Chapter 84 - First Clear
◇You have cleared the [Spiral Crimson Tower]◇
・First Clear rewards have been granted—You have obtained [Crimson Rabbit Ornament].
・Solo Clear rewards have been granted—You have obtained [Spiral Crimson Ring].
◇Titles Acquired◇
・'Conqueror of the Spiral Crimson Tower'
・'Infinite Momentum'
・'Bullet Runner'
◇Skills Acquired◇
・[Ignition]
・[Fatal Leak]
◇Skill Evolved◇
・[Swallow Run]→[Rabbit Run]
――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name: Haru | Lv: 100
STR: 300
AGI: 350(+10)
DEX: 100(+10)
VIT: 0
MID: 0
LUC: 300
◇Skills◇
・All Weapon Aptitude
《Blink Switch》
《Piercing Dart》
・《Quit Counter》
・《Ignition》 New!
・《Floating Leaf》
・《Fatal Leak》 New!
・Embodied Protection
・Heavy Attack Manipulator
・Combo Accelerate
・Fleet-Footed
・Rabbit Run Up!
・Fateless Jumper
・Rhino's Heart
・Guardian's Cradle
・Telepathy
――――――――――――――――――
"Ughoa..."
I dove into the glittering crimson arch at the end of the spiral staircase—the goal—and immediately slammed into the floor with all the momentum of my forward lunge. I bounced and tumbled around dramatically like a cartoon character before being mercilessly smashed against the bright red rock face, letting out a cry like a flattened frog.
That was a lie. The impact stunned me so hard I couldn't even make a sound.
Since I'd made it through the kill zone where a single graze meant instant death, I was completely unscathed. That meant even with my VIT having finally vanished from its original value of 5, I managed to avoid the tragedy of dying on impact. Still, my HP dropped from full to nearly half, so I made a mental note to carve it into my brain: If you slip up while moving at high speed, you will die.
Also, the moment I passed through the arch, it looked like the entire tower lit up. What was that all about? A clear animation for the dungeon?
—In any case.
"Ha, haha... YEEEEEEAH! I DID IT, YOU BASTARDS!"
I unleashed the joy and excitement welling up from the pit of my stomach, letting out a triumphant roar alone at the top of the crimson tower. The first clear of an unconquered dungeon—an undeniable feat on just my third day since my official field debut.
It was a feat, but... honestly, I'm surprised by how little there is to say or even recall about it. The dungeon literally had only three elements: "run," "dodge," and "memorize."
But still, it served as an unparalleled training ground for breaking my sloppy avatar control habits. I can confidently say that even though my stats haven't changed, the me of today is a world apart from the me of three days ago.
"I feel like I could take on [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King] one-on-one right now... for about two minutes, anyway."
Of course, that's assuming I have Sora-san's support from [Scareless]. And on that note—!!
"Time for what I've been waiting for... the results!"
Although I went in with the intention of clearing it, I honestly didn't think I'd actually be able to conquer an uncleared dungeon.
Having charged in without even looking up the rewards for dungeon completion, the prizes granted by the game system for the first time sent my excitement through the roof.
I was thrilled about acquiring new skills and seeing old ones evolve, something that had stagnated since Sora-san's rampage began after the [Angalta] fight... but first things first, the 'First Clear Reward.'
Literally a reward given only to the first player to conquer the labyrinth—a guaranteed unique item! What gamer wouldn't get hyped for this?!
"Alright, let's see you... come on out, [Crimson Rabbit Ornament]!"
With my heart racing, I navigated my inventory and materialized the reward, its newly acquired icon still glowing. What appeared in my hand was—a small jewel, shimmering with a crimson brilliance true to its name.
It was likely shaped to resemble a rabbit, but the sleek silhouette of its ears flowing to the side made it look like a shooting star. It had a generally cute impression; Sora would probably love it if I showed it to her.
As expected of a unique item, the visuals and details were stunning. I assumed it was an accessory, and with no one else around, I tapped the jewel with a grin plastered on my face to bring up its details window.
[Crimson Rabbit Ornament]
Accessory: Gemstone *Non-transferable
A jewel imbued with the blessing of the Ruby Rabbit. Its undying prayer grants protection to the wearer, warding off the fate of death. Can be processed by a skilled artisan.
As usual, the text was just flavor text that didn't clarify the exact effects. However, thanks to [Arcadia]'s trademark brain-installation, the special effect hidden within the gem was firmly imprinted in my mind.
"This... is..."
In conclusion, it's insane.
What is this? It's completely broken... well, not so much broken as it is perfectly synergistic with my current build. Then again, if the dungeon was designed with the assumption that only an AGI-focused warrior could clear it, I guess that makes sense...
