kscans

Chapter 24 - Cliff Road Revenge

"King of the White Throne."

That was his first utterance—to be precise, it came after a dozen seconds of silence following my visit to the blacksmith to beg for a replacement for the pickaxe that had, naturally, shattered when I smacked that white bastard. I had bowed my head humbly and presented the borrowed tool, which was now in two pieces.—The muscle-bound old man spoke solemnly.

"...You know your stuff."

King of the White Throne—I didn't need to think twice about what that referred to.

"A smith reads the iron."

"..., ...?"

"............"

Don't just nod like you're thinking, 'He gets it.' I don't get it at all. If you think that conveys any meaning, you should get your speech center replaced.

"I see, how profound..."

But still, if NPCs have affection parameters, I'd rather play it safe for the future.

Ignoring me as I swallowed my true thoughts and nodded in understanding, the muscle-bound old man stared intently at the broken pickaxe—at its tip, which was faintly discolored white.

Profound indeed, mainly the gap between our minds... and then,

"Hm?"

A shing sound reached my ears. Looking for the source of the odd feeling, I saw a 'Quest Updated' notification in the corner of my vision.

"One bundle of Glowbird tail feathers."

Along with that, a verbal notification from the old man. I checked the quest details and saw that the blue iron ore was no longer listed as a collection item.

"Wait, you don't need the iron ore anymore?"

I was treated to a bungee jump without a cord by a great-winged bird before I could find the second piece of ore, so I shouldn't have reached the required number. Despite that, [Blue Iron Ore] had vanished from the completion requirements, and as I tilted my head in confusion—

"Not needed. I'll use this for the core."

The item his rugged hand pointed to was the broken pickaxe I had just given him... Wait, seriously?

"It's scrap iron, but it's devoured a sliver of 'power.' For a first piece, it's a more than adequate core."

"...Seriously?"

This is it... I've definitely triggered a special route, haven't I!?

No time to waste! Just you wait, you bird bastard, I'm coming to wipe you from existence!!

◇◆◇◆◇

In the central district of Istia, a female player stood alone in the fountain plaza, a popular meeting spot, with a thoughtful look on her face.

Her flame-like, vibrant crimson hair was eye-catching, but what stood out even more was her attire.

Japanese-style clothing was still a rarity in the world of Arcadia due to a shortage of specialized artisans. Her appearance, wearing a splendid, high-priced kimono in a loose, stylish way, made her stand out terribly, even when she was just standing there quietly.

"Hmm..."

She had impulsively stuck her nose into an interesting matter on a message board she'd glanced at out of whim, but the search for a person, which she had started with almost zero clues, was proving difficult... or so she thought. Information about 'him' had fallen into her lap with surprising ease.

Apparently, the player in question was the first new joiner to Istia in about half a year, and he was more conspicuous in this town than she had expected. A little bit of asking around yielded a fair amount of information—in fact, she had probably figured out his current location without much effort.

This was because he had been witnessed moments ago, charging towards a transfer gate at an absurd speed while shouting something like, "Cliff Road of the Sky Bridge, yeaaah!!"... The image of a person who wrote a formal, business-like report on the message board was drifting further and further away from the real thing.

Besides, the post on the board had said, "I started yesterday," but what did it mean for a day-two player to be tackling the third beginner area?

Furthermore, if the eyewitness account was correct, he was currently tackling it solo. This was getting more and more incomprehensible.

In the first place, there was no way a new player on their second day could sprint at a speed that would appear 'absurd' to a high-level player—

"Well now, this is getting interesting."

She had only gotten involved on a whim and to kill some time, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this would lead to an unexpectedly fun encounter.

The woman muttered to herself, her hair swaying cheerfully as she left the fountain plaza.

◇◆◇◆◇

"I knew it, you're no generic mob, are you!?"

I rushed back to the [Cliff Road of the Sky Bridge]—and as I traded blows with the fated great-winged bird on a corner of the cliff path, I spat out my conviction at the bird bastard.

There was no two ways about it; for a common enemy treated as a generic mob, this thing was too tough in every respect. Combined with the combat field that forced me into a one-sided assault, I felt like a straight-up fight wasn't what was intended.

In that case, the options were either to repel it or to flee, but the latter wasn't realistic.

You can break through the ground on this cliff path if you step in the wrong place. Trying to make a full-speed escape here is synonymous with direct, not even roundabout, suicide.

