kscans

Chapter 320 - Everyone's a Hero, Let's Go All Out

The true joy of an RPG—a role-playing game—lies in players taking on 'roles' and cooperating with one another.

Controlling characters they've been given or created themselves, players combine their unique skills to face down great enemies and challenges that would be impossible to overcome alone. From orthodox roles like Tank, Attacker, Healer, and Supporter, to countless variations like Scout or Trapper depending on the game—

—in any case, the RPG genre has always tended to emphasize 'roles' and 'cooperation.' The tank draws the powerful boss's attacks, while the attacker chips away at its HP, the healer keeps them alive, and the supporter buffs the party's stats… and so on. The exact 'form' of this varies from game to game, but simply put, they are 'designed with the premise of multiple players working in concert, not alone.'

Yes, there used to be such a trend—to be honest, I don't have much experience with those kinds of 'good old RPGs.' Not just me, but probably most gamers of my generation… especially the more casual ones, feel the same way. Why? Because you just don't see games like that much these days.

Sure, the concept of 'roles' itself has been passed down, and there are probably very few RPGs that have no roles at all. However, the 'inconvenience of being limited in what one can do alone,' which was originally inherent to that convention, has been considerably diluted.

These days, a tank with firepower rivaling an attacker can mow down enemies.

A healer who brandishes a weapon with valor can become an immortal warrior and face down hordes.

A supporter who has buffed themselves to be stronger, tougher, and faster than anyone else can finish the game solo.

An attacker? They've already blazed through the game and are starting their solo time attack, what of it?

It's a situation where… to put it one way, the supply side has responded to the modern demand for a more stress-free experience. Instead of specialization that requires allies, they want versatility that allows one to do anything alone. Instead of the sense of accomplishment that comes after hardship, they want the thrill that can be easily grasped. And instead of inconvenience, they want accessibility.

Not every gamer wants this, of course. But the fact remains, that's how it is now. I've played MMOs myself, but they were the modern kind. I've experienced the grind of farming for rare items and such, but I never really encountered a game that placed a heavy emphasis on 'roles.'

—And as for which category 'Arcadia' falls into… well, it's a bit of both. The ultimate form of accessibility, the 'Instantly become the strongest!!!' type, is impossible. However, in this world where not only are there absurdly powerful enemies, but players are also given absurd potential for growth, one can change the very nature of the game through individual talent and effort. And for those players who have become too strong, there are even more ridiculously powerful enemies waiting for them. Like the [Colored Monsters], for example. Or the [Colored Monsters], or the [Colored Monsters].

…I've kind of lost track of what I was trying to say, but—

"Basically, yeah—once you get to our level, the rankers, there's not much point in thinking about complex coordination… not for this. Against weaklings, it basically just turns into a musou game."

"…………I, I see…?"

"You could've just said that last part."

"You sounded a bit like Maru just now."

"Are you calling me a nerd?"

Alright, with the exception of Sora-san, every single one of them is being incredibly rude. I admit that my strange burst of passion led me to ramble on about mostly meaningless stuff… but well, it was almost entirely just me parroting second-hand knowledge anyway.

"You don't have much experience with them yourself, so where did you get all that knowledge?"

My partner, who was the only one listening to my jumbled lecture on 'RPG party play and whatnot' with pure eyes, tilted her head in confusion. The source of my knowledge? Well, of course—

"Back at a part-time job I used to have, there was this super hardcore gamer senpai…"

"Ah… the 'got cornered during a slow shift' pattern, I see."

Oh, so Maru II-shi has part-time job experience. He must have had a similar experience, as he's wearing a slightly nostalgic, yet subtle expression. …The fact that his expression is 'subtle' probably means it's a negative memory.

"Geez, what are we even talkin' about… Like I said before, this is a piece of cake. Stop dilly-dallyin' and let's get this over with so we can move on."

Probably annoyed that the long chat had broken his momentum, Tiger Lucky shot me a half-lidded glare while twirling his spear idly. Me, the one who had been rambling on.

Oh, are you sure you want to say that here and now?

It's true that the fault lies with me for derailing the conversation, but…

"Ah… s-sorry for holding things up…!"

See—the one who asked the question, Sora-san, isn't the type to stand by silently while the one who answered her gets blamed.

"Wha—, ah, that's not it! I wasn't—"

"Don't worry about it. It's just how guys banter."

"Yeah, yeah. This guy doesn't think before he speaks, so you can just ignore him."

I could tell there wasn't a shred of malice in Tiger Lucky's words, of course, but Sora, who had been watching our dumb guy comedy with curiosity, couldn't have known that. Apologized to by the flustered girl, the tiger glitched out for a second before his two juniors stepped in to cover for him. What an undignified master.

"Besides, you're the one at fault for trying to charge in without a word, Tiger-san. Normally, a hastily formed party would have a light meeting to coordinate first."

"If anything, we should be thanking Sora-san for stopping us."

"That's right, thank her."

"…Um, if I recall, Haru was the one who was about to charge in first, wasn't he?"

I tried to join the other two in dogpiling the tiger, but I was not forgiven. See? My partner is not only cute, kind, and considerate, but she also has a fair mind. You should treat her with respect.

"Haru?"

"I'm sorry."

Incidentally, if you think stupid thoughts, there's a high probability she'll find out, just like this. If you don't want to get glared at, you'd better be careful. Got it, Tiger Lucky?

"Argh, seriously…! How long are we gonna keep this up? Like that idiot said, we don't need to coordinate. Don't worry, it'll be fine!"

At least here—Tiger Lucky said, scratching his head vigorously. He was trying to act gruff, but it was painfully obvious he was just flustered, unsure how to interact with a beautiful girl he'd just met (Sora).

"Well, yeah, that's true. If anything, this is the perfect stage to check out what we can all do while we fight."

"Totally. Like I said before, if things get hairy, I can handle it on my own! And if things get really hairy, Sora-chan's partner will do something about it, right?"

Following their senior who had walked towards the edge of the crater as if to turn away, Maru II and Rinne offered their own reassurances. To be honest, I'd like to experience a proper, role-based VR party myself, but…

"So… let's just trust our seniors and take it easy."

"O-Okay… Um, please have my back, okay?"

"Of course. Leave it to me."

Well, it seems I'll have to give up on the 'good old' experience this time—for better or worse, all five of us are just too far beyond the average player.