"Whoa... okay, this is... a case for Kagura-san."
It also seemed to be in a raw material state and couldn't be equipped as is, so I tossed it back into my inventory for now. The effect was so far beyond my expectations—in a completely different dimension, really—that I had to suppress my shock and move on to the next reward.
Next up was the [Spiral Crimson Ring]—and it looked like another accessory. Well, not just looked like it, it was a ring. The material was very similar to the [Crimson Rabbit Ornament], and as its name suggested, it had a twisted, spiral design.
I didn't have any accessories from shops or anything, so all my equipment slots for them were empty. Without hesitation, I went to equip it—wait, there aren't any cursed items that you can't take off once you put them on, right?
I got spooked at the last second and tapped it again before slipping it on my finger. The window that appeared displayed—
[Spiral Crimson Ring]
Accessory: Ring | MID +100 *Non-transferable
A token of the Ruby Rabbit's affection, gifted to one who cleared the tower alone. The wearer is treated as one of their kin and earns the right to claim the symbol of their pride.
"MID +100?????"
I don't get it. That's a status boost equivalent to ten levels' worth of points.
Wait, is this normal? Is this how it is? Do high-end items in this game just come with these kinds of ridiculous stat bonuses by default?
Or maybe the 'Solo Clear Reward' is just as broken as the First Clear one?
"Well... but still."
How would you even clear this dungeon with a party instead of solo? Maybe have a healer surrounded by multiple tanks, slowly climbing while enduring the attacks...?
Try as I might to figure it out, I still fundamentally lack 'knowledge.' I don't have the slightest clue what kind of specs the average veteran player has...
Well, if I don't know, I can always look it up later. My slots are wide open and it doesn't seem to be a 'cursed ring' trap, so I'll gratefully equip it.
Apparently, there's one accessory slot for each hand, and it doesn't matter which finger you put it on. Wondering how the size would work, I tried slipping it onto my index finger—and with a faint glowing effect, the ring automatically resized and settled perfectly at the base of my finger.
I see, all hail fantasy!
I tried it on every finger of both hands in turn and settled on my right middle finger, which felt the best... and for the record, the fact that it's the same spot where Sora wears her [Cradle] is a complete coincidence. Who am I even making excuses to?
――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name: Haru | Lv: 100
STR: 300
AGI: 350(+10)
DEX: 100(+10)
VIT: 0
MID: 0(+100)
LUC: 300
◇Skills◇
・All Weapon Aptitude
《Blink Switch》
《Piercing Dart》
・《Quit Counter》
・《Ignition》
・《Floating Leaf》
・《Fatal Leak》
・Embodied Protection
・Heavy Attack Manipulator
・Combo Accelerate
・Fleet-Footed
・Rabbit Run
・Fateless Jumper
・Rhino's Heart
・Guardian's Cradle
・Telepathy
――――――――――――――――――
There we go. I had no intention of spending a single one of my own stat points, but if equipment is going to fill the gaps for me, I'm more than grateful.
The MID stat mainly affects magic-related things. It directly influences the power of magic skills and also acts as resistance when you're hit by magic. It also affects your total MP, so it's generally a recommended stat for all players, regardless of their physical or magical focus.
What's that? Look at my own stats? By now, I'm well aware that I'm not a 'basic player.'
In any case, an MP increase will never go to waste. The only problem is that among my skills, only [Floating Leaf] consumes MP—which brings me to the three new and evolved skills I should check out. First up...
[Rabbit Run] — Assists avatar movement in running and jumping. Reduces the motions required for push-offs and increases initial acceleration. When the body is operating at maximum speed, applies an upward correction to the effect of DEX supplementing AGI.
"You've come a long way, [Swallow Run]..."
It started as [Adaptive Run], which helped with running on rough terrain, but its effect was never used before it was infused with the massive experience from the [Angalta] fight, evolving—or rather, changing—into a completely different skill, [Swallow Run].
Before evolving, it had an effect specialized for the jump-switching of my quick-change skill, 'stabilizing jumps from unstable footing'—and now it's transformed into an insanely useful multi-effect skill with nothing but strong effects written all over it?
I gave it my wholehearted praise for being an undeniably god-tier skill and moved on to the first of my newly acquired skills.
[Ignition] — By paying a price of 10% of HP, either actively or passively, the 'acceleration' phase of any action is skipped.
"Huh?"
I couldn't quite grasp it just by reading the text from the status screen, and even delving into the installed knowledge, I had a hard time visualizing the effect.
Activated by actively paying the price... does that mean my HP doesn't get consumed automatically, but I have to reduce it myself? A self-harm trigger skill?
