Chapter 12 - Back-to-Back on the Plains
Once you dealt with the area-of-effect stun it used upon spawning, the [Buried Great Boar] was, frankly, an easy boss with no real challenging elements.
Its immense size might make you flinch, but its charge speed was hardly different from a Fool Boar's, making it easy to dodge if you just stayed calm. Even its area-of-effect attack, where it hurled clumps of dirt from its body, wasn't hard to deal with, as the projectiles always landed a set distance away from it.
It used its ground-shaking stun at other times too, not just at the start, but the wind-up—raising its front legs—was so absurdly long that you could easily jump to avoid it, almost like playing jump rope. In short, its difficulty was exactly what you’d expect from a beginner area boss.
◇You have defeated the [Buried Great Boar].◇
◇You have acquired a new title.◇
・Vanquisher of the Buried Great Boar
・One Who Runs the Plains
◇You have acquired new skills.◇
・Boar's Heart
・Acrobatics
So, yeah, that was the result. The moment my straight sword cleanly pierced its brow, the great boar froze, and several logs popped up simultaneously—
"A complete victory!"
As I flashed a peace sign with the exploding corpse of the great boar and a victory fanfare in the background, the goddess of victory waiting behind me turned away with a huff.
From my point of view, it was an incredibly cute gesture that almost made me break into a goofy grin, but considering her feelings, I knew I had to smooth things over or she might just get fed up with me.
I had no idea what twist of fate allowed a plain-looking guy like me to team up with her—a girl who was presumably beautiful and had a gentle, graceful personality. There was no room to get complacent about this situation.
As I walked over to the disgruntled girl, she kept glancing at me out of the corner of her eye, making it blatantly obvious she was just pretending to be angry...
"Sora, you're so cu—whoa, that was close!"
"Heah...?!"
That was close! That post-boss-fight high almost made me say everything on my mind!!
'Sora is so cute,' my ass! What am I doing, trying to flirt with her so casually? That's not my character!!
Letting out a deliberately theatrical cough, I turned to appease the girl who had flinched at my sudden outburst.
"You were a huge help. I might've been in trouble without that status boost."
"…It didn't look that way to me. You were moving as weirdly as ever."
She must have thought I was just flattering her, judging by her chilly response... but I was being honest. It really was a close call.
That first dirt-throwing attack... I dodged it on reflex, but I'm not sure I could have done it with my base stats. I'd like to think getting hit by a clump of dirt wouldn't have been a one-hit kill, but there was a very real possibility of being finished off by a follow-up attack while I was knocked down.
No effort was too great when it came to pleasing my cute companion. As I explained all this, Sora still looked a bit unconvinced, but...
"Mmmph... Fine. I'll accept that explanation for now."
And with that, it seemed I had her convinced, for the most part.
"Anyway, we should figure something out. You must be bored just watching all the time, Sora."
"You have no idea. Other than using a healing skill a few times during yesterday's boss fight, I haven't even been able to participate in combat."
Yeah, I can't blame her. If I were in her position, I'd be so bored I'd be complaining too. We definitely needed to find a way for her to participate in combat.
"So, about that... did you get any new skills from the results screen?"
"Oh, right. Um... Observer's Eye?"
I guess you don't get offensive skills without direct combat experience, huh? Still, it's an intriguing name.
"Hoh. What kind of skill is it?"
"Um... hmm, how do I put it... It makes it easier to see... and understand... the movements of an opponent who's a certain distance away...?"
She seemed to be struggling to put it into words, tilting her head in confusion along with me. She probably understood it herself, thanks to that mental-install feature.
"Umm... Please look at that Fool Boar over there."
"Alrighty?"
Struggling but determined to explain, Sora pointed to a boar a short distance away.
"For example, if it suddenly started running,"
"And?"
"There's a slight delay before we recognize that, right? Before we think, 'Oh, it's started running.'"
"Hmm? Mmm, ah...? Ohhh."
I vaguely understood what she was getting at. It was about the time it takes to see something, process it, and understand it.
"It seems to be a skill that shortens that delay... Um, does that make sense...?"
