It seemed like a generic case of “I equipped only the highest quality items and ended up looking weird” that every gamer was familiar with.

The reason I assumed the gear was high quality was simply because it all looked masterfully made, even to my inexperienced eye.

The man in strange clothing threw me a glance...

“...So it was a person.”

...and spoke up with a sigh.

A moment later...

“I attacked you because I thought you were a monster! I’m so sorry! My bad!” He bowed before me and apologized.

“...Huh?” I said.

◇

Still in the room with the staircase, the strangely-dressed man and I began having a little chat.

Nemesis had returned to her human form.

The room we were in was protected by a barrier item — placed by the man — that kept monsters at bay, so we were safe.

The first thing I found out upon speaking to him was that he wasn’t a PKer. Also, his mannerisms and the way he spoke gave me the impression that he was a... reasonably good person.

As for why such a man would attack me...

“So, you confused me with a monster, huh?” I repeated his excuse.

“Yep... I’m really sorry,” he said.

As he’d been making his way up here, he had felt someone examining the hints of his presence. The light shining behind me had made my silhouette look inhuman, so, just to be on the safe side, he had attacked me.

...I couldn’t really blame him. After all, in her black greatsword form, Nemesis would reach right up to my shoulder. My silhouette could easily look monstrous.

“Monstr—?!” Nemesis yelled.

My observation seemed to have been quite a shock to Nemesis, but I chose to ignore it.

“So tell me, why are you going solo in such a shallow floor?” The strange man asked.

“Oh, I’m just leveling,” I replied.

“Leveling? Why here, of all places?” He seemed puzzled. “Your total level is... 7, huh? Shouldn’t someone your level be leveling outside? It’s both easier and more profitable. I know you’re a Paladin and didn’t have to buy a permit, but still.”

...I did buy one, though, I thought and lamented the wasted money once more. I also couldn’t help but notice that he’d been able to see my level.

“Didn’t you know? No one can use the beginner’s hunting grounds due to the terrorism there,” I explained.

“Terrorism?” he asked.

“Yes, player killers are terrorizing the beginner’s hunting grounds around the capital. It’s been going on for three in-game days now.”

“...I’ve been in this dungeon for five, so I had no idea.” He added that he didn’t even check the Internet for game-related news.

I couldn’t hold back my surprise. “You’ve been in the Tomb Labyrinth for five whole days?! What where you doing here?!”

“Just a little marathon,” he said. “I wanted to see how far down I could go while playing solo, and then I simply came back up.”

A bit of a tryhard, isn’t he? I thought. His gear and the power behind his attack were proof that his level was really high.

“How deep did you get this time?” I asked, just out of curiosity.

“I got to floor 418,” he said. “That’s one more than my previous record.”

The young man had spoken a number that was nigh impossible to believe.

“...What.” That was about the only way I could react. Even while in a party, the tough guys from the walkthrough site could only reach floor 415.

It was quite hard to accept that he had been able to go beyond where they’d gone and reach the uncharted ground while going solo.

“You are...?” Nemesis asked for his name.

“Oh, my name is Figaro,” he replied. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Ray Starling,” I said. “This is my Embryo — Nemesis — and... ah!”

As I introduced myself, I finally realized where I’d heard his name before.

Figaro — Over Gladiator Figaro.

That was the name of the one sitting at the top of the Kingdom of Altar’s duel rankings.

“Are you that Figaro? From the rankings?” I asked.

“Yep, that’s me,” he answered. “I go through lots of matches in the arena.”

“Arena? Matches?” His words slightly confused me.

“Yep. The arena,” he said. “In the kingdom, it’s in Gideon, city of duels. When dueling in the arena, you don’t die, even when you’re killed, and you can even win money depending on the audience you pull. It’s fun.”

“‘Don’t die, even if you’re killed?’” I raised an eyebrow.

“There’s a magical field that makes it work that way,” he explained. “It’s like a recreational activity with some betting on the side. There are some other tourist attractions, and the town is always lively, so I recommend you visit it someday.”

I guess people’s tendency to cling to their desires is fully functional even when their country is on the verge of ruin, I thought.

