kscans

Chapter 51 - A New Outfit's First Battle

"―――So, Sora-san. There's twenty million sleeping in your bag, too."

"S-Suddenly, I feel like my feet aren't touching the ground..."

After that, I ended up troubling Kagura-san by saying, "Just make something interesting for me," and pushed all my noteworthy materials, including the ancient wood, onto her.

It was definitely not a selfish act born from a desire to "clean out my inventory." I feel light in both body and soul, which is super refreshing, but that's absolutely not the reason.

"Just be careful not to sell it by mistake. I'd be heartbroken too."

It's fine for equipment since there's a lock function, but you have to be careful since it can't be applied to consumable items like materials.

"I'll be careful... Why did we both end up wandering into a hidden area like that?"

"That is a mystery."

No point in thinking about it. This is a game that, even after three years of service, still has bosses with unknown clear methods. It's wise to just quietly surrender to its mysteries.

"Alright then."

It was early afternoon. Unusually, we had agreed the day before to meet up "after finishing lunch."

It was Sora's idea. Even though it's a virtual world, getting a direct invitation from a girl for an afternoon rendezvous... My happiness levels are so high, I'm starting to worry about my remaining luck reserves.

"Today... or rather, are you good for another day of full-on dungeoneering?"

"Yes! Let's do it!"

With an energy that blew away her recent lack of motivation, Sora's expression was bright. The reason was obvious: the `Cradle of Sword-Craft` shining on her right hand.

An `Anima` that was all but guaranteed to evolve into a versatile weapon that would be the envy of many players in the future. Following that, a unique skill tree called `Magic Sword Aptitude` had been carved into Sora's status, as if to reward her for her efforts over the past few days.

When the results turn out so unexpectedly―――no, so astronomically well, one can't help but suspect the world's (system's) machinations, as if the frustrating process of being unable to acquire a normal melee tree was all for this moment.

Well, whatever. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

Seeing Sora's high spirits is incredibly cute, so for me, it was well worth the effort of helping her out.

"Alright, shall we get going then?"

Sora, unable to hide her restless excitement, looked like she was about to dash towards the transfer gate at any moment... If we stay here any longer, I'll feel like I'm making her wait.

As I prompted her, trying to hide the smile brought on by her uncharacteristically childish excitement―――

"Let's go!"

"―――Wh-Whoa...?!"

As if to overtake me as I turned, Sora snatched my right hand and started jogging towards the transfer gate.

We've had a lot of physical contact between our avatars due to all the crazy things we do, but this was a first.

In an emergency during battle, it's one thing... but in a peaceful moment like this, the softness and warmth of a young girl's avatar's hand pierced my senses without any filter.

Combined with the adorable, unusually cheerful tone of her voice, Sora pulling my hand in high spirits was dangerously cute (vocabulary has ceased to exist).

"H-Hey, if you run like that, you'll fall."

"Ehehe...!"

There it is, the master of the "ehehe"... That thing is just too powerful!!

In response to my admittedly clichéd warning, she returned fire with a lethal weapon, and I desperately tried to compose my face, which was about to break into a goofy grin.

While the self-proclaimed gentleman fought back the urge to writhe in a creepy way, Sora, pulling my hand, eventually started humming as she ran towards the transfer gate.

◇◆◇◆◇

―――Beginner Area Field Five, its name: the `Buried Labyrinth of Forgetfulness`.

I thought it looked familiar the moment we transferred in, and for good reason. We had landed in that same cave from yesterday.

A dimly lit space with the air of a dungeon, as always. We weren't dropped at yesterday's starting point or the final plaza, but the identical atmosphere told me it was the same field.

I was horrified to think they had generated such an elaborate space just for Sora's Anima quest progression... but well, I can't deny that possibility either.

If I rack my brain over every little thing this god-tier game does, I'll never get anywhere. My father often says that acceptance is key, especially when he's fighting with my mother.

―――Anyway, as I was leisurely pondering various things, I was currently playing the part of the supportive partner in the rear, spectating a certain confrontation.

The reason being...

"Hah!"

`――――――!!`

In a dimly lit, cramped, straight path. A few meters ahead of my standing figure, a girl and a silent stone statue were creating literal sparks.

