What the hell did I just watch?!

  I get that Lunar became super strong after he became a [Lycan], but I still can't believe how he has done it. Enduring the attacks from a ruthless berserker of the [Viper Fangs] was badass enough, yet seeing him tossing Ewa around like a ragged doll as a finisher is too shocking for me to put into words. It seems like Hiromi felt the same way, as I see their jaw drop like crazy. I don't know what's going on in his mind during the [Duel], but I know he wasn't pulling any punches to earn that win. I want to rush over to him once the plane is down. Although I still need to deal with their reaction for a second. Starting...

  "EXPLAIN YOURSELF, LYCO!!!"

  Now.

  "Explain what, Romi?" I tried to show a not-so-fake grin to Hiromi in my poor attempt to hide everything that happened to Lunar.

  "You know what I'm talking about! How in the world did Lunar get a huge boost in his [STR] to pull off that stunt! We know well enough that [Insignis] don't have the best [STR] in the game," Hiromi demanded. "And "Lunar"? I don't remember him getting a name change item from the market. How the heck did he afford that when he just started working at the cafe?"

  It may have something to do with his transformation [Hidden Quest] he mentioned. But I doubt they would need to know that right now.

  "Does it matter? Besides, he didn't disappear from town just to do nothing. Even I'm surprised to see the changes, too."

  But Hiromi frowned as they glared at me. "Still... This is too much for a change for Low- I mean, Lunar. I get he's a walking [Isekai] encyclopedia, but there must be something he discovered that he's not willing to share..."

  Oh, there's a reason why he's not sharing it. And that reason just so happens to start marching towards us once Lunar comes back from the plane.

  "So, what do you think?" Lunar grinned. "Did I rock that [Duel] or not?"

  "Rock it? Dude, you crushed it!" I exclaimed. "I can't believe you managed to own Ewa like that! Who knows how well you fare when it comes to a real fight against him?!"

  "Well, that's what the [Arena of the Strong] is all about. I have a feeling this isn't the last time I will face him. Which means I have to get stronger in time for the tournament."

  Even after he defeated one of the Vipers, he's still thinking big. He's definitely not the Lowry I know, and this [Duel] confirms my suspicions!

  "Then is it too late for me to convince you otherwise?"

  Lunar gasps once Hiromi starts to speak. Crap... I almost forgot about them...

  "Hiromi?! I didn't know you're back online already."

  They huff before crossing their arms. "Is that all you want to say? Besides, I still can't believe you defeated Ewa. And in that strange outfit, too." They point at the said outfit, which I have to admit, is too K-poppy even for me. "What the heck have you been up to? I can barely recognize you with those muscles under your jacket."

  Lunar chuckles. "So you noticed, huh? I'm surprised Lyco didn't when I arrived."

  I almost coughed when he mentioned me. "Dude, everything about you is different!"

  "Right... But don't worry, I'll explain in due time, Hiromi. Besides..."

  "LOWRY!!!"

  All of us turn around and see not only Ewa in bruises and blood, but also Savior glaring at the winner like a rabid dog.

  "I'm not out of the woods just yet."

  He's right. Lunar may have won the fight, but not the war. Whenever it's not going Savior's way, he has a slight tendency to blame the winners. He doesn't do it in public. But when it comes to Lunar, he has a "good" reason to do so.

  "What the hell is that?! You obviously cheated to get that win!"

  "Cheated? On what parts?" Lunar said calmly. "Don't you know using a third-party program in [Isekai] is against the rules? Plus, I doubt I have any in my [VeilCon]."

  "But you won illegally! I specifically said you only need to avoid 3 attacks from Ewa!" Savior countered. "Yet you only took 2 attacks!"

  Damn that guy... He's not making sense at all! How the hell is Lunar supposed to avoid them when you start making up rules that you can't implement them in the [Duels]?! Then again, I don't have a say in this. If anything, Lunar is the one who is good at arguments.

  "Oh? I specifically recall you gave Ewa's "greeting a pass and I took a hit afterward. So why do you claim I took 2 attacks after that? You're contradicting yourself, Savior."

  "But still... You cheated somehow!"

  And it looks like it's my time to step in before this blows out of proportion. I quickly pull up a screenshot folder from my OS and open the one at the start of the [Duel] that has the starting prompt whenever a plane is generated.

  "3 strikes rule. "Whoever hits their opponent 3 times first, regardless of their current [HP], is the winner of the [Duel]." You should have read the prompt beforehand, Savior," I called out. "Plus, Lunar is the one who set up the [Duel], not Ewa. He simply had to follow your condition that works closely with that said rule. To me, he hasn't rigged it to his favor."

  "You heard him, Save. I never rig anything in my favor. However, you still won't acknowledge my win despite seeing it firsthand. Either way, it's enough to prove my strength and proof that I don't need your 'training'," Lunar declared and smirked. "So I'll be flying solo for the event tomorrow."

