Strongest Gamer; Let's Play in Another World Volume 2

by Shinobu Yuuki

  ◇

  Mary had managed to pull herself together and resume her job, but she still wasn't at her best whenever human hunters came along. We'd added a section to the hunter application form for race. Whenever humans were on the schedule, I'd go along with Mary down to the guardian room in the morning, and she'd go at it with the Daemons, while I took on the humans. We were able to scrape by with that strategy.

  "Another busy day, huh?"

  The last hunter exited the labyrinth, so I locked the door for the night and headed to the workshop and slumped over. It'd been two weeks since I'd started fighting the human hunters. Today there had been a group of four, and it'd taken me a good while to dispatch them. Most of the hunters were solid fighters, so it wasn't unusual to end up in a pitched battle. I had plenty of physical stamina for it, but it was wearing me out mentally.

  Human hunters didn't have the raw strength of Daemons, so it shouldn't have been a huge deal, but I was still having issues. The cursed sword let me fight by recreating moves I'd learned in games, but it seemed like it was a bit too good at applying lethal force. The cursed sword's purpose was killing. It didn't really understand the distinction between a fight for one's life and a training battle. It put a lot of extra burden on me to use moves that would neutralize my opponents without killing them. Perhaps that was partially because, in fighting games or beat-em-ups, the standard set of moves was distinctly intended to kill.

  "Just thinking of that time I had to fight Mary gives me shivers. If these hunters were as strong as her, we'd be completely out of potions."

  Since I was holding myself back, I was also taking more injuries. For example, there was one hunter I'd faced today where I'd gone for a lunging stab, only to have to stop in a hurry to avoid killing him. He saw the opening and thrust his lance at me, giving me a hard hit to the shoulder. He turned out to be a friendly old codger, and he started profusely apologizing. I assured him that it was fine, that accidents happen. I was secretly relieved that it'd gone down while Mary was off on break; I'd have felt awful if she got all worried over me for taking an injury that was clearly my own fault.

  You know, I could try to hide it from her, but then pass the truth along to someone else and let the rumor mill do its thing. Having her fret over me actually sounded kinda nice. Still, I didn't want to push too hard; getting greedy and trying to unlock every event immediately never ended well.

  The wound healed up in a jiffy thanks to my magic potions, but I could still feel the phantom pain of that lance piercing into my shoulder, so I'd decided to take a rest at the workshop before returning to the cabin. There wasn't so much as a scar left, but still, fleeting as it was, the feeling of that hole in my shoulder had been unsettling.

  "Heya, Aoi, how's it hangin'?"

  "Oh, hi Carla."

  Just as I was about to head home for the day, Carla scampered up and offered me a high five. I'd asked Carla and her crew to guard all the spots Mary and I couldn't cover. Incidentally, I'd heard from the people around the workshop that Mayor Hopper had given her a place to stay in Milt, apparently in hopes she'd find a husband and settle down. She was a reliable, hard-working girl. She usually guarded the workers around the forest, and I'd only heard them say good things about her. Since Carla and company were all girls, beyond just being fighters, they also served as excellent morale boosters. They really brightened everybody's day.

  "Hey, Aoi, I need to ask ya something."

  "What is it?"

  She edged a little closer and lowered her voice.

  "You got hurt today, didn't you? The girls and I don't mind keeping it hush hush, but you need to take care of yourself, okay?"

  A shiver went down my spine. I was wearing a Japanese-looking overcoat which I'd found on Tundra, but the hole in my suit beneath it was still there. I'd left the bloodied white shirt back at the workshop, but I didn't exactly have a spare suit. I'd snuck out the back door of the labyrinth, but on the way I'd run into Carla's party, guarding the area around the workshop. Caught red-handed. Or, red-shouldered, I guess.

  "What are you talking about? I didn't---"

  "You've been working too hard lately. Got something on your mind? Maybe something to do with Mary?"

  Carla stared intently at me. My god, that stare was brutal. I'd only ever seen game protagonists fold under this kind of pressure, but apparently it was pretty darn effective on me too.

  "If you're not gonna tell Mary and Ann that you got hurt, maybe I should. Unless you'd really, really rather I didn't?"

  Damn, so that's where this is going. I should've seen it coming.

  "Carla, is there anything I could get for you? Anything you want?"

  "Heheh. Ohhh, well now that you mention it, remember the cream cake you got me that one time? I've just been dying to have another one. Who knows, maybe that sweet flavor will drive the memory right out of my head!"

  "Fine. I'll get you one as soon as I can."

  I wondered if perhaps Carla wouldn't have made an even better merchant than Fez. She knew just how to get to me, and when she was done softening me up, her price was reasonable. A labyrinth manager made those cakes and sold them on Tundra, but as with all high-quality baked goods, demand was enormous, so getting a hold of one wasn't easy.

  "Oh, that'd just make my day. I'll look forward to it!"

  Carla took a seat beside me. Not as close as Ann would have, but still pretty close.

  "You still need something?"

