Chapter 353 - Soaring Through the Sky
And so, with that…
Putting aside the goosebump-inducing case of potential real-life fantasy, I had things to do.
I felt a little bad for Arshe, who seemed to want to linger, but I had quite a few unfinished tasks piling up.
So, I had her quietly take her leave for the day and dove headfirst into the virtual world.
I landed at the Round Table, which I had been using as a temporary base of operations lately. I stretched once to acclimate to the sudden sensory shift from my physical body to my superhuman avatar… Come to think of it, I'd gotten quite used to this 'switch.'
Back when I first started Arcadia, the drastic gap in physical sensation every time I logged in and out used to be exhausting. Anyway…
"Hey, junior. You're up early today."
"Just so you know, I'm not completely nocturnal."
I glanced at the person who had greeted my arrival with no reaction. It was Tetra, working just as he had been the other day. He replied without even looking up.
For the record, the current time was just past four in the afternoon. It was evening.
"More training today?"
"Nah, I've got today and tomorrow off… or rather, Irori just has something to do."
"Huh. So what are you up to? Keeping your partner company?"
"Unfortunately, I don't have the time or luxury to be slacking off."
"Haha, you got that right. Where are you headed?"
"Just a little trip up north."
"I'm sure it's not just a little trip."
We exchanged easy smiles, tossing words back and forth at a brisk pace.
We'd been through a lot—or rather, we were about to go through a lot—but I could feel that the distance between my junior (and senior) had shrunk even more.
What with his consideration before and after the Four Pillar War and this latest 'proposal,' I felt a little bad, and a little pathetic, that I was only racking up more debts…
Well, I am his junior. I suppose I'll let my 'senior' dote on me.
"We're meeting up tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, at the scheduled time. It's not late at night, so make sure you wake up on time."
"I told you, I'm not that nocturnal."
The black-cat-like boy didn't seem to be in a playful mood, giving me a withering stare and a shooing gesture as if to say, "Scram."
Getting scolded by someone who claims to be younger, even if he's my senior, does a fair bit of damage to my psyche. I decided to tone down the teasing—and as I turned to leave, a ping notified me of a message.
Now who could that be… Hey, don't send me a letter from less than two meters away.
"Huh? What's this list of what look like material names and map data…"
"You're going north, right? If you have time, just grab these for me on your way."
"These names sound like the parts of some seriously venomous creatures. Are they just lying around for me to pick up?"
"Hmm… you know, I think you owe me quite a few 'favors,' don't you?"
"You are absolutely right, I'm on my way!!"
Well, I am his junior, after all… so I'll gladly be his gofer for an errand or two!
◇◆◇◆◇
Ever since I went on a rampage during the war, my avatar has become well-known, drawing eyes wherever I go. However, I'm rarely spoken to or bothered.
At most, people greet me or wave. In fact, it almost feels like they're keeping their distance—and that's all thanks to my seniors.
In the early days… or rather, when rankers first started being treated like big-name stars, it was apparently a huge mess, a terrible state of affairs.
If they walked through town, they were instantly surrounded. If they went out into the field, they'd get followers. Day and night, 'freedom' was a distant dream. Proper gameplay was out of the question.
Because those seniors didn't ignore the trouble and went to great pains to establish order, new titleholders like myself are having a much easier time of it.
Of course, a big part of it is that Arcadia's player base was an unusually select group of well-mannered individuals to begin with, a far cry from the 'melting pot' of personalities you usually find in online games.
Nevertheless, the achievements of those who took the lead are immense. I really have to bow my head to the early rankers like Goldow, Arshe, and Ui-san.
It's thanks to them that I can walk around alone so freely.
"Hmm… it's been a while since I've felt this lonely."
On the northernmost edge of the city's outskirts, at the fringe of a metropolis with no outer walls, I stood atop the roof of the tallest building I could find.
The deliberately muttered words to myself sounded surprisingly bleak, and it made me laugh.
Lately, I've really never been alone, either here in the virtual world or back in the real one, so I was surprisingly lost as to where to place my energy.
I guess at my core, I'm a party-play kind of guy… The man who, in his youth, thought solo play was cool and mastered the art of loneliness in MMOs is long dead.
Though I say I mastered it, I just automatically became a loner after the guild I was in crashed and burned. After witnessing that grand explosion of interpersonal drama, I just couldn't bring myself to join another one right away…
—But enough of these funny stories from the past.
"Alright… time to go."
With an avatar whose sense of balance broke all upper limits, I did some deep knee bends on the unstable footing to charge up my spirit.
As I gave a half-hearted peace sign to the players looking up at me from below… while feeling lonely and all that, there was a part of me that was also buzzing with excitement.
My recent training has given me more than enough of a test run.
The new gear supporting my high-speed feet was, as expected, of blazewalker quality, and I had no complaints. In that case, I'm counting on you—[Maristake Boots]!
Without altering the original shape or design, the refined boots' metal parts now shone a deep blue, containing flecks of gold like stardust.
It was one of the rare ores I'd brought back from the Great Rock-Eating Hive. With my boots now updated with this magical ore that held the power of water, I kicked off the rooftop with all my might—
"[Rocket]."
Two skills reacted to the uttered keyword.
One was, of course, the lethal skill [Rocket], which had sent countless versions of me to their doom with its violent and uncontrollable burst of acceleration.
And the other… was the water magic linked to the activation of [Rocket] by the added ability of the [Maristake Boots]—[Aqua].
It was the same kind of trick I'd shown off against [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King] before, a clever workaround that took advantage of the extreme, game-like resistance effect of 'water.'
The [Aqua] that automatically activated from my boots generated a rush of water that instantly submerged my kicking foot… and the perfectly dulled sensation acted as reins, taming the wild beast.
Thirty percent power, straight ahead—now, let's fly!
I stomped on the void, and my vision lost all meaning.
But in the vast expanse of blue sky spread out before me, there were no obstacles. Now then, how far can I go… For starters, let's aim for a little over a thousand kilometers in a straight line!
Kicking off into the air with a splash of water, my figure instantly left all eyes behind.
Only the explosive crack, echoing loudly like a gunshot, was left behind as a souvenir for the dumbfounded onlookers.
The rocket fuel is his own life (HP), which he naturally seems to be skipping out on paying.