Chapter 59

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"Hey, it's me, Shenlong Yarin!"

"Hey, Yawarin, give me some materials!"

"Yawarin! Let's have some tea!"

"By the way, is it okay to take a screenshot?"

"Yawarin, I want to get along with Dragon Princess, so please mediate..."

"You seem to have forgotten the rules of the Black Dragon Shinobi Army's Second Division..."

"Damn, the pursuers are... *poof*!"

"Chase him! Punish him with the solo strategy for the Crimson Wound!"

"Hey, Yawarin, are you thinking about shedding your skin?"

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"Enough already!!!!!!!"

This was the soulful cry of the Black Dragon Yawarindo, once a boss enemy who had nearly destroyed a frontline base and was the adversary of humanity.

"What is this! Everyone talks to me when they see me, and they keep pestering me to shed my skin...!!"

"It seems like you're having a tough time, Yawarindo."

While gnawing on something meaty with a *gajji gajji* sound, Yawarindo, the event NPC who drops Black Dragon materials and serves as the mascot of the current Skull Azuchi, complained about being bothered too much. Despite being the size of a large dog, the state of his soul's fangs, now all rounded, was a sorry sight. The legendary Dragon Princess, Akitsu Akane, who had risen to the top tier of fame, likely due to her simple popularity, was now in the keep of Skull Azuchi, listening to Yawarindo's complaints.

"What's peaceful about this! You people keep pestering me day and night to shed my skin...!!"

"Hehe... I've been getting talked to a lot lately too. I guess it's because I stood out during the Ziekvurm battle?"

The unique monster "Ziekvurm of Heaven's Tyrant," a grand battle involving thousands of players, was a major event that pitted the Golden Dragon King against the players. In the literal war that included the chromatic dragons, if asked who the "main character" was, most would name Akitsu Akane, the girl who defeated Ziekvurm alongside the Black Dragon.

Of course, if asked who stood out the most in that great war, a few might name others who could rival Akane, but in the story of Ziekvurm seeking the end of his own radiance, Akane was undoubtedly at the center.

"I often get asked about the Super Transformation, but I'm not that familiar with it."

The ultimate technique of the ninja, which involves merging with a monster strongly influenced by the user, is on par with the Dragon Breath technique. It is an advanced skill learned upon breaking the level cap. However, a problem arose: while some players who broke the level cap as ninjas did learn Super Transformation, not all of them did.

"It's apparently random. So, I can't answer how those who didn't get Super Transformation upon breaking the level cap can learn it..."

The fame of "Dragon Princess" also includes the merit of revealing information about the ninja job. By disclosing details about Super Transformation and the existence of the "Ninja Saint" that can be unlocked through deep connections with unique monsters, Akane reignited interest in the ninja job, which was previously seen as a jack-of-all-trades but master of none, combining elements of thief and mage.

Unlike the elusive and hard-to-catch interesting head, who often disappears suddenly or triggers instant death traps, Akane is relatively easy to find and willing to talk, which naturally draws people to her. Despite her own nature, she only feels a mild sense of busyness, but if she were someone like Arthur Pencilton, she would undoubtedly be overwhelmed by the noise.

"Grr, Akane, I've been thinking..."

"Yes, what is it?"

"You're too conscientious!!"

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are!!"

The conversation between the large dog-sized dragon sitting on his haunches and the fox-masked girl sitting formally had a strangely relaxed atmosphere. Smiling Reia, who happened to pass by, watched the scene with a stress-free smile, but the two were too serious to notice her gaze.

By the way, about ten minutes later, Smiling Reia would be involved in an internal conflict within the clan "Black Dragon Shinobi Army's Second Division," causing part of Skull Azuchi's floor to collapse, raising her stress level to the max.

"Hmph, this place isn't bad as my castle, but it's too noisy. Akane, find me a new throne... a place where I can sleep quietly at least until morning."

"Ah, I have to find it?"

"Yes, if you find a place suitable for me... Akane, I'll give you a reward."

At that moment, a window appeared in front of Akane. The content was not a regular quest but a story woven just for this moment—

"Unique Scenario: 'Black Dragon's Errand: Finding a Villa'—Do you want to start?"

Now, a mission that is a bit too large to be called an errand was about to begin.

"Oh, and buy twenty skewers from the town."

"Wow, you're not holding back, Yawarindo!"

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Nonetheless, this unique scenario was not that simple.

"Hmm..."

Akane, hearing Smiling Reia's angry shouts from behind, headed towards the back entrance of Skull Azuchi, driven by curiosity. She had learned that Smiling Reia often got angry about something, especially regarding construction in the new continent, where she was frequently consulted and sometimes mistaken for an NPC. Recently, there had been some trouble with the forest people's village reconstruction.

Putting that aside, the conversation with Sunraku and Sai-0 at the Rabbits came to mind...

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"Approaching a unique scenario?"

"Yes! Sometimes, the details of what to do in a unique scenario aren't revealed, so I wanted to ask you two!"

"I'm not that familiar... What about you, Reia?"

"Basically... in a unique scenario, you aim for a happy ending..."

"Indeed, once it becomes an EX, it's hard to figure out what to do."

"Hehe... basically, a unique scenario progresses in real-time, so it's difficult to grasp the trend, but... hints to clear it are hidden in the conversations and objectives."

"I see... thank you!"

"That's a conversation you won't have with some tuna guy."

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In other words, Akane concluded that this unique scenario wasn't as simple as just finding a new bed. Both she and Yawarindo were well-known, so a high-profile search would only lead to the same problems as in Skull Azuchi. What should she do?

"Stealth action...!!"

The ninja-like sound of it made Akane, one of the players who had chosen the ninja job when it was considered a niche, feel excited. Finding a new villa for Yawarindo without anyone noticing, interpreting the happy ending of the unique scenario this way, Akane began her mission, cautiously looking around.

"Hey, miss! What are you doing?"

"Ah, Oron! Um... a sneaking mission! See you!"

"????"

Despite being caught by a lizardman three seconds into her sneaking mission, Akane rushed out to the evening frontline base...

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**Skull Azuchi Situation**

Basically, Skull Azuchi is a player-built structure, and since many players come and go, anyone who reaches the new continent can enter freely. However, to prevent random destruction, Smiling Reia has NPCs living inside to apply "security." This security system uses the meta perspective of accumulating karma for harming NPCs or their lives, and also leverages the fact that the adjacent Triad Religion would have to intervene if innocent believers are troubled.

In other words, misbehaving in Skull Azuchi will accumulate karma, bring Joisette and others, and make Smiling Reia angry.

By the way, Akane can enter the keep without any issues.