  Damn! Lunar is oozing with confidence with that line! He's much better than being a wallflower. Or is it because his wolf side is showing?

  "B**tard..."

  My eyes widen when we hear that voice. We turn around and see Ewa approaching Lunar with a limp on his right leg. Just seeing him with bruises on his face makes him much scarier to look at in person.

  "I would have won if I got those chains and claws from that [Dungeon]..." Ewa muttered. "I would have been able to create a moonless darkness to blind you to win. Instead, almost all of my equipment is lost, and it's all your fault!"

  Geez... This guy is also shameless to blame him. But for some reason, I noticed his blue eyes widen when he said this before he shook it off. "So you're also blaming me for the failed run, huh? Okay, I've admitted it, it's my fault. But it's better than letting your jerks get away with treating those newbies like slaves."

  "Why you a-"

  To my surprise, Savior quickly stops Ewa from charging at us. I can tell he's still mad, but he might have a right idea to stop him since we're still in the middle of the streets. "Fine, if that's what you want, then do it. But know that most of our members are also joining. So don't expect us to show mercy once the event rolls around."

  He then directs all of the guild members to leave, including Sien and Ewa. Sien is still glaring at me, but he can't do anything unless Savior asks him to. They didn't acknowledge (or harass) Hiromi, too. They simply go off while pretending they're not here. Either way, that little bout is over, and we can finally breathe easy.

  "Damn, Lunar. You seriously made more enemies than you need for the event," I said. "Are you sure you still want to join?"

  "Lyco's got a point. There is no way you can survive if you jump in there with your current [TML]," Hiromi added.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "I will be fine, guys. Besides, I know now I have a good reason to participate in the event tomorrow."

  "How come?" Lyco asked.

  Should I? Well, both of them already saw the full extent of my new abilities. I might share them a bit, especially Hiromi. "Ewa said something that piqued my interest. It may have something to do with the ."

  "You mean the [Dungeon] everyone said you betrayed and sabotaged?"

  I chuckled at Hiromi. "I didn't expect to make a name for myself over that."

  "Their words, not mine." They shrugged. "I don't want to judge until you're ready to tell us everything. But I'm guessing something bad will happen if you guys succeed, right?"

  "Yeah. I'm still pondering how Savior got that [Quest] that kickstarted everything. I doubt he is willing to share, so I may need to find some other means." I sighed as I thought of many possibilities. "I was hoping I could investigate this on my own, but..."

  "You knew that you can't do it without us, right? Dude, of course, I'll help! You're my collaborator in games and writing. There's no way I'll leave you to deal with Savior's vengeance alone." Lyco quickly smacked me on the back with a grin. "Besides, I care more about the v- I mean, your safety than my reputation. You just leave the ranged fighting to me!"

  Glad Lyco is on board (and quick to keep the [Lycan] village a secret. But I quickly look at Hiromi and ask, "What about you? You are still busy helping us."

  They sighed as their answer. "I wish I could. But even after my project is done, the ones in are a different story. Plus, I hear Nelly is getting back online soon. I can't let her see me in this get-up. Maybe I can try after the event or so."

  "We understand. Knowing her, we'll be getting more than a lecture. We should split up for now and chat in the DMs."

  Hiromi smiles and nods. "Thanks, guys. Best of luck with your investigation."

  We watch them leave us while changing back to their Gothic Lolita outfit. I can tell from their face that they aren't liking their public outfit. But I know Hiromi, and I know they will endure it. Until the day Nelly accepts them for who they are, he needs to be strong when that time comes. As for me, I already bare my fangs at Savior and the [Viper Fangs]. I already changed too much to go back to my wallflower days.

  Savior, you may be out for blood for revenge. But it's me who should start running...

  As for my next plans, I spent some time restocking my consumables from the general stores. Thanks to my constant hunting and [Quests] I completed back at the village, I managed to rack up a decent amount of [Lapi]. So I won't be worrying about money the same way as my budget in real life. And thanks to my high [Mastery Levels], I'm now ready to take on multiple [Quests] at the .

  "Man, this was a lot more crowded when the game first got launched, huh?" Lyco said as we entered the guild hall through the large doors. "I can barely get through the door just so I can see the [Quest Boards]."

  He isn't exaggerating. Most players tend to flock here once they max out their training level limit back at the during launch. It's where they get several [Quests] available to the guild. Not only are they rewarded items and [Lapi] for completing them, but doing a lot of them would give them a chance to rank up in a future update. I did try getting a [Quest] despite not completing my training. But whenever I do, Savior's lackeys tend to drag me away by the entrance to do their dirty work, and I have no say in this since I would end up being beaten up and left in a critical state afterward. That's why I haven't visited the guild hall to avoid them until now. Knowing them, they might have the right idea to avoid me for a while.

