Chapter 20: Why Is Here

It’s a kind of consideration, I suppose.

Instead of covering my eyes and nose with a cold, metallic gauntlet, it was a gentle, bare hand that shielded my face.

Hmm, the level of physical contact is a bit too much.

Just let me see.

No, show me!

……I couldn’t bring myself to shout those words out loud.

What if…

If I get labeled as a pervert or something here…

If I get rejected, the heroes leave, the shop goes bankrupt, the world ends, and I’m left in regret, despair, obsession…

Ugh, men should be careful, they said…!

Such a terrible tragedy could happen, right?

So, for now, I’ll stay quiet.

I swallowed the words I wanted to say.

“Th-that disrespectful outfit, no, your natural state… What is that? Even if you’re a demon, there are things you should keep covered…!”

Natural state…

Is there a forest?

Probably not, right? I prefer it without one.

And, Saintess…

You don’t have to keep it covered… Please…

Let’s have a bit of a lawless fashion sense…

“I am merely here to guide the true conqueror to his rightful place…”

“Hey, Master! Don’t be fooled! Alice is a deceitful demon! She’s the one who set the trap, that big-breasted wench!”

“Shut up, you brat!”

“Eeek!”

The two demons started a childish argument.

Me? The true conqueror?

“Ark? Since you can’t see, let me explain the situation.”

“…C-could you just move your hand, please?”

“Ugh…! That wicked thing…!”

The sound of Saha grinding her teeth.

At the same time, the pressure on my eyeballs increased slightly.

No, I said move your hand!

Flail, flail!

Huh.

Am I really enchanted?

Have I been bewitched by the deceitful demon and her… assets?

Has all the resistance I’ve built up over time become useless?

Feeling a bit more composed.

I opened my mind’s eye and began to observe.

I see… I see…

“Sniff, you don’t trust me… But it’s okay. If I perform the dance of pure submission that I’ve practiced so hard…”

…!

Dance of submission…!

What is that…?!

“L-lewd!!”

“Perverted, woof!”

“Eeek! Shaking those fat lumps around won’t help…!”

“…Can I shoot an arrow? I’m shooting.”

“In Ark’s stead, I command you to burn that wicked thing to ashes.”

“Kyaaah!”

In the end.

Before my eyes were freed.

Alice was exorcised…

“Kuh, kuh… I haven’t given up yet. I’ve opened the path to the 10th floor, so please come and meet me…!”

I want to see the dance of pure submission too!

Why do only you guys get to see it…?

“Now, Seer. You may open your eyes.”

“…Don’t call me Seer so formally, just call me Ark…”

“B-but… If I call you by your name, we’ll get closer, and then-“

“Ark? Should I finish off the boss?”

Whoosh!

As my vision cleared, the already tattered Orc Warrior’s life came to an end.

With a heart full of sorrow, I purified the rift.

[7th Floor of the Tower of Wishes – Orc Village Entrance, Area 10 Cleared!]

[You can now enter the 8th Floor of the Tower of Wishes.]

[New Feature Unlocked: Dimension Arena]

There will be better days ahead…

Anyway.

“…Sigh. Let’s head out of the tower for now. Let’s grab some food.”

Now.

It’s time for the heroes to earn some sacred stones!

***

“…Is this really okay to eat?”

“Umm…”

“…?”

“O almighty Sweetie Goddess, protect me with eternal light, guide me with your holy wisdom…”

Oh, Johanna.

Speaking in tongues is good, but isn’t that line a bit plagiarized…?

“Chew it well.”

I went all out to cook a ‘magnificent Orc thigh steak,’ but the heroes’ reactions were less than enthusiastic.

Orcs are just bipedal pigs.

Even their cries sound like “oink oink” or “grunt grunt.”

“If you don’t like the thigh, next time I’ll make sweet and sour pork with the breast.”

“Eeek…!”

……Honestly, even I find the breast a bit much.

The thigh is within acceptable limits, so let’s just eat quietly.

After filling our stomachs at the guild house, we returned to the tower.

Next to the rift leading to the daily dungeon, another new rift shimmered with a dazzling light, as if adorned with LED lights.

“Alert! Anomaly detected!”

“Good work.”

Naturally, the knights were managing the situation.

“I’ve received an oracle from the sanctuary, so the Saintess and I will investigate this. It might be dangerous, so please refrain from approaching for now.”

