Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 18 - Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The First Clan Meeting

Paladin, Ray Starling

By the time I arrived in Gideon, it was already dark out.

“...That took longer than expected,” I said.

“Well, you certainly could not have anticipated that encounter,” shrugged Nemesis. We’d jumped on Silver and headed towards Gideon as soon as we left Altea.

The best thing about flight as a means of travel was that it freed you from the need to follow the roads and let you take the direct path towards your destination. It was made even more convenient by the fact that many of this world’s most popular means of flight, such as flying mounts or aeromancy, didn’t require much space for taking off and landing.

Because of this, I’d always wondered why there was nothing like an aerial transport network here.

Today, however, I learned—or more like, had been taught—the reason for that.

“...Yeah, I sure didn’t expect to run into a stray dragon.”

“It was our first aerial battle in a while. We are lucky to have come out of it as well as we did.”

Indeed—while flying towards Gideon, we’d somehow crossed paths with a skydragon. Although I was able to win against it solo, I really couldn’t say that it had been easy.

“Well, the thing was just firing breath attacks at us from outside my range...”

“That was also why Hellish Miasma could not reach it either.” I hadn’t even been able to use my usual tactic of weakening my opponent before coming in close for a counterattack. I’d solo’d a Pure-Dragon-tier worm shortly after Franklin’s Game, but this one was way more trouble.

That battle was enough for me to realize that a world with things like that flying around was no place for an aerial transport network. They might not have been much trouble for skilled vanguards, but common folk would be in serious danger of dying on every flight.

“...Oh, I remember.”

“Remember what?”

“The talk at the café I had with Hugo shortly before Franklin’s Game.”

“...Ohh. That.”

◇

The day after our encounter with the Gouz-Maise Gang, but before we had ended up fighting on different sides, Hugo and I met up and had a little chat. Some of the conversation was about Magingears and other technology in Dryfe.

“So, the only three types of Magingears are humanoid robots, powered suits, and tanks?”

“Yes. And before the leader of our clan made Marshal II, it was actually just two.”

“Hm...”

“What is it?”

“Well, I understand that ships are Granvaloa’s thing...but what about planes?”

In response, Hugo put on a troubled expression and said, “...We do not have those. If you’re wondering why, well...I suppose you could say that songbirds cannot fly in a sky ruled by birds of prey.”

“Ohh, so aeronautics here is so rudimentary that flying monsters are a major threat.”

“Exactly. Flight speed, maneuverability, offensive potential... Current airplanes fall short on every factor needed to survive the skies. When there are creatures out there that fly around at supersonic speeds, ordinary planes are simply not enough.”

“...Yeah, I can easily imagine one of those planes losing a wing and crashing the moment a monster appears.”

At the very least, it was doubtful that any machine like that would stand a chance against Pure-Dragons. A single hit would reduce the plane’s flight ability, and then it’d be easy prey.

“I guess that’s why it’s better to just ride a Pure-Dragon-tier skydragon,” I said.

“Tamed Pure-Dragons are not exactly common, though. Anyway, that is why there are no planes. Well...I suppose there are plane-like Embryos, but not many of them are focused on transportation.”

“I see. And here I thought planes were always a good way to get to distant countries.”

“Currently, your only options here are Granvaloa’s sea routes and the roads of the desert.”

“The desert, eh...? That doesn’t sound like an easy trip.”

“Truly... Regardless, I do hope to visit a distant land someday.”

“Same.”

◇

That conversation now felt like it had happened so long ago.

“I wonder what he’s up to now,” I said.

“Would he not still be in Dryfe?” asked Nemesis.

“If he is, we may run into him if a war breaks out again.” Though, I kinda got the impression he wasn’t there anymore. “Anyway, on to the meeting place.”

“Mhm. Thanks to that encounter, we are in danger of being late.”

