kscans

Chapter 366 - Thoughts on the Incarnation of Unreasonableness

And so, the next morning came.

"—Hah... ...Kuh, haaaah...!"

"Are you sleepy...?"

My partner, who I met up with in the still-bare Clan Room that had become our new base, hit me with a retort right off the bat.

Well, it's my fault for letting out a huge yawn right away.

"Come on, Haru, you got enough sleep, right?"

"I did, I did. I think I got about six hours..."

I had been warned the night before, "Don't stay up late," so it was only natural that I'd get scolded for showing obvious signs of sleep deprivation.

I managed to get some sleep, but it wasn't a deep one, and I didn't exactly wake up feeling refreshed and energetic. I had no room to talk back.

—So, I'll just quickly change the subject.

"I'm more worried about whether the Night-Type Boy will wake up without oversleeping."

"...In your mind, Tetra-kun is completely nocturnal, isn't he?"

"Come on, Sora-san, you've never seen him log in before nine P.M. either, have you?"

"Ah... um............"

Since we formed the clan, I've been going to see him whenever our schedules align and I have free time, but every time, he sends me away with a clear 'leave me alone' aura.

I go to see him, to bother him, and I get pushed away. But when we run into each other unintentionally, he's sometimes the one to start a conversation.

—He's a complete cat. He's practically a cute little brother to me, even though he's my senior.

"It would be nice if the three of us could go on a picnic sometime."

"That sounds fun, but it definitely wouldn't be a peaceful picnic, would it?"

"He loves poisonous creatures, after all..."

"That's not it. It's because you'd get carried away and cause a huge commotion, Haru."

"No way."

...And so, in that manner.

Somehow, it's become a routine for us to start with some random chit-chat before even saying hello. We trade words endlessly.

Without tiring of it, we naturally take turns speaking, engaging in a back-and-forth (?), looking for a suitable break.

And in the end, we both notice what's happening and let out a wry smile at the same time—

"Morning, Sora."

"Good morning, Haru."

Our expressions soften, and we finally exchange greetings.

I might be a little sleep-deprived, but my mental condition isn't bad. At the very least, my fighting spirit and energy are more than sufficient.

The day of the decisive battle has finally arrived—let's enjoy it to the fullest.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Alright, I'm only saying this once, so listen up—stop pulling my 'ears'."

"Your voice is so low, that's scary."

My partner and I moved to a different location, arriving right on time for the scheduled gathering.

At the Eastern Round Table, where our nocturnal clan member and the other key players had assembled, I was, as has become a daily routine, threatening the red one (Mi-na).

Despite my threats, she continued to tug on my hood. She's gradually getting more comfortable with me... my scary face isn't working on her anymore.

"Besides, why does Ri-na-chan get a pass! What, do you have a thing for cool-type beauties? Are you a lolicon?"

"I said stop yanking on them! If you were as gentle as your partner, I wouldn't complain every single time!"

"Ears, cute."

"Thanks a lot!"

Ugh, seriously—this is why I was reluctant!

I knew they'd be used as a toy one way or another, just like this!

While the guys just brushed off the design of my new outfit with a casual 'that kind of thing is common in virtual worlds and games,' the girls generally didn't let it slide.

As expected, it started with the red and blue pair.

Sora-san's eyes lit up at first sight, saying, "Bunny, ears...!" Kagura-san teased me with an "Oh, how cute." My master and Hinayo-san just smiled, and when I ran into Rinne in town, she chased me around saying, "Let me take a picture."

To top it all off, for some reason, Alicia gave me a hoodie with bunny ears attached in the real world as a gift—no, there is absolutely, positively, no way I'm wearing that!

I'm glad it's well-received, but I'd appreciate a little consideration for my feelings when you're teasing me. Is a guy with 'ears' that unusual?! ...It probably is!

"Oi, kid."

"Yes, Lord General Commander?"

"I don't mind you being relaxed, but get your head in the game. We're finishing up this meeting and moving on to final adjustments."

"I can't shake the feeling that everyone thinks I'm the one instigating this nonsense...!"

—During the preparation period, I crammed as much information as I could about the 'White Throne' into my head. Going into a fight blind is the 'ultimate delicacy' in gaming, but some opponents just don't play by those rules.

A 'raid boss' is the embodiment of that exception. It's a massive wall that can't even be challenged without every member of the raid sharing accurate information and coordinating closely.

So, this time, I can't just dive in and improvise like I did with [Epel, Great Ice Spirit Guardian] the other day. Both Sora and I have been studying hard.

That said... there's still no complete information on [Tsarkalv of the White Throne]. Even after scouring the internet and listening to the experiences of those who have actually faced it, like Alicia, it's laughably insufficient.

In the end, all we know for sure are a few of its attack patterns and some theories about its abilities.

Since it learns and gets stronger the more you fight it, we can't just casually do a recon-in-force. And if we try to investigate with a smaller force, a half-hearted team would be wiped out before they could gather any information—it's a real 'what are we supposed to do?' situation.

Alicia and the other top-tier players at the forefront of the攻略 are a sharp bunch. They must have spent years trying various strategies, and if the result is the scarce data we have now... then there really was nothing they could do.

The only path left is to face the unknown, adapt on the fly, and overwhelm it with our own power.

Excellent. Let's ignore the unreasonable setup that kicks the MMO standard of trial and error to the curb. I don't mind a challenge with a party.

We can complain about what a terrible game this is after we've been defeated, if by some chance our strength isn't enough and we have to hold a disappointed after-party.

Now, about the abilities of this incarnation of unreasonableness, the 'Colored Monster'... as has been discussed many times, the 'White Throne' we're facing this time has abilities related to 'space'.

Namely, teleportation—the biggest raid gimmick and the worst obstacle: a full-field forced teleportation shuffle that activates every hundred seconds.

What's so insane about this is that it basically makes formations meaningless, or rather, impossible to form in the first place.

The frontline forms a wall, the backline provides fire support and healing, and the skirmishers adjust the battle situation as needed. This fundamental strategy of large-scale combat is completely unusable.

Proper coordination is almost impossible.

When I heard that, I couldn't help but give a wry smile.

Even for a group of belligerent battle junkies, that's one of the reasons our faction (Istia) places an excessive emphasis on 'individual combat strength'.

What's required is the skill to survive as long as possible on your own.

Even a healer, who normally wouldn't need to consider solo combat—can be summoned right in front of the monster, without any say in the matter.