Chapter 57

The third artificial planet (space colony): "Oceanos."

It's an "ocean colony," with 81% of its surface covered by water. Even Earth, known as the water planet, has only 71% of its surface as ocean. From space, the blueness of this colony surpasses even that of Earth.

The entire colony is a tropical zone, where it's always summer. It's full of jungles and mountains, and it's said that its environmental model is based on the real-world country of Thailand.

There are three major cities including the capital, twelve mid-sized cities, and fifty-eight small cities. A total of 4.73 million Space Girls and humanoids live here—2.84 million players and 1.89 million NPCs.

It's a colony rich in resources, producing minerals and marine materials. Since Space Girls' bodies aren't particularly affected by heat, the colony is popular, and its population is the second largest among the five colonies. With no restrictions on nationality, people of all races from around the world gather here—it's a free and diverse colony.

One of Oceanos's mid-sized cities is "Jolly Roger"—a town where roughnecks gather. In a shabby bar called "Bad Joke," there sat a Space Girl with dead eyes.

"Ahhh... I'm done with this crap. Seriously, I'm done."

Her name was Ivan. With unkempt white hair in a ponytail, wearing a sand-colored coat and hot pants, she looked like she hadn't showered in days. She was a humble transporter.

"Oh my~? What's wrong, Iv-chan? Another job gone bad?"

When the bar's owner asked, Ivan lifted her dead-fish-like eyes and replied,

"Same damn bandits again. What the hell do they have against me?"

"Oh dear. Maybe it's time you tried a different job~? We're hiring, you know~?"

"You want me to wear revealing outfits like that? Who'd want that? I'm short, flat-chested, and have a nasty glare. I hate to say it, but if I brought food to your table, it'd probably ruin your appetite."

With a husky voice, Ivan declared this while shaking her mug from side to side.

Indeed, Ivan lacked what people usually call femininity. She looked boyish, her voice was androgynous, and her attitude was rough. But since this world only has women, if she served customers with her natural personality, she might attract a certain kind of fan.

"You're the one who made your character like that~"

"If you make your avatar too different from your real self, it just feels empty. Besides, even if I were a breathtaking beauty—like Cleopatra—I still wouldn't work in a bar. I came to this world to grip the wheel. I'd rather quit the game than quit this job."

Ivan chugged the drink she was handed. It tasted like alcohol, though in-game it was supposedly called "gasoline."

"You bastard! Iwan!!"

A dark-skinned Space Girl stormed toward Ivan with a furious expression.

"It's Ivan, not Iwan. Watch your pronunciation."

"Whatever! When the hell are you delivering that Twin Legs I ordered!?"

"Ahh, that... it kinda just turned into desert dust a little while ago... or maybe got pecked apart by some crow or something..."

"Wha—!? You've gotta be kidding me! I only hired you because you're cheap, but never again! I'm reporting you to the military! And I'm getting my compensation too!"

The dark-skinned Space Girl stomped out of the bar.

"If you screw up any more jobs, it's gonna be bad~ You'll get classed as a 'Criminal,' you know~"

"I know. I'm already on thin ice."

"You finally won that ultra-rare mining rights lottery, and now it's all going up in smoke~"

"Tell me about it. But all I've got is the wheel. I can't back down now."

Ivan lit a cigarette and held it in her mouth.

"At this point, I've got no choice but to hire a bodyguard..."

"A bodyguard, huh~? But you don't have the money to hire more than one, right?"

"Yeah. Just one. I'll hire one skilled person."

Ivan turned her gaze to the thick TV sitting on the liquor shelf. It was showing footage from a certain Rank Match.

"Hey Master, when's that from?"

"Oh~ That was from the recent C-rank Rank Match~"

"Why the hell are you showing a C-rank match? That's weak sauce. Show the A-rank stuff, A-rank!"

"But this match had Sheena-chan and Tsubasa-chan, formerly of Yggdrasil~"

"For real? Then that might actually be worth watching."

As Ivan watched the footage of the Rank Match, a particular girl caught her eye.

"Hey, who's this one?"

"Who?"

"This sniper! She just disarmed Tsubasa!"

"Oh wow~ A dark horse, huh~"

Ivan's outburst drew the attention of others in the bar, who began glancing at the TV. Those glances turned into stares, and soon the customers rushed from the tables to the counter, eyes glued to the screen.

"Oh my, look at this girl—she just turned a 1-vs-12 around!"

"She's already racked up over ten solo kills...! Is she really going to take down Tsubasa too!?"

Ivan's hunch turned out to be right.

The final showdown: a one-on-one battle. The battlefield blazed, the bar erupted in excitement. In a fierce clash, the nameless sniper finally defeated the ironclad Tsubasa. A roar of "Woooooaaaaaahhhhhh——!!!" erupted in the bar.

"Player name: Shiki. No good~. I looked her up, but there's no info."

"Huh? I saw this girl in town."

A newly arrived customer, a Space Girl with a shaved undercut, spoke up.

"Seriously!? Do you know where she went!?"

"Hmm, she headed toward the Ruined District."

"Alright! Master, here's the money!"

Ivan paid her tab and stepped outside—in search of a bodyguard: the nameless sniper.

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