- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Chapter 2 – Part 1: Stay Down, or Get Up - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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[Haruhiro – Unknown Grasslands]

When I opened my eyes in what seemed like an eternity, the bright blue sky came into my view, blinding my sight with its light.

My mind was still hazy and clouded, just like getting out of bed, dragging me back to that sweet, serenity. Yet, I knew I couldn't stay lying down on the grass forever. Reluctantly, I pulled myself back on my feet, trying to make sense of what happened.

Thankfully, my brain still works after I blew up like a fireball.

…After being revived by some angelic being and forced into being a hero in some anime, I found myself teleported to a field of grass.

The clear morning dew slid off the local greenery. High in the clouds were moody clouds hovering over the sun. The land was cast with a dull light, and the wildlife seemed half asleep in their dreams. The foliage was thick, but manageable, I thought. This land does not seem at all perilous; at least, I have still yet to sense hostility on daybreak.

Alone I was, almost awestruck by the odd serenity of this strange place. And yet, the hilts tied to my belt reminded me of what the wilderness is capable of. Beauty can be breathtaking – literally and metaphorically so.

As far as I can remember, in the game world, I was brawling with some Tough Enemies in Virtua Forest. Last I felt was the revolting smell of burning flesh. That was a memory I had preferred gone.

But when I looked around, there wasn't even a sight of the cartoon-like trees. Confused, I rubbed my eyes again to make sense of wherever I was at.

…I was definitely far away from Planeptune, for not even the cityscapes could be seen here. Even that trademark purple and lilac glow of the city walls and buildings has faded away into the distance.

Either that, or I need an eye transplant. I sincerely hope it's the former.

Whining here on this foreign piece of land wasn't going to get me anywhere, I gathered. So I decided to find my way back into the city, safe and sound. Before that, though, I needed to check what I have on me.

The black, slightly oversized coat and all of my jargon was still on me, albeit slightly battered by soot. The daggers resting on my belt were still drenched in bluish goo, but were otherwise in decent condition.

Relieved, I took them out – I don't want to repeat history, lest I become a part of it.

I don't understand why I could still access menus when I'm living inside the world, though.

Then again, answers could wait until I get out of this place in one whole piece.

And so, the scatterbrained fool resumed adventuring in the unknown grass land.

[Narrator's POV - Planeptune]

While our protagonist was having trouble staying alive in the grass lands, Neptune was equally troubled by the fact that she had to work for the day. The notion of working was especially foreign to the petite goddess, if not repulsive.

'"Neptune, I need you to find this young man. If you haven't been informed, he has the power to deal with our future's downfall… Hey, listen to me! Because I couldn't borrow enough share power, I couldn't teleport him straight back to the guild."

"After some searching, I have located him in the outskirts of Neo-Geofront. He kind of looks like… this… and this… and that. There, you got it, right? Now go and bring him here safely. I will reward you with pudding if you accomplish this." ' Neptune reminisced, barely recalling Histoire's words.

"Aww, why do I have to leave my beloved games… Well, at least I get pudding out of the deal, but still…!" The purple-haired goddess complained with her child-like voice.

Some say Planeptune was blessed with the booming of technology, and cursed with a lazy patron goddess in charge of the nation.

Nepgear, ever the helpful girl, had been trying to cope with her older sister's antics, but was driven to the point where she considered giving up.

"Onee-chan, I think we would be better off putting our minds to Histoire-san's request…" Nepgear said quietly, trying to hurry the absent-minded goddess on their search.

"But I don't wanna do it! I wanna go home, have pudding and start my gaming marathon! Why do I have to work?"

"That wouldn't solve anything! How will the poor soul in need of our help out there survive if we are to quit?" Nepgear replied earnestly,

"*sigh*… I know, I know. I just wished if it wasn't me doing all of the hard work." Neptune said with a frown,

"…Onee-chan, you do realize you are a CPU, a goddess, right?"

In place of a reply, Neptune simply looked the other way.

Nepgear was not very impressed with her older sister's silly shenanigans, nor was she particularly sure about what to do with her.

As Nepgear was thinking about what methods she could come up to cure her sister's constant whining, she heard a faint, rustling sound in the distance and so did Neptune.

"Nep Jr., get ready! I think something is coming our way- "

Yet before Nepgear could finish hearing what her sister has to say, a lightning bolt struck at just mere inches before her face.

"Eeek!"

Nepgear reflexively jumped back. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't been paying much attention to what was going on. The attack brought her back to reality, subtly reminding her of the dangers lurking around.

'Was that from the left? Or is it…?'

Nepgear knew for a fact that the caster couldn't have been far from where they were, so as long as she could find out where the attack came from, she could eliminate the threat easily.

With eyes on the bushes, Nepgear took out her Beam Saber, and put on a defensive stance. Provided that she stays on guard, the enemies wouldn't have a chance breaking through her defenses.

Meanwhile, Neptune had already disappeared into the bushes, nowhere to be seen. Moments later, she came back with a couple patches of dust and dirt on her puffy cheeks.

"Tada! I got rid of those awry robots, they weren't very tough. Sure hope they aren't giving you a tough time, Nep Jr.!" Neptune said with a bright smile across her face.

"Onee-chan…"

Nepgear had planned to lecture Neptune again for her carelessness; 'What if you were ambushed when you were alone at that time?' were the words that she wanted to say, but then swallowed them: Neptune would never listen.

*Shuffle*

"I heard that!" Nepgear exclaimed,

Putting strength into her ankles, Nepgear jumped forward to pursue the creature. Fast as it was, Nepgear had the edge.

*Clang*

The attack was spot on, and Nepgear caught the enemy off guard. However, the monster wasn't your everyday fire-breathing cats or storm-casting plants, walking on their wiggly feet, but rather, something… harder.

The chunk recovered in front of Nepgear - it was a ball of metal, literally floating around with its alien technology – A Bit, typically found near abandoned factories.

Without wasting any more time, Nepgear quickly sent it back to the junkyard with a well-aimed Slash Wave before returning to Neptune's side.

Neptune wasn't too pleased about her sister leaving her stranded in the middle of the forest, ending up having to defend herself against several machine foes with her wooden katana.

She was quite worried about Nepgear for losing much of her edge lately, so she couldn't help but get a little bit emotional.

"Aw, geez! Nep Jr., you can't go off on your own in a cramped, hostile area like that! I wouldn't be able to save you if you wander off too far, you know? Now, now, come to big sis and I will give you a big hug." Neptune said with an endearing tone, clearly ignoring what she did minutes earlier.

"…Sorry, onee-chan." Nepgear could only apologize, speechless at Neptune's bold-faced 'hypocrisy'.

Neptune happily jumped at Nepgear to give her a 'bear' hug, her small, pudgy size makes one wonder if Nepgear is the mother taking care of her young, innocent child.

Nepgear didn't mind one bit though, if anything, she loved how her big sister pays her attention.

To answer her sister's loving embrace, Nepgear cupped her sister's cheeks and rubbed her lilac, silky hair.

As their eyes met, she sighed in resignation. Just what can you do when you see such a cute, pudgy little face like that?

And so, the purple duo continued on their merry way to the rescue mission.

[Haruhiro – Unknown Forest]

The weather hadn't been in my favor lately.

At first, it was only tiny water droplets, one by one, slowly descending from the grey sky.

But with the sound of a thunderclap, the torrential rain came in full force onto the muddy ground.

I certainly didn't appreciate the fun of being drenched in rain, mud, sweat, and blood.

Throughout my body were scrapes and scratches from fights throughout the hostile lands, and my knives had become blunt and bent after all of those skirmishes.

I did pick up some peculiar gunpowder from the Bits, though, as well as some mob drops here and there – nothing substantial.

I don't have the tools to make shelter, nor do I have the knowledge to find myself some medicine. For now, I could only live on the Healing Grass the monsters dropped.

The sample healing items they handed out at the Guild quickly ran dry. After all, I didn't expect myself running around this much.

My limbs were sore. My muscles were hurting so badly that it felt like I had been doused in acid, at that.

