kscans

Chapter 421 - PvP and Rankings

Parfait left the Maid Guild building and began to explore the Royal Capital Anhemudal.

With the pocket money she had received, she bought a Cheesecake Deluxe and walked through the town while eating. It was just a simple act, but it felt wonderfully fresh.

There were so many people here. The crowd was so dense it was as if a festival was being held, and everyone seemed to be having fun. There were people who looked like beginners, just like her, and others who wielded such powerful weapons and armor that she couldn't imagine how they had obtained them.

Just looking at it all, Parfait was moved, thinking that this was truly another world.

But there was no point in just looking. Since her friends had entrusted her to be their advance party, she knew she had to do what needed to be done, and she began to observe her surroundings more carefully.

AFO had several locations that could serve as a base, but this Royal Capital Anhemudal had the most players. Part of the reason was that it had a wide variety of things available, but also because it was the starting point when beginning the game, so many people simply made it their base.

As players became more familiar with the game, some would move their base to places like the Imperial Capital or the Demon Capital Zardogia, but those places had their own unique rules, making them a high hurdle for beginners.

She would go there eventually, Parfait thought, but first, she had to think about a building to use as a base.

AFO had a system called a Clan, which was like an organization that players could form among themselves. It was already decided that she would form a Clan with her friends who would be able to log in in about a month, but they hadn't decided where to build their base.

It was possible to form a Clan without a base, but she wanted a place where everyone could hang out. She wanted a place just for them, like chatting with friends at a fast-food restaurant after school.

While looking for a place, she also had to save up money to buy the land. The area around the Royal Capital was far too expensive, but she had heard that a place a little farther away could be bought for a reasonable price.

Just as she thought she would have to go outside the town to choose a candidate site, she noticed something.

A crowd had formed around the central plaza of the Royal Capital, and there was some kind of excitement in the air.

Wondering what was going on, Parfait approached the crowd.

Players were fighting each other there. They were dueling with orthodox equipment, a sword and shield for each, along with armor.

(Whoa, it's like Master Benny and Teacher Simon... just a bit slower.)

For Parfait, who had seen sword fights in real life, a game duel wasn't particularly unusual. However, since she had only ever seen fights between the same two people, this battle looked fresh to her.

But there was something she found strange.

She had heard that in AFO, PvP was not possible outside of special events. She had also heard that there were no events going on right now. Parfait watched with a puzzled expression, wondering why PvP was possible.

In reality, she probably wouldn't ask a stranger. But this was virtual reality. Parfait decided to ask the woman standing next to her.

The woman's chiseled abs were dazzling. She was a healthy-looking older sister type, and from her equipment, she seemed to be quite a veteran. The words "wild warrior woman" fit her perfectly.

"Um, excuse me. That's PvP, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, it is. What about it?"

"I heard that PvP was prohibited in this game. Is that some kind of special event?"

"Ah, are you a beginner?"

"Yes, I just logged in for the first time today."

"...For a beginner, you've got some insane equipment..."

To Parfait, it was an evaluation she couldn't quite grasp. She felt that the equipment held by other veterans was far stronger, and that her own wasn't all that powerful.

"Um, I got it as a birthday present."

"I wish I had a boyfriend who would give me a present like that... but that's not the point. Um, basically PvP is prohibited, but it's possible when both parties agree. They recently made it possible for clans to fight each other too, so player-versus-player combat is a hot topic right now."

"Player combat is a hot topic..."

"And also—"

The muscular woman taught Parfait a variety of things.

PvP had a ranking system, and depending on your rank, you could receive in-game currency and items every month. It was also possible to have battles where you bet items or currency, and there were even clans that specialized in organizing such events.

Furthermore, although it was limited to AFO's official video streaming service, you could receive in-game currency based on the number of views by publishing duel videos. This was also a recently started service, which was another reason why player combat was so popular.

However, she said there was a problem.

"The top rankers are refusing to fight."

"Top rankers?"

"It refers to players within the top hundred of the rankings. It makes sense to fight people with a higher rank, but there's no point in fighting those below you, so a lot of them refuse to engage in player combat. That's why the rankings haven't changed much recently, and some people find it boring."

"I see."

If you get more currency the higher you are, it's natural that you wouldn't want to lower your rank. There's no reason to fight a battle where victory is expected and defeat comes with a penalty.

Improving this kind of thing is probably what Diite-oneechan and the others do, Parfait thought to herself.

"But today is a rare battle between rankers, so I bet today's video will be a big hit. I'm the live-viewing type, though!"

Parfait said, "I see," and looked at the fighting players.

(So those are rankers. Players within the top hundred... Ah, their equipment is amazing.)

The players looked weak to Parfait's eyes, but their equipment was quite something, even among all she had seen so far. It seemed to significantly boost their stats and skill effects, and it was safe to say it was on a different level from Parfait's own gear.

Moreover, flashy attack effects would occasionally appear. They were probably attacks called magic or weapon skills, and they were using them effectively. If she looked at it as a battle in virtual reality, not reality, she revised her opinion to think they were probably quite skilled.

She could win in reality, but not in virtual reality. With that thought in mind, Parfait watched the player-versus-player battle.

"Flashy is nice, but Real battles are good too. They look plain on video, though."

Parfait stared at the woman's face with a puzzled expression after she said that.

"'Real' as in reality?"

"Oh, no. PvP has two types of combat modes. This match is 'Virtual.' It's a player battle where you can use all the elements of the game. But there's another combat mode called 'Real,' and that one is a battle closer to reality."

"Closer to reality...?"

Parfait asked for more details.

The 'Real' battle was a fight where things like magic, weapon skills, and stats were ignored. Basically, only weapons could be used, and the first person to land ten hits would win.

There were advantages and disadvantages depending on the shape of the weapon, but at least the advantages from equipment stats and skills were completely nullified.

It was a system where the person who was challenged could choose the mode.

"With that kind of fight, even a little lady like you might be able to win!"

The warrior woman said as she patted Parfait on the back.

She wasn't going to engage in player combat, but she had gained information that would be good to remember, so Parfait expressed her thanks to the woman.

"Don't mention it. You gotta be nice to beginners. And, just a bit of motherly advice, you'd be better off putting that katana in your item bag."

"This katana?"

"Isn't that a Hayato-san original Beelzebub? It's a replica, but its value is something I can't even begin to guess."

"Is this really that amazing? I think it's weaker compared to other people's equipment."

"Strength isn't everything that determines value. I'm surprised you don't know the meaning of that weapon. Who was it, the idiot who would give something like this to someone on their first day..."

She didn't say it was her father, but she still didn't quite understand its value. She only had the feeling that it was a brand-name item.

Just then, a cheer rose from the surroundings. The player battle had come to a conclusion.

It seemed there was no change in the rankings, and while many people looked disappointed by that, the battle itself was met with applause. The warrior woman next to her was also clapping, so Parfait clapped along.

"Well then, little lady, I'm going to go now, but you should really put that katana away. You'll get bothered by annoying people. Well, you can just throw guys like that on your blacklist, one after another."

"Okay, thank you very much."

The warrior woman walked down the road, waving her left hand without looking back.

She regretted a little that she should have asked for her name, but decided to ask the next time she saw her, and Parfait also prepared to leave the area.

Just as she was about to put the katana in her item bag.

"Hey, little lady, won't you sell me that katana?"

A man holding a giant axe had spoken to her.