MSR-V3-10

The fibers in his durable Kevlar jacket began to crack.

“What do you mean? You’re not going to share a bath with the Secretary, are you?”

“Ow! That hurts, for real! Let me go, you idiot!”

“Answer me... Or do you want to kiss your arm goodbye?”

“What was I supposed to say!? He invited me!”

“Why would he...! Impossible!”

Finally, Yu’s nails dug into the Kevlar, leaving marks like a cat had scratched it. Yu’s grip, as well as her obsession, was incredibly strong.

“A-All right! I’ll tell him to invite you next time! I’m serious!”

“...You better be sincere.”

“I am! For real!!”

Tahara screamed desperately. He seemed more terrified than in pain.

“If you’re lying, I’ll pour acid down your throat. And poke your eyes full of needles. And cut off each of your fingers with scissors.”

“Why does everything you say have to be scary!? Go back into the horror game you crawled out of!”

Tahara yanked his hand away from Yu’s and practically fled out of the office. If the Demon Lord had overheard this conversation, he would have lost all strength in his legs, his black hair turning white in an instant.

“Hot springs... with the Secretary...!”

Yu laughed, now with an expression of pure ecstasy. When the time would come, God only knew what would happen to them.

## Invader

Tahara took off his clothes in the changing room and placed his folded up towel on top of them. While he simply preferred the public bath, he himself exuded an air reminiscent of the yesteryear of Japan. The contrast of his appearance and his inclination for high-tech guns seemed to verify his extraordinary genius.

“Hot springs with the Secretary, huh...? Never thought this day’d come.”

Tahara took a look around the changing room. Unlike the public bath, it was deserted, like it was barely used. In fact, this side of the hot springs was almost exclusively used by the Demon Lord. Tahara looked at the mirror to see the reflection of his well-toned body on the spotless mirror.

“I’m not training as much as before. If at least Nomura was here...”

Tahara scratched his head as he frowned, although he had a perfect sixpack. His arms, that handled all of the heavy guns, and the rest of his body were built like loaded springs, without anything extraneous about them. Even men would have stopped and stared at his body.

“Guess the Secretary’s already in there...?”

He walked into the hot springs area through the doors and started by rinsing off head-to-toe with a shower. On the arm that Yu had grasped, he could still see scratch marks. Color drained from his face.

“I can’t deal with that rabid woman...”

Just as Tahara mumbled this, he heard a voice from the star-gazing bath in the back. He walked over there to find the Demon Lord sipping on a cup in the tub. Apparently, he had a floating tray of sake with him.

“Thanks for coming, Tahara.”

“Sake in a tub under the stars, huh? You know how to party.”

Tahara stepped right into the hot spring and tossed back the cup offered to him. With the effects of the hot springs and the sake’s effect of healing Stamina, he felt heavenly.

“Whoo! Now this is where it’s at!”

“I prepared some things to go with it.”

On another tray, there were octopus salads, edamame, chilled tofu, and sashimi in a neat display. A Snack Platter that the Demon Lord had produced with SP. On their own, these items healed anywhere from 20 to 40 Stamina in the game, as opposed to the set’s 15. This led to the item’s poor reception in the game, but in this world, variety seemed much more treasured than the amount of Stamina it healed.

“Sashimi, too...! Ah, that’s good!”

“Maybe we should start thinking about obtaining some seafood.”

“Hrm. Fishing’s the fastest way, but it burns up Stamina...”

“Mm.”

Fishing was a Survival Skill that allowed the user to fish in any area for 30 Stamina. There was a ridiculous variety of what they could catch, too: fish, of course, as well as black abalone, shark fins, tuna, giant squids, sea bream, pufferfish, fishes with human faces, seaweed, sea shells, etc. The game hosted various other exploration skills, too, such as searching for water veins, food, herbs, or items, as well as burglary and treasure hunting. Each of them yielded different items, many of them highly valued, which allowed the players to make money off them. They were like production jobs in any sort of RPG.

“Didn’t expect most things from the Arena to come to life in this world, too. I don’t know what exactly is going on here, but...”

“It’ll become apparent soon enough. The more features I regain, the more complete we become.”

