Chapter 24 - Cliff Road Revenge
“King of the White Throne.”
Those were his first words—or, to be precise, they were the words the muscly old man solemnly uttered after a ten-second silence that followed me visiting his smithy to beg for a replacement pickaxe, which had naturally snapped when I hit that white mochi bastard, presenting the borrowed tool, broken clean in half, with a deep bow.
“...You figured it out.”
King of the White Throne—I didn’t need to think to know who he was referring to.
“A smith reads the iron.”
“..., ...?”
“...”
Hey, don’t nod like you think I understood. If you really think that gets the message across, you should get your speech center replaced.
“I see, how profound…”
But if there’s a hidden affection parameter for NPCs, I don’t want to risk messing it up, so playing it safe is the best option.
Ignoring me as I nodded back in feigned understanding while suppressing my true thoughts, the muscly old man stared intently at the broken pickaxe—at its tip, which had turned faintly white.
Profound indeed, especially the chasm between our minds… Just then,
“Huh?”
A shalan sound reached my ears. Looking for the source of the odd noise, I saw a “Quest Updated” notification in the corner of my vision.
“A bundle of Glowbird tail feathers.”
At the same time, the muscly old man gave a verbal order. I checked the quest details and saw that Blue Iron Ore had disappeared from the list of required items.
“Wait, you don’t need the iron ore anymore?”
I was treated to a bungee jump without a cord by a great-winged bird before I found the second ore, so I shouldn’t have met the quota. Yet, [Blue Iron Ore] had vanished from the completion requirements, and I tilted my head in confusion.
“Don’t need it. I’ll use this for the core.”
He said, his rugged hand pointing to the broken pickaxe I had just given him… Wait, seriously?
“It’s scrap iron, but it’s devoured a sliver of ‘power.’ For a first piece, it’s a more than adequate core.”
“...No way.”
Here it comes… I’ve definitely entered a special route!
There’s no time to waste! Just you wait, you feathered fiend, I’m coming to wipe you from existence!
◇◆◇◆◇
In the central district of Istia, a lone female player stood in the fountain plaza, a popular meeting spot, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Her flame-like, vibrant scarlet hair was eye-catching enough, but her attire was what truly made her stand out.
Due to a shortage of specialized artisans, traditional Japanese clothing was still a rarity in the world of Arcadia. Her particular outfit—a splendid kimono worn in a stylishly disheveled manner, a type that fetched an especially high price—made her conspicuous even when she was just standing there quietly.
“Hmm…”
On a whim, she had peeked at the forums and, drawn in by an interesting topic, had stuck her nose in. The search for a person, which she began with almost zero leads, was proving difficult… or so she thought. Information about ‘him’ had fallen into her lap with surprising ease.
It turned out the player in question was the first newcomer to Istia in nearly six months and was, as expected, quite the standout in this town. A little asking around yielded a fair amount of information—in fact, she probably knew his current location already.
That’s because he’d been spotted moments ago, charging towards the teleport gate at a ridiculous speed while roaring something like, “Cliff Road of the Sky Bridge, YEAAAH!!” The gap between the formal, business-report-like tone of his forum post and the reality of his character was becoming undeniable.
Besides, his forum post had said, “I started yesterday.” What did he mean by tackling the third beginner area on his second day?
On top of that, if the eyewitness accounts were correct, he was currently attempting it solo. It was getting more and more incomprehensible.
In the first place, there was no way a player on their second day could sprint at what a high-level player would perceive as a “ridiculous speed”—
“Well, this is getting interesting.”
She had gotten involved on a whim, just to kill time, but now she had a feeling this could turn into an unexpectedly fun encounter.
She muttered to herself, her hair swaying cheerfully as she left the fountain plaza behind.
◇◆◇◆◇
“You’re no ordinary mob, are you!?”
I had returned with gusto to the [Cliff Road of the Sky Bridge]. Now, locked in a brawl with my fated rival, the great-winged bird, on a ledge of the cliff, I spat out my conviction-filled accusation.
It was obvious. For a common enemy treated as a weak mob, this thing was way too tough in every respect. Combined with a combat field that left me no choice but to be ambushed, I got the feeling this wasn’t an enemy you were meant to fight head-on.
If that’s the case, my options are to either repel it or flee, but the latter isn’t realistic.
This cliff path crumbles if you step in the wrong place. Trying to make a full-speed escape here is synonymous with direct, not-so-subtle suicide.
