Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 4 - Chapter 1

Chapter One: “The Weakest, The Worst” Superior 
Journalist/Death Shadow, Marie Adler 
I knew about the top three of the Dryfe Imperium’s rankings before the war even happened. Being both a Journalist and a player killer, I had to be fully informed about the strongest Masters. 
The tops of Dryfe’s duel, kill, and clan rankings were all cut from different cloths. 
The commander of devilish armies was the Hell General, Logan Goddhart, the “Contradictory Equation.” 
The one bearing the greatest stats was the King of Beasts, the “Physically Strongest.” 
Finally, the leader of the imperium’s top clan was the Triangle of Wisdom, Giga Professor, Mr. Franklin. 
The only one out of the three who hadn’t been a Superior at the time of the war was Franklin. Not only that, his only job was a non-battle job, and he had stats that put him below even the average low-rank battle job. Comparing him to King of Beasts the “Physically Strongest” or The Earth the “Magically Strongest” made him seem absolutely meaningless. 
Of course, unlike the other rankings, clan rankings were focused on the scopes of the clans. 
Though the leader of a top clan lacking power was curious, it had absolutely no impact on the clan’s position. 
Most thought that, in war, the person at the top of the clan rankings was supposed to show their ability through the whole clan, rather than as an individual. But to everyone’s surprise, the result had been entirely different. What the war had shown was not the fearsomeness of the Triangle of Wisdom, but of Franklin himself. 
Despite not being a Superior at that point in time, he definitely hadn’t been outdone by the other two. 
The Superior Job of Giga Professor specialized in monster research, while Franklin’s Embryo, Pandemonium, specialized in monster production. 
Though focused on the same subject, research and production were completely different things, and Franklin combined them to create monsters with many various qualities. 
Some were immune to physical attacks, some reflected magic, some exploded when nearing death, some latched on and assumed control, etcetera, etcetera... 
The ones who had faced Franklin’s wicked band had been the few kingdom’s Masters who’d participated in the war and the kingdom’s own army. When both sides clashed, the results had been simply tragic. 
The fact that every monster was a wild card with unpredictable abilities had quickly brought disorder into the kingdom’s ranks, which had left them open to the specially-made monsters that rivaled Superior Jobs in power. Naturally, they had made short work of the kingdom’s Masters and gone on to feast on the king himself. 
The price of making this monstrous army had no doubt been astronomical, for the necessary funds to acquire the materials required for monster creation were great. However, for Franklin, who was the top of Dryfe’s largest clan and also had the backing of the imperium itself, money was no issue. That allowed him and his clan to participate in the war at full capacity and demonstrate just how fearsome an individual he was. 
After the war, I, as a PKer... as the Superior Killer... had received many requests for Franklin’s murder. 
The ones making the requests had been Masters who’d been pushed into the death penalty by him, or friends and family of the tian soldiers who’d died. I had rejected each and every one of these requests. 
Of course, I hadn’t neglected to consider them. If he was a foe I could kill, I would just do it. But that simply wasn’t the case. 
With a single glance, I knew that I could kill him easily, but I couldn’t do it because I knew that something bad would happen if I did. 
Some time had passed since I’d refused those requests. The people who’d made them weren’t the only ones with a grudge against Franklin. Many had tried attacking him themselves, and though most of them had been destroyed by his monsters, one person had actually defeated him. 
Considering Franklin’s poor stats, it hadn’t been exactly unexpected. However, what had happened afterwards was simply off. After returning from his death penalty, Franklin had hunted down the one who’d killed him, fought him, and emerged victorious this time. 
Then, he did it again. 
And again, and again, and again. 
And again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again... 
Franklin had created monsters that the guy had the worst compatibility with and spent a whole month of real-world time relentlessly killing the one who’d defeated him. Eventually, the person had stopped logging in to Infinite Dendrogram. 
Though weak, he made the worst monsters. 
Though weak, he had the worst disposition. 
