The RPG game, NTRPG, which serves as the backdrop of the novel I read, had a few hidden elements. The protagonist called them ‘Hidden Pieces.’

Ruins from an ancient era erased from history. Dungeons sealed or hidden, undiscovered.

Legacies buried along with past heroes, or lairs of monsters thought to be dead.

Besides those, there were many other minor hidden pieces hidden away… up to that point, I’m unsure myself.

The only hidden pieces I knew were those the protagonist had personally gathered or mentioned in his monologues.

That guy wouldn’t even care unless it was a hidden piece that helped him gain power.

The protagonist in the novel was a high school student with the uncanny ability to buy bread faster than anyone, who completely lost his mind once he was reincarnated into this world.

Really, if you think about it, he was probably already half-crazy before the reincarnation.

He once witnessed the girl he liked cuddling with a guy who gave her bread in an empty classroom and tried to take a video to blackmail them.

But before he could even attempt that blackmail, he got hit by a car and died.

Anyway, he didn’t want to deliver bread in this world either, so since right after the reincarnation, he obsessively searched for ways to empower himself.

Well… it wasn’t a bad judgment call.

In a world where one can honestly get stronger just by hunting monsters in dungeons, it wasn’t exactly easy for a mere high schooler.

If you throw someone who has never killed a single dog in their life in front of a goblin, seven out of ten would flounder in shock and become a meal.

So, it wasn’t a bad idea for the reincarnator to try to get stronger through tricks instead of hunting. And it actually was quite effective.

Using his knowledge about hidden pieces, he could start with top-notch special traits without having to engage in a single proper fight.

◆◆

According to the reincarnator’s monologue, ‘Friet,’ the character in the game, had three basic traits.

[Hero’s Trait]
[Combat Instinct]
[Igenwald Swordsmanship]

‘Hero’s Trait,’ like ‘Unyielding,’ negates the oppressive effects of powerful enemies and grants extra physical ability boosts as levels increase, making it a grower-type trait.

‘Combat Instinct’ is an intuitive trait that allows one to instinctively recognize and react to deadly threats or weaknesses of enemies during battle.

As for whether Friede still possessed those two traits… honestly, I have no clue. Her body had completely changed.

The acquired trait ‘Igenwald Swordsmanship’ was pretty much meaningless regardless of whether it exists or not.

As per the setting, Brunhilde only taught the basics, so after a certain point, she wouldn’t even need that swordsmanship anymore.

Since it mainly focused on rushing and stabbing, it doesn’t fit well with greatswords.

Anyway, among those three traits, the reincarnated protagonist could only use ‘Hero’s Trait’ and ‘Combat Instinct.’

Even those two had significantly weakened, with ‘Hero’s Trait’ having reduced boosts and the unyielding effect gone, while ‘Combat Instinct’ wouldn’t activate unless it was an extreme situation.

The reason why the reincarnator, who occupied the weakened body of Friet, could become strong enough to overwhelm other heroes was precisely because of those hidden pieces.

New traits, new equipment, new weapons.

The reincarnator in the novel collected as many of those as he could, crushing adversaries far more skilled than himself by sheer stats and equipment.

Until he faced an enemy he couldn’t possibly defeat, one so powerful that he didn’t even dare to fight, until the ‘Author’ brought an end to it with the weapon of ending serialization.

Ah, it really gets on my nerves just thinking about it.

The timing for cancelling the serialization was a true work of art.

After Brunhilde died, the protagonist was all set to take down the Demon Lords, and just when he was about to attack, the serialization abruptly stopped.

Really, if the serialization was going to stop like that, it would have been better if a ninja Demon Lord suddenly appeared and wiped out the protagonist’s party instead.

Of course, if that had actually happened, I would have been gifting the author several thousand words summarizing why they had no family or friends.

…Anyway, the crux of this lengthy story is quite simple.

If we can acquire those hidden pieces, we can become as strong as, no, even stronger than the reincarnator in the novel.