I knew I was injured badly, but the idea of staying put for a small rest to wait it out just doesn't sit well with me. Who knows what might happen if I fall asleep in such a place – I could very well be never waking up again.

Not sure if Histoire would revive me again if I die, but that's a theory that I wouldn't want to be experimenting.

Nighttime came, and I began to lay low by hiding from rock to rock, bush to bush. I couldn't afford to get into another fight and startle every living being in a hundred meter radius.

"*Huff*… … *Huff*…"

All of this running around and action has really drained me. Battle fatigue was on its way to work itself in.

I pinched myself on the cheek and let the cold cascade wash over me for refreshment. I can't fall now. Walking sluggishly in a slouch, I tried to make my way to safety.

Who knows how much time has passed, thirty minutes? An hour? Or two? I hadn't bothered to answer that; the only thing that's on my mind is to get out of this dark, damp place.

I couldn't help but feel frustrated; this place keeps going around in circles.

I tried checking for a map, too, but it looks like it doesn't work that way: You have to acquire yourself a physical map first before you can load it in the menu – fair, but not quite favorable.

I could feel my stomach acid burning through my body just to satiate my lack of nutrients and energy. Some grim situation that I have gotten myself into.

Treading carefully, I scouted the pitch-black environment, trying to find a way through the abyss. What came in my view was rather unexpected: a light source – I was sure of it; the color of golden, yellow flames, inside a cave.

I was elated. 'At last!' – I thought.

Seeing that someone else had set up to wait the storm out, I sprinted towards the beacon of hope.

"Hello? Is there anyone here? I could use a lil- *cough*, ahem- a little help here!"

My voice cracked and my throat was dry – I hadn't bothered with trying my luck with the rain. The last thing I wanted was poisoning, and I don't have any toilet paper.

"Hey, hello?"

Well, isn't this my lucky day.

The cave was devoid of people. Whoever stayed in the place must have left to hunt, or was rescued. Traces of burnt wood littered the cave interior while the lingering kindle sparked and cackled.

The incessant rainfall had reduced the flames into embers, but they weren't unsalvageable.

As I was thinking of ways to keep my precious fireplace alive, an idea popped.

If I remember correctly, I had learned a fire magic skill 'Flame' a while ago from levelling up by defeating all of those monsters, along with the healing skill 'Cure'.

'Flame', obviously, creates a small flame to scorch the enemy, while 'Cure' is a healing-type spell that reconstructs organic or living matter, thus providing healing properties in the process.

…We have ourselves an interesting combination, haven't we?

If I were to use 'Cure' on the burnt firewood…

"Ha! The part that was originally burnt to ashes has been regrown, as expected."

Then it's time for my 'Flame' spell to shine…!

I chanted the spell, and a handful of flames burst from the fireplace. What a wonder – the hearth sprang to life.

Voilà, that is how you start a fire. How very handy.

The fire quickly surged in size and height, searing the ceiling and emitting bright light.

I reveled in the comfort of the hearth as I turned the remainders into fuel. I haven't the means to lie down and indulge, but I will take what I can get.

Strange as it all sounds, I have shelter, and a place to stay the night. The ordeal was grueling, but I suppose it's a part of life – nothing ever comes free.

Content with the turn of events, I laid next to the bonfire to dry myself.

"Hopefully, someone would notice the light from my fireplace and come investigate. That way, it would probably spare me the trouble of walking the rest of the way to Planeptune alone. Probably." I said to myself, trying to recompose after a day of insanity.

I don't know why I got teleported here, and not inside the city. I hoped I could contact Histoire-san, but knives and books are all I got. They don't seem particularly magical, nor does the white tome, either. It stopped glowing as soon as I took it out back then.

All on my own, left in a dark, damp place, injured, tired, hungry and aching for a shower… what could possibly go wrong?

I tried to dismiss my concerns as I causally checked my status page. To be honest, I was impressed at the growth.

Player Name: Haruhiro

Level 14

Experience: 245/19575

HP (Health Points): 3713/3927

MP (Magic Points): 1488/1524

Strength: 32 + 2 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Magic: 16 + 1 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Vitality: 19 + 1 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Agility: 27 + 2 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Dexterity: 25 + 2 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Luck: 9 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Detailed Stats

Physical Attack: 438+75 (Small Knives, None)

Physical Defense: 237+0 (No equipped armor)

Magic Attack: 144+0 (No equipped wands)

Magic Defense: 165+0 (No equipped armor)

Speed: 381+30 (Rental Boots)

Critical Rate: 5.33% + 0.33% (Small Knives)

Status: Tired (0.75x Attack Power, 0.8x Speed)

"I bet this place is like a den of sorts, with magus or dragons or bears lurking at the back. Who knows, maybe I'll become the next Dragonslayer." I said nonchalantly, rubbing my wounds with some Healing Grass.

Suddenly, the earth tremored.

Raining from above were rocks and dust, pelting me by the moment.

I felt like I had set up some death flags.

Indeed, my moment of peace was short-lived.

As soon as I attempted to strip my coat off to shield myself, I heard footsteps – loud ones, really loud. I felt the ground shake with every step, and I swore the ground creaked and cracked as the footsteps made their way to me.

Of course, I wasn't dumb enough to sit idly by and get stomped. I took out what was left of my weapon and maintained a fighting stance.

After some thirty seconds of waiting in cold sweat, I saw my intruder coming in full force-

"*GROOOAH*!"

"W-what?"

A humongous dragon, with roughly 4 times my height and a hideous face to match, came roaring at my face.

…Okay, I don't think I'm getting out of this one.

Fight or flight? The choice was obvious.

A wry smirk crept onto my face.

"I won't die like this."

The atmosphere was charged with tension, and I couldn't stop shaking in fear.

I put my blade before me, and gripped it tightly. Slowly, I bent down, forming a hunched posture.

And then I ran towards the exit.

What? Do you expect me to fight? Cowards live to fight another day, and I prefer living than becoming dragon dinner.

I put every ounce of strength into my lower torso, and then sprinted as fast as my legs could.

The effects of starvation were like claws clutching at my stomach and intestines, and to be honest, it bloody hurts.

It made me realize that Death was around the corner.

Adrenaline came pumping out, repressing the pain and tightening my flimsy muscles.

Rocks and boulders kept on hammering down, prompting me to leap sideways at every turn. The exit was so close, yet seemed so far.

"I can smell the scent of freedom…!"

The dragon, however, wasn't stupid enough to let its prey run away like that.

Within the blink of an eye, the dragon scaled the walls to shoot at the ceiling, blowing the rocks in the ceiling.

As I peeked upwards to dodge the incoming rocks pelting those below…

"Ow… what's this…? Oh."

I ran headfirst into a boulder, or rather, a literal wall of them.

The exit was blocked by the rubble from the blast.

Cold sweat rolled down my back. Don't look back, don't look back – I told myself.

The footsteps were becoming louder.

"Y-you better s-stop while you're at it, big guy…!"

"*GROOOAH*!"

There goes my chance then.

What now? – I sighed. The last thing I needed was stuck fighting a battle I can't win.

I would hate to just lay my arms down and die, though.

With abated breath, I faced the dragon.

Our gazes met. The colossal being, its eyes raging with anger stared daggers unto me. I wanted to look away, but I didn't.

The stare-down continued. The torrent of rocks stopped and silence plagued the area.

This thing had brown, thick-looking scales covering its body and large wings flailing about. A wave of nauseating miasma plagued the area. It smelled of metal – blood.

Acquired skill – Analyze

…? How did I…? Wait, now is not the time…!

I sharpened my focus on the dragon. Out of nowhere, a green light enveloped the dragon. As soon as the illuminance faded, a surge of information entered my vision.

Analysis Begin – Cost: 100MP

Earth Dragon Lv. 26

HP: ~56000

MP: ?

Physical Attack: ~950

Physical Defense: ~1600

Magic Attack: ?

Magic Defense: ?

Speed: ?

Target Skills:

Dragon Breath UNKNOWN

War Cry UNKNOWN

Air Raid

Elemental Affinities:

Null Earth

Analysis Incomplete – Target Power and Expertise exceeds own

Right after the influx of information, a wave of exhaustion struck, and the world before me blackened a little bit. For a moment, my arms went limp and my knees felt weak, breaking my posture.

