Dragon Qualia
=YggON SYSTEM ON=
=SYSTEM OFF=
"Draupnir?"
The biggest problem with MR-grade items was that they merely got added to the pool — there was no way to know what their actual effect was.
There was no such thing as a pickup rate.
Besides, he'd only just sunk his tickets and RP into pulls, so even if he wanted to spin again, he couldn't manage more than a few rolls. And even if tickets did pile up, his sights were set on the top floor of the City of the Demon God for now.
Still, he couldn't help being extremely curious about what this new MR actually was.
No way it actually drops, though...
He spun the guaranteed SR YggON ticket he'd received as a reward.
A rainbow burst forth.
"......"
[......]
MR — Draupnir.
"Shut up! You think I'm happy about this?!"
=YggON SYSTEM ON=
◈ Special Ability: Replication
◈ While equipped, duplicates itself into 8 copies every 9 in-game days.
◈ Warning: Effect is voided if unequipped midway, or if you leave the game labyrinth while the counter is running.
=SYSTEM OFF=
What on earth was this bizarre effect supposed to be?
The ability to duplicate itself into eight copies every nine days. Aside from that, absolutely nothing. No stat boosts, no combat perks — nothing. What was he supposed to do with this?
After a moment's thought, Ryu Hwi decided to check just how much RP he'd get if he dismantled this MR.
=YggON SYSTEM ON=
=SYSTEM OFF=
He frantically canceled the dismantle.
1,000 RP. It didn't sound like much, but nine days in game time — less than a single day in reality — would produce eight copies.
In other words, 1,000 × 8 = 8,000 RP would simply fall into his lap while he sat on his hands and did nothing.
It had the drawback of zero auxiliary effects, but free 8,000 RP outweighed every single one of them.
He swapped his equipped accessory to Draupnir on the spot.
"Bwahaha! Squawk all you like."
At last, defeating that formidable opponent Odin felt worth it.
"Whoa. That's incredible. Genuinely amazing. I never imagined anyone could actually bring him down."
Loki approached, clapping.
"That's my complete and utter defeat. As promised, I'll give you what you want."
Loki lightly tapped his own temple, and a data packet transferred over.
"That said, I can't give you everything. You'll understand why when you read what I sent."
Ryu Hwi checked the data Loki had transmitted.
"There's a bastard in S.E.N named Vritra. If 'experiment' is what you're after, it's probably tied to him. That guy borrowed the stage of this Divine Comedy to conduct his own sordid experiments, you see."
It didn't take long to locate the content related to the "experiments" Loki spoke of.
"Let me be clear from the start — I have nothing to do with those experiments. That bastard hijacked my Divine Comedy without permission, and I've cut all ties with him out of sheer fury over what he did."
S.E.N ran on strict individualism. None of them cared what another member did. But by Loki's judgment, Vritra had crossed the line.
"As for that data — I happened to be holding onto it in case the day came to blast apart everything he left behind."
Ignoring whatever Loki babbled at his side, Ryu Hwi kept reading the data's contents.
Project: Creation of the Complete ⟨■■■■■⟩
The human experimentation was part of the plan to create the Complete ⟨■■■■■⟩.
The current residents of the labyrinth cannot yet be said to have fully transformed into the Human Realm. Therefore, additional experiments are required.
Commencement of experiments based on human spiritual bodies, conducted within the ⟨Divine Comedy⟩.
Experiment 1: A plan to obtain a complete physical form by inserting a labyrinthine soul into the body of a ⟨human⟩.
The condition of Freyja — the sole success case of Experiment 1 — is unstable. Risk factor. Removal deemed necessary.
⟨Requiem⟩ deployed for the elimination of Freyja. All human minds, Freyja included, fused in a single instant. Disguised as a passenger plane accident.
Failure.
