Chapter 132 : Awakening - 4
Chapter 132: Awakening - 4
Magireta’s voice was rather bright.
It was a little unexpected.
Regardless of the time limit she had set herself, the game had dragged on, and in the end even Karin Oblang, who would originally have been eliminated, had survived.
So I had naturally assumed she would be in an irritated mood.
“Did you feel better, Sister?”
“I was never angry in the first place?”
“You clearly were.”
“I resolved all of that while reconciling with my little brother. Besides, I got to see my little brother’s bad-boy style once more, so I’m quite satisfied.”
At that, Armelia Kerr Dneroum muttered softly.
“I really don’t like it.”
It sounded quite sincere, so why was she reacting like that?
“Anyway, everyone worked hard…….”
“Wait a moment. Lady Magireta.”
Kaid Bel quickly raised his hand and cut her off.
“What.”
“Fufu. What do you mean, ‘what’? Have you gone senile?”
“…….”
“Oh dear. It seems you don’t know. Think about it. Is there perhaps something you’ve forgotten?”
“I wonder? At the very least, it seems you’ve forgotten your sense of fear.”
“S-Sorry. I was a bit impertinent, yes.”
He rubbed his palms together again as he continued.
“Surely I’m first place this time, no matter how you look at it?”
Ah, right.
First-place reward.
Kaid had realized that this place was a Dream almost as soon as the game began, and he had passed.
The condition for first place in the Sleepwalking Quest was, of course, ‘the one who realizes first that it is a dream.’
Under that condition, even Edgar Tyler would not have been able to defeat Kaid, a Dream Demon.
As expected, Magireta nodded.
“Phew. Yes.”
“Then please give me the reward. Hehe.”
“Well……. Fine. Wait a moment.”
Viiiiing.
Magireta opened a hole and pulled something out.
With a flutter, what unfolded was a cloak.
At a glance, there was nothing particularly special about it.
I asked,
“What is that? Sister.”
“You’re not first place, so why are you asking, little brother?”
“Since Kaid and I decided to form a party anyway. We’re already sharing first-place rewards among ourselves.”
“Fufu. Then ask Kaid directly later.”
So she meant she couldn’t tell me now.
Magireta moved her lips slightly.
It seemed she was using Omnipotence to whisper the item’s description to Kaid alone.
Kaid’s eyes gradually widened.
“T-Then that means…… if I put on this cloak, even Master won’t be able to find me?”
…….
Was this idiot stupid?
For a moment, we couldn’t hide our looks of disbelief.
Magireta seemed no different.
Letting out a deep sigh, she said,
“I should have blocked your voice too……. No. There’s no need for me to go that far.”
“What did I do wrong?”
“You did something wrong. Thanks to you, the others can now infer its function.”
Realization dawned across Kaid’s face.
I snickered and said,
“Are you really sure you were once a participant in this Game?”
“Don’t underestimate me. There was a time when I was respected by all for my outstanding character and intellect. I’ve merely grown a little foolish after hundreds of thousands of years of slavery.”
Who proudly says something like that about himself?
I turned back to Magireta and said,
“Anyway, I get the gist, Sister. This reward must have an invisibility function.”
Magireta looked at Kaid.
He nodded proudly.
After letting out a light sigh, Magireta explained,
“It’s called the ‘Invisibility Cloak.’ If you put it on, you can achieve perfect invisibility.”
Is that all?
Just as I thought that, she continued, as if she had read my expression.
“It’s not that simple. For example, while wearing this, you won’t appear on the compass that little brother possesses.”
“……!”
“Furthermore, even Teleportation beads can’t find you. You’ll be recognized as having completely disappeared from the world. However, only one person can use the cloak at a time.”
Only then did I grasp the seriousness of it.
We hurriedly turned to look at Kaid.
His grin stretched from ear to ear.
“In other words, if I wear this cloak, even Master won’t be able to find me.”
“Is that so.”
“It seems he won’t even be able to forcibly summon me to Hell.”
“Good for you.”
“Why is your reaction so lukewarm? This is it. This is exactly what I needed right now!”
This bastard, don’t tell me?