They continued to talk about what to do moving forward, but only briefly.

Tahara thought that any ideas he had were already taken into account by the Demon Lord, and the Demon Lord didn’t ask many questions for fear of losing his facade. Some quiet time passed, as each of them sipped on sake and nibbled on the snacks. This alone was quite the sight, though. The Demon Lord (at least on the outside) looked picturesque just holding a sake cup, and Tahara exuded the sensuality of a seasoned warrior.

“...It’ll be a lot more noisy around here when everyone’s together.”

“Of course, I intend to summon them all.”

Tahara mumbled quietly, but the Demon Lord’s answer was grounded. He even added, to surpass Tahara’s expectations:

“Eventually, I intend to summon your sister, too.”

“...What?”

Tahara froze for a moment, and almost said something when the Demon Lord displayed his right hand to him. On it, there was a malicious ring that wasn’t there before.

“W-What about that ring...?”

“Something like a magic ring that grants my wish upon meeting certain conditions.”

“Give me a break... I read that in a comic, once.”

“Do you think I would speak of such things in jest?”

Hearing this, Tahara couldn’t help but swallow nervously. To him, the Demon Lord was not the type to ever crack a joke like that. Becoming of his title as the Empire’s Demon Lord, he was a man who turned each and every one of his words into action, good or evil.

“Manami’s going to... Wait a minute! What if something happens to her here...?”

Tahara’s expression flip-flopped to and fro, his mind racing. Ever since the day he had decided to work at the Sleepless Castle, he had not seen his sister once, restraining himself from any form of communication with her. Tahara, as well as the other members of the department, had a massive bounty, hated by the entire world. According to their backstories, they were also the carrot dangled in front of the players as a ticket to turn it all around. That’s why Tahara had kept his distance in all manners from his powerless sister, and erased every evidence of their time spent together in order to protect her. Naturally, living together in the Sleepless Castle was out of the question. That was the very place that everyone in that world directed their hatred towards. It was a place much too dangerous for a young girl to inhabit.

“Settle down, Tahara. We don’t have bounties on our heads in this world. I can’t be certain of the future, but I don’t expect anyone to hold a grudge against us except for a few petty money-grabbers offended by our success.”

“Mm...”

“Do we think any of those fools would ever get a leg up on us?”

“...Not a chance.”

“You just solved your own conundrum. That will be my reward for your loyalty.”

With that, the Demon Lord tossed his cup back. This was both a reward and the Demon Lord’s scheme to use miracles ahead of Kunai to prevent his malicious plot from coming to fruition. Of course, none of that mattered to Tahara. What was important to him were the days he could spend with his little sister. He wasn’t going to question any reason for making that happen.

“Then we bump up the defenses around here. Piano wires, bear traps, pitfalls, landmines... Oh, and mounted machine guns, too.”

“...Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?”

“Before that, I need to build Manami a castle... or just a house. I could have the Secretary build a large-scale base to start with...”

After mumbling some questionable things, Tahara stood up with a loud splash. He had a smile on his face that of a young boy.

“Whoo, I didn’t know you had such a big heart in there! I better re-do all of my plans!”

Tahara excitedly smiled as he placed both hands on the Demon Lord’s shoulders. A touching moment between a boss and his advisor. Now that Tahara was standing, though, Tahara’s much too impressive package was now dangling in front of the Demon Lord’s face.

“A-Ahem... Calm down for a bit and sit back down.”

“How can I be calm!? I’m through the roof! I haven’t seen Manami in over a decade!”

Each time Tahara shouted in excitement, his package violently jiggled. Sometimes side-to-side, and other times back-and-forth... in violent, freespirited lashings. Never had the Demon Lord felt more in danger than this moment.

“A-All right... Just sit...!”

“What am I doing here!? I gotta go fix my plans!”

Tahara jumped out of the tub, and the Demon Lord sighed, as if he was relieved from some giant pressure. To improve his mood, he tilted back the sake pitcher, dumping the liquid down into his stomach.

“Didn’t think I’d get a tight close-up of his junk... Which circle of Hell was that?”

