Chapter 137: Red Whale Confronts the Fish-Monsters

Come to think of it calmly, this Unique Scenario "Strike the Apostle of the Abyss" isn't something that triggers so easily. After all, I know nothing about it, and even Rust and Mold, who have the information, aren't sure how they triggered it themselves.

Those two are, in a sense, under my thumb, so silencing them is easy... No, I don't mean silencing them in the "kill" sense—more like dangling the mech in front of them. So even if clearing this scenario were to spawn a Unique Scenario EX, no players besides Rei-shi and Akitsu Akane could piggyback on it. The fact that those two ended up here was itself unexpected, but rather than dwelling on what's already happened, I should correct what needs correcting.

Sunraku: "...And so, for those reasons, these are our additional helpers for this scenario: Psyger-0-san and Akitsu Akane-san."

Rust: "I have absolutely no idea what 'those reasons' are supposed to be..."

Well, yeah, of course she'd want to say that. But I lacked the guts to tell them, "This was a mistake, so head on back. Also, you two know nothing about any Unique Scenario, capisce?" I tried hinting indirectly, like, "Sorry for calling you here by mistake—if you've got other things to do, feel free to leave," but of course, no player who'd pass up a chance to join a Unique Scenario exists. Rei-shi did seem to be wrestling with something, but in the end, she told me she'd participate in this scenario after all... You really don't have to push yourself, you know?

Rust shot me a look laden with all sorts of emotions, but she accepted it once I explained that the player Psyger-0 is among the strongest in all of SLF.

Mold: "...And the other one?"

Akitsu Akane: "Yes! My name is Akitsu Akane!"

Sunraku: "Just think of her as Utility Player A. The optional part is basically the main body."

Akitsu Akane: "That's harsh?!"

Well, she really is the lowest-level player here. Even if defeating Lycagon (clone) might have given her an absurd level-up under normal circumstances, it's still a fact that her strength is a cut below in a group averaging level 80.

That said, unlike Emul, the optional part—Ceecrue—has a pure combat build, so you really could call the optional part the main body. And all those ninja-esque spells are fairly useful outside of raw firepower. In fact, the roles are practically reversed, with Ceecrue as the main attacker and Akitsu Akane as support. If only that laser beam had a little more punch, she could serve as backline artillery instead of support. From what I've heard, it's barely enough to stagger a golem in the Ruins of Past Glories. That beam's power, even when critically hitting a weak point, is about five of my attacks. The visual fraud is appalling.

Rust: "...Well, as long as she can use the mech, I don't care."

Mold: "More people means we can split up roles better. I have no objections either."

No need to exploit any weakness—both gave their approval readily, so we reformed the party. This scenario belongs mainly to Rust and Mold, after all. It makes more sense for them to be the leaders with us under them, rather than sticking with my party that carried over from the Lycagon fight. The moment I used leader authority to disband the party, I thought I felt some kind of pressure emanating from Rei-shi... what was that? You can form a party anytime, so disbanding shouldn't be a problem... Wait, don't tell me something actually happens when you disband a party?!

Sunraku: "Sent the party invites. Huh... so Vorpal Bunnies count as party members too..."

Right, I think you can bring dog-like and cat-like monsters along as certain types of optional attachments. Emul and Ceecrue are treated as NPCs, so it's probably something to do with that.

Stude: "How long are you gonna dawdle?! Get on the ship already!!"

Sunraku: "The little shithead beckons. Let's go."

From atop the ship, Stude shouted at us with a voice absurdly loud for a child, hurrying us along. There had been the accident of sudden extra personnel, but now—with the team from the Lycagon fight, plus an archer and a pure mage, making five people and two bunnies—we boarded the Red Whale Pirates' sailing ship, the Scarlet Whale.

Akitsu Akane: "Wow, amazing! We're moving!"

A hidden harbor in Deadbeat Alley, shabby beyond compare with Fifticia's main port. From the shadow of the colossal shipwreck, a single sailing vessel parted the waters and made for the open sea. The gigantic ship floating majestically in the main harbor—whether a luxury liner or a dreadnought-class battleship—dwarfed even real-world whales to the point of being as man and insect. By contrast, this sailboat was painfully small. Yet it caught the wind, hoisting an emblem of a crimson whale and skull upon its sail as if to declare: I am the one who rules the sea.

