Chapter 49 - At a Certain Tavern
"—and that's pretty much what happened."
"…Huh? Wait, I'm not even sure where to start unpacking that."
I finished my story with a casual, "Man, that was rough, haha," but the person who responded with a dead-serious, straight face was Kagura-san, my (provisional) personal magitech artisan, whom I was seeing again after some time.
The time was just before noon. The place was the same stylish tavern-like eatery we visited the day we first met.
This was the day after our chaotic, death-defying battle in the sand. I'd received an invitation from her via a friend message and accepted without a second thought, leading to this, my second visit.
I had no intention of calling her out on it, but that completely unguarded tone and way of speaking… it seems the possibility that her usual cool, big-sister persona is just role-playing is looking more and more likely.
If she turns out to be some gentle, fluffy type of older sister in real life, I'd become a fan in a heartbeat.
"Ahem… Well, how should I put this? Every single part of that story seems completely absurd. For now, just make sure you let me say hello to your partner sometime."
Clearing her throat as if to reset, Kagura-san's eyes seemed to be brimming with the kind of curiosity that said, "I've found a new client."
"I'd be happy to. Lately, she's my pride-and-joy partner, and I suspect she might be even more broken than I am."
"Good, so you're at least aware that you're pretty broken yourself."
Contrary to her weary, half-lidded gaze, her voice was practically dancing with amusement.
"Still… I was wondering why I never got a call for help, and it turns out you two rookies cleared the 'Serpent' all by yourselves. I never would have guessed."
"Well… asking a max-level player for help honestly never even crossed my mind."
Even if it had, I probably wouldn't have jumped at the idea… After the fact, I looked up some strategy videos and learned about the proper way to handle it, which made me look back on the path we took and just hold my head in my hands.
To put it simply…
"—A couple of newcomers clearing a secret large-scale battle would cause a much bigger firestorm than your bizarre build ever could."
…or so she said. The boss we faced in the [Great Flowing Sand Cavern], the [Dusty Worm, Great Serpent of Dust]—or rather, the boss that appears after a route divergence from that fight, the [Bastide, Scion of Dust]—is, unbelievably, a raid boss that spawns in a beginner field.
Its recommended party size is a half-raid formation of eighteen players—three full parties of six. And of course, the required player level is the cap, Lv. 100. Seriously, if we had lost our minds and charged in, we would have been turned to dust in less than a second.
And when Kagura-san said we cleared it, that wasn't exactly correct either. The proper clear route is, of course, to subjugate the [Bastide, Scion of Dust]. The path we slipped into was merely an escape-and-retreat route prepared as a sort of relief measure.
No wonder there wasn't any loot.
"Arcadia has way too many monsters crawling around its beginner areas…"
"There are eight confirmed ones, you know. Two in each of the four factions' beginner zones."
That's just a demonic realm. What kind of hell awaits in the official fields?
"Well, normally, it's designed so that rookies can't even encounter them in the first place. You're just way too reckless."
"But who would even think of bringing an ally with them into a boss field…?"
The proper strategy for the [Dusty Worm, Great Serpent of Dust], it turns out, is to get targeted by a [Desert Serpent] and then dive into the sand tower. Apparently, that moray eel-like creature simply becomes a friendly NPC.
Or so I've heard. I saw it in a video. The moment the giant serpent entered its line of sight, the [Desert Serpent] lost all interest in the player and they fought together in perfect harmony. For me, who had challenged it head-on and alone, it was a truly shocking sight.
"Even if you don't rely on strategy guides, you're being too lazy about gathering information. If it's about the beginner areas, you could have gotten plenty of hints just by asking the informant NPCs in town."
"Huh? There are NPCs like that?"
"'Are there NPCs like that?'… Don't tell me you haven't even bothered to explore the town properly?"
As I stared blankly at this news that came out of nowhere, Kagura-san's face twitched as if to say, Is this guy serious?
"Uh, well… I've, uh, taken a few walks, at least."
"…Traveler Support Agency, Private Guild Hall, the Market. Do any of those ring a bell?"
"I… have no idea what you're talking about."
I subtly averted my gaze, and was finally met with a tremendous sigh.
"I can't believe you made it through four areas without using a single one of the convenient facilities."
Her tone was one of pure exasperation, and I couldn't help but shrink back as I received a thankful lecture from this kind, older sister-like figure.
To summarize—the [Traveler Support Agency] is a place where players can learn various pieces of knowledge that will help them in different situations as they progress through the game.
From useful tidbits to keep in mind during adventures to advice for when you're stuck, veteran NPCs (?) are apparently there to guide you through all sorts of things.
The [Private Guild Hall] serves as a public community space where you can accept requests (quests) from the town's residents, arrange quests between players, or recruit for temporary parties.
Basically, when new players are struggling with a lack of manpower, it's standard practice to recruit helpers here. Not only are there kind veterans, but in some cases, NPCs will even offer to join your party temporarily.
And apparently, their AI is so abnormally high-level that it makes you suspect, "There's a real person behind this." Man, I'm actually interested. I should check with Sora and try it out sometime.
The [Market], as the name suggests, is a general marketplace lined with various private shops. The small stalls, set up indiscriminately by both players and NPCs, are said to create quite a chaotic atmosphere.