“Then I’ll repel it…! I bet it’s a matter of dealing a certain amount of damage or surviving for a set time!”
I have to believe that achieving either one will drive it away—in that case, for a glass cannon like me, the only choice is the former!
“I guess the proper strategy is probably to counter…!”
Screw that! I’ll teach you that the sky is no longer your exclusive domain!
I used Quick Change and swung my great axe at the Glowbird that had been relentlessly attacking me. The wide swing caught it off guard, and just as I’d planned, the great-winged bird backed off to create distance—
“A man’s gotta have guts!!”
My next move was to press the attack. Kicking away the fear that tried to hold me back for just a moment, I launched myself off the edge of the cliff with all my might. Perhaps my insane act was a shock even to a bird, as the Glowbird’s movements faltered for a split second, allowing me to get above its head.
My right hand no longer held the great axe, but a straight sword. My beloved blade, its body restored by the muscly old man—
“Nngh-RAAAH!!”
—I slammed it down onto the bird’s dumb-looking head.
Its HP didn’t drop much, but the surprise attack was undoubtedly a painful blow. A high-pitched shriek echoed through the air, but I didn’t have the luxury of yelling “serves you right.”
Not yet, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, YES, cooldown’s up!
“Quick Change!!”
As my body was pulled down by gravity, I kicked off the air with my newly acquired secret technique, the aerial jump. Using the great axe that appeared in place of my sword as a foothold, I leaped back onto the cliff path, trembling with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
“YEAAAH! How d’you like my pseudo-aerial combat?! Still think this skill is useless!?”
It obviously can’t compete with a real aerial jump skill, but being able to kick off the air when you have no legitimate means to do so has to be a huge advantage.
The element of surprise is a plus, too. The proof is right there—the great-winged bird, retreating in a panic!
“Alright, as long as I don’t look down, I can manage this.”
Not only had I gotten my revenge, but I’d also proven that my newly learned pseudo-aerial combat style works on this feathered fiend.
Putting aside the fact that my stomach churns every time I accidentally look down, I can say I’ve established a solid strategy. Honestly, it’s so scary I feel like I could puke, and part of me is asking, “Are you serious right now?” but I’ll just put a lid on common sense.
It’s a game, so it’s fine, it’s fine.
“Alright then, let’s get through this nice and quick.”
◇◆◇◆◇
[Faction Neutral] Questions & Chat Board [Part.1259]
896: Kagura
Surprised the momentum here hasn't died down. I was also surprised to find a weirdo who jumps off cliffs without hesitation.
897: Hisasagi
That's just not possible, is it? They've stubbornly refused to implement an aerial jump for three years, you think they'd leave a loophole like that?
898: Nier
YES, I've been waiting, Kagura-san!!
899: Lilac
Uh, that was faster than I expected, and a weirdo jumping off a cliff...?
900: Tele-Cannon
Oh? We getting an update?
901: Nier
Okay, okay, slow it down!! Kagura-san is writing a report, so everyone slow down!!
902: Kagura
I found him. The player in question. He was fighting a bird on a cliff in the third beginner area. Actually, he's still fighting... oh, he just threw himself off again. It's hard to explain, but he jumps off the cliff, attacks, then switches weapons, uses that as a foothold to jump, and gets back on the cliff. I've never seen anything like it. Also, for some reason he's not wearing any clothes, he's super hyped, and he's screaming. It's scary.
903: Lilac
............?????
904: Nier
Right... Even the moderator is at a loss for words. Kagura-san, can you record a video? Or at least a screenshot.
905: Kagura
No good, recording is disabled. His privacy settings are probably still on default.
906: Kagura
I wish he would put on some clothes.
907: Lilac
Wait, what? Are you saying a naked pervert is committing suicide by jumping off a cliff?
908: Nier
That's terrifying.
909: Kagura
I'm talking about a person in the default underwear, swinging a sword and a great axe, laughing maniacally, and bouncing all over the place, on the ground and in the air.
910: Nier
That's not a person, that's a crime.
911: Tele-Cannon
So, it's a new type of enemy, got it.
912: Hisasagi
This is so messed up I'm actually laughing.
913: Lilac
Um... Kagura-san, can you make contact? If you feel you're in danger, just observing is fine.
914: Kagura
He's advancing through the route at an incredible pace and has already entered the boss area. For now, is it okay if I just keep an eye on him and talk to him when I'm ready?
915: Tele-Cannon
The cliff boss... can you even solo that thing...?