“Gideon is not too far after you pass the mountain in the south, and... oh, right.” He suddenly stopped. “If the terrorists are preventing the use of beginners’ hunting spots, then the Sauda Mountain Pass is blocked, as well. The idea of there being less traffic there is... troubling.”

Figaro fell silent, pondering something...

“All right, then. I’ll do something about it.”

...and said that.

“I also have to make up for the attack I did, after all,” he added. “I’ll take care of the player killers in Sauda Mountain Pass.”

“Take care? How?” asked Nemesis. “...Negotiation?”

The question mark behind that word was almost audible.

“You should be able to use the pass by tomorrow, so you just get some levels and come over to Gideon,” said Figaro. “Most of the time, you can find me there or in this dungeon.”

“Ah, okay,” I nodded.

“All right, I’ll be going, then,” he said, getting ready to leave. “Oh, have this.”

Figaro reached into his bag and took out a small stone. It was a Gem — just like the ones I’d used — but this one was of a different color and carried a different kind of magic.

“It’s imbued with ‘Escape Gate’ — a spell that lets you leave created dungeons,” Figaro explained. “Get all the levels you can and use it to leave this place.”

“Are you sure I can have this?” I asked.

“Sure am,” he said. “It’s another thing I’m doing to make up for the attack I did. After all, it would’ve been really bad if I’d given a death penalty to a newbie like yourself.”

“Thank you so much,” I said. I was sincerely grateful. With this item, I could continue the hunt without having to think about the dangers I’d face on the way back.

Figaro really is a good guy.

“But man, you two are pretty good,” he added.

I raised an eyebrow.

“You were able to withstand my attack, weren’t you?” he asked.

“Well, yeah, but that’s what our skill is,” I said.

“I wasn’t talking about the damage,” he said. “You didn’t break when I came up the stairs.”

Didn’t break? I thought. What does he mean by that?

“I’m fond of people who don’t break,” he continued. “I like you. Hope we get to fight in the arena someday.”

“That’d be nice,” I said. If — as Figaro had said — there was no death penalty there, I could act on my curiosity and fight him just to find out how strong the top of the rankings really was.

“Yep. I’m looking forward to it,” said Figaro. “I’ll dedicate this cleaning to the pleasures of the future.”

“Cleaning?” I asked.

Figaro stood up.

“See ya later, then,” he said, instead of elaborating on the strange term.

“See you, too. Thank you for the Gem,” I said, choosing not to push it.

With a bright smile on his face, Figaro waved us goodbye and left the room.

◇

“Over Gladiator Figaro, huh?” Nemesis spoke. “Not the kind of person I expected him to be.”

“Same here,” I agreed. “Based on what my brother said, I expected him to be more rebellious.”

He’d told me that the reason Figaro hadn’t joined the war was because he “wasn’t interested in sloppy fights.” That had made him sound really obstinate and rebellious, but upon meeting the guy, I could only assume that he’d had his reasons.

“All right, let’s get started, then,” I said. “We’ve got a Gem that lets us leave this place with no problem, so let’s go all out.”

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Nemesis agreed. “No undead can be as scary as that attack from before.”

Apparently, that event had made her sense of fear go numb.

Perfect, I thought. We’ll be able to progress at a faster pace. Up until that point, a part of me had been holding back — for Nemesis’ sake. Now I can turn this little adventure into a real splatter flick.

“Let’s resume the hunt!” I roared.

“Bring it on!” she joined me.

A few hours later, I was polishing Nemesis — still in her sword form — as she silently wept.

This continued until the break of dawn.

◇

It was ten in the morning, the day after we’d explored the Tomb Labyrinth.

It was time to check out, so I walked out of the inn while drowsily rubbing my eyes.

The reason for my drowsiness was the fact that I had stayed up until dawn polishing Nemesis, who had still been asleep.

Instead of being in her human or sword form, she was currently inside the crest on my left hand. Nemesis was outside of it most of the time, but for most people, Embryos were something to keep in their crests.

That was obvious, of course. Otherwise, my brother would have to walk around with a Gatling gun in his hands or ride around in a tank.

And that’s something that’d have him taken away by the police for questioning, I thought.

