Volume 7 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

"... . eh? You're...Shin?"

"!?"

Shin was surprised to hear his name from Milt's lips .

His face was visible only from the eyes and above . [Analyze] couldn't be used when the target's face wasn't completely visible .

Milt was one of the top players among those caught in the death game . It wouldn't be strange for her to identify Shin via [Analyze], but it was a mystery how she had found out it was him before even trying that skill .

"(I will deal with her . I don't know if Milt noticed your presence too, but it's best if you stay hidden . )"

"(Understood...her spirit's condition is abnormal too, please be careful . )"

Shin nodded without turning back and emerged from the water as naturally as he could, in order to keep Milt's focus on him .

His eyes never left Milt .

"How did you know it was me?"

"I have practiced spirit techniques focusing on the water element, after all . My Undine is a dear friend, and you were underwater . I don't think I need to explain further . "

"Ah, a technique that wasn't in the game...no, I should stop thinking in these terms . "

Shin didn't know what spirits were . He discarded that opinion, reminding himself to stop thinking with a game-like frame of mind .

"I'm glad you understood so quickly . I too have something to ask you, can I? I didn't contact the others, so rest easy . "

"Well isn't that grand . What do you want to know?"

Milt's expression became stern after Shin's question . After staring at Shin for several seconds, she spoke .

"Are you really Shin?"

"At the very least, I think I am . I don't know if it'll be enough proof, but I remember the battle when I cut you down . "

Shin talked about his final battle with Milt . Some of the information he mentioned was only known to them .

"I see, you really are Shin...but if you are in this world, then it means you died? Did someone kill you? Or was it a monster?"

"No one killed me . I was pretty surprised myself when I got here . "

"I bet . I was completely lost too, at the beginning . "

Shin continued the conversation while studying Milt's reactions . Time passed, but no other presence was entering his field of perception .

Rather, Shin noticed that Milt's way of talking had changed . Her polite speech was gradually turning into a somewhat childish one .

"You came here to destroy the ritual, I guess?"

"Who knows . "

"You don't need to hide it . I'm sure you did . The Shin I know would never ignore something so cruel . Because Shin is scary... . and... . kin...d... . "

"... . . Milt?"

Shin called to Milt when her words started to sound feverish . She had been talking happily until a moment ago, but her expression had gradually turned into a grimace of pain .

"Ah, aaah...Shi...n...? It can't...be... . I'm, dea... . . d...? Aaah...Shin...Shinshinshinshinnn!!"

Milt started moving while repeating Shin's name .

Creating ripples in the water, she moved next to Shin in an instant . Even if her mental state was abnormal, her physical body remembered her movements and reproduced them perfectly .

A deranged smile was on her face .

"I felt something was off...so I was right . "

After muttering a curse, Shin prepared to fight back . He caught her right hand, which was aiming for a palm strike, with his left hand, then stopped her left knee strike with his right hand .

Milt, thus unable to move one arm and leg, tried to kick Shin with her right leg . Shin let go of her limbs and dodged the kick aimed at his chin .

He had cast [Cure] to heal her status ailments, but black mist had covered the attacking Milt's body; the magic skill had not affected her .

However, Shin's [Cure] had dispelled most of the black mist . Using it one more time would have likely generated the desired effects .

Possibly because of the mist's disappearance, Milt's expression started to seem confused . She had put distance between them, as if scared by something, and started to attack randomly, like a complete beginner .

Shin drew closer to Milt, while nullifying the continuous magic attacks with his innate resistance .

"I wan...ted . . wanted...to see yo... . where... . fight...sleepy...scary..."

The words coming out of Milt's mouth were scattered, broken . Shin thought she was reliving memories of the death game .

His assumption came from the knowledge of her reason for being so obsessed with fighting .

"... . am I, alive? I will, wake up? No... . if so...then..."

Milt's next words cleared all of his remaining doubts .

"Someone, please...............kill, me . "

"I refuse . "

Milt's words left her lips as tears streamed down her cheeks, but Shin refused her .

He stopped both of her arms with his right hand, then grabbed her head with his left hand .