After enjoying some more snacks and sake with a frown on his face, the Demon Lord left the star-gazing bath. All that was left for the night was to go to bed, but he sent Yukikaze a Communication, just to be sure that she hadn’t snuck into his room again. The Demon Lord never imagined that this very instance of Communication would commence a war that would engulf the entire continent.

*Yukikaze, can you hear me?*

*...Fox...*

*Hm? What’s wrong? What’s happening?*

The Demon Lord’s expression changed at the break-up in their Communication. He realized that Yukikaze was in combat.

*...Mister Fox, there are Aggressors in the dungeon.*

*Aggressor? Is that a monster?*

*...Yes. An anomaly that comes out of the dungeon to invade us.*

*I see. I’ll be right there.*

Ending the Communication with Yukikaze, he called Tahara and Yu through Team Communication, which created a line between everyone in a particular group.

*Yu, meet me in front of the resort. A little situation’s starting up north.*

*Tahara, you’re in charge of the village.*

*Roger that, don’t worry a thing about the village.*

*I’ll be right there, Sir.*

A few minutes later, after meeting up with Yu, the Demon Lord took her

and immediately flew to the town of Rookie.

Meanwhile, a shadow was looming in the deepest part of the Bastille Dungeon. The shadow shifted its form from liquid to mist to a human silhouette. In front of the shadow were countless monitors, products of modern technology incongruous with this world ruled by sword and magic.

“Let’s play...” The shadow spoke.

With an entire town as a stage, a long, long day was about to begin...

## The Battle on the Ground

Weeb was the first one to notice that something was afoot in the town of Rookie by looking from the outside. He jumped out of his tent to find bright red flames roaring in it. The Trinary leaned out of their own tents to glare towards the flames.

“There must be Aggressors, Sir Weeb.”

“Indeed, there must.”

This group was skilled enough to recognize this wasn’t an accidental fire. Still, the Trinary looked at Weeb wishfully, hoping for him not to jump into that mess. They weren’t worried for Weeb in combat, but for his status that worsened every time he intervened in foreign affairs.

“Sir Weeb, we shall head to the town. Please, get some more rest.”

“No need to worry about me, gentlemen. We’ve come this far.”

Weeb responded with an uncharacteristically teasing smile. His reputation in his homeland had completely plummeted. It couldn’t get any worse. Still, the trio couldn’t help but be concerned, even though Weeb was not the kind of man who would compromise on his beliefs to protect even himself.

“Sir Kaiya. Lucky for us, the two S-rank adventures are staying in the nearby Doyle.”

“Those bit— er, those two...” Kaiya groaned.

Not that this needed to be clarified, but the Trinary had an aversion to women. They had no need for them, as they only had eyes for Weeb. Still, Kaiya swiftly decided to use the famous star players as a sort of political buffer.

“I’ll notify them of this immediately.”

Feeling torn at having to leave Weeb, Kaiya immediately left for Doyle, whipping his horse. Doyle was close enough that he assumed the people there had already spotted the flames scorching the night sky.

“Shall we?”

Weeb drew two weapons from the white box on his back. In his right hand, he held a sword of light that beamed with a glorious white glow. In his left hand, he held a morning star that also emanated light. As fast as the wind, Weeb sprinted towards the city, and the two members of the trio followed his gleaming back without a word.

When the party of white arrived in the town, battles had erupted in various areas. Even though the party had witnessed an invasion out of the dungeon several times, they couldn’t help but fall speechless at this sight. A cloud of monsters were pouring out of the entrance to the dungeon.

“What’s going on...? Look at those Tin Men. And those Fire-breathing

Birds!”

“Headhunting Boars, too.”

An Ultima and Mushroom each bumbled out. These creatures had no place in a dungeon for rookies.

“I wish this was some kind of joke... That looks like a Hydra sitting back there.”

Weeb, too, internally groaned. Occasionally, outliers were born in the dungeon that commanded an invasion from the dungeon out into town. Still, as they understood it, the monsters that came out of the dungeon would only be as strong as those within. The monsters scattered throughout the city, wreaking havoc without order, breathing fire everywhere they went, and trampling any human they came across. Upon accessing the town, Weeb made a snap decision.

