Chapter 349: Dragons, O Dragons! Part Fourteen
[Urgent Recruitment] Room of Spirit and Time [Urgent Recruitment] How to evolve into Metagross
Sunraku: "...And your basis for that is?"
Deep Throater: "You can tell just by looking. If you were really having fun... your face wouldn't look so sleepy."
Sunraku: "Just so we're clear, it's nighttime right now?"
Honestly, feeling sleepy is the more human reaction. I'm practically half-asleep anyway, so it's basically healthy. Full-dive gamers all convince themselves of that one way or another...
Deep Throater: "I'm not talking about biological fatigue. It's about your... how do I put it. Your vibe."
Sunraku: "...That's a surprisingly intellectual way of speaking. Is that the real you?"
Deep Throater: "If you'd prefer, I can talk in whatever character and voice you want, moaning in bed while I'm at it? Getting down to business in extreme situations isn't exactly rare in panic horror, y'know."
Sunraku: "Like eighty percent of those are death flags."
So the inside is still pink. Should I give it a light sear?
Deep Throater: "Oi oi, it's just conversation to liven things up. And a person's 'real self'... you can fake that any number of ways. Isn't that right?"
Sunraku: "......"
Deep Throater laughs, shifting through voices one after another. Still a creepy party trick. I sigh and prompt her to continue. In the end, she's only pointed out my motivation is low — I still don't get what she actually wants to say.
Deep Throater: "I... want to see your full power. I want to see you — coughing up blood, grinding yourself to the bone... and still laughing from the heart, pushing forward. That's the you I want to see, Sunraku-kuun..."
Deep Throater's outstretched finger touches my cheek. Well, what her finger is actually feeling is probably the fabric of the True Eye Bird Mask. Also, don't touch me. Given the feelings I have toward you, a harassment flag's gonna trigger sooner or later.
Deep Throater: "But there's a quest. You're fighting a raid monster with barely any prep. And on top of that, it's babysitting duty... Of course you're not feeling motivated. I get it. I really do..."
Sunraku: "You left out the simple reason that you're here."
Oh, ignoring that, are we. Got it. Deep Throater sways her brushed-off hand with a show of reluctance, still smiling. With her lips twisted up as if to say even rejection is nothing but fun, she doesn't stop talking.
Deep Throater: "So, with that in mind, I've come up with a little project to make you want to go all out."
Sunraku: "Let the project collapse and bury it in the depths of history."
Deep Throater: "Ohh, so cold... Allow me to explain, then."
This guy just won't give up. No matter what I do, there's a death risk, so I have no choice but to play it cautious. No matter how I struggle, my mood isn't gonna rise—
Deep Throater: "First, Sunraku-kun, I'll have you unlock your level cap."
Sunraku: "Let's hear the details."
...Gah! No way. I just fell for it that fast...!!
Sunraku: "Gh... damn you, Deep Throater...!"
Deep Throater: "What do you think about a guy who flip-flops his attitude in two seconds and then naturally blames someone else? I think it's great! Oh my, I'm just like a housewife dependent on her abusive husband right now! Actually, the word 'housewife' means 'someone's wife,' with the basic premise being that she's someone else's possession, and that's precisely why the immoral—"
Aread—(abridged)—burn.
Deep Throater: "Well, to be blunt, it does cost HP, but it's not really that hot, y'know."
Sunraku: "I really think a blade is the only option..."
Deep Throater: "Foo, that's just plain PK... That has its own immoral charm, but this time I've got a more romantic invitation..."
Her gaze — flattering, inviting, almost dragging me somewhere — is tinted with a smile. Rubbing her cheek against Areadbhair, Deep Throater lays her scheme bare.
Deep Throater: "Chase two rabbits and take down both... Let's kill the Great Red Devourer and 'Scarred' together, yeah?"
Emul: "Sunraku-san, are you truly all right, wa...?"
Sunraku: "It pisses me off, but she's competent... At least enough to hold the line until I finish my part of the job."
Going along with someone else's plan isn't a new experience for me. Quite the opposite. I've gone along with our dear demon lord Pencilgon's schemes and spawn-camped hostile factions into oblivion. In MMOs, following someone's orders is pretty standard anyway.
