I Became A Collaborative Character In The Game

Chapter 54: Port City of Ehrenfer – 3

—–CROW—– 

Ash Graham.

Age 20.

A Paladin of Minastein, the God of Oaths, and a member of the Holy Knights who protected the Seven Gods’ Church.

She, the protagonist of the Southern arc, sat motionless, her gaze fixed on the Go board.

Reviewing the game.

Although it was a match from years past, Ash vividly remembered every move, from the first to the last.

It was only natural, as she had reviewed this game hundreds of times.

The usual purpose of reviewing a game was for study.

What if she had made a different move back then?

What was the best move she could have made in that situation?

What were her mistakes, and why did she make them?

Filling her notebook with incorrect answers, she improved and strengthened herself.

Research.

Training.

A means to become stronger at Go.

In that sense, Ash’s review of this particular game held a different meaning.

Ash, gazing at the Go board, moved her fingers for the first time in a long while.

A new white stone was added to the board, and a faint smile appeared on Ash’s face.

She recalled the expression her opponent had made at that moment.

Not all of Ash’s reviews were like this.

She usually reviewed games to become stronger.

But at least this game, this record, held a different reason.

The next move.

This time, a black stone.

She remembered herself anxiously watching where the black stone would be placed, and her opponent smiling as they observed her.

Ash raised her head.

Lost in the past, she suddenly snapped back to reality, her dark eyes focusing on the man standing next to the platform, looking at the Go board.

“That’s an interesting game.”

He was a tall man.

Black hair and purple eyes.

He wore a black coat and had a good physique.

Ash, who had trained for many years, could tell just by looking how well-toned his body was.

A near-perfect physique.

Even within the Holy Knights, it was rare to find someone with such a balanced body.

Of course, there was a clear difference between having a good physique and being a skilled fighter, but Ash judged the man before her to be a considerable warrior.

Such a physique couldn’t be achieved through ordinary training, nor was there a need to achieve it.

Ash’s gaze moved up slightly, taking in the man’s face.

Handsome.

What was most striking was the absence of even a single scar on his face.

Judging by the atmosphere he exuded and his subtle gestures, he was clearly a seasoned warrior, yet how could this be?

Was he that skilled?

Or did he avoid fights he couldn’t win comfortably?

Ash was always like this.

Usually taciturn to the point of rarely speaking, but in return, she thought a lot.

The man’s weapons.

He carried an excessively large axe and a wide shield on his back.

Was he a Dragon Hunter?

If so, the fact that his face was unscathed was even more surprising.

And one second.

About three seconds after the man had said, “interesting game.”

The words that came out of Ash’s mouth were a bit different than usual.

“Do… you know Go?”

Her voice was a little hoarse from speaking after such a long silence, but it was enough to convey her meaning.

Ash was slightly flustered by her own words.

Normally, she would have said something like, “Who are you?”, but she had unconsciously brought up the topic of Go.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Instead of asking what she was doing, the man had said it was an interesting game.

An interesting game.

This implied two things.

One, the man knew of Go’s existence, and two, he knew how to play it.

It was truly rare.

Go was practically exclusive to nobles.

Commoners preferred chess, which required fewer pieces and had more intuitive rules, so they often didn’t even know of Go’s existence.

And even if they knew about Go, most only knew of it, so encountering someone who could actually play was a one-in-a-hundred chance.

And now, that one-in-a-hundred had appeared, so she had unconsciously reacted differently than usual.

“A little. Seeing a Go board in a place like this made me feel nostalgic, so I couldn’t help but approach you.”

The man said with a smile, and Ash unconsciously nodded.

She felt a sense of camaraderie.

‘Yes, I know that feeling.’

Since there were so few people who enjoyed it, seeing someone who also liked Go made her feel happy.

“My name is Luther.”

The man said as he sat across from her on the platform.

Looking at the man now sitting across the Go board, Ash hesitated slightly before replying,

“Ash Graham.”

Ash was generally blunt and indifferent, but she wasn’t unaware of her own beauty.

As she traveled the world on missions, countless people approached her, drawn to her appearance, or even tried to hit on her.

That’s why Ash rarely exchanged names like this, and even if she did, she usually cut it short there.

But this time was a little different.

Ash quietly looked at the man’s face, waiting for him to speak.

And the man smiled.

He cleared his throat as if to dispel the awkwardness and spoke in a slightly shy voice.

“Um… then Ash, it’s a rude request for a first meeting, but… would you like to play a game?”

Let’s play a game.

The moment those words were spoken, Ash unconsciously clenched her hands, which were resting on her lap, and nodded.

“Alright. Let’s play a game.”

At Ash’s agreement, the man smiled brightly again and reached for the Go board, asking,

“Then may I clear the board?”

“Yes, please choose your stones.”

Generally, the weaker player would take the black stones and go first.

At Ash’s words, the man seemed to consider for a moment before taking the black stones, and Ash naturally took the white stones.

“Then, let’s begin.”

“Let’s begin.”

As the man and Ash began to play Go, a few people sitting on the platform showed interest.

Not because they knew Go, but because they were intrigued that two people were now playing what had been a solo game until just now.

But neither the man nor Ash paid attention to their surroundings.

The man picked up a black stone and placed it on the Go board with a slightly awkward gesture.

‘A beginner.’

Just by looking at the way he held the stone, she could tell his skill level was low.

Experienced players used only their index and middle fingers to pick up a stone, but beginners who were still unfamiliar with Go had to use their thumb as well.

‘I should go easy on him.’

It would be strange to suggest a handicap now, so she would just play moderately and let him enjoy the game.

Like most people with uncommon hobbies, Ash was full of consideration for the few newbies she encountered.

