— — — — — —
Deep within the great forest.
"Let's see what new ingredients I got this time." After taking down a few monsters, Shion cheerfully opened her inventory.
"Mm, mhm… oh! Bear paw! Perfect for a nice… steamed bear paw dish! That's gonna be delicious. When I find Rimuru-Sama later, I'll definitely make him try it."
"This game really is pretty fun." Grinning, Shion pulled out the ingredients she liked and activated her special skill, Universal Chef. With it, she could cook any monster drop into a dish—each one giving unique effects.
Her skill was unlike anyone else's. Instead of fixed combat power, she had ten empty slots that could instantly store and trigger whatever dish she made into a move.
Just earlier, she'd whipped up a move: Blackfish Sacred Sword.
Blackfish Sacred Sword: once just an ordinary fish fried pitch black, now hardened beyond belief. When swung like a blade, it unleashed an indestructible sword wave that tore through enemies.
...
Far off in the forest, Rimuru suddenly shivered mid-battle.
"Achoo! Huh…? Why do I feel like something scary is headed my way?" He had the creeping sense someone was plotting against him.
...
"Didn't think I'd run into Miss Shion here."
Just as Shion was deciding what dish Rimuru might enjoy, a voice came from the shadows.
"Who's there?"She instantly drew her blade, ready for a fight.
"No need to be so tense. I, Otto, am no villain." A slim figure stepped out from the trees.
"…What?" Hearing the self-introduction, Shion felt her brain short-circuit.
The girl before her was golden-haired, with angelic features, porcelain skin that glowed faintly, and bright emerald eyes smiling right at her.
"You actually drank that bottle?!" Shion gawked, horrified. Just how obsessed was this guy with Kallen to go this far?
"I should thank Mr. Roger for this. Gave me a whole new life experience—and honestly? Not bad at all. Plus, Kallen… she really did start treating me a little better." Otto admired his delicate, soft hands, looking positively pleased with himself, completely ignoring Shion's shock.
"Uh… well, as long as you're happy…" Shion stared, having zero intention to fight—if anything, she wanted to bolt.
"Running won't work, Miss Shion." Otto noticed her careful steps back. Floating in his hand appeared the Void Archives, summoning dozens of blazing Judgment of Shamash, each one locked on her.
"…Guess I don't have a choice." Shion sighed. The last thing she wanted was to throw down with this lunatic.
"Shamash Assault!"
"Stubborn Cake!"
The moment the flaming bullets fired, a massive phantom cake materialized around Shion, shielding her completely without even a scratch.
"Hm? That skill's interesting." Otto narrowed his eyes.
"Don't get cocky! Blackfish Sacred Sword!" A black, fish-shaped blade appeared in Shion's grip. She slashed forward, releasing a massive dark sword wave straight at Otto.
"Defensive Construct."
An energy shield flared, blocking the attack—but even then, Otto was blasted backward, skidding dozens of meters before regaining balance.
"Rainbow Juice!"
Before he could recover, Shion hurled a tiny vial filled with something strange. It shattered at Otto's feet.
"…What is this stench?!" A wave of noxious, deathly-smelling gas spilled out. Otto's face went pale instantly, stumbling back in a panic.
"Later!" Without waiting another second, Shion turned and bolted.
"…So this is the pinnacle of culinary arts? Killing through cooking…" Otto's nose was practically ruined. The stench was indescribable—only those who lived through it would ever understand.
He glanced around. The surrounding monsters had already collapsed foaming at the mouth, while the grass itself was withering in wide patches.
After a long silence, Otto turned away, deliberately walking in the opposite direction from Shion.
No way was he chasing after someone who weaponized that. Besides, he had no time for distractions—being with Kallen mattered more to him than anything.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, the Hogwarts team was crouched in the grass, plotting something outrageous.
"Professor… are we sure this isn't, you know, a bit inhumane?" Hermione whispered nervously to Dumbledore.
"Oh, come on, child. You've been in the Guild this long and still don't know the rules?" Dumbledore teased, eyes twinkling.
"…What rules?" Hermione asked, genuinely lost—good little student that she was.
"When it comes to events like this, the only thing that matters is winning. Everything else—ethics included—can be tossed aside." Dumbledore said it with absolute conviction.
Snape: "..."
Hermione: "..."
McGonagall: "..."
All three thought the same thing: 'You crafty old man, you're rotten to the core.'
"Ahem. Anyway, let's stick to the plan." Dumbledore's face flushed slightly under their stares. "It's for the greater good."
"First, Hermione will lure the targets over. Then the three of us strike together. None of them will leave alive." A sinister smile spread across his face.
"Forming an illegal gank squad… this feels wrong." Hermione rubbed her temples but obediently stepped out, putting herself in plain sight as bait.
"Well, well, what do we have here? A helpless little girl all alone." It didn't take long before their first victim walked right into the trap.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Incendio!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
The poor fool never stood a chance.
And so, with their fishing scheme in full swing, the Hogwarts Four eliminated one overconfident player after another, stacking up gold and skyrocketing their combat power.
At first, a few of them felt uneasy about the tactic—but soon they realized how absurdly effective it was. They went all in. Even Hermione's acting got better and better, her pitiful performance luring enemies straight to their doom before sending them off with a one-way ticket home.
.
.
.