“The Weakest, The Worst” was my exact evaluation of him, and his most popular nickname. 
In all honesty, I was aware of another good contestant for “The Worst,” but that was irrelevant here. 
Anyway, his sudden appearance meant far more than just that “one of the kingdom’s irreconcilable enemies had appeared.” 
There was no doubt that he was about to do something bad. 
 
Paladin, Ray Starling 
The moment Franklin named himself, countless people in the venue showered him in arrows, bullets, and offensive magic. 
With him standing on the top of the barrier, many of the attacks got canceled by it. However, it was still a fearsome barrage of damage. I could even spot a number of high-rank attacks like the ones I’d seen during the matches, some of which might’ve actually been done by Superior Jobs. The barrier underneath Franklin’s feet shook wildly as explosions hit it and covered the top with smoke. 
Despite bearing the brunt of the barrage, Franklin came out alive. 
“Get a load of you people. Duel City folk. Hot-blooded as they come and always quick to react,” he sneered. 
His lab coat being scorched here and there was proof that he’d been hit, but for some reason, it hadn’t killed him. 
“Why is he alive?” I asked. 
“There’s nothing special about what he’s done so far,” said Marie. 
“Yeah.” Shu nodded. 
I had no idea what had happened, but they seemed to have full understanding of it. 
“He survived the first few critical attacks with warding accessories and equipment skills,” Marie continued. 
“Then, he used Castling to shelter himself from the rest,” added Shu. 
“What’s ‘Castling’?” asked Rook. 
“It’s a skill that lets the user change places with one of his monsters, Rook,” explained Marie. “It’s a high-rank skill, but its effective range is so small that it’s rare for it to be used as a teleport skill. Still, merely being among the few teleport skills is enough to make it noteworthy.” 
I see, I thought. So he’d survived the first attacks using the same things I’d used against the Demi-Dragon and the rest by simply disappearing away from here. 
“Oh, but do be careful not to attack me anymore! Don’t wanna end up in the gaol, now, do we?” Franklin mocked. 
The gaol? 
Confused by his words, I focused my gaze on him. As I watched, a single songbird appeared in his arms. 
“Because that’s exactly where you’re going if you accidentally hit this little lady,” said Franklin, and a moment later, the bird got replaced by something else — a girl, to be precise. 
“Ellie!” Marie burst out, with a voice full of shock. 
It was Elizabeth S. Altar — the person from the photo I’d seen yesterday and in the noble seats today. I hastily looked to the guest of honor seating and, sure enough, she wasn’t there. 
“So... this guy actually made a monster that can do Castling with third parties,” said Shu. 
What? Is it even possible to create something like that? I asked myself, but the answer was obvious with a single glance at the results — the second princess was out of her seat and in Franklin’s hands. 
Seemingly unconscious, the girl didn’t even struggle. 
“Have I made myself clear, you dumbasses?” Franklin smirked. “Royalty killers go straight to the gaol, you know? Careful not to do that... Not like I’m one to talk! Ayyyyy... HAHAHAHAHAH!” 
The man who’d killed the father of the girl in his hands laughed as though he’d just said the funniest joke in the world. 
“Aaaaall righty, then,” he continued. “With your hands all tied up now, allow me to make a sug—” 
Before Franklin could finish, someone in the audience launched offensive magic that exploded right next to him. 
“Huh?!” I exclaimed and looked to the spell’s source, where I saw a Master doing a fist pump. 
“Is he an idiot?!” Marie shouted my thoughts before I could. 
The guy has the princess right next to him! You can’t be so careless about this! 
“Ooookaaaayyy,” Franklin said as he appeared out of the smoke caused by the explosion. Both he and the princess were unharmed, meaning that he’d done something to prevent the effects of that attack. 
“Do you fail to grasp the situation?” he asked the attacker. “I have taken the princess as a hostage. I am also talking... trying to talk... And then there’s youuuu! Why did you attack me?! Why? I just can’t understand it! Are you an idiot? Or a hothead? Or perhaps both?” 
