“...Huh?” The bastard sounded hysterical.
“This is how it is, Imabayashi.”
“Wh-Wh-Wh...? What are you saying?!”
“I’m saying this is how it is.”
That was when the first clear sign of distress appeared on his face.
†
Ayumu Imabayashi
Agh, damn it! Shinobu’s smug face is abhorrent! What on earth is going on here?!
“Everyone!” My voice sounded more pleading than I would have liked. “Please, stop the foolish jokes! You’re...joking, right?”
“Mr. Imabayashi, this isn’t a situation we can joke around in. And you know how much I love jokes.”
The first to speak was the scrawny Tadokoro of Dragon’s Roar. The damn four-eyes had always been on Shinozuka’s side. There was nothing more aggravating. I’d let him sit in his spot the whole time because he’d shut up with just one rebuke.
The way to deal with him was simple. “Are you going to make me your enemy, Tadokoro?”
He looked me straight in the eyes. “Both Iijima and I have said as much.”
What in the world is that face...? Like he’s prepared himself and been enlightened! It pissed me off even more that it reminded me of Shinobu when he was being rebellious. At any rate, he’d made it clear that he was intent on fighting me.
As for the rest, aside from Kaori Shinozuka, what was their deal? They were nothing but badgers in a hole like me. It was hard to believe they’d betray me at this point.
Next, the guildmaster of Tiger’s Eye opened his mouth, as if to answer me. “Iijima’s power... He got it from Agartha, yes? He told us you have Keys of your own—how long have you been hiding them? Just come clean already. Why were you trying to get the jump on us?!”
His words told me everything. No matter how smoothly I could handle the situation from here, I was at a complete disadvantage. They’d all already been sweet-talked by Shinobu. It was too late for me to get them back anymore.
That was when I noticed that the edges of my shirt were drenched in sweat. I’m displeased. This whole situation is displeasing me. It’s all his fault! I glared at Shinobu.
“Shinobu...” I let the venom spill from my voice. “We’ve confirmed that you were near Abrasil the whole time. The only way you could’ve shown these idiots your powers from Agartha is by meeting with them in person. How did you do it?”
“I have a way to teleport around the world in seconds. Let’s just say I got that from Agartha too.”
I’d never received reports of such a method. Or perhaps it came from a Floor we hadn’t conquered yet? Or was it an item from ancient times? There were many possibilities. The only thing I knew was that he for sure had this method. He couldn’t have pulled this off otherwise.
I furrowed my brow. “But it was you yourself in Abrasil. We even saw your summons. How did you do that?”
“Don’t you know about Tsukuyomi’s skill that allows her to create doppelgängers? Couple that with me and teleportation, and what do you get?”
I couldn’t answer him. He only pretended to be in Abrasil to make me let my guard down? And when we spoke over the Communication Crystals, he was just acting? I’d just been dancing in his hand the whole time?
“And so, this is checkmate, fucking bastard.”
Checkmate...? What the hell is he talking about? Did he just say checkmate to me, his foster father, the man who raised him for over ten years?
“By the way, Imabayashi. What level are you? You’re past the level cap, right?”
I was currently level 100. He didn’t need to know that, though. I started to regret not leveling after releasing the cap.
Although, even if I knew this situation was coming, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to level up. After level 100, the minimum level monster you had to defeat in order to get EXP was 80. What would’ve happened if I got hit with a critical rush? What if monsters with instadeath skills awaited me in high-level dungeons? Or if I got hit with a curse that blocked Revival and Recovery Magic? Though the chances of these things were very low, every possible route had those one in a million chances. I’d never cross a bridge so dangerous. If I were to partake in leveling, it would be after obtaining equipment, spells, and skills from Agartha. And even then, it would be slow and gradual, within a safe margin. It was nothing but appropriate for me to not have leveled up.
“Accept your fate, Imabayashi!”
Oh no.
No, no, no!
Sweat spewed from my armpits and drenched my back. How many level 99 players were in the security office again? Never mind, it doesn’t matter—they’d never be able to stop all the members of the other guilds, not to mention Shinobu!
Then what should I do...? It pains me to say this, but I only have one option left.
“Bye, Shinobu!”
The sound of a rupture echoed throughout the hall. Ha ha, see that?! This is the exquisite skill of a level 99 Ninja Master!
The blinding black smoke accompanied me as I dashed toward the security office on the lower floor to contact the Agartha expedition team. I descended the castle stairs at a significant speed. The only class that won out against Ninja Masters in speed was Thieves, but nobody liked that class. I was sure that no one in that hall had been one. The only one I was unsure about was Shinobu. He’d gotten to level 125, a higher dimension territory to me. I had no idea what he could do.
I glanced behind me, half praying, but no one seemed to be chasing me.
I’ve won!
I hurriedly pulled out a Communication Crystal from my pocket as I confirmed my victory. Of course, I was contacting Kagura of the expedition team. If that man came to save me, it was perfectly possible to turn the tables on the rest of them. I had about ten Keys to Agartha, so though it pained me to spend them here, I didn’t have the leeway to grumble.
Pick up! Pick up, damn it! Waiting with bated breath, I jumped when the Crystal finally reacted. Amazing job, Kagura! You picked up at the speed of lightning! You’re my trump card for a reason!
“Oh, Imabayashi.”
“Kagura! Urgent news!”
“You look tense. What’s up?”
“Shinobu Iijima! The one I told you about before! He’s coming to kill me!”
“Okay, and?”