Chapter 31

    Events on the Maldives Islands

    "Möbius, we’ve arrived. Wake up." 

    A sweet voice echoed in his ear, accompanied by a gentle shake that finally brought Möbius back to consciousness.

    "...Good morning, Miho." 

    Möbius saw the fox girl lying beside him on the bed, with Inari and Leia there as well. As memories of what happened before he passed out came rushing back, he immediately glanced at the fox girl next to him. Luckily, she had already changed into a short kimono, preventing him from fainting again.

    “So, Möbius, have you decided who you like more? Miho or Inari?” 

    Inari, lying on his other side, asked with a mischievous look. Her kimono appeared more disheveled than usual, as if to aid Möbius in making his decision.

    “Like what?” Leia, who had recovered from her seasickness, peeked out from under Gumiho’s blanket.

    “Mom’s probably referring to breasts. Möbius saw hers first, and now he’s seen mine.”

    Gumiho answered Leia’s question. Upon hearing this, Leia began emitting an ominous aura. Of course, her target was the young man whose luck had almost run out.

    “It was an accident, really, young miss. And at the time, Miho was wearing a swimsuit too,” Möbius quickly defended himself.

    “So, you did see it, didn’t you?” Leia caught on to his slip of the tongue, leaving Möbius blinking helplessly.

    “Leia, you can join the contest if you want. After all, it’s about Möbius’s preferences, not about size or feel.”

    Inari playfully added fuel to the fire.

    “Fine then. After Möbius sees all of us in swimsuits, he’ll have to decide who he likes best,” 

    Leia accepted the fox mother’s challenge immediately, confident in both her cuteness and figure.

    “Once that’s settled, let’s go buy some swimsuits. I heard from the shopkeeper on the boat that there’s a huge selection on the island,” 

    Gumiho suggested, inviting the two other girls to check out the shops on the island they had just arrived at. As for Möbius, he quietly made the bed and followed them, making sure he still had enough red energy-booster potion left.

    “Wow, it’s so beautiful.” 

    Even Leia, usually as cold as ice, couldn’t help but melt at the breathtaking beauty of the Maldives Islands. All her earlier frustration disappeared completely as she ran along the wooden pier that stretched out over the clear blue sea. Below, the sea was teeming with vibrant shallow-water corals, surrounded by a variety of small, colorful fish joyfully swimming around.

    “Look over there.” 

    An equally excited Gumiho pointed toward the main island, where a large, single-story cottage perfectly blended with the surroundings. It was surrounded by wooden bridges stretching out like spider webs into the sea, with rooms situated between the gaps, creating a harmonious connection between humans and nature.

    Not long after, everyone arrived at the large cottage. Möbius saw that Tepan and his group were already lounging there. A staff member approached to give them some information about the island.

    "Hello, welcome to the Maldives Islands. The system isn't fully operational yet, so if you encounter any issues, please let us know. However, the shops, restaurants, and other amenities are all ready for you. Enjoy your stay." 

    What the staff member said made Möbius realize that they were like test subjects, being allowed to visit the new map before anyone else.

    “Hello, Mr. Möbius. You're awake?” 

    Teppanyaki greeted him, while Möbius glanced at Shabu-Shabu, who turned to smile at him as usual. She was relieved that Möbius had been honest with her, which in turn made him feel more at ease.

    "Go wherever you want, Möbius. We’re going to buy swimsuits first." 

    Leia, remembering she was still mad at Möbius, invited Gumiho and Inari to check out the in-game store, and Tempura and Shabu-Shabu decided to tag along as well.

    "Wow, it's rare to see Möbius left alone." 

    Kujikatsu, in a cheerful mood, teased Möbius, clearly enjoying the sight of him being ditched by the girls.

    “Let’s head to the beach,” 

    Sashimi suggested, inviting the guys to the famous beach of the Maldives.

    By now, all four of them had changed into swimwear and left their bags in the room, except for Möbius, who carried his guitar case. After seeing the prices of drinks and food the system displayed, he suspected that the lack of a return schedule was intended to make them spend more money on the island. The rewards they won from activities were probably meant to be spent here.

    Luckily, his bag was packed with snacks, and he even had some cold drinks. Despite the situation, Möbius found himself wanting to stay here for a while. The guys gathered on the beach, where rows of beach chairs awaited them. Möbius let Black Lightning out to stretch and run around.

    [Oh, Maldives are really beautiful. The breeze and sunshine, thank you so much, Mr. Möbius, for bringing me here, and where are the pretty girls? I want them to sit on me in their swimsuits!] Black Lightning joyfully exclaimed.