It's always bustling, regardless of the time of day, and you can even consign unneeded materials for sale by paying a commission fee. Since you generally get more for your items than by selling them off at an NPC shop, it's common sense to drop by the consignment office at the end of a hunt and drop your stuff off—
"You've got to be kidding me… It's like I've been doing a challenge run without even knowing it…"
"To begin with, back in the day, it took more than a month to get to where you two are now. It's only been about ten days for you, right? You're rushing through life too much."
"Well, I was just trying to hit the level cap as fast as possible and graduate from being a beginner."
For the record, I had already told her my current level and earned a look of disbelief. When I revealed the leveling method I used to get there, she just looked up at the heavens.
"Honestly… I can just imagine the uproar when you make your public debut."
Contrary to her weary words, the light in her eyes was nothing short of a certain kind of expectation. Faced with this gaze of anticipation, directed at someone who was currently forging a path full of irregularities, I felt half-pleased and half-pressured.
While I feigned humility with a, "You're too kind," Kagura-san teased me with a sideways glance before murmuring, "Alright then," and summoning a system window.
"The reason I called you here today is because I had something to give you. I was actually craning my neck waiting for you to bring me a crafting request after that day, but I never heard a peep from you."
"Uh… well, I just thought it'd be weird for me to bring low-level materials to a max-level player."
She said this with a slightly pouting air, and I waved my hands in protest.
It's true we didn't sign a firm contract to be my personal artisan or anything, but we did make a promise to work together.
However, I had assumed it would be a long time before I'd need to rely on her. I had been under the impression that it would be rude to bring low-rarity materials from a beginner area to a player so far ahead of me.
But it seems that, from her perspective, my hesitation was just annoying. So, I went ahead and made it myself, the red-haired artisan said, pulling an item from her inventory.
"Um… what's this?"
Placed on the counter with a soft clink was what looked to be some kind of accessory. If I had to describe it in a word, it'd be a feather key-chain, made from a beautiful, translucent sky-blue material.
"It's an accessory made from a material you get from a rare creature called a Windvane Butterfly. To put it simply, it's an inventory expansion item."
"For real?!"
That's the number one item I need right now!!
"You were complaining about how brutal your carrying capacity limit is, right? Well, to be precise, it's not an expansion but a reduction. It's an item that cuts the total weight of everything you're carrying by a percentage."
"That's amazing."
Isn't that the kind of key item that, in some games, would be tossed into the "Valuables" section? Can players in Arcadia really craft stuff like that?
"Uh, um, how much is it…"
"Hmm… You can pay me back when you've made a name for yourself."
Um, excuse me, but haven't I already received an absurdly expensive outfit from you…?
"Look, I'm not exactly hurting for money. Like I've said over and over, having fun is my priority. That's why I staked my claim on you so quickly. If I help you out and you get to the front lines faster, that's a win for me too, you know?"
She said this with a smirk, closing one eye playfully. What's with this woman? Her gestures and lines are ridiculously cool.
"Don't worry, I don't plan on coddling you any more than this. As long as you bring me some requests every now and then to keep me entertained."
"…I really don't know how I'll ever be able to face you."
Catching the accessory—the [Crystalwing Lightness Charm]—that was flicked towards me, I gave a wry smile, already completely won over.
"So, I just need to wear it?"
"Nope, just keeping it in your inventory is fine. It works if you wear it, but it would be a real disaster if it accidentally broke, so no one's dumb enough to take it out."
Oh… so it's on a level where losing it would be a disaster. Right, let's not think too deeply about this.
"G-Got it…"
Kagura-san watched in amusement as I, treating it like the fragile treasure it was, gingerly stored it in my inventory.
…Wait, huh? The moment I put it away, the meter indicating I was near my carry limit dropped drastically.
"This is incredible… Thank you so much for this amazing gift…"
Witnessing an effect far greater than I'd anticipated, I felt a phantom pain in my stomach and instinctively rubbed it. I offered my thanks with practiced politeness, to which Kagura-san laughed as if it were nothing. "What's with that formality?"
"I know I'm repeating myself, but as long as I'm having fun, that's all that matters. Bring me whatever you want, even scraps of materials. Just thinking about what kind of things I can make for an oddball like you is a worthwhile way to kill time."
I'd known it since she first brought up the idea of being my personal artisan, but the look she was giving me was clearly filled with a great deal of expectation, along with curiosity.
While I was happy, I also felt a sense of urgency to quickly live up to that evaluation, which for now felt undeserved.
"So, what'll it be?"
"After you've put it like that, I'd be happy to rely on you… but honestly, I don't have anything I particularly need right now."
If anything, the [Crystalwing Lightness Charm] she had already given me was exactly what I needed.
As for weapons, I was lucky enough to have my main weapon slot filled by an Anima, and for armor, my gloves and boots were sufficient.
My progress isn't being hindered by my current setup… so if I were to make a request—
"Can you make something interesting? That's the only kind of open-ended request I can think of…"
"Hah, I like your style. Show me everything you've got."
With words that sounded like a shakedown, Kagura-san leaned forward eagerly. True to her word that she just wanted to have fun, her face was lit up with an enthusiastic smile.
We've ranked #1 on the daily genre rankings! Bookmarks just broke 230! And it looks like we're on track to surpass 20,000 daily PVs today!
I-I can't process any of this… What is this, a bug?