Soul Entertainment Network

It was a name I'd heard back during the Iron Blood incident.

[And that is precisely why I told you to be careful when wandering about.]

Yeah, yeah, shut up.

YggON's scolding was ringing in my ears.

"Judging by your reaction, you seem to know quite a bit about our S.E.N, hm? For reference, S.E.N stands for SoulEntertainmentNetwork. Our motto is, roughly, 'Delight the Soul!'"

Delight the soul.

By the name alone, they sounded like a downright jolly bunch.

"Funny, for a group with a name like that, you people seem to do nothing but strange business."

"Strange business, you say? Ah, do you happen to mean Iron Blood? Or perhaps selling your information to Linpel Darius — and, as a bonus, selling him a Yggdrasil Item along with it?"

"……!"

So the incident where Linpel Darius attacked me in the real world had S.E.N's fingerprints on it too.

I pulled the knife from my pocket.

The power of the Sword Saint surged into it, and the blade was wrapped in Sword Gang.

"Using the power of a skill in the Human Realm…… Truly, the power of a UR is remarkable."

Crowley clearly tried to keep his emotions off his face, but this time he couldn't quite manage it.

He knew about the 'UR' — something that was supposed to be known by no one.

YggON's lens swiveled toward Crowley.

[I did find his presence odd, but to think he was a 'Being of the Labyrinth'?]

"A Being of the Labyrinth?"

[Do you recall that Yggdrasil used the term 'Human Realm' in its latest update?]

Human Realm ↔ Labyrinth conversion — YggON (beta).

[The Human Realm is the world where humans live — what you call reality. A Being of the Labyrinth is, in other words…….]

"Don't tell me — beings from the 'Labyrinth' side can come out into reality, into the 'Human Realm'?!"

[Please, let me explain properly. What fun is it for me if you deduce everything before I can even open my mouth?]

YggON had started to explain something, then grumbled instead.

Crowley also stared at Ryu Hwi, visibly startled.

"What is this? You figured it out on your own before I even said a word? Honestly, there's hardly any fun in surprising a person like you."

I was plenty surprised, thanks.

Humans could convert their very bodies into game data to enter a Game Labyrinth.

Until now, only Ryu Hwi had been capable of it — but with Yggdrasil's update, it had become possible for anyone.

And if that was true, then the reverse must hold as well: beings from the 'Game Labyrinths' could conceivably come to this side.

The existence now standing before Ryu Hwi was exactly that — a Being of the Labyrinth.

"Did your UR perhaps give you a hint? Tch, I can't tell where it even is, so what can I do."

Crowley scanned his surroundings as though trying to locate YggON.

"Hmph. Fine, then. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Crowley, errand-runner of S.E.N and a Being of the Labyrinth. For reference, my rank is 'Silver.'"

How on earth could a Being of the Labyrinth come to this place?

I glanced sideways at YggON.

[Certain exceptionally special individuals possess such power. You have already met one such being, Master.]

A figure I'd encountered mere hours earlier came to mind.

A being who radiated a mystique that seemed to transcend this world itself — Norn.

[A Being of the Labyrinth, and as King of the Human Realm, the Diamond holds a special power called the 'Eyes of Fate.' Those eyes are capable of perceiving a 'UR,' so I concealed myself briefly.]

The Diamond was a being from the Labyrinth? A hollow laugh escaped me.

But right now, the problem wasn't her — it was the other Being of the Labyrinth standing right in front of me.

"I've come to make you an offer. Ryu Hwi, would you care to join our S.E.N?"

"What?"

"S.E.N is, just as the name suggests, an organization devoted wholeheartedly to delighting the soul. Observe only a few simple rules, and you may act as freely as you please. For my part, I would very much like to welcome you into S.E.N."

"This, after you sent Linpel to kill me?"

"Hahahahahahahahahaha."

Crowley suddenly burst out laughing.

"Did you truly believe I would send that if I seriously wanted you dead? That was merely an experiment. I simply wished to confirm whether you possessed a 'UR,' that's all."

"And if he'd actually killed me?"

"Well, then that would have been that."

He wouldn't have cared in the slightest if I'd died. These were not the kind of beings who cared about such things to begin with.

