*
Two days had passed since our first Mirror Dungeon exploration.
For those two days, nothing particularly happened beyond exploring the Mirror Dungeon and writing up the observation log.
Ah, I suppose it was also noteworthy that we'd discovered we could obtain various resources from the Mirror Dungeon... namely the gacha currency called madness, and a new currency called selection shard boxes.
Faust kindly explained the shards and this new thing that had appeared.
"When Dante performs extraction, duplicate identities can appear."
"These duplicate identities don't disappear. They accumulate next to the engine—in the place called the vending machine. If you gather a certain number of them, you can exchange them at the vending machine for the identity you want."
"Selection shard boxes are a currency that lets you obtain them a bit more freely."
In the end, it meant there was no downside to running the Mirror Dungeon a lot.
...Wait, I feel like I'm forgetting something...
Ah!
Would you believe that Limbus Company had actually prepared a system called the Limbus Pass to support the Manager?
...We only found out yesterday.
If you write up your results and submit them to headquarters, you get points. Once you accumulate a certain number of points, your level rises, and every time that level goes up, headquarters provides support.
Resources and E.G.O and all sorts of things.
...If we'd known earlier, we might have gotten through the rough patches a little more easily.
What was even more shocking was that there was also a mailbox where resources for directly supporting us from headquarters had been stockpiled.
Even good identity IDs.
...
Everyone had been speechless for a solid ten minutes after seeing that.
Well, at least it was a relief we found out now.
Or maybe we really would have never known.
Anyway, that's what happened over the past two days.
And today was the long-awaited main event!
Extraction.
...It's depressing that this is all there is to do.
Still, compared to the two weeks we'd spent running missions nonstop, maybe this wasn't so bad?
Wondering what the result of this extraction would be, I headed toward Mephistopheles' engine section with a bit of curiosity.
*
As Mephistopheles' engine section activated, chains spread out around it.
Chrrrrrrrk!!
Oh...
Surprisingly, it was fun to watch.
Sometimes, by looking at Dante's reaction, I could even guess what kind of identity had come out.
And when a golden one appeared, it was exciting.
But then...
<...>
Dante's movements froze as he examined the type of identity.
As if he had seen something he absolutely should not have seen.
...Ah, damn. I think I know.
Among the identities we'd experienced, or among the possibilities that could come out, there was only one that would shock Dante like that.
It had to be an N Corp identity.
Still! I clung to the faint hope that maybe he'd been startled by some other strange identity and carefully asked, "...Dante, did you get it? That identity?"
<...Yeah.>
Ah, shit.
Haa...
Suddenly, I felt completely lost.
The combat power of N Corp inquisitors was by no means something to scoff at.
As employees of a Wing, they did have combat ability to match.
So in terms of efficiency, hiring them as combat personnel would be the right choice, but...
Ah, no.
Fight alongside those lunatics?
It'd be a miracle if my spear didn't smash those bastards' heads in.
And not just smash them—I might even pierce straight through their skulls like Don Quixote did before the first mission.
Haa...
Forget it. I should cool my head down.
I'd go back into the bus and sleep for a bit...
Chrrrrrrk! Clack.
Huh?
Just before I turned away, a chain from that golden possibility pierced my chest.
Before I could even say anything, a memory was branded into my mind in an instant.
And then, as if naturally fitting the situation, words came out of my mouth.
"Hmm? I was reading... Would you like to read with me?"
Oh... Looks like my second identity was also from a certain Association.
*
"Heh... heh-heh-heh-heh..."
"Eek, what's with you, Sara? Why are you laughing so creepily?"
Ah, was I letting it slip?
But I couldn't help being happy!
"Well, it's because I finally got a golden identity!"
"Oh~ That rare identity you were talking about? That one?"
"Yes. I heard it's a DH Association identity."
DH Association.
One of the Twelve Associations, and one our bus had never met before.
Then let me start with a simple explanation.
For large-scale frontal warfare, there's the Liu Association; for assassination, the Shi; for information, the Seven; for protection, the Zwei.
In that sense, each Association has its own role.
You could say they each symbolize a particular field.
Of course, DH is no different.
Knowledge.
The domain DH oversees.
At a glance, you might think it's similar to the Seven, but DH and the Seven are clearly different.
The Seven simply gather and organize knowledge.
They have the feel of information brokers, exactly as the name suggests.
But DH keeps digging into that knowledge, like philosophers.
Philosophers. That's the closest comparison I can make for them, and their combat style is just as unusual.
It's like they've taken the idea that knowledge is power and pushed it to the extreme.
They convert the knowledge they possess directly into power and use it to attack.
You're asking what the hell that means?
Well, this is all just the kind of nonsense that comes with Wing-made products, so let's move on.
Does it even make sense for fire to shoot out of a human hand?
As for the downside of DH's combat method...
It's that the knowledge they use evaporates and disappears.
Still, since they can just build it up again, it's not something they worry about much. But in the end, the fact that knowledge disappears also means their limits are fixed.
...Huh. Did I explain too much?
I seemed to be getting a little too excited after obtaining a new identity.
I'm not usually this bad.
"Hmm? DH... ah! Knowledge, right? Congrats!"
"You're too kind."
Anyway, let's continue.
DH combat methods are divided into two types.
The key users, who attack with keys, and the martial artists, who use hand-to-hand combat.
Apparently, I belonged to the martial artist side.
Since the original was office staff, I figured I'd end up on the key side.
You're asking what the keys are?
Let's save that joy for when a new DH identity that uses keys appears.
Well, whatever.
It was my first golden identity!
"..."
Ahem, cough.
Maybe I should tone it down a little.
Rodion was already looking at me with a face that said she was getting tired of this.
Come to think of it, didn't Rodion also get a golden identity?
I think she said it was a Black Silence identity.
At least, that's what I gathered from Dante's words.
Well, if I blurt that out now, Rodion will probably get sulky when she later notices her own identity and starts acting smug about it, so I'll keep my mouth shut.
I'll enjoy her reaction later.
So then... what should I do now?
Today's Mirror Dungeon had already been explored long ago.
The fun extraction time was over, so was there anything left to do?
Hmm...
Tick.
Hm? What is it?
I followed Dante to the back of the bus.
What is he suddenly trying to do...
And then a golden ticket was placed in my hand.
...An identity training ticket?
"Pardon?"
Dante ignored my confused question and operated the device to change my identity into the DH one.
"What is it?"
Riiip.
I casually tore the ticket.
And the moment I did, an unfamiliar memory was suddenly branded into my head.
...What the hell?
I can't understand what's happening.
What does that mean... huh?
Come to think of it, my body does feel more lively than before.
Even my strength... it seems to have increased a little.
"...What exactly is this?"
"Haa... Next time, I'd appreciate it if you told me first. In the end, though, I think you're right."
I'd thought the identity system alone was a little weak, but so there was something like this.
...Why did we only find out after finishing the third mission?
Tch. No point regretting it now. Enough pointless thoughts.
Let's make sure to use these more aggressively in future missions.
...But where did they get that ticket?
Since we hadn't had any until now, I'm guessing it probably came from that Limbus Pass thing or whatever...
They're not going to tell us that's all there is, and that there's no other way to collect tickets, right...?
Hmm... no, that can't be.
There's no way such a stupid thing would happen.
"..."
...Right?
Limbus Company is a gacha game.
There's no way there wouldn't be a place to farm in-game growth materials.
There's no way the Mirror Dungeon and the Pass are the end of it.
Hmm. It has to be.
...Someone please tell me this possibility in front of my eyes is fake.
Does it make any sense for a crazy gacha game to suddenly add a place to farm growth materials two weeks later?
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 190
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T