A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor

[Ga-eun]

[Starting New Dimension World Quest]

[New Dimension | 17,919 viewers | 05:06:51]

〔World Quest – Defeating the Great Demon Tagirion〕

〔The Great Demon Tagirion embodies absolute evil with his very existence.〕

〔Time Remaining: 21 hours 31 minutes〕

─Where am I headed now?

“First… I think I’ll head to the Imperial Palace. I’m not sure if it’s the right answer, but honestly, there’s nothing else that comes to mind right now.”

Ga-eun was mistaken.

No.

To be precise, all players, including Ga-eun, were mistaken.

The Great Demon Tagirion, a boss monster so powerful that it couldn’t be defeated alone.

The moment he descended upon Libra.

Everyone who witnessed it thought players would gather to defeat the Great Demon Tagirion in simple “raid content.”

But that was not the case.

Defeating the Great Demon Tagirion was merely the endpoint of the “World Quest.”

“I wasn’t just talking nonsense when I said it’s completely different from any raid we’ve had until now.”

Of course, Ga-eun wasn’t entirely confident in her certainty.

She just chose what seemed to be the most plausible option after piecing her thoughts together.

“A World Quest that determines how New Dimension will change, affecting all players and NPCs. If players are the ones tasked with defeating Tagirion, then it must be the NPCs that provide the answers to do so…!”

So, as an NPC assigned that role, only one person came to mind for Ga-eun.

Why did Tagirion descend upon the capital of the Astria Empire, Libra, among the many regions of New Dimension?

It was a very simple story, so there was no need to think deeply about it.

“Tagirion must be sealed in Tartarus, located deep underground here in Libra.”

So, could it be that the emperor of the Astria Empire doesn’t know that fact at all?

There’s no way he wouldn’t know, Ga-eun’s intuition asserted.

[Who are you…?]

As she arrived at the Imperial Palace.

A crowd of NPCs was bustling in front of the massive palace doors, so grand they could elicit awe if the situation were different.

And amidst them stood one NPC who was clearly extraordinary.

His gray hair and green eyes carried an air of dignity, and the attire he wore was adorned with splendid decorations.

The man was watching Ga-eun with a slight frown.

[…Is that so. The fact that you’ve come to find me in a situation like this means you’ve recognized what I am. That’s fortunate. I need help anyway.]

〔World Quest – Demon Hunter〕

〔The Great Demon Tagirion has a total of six hearts.〕

〔Five of the hearts are sealed across various locations in the capital Libra, and now that the sealing of Tagirion’s main body has been undone, you must disable the five hearts to strike the main body.〕

〔This World Quest will automatically fail when the time limit for “World Quest – Defeating the Great Demon Tagirion” expires.〕

[Reports have come in that the sealing of the main body has been undone, and all its hearts have regenerated. We cannot disable them while in a sealed state, so we’ll have to resort to unsealing them.]

“Just as I thought…!”

[When it’s unsealed, can you assist in neutralizing its hearts?]

Ga-eun nodded without hesitation.

[Let me preface: do not think of those hearts as mere hearts. Think of them as avatars instead.]

〔World Quest – The Emperor’s Request〕

〔A decree from the emperor has been issued to all players gathered in Libra.〕

〔Decree – Hold off the main body until other heroes can destroy Tagirion’s hearts.〕

〔If the Great Demon Tagirion comes into contact with any of the five “Hearts of Tagirion,” the “World Quest – Defeating the Great Demon Tagirion” will automatically fail.〕

〔This World Quest will automatically fail when the time limit for “World Quest – Defeating the Great Demon Tagirion” expires.〕

[This decree is issued to all heroes gathered here. Save the empire… no, save the world.]

─Huh? I just got a new quest too.

─Wow, so this is how it plays out.

─If I had just recklessly charged forward, it would have been a waste of time.

─They said to destroy the heart in the Eastern-West Library.

As the emperor’s words echoed, an arrow appeared in Ga-eun’s view.

The arrow pointed in the exact direction where Ga-eun had been heading prior to accepting this quest.

The location of Tagirion’s main body.

“…Let’s go right away!”

Ga-eun started running with increased speed.