Nemesis’s personality kept her outside most of the time, but now, she was focused on sleeping inside the crest.

Seems like the R-18 zombie fest took quite a toll on her mind, I thought.

However, thanks to that, I’d gotten to level 12 and gained two new skills. They were “Paladin’s Aegis” and “Instant Equip.”

Paladin’s Aegis was an always-active defensive skill. It was pretty good, too, since it reduced all incoming damage — magic or physical — by a whole 10%. A Paladin simply wasn’t complete without it. Since it cost absolutely no MP, it was possible to just activate it and treat it as a passive skill.

The other skill — Instant Equip — allowed the user to quickly switch to wielding another weapon from their inventory. There was no need to dig through the items in the 4D bag to find it. The skill wasn’t unique to Paladins — everyone who used any sort of weapon would get it sooner or later.

There were downsides to both skills, though. For example, Paladin’s Aegis could only be used by jobs in the knight grouping, while Instant Equip had a cooldown of five minutes.

...Well, it’s not like I have a weapon I could switch to using Instant Equip, I thought. Nemesis wouldn’t shut up about it if I did.

“I won’t let you... cheat on me... with another weapon...” Nemesis murmured in between her breaths.

...Is she talking in her sleep? I wondered.

The first thing I did once I went outside was search for info regarding the player killings in the beginners’ hunting grounds.

Figaro had said that Sauda Mountain Pass would be open by now, but I had to confirm it for myself. And, sure enough, the player killing terror in that area was over. In fact, it was disappearing in the other areas, too.

“I can understand the south, but the others...?” I whispered. It even included the place I had died at — Noz Forest.

If the timing was anything to go by, the south had been taken care of by Figaro, but what about the others? As such questions went through my mind...

“Ah, Ray!” someone called out to me. “Hey there!”

“Hm?” I turned to the familiar voice’s source. It was coming from the front of a store next to the street.

In a mere moment, I realized that it was Rook — the guy I’d met in one of the beginners’ hunting grounds. Unlike last time, his graceful face wasn’t covered in dirt, and he was smiling at me while — for one reason or another — wearing the uniform of a shop run by tians.

“Hello,” I greeted him. “Why are you wearing that?”

“Getting skills while working part-time,” he answered.

Apparently, the suitable job Rook had been diagnosed with and had chosen was close to the merchant grouping. Due to that, he’d been able to learn various mercantile skills by working at shops. Just like me, he’d gained skills without having to rely on the hunting grounds.

“So, what job did you pick?” I asked.

“Pimp!” he answered with excitement.

Pimp... as in... Pimp? I wondered. Why does that job even exist? And why is an underage boy able to take it? In fact, why is that his “suitable job” in the first place?

“...My guess is that it’s because he has a succubus with him,” Nemesis said sleepily, still in the crest.

Well, that makes sense, I thought. Look at those bright eyes of his, though. Does Rook even know what the word “Pimp” means?

“...What kind of skills do you Pimps have, anyway?” I asked.

“I’ve got these ones so far!” Rook said eagerly and showed me his skill summary.

Wordlessly, both Nemesis and I ran our eyes through it.

In conclusion — he was a true pimp.

There was Male Temptation — a skill that Charmed females and had a chance to tame monsters. Then there were Female Monster Strengthening and Female Slave Strengthening, which did exactly what the names said. I couldn’t ignore Influence, either, which increased the rewards from doing work and made the whole picture look very... “master”-oriented.

The only normal skill among those was “Insightful Eye,” which seemed to have come as an extra.

But man, “Charm” is quite a scary debuff, I thought.

According to the game’s help files, it was a stronger form of the “Confuse” debuff. Charmed creatures would protect the one who Charmed them and attack their enemies. Basically, it made them guard the enemy and fight their allies. Players weren’t excluded from its effects, either — their bodies would simply start moving on their own.

“There’s a theme here, isn’t there?” said Rook. “I guess Pimp is a monster-taming kind of job?”

“...Something like that, I guess,” I replied. Women were a strange kind of monster, after all.

In exchange for him showing me his skills, I showed mine, too.

Upon seeing my Paladin’s Aegis and Instant Equip, Rook’s eyes lit up. He yelled out, “That’s so cool!”