The human bodies could not withstand Requiem and carbonized. All perished with a single exception, but the annihilation of the individual designated Freyja was confirmed. The carbonized test subjects were recovered by the humans. No spiritual response from Freyja is detectable. A precious sample — but recovery is unnecessary.
Resistance from Loki, master of the Divine Comedy. Further experiments impossible at this location. A new experimental site must be secured.
The next phase shifts to luring in humans directly. A new concept of experiment is required.
Humans exhibiting abnormal ether immunity are of interest as test subjects. The Trucardia Virus is likewise a suitable experimental subject.
All things proceed toward subsequent experiments... for the sake of creating the Complete ■■■■■.
"S.E.N!!"
If the experiments at Saint Yggdrasil Hospital had likewise been part of S.E.N's work, then his mother had been dragged into that very program and sacrificed because of it.
And then there was what was written here. The experiment disguised as an accident — that was almost certainly the story behind Unit 0.
They had engineered a disaster to eliminate "Freyja," and Unit 0 had been caught up in it.
The roots of this experiment ran far deeper than he'd imagined. There were surely more chapters to it that had yet to see the light.
Just thinking about it made him feel like he'd lose his mind.
"Doesn't look like righteous indignation to me. Personal rage, a grudge — that's more like it."
Ryu Hwi seized Loki by the collar. Loki put up no resistance whatsoever.
"Humans who preach tiresome, self-important causes bore me to death. Such souls never shine."
S.E.N prized the pleasure of the soul above all else. Loki was no exception.
"It's my personal philosophy, but humans ought to live true to their 'instincts.' In that sense, I quite like you."
In the next instant, Loki vanished before his eyes.
By the time Ryu Hwi blinked, Loki was standing far off in the distance, twirling his staff in circles like some circus magician.
"You want to trample everything that denied you and climb your way to the top, don't you? For that sake, you'd crush any number of other pieces of trash without a second thought. Am I right?"
"Don't act like you know everything about me."
He hated how Loki spoke as if he understood him completely.
"You're S.E.N yourself anyway, aren't you? A piece of trash that's satisfied as long as you're enjoying yourself!"
"Well, everyone's methods differ, I'll grant — but on that one point, I can't argue."
"Yeah. I intend to climb to the top even if I have to trample every other piece of trash on the way up."
Even now that he'd reached Silver, that goal hadn't changed. And now a new one had been added.
"You and your S.E.N — I swear I'll blast every last one of you to pieces!"
"Terribly twisted, and yet that fierce inner flame of yours doesn't waver one bit... Hecate would adore that."
Loki shook his head and let out a sigh.
"What I'm about to say is not a 'deal.' It's my one-sided request, and whether you listen or not is entirely up to you."
New data arrived — encrypted, impossible to read properly.
"It's the source of a certain game labyrinth. Or rather, it's not quite at the level of source code yet — think of it as blueprint stage. I'd like you to build a game labyrinth from this. If it's your 'partner,' it should be possible."
"And why exactly should I do what you say?"
"I have no intention of persuading you. It's merely a request, so do as you please. But you won't be able to refuse."
Loki conveyed the reason with brutal simplicity.
"You can lure out Vritra with it."
Vritra. The man whose hands his mother had been sacrificed to — and a party to the accident involving Unit 0.
"Planning to sell out your own colleague?"
"S.E.N members all do as they please. And above all..."
Loki's mischievous expression twisted into something ferocious.
"I despise that bastard more than words can say."
Ryu Hwi didn't know how much of Loki's words were true. But one thing was certain: his hatred for "Vritra" was real. It ran deeper than mere resentment over experiments conducted on his own turf.
"Whew."
Loki exhaled once, deeply, and regained his usual air.
"Seriousness doesn't suit me. Living in peace and quiet really is the greatest pleasure of all. Mm, mm."
Loki spun his staff round and round, then hurled it high into the sky — where it stopped dead in midair, floating upright. He hopped lightly up and perched himself on top of it.
