Golden Experience-Chapter 236: “Collaborators”

The swarm of flying crap called angels has stopped appearing.

They were weak but numerous, and since they only attacked without considering defense, it was perfect for gaining experience points using the goblin underlings of Bambu, the dungeon boss.

“Is that the system message from the other day? Since we’re in the latter half of the event, it seems like it switched from small fry battles to boss raids.”

Checking the forum.

Apparently, the monster called the Archangel, the big boss, has already been defeated in the present era. Moreover, it was defeated by the Seventh Calamity, the world boss born in the previous event. It all seems to follow the scenario as expected. In the latter half, small fries don’t appear, and it’s all about fighting the bosses to earn points.

I control this entire area as the dungeon boss of Neuschloss. Naturally, I have many subordinates, and therefore, the number of enemies is also high. To put it another way, I have a wide influence.

Because of this, I was confident that I would be the top player in the player base when it came to the extermination of angels, who are mere small fries.

After all, I killed every angel that flew near my territory every time. Although I no longer counted the numbers, it was a job that was simply impossible for a single player. The name that takes first place in the rankings would undoubtedly be Bambu.

However, I was aware that my name had appeared in the event rankings last time, and there were movements on social media looking for me. If I was found, I didn’t know what would happen. Once exposed, it would likely spread on the forum, and players who had been defeated by me and my subordinates in this dungeon would come back for revenge. From my perspective, if you don’t want to die, you just shouldn’t come, but that would also deny the purpose of the game. We both accepted it as inevitable.

Therefore, I was convinced. The first place in the event rankings would be ‘Anonymous’ in the end.

“However, if angels don’t come anymore, it’s impossible for me to earn more points. I really wanted to be the ‘Anonymous’ at first place. Well, the conditions for acquiring points haven’t been disclosed, and I don’t know if it’s the number of angel exterminations or not.”

“Yeah! But if the Archangel extermination is counted separately from the event points, and if angels don’t come anymore, it might be too early to give up.”

“Who’s there!”

Suddenly, a voice echoed, and I looked around in surprise. A woman was standing right behind my recently rebuilt mountain hut.

Her dazzling golden hair sparkled vividly in the sunlight. There was no way I could forget that face.

“You! You’re the woman from that time!”

“Long time no see, Bambu-kun… Is that right? I haven’t introduced myself, but you were the one who ranked third in the invasion rankings in the previous event, right?”

Her identity was already revealed.

If she had heard that soliloquy, it was only natural. If this woman is a player, it’s easy for her to deduce that I’m a player too.

There is no one else in the boss area.

It had been like that all along, so I had been completely off guard.

However, it wasn’t that no one could enter this area.

In fact, this woman had once come here with her companions.

“…So what? Are you planning to spread it on social media?”

“I wouldn’t do such a thing. There are reasons why I can’t. More importantly, today, I have some good news for you.”

Extremely suspicious.

Stories that begin with good news told in such a way are usually scams or fabrications.

“Enough. I’m busy. Try somewhere else.”

“Well, before you say that, just hear me out. It seems you want to infiltrate the top rankings as an ‘Anonymous’ top ranker. The details of the first half points are unknown, but the system message clearly states the Archangel extermination ranking in the latter half. So, if you keep exterminating the Archangel, it should be possible to put your name on that ranking as well.”

It seems that she had also heard my desire to make the anonimity request and make the players on the human side regret.

It’s probably just a created avatar, but even so, it seems that my childish desire for self-expression has been exposed to this beautiful female character. I can’t help but blush.

“…Tch. But from here, I can’t even go to that city called Hugelcup. They say monsters aren’t discriminated against locally, but even if monsters can participate, it’s meaningless if they can’t use the transfer system between cities. No matter how much I can participate, I won’t be able to go to the venue.”

“Come to think of it, that’s true. Well, but that’s not a problem. By the way, do you know how I got here in the first place? I arranged a charter flight for you.”