Franklin roughly scratched his head, clearly none too pleased with the situation. 
“Hotheaded idiots like you should just cool off,” he said, causing a blue liquid to gush out beneath the Master that had attacked him. 
The blue liquid, the Slime, instantly surrounded the Master. “Hhh——————” 
It created a scene that was downright hellish. 
A moment after he got consumed, both his skin and equipment melted, becoming indistinguishable from each other. He screamed, but the blue Slime’s body reduced his voice to bubbles that didn’t even make it outside. If that had been the extent of it, this Slime would’ve been much like the carnivorous slime from that one horror movie. However, it had other qualities. 
Specifically, its surroundings were freezing. 
Not only did it melt anything inside it — it also spread damaging frost to its surroundings. 
“Say hello to my little Oxygen Slime, working title: Destroyer,” said Franklin. “Handmade by yours truly, he’s among the better ones I’ve created recently, if I say so myself.” 
The tone he had while presenting the Oxygen Slime was much like that of someone submitting a cake to a cookery contest. Yet, naturally, it was nothing that hearty. The Oxygen Slime was consuming, melting, and freezing the spectators unfortunate enough to be around it. Soon enough, one of them released a surge of fire towards it. 
“Good job, dum-dum,” muttered Franklin as the blaze hit the Slime and caused a large explosion. 
First frost, now flame — a sizeable part of the audience seating was engulfed in a blue inferno. 
“Come on now. I know that the go-to response to Slimes is fire, but I didn’t expect to see some brainlets here actually go with that. Were you even listening to me? I called it an ‘Oxygen Slime.’ Do you even know what ‘oxygen’ is? I hope for everyone’s safety that your stupid, liquid oxygen-lighting ass is forbidden from participating in experiments during science class.” 
Liquid oxygen — a substance acquired by condensing oxygen gas in the extremely low temperature of minus 182.96 Celsius. It was a highly hazardous, volatile substance that had a great enough oxidation potential to see it used as rocket fuel. 
“All of that blue is actually liquid oxygen...” I muttered. 
“I remember having to mess with it in a chemistry class,” said Shu. 
I had similar recollections. We had done experiments where we had to cool plastic bags full of oxygen using liquid nitrogen. 
“By the way, there’s no point in lighting him even when you’re prepared for the explosion,” added Franklin. “Blow him up, and my boy Destroyer instantly regenerates using the oxygen in the air.” Sure enough, at the center of the explosion, there was the Oxygen Slime, quickly restoring itself until it regained its original size. 
A creature that’s corrosive, indestructible, and explosive... Likely among the worst monsters you could face, I thought as I noticed something. 
The Masters that had died because of it had become particles and vanished. There were no corpses to be seen within the reach of the explosion. 
No tians got caught up in it, it seems. What a silver lining. 
“Anyway, this brainlet interference derailed us a bit, but I think I’m free to speak my demands now, yeah? Unless anyone else wants to try and play hero,” he said while standing on the barrier, looking fully confident that no one would get in his way. 
“Let’s play a game!” he shouted as he procured a strange switch and held it in his hand. 
“BEEP,” he said as he pressed it, making another Oxygen Slime pop out in another part of the audience. 
Thankfully, unlike the first time, no one got caught up in it, but its appearance alone was enough to make the spectators there panic and start running away from it. 
“That might’ve been enough for you to understand, but this switch is linked to the gadgets I set. As for what they do... they release the monsters I’ve prepared, like my Destroyers here. One press releases one monster at random,” he said, making most of the audience hastily get up and try to leave, but his words didn’t end there. “By the way, even if I don’t press it, all of them will be released in about an hour, and I have these gadgets placed all over Gideon.” 
“What?!” I heard Count Gideon sound his shock from his noble seating. It was only natural, for the town he ruled had become a target for monster terrorism. 
