《Only Sense Online (LN)》


 Chapter Volume 1 Prologue

    Prologue - A Tester and a Beginner


    In a forest; we could hear the sounds of multiple footsteps crumpling the leaves. The sounds were approaching us.


    "Onee-chan, support please!"


    "Understood. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Speed."


    We had noticed them immediately. In order to prepare for battle we reinforced our stats and waited for the enemy to approach us.


    What appeared soon after were three monkeys covered with dark brown fur and malformed arms with ¡ª¡ªa pack of Mash Apes. Their arms were long and delicate, but the monkeys fist were hard as stone. Their pupils didn''t show any intellect, they were displaying their sharp fangs with frenzied expressions, and the monkeys released strange squeaks as they raised their arms up high.


    After the first one leaped at us to attack, the other two followed up in the same manner.


    "I''ll take on two of them! Stall the third one and buy some time!"


    "Got it!"


    In response to the instruction, I pulled out my weapon ¨C a bow, aimed at the monkey in the back and released an arrow.


    The released arrow hit beyond the hardened part of its arm and pierced deep into its shoulder. As the arrow struck, the monkey released a painful squeal and pulled away. While maintaining distance between me and the attacking monkey I continued to shoot arrows at a regular interval, making sure its attention was focused on me.


    The two remaining monkeys that were left to my female partner pounced and whipped at her with their long forearms. She was calm and prepared for the prey, parrying with a slash of the long sword in her hand. A sideways glance confirmed her safety and I judged that she could take on two monkeys simultaneously without any problems. As always, I admired the skill of the girl who at all times positioned herself in my field of view.


    "Haa¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    The monkeys were lured in, and the moment they entered attack range of the girl the Art was released.


    As the beasts received continuous sword attacks, their HP displayed above their heads continued to decrease until they completely disappeared.


    Every time I saw that I was impressed by the sharp slashes, and this time I even forgot I was still fighting against the remaining monkey.


    Although I managed to avoid the monkey''s hammer-like arm, it grazed my body and after staggering from the impact, I fell on my bottom.


    As I looked up at the monkey from the floor, it seemed like it was bigger than me. Once again it raised its hardened arms above its head, getting ready to swing them down any moment. Seeing that, I closed my eyes tightly and curled up. But the shock from the attack didn''t come.


    "And... done."


    That dry comment made me slowly open my eyes again. In front of me was a crumbling monkey and the girl with shiny silver hair sheathing her sword.


    "Thank you for the follow-up Onee-chan."


    "No, I was the one who forced you to do this. I need to do at least this much, don''t I."


    Even though I said that, I could only attract attention of one beast and ended up looking so pathetic.


    For the time being I was using a bow as my main weapon, from the fact that I couldn''t defeat a single monkey one could tell it was not easy to use.


    Before brooding over it further, I checked the vicinity of tree roots which were my original objective and collected an item.


    "That was the last one. I''ve collected all necessary materials."


    "Looks like it. That''s great, so Onee-chan''s errand is complete. By the way, what are you making?"


    "My crafting skill is making drugs. For that, I need to acquire a large amount of materials."


    "In combat it always feels like *dang* and *bang*, but it''s hard for me to imagine Yun-oneechan''s crafting."


    "No, I don''t think you can describe crafting with onomatopoeia. Also, Myu¡ª¡ªdon''t call me as if I am your sister."


    That''s right. For the time being my in-game character is female, but in ''''real'''' I''m a man.


    "Who cares. Next, let''s go and have you level up, Onee-chan! Time to head to the hunting grounds, let''s go!"


    "Hey, wait. Myu!"


    "You looked quite pitiful earlier! That''s because you didn''t level your Senses enough! Now, let''s go and fight against a bit stronger mobs!"


    I muttered ''geez''. My little sister, Myu took my hand and pulled me deeper into the forest.


    In this forest there was a variety of monsters like the malformed monkeys from earlier. For the current me it was a little bit too heavy of a load.


    I didn''t feel any pleasure from forcing myself to level, and doing so only mentally exhausts me. However, Myu was just the opposite, and as she had a lot of fun I just left it at a sigh and followed her.


    Originally, the first opportunity I had to play this game was during summer vacation.


    ¡ñ


    In ¡¾Only Sense Online¡¿, also known as ¡¾OSO¡¿, the players are all equipped with abilities called ''Senses'', with only one way of life, it''s an VRMMORPG which attracted players with the slogan ''only one play style'' when it was still in beta.


    It boasted an autonomous AI developed by the publisher, Epsony Inc., and a realistic virtual world maintained by a huge amount of computing power from large servers. The world looked like your regular middle ages fantasy setting with swords and magic, yet it stood out from other worlds of that genre thanks to its degree of perfection... or so it seemed.


    How one masters his Sense is up to the player. There''s a countless amount of basic Senses, and even more of them have been added which didn''t exist in the open beta.


    ¡ª¡ªThe play style, and there was truly an only one, was to play together with your friends.


    And I, the day before the game officially went live... eh? why? Why!? I''ve been abducted, imprisoned in my friend''s house and forced to help out with the collective summer homework on the first day of break.


    And the culprit was my no-good friend Takumi.


    "Hey, Shun. Show me what you did for maths for a moment."


    Without any reservations, Takumi ripped off all my effort. A blood vein appeared on my temple and my cheeks began to convulse. Then, I forcefully quelled the anger welling up inside of me.


    "You... why? Not only do you bring me here, but you also make me show you my homework."


    "It''s fine. Haven''t we done this every year? The homework piled up and the end of the holidays was coming."


    My no-good childhood friend Takumi said that nonchalantly. And this time we did it early because he wanted to absorb himself in gaming for the entire holidays. Seriously, I give up.


    "I don''t want to bother worrying about it later. Also, there''s a game I want to play together with you."


    "No, seriously, you blackmailed me by saying you''ll reveal that story from my past that I don''t want to be known. Well, fine. It''s not a bad thing to finish the homework as soon as possible. But there''s nothing in it for me."


    "I told you not to worry. You''ll be able to play a game together with me like this."


    "Why do I have to play a game with you? Also, for us to do all the collective homework on day one, unlike you, I''m quite busy. There''s housework I need to do..."


    Our household has both of the parents working, so during summer vacation, the children are supposed to be responsible for housework. However, in reality the only one who''s responsible for it is me, the brother. With the older sister far away in college and the little sister Miu''s ability to do chores on a devastatingly low level, as a matter of course I became responsible for all the housework.


    That''s why I shouldn''t waste time here by being kidnapped. When I started to think about that, Takumi mentioned something unexpected.


    "You, you haven''t spoken with Shizuka-neesan so you don''t know, but she is also playing this game. So if you play it you''ll be able to play with both your older sister and your little sister, all three of you, for the first time in a while, right?"


    "You mean Miu is playing that game as well?"


    "Yeah, I met the two of them occasionally while it was still in beta."


    Ohh, I see. Miu made a huge scene when she learned Shizuka-nee was going far away for university. So that''s the reason why she''s been so cheerful lately, like that never happened.


    "Now, let''s put all the homework behind us! In exchange, I''ll release you and prepare the game hardware for you."


    "Good grief, I get it. I''ll play the game with you. But don''t expect me to match the pace of you three hardcore gamers."


    As I said so, I took the paper bag Takumi held out to me. Inside, there was the VR gear, the hardware for new games. It was the latest VR hardware, a hypnotic-induction type rather than a head display type.


    It was the latest hardware developed by Epsony Inc., and the only game that was currently supported was ¡¾OSO¡¿. In other words, it was hardware dedicated to one game.


    The advantage of the hypnotic-induction type was the fact that operating it was done through brain waves. Conventionally one watched the display from first-person perspective and manipulated the controller in one''s hand, but this long-standing problem in operability has finally been solved.


    "H-hey. This is the latest model! I''ve seen it on TV before. They can''t keep up with producing them, right? I can''t take something this expensive."


    "Don''t mind it. So that I can play ¡¾OSO¡¿ with you, I got it from a sweepstakes site; it was quite hard to get it before they went out of stock. I got my own for free because I was a beta tester. Now, it takes time to set up the characteristic brain wave detection so go back home already. If there''s anything you don''t know, just ask Miu-chan."


    "Y-yeah..."


    I kept the bag and was sent off from the entrance by my no-good friend.


    Geez, he could handle this matter more politely, and thinking that, I continued to walk on the road home taking steps on the sultry asphalt.


    On the way home I stopped by a convenience store and bought ice candy to cool myself off.


    "I''m back."


    "Welcome back, Onii-chan. You were at Takumi-san''s place weren''t you?"


    After I arrived at home all sweaty from walking in the midsummer heat rising from the asphalt, a voice welcomed me. Moreover, there''s that look and that expectant grin. I know what you''re going to say.


    "I bought ice candy on the way home, let''s eat it."


    "Yaay! Ice candy! Is it my favourite boribori-kun? ...no, wrong!! Wait, not wrong, I like boribori-kun, but... What I want to say is, that!"


    And as she said that, she energetically pointed at the bag with the VR gear I held in my hand.


    A third year middle schooler, a cute and lively girl who still had some childish facial features. Unfortunately, she was a hardcore gamer. As her older brother I''ve already exhausted myself worrying about her.


    She''s been a bit down until recently because our elder sister Shizuka-nee left home for university. I''ve heard she regained her vigour after discovering the world of ¡¾OSO¡¿ which made me a bit interested in it as well.


    "I get it. I want to see Shizuka-nee as well, so I''ll play with you."


    "Really?! Thank you! It''s officially starting tomorrow, so let''s set it up now, ahead of time."


    "At least let''s eat the ice candy first."


    Although she tried to steal away the VR gear I held, I quickly moved away, turned my body and dangled the convenience store bag I had in the other hand in front of her. She displayed a frustrated expression..


    However, after she took the boribori-kun from the bag her mood immediately changed to a happy one. I don''t know whether she''s innocent, or just simple.


    I stopped for a moment to take a breather and ate the ice candy I bought. After that, I booted the PC in my room while listening to Miu''s directions and set up the VR gear.


    I installed the game, attached the VR gear and laid down on the bed.


    "Now, first let''s try detecting the brainwaves. You need to put that on, fall asleep and it''ll be over soon."


    Miu''s voice could be heard from far away, my eyelids became heavier and I closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes again, it seemed like the set-up of the brainwaves was over. While I was sleeping it seems like Miu finished the required procedures like account registration.


    However, I had to hurry up and prepare dinner. I hurried over to do so and postponed the detailed settings for later.


    And as we sat to eat the dinner, I asked Miu.


    "What kind of play style you use?"


    "Umm. In my case, I use swords and magic, a magic swordsman. As for elements, I use the Light Element and Healing Senses. Well, money aside, everything from the beta test has been reset."


    "Although it would seem like light magic might just as well include recovery magic. The name reminds me of priests in RPGs."


    "I''m not a priest! I fight with a sword and protect my allies in my armour!"


    "Ohh¡ª, so your role is to happily charge at the enemies."


    "No! My character is made in paladin''s image!"


    "And how about Shizuka-nee?"


    Interrupting Miu''s protests, I forcibly changed the topic.


    "Grr... Onee-chan''s configuration was that of a pure sorceress who''s wearing a robe and wielding a wand. Her main element was water, and she could use healing as well. She''ll probably end up fighting similarly again because she''s used to it."


    "Well, she''s surely not the type to hack at things with a sword."


    I''ve seen a little bit of the directions Miu and Shizuka-nee have proceeded in.


    After questioning Miu lightly I''ve decided not to overlap with the two.


    Then, after going back to my room I started skimming through strategy sites.


    ¡¾OSO¡¿''s basic overview is as follows.


    ¡¾OSO¡¿ is built around Senses.


    A Sense is an equippable talent that exists separately from the normal equipment like weapons.


    Learning such a talent consumes points and every player can equip them through their inventory window.


    While equipped, a Sense can give you a permanently active ability, allow you to use certain skills, have an effect on various actions, or provide corrections and multipliers during the game.


    And by repeatedly making use of their effect, Senses gather experience points and continue to level up. When that happens the effects of the multipliers and corrections become greater.


    Up to 10 Senses can be equipped at once.


    The player starts with 10 Sense points (from here on referred to as SP). There''s no point in just having a Sense! Remember to properly equip it!


    An acquired Sense does not have to be equipped, and can be kept as backup. The Senses can be freely re-equipped. If a Sense''s level is high enough, it can advance or branch and become even stronger.


    The stats each player has are MP and HP; physical attack is ATK, physical defence is DEF, magic attack is INT, magic defence is MIND. Then there is SPEED which influences speed, DEX which applies a correction to weapon and production skills and LUK which increases drop rates and the chance of critical hits.


    These statistics are calculated from the total configuration of all equipped Senses.


    Players cannot see their own stats. It is presumed that this was decided in order to make the game more realistic.


    The are special techniques and moves called ''arts'' and ''skills'' in this game.


    ¡¾Arts¡¿ are weapon-based special attacks. ¡¾Skills¡¿ are magic-based attacks and support abilities. In addition to that, the naming varies depending on the Sense, for example there are also ¡¾Recipes¡¿ or ¡¾EX-Skills¡¿.


    ¡¾Arts¡¿ apply a correction to weapon attacks and make dealing damage easy. People who aren''t accustomed to fighting are recommended to solely rely on Arts.


    ¡¾Skills¡¿ use spells and techniques that cause a fixed, pre-determined phenomenon. Paying attention to MP management is required in this case.


    ¡¾Recipe¡¿ are related to crafting skills and allow players to produce items.


    In order to obtain MP necessary for using Arts and Skills, a player must obtain the ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ Sense. After obtaining MP that way, player is required to obtain yet another Sense.


    In order to use magic, the ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ Sense and an ¡¾Element¡¿ Sense are required. These two senses are mandatory if a player wants to use magic. Moreover, there are different ¡¾Element¡¿ Senses namely: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Darkness, Light ¨C a total of six elements. These element''s usage is not limited to magic. Apart from these six elements there are magic Senses that specialize in things like support and recovery.


    There are highly-versatile Elemental Senses as well as multiple magical Senses which specialize in specific actions. Considering the Senses related to magic the three of ¡¾Magic Power¡¿, ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ and ¡¾Element¡¿ are considered the basic set.


    The same way as there is a basic set for magic, there is also a basic set for warrior-type players.


    Weapon Senses allow attacking with a corresponding weapon and increase the damage dealt.


    Another type are the Armour Senses, they are Senses which add a correction to the corresponding armour type. The armour can be equipped even without using an Armour Sense. However, in order to damage the enemy with a weapon one needs to use a corresponding Sense, which makes it a mandatory sense.


    The recommended Senses other than for weapons and armor, don''t allow using any special abilities, magic or attacks, but in return they do raise certain stats a lot.


    Now, it is recommended to chose the weapon, armour, and stat-raising Senses to suit your style.


    In this game, the play style changes as you equip and combine Senses. You can enjoy the occasional adventures while equipped with the Senses that suit you. Moreover, if you do not like your own play style, even without deleting the character you can reset the equipment and relocate the Senses.


    As I looked through the strategy guide, that''s the kind of feeling I had after briefly skimming through it.


    Here and there were advices for which I was very thankful. Also, the template builder was very helpful, too.


    There was quite a large number of Senses that can be initially obtained after starting to play.


    I was troubled over what Sense configuration I should use. Among the three of us playing siblings, I was the only beginner. Also, I absolutely didn''t want to become a burden on my older and my little sister.


    So, what to do.


    ¡ª¡ªGoing full support should be good.


    In that case, I need to acquire Senses that give me a long-range attack, crafting supplies for adventure, and non-offensive magic with an emphasis on convenience.


    And then, in front of my eyes appeared the strategy site''s questionnaire.


    On the top were the names of major Senses. As I scrolled down through the screen, just the opposite of the popular ones from the top, were lined up the unpopular ones.


    "If I''m picking, then I might as well aim for the Senses which are in industrial gap."


    It took me quite a while to pick the potential candidates from among Senses.


    While comparing the template with the mandatory requirements, I started picking the Senses from among the ones that were classified as unpopular. The only thing that was left to do¡ª¡ª¡¾OSO¡¿''s character''s appearance edit seemed to have been already finished by Miu.


    I was told changing the character''s colour scheme was unusually time consuming so I gave up on it.


    In the character editor there was a projection of how the player appeared in reality; apparently the body build, amount of muscles and so on could then be adjusted naturally.


    There was nothing to tamper with in particular, the character could be left as it is, that''s what I thought. And like like that, my preparation for adventure has ended.


    From now on, the Only One Game begins.

 Chapter Volume 1 5 1

    Chapter 1 - Myu and High-Speed Leveling


    An armour of bristles, warped backwards tusks, my nemesis standing on the ground using its muscular limbs¡ª¡ªthe Big Boar.


    I received the opponent''s attack time after time again. And, when there was a chance I continued to deal damage with my sword.


    And, this time too¡ª¡ª


    "This match! Is minee!"


    ¡º"PUMOooo!"¡»


    The Big Boar shook its head, swinging its warped tusks as to restrain me.


    Rousing itself with a shout, it repeatedly assaulted me from the front. I received that attack several times from the front and counter-attacked... that was the plan.


    "Eh..."


    I had no idea what happened.


    The actual fact was, that the sword broke, the broken-off portion was blown upwards and the sword spilled out of my hands, becoming particles of light.


    The next moment, the wild boar''s tusks approached¡ª¡ª


    ¡ñ


    Since I was small I loved games, I love them even now.


    Old games, new games, arcade games for home use.


    Role-play, action, shooting, adventure, fighting games, sound games, quizzes... since Onee-chan''s and Onii-chan''s friend also loves games, he brought various ones and we played them. Since Onii-chan wasn''t too good at them we chose ones where he can enjoy himself and played together the four of us, in order to win I secretly played alone to polish my skills in game.


    I played various games forgetting about time completely. From time to time, I felt like entering the game world with my entire body to feel it all. I''ve had thoughts like that.


    But, that''s absolutely impossible. I mean, no matter how much I overlap the game character with myself, I can''t become the game''s character. I want a character that''s only my own, I want to play a game in which I can become an unique character.


    That dream I expected to be impossible, had soon approached.


    "...¡¾Only Sense Online¡¿?"


    "That''s right. There''s recruitment for that VR game''s ¦Â testers. In that, Shizuka-san will part¡ª¡ª"I''ll do it!"¡ª¡ªI thought you would."


    I passed through the lottery for a VRMMO ¦Â tester into which I was invited by Onii-chan''s best friend, Takumi-san, and played my fill in the ¦Â test.


    Before I realized, I have become a player called ¡¾Silver Paladin¡¿.


    The ¦Â version lasted for three months. During that time, I don''t know how many efficient players capable of raising their levels high were there.


    Leaving all but memories of it, almost everything was reset.


    Levels, items, equipment. All of it was gone, I had to start again from scratch.


    I made a promise with acquainted players to reunite after the opening of the official version, and with that the ¦Â test had come to an end.


    ¡ñ


    And, during coming summer vacations ¡¾Only Sense Online¡¿ is coming back with its official version. It''s all reset, but I''m thinking of becoming the ¡¾Silver Paladin¡¿ once again.


    ¡ª¡ªThis time, I''ll become a paladin even faster.


    "Well then, Onii-chan! I''ll be going ahead!"


    On the day of ¡¾OSO¡¿''s official opening, at the same time I''ve heard that the server was opened I put on the VR Gear that was the VR equipment and lay down on the bed.


    Since Onii-chan was cleaning up after lunch and planned to log in later, I have met up with Shizuka-oneechan.


    "¡ª¡ªI have returned!"


    I yelled with an excited voice. The place I have descended upon was the first town''s centre¡ª¡ªthe intersection of the main streets going from east to west and north to south.


    The medieval Europe town surrounded by a huge outer wall in the fantasy world of swords and magic, the houses were mainly built with brick and cobblestone, here and there I could see windows made of glamorous wood and glass.


    After going into a single back alley, there was the residential and relaxation area inside of which NPCs have gathered and were speaking with each other.


    The players logging in one after another were overwhelmed by this town. Some of them were people who have started moving while looking around the town.


    "How tasteless. Oops, I shouldn''t say that, I was walking around the town in ¦Â as well."


    Back then, there was a limited number of players, since there was no choice but to seek information by walking around on their own feet, I have memorized the entire town''s map into my head.


    As compared to the ¦Â in which I moved around for a little bit, there were some additional elements added and I had fun looking around for changes.


    "Well then, first, acquiring Senses and Shizuka-oneechan. No, since it''s a game it should be meeting up with Sei-oneechan."


    I opened the menu and acquired the Senses from the window.


    In ¡¾Only Sense Online¡¿''s game system, these Senses were the basis of everything and most important thing.


    The players equipped Senses into ten of their frames and were also able to replaced them to fit their own play styles.


    People who want to wield a sword take ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense. If it''s a spear, then ¡¾Spear¡¿ Sense, if they want to use magic they need to acquire several Senses required for it. In addition to combat system Senses, there were crafting Senses, stat-rising type Senses, auxiliary Senses and various hobby-type Senses.


    Choosing Senses to one''s liking was all right, preparing a challenging Sense build was all right, choosing crafting, hobby or Senses for beating new challenges was all right.


    ¡ª¡ªSaying your playstyle was the "only" one, wasn''t unfounded.


    And, the Senses I have chosen were these.


    ¡¾Sword Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Magic Recovery Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Talent Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Recovery Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv1¡¿


    The first acquired Senses, were these ten. While conscious of my playstyle during the ¦Â version, I took Senses to play efficiently. Among some of these Senses I planned to withdraw some, but it didn''t mean I wouldn''t use them again.


    If I were to make a basic explanation of each Sense, the ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense makes it possible to deal damage with any weapons classified as swords and grants a damage bonus. The ¡¾Armour¡¿ Sense granted additional defence when equipped with an armour. These are called weapon Senses or battle Senses. Next was the¡¾Physical Attack Increase¡¿ and ¡¾Physical Defence Increase¡¿. While with weapon and armour Senses I could equip items, and use ¡¾Skills¡¿ and ¡¾Arts¡¿¡ª¡ªthat''s right, special moves! These didn''t give me any of these, but instead gave me a positive correction to ATK stat that was tied to physical attacks and DEF stat that increased physical defence.


    These were called stat-rising type Senses.


    Next, the three Senses that were the basis for the magic ¡¾Magic Power¡¿, ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ and magic attribute.


    The ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ Sense gave a player MP, which was required for activation of the earlier mentioned ¡¾Skills¡¿ and ¡¾Arts¡¿. That''s why there were people who didn''t use magic yet had the ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ Sense.


    The ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ Sense had no effect on its own, but with ¡¾Magic Power¡¿,¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ and magic attribute the effect could be exerted. My chosen attributes were ¡¾Light Element Talent¡¿ and ¡¾Recovery¡¿.


    Among magic attributes there were six basic elements, fire, water, wind, earth, light and darkness, it was also possible to obtain resistance to magic and skills corresponding to each element.


    And the ¡¾Recovery¡¿ was a general use Sense that was an auxiliary magic of this system.


    The last ones, ¡¾Magic Recovery¡¿ and ¡¾Fighting Spirit¡¿ had passive effects¡ª¡ªin other words they were auxiliary Senses that had various automatic effects. This was my Sense build status.


    "First aim, status from ¦Â test! Paladin''s return!"


    "Myu-chan, you seem to be having fun."


    "Ah, Onee-chan!"


    When I looked around, there stood a gentle-looking woman with light blue hair. This beauty with a beauty mark under her eye as her charm point was unmistakable. It was Sei-oneechan''s character I''ve seen often in the ¦Â era.


    Without any hesitation I dove in her chest embracing her.


    "Onee-chan! It''s been a while!"


    "Yes, Myu-chan, it''s really been a while."


    I enjoyed the softness of Onee-chan''s boobs gently wrapping around me.


    Boing, boing. When I pressed my face in, there was a soft rebound. I felt a line of sight and when I looked to the surroundings, other players'' had their gazes nailed to Onee-chan''s boobs.


    "Stop looking at Onee-chan as you like!"


    "Myu-chan. What happened all of a sudden?"


    Sei-oneechan didn''t notice, but several players were admiring her captivating boobs, surprised by my words they have fled in a hurry.


    Sei-oneechan''s boobs are mine! I declared in my mind.


    "So, where''s Shun-chan?"


    "Onii-chan said he''ll come after cleaning up. Onee-chan, did you get your Senses yet?"


    "Yes, I received the beginner''s equipment as well."


    With that said, she raised the initial weapon given after choosing a weapon Sense. Onee-chan has acquired a ¡¾Staff¡¿ Sense and received a Beginner''s Staff. I have a Sword Sense so I received a Beginner''s Sword.


    "Want to finish shopping together before Onii-chan comes?"


    "We can do that. That way, we can carry on smoother when explaining things to Shun-chan."


    After receiving Onee-chan''s consent, striking the iron when it''s hot I pulled Onee-chan''s hand, walking through the town.


    The stores we stopped by were NPC weapon and general stores.


    In the weapon store, there were NPC weapons and armour. In the general store there were recovery items and consumables required for adventure.


    Their effects were lower than those made by crafters, but they were things to equip at the early stage of the game.


    "Welcome. What would you like?"


    "Excuse me! I want to trade this in for a new weapon, also, give me a light armour!"


    "I want to trade this staff in and also, different equipment."


    We sold our beginner''s weapons and used the money retained from ¦Â version, by paying gold I bought multiple iron-made sword with the highest attack power and the lightest shoulder armour made of leather.


    The leather shoulder protector was equipped in order to get a defence bonus from the ¡¾Armour¡¿ Sense.


    "All right! My shopping''s over!"


    "Myu-chan. You bough so many swords, is that for ingots?"


    Sei-oneechan already bought her Oak Staff and held it in an embrace with her both hands.


    Since Sei-oneechan asked why did I buy several pieces of the same equipment, I gave an ambiguous answer.


    "I guess that''s half correct? Also, for using too, since they break."


    Iron Swords purchased this time were mainly a substitute for ore.


    "I want a crafter to make me a weapon and gathering ore takes time, on initial level it can''t be gathered. I need to ensure the materials for it right now."


    It was more expensive than ore, but a single Iron Sword could be conveniently remade into an ingot. I''ve had money left over from the ¦Â era so I bought a lot of them.


    Also, weapons made by NPCs have low durability, since they were easily replaced they were useful in other manners as well.


    "Myu-chan, are you going to buy consumables?"


    "Hmm. Let''s see..."


    Since I already thought of what I need, together with Sei-oneechan I bought the recovery items, 30 Beginner''s Potions and 10 Potions, then returned to the square.


    "It''s about time Onii-chan logged in I think."


    When I looked at the surroundings, I could see players continuously log in. This many players gathering during the ¦Â version was only when there was an event, I recalled and chuckled.


    As we travelled and overlooked that, in the friend list''s menu I was able to confirm Onii-chan has logged in.


    I selected the line that changed from grey colour and connected the chat with Onii-chan.


    "Ah, Onii-chan. Did you connect?"


    ¡º"What. It''s Miu huh. You surprised me."¡»


    Was Onii-chan impressed with the fantasy world too? Maybe it''s too fast, I reflected and decided the meeting place.


    A place that had become a landmark during the ¦Â era. A square that had a woman''s statue built on it, like Hachiko statue, it had become a meeting spot in OSO.


    "There''s too many people here so we can''t find each other. Onee-chan and I arrived at the cathedral on the north. We''ll wait for you there."


    ¡º"Got it, I''m going there now."¡»


    While saying so, Onee-chan and I headed to the meeting location.


    Meanwhile the chat remained opened, I arbitrarily shared the connection with Sei-oneechan. Each time he let out a voice of admiration like "uwahh" or "howaa", we wondered if we were like that too. Recalling it, the two of us giggled.


    "Hey Onii-chan, have you arrived yet?"


    ¡º"Yeah, I did but... where are you?"¡»


    I called out to him worried, but apparently he was probably able to reach it. However, there were many other players who used this place for meeting up and we weren''t using our own noticeable equipment.


    "Under the church''s statue. White hair. Onee-chan has light blue hair."


    After waiting for a while, I stared at an unfamiliar girl pushing through the crowd coming straight towards us.


    In the game in which fantasy colours were popular, she had black hair. Speaking of which, since Onii-chan won''t tinker with colour schemes, he''ll have black hair too, right. While thinking that, the person I stared at has come in front of us.


    Looking at her from up close, she was a shockingly cute girl.


    I wonder, who is this slender-type beautiful girl? Together with Sei-oneechan we tilted our heads aligned. I felt the girl had a familiar atmosphere, but I couldn''t recall immediately.


    "You''re Miu right?"


    "Eh, yes. I''m Myu, but... who are you?"


    "It''s me. Your brother, Shun."


    She knew me. However, she wasn''t an acquaintance from ¦Â era. With the her next words, taken over by surprise I was dyed white.


    "Umm? Shun-chan? Onee-chan hasn''t met you for a while so she doesn''t know, but when did you change your gender?"


    "No, Onee-chan, that didn''t happen! That''s not the problem here! Why did Onii-chan turn into Onee-chan?!"


    My yell echoed in the square.


    To conclude, Onii-chan has become Onee-chan.


    Apparently the cause was the camera''s misrecognition during the character edit. Well, it''s cute so I forgive it. The problems start here! Yun-oniichan''s inefficient Sense build and his cowardly way of fighting!


    "¡ª¡ªAnd here I wanted us to adventure together!"


    ¡ñ


    After that, in order to accustom Onii-chan who got soaked in mishappen Senses to the world of OSO, we had him go through a simple tutorial.


    "Now then, the special moves¡ª¡ª¡¾Arts¡¿. Perfect, my ¡¾Sword¡¿ just leveled up to 5..."


    My weapon Sense was now level 5 and art could be used, I approached the closest Herbivorous Beast.


    Unless I myself attack, the passive mob won''t attack me. I took the optimal position for deciding it with a single strike.


    I recalled the art I used many times in ¦Â version, I gripped the Iron Sword in my hands and set it up.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    The sword was clad in silver light and a triple attack drawing a triangle was released.


    With every slash having additional correction from the art, the damage was dealt and scrapped the mob''s HP in two hits, the third cut the light particles in the air.


    After that, together with Sei-oneechan we gave him several advices, but he Onii-chan was still surprised by ¡¶Delta Slash¡· and his reaction was dull, giving us a half-hearted reply.


    Will he really be all right alone. I wondered, but on the other hand I thought he needs time to think alone, this is where we quietly disbanded.


    ¡ñ


    After completing the tutorial with Onii-chan, I separated with Sei-oneechan and continued to hunt Herbivorous Beasts in the plains.


    "I''ve separated from Onii-chan and others, but there''s still time right."


    Just once earlier, I checked my Sense status increase after combat during Onii-chan''s tutorial.


    ¡¾Sword Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Magic Recovery Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Talent Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Recovery Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv2¡¿


    "Grr, my levels aren''t going up at all."


    I pouted as I stared at my Sense status.


    Senses level increases when actions appropriate for each Sense are taken. For example, the ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense''s experience is gained when the enemy is attacked with a sword and its level raises. Earlier during the tutorial battle, I received some attacks in order to raise my defence-type Senses, but it still hasn''t reached satisfactory level.


    "Hmmgrr, what to do. Even if I raise levels from now on... oh ,a friend call?"


    I operated the icon blinking at the edge of my field of view, after checking the name of the caller I connected immediately.


    ¡º"Hi. Myu-chan, it''s been a while?."¡»


    "Hino-chan! Been healthy?"


    ¡º"Yup, I''m fine. Want to meet up?"¡»


    "Sure. Then, let''s meet up at¡ª¡ª"


    A meet up with an acquaintance from ¦Â. We decided on the meeting spot together.


    I who was outside the town have passed by the gate, entering the town I aimed at the meeting spot.


    There, I found my acquaintance''s figure.


    "Yahoo, been a while."


    "Hino-chan, it''s been a while! Were you well?"


    "Yup, I''m always energetic!"


    With my right hand, I did a high five with the friend I have reunited with.


    A female player and a member of my party back from the ¦Â, Hino-chan.


    She was slightly shorter than me, as for her character''s pupils, she had mismatched eyes, her right eye was deep blue and her left one was red. The petite girl''s another feature was that when she laughed her long canines showed.


    A precious friends back from ¦Â''s party and a dependable attacker in the party.


    "Yesterday I was looking forward to it so much, so enthusiastic I overslept."


    Ahaha, as she laughed a glimpse of her charm point, long canines glimpsed from her mouth.


    "Hino-chan, what will you do now? Want to party up and go hunt?"


    I immediately invited Hino-chan to the party. I was still worried about Yun-oniichan who wasn''t familiar with the game, but Hino-chan was a comrade who traveled various areas with me in the ¦Â version. Even though her level was lower, she had skills to make up for it.


    That Hino-chan has put a finger on her chin and made a practice swing.


    "I logged in just earlier so I didn''t procure any equipment or items. Also, I want to order some weapons from a crafter I''ve been taken care of during the ¦Â times, so it might take a little bit of time."


    Today there were a lot of people so moving alone is nimbler. After saying that, Hino-chan had gone off to do various preparations.


    I''d like to go together with Hino-chan, but the crafter who made weapons and armour for me in the ¦Â was a different person than the one who made them for Hino-chan, going together was meaningless.


    "Then, how about meeting again later? How long will your errands take, Hino-chan?"


    "Hmm. It probably won''t take an entire hour. About thirty minutes?"


    "In that case until then, let''s act separately, for meeting again, how about at this fountain?"


    "Let''s see. Yup, let''s do that! Ehehe, I look forward to partying with Myu-chan."


    Hino-chan''s cheek happily loosened and, well then, I''ll hurry to finish it up. And she ran off.


    I saw off Hino-chan who was so petite she has immediately mixed among the opening day''s crowd, after hearing a friend''s voice after so long, my excitement increased.


    There was still some time until meet-up with Hino-chan. Thinking about what to do in the meantime, I put my index finger on my chin.


    "Hmm. As I thought, leveling it is. Well, let''s go easy on it!"


    As to loosen my body I stretched, then started walking outside the town.


    ¡ñ


    Basically, since the trip won''t take even five minutes, even considering the trip back and forth there was enough time secured for leveling.


    As I proceeded taking steps on the ground making crispy sound, a new enemy crawled out from the grass.


    "An immediate encounter! Let''s twist you up slightly!"


    It wasn''t the mobs I aimed for, but the slime consisting of a blue jelly-like body and a nucleus had appeared. Also, what else appeared was a classic fantasy Goblin of height like that of a child, green skin and small horns on its head.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    I released the beginner skill of light magic ¡¶Light Shot¡· towards the slime and received the Goblin''s club with the sword set up in one hand, pushing him back. When I did, the large-headed Goblin lost his balance and felt on its butt. I used that timing to defeat it.


    The slime had its HP took down to 80% by the magic attack from earlier.


    "Ohhh! It''s been a while, but I as I thought, it feels different!"


    With ¦Â era stats, she killed slimes with a single hit and was able to cut the Goblin''s club in half.


    "On more time¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    After firing light magic multiple times hitting the slime''s nucleus, the slime''s volume was reduced by the exposed area.


    And, after four rounds of light magic, it hit the nucleus the powerless slime had spread out and turned into particles of light, disappearing.


    Hearing the sound of battle in which she had defeated the Goblin and slime, next enemy appeared in front of her.


    "Oh, next is your turn isn''t it."


    I have lightly received the Goblin''s attack who had jumped out from grass swinging his club vertically, deflected, avoided and parried, checking my player''s skills.


    I swung down and thrust, did a sideways slash. When I tried attack movements and actions from eight directions, I''ve slashed the enemy one time after another.


    "...it''s a bit different. As I thought, it''s like this."


    I felt inconsistency between the movements now and the ones I remembered from back during the ¦Â times.


    It was an effect that''s come from the initial equipment and status, as well as a blank of several months.


    "And this goes like that, haa!"


    The swung sword shook the prairie''s grass, it danced assaulted by the air pressure. Feeling satisfied with the handling, recalling the swordsmanship for one-handed sword.


    My original battle-style was that of a magic swordsman using a combination of sword and magic, one-handed sword in my left hand and using both light and recovery magic with my right.


    In order to smoothly be able to do that, I repeatedly hunted the Goblins and slimes.


    "As I thought, even if I assume Goblin is a PvP opponent, it''s still bland. Well then, let''s end this."


    With that said, I cut the Goblin''s body, the neck that was humanoid mobs'' weakness, chest and his head, making his HP to 0.


    "Well, after I level some more that''s how it''ll turn. They''re within the range of what I can deal with knowing attack patterns and characteristics."


    However, as I endlessly hunted the Goblin''s, my level''s increase was slowing down.


    Then what should I do, I thought, there was no choice but to seek stronger mobs. If possible a mob stronger than I am.


    "As I thought, leveling has to be done on strong mobs."


    Deciding that, I immediately took action.


    I cleaved slimes and Goblins on my journey, then entered the forest beyond the boundary of the plains.


    ¡ñ


    Sprinting, jumping lightly, I further confirmed movements required for combat as I proceeded deeper into the forest.


    There were some openings in the lush forest, but there were also many places with blind spots so playing solo one had to be careful here.


    "Get outta my way, weaklings!"


    As I walked around looking for the mob I aimed for, attracted to me were large grey rats and Mill Birds with a piercing voice sweeping at and attacking me from the sky.


    It wasn''t a mob to attack from a distance with magic, but when I came closer they became active and approached, there was no end to the weak mobs coming at me one after another.


    "Grr, in a party my blind spots would be filled, but it''s even more annoying to walk without auxiliary Senses."


    With an auxiliary Sense like ¡¾Discovery¡¿ that would allow me to find the enemy in advanced or like ¡¾Sixth Sense¡¿ that would warn me, it would be easy to avoid weak mobs.


    But since I didn''t chose either of them, I had to proceed vigilantly, quite unable to find the mob I was looking for.


    I defeated Grey Rats by swinging my sword as if to scoop them up, as for the Mill Birds aiming from the sky, I shot them with magic. If they approached me, I avoided lightly then countered, delivering damage.


    As I proceeded dealing with them mechanically, I eventually found a single animal in the back of the forest.


    "Finally found him."


    There, covered in fur, lying down was a large boar mob with warped tusks, a Big Boar.


    The opponent I have been looking for leveling sake. After defeating every enemy I found on the way, I checked my Sense status.


    ¡¾Sword Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Magic Recovery Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Talent Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Recovery Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv4¡¿


    Since I was avoiding attacks, my Senses other than the attack-oriented ones haven''t raised their levels. The opponent for leveling, Big Boar will be quite hard to face.


    When I have resolved myself to fight and took a step forward, the Big Boar swiftly got up and started scrapping the ground with its hind legs.


    The mob, said to be the first barrier for the beginner''s was quite strong even among the small fry category, in party it was an opponent for level 15s. For solo, it was an opponent for a level 20.


    Although I defeated slimes, Goblins, Grey Rats, Mill Birds on the way here and my level has risen, the average level of my Senses was still 5.


    Confronting it solo was reckless. Normally, that is...


    "Now, it''s time for high-speed leveling."


    The hind legs that were scrapping the ground firmly stepped on it, and he started running. The charge of a large bulk of flesh and splendid bent tusks mowed all the players on its way.


    I poised my one-handed sword''s blade to the side in a parrying posture, then avoided to the side. Rather than stop the assault from the front, I stood beside hitting the mob lightly with the sword to parry him.


    Shock had spread through the blade to my body, spreading inside my body. It was reflected in a form of damage.


    "Khh! As I thought, the level difference is big."


    Due to too large level difference, even during the short moment of contact during the charge I received a lot of damage.


    The shock cut down 50% of my HP. If the contact lasted one second longer, I would have surely died and returned to town.


    "Maybe I should have raised my level more and prepared myself better. But, I won''t lose¡ª¡ª¡¶Heal¡·"


    Using beginner''s recovery magic I restored my HP. Meanwhile, the Big Boar ran through a dozen of metres, changed his direction and rushed in my direciton again.


    I felt like a Spanish matador.


    "C''mon! Come at me!"


    I touched the next assault from the side as well, earning the damage.


    If others were to see it, they would see my behaviour strange. I discarded any attacking and only parried with the sword. The longer I touched the mob during the charge, the more of my HP was momentarily cut down. Assessing the limit of how much I can last, I parried the attacks.


    During this act of uninterrupted tension, the corners of my lips naturally raised up.


    "That''s right, this is it! This is what''s fun! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Heal¡·!"


    I withstood and endured. I repeatedly used Heal and when HP recovery wasn''t enough I avoided Big Boar''s next attack, creating opportunity for recovery. Sometimes I did emergency avoidance and used Beginner''s Potions.


    When I didn''t have enough MP, I read the Big Boar''s movements and continued to avoid his next nearly-linear attacks, buying time for MP''s natural recovery to work.


    That, continued for a long time was something tiring mentally. Moreover, since I felt my body become dull after receiving powerful impacts, I have focused even further.


    "Next one, come!"


    The moment my sword touched the mob as if to pat it, the NPC-made Iron Sword had cracked like a piece of glass and a crack appeared in the middle of it.


    The moment I saw that, I back-stepped, threw away the sword and took distance from the Big Boar.


    "Haa, haa, haa... nhh, my weapon''s gone, let''s take a break here!"


    I slowly retreated backwards, starting to withdraw.