...Why must such an earnest, good young boy be a Pimp? I wondered.

◇

Rook quit his part-time position at the shop, so I waited for him to take care of whatever he needed to, and then joined him for lunch. He had only been working there because of the player killings, so no one had had any problems with him quitting now that they were over.

In fact, the owner thanked him. That was because — during the three days Rook had spent standing in front of the shop — they’d gotten five times more customers than usual. One thing to note was that all the new customers were women — Master and tian alike.

As we walked through the streets, I could feel a lot of people staring at us. To be specific, the women around us were staring at Rook.

“Just look at that pretty boy... he’s so cute, I might faint,” one of them said.

“That’s some amazing character creation skill. Wait, how do you even make a boy that pretty?!” another joined in.

“He seems a bit too natural for it to be character creation,” a third one added.

Hearing their comments made me throw a glance at Rook.

“...Hmm,” I pondered. When I’d first met him, he’d just seemed like a pretty boy covered in dirt from battle, but now that he was clean, it was obvious that he was among the most handsome men in the world. It felt as though he’d been the result of some miracle that had happened in his ongoing transition from “boy” to “young man.” The silver hair covering his head made him look like a fairy representing the ephemeral nature of snow.

“...Master,” Nemesis said, having read my mind. “Is it just me, or is your description of his appearance better than the one you gave me when we first met?”

No comment.

“By the way, Rook,” I said, “how much did you work on your character’s appearance when starting the game?”

“I changed my hair color,” he answered.

“...That’s it?”

“Yes.”

So a guy this handsome actually existed in reality, meaning that his Embryo being Babi and job being Pimp could all be attributed to him being handsome.

I can only assume that the Pimp industry is limited to handsome people, I thought.

“What do you think his relationship is with the blond guy next to him?” the girls continued their chatter.

“Well, I’d say that they’re doing it,” one of them concluded.

“Which one takes it?” a third one asked.

“The blond one,” the other two replied in unison.

“I think so, too!” the third squealed. “The pretty boy’s smile is that of a sadistic top!”

The exchange made a chill go down my spine, but I pretended to not hear it.

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Babi yet. Where is she?” I asked. Is she in the crest? Like Nemesis?

“Babi is working part-time, too,” Rook answered. “She’s in a massage parlor nearby.”

“Massage parlor...?” The implications of a succubus doing such services made me imagine only the most indecent of things.

However, once I got there, I became made aware that it was a wholesome place that didn’t even need to operate from a back alley.

“...Yep, it’s a massage parlor, all right,” I said.

“Yes,” Rook confirmed. “What about it?”

“Rook! I’m done with my job here!” With perfect timing, Babi ran out of the massage parlor and stood right next to Rook.

“Ah, hello there, Ray! Hey there, Nemesis!” she added, noticing us.

“Hello.” I returned the greeting.

“It has been a while.” Nemesis, who was no longer in the crest on my left hand, now stood beside me in her human form.

With all of us back together, it was time for lunch.

My brother had told me about a nearby shop, so I chose it simply because I had no reason not to. His recommendations rarely disappointed, after all.

◇

As we dug into our meals, we continued exchanging information and chatting.

Rook and Babi spoke about their time working, while I told them about the hunting grounds and the Tomb Labyrinth.

“I got a new skill today!” Babi announced.

She’d gotten a skill despite being away from Rook. Humanoid Guardian type Embryos were able to gain new skills by working, training, and learning while separated from their Masters.

Babi’s current setup had a skill called Lilim Temptation, which could Charm males. It was the opposite of Rook’s Male Temptation, which was effective against women. When together, they could Charm both sexes, giving them a great advantage in countless situations. Another interesting skill she had was Lilim Drain, which allowed her to drain HP, MP and SP from Charmed enemies.

As for the skill she’d gained in the massage parlor, it was Angelic Massage, which could take away the effects of Exhaustion.

“By the way, Nemesis’s skills got me curious. Can she use Counter Absorption and Vengeance is Mine when she’s all by herself?” Rook asked.

That was a good question. I could recall her having used Counter Absorption on her own volition, but what about Vengeance?