Not only that, given his willingness to terrify the audience to the point of madness and to do such terrorism, it was quite obvious that Franklin didn’t care about any potential tian casualties. 
“There are two ways to stop this,” Franklin said with an extremely pleased smile on his face. “Either destroy this switch or give me the death penalty. That would stop the gadgets and make all the released monsters disappear. Simple, isn’t it?” 
Defeating him here and now would end it all, but... 
“...Strange,” I muttered. “Why is he...?” 
Before I could voice my question... 
“Oh yeah, this has nothing to do with the monsters, but I’m taking your little princess, okay? Thanks.” Franklin took the unconscious princess into his hands. “Stop the monsters and save the princess!” he shouted. “Basic enough, is it not? Do your best, O Masters of the kingdom! That would be all, then! Adieu!” 
Then Franklin once again used Castling to disappear somewhere, princess in hand. 
A moment later, the venue was mired in chaos and enraged roars. 
Some panicked, others screamed, others moved aimlessly in confusion. I could see some Masters dashing out of the arena in an attempt to hunt down Franklin, while some went to get rid of the two Oxygen Slimes here. 
The ones who took to action shared a single sentiment — rage against Franklin, who’d started this incident and ruined tonight’s event. I was no different in that regard. 
“This goddamn son of a...!” I sputtered. 
In Franklin’s eyes, this was probably nothing but a game. Well, yes, Infinite Dendrogram was exactly that — a game. 
However, even here, there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed, and he was getting really close to doing it. 
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” said Shu while nodding. “Riddle me this, though: why does he see it necessary to announce this little game of his?” 
That was the same thing I was wondering about. He claimed to have set gadgets with Oxygen Slimes and other monsters all over the arena and the rest of the city. 
That meant that his act of terrorism was 100% prepared and that he could start it any time he wanted, and yet... 
“Terrorism and kidnappings are usually done without any prior notice,” said Shu. “Yet he went out of his way to announce it to this giant audience. Do you know what that means?” 
“Well...” I said. From his mannerisms, it was obvious that Franklin was enjoying this. However, I felt that something was off... that there was more to it than it seemed. 
His announcement seemed to be much like the one Xunyu had made before the start of The Clash of the Superiors. It appeared to have a hidden intention, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. 
“This is just my conjecture.” Rook joined our conversation. “But I think the goal behind his announcement is to make it seem like it’s possible to prevent it and then have us fail.” 
“But why?” I asked. 
“It’s likely that he—” 
Before Rook could finish his words, we heard sounds of confusion coming not from the audience, but from outside our box — from the lobby. Listening carefully, I could make out some people saying something about a “barrier” and that they “couldn’t leave.” 
“Let’s go to the lobby,” said Shu. 
“...Yeah!” I nodded. Rook, Nemesis, Babi, and I all left our box. That was when I realized that Marie, who had been with us just a moment ago, had disappeared somewhere. 
In the lobby, we saw nearly a hundred Masters trying to get outside the arena. They certainly weren’t the main issue here, for there was a barrier that separated the arena and the city, preventing any of them from leaving. 
“Isn’t that just like the barrier used in the arena?” I asked. “Did he actually...?” 
“It appears that he did,” nodded Nemesis. 
So, besides the one that shrouded only the stage, there was also a barrier that covered the entire arena. 
Franklin had taken control of it, and he had used it to prevent us, the Masters, from leaving the arena and getting in the way of his game. 
“Damn it! What the hell?!” someone shouted. 
“Why is a single player able to mess with the system?!” someone else yelled. 
“Let us out!” 
The Masters gathered here tried to leave, but alas, their efforts were in vain. 
“I had a bad feeling when he shut out Figaro and Xunyu, but it looks like Franklin got total control over the barriers here,” said Shu. 
Can a player really...? Oh, wait, I realized. 
