Chapter 129: Beyond the Fierce Battle Lies the Isolating Sea

No. That's not what I meant. That's not what I fucking meant, Lycagon. I didn't ask for anything complicated, did I? I said "lift the curse." I sure as hell didn't say "update the curse." And I definitely didn't ask you to pack in more features. Why the hell would you add a time-limited equipment destruction effect, of all things? What is this—one of those thought processes where you can't rest until you've wired your own house with self-destruct functions? Hahaha. Go wrap some dynamite around your gut, you piece of shit.

Sunraku: "And somehow it's actually gotten WORSE—!?"

Ceecrue: "Hmm. It has been carved in so deeply it seems as though it were etched into the body from the moment of birth, de gozaru."

From what I can see, on top of the original effects, it's also gained a "powerful-enemy magnet function" and a "Saint-chan canceller function." Is there any chance this is just a display error...? What, no cheating? Shut the hell up. I’m not asking for cheating—I’m asking for a correction, you bastard. Aaagh, Lycagon, don't you dare drift around with that craftsman-who-just-finished-a-job vibe like you're about to wrap up this event—get back here! ...No, WAIT!

Sunraku: "Nwaaaaaaaah—!! I will never, EVER forgive that son of a bitch!!"

I see. When it comes to stoking the fighting spirit of an enemy—namely, me—that thing is quite the strategist. Satisfied by my howl—a mix of rage, lamentation, and a level of enjoyment equal to both combined—Lycagon's presence, which had seemed so deeply amused, now finally scattered completely. Which means: from here on out, I have to proceed with hard-mode restrictions in place.

Sunraku: "A two-stage trap is just cheating... Why the hell is there another vaulting box after the vaulting box... Humans can't double-jump, you know... Well, in a game world, you can..."

Akitsu Akane: "Are you okay? A 200-meter sprint usually clears your head!"

Sunraku: "Running is running, but I'd prefer an RTA if I had to choose."

Depending on the game, 100% runs strip away your humanity, so please let me off with any%. I wonder if there's such a thing as Shangri-La Frontier TAs. Still, before worrying about what's ahead, I ought to celebrate what's just ended.

Sunraku: "For now, thanks to Rei-shi. You just signed on for normal area clearing, and I dragged you all the way into a Lycagon fight..."

Psyger-0: "N-No, please don't mention it... Something of this level, I'd accompany you as many times as it takes... ac-company...? Accom...pany... a-a-a... ah."

A rusted greatsword swings. A roar of wind tears through the grassland. The grassy plain—transformed by Rei, who has become a silent storm generator—turns into a domain more perilous than a sea of magma.

Sunraku: "Whoa, danger!"

Psyger-0: "N-No no no no! We haven't beaten the area boss yet! Yes, yes! I-I-I'll accompany you indeed, yes!"

Her greatsword roars as it cleaves the air—is she tacitly indicating that her blade still thirsts for blood? Isn't this person a little too militant? Even SF-Zoo, setting aside their various... issues, were high-level players specialized in party combat. I guess no matter the game, there are always players who've reached that pinnacle. So that means Schwarz Vulf is full of people at Rei's level, huh... And apparently there's a trio of idiots running schemes against people like that? I bet it's a clan composed of a pure-hearted gamer being jerked around by a demon who can't even trigger a Unique on his own and a genuine final-boss devil who manipulates hearts and minds.

Psyger-0: "Yes, yes! Right now I feel like I could even beat Siegwurm!"

Akitsu Akane: "Siegwurm is super strong, you know! I mean, it munched my head right up!"

What is this—it's like watching mismatched gears spin wildly at full speed. I'm curious about the intel on Siegwurm, another Unique Monster, but right now, how do I put it... I'm exhausted. I'm going to try not thinking about Unique Monsters for a while... Not... thinking... about them...

Sunraku: "Wh-What time is it right now!?"

Akitsu Akane: "Huh? About four in the morning! Wow, we really stayed up super late...!"

