"I won't let you take another step forward…"
In the dimly lit corridor, the girl glanced around nervously. A dozen or so of the grotesque worms had already formed a menacing circle around her, the slimy net slowly tightening.
Her dark blue hair, long and neatly braided down her back, swayed slightly with her anxious movements.
Clad in the standard Mita outfit, she was known as the Lost Mita. She took a hesitant step backward.
In stark contrast, the enemies surrounding her seemed to grow even more aggressive at the sight of their prey retreating.
The Devourers' mouthparts stretched wide. Lacking vocal cords, the gesture felt more like a silent, chilling display of power.
The code-like stripes that patterned their bodies flickered erratically, and their segmented limbs tensed almost imperceptibly.
Having faced these creatures for a while now, the girl recognized the tell-tale signs. They were preparing their rush attack again.
"What do I do… what do I do?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Lost Mita's gaze fell to her own battered body.
The stockings that covered her unusually long legs were ripped and frayed at the edges, and her bright red knit sweater was riddled with holes. Her pale skin was marred with angry red marks, the remnants of her Yanyan bloodstains looking like cracks on a fragile, precious vase.
Even though her long legs gave her a wide attack range, it was proving impossible to withstand the relentless siege of so many enemies on her own.
"Am I going to be eaten?"
Her face grew paler with each passing moment, her entire focus now locked onto a single worm that had finished coiling its body, poised to strike.
The continuous fighting had drained her stamina. Even lifting her leg felt like an immense effort.
But deep within Lost Mita's heart, a single, unwavering belief still flickered:
"I haven't… found my room yet…"
Thump.
Whether it was her unwavering conviction or pure chance, the worm in the center of her vision, the one that was just about to lunge, was suddenly and violently annihilated by something unseen.
"?"
The girl looked around blankly, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. Then, she realized that a large sword, shimmering with blue pixels, now occupied the space where the worm had been.
"Eh? A sword?!"
Could something like that even exist within the game? It couldn't possibly be an asset imported from another game, could it?
Wait a minute… were those worms actually that fragile?
Just as she was pondering this strange turn of events, a male voice echoed from nearby.
"My dear, let's go together!"
"Okay!" came a cheerful reply.
The swarm of worms surrounding her swiveled their attention towards the source of the sound. Leading the charge was a young man, a player.
And beside him was a long-haired girl, another Mita, just like her. As this other Mita advanced, she hurled her baseball bat forward, the wooden weapon transforming mid-air into a sharp, pixelated arrow.
With a solid "thump," it struck another worm that was preparing to attack, taking it out of the equation.
At the same time, the player strode forward, grabbed the large sword that was now embedded in the ground, and then, in a rather conspicuous manner, glanced down at his own legs, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Lost Mita wasn't entirely sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she detected a fleeting hint of… heat in his eyes.
Well, it was probably just her imagination. Surely, the player who had just come to her rescue wouldn't be looking at her in that way.
The player quickly addressed his own Mita, "My dear, I'll take them out in a second!"
"Mm! My dear, be careful!" the long-haired girl replied, taking a few steps back. She retrieved her now-normal baseball bat and stood guard behind the young man, her eyes warily scanning the approaching swarm of worms.
Such good teamwork… Lost Mita thought, a pang of longing in her chest.
The level of coordination and trust between these two as comrades was something any Mita would aspire to.
No… wait. This was a romance game. Where did comrades come from? It should be the teamwork of partners.
In Lost Mita's wide eyes, the group of worms that had been menacingly encircling her quickly had their attention diverted to the player.
The remaining nine Devourers simultaneously coiled their bodies, transforming into living, slimy slingshots, their gaping maws appearing deep and bottomless.
The worms' positions formed a perfect semicircle, with the player standing directly in the center… a position that looked incredibly dangerous.
"I… I'll go up and help too!" Lost Mita offered, her depleted stamina having recovered slightly. The braided girl took a tentative few steps forward but was immediately halted by the player's sharp shout.
"Don't come over!"
"But—"
Mid-sentence, the nine Devourers reared up high and then lunged towards the player with astonishing speed.
"Woof…" Lost Mita instinctively lowered her head, unable to bear the sight. She was already dreading what would happen next.