“It’s too dangerous to split up. You two, protect each other’s backs.”

With that quick order, Weeb sprinted forward. Neither of his men objected, but rather followed suit. They knew very well that, on the battlefield, a moment’s hesitation could cost them their lives, as well as the lives they could have saved otherwise. Ultima and Mushroom ran, each with a white sword in hand. Every time they swung their swords, a monster was torn in three. The horde of monsters was being rapidly cut down.

It was a Chain. In the game, a player had a Skill Level for each category of weapons. With a Skill Level of over 100 in the weapon they were using, players could Chain, which dealt 10 additional damage after their normal attack. In short, it was a double attack in this world. The seasoned trio had finally learned to use Chains to their full potential.

Meanwhile, Weeb was tearing through the horde of monsters in every direction around him with his sword of light and morning star. As a paladin, he could Chain both Sword and Club attacks. With one motion, he performed (ridiculously enough) a quadruple attack. Staring down the monsters before him, he shouted:

“You wouldn’t have died if you stayed in!”

Everywhere Weeb went, he looked like a beam of white light tearing through the monsters, becoming of his title of paladin. No matter how much monster blood and guts rained down on him, the white light that enveloped him purified it all in an instant.

“S-Someone... Help...!”

They must have fallen behind. Weeb spotted a mother holding her young child, about to be blasted with the roaring breath of a Fire-breathing Bird. Before the bird got the chance, though, its head exploded into pieces. The spiked metal ball of Weeb’s morning star had smashed through it. A Headhunting Boar that charged soon after was torn in half by his sword of light. The boar’s strong hide and muscle were like tofu or butter against Weeb’s sword.

“It’s dangerous here. You must get out of the city.”

“W-We will...!”

His spectacular moves even inspired the fleeing adventurers to stand up in arms. A paladin was a title not given to Weeb only for his strength, but for his courage that electrified those around him.

“Sir Weeeeeeb!”

“The paladin is here!”

“And the Trinary!”

“We can win! We can win this!”

“Sir Weeb! It’s me! Marry me!”

“Aggghhhh! Take me into your sheets, Sir Weeb!” (A bass voice, booming)

“If you can move, build a barricade!”

Mikan and Yukikaze were among the crowd. As B-ranks, they were a head above the rest, and the rookies naturally gathered around them. Who could have blamed them? In an emergency like this, who wouldn’t want to be close to someone powerful?

“Where’d all these monsters come from!?”

“...We’ll hold down the fort until Mister Fox comes.”

Wielding their usual combo of longsword and spells, the pair had been slaying the monsters around them, but they noticed that the town guards were barely contributing. In fact, there were almost no town guards to be found.

“What are those guards doing now!?”

“...Probably running away.”

Yukikaze was right. The guards were sort of government workers, and none of them were willing to risk their lives in this commotion. In fact, the adventurers were the ones standing their ground in order to protect their job site. That being said, the guards could not have been blamed. Even during the long-lasting war of the Northern Nations, this country had been at peace, as they neighbored Animania. Who could have expected them to suddenly give their lives? Their jobs were to keep an eye on and drain the adventurers, not to fight.

“Hey, Yukikaze! Isn’t that a Fire-breathing Bird!?”

“...And a Hydra, too.”

“You gotta be kidding me! Since when are we in the Six Dungeon

Waterfalls!?”

“...You are my shield, Snow’s Kiss.”

Yukikaze blew a kiss and cast a protective spell on Mikan. She tried to enhance her with protection against fire upon seeing the Fire-breathing Birds.

“Your shield!? You go burn out there!”

“...Love is eternal. I am the snow that never melts. Flame on, Mikan.” “Shut up!”

As they stuck to their usual bantering, the pair managed to hold back part of the monster invasion, while the other adventurers built barricade after barricade. Not all parts of the town were as successful in their efforts, though. Most areas of the town were in a miserable state, with buildings burnt or burning from the Fire-breathing Birds.

As time passed, black smoke rose from every corner of the town, starting to engulf it entirely.

——The central area of Rookie.

