Chapter 10: Elf’s Initiation

Thunk!

I returned to the stage just as I was admiring the village.

“Hah. What kind of hardship is this because of our user? Still, I played a big role, right? Thanks to me, you fought comfortably. Isn’t that right? Hehe.”

Rose smiled with a coquettish wink.

I smirked quietly, but Gobori interrupted to cause trouble.

“Hah! Role, my foot. The boss was killed entirely by you! You just flew around sprinkling poop dust!”

“Poop dust again? Poop dust! You bastard, apologize! Apologize!”

“Nope! Ehehehe!”

“Ugh! Die!”

“Ah! My ears!”

As expected, the bickering continued.

Well, I’d just leave those two alone.

I checked the new rewards.

The accumulated gold was 2,870 gold.

What mattered now was…

‘Sixteen cards.’

At last, I secured ten cards.

I could exchange for a 4-star hero.

“Oh gosh… right, I have all the cards now. User, you must have something in mind, right? You can’t just open them all like you did earlier. Right, big brother?”

Gobori approached and smiled.

“You do have something in mind, right?”

I shook Gobori on the screen.

“Waaah! Sorry! You saw everything! Sorry!”

If I grabbed the dwarf on the screen, I could affect the stage as well.

Phew, good.

First, I needed to equip gear.

Luck was on my side this time, but next time was uncertain.

This kind of luck was the last.

[Storage] [Collected Equipment]

[★★★★ Uruk Slayer]

[★★★★ Fire Ring]

[★★★ Scroll: Rapid Fire]

[★★ Heavy Glaive]

I brought the gear from storage to ‘myself.’

Clack, clack!

Then it automatically equipped.

‘Now, shall I exchange this ‘guaranteed 4-star’?’

After a moment’s hesitation, I pressed ‘Shop.’

The tip said I could buy cards here, so I thought I might exchange here.

‘Three Rare Cards for 100 Diamonds.’

Nope.

‘Bundle pack of 60 Normal Cards for 1,000 Diamonds.’

Nope.

There were so many options it was annoying just to check.

“Oh!”

Then I found an image hidden between the cards.

‘A one-time Special 4-Star Exchange Ticket?’

This was definitely the exchange users talked about.

I immediately tapped that image.

[Exchange 10 Normal Cards for [Special 4-Star Card]. Proceed?]

Of course, yes.

Shhshhshh…

“Oh!”

“I bought it!”

The cards on the stage flew up.

Ten cards merged into one, emitting a violet flash as it descended onto the stage.

It was a thrilling sight.

[Special 4-Star Card Acquired!]

[You can obtain a random 4-star hero!]

The same card popped up on the screen.

Good.

I swallowed and flipped the card.

“Deal! Deal! Dealer, come out!”

“Tanker’s fine too! Just as long as they’re not a better supporter than me!”

Gobori and Rose gripped their sweat and got excited.

Bang!

[★★★★ Elf Archer of the Shadow Forest]

The hero who appeared was an archer wearing a hood.

The archer stared into the air.

‘Was she searching for the user, like the Dwarf?’

The archer lifted the hood, revealing fresh blonde hair.

The lively golden locks matched well with her green eyes.

“The user is nowhere to be seen. Where have they gone?”

The elf with the deep voice asked.

Gobori, ever the talker, responded instead of me.

“Oh! She usually can’t be seen! I think she’s in PC mode!”

“PC mode? Whatever that is. It seems quite lively here. Two 2-star and one 4-star. Are you part of the early support pack?”

“Oh! Smart guess! Nice to meet you! I’m Gobori! Your name is…!”

“A truly unimpressive bunch.”

The elf snorted with a laugh.

“Uh… huh?”

Gobori froze in place mid-greeting.

“Enough greetings. I doubt we’ll see each other long anyway. Isn’t it your place to come and go? I doubt we’ll run into each other.”

“I still want to greet…”

“Only if you want to.”

“Fine then. Sorry.”

Gobori backed off, deflated.

I felt uncomfortable just watching.

