Chapter 16: The Exceptional

I happened to glance at the rankings, saw the name of my own work there, and did about five double-takes.

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The Goblin's Axe just wasn't worth it. After coming to that conclusion, I decided to kill time until nightfall by sleeping in the real world.

I was fired up, thinking, "At this rate, I'll just stay up all night and thoroughly conquer this thing!" But without a weapon, it would just be that barren rhythm game all over again.

Sunraku: "Old man, is my weapon ready?"

Blacksmith: "Oh, you're here, weirdly-dressed kid. Yeah, it's ready."

I've made it a policy not to accept comments on my outfit. I've kind of grown attached to this bird mask. The weapon wasn't handed to me directly; instead, it was transferred straight into my inventory. I checked it.

Marsh Dagger
Though clouded, this dagger still shows glimmers of light.
Forged from the high-quality ore of the Swamp Wasteland, it will surely become a warrior's longtime companion.
Whether this sword gains a brilliant luster depends on the wielder.
Effect: Upon a successful critical attack, durability loss is halved for a certain period.

Sunraku: "This is, to put it mildly, a godly weapon..."

There is currently no better weapon suited for long-term use. The other one, the Ferocious Twin Saws, had an effect that dealt bonus damage on critical hits — probably designed for dual wielders and dual sword users, who are built around landing many hits and scoring criticals.

Sunraku: "Oh, I have a question."

Blacksmith: "Huh? I was about to go to sleep..."

Sunraku: "Is there a way to restore weapon durability?"

Blacksmith: "Ah, I get a lot of rookies asking that. You think you can just fix up a weapon yourself? No way. Just rely on us blacksmiths. We're blacksmiths who make and raise weapons, you know? Leave it to us, and we'll make sure it's top-notch."

Sunraku: "Hmm? Raise weapons?"

Blacksmith: "What, you didn't know? A blacksmith like me... someone who can use forging magic, doesn't just create weapons — they can also strengthen them, make them more powerful. To a blacksmith, a weapon is like our own child. So, we don't say 'strengthen' — that's too cold. We say 'raise'..."

Leaving the old man to his sentimental thoughts, I considered what he meant by "raising" weapons.

The thing is, this game is known for being a treasure trove of hidden parameters, hidden elements, and hidden conditions — so much so that the strategy wikis have given up. While normal leveling will naturally make you stronger, if you manage to obtain a unique job, unique equipment, or unique magic, it'll have enough of an impact to draw major attention, even if you're a beginner who's only been playing for a few days. So, for a weapon to "grow" — it's entirely possible that meeting certain conditions triggers a mutation.

Sunraku: "Thanks. I'll come back when I've gathered more materials and money."

Blacksmith: "Yeah, keep at it."

With my new weapon in hand, I left the blacksmith and headed for the Four-Wheel-Drive Eight-Wheel-Drive Swamp Wasteland. My goal: "until my inventory is full."

Sunraku: "You've got to be kidding me — that's cheating, you bastards...!"

Redcap: "Gekyakakakaka!!"

Redcap: "Gugigeh!"

Redcap: "Gyagyaaah!"

The privilege of "calling for backup" is reserved for weak monsters. The darkness in the game wasn't pitch-black — that would be too much like a kusoge. Instead, it was about as dim as just after sunset in real life. In the dark of the Swamp Wasteland, I angrily cursed the fact that the red‑capped goblins had actually summoned reinforcements.

The monsters that appear in the Swamp Wasteland change between day and night. That was useful to learn, but these guys were clearly overtuned.

The Red-Capped Goblins (Redcaps) — their hand axes had been upgraded from chipped stone to polished stone, and they carried rusty straight swords. They surrounded me.

When I first encountered them, there was only one. Even so, it moved with a speed I wouldn't expect from a goblin. I could dodge it, but it occasionally mixed in feints with such a killing intent that it sent a chill down my spine. It was clearly designed to make running away the only option unless you were at a certain level — a so-called "Unique Monster." If I had to use a term from other games, it had the unmistakable aura of an "F.O.E."

But this is a full‑dive VR game. The good thing about this type of game is that a disadvantage in level can be covered by player skill. It's also the bad thing that ended up eliminating the truly skilled players from the old display‑screen games. I'm not bragging, but unless it's an all-target instant-death attack, a guaranteed hit, or a bug-hit, I'm confident I can dodge most attacks.

The attack power of my new weapon was also decent. By my estimate, I managed to chip away about two‑thirds of the Redcap's health while taking no damage myself. But then — that red‑capped bastard called for backup.

As a result, I was now surrounded by four Redcaps.

Now, what to do...

It's not like I'm restricting myself from respawning, nor have I imposed a no‑death restriction on myself. However, in this game's system, even when a player character's HP drops to zero, they don't immediately burst into polygons. The avatar remains on the spot for a few minutes. What's more, during that time — until the polygons burst and the player respawns — a third party can open the player's inventory. I've heard that Player Killers — PKers — mostly attack players to rob them. Since I don't have anyone to cover me or resurrect me, I want to avoid having someone loot my inventory.

So, running away would be the optimal solution — but the truth is, I also want to try something crazy. After all, this is a game. If I'm not having fun, I don't know why I'm playing.

Sunraku: "What should I do..."

That was the moment.

With a thunderous crash, one of the Redcaps was blown into the air.

Had a kindhearted player taken pity on me and come to help?

???: "Grrrrrrr..."

Such a faint hope was quickly extinguished by a growl distinctly that of a predator.

Unique Monster "Lycagon the Nightslayer" encountered.

Oh great. That kind of help.

Forging magic is crafting magic for making "weapons and a limited range of armor," and can be learned by apprenticing under an NPC blacksmith. For armor, forging magic alone is not enough: you also need tailoring magic, which requires apprenticing under an NPC armor shop. As a result, most player blacksmiths are weapon specialists.

Because players can design their own weapons, many aim to become swordsmiths, and some sell self-made weapons to beginners. Seasons when huge numbers of new players arrive are therefore a chance for crafting-class players to improve their skills and their finances at the same time.