kscans

Chapter 456 - Melampus

Parfait's pet black cat, Trachiyo, possessed tremendous combat power.

With the event over, Parfait had been focusing on earning money and leveling up her skills, and lately, she had been fighting alongside Trachiyo constantly. Trachiyo seemed to have an aggressive personality, pouncing on monsters without any particular command, and the skills unique to pets were rising rapidly.

In terms of stats alone, it was now stronger than Parfait, and it was now accumulating various skill experiences on its own. To a certain extent, it would unleash cat punches and scratching attacks on a scratching post that gave skill experience.

"Trachiyo is not only cute but also has combat power... She might be number one not just in the universe, but in the multiverse..."

Parfait was saying that even if there were multiple universes, not just this one, Trachiyo would be number one. It wasn't clear from her words whether she was talking about the virtual reality or including the real world, but in any case, she was declaring it number one.

"That's just like you to say that with a straight face, Parfait. I also like that stoic part of Trachiyo, the way it trains even when you're not around."

When Chris, dressed in her maid outfit, said that, Trachiyo glanced back for a moment with a "Nya!" and immediately resumed its attack.

Ginny had witnessed Trachiyo attacking the scratching post even when Parfait was logged out. It was unclear whether that was stoicism, but for Chris, it was a highly favorable act.

"But why is Trachiyo trying to become so strong?"

Of course, she wasn't asking Trachiyo, but Parfait. If she knew the answer, she wouldn't be struggling. It was said that pets each had their own personality, and there was a possibility that the player's actions and personality were slightly reflected.

Everyone except Parfait was quite convinced upon hearing that, but Parfait herself was wondering, "I'm not that aggressive, am I?"

"I wonder if this was its personality from the beginning. That part of it is amazing too, though."

"You probably think everything about Trachiyo is amazing, Parfait. Speaking of which, there's a story in the maid community about a maid who was scratched by every cat she met. Maybe Trachiyo is trying to defeat that maid too."

"Is that a scary story? Some kind of curse?"

"No, not like that. Apparently, she just had a trait of being disliked by animals for some reason. Maybe her Taming Skill was in the negative. But she loved animals herself and would apparently pet them while covered in blood. In fact, she would eat food for HP recovery and leave the healing to other players."

"That is a scary story, isn't it? Covered in blood."

"There are all kinds of maids in the world. Or maybe Trachiyo has a monster it wants to defeat. It might even be that maid."

"Speaking of which, I've heard there are quests exclusive to pets. They say a quest triggers when your bond with your pet reaches its maximum. I wonder if it's a combat-type quest?"

The bond with a pet wasn't visualized, so the value was unknown. Also, the actions that increased the bond value differed for each pet, and even for pets of the same species, some actions could cause it to decrease.

Basically, the bond value increased through normal actions like feeding them properly and taking them for walks, so it was said that reaching the maximum bond was just a matter of time.

Parfait loved Trachiyo, but the bond value depended on how Trachiyo felt, so she really wanted to see the number.

"This is this game we're talking about, so maybe you can see that number?"

"I haven't heard anything like that at the Tamer Guild. Oh, but I heard there's an item that lets you communicate with your pet. I'm definitely going to get it."

"There's such a convenient item?"

"I think it's something like the 'Melampus' that Maris-san has."

"The thing that lets her understand Sieg's words? It's certainly possible in the real world, so it wouldn't be strange for such an item to exist in a virtual reality... Should we ask at the Tamer Guild? Watching Trachiyo has made me want a pet too. I want to raise a shoebill stork or something."

"Shoebill storks are cute, with their killer-like eyes."

"I've never thought that part was cute, but it certainly does feel like a killer. The way it stays still for hours is like a hunter, which I think is cool. That's what's important in survival. It's also a necessary skill for a maid."

Just then, Rick logged in, but he frowned upon seeing Parfait and Chris.

"What are you talking about, killers and hunters?"

"Oh, Rick-kun. We were just talking about shoebill storks."

"...Ah, that bird that doesn't move. I've never seen one in person, but I've seen videos... So why killers and hunters?"

When the two of them explained not just about the shoebill stork, but the conversation that led up to it, Rick adjusted his glasses slightly and nodded with an "I see."

"I understand the situation, but are you heading to the Tamer Guild now?"

"Want to come with us, Rick-kun?"

"I think I will. There's something I want to look into as well."

"Oh? What are you going to look into?"

"The next event. Apparently, the Tamer Guild community has been getting noisy. If we ride that wave, we might be able to earn some money, and maybe even break into the top rankings. It won't be easy, though."

Parfait was pleased by Rick's words. If that were true, there was a high possibility that Trachiyo could play an active role. However, she found it strange since she hadn't heard any information about the Tamer Guild community being noisy.

Besides, it was said that AFO events didn't require specific skills in order to implement "events that everyone can participate in." Parfait thought that Diite and the others would never plan an event that you couldn't participate in without a pet.

"Hey, Rick-kun. Where did you get the information that the Tamer Guild is noisy?"

"Let's talk while we walk. Shall we head to the Tamer Guild first?"

At Rick's suggestion, the three of them, Parfait, Chris, and Rick, plus one cat, Trachiyo, left a note on the base's bulletin board saying they were going to the Tamer Guild and headed for the one in the capital city of Azuma.

And as they walked, Parfait and Chris listened to Rick's story.

"Colony 'Zoo', managed by the Sagittarius Foundation, is noisy?"

"That's right. As you know, AFO staff are dispatched from various foundations. The staff at the Tamer Guild are almost all people who belong to the Sagittarius Foundation. If that place is noisy, there's a high probability of a tamer-related event."

"...'As you know,' you say, but this is the first I'm hearing of it. Is that so?"

"It's the first I'm hearing of it too."

Being told it was the first they'd heard of it by both Parfait and Chris, Rick was slightly flustered.

"I-I see. It seems it's not a very famous story. Anyway, AFO has a large number of staff. The people belonging to the Libra Foundation alone can't handle everything, so they have people dispatched to match the characteristics of the guilds."

The Tamer Guild had staff dispatched from the Sagittarius Foundation for animal-related matters. The Maid Guild had people dispatched by Lunaria's foundation management, and combat-related guilds often had staff from the Leo Foundation. There were also people dispatched from Pisces and Gemini.

It wasn't that the foundations were completely divided by guild, but they had adopted that form for the reason that specialized real-world knowledge was also necessary.

"I get that, but you're predicting a tamer-related event just because Sagittarius's Zoo is noisy?"

"That's right. Sagittarius only gets noisy when they've revived an extinct animal. But so far, there's no such information. In that case, there's a high possibility it's AFO-related."

"...Isn't that a bit of a leap?"

"That's why we're going to the Tamer Guild to scout it out. It's too risky to decide based on assumptions alone."

For Parfait, it was an interesting game she could play without thinking about the time, but while she found Rick's earnestness to that extent reliable, she was also a little put off by it.

While having this conversation, the three people and one cat arrived at the Tamer Guild.

Parfait went in normally, thinking it probably wasn't a big deal, but for some reason, the reception at the Tamer Guild had been expanded, and the number of staff had increased. Seeing that, she looked at Rick with a mix of surprise and slight exasperation.