ALL NOVEL The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 56
56 The 3rd Floor① Mushakouji PT
――SIDE: Mushakouji Mikako――
I don’t like this at all…
After entering the 3rd floor――no, even when we were on the 2nd floor, I had an unexplained sense of discomfort. The filthy monsters that should have attacked us were nowhere to be found. It was as if someone had prepared a comfortable exploration scene for us. I found the transfer stone to the 3rd floor during that time.
“This is ridiculous… Not a single monster encounter in 5 hours of walking!”
“Are the other explorers doing something? As for me, I’m happy to take it easy…”
“…It’s incomprehensible, but we have to move forward.”
While walking, my subordinates started chatting without any tension. Only Banma understood. Early on, Satsuki-san was also… As for Suzuki, I’ll scold him later.
“…Hey, how many hours have passed since we entered the 3rd floor?”
“Ahh! I don’t remember the time… Ah, probably around 2 hours!”
“What’s your basis for that?”
“I had lunch right after entering the 3rd floor, around 1 pm, so it’s 2 hours now!”
“You’ve been exploring non-stop since 7 am, haven’t you? Your body must be tired…”
“That’s right. You’re not taking care of yourself, Early-san. I let you take a break, didn’t I?”
“I was eating while walking, so it doesn’t count as a break…”
“…It seems like you’re accumulating fatigue, Mushakouji. Why don’t you take a break and rest your waist?”
“Take a break? Humph…”
I recalled the class table I checked 10 minutes ago. The leaders’ progress at that point was marked as [3]. In other words, everyone was now on the same level… We didn’t have the luxury of taking a break.
And…
“Stone Ryushin had reached the 3rd floor by 12 pm, didn’t he? At this point, he’s temporarily in the top spot… We’re 1 hour behind, in 2nd place! We can’t take a break!”
“But, Ohjou, Stone Ryushin is solo. He’s different from us, who need to match our pace with our comrades. We can’t help but let him take the lead.”
“Being solo means you have to solve everything with your own power. The monster levels increase with each floor update. Stone Ryushin’s overall power is low, so it’ll be tough for him to explore from now on.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“I’m tired, so let’s take a break!” “We should take a short rest here!” “Let’s rest, Mushakouji-san!”
“…”
The three of them shouted at me simultaneously. Don’t they like my opinion?! They keep saying they want to rest, but no one mentions the delay in our exploration. We’re not just chasing after Stone Ryushin; we have Akiho Souchi and Yoshikawa Himeko right behind us! If we understand that, we can’t take a break lightly. There’s a temperature difference between us and them in terms of “winning”.
So, I’ll just leave them behind like this――
“If you like, you can take a break. I’ll move forward. You all can take it easy.”
“M, Musashikou-san?”
“What’s wrong? Are you sulking or something?”
“Where are you going, Musashikou?”
“――Just leave me alone!!”
I said, leaving everyone behind and walking down the corridor. ……There was a feeling of being chased, but in the end, I prioritized resting, and no one followed me.
After walking for about twenty minutes, the magic crystal terminal (portal) in my pocket started shaking on its own.
I took it out and checked the screen.
“……Formation information updated…… Solo……”
It seemed that my magic crystal terminal (portal) had automatically changed the formation content because I had distanced myself from the PT members. Coincidentally, I had become a solo formation, just like Ishizuru Shouma.
I’ll explore ABYSS without coordinating with anyone.
That’s right. With this, the layer update will be quick. There’s no annoying hindrance. With my power, breaking through the 3rd layer will be easy.
“Wait for me, Ishizuru Shouma――!!”
I lifted my spirits and walked down the corridor, surpassing everyone.
More than Saiga Sosuke.
More than Yoshikawa Hikoko.
More than anyone―
I don’t want to lose to Ishizuru Shouma.
With determination, I recalled the story of my family, which my late father had told me.
The Musashikou family is a wealthy merchant family that has continued from the Muromachi period. During the Edo period, when the samurai, farmer, artisan, and merchant classes were established, the Musashikou family was treated as a high-ranking family, but they were looked down upon by the warrior class. I heard that our family was treated as a wealthy family, but with a low social status.
I couldn’t accept such contemptuous treatment, and in the Musashikou family, there was a deep-seated resentment towards the warrior class. During the time of the Meiji Restoration, when the government changed and the samurai class was abolished, our family saw an opportunity and joined the anti-Tokugawa faction, offering a large amount of military funds and eventually being recognized as a noble family. This is the origin of the Musashikou family that continues to this day.
However, even in modern times, the mocking voices have not disappeared. The evil custom of bloodline-ism remains unchanged, and the Musashikou family, who rose to prominence, is treated as an outcast by the warrior class and looked down upon by the noble class.
What kind of suffering did my late father endure? I, who saw it up close, was filled with regret.
Born into a warrior family.
Born into a noble family.
Why do we have to be ridiculed by those people just because of our birth?
I decided to prove my excellence by showing off my achievements at this academy to other families. The Musashikou family will never lose to any other warrior family. I won’t lose to Ishizuru Shouma, the next head of the Ishizuru family!