Chapter 79 - An Endorsement from the Pioneers
After watching Sora log out, I got a call from my other friend and made my way to a vacant lot on the outskirts of the city.
To say I 'made my way' is putting it mildly; it wasn't exactly a short trip. Apparently, the plaza Sora and I had teleported to was the city center, and from there, it took me nearly twenty minutes of running to reach the outer edge.
Even without Sora's support, my feet can now carry me at triple-digit speeds while I hum a tune. And I didn't just run—I leaped. I pulled off that acrobatic roof-hopping that you always see in manga and anime, cutting a straight line through the city...
"Isn't this place a little too big?"
"Who told you to run all the way here?"
The moment I arrived at the designated lot and voiced my thoughts, Kagura-san gave me a look one reserves for an idiot.
Well, yeah, okay. I noticed the transfer gates along the way, the same kind they had in Istia, but I got a little carried away with the thrill of dashing across rooftops with a smug look on my face...
"...Well, let's put your usual weirdness aside for a moment."
Her sigh-laden words gave me a glimpse into how she sees me, and it made me a little sad.
That's strange... I like to think I have a relatively normal mentality.
"The problem is this—you've done it again, and in a big way."
As I crossed my arms, wondering how to redeem my honor, a window was tossed in my direction along with a tired glare.
A translucent virtual screen flipped around and stopped in front of me.
On the index of the now-familiar player general bulletin board, the first thing that caught my eye was the headline emblazoned at the very top in huge, bold letters.
【Breaking News】Soaring Newbie (Pervert) Escapes Crushing Welcome Party【Air Jump Implemented!?】
"Hey, who are you calling a pervert?"
At least this time I wasn't in my starter underwear, laughing maniacally, or letting out any weird screams, okay???
"That's not the problem. It's not just the so-called air jump. You showed way, way too much."
As she said that and pressed a hand to her forehead, I sensed a gap between our levels of tension—or rather, our perception of the situation's gravity. A beat later, I corrected my posture and prepared to listen.
"S-so, which part was bad...?"
"Not which part. All of it."
I looked away as she shot down my efforts without mercy. Kagura-san, however, let out a sigh and softened her expression, as if to say, "You're a handful."
"First, about [An-ri Galta (Prologue: The Wedge-Fragment that Sings of Eternity)]. They'll definitely figure out that it's a Terror Armament."
"You've got to be kidding me. Just from seeing it for a few seconds?"
"You shouldn't underestimate the discernment of veteran players. If it were just one or two, maybe not, but you showed it off to a massive crowd like that. There are bound to be people who could tell."
So, on top of the unknown air jump skill, there's the explosive news that I possess a Terror Armament, of which only a handful exist...
"And your [Anima] is also bad news."
"Wait, that too?"
"Activating a skill with an incantation instead of a verbal call is proof that the weapon itself holds the skill. Even if they don't go as far as guessing it's a Terror Armament, many sharp players will probably suspect it's either a special item or a promising [Anima]."
So, just like the evolving Terror Armament, my interesting Anima also doubles down on the suspicion of my future potential.
"On top of all that, there's the 'Quick Change' skill you've somehow mastered—that's an anomaly anyone can see, regardless of their knowledge. If anyone who knew about the last flame war was in that crowd, they've probably already connected you to 'Haru'... and to the players who didn't know, you'd look like nothing more than a treasure trove of scoops, with multiple unknown skills including that air jump."
"I, see... So basically?"
"You'll almost certainly be chased around—possibly by a mob of several thousand people."
"My peaceful virtual world life...!!"
When I dropped to my knees in despair, Kagura-san snorted, "It's a bit late for that."
"At this point, it might be a good idea to just get picked up by a powerful clan."
"A clan... A clan, huh."
Just as I've been pairing up with Sora, I never intended to be a solo player from the start. I may have been the lone wolf of my class all through high school, but it's not like I have an aversion to or difficulty with being part of a group.
If joining a clan would help me avoid trouble, it's worth considering—
"Personally, though, I'd rather you just keep running wild as a free agent."
"Whoa there."
Just as I was about to go along with her suggestion, the one who proposed it shot it down.
"I've told you this plenty of times, so you should be aware of it by now... but you—you guys are off the charts in a lot of ways. Your growth speed, your clearing speed, and on top of that, your unique skills. Honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if you joined the top ranks at any moment."
"That's some high praise."
I was taken aback by such a direct compliment, but Kagura-san just smiled. "I've been saying that from the start, haven't I?"
Well, that's true. She was the one who offered to be my exclusive artisan, after all.
"Anyway, that's the kind of player you are. So for my part, I think it'd be more interesting if you just kept tearing things up and made a spectacular debut in an official match."
"An official match, you mean..."
"The 'Four Pillar War,' of course. More specifically, its selection tournament."
The Four Pillar War—the biggest festival in Arcadia, a chaotic free-for-all between the four factions, including my own Istia. I had, of course, set my sights on it as a future goal, but...
"Isn't it a little too soon for that?"
I just finished the tutorial today. In MMO terms, you could say I've only just reached the starting line, still in an un-upgraded state. I'm still using store-bought weapons and armor, and my skill evolution and proficiency levels are probably laughable compared to veteran players.
I probably couldn't even beat Kagura-san, and she's an artisan.
"Well, it's true that you can't easily catch up in terms of equipment or the number and quality of your skills. But the most important thing in Arcadia's PvP isn't gear or skills—it's pure player skill."
As she said that, she gestured toward the vacant lot behind her.
"Just do whatever. Hop around a bit."