I narrowed my eyes and stared at him.
At that moment, Magireta tossed the cloak.
“Here.”
Kaid hurriedly caught it and quickly threw it over himself.
In an instant, he completely vanished from our sight.
I asked Aina Noel,
“Aina. What about his soul?”
“It’s gone. As if it were a lie.”
A cloak that erased not only the body but even the soul.
If that was the case, even the MVP wouldn’t be able to summon Kaid.
Clicking my tongue, I said,
“Hey. Kaid. Can you hear me?”
“…….”
“Take off the cloak. Let us try it too.”
“…….”
This bastard.
Then—
Kaid poked only his head out from the cloak.
It looked as though a neck alone was floating in midair.
What kind of horror scene was this?
In that state, Kaid spoke.
“Fuhaha. I’ve changed my mind. You foolish ones.”
“…….”
“With this alone, I can escape from Master. There’s no need for me to join hands with you anymore!”
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
I had suspected as much after hearing the cloak’s function…….
Armelia Kerr Dneroum opened her mouth with a look of disbelief.
“Have you forgotten that you shook hands with all of us just moments ago? You were even moved to tears, saying how honored you were.”
“Fufu. Listen carefully. Master is trying to kill Mason Gear over there.”
“Don’t repeat what we already know.”
“Ah, yes. Sorry. Well……. It’s just that if I stay next to Mr. Mason, I feel like the probability of encountering Master would increase.”
He quickly explained, reverting to his original timid attitude.
“I’d rather not get caught in the crossfire.”
“Didn’t you say you’d join hands despite that? Mason might kill your Master.”
“Yes. Since you evaded my traps so well, I thought the gamble might be worth it. Until I obtained this reward.”
The Invisibility Cloak was a reward that allowed one to escape from the MVP with a one hundred percent probability.
Does that mean that as long as he had that, there was no reason for him to risk anything and join hands with me?
His attitude flipped so easily that I wondered if he even knew the meaning of the word trust, yet strangely, I did not feel particularly offended.
For some reason, I felt attached to this guy.
‘After all, he’s Karin’s lifesaver.’
I tried to generously tolerate his change of heart.
If only he hadn’t said this.
“By the way, Mason. You know.”
“…Huh?”
“Honestly, you were pretty damn rude. Why were you speaking informally from the start? I’ve lived tens of thousands of years longer than you!”
…….
The veins on the foreheads of my companions, myself included, bulged.
I took back what I said about feeling attached.
I also took back what I said about tolerating his change of heart.
How could I teach that nasty bastard a lesson?
Just because he got his hands on a single First-place reward, he became so full of himself—how should I deal with him…….
‘First-place reward?’
Wait.
Couldn’t I just take that Invisibility Cloak from him?
After the First-place reward was given out, participants could rob it from one another as much as they wanted.
I had already taken several of Edgar’s First-place rewards and was using them well.
…….
Then I should just take it now.
Looking at that idiot, I was actually worried he might lose the cloak somewhere.
A First-place reward ought to belong to the person who could use it best. Someone like me.
I signaled to my companions with my eyes.
At once, each of them drew their “second-best” weapons.
“Aina. Paralyze that guy first so he can’t move.”
“…….”
“He’s frail when he’s not inside a dream.”
“For some reason, it feels like we’re the villains here…….”
“Kaid betrayed us first.”
“Sigh. Fine. I’ll try.”
Aina flicked her needle.
“Ack. P-Please don’t do that!”
But just before the needle reached Kaid, he barely managed to pull the cloak over even his head.
And astonishingly, the needle sliced through empty air.
“Huh?”
I stared in shock and spoke to Magireta.
“No, even if he hid his appearance, shouldn’t the needle still hit him?”
“Why would you think that?”
“He was just standing there a moment ago…….”
“I told you. The Invisibility Cloak doesn’t simply make you unseen. It erases your very existence from the world.”
What? Then that’s invincible.
With that alone, he could guarantee his safety one hundred percent while going around slaughtering anyone he wanted.
I broke into a cold sweat at the sheer power of the cloak.