…!

I rolled to the side as I sensed the danger in the air.

With the sound of a deafening roar, a stream of flames came rushing out of the dragon's gaping mouth, scorching where I was standing at mere seconds ago.

This is no time to be fooling around.

'What do I do? What do I do?' were the thoughts circulating my mind.

I was, at all honesty, scared stiff at the idea of facing such a strong enemy. One false swipe and I'm a goner. Both the dragon and I knew that.

Yet letting that primal fear of the strong run amok will not do. I subconsciously took a steady step back, my eyes closed as I attempt to recompose myself: I can't back down. I can't let it make a fool of me.

The residual heat stirred my half-awake senses back into action. Having nothing to lose, I darted headfirst towards the dragon with my blade drawn high.

*Slash*

The indescribable sensation of metal grinding against itself sprang alarms to every fiber of my being. My attack connected, but was hardly effective. I leapt back in an instant, this time to engage at the sides.

"…!"

I flinched in surprise as the giant beast flew up before promptly charging headfirst at me.

*Clang*

"W-whoooaaaa!"

Reflexively, I tried blocking its rampage with my puny knives, but I got knocked straight towards the rocky walls regardless.

"Ugh…!"

Blood came oozing out of my arms and back. The pain was paralyzing, like having a thousand needles jamming every spot on my body. My stomach acid reveled in my throat as the urge to vomit, driven by the impact, rendered me helpless.

I was otherwise fine, but the same cannot be said about my weapons – they were completely out of commission.

'I don't think I could do anything with these…' I solemnly thought, I might have dodged a one-way ticket to Hell, but I have much more to chew.

"I need a plan…"

No shit I do.

I didn't have much more stamina to waste.

The dragon, unwilling to let up the attack, spit some brownish light at me.

I made haste to roll away, reckoning that it was its earth-elemental attacks.

The resultant explosion struck the ceiling again – this time, heavier and bulkier boulders came crashing down, wreaking havoc in the cranky, old cave.

I bet this cave couldn't withstand any more abuse.

…Wait.

Fragile rocks and falling death, you say?

Hmm…

This seems like a strategy.

I could probably trick the beast into blowing up the ceiling above it and let the rocks do the work.

How will I approach the dragon, then?

If I charge in, it would probably just swat me like a fly. If I stay put and try dodging, I would tire myself out.

Speaking of fatigue, this place is really hot. I felt my beads of sweat slowly evaporating – like steam.

Steam…

Can I… 'rocket jump'?

Let's see here…

The dragon continued its unearthly barrage, its intensity increasing as I dodged the explosions soundly.

Taking advantage of a gap, I jumped upwards, before turned to aim at the floor while firing my fire spell.

"Flame!"

Instantly, the repulsive force from the blast of flames blew me skywards. My hands were burning hot from the scorching heat, but sure enough, the theory worked – I flew all the way to the left side of the cave – at the cost of a scant amount of health and 85 MP.

I wasn't going high enough, though. This thing was several meters tall. Aiming and timing seems to be the key to getting it right.

The MP gauge marked my lifeline – around 75%.

I would have around a dozen attempts left, with the rest of my mana as emergency provisions.

"Heh heh… Operation: Death From Above – sounds cheesy, but I'll take it."

I faced my nemesis yet again, this time without the slightest hint of fear.

As if the dragon understood my intentions, it began its War Cry uproariously, preparing to finish me off.

"Flame!"

With the sound of flames exploding and fire burning, a deadly battle of fire began while the cold rain outside drizzled even heavier than before.

[Nepgear's POV – Near the Dragon's Den]

The storm was becoming more and more violent – something that I did not foresee.

I had hoped that we could get through the mission in a less troublesome manner, but as the weather would have it, we had to pour in more effort.

"Achoo! Achoo! Nepu…"

Big sis was soaked to the bone and was sneezing violently, with tissues curled into white, soggy balls of snot. I made sure to tell her to resist the temptation of littering them on the way.

"Sorry, onee-chan. I ran out of tissues..."

"Nepu?! Then what am I going to do with my running nose?"

"I understand how hard it is to not sneeze, but we don't have other choices than to keep going… I'm sorry, onee-chan. How about a handkerchief?"

"uuuuu… Histoire better not go back on her promise of pudding or I am going on strike! Nepu!"

I really hope big sis would put her mind into looking for our poor friend.

Ah well, it's my dear sister after all, so it's okay.

We have been walking for hours on end by now, and my N-Gear, a custom-made gadget that contains a variety of useful functions, still hadn't picked up on the target's life signal.

The harsh, rampant thunderstorm probably stirred up some ambient magical power, interfering with my device's magic detection waves.

With such a terrible weather rampaging over the horizon, I would have normally chosen to wait until the storm had passed.

However, according to Histoire-san, it seems that the young man wasn't quite adept in combat, nor was he experienced in surviving in the wilderness (at all, in her words), which means we have to find him as soon as possible to ensure his safety.

I glanced at Neptune, who was covering her nose with my handmade handkerchief. She was looking ahead, trying to see beyond the raging winds of tempest.

Sis may not look it, but she is the type to step up when push comes to shove.

Unfortunately, it has been 11 hours since the young man was reported missing. The chances of successfully encountering him are, sadly, very slim.

But as a CPU candidate and one of the guardians of Planeptune, I couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to those in need.

Goodness… I just hope we could get to him in time…

*BAM* *POW*

*GROOOOAAH*

While I was left to pray for the fellow's safety, the sound of rocks crunching and collapsing made its way to us.

And was that… a dragon roaring?

That sounded really close…!

There is no way that adventurers and bounty hunters are still fighting in the midst of a storm, which means…!

"Nepgear?"

"Onee-chan, let's go!"

"…Yeah, can't let him wait for us any longer!"

[Haruhiro – Dragon's Den]

The fight was proceeding as intense as ever.

I had gotten the damn thing to blast itself into Saturn, but it just wouldn't give up. The brownish scales that had shimmered so brightly was torn and upturned, and its head become dented and bloody from the heavy impact.

Even in spite of all this, the dragon still stands tall, roaring fer, roaring savagely. Was it determination? Was it bitterness? Was it pride, to push the beast beyond its limits, just to not fall before a laughably weak human? I did not know.

The dragon continued its frenzy, clawing, charging and chomping at me. I could only look away, stammer backwards and roll around.

Since I was well out of melee range, the dragon would always have to close in to send its ferocious claws at me, but I wasn't slow enough to let it rush me down.

A couple of maneuvers provided some safety from the feral attacks. My joints felt as if they are being lit ablaze while my wounds grew feverishly painful. The debilitating pain was so bad that I had to support myself against the rocky wall, with my head in my hands, nursing the blood-filled bulge on my forehead.

I turned back only to found myself enveloped in shadows – right under the giant. Trying to avoid the powerful stomps, I blasted the earthen ground to launch myself in the air, never sticking at one place at a time.

Claws slashed through the air with absolute velocity, sending shockwaves across the rundown arena. I ignited the spell again, this time to glide back on top of the drake.

*RRRAAGGGHHH*

The dragon thrashed around to throw me off its back, yet I latched onwards like my life depended on it.

*GRRRRR…*

Clearly in a fit of rage, the damn thing ducked down and gestured to slam its back to the wall.

"Crap!"

I slid off the scales just in time to not go 'splat'.

Damn, that was close…

Baiting your opponents with yourself, leading them with dashes and agile movements, while wearing down their health with ranged attacks, or environmental damage, in this case…

So far, the strategy was working pretty well. In between dashing and evading, I would even sometimes blast the dragon directly. With this, I could dodge while draining the dragon's stamina.

I couldn't feel my legs, and my stomach feels like it is being twisted and torn. I really should have brought food and items before all of this shit happened. Weariness is a big de-buff in battle.

My enemy, too, seemed like it was on the ropes. Compared to its fearsome presence before the fight, it's now crippled and reeling from the concussion.

If I could drive something sharp into its wounds, it would fall, and I'm sure that the dragon knew, too. But I hadn't the means.

