kscans

Chapter 6 - The Gilded Veneer Peels Away

"—I did it!!"

Has it been about an hour since we started slaughtering mushrooms? After a few more level-ups, Sora, who had opened her status screen, finally let out a cheer.

"Oh, really?"

I, who had also opened my window at the same time, was drawn in by her voice and, leaving my own level-up behind, went over to Sora's side.

"It doesn't seem to be an... attack magic. Um... —[Heal Light]?"

"Healing magic?"

The first skill Sora acquired was a support magic that, well, suited her temperament.

"That's great. I didn't have any means of healing, so that's a big help."

"Mmph... Haru-san, you haven't been hit even once."

When I spoke my honest thoughts, the girl seemed slightly dissatisfied with the skill she had acquired.

"Well, I mean, it would be pretty lame if I got hit by a slow-moving mushroom after maxing out my agility, right?"

It wouldn't be very cool for a guy. I'm actually being pretty careful not to show a pathetic fight.

"Having insurance makes me feel more at ease, you know."

While soothing Sora, who was glaring at the window with a look of dissatisfaction, I returned to my own stat allocation—and here it is.

"I got a skill too."

"Wow, what kind is it?"

Sora, who had been grumbling, suddenly perked up and flew over to my side, looking excited as if it were her own skill. I ignored her and checked the details of the skill.

This is interesting. Even though I just got it, I can understand what kind of effect it has as if it were second nature. It's a strange feeling, like knowledge was naturally installed in my head—wait, isn't that scary? Can we stop with the constant barrage of mysterious technology that redefines common sense?

"It seems to be a passive skill."

"A pas... what is it?"

"A passive skill. It's not something you activate voluntarily, but a support skill whose effect is always active."

The name of the skill I acquired is [Multiple Weapon Aptitude]—it seems I gain aptitude for a wide range of weapon types, not just a specific one. It probably appeared because I was switching equipment in every battle, wanting to try out different weapons.

It seems to affect the attack power multiplier and handling of the weapons I use, but it's probably less effective than a specialized aptitude... well, it's not something that hurts to have, so I guess it's fine.

"Um, is it a good thing?"

"Well, it's the kind of thing that helps to have."

"Then, I'm happy for you!"

Sora said, looking as happy as if it were her own achievement.

...This girl is just so pure and cute. I'm starting to feel more like a guardian than a member of the opposite sex, and I'm worried about her future, wondering if she'll be deceived by some bad guy.

I don't know her real age, so she could even be older than me. Oh, I've been talking to her casually this whole time... too late now.

◇◆◇◆◇

◇ Skill Acquired ◇

"Oh."

Just as the scenery of the forest began to change slightly and I reached level 10, the announcement of my second skill acquisition echoed in my head.

"What is it?" Sora asked, and I showed her the window. Her face lit up in a very easy-to-read way. While basking in the healing waves of this girl who seemed to be the embodiment of innocence, I checked the skill. The second one was an active skill called [Quick Change].

"—Wait, isn't this a god-tier skill?"

Its performance, which was installed in my brain as usual, made me unconsciously mutter those words. The words were unfamiliar to her, and Sora tilted her head, repeating, "A god-skill?"

"With thought control, you can switch weapons without directly manipulating the equipment slots."

"...Um?"

To demonstrate for her, who was still tilting her head, I raised the short spear I was holding... needless to say, in this short amount of time, I'm still not used to the 'thought control' unique to the virtual world. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll succeed—here goes!

"Wow!"

Well, it didn't seem to be that difficult. The short spear I was holding in my right hand glowed faintly, and with a soft vwoom sound, it switched to a hand axe in the next moment.

In front of the cheering Sora, I straightened my face, which was starting to relax into a slightly smug expression, and, also for confirmation, I switched weapons one after another—ah, this skill is so damn convenient.

It seems to be spammable with a slight cooldown, and it doesn't consume MP. For a very brief moment after switching, the weight of the weapon, or rather, the feeling of holding it, becomes vague, which feels a little strange, but I should be able to get used to it.

With this, I don't have to switch weapons before a fight; I can instantly change weapons according to the situation in the middle of a battle. Isn't this too much of a god-tier skill for a second one?

"It's like magic, isn't it?"

"Well, I guess it is magic. It doesn't use MP, though."

In any case, it's a significant increase in my adaptability. I'll gratefully make use of it.