    When I avoided the incoming Big Boar who chased me, if I avoided too early it would suddenly change his charge''s direction and come assault me or bite. I continued to escape while avoiding with optimal timing to the left or the right.


    "If I''m not wrong, it should be somewhere here!"


    Although the Big Boar chased me as I escaped in zig-zag, when I exceeded a certain line in the woods the Big Boar''s movement stopped just before it. To be precise, the giant body''s charge raised a sand cloud from beneath its legs, leaving a large trail of its hoofs it stopped.


    ¡º"PUKkyaa¡ª¡ª"¡»


    The Big Boar, frustrated by me escaping had suddenly lost interest in me and in a hurry returned to his own place.


    "Pheeew, as expected, that was too reckless. But, fun too!"


    I''ve rest my back on the tree nearby, taking a break.


    My HP was returned to full by recovery magic, but my MP was very low. But more importantly, I concentrated too hard and was a little tired.


    "I''m glad the mob''s activity range didn''t change from ¦Â days?. I was almost caught up to."


    While saying so, I checked my Sense status.


    ¡¾Sword Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Magic Recovery Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Talent Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Recovery Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv9¡¿


    Confirming the results of high-speed leveling have properly appeared, I desperately suppressed a grin.


    Even though enemy wasn''t defeated, levels increased over a short period of time. The trick to that lies in OSO''s system.


    "There''s experience bonus for defeating enemy, but experience is also gained from any actions. That too, is important."


    When a mob is defeated, experience gained is corresponding to the actions taken to defeat it. Normally, players repeatedly battle mobs gaining experience to raise their Sense levels.


    However, there were other ways to raise levels other than combat.


    For example, weapon Senses, starting with ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense received experience from practice swings, even though the efficiency was bad. Crafting Senses earned experience by crafting, rather than combat.


    This time''s leveling method''s concept was one that aimed to gain experience in combat against an enemy mob of a higher level than myself.


    By battling a mob of higher rating than myself, I aimed to gain a considerable amount of experience in battle. That gave me a bonus experience beyond that I would gain fighting mobs of an equal level.


    Although Senses had various types of actions required for leveling, it was possible to raise the ones that were similar all at once.


    "Specific equipment, the original concept, an efficient way to go about leveling."


    During this time, by receiving damage the ¡¾Armour¡¿, ¡¾Physical Defence Increase¡¿ and ¡¾Fighting Spirit¡¿, the three defence-related Senses have gained experience.


    First stage of leveling¡ª¡ªearning damage from the target.


    And, the second stage was using ¡¶Heal¡· for gaining experience and leveling the four magic Senses ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿, ¡¾Magic Power¡¿, ¡¾Recovery¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Recovery¡¿.


    "Well then, let''s go with the second round!"


    After resting enough and recovering entire MP, I slapped my cheeks charging myself with fighting spirit.


    I rose up vigorously and took out a new Iron Sword of the stock in the inventory.


    The stock of Iron Swords I had numbered twenty in all.


    During high-speed leveling, in exchange for reduced time the money and items were spent, it was a risky method.


    "I''ve got enough swords in stock! Will my abilities surpass that of Big Boar''s first or will I fall to my own mistakes first, I wonder."


    The "one-shot and I''m out" situation continues. That''s what''s fun. The best thrill.


    ¡ñ


    As I confronted the Big Boar, the length of the parry gradually extended.


    I compensated for HP with recovery magic, recovering the spent MP with ¡¾Magic Recovery¡¿. I could feel the thrill and growth of leveling under limited circumstances. And then, finally¡ª¡ª


    "...no damage, so parrying succeeded."


    The timing of the parry performed with her player''s skill was perfect. However, even though it was perfect, she received damage because of the difference in stats.


    The difference in stats has finally decreased.


    Once again, I parried to make sure it wasn''t a fluke, then changed the stance from one for parrying charges to one for receiving attack from the front.


    "Fuuu, high-speed leveling''s final stage! Start!"


    ¡º"PUgyaa¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Resolving myself, I received the Big Boar''s charge from the front with my sword.


    *wham*, I endured an impact that seemed like it''ll blown me backwards, as I was pushed back my feet scrapped the ground.


    "Kuhhh!!"


    In the seemingly long, yet short instant, the Big Boar''s momentum had weakened, my defence withstood the Big Boar''s attack. I left a trace on the ground five metres away from the point in which I received the attack.


    I lost 40% of my HP to that blow, but from here on I attack.


    ¡º"PUMOo?!"¡»


    "This is payback! Eat this!!"


    I moved to the side of the Big Boar that was still confused by the fact he was blocked and slashed with the Iron Sword. The body covered in thick fat and bristle had received a thin cut from the attack to the side, no damage was dealt.


    "Khh, so the attacks won''t go through after alll."


    In response to my attack, the Big Boar attacked by biting, kicked with hind legs, hit with hooves and even tried to crush me with his giant bulk. As he continued to rampage I took a step back and continuously using recovery magic, I refilled my HP.


    "I know all your behaviour patterns! From now on I''m serious, so¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·"


    Until now I spent MP only on recovery, but now I started using attack magic with MP.


    The light bullet had hit the Big Boar''s side and the damage went through. Thinking that for now the magic was more effective than the slashes, I started running and confronted the Big Boar who changed his direction and was coming at me.


    The subjugation of the Big Boar was the final stage of leveling. Raising defence-oriented Senses in the first stage, raising magic-type Senses in the second stage. And at the end, raising the attack-oriented Senses by attacking the Big Boar. My Sense build was configured with this in mind.


    It was a leveling configuration considering synergies made in order to reach the Senses I aimed for in the shortest amount of time possible.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·! ¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    Although two light bullets hit the Big Boar charging from the front, one of the two was repelled by his hard skull and the other one was charged in the middle of the fast rush.


    "As I thought, my aim with magic isn''t good yet! Ghhh!!"


    I raised an uncute shout despite being a girl, then once again I received the Big Boar''s assault from the front and endured it.


    Even if my stats increased with my levels, if I were to receive the Big Boar''s assault defenceless there was a high probability of losing.


    I received the assault, attacked when the enemy started rampaging, then fell back all at once.


    I endlessly repeated the attacks like a machine, my sword started to injure the Big Boar''s body deeply and there was evidence of my magical attacks gradually growing stronger.


    "Now, 20% left!"


    After repeatedly receiving attacks, the NPC-made sword''s lifespans had extra shortened and only five of them have remained.


    Still, according to my calculations I should be able to defeat it before using them all up.


    "This match! Is minee!"


    ¡º"PUMOooo!"¡»


    Yet another one charge together with a loud outcry. Receiving it once again, I focused all my bodily strength on the moment of impact.


    However, this time was different.


    "Eh..."


    At first, I didn''t know what happened.


    The Big Boar suddenly stopped. Just before his assault hit me, putting all his strength into his legs he forcibly stopped in front of me. And, while I was dumbounfed he lowered his head diving under the sword protruded in sideways, his two splendid fangs and his head have caught it from below, he swung his head upwards with great strength.


    "Wha?!! No way, he aimed for the weapon!"


    I stared in slow motion as the Iron Sword abruptly broke.


    The difference between ¦Â and the official version has appeared.


    The mob''s behaviour pattern changed. Until now the Big Boar rampaged desperately and didn''t take this action, most likely because there was a certain condition. For example, when it falls below a certain percentage of HP.


    And while I lost my weapon, the Big Boar''s fangs approached me. With my weapon destroyed my posture collapsed, exposing my defenceless body. If I received this attack and the fang pierced through my body, it would take my entire HP in one hit.


    "AS IF I''D LOSEEeeee!!"


    However, I discarded that possibility. I instantaneously operated the menu, calling forth a new Iron Sword.


    As the fang approached, I avoided it by twisting my body and crawled under his chin.


    The Big Boar that swung its head above me had exposed his weakness, his throat.


    "YAAaaa¡ª¡ª!"


    Receiving the single slash, cutting through, his body bent backwards.


    In order not to miss this opportunity, I held the one-handed sword with my both hands and released my strongest attack.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    A triple attack delivered with all strength in my both hands. My ¡¾Sword¡¿ and ¡¾Physical Attack Increase¡¿ Senses that have grown as I cut the Big Boar countless times.


    The knowledge of the enemy''s weaknesses.


    And last, luck allowing me to grasp the victory.


    The attack that applied all of these had cut down the remaining 10% of HP. The Big Boar raised its front legs and powerlessly fell to the side.


    I succeeded in defeating a Big Boar alone.


    ¡ñ


    My shoulders raised up and down as I breathed roughly, restraining myself. It wasn''t that my breathing was distorted by the harsh movement. I was breathing deeply in order to calm my excitement after the battle.


    I shut my eyes strongly, checking the feel of the sword with my both hands I cried out.


    "YESSsss! I WONnn!!"


    My voice echoed in the forest.


    I was successful in defeating the Big Boar who, at the moment, was ranked higher than me. The difficulties so far, pain and other stuff were blown off, I felt satisfied with sense of superiority and fulfilment.


    "I won. I managed to win, I wasn''t wrong after all!"


    I was able to verify the leveling method I have thought of endlessly since ¦Â version up until the official release.


    The invested fund, was 100kG.


    The used items were, Beginner''s Potion x 17, Iron Sword x 20, Leather Armour.


    Physical defence leveling, magic leveling and the following attack leveling were all successful.


    "At first I was anxious, but I did it. I really did it!"


    It wasn''t something anyone could do it. It required quite a few items and money. It was high-speed leveling that required a high player skill in parrying and receiving attacks. No, it was power leveling. And that was over now.


    And the Sense status that was the outcome of it¡ª¡ª


    Possessed SP8


    ¡¾Sword Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Magic Recovery Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Talent Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Recovery Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv15¡¿


    Parrying, recovery and attacking, the result of high-speed leveling that used the synergy of those three, was that the Sword''s Sense had grown to level 15.


    I''ll raise my levels stably when we go in a party to fight Big Boars.


    Since my attacks work properly now, I should be able to take one down without pointlessly reducing the weapon''s durability, I thought.


    As I grinned and laughed while checking my Sense status, a friend call''s ringtone had sounded in my ears and I hurriedly connected the call.


    "Y-yesh?! Myu hier!!"


    I immediately operated the menu, then bit my tongue while speaking. Feeling the dull pain, tears welled up in my eyes.


    ¡º"...Myu-chan."¡»


    "H-Hino-chan. Whash ish it?"


    I spoke with my tongue still in pain and my way of talking turned lisp.


    ¡º"Myu-chan. Where are you now?! The time for meet-up passed long ago!"¡»


    "Ehhh?!!"


    Surprised by Hino-chan''s words, I confirmed and it was 20 minutes past the time for the meet-up.


    "I''m sorry! I''ll head over there now!"


    I forgot the afterglow from winning against the Big Boar and rushed towards the town.


    "Uuu, when I hurry it feels slow... I know! I''ll acquire a new Sense!"


    For every 10 levels Senses are raised, one SP, a Sense Point is acquired. With this I was able to acquire new Senses or when I satisfy conditions like reaching a certain level, I will be able to grow or derive Senses.


    I used the SP I gained through leveling to acquire ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿ Sense.


    "Uwaa, I really turned faster!"


    My running speed increased, running and cutting through the wind was fun.


    I avoided the mobs I defeated earlier, Mill Birds, kicked the Grey Rats and jumped high by stepping on Goblin''s heads, I ran at speed slimes couldn''t keep up with.


    The weakling mobs unable to keep up with my speed gave up after chasing me for a few metres.


    And when I arrived at the meet-up location, finding me, was waiting a cute, angry, pouting girl.


    "Myu-chan! You''re late!"


    "Sorry. Really, I''m sorry, Hino-chan!"


    I apologized, lowering my head as much as I could. Her charm point, long canines were currently hidden in her mouth as it formed a ¤Ø shape.


    "Why were you late to meet-up?"


    She puffed up her cheeks, I''m angry. As entirety of Hino-chan''s body seemed to express that, I responded truthfully.


    "I thought there''s still time until meet-up so I went to do some leveling, thus was late. That''s why, sorry."


    To be precise, I lowered my head cutely and apologized looking up at her.


    Hino-chan gently put her both hands on my cheeks¡ª¡ªand pulled.


    "Owsh, owwsh, owwssh..."


    "After I was done shopping, I waited for Myu-chan without going to hunt! That''s why, my level still remains at 1, going to raise your level alone isn''t fair!"


    *munyo?n*, my cheeks were pinched by Hino-chan who had tears in her eyes. I continued to apologize. I felt dull pain in my cheeks. It might''ve been more painful than taking on the Big Boar''s charge from the front.


    Hino-chan continued to pull on my cheeks until satisfied, then let go with a small sigh.


    "Really, Myu-chan, you''re too free-spirited."


    "I''m sorry. But you see! I made a great discovery!"


    "Great discovery?"


    As Hino-chan stared at me intently, I taught her of my discovery with a smug expression.


    "A new behavioural pattern was added to Big Boars."


    "Being told that with a smug face, kinda makes me angry."


    "Oww, owshh."


    Once again my cheeks were pinched, *munyuu?*, Hino-chan pulled on them.


    After being punished by having my cheek pulled for the second time, Hino-chan released them, heaved a sigh and decided the punishment for my being late.


    "For being late for the meet-up, you''ll accompany me in leveling won''t you."


    "But of course! Let''s do high-speed leveling!"


    "Really?."


    "Really!"


    "By the way, what kind of leveling did you do on Big Boar?"


    Hino-chan stared intently at me and listened as I spoke about my nearly 30 minutes-long desperate struggle. Then, pfft, she burst out, held her belly and started laughing.


    "Ahahaha, I knew it already, but you''re too reckless after all, Myu-chan. Taking down a Big Boar all alone at low level... did you do a time attack too?"


    "Grr, you don''t have to laugh so much! Hino-chan is mean!"


    "Sorry sorry. That said, when you were late I pretended to be angry a little, I''m not all that angry."


    "That''s great?. I wondered what would I do if I was hated by Hino-chan."


    As Hino-chan returned her expression to one smiling, her long canines peeking out, I was relieved.


    "I wouldn''t hate Myu-chan. If anything, I like you."


    Of course, as a friend that is, Hino-chan laughed triumphantly. Being told that from the front was embarrassing after all.


    "Well then. Once again, take care of me, Myu-chan."


    "Yup, me too, take care of me! Hino-chan."


    We shook hands, greeting each other again.


    "Still ''power'' leveling, that''s too reckless."


    "You''ve got caught up in my words a little, how about we go to defeat Big Boars later? I''ll demonstrate it, the high-speed leveling."


    "Give up. It would be a suicide for me to challenge it on level 1. I''ll break in my body and do some leveling with mobs appropriate for my level first, let''s do it later."


    While saying so, Hino-chan showed me the Senses she just acquired.


    ¡¾Hammer Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Spear Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv1¡¿ ¡¾HP Increase Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Throw Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Heavy Blows Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Warrior''s Knowledge Lv1¡¿


    "Hino-chan''s Sense build didn''t change too much, has it."


    "Yup, well, on the other hand, with two weapon types I''ll be spending more."


    While saying so, she effortlessly juggled between Iron Spear and a heavy Sledgehammer.


    Hino-chan was a power fighter who fought using two types of middle-range weapons, her style didn''t change from the ¦Â.


    "Myu-chan too didn''t change, right."


    "Oh well. Aim, for paladin!"


    Well then, I''ll accompany Hino-chan in hunting Herbivorous Beasts until you reach your leveling goal. Is what I wanted to say, but Hino-chan placed her index finger on her chin and came up with a proposal.


    "While at it, how about we search for a stray party?"


    A stray party. In the ¦Â era I constantly partnered with and made party with acquaintances like Hino-chan, Taku-san and Sei-oneechan, unlike back then, it meant forming a party with players we were unacquainted with.


    Since there wasn''t a big difference between players'' levels right after opening, it was easy to assemble one.


    "Nice! New meetings! A circle of player companions! Yup, sound fun!"


    "Well then, Myu-chan, let''s separate and gather party members! Seeking members to girl-only party! Beginners are welcome! With that kind of feeling!"


    "Well then, let''s compete who can gather them up sooner!"


    "Fufun. I won''t lose."


    I separated from Hino-chan who had a confident expression, then started looking for people to form a temporary party with.


    "I wonder what kind of players will I meet. I can''t wait!"


    I was unable to stop my face from grinning as I started to walk through the First Town. At that time, suddenly I recalled Onii-chan''s appearance.


    "...what I said to Yun-oniichan was quite horrible wasn''t it? He must be depressed."


    Certainly, he made a build with Senses that were called mishappen, but if he replaces a few of them he should be able to manage as an ordinary player.


    Until then, it might be a good idea to look after him.


    "Yup, also, Hino-chan said the party''s limited to girls, but now he''s onee-chan, isn''t he."


    Nishishi, a mischievous devil inside of me whispered, telling me to introduce Yun-oniichan as onee-chan.


    I wonder, where''s Onii-chan?. And as I searched for players for the stray party, I found rare in fantasy world, Yun-oniichan''s long, black hair.


    He sat down at the edge of the square, although he seemed still discouraged, a familiar person had approached him.


    "It''s Taku-san. I wonder if he''s going somewhere with Onii-chan."


    I was beat to a punch, I thought, but Yun-oniichan and Taku-san joked around with each other, his expressions changed one after another. From observing their appearance, Onii-chan and Taku-san didn''t seem like they intended to form a party, then they broke up on spot.


    "Then, let''s do it now..."


    And call out to him. I thought and took a step, but compared to before meeting Taku-san, Yun-oniichan had a refreshingly nice expression on his face.


    Let''s do it, he seemed full of motivation like that. I can''t disturb him when he''s like this. Thinking so, I saw him off.


    His destination seemed to be the western gate, I sent him off as he mixed among the crowd. I gave up on getting Yun-oniichan to join the party.


    "Uh-huh, Taku-san did well to motivate Onii-chan. Well then, I have to recruit."


    Aren''t there any good players here?, I wondered while looking around and suddenly, I found a player with the same hair colour as Onii-chan.


    It was a girl with long black hair swaying on her back.


    Looking up at the streets of the fantasy world, were her eyes reminiscent of a beautiful citrine.


    I didn''t consider whether she was strong, weak, good or bad.


    The moment I noticed her, I took immediate action.


    "Hello."


    "Eh, yes. Hello."


    "If you don''t mind, how about forming a party with us?"


    Probably surprised by sudden invitation to a party, the girl opened her eyes wide. I politely explained to her.


    "We''re thinking of gathering unacquainted people for a temporary party. By the way, the members for now are just me and my friend, the two of us!"


    The girl lowered her eyebrows at my explanation and asked with an anxious expression.


    "Um, is it really all right to invite me? Today is my first time to play."


    "It''s okay! Both me and my friend did well in the ¦Â, we''re strong! Well, our levels were reset though."


    Although I tried to appeal by showing off my biceps, it didn''t seem all that strong when I bent my arm. Finding it funny, the girl chuckled, her expression softened and she stared straight back at me.


    "Well then, please take care of me. Umm..."


    "It''s Myu! I''m Myu! Nice to meet you."


    "I''m Lucato. Nice to meet you too."

 Chapter Volume 1 5 2

    Chapter 2 - Lucato and Golem-sensei


    "It''s Myu! I''m Myu! Nice to meet you."


    "I''m Lucato. Nice to meet you too."


    And like that, I have managed to call out to Lucato, no, to Luka-chan.


    "Your Sense build could be changed around a little, but first goes buying a weapon and potions. You start with 1000G, you need to use it on both."


    Luka-chan was a beginner starting today, so I explained to her about Senses and equipment as I looked around for temporary party''s members.


    "A weapon? I received a weapon upon picking Senses..."


    She touched the hilt of a beginner''s sword she had by her waist. I already have one, why would I buy another. That''s the kind of question she had on her face.


    "It has its advantages and disadvantages, by buying a new weapon your attack power increases. On the other hand, if you use the initial weapon, it won''t break."


    "So weapons do break, after all."


    "That''s right. But, unless you use them recklessly, it won''t be a problem."


    Luka-chan put a hand on her chin. And, it seemed like she decided what to do.


    "I think, I''d like to prioritize armour rather than weapon."


    "Yeah. I think that''s all right.''


    While talking about various thing with Luka-chan, I walked through the town. About potions having the recovery amount limited by levels and the story about my fails because of it, I spoke of interesting things. Listening to it, Luka-chan seriously worried how much should she purchase.


    Teaching Lucato bit by bit was so much fun I had forgot about time completely, meanwhile I found a single female player.


    "Hey, hey, come join our party." "C''mon, it''s more fun in a group right. Also, we''re strong." "And, you can feel safer with men, too." "See, come with us."


    "P-please stop..."


    I frowned seeing something unpleasant.


    Four men have surrounded a single girl and solicited her into their party.


    The girl was older than me, but their solicitation looked like they were just hitting on her. This is a game, I wonder if they''re misunderstanding something here. I got angry just by looking.


    "Um, Myu-chan?"


    "Luka-chan, I''ll go help her out."


    "Eh?!! L-Luka-chan?!"


    "You''re Lucato, so, Luka-chan."


    When I declared that, confused, Luka-chan chased after me.


    The people in surroundings were scared of the well-built men and wouldn''t get involved in it. Hmm, let''s do it in a classic way.


    "Sorry! I''m late, did you wait?"


    I barged in between the men and stood in front the girl.


    Since the girl was terrified and froze stiff in surprise, I thought the situation would turn worse were she to speak so I grabbed her by hand and tried to forcibly pull her after me.


    I sent Luka-chan a glance saying to go along with this act and received a nod in response.


    "Indeed. It''s all because Myu-chan''s been shopping at the store endlessly, the time to hunt will run out. Let''s go."


    Luka-chan made a gentle and dignified smile, inducing the girl from among the men. The girl noticed our intention and shook her head so strongly it looked like it would come off.


    "Hey, wait. What, you''ve got some girl as friends. How about forming a party with us then."


    "Haa? Are you an idiot?"


    I spoke in a voice so cold I surprised myself.


    Because the men were clearly looking down on younger girls, my face cramped up and I wove words with a single breath.


    "There''s four of you. Three of us. How do you want to form a party like this? Party''s maximum is six people."


    She spoke implying, don''t you know the system?


    "No, um... c''mon, hey you, leave party this time."


    "Err, no way!"


    "See, now there''s three of us, let''s make a party¡ª¡ª"Yes, unfortunately we already have a party of six girls so there''s no space. Farewell."¡ª¡ª"


    Interrupting him, I was about to say "laters" and slip out, but the moment I turned my back to them one of men stretched his hand.


    "Don''t screw with me!"


    "Myu-chan?!"


    Luka-chan and the girl squeezed out a scream, but it was no problem.


    *shh*, I dodged to the side and the man plunged forward.


    I''ve been leveling until a moment ago. Unlike those guys who try to hit on girls without raising their levels first.


    "What? You can''t even touch me and you call yourself strong? Really."


    I left the girl to Luka-chan and confronted the four male players. Ready for a fight, I avoided the hands extending to catch me with ease. Naive, compared to PvP it looks like they''re barely moving. A cooperative attack of four goblins looks better than this.


    The male players tried to catch me and I endlessly avoided them. Confronting them as to show off to onlookers, I spoke loudly.


    "Aren''t you mistaking real with the game? People strong in fights in real aren''t necessarily strong in game."


    "S-shut up!"


    Having that pointed out the male players have turned red. The people in the surroundings counted on someone stopping this. But¡ª¡ª


    "Ohh, it''s here."


    I waited until a certain system works. And, its effect had come into being before long.


    The mens'' bodies turned into particles and gradually faded.


    "Damn! What''s this!"


    "A special move against sexual harassment¡ª¡ª¡¾GM Call¡¿. See you."


    ¡¾GM Call¡¿ is a way for solving problems players can''t deal with, you call a game master who is the administrator of the game in order to solve the problems.


    When you use the ¡¾GM Call¡¿ the game master is notified of violations such as harassment, as well as receives bug reports for bugs found in game, and will deal with them. This time, the content of report was VR specific harassment. The situation where men are chasing after a girl has been judged as attempted sexual harassment, one of the onlookers must have waited so that they can use the ¡¾GM Call¡¿. Since everything went as planned, I smiled.


    After confirming the men disappeared, I returned to Luka-chan.


    "I"m back, Luka-chan."


    "It''s not ''I''m back''! What kind of reckless thing are you doing!"


    And even though I came back in splendour, Luka-chan got angry. Her eyebrows were gently raised. Not good, she''s as scary as Yun-oniichan when he''s angry. Though, that''s a rare occurence.


    "Really, I''m relieved."


    Just when I thought she''s angry, now she makes a tearful expression. I''m really sorry!


    "Luka-chan, I''m sorry. But, I''m quite accustomed to this kind of thing."


    As I seriously apologized, Luka-chan made a surprised look.


    It seemed like she was surprised with me being accustomed to this, but the fact that I knew how to deal with it made it easier.


    "Rather than that, did they do anything weird to you?"


    "N-no! I''m all right."


    The girl hiding behind Luka-chan responded nervously, calm down a bit. I thought.


    "Thank you very much for helping me."


    "No. It''s fine, it''s fine. We''ve acted of our own interest too."


    The girl who had twitched in response to my words was cute, like a little animal. While I thought so, Luka-chan spoke to her to calm her down.


    "It''s all right. Myu-chan is a good person. Probably."


    I guess Luka-chan can''t assert it completely as we don''t know each other for long. I smiled wryly and told the girl my request.


    "Now then, won''t you form a temporary party with us?"


    "Eh? Yes, please."


    "Um... is it fine to decide so easily? You might not want to join a party."


    Unsatisfied by the girl''s response for invitation to the stray party Luka-chan asked, but the girl responded more calmly than she had before.


    "With those people, I wouldn''t be able to calm down. Also, it''s just girl''s, isn''t it. Actually, I look forward to it."


    Please take care of me. The girl lowered her head as she said that, I proudly responded with "leave it to me".


    ¡ñ


    After rejoining Hino-chan everything went smoothly. Both Hino-chan and I have invited two players each to the stray party.


    "Well then, let''s introduce ourselves. I''m Myu. My style is magic swordsman. I use light and recovery magic."


    "And I''m Hino. For weapons I use a hammer and spear depending on situation, I''m a physical attacker. In combat I fight from middle range as main."


    Take care of me, said Hino-chan. From here on it''s the stray party''s members introduction.


    "I''m Lucato. I choose sword as my main."


    "Umm, I''m Rossy. I chose fire magic."


    The girl I solicited and together with Luka-chan saved, mage Rossy. She looked fearful and not dependable yet, if she get''s used to the game she should get strong... probably.


    "I''m called Nekoya. A scout with stealth, specializing in weapons like that of a thief or a bandit, throwing knives and claws."


    "I''m Milizam. My weapon is this hand axe and the shield."


    The people Hino-chan brought were close to being supporters, Nekoya and Lizam were full of confidence.


    Milizam looked somewhat forceful. The word "rebound" would fit her really well, she was uncoordinated but seemed like the type that would rush in energetically.


    Such players constructed their Sense builds and way of fighting for explosive strength, at the same time they tended to be picky with their party members.


    Hino-chan and I would have no problems matching her, but I''m worried Luka-chan and Rossy, as well as Nekoya might not be able to match the pace.


    "Now then, how about we head to hunt immediately?"


    "Hey, wait a moment!"


    I stopped Milizam who was about to suddenly head to combat.


    "No, we''ve got some people who just equipped Senses and are still with initial equipment, we need to buy potions as well!"


    "Haa? You''re goin'' to heal so it''s ain''t necessary."


    Certainly, I said I use recovery magic, but my position is that of a magic swordsman. Did she really get it?


    "Myu-chan, this..."


    "Haa, I get it. I''ll be the rear."


    In that case Luka-chan as swordsman and Hino-chan in the vanguard, and tank Milizam.


    For the rearguard the setup will be me and Rossy. Nekoya, naturally will be a hit and run.


    Thinking about balance it wasn''t too bad, but how about you consult with us more! Even if the result would be the same, consulting it is part of the party''s thrill!


    "Um, certainly Myu-san can use recovery magic, but by having both magic and items you can use advantages of each fully. So..."


    Ohh, Rossy has gathered courage and spoke her opinion towards Milizam.


    "So what."


    "No, um... I''m sorry."


    I beg you don''t go all useless here! I felt like screaming that.


    Hino-chan lowered her shoulders as well, but the god of salvation hasn''t abandoned me.


    "Well well, don''t use such threatening tone. Well prepared means no worries. We can just go and buy them right?"


    "...fine."


    Milizam agreed unhappily. Nekoya said what Rossy wanted to say, and so we were able to replenish consumables in NPC''s store.


    Other than that, we had a conversation about whether some should sell beginner''s weapons and buy NPC equipment or retain beginner''s equipment and save money, the opinions differed between members.


    Rossy and Nekoya decided to keep using their weapons and save money, Milizam changed her axe and shield.


    "Hmnggh... there''s not enough money. Choose whether you want attack or defence."


    Milizam pondered for a while. Well, I don''t hate that kind of thing and I just talked with others as we waited. During this time, Luka-chan, Rossy and Nekoya could speak frankly with each other.


    "All right! I decided on an axe!"


    "Now then, let''s head out for hunt. Once you reach a certain level Hino-chan and I will teach you about movements and characteristics of enemies!"


    Let''s start by leaving through the closest, eastern gate. With that said, everyone started moving.


    After leaving the eastern gate, there were plains. On it, appeared Herbivorous Beasts which were said to be a tutorial for beginner''s, on the vicinity of the boundary between plains and the forests appeared a little bit stronger mobs like Blue Slimes and Goblins.


    And on the field¡ª¡ªplayers waited for mobs to appear.


    "Heyhey, there''s no enemy to beat."


    "Whoops?, We''re late. Myu-chan, what do we do?"


    "Even if you ask me, this is troubling Hino-chan."


    In ¦Â era the player population wasn''t that big so the hunting grounds weren''t monopolized, but with the official version coming out one could expect a large number of people logging in on the first day.


    As the mobs were replaced, the party of six looked at the players crushing them right away and felt something very awkward.


    "It''s different from the fantasy I dreamed of."


    "This is the tough life in game world."


    These were somewhat philosophical words from Nekoya-san because of which, Rossy was struck with reality.


    "Heyhey, what do we do. Like this there''s no point in forming party."


    "Well well, calm down."


    Luka-chan appeased agitated Milizam.


    In that case...


    "Hmm. Either we wait until the hunting grounds open up, or we go to slightly stronger mobs where''s less people, I guess?"


    "Then, we should aim for a place away from the town? Or one adjacent to this place."


    "What. So there''s a good place. Let''s go there then."


    "Wait a moment, listen to everyone''s opinions!"


    As Milizam tried to move on alone I started persuading her, she responded defiantly but listened to me.


    "What Myu-chan said is ultimately just one possibility, we can head out to the west area to take a look and try hunting mobs gradually moving onto stronger ones. That''s one method. I myself, would go to the west I guess. The experience gained isn''t that good, but mobs relatively easy to defeat appear there."


    East had Herbivorous Beasts, Blue Slimes and Goblins.


    The mobs that appeared in the west were Wild Dogs, Bats and Forest Bears. Forest Bears appeared in a fairly narrow area in the southwest, so aside from that the enemies are weak.


    "Umm, this time Hino-chan and I are proposing this as support, you can decide it with a majority vote of the four of you."


    "East or west, is it."


    Luka-chan started thinking over the question deeply, Milizam and Nekoya decided quickly.


    "Moving is a pain so east''s fine."


    "Hmm. Even though it''s risky, we can raise our levels faster in the east, I guess."


    "So, how about you?"


    "Hiee? M-me?!"


    Milizam asked Rossy for opinion.


    "Um, I don''t want to suddenly go where strong mobs are so wes... no, I don''t mind either."


    "Alright! It''s decided! One person abstained and two for the east. No matter how you struggle it won''t be west, let''s go!"


    "W-wait..."


    Bringing Nekoya with her, Milizam immediately headed towards the eastern gate. Rossy looked with concern at Lucato who hasn''t spoke her mind yet, but Luka-chan only smiled wryly as if to say it can''t be helped.


    "Luka-chan, where did you want to go?"


    "Me? It was already decided by majority vote."


    "And that''s why. You need to properly voice your opinion."


    "Fufu, you''re right. There''s still many things I don''t know, so I wanted to go west."


    But, I look forward to the east side. She said with a soft smile.


    And then, we looked for a place with a few people, walking through the border of the eastern forest we found a suitable area.


    "Here, far away from other people we can start hunting."


    The location was on the south, quite near the Wetlands area. There were fewer people here because it was distant from the town.


    "Let''s beat them right away!"


    "Wait for us."


    Milizam assaulted a Herbivorous Beast nearby. And, Nekoya pounced on another one.


    Just, Nekoya seemed to struggle somewhat because of her low stats.


    "C''mon Rossy. He can''t move now, you can aim now."


    "Y-yes! ¡¶Fireball¡·!"


    A fireball produced from the staff''s swing landed right on the Herbivorous Beast and dealt damage.


    Looking at that, seeing it''s far from a proper party play Hino-chan made a wry smile and Luka-chan wondered when should she enter.


    "I''ll pair up with Milizam, also support Nekoya and Rossy."


    "Then, I''ll pair up with Luka-chan."


    With that said, while being taught about the Sense builds and enemies'' features, Luka-chan strove towards leveling.


    In the vicinity of the area''s boundary in addition to Herbivorous Beasts, mixed in were also Slimes.


    "C''monc''mon! Eat this!"


    "Try managing your HP a little. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Heal¡·"


    One person hit the enemy with the shield and swung the axe, completely ignoring defence. I used recovery magic on Milizam.


    Not just the Herbivorous Beasts that could be fought simply, she attacked the slimes from above as well. Seeing that, Rossy and Nekoya were motivated and switched to slimes which were easy to beat.


    "They''re coming from behind!"


    "I know. Ah, my HP is low again! Hurry and heal me!"


    I defeated the slime that had its attention focus on Milizam by using ¡¶Light Shot¡· and healed her.


    Inadvedrently, I looked towards Hino-chan and Luka-chan.


    "The slime''s nucleus is it''s weakness. That''s why, slashing the nucleus with the sword is most affective. In my case it would be smashing onto that area with my hammer."


    "Like, point, line and area attacks?"


    "That''s right. Each mob has different characteristics like movements and weaknesses, if you know them you can fight them even despite level difference."


    "That''ll be helpful."


    Luka-chan listened to Hino-chan seriously. And, as I looked towards the two reflecting on combat, their movements were quickly getting better.


    I recalled at how at first I didn''t know how to fight mobs and beat them up together with Hino-chan.


    "Alright! ¡¾Axe¡¿''s level went up to 6!"


    "That''s fast. I''m still at 4."


    "I-I''m 4 too."


    Defeating each appearing mob, raising her level Milizam quickly went up to level 6. Nekoya and Rossy also steadily raised their levels.


    "This feels great! Let''s beat Goblins next!"


    "Umm, I''m still level 3, I would like to stay here for a little longer."


    Luka-chan declared timidly. In response Milizam¡ª¡ª


    "In that case, the support can just focus on looking over the weaklings right? I want to level up faster."


    Saying so, she didn''t intend to match the party''s pace.


    Luka-chan''s level was still low, but she focused herself on learning the player skills. It meant she wasn''t weak.. Hino-chan too had low level, but with her player skills she could take on Goblins.


    "...what do we do, Luka-chan."


    I asked Luka-chan. The reason Hino-chan and I have formed a stray party was in order to enjoy the atmosphere, there was no need to continue a party that didn''t care about that.


    Expecting her answer¡ª¡ª


    "I understand. Let''s go further. However, let''s take them down safely one by one."


    "Then, let''s have a split of three each and follow up on each other. How about that? Me, Myu-chan and Luka-chan for one team, Milizam, Nekoya and Rossy for the other."


    Since the balance wasn''t bad, Hino-chan''s draft was easily passed.


    "Well then, let''s go!"


    Pulling Nekoya and Rossy, Milizam proceeded forward. We have proceeded after those girls.


    ¡ñ


    Confronting a Goblin, Milizam''s group defeated it while cooperating clumsily and each time they defeated one, they would use potions.


    "Tch, somehow it''s not going too well. Support, recovery!"


    They defeated one Goblin, Rossy delivered the first attack, and then Milizam with Nekoya surrounded and defeated it. With Milizam assaulting, it felt like Rossy was unable to get a grasp on the timing to use magic.


    Although she requested recovery, before I could heal her she had already started battle with the next mob, her pace completely chaotic.


    On the other hand, in our case¡ª¡ª


    "Goblin''s weaknesses are it''s neck and left of its chest. If you focus on those, they are easy to defeat."


    After saying so, Hino-chan hold down the Goblin with her spear''s movements and Luka-chan took a strong lunge forward doing a thrust with the sword.


    With every blow aiming for the vitals, the time required to take down one Goblin decreased. Once used to it, one would naturally aim for those points or near them.


    Thanks to that, the difference between Milizam who just swung her weapon and Luka-chan who aimed for vitals had finally started appearing. And, once Milizam started having a hard time, she did something unexpected.


    "Meh! Taking them one by one feels sluggish! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Hate Bind¡·"


    "You shouldn''t do that here!"


    We have decided to take them one by one, haven''t we. And yet, Milizam used ¡¾Shield¡¿ Sense''s taunt-type skill.


    An action that gathers hate from the mobs in the surroundings. Non-active mob change into active ons, a taunt that makes mobs from a wide range in the surroundings come attacking. And, in the south-east there was¡ª¡ª


    "We''re running, Luka-chan."


    "Eh! But..."


    "It''s fine! We need to secure an escape route!"


    Hino-chan brought Luka-chan and begun the retreat. In the middle of it we defeated the mobs coming at us.


    I had Nekoya and Rossy go ahead and took their place.


    And, Grey Rats and Mill Birds aimed for Milizam. She noticed them and with a creepy smile she had started swinging her axe.


    "Milizam! You won''t make it unless you run!"


    "What! You scared?"


    "That''s not it! This isn''t the right place!"


    "If you''re scared, just continue staying in support!"


    My persuasion didn''t get through to Milizam. Even as she received damage, she continued to take down the incoming Grey Rats and Mill Birds with her axe.


    Seeing that, Rossy used her magic that improved with levels raised to defeat a Grey Rat that was away from Milizam.


    "Myu-chan. Why are you panicking?"


    "Because we''re so far south, mobs from the south are mixed in. Mobs from the Wetlands should have been pulled in¡ª¡ªhere they are!"


    Attracted from the surroundings by the taunt skill, they jumped out from between the trees. It were the Moor Frogs, frog-type mobs.


    The moment I saw that, I moved.


    "You two, run!"


    I told Rossy and Nekoya to run, and in the end I applied recovery magic to Milizam. With this, her HP was recovered to full. And yet¡ª¡ª


    "What, a new enemy huh¡ª¡ª"


    Unable to finish speaking, Milizam was taken down with a single blow. Attacked by Moor Frog''s tongue, her freshly recovered full HP was scrapped off.


    Seeing Milizam quickly fall despite the resistance, finally Nekoya and Rossy developed a sense of crisis, starting to run.


    I stood in spot and prepared for Moor Frog''s pursuit.


    Now that Milizam who had gathered the most hate was down, the party had become the target instead.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shield¡·!"


    I took on the Moor Frog''s pursuit with a light magic''s wall, deflecting it. However, all I could is to deal with the Moor Frog, as for the remaining attacks of Grey Rats and Mill Birds I just endured it as I retreated.


    "Myu-san. This¡ª¡ª¡¶Fire wall¡·!"


    Rossy used her defensive magic and made a wall of fire between me and the enemies to hide me. Aiming for that timing I ran through all at once.


    "There''s the area''s border!"


    As Hino-chan and Luka-chan defeated mobs on escape route, I just single-mindedly ran.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "Moor Frogs alone went back!"


    "Then, let''s defeat the rest. Hino-chan."


    "Yup!"


    After passing through its area, Moor Frog had returned into the depths of the forest. As the single mob who could wipe us out was no longer here, we started bullying the remaining mobs.


    "Let''s go. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Web¡·!"


    "Blow away. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Smash¡·!"


    I shoot an area attack I learned as my light magic leveled up, Hino-chan used her large hammer to hit the ground and cause a shockwave that damaged all the enemies on the ground.


    Hino-chan and I were able to defeat the mobs that approached us. However, because of magic''s and art''s delay time, we couldn''t repeat the same action immediately.


    "Then, let''s take them one by one! HAa!"


    "How nostalgic! Playing reckless with Myu-chan!"


    Together with Hino-chan we cut down the mobs as to protect each other''s blind spots.


    Immediately judging which enemy attacks first, giving them an order we took them down. In order to seize initiative in the battle we crushed the enemy''s initiative.


    Still, there was too much mobs for us to suppress, they have passed by towards Luka-chan and others.


    "Luka-chan, Nekoya! Hold them down!"


    "Yahh! Taaa!"


    In response to my voice, a shout along with a slash resounded.


    Using the short sword Luka-chan accurately tore through enemy''s weaknesses, finishing them in a single blow. Also, in order to obtain initiative just like we did, she prioritized the mobs near her that have entered an attacking motion, defeating them in a good order.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    Responding to Rossy''s support attack, Luka-chan sprung away from the spot.


    The fire bullet pierced through the dense group of mobs and took down a lot of them.


