Ch.242Sasith’s Quest (1)

After enjoying a rather pleasant date with Tina, we headed straight home. It was getting close to evening, and we needed to prepare for the August dungeon raid.

As soon as we got home, Sasith rushed toward me.

“Shota!!! What the hell did you do?!”

Sasith shouted.

“What did I do… I just wore you when you transformed into panties.”

I replied.

“Mention the panties one more time and I’ll kill you! I swear!!”

Sasith yelled loudly.

“What’s going on here?”

I looked around.

“Shota. A bunch of aliens have come to visit.”

Kana said.

“Aliens? They didn’t do anything weird, did they?”

I immediately narrowed my eyes.

“No… they say they’re our allies? They want to help us.”

Umi said while munching on snacks. Umi… she’s always eating something. It was amazing how she never gained weight.

“What did you say last time?! Something about taking down the galaxy’s strongest assassin?!”

Sasith grabbed my shoulders tightly.

“Mmm…”

I couldn’t help but feel something from Sasith’s strong grip.

“Make that weird moan again and I’ll kill you!! I swear!!”

Sasith fumed.

“Ah… Victory Man. We had quite the bloody battle with Mika last time.”

I nodded as I spoke.

“Anyway, didn’t you say something strange back then?”

Kana asked.

“Ah… I did hype up Sasith quite a bit.”

I understood now. I think I said something like I’m just a weakling, I follow the orders of a greater being.

“Since then… Sasith’s reputation has skyrocketed.”

Frill said.

“He’s ranked 5th in the galaxy!!! Isn’t that amazing?”

Umi giggled. Eri also let out a small chuckle.

“Wow!! A powerhouse beyond Earth!!”

I laughed loudly.

But… honestly, setting aside my bias, Sasith did possess that level of strength. He was the only human capable of summoning six Psychorobos simultaneously. He lived up to being the protagonist.

“Since then, aliens from planets rebelling against Pink Beard seem to have appointed us as some kind of leaders.”

Kana analyzed the situation before speaking.

“So? What happened?”

It was a deviation from the original storyline, but honestly, I wasn’t fazed. Deviations from the original plot weren’t uncommon anymore.

“We accepted. The anti-Pink Beard alliance has already been formed.”

Kana said in a calm tone.

“Hmm. I see. Well, it should be helpful, right?”

I answered casually. As expected of Kana. She took the optimal action for the current situation. I could trust and leave things to her.

“Is that all you have to say?”

At that moment, Sasith looked straight at me. Oh… that was a fearlessly righteous gaze befitting a protagonist.

“What’s the problem? We can’t stand against Pink Beard’s massive forces with just us anyway. We need allies.”

I said.

“Those guys… they’re in a bad situation. If they rise up, they’ll all be suppressed.”

Sasith said.

“That’s possible.”

I shrugged.

“What do you mean ‘possible’… Are you saying you’ll just use them as disposable pawns? As meat shields?!”

Sasith shouted.

“Sasith…”

Frill looked at Sasith with concerned eyes. Despite our bickering, Sasith and I had never truly fought.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something, Sasith. We’re not galactic heroes.”

I said firmly.

“We can’t save every planet in the universe.”

Those words came out of my mouth before I knew it. Somehow… Sasith’s words triggered my trauma.

“What…”

“What I can protect is Earth… no, even Earth is too grand. It’s the precious people around me. For their sake, I don’t care about other planets. That’s my priority.”

I said.

It was cold, but I was certain. I recalled that high-quality nightmare. As a hero, I tried to save the world but lost all the precious people around me.

Yes, they all died. Every single one of them. There was zero satisfaction in saving the world. That’s when I realized that protecting precious people should be the top priority.

“Sasith. Focus on what’s important.”

Then, I used a cheat key phrase for persuasion.

“It’s not like we threatened them with a knife to rebel.”

“Nukal-hyeop?” That was a magic spell.

“Sigh… fine.”

Sasith seemed to have finally established priorities in his mind.

Of course… it would be nice if everyone in the galaxy were happy. But that wasn’t possible. So we had to prioritize what was precious.

“But… they were a complete mess. Will they be of any help?”

Sasith seemed doubtful about that point.

“No. That’s enough. If everyone rebels together, even Pink Beard will be flustered.”

I said.

“If they all rise up together, Pink Beard will inevitably have to split his forces to suppress the rebellion. Plus, it’s even better if the rebellions happen at places producing military supplies. It will delay his plans to invade Earth.”

That’s right. Even just causing chaos together would be doing their part. That was the magic of rebellion.

Even the mighty Western Roman Empire couldn’t keep up with the simultaneous rebellions in its final days. By having to station troops for suppression, they could indirectly reduce the headcount.

“This bastard… acts like an idiot but his brain actually works.”

Taiga said.

“Ha! A rebellion on a cosmic scale! Yes! If we’re going to cause trouble, it should be at least this big!!”

Kirtan laughed heartily.

“I-I’ll just write…”

Mika, the epitome of an ordinary person, couldn’t keep up with this flow. He just started writing.

“Sigh… okay. I got it.”

Sasith sighed and organized his thoughts. Yes, it was fortunate that Sasith quickly gave up on playing hero.

———

Anyway, we decided to wait until nightfall. Since they had already come to our house, I let everyone stay. I felt a bit sorry for Madoka who was probably waiting anxiously at the hideout, but I figured she’d forgive me quickly if I patted her bottom later.

And when night fell, the August dungeon raid began.

“Oh! Sorry I’m late, my training took longer than expected.”

Thumbs-up Man waved as he walked over.

“Hey, Thumbs-up Man. What’s that in your hand?”

I asked him.

“Ah. Snacks sent from my hometown. Please take some if you’d like.”

Thumbs-up Man immediately handed us gifts.

