Chapter 51 - A New Outfit's First Battle
"—And that's why, Sora-san, you've got twenty million sitting in your bag now."
"S-Suddenly my feet feel all floaty…"
After that, I ended up just telling Kagura-san to "make something interesting," much to her bewilderment, and pushed a whole heap of notable materials on her, including that old wood.
This was by no means a selfish act born from a desire to "tidy up my inventory." My body and mind feel light and amazing, but I definitely didn't do it for that reason.
"Just be careful not to accidentally sell any of it. I'd end up grieving right alongside you."
Equipment has a lock function, which is fine, but it doesn't apply to consumable items like materials, so she needs to be careful.
"I will… But why did you two end up wandering into a place like a hidden area?"
"That's the mystery."
There's no point in thinking about it. This is a game where, even three years after launch, there are still bosses with no known strategy. It's wiser to just quietly surrender to the mysteries.
"Alright then."
It was just past noon. Unusually, we had agreed the day before to meet up "after finishing lunch."
It was Sora's idea. Even in a virtual world, getting a direct invitation from a girl for a pleasant afternoon… I have to say, my happiness level is so high it's making me worry about my remaining luck reserves.
"So today… I mean, for today too, we're good to go hard on clearing content, right?"
"Yes! I'm looking forward to it!"
Sora's expression was bright, filled with enough energy to blow away her recent lack of motivation. The reason, needless to say, was the [Cradle of Sword-Craft] shining on her right hand.
It's an Anima, an item destined to become a versatile weapon that will likely be the envy of many players in the future. Following that, a unique skill tree called Magic Sword Aptitude has been etched into Sora's status, as if rewarding her for her efforts over the past few days.
When results manifest in such an unexpected—or rather, sky-piercing—way, I can't help but suspect the world's (the system's) intentions. It makes me wonder if the frustrating process of being unable to acquire a normal melee skill tree was all for this.
Well, whatever. All's well that ends well, I guess.
Sora's high spirits are incredibly cute, so for my part, it feels like all my cooperation has paid off.
"Okay, shall we get going?"
Unable to hide her restless excitement, Sora looked like she might dash off to the teleport gate at any moment… If we stay here any longer, I'll feel like I'm making her wait.
Trying to hide the smile spreading across my face at her unusually childlike glee, I prompted her—
"Let's go!"
"—Whoa, hey…?!"
As if to overtake me as I turned around—and snatching my right hand in the process—Sora broke into a light jog toward the teleport gate.
We've had a fair amount of avatar contact thanks to all the crazy stuff we do, but this was a first.
It would be one thing during an emergency in combat… but in a peaceful moment like this, the softness and warmth of a young girl's avatar hand pierced my senses without any filter.
Combined with the adorable charm of her voice, which was more cheerful than I'd ever heard, the sight of Sora happily pulling my hand was dangerously cute (my vocabulary has vanished).
"H-Hey, if you run like that, you'll trip!"
"Ehehe…!"
There it is, a master of the "ehehe"… That thing is just too powerful!!
I desperately tried to compose my face, which was about to dissolve into a goofy grin in response to the lethal weapon she'd fired back at my cliché warning.
Oblivious to the self-proclaimed gentleman beside her fighting the urge to squirm weirdly, Sora, humming a little tune, continued to pull me by the hand as she ran to the teleport gate.
◇◆◇◆◇
—The fifth beginner area field, its name: the [Buried Labyrinth of Forgetfulness].
The moment we teleported, I thought, This place looks familiar, and for good reason. We had landed inside that same cave we visited yesterday.
It was the same gloomy space with a dungeon-like atmosphere. We weren't dropped at yesterday's starting point or the final plaza, but the identical ambiance told me it was the same field.
I was horrified for a moment, thinking they had generated such an elaborate space just for Sora's Anima quest… but then again, I can't completely rule out that possibility.
If I puzzle over every single thing this ridiculously god-tier game does, I'll never get anywhere. As my father often says, giving up is crucial sometimes—mostly when he's fighting with my mother.
—Anyway, while I was lost in these carefree thoughts, I was currently playing the role of the supportive partner, spectating a certain confrontation from the rear.
That's because…
"Hah!!"
—CLANG!!
In a dimly lit and cramped, straight corridor, a few meters ahead of my stationary form, a young girl and a silent stone statue were creating literal sparks.
