kscans

Chapter 52 - The Usual Suspect

A little under two hours in virtual world time have passed since we began our assault on the `Buried Labyrinth of Forgetfulness`.

―――Conclusion: this is tough.

It's more of an impression than a conclusion, but it's undoubtedly the unwavering consensus between the two of us.

"Um, Haru-san... I'm starting to feel nothing but anxiety about my future in PvP..."

I wonder if I have no talent―――as you say that, looking dejected, I wish you wouldn't forget that there's someone right next to you feeling the exact same way.

"No, these things are impossible... The proper way to clear this probably isn't to fight them one-on-one, but to surround and annihilate them..."

Because I was the one who suggested these might be enemies meant for PvP practice, we've somehow ended up continuing to fight one-on-one, and the result is this funeral-like atmosphere.

First, Sora. She's completely unable to adapt to the feints the statues throw out, constantly getting flustered and struggling. Every time I have to cover for her in a dangerous moment, her spirits drop with a look of apology.

Next, me. My legs are neutralized by the field, and on top of that, trying to fight properly to train my tactical skills is pretty much a dead end. My lack of toughness needed for a head-on slugfest, like STR and VIT, is a big factor—or rather, the fact that they're non-existent—but more than anything, with my high-speed mobility sealed, I was surprisingly a "newbie-chan."

If you're asking which of us is worse, it's overwhelmingly me. And what's so bad is that my weapon handling and general movements are so clumsy they're unbearable to watch.

After trying to fight with my feet planted on the ground instead of bulldozing through with excessive AGI, I've realized that my fighting style, which I had flattered myself into thinking had some 'flair,' was just a product of overwhelming my opponents with speed.

With Sora, whose swordsmanship is so good it's mesmerizing, especially with her looks, standing next to me, I'm painfully aware―――my fighting style is, ultimately, just sloppy.

"Man, this is depressing..."

This won't do. I know it's to be expected when you seal the legs of someone who's all-in on AGI, but if you ask me if I'm satisfied just being fast at running, I have no intention of nodding.

If I think of it that way, this environment that seals my ridiculous three-dimensional mobility, and these formidable foes that show off their battle prowess to the point of being malicious, are actually convenient for training―――or so I have to tell myself, otherwise my spirit might actually break. Yes.

"But still... This feels a bit reckless, or rather, like we're pushing ourselves too hard. Should we change our approach around here?"

"Um...?"

"Let's stop with the one-on-one fights and switch to focusing on teamwork."

My earlier grumbling about surrounding and annihilating them wasn't just a complaint.

Arcadia may hit us with sudden bursts of malice in various places, but at its core, it's a god-tier game recognized worldwide. When you get stuck, it's better to assume you're approaching it the wrong way, not that the difficulty is the problem.

The statues are certainly tough enemies, but they always appear one at a time.

I've been able to decipher some kind of 'theme' in every area we've conquered so far. Considering that, the theme of this `Buried Labyrinth of Forgetfulness` is probably...

"'Surrounding them'... is probably wrong, given how narrow the field is. So, I think the concept is to challenge a single strong enemy with a small, coordinated team."

"I see..."

I feel bad for showing a proud face to Sora as she nods in admiration, but my theories about themes and such are just the conjectures of a mere mortal, so there's nothing certain about it.

But well, it's probably not completely off the mark either.

"So... um, teamwork? What should we do specifically?"

"Hmm, two front-liners in a confined space..."

On top of that, the statues are human-sized enemies, just like us. Having two of us attack at the same time would probably just get in each other's way and offer no benefits.

"Well, we should just try a bunch of things, but for starters..."

―――When it comes to teamwork between front-liners, we should probably start with that familiar MMORPG staple.

◇◆◇◆◇

`―――――――――`

"Tch!"

Even if she can't quite close the distance, it's not like there's been no progress. Including the skill with which she just parried the statue's curved sword with her sand sword, Sora is steadily improving her skills.

Compared to me, whose clumsy movements haven't improved much, it seems she has quite a good sense for this―――

"Agh...!?"

But despite that, her overly honest fighting style seems to be something she can't quite shake. As usual, she falls for a feint, and just as she steps in, the counterattacking blade strikes her off guard.

"Alright... now!!"

And, as usual, I, who was waiting in reserve, jump in and pin the statue's sword at its inception―――and this is where it starts.

"Sora!"

"Yes!"

