kscans

Chapter 602 - Outside the Circle

The field difficulty of Arcadia's main stage, the [Garden of Divine Creation], changes depending on the distance from the Great Bell Tower, which is said to be the world's center point.

The closer you are, the kinder it is; the farther, the harsher. Be it the environment or the resident enemies, there are few exceptions to this general rule. This applies strictly to the 'field difficulty,' and not necessarily to the 'dungeons' scattered throughout—but anyway.

With such a clear rule in place, it's only human nature to draw distinct lines.

First, there is the area within a 500-kilometer radius of the Great Bell Tower. This area, which happens to contain the ruins of the four 'countries' of the east, west, south, and north, is designated as Danger Level 1, the 'Beginner Circle'.

Within this range, it is said that 'a single party can generally act with stability,' and a fair amount of detailed exploration results and information has been shared. It should be noted that this doesn't mean it's safe or easy. There are numerous unexplored regions, hidden areas, and unsettling locations, and stories of players accidentally wandering into exceptional regions and being trampled by monsters are apparently a daily occurrence.

Next is the area beyond the beginner zone, from the 500-kilometer periphery to the 1000-kilometer mark. This is Danger Level 2, the 'Advanced Circle'. This is a high-difficulty region where 'coordinated action by small to medium-sized linked parties' is recommended. The countless capture points here all have the feel of high-stakes amusement, as if you're dipping your toes into a raid.

This is the main activity area for what the world calls 'average players,' but by the standards of other games, I think it already reaches the difficulty of endgame content. To be blunt, even for 'rankers,' solo action is a pain unless you're specialized for it. It's not about the loneliness of a long solo journey, but rather that the class of enemies takes a sharp turn upwards from the Advanced Circle on.

Further on, from the 1000-kilometer periphery to the 3000-kilometer mark, is Danger Level 3, the 'End Circle'. This is a demonic realm of demonic realms, with a difficulty that basically tells both beginners and veterans to stay away. The recommended force is a hardcore capture squad on a do-or-die mission, either a full raid or an over-raid. This is the domain where the top teams of the North-South Alliance, known as the 'representative expeditionary forces,' operate. The large-scale capture points scattered throughout are all raid-scale from top to bottom. For example, the [Eternal Ice Peaks of Extreme White], which is just barely within this range, is said to be on the lower end of the difficulty scale... well, that should give you an idea of how dangerous it is.

And then, beyond that. The name for the world that spreads out from the 3000-kilometer periphery of the Great Bell Tower is—in short, Danger Level ∞, the 'Outside'. This is a divine realm, or rather a death realm, beyond the demonic, where it is considered 'difficult for players to advance by current standards.' It is said that only idiots, fools, or exceptional players venture forth from here, and the recommended fighting strength is an 'over-raid or a party containing multiple high-ranking members.'

What's particularly noteworthy is the completely chaotic variation in the environment, which fluctuates wildly with every step. You might have an area with a difficulty on par with the Beginner Circle, only for a death trap far exceeding the highest difficulty of the End Circle to suddenly appear before you... such things are commonplace. The enemies that appear are also mostly unknown, prompting a 'what's that' kind of reaction, making it a truly uncharted territory where you have to be wary of everything you see.

—Now, with that said, our current location is, of course, the 'Outside.' And not just at the entrance at the 3000-kilometer mark, but a whopping 10,000 kilometers deep.

In this realm governed by chaotic, jumbled difficulty, the rule that 'the farther from the Great Bell Tower, the harder it gets' can't be trusted... but well, I can get the general idea that it's seriously dangerous, and I can feel a certain alien atmosphere on my skin. To be honest, I'd rather avoid exploring the Outside as a pair, even with my partner (Sora), let alone solo. The environments you encounter, the monsters you meet, are all so unpredictable and bizarre that you'd run out of sanity no matter how much you had.

We went for a 'stroll for two' once after the 'Alv Portal' was opened, and we had a terrible time. If we were to seriously attempt a capture, we would definitely need more people.

Yes, for example...—someone like a certain common-sense-defying number one ranker who enjoys soloing in this chaotic region on a daily basis would be incredibly reliable.