“I cannot use Vengeance is Mine by myself,” she answered. “It can only be used when I become a weapon and get equipped.”

“Oh, I see,” I said, understanding. According to Nemesis, Counter Absorption was closer to a Guardian type skill, while Vengeance is Mine was more of an Arms type ability. Guardians had autonomy, but Arms and Chariots had a lot of skills which could only work when they were equipped.

“It just hit me that I asked to see your skills, but didn’t ask for your level. What is it now?” I asked Rook, looking at him. He hasn’t been able to grind much these past few days, so if our last meeting was anything to go by, he should be at about level 5.

“I’m level 25,” he said.

“25?!” I couldn’t hold my shock. That’s more than double my level! “How?! Where did you raise your level? The hunting grounds weren’t an option, so—”

Hell, I don’t think he could get that many levels even if he could use the hunting grounds! I thought.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I couldn’t go hunting, but I got lots of XP for completing a Pimp guild quest.”

“A Pimp guild quest?” I repeated, dumbfounded.

I hadn’t been aware of it, but taking a job unlocked quests from the guild of that particular job grouping, and clearing them rewarded the player with experience. However, with the exception of those given to non-battle jobs, most of the quests in guilds required the player to defeat or defend something, so newbies like myself couldn’t do much there.

Hell, I’m a Paladin — a high-rank job — so it’s probably even worse for me, I thought.

“I see... but...” There was something I was curious about. “...A job that only a Pimp can do?” I asked.

Is there anything in that vein that isn’t R-18?

“The one I cleared was a quest to find a model for a painting,” Rook explained. “Here’s a copy.”

“Let’s see here...” I said and looked at it.

Maestro Grantzian Valleno is looking for a model, difficulty level 6.

One of the Kingdom of Altar’s greatest artists — Grantzian — is looking for a model for a new painting.

Please bring someone that he would be satisfied with.

Depending on the model, they might be asked to pose nude.

Be advised that Grantzian is a fastidious sort and that his standards are sky-high.

I had no words. The difficulty of this quest was actually a level higher than the one where I’d had to help Milianne.

“So, you went and cleared it by showing Babi to him, right?” I asked.

“No. Well, that was my original intention, but...”

◇◇◇

“Pardon the intrusion. I am Rook from the Pimp guild, and I came here with a model.”

“Hmph, another one of you useless cretins who are only good at handling your crotches. All you wretches ever bring to me are atrocious hags. So, where is the...”

“Umm, is anything the matter?”

“You’re hired!”

◇◇◇

“For some reason, I had to be the model,” said Rook. “Well, it got me some levels and it made Mr. Grantzian happy, so I didn’t mind it at all.”

“...I see. Good for you,” I said.

Man, this world is really kind to handsome people...

◇

By the time we’d finished our lunch, my exchange with Rook was nearing its end.

I’d thought I’d had some strange experiences since I’d started the game, but his adventures had been quite something, too. I had no idea if we were unique in that regard or if getting entangled in unusual events was the norm in this world.

“By the way, Ray,” Rook addressed me.

“Hm? What?” I responded.

“We just talked about the player killers, and there’s something that I can’t get out of my head,” he said.

...It’s probably the same thing that I’m interested in, I thought.

“When you met Figaro, he said he would do something about the player killers in the south, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, he said something about the hunting ground there being the passage to the city of duels,” I answered.

“But the player killing is over in all the hunting grounds, isn’t it?” he asked.

Exactly, I thought. That had been the question on my mind before I’d met up with Rook.

There would’ve been no surprise if Figaro — the top of the duel rankings — had ended the player killing in the hunting grounds. In fact, if he’d simply given them all the death penalty, the player killing wouldn’t be happening for a whole three days. However, Figaro had only mentioned the Sauda Mountain Pass in the south. Therefore, it was strange that the player killings in the other places were over, too.

“I have three possible scenarios in mind,” I said.

“Do tell,” Rook said, looking interested.

“Scenario number one: Figaro did something about the other three, as well,” I said.

This scenario is quite unlikely, though, I thought. He’d probably taken care of the southern player killers to secure the means of travel between the capital and the city of duels — his main haunt. However, he’d had no reason to take care of the problems in the other areas.

