Chapter Sixteen: Slaying the Boss

Everyone was stunned. Hao Ren reacted the fastest—he rushed forward, kicked away Komuro Takashi, who was still biting Rei Miyamoto, gathered Rei into his arms, and retreated into the group.

"Komuro, what have you done!?" Takagi’s expression was filled with grief and fury. "How could you do this to Miyamoto!"

"Komuro, what’s wrong with you?" Saeko Busujima leveled her blade at Komuro, who had been knocked to the ground.

Komuro Takashi stood up in an unnaturally twisted posture, as if his spine no longer existed. His pupils had fully dilated, his skin had darkened, and fresh blood from Rei Miyamoto dripped from the corner of his mouth.

"A dead one! No, not just any dead one!" Hao Ren set Rei down, picked up his shotgun, and aimed at Komuro, who stood motionless after rising.

"Main story character 'Komuro Takashi' has become a dead one, identity converted to 'boss of the scenario.' Main quest forcibly altered. Upon completion, player 73950 and their summoned creatures will be immediately transported out of the game scenario, which will then reset."

Main Quest: Final Stage—Within ten minutes, kill the scenario boss ‘Komuro Takashi.’ Reward for completion: unlock one professional skill. Penalty for failure: erasure. (Quest status: incomplete)

Newbie scenario tip: The dead boss’s infectiousness far surpasses that of lesser dead ones, and it possesses the ability to summon nearby dead.

Timer started!

Every drop of blood in Hao Ren's body seemed to freeze. The dead boss meant he absolutely could not be wounded—even a scratch would lead to infection. In other words...

He rolled right, narrowly evading Rei Miyamoto’s jaws as they snapped at his ankle. No, that was no longer Rei Miyamoto—just a dead one wearing her face.

It had taken only a dozen seconds for her to be transformed, and the other dead in the area, as if guided, began to converge on the riverbank.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Shiki Ryougi transformed in a burst of red light under the astonished gazes of Hirano and the others. Her appearance changed drastically. Gripping a silvery katana, she charged straight at Komuro, blade gleaming coldly.

As if sensing something, Komuro lunged at her.

Her sword struck his raised arm; unexpectedly, it only cut through a thin layer of flesh, causing little harm. Having blocked the attack, Komuro swatted the blade aside with one hand and reached for Ryougi's throat with the other. Finding her strike ineffective, Ryougi tilted her head to avoid his grasp and leapt back to open the distance.

The dead around them began their assault. Saeko, the first to recover, transformed, seizing her crimson greatsword—nearly as tall as Saya herself—and swept into the horde, leaving not a single dead one standing in her wake.

Biting her lip hard, crossbow in hand, Saya fired a grieving shot through the head of the now-dead Rei Miyamoto, before collapsing to her knees, drained.

Shizuka, at a loss, clung to the little girl by the Humvee.

Hirano shouldered his sniper rifle, Ishii raised his M1A1; back to back, the two fired in smooth alternation.

Hao Ren tested a shot at Komuro. The boss made no attempt to dodge, taking the hit directly. To Hao Ren’s astonishment, Komuro’s body showed little damage, only a trickle of black blood at the wound.

Furious at being attacked, Komuro turned his gaze on Hao Ren, and before he could react, Komuro accelerated and pounced, slamming Hao Ren to the ground.

"Master!!!" Ryougi, startled by the sudden turn, rushed over, blade in hand.

"Sis Ryougi!!!" Hao Ren, struggling to keep Komuro’s bloody jaws at bay, shouted, "Open the Mystic Eyes!"

With Hao Ren's permission, Ryougi activated her Mystic Eyes—her pupils flashed deep blue. The world shifted before her, everything fractured into patterns like shattered glass.

With a single stroke, she sliced Komuro's entire body into segments.

Having barely escaped death, Hao Ren shoved away the fragments, sitting up and gulping for breath.

He marveled at the Mystic Eyes’ overpowered nature—a body that bullets couldn’t pierce, yet came apart at the gentlest cut.

He could only hope the GM didn’t ban his account.

He fished through the remains at his side, retrieving an item dropped by the boss Komuro. Before he could inspect it, a pillar of white light engulfed him from above, along with Ryougi, Saeko, Saya, and Shizuka.

As Hao Ren and the others vanished within the radiance, the sky itself began to fracture and peel away like old paint, the cracks spreading across the entire space, until the world was lost to endless darkness.

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Once more it was the boundless, pure white plaza. Overhead, the same sphere of gentle white light shone, but this time, five people appeared beneath it.

Just as Hao Ren had at first, Saeko, Saya, and Shizuka stood dumbfounded. Still transformed, Ryougi released her Mystic Eyes, tossed aside her sword, and embraced Hao Ren tightly from behind as he sat on the ground.

Hao Ren, enveloped in her arms, did not joke as usual, but simply slumped quietly against Ryougi.

"Player 73950 has completed the newbie scenario quest, earning the title 'Junior Gamer.' Player 73950 may now set a game name, which will serve as your codename henceforth. The first setting is free; subsequent changes require special items. The Main Brain Plaza is now open—a public space for all players to interact. It is a safe zone where all harmful actions are nullified. Player 73950 may now choose to enter the plaza or return to the real world. Time flows synchronously between the plaza and reality; you may enter or exit at will. Every fourteen days, you will be forcibly entered into a new game scenario. Game scenario time flows ten times faster than reality. Players are forbidden from revealing the game's existence to non-players in any form—violation will result in erasure. We look forward to your next performance."

"Player 73950 has unlocked the skill 'Summoner's Cottage.'"

"Player 73950 has received the item 'Blue Badge.'"

Item: Blue Badge—guaranteed drop upon scenario boss defeat. Use to randomly acquire a skill, talent, bloodline, item, or LP points related to the boss.

Skill: Summoner’s Cottage Lv1 (0/500). The summoner may place summoned creatures into a separate space called the Summoner’s Cottage. Inside, creatures fall into deep sleep, recovering 10% of all stats per hour. Time flows at the same rate as the summoner's current space. No limit to the number of entries. Can be upgraded with LP points.

The three, recovering from their shock, exchanged complex glances before silently communicating among themselves. Saeko was chosen as their representative; she approached the pair and cleared her throat. "Ahem~"

Startled, Hao Ren awkwardly tried to extract himself from Ryougi’s embrace, but she, as if traumatized, held him fast.

Saeko, watching their contrasting actions, gave a soft laugh. "The Summoner isn't yours alone, you know." Then, to Saya and Shizuka’s astonishment, she seized Hao Ren’s right hand and placed it upon her own chest.