kscans

Chapter 443 - Falling Starry Sky

About an hour had passed since we started our aimless stroll.

Startled by the darkness, startled by falling leaves, complaining about beast trails, and clinging to me whenever there was a chance… thanks to my companion, the journey was far from boring.

However, so little was happening that I was beginning to wonder what kind of 'event' this was—it was Nia, not I, who noticed it first.

"…Ah, hey, hey, stop for a second."

Without warning, her shoulders jumped, and she held out a hand to stop me as I walked beside her, looking around warily… or rather, she was simply on 'alert.'

As I watched Nia's eyes dart around, searching for something, whatever she was looking for didn't register on my senses.

"…Is something there?"

"Something—… Ah, I see, I get it. Makes sense."

"Hey, don't just figure it out on your own. Let me in on it."

For a moment, she looked at me as if to say, 'What are you talking about,' before immediately coming to her own conclusion, just as her words suggested.

"You don't have any detection skills, do you? I heard people who just charge headfirst at enemies are slow to accumulate experience, and besides, that type takes a long time to learn."

"Could you not casually call me a boar?"

"Well, do you have one?"

"I do not."

I see, detection skills… support skills for searching for enemies. Now that she mentions it, I don't seem to learn any skills like that, skills that aren't directly related to combat….

When it comes to pure non-combat skills, I guess the only one I have is 《Greed's Precept》. And since my inventory capacity issues were solved after partnering with Sora, that one's been pretty much dormant.

"Anyway, there is something there, right? Where is it?"

"I'm looking… but I can't tell. Sorry, I know I sounded all high and mighty, but my skill isn't that great either—"

"Just warning me is a huge help. Don't leave my side."

I cut off her unnecessary apology, drew the rabbit dagger from my lower back, and focused my awareness on our surroundings. Even if we chose to retreat, if we didn't know its position, we could end up running right into the nose of whatever was out there.

Quietly waiting to see what it would do was the safest bet—or rather, my honest opinion was that we probably didn't need to be so cautious… Nia?

"Hey, why are you smiling?"

"Eh, hehe… c-could you, say that again for me?"

"Thank you for the warning?"

"The part after that…!"

"You're surprisingly calm…"

Putting aside the indigo-haired girl who was messing up the TPO, I gradually began to feel something brush against my perception—not a skill, but my raw ability to sense presence.

Ah, this is…

"Nia, don't move."

"Huh—"

I sensed its presence but hadn't grasped the situation yet. Nia let out a cry at the same time I kicked off the ground, my right hand gripping the dagger.

An AGI of 0—I graduated from that long ago.

――――――――――――――――――
◇Status / Trance◇
Title: Acrobat
Name: Haru Lv: 100
STR: 0 (+100)
AGI: 0 (+230)
DEX: 0
VIT: 0 (+100)
MID: 1150 (+300)
LUC: 0
――――――――――――――――――

Since it was a spirit, I thought the materials' properties would lean towards magic, but the spoils from Epel had a strength buff of all things. Apparently, there are some complex mechanics that make it affect 'power,' but the important thing is that the two-piece set gives a super-class STR+100 buff. Simply the best.

Furthermore, what's giving my AGI a huge boost is one of the rewards for clearing the good old Rabbit Heaven. The title's name is the incredibly straightforward 'Conqueror of the Spiral Crimson Tower.'

While wearing an accessory related to the [Spiral Crimson Tower], this title's effect 'buffs AGI based on the MID stat,' and the amount is a full twenty percent of my mental stat.

It doesn't reference the external stats from equipment, but with a ridiculously lopsided build like my transfigured body, this is what happens. Therefore, a certain amount of close-quarters combat is no longer a problem—

Yes, for example… I declare that even in my base state, swatting away the monkeys that leaped down from the surrounding treetops all at once is a piece of cake.

"Uwah!?"

Seeing the numerous shadows that had silently crept up on us, Nia let out a scream that was questionable for a maiden, and I let out a smile as I brushed them aside.

I knocked down a small monkey, about seventy centimeters tall, with the pommel of the rabbit dagger. I sent another one flying with a roundhouse kick, grabbed a third by the scruff of its neck and threw it at another individual… one after another, I repelled them all.

After casually dealing with the first wave that leaped at us—alright, that's enough moving around. Activating 《Mistlurade》.

Without ever drawing the blade, I sheathed the rabbit dagger and, without a moment's pause, imbued my now-free ten fingers with the violet light of the skill. And what comes next is, of course,

"[Parabellum Bullet]."

I spun around forcefully, launching a volley of crimson blades that had deployed all around me. The area of effect expanded from one hand to two, and the new skill, which had gained both 'convenience' and 'inflexibility,' brilliantly executed its first job in actual combat.

Not only the ones I had hit and knocked back, but also the ones that were about to jump out as the second wave and beyond seemed to hesitate after having blades shot at them from close range.

After a moment's 'festival,' the assault ceased, and silence filled the air.

Well, as expected—they're weak. Compared to other humanoid types, like the [Wandering Decaying Statues] used by [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King], they're not even on the same level.

I feel no threat from their skill or their stats. The only thing that bothers me is…

"Whoa, amazing… um, uh… are those monkeys? Can we call them that?"

"Well, their shape looks like it, at least…"

There could be nothing else to say about their appearance, which felt utterly devoid of life, a form of condensed darkness. No, solid black isn't quite right. To be more precise, it was—

"[Starry Paradise]… so it's something like that?"

A form of the 'starry sky,' containing countless sparkles, pressed into the shape of a living creature.

I see, I see… —alright, I've decided.

"Hey, excuse me for a second."

"Eh, what—wah-hya!?"

After a momentary pause, the star-monkeys began to cautiously test the distance. Ignoring them—I unceremoniously scooped up Nia, who had been watching my fight in a daze, and made a full-speed escape.

"Hey, what—we're running!?"

"Thirty-six stratagems and all that!"

From our brief encounter earlier, I'm confident they aren't strong opponents. However, I still don't know the direction of this event.

Assuming they're related to the main theme of this event, there's a possibility of some kind of gimmick. I don't know if it's okay to defeat them without thinking, or if they can even be defeated properly. The lack of information is refreshing.

If it were just me, it would be a different story, but I'd rather not play around with creepy, mysterious objects of unknown identity while protecting my partner… that's what it comes down to.

Furthermore, they're weak. The fact that I was able to shake them off so quickly with just a light jog, without even using 《Rocket》 or anything, indicates their low stats.

In other words, it's probably a difficulty setting for the general public. It's safe to assume they're related to some kind of event gimmick—

"That's what I've concluded, what do you think?"

"Stop looking away while running faster than a caaaaar!!!?"

Oops, my apologies. That's a shame.

For better or worse, I've gotten used to the standards of an exceptional player in this virtual world… I'll have to adjust the pace for Nia-chan, who's on the verge of tears.