    “Umm, they’ll be here soon. Go have fun for now.” 

    Möbius told Black Lightning, who immediately took off, running freely along the beach. Meanwhile, the group of Japanese Food guys didn’t notice Black Lightning because...

    "Heh, heh, Inari in a swimsuit." 

    Kujikatsu was the only one wearing bikini-style trunks, while the others wore shorts. He couldn’t help but imagine the sexy fox mother playing beach volleyball, swimming, or even applying sunscreen in a steamy scene.

    "I bet Leia will look great in a swimsuit." 

    Sashimi envisioned Leia, who normally wore black, looking stunning in a cute pink swimsuit.

    "Whoa, a coconut crab." 

    Teppanyaki, wearing regular swim shorts, ran over to observe a large crab walking under the shade of a coconut tree. Though Teppanyaki wasn't particularly handsome, he had a rugged, muscular build like a robust man. Kujikatsu was a slightly flirtatious man, while Sashimi looked like a Korean actor on vacation by the sea. Möbius, on the other hand, was just a plain, skinny guy.

    “Does anyone have a tissue?” 

    Möbius asked as he realized that thinking about Gumiho soaking wet and close to him had caused a nosebleed. No matter how many times the foxes seduced him, whether knowingly or unknowingly, he just couldn’t get used to it.

    "Hey, Möbius, what are you thinking?" Kujikatsu teased, noticing Möbius lost in his inappropriate thoughts.

    "Look, here they come." 

    Sashimi quickly told the guys to look at the girls in their swimsuits. All the men turned to where he was pointing.

    “Ooh…” 

    Teppanyaki couldn’t take his eyes off Tempura in her swimming suit. For the first time, he realized that he had a real gem close to him all along. Tempura was in a beautiful bright red bikini, and she had a thin cloth wrapped around her lower half to protect against the heat.

    “Ah…” 

    Sashimi gazed at Shabu-Shabu, who wore a cute blue one-piece swimsuit. Although it didn’t reveal much for him to see, he found her absolutely adorable today.

    “Oh…” 

    Kujikatsu, however, looked at Leia, Inari, and Gumiho, who were all wearing wetsuits typically worn by divers when they go into the water. They had on goggles and were holding spears. Disappointed, Kujikatsu dramatically fell back in frustration, as their normal outfits were far sexier than these wetsuits.

    “The seafood is waiting for us. Möbius, get the gear ready—we’ll be back soon,” 

    Gumiho ordered Möbius. Anticipating this, he had brought his bag along and pulled out a variety of cooking tools from his right hand.

    For the first time, Möbius realized just how skilled the foxes were at swimming. In no time at all, Inari had dug several holes in the sand, filled them with water, and stored the live seafood they had gathered: shrimp, squid, crabs, and fish. Each type was neatly separated in the holes to prevent them from fighting each other. These monsters didn’t give any experience points or loot, as they were clearly designed for tourists to catch for food.

    "Sigh, I’m feeling down. I think I’ll go take a nap." 

    Kujikatsu, still disappointed at not seeing Möbius’s girls in revealing swimsuits, excused himself and went back to his room. Meanwhile, the rest of Teppanyaki’s group went to buy vegetables and borrow plates, bowls, and cutlery from the system’s hotel. Tempura and Teppanyaki seemed to be getting along much better today.

    “Finally, time to start cooking.” 

    Inari sat down next to Möbius and removed her wetsuit. The fox mother wore a one-piece swimsuit that crisscrossed around her body, perfectly revealing and concealing just the right places. Her already sexy presence seemed to glow even more. Möbius tried to keep his breathing steady, determined not to get another nosebleed.

    “I wonder if Sashimi will live up to his name and make great sashimi,” 

    Leia walked over and also removed her wetsuit. She was wearing a pink polka-dotted two-piece swimsuit with frills on both the top and bottom, giving her a breezy, playful look. She tied her long hair into two ponytails on either side of her head, making her petite figure resemble a supermodel shrunk down to a smaller size.

    “Let’s start eating. We’ve worked up quite an appetite.”

    Gumiho came running up from the sea, peeling off her wetsuit. The same white bikini that had already caused Möbius to lose blood once still held its allure, even though it was the second time he’d seen it. Moreover... she ran straight toward Möbius, causing his head to bob in sync with her movements, making his heart race out of control.

    “Hey, Möbius. So, who’s the winner?” 

    Leia asked as she came closer, along with the fox mother and the fox girl, all eager to hear his answer. While they weren’t too jealous of each other, none of them wanted to lose either.

