Although the process was not quite the same as the original plot, the outcome was nearly identical. The two giant stone statues hadn't been destroyed by Golzan; instead, Daigu had reclaimed them into the chat group.
After transforming into Ultraman Tiga, he went one against two and utterly crushed the pair of monsters.
His final move was executed with finesse—he only destroyed the monsters' heads with his light beam, then also collected their corpses into the group.
Just by securing two Ultraman statues and a pair of monster corpses, Daigu earned two hundred thousand points, instantly vaulting himself into the position of the chat group's wealthiest member.
And this wasn't a one-off deal. The Tiga world had no shortage of monsters.
Unfortunately, Daigu's luck wasn't so great. After spending half his points, he still hadn't managed to draw anything worthwhile.
Boil Daigu Into Soup: "I don't know why, but I've got this nagging feeling someone's talking about me."
Ordinary Group Leader: "You must be imagining things."
Ordinary Group Leader: "But honestly, things have been really boring lately. The chat group hasn't had any new members join."
Ordinary Group Leader: "It's been months over here already. Why hasn't the group invited anyone new?"
Child of Nature: "That kind of thing is random. Normally, the group leader is the first to know when a new member joins."
Ordinary Group Leader: "That'd be true if this were a normal chat group. But this one? It's anything but normal."
Ordinary Group Leader: "It's trash, I tell you!"
Most Evil Elf: "???"
Most Evil Elf: "Aren't you worried about being muted for saying that?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Please. You think I, Roxie Vale, would be scared of something like that?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "If it pulled in two new members right now, I'd call it 'dad,' never mind being muted."
Ding! Detecting fluctuation in fate.
Ding! New member [Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man] has joined the chat group!
Ordinary Group Leader: "???"
Richest Man: "Everyone, it's party time."
Richest Man: "Let's celebrate—our group leader just got a dad!"
Come Be My Son: "Though the leader refused to become my daughter, if the chat group itself wills it, this old man has no objections. Ku-la-la-la!"
Most Evil Elf: "Congratulations, congratulations."
Golden Spark: "Leader, you're just like me. The difference is, I'm about to become a dad, and you've just recognized one."
Undefeated East: "Pfft."
That's Just How It Is, Meow: "Hard to imagine, meow."
Ordinary Group Leader: "What the hell!"
Ordinary Group Leader: "This is targeted, isn't it? It has to be targeted at me!"
Ordinary Group Leader: "The second I opened my mouth, it dragged in a new member. And just one at that."
Ordinary Group Leader: "And you want me to believe that's a coincidence? No way!"
She had just said she'd call it "dad" if two newcomers were invited, and instantly, one appeared. If that wasn't the chat group deliberately responding to her words, she'd wash her hair standing on her head!
Ding! No violations detected. New member's entry was coincidence.
Ding! Group leader, please refrain from slander.
Ding! Detected leader's guaranteed statement. Please execute immediately. Principle of honesty must be upheld.
The mechanical voice of the chat group echoed in everyone's ears. But its content—
Ordinary Group Leader: "???"
Ordinary Group Leader: "You pull this and then demand I stay honest?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Couldn't you at least have brought in two more?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "I, Roxie Vale, am not someone who goes back on my word. But next time, make sure to invite two newbies, got it? Dad."
Child of Nature: "…"
Most Evil Elf: "Honestly, I thought this would end in a fight."
Boil Daigu Into Soup: "Same here. But I misjudged our leader."
Richest Man: "That 'dad' she just called was so natural, I've got nothing but respect. No wonder she's the group leader."
Lazy Sister Umaru: "To be precise, this chat group and its leader are basically the same personality type. Perfect compatibility."
Uchiha Dance King: "True enough."
Railgun: "Hold on—doesn't anyone care about the new guy's name?"
"Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man?"
What kind of ridiculous name was that? How could such a group nickname even exist?
Lazy Sister Umaru: "Actually, it's not that bad. Compared to my first name, 'Transform Anywhere, Anytime,' it's a huge improvement."
Railgun: "Can't argue with that."
Ordinary Group Leader: "You'd never guess it. Tons of anime are filled with iconic 'dutiful son and loving father' moments."
Ordinary Group Leader: "Like Taro and Taiga, Geed and Belial, or even Red Dad and Wataru. Impossible to pin it down."
Ordinary Group Leader: "@Child of Nature, could you guess it?"
Child of Nature: "Do you think I could? If I had to, Whitebeard would count as 'dutiful son and loving father' too."
Of course, Brandon White couldn't guess it either. There were far too many examples in anime of those kinds of father-son dynamics. How could he possibly know?
But that name… it did have some meaning hidden in it.
Come Be My Son: "???"
Come Be My Son: "Surprisingly… I can't refute it."
No matter which interpretation you chose, he fit neatly within the idea of "dutiful sons and loving fathers."
Whether it was Teach and his fatherly bonds, or Ace and the others' bond with him—
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "A chat group spanning across countless worlds?"
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "Hah. As if I'd ever believe such a thing."
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "And this name—what a wretched name!"
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "Seems I've slept too long. My mind must be hallucinating."
Most Evil Elf: "Not at all."
Most Evil Elf: "I don't know what world you're from, but if you don't believe it, you can check the memory archives in the group. Treat them like the history of other worlds."
Most Evil Elf: "If this were a hallucination, no one could invent so many different illusory worlds."
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "Most Evil Elf?"
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "To dare call yourself 'Most Evil'—interesting."
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "An elf? A race unknown to me."
Most Evil Elf: "Ara ara~ sounds like I'm being praised. But I'm not a natural-born elf. I was human once, transformed later."
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "A human?!"
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "Now I'm certain this isn't a hallucination."
Ordinary Group Leader: "Why?"
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "Because in my hallucinations, humans would never speak to me as equals."
Dutiful Sons and Loving Fathers Old Man: "They should be kneeling before me, addressing me with reverence."
Lazy Sister Umaru: "???"
Ordinary Group Leader: "???"
Railgun: "???"
Uchiha Dance King: "You've got guts to say that."
Uchiha Dance King: "Old man, do you also want to dance?"
Come Be My Son: "Ku-la-la-la! Quite the statement I just heard."
Come Be My Son: "I hope your strength lives up to your words."
(End of Chapter)