I should probably hold back the retort that this isn't "staying up late" but "pulling an all-nighter." Well, it's summer vacation season, so maybe sleeping now and waking up at noon won't draw any criticism. But more importantly, the meeting time is nine in the morning. There's still a bit of leeway, but there's item sorting, weapon strengthening, logging out to rest, eat, and bathe... That's right—neglecting real life causes problems in the game too. In the past, there were news reports of people so absorbed in full-dive that they ended up in the hospital. Real-life care is critical.

Sunraku: "Head to town now, secure the landmark, return to Rabituza, ask Bilac to repair my worn-out weapons while strengthening them, secure funds, I need to test Lycagon’s Contusion, and then bathe, eat..."

Yeah, there's no time. Especially with this game's weapon-strengthening system—if I don't hand my weapons over to Bilac before seven, I won't catch up. Three hours left. It seems like enough, but factoring in all the steps—heading to the boss area, beating the boss, arriving in Fifticia, saying goodbye to Rei in all the confusion, returning to Rabituza—that many processes don't feel like they leave much room. Which means swift action is essential...

Sunraku: "Let's clear this area fast. What was it again—the Listener Dragon (Observer Dragon)?"

Akitsu Akane: "Wrong! I looked it up! Um, let's see... Right! The Wave-Riding Dragon (Surfer Dragon)!"

Psyger-0: "The Usurper Dragon... isn't it."

Eh, whatever. With the members we have here, it shouldn't be too tough a fight.

But we'd forgotten. Precisely because this is, at the end of the day, entertainment with no real danger to our lives, it had slipped our minds. We'd fought Lycagon with the intensity of unleashing every single card in our hands—and we'd burned through almost all of them.

Sunraku: "Daaaaaah, get down here, you dumbass!!"

Emul: "Sunraku-san, stop trying to throw me—waaaa!!"

Akitsu Akane: "I see! A rabbit cannonball!"

Ceecrue: "Is that acceptable, Akitsu Akane-dono...? Rabbits cannot fly. You understand this, de gozaru?"

Akitsu Akane: "They're counted as 'one bird, two birds,' so it'll work!"

Ceecrue: "Impossible! It is impossible, de gozaru!"

Psyger-0: "Evade—!!"

A fireball attack launched from an altitude our attacks can't reach. We scatter with a cry of "Whoa!" to dodge it. The area boss of the Ancient Castle Ruins of Fruitless Falling Radiance—the Usurper Dragon. The trait of seizing control of magic that's been cast is certainly troublesome. But more than that, its use of dragon wings to stay airborne is irritating beyond belief. And of all things, this impromptu party has no physical ranged attackers. So we have no choice but to wait for the Usurper Dragon to come down—but maybe because I'm feeling impatient, it feels like it's buying even more time than its actual flight duration. Emul's attacks are almost all stolen. Ceecrue and I can't reach it. And Akitsu Akane's attacks lack the firepower to begin with. That leaves our one hope—Rei. But...

Psyger-0: "I'm sorry. If I could move, I could defeat it much faster..."

Sunraku: "You've been reduced to a decorative object of honor. No need to feel guilty."

Akitsu Akane: "That's right! And even weakened, you're still stronger than me!!"

If Gilta Brille demands a long cooldown and an enormous burden on both the player and the equipment itself as the price of its firepower, then Rei's equipment imposes a far more direct weakening. The sacred white and the profane black are both ruined—her armor and greatsword now so wretched they don't even look like metal anymore, but clods of earth. Currently, for about one full day, Rei's stats are all halved, and she can't use any skills. Apparently this is still one of the milder demerits; in the worst case, it becomes permanent and the equipment becomes unremovable.

Psyger-0: "If only I could use my skills..."

Sunraku: "Just knowing how to position yourself is a bare-minimum contribution... Now—it's come down, the damn lizard! All-out attack!!"