"Feel free to tell your partner about the contents of those experiments, but do try to keep our meeting to yourself. And... you'll find yourself desperately wanting that game labyrinth finished too. Just you wait."
"Me?"
"In a sense, this may be worth more to you than Vritra himself. Listen well."
Loki's voice dropped low, ringing with weight.
"─ The skill 'Mental Tolerance' will manifest in that game labyrinth."
"...!!"
Loki had said that to raise Intuition any further, he would need to master Mental Tolerance. If those words were true, this was a matter of enormous consequence.
"Anyway, I've worn myself out playing after so long, so I'm off to sleep. You should head back too. Next time you come, I'll be expecting good news."
Loki clapped his hands lightly, and Divine Comedy's Asgard reverted to a world of pristine white.
Loki's figure had vanished without a trace.
"I know that much."
From the start, Loki hadn't even bothered to hide how "suspicious" he was. It was as if he were shouting, Suspect me more, please!
"First things first — I'll pass this game labyrinth blueprint, or whatever it is, to 5555..."
"I'll tell her. There's no reason to shield her from it — no need, and no right. It'll be a shock, but she's not the kind of person who breaks over something this small."
"I..."
Trust no one.
...The words caught in his throat on the way up, refusing to come out.
"Tch."
He logged out of Divine Comedy's Asgard.
Hecate received Loki's transmission.
Loki exchanged contact with no one in S.E.N — but Hecate alone had always been the exception.
"So, how was it?"
"See? See? I told you!"
Hecate beamed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well, he and 'she' were already acquainted to begin with."
The grin drained from Hecate's eyes, sharpening into something cold and piercing.
"You intend to use him to eliminate Vritra, don't you?"
"Eh, I can't stand Vritra either, so I have no complaints. Though Mister Crowley and that damned bastard get along like a house on fire."
"Mm, mm. Oh, but..."
Hecate pulled a candy from her pocket, popped it in her mouth, and went on.
"Don't interfere beyond this point. I called dibs on the UR master first."
"Yes, yes. Sleep all you want. Forever, ideally."
Trading barbs and curses, Hecate cut the connection.
Passing the information on the Divine Comedy to Ryu Hwi had been Hecate's own unilateral decision. Even Crowley knew nothing of it.
She had acted entirely of her own accord, so there was no reason to report it. They weren't in a hierarchy to begin with.
"I wonder where this all goes from here?"
Hecate hummed a little tune.
Her 'play' had always been merrymaking within the game labyrinths — but recently, an even more delightful hobby had appeared.
The UR master, Ryu Hwi. The one standing at the heart of the revolution.
For now, watching his every move was the finest pleasure in existence.
"Do grant me a moment alone, would you?"
The moment 5555 received the data, she went silent, and Wolya emerged in her place.
"I'll examine this blueprint your friend Loki delivered later. My apologies, child."
For a woman who had lived each day consumed by hatred of "Latia," the existence of S.E.N's Vritra must have come as a devastating shock.
After Wolya withdrew into her room, Ryu Hwi scratched his head.
"She'll be fine."
"She'll be just fine. It looked like a heavy shock, sure, but it won't break her."
And he had good reason to say it — Ryu Hwi had seen the fury burning in Wolya's eyes.
The eyes of an avenger who had found her next prey. Eyes exactly like his own.
Proving him right, the very next day, contact came from Wolya.
Not a trace of yesterday's gloom remained.
What kind of game labyrinth could possibly earn a reaction like that?
After clearing her throat a couple of times, Wolya continued.
"What kind of game gets hyped up like that?"
An RPG. The most common, worn-out genre there was.
No proper RPGs had come out since the 2.0 update, but Ryu Hwi didn't hold out much hope regardless.
"Concepts and technologies that don't currently exist?"
"What's it called?"
He decided to start with the title. Rather than drifting through abstract talk, he figured the game's name would tell him what kind of labyrinth he was dealing with.
Wolya pronounced the title of the game thus: