Speedrunning the World Starting with Firefly, Part 23

Niram ended his communication with Girori and tapped his fingers thoughtfully.

"Stellaron Hunters?!"

"How interesting. After all these years in this world, this is the first time I've encountered something so fascinating."

"I truly want to see who you really are—to see what result you bring. I'll be watching with anticipation!"

He was nowhere near as worried as Girori. What lay behind the dgp was far from simple.

What's more, although the appearance of this Stellaron Hunter had sparked considerable debate among the viewers, one fact was undeniable: the audience numbers had actually risen dramatically.

The ratings had increased by quite a bit.

As for...

Chaos? The game becoming impossible to continue?

It wasn't that serious.

As long as the Goddess remained under the operators' control, they had the final say in everything.

Chapter 29: A Decent Haul

"Waaah, Firefly..."

Inside the house, Kurama Neon hugged a cushion, looking utterly heartbroken.

She had really misjudged him. She'd thought he was the perfect Rider from her dreams, the fated one she had been searching for. Yet not only had he killed Panda, he had even attacked her and everyone else.

Damn it! He was awful!

She'd better not find out who was beneath that armor, or she'd definitely bite him hard.

But Kurama Neon soon sighed again. That Stellaron Hunter was so powerful that even if she ran into him, she would be no match for him at all!

She couldn't get her revenge.

Waaah...

"It's all right. It's over now."

Firefly stood beside her and comforted her. Seeing how angry Neon was, she became even more afraid to reveal her identity.

She had actually held back a great deal earlier, keeping her strength just within the right limit. Aside from a few people getting slightly hurt, everyone else had been more or less fine.

Especially with the protection of their Kamen Rider forms.

For example, wasn't Kurama Neon perfectly fine now?

It had just looked a little frightening at the time.

As for why she had done it, first, it was to earn the point rewards. Second, it was to put on a show for others—to provoke the dgp operators and see whether they would step in!

After all, all the participants had been wiped out. Were they still not going to make a move?

The result was indeed a little disappointing.

Still, she had considered that possibility, so she wasn't too hung up on it. At least she had earned plenty of points. The trip hadn't been for nothing.

"Just who is that guy...?"

Kurama Neon still couldn't figure it out. Sam, the Stellaron Hunter... someone even the dgp people knew nothing about.

He was far too mysterious, just like Firefly.

Just as mysterious...

No, what was she thinking? How could that cruel person possibly have anything to do with sweet, adorable Firefly?

"Maybe he's someone from another world?"

Hearing Kurama Neon's confusion, Firefly lightly bit her lip before answering.

"Someone from another world?"

"Why would he be in our world? And why is he targeting the Riders? What exactly is his goal?"

Putting down the cushion in her arms, Kurama Neon fell into thought, only becoming more confused.

"Maybe he's only targeting the dgp."

"Targeting the dgp? Is he an enemy of the dgp? But he's also fighting the Jamato!"

At this point, Kurama Neon still saw the dgp as a mysterious organization that helped people transform into Riders to fight the world-destroying Jamato.

She had no idea that its true nature was merely an entertainment program for people from the future.

She believed their enemies should be those evil Jamato.

"Ah..."

"Well... I don't know either. I'm only guessing."

Feeling that she would completely expose herself if she kept talking, Firefly hesitated and did not answer further.

"Sorry, Firefly. I was being too rude!"

Realizing it, Kurama Neon also understood that she had asked the wrong person. Firefly had never been involved in any of this—how could she possibly know?

So she hurriedly apologized and stopped talking about it.

"It's fine."

Shaking her head, Firefly indicated that it was nothing.

Then, as if remembering something, she took out her phone to check the time and reminded Kurama Neon.

"Neon, weren't you going to record a video and update Neon TV? It's getting pretty late."

Although she had not livestreamed recently, Kurama Neon had not abandoned Neon TV's fans. She simply could not let them go.

So she had continued updating it.

It was just that the Runaway Operation series had been suspended, and she was now updating other types of videos.

Although the change in content had cost her some fans, she had still retained most of them.

"Ah, right, right! How could I forget something so important?!"

Hearing Firefly's reminder, Kurama Neon came to her senses and hurriedly stood up.

"Then, Firefly, I'll go record the video first. Once I'm done, we can go out together."

After finding her equipment, Kurama Neon hurried to the door and made plans with Firefly for after she finished.

Now that she had the Fox Mask, she briefly had freedom of her own.

Although her family—especially her mother—had been constantly urging her to return, Kurama Neon could only avoid thinking too much about it for now.

Even if she went back, she could use the Fox Mask to run away again.

"Okay."

Firefly waved to Kurama Neon and watched her leave. Only then did she lie down directly on the sofa and take out her phone.

She needed to work hard too!

At the moment, she had been relying on Kurama Neon for food and drinks. It felt like she was being kept. But as long as she waited until next month for her income to arrive, she could escape this predicament.

Looking at the information on her phone, her work had already been approved.

Instead of immediately starting work, Firefly first checked what she had gained earlier.

Although she had not obtained the Vision Driver, the points were quite substantial.

[(Kills) 2,586 Cleaner Zombie Jamato, 7 Mutant Jamato, 1 Jamato Seedling Pod. Obtained 1,310 points.]

[(Achievement) Defeated Kamen Rider Buffa once. (Based on current strength) Obtained 55 points.]

[(Achievement) Defeated Kamen Rider Geats once. (Based on current strength) Obtained 100 points.]

[(Achievement) Defeated Kamen Rider Panda once. (Based on current strength) Obtained 20 points.]

[(Achievement) Defeated Kamen Rider Na-Go once. (Based on current strength) Obtained 15 points.]

[(Achievement) Wiped out all Desire Grand Prix participant Kamen Riders once. Obtained 1,000 points.]

[Total: 2,595 points]

"..."

Defeating Riders really was a repeatable achievement. Aside from Geats and Buffa, the others were not worth much.

That was normal. This was only the early stage.

And most of them were bound to be eliminated sooner or later. If they had not been selected by the Desire Grand Prix by chance, they would have been ordinary people. Better than nothing, she supposed.

The rewards for Jamato and major achievements were still higher.

But she remembered that Jamato were cultivated gradually. If she cleared them out too quickly, would that cause their cultivation to fall behind?

Still, Firefly did not need to worry about that. All she needed to do was obtain the Vision Driver, then destroy the place where the Jamato were cultivated, as well as the Desire Grand Prix.

As for why she needed the Vision Driver before destroying the Jamato Garden, it was because she needed the records and location stored within it.

"There's no point in saving points. Improving myself is what matters."

The girl did not have a habit of hoarding. Whenever she had resources, she used them; her Stellar Jade had never exceeded 160 for years.

However, she did not exchange all of it for Path of Destruction Power. She only exchanged 995 points' worth, then could not resist using the remaining 1,600 for another ten-pull.

But unfortunately, she did not get a gold.

Although there was a pity system just like in Honkai: Star Rail, she was still a little disappointed.

But then Firefly was somewhat surprised, because she had actually pulled three purples?

That seemed pretty good too?