As the woman spoke, shadows suddenly fell around.

Looking up, something huge approached from the sky.

Seeing it for the first time, this is…

“A… A dragon!?”

“Don’t hesitate, hop on. I’ve prepared this as a special favor for you. In exchange for your help, I also plan to provide you with various support.”

“You… What the heck…”

“Well, in general, I’m in a similar position to you. I’m a player like you, although I’m a bit different.”

*

The stories I heard along the way from the person who introduced themselves as Rare—each one was truly astonishing.

Especially crazy was the matter related to [Summoning].

I had never thought about the possibility of pseudo-teleportation through the use and combination of spatial magic. Of course, I immediately acquired the skill. I attempted to summon myself to the location where my subordinates were, but Rare stopped me.

“Are you an idiot? If you do that, you’ll end up back in that forest. Do you want me to go pick you up again?”

“Ah, sorry. Somehow, I feel like I have to try it at least once.”

“If you really want to, do it once you’ve settled somewhere. First, summon your subordinates and—”

After riding on the dragon’s back for a while, I was eventually set down in a vast grassland.

In the distance, a structure resembling a castle could be seen, but there was nothing else around. Certainly, the entrance to the event venue was said to be in the suburbs, but it still seemed too far.

“Where is this?”

“Thanks, you can go back now. See you.

Well, the truth is, the current dragon here has some cracks in its facade that are visible to a certain group of players. It’s inconvenient for him to directly come to the site with you. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to walk from here. If you want to try out [Summon], now’s your chance. I have something to do myself.”

With that said, I immediately summoned the Hobgoblin Mage in the forest and used [Summon] to transport myself to another Hobgoblin’s location in the woods.

After returning, Rare was waiting, adorned in what seemed to be expensive armor and a dress, with an eye mask made of luxurious material.

“Welcome back. Are you satisfied?”

“Yeah, quite. This is amazing. Anyway, what’s with that outfit?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. Actually, I’m not the one challenging the Archangel with you. I, as myself, will be joining a different group.”

“Huh? Then who should I go with?”

“My subordinate. You also have one, right? Like that hobgoblin mage over there? It’s the same idea.”

Hobgoblin mage.

It was probably the first time someone saw through it. Until now, players who fought these hobgoblins in Neuschloss generally described them as large goblins or something vague.

Does Rare know about hobgoblins, or does she have some means of knowing the opponent’s race?

This woman is mysterious, utterly unfathomable. Especially with her eyes covered now, it feels even more so.

Nevertheless, there was not much inclination to be overly cautious. The worst scenario for me is being betrayed by her, and my identity being spread on social media. However, it doesn’t seem like she has any apparent benefit in doing such a thing. If anything, it seems like Rare has more secrets that she would want to keep hidden compared to me. There was also something about being unable to post on the forum, implying that revealing her name itself is risky.

“Wait, Rare, are you the winner of the first event?”

“Oh, you finally noticed. I was wondering if you might have started the game after the first event and were getting excited.”

“…That was a real person that did that?”

“Well, of course. What did you think? Well, I can tell you my identity. I’d appreciate it if you trusted me to some extent. Oh right. Would you like to add each other as friends?”

Saying so, Rare took out a card from her armor.

I had never used one before, but I had read an explanation. It was a card that could be generated in the inventory, given to the person you want to add as a friend, and once both put the card in their inventories, they become friends. To cancel, you just take out the card and tear it up. Even though it seemed unnecessary to perform such a role-playing act of taking out a card from her pocket in a situation where only players were present, it might be in her nature.

“Alright, now we should be friends.”

“Yeah. I’ve put it in the inventory.”

Rare was added to my friend list.

“Now we’re friends. But more importantly, about our conversation. I want you to join me in the extermination, or rather one of my subordinates. We have a bit of history, but whatever. [Summon: Gaslark].”

