ALL NOVEL The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 108
108: Observing③ The Dropout Group
――SIDE: Kubo Masaharu――
“Damn it, Yoshikawa-san……! Yoshikawa-san is……?”
“Kubo!!”
“……Yoshikawa’s injuries were severe, so the teachers took him away on a stretcher just now.”
“Suzuki, ka…… guu uu!!?”
“Hey, don’t strain yourself!? ――Oi, is there anyone who can heal him!?”
“I, I’ll do it!!”
“……Sorry”
While holding my broken body, Touka used her recovery skill [Healing] on me. ……It felt warm. The pain subsided a little.
Takao was――being taken care of by Anzu, just like me. Meanwhile, that guy didn’t move at all. He probably reached his physical limit.
“Who’s left here……?”
“Yeah…… among the dropouts, those with relatively light injuries are still here. Everyone else was taken away on stretchers, and the infirmary is full.”
Please note that I’ve maintained the original line breaks and formatting to preserve the atmosphere and tone of the excerpt.
After listening to Suzuki’s explanation, I couldn’t help but accept that we couldn’t see Sakanoue’s figure. There were also Aiba, Kanzaki, and Isogai, who were being carried on stretchers, looking miserable.
“…What’s the current situation?”
“…Shouma is putting up a good fight.”
“A good fight? He’s just running away, isn’t he? Everyone else in D-Group has already been defeated. In other words, we’ve already lost.”
Suzuki shook his head, let out a sigh, and slumped his shoulders. We were all watching the live broadcast of the competition on our magic crystal terminals (portals) before the transfer stone, feeling a sense of desperation. The momentum we had before the competition started had vanished. We were all filled with a sense of powerlessness after being crushed by the difference in strength.
Just as Ishio said, it would have been better if we had all withdrawn.
Then, we wouldn’t have suffered unnecessary injuries.
“…I was too late to realize…”
I let out a sigh and muttered to myself. Everyone else was probably feeling the same way. No one wanted to watch the rest of Ishio’s match, which had already been decided.
That is, except for one person—
“The match isn’t over yet! Don’t give up! It’s not over yet!”
“But, Mushanokouji—”
“Ishio Shouma is… Our class leader is still fighting! Despite being the first to suggest withdrawal, he’s survived longer than anyone else and is trying to find a way out! What’s wrong with us, who decided to fight, giving up now?! That’s just too selfish!”
“That’s—”
“I suppose you’re right.”
While I was still feeling down, Houko stood up.
“It’s not like us to just give up. That lazy guy is actually trying hard for once. We should at least see it through…!”
“Houko-san…”
“Just call me Houko. And in return, you can call me Mikako-san, okay? Let’s see it through to the end and watch his fight!”
“…You guys, are you serious…?”
“Lin-kun?”
“It’s no use. You still don’t get it, do you? We’re different from those in other classes. There’s no way Ishio can do anything about it. It’s pointless to expect anything! It’ll just make us feel even more miserable!”
‘…’
Lin’s words made everyone’s spirits sink again.
“—But Ishio helped me out.”
Utsumi muttered, hugging her knees.
“Even though I’m the weakest, with the lowest overall strength, he took back my camera from the C-Group students.”
“Utsumi…”
“I still don’t get it…”
“—Hah! What’s with that? You’re all calling out Ishio’s name like idiots…”
Shiina Riona was the one who countered.
As the leader of the anti-Ishio faction, a member of the Sakaki PT, she wouldn’t acknowledge Ishio Shouma’s abilities.
“…Whatever. If you want to say that, then let’s use our magic crystal terminals (portals) to see the reactions on the thread.”
“The thread… What’s that, Shinohata?”
“The class competition thread…”
“What? That exists?!”
“It was even used as a betting target, right?”
“I guess anything goes at this point…”
We were shocked and amazed by Shinohata Airi’s words, realizing that Suzuki had created a thread without our knowledge.
“By seeing the reactions of others, everyone’s cooling down a bit, right? ……Eh, what’s going on……?”
“Is something written there?”
“—Ah,…eh?”
“……What’s with that reaction? It’s getting on my nerves. Show it to me too, Airi!”
“Ah, wait, hold on――!?”
“Aww,……Is it Shōma’s big moment? As expected, he’s the favorite of the Tenjōin Academy? I knew it from the start……?”
“!?!”
“What’s with that reaction!? Hey, Katsuragi!”
“Give me back my magical terminal (portal)! You idiot!”
“Abe-shi!”
“Niida! What’s going on with this reaction!?”
“Ah, I don’t know either!!”
“Shōma, big moment……!?”
“—Just wait a minute! I’ll check the internet for information too!!”
As he said that, Utsugi quickly tapped on his own magical terminal (portal). His speed was extraordinary, and it was impressive to see a reporter at work.
“—We’re currently at +130RP!!”
“Ha, haha!? What’s going on――!!”
“—It’s true!! Shōma defeated the enemies!! Two students from Class A and three students from Class C. Two of them were PT leaders!!”
“!!”
“It’s a huge success!! That’s why the internet is praising him, saying he’s turned the tables on his bad reputation!! Shōma has proven his strength to the world!!”
“U, unbelievable……!”
Suzuki was left speechless.
We all had the same feeling.
“What about the points of the other classes?”
“As of now, Class A has +140RP, Class B has +130RP, and Class C has +150RP. Class C is currently in first place, but Class D is still in the running and hasn’t lost yet!!”
“Re, really!? Su, so amazing――!!”
Suzuki couldn’t help but jump up.
There was still hope, after all――!
It was a real thing. Hearing that we hadn’t lost yet, I felt a sudden surge of energy in my body――!
“—But we don’t know what’ll happen from now on? The competition is still ongoing……!”
“We can’t let our guard down. That’s the way it is.”
“You idiot, Shōma! I’m cheering for you, so at least try to escape――!!”
Ōtori’s shout seemed to reach Shōma――
In an instant――he was hit.