"Uh, okay."
Wondering what this was about, I nodded and gave a light push off the ground. I hadn't allocated my new status points or learned any new mobility skills yet, so there was no need to warm up.
Without a proper run-up, I can't hit my top speed, but if a hundred kilometers per hour or so is good enough, two steps are all I need.
I built up speed with my now-familiar bouncing stride, and on the third step, I leaped into the air to fulfill her 'hop around' request. According to the proper laws of physics, my body should now be flying in an arc, but—I activate [Blink Switch].
Summoned at the tip of my outstretched hand was a store-bought [Steel Dagger]. Having already adjusted my posture a moment before activation, I bent my body into a 'V' shape, like a swimmer doing a flip turn, and placed one foot on the summoned foothold.
Again, according to the proper laws of physics, using a dagger weighing less than a kilogram as a foothold in mid-air should be impossible—but by exploiting the characteristic of Quick Change-type skills where 'a summoned item is fixed to its coordinates for a brief moment'...
"Hup."
The dagger, stuck in mid-air, served its purpose as a foothold without so much as a tremor. After escaping the pull of gravity with this trick-like skill application...
"Yo, fu, ho, ha!"
[Blink Switch], [Blink Switch], [Blink Switch]—combined with the cooldown reduction from consecutive use, my avatar, having achieved a higher-cycle and more stable form of three-dimensional movement than before, could now bounce around in the air almost at will.
Do I get dizzy, you ask? To be honest, while I'm doing this, I can barely perceive my surroundings, so in a roundabout way, there's no ill effect!
The trick is to map out the route in my head before I leap, and then, during the high-speed maneuver, dedicate all my mental resources to controlling the avatar to follow that path. It's similar to the feeling in an action game where you unconsciously follow memorized commands based on the situation.
Which means if I mess up, it's unrecoverable, and I'll end up as a smear on the ground. As long as I don't mess up, it's fine!
"Alright, is this good enough?"
Deciding that was plenty, I applied the brakes and turned back to Kagura-san. She was watching me with her arms crossed, a faint, resigned smile on her face, as if to say, "I'm beyond amazed."
"How many players do you think can handle that?"
"I dunno, there are thought-acceleration skills and stuff, right? I'd think most of the veteran players could handle it..."
The standard strategy against a speed-focused opponent is pretty much the same in any game. Either you overwhelm them with even greater speed, riddle them with guaranteed-hit or homing long-range attacks that render speed irrelevant, or you lie in wait and cut them down with a counter.
Whatever the method, the key is to properly track the scurrying opponent's movements and not miss the timing for a response—but this game has thought-acceleration skills, a cheat-like optimal solution provided by the system itself...
"I don't know what you're misunderstanding, but only the top-tier veterans have skills like thought acceleration. And even among them, it's limited to warrior types, especially light warriors who focus on speed like you."
Oh, really?
I admit the acquisition requirements I saw on the wiki were incredibly difficult, but given the skill's performance, I just assumed all the veteran players would have gone out of their way to get it.
"Well, it's true that light-warrior rankers with thought acceleration could probably handle you—but what about everyone else? How many players do you think can deal with your movements, which are hard to even follow with the naked eye at close range?"
"Well..."
Could I actually hold my own even now? Nah, but still...
"You seem to be an experienced gamer, so I get how you feel. I understand that it's an incredible feat for a new player to catch up to a veteran in an online game."
"But," Kagura-san smiled.
"In any world, there are always geniuses who shatter conventions—I'll say it loud and clear. You are, without a doubt, one of those geniuses."
"Whoa..."
Genius. In my eighteen-plus years of life, that was, without a doubt, the first time I'd ever received such a far-fetched compliment. I never thought the day would come when such a word would be directed at me... and from a beautiful woman in a kimono (important).
"What, are you blushing? That's not like you."
"Well, when you praise me so directly..."
I couldn't help but look away, and she teased me for it—okay, stop right there. That gentle smile is just going to accelerate the embarrassment, so no thanks.
"Anyway, even if I praise you, it's just my selfish desire to see something interesting. In the end, you should do what you want."
"What I want, huh."
Honestly, I'm fine either way, whether I stay as I am or join a group. I already proposed the official partnership to Sora on impulse, so I need to get her opinion on it too... For now, I'll put the decision on hold.
"After being hyped up like that, I'm leaning towards staying as is—but I'll decide later. I need to hear my partner's opinion first."
"Of course. Take all the time you need to think. And while you're at it, find a chance to introduce me to this partner of yours."
She's been asking me to introduce them for a while, saying, "She sounds interesting too, so let me meet her." But honestly, there was no ulterior motive; the timing just never worked out.
"She said she's going to be busy with real life for a bit, so if the timing works out... Oh, by the way, my login frequency is going to drop starting next week, too."
"Ah... well, given the time of year, it's the same for everyone, I guess."
For students like me, it's the season for entering a new school or moving up a grade. For working adults, it's a busy new season for many as well.
"Yeah, that's the thing. Things are getting busy, but... I don't actually know the details of the schedule or any of the other events."
"What do you know, then?"
Well, as long as I avoid spoilers, I know about things that are directly related to my current situation... It's strange. Even though I've unbanned myself from the fountain of the internet, I'm still as clueless as ever.
Come to think of it, I still haven't used the guild hall or the market that Kagura-san told me about. My usual pattern is to log in, head out to the field based on whatever I'm motivated to do, and just focus on clearing areas until I log out...
Seeing me awkwardly look away, Kagura-san let out a familiar, exasperated smile.