<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

"Feels like time to me," the white-haired man offered in response to Makima. Minus the chip between his fingers, Gojo reached into the bag again just before he and Makima were both transported to another location. Two S-rank Hunters who most in Japan viewed as unofficial National-level Hunters were suddenly standing between the strongest golem yet, and its would-be prey in the form of both Players. For the younglings, this would have been an hour-long struggle for survival most likely to end in failure. For these two, however... it was nothing. Still, Gojo whistled upon seeing the golem ─ something he'd do with his own eyes directly after lifting his blindfold.

"Yep, that's an S. Bad boy's got at least a few duffel bags. Broke bitch~" he taunted. While Makima stood with her left arm outstretched, Gojo stood against her back, his right side toward the golem. He tossed another chip into his mouth before throwing the bag in Miko's direction. He needed both hands free for an example. "You guys are some real paper-chasers, but good sensei Gojo still has something to teach you. See, there are different levels to breadwinning," he started explaining. Gojo brought both hands together, right fingers lacing into the left and clutching. "First you got Paper Technique: Hunnit Band Blue. That's the bands coming in. Then you add in Reverse Paper Technique: Chioriya Red. That's the bands bleeding out." As Gojo's explanation went on, a blue aura encompassed his left hand while a red materialized around his right. By the time he continued and separated those hands, there was a cackling purple between them. "But when bitches see you spending as much as you're stacking... you gotta strap-up..." Gojo's hands floated around each other as if molding that oppressive energy. In a matter of moments, his right arm extended alongside Makima's left. His palm was up, forefinger and middle finger straight at a diagonal toward the golem. Purple energy was swelling, warping the air itself around Gojo and Makima... but he didn't release a thing just yet.

[Apollymi]

It was indeed time, and Makima was secretly giddy. Aura-farming was something she'd only learned recently, and now she was going to be putting that into practice. And soon enough both she and Gojo were present in this 'Job-change Quest Dungeon'. The Player pair to their credit had been doing a good job, but even Makima could tell while looking at this creature they would have been in for a hard-fought survival which likely wouldn't have ended well for them. She'd allowed their growth and even their indulgence, but she wouldn't actually allow them to die at the last moment.

Makima stood, knowing that Gojo had something to share, and part of her farming would be the strong silent appreciation for the moment. All the while, Miko got to hear a new lesson. Something she'd internalize with the greatest ease given how much she enjoyed the voices of other people. A box to breadwinning opened up as well. Makima could just barely understand the references being made and how they related to Gojo's abilities. At the same time, Miko was following along nodding her understanding and looking up to the man with sparkling eyes. 'I knew it♪~' Miko thought as Gojo finished his speech and Makima lined up her own finger gun. "Bang!" Makima uttered with a straight face. Such a word caused something like an invisible bullet to fly off into the middle of that golem's chest while Gojo charged the rest of his attack.

[Bloodedge]

A very unnecessary explanation came from Gojo while Makima practiced aura-farming in her own silent way. All the while, Yugi was watching the mana move around both of them. Gojo's explanation didn't mean much to him at this point; it was useless reiteration to him by now. Makima, on the other hand, had something new to watch. He could of course see both, but his focus was clear from the moment Makima appeared. Bang, she said. The moment after was so strange. Her mana barely moved, unless it did so more quickly than Yugi could fathom. The result was certainly a hole through the golem's torso, though. 'What the fuck was that? Did I miss something?' Yugi wondered. One thing to note was the lack of a mana trail between Makima and the golem.

All the while, Gojo continued working that magic around. Once a point of focus had been established, his clause reached its end. "Purple Hollow Tip!" he said. A large, purple vacuum of mana shot forward, chaotic by its very nature. Everything in its path was not disrupted, not destroyed... but deleted. Of course, that included the golem's torso as a large enough hole formed to leave the rest of its body crumbling. [LEVEL UP!] the System alerted immediately. At the same time, Yugi was going through a strange processing hiccup. His observations were producing results, but they weren't the usual copies of techniques witnessed by Sharingan. No, those moves were a bit too specialized for that sort of function.