"Come back to normal already!"

The skill he used blew away all the mist haunting Milt's body .

He had infused more magic power in this second [Cure], which easily blew past the mist's resistance and healed Milt's status ailments .

Milt's status was now normal . However, possibly because of the mental burden, she had lost consciousness .

Shin couldn't leave her lying naked like that, so he materialized a mantle and laid it on her .

"If even someone her level ended up manipulated, there are demons on a whole other level than the one in Bayreuth . "

"A Duke class, maybe? Or even..."

"Could be a Grand Duke . "

Milt's stats were high enough that, with the right equipment, she could fight toe to toe with Kagerou . Being a poison user, she had trained her resistances to status ailments too .

Despite that, she had been affected by powerful status ailments .

Whoever had put Milt under their control was someone with abilities equal or superior to hers .

"Hn..."

While Shin and Schnee were talking, Milt mumbled softly .

As she slowly opened her eyes, maybe because she noticed the presence of people in the vicinity, she looked towards Shin .

"Eh...Shin...?"

"Hey there, you're awake?"

"Ah, yes... . eh? Shin!? Why!? Aaah! Why am I naked?!?"

Milt fully regained consciousness, slightly panicking after noticing her state . She apparently had no recollection of recent events and was rightfully confused, voicing questions such as "Where am I!?" or "Why is my body all sticky!?"

"Er... . anyway, let's calm down, OK?"

"Shin, why are you naked too...? C-could it be that you have taken advan-?!"

"I haven't!! And look better, I'm wearing a swimsuit! I'm not naked!"

Shin couldn't help but interrupt Milt's words, whacking the girl looking up at him, wrapped in the mantle, over the head .

"Hitting her on the head in her current state would be too much, I think...?"

"Nah, no problem if it's her . "

"Uuh...you're merciless..."

Shin looked over at Schnee, showing her that there was nothing to worry about, then turned to Milt again .

Milt had somewhat calmed down, thanks to Shin's chop, and focused on understanding her current situation and whereabouts .

"So have we calmed down now?"

"My head hurts, though . But this lack of mercy is just like you, Shin . First of all, could you tell me what I was doing here, and naked?"

"Before that, tell me how much you remember . You just jumped at me, you know . Well, I guess you could wear something first . "

Shin demanded an explanation from Milt, arguing that he had the right to ask first .

Milt put some clothes on, finally looking presentable, and started talking while massaging her head .

"... . . and that's all I can remember . It's all blurry after that...I felt my consciousness return fully when I saw your face in front of me . "

Milt explained how she had joined 'Ouroboros' Hollow' in her search of strong opponents; she had visited this cave in an escort mission for the Summit Faction, but then her memories became muddled .

She had surely met someone, but couldn't remember who it was .

"I see, they basically did what they wanted with you . "

"Aah...I have no excuses . "

Milt's head hung in shame for letting something like that happen to her .

Having fallen to someone's manipulation had hit her deep .

"Shin, you're going to rescue the person I kidnapped, right?"

"Yes, along with someone else though . "

"Could you take me with you? I have to put an end to what I caused, with my own hands . "

Her tone of voice was calm, but Shin felt that Milt was angry .

She had a peculiar code even in her PK days; she would only start a fight to the death if the opponent agreed to it . Even if she had been manipulated, she probably didn't want to blame others for something she had done .

"More fighting power is always welcome, but there are people close to the girl you kidnapped on our side, you know?"

"That's fine . Or rather, that means I should do it even more . I only kill when I am attacked with killing intent, or the opponent agrees to a duel to the death . I dislike and have no intention of assisting kidnapping or blackmailing . I had no control over what I did this time, but it doesn't change that it was me . I have to make amends . "

Milt's expression stiffened .

Shin saw it and thought that she wasn't trying to deceive them .

"(Schnee, what do you think?)"

"(At the very least, I don't think she's acting . Because her contract spirit seems to have placated too . It was probably concerned about its master's abnormal state . )"

After hearing Schnee's opinion via Mind Chat, Shin thought that it could be a good idea to bring Milt along .

