When he first arrived in the world of Tokyo Ghoul, Lancer had barely paid attention to anything around him. But this time, he saw everything clearly.
When he woke from his hangover, the world had frozen in place, still showing the familiar Gathering Hall. The only difference was that this Hall was completely deserted, and he himself was like a transparent ghost, unable to touch a thing.
As the countdown echoed, the familiar scene began to fade—or rather, to dissolve like grains of sand falling out of a picture. When the countdown neared its end, the drifting sand receded, revealing an utterly unfamiliar landscape.
Though blurred and distorted, Lancer could still tell he was now in a dense forest.
[COUNTDOWN ENDED]
[MISSION STARTED]
[MAIN MISSION | SURVIVE FOR 720 DAYS IN THE STORY]
As always, the main mission was simple and concise. Lancer had no idea where he'd been dropped this time.
But unlike his first arrival, he wasn't a pushover anymore.
Fully clad in a dark red Hermitaur Armor set and gripping his blue Quinque, Lancer cautiously scanned the area. Last time he'd run straight into a "spawn kill"; who knew if it would happen again?
Yet after sneaking around for quite a while, he still found no trace of an enemy.
Could my luck finally be turning?
Rustle—rustle—
Before he could finish the thought, a familiar rustling reached him from afar.
His status panel helped him understand his abilities more clearly now, but some things couldn't be quantified—like the wilderness survival skills the Palicoes had taught him back in the MH world, or the instincts honed by fighting monsters with terrifying hidden abilities.
Judging by the scraping branches and snapping twigs, he concluded that something massive was headed his way. And as he strained his ears, he was almost sure he heard human voices too.
Still unsure how to confirm his location, Lancer decided to move in for a closer look. After that? If he could help, great—he'd also gather some intel. If not, well, no one could blame him for hanging back. A new world meant moving carefully.
The Hermitaur Armor looked ordinary and lacked special effects, but its defense was top-tier for its grade.
Wearing it, Lancer slowed his pace as he approached, then quickly climbed a large tree and pulled out a digital telescope.
One of the handy gadgets he'd quietly taken from the CCG before leaving.
Through the telescope, he finally saw what was happening: several massive "monsters" were rampaging, bulldozing trees and clearing an open space. At the center, several armored men wielding strange weapons were protecting something.
When a man with a giant sword briefly pushed a monster back, Lancer finally glimpsed what—or rather, who—they were guarding.
A person in a hat.
Beyond confirming the figure was human, Lancer couldn't see anything clearly. From his angle, the hat was the only distinguishable feature.
Even so, he felt a spark of excitement.
Was his luck really turning? Did this mean he finally had a chance to play the hero and save a beauty?!
But excitement aside, Lancer first studied the monsters' strength. Looking cool was one thing; getting flattened was another.
After observing for a few minutes, he still couldn't tell which world he'd landed in. The only clear thing was that the people below had odd weapons—ones that could ignite flames or summon wind blades.
Impressive, sure, but not exactly unique. Any "magic world" had swordsmen with flashy moves.
He still couldn't pinpoint the world, but he had a good grasp of the monsters' power.
Judging by how fast they leveled trees and the thickness of the trunks, the crocodile-like creature's destructive ability was around a Congalala's. Despite its armored hide, its defense was pathetic—a single wind blade that could only cut down one tree was enough to tear its flesh. Overall, about a D- rank. It was big, so it likely had a thick health bar, but a clean hit to a weak spot would take it out easily.
In short, all bark and no bite.
With the danger assessed, Lancer decided it was time for his "hero saves the beauty" moment.
…
Meanwhile, the group under attack by several Danger Beasts was wearing down.
"Everyone, you've already done your best. These Danger Beasts are after me, so rather than—"
"Your Majesty! Are you belittling the Imperial Guard? General Budo's orders were clear: 'Protect His Majesty, even unto death!' As long as we draw breath, we won't let these beasts touch a single hair on your head!"
The guard forced what he no doubt thought was a relaxed smile.
"Besides, the beasts are already in disarray. General Budo must've defeated the Imperial Arms user controlling them by now. He could be heading here as we speak!"
Hearing that, the man addressed as "Your Majesty" exhaled in relief. He disliked needless sacrifice, but naturally, it was best if he survived. He dropped the idea of ordering them to flee first.
Unfortunately, comforting words were just words. The monsters' attacks didn't slow—if anything, after one beast was beheaded, the rest turned even more violent.
Normally, wielders of Shingus like them wouldn't fear ordinary Danger Beasts. Even these stronger variants were manageable given time—but time was exactly what they lacked.
If they split up to fight, they'd leave Their Majesty exposed, trapping them in this awkward defensive stalemate.
Just then—
Snap—crack!
A strange sound of snapping branches rang out from afar. Everyone tensed. Such wild crashing could only mean something huge—no "normal human" would plow through trees for fun.
As two guards turned toward the eastern disturbance, broken trees came into view, and then—
Squelch!!
All they saw was a blur before a long bone spear shot out of the dense foliage, piercing straight through the gorilla-like Danger Beast's chest and hurling it backward.
"No need to worry, because I've—Huh?!"
Lancer, fully prepared to bask in his heroic entrance, froze.
Why's it some random middle-aged guy? Where's the princess I saw earlier? She was so obviously a princess…
Noticing the man's clothes, Lancer felt an urge to swear.
You're a grown-ass man wrapped from head to toe—your whole face is covered! Even guys in the Middle East don't bundle up this much!!