[Apollymi]

And so, Makima achieved prime aura-farming posture. Beyond her ability to actually just harm something with a word which went unexplained, she also didn't even need to do anything. Gojo indeed would have been enough for the creature that appeared so aggressively after the death of the last Hollow Magician. Still... in the moment Makima said a single expression of 'Bang!' and put a whole in the creatures torso as a marking. Miko was in the moment just as confused as Yugi, there wasn't any extra power in that word. It wasn't a control for her Mana flow or anything like that. In fact, nothing had changed about the woman's rhythm since she'd arrived. 'What the hell kind of power is that?!' Miko mentally was just confused.

Ah but that wasn't the only thing that confused Miko today. Gojo's use of a combined power, created a vacuum effect. A purple energy which was itself chaotic enough to blast such a large hole in that golem that it couldn't even hold itself together. "Box it♪!~" Miko claimed. "WAAAAAAAH♪!~ THAT WAS AWESOME♪~ UNNECESSARY FLEXES FROM POWER COUPLES ARE HOT♪!~" Miko chirped happily. "I don't even know how to classify what Makima-sama does but it was awesome!♪~ And Go-sei's last ability is way too fucking strong, it was great♪!~ Best ending ever!♪~" Miko asserted praising the situation with a minor outburst. Makima heard those words as the creature fell and she lowered her arm after a time. Aura farming was well worth the effort she decided. The Chairwoman turned around to face the pair she'd watched through their struggle all day and she'd reach out. One hand atop Miko's head in gentle comfort and the other reaching up for Yugi's. "You two did well today, good job~" she congratulated the pair. Even just being able to call upon them and properly utilize their connections was considered a good use of power and skill to Makima. She really was going to enjoy her new pets.

[Bloodedge]

Yugi's eyes followed, but they could not fully grasp. Something about what Makima had done didn't seem entirely consistent with what he'd seen of Hunters thus far. Gojo's abilities were outlandish enough by themselves, but at least there was a logic to follow. It was as if she'd decided the golem should be shot... and it was shot. Yugi could only imagine some conceptual power that had no form of reason applied to it. Sharingan couldn't even rationalize what was happening, though it tried.

〔SYSTEM NOTICE — SHARINGAN ANALYSIS COMPLETE〕

High-level techniques observed:
- Gojo Satoru’s “Hollow Purple”
- Shido Makima’s “Bang!”

Full replication failed.
Partial data absorbed.

New Item Acquired: Chaos Core (Fragment)

Description:
A condensed fragment of chaotic energy formed from the failed attempt to copy two extremely high-concept techniques.
It contains unstable spatial distortion and conceptual dominance remnants.

Effect:
Can be fused with one existing skill to enhance or mutate it.
(Choose one skill to combine with when ready.)

System Remark:
The eyes attempted to steal something beyond their current capacity.
The resulting chaos has been crystallized.
Use it wisely, vessel.
Even failure can birth new power.

That was all Yugi could glean from observation. Red and Blue were easy to follow since obtaining Sharingan and seeing them directly, but Purple and whatever the hell Makima did wouldn't work. "Gh! Too much," Yugi winced, eyes burning and narrowing. Either that failed attempt had really taken it out of him, or the golem truly did drain him. Either way, Yugi had to deactivate the ability by the time Makima was reaching for his head. "What the fuck was that? Are you enough of a control freak to make ideas into reality?" Yugi questioned. Gojo appeared behind Makima again, looking for his bag of chips and inspecting the state of both Players loosely. "Makima-chan doesn't turn ideas into reality. She makes reality understand that it was always her idea!" he boasted in exaggerated fashion, unnecessary arm movements and all. "See, paper-chasers get the money. Real motherfuckers like you guys print the money! Makima-chan? Whose face do you think is on the money?!"