    Earlier when cooperating with Milizam, she would only deliver the first attack as they were wary of each other. Also she would shoot at mobs in the peripheries with her magic, Rossy herself looked surprised at the difference on how easy it is to find a spot to aim at.


    "Amazing. She''s in the vanguard yet she has grasp on everything."


    Hino-chan didn''t stop her hammer even as she watched Luka-chan''s movements. Seeing Luka-chan''s qualities I also spoke.


    "Want. No, I''d like her to join our party."


    I ended up saying "want" treating her like an object, but I have to definitely bring her in to our party. It was already decided.


    Meanwhile, Luka-chan also grasped Nekoya''s movements, defeated the prioritized mobs and pulled back, allowing magic to strike the mobs.


    And she repeated that cycle consistently, she displayed high concentration without a sign of disruption.


    "This will be it! ¡¶Light Web¡·!"


    The remaining mobs were wiped out with my area effect magic, then everyone sat down on spot.


    "No way, to think someone we partied with would try MPK''ing us. Moreover, she self-destructed."


    MPK - Monster Player Kill, an act of killing other players by using mobs.


    Even without Moor Frogs, with bad enough luck we would be taken down anyway. Thinking of that I felt like complaining, but no one had strength to do so.


    "For now, let''s return."


    Since Luka-chan proposed that, we stood up and returned to the town.


    ¡ñ


    "Because of you guys I received death penalty!!"


    "Acting selfishly, were you trying to MPK us?!"


    After returning to the town, we met up with Milizam who returned after dying and spoke to each other. Milizam and I argued, it turned into a quarrel farewell. When leaving, she said something horrible.


    "It''s all right, it''s all right! Rather than that, how about we rest and then go hunt again? Earlier we have defeated lots of them so let''s use that money to replenish items, this time let''s go west!"


    After that, with the party still enveloped in slightly dark atmosphere, I tried speaking brightly.


    Adventure wasn''t just defeating enemy, there were also stories and tricks useful for adventure, as we gathered certain items in an area and taught others, the atmosphere improved a little.


    And, the time to part has come.


    "Um, I''m sorry it turned weird in the middle."


    "N-no. We were helped and have learned about importance of cooperation!"


    "That''s right. We learned a lot. Earlier, during the break I talked with Rossy, we decided to form a party together."


    It seemed like Rossy and Nekoya intended to form a party and adventure together from now on. They realized their player skill difference with ours and decided to catch up to us one day. So they said enthusiastically.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "Thank you very much for today."


    "No, I had lots of fun today too! But, sorry. I was the one who brought Milizam."


    "That''s not Hino-san''s fault."


    "Indeed. And, um... Luka-chan, if you don''t mind, would you party with us again? Could you?"


    As I asked her giving her up-from-under look, she responded with a smile.


    "Understood. Then, how about tomorrow morning?"


    "Yup! It''s a promise!"


    Great, got an appointment! I made a guts pose inside and today''s stray party was disbanded.


    ¡ñ


    I thought about what happened today and about talking with Onii-chan, and about tomorrow as I entered the bath.


    "Mgrr, how do I invite her."


    The ability to grasp the whole party, calm judgement unfazed by the surrounding enemies. I wanted her as the party''s commander no matter what.


    "Oh right. Let''s ask her to try being commander!"


    I stood up from the bath, ignoring the hot water flowing down my body I got out of the bath.


    "Miu. Dry your hair so that you don''t catch a cold."


    "I know."


    While listening to Onii-chan''s concerns, I hurriedly dove into my room and sent Hino-chan a mail.


    "Strategy planning. Let''s teach Luka-chan how fun is commanding, there."


    From there on we had a strategy meeting over mails, in the evening Hino-chan did high-speed leveling on a boar, preparing herself.


    "Myu-san, Hino-san, is it really here?"


    "Yup! Today, there''s something I want Luka-chan to learn! OSO''s real thrill!"


    Last night, after contacting Hino-chan, I consulted her on how to add Luka-chan into the party and as a result, we decided to do ¡¾Golem-sensei¡¿.


    "Where we''re heading now, is the quarry area in the west. Also, the aim is the Golem, a boss mob."


    "Umm, I think I heard a disturbing word. Boss. Don''t tell me we''re going to defeat it now."


    "Wrong, wrong. The goal is leveling on Golem. We''ll have Luka-chan use arts on it 100 times."


    High-speed leveling by fighting Golem. The reason we decided on 100 times for arts, was still a secret.


    "I think Luka-chan has an aptitude to be a commander in a party. That''s why, give us orders."


    "Order Myu-san and Hino-san? You two have more experience, and it''s impossible to hit something 100 times with arts."


    It was the case with fighting Golem as well, but hearing about 100 arts Luka-chan shrunk.


    "It''s okay. We don''t have to beat it. I said 100 arts, but you can just give us orders to make opening and attack then."


    "However, if we lose because of my instructions..."


    "Oh, we''re not ones to complain about such a thing."


    "I mean, if we move however we want, that''s not being a party. It''s a collection of soloers. That''s why, we fight while putting absolute trust into commander. For the sake of the goal. So, it''s for that sake! 100 hits with arts is the goal we aim for!"


    When successful, together with sense of accomplishment you get nice drops. I smiled while saying that, in response she made a puzzled expression, full of motivation.


    "I understand. I don''t know if I can respond to your expectations, but I''ll do it. First, I want to know what''s Myu-san''s and Hino-san''s level and position. I''m thinking of confirming the roles."


    With that said, we have displayed out statuses to each other.


    ¡¾Myu¡¿''s Status


    Possessed SP8


    ¡¾Sword Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Talent Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Recovery Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv15¡¿


    Unequipped


    ¡¾Magic Recovery Lv9¡¿


    ¡¾Hino¡¿''s Status


    ¡¾Hammer Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Spear Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv10¡¿ ¡¾HP Increase Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Throw Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Heavy Blows Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Warrior''s Knowledge Lv7¡¿


    ¡¾Lucato¡¿''s Status


    ¡¾Sword Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv3¡¿ ¡¾HP Increase Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Stamina Recovery Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Party Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Warrior''s Knowledge Lv3¡¿


    Last night, Hino-chan leveled up with a sudden pitch and got up to a level recommended in order not to be taken down by the Golem with a single blow. However, with Golem that has a physical focus, Hino-chan''s attacks will hardly work.


    In the party the one who could effectively strike the Golem was me and my light magic.


    "Myu-chan will attract it from the front. Hino-san will break its posture from behind. Can you please do that?"


    "Got it, Luka-chan, I''ll do it."


    "In the ¦Â I beat up Golem with a hammer, so no prob!"


    She swung her sledgehammer lightly, showing her motivation.


    "And, I will hit it with arts when its posture is broken."


    Luka-chan said, is this way of doing this all right? But I thought there''s no problem.


    "Now, let''s begin! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    A bullet of light was emitted and headed towards the Golem''s head, I rushed out towards the front.


    "Come, I''m here!"


    In order to attract the Golem I used light magic several times in order to gather more hate, then avoided the swung fist.


    The wind caused by the swung fist sprinkled cold sweat off me, avoiding it my feet didn''t stop even for a moment.


    And, with specific timing after the fist was swung up a several times, Hino-chan started running.


    "Haa ¡ª¡ª¡¶Impact¡·!"


    Lowering her petite body, she approached the Golem''s legs from behind. She did a full swing on its legs when it tilted its upper body to swing down its fist.


    There was a dull sound, but in contrast to that, there was no damage dealt to the Golem. Still, the knockback effect scooped it up from below and it fell on its back.


    Hino-chan ran through as not to be caught under the falling Golem, and as we passed by each other we did a high-five, doing something that roundabout we took distance and disengaged from the Golem.


    "I''m going in!"


    "Luka-chan! Go!!"


    Luka-chan approached the fallen Golem. She stretched her back, concentrated while holding the short sword and released the art.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    With a step-in she let out a triple attack, but there was almost no damage, it left only a shallow scar on the muscle made of rock.


    Even though she showed disappointment for a moment, Luka-chan immediately recalled her original purpose and took distance from the Golem. Together with Hino-chan she chose timing for the next attack at her own discretion.


    "Myu-san, was it all right?"


    "Perfect! Let''s go again!"


    With that said, once again I let out a barrage of ¡¶Light Shots¡·.


    This time the Golem tried to crush me with its leg, the moment it raised its leg Hino-chan rushed out and hit its pivot leg with a hammer.


    The Golem collapsed to the side raising a cloud of sand and Luka-chan let out an art again.


    The fact the scar left by ¡¶Delta Slash¡· had become thicker than before meant the leveling was effective.


    While combat became a simple task, Luka-chan had always taken a firm action.


    "Myu-san! Please retreat! It''s movements are slightly off!"


    "Got it! Hino-chan, we''re withdrawing!"


    Probably, it will be decided with Luka-chan releasing out arts around 30 times. I avoided the attacks and repeatedly gathered hate with light magic.


    Although it wasn''t the Golem''s decisive blow, I felt like we were fighting while making sure to maintain MP''s safety margin, and then Luka-chan made a signal for withdrawal.


    We have withdrew from the battle with the Golem and returned to safety area.


    "Myu-san, are you all right?"


    My feet tangled and Luka-chan supported me immediately.


    "Sorry. Looks like I''m a bit tired."


    While I didn''t notice, it seems like I''ve hoarded up quite the mental fatigue. The continued oppressive feeling from the bodily disparity, nervousness continued for a long time, exhausting my concentration.


    "Myu-san, please rest. Hino-san and I will continue alone."


    "Well then, we''ll be going."


    Hino-chan switched her weapon from a hammer to a long spear and confronted the Golem.


    Because we have left combat once, the Golem had completely recovered. Hino-chan repeatedly attacked it from medium range with a spear to restrain it and gather hate.


    "HAa! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    Looking for opportunity as Hino-chan attracts the Golem''s attention to her, Luka-chan waited for the delay time to pass and when she could, she used the ¡¶Delta Slash¡·.


    "Luka-chan. Hate shifted your way!"


    "Understood! I''ll focus on avoiding."


    A long spear didn''t deal much damage, so after Luka-chan used arts several times, the Golem''s target changed to her.


    With the target changed from her, Hino-chan changed the weapon from the spear to hammer and attacked the Golem''s back.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Break Hammer¡·!"


    The hammer swung up from above delivered the impact to the Golem''s insides.


    If ¡¶Impact¡· is a simple physical attack art, ¡¶Break Hammer¡· is an art that has an effect of decreasing enemy''s defence.


    "You won''t be able to ignore me with this. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Impact¡·!"


    In response to the strong attack after having its defence decreased, Golem plunged forward. After this series of actions, the target returned to being Hino-chan.


    "If I attack immediately the target will change back to me, please bear it!"


    "Well then, I''ll switch back to spear and adjust the damage."


    Once again she switched the weapon from a hammer to long spear and pulled the boss to herself and Luka-chan decided to use arts. I don''t know how many times she used arts, but Luka-chan''s movements have gotten quite good.


    "Hino-san. About time we took a break."


    Since we started with Golem leveling quite a long time has passed. As expected, both Hino-chan and Luka-chan were tired.


    "You should''ve used arts about 50 times?"


    "Just earlier was the 61st time. Also, my level rose extremely fast."


    Luka-chan dutifully counted them, and then she showed her stats which grew with leveling.


    Possessed SP2


    ¡¾Sword Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv8¡¿ ¡¾HP Increase Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Stamina Recovery Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Party Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Warrior''s Knowledge Lv9¡¿


    Since she didn''t receive any attacks, rather than ¡¾Physical Defence Increase¡¿ and ¡¾Armour¡¿ that are defence-type Senses didn''t raise and since she didn''t receive any damage neither have the ¡¾HP Increase¡¿ nor ¡¾Stamina Recovery¡¿.


    It was speed-leveling made to meet specific conditions, the speed itself was quite slow compared to confronting a Big Boar alone and it was very extreme.


    And, after a break we challenged the second part of the battle in perfect state.


    ¡ñ


    "Myu-san, Hino-san, why are you playing this game?"


    During the break in Golem''s leveling, Luka-chan asked.


    "Because I wanted to meet Onee-chan, I guess."


    "Onee-san, is it?"


    "That''s right, I can meet Onee-chan who lives far away. Also, I love games."


    "I love games as well!"


    Hino-chan and I hit it off as kindred spirits who love games.


    "And, why did you start playing OSO Luka-chan?"


    When I asked in response, she embarrassedly faced down and replied in hoarse voice.


    "I, ¡ª¡ªlove it."


    "What do you love?"


    "I mean, I love fantasy."


    "I love it as well, fantasy RPGs."


    When I asked her why is she so embarrassed, she said it''s something else.


    "What I love, are fantasy novels."


    "Like, light novels? I read them sometimes as well."


    Just like Hino-chan, I read manga and stories based on games as well as walkthroughs, but other than that I didn''t read too many books. I see, that''s certainly different. I was convinced.


    "No, if I were classify them, I''d say they''re fantasy literature."


    Given examples, like ones that were turned into films like story about the famous ring or about the magical boy, I finally understood.


    "And, um. For a long time I read things like that and about mythology, then I wanted to try it myself and started playing."


    Probably embarrassed, she faced down lower and lower to hide her face.


    What''s this, dignified Luka-chan turned super cute when embarrassed. I felt like instinctively embracing her.


    I want to pull more of her story out and enjoy her embarrassed appearance.


    "Hey, Luka-chan, which parts do you like?"


    "No, um, like a hero boldly attacking the enemy''s large army or dragon extermination and such."


    When I moved in the direction she was lowering her head down, she blushed even further and looked opposite direction.


    It was surprising that Luka-chan who was growing smaller right now had a desire to become a hero. Just when I thought of moving again to look at her face, Hino-chan stopped me.


    "Myu-chan, don''t tease her too much."


    "But, her reaction was so cute I ended up... sorry."


    "No, it''s all right."


    It seems like Luka-chan calmed down a bit as she replied normally. However, her face was still a little bit red.


    "Then, was the world of OSO like you expected, Luka-chan?"


    "Yes, just like I expected it to be. No, even more fun than that."


    Luka-chan made a broad smile in response to my question. Yeah, she''s enjoying it. Thinking so, I got motivated as well.


    "Alright! Now then, break''s over! Let''s have another battle with Golem!"


    Matching my momentum Hino-chan raised her fist, Luka-chan smiled bitterly.


    Again, we returned to where Golem was. At first we''d partner up in the same manner but¡ª¡ª


    "Myu-san, rearguard. Hino-san, will break its posture with hit and run attacks. I''ll stand in front."


    "...got it. We''ll follow Luka-chan, the commander. However, if Luka-chan falls, we''ll follow right after."


    Hino-chan froze not moving an inch, but I thought that Luka-chan wants to stand in the front. Possibly, seeing us stand in front of the Golem as we fought it, we might have looked like fantasy heroes to her.


    "Now then, let''s go. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    Luka-chan let out art on the Golem''s left leg. And, with the first attack the Golem''s target was directed towards her.


    In a position near the Golem''s left leg, Luka-chan avoided Golem''s attack by moving counter-clockwise.


    "HAa! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    Luka-chan who continued to look at us as we confronted the Golem had firmly analysed our movement patterns.


    The Golem''s timings for swinging his arms up and around, as well as leg''s attacks were grasped perfectly by her. That''s why, whenever she saw the attack she was able to position herself on the left side and use arts after avoiding attack.


    "Hino-san!"


    "Roger! Myu-chan, match me!"


    As Luka-chan leaped away, Hino-chan approached the Golem all at once as it did a large swing. I matched the intense swing scooping Golem''s feet and shot magic towards the Golem''s head.


    "HAa¡ª¡ª¡¶Impact¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    The Golem fell sideways. Luka-chan who took distance, leaped back in this time, approaching all at once and let out an art towards the head part of the Golem.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·! ...?!!"


    Three times, even as she let out arts, the Golem slowly stood up.


    It wasn''t all that damaged by our onslaught.


    The Golem who got up turned towards Luka-chan and swung its right arm sideways.


    "Luka-chan!"


    There would be no time to avoid counter-clockwise after the set amount of time an art used. Looking as the Golem''s arm approached Luka-chan, Hino-chan screamed, but I believed in her.


    "HAA! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    "Another one, she''s got guts."


    Luka-chan was unable to avoid the right arm cleave coming counter-clockwise, but she properly found a safe area. She slid below Golem''s legs and moved behind its back, after that she let out arts on its left leg and moved to the Golem''s left side.


    "That was dangerous."


    "C''mon, I was about to get a heart attack."


    Hino-chan stroked her own chest. I too felt sweat in my clenched fist. In case she didn''t make it I prepared the magic ¡¶Light Shield¡·, but it was wasted.


    After that, Luka-chan continued to attack in a stable manner from the left side¡ª¡ª


    "This''ll be the 100th time¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    The triple attack was engraved on the Golem''s leg. At first, it were just thin scars, but now there was damage, although quite small.


    And, Luka-chan''s expression changed from confused one, through surprise, to joy.


    "You two are so sly. Presenting such a surprise gift."


    "Then, for the last thing, use it on the Golem!"


    "I''ll make the opening."


    This will be the last part. Luka-chan who achieved the goal of using arts 100 times held the sword aligned with her eyes and choose the timing of the attack at her own discretion.


    "!! Now!"


    "One more. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Impact¡·!"


    HIno-chan delivered a nasty blow to the back of the Golem''s knee and it fell diagonally on its knees. And, Luka-chan let out an art towards the looming, gigantic rock arm.


    "HAAaa! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    The sword held in both hands blew away the Golem''s huge arm.


    Just like that, the Golem fell on its back. However, we weren''t able to cut down even 10% of its HP in total.


    ¡ñ


    The reason I presented Luka-chan the target of 100 arts uses. It was a method of obtaining new arts, it was a way to raise the level and fulfil the specific conditions!


    The condition of hitting the Golem with arts 100 times was¡ª¡ª


    ¡¾Hit an enemy with high defence 100 times using arts¡¿¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·


    ¡¾Use Delta Slash 100 times¡¿¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·


    Suitable for fulfilling the conditions for those two arts.


    She would eventually received ¡¶Fifth Breaker¡· as she leveled up, but it was an easy-to-use art. ¡¶Shock Impact¡· was a sword-type art that had a strong blunt attribute, it was effective against enemies with high physical defence like Golem and against weak enemies.


    In the ¦Â era, there was a way to get arts by using Golem and since the conditions for acquiring the arts was similar, it was an arts teaching course by using Golem-sensei. That was the reason behind the nickname ¡¾Golem-sensei¡¿.


    And in the end, we revealed the story to Luka-chan.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd so, Luka-chan was able to get two arts. Congrats."


    "Congraats!"


    As I congratulated her with Hino-chan, Luka-chan made a happy, embarrassing smile.


    "Thank you very much. Myu-san, Hino-san."


    "And, one more thing¡ª¡ª"


    It had to be said with this timing. We nodded at each other with Hino-chan and spoke together.


    " "¡ª¡ªLuka-chan, please form a party with us!" "


    Hino-chan and I asked while lowering our heads. After a moment of silence, a quiet laughter could be heard and we slowly raised our heads.


    "Really, it makes me want to take revenge on you two."


    "Then!"


    "I''m still inexperienced, but please do take care of me."


    Luka-chan stretched her back and deeply lowered her head. She consented on joining our party.


    "However, even after so many hits with arts, we only took down 10% of the Golem''s HP."


    She muttered slightly disappointed.


    "Should we take measures against that immediately? In order to take down the Golem."


    As to encourage Luka-chan, Hino-chan clenched her small fist and tried to decide what to do from now on.


    "What we''re lacking are level''s right, also equipment."


    I''ll raise what I''m lacking and confirm how the others are looking. With store-sold equipment it would be difficult to damage the Golem. And, as for Luka-chan who joined starting from official version¡ª¡ª


    "I''m sorry, I have no money."


    "Then, first let''s do some leveling and securing money."


    Since we decided, let''s hurry and go! While compensating defence that was ignored in the extreme training with Golem-sensei, let''s look for a way to get money!


    "Golem! Wash your neck and wait! We''ll definitely take you down after we get stronger!"


    I declared while pointing my finger at it. Together with Luka-chan and Hino-chan we''ll get stronger.


    However, securing money comes first! In order to acquire new equipment!

 Chapter Volume 1 5 3

    Chapter 3 - Toutobi and Fashion


    A few days have passed since Luka-chan officially joined our party.


    Hino-chan, Luka-chan and I, the three of us actively did quests not just for leveling, but also focusing on collecting money.


    "Hmm. We do quests to earn money during the day, but also brief high speed leveling in the evening so our levels are quite high."


    While growling I glared at my Sense status.


    ¡¾Myu¡¿''s Status


    Possessed SP8


    ¡¾One-Handed Sword Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Physical Defence Increase Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv18¡¿¡¾Magic Power Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Talent Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Recovery Lv15¡¿¡¾Magic Recovery Lv10¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Sword Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv17¡¿


    Through repeated leveling, my ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense reached level 30 and derivation Senses appeared, so I took ¡¾One-Handed Sword¡¿ Sense I used in the ¦Â era.


    But, I still haven''t reached my goal.


    To be precise, it wasn''t the level that was required to reach the goal, but total acquisition of SP.


    Once the total acquired SP reaches 20, there will be new basic Senses I''ll be able to pick up, so I''d like to get 8 more SP.


    "Still, it can''t be helped even if I hurry. First I need to receive the equipment I ordered."


    I muttered to myself in the town and headed in the direction of a certain store.


    I entered ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿, a store built at the intersection of the First Town''s main streets and said a greeting at the same time.


    "Hello! Is Magi-san in?"


    "Myu-chan, welcome. Did you come for the equipment?"


    A brown-skinned woman dripping with sweat holding a hammer in one hand¡ª¡ªMagi-san the top smith appeared from the back of ths store.


    "There''s that too, but I came to congratulate you opening your store!"


    "With that said, the store is still in middle of preparations for opening. To be precise, I guide acquaintances from the beta to the store and spend half of the time by the stall."


    When I congratulated her, Magi-san smiled in a bashful manner. She''s cute and has great style, this destructive power is amazing. I''m envious.


    "The reason I was able to make a crafting base so early was thanks to regulars from the beta like Myu-chan."


    "No such thing, it''s all because Magi-san''s weapons are great!"


    After we relaxed ourselves with conversation, Magi-san said "now then" to go back to the topic.


    "For the ordered equipment, you''re fine with the same one you had in beta, right?"


    "Yes! My goal is to be an armour-clad paladin who cuts down enemies with a sword!"


    As I showed my biceps to her, Magi-san smiled broadly with elbows on the counter.


    Somehow, I turned embarrassed, ehehe, I laughed to cover it up.


    "As I thought, seeing an energetic girl like you makes me energetic too. Therefore, a little service from Onee-san."


    She said so and took out silvery equipment my eyes were glued to.


    "Ohhh?! The equipment''s stats are quite high!"


    "Fufufu, you sure know your stuff Myu-chan. That''s right! It''s not just iron! It''s made from Fine Iron!"


    "W-whaaat!"


    Although I responded jokingly, it was quite amazing. The Iron Ingots and the ¡¾Fine Iron Ingots¡¿ that was treated as a different material for crafting had the same properties, but the equipment crafted from Fine Iron had better performance in every aspect. At the same time the difficulty to craft something from it also increased but...


    "I-is it really okay?! But, eh?!! I mean...!"


    I entered a slight state of panic and couldn''t speak up properly.


    Even though her service barely started, it seemed like she put a tremendous effort to make all of my equipment from Fine Iron.


    One Fine Iron Ingot was made from five Fine Iron Ores. So, for a single one-handed sword and four pieces of body armour one would need to use thirty pieces of ore.


    "I know what you want to say, Myu-chan. Something like ''how many Golems did you have to hunt to get enough of ore'', right?"


    Indeed, to get it early in the game one would need to defeat boss mob Golem we haven''t been able to defeat yet and get it as a normal drop. For example, one would need to repeat the fight fifty times with a full party of six people.


    "Just when, and just how many Golems did you beat?!"


    "Unfortunately, the Fine Iron was obtained with a method different from hunting Golems. Well, a way to obtain it cheaply was found, think of it like that. Still, a lot more iron is used so I''m purchasing much more of it than usual."


    Bring all the equipment to my place, she said and winked.


    "Understood. I''ll do my best and cut down the enemies to steal equipment from them!"


    "Yup, please do. Well then, let''s decide on the additional effect bonuses."


    When I agreed, Magi-san started setting up the additional effects in the equipment.


    For iron equipment there were only two types, but with Fine Iron there were more additional effects available. Since currently I didn''t have any reinforcement materials of choice with me, the ¡¾Smithing¡¿''s bonus would be the only one.


    ''Then, ¡¾ATK Bonus¡¿ in the sword and ¡¾DEF Bonus¡¿ in the armour pieces please."


    "Same as it was before, eh? Roger."


    She said and moved the equipment lined up on the table to the bench beside the counter and one by one added additional effects.


    Meanwhile I had nothing to do, so I looked around the store.


    On the shelves decorated with various weapons and accessories, lined up were mainly versatile equipment pieces. Specialized weapons with super high performance and unpopular pieces of equipment were Magi-san''s own hobby.


    There was also a small amount of consumables like potions and pills placed on the shelf.


    "Magi-san, did you pick up ¡¾Mixing¡¿?"


    "Ah, that. No, it''s a corner with consignment. I''m purchasing them from an acquaintance crafter and re-selling them."


    "This is quite cheap."


    Just recently, the resale guilds have been very active with re-selling potions, so the price of the potions was temporarily inflated. Although the prices had settled down, these potions had very reasonable price when compared to their recovery amount.


    "I''m selling in consignment so I still bumped the price a little."


    "This is more than enough if you are purchasing some while coming for equipment maintenance."


    Rather than go around several stalls to find potions, one could kill a few mobs during that time to get money back. In other words, that also combined into the cost.


    "I''ll buy some! Magi-san, give me 10 Potions and 5 Antidotes."


    "Okay. Then I''ll round down the price of the equipment and potions to 400kG."


    "I''ll pay all at once!"


    I paid the money and received both equipment and potions from Magi-san. With high-speed leveling expanses and current equipment''s price almost all the money I had from the ¦Â was exhausted. What''s left is just enough for maintenance and few consumables.


    It seems like I''ll have to focus on securing money rather than leveling for a while.


    "So Myu-chan, are you going to change?"


    "Nope. Actually the girls from my party are going to buy equipment so we''re gonna do an unveiling at the same time. Or so we thought of it!"


    "I see. Then if you need something else, don''t hesitate to come."


    "Thank you very much!"


    She returned to the back of the store and I could hear the sound of metal being hit with a hammer. While listening to the constant rhythm of the hammer I left the ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿."


    ¡ñ


    "Hino-chan, did you wait?"


    "Not at all, this time you were on time!"


    "Grr, you''re horrible!"


    "Ahahaha, sorry."


    After picking up equipment in Magi-san''s store I headed to the place I decided to meet with Luka-chan and Hino-chan in."


    Hino-chan who had come first had teased me about my being late before. When I puffed up my cheeks, she apologized lightly.


    I wasn''t angry in the first place, we were just getting along.


    "And what about Luka-chan?"


    "Just earlier she called me and said that she''ll come after taking a look at the stalls."


    "I wonder if she''s looking for equipment then?"


    Recently we''ve focused on hunting same specific mobs all the time getting a hourly rate of money so there wasn''t much stimulation. But thanks to that we have gathered enough money for expensive weapon or armour.


    "Hino-chan, did you buy equipment?''


    "Yup! A moment ago I picked up the equipment I asked for. How about you, Myu-chan?"


    "Same here."


    The two of us thought of the same thing. Rather than putting on equipment in here, it''s better to wait for Luka-chan to buy new equipment and change then, surprising her.


    Since Hino-chan and I knew each other''s appearance from the ¦Â, we consulted each other on the timing to change, preparing a surprise.


    "Myu-san, Hino-san. Hello."


    While we were speaking with each other, Luka-chan had come to the meeting spot. However, her expression was somewhat dark, there was a shadow on it.


    "Hey, Luka-chan, what is it? Did something happen?"


    "N-no! It''s nothing! I''m fine?"


    "If you''d like, we''ll listen."


    "A, uu... that''s..."


    As we peeked into Luka-chan''s face, worried, she blushed slightly embarrassed and explained the reason for why does she look so discouraged.


    "Um... there was a weapon I''ve had my eyes on for a long time. About the same size as the one-handed sword I''m using now."


    According to Luka-chan the weapon''s stats were slightly higher than those of iron-made ones, the sword with ATK bonus and critical hit correction was apparently set quite cheap.


    She took the money she had for the armour price''s initial deposit and thought she''ll be able to buy it once she gathers just a little more, but once she headed to that stall...


    "I couldn''t find the stall anywhere."


    "Oh my, but there''ll be another chance!"


    "I''ve had similar experiences. When I went to bargain items were sold out or the player and their stall wasn''t there as they moved somewhere."


    Downhearted Luka-chan was cute as she lowered her eyebrows, but to cheer her up I made a suggestion.


    "Then today, how about we go look for temporary equipment for Luka-chan?"


    "Equipment? How?"


    "We''ll aim for randomly generated weapons that drop from treasure boxes and enemy mobs. If we''re lucky, we''ll get equipment for Luka-chan and even if we don''t get any, we can sell equipment to a ¡¾Smithing¡¿ crafter to get money."


    Also, Magi-san would greatly appreciate any iron brought in. This was a good opportunity to go defeat enemies dropping iron equipment in order to earn money.


    "Um, please don''t worry about me. It''s fine to do the usual efficient earning."


    "I agree with Myu-chan''s proposal. I also have my initial deposit for armour so I want to gather money as soon as possible."


    "Is, that so. I understand."


    "All right! Let''s go to the dungeon with Living Armours!"


    "Yeaahh!"


    "Y-yeahh."


    As Hino-chan and I raised our fists energetically, Luka-chan also raised hers, albeit embarrassedly.


    We headed to one of small dungeons nearby.


    "Full physical! Let''s have a hunting spree for one of golem-type mobs, Living Armours!"


    "Still, I don''t see any enemies."


    "I wonder if there will be any ahead of here."


    Indeed. There was only one Living Armour on the first floor. Moreover, it was one that just respawned. It wasn''t empty of just enemies, but also of treasure chests on the entire floor.


    "What do we do? Go do some quest?"


    "You''re right. If there''s someone who entered before us, it seems better to give it some time."


    "This is¡ª¡ªa competition! A fight deciding who will be the first one to recover the treasure chest in the deepest part!"


    "My-Myu-san!"


    We can''t just go back dejected without any results! Also, the player who had annihilated all the mobs in the first level so fast must be really skilled. I want to see their face.


    "Plan change! We''re breaking through the shortest route to the deepest part!"


    "Well, it''s a shallow dungeon so let''s go along with it."


    "I''ll go ahead then!"


    Hino-chan considered the manoeuvrability in the dungeon, put her sledgehammer on her shoulder and rushed forward.


    Matching her, I have followed with Luka-chan.


    Since Hino-chan and I were in this dungeon together in the ¦Â era, we remembered the shortest route.


    Before long we located the stairs to the second floor, once we went down them we didn''t see any enemies in there either.


    "There''s no one here either, we''ll be going to the deepest floor then!"


    "Myu-san, what enemies are there in the lowest floor?!"


    Luka-chan running beside me asked about information on the enemy.


    "It''s all Living Armours! Just, their weapons change from copper ones to iron so their attack power increases a little!"


    "Other than that, when there are multiple ones at once, they cooperate with each other."


    "Ah, I forgot about that!"


    When Hino-chan supplemented information I recalled how I was surrounded by a group of Living Armours armed with spears. Back then they were configured in an unlucky manner and it was difficult to pierce through the gaps, I was able to escape by breaking out of the siege in a corner thanks to magic.


    "Also, their movements are slow but they''re gonna chase you endlessly on the floor, well, there''s lots of stuff. Ah, I can see the stairs to the last floor!"


    We ran through the second floor and arrived at the stairs leading to the lowest floor.


    On the other side of the stairs we saw Living Armours crowding in the hallway.


    "Prepare for combat! There''s lots of them!"


    I picked up the weapon I had put away and slashed the Living Armour intending to cut it apart.


    Hino-chan smashed the armour in the head with her sledgehammer. The head was blown away and slammed into the dungeon''s wall letting a dull, echoing sound in the dungeon.


    Luka-chan held a short sword and thrust into the gaps in the armour''s joints, while suppressing the weapon''s durability consumption she slowly damaged the enemy.


    "Myu-san! What is on earth is this?!"


    "Probably a monster house or something?"


    It seems like for some reason mobs have concentrated in one place. If we left them be they would scatter which wasn''t time-efficient. While thinking positively¡ª¡ª


    "Saves us trouble looking for enemy! Let''s wipe them out and add them to our experience! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    I used the Art I obtained in the same manner as Luka-chan to slash the passage full of Living Armours.


    Five continuous sword attacks have repelled one Living Armour each, opening distance between me and them.


    "Gather them up and send them flying!"


    That''s where Hino-chan popped out, swung her sledgehammer low and gathering the nearby armours she defeated them.


    "HAa, there!"


    While the Living Armours could be defeated by dealing damage to certain specific parts such as limbs, Luka-chan aimed for joints between the legs and arms in order to decrease the mobility and attack power of the Living Armours.


    "HAA¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    I fired a bullet of light by the side of their vanguard to strike an individual that tried to thrust with its spear, cancelling the attack.


    At the same time, as grazes have accumulated damage dealt to Hino-chan and Luka-chan, I used recovery magic on them.


    If Hino-chan and I knew it would turn out like this, we would have worn the equipment we received earlier and made it easier for ourselves. While thinking so I continued to annihilate Living Armours near the stairs.


    After that, since wandering Living Armour appeared from the corner on the left side, the three of us focused our attacks to defeat it.


    "Hey, I said earlier it''s a ''monster house'', it seems like they''re overflowing from the room in the left."


    "Does that mean the Living Armours have gathered on the left side?"


    Just as Hino-chan said, the left side was a large, empty room. And if one would come straight to the deepest part to pick up the treasure chest, there was a possibility of it turning into a monster house but¡ª¡ª


    "How about we wait, and if there''s nothing coming out, we''ll just go to pick up treasure chest?"


    "If there''s a player in here, there''s a high probability they are in trouble."


    Hearing Luka-chan''s words, "got it" Hino-chan answered with a smile and entered the passage on the left side.


    The three of us cooperated quickly taking care of Living Armour in groups less dense than the one earlier. And, as we approached the large room we heard the sound of sword strikes.


    "There''s someone here after all. Should we up the pace a little?"


    "Agreed! I''ll open the way so let''s rush in all at once!"


    Hino-chan swung the hammer both left and right blowing away the Living Armours that blocked the path to the sides. In order to stop them from chasing after us Luka-chan cut the legs of the armours, destroying specific parts. On the other hand, I fired light bullets from behind the two.


    "I can see them!"


    When we have entered the large room, it was packed with Living Armours. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that all the enemies on the lowest layer were inside. And, in the back, there was a player who wore a cloak and light clothing and fought back standing with their back to the corner of the dungeon.


    "We''ll assist that person!"


    "Let''s go then!"


    Luka-chan and Hino-chan aimed for the Living Armours that the player with their back against the wall didn''t engage and took them down one after another.


    While avoiding joint struggle penalty you get when attacking another party''s mobs, we burned through this monster house.


    I used rapid fire of light bullets to attack the armours the two weren''t able to reach.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    And, we approached the player clad in the cloak.


    "Are okay?!"


    The player was driven into the corner of the room, but continued to narrowly to avoid the attacks with minimum of movements. Because the player''s weapon was a short dagger, they had no way to counter-attack.


    Seeing the player''s HP slowly decreasing, I used recovery magic.


    "Hold out a little longer with this! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Heal¡·!"


    "...!!"


    When I cast a stray heal on the player with a cloak who wasn''t in party, the player cut down the Living Armour in front of their eyes.


    Surprised by my behaviour, the player with the hood low on her eyes tried to say something, but seemed to have gave up on that.


    "HAa¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·! Ah!! It broke. However!"


    Luka-chan hit the Living Armour in front of her with her weapon. The armour fell down backwards because of the impact, but the durability of the weapon purchased from NPC went over the limit and broke.


    "If I don''t have weapon, I just have to take away enemy''s weapon and use it! HAa!"


    She took out the biggest sword from the ones that dropped out of Living Armours and found their way to her inventory and wielded it with both hands.


    "Ohh?! A power type weapon! I won''t lose either! ¡¶Impact¡·, ¡¶Giant Swing¡·!"


    Hino-chan who swung the sledgehammer before now held it in her right hand and a long spear in her left, then spun like a top.


    The sledgehammer swung at the full force had dented the armour in and the long spear mowed enemies down.


    In no time the amount of Living Armours that had dropped down to half as compared to when they first entered into the room.


    And since the distance between the Living Armours opened, the player in a cloak started to move.


    "OHH?! Fast!"


    The cloak fluttered and the player rushed between the Living Armours attacking them both while passing by. Moreover, both attacks aimed for joints and clasps destroying the parts of armour. From time to time the player thrust at the enemy delivering critical damage and defeating the Living Armours.


    "We can leave half of them to that person! Let''s clean up the remaining half of the enemies!"


    "All ri...?!! ¡ª¡ªMyu-chan avoid it!"


    "He?"


    When I turned around in response to Hino-chan''s voice, an axe had been throws at me from the front.


    A Living Armour that had one arm cut off had picked it up and threw it at me.


    I hurriedly tried parrying it with a sword, but I realized I can''t avoid incoming axe and only prayed that the hit isn''t critical.


    "......?!!"


    That moment, a dagger was swung right in front of me. The cloaked figure had received the axe. However, because of the difference in weapon''s weight she couldn''t deflect it and it struck the player deep in the shoulder.


    Since the player''s defence was weak in the first place, they lost majority of their HP and fell onto their knees.


    "You took the hit for me?! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Heal¡·!"


    I used recovery magic in a hurry. However, a single ¡¶Heal¡· wasn''t enough to fully recover them and waiting for the skill''s cooldown was frustrating.


    "At times like this, a potion!''


    I used the potion I purchased before we came to this dungeon, sprinkling it over the cloaked player.


    With a single recovery magic usage and a single potion, I recovered her completely.


    While I healed her, Luka-chan took down the Living Armour which threw the axe and Hino-chan delivered the last blow to remaining enemies.


    "Are you okay?"


    "......, ah."


    The mouth visible from under the hood moved lightly, but soon enough the person''s lips closed tightly, an they nodded instead.


    The cloak-clad player facing down had moved away from me and headed to get rid of the remaining Living Armours.


    Since the axe''s blow when she received it for me had torn her cloak on the shoulder, I could see the clothe equipment inside.


    And after a while we were able to defeat all the Living Armours gathered in the room.


    "It was different from the original plan, but Living Armours'' drops, get!"


    "Uhee. There''s a spear drop, but this sledgehammer is already done for. Next time I"ll use my usual large hammer."


    Hino-chan put away the sledgehammer that started clattering. And, Luka-chan did practice swings with the great sword in silence, when she noticed my line of sight she panicked a little.


    "What is it, Luka-chan?"


    "Eh?! Ah, I was unexpectedly familiar with the great sword I used instead of the broken one and..."


    While saying so, she exchanged the broken sword by her waist with a short sword by and put the great sword into the inventory.


    "Does it really feel familiar?"


    "Actually, I feel that if it was a little smaller it would be easier to manage. In the dungeon''s passages it can''t be used well, so I''ll use this one instead."


    She said and stroked the short sword by her waist.


    "Then, a weapon that can be used with both two hands and one hand?"


    Since Luka-chan was able to skilfully use swords in both ways, I looked through my drops for a surplus weapon that fitted the description and was able to find one.


    Knight Sword ¡¾Two-Handed£¯One-Handed Sword¡¿


    ATK+10 DEF+4 Additional Effect: DEF+3


    It wasn''t very good, but it wasn''t a bad drop either. The sword status had an unusual additional effect for a drop, but because it only slightly increased defence, it''s evaluation as equipment was lower.


    Were it ¡¾ATK+3¡¿ the evaluation would be slightly higher. However, for a player who doesn''t have money for equipment it had enough performance as a bridging equipment.


    "Luka-chan, try holding this."


    "This, it''s slightly smaller than the great sword."


    She poised the sword she received from me with both swords, did a practice swing, then a swing using one hand, confirming how it feels in her hands.


    "Compared to the one I saw on the stall the stats are lower but... it''s easy to handle."


    Next time I''ll look for a weapon based on this one, she said and put away the Knight Sword in the inventory.


    Luka-chan was slightly happy to have a replacement equipment, on the other hand Hino-chan looked through her inventory for a replacement spear, but unable to find one she puffed her cheeks.


    Meanwhile as the cloaked player tried to leave this large room, I called out to stop them.


    "Wait!"


    "......?!!"


    Startled by me calling out, the player''s shoulders twitched. The silent person without showing their real face, had turned in my direction.


    "Um... thank you for helping me!"


    After I said so, the player bowed and left the room.


    "A strange person, wasn''t it."


    "You''re right. And we weren''t able to speak either."


    Hino-chan spoke, Luka-chan nodded in agreement and watched the cloaked player disappear in a dark passage.


    If it was a silent cool-type or role-playing player, we shouldn''t force them to speak up.


