NoveLight ™
Suddenly, I became aware of my surroundings, still inside the capsule.
'...Did I fall asleep while playing?'
Beyond the semi-transparent glass, I could see the familiar ceiling. As I stared blankly at the darkened lights, memories from just before I fell asleep began to resurface.
I had managed to rank up to Platinum in the Duel mode. Then, a sleep warning appeared, and I logged out.
In the virtual reality world, I hadn't felt hunger or fatigue, but as soon as I returned to the real world, a wave of exhaustion hit me, and I ended up falling asleep inside the capsule.
This wasn’t an unusual occurrence for me. Falling asleep in my chair while playing PC games was almost a daily routine.
My body was far too accustomed to the battlefield. Despite being the cherished daughter of a duke, I had grown very accustomed to a rough life.
Part of it was due to my tough life before I became Laura Iris, and part of it was because, after becoming Laura Iris, I had been deeply involved in conquering dungeons and gates.
My physical abilities had also improved, influenced by the magic of dungeons and gates.
I’m currently stronger than most adult men, which is why I don’t engage in sports.
I could sleep on bare ground and even in a seated position. I never felt discomfort after waking up, and my average sleep time was about 2 to 4 hours.
I stepped out of the capsule.
'Should I start trying Gate Conquest Mode from today?'
That was the first thought that crossed my mind as soon as I woke up.
Since I had already ranked up to Platinum in Duel mode, I had a decent understanding of the characters. Now, I wanted to try the main content—the 6v6 battles.
However, I wasn’t entirely without concerns.
1v1 was relatively simple. The strategies revolved around farming, trying for the boss, or playing as an assassin.
But 6v6 would likely involve more diverse strategies, and the maps would be larger and more complex.
While I had a good grasp of the characters, I still lacked understanding of 6v6 gameplay.
I wanted to learn a bit about team play before diving into Gate Conquest Mode.
"...Leon isn’t here."
There was no sign of anyone in the house. It seemed Leon had gone out.
I had hoped to ask Leon about Gate Conquest Mode, but of course, he wasn’t around.
I glanced toward the computer, but naturally, no one was sitting in the chair. Leon had been editing videos there before I fell asleep.
Now, only the blinking light of the computer tower remained.
…Blinking?
"The computer’s still on?"
The monitor was black, probably in sleep mode. Did Leon leave without turning off the computer?
I sat down and turned on the monitor.
Would you like to save changes to Untitled?
Save / Don’t Save / Cancel
The screen displayed a notepad and an internet browser.
There wasn’t anything particularly unusual in the notepad. It was filled with entries like "File 1 - Dark Knight vs. Paladin Duel," "File 62 - Dark Knight vs. Assassin Duel." Leon had probably been organizing my replay records.
"And what’s this?"
I minimized the notepad that was covering the internet browser, and what was underneath came into view.
Inbox
[Re: Video Editing Completed - Thank you for the edited video. Please review the attached electronic contract….] [Nekozukarion is live: 【Labyrinthos】 Ranking Match Today!] [Nekozukarion is live: 【Labyrinthos】 I Won’t Sleep Until I Hit Gold!]
It was an email inbox.
It clearly wasn’t mine, so it had to be Leon’s.
It seemed Leon had finished editing the video and sent it to the company.
After sending it, he probably opened his email inbox to check for a reply, and then, before going out, he tried to shut down the computer but didn’t finish because the notepad file hadn’t been saved.
“That’s what happened.”
It was a common occurrence.
The mystery was solved.
Judging by the email, it seemed Leon had successfully gotten the job. Perhaps that was why he wasn’t home; he might be busy with his new job. If that were the case, Leon might come back quite late.
‘But still.’
A thought crossed my mind. Wasn’t everything happening a bit too quickly?
I could understand Leon finishing the video in less than a day. He probably made a short video, 1-2 minutes long, and sent it.
But for an electronic contract to arrive immediately after sending the video? That seemed a bit much. As Leon’s cousin, I started to worry if he had joined a shady company.
Then again, any further involvement would just be meddling.
Even though Leon’s mistake had allowed me to see this, continuing to look through someone else’s email wasn’t right. Leon was an adult and could handle his own affairs.
If I was really curious, I could always ask Leon directly later.
So, I decided to stop digging and clicked on the close button.
I was about to, anyway.
“Wait a minute….”
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
I typed ‘Labyrinthos’ into Leon’s email search bar.
Nekozukarion is live: 【Labyrinthos】 Ranking Match Today! Nekozukarion is live: 【Labyrinthos】 I Won’t Sleep Until I Hit Gold! Nekozukarion is live: 【Labyrinthos】 Promotion Match! Nekozukarion is live: 【Labyrinthos】 Demotion Match! Please Help! Nekozukarion is live: 【Labyrinthos】 The Nekomimi Princess Dominates the Gate!