Enemy Name: `Wandering Decaying Statue`―――the only mob I've confirmed in this area so far, and it's quite a formidable foe.

It looks like a decaying suit of armor, all battered and worn, with some individuals missing a helmet or an arm, giving it a shabby appearance, but...

"K-Kuh...!!"

It's strong. Strong enough to push Sora, who has become quite adept with a sword, has more than enough levels and stats, and has even acquired a high-performance Anima and her long-awaited skill tree, into a defensive corner, to put it mildly.

The variations among them are also a nuisance. They always carry some kind of weapon, but there's no consistency in the type. Swords vary from straight swords, daggers, greatswords, to rapiers, and there are also clubs, warhammers... The one she's fighting now is even swinging a flail.

And most notably―――here it comes.

"―――Ah!"

In the midst of a fierce sword fight, the statue suddenly feigned a stumble backwards. Sora, who reflexively stepped in, let out a small cry as she realized her repeated mistake.

And in that instant, the iron ball, which had shot up rapidly from its unstable stance with just a flick of the wrist, was about to strike the girl's head―――just before it did, I intervened, summoning a battle-axe. The iron ball crashed against the thick flat of the blade, scattering a deafening impact sound and sparks.

"I-I'm sorr―――!"

"Later."

"Tch...!"

Our combat banter has become quite smooth. Understanding my intent with just a glance and a minimal murmur, Sora stepped forward again towards the statue, which had truly lost its balance this time, pulled along by the flail I had deflected.

"Yaah!!"

In her right hand was the still-unfamiliar sword of sand. The magic sword, swung in a fluid motion, struck the statue hard, and with that one blow, its status bar, which had been gradually worn down, dropped below half. And then,

"―――Zwei!!"

Above Sora's head, where she should have been open after her attack, sand writhed forth from the void. The two clumps of sand instantly formed into two sand swords―――and their points rained down on the statue's crown.

`―――――――――!!`

With a scream-like creak, the statue scattered its HP and dissipated into a blue phosphorescence.

After a moment of lingering focus, Sora let out a quiet breath. The one sword in her right hand and the two floating in the air, a total of three sheathless magic swords, dissolved into the void, and then―――

"To put it mildly, that was super cool..."

"P-Please don't tease me...!"

Isn't her visual advantage just too high? It's not teasing, I'm genuinely envious...

By the way, I was the one who taught Sora that chuuni-esque German. I heard that split-second thought manipulation becomes more stable when linked to a specific phrase, so I suggested it to her when she started saying things like "One!" or "Two!"

Her straightforward shouts had their own charm and were endearing, but I pushed her, saying, "We're in a fantasy world, let's be cool, right?" I have no regrets and no intention of reflecting on it.

"It wasn't cool at all. Even just now, I... again..."

"I think it's unavoidable. That thing is pretty much outside the realm of PvE at this point..."

Now, as for the "notable and troublesome point" that makes the statues a tough fight for Sora―――it's their intelligence, which is unbecoming of a mere trash mob.

Including the feigned stumble it just demonstrated, those things use such clever tactics that it makes you suspect there's a real person inside.

To be honest, the one just now was one of the nicer ones.

I once charged in to attack when one pretended to pick up its dropped weapon, only for it to pull out a hidden dagger from a gap in its armor as if to say, "Just as planned." I was so shocked I actually yelled, "Impossible?!"

"Is the concept of this place... PvP, maybe?"

"Um, you mean player-versus-player?"

While Sora was clueless about Arcadia lore, she seems to be gradually picking up on game terminology. Perhaps it's because she often tilted her head with a troubled look whenever I casually dropped some slang.

"Correct. It's the first humanoid enemy we've encountered so far, so maybe it's a practice ground for the big stage in the future?"

"I see..."

Still, I think the design is a bit extreme. Their stats are lower than a player's, so it's manageable, but their movements alone are more cunning than a clumsy real player's in a PvP fight.

...Actually, I don't have much experience with PvP myself. Back in my gamer days, I generally preferred PvE, so in terms of tactics, I'm not much different from Sora.

―――I've already told her this, but the response I got from my partner was a suspicious, sidelong glance.