Our clan had agreed to meet up today in order to talk about tomorrow’s base-hunting and the following day’s Tournament over some dinner. We had ten minutes left until the appointed time, which was just about enough to make it if we hurried.

After more or less that exact amount of time, we arrived at the location. Since Rook was already here in Gideon, I’d asked him to secure the place, and going by the sign that said “Reserved by Death Period,” he’d made a smart move and gotten it set aside exclusively for us.

“...That sign sounds so threatening,” said Nemesis.

“That’s our clan name. It is what it is.”

I opened the door, making the bell above it ring out.

Inside, there was a round table surrounded by familiar faces.

“Sorry for the wait, guys.”

“Raaaayyy! You’re almost late!” said Marie, her cheeks all red. Apparently, she’d been drinking. “All righty,” she continued. “Let’s get some of this wine for you too—OW!”

“Control yourself,” said B3, having hit Marie on the back of the head. “Most of this clan are below drinking age. Him and myself included.”

Now that she mentioned, yeah...the only ones in the clan who could drink were Shu, Lei-Lei, and Marie.

Not content to just take the hit, Marie retaliated against B3, who retaliated back.

They seemed to have the sense to not use their Embryos here, at least, but it was still a scuffle that looked like it belonged in a wrestling ring.

“Our teacher and B3 are the same as ever,” said Fujinon.

“Yeah, they were just like this last time too!” said Io.

“Sh-Shouldn’t we stop them...?” asked Kasumi.

I was curious what they meant by calling Marie “teacher,” but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ask. I had a feeling that it had nothing to do with combat and everything to do with the kind of things she had in her sketchbook.

“Ray, Nemesis, we have free chairs here.”

“Over heeeeere!” Rook and Babi said as they pulled us closer to them.

“Thanks. But damn, we really were late, huh? Everyone’s already he— Huh?”

I looked over my fellow clan members, all seated around the large round table.

However...

“Where’s Shu?”

...I didn’t see his bulky costume anywhere. Lei-Lei wasn’t here either, but she was really busy in real life, so that was expected.

“He was here at first, but then it looked like someone contacted him and he went to see them,” said Rook.

“See who...?”

“We don’t know. ‘It’s a beary big secret. You’ll be surprised’ was all he said.”

...A surprise?

“He also said we can start eating without him.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, let’s be reasonable here. If we start eating, my partner here won’t leave anything.”

Just like she didn’t leave a single one of Integra’s snacks... Integra’s snacks!

“Do not worry,” said Nemesis. “A dinner like this is rare. I will eat at a slower pace.”

Well, that’s...not at all reassuring. Eating at a slower pace doesn’t mean you’ll eat less.

“I may have not forgotten the welcome party on the day I hatched or the fact that Brother Bear ate all of my à la carte while we were logged out...but I have no intention of getting back at him.”

“...The very fact that you even remember something like that at all makes it seem like you’re holding a hell of a grudge.” Food’s important and all, I get it, but let it go and leave some for the rest of us.

And so, we went on to dine and talk.

We started by talking about what we wanted in a clan base, and we decided on the following things: private rooms (everyone), large bathing area (the ladies), large room for meetings and stuff (me, B3, and Rook), space for free-range keeping of large monsters (Rook and Kasumi), cafeteria (Nemesis), and a pool (Marie and Babi).

That was a large number of conditions to fulfill, but none of them was outlandish or anything. Wealthy merchants who’d moved due to the recent events might’ve left behind a mansion or other kinds of estates that ticked every box, and we should’ve been able to secure it if we had the budget...which I assumed we did.

It looked like we’d have to spend some time looking around Gideon, though.

I’d had a look around Altea, but since it was the capital, it didn’t have much quality real estate still available for purchase. It seemed like a certain religious group and fan club were buying up any available land. Setting up in Altea would mean setting up close to those two, and that smelled like trouble best left avoided.

Even Azurite agreed with me on that, which only made the situation there seem more terrifying.

After nearly an hour passed since we began, the bell on the door rang and I heard a familiar voice.