    It was by chance that we helped that person, possibly our only bond with that player in this world of OSO will be this event.


    "Now! Since we''ve come to the deepest part we need to get some money from the treasure chest!"


    I strongly emphasized on our original purpose and headed to the back of the dungeon.


    "Ah, aaaAAAAAHHHH¡ª¡ª! T-the treasureee!"


    And in the deepest part we arrived in soon, I cried out.


    "Not here, it''s not here! There''s nothing inside!"


    "Um... probably that person from earlier beat us to a punch."


    Luka-chan put on a troubled smile, "it can''t be helped", Hino-chan gave up.


    That''s right, in this game at times you cooperate with others, at others you compete with them.


    This time we have cooperated in getting rid of the monster house, but originally we were rivals seeking the treasure box.


    "What do we do, Myu-chan? Go around defeating Living Armours on the bottom floor until the treasure respawns?''


    "Uu, uuu. ...it can''t be helped, let''s go back."


    Hino-chan called out to me, who was discouraged. Because the treasure box''s respawn time was longer than that for mobs, I gave up on it this time.


    "Myu-san, it''s all right. Actually I secured enough money for purchasing armour."


    "But, it''s still frustrating!"


    Oozing with reluctance, I left this small dungeon together with others.


    After returning from the dungeon, we dropped by Magi-san''s store, ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿, and sold the equipment that dropped from the Living Armours.


    It seemed that currently Magi-san was working in the workshop, so a male NPC bought the equipment from us in her place.


    While the NPC managed the purchase, we looked at the equipment decorating the shop. That''s when Luka-chan found a single one-handed sword placed among products.


    "Uuh, this is the one-handed sword from that stall! I want it."


    "Your money for purchasing armour will be gone, right?"


    Grrr, Luka-chan troubled herself over it raising her eyebrows, in the end, she gave up and returned the sword to the container.


    But, I want to have a weapon made for me at all costs, a quiet mutter had reached my ears.


    Next time, let''s try consulting with Magi-san on Luka-chan''s topic, I took a note in my mind.


    ¡ñ


    "Okay, we''re here! A store that sells armour!"


    Ta-dah, together with Hino-chan we spread out arms. Ahead of where we guided Luka-chan, there was a single store.


    Although it looked like a normal shop with clothes, as we stood in the entrance, the size of the store inside was beyond a person''s imagination.


    In the back, it was decorated with stifling armour-types, but there were also a some of others as well as weapons, but it was basically a store specializing in armours.


    "Um... what kind of store is this?"


    "You see, it''s a store that gathers armours and sells them instead of crafters!"


    Since Hino-chan explained it roughly, I answered with more details.


    "The crafters are making equipment and selling it, right? The places where they do it is on the street stalls, in their own stores if they own them, but people who think it''s cumbersome to hire NPCs and to manage stores and stalls leave it here for selling in exchange for profit division."


    To describe it simpler, it was an armour store that sold equipment in consignment.


    "Let''s find armour to Luka-chan''s liking in here and buy it. After that, let''s have the crafter introduced for equipment''s grading-up!"


    And so, sorry to distuurb, as we entered the store a clerk had come to greet us.


    "My, welcome. What cute customers had come."


    "M-M-Myu-san! T-this person is...?!"


    The person who had come to greet us was the store''s owner.


    Deep facial features and crew cut. Languid corners of the eyes...


    "What is this! What''s with this person, her arms are super thick and muscular, she looks sturdy like a rock!"


    "My, how rude. Despite everything, I''m loved by everyone."


    "Ahahaha, isn''t it more like everyone is terrified by you?"


    As Hino-chan retorted with a smile, "My, how severe", she responded. She was a tall onee-style woman, people are scared of her at first, but she was a person of great character.


    "Although she looks like this, she''s a veteran player from the ¦Â era, Kitty-san."


    "Also known as Kitei-san (¹íÌå). It''s a nickname she got for catching a goblin with bare hands and swinging him around."


    "Nyaaw. Don''t mention stories from so long ago. Right now I''m only mastering techniques to make bad brats submit."


    As Kitty-san wiggled on spot, Luka-chan''s face convulsed.


    Kitty-san was in real an onee-style person, but in order not to be judged by her gender she had purposefully added mascuile correction to her body.


    Normally it would be something to be disappointed with, but the character she made looked interesting like a story character, so the person herself was regarded positively.


    By the way, for the players who occasionally mocked her being onee-style, she chased them to the ends of the earth calling them with her hoarse voice and to them she had become synonymous with fear, currently they have become gentlemen who don''t do any sexual harassment.


    "Kitty-san is a really good person. She takes the initiative in gathering information on items and mobs, helping others out."


    "She''s an amazing person who had mediated in my party when there was trouble!"


    We described what kind of a personality Kitty-san has, but because the initial shock was too strong, Luka-chan''s face was still cramped up and convulsing.


    "Today, you''ve come to buy equipment for this girl, right? Take your pick."


    " "Thank you very much!" "


    "Aren''t you two going to buy any?"


    "No, we''ve already bought ours."


    "Is it fine for us to change into different equipment in here?"


    Although we weren''t dissatisfied with our main equipment, as girls we would like to enjoy wearing different equipment as fashion. Therefore, we wanted to be able to freely wear various armours.


    "Then enjoy yourself as you like. It''s girls'' nature to dress up."


    Kitty-san winked and returned into the back of the store.


    "Um, what a deep person."


    As if tired with just a short moment of contact, Luka-chan let out a long sigh.


    "Then, let''s look for equipment Luka-chan will like in the back!"


    "Oh right, I forgot."


    Because of the overwhelming shock she forgot the original purpose, so Hino-chan and I guided her to the back.


    "Try on the armours here and pick one you like."


    Ahead of where we guided her, there were a lot of armours lined up. The full-body armours were only a part of the equipment made by crafters, there was also lots of joke and cosplay equipment made at full power.


    "I understand. But, before that I need to remove this equipment, right."


    Luka-chan said so and operating the menu, she removed leather armour, thanks to which we could see her size well.


    "H-howaa..."


    "Even bigger than I imagined."


    Her boobs were bigger than Hino-chan and I thought. Rather, they were big enough to make me think that it might have been painful to have the leather armour suppress them.


    Quietly, I put my hands on my own chest. Yup, I''m still in my growth phase so there''s hope... probably. Not to be as big as Sei-oneechan, but I want to grow a bit!


    "Myu-san, Hino-san, how about you try choosing some good looking armour?"


    "Got that. Let''s go, Myu-chan."


    Hino-chan didn''t seem concerned with her breasts, but I was a little worried. Not knowing how I feel, together with Luka-chan we started looking for suitable equipment.


    And, we have picked up armours that had a design which would look good on us or Luka-chan.


    "Luka-chan, what''s your favourite colour?"


    "Favourite colour? Let''s see, I guess it would be reds."


    Luka-chan''s hands stopped and she turned towards Hino-chan, thinking seriously about the question. Seeing her defenceless from behind, mischief welled up in my mind and I slowly crept at her from behind.


    "So, a knightly armour after all?"


    "I guess so. Thyaaa¡ª¡ª?!"


    "Ohhh! As I thought, amazing shape!"


    "Nhh?! Myu-san, what are you doing?!"


    Although Luka-chan twisted her body while blushing strongly, I embraced her from behind checking up her boobs so she couldn''t really get away.


    "No, um, skinship? These are some great boobs."


    I''m so envious. When I thought so, my hands were shaken off. Ah, I wanted to enjoy them a little longer.


    "Why are you looking so disappointed! Also Hino-san, please help me next time!"


    "No, I can slightly understand Myu-chan''s feelings. I mean look, we''re like this."


    Hino-chan and I looked at our chests, there were mounds, but only small ones.


    "With our breasts mature-looking equipment doesn''t fit us, so we''re yearning you see."


    "Indeed. I''m often told I''m childish."


    As the two of us spat out heavy sighs, Luka-chan was all flustered. As I thought, wearing lots of various things is fun.


    Then, we searched for armour that would fit Luka-chan but¡ª¡ª


    "Hmm. I can''t really decide."


    "That said, we''ve only looked through some of them."


    Although she tried seriously, Luka-chan couldn''t decide. She was bad with things like these, so it might be better to leave it up to Kitty-san''s judgement. When I thought so I saw Kitty-san talk with someone at the store''s entrance.


    "You''re cute, so why don''t you take off that cloak and wear some cute clothes?"


    "?!! ...impossible."


    The husky voice seemed to be that of a girl''s. It was quite cute so I got interested and turned in her direction.


    "You should be more confident."


    "...I''m, not cute."


    When I took a peek at the player facing downwards, I saw her clad in a cloak that covered her entire figure. And, a diagonal cut on the shoulder looked familiar to me.


    "A-Aahhhhhhh! The person from the dungeon!"


    "......?!!"


    She twitched strongly and stiffened, because of that the hood she was wearing slipped and her face was exposed. It was a girl who hid her eyes behind her purple hair''s bangs. Her hidden, clear eyes gave an impression of beautiful clear ocean''s.


    "My, Myu-chan''s acquaintance?"


    "Just earlier, she saved me in the dungeon."


    When I explained clearly, "Oh, is that so. The world sure is small", Kitty-san put a hand on her cheek and muttered.


    Luka-chan and Hino-chan who came to take a look have recognized the solo player from the dungeon and were surprised.


    "This girl, she has a habit of choosing her words very carefully, so she has trouble inviting people to form a party."


    C''mon, introduce yourself. The girl was had her back pressed and took a step forward, then blushing with embarrassment she slowly introduced herself.


    "...nice to meet you, I''m Toutobi."


    "I''m Myu!"


    "Lucato."


    "I''m Hino, likewise!"


    Although shyly, Toutobi-chan introduced herself without faltering.


    "My, it seems like you''re all right with Myu-chan and others. Then, for practice in socializing go choose some armours."


    "...eh, that means..."


    Toutobi-chan panicked hearing Kitty-san''s proposal, but I grasped her with my both hands without regard to that.


    "Then let''s go choose! Let''s go in the back!"


    "...eh, ah, eeh?"


    I pulled Toutobi-chan''s hand, returning to others.


    "All right, what kind of armours do you like? You plan to buy heavy or light armour?"


    "...eh, aa."


    "Myu-chan, calm down."


    Interrupting my asking in rapid succession, Hino-chan put a stop to it.


    "Look, Toutobi-san is confused. Ask questions one by one."


    "Ahahaha, sorry."


    "...no."


    Thanks to Hino-chan and Luka-chan stopping me, Toutobi-chan breathed out with relief and made a bitter smile.


    "Well then¡ª¡ªright, if you don''t take off that cloak we won''t be able to choose."


    The playstyle of the player was important, but the suitable equipment also depends on the body type.


    "...do I have to take it off?"


    Although she was embarrassed, in response to our gazes she shrunk. Unable to withstand it any longer, she quietly removed the cloak¡ª¡ª


    "As I thought, so big. Far bigger than me."


    "I lost, again."


    Her boobs previously hidden by the cloak were about the same size as Luka-chan''s.


    "Grr, I''m envious."


    "...um, I''m sorry."


    "Boastingg?! Agrr, gonna touch!"


    "......?!!"


    As I reached out to her boobs from the front, Toutobi-chan reflexively hit my hands away. Even though I announced it loudly, she perfectly responded to my surprise attack.


    I didn''t want to lose so I entered full offensive, but every time my hands were repelled.


    As I looked at her from the front, I could see her eyes narrow, not a speck of embarrassment could be seen in them. As if her switch for combat was pressed.


    (I see. So she''s the type who switches over during combat)


    While evaluating her in my mind, I can''t lose, I thought then improved pace as well as added feints adding more intensity to my attacks.


    Possibly an adverse effect of playing solo, but she didn''t have any PvP skill and before long I was able to grab her from the front.


    "Ohhh?! They might be one size larger than Luka-chan''s¡ª¡ª"What are you doing!" "


    I touched them only for a few seconds, but Luka-chan immediately peeled me off.


    "Myu-san, it was too sudden and you startled Toutobi-san!"


    "Are you okay? C''mon, Myu-chan, you''re too free."


    Luka-chan and Hino-chan got angry, sorry, I apologized but Luka-chan still stared at me intently. Sorry, I won''t do it anymore without permission.


    "Then as apology, want to touch my chest? Luka-chan can touch it too."


    "How did you come up with¡ª¡ª"...then, excuse me."¡ª¡ªhey, Toutobi-san, you''re touching?!"


    For a while now, Luka-chan''s expressions from one interesting one to other, on the other hand Toutobi-chan gently touched my boobs for a payback.


    "...modest breasts aren''t they."


    "Uuu, I''m in my growth phase! They''ll get bigger!"


    "...somehow, it feels like a conversation between friends, it''s fun."


    "What are you saying? Tobi-chan and I are friends already."


    In response to my words, Tobi-chan made astonished expression and thought about their meaning.


    And, she responded with a question.


    "...Tobi-chan?"


    "Yup! Toutobi, so Tobi-chan. Also, Lucato, so Luka-chan!"


    Can it be that Tobi-chan didn''t like it? I tilted my head and looked up at her, but her expression that was stiff until now had loosened and her mouth arced upwards happily.


    "...I''m glad, it''s the first time I received a nickname."


    She made a soft smile, making me unconsciously cling to her.


    "Tobi-chan, you''re so cute! A smile definitely fits you so much more!"


    "...no way, I''m, not cute."


    Possibly not used to being called cute, Tobi-chan panicked. If that''s the case, we need to choose equipment that will make everyone think she''s cute!


    "Luka-chan! Hino-chan! Let''s look for armour fitting Tobi-chan! And so. As a result of selection for mature-looking Luka-chan and Tobi-chan¡ª¡ª"


    "Wh?! What is that equipment?!"


    "...uu, too embarrassing."


    *bshh*, when Hino-chan outstretched the picked equipment in front of them, Luka-chan and Tobi-chan blushed.


    The armour outstretched to Luka-chan was a so-called bikini armour.


    Dyed red, it only hid girls'' important parts, exposing everything else, a female swordsman-style.


    And, the armour proffered to Tobi-chan, was a black bunny girl suit. In set there were fishnet stockings, a band with bunny ears and a bow tie, everything in playboy-style.


    Both of them had high exposure and were already on the level of joke items.


    "Such equipment is too embarrassing for me to wear!"


    "Then, a cloak on top of it."


    "That makes it more erotic instead, right! Tobi-chan!"


    "I said, I''m not wearing it!"


    In high spirits, I tried adding a black cloak on top of the bikini armour I took out, but a strong rejection had come from Luka-chan.


    Tobi-chan was embarrassed because of the armour she was shown, but her stare was fixed on it.


    Still, this equipment was reminiscent of one used in a certain dragon RPG, so I also felt like picking one matching it.


    "If Luka-chan wears that, I guess I''ll take this and this?"


    I took two types of equipment and raised in front of myself.


    One was equipment of a royal road''s protagonist. A circlet with blue orb in it, yellow tights and blue one-piece dress. Hero-style with a sword and shield.


    The other one was blue and yellow-toned robe with full body orange tights underneath and a hat with a cross embroidered on it, it was priest-style equipment.


    "Ohhh! Party cosplay?! Then I''ll take this!"


    After saying so Hino-chan equipped a martial artist''s equipment. Green-coloured dougi had "dragon" embroidered on it, although it was similar to the priest''s robe, instead of a cloth it had a belt wound around the waist.


    "This is fun in a way!"


    "I''m not doing it! I''ll be embarrassed to do it alone!"


    Luka-chan strongly denied and puffing up her cheeks she returned the bikini armour to its original location, then started looking for equipment of her choice.


    Tobi-chan hurriedly put away the bunny girl armour she was concentrated on and started looking for armour for herself.


    "I played around for a bit too much, sorry."


    "Hmph, really you..."


    As Luka-chan got cutely angry, I once again apologized, and while apologizing this time I started properly looking for equipment for the two.


    For Luka-chan, red and a warrior-style. For Tobi-chan, dark colours near black would suit her, I took one armour after another in my hands, but I was somewhat unable to find one that would suit the two''s image.


    On the other hand, both Luka-chan and Tobi-chan took armour each in their hands and raised them high.


    "This, it would suit Toutobi-san."


    "...and for Lucato, this one would be good."


    The armour Luka-chan raised was one of a western-style assassin. It was a body-fitting equipment for both top and bottom and a crimson muffler. It was a slightly bold, dark sleeveless piece revealing sides.


    The armour Tobi-chan was raising, was a red and black-toned light armour. The chest plate in a shape of breasts protected the chest and the design emphasised on breasts'' shape.


    Neither of the two were joke nor cosplay equipment, but they were both slightly risqu¨¦.


    "Nicey! Try them on, you two!"


    "I want to see how the two of you look in it."


    "Well, I don''t mind trying it on, will it fit me?"


    "...it''s a little embarrassing being looked at, let''s go to the changing room."


    The two exchanged the equipment they held in their hands and entered the set-up changing room.


    Probably when they confirmed their appearance in the changing room''s mirror, we could hear slightly embarrassed voices leak out.


    "Luka-chan, Tobi-chan. Is it fine yet?"


    "A little longer, to prepare my heart..."


    "Not waiting!"


    Hino-chan and I opened the curtains of the changing rooms.


    Inside, there were Luka-chan and Tobi-chan exposing their white limbs.


    Although Luka-chan said she needs to prepare herself, she had great style and it fit her well. Dignified and worried about the short skirt as she was in a standing posture, she shown herself to us.


    "Um, how is it?"


    "It super suits you! Kinda, like, as if you were about to say¡ª¡ª"All forces, charge!"¡ª¡ªor something!"


    "Ah, I''d like to try that."


    Once again, Luka-chan confirmed her own appearance in the mirror, but seeing bare legs and arms, she made a regretful expression.


    "Maybe I should order additional arms and leg armour from the same crafter."


    Luka-chan smiled a bit shyly.


    On the other hand, Tobi-chan curled up in the corner of the small dressing room.


    Although her long bangs looked assassin-like but as she wound the muffler around her neck and hid her mouth, rather like an assassin, she looked just like a little animal.


    "C''mon Tobi-chan, stand up, stand up."


    Once Hino-chan and I helped Toutobi-chan to stand up, she faced Luka-chan.


    "It''s very cute, I''m surprised. It looks great on you."


    "...Lucato too, you''re pretty."


    Tobi-chan faced downwards embarrassedly.


    Together with Luka-chan, they seemed to like that equipment.


    "Well then, shall we change our equipment too?"


    "You''re right. It made me feel like changing into mine as well."


    Hino-chan and I switched our equipment on spot.


    I changed from the leather armour I was using so far into a silvery-white armour made by Magi-san.


    Hino-chan wore a leather jacket, a breastplate and a blue tiara. On top of that she wore a gauntlet disproportionate to her small body on only her right arm.


    "Ta-dah! How is it, our appearance!"


    "This is how we looked in the ¦Â!"


    When I said so and puffed my hardly-existent chest, the two smiled.


    "It suits you two."


    Luka-chan praised us and Tobi-chan standing beside her had nodded several times.


    "Thanks, you two! Well then, Kitty-san! We''re purchasing equipment!"


    "Yes yees, I''ll check the price now. ¡ª¡ªMy my, it turned into quite a cute party."


    The onee-style giant peeking at us smiled happily as she saw us.


    "...I-I''m, not cute."


    "Oh c''mon, for saying things like that, take this!"


    I found a hair clip accessory on the shelf nearby and held it in my hand.


    Before she could say anything, I used the hair clip to hold down her bangs. With just that the impression she gave off changed.


    "Look, now you''re cute! As I thought, it''s much better than with your bangs down."


    Seeing her own appearance in the mirror, Tobi-chan swallowed the phrase "I''m not cute".


    Tobi-chan clenched her fist tightly and stared in our faces with a serious expression.


    "...um, please let me enter your party!"


    "Yup. Sure!"


    Since we heard that Tobi-chan was unable to enter any party, so I could tell she summoned courage to ask. Also, there was no reason to refuse.


    "I think it''s all right as well. I want to adventure together with Toutobi-san."


    "I already thought of her as of new member of our party."


    It was so natural, I didn''t notice until now. Hino-chan said with a smile.


    "Now, since we have a new party member Tobi-chan and new equipment, let''s go adventure!"


    Yeahh, as Hino-chan and I raised our fists high, Luka-chan smiled wryly. Induced by our enthusiasm, Tobi-chan embarrassedly, weakly raised her fist.


    "And so, please give us the bill, Kitty-san!"


    "Oh my my, since it calls for celebration, I''ll make Toutobi-chan''s hair accessory a free extra."


    Cost of three pieces of Luka-chan''s armour, General Rouge, was 180kG.


    Tobi-chan''s armour, assassin suit ¡¾Assassinoid¡¿and muffler ¡¾Invincible¡¿, cost 150kG in total.


    The two received contact information of the crafters who made the equipment they purchased and then we left the store.


    "We''ve added Toutobi-san in but, where shall we go?"


    Hearing Luka-chan''s question, I suggested a quest I wanted to do for a while already.


    "I know! ¡ª¡ªLet''s go do the women-only quest ¡¾Investigation of Crystal Cave''s Interior¡¿ ¡ª¡ª"DENIED."¡ª¡ªHino-chan, you''re horrible!"


    Being immediately refused I fell into a slump, Hino-chan explained to the two who made clueless expressions.


    That it''s a quest for a pair of women, and when they heard that the emerging mobs are centipedes, the two shook their heads at full power.


    "The quest reward and experience isn''t that good, and I don''t want to see any bugs."


    As Hino-chan hugged her own small body, it won''t work, I thought and gave up.


    "In that case, let''s defeat enemies nearby and improve the party''s cooperation, then gradually increase the opponents'' difficulty. How about that?"


    Everyone agreed with Luka-chan''s proposal.


    "Well then, once again, take care of us, Tobi-chan!"


    "...yes, please take care of me."


    Together with Tobi-chan who replied with a cheerful smile, we moved on the road full of pedestrian traffic. While having fun chatting, we headed out for an adventure.

 Chapter Volume 1 5 4

    Chapter 4 - Kohaku and Rirei


    Inside the forest filled with singing of the birds, in the centre of the forest''s opening a giant lizard with sharp scales had hugged his tail with his eyes closed.


    Since there was nowhere to hide in the surroundings we pounced at him all at once.


    "TAKE THISSSSS!!"


    As I jumped in first slashing at the giant lizard¡ª¡ªthe Blade Lizard, he avoided by rolling on the ground and started his counter-attack on our party''s members.


    "Myu-chan! I know you didn''t get to fight in front lately, but you''re overdoing it!"


    Even while she spoke worriedly, Hino-chan held the large hammer in her hands and without letting her guard down, swung it with all her strength aiming for Blade Lizard''s head.


    "Gughgyah¡ª¡ª?!


    The Blade Lizard who was durable enough to withstand such a heavy blow was appropriate for a boss mob.


    "Next, he went Luka-chan''s way!"


    "Tobi-san! Please match me!"


    "...understood."


    Dressed in brand-new crimson armour, equipped with an one-handed sword and a shield Luka-chan protruded the shield to block the Blade Lizard''s rush.


    "¡ª¡ª!! Ngrrh!!"


    As her entire body was pushed towards the ground by Blade Lizard''s tackle, she subsequently parried a tail swing with her shield.


    Facing against the Blade Lizard who was a mob difficult for beginners to deal with, Luka-chan slashed him with all the fighting spirit she had, matching that, Tobi-chan approached in that moment and thrust her dagger aiming for the gap between scales.


    In order to prevent us from chasing it the Blade Lizard bristled his scales and rolled on the ground to the side, moving away from us.


    In the meantime we verified our cooperation.


    "How is it, Luka-chan? The ¡¾Shield¡¿ Sense you newly picked-up?"


    "Hmm, it''s slightly different from what I imagined. But, it works well balancing out the weapon I use now so I''d like to try it for a little longer."


    "Rather than that, what about you, Myu-chan? To think you''d miss first strike, I''m more concerned with that one."


    "...worrying."


    "Ahaha... so you noticed after all?"


    When Hino-chan pointed that out, "yes indeed" said and nodded Tobi-chan, who was freshly recruited to the party.


    Until yesterday we have practiced cooperation in party of four. After fighting weak mobs and Big Boars who are appropriate to our levels, we scheduled to defeat a boss mob, Blade Lizard today.


    "Um... actually, I succeeded in defeating a Blade Lizard all alone last night."


    "Myu-chan, you''re rushing ahead all alone again."


    Hino-chan muttered appalled.


    Meanwhile, the Blade Lizard who rolled around warily had recovered and stretching out his limbs, he took a stance for a rush.


    "Myu-san! We''re going to talk about this properly later!"


    "Got it! Let''s do our best to take down the rest of his HP then!"


    Told so by Luka-chan I once again raised my one-handed sword and circled around the Blade Lizard from the right side.


    Luka-chan stood in front of the Blade Lizard, Hino-chan on the left, Tobi-chan stood in a position from which she could support us anywhere.


    This time''s subjugation of the boss mob, Blade Lizard, was a test for the roles in the party we have come up with.


    Luka-chan alone didn''t use her usual fighting style, but using a ¡¾Shield¡¿ Sense she safely practised how to grasp the timing for parrying with a sword and avoiding attacks. The shield and the sword she was using were remaining drops from the Living Armours, if there isn''t enough of them, we can always go and get more.


    Like that, we have become a party of three ultra-physical vanguards and one assassin-type.


    "These days we''re all vanguards, let''s go pound him down!"


    "In that case, I''ll attack properly so that Myu-chan can fight!"


    Matching me as I ran towards the Blade Lizard, Hino-chan also ran while carrying her hammer on her shoulder.


    The Blade Lizard felt my approach and twisted his body, swinging the tail full of bristled sharp scales. The moment I noticed the initial motions of his attack I thrust my heels onto the ground to reduce my speed and averted my upper body.


    Although I felt the wind pressure from Blade Lizard''s tail swing that passed right in front of me, I succeeded in avoiding.


    It was an attack pattern I have experienced many times both in the ¦Â version and just recently when I challenged it multiple times before going to bed. I avoided it by hair''s breadth and moved a step in.


    If I fought alone I would have delivered two light attacks and escaped, but now I stepped in.


    "I won''t let you get her! HAAa!!"


    Hino-chan struck a heavy blow to the Blade Lizard''s side from the left and stopped his movements for a moment.


    "Haa¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    By cooperating we could do things we can''t do alone. A combination attack starting with one person''s attack, then stopping enemy''s movements to make an opening for using Arts.


    "I''ll join in as well. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    I was able to deliver a large amount of damage with five consecutive slashes by using an Art, but I was exposed to attacks. However, the strong blow Luka-chan added on top of it had prevented the enemy from counter-attacking. Then, Tobi-chan thrust her dagger continuously at the Blade Lizard whose movements were stopped, delaying his recovery.


    And, together with Luka-chan right after we were released from the Arts'' fixed movements¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªAvoid!"


    At the same the commander, Luka-chan spoke everyone focused on avoiding a large tail swing of the counter-attacking Blade Lizard.


    In our party we didn''t concentrate hate on one person, all of us avoided attacks.


    Instead of having one person gain high amounts of enemy''s hate, so to speak, we used tactics where everyone attacked and acted as a decoy at the same time, with high emphasis on avoidance. Therefore, the one who has become the target now was¡ª¡ª


    "Ahaa, me!"


    Involuntarily, a happy laughter leaked out of my mouth.


    "Luka-chan, everyone, match the timing!"


    "Understood! Don''t get hit by an attack, okay?"


    I told Luka-chan to match my timing for a simultaneous attack, but she worried about me getting attacked instead. In fact, even though we emphasized on avoidance with our tactics our stats weren''t as low as to be defeated with a single blow. Also, we did take bad status received from the enemy into account. What''s left, is to enjoy the avoidance''s thrill and to draw the enemy to myself!


    "Now now, this way!"


    To attract the Blade Lizard so that he charges at me I didn''t move too close in or too far out. I avoided attacks from his claws and tail as well as jagged fangs as I approached the location I aimed for, then started running at full speed behind the Blade Lizard.


    ¡º"SURYAAAA¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Responding to my sudden action the Blade Lizard turned around and rushed at my back. However, I kicked off the ground and ran vertically up a trunk of the only tree that was in the surroundings.


    The Blade Lizard put its front limbs on the tree trying to chase me as I climbed on top of it. Using his hind legs and tail dexterously he leaned on the tree with his huge body and reached up to where I was.


    "What a shame! See ya."


    I kicked off the tree''s trunk and jumped into the air. Doing a backflip I passed right next to the Blade Lizard''s claw.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    For a parting gift, in the middle of a backflip I fired a light bullet at the Blade Lizard''s back.


    I dealt damage to his back, but that wasn''t the end of attack.


    "Myu-chan, nice decoy! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Smash¡·!"


    Hino-chan''s crushing blow was hammered into the Blade Lizard''s back and sandwiched between the hammer and the tree trunk, the boss was stunned.


    "What was that movement just now?! I''m curious, but for now let''s strike him down. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Backstab¡·!"


    Since the Blade Lizard tried to stand up Luka-chan cut the left leg and the tail supporting his body, meanwhile Tobi-chan crept up from behind the boss and slashed the right leg''s tendon.


    With that, the boss lost support and separating from the tree trunk, leaned backwards then fell on his back.


    At this stage the Blade Lizard had 30% HP remaining and was stunned, lying down on the ground he exposed his abdomen - the only place not covered in sharp scales. There were only a few seconds left until he recovers, but I didn''t miss the chance.


    "Take this!!"


    I kicked off the ground jumping high up and thrust downwards piercing the Blade Lizard''s chest.


    "It''s still a boss mob, huh! So hard. But¡ª¡ª!"


    I leaned on the half-way pierced in one-handed sword to push it deeper in. It seemed like the stun status expired with that as the boss started flailing his limbs and tail to escape, but I ignored that and pressed my palm onto him at zero distance and¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡·¡¶Light Shot¡·¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    Dealt damage with light magic.


    In order to prevent the boss from failing its limbs and standing up, Luka-chan with others delivered damage to his head, limbs and tail.


    I clenched the sword pierced deeply into the boss, by holding it I prevented myself from falling off the violently shaking body and continued to fire light bullets at him, finally able to decrease his HP to zero.


    ¡º"SURARARAAAA¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Finally, along with feeble cries the Blade Lizard had turned into particles of light and disappeared.


    Were Yun-oniichan to see this one-sided battle¡ª¡ªhe''d say something like "Stop that! He''s way too pitiful!", thinking so I chuckled.


    Whether he''s defeated or defeats the enemy, Yun-oniichan is gentle even in this dead-or-alive game world.


    Certainly, once I stood up after defeating the boss, I saw my comrades look my way seemingly used to it, they might have felt quite some guilt during combat this time, but were already used to it.


    "All right! We''ve downed the boss, Blade Lizard! We did it!"


    I turned towards everyone else cheerfully, but they were looking at me with a strange look on their faces.


    Hino-chan was once again appalled.


    Luka-chan furrowed her eyebrows angrily and put a hand on her hip, that look of hers reminded me of Yun-oniichan when he turns quiet and scary.


    I couldn''t see Tobi-chan''s expression since her mouth was hidden behind the muffler, but she was fidgeting as if she wanted to ask something.


    "W-what is it, everyone...?"


    "There is a few things we''d like to ask. This time, why did you miss the first attack, about how you defeated the boss alone, and what were those nonsensical movements!"


    "Luka-chan, they aren''t nonsensical... Uh, Tobi-chan is nodding."


    I wanted to protest, but as everyone stared at me I could only say the reason for that.


    "Um, you see. First, the reason I missed with the first strike is because I acquired new Senses upon leveling up and I''ve got them equipped..."


    I responded while timidly looking up Luka-chan''s expression .


    A player''s stats change depending on the level of equipped Senses. Even if higher Senses are equipped, if they''re level 1, there will be a temporary weakening.


    And so, when I equipped new Senses before the boss battle, my first attack missed because my stats were too low. Still, the only thing that decreased was my speed and other Senses didn''t change that much... probably.


    As to defeating the boss alone, it''s simple.


    I challenged the boss mob every night before going to bed prepared for death penalty, using my stats and skills I faced him all alone. Normally one would defeat the boss in a stable manner cooperating in a party and it was difficult to do it all alone, but in exchange the amount of experience gained was large.


    By the way, it was then that I leveled-up and acquired the new Senses I spoke of earlier.


    "So, what Senses did you get?"


    "Umm... ¡¾Equipment Weight Reduction¡¿ and ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ Senses."


    As a result my light-class equipment had become even lighter and together with ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ Sense, it made possible for me to move as lightly as a feather.


    Using that enabled me to use three-dimensional acrobatics for combat. However, the Sense levels were still a bit low so I felt only a little lighter.


    "And you see! Even using a sword and armour I can do things like this!"


    As I continued my explanation about the Senses to Luka-chan and others I started growing more passionate, then started speaking enthusiastically. In the end I started showing off continuous backflips and twisting motions in the air, in response to which Luka-chan and Hino-chan made shocked expressions.


    "...Myu-san, what are you aiming to be?"


    After seeing the series of my movements, Tobi-chan asked anxiously.


    I''m a swordsman and I use light magic. An universal magic warrior who can also use recovery magic. And what I aimed to be by adding wondrous acrobatic ability is¡ª¡ª


    "Of course, a paladin! A holy knight y''know, holy knight!"


    When I answered her confidently, Hino-chan who was silent up until now started laughing, her shoulders shaking violently.


    "Ahahahaha!! As I thought, Myu-chan. This surprises practically everyone! It shocked me plenty in the ¦Â version as well!"


    As Hino-chan held her stomach and started laughing, Luka-chan and Tobi-chan tilted their heads puzzled and dumbfounded.


    Hino-chan and I knew each other since the ¦Â. I recalled her surprise back then when I took the same Senses.


    "But, I''m still far from that. I need to move as lightly as a feather."


    Although Hino-chan used her fingertips to wipe the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes, I still wasn''t satisfied. I nearly reached my main Sense build I used during the ¦Â version.


    "...shall we proceed to the Second Town from here?"


    Tobi-chan put on hold our conversation about my Senses and prompted us to move on.


    "You''re right. We defeated the boss mob, Blade Lizard, let''s proceed onwards."


    Luka-chan agreed with her and we decided to move on ahead of the defeated Blade Lizard.


    Spreading out beyond the east exit of the forest, was a town different from the First Town we landed in when we first logged into OSO.


    While the First Town looked like a medieval European town surrounded by walls, the Second Town was a small town with idyllic atmosphere which was surrounded by wooden fence.


    "The town gives off a good feeling. Kind of like countryside."


    When Luka-chan looked around curiously her gaze was caught by a nearby water wheel.


    A small river flowing through the town moved the water wheel, powering it.


    The sound of wheat being ground had come out of the hut regularly and the water splashing from the wheel looked very refreshing.


    "...what kind of town is this?"


    "Hmm, you see. I guess you could call it a town dealing mainly with food, wood and tailoring items?"


    Inside the town there were NPCs in the small fields who carried backpacks into which they harvested vegetables.


    I preferred the lively atmosphere of the First Town, but there were people in the ¦Â version who immersed themselves in the atmosphere in here and in the surroundings.


    "What shall we do? Some leveling on the enemies nearby? Or maybe take some quest?"


    While asking that I touched the transition object of the portal installed in the Second Town. By registering with it, from now on I will be able to transition to here from the first town.


    "Um... I''d like to walk around this town for a little longer."


    "... I-I''d like to take a look around here."


    Luka-chan proposed timidly and still new member, Tobi-chan responded in a stiff manner. It was the first time coming to this town for the two.


    "Sure! We''ll then, the two of us who have learned everything there is about this town will guide you! What kind of place do you want to see?"


    "Let''s see. Then, one with a pretty scenery?"


    "That would be the boundary with the forest, I guess? It''s decided, let''s go!"


    I raised my first and started walking in the front.


    ¡ñ


    In the vicinity of the Second Town there was a forest spreading along the road, once one entered the forest area enemy mobs immediately appeared.


    But what we were looking at now, was the boundary with that area.


    "This is nice, very pleasant."


    "Right?! After hunting in the forest everyone comes here to rest!"


    I boasted about it as we stood near the small stream flowing from the forest into the town.


    Compared to the well-maintained stream inside the town there were rugged rocks in the stream here, one could sit down and put bare feet in the water then enjoy the townscape leisurely.


    Multiple big and small streams passed by the Second Town, since there were very few buildings in it, it was possible to overlook it all at once.


    Watching the routine work of the NPCs and the rare passage of players, I fluttered my legs in the water.


    "...this sure is relaxing."


    "Well, lately we''ve been acting really busy y''know."


    "Aaa-ah, I''ll be going for a nap here and now!"


    Tobi-chan, Luka-chan and Hino-chan, in this order everyone was possessed by this place''s charm.


    "Since we''ve picked this place, how about we go into the forest once we finish walking around?"


    "Eeh, but mobs that appear in the forest are troublesome. How about we recruit some mages to our party first?"


    The enemy mobs appearing in this forest were physically strong Bull Beetles and fast, numerous Bullet Crosts. Certainly, it might be difficult without a mage.


    "Grr, I get it. Then I too will rest today."


    I said so, fell on my back and looked up at the sky.


    And just like that, when I relaxed my body and closed my eyes I heard people''s voices coming from between the trees further away.


    "You! Why did''ya do ''dat at a time like ''dat!"


    "Fufu, um. She was defenceless I just..."


    "Because of yer ''just'' making a pass on her we got kick''d outta party!"


    I could hear girls quarrelling over something.


    One of them seemed angry and the other ignored it lightly, not paying attention.


    "Aa-aah, wat''do we do! We ain''t have vanguards!"


    "Fufufu, we just have to find a new party. Next time I''ll only look at them as not to get kicked out."


    "Yes ya do that, seriously. ...hey Rirei, where''re ya lookin''."


    "Fufufu, give me a moment."


    When I opened my eyes and raised my upper body, I saw the two girls to whom the voices belonged.


    "Fufufu, girls, are you free?"


    The one who called out to us with a smile was a girl wearing a two-forked hat. Behind her, with an appalled expression there was a girl with shaved eyebrows and small, round glasses. The girl with shaved eyebrows was wearing an eye-catching kimono-like clothing, rarely seen in the OSO''s world.


    "Yes, we were taking a break, do you need something?"


    "No, I just wondered if I could ask you a question. But first, self-introductions. I''m Rirei."


    Luka-chan cordially responded to the girl with two-forked hat''s question. On the other hand, Rirei spoke with a smile.


    "Do you perhaps need mages in your party?"


    "Why do you think so?"


    "Hey, Rirei! Dun'' be rude, suddenly askin'' that! ''m sorry! I''ll be takin'' her right away!"


    Although the girl behind Rirei suddenly grasped her clothes and tried to drag her away, we stopped that since we were curious about Rirei.


    "Wait a moment! It''s not rude at all! Tell us why do you think we need mages!"


    When I said that loudly the girl with shaved eyebrows let go of Rirei''s clothes and stopped her legs.


    Ahh, they got interest''d, the girl muttered while looking up at the sky. Did something happen?


    "Fufufu, then forgive my insolence. I felt that''s the case because, first, since you''re in the Second Town, means you''re skilled players."


    Rirei raised one finger and explained her thinking.


    "And, because most of the players with high enough levels who can reach this town are physical fighters. Therefore, you got no mages. Either that or you have someone who serves both as a warrior and a mage."


    "That''s correct. But we might be waiting here for someone to join us y''know?"


    "If you did, you wouldn''t have made the meeting spot this place, far away from the Second Town''s portal. This too, is simple reasoning."


    "...amazing. It all matches."


    Tobi-chan muttered quietly.


    "So, Rirei and... your name?"


    "Oh, didn''t make self-introduction yet, eh. I''m Kohaku. Nice to meet you."


    I recalled the conversation Rirei and Kohaku had earlier, it seemed like they were kicked out of the party. Also, thinking of their equipment which didn''t look like that of warrior-types¡ª¡ª


    "So, what do you want, Rirei, Kohaku?"


    "Fufufu¡ª¡ªto market ourselves."


    So that was it, I thought. I regarded this as a good chance.


    "Kohaku and I are both mages. If you include us in your party your attack power will grow all at once."


    "Rirei, there''s no way sum''one will take us into their party with such ''marketin''¡ª¡ª"Okay, that''s fine."¡ª¡ªHey, ''s fine?!"


    Hearing Kohaku''s skilful retort Hino-chan and Tobi-chan gave her light applause.


    "Y''serious? Ya real serious? I mean, I''d be happy t'' join a party but..."


    "We actually wanted some mages, so there''s no problem."


    "Just as Luka-chan says! We need mages, you need vanguards to protect you. Isn''t it fine to form a party based on aligned self-interests?"


    When Luka-chan and I responded so, Kohaku opened her eyes wide and blinked several times.


    "Fufufu, negotiations established. Please take care of us."


    "Aa-aah, once again Rirei''s gonna sink her poisonous fangs into girls..."


    While we exchanged handshakes with Rirei who reached her right hand to us, Kohaku muttered holding her head.


    "We have to introduce ourselves too, right! I''m Myu. I use sword and light magic. Also, I use recovery magic in combat."


    "I''m Lucato. My role is that of a vanguard swordsman and I''m commander-in-training."


    "I''m Hino. I use large hammers and spears, a multi-weapon vanguard."


    "...Toutobi. A scout."