The enemy's name was [Wandering Decaying Statue]—the only mob I'd confirmed in this area so far, and it was quite a tough one.
It looked like a decaying suit of armor, completely worn out, with some individual units missing helmets or an arm. It was a shabby sight, but…
"K-kh…!!"
It was strong. Strong enough to push Sora, who was now skilled with a sword and had more than enough levels and stats—not to mention a high-performance Anima and her long-awaited skill tree—into a defensive corner, to put it mildly.
The variation among them was also a pain. They always carried some kind of weapon, but there was no consistency in type. Even among swords, there were straight swords, daggers, greatswords, and rapiers. There were also clubs, warhammers… the one she was fighting now was even swinging a flail.
But what was most noteworthy was—yep, there it is.
"—Ah!"
In the middle of a fierce clash, the statue pretended to stumble backward. Sora, reacting instinctively, stepped forward, only to let out a gasp as she realized her repeated mistake.
In that same instant, the iron ball, propelled rapidly upward from an unstable stance with just a flick of the wrist, was about to smash into the girl's head—but just before it did, I jumped in and summoned my battle-axe. The iron ball crashed against the thick flat of the blade, sending a deafening impact and a shower of sparks into the air.
"I-I'm sorr—!"
"Later."
"Hk…!"
Our combat banter has started to feel pretty good. Grasping my intent from just a glance and a minimal whisper, Sora stepped forward again as the statue, its flail deflected by me, truly lost its balance this time.
"Yaah!!"
A sword of sand, still an unfamiliar sight, was clutched in her right hand. The magic sword swung in a fluid motion, striking the statue hard. With that single blow, its slowly depleting status bar dropped below half. And then,
"—Zwei!!"
Just as Sora should have been left open after her attack, sand swirled out of thin air above her head. The two clumps of sand instantly formed into two sand swords—their points raining down on the statue's crown.
—SCREEECH!!
Letting out a shriek-like grinding sound, the statue scattered its remaining HP and dissipated into a blue phosphorescence.
After a moment of lingering focus, Sora took a single, quiet breath. Releasing the one sword in her right hand and the two floating in the air—a total of three unsheathed magic blades—back into the void, she—
"To put it mildly, you look super cool…"
"P-Please don't tease me…!"
Seriously, her visual advantage is off the charts. It's not a tease; I'm genuinely jealous…
By the way, I was the one who fed her the out-of-place, spicy German. I'd heard that spontaneous thought manipulation becomes more stable when linked to specific verbal cues, so when she started naively calling out "One!" or "Two!" I made the suggestion.
Her simple callouts had their own charm, but I pushed her, saying, "It's a fantasy world, so let's try to be cool, yeah?" I have no regrets and have no intention of repenting.
"I'm not cool at all. Just now, I did it again…"
"I think it's unavoidable. That thing is pretty much outside the realm of PvE…"
Now, as for the "noteworthy troublesome point" that makes the statues such a challenge for Sora—it's that they are unnaturally smart for trash mobs.
Including the feigned stumble it just demonstrated, they use such skillful tactics that it makes you wonder, "There's a person inside that thing, right?"
And that one was honestly one of the nicer ones.
One time, I tried to attack one when it pretended to pick up a dropped weapon, only for it to pull a knife from a gap in its armor as if to say, "I was waiting for that." I was so shocked I actually yelled, "Impossible!?"
"Is PvP the concept here… I wonder."
"Um, that's Player versus Player… right?"
While Sora was a bit lacking in gaming terms, despite her knowledge of Arcadia lore, it seems she's been gradually picking up that kind of information. It's probably because I sometimes let slang slip, and she would tilt her head with a troubled look.
"Correct. It's the first humanoid enemy we've seen so far, so maybe this is a practice ground for the big stage in the future?"
"I see…"
Though I do think the design is extreme. Their stats are lower than a player's, so it's manageable, but their movements alone are more vicious than some actual players in a duel.
…Which reminds me, I don't have much experience in PvP myself. Back in my gamer days, I mostly preferred PvE, so when it comes to the ABCs of tactics, I'm not that different from Sora.
—I've already told her this, but the look I got back from my partner was one of deep suspicion.