"Hmm... well, worth a try, I guess."
I stood up, summoned a [Steel Dagger] into one hand, and pondered for a moment. Unsurprisingly, I had never tried self-harm before, in either the real world or a virtual one. I was honestly pretty scared, feeling a sense of revulsion or something, but—
"...Here goes!"
Crossing my arms, I thrust the dagger held in my right hand into my left arm. A jolt and a strong numbness, an unpleasant sensation that was a bit too much to ignore with a cool expression, shot through my arm.
"Guh... Hey, you're pretty tough for a VIT zero...!"
Visually, it was a pretty gruesome act, but the result was less than 5% of my total HP in damage. It seems the price for activating [Ignition] has to be paid in a single instance of damage, so this wasn't enough to meet the requirement.
Well then, I'll just have to brace myself...!
"Nnggh-RAAAH!"
Right into the gut, for better or for worse!
I can say with certainty that if Sora had seen that, I would have been on the receiving end of a genuine scream, followed by a lecture while I knelt in seiza.
Even if it was a game avatar in a virtual world, the sensation was 100% real. The madness of plunging a blade into my own stomach. An immense sense of revulsion and a massive jolt of numbness shot through my entire body, and even I broke out in a cold sweat—
"...Ah."
In that instant, I understood. I found myself braking to a stop ten meters from where I had been standing, letting out a sound of comprehension. So that's how it works.
This skill, [Ignition], is basically for mov(・)ing(・) at(・) one(・) hun(・)dred(・) per(・)cent(・) from(・) a(・) stand(・)still(・).
With my current adjustments, my AGI is 360 including equipment. As for how fast that actually is, it's surprisingly simple.
Basically, the numerical value of AGI equals your speed in kilometers per hour.
That being said, it's a bit more complicated than AGI: 0 meaning 0 km/h. An initial avatar can run at about 30 km/h at a full sprint. From there, for every 1 point of AGI you add, the effect increases exponentially, until around 100 AGI, where the 1 AGI = 1 km/h conversion rate holds true.
So, right now, if I run full-tilt in a straight line, I'm a monster who can surpass a bullet train at 360 km/h. But that's just my top speed. Just like a car doesn't hit its max speed the moment you step on the gas, even a superhuman avatar has its limits.
If you were always going full-out at top speed, your hidden stamina parameter would drain in an instant. Not to mention, you obviously need a running start, and it takes a decent distance to get up to top speed.
So, even AGI-focused light warriors have these speed constraints. What I'm trying to say is actually quite simple—
"It's broken."
Welcome, [Ignition]. You are most welcome in my build.
Being able to hit top speed instantly without a running start is just plain insane. I can think of countless useful applications for both offense and defense. I'll have to think about the cost... but worst-case scenario, I can just get used to the self-harm.
I wonder if Sora-san will be mad...
Anyway, there's one more new skill. Now, what about this one—
[Fatal Leak] — When voluntarily activated, visualizes the predicted paths of hostile attacks. Consumes MP continuously while the effect is active.
"?????"
Wait a second, calm down. It's okay, I'm cool. Since I'm cool, I am calm. Therefore, this is reality (?).
Just in case, I stared at the window displaying the skill description one more time.
[Fatal Leak] — When voluntarily activated, visualizes the predicted paths of hostile attacks. Consumes MP continuously while the effect is active.
"—Hhhhaaaaaaaaaaah..."
The text and the installed knowledge whispered to me in unison—It's broken. Are you scared?
"FAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Leaving all reason behind, I turned on my heel from the supposed safe zone of the goal area and dashed back at full speed. I dove back through the arch I'd just escaped from, back into the kill zone—and in an instant, a hail of crimson bullets descended upon me.
It was a deathtrap where exposing yourself without a plan or focus would get you killed in an instant—a 'tragedy' you couldn't avoid. High on adrenaline, I returned to this extreme territory and shouted.
"[Fatal Leak]!"
Without a shred of doubt, I activated the new skill dwelling within my avatar. In that moment, my vision's saturation dropped as if a filter had been switched—and projected onto the faded world were the brightly glowing crimson lines of death.
"Welcome, god-tier skill!"
I can see them! I can see them all!
Countless lines, probably showing the fatal futures a few seconds ahead. Just by dodging and running through them, the rabbits that were so incredibly hard to read can't even touch me!
"Hah ha! C'mon, what's wrong, [Ruby Bullet]s! You can't hit me, can you? Can't hit me, huh!? How dare you bastards fill me with so many holes—PAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!??"
—Cause of death: Got carried away taunting the enemy, ran out of MP, and exploded into a million pieces.