Chapter 232: After the Dreams of Warriors
Once we arrived in Eleventar, the urge to go back to that hellish crystal plain minefield started welling up. But honestly, if I brought Emul into a danger zone with spike damage even worse than Ruluiath, I'd definitely have to atone by disemboweling myself this time.
Sunraku: "It's hell while you're doing it, but once it's over, you always want to go again, you know?"
Another raid for another time. Our current destination is the Ruins of Lost Glories.
This area is a combination of two fields: a plain and a fortress. Unlike the grasslands, which are mostly populated by biological-type monsters, the interior of the fortress is said to have a completely different category of monsters... and they're apparently insanely strong.
From the info I gathered beforehand: "Level 80 is the absolute bare minimum", "Backline has a high chance of dying without self-defense", "AI is pretty sadistic, though not as bad as Bounty Hunters", "Pure mages need not apply". Etcetera, etcetera. Not bad reviews. I'm getting excited just reading them.
Sunraku: "That 'Lineart Knight' Rei-shi mentioned seems to be a monster called a 'Contual Knight'."
Emul: "Hoo... Is it like a skeleton, wa?"
Sunraku: "Who knows. I haven't looked into it much. I don't want to spoil the fun."
But at least, I figure the chances of running into other players are pretty low. After all, the guide site's reviews basically say it's a "dud field not worth going to except for a test of strength."
Sunraku: "Experience points aren't great, they don't drop items, and there aren't any good items to pick up either..."
Still, this is a game where you never know where a Unique might be hiding, so I hear the investigation is still ongoing. But even so, the game's main premise is to be fun. There probably aren't many players sinking time into a low-return area on a weekday midnight.
Sunraku: "Well, it looks like it wasn't completely empty, though."
Case in point: we're here, guided by a Bonus Unique Scenario.
We passed through a gate that looked crushed from the outside, clearly destroyed by some external impact, and stepped into the fortress interior.
Emul: "Whoa, it's pitch dark, wa... Eep!?"
Sunraku: "Lucky you, Emul. See? It's brighter now, right?"
Emul: "You're not the one who made it brighter, wa!"
Right, you got me.
Setting aside how it turned on, it seems this facility, with its ancient Divine Era tech, is still functional.
Sunraku: "According to the lore, some ancient country once used this Divine Era ruin as a fortress, but they ended up getting destroyed anyway... Something like that."
Emul: "Hai na! I heard they used it during the... some kind of war? I think, wa!"
Every man has his history, and soldiers and all that. I'm sure I could get all sorts of details if I asked the lore clan, but honestly, that fake magical girl seems like the long-winded type. Plus, she's the kind of person who draws you in despite yourself. I'll save that for when I have time.
Sunraku: "So basically, the civilization that made this place and the one that last used it were at different tech levels. That's why it's so all over the place."
We made our way forward, kicking a weathered helmet that was just beyond standing out in the sci-fi building. Emul sat on my head.
The Spartan-style Corinthian helmet, probably modeled after Arctus Regalex's dorsal fin, got bad reviews for being uncomfortable to ride on, so now I'm back to the bird head.
I mean, when I wore the salmon head, she complained it smelled fishy. Talk about picky.
Emul: "...Sunraku-san, I'm sensing something, wa."
Sunraku: "Yeah, makes sense. I heard they're stationary encounters, not wandering type."
Wandering types roam the whole area after spawning. Stationary types don't move from a specific area. The former will chase you if you run, but the latter will usually let you off once you cross a certain line.
We pushed past rotten, broken wooden boxes and bent, rusted swords—walking through a past that's newer than the Divine Era but older than the present—and passed through an automatic mechanical door. What greeted us was a spacious area, much larger than the hallway. To someone like me, who knows what "cyberpunk" is, it looked like a square that once functioned as an "entrance," leading to several other areas.
And standing imposingly in the middle of this sci-fi ruin was it. At that moment, I truly understood what Rei-shi meant by "Lineart Knight."
Sunraku: "I see. It's drawn with just lines on a transparent background, so the inside is empty."
Emul: "Sunraku-san! I don't sense any other presences, wa!"
A one-on-one duel, huh? I guess that's the chivalric code, true to its appearance.