    Once we simply described our fighting styles, this time Rirei and Kohaku spoke.


    "Fufufu, how polite. Once again, I''m Rirei. For magic I use only fire element, but my Sense build emphasizes on firepower."


    "Kohaku here. I use wind and water magic. But, to balance out Rirei''s ridiculous firepower I focus on barrages of attacks and restraining the enemy."


    After speaking of each of ours specialities, we started rebuilding our party.


    Not like this. Not like that. As we slowly consulted party members'' movements in details with each other, we slowly formed basic movements. In meantime I felt like the distance between Rirei and us was really small, but thinking of the sense of distance between me and Sei-oneechan this wasn''t all that out of ordinary.


    "Maybe we can go take down the Golem with this setup?"


    "With our firepower Golem''ll be easy. You probably''d beat it without mages, too?"


    Hearing Hino-chan''s mutter, Kohaku calmly added her opinion. Certainly, even without mages we could beat it with a prolonged battle...


    "Ahahaha... it would take too long and we''d get completely bored."


    "Ahh, there''s ''dat too."


    After the game started we did go to challenge the Golem to do ¡¾Golem-sensei¡¿ leveling, but recently there were many players who raised their levels and challenged the Golem.


    Among them, there was a single party who challenged the Golem with a bad setup and the battle lasted for a long time, inconveniencing other parties. Taking that into the account we didn''t challenge the Golem yet.


    But, as there''s very few players playing at night I could take my time challenging and subjugating Blade Lizard alone without inconveniencing anyone.


    "Then, how about we go to where Golem is right away?"


    "First, how about we take on some medium-level mobs in the First Town to confirm everyone''s cooperation in the party? Discussing it and actually trying it makes a huge difference."


    In party combat the more people there is in the party, the more people bring own individuality movements making cooperation more difficult.


    That''s when I was reminded of something I was told by Taku-san.


    Speaking of which, didn''t Taku-san and Yun-oniichan say they did play in a party for a bit?


    Although I did eat dinner together with Yun-oniichan every evening I didn''t ask him for any details, but Taku-san did tell me about his activities and his playstyle in the party.


    From what Taku-san said, he just gathers trash Senses and plays at his own pace, but his player skills aren''t too bad.


    In particular, his ability to cooperate with party members he met for the first time was incredibly high. Without any practice his movements in the party were perfect.


    It was true that Yun-oniichan was never that good at games, but his ability to cooperate and assist allies to bring out their skills was always strangely high.


    While that''s impossible for me, it''s possible to refine party''s cooperation through repeated battles.


    Yup, I nodded to myself in my mind and decided to practice cooperation in this party of six as soon as possible.


    "Myu-san, what happened? You suddenly fell silent."


    "Are you okay? Is something worrying you?"


    Before I realized I lowered my head and fell silent, making everyone worry.


    "I''m okay! It''s nothing! Also, Hino-chan, Tobi-chan, don''t leave me behind!"


    I hurried after Hino-chan and Tobi-chan who moved quickly and clung onto them upon catching up.


    "...mhh, Myu-san, you''re heavy."


    "Ahh, you''re horrible, Tobi-chan! I''m not heavy!"


    It seemed like Tobi-chan was embarrassed when I clung onto her and tried to move away from me, when seeing that I clung onto her even harder, her gaze wandered around, troubled.


    "Fufufu, a sight for sore eyes."


    "Rirei, control yerself."


    On the other hand, we didn''t notice the quiet exchange between Rirei and Kohaku.


    Everyone transitioned from the Second Town to the portal in the First Town, then we headed towards the forest in the west.


    In the west there was the forest area full of weak mobs such as Wild Dogs and Bats, as well as Forest Bears which were relatively strong, medium-sized mobs. Beyond the forest there was the quarry which had Sandmen and the Golem. Focusing mainly on Sandmen we battled with various mobs repeatedly.


    "HAAaaa!"


    Currently, we were in the middle of confirming our party''s cooperation on Forest Bear-type mob taller than we are.


    A battle has began, Luka-chan parried a Forest Bear''s blow to the side using her sword and shield, then Hino-chan thrust at the bear with her spear from outside his attack range.


    Tobi-chan and I continued to attack the forest bear''s side and back alternately, from time to time we took away hate from Luka-chan and using the moment Forest Bear''s target changed we overlapped our attacks on it.


    "Le''s go! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Quick Blast¡· ¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·!"


    Because the Forest Bear was very tall, it was Kohaku who used low-level wind and water intermittently to attack the places high up such as his head.


    "Fufufu, preparations complete."


    "¡ª¡ªEveryone, avoid!"


    As Luka-chan commanded, everyone moved away from the Forest Bear and immediately after that, Rirei fired a fire elemental magic ¡¶Flame Burn¡·, a blazing pillar enveloped the bear''s body.


    "We did it! Ain''t that good ''nough cooperation?"


    When Rirei''s high-powered magic exploded Kohaku was convinced the Forest Bear was defeated and smiled broadly. Enticed by that, Luka-chan, Tobi-chan and Rirei lowered their weapons.


    I guess this is the difference in experience with ¦Â testers'' experience, I thought and immediately dealt with the Forest Bear that appeared from the pillar of flames.


    I kicked off a tree in the forest and ran upwards in front of the Forest Bear. The claw swing coming my way in response was parried away by Hino-chan''s spear and the Forest Bear ended up in a posture with his big head averted.


    "Deryahhhhhh!!"


    I slashed with my sword vertically straight at the bear''s brain, then rotating in the air through the momentum I landed behind him.


    "Really, while magic is very powerful you shouldn''t get careless the moment enemy disappears from your sight!"


    While I turned around and warned them, the Forest Bear''s huge body fell forward onto the ground causing it to shake strongly. Just like that it had turned into particles of light and disappeared and behind it, I saw four people look at me dumbfounded.


    "...y-yer right. I''ll take care from now on. Heck, no wait! That ain''t it! What was ''tat! Just now!"


    The way Kohaku first responded in level-headed manner just to switch onto a retort was really interesting.


    "Ehh, it''s just ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿''s three dimensional movement."


    "Bein'' able to do such impossible moves, dat''s a real cheat. Are ya receivin'' astronaut trainin'' or ''wat?"


    When I did a second demonstration today, starting with light steps just to do somersaults, kick off trees and walls, everyone looked at me with amazement.


    "Fufufu, she''s so cute being all energetic like that."


    "Aa-aah, she''s completely become Rirei''s target."


    Although Kohaku and Rirei were muttering something, I ignored it and started searching for the next Forest Bear instead.


    "Didn''t our cooperation improve quite a bit?"


    "You''re right. It looks good for a hurriedly formed party."


    I agreed with Hino-chan''s evaluation and felt grateful for Kohaku and Rirei''s entering the party.


    "Fufufu, thank you very much for taking us into your party at such short notice."


    "No, we did need mages ourselves so there''s no problem."


    Luka-chan smiled and politely thanked Rirei. On the other hand, Rirei squinted and started swaying back and forth suspiciously.


    Feeling a slight change in Rirei''s state, Luka-chan tried to move a step away¡ª¡ª


    "Fufufu, in that case, can I get something as thanks?"


    Then Rirei moved even closer to Luka-chan and breathed into her ear.


    "Hyah?! Ww-what are you doing?!"


    "Fufufu, that was an even cuter voice than I imagined."


    "Rirei! Wat'' da heck ya doin''!"


    Rirei who moved away from Luka-chan upon hearing her cute squeal licked her lips in bewitching manner and broke into a run towards her next target. Everyone froze up at this sudden happening, meanwhile Rirei circled around her target and¡ª¡ª


    "You have a very shapely butt, don''t you. Fufufu..."


    "......?!! Kyahh!"


    She whispered in Tobi-chan''s ear and gently stroked her butt so that it could be clearly felt even through the armour. Tobi-chan reacted to it in overly-sensitive manner and rolled forward.


    "Rirei! Cut ''t out!"


    Kohaku yelled trying to stop her, but because she was calming down Luka-chan and Tobi-chan she couldn''t make it to help me.


    And I, who have become the next target¡ª¡ª


    "Ear, butt. And now, a modest chest, I''ll be digging i¡ª¡ª"


    She tried to thrust her hand into the side of the silvery white chest armour, but I reflexively caught her hand and jumped.


    Holding Rirei''s arm I jumped into the air using my physical abilities heightened by ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ and held her neck down with both of my legs. Just like that I had her fall on her back and performed an armbar on her.


    "...eh, AHH?! Sorry. I did that on reflex!"


    "No, I don''t think there''s any civilian who moves like that on reflex.


    Although I suppressed Rirei with acrobatic movements, she looks okay, I thought as I looked at her face.


    "Fufufu, this sensation, a beautiful girl''s thighs on my arm. I can''t get enough of it. Ah, oww, owww..."


    Since she didn''t seem to feel remorseful I slightly increased the strength I put into the armbar, causing her to start complain. Martial arts don''t deal damage unless you have ¡¾Throw¡¿ or ¡¾Fist¡¿-type Senses, but there is pain.


    "Myu! Keep ''er like ''dat! I''ll tie ''er down!"


    "Kohaku, where did you take that rope out of?"


    The only person who didn''t suffer any harm, Hino-chan retorted, but Kohaku wound the rope around Rirei and her had sit in seiza as she faces in our direction.


    "I''m very sorry, I didn''t keep this retard''s reins firmly enough because of which you suffered something as unpleasant as that!"


    The two prostrated with Kohaku pressing down Rirei''s head onto the ground. While Hino-chan and I felt impressed by this splendidly performed prostration, Luka-chan and Tobi-chan who received some damage took distance from them, using us as a shield.


    "W-why did she do such a thing?"


    Certainly, although it all happened all of a sudden and I got confused completely, I was indeed curious as to why did she assault Luka-chan and Tobi-chan.


    "Uhh, y''see. Er, how do I say''t."


    Speaking with difficulty Kohaku averted her gaze. After a moment she seemed to have determined herself as she let out a grand sigh and explained.


    "Rirei is, uh... she loves yuri."


    "By yuri you mean, between girls and such?"


    "Exactly. She''s satisfied by lookin'' at girls gettin'' along with each other, but from time t'' time she''s can''t endure it and ends up sexually harassin'' others, just like this time."


    Kohaku muttered resigned.


    "The reason we approached ya, too, is ''cause she harassed a girl in similar way in front of our previous party. Y''see, the party leader was a boy who had hots for that girl. He kick''d us outta party because we were in da way."


    Well, whatever happens now, Kohaku exposed everything.


    That''s when Tobi-chan, blushing, timidly asked.


    "...then, you two, um... are in relationship?"


    "No way. Dat''s impossibru."


    "That''s right. Even I have the right to chose the girl I go out with."


    "Somehow being rejected like that with a straight face pisses me off to no end."


    Hearing Rirei wrapped around with rope reject her strongly, a blue vein appeared on Kohaku''s temple and she started to poke Rirei. While Rirei was unable to fight back, for some reason she was smiling relaxedly.


    "Then why are you two together? Couldn''t Kohaku remain in your previous party?"


    "Ahh, hmm."


    When I asked that Kohaku stopped poking Rirei and and started thinking, puzzled.


    "I guess it''s because I just can''t leave her alone. Despite everything, Rirei''s a good girl and even if she''s going complicating everything, I can hold her reigns firmly."


    Kohaku smiled self-depreciatingly. Seeing her expression I could tell that Rirei isn''t that bad of a girl.


    "Hmm. Myu-chan, Luka-chan, Tobi-chan, can I consult you with something?"


    "It''s ''bout our treatment, right. I get it."


    "It''s okay, Kohaku. Don''t get so depressed."


    "Whose fault is this y''think! WHOSE?!"


    We''ll probably get kicked out huh, said Kohaku resigned, in contrast to that Rirei acted care-freely. Hearing the two''s exchange Hino-chan burst into a quiet laughter.


    "They are kinda interesting, those two. I like that kind of thing."


    Looking at Kohaku and Rirei sitting in seiza, Hino-chan was quite positive. On the other hand, Luka-chan and Tobi-chan had bitter expressions.


    "Certainly, they are fun people, but having someone breathe into my ear was surprising."


    "...me too, um, having my butt... touched by someone else was a first time so I was surprised."


    Luka-chan who was breathed into her ear was still anxious and restless, Tobi-chan blushed deeply after the bodily experience she had.


    Certainly, it was sudden and surprising. I too, had my modest boobies nearly touched. That''s right, my still-developing boobies!


    "Myu-san, how about you? You''re also a victim aren''t you?"


    "Hmm. It''s just as you say Luka-chan, but it''s not all that different from the skinship I have with my sisters..."


    I put a finger on my chin, thinking of all the mischief and skinship I had with Sei-oneechan and Yun-oniichan, it seemed quite normal to me. Also, I think it''s normal for girls who get along well to touch each other''s bodies.


    "What if this time''s physical contact had come from a girl you are getting along well with?"


    "That''s... I would probably forgive her."


    "...um, I don''t have that kind of experience."


    Although I did get consent from Luka-chan, Tobi-chan blushed with embarrassment.


    "Myu-chan..."


    "Ahahaha, sorry about that."


    When I was glared at intently by Hino-chan I laughed dryly as to cover it up, Tobi-chan raised her voice in panic.


    "...u-um, that''s not it. Now I''m friends with Myu-san and others, I would be surprised by such skinship with you, but I admire that kind of thing."


    Red up to her ears, Tobi-chan raised her muffler high to try escaping out gazes.


    "This time Rirei failed to measure the sense of distance between us, but if we get along better I think we''ll be able to party together."


    "I think so too."


    "I, uh, would like to take my time getting along with her."


    Luka-chan and Tobi-chan who suffered this time were willing to overlook it, but that''s where Hino-chan interjected.


    "Letting this go by unconditionally this time is too much, at least for me."


    "Mhhm, that''s true. But, what are we going to do?"


    We might have to set up some kind of condition, but I couldn''t think of any. Though, it seemed like Hino-chan thought of it properly.


    "That''s simple. You see¡ª¡ª"


    Hearing the details, all of us agreed.


    ¡ñ


    "We are prepared for being kicked from the party! Still, leaving a party is a bit painful."


    "Stop going all weak-willed after acting so harsh to me."


    "It''s yer fault we''re gettin'' kick''d!"


    We stood in front of the two who as usual, engaged in acting as a boke and tsukkomi. Seeing that our consultation had ended and we returned, Kohaku and Rirei tensed up and waited for us to speak.


    "We finished conferring, for the result¡ª¡ªwe are going to decide based on the results of the temporary party for subjugating the Golem."


    Kohaku blinked repeatedly in response to my words, thinking them over.


    "That means..."


    "We will form a party to subjugate the Golem, then judge you based on your combat skills and other stuff, by the end of the party we will decide whether we want to continue playing in party with you. How about it?"


    "No need to ask, we''re not in position to complain! We''re getting a chance, Rirei, get serious already and stop making problems that''d make us hated!"


    At the same time as she spoke to Rirei, Kohaku cut the rope and released her.


    "Well then, let''s go beat the Golem boss!"


    "Let''s go!"


    When I raised my first up and yelled, only Hino-chan joined and matched me.


    Luka-chan smiled bitterly and Tobi-chan stood in place embarrassed not knowing whether she should raise her hand or not.


    Kohaku took our conditions seriously and focused on challenging the Golem, on the other hand, Rirei looked at us with a blush on her face but didn''t try to get into needless contact with anyone.


    After moving for a while we arrived at the location of the west side''s boss, the Golem.


    "Now, battle start! Go go!"


    Everyone promptly moved to their positions as instructed to by Luka-chan.


    "Once everyone arrives in their positions Kohaku-san will start with a pre-emptive attack, from there on we continue as practised."


    In accordance to her instructions, the vanguard surrounded the Golem, the rear guards, Kohaku and Rirei stood in the back and in front of them ¨C Luka-chan. These positions are subject to change in case of irregular happenings, but this was the base formation.


    "A''ight, startin'' up! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Quick Blast¡·, simultaneous firing!"


    Three accumulated shots of invisible gust of wind rushed forward and struck the Golems upper body. The big body difficult to shake up with physical attacks stood firmly, rebuilding its posture.


    "Let''s go! HAa!"


    "...going in!"


    "I''ll do my best too!"


    Tobi-chan and I took the advantage of our mobility to attack sporadically and stop the Golem''s movements by the back of its knees and leg joints.


    Hino-chan swung around her sledgehammer which was a blunt weapon and also relatively effective on the Golem. She aimed at the torso and sides to deal damage.


    When we gained hate and the target changed from the front to us, Luka-chan moved in front of the Golem and parried its attacks, then struck it with a counter. Also, the open spot was filled by one of us who was nearest to protect the rear guard.


    Meanwhile, Kohaku fired her magic in quick succession at the Golem''s head, constantly shaving off its HP.


    "Fufufu, preparations complete!"


    "Everyone, spread out!"


    Hearing Rirei''s report Luka-chan instructed briefly!


    The vanguard who were attacking the Golem from close distance all leaped away, making distance accordingly.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Burn¡·!"


    A large pillar of fire sprouted from beneath the Golem, but it flailed its arms trying to extinguish the flames.


    While receiving damage from magic, the Golem counter-attacked. Normally when it did a large swing I would pass beneath it or flee from the swung arm around it, but I couldn''t escape like that now that there was magic raging in its surroundings. It was correct to open safe distance from it.


    "HAa! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Impact¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Backstab¡·!"


    Each of us used an effective Art to deal damage. At this point the Golem had 70% HP remaining. The efficiency was far greater than when we fought against it with Hino-chan and Luka-chan, mainly using physical attacks.


    "Fufufu, I prepared the next spell!"


    "¡ª¡ªSpread out!"


    Enveloped by the flames for the second time the Golem waved its arms, tearing through the pillar of fire.


    "What hopelessness..."


    Hearing Kohaku''s mutter I thought that if we didn''t see the boss'' HP, it would seem as if our attacks didn''t work on it, I agreed with her in this respect.


    The Golem who swung his arms had passed the pillar of flames and took a step towards Kohaku and Rirei in the rear guard.


    "The target changed to the rearguard with last attack! I''ll move to protect them."


    "Then we''ll focus on stopping him!"


    I started running at full speed and swung my one-handed sword at the back of the Golem''s knee. Matching me, Hino-chan swung her sledgehammer at its shoulder to try toppling it backwards, but the Golem withstood that.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Quick Blast¡·!"


    However, matching that a magic burst beneath the Golem''s feet and caused him to lose his footing. The boss fell on its back.


    "Ohhh! Nice timing!"


    "Y''can use magic in other ways than striking the enemy directly y''know. But, with this I''m out of MP, need to wait until it recovers!"


    In response to Kohaku''s words I said it''s enough and used the chance she created to move close to the Golem all at once, then fired magic from up close.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shot¡· ¡¶Light Shot¡·. And one more ¡¶Light Shot¡·!"


    I used the time it took the Golem to stand up to fire magic at him. Hino-chan too, focused on attacking its shoulders and arms in order to slow its rising. Tobi-chan got on top of Golem''s head and quickly thrust at the crystals on the head with the tip of her dagger.


    "Everyone, avoid!"


    It seemed like we overdid it seeing the chance to attack. The Golem''s arm swing was fast and incongruous with its appearance.


    "Yes!!"


    "¡¶Impac¡ª¡ªnyahh!""


    "Hino-chan?! Kh, kha!"


    Although Tobi-chan leaped away quickly and avoided the attack, Hino-chan and I were blown away by the strongly swung rocky arm.


    Since Hino-chan used the hammer as a shield, she fell on her butt while still holding her weapon. In contrast, I was blown away and just like that I made full use of ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ to rebuild my posture and connect it to the next action.


    "...everyone! Are you safe?!"


    "More importantly Luka-chan, we''ll help you out right away!"


    "I''m all right. HAa!"


    She parried the Golem''s right fist with the side of the sword, then she avoided the following blow by moving away half a step. By parrying and avoiding she stranded the Golem.


    After that, we closed onto the Golem once again and healed up the entire party''s HP with recovery magic, then waited for Kohaku to recover her MP.


    Once we cut down the Golem''s HP to 30%¡ª¡ª


    "Fufufu, let''s go with a big one!"


    "I recover''d half of my MP! I''ll match Rirei!"


    As the two reported we waited for Luka-chan''s signal.


    "¡ª¡ªNow!"


    In that moment everyone moved away from the Golem. This time magic caused an even more powerful blaze to manifest.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Burn¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Little Tornado¡·!"


    Fire and wind magic wrapped around the Golem, increasing each other''s power with a synergistic effect.


    Although by chaining magic normally one could increase the damage they dealt, for two different players to deliberately chain their attacks together was a proof of their high player skills.


    "Amazing!! Can it be, possibly..."


    I muttered quietly, expecting a lot of the two''s skill. Meanwhile the torrent of flames wrapped around the Golem, then before long the black shadow standing in flames collapsed and disappeared.


    ¡ñ


    After magic was released this time everyone remained vigilant, once the flames disappeared and we confirmed the Golem disappeared everyone relaxed their limbs.


    "...is it over?"


    "So that it is. A victory you can''t complain about!"


    Tobi-chan asked still not sure and Hino-chan answered her.


    It seemed like Luka-chan was quite tense because the last time we came here for Golem leveling she emphasized on avoidance, and this time she had to parry enemy attacks in order to protect the rear guard, but now she was smiling a little bit tired.


    While the four of us were happy to have defeated the Golem, Kohaku and Rirei still made tensed, stiff expressions.


    "So, what ''bout us?"


    They felt our decision to be more important than the fact we defeated the Golem.


    And, my answer was¡ª¡ª


    "Hm? What do you mean?"


    "You forgot?!"


    "Kohaku, calm down. There, there."


    I ain''t no horse! Kohaku yelled at Rirei. Seeing her riled up I apologized lightly.


    "Aw, sorry about that. You were too serious so I wanted to relax first."


    "So, the result is?"


    Since Kohaku went all limp, Rirei asked for her. I told them they passed.


    "Personally, by all means I''d like you to join. To think we''d meet such a hidden gem."


    Luka-chan and others didn''t seem to have any problems with that after seeing them in combat.


    "But, suddenly touching people is too surprising, so overtly physical contact is prohibited."


    "N-no way..."


    While Kohaku looked very pleased hearing that they passed, with the following words Rirei slumped heavily turning into a shadow.


    "W''at a shame, Rirei. But doing that''s bad. Next time we''ll get kick''d out."


    "Fufufu, but considering the environment, being able to look really pretty girls from up close, this isn''t too bad."


    *slurp*, Rirei wiped off the drool dripping down from her mouth, causing Kohaku to stare at her.


    "Let''s refocus and go to the Third Town! Also, we need to celebrate completing a party of six!"


    "You''re right. At first it was just me and Myu-chan, it''s great to have gathered everyone up."


    While Hino-chan acted earnestly, Luka-chan recalled how she was scouted and put on a light smile.


    Tobi-chan thought that the three of us were together from the start and was surprised. Kohaku and Rirei too, have thought that all of us were together from the beginning.


    From an objective point of view, it means that we''re very compatible.


    "Now that we completed building a party we need to hurry and conquer the areas and mobs we haven''t yet! We can''t let ourselves be left behind by my sisters!"


    Having fierce competition such as Sei-oneechan and Taku-san with the others on the frontlines was really thrilling.


    "Fufufu, so Myu-san has sisters. I look forward to meeting them. After all, there''s the kind of people who gather around beauties and pretty girls. I really look forward to it."


    "...Rirei, from time to time I envy your positiveness."


    Then, we have arrived at the Third Town that was in the vicinity of the iron and soil mine and immediately completed registration with the transition portal.

 Chapter Volume 1 5 5

    Chapter 5 - Dungeon and Time Attack


    Finally we gathered up party members.


    The party''s commander, highly flexible swordsman Lucato.


    A petite power attacker using a long spear and large hammers, Hino.


    Fast and with numerous moves, Toutobi who had variety skills required in dungeons and on adventures.


    A mage with deadly high powered and wide area of effect spells, Rirei.


    Assisting her with the deadly big attacks and having her own magic of wind and water, focusing on high speed casting and timing was Kohaku.


    Together with these talented party members I¡ª¡ª


    "HAa! ¡ª¡ª ¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    In the middle of the forest at night I raised a ball of light above me and swung my sword with the surroundings as bright as if it was daytime.


    One after another I continued locating enemy mobs and challenged them solo.


    And, for some time I repeated search & destroy battles wiping enemy mobs to finally stop at the area''s boundary.


    After the battles I confirmed my own Sense status, but the levels hardly changed since I started. I breathed in deeply and spoke towards the sky.


    "¡ª¡ªUWAHHH!! I''m nowhere near strong enough!"


    Once I shouted in loud voice, it echoed in the surroundings. I let out a prolonged sigh and turned around, there were several balls of ¡¶Light¡· magic floating and within the range of their effect, I could see the aftermath of the battles.


    Several Big Boars and a boss mob - Blade Lizard turned into particles of light and disappeared.


    It was all the result of my solo leveling.


    "Haa, I''m still really weak after all. ¡ª¡ª ¡¶High Heal¡·!"


    Were Yun-oniichan to hear it he would say "you must be joking" or "you''re plenty strong already", but under my own criteria, I was really weak.


    Onii-chan''s Sense build was a hopeless case in the first place, but my build using both sword and magic required expert use.


    With the pre-determined amount of resources, to achieve proficiency with both the sword and magic one required considerable ingenuity.


    I had to think of the Sense combinations and their allocation. Physical Senses as the base and magic as sub, but the reverse was also common. What I aimed for was perfect balance between the two.


    Because of that I could easily end up being a jack of all trades but master of none. To make up for that, I had to polish my player skils.


    "To think I would receive damage from a low level boss, I''m still weak."


    I muttered so and decided to do my best as not to lose to players who specialized themselves in one direction.


    A jack of all trades like magic swordsman had multiple moves to use which was the build''s advantage, if I could compensate for the weak points and gain some decisive blows, I would acquire unstoppable strength.


    "That''s why I was called ¡¾Silver Paladin¡¿. I need to do my best so that they call me that again."


    It was my nickname in the ¦Â version.


    I want to gain the strength to live up to that name once again. This time I want to obtain it not with Sei-oneechan and Taku-san, but with our party.


    That had become my goal.


    "All right! Another round!"


    I got my motivation back! I set up my beloved sword again. This time I thought of rushing through the forest using the way back, but that''s when I received a friend call.


    "Oh c''mon, and here I got my motivation back, who is it¡ª¡ªeh, it''s from Sei-oneechan!"


    Although I fell into a grumpy mood for a moment because someone disturbed my leveling, after checking the name displayed on the menu my mood changed back 180¡ã.


    ¡º"Good evening, Myu-chan."¡»


    "Sei-oneechan, it''s been a while! I''m doing fine! Though, we do contact each other in real so I guess you know."


    In real, Sei-oneechan is living in a boarding house far away in order to go to college, we keep in touch via phone or mail so we know we''re both healthy, but it feels like it''s been a while since we spoke ingame.


    ¡º"Yup. I''ve heard from Yun-chan about your lifestyle during summer vacations so it''s all right."¡»


    "That''s..."


    ¡º"Are you doing your homework properly? You can''t just play games, you have to work with your assignments too."¡»


    "Y-yees."


    No way, to think that I''d be warned by Sei-oneechan about that. Let''s start doing my homework properly from tomorrow on, I''ll ask Onii-chan about the things I don''t know.


    "S-so, why the friend call, Onee-chan?"


    When I asked back to divert the topic from my activities during summer vacations and homework, Sei-oneechan went "hmmm", stretching out her voice before she answered.


    ¡º"I wanted to know how are you doing, you see. There''s a limit to what I can learn from talking with Yun-chan on phone."¡»


    In other words, she wants to ask me how I''m doing in OSO.


    So I told Sei-oneechan what happened recently one thing after another.


    That I formed a party with Hino-chan continuing from the ¦Â version.


    How I met with Luka-chan in a stray party and about the unpleasant thing that happened.


    About how cute Tobi-chan is and how we played around choosing clothes.


    About how the strange duo of Kohaku and Rirei approached us and then joined our party.


    When I spoke of my things I experienced so far, Sei-oneechan responded positively over the friend chat.


    ¡º"Is that so?."¡»


    "And, and! With Kohaku''s and Rirei''s power we beat the Golem and reached the Third Town!"


    ¡º"Looks like you''ve made new friends, Myu-chan."¡»


    Ehehehe. Somehow, I felt like I was being praised so I ended up laughing happily.


    ¡º"Speaking of which, do you meet with Yun-chan? I didn''t hear anything about how he''s doing."¡»


    "Yun-oniichan huh. I invited him for the Crystal Cave''s quest, he ended up screaming at the sight of centipedes."


    When I recalled what happened back then and spoke of it to Sei-oneechan, she muttered "My condolences, Yun-chan" in undertone. What is that about?


    "That''s about all I know. I don''t know what he''s been doing after that. Apparently he''s either partying together with Taku-san''s party or going around the nearby areas to gather materials."


    ¡º"...I see. Was I wrong after all? About the ''Mysterious Bluepot Vendor''s'' identity."¡»


    I tilted my head puzzled hearing Sei-oneechan mutter that quietly. I wonder if she''s been thinking about something.


    ¡º"Sorry, Myu-chan."¡»


    "No, it''s all right. Rather, how is it on Onee-chan''s side?"


    ¡º"Me? I''m currently preparing for establishing a guild, I guess."¡»


    The guild Sei-oneechan mentioned was a managed organization or a group around which players have gather.


    Players who have the same goal, hobbies or preferences gather and are helping each other, enjoying things together is one of the unique ways to play multiplayer games.


    Depending on the type of players that gathered, the activities differ. If the core of the guild was made of the combat players, it had become an active battling guild, but there were even guilds where players only gathered to talk with each other and hang around.


    "I seee. So Sei-oneechan''s doing a lot of stuff too."


    ¡º"Yup, that''s right. Also, since about half of the crafters from the ¦Â version have become combat-based players, I''ve been helping out with training of the new crafters."¡»


    Really, I didn''t think there would be a shortage of potions, *boo-hoo*, Sei-oneechan muttered. Still, I wasn''t influenced that much by the sky-rocketing prices of potions and their shortage.


    "I have the ¡¾Recovery¡¿ Sense so potions are only insurance for me, but it must be tough."


    ¡º"So that it is. Although the prices settled down for now, there''s few crafters who make potions with high recovery amount, there''s a fierce competition for those that are at reasonable prices."¡»


    It''s harsh. Sei-oneechan further spoke about the recent events and hardships.


    ¡º"Sorry, Myu-chan. I ended up having you listen to my complaints."¡»


    "It''s fine, there''s no problem! I''m glad to speak with Sei-oneechan, even through the friend call. Next time I''d like to meet up for the first time in a while."


    ¡º"Fufu, I''d like to meet you directly as well. Also, your new friends."¡»


    "Yep! I want to introduce them to Onee-chan! Also, I want to introduce my Onee-chan I''m proud of to everyone!"


    Hearing my words, it''s somewhat embarrassing, Sei-oneechan said. Although she was on the other side of the friend call, I could easily imagine her put a hand on her cheek and smiled in a troubled manner.


    ¡º"In that case, since you can go to the Third Town now how about we go try our luck in there?"¡»


    "Try our luck? Eh, you mean that dungeon?!"


    ¡º"Yup. A test of luck to tell your party''s fortune."¡»


    As Sei-oneechan said so, I understood she meant a certain dungeon that was there in the ¦Â version.


    "Sounds interesting! I''ll ask everyone else then!"


    ¡º"I''ll look for a party as well. Let''s contact each other later to consult the time convenient for us both."¡»


    "Sure, I look forward to it."


    I said so and ended the friend call.


    First, I need to ask everyone''s schedule in the party.


    I thought so and after asking Luka-chan and others about it getting and "okay", I smoothly scheduled it with Sei-oneechan.


    Seems like everyone''s got lots of spare time during vacations, I thought and started looking forward to the day I meet up with Sei-oneechan. After some time, the day had come.


    And, in the location of the meet-up¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªSei-ONEEeeeeeCHAAaaan!¡±


    *tap tap tap*, I ran over dry ground and kicked off it, leaping.


    When I headed with Luka-chan and others from the party to the meet-up place on appointed time, a party already stood in front of the dungeon''s entrance.


    Among them I found a blue-haired silhouette turned with her back to us and rushed over to her.


    "Eh?? Myu-cha¡ª¡ªkyah?!"


    Sei-oneechan noticed my voice and turned around, but that''s when I leaped and clung onto her so she screamed in surprise.


    "Really, Myu-chan. It was so sudden it startled me."


    "Sorry, or maybe ''it''s been a while''?"


    Despite surprise, Sei-oneechan admonished me gently. I looked up at her and apologized, but at the same time I pressed my face against her big boobs, enjoying her broad-mindedness.


    "Haa, haa... sisters'' beautiful embrace. That chest must spoil people rotten. Ahh, I want to be spoiled like that."


    "Rirei. Heeeya, Rirei. Ah damn, she''s tripped."


    Kohaku tried to bring back Rirei to sanity, as she couldn''t take off her line of sight from Sei-oneechan''s boobs and smiled suspiciously, but there was absolutely no effect so she gave up.


    "Myu-chan, could we start introductions?"


    "Got it! These girls are my party members!"


    I moved away from Sei-oneechan and introduced everyone in order.


    "She''s Luka-chan!"


    "I''m Lucato. Myu-san calls me ''Luka''."


    "A serious girl, aren''t you. Please take care of Myu from now on."


    "Next, Tobi-chan!"


    "...I''m, Toutobi. Um, nice to meet you."


    "A bit of a shy girl, eh? Nice to meet you."


    Sei-oneechan spoke to Luka-chan and Tobi-chan one by one, greeting them.


    "Next, Kohaku and Rirei!"


    "Why''da heck ya introducing us as a set!"


    "To save time?"


    "Dat''s needless consideration! ...ehem, I''m called Kohaku. Best regards."


    Kohaku bowed in her kimono-based equipment, smiling broadly. Next to her, Rirei who was also introduced¡ª¡ª


    "Fufufu, Myu''s beautiful big-breasted older sister. Would you please become my onee-sama?"


    ''Ya, shaddup!"


    As Rirei made a disturbing remark, her head was smacked strongly with a folding fan Kohaku held in her hand.


    That thing was equipment having the same effect as a wand, but to think it also worked for a slapstick, I wondered.


    Sei-oneechan looked at the two''s reactions and with a hand on her cheek she lowered her eyebrows as if troubled.


    "Oh my, Myu-chan''s new friends are quite some unique girls."


    "Somehow, Myu''s sister''s concern and gentleness strangely enters my heart. Especially ''dat she didn''t call us weirdos, but unique..."


    "Fufufu, isn''t she quite a fun Onee-sama. I wonder who was the ''uniqueness'' joke about?"


    "Dat was you, YOU"


    I was used already to Kohaku''s and Rirei''s noisiness, so I ignored it lightly.


    The last one to introduce herself was Hino-chan, who was with me since ¦Â version.


    "It''s been a while, Sei-san. And once again, I''m Myu''s party member, Hino."


    "So that it did, Hino-chan. Been healthy?"


    "Way too healthy and having lots of fun!"


    Hino-chan answered with a big smile. Because of the difference in height they only looked like a neighbourhood onee-san and an elementary schooler, so the atmosphere turned really calm.


    Next, Sei-oneechan introduced her party members.


    Her party had two men and four women but it didn''t seem like the male members had any ulterior motives and the atmosphere was harmonious.


    Their relationship seemed good and based on their equipment and stance, they were gamers. Sei-oneechan''s members predicted our Sense builds based on our equipment.


    It was the same thing here. Luka-chan and Tobi-chan who still weren''t used to these kind of things were kindly told about it by Sei-oneechan. Hino-chan, Kohaku and I properly checked up on their equipment by ourselves.


    And it seemed like Rirei took a look to check them up just to ignore them later.


    "Looks like the party structure is quite irregular with only two vanguards."


    "To me it looks like they''ve got two tanks, three damage dealers and a healer. Also, one of them has a full Red Lizard equipment."


    "Speaking of which, Sei-oneechan said that potion prices went up because some crafters changed profession to combat positions, it might be the same for drop equipment."


    It seemed like the other party heard us whisper among each other.


    "Sei''s little sister and her friends."


    "Y-yes! Sorry for prying without permission!"


    "It''s fine, really. As you can see, we''re pouring our savings into potions and use drop equipment. Also, I got this equipment by pure luck."


    "I''m really sorry."


    The female warrior, Mikadzuchi-san who spoke to us said she didn''t mind it, but I thought that some of them might have so I apologized once again.


    "If I make Sei''s little sister apologize I feel like it''s gonna get scary later, so please stop."


    "Hm? What do you mean by that?"


    "That''s, well, uh..."


    Sei-oneechan came back after speaking with Hino-chan and others and drew closer to Mikadzuchi-san with whom I was talking. Isn''t there a way to get out of this situation? Mikadzuchi-san said and her gaze wandered. Then, she seemed to have come up with something good and smiled.


    "That''s it. Sei''s little sister, if you''re feeling remorseful, how about a gamer''s match against us?"


    "Hey, don''t think you can get away."


    "Well, it''s fine Sei-san. It seems like it''s going to get interesting."


    As if to following up after Mikadzuchi-san, the healer tried to calm down Sei-oneechan. Even without saying it aloud, I could tell what Mikadzuchi-san wanted to say.


    "A match in completing this dungeon. As for the criteria... right, how about time attack? Let''s see which party can recover the treasure deep in the dungeon first."


    Raising her thumb, she pointed at the glossy black stone gate in the back.


    "Although I said ''rule'' it was just an indicator. If you clear the dungeon before us, it''s little sister''s team win. Even if you lose the time attack, it will be motivation for completing the dungeon. Of course, we''ll aim to complete is as quickly as possible."


    How about it? She proposed. During the time attack one didn''t just battle against mobs and the dungeon structure, but also against themselves.


    Today we planned to enter the dungeon to test our luck. I looked towards Luka-chan and others. Since there were no disadvantages in it and it was merely a test of our strength, they agreed.


    "We''ll take on that time attack."


    "Well then, let''s begin immediate..."First let''s confirm our party setups and share information we have on the dungeon."¡ª¡ªI get it."


    Mikadzuchi-san tried to cheerfully head for the stone gate but was stopped by Sei-oneechan.


    Seeing that, we faced each other again and started to share the information we had about the dungeon.


    This time, the goal was dungeon completion. And the dungeon in question is the ¡¾Mysterious Dungeon¡¿.


    ¡ñ


    The dungeon was constructed to have five levels¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Knight Troop''s Trial¡¿ was a dungeon that changed randomly every time players entered.


    That''s why you can''t encounter other players inside. Also, there were more characteristics to this dungeon.


    First one is that each level of the dungeon randomly changed its structure and the type of mobs that appear.


    Second one is that once you complete the challenge presented at each level, you are given a choice whether you leave the dungeon or proceed further.


    Depending on this ¡¾Mysterious Dungeon¡¿''s random generation and difficulty of the challenges, the time attack''s difficulty also changes.


    "Then isn''t that disadvantageous for us? I mean, Mikadzuchi-san, Sei-san and others have challenged various dungeons before."


    "Certainly that would be the case if we competed in a normal dungeon, but the random element here is strong and it''s more of ''the luckier one wins''. Isn''t it perfect for verifying our skills?"


    Although hearing about the match Luka-chan looked our way with a serious expression, but I was quite carefree. My goal today was to have good enough luck so that strong mobs appear on the levels and I can do some leveling.


    And that has changed from leveling to time attack.


    "Well then, everyone prepared?"


    Everyone nodded in response to my question.


    "If you guys are fine let''s start. First Myu-chan''s party will enter, after five minutes our party will enter. If we go in together we won''t be able to fit through the narrow gate."


    Saying so, Mikadzuchi-san started the usually rarely used timer function from the menu to measure the time.


    "Well then, we''re going. Ready, go!"


    When I said that and the timer''s numbers started moving, our party entered the black gate and was blown away to a location with completely different tone.


    There were brown brick walls. Also, we saw green-skinned goblins in the distance.


    "So this is inside of a dungeon¡ª¡ª"


    "C''mon Luka-chan, don''t doze off. We already started the time attack."


    Hino-chan light pat everyone''s back, bringing them back then confirmed the conditions for succeding in the menu.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ºDefeat 20 Goblin-type mobs. Remaining 0/20¡»


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·!"


    "Right off the bat?!"


    Immediately after confirming the conditions I fired a light beam, a magic I learned just recently at the Goblins within my range of sight. I defeated two Goblins at once so the count increased by two.


    "The first level''s difficulty is low, but this one''s the type that takes time so let''s hurry it up!"


    While I said so and took a step forward, Tobi-chan leaped ahead of me.


    "...I''ll check for traps and scout, leave searching to me."


    "Ohhh?! Then please, Tobi-chan."


    "Let''s take the right passage."


    After saying so we left guiding to Tobi-chan and progressed forward.


    First we found five, six Goblins and defeated them one after another.


    Kohaku and Rirei started by reducing their numbers, then Luka-chan, Tobi-chan, Hino-chan and I beat them all at once.


    Among Goblin-type mobs there were the strongest sub-type, Hobgoblins and their subspecies Cave Goblins, but since there was no significant difference in their strength we quickly defeated them.