     “… ” Möbius, surrounded by the three scantily clad women, was unusually paralyzed. His nose began to bleed profusely, like a broken faucet, and he collapsed backward while still sitting. The girls immediately realized that Möbius had "overheated" a long time ago.

    “Hey, hey. Forget the contest. Möbius, wake up.” 

    Gumiho shook him, knowing they couldn’t start eating until Möbius woke up, and the fox girl, not wanting to wait any longer, quickly waked him.

     “Ugh…” Möbius opened his eyes, finding himself lying on Inari’s lap, with Leia and Gumiho sitting around him. It would have been a normal situation—if the three of them... hadn’t been in swimsuits.

    “Do it, Leia,” 

    Inari signaled the petite girl. Leia promptly shoved a red energy-boosting potion into Möbius’s mouth, forcing it down as his nose bled. She did this to prevent him from passing out again due to blood loss.

    “Möbius, you really should be used to this by now. Shy before the teacher, you won’t gain knowledge; shy before...you won’t have...” 

    Inari spoke to Möbius, though Möbius wasn’t sure if she was scolding or teasing him. However, it seemed like he was starting to resist the overwhelming presence of the three beautiful women. Gumiho stood up stood up to start eating immediately.

    “Whoa, true to their names.” 

    Möbius looked at the Japanese-style seafood feast on the table, prepared by Teppanyaki, Sashimi, Shabu-Shabu, and Tempura. There was also seafood barbeque dishes cooked by the golden and silver flames of the fox mother and daughter duo. Everyone at the table was about to start eating when—

    Whoosh… Boom!!!

    Suddenly, a giant crab claw slammed down onto the center of the table, wrecking the meal everyone had made. They all looked at this audacious creature with different expressions.

    “Crab?” Teppanyaki stared at the massive pair of claws, each over three meters long, belonging to a creature with a shell and two bulging eyes like a crab. Its body was around eight meters wide.

    “Shrimp?” Tempura’s gaze followed the creature’s 15-meter-long body, which extended into the sea, resembling a shrimp’s tail covered in a thick shell.

     “Squid?” Shabu-Shabu looked at the monster’s legs that had ruined their meal. It had eight tentacle-like legs, similar to a squid, supporting its body in place of normal legs.

    “Fish?” Sashimi noticed the strange fins protruding from the sides of the crab’s shell. It even had a fin on top of its head, making it look like a crab with a mohawk hairstyle.

    “No matter what you are…” 

    Leia held a fork impaled with a boiled crab, as black smoke began swirling around her small frame. Her purple hair turned pitch black, her violet eyes shifted to blood-red, and bat wings sprouted from her back.

    “But how dare you destroy the meal we all worked together to make.” 

    Inari, now furious, emitted a chilling silver aura that sent shivers down to the bone. Her golden hair dissolved into the air, as if it were alive.

    “Die, die, die, die, die, die, die.” 

    Gumiho, who had been hungry all day, was enraged. Just as she thought she could finally feast, it was all ruined. She, too, was enveloped in a golden aura, with a glowing golden fireball, the size of her fist, hovering in her hand, ready to explode at any moment.

    “Um… how about we calm down first?” 

    Möbius, seeing his girls in such a state of rage, tried to soothe them, but his words had no effect.

    ‘Mr. Möbius, you’ve encountered a monster: Bust, a Level 60 Boss Monster.’ 

    As soon as the system announced the name of the monster before them, Möbius looked at the three women, who were already preparing to attack the boss. Despite how bizarre it looked, it was still a boss monster. Charging in recklessly wasn’t a good idea. Möbius quickly tried to reason with them, making them paused immediately.

    “Uh, if you use magic to blow it up, we won’t be able to eat it. Better to kill it slowly, so we don’t have to catch more shrimp, crabs, and fish again, right?” 

    Möbius stepped in front of them and explained his logic. The trio, focused on eating, managed to calm down. Food was more important than fighting, after all. The black, gold, and silver auras gradually faded, and Gumiho and Inari’s hair returned to normal. Teppanyaki’s group, who saw that Moebius' girls had calmed down, breathed a sigh of relief.

    “Good thing Möbius warned them. So, how should we kill this thing?” 

    Inari, regaining her composure first, stepped back to the rear and began casting supportive magic for the group.

    “I think it would be better to chop it into parts, so it’s easier to cook.” 

    Sashimi suggested. As if understanding human speech, Bust immediately sprayed a stream of foam at Sashimi.

    Poof… Poof… Boom.

    700

    “Ugh…” Teppanyaki grabbed a wooden table that was still intact and used it as a shield to block the stream of foam. Since the wooden table was much more fragile than his steel shield, it shattered instantly upon impact with the foam. The large man was thrown to the ground by the immense force.

