1.
Behind the stage, where not a single sign of life could be felt.
The masked man and I faced each other.
There was no presence at all.
His movements were doll-like.
Now that my level had gone up, I could see things I hadn’t noticed when we first met.
"Could you make a little noise when you walk? You nearly scared the soul out of me."
"Haha, I really do have no presence, don’t I?"
His expression was hidden behind the mask.
As always, the guys who wore masks in fiction were usually out of their minds.
Even his sharply tailored suit looked polished to the point of absurdity.
"So, what brings you here?"
"I’ve been cursed with a disease that’ll kill me if I don’t destroy this place within fourteen days."
"......What a joke! You told me last time that my jokes weren’t funny, and yet you can’t make one yourself!"
"I’m serious."
I’m not joking. This is a documentary!
It’s the truth, not a lie!
After I spoke, silence hung between us for a moment.
"......"
"Ahaha, I was joking!"
"It was a joke after all!? I borrowed money to open this place, so if it goes under, I’m finished!"
I’ll make sure it goes under soon, you bastard.
I’ll show you what Neon City looks like when the weak don’t survive.
As our gazes crossed, the troupe leader stepped forward with a tap of his shoe.
"Come to think of it, Hanabi has been saying she misses Adrian quite a bit."
"Hanabi?"
"Yes. Adrian is quite handsome, after all... If you have time, please come by for the final performance. It’s only proper to say goodbye when fate allows it."
"If I get the chance, I’ll come say hello."
A faint smile showed through the mask.
The troupe leader walked away, his shoes clicking against the floor.
I watched the spot where he had disappeared and rested a hand on my sword.
That conversation had confirmed it.
It was a hunch, sure, but my instincts were usually pretty good.
The stronger I got, the more I could see.
There was no more information to be found by wandering deeper into the troupe.
If I pushed too hard, they might all come swarming out like a kicked hornet’s nest.
My goal wasn’t to save Hanabi or play prince charming.
It was to clear the quest and uncover the troupe’s secret.
Rule number one: my life comes first.
Cheap wins were banned.
But that was just how our status window worked, for the sake of fun.
For now, I’d just scout things out and head back.
2.
"Phew... sneaking around is harder than I thought."
Recon complete!
It had been more fruitful than expected.
I’d gotten some useful information too.
The important things I’d learned were two.
I’d picked them up thanks to the merchants.
Street vendors were practically collaborating with the troupe, after all.
The troupe leader walked the Path of Elation.
There were four members I needed to watch out for.
And the troupe leader’s most dangerous ability had been openly shown during the performance.
If I’d been watching the show carefully, I would’ve noticed it.
But I’d only caught bits and pieces before switching over to Hanabi’s backstory, so I hadn’t seen it properly.
Besides, if my theory was right......
Hah. It did feel a little like a rigged game.
One thing I vaguely remembered from the performance was this:
The troupe leader could manipulate subspace.
During the show, he opened sealed-off spaces, summoned beasts, and even fired swords through the air, showing off all kinds of tricks.
The abilities of the members who followed him weren’t anything special.
Every one of them relied on strange, acrobatic strength or brute force, and none of them walked a Path.
In other words, the members were all just watered-down versions of Adrian Servet.
I use [Acrobatics], and I walk a Path too.
"So this is finally the day I get to look down on someone..."
For so long, getting beaten to a pulp by other people had been my daily life.
Now I was probably above the bottom rung, at least somewhere below the middle.
Maybe I could take on three members at once?
That wasn’t blind confidence. It was confidence based on an objective look at the situation.
Those who walk a Path absorb imaginary energy from the Path and wield it.
The [Acrobatics] I use is also power derived from the Path.
There are prodigies who can use imaginary energy without walking a Path, but most people do both.
With training, they can grow stronger in how they control that power, and if they hit the right trigger, their vessel expands and they become even stronger.
And once you start handling imaginary energy, your physical abilities improve and you gain durability beyond ordinary humans.
It’s a basic ability that comes from the body adapting to imaginary energy.
In other words, if you want to properly use a Path, a strengthened body and durability are essential.
My case proved it clearly enough.
Back then, I’d used Sky Leap repeatedly and blown my legs apart.
And now, after using causal manipulation once, I’d nearly crossed the River of Oblivion and died.
There’s no power without a price.
To put it in web-novel terms:
Think of it as the three essentials of body, mind, and spirit.
The mind is my own image, painted over the Path.
The spirit is the imaginary energy borrowed from the Path.
The body is my physical foundation.
Okay, got it!
I’d understood Professor Asat Pramid’s lecture in my own way.
There were fourteen days left.
No, to be precise, one week until the finale.