    And, once we fulfilled the condition of taking down 20 Goblins, the brick floor in front of us opened soundly as stairs leading lower appeared.


    "It''s a time attack so we can''t dawdle! Let''s go for the next one, c''mon!"


    "Just now was... six minutes and a bit. Ain''t that quite a good pace."


    Kohaku checked the menu for time and announced before we moved onto the next level.


    Next, it seemed like the next level had wandering mobs which were something like a degraded version of the Golem called Clay Dolls who also had high resistance to physical attacks.


    The condition here was to get five rare drops from Clay Dolls.


    For this, Kohaku and Rirei defeated the Clay Dolls one after another. The speed at which we wiped them out was high, but the droprate was normal, so far we were in the dungeon for a little longer than twelve minutes.


    Then, the next level had Goblins again.


    "The mob allocation''s good, the condition is¡ª¡ªahh c''mon, no luck here!"


    The condition for the third level was to get an item from a treasure box.


    A time-consuming condition in combination with weak mobs, we have no luck, I though depressed. We split up to find the treasure box as soon as possible.


    If there was a problem, it would be that it''s time-consuming to remove the trap from the treasure box, if it''s the type that explodes and destroys the item we would have to search again so I prayed so that we can rely on Tobi-chan for this.


    "...I opened the treasure box."


    "Yay! I love you Tobi-chan!"


    Extremely happy I clung to her, but I moved away right away. Not good, losing time is strictly prohibited during time attack, I thought.


    Watching us, Rirei started breathing roughly through her nose but Kohaku wordlessly dragged her down to the fourth level.


    We passed the third level at astoundingly short time of three minutes, amounting to a total of sixteen minutes. At this rate we would easily beat the record for a time attack, but I had a hunch that the next level''s configuration will bring us back to reality.


    "Ahhhh! It''s the ten minutes course!"


    In front of us rather than a dungeon-like structure, there was just a tall brick wall.


    Contrasting with the locations we''ve been in this dungeon so far, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say this is a boss stage. Waiting in there were a beast clad in flames, a beast with claws of ice, a beast with electricity running through its body and a rock beast, four types in total.


    "Four coloured beasts and the condition is¡ª¡ª¡ºDefeat all mobs¡». All right, let''s beat them even if a second faster!"


    "Myu-chan, waitt! Without a plan it''ll be difficult, let''s split so that they can''t cooperate and take them down. Let''s have each of us pick an opponent we''re compatible with."


    "But won''t that negate the strengths of our party? Kohaku and I can''t really take those on our own."


    Hearing Hino-chan''s proposal, Rirei furrowed her eyebrows and asked.


    While I reflected on our choice of words which only was understood by me and Hino-chan who played in the ¦Â, Hino-chan politely explained.


    "Four-coloured beasts attack in cooperation just like players so we need to separate them and defeat. That''s the reason for this plan."


    If we can separate and defeat one, we can move to help others. On the other hand, there was danger that one of us doesn''t manage their status well and is beaten.


    Also, the other reason Hino-chan recommended a split attack was not only to prevent enemy from cooperating, but also to prevent us from getting caught up in her attacks.


    With that as a basis, we had to decide whether to fight as a party or separate. And, what everyone chose was¡ª¡ª


    "If it''s better to split, then how about we do that?"


    "...if that''s the reason for it, I have no objections."


    "Yer'' right. Still, I''d like sumone stick wit'' us, mages."


    "Fufufu, in that case we need to choose a compatible target. For me, I guess it''d be Lightning Beast."


    After getting everyone''s approval, we decided the distribution.


    For the Flame Beast, Luka-chan and Kohaku who can use water magic. For the Ice Beast, Tobi-chan. Rirei and I took on the Lightning Beast. And, Hino-chan was in charge of the Stone Beast.


    "If you can''t continue attacking, focus on defence and wait for everyone else to support you. Okay?"


    "No problem."


    "Well then, let''s go!"


    Since the talk was over I dived in.


    The four beasts who were lying down immediately stood up warily. We released out first attacks all at once on the beasts we were in charge of.


    "HAa!"


    Receiving my slash as I swung down my one-handed sword at it from above, the Lightning Beast leaped away using the slash''s momentum.


    Based on how much HP my first attack took, it was stronger than a small fry mob but weaker than a boss.


    Starting with my attack, other members and beasts have entered combat, meanwhile the Lightning Beast impatiently watched us. Then, accelerating in an instant the beast clawed at us. I parried it with my sword, then continued to avoid kicks from its hind legs and lightning-clad body, buying time for Rirei. And, when I received a tackle from the Lightning Beast on the sword''s side I disengaged.


    "Fufufu, I''ve finished preparations! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Pillar¡·!"


    Immediately after that a pillar of flames appeared and swallowed the Lightning Beast. With a look at Rirei I understood she invoked a high-powered spell.


    Once I moved to a position from which I could protect Rirei, the beast broke through the flame pillar and rushed in our direction.


    In order to protect Rirei I matched the beast''s assault and holding out the one-handed sword with my both hands I repelled it. Normally I would continue here and finish it off, but the Lightning Beast''s electric shock was transmitted to the sword and I received a ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ bad status.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Cure¡·! Okay, I can go on!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Lance¡·!"


    Since I was unable to pursue the enemy because of the bad status, Rirei properly finished off the Lightning Beast.


    "Fufufu, now, what''s next?"


    While thinking of Rirei as very reliable considering she defeated the enemy all at once using a high powered spell, I looked at other members'' fight against the beasts.


    Luka-chan and Kohaku confronted the Flame Beast, Luka-chan restrained the beast''s movements while Kohaku attacked it with water magic. It seemed like they would finish it off soon, so they were low priority for supporting.


    Next was Tobi-chan who confronted the Ice Beast had low direct attack power and was unable to deliver much damage, but she withdrew after dealing one blow every time so she stacked small amounts of damage at high speed.


    And, Hino-chan in charge of the Rock Beast¡ª¡ª


    Swinging down her sledgehammer she crushed the beast''s rocky skin. This way of fighting was different from her usual one and was more suitable for a time attack.


    It was a no-guard tactics she would normally never use, completely abandoning defence and just focusing on dealing maximum damage to defeat the enemy efficiently. As the Rock Beast approached her to attack, she received its attack and immediately launched a counter with Art.


    This manner of attacking which took limited time and ignored the surroundings was the reason why Hino-chan proposed to split up.


    I immediately used recovery magic on Hino-chan.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·!"


    "Ohhh?! Thanks, Myu-chan!"


    "Hino-chan! You''re being too reckless!"


    "Am I? This is normal during a time attack, but sorry to worry you. Well then, I''ll be going to Luka-chan and Kohaku, you two go assist Tobi-chan."


    Saying just that, Hino-chan changed weapon from the hammer to a long spear and broke into a run.


    I looked at her movements for a moment longer, but it seemed like she took my worrying to herself and used a solid playstyle as she cooperated with the other two to defeat the Flame Beast.


    I felt that my worry for Hino-chan was baseless and focused on cooperating with Tobi-chan to defeat the Ice Beast.


    Twenty-two minutes passed at this point. Thanks to Hino-chan forcefully beating down the Rock Beast and immediately assisting Luka-chan and Kohaku, we might be able to update the record time for time attack.


    With expectations and anxiety I stepped into the fifth level and the moment I saw the condition¡ª¡ªI gave up on completing the time attack.


    ¡ñ


    "Aaah, we pulled the Dull Dragon."


    "So our challenging ends here."


    Uh-huh, as I put a hand on my forehead, Hino-chan gave up leaned against wall and spoke.


    Puzzled, Luka-chan and others went down the passage entering the fifth level and their expressions started twitching.


    Since we moved down to the fifth level there was no way back already and unless we complete the challenge here, we won''t be able to leave.


    And, the Dull Dragon we pulled...


    "What''s that? A dinosaur?"


    "...it looks like a Triceratops. It might be kind of cute."


    "It might look like a herbivore, but ''s name a dragon, must be tough t'' beat."


    "Fufufu, then shall we take a break here?"


    The Dull Dragon was the strongest mob that appears in this ¡¾Knight Troop''s Trial¡¿. In this dungeon where anyone can go for a time attack as long as they''ve got good luck, this was a mob you must absolutely not meet. In terms of strength, it was stronger than boss mobs that appear in this dungeon''s vicinity.


    "Myu-san, Hino-san, isn''t it too early to give up?"


    "But, it''s a mob above the level appropriate for us. Well, it''s not like we should challenge it prepared for losing and death penalty, but being unable to get time attack was kinda shock to us."


    "It''s not like I think we''ll lose, but since we''ve come here so fast we can take a break. I mean, it''s durable, tough and rampages violently in this narrow space. It''s difficult to avoid."


    The Dull Dragon we peeked at from the passage had his tail right beside his main body which was entirely covered in thick and hard skin. It had three horns on its head. On top of that, it had a dragon-specific area-of-effect breath attack.


    Since the hall seemed very narrow, the only salvation was that it moved slowly.


    "Isn''t there some tactic to beat him?"


    "Hmm. Well, he''s weak against bad statuses and he can be induced to ram into a wall after which we can deal damage to him."


    Well, it''s a battle of endurance with this guy.


    "............"


    "What is it? Tobi-san. Are you worried about something?"


    Tobi-chan was sitting down just like we did and listening to us, but her expression was serious. Poiunted that out by Rirei, she was slightly agitated.


    "...it''s nothing big."


    "Did you notice some kind of hint for defeating it?"


    Tobi-chan had the ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense allowing her to find hidden things. Even on the way here it was helpful when it came to scouting and finding simple traps. And the words that have come out of Tobi-chan''s mouth were¡ª¡ª


    "...I wondered how did that Dull Dragon enter here."


    I almost fell over. No way, it was something like that, I thought and turned towards her to see how she raised her muffler up on her mouth embarrassedly.


    "Ahh, I was curious about that too. I wonder how."


    "Hino-chan, not you too!"


    I turned towards Hino-chan and others, but Luka-chan placed a hand on her chin and seemed to be in thoughts.


    "Certainly, it would have hard time entering this dungeon with that size. We can also consider the theory that it was carried in as an egg and grew in the dungeon."


    "Lucato, whatta ya thinkin'' bout."


    Although Kohaku and I were appalled, we immediately switched our mood. Imagining the story background of this ¡¾Knight Troop''s Trial¡¿ was also fun in its own way. Every item and location had its own setting.


    If I''m not wrong, the quest associated with this dungeon was part of the guild establishment quest.


    "...doesn''t this dungeon have a setting which says it was man-made for training knights? Something about artificially made location and placed monsters."


    "Fufufu, even if you defeat the forcibly gathered monsters in this subspace, they are revived by something magical allowing you to train safely, or something like that."


    "But can normal Knight NPCs catch a Dull Dragon? I think it''d be impossible even if a hundred of them gathered."


    "Maybe there are human NPCs who have non-standard strength? That would make sense."


    Before I realized, everyone started talking about their idea as for the setting of this dungeon. In the middle of it we concluded that the completion conditions are conditions for knights to finish their training and that the mobs were either captured outside or created by mages, we talked about various stuff.


    When everyone got fired up talking about it, finally Kohaku participated in the conversation.


    "Lemme mix in this talk! What if that Dull Dragon''s a dragon tamed by knights, wouldn''t that be interestin''? I mean, it seems more elegant and cuter than mobs that appeared so far!"


    "Woah, what''s with that setting, sounds fun! Also, it would be awesome to have dragon knights flying in the sky. Poking enemy with a spear from Dull Dragon''s back as it charges, like a moving fortress."


    "Rite! Glad to see you get it, Myu... ah?!!"


    Before long, Kohaku who joined the conversation had calmed down and expanded the fan to hide her mouth, embarrassed.


    "Well, ''nough of my fantasies. How''d we defeat that Dull Dragon''s what''s important."


    We''ve talked like that for a while, but thanks to the conversation about the story background motivation has sprung inside of us.


    "All right! I''m full of energy too. For the plan¡ª¡ªhow about target change?"


    Hino-chan presented a strategy. It was a way to fight which normally required two or more tanks, but adventure is never fun when you''re prepared for everything. And, with no one capable of proposing a better strategy, everyone agreed to challenge the Dull Dragon with it.


    "Everyone, to specified location!"


    With the commander''s, Luka-chan''s instructions we spread in the stage for battling the Dull Dragon.


    Our formation was: on the right side of the Dull Dragon there was Hino-chan, Kohaku and I. On the opposite side there was Luka-chan, Tobi-chan and Rirei.


    The Dull Dragon charged at players and attacked with breath so standing in front of him was dangerous and it''s defence was high there. That''s why we spread between the left and right sides to reduce the risk there would be if we gathered in front of it, it was a strategy where we attacked the places with low defence and slowly decreased his HP.


    ¡º"GUOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Once we moved to our spots on the sides the Dull Dragon stood up and roared.


    "I''ll go first!"


    And, serving as the first attacker was Hino-chan. Holding a long spear she thrust at the base on the inner side of the Dull Dragon''s frill.


    Receiving an attack in his weak point, the dragon twisted his body, shook his head in protest. Although he tried to guard the weakness on his right side, emphasizing on safety Tobi-chan threw disposable throwing knives from the opposite side.


    "The damage is small, but it goes through to him!"


    Not to lose to them, I also slashed with my sword at other weaknesses, relatively weak legs and abdomen. In the same manner Luka-chan used a greatsword to attack the same locations on the opposite side.


    The Dull Dragon tried to crush us with its legs and hit us with its tail, but wary of those attacks we were able to successfully avoid them.


    Then, after a while of attacking the back of the frills'' weakness alternately, we noticed Dull Dragon''s preliminary operation of a certain specific attack.


    "Everyone retreat!"


    At the same time Luka-chan yelled a command everyone stopped attacking and the vanguard distanced themselves from the dragon.


    ¡º"WOOOOOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª"¡»


    The Dull Dragon''s huge body fell on its right side where our group was.


    The entire hall strongly shook, we lowered the centre of our gravity as not to fall over.


    The sideways fall causing tremors was an attack on par with the charge and the breath attack. But, right after that attack Luka-chan and othershave immediately attacked the exposed fleshy and soft head.


    "Fufufu¡ª¡ª¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    At the same time tremors have subsided Rirei released the flame spear she had prepared which pierced the dragon''s abdomen. The Dull Dragon raised a voice of anguish and stood up again.


    His target changed to Rirei and the dragon changed the direction he was facing, but as not to be in front the left group moved.


    Protesting against it the Dull Dragon shook his head to sides and orange light leaked from his mouth. At the same time, Hino-chan and I broke into a run.


    "Chaarge! After me!''


    "In any case, it''s a chance to deal the greatest damage!"


    When I ran up on the dragon''s back I immediately pierced the back of the frill on its head.


    The Dull Dragon''s breath was an attack that emitted powerful flame in frontal cone.


    While the dragon moved his neck as to chase after Rirei and others, the frill on his head blocked the heatwave making his back the best safe zone and his weakness.


    "Well then, I''ll protect da three of ''em. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Water Round¡·!"


    Kohaku matched the dragon''s breath and created a water shield, by offsetting the damage from fire by water she reduced the power of the breath assaulting Luka-chan and others. The breath that had passed by the water shield was received on Rirei''s flame wall.


    "Ah, breath''s ending. Retreat, retreat!"


    I hurriedly pulled out the pierced-in sword and sprung away from the Dull Dragon''s back.


    Next, because we gained a lot of hate the target changed to us from Luka-chan and the others, the dragon slowly changed the direction he faced towards us.


    Judging by how he was striking the floor of the dungeon with his tail, he seemed fairly angry ¨C this too was a preliminary operation for an attack.


    "A charge is coming!"


    "Ahh, ''dis makes me nervous. I dun'' like havin'' to run at last moment."


    Seeing the Dull Dragon kick the dungeon''s floor with its hind legs Kohaku made a displeased expression.


    If we avoid to the left or right immediately after perceiving the preliminary operation, the dragon would come chasing after us. That''s why the safest method of avoiding was to move when he started running.


    "He''s coming!"


    At the same time Hino-chan gave the signal, the Dull Dragon started his charge.


    From the front, the frill spreading from his head looked like an overwhelming approaching wall, we induced it for long enough before avoiding to the side.


    "Myu-san, everyone, are you safe?"


    "We''re fine! More importantly, Tobi-chan!"


    The rushing Dull Dragon remained the momentum and struck the wall gouging a big hole in it. While a cloud of sand rolled in we confirmed each other''s safety. Meanwhile, Tobi-chan approached the dragon silently and climbing on his back she safely arrived by the completely open to attacks frill.


    "...starting. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Neck Hunt¡·!"


    She activated an Art at the weakness in the back of the frill, spreading a red, blood-like effect.


    By overlapping the effect of attacking the weak point of the dragon and using an art that a special effect, Tobi-chan who had the lowest attack power among the vanguards has dealt the largest damage so far.


    Tobi-chan immediately leaped away from the dragon''s back and returned back to Luka-chan and Rirei to prepare for the next attack.


    By damaging the Dull Dragon from the sides we gradually cut down his HP.


    Then, with none of us receiving much damage our focus was nearly lost, the events moved rapidly.


    "There''s 20% HP remaining! Just a little more!"


    "Fufufu, then let''s decide it here. Kohaku, match my timing!"


    "No need to order me, I''ll properly finish ''t off!"


    Kohaku and Rirei spoke to each other from the sides of the dragon, then fired their strongest attacks.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Burn¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Little Tornado¡·!"


    The two''s magic gained power from a synergistic effect and swallowed up the Dull Dragon.


    Flames fuelled by wind spread hot air through the floor and and walls of the dungeon as well as released dazzling light.


    ¡º"GUOOOOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª"¡»


    The dragon''s roar has come from inside the flames. I lowered the point of my sword thinking it''s his death throes, but the next moment the Dull Dragon charged through the flames.


    "Damn it!! Kohaku, run!"


    I cried out, but the light coming from the flames hid the dragon''s preliminary operation and we didn''t notice it until he passed through the flames. When I noticed it, the Dull Dragon was already running straight at Kohaku.


    Although I ran as to follow the him, I couldn''t catch up. That''s when Hino-chan leaped in between Kohaku and the dragon.


    "I WON''T LET YOUUUuuu! ¡ª¡ª¡¶One Point Thrust¡·!"


    Receiving the charge right from the front, using an Art she thrust the spear at the hardest part on the dragon''s forehead.


    The thrust spear looked as if it was sucked into the dragon''s forehead as it emitted a blue effect. The two pushed against each other for a moment, but then the spear''s thrust lost and Hino-chan slammed into the wall.


    Receiving an attack from the front, the Dull Dragon changed his trajectory deviating to the right and passed by Kohaku''s side, then crashed into the corner of the room with its momentum.


    "Hino-chan!"


    "I''m all right. Go protect Kohaku."


    Hino-chan who slammed onto the wall rose up while staggering, then took out a potion from inventory.


    Blown away, Hino-chan let go of the spear which remained shallowly pierced in the Dull Dragon.


    "Haa, I''m a bit worried about the reach, but let''s do it."


    She took out her other weapon, the sledgehammer and held it up in both hands.


    "Well then, seems like there wasn''t enough recovery. ¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·!"


    "Thanks, Myu-chan."


    "I''m sorry. We focused too much on finishing it!"


    Rirei spoke words of apology, Kohaku who was saved also wanted to but was unable to speak up.


    "Kohaku and Rirei¡ª¡ª"


    Hino-chan interrupted them and said the following words with a big smile.


    "¡ª¡ªWe''re having an evaluation later! I''m included in that too, for letting go of my precious weapon."


    After saying so, she looked at the Dull Dragon ahead of her.


    The dragon had charged into the corner. Whenever we avoided it we were careful as not to direct it into the corner, but it couldn''t be helped this time. The corners decreased the amount of blind spots the dragon had and made it impossible to attack it from both sides.


    After getting hit by Rirei and Kohaku''s chained magic the Dull Dragon had less than 10% HP left. Even with him having so low HP, there was a possibility of us being wiped out.


    The battle will be decided with one strike.


    ¡º"GUOOOOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª"¡»


    He opened his mouth wide and roared, showing the preliminary operation for the breath attack.


    At the same time we all broke into a run to strike at him before he release the breath.


    "We''re all goin'' outta dis dungeon safe! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Wind Shield¡·!"


    "At times like these I lament my lack of support skills. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    In order to reduce the damage from the breath attack, Kohaku put up a barrier of wind in front of us. Rirei squeezed the few remaining MP to fire bullets of light, but they were blocked by the dragon''s tough defence.


    Then, once the dragon finished its preparations he started to release the breath he hoarded inside his body from the right to left.


    "I''ll show you I can cut apart even magic and breath. HAAaa¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    Luka-chan''s swung her greatsword down from above, creating a shockwave that pushed the back the breath attack. However, the breath continued and pushed back the shockwave, approaching us¡ª¡ªand then passed over our heads.


    "...¡¶Misdirection¡·"


    It was Tobi-chan''s skill which shifted the enemy mob''s target and recognition. Thanks to that we avoided a direct hit with the breath and the aftermath was blocked by Kohaku''s shield.


    And, the two of us who closed onto the dragon used our Arts.


    "I''ll break down that defence of yours! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Armor Break¡·!"


    I let out a slash that had the effect of lowering enemy''s defence which had reduced the dragon''s defence power. While the attack itself was blocked, I left the rest to Hino-chan.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Break Hammer¡·!"


    The hammer swung without any hesitation was sucked straight towards the Dull Dragon''s head. And, it had hit the pierced-in spear''s ferrule. The spear pierced through the forehead and following it, the hammer crushed the skull.


    A moment of silence. And, after a slight delay the Dull Dragon fell on his side. Following that, when we received a reward for fulfilling condition of the fifth level and for clearing the dungeon we realized we defeated the dragon.


    ¡ñ


    "Yess! Dungeon cleared!"


    When we cleared all five levels of the dungeon and left to the outside through the same black gate we entered through, we were greeted by the sunlight.


    In the end, the time attack took us more than an hour.


    "Welcome back, Myu-chan."


    "Sei-oneechan, I''m back. As I thought, we were slooower, ehh?. It''s all that Dull Dragon''s faulttt!"


    The time attack match was our defeat. I thought, and exhausted I clung onto Sei-oneechan.


    My my, Onee-chan pat my head with a smile and I entrusted my body to her, replenishing my Onee-chanium reserves.


    "We lost to Onee-chan''s party in time attack, but it''s been a good experience. Thanks."


    When I said that as I clung to Sei-oneechan, she made a troubled expression, then faced Mikadzuchi-san and others.


    Kukuku, laughing deep from the throat Mikadzuchi-san corrected our thinking.


    "The time attack''s Myu-chan party''s win."


    "Eh? With that time?"


    If we excluded the Dull Dragon we would have cleared it in about half an hour, but the result was that it took over an hour. So, what does she mean by saying we won? When I looked towards Sei-oneechan, she spoke with a bitter look.


    "Um... just like Myu-chan''s party, we got a Dull Dragon on the very first floor."


    Ahh, so we weren''t the only ones with bad luck, I thought, but it seemed like Sei-oneechan''s party had it even worse.


    "We somehow managed to reduce the damage to one casualty and moved on, but there was another Dull Dragon waiting on the second level."


    "To think we''d get a second Dull Dragon, then upon the very meeting as if to say "Hey, it''s been a while. NOW DIE." he attacked us with a breath right from the start."


    "Ahh, that''s..."


    Although it wasn''t impossible with random generation, there was an ultra-super-extremely low probability for that. Just how unlucky do you have to be to get it. While thinking that, I also started considering the fact that we got one Dull Dragon to be lucky, since we also received some delicious amount of experience.


    "Uuu, with that opening breath two people retired. Those of us who remained put up a good fight, but we were defeated."


    "The time we challenged the time attack for was 27 minutes, then we were defeated by the Dull Dragon. Well, our levels went up during battle so it wasn''t all that bad."


    "In exchange, we used plenty of consumables like Potions and MP potions so we need to replenish them."


    Sei-oneechan put on a troubled smile. It seemed like they were in the middle of chatting as they wait for death penalty to expire.


    Meanwhile, Sei-oneechan muttered.


    "Still, that''s what you call Greed Sensor, right. You look for some item and you get everything but that one. I hope that the Dull Dragon doesn''t come out, and here it comes."


    "Greed Sensor? Was there an item you wanted?"


    Hearing her mutter I asked and got and answer.


    "We actually wanted a ¡¾Knight''s Emblem¡¿ for the second stage of the guild founding quest ahead of time. Well, we haven''t progressed with other related quests yet so I plan to work together with Mikadzuchi without haste to get one."


    "Hmm. ¡¾Knight''s Emblem¡¿ huh."


    I don''t remember getting such an item. When I thought so, Tobi-chan timidly raised her hand.


    "...u-um, I have that item."


    "Eh? Did you get one?"


    "...I got it from a treasure box on the third level but I left drop confirmation for later since we were doing a time attack."


    "Ahh, since we''ve finished completing the dungeon let''s check our loot. We didn''t check what we got from the Dull Dragon either."


    Agreeing with Hino-chan''s proposal, we did the drop confirmation we have postponed earlier.


    Since we progressed with a time attack and minimal amount of combat we didn''t get all that many drops. Also, there was nothing eye-catching among the items we got, aside from ¡¾Knight''s Emblem¡¿ there was just a normal material that dropped out of the Dull Dragon.


    And, as for Sei-oneechan''s party¡ª¡ª


    "That''s nice, the strengthening material Sei-oneechan got. Dull Dragon''s rare drop, huh."


    "Hmm. I''m a mage I won''t benefit from the ¡¾Dull Dragon''s Tri-Horn¡¿''s bonus as much as you imply, Myu-chan."


    Sei-oneechan''s luck is definitely being used up in a wrong way. She never gets the drops she wants, but she does get the drops others want and get to trade them.


    Everyone ends up happy, but whether the process is bad luck or just her luck is strange, its just like Sei-oneechan. And, this time too¡ª¡ª


    "Then, how about I exchange it for the ¡¾Knight''s Emblem¡¿ your party has?"


    She tilted her neck and asked.


    "Is that fine? I mean, that''s a rare."


    "I''m a mage so I have no use for it."


    Saying so, Sei-oneechan wanted to give up her rare drop so simply. I looked at Luka-chan and others and got "if needed, go on and trade it" in response.


    "Got it. Well then, let''s trade."


    We have traded the ¡¾Knight''s Emblem¡¿ for ¡¾Dull Dragon''s Tri-Horn¡¿, but I didn''t think of what happens afterwards.


    While Sei-oneechan''s group was pleased to get the item they wanted, we looked at each other wondering who will use this strengthening material.


    "This, what do we do about it? If used on weapon it gives ¡¾Physical Attack Increase¡¿ and if used on armour piece it gives ¡¾Physical Defence Increase (small)¡¿ additional effects."


    "Fufufu, it''s highly versatile. But, it''s useless for mages."


    "Yer'' rite. Then, It''s best that one of the vanguards uses it."


    Saying so, the pair of mages gave up on the ¡¾Dull Dragon''s Tri-Horn¡¿. I too didn''t intend on strengthening myself physically since I make a balanced build, and Tobi-chan gave up on it as well.


    "Now then, it''s me and Luka-chan left, what do we do?"


    "I think it''s more appropriate for Hino-san than me."


    "Is that really okay? You need it too don''t you, Luka-chan?"


    "I do want it, but the sword I''m using is still a drop item."


    Saying so, Luka-chan pat her sword''s hilt.


    With this the discussion was over and ¡¾Dull Dragon''s Tri-Horn¡¿ was passed to Hino-chan.


    Receiving it, she blinked several times and made a serious expression.


    "We expect a lot of you, Hino-chan."


    "If that''s the case, then I need to respond to your expectations. I''ll sweep away everything with my hammer even harder than I have so far!"


    Hino-chan decided to further increase her power she was so proud of to become the party''s cornerstone.


    And, applause had echoed.


    "Really, glad to see such passionate friendship among girls."


    "Grr, we aren''t a freak show."


    "Sorry, my bad."


    Seeing Mikadzuchi''s reaction Hino-chan puffed up her cheeks and complained.


    "While at apologies, how about we get some quest together? I look forward to little sister party''s luck."


    "Eehh, it feels like we''re gonna be used..."


    "It won''t be anything bad. We''ll just do some joint hunting on the frontlines and collection quests."


    As Mikadzuchi-san acted flighty, I glanced at Sei-oneechan beside her who lowered her head lightly in apology.


    "Sorry, Mikadzuchi is really pushy."


    "Hmm. Well, I guess it''s fine. It''ll probably be some efficient leveling."


    From time to time it''s also fine to enjoy joint play with people I don''t know, I thought, and everyone else looked enthusiastic, too. Although Mikadzuchi-san''s and Sei-oneechan''s party lost, our members might have wanted to know how strong is the party that fought two Dull Dragons in a row.


    "Well, let''s go enjoy ourselves."


    Along with Mikadzuchi-san''s instruction we started moving. I guess the death penalty must have ran out.


    And this was the first time we played together with what had later become ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild.


    Thanks to the results of this time''s hunt Sei-oneechan''s group advanced the guild-related quest. We gathered specified items for collection-type quests scattered all over the town, then ceded the quest-related items in exchange for drop equipment and strengthening materials.


    At that time we rejoiced we got items we can use, but at later date we got completely frustrated hearing what was the total reward for the quests we gathered specified items for. Once again I learned that not sparing time and effort makes that much of a difference.


    After some time when I heard that merry but powerful Mikadzuchi-san has founded a guild with Sei-oneechan as her assistant I had a premonition that their guild will be a big thing, but kept that to myself.

 Chapter Volume 1 1

    Chapter 1 ¨C Official Opening and Mishappen Senses


    It was eight o''clock in the morning. Miu fidgeted, as she was eating toast for breakfast.


    "Hey, why are you being so restless. It''s going to start at eleven o''clock right?"


    "Yup. That''s why make an early lunch please, and we have a gaming marathon afterwards."


    "Rejected. We''re going to have a proper meal at twelve o''clock. Also, we''re not going to spend that much time playing."


    Hearing my serious declaration my little sister let out a *booo¡ª* in complaint.


    I thought of saying ''you should at least help out with housework during summer holidays, but after considering that she only would get in my way I remained silent.


    "Good grief. All right. Then let''s have simple fried rice."


    "Yaay! Thank you Onii-chan."


    I muttered ''Geez what a kid.''. After that I finished the housework and started wondering as I prepared lunch.


    For dinner tonight I''ll just make something hot with soumen. I considered the nutritional balance and something that can be prepared by boiling in water. It would be nice to have banbanji chicken for the fried food as well as pickled eggplant. If I make Miu''s favourite shrimp and vegetable fritters she will definitely come down from the second floor. In order to immerse in the bliss of eating something crispy she would even put her gaming time on hold.


    I want Miu to eat it as soon as possible, I thought of spoiling my little sister like that.


    And at eleven o''clock I put on the VR gear and laid down on the bed. When I started it up, the hypnotic induction began. The feeling I had, was that of my body falling asleep and my head becoming really clear. After that my field of view spread out, and I appeared in a pure white space.


    ¡º"Choose a name."¡»


    After I was prompted by a female mechanical voice, I typed in a name on the semi-transparent keyboard that appeared in front of me. As I wasn''t accustomed to VR, I carefully typed in my own name - ¡¾SYUN¡¿ and confirmed it. The semitransparent screen switched and a selection of tutorials appeared. Since I obtained information from the guide sites ahead of time, I didn''t need it. If there is something I need, I''ll just ask Shizuka-nee or Miu. I chose to skip it.


    ¡ª¡ªAnd then, a spectacle appeared before me.


    Around me, there was a flood of people. A lot of people seemed to have logged in. And for me who arrived in the VR world for the first time, it was a very strange experience.


    Well, I didn''t feel any VR-specific discomfort but... for some reason my hair was longer, and my butt felt somehow more round... what''s this about?


    An icon appeared in on the edge of my field of vision, I quickly looked towards it and selected the audio input.


    "Chat open."


    ¡º"Ah, Onii-chan. Did you connect?"¡»


    "What. It''s Miu huh. You surprised me."


    At the moment, I was unable to assess the current situation, and my thinking was being interrupted. However, I calmed down when I recognized the caller''s voice as Miu''s.


    ¡º"There''s too many people here so we can''t find each other. Onee-chan and I arrived at the cathedral on the north. We''ll wait for you there."¡»


    "Got it, I''m going there now."


    I moved from the spot immediately. I hated crowds, moreover, many of them were staring at me.


    In front of the cathedral there were many people meeting up with each other, I looked for Miu among them.


    ¡º"Hey Onii-chan, have you arrived yet?"¡»


    "Yeah, I did but... where are you?"


    ¡º"Under the church''s statue. White hair. Onee-chan has light blue hair."¡»


    I finally found her. Certainly, her hair was white. Next to her there was a person who wore a magican''s robe and had light blue hair. It was a beautiful woman with slightly droopy eyes and a mole under one of them. The colours were different, but it was a person I was familiar with. I called out to them.


    "You''re Miu right?"


    "Eh, yes. I''m Myu, but... who are you?"


    "It''s me. Your brother, Shun."


    "Umm? Shun-chan? Onee-chan hasn''t met you for a while so she doesn''t know, but when did you change your gender?"


    "No, Onee-chan, that didn''t happen! That''s not the problem here! Why did Onii-chan turn into Onee-chan?!"


    After being called ''Onee-chan'' I placed my hands on my chest and lightly stroked it. Although there was almost no bulging in there, the palms of my hands felt something soft. When I slid my hands lower, I felt a soft reaction from my slender waist. I felt embarrassed feeling my soft and elastic chest even through the clothes.


    "No, I don''t even want to think about it, but when you don''t modify your body after your figure is captured by camera, an automatic body correction is applied. Mainly it works in the direction of adding femininity."


    I don''t want to think of about it but I do have a feminine face! This is terrible. It''s a system bug. How did this happen! And so, I cried out in my mind.


    "Also, isn''t Onii-chan''s voice higher now? Somehow, it''s a quite cute voice."


    Certainly, my voice was slightly higher than before. It was close to the so-called anime voice.


    I had an uncomfortable feeling, it seemed possible that I could let out the same voice in real if I were to try it.


    Because of this voice I was made to compete in the costume competition at school''s festival. I was forcefully cross-dressed into wearing a fancy dress and characterized to look like a famous voice actor, after which they forced me to stand on the stage... with the audience unaware I was a man, I ended up winning.


    If that dark past of mine were to be made public, I would have no choice but to hang myself. By the way, that''s what Takumi blackmailed me with to help him deal with his homework.


    "Hmm. You''ve turned into a real beauty, Onee-chan''s really happy for you. Shun-chan, no, how about Yun-chan now?"


    ...what?


    "Cause, isn''t it written ''Yun'' on your name tag?"


    "Err, ah. That''s true. Yun-oneechan?"


    I should have typed in SYUN, but it seemed like because I was unfamiliar with operating the VR, I entered it wrongly. The first letter ''S'' was missing and YUN was left over¡ª¡ªand the name I ended up with was Yun.


    "Argh! Come on! I''m going to erase this character!"


    "Calm down, you can''t play as opposite sex in this game so I think it''ll be a good experience. Yun-oneechan."


    "If you erase it¡ª¡ªOnee-chan will order for your dark past to be exposed."


    Uwahh, Shizuka-nee. No, ¡ª¡ªright now she''s Sei-nee, and she''s serious. Whenever Sei-nee is serious, it turns scary afterwards. She''s pretty stubborn. Although she usually is quite gentle, whenever she''s being selfish she can be very thorough.


    "I-I get it. Well, I''ll do it, as long as I don''t have to do any acting. So, did the two of you acquire your Senses yet?"


    "Yup. When you acquire the initial Senses, you also get an initial weapon."


    "All right, let me get the Senses as well then."


    I asked the two of them to wait for a moment and as I picked up the Senses.


    "Hey, what''s Yun-oneechan''s Sense build?"


    "Hm? My build is: ¡¾Bow¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ ¡¾Enchant¡¿ ¡¾Taming¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Crafting Knowledge¡¿."


    Somehow, Myu opened her mouth agape and Sei-nee made a troubled expression.


    "Yun-oneechan, what are you aiming for?"


    "Hmm, something like a support? I looked at the template and properly took the mandatory skills, that''s ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿. Also the magic corresponding to it I took was ¡¾Enchantment¡¿¡ª¡ª"


    "...O...nii...chan''s an IDIOT!! Why would you stack up trash Senses like that!"


    Yeah, I knew they were trash and I tried to aim for industrial gap, I tried to argue with her but¡ª¡ª


    "Listen okay?! The ¡¾Bow¡¿''s cost to performance ratio is the worst! ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ only allows you to look at distant objects and isn''t an unique Sense at all! Also, ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s material transformation conversion rate is horrible! ¡¾Enchant¡¿ is half-assed. ¡¾Taming¡¿''s success rate is very low so it''s a dead Sense. You can''t survive just by having magic-type and crafting-type Senses! And here I wanted us to adventure together!"


    "Umm, to be exact you can''t use ¡¾Bow¡¿ if you don''t have a set of arrows which are consumable items. ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ isn''t useful aside from predicting incoming enemies. ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿, ¡¾Enchant¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ can be picked up, but they''re inefficient. Something like that?"


    Sei-nee explained it to me politely.


    In other words, even though I decided to pick support Senses as not to become a burden on them, but I didn''t manage to. Moreover, what was next said finished me off.


    "The items one can create by using ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Mixing¡¿ are also sold in the shops. That''s why in early game they''re unimportant."


    Yes, any significance of my existence has disappeared. That''s why, with everyone''s eyes focused on me I fell into a slump.


    The amount of gold every starting player was in possession was 1000G. In order to prepare the equipment we walked around the town.


    One set of arrows which numbered thirty for the ¡¾Bow¡¿ cost 30G. I bought four sets for 120G. Also the initial production kits for ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Mixing¡¿ cost me 300G each, 600G in total. 30 Potions for beginners cost me 150G. ¡ª¡ªIn total 870G, I still had 130G remaining.


    In case of using a normal build template, after obtaining the Senses and buying weapons as well as consumables in the store they still had 500G left over.


    So, the low cost to performance ratio of the bows is because of the arrows'' cost. Arrows were consumables and the arrow that was once shot cannot be recovered. In case of the early game''s enemies, they are defeated after being hit by three arrows. The drop items from such an enemy is at most 3G and in the worst case 1G. Even if all the arrows hit the target, there''s still no profit.


    Even if I use my crafting Senses to change a drop item into a different item, I won''t get any big profit out of it.


    "...in other words, the poor performance to cost ratio is the reason."


    "Yes. Moreover, while magic-type Senses obtain functions like tracking as they level up, the bow has nothing like that. The trajectory of arrows is always straight. That''s why the bow alone is heavily dependant on player''s own skill."


    "...w-well, there''s the motion assist so even beginner are able to do it. So don''t look so down Yun-chan."


    "S-sure..."


    I was being lectured by Myu who just a moment ago was happy about going on an adventure together with me. I wondered if she was really that bothered with me picking up trashy Senses. No, well, I asked her about builds and yet took this. No wonder she was angry.


    "It''s fine, let''s just go hunting. We should hurry up and finish the tutorial battle. I''m going to go on a hunt with my friends in the afternoon."


    "...s-sure."


    Sei-nee, help me. I sent her a glance, but the only response was a bitter smile.


    We went outside of the initial city¡ª¡ªnicknamed ''first city¡ª¡ªand moved to the plain near the outer wall of the city. On this map, all the mobs on the plains were aiming for the novice players. There were roads leading towards north, south, west and east.


    According to the guide, in ¦Â version north and south roads led to high level zones, they were unexplored and there was nothing written on them in the guides. In the west, there was a lot of collectibles but the balance of enemy mobs seemed to be bad.


    "Lets try defeating an enemy to see first. Onii-chan will attack with the bow, Onee-chan please attack with magic."


    "Understood."


    "Got it."


    After that we''ve hunted for a while, my little sister brandished her sword and cut down the mobs named after Herbivorous animals, Sei-nee was releasing bullets of water. And I shot an arrow but...


    "It''s not hitting!"


    Sei-nee was able to easily hit the enemy from 2 metres of distance, the same range as I was in, but I didn''t manage to hit. Moreover, the arrows that were used were disposable. Not good. Cost to performance ratio is very bad.


    Moreover, after the arrow was released it had to be replenished from the inventory one by one.


    "This is annoyinggg!"


    I released more and more arrows without aiming properly, but there was no sign of hitting. I advanced forward to a position from which hitting would be easy.


    "Onee-chan, if you go in front like that¡ª¡ª"


    "If it''s from here, it''ll hi¡ª¡ª"


    I was startled while drawing an arrow, the beast was coming after me. After taking half a step back to avoid, I fell down on my butt.


    "¡ª¡ªBe careful! ¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·."


    A bullet of water was launched towards the animal that was about to ram into me, and the Herbivore disappeared.


    "Yun-chan, you can''t approach them that closely. Are you all right?"


    Sei-nee came over and bent over to look at me as I fell on my butt. That''s when a glimpse of her smooth collarbone and white nape appeared from the gap in her robe, I removed my line of sight from the spot. So people change after becoming university students after all? I felt a little bit of sex appeal from Sei-nee.


