Chapter 6 - The Gilded Veneer Peels Away
"We did it!!"
After about an hour of slaughtering mushrooms, and several more level-ups, Sora finally let out a cheer as she opened her status screen.
"Oh, seriously?"
I had been opening my own window at the same time, but her voice drew my attention. I abandoned my own level-up and went over to her.
"It doesn’t seem to be an… attack magic. Um… —[Heal Light]?"
"A healing spell?"
The first skill Sora acquired was a support spell, which seemed to fit her personality perfectly.
"That's great. We didn't have any way to heal, so that's a huge help."
"Mmph… But Haru-san, you haven't been hit even once," she pouted, seemingly a little disappointed with the skill she'd gotten.
"Well, yeah, but it'd be pretty lame if I poured all my points into speed and still got hit by these slow-moving mushrooms, don't you think?"
It wouldn’t look very cool for a guy. I’m actually trying pretty hard not to look pathetic here.
"Having a safety net makes me feel more at ease, you know?"
As I tried to placate the still-unconvinced Sora, who was glaring at her window, I returned to my own status allocation—and there it was.
"I got a skill, too."
"Wow! What is it?"
Her sulking vanished in an instant. Sora bounded over, looking as excited as if it were her own skill, while I checked the details.
This is interesting. Even though I just got it, I know exactly what it does. It's a strange feeling, like the knowledge was just installed directly into my brain. Wait, isn't that kind of scary? Can we stop casually hitting people with mysterious, reality-bending technology?
"Looks like a passive."
"A pass… what?"
"A passive skill. It’s not something you activate manually; it's a support skill whose effect is always on."
The skill I got was called [Multiple Weapon Aptitude]—it seems to grant proficiency with a wide range of weapon types, not just one specific kind. I probably got it because I kept switching weapons every fight just to try them all out.
It seems to affect the attack power multiplier and handling of the weapons I use, but the multiplier is probably lower than a specialized aptitude… Well, it’s not like it’s a bad thing to have, so I guess it’s fine.
"Um, is it a good one?"
"Yeah, it’s the helpful kind."
"Well then, that’s great!"
Sora said, beaming as if she were the one who had gotten it.
This girl is just so… pure. Or cute. I’m starting to feel less like I'm with a girl my age and more like a guardian. I'm genuinely worried some bad guy is going to take advantage of her someday.
I don’t even know her real age, so she could easily be older than me. Oh, wait, I’ve been talking to her casually this whole time… Too late to change now.
◇◆◇◆◇
◇Skill Acquired◇
"Ooh."
The forest scenery was gradually beginning to change, and just as I hit level 10, a second skill acquisition announcement echoed in my head.
When I showed my window to Sora, who was looking over with a curious “What is it?”, her face lit up with an obvious and brilliant smile. Warmed by the healing aura of this girl who was the very embodiment of innocence, I checked the new skill. It was an active skill called [Quick Change].
"—Wait, isn't this a god-tier skill?"
The skill’s effects, once again installed directly into my brain, made me mutter in disbelief. The term seemed unfamiliar to her, as Sora tilted her head and repeated, "God-tier skill?"
"It lets me switch weapons with a thought, without having to mess with the equipment slots directly."
"…Um?"
To demonstrate for the still-confused girl, I held up the short spear I had been carrying. I hadn’t had much time to get used to the virtual world’s “thought-based controls,” so I wasn’t entirely sure it would work, but—here goes!
"Wow!"
Turns out, it wasn't that hard. The short spear in my right hand glowed faintly, and with a soft vmm and a slight vibration, it transformed into a hand axe in the next instant.
As Sora gasped in amazement, I fought back a proud grin and continued switching between weapons to test it out. Man, this skill is ridiculously convenient.
I could use it repeatedly after a short cooldown, and it didn't seem to consume any MP. There was a slight, strange feeling right after switching, as if the weapon’s weight and grip became vague for a split second, but I should be able to get used to that.
With this, I wouldn't have to switch weapons before a fight. I could instantly change my weapon to fit the situation in the middle of combat. Isn't this too much of a god-tier skill for my second one?
"That's almost like magic, too," Sora commented.
"Yeah, I guess you could call it magic. Doesn't use MP, though."