“Yes, Captain!”

“As expected of the Captain!”

Thanks to the Captain spreading false information, we were able to shoo away the knights cleanly.

As expected of Light Saha.

Great Saha.

You are the first protagonist of the separation skin.

I’ll free you from that heavy armor soon.

Only after confirming that everyone around had left did I finally gain the freedom to remove my hood.

“…”

“Scent.”

“As expected of Master…!”

Along with the cool, refreshing air flowing down my neck, I heard an unidentified sound effect and reaction.

“Shall we go?”

Taking the lead.

I threw myself into the sparkling rift.

***

《Welcome! Welcome to the Dimension Arena!》

Hearing the ‘announcer’s’ welcome message, which sounded quite cringy and awkward when spoken aloud.

To the heroes, it might seem ‘unrealistic.’

But to me, it was a ‘realistic’ place.

Thump, thump.

Until now, I had only played the BGM in my head.

But the club-style music that played in Direna during the game now reached my eardrums, making my heart go boom, boom, thump, thump!

“Ugh.”

“Ok?”

“What is this place…?”

Ah.

They don’t know.

Everyone was a bit dazed, blinking their eyes as they took in the scenery, but my steps were unwavering.

The scenery looked like it was ripped straight from the original UI.

It felt a bit awkward going from a flat view to a ‘3D view’ mode.

But the space itself felt familiar.

We arrived at the portal in the center of the Dimension Arena lobby.

From where we entered, the front was…

“That must be where we prepare for battle.”

Oh!

As expected of the Captain and main tank.

Unlike the other rookies who were a bit panicked, she was so composed!

“Saha, you’re amazing! So smart.”

“Ehehe, hehe… Ahem. It’s nothing.”

…Composed?

Really?

Anyway, Saha was right.

Even the heroes from this primitive fantasy world, who have little understanding of modern mobile games, could intuitively grasp the design.

In the place labeled ‘WAITING ROOM’ in the language Johanna calls ‘the goddess’s tongue.’

Where you can decide…

Which combination to use to attack the enemy.

Attack deck, attack deck.

Which combination to use to defend against the enemy.

Defense deck, defense deck.

Before setting up the strategy, there was something I needed to check first.

Rankings, let’s check the rankings!

Are we in the lower group?

All newbies?

A gold mine?

Turning around, I saw.

Tina and Rumi running around, exploring.

Johanna with a dazed expression.

Ari whispering something to Saha.

Passing by our heroes, I saw.

Three statues.

And beneath them, a panel that seemed to display the rankings.

The reason Direna was mockingly called ‘the official war.’

The place where the top three rankings, based on the 5 AM reset, were displayed with their nicknames and representative characters.

..……How much effort had I put into securing that spot?

Staying up all night to maintain my rank, and if I wasn’t first, using a hook at 4:59:50 to snatch the top spot…

Ah…

The glory of the past.

And the path I must walk now…

…Is it really glory?

Probably not.

Just aim for first place once and quit.

Anyway, seeing the first place gives you an idea of the group’s level.

So I slowly walked towards the statues.

The heroes’ gazes followed me.

“Woof! Saha, woof!”

That’s right.

The statue in first place was Saha.

And not just any Saha.

It was Saha (Swimsuit)!

“Kuh?! A-a noble knight like me would never wear such disgraceful clothing…!”

“Saha! What’s that outfit? What is it? Oh my.”

“Ari, what’s with that tone…!”

“…Saha, this is disrespectful. I’m disappointed.”

“Even Johanna…?!”

Saha’s voice, filled with panic, desperately tried to explain.

Hmm, delicious.

When the swimsuit skin was actually released, the interaction lines were truly exquisite.

Hehe. I’m looking forward to it. Hehe.

Anyway, the top ranker seemed to be a skilled player.

If they understand the strength of Saha.

Maybe this group won’t be easy?

Wrapping such delusions in my mind.

As I approached the statue and read the nameplate.

“Huh…?”

I felt a slight sense of dizziness.

[01st Place]

[LoveSahaFlameSaha]

[Representative Character: Saha (Swimsuit) (LV.100)]

[ ? ][ ? ][ ? ][ ? ][ ? ]

What the, damn.

This.

This is my main account.

Why is it here…?