“Hey! What’s with that attitude! I just want to get along! Everyone introduces themselves and bonds, so why ruin it? Where are you from, you pointy-eared brat!”

Rose cut in, getting riled up.

Still, the elf’s response was cold.

“What’s with this atmosphere? Is this territorial behavior?”

“Te- territorial? When have we ever!”

“Looks like our user is free-to-play. So you’re on guard the moment I show up.”

“What nonsense…!”

Rose flushed bright red, furious.

The elf only cared about making her point.

“Snap out of it, Fairy. This is Valhalla. You can die anytime, be shredded anytime. No matter how attached you get, you part ways quickly in this world.”

“Sure, you can form cliques, pretend you’re winning by socializing like this. But in the end, the user will show the result, right? If you just rot in storage, you’ll learn to accept it. Isn’t that right?”

“What?”

“Watch your words. It’s not territorial behavior. Isn’t this just paranoia?”

The elf interrupted Rose.

She looked at me, puzzled.

“Paranoia? Not exactly.”

“Then why act like this? What’s the problem?”

“Just because I don’t like it. Seeing fringe groups like you praising each other disgusts me. Simply disgusting.”

The elf smiled brazenly.

Ha…

This was a familiar situation to me.

When leading the Mercenary Corps and the Rebel Army, there was always a newcomer who ruined the mood with rude remarks.

Simply because they didn’t understand their place.

Or because they tried to assert dominance.

A fool who tries to save face with a few words—this type was easy to find.

“Enough! Don’t waste time on that jerk! Finally playing with some true folks, and then clique nonsense? This bastard always ruins the vibe! Hey, Green! Don’t mind them! You brought a pet last time! How much cash was that? You’ve done enough! Ignore it!”

Rose shouted angrily.

I wondered what to do when…

“Big brother.”

Gobori grabbed my sleeve behind me.

He awkwardly smiled and fiddled with my pants.

“I’m fine. This happens all the time… Rose, don’t get angry.”

“What? You don’t even have pride? Just letting this slide?”

“I’m fine. I know my place best.”

“Why are you like that…!”

Rose choked up at Gobori’s words.

‘Phew.’

I exhaled and thought.

In cases like this, the leader must step up.

As the leader who must guide the party.

As the user who must lead the stage.

I had to make a choice.

“Well, the user will decide. That’s true.”

That was my decision.

Whoosh!

I put Gobori back into storage.

At his disappearance, Rose flinched and shouted.

“You heartless user! Hey! Don’t you remember? He brought a pet last time! That was cash…!”

Whoosh!

I put Rose in storage too.

Left were only me and the elf.

The elf glared at me arrogantly.

She flaunted her shameless confidence, as if proven right.

“Pfft. See? I was right. At least you’re better, so you stayed behind…”

“Our user has a hobby.”

“Hobby? What hobby?”

“I’ve seen it—an initiation ritual. It’s mandatory for rookies like you.”

She answered with a sly smile.

Then she pulled something out.

An initiation ritual our rookie couldn’t even imagine.

My little initiation ritual, prepared just for her.

“I don’t know if you’ll pass.”

Whoosh!

“W-what…”

The elf was startled by the sudden turn.

“Gruh?”

Before her appeared a gigantic Devouring Flower.

It looked leisurely as it eyed the 5-star beast.

As a proud elf, I wanted to see how she would fare against a stronger friend.

“This is our user’s hobby. Initiation.”

“What the hell! This dumb beast! Put it away! Get it out of here! What the hell are you doing! Stop it!”

The elf shouted at the air.

But she was wrong.

The one who should be begging wasn’t the air, but me.

***

“Grrrraak!!!”

Thud, thud, thud!

The beast charged.

Right at me.

But I didn’t care.

I grabbed it from the screen and placed it near the elf.

Thud!

“Ugh…?”

The elf’s face turned pale under the heavy shadow.

“Gruhr-el!!!”

“Ack!”

The flower and elf tangled together.

The elf screamed as she was ‘loved’ by the flower.

“Ahh! Stop, why are you doing this to me! I’m a 4-star! Ack!”

The elf screamed, her voice penetrating.

