kscans

Chapter 194 - The Floating Island

Hayato and the others gathered in the Spirit Country.

Word of the airship had spread considerably, and if they were to take off from a place with many players, it would cause a huge commotion.

Originally, there had been many chances to obtain one of the blueprints, so many people knew of its existence, but only the players who were there that day had actually seen an airship. From there, most players came to know about it.

Many players were calling for information, and a considerable amount of money was being offered for it.

Hayato wanted to monopolize it at least until the exploration of the floating island was over. Even if a high price was attached to the information, he would not share it.

(The only ones who might be able to get to the floating island are the Bandit Clan. I've told them that one of the blueprints can be obtained through salvage, so I think they have the highest probability. But they probably don't know about the Grand Prison, so it will be our monopoly for a while.)

Hayato thought this as he prepared the airship.

He took out the miniature airship in a wide, flat area and placed it on the ground. When he enlarged it, the airship appeared before him.

The airship itself had become Hayato's property.

The reason was that the airship's material was World Tree Lumber. World Tree Lumber was a material traded at a very high price. Since he had built the airship with it, Sonia was in a situation where she couldn't pay for it.

However, she had asked him to build one with ordinary wood next time, so he was currently asking Rose to procure the lumber.

(The materials will probably be ready by the time I get back… Maybe I should try starting a business building airships. Right now, there are probably players who would buy one even for a hundred million G.)

All of that would be after the adventure on the floating island was over. Hayato boarded the airship.

Once the members were all aboard, he made the airship ascend.

The massive Olga Domus Waterfall was visible even from a great distance. However, the point from which the water fell was not. It was as if it were covered by clouds, and it could be said that the water was falling from the clouds.

He had heard that if the weather was good, you could see something like an island, but when Hayato had seen it before, he hadn't seen anything of the sort.

"This is a bit late to ask, but is there really an island?"

Since Diite had told him to have fun, there must be something there. The island was only mentioned as such in the king's manuscript.

Sonia laughed at Hayato's words.

"Well, there's something there. There's no way there's nothing. If there isn't, we can just look for something else. The world is a big place, you know."

"That's true. You say some good things, Sonia-san."

"Don't go falling for me, now."

Sonia said this with a grin, but Hayato was at a loss for how to reply. Responding seriously or jokingly both felt awkward.

It was lucky for Hayato that Relic was nearby.

"Don't say things that put Hayato-sama in a difficult position. You're older than you look, so show some restraint."

"I've been hanging out with young folks a lot lately, so I feel rejuvenated. Well, it was a joke, so don't mind me. Hayato is easy to tease, so my mouth gets a little loose."

(Now what should I say… And am I really easy to tease?)

"You again… Hayato-sama, shall we push her off the ship?"

"Relic, yours doesn't sound like a joke, so please stop."

"Because I am not joking."

Such lighthearted banter flew between Relic and Sonia. From an outsider's perspective, some of it might be shocking, but they seemed to trust each other, so even rather extreme content was not a problem.

As this was happening, the airship continued to gain altitude. It stopped once just before entering the clouds.

As they ascended, the members' excitement grew, and they looked as if they couldn't wait any longer, but Hayato thought it would be best for them to cool down once, as he didn't know what lay ahead.

"It might be dangerous from here on, so please be on your guard. There are people who can use resurrection magic if you're defeated, but if you fall, we won't be able to help you. Also, be careful about teleporting to the base as an emergency escape."

Everyone nodded at Hayato's words.

Among the nearly forty members, only three could use resurrection magic. Two in Kokuryu and one in Black Rose. If these three were to be defeated at the same time, it would become very difficult. They were the members who needed to be protected the most.

It was important to say things clearly, even if everyone vaguely understood. Hayato thought this and urged everyone to be careful. He then distributed equipment and items.

After everyone had checked that their preparations were complete, Hayato steered the airship into the clouds.

Inside the clouds, visibility was not that bad. It could be described as a thin fog. Normally, it would be a place where it would be hard to breathe, but since this was a virtual reality, there were no such issues, and the airship was smoothly gaining altitude.