It would mean to add a former enemy among their ranks, but Shin knew Milt's personality; he was sure that even if they didn't bring her along, she would act on her own .

"Got it . You can come with us, and it'll be a great help if you cooperated with us . But only if you don't act on your own accord . If you stand in the way of our objectives, then I really won't have any mercy . "

"I know that well . Fighting against you is an extremely charming prospect, but I couldn't enjoy it in this situation . "

Milt seemed to understand that she wasn't actually trusted and nodded with conviction .

"No need to be charmed . We've wasted enough time, let's go back for now . You have [Shapeshift]attached, yes?"

"No problem, look . "

Milt answered Shin's question and transformed her equipment .

Her battle wear, oriental styled with a great amount of skin exposure, changed shape adhering to Milt's body .

"A school swimsuit...but why..."

Milt's transformed swimwear left Shin at a loss for words . Like a good student, she even had "Milt" printed on the swimsuit's chest area .

Re-attaching the enchantment [Shapeshift] as many times as needed would allow the user to pick their favourite type of swimsuit .

For that reason, during the game era very few wore swimwear considered "for fetishists", like school swimsuits or string-type swimwear .

"Hehehe, I will let you know that this shape grants a 10% speed boost to underwater movement!"

"Who even programmed this..."

Shocked and defeated to learn of this surprising bonus, Shin swam back at high speed, his party in tow .

"I might as well introduce you, she's more or less my former support character, Schnee . She's strong, but don't get any weird ideas . "

Thinking it weird to not do their introductions, Shin decided to do it first .

"And this is Milt . She's an advanced player they used to call "Milt the Poison Lolita" during the game era . "

"Po, poison Lolita...?"

"Hey!! What kind of introduction is that!? I didn't choose to be this short anyway!"

Shin had exposed Milt's nickname in a completely casual manner .

Milt's height was the same as her real body, 145 cemel .

She had apparently used her real self's face in the game, with her still innocent-looking features, more on the cute than the beautiful side .

However, her body was a junior high school student's at most . It would be a bit of a stretch even to think of her as a high schooler .

One of VR's characteristics was the inability to change significantly not only one's facial features, but also one's physique .

"She got that nickname because she looks like a lolita and is a poison user . They also called her stuff like "Mini Berserker" . "

"There's always something saying how short I am ! My main job is conjurer after all, and I might be small but I'm not flat!"

Saying so, Milt pushed up her chest with her hands .

The swimsuit, which was already considerably stretched, changed shape under Milt's hands .

Her chest had been "touched up" to the point that one could imagine she had went a little overboard when creating her avatar . Such symbols of maternity was already quite prominent in their natural state, but now they looked slightly lewd .

Added to Milt's looks, this Lolita + Big breasts + School swimsuit combination created a very "dangerous" view .

"If you have time to act silly, then speed up . And once we get on land, stop messing around . "

"First you reveal my nicknames, but then you ignore me, huh...reminds me of how cold the old Shin was . "

"It's just your imagination . Do you feel any change in your condition, by the way?"

"Ah, no . I'm alright . Even if I was under control, I was practically sleeping . My head doesn't hurt or spin . No problem even I'm poked fun at, like you just did . "

Milt had noticed that Shin had tried to annoy her on purpose and stopped complaining .

She didn't look like she was forcing herself . Her HP and MP had not changed either and her status showed a complete recovery .

"Anyway, I have to applaud your lack of any reaction after seeing this physique of mine . And I thought that this kind of body would be more popular with boys than my real life one . "

What a shame...so muttered Milt, in a manner that made it hard to tell how serious she was .

Shin didn't find Milt unappealing either . But he wasn't the kind of person to react to nudity or sexiness in a situation like that .

"You're a mystery as usual . "

"A woman of mystery, that's who I am . "

"Don't puff up your chest dressed like that . We're almost there . "

Shin spoke while looking at the light filtering from above the water . The three had reached the shore in a few minutes .

"Sir Shin, who is this person?"

Their return had been slightly late, but the party had come back safely . Noticing the added presence of Milt, though, spurred the question from Konig .

