Songs in the Void

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.

"Damn, the last month and a half has been a real piece of work." Tatsuo muttered to himself after coming out of the shower while drying his hair. "It actually took a whole twenty days to get the last piece of the [Wraith Queen Set]. *Sigh* At least I was able to get all the [Soul Tempering Elixirs. I helped a lot of people get past the 10th Floor, too."

As Tatsuo was muttering to himself, he could not help but remember what he had been through for the last forty-five days. Over that time, Tatsuo had a pretty fixed schedule. First, he would get up, challenge the [Wraith Queen] three times, and spend the rest of the day hunting ratmen on the eleventh Floor to raise the money for the [Floor Master Battle Vouchers].

After gaining the money he needed for the [Floor Master Battle Vouchers, Tatsuo would leave the Dungeon and get some rest, practice his weapon and martial arts skills, or circulate his [Energy] through his heart for a few hours.

There were also days when Sumire would come over to spar and work on her spear and shield technique. And more often than not, she would stay to listen to Tatsuo play the piano or just hang out and talk over a meal.

The strange thing about all the meals they had at that time was the fact that Sumire cooked them all. Even though she was a guest in Tatsuo's home. But considering the difference in ttheir cooking skills, it made sense.

But earlier in the day, Tatsuo finally got the last part of the [Wraith Queen Set]. So, he took the rest of the day off to relax.

"Alright, tomorrow I'm gonna start working on integrating the [Wraith Queen Set into the modified [Orc Lord Set]." Tatsuo murmured to himself as he pulled the towel from his head. Then, after hanging his towel on the hook on the bathroom door, he walked over to his piano and sat on the piano bench. "For now, I'm just gonna take it easy for a day or so."

{BGM: "Stay (Piano Arrangement)" – The Theorist}

'Collecting all the [Soul Tempering Elixirs] raised my Magic and Charm stats by 10 each.' Tatsuo thought to himself while his fingers danced across the piano keys. On top of that, circulating my [Energy] raised it by another 10. So, now its sitting at 95. Plus the strain put on my body from circulating my [Energy] has made my other stats rise by a few points, too.'

As the melodious notes filled the room, Tatsuo continued thinking about the gains he had during the time he was grinding the Wraith Queen raid. On top of what he previously mentioned in his thoughts, almost all of his skills increased by a level or two, as well.

'*Sigh* I really miss Mom, Kasumi-Neesan, and Mai-Nee.' Tatsuo thought to himself as he began subconsciously feeding his emotions through his [Energy] into the piano.

Though no one was there to experience the difference, if there were someone there, they would find themselves getting sad just from hearing the song Tatsuo was playing, despite the fact that it was rather upbeat.

*Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!*

The sound of Tatsuo's smartphone notifying him that he had a new notification pulled him out of his lonely state of mind. At the same time, Tatsuo's fingers stopped as he looked over to see if he had gotten an alert from the [System] or a text message.

"Oh, it's Sumire-San." Tatsuo said as he picked up his smartphone.

Over the last month and a half, Tatsuo and Sumire also got used to calling each other by their given names. As a result, their relationship has gotten much closer, as well.

Minami Sumire: Are you busy?

Minami Sumire: I'm bored at home alone and wanted to hang out.

Soramoto Tatsuo: No, I'm not busy.

Soramoto Tatsuo: You can come over if you want. But I'm feeling a little tired, so we can just hang out today.

Minami Sumire: You're feeling tired? Are you okay?

Minami Sumire: Should I bring you some medicine?

Soramoto Tatsuo: No, I just didn't sleep well last night. I promise, there's nothing to worry about.

Minami Sumire: If you say so… Okay, I'll be over in about half an hour.

Minami Sumire: Is that okay?

Soramoto Tatsuo: Sure. I'll be waiting.

Putting down his smartphone after sending the last message, Tatsuo smiled. Then, he stood up and walked towards his closet. Although he was already dressed, the clothes he was wearing was not appropriate to meet guests in.

A few minutes later, Tatsuo walked out of his closet wearing a black t-shirt and white shorts. Then, he sat in front of his gaming/computer desk while looking at his smartphone.

"Wow… It's already time for schools in Korea to open up again." Tatsuo muttered to himself. "if that's the case, Kang Shin should be close to reaching the 20th Floor. But then He'll head back down to the 15th Floor to grind the Dark Ratman. Hmm… I might be able to meet him soon."

After taking a look at the date, Tatsuo then thought about what he had to do once schools started up in Japan again, as well. Because he realized that he was registered as a first-year high school student.

