kscans

Chapter 300 - A Tamer's Strength

Hayato, Ash, Ren, Maris, Cecil, and Surya had come to "Eldmull Forest" near the Royal Capital.

It was a forest frequented by beginners who had just started the game, and the danger from monsters was low.

Players could choose their starting country when they began the game. Those who chose the Royal Capital Anhemudal would first earn money here.

Until recently, the forest had been full of beginners, but after a certain amount of time, they had moved on to more profitable locations, and now the area was deserted.

Due to the event, there were some players around, but since there were no monsters exclusive to this area, it wasn't very popular even during the event.

Why had they come to such a place?

It would take time to prepare to go to the "floating island" that created the Olga Domus Waterfall.

Hayato had reached out to many of his acquaintances, but it would be a week before everyone’s schedules aligned.

It would be a waste to do nothing until then, so they had come to the forest to ascertain Surya’s individual combat strength and to see if she could get along with Maris.

There was also the reason of sealing monsters in the Monster Sealing Encyclopedia to earn some pocket money.

Incidentally, Ash and Ren, who were treated as NPCs, could now receive prize money in the real world just like regular players.

This was the result of Esha’s negotiations with Diite. That same Esha was staying behind at the base due to the demerit of causing monsters to become ferocious, but she seemed fired up to go on a rampage on the floating island.

For those reasons, Hayato and the others had come to the forest.

They wouldn’t lose to monsters in a beginner field. Hayato could potentially be defeated, but as long as he was careful of sneak attacks, it would be fine. Almost everyone was in a picnic mood.

After fighting rabbit and boar-type monsters for about thirty minutes, they decided to take a short break.

"Alright, let’s take a little break. If you have any items dropped by monsters or things you’ve picked up that you’re not going to use, can I have them? I want to process a few things."

Hayato said this and began accepting items from everyone, starting to craft potions and the like on the spot.

The other members were on break, casually sipping their drinks.

"Hey, Ren. You’ve been flashing those five-sun nails and that straw doll at me for a while now. Is there a reason for that? You’re not cursing me, are you?"

When Cecil said this, Ren smiled.

"So you noticed… What do you think? Don’t you think this is cool too? Doesn’t it stir your heart and make you want to add it to your weapon collection?"

"No, it doesn’t. If it were a cursed weapon, maybe, but what’s with treating five-sun nails and a straw doll as weapons? That’s creepy. They’re not even throwing weapons."

"But they’re so cool. Oh, right. Let me see your weapon collection sometime. I’ll invite you to my room and show you my curse item collection."

"I don’t really want to see it, but sure. Right, if you have a cool cursed sword, give it to me. A Cursed Blade would be fine too."

"Asking a Collector to give away their collection is a sign of Armageddon, you know…?"

Armageddon… the final war. I guess I can kind of see that.

As Hayato was thinking this, Ren shifted her gaze from Cecil to Surya.

"Speaking of weapons, that whip of yours is cool, Surya-san, isn’t it? This is the first time I’ve seen someone use one."

Suddenly addressed, Surya showed a slightly surprised expression before taking the whip from her waist.

She held it out in front of Ren so she could see it better.

It was a brown leather whip, about three meters long in total. Usually, it was coiled like a snail’s shell and equipped on Surya’s right hip.

As Ren said, whips were difficult to handle, and few players chose them as their weapon.

However, the Weapon Skills that could be used with a whip were as varied as those for martial arts. They could use "Bind Whip" to temporarily restrain an opponent, or "Attract Whip" to pull them closer.

"I often fight while riding Garland, so a weapon with a half-hearted range won’t reach. That’s why I use the longest mid-range weapon."

"Garland? You ride him, so he’s your pet?"

"Ah, I didn’t mention it, did I? That’s my pet’s name. Garland the dragon. The trees in this forest are too close together for him to enter, so I left him at the Tamer Guild, but…"

Having said that much, Surya’s eyes widened slightly as if she had just remembered something.

"It’s a bit late to ask now, but Ash-san, Ren-san, are you two okay with me having a dragon as a pet?"

Hayato wondered what she was talking about, but then he immediately remembered. Ash and Ren were dragons, Genesis Dragons.