“The barrier system is run by nothing but some ancient technology, after all,” Shu continued. “It always has to be activated manually, too. That makes it possible for even us Masters to influence it and force it to do things like this, it seems.” 
“It appears so,” said Rook. “And he started this game exactly because he’s capable of this. It makes his victory absolute and the defeat of the kingdom’s Masters unavoidable.” 
If we didn’t stop the terrorism he had so loudly announced, it would mean that the Masters gathered here in Gideon had lost the game. 
...All right, this is really bad, I thought. 

“Let’s use brute force!” shouted one of the Masters. “Lots of focused high-rank skills should be enough to break it!” 
Many were quick to join him. He wasn’t wrong. After all, both Xunyu and Figaro had been able to open holes in the ceiling of the barrier shrouding their fight. If enough power was applied, it shouldn’t have been impossible to break it. 
Soon enough, the attacks of several dozens of Masters hit the barrier. 
Though it was clearly tougher than the ceiling part broken by Xunyu and Figaro, it became visibly thinner. If these attacks continued, the barrier could momentarily break and allow us to go outside. 
As most in the lobby turned hopeful, the sound of an explosion somewhere in the arena reached our ears. Not only that, but there were some destructive sounds coming from certain parts of the city, as well. 
When the Masters here became puzzled about what they were hearing, an unpleasant laugh rang out around us. 
“AH HA HA! Looks like we have some silly gooses trying to break the barrier!” 
Shortly after we looked around and tried to find the source of the voice, we found a permeable Franklin — his hologram. 
“Greetings, ladies and gents. Sure hasn’t been long, has it?” he said. “Oh, what you’re seeing is our clan’s latest product. Seems useful, no? It costs 8,000,000 lir. A bit heavy on the wallet, but we’re selling these once the war is done. Drop by and get one if you feel like it.” 
He presented his product and its price in a manner that was both courteous and mocking. 
“Anyway, about this barrier... Having you all just get fired up and break it would’ve annoyed me, so I put a bit of a limit on it. A single attack makes one random gadget release its monster, and if you manage to break it completely, all of them will be released before the time limit. Oh, the same applies for the barrier on the stage, by the way.” 
His words made the Masters in the lobby freeze in their tracks. 
“Oh no, do carry on if you feel like it,” he said. “Though I can’t begin to care about any casualties that’d cause! Lol!” 
“Damn it!” one Master shouted as he released an offensive skill towards the permeable Franklin. 
Naturally, with that Franklin being just a hologram, he came out completely unhurt. However, the attack seemed to have broken the device projecting it, making his grinning mug disappear from sight. Still, whether the hologram was here or not, we could no longer rely on brute force, leaving us with nothing we could do. 
“This is bad,” said Rook. “At this rate, the kingdom’s Masters will be completely defeated.” 
“So what?” asked Babi. “If he wins, he will only brag about it and that’s it, right?” 
“No, Babi.” Rook shook his head. “Well, it’s true that, to us Masters, it would be nothing but a meaningless defeat. However, Infinite Dendrogram has other sentient beings, too.” 
The tians. 
To them, the results of this incident might have a completely different meaning. 
“I see how it is,” said Nemesis with a grave tone, clearly understanding exactly what Rook wanted to say. “At this rate, the kingdom will lose before the second war even begins.” 
“Yes.” He nodded. 
 
The City of Duels, Gideon 
There was something flying over Gideon, a mere hundred metels above ground. It was a single monster. 
Strangely enough, its stomach and sides both seemed to melt into the night sky, making it extremely difficult to spot with the naked eye. However, its back was covered in fur with a texture reminiscent of Persian carpets, and two people were sitting on it. 
One of them was Giga Professor Mr. Franklin, the one who’d created the monster and named it “Night Lounge.” The other was the person he’d kidnapped: Elizabeth, the second princess of the Kingdom of Altar. 
Having regained her consciousness right after getting put on the Night Lounge, the girl was looking at Franklin. It wasn’t a hateful glare, but a puzzled stare. 