It's true that I've been covering for Sora every time she falls for a feint, but it's not like I'm seeing through their movements. The moment I think, "Ah, crap," I'm just jumping in with all my might.

It's pretty close every time, and inwardly, I'm breaking a cold sweat, you know?

"Shall we switch front-liners for a bit?"

So far, I've let Sora take the lead, as she was eager to go with her new equipment and skill tree, but I should probably learn their movements too. It's not that I'm bored, but I have a bad feeling about continuing in this unfamiliar state.

With these kinds of enemies, if you lose focus during consecutive battles, you're more likely to mess up.

Sora readily agreed to my suggestion, and we switched positions as we advanced through the passage. At first, I had imagined a typical maze, but surprisingly, after several dozen minutes of exploration, it had been a single, straight path.

"...It feels oppressive, doesn't it?"

"It does... It's a little suffocating."

Narrow, dark, and monotonous. The fields we've been through so far, while varying in degree, were all spacious in their own way. Even the `Rocky Wasteland` had the sky when you looked up.

In terms of being enclosed, the previous `Great Flowing Sand Cavern` was the same, but its scale was so massive that it felt completely outdoors. It can't be compared to this suffocating space.

"And to top it off, what's wandering around is this..."

Peeking around a corner, I saw a single decaying statue patrolling, creaking and groaning. This one's limbs were intact, but its head was missing.

Visually, it's just a Dullahan. The sight of the badly cracked, shabby armor emerging from the darkness is, well, just plain horror.

Alright, this is my first time facing one alone, head-on. My opponent's weapon is... what's that, a spear? No, a halberd?

"In this confined space, how do you even... well, whatever, I'm going in."

"G-Good luck...!"

The passage is less than three meters wide, and the ceiling is about the same. It's impossible to circle around the approaching enemy, and there's no room for a surprise attack, so I have no choice but to face it head-on.

I summoned my [White-Flawed Straight Sword] and stepped out from around the corner. Seeing me―――that thing doesn't have a head, how does it even perceive me?

In any case, the statue immediately targeted me. If it were any of the enemies I've encountered so far, it would have roared or pounced in the next moment, launching an attack...

`――――――`

With a creak, it lowered its stance and readied its halberd. That was the only action the statue took.

"This is so hard to deal with..."

I really feel my lack of experience. It's not that I'm intimidated by the pressure, but I can't quite gauge what kind of energy I should be bringing to this fight―――

"―――Tch?!"

Tilting my head was a pure reflex. A tremendous speed―――no, a thrust that simply pierced the gap in my awareness, slipped past my eyes and shot through.

Ignoring the numbness that ran through my right ear, I instinctively stepped to the left.

"Tch...!!"

I can't. This cramped field is completely shutting down my mobility-focused build. With no other choice, I slammed my dangling left foot down in front of me and threw my shoulder into the approaching statue.

The decaying armor was about the same size as me, but probably heavier. On top of that, with its stats likely skewed towards VIT and STR, it easily stopped my AGI-focused self―――

"Grr... raah!!"

I hooked my arm around the unmoving statue's waist and kicked off with both feet diagonally upwards. I swung around the armor as an axis, kicked off the wall my feet touched, and spun halfway around―――the moment I landed, I twisted my body further, putting a ton of centrifugal force into a thrust that I slammed into its wide-open back.

My beloved sword roared and struck the metal with a satisfying CLANG!!, but it was just an empty shell. It wasn't like I had pierced its heart, so the statue, while losing a significant amount of HP, endured―――

"Alright, you're done."

`Quick Change`. No need to pull out the [White-Flawed Straight Sword] that had pierced it. The moment I landed the thrust, I had already let go of the hilt and finished my backswing with a mace.

I brought the mace down in a straight overhead swing, striking the neck of the headless armor. The statue, which was already shattered from the chest down to the penetration wound, collapsed without a fight.

"Hmm..."

I beat it, but... something feels off? I don't think you could call that series of moves 'tactics'.

I'd love to record a third-person view and replay it. I'm confident I was moving in a pretty creepy way just now―――

"..."

When I turned around, my partner was looking at me with a face that seemed to have reached a state of resignation.