◇◆◇◆◇

――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name：Haru　 Lv：11
STR(Strength)：15
AGI(Agility)：40
DEX(Dexterity)：40
VIT(Vitality)：5
MID(Mind)：5
LUC(Luck)：5

◇Skill◇
・Multiple Weapon Aptitude
　[Quick Change]
――――――――――――――――――

"Well, I've leveled up a fair bit, but..."

Some time has passed since then. With the help of my convenient new skill, I've been piling up the corpses of mushrooms with ease, and after about two hours of adventuring, we've finally reached the exit of the mushroom forest.

The mushroom forest... that sounds pretty bad. One letter off and it could start a war.

Anyway, the reason I know the exit is near, even though we're still in the middle of a dense forest, is because—

"I-it looks strong..."

Peeking out from behind a tree, we see a clearing in a perfect circle ahead. Sora and I are looking at a living tree, about three meters tall, with small mushrooms growing out of its body here and there.

Enemy name: [Host of Mush]. This monster, with a name as grand as its eerie appearance, is most likely the master of this newcomer-unfriendly forest.

"It probably is strong..."

Having only experienced the slow-moving golem and slow-moving monster mushrooms, my measure of strength is skewed, so I can't gauge its strength from its appearance at all. So any enemy I see for the first time will probably look strong... but even so, that one looks tough. The otherworldly graphics, no different from reality, also contribute to its extremely intimidating appearance.

Well, I probably can't see the outside of the forest without dealing with this thing somehow. I have no choice but to brace myself. I pushed away the thought that if I lost and died, I'd have to traverse this damn huge forest again, which seemed like it would cause a mental breakdown.

"Sora."

"Y-yes...!"

"As usual, I'll charge in. I have a feeling I won't get through this unscathed like before, so I'm counting on your support."

"Hh... Yes! I'll do my best as a healer!"

Sora, who had been resigned to having no turn until now because I hadn't been hit even once, clenched her fists with a determined look. How cu—no, I need to concentrate.

"Try to keep your distance and not draw attention as much as possible."

"Yes."

"It's a boss enemy, so it might have area-of-effect attacks. I don't think it'll have anything that can kill you instantly, but let's try to be flexible."

"Yes.

"Bosses in this type of game sometimes use special gimmicks. If that happens and we can get away, we'll regroup."

"Yes."

"Finally."

She's probably nervous. I smiled at Sora, whose expression was getting stiffer with each point I made, trying to keep my tone as light as possible.

"Even if we lose, we can just come back stronger for a rematch—it's a game, you know? Let's have fun."

"Hh... Yes!"

My attempt to act cool, though I'm not used to it, seemed to have worked, as Sora's expression brightened. I gave her a nod, re-gripped the straight sword in my hand—and now, let's go!

"Alright, first boss fight! Let's do this!"

"Huh...? L-let's do this!!"

Ah, sorry, my tone slipped because I got excited—what? The [Chosen Stone Doll] was a boss? A rock that can be taken down with a kick doesn't count! Let's go!

◇◆◇◆◇

"—It's strong!!"

About ten minutes into the fight. The battle against the [Host of Mush], which had been going surprisingly well at the start, took a turn for the worse when the boss gimmick activated after its HP dropped below half, putting me at a disadvantage.

"It's still just mushrooms in the end!!"

The trump card (gimmick) of the [Host of Mush] was the mass summoning of the all-too-familiar [Goblin Mushrooms]. I thought it was just scattering the small mushrooms growing on its body, but they grew into monster mushrooms at a tremendous rate after they fell.

Fortunately, I had put points into STR to reach the one-shot kill threshold for these guys, so dealing with them one by one is easy, but the number is insane. Furthermore, the weapon types that can one-shot them are great axes and greatswords, which are not very maneuverable, so my response is slow and I'm taking more hits.

"[Heal Light]!"

Sora keeps sending healing magic my way, but since we haven't been able to test it before, I don't know how much aggro healing generates in this game. If I let her use it too much, there's a chance the mushrooms will all swarm Sora at once.

I want to end this quickly, but unfortunately, we're a pair of new players. We don't have any trump cards yet.

Making Sora work any harder is a bit scary. I [Quick Change] the greatsword I was swinging desperately in the middle of the mushroom tsunami to a straight sword and a dagger in a dual-wielding stance—I'll just hit everything and grab all the hate!

"Behold, my half-remembered manga swordsmanship!!"