"Yeah, I think I get it, surprisingly well."
In other words, it speeds up her visual processing. That's actually pretty amazing... Wait, is that even possible? Manipulating an individual's perception speed... What kind of... Just more mystery tech, I guess. As expected of [Arcadia].
"From the sound of it, that seems like a really useful skill."
It was up to Sora to make use of it, but this Observer's Eye skill, which improved reaction time, seemed highly suited for combat—in fact, wasn't it a straight-up combat skill?
She must have thought so too, because even though it wasn't the offensive skill she had hoped for, a look of anticipation slowly dawned on her face.
"The condition about keeping a distance is no problem, since I was planning to avoid close-quarters combat anyway. To make the most of it, I'd need a ranged weapon... like a bow?"
"Yes, that sounds right. I doubt I can get a gun as a new player, so a bow is probably the way to go until I can learn some offensive magic."
That seemed like the sensible choice—wait, what? This game has guns? That's unusual for a game with such a heavy fantasy vibe...
While I, in my continued state of ignorance until I bothered to look it up online, was still reeling from the surprise, Sora looked newly motivated now that she had a plan.
I watched with a fond smile as she excitedly declared, "I'll try it now!" and activated the skill—
"—Huhh?"
The next instant, Sora let out a bewildered cry and stumbled.
"Hnngh…, wha…?! Hnngh…?!"
"S-Sora-san...?"
It wasn't just a single stumble; she let out a faint sound, something between a groan and a scream. I immediately sensed something was wrong. Just as I called out to her, Sora's knees buckled beside me.
"Hey...!"
I instinctively caught her slender avatar. Her HP was full, and she didn't have any status effects. Worried, I leaned in to look at her face as she suddenly collapsed for no discernible reason...
"Ugh... ghhh..."
For some reason, Sora's eyes were spinning—no, I mean literally spinning. It was that classic manga effect where the pupils turn into spirals.
Seeing such a cartoony expression in a world with graphics this realistic felt out of place... but I decided to put that thought aside for now.
"Sora, are you okay? ...Hey, Sora-san, you there?"
"Ugh... can see... the future... overlapping with the present... spinning, dizzy...!"
"O-Oh...?"
Sora squeezed her eyes shut as if enduring a headache, trying to tell me something in a faint voice, but her words were too mumbled and fragmented for me to understand. All I could do was tilt my head in confusion.
She leaned against me, and for a moment she seemed to be trying to stay on her feet... but it was no use. She went completely limp, entrusting her full weight to me, and I gently lowered both of us to the ground.
This was... oddly familiar. It was just like that groggy old drunk I used to see at my part-time izakaya job, about five seconds before he was about to puke his guts out.
It was a terrible analogy for a presumably beautiful girl, but I'm sorry, it was a perfect match.
Even the way she desperately gripped my hand, as if trying to fight back the suffocating nausea, was identical... I really need to stop thinking about that. If I vividly recall the tragedy that occurred five seconds later, my own mental state will take a nosedive.
Fortunately, Sora was... well, I had no idea if you could even get sick and throw up in this world, but... she gradually began to calm down.
"...You okay?"
"I'm... sorry... Just a little longer... like this..."
She still seemed to need a bit more time, murmuring uncomfortably as she rested against me. While this was... a fortunate position to be in, I was genuinely worried.
It was obvious that the new skill she'd tried to activate was the cause, but... now what?
"...Um..."
"Feeling better?"
Sora had been frozen solid, as if the slightest movement would be the end of her, but after a while, she hesitantly lifted her head.
Since she was leaning completely against me, our faces were just inches apart. She gasped for a moment at the proximity, her face turning red, but she didn't scramble to move away.
Her eyes, when they met mine, were still slightly unfocused. It looked like she was still a little dizzy.
"Don't push yourself. You want to lie down?"
I said, patting my lap. Sora's eyes widened in surprise, and then a shy blush crept up her cheeks as she gave a small shake of her head.
"I-I'm fine... really. I'm sorry for that, and... thank you."
