Chapter 9: If I Don’t Pull the Weapon, I’ll Eat My Screen?!

Chapter 9: If I Don't Pull the Weapon, I'll Eat My Screen?!

"Hiding something from you?"

Hokuto stared at Seele's message and felt utterly helpless.

He had told the truth, and yet… nobody believed him.

Clearly, Seele had never even considered that her dearest Bronya-nee would grow up one day.

"No, no, I'm being completely honest. 'Big Duck' is just Bronya when she grows up."

"WHAT?! Bronya-nee… grown up?!"

Judging by Seele's panicked response, the thought had never once crossed her mind.

"Yep. Duck → Grows up = Big Duck."

"I can't even picture it… What does she look like? Is she still nice? Or… will she become mean?!"

As Seele's messages flooded the chat, Hokuto suddenly froze in realization.

Crap.

He had spoiled the future again!

This conversation needs to end. Right now.

"No need to overthink it. Everyone grows up eventually. You will too."

Trying to swiftly change the topic, Hokuto clicked into the next stage—

It was time for the Black Bronya boss fight.

The screen went black.

Then, the story cutscene began to play.

Inside the command room of the Moonlight Throne battleship, Bronya was busy operating a floating holographic control panel that glowed with a cool blue light.

[No enemies on the bridge. Heavy Bunny 19C, initiating system override…]

The screen shifted to Bronya's perspective.

As she scanned the system's interface—

She froze.

[No login password required… Full access granted… How is this possible?]

[…This is far too suspicious. This is basically handing the battleship over to us for free.]

[Bronya, be cautious. There might be hidden malware in the system.]

Shortly after, Bronya discovered a mysterious email in the battleship's mainframe.

[Dear Kiana,

Greetings! This battleship, the Moonlight Throne, is finally being returned to you after 14 years.

You will ascend the throne and shape a new world.

But before that, you must find the four 'keys'—]

[The Lightning of Conquest,

The Flames of Plague,

The Storm of Desire,

The Silence of Death.

Oh, and by the way, the navigation system's password is your birthday~]

As Bronya read the email aloud, Kiana finally snapped out of her confusion.

"Wait a second—why is this email addressed to me?!"

Meanwhile, the viewers in the stream were just as puzzled.

"Who the heck just gives away a battleship?!"

Fu Hua, with her experience from the Previous Era, was completely baffled.

This made no sense from a strategic standpoint.

"Four keys… What do these symbolize?"

Durandal furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

She had never encountered any reports mentioning these so-called "keys."

For the first time, she was completely lost.

However—

While everyone else was confused, there was one viewer who had remained completely silent—

Otto Apocalypse.

Unlike the others, he didn't react at all to the mention of the battleship or the keys.

Instead—

At this critical moment, he asked a very different question.

"If I heard correctly… You mentioned that Bronya grows up, didn't you?"

Hokuto felt his blood run cold.

Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.

It hadn't even been five minutes, and Otto had already caught onto something suspicious.

"I'm quite curious—why do you know what she looks like when she's older?

This must be insider information from the game's developers, correct?"

Hokuto immediately started formulating an escape plan.

If he failed to answer properly, Otto would start digging into him.

So what kind of lie could cover up the truth?

After a brief moment of thought—

Hokuto came up with a plan.

"I have a friend who works for the game company. He has access to some inside info."

"Oh? Then it seems you have quite the connections."

"Hahaha, not really, not really. Anyway—enough chit-chat. Watch how I handle this boss!"

Quickly steering the conversation away, Hokuto jumped into the battle against Black Bronya.

The Boss Fight: A Joke Compared to the Old Days

Back in the old version of the story, Black Bronya was an absolute nightmare for new players.

She had—

Flashbang attacks that stunned you. Invisibility mechanics that let her sneak attack. And a screen-wide ultimate bombardment that wiped out unprepared players.

…But that was the old version.

Now?

Hokuto immediately switched to Herrscher of Reason Bronya—

QTE entry → Auto attack to charge her gauge → Hold attack for a charged shot → Ultimate skill activation.

With that, Heavy Bunny transformed into a motorcycle and smashed down from the sky—

BOOM.

The battle ended instantly.

The boss didn't even last a single phase.

As the victory animation played, an awkward silence settled over the chat.

When Black Bronya first appeared, everyone had braced themselves for a tough fight.

After all, a comrade suddenly turning against you—enhanced by mysterious power—should have been a major boss battle.

But instead…

The fight ended before anyone could even process what was happening.

Then, Seele finally broke the silence—

"Eh? What just happened? I thought this was supposed to be a hard fight… Big Brother Streamer, you're amazing!"

[Due to your stream content, "My Favorite Sister Bronya" is shocked! You have gained 560 Crystals!]

Nice!

Hokuto grinned at the unexpected reward.

"Hahaha, it's all about understanding game mechanics. Even if I used the starting trio, I could still clear this fight."

As the post-battle cutscene played, he leaned back to watch.

Inside the Moonlight Throne's command room, Mei helped Bronya to her feet.

Himeko appeared on the communications screen, asking for a status report.

Bronya, recovering from the battle, made a firm decision—

[I don't want to be a burden to everyone anymore. Once we return to the academy, I'll undergo a full examination.]

With the cutscene ending, Hokuto checked his Crystal balance—

He had enough for two ten-pulls.

Then, a message appeared in chat—

"What's next? Are you continuing the main story?"

It was from Durandal.

Hokuto shook his head and replied,

"No, no, no. It's time to roll the weapon banner."

With that, he opened the Equipment Supply page.

"This is Herrscher of Reason's featured banner. The rate-up weapons are her signature gear: Key of Truth and her exclusive Stigmata set—Welt Yang."

"If I pull her signature weapon, her damage output will skyrocket.

And if I get her full Stigmata set, she'll reach her perfect final form."

As excitement built up in chat, Hokuto decided to hype it up further.

"Alright, let me show you all something incredible—a ten-pull miracle.

I guarantee I'll get the weapon in just one ten-pull! Who believes me?"

Then—

"Oh? What makes you so confident?"

Otto suddenly decided to rain on the parade.

"And if you don't pull the weapon?"

Hokuto smirked.

"If I don't get the weapon in one ten-pull… I'll eat my screen!"

End of Chapter 9