“Yo. Sorry fur the wait.”

“Shu, you’re finally...huh?”

As he entered the establishment, clad in his usual bear costume, we were overcome by surprise.

The door wasn’t the widest, but his large costume smoothly changed shape to let him fit inside.

What caught us by surprise, however, wasn’t the way he entered, but the people who followed him inside.

“Hey. Mind if we join?”

“Heh heh. It’s been a while.” Shu was accompanied by Figaro and Hannya.

“Figaro! You recovered?!” Following the Hannya incident, Figaro’s chronic condition had become worse, leading to his hospitalization. He apparently hadn’t logged in once since, but seeing that he was here now...

“Yes. I would say that I’m better now, but that would be a bit of a lie. I do feel good, though.”

“Hm?” It wasn’t like Figaro to give such vague answers and have such a hard-to-read expression.

Hannya, standing next to him, seemed somewhat perplexed too.

Wait, it’s not just that. She also looks...bashful?

“...I actually kept having new spasms every time I saw her face in real life,” Figaro explained. “It kept extending my stay at the hospital.”

...What?

“I hope you can forgive a man who can’t even touch his beloved yet,” he said as he faced Hannya.

“I can,” she replied. “Especially since I know that this is proof of your love... Also, here we can gaze at each other to our hearts’ content...”

“Fuyuko...”

“Vincent...”

...Did they just go and get lost in their own world? I thought. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to call each other by your real names here... Then again, I guess this place is reserved, so it’s just us here.

“...You look away for one moment and they become a pair of lovebirds,” commented Nemesis.

“...So this is what Figaro has become,” said B3 with a complicated expression.

“...Shu,” I said, turning to my brother.

“I was beary surprised too,” he said. “They met IRL and...progressed? Apparently? Anyway, this is how they are now.”

“I’m not sure what to say... I guess...congratulations?” I said as I started to applaud lightly. Most of the other members weren’t sure how to process this either, but they joined me in clapping.

“Thank you!” said Hannya, all smiles.

“Thank you,” added Figaro with a nod. “Now, as for the reason why we came here...”

His expression became more serious—he was clearly preparing to say something important.

“Hannya and I would like to join your clan... To be part of Death Period.”

“Oh!” I was told that they might’ve been interested in joining once Figaro recovered, and it seemed that the time had finally come.

“Can we?” Figaro said as he held out his hand.

“Why, of course!” I replied, giving it a good shake.

And just like that, it was officially decided that Figaro and Hannya would join Death Period.

With these two additions to the clan, we now had eleven members, making us into a double-digit family. This was all the more reason to work hard and find the best clan base I could.

Also, it was decided that the people who would be covering most of the base-buying budget would be me, B3, and Marie. Figaro and Hannya still had debts to pay after the incident, while Shu was using his wealth to produce ammo for Baldr in case of another large-scale battle. For now, the costs would be covered by those of us with money to spare, and the rest would have to give their contributions later.

Speaking of the base, Figaro and Hannya had no requests regarding it whatsoever, since apparently their primary home would be Figaro’s place here in Gideon.

As for Shu’s request, I rejected it right away. If we’d focused on finding somewhere that had a popcorn factory, we’d never have a base.

With every member besides Lei-Lei present, it was time to shift subject to the matter of The Tournaments.

The Tournaments were an event held in preparation for the coming clash between Altar and Dryfe. Its main purpose was to tie as many Masters as possible to the kingdom, and it would be done through arena duels where the prize was the chance to challenge UBMs.

The rules for it—the content of the Contract the participants had to sign—had four points.

“1. The participant must be an Altarian Master.”

“2. The participant will be unable to switch countries for three years after The Tournaments.”

“3. If the participant commits a crime within Altar’s borders that would otherwise be worthy of one or more years of penal servitude, they will be rendered unable to use any save points.”