Soon, realizing he was unharmed, Kaid revealed only his head again and spoke.
“Ha ha. You can’t kill me. You can’t, right?”
“…….”
“Yay! Serves you right, you bastards.”
Usually composed, Berseum opened his mouth.
“In my entire life, I have never seen someone so desperate to get punched.”
“Even more than Edgar?”
“Edgar provoked anger. That one provokes irritation.”
That was an extremely accurate description.
‘Anyway, taking the cloak by force is impossible.’
Then what should I do?
The answer was obvious.
If I couldn’t take it, I had to coax him.
I must not antagonize Kaid, who had effectively become invincible with the Invisibility Cloak.
I let a smile hang on my lips and spoke.
“Congratulations, Kaid.”
“What? What are you saying now?”
“That just now was a joke. Aina’s needle just happened to fly in your direction by coincidence.”
“Do you think I’m an idiot? I’m not believing that!”
I tried my best to lighten the mood.
“Think about it carefully. Right now you’re acting on impulse, but it won’t be easy to spend your whole life walking around with that cloak over you.”
“…….”
“If you calm down and think it through, you’ll realize that joining hands with me is the better option.”
“Grr.”
“The offer I gave you earlier still stands. If you ever feel like working together, come find me anytime. We’ll basically be staying in the Deut Territory.”
He remained silent.
Then Magireta spoke.
“Everything sorted out? Then let’s wrap it up.”
Clink.
Gold coins fell from the sky.
We merely looked at them with expressions that said we were fed up.
Magireta clicked her tongue.
“Kids these days really don’t know the value of money.”
“Big sis. Please send us to the Deut Territory.”
“You don’t even listen to your big sister.”
“And Kaid. Listen to me carefully.”
I lowered my voice and continued.
“As long as you keep that cloak wrapped around you all year round, your life and freedom will be safe. So don’t be stupid and lose it somewhere.”
“Aren’t you going to try to steal it again?”
“Huh? Why would I steal your First-place reward? It’s yours.”
“Do you think I’m a fool? Just a moment ago you…….”
“Anyway, for some reason, I feel attached to you. And it’s true that you were a big help this time.”
In the eyes of Kaid, who was sticking only his head out, a strange light flickered.
With a small smile, he said,
“I don’t dislike you either, Mr. Mason.”
“…….”
“I won’t act together with you, but I won’t be hostile toward you either. I hope you stay safe in the next quest.”
What was this?
‘My conscience hurts.’
[I didn’t expect you to still have something like that left, Mason.]
‘It feels like I’m scamming a kind little child.’
[So, are you going to reveal your true intentions?]
‘As if.’
[Yes. That’s more like you. Anyway, I have something to tell you.]
The Diary Book let out a sigh and continued.
[You have safely cleared the Eighth Quest ‘Sleepwalking Quest’.]
[The records during the Eighth Quest ‘Sleepwalking Quest’ period have been changed.]
[Part of the Future Diary has been revised due to the modified content.]
[The Diary Book’s ‘Encyclopedia lv.2’ function has been upgraded.]
[You have achieved the Hidden Quest Armelia’s survival. You are rewarded with 100 points.]
[You have achieved the Hidden Quest Aina’s survival. You are rewarded with 100 points.]
[You have achieved the Hidden Quest Berseum’s survival. You are rewarded with 100 points.]
[You have achieved the Hidden Quest Sienne’s survival. You are rewarded with 100 points.]
[You have achieved the Hidden Quest Benjamin’s survival. You are rewarded with 100 points.]
[You have achieved the Hidden Quest Karin’s survival. You are rewarded with 100 points.]
[You saved 23 Ordinary participants. You are rewarded with 23 points.]
[Current Points: 2,305]
Magireta snapped her fingers sharply.
Soon, our vision blurred.
‘This quest was really tough.’
Many things had happened, but in the end, everything was resolved well.
Now, only one problem remained for me.
‘Kaid’s Master.’
The Third MVP of Hell.
I didn’t know why, but he seemed to harbor considerable hostility toward me.
Before it was too late, I had to deal with that bastard somehow.
Somehow.