Published at 25th of January 2023 9:15 pm

Chapter 240 – Even the Red Crow wants to eat bread

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Author’s Note:

This is from Red Raven’s POV.

It might be a good idea to go back and reread “Chapter 193 – The end of the Second Event” and “Chapter 197 – Ichijouji Reina’s Daily Life – Nine” before reading this one.

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“…Gah!”

I managed to catch my breath while repelling the ice cubes that were falling over my head with the gauntlet on my left arm… I almost didn’t make it through, but thankfully I had enough Stamina to endure it.

To be honest, I was a bit worried after they froze me with that weird Skill, but it was basically nothing but a sheet of ice covering me, and since there were a few gaps here and there, I was able to use my [Vibration Strike] around my sword, activating [Double Thrust], [Quadra Thrust], and [Octo Thrust] in quick succession until I was finally able to break free.

More than stabbing at that ice, it almost felt as if I was sawing away at it… but at any rate, I’m glad I also activated [Consecutive Arrow], which increases the damage dealt if I keep hitting the same place over and over again.

“Haa… Haa…”

I want fame by any means necessary… I want to draw the attention of this game’s management, and even more so to the attention of the politicians behind it.

I had initially participated in this so-called “Lower Layer Aid Project” because I would be paid the same amount of real-world money as I earned in the game.

However, I gradually became aware that a few people from the same lower layers like me caught the attention of this game’s management through a selection process that was held without our knowledge, and that they obtained permission to live in the upper layers under an official family register.

If a player’s Karma remains to be negative by the set deadline, then that player won’t stand out much… A player with a negative Karma that hadn’t accomplished anything special would simply be returned to the lower layers and regarded as “just a potential common criminal”. As soon as I realized this, I changed the way I did things.

“Yuu…!”

Once, a certain childhood friend of mine –a boy five years younger than me– and I had this conversation, and he said things like “Someday, I’d like to live in the upper layers, where there’s no radiation.” …Well, it seems that this kid has become an important NPC after pretending to be a girl in the game despite being a guy in real life, and taking up the name of “Philia”.

That’s how determined this kid was to live in the upper layers… and now, I have to win that right myself.

I can’t recognize the faces of other people, whether it’s family members or close friends, but if someone like me can kill top players and other important NPCs despite this disadvantage, I’m sure I’ll be noticed soon enough.

Though I can’t tell one face apart from the next, if I accept a request as a hitman, I will be receiving a request to assassinate a famous person I don’t even know. And the mere process of me receiving such requests should already make my existence recognized by the majority. And since these celebrities themselves tend to envy and hold grudges against other celebrities… I don’t think I’m going to run out of jobs anytime soon.

“Killing you will give me even more fame!”

“…You’re pointing at Maria.”

“…”

I move my rapier to the side and point it at the person right next to the previous one… So this other one was that flame user I was fighting before?

I can’t even recognize colors other than red and black, so it’s difficult to tell them apart from their clothes alone… Though I can barely tell that one of them is showing a bit more skin than the other.

Well, at any rate, that won’t change the fact that I will kill my target all the same.

“…You’re going to have to kill me if you don’t want to get killed.”

“Whoa, chaotic players are so extreme!”

Yuu (I guess?) summoned a group of disgusting-looking people wearing full-body tights… This guy really is a pain in the butt.

“…Tsk!”

So I started by beheading the one that was closest to my position, which looked like it was mimicking a fur seal… The black blade of the sword illuminated by the setting sun and the red drizzle that resulted from my attack dyed this frozen beach red.

But even though one of their comrades had been killed right before their eyes, it looked like the rest of the group in full-body tights still wanted to charge at me without worrying about the fact that their group was now broken… So annoying.

“What a noob lol”

“Aren’t you ashamed of making the same mistakes over and over again?”

“PK = no life lol”

“Such a manchild”

…I continued to swing my sword while completely ignoring their cursing… not that they were making any sense even if I were to actually pay attention to them to begin with.

I bent my knees and made a half-turn to dodge the hand that tried to grab me from above, and then quickly stretched out both my legs and arms at the same time before slashing with my sword from the side at the tight-clad figure, cutting its head off in an instant.

Then I rammed into the now headless corpse, using it as a shield against those who jumped from behind me, and managed to grab hold of one of the arm of one of them and pull it towards me.

“Lemme go, you lo— Agh!”

Since I was under the effects of [Frostbite] and [Hypothermia], I was feeling a bit clumsy, so I could only manage to cut its throat with the tip of my blade, but it still got the job done… Blood sprayed out from the neck of the tight-clad figure as it writhed in agony, splashing all over everyone else’s face and eyes.

While they were busy wiping the blood out of their eyes, I threw an explosive right in the middle and turned around… With the blast as a tailwind, I ran toward Yuu, the caster.

“[Spiral Thrust]”

“[Wall Off The World]!”

They used yet another strange Skill… I think the most annoying thing is that I can’t guess the effect of their Skills from their name alone, but more than that, I can’t stand the situation where my own Skills are blocked by a Skill with such a strange name. .

Besides, I’m already being “walled off the world” since I don’t have a family register, nor the right to vote.

“[Bacteria Touch]! … Now you’ve been infected with the Tanaka germ, Red Crow!”

“…Huh?”

“Umm, well, now, if you don’t catch me within ten minutes, you’ll die from the Tanaka germ’s poison… Well, there you go, I’ve explained it to you, now the clock’s ticking!”

“Oh, how annoying…”

But still, how should I put this…? It sounds a bit like fun.

When I’m fighting this Yuu girl, my heart is just beating so fast, like I don’t know what will happen next… I feel like I can fight with pure feelings.

“I’m gonna touch you then!”

“[Barrier]!”

“…Now!”

“[Time]!”

…On second thought, no, there’s no fun to be had here. This is nothing but purely annoying.

Not only does Yuu move around very quickly, she… he? they… behave in an unfamiliar way and use unfamiliar Skills, so I really can’t catch up.

Even if I were to somehow manage to touch Yuu, it would be blocked by a Skill I don’t quite understand.

“I’ve got you now… Touch!”

“[Stupid brat]!”

Yuu activated yet another Skill with a strange name, and after a flash of light, a grinning child with a runny nose appeared.

“Alright, what now!?”

“…No way, I did touch you before you could block me with that thing.”

“For how many hours, minutes, and seconds has the Earth been turning~?”

“…Huh?”

“…Well, if you don’t answer that question, it’ll be as if your touch never happened.”

“…Are you kidding me?”

“…Nope, I’m dead serious.”

It’s so annoying, but yes, at the same time, a bit fun… It seems that I’m getting quite a bit of emotions from having to kill this Yuu person.

I can’t tell which of these emotions are real and which are fake, but if there’s one thing I can say for sure, it’s that…”

“Oh, by the way, if you can’t answer, this elementary school kid will tease you non-stop.”

“See? You don’t know the answer~! You’re so dumb~!”

“…”

…I hate this Yuu person so much.

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