“Why did you kidnap me?” she voiced her confusion. 
“Oh? Does a person affiliated with the imperium, such as yours truly, really need a reason to kidnap this country’s royalty?” he asked in response. 
“That is not what I meant.” Elizabeth shook her head and faced him before asking. “Why are you not killing me, like you did my father?” 
“Hmm. For someone who’s so clearly aware of that fact, you certainly are composed.” 
“May I have an answer?” 
“Oh, right. That’s ’cause I was told not to kill ya. Not like I would’ve done it if I wasn’t. Anyway, I’ll be cordial with you, so do calm down. Want some candy?” 
“No.” 
“Psh, typical.” Clearly not bothered by her harsh response to his offer, Franklin began wiping his glasses and continued talking. “If our countries peacefully merge, you’ll be able to return to the royal capital, safe and sound. So, again, there’s no need for you to worry.” 
“And what if peace doesn’t happen?” she asked. 
“You’ll be returning to a flattened wasteland. After all, if peace isn’t an option, we’re having an all-out war,” he said as he put his glasses back on again. “Well, if things go according to that lunatic’s... His Majesty’s plans, you’ll be perfectly fine. I don’t think he wants to be hated by his potential sister-in-law or the one who’d be his empress.” 
“What do you mean?” she asked. 
“‘What,’ indeed? Well, let’s just say that your father was in the way, while you are not. Leave it at that.” He cut the subject short, showing absolutely no intention to emphasize. 
“Then let me ask you something else,” said the princess. “Why are you attacking Gideon?” 
Though the empty air around them was silent, screams and sounds of destruction could be heard coming from the ground beneath. Franklin’s pawns and the monsters that had already been released were already causing chaos in the city. She asked merely because she wished to know the reason behind such carnage and despair. 
In response, Franklin formed an unpleasant grin. 
“This is a side show to celebrate the end of the event we call ‘war’!” he shouted while spinning around the Night Lounge and making exaggerated arm movements. “It’s both a game and an initiation!” 
“‘Initiation’?” she repeated. 
“The strongest knight, the greatest sage, and the kindly, fatherly king have all died. The people are leaving. Despair is all around. There’s no future to be had here, for the kingdom is already in checkmate — everyone knows this.” Franklin brought his face so close to hers that it seemed as though he was about to touch her eyes with his tongue. “Tell me, then. Why do you think the kingdom hasn’t given up yet?” 
Shocked, Elizabeth slightly backed away as Franklin made a pleased grin. 
“That’s because you have your Masters.” 
He lightly tapped Night Lounge’s back with the tip of his nail. 
“Everyone thinks that the kingdom lost the war because most of the people on the rankings didn’t participate.” 
Slowly, but surely, the joy in his tone faded until he was speaking with no emotion in his voice. 
“That’s not exactly wrong. We won so easily because they weren’t there to stop us.” 
He sighed, shook his head, and turned his back to Elizabeth. 
“Still, you’ve gotta know when to give up. ‘We’ll win if the Masters participate in the next war,’ they say. ‘The kingdom is still undefeated,’ they proclaim. It’s a real pain in the ass. War isn’t free, you know?” 
His voice was now thick with frustration. 
“This Clash of the Superiors thing is the ultimate example of this. It’s just a huge ‘We can do it’ done by demonstrating the power of the kingdom’s Superiors! It’s a big old dick-measuring contest and it PISSES! ME! OFF!” 
He spouted that while looking at the central arena, which became more distant by the second. 
“If, by some freak accident, this country’s Superiors all participate in the next war, it’s entirely possible that the situation will do a complete 180. Hell, we might even end up completely defeated.” 
That unpleasant fact turned his expression bitter, but that face was soon replaced by a maddened grin. 
“That’s why, before anything troublesome happens, I came here to break this country’s spirit.” 
Franklin’s expression was that of a hellish jester, and it seemed to take a toll on the sanity of anyone merely looking at it. 
