Chapter 21: Chained Unique
Alright, I was fired up, but there's nothing I can do until the death penalty wears off. And I can't have my Vorpal Chopper on the verge of breaking.
Right now, this is my only reliable source of damage, with its critical hit bonus. Now that I know I can restore weapon durability, I want to get it fixed. So, I headed back to the blacksmith for what should have been a pretty quick reunion.
Sunraku: "Closed...?"
I know it's not a convenience store, so it closing late at night isn't that strange... but for an NPC? Still, I'd be just as troubled if a stall in the middle of a storm greeted me with a "Welcome!"
Sunraku: "So repairs are on hold until morning..."
It's embarrassing to admit, but I'm the type of person who can't feel satisfied unless the whole party is fully healed. And running around with a broken weapon just feels... itchy. But it can't be helped. I have no choice but to wait for the old man to open for business.
Sunraku: "I raised my luck, but I've got no luck at all... Huh!?"
As I idly looked around, my eyes caught something that shut down every other thought. If someone had been watching me, I'm sure they would have seen a perfect double-take. That's how smoothly and quickly my neck turned to face the anomaly that had entered my vision.
Sunraku: "..."
A little wave.
From a narrow alleyway between buildings—a place no one would willingly want to go—a head poked out, and it was waving at me. And it was unmistakably a creature I'd seen more than enough times: a two-legged rabbit.
Sunraku: "A Vorpal Bunny?"
No, but a Vorpal Bunny is a two-legged rabbit with a cleaver. This Vorpal Bunny (provisional), now surreptitiously beckoning me from the alley, was different. It was wearing rather elegant-looking clothes, a top hat, a monocle, a pocket watch... Wait, what was it? I feel like I've seen this somewhere before... Oh, right. The rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.
Sunraku: "Do monsters pop up inside towns, too?"
If so, that's pretty kusoge-ish, isn't it? Constant combat in the town would mean I couldn't save safely. Well, if it's a rare enemy, maybe it'll drop something if I hunt it... I took a step forward, thinking this. At that exact moment, a window suddenly appeared before me.
[Unique Scenario: "Invitation from Rabituza". Do you wish to begin?]
Sunraku: "...!"
I covered my mouth with my hand before I could shout, and casually looked around. Luckily, it was late at night, most players were either further ahead or concentrated in Firstia, and I was in front of a closed weapon shop—a place no one had any reason to be. Thanks to all that, there were no other players around.
Unique Scenarios.
These are the reason SLF is a kamige, and also the point its critics attack the most. Their appearance conditions are unknown. Their acceptance conditions are unknown. But their rewards are maximum. SLF's main story is largely about "exploring the world," but aside from that, there are countless side quests. Among them, the Unique Scenarios are unknown quests for which it's not at all clear where, when, how, or who will trigger the flag. However, the equipment, skills, and magic you can obtain by clearing a Unique Scenario are all top-tier, and I've heard there are clans that exist solely to search for them.
...Well, this is just something I heard as a prelude to other players saying, "Compared to that, this game..." back when I was playing kusoge.
Sunraku: "Is this what they call a blessing in disguise...?"
Having two equipment slots sealed by Schwarz Vulf was a pretty unlucky event, but encountering a Unique Scenario is an unparalleled stroke of good fortune. If having two sealed slots was a condition for the Unique Scenario, my slightly dampened motivation rises again—well, maybe not all the way, but it recovers a bit. Luckily, even if the Vorpal Chopper is nearly broken, I still have ammunition—Goblin Hand Axes—and the Marsh Dagger is almost unharmed.
Sunraku: "Alright, let's conquer this Unique Scenario until morning!"
Cheerfully pressing "Yes" to start the scenario, I was probably still giddy from the chain of events, from encountering Lycagon the Nightslayer to discovering this Unique Scenario. Unaware of the words written next to the scenario name, I jumped headfirst into that Unique Scenario... that treacherous land.
Scenario Name: "Invitation from Rabituza"
Recommended Level: 80.