Chapter 372: Two Purposes

Summer was drawing to a close, and autumn was drawing near.

Amid a pleasant breeze drifting through the air, I faced off against Riru-kun.

Around us, the two guardians (Tōru-san and the others) stood in wait, while Riru-kun flipped through pages with a quiet rustle, quickly glancing at the content at the edge of his vision.

"Hmm... I see. So that's how it is."

A strange, uneasy feeling crept over me at those words.

I keep in the back of my mind that silly line written on the book's ribbon: "It's fine. This is the guidebook to conquering Alice."

Alice—the name, right?

The one who brought about the end of this world, according to Dogbite.

If I were to receive that from her—well, then.

How exactly would I uncover the truth?

Then I glance quickly at the clock.

The time limit is one hour.

Our victory condition is simple,

・Win a game of rock-paper-scissors against Rikka Shizukawa inside the VIP room of the Avienia Castle located in the center of Land, and seize all of her achievement reward items.

Now, an additional objective has been added.

・Defeat Shitsuri Rurui and obtain his "guidebook" and all related information.

Even though this would strain our relationship with him, it remains a worthwhile endeavor.

If necessary, we should also consider borrowing Kudryavka-san’s skill—though she was the one who nearly got hurt earlier (though technically it was her boyfriend)—the one that can impose "subjugation" even on other "players."

"…………Hmm."

The distance to the goal is roughly equivalent to flying through the air at full speed with "Demonization"—about four to five minutes. We have plenty of time.

But the longer I dawdle, the more I stand to lose.

First, of course, is my own "magic power."

And the second is... my popularity within my little world, Avienia.

So, ideally, I'd like Sotome-kun to leave as quickly as possible.

"Scary... You look like you're thinking of something terrible."

"Is that so?"

"But the guidebook says this: 'If you lose this battle, this book will be permanently taken from you.'"

He's caught.

"But, Warrior-san—though you probably won't believe me—staying on this path will only lead to a tragic ending. You won't win against Reika, and no one will gain anything. So why not just surrender to us here?"

"…Is that what the book says?"

"Yes."

Can I see that for a moment?

That won't do.

Then, there's no reason to believe those words, is there?

...Yeah. I guess the probability of persuading them is low, after all.

The youth sarcastically twists his face, resembling his younger sister.

I moved a little closer and decided to wait and see how things developed.

No matter what information he had on hand, he couldn't possibly keep track of everything unfolding in this ever-changing battlefield. That was the conclusion I reached.

"………………"

I approached the cartoonish streets, twisted in ways no ordinary architecture could achieve, bouncing forward with a light hop.

Along the way, I deliberately left openings, offering chances to attack—but he didn't take the bait.

"……—《Fireball》"

I muttered quietly, summoning a ball of flame in the palm of my hand.

"Whoa, wow. That's huge. …Same 'warrior' class, why's there such a big difference?"

"…Didn't the guidebook mention the reason for that?"

"Sorry, details like that aren't exactly covered…"

"Aw, that's incomplete."

A guidebook that completely ignores stat points, huh?

But then again, it's probably inevitable. If he knew everything, he wouldn't be just a "player" at level forty-nine right now.

Even with just that much information, it's clear that everything written in that "guidebook" isn't necessarily the optimal solution.

I rallied myself, shaking off my slight hesitation at the idea that "I'll definitely lose to Reika," and said,

"Then, let's just get this over with quickly."

"Unfortunately, he's quite resilient."

"Oh, really?"

First, aiming to preserve Ryota's dignity, I hurled a Fire Spell III.

"Oops!"

He barely tilted his head to the side and dodged it, so I immediately closed the distance.

First, I struck with a backfist, sharpening the third joint of my middle finger, aiming straight for the solar plexus. A direct hit there would have made even the toughest man collapse to his knees without fail.

Honestly, I had intended to end it right there...

"――Gah!"

A sound, unnatural for human bones, echoed sharply.

It seems Ryotaru-kun wasn't someone easily defeated, as he effortlessly blocked it.

I didn't change my expression, driving my fist upward toward his jaw.

Yet he, with a calm and composed look, blocked even that.

"――This!"

Then, with his free left hand, he continued to deliver strikes to my ribs, elbow strikes, knife-hand blows, and thrusts, but Riru-kun deflected each one with flawless precision.

After a series of movements resembling the choreographed forms of a black belt in karate, I quickly stepped backward from the spot.

This guy... stronger than I expected.

What shocked me most, though—this.

He had blocked every one of my attacks using just his left hand.

His other hand remained holding the "guidebook."

"Y-You're actually doing it..."

"Well, yeah," the nameless guy said. "You only have Basic Martial Arts, right? I've got the upper hand in techniques."

True, Basic Martial Arts was a skill I'd hastily acquired during our previous fight.

Still, I was currently enhanced by Swordsmanship. I had every confidence I wouldn't lose in a clash... yet here I was, utterly outmatched.

"And one more thing— you're conflating me with my sister, aren't you? Since my sister wasn't particularly strong as a 'player,' you've unconsciously been holding back. You might have already been defeated earlier if you'd used your leg techniques. But you deliberately refrained from doing so."

"...Thanks for the thoughtful explanation."

"If you'd like, I can let you max out your 'Combat Skills' right here and now?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

This person might just be talking at length to buy time.

"By the way—"

"Hm?"

"Earlier, when we clashed, I wasn't serious either. At the moment you blocked my knife-hand strike, you made a fatal mistake."

"…"

"If I had instantly tightened my grip at that moment— I could have broken your fingers. Attacks targeting the fingers, eyes, and internal organs are also weak points for 'players'."

"Hohoho"

"Do you understand? Please be careful. Next time, I'll break them. And when that happens, many girls won't be able to hold back and will start crying. Especially girls—they just can't handle the idea of their own bodies being damaged."

"...Hmm"

I nodded, my lips pressed into a thin line.

Then I suddenly thought.

This guy...

He's kind of like a battle manga commentator, isn't he?