Chapter 442 - Strolling in the Dark
The familiar blue light of teleportation enveloped me. A few seconds later, my vision cleared to reveal a scene I didn't recognize... even with my inhuman memory in this virtual world.
Well, to be fair, I've never tried to commit the scenery of a dense, dark forest to memory in minute detail. Also, can I say one thing?
"It's so daaaark...!"
"Right?"
My partner stole the words right out of my mouth. The mutter I was about to make turned into a noise of agreement. Just as Nia, who was clinging to my sleeve, had said, it was ridiculously dark.
It was a garden of great trees, so dense that it made the forests around the [Safe Area] look sparse. No matter where I looked, there wasn't a single break in the canopy. It's natural for a forest to be dim when countless trees block out the light, but... even so, the darkness felt unnaturally deep.
The clock function—was locked. Instead, a countdown starting from 126 hours appeared in the corner of my vision at my command, ticking down every second.
It was a thoughtful feature, but at the same time, not really. I'd probably have to look up at the sky a lot during this event to get a rough idea of the time... or so I thought.
No matter how deep the forest, you should at least be able to see the sky if you look up—or so I thought. The moment I casually tilted my head back, my brain was instantly flooded with error reports because of the "strange thing" that entered my field of vision.
What in the world is going on with that?
"...Nia, look up."
"Huh? What is it—"
Whether she was scared of the dark or the forest, Nia wouldn't let go of me. I tried to share the 'anomaly' with her. Following my finger as I pointed to the sky, she looked straight up... and had almost the exact same reaction as me.
"...Did the sky... disappear?"
"...Well, the parts in between... you could call that sky, if you had to, couldn't you?"
The leaves, growing wild and overlapping in layers to form a curtain. Peeking through the gaps, what I could barely make out in the "distance" was—a tiny, tiny image of the ground.
"It's like... my common sense and my perception are clashing, and my brain is about to turn inside out."
"I know exactly what you mean..."
Right after the event started. If I were to offer a favorable opinion on this full-throttle fantasy that had just unfolded, Nia stumbled as if she were dizzy—
"W-Wha—!? Wha-what is it? Wha... What was that!?"
She shrieked and jumped, startled by the feel of a large leaf falling on her head.
—For now, let's stick to the original plan and start by looking for other participants.
Without any particular need to discuss it, we began walking through the forest with that goal in mind. There was still no sign of the forest's end, not even a break in the trees, but... this was surprisingly fun.
Not flying, not jumping, but walking side-by-side, step by step, had its own nice atmosphere. On top of that, the artisan clinging to my side...
"Ah, that blue berry over there."
"Hm? This one?"
"Yep, yep. That's an ingredient for potions. The MP kind."
"Huh."
...was pointing out "materials" that I had never paid any attention to before, one by one, introducing and explaining them. There wasn't a dull moment.
We couldn't see the full picture of this event field, Alvniclo, the Mirrored Celestial Sphere, not even a fraction of it, but for now, the vegetation and everything else seemed to be the same as in the [Garden of Divine Creation].
Because of that, most of the materials she spotted were familiar to her, and the smug look on the indigo-haired girl's face as she explained them was adorable. Maybe I should take another screenshot and send it to her.
"By the way, you can eat it as is for a tiny bit of recovery."
"Oh, really?"
I casually popped it in my mouth.
"Urgh... Gbluh...!!!"
"...Though it has an astringency that tastes like the depths of hell."
"C-couldn't you have said that... first?"
"I didn't think you'd just toss it in your mouth without a second thought..."
Well, it's a game, so I figured worrying about hygiene and stuff would be silly...
"Also, for your information, you can actually get an upset stomach and receive a debuff. So just like in the real world, no more carelessly eating things you find on the ground from now on, okay?"
"You've got to be kidding me, Arcadia..."
The more I learn, the more incomprehensible the level of detail is—oops, now that's a respectable-looking tree root. When it juts out this much, it's basically just a wall.
"Being carried, being pulled up, or being tossed over. Which do you prefer?"
"I'll get mad if you pick the third one."
She looks more likely to cry than get mad... Alright, alright. Understood, my Lady.
"...You really do this kind of thing so smoothly."
"I don't do it for just anyone. And from now on, even less so."
I scooped up Nia, who had stretched her arms out like a small child asking to be held, and vaulted over the massive root-wall with a body that, while not as powerful as my main form, was still enhanced.
Even in this Trance body, this much was nothing... well, to be honest, the effect of [Luna Nobody, Guardian of the Shimmering Moon] made the burden of carrying Nia zero anyway.
After clearing the obstacle, I looked down at her in my arms, ready to set her down—
"...When you react that honestly, it makes me feel a little embarrassed too."
"Sh-shut up! I'm tired of all these rough trails! Just carry me like this, come on, hurry up!"
Nia, blushing a color that didn't suit her title all the way up to her neck, started thrashing about in a full-blown attempt to hide her embarrassment. Only the crimson glow of the bracelet on her flailing right hand seemed to perfectly match her current state.
"I don't mind, but... I think this makes for a pretty paradoxical scene."
"Being carried like a princess by a beautiful girl pulling a cool-guy move without a hint of shame isn't so bad, in fact it's kinda got something to it, and I have to confess, the fact that it's you inside makes this form exciting in a different way than usual, you know—"
"Not listening, not listening, too long, too long, too long. Sheesh, just for five minutes."
"Ten minutes!"
"This girl's really stopped hiding her desires..."
—See? I told you so. We were just walking through a dark forest, and it was already this much fun. It was almost a problem.
I couldn't predict what awaited us in this survival life, but... I had no doubt it would always be lively and enjoyable.
The fact that in his Trance body, Nia-chan is slightly taller.