I hold both swords in a reverse grip and, making full use of the agility I've invested points in, I run around, slashing as I pass by. I can't kill them in one hit, but I'm evenly spreading hate and damage, reducing their numbers.

Oh, hello there, parent. It's been a while.

"You have too many kids!!"

"GYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH?!"

While dealing with the mushrooms, I happened to pass by the parent, so I threw my straight sword at its face. It stuck in its nose with a rather wet thud, and unlike the mushrooms, it seems to have a voice box, as an eerie shriek rose up.

I threw it on impulse, but when I activate [Quick Change] and switch to a hand axe, the straight sword that was stuck in its face disappears and is stored in my inventory.

...There might be a range limit on retrieval, but isn't this still a god-tier skill?

"Then how about this, you bastard!!"

It was an accidental discovery, but this knowledge is a blessing. It's an ad-lib, but I'll use what I can! Here comes the great axe boomer-aaaaaaang!!!

It should be absolutely impossible with my STR stat from a pre-equipped state, but [Quick Change] seems to have a lag where the weapon weight is only reflected for a moment after switching. Or maybe it's a system-intended 'grace period,' but since I'm in a rather critical situation, I'll make use of anything I can without hesitation.

Enter the throwing motion beforehand, and a beat before throwing, [Quick Change] my weapon to a great axe or greatsword and let it fly. The sight of the mushrooms being trampled like trash before the vicious mass of the cheerfully flying weapon makes me realize I'm exploiting the system, but—

"I'll send an inquiry email later, so feel free to patch it or whatever, yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh!!"

This is starting to get fun! Take this, double tomahawk boomerang!!

Well, one of them is a greatsword, not a great axe. Flyyyy, you baaaastaaaards!!!

◇◆◇◆◇

"..............................,"

How should she describe the scene before her eyes—the girl, who had at some point become frozen in the shade of a tree, could only stare blankly at it.

A chance encounter that occurred with a very, very low probability. The first player she met in [Arcadia], a world rumored to be full of handsome men and beautiful women, had the appearance of a somewhat reassuringly "ordinary boy," and he was very kind to her, who had caused him trouble so early on.

He repeatedly laughed and said, "Don't worry about it," to Sora, who was unable to be of much use in battle, which was very gentlemanly, and she appreciated his efforts to break the ice with jokes here and there.

So, he—Haru—had earned a rather high evaluation in Sora's mind, but............ um, what in the world is that...?

Starting with the sudden change in his tone at the beginning of the boss fight, his words and personality gradually transformed as the battle intensified. Finally, he started laughing maniacally and throwing large axes and swords around with some incomprehensible movements.

To put it mildly, Sora was taken aback. To be honest, she was completely put off.

It's not an exaggeration to say that she had started to develop a slight girlish crush, thinking, "He's a wonderful person," for Haru, whom she had just met but had started to trust. But now, he looked like a complete berserker.

In front of Sora, who could only watch in stunned silence, the monster mushrooms were being pitifully torn apart by the thrown blades... or rather, they were being torn apart by the thrown blades at an incredible speed—huh, ah.

"Ha-... Haru-san!!"

To be honest, it took a lot of courage for Sora to call out to Haru right now, but she still had a sliver of composure left. She noticed that behind the rapidly dwindling mushrooms, the boss was standing alone and had stopped moving.

Haru flinched at Sora's voice and turned to look at her as if he'd been shot.

Combined with his previous demeanor, his movement was enough to strike fear into Sora—but he must have had his own thoughts. His face, which had turned red in an instant, then turned pale, and finally, as if filled with some incomprehensible sorrow, he looked up at the sky.

An inexplicable urge to "follow up" with something welled up inside her, but right now there was something more important she had to tell him.

"The, the boss! It's open!!"

"—Hh!"

She thought her words might have been insufficient, but Haru reacted instantly to Sora's words, turned on his heel, and ran through the thinned-out mushrooms at an incredible speed.

He must be good at using his body. Even though he, like Sora, had just started this game, his movements were so captivating that she couldn't help but think, "He's cool"—but she couldn't shake the image of his previous berserker state from her mind.

In the middle of a boss fight, where she should have been focused, Sora couldn't help but smile wryly as she watched his back.

"This is all your fault, you son of a biiiiiiiitch!!!"

Swinging the great axe and greatsword he held in both hands simultaneously, Haru delivered the finishing blow to the [Host of Mush] with an incomprehensible roar.