I stepped toward the elf, glaring down and replied.

“Those two just now. They’re the user’s most treasured heroes.”

“W-what, a-ack! What are you saying! Ack!”

“Regardless of rank, there’s loyalty. It’s a kind of affection.”

“Ack!!!”

The elf, pinned by the beast, screamed.

Ugh.

Kinda gross.

Better watch via the screen.

The two on the screen, in dwarf form, were tangled adorably.

“Ack! Stop, stop! Get this thing off me! Ack!”

After leaving it for about ten minutes…

Whoosh!

I sent the Devouring Flower back.

The elf, soaked in saliva and tangled hair, collapsed exhausted.

“What… kind of party is this… seriously…”

The elf muttered, dazed.

I almost sent her to storage, but then…

‘Right.’

I remembered the newly acquired ‘Training.’

Better to have her do something than rot in storage.

[Personal Training]

[Train one hero.]

[Cooperative Training]

[Duel your heroes.]

‘Maybe I should send her to the training grounds?’

Whoosh!

I sent the elf to training.

Hopefully, she’d soften up after this.

Now, I had to call two more.

I manipulated the screen to check storage.

[Storage] [Collected Heroes]

[★★ Goblin Sentry] Lv. 16

[★★★★ Rose Fairy] Lv. 18

Then I summoned the two out.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

“Oh?”

But Gobori returned wearing shorts and eating a skewer.

“Oh my?”

Rose was sipping tea, glasses on.

The sudden scene made the three of us awkward.

“What’s with the skewer? Was that in storage?”

I asked looking at them.

Gobori chewed and replied.

“What is this? I thought I wouldn’t be called for a while. But they called me in less than an hour? Yum yum.”

He stuffed the skewer in his mouth, then lightly jumped.

Pyororong!!

He returned to his usual goggles and suspenders outfit.

Contrary to worries, he looked carefree.

“This guy? When the user puts us in storage, we go to the Plaza. We rest there, then come back. You thought we were trapped in some box? What a childish imagination! Pfft!”

Rose snorted and laughed.

She then let her glass and glasses fall downward.

Pyororong!

Both disappeared into mist.

Wait a minute.

Putting them in storage moves them to the Plaza?

Then that Devouring Flower moved too?

I didn’t know what happened after that.

I only hoped no one irresponsible got involved.

“But what happened? Why am I back? Where’s the archer?”

Gobori sucked his finger and asked.

“Right? Why did they put me in storage? I was startled! Thought they were dumping me!”

Rose clenched her fist and shouted.

“Pfft. The user said the archer’s personality was ambiguous, so she had to be sent to training. Gobori said we should keep being useful. Last time you brought a pet, this time they’re looking forward to what you’ll bring.”

I answered with a suitable lie.

Gobori’s eyes went wide, and he jumped.

“You mean it? I get to keep being used? Yay! I can keep going! The user will amplify me!”

He jumped and shouted like a kid, excited.

His childish enthusiasm warmed me.

“What? The user came? When? Why aren’t they visible now? When did they appear?”

“Maybe came in not PC… I mean, not PC mode. They were pretty handsome.”

“On phone? I should have seen! I wanted to see what kind of idiot that was!”

Rose pouted, waving her fist.

She would never know it was me, not in this lifetime.

‘Hehe.’

Watching them, a smile spread across my face.

That’s right.

This was the everyday life I wanted.

Many comrades lost, fighting alone all those days.

If this ‘game life’ in Valhalla was my second chance, this life I would never lose comrades.

I refused to endure loneliness fighting alone.

[Available Expedition Regions]

[Lv. 22: Green Village of the Evergreen Forest]

I briefly checked the region to go on expedition.

“Oh? Looks like they’re opening cards? Opening cards!”

I flipped over the rest of the cards.

Rose and Gobori joyfully shared the excitement like it was their own.

“This time, come out a decent one! So I can ditch this Goblin!”

“Please, supporter! A supporter who can replace this pesky gnat!”

“Ughh!”

“Ehh!”

Despite their words, they cared deeply for each other.