"Then it's repulsion...! I bet it's a certain amount of damage or surviving for a certain amount of time!"

I believe that achieving either of those will allow me to repel it—in that case, the only option for me, a paper-thin glass cannon, is the former!!

"I'm guessing a counter is the proper way to do this, but...!"

To hell with that! I'll teach you that the sky is no longer your exclusive domain!!

I used Quick Change and unleashed a great axe swing at the Glowbird that had been persistently rushing me. The great-winged bird took the bait and distanced itself from my wide, unexpected swing, and in response—

"A man's gotta have guts!!"

My next action was a follow-up attack. Kicking away the fear that tried to hold me back for a split second, I leaped off the edge of the cliff with all my might. Perhaps my mad act was a shock even to the bird's eyes, as the Glowbird's movements faltered for a moment, and I got above it.

In my right hand, the great axe had already been replaced by my straight sword. My beloved sword, its blade restored by the muscle-bound blacksmith's repairs—

"Hraah!!"

—I slammed it down onto the bird's dumb-looking head.

The HP reduction wasn't huge, but the surprise attack was definitely a solid hit. A high-pitched shriek echoed, but I didn't have the luxury of yelling back, "Take that!"

Not yet, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, yes, cooldown's over!!

"Quick Change!!"

My body, pulled by gravity, was sent flying upwards by my newly acquired secret technique, the air jump. Using the great axe that appeared in place of the straight sword as a foothold, I returned to the cliff path, trembling with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

"Yeah, take that! How's this for pseudo-aerial combat? Still think this is a trash skill!?"

It can't compete with a real air jump skill, but for someone without a legitimate means, being able to step on the air is a huge advantage.

The surprise factor is also commendable. The proof is right there, in the form of the great-winged bird retreating in a panic!

"Alright, as long as I don't look down, I can handle this."

With my revenge complete, it was proven that my newly learned pseudo-aerial combat style was effective against the bird bastard.

Ignoring the fact that my mental state takes a hit if I accidentally look down, I can say I've established a strategy. To be honest, it's so scary I could puke, and I can't help but ask myself, "Are you sane?" But I'll just put a lid on common sense.

This is a game, so it's fine, it's fine.

"Well then, let's get through this quickly."

◇◆◇◆◇

【Faction-Agnostic】Question & General Chat Board【Part.1259】

896: Kagura
I'm surprised the momentum hasn't stopped. I was also surprised to find a weirdo who jumps off cliffs without hesitation.

897: Hisasagi
That's impossible, right? They've stubbornly refused to implement an air jump for three years, so why would they leave a loophole like that?

898: Nier
YES, I've been waiting, Kagura-san!!

899: Lilac
Wait, that was faster than I thought. And a weirdo who jumps off cliffs...?

900: Telephone Cannon
Oh? Is this an update?

901: Nier
Okay, okay, slow down!! Kagura-san's writing a report, so everyone slow down!!

902: Kagura
I found the player in question. He was fighting a bird on a cliff in the third beginner area. Actually, he's still fighting, ah, he just jumped off again. It's hard to explain, but he jumps from the cliff, attacks, then switches weapons, uses that as a foothold to jump back to the cliff. I've never seen anything like it. And for some reason, he's not wearing any clothes, he's super hyped, he's yelling something, and he's scary.

903: Lilac
............?????

904: Nier
O-kay... Even the moderator is speechless. Kagura-san, can you record a video? Or at least a screenshot?

905: Kagura
No good, recording isn't authorized. His privacy settings are probably still on default.

906: Kagura
I wish he would put some clothes on.

907: Lilac
Wait, what, is this a story about a naked pervert committing suicide by jumping off a cliff?

908: Nier
That's terrifying.

909: Kagura
It's a story about a guy in the default underwear, swinging a sword and a great axe, laughing maniacally, and bouncing around all over the place, on the ground and in the air.

910: Nier
That sounds like he should be arrested.

911: Telephone Cannon
So he's a new type of enemy, got it.

912: Hisasagi
This is so messed up, I'm dying lol

913: Lilac
Um... Kagura-san, can you make contact? If you feel you're in danger, just observing is fine.

914: Kagura
He's progressing through the route at an incredible pace and has already entered the boss area. For now, I'll just watch and see. Is it okay if I talk to him when I've steeled my resolve?

915: Telephone Cannon
The cliff boss... can that be beaten solo...?