Charge!

"Do you need some kind of reward for this?" Alain called out, hoping to reach the unseen person. True to form, text materialized beside him.

[No need, I've already received my reward.]

The words shifted.

[Have a safe trip ♥]

"...Okay," Alain murmured, a touch of bewilderment in his voice. Reward received? He racked his brain, but couldn't recall offering anything.

Then, in the blink of an eye, all the text – from the ground to the walls – vanished as if it had never been there.

Yet, the solid weight of the gauntlet in his right hand, his index finger resting near the inner button, and the reassuring presence of the baseball bat Misha held at her side, all confirmed that it hadn't been a dream.

"?"

Turning to Misha, Alain noticed a slight furrow in her brow. She was facing the wall, a hint of annoyance in her posture.

"My dear, what's wrong? Did something upset you?"

"Nothing…" Misha shook her head, though a faint pout lingered. After all, the mysterious person had helped them. It was just that the phrase "cheating cat" had rubbed her the wrong way.

She had been the first one there, clear as day! If anyone was a cheater, it was that phantom in hiding!

"My dear," Misha said, her attention shifting, "shall we just open the door then?" A questioning "hmm?" escaped her lips as she looked at Alain.

"Yeah. Just give me a moment."

Alain stepped forward and smoothly accessed the 720 Security System panel, his fingers quickly locating the [Feedback] function.

A wry smile touched his lips. He was really starting to grasp just how unreliable this security system was compared to the ones he was used to.

He was about to face a potentially lethal mission. Surely, as the system responsible, it should offer some kind of incentive, right?

So, he typed out his feedback: "Mission is dangerous, urgently need rewards to compensate for motivation."

Unsurprisingly, the system responded with a curt "Thank you for your feedback."

Alain wasn't ready to give up. Not this time. Even a stranger had recognized the danger and offered them support.

Though the phrase "You are my player" was a bit odd… In Alain's mind, his Mita would always be the true troublemaker.

After all, she was the first person he'd encountered upon arriving in this strange world.

But back to the matter at hand… the system had to pay up.

Alain decided to play his final card. "If you don't give me a reward, I'll switch to 360 in the future."

This time, the system remained silent. Not even a perfunctory "Thank you for your feedback" appeared.

"Counting down five seconds," Alain muttered, his fingers hovering over the panel. "If you don't cough up something, I'm going back and downloading 360, and you two can have an electronic cricket fight to see who can uninstall whom."

Suddenly, a small red dot blinked into existence on the 720 Security System icon.

"Heh. You never learn until you're staring into the abyss." He tapped the new message, and there it was – the mission he'd been hoping for: defeat the swarm of worms or head to Cappie's room. It was a broad enough objective to encompass both of their current plans. And the reward:

[Memory Optimization: Allows one recharge of a used skill per mission]

This was a skill that offered both offensive and defensive possibilities.

[Security Protection] had already been used. With Memory Optimization, he'd gain another crucial chance to protect himself.

[Clean Up Speed] was similar. It was usually a one-time use skill per battle, but Memory Optimization would allow for multiple uses in a single encounter or in unexpected situations.

Combining different skills would give him greater flexibility to handle whatever came their way.

"Alright, now we're talking," Alain said, a surge of motivation coursing through him. He reached for Misha's hand. "My dear, let's go—?"

He paused, noticing that while he'd been engrossed in the panel, Misha had been watching him, a suppressed smile playing on her lips. Her mouth twitched slightly as she fought back a laugh, making her look utterly adorable.

"What's wrong?"

Misha simply shook her head, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she pointed at Alain's forehead.

"?"

The security system panel had a smooth, glass-like surface that reflected the ambient light without being affected by the game's internal visuals.

Using it as a makeshift mirror, Alain peered at his reflection.

"..."

Everything seemed normal. His features were still average to slightly above average, clear and bright. Except… was that a pig's head drawn on his forehead?

"Wait a minute… pig's head?"

He leaned closer, and sure enough, a pink pig's head was still there, drawn in a playful font. Combining it with the words left by their mysterious benefactor – "reward received" – the penny finally dropped.

"A prank? That naughty child," Alain chuckled, a smile spreading across his own face. Misha produced a handkerchief and gently wiped his forehead. "But overall, she's a good kid." She glanced down at the baseball bat in her hand.

"Indeed," Alain agreed, not at all bothered by the small jest. It felt more like a harmless joke, a welcome bit of levity in the tense atmosphere.

The stranger who sent the equipment was quite cute, he mused. Misha tucked the handkerchief away and continued to hold his hand.

The stranger's gift was secured, the system's reward was in hand, and all their skills were ready for use.

Looking at it that way, they were in the best possible shape.

"My dear, let's go," Alain said, squeezing Misha's hand as he turned towards the door.

"Mm," Misha replied, falling into step beside him.

They reached the door. Without hesitation, Alain pulled down the doorknob and announced, "Be careful of a door ambush."

"Understood!" Misha's grip tightened on the baseball bat, her eyes peering through the narrow crack in the door, scanning the corridor beyond.

"Click——"

The moment the door swung inward, a black worm was right there, lingering in the doorway.

As soon as the Devourer spotted them, it ceased its code-absorbing activity. Just like before, it coiled its body and, a split second later, launched itself forward like a stone from a slingshot.

Mid-pounce, its maw opened, revealing the unfathomable mess of scrambled code within. The next instant, it was sent hurtling backward with a resounding "thump" as Misha's baseball bat connected with brutal force.

Misha exhaled, the light weapon sending the enemy's body flying into the distance, where it landed on the ground, writhing and struggling.

"Go!"

The instant the door opened fully, Alain's eyes were met with a horrifying sight: an ocean of worms teeming in the corridor to their left.

He grabbed Misha's hand and they bolted forward, the corridor blurring past them.

As they ran, Alain recalled Misha's plan: head for the nearest door and test their luck. The best-case scenario was that it would lead them directly to Cappie's room.

So, Alain's gaze locked onto the door directly ahead. But a grim sight awaited them. Two Devourers were already there, feasting on the doorframe and wall, leaving a gaping hole where a quarter of it had been.

The two worms sensed their approach and turned their eyeless heads towards Alain and Misha, their mouthparts opening in silent, menacing roars.

True to their nature, they coiled their bodies and shot forward with alarming speed.

"My dear, don't miss!" Alain called out.

"You too!" Misha replied, a fierce grin spreading across her face, her eyes burning with determination.

They exchanged a quick glance, a silent understanding passing between them, before focusing their attention forward, each gripping their weapon.

The greatsword and the baseball bat swung with equal force, one to the left, the other to the right, connecting with sickening thuds. The worm Alain struck was even reduced to a shower of shimmering pixels.

Just then, Alain noticed the commotion had attracted the attention of the worms to their left. A dozen or so of the closest ones were becoming agitated, their movements growing more frantic.

"No time, let's see if we can open this door!" Alain shouted to Misha, releasing her hand so he could stay slightly behind and cover their retreat.

"Okay!" Misha was already three or four meters away from the damaged door.

____

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