kscans

Chapter 306 - Unique Equipment and Ace-level NPCs

"I'm sorry! Taming was impossible!"

Maris's voice echoed through the room lined with cylindrical water tanks in the basement of the research facility.

To investigate whether it was possible to make the Stegosaurus her pet, Maris attempted to tame it, but she spectacularly angered it instead.

In reality, it would probably just be angry, but this was a game. The power of its anger caused the Stegosaurus's stats to rise.

However, this was within their expectations. They had already known to some extent that taming would likely fail and anger it. Still, they tried just in case, after getting permission from the members present.

In this situation, Demon Lord Lunaria laughed fearlessly.

"Even if it gets angry, the Demon Lord will surpass it. Become rust on my Arondight. I have a vacation this afternoon, so I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Is that why you're so fired up?"

There is a lake in the center of the Floating Island. It has a sandy beach and the sunlight is always good, making it perfect for a vacation. The last time they came, their exploration was canceled for several days, so they had taken a vacation in the meantime.

He had heard they had prepared swimsuits, so that was their plan this time as well. It was the first time Hayato had learned that it was today, though.

"You're gravely mistaken if you think this is just a vacation. Playing by the lake on a sunny day. That is the style of 'yang.' I, who possess the power of 'yin,' am working hard to overcome my 'yang' weakness. You may praise the Demon Lord, who is strong and does not neglect her efforts. I am a child who grows with praise."

"That's why the Demon Lord is 'dark,' not 'yin.' Never mind that, please take care of the Stegosaurus."

"I feel like your treatment of me has been rather rough lately, Hayato-san. Let me tell you, I am the Demon Lord. I am very strong... no, wait, the Demon Lord is, like, super strong, you know? If you make me mad, it's gonna be, like, crazy bad, you know?"

"Did you happen to learn that way of speaking from Benny-chan? Well, anyway, let's fight first. Rosalie-san is holding her head. If you got serious, you could kill it instantly, right, Lunaria-san?"

"Hmph, a simple task... I mean, it's like, totally easy, you know?"

Lunaria said that and charged at the angry Stegosaurus.

Hayato, who had caught a glimpse of Rosalie's hardships, sighed and looked around.

Many were watching the exchange with Lunaria with an exasperated look, but there were members approaching with a look of surprise rather than ill will.

It was Pat and Agres.

"I'm surprised to see you talking to the Demon Lord-chan like that, Hayato-chan. Normally, I'd think you'd be cut down for treating her like that. Hayato-chan, are you actually stronger than the Demon Lord-chan?"

"Seeing how she fights, there's no doubt she's the Demon Lord. Could it be that you're a Great Demon Lord or an Evil God, Hayato? Let's have a match sometime, you and me."

Pat was twirling his gun with his right hand, and Agres was bumping his fists together in front of his chest as they said this.

"Of course not. Lunaria-san is just soft on her companions."

"Just being recognized as a companion by the Demon Lord-chan is a big deal, though. Oh well, whatever. Then I guess this old man will do his best too. If I show them my cool side, maybe the girls will invite me to their vacation!"

"I can't tell if you're serious or acting, Pat-san. That's what's so amazing about you... you are acting, right?"

With that, the two of them headed toward the Stegosaurus.

Judging by the shape of their weapons, Pat began fighting from a medium range, while Agres engaged in close combat.

Hayato watched their attacks carefully.

He had seen them fight several times, but this was the first time he had seen them fight against a powerful enemy.

Pat's gun was named "Showtime."

Like Esha's Beelzebub, it was a magic gun that fired magic bullets, but it was a revolver-type gun with a rotating cylinder, not a rifle. It was a type that attacked with numbers rather than a single decisive shot, and the magic consumption for each shot was low.

Its performance was such that its attack power would gradually increase each time he spun the gun with a Gun Spin, up to a maximum of double the damage. It was effective for only the first shot after the Gun Spin, and once fired, the increased attack power would return to normal.

It also had a feature where performing a Quick Draw, quickly drawing and firing the gun from its holster, would always add a bonus to the damage.

Pat was firing a barrage of those Quick Draw attacks from a distance. He was repeating the same attack over and over with the speed and precision of a machine.

(Amazing. He said he practiced because he admired westerns, but can he really do it that precisely? And Agres, fighting in close combat, is launching a relentless assault. I heard he wants to be an action actor, and that he learned various martial arts in reality.)

Agres was closing in on the Stegosaurus and attacking with a martial arts style. Not just punches, but kicks, elbows, knees, every part of his body flowed into a continuous stream of attacks, dealing consecutive damage.

As an actor, his purpose seemed to be to "entertain," and at the moment of impact when his attacks landed, he would stop moving for a brief instant. To Hayato, it looked cool, like a scene from a movie or a fighting game.

The gloves Agres was equipped with were called "Dead Heat."

They were a piece of equipment with two abilities, and he would switch between them to fight. One ability was that his attack power would increase in exchange for his HP gradually decreasing. The other was that he would recover HP with each attack, but his attack power would decrease significantly. He would use them accordingly.

(Agres also has his dragon form abilities. What's up with 'Attribute Attack Nullification'? He's weak to physical attacks, and like Ash, he can't wear other armor, which is a demerit, but depending on the opponent, he can fight with a considerable advantage.)