“Then, I’ll make my move.”

Picking up a white stone, Ash made her first move casually, and the man, Luther, smiled brightly.

* * *

Ash stared at the Go board with a dazed expression.

White stone, black stone, white stone, black stone.

No matter how many times she looked, it was the same.

She had been utterly defeated.

She couldn’t understand it.

The man’s Go was too strange.

At first, as expected, he only made beginner-level moves.

But at some point, his moves became sharp, and in the latter half of the game, he made truly astonishing moves.

What had happened?

Was he a master all along, toying with her?

Or did he pretend to be a beginner to lull her into a false sense of security?

‘Could he be… a genius?’

Did his skills explode while playing with her?

‘No, that’s impossible.’

It couldn’t be.  Such a thing was impossible.

But the man had clearly defeated her.

The man who couldn’t even hold a Go stone properly.

And across from Ash, Luther, glancing at her face instead of the Go board, said silently,

‘Hey, didn’t you play too harshly?’

Why did Ash have such an expression?

Since Luther didn’t know Go, he had no idea how the game had progressed.

To be honest, he didn’t even understand why Ash had said, “I resign,” in the middle of the game.

He had simply placed the stones where Integra indicated, and Ash’s face had turned pale, she started sweating profusely, and then she admitted defeat.

At Luther’s chiding, Integra puffed out her cheeks and pouted.

“[Master, this is my first time playing Go too.]”

“[I worked hard to win, and you’re going to say such mean things? You should praise me for winning!]”

‘Well, that’s true, but…’

Integra had worked hard.

As she said, it was her first time playing Go, and she had defeated Ash.

But the purpose of the game was to build rapport with Ash, so was it okay to crush her like this?

Shouldn’t he have played a more accommodating game?

And at that moment…

Ash, who had been dazed, lifted her head and looked at Luther, swallowing hard.

Her lips parted and closed several times before she blushed and spoke.

“O-one more… game…”

“What?”

“C-could I… ask you… for one more game…?”

At Ash’s earnest, yet slightly fearful expression, Luther blinked in surprise.

It was a side of Ash he had never seen in Dragon Hunter Origin.

‘She can make expressions like that?’

Ash, who was always blunt, indifferent, and stern, was blushing and asking for another game.

“[Master, your smile looks perverted.]”

“[Just accept already.]”

“[I’ll show a mere human the difference in our levels.]”

Why was she suddenly so competitive?

But in any case, it wasn’t a bad development.

So Luther smiled again and nodded.

“Let’s do that. Would you like to take the black stones this time?”

“Yes, please.”

Breathing a sigh of relief at Luther’s acceptance, Ash composed herself and picked up the black stones with a serious expression.

She wouldn’t be careless this time.

She would give it her all from the start.

“I’ll make my move.”

Ash made the first move.

And about an hour later…

“[Hehehe, this is the difference between an AI and a human.  The end of the human era has come.]”

As a triumphant Integra chuckled, Ash stared at the Go board, looking even more exhausted than before.

Every single one of Integra’s – Luther’s – moves had been a shock to her.

There were established patterns in Go.

But Luther’s moves had none of that.

He launched unimaginable attacks from moves she had learned were forbidden.

Truly unconventional.

A whole new world.

Moreover, Luther’s moves had become more refined than in the first game.

She didn’t know if he was revealing more of his true skill or if his skill had actually improved, but what mattered was that he had shown a better game.

Ash was curious.

What would happen in the third game?

What kind of unconventional moves would he show next?

And at that moment…

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

Ash reflexively answered Luther’s call and looked up.

Seeing her face devoid of its usual sternness, Luther gave an awkward smile and pointed out the window.

“It seems like it’s time to board the ship.”

The ship had arrived and was preparing to depart.

Many of the people sitting on the platform were moving towards the ship.

Ash looked around with a dazed expression and bit her lip.

Then, her eyes darted around before she suddenly grabbed Luther’s hand.

“W-where are you going?”

“What?”

“W-what’s… your destination…?”

Her voice and demeanor regained some of their usual hesitation, but she managed to complete her question, her face still flushed.

Where are you going?

Which ship are you boarding?

At her almost desperate appearance, Luther smiled awkwardly and replied,

“I’m going to Ehrenfer.”

“R-really?”

Ash’s face brightened instantly, like a flower blooming.

“I-I’m going to Ehrenfer too! We’re going the same way!”

Ash’s voice was loud.

And very bright.

She seemed so excited that she might jump up and dance.

“[Master, you said she was usually blunt.]”

“[And indifferent.]”

Luther had thought so too.

He knew she liked Go, but he hadn’t expected her to be this enthusiastic.

Would Annerose have shown this side of herself in the original story if she knew how to play Go?

‘Well, anyway…’

She was cute.

Very cute.

Perhaps the gap felt even bigger because she usually had such a blunt expression.

As Luther watched Ash with that thought, she suddenly came to her senses, her face turning crimson as she quickly released his hand.

She realized what she had done and said.

“Uh, um, uh…”

Ash hung her head, blushing and fidgeting.

Luther wanted to keep watching her, but they really did have to board the ship.

So he started tidying up the Go board and said,

“Let’s get on the ship.  If we’re going the same way, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to play.”

Ash flinched slightly at Luther’s words and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Her face was still down, so he couldn’t see it, but he could guess her expression.

“[Master, don’t smile like that.]”

“[As I always say, it’s perverted.]”

But what could he do? He couldn’t help but smile.

Chuckling again, Luther finished tidying up the Go board and stood up.

Ash, who was usually blunt and indifferent but loved Go and was easily embarrassed.

He had become companions with her, the protagonist and key figure of the Southern arc.

—–CROW—– 

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