I ready my dual blades, and together we all pounce on the camouflage-scaled dragon as it lands. We're all completely tapped out of cards anyway. Simple is best in a game with multiplayer elements—the ultimate tactic that's the best answer for any boss strategy: gang-beat the bastard into submission!!

The fight got so messy and dragged-out that only the audio has been excerpted.

Emul: "Pyaaaaaah!? I-I-I'm being eaten—waaaaaaah—!?"

Ceecrue: "M-My little sister—!!"

Sunraku: "Get back here!—Wait, don't fly off with me still on! I'll die if I fall!"

Akitsu Akane: "I'll save you, Sunraku-san! —Ah, aaaah, my dagger! I don't have any money and that's the only weapon I have! Give it baaaack!!"

Psyger-0: "Ah, Akitsu Akane-san—you can get it back the next time it lands, so please calm down..."

Akitsu Akane: "I don't have any unarmed skills! The only thing I can do without a weapon to attack with is throw shuriken, and I..."

Emul: "S-s-save me... wa... Sunraku-sannn..."

Sunraku: "Dammit, just let go of Emul—ah."

Emul: "Ah... Pyaaaaaaaaaah!!"

Ceecrue: "EMUUUUL—!!"

With a thin, dying groan, the Usurper Dragon collapses to the ground. I'd been underestimating it—thinking it'd be weaker than Lycagon and go down quickly. That was a massive mistake. As the area right before Fifticia—meaning, among bosses not tied to Uniques, it's a late-game boss—this thing was a tough enemy we only barely managed to beat by scraping together the focus we'd depleted fighting Lycagon.

Akitsu Akane: "W-We did it..."

Psyger-0: "This monster... it was a boss that gave us this much trouble..."

Sunraku: "Next time... I want to bring a catapult or something..."

Akitsu Akane: "Haha... ha..."

Emul nearly fell to her death. Akitsu Akane had her weapon stolen... Even with Rei's stats in the gutter, if she hadn't been buffing herself with magic and assisting at key moments, the battle would have dragged on even longer. Truly, flying monsters are a pain in the ass—a boss that thoroughly reaffirmed that fact. Breaking through the final barrier blocking the road to Fifticia, we watch the brightening sky as we press onward toward the city. Perhaps because we'd fought Lycagon and the Usurper Dragon back-to-back in fierce succession, the three of us—despite being nearly total strangers—had somehow grown comfortable enough to chat idly.

Psyger-0: "The players remaining here... are preparing to board the next survey ship. The reason we didn't see other players at the Ancient Castle Ruins is partly the time of day, but mostly... I think everyone is delving into that castle..."

Akitsu Akane: "Oh, really? What kind of monsters appear in that castle?"

Psyger-0: "How should I put it... line-art knights, I suppose."

Akitsu Akane: "???"

As Akitsu Akane floats a huge cluster of question marks over her head and Rei attempts a clearer explanation, Emul and I—gazing ahead—are the first to notice it.

Sunraku: "Ooh, so that's..."

Emul: "...Yes. That's the last town players could reach before the update... and now... it's the town of departure for the New Land."

The dawn sun rises. Unexpectedly, the sea—which I'm seeing for the first time in this game—catches the morning sunlight, glittering and sparkling as it ripples. Beyond it lies a new world, still unseen. And the fifteenth town—which once stood as the end of all adventures—now stands as the town that sees off pioneers setting forth for a new world. The final destination for pioneers who departed from Firstia, and the starting point for a new world separated by a vast sea—the port town of endings and beginnings belonging to Einvarus, the only human kingdom on this continent: Fifticia. We've finally reached it.

Sorry, Usurper Dragon-kun... After the Lycagon fight, I judged that any combat description would just be superfluous, so your battle gets the gag-cut treatment...

In two or three more chapters, we'll enter the epilogue of Chapter 2, and after that, I'll be taking about a week off. I'll mainly be stockpiling chapters, but I'm also considering creating a separate work packed with the setting details and other things that have been suggested in the comments section. I might move character introductions and such over there too.