The MP gauge read 35%

I decided to ramp up my attacks and started firing my spell consecutively without aiming much. From the wings, the fangs, the stomach, as soon as I saw an opening, I fired without even batting an eye.

I could feel my soul running dry, so much so that I couldn't even keep my heavy eyelids pulling curtains on me.

*Slash*

"Grrk..!"

Damn…! It got me in the stomach.

The dragon claws dug into my skin and flesh, ripping part of it freshly off my body. I gingerly touched the wound, and a crimson fountain oozed out. It was just a scratch, just a scratch.

We were at our limits, but who is next to deal the finishing blow?

I could just run, and the dragon could pursue. It was a forced stalemate.

The dragon wasn't a big fan of Mexican standoffs.

Recklessly, it charged towards me at a terrifying speed, knocking up the debris in the area.

With one hand holding my stomach together, I stepped sideways, my consciousness going in and out. I was done for – I thought, as I stand battered and bleeding.

In between waves of darkness, a silver, almost magical gleam within the dust cloud shook me awake.

Immediately, I got my hands on that shiny, metallic thing lying on the ground.

I hadn't the luxury to examine the thing, but even at a distance I could see its twisted, curly edge covered in grit.

It's sharp, and good enough for a fight. The grip felt comfortable and wieldy: It was time to go.

Firing my three last spells, I closed the gap between the two of us.

I didn't need any skills, I didn't need any concealment, I didn't need any fancy piece of equipment – I was betting all on my last effort.

I ran up at its stomach, and sliced it once, twice, thrice... All sense of self-preservation had left me at that moment, and so did my sense of reason.

Only the strong shall survive.

I gouged out flesh after flesh and dug into the dragon – or what was left of it.

When the surge of adrenaline finally subsided, I fell to my knees, completely shocked at what I just did. Gooey blood covered my body, staining my clothing.

"I…live…?"

It was over, it was over. I was safe…

Drained of strength, I crawled some distance away from the decaying corpse, and lied down, facing the cracked ceiling.

I don't think I can move anymore – I felt my ribcage in pieces after all the abuse.

The debris had light seeped in through the gaps. It was so warm, so soothing. Through the holes I peered, and the morning sun had risen – the rain had subsided and so did the bloodshed.

Ah, I'm sleepy.

A voice resounded in the distance – was it Histoire? Was it the rescue party?

…Everything was growing dim.

Before the drowning desire to sleep took, a purple light shot through the ruined cave, and rocks were blasted open from the blocked exit. Knowing that I was finally going to be rescued, I let myself fall free into a temporal slumber.

[Nepgear – Dragon's Den (Destroyed)]

"There he is…!"

"Black coat, a slightly messy hair, and that face… he is the one that we have been looking for!" I exclaimed,

Those injuries… were those from the battle that have taken place just now?

"Nep Jr.! I don't know if there are any more monsters in the area, so don't let your guard down!"

Indeed, with that in mind, I came to the young man's side to stabilize his condition.

"Goodness… these wounds…"

…He was unconscious, and was battered badly. While his stomach was bleeding heavily, his vitals weren't hurt grievously. I presumed he had passed out owing to exhaustion. I immediately went to healing.

"How is our guy doing?"

"…He's hurt bad and unconscious. With my first-aid, the bleeding has lessened. But still, we have to send him to a medical facility. My Heal skill has its limits. Let's go, Onee-chan!"

"Roger that, Nep Jr! Let's nep our way back to Planeptune! Trans-form!"

With a blinding light, big sis had already finished transforming into Purple Heart.

Nevertheless, I came over to carry the young man on my back. He wasn't very heavy, and because I am a goddess, lifting him off the ground was quite easy.

Wait, I shouldn't be spacing out at a time like this…!

"Sister! I'm ready to go HDD!"

"Gotcha! Let's fly our way home!"

I mentally tapped in my Shares reserve. Waves and streams of energy fluctuate throughout my body, and my form is complete – Purple Sister.

With our transformation complete, we leaped and took off at blazing speeds, shooting across the sky like two purple meteorites slicing the darkness in half.

Orange and golden rays of sunlight shot down from above, indicating that nighttime has left and a new dawn has arrived. I and Neptune coincidentally came across the rising sun from the east, its glamour and glory covering across all of Gamindustri.

- - - - - - - - - Chapter 2: There's no rest for the Weary – Part 2: Debriefing- - - - - - - - - -

[Nepgear – Neptune's apartment]

"…I see, so that's what happened. Quite keen of you to notice Haruhiro in the midst of such harsh weather, it's thanks to you two that he managed to return safely. However, it really was the devil's luck that you stumbled into the area, if you didn't, I can't even fathom what would happen."

After listening to what happened to the person we rescued, whom we have later come to know as Haruhiro, Histoire thanked us for our hard work.

"Mmhm. So…Histoire-san, why did you have both me and Neptune rescue this person? It might sound cold and heartless, but is there a reason for goddesses to rescue a lost citizen in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason? There have been multiple cases where adventurers were reported lost during dungeon exploring and fierce battles, and we have nowhere enough manpower to look for these poor people. Even if this is a rescue mission, why are we the ones taking up the job? I thought the guild members are rather skilled in combat."

Although unarmed and weak, that Haruhiro fellow took on a wild dragon alone; that by itself is a remarkable achievement.

I used to have a lot of trouble taking them on, because I was lacking in speed and vitality. I still remember nearly getting burnt to a crisp if not for Neptune saving me.

Which means Haruhiro must have potential. Rescuing him would definitely bring benefit to Planeptune, or even to the rest of Gamindustri as well.

'The incidents are getting more serious after all…', I thought

Maybe Histoire-san will give me some insight into the matter.

After some moments of silence, Histoire-san began to speak in a gravely serious matter.

"Nepgear, what I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential, and under no circumstances should you relay this information to anyone else. Oh, and tell Neptune to stop her feast and come over as well."

"…I understand. I'll have big sis come over right now."

"Sister! Histoire-san wants us to meet her right away!"

I shouted in the hallway, trying to call for Neptune's attention.

"Mmmph?"

What I heard was a muffled reply; it looks like big sis was enjoying herself in the bucket of pudding. I approached her, and was greeted by someone else.

"Oh? Hello, Gear-chan! Are you hurt anywhere after coming back from that nasty place? I have prepared some medicine and bandages just in case you need them."

It was Compa, who had come to do a medical checkup on Haruhiro-san, as well as to pay us a visit.

"Hello, Compa-chan. Thanks for the concern, I'm fine. It's been a while since we last met, after you had to invest time to graduate in medical school, we have barely seen each other. How have you been?"

"Oh, I am doing alright. School is just like how it always was, and I'm catching up in academics, too. I have had a few bumps here and there, but I've been working very hard to cope with them. But this isn't about me, right? Hey, Nep-Nep? Gear-chan and Histoire-san are looking for you."

"Hmph? *Ack* What? Aw, can't you see I am having pudding here? It's been so long since I have tasted my dear pudding, you can't just tear us apart during our touching reunion like this, right? Can you pleaaaaaase let me finish this first?"

Neptune tried pleading by looking at us with watery eyes.

"Sister, this isn't the time to play around. Histoire-san it's an emergency, and you've had pudding yesterday, remember? Besides, you can save the pudding for later, right? You can just put it in the fridge. Come now, Onee-chan."

"Ugh…fine. Histoire better not be messing around now, or I am going to be really angry about this! Oh, my dear pudding, just wait for me…!"

"Compa-chan, I'm sorry, but Histoire said it's going to be just us allowed, can you stay out here and look after Haruhiro-san for us?"

"Yessy! Leave it to me!" Compa replied with a smile.

I led Neptune to Histoire-san, and sat down to listen to what she has to say.

"Ahem… now then, let's begin. As I have just said to Nepgear, you mustn't speak a word of this to anyone else, got it, Neptune? The last thing we'd want is widespread panic across all of Gamindustri."

Panic…?

"Mmm…Okay. So what's this big deal that you and Nep Jr. are on about?"

"Are you two informed about the strange monsters appearing out of nowhere in Planeptune?"

