For the time being, I set aside the matter of the planet-sized Zork.
I dumped the whole problem onto Wifey.
She told me she would handle the reconnaissance.
But that was only the beginning.
My claim regarding the existence of a planet-class Zork was taken far more seriously than I had anticipated.
Everyone from the Imperial high command and the big shots among the gaming monks to our own allies began holding emergency meetings, acting as if the end of the world had arrived.
Consequently, the formation of an expeditionary force was greenlit.
It seemed that information regarding my abilities had already been shared among them.
However, they hadn't specified when we were leaving.
We couldn't exactly charge off on an expedition fueled by nothing but momentum, like Thomas had.
It looked like they intended to organize the expeditionary force with us as the centerpiece.
When Thomas had announced his expedition, the public reaction had been lukewarm at best.
Nobody had expected anything from him.
But when Wifey made her announcement, it was met with enthusiastic support.
Well, it made sense.
She was a brilliant strategist who had revitalized the economy in the blink of an eye, yet she remained compassionate toward the marginalized, like the Beast Race.
As for her Lord Groom, while I hailed from a Marquis House, my older brother—the current head of the family—had the casual air of a village chief on an agricultural planet. He understood the lives of the common folk.
While none of that was strictly untrue, I couldn't help but feel I was being overvalued.
At the moment, Big Brother Thomas and Big Brother Cyrus had arrived.
They had brought their respective armies along with them.
The two of them immediately made themselves at home at my place.
The soldiers they brought were also fooling around on the beach... I mean, they were training.
The barracks at the military garrison were finished, so our capacity to host them was perfect.
As a result, we didn't have much to do and were just idling around... or so one might think.
Since we had managed to gather this many people, it was time for the simulator.
It was a simulator that transformed into a living hell the more people you added to the mix.
With a crowd this size, I was dying to see what would happen!
“Ah, Leo-kun is up to no good again.”
“Fairy... why don’t we run the simulator with everyone?”
“...I’m curious, but still...”
And so, everyone jumped into the simulator.
There were quite a few members of the VR faction involved, but I didn't mind.
Apparently, Thomas’s soldiers were capable of surviving for thirty seconds on their own.
Impressive!
Alright, let’s take this into multiplayer!
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Screams rang out immediately after we started.
A simultaneous greeting of missile fire resulted in half of Thomas’s forces being marked as KIA.
Cyrus’s unit suffered seventy percent casualties as well.
We, however, were still doing fine.
Every member of my squad was still standing.
Eddie’s maneuvering had noticeably improved.
The Kevin and Nina team were also burying enemies without a hint of mercy.
We continued to tear through the enemy at a breakneck pace.
Even with several times the usual number of targets, our fundamentals remained the same.
We slipped through enemy fire, used hostiles as meat shields, and struck down our foes the moment an opening appeared.
We tracked the missiles carefully and dodged accordingly.
I didn't use auto-evasion.
I found that trust in one’s instincts and manual operation yielded a higher evasion rate.
Then came a concentrated barrage from the plasma cannons.
But this was child's play compared to a simultaneous volley of Death Blasters!
We wove through the fire.
At this point, the Cyrus army was completely wiped out.
Reports followed immediately regarding the destruction of the Thomas army and the Thomas-exclusive machine.
We found ourselves facing more than double the usual number of enemies.
We kept fighting our way through, but eventually reached the final stage of the game.
A massive swarm of Linear Blazers... far more than we usually faced... arrived to welcome us.
Half of our squad was shot down by the initial Death Blaster volley.
Kevin and Nina-san dropped out here too.
It was simply too difficult to dodge a Death Blaster in their specific machines.
We managed to take down half of the Linear Blazers.
However, the second wave of Death Blasters finished us off.
And with that, we were out.
Hmm. I felt like we were just a hair's breadth away from clearing it.
“Hahaha! I lived longer than usual!”
Thomas seemed quite pleased with himself.
Cyrus, on the other hand, decided to overhaul the training regimen for his soldiers.
As for me, I held a debriefing with the group.
“Wouldn't it work if we all just dodged toward this point?”
Eddie made a suggestion, but it was too demanding for Kevin and Nina-san.
“I think that’s a bit much for us.”
“It really is.”
Fair enough.
If Kevin and Nina-san could survive, our combined firepower should be enough to secure a victory.
That meant prioritizing their survival.
But if we did that, the risk to the humanoid fighter pilots would increase.
And if the fighter squad took losses, our offensive power would plummet, increasing the likelihood of defeat...
“Hmm... finding the right balance is tricky.”
“That’s because I’ve told you a thousand times that I haven't done any balance adjustments!”
The Fairy snapped at me.
“Fairy... I feel like we’re so close. I feel like we could clear it with just a little more effort.”
“I’m telling you it’s just your imagination! I’m saying you aren't there yet!”
“Ehh...”
“Leo-kun... please listen to me calmly. You and the others have already surpassed the ace pilots from six hundred years ago. You’re existences standing close to Humanity's Zenith.”
“Hahaha, there you go again. I’ve still got a long way to go. I can’t even beat Uncle Piggett in hand-to-hand combat.”
“The fact that you’re making that monster get serious means you’re already inhuman! Mr. Piggett is the strongest close-quarters fighter in the entire Imperial Army! Leo-kun, even though you’re an all-rounder, you’re at a point where you could actually win! Besides, you don't even use your Brawling Style or your Sato Judo when you spar with him, do you?!”
“Well, whenever I try to use tricks, that old man pays me back double!”
“That was ages ago! If you fought him now, you’d win!”
No way, no way.
“I mean, the old man won't even spar with me as much as he used to.”
“That’s! Because! Mr. Piggett has reached his physical limit! He’s long past his prime!”
Regardless, I clearly needed to get a little stronger.
Hahahahahaha!
“He didn't listen at all... Good grief, this guy... he’s one of those protagonists who’s only dense when it comes to combat...”
The Fairy pouted and turned away from me.
Then, she spoke up again.
“It’s not good to specialize only against the Imperial Army, so I’ve created a Zork version. Give this one a try too.”
“We’re doing it right now! Everyone! Assemble!”
“It only features enemies you've actually encountered so far! If you focus too much on these, you might struggle against new species. Keep that in mind!”
“Roger that!”
And so, we threw ourselves into training.
Training was a blast!
Paperwork can go to hell!