Not Betting My Life
A moment later, the crow that had been occupying the monitor vanished, and the screen filled instead with a mass of incomprehensible characters.
"...What the hell is this?"
Isn't it pretty decent? I tried mimicking the system framework that's something of a specialty of this world. What do you think, Master?
She had sold off that ridiculous appearance somewhere and was now chattering away in a clear, uncharacteristically pure voice, yet I couldn't even manage a reply. I just stared at the screen with furrowed brows.
System framework or whatever—dress it up as grandly as you like, it was still just a copy of an internet portal site.
"And what country is this language even from? What kind of alien gibberish is this?"
Ah. I forgot I still had it set for the previous dimension.
"......"
It really was alien? I'd thought it was something vaguely Arabic.
If I'd been a scientist, I should have photographed and preserved those linguistic materials on the spot—yet they vanished in real time, replaced by familiar Korean.
Once the Korean patch finished, I slowly scanned the screen with a queasy expression. From beyond the display, the crow pointed one wing at a particular spot.
Item purchases are over here. I'm not sure whether the kind of things Master wants will be available, but...
"...What's this thing labeled 'Revelation Board'? Don't tell me it's a typo."
Ah! A typo? There's no way I would make such a trivial mistake.
"If this isn't a typo, then what is it?"
I gave her an incredulous look. The crow thrust her beak right up against the monitor and answered in a whisper.
It's a far higher-dimensional system than the bulletin board Master knows. That's why it's called the Revelation Board.
"So they actually drop revelations or something?"
Yes. Even I think the name is pretty well chosen. Hehe.
I shot a disgusted look at the crow as she curved her red eyes into crescents and smiled, then tuned her out and reached to tap the 'Dimension Shop' she had indicated.
These are revelations bestowed directly by the Transcendents who are currently watching Master and every human in this world. They're truly nutritious and beneficial, you know.
"...Hold on. What did you just say?"
I let the unpleasant word "watching" slide and froze with my finger in midair at the crow's words.
Those so-called gods were going to tell us something.
If they really were beings of that caliber, as the crow claimed, then whatever information warranted the grandiose term "revelation" would be solid. Maybe the bandaged bastard's weakness was written there, or a way to stop this apocalypse.
Once the thought reached that point, I ended up tapping the Revelation Board.
And after checking the "revelations" written there, I simply shut my mouth and stared blankly at the monitor.
What does it say? The Transcendents' revelations can only be viewed by the parties involved in the destruction, so...
"...These were really written by those so-called gods?"
The board was packed with unidentifiable emoticons, and instead of information there were only sentences I couldn't make head or tail of.
"...What's this 'fun' expression supposed to mean? Are they saying the sight of our civilization getting wrecked is fun right now?"
Ahem. It's a little awkward to say this, but it isn't a bad thing. For the Transcendents to enjoy the viewing, the humans of this world also...
"And what's this? The character is pure cancer and so frustrating? This 'character' means humans, right?"
...Uh, well.
The crow glanced at my brow, which had crumpled past the point of recovery and twisted completely out of shape, then hesitated before speaking.
The Transcendents are viewing this world from a literally transcendent perspective, looking at places so distant we can't even imagine them. That's why they speak a bit like that...
"What kind of bullshit is that? Even if we grant all of it, how can so-called gods have such filthy mouths? Are they joking?"
That seems to apply to Master as well...
"What?"
I didn't say a word!
Having completely lost my patience, I irritably hit the back button.
I'd gone in hoping for usable information and found revelations that were utterly worthless. What kind of revelations were these supposed to be?
...Hmph. But they're all good people, you know.
"Tell them to get lost. Things that enjoy watching other people's suffering..."
It's the Transcendents who keep those sufferings from exceeding a certain level... though you may not believe it.
They were the great ones who, with high-dimensional expressions like "sweet potato" and whatever else that made no sense, always stepped in the moment this dimension's humanity seemed about to hit its limit and steered the apocalypse toward a happy ending...
I stared at the crow as she muttered dejectedly, then shook my head and entered the Dimension Shop.
"Forget it. Just recommend something useful. There are way too many kinds of this stuff."
I flicked the endlessly lengthening scroll with a touch and rapidly scanned the items.
No, seriously—there were too many, even for "a lot."
More than that, there was every kind of thing imaginable besides weapons, and just sorting them was enough to make my eyes fall out.
While I began weapon shopping with the crow's help, the roaring and vibrations inside the building gradually subsided.