“Tell me, if the kingdom’s Masters just sit around and twiddle their thumbs while a city gets destroyed and a princess gets kidnapped,” he said as his grin became even wider, “would this country’s tians still have any hope left for their Masters? Would they still have the willpower to resist?” 
His expression still the same, he covered his face with both of his hands. 
“The kingdom’s liveliest city... The city with most of the kingdom’s fighting power... The kingdom’s strongest Over Gladiator...” 
Then, as if praising something, he raised his hands to the sky and laughed out loud. 
“This is the night of despair! This is when all the myths surrounding this city die!” 
The laughter of the one putting Gideon in peril resounded throughout the city’s skies. 
“Really?” said a certain little girl with a voice that was easily drowned out by the laughter. “I do not believe you’re right.” 
Elizabeth, having solid memories of a Master she’d spent the whole previous day with, was still hopeful. 
She said quietly, “I believe that the kingdom’s Masters... are people we can rely on.” 
 
Paladin, Ray Starling 
“Brother Bear,” spoke Nemesis. “How strong, do you think, are the kingdom’s forces outside of the arena?” 
“That would be the Royal Guard tasked with protecting the princess, Gideon’s own knight order, and the weirdo Masters that didn’t come to watch The Clash of the Superiors.” 
It wasn’t like the Masters here in the arena were the only ones in the city. The people outside should’ve been able to do something about this, too, but... 
“But any self-respecting battle-oriented Master came to see today’s match,” Shu continued. “The only such Masters who didn’t are the ones who couldn’t get tickets. However, that mostly happens due to monetary issues or lack of knowledge of the right people, both of which are solved naturally if you’re strong. Meaning that the Masters outside the arena tonight aren’t exactly the strongest.” 
That was likely one of the reasons why Franklin picked this night — the one with The Clash of the Superiors — to seal the kingdom’s Masters inside the arena. 
“There might be some tough guys who didn’t come to see the fight just because, but I bet that Franklin thought of a counter to them, too,” Shu added as he used his bear chin to point to the plaza outside the central arena. 
I had no idea how long they’d been there, but there was a number of Masters and monsters in the plaza. They clearly had no intention of doing anything about the city’s chaos, making it pretty obvious that they were preparing to attack anyone leaving the arena. 
“Franklin’s people, surely,” said Shu. “With those guys there and the monsters messing the city up, getting to and defeating Franklin himself will be no small task.” 
“Gh...” I grumbled. There was absolutely nothing we could do about this situation. More importantly... with this barrier sealing us here, not even I could do anything. “If only...” 
If only we... the Masters here in the arena... could get out and participate in the fight, our chances would go up. 
“If this barrier wasn’t here, I...” 
I slowly extended my hand towards it, holding back the urge to punch it. 
With any offense on it being a trigger that released monsters, attacking it wasn’t an option. However, unable to contain my frustration, I reached to touch the barrier... and my fingers went right through it. 
“...Eh?” I sounded my confusion as the nearly hundred Masters in the lobby started making noise about it. 
“He... He went through!” 
“What the hell?! I couldn’t do it!” 
“Did the barrier disappear...? OW! It’s still here!” 
“H-Hey! Does your Embryo have some barrier-related skills?!” 
“N-None that I’m aware of...” I was more confused here than anyone else. There was no way I could answer that. 
“Ray,” my brother addressed me. 
Strangely enough, him speaking made the entire lobby instantly turn completely silent. 
I heard someone whisper things like “Oh, it’s that costume guy,” “So kid mountain also came to watch the fight,” and “The bear wasn’t an NPC?” My brother seemed to be strangely famous. 
However, none of that mattered right now. What mattered was that, despite him wearing the suit, I could tell that he was looking directly at me. 
“What’s your total level?” he asked. 
“Total level?” Puzzled, I repeated those words before answering. “It’s 41.” My answer made the Masters in the lobby realize something and talk amongst themselves. Meanwhile, my brother... 
