Chapter 22: The Back of the Back Is the Front, but Behind the Back Is Even Further Back
The total rating has surpassed 10,000. Thanks to all of you, the author is floating with excitement like some bug where a character suddenly shoots straight upward.
I'm still inexperienced, but please continue to support Shangri-La Frontier.
The condition is to defeat a monster whose level is higher than your own while equipped with a "Vorpal" weapon. Once that condition is met, a Vorpal Bunny appears in a specific area found in every town and guides you to Rabituza, the nation of bunny-type monsters.
During this trip, the Vorpal Bunny never speaks and simply keeps running, so you must make sure not to lose sight of it.
Once there, defeating the monster attacking their country, the Rabbit-Eating Snake, allows you to acquire the magic Enchant Vorpal.
Its effect grants a weapon a bonus to critical hits against opponents whose level is higher than your own. Because this is extremely useful against bosses and similar enemies, it is a Unique Scenario that anyone planning to seriously dig into the game should make sure to clear.
The recommended method for beginners is to use a Vorpal Chopper, obtained from Vorpal Bunnies that appear in The Rampant Forest, to defeat the Gluttonous Serpent.
As an aside, the rabbit nation made up of huge numbers of Vorpal Bunnies is absolutely worth having your screenshot function ready for if you're a rabbit lover.
You can save inside Rabituza, but the moment you clear the scenario your respawn point is changed. As things currently stand, that means this Unique Scenario is the one and only time you can visit Rabituza.
That was the overview of the Unique Scenario Tour of Rabituza that I later found online.
Emul: "Why, Rabituza is all abuzz about you right now, wa. The courage to challenge that black wolf despite being so weak! And the skill to keep landing ideal killing blows without taking a single hit yourself! You're the very embodiment of the Vorpal Soul, wa! I admire you so much..."
Sunraku: "I couldn't make a dent in it at all, though."
Emul: "Well, your opponent was simply too much, wa. That Emperor of the Night is an apex species that kills and eats even dragons like snacks. If you weren't one of the Pioneers blessed by the Divine Era, you wouldn't even be standing here talking to me now, wa."
This rabbit talks. A lot. When I walked up to her all excited and she suddenly opened with, "I've been wanting to meet you, wa!" I was pretty... no, that's a lie. I was scared shitless. About as scared as when a friendly NPC suddenly attacks the player with absolutely no warning because of a bug. Seriously, why can this Vorpal Bunny talk? Is it because she's an NPC?
Matching my stride to the little lop-eared Vorpal Bunny(?) padding along beside me, I just let this bizarre rabbit shower me with praise. I remember Lycagon's curse saying it would affect conversations with NPCs. Is this what that means? I'd been inwardly terrified they might treat me like a walking pathogen or something, but apparently the modifier was positive.
Emul: "And that curse carved into your body is proof that the Emperor of the Night recognized you as an individual instead of prey! Da— ahem... our Boss really wanted to meet you, so I was sent to fetch you, wa."
Sunraku: "Huh... um..."
Emul: "I'm Emul, wa. Pleasure to meet you."
Amazing. The AI in this game can infer things. I've played kusoge with AI where an NPC wouldn't even answer you unless you addressed them in formal keigo, but when the technology is actually used properly, it can feel this real.
Sunraku: "Actually, there's something I've been wondering about. I've killed a fair number of Vorpal Bunnies. This isn't secretly a trap or something, right?"
Emul: "Ahaha, Da—Boss isn't the type to do anything that petty, wa. Besides, we come at people actively trying to kill them too, so if we get killed, that's our own responsibility, wa."
While casually laying out an incredibly harsh view of life and death, Emul and I make our way deeper and deeper into the back alleys—to the tiny gap between buildings that you'd never reach without a guide, a sliver of blank space on the map.
Without paying the slightest attention to the strange magic circle there, the little lop-eared rabbit starts smacking part of the wall with her paw.
Emul: "Just wait a moment... Teleport Gate!"
Sunraku: "Whoa."
The instant she chants what is presumably the name of a spell, the wall Emul was touching transforms into a gate whose space beyond is shrouded in mist.
Emul: "I'm the only one who can make a gate that goes straight to the Rabbit Palace, wa. Come on, let's get going, Sunraku-san."
Sunraku: "Wait, did I ever tell you my name?"
Emul: "Fufufu. Never underestimate a rabbit's information-gathering abilities, wa."
It's probably just some meta reason related to game data, but there's no need to go hunting for flaws in details that small. Following Emul as she hops along ahead of me, I pass through the misty gate.
On the other side of the gate was fluff. Fluff everywhere.
Emul: "Quite a few humans have visited Rabituza, but you're the first person ever to visit the Rabbit Palace, Sunraku-san."
Sunraku: "Huh."
As I look over the utterly bizarre sight of Vorpal Bunnies everywhere, Emul's words put an ugly grin on my face inside my head.
If what Emul said is true, then this Unique Scenario is information that, genuinely and literally, only I know.
I like playing games together with everyone and having a good time, but I don't believe for a second that everyone in an MMO should share all their information.
At the very least, the moment PvP and rankings exist, every other player is also a potential enemy. Information monopoly? Fine by me. Then you can disclose the information you're hiding too.
Grinding a "co-op game" where PvP, looting, robbery, and betrayal are your standard greeting will do terrible things to a person's conscience. Observe the proper dosage and instructions when playing kusoge!!
Emul: "This way, wa! Just ahead is where Da—Boss is, waaa!"
Emul's speech mixes an accent I can't quite place with her "wa," making for a style I don't even know how to describe. Compared to a rabbit... no, even compared to a human, the door she's hopping in front of while calling me over is absurdly huge.
Well then. Time to request an audience with this Boss who apparently seems to be Emul's father.