Chapter 478 - The White Star Wears Red, The Blue Star Wears Black, Part Four
— ◇Status / RIM◇ Name：Sapphire Lv：1(10) STR(Strength)：0 AGI(Agility)：0 MID(Spirit)：0 —
“Yep, I see.”
Upon its first summoning, what was crammed into my head was, as usual, Arcadia’s specialty: a brain-installed instruction manual.
The specifications for tamed beasts were, as the pre-release information suggested, quite complex, though not overwhelmingly so. Therefore, I wasn’t particularly surprised by its initial stats, a row of stark zeros that belied its impressive appearance.
Don’t judge it by player standards—their base specs are those of a monster, and even the current, completely fresh Sapphire should retain some degree of strength.
However, as the first player to succeed in taming one, Rizenon-shi, also said, it must have been significantly weakened compared to before it was tamed… In fact, deciphering the dragon’s detailed stats that were being transmitted to me through our new connection, it was truly a shadow of its former self.
In other words, I couldn’t expect the same prowess it showed when it managed to keep up with me at my top gear. I’d summoned it flashily on a whim, but the things I could ask of it were likely limited—or so I thought, just as I was about to formulate an order after a second or so of thought.
『—』
The dragon twisted its long neck around to its back, directing its “gaze” from its eyeless head.
In that instant, a thin, faint sense of connection formed at the edge of my thoughts. It was different from the telepathic bond with my partner, still an unreliable mutual communication, but…
I certainly received the message.
“Hah, good boy—alright, I’m counting on you, Sapphie!”
Despite the fact that I had just mercilessly and instantly killed it—or perhaps because of it—its loyalty was apparent from the very start.
Accepting its sentiment of “I’ll risk my life for you,” I kicked off its back and descended from the starry sky.
It had probably lost or had its special ability (the blink) sealed upon being tamed. This time, flapping its great wings, Sapphire flew off powerfully in one direction.
I could picture the girls recoiling in fear, but I sincerely hoped they would get along with it.
It may not be as tough as its appearance suggests, but even weakened, it should be able to serve as a bodyguard against a few small fry—and with that!
“—Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Landing, turning, and dashing forward with a left fist.
Kicking aside the small fry I passed, I charged in and threw a punch at the “tiger” boss that two parties had begun to engage.
My straight punch from [An=Ru Galta] roared through the air, seemingly about to recreate the scene from when I had sent the untamed Sapphire flying—or so I thought, but it was heavy.
I had forcefully cut in to replace a somewhat hesitant tank, but the great tiger’s front paw, clashing with my reasonably full-powered left fist, held its ground in a stalemate even as it was pushed back.
If Sapphire was an AGI-focused type, is this one STR-focused?—Excellent. If my right arm worked, I might have handled it alone, but let’s not forget.
This is party play. Let’s enjoy it to the fullest!
“—Switch!”
“Alright!”
“That backup was way too fast, lol!”
“The game speed’s gotta be bugged!”
“He didn’t even wait!”
“I’m so jealous you tamed a dragon!”
My left fist and its left paw clashed and forcibly broke apart, sharing a brief moment of stagger as we both retreated. And from behind me, my comrades leaped forward with brave cries, unable to suppress their laughter at the overly fast reinforcements.
Each of their strikes lacked the flashiness of an irregular, but their movements were solid and reliable. They swung the weapons in their hands, piling on damage against the massive beast.
They might not be special, as they themselves say.
“Come on, Tank, step up! Don’t let the damage dealers steal your role!”
“Don’t you dare get scared!”
“These are a warrior’s trembles!!!”
In truth, they were brave warriors challenging a five-meter-tall monster head-on, and that fact remained unchanged.
Therefore, they needed neither self-deprecation nor modesty—
“““Get ‘em, Boss!”””
“—Leave it to me!”
—they were warriors worthy of standing side-by-side, casting aside notions of ordinary or special.
Two great axes and one greatsword. The log-like front paw, raised again without fear of being hit, was met head-on by the heavy warriors’ massive weapons.
Stalemate, break, and switch.
Kesshiki Ittoryu, First Strike—
"[Flying Water]."
From draw to form, the time required was a fraction of a second. The Kesshiki slash, forcibly reproduced by the insane thrust of [Rocket], struck the great tiger’s face without missing its mark—
But the strange feedback made me widen my eyes in surprise.
“So that’s how it is, huh…!”
What stopped my jade blade was not the two fangs growing from its upper jaw—but rather, a transparent barrier that those brilliantly shining fangs must have produced.
Sensing from the strange sensation transmitted through [Samidorizuki] that pushing was useless, I kicked off the barrier and temporarily retreated. I see, so rather than a pure STR-focused attacker, it’s…
“A heavy warrior type that can also dish out damage, a tank-attacker.”
It’s probably one of those special abilities exclusive to boss-class enemies, like the one Sapphire had. Now, the question is how to break through….
“Which way should I go?”
This tiger seems like a pretty tough opponent, but the horde that the other four parties are currently fighting is also a huge problem. Their organized movements have remained as thorough as they were this morning, and while everyone is fighting hard, I can’t say they’re handling it perfectly.
Therefore, during this brief break, I asked for my role—
“In that case, how about both?”
“If things get dicey here, we’ll ask you to jump in and help…!”
“The best solution is for you to just run wild!”
“Our boss can cover the whole area with no problem, right!?”
I couldn’t tell if they were tense or not, but faced with their almost instantaneous, varied replies, should I be impressed, or should I just offer a wry smile?
Well, for now—
“Alright, you got it. I promise you all a luxury cruise.”
—I’ll take it as a sign of their trust and return a smile.
Just to be clear, his right arm is currently dangling uselessly.