    “Be careful, everyone. It looks dumb, but it’s actually strong.” 

    Teppanyaki warned the group as Tempura rushed over, using magic to heal him immediately. However, Bust charged forward, raising one of its massive claws to smash Teppanyaki and Tempura.

    “Watch out.” 

    Möbius summoned his Möbius’s barrier to block the giant crab’s attack. Actually, he wanted to summon Efrik but knew that would obliterate Bust entirely, leaving nothing behind to eat. At the very least, he needed to deal with one of its claws first. Möbius leaped over his barrier and landed on top of the claw, pulling out his shotgun and firing at the joint where the claw connected. Leia, who had been waiting for the right moment, took the opportunity to fly up while it was interested in Möbius to attack the other claw immediately.

    Crack.

    “No way…” Leia was shocked. Despite using her full strength, her claws couldn’t penetrate the crab’s shell.

    Bang. Bang. Bang!

    “Huh…” Möbius was equally stunned. Even with the most powerful close-range shotgun he had, it couldn't penetrate the crab's shell. He quickly retreated and switched to his Thompson submachine gun, aiming at the squid-like tentacles.

    “Möbius!!! Not there.” 

    Inari shouted, immediately noticing Möbius was about to fire at the squid tentacles she loved to eat. Not wanting to upset the ladies, Möbius blinked in confusion and backed off. Meanwhile, Leia had already flipped herself onto the top of the crab.

    “This is payback for ruining our meal.” 

    She plunged the fork she’d been holding since the crab's claw smashed the table into the eye the size of a ball, protruding from the crab’s shell.

    Thunk.

    2000 damage (Critical hit on a vital spot)

    Though the fork was lodged deep in its eye, it wasn’t blinded and still managed to attack Leia accurately. But the petite girl, adept at close combat, dodged its strikes with ease. Defeating Bust wasn’t the hard part—the challenge was taking it down while preserving the meat quality for cooking. Gumiho and Inari, who were waiting for the right moment, couldn't find the right moment because if they shot the bombs randomly, they were afraid that it would reduce the food’s quality.

    “Pant... pant... Where’s Miss Inari in her swimsuit?” 

    Kujikatsu, who was carrying everyone’s bags, came running, panting heavily. At first, when Sashimi called and asked him to bring the bags, the young archer seemed reluctant. But as soon as Sashimi mentioned Inari was wearing a sexy swimsuit, he bolted over at top speed as seen. The young archer quickly handed the bags to his teammates.

    “Time to strike back. But first, Miss Leia, can you keep it distracted?” 

    Sashimi drew his ordinary sword and pulled out a gourd, which Möbius had assumed contained alcohol. He poured the strong-smelling liquor onto his blade as if performing some kind of ritual.

     “Hmm, hmm, hmm…” Shabu-Shabu took out her staff and started chanting some kind of spell.

    “We’re ready. Sashimi, Shabu, are you set?” 

    Teppanyaki, holding his large shield, looked to his friends, who nodded in response.

    “Same plan as always.” 

    With Sashimi and Shabu-Shabu giving the signal, Teppanyaki charged at Bust’s side, using his shield to block. Sashimi held his sword with both hands in a vertical stance, and Shabu-Shabu stood at the rear of the formation. On the other side of Bust, Leia continued to attack to keep its attention.

    “Alright, jet!” 

    Teppanyaki shouted, driving his shield into the ground beneath the boss monster and levering it upward. Although it didn’t cause damage, it tilted the boss enough to create a massive opening.

    “Steam.” Sashimi, running in the middle of the formation, leaped into the air, using Teppanyaki’s shield as a springboard. He vaulted higher than before, raising his sword above his head, and spun downward, generating immense momentum as he slashed at the squid tentacles.

    Slash.

    12000 damage (Critical hit on a vital spot)

    Two of the squid’s tentacles were instantly severed, and he quickly retreated to the side, just as Teppanyaki ducked low.

    “Attack.” Shabu-Shabu pointed her glowing, deep blue staff toward the sky. From the tip of the staff, a high-pressure stream of water shot out, passing over Teppanyaki’s head. She swung the staff down with all her might.

    Slash

    12000 (Critical hit on a vital spot)

    Another two tentacles were severed by the powerful water pressure from Shabu-Shabu’s spell. Afterward, both she and Sashimi quickly retreated, while Teppanyaki grabbed the four massive squid tentacles and sprinted back to rejoin Möbius’s group.

    Plop, Plop, Plop.

