Chapter 444 - Stormy Encounter
—A massive, official, optional event open to all players.
While there were various incidents and commotions of all sizes happening day and night, a "real" event officially prepared by the game developers was a different story.
The Four Pillar War, the [Colored Monster] raids... these top-tier festivals where the strongest players gathered were more than enjoyable enough even for spectators, thanks in part to the spirit of the famous title holders. But still... but still.
Honestly, they wanted to be on the participating side. They didn't want to just watch the festivities from afar; they wanted to throw themselves into the action.
There must have been countless players who yearned for a more relaxed stage, one not focused solely on high-difficulty combat, where a wider range of people could have fun.
That's why the number of players who snatched up the invitation to this 'special stage'—finally offered without any prerequisites—instantly and without hesitation was immense.
They joined without hesitation, full of joy and excitement... and some, in their excitement, joined without thinking.
To get to the heart of the matter, they had, without realizing it, underestimated the virtual world of Arcadia that they thought they knew so well.
Even though one could sense a 'difficulty setting aimed at the general player base'—a necessity for an event that opened its gates to all players—
"Uwaaaaaaah! Somebody, help meeeeeee!"
"You're too loud... Just... run...!"
A pair of two non-combatants was, in every sense of the word, far too careless a setup.
Inside a forest closely resembling the 'Great Forest' near the city. After being teleported into the event field, she had been able to excitedly run around, ignoring her usually quiet and unsociable partner, for about an hour.
Whether her over-the-top excitement had attracted them, or whether the one-hour mark had been a safety period right after the start... she wasn't sure. But several minutes had passed since they'd encountered a large, eerie horde of black, speckled monkeys.
She had never seen or heard of creatures with this appearance before, but they didn't seem to be high-level enemies. Even among production classes, it was rare to find someone who just holed up in their workshop. The chase was manageable with the minimum body stats they had for 'outings'—but,
"Hey, are we losing them!? Isn't the rustling behind us getting louder!?"
"I told you, just run! There's nothing we can do but run!"
It was a game of tag where they were always the same speed, no matter how far they ran. It was doubtful they were even successfully escaping; shaking their pursuers was a pipe dream. Their situation was disastrous.
Compared to combat players, they were worlds apart, but they were still veteran, max-level players. On flat, easy-to-run terrain, they could have fully utilized their agility—a stat they had at least invested in—to escape. Or if they were facing a smaller number, they could have used their level advantage to force a semblance of a fight.
However, there was no way they could take on a horde of several dozen on unstable footing in a forest. Moreover, it was obvious this forest was the creatures' home turf. It wasn't a metaphor; getting surrounded and beaten to a pulp was the predetermined outcome.
That's why, no matter how much her partner told her she was 'too loud,' in the end—
"Come ooooon...! Anyone, someone who can fight! Person in need of rescue here! I'm gonna get eaten by weird monkeys! Hel-l-l-l-lp meeeeeee!"
There was nothing else she could do but scream for help until her voice gave out, casting aside all shame and pride. She prayed her voice would reach someone in her "group," people gathered within a certain range.
Someone she'd been connected to by fate in this event.
—And then, a gust of wind blew.
"Wha—!?"
"Tch... What the—"
Suddenly, a figure with pure white hair burst out from the shade of the trees ahead and shot past them. She was so startled she almost stopped... but her partner pulled her along, continuing their escape.
Her calm friend must have judged that they still needed to put more distance between them. She followed, running for a little longer—and when she looked back, the scene that met her eyes was far beyond her imagination.
"...I said 'anyone,' but..."
"..."
Standing next to her partner, who was showing a rare, honest look of surprise, she—Nonomi—thought about her own consistently excellent bad luck and managed a strained smile.
"You don't expect the absolute cream of the crop to show up, do you...?"
Reflected in her large, orange eyes was a storm of dancing crimson blades. And like the eye of a typhoon, commanding the raging blades at its center was—a stranger, a girl of breathtaking beauty.
And, as a bonus...
"—Whoa, it really is Nonomi-chan. Hey there, how've you been?"
"Hah!? W-wait, eh, Nia-chan!?"
Beside her, thoroughly surprised by the friend and colleague who had appeared at her side before she knew it,
"...I recognize that weapon."
...her "partner" calmly muttered while catching his breath, his eyes fixed on the flying crimson blades.
Cut at a good point. I wonder if anyone remembers?
Also, unrelated to the main story, this afternoon on X...