[Apollymi]

Yugi tried and failed to process the information given by the two new move sets in front of him. Even so, it seemed that his efforts weren't in vain as he was given something positive in response to his trial and error. Apparently he was given an item he could use to add 'chaos' to one of his new skills at another time. Such was fine. Miko on the other hand received praise from Makima and a hand on top fo her head, she grinned happily. "Headpats♪!~" Miko chirped happily about the goodness of the situation. The only thing better than headpats were aggressive headpats, but she could be happy with what was happening in their present moment.

"Careful♪~" Miko chirped at Yugi as he seemed to be upset about the overuse of his eyes. Makima for her part in this heard out the lad's idea concerning her ability and smirked. Was she enough of a control freak to make what she said a reality? Well, it could be seen as such, or she was such a control freak that she could exert control over anything she thought of as lesser, conceptually she was a bit less confined than most. "The truth is both complex and simple. You like figuring things out though... so I'll leave you to it," Makima said while ruffling the lad's hair. She wasn't going to ruin the lad's potential brain power nor was she entirely certain the full extent of a power like hers. She knew what it did based on what she desired of it, but anything more than that was open to interpretation. Gojo's speech on Makima and the nature of her place in the food chain sounded similar to something else. "Hm, I've seen something like that on a message board before, definitely the highest tier I get it... those message from the System were a bit similar to the last time it was upset," Miko surmised their Administrator might be afraid of Makima. "Oh, I understood that one, I guess that means I'm on the money..." Makima said seeming to understand the joke being made by context clues. No matter, Miko looked to Gojo, "If you're looking for something check your Inventory, standard game logic applies. Oh and box is open♪~" Miko chirped thinking about another question previously asked and unanswered. "Go-sei, you never said whether you wanted a new pair of sunglasses since I broke yours," Miko pointed out. She wasn't about leaving the man without something he enjoyed simply because she'd accidentally done a thing.

[Bloodedge]

And so, it was all finally over. The timer for their survival quest was still going, clocking about 60 remaining minutes. Yugi heaved the deepest sigh of relief once the burning in his eyes started lessening. That Chaos Core would be quite useful... later. For now, Yugi only wanted to relax a bit after the hell they'd been through. Of course that also involved finding out the finer details of those powers he'd seen. Makima intended to leave him to figuring it out himself. Through only one eye, Yugi looked at the redhead quizzically. "Hm. Alright. I'll let you know when I find out," he said, intending to share his eventual understanding for Makima's knowledge as well. Obviously she needed a bit more understanding herself.

As for Makima and the 'stories' about her abilities, Miko had seen something similar online previously. Yugi had also seen it... somewhere else. "Mugenteki Shintoku," he said, comparing Makima's display to what denizens of anime/manga communities understood as the 'reality-altering' caliber of power. While Yugi mulled over that matter and tried piecing together the details of Makima's Skills, Gojo was told to check his Inventory for the lost bag of chips. He'd seen some sort of message just before teleporting, but he didn't pay it much attention then. "Inventory?" he said, forcing the screen to appear and looking mockingly surprised by it. "Oh!" he said while retrieving the bag. Gojo reached inside, took one chip, bit it... and immediately held the bag out again. "Bored now. Don't care," he stated. Then, for the second time, he was offered a new pair of glasses by Miko. Had he not answered her the first time. He must have forgotten. No matter; the answer would come now. "Only Blue Lotus special collection touches this face," he said simply. At the same time, the Players were receiving another notification.

〔SYSTEM NOTICE — JOB-CHANGE QUEST UPDATE〕

Path of the Shadow – Survival Phase
Status: Completed (1 hour early)

The trial has been cleared ahead of schedule thanks to the assistance of summoned allies.

Early Completion Bonus:
Bonus points will be awarded toward the final Job-Change Quest evaluation.

Current Survival Points: [High]
Time Bonus: +60 minutes saved

System Remark:
Efficiency has been noted.
The shadows favor those who finish what they start... quickly.
Proceed to the final evaluation.