On her way to the location of Tagirion’s main body, many players scattered in all directions, a clear sign that hope was beginning to surface.

“Does that mean the decree’s contents differ for each player?”

─Yeah, seems so.

─I got told to go to the heart in the northern ruins.

“Since we must hold off until all the hearts are destroyed… it means we can’t defeat Tagirion’s main body just yet.”

In other words, Ga-eun had to keep fighting against a foe that would absolutely not fall until other players fulfilled their conditions.

And not just that, she also had to prevent Tagirion from heading toward the hearts.

“What a ridiculous demand….”

Yet even as she uttered those words, the corners of Ga-eun’s mouth were definitely lifted.

At least it meant the fight that felt like sinking into a bottomless swamp had come to an end.

“‘2A’… Thank you so much. Seriously, you helped me find the answer.”

─2A: I’m quite smart, you know.

─2A: You could figure this out with just a bit of thought.

“Haha. …But wait, ‘2A,’ is it possible that this is read as ‘Iya’ instead of ‘two-A’…?”

─2A: Yes, that’s right.

─LOL????

─No way, right??? Please don’t say that. LOL!

─Dude, I think I know who it is???? Should I press the upvote?? LOL!

─Who are they? Are you close with Ga-eun by any chance??

“…So, are you perhaps Rene?”

─2A: Huh? Are you referring to Streamer Rene?

─2A: Or are you talking about VTuber Rene, her junior?

─I wonder who they’re asking about??? LOL!

─That beast girl was snooping around while on a break.

─Who is Rene? Is she a streamer?

“Ah, yes. She’s one of the partner streamers from our Sirius Team. …And for the record, I don’t have a connection with VTuber Rene, so I was talking about Streamer Rene.”

─2A: Unfortunately, neither of them is correct.

─2A: Just an ordinary viewer.

“Oh, I see….”

─There’s someone spouting completely unconvincing chat here.

“That’s true….”

As Ga-eun chuckled and moved toward the location of Tagirion’s main body, the Miscode notification rang out.

[Inquisition Officer: I’m not watching Ga-eun’s stream.]

“…I just received a message from Streamer Rene saying she isn’t watching my stream.”

─Saw it on screen, LOL.

─If you’re not watching, then why send a message out of the blue?

─I wonder why she felt the need to suddenly say she wasn’t watching…

─Just admit she was snooping around, LOL!

─Oh, come on, you brute! LOL.

─Rene, you seriously shouldn’t gamble or anything like that. O_O;

[Inquisition Officer: Ah.]

─Ah, I’m so tired, LOL.

─Seeing this kind of thing really worries me. I might have to marry her.

─That’s pushing it a bit;

─I don’t think that beast girl has done anything that bad…

After that, Rene stopped sending DMs to Ga-eun, and chat user 2A also disappeared.

“Who on earth was ‘2A’…?”

─I’m really curious…

“Ha….”

Nevertheless, Ga-eun continued onward, arriving at her designated location.

Awaiting her there were other players who had received the same decree as her and a Tagirion radiating a completely different atmosphere than before.

[…I can feel my power.]

[Good. The playtime ends here.]

[I’ll kill you all…!]

And with those words, a torrent of heat began to whip around Tagirion, far surpassing anything felt until now.

“Ugh?!”

Even though the sensory barrier was active, the heat was so intense it was hard to breathe.

In an instant, most of the players surrounding Tagirion knelt down.

Ga-eun, who was somehow managing to withstand it, found herself barely holding on.

If Tagirion started moving now, it was a given that this defensive line would break in no time.

[So, this was all you had!]

And sharp claws lunged toward Ga-eun.

Her judgment slowed due to the heatwave.

‘It’s too late to dodge….’

Realizing this fact, Ga-eun resigned herself and started planning to return to this spot immediately after respawning.

And then—

Boom!

With a tremendous sound, Tagirion’s claws were forcefully pinned by a giant warhammer.

The figure holding that warhammer was a player donned in jet-black full body armor.

The Inquisition Officer… it was Rene.

[Inquisition Officer: Are you okay?]

“Ah, yes….”

[Inquisition Officer: I’m not watching Ga-eun’s stream; I’m in New Dimension.]

“…Huh?”

─Crazy LOL.