It's true that I've been covering for Sora every time she falls for a feint, but it's not like I'm reading their movements. It's more that the moment I think, Oh, crap, I just dive in with everything I've got.
It's a close call almost every time, and my heart is pounding, you know?
"Let's switch who's on vanguard for a bit."
Until now, I'd let Sora take the lead, since she was fired up with her new equipment and skill tree, but I should probably learn their movements too. It's not that I'm bored; I just have a bad feeling about continuing like this while we're both so unfamiliar with this enemy type.
With these kinds of opponents, it's easy to get sloppy if your concentration wanes during consecutive battles.
Sora readily agreed to my suggestion. We switched positions and proceeded down the passage. At first, I had imagined a typical maze, but… for the past several tens of minutes of exploration, it had surprisingly been a single, straight path.
"…It's oppressive, isn't it?"
"It is… I feel a little suffocated."
Narrow, dark, and monotonous. The fields we'd been in until now were all spacious to varying degrees. Even in the [Rocky Wasteland], you could look up and see the sky.
In terms of enclosed spaces, the previous [Great Flowing Sand Cavern] was similar, but its scale was so massive that it felt completely outdoors. It was nothing like this suffocating place.
"Plus, this is what's wandering around…"
Peeking around a corner, I saw a single Wandering Decaying Statue patrolling, its armor groaning and creaking. This one's limbs were intact, but its head was missing.
It looked exactly like a Dullahan. The sight of the badly cracked, shabby armor emerging from the darkness was just plain horror.
Alright, this is my first time facing one head-on alone. My opponent's weapon is… what is that, a spear? No, a halberd?
"How are you supposed to use that in this confined space… Oh well, I'm going in."
"G-Good luck…!"
The passage was less than three meters wide, and the ceiling was about the same. It was impossible to circle around the approaching enemy, and there were no opportunities for a surprise attack, so I had no choice but to face it directly.
I summoned my [White-Flawed Straight Sword]. As I stepped out from around the corner, the statue saw me—wait, it doesn't have a head. How does it even perceive things?
In any case, the statue immediately targeted me. If this were any other enemy I'd encountered so far, it would have roared or lunged at me in the next moment, but…
—Creak.
It lowered its stance and readied its halberd. That was the only action the statue took.
"This couldn't be more awkward…"
I could really feel my lack of experience. I wasn't scared by the pressure, but I couldn't figure out what kind of mindset to approach this with—
"—Tch!?"
Tilting my head was a pure reflex. An incredible speed—no, it was a thrust that simply slipped through a gap in my awareness, piercing through the air where my head had been.
Ignoring the numbness that shot through my right ear, I tried to step to the left,
"Damn it…!!"
I couldn't. This cramped field was completely sealing off my mobility-focused build. I had no choice but to slam my dangling left foot down in front of me and throw my entire body's weight into the approaching statue's shoulder.
The decaying armor was about the same size as me, but it was probably heavier. On top of that, with its stats likely biased toward VIT and STR, it easily absorbed the impact from my AGI-focused build—
"Hngh… raaah!!"
Hooking my arm around the waist of the unmoving statue, I kicked off with both feet diagonally upward. I swung around the armor as an axis, kicked off the wall my feet touched midway through the rotation—and as I landed, I twisted my body again, slamming a thrust packed with centrifugal force into its wide-open back.
My roaring sword pierced the metal with a satisfying CLANG!! but the armor was just an empty shell. It wasn't like I'd pierced a heart, so the statue, despite losing a huge chunk of HP, endured—
"Alright, you're done."
Quick Change. I didn't even need to bother pulling out the [White-Flawed Straight Sword] that was stuck through it. The moment I landed the thrust, I had already let go of the hilt and was in the middle of a backswing with a mace.
Swinging straight down from an overhead stance, the mace struck the armor's neck where the helmet should have been. The statue shattered spectacularly from the point of impact down to the hole in its chest, and as expected, it collapsed without a fight.
"Hmm…"
I beat it, but… something feels off, you know? I have a feeling you wouldn't call that series of moves "tactics."
I'd love to record it from a third-person perspective and watch the replay. I'm pretty confident my movements just now were disgustingly weird—
"………………"
I turned around, and there she was. My partner was looking at me with an expression that screamed she'd reached a state of utter resignation.
"…N-No, it's not what you think."
