Chapter 399: Critical Legs Conquer the Sky
Running through a forest is a lot harder than I thought. It's not just that the trees are in the way—the real pain is the ground. Humans aren't the only ones living with their feet on the earth; tree roots are buried in the soil. And not every tree is kind enough to keep all its roots tucked away underground. Roots that poke out, blending into the dim ground, are a far nastier trap than any grass trip, and ground that's too soft will swallow a human foot in an instant. In other words, land ideal for trees to thrive is completely wrong for running.
So, I tried this.
Sunraku: "Babababababa!"
The wind roars, throwing up a wall of air to stop me, but my body, carrying an absurd amount of momentum, punches right through that atmospheric wall like a pile driver—splitting, tearing, and flying through it. That's right, I'm flying.
Sunraku: "Gh, babababababa!"
This is insane! Seriously insane! High Connection is insane!! To pull this off with a single combined skill—this is bad! The situation's so bad my vocabulary is dying! My vocabulary's getting eaten alive by "insane"! Insane!!
Sunraku: "Ooooooh!?"
Calling it "flying" might not be right. "Launching" is more accurate. If you push simple propulsion to its critical point, even a clunky body with no wings, weak chest muscles, and bones packed too dense can fly.
Changing the subject, Loli-sensei Tias's "Tachyon" apparently refers to superluminal speeds—speeds that never drop below light speed. I see. No wonder there's no way to beat that skill in speed when it slaps you with an acceleration buff and a deceleration debuff simultaneously, no matter how much it holds back. Think about it: it's like being in a foot race where the guy already running away with first place ties iron balls to the ankles of everyone behind him. That's why Loli-sensei is the strongest bounty hunter, the fastest NPC.
If that's the case, then the name of this skill I've obtained might be a name of defeat, showing the limits of humans and players—or perhaps, a name of honor, having reached the extreme.
High Connection: a mobility-specialized seven-link. The name of the skill that links every bit of mobility I, Sunraku, have cultivated into a single unit—that seven-link skill is called Bradion.
Sunraku: "Hyaaah!!"
Zudan! I kick off the empty air and gain a third burst of acceleration. The phenomenon itself is similar to the Hermes Boot I linked and incorporated, but Bradion isn't some half-baked skill like that. If it were, I wouldn't have turned into a wall stain.
Bradion is a skill that combines three effects. First, the effect's duration lasts from activation until I take "five steps." Strictly speaking, the effect applies as long as the motion of stepping forward with the sole of my foot happens five times. Second, a self-damage effect: the moment it activates, 99.9% of my HP vanishes. In other words, it drops to 1. I assume healing is possible, but before I could test that, I became a wall stain, so verification is needed. Tested it just now—healing itself is possible.
And finally, the effects granted while active... these are insane. Maximum speed from the first step. An extreme acceleration buff that accumulates—no, probably multiplies—with every step. Air jumps, wall running, ceiling running. No knockback on landing. Damage reduction while accelerating. Well, I guess that about sums it up? Basically, while the skill is active, you're in a pseudo-invincible state.
If I just list it out like that, it sounds like I cherry-picked the best parts of seven different skills... but no, that's not it. Listen. As creatures who depend on our legs to move, humans also depend on our legs to brake. The fifth step gives the maximum acceleration... so how the hell am I supposed to stop?
The sixth step is just a normal leg with no buffs. I don't even need to explain what happens if you stick a leg out of a linear motor car and touch the ground. You'll turn into momiji-oroshi—grated to pieces. So that means I have to brake on the fifth step while the skill's buffs are still up... hahaha, you're telling me to slam the accelerator and brake at the same time?
The bitter memory of painting the Rabituza Colosseum wall in my colors flashes back... I reflexively stomped down, accelerated, and smashed face-first into the wall. I tried to stop, lost my balance, and smashed face-first into the wall. I got carried away, air-jumped, had nowhere to land, gambled on a sideways acceleration, and smashed face-first into the wall. I tried to at least avoid hitting the wall by kicking off it, but got blown in the opposite direction. I stumbled to catch my balance, and at max speed, I smashed face-first into the opposite wall.
I want to believe that single small crack in the fairly sturdy Colosseum wall wasn't my fault.
In conclusion, if you use this skill in a tight space, you'll almost certainly become a wall stain. So if you're gonna use it, use it in a wide, open place.
Sunraku: "Ooh, oooooooh...!"
The stupid acceleration—baka-celeration—was cushioned by a natural air cushion, so I'm still flying forward and upward. But I've regained enough calm to look around at the scenery. Since my normal mask wouldn't do anything to protect me, I've got the Shoro head shell equipped. Even in a game, bare eyes are rough, real rough.
I've already crossed two-thirds of the jungle. Weird... sure, I'm blasting along at a hell of a speed, but can I really cross two-thirds of that absurdly huge jungle already? No, maybe it's not that. This jungle is shaped like a half-moon, so if I take the shortest, fastest route, the distance itself isn't that much? No, maybe that's not it either? Considering that the old continent's areas can be cleared in a short time compared to their actual size, maybe the distance players feel and the actual distance are different.
...Why is it that humans always look away from the most urgent thing and put their thoughts into something else?
Sunraku: "Guess it's about time I fall..."
Humans don't have wings, sadly. That's exactly why we yearn for the sky... but if I fall as-is, I'll become a stain on the ground.
So, reverse thinking.
Sunraku: "Success rate: 75%... the least trustworthy RNG in the world."
A 75% success rate—mocked as practically 25%—doesn't give you the courage you'd have facing 50%, and it doesn't give you the peace of mind of 100%. It's truly the devil's number. 666 is the devil's number? 666% is awesome, I'd worship that.
Sunraku: "Alright, here goes!!"
In midair, I twist my body into an upside-down position—head down, feet toward the sky. I use my bent fourth step to kick the atmosphere, fully aware.
BOOM! A massive amount of air is pierced by the bullet called me. A single human body plummets toward the ground with incredible force. It's not that I'm not used to dying from falls... but this is insane. Terrifying!
Sunraku: "But!!"
I'm facing off against myself, and for that, I have to borrow the power of the great physics engine!! The wind tries to stop my body like water, but right now I'm not alone. The absolute law of this game world—fall processing by the physics engine—sends me hurtling to the ground with tremendous speed. Posture control! Feet to the ground, head to the sky! Damn it, my face is hard to move! Switch to True Eye Bird Mask! Arms spread for balance. I focus everything on my right leg—the crucial fifth step—while my left leg bends at the knee, slightly raised... Impact, now!!
Sunraku: "Nnn!!"
Normally, when a human hits the ground, they end up as a ground stain nine times out of ten. But my right leg, stretched taut yet still acting as a shock absorber, nullifies the fall damage with Bradion's effect. The impact on the ground itself, however, is another story. A tremendous sound shakes the earth, and the point where my right foot lands sinks into the soil. But here, the fifth step's effect kicks in. The downward kinetic energy—falling acceleration thanks to gravity—clashes head-on with the fifth step's upward acceleration, trying to launch me from below.
Sunraku: "........."
The dust clears. There I am, standing proud on my right leg, a bird-headed figure striking a pose. Heh, my arms spread wide, held high like wings.
Sunraku: "Alright, time to go."
Should I try again once the recast is up? But it's 75%... man, that's really an untrustworthy number. If it were at least 79% with some fractional odds, I could trust it a bit more.
The pose of a raging hawk descending.