In a way, these three were about what you’d expect. They were meant to strengthen Altar, slow down any weakening, prevent crime, and entice foreign or free Masters to join the kingdom.

The most important point out of the three, however, was the one discussing criminal acts. It didn’t apply to minor offenses, but anyone who did something really bad would be punished. This was apparently meant to deter potential turncoats like the kind we’d seen at Franklin’s Game.

The fourth and final point had a hard focus on the coming War.

“4. The participant will receive the right to challenge a UBM depending on where they place in The Tournaments. Additionally, those who also sign the Contract declaring intent to participate in any War involving Altar upon the kingdom’s side within the next three years will receive an extra prize in the form of the right to select a rare piece of equipment. The order of selection will also depend on placement in The Tournaments.”

If you also agreed to assist Altar in any War you could join within the next three years, you received an extra prize in addition to the right to challenge the UBM.

The “you could join” part was there to account for the fact that the three factors of location, timing, and quest status may have made that impossible. It wasn’t certain that the Master who signed the Contract would even be online for the War, so the Contract was lenient enough to account for that.

“The winners of The Tournaments may simply win against the UBMs, but there is the possibility that they would lose instead, no?” asked Nemesis.

“Oh yeah, there is.” The winners of The Tournaments were simply given the first go against their UBMs. If they and their party lost, the second place winners would challenge the monster instead.

Because of this, there was a degree of uncertainty in who, exactly, would become the MVPs. Even if a first place winner lost against their UBM, the damage they’d dealt and their general contribution to the battle during their attempt could still be enough to get them the reward.

That seemed to hinge on how much of a fight those before you were putting up.

“Anyway, the important thing now is deciding which of the ten days we’ll take,” I said. The Tournaments would start the day after tomorrow and run daily for ten days. This was meant to give time to potential participants to make it here, as well as to just prolong the show.

A participant in one day’s Tournament couldn’t participate in another’s, but three real-life days seemed like enough time for most people to get a chance. Also, since the functions of the Orbs were open to the public, those with more time on their hands could prioritize The Tournaments for the most optimal or powerful Orbs.

The Tournaments happened to start on Saturday for me, so I had a good range of Orbs to choose from.

On Saturday I could choose between Tournament days one or two, and on Sunday I had days three, four, and five... I could even go for day six, but that’d be early Monday morning.

“Oh. Count Gideon sent us this,” said Marie as she handed me the details of the prizes—the UBMs.

The dates, rules, and the fact that we’d be fighting to challenge UBMs were revealed a good while ago, but these details were only sent out yesterday in Dendro time.

The details of The Tournaments’ UBMs were, in order...

Day one: Legendary “Stern Face-Tender Heart, Sasage” (Type: Demon). Core traits: AoE healing proportional to damage dealt (Presumed).

Day two: Legendary “Fortcrushing Mawdragon, No Mercy” (Type: Dragon). Core traits: Object hardness-ignoring attack (Presumed).

Day three: Name and tier unknown (Presumed type: Undead). Core traits: Poltergeist, curse-based debuffs.

Day four: Ancient Legendary “Spiritblade Rider, Gradsoul” (Type: Elemental). Core traits: Grudge absorption and body enhancement.

Day five: Epic “The Uncornered Rat, Balooberry” (Type: Beast (Rat)). Core traits: Fatal damage negation followed by time-limited body enhancement (Presumed).

Day six: Name and tier unknown (Presumed type: Dragon (Serpentine)). Core traits: Tornado, lightning, and explosion generation (Uncontrollable in its Orb form).

Day seven: Name and tier unknown (Type: Unknown). Core traits: Short-distance warping (Presumed).

Day eight: Epic “Twin Orphans, Arma-Karma” (Type: Elemental). Core traits: Clone creation (Summoning?).

Day nine: Legendary “Prospector Centipede, Gold Rush” (Type: Insectoid). Core traits: Vein prospecting, underground scanning.

