Ch.329[Episode 329] Reverse World – Region 3

“There are some really strange people out there.”

“Well, if there are people like this, wouldn’t there be people like that too?”

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica shook the dust off their clothes and continued walking.

As you might have guessed, Captain Hansen had been thoroughly cleaned out, right down to his soul.

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica were far too strong and far too impressive for Captain Hansen, who had dared to join the beta test just a few days ago, to face.

The androids put up a decent fight, but that doesn’t mean they could defeat Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica.

In the end, Captain Hansen couldn’t overcome his fear and fled, while Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica decided to move on, thinking they’d just had a rather strange experience.

As they continued walking down the street, Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica somehow bumped into someone else.

“Are you alright?”

Sir Dominic extended his hand to the fallen person, thinking this situation felt quite familiar.

“No, I’m sorry… Sir Dominic?”

Sir Dominic suddenly thought this crown and voice seemed familiar.

“…Captain Elang?”

The fallen person was indeed Captain Elang.

…

At a convenience store near where Sir Dominic, Sir Dominica, and Captain Elang had collided.

“So you spent all your resources at the card pack exchange, and now you’re recruiting on foot?”

“Yes. It seems to be more effective that way…”

Captain Elang sighed as he ate the cup noodles Sir Dominic had bought him.

“I’m sorry. I received help from you last time, and now again…”

“It’s nothing. I have enough for that amount.”

“Would you like some more of these?”

Sir Dominica pushed a few more pieces of bread toward Captain Elang.

They had cute monster drawings on them.

“Thank you…”

Captain Elang hesitantly took the bread.

Strangely, there was a sticker inside the bread package. The sticker in Captain Elang’s bread featured a round, cute-looking creature.

“It’s quite cute.”

Captain Elang carefully examined the sticker while stuffing the bread into his mouth.

With its sparkly finish, it looked like something that could fetch a good price among collectors.

“By the way, everyone else is moving ahead, and I feel like I’m the only one falling behind…”

After putting the sticker in his chest pocket, Captain Elang had been snickering at the thought of how valuable it might be, but suddenly became gloomy again as if remembering the other commanders.

“Others have already reached Area 5, but I’m stuck isolated in Area 3.”

Sir Dominic looked surprised at Captain Elang’s words.

If Areas 1 and 2 were essentially tutorials, Area 3 was where the real missions began.

As the real missions began, the difficulty certainly increased compared to Areas 1 and 2, but it wasn’t impossible to clear.

Isolated in such a place?

“…Normally, you’d need to spend resources to strengthen the basic androids to clear it. The problem is that I’ve used up all my resources…”

Well, it was actually understandable.

Other commanders had already formed a tight communication network to share information about which citizens were easy to hire or which ones were essential to hire.

Captain Elang, unaware of this fact, had just moved according to his feelings, and eventually ran out of resources.

As a result, he got stuck at a stage that required substantial resource investment to clear.

“Plus, all my hiring cards are either 1-star or 2-star…”

Above all, when the commanders were gathering, Captain Elang was busy exchanging card packs at the exchange center.

Due to Gachaland’s characteristics, most cards obtainable from the card pack exchange were hiring cards.

Hiring cards were consumables that allowed you to hire someone once but disappeared after use. To hire without a hiring card, you needed to increase your favorability with citizens.

Currently, commanders generally had low fame, so hiring cards were essential to meet high-tier personnel.

However, Captain Elang had incredibly bad luck.

Not only did he draw mostly 1-star or 2-star hiring cards except for the 3-star selection, but he also made a mistake with the 3-star selection, choosing an unknown kunoichi instead of the character he originally wanted.

That wasn’t enough to push through Area 3.

He tried his best to clear it, but as you know, mediocre 1-star or 2-star cards couldn’t survive in this wild shadow world.

Recalling this fact, Captain Elang grabbed his head in despair.

“Well, take it slow. No one will criticize you for going at your own pace.”