Gradually regaining her composure, she took a breath and sat up with a small grunt.
"It was the skill, right?"
"Yes, um... It was... intense."
Hmm, intense.
"Well... as soon as I used the skill, it was like everything that was moving looked blurry."
"Blurry?"
"Yes. I think... the information I could normally perceive got mixed up with the information I perceived through Observer's Eye..."
"…Hoh?"
Crap, I have no idea what she's talking about. This is probably something only the user can understand.
"It's like I can see it, but I can't... or maybe I see too much... I think... my own processing power just isn't enough."
"Huh...? Can you really learn a skill like that? A skill that knocks you out every time you use it is just a self-destruct button."
To put it mildly, isn't that a garbage skill?
"Um, well... I have a feeling that once I get used to it, it'll be fine."
"It didn't look like something you could just 'get used to'…"
"You know how when you learn a skill, you instinctively get a rough idea of how to use it? It's like that. I have a feeling it'll probably be okay."
"Hmm...?"
So it just requires practice? If the skill is that powerful, it would be a shame to let it go to waste. And if she says she can do it, then training seems like the right move.
"So, wanna train? Think just using it over and over will do the trick?"
"Yes, I think so. Outside of combat, the boars move pretty slowly, so if I try using it a few times here..."
"Okay. I'll be your backrest."
"Oh, thank you very mu—Huh?"
"Hm?"
"Eh?"
Eh?
"N-No, I couldn't possibly! A backrest, I mean, I couldn't..."
"But there are no objects to lean against on this field."
It really was a prairie as far as the eye could see. You'd think there would be at least one rock lying around, but the only objects were some bushes bearing fruit—probably food for the boars.
If we had bags, we could use them as pillows, but blessed as we were with the fantasy convenience of an item box, we were naturally empty-handed.
"It might be weird if you think of me as a guy, but hey, it's just an avatar. Don't worry about it, lean on me."
Having already mentally classified Sora as a little sister, I felt no shame or ulterior motives. This offer was born of one-hundred-percent pure kindness—no, I'm lying. Maybe ten percent was ulterior motives. I'm a guy, after all!
"B-But, um... I... Ugh, uuuu~...!"
As I played the part of the 'dependable guy' with supposedly zero ulterior motives, Sora began to fidget nervously—whoa, what is that adorable gesture? It's super effective against me, so please stop.
"Uuu... Okay... then... would you... mind?"
"Yeah, leave it to me."
I theatrically thumped my chest. Sora let out a small chuckle, then, after a moment's hesitation, leaned her back against mine.
I could feel the warmth of her virtual body, so realistic it was almost startling. I had to consciously soothe my fluttering heart to keep it from racing.
I could hear her take a deep breath, as if steeling herself. To avoid getting too distracted by her as she started her training, I decided to focus on my own tasks.
I decided to set aside the growing list of titles and newly acquired skills for later. First up: my status.
Between the boss fights and grinding mobs, I had leveled up quite a bit and saved up a nice pile of stat points.
Leveling in this game is pretty fast. The progression feels much quicker than in the MMOs I played in the past.
The blessing of Istia, which aids in early development, probably plays a big part... but anyway, time to distribute these points.
――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name: Haru
Lv: 23 (60)
STR: 15
AGI: 70
DEX: 70
VIT: 5
MID: 5
LUC: 5
◇Skill◇
・All-Weapon Aptitude
《Quick Change》
《Weapon Darts》
・Accel Tempo
・Boar's Heart New!
・Acrobatics New!
――――――――――――――――――
"Alright..."
What to do? My original plan was to max out AGI and DEX, so I had no qualms about dumping half my points into each to push them into the triple digits.
However... I had a feeling that, one way or another, I'd have many more opportunities to party with Sora in the future—and I was grateful for that.
There was the fact that we seemed to have this strange connection, but also, since neither of us could realistically hope to find other new or contemporary players, we were each other's only option for a partner at the same level.
If that was the case, shouldn't I avoid a build focused on solo play? It would be a different story if Sora was heading toward an offensive build, but right now, she was definitively on the path to becoming a support healer.
