmed.

This was merely a guess based on the overwhelming firepower and the massive shadow glimpsed on the battlefield.

Because of the lack of confirmed information, players were still collecting data on the three individuals.

And the duel with Figaro was a perfect opportunity for this.

◇

After the semi-event ended, there was about a 30-minute interval for the stage and barrier preparations before the main event began.

Marie was taking out various equipment from her item box, apparently to record things as part of her [Reporter] job.

Luke and Bavi seemed to have been tired from something they did during the day and were sound asleep, leaning against their seats. I planned to wake them up when the match started.

Nemesis was munching on food she bought from a vendor while observing the combat field and the audience seats being prepared.

I had gone to the bathroom in the real world and was just idly looking around when—

"…Huh?"

"Hm?"

Both I and Nemesis seemed to have noticed something.

A black shadow had just disappeared down the opposite corridor.

A chubby, black bear costume.

…It was my brother, wasn't it?

"What do you think?"

"There are other players who wear costumes, but it looked a lot like my brother's."

But if it was my brother, why was he over there when he had a seat here?

"I'll go check."

"Then I'll come too."

I and Nemesis told Marie we would return before the main event started and set off to find my brother.

◇

The corridors inside the arena were made of stone but designed to resemble the corridors of a stadium or sports facility.

There were no vending machines, but quite a few people were selling light snacks and drinks.

The corridor was quite crowded with people buying drinks before the main event or heading to the bathroom.

Incidentally, while it didn't matter for players who logged out to take care of their real-world needs, this world had flush toilets. Middle-class homes and public facilities like this had magic-powered flush toilets.

There were even baths.

While the普及率 wasn't high in ordinary households, there were public baths in the city.

Especially in Gideon, one of the twelve districts was a hot spring town. The arena and the city's somewhat Roman-like appearance were quite unique.

…Well, I haven't used either the toilets or the hot springs yet.

If I used the bathroom here and it somehow synchronized with my real body, it would be too dangerous.

Let's get back to the story.

"Can't find the bear guy."

"He's pretty noticeable, though."

Whether it was my brother or not, there was definitely a bear costume, but—

"Hm, isn't this corridor suspicious?"

"It says 'Staff Only'…"

"Should be fine if we just say we got lost. I can even act like a lost child if needed."

"…What kind of act?"

"Meow, meow, meow, meow."

"You're just a crying kitten!"

"That song ends without the lost kitten finding its way home, which is quite frustrating."

Of course, you won't reach your goal if you just ask crows and sparrows.

Let's get back to the story.

I and Nemesis entered the staff-only corridor.

We didn't get caught, as the arena staff seemed to be busy preparing for the main event elsewhere.

As we walked deeper, we heard a familiar voice from around the corner.

'Only two people came to the audience. That guy from Cardina and… probably Dryf’s [Beast King].'

'Interesting. It seems we’re getting a lot of attention.'

'It’s your first time fighting a <Super-Class> in the arena, so they probably think you’ll provide some useful information this time.'

'I’m not hiding anything, though.'

'Your <Embryo> is pretty subtle, after all.'

'Maybe.'

'Also… there’s a strange smell mixed with the city’s excitement. There are some suspicious people who seem to belong to the kingdom. There might be a conspiracy, so be careful. You’re not very good at spotting such things.'

'Got it. But am I really that dull?'

'Fig is a calm and straightforward guy.'

'Really? I don’t think so.'

'If a suspicious figure appeared in a dungeon—'

'You’d shoot a [Red Lotus Jail Warden] from mid-range.'

'If a PK group occupied an area?'

'You’d kill all the members and then demand the leader leave.'

'If you only had a club and faced a group of monsters?'

'You’d charge in.'

'You’re pretty straightforward.'

'…Maybe.'

The voices of two people.

But for some reason, I recognized both of them.

Peeking around the corner—

A black bear costume and a golden lion costume were talking.

"……"

"What’s with the frozen face? What’s going on, Bwah……!?"

Nemesis, who saw the same scene, burst out laughing, and the two costumes noticed us.

'Hey, Ray, it’s been a while, bear.'

'Oh, Ray and Nemesis. You made it to the city safely, I see.'

The black bear was, as expected, my brother's voice.

