From the golden treasure chest, we obtained exactly what we were looking for: the rarest item available in that dungeon. As Aoi-chan had suggested that the difficulty might have been a bit high, the dungeon we had just tackled was of the highest class accessible to those in their Third Class. Naturally, an ultra-rare drop from such a place commanded significant value.
"It’s not an item either of us can use, so we should probably just sell it, right?"
"I agree. If we use the proceeds to pick up some resistance-focused gear, the number of areas we can safely explore will increase."
"That's true. Besides, I think I’ll go ahead and redistribute my stats and skills to focus on being a tank. Your firepower is already overwhelming, Aoi-chan, and the strategy of me drawing aggro while you attack worked perfectly in this dungeon."
"The Accessory of the Heavenly God was even more powerful than its description suggested. This is just a guess, but that 30% damage reduction likely applies at the very end of the calculation formula. Despite your current equipment and level, your durability was truly on par with someone in their Fourth Job, Kaito-san."
It was exactly as Aoi-chan said. The chance-based damage negation was strong, but the fundamental durability provided by the Accessory of the Heavenly God was incredibly high to begin with.
With all stats boosted by +20 and HP increased by 100%, my survivability had already shot up, but once the flat damage reduction was factored in... I was able to steadily endure even in a dungeon where the enemies were supposed to possess massive firepower.
Furthermore, I had only recently changed to my Third Class and hadn't leveled up all that much yet. By the time I reached my Fourth Job, I would likely be far more robust. If I optimized my stats and skill configuration for a tank build, I might even be able to tackle dungeons of much higher difficulty levels.
"...Well, setting that aside, we’ve been playing for quite a while. Should we take a break?"
"Yes, let's. We've been going at it since the event dungeon, so I'm starting to feel it a little."
"We've been sitting this whole time, so for the sake of moving our legs, why don't we have some tea at the terrace seating in the garden? I'll ask Illness-san to prepare some tea and snacks for us."
"That sounds wonderful."
As I expected, playing a netgame for the first time in a while was incredibly fun, and I had unintentionally become quite absorbed in it. Deciding to take a breather, I headed off with Aoi-chan to enjoy our tea.
Around the time Kaito and Aoi headed for their break, Canalis visited a cyberspace located within a parallel dimension. Her reason was simple: she wanted to meet with her acquaintance, the Cyber God.
When Canalis had first appeared, she had been eliminating an existence that was acting strangely within the digital world, so there were no issues on that front. In fact, if the Cyber God hadn't appeared, Canalis had intended to erase it herself.
The problem was that even after the threat was eliminated, the Cyber God remained in the cyberspace of that parallel world, lingering indefinitely. Visiting out of curiosity to see what she was up to... Canalis tilted her head, her face remaining its usual expressionless mask.
"...What exactly are you doing, Electrone?"
"I wish for there to be no misunderstanding. At this point in time, this unit has not violated any agreements or restrictions whatsoever. According to the stipulations of the Kaito Miyama Fan Club, this unit has acquired the right to act as Kaito-sama's guardian in the event of trouble occurring in a situation involving cyberspace outside of Trinia. Therefore, this unit's presence here is not for selfish reasons, but a visitation in a legitimate role based on those rights... Continuing, outputting justification... 'I'm strictly observing Nebula-sama's instructions, as well as the agreements and contracts between the fan clubs. I swear I haven't contacted Kaito-sama, I haven't entered Shallow Vernal's World, and I've been perfectly behaved, okay?' ...Therefore, there is no need for concern."
"No, I'm aware you're quite meticulous about those things, Electrone, so I'm not worried... What I want to ask about is your current attire..."
The Cyber God’s response was that she had come to this cyberspace based on the accord established by the Gods of World Creation... or rather, based on the agreements and contracts of Kaito’s fan club. Those rules granted Electrone the right to protect Kaito within cyberspace outside of Trinia, and she claimed she was here solely to guard him from malicious entities.
Canalis didn't see any problem with that. Among the Gods of World Creation... particularly those who had once sworn loyalty to Nebula... she was well aware that a fan club for Kaito had been formed and that various complex agreements existed.
That being the case... seeing Electrone in such a bizarre state—wearing a pink Happi with 'Kaito-sama Super LOVE' written on it, a Hachimaki with 'Kaito-sama is the Only One' tied around her head, and holding rainbow-colored penlights in both hands—Canalis was filled with the urge to point out the absurdity.
"...Outputting answer... 'Even if the catalyst was a coincidence, this is a prime opportunity to engage in fan activities near my idol, Kaito-sama! I believe it would be impolite not to face it in the proper attire!' ...Therefore, this outfit is the formal wear for supporting Kaito-sama."
"...Well, my own facial muscles are essentially dead, so I'm not one to talk... but seeing you switch back to a flat, expressionless face the second after waving those penlights with such high tension... the whiplash is quite something."
Watching Electrone—whose expression was as cold and composed as a machine one moment, only to suddenly lecture with the heated face of a passionate fan the next, before turning her emotional switch off and returning to her stoic state—Canalis gave a wry smile while remaining expressionless herself.
Serious-senpai: "Wow, that's dense... this god's character settings are something else..."
Machina: "And on top of that, this Electrone is a former AI that reached the domain of gods as a result of abnormal evolution. She has a history of destroying the world she was originally born in before creating a new one from scratch..."
Serious-senpai: "Yeah, the background settings are definitely a bit much..."