I had no idea what wasn't what she thought, but the unspoken pressure got to me, and I reflexively started making excuses.
"…You know, Haru-san, lately you seem less like a swordsman and more like an acrobat."
"An acrobat, huh…"
That doesn't sound very cool… And what's strangely sad is that I can't help but agree with that description. In any case, I've been using blunt weapons so much lately that I've stopped being a swordsman anyway.
I mean, blunt attacks are just incredibly effective. My giant warhammer, the [Distorted Iron Lump Hammer], is a regular finisher, of course, but the one-handed mace I've newly packed into my now-spacious inventory is also working out nicely.
Unlike blades, which are primarily effective against living creatures, blunt weapons deliver equal impact to inorganic matter without discrimination. Blunt weapons are excellent.
If we stopped every time we had a conversation, there'd be no telling when we'd reach the end. Shaking off the afterglow of battle, we continued to advance while talking—and then I noticed Sora, who had come up beside me, giving me a quizzical look.
"I've been meaning to ask you for a while now…"
"Yeah?"
"Haru-san, your… reaction speed, I guess you'd call it? Your ability to respond instantly, it's a little stran—um, not normal."
You were about to say 'strange,' weren't you? I get what you mean, though.
"You don't happen to have a thought-acceleration skill, do you?"
"I wish. I'm dying for one, actually."
"In that case…"
How on earth do you do it?—Sora's face was filled with such doubt, but to be honest, I sometimes wonder about that myself.
It happens every time, in those clutch moments. I am, of course, aware of what kind of mind-bogglingly stupid maneuvers I manage to pull off.
"It's a pretty big mystery to me too… In reality, I have completely average specs."
Aside from the obsession that made me burn three years to get a ticket to this virtual world, I am the very definition of an ordinary person, NPC A. I'm not particularly athletic, and I have no anecdotes that would make me think my reflexes or dynamic visual acuity are superior to anyone else's.
If I had to boast, I'd say I'm fairly quick on my feet mentally, but that's just my normal thought speed. When moving at superhuman speeds, it gets left completely in the dust. The only other thing might be my memory, which was good enough to let me cram my studies while working part-time.
"Weird, huh?"
"Is it really okay to just leave it at 'weird'…?"
I must have sounded genuinely uninterested, because Sora gave me an exasperated little smile.
In my own mind, I've already accepted a completely random hypothesis like "it's my wild instincts, unleashed in the virtual world."
"I'm aware that my movements are weird, but… ninety percent… no, pretty much a hundred percent of the time, my body just moves on its own."
In fact, whenever I pull off one of those actions, I'm just as surprised as anyone else.
"Hmm… I suppose that means it's talent."
"Haha, if that's the case, then I'm incredibly grateful."
No need for modesty or humility. I've decided to enjoy this virtual world at a full sprint, so I'll gladly welcome any talent that falls into my lap.
"Though, speaking of potential, I feel like you've completely surpassed me in that department."
"…?"
Sora tilted her head at my words, as if she didn't know what I was talking about. It seems she really doesn't understand her own situation.
The uniqueness her avatar possesses isn't limited to the power of her new magic sword. Her body, that of a fellow fledgling player, also holds two other provisionally unique skills.
Her Observation Eye will likely see less use now that she's switched to a melee role, but Spectate Yell, which is guaranteed to be continuously overpowered no matter how things turn out, is a ticking time bomb of sorts.
Then again, since she'll be on the front lines herself, her opportunities to use it will be extremely rare, so its potential for growth will probably be put on hold for now—but when push comes to shove, I know I'll end up relying on it…
They say there's strength in numbers, but in the world of 2D, that phrase rarely holds much weight. This is especially true in games with a status system where numbers define the absolute hierarchy. It's not uncommon for a single person with just a slight advantage to dominate a battlefield.
This skill, which can create such an unstoppable player with the single condition that "they do not participate in the battle themselves," really does make the words balancing mistake come to mind the more I think about it.
"Um, is something wrong?"
Sora peered at my face after I'd trailed off into thought, having just mumbled something incomprehensible to her.
In the future, I wonder if she'll be the one to shake this virtual world far more than I ever could. The girl who strengthens that premonition with each passing moment was tilting her head adorably, an innocent expression on her face.
Calm down, calm yourself…! I must suppress the urge to chain-post at every opportunity…!