Day ten: Mythical “Night Sky General, O’oimimaru” (Type: Yokai). Core traits: Unknown (Space alteration?).

So those are the details of the ten UBMs... I’m seeing a lot of “(Presumed)” and “?” here, I thought.

“...A Mythical whose power we don’t even know...? Sounds pretty scary, if you ask me,” said Marie, prompting all of us to nod in agreement.

This information had been gained either by reading the descriptions Huang He had provided alongside the Orbs or by simply testing them out. The descriptions given weren’t complete due to much of the information being lost in Huang He’s civil war, while some Orbs had effects that were hard to understand even by using them. That more or less explained why there was so much uncertainty here.

I would’ve liked to meet the person who picked these and tell them off for sending undefined hazardous material to other countries, but it was likely that Huang He had specifically picked Orbs they didn’t mind letting go of or even wanted to get rid of. A lot of the Orbs that did have known details seemed pretty useful, though, which might’ve been their way of making up for that.

“It’d be pretty bad if any UBM escaped,” said Figaro. “Did they account for that?”

I nodded in response and said, “Apparently they won’t use the normal duel barrier of the central arena, but the one Franklin used to seal people inside.”

That barrier could only be broken by the likes of Shu.

The arenas would be unusable until the UBMs were defeated, but with the monsters being weakened by their six hundred year imprisonment, it was unlikely that all the combined participants wouldn’t be enough to.

...Though I was a bit concerned about the Mythical.

“Also, they said that if Figaro and Hannya returned—and they did—they wanted Superiors to go on guard duty and remain on high alert, just in case,” explained Marie. “And while The Tournaments’ fights will have spectators like any Gideon event, the UBM battles certainly won’t due to the dangers involved.”

On top of that, the entertainment part of The Tournaments would only begin once the day’s top sixteen were decided. The fights before that would be quickly settled using the barrier function that did the opposite of what had been done to Figaro and Xunyu during Franklin’s Game—they would accelerate the flow of time within.

Without something like this, there would be too many participants for a day’s Tournament to actually end within that day.

“I see,” I said. “With different types of Superiors around, it should be possible to deal with most situations.”

Speaking of which, Azurite would also get Miss Eldritch to join this guard duty.

Azurite really didn’t like relying on her, but her debuffs and healing, not to mention the organizational potential of her Lunar Society, made her a must-have if something went wrong.

“By the way, I’m not pawrticipating in The Tournaments,” said Shu. “I’ll just do security and that’s it.”

“Huh?” That was news to me.

“But...why?”

“...I mean, this whole event’s meant to improve the power of Altar’s Masters, right? If I go fur one of the UBMs, I’ll probably just get another costume I won’t use.”

...That seemed pretty likely. For some reason, every one of his MVP rewards besides the one from Gloria was a costume.

“Also, if I pawrticipate in it...” he said before falling silent.

“Hm? Bro?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. All that matters is that I’m not in.”

Hmm, I wonder what he was about to say... I thought.

“Perhaps it was something about the fact that he could accidentally break the barrier?” Nemesis said, telepathically.

Oh yeah. That’s a possibility. He could endanger The Tournaments spectators and perhaps even give a chance for the UBM to escape.

“In that case...I won’t participate either,” said Hannya.

“You too?”

“Yes. As he is now, Sandalphon can’t be used to his full potential in arenas.” Oh yeah, that was the reason why her duel with Figaro happened outside the city.

“I also still have to pay my debt to the country, so I will just focus on security.”

“All right,” I said. “I’ll pass that on to Azurite.”

That meant that if you ignored Lei-Lei, who probably wouldn’t make it, the clan had a total of eight participants.

“So, Ray, what we’re about to discuss is...our distribution, right?” Figaro asked.

“Yes. Exactly.”

I wouldn’t expect any less from the man who knew more about duels and UBMs than anyone else in Altar. He instantly understood the point of this meeting.

I looked over everyone again and repeated what I’d been told by Azurite.

