In the Forest of Wavering Mists, there is a specific spot where you'll find the trigger to start the campaign quest.
That was what Satoru had been told. To save him the trouble, Diavel had even gone out of his way to find Argo, paying for a map of the Labyrinth Tower and marking the exact location for him.
"Well, once you get close, just listening to the sounds and looking around will tell you what to do next."
The Blue Knight had patted him on the shoulder and said it casually.
At the time, Satoru hadn't fully understood what he meant. But just as he had said, once they got close, a few seconds of observation made everything clear.
The thick white mist that filled the forest, obscuring their vision, was being churned and torn apart—cut through might be more accurate. Beside a massive tree with moss-covered roots, a man and a woman clashed fiercely, shouting as their weapons met in a deadly exchange. The flashes of light along their blades were almost blinding.
The sheer intensity of their fight felt like something straight out of a high-fantasy battle scene, the force of their blows driving the mist aside like a storm. The sharp clang of steel rang out again and again through the silent forest, impossible to ignore.
"So that's what he meant…"
Satoru pulled Sheeta behind a cluster of trees at the edge of the battlefield, peering ahead at the intense fight.
Both fighters moved at incredible speed, as if constantly boosted by system-assisted acceleration. Their faces couldn't be clearly seen, but their features were distinct enough that there was no chance of confusing them.
The man had a perfectly proportioned, muscular build. His facial features were the kind of standard European male model look, his skin pale and smooth. His platinum-blonde hair was brushed back in a rough style, and he fought with a sword and shield.
His opponent was a woman. The curves of her chest and hips made that obvious. Her skin carried a faint purple tone. Though she didn't fit the usual definition of beauty, she had a strange, captivating charm.
What they shared were their pointed ears, full of a fantasy-like allure.
Beside Satoru, Sheeta leaned forward, poking her head out through the bushes to get a better look, only to be pushed back by his hand.
"That real-time rendering is insane."
Satoru couldn't help but mutter.
Judging from their hoarse shouts and fluid movements, this wasn't scripted. They were genuinely fighting, most likely driven by highly detailed AI.
It was hard to imagine how a game running on something as small as a helmet could handle this level of data processing. If Kayaba Akihiko had really done all of this alone, it was terrifying.
"They're elf warriors and an elf warrioress," Sheeta said.
"You can tell from the ears. And one's a normal elf, while the one in black is probably a Dark Elf. More precisely, a drow. It's easy to understand when they stick to common settings like this."
Satoru nodded.
"At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if an NPC named Drizzt Do'Urden showed up."
"Who's that?"
"The most famous drow. These days, you can see traces of DND in almost every game, so it's not surprising."
"And DNA is…?"
"It's DND. Dungeons & Dragons. If you're talking about games, you can't avoid mentioning it… no, why am I even explaining this here?"
Satoru shook his head with a wry smile.
Sheeta puffed her cheeks slightly and huffed.
"You were the one who brought up DNF first."
"It's DND!"
As the two argued quietly behind the bushes, the battle ahead reached its climax. At the same time, golden exclamation marks appeared above both fighters' heads.
Satoru paused, thought for a moment, and then understood.
"A branching path, huh."
It wasn't uncommon for choosing one side's quest to mean giving up the other. Since Diavel hadn't given any specific instructions, it meant that choosing either side wouldn't affect the outcome.
But how was he supposed to accept the quest? Those two were fighting pretty intensely, weren't they?
Satoru rubbed his chin in thought.
"Hey, Nero, who should we pick?"
"Hmm, honestly, either one is fine."
"Even so, you really want to go with the dark elf onee-san, don't you?"
"…Why does your tone sound so teasing?"
"Then are you going to choose that handsome warrior? In a forest like this, giving up the onee-san to pick a sturdy, rugged elf man… Nero, that's hard to understand."
Forest. Burly. Elf. Man.
Satoru suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. There was no clear reason, but something deep in his accumulated life experience was sounding an instinctive warning.
"No, no…"
He shook his head reflexively.
"I'll go help onee-san."
"So you really do prefer the charming dark elf onee-san."
Sheeta said it with certainty.
Satoru fell silent for a moment, then smiled.
"But if this keeps up, it looks like the onee-san will be the one who loses first."
Sheeta pointed toward the battlefield.
"So we'll have to cut down NPCs, huh? Their markers are practically pitch black, but since it's just a scripted event, they'll disappear anyway."
Satoru stood up, stretched, and strode toward the center of the fight.
The two combatants seemed highly perceptive. The moment they noticed a third party, they both stopped and stepped back at the same time. The symbols above their heads turned into question marks as they watched him warily.
"What is a human doing in this forest?!"
"We don't need your interference. Leave at once!"
Hmm…
Satoru fell into thought.
Maybe it was because of what Sheeta had said earlier, but now looking at the elf warrior made him feel a bit uncomfortable. Even in his mind, the label had shifted from "warrior" to something else entirely.
And their dialogue was clearly different. The dark elf woman's words carried a sense of concern, like she was warning them to leave before they got caught up in the fight.
No… I'm overthinking it. Even if it's just data, once it's modeled as a male character, it's destined to be sidelined.
Satoru sighed regretfully.
"Uh… well, could you leave?"
But this was a game where quests were triggered through actions and dialogue, so he tried speaking vaguely.
Neither elf moved.
Too vague.
He needed to be clearer, more forceful. Satoru cleared his throat.
Alright, let's try a D&D-style tone.
"The moment you raise your sword against a beautiful and well-endowed lady, your defeat is already decided. Even if you're handsome. No, especially because you're handsome, it makes me want to cut you down even more. It's settled. I'll protect this lady. A handsome guy like you should hurry up and get reincarnated!"
Satoru froze, eyes wide.
Because those words weren't his.
Sheeta had skipped up beside him, holding her straight sword, standing firmly at his side.
"Nero… that's really like you."
Bullshit!
Ah!
His thoughts were in chaos. It was hard to believe that this girl had just said something like that. More importantly, what was even the point of saying it?
The elf warrior's gaze toward him grew even more hostile. At the same time, the dark elf woman took a step back, her expression uncertain and wary.
???
Satoru forced an awkward smile.
"How foolish. Do you wish to join the dark elves and become the glory beneath my blade?"
"Right now… I guess I have no choice but to say yes."
"Then I'll eliminate you along with them!"
The elf warrior took his stance again, and the marker above him darkened further.
His strength is incredible. But since this is a scripted event, I'll just let the dark elf cover me for now.
Satoru thought this as he moved closer to her.
But the dark elf woman subtly stepped away from him.
…
Wait.
Logically speaking, haven't I already accepted your quest?
Help me out here!
"Sanctuary, grant me strength! Astak stands with me! Let me bathe in sacred power! Engrave radiant marks upon my blade!"
The elf warrior had already started chanting some kind of spell.
Satoru's face turned pale as he drew his curved sword.
A twisted smile spread across his face.