kscans

Chapter 355 - The Clamor in the Snow

As far as I've gathered from information and personal experience, Arcadia isn't designed like a lawless zone where the area outside of town is swarming with enemies.

Monsters each have their own territories and habitats, and to 'field grind' in this game, you need to identify their homes and travel there.

I've thought this many times, but this world is so unlike a typical MMORPG.

It's called a VRMMO because there's no other suitable name, but overall, it might be better to think of it as a similar but different genre—

That aside, once you do step into one of those 'territories,' the majestic and tranquil 'Garden of Divine Creation' instantly transforms its appearance.

In other words, what I mean is...

"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!! H-hold on, scary, scary, time out!!"

If you wander into a dangerous place, you get a fittingly chaotic festival—a very MMO-like experience of being chased around by endlessly spawning enemies.

Letting out a genuinely pathetic scream, I kicked through the snow in a full-blown sprint. I wonder how much time has passed since this chase began.

The fury of the [Eternal Ice Peaks of Extreme White], which bared its fangs the moment I started climbing, seems to have no intention of letting an intruder it has targeted escape.

So, what's so scary?

That would be the countless pursuers with ferocious faces, closing in from behind like a tidal wave.

—Enemy #1 of the ice mountain, the transparent wolf, the [Crystal Wolf].

As its name suggests, its pure white fur allows it to disappear into the blizzard, launching surprise attacks from all directions. They're not just a nuisance; they're absolute bastards.

What's so cruel is their overwhelming numbers, which the word 'pack' doesn't even begin to cover. They don't just coordinate within their pack; it seems the packs themselves coordinate with each other. Just when you think you've shaken one group, you're immediately surrounded by another.

Probably, the only way to get a moment's peace is to stand your ground and annihilate one of the attacking groups. Honestly, if it were just them, they wouldn't be much of a threat, but...

Enemy #2, the snowman, the [Nostra Yeti].

Also true to its name, it's a giant ape-man over three meters tall with long arms that reach the ground even when standing upright, its body protected by thick, white fur.

They appear from out of nowhere in response to the wolves' howls used for coordinating with their allies, and once they target a player, they become clingy bastards who will chase you relentlessly to the ends of the earth.

Although its torso is covered in thick fur, it's a pure physical powerhouse with the insane durability to withstand a direct hit from the [Gravidon] and a brute strength that matches its appearance.

You'd think it would be slow, but it's nimble enough to easily outpace the wolves and has no trouble keeping up with me, even with my feet caught in the snow and my aerial mobility restricted.

And as a ridiculous bonus trait, when its HP gets low, it has an aggressive and violent heart-breaking design where it eats the Crystal Wolves loitering nearby to restore its health.

Oh, and whether they're a mated pair or parent and child, I don't know, but they always appear in a set of two, one large and one small.

So while one is healing, the other will act as a guard, displaying wonderful teamwork. Are you guys some kind of sub-bosses?

Also, their visuals are just plain scary. Being chased with murderous intent by a snowman on a snowy mountain is pure horror, and their faces are too terrifying. They should have considered some level of stylization.

And there's more. Enemy #3, the mysterious glowing orb, the [Lipis-Aicia].

They appear rarely and suddenly, fire off one big, 'indiscriminate icicle drop' type of area-of-effect magic, and then leave. They're a mysterious and extremely annoying enemy.

Simply put, they suck. Next.

Enemy #4, the [Frosty Breath-Horn].

I can't tell if it's frozen or made entirely of ice, but it's a white-spotted deer with a single horn like a giant icicle. It's a bundle of indirect murderous intent disguised as a victim.

Since the Yetis and wolves will actively try to prey on them when found, they must be in the 'weak prey' category, but their survival instinct to escape from predators also turns its fangs on players.

Specifically, it lets out a strangely creepy, high-pitched cry, and its prized horn glows, unleashing an indiscriminate AoE stun wave.

Since I usually encounter them while fleeing, I'm naturally the first one to be affected.

Which means that the moment I'm stopped in my tracks, my pursuers, who were safely outside the debuff's range, close the distance with a furious rush. Are you kidding me? Please, for the love of god, stop!

—And with that, let me state my impression, or rather, my conclusion.

"This is NOT a place to come to solo!!"

I decapitated another one of those idiot deer that appeared in my path with the crimson blade of my Rabbit Dagger and continued my desperate run without slowing down.

I've given up on trying to defeat the Yetis, which are currently the biggest threat, because there are too many other enemies around to have the time to slowly chip away at their tough HP, and preventing them from healing is difficult.