  "Aoi, you're in pain. I'm not gonna leave you alone like this. Honest? I'd love to give you a big old hug and tell you it's gonna be okay, but I think Mary and Ann wouldn't take too kindly to that."

  Carla was such a sweetheart, always so considerate. I had a feeling the two of us were going to become good friends.

  Chapter Four

  "You're making splendid progress. You're nearly there!"

  One morning, Karumi came and collected a status report from me. As we spoke, she flicked around the labyrinth manager UI as fast as ever, probably inspecting the labyrinth's stats? It seemed like a very convenient way to dig into details on the labyrinth's performance, but I wished she'd at least look at the report I'd prepared. I worked really hard on that...

  "Your high expulsion ratio is quite satisfactory. I only see one cause for concern: the number of return visitors."

  I knew that would stick out like a sore thumb. Apparently labyrinths didn't usually get a lot of repeat customers.

  "Is that a problem?"

  "There are no stipulations regarding it, but you're more likely to be audited if any of your statistics are particularly out of the ordinary."

  "I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise we won't keep getting them."

  The easiest solution would be to just start killing the intruders, but I obviously didn't want to go for that one.

  "Please do whatever you can."

  "By the way, how come you're wearing a ball gown?"

  Karumi was wearing the frilliest pink dress I'd ever seen. It was such a departure from her usual business attire that I couldn't even bring myself to maintain eye contact with her.

  "Can we please not talk about this? Honestly, if you can, just forget you ever saw me like this."

  She must've screwed up again and gotten caught this time. If only I had the smartphone I left back in the office, I would've pulled it out to take a few pictures. On second thought, it was probably for the best I didn't have it.

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Mmgh! Mmmm!"

  Once Karumi had arrived, Ann's eyes had started gleaming, so I'd been forced to clamp my hand over Ann's mouth for this entire conversation. Whatever she wanted to say was undoubtedly going to be an innocent and pure compliment, and I was nonetheless certain it would cut Karumi deeper than any knife.

  ◇

  "Mr. Theodoran, was it? A pleasure. I'm Aoi, the manager of Labyrinth #228."

  Word arrived one day that a notable guest staying at the mayor's house wished to meet the local labyrinth m
anager, and I'd headed there to pay my respects. I didn't really have anything like a suitable meeting room at the labyrinth, so the mayor had offered us his living room so we could talk.

  "Merchant extraordinaire Theodoran, at your service."

  The guest turned out to be a Daemon, perhaps a bit older than myself. A young man, mostly human-looking, though with a pair of horns coming out of his head. Finally, a really demonic Daemon! I mean, it would've been even cooler if he'd had blue skin or a pointy tail or whatever, but at least this was something. Now I was curious about what race he was.

  "You appear to be staring at me, sir. Do you need something?"

  "Oh, uh, excuse me. Can you tell me why you wanted to talk to me?"

  Those glasses made him look like a real intellectual. I bet if I brought a picture of him back to my world, you could slap it on the cover of a women's magazine and make bank. Between Ann and Deneb, I'd grown accustomed to beautiful Daemon girls, but this was the first time I'd seen such a handsome male Daemon. The elves around the village did have a certain quality about them, to be sure, but this guy's air of effortless grace left one hell of an impression.

  "I would like to purchase the magic potions you produce."

  He smoothly unrolled a contract on the table. It was all one piece of vellum, processed animal hide used as paper, and the handwriting on it was pristine. Somehow, I had a very bad feeling all of a sudden. I felt all the curiosity drain from me as I read the contract. Did he think I was an idiot? He was looking to buy a huge supply, thousands of potions, but the price per potion was paltry. He was offering less than Fez was, over at the stall he'd opened in the village for hunters to cash out their potions from the labyrinth. The contract even came with an exclusivity clause which only seemed to benefit him. And lastly...

  "What is this part about providing the manufacturing process details?"

  "I'd like to formally take custody of one of the Daemons you employ in the labyrinth for the purposes of potion making. I'll cover their support costs, of course. This is a standard clause in any such large-scale contract; I'm only looking out for your own interests. I can't imagine letting go of one of your subordinates who can perform alchemy would hurt your bottom line terribly much?"

  Theodoran directed a cold, empty smile at me. Ann's hackles rose, and a low growl came from her throat as she stepped up closer to me and put her hand to my shirt. Well, at least now I understood what he was after. He wanted it all. Cheap magic potions he could sell at a huge profit, and then the means to produce those potions himself down the line. Even if that didn't pan out, he'd at least acquire someone who could inspect and provide quality control for the goods.

  So he expected me to sell him Ann.

  "Hahah... Hahahaha!"

  This was hilarious. Did he really think I'd accept? I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud.

  "C-Calm down, Aoi."

  "Boss, this ain't good."

  Ann and Donnel both whispered to me, their faces pale. Why were they so concerned? Oh man, I totally lost it there for a second. How embarrassing. And here I'd been trying to teach Ann the importance of keeping up a good poker face when you were in the middle of a fight.

