Chapter 462 - Day Three: Morning
After a brief solo run through the forest at night to make a few… adjustments, the next morning arrived.
We had a meeting scheduled for 8:00 AM, which we wrapped up quickly. Having made our final decisions on the strategy for the remaining two days, our group…
“No, no way, that’s terrifying. First of all, can you stop assuming wall-running is a normal thing to do?”
“Hey, if it can be done, it can be done. It’s important to convince yourself, ‘This is a game, and I am the character I’m controlling,’ at least when you’re doing action stuff.”
…was in high spirits.
“Hey, Crown-san! Got any tips for landing throws so consistently?”
“Don’t think of it as aiming and ‘shooting’ a throw. You’ll have a higher hit rate if you throw with the feeling that you’re punching them from a distance. Seriously. The Princess herself said that ‘confidence’ and ‘conviction’ have a real effect in Arcadia, so it’s important to assume your attacks will land.”
And so, we passed the time in a friendly mood.
“If you don’t mind, could I experience what it’s like to be carried around in the air? I’ll be as quiet as a sack of rice, I promise.”
“Alright, you got it! Announcing the grand opening of the Safe and Exhilarating Aerial Tour! Thirty seconds per person! Okay, line up, line—whoa, that’s a lot, way too many of you! Is this a popular attraction or something?!”
We were all completely relaxed… Instead of hunting like yesterday or going out to scout, the entire group was holed up at the base, enjoying some recreation.
Though I’ve only been in this virtual world for a few months, I’ve managed to accumulate a fair number of unconventional skills. So, the ‘Light Warrior Workshop’ I opened was a huge success.
As soon as I announced it, I was hit with a landslide of retorts from every participant along the lines of, “What part of you is a ‘light warrior’?” But despite the occasional scream, the atmosphere was cheerful and friendly.
However, it’s unfortunate, but I might not have a talent for teaching others—at least not in this virtual world.
Not a single person could grasp what I was showing them, from major techniques to minor tricks. I didn’t get a single, “Ohhh, I see, so that’s how it works.”
“This is less of a workshop and more of a circus…”
“You just said the one thing you weren’t supposed to say, Nia-chan.”
I was about to treat the guys like sacks of rice while still in my transformed body when my partner came over to smack me. Her comeback was more devastating than anyone else’s, and my spirits sank.
Why…? I thought my explanation was easier to understand than the [Sword Saint]-sama’s ‘Shukuchi’ theory.
In any case, we had come to a conclusion—for the rest of the event, we wouldn’t do anything else.
This decision was unanimous, born from the theory that the explosive difficulty spike of the nightly raids was a side effect of our survival efforts going too well.
Our group had stabilized our ‘food’ and ‘shelter’ early on, though ‘clothing’ was another matter. Because of that, we were free to actively pursue ‘other’ activities like hunting and scouting.
And the massive pile of [Stardust Relics] we had gathered was likely the biggest factor—so much so that an average group of players probably wouldn’t have amassed such a mountain.
This was the result of everyone, save for the four people who always stayed at the base, spending most of their time hunting. And the result of us wiping out all the attackers during the rather lively festival on the first night.
The total number of relics we possessed had easily surpassed four digits. By the time last night’s raid began, the decoy storehouses we’d built were packed to the brim.
Considering the [Stardust Beasts]’ habit of targeting these relics, it was a natural assumption that the more [Stardust Relics] we accumulated, the harder the raid event would become. Therefore—
No more hunting from this point on. The policy we established was extremely simple.
Incidentally, we had already figured out why the [Stardust Beasts] targeted the relics, thanks to the partners our members had tamed.
Simply put, the beasts of the starry sky just gobble up the stones left behind by their own kind.
Whether it’s to satisfy their hunger, or if they even perceive it as eating at all, is a mystery. But from a player’s perspective, the action was nothing less than ‘self-enhancement.’
—Yes, it was that element some people mentioned you could get totally hooked on. Tamed [Stardust Beasts] have a growth system, and the function is unlocked the first time you give them a [Stardust Relic].
You open a simplified status screen, and you can make your [Stardust Beast] grow by allocating the points they accumulate from the relics you feed them.
That sounds super fun. I bet a ton of people will get completely addicted to this kind of feature, maybe even to the point of changing their entire playstyle.
Additionally, by giving the relics to our tamed [Stardust Beasts] and having them “digest” them, we might be able to intentionally lower the difficulty—but we decided to put that on hold for now.
We agreed to see how large the raid on the third night was, and if necessary, we would test out adjusting the difficulty. As for getting through tonight… well, I did promise them zero casualties, so there’s that.
If the scale is about three to four times larger than last night, we have a chance. Time to get fired up.
“—Aaaand, that’s a wrap. Anyone want to go for a second round?”
“I don’t think there will be any takers…”
After guiding a total of thirty-two people on a fun trip through the sky, I unceremoniously dropped their thirty-two corpses onto the ground and took a breath. Once again, a sharp retort came flying from my partner.
Well, it’s obvious just by looking. Although the people I took up first are starting to recover, everyone is still pale and sprawled on the ground.
“Hmm… Nia-chan, want me to show them what an experienced flyer looks like?”
“Yes, and if you come any closer, I’m going to get mad.”
Even though she’s the one who’s been sticking to me without any regard for who’s watching, apparently it’s not okay for me to approach her. Not that I didn’t already know that when I provoked her.
Keeping her eyes locked on me, she retreated with a strange, cautious step, then suddenly spun on her heel and scurried away toward the women’s building.
Nono-san is probably still in there working on maintenance. Go on and give her a hand.
“Alright… I guess that’s the end of our break. Let’s get back to work.”
The recreation was just a bit of fun during a break from the defensive wall construction we men had been working on. Even if we’ve banned hunting, which might raise the event’s difficulty, there are still mountains of other things we can and should be doing.
So, even with one course of action restricted, there’s no time for boredom or idleness.
—However.
“Alright, alright, stand up! C’mon, foreman, give us some orders!”
“J-Just a sec… just two more minutes…”
I tried to rally the members who were all down for the count after our little break-time game, but it seemed Mr. Oaks, the last one I had tossed, still couldn’t move.
Yeah, this was a mistake.
I should have made the foreman the first… passenger… of the tour.