Chapter 16 ~ Rentarou.
The sky had finally cleared. The dark, thundering clouds that once loomed above had been swept away, revealing a gentle sun. Its warm rays draped softly over the swaying grasslands that stretched before Hikari, painting the field in subtle shades of gold and green. He walked for minutes, boots brushing quietly through the blades as a travel-themed orchestral ost looped faintly in his mind.
"At least," he murmured during his stroll, "this travel ost fits the journey. Keeps the boredom away."
A calm breeze danced through the open field. His golden hair stirred slightly, glinting under the light. His sharp blue eyes stayed forward, scanning the horizon. The wind tugged gently at the brown beginner adventurer cloak wrapped around his lean frame, fluttering at the edges. Light armor, worn with purpose but far from heroic.
Then—
Just slightly above his field of vision, in the upper-right corner—
A system prompt shimmered into view.
| [Entered Zone: Stone Gorilla Oasis] |
Hikari read it aloud, voice dry, "Looks like I finally made it…"
—"AaaaAAAAAH!! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY I SWEAR!!"
The cry snapped his gaze sharply to the right.
A boy—maybe his age—was dashing through the field with comical desperation. His silver-gray hair whipped behind him like smoke in the wind. His skin was pale, eyes the same metallic shade as his hair, wide with panic. He wore a rookie adventurer's outfit tinted black, layered under a silver chestplate. A small knight's shield in one hand, a short sword in the other. Both trembling violently.
Chasing him—
Four Stone Monkeys. Their rocky limbs slammed the ground, kicking up grass and clouds of dust. Their sharp triangular eyes glowed crimson, and the snarls that echoed from their jagged mouths were anything but friendly. Above each of their heads floated:
Lv. 8
Hikari blinked. Calm. Watching.
Then with a sigh of relaxed breath, he muttered as he shifted forward in a graceful motion:
"Water Fox Fang."
He flipped his hand mid-air.
Blue sparks ignited—followed by a shimmer of glowing, digital squares. As he leapt into the air, the blade formed only when he was already airborne—
—a sleek metallic blue weapon, humming with elemental energy.
Water beaded down the edge, trailing like breath from the blade. Alive.
Below him, the silver-haired boy froze—
His panicked eyes locked on the figure descending from the sky.
The monkeys stopped too, their crimson eyes lifting upward just in time.
SPLASH!!!
The sword slashed outward in the air.
A roaring horizontal wave of water exploded from the blade, gurgling through the wind like a tidal whip. It screamed across the field—
—and tore through the stone monkeys as if they were nothing more than brittle statues. Their bodies cracked, fissured cleanly in a flash of blue light—then burst into digital cubes, dissipating with a sharp bzzt and streaks of electric-blue static.
Hikari landed softly as his boots touched grass again. His calm blue eyes shimmered as he exhaled.
"All four were level eight," he said quietly. "That should be enough to reach level ten."
He lifted his hand with a flick.
| Profile Window |
A blue interface shimmered into view. Stats. Status. Name.
But his brows furrowed as he stared at the numbers.
| Name: Raising Star (Red Color) |
| Level: 9 |
| XP: 1900 / 1900 |
"…Weird," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "I should've leveled up already. Why hasn't it triggered?"
| Hikari-san... Is this really the right time to worry about your level? |
The familiar voice echoed softly in his mind—calm and precise, yet carrying a note of gentle scolding.
The window faded instantly. "What do you mean?"
| Look around you. The boy you just saved. |
Hikari tilted his head slowly to glance at the silver-haired boy.
The kid was still there. Still frozen.
His sword now aimed shakily at Hikari—his shield up, but both were rattling ever so slightly in his hands.
Eyes wide. Voice trembling—but with anger in them.
"You… You're a Red Name… A Player Killer!" he growled, silver eyes quivering with fear. "Are you here to kill me next?!"
Hikari's calm, ocean-blue eyes reflected the silver-haired boy standing before him—his sword trembling, face pale with fear. The reflection shimmered slightly as the boy's voice cracked through the silence.
