"My main mission in this world is hunting," Ray explained. "You probably don't know much about this place, so here's the short version. Originally, this was just a fairly ordinary fantasy world. The overall power level wasn't anything special either. But the strongest beings here, the Dragon Lords, apparently wanted to research something or gain even greater power. Whatever the reason, they used an incredibly powerful forbidden spell and ended up summoning things from a game in another world.
"That game was close to shutting down, so the summoning dragged all kinds of absurd things into this world. I don't know much about the earlier arrivals, but I do know what's coming next. The spell isn't stable when it comes to time, and sometime around now, a guild called the Great Tomb of Nazarick is supposed to appear. It's a heteromorphic guild, meaning only nonhuman races could join.
"And most of the NPCs in that guild weren't exactly written to be fond of humans. Once they arrive, the people of this world are going to suffer quite a bit because of them.
"I'm not some champion of justice, though. I'm not here to save the world. I just need to finish my mission by hunting members of that heteromorphic guild. NPCs or players, either works. I only need to meet the required quota. What about your main mission? If our objectives conflict, we can work something out."
After their brief conversation, the two had quickly become acquainted, and Caelus explained his own situation.
"My main mission is to remove the anomaly affecting this world. Based on what you've told me, that probably means eliminating the consequences of the Dragon Lords' summoning spell so this world's future doesn't become severely distorted."
"Then our missions don't conflict at all. I only need to take down a few NPCs Nazarick sends out. After that, I'll leave the rest to you and get back to what I actually enjoy."
Ray's face lit up as he said it.
Whenever he entered a new world, he usually wore his Defender equipment in case the mission immediately threw him into a high-level fight. The reason he did not simply bring all his old equipment through System storage was simple: his System was built around Monster Hunter mechanics, and once a scenario began, he could no longer change equipment.
That was exactly why he constantly complained that his System was half-functional.
After learning what kind of world this was, Ray's first thought had been to hunt the Dragon Lords, especially the undead Dragon Lord mentioned in the story. More than anything, he wanted to know what kind of equipment their materials could produce.
Or perhaps they might even drop some exceptionally rare decorations.
His home world was still progressing through its own storyline, and sooner or later he would probably have to head into the frozen frontier and face even more dangerous hunts.
He was that world's Sapphire Star. There was nobody else standing ahead of him to deal with whatever catastrophe came next.
And every time he thought about eventually having to fight Fatalis, his future suddenly looked very dark.
That was why he needed these System scenarios. More hunts meant more materials, more upgrades, and more ways to strengthen himself before the truly terrifying monsters arrived.
"It's a shame my partner stayed back in our home world to work on her skills this time. Otherwise, I could've treated you to a proper meal. She actually studied cooking under the Meowscular Chef."
"Can't your System storage hold cooked food? Or does it not preserve things?"
Ray immediately looked annoyed.
"Don't even get me started. My System claims it's based on the original game, except once I'm inside a scenario I can't even swap equipment. I can't eat a proper pre-hunt meal either. Everything has to be prepared before entering the scenario. And because of some stupid bug, I can't bring fully cooked meals into the map at all. I have to make everything on-site!"
Once the subject of his unreliable System came up, Ray became unstoppable. He rattled off problem after problem it had caused over the years, repeatedly insisting that the thing was practically useless and that almost all of his growth had come from his own efforts.
Meanwhile, somewhere beyond ordinary perception, the two Systems were staring at each other.
Caelus's System had taken the form of a small gray-feathered bird. It tilted its head at the plush dinosaur sitting across from it.
[What exactly did you do? Don't tell me you're actually one of those bargain-bin Systems.]
The plush dinosaur scratched its belly awkwardly with one tiny hand.
[Well... I wanted to save time, so I copied over the game's original program, adapted it to my own framework, and just ran it. I think that caused a few compatibility bugs.]
The gray bird stared at it.
[You copied human software directly into your own architecture and ran it? If word gets out, you're going straight into the academy's all-time hall of shame. You might even make the top ten.]
[But I really have been helping my Host! I contributed a lot to his growth. You can't say I'm completely useless!]
[Where did all his combat ability come from?]
[From constantly hunting and consuming the flesh of the creatures he kills.]
[Did you at least provide his equipment and items?]
[I helped with that! After every mission, he can exchange rewards through me for all kinds of rare materials!]
[Then why is he wearing Defender armor and carrying a Defender Greatsword?]
The plush dinosaur fell silent.
[...Because those materials are still with the smiths. They're studying them and reforging everything so the equipment actually works with the material properties of his home world.]
[So they're not even compatible?! He still has to find blacksmiths and make the equipment himself? At least tell me you provide medicine.]
[I do! But... that also has to be reformulated before he can use it properly.]
A long silence followed.
[Did you get this job through connections?]
[Yes! I'm an offshoot created by Combat Division Instructor 4812, so I guess you could say I'm one of his children.]
The gray bird stared at it again.
[Are you sure you were created as an offshoot and not expelled as corrupted code?]
Back in the tavern, Ray listened expressionlessly as his System complained to him about how badly it had just been insulted.
He decided to ignore it.
It would recover on its own. It always did.
Caelus, meanwhile, calmly listened to his own System's commentary about nepotism before turning to Ray.
"Do you want some help? I can't fix your System for you, but if what you're missing is a better way to grow stronger, I can help with that."
"Huh? You're not planning to spend some rare item or give me some special bloodline or anything, are you? There's really no need. My System may be a mess, and most of what it gives me still needs to be adapted before I can use it, but I'm progressing steadily enough. You don't need to waste anything valuable on me."
"Nothing like that. My current strength is at the sixth rank, but I've already experienced seventh-rank power, and my own circumstances are unusual. If you're interested, I could give you access to the power of a Path. It would let you continue growing through your own efforts and gain more from the act of hunting itself."
Ray's previously relaxed expression froze.
"...Sixth rank?"
"Yes."
[If my System hasn't been feeding me nonsense, and I'm remembering the scale correctly, sixth-rank beings should be capable of destroying at least an entire galaxy, depending on the nature of their power... right?]
"The level you're thinking of is closer to an Emanator. I'm one step beyond that. I'm still below an Aeon, but I have more than enough power for what we're discussing."
Ray sat there in complete silence for several seconds.
Then he abruptly stood, shoved his stool backward, dropped to one knee, and placed a hand over his chest with deadly seriousness.
"Sir, if you're accepting applications, I'd like to volunteer for adoption."
Dignity?
Could dignity help him kill Fatalis?
No?
Then dignity could get in line.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)