The day of the final performance.
On that day, I’d carve an unforgettable memory into everyone in Neon City.
3.
I needed to check whether there were any problems with this plan.
I needed someone with a strategist’s brain.
"So this is the kind of plan you came up with?"
"Yes."
"Haah, are you actually insane...?"
Hmm... objectively speaking, it wasn’t a good plan.
To be honest, it wasn’t really a plan at all. It was more like Adrian’s chaotic little trick show.
I was talking with the pawnshop owner there.
Through the clear glass window, I looked at the owner.
"Are you out of your mind? Why?"
"If I don’t do it, I’ll die."
"......Your eyes aren’t smiling, so you’re serious."
"The success rate is low."
"I know. It’s reckless, pointless, and has no backup plan."
Looking at the plan I’d drawn up, it was full of reasons that made no sense.
All I had to trust were my instincts and memories.
Individually, each piece fit together.
But when I put them all together, something felt horribly wrong.
The sense of déjà vu I’d felt from the moment I met Hanabi.
The members who didn’t appear like throwaway extras.
And finally, the troupe leader, who moved like a doll.
Ever since learning from Asat and Zephiro, my senses had become much sharper. Even if it was just a nagging feeling, it wasn’t something I could ignore.
"......At least you’re strong enough to meet the minimum conditions."
"Do I look it?"
"Yeah. I used to walk a Path too, after all."
I still couldn’t figure out the pawnshop owner’s power.
I didn’t know whether I was lacking, or whether the pawnshop owner was really that weak.
But I did know he was hiding a lot of secrets.
If it had been a woman with lots of secrets, that would’ve been charming.
But he was a man, and a former married man at that.
"If your theory is right... then they really are a thoroughly unsettling bunch."
"Right. Though technically I should say bunch of women, not bunch of guys."
"Tch. This is why people say you shouldn’t get involved with Elation. The whole galaxy knows it."
That hurt.
I walk the Path of Elation too!!!
"I walk the Path of Elation too..."
"You’re the same. You complete lunatic."
There was no problem with the plan.
Literally no problem.
To pull this off, force was absolutely necessary.
"You’re not the type to do things half-assed, so I’ll trust you. You don’t need my help... right?"
"Help? Just lose some weight. At this rate, you’ll really die of obesity and high blood pressure."
"Damn it, every time I see you, you say the same thing as Silver Wolf... no, wait, Silver Wolf learned that from you."
If you asked whether I could do it or not...
The answer was that I had to.
Even if it was clumsy and stupid, there wasn’t any time left.
It was an absurd plan, no matter how many times I looked at it.
"......If all you’re doing is wrecking the place with brute force, I’ve got nothing to say. Go!"
"I’ll be back before this cup goes cold..."
"Quit spouting nonsense."
I left the pawnshop.
The moment I stepped out, silver hair came into view.
Neon-tinted sunglasses.
Sharp eyes like a wolf’s.
As soon as I came out, Silver Wolf clung to me in a hug.
"Adrian, are you sure about this?"
"When have I ever done anything that wasn’t dangerous?"
"This is... on a whole other level."
What I was about to do had no justification.
No justification, and maybe even the possibility that my guess was wrong.
But who was I?
I was a reincarnator with a status window.
With no time left, I had to charge in at least once.
Honestly, I’d already delayed too long.
Because I’d been learning from Asat and Zephiro.
If I succeeded, it would be a revolution!
If I failed, it would be treason!
"Silver Wolf, you’re ready too, right?"
"......Yeah."
Silver Wolf also walked the Path of Elation.
She shared common ground with me, so I passed on Asat’s teachings exactly as I’d learned them.
"Thanks for trusting me."
"If I don’t trust you, who would? Don’t worry."
Originally, I’d planned to keep Silver Wolf completely out of it.
But after we got home, I changed my mind.
Silver Wolf had been glaring at me with the look she always got right before she started nagging.
It was getting harder to hide things, and since Silver Wolf already knew about the status window, I told her the whole thing with a little seasoning added.
Then she said, "I’ll go with you."
And, "I don’t want to keep just receiving things anymore."
She said it with such firm resolve that I couldn’t stop her.
I’d tried to keep her from coming, but then she looked like she was about to jump off the balcony.
I couldn’t stop this Silver Wolf, who had gone full menhera and basically threatened, "If I’m not useful, I’ll die~"
For the remaining week, I’d focus on Silver Wolf’s growth and on carrying out the cartridge quest.
"Phew... let’s run ourselves ragged for once."
Once the preparations were done...
There’d be no more room to run.
After all the twists and turns, it would be time for the real showdown.
It was time to test how strong I’d become.
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