Supply Base, Command Room.
Kafka, holding a freshly made cup of coffee, slowly walked up to a terminal screen. A black cat avatar was constantly blinking in the bottom right corner. That meant Elio, the founder of the Stellaron Hunters known as "Destiny's Slave," had an important message for her. As Elio's second-in-command, Kafka should have immediately answered.
However, she only gave it a brief glance before casually swiping a hand across the screen. An additional virtual screen appeared, floating in front of her. On it was a feed from a room within the supply base.
On the infirmary bed, Silver Wolf was lying comfortably, her smooth, bare legs crossed, leaning against a large white pillow. She held a game console, her fingertips flying over the controls with extreme skill.
Below the bed, Zāwù sat obediently on a small stool, trying to familiarize himself with another game terminal in his hands.
You could see the boy was still in the exploratory phase, still very clumsy. But his control of the keys and familiarity with each skill was improving at a crazy, almost visible rate. In just a few seconds, Zāwù, who had never touched a game console before, had surpassed the mastery of an ordinary person who had played for several dozen minutes. Another minute passed, and his proficiency was already on par with Silver Wolf's!
A light shone in Kafka's beautiful eyes, her thoughts unknown.
"Interesting."
With that, she dismissed the monitoring screen and clicked on Elio's communication request.
Elio: A little preview for you. A new script has appeared. How can the Stellaron Hunters stand still?
If not for the Synesthesia Beacon, Kafka suspected she would just be hearing a series of "Meow meow meow..."
Whether Elio's true form was the black cat in his avatar was something even Kafka, his second-in-command, did not know. The only thing they, as Stellaron Hunters, needed to know was that they just had to be a part of Elio's script and use any means necessary to achieve the possibility he desired.
Kafka: So where is it this time?
Elio: Herta Space Station. As the station's master, Herta has researched a very unique Stellaron. Your goal 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 ask about the fate of others.
Elio: I hope you will be as you were in the past, and just stick to your own duties.
With that, the communication was cut.
Kafka stared into the void, standing silently for a long time. The woman's already mysterious eyes became even deeper, impossible to read.
From beginning to end, Elio had never asked who the "he" Kafka was referring to was. But it seemed Kafka had never considered the possibility that Elio wouldn't understand the meaning behind her words.
Therefore, the new script was destined to begin.
Whether they were the protagonists or the marionettes... whether the characters were willing or not, they would all fall into place in the end, performing a novel space opera, be it comedy or tragedy, for the eyes watching from behind the galaxy's millions of stars.
...
"So, is this the 'Helm Breaker'?"
In front of Silver Wolf, Zāwù controlled his in-game character and executed the sword technique that fell from the sky, successfully slaying a massive dragon. The dragon's body collapsed with a thud. On the screen, the long-sword-wielding hero stood coolly with his unreasonably long tachi.
But Zāwù himself fell into a state of faint confusion.
It... doesn't feel that hard.
At that moment, even Silver Wolf's cherry-like lips couldn't help but part slightly. A normal Helm Breaker combo on a training dummy wasn't hard, of course. The problem was, how long had Zāwù been playing? And he had already used it in a real battle and successfully slayed a dragon! Even she, a god in the gaming world, had never seen such talent.
Beyond her surprise, a different kind of excitement quietly spread in the game-addicted girl's heart. A look of a hunter who has found exciting prey appeared in her eyes.
Luckily, she reacted quickly, composing herself before Zāwù noticed, and commented with feigned indifference.
"You're satisfied with succeeding just once?"
"Besides, that was just the game character's 'Helm Breaker'."
"In the game, your character has trained for decades, experienced adventures beyond imagination, and fought legendary, impossibly strong ancient beasts and dragons. Only through countless near-death battles did he grasp the essence of the 'Helm Breaker'."
"And you, outside the game, who just pressed a few buttons at the right time, are you really going to get complacent and think you've learned it?"
Silver Wolf's words made Zāwù flush with shame. It was true. When he had successfully performed that cool move on the screen, he had felt a sense of accomplishment, as if he had become the character in the game, reaping honor and rewards. It was only after hearing Big Sis Silver Wolf's words that Zāwù finally understood.
He was still a long, long way from being like the character in the game.
Executing a "Helm Breaker" in the game was just the beginning; it was far from enough. Only when he could face a dragon countless times larger than himself in reality and still deliver such a blow could he be considered to have graduated from the basics!
"I... understand."
"?"
"What do you understand?" Silver Wolf suddenly leaned in close, the unique fragrance of a young girl washing over him.
Zāwù blushed and shook his head.
"I was just thinking, I still have a long way to go."
"Well, that's true."
How could a mere apprentice hunter compare to a master like Silver Wolf, who had conquered the entire continent and hunted all kinds of ancient dragons?
From then on, Zāwù gave up exploring the game's open world to conquer regions and ancient dragons. Instead, he stayed alone in front of the training dummy, constantly trying to execute the Helm Breaker combo. The boy's pupils burned like torches, like the most precise analytical instruments, memorizing every movement of the move, down to every single frame. Learning the hunter's way of exerting force, the hunter's grip on the sword, the hunter's clipping through terrain... oh, no need to learn that last one.
An unknown amount of time passed. Zāwù suddenly shot to his feet.
He startled Silver Wolf, who was playing a rhythm game on the side.
"Hey, what are you doing!"
"Practice."
"Huh?"
Ignoring Silver Wolf's surprised look, Zāwù went alone to the dojo where Blade practiced. Under the cold gaze of the man who seemed to have walked out of hell...
Zāwù successfully replicated the "Helm Breaker" strike!
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (111 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (220 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (220 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (90 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (100 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (260 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (98 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (100 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(57 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (140 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (100 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (70 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (40 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (70 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (80 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (50 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (40 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (40 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (40 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.