He could hear the sound of falling water from nearby. If they were caught in the waterfall, it would be the end, so they were ascending from a great distance, but even so, the sound was considerable.

"Master, do you hear something mixed in with the sound of the water?"

At Esha's words, the surrounding members also strained their ears. Hayato tried to do the same, but the sound of the waterfall was too loud, and he couldn't hear anything.

"Um, what sound? I can't hear anything."

"How should I put it, like birds making a fuss, or flapping their wings. I think they're quite large. And there are several of them."

"Which means they might be monsters."

Hayato didn't doubt Esha's words and instructed everyone to be on alert.

It was unclear how good or bad hearing was in the virtual reality, but he thought Esha was more trustworthy than himself.

Everyone on the deck scanned the surroundings. A few seconds later, someone said, "What's that?"

One of the Treasure Hunter members pointed. When everyone followed their gaze, they saw several giant birds flying. However, it was unclear if they could be called birds. They didn't look like ordinary birds.

"Isn't that a Pteranodon?"

Everyone said "Ah" in understanding at Esha's words. It was a type of pterosaur from long ago. When its wings were spread, it was five to six meters wide, and its face was long and narrow. A group of these Pteranodons was heading toward them.

Then, the one in the lead spat a fireball from its mouth.

"…But isn't it spitting fireballs? My knowledge says Pteranodons don't breathe fire… this is no time to be saying that! Everyone, please intercept them!"

Everyone snapped to attention at Hayato's words. They then began their long-range attacks. It was clear they were not friendly and were attacking.

The fireballs hit the airship, causing damage. It wouldn't be destroyed by this much, but it would be dangerous if they kept taking hits.

From the surroundings, he could hear voices saying, "It's too tough!" "Why is it breathing fire!" "That's not a dinosaur, it's a pterosaur…"

In this situation, Hayato was calm enough to think, "If we can get materials like hide, fangs, and claws, we could make new weapons and armor."

And for good reason. The combat power on this airship was extraordinary. They were stronger in close combat, but their long-range capabilities were also considerable.

Esha's Critical Shot, the crossbow and magic attacks from the Black Rose members, and even the Treasure Hunter Guild members' attacks, though low in damage, were good at long range. Even if their defense was high, they weren't impossible to defeat. They shot them down one by one.

In "Another Frontier Online," when a monster was defeated, drop items would appear in the item bag. There was no need to harvest them from the defeated monster.

Every time a Pteranodon was defeated, its drop items appeared one after another in Hayato's item bag.

("Pterosaur Hide," "Pterosaur Claw"… these are all items I've never seen before. In the case of wyverns, it's 'Wyvern Hide' and such, so if I use these materials in existing production items, I could probably make equipment that's never been seen before. Whoa, this is already a treasure trove for me personally.)

Hayato rejoiced inwardly.

New items and new materials. As a production player, Hayato was driven by the impulse to make something with them right away. He couldn't do that in the middle of a battle, so he observed everyone's fight from a safe place.

At first, everyone was surprised by the new monster, so their response was slow, but once they got used to it, it was no different from other flying monsters. They defeated the Pteranodons without any particular crisis. However, their attack and defense seemed to be high, so the battle was taking some time.

Hayato, feeling even more at ease, considered the situation.

(Could it be that the place we're heading to has dinosaur-like monsters? That's quite romantic.)

He wouldn't know for sure until he got there, but if there were Pteranodons, it wouldn't be strange if there were dinosaurs too. Since they were breathing fire, they would be fantasy-like dinosaurs, but it could still be said to be romantic.

As Hayato was thinking this, cheers erupted from the surroundings. They had defeated all the Pteranodons.

(No one was defeated. And the airship's HP hasn't decreased that much. Then it should be fine to proceed.)

After the members who could use healing magic had healed everyone, they started the airship again.

After ascending for a while, the clouds broke, and the sun appeared. And everyone stood stock-still.

It was a breathtaking view, like a sea of clouds spreading out before them. And floating in that sea of clouds was a single island.

It was a donut-shaped island, mostly covered in forest.

Hayato scanned the entire island to find a place where the airship could land.