kscans

Chapter 13 - An Encounter Through the Screen

A while later, Sora had endured the battle against dizziness, nausea, and everything else that came with each skill activation, and just as she declared, she had mastered the skill within about an hour.

With her confident that she could probably use it in actual combat without issue, we returned to base, where we bought a shortbow as a ranged attack option for Sora.

We immediately returned to the boar plains, ready to put it to the test against a Fool Boar.

“Well… here I go.”

“I’ll have your back if things get dicey, so just relax.”

I called out to Sora, who showed a hint of nervousness for her first attempt. She gave me a shy smile and gently placed her fingertips on the shortbow’s string.

A pinching motion—and instantly, a translucent, faintly glowing arrow materialized. Unusually, bows in this game seemed to be purely magical weapons that didn’t use physical arrows; their ammunition was mana (MP), not supplies.

Now, she had said she’d never even touched a bow in real life, but the game system seemed to provide some assistance. Probably receiving some kind of guidance, Sora drew the bow with a form that was far from amateurish.

A glance was sent my way. I held a straight sword in one hand and nodded, “Anytime.” Sora held her breath and released her first arrow.

The result was—a splendid success. It landed squarely between the boar’s eyes.

“It hit!”

The boar let out a pathetic squeal, and Sora whirled around, overjoyed—wait, Sora-san, it’s not dead yet!

“Whoa there!”

“Feh?!”

I thrust the great axe I’d taken out into the ground, intercepting the boar as it charged at the girl’s defenseless back. I used the handle to create an angle, deflecting it, and the Fool Boar went flying past us.

“S-Sorry…!”

“Well, I get it.”

It was her first attack on her second day. It’s no wonder she got excited.

“Were you using `Observer’s Eye` just now?”

“I was. I’m still maintaining it.”

“So the duration is pretty long?”

“As long as my mana holds out, it seems to be fine.”

“So it’s a sustained-cost type.”

Excellent. In that case, depending on her mana pool, she could probably last for a decent amount of time in a fight.

We exchanged words while watching the Fool Boar slowly turn around after its charge. I doubted she’d be careless a second time, and I could probably leave the rest to her, but—

“Guess I’ll be the frontliner.”

I switched the great axe, which I couldn’t handle with my base STR, back to a straight sword and stepped in front of Sora, twirling it idly in my hand. I was already moving with the assumption that we were a pair, so it’d probably be better practice for her if I was actually in front.

“I’ll hold back on my attacks, so whenever you think you can get a shot in, go for it.”

“Y-Yes… Um, I’m sorry if I hit you.”

“Well, I doubt a single arrow from beginner equipment will take me out… probably… not? Yeah, maybe, I’m sure.”

Sora gave a wry smile at my faltering words, and I looked away as I ran to grab the Fool Boar’s aggro.

Seriously, I’ll be fine, right…? Show me what you’ve got, VIT 5…!!


◇◆◇◆◇


“—Ughhhh…”

Exactly at noon, real-world time. I logged out of the virtual world for lunch and lay on the VR machine I had woken up in, letting out a groan worthy of an old man.

My body felt so damn heavy. Probably because I was building my avatar as an agility specialist, the perceived weight difference between my body there and here was too great. It was bad when I logged out last night, but I felt like it had gotten even worse after I poured the status points I’d gained from two boss fights into my stats.

“Is this a path every Arcadia player has walked, or is it a problem with my VR aptitude…?”

If it’s the latter, I’ll be depressed… As I grumbled, I sluggishly moved my incredibly heavy real body. The machine detected my change in posture, automatically opened its lid, and a reclining bed-like mechanism lifted my back.

…This is a game console, you know? A marvel of super-technology through and through.

“Alright, food time.”

No matter how much I jumped around in virtual reality, my real body was just lying there. I wiggled my arms and legs to loosen my stiff muscles and left my room.

My parents, who both work, weren’t home. I passed through the quiet living room of my house and rummaged through the fridge for ingredients.

Alright, I’ve logged out, but my head is still completely in the virtual world. Sora’s combat training has been going well, and our pair’s progress is smooth. We decided to take a temporary break for lunch, but I was happy to be invited by her to continue later.

