Supply Base, Command Room.
Kafka, holding a freshly made cup of coffee, slowly approached a terminal screen.
A black cat icon was blinking insistently in the bottom-right corner.
It signified that Elio, the founder of the Stellaron Hunters and the “Slave of Destiny,” had an important message for her.
As Elio’s second-in-command, Kafka should have accepted the communication immediately.
However, she merely gave it a passing glance before casually swiping a hand across the screen.
An additional virtual screen appeared, hovering before her.
It displayed a live feed from a room within the supply base.
On the sickbed, Silver Wolf was lounging comfortably, her smooth, bare legs crossed.
She leaned against a large, soft white pillow, her fingers flying over the controls of her gaming device with expert familiarity.
Below the bed, Zao Wu sat obediently on a small stool, trying to familiarize himself with another game terminal in his hands.
It was clear the boy was still in the exploratory phase, his movements clumsy.
But his improvement was almost tangible.
His mastery of the button layout and his familiarity with each skill were increasing at an insane rate.
In just a few short seconds, Zao Wu, who had never touched a game console before, had surpassed the proficiency of an average person who had played for several dozen minutes.
After another minute, his skill with the device was already on par with Silver Wolf’s!
Kafka’s beautiful eyes lit up, a thought sparking in her mind.
“Interesting.” With that, she dismissed the surveillance screen and tapped to open Elio’s communication request.
Elio: A heads-up.
A new script has appeared.
How can the Stellaron Hunters stand still?
Without the Synesthesia Beacon, Kafka suspected all she would be hearing was a series of “meow, meow, meow…” Whether Elio’s true form was the black cat in his avatar was a secret not even she, his deputy, was privy to.
As Stellaron Hunters, the only thing they needed to know was this: they simply had to play their parts in Elio’s script, using any means necessary to achieve the possibility he desired.
Kafka: So, where is it this time?
Elio: The Herta Space Station.
As the master of the station, Herta has developed a most unique Stellaron.
Your objective is to seize it, and then…
Kafka: Is he in this script?
Elio: Of course.
Kafka: …
Kafka: I want to know what role he plays.
Elio: You never used to inquire about the fates of others.
Elio: And I hope that, just as in the past, you will be content with fulfilling your own responsibilities.
The communication cut off.
Kafka stared into the empty space, standing silently for a long time.
The woman’s already mysterious gaze grew deeper, becoming utterly impenetrable.
From beginning to end, Elio had never once asked who the “he” Kafka spoke of was.
But it seemed Kafka had never even considered the possibility that Elio might fail to read the meaning behind her words.
And so, the new script was destined to begin.
Whether one was the protagonist or a marionette on a string.
Whether the characters were willing or not.
In the end, they would all fall into place.
For the galaxy, for the eyes behind a million stars, they would perform a space opera—be it tragedy or comedy—unlike any other.
—o— “…Is this the ‘Helm Breaker’?” Right in front of Silver Wolf, Zao Wu controlled his in-game character and executed the sword technique that descended from the heavens.
He successfully slayed a colossal dragon.
The dragon’s body crashed to the ground.
On the screen, the Long Sword main, wielding a greatsword of absurd length, stood coolly over his kill.
Zao Wu, however, was lost in a faint sense of confusion.
It…
doesn’t seem that hard.
At that moment, even Silver Wolf’s cherry-like lips fell slightly agape.
Of course, pulling off a standard Helm Breaker combo on a practice dummy wasn’t difficult.
But the question was, how long had Zao Wu been playing?
He had already used it in a real battle and successfully slayed a dragon!
This level of talent was something she, a god-tier player, had never witnessed before.
Beyond her surprise, a different kind of excitement began to spread quietly through the gamer girl’s heart.
A look like a hunter who’d spotted prized prey flickered in her eyes.
Thankfully, she reacted quickly, schooling her expression before Zao Wu could notice.
She commented with feigned nonchalance.
“Are you satisfied just because you succeeded once?” “Besides, that was only your character’s ‘Helm Breaker’.” “In the game, your character trained day in and day out for decades, went on adventures few could imagine, and fought against legendary, impossibly powerful ancient beasts and dragons.
Only by facing death time and time again did he grasp the true meaning of the Helm Breaker.” “And you, outside the game, just by pressing a few buttons at the right time—are you really getting conceited, thinking you’ve actually learned the Helm Breaker?” Silver Wolf’s words filled Zao Wu with shame.
He couldn’t deny it.
When he had successfully pulled off that cool maneuver on screen, he had felt a sense of accomplishment, as if he had become the character in the game, reaping the honor and the spoils.
Only after hearing Sister Silver Wolf’s words did Zao Wu understand.
He was still a long, long way off from being like the character in the game.
Landing a Helm Breaker in a game was just the beginning; it was far from enough.
Only when he could face a dragon a thousand times his size in reality and still unleash such a strike…
Only then could he be considered to have graduated from the basics!
“I…
understand.” “?” “What do you understand?” Silver Wolf suddenly leaned in closer, the unique, sweet fragrance of a young girl washing over him.
Zao Wu shook his head, his cheeks flushed.
“I was just thinking…
I’m still a long way off.” “Well, that’s true,” Silver Wolf said, misinterpreting his meaning.
A mere trainee hunter like him couldn’t possibly compare to a master hunter like herself, who had conquered the entire continent and slain all manner of elder dragons.
From then on, Zao Wu gave up on exploring the game’s open world, on conquering region after region and dragon after dragon.
Instead, he stayed alone in front of the practice dummy, trying over and over again to execute the Helm Breaker combo.
The boy’s pupils burned like torches, like the most precise analytical instruments, memorizing every movement of the technique, down to every single frame.
He studied the hunter’s way of exerting force, the hunter’s grip on the sword, the hunter’s ability to clip through models…
oh, he didn’t need to learn that last one.
After an unknown amount of time, Zao Wu suddenly shot to his feet.
He startled Silver Wolf, who was playing a rhythm game beside him.
“Whoa, what are you doing!?” “Practical application.” “Huh?” Ignoring Silver Wolf’s bewildered gaze, Zao Wu headed alone to the dojo where Blade practiced.
Under the cold, hard stare of the man who seemed to have walked straight out of hell…
Zao Wu successfully replicated the Helm Breaker strike!
—o—