'Hey, Ray and Nemesis. You made it to the city safely, I see.'

The golden lion was… Figaro’s voice.

It was Figaro.

"…Uh…"

Since the third Figaro also seemed a bit eccentric, I decided to just assume that costumes = eccentric.

◇

The four of us moved to Figaro’s dressing room to talk.

"So, why the lion costume?"

'Well, I’m a celebrity in this city, you know? It’s a hassle to walk around with my face showing.'

Ah, like a celebrity’s hat and sunglasses.

'By the way, this is a gag item I bought at an auction. It would be nice if it were a special item from <UBM> like Shu’s, but MVP special items only drop what you need.'

That’s true, my [Miasma Flame Gauntlets] and [Purple Grievance Boots] are things I need.

'I’ve defeated many <UBMs> in the past, but I’ve never gotten a costume. How do you get one, Shu?'

'…Well, Figaro, it’s a bit of a problem if everything that drops is a costume. You can’t stack costumes, you know.'

'Actually, I’m more curious about the one thing that did drop.'

'What if it wasn’t a costume? Maybe a signboard or something.'

'In your case, it wouldn’t make much difference if you got weapons as special items… The system probably just decided to give you a costume for now.'

'Humph, I can’t forgive that bear!'

'Does the management AI have that much control?'

'I don’t know!'

…Considering what I heard from Cheshire about the login assistant, maybe my brother is disliked by the management AI.

"But you two seem to get along well. I heard you were friends from Bear-san."

'Friends… yeah, I guess. You know, both Shu and I are <Super-Class> in this country.'

'This country’s <Lovely Costume Lovers Club>. By the way, there are only two members, bear!'

…It’s just the two of them.

And Figaro seems to be dragged into it.

'Ah, right… Speaking of special items, your gauntlets and boots are also special items, Ray. They’re pretty good weapons.'

"Ah, yes. I’ve defeated two so far."

'Hmm… I see, the [Miasma Flame Gauntlets Galdoranda] and [Purple Grievance Boots Gouzmeiz]. Ah, so you were the one who defeated that bandit group that became famous.'

"Yes."

Honestly, I had something I wanted to say to Figaro.

If Figaro had intervened, the Gouzmeiz bandit group would have been destroyed earlier, and there would have been fewer casualties.

But I also understood that it wouldn’t have done any good to say that.

Figaro must have had his reasons.

Besides, “Do it because you have the power” is not a fair statement.

'You’re the type who decides to do something regardless of whether you have the power or not, bear.'

Maybe.

The various things I encountered during that incident are still with me.

It would be a mistake to think that someone else could have taken my place.

'They’re both good skills and weapons imbued with your resolve. Take good care of them.'

"Yes."

But he just naturally appraised my equipment.

'When appraising someone else’s equipment, there’s a penalty, but both Figaro and I have almost maxed out our [Appraisal Eye], so we can see most things. The only things we can’t see are ancient legendary MVP special items with concealment effects, bear.'

'Like this one.'

Figaro pointed to my brother’s costume.

My brother’s costume was more impressive than I thought.

…It looks like a gag item, though.

'By the way, why were you in the staff-only corridor, bear?'

"Oh, that’s because—"

I explained that I didn’t see my brother in the box seats, that I had come to look for him after spotting him from the box seats, and that I entered the staff-only corridor when I couldn’t find him in the regular corridors.

'Ah, I was just checking something, bear.'

"We should head to the box seats soon. I want to introduce my party before the main event."

'Right. I’ll go in a bit. Oh, by the way, I forgot to give you something at noon.'

With that, my brother rummaged through his item box and pulled out something that looked like ear cuffs.

"What’s this?"

'[Telepathy Cuffs], bear. You can communicate telepathically with friends who have the same item equipped, bear.'

"Wow."

When I put them on, one of my accessory slots was filled.

[Can you hear me, bear?]

Then, my brother’s voice echoed in my head.

It sounded a bit different from the telepathy I used with Nemesis.

[I can hear you, I can hear you.]

[Test OK, bear.]

The telepathy worked perfectly.

But I couldn’t see the [Cuffs] on my brother’s ears.

…Well, they wouldn’t make sense on a bear’s ears.

"This item is quite convenient."