Live stream notification emails.
The subject lines with '【Labyrinthos】' caught my eye.
“Right. Even if Leon isn’t here, I can learn from watching a streamer’s broadcast.”
Of course, I was thinking about Gate Conquest Mode.
Leon’s suspicious behavior? The game is more important than that.
Is gaming a joke? Gaming is life.
After all, we live in a video era.
People nowadays might have lower literacy skills but higher video literacy, right? I vaguely remembered hearing that it’s the age of learning through videos.
So, I opened one of the emails.
‘Judging by the flood of live stream notifications in Leon’s inbox, this must be a streamer Leon likes.’
From the word 'Gold' in the subject, it didn’t seem like they were particularly skilled. Maybe they relied more on their personality than their skill.
I would have preferred a stream from a skilled player for more information, but unfortunately, I wasn’t familiar with any streamers.
If I could just learn how 6v6 battles worked, that would be enough. Since I didn’t know any other streamers, I decided to trust Leon’s taste this time.
With that thought, I clicked the hyperlink.
[Nya-nya-nyan! Nekomimi princess from the cat planet, VTuber Nekozuka Leon here!] [Nyan~. I was supposed to be the queen ruling the cat planet, nyan! But I got bored, so I ran away to Earth, nyan!] [Nyan~? You want a cute pose, nyan? I can’t help it, nyan! Here’s a sexy pose from Leon-nyan!] [Fallen for me, nyan? Marriage is a no-go, nyan! Because Leon-nyan is everyone’s princess, nyan!]
“……”
…Cousin, is this really your taste?
Nyan! That… that… that assassin bastard, nyan! I got wrecked again, nyan! That disengage playstyle is so frustrating, nyan! Damn it, nyan!!
The stream by VTuber "Nekozuka Leon" was… surprisingly entertaining.
It was a bit chaotic and all over the place, but it had a certain charm that only chaos could bring. When something sucks, it’s still fun in its own way.
The skill level wasn’t anything special, though.
Still, I got a decent understanding of how Gate Conquest Mode worked.
[Welcome to the world of Labyrinthos.]
Having gathered all the information I needed, I immediately queued for Gate Conquest Mode.
Unlike Duel Mode, there was a ban-pick phase, and the result was this:
Allies: Dark Knight (me), Paladin, Dual Blades, Lancer, Archer, Saint Enemies: Heavy Armor Warrior, Martial Artist, Gunslinger, Necromancer, Mage, Bard
[Paladin: Damn, the Assassin got banned.] [Paladin: Dark Knight, can you go Disengage?]
After the ban-pick phase ended, the Paladin said that.
‘Disengage’ was a unique strategy in Gate Conquest Mode.
Out of the six-party members, five would stay with the main group, while one would disengage and play independently. In AOS terms, it was akin to being a jungler.
The player who disengages typically takes on the role of harassing the enemy team.
While the disengaged player distracts the enemy, the main group focuses on taking down the dungeon boss—something I learned from "Nekozuka Leon's" stream.
“Yes, I have no problem with that.”
In fact, this was somewhat what I wanted.
Given the Dark Knight’s skill set, it was suited to drawn-out, muddy battles. So I thought it was well-equipped for disengage play.
Moreover, since I’d only been playing Duel Mode, I wasn’t yet accustomed to working with other party members. For now, disengaging seemed like the better option.
With those thoughts, the ban-pick phase ended, and the environment around me changed.
Cold air brushed against my cheeks.
The ground and surroundings were filled with icicles.
Unlike in Duel Mode, where the map is fixed, Gate Conquest Mode features a randomly selected map for each match.
[Game has been matched: Ice Cave Map]
**[Fulfill one of the following victory conditions:
The victory conditions were slightly different as well. Unlike in Duel Mode, where defeating one opponent meant victory, this 6v6 battle required a total wipeout.
After confirming the differences, I looked around.
The ally team members were standing around, looking a bit dazed, probably because the loading had just finished.
[Paladin: Dark Knight, we’re heading right. Please take the left.] [Me: Understood.]
I nodded at the Paladin’s instructions.
Then, as usual, I took off my armor.
[Paladin: …Dark Knight?] [Me: I’ll get going then.]
I immediately separated from the party.
As the distance grew, I heard a faint voice from afar.
“...Is this guy trolling?”
"This person… isn’t this the smurf that was posted on the forums?"
The VTuber playing as a Necromancer, "Captain of the Special Company of the 999th Division," Choi Chang-young, said as he glanced at the chat window.