No, I’m really happy. I’m honestly worried I might have used up all my luck for this lifetime with this sudden turn of events, but I gladly accepted, and my afternoon is now promised to an adventure in another world with a presumably beautiful girl.

“I’m grateful for this chain of coincidences… A stir-fry should be fine, it’s easy.”

I grabbed some likely ingredients at random and put a frying pan on the stove. Cooking, when you’re not trying to be fancy, surprisingly involves a lot of waiting. Right now, I was itching to spend even one more second immersed in virtual reality, so even the short wait for the pan to heat up felt tedious.

Out of boredom, I decided to turn on the TV in the living room.

“Whoa, it’s been three years since I last touched a TV remote.”

Three years since [Arcadia] was announced. To protect my sanity, I had cut off all contact with any and all information media. Not just the internet from my smartphone or computer, but I also did my best to avoid paper media like newspapers and magazines, dedicating my days to my part-time job.

There were many times I accidentally came into contact with information about [Arcadia], but each time I managed to avoid it by using my job and studies as an excuse.

So it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’ve been left behind by society for the past three years, but that’s how much effort it took to completely shut out news of the century’s biggest title, [Arcadia].

However, now that I finally have the virtual reality of my dreams, there’s nothing holding me back. In fact, if I’m going to get serious about clearing the game, the help of information media will be essential. With a deep sense of emotion, I turned on the power, and what appeared on the display was—

“Oh, speak of the devil.”

Coincidentally, it was footage related to the virtual world that currently occupied one hundred percent of my brain. The text displayed at the top of the screen read something like, Arcadia’s Strongest Sword King! Uncovering the Secret to His Strength!?

“Who the heck is the Sword King?”

With zero information, even if they told me someone was the strongest or the Sword King, I couldn’t follow at all. As I threw oil and ingredients into the preheated pan, I pictured a muscular man holding a golden greatsword in my mind—

“—Whoa…!?”

A few seconds later, when the “Strongest Sword King” was shown on the TV screen, I found myself unconsciously holding my breath.

—Cute. She was a girl so beautiful that describing her with common praise like amazing or incredible felt inadequate.

Silver hair with a faint blue tint, large eyes that sparkled like garnet—an unnervingly perfect beauty.

The graphic rendering in [Arcadia] is almost indistinguishable from reality, and you can barely tell the difference between a person there and in the real world, even up close. And yet, the girl on the screen looked like a character straight out of an anime or manga.

To be blunt, she was far more beautiful than any heroine from a work of fiction. Is this what they call 3D surpassing 2D…?

“Well, it’s just an avatar, but still…”

Even so, that was on another level. Even if it was a beauty created through character customization, she was so stunning that she made all the handsome men and beautiful women I’d seen in the city of Istia pale in comparison.

…Eh, Sora? No, they’re in different leagues… This girl is the beautiful type, while Sora is the cute type, you can’t compare them—I mean, you can’t. When you get to this level, you’re not even human anymore, you’re an angel. Sora is pretty much an angel too, but she’s an angel as a girl, my source of comfort, whereas the strongest girl on the screen has transcended humanity—

“Crap, ahh!?”

I hastily pulled the pan, which was starting to smell slightly burnt, away from the heat. I had been completely captivated without realizing it! As an emergency measure, I splashed some water into it, suppressing the near-abyss that had been forming in the pan.

“That was close…”

As I caught my breath and looked back at the TV, it seemed to be an interview-style program. A player dressed like a reporter was asking various questions, but… there were a lot of technical terms. As a complete beginner, I was in a state of “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Hmm, her voice is cute too.”

At least she didn’t seem like the loud type. Her voice, fitting her dignified, princess-like atmosphere, was modest yet held a sweetness that was pleasant to the ear.

I still couldn’t follow the content of the interview, not a single bit of it was registering in my brain, but just watching the girl’s movements was a feast for the eyes. As expected, whether in virtual reality or not, beautiful girls are a good thing. Their mere existence can bring comfort to even a complete stranger.

While thinking such foolish thoughts and quickly preparing my lunch, I watched the girl named [Iris]—“The Strongest Sword King”—as I shoveled stir-fry into my stomach.

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First half of the day done. Planning another post this evening.