It gave me at least some grasp of what kind of creatures 'S.E.N' actually were.

"So selling dangerous Yggdrasil Items to scum like Iron Blood — is that also part of 'delighting the soul'?"

"Of course. Did I not tell you? Observe only a few rules, and you are free to do as you like. Let me say it once more…… We of S.E.N are an organization that enjoys the world to the fullest."

By words alone, they sounded like a merry little club. In reality, they were a gathering of madmen.

"One thing I'd like to confirm……"

Still gripping the knife, I glared at Crowley.

"You're not actually thinking I'd accept that offer, are you?"

"……."

Crowley pulled his hat down low and scratched his cheek.

"Let's not ask difficult questions, hm? Well, frankly, no — I didn't expect you to accept. If you did, that would be its own kind of entertainment, I suppose…… but I judged the possibility to be nil."

Crowley was right. Ryu Hwi had no intention of accepting that offer.

"Then why come all this way to make it in person, knowing that?"

"Well, you see……"

Red rings surfaced in the eyes hidden beneath the hat's brim.

"Because that's the only way we get to play the game of 'How dare you refuse my offer — I shall handle you myself!'"

"……!!"

The instant the air changed, I swung the knife on pure reflex.

Intuition Lv.3 — its power diminished in the real world — fired at nearly the same strength it had inside a Game Labyrinth.

Eliminate the existence in front of you now, or you're in danger!

An absurd, crushing pressure bore down on my body.

"Whoops."

Crowley dodged the attack with casual ease.

"Sword Gang, how terrifying. And Sword Mastery on top of it. I doubt there's another human alive as strong as you. Well……"

Crowley gave his fingers a light snap, and Ryu Hwi's Sword Gang simply vanished.

Not just the Sword Gang — nearly every skill effect that had granted him superhuman power drained away.

"Against me, those low-grade skills you scraped out of the 'old version' don't work."

"Wha—?!"

Before I knew it, Crowley was standing right in front of me.

Another snap of his fingers, and chains erupted from every direction.

Is this the power of a Yggdrasil Item?!

Nearly all of my strength was gone, but Intuition alone still fired.

Trusting it with everything, I threw my body aside and dodged the chains raining down from all sides.

Watching the spectacle, Crowley's eyes went wide.

"But I sealed every old-version skill? Hmmm…… oh. Don't tell me you've acquired a skill from a domain beyond my ability to seal? This is why URs are……"

Crowley clicked his tongue in irritation.

But the one who actually wanted to be irritated was Ryu Hwi.

The sickening sense of loss — as if every power he'd earned to this point had been wiped away in a single instant — was no joke.

"That's a thing that can happen?!"

[Within certain limits, yes. There should be a relevant entry in this Yggdrasil update as well.]

[It's nowhere near as elaborate as a true Game Labyrinth, but that being possesses the power to build makeshift ones at will. As of now, nearly all of your skills are sealed.]

"Did he invoke some kind of GM authority?!"

[No. The domain that being deployed is a 'higher version,' which is why your current skills — all 'old version' — are failing to function properly.]

"Old version……"

[Your SSR Blessing of the Demon God has not activated either. Setting aside your system authorities — 'Delete' and 'Limit Break' — the only things you can still use are 'Intuition' and 'Enchant.']

And Enchant was useless when there were no other skills to enchant. In other words, Intuition was the only thing I had left.

Chains kept hurling themselves at me from every direction.

Intuition was the only thing I could trust.

I threw myself around desperately, dodging them one after another.

So this was what it felt like for the body to weigh this much.

Only now did I truly understand the agony of gamers, crushed in the gap between reality and the Game Labyrinths.

"The Latia era was a golden age, you see. Thanks to Latia, Yggdrasil's development slowed to a crawl, and I got to wield 'higher-version' power unilaterally. Well — thanks to you, those good old days are over."

Crowley didn't move an inch from his spot. He pressed Ryu Hwi down with nothing but snaps of his fingers.

"Foresight? Precognition? Is that the sort of skill you're using? Even so, your reactions are far too fast……. Dodging my chains with no other skills at your disposal."

Crowley studied Ryu Hwi's movements intently.

Then, watching each and every motion of the evasion, his eyes suddenly went wide, as if he'd realized something.