"Damn, I'm really not trying to have to start my first year of high school twice." Tatsuo muttered to himself as he slumped dejectedly. "Then, again, I could just not go… and become a hikikomori…"

Just the thought of doing that made Tatsuo shudder. And it was the memory of his parents in this life that made him feel like that. Although they were not truly his memories, he felt that he would disappoint his parents in this world if they knew he did not attend high school. Still, he had to figure out a way to get out of going. He was only here to finish the mission, after all.

"Argh! Whatever!" Tatsuo shouted in annoyance after spending a while thinking of what he could do to avoid going to school. "If I gotta go, I'll just go."

At the same time, Tatsuo's smartphone began beeping, letting him know that Sumire had arrived. So, like always, he went down to the lobby to get her. Then, because they had agreed they would not be sparring today, they came up to the penthouse and ate together before watching a movie in Tatsuo's room.

By the end of the movie, Tatsuo, who was exhausted from grinding the Wraith Queen and fighting in the dDngeon for over a month, fell asleep and end up resting his head on Sumire's shoulder. Naturally, this caused Sumire to be flustered. However, she refrained from waking him up, and ended up staying like that until Tatsuo woke up on his own.

"Huh?" Did I fall asleep?" Tatsuo asked as he sat up and try to shake the grogginess out of his head.

"Yes, you've been asleep for quite a while." Sumire said without looking at Tatsuo while was blushing fiercely. "You really must have been tired."

"*Yawn~~~~* Yeah, I really was." Tatsuo replied absent mindedly. A moment later, however, he realized that Sumire was still sitting next to him. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. I can't believe I fell asleep. And I slept on your shoulder, didn't I? Is your arm feeling alright?"

Hearing Tatsuo's panicked tone, Sumire turned her head in his direction. However, when she saw his genuinely apologetic expression, she could not help but smile at him. Then, she subconsciously placed her hand on top of his, in an attempt to calm him down.

"It's okay, I'm fine." Sumire said with a smile, though her cheeks were still dusted with a hint of red. "I actually considered letting you lay your head on my lap. But because of all the training, my thighs probably aren't all that soft. So, I didn't…"

Hearing that, Tatsuo looked completely dumbfounded. And after Sumire realized what she said, her blush reached all the way to the tips of her ears and down her neck.

"A-A-Anyway, it's pretty late now." Sumire said in a flustered tone. "S-S-So, I really should get home now. I'll see you l-l-later, Tatsuo-Kun."

With that, Sumire quickly stood up. Then, at a speed no regular person would ever be able to reach, she bolted out of the room, down the hall, and pressed the button for the elevator. Meanwhile, Tatsuo was completely dumbfounded. And had Sumire been paying attention, she would have realized that Tatsuo was blushing, as well.

Eventually, Tatsuo came to his senses. Then, he got up and made his way to the elevator. However, when he arrived, Sumire was already gone.

"I guess it's gonna be awkward the next time I see her." Tatsuo muttered to himself before turning around and returning to his bedroom. "Well, I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it."

Upon reaching his bedroom, Tatsuo knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. So, he took out the [Wraith Queen Set], the modified [Orc Lord set], and his crafting tools. Then, he started dismantling them in order to try and combine them. That way, he would not only be able to use [Orc Lord's War Cry], but [Vengeful Spirit's Wail], as well.

"For some reason, I feel like this is gonna be a waste of time." Tatsuo muttered to himself while working. "I mean, I'll have to do this again when I get the [[Dark Ratman Set], too. And I doubt I'll be able to wear all that gear as one set anyway."

With that thought spoken aloud, Tatsuo considered stopping his work. Though he had already dismantled part of the [Wraith Queen Set], the [Orc Lord Set] was completely untouched. With that said, he shook off the thought and continued to work until he was too tired to continue. Then, he went to sleep once again.

Meanwhile, Sumire was back at her home, which was in another building behind the shrine she inherited from her father. More specifically, she was in her bedroom, tucked under the covers on her bed, and still blushing furiously.

"Oh my God!" Sumire exclaimed in a high pitch that was muffled by the pillow she pressed over her head. "I can't believe I said that to Tatsuo-Kun. What if he misunderstands? He's gonna think I have a cr-cr-crush on him."

After reaching that point, Sumire's body froze. Then, she came toa realization.

"Would he really be misunderstanding me, though?" Sumire asked herself in an embarrassed tone. "I've never had a crush before, so I'm not sure what this feeling his exactly. But I think I really do have a crush on him."

After speaking out her thoughts, Sumire once again froze momentarily. However, this stunned state did not last for long, as she began rolling back and forth on her bed, making the bedding messy as she did so.