“But… but the content…”

“Well, there’s plenty of content. Those rushing ahead now might burn out soon.”

“That’s true. Gachaland isn’t a place that gets resolved faster just because you hurry.”

Sir Dominic had said this to calm Captain Elang, but Sir Dominica agreed with Sir Dominic’s words.

As Sir Dominic said, rushing through Gachaland wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

The faster one went, the more they would naturally miss, and no matter how much information was exchanged, building relationships with 4-stars like Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica was still a matter of luck.

In that sense, Captain Elang, who had already become acquainted with Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica, could actually be considered ahead of the group.

“…Thank you. I feel a bit better now.”

Of course, Captain Elang, still unaware of this fact, couldn’t easily shake off his anxiety.

Sir Dominic felt sorry for Captain Elang, who still seemed anxious despite his words of comfort.

If only he could help a little. Captain Elang looked so pitiful that Sir Dominic couldn’t help but think that way.

Just then, a system message appeared before Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica.

[Today’s TIP: Do you have a citizen who’s too exceptional for you to command? Then try requesting to exchange contact information with that citizen! If the exchange is successful, you can hire that citizen once for free!]

[Today’s TIP: Is there a promising commander in trouble? Then give your contact information to that citizen! You can help a commander with whom you’ve exchanged contacts once. However, you won’t receive any rewards in this case.]

More precisely, a system message also appeared before the commander.

The two messages were somewhat different, but the conclusion was that exchanging contact information would allow one to help the other once for free.

The system must have offered tips when the commander’s and Sir Dominic’s concerns overlapped.

The three looked at the tips only visible to themselves, then looked at each other.

Captain Elang was the first to speak.

“Um… Sir Dominic, Sir Dominica.”

“Do you want to exchange contact information?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica pondered Captain Elang’s words for a moment.

In truth, there was no need to hesitate.

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica weren’t the type to be fixated on rewards, nor were they the type to refuse helping someone in trouble like Captain Elang.

However, they hesitated for a different reason.

This kind of one-time free offer was literally something they could only do once.

It was the kind of event they couldn’t repeat later even if they wanted to.

So they wondered if it might be better to give their contact information later when Captain Elang faced a more difficult challenge, rather than right now.

Sir Dominic looked at Captain Elang once more.

Captain Elang was looking at Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica with a desperate expression.

“If I can just clear Area 3 Stage 1, I can strengthen my androids.”

Elang watched Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica carefully.

“Or if Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica would really agree to help me, I could somehow manage to gather the hiring fee.”

“I could probably get by eating one meal every two days for a while,” Captain Elang added somewhat disturbingly.

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica looked at each other.

It seemed Captain Elang needed help right now.

Future concerns were future concerns, but if they didn’t help Captain Elang right now, he might give up on Gachaland altogether.

They had become somewhat friendly, and Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica had taken a liking to Captain Elang.

He wasn’t arrogant like Captain Hansen whom they had just met, and although he seemed a bit lacking, he appeared to have a good heart.

Sir Dominic suddenly glanced at Sir Dominica sitting right next to him.

Sir Dominica seemed to be thinking the same thing, as their eyes met.

After a silent discussion in that gaze, Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica nodded slightly to each other.

After their silent agreement ended, Sir Dominic looked at Captain Elang again.

“Um, is it not possible?”

Captain Elang shrank back timidly, as if intimidated by Sir Dominic’s gaze.

Seeing this, Sir Dominic reassured Captain Elang with a bright smile.

“Don’t worry. We’ll help you. So straighten your back and shoulders and stand tall.”

The words “we’ll help you” came from Sir Dominic’s mouth.

Hearing those words, Captain Elang looked at Sir Dominic with a bright face, then suddenly hugged Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica in turn.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Captain Elang shouted with all his might, as if truly delighted.

“Excuse me, could you please keep it down inside the store?”

He was so loud that even the convenience store clerk had to warn him.