episode_0023

“Okay, everyone. Please take care of yourself!”

Paaaat!

The blue light stayed in the square cube I was holding and I closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in the middle of a desert under the scorching sun, not in the inorganic laboratory I had been in just a moment ago.

“Oh my god! Sister, it’s really a desert!”

“It really moved… It’s a shame there are only four of these items.”

I know.

If you had enough of them, you could do anything with these machines.

War, transportation, etc.

If you think about it for just a moment, there are endless possibilities.

[Hey, actually, it’s not that omnipotent!]

“Kwaaaah?!”

“Uh, where?!”

[Ahaha, what you brought is quite an expensive item? We need to at least prevent theft!]

···Is it a phone?

[Sometimes, there are people who run away because they think it looks expensive. If it dies, it’s hard to find it. That’s why I’m watching you!]

Oh, it’s not a phone, it’s a TV type…

With two-way communication, the other party can see us.

Isn’t this the perfect operator?

I thought it was strange, so I opened the status window that I normally closed.

Is it because I haven’t turned it on in a while? Among the messages piled up like spam emails, I found one message that particularly stood out.

[Linked quest occurs! ]

[Let’s solve the request of Kimia, a explorer of ancient civilization! ]

[Current Goal ▶ Collect Sand Worm Meat]

[Additional Goals ▶ Collect Sand Worm’s Carapace (0/1), Collect Kenel’s Aphrodisiac Materials (0/1) ]

···ah.

This game also had side quests.

If you think about it, it’s natural.

Night games are often played in the form of completing quests, but in that case, the main quest alone is not enough.

So, we insert sub-quests and add rewards to encourage clearing.

The idea is to increase game play time by having players voluntarily clear sub-quests.

However, the problem is that the system does not directly pay compensation.

There is no reward for the main quest either.

It would be strange to think that there is a sub written there.

It’s up to Kimia to decide what to give.

“Do you know the location of the sandworm?”

[Oh, there is no such performance! You have to run around and find it, right?]

We can only guess.

It’s described as an explorer of ancient civilizations, so it’ll probably give you something related.

[Actually, that equipment can only transmit the coordinates of a place that has been visited once! If you enter anything, the wall and body will meet at the same coordinates and merge!]

“Eh, eh… I feel a little scared when I hear that…”

[Do not worry! As long as the land at the coordinates registered does not rise due to a tectonic shift, you will be fine for the most part!]

“Then, this is the place you visited. Did you request it because you failed once?”

When I asked the question out loud, Kimia agreed.

[Ahaha, it seems it was a bit difficult for researchers to catch sandworms… Therefore, please take good care of me!]

Just when I thought Kimia’s words would end with those words, I heard one last word.

[Oh, if it gets dangerous, I’ll bring you back!]

“You are a talkative person.”

“Iknow, right···.”

Since Kimia’s chatter was over, she slowly began to move her feet.

“So, Jupiter. Do you know how to fight?”

I later had doubts about Jupiter’s fighting ability.

I saw them beating up the slum gangsters, but they were weak by nature…

Among the four warriors in the party, the saint has the most divided skill tree.

The setting was that there were many gods in the church, and that power was shared between them.

Most of the other colleagues had similar tendencies, but the saint was different.

Because the position changes depending on the god you believe in.

Will he only be in charge of recovery, or will he be in a multi-position where he can also attack?

Of course, even in multi-position, recovery is possible like a saint, but the mana tank is so small that it cannot be used much.

“Hehe, I have no intention of hiding behind others.”

Saying so, Jupiter stretched out his hand and shot out white lightning.

“As a believer in the god of lightning, it is my role to punish the enemy.”

···I expected not, but it seemed to be the same skill tree that my colleagues had also cleared.

I thought it was a coincidence when Yuna only fired ice magic, but even Jupiter’s faith remains the same.

Since I played the game exactly as I did, my colleagues will probably do the same as I set it.

The Freeze Magic Tree and the Lightning God Faith Tree both had the strongest average attacks, so I went with that…

I became resentful of the old me who used to hit everything just because it was annoying.

If things continue like this, the last colleague will only give average hits.

shit.

***

How long did you wander through the desert?

I could understand the feelings of the traveler in The North Wind and the Sun.

It’s extremely hot!