"...N-No, that's not it."

I have no idea what's not it, but I felt pressured by an indescribable force and instinctively looked for an excuse.

"...You know, Haru-san, lately you seem less like a swordsman and more like an acrobat."

"An acrobat, huh..."

That doesn't sound very cool... It's strangely poignant that I myself can't help but agree with that description. Not to mention, I've been using blunt weapons so much lately that I've stopped being a swordsman anyway.

Well, blunt attacks are incredibly effective. Not only my finisher, the giant warhammer `Distorted Iron Lump Hammer`, which is a regular, but also the one-handed mace I stuffed into my newly spacious inventory is working out great.

Unlike blades, which are generally only effective against living creatures, blunt weapons deliver the same impact indiscriminately to inorganic objects as well, which is excellent.

If we stopped every time we had an exchange, we'd never know when we'd reach the goal. Without lingering on the aftermath of the battle, we continued to advance while talking―――and then I noticed Sora, who had come up beside me, giving me a quizzical look.

"I've been meaning to ask for a while now..."

"Yeah?"

"Haru-san, your... what should I call it? Your reaction speed? Your ability to respond in a split second is a little weird―――um, I mean, not normal."

You were about to say "weird," weren't you? I get what you're trying to say, though.

"Do you happen to have a thought acceleration skill or something?"

"I wish. I'd kill for one."

"In that case..."

How on earth―――Sora's expression was filled with such doubt, but to be honest, I myself have been scratching my head about it from time to time.

In those crucial moments, every single time. I'm well aware of how absurdly I've been moving.

"It's kind of a mystery to me too... My real self is just a completely average spec."

Aside from the obsession that made me burn three years to get a ticket to this virtual world, I am your run-of-the-mill person A. I'm not particularly athletic, and I have no stories to tell of having superior reflexes or kinetic vision.

If I had to say, I flatter myself that I'm a relatively quick thinker, but that's just my normal thought speed. In the midst of superhuman high-speed maneuvers, it's currently being left in the dust. The only other thing is my memory, which allowed me to cram my studies while working part-time.

"It's strange, isn't it?"

"Is it something we can just dismiss as strange...?"

I let out a genuinely uninterested voice, and Sora gave me an exasperated, wry smile.

Well, in my mind, I've already come to terms with it with a ridiculously vague hypothesis like "a wild intuition unleashed in the virtual world."

"I'm aware that I'm moving strangely, but... ninety percent... or rather, almost a hundred percent of the time, my body is just moving on its own."

In fact, when I do make one of those moves, I surprise myself too.

"Hah... I wonder if it's a talent."

"Haha, if so, I'd be very grateful."

No need for modesty or humility. Now that I've decided to enjoy this virtual world to the fullest, I'm prepared to welcome any talent that falls into my lap with open arms.

"Though, when it comes to potential, I feel like I've been completely overtaken."

"...?"

Sora tilted her head at my words, as if she didn't understand what I was talking about. It seems she still doesn't correctly perceive her own situation.

The uniqueness her avatar possesses isn't just the power of her new magic sword. That body, which is a rookie player just like me, also houses two other tentatively unique skills.

While her `Observation Eye` will likely see less use now that she's switched to melee, her `Spectate Ale`, which is guaranteed to be broken in the long run, is a kind of bombshell.

Well, her own move to the front lines will drastically reduce its frequency of use, and its growth potential will be put on hold for a while―――but one way or another, I'll probably end up relying on it in an emergency...

They say there's strength in numbers, but in the world of 2D, that phrase rarely holds much weight. This is especially true in stat-based games where numbers create an absolute hierarchy; it's not uncommon for a single person to dominate the battlefield with just a slight advantage.

This skill, which can create such a one-man-army player with the single condition that "the user does not participate in the battle," really makes the words 'balancing mistake' come to mind the more I think about it.

"Um, is something wrong?"

Sora peered at me as I fell into thought after muttering something incomprehensible to her.

In the future, I wonder if she'll become a presence that shakes up this virtual world far more than I ever will. The girl, who made me feel that premonition more and more strongly as time passed, tilted her head adorably with an innocent expression.