  "Well, I barely see what's inside the hall other than the basics. Would you mind showing me around?"

  "Yeah! Anything for a co-writer? I'm just glad I won't be alone picking [Quests] and going out on an adventure!" Lyco grinned. "So what do you want? We can try some [Subjugation Quests] since you're going to grind your [Martial Arts] to 15."

  "Glad you read my mind. But I think I need something."

  Lyco raises his eyebrow. "Something? Like trying to get some rat tails to grind or something?"

  I shake my head. "No, something like [Bounty Quests]. You know, [Quests] that let you hunt down a criminal NPC in this town."

  I suddenly hear gasps from other players nearby, including Lyco. "Dude, are you nuts? Even in your current [TML], you're not strong enough to deal with those freaks yet. Why the sudden interest?"

  "I did say I want to find those jerks who tried to desecrate the village shrine's offerings. Fenrir said the forest wasn't supposed to be a [Dungeon] in the first place. Which means there's a [Quest Giver] who deliberately falsifies the information for unknown reasons beyond robbing the offerings. And I know not every giver here is willing to do so to the adventurers, aka the players. So I just guessed that a criminal NPC was impersonating a desperate giver to turn us into pawns in exchange for those ill-earned offerings."

  "That kinda makes sense," Lyco hums in thought. "Normally, in most RPGs and stories we read, an NPC would have no reason to lie about a quest or mission with any ill intent without making some connections to the main characters' motivations. But this game is all about the freedom to become whatever you want, including a villain. Your theory might be on point, but aren't you jumping the boat here? I mean, we're here without any physical evidence that the giver is a criminal."

  "Well, do you have any evidence that says otherwise?"

  I wait for a few seconds for his answer. Obviously, he said nothing.

  "Thought so. Either way, both of us have no evidence, and with only little info I have from Fenrir and Lawrence, we can only do so much. For now, we should try doing a few [Bounty Quests] and probe some info about the from those criminals..."

  [Did you say the ?]

  Both of us gasp when someone approaches us. To our shock, a young woman in a blue dress, dark brown beret, Windsor glasses, and brown boots approached us with her eyes staring at both of our eyes. And that blue crystal... She must be an NPC. Her clothes are too detailed to call her a minor.

  "Uh... Yeah, we did," Lyco said as I heard him trying to regain his composure. "Do you know about it, Ms...?"

  [. I'm a historian and an [Alexandrite-ranked] adventurer.] She then offers her hand to us for a handshake. [Nice to meet you!]

  Topaz... So she's practically our superior in the guild. At the start of the game, all players are all freshly-minted [Peridot-ranked] adventurers, and the only place you can rank up is either here or in , located in the , which won't be released until the later update. In player terms, she must be 20-30 levels above us if she were a player or an enemy.

  "My name is Lunar, and this is my friend and partner, Lyco," I introduced ourselves. "We're both Peridots, so go easy on us."

  Madeline chuckles. [No worries! I'm not one of those burly adventurers who like to tease and fraternize with new adventurers. As for your question, I know about the forest. But I'm surprised you two have some interest in it, albeit in a brutal kind of way.]

  Crap... She did eavesdrop on our conversation. "Wait, you got it the wrong way! We're here because we want to learn more about the rumors of the forest being a [Dungeon]. It sounds farfetched, but we think someone made a false rumor about it."

  "Not to mention how that very giver tried to trick them to break into their supposed shrine and take their offerings..." I quickly glare at Lyco. "Too much?"

  Before I try hitting him for his carelessness, Madeline quickly rushes over to me with her widened eyes seemingly starting to sparkle. [They what?! I thought many adventurers fell for that ruse, but I never thought you two got rid of those veils that have been obscuring my eyes for so long.]

  We look at each other with our mouths unable to comment on what the heck she said. "Excuse us?"

  [It's a phrase that my family often shared whenever facing a rum-]

  "No offense, ma'am. But not all of us are poets like you," Lyco interrupted. "Are you saying you already knew the forest's true nature?"

  Madeline quickly shushes Lyco and puts her finger on his lips. [Not so loud! Though I can't say I knew. I mostly discovered it a while ago,] she whispered. [If you're willing to share some info you know, maybe I can help you with your little situation. I promised I won't tell a soul about any adventurers unless it's necessary.]

  Seriously? Information about the forest's true nature. It might be the same as Fenrir shared, but a different perspective should be good for us. Yet when I was about to tell her our answer, a new window popped up.

  A [Hidden Quest Line]?! I can't believe there is another one other than the transformation line I took for my [Sub-Race].

  Christine Luu for supporting me on !

  EDIT: (10/2/2025) Added some missing words from the quest window.