    Bust, now enraged from losing four of its tentacles, fired its foam bullets toward Teppanyaki, who was carrying its four limbs.

    Bang, bang, bang!

     At that moment, Möbius pulled out his Thompson and fired, intercepting the foam bullets fired by Bust. Even he was surprised at how accurate his shots had become, thanks to the Thompson's 40% accuracy boost. Combined with the fact that the foam bullets didn’t dodge, he had a 50% chance of landing his shots due to his lucky shot ability.

    “Here you go, Möbius.” 

    Teppanyaki handed over the four gigantic squid tentacles to Möbius, who immediately stored them in his guitar case to keep them fresh.

    “Eek... Let go. Let go of me.” 

     It was Leia's voice that screamed loudly as several slimy squid tentacles wrapped around her body while she was still in her swimsuit, making the experience even more disgusting for her.

    “Young miss!!!” 

    Möbius called Leia's name loudly and charged toward Bust, not thinking of his own safety. He had to rescue Leia before the sea monster did anything worse to her. But before he could reach her, a dark shadow darted ahead of him.

    [How dare you. No one touches my Miss Leia.] 

    Black Lightning, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, rammed into Bust with its unique ability to attack.

    Kamikaze.

    1000 damage (Remaining 5,150/6,150)

    10000

    “Well done, Black.” 

    Möbius praised his car, which caught Leia just as she was flung free from the monster’s grip. Kamikaze was an ability that sacrificed a portion of HP to deal damage to a target—the faster the impact, the stronger the hit. It was perfect for Black Lightning, which could sprint at incredible speeds.

    [Let’s merge quickly, Mr. Möbius.] 

    Black Lightning sped toward Möbius at full speed. In the blink of an eye, it was already right next to the young man.

    “Wait, Black. We’re coming too. That monster dared to harm Leia, so it’s time to blow it to pieces.” 

    Inari and Gumiho called out to Black Lightning, demanding it pick them up as well. Seeing Leia nearly violated, neither of them had any intention of sparing Bust. The sleek car obeyed, drifting elegantly—far better than anything Möbius could manage—and changing direction to pick up the two fox girls... who were still wearing their incredibly sexy swimsuits, before circling back to get Möbius.

    “Is that your car, Mr. Möbius? Is it related to Kujikatsu or something?”

    Teppanyaki, panting heavily from carrying the massive load, spoke up, though he no longer had the time to be astonished by a talking car. What shocked him more was how much its personality resembled that of the archer in their group.

    "Merge?" 

    Sashimi imagined Möbius’s black car transforming into some cool armor or weaponry.

    [Merging... complete.] 

    Black Lightning, now fully armed and ready for battle, was decked out with heavy weaponry, including the ability to shoot fireballs. What did it look like? Pretty much the same as before, except now Leia, wrapped in a towel that Inari had given her, sat in the driver’s seat. Möbius, wielding a rocket launcher, was next to her, while the two fox girls sat in the back, ready to cast fire magic at Bust. Sashimi nearly fell backward in disbelief at Black’s humor of the situation.

    Vroom... 

    Black Lightning charged at Bust from the side. But Bust wasn’t going to sit still and let them kill it—it swung its massive claw, aiming to crush the car in a single blow.

    [Not a chance.] 

    Black Lightning swerved left slightly, then sharply to the right, performing a donut drift around Bust. Half of the monster’s body was on the sandy beach, while the other half remained in the sea. The fact that it could drift so well on sand was due to one reason…

    [Aha...Because I’m a car designed to handle any terrain as if it were a flat road, with lost advanced technology.] 

    Even in a life-or-death situation, Black Lightning still kept talking non-stop.

    “Now, Miho, Inari, fire.” 

    Möbius gave the signal as Black Lightning skidded to the side of Bust. Resting on his shoulder was a massive rocket launcher. Each rocket had something resembling clay stuck to its tip—it was C4 explosives. When he pulled the trigger, the four rockets flew toward their target with deadly accuracy.

    Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

    2000×4

    Möbius’s explosions blew off parts of the shrimp’s shell. The two fox girls immediately unleashed their ultimate move, Foxfire Piercing the Ninth Heaven, two times on the exposed areas.

    14000

    12000

    “We can definitely take it down now.” 

    Möbius shouted in joy. But the celebration was short-lived, as Black Lightning drift dangerously close to the sea. At this speed, they were sure to plunge into the water.

    “With that lost advanced technology, you can drive on water too, right?” 

    Leia, now rid of the slimy tentacle goo, asked Black Lightning with complete confidence that it could do just that.

    [...I’m afraid not, miss.]