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Shinomiya Kaguya looked at Kisaragi Rin, trying to find a flaw in him.
Then, he saw Kisaragi Rin stuff the unfinished potato chips for Saber, which Yukinoshita Yukino was holding, into Gilgamesh's mouth.
"Thank you." Gilgamesh just took them and said thanks, her pupils immediately constricted.
Dead hand, why did you take them!
I am the future king, how can I eat leftovers!
"By the way, what Skill did you use on her to make Gilgamesh look like this?"
Kisaragi Rin watched Gilgamesh fall into a dilemma with interest, and asked Shinomiya Kaguya.
"A transformation-type Skill Special Effects that can return to the past or go to the future."
Thinking that Kisaragi Rin wouldn't understand the Skill name, Shinomiya Kaguya directly introduced its function.
"Is there a time limit for the transformation?"
Kisaragi Rin asked.
Just hearing Shinomiya Kaguya say that, he really wanted this Skill.
"If I were to use it, it would indeed consume a lot of mental power, but looking at Gilgamesh's current situation, after the transformation, no additional magic power is needed to maintain it."
This answer raised another question for Kisaragi Rin.
"Then why is Gilgamesh still in this state? Um... I mean, when Gilgamesh broke free by returning to the past, why didn't she immediately change back, or even go to the future?"
"This..." Shinomiya Kaguya looked at Gilgamesh; in fact, she also really wanted to know why.
It couldn't be that Gilgamesh was so traumatized that she didn't want to fight anymore and just sent out a loli Gilgamesh to play, right?
Being stared at by several Masters, Gilgamesh's face suddenly showed a hint of embarrassment, and she said sheepishly: "When my future self used that Ability, I did intend to immediately return to my original state after transforming into myself and breaking free, and even transform into my future state at a certain moment to gain higher bonuses..."
"But..."
Gilgamesh looked at her former Master, Shinomiya Kaguya, apologetically, and continued: "When I appeared, I thought I could win, and there was no need to change back. Then, I was instantly killed, heh."
Gilgamesh and loli Gilgamesh's personalities and thoughts are completely different. Gilgamesh's idea was good, but she forgot to account for her childhood rebellious period... Shinomiya Kaguya didn't want to speak, only showing a pure smile to this Gilgamesh.
And Kisaragi Rin just wanted to say, well done.
Compared to Gilgamesh, who constantly called people 'mongrels', this silly younger version was more endearing.
If it were the former, let alone communicating, she might have lost her mind in anger upon discovering that someone had forcibly swapped her Master during a Time Stop.
Looking at the slightly relaxed Shinomiya Kaguya, Kisaragi Rin sighed, and still asked: "So, Shinomiya, what exactly do you want?"
Returning to this topic, the air fell silent for a moment.
Shinomiya Kaguya pondered how she should speak, and after a while, she threw a question at Kisaragi Rin.
"Have you ever thought about what the future of us Players will be?"
"Future?"
Kisaragi Rin retorted.
The definition of future is too broad, which kind of future was Shinomiya Kaguya referring to?
Shinomiya Kaguya stretched out her left hand and displayed it in front of Kisaragi Rin; all three Command Seals were already exhausted. What she wanted to show was the paradise bracelet.
Every Player has one, but only they themselves can observe their paradise bracelet.
Shinomiya Kaguya said:
"We either actively or passively become Players, joining the paradise, and every once in a while, we have to participate in a so-called Evolution game."
"During this process, the great power that changes the world continuously gathers, but the risks are also constantly deepening."
"The higher the Player's level, the higher the demands of the world, mission mode, and the paradise."
"Every time you participate in a game, the calculation for when the next game will arrive begins."
"Every time you enter a world, you start to determine what extent you can achieve in that world."
"This is a race. If a Player's strength increases slower than the paradise's difficulty, they will only sink into the mud in a low-score rhythm, until they die in some unknown corner."
Hearing this, Yukinoshita Yukino, not knowing what she remembered, unconsciously clenched her fingers.
Shinomiya Kaguya noticed this and gave her more consideration in her heart.
"If that were the only problem, it would be fine, but the real key lies in aptitude. Some Players, or rather, many Players, will find that they have limits once they reach a certain level. At that time, even if their strength can keep up with the paradise's pace, they wouldn't dare to casually strengthen themselves. Seven-tenths of their gains would have to be used to avoid their own Loss of Control."
Shinomiya Kaguya looked at her Player Proof and asked Kisaragi Rin: "Given this situation, every Player is a pitiful worm constantly facing death, possessing great power yet unable to live even a hundred years like ordinary people."
"But, will S-rank have a solution?"
Kisaragi Rin asked.
The wrist is the coercion of the paradise; without continued Evolution, it's difficult to cope with higher game difficulties, yet the body clearly tells you that you have reached your limit.
Kisaragi Rin had certainly thought about such contradictions, but he didn't have such worries. If the Players around him wanted to, they could also use the Workshop to "defy fate."
But how could a proper Player in the Main World accept such a fate!
Even mortals cannot accept destiny, let alone Players who seize power from the paradise.
"Yes, S-rank."
Shinomiya Kaguya took a deep look at Kisaragi Rin, unable to understand how he had achieved this step.
"Your current authority is A, so you must have seen the black letter that can invite others to become Players."
"B-rank can issue one black letter per year, A-rank three per year, and S-rank five per year."
"And when you reach S-rank, in addition to the black invitation letter, you will gain another authority."
"That is the white letter."
Shinomiya Kaguya said word by word: "Its function is... to allow Players to exit the paradise."
The air was a bit quiet. After a long while, Kisaragi Rin joked: "It sounds like a product created by the paradise to ease the conflict between itself and Players."
"...Perhaps there is indeed such a consideration. If there's a way to leave, the number of Players wanting to destroy the paradise would obviously decrease significantly."
Feeling a bit tired, Shinomiya Kaguya wanted to rub her cheeks.
"If a Player exits the paradise, will the power they gained from this place be taken back?"
Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly asked.
The person who responded to her was Hayasaka Ai, "No, except for the Player Panel and the paradise bracelet disappearing, everything you gained will remain."
"Then that's really interesting."
Kisaragi Rin said with interest.
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