“The UBMs will first be challenged by the day’s winners, then the runner-ups, and so on. While The Tournaments would consist of duels, the UBMs can be challenged with a party, and the party members can be anyone regardless of if they participated in another day’s Tournament or didn’t participate at all.”

“And that is why it is best for the clan members to spread out across the Tournament days and aim to win as many high placements as possible,” Nemesis added.

“Exactly.” Everyone seemed to agree with that.

“Our clan has many people who can take first,” said B3. “Figaro most obviously.”

“That is true,” said Marie. “Me, Figaro, Rookie, and even Ray can do it if the matchups are good. My student trio has potential too, so even if they don’t take first, they might still land some good placements.”

“...I didn’t hear my name in there,” noted B3.

“Huh? You’re too slow and heavy to get from point A to B, let alone place high.”

“You’ve really said it now, ya dinky piece o’ paper scrap!” B3 roared as she instantly donned her armor and began scuffling with Marie again.

Their combat styles were very different, but it seemed that when it came to STR they were about equally matched.

...I’d say they’re getting along pretty good, though, considering, I thought.

Anyway, despite what Marie said, I wasn’t that confident that I could place high. My fighting style could be strong, but it was far from reliable, and since those videos had exposed me, a lot of people knew the cards I could play. That had become especially obvious in my recent fights against Jubei. And if people were aware that I would be their enemy in The Tournaments, they could easily prepare countermeasures.

I was also so lacking in pure power that even the dragon we’d fought on the way to Gideon was a real challenge. It had only retreated once we’d been backed into a corner and had started charging Payback.

It had probably gone away because it had realized how dangerous that really was, which was about what I’d expect from a dragon. They were clever creatures. If it had been as unintelligent as, say, a worm, there was the possibility that it could have charged me before I’d fired, giving me the death penalty.

...Also, I’d felt like I’d seen something like a Pomeranian on the dragon’s back as it retreated. I had to have been seeing things, though. A dragon-riding dog? That just didn’t make sense.

...Anyway, back to The Tournaments.

While B3 and Marie were fighting, the rest were considering which UBM to target.

I also looked at the details to find out which day was best for me.

“Man, this is hard...” I couldn’t skip class, so I could only participate on days up to the sixth. Out of these, there were three that caught my eye: the unnamed undead, Balooberry, and Sasage.

I didn’t want the undead’s powers, but I felt like I’d be effective against it when we had to fight it. Reversal and Grudge-Soaked Greaves would likely give me the upper hand.

Balooberry had a very good power—someone like me could never have enough means of negating fatal damage. However, if the UBM both negated fatal damage and enhanced itself afterwards, I would be at a real disadvantage against it.

Then there was Sasage on day one. As someone whose build was based on taking damage, I felt like I could really use the healing. It would enable me to heal even with Purgatorial Flames, and it might even have been possible to land Vengeance and then instantly recover the HP I’d lost for it. If I could heal by attacking, I also wouldn’t have to add Priest to my build.

“...I probably shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch. I gotta place high in The Tournaments first.”

“You do lose quite often when very little is on the line,” said Nemesis. “That recent event was especially full of close calls.”

“...Yeah.” The results I got were so inconsistent that even I didn’t really know how strong I actually was at this point. At the event on the uninhabited island, I’d been saved by Juliet, Alto, or the environment more times than I’d like to admit.

I figured this Tournament might’ve been a good chance to properly gauge my power in its purest form.

Anyway, while we Tournament participants had long discussions about who would take which day, the two who wouldn’t participate—Shu and Hannya—were talking about something else.

“So he was still in the gaol?” Shu asked.

“Yes,” Hannya replied. “He was operating a café and seemed to be used to life there.”

Apparently, he was asking her something about the gaol.

Looking back on it, Hannya’s incident had begun soon after she arrived here, and she hadn’t logged back in until today, so they hadn’t had a chance to really talk like this yet.