“Khah... HAHAHAH!” 
...laughed out loud. 
“Of course!” he cried. “This is an arena’s barrier, after all! Of course you can pass it!” 
“Bro, I’m completely lost here.” 
“Oh, it’s really simple. Arena barriers prevent people going in and out of them. Otherwise, they’d be completely meaningless and make spectating duels into a life-threatening activity. However, that means absolutely nothing to people with a total level of 50 or below, who can’t participate in duels because they pass through the barriers.” 
“...Oh!” 
Yeah, well, I looked it up and found out that you can only participate when your total level is 51 or above. 
Those were my own words from yesterday. People with a total level of 50 or below couldn’t participate in duels because they could freely pass through the barriers. 
“I see. That means that...!” Rook, me, and the other few low-level Masters here could leave the arena and go help the people outside. 
“Search the arena and get the help of all the Masters level 50 or below!” my brother called. 
“Supporters with levels 51 and above, hit the newbies with buffs and autoheals! The rest of you, go take care of the monsters messing up the arena!” 
“All right! We now have a way to indirectly slap that shitty lab coat!” 
Once aware of this opportunity, the veteran Masters were quick to react, becoming battle-ready in but a moment. 
“You are aware of what this means, yes?” Rook asked Shu. 
“Yeah,” Shu nodded. “As one who can control the barrier, Franklin is surely aware of this loophole. However, he didn’t say anything along the lines of ‘I’ll release the monsters if you leave the arena,’ meaning that he left this loophole on purpose.” 
It was pretty obvious that Franklin was a huge bastard and had a high degree of thoroughness in his plans, meaning that this loophole was here for a reason. 
Even so... 
“Ray.” 
“...Bro.” 
Before I’d realized it, he was standing right next to me. He was looking at me with seriousness that was obvious even though he wore a bear suit. 
“We have a loophole. However, it’s extremely likely that it’s one of his traps, and even if it isn’t, the things awaiting you are skilled players, an army of monsters, and he himself — a Superior.” 
“Mh...” 
Franklin was a Superior — the same tier as Figaro and Xunyu, both of which had displayed immense power in their duel. That meant that I was about to get into a predicament that would surpass my deadly battles against UBMs, and even the time when the Superior Killer had given me the death penalty. I might be heading straight to my second death penalty. In fact, that would be the natural outcome. 
But still, I... 
“There’s no doubt that you’re gonna die... Will you still go?” my brother asked. 
“Let me ask you something, instead, bro. Right before my eyes, a girl was kidnapped and a town is being destroyed. Letting it happen would give me the worst aftertaste in my mouth. Do you think I’m a sensible enough individual to give up and do nothing?” 
I happened to be someone who didn’t know when to quit. I’d keep reaching for the light for as long as I could. 
“I knew you’d say that.” Shu chuckled and gave me something. It was an item reminiscent of another time — a Dragonscale Ward. “I’m out of Brooches. This is all I can give you... Take it.” 
“Sure. Thanks.” 
“I’ll join you when the barrier’s dealt with,” he said. “You can overdo stuff all you want, but make sure you’re alive by the time I come. And I will come — you can count on that.” 
“Yeah. I’ll be relying on you... Shu.” 
Not too long after that, the preparations were done. Rook and I were surrounded by other Masters who’d yet to hit level 51. They amounted to a total of twenty-two. Though relatively powerless and aware of it, all of them were Masters who’d volunteered to help end Franklin’s plans. That display of will alone made them seem reliable. 
And to the right of me, I had the companion I relied on more than anyone else. 
“Let’s go, Ray,” said Nemesis. 
“Yeah,” I replied as I took her hand, after which she transformed into the familiar black greatsword. 
“Time for a retaliation!” 
Then the twenty-four of us newbies all charged towards the board of the game set up by that foul Superior. 
Let the quest begin!