"I hate players like you the most," he spat, his voice laced with bitterness. "But unlucky for me, I've got nothing worth stealing. And I don't mind losing all my nine levels if I can just try to take you down!"
He lunged, raising his sword high and slashing downward with a predictable vertical arc. Hikari stepped calmly to the side, his expression unreadable. The boy's eyes widened.
"H-Hey! Wait—?"
Thrown off-balance by the weight of his own swing, the boy stumbled forward. He barely caught himself, regaining his footing with a flustered huff. He stared at Hikari again, confused.
"Why... why didn't you kill me?"
Hikari tilted his head slightly, almost curious.
"Well, I don't see why I should."
A crooked smile formed on the boy's lips. "Hah! So my poverty actually saved me? Heh... maybe I've got a talent for survival after all."
Hikari sighed. The watery fang blade in his hand disintegrated into a scatter of glowing blue data cubes. He waved a hand casually, explaining,
"Just for the record, I didn't become a Player Killer by choice."
"Oh no," the boy deadpanned dramatically, eyes wide with mock horror. "It's the classic villain flashback moment! Are you trying to win my sympathy now?"
Hikari sighed again, raising both hands as if to surrender to the absurdity. He closed his eyes.
"You wouldn't believe me anyway..."
The boy swallowed hard, bracing himself for the worst. But instead, Hikari said softly,
"So I'll just be on my way."
The silver-haired boy blinked, stunned, watching as Hikari turned to leave. After a beat, he rushed forward and grabbed his shoulder.
"W-Wait!"
Hikari glanced back. "What is it now?"
"You're going to fight the Stone Gorilla, aren't you?"
"Obviously."
The boy grinned, jabbing a thumb at himself.
"My name is Rentarou. And I graciously offer my assistance, you poor soul."
He struck a pose, heroic and proud—only to have Hikari deadpan,
"No thanks. I can handle it alone."
Rentarou's confidence crumbled. He clung to Hikari's arm, wailing,
"Sorry sorry I was lying! Please help me beat it!"
"You're so clingy," Hikari groaned. "And you won't get any EXP if I'm the one dealing all the damage."
"I don't care!" Rentarou pleaded. "I've been trying for days! Those damn ninja players stole all my potions and gold on my first day. But if we form a party, I will get some XP. Please, Rising Star—team up with me!"
Hikari eyed him for a moment, then exhaled.
"Fine. Just let go of my arm already."
Rentarou practically leapt on him, hugging him tight. His sword and shield disintegrated into sparks and cubes.
Hikari muttered, "Weren't you scared of me like five seconds ago?"
Rentarou ignored him, silver eyes bright and warm as he tapped the air in front of him.
"Man... I really thought I was gonna die again. But now I've got someone to help me clear this zone's boss!"
"Is the boss that strong?" Hikari asked.
A glowing UI prompt appeared before him:
[ Rentarou wants to form a Party ]
Accept ✓ Decline ×
10... 9... 8...
He tapped Accept.
Immediately, his interface shifted. Above Rentarou's head, a thin red HP bar appeared—70 / 900—alongside a tiny green dot marking him as an ally.
Hikari squinted at the number.
"Dude, if you trip and fall, you'll literally die."
Rentarou laughed nervously.
"So... this boss really is that tough?"
They began walking along the grassy spring path, the breeze rustling through the leaves. Rentarou jogged to keep up, answering,
"It's the toughest fight available to beginners. Most newbies call in high-level friends just to stand a chance."
"So every area has a zone boss," Hikari said, "and we can't pass levels 9, 19, 29, and so on unless we beat that boss?"
Rentarou nodded grimly.
"If the first boss is already driving me crazy, I probably won't even survive to see the second one."
Ahead of them, a great stone platform stretched across the field, ancient and worn. Jagged columns surrounded it like broken teeth.
At the center sat the Stone Gorilla. Silent. Still.
Waiting.
[ A/N ]
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