"Ah...I'll explain, so please listen until the end . "

As Milt would join their entourage, her true identity had to be revealed .

Milt, above all, was Hermie's kidnapper . If they hid the truth now, and it was revealed by a turn of events later, things would likely take an unfortunate turn, so it was decided to reveal the truth now .

"........."

After the explanation, Konig remained in deep silence .

He had grabbed his blade's hilt as he heard the newcomer's name, but somehow Shin managed to explain to the end .

"You really don't remember anything?"

After a long silence, Konig asked a question with a calm tone .

From Konig's viewpoint, as one of the victims and Hermie's personal guard, simply hearing "she was manipulated, there was no other way" was obviously not enough to convince him .

"I can't make any excuses about that . But I too resent having been used that way . Shin saved me after all, so I want to show my gratitude . I know my words are less than convincing, but at least I am confident I could match a divine beast in battle . "

Milt spoke while looking directly at Konig . Her eyes expressed that she had no intention of backing out .

"I knew it would turn out like this..."

Shin had expected this development, so he carried Konig away, without missing a beat .

"Sir Shin, I do not mean to doubt you, but will this really be all right?"

"I know what you mean . But it would not be wise to act separately . You also know how strong she is, right?"

Konig was not in prime condition at the time, but Milt had easily bested him . Her stats were also higher than his .

Even using Shin's map and detection abilities to the fullest, it would have been difficult to find Hermie, who was not a member of their party or a support character .

The cave interior, which was mostly artificial, was quite large, even considering only the extent they were aware of . They had to look for Hermie while avoiding traps and enemy eyes, definitely not an easy feat .

Even if they let Milt go, if she was found Shin's party's freedom of movement would be limited as well; and if a Grand Duke-class demon was among the enemy ranks, they would have to go confront it .

Considering that there were also chosen ones among the enemies, there was nothing to lose in having as much fighting power as possible .

"Well, if we used one of these we wouldn't have to worry about betrayal . "

With these words, Shin pulled out one of the Submission Collars retrieved from Bulk's room .

"Guh . "

Konig let out a frustrated grunt .

He too knew that Milt's eyes were not lying .

Besides, he probably would not want to use the Submission Collar on someone who wasn't some despicable villain, but had just been manipulated .

"... . I suppose there is no other way . "

Konig cast away his personal feelings and agreed .

"My name's Milt . My race is High Pixie and I'm a Conjurer . This is my dear Undine friend, her name is Nel . Anyway, everyone is so strong here! Why don't we fight later?"

Milt introduced herself to the party while Shin was away . Although the last part was unnecessary .

After that, they heard from Milt all the information she remembered about the cave's layout, to speculate where Hermie was held and the ritual would take place .

After all party members reviewed their roles, the party started moving .

◆◆◆◆

"To think that it's possible to speak underwater . "

Tiera muttered this comment while swimming next to Shin on their way towards the cave .

Her swimsuit was a brilliant green bikini, and a necklace imbued with the skill [Dive V] floated above her chest .

"Even though I'm using the same skill too, I have no idea how it's possible to talk underwater though . "

"There's no air forming around our mouths either, so it's a mystery how we can breathe too . Well, thanks to this we can move through the water, so I suppose I'll just accept not understanding how it works . "

The whole party was heading towards the underwater cave's entrance .

Yuzuha and Kagerou were in tow, dog paddling behind them .

They passed the lake where Shin and Milt met and proceeded forward, wary of any traps or guards .

As long as Shin and Schnee made full use of their detection skills, only an exceptionally intricate trap could slip through their vigilance .

"There are a lot of dwellings and storage rooms in the shallow areas . I guess the more important parts are deeper?"

"Probably, yes . I remember I went down a fair distance . Even though this isn't their headquarters, the Summit Faction is a large organization . They even reinforced the cave's walls to prevent them from crumbling easily . "

"I should have guessed . When there are full of holes, all it would take is just one earthquake to wipe it off the map . "

The walls were bumpy and uneven, but the path was wide enough for 4 adults to walk side by side .