Either way, this was a huge boost to my adaptability. I’ll gladly put it to use.
◇◆◇◆◇
――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name: Haru | Lv: 11
STR: 15
AGI: 40
DEX: 40
VIT: 5
MID: 5
LUC: 5
◇Skill◇
• Multiple Weapon Aptitude
• [Quick Change]
――――――――――――――――――
"Well, we've leveled up a fair bit, but…"
After another while, and with my convenient new skill, we mowed down a mountain of mushroom corpses. About two hours into our adventure, we finally reached the edge of the mushroom forest.
Mushroom forest. That sounds kinda gross. Change one letter and you've got a war on your hands.
Anyway, the reason I know we're near the exit despite still being in a dense forest is because—
"Th-That looks strong…"
Peeking from behind a tree, we saw a perfectly circular clearing ahead. What both Sora and I had our eyes on was a three-meter-tall living tree with small mushrooms sprouting from all over its body.
Enemy name: [Host of Mush]. This monster, with a grand name befitting its grotesque appearance, was almost certainly the boss of this newbie-unfriendly forest.
"Yeah, it probably is…"
Having only fought a slow-moving golem and slow-moving monster mushrooms, my reference for enemy strength was completely skewed. I couldn't gauge its power from its appearance at all. At this point, any new enemy would probably look strong to me… but still, that thing looks tough. The hyper-realistic graphics don't help, either; it looks incredibly menacing.
Well, we won't get to see the outside of this forest without dealing with it. I have to suck it up. I pushed aside the soul-crushing thought that if we lose and die, we'll have to traverse this entire massive forest all over again.
"Sora."
"Y-Yes…!"
"Like always, I'll charge in. I have a feeling I won't get through this unscathed like before, so I'm counting on your support."
"R-Right! I’ll do my best as a healer!"
Having been relegated to the sidelines since I hadn't taken any damage so far, Sora seemed fired up and clenched her fists. Adorable—no, I need to focus.
"Try not to draw its attention. Keep your distance at all times."
"Okay."
"It’s a boss, so it might have area-of-effect attacks. I don’t think they’ll have anything that can one-shot us, but let’s just try to be flexible."
"Okay."
"Bosses in these kinds of games sometimes have special mechanics. If that happens and we can disengage, we'll pull back and regroup."
"Okay."
"And one last thing."
She must be nervous. Her expression grew tenser with each point I made. I tried my best to sound casual and offered a smile.
"Even if we lose, we can just come back stronger next time. This is a game, right? Let's have some fun."
"R-Right!"
My attempt to act cool, awkward as it was, seemed to work. Sora's expression brightened. I gave her a nod, tightened my grip on my straight sword, and—let's do this!
"Alright, first boss fight! Let's gooo!!"
"Huh…? L-Let's gooo!!"
Oh, sorry, I got a little too hyped and my tone—wait, wasn’t the [Chosen Stone Doll] a boss? A rock that gets taken down by a flying kick doesn't count! Let's gooo!!
◇◆◇◆◇
"—It's strong!!"
About ten minutes into the fight. The battle against the [Host of Mush] had started off surprisingly well, but the moment its HP dropped below half, a boss mechanic activated, and I was suddenly on the defensive.
"It's just more mushrooms in the end!!"
The trump card of the [Host of Mush] was a mass summoning of the all-too-familiar [Goblin Mushroom]. It scattered the small mushrooms growing on its body, and they grew into full-sized monsters with terrifying speed.
Fortunately, I had raised my STR to the point where I could one-shot these things, so dealing with them individually was easy, but their numbers were insane. What’s more, the only weapons that could one-shot them were the great axe and greatsword, both of which are unwieldy and slow, causing me to take more hits.
"[Heal Light]!"
Sora kept sending healing spells my way, but we hadn't been able to test how much aggro healing draws in this game. I couldn't ignore the possibility that if she used it too much, the mushrooms would all swarm her at once.
I want to end this quickly, but we’re just a pair of new players. We don’t exactly have any trump cards of our own.
I can’t afford to make Sora work any harder. I used [Quick Change] to switch from the greatsword I was swinging wildly amidst the fungal tide to a straight sword and a dagger—time to grab the aggro from every last one of them!
"Behold, my vaguely remembered manga swordsmanship!!"