But this time, it feels like... I've been put on a ship loaded with explosives. And right next to the gunpowder is Deep Throater, grinning and puffing on a cigarette. And on top of that, she's got some kind of death wish, so she keeps bringing that lit cigarette closer to the explosives alongside her dirty jokes.
Sunraku: "Looking ahead, divine punishment really is the best option..."
But considering the current situation, that choice is a bad move. I have no choice but to keep riding shotgun with the devil. Still, if I take off the 100%-biased colored glasses, her "plan" or whatever it was... is actually convincing enough.
Among teleportation magic, there's a spell of the highest class: "Eurus Baberi: O Angolmoa, Great King of Destruction from the East Wind." To sum it up, it's a spell that teleports a giant meteor, and with it, she intends to annihilate both the Great Red Devourer and "Scarred." That's the plan Deep Throater came up with. In exchange for its immense power, it has demerits: the incantation cannot be skipped, and it draws massive aggro. To make sure it goes off without a hitch, I need to unlock my level cap.
The plan itself doesn't feel too off. If I had to nitpick, it'd be the credibility of the magic called "Eurus Baberi: O Angolmoa, Great King of Destruction from the East Wind"...
Sunraku: "Hey, Emul. Is something like that actually possible with teleportation magic?"
Emul: "Mmmmm... My magic is self-taught, wa, so I don't really know for sure..."
Sunraku: "Tch... I see."
Emul: "You just tried to say 'useless'! You tried to say 'useless', waa!!"
Sunraku: "Oi, stop hitting me, stop it!"
Right now, I'm getting bonked on the head by Emul as we run from the monster battle royale unfolding in the elves village — specifically, the plaza-like area with fewer buildings — toward the opposite side: the center of the residential district. The destination is, naturally, the Awakening Altar. The level-cap-unlock facility that even someone close to me, like Kyotimate, has probably reached. Apparently, once you break the Extend cap at level 99, all the experience you earned during Extend gets applied at once, skyrocketing your level.
Sunraku: "So she already had everything arranged."
I see. She's got a point. If the situation around me kills my motivation, then changing me to boost my motivation for a "test run"... that's what she's going for. She's telling me to go all out by combining two massive events: the level cap unlock and this raid battle.
I've heard bits and pieces from Kyotimate, who's gotten pretty used to her "Bakumatsu"-flavored moves. The rumored triple-digit skills aren't unlocked through some special condition; they're simply a group of skills that open up once you hit level 100 or higher. So, chances are, the skills I've been using up until now will evolve further the moment I level up.
Sunraku: "And there's something to look forward to."
I've fought a ton of tough enemies up to now. Just how much accumulated experience is hiding behind those six letters of Extend? Will I get enough stats to beat the absolute shit out of that goddamn tail-head bastard...? Yeah. I'm feeling pretty motivated now.
Sunraku: "...We're here, huh."
Well, I've been able to see it for a while now... but yeah, that's gotta be the only thing it could be.
For example, in a "fantasy world," how do you go about making a "clear display of super-science"? In my opinion, one way is "anti-weathering measures." As if to say "it'll be fine even after a hundred years"... while every building around it crumbles away over time, this one thing alone retains its dull silver metallic sheen without a single speck of rust.
The one and only thing rebelling against the flow of time. In the elves village, covered by trees, soil, and plants, it's the only thing made of hyper-advanced metalwork — a disc with claws, stuck into the ground at a slightly crooked angle. That place is, without a doubt...
Emul: "This is... the Awakening Altar, wa?"
Sunraku: "Probably..."
What is this? It's like someone took an upside-down jellyfish and spaced its legs out evenly... Since it's slightly tilted, it's not firmly fixed to the ground. More like the "disc and claws" are just resting directly on it. It's as if something just dropped a giant disc carelessly from above... No, is that exactly why it's called Tiaplaten, the Tear Plate? If so, setting aside whether we should call this disc a "tear"... what dropped it? No, now's not the time for speculation.
Sunraku: "Alright. It's time for my first level-up in a while."