There also were many large hall-like clearings, personal rooms, and storage rooms; if they had built so many without reinforcing the walls, they would have definitely crumbled sooner or later .

Shin's party proceeded deeper and deeper while checking the map for the room they were looking for . Since they searched each floor they visited, their progress couldn't be very fast .

"What's this?"

Roughly 1 hour since they started their descent, Shin's [Magic Sonar] picked up a larger clearing in the map .

It was far larger than the rooms used as storage rooms . It appeared that there was something in the back of it, but [Magic Sonar] couldn't scan the room completely, so it was only partly displayed on the map .

"Could it be the ritual site?"

Schnee whispered softly .

"It could be . What do you say, Milt?"

"I think you guessed right . I do remember it was a large room . "

It was possible for Hermie to be imprisoned near the ritual site; Shin and the others proceeded downwards, while searching the surroundings even more carefully than before .

"... . . Shin . "

As they were descending, Shibaid called to Shin, who was walking next to him .

"What's wrong?"

"It certainly looks like there are Grand Duke-class demons here . "

"I can't pick up anything in my detection range, though...?"

"I can feel their fighting spirit . This stale, foul feeling...it's a "War God"-type, no doubt about it . "

Shibaid's eyes were fixed in one direction as they walked, his words filled with conviction .

Shin asked Schnee with his eyes, but she shook her head .

As Schnee had previously felt something other than miasma, Shibaid had probably felt something the other party members couldn't .

There was no proof for his words, but no one doubted Shibaid . Konig and Milt knew that it was not odd for those who dedicate themselves to battle to be able to feel the presence of other powerful warriors .

Tiera also did not say anything, probably because she too possessed a similar unique sense .

"A solo type, maybe . Hopefully there aren't raid types then . "

The humanlike demons called "War God"-type, compared to raid-types, had fixed conditions to defeating them, so it was not impossible to take them down even when fought for the first time .

They were still powerful enemies, but considering the expected spent time and sustained damage to defeat them, they were still easier targets than others .

"We're almost at what could be the ritual site . Let's continue talking later . "

The whole party shut their mouths at Schnee's warning .

The detection fields did not pick up anything in particular .

With Shin and Schnee leading, the party headed towards the place thought to be the ritual site .

"Kuu! This place is yucky!"

"Gruu!!"

Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly became agitated . Their whole bodies' fur stood up, as if they were trying to intimidate something .

"What's wrong now?"

Yuzuha answered Shin's question, expressing her thoughts while stumbling on her words .

According to her, this location was a node of Ley lines, but because of the miasma their original function was inhibited .

"You can feel it?"

"It's the same as the place I was before, it feels sick here, kuu..."

The clearing seemed absolutely normal, but they soon realized that there was a very large magic circle drawn on the ground . The material reinforcing the walls and ground was clearly different from the other rooms too .

Apparently, this magic circle was part of what was negatively influencing the flow of the Ley lines that Yuzuha had talked about .

"The stench of blood is strong here, after all . Who knows what gruesome things they have been up to in here...after all they did to us, let's show them what our craft can do . "

In case they couldn't find Hermie, the party retraced part of the magic circle, in order to prevent it from activating .

Shin was not familiar with magic circles so large as to encompass a whole floor, so Schnee directed the operation .

"Okay then, time to see what's ahead . "

After the modification of the magic circle was completed, the party assembled before the door leading beyond the ritual site .

It was a heavy door 4 mels high and 3 mels wide . It was locked as well, but before Shin's party the lock was no different than a toy .

Shin and Shibaid pushed open the door, which clearly had to be guarding something important .

Maybe because it had been used with care, the door opened without so much as a sound . The scenery behind it, however, was something no one could have expected .

"Are you kidding me . . "

Shin unconsciously muttered under his breath .

Before their eyes lied a gigantic crystal, roughly 10 mels tall . Its transparency was so high that it looked like artificially polished glass .

Because of that, the thing...rather, the living being inside the crystal could be clearly seen .

"Is that...Filma?"

Schnee whispered the name of the person in front of her eyes .

It was, without a shred of a doubt, Shin's 2nd support character, Filma Tolmeya .