  "Donnel, Carla, please escort our guest to the exit. Gently, please."

  Theodoran's two guards, ogres built like towers of muscle, both took a step forward.

  "Are you certain about this? You may find your life a touch more difficult than it once was if you choose to antagonize me."

  The fake smile disappeared from his face, replaced with surprise. If this were a normal labyrinth, perhaps accepting some cash in exchange for a subordinate wouldn't have been that big a deal. But he was asking me to sell my family. I mentally reconsidered the way I viewed Theodoran, no longer thinking of him as a visitor and instead assessing him objectively. Yes, I knew that look in his eyes. He was just like the rivals I'd seen in big tournaments. That burning enthusiasm in his eyes. The will to never give up, to crush his enemies. I wondered, did I perhaps look the same? If neither side of the negotiation was willing to budge, then there was only one way to solve this. I recalled a very particular phrase I'd once heard, one which fit the scene like a glove.

  Where had I heard it again? Ohhh, right, it was that famous empire-building MMORPG, Imperialization. The game was about the wonders and triumphs of the far western world during the Middle Ages. They'd beautifully recreated the American continents at about a one-half scale, which let them fit the entire world-wide user base onto a single server. There was no Japanese localization, but it'd still been a pretty big deal.

  I'd started playing with a few friends back when the game first launched, but we'd begun running into problems when we decided to build a farm on the Pacific coast. There was this guild of Europeans who built a hotel nearby and harassed us daily. They were horribly vulgar. They were giving one of my guildmates a particularly hard time, and pretty soon he was talking about quitting the game. Once that happened, I gathered all my buddies together and hatched a plan.

  I was in no mood to negotiate. I found their guild leader, pulled up the command to start a guild war, and pushed the button without hesitation. One of my guildmates tried to leave a parting shot in English, but it came out terribly garbled. Another of our pals thought it was hilarious, so he screenshotted it and uploaded it to his blog, and from there, it went viral. You could see it in all manner of parody videos and whatnot. The line was...

  "So, it do be war."

  I murmured it under my breath, or at least, so I thought. Theodoran thought he was going to beat me down; I hoped he was ready to get his butt whooped in return.

  "I'll make you regret those words."

  Wow, he didn't even blink. This guy wasn't messing around.

  He waved over his two ogres and left without another word.

  "Snap out of it, Boss! You're scarin' the girls."

  Donnel stepped up and rapped me on the shoulder before gesturing at Ann and Carla. Ann was trembling, her arms wrapped around my waist, and Carla was huddled down on the floor, her tail curled around her and her fox ears laid back.

  "Oh. Thanks, Donnel. Sorry, girls."

  I paused a moment to consider the potential consequences of what I'd just started. In my world, human history was a long saga of war and conflict. But perhaps that was not a mindset I should be bringing to a peaceful village like Milt. And I suddenly remembered what my guild pals had told me, after that day. That war had taught them the true meaning of suffering.

  ◇

  "Theodoran? Can't believe he came all the way from the capital to see you. Guy's legendary for his predatory business tactics."

  Gathering intel was the first order of the day, but it wasn't particularly hard work to learn what I needed to. Fez already knew all about the guy. It seemed our little tyrant had quite the reputation.

  "Predatory? How bad are we talking here?"

  "The usual: land sharking, coerced contracts. The kinda thing the commerce boards banned back when my ears were still the size o' yours. With most of the old folks around here, you say this guy's name and you've already ruined their day."

  "Is that right. Guess I'm going to need to set someone to escort Ann. Mary's occupied, so it'll have to be Carla."

  Donnel, with his decades more of experience, seemed the stronger of the two, but if Ann's escort was going to be guarding her at all times, I wanted them to be another girl.

  "Wait, how come? What exactly did the guy want from you?"

  "Check it out."

  I handed the unsigned contract over to Fez. He grimaced as he read it, and when he finished he glanced over my way anxiously. No, maybe at Carla?

  "Yo, Carla, what's up with your tail? It cramped or something?"

  "Mind your own tail, Fez!"

  When Fez called her out, even more color drained from her face, and she just shook her head. I couldn't believe how frightened she was. Personally, I found Mayor Hopper or even Fez more intimidating than Theodoran.

  "
Hey, Fez, can I ask you to look into this guy for me? I need to know how I can get at him."

  "Uhh, um, sure! That's what friends are for!"

  Friends, huh? The way he said it, maybe Fez wasn't looking forward to this, either. I had a hunch I was going to be paying a pretty hefty fee for this info.

  ◇

  "Fez came to the labyrinth's workshop about two weeks before the free challenge period ended. "

  "Aoi, where are you? They're already on the way! Get your ass in gear!"

  "Oh yeah? Thanks, Fez. I sure wish this could've waited until I was less worried about the labyrinth, but what can you do. How far out are they?"

  I'd been expecting this, but I was still exasperated. Managing the labyrinth and dealing with Theodoran at the same time would be difficult. I'd have rather resolved the labyrinth's performance review first, and then dealt with him afterwards.