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Everyone froze, stunned by the sudden pop-up quest.
"Wait, so even if you bug out and cross worlds, the system still throws new quests at us?"Frieran tilted her head, baffled.
"If that's the case, then this chat group's mechanics are way too generous."Saeko Busujima had honestly thought this trip was just for sightseeing.
"Hold it! I've made a major discovery!"
Gabriel's sudden outburst instantly drew all eyes to her.
"You seriously haven't noticed?!" She jabbed a finger toward Rosen. "This quest only appeared right after he spoke. From the moment we crossed over until now, nothing—no prompts, no missions. And then suddenly, bam! Rosen says something, and the system reacts. So fess up already!"
The JK angel pressed Rosen hard—well, as hard as she could while standing on tiptoe just to reach his chin.
Her wide, glimmering eyes radiated a mix of conviction and holiness, and for the first time Rosen actually thought: Huh. She really does look like an angel.
Too bad all he could say about his current predicament was: Damn game screwed me over.
"Why can't I find any info about you?!" Gabriel fired question after question."Why are you so ridiculously strong?!""Why does the group respond every time you say something?!""Level-ups, quests—everything!"
"There can only be one explanation!"
She dramatically pushed up invisible glasses.
"Rosen !!!!!!!!"
"You're not just some random player. You're the chat group itself—the admin, the guy with all the cheats and permissions!"
"???"
Everyone blinked in confusion.
But the longer they thought about it, the more their expressions twisted, like… wait, maybe she had a point?
[Bad Woman: "Her logic is full of holes, but… not impossible."]
Oh, for crying out loud. Even Makima was piling on now?Hajime, you traitor!
Rosen sighed under the weight of their stares, then suddenly broke into an over-the-top villain laugh.
"Fine, you caught me. No more pretending. I confess—I'm the creator of this chat group, the almighty admin, the ultimate permission hog."
"As a reward for uncovering my secret, I'll bestow upon you divine power—the kind that lets you crush an entire universe with a single punch!"
He even conjured a mock halo of holy light, theatrically waving it toward them.
Gabriel closed her eyes and—wait. She actually felt it. A real warmth spreading through her body.
The hell?! I was just making stuff up—don't tell me it's actually true?!
And this warmth… it was exactly like being back in Heaven!
But just as quickly, the feeling faded.
When she opened her eyes, Rosen flicked her forehead with a sharp thwack.
"Enjoy that?"
"Uh…" Gabriel rubbed her head, utterly lost.
"Seriously, if I were the real admin, would I be wasting time playing games with you? Back in the zombie world, I could've just willed every undead to drop dead at once. And here? I could snap my fingers and make the dungeon boss crawl to me on his knees."
Rosen chuckled, watching her sulk and rub her forehead.
"Don't tell me you actually believed me for a second?"
"Well duh! All the hot novels and manga nowadays are full of 'hidden big boss pretending to be weak' plots."
"Japanese light novels are behind the times. Chinese web novels were doing that trope ten years ago."
He reached to flick her again, because honestly, it was kind of satisfying.
But Gabriel darted out of reach, no trace of anger on her face—just unease.
That warmth earlier… it had felt almost like holy light. Not the same, but close.
And Rosen himself—his aura, his power—it all felt oddly familiar.
Could he… be the same kind of being as her? A fellow angel from another world? Parallel universes were already on the table, after all.
But she bit the question back. Even if it were true, what then?
And if Rosen actually held a rank in Heaven… well, that'd be mortifying.
For now, she decided to turtle up.
As long as Rosen didn't out himself, she'd never bring it up again.
As for his whole "I'm just a human" claim?
Ha! Only an idiot would buy that.
[Bad Woman: "Honestly, I hope Rosen-san isn't lying…"]
Rosen's dramatic act was brushed off as a joke in the end.
The system's quest, however, was no joke. Everyone present had automatically accepted it—everyone except Makima, who was still in another world.
Marcille received a notification that someone had taken the quest. Curious, she tried it herself… and discovered she could accept it too.
"Eh? But… I can't cancel it?"
"Why would you want to?"
"Well… I didn't do anything. I don't want to hog a slot or steal points…"
Her honesty made Fubuki smile wryly.
"Since you know how important points are, don't overthink it. Besides, reviving Farin was thanks to you. So just take the credit."
"T-thanks…"
Marcille felt a warmth in her chest. These strangers from other worlds were easier to talk to than some of her own adventuring companions, who only stuck around for profit.
With everyone signed up, Rosen didn't need to explain much—most of them had already seen the anime.
"Maze Master Shasle only went insane because he got obsessed with finding the Golden Kingdom's king. Don't treat him like a mage—just think of him as a nutcase."
In the manga, the Canary Squad even told him directly that the king had turned to dust long ago, but he never listened.
"As for luring him out—just make as much noise as possible. He'll come running."
Unlike most final bosses, Shasle wasn't the type to wait at the end of a dungeon. He actively hunted the protagonists like some elite monster on patrol.
Frieran and Fubuki both nodded, fully agreeing with Rosen's plan.
As for Laios's group… well, they didn't really have a say in the matter.
And so, with the plan set, Fubuki and Frieran each unleashed their powers—psychic waves and ancient magic—ready to raise hell.
"..."
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