Chapter 403: Like a Star Fallen from Heaven

Thank you, Inventoria. You really should be nerfed.

Sitting flat on my ass inside the storage space, I let out a relieved sigh, loosened every muscle in my body, and went limp.

That was close. That blue-green scorpion... I never thought it would pull off a double shot. Rapid-firing huge lasers should be against the rules, damn it...! You are supposed to build in a drawback, like it needing time to vent heat. That is how you add that extra touch of cool. Damn... even setting that aside, that scorpion beam is the best...

Sunraku: "Now, what do I do?"

I deliberately poured my fifth step into climbing even higher, retreated far into the sky, and used Inventoria there... Well, the moment I return to the physical space outside, I will fall and die.

Waiting for Bradion’s recast would solve that somehow... The problem is that thing. If it were a normal monster, it might lose interest and turn non-aggressive. But that thing... no, those things, would never forgive an intruder, even if they had to turn their own kind into corpses.

In other words, I cannot rule out the worst case: it might be waiting with that scorpion beam ready to fire at once. Actually, I am almost certain it is.

But I have some questions.

For example, only one new-species scorpion tried to shoot me down. If they were Crystal Scorpions, they would swarm me in huge numbers, and it would not be strange for me to get knocked off the cliff and leave a mountain of materials below. If they had beam attacks, they would definitely form ranks and fire in three tiers. That is the kind of monsters they are.

If so, should I not use the Golden Scorpion as my reference instead of the Crystal Scorpions?

If that beam scorpion is a one-of-a-kind individual or a transient individual, then that is a rare case in its own right, and I can go take its materials and life... No, that is not the point. In short, are the scorpions living in this Crystal Crown pretty individualistic?

The greatest danger of Crystal Scorpions is their group coordination. They do not hesitate over self-harm, self-destruction, or friendly fire.

If they do not have that... can I do this?

Sunraku: "If I could unlink it at will..."

Now Bradion’s downside is really showing. It is like a modified car one step away from being a drag racer. Its brakes have been ripped out, so slowing down and taking tight turns have been thrown far away.

And this Crystal Crown, which is probably an environment close to Crystal Nest Cliff... could not be a worse match for Bradion.

Honestly, it might be better not to link the steps at all... No, wait, me. That is devil thinking. I spent hundreds of millions on this. It would be too sad if I did not use it no matter what.

Sunraku: "...Win while restricting my skills?"

Could I even do that...? Not that it is impossible.

After all, I have Levin Trigger: Hazard, one of the strongest acceleration accessories. So in terms of mobility, I have not actually taken that much of a handicap.

If anything, the worst part is losing my midair jumps and my stability on bad footing.

Sunraku: "Can I apply the Golden Scorpion’s fighting pattern? No, I can’t deal with that beam... At least, clearing it on my first try while restricting my skills is..."

If so, my rough plan is decided... maybe?

Sunraku: "Setting up a save point..."

Unlike the elves’ made-to-order instant save point, normal tent items have a limited number of uses.

I have three on hand, so I can respawn up to thirty times... Well, the biggest problem is that I still have not answered the very fair question of whether there is any safe zone in this area at all.

Still, the game will not move forward if I just meditate here. Nothing starts until I leave the pause screen inside Inventoria’s storage space and return to the real-space restart point, however many meters up in the sky I am.

Sunraku: "All right... time to make up my mind!"

Even if I force myself to move, my heart will follow. I smile behind my mask, flip in place, and...

What do you call diving with no cord and no parachute?

Sunraku: "Aaaaaaah...!!"

A suicide jump, probably... And I am doing one right now.

Behind me, I feel the blast as the decoy created by Mirror of Fading gets swallowed by a crimson flash. I do not take my eyes off the ground racing toward me in an instant with the acceleration of three steps behind it.

The effect of Quantum Gaze draws a straight trail like tears. Get the timing wrong, and I become a stain on the ground. Lose control of the foot I step out with, and I become a stain on the ground.

The important thing is the image. A vague image will probably fail. A solid image of exactly this leads to reliable movement. Especially in full-dive VR...!!

