"!"
"You mean to say..."
Cool Mita, in that instant, seemed less like her usual self and more like a seasoned detective. She thoughtfully adjusted the brim of her hat; if she'd possessed a pair of glasses, they would surely have glinted with the piercing white light of truth.
"The two of you, along with a friend who joined mid-way, the three of you teamed up..." Cappie pointed a finger towards the wall, in the direction of the corridor they'd come from.
"...and you actually wiped out that entire swarm of troublemaking worms? The ones that were constantly eating, practically devouring the whole corridor?"
"Honestly, it was even more difficult than it sounds," Misha corrected, glancing towards Alain. "Alain did most of the heavy lifting. Without him, I might not have even made it here."
She paused, reflecting. "Halfway through, those devourers even merged into one enormous creature... It took a massive effort from Darling to defeat it..."
"It was nothing, Darling," Alain interjected. "You're my personal buff – the highest amplification type there is."
"..."
The young man and the long-haired girl gazed into each other's eyes. Tiny, invisible pink hearts seemed to flutter in the air between them, causing Cool Mita's head to throb slightly.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Cappie protested. "Bestie, you were just telling me how easily I get sidetracked, and now look at you!"
"Mmm... What Alain said is important business. Therefore, it doesn't count as getting sidetracked," Misha reasoned with utter seriousness, prompting an exasperated outburst from the hatted girl.
"What is this? Blatant favouritism? Total love brain? This is unbelievable... Acting like this right in front of a Mita who doesn't even have a Player... You two have absolutely no shame!"
Cappie puffed out her smooth, pale cheeks indignantly. "Still," she conceded, her tone softening, "it's truly wonderful that you both managed to arrive here safely."
She hopped off the bed and strode over to the teleporter console.
"Right then! I, Mita, absolutely will not disappoint you! The Core, is it? Let's embark on an epic, spur-of-the-moment journey!"
"Bro, that's strangely hype," Alain commented with approval.
"Damn right, bro!"
After Cool Mita performed some checks and assembly on the teleporter, the screen on the console flickered to life.
"Let's see here... Destination is... Version 0. The Core."
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, inputting lines of code that were incomprehensible to Alain. With a final press of the Enter key, the screen displayed a teleportation progress bar.
"Alright, step onto the platform when you're ready."
Her playful attitude vanished momentarily, replaced by the focused demeanor of a scientist. She stood beside the glowing platform, gesturing for Alain and Misha to board.
Alain glanced down at the greatsword gripped firmly in his hand, then took the first step onto the luminous pad.
Misha followed immediately after him.
The confined space proved quite snug, compelling Alain to hold Misha close just to ensure they both had footing on the platform.
Cool Mita adopted a grave tone. "Okay. Judging by the nature of those worms in the corridor, something serious must be happening at the Core. You absolutely must be careful. Do you need me to accompany you?"
"No need, Cappie," Misha shook her head. "You stay here and be ready to receive us if needed."
Alain chimed in, "And when we get back, we'll finally beat that game you've been stuck on, together!"
"Yeah! Bro, you're seriously the best!" Caught up in the emotion of the moment, tears welled in the corners of Cool Mita's eyes.
"Alright then, have a safe trip! Bye-bye~" With that, Cappie pressed a button and pulled a lever on the console.
"See you later, Cappie," Misha called out.
"Later, bro," Alain added.
The light beneath their feet blazed brighter, swirling around them like a turbulent fluid, enveloping them completely. Their vision steadily dissolved into pure white, and the familiar sensation of weightlessness, which Alain remembered from Version 1.5, washed over them.
[You have initiated teleportation. Current Coordinates: Version 1.75. Target Coordinates: Version 0]
[Teleport Progress: 0% → 10% → 20%....]
A pop-up notification from the Security Guard system appeared.
"The Core, huh?"
Heading there this time... no idea if it's dangerous or not. But we're committed now. Might as well give it everything I've got and see if I can resolve whatever we find.
Alain instinctively tightened his grip on the Mosaic Greatsword. Perhaps the relaxed atmosphere moments ago had caused the blade to become somewhat transparent. Now, however, fueled by its master's rising tension, the sword's edge solidified, becoming sharply defined once more.
He owed this capability to the Security Guard's reward code feature, and also to that worm's 'DLC'. It had helped Alain understand something crucial: although the system didn't officially label enemies like Devourers or Tamperers as 'viruses', the Security Guard, in its own tsundere-like way, still provided rewards for defeating them. It tacitly acknowledged that these entities Misha was unfamiliar with were, in fact, viruses.
An antivirus system ought to behave like one.
[Teleport Progress: 50% → 60% ...]
Embracing Misha, the sensation of weightlessness intensified around them, signalling their approach to the destination. Just as they neared completion, the girl in his arms trembled slightly, prompting Alain to hold her even tighter.
"I'm here. Don't be afraid."
"...!"
Misha turned her head, offering him a smile filled with reassurance.
[Teleport Progress: 80%——]
Alain felt solid ground materialize beneath his feet. The overwhelming white light began to recede, dissipating from top to bottom. He glanced upwards, catching glimpses of a dark, mechanical environment, sporadically illuminated by pulsing red lights. Before he could make out any further details—
A stark, crimson pop-up from the Security Guard flashed urgently before his eyes.
[Warning! Incoming attack detected. Estimated defensive charges insufficient!]
"What?"
An attack? Where from?
Alain tried to scan his surroundings, but his vision was still largely obscured by the lingering brilliance of the teleportation field. It was impossible to see clearly.
For the usually oblivious Security Guard system to issue such an urgent, unprecedented warning... this must be seriously dangerous.
His current defensive charge count stood at one. This meant... whatever attack was incoming, a single defensive charge wouldn't be nearly enough to withstand it.
The system notification itself was drowned in large blocks of corrupted text, making it almost impossible to decipher what was happening beyond a few scattered, recognizable characters.
"Damn it... What the hell is going on?!"
He pulled Misha even closer, instinctively wanting to shield her completely, wishing he could somehow merge her into his own being for absolute protection.
"Darling, what's happening? This feels very strange..." Misha murmured against his chest, her own hand tightening its grip on her baseball bat as she scanned their obscured surroundings warily.
"I don't know."
Alain swept his greatsword in a wide arc, hoping to make contact with anything lurking just beyond the dissipating light.
Clang!
Just as he suspected... the blade met solid resistance. More than one instance of it.
In other words, waiting just outside the fading teleportation field was an ambush.
"We teleported to the Core... only to land right in the middle of an encirclement?"
Alain's expression turned grim. This was the worst possible outcome.
Just in case... I need to be ready to trigger the Return Home skill. Maybe teasing Misha now could top off the progress bar...
His face darkened further.
But setting up the portal takes time... And besides, re-entry coordinates always seem to match the exit point. Last time, we left from the basement and returned right back there. If we escape now and re-enter later, we'll probably just land right back in this same damn trap...
[Teleport Progress: 80% → 90%...]
[Error!]
Suddenly, amidst the final stages of the teleport, a red-bordered error message flashed from the system.
[Unknown command attempting to alter teleport destination. Firewall can intercept. Two solutions currently available:]
[1. Intercept: Successfully proceed to target destination (Version 0).]
[2. Do Not Intercept: Fail to reach target destination.]
___
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