Chapter 680 - Total Result
—And so, it wasn't quite enough to be called a fierce battle. But in the sense of feeling the satisfying progress of our cooperative teamwork, after a perfectly sufficient amount of time, the colossal figure before us crumbled.
Its body, having lost its strength, fell through the water and began to dissolve into light… After a perfectly timed pause for dramatic effect, it hit the bottom, and the great spirit dissipated, filling the chamber with a brilliant phosphorescence.
And then, a small window of light appeared in my vision.
◇ You have defeated 【Great Water Spirit Rapharn】 ◇
◇ Skills Acquired ◇
・`[Maelstrom]`
・`[Laevateinn, Ten Thousand Calamities]`
◇ All individuals of 【Great Water Spirit Rapharn】 have been defeated ◇
◇ Titles Acquired ◇
・'One Enthralled by the Water Spirit'
・'Pilgrimage to the Four Seals'
◇ Skill Acquired ◇
・`[Water Spirit's Blessing]`
…And that's how it went.
"Whoa…! That really feels like we accomplished something…!!!"
I was completely used to this watery, not-quite-water environment.
As I looked at the results screen, a mix of the text I had been waiting for and some I hadn't, I sheathed the rabbit dagger that had finished its job and let my body go limp, floating in the water.
"Ahaha… Good work, everyone."
To the words of the Clan Master, who was smiling as if all the tension had left her, the four of us replied in our own ways. Among them, only my master's voice showed no trace of fatigue.
—Four days have passed since we defeated the first one.
Our pilgrimage to defeat the water spirits, which took a total of five days, has now been successfully completed. As expected, we encountered no real struggles and proceeded at a brisk pace.
So why is it that we, who surpass ordinary players in terms of stamina and endurance in this virtual world… setting aside Sora, who hasn't quite reached that level yet, why are the three guys relatively exhausted? The reason is simply—
"Man, back-to-back long expeditions are tiring…"
"Haha… The sheer size of the fields is the greatest enemy when it comes to clearing Arcadia, isn't it?"
Just as Tetra and Kanata said.
Simply put, the 'domains' where the second and subsequent water spirits existed were extremely far from the city, so we were worn out from the super long-distance travel, which took several hours even with the Sapphire Express.
Well, anyway.
"Alright—Once again, thank you all for your cooperation."
My white hair, which I had tied back in a compact braid because it was even more of a nuisance underwater, swayed as I spoke. As the one who benefited the most from this expedition, I made sure not to forget my thanks.
I straightened my posture and gave a bow in the water, and once again, a chorus of replies came back.
"You got it. How'd it go?"
"This is beyond perfect."
Replying to Tetra's question, I gave a thumbs-up with my right hand while quickly summoning my status window with my left.
—
◇Status / Trance◇
Title：Acrobat
Name：Haru
Lv：110
STR：0 (+100)
AGI：0 (+250)
DEX：0
VIT：0 (+100)
MID：1250 (+250)
LUC：0
◇Skill◇
・Naraka Gandharva
`[Mistlurade]`
`[Lumina Raygust]`
`[Frezon Revolver]`
`[Ex Machina Altered]`
`[Greed's Basket]`
・Water Magic Aptitude
`[Aqua]`
`[Flood]`
`[Current Haken]`
`[Maelstrom]` New!
`[Laevateinn, Ten Thousand Calamities]` New!
`[Water Enchant]`
・Active
`[Reflect Explode]`
`[Flash Traveler]`
`[Shadow Leaf]`
`[Eyes Oculus]`
・Passive
`[White Dragon's Blessing]`
`[Rega-Lielta]`
`[Attentive Limit]`
`[Gigant Figure]`
`[Goma Soten]`
`[Talaria Record]`
`[Floating Star]`
`[Trickster of Zenith]`
`[Dangerous Light, Fast Recovery]`
`[Unflinching Conquest]`
`[Luna Nobody, Guardian of the Shimmering Moon]`
`[Master of Magic]`
`[Reject Sentence]`
`[Shadow Crossing]`
`[Water Spirit's Blessing]` New!
`[Four-Sided Blessing]`
◇Arts◇
【Kesshiki Ittoryu】
`[Hisui]`
`[Uchigane]`
`[Amayuki]`
`[Karehomura]`
`[Juko]`
`[Nanahoshi]`
`[Horai]`
Secret Technique：`[Yuikaze]`
【Shifu Ittoryu】
`[Hayate]`
`[Shizuku]`
—
Not only did I get the blessing skill from the Great Spirit, which was my main objective, but I also got two new magic spells, including one I had wanted after studying up as a `Water Magic Aptitude` user.
It was, in a word, perfect. You could even call it an unexpectedly great outcome.
By the way, this one, the one I wasn't aiming for. I don't quite remember the name, but for a magic skill to have a kanji & ateji style…
"Finally, I have a proper 'Grand Magic'…!"
Judging by the naming conventions for magic in Arcadia, this was a sure thing.
"Eh, really? …I mean, 'finally'? Senpai, you've only had water magic for about three months, right?"
"Even for a pure mage, it takes at least half a year to acquire one from scratch, you know…"
"W-What kind of spell is it?!"
Exasperation, admiration, curiosity. While I felt a warm feeling watching the younger members with their variously colored eyes all peering at my hands, I turned on the visibility of my window.
Incidentally, my master was watching with a supremely calm, smiling expression. As her disciple, I did not fail to notice her feet fidgeting for a brief moment—
"Laevateinn…?"
"Not tain?"
"Hmm… has anyone heard of it?"
As I was being repelled by a Sword Saint smile that seemed to say 'What of it?', the three curious members were happily exchanging knowledge. In my Trance body, my height is reversed with theirs, so I can only see the back of their gold, black, and brown heads.
Haha, calm down, everyone. There's no need to rack your brains when you can just…
"Alright, alright. Since we're here, let's do a test fire as a celebratory cannon shot."
"""Ooh."""
This is a vast, open space, filled with post-battle peace. It's the perfect environment for a test shot without causing any trouble or commotion.
Normally, water magic has the unexpected restriction of being 'uncontrollable in fully submerged conditions,' but it's a given that rule doesn't apply here.
There might be a visibility issue with casting a 'water' spell in the 'water,' but after spending days in this environment and getting my eyes thoroughly accustomed to it, I should be fine.
"Well then… ahem."
And so, I took a step out of the circle, ready to sing my heart out.
"—'It is not a sword forged by the gods.'"
Let's see what this new power, born from another great achievement and dwelling within my virtual body, can do…!!!
And so, one minute later.
"…………Haru, you are absolutely forbidden from using that casually, on a whim. Got it?"
"Is there even a situation to use it? In your case, senpai, wouldn't it be better to just do it manually without taking the risk?"
"U-Um, it was certainly very grand magic-like! It's just that, well… you'd probably need to do a lot of safety checks and other things…!"
"Why is every single skill that comes my way so…!!!!!"
Looking back calmly, it was the expected outcome, the usual. The dream of a proper, straightforward, easy-to-use, reliable grand magic spell shattered, and as the disciple lay crushed on the bottom of the water,
"What magnificent cutting power…"
The 'pillars' of the water spirit, which ultimately never fulfilled their role as a gimmick throughout our four attempts—now floated as countless severed fragments, their cross-sections gleaming smoothly.
My master's voice, filled with deep admiration, echoed and wavered in the peaceful water.