Chapter 19: The Bunny Girl Summon

Flare!

Sparks flew onto the stage.

The first hero summoned was a swordsman with red hair wearing a black gi.

He looked pretty strong but wasn’t 5-star.

The flames had seemed to burst out by themselves just now.

“Hm? User, you’re nowhere to be seen! I prepared a spectacular entrance for once! It’s really a shame I can’t show it to you…!”

Whoosh!

‘Huh?’

The swordsman vanished mid-sentence.

What was that?

I didn’t send him out.

Curious, I checked and saw:

[Only up to five heroes can wait in the waiting room.]

‘Ah.’

The answer was on the screen.

There were five heroes in total: me, Gobori, Rose, Dulv, and an Orc.

Five heroes stood on the stage.

[Storage] [Collected Heroes]
[★★★ Danchung Flame’s Passionate Sword Demon] Lv. 1
[★★★★★ Terrible Man-Eating Flower] Lv. 1

So that must be why he was moved.

“Ah, damn! That startled me! I thought it was a 5-star summon! Why attract attention like that? It just backfires!”

“Wow. That’s some attention-grabbing. Did he use his own flames to fake a 5-star effect? That’s crazy.”

Rose and Gobori were impressed.

He mimicked a 5-star summon by bursting his own flames.

It was a memorable entrance even to me.

“Pfft. He burst flames on entrance? Interesting guy.”

“Sigh, that only causes resentment. Imagine showing up like that in front of a user trying to summon a 5-star. Instant delete.”

“You’re gonna summon a 5-star? Does that actually work like you think?”

“You just keep summoning until it comes out. Maybe… a thousand tries? That should give you about forty.”

“A thousand tries? Whoa…”

I flinched without realizing it.

Ten tries is already tough; a thousand is madness.

Valhalla was full of crazy users.

“Hmph. That’s only for those with deep pockets. We’re F2P users, so no worries. We don’t have enough heroes anyway.”

“Heh heh. I think even heroes like us get a bit of attention. Too many heroes just make things complicated. We find value in small connections.”

Rose and Dulv responded.

I hadn’t meant it that way exactly.

Maybe I’ll talk to that swordsman later?

He seemed easier to talk to than the elf or assassin I met today.

Rose and Gobori said he was just attention-seeking, but I felt a certain fondness for him.

[☆Healing Potion]
[★★ Warhammer]
[☆Healing Potion]
[★★ Blue Scale Spear]
[★★ Viking Helmet]

Thunk! Thud! Thunk!

A black iron hammer, a blue-hued scale spear, and a helmet to protect the forehead appeared.

This helmet…

“Huh? Why for me?”

I placed it on Dulv’s head.

For some reason, the helmet suited him well.

Bang!

[Bunny Girl]

A booming sound erupted from the seventh card.

That lively sound resonated in the chest!

The 4-star hero who appeared on stage was,

“Thanks for calling me, bbyong! I’ll do my best from now on, bbyong! Love you, bbyong bbyong!”

A woman dressed almost like she was in her underwear.

She wore a bunny ears headband?

Her appearance left everyone wide-eyed.

Whoosh!

Like the swordsman, the bunny girl disappeared.

“…”

Everyone, including me, was speechless.

Except the usually quiet Orc, even the chatty Gobori lost his words.

“I think I just saw a weird hero. The warriors’ heaven… Valhalla… is wrong. There’s a strange hero. A hero who shouldn’t exist…”

He muttered while holding his forehead.

Rose cleared her throat and replied.

“Ahem! That must’ve been overwhelming for a newbie like you! But get used to it. Heroes like that are quite common.”

“Uh… it’s a concept hero. They do anything to stand out to users. The higher the stars, the more of these heroes you see. Their growth potential is limited, but since it works, they exist. It’s all competition. Yep.”

Rose and Gobori explained.

Concept. They do it just to get noticed?

They spout lines before heading out, and make a flashy entrance like the swordsman just now?

It was a pitiful scene to me.

The competition for user attention was fierce.

[☆Healing Potion]
[☆Healing Potion]
[★ Sand Boots]

I flipped the cards again.

Two potions and a pair of Sand Boots.

“Oh. These boots showed up earlier, right? The next dungeon is supposed to be a desert.”

“Yes! If you and I each use one, it should be fine! Our little fly doesn’t need one!”

Gobori responded to me.

I added the boots and flipped the remaining cards.

[★★ Basket Claymore]

Thunk!

A wide-bladed longsword was added.

Eleven cards yielded two heroes and five pieces of equipment?

A pretty decent haul.

Extra gear can be scrapped.

If scrap pieces pile up, Dulv can handle it.

“Our heroes are growing in number. I wonder how this will go? They won’t keep sending only us forever.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The expedition team. It would be selfish to keep sending only us… Isn’t there a place for all heroes to shine like Dulv? A spot where every hero can show off their skills?”

I asked, mulling over the idea.

We couldn’t always rely on this small team.

Of course, I intended to keep using ‘myself’, but not using all available power was foolish.

“Well… eventually, you’ll use them all. In PvP, you have to use every hero anyway.”

But Gobori responded casually.

“Green’s right. Maybe not in dungeons, but in PvP, everyone shines. Roles shift depending on combos and traits. You see matchups you never imagined. Of course, our Green’s useless, though!”

“Hey! Amplification is just around the corner! You don’t know what’ll happen once we hit 3-star!”

“Pfft! Keep telling yourself that!”

“Ugh! Just watch! I’ll become an amazing 3-star and show off!”

Rose and Gobori bickered.

PvP?

Now that I thought about it, there was something like that on the screen?

It was grayed out and unclickable for now.

I asked Gobori.

“PvP?”

What was that? I vaguely remembered hearing it before. Was it some kind of all-out war? Like a large-scale PvP where many heroes clash?