Ash, as if competing not to be outdone by Agres, was also attacking, and the Stegosaurus's HP bar was decreasing rapidly. Despite its enraged state from the taming attempt, their strength was such that they didn't care.

(Ren-chan's Dragon Curse is one thing, and I bet Suien-san and Randa-san have some pretty strong abilities too... though they wouldn't tell me.)

Suien mainly fought by summoning spirits, while Randa, true to her appearance, healed her allies with Holy Magic. Both of them had uniquely designed weapons, so Hayato guessed their performance was also quite impressive.

To players, the equipment the NPCs had was something anyone would want, but for now, there were only "Replicas," which were less powerful than the originals.

According to Diite, they would eventually implement equipment with the same performance, but that was still a long way off.

(Is it like a beta test participation reward, common in online games? I think it's a bit much that they're practically the strongest equipment, but I remember Diite-chan saying she prepared them so they could live happily in this world. Come to think of it, do the people who are treated as normal town NPCs also have that kind of equipment... ?)

Among the NPCs, there were those who didn't fight at all. Some were merchants, some were receptionists at facilities. There were probably bandit-like NPCs as well. Hayato wondered if all of them had some kind of unique equipment.

Hayato looked at Maris and Surya.

Considering that, it was possible that those two also had some kind of equipment.

Just as he thought about asking them later, Esha's Destroy hit the Stegosaurus, and they won the battle.

Hayato stopped his thoughts and began searching for treasure in the basement with everyone else.

After that, they obtained the switch to deactivate the island's central barrier and some treasure, then returned to the campsite using a Ring of Teleportation.

When they returned to the campsite, the women immediately went into the building to prepare for their afternoon vacation.

The men hadn't decided what to do and were talking about various things.

Hayato was about to log out to prepare for the cafe, but the members of Bandit had just returned, so he thought it was a good time and headed toward Jolto.

Jolto noticed Hayato approaching and smiled.

"Hey, looks like you guys finished your conquest too?"

"Pretty much. I have something to talk to you about, is that okay?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Actually, I'd like you to set up a place for us to exchange information about the dinosaurs we can tame. The participants would be me and two female NPC tamers."

"Oh? But are you sure an exchange of information is okay, not just a provision of it?"

"I'm not naive enough to think I can just get information from Bandit by talking to you. You're planning on taking five for every one I give, right?"

"That's the spirit. But, an information exchange about tamable dinosaurs? The NPC tamers with you are the aces of the Tamer Guild, right? Do you really need our information?"

Hayato tilted his head.

It was true that Maris and Surya were the aces of the Tamer Guilds in the Royal and Imperial Capitals. However, that was something said among the NPCs, and he didn't think it was something a player like Jolto would know.

"How do you know those two are aces? Is it a famous story?"

"It's famous in the tamer community, but I'm surprised you didn't know, Hayato. In the first place, don't you know that every guild, not just the Tamer Guild, has ace-level NPCs?"

Hayato tilted his head again, but then he remembered something.

(Come to think of it, Rose-san did say she was the ace of the Maid Guild...)

"I knew there were aces, but I didn't know every guild had one."

"To think you have those two as companions with only that level of awareness. I've heard that our tamers have been quite indebted to an NPC named Maris. I've heard things like if you leave your pet with her, she'll make it much stronger, or she'll definitely solve any pet-related troubles."

"I've heard that too. I see, so she's quite skilled."

Hayato had heard a little about Maris from Rose. It was almost the same as what Jolto was saying.

Whether it was true or not, Maris could talk to pets. Watching her interactions with Siegfried, he felt it was true, and he thought it was highly likely that Diite would give Maris that kind of ability.

"It's not just that she's skilled, I think she's an NPC with that kind of setting. That's why I think being able to exchange information with them would be a dream come true. I'll ask them myself, so could you give me a little time?"

"In that case, can I get a report on that tonight? I'll be logged out in the afternoon."

"Understood. But what about the NPCs? They're staying here, right? I don't think there will be a problem since there are other players besides you, Hayato."

"Most of the women are probably going on vacation at the lake. The men will probably stay at the campsite to watch over things."

"...It's not just you, Hayato, but aren't the NPCs in this game too free? I'd like to observe what a vacation is like."

"It's a girls-only event, so if you get caught, you might take enough damage to destroy the campsite, you know? You had a hole blown in your airship before, right?"

Jolto's face twisted.

Although it was to protect Jolto, the airship he had arrived in had a hole blown in it by Esha's Destroy.

"That maid has been causing me all sorts of trouble since the Clan War. It's surprising that she's not the ace of the Maid Guild."

"In terms of combat power, she's definitely an ace, but as a maid, she's terrible, you know? She doesn't do any maid work, and she demands a highest quality chocolate parfait every day."

"You're smiling while you say that, so it doesn't seem like you hate it, does it? If she's a good fighter, I'd like to hire her myself. Well, that seems unlikely. I'll go check right away."

"Thanks. See you tonight, then."

Hayato finished his conversation with Jolto, said his goodbyes to the members of Kokuryu, and logged out.