However, unexpectedly, a dazzling flash of blue light erupted in her peripheral vision.
She seemed to feel a sudden gust of wind… a wind that felt strangely out of place in this version of the game.
"Wind? Is there even wind outside this world?" she wondered aloud.
The series of rapid explosions that followed a split second later answered her question with resounding force.
Thump——
Where had the nine worms, still suspended in mid-air just moments ago, gone? She looked at the scattered, flashing pixels and the corrupted, scrambled code swirling around the player and finally understood.
What was that gust of wind she had felt? Lost Mita's gaze fell upon the greatsword in the player's hand, the very same sword he had swung in a wide arc from left to right. She already knew the answer.
It wasn't wind generated by the version itself, but rather the force created by the physics engine…
In other words: this player had just taken out nine of those terrifying worms with a single, devastating strike.
"N-no way…" she murmured, her voice filled with disbelief. Lost Mita had been locked in a desperate struggle with these creatures for what felt like an eternity, and she knew firsthand just how resilient their bodies were: soft and sticky like rubber, yet surprisingly tough, with an almost unnatural resilience. They had even made her legs ache from repeatedly kicking them.
Yet, these same enemies, a total of nine of them… had just vanished with a single swing, as if blown away by a gust of wind?
"S-so amazing…" Lost Mita hugged herself, a wave of heartfelt gratitude washing over her. She was just about to express her thanks.
However… her words caught in her throat as she saw the player glance down at her legs once more.
"My dear, how are you?" It wasn't until the long-haired Mita, still diligently guarding his back, asked the question that the player finally broke his somewhat embarrassing gaze.
"I'm fine," the player replied, his tone casual despite the recent display of incredible power.
The long-haired Mita and her player then turned their attention towards Lost Mita in unison.
And then, in a perfectly synchronized movement, they both extended a hand towards her.
The Mita's long hair shifted slightly in the non-existent breeze, her heroic posture reminiscent of a general about to lead their troops into battle. "Thank you! For guarding the door behind us. How about it? This Mita, would you be willing to fight alongside us?"
And her player offered a warm, reassuring smile, his energetic voice sounding as if he wasn't facing a dangerous battle but a victory already within his grasp.
"We will… obliterate those worms, leaving not a single piece behind!"
Lost Mita stared blankly at the two outstretched hands, simply held out in front of her eyes.
So cool… these two people!
"..."
She felt a sudden lump forming in her throat, a strange mix of relief and overwhelming emotion. The suffering she had endured earlier hadn't been in vain after all.
"Mm!" Lost Mita nodded emphatically, a newfound determination shining in her eyes.
Although many questions still swirled in her mind – where did these terrifying worms come from? Why were these two individuals so incredibly strong, and at the same time so perfectly in sync and so genuinely kind?
But for now, those questions didn't matter. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore.
Lost Mita reached out and took both of their hands simultaneously. The long-haired Mita and the player exchanged a knowing smile.
And with that simple gesture, the unlikely three-person worm-slaying alliance, or rather, antivirus alliance, was officially formed.
"Hiss…" Alain suddenly felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He turned his head to look at the two beside him.
"Did you guys just inadvertently set up some kind of terrible flag?" he asked, a hint of unease in his voice.
"Flag? I don't think so," his dear replied, ever the picture of calm reliability, shaking her head gently.
"Flag? What is that?" The temporary new member – the long-legged Mita – tilted her head in confusion, clearly not understanding the term.
"You don't understand? Never mind," Alain said with a sigh.
He and Misha exchanged a quick glance, each recognizing the unspoken thought in the other's eyes.
With the addition of their new ally, their goals had subtly shifted. They were no longer solely focused on finding the elusive door to Cappie's room. Now, their priority was clearing out this infestation of enemies.
If they allowed these grotesque worms to continue running rampant, the entire version of the game would undoubtedly collapse. By then, even if they did manage to find the hat, if the game world itself was damaged or even destroyed, it would be a far greater loss than any potential gain.
Alain, now standing in the middle of the newly formed trio, stepped forward, his voice filled with a newfound confidence, carrying the optimistic warmth of early spring.
"Then," he announced, his gaze sweeping over his companions, "we need to prepare ourselves… to be surrounded."
____
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