    "Grr, that''s because you took such trashy Senses. You used up all the arrows haven''t you. Now then, the special moves¡ª¡ª¡¾Arts¡¿. Perfect, my ¡¾Sword¡¿ just leveled upped to 5..."


    Somehow, as if to rouse me up she raised her voice. I stood up from the ground.


    Myu approached the Herbivore slowly and poised her sword as she''s gotten closer, when I started wondering what is she doing she released a flowing triple attack. The sword''s trajectory was tinged with a pale silver light.


    "This is ¡¾Arts¡¿. If Yun-oneechan intends to raise the ¡¾Bow¡¿''s Sense then you better remember it. But I recommend switching the Sense out as soon as possible."


    "By the way, every ten Sense levels you get one Sense PointSP. For the high level Senses it has to be at least of level 30 to get a point."


    "Got it, thanks."


    The three siblings continued to hunt. The items I obtained weren''t enough to cover the arrow''s cost. I no longer had the money I placed aside for the crafting, it feels like I need to make a full Sense replacement.


    ¡ñ


    I separated from Sei-nee and Myu and went back to town while checking the status.


    My Senses were like this:


    Possessed SP0


    ¡¾Bow Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv1¡¿


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Mixing Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv1¡¿


    The result of the hunt was that I''ve barely grown. Myu''s ¡¾Sword¡¿ was at 5, her ¡¾Armour¡¿ at 3. Since she occasionally used recovery magic her magic-type Senses also were growing. Sei-nee''s ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ went up to 3, her MP was at 30 and her ¡¾Water¡¿ element was at 5. That meant my level was quite low.


    I sat down on the plaza on the outskirts of the city and tried a lot of things.


    The first thing I tried was ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense.


    The feature of this Sense was¡ª¡ªMatter Conversion. However, in actual fact it was far from its name and was treated as a trashy Sense. To try it, I took out the items I obtained from Herbivores, Gallstones, Fur and about fifty Bones. It was my sister''s pity for me.


    When I opened the menu I''ve found the ¡¾Matter Conversion¡¿ skill. After selecting ¡¾Matter Conversion¡¿ I moved on, and select Gallstones from the target list.


    The consumed amount the screen displayed ''Gallstones x 10''. It meant that this item would be consumed in the process of Matter Conversion. I started it without hesitation.


    And the result of item conversion was a Medicine Stone, only one.


    No, well. The Gallstones became a Chinese medicine. Okay, it''s just a game so I won''t retort to that.


    Furthermore, converting ten Furs resulted with one Large Fur. As for Bones, I could make a choice between ''consuming ten Bones to make one Big Bone'' and ''turning one Bone into two Bone Powders''.


    "Why am I able to change target item for Bones? Did my Sense level increase?"


    I thought my level has increased and confirmed the status, but the level remained on 1.


    "The number of items consumed changed. In case of ten Bone Powders¡ª¡ª"


    First I changed Bone into Bone Powder, and then I subjected Bone Powder ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ once again. It resulted with turning back to Bone.


    After studying I found that there were two types of results from ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s Matter Conversion. It was dividing the Matter into higher and lower level. To produce a higher level Matter like large Fur or Medicine Stone you needed 10 items of lower level to make one.


    And for a Bone to become a lower Matter there was a doubling conversion rate.


    If the Sense level ups, the conversion rate might change and a new target item might become available for creation. However, currently there wasn''t enough items to level up ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense as it is now.


    "If I can''t hunt and defeat enemies, how do I collect items. Well, let''s think about it later."


    I postponed it for later and tried the ¡¾Enchant¡¿.


    Speaking of ¡¾Enchant¡¿, buffs and enchantments were classic RPG''s basics, commonly called ''buffs'' they were a magic-type Sense raising the status.


    To try it, I set the enchant''s target to myself.


    Unlike the ¡¾Matter Conversion¡¿, I only needed to be aware of the target and recite the magical skill''s name that was in the skill list.


    Not only was almost all my MP used, the effect was nearly insignificant. It''s duration was short and lasted only for 60 seconds, it was questionable whether it can be used in combat. However, if the MP consumption is large, then the growth of ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ will be equally big. I tried out other enchantments.


    After subjecting my own body to speed increase and defence increase enchantments, the effect expired very fast. I just noticed but, if I sit down and rest the MP recovery is slightly faster than when I stand.


    I sat down and didn''t move, as I continued to cast enchantments on myself the ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ has increased to 2 and ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ has increased to 4 before I noticed.


    There were three kinds of enchants, the red one for ATK, blue one for DEF and yellow for SPEED. As the Sense level increased, the stats increase rose and the time the effect lasted was also extended. If I find time to cast enchants properly, it would easily grow to at least level 10.


    As for ¡¾Taming¡¿, it was a death sentence. As I am now, I have no confidence at all in defeating a mob.


    And for ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Mixing¡¿ I didn''t have the required items. Hmm, no items huh. What should I do?


    That''s when, *pon*, a chat invite came. The people who knew my mail address could start a chat with me as long as they were registered in this game.


    The chat''s host was Takumi.


    ¡º"Yo, did you log in?"¡»


    "Yeah, what is it? I''m doing something now."


    ¡º"How about we meet up? We need to register each other on friend list. By the way, my name''s Taku here."¡»


    "All right. Then the place''s..."


    And then as I waited for Takumi, I continued to cast enchant, the level went up by one.


    ¡º"Hey, Shun. Where are you?"¡»


    "A character named Yun. Black hair and casting enchants. Right now, emitting red light."


    Even I thought it was surreal as my gaze met with a boy I was acquainted with. He stared and me and said.


    "O-oh. ''Yun'', you... why a female character."


    "...no clue. Machine''s misidentification."


    "He, ever since I last saw you your beauty level increased by 20%, you''re a pretty girl now. A bit flat though¡ª¡ª*fuohh*"


    While still having attack enchant on me, I did a body blow into Taku''s flank. Although he received it like it was planned, his simple and tough armour repelled my fist. If anything, I''ve hurt my hand.


    "Obediently let me beat you up... I''m bothered by that as well. You damn hardcore gamer."


    "Fine. But why did you choose a name like ''Yun''. Isn''t that feminine. Your appearance too is..."


    "I mistyped."


    I know it. My eyes are even larger than usual, anyone would say I have a girl''s face. My body too was one of a girl.


    "Try imagining it. The moment I''ve been called ''Onee-chan'' by my little sister. Chills ran down my spine."


    "Oh, my condolences."


    "Moreover, after daring to aim for industrial gap my little sister has demanded for me to change it."


    "No, it''s your fault for taking trash Senses."


    Kuh, that''s why they are hardcore gamers, they only focus on efficiency.


    "By the way, how are your current Senses?"


    "Ah, they''re like this."


    I showed the Sense status to Takumi¡ª¡ªand the first thing he said was this.


    "Uwah, horrible."


    "I''ll cry! Is it that horrible?!"


    "Among combat Senses the ¡¾Bow¡¿ is synonymous with inefficiency. The ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ is completely pointless as it''s ineffective. And ¡¾Taming¡¿ is... hurry up level something to 10 and change one of them"


    "Uhh... I can''t earn money in combat, and all I have now is 130G."


    "You, aren''t you playing casually without any restraints?"


    Absolutely not. In the first place, I had no such intentions.


    "Damn it. I''ve been demanded to change by little sister, and Shizuka-nee gave me a bitter smile. I''ve lost all the confidence."


    "In the first place, there''s no such thing as self-confidence for someone who just started playing the game."


    "Grr, that''s where you should console me. I have something called a older brother''s dignity to protect."


    I sat down and held my knees, I glared at Taku who was standing next to me, but his only reaction was scratching his cheek.


    "I won''t console you... you must be glad to be a pretty girl. The easygoing beauty-type Sei-san, energetic-type pretty girl Myu-chan. And now you are a cool-type pretty girl aren''t you?"


    "Shut up. I''d rather if you didn''t try to console me rather than give me this."


    Also, there''s no way that''s true. As I glanced at the players surrounding us, everyone turned away all at once. ...no, that was a coincidence. A coincidence, it must have been.


    "Hey, there''s something I want to consult with you, is there an efficient way to earn?"


    "Hmm. Do you mean the leveling? Or maybe gold?"


    "Both. I have neither money nor skills now."


    Taku folded his arms and started considering it. That''s when I started emitting a blue light from enchantment. I thought it was quite a strange combination.


    "There is. If you''re not going to engage in combat, then you can collect items in the forest after you advance to the west from the plains. Since you have ¡¾Mixing¡¿ you can both process it to level up and then sell it, can''t you?"


    "I see, thankyou~. I''ll try that. Any other advice?"


    "There''s not much enemies during the daytime, but more of them appear at night. So watch out then. Rather, what you gonna do? Want me to help out?"


    "No, the advice''s enough. Thanks. Though, going alone is probably impossible."


    "This much should be fine. All right, let''s register ourselves as friends. I''ll help you level in my spare time, I was the one who invited you to this game after all."


    Geez, in real life he just continues to trouble me, but he turns reliable in-game. That makes me a bit dissatisfied.


    "Then I expect a lot of you."


    "I''m not a hardcore gamer like Myu or you so that''s impossible."


    We exchanged light jokes and separated from each other. With a lighter pace than my earlier one, I headed towards the city''s west gate exit. My aim, was collecting items.


    I ignored the Herbivores on the plains and rushed past. Apparently they were non-active¡ª¡ªeven as I approached them, that type of mob doesn''t attack¡ª¡ªor so it seems.


    Thanks to that, I was able to advance through the plain while ignoring them.


    Occasionally I proceeded while using the speed enchantment which released a yellow light. Moreover, I used ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ at the wide plains and mobs in order to level it.


    The level increased in just a moment, it was rising at a pace comparable to how Myu''s and Sei-nee''s did during combat.


    Along this route there seemed to be no items to collect. I squinted while looking at the back of the forest with Hawk Eyes, there seemed to be a collection point in there. Now, harvesting time.


    I felt there was an item on the ground at the base of the tree. My consciousness was naturally drawn to it, it was a strange sensation. I wondered if it was the Sense''s correction.


    The items I''ve collected started with tree branches, mushrooms, herbs, stones, wildflowers and bird feathers. There was an abundance of types. I''ve gathered roughly ten of each. After that, from the soil in a specific location I''ve recovered¡ª¡ªmulch. Whether there was a purpose for it or not was unknown.


    I''ve gathered quite a lot of different item types. I couldn''t be thankful enough to Taku who told me about this.


    And then I went to non-combat area¡ª¡ªa safety area¡ª¡ªand took a break.


    I didn''t enter into ¡¾Mixing¡¿ immediately, I was staring at the menu devouring it with my sight.


    As I looked at the skill columns, I still didn''t have any combat skills - ¡¾Arts¡¿. Other than that, the skills from ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Mixing¡¿ - recipes were there.


    By the way, the status of my Senses is as follows¡ª¡ª


    Possessed SP0


    ¡¾Bow Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv6¡¿


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Mixing Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv1¡¿


    It was hard to say it was going well, but it''s better than the initial misery. Now then let''s try to stretch up the ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿.


    First I removed the basic ¡¾Mixing¡¿''s toolset and arranged it side by side.


    What appeared, was a bowl-sized mortar. A small container used for heating supported by a tripod and a mysterious heat source for heating it up. Also, a box with glass containers and paper for wrapping around the medicine.


    When I took out a glass container, a new one was born in its place. It ceased to exist if I didn''t put anything in the container I took out, and was replenished in the box.


    "In these aspects it''s really game-like. Truly a fantasy."


    With a chemical kit like a middle schooler would use, I brewed classical fantasy herbs and boiled them. I tried practicing it earlier, after I took a look on the guides website.


    And what I created was a Beginner''s Potion. An item that costs 5G was created for free.


    A Beginner Potion can be created from a single herb. The conversion rate was much better than that of ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s. As expected of a crafting skill.


    Well, I guess Alchemy would be classified as crafting as well.


    After that, there was a change in the skills column. The Beginner''s Potion ¡¾Recipe¡¿ appeared.


    I selected that ¡¾Recipe¡¿ and created Beginner''s Potions.


    When I looked through the selection screen same as the one from Matter Conversion''s, I found that a Beginner Potion can be made by using MP in the process. I see. So the reason it required Magic Power Sense was this.


    In the other recipe lists the things like Large Fur, medical stone, or Bone Powder were now categorized.


    The rule is that if you create an item once with ¡¾Mixing¡¿, it''s automatically added in as a recipe. And next time it can be created just by using the skill.


    If Alchemy was the same, that meant it applied to any crafting professions. To try, I created a Beginner Potion, but I changed the process slightly. The name of the creation was also Beginner''s Potion, but there was a slight difference in the amount it recovered.


    And the recipe content was updated. It has been updated to a Potion with a higher amount recovered.


    "In other words, the mass production is standardized depending on your skill, you can improve the quality by preparing it manually huh."


    So that was the advantage. When I made ten Beginner''s Potions my Mixing Sense went up. Now that I know how to level up my Senses, next up is ¡¾Synthesis¡¿.


    The Synthesis'' Sense created a new material from two different materials, in other words creating a new item from two different items. This one seems to consume MP from the very beginning when synthesising. Anyway, let''s try it.


    I took out the synthesis kit, I placed items on the left and right of the picture with a magical circle drawn on it.


    "First, let''s try something basic like combining potions."


    I placed novice Potions I made earlier in the designated positions, and activated it.


    Momentarily, after releasing a white light the two potions disappeared and... a somewhat dark potion was completed.


    "W-what''s this? D-did it succeed?"


    No, based on the appearance it was a failure. I''ve checked the item, it was poison. It was causing an abnormal state which continuously damaged HP.


    Well, it might be useful for something later. And while thinking that, I put it away in my inventory.


    "Crafting failed huh. Certainly, it seems like my crafting level is too low. Well, I''ve gotten experience for that so I guess it''s fine?"


    While talking to myself, I selected two more Beginner''s Potions and synthesized them.


    This time, it was a Potion of a different colour from Beginner''s Potion, it was dark green. It''s name was ''Potion''.


    It was a success this time, and it was also added to recipes.


    And like that, I synthesized Potions until I reached level 2, then I compared the Potion and Beginner''s Potion.


    "It''s the potions left over from the ones I bought together with Myu and Sei-nee."


    I bought some beginners Potions, but thanks to the two who wanted to level their ¡¾Recovery¡¿ Sense I had some left over. I wonder what will happen if I use Alchemy to do higher level conversion of Beginner Potions. Something like an experiment.


    The result of conversion was¡ª¡ªunfortunate, it has also became poison. Alchemy failed.


    "...50G turned into poison."


    Alchemy Sense leveled up to 2, the Magic Senses also rose by one, that wasn''t bad. However, the expense hurt, it was painful. But all I could do is to ignore my worries.


    I tried it out again, Alchemy''s result was¡ª¡ªa Potion was created. It gave me an incredibly lethargic feeling...


    "Ah, what a waste. I should have changed them into Potions through synthesis, and Synthesis level would be raise as well."


    However, I confirmed one thing. There was a performance difference between Potions created by ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿.


    The Synthesis'' Potion was close to the one made by the default ¡¾Recipe¡¿, but the Alchemy''s Potion recovered 10% more than the default Potion. In other words, Alchemy''s Potion was of higher quality.


    In terms of the performance of the items crafted by skills it was: Alchemy£¾Synthesis£¾Mixing. However, in terms of efficiency it was just the opposite. Moreover, as I was crafting them, two of them have failed.


    That''s a quite good balancing. Even so, these are quite ridiculous Senses.


    Of course, in a bad meaning of the word ''ridiculous''. Thinking of it normally, the reason why ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ is being avoided is it''s inefficiency when it comes to crafting, the ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Mixing¡¿ were more efficient, overall the three Senses I''ve had in my equipment were quite unbalanced. However, my objective now is to level up my Senses.


    The herbs were mainly used for ¡¾Mixing¡¿ Sense. And other items were used for ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿. I continued to collect and craft repeatedly, leveling up the Senses until the time to prepare the dinner came, and learned a bit.


    The stones couldn''t be selected in Alchemy no matter how I tried. What I concluded, was that they are a named item that needs to be appraised. Also, if the wildflowers, herbs, and mushrooms were to be taken through steps such as drying them before the name ''dry'' would appear and their effects doubled.


    However, as mushrooms were food items, they couldn''t be changed any further than drying.


    In the end, when I tried synthesizing Crow Feathers and Tree Branches, what I got was something one level below Iron Arrow¡ª¡ªa Wooden Arrow.


    Surprisingly, two of them could be made from a single branch. I''ve had two sets of sixty arrows now and I was relieved to see how my worries about arrows disappeared.


    Currently my Senses were¡ª¡ª


    Possessed SP0


    ¡¾Bow Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv6¡¿


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Mixing Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv3¡¿


    A bit more and Magic Power should hit 10. Leveling the Senses is quite easy at the beginning, it''s great that I''ll be able to easily fix it. First of all, I''ll remove ¡¾Taming¡¿, and try getting a new Sense.


    It looks like it''s about time. Once again I changed location to safety area and logged out.


    ¡ñ


    In the game world the dusky sky could be seen, but in reality''s midsummer the bright sun was still high.


    Even so, since it was past six o''clock in the evening, a slightly cool wind was blowing. Although soumen was slightly cool, there was another reason for the atmosphere to feel cold.


    When the time has come, Miu came out of her room.


    "..."


    She sat beside the table and sipped the noodles in silence. Her glare was sharp, and the atmosphere was bad.


    "W-what is it?"


    "Nothing..."


    Normally she''s an energetic little sister, but occasionally she''s sulking. Well, she''s in her third year of middle school, in middle of puberty. And when I thought about that, I realized why was she feeling grumpy today.


    ¡ª¡ªIt''s because of my Sense build.


    "Um, sorry."


    "...why are you apologizing?"


    "That''s... in the game... sorry for troubling you."


    I didn''t get it too well, but I apologizes for the time being. It was a way to avoid problems.


    Miu took a big breath and made a grand sigh.


    "About that, I''m sorry Onii-chan."


    "Oh, you''re calling me ''Onii-chan'' now."


    "Come on, don''t react to something like that."


    Grr... the emotional scars left behind by my little sister calling me ''Onee-chan'' were deep.


    "It''s not like that. The people with whom I''ve been playing ever since ¦Â version of the game brought a new person, and I''m on bad terms with that person... sorry to put you in a bad mood."


    "Is that so. Well, I''ll gladly hear your complaints."


    "Sure. That person''s a show-off, although we were still recovering they proceeded forward and died. After we gathered again, that person called our support terrible, so I''m kinda angry."


    "Oh, I see. So... it must''ve been hard."


    "On the other hand, without that person our exploration proceeded without any problems. As expected, one wouldn''t enter a party in which they died."


    "So, what happens if you die in the game?"


    "There''s a death penalty. The death penalty''s effect is decrease of status for one hour."


    "That sounds like a pain. However, in case of my crafting professions, if I use the time to craft items the time won''t be wasted."


    Ah, I told her already what direction I intend to go in.


    "Since I can''t fight, right now I''m increasing the crafting Senses."


    "That''s a shame. Since Yun-oneechan is such a beauty, I wanted her to enter the party and boast about her."


    "Spare me from that. Well, as far as combat goes, I''ll hunt single mob''s for item collection. I want to increase the Bow Sense too."


    "Hmm. So Yun will continue playing solo."


    For the time being I want to concentrate on steadily harvesting and hunting mobs. That''s why I don''t want to take others along for such roundabout errand. I asked another question to change the topic.


    "Miu, how do your Senses look like now?"


    "Hmm, ¡¾Sword Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Attack Power Increase Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Defence Power Increase Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Recovery Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Lv5¡¿ and ¡¾Recovery Magic Lv7¡¿, something like that?"


    "That''s quite a growth. You''ve gotten 4 SP too."


    "Onee-chan''s about the same as me. Also, if Onii-chan gets ¡¾Attack Power Increase¡¿, won''t you be able to reduce arrow consumption? Isn''t it better to replace the Senses early?"


    "I''ll do it step by step. Currently I''m being self-sufficient in the forest to the west."


    "Well, I want to go on an adventure with Onii-chan, so hurry up and raise your level okay?"


    Even though that was what I was requested to do by Miu, I don''t know whether making a total replacement of all Senses or raising the Senses I have now to a level where I can fight would be faster.


    Hmm. Although normally I can keep my act as an older brother, in the game I''m a bit overwhelmed.


    After the dinner Miu went to take a bath, I prepared a meal for my parents so that they can eat it when they come back and cleaned up the dishes. Next I went into bath as well and leisurely enjoyed it, after which I once again logged into ¡¾OSO¡¿.


    I continued from the forest''s safety area, that''s where I started.


    In the game it was pitch black night. This place was lit up by bonfires, however when I looked further it was quite dark and occasionally I could see flickering shadows that looked like bats flying up.


    Hmm, the night sky was beautiful. I looked at the stars which looked like Milky Way. I stared at the sky dumbfounded and when my consciousness returned I used ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ to zoom up as if I was using an astronomical telescope.


    The ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ seemed to be growing. I enjoyed the time spent in this game now.


    I was in a daze for about thirty minutes. In the meantime ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ reached level 10. Yaay, and I rejoiced like that over the fact that my expectations that ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ will reach level 10 first were betrayed. I didn''t think ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ would be the ones to reach level 10 first.


    Moreover, when I looked around while spacing out, I realized that I see farther in the darkness than I did a while ago.


    I decided to hurry and get a new Sense.


    There was plenty of Senses that were available early. Since I already went in the direction of crafting, I thought it would be good to find a matching crafting type Sense.


    After ¡¾Smithing¡¿, ¡¾Sewing¡¿ and ¡¾Woodworking¡¿ the last one I found was¡ª¡ª¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿.


    Rather than a main ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ is being treated as a bonus, and ¡¾Smithing¡¿ was a more commonly used Sense which handled a bigger amount of items. Effect of ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s Sense was creating accessories. ¡¾Smithing¡¿ created armours and weapons used in battle, ¡¾Sewing¡¿ was used to create leather armours and clothing used by magic-type players, ¡¾Woodworking¡¿ was used to create bows, staffs and wands. Accessories were only supplementary. This too, was another one of decisions I made with my starting policy¡ª¡ªto become a support and aim for the industrial gap, and I decided on it quickly. I felt like I chose something good.


    Even so, I thought that the Sense system was very deep.


    I thought ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ only provide far sight, but there''s also an effect giving a night vision. It gave about one metre visibility per level. And in case of Bow Sense''s correction, it was a fairly short range.


    Speaking of which, I''ve got arrows, and even though there''s no enemies I can still practice with the bow. I thought.


    I took out a wooden arrow and have drawn the bow to its limit. The released arrow disappeared in the darkness beyond my visibility range. I continued to release disposable arrows into the darkness. The Bow''s Sense increased when I used it, were there to be an enemy the Sense might have leveled up faster.


    I carefully shot one arrow after another. Since I''ve never had any practice using a bow, there was no other choice but to increase the hit rate myself by doing this repeatedly. By using ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ far sight and night vision I continued to aim at a tree trunk and learned how to shoot.


    For now, my hit rate was 2 out of 20 so I''ve had a long way to go.


    The ¡¾Bow¡¿''s and the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ Sense increased considerably. I was curious and took a look at the ¡¾Bow¡¿''s skills and found ¡¾Arts¡¿ there. It was named simply ¡¶Long Range Shooting¡·.


    To test it, I tried using the ¡¶Long Range Shooting¡·.


    In exchange for a longer time of bow''s charge-up, a more powerful sound than ever before has sounded and the arrow was gone far away in an instant, even ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ was unable to perceive it so far. What was the extent of the effect, it was still unknown to me.


    "Myu said it was mishappen and I shouldn''t use it, but I need to confirm it myself at the very least. I got a proper reaction from it now. Now then, it''s about time so let''s go to sleep and continue tomorrow."


    I logged out with an intention of continuing to raise my crafting tomorrow.


    To be exact his name is pronounced Shun, It''s a pretty sketchy process of romanization, ¾þ --> ¤·¤å¤ó ¨C ¥·¥å¥ó (syun) (still pronounced shun in english) --> ¥å¥ó (YUN).

 Chapter Volume 1 2

    Chapter 2 ¨C Crafting and Enchant


    The next day I logged-in in the afternoon. Why you ask? Of course that''s because I needed to go out and buy ingredients for meals, clean, do the laundry and spend time to prepare meals in the morning.


    Since I too wanted time to play the game, the lunch was curry with summer vegetables. The same menu was for dinner, but I won''t listen to anyone''s complaints.


    "Onii-chan, after I leveled up my ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense ¡¾One Handed Sword¡¿ was derived from it!"


    "Hee, good for you."


    "Also, I found a new friend. The girl I met this time is very cute and polite."


    "...is that so."


    You''ve got it nice. Since you''re terrible at housework you can indulge in gaming as you wish. But is that really all right? You third year middle schooler.


    Even if our school was an escalator-type, that doesn''t mean you can ignore studying, is what I said but she didn''t even hear it, this little sister of mine.


    She''s giving her all for hobbies, but aside from that, Miu''s an idiot. Even though she was always worrying me in real life, why was she so dependable in a game.


    But well, I''m a support, I''m a support. I reminded myself of that.


    And I logged in as Yun once again.


    Where I landed was the safety area on the west side. Although I made Potions and Poison with ¡¾Mixing¡¿ yesterday, I haven''t stocked enough. And the Sense I''d gotten yesterday ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ required the basic polishing set and mobile furnace set.


    The polishing set costs 300G and the mobile furnace 800G. I have nowhere near enough for that now. Anyway, I need to earn some money first.


    I still didn''t know what Mulch was used for, the herbs and mushrooms which I obtained were dried by using a ¡¾Recipe¡¿, which made my ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ level up.


    What I had on me right now was¡ª¡ª Wooden Arrow ¡Á 90, Potion ¡Á25, Beginner Potion ¡Á 50, Pebbles ¡Á 75 and also a variety of items like Mushrooms and Mulch.


    "Hmm. I wonder, maybe I''ll manage to get around 300G for this? Their effects are a little bit higher than the normal one''s."


    A bit confident I left the forest and went back to First town. On the way back I fought against some herbivores to practice with my bow. Although I fought them yesterday without Enchant, now that I used it they easily went down even though I was using Wooden Arrows.


    No, the main reason for my victory was the Arts ¡¶Long Range Shooting¡·. I shoot arrows from the maximum range of 15 metres, and was able to shoot four times before enemy approached. Although I used five or more Wooden Arrows to take it down, they were free anyway. Even if I failed there was no performance to cost ratio. They were consumed rather rapidly, so I guess I should raise my crafting Senses.


    I entered the town with a pleased look on my face, and felt the attention was focused on me. No, well, I''ve still had initial equipment and the bow was considered mishappen, that must''ve been the reason why they took notice of me.


    Since I felt quite ill stares on me, I sped up a little.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed."


    I muttered so, and passed through the western gate at a quick pace. Occasionally people turned around to look at me, but I ignored their annoying stares and arrived at a square on which stalls were spread.


    I immediately forgot about the trivialities from before. Where do I sell this, and I looked around at the stalls.


    While I did investigate it in advance, not everyone was able to put down a stall. There were items required to put down a stall, and only those who have it are popular. Moreover crafters can rent an existing store, redecorate it and make their own customizations.


    Well, the item to open a stall costs 10kG, and renting out a store for a month costs 50kG, and how much money do you think I have? 130G.


    There were many people with the stalls. Some sold potions, other sold weapons. The people who had stalls at this point in the game were people who still had their gold from the ¦Â version.


    "Hey, the girl over there. Won''t you take a look? I''ve got weapons and accessories."


    A woman with a light brown skin-tone, and a bit of reddish hair called out to me. She was probably touting me.


    She gave off an atmosphere that made me think I might be able to talk with her. With a little bit of luck, she''ll buy the potions from me. Is what I thought.


    "You mean me?"


    "Woaah?! That''s rare, an orekko."


    Speaking of which, I was currently using a female avatar. Not good, since I was away from people for a while I forgot all about it.


    "No, in real I''m a man."


    "Haha, no way. You can''t fake your gender in this game."


    "Ah, that''s probably because of a machine''s misidentification. That''s why, umm, I''m a man in real."


    "Hee. So you''re feminine enough to make a machine mistake you. Nice nice, that''s your role play isn''t it."


    Uwaa, she doesn''t get it. Let''s give up.


    "Well, welcome. Welcome to Magi-san''s stall. There''s anything from weapons to accessories. I''m Magi the shopkeeper."


    "Hee, you''ve got a stall already. A ¦Â tester?"


    "That''s right. You are, umm..."


    "Yun."


    "Then, how about Yun-kun?"


    "Nope, my friend and sisters played in ¦Â and invited me for the official launch."


    ''Ahahaha, so you wanted to become an archer'' with a dry smile. In nine cases out of ten, such a horrible comment would come.


    "But I don''t have any bows you know? But I can sell you some accessories to increase your defence power."


    "No, I''m also a crafter."


    "Hee, a fighter with crafting Senses. Not bad, I was also aiming to be a fighting blacksmith but since the crafting Senses'' levelling was delayed because of the fighting part I changed my mind in official version and went full blacksmith. Of course, I can fight on a basic level."


    "Is that so. Because of my Sense build and using a bow I''m low on money."


    "Ah I get it. You want me to buy the items you made don''t you. Onee-san will buy it."


    "Really?! Thank you very much!"


    I surprised her as I said that with a smile, Magi-san blushed slightly in embarrassment and also smiled. In small voice she muttered ''not good, even if we''re the same sex this is...'', wait who''s the same sex?


    That aside, this is a godsend. I opened a trade screen between me and Magi-san and put in the items that were likely to sell. Magi-san from whose face blush already disappeared started to appraise the item. The item I put in the trade window was Potion ¡Á 25. I still had Beginners Potions for myself, they were enough for now.


    "Hee, self-made Potions huh. The recovered amount is quite big, with this colour they''d be about 30G a piece? NPC ones cost 25G each."


    "Umm, 30 times twenty-five... 750G?!"


    "Well, that''s because a lot of people use these. The people on the front-line already graduated from Beginners Potions and buy Potions from NPC''s, but since the amount of those in the NPC shops is determined and no more can be bought they were bought-out early and are being resold in stalls with rip-off prices. Well, among players there are those who use Recovery Magic as their main, so it seems parties survive by incorporating those people. Now then Yun-kun, ask if you have anything else."


    The amount of gold I had in my possession increased to 880G.


    ...no, I still can''t afford a portable furnace set.


    "Um, Magi-san you said you make accessories. Does a type the accessories effect depend on the type of furnace used?"


    "No, there''s no change. The only thing that changes are the types of metal that can be processed. A portable furnace can process iron at most. I can make things up to steel. So that means Yun-kun''s Senses are ¡¾Mixing¡¿, ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ right."


    Ohh, Magi-san''s quite a high level player. To have that kind of insight from just what I said.


    "Um, I have three profession types."


    "That''s some difficult Senses you''ve got. Well, the point of gaming is to have fun. Then Onee-san will give you an advice. In the ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ there''s a skill called ¡¾Polishing¡¿ right? But if you have ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ and the tools, you can process pebbles into raw gemstones or ore yourself. And that''s called¡ª¡ªappraising eye. That''s why if you can appraise them yourself, you can recover the materials for creating accessories."


    "T-thank you very much, I''ll try it right away."


    "Yup yup, then can we register each other as friends? Cause Yun-kun seems really interesting."


    Then I got acquainted with Magi-san who was a senior crafter in the town, and purchased a polishing set. My pockets felt lonely when I had only 580G left. Next time I make some Potions I''ll buy a portable furnace.


    Once again with a happy expression on my face I went back to the safety area in my hunt spot.


    When I returned, I desperately started to polish the stones. As a result of appraising the stones I picked up until now, about half of them were just simple stones but the other half were something of value. Although I found twenty pieces of Iron Ore from the stones I picked up, I couldn''t change them into ingots without a furnace.


    So for now, in order to level up my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ I polished the jewels and gemstones with the polishing set.


    *grind* *grind* *grind*... a sound echoed in the quiet forest. And as I scraped it lightly, beautiful jewel appeared behind the stones'' surface. The fist-sized stone became roughly 3 centimetres long when I shaved most of it off. It''s name was¡ª¡ª¡¾Peridot Gemstone (Medium)¡¿.


    It seemed that in this area the only thing that could be collected was Peridot. No matter how many I polished, all of them were Peridots.


    If I looked in different areas I could probably find different gemstones. No, how about looking for someone who sells and buys gemstones? No, are there even any people who would sell those? There aren''t are there.


    Rather than that, it was unreasonable since I was broke anyway. Needing money in order to secure money is hard life.


    "In other words, there''s no choice but to polish them myself."


    Well, I could use ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s ¡¾Polishing¡¿ skill, but it would turn into ¡¾Peridot (Minimal)¡¿. Usually the gems become smaller and their value is lower. Moreover, if I were to leave it to skill, the likelihood for polishing to fail increased. And since the skill level is low, then all the more.


    That''s why I carefully polished a dozen of them. Even so, some of them cracked. If that happens, the item disappears and it''s treated as failed craft.


    It took me 3 hours to polish them. When I finished polishing all of the stones, I had three medium pieces and seven small ones. All the others have vanished.


    If I want to polish more than this, I need to buy a higher grade polishing set.


    However, thanks to the ¡¾Polishing¡¿ my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ and ¡¾Crafting Knowledge¡¿ both leveled up to 5.


    All my Senses were low level, but I was steadily going at my own pace and wasn''t impatient at all.


    Next, I wanted to check with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿.


    I held Iron Ore in my hand. It might be possible to turn this into ingot without having it go through the furnace.


    A method of using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s Matter Conversion to change Iron Ore into an Iron Ingot.


    Even if there''s no furnace, that doesn''t necessarily mean it can''t make ingots, the possibility of being able to turn ore into ingots cannot be ignored. And if there''s not enough I''ll just have to pick more stones.


    And then I changed all the Iron Ore I had on me with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿.


    "Iron Ore ¡Á 20 into ¡¾Alchemy¡¿!"


    For a moment a white light was released, and the result was something unexpected.


    ¡ª¡ªFine Iron Ore.


    As the name suggested, it was Iron Ore. A fine one And there were two of them. Why did its quality increase. Looks like ingots are something people who are either ¡¾Smiths¡¿ or ¡¾Craftsmen¡¿ have monopoly on. I''ll consult Magi-san on this Fine Iron Ore later.


    Can''t I use Synthesis like this? If I were to create an item which could be used right away, I won''t be wasteful.


    Although it''s only my imagination, I might be able to change the arrows'' grade from Wooden Arrows into Stone Arrows.


    I tried it with a single stone and an arrow. After releasing a light, the result was indeed a stone arrow. If my theory is correct, then by replacing stones with iron or silver it was possible to raise the arrow''s grade. Although the cost for that might be too high for a disposable item, but if it''s arrows of stone then the balance of attack power and cost might be a good compromise.


    "Now then, mass production to do."


    I was in a good mood and tried to make a stone arrow from the ¡¾Recipe¡¿, but was unable to synthesize it.


    The ¡¾Recipe¡¿ was: a Tree Branch, Feather Crow, and the third Stone. However, I couldn''t use the recipe now.


    Why can''t I use it. Three... ah, the beginner''s synthesize kit can combine only up to two.


    Certainly, among the items written on the list the two of them couldn''t be created. In other words, Synthesizing from a ¡¾Recipe¡¿ was impossible unless I buy a better kit.


    "More expenses! Ehh what a hassle. I know I can make it through the Wooden Arrow so let''s get on to synthesizing!"


    Midway through it I started raised a desperate voice, I changed Wooden Arrows into Stone Arrows. I also increased amount of produced Wooden Arrows, I had now two sets of Wooden arrows and a set of Stone Arrows. I secured a sufficient amount.


    "However, it''s really a waste that arrows are disposable. An archer wouldn''t bear it if he had to discard Arrows made from something like Mythril, and these aren''t strong enough. How about synthesizing tree branches? But from the better quality wood things like Bow''s are made aren''t they."


    I complained to myself unconvinced.


    "Maybe just like the Iron Ore from before, the arrows might be changed into fine ones without changing the material."


    I won''t know until I try it. And I used Alchemy on entire set of Wooden Arrows.


    The arrow bundle was wrapped in light.


    After it was finished, there were three arrows. The set of thirty arrows was reduced to three, what happened to my efforts! Although I wanted to scream I was patient and checked the item.


    Wooden Arrow+10 ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    What''s with those numbers? Although I''d be happy if the attack power were to raise even though it''s disposable, but there was no other addition other than that. Let''s try shooting it. Using the basic moves I''ve drawn the bow and released it as I always did.


    I confirmed that the arrow was stuck in the tree. It didn''t seem like its attack power was higher.


    I approached the tree and confirmed it. The Arrow has disappeared.


    "Haa?. It''s still disposable huh. Bow''s really hard to use."


    As I said that in daze, I realized there was an arrow in the quiver I had on my shoulder. Eh? The arrow which should have disappeared was in the quiver, the number on it was +9.


    No way, I thought. I took it from the quiver and shoot it the same way. The arrow which disappeared has come back.


    "ARCHERY''S HEREeEeeeeeeeeeee!"


    This was a major discovery. Consumables coming back by consuming a number.


    Archery''s cost-to-performance as well as the troublesome reloading were diminished!! Uoooo! With this I can win, I thought. Let''s make Iron Arrows next.


    In order to prepare a set of +10 arrows, the number of them required was 300. Converting that number into Gold cost, it would be 300G. Not only that''s painful for beginners, but it can''t be done without the ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense! If they could use a different Sense, most people wouldn''t bother strengthening disposable arrows.


    Even if there are some, there''s not many of them.


    In other words¡ª¡ª


    As usual, archers are unfortunate. They cannot properly fight unless they have crafters supporting them.


    Well, I can do it on my own and it should be fine if I just raise my own Senses. Moreover, I''ve already found one hidden ability of the ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense. The ability for returning arrows. There is no need to go through the trouble of taking it out again. I think it''s on the level of Magic''s tracking and swordsman''s motion assist. I''m grateful for this.


    This is truly a fantasy.


    "Yup. Knowing this, it seems like I don''t need to do a long reload during combat. Picking an archer might actually turn out to be interesting."


    Alone in the forest, I grinned and after checking my status I logged out.


    Possessed SP1


    ¡¾Bow Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv8¡¿


    ¡¾Synthesis Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Mixing Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv5¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿


    ¡ñ


    After I and Miu logged out from the game we ate curry for the dinner and exchanged information with each other. Although I say it this way, most information came from Miu, and I only chimed in.


    "Hey, listen Onii-chan."


    "What, more complaints?"


    "Yup. Well, I guess? The reselling stalls that bought out all the potions have sold out. One potion that costed 50G now costs three times the original price. They''re scarce enough for people to buy them for 500G."


    "I know. The amount of potions NPC''s have to sell is pre-determined right?"


    "Yupyup, so you knew."


    "I''ve heard of it. Also, I''m a crafter myself, maybe I should continue selling potions for the time being?"


    "Are you that low on money?"


    "I removed ¡¾Taming¡¿ and took ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ instead, but I need to buy decent furnace and polishing sets."


    "Why are you going in a direction that requires so much money of you?"


    She let out a *boo* wanting to complain. But, the moment when I found out what kind of gem it is after polishing it, I''ve felt like my struggle was awarded.


    "Even so, ¡¾Alchemy¡¿; ¡¾Synthesis¡¿; ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ it''s all crafting senses. Usually people pick up crafting based on one material that''s handled, isn''t leveling up inefficient like this?"


    "No such thing. I made Beginners Potions with the herbs I collected in the west, then I used ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ to make them into Potions. I appraised the stones with ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ to differentiate between Iron Ore and Gemstones, then used Matter Conversion on the leftover material raising ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ you know?"


    Uwaa, although I said I already mastered it, it''s a shame. I still have a left over material from Alchemy which is Fine Iron Ore, also I don''t know what''s the use for Bone, Mulch and the Gallstones.


    Now that I think of it, Miu is a ¦Â tester too. Let''s try asking.


    "Hey, what is mulch and bones used for in this game?"


    "Um, agriculture was it?"


    "Agriculture?"


    "Yeah, there are land plots to sell in the south district of the town, players are supposed to raise plant-based items there and collect them afterwards. But since most players don''t have any seeds to cultivate, they can''t do it. That''s why no one goes there."


    "Hmm. Then, what about Gallstones and Medicine Stones?"


    "Onii-chan, didn''t you try using ¡¾Mixing¡¿ Sense on them? The amount of recovery Pills provide is bigger than Beginner''s Potions and they need less materials to craft than Potions."


    That means Bone Powder are downwards-interchangable with Bone? And the Pills have the same or higher compatibility than Potions, or rather, they should be considered as a separate item series. And for the Pills I should use higher quality Medicine Stones.


    "Hmmhmm. That was very helpful. I thought of trying to hunt some, but now there''s something I want to test with ¡¾Mixing¡¿."


    "It''s good that Onii-chan''s really into the game, but this little sister wants to lament seeing your inefficiency."


    "A game is something to be enjoyed, that''s what you said. I don''t want to rush too much."


    I ignored my little sisters frank advices and while doing the housework I examined various possibilities.


    A method to obtain the seeds. There must be one that hasn''t been tried yet.


    After logging in, the first thing I did was to open the Alchemy screen. In the Alchemy''s screen there was ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s ¡¾Higher Matter Conversion¡¿ and ¡¾Lower Matter Conversion¡¿.