"Nope!"

Histoire-san looked like she was annoyed at Neptune being oblivious as usual.

"*Sigh*, as expected…"

"Actually… this was news to me too."

That's only half true.

I have heard from the Guild members saying that they have been busy exterminating new monsters in the suburbs, even in the beginner-friendly areas.

From what they have said about the situation, those monsters are quite dangerous for their unpredictable behavior and hostility, causing a steady loss in manpower due to wild encounters.

Thankfully, no one has died to those monsters yet, but if this keeps up, nobody could be sure.

And yet, I was still not very informed about the issue. So I thought having Histoire-san brief us about it would do better than blindly going over the bare bits.

"Well, I suppose I couldn't blame you two for not knowing. I have explicitly prevented all information related to be leaked to the public. In any case, where should I begin…?", with a worried expression, Histoire became quiet. I suppose she's handling her data.

Wait, hold on a minute!

Why did those Guild members tell me about it?

Just when I'm about to say something, has recovered from stasis.

"…Alright. According to the Planeptune Guild Intelligence Department, there has been a horde of unknown monsters came flooding out of nowhere recently."

"I have had the Guild send combat personnel to investigate the issue and destroy those monsters should they come across any."

"However, those monsters are not only stronger than we've expected, but also in great numbers. The teams we've sent have suffered quite the loss in manpower due to injuries, forcing them to pull back from outer parts of Planeptune."

"What? Even those guys couldn't cut it?"

"Goodness…" I couldn't help but frown, even big sis couldn't muster up her usual smile.

True, those same people were the ones who have dealt with powerful criminal organizations in the past. Together, their combat prowess was second only to CPUs and the occasional hardcore adventurer.

"Worse still, these foreign monsters have populated the dungeons and the areas surrounding it, merging with local lifeforms and producing more and more hybrids. This worrying phenomenon not only threatens adventurers' and citizens' safety, but also affects the local biological habitat." Histoire-san continued,

I wonder if Uni and the others know anything about these incidents…

"What bothers me is that those monsters are definitely up to something, as if they are harvesting energy from wildlife. So far, we have no information as to their purpose and the reason behind their abrupt arrival. I have contacted other CPUs about this."

"Um, what did they say?" I spoke anxiously,

If this calamity is somehow worldwide, then…

"Unfortunately, it would seem that they have already engaged similar monsters already. What's alarming is that they are in a much more pressing situation than ours. The last time I heard from Leanbox was that monsters are quickly approaching the main city, due to their lack of active personnel. For now, all other nations are so focused on pushing back the onslaught of monsters that even the CPUs can't even spare time for a meeting."

"Fortunately for them, citizens of those nations are putting ever more faith in their CPUs, so it is unlikely for them to fall. Noire and Uni are currently holding out the best out of the three for having advanced technology and great military potential. If anything, they would be the first one to stabilize their situation."

'At least Uni and Noire-san are safe… But it isn't any better for Blanc-san and her twin sisters to fight in their snowy terrain, if their supplies are cut off, Lowee and its residents are in dire need of help. Vert-san is also having it tough alone, and I don't think she is going to hold out until the nations can provide assistance.' I concluded in my mind.

"Nepgear… this sounds really bad. I wonder if we should help those Noire and the others right away. We can't leave them fending off those hordes all by themselves…!" Neptune said,

Histoire-san, genuinely surprised by big sis's proactive response, turned to me.

"Nepgear, what are your thoughts?"

"…I agree, out of the three, I think we should at least send some of our reserve force to Leanbox and try to settle things at Planeptune before moving on to the nearby Lastation, then the distant Lowee."

"That sounds like a feasible solution to me. Any objections, Neptune?"

"Aw, I had wanted to see the loner Nowaru first, knowing that she probably craves for my presence after being separated for so long. But Nep Jr. is probably right, so I am 100% onboard. *Sigh*. I guess I will just cope by having more pudding… More work makes a Nep Nep dull."

"Very well then, I should notify the other CPUs about our proposal and ask for their patience. I will keep you two informed if anything comes up, so for now, just try not to worry much and rest up. I know you all did admirably at the mission I gave you."

"Oh oh, do I get to eat more pudding then?"

"…As long as you don't get sick or go bankrupt from eating one too many servings, it's fine."

"Yay!"

Sister… isn't it time for you to learn some self-restraint?

I thought about saying that out aloud, but then decided against it. I'm sure big sis will learn her lesson sooner or later.

"Haruhiro-san will be an important asset in combating our mysterious adversaries. I'm sure you all have noticed – he is not an ordinary adventurer."

"Yeah! He's gotta be a stupid adventurer to go in alone like that!" Big sis added,

"…Neptune, I would really appreciate it if you can be QUIET! (҂⌣̀_⌣́)"

"…Ahem. It seems that Haruhiro-san will be the prophecy's hero, according to my reliable divinations. He may be the key to solving this crisis, and our top priority is to keep him safe until he can stand on his own two feet…literally and metaphorically."

So that's why Histoire-san was so adamant on retrieving him…

"I understand. Is there anymore we ought to do?"

"Not at the moment. Perhaps now is a time for contemplation than action."

Seeing that Histoire-san has finished relaying information to us, I signaled Neptune to leave. Then I heard the sound of quiet knocking on the door.

*Knock Knock*

"Sorry to interrupt, everyone. It seems that our patient has woken up, would you like to see him now?" Compa said,

"Oh, in that case, how about going over to check on him then? I'm sure our guest needs some explaining after all." Histoire-san proposed, which we then nodded in agreement.

Finally, it's time to meet Haruhiro-san.

I wonder why there is a tingly feeling that pushes me to see him as soon as possible, maybe it's because I have never really talked to males before, or it's because he is a mysterious fellow.

With uncertainty and curiosity in my heart, I took my dear sister's small hands and walked into the guest room.

- - - - - - Chapter 2: There's no rest for the Weary – Part 3: Dream and Reality - - - - - -

[Haruhiro POV – ?'s Room]

Ouch, ouch, ouch.

The paralyzing pain jolted me like an electric current waking me up in an instant.

I wanted to open my eyelids, but they just stayed shut. For some reason, I felt like they were glued by… something.

…And then I realized, it wasn't just my eyelids, my whole body, was literally tied up like a mummy. I couldn't move at all, and it was awfully tight and suffocating. My breathing was ragged as I tried hard to get a breath of fresh air.

Ow ow ow ow ow…

I obviously forgot about my injuries, and cramps immediately came to remind me of them. Ah, I absolutely love getting tied down to a bed in agony.

Anyhow, I've had enough for this sticky mess, so I tried to rip off the bandages despite the excruciating pain.

… …

Ah, fresh air, at long last!

After getting rid of the tight bandages around my hands and chest, I could finally breathe properly, so I moved to free the rest of my body. With a bit of struggle, the silky fiber came off.

Upon opening my eyelids, the illuminance in the room blinded me temporarily. I rubbed my eyes softly, trying to get used to the brightness of the room.

Wait.

This place looked more like a girl's bedroom than a hospital ward.

…Which is quite confusing, I thought I was rescued back to Planeptune? What am I doing in this place…?

I realized that I probably couldn't figure those things out on my own, so I called out… or more accurately, tried calling out. With my throat dry and my voice croaked, I couldn't say a thing. So I conveniently grabbed a mug and downed its contents in one big gulp.

…!?

"*Blegh* what's this? It's so bitter!"

This corrosive, bitter taste is eroding the insides of my mouth! Is this sodium hydroxide?

My tongue felt like its burning and welling up… I thought this was supposed to be water, not a cup of poison…

Speaking of what I drank, there's something written on a note on the mug…

Let's see here…

'Medicine for your wounds, please drink it thoroughly. Caution! Its taste is incredibly foul! Please make sure to put in the sweetener before consumption! ~'

I tilted my head to the right, and sure enough, there was a purple, candy-like capsule sitting just inches away from where I took the cup.

Well, I've already drank it all, so I will just leave the sweetener there.

Come to think of it, I have nothing to do at the moment. I'm bored out of my mind here, and I reckon I shouldn't try anything funny. The dull pain felt from my stomach reminded me of that deathly dance with the dragon.