“Scenario number two: upon finding out that someone took care of the player killers in the south, the others ceased their activity, as well.”

This one seems a bit questionable, I thought. Sure, getting killed would disable the player killers’ activity for a whole three days here, but this particular event was organized terrorism meant to prevent Kingdom of Altar’s players from growing stronger.

From the way they’d sealed all four sides of the kingdom, it was obvious that they were acting as one. Due to that, it was hard to believe that they’d stop just because one side got neutralized. In fact, I would expect them to make up for the loss by sending over some of their killers from the other areas.

Suddenly, another possibility came to mind.

What if the countermeasures Figaro took aren’t as small-scale and haphazard as I think they are? I thought. What if he actually negotiated with the player killers?

If that was the case, it was no surprise that all the player killing had stopped.

However, that’s quite a questionable assumption, too, I thought. Figaro was a good guy, but he didn’t seem like the type to act like that. I didn’t talk to him for long, but the impression he gave me didn’t seem to fit that scenario. After all, he almost killed me just because he couldn’t see what I was. That brings him closer to “musclehead” territory... or just makes him seem like a person who is rough in the way he operates.

“Umm, Ray,” Rook said, “what’s the third scenario?”

Whoa, I got lost in thought, I realized.

After a short process of elimination, I voiced the third possibility.

“Scenario number three: at the same time as Figaro was doing his thing in the south, the other places were taken care of by other people,” I said.

If Figaro wasn’t the one who’d taken care of them all and if the others hadn’t just backed down, it could only mean that someone else had gone to the other hunting grounds at the same time as him. After all, they were player killers, so there must’ve been many people who wanted them gone. Therefore, it was fair to assume that someone had gone to take care of them at about the same time as Figaro.

I felt it reasonable to believe that the single cause led to a coincidence in timing — a synchronicity, of sorts.

“And you are completely right!” an unfamiliar voice broke in.

It was way too sudden. Before I realized it, a woman I didn’t know was sitting down at our round table — on a chair between myself and Rook.

Despite her being right next to me, I hadn’t noticed her at all until she began speaking. Which was odd, because her appearance was strange and unique, making it nigh impossible to ignore her presence.

Her hair was black and long enough to cover her neck, while her face was that of someone around my age, but neither of those points were what made her seem strange. All of her oddity was in her apparel. However, the reasons were completely different from Figaro’s.

That guy had had clothes befitting a fantasy setting, but there had been no uniformity in his overall appearance. This woman’s clothing, however, was completely uniform. It just happened to be a men’s business suit that didn’t fit the fantasy setting at all.

Not only that, but her eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses. I wouldn’t have found her appearance the least bit weird if we’d been in reality, instead of the game. Though, even in reality, it would be pretty strange to wear sunglasses indoors.

“Umm... You are...?” Rook asked as I examined the woman.

“Oh, do forgive me,” she said. “I found your conversation so interesting that I couldn’t help but join in. This is who I am.”

As I noticed that she was talking in a slightly tomboy-ish way, she took out a business card... which was actually just a status window with her name, job, et cetera, but whatever.

Name: Marie Adler.

Job: Journalist belonging to the company known as “DIN.”

The existence of the job “Pimp” is surprising enough, and now I run into a Journalist, I thought. This game sure has great job variety.

“What’s DIN?” I asked.

“Short for Dendrogram Information Network,” Marie answered. “Some call us newspaper reporters. However, when we want to sound cool, we like to go for ‘intelligence agency without borders.’ We gather information from countries all over and sell it to other countries.”

“...Is that a safe thing to do in the current environment?” I asked. The kingdom was at war with a neighboring country. People who could leak info to the enemy seemed like prime candidates for arrest.

“Well, we have many DIN fans in the upper echelons of every country,” she answered. “Though I’m just an underling, so I specialize in info for citizens and Masters.”

“Any examples?” I asked.

“For the citizens, we recently took photos of and wrote about the pandas that were breeding so much they covered an entire mountain in Huang He.”

...Oh yeah, I saw that in the message boards, I thought.

“As for Masters, we recently gathered info about the player killers that were terrorizing the Kingdom of Altar’s surroundings,” she continued.