Sticking with my default one-hit-and-you're-dead build, which rendered healing pointless, would simply halve the effectiveness of teaming up with Sora.
It did synergize with her somewhat broken support skill, Spectate Ale, but I had no intention of making her rely on a skill that was premised on her just watching from the sidelines.
I mean, what's the point of playing a game if you're just spectating? She's a player, not an accessory for me. If we couldn't enjoy it together, there was no point.
"In that case..."
So, should I raise my VIT? It wasn't that simple. My 'frail constitution,' as Sora called it, wasn't just due to my stats; it was also because I wasn't wearing any armor, leaving me effectively naked... in a gaming sense, of course. I was still wearing the default villager-style undergarments.
Putting that aside, just raising VIT wouldn't be very effective. The vitality stat does increase your base durability to some degree, but its primary function is to meet the stat requirements for equipping armor.
But if I were to wear armor, I would run into the carry weight limit, which would completely negate my playstyle.
Some might say I should just fight with a single sword, but the aptitude skill I got was All-Weapon Aptitude, which has lower bonuses than specialized aptitudes like Straight Sword Aptitude or Greatsword Aptitude.
If I limit myself to a single weapon style, I'd just become a completely inferior version of a player with a specialized aptitude, and several of my skills, starting with Quick Change, would become useless.
...Yep, I'm checkmated here. It seems I have no choice but to continue down this path.
――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name: Haru
Lv: 23
STR: 15
AGI: 70→100
DEX: 70→100
VIT: 5
MID: 5
LUC: 5
◇Skill◇
・All-Weapon Aptitude
《Quick Change》
《Weapon Darts》
・Accel Tempo
・Boar's Heart
・Acrobatics
――――――――――――――――――
Mmm, a pair of nice, clean hundreds. While I'm at it, I might as well check out my two new skills.
Boar's Heart—Activates after building up some momentum. Adds a bonus damage modifier and knockback effect to a subsequent body slam or weapon attack.
Acrobatics—When DEX is used to compensate for high-speed maneuvers that rely on AGI, this skill strengthens the supplementary effect.
"Hoh...?"
Not bad. Boar's Heart turns any action after a running start into a pseudo-charge skill, while Acrobatics lets me save points on DEX, meaning I can pump more into AGI.
Putting aside the fact that I probably acquired the former due to that idiotic, explosive rampage of mine, it was a satisfying haul. All good.
Finally, the titles. After two boss fights, the list had grown, so I went through them.
Hmm, it's still the very beginning of the game, so there probably aren't any titles with flashy effects... but Weaver of Bonds... this one looks pretty good.
I must have gotten it from clearing content with Sora. Its effect was a little unique: you could designate a specific player, and you'd receive a slight bonus to all stats while partied with them.
Among the other lackluster effects like 'minor stamina increase' or 'minor EXP boost,' this was a genuinely appealing benefit.
Since I had no one else in mind, I designated Sora as the target... and that was about it.
The occasional pained sigh, the hesitant weight against my back... I fiddled with my status window, trying to distract myself from the sensations.
Since the skill section of the status screen is going to get cluttered from now on, here's a simple explanation using the protagonist's current status screen as an example.
――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name: Haru
Lv: 23
STR: 15
AGI: 100
DEX: 100
VIT: 5
MID: 5
LUC: 5
◇Skill◇
・All-Weapon Aptitude
《Quick Change》
《Weapon Darts》
・Accel Tempo
・Boar's Heart
・Acrobatics
――――――――――――
Basically, the currently activated Aptitude Tree will be at the top of the skill list.
The group of skills attached below it are exclusive skills derived from that tree. If you switch to another exclusive tree you've acquired, these skills will disappear along with it.
The skills listed separately from the Aptitude Tree are general skills that remain available even when you switch trees.
When mentioned in conversation, all skills are written with 《 》, but in the status screen, skills in brackets are active skills that must be manually activated. Skills without brackets are passive skills that are either always active or activate automatically when certain conditions are met.
That's all. I hope it's not too hard to read... hopefully it's okay.