Sunraku: "Damn... Mobs are actually operating the ship."

Psyger-0: "What's... so amazing about that?"

Sunraku: "It means this ship isn't moving on system rails—it's physically simulated, faithfully reproduced down to the last screw."

To answer Rei-shi's question, I explained this game's utterly insane craftsmanship. The data used for this ship would probably blow out the memory of a low-end PC if you tried to store it. Normally, this is exactly the kind of thing you compromise on. Nobody would care if the ship sped along regardless of wind. A ship-shaped model with some vaguely convincing bump-mapped textures would've been more than enough. But this ship... and probably that giant survey ship too—they're not just "ship" models. They're constructed from wood, metal fittings, and everything else, all built according to the physics engine. It's way past amazing and into creepy territory. What drove the people who made this game to go this far?

Sunraku: "Well, I guess the point is... it's an incredible game."

Psyger-0: "Yes... I think it's a very, very good game."

Rei-shi's words seemed to carry weight beyond just the game's high specs, but well, graphics aren't everything. People can be moved even by pixels. Games that excel in only one area... in other words, games that have only one good thing about them, mostly end up classified as trash.

Sunraku: "Still, I doubt I'll catch anything fishing from a moving ship... But then again, it's a sailing ship, and compared to an engine-powered vessel it's pretty slow, so maybe some fast-swimming fish could catch up and bite...?"

If that's decided, then time to fish. This rod clearly isn't made for big game, but who knows what I'll pull up.

Roughly thirty minutes had passed since I started fishing. Don't ask about the results—Emul nodding off is all the proof you need. And don't go blowing a snot bubble, you damn scarf. Weirdly gag-like animation at a time like this...

???: "...Did the weather just shift?"

I can't recall who murmured it, but at those words, both players and NPCs looked to the sky. The canopy that had stretched wide—a blue firmament rivaling the azure sea, and the sunlight that had been beating down oppressively bright—had dimmed. Not because the sun's own light had faded, but as if a filter had been laid over the blue sky's texture. The light was being blocked.

Sunraku: "...Hey, Rei-shi, maybe I'm just ignorant here, so I'll ask: Is it fairly common in SLF for the weather to change this drastically in under a minute?"

Psyger-0: "At the very least, in all the time I've played... nothing like that has ev—?!"

At first, the light merely weakened. But with each passing second, it dimmed, became veiled, and at last, black clouds swollen with water and lightning hid the Scarlet Whale entirely from the sun. Looking closely, the clouds didn't cover the whole world of SLF. An unnaturally circular mass of storm clouds was forming, centered precisely on this ship.

Red Whale Pirate: "Captain! No doubt about it—it's just like that time!!"

Stude: "I-I ain't scared! I'm Papa's son...! All of you! Ready your weapons!!"

After a split second of faltering, Stude shouted battle preparations to the crew, and to us. While the NPCs scrambled to grab their weapons, the players—who could whip theirs out of their inventory instantly—stood ready on the spot, scanning our surroundings for whatever was happening.

Sunraku: "Ghost ships generally show up in one of two patterns. That's the established convention."

Emul: "Wh-What are they, wa...?"

Her fur standing on end, Emul asked, half-terrified.

Sunraku: "One is the horror game pattern—slowly emerging from the fog. And the other is... Here it comes! From below!!"

The action game pattern: blasting up from the seabed!!

In the next instant, light laced with destructive force fell from the black clouds. The hammer of light that struck the ocean's surface vaporized seawater in a flash, its destructive force expressed as an explosion on the water's surface. And simultaneously, the sea erupted in a massive pillar of water from the impact below.

???: "A ghost ship... what was it called? Something Insulin?"

Stude: "The Crying Innsman...! A-All hands, b-battle stations!!"

I'll give the little shithead credit: terrified as he was, he didn't abandon his role as captain. The scarred Red Whale pirate ship, and the wailing ghost ship of the fish-monsters—the two now faced off upon a raging sea.

[Truth be told, the most useless member of this party right now is our heroine, whose stats are halved. Even if you change her equipment, the stat-halving debuff lasts a full day.]