When Rare activated the skill, a robust hobgoblin, clad in impressive armor, appeared beside her. No, it was different from the familiar sight of a hobgoblin. It looked similar but was distinct.

“Who is this…?”

“My subordinate, named Gaslark. He’s a Goblin King who will fight alongside you this time.”

*

I made up my mind and decided to fully cooperate with Rare.

In fact, upon careful consideration, it became apparent that shee not only knew my identity, but was also aware of my hideout. She probably knew that the mountain hut was my respawn point, and if Rare wished, she could endlessly hunt me in this area. Moreover, with powerful NPCs like Gaslark and the dragon from earlier as her subordinates, even if Rare herself was inactive, I could still be hunted by her. Though Rare didn’t explicitly state it, my choices seemed non-existent from the beginning.

Before parting ways in the grassland, Rare handed me a deep green robe that covered my body. However, the length was considerably shortened, resembling more of a tunic with a hood. It was convenient that it didn’t hinder my movements.

Wearing this was meant to conceal my identity. While there were players who had seen my current appearance, even though monster players could participate, if my figure was present, it would be revealed that I was a player. This wasn’t what I desired, and apparently, neither did Rare.

Therefore, Gaslark would lead the party openly. This Goblin King seemed quite intelligent and could even speak human language. If I raised their INT or MND, my subordinates might be able to speak as well.

“Shall we go, Bambu-sama?”

“Yeah, but you don’t need to use honorifics. I hate to admit it, but are you possibly superior to me? I can’t stand being spoken humbly to by someone I know is above me.”

“It’s my nature. Besides, if I am a servant of Rare-sama, I cannot be impolite to you.”

“O-okay.”

A group of goblins and hobgoblins traversed the grassland, namely, the party that contained me and Gaslark. In total, there were 56 of us. Considering the defense of my territory, Gaslark was allowed to summon a maximum of 20, but since Rare suggested 36, they went ahead with that number.

“Oh, I see something. Is that the event venue?”

“More precisely, it seems to be the entrance gate to the event venue. Beyond that, there is a long underground passage, and further inside, an artifact is said to be placed.”

“Why do you know more than me?”

“I have already heard the details from Rare-sama. I have been told to provide maximum support to Bambu-sama.”

“Oh, yeah, I see. My bad.”

Players who noticed us and our group approaching became excited. It was understandable; after all, it was a crowd of over 50 hobgoblins. Moreover, in the center, there was a goblin king, known to the players.

“Some big goblins are coming!”

“What’s going on!?”

“For now, prepare to attack—”

“Wait a minute!”

Players readying their weapons were stopped by a woman.

“Have you not read the system message? Unilateral attacks, even against monsters, are prohibited in this area! If you want to fight, properly apply for formal PvP—”

I was surprised. Judging from the content of his words, he wasn’t a knight NPC. NPC knights wouldn’t talk about system messages or PvP.

However, his appearance was odd for a regular player. Also, he seemed close to the knights working in tents or those cooking in large pots. Perhaps he had infiltrated the NPC power structure as a player. It wasn’t impossible, especially after I just formed an alliance with the mysterious woman named Rare.

In any case, thanks to the female player knight and the NPC knights around her calming the excited players, our group could peacefully approach the event venue.

Passing through a small tent town, Gaslark exchanged nods with the female knight. He was probably following Rare’s instructions, it was an incredibly player-like gesture. Gaslark didn’t seem like an NPC. Simultaneously, I, concealed in the hooded tunic, remained unnoticed. Gaslark’s magnificent goblin physique might make other players make various assumptions.

“…So there’s a powerful monster player like that.”

“…Hey, could that be ‘Blanc’?”

“…The top invader from the last assault! I see…”

Although the words were not clear, players passing by me were murmuring and gossiping. All their gazes were fixed on Gaslark.

Rare noticed my gaze, even from a considerable distance with her blindfold on. She lightly nodded, and I nodded back before descending the stairs leading to the event venue.

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