"Don't tell me — is that 'Intuition'? First a UR, and now you pulled Intuition too?!"

Crowley had deduced that Ryu Hwi's skill was 'Intuition.'

The moment he grasped it, that grinning face twisted into something monstrous.

"The UR alone was already beyond expectation, and on top of that, Intuition? Intuition? You swallowed whole the one thing we can never obtain, no matter how we strain ourselves?!"

The fact that Ryu Hwi possessed Intuition sent Crowley into a fury beyond measure.

"Die! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'll kill you! You shitstain who tramples human effort in an instant! I will kill you!"

The instant Crowley flung both arms wide, the chains erupting from every direction tangled and wove together, forming a colossal 'hammer.'

A monstrous mass with nowhere — absolutely nowhere — to run.

Even Intuition was telling me that dodging it was impossible.

"DIIIIIE!"

And then — unbidden, a certain 'message' overlaid itself across my vision.

The gift message from the Diamond. The message containing the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Silver ID card's information.

Its image split apart and reformed into a new inscription.

A ring of light bloomed around Ryu Hwi.

That light pierced straight through the hammer Crowley had forged and soared away into the far reaches of the sky.

"Tch!"

Watching it, Crowley clicked his tongue.

"Norn — did she foresee that I would come? That dog of a creature, sitting up high and looking down on us all!"

Crowley drew a long, deep breath, then snapped his fingers once more.

The chains that had filled the air around us all vanished.

"I got a little carried away. I very nearly killed you by accident, you see. And I'm not quite prepared to go that far just yet. Not quite yet."

It also carried the implication that he could kill me any time he pleased.

"I find ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it deeply, deeply distasteful, but let me ask one more time. Are you quite certain you won't join S.E.N?"

"No."

"I mean…… isn't one supposed to at least hesitate for a moment? You nearly died just now, you know. What will you do if I decide to kill you again after this refusal?"

"You think I'm going to meekly take orders from the bastard who just tried to kill me? Besides — I don't like the way you look down at me."

I had sworn that I would bow to no one.

Whether it was the Diamond, an unknown existence — it didn't matter who.

"Ahh, I understand that feeling of yours. The fact that I can understand it is irritating in itself, but never mind. Today was, after all, meant to be nothing more than a greeting."

The air around us shifted. I could feel my strength flowing back.

"We'll be meeting again soon enough, one way or another. One piece of advice: you'd best discard those trash skills you're carrying. Old-version skills don't work against 'us,' you see."

Crowley simply turned away.

His back was full of openings — and yet something told me that striking it now would accomplish nothing.

"Next time, let's play a little more enjoyably. S.E.N is, after all, a delightful organization that savors everything it does."

Crowley began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠walking slowly toward the far side of the darkness. Then, as if remembering something, he glanced back over his shoulder.

"Ah — I nearly forgot to pass along a message. The 'human experiments' conducted at Saint Yggdrasil Hospital — the ones behind them are S.E.N. Latia was merely used. What do you think? A rather easy enemy to understand, no? Well then."

Crowley's figure melted into the darkness and was gone.

I stared after him for a long moment, then drove my fist into the ground.

"That goddamn bastard!!"

Aside from Intuition, I hadn't been able to use a single thing.

That filthy feeling — as if everything I'd built up to this point had been wiped away in an instant.

And on top of it, Crowley had dropped the bombshell that the true mastermind behind the human experiments at Saint Yggdrasil Hospital was S.E.N.

"What the hell was I even feeling satisfied about?"

I'd only just made Silver.

And yet somewhere in the corner of my mind, a voice had been whispering that maybe this much was enough.

Nothing is finished yet!

Had the goal of trampling down every last piece of trash and climbing to 'Diamond' been nothing but empty words?

I kept hammering my fist into the ground.

Before long, passersby began to appear around me, staring at me with strange looks.

"YggON!"

[Yes.]

"That son of a bitch…… How the hell do I blow S.E.N to pieces?"

[The new Game Labyrinths yet to come are waiting for you, Master. The games humanity has created will become your new power.]

YggON's camera lens glinted.

[In other words — Random Boxes, in the newly updated Yggdrasil labyrinths!]