So I simply shifted my position to lie comfortably.

*Knock*

"Excuse me, are you awake?" A feminine voice asked,

It was…! An angel!?

A girl in knitted clothes and nurse cap came in.

The creamy, white hair and that figure…

What's this? A wild, cute nurse has appeared?

I could feel my brain turning into a cauliflower as I try to desperately find the words I want to say.

"…Nope."

"Oh, okay! I guess I should come back later…"

"No, wait! I was just joking, is all!"

How did that backfire on me?

I guess I've royally screwed my first impression.

"Um, if you don't mind, can I come in first to check on your condition? You were sent here covered in injuries, and it might be bad if those wounds open up again."

Crap!

I tore off all of those bandages when I woke up!

"Um… Can you wait for a second? I need to, uh... prepare myself."

"Hm? Okay, take your time then. I am going to tell the others that you're awake. Please tell me when you're done."

Phew, I dodged a bullet there.

If she had come when I was dressed up like this, I'll be labelled a pervert for sure.

Nevertheless, I tried to get up and look for my clothes.

…Only to find that they weren't here.

"Wait, you've got to be kidding me. How am I supposed to dress up properly when I don't have my clothes?"

To make matters worse, I can hear footsteps coming, lots of them.

They are definitely coming this way!

"Crap, crap, crap! What do I do?"

No… I don't want to spend the rest of my life being labelled as an exhibitionist…

Wait, I know!

As if a speed demon possessed me, I ducked for covers under the soft bed sheets, pretending that I was still way too incapacitated to move, while putting the ripped bandages beneath my body. I shut my eyes as I hoped for the best.

*BAM*

…And as I expected, the door flung open with a slam.

What came next was completely out of my wildest dreams.

A little girl, with lilac hair and big, purple eyes stormed into the room and came running to my bedside.

"Heya! You are Haruhiro, right? I'm Neptune, and this is Nepgear! We were the ones who saved you, ya damsel in distress!"

…Excuse me?

"Um… are you lost, little girl? It's alright, here, take this candy and leave through that door. Thank you very much." I promptly said, handing the sweetener to this Neptune girl. I wonder, where are her parents?

"Thanks! Hey…Wait! That's rude, you know?"

The little loli wasn't too happy about me 'mistaking' her for a wandering child. She pouted at me with watery eyes, as if she was trying to convince me by staring into my soul with those admittingly cute, purple gems.

…Ugh! Too cute! And too close!

Seeing that I was flushed red, Neptune turned cheeky and started doing some… very strange things.

"Ohohoho, what's this? How amusing, I wonder what happens if I do this?"

While keeping a devilish smile on her face, Neptune started poking me in the chest through the soft bed sheets. Hey, stop it already! That part is ticklish…!

"St- stop it!"

"Whoa, that moan sounded really cute just now. Can you do it again, again?"

"Sister, what are you- "

Oh no.

When Neptune was having her way with the defenseless me, another person who looked just reminiscent to Neptune, but has longer hair and a taller body, came into a room, along with the cute, klutzy-looking girl I saw earlier.

This is going really bad!

"Wha-? Goodness- KYAAAAAAAHHH! PERVERT!"

Wait, why are you running at me-

*SLAP*

"Yowch! That hurt!"

"Hey, Nep Jr! I was just messing around with him; you don't need to be so serious about it!"

After some minutes of explaining, the girl named Nepgear calmed down and apologized.

"I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding, and I apologize for my sister's immature behavior…"

The girl bowed and looked remorseful. To be honest, I'm still quite mad, but it really makes me uncomfortable making a girl bow down like this…

"Please, don't lower your head. You'll make me feel bad instead…"

"…Huh? I'm so sorry for that!"

…Do you even understand what I mean…?

"Hey, it's enough already. Come on, stop apologizing for your little sister's antics, I'll let it slide this time."

"Really…? Thank you very much!"

The girl wiped her cheeks and showed me a refreshing smile.

"Wait a second, Haru. I am Nepgear's elder sister! Can't you tell from first glance? Geez, that's really rude!"

…You are one to talk, you troublemaker.

And you haven't even apologized to me!

I am not going to let you off the hook that easily, I thought, so I decided to joke about Neptune by making fun at her expense.

"I'm sorry, Neptune-san. I really couldn't tell that you are the elder sister from your small size and childish behavior. If you really are the older one, then please, for the love of god, act like one." I said, acting all snarky with my words.

"DAH! Why you…? AAAAHHMMPHMMPH…"

Before she could say any more, her sister stepped in and covered her mouth. Ah, there we go, a moment of peace.

"I'm sorry for that, Haruhiro-san. Big sis! It's rude to do that!"

"*MMPH!* *MMPH!*"

Still resisting, huh?

It's actually quite funny seeing her like that.

A small smile crept up my face.

…Though I don't really want to get myself involved in more annoying stuff like this anymore, so I tried talking about something else.

"…With that aside, though, do you know me? I don't recall ever meeting you two, let alone giving my name."

"Oh, that. Well, you see…"

"It was I, I told them about you, Haruhiro."

That voice…!

It was the same one I talked to back then!

"You're… the tome who saved me!? Histoire-san?"

"Yes, that's correct. (-‿◦)"

A fairy-like being flew into the room, she looks like a child, except much smaller and is magically sitting on a levitating book.

Is that Histoire-san, in the flesh?

"Wait, hold on a second. I don't really understand what's going on."

"Indeed you should be, that's why I'm here to do some explaining."

…and thus the lecture began.

I tried my very best to not fall asleep through the whole thing, managing to stay awake by pinching myself in the leg.

To sum it all up, Histoire was not only an immensely powerful being that governs history itself, but is also the Oracle of Planeptune, aiding the CPU of Planeptune and occasionally the other CPUs and their respective oracles in their affairs, politics and management duties.

And the CPU of Planeptune is…

"Tada! That's me, Neptune, the protagonist of protagonists!"

"And I'm the CPU candidate, Nepgear. It's nice to meet you."

Now…

Nepgear I don't mind so much.

But why is that Neptune girl the goddess?

Just… Why?

Why hasn't the country collapsed already?

"Ah, Haruhiro-san, I ought to let you know that Neptune has indeed messed up Planeptune more than once in economics, cultivation, education, and the list goes on. It was I along with Nepgear and her friends that eventually fixed Planeptune back into shape… If that's what you are wondering about, judging from your interesting expression."

So basically, Neptune is the underperforming goddess who never learns from her mistakes and slacks off daily, and the only reason why Planeptune still stands is because of the competent Nepgear and Histoire-san trying their damn best to deal with everything.

Well, I sort of understand why Neptune doesn't want to work, because I can relate to that.

But still, this girl… She needs to learn a thing or two.

"And that's the gist of it. Haruhiro-san, do you understand everything?" Histoire asked,

"I think I do, and thanks for the explanation. There are just a couple things that bother me though."

"What is it?"

"Why am I teleported out in the wild?"

"That's, uh, well…"

"I ran out of RAM."

"Histy ran out of RAM."

"I have no words."

"Please, you must understand…! I have a nation to manage and it is very hard for me to allocate extra RAM to complete such a task!" Histoire pleaded,

"…I thought I was someone important? Important enough to have the leaders of a nation, who happens to be deities themselves, come and save me from danger?"

"W-Well… the transfer took a lot more energy than I had originally calculated…"

Are you, by some chance, a malfunctioning potato PC, Histoire?

"Ahem. Fine, I suppose. But there's more." I concluded. There's no use crying over spilt milk.

"Where do I fit in all of this? I don't really understand why you would specifically introduce me to these two… Oh, but I don't mean that in a bad way."

"I thought it would be easier for you to survive in this world if you get to fight alongside the CPU and its candidate."

"I seriously doubt whether this Neptune girl, who looks like a 14-year-old in all honesty, is reliable enough."

"Aw, shucks. Thanks for mentioning how young I am!" Neptune said, her cheeks puffed from her big smile.

That was supposed to be a mockery! Stop getting so happy about it!

"Wait, if sister looks that young, it means I'm around the same age! Yay!"

…Even you, Nepgear?

Well, technically speaking, they are supposed to be 'ancients' or 'old hags'. Girls of all ages really like to be seen as young. Then again, I wouldn't want to be called an old geezer, too.

I gave up in trying to process all of this ongoing nonsense; this is too much for me.

"Um, Haruhiro-san… Please hang in there, Nep-Nep might be a little bit strange and annoying in the beginning, but eventually you will get used to it and start to like her. That's how Iffy and the others made friends with Nep-Nep, anyways." The nurse Compa said,

"Iffy? Are you talking about IF, from the guild?"

"Yessy! Wow, so you know each other?"

"Uh, I only met her once, actually. She's really kind, though."

So IF-san is an acquaintance of this strange group as well… That's actually kind of surprising. Not sure how she'd handle the troublemaker loli though.

"*Ahem* Can we go back on the topic, please?" Histoire said impatiently,

"Oh, right. Sorry, Histoire-san"

"As I was saying, there is going to be a crisis that affects all of Gamindustri, and I highly suspect it has something to do with these strange monsters that have been coming out of nowhere. I'm sure you've experienced their power first-hand, right Haruhiro?"

"Please don't remind me of it…"

Yeah, I still remember what being burnt alive feels like.

"…On the bright side, at least you got to meet me, right? (^_^)"

"I'd prefer we meet like this instead."

"…The strange influx of monsters definitely has something to do with the upcoming crisis, I'm sure of it. That's why, Haruhiro, I need you to help Neptune and Nepgear in this task." Histoire continued,

"Wait, Histoire-san, isn't that supposed to be confidential? *Whispers* Compa is here, and I think it would be best if she doesn't get involved in this." Nepgear said with a worried expression,

…And has stopped working.

"Don't worry, Histoire-san! Everyone in Planeptune has been talking about the monsters lately, so I think one more helper wouldn't be suspicious or anything. I can help, too!" Compa said,

"What?! I remember specifically asking those Guild members to…!"

I thought I saw sparks emitting from the little fairy. Over-processing, I presume?

"Histoire-san, I think it's probably because there are too many eyewitnesses and encounters that news of which has spread…" Nepgear replied,

"*Sigh* Well, it can't be helped. I'll deal with the press and warn the public about the dangers later. (=_=)"

"Histy, it's great that you are letting Haru join us, but what are we gonna do anyways?" Neptune asked,

"…Is Haru supposed to be me?"

"Once all of you've recuperated, try doing some quests posted in the Guild first; they can really use a helping hand when they already have their hands full of work. If you run into some Tough or Dangerous monsters, just go all-out and keep Haruhiro safe until he gets strong enough. That's all."

"Aw, Haru is so weak… It's okay, though, the goddess Neptune is here at your service!"

Neptune, while saying something rude, struck a pose to look dependable.

Why do I feel like this is not a good idea?

"Well then, please excuse me. I have matters to attend to."

Histoire left the crowded room, with a sigh, too, I imagine.

Immediately afterwards, Neptune nudged me and said,

"Hey, Haru. Wanna go have some pudding together? I'm bringing my games too!"

"Neptune-san, I have a proper name, you know? It's Haruhiro. But fine, I'm starving and bored, so I'll take you up on the offer."

Seeing I had taken the bait, the goddess smirked mischieviously.

"Heheh, I bet you're just embarrassed having a girl calling your name so affectionately, right? *Giggle* Aw, you're beet-red! Well, I'll be right back with supplies!"

And so the little devil ran away like lightning

…How annoying.

"Compa-chan, I'm going with big sis. Can you help us take care of Haruhiro-san for a while? Thank you very much." Nepgear said, with a tinge of melancholy.

For a moment, I saw a flash of sadness on her beautiful face.

It looks like something is troubling her, but I won't pry into it. I wouldn't do something so ungentlemanly.

"Okay then!"

Finally, some alone time.

"Compa-san. Would you, by some chance, have some painkillers on you?"

[Nepgear POV – Living Room]

The walk to the living room was longer than usual.

The reason I followed Neptune is because I don't want to let anyone see the expression on my face.

I knew Haruhiro-san was hiding his contorted face in pain for the whole time, as well as the bloodied bandage that was hidden beneath the bed sheets.

He had barely made it out alive; of course he is suffering from the aftermath of that battle.

It pains me to see him suffering like that, because if we had gotten to him earlier, Haruhiro-san wouldn't have suffered so much.

Why am I messing up again…?

"Nepgear, if there's something you want to say, go ahead. Big sis is here to listen."

I looked at Neptune in surprise.

Did she notice?

"Dummy, you think I wouldn't notice? I'm your sister, there's no way I would ignore what you are going through, come now, what's wrong?"

"Uuuugh…"

I tried holding back my tears, but I couldn't. Streams of water rolled down my cheeks.

"…*sniff* Sister, do you think I'm useless? If I had failed the mission and let Haruhiro-san die… How could I amount to anything at this rate? The weight of a CPU's burden is heavy, and if I can't even save a person, then let alone the entire nation, and the world…!"

"I can't help but feel devastated by the sight of his appalling wounds, Neptune. More people out there have suffered, are suffering, and will suffer injuries like that if I don't become better. But what do I do? I don't think I can ever succeed you."

I let the silence hung in the air for a moment. It was always big sis, or the others that showed up whenever the need arose.

In place of a reply, big sis only stood there, looking at me with gentle eyes. Without warning, she locked me in a warm embrace, softly patting my head.

"Aw, is that all that's bothering you? First of all, do you think I would be the type of gal to think like that? And we did get him to safety, in the end, that's what matters, right?"

"…Huh?"

"It's true that you couldn't do much at that time, but who can blame you? I was running alongside you throughout the whole time and even I didn't notice, so if you say you're useless, than I'm even worse, right?"

"But still…!"

"Hush, don't say a word. Nepgear, what's done is done. There's no meaning in getting upset about your mistakes in the past. Besides, look at Haru! He's all safe now, and he's grateful about us saving him. You gotta look at the big picture, okay Nep Jr.?"

"Neptune…"

"Come now, let it all out. I'm here with you."

A while afterwards…

"It's fine to put up a tough front in front of others, but be honest with how you feel when you're with me, okay?" Big sis lectured, ever so tenderly.

"…Mhm."

Her body is so small, her shoulders so unfit to bear any responsibility, and so unreliable, but it's warm, and comforting.

"Maybe that's why she's my dear, big sister."

"Hm? Were you saying something?"

"…!? No, it's nothing at all, nothing at all!"

"Has Uni's tsundere-ness rubbed off you? Because I feel like someone is hiding something… Hmm. Heheh, just kidding! Let's go get our cache!"

And with that, we returned slowly and silently, with pudding and consoles in hand.

After replying to Nepgear, Compa turned to me.

"Haruhiro-san, I think it's time for you to take off those bandages for new ones. Don't worry; I will close my eyes so I won't see you naked."

…But wouldn't that make you blind?

"Ah… It's so dark, I can't see a thing! But it's okay, I've turned around now, you can take them off."

How could you put on new ones if you can't see anything?

Uh… but I had already done that even before you came in.

*Clunk*

After shutting her eyes, Compa tried taking her medical supplies from the medical cabinet, but instead tripped and fell on me.

"Aaaaargh!"

"*Gasp*! Sorry, sorry! I'm getting up now!"

"Just where are you touching with your hands, Compa-san?"

I don't know if it was dumb luck, or if karma was being an pain in the arse as usual, but Compa managed to press on every single one of my wounds while she was trying to stand up straight.

"Argh! Ow! Ouch! Compa-san, can you please stop that? Just open your eyes and stay outside of the room until I'm done with doing it, please!"

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry! Excuse me!"

…and there she goes, faster than a speeding bullet.

Finally, I can mind my own business.

"Haruhiro-san, tell me when you're done!"

"Okay, got it!" I shouted back,

After the unpleasant turn of events, I simply took out the bloodied bandages that I was hiding the entire time, and laid them out on a table.

Then I made shuffling noises and started ripping the bandages to make it sounded like I was still in the middle of taking them off. I didn't want to sound suspicious, after all.

After a while, I stopped and told Compa that I'm done with the bandages, and then wrapped myself back in my bedsheets.

And remember, all this time, I'm pretty much naked under the sheets.

I'm not enjoying this nor am I a closet pervert, but circumstances have led me to where I am now.

Yep, that's my excu- uh, I mean, defense if I got sent up to court for public indecency.

"Oh, you're done now. Then I am going to disinfect those wounds first before applying new bandages on top."

"Wait, wait! I know how to do first-aid, so I'll be fine with it by myself! You don't have to come in!"

"Really? But I'm not so sure about that…"

"It's 100% fine! See, you just have to rip the plastic off here and pour the disinfectant her-! OWWWWWW, IT HURTS! Uh, I mean, I'm fine here, comfortable, even!"

"W-Well, if you say so…"

I feel these near-misses are way too close for comfort…

I then had the whole first-aid procedures done within 5 minutes, which was rather fast from someone who had only seen the steps from 3-chan.

"Compa-san, I'm all done with the procedures!"

"Oh, I'm coming in then."

"…and so are we! Tada! Game consoles and delicious pudding! You sure took your sweet time in there, huh? Were you doing something sneaky? In that case, then you're rather fast!"

What the hell?

"So who was it? Was it the klutzy Compa, or the timid Nepgear, or the perfect me?" The little goddess said teasingly,

"…Can you stop it with the indecency? And how would I be capable of that within five goddamn minutes?"

"Oh, so that means you would do it if you had more time?"

I could feel my rage and embarrassment burning up inside of me, while on the other hand, the cheeky Neptune only snickered and laughed at my expense.

Deep breaths…

"…Are you curious about it, then?"

"*Panics* I'm just joking, just joking!"

"Very funny. If you don't want to become a laughingstock, you'd better behave."

"Putting the crazy goddess aside, can I have my clothing back? I have nothing to put on."

"Oh, right. Are these yours?" Nepgear pointed at a pile of black, neatly folded clothes.

Hey, how did I miss that?

"I think so, can I have them?"

"…Of course. Here you go."

Nepgear handed me my full set of clothing, yep, it's all here.

"Could you-?"

"Of course, we'd be stepping out now."

I put on the T-shirt and the trousers while using the bed sheets as cover. When I finished, I had them come in again.

"You're done? Great, let's start the gaming marathon!" Neptune said excitedly, what a child.

Games…? That's my home turf.

*Sigh*

Foolish being, let's see how you fare against the mighty overlord of games…

"Let's start with my best game in my arsenal…Heheh, I'll show you what a real goddess is capable of!"

Several hours later…

"Is that your best, goddess of Planeptune?"

"AHHHHHHHH! THAT COMBO WAS CHEAT! How… just how? Impossible, to think that my best character… would be utterly defeated…!"

Do you see now?

That's the difference between a pitiful goddess and a great player like me.

Mess with the bull and you get the horns. It doesn't matter whether it's a new game or whatever, my skills get transferred as long as the basics remain the same.

By the way, all you've been doing is mashing buttons and throwing out attacks blindly, so it's no surprise that you lost.

I smirked at my overwhelming victory, which then erupted into a laugh.

"Ahahahahahahaha! You think you could best me with such puny powers? How foolish, I'm afraid you have to train up for a hundred years before you can even hope to touch me!"

"Grrrr…!"

"Uh, you two have been playing for 8 hours straight already; shouldn't you two give it a rest?"

"Nep Jr., you don't understand! This is a matter of my gamer's pride! I can't let it be insulted like this! Haru, my arch-enemy in fighting games, I challenge you again to a duel!"

"Are you sure? You've been on quite the losing streak for a while."

"Hmph! I won't accept that a beginner at the game would defeat me so easily! I AM NOT GIVING UP!"

"Heh, very well. I'll fight you until the cows come home!"

And with that, my showdown with the childish goddess began.

Legend has it that the divine goddess was beaten so one-sidedly that she retreated into her room and shut herself for three days and three nights by a mysterious young man in crutches.

Eh, more like three minutes, anyways.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Chapter 2 END - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author's Words:

Hello again. It has been a pleasure to write again.

Chapter 2 is out and I hope you all enjoy it!

I hope all of you like the pacing and the occasional funny moments.

Umm… I don't know what else to put down.

Thank you for your continued support!

See you in the next release!

- NepuAqua

Player Name: Haruhiro

Level 20

Experience: 56/32600

HP (Health Points): 3467/5535 (Regernation: Restores 20HP per minute)

MP (Magic Points): 2478/2478

Strength: 41 + 4 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Magic: 19 + 2 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Vitality: 18 + 2(Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Agility: 29 + 3 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Dexterity: 27 + 3 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Luck: 10 + 1 (Passive: Zenkai Spirit)

Detailed Stats

Physical Attack: 598+275 (Silver Edge, None)

Physical Defense: 377+0 (No equipped armor)

Magic Attack: 167+0 (No equipped wands)

Magic Defense: 245+0 (No equipped armor)

Speed: 481+30 (Rental Boots)

Critical Rate: 5.94% + 0.75% (Silver Edge)

Skills:

Flame

Cost: 85 MP

Special Effect: Inflict Burn status ailment (Low odds)

Description: The user sends forth a small burst of flames to scorch the target, dealing a small amount of Fire damage.

A basic spell known by everyone for its practical use.

Shadow's Lurk

Cost: 4 MP per second

Special Effect: Gives the user Stealth status effect. This skill can only be cast on self.

Description: The user hides, erasing their existence and hides within the shadows for as long as they desire. The next melee strike will do 50% more damage and lowers the target's defense for 3 seconds.

Drains MP while in effect.

If the user attacks while Shadow's Lurk is in effect, the user will no longer retains the stealth gained from Shadow's Lurk.

Backstab

Cost: 120 MP (Requires a blade-type weapon to execute)

Description: Backstab, your run-of-the-mill, classic assassin skill.

Upon activation, the user dashes behind the target and stabs them viciously, ignoring a portion of enemy defense, dealing high physical damage. This attack is more likely to critically strike the opponent, dealing 300% critical damage.

If the enemy's back is already exposed for the attack, then the MP cost will be reduced by half.

Assault

Cost: 340 MP

Special Effect: +100 MP cost per additional use. Attack and Defense are reduced by 20% for each activation of the skill. Effect resets after resting (of more than 4 hours of effective sleep).

Description: The user storms in, dashing next to the target, and unleashes an intense barrage of slashes and blows, dealing multiple hits for medium physical damage.

This attack also suppresses the target (if possible) during the combo. However, prolonged use of the skill not only drains more of the user's strength, but also reduces the user's overall battle capacity.

"The best defense is a good offense."

Analysis

Cost: 100 MP

Description: The user focuses their psyche, analyzing the enemy for weaknesses, strengths and base statistics. If the user's expertise and level is not sufficient enough, certain stats will appear as random jargon.

"Know thy enemy, know thy weaknesses. For they shall strike wherever hurts the most…"

Adversity (Passive]

Special Effect: Provides immunity to mental status ailments.

User's and increases by 0.5% per 1% of HP lost, capping at an increase of 30% at 60% lost health.

Description: Adversity is a skill that provides greater attack power as the user takes more and more damage. The desire to triumph all adversities will breathe power into the user, giving them a clear state of mind and extra strength.

"The world is unfair. Sometimes, you might find yourself against an impossible adversary. May this tiny power be bestowed upon you, to have what it takes to fight back this seemingly unstoppable onslaught." – The Legendary Quartet

Inventor (Passive)

Description: Derived from the power of the Wild Card, this ability allows the use of skill fusion and the creation of new, undiscovered skills.

The Wild Card comes from the number 0 – empty, but creates infinite possibilities.

Zenkai Spirit (Passive)

Description: The burning desire to become strong and spike the hidden power from within. Zenkai Spirit allows the user gain more experience and stat points upon levelling up and doubles the effect of base-stat boosting items.

May also provide unknown effects.

"The will to fight means the will to survive. Cowards live to fight another day; Warriors fight to live another day."