Chapter 28: The Sought-After Target
Psyger-0: "...Not here."
Why is he so hard to find? The armor knight sighed, as if to lighten the disappointment weighing on her digital body. In truth, traces of him could be found. She had spoken to a high-level player from a clan called the "Knights Tempura," and he had indeed seen a player named Sunraku. But no matter where she searched, she couldn't find him. There was no sign of him leaving the inn. She suspected their playtimes simply didn't line up, so she staked out the inn late at night, but still no sign. She was even starting to entertain conspiracy theories — that the very laws of causality were working against her — when the mail arrived.
Psyger-0: "Clan mailbird..."
In this game, once a clan develops enough, or by paying a fee at NPC-run facilities, you can use a mailbird — essentially the game's email function. Despite the name, there's no delay; the bird appears instantly at the destination when you send a message. It was likely a recall message, summoning her back to the clan for personal reasons. But when she read the contents, her body went rigid with a shock that made her heart leap.
[Mail from Psyger-100 to Psyger-0]
Sorry, but put your private search on hold.
There's a player I really want to scout. I need you to find them.
Location is around Secondale. Player wears a Staring Bird Mask, has the Black Wolf's "Curse" on body and legs, name is Sunraku, and is accompanied by a clothed, talking Vorpal Bunny.
The Unique connection is significant enough, but a player who encountered Lycagon and received two markings is unprecedented. I want to bring him into our clan if possible.
From Psyger-100
The armor knight — Psyger-0 — knew. She knew that he hadn't even been playing the game for a week. And yet, he had stumbled upon a Unique that no one else knew about. On top of that, he had fought — and fought spectacularly — against Lycagon the Nightslayer, the very monster her own guild used as its emblem. She was amazed all over again.
Psyger-0: "...Heh."
At any rate, now she could search for him openly. Perhaps she could deepen their relationship in the same clan, and maybe even in real life... With a heart lighter than her heavy armor suggested, she sent back a reply accepting the request. The instant she did, a new email arrived.
Psyger-0: "...?"
Thinking it might be a postscript, she opened it... and was struck speechless for a different reason.
[Mail from Psyger-100 to Psyger-0]
This is more of a supplement than a postscript, but as far as our members have confirmed, "SF-Zoo," "Ashura Kai," and the "Team 10PM" are already moving to secure Sunraku.
There's a very high chance this could escalate into PvP. Be careful.
From Psyger-100
Psyger-0: "~~~~~~~~~~!?"
The top clans of Shangri-La Frontier — and one of them was a clan specializing in PvP. Faced with such unexpected competition, Rei Saiga — Psyger-0 — switched her search for Sunraku into a full sprint.
Sunraku: "...Huh?"
Emul: "Something wrong?"
Sunraku: "Nah, just a chill down my spine... what is it, noise?"
For a while now, there's been an itching sensation in my back. It's not a status effect or anything, so what is it?
Sunraku: "Oh well. According to the map, we should be reaching the area boss soon. Let's take a break here."
I want to keep my hunger meter full. Putting the lessons from my wild lifestyle to good use, I pulled out a flint and some firewood from my inventory and lit a fire. Nice, got it on the second try this time.
Emul: "Then I'll have my meal too!"
While I was roasting some Bandit Vulture wing tips, Emul started roasting a carrot skewered on a stick, imitating me. But a rabbit eating a carrot... talk about cliché.
Sunraku: "Hmm, flavorless jerky."
Emul: "Hot carrots are pretty good too, you know."
Sunraku: "Come to think of it, I haven't gathered much info. I'll have to fight the area boss without any prior knowledge. Emul, do you know anything?"
Emul: "Hmm, the lord of this marshland is a monster called Mud Digger. It attacks by bursting up from the ground, so stopping movement is essential!"
Bursting up from the ground... a whack-a-mole type? But these are the same devs who made the Gluttonous Serpent the first boss. This one's bound to have something more malicious.
Sunraku: "What's it gonna be this time? Pee? Farts? Could be a vomit breath..."
Emul: "Oh my, Sunraku-san, you're so crude."
Ha ha ha, cheeky. But I've regained my instincts for first‑time killers from "Constipation." There's no way they can catch me off guard now.
Here we go — the second area boss, Mud Digger!