I held both swords in a reverse grip and used every bit of my agility to dash around, slashing at them as I passed. I couldn’t kill them in one hit, but I could spread the aggro evenly while gradually thinning their numbers.
Oh, hello there, parental unit. Haven’t seen you in a bit.
"You have way too many kids!!"
"GYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!?"
As I was dealing with the mushrooms, I happened to pass by the big guy, so I threw my straight sword at its face. It embedded itself in its nose with a wet thud, and unlike its mushroom spawn, this one seemed to have vocal cords, letting out an eerie shriek.
It was an impulsive throw, but when I used [Quick Change] to switch to a hand axe, the straight sword stuck in its face vanished and was stored in my inventory.
Retrieval might have a range limit, but… isn't this skill just broken?
"In that case, how about this! Raaaargh!!"
It was an accidental discovery, but a fortunate one. It’s an ad-lib, but I'll use what I can! Here comes the great axe boomer-aaaaaaaang!!!
Normally, my STR wouldn’t be high enough to throw it, but [Quick Change] seems to have a brief lag where the weapon’s weight doesn’t fully register. Or maybe it’s an intended “grace period” in the system. Either way, this is a crisis, so I'm using everything I can without hesitation.
I'd start the throwing motion, then switch my weapon to the great axe or greatsword a split second before release. Watching the mushrooms get torn apart like trash by the viciously spinning mass of metal, I couldn’t help but feel like I was exploiting the system—
"I'll send a support ticket later, so patch it or whatever you want! YEAAAAAHHH!!"
This is starting to be fun! Take this, double tomahawk boomerang!!
One of them was a greatsword, not an axe. Fly, my pretties! YEEEEEEHAW!!!
◇◆◇◆◇
"…………………………,"
How could she even begin to describe the scene before her? At some point, the girl, who was now standing frozen in the shade of a tree, could only stare blankly at… that.
Their meeting was a chance encounter, born from an incredibly low probability. The first player she met in [Arcadia], a game rumored to be full of handsome men and beautiful women, had the appearance of a “normal boy,” which was strangely reassuring. He had been so kind to her, even after she had caused him trouble so early on.
He had repeatedly told Sora not to worry when she proved to be useless in battle, his gentle smile always reassuring. He was always trying to break the ice with jokes, a fact she found endearing.
And so, he—Haru—had earned quite a high evaluation in Sora’s mind. But… um, what in the world is happening right now…?
It started with his sudden change in tone at the beginning of the boss fight. As the battle intensified, his speech and personality gradually transformed. Finally, he started laughing maniacally while throwing huge axes and swords around in a way that made absolutely no sense.
To put it mildly, Sora was taken aback. To be honest, she was completely and utterly creeped out.
She had just started to trust Haru, even feeling a slight, maidenly flutter of “he’s a wonderful person,” though she might not admit it. Now, that same person looked like a complete and utter berserker.
As Sora watched, speechless, the monster mushrooms were being torn to shreds by the thrown blades at an incredible rate—huh, wait.
"H-H-Haru-san!!"
Honestly, it took a great deal of courage for Sora to call out to the current Haru, but a sliver of composure remained. She noticed that beyond the rapidly dwindling mushroom horde, the boss was standing alone, motionless.
At the sound of her voice, Haru flinched and whipped his head around to look at her.
Combined with his earlier behavior, the sudden movement was more than enough to frighten Sora—but he must have been having his own thoughts. His face instantly turned red, then pale, and finally settled into an expression of unidentifiable anguish as he looked up at the sky.
Sora felt a strange urge to say something to help him, but there was something more important to convey right now.
"The boss! It's open!!"
"—!"
She thought her words might have been too simple, but Haru reacted instantly. He spun around and dashed through the remaining mushrooms with incredible speed.
He was so skilled with his movements. Even though he had just started the game, same as her, his form was so captivating that she couldn’t help but think, He looks so cool. But then, the image of the crazed berserker would flash in her mind.
In the middle of a boss fight where she should have been on high alert, Sora couldn't help but let out a wry smile as she watched his back.
"This is all your fault! RAAAAAAGH!!!"
Swinging the great axe and greatsword in both hands simultaneously, Haru let out another nonsensical roar as he brought down the final, decisive blow on the [Host of Mush].