kscans

Chapter 396 - The Glass Orb of Transfiguration

—Alright, let's set aside all the difficult questions for a later date, after we've had a chance to cool down.

The players, who had missed their chance to get excited due to the profound, almost sacred ending they'd been shown, were beginning to stir.

In each of their hands was a palm-sized glass orb… a mysterious object that, true to its name, appeared transparent like glass from one angle, or reflected the holder's face like a mirror from another.

[The Glass Orb of Transfiguration]—a 'preview ticket' for a new system, granted to the raid members for defeating the White Throne. Its true nature was,

"What is this, the ultimate choice…"

"""""…"""""

Following my bewildered mutter, the silent voices of the male players, who were similarly wondering 'what should I do,' echoed my sentiment.

The problematic new system had a significant impact on player performance, so the rankers naturally gathered to form a council of sorts…

"…Which one do you think is better? Uh… let's leave appearances out of it for now, and I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on the performance aspect."

The female players also seemed surprised by the effects of the先行 implementation item. But whether it was because the girls present were special, or because women generally don't care as much, I couldn't say, but they were calmer than us.

Even now, as I took the lead on behalf of the silent male contingent, Lux was already sporting ears and a tail, a smug look on her face.

So, yes… for now, let's leave appearances out of it.

As its name, [The Glass Orb of Transfiguration], suggests, it grants the player one of two [Trance] skills. The question is which to choose.

[Transfigure (Trance)]—the one that grants you another, freely editable status sheet.

Or [Enshroud (Trance)]—the one that eliminates one stat in exchange for a significant boost to the others.

"…[Enshroud] seems too much of a gamble. If you could choose which stat to eliminate and which to boost, it would be a different story, but a one-time random slot determined by the system is tough."

"That's the thing. For someone like me, if my STR got wiped out, it would be a disaster."

Watching Auerin agree with Irori's opinion, who was looking at Lux, I could only nod in agreement, as I too could end up in a 'disastrous' situation.

In my case, I could still cover for STR, but losing either AGI or MID would be pretty fatal to my build.

And I suppose LUC, too.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I didn't get a chance to use the new abilities of my [El-Gran Stasia], but the defense calculation based on LUC remains unchanged.

"In the worst-case scenario, if you get a bad roll, you just don't have to use it… right?"

"The other one just lets you have two builds; it's not a direct upgrade. Of course, for some people, that will be an upgrade."

Fuji-san and Tetra followed up, slightly favoring [Enshroud] without pushing for it. Their reasoning was also sound and logical.

"…I've actually always wanted to try a full STR, pure brawn build."

"Oh, nice. A one-hit-wonder build is exhilarating in a different way from a high-agility one."

"That's not an 'Acrobat' at all. And you already have zero Dexterity (DEX)."

When I muttered what was more than half a thought to myself, Auerin grinned as if welcoming a comrade, while Tetra immediately shot back with a retort.

Auerin, like me, would probably be better off choosing [Transfigure], where a significant return was guaranteed.

Though there were some restrictions on switching stats, it could be used during combat. So, he could land a hit with his Anima using a high-agility build, then switch to his main build during a rush to deliver a full-power smash… a tactic like that would become possible.

In short, players with already specialized styles, without even needing [Enshroud], would become 'stronger' by being able to flexibly compensate for their weaknesses. As for me, the brawny build was a joke born of pure admiration, but if I were to choose [Transfigure], there was one thing I wanted to try.

Also, Tetra said it wasn't a 'direct upgrade,' but there was one massive, guaranteed upgrade—you could have two MP bars, one for each side.

For a mage, this was simply incredibly powerful. For my avatar, which devoured magic despite being a melee fighter, it could be said to be a good match.

"But in your case, the gamble has high expected value too."

"That's true."

Irori's calm point was, and I apologize for flip-flopping, also correct. More than the stats that would be devastating to lose, I had many stats that wouldn't be a problem if I lost them.

STR could be compensated for with inertia boosts and brute-forcing with weapon performance. VIT and DEX were nonexistent to begin with. And even if I lost LUC, I could probably manage.

[Enshroud] only causes a steep drop in armor performance while active; if treated as an all-out offensive, last-stand enhancement, it's not a problem at all.

In other words, there was a two-thirds chance of a significant power-up… which meant I was one of those who would have a hard time deciding. Conversely, it meant that whichever I chose, it wouldn't be a mistake.

Well, if I got a bad roll with [Enshroud], it would be tough, but in the absolute worst case, I had the cheat move of relying on Sora-san's [Scareless]—

""—I've decided.""

"Seriously?"

While I was still deliberating, the southern tag team spoke in unison.

Exchanging awkward looks at having unintentionally spoken at the same time, Auerin and Fuji-san each held up their [Glass Orb of Transfiguration].

"…Shouldn't you think about it a little more calmly?"

Goldow, who had been listening to the discussion in silence, called for a halt with uncharacteristic hesitation. However, the two had no intention of changing their decision.

"Sorry, I'm not good at agonizing over things for too long."

"If it's an answer reached after careful consideration, the only difference is whether it's sooner or later."

Saying so with different types of smiles, their hands simultaneously crushed the glass orbs—and in the next moment, the change was immediate.

With a faint snap, the [Glass Orb of Transfiguration] shattered into pieces, transforming into particles of light that enveloped their respective avatars… and after a particularly strong light effect, their new forms were revealed.

"…I see. This is quite a strange sensation."

One was the [Automata], now with decorative feathers mixed in his hair and small wings sprouting from his back.

And the other—

"Ah… wait a sec. Now that it's actually happened, this is more embarrassing than I thought."

I couldn't help but retort, 'Who are you?' to the slender beauty with husky voice and swaying auburn hair—or rather, the now gender-swapped [Adamant].

The changes that appeared in the two… in short, were exactly that.

This time, leaving performance aside and returning to the matter of 'appearances' we had set aside earlier. The flavor text of the [Glass Orb of Transfiguration] reads as follows:

—A glass mirror reflecting the self of another world.

In other words, you must choose.

To become another self of a different gender, or another self of a different race.