“It’s even hotter…”

“Sure, sister… How about taking off your clothes? I’m feeling hot.”

“No, they say it’s not good to take off your clothes in the desert. Your skin will burn.”

That’s what I said, but in reality, I wanted to just throw it all away and take off my clothes.

Please, system… It’s too hot···!

Let me take off my clothes…

I can’t believe I’m wearing leather armor in this hot desert.

Discomfort is no joke.

“Sister Yuna, you’re holding up better than I thought… I’m impressed.”

“Yes, yes?! Ah, ahaha… right?”

Something seems suspicious.

He started to feel restless when the topic of heat came up, and then became very embarrassed when the topic shifted to him.

I made eye contact with Jupiter.

Apparently, she also sensed something suspicious.

“Kyaaah?!”

“···It’s cold.”

“Sister Yu-na… It’s a betrayal! You can only use magic to make yourself feel better!”

Jupiter and I quickly approached and noticed that Yuna’s body was cool.

It seems like he was using magic to keep himself cool.

“No, now, wait a minute! Excuse me. That’s right. Let me make an excuse!”

“I will listen.”

“Actually, that’s it… I can only protect one person with naturally regenerating mana! You never know when a battle will break out, so you shouldn’t fight when you don’t have any mana! Yes! Of course!”

“Oh, sister. Then it would be okay if I had a mana potion?”

“Uh, huh? Right…?”

Jupiter took out a bundle of mana potions from his pouch.

“Good preparation, Jupiter. Is this a mana potion?”

I didn’t bring anything like that.

“Yes, mana can also be converted into divine power. I carry it with me just in case.”

Yuna’s face turned pale, as if she realized that she was destined to consume endless mana potions.

“Oh, no! Now that I think about it, I don’t think so! Shouldn’t we save on potions?!”

“be quiet!”

Jupiter overpowered Yuna with skillful hands and placed a mana potion in her mouth.

“Ah, Sister Airi! Please help me… Woowoo! Woo, Woowoo!”

While Yuna asked me for help, she was captured by Jupiter and started being forcibly injected with mana potions.

Since I couldn’t bear to look at that, I placed my hand on Jupiter’s shoulder.

“Ooh, ooh ooh! Ooh ooh!”

“Oh, you shouldn’t try to talk, sister… Are you saying the precious potion is leaking?”

Yuna began to have hope in her eyes.

You’re probably hoping I can take the pouch so you don’t have to drink the potion anymore.

“Jupiter, stop.”

“Oh, sister?”

“Because you have less stamina than me.”

My hand instantly wrapped around Yuna’s waist.

“I will do it.”

“Puh, puh-ha! Sister?! Weren’t you helping me?!”

“···why me?”

Yuna’s eyes were colored with a sense of betrayal.

I guess he looks like that because he was betrayed by someone he thought would help him.

But we were equally betrayed.

Trying to survive this heat alone with magic is so shameful that I can’t stand it.

“Kyaaah?!”

I adjusted my posture to make it easier to lift.

The so-called princess hug position.

Yuna’s hand is cool as she places it on the back of her neck to prevent it from falling.

“Hmm, that’s cool.”

“That’s right, Sister. Is it even more embarrassing because it’s cool?”

“Hehehehe…”

She stuffed the mana potion into Yuna’s mouth like a water purifier and enjoyed the coolness.

“Ah, Sister Airi. I’ll put the potion in.”

“That would be better. Please.”

“Uhuhu, don’t worry.”

I feel like I became close friends with Jupiter in an instant.

The best way to become friends is to joke around together.

“Hmm? Sister, don’t you feel something?”

Can you feel it? what?

I stood still and concentrated for a moment.

A slight vibration felt at the tips of the feet.

I thought it was the vibration that Yuna felt as she was shaking, but I felt it from underneath the ground.

“···This?”

“I don’t think it was an earthquake… I think this is the guy we were looking for?”

“It’s getting faster. Is it difficult to avoid it?”

The guy must have realized that we were noticing him, and his speed increased.

Before I knew it, Yuna, who was in my arms, could feel the vibration, and she looked at me, trembling.

“It’s okay, Yuna. It just works for a moment.”

“Uuuup!”

Yuna is shaking with tears in her eyes.

However, there was already no way to escape, and the three of us were swallowed at once by the sandworm that popped out from the floor.