'It works over a certain distance, but it should connect within the range of Gideon and its surroundings, bear. I intended to give it to you when we parted ways in the capital, bear.'

"Got it. But it’s fine now. If I had it from the beginning, I might have relied on you too much."

'Ha ha ha, you have a strong spirit of independence, bear. But if you ever find yourself in a situation you can’t handle alone, don’t hesitate to ask for help.'

"Sure, I’ll ask you then."

'I’ll be there for you.'

With that, my brother in the costume puffed out his chest.

He looked proud, and the costume made it look a bit comical.

"Anyway, it’s about time."

When Figaro said that and I looked at the clock, there were only about fifteen minutes left before the main event started.

Figaro probably had some preparations to make, so it was probably best to leave now.

"Figaro, good luck in the match."

"I’m not just an acquaintance, so I’ll be cheering for you!"

'Yeah, thanks. Oh, by the way, you can still place bets, so it’s a good idea to bet on me at the reception.'

With that, Figaro removed his costume and put on a variety of equipment I recognized.

Then, with a calm yet powerful smile, he said:

"It’s a sure thing."

Figaro said it as if it were a given.

In that one word, I could sense the pride of the absolute champion and the weight of his undefeated record in the duel city.

"Got it."

Since Figaro said so, I decided to go along with it.

'I’m going to talk to Figaro a bit more, so go ahead, bear.'

"Okay, I understand."

With that, I and Nemesis left the dressing room.

◇◇◇

"…By the way, what’s this <Lovely Costume Lovers Club>, Shu?"

'It was the only thing I could think of on the spot, bear.'

"Did you not want to reveal yourself?"

'I wanted to reveal it at a more opportune moment, bear.'

"Yeah, you’re the type who holds your trump card just to surprise people… like before."

'Let’s not talk about the past, bear. The important thing is what happens from now on.'

"Right."

'You declared that you would definitely win against Ray, but he’s not an easy opponent. From what I can see, it’s a fifty-fifty match, if not a bit in his favor.'

"My assessment is similar. After all, he’s one of the strongest players in the Yellow River, the <Yellow River Four Spirits>."

'And his opponent is the strongest solo player in the Alter Kingdom, “Infinite Chain” Figaro.'

"…It’s an interesting match-up. I’d like to watch it."

'Oh, come on.'

"I want you to feel at ease."

"I’m here for battles like this… for the moments when I can burn my life to the fullest in <Infinite Dendrogram>."

"So… I’ll win with everything I have."

◇◇◇

□【Holy Knight】Ray Sterling

The reception at the arena has two main functions.

One is for registering for competitions, and the other is for handling gambling related to the competition results.

The registration for the day’s open events and future reserved events is closed.

The gambling area is also mostly empty, as most people have already placed their bets, and the match is about to start.

On the display board above the reception—similar to an electronic billboard powered by magic—the odds for the main event are shown:

Figaro at 1.2, and his opponent at 5.6.

The significant difference in odds reflects Figaro’s popularity and skill in this city.

I approached the receptionist and went through the process of betting on Figaro.

"How much are you betting?"

"Well, at 1.2, I need to bet a fair amount to make it worthwhile… okay."

I bet 60 million Rils on Figaro.

"Are you crazy, man!?"

Immediately, I was sent flying by a powerful dropkick from Nemesis.

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing, man? Why are you betting all the money we just got on gambling!?"

"I trust Figaro’s words."

"Really?"

"I’ve always wanted to do something like a gambling manga scene."

"Alright, stand there. I’ll teach you the value of money."

Just as Nemesis was about to start lecturing me at the reception—

"…Unfortunately, that’s like throwing it away."

At that moment, someone grabbed my shoulder.

I turned around quickly, but there was no one behind me.

To be precise, there was one person, but he was ten meters away, far too distant to grab my shoulder.

In fact, my shoulder wasn’t being grabbed at all.

It was just a feeling… no, it was impossible.

The sensation lingered, a cold, icy feeling that seemed to grip my heart below my collarbone.

"Sure, Figaro at 1.2. It’s understandable because it’s an away match, but he’s being underestimated."

The person behind me spoke.

Even in <Infinite Dendrogram>, which has excellent translation features, this