Most hidden pieces are guarded by strong foes that match their performance, so poking our heads in carelessly could result in having them chopped off…

‘There’s nothing else we can do, after all.’

Continuing to run away like this is hardly different from living life with a noose around your neck.

So there’s no need to hesitate anymore.

In the worst case, what could happen? Death?

If this world progresses like the original game, if Friede and I die at the same time, the world would ultimately perish too. Because there’d be no Friede.

So why not? Let’s think of it as a gamble, with the entire world as our companion.

◆◆

The hidden pieces I knew that were asleep within the Kingdom of Hervor were specifically three.
The Ice Castle, the Winter Garden, and the Ice Floe.

Sadly, all three locations were places we couldn’t even step foot in.
The ‘Ice Castle’ couldn’t be accessed, and the other two had bosses that could kill us with a mere finger.

Stepping into such places would be more akin to suicide than a gamble with our lives.

If we were to risk our lives, we should at least step into a place with a sliver of hope. Those three were out of the question.

Thus, my remaining choice was—
“Friede, can you trust me completely?”

I grabbed Friede’s shoulders with both hands and stared straight into her eyes, asking whether she could believe and follow me no matter what choice I made from here on out.

“Uh…? Out of the blue… Ah, yes, of course, I trust you!”

Since it was such a sudden question, Friede looked a bit confused but soon nodded firmly and exclaimed.

“Thanks.”
I lightly patted Friede’s shoulder to express my gratitude before diving into my detailed plan.

“Okay, listen up. A good idea just came to me.”

“A good idea?”

Friede narrowed her eyes slightly. It seemed she trusted me completely but didn’t buy into my thoughts or judgment.

…Given past events, I can’t fault her for that.

But this time, it’s real.
It’s not my judgment; it’s gathering things from the original story, so you can say it’s the judgment of the original protagonist, right?

So it should be safe. Maybe.

“Yeah, honestly, it’s a bit dangerous, but… if it works out, we won’t have to worry about the pursuers anymore.”

I deliberately averted my gaze from Friede’s eyes as I continued.

“Um, well… let’s hear it first. What’s your plan?”

“So… this is a family secret passed down through generations…”

Family secret. I floated that lie since I had no way to explain the source of the information I knew otherwise.

◆◆

After listening to my explanation, Friede reacted as if she couldn’t believe it, but at my urging that there was no other way, she finally sighed and nodded.

It must’ve looked like there was no future if things went on as they were in her eyes.
She wasn’t so much trusting my story as much as thinking, “Let’s just see what happens; we’ve got nothing to lose,” but… that was enough for me.

That was sufficient. At least for me.

◆◆

After that day, we started heading south in a straight line away from the unexplored regions of Hervor.
We ran all night from sunset until sunrise, seeking out hidden places to hide during the day.

Maybe because we took a completely different approach from our previous wandering around ruins, even the relentless pursuers lost track of us for some time.

It was just a week of peace, and soon the pursuers started popping up one by one again, but… a week was enough.

According to my plan, our destination was about a fortnight away.
A week later.

“Haah… Haah… Finally….”

Brutally battered, looking like ragged beggars, exhausted and haggard, we finally reached our destination.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen this place.”

Friede murmured softly.
In front of the shadowy riverbank, where the moon hadn’t even risen, she stared blankly at the dark, massive serpent-like waves wriggling.

The Rhine River.

The long, deep, massive river that connects the northern and central regions of the continent, serving as the foundation for the Kingdom of Rhine.
This was our first destination.
To be more specific, it was a gateway to our actual destination.

Not a hidden piece to empower Friede, but a hidden piece to empower ‘Brunhilde’ lies asleep here.

『The Ruins Beneath the River.』
Standing right in front of the entrance of the hidden dungeon we finally approached, I swallowed hard, suppressing the rising tension.
Imagining the beings waiting for us beneath the waves.