As for the wolves, I've tried thinning them out by throwing Bullets when I get a chance, but even if I reduce their numbers a bit, I immediately encounter another pack, so it's a futile effort.

To make matters worse, those wolves fire high-speed, homing ice projectiles that are both physical and magical, so carelessly jumping just increases the number of enemy attacks—I'm starting to feel like I'm seriously stuck.

I'm seriously considering using [Meltraction] to summon Sora-san... no, not yet, it's not over yet, I haven't lost yet!

Since there's a chance of getting hit by a stray ice bullet, which is extremely hard to see in the blizzard, reducing my health in this situation is extremely risky... but if I can't see a way out without taking a gamble, then I have no other choice.

Using water magic for control in this environment would be suicide, so here I go, full power!

"[Rocket]!"

After confirming my HP was still nearly full thanks to focusing on evasion, I disabled the assistance from the [Marine Stake Boots] and kicked straight up at one hundred percent, no-holds-barred output.

The self-inflicted damage from [Rocket], which should have taken all of my HP, was stopped at ninety percent by the power of my special title, 'Acrobat.'

Furthermore, the strain of the無理な instantaneous acceleration, exceeding my stats, assaulted my avatar, but the last ten percent of HP that should have vanished was replenished by a massive cheat—or rather, it was undone.

The [Crimson Rabbit Hairpin] behind my neck shattered, and its special effect, [Desperate Crimson], activated.

I soared high into the sky in a single leap, and for a moment, I and my pursuers below stared each other down... The stalemate lasted but an instant—it was either me or them. The curtain rose on a battle of barrages.

[Flip Stroke] activated, so let 'em fly!

"[Parabellum Bullet]!!"

Cloaked in a crown and crimson light, I unleashed a storm of red daggers.

The skill caused a rain of Rabbit Daggers to fly from my fingertips, colliding with the ice projectiles being shot up at me and annihilating the pack of [Crystal Wolves].

Their stealth is probably some kind of magic. When they shoot their ice projectiles, their camouflage weakens, making them just barely visible, which is a small mercy.

No, for a solo player, it's no mercy at all! Go extinct, you bastards!

While raining down Rabbit Daggers as I fell, I also summoned the [Revolving Wheel Shield] to my right hand and casually shot down any ice projectiles that slipped through the barrage.

The homing type is a pain when you're being chased, but when you're meeting them head-on, their trajectory is easy to read, making them easy to deal with—well, not easy, but manageable with enough spirit.

Their speed and numbers are nothing compared to my partner's magic swords! Alright, last one!!

After annihilating all the wolves I could see, my next target was, of course, the [Nostra Yetis] who had lost their 'prey.'

I took aim at the bigger, more conspicuous one, used [Hare Real] to adjust my falling trajectory by kicking the empty air—and as the ape-man naturally swung its massive arm back for a counter, I activated [Reflect Explode].

The effect of this skill, evolved from [Reflect Blower], is exactly as its name implies. In other words... reactive armor is a man's romance!!

The powerful arm, whipping toward me, collided with the [Revolving Wheel Shield], which was cloaked in a red-hot light effect—and a crimson wave, like a bursting flame, countered the incoming blow, sending it flying back.

The massive damage, incomparable to its pre-evolution form, made the Yeti let out a deep, pained roar... And there's my opening.

No matter how tough you are, a blow to the head should still hurt, right?

"[Whirlwind]."

A wind-enchanted, merciless shield and right-straight punch to the face—followed by!

"[Shot]!!"

My [Ever-Quartz], responding to my call, delivered a zero-distance pile bunker to its face. That should kill it... hey, what the hell are you doing here now, you mysterious spirit? Begone.

Despite its ethereal appearance, it wasn't immune to physical attacks, so as long as I had the leeway to deal with it, the [Lipis-Aicia], which left itself wide open while casting its big spell, was easy to handle.

I popped the cap off a high potion from my coat pocket with my thumb and, with my other hand, threw a Rabbit Dagger to pierce its core of light, dealing with it messily.

As I put on a show of余裕, the last Yeti stared at me, then took a step back with a comically flustered gesture—

"Alright... now it's my turn to be 'it.' I'll give you a count of three. Now, run."

Three seconds later, as promised.

The jade blade of my drawn [Samidorizuki] hacked the ape-man's ferocious face to pieces... and the monster panic on the snowy mountain came to a temporary close.

—Can I just say one thing?

"This is way too much effort for a trash mob fight...."

This snowy mountain is more grueling than I could have possibly imagined.