The difference from before is that this move is a "planned action," not a "split-second save." Her reply to my call is clear―――Sora, who had continued her wide swing even after sensing the counter, takes her final step.

"Yaah!!"

Slipping past me, her overhead strike lands on the statue's shoulder. As the sand sword scatters sand particles and the red damage effect erupts, the statue staggers. At the same time, the pressure from the curved sword, which my STR-lacking self was desperately holding back, vanishes―――

"Hraah!!"

In that instant, I unleash the now-freed [White-Flawed Straight Sword] in a follow-up attack. Hit with another strike while off-balance, even the statue has no room to suspect a feint and its posture collapses spectacularly.

"This is the end!"

Another step. Sora, who had switched places with me, leaps forward and swings her arm. There is no sword in her hand; instead, three clumps of sand obey her will above her head.

"―――Drei!!"

Simultaneously with the shout that's starting to suit her quite well, CLANG CLANG CLANG―――the sand, now formed into swords, rings out three times.

Thoroughly pierced through its chest plate, the statue vanishes into phosphorescence with a final, scream-like creak.

""...""

As we each lingered in the afterglow of battle, we silently watched the blue light dissipate―――

"...That felt, pretty good, didn't it?"

"I-It was a little... cool, I think."

We looked at each other and broke into smiles at the unexpected success that came immediately after changing our strategy.

"As expected of a tried-and-true strategy developed by our predecessors."

"It's called a 'switch,' right? Games really have a lot of different terms... or rather, expressions, don't they?"

It's a tactic familiar to anyone who's played in this genre, whether you call it a game term or an MMO term.

'Switch,' as the name implies, refers to the tactic of swapping the player who stands on the front lines against the enemy―――or at least, that's my understanding of it.

This kind of game terminology and internet slang often changes meaning depending on where you use it, so there's no clear-cut "this is the one true answer." Though there are vague origins, like which game started using it first.

"In other games, it's used for tank rotations when the enemy's attacks are too strong, or for passing off the kiting role when special hate control is needed... Well, it's gamer slang."

"T-Tank... hay-con...?"

Whoops. It seems it was still too early for a core discussion for Sora, who has just started learning about the gaming world.

"In short, it's a move like the one we just did. You can just remember it as swapping the person at the very front."

That's not wrong, I hope.

However, I honestly didn't expect it to be this effective. This strategy, as I explained to Sora, is primarily about distributing damage.

Its use is basically for 'survival' and 'stalling time,' a so-called defensive tactic, but...

"I never thought it would be this useful offensively..."

"Um, it's not just my imagination, right?"

It seems Sora has also noticed the unexpected utility of switching in Arcadia―――a merit I hadn't considered until now.

"Somehow, the opponent's movements become... clumsy..."

"They do. And even more so when you switch repeatedly."

Thinking back on it now, it was strange even when I was just covering for Sora on instinct. The statue, which was so clever in a one-on-one fight, was easily held back by me when I jumped in, and even meekly accepted a counterattack.

"Is it because of the advanced AI, not just a routine control... like, what should I call it, confusion?"

That feeling from the statue, which was constantly on the back foot when we not only intervened but also swapped front-liners back and forth. It's just a suit of armor with no expression, but I can clearly sense a hint of confusion from it.

"Confusion... It's like they're really alive, isn't it?"

"Maybe we should stop thinking of them as CPU opponents like in existing games... I've been trying not to think about it too deeply, but the NPCs are... something else, too."

The only NPC I've had significant interaction with so far is the muscular old man, Halzen, but I can no longer think of him as just a block of data.

Although he exists within the game's system, my conversations with him feel nothing less than real.

"...No, really, it's a bit late to be realizing this, but."

It's not just the VR technology in this game that's broken, is it? Did humanity's AI technology reach the singularity while I was out of the loop...?

During the three years I was disconnected from the internet, the possibility that the world had taken a wild turn in a strange direction sent a shiver down my spine. Beside me, Sora tilted her head, wondering why I was suddenly so taken aback.

She probably just thinks it's amazing that the game characters seem so alive. If I mentioned the technological singularity, she'd surely just give me a questioning look.

...I'll have to do some research later, yeah.

"W-Well, for now... I think we have a solid plan for clearing this area, right?"

"Yes, let's do our best!"

Pushing aside the rather terrifying thoughts for now, I decided to focus on conquering this area.

With Sora, who had regained her spirit and motivation, I once again began to advance through the `Buried Labyrinth of Forgetfulness`. The path ahead was still a single, straight road, with no end in sight.