“Strange that you’d use the word ‘still.’ No one can escape the gaol. Even I couldn’t,” said Hannya.

“...Speaking of, how did you try to do that?”

“I used the skill Sandalphon got when he became a Superior Embryo...what was it again?”

“‘Downfall Screamer,’ Lady Hannya! It focuses my spatial control into the tips of the towers and pushes space itself aside to deliver a powerful drilling effect!” Hannya didn’t seem to remember her own Embryo’s skill name, so Sandalphon answered in her stead.

“Yes, that’s it. I used it to open a small hole leading outside the gaol, but it closed before I could pass through it.”

“I am certain that the observer of the gaol wields spatial manipulation powers that surpass even mine,” said Sandalphon. “I gave my all to drill open the space, yet he restored it like it was nothing. You cannot escape from anyone capable of that!”

Listening to this from the outside made both Hannya and the observer of the gaol seem pretty nuts.

Sandalphon’s words, though, seemed to have made Shu frown. I could tell even through his costume.

“...You actually opened a hole?”

“Yes,” said Hannya. “I could see a bit of the outside, but it closed the moment I stopped the skill to try and pass through it.”

“Hypothetically...do you think he could escape by cutting off a part of his body and sending it through the hole while it’s open?”

Cutting off...a part of his body?

“I doubt it. I mean, Red King...the observer of the gaol would take that into account. Even if Sechs tried that, he probably has a means of preventing it.”

“...True.”

Sechs...King of Crime, Sechs Würfel? I did know the name, and I knew that Shu was deeply involved with him...but why was Shu so wary of someone who was already in the gaol?

“Raayy! Let’s finish our plans for The Tournameeents.”

“Oh... All right.”

Called by Marie, I shifted my focus back to The Tournaments.

I’d ask Shu about this some other time.

The discussions were soon finished, and this was the resulting Tournament participation split.

Day one, “Stern Face-Tender Heart, Sasage”—me.

Day two, “Fortcrushing Mawdragon, No Mercy”—B3.

Day three, name and tier unknown (Presumed type: Undead)—Rook.

Day four, “Spiritblade Rider, Gradsoul”—Io.

Day five, “The Uncornered Rat, Balooberry”—none.

Day six, name and tier unknown (Presumed type: Dragon (Serpentine))—none.

Day seven, name and tier unknown (Type: Unknown)—Marie.

Day eight, “Twin Orphans, Arma-Karma”—Fujinon.

Day nine, “Prospector Centipede, Gold Rush”—Kasumi.

Day ten, “Night Sky General, O’oimimaru”—Figaro.

We were all more or less matched to UBMs based on our combat styles. I didn’t really know why Rook chose the opponent he did, but knowing him, there had to be a good reason.

Also, we’d avoided not only the dragon on day six, but also day five’s Balooberry, even though it was obvious it would become a powerful MVP reward.

The reason none of us wanted to take it was because we had full details on it and because it was “too good.” It was abundantly clear that it would be sought by many powerful Masters, potentially those high up in the rankings, making it more difficult to place high in that Tournament. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to even see Kashimiya there. No matter how powerful the potential reward, it meant nothing if we couldn’t even challenge the monster for it.

The person with the highest chances among us there was Figaro, but he instead chose the Mythical of day ten—potentially the most dangerous one, but also the one best left to someone like him. It wasn’t like he needed fatal damage prevention anyway. He could do that by simply enhancing the gear he already had.

It took much deliberation, but I myself chose Sasage. Thus we ended up with no one from Death Period participating in The Tournaments for Balooberry.

Marie had actually tried to convince Rook to take it, but all he said in response was “A rat UBM? Never,” all while maintaining a perfect, all-denying smile.

Anyway, just like that, it was decided which day we would participate on.

Mine was the very first, and as the leader of the clan I’d have to do my very best.

Though...why did it feel like I was forgetting something important?