Tearing through monsters, Weeb was curious. He had experienced a few counter-invasions before, but this time was exceptional.

“There are too many of them...”

A counter-invasion was when hordes of monsters came out of the depths of a dungeon, one at a time. In waves, if you will. In between waves, the defenders of the town would usually build barricades, move the injured, and have those on the frontlines rest. But with this many monsters, there was no time to stop.

“Once the Hydra’s on the move...”

The worst monster there by far, considered by the people here to be the leader. For now, it was only sitting at the entrance of the dungeon, but Weeb would be the only one who could take it on. If Weeb had to devote his attention to a single monster, casualties would skyrocket in the meantime. Even as he fought the horde now, he could hear screams from all over town, and could smell the stench of burning flesh in the air.

“Could it be...?”

Weeb had a bad feeling about this situation, and it was perfectly accurate. A necromancer had appeared among the horde. When the necromancer waved its wand, the blood-soaked adventures rose up as Zombies. Even the burned victims of the town were turned into Haunts, now attacking the people around them.

“It can’t be...!”

Weeb fell speechless at the horrifying sight. A counter-invasion of this scale should not and could not have come out of the Bastille Dungeon. This disaster would have warranted the deployment of the powerful knights’ order from his home country, the Tzardom of Light. No matter how swiftly and valiantly the paladin fought, it was no use when the weaker adventurers and powerless residents were turning into Zombies and Haunts.

“I must evacuate the residents first...!”

Even if he tried, the town guards that should have been the ones leading the evacuation had fled long ago, leaving no soldiers for Weeb to command. The only possible outcome of this situation was a chain reaction of death until the entire town was destroyed. In history, many towns and cities had become ghost towns following similar atrocities.

“Having trouble, little paladin...?”

Weeb turned towards an upbeat voice to find the S-rank adventurer Mynk, an old acquaintance. There was Olgan beside her too, biting on a head of lettuce, uninterested.

“It’s... as bad as it looks.”

“Heh heh heh. A world of darkness perfectly suited for me...!”

Weeb chuckled at Mynk’s reaction, but he could not have hoped for better reinforcements. Mynk, her ramblings aside, was the best Holy element user there was.

“Leave darkness to darkness: me. You take care of the other monsters and evacuate the people.”

“Thanks for your help,” Weeb shortly replied, and left like a gust of wind. At the same time, Mynk began an incantation. Olgan floated herself up, and uninterestedly lay down on a roof. In contrast to her lack of enthusiasm, her partner Mynk continued her spell, getting way into it.

“The dark night without sight, the blade with the black shadow, light my way... Holy Rain!”

As she concluded her incantation, a downpour of rain filled with the Holy element fell on her surroundings. In an instant, the Zombies and Haunts wailed in agony as they collapsed to the ground. While her incantation was the polar opposite to the nature of her spell, the spell’s power was irrefutable. Seeing the overwhelming power of the spell, the dejected adventurers stood back up and cried out.

“Hey, look! It’s Mynk th-the star player!”

“Yeaaaah!”

“First the paladin, and now the star players!”

Amidst the hellish counter-invasion, their presence must have been truly inspiring. Watching her partner fire off spells in full darkness mode, Olgan produced a head of broccoli and bit into it without a word.

“How stupid...”

As a firebrand, she had always been cold towards humans. She wanted no part in this sort of rescue mission that didn’t gain her anything. Her mantra was that, if anyone wanted to live, they had to survive on their own.

“But a Hydra, huh...?”

Even Olgan couldn’t help but wonder how that monster, which should have never appeared in the Bastille Dungeon, was here. Many of the monsters in the horde were species that didn’t belong here, either.

“Hey, Mynk...”

She tried to warn her partner to be careful, but Mynk was deep into the throes of combat, where her voice couldn’t reach her.

“That idiot... Doesn’t she remember what happened just the other day?” Olgan recalled the attack they had found themselves in in Holylight. Considering that a high-ranking devil appearing by the Holy Castle was also something that never should have happened, she wanted her partner to stay vigilant.

“The dark salamander that slumbers in my right hand... Lend me your strength, just once, here and now!”