The two of them seemed to be in the same boat, as they didn't understand the intent of the question. They tilted their heads and looked at Surya.

"Why do you ask?"

When Ash said this, Ren nodded.

"Huh? You’re both Genesis Dragons, right? The pinnacle of all dragons."

After a few seconds, Ash and Ren both said, "Ah," in unison.

"Ah, ah, right. No, it’s fine. The conflict between the Genesis Dragons is over, and everyone’s in the Moderate Faction. There’s no problem with dragons getting along with humans."

"R-Right! Everyone’s friends!"

"Really? Well, if you say so."

Though she wore an unconvinced expression, Surya returned the whip to her waist. Then she looked at Maris.

"By the way, Maris, is there something you want to say to me? You’ve been staring at me ever since we started fighting."

"I was just watching, thinking that you’re strong on your own, Surya."

"You’re strong too, Maris. Besides, what’s with that Adamantite lance and shield? And they’re five-star quality."

Maris’s equipment was made by Hayato.

He had prepared it for her, thinking that this level of equipment would be necessary to go to the floating island. With this and a pineapple juice that granted Dinosaur Special Attack, she wouldn't be defeated unless something extreme happened.

"I’m not strong. My weapons and armor are just high-performance. Your whip is ordinary, but you make up for it with skill. That’s why I thought you were strong on your own."

Weapon handling was influenced by a person’s own skill.

Surya must have practiced a great deal. From Hayato’s perspective, it looked as if she could handle the whip with complete freedom. Compared to easier-to-handle weapons like swords and axes, a whip would require considerable training.

"Well, thank you. But our main job is being a Tamer, right? From my perspective, I think you’re stronger, Maris, for being able to control your pet so freely."

"That’s not me being strong either, it’s Max being an excellent pet."

Today, Maris hadn’t brought the Elder Griffon, Lancelot. Just as the dragon Garland couldn’t enter the forest, the large Lancelot couldn’t either. So, Maris had brought Max, the Kyubi she had tamed in the Eastern Country.

Maris and Max’s coordination was so good it was hard to believe she had only recently made him her pet.

The opponents they defeated were weak, but Maris had defeated even the bear-type monsters, which were on the stronger side for this forest, without any trouble.

Max fought primarily with magic, but he dedicated himself to a support role for Maris.

When Maris was about to attack, he would use the magic "Ice Bind" to freeze the opponent’s feet for a moment, preventing them from dodging.

Pets moved with a simple AI. Even if she ordered him to dedicate himself to support, he wouldn’t normally use it with such perfect timing.

However, it was said that pets could learn, and that the more time they spent with a player, the better they would understand their intentions and act accordingly.

It wasn't a proven fact like trust or loyalty, but since their behavior changed visibly, many players believed it.

Maris had made Max her pet in the Eastern Country only recently. It was at a level that made one wonder how much they must have fought together to reach this point.

"Being able to make your pet strong is part of a Tamer’s strength, you know. Anyway, fine. Hayato-san, let’s end the break. It seems a rare monster has appeared in the depths of the forest. Let’s either tame it or defeat it."

"Oh, really? Then let’s go. It seems rare monsters get a separate entry in the Monster Sealing Encyclopedia."

"First, we tame it!"

When Maris said this cheerfully, Surya sighed.

"I’m telling you, the one that appeared in the depths of the forest is a Deadly Spider. It might be somewhat strong, but it’s not cute, is it?"

The Deadly Spider was a spider monster with a very potent poison. It might be an excellent pet if you could tame it, but most people would agree it was far from cute.

"Huh? I think they’re cute… Huh? Ren-chan…?"

Maris approached Ren and waved a hand in front of her face. But there was no reaction.

"A-Ash-san! Has Ren-chan fainted while standing up!?"

"…Ren is weak to bugs and spiders. Even just the words were too much for her. We’ll wait here, so you go with Hayato and Cecil. If you can, please don’t tame it."

"She’s a Genesis Dragon, you know?"

No one answered Surya’s question, but they settled on the conclusion that no matter how strong you are, you still have weaknesses.