kscans

Chapter 471 - Feeding (By Brute Force)

"Nngh..."

"Still no good?"

"Doesn't look like it."

"That makes seven failures in a row..."

"I don't see any dragon-types, and as for the ones we can try... well, I guess we're out of options."

"Mmm... I'm absolutely certain there are other conditions besides combat, though."

"...You know, I've said this over and over, really, I've said it so many times. Even if there are other conditions, I'm absolutely sure this isn't one of them."

Turning my head at the exasperated tone, I was met with a gaze from my partner that was one hundred percent pure exasperation.

Receiving that aquamarine stare, Nonomi-san and I looked at each other. After confirming she was shrugging her shoulders—while she dangled a small [Stardust Relic] in front of the target's eyes—I, too, let go with a sense of resignation.

Instantly, the struggling 'rabbit' didn't try to counterattack... Perhaps having had its prized infighting style completely sealed and its body captured, it had thrown in the towel. It lost all hostility and scurried away.

What a shame. Another failed attempt at feeding.

The strategy meeting held after the morning raid concluded in less than ten minutes with the answer, 'stick to the original plan.'

As I was finally running out of room for a full follow-up, this time I couldn't just boast, "Leave it to me." But, well, it's one of those things.

When all the group members tell you, "We'll fight like hell to not be a burden," well... setting aside being treated as a leader or whatever, as a man, you have no choice but to answer in kind.

It's not that I've ever once thought of them as a burden. In fact, given the population ratio of 'rankers' to 'other players,' I, who ended up mixed in with them at an extremely low probability of one in a million, am the foreign object here.

I've tried to act with the stance that I should be the one being considerate, so I'm deeply grateful to all the members who have clearly sensed that and still given me respect.

Now it's really not the time for me to be saying lukewarm things like I'll 'get serious.'

I've been steadily getting tuned up through a fair number of all-out battles, so I should probably go ahead and unveil my 'limit break' without holding back—

And that's how it went.

Our group, having ultimately reached a conclusion on par with an elementary schooler's—'just try our best'—decided to continue hunkering down, as we couldn't risk triggering an even higher difficulty by getting too gung-ho. And so, just like yesterday, I find myself serving as the escort for our two lovely ladies.

That being said, it's not like we're just aimlessly strolling around.

Yesterday, the forest was mysteriously quiet and we couldn't find any Stardust Beasts, so we had to give up. But today, if you search carefully, you can spot their starry figures here and there.

That's why we're out here testing the 'taming' mechanic.

By the way, Tetsu-san refused to come along, saying, "I don't need a pet." He seemed to have some reservations; I wonder if he has bad memories associated with pets.

Anyway.

"It's not like it's impossible. In fact, besides this 'feeding' method, can you think of any other way for non-combatants to tame them?"

"I'm not saying 'feeding' is impossible. I'm saying that holding them down, restraining them, and then shoving a rock in their face is what's impossible."

As Nia placed a hand on her forehead as if she had a headache, Nonomi-san and I looked at each other again.

"Even if you say that..."

"If you don't hold it down, I'd get knocked out in one hit, you know?"

With all due respect, Nonomi-san's specs are basically as frail as Nia's. Unlike a normal girl in the real world, she has enough status to sprint through the forest's beast trails, but she doesn't have the physical ability to grapple with an enemy.

That 'rabbit' from before may look small and cute, but in terms of simple combat ability, it ranks fourth among the currently confirmed zodiac series, after the 'dragon,' 'tiger,' and 'snake.'

If it landed its deadly somersault kick on her chin, she could be one-shotted.

"That's why there must be another, less forceful way..."

"Is there...?"

"Basically, as soon as they spot us, they attack."

Nia's complaint has a point, but if I had an alternative from the start, I wouldn't be trying this brute-force method. But still, there has to be another way to tame the Stardust Beasts without combat.

It would be strange if there wasn't. Because Arcadia is a game.

It's impossible that the main content of an event that opened its doors to both combat and production classes alike would be designed in a way that the latter couldn't participate.

"Maybe it's a compatibility issue? Like the four types that haven't appeared yet are non-combat types."

"That might be a possibility, but then it wouldn't make sense to have to accumulate [Stardust Relics] through combat to bring out those new types."

"Ah, but I wonder. Since artisan types are super busy in the early stages setting up a survival environment, having their corresponding types appear later... that kind of makes sense, maybe?"

For a moment, I almost bought into the theory Nonomi-san raised—but then,

"I can't say for sure since I don't know what's happening elsewhere, but our group has probably, most likely, been making extremely good progress."

Thanks to our skilled chef, morale has always been high, and our base has evolved and evolved into a respectable defensive fortress. We've wanted for neither food nor shelter, and in the early stages, we were able to hunt to our heart's content. In the repeated night raids, we've hunted down every single Stardust Beast that spawned.

If the theory that the stage progresses based on the accumulation of Relics is correct, then our group must have been advancing at a considerable pace.

Considering that...

"Mm, that's certainly true."

"Right?"

If the remaining four types were all taming targets for artisan players, the difficulty would be too skewed. No matter how much Arcadia's game design kicks 'MMO-like fairness' to the curb, its sense of balance in that regard is highly trusted.

This virtual world, which gives everyone an equal 'possibility' of becoming a protagonist, would absolutely not betray its players in this respect.

Therefore, when the correct answer is nowhere in sight and you're backed into a corner...

"""Maybe our premise is wrong..."""

We can naturally realize that we've fundamentally misunderstood something. In that respect, this game is truly game-like and merciful.

Well, even if we realize we're on the wrong track, whether we can find the right answer is—

"Maybe we should just try disarming and waiting with our arms and legs spread out?"

"A non-threatening appeal. Hmm, that's not out of the question."

"No, it is out of the question. What are you going to do if you get attacked?"

"Don't worry. Me being unarmed is synonymous with being fully armed."

"So convenient. I wish I could use quick-change too."

"Oh, come on, I'm not the straight man here...!"

—a different story altogether.