"How can I have a crush on him?" Sumire asked herself in a frantic tone. "He's only fifteen. He would have just started high school this year if Two Moon never happened. And what about me? I graduated from high school in March. It's like I'm robbing the cradle."

As Sumire's thoughts continued to spiral out of control, she was unable to fall asleep. Instead, the more she laid in bed, the more she thought about it. So, she decided to do something different. Then, after a few minutes, she entered the Dungeon so that the continuous battle with monsters would take her mind off of her ambiguous relationship with a boy three years younger than her.

And because of her tangled thoughts, Sumire would end up staying in the Dungeon for the next week. Then, she would take a few more days after that before the next time she contacted Tatsuo.

ICDS Universe, 1st Dungeon, 11th Floor.

The next day, around ten in the morning, Tatsuo woke up. Then, he equipped his modified [Orc Lord Set] and headed into the Dungeon. After that, he headed straight onto the 11th Floor where he would be facing the humanoid rats known as ratmen. However, this time he decided he would be doing things a little different than usual.

With his two pistols holstered on his thighs, Tatsuo crept through the corridor of the 11th Floor in [Stealth]. And just as he expected, when he finally ran into a ratman, it was not alone. Instead, it was in a group of five, scurrying back and forth through the corridor.

"Well, here we go." Tatsuo said as he unholstered his pair of Walther PDP pistols and took aim. However, he did not shot immediately. Instead, he focused on circulating his [Energy] to every part of the guns in his hands. And that included the ammunition in the magazines.

Finally, when he felt that everything was perfect, he squeezed the triggers.

*Bang!* *Bang!*

In the next instant, Tatsuo's [Stealth] was broken and the muzzle flashes momentarily brightened the corridor. At the same time, two of the ratmen in the distance fell with blood leaking from holes in their heads. Despite that, they were not dead, as Tatsuo could see them trying to stand up, albeit quite slowly.

The other three ratmen, on the other hand, squeaked angrily as they rushed towards Tatsuo.

"Kill human!" A ratman shouted.

"Eat human!" The second ratman shouted.

"This human look disgusting!" The third ratman shouted. "Not want to eat!"

"Don't worry, you'll never get the chance to anyway." Tatsuo muttered as he dashed to the side.

Naturally, when Tatsuo started running, the ratmen changed their direction as well. And Tatsuo eventually reached the corridors wall. Seeing that, the ratmen's eyes lit up. Then, they split up and tried to cut off Tatsuo's possible escape routes. Even so, Tatsuo continued to shoot.

And when Tatsuo ran out of ammo, the ratmen finally launched their attack. By now, even though they were seriously injured, the other two ratmen, who had been shot at the beginning of this confrontation, were back on their feet, as well. And they had also joined the encirclement.

Despite being surrounded, Tatsuo smiled daringly. Then, without giving any indication, he shifted his empty magazines into his [Inventory] and replaced them with fully loaded ones. However, because he was holding a pistol in each hand, he could not pull the slide to chamber the first bullet in each pistol. So, he once again pulled the triggers to do so.

*Click!* *Click!*

After hearing the clicks and seeing that there were no projectiles flying at them, the ratmen pushed away their cautions and charged towards Tatsuo. And just as they were reaching the optimum striking range, Tatsuo leapt high into the air, twisted his body, and kicked off the wall. Then, while somersaulting over the ratmen, he began firing once again. And by the time he landed, he had managed to kill three of the five ratmen.

Despite seeing the death of their comrades, the two remaining ratmen, the two who were ambushed a moment ago, were already dashing towards Tatsuo's landing point. And they swung their claws at him just as his feet touched the floor.

Even so, the ratmen only slashed the air.

*Bang!* *Bang!*

In the next instant, after [Blinking] away from the ratmen, who were thoroughly confused by their prey who disappeared, Tatsuo once again pulled the triggers of his pistols, dropping the ratmen for good.

{ Mid-Ranked Marksman Technique has Level up and been mastered.}

{Mid-Ranked Marksmanship Technique has evolved to High-Rank Marksmanship Technique: Lv. 1.}

{High-Rank Marksmanship Technique

-Lv. 1

-You have mastery over all firearms.

-Every bullet fired is subconsciously coated with your mana, making them more deadly.

-The chance of hitting a vital spot, resulting in a critical hit, is increased.}

"Finally, I got Firearms Mastery to High-Rank." Tatsuo said as he read the Notifications. And now that I can subconsciously use [energy] with every shot fired, it should have gone up to D- in the [System Status], as well."

And just as Tatsuo expected, when he checked his [System Status] [Firearms Mastery] had gone up in rank. So, with a feeling of accomplishment, Tatsuo dashed forward to continue exploring the 11th Floor.