If I had to describe that knight, it was exactly as Rei-shi said: a knight tinted by the background color, drawn with only line art. Because it's rendered in 3D without any internal color, it looked unnatural—like a jungle gym, a shape of a knight formed only by points and lines, something you hardly see these days.
But no. What it's made of isn't some frail framework that would bend or break under a single blow.
Would a greatsword drawn with just points and lines really make such a heavy whoosh sound?
Sunraku: "Emul. If they want a duel, I'll accept. Don't you dare interfere. Focus on keeping yourself safe."
Emul: "Hai na! I knew you'd say that, Sunraku-san, wa!"
Should I be happy that she trusts me? But honestly, watching her cheer me on from the corner of the entrance doesn't feel so bad either.
Sunraku: "A one-on-one duel. I'll beat you down fair and square, so bring it on."
The weapons I drew weren't my twin swords. Instead, I took out Dis Pater, Nether King's Mirror Shield, and the Blue Predator, Sea-Eater Sword.
When was the last time I used a basic swordsman setup of one-handed sword and shield...? Back when I was playing Fuckaria up until just before the final boss?
Sunraku: "I don't need any fancy support skills. I'll show you that all you need is skill."
What would you say is the biggest difference between fighting a monster and fighting a player? I'd define it as the "nature of the openings."
Monsters—mobs designed to be defeated—always have defined openings set by the developers, no matter how punishing their stats. Player-versus-player, on the other hand, is a different story. Even if the outcome is guaranteed to be safe, the process is nothing short of a life-or-death struggle. It's precisely because we can continue without any physical risk that we feel safe taking a bullet to the head or picking a fight with a demon or an evil god.
Anyway, my point is that in PvP, "openings" are genuine gaps. They're not like the rests the composer puts between notes in a game. They're breaths that force themselves between actions.
So what am I getting at? This Contual Knight is like a player in that sense. It barely has any clear openings at all.
Sunraku: "Quite... a challenge...!"
I activated Moment Sight. The world seemed to stop for an instant, enveloping my perception. I'd rather not think too hard about the mechanics behind how it works. The greatsword thrusting at me in easy-to-read slow motion—I smacked it aside with my shield.
Only my perception is accelerated. My body's movements are still slow, like the Contual Knight's. But still, the parry with the shield succeeded before the greatsword could pierce me.
Sunraku: "Hmph!"
I really like that I can deactivate this skill at will.
Slow motion returns to normal speed. The greatsword, thrust at an unavoidable timing, is deflected and passes right by me.
In PvP, you create your own openings. So in that sense, the more accustomed you are to PvP, the easier this monster is to fight.
Sunraku: "Is this actually doing anything!?"
Attacking the lines that make up its body is a waste. My weapon durability doesn't go down, but even a single line will deflect a full-force swing.
But there is an effective way to damage it. If I attack the empty space between the lines, it seems to count as damage.
How to put it? These Contual Knights have "content." Not physical flesh, but if I had to describe it, it's like the air inside a knight-shaped balloon. Poking it won't make it pop, but if I plunge my sword deep into that invisible "something," it'll flinch.
The theory doesn't matter right now. If I can deplete the energy or mana that makes this "knight of outlines" a knight, it'll fall!
Sunraku: "As long as it's vulnerable to physical damage, I don't see how I can lose!"
The Blue Predator's effect is "bonus damage against underwater monsters"—a pretty situational ability outside of Ruluiath. But even without that, it's a great weapon with solid base stats. Its sharpness as a sword might be inferior to Duxram, Blade of Aspiration, but this sword, made from a beast's fangs, is more brutal as I plunge it into the Contual Knight's interior.
Sunraku: "Hah... Next time, wear some armor that can actually stop attacks before you come back."
I felt its depleting HP bottom out. As I pulled the Blue Predator free, the knight froze in its flinching animation. Then it collapsed and vanished as easily as a house of cards.
No drops. And with my extended levels, I can't confirm the number value, but the experience points were lousy. Yet its AI and its overall trickiness... Yeah, no wonder I wouldn't come back here if it wasn't for a Unique.
Sunraku: "Alright, Emul. Forward."