Chapter 9

"Ahh..."

Enduring a boring class while fighting off sleep is hell. Especially math class.

If this were DWO, I’d say I’m under a sleep spell.

I logged out before midnight yesterday, but after that, I ended up staying up late browsing the internet.

Not for strategy sites or anything, just gathering basic information. Player experiences and such.

So, I’m really sleepy now... I managed to hold on until the fourth period, but I’m reaching my limit.

Just as I was about to succumb to drowsiness, the class ended, and I slumped over my desk.

Lunch break starts now, but I’m going to take a nap. Zzz.

After about 30 minutes of a power nap, I managed to regain some consciousness. I can’t skip lunch, so I spread out the bento I brought.

Just two rice balls and a container of various side dishes. I didn’t have time to make anything decent. Usually, I would make something decent, but not today.

With not much time left before the lunch break ends, I quietly ate my rice balls when, out of nowhere, my cousin, Kiryu, came and sat down next to me.

That seat used to be occupied by Kano, but he transferred to Yamagata, so it’s been empty since last week.

"That’s a pretty simple bento today."

"Really? Usually, I put in something a bit more elaborate."

Kiryu’s sister, Misaki, chimed in after him, sitting in front of me and peering into my bento.

These two are Kiryu Souta and Kiryu Haruka, twin siblings. Though they’re fraternal twins, they don’t look much alike.

Souta is tall and well-built, with short hair, giving off a calm sportsman vibe.

On the other hand, Haruka is shorter, with a ponytail, and has an energetic and noisy image.

These two are, in fact, my cousins. I think they’re the grandchildren of my grandfather’s sister, so we’re second cousins.

My father’s hometown is in the next town over. The Kiryu family also lives there, but since I hardly ever went to that town when my grandfather was alive, I didn’t have much interaction with these siblings.

There were some complicated issues between my grandfather and father, so they were estranged. It seems they reconciled a few years before my grandfather passed away, and I only met him once.

Putting aside the family issues, since we’re cousins, in the same grade, and in the same class, I’ve been relying on these two a lot since I moved here.

Sometimes, they can be a bit too forward, which can be a bit of a problem. Haruka, for example, calls me "Hakun."

"I just overslept and brought something random. I didn’t have time."

"Come to think of it, you looked sleepy during class."

Haruka picked a meatball from my container with a toothpick. She’s really not shy at all.

"I ended up staying up late. I was browsing various sites for reference for a game I started. Before I knew it, it was past three."

"Wait, you’re playing White Rabbit? You never showed any interest before. You always seemed uninterested even when we were looking at game magazines."

Souta said, looking surprised. Well, I didn’t really have much interest until now. I didn’t expect it to change in just one day.

Haruka’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me. I remember these two are big gamers.

"So, so? What game are you playing? An action game? A fighting game? A shooting game?"

"Ah, yeah, it’s called 'Demons World Online,' a VR... "

"Really!? We’re playing DWO too!"

Souta perked up just like Haruka. So, they’re playing DWO too.

"Is that so. What’s your sin source? Mine is [Sloth]."

"Ah, that’s a shame. Ours is [Pride]. It would have been nice to adventure together if we had the same sin source."

Haruka looked disappointed and slumped her shoulders. Oh dear. Well, it’s not that convenient, is it?

"Still, don’t give up yet. The seven territories are independent, and you can’t travel between neighboring territories, but as you get closer to the center, they start to connect. I think in the future, we’ll be able to travel freely."

Souta is right; that’s a high possibility. No player has reached the center yet, but eventually, the game will progress that far. Then, I might meet these two in DWO.

"How far have you progressed in [Pride]?"

"We’re up to the second town. We hope to reach it this week. How about you?"

"[Sloth] is also up to the second town. I just started yesterday, so I’m still in the starting town."

Well, that’s about right. I don’t think any territory is dramatically ahead in progress.

"What kind of avatar did you start with, Hakun?"

"Don’t call me Hakun. I’m a [Demon] short sword user. I took skills like [Judgment] and [Agility UP (Small)]."

"A front-line avoidance type. I’m a [Beastman] Water Tiger, a sword user specialized in attack."

Water Tiger. So, Souta is a tiger beastman. He can transform into a tiger man with the [Beastification] racial skill. I’d like to see that.

"I’m also a [Beastman]! I’m a Werewolf! I took skills like [Taming] and [Beast Magic]!"

Werewolf. So, Haruka is a wolf beastman... or rather, a wolf woman.

But [Beast Magic]? A skill that allows you to control and command monsters?

"This one even has [Summoning] on top of that. Her skill setup is really unbalanced."

"Well, what can I do? When you get such a skill, you just have to go for it!"

I didn’t quite understand what she was saying, so I asked for more details. It turns out Haruka got a ★★★ rare skill as a login gift. To make the most of this skill, she has a very unbalanced skill setup.

The name of this three-star rare skill is [Wolf Pack]. It gives powerful buffs to all the wolves she controls. With this skill, Haruka can control and enhance four wolves: two tamed magic wolves and two summoned magic wolves.

Moreover, this skill apparently includes Haruka herself, a Werewolf, giving her the same buff. What a cheat.

"My dream is to raise my level and proficiency to control 101 wolves in a grand march!"

"That’s quite a dream..."

Actually, I don’t know the limits, but as you grow, the number of wolves increases, right?

Tamed monsters grow, but summoned monsters don’t. However, the number of summonable monsters increases.

Even weak monsters can be terrifying in a group. I experienced that with the unicorn rabbits yesterday.

Indeed, the [Wolf Pack] skill seems rare.

"Are you two in the same party?"

"No. We’re in different parties. Haruka’s goal is to start a guild."

"Yep! But I don’t have enough funds or level. It’s going to take a while."

A guild. A gathering of fixed members in large numbers.

When you establish a guild, you receive various benefits and can have a base. With a base, you don’t lose money when you die, so you can say goodbye to the vault.

Anyone can establish a guild if they meet the requirements. However, setting up a base requires a significant amount of funds.

While we were talking, the lunch break ended without us noticing.

The two of them returned to their seats. I tidied up my desk and prepared for the afternoon classes.

The teacher entered the classroom, and the English lesson began.

...But you know, an English class after a full stomach is as powerful as a hypnotist... The afternoon is going to be a tough battle.

---

### [DWO Brief Explanation]

#### About Races ①

(Values are simplified examples)

**[Demon] Demons**

An average race in the demon world. They have no particular strengths or weaknesses. The most numerous race. Choosing this race gives you slightly pointed ears. They have the racial skill [Adaptability].

Strength: ★★★★★

Endurance: ★★★★★

Intelligence: ★★★★★

Spirit: ★★★★★

Agility: ★★★★★

Dexterity: ★★★★★

Luck: ★★★★★

**Racial Skill [Adaptability]**

Makes it slightly easier to reach proficiency in all skills.