“Ah, it’s battles between users! Not against dungeon monsters, but heroes fighting each other!”

“Heroes fight each other?”

I gaped at Gobori’s words.

He continued eagerly.

“Yes! This is Valhalla’s main feature! You pick five heroes to fight, and there are combos, counters, and tons of complexity! It’s fun! That’s why users go crazy for it!”

“Oh, so it’s a duel? Representatives from different factions facing off.”

“Exactly! Even in the Plaza! When named heroes fight, people bet money on it. It’s super entertaining!”

“Ah.”

I admired Gobori’s explanation.

This was Valhalla.

Countless warriors showing off their skills in chaotic combat.

Just like the Valhalla I knew.

Wait.

Then dungeons and events were training grounds for heroes?

Flipping cards summoned heroes who would fight for me?

I finally understood.

The more you know, the more you see.

“And the final victory.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve heard the tales before coming to Valhalla, right? If you achieve the final victory, your wish is granted. That final victory means winning PvP.”

Dulv, who had been listening, spoke up.

He stroked his beard and continued.

“It’s server-wide. Only the top five heroes in the entire Valhalla earn the right to the final victory. I thought you’d be curious. Am I right?”

“Oh, yes! I was just wondering about that!”

“Haha! You seemed that kind of curious! You’re quite inquisitive!”

Dulv laughed heartily.

I wondered how he knew I’d be curious.

“Sigh, final victory sounds nice, but getting there is tough. You have to face frequent PvP players, strong teammates, and then perform your part. I gave up long ago! I probably can’t make it!”

“Right. And those number one guys have been holding the spot for years, right? They should give others a chance. How can they block everyone’s wishes for so long?”

“I heard the number one party are all battle maniacs. That’s why they never leave. They’re perverts who enjoy endless fights.”

They grumbled, like people stuck in holiday traffic unable to move forward.

PvP first place.

Five heroes’ final victory.

My path became clear.

To achieve the final victory, I needed more information and more heroes.

“Interesting. First place in all of Valhalla. Not an easy challenge.”

I chuckled and flipped the next card.

Bang!

[★★ Wandering Swordsman]

‘Huh?’

But a familiar name came to mind.

Wandering Swordsman?

Wasn’t that my own name?

“Oh! Duplicate hero!”

“Wow! Amazing!”

Gobori and Rose got excited.

A man with a build similar to mine appeared on stage.

Some equipment even matched mine exactly.

“Captain?”

It made sense. It was the uniform of the knight order I had commanded in my world.

“Pinless?”

I doubted my eyes.

The swordsman who just appeared was someone I knew.

A subordinate who died in front of me seven years ago.

I had spent a long time with ‘Pinless’, so I could never forget his face.

“Pinless? Pinless of Hillea? Really?”

“Captain! It’s really you, right? You came? You came to Valhalla!”

Pinless got excited upon seeing me.

It was definitely the Pinless I knew.

My heart pounded meeting a comrade all the way here in Valhalla.

“I’ll announce it to everyone! Captain’s here… Everyone will be thrilled… The Plaza…”

Pinless, speaking passionately, suddenly paled.

Whoosh!

Then he vanished from the stage.

Well, no need to be surprised.

He probably went to the Plaza like the swordsman and bunny girl.

If desired, they could be summoned again.

[Bonus for Duplicate Hero!]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman’s level increased!]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman Lv. 39]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman Lv. 40]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman → Lv. 41]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman → Lv. 63]

‘Huh?’

My level had gone up.

Level 25?

I had no idea why.

“What? Why did my level go up? What is this?”

I glanced around uncertainly.

My heart raced briefly.

Pinless had joined my party.

I couldn’t believe it.

“Huh? You knew him? He’s a duplicate hero with your bro?”

“He was a comrade from my previous world! So… he came to Valhalla too? And even with the same name! Haha. This is fun! He can join us.”

I laughed in response to Gobori.

I couldn’t calm my pounding heart.

I pressed the screen to check Pinless.

[Storage] [Collected Heroes]
[★★★ Danchung Flame’s Passionate Sword Demon] Lv. 1
[★★★★ Bunny Girl] Lv. 1
[★★★★★ Terrible Man-Eating Flower] Lv. 1

‘Huh?’

But he wasn’t there.

Not even in storage.

[Personal Training]
[★★★ Ash-Hearted Assassin] Lv. 1
[★★★★ Elf Archer of the Shadow Forest] Lv. 1

Not in the training grounds either.

What was going on?

Was this a bug, like Rose and Gobori said?

Cold sweat ran down my back from the sudden turn of events.

“Hahaha! Unfortunately, duplicate heroes cannot be in the same party! The weaker one is deleted, and you get compensated with levels! Phew, but since you’re strong, it’s like this…”

“What? Pinless was deleted?”

“Ah! That’s not what I meant! I misspoke! He went to the Plaza, the Plaza!”

Gobori replied, startled.

Ha…

For a moment, I thought he was gone forever.

Exhaling, I wiped my forehead.

He had just been moved to the Plaza.

“Sorry. I got excited without thinking. But why can’t duplicates be in the same party? Is that a rule?”

“Well… it’s about balance. If duplicates were allowed, wouldn’t you just fill the party with the same broken hero? That’s why it’s blocked. I don’t know all the details… just roll with it. Anyway, heroes don’t die in Valhalla! They’re already dead heroes! Haha!”

Gobori shrugged confidently.

‘But…

The Plaza.

That name lingered.

Pinless definitely said ‘everyone’.

Does that mean everyone I know is there?

Everyone who died in front of me?

I couldn’t think otherwise.

The Plaza.

I wanted to go to the Plaza.

Maybe I could meet everyone I know there.