Chapter 65 - Chapter 58 The Scholar and the Genius
Wednesday
“So, Iincho, you ended up starting as an Elf, right?”
“I’ve rejoined Nat-kun, and I understand the general way to enjoy the game now.”
“As expected, or rather, ‘did you really research it that thoroughly?’ I hardly had anything to teach her.”
It was lunchtime with the usual group. Today was rainy, so we were in the classroom instead of the rooftop. Nat pulled out his tablet from his desk and showed us…
“A screenshot I took yesterday.”
It was a two-shot of Nat and Iincho. A handsome blond man in leather armor, with metal plates on his chest and shoulders, and a greatsword on his back. Beside him was a beautiful silver-haired Elf with a waist-length ponytail, wearing leather armor and holding a short bow. I almost said, What a well-matched couple…, but I bit my tongue.
“Iincho, you have a totally different vibe.”
Mion nodded vigorously at my words, but the Mion who’s live-streaming also has a completely different vibe from the real Mion, you know?
“She’s doing kyudo, so her bow shots were super accurate.”
“That’s because there’s something called skill assist,” Iincho replied, a small, endearing smile playing on her cheeks. Still, being good with a bow is nice. I finally got a short bow, but I haven't prepared any arrows yet…
“You buy arrows somewhere, right?”
“Yeah. They’re sold at weapon shops.”
According to Nat and Iincho, they cost a pretty good price—1500 Iris—but if you retrieve and maintain them, they can be reused. Then Mion tugged lightly at my sleeve.
“Oh, that’s right. Both bows and arrows can be repaired with Woodcraft, so Iincho might want to get that skill.”
Mion nodded vigorously. I was right, it seemed. But then,
“Yes, I looked into all that beforehand.”
“She’d already gotten it before I even told her,” Nat said with an amazed look. Well, it is Iincho, so that makes sense. The type of scholar who is perfect at reviewing and preparing. So she doesn’t cut corners even in games… My slight concern is that there are many people who don’t mesh with that type. In fact, I think it’s more normal for casual players who enjoy a few failures.
I glanced at Nat, and he gave a slight nod. It seems he understood my thoughts, so I can leave it to him.
“Oh, speaking of which, Woodcraft needs tools too, right? Can you buy those in town?”
“The Commercial Guild recommended a good tool shop.”
“What kind of stuff do tool shops sell?”
“Um…”
They apparently sell common tools like saws, hammers, and chisels. Roughly speaking, those are the tools that should be made through blacksmithing. I do have a hammer from the goblins, though.
“You know more than me. I can’t believe you’re an MMORPG beginner.”
“If you don’t know something, the guild staff usually tells you.”
Apparently, there’s a tutorial that says if you’re stuck, go ask at the guild. Nat looked like he was thinking, Was that really true? Both he and I are the type who don’t read instruction manuals.
“Well, there’s no guild on an uninhabited island, and Shou hasn’t even done the tutorial.”
“Plus, I have zero money.”
Even if I had money I couldn’t use, I’d still wonder, Can I use this somewhere?, so it might be good that I didn’t have any.
“So, from what you just said, Ise-kun, are you using a bow too?”
“I defeated a Goblin Archer during the live stream, and I repaired the loot. Right now, I don’t have any arrows, so I’m at the stage where I have to make them.”
“It must be tough having to do everything yourself.”
“It’s fine. That’s what makes it fun.”
Mion nodded vigorously at my words again.
*
“Heh, this tower feels like a proper dungeon.”
“Seth-chan is working hard, isn’t she?”
“Even without bias, she’s really good at games, that kid…”
My sister and I agree that “all the good traits from our parents went to Miki.” I don’t feel an ounce of jealousy; if anything, I feel like we’ve pushed a lot onto her… though I wish she’d grow up a little more.
Bell-buchou’s party steadily progressed through the Ancient Magic Tower. The tower’s floors were divided into interconnected rooms and passages, with monsters appearing in each, a common dungeon setup. The first floor was full of goblins, with a boss at the deepest floor. The Goblin Leader and its entourage were similar to the ones I defeated in front of the cave, but…
“A six-person party clears it so easily.”
“Shou-kun, who defeated it alone, is amazing!”
Mion said that, but Bell-buchou’s group defeated similar enemies in just about five minutes. The three other members who joined the party as viewer participants seemed quite capable, too. Majo Bell’s Manor has a lot of gamer fans, it seems.
After collecting the loot, they entered a small room… or rather,
“Thank you for your patronage. Please press the destination floor button.”
An announcement sounded from near the ceiling of the room.
“An elevator?”
“The buttons and panel look exactly like one.”
Naturally, Bell-buchou’s group commented on it too.
“It’s completely an elevator, but is it some twist where ancient magic is actually cutting-edge science?”
“That’s Clarke’s Three Laws. The axiom that ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’”
Seth (Miki) was saying something complex. I wonder when and where she picks up these kinds of tidbits.
“Oh my~. But it seems we can only go partway up~.”
Gold Onee-sama announced, wiggling in front of the panel. The buttons seemed to go up to the 30th floor, but only up to the 10th floor had lights on.
“Well then, I think we’ll climb floor by floor… Is that okay?”
That’s typical for Bell-buchou, I thought. She’s the type who wants to systematically explore uncharted dungeon areas.
When Gold Onee-sama pressed ‘2’, the next moment, the small room blurred. It seemed more like a transfer than an elevator? The comments section was flooded with similar observations…
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Oh, you watched yesterday’s live stream. That’s good.”
The club room door slid open, and Bell-buchou appeared. She sat at her usual spot and put on her VR HMD. All that was left was Yata-sensei, but Wednesday staff meetings always run long, right…
“So, what was the consultation about?”
“Yesterday, at the beginning of the live stream, you heard about guilds, right?”
“It seems they’ve already been implemented.”
“Because of that, we’ve decided to form a guild with the production group I’m close to!”
Seriously…? I thought it cost about 10 million just to establish one. Still, the production group Bell-buchou is close to must have profited from the anti-paralysis potion recipe I shared, so maybe it’s not that surprising? However,
“Didn’t you mention that not only money, but also a letter of recommendation from a noble was required?”
Mion pointed that out. I don’t know what method, but I guess it must be a quest, some kind of connection with a noble seems necessary.
“Yes, about that, Seth-chan seems to already have one.”
Ah… it wouldn’t be surprising if she did…