[Apollymi]

A sigh of relief was technically collective from the Players. Today had been very stressful for them and this Job-Change Quest had been the pinnacle of problematic even as they were figuring it out. At least now, there wasn't an S-rank monster threat ready to murder them. And beyond that at least for Miko it gave her a truer understanding of the power difference between A-ranks, S-ranks and the potential, 'National Rank' Hunters she'd been hearing about since their return to this world. "Good, I look forward to it." Makima said there was a certain pleased sound to her visage. She was having the best possible time in the current moments. Her new pets were safe, and they were thinking and working for her. She'd have to have a bit more faith in them. And there was still Yugi's treat and a few other arrangements she needed to make.

The first thought Yugi came up with, was one relating it to the Bankai of one Kumori Raizen, "Hm, I can see that comparison..." Miko murmured. The reality bending of that Zanpakuto got out of control at a certain level. That kind of thing was present across several of the Aeon's works though so it made sense that it belonged to a fan-favorite character or two. No matter, Miko had her own extra thoughts to deal with as she helped Gojo with his newfound Inventory access. "Hai, most things end up there..." Miko asserted. When he grabbed a chip and held out the bag claiming boredom she reached for it, "I like chips♪!~" she chirped happily aiming to take one and eat it. As for her initial offer of sunglasses, there was an answer. Apparently Gojo Satoru only wore Blue Lotus Special Collection Sunglasses. "Sou ka, well, the offer still stands. I suppose I'll have to pick up my black card from Onii-chan but I'm supposed to see him soon anyway," Miko said. Though she didn't need to spend money for her own things, she didn't mind spending it in general. "Anyway, shopping later♪?~" Miko offereed tentatively. If if she had to spend a decent amount for some Blue Lotus or Chioriya gear for Gojo, she'd do so because it truly didn't matter that much to her. Soon enough though, another System Notification had Miko's attention... they'd apparently done quite a good job with this quest. Even so that flavor text sounded odd to Miko's ears... "I don't like that he makes it sound like the shadows are alive. I've seen too much Doctor Who for this nonsense!" Miko grumbled about the Administrator and his flavor text.

[Bloodedge]

There was something refreshing in the idea that Makima looked forward to... anything, really. So long as that was the case, Yugi had more motivation than he could possibly have otherwise. "Then look forward to not being disappointed. As a matter of fact, I'll bring a new bucket," he quipped. That inside joke was going nowhere, it seemed, and Yugi wouldn't have it do so. In the meantime, Gojo was handing off a bag of chips and viewing his apparent personal inventory tab. Miko kept the offer to replace his sunglasses open, even though he had very expensive taste for one reason or another. If Miko wanted to throw around that kind of money, he didn't care; he only met her offer with a shrug. "Suit yourself. Black card, huh?" he replied. That certainly was a major thing to admit ownership of so casually, but it was none of his business or concern. Besides, he wouldn't be around long enough to continue that discussion anyway. According to the System, neither he nor Makima could remain.

〔SYSTEM NOTICE — JOB-CHANGE QUEST UPDATE〕

Path of the Shadow – Survival Phase
Status: Completed (1 hour early)

The trial has been cleared ahead of schedule.

Summoned Allies Being Removed
Due to the completion of the Survival Phase, all temporary summons are being forcibly returned.

Shido Makima and Gojo Satoru have been ejected from the dungeon.

System Remark:
The outsiders have served their purpose.
The throne awaits its rightful claimants.
It is time to claim what is yours.

Final Phase Initiated:
Proceed to the Shadow Throne and complete the Job-Change Quest.

That message appeared for the Players as their companions and the entire summoning tab disappeared. Brainface was right back to his old, pushy ways, it seemed ─ and all before Yugi could even address Miko's most recent statement. "It does kind of remind you of the Vashta Nerada, doesn't it? Kinda like how it'll randomly rip some of the finest ass you've got lined-up when you're making some good progress!" he complained openly. "But you know what? Whatever. Let's get that tall bitch out of the throne and put Brainface in his favorite cuck chair again."