Sunraku: "Now!!"

The amber strikes my left chest. Jet-black electricity races through my whole body from the point of impact.

Overflow. Its true nature is multiplying movement. In that case... I only make it in time if I move too much.

The dark blue-purple comet wraps itself in black lightning. Then, with a full-power vertical flip, I throw my body through two and a half rotations, fix myself from upside down... and slam in the fourth step, rising from below to above.

Sunraku: "Ugh."

It came out like the sound of a crushed frog, but the situation was pretty similar. This was different from the jungle, both in situation and speed. The downward pressure from above and resistance from below were not balanced. That is why it felt like a huge hand from above was crushing me flat.

But, but still! You save your trump card until the end! Like a full-heal item!!

I take on a fall made from the acceleration of steps one, two, and three, plus gravity, with only two steps. But those two steps are not just stepping. They are two steps challenging the limit of what a human can do.

Sunraku: "Nghhh!!"

My legs are numb as hell!!!!!

Even in a game with damage adjustment, the impact is enough to make me lose all feeling in my legs for a moment. Ah, it feels like standing up suddenly after sitting in a chair for too long... Or, more bluntly, the numbness after sitting leaned forward on a western toilet with your elbows on your thighs.

Sunraku: "Fuh... guh... kukuku..."

This is bad. I am starting to laugh. Why am I frozen in an invisible-chair pose...? But I cannot keep training my thighs forever. Even if I dodged the scorpion threat, the two big bosses are still in the middle of a full-on war on this bowl-and-doughnut field.

Sunraku: "Tch... you damn consumables...!"

While I slap my still-numb legs with my right hand to get feeling back, I use my left to work the window and almost pull out Duxram, Blade of Aspiration... Then I hesitate and take out the two different Whalelore Moonblades instead.

Sunraku: "Haaah... Drop your components, damn it!!"

I swing Goldsheen and slam it into a baby spider coming close. With a crack, crystal shards spill from the wound Goldsheen cut, like glass breaking... But I do not have time to pick them up.

Damn, I thought the scorpions weren’t going to swarm, but you guys are!?

The number of baby spiders keeps growing in a crawling wave. Sometimes, maybe because their big mama calls them, dozens at a time head toward the giant fortress spider. Even then, being surrounded by more than a dozen monsters that can self-destruct is pretty thrilling.

Netherlight is currently little more than a dagger, but I do not have time to use Shakkotsu Breaker. What do I do? Forcing my way through is an option, but can I cross a danger zone where the two big bosses are crashing into each other, getting blown away, and stomping everything?

Sunraku: "Chain-react, damn it!"

I kick away a baby spider whose abdomen has started swelling in the clearest possible sign that it is about to explode. I get out of the blast range while catching other baby spiders in the self-destruction.

But do they have some friendly-fire prevention built in, or are they resistant to explosions from their own kind...? The baby spiders rolling away do not look damaged at all.

Sunraku: "It pisses me off that they’re kind of cute... Component Crystal: Armlet Gargantula. I see? So that’s what you guys are called."

The big one over there does not look like an Armlet Gargantula... Do parents and children have different species names? Or maybe they are not parent and child, but male and female? Hey, you in the back, no trying to self-destruct! Go stand in the hallway!

For now, I kick away the ones about to self-destruct and cut down the rest... I have a rough flow planned out, but their numbers still are not dropping.

Do they have way too many kids? How many are there? It reminds me of Cosmo Buster... No, maybe it is because it reminds me of that that I can fight now.

Sunraku: "Fine, I’ll fight until I run out of ammo, damn it!"

???: "Quit saying stupid things and get over here!!"

Sunraku: "Huh?"

A human voice? When I turn around, a hole has opened in the spot that should have been a rock wall until just a moment ago, and a figure is peeking out from it.

???: "Dummy! Idiot! H-U-R-R-Y!!"

Sunraku: "O-okay!?"

But there is something I have to do first.

Yeah, let me pick up the Component Crystals that fell everywhere like crazy, okay? A No Result would suck.

Mysterious wimp girl, who could she be...?
(Her name has actually already appeared.)