Chapter 157: The Crown Bracelet

Soon, Uncle Tada had drifted off to sleep. Monitoring his brainwave fluctuations, Hikari sent a message notifying Hiroyuki that he could now prepare to enter the dream.

The people who had originally crowded into the room withdrew one by one. Only Taro remained behind. No one questioned this arrangement; they simply told Taro to shout if anything came up, promising to keep watch outside, patiently waiting amidst a supply of snacks and beverages.

Although the captain hadn't asked them to stake the place out and had insisted they were brought to the island for a vacation, they couldn't just leave Hiroyuki and Tada behind to rest and play on their own. Instead, they decided to have a gathering while keeping a watchful eye.

Inside the room, Taro was still giving Hiroyuki some final warnings and advice, especially urging him not to bite off more than he can chew.

Over the past two days of interaction, Taro had gradually begun to overlap the image of the boy before him with the memory of the child in his own heart. Although Hiroyuki still felt a bit shy, saying he wasn't quite used to it—after all, nobody instantly accepts a "dad" who seemingly pops out of nowhere—Taro's genuine goodwill still left Hiroyuki flattered. Hiroyuki readily accepted this kindness, especially since his relationship with Taiga was so exceptionally close that making a strict distinction between them would feel overly formal and distant.

Yet in Taro's eyes, the two boys were truly like the same person, their strengths and flaws matching up seamlessly. He was genuinely terrified of this boy's rashness and disregard for consequences, particularly on the battlefield—

This kid simply didn't value his own life.

Taro was certain this wasn't just him worrying excessively as a concerned parent, nor was it his imagination. When he voiced his worries to his eldest brother, the captain of the Space Garrison, who had always kept an eye on Taiga, had nodded in agreement.

Zoffy paid attention to Taiga not because he was Taro's son, but because the boy's achievements in the cadet corps were simply too dazzling. As the captain of the Garrison, keeping track of manpower was part of his duties, and outstanding cadets were well worth the notice of a Garrison captain who had a million things to handle every day.

Right on the eve of the Garrison entrance exam, the more Taro thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. So, after finishing his training report, he took the opportunity to ask his captain and eldest brother for advice.

Given Taiga's current strength, passing the exam was practically a certainty, but...

In the captain's words: his body and power had matured, but his mind had not.

At the same time, the captain also felt this was completely normal. Taiga possessed a naturally good personality and was deeply loved by everyone. He had always received his education and training step by step, without experiencing any real setbacks, so it was only natural for him to be mentally naive.

In fact, if Taiga had displayed mature mindset and seasoned judgment at that time, the captain might have suspected he was an Alien Magma in disguise.

Not just Taiga; warriors with solid strength but immature minds were dime a dozen in the cadet corps. Generally speaking, rookie warriors who passed the Garrison entrance exam possessed excellent knowledge and strong combat power, meeting the baseline requirements. They were then assigned to go on missions alongside veteran warriors, tempering their minds through endless tasks and battles until they eventually matured.

However, Taro's heart ached for his child, so Zoffy suggested: if you want Taiga to be a bit more mature before joining the Garrison, why not send the boy "studying abroad"? Far away from his homeland, friends, and family, living and learning entirely on his own in a foreign land for a period of time, he would have no choice but to mature.

Hearing this, Taro thought it was a great idea. It certainly seemed safer than throwing him directly onto the battlefield to temper his mind.

And so, after returning from his studies abroad, Taiga charged recklessly toward Tregear with two companions.

Just the thought of this incident made the veins on Taro's forehead throb.

Looking back at the calm Hiroyuki before him, Taro could only concede that rather than letting Taiga run wild across the universe, having him live on Earth like an ordinary human for ten or twenty years was a far better way to build character.

Hiroyuki nodded in acknowledgment, repeatedly promising that the moment things looked sketchy, he would turn tail and—no, pull out his ring and run.

Having finished his instructions to Hiroyuki, Taro turned his gaze to the other side, just an arm's reach away.

"Well, Number Six, do you have something to say to me?"

While Hiroyuki was being cornered by Taro and lectured on this and that, Tregear had been watching the show from the side, finding it immensely entertaining. Now, seeing Taro finish his lecture and turn his head toward him, Tregear instantly grew interested. Did Taro want to lecture him the same way he lectured his kid? The mere thought was amusing.

He watched as Number Six reached out a hand toward him.

"The Bakugon Ring, hand it over."

Tregear complied gracefully, slipping the light ring off his finger and handing it over. He was curious to see what Number Six was up to. Was he going to confiscate the ring to keep him from stirring up trouble in the Dream Ruins?

Though Tregear didn't consider himself a troublemaker, but rather someone on very important "official business," he knew that even if he said so, Number Six wouldn't believe him.

Taro paid no attention to Tregear's gaze, focusing entirely on turning the Bakugon Ring over in his hands.

"The name is... the Bakugon Ring. Its function..." Taro murmured as he carefully examined the ring, "...is to cause the user to lose their physical form and walk through dreams."

This familiar text description startled Hiroyuki, causing him to snap his head up abruptly. His movement was a bit too sudden, startling Taro.

"What's wrong?"

"No, nothing..."

It was just that hearing an NPC recite item stats almost word-for-word out of nowhere caught Hiroyuki off guard. As Hiroyuki shook his head to say it was nothing, Taro unclasped a bracelet from his own wrist. The bracelet was about a knuckle wide, its silver-white band embedded with a large golden crown decoration.

Hiroyuki recognized it instantly. It was the famous Crown Bracelet.

The very next second, the bracelet began to transform. It dissolved into a pool of liquid before condensing and reshaping itself, ultimately turning into a monster light ring that looked almost identical to the Bakugon Ring in appearance, save for two golden borders along the band.

"......??"

Tregear didn't stand on ceremony, reaching out and snatching both light rings from Taro's hands, weighing them in his palm.

"The weight doesn't match," Tregear frowned, making his judgment. "These aren't the same thing. Can this ring even be used?"

"It can... it should be."

Taro nodded at first, but then remembering he hadn't actually tested it, he added uncertainly.

With a hint of skepticism, Tregear examined the light ring that had transformed from the Crown Bracelet, rubbing the core near the main gemstone as if searching for a seam to pry it open and inspect the internal structure.

Taro saw the curiosity in Tregear's eyes, but could only offer an explanation: "The inside should be empty—there's nothing in there, but it just works."

As for the principle behind it? Don't ask him. He was just a user; why would he need to know the mechanics?