“Thumbs-up Man!!! You social skills monster!”

I immediately patted his shoulder.

“Shota… you’re surprisingly weak to bribes.”

Eri chuckled.

“Ah!! These are fresh Atsuhashi from Kyoto!! I love these!!”

Umi snatched the snacks from my hand.

“Umi… is there any snack you don’t like?”

I asked her.

Thwack-!

Umi silently kicked my shin. Ouch.

Anyway, our entire group headed toward the August dungeon. Of course, having played this game countless times, I knew the location.

It was near the arcade where I had dated Kana before.

“It’s that place from before?”

Kana smiled and immediately took my hand. It was her way of appealing to our shared memories.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I smiled in response. I wanted to react more passionately, but the gazes from behind were piercing.

———-

Beep-beep-beep-! Beep-beep-beep-!

The entire arcade had been infiltrated by a dimensional gate from the other world.

As a bonus, the graphics had strangely changed to pixel art.

“So otaku-like.”

Umi expressed her typical insider’s impression.

“That kind of comment… could hurt certain people.”

I said to Umi.

“Anyway, this is the August dungeon. It’s basically a game concept.”

I explained. You could call it a game within a game. It had a JRPG structure where all equipment is stripped, and you gradually become stronger by defeating monsters, earning money, and acquiring equipment.

“Sigh… there aren’t any weird devices, are there?”

Sasith looked at me with a strangely cautious tone.

“You won’t turn into panties like last time.”

I said to reassure Sasith.

“Shut up!! Always talking about panties at every opportunity!!”

Sasith immediately yelled.

“You’ve played classic games before, right? It’s similar to those.”

I explained.

“Yeah!! So we just smash everything?!”

Taiga shouted loudly. Hmm… that’s not exactly the kind of game I was thinking of. Anyway, we went inside.

———-

As we entered the dungeon, all the surroundings transformed into pixel art.

“Ah!! You’ve arrived!!! Aren’t you the cosmic warrior Sasith!!”

A man wearing armor like a demon lord, made entirely of pixels, shouted.

“My name… even someone like this knows it…”

Sasith made a genuinely displeased expression.

But the corners of Sasith’s mouth were twitching upward with tremendous momentum.

‘Good grief… I didn’t want to be known… but I guess my skills have been revealed after all.’

He was probably thinking something like that. The thought process of a chuunibyou was predictable.

Chuunibyou trait) Enjoys situations of reluctant fame.

“For someone like you!! I’ve prepared my own stage!! I ate a suitable planet to make my own amusement park for this!! I’d appreciate if you enjoy it!!”

The demon lord smiled and waved his hand.

“It’s a game that Earthlings love!!! Become a hero, diligently level up, and if you defeat me, the dungeon is cleared!!! Please do your best!!”

The demon lord smiled and waved his hand.

Poof-!

With that, the demon lord disappeared.

Woooong-!!

Immediately after, a portal made of pixel graphics appeared.

“Chunjat!!”

I threw myself into the portal without hesitation.

“What the hell is ‘chunjat’? Chunjat…”

Sasith muttered such doubts as he threw himself into the portal with me.

“He always makes that sound whenever he rushes forward.”

Kana chuckled.

“He uses that ‘chunjat’ word during sparring.”

Thumbs-up Man agreed.

“I should also use that ‘chunjat’ word when boarding ships from now on!!”

Kirtan seemed to have been influenced in a strange way.

Anyway, we headed to the entrance of the dungeon.

———

“Oh… Warrior Sasith, welcome.”

We had arrived at a vast royal palace.

A king made of pixel graphics sat on a throne in the center.

“I’m just following the royal command.”

Sasith immediately knelt down.

“Puhahahahaha!! Look at this guy’s adaptability!!! He’s naturally role-playing!!”

Umi and Taiga burst into laughter.

You secretly longed for this kind of situation, didn’t you, Sasith?

“Is it because of his pointy hair… my boyfriend is gradually turning into an idiot.”

Frill seemed to be experiencing complex emotions.

“The world is in crisis. The evil demon lord…”

And the king immediately began explaining the world setting without asking or questioning anything.

Well… it’s the standard procedure, but… it was too boring!!!! In games, this part can be skipped!! So I’m pressing the skip button in reality! No complaints, right?

“So!! What are you going to give us?! You’re not sending heroes empty-handed, are you?!”

I immediately interrupted the king’s words.

“W-well… I’ve prepared a modest 30 gold and weapons.”

The king cleared his throat and continued.

Look at this guy…? In the game I just accepted it, but experiencing it in reality made me angry. He’s providing such stingy support when we’re trying to save the world? Passion pay… that’s a sensitive issue for the MZ generation, you know.

“Kirtan.”

I immediately called my pirate girlfriend.

“What is it, darling?”

Kirtan smiled at me.

At that moment, our souls resonated.

“Let’s loot this entire palace.”

I said immediately. It’s common sense to plunder when you don’t get the compensation you want, right?

“What…”

Confusion was evident on the king’s pixelated face.

“Let’s loot it!! Time for plunder!!!”

Kirtan immediately raised her hand and shouted.

“Kiyoooo!!!”

Caught up in the mood, I immediately rushed toward the king.

“S-stop!! This is outrageous!!!”

The king tried to back away in a fluster.

“Be quiet!!!”

I immediately swung my fist hard.

Whack-!!

My fist cleanly struck the king’s forehead.

“Guhuk!!!!”

The king immediately fell over behind the throne.

“W-what are you doing?!! Shota!!”

Sasith looked at me in bewilderment.

“There should be useful things in the palace. Let’s loot quickly and buy equipment with it.”

I said.

Don’t look at me like I’m a thief. This is plundering with justification. It’s for saving the world.

And so, we began looting the palace.