"—Seriously, how in the world did you find a place like this...?"

"Heh heh! Finding secret spots is my specialty!"

"Geh... you...!"

"Um, um...! Your volume, your voice volume...!"

"Please, Lu-chan, seriously, don't forget there's a non-combatant here, please, if that thing comes flying over here, Nia-chan's gonna die, so please, seriously...!"

...Reliable, she should be. While frantically clamping down on the number one ranker's cheerful mouth with Sora, I returned my gaze from the shadow of the giant rock we were hiding behind to the 'that thing' Nia mentioned.

—It was less a cave and more a valley-like structure open to the sky, reminiscent of the nostalgic [Rocky Wasteland]. However, the space was too vast to be called a maze, a strange creation where the claustrophobia of a cave and the openness of a valley came and went in turns.

Following Lux's guidance, we left `Frontier` a short while ago and entered a rocky mountain region with a poisonous-looking mottled pattern. In a corner of it, we squeezed our bodies into an extremely tiny fissure that made me want to retort, "Who would ever notice this?" and found a large space spread out within the mountain.

The first discoverer of the area was, of course, Lux. And the provisional name Lux gave the area is the [Mole's Bed].

In other words, that thing... the giant creature that the three of us were voluntarily, and one of us was forcibly, observing with bated breath, is that mole—...

"A mole...???"

"Um, that's different from the moles I know..."

"It's not cute at all... it's scary... and gross..."

Me, Sora, and Nia. We all tilted our heads in turn, our voices filled with confusion. Only Lux declared, "Eh, I think it's cute," but there was no doubt at this point that her opinion was in the minority. It was three against one.

Enemy name: [Feidran Armoire]—a rough, long-distance observation of its huge body suggested it was no less than ten meters.

It wasn't so much big as it was long. It bore no resemblance to the chubby, round form one imagines when thinking of a real-life 'mole.' Its snake-like, long torso with pitifully small limbs attached to either end gave it an extremely unbalanced and bizarre appearance.

Furthermore, it had a shell on its back that was definitely not something a mole should have. The sight of it carrying a shell that shimmered and shone like a turtle's... made it look like a stretched-out snail.

And to top it off, the only 'mole-like' feature, a large, single eye, glared from directly above its 'nose'—no, really. This is hard to say, but...

"It's gross..."

"Um, it's... a little, disgusting, isn't it...?"

"I think I'm going to have nightmares... This is the worst..."

Putting aside the one exception, Lux, the other three's opinions were unanimous.

The strange body and single eye were visually repulsive, but more than that, the nose... no, I know there are moles with noses like that. You know, like a sea anemone—

"...Alright, Sora-san."

"Y-Yes?"

"I feel like my sanity is draining just looking at it. Go get 'em."

"Why me...!? You go scout first, Haru...!"

"Well, I mean, it looks like magic would be effective, right? It's got a shell and all...!"

"That makes no sense, and you're a magic-type now too, aren't you, Haru...!?"

"Are you telling me to fire an explosive round in a semi-cave...!?"

"Oh, Har-kun. That thing, magic attacks are almost completely ineffective against it."

"Why! Things that look tough with shells and scales are usually weak to magic in games, uwa, it looked over here, it's so gross!"

"H-Hey, hey, it doesn't matter which of you goes, just go quickly! Don't let it come over here, if that thing attacks us, Nia-chan's gonna cry, you hear me!?"

Well, from an outsider's perspective, the scene might look like four girls bickering, but in reality, there's one boy mixed in.

If Sora-san had happily agreed with the flow of the conversation, that would have been great, but since she flatly refused, it was clear who had to step up. I'd rather not deal with something disgusting either, let alone terrifying, but...

"Alright, fine, I'll kill it! Let's go, you mole imposter!"

The single eye, which had already noticed our commotion and turned towards us, clearly targeted me as I leaped out from behind the rock with my summoned [Alv Stella] in hand.

Planting its short front legs on the ground, it raised its head slightly... in what was likely a threatening posture, the [Feidran Armoire] spread its tentacle-like nose wide and—screamed.

'—!!!'

...Ah, I see.

That's not a nose, it's a 'mouth'.