Wait for me, you orangutan bastard.
I'm coming soon.
How much time had passed? Maybe about ten minutes.
In my hand was the result the crow had recommended so highly, something that could fairly be called the best possible choice.
A weapon capable of brushing aside that insane physique and completely smashing that fucking face to pieces.
Except... why was it so small?
Not just small—it fit snugly into my palm. Haha.
And that soft, squishy grip had to be my imagination. How could the ultimate weapon feel like this?
"Are you kidding me? Huh?"
Faced with that reality, I finally snarled and shoved my face right up to the monitor. The crow flapped her wings in panic.
Kyaa! Master! Too close! You're too close!
"Kyaa? More like caw, you damn crow. Give me my money back. That Tar or whatever it is."
Unfortunately, that's not possible. Heheh.
"Heheh? Did you just say heheh? Get out here right now, you ball of feathers. I'll pluck every last one of them."
You never have anything nice to say to a lady.
As if deciding the joking was over, she shot me a sidelong glance, then looked straight into my eyes and spoke clearly.
Master, I'm sorry, but from my perspective the result is satisfactory. Drawing a D-rank item of the pack type from a random box is quite a solid outcome.
"What am I supposed to do with this lump of liquid? I wanted a solid weapon I could swing."
Master knows perfectly well. Fighting a Beta with a melee weapon like that—staking your life wouldn't even be enough.
Damn it, what do I know?
I muttered that inwardly and swept my bangs back.
That life of mine—I don't even know whether I have one or not.
After letting out a long sigh, I looked down at the scrap of a pack in my hand and asked,
"Then how am I supposed to use this?"
Check the center of the pack. You'll get the idea.
Following her words, I looked at the middle of the paper pack and found a single tiny word written there.
"...Cool?"
A shabby English spelling sitting right there.
"Is this a cool pack? The kind you stick inside your clothes when it's hot?"
Well... in a way that isn't wrong. If it gets really, really, really hot, maybe. But the side effects are pretty serious, so I don't recommend it.
At my questioning look, the crow swept a wing-hand over the bandages wrapped around her body and spoke.
That pack has an official name in the Greater Dimension. Since it's a product managed beyond the Illusion Line, the language of its origin is a bit complicated. Roughly translated into the local tongue...
◈ 100 ml of liquid that freezes everything that physically exists
◈ One hit is enough to put even a Beta-class monster down for good
Quite an amazing item to obtain for the price of just forty Normal Necros, don't you think? More than expected?
"....."
I met the crow's thoroughly proud gaze, then twitched an eyebrow and said,
"So what am I supposed to do with this? Throw it in his face and make him drink it or something?"
...Well, you could smear it on a weapon, or, as Master said, directly expose him to the liquid.
One hit would send even a Beta-class monster straight to the grave for sure!
I watched the crow give a thumbs-up while saying that, then continued.
"Right. Then since I don't have a weapon, I'll have no choice but to throw it. But what if that bastard dodges?"
...Then Master dies instead, I suppose.
"Thanks for the clear answer."
I shook my head once more, finally stepped away from the monitor, and slipped the pack into my pocket.
The crow watched me carefully, then opened her mouth.
Master. It wasn't a joke when I said you drew a good weapon. There's almost no item that deals as fatal an effect to a Beta as that pack.
"I know, so drop it. Honestly, it felt sketchy the moment I heard the word 'gacha,' but it's my own fault for buying it."
Of all the things to copy from Earth, why did they have to copy that?
I glanced briefly at the skeleton of my right hand, stripped bare of flesh after being emptied in an instant, then grabbed the doorknob with a queasy feeling.
Even if the only affordable option had been the gacha, walking out with nothing but a single pack while ignoring firearms and war weapons left me feeling hollow.
Of course, firearms started in the hundreds of Tar, and spear-type weapons cost about the same.
In the end I have to go out and get them myself.
I listened to the silence-filled corridor beyond the door, then looked back at the crow who was staring straight at me.
"One last question. Earlier it looked like you could see right through the facilities of this school. Am I right?"
To some extent. Fully placing it under jurisdiction requires complete activation, but...
"Then do you know where the gym is in this place?"
...Before I answer, Master. May I make one request as well?
Before you fight the Beta, just for a moment...
The crow's eyes, looking at me with extreme complexity, held a firm gaze like someone handing a single rope to a suicide hopeful on his way to die.