    For Matter Conversion I felt that there is a conversion sequence for each matter.


    Alchemy was Alchemy just in name, iron could be only changed into a different iron. It could be only made into ¡ºFine¡» Iron. In other words, the name was a fraud.


    And when increasing strength of arrows into higher quality ones through ¡¾Higher Matter Conversion¡¿, the name itself was unchanged while only the number of times it could be used was changed.


    In the end, there was a possibility plants could have a different kind of Higher Matter Conversion.


    I subjected ten herbs to ¡¾Alchemy¡¿. And as expected, what was born of it were Fine Herbs.


    In other words, that''s how it is. And if that''s what''s considered a higher conversion, then basing on the applying the thinking and using ¡¾Lower Matter Conversion¡¿, the plants would be¡ª¡ªconverted into Seeds.


    Should I convert a Fine Herb, or maybe should I convert an ordinary one.


    To try it I converted some Herbs. The conversion rate was two times, what was born from ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ were Herb''s Seeds.


    That meant I could cultivate them on my own, and it made me relieved from the bottom of my heart.


    If that were to be changed into materials, I would be able to prepare a huge stock by Mixing.


    Then I tried converting Fine Herbs, and the result was two herb seeds. Their grade was written by the plants name.


    On the bottom of the seed it was written that its effect was greater.


    However, in the end they were just Herbs.


    To gather large quantities of them and create a high-quality synthetic Potion I would need two dozen Herbs to use.


    "Being able to make Seeds with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ is truly a fantasy. No, there''s some feeling of reality considering the fact that the type of material can''t be ignored."


    Fuhh, I used a large amount of Gallstones, but after mixing them with herbs I made Beginner''s Pills.


    If the same principle applies, then they should be upwards-iterchangable by using two items with Synthesis. Also, Medicine Stones were upwards-interchangeable with Gallstones, just as Herbs were upwards-interchangeable, the upwards-interchangeable Pills were even with Fine Herbs.


    In this case, it would be more effective time-wise to create the former stage item, there was still a possibility that the latter stage could be made from a ¡¾Recipe¡¿.


    "By roughly knowing the rules, I can use the ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s sequences to create different items. Having obtained seeds, I should go to see the fields tomorrow. And for the night before that, it''s hunting."


    Having my bow and arrows, I proceeded through the woods while performing Enchant''s on my self. While actively collecting items, I looked for the enemies. During the day whichever part of the forest I visited, there were only infestations of large amounts of mobs.


    During the night there were Wild Dogs and flying Bats in the darkness, but thanks to ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿''s night vision I could see them clearly during the night in addition to having farsight, which allowed me to take them down before they approached.


    The Bats and Wild Dogs were fragile. Originally in the darkness they attacked players from surprise to deal high amounts of damage and defeat them, but for me they were a worthless and tasty prey.


    ¡¾Light Element¡¿''s light magic would also allow one to fight properly, but no one would come to a place like this for fun. Taku said that the mob balance was bad in here, so it meant that battling in this kind of environment was too hard for beginners.


    Actually, considering that one could hunt in darkness, it meant that dungeons are similarly dark.


    From the bats I''ve gotten Poison Blood. Hey hey, so I can make poison with this, and when I thought that a ¡¾Recipe¡¿ has appeared. I could make Poison with both Herbs and Poison Blood. Originally, it was something I made by failing to make a potion.


    Also, I could make an Antidote Potion by mixing a Potion and Poisoned Blood. In other words, conquering poison with poison? Well, it seems like another part of the system.


    And from the Wild Dogs I''ve gotten Fangs and the Dog Fur.


    These items are definitely used by different crafting type people. Look, leather can be used to make a Leather Armour and Fangs can be used to decorate weapons.


    The mobs continued to reappear as I defeated them. And since I was hunting alone, the amount of drops I had was awesome. Although I beat them effortlessly, I guess it would be hard for people who are not used to it.


    Also, I found out during the hunting that the Enchant''s light was shining in the darkness. It seemed like it informed the enemies about my position. The mobs AI was pretty good, so they immediately found the players like that.


    Eh? Somewhat I feel like I''ve slipped into a role of something like an Archer Assassin during the night.


    Well since I''m a crafter, I guess it''s a good thing to employ surprise tactics since I can''t fight from the front.


    It was growing late at night, I''m going to sleep and continue tomorrow.


    The next morning, although I''ve come to the town with an intention of renting the land immediately, I needed to prepare war funds first.


    Today I had Potion ¡Á 30, Pill ¡Á 15 and tried to provide Antidote Potion ¡Á 5. Well, if the Potions alone are purchased I''ll be already satisfied.


    On this day as well I felt strange gazes on me, but I put on an enchantment and entered the gate in a haste, I headed to the place where I found Magi-san yesterday. I found Magi-san in the same place beside a stall and called out to her.


    "Hello, Magi-san."


    "Yun-kun! Thank you for selling me potions yesterday!"


    The first thing she said and did was to take my hands forcefully enough to make her breasts shake and say her appreciations. Although, having to hold a woman''s hands was a bit embarrassing as well as surprising. After holding my hands for a while she settled down, what''s going on?


    "Thanks to Yun-kun selling me potions, after I offered them for a reasonable price the front line players also bought accessories and weapons from me together with them. Even though just yesterday I thought ''this ain''t going good?''."


    "Oh, so it''s like that. Well, want to buy some today? I''ve prepared some."


    "Yupyup. Onee-san''s store originally sold weapons and accessories but I can sell them together and have it become an universal stall."


    "Then, please here."


    As I place the prepared Potions, Pills, and the Antidote Potions in the trade screen I got surprised by Magi-san''s joyful expression.


    "WAaa, thank you for bringing me so many items. And the Pills are currently the best medicine one can buy in this town as the amount of health it recovers is quite large. As for Antidote Potions, although there were people who had ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ in the ¦Â test, in the official version there is no people going in that direction, so there is no Antidote Potions."


    "Is that so. That means I''m lucky."


    "Yupyup, then. Potions for 35G, Pills for 70G, Antidote Potions for 70G, 2450G in all."


    "Hey, wait. The price of Potions went up as compared to yesterday. It was 30G."


    "Yesterday I bought it for 60% of final price, I''ll buy it for 70% today. Lookie, if I sell this I can promote my shop, it''ll definitely sell and people will think I have fair prices. Also, you want money right?"


    Magi-san grinned like a cheshire cat. I couldn''t refute and I needed money. I thought of the farm, mobile furnace and a higher-level synthesis kit. As I looked at it I haven''t had enough for it yet.


    "Well, if Yun-kun says so then 60% of price..."


    "I''m sorry! Let''s stay at that price please!"


    "Yupyup, such an honest reaction gives Onee-san a good impression. Moreover a sight of a cute girl like you getting flustered is interesting."


    No, I''m a man. So she thinks I''m a girl after all. But, didn''t she hold my arms at first to see me act embarrassed? No, I don''t think she would do that would she.


    As I looked at Magi-san who was all smiles, my doubts faded away.


    "Thank you for the trade then."


    "Yesyes. Here''s your money. If you raise your Sense again, I''ll buy items from you."


    "Please take care of me at that time. Oh right, I almost forgot. Can you check this item?"


    In the trade window I put the Gemstones and Fine Iron Ore I made yesterday.


    After checking it Magi-san''s expression turned serious in an instant. She whispered to me.


    "...Yun-kun. Where did you get this?"


    "Where you ask, I got it from the forest in the west normally."


    "No, as for the gems, if polished carefully they can become this size. If your Sense raises the ratio of them getting broken decreases, since they''re only medium size there''s no problem at all."


    Oh, I''ve heard something nice. So it means that I''ll able to process more jewels by using the ¡¾Skill¡¿.


    "The problem is this Iron Ore, Fine Iron Ore. Even more so if it was collected in the west. The third town¡ª¡ªcalled The Mine Town¡ª¡ªuntil you proceed near the mine you can''t harvest it. Moreover, it''s a rare drop from Sandmans who are in the quarry''s foreground. It usually drops from high level Golem type mobs. Don''t tell me jokes like ''I killed it alone'' okay? A sandman is as strong as the Big Boar from the east."


    No, I have no idea how strong a Big Boar is.


    "Nono, it''s not like that. I made it through ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s ¡¾Higher Matter Conversion¡¿."


    "...I see. If you made it with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ that''s convincing."


    Ah, I convinced her.


    "So, what do you want to do. If Yun-kun won''t use it I can. Fine Iron Ore and normal Iron Ore are completely different types of items, with only two of them you can''t make anything."


    "Eh, seriously?"


    "What can be made from five ingots are weapons, three for One Handed Sword and five for a Two-Handed Sword."


    "So that means by consuming 10 Iron Ores you can make one Fine Iron Ore, that makes one Fine Iron Ingot worth 50 Iron Ore. That''s quite cumbersome. So is Fine Iron Ore valuable?"


    "No, not at all. However, if the same weapon is to be made by using Fine Iron, it''s of a better quality and a slight correction to the abilities appears. It''s not worth buying up Iron Ores, and would turn into a big loss. First, even if I had one ingot of it, all I could make with it would be an accessory. Also, out of one Ingot the only accessory that can be made is a ring, for a bracelet you need two Ingots."


    "Is that so. Then please buy it. I''ll make some more later and bring it."


    "Okay, I want it to hit the market so I can brag about having quality equipment."


    I checked the trade screen and selected the Fine Iron Ore. And the amount of money put in the trade window, was 400G. Hey, ehh?


    "Magi-san are you serious?"


    "Nope, it''s 100G for one Iron Ore. That''s 200G in total, the price for selling to NPC''s would be half of it so I guess it''s a reasonable price for now? The other half of the total money is the payment for partnering up on the market."


    "I understand. Magi-san seems to have quite a bit of money."


    "Yup, since I made a killing in the ¦Â, I''ll be able to buy a store soon enough."


    I''m not envious, I''m not envious, I continued to grumble.


    "Well well, as long as you''re profiting."


    "...yes."


    Somehow I wasn''t satisfied, but it''s good that the amount of money I had increased.


    "Want to buy a field? The cheapest one costs 3000G."


    "Eh?"


    A man with a straw hat said so. Of course it was an NPC, seems like he was explaining to people how to plant and grow things on the field.


    "There is almost no buyers now, if some appear, the prices will go up. It''s better to buy one now."


    No, if I''m told something that realistic in the game I''ll be troubled. However, in the south district''s which was as big as a baseball field, there were few people.


    "I get it. Please give me the cheapest one."


    3000G from my inventory was gone. Ahh, my moneyy.


    "Here, the land''s deed. It''s written in there which field is yours. Also, to cultivate the field you need tools like shovel and a hoe. They cost another 300G."


    ¡ª¡ªYou must be fucking jokinggggggg!!


    I''ve got barely any money remaining! But I can''t plant the herb seeds if I don''t have any tools.


    I was in agony. That made me grind my teeth.


    "Always the same."


    In the end, I bought it. Let''s think of it as prior investment. Yeah, an investment. If I do some Mixing I''ll earn over 2000G. I''ll regain it soon enough. I could only think like that.


    ¡ñ


    I immediately went to the field I''d purchased, but what''s with this hard work, I''ve had enough.


    I dug in the rough and hard field with a shovel and cultivated it with a hoe.


    Even in game it was quite a hard work. Dammit.


    "Haa, haa... come on, what''s this."


    When I increased my speed with an enchant, the speed of my shovelling has increased too. Although it was a small piece of land, my heart was almost broken by the time I''ve planted the seeds.


    Moreover, just by sowing the seeds I won''t get high quality items.


    The NPC said that I should mix various things with the soil. In other words, Mulch, Wildflowers, Bone Powder and Bones. The fertilizers.


    Next, I mixed the earth with Mulch I earnestly picked up in the forest, spread the Wildflowers around and in the end I mixed the Bone Powder and Bones with the soil. It took me a considerable amount of time.


    And I noticed the Sense growth in my status.


    Possessed SP3


    ¡¾Bow Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv13¡¿


    ¡¾Synthesis Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Mixing Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv6¡¿


    Unequipped: ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿


    Although I checked my level before leaving the forest, I don''t remember doing any actions related with ¡¾Mixing¡¿. And yet it has leveled up, which meant it was something related to this field work.


    Somehow, I wonder if mixing Bones and Mulch with soil as fertilizer can be interpreted as such. If that was the case then I can agree with it. Also, what was added to the recipes I had was Fertilizer. In other words, it was treated as something made by me. Hmm. That''s suspicious. It can be prepared without any kit.


    However... oh well.


    In the end, I sowed the seeds and it was over. There were 20 places to put the seeds in on the field purchased for 3000G. The herbs seemed to be harvestable after one day. Fantasy again eh.


    "Hmm. It''s over. Oh, a call."


    With a *pon* sound appeared a name of the person registered as my friend¡ª¡ªit was Taku.


    "What''s up?"


    ¡º"Um, you got time? If you do, then let''s hunt. In a party that is."¡»


    "That''s fine, but where?"


    ¡º"We''re going to hunt Big Boars in the east. Yun, don''t worry about your level and come."¡»


    "Hey, you''ve already decided that I''m coming?"


    ¡º"It''s fine. Well, I admit. We''re stuck without enough potions."¡»


    "I get it. Then I''ll wait for you at the east gate."


    ¡º"Understood."¡»


    Hmm, Big Boar hunting huh. That means they''re on the level of Sandmans which are in the mining region of the west.


    I was a bit interested. I confirmed the equipment I had on me. I had the bow and the improved arrows. Since I have 300 arrows I won''t ran out of them during combat.


    However, I didn''t think Stone Arrows and Wooden Arrows were reliable. I should buy Iron Arrows and improve them with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿. But I don''t have money for that.


    After I arrived at the eastern gate I looked for Taku. He was already waiting, it seemed like his equipment was better than the one he had on the first day. It was somehow frustrating. I still had the initial equipment.


    "Yoo, Yun."


    "Yeah, are you serious? Having me together with you."


    Honestly, I was quite anxious. Well since the male-to-female ratio of the party members other than us was 2:2 it''s fine. If it was just the two of us who who were men it might have been awkward, but I guess there''s no problem.


    As I bowed lightly to Taku''s party members¡ª¡ª


    "Orekko appeareddddddd!!"


    "Uwaa, what a cute girl."


    "But you''re holding a bow. Are you all right? Moreover you''ve got initial equipment."


    "It''s fine. It''s a game so let her just enjoy it."


    Ah, yeah. I also worry about this. The bow I''ve got in my possession is the initial one. Also, don''t call me an ''orekko'' or ''cute girl'', I''m a man.


    "We''ve heard you''re Taku''s friend from real, but your looks are high level. You look like a unyielding-type, no, a kuudere. That''s a huge win."


    "A beauty eh."


    Don''t talk about my appearance any more! I beg you! A man with a light equipment and a woman with wavy blond hair dressed in a clergy robe came over saying that.


    "Umm, this one''s Yun. As you can see he''s an archer but he should be useful. Even if she''s useless, she can use the combat this time as a reference to change her Senses."


    "Yup, don''t decide I''m useless right from the beginning. I''m a crafter. The field I fight on is different."


    The surrounding people''s expression''s went ''eh?!''. So that''s it. That''s how it is. A crafter who has uses a bow. Moreover, they must''ve thought I''m an idiot for using initial equipment. But in fact I couldn''t do anything about it since I was broke.


    "In that case you might be useful. By the way, what are you crafting?"


    It was the man who said it was the one who reacted to my bow which was initial equipment. Although he looked burly, he was quite cool. Harsh but cool, He was wearing a gray warrior''s armour, cool but annoying.


    "For now, potions."


    I showed them a potion I made myself after taking it out from inventory. He asked after seeing it.


    "Is it beginner''s one?"


    "No, it''s the one above that."


    "Then you can take the recovery role."


    "Ahh, I''ve sold out on those. All except for this one."


    "Wha?!"


    Taku started laughing while holding his belly. He''s been enduring trying not to laugh when I was mistaken for a woman for a while now. Bastard, he exploded with laughter now.


    "Are you an idiot?! Why did you sell all the potions!"


    "Well, that''s because Beginner''s Potions and Pills were enough for me."


    "Are you stupid?! When your SP exceeds 10, the effect of Beginner''s Potions is reduced!"


    "Hee, so that''s what happens after you exceed 10 SP. I''ve still got room then."


    For some reason, the metal-coloured warrior held his head. There was no malice in his words, probably he was trying to be kind, but it felt intimidating because it came from an owner of big burly body. The woman with round glasses and a green triangle hat that stood next to him tried to soothe him. Somehow, she felt like a witch.


    Even so, the reason frontline people needed Potions was that huh.


    "Well, I''ll explain. The light-dressed fighter''s Gantz, the healer next to him is Minute. The armoured man is Kei. Next, The witch girl''s Mami. And I''m Taku the swordsman."


    Taku introduced them all at once, in order to politely say hello to everyone I returned the greetings and self-introduced.


    "I''m Yun, as you can see I''m an archer with initial equipment."


    Although I introduced myself like that, it was the truth. Rather than lie, it''s better to describe myself like that.


    Then we moved to the location Big Boars were at, near the exit from the plains. As an archer I didn''t waste my arrows in the battles along the way. Although I didn''t join the battle like that, instead I proceeded in a way others didn''t see me and trained my ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿, cast Enchants and harvested items.


    I''ve collected things like Antidote Grass and Paralysis Grass, an Antidote Potion''s ¡¾Recipe¡¿ was updated. I had a new way to make a potion by combining Antidote Grass.


    In other words¡ª¡ªthere was more than one way to make an item.


    It can be made through stages, or can be created from a recipe. Majority of players don''t collect those and just buy things from NPC. Also, the stones had Copper Ore and Tin Ore. If I change this it might become a Bronze Ingot. Let''s consult Magi-san later.


    Also, it seemed like Tree Branches could be made anywhere and Crow Feathers could be easily gathered from crow-type mobs.


    If the feathers are processed with ¡¾Sewing¡¿, one can make items that increase recovery during breaks like sleeping bag or bed. Although everyone seems to sell it for pennies, I really appreciate it since it''s a material for my arrows.


    As I gathered items along the way, I''ve had a really happy face. But Minute''s and Gantz''s stares somewhat hurt.


    "W-what is it? Gantz, Minute?"


    "Umm, are you really acquainted with Taku? That''s what I thought. I mean, he''s a really skilled gamer and to have such a cute girl as a childhood friend... what a riajuu."


    "Also, you''ve got sisters right. In other words, for a no-good human like Taku to have a childhood friend like you to set him him straight. What kind of love comedy is this!''


    No, I''ve got no idea. Also, I''m a man.


    "If it was me, I''d fall for you. Yun-chan."


    "No thank you to men."


    "I love cute girls too."


    "I don''t want to be loved that way either!"


    Minute stood behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. As a man, I don''t want to be popular in this way.


    I looked around for rescue, the man called Kei had a bitter atmosphere around him, Mami-san tried to soothe me. Hey Taku. You''re the leader so try doing something about this, I stared at him relaying that, but he only smiled bitterly.


    "Heyhey, what''s your relationship with Taku-kun? Come on, what''s your relationship in real like?"


    "Minute. Asking about real life in game is bad manners."


    The metal-coloured warrior, Kei stepped in to stop him instead of Taku.


    Taku stretched his shoulders in remonstrance and finally moved.


    "Now, let''s attack the enemy like this. Since he played around too much, the fast-footed Gantz will lure Big Boar here?"


    "Nono, that''s impossible. The Big Boar''s too fast. Let''s hit him from a long distance with magic."


    Satisfied, Minute and Gantz left me be like that.


    "That''s fine, but my armour might as well be paper. That''s instant death, also, I won''t be able to use channelled magic or I''ll get caught."


    Mami-san expressed her opinion uneasy. Aah, what to do? I thought.


    "One attack is enough to lure him in right."


    "That''s right. Well, as long as it''s a direct hit..."


    "If it''s okay to hit from this position, I can do it."


    Taku went ''what?''. He gave of a feeling like he didn''t get it. It''s been a while since I was able to surprise him.


    "Well, just look. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack."


    The player''s Enchant, from around level 10 of ¡¾Enchant¡¿ the duration it lasts after beginning is longer, the effect of the skill is greater and the time delay until it can be again used again is shorter.


    Increasing my own attack power, I''ve drawn the bow. The distance was 20 metres judging with my eyes.


    The range seemed to be dependent on one''s own attack power. As it grew with the Enchant, the range was also increased.


    Although the firing range had complex calculation, with my leveled-up Bow and ¡¾Arts¡¿, as well as an Enchant in addition it should have enough range to reach.


    Using ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ I took aim and drew the bow to the limit listening to it''s sound, and released the arrow.


    As the arrow rode the wind, before I could confirm whether it hit or not with ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ I already nocked the next arrow. When I shot the second arrow, I confirmed that the first one hit the target.


    "Hit it, it''s coming!"


    I released the second arrow, but it missed this time.


    Since I used ¡¶Long Range Shooting¡· twice, I didn''t have much MP left. After returning to normal shooting range, I cast an Enchant.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence."


    I cast a defence Enchant on Taku who was intercepting it.


    The firepower of mage-type player was overwhelming, and cooperation between two swordsmen and a martial artist was amazing.


    As the big boar was attacking front the front, Kei didn''t draw back a single step. Gantz and Taku continued hit&run tactics. Sometimes to give each other an opportunity to recover, they''ve drawn attention of the Big Boar, prepared for the brutal attack they''ve altered its target. Three men were able to produce a cooperated movement just by speaking their names.


    Still, the Big Boar''s attacks took down 30% of their HP''s with a single blow. But for Taku, it remained at 20%. Oh, I see. Taku''s an armour bearer. And the more of the stat player has the more of it is increased by enchant.


    Yeah, it''s a great discovery.


    I continued to shoot arrows for a while, and when my MP recovered I cast defence Enchants. When we finally defeated the Big Boar, Minute''s and Mami-san''s MP was almost out. It took quite a while, it was strong. So a Sandman is about this strong. That''s hard.


    After the battle was over, everyone was very happy as they checked their levels. And I, woah?!


    The ¡¾Bow¡¿, ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ as well as ¡¾Enchant¡¿ all leveled up. So there''s an additional experience when the enemy is strong after all.


    "Oh, I didn''t think we''d beat a Big Boar this easily. Maybe we shouldn''t have bought items."


    "Easily?! Even though it was hard enough for me feel a chill just by looking from afar?"


    "Yun. You haven''t took on a strong enemy in a party before have you?"


    I only did the tutorial together with my sisters at first, and then only took weaklings on alone.


    "Normally, in a party that has people who acquired less then 10 SP, it''s really close if there''s no Potions and MP Potions."


    Even if he says so, I don''t know what I don''t know.


    "Hey, Yun, was it? Can I ask something?"


    "What is it? Kei."


    "Why did you take ¡¾Enchant¡¿ Sense. You must''ve been told its useless."


    "Hmm, somehow. Although initially I was aiming for an universal support character, I gathered quite a few trash Senses and decided to switch to crafting. I took ¡¾Enchant¡¿ on a whim. At first I was going to replace it too."


    "I see, another one. Why did you cast defence Enchants on us, the vanguard. You should have attack Enchant right."


    "...hmm? We''re here to level up right? The ¡¾Armour¡¿Sense or Gantz''s ¡¾Leather Armour¡¿ Sense won''t rise unless you''re attacked. That''s why."


    "I see. That... ¡¾Enchant¡¿ saved me. This time, thank you."


    Somehow, I felt a chill on my back. I was shaken up having a man act so nicely to me.


    "But that''s the fact. Thanks to the defence Enchants mitigation, as well as you attracting the enemy with a bow, the MP of our rearguard might have ran out and it could be dangerous."


    "I''m to hear that then, I guess?"


    Somehow, being praised by girls made me embarrassed. But immediately after, Minute grinned.


    "But why did you cast the first ¡¾Enchant¡¿ on Taku-kun?"


    "Haa? Why would you such a thing..."


    "Fufufu, you want to support the boy you like?"


    "You''re wrong, he just appeared in my line of sight and I naturally..."


    "Your eyes were naturally drawn to Taku-kun..."


    "I said you''re wrong! Taku is just an childhood friend I can''t get free of... in the first place I''m¡ª¡ª"


    A guy. Is what I was about to say, but ''sorry for teasing you'' Minute continued seeing my reaction, probably because I''ve been responded to so seriously when I was agitated, my face felt a bit hot.


    Minute headed towards Taku to tease him this time, she''s really well equipped. As I looked at her jealous of her equipment, the other members secretly smiled. This is, it must look like I like Taku. Ah, just as I thought of denying it, I shook my head lightly to reset the thoughts.


    "Now, let''s have a plan review and check our inventories. After that, let''s take down three more Big Boars and go back."


    We followed Taku''s instructions and checked the inventories to see what items we''ve acquired. Yeah... since I''m in a party there''s not many items. What, what do I use this Big Boar''s Meat?


    The way to use it will wait, after that, I''ve gotten items like Fangs and Big Boar''s Fur. The result of hunting with Taku and the others were level ups. Considering the experience value, taking on large enemies might be rewarding, but it''s high-risk high-return.


    Well, I''m not a min-maxer, being chilled out is good. I thought.


    Half of my Senses were combat ones, the other half was crafting. If I just continued to do combat my Senses wouldn''t level up in a balanced way. Having both combat and crafting Senses is difficult, that''s what Magi-san said, so that''s how it was.


    "Hmm."


    "What is it? Yun-chan."


    "Yun-chan?!"


    Minute hugged me from behind. Uwa, women are really soft. Hey, not that, I''m a man. I want her to stop calling me with -chan.


    "Don''t cling to me."


    "No way, even though you''re this cute..."


    Although I wanted her to let go immediately, I didn''t want to act violent against a girl. And when I decided to concentrate on bearing with it, I heard a whisper in my ear, a chill ran down my spine.


    ("Yun-chan, sorry about teasing you before.")


    ("Minute?")


    ("I have no intention of taking Taku-kun away.")


    No, I felt like I''ve been mixed into some kind of huge misunderstanding. When I turned my neck I saw Minute with a big smile on her face nearby.


    "Listen, I''m a man. So stop thinking that way."


    "Eh, you''re lying. There''s no way a girl as cute as you would be a man! Or maybe you''re a beauty crossdressing as a man character? Hmm. Isn''t it fine to wear some cute clothes?"


    "I SAID! Taku! You tell her!"


    "Kukukuku, don''t be so shy. Yun''s quite similar in real."


    "Ohhh! A declaration of a real orekko cameeee!!"


    "Taku you bastarddddd!!"


    He looked at me as I was clung into and didn''t want to forcefully peel her off, the eyes of the guy in front of me were laughing. Damn.


    "But an archer''s said to be mishappen or weak but, it doesn''t feel like that at all. Moreover although ¡¾Enchant¡¿ is a mishappen Sense, since you can make potions you must have ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ right? I don''t think it''s bad enough to get such a horrible treatment."


    "Ah speaking of which, that''s how it is. Why do they say it''s weak?"


    The ladies tilted their necks. I don''t know either. Well, as long as its interesting it''s fine right?


    And the men had a difficult expressions.


    "Ahh, that''s because of the town assault event from ¦Â."


    Kei spoke slowly.


    And he said plainly¡ª¡ªduring the defence event, the long ranged force of archers and wizards was to reduce the number of enemies and the vanguard was to finish off the enemy forces, that was the summary of the strategy. The archers in question as a result ran to the town in a hurry to buy arrows, the stock of arrows was gone in a flash. Considering the number of archers out there, there wasn''t enough arrows for them to defend. The archers were hit by unforeseen circumstances suddenly losing all the arrow supplies they''ve became good for nothing.


    The event ended with a narrow victory, but as a result the archers have become antagonized by players.


    "Haa, we were in a real rush back then. All of us vanguards ran to the battlefield even despite dying and being in status down state. Right, Taku-san."


    "Yeah. The heroes who have been active back then were called with nicknames like the ¡¾Silver Paladin¡¿ or the ¡¾Water Witch¡¿ right, Gantz-san."


    For some reason, he had distant eyes. Don''t make eyes of a dead fish like that.


    "Also, the other strange thing is¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Enchant¡¿. Why do you use it like that?"


    " " "Eh?" " "


    No, I normally apply the Enchants to comrades. Come to think of it, it''s the first time I put it on someone else. Also girls, why are you so surprised?


    "Can it be, that no one applied it to their comrades?"


    "No, ¡¾Enchant¡¿ Sense has a short two metres range. We heard that from a person who leveled it, it seemed like it didn''t grow so he gave up and changed it early."


    In other words, because of short range? Certainly, a short range of 2 metres, it was the same with the bow. With such a short range you couldn''t cast an Enchant on a vanguard. If you get out towards the front you''ll be caught up by an attack. Since Enchant is considered to be something used by mage-types, their defence is paper.


    "That''s why it''s strange. You could apply Enchants safely like that in middle of battle¡ª¡ªdo you have any idea?"


    "No, I normally look at the people on whom I¡ª¡ª"


    With only these words, Taku who knew about my initial senses reacted.


    "Yun. You''re still leveling your ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿?"


    "Nn? Ah, that, it''s handy. On top of farsight there''s a night vision. It''s perfect to allow me hunt at night, when it''s activated then it levels up a lot."


    "You, look at me and cast Enchant."


    Taku moved away 5 metres and said so.


    "I don''t really get it but ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence."


    He was wrapped in blue light. After around a minute the Enchant''s effect disappeared.


    "Next, look to the right, and cast it on me. Absolutely don''t look my way."


    "I get it I get it. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence... eh what?"


    I couldn''t cast it. As Taku saw it, and went ''so that''s it'' and spat out a sigh.


    The people around me noticed it. Only I didn''t get it, I could properly apply Enchant to myself and confirmed that I can cast it on other people.


    "We''ve made a big misunderstanding. The essence of ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ isn''t far sight nor night vision. It''s targeting capability."


    I tilted my neck hearing unfamiliar terms.


    "In other words, it''s an ability that allows to choose a target in sight. If leveled enough, it''ll be a ridiculous ability."


    "Ahahahaha, I hope it''ll become an official cheat that''ll help us grow."


    "Eh? What do you mean?"


    Come on, I have no idea what''s going on and would like an explanation.


    "In other words¡ª¡ªYun, you can enchant anything that''s in your line of sight. And if that applies to magic and elemental-type Senses. The long-ranged types might become unbeatable... probably."


    "Yun, what will you do? Will you change into a mage?"


    "Nope, doing the same thing as others is boring. I''m going to continue as an archer with crafting style I have."


    "Moreover, how about putting this information on the website''s guide? If we do it''ll increase amount of people doing the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾Enchant¡¿ combo."


    "Hmm. To have someone imitate me. I don''t really like it, only sense is the games'' title, so why don''t we keep silent and let me use my own style? I''m fine being the only one."


    "Roger that. Does anyone have an objection to staying silent about it?"


    Everyone was in favour.


    Somehow, all of them were good-hearted people, I feel like going on a hunt with them again.


    The amount of friends increased by four all at once. I wonder, will you make a hundred friends? I felt like I heard those words.


    The ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾Enchant¡¿ weren''t useful by themselves, but became useful after being combined. If I continue like this, I''ll be able to support Taku and those comrades even more. Thinking that, I was really happy.


    °³¤ÃÄï, Yun is using a very masculine way to refer to himself, °³ (ore) is a very rough way men refer to themselves. While girls who refer to themselves as ƒW (boku (also masculine)) are already extremely unusual, the girls who would refer to themselves with °³ (ore) are practically a myth.

 Chapter Volume 1 3

    Chapter 3 ¨C The Crystal Tree and Myu


    After I remembered just how fun was it to hunt with Taku''s party, I thought, how about hunting with a different party¡ª¡ªbut there was none to join.


    Sadly, I didn''t have the courage to invite anyone.


    Taku and Myu said ¡º"Try making ties with some people by yourself at first"¡». For Onii-chan to be told that by his little sister, it was a surprise.


    Not organizing parties with anyone else, I diligently continued to collect as if it was my life''s work.


    Speaking of other players, among the large amount of players who were dissatisfied with the lack of potions, there were some who thought of seizing this business opportunity.


    To be more exact, they secured money and acquired ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Senses one each, and by sharing the workload they created potions.


    The division of labour was necessary for mass production, that''s what I thought when I heard of it.


    Calmly thinking of it overnight, I bought out all the herbs NPC had in stock, for the potion one herb was 2G, two herbs were 4G. And when I made potions out of it, Magi-san bought it for 35G.


    In other words¡ª¡ªeasy profit. Although since I had only 130G, I could buy only that much herbs. Thinking like that. I wanted it to be afternoon already.


    Let''s go right from the morning. No, impossible. I''m the one who''s supporting us with housework after all. I need to buy ingredients, also since the weather''s worsened, I need to dry the rooms. And I was also worried about summer showers, so I linked the regional weather information together with ¡¾OSO¡¿''s settings and set it to alert with a sound in-game. I''m quite bad with machines though.


    I rushed to the town from the west''s safety area which served as my middle base. Come to think of it, since I have SP I can get a ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿ Sense to run faster.


    Also, the Senses I currently have, namely the combat side of those had grown during the Big Boar hunt yesterday.


    Possessed SP5


    ¡¾Bow Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv18¡¿


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Mixing Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv7¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv5¡¿


    Fast, really fast. A stat-up-type Sense like the ones Myu and Sei-nee use. As I experienced it, it''s really useful, that''s the impression that enveloped me. This is, it''s as if I had an Enchant on at all times. Moreover, it grows if one acted in compliance to the stat.


    In order to level up, for attack-type you need to accumulate damage dealt, for defence-type you need accumulate damage taken. It seemed like for speed you needed accumulate distance traversed by running.


    I thought that its growth method was similar to that of Armour Senses. I thought that defence power Increase was a mishappen Sense for me. In the first place, I''m not under attack because of the position I assume. On the other hand, armoured players receive the attacks in conjunction with defence power Increase and raise its level to further reduce damage received.


    Hmm. Sense builds are quite difficult. I looked at the templates but, physical tasks like ¡¾Smith¡¿ for example have ¡¾Attack Power Increase¡¿. It seems like the number of times one hits metal is judged as number of attacks and so on.


    I continued to run lost in thought, before I noticed I was already on the central square. Here, I should check in with the NPC store clerk.


    "Excuse me, do you have Herbs?"


    "I''m sorry. Herb''s are sold out. They were bought to use for making potions."


    The man lowered his waist and made an apologetic expression. No, recently NPC''s turned really realistic in games. Wait, not that!


    "What do you mean!"


    "Earlier various people bought it up to make potions. Incidentally, Beginner Potion''s are out of stock as well."


    No waay. Yesterday, I anticipated the crafting pair, but the resale shops bought it up already. Moreover, in various places on the stalls lined up on opposite side of the square I''ve heard a word ''Herb''.


    I moved away from the NPC and headed towards the stall.


    "Herb 5G each. Beginner''s Potion 20G each!"


    Wha! That''s, Herbs are just a material item! Moreover its at an original price of a Beginner''s Potion, in order to synthesis a Beginner''s Potion you need at least 40G like that.


    Selling them like this, is just a rip-off using a fact they are in possession of a stall.


    Even so, there are people who joyfully buy Beginner''s Potions and Herbs. Why are you guys so happy. It''s unreasonable. That''s what I''ve seen in several places.


    Somehow, my mood turned really nasty. I hurried to Magi-san to make a delivery. While grumbling, I left this place.


    After confirming with Magi-san in advance via chat, I came to the usual place.


    "¡ª¡ªMagi-san, listen to this?."


    "I know. The herb-related thing right? Eh, Onee-san''s also surprised.''


    Magi-san greeted me in a friendly manner as I raised a miserable voice.


    "Those rip-offs, is it a declaration of war against my lack of money?!"


    "Don''t get so angry, come on. Your cute face is ruined."


    I was quite frustrated. For Magi who''s seen that, I only looked like a cute girl who''s huffing in anger, it seemed like it was pleasing to her, judging from her expression.


    Then, the delivery ended as I grumbled complaints.


    The items I sold to Magi-san were Potion ¡Á 30 and Pills ¡Á15 for 70% of final price. Total of 2100.


    Hmm. Maybe I should buy a crafting kit, but I might not have enough.


    "Hmm. I want money."


    "Then, how about selling the potions by yourself? If it''s now, then you could sell them for three times of the price I gave you."


    Certainly she was right. That would be 6000G. Home-brewed Potions plus they went through drying process, the effect was slightly higher. Although I was confident they would sell, but...


    "I''ll refrain from that. If I did that I would be the same as resale shops. Instead, how about you look at items I''ve gathered so far? There might be some items that can be sold."


    "It''s not good after all, purchasing material items."


    As Magi-san smiled wryly, I put the items I didn''t use in the trade screen.


    The membranes which drop from Bats, Furs that drop from Wild Dogs, and Fangs. Also, Furs that drop from herbivores and the big fur I made with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿. There was quite a lot of materials I didn''t use myself.


    "Hmm. All of them is normal. They''re dirt cheap I guess? But can I ask something? Did you make the Big Fur yourself?"


    Somehow, Magi-san grinned seeing the Big Fur.


    "Yes. Well, I want you to keep it secret."


    "Sure sure. I see. Then, do it with the other items as well, the same thing as you did with this. Then I''ll buy them after they''ve gain some colours."


    "But why just this?"


    "Aah, let''s say it''s because of an acquaintance of mine? The furs and films are used in ¡¾Sewing¡¿ to make Leather Armours and Coats. Well, considering the only mobs taken down in early game are those on peripheries, there''s not enough big furs. The same way you can make ingots, you can also make a fur out of 5 pieces, he wants to make it with ¡¾Sewing¡¿ even if it''s only one piece, there''s a setting he wants to expand... I don''t really get it, but the durability what he can make with the material has is too low."


    So ¡¾Sewing¡¿ can connect films and furs the same way ingots can be created.


    "That''s how it is, the acquaintance clothier has some of his own created, but he hasn''t enough of first-class goods after all I guess? That''s why he''d be glad if I passed it to him."


    "Then, I''ll make it with the materials I''ve left over."


    There were people around, but since everyone has been making potions and there was shine all over it should be fine if I mix in with them and use ¡¾Alchemy¡¿, in fact I can use Alchemy without removing the item.


    "Well, here I go."


    "Yesyes. I appreciate it."


    *ping*, a light appeared and it was done. I didn''t like this bland way of changing, I''ve always morphed them when they were taken out. The large amount of items I had in my inventory was cleanly converted. Large Film ¡Á 3, Big Dog Fur ¡Á 3, Big Fur ¡Á 7, Large Fang ¡Á 30.


    "It''s done."


    "Oh, it''s done huh. Then show it, show it."


    The trade screen opened once again, and I put there the items I made with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿.


    "Ohh, thank you. So, how much for this?"


    "No, I have no idea. Just give me a reasonable price."


    "Even if you say so. 70% of NPC''s price, it should be cheap in this case. Also, if it''s kept secret it''s worth won''t fall. What will you do? Will you exploit Onee-san for your own needs?"


    "Why are you saying something so pointlessly erotic. I''m fine with 70%."


    "I''ve said it many times, but Yun-kun''s not greedy enough. Well, honestly I don''t know the price, I''ll ask the acquaintance, that''s fine for now right?"


    The amount shown me in the trade screen was 2500G, hey that''s a lot! That''s more profit then I made from potions!


    "Somehow, I''m always surprised whenever I trade with Magi-san."


    Mainly when it came to money. I''m referring to the Fine Iron Ore from yesterday and the converted items from today.


    "I too am constantly surprised. Yun-kun has a really interesting Sense build."


    That mainly referred to the items I made, I knew that.


    "Even so. It''s a mass of mishappen Senses, why is it so interesting?"


    "Well, because this character is aiming for the industrial gap."


    "Ahahahaha, to think there''s a player who thought of slipping into the industrial gap."


    "Please don''t poke fun at me."


    Even though I said that, having gotten money I made a pleased expression and smiled. With this it was 4600G of profit. I can finally buy a portable furnace. Normally, ¡¾Smiths¡¿ and ¡¾Craftsmen¡¿ buy a portable furnace and go to the forest in the west to gather Iron Ore and craft. The route I took, was quite roundabout.


    Ever since I started playing, it took me a while before I reached this point.


    "Then, the trade''s complete. Is there anything else?"


    "Oh right. I''ve picked up Copper Ore and Tin Ore, will it become a Bronze Ingot if I combine them?"


    "Ah, that. A friend from ¦Â version asked this before?"


    "What about it?"


    "The bronze doesn''t have good performance. It looks good but doesn''t have high defence. Well, it''s good for practising ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ even more so than copper."


    Ah, in other words it''s better than copper, but worse than iron. And my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense is low.


    "Also for that, you can buy it from NPC''s if you make at least one ingot yourself."


    In other words, it was an item that was good to make only once. Somehow, I felt sad. Even though I picked it up so happily.


    "Well, good luck with practice."


    "...yes."


    My craftsmanship road seems quite rocky. I separated from Magi-san''s stall and gathered the required items from the NPC stores in the town.


    I''ve had enough money. I''ve still had some left over after buying a portable furnace. ¡ª¡ª800G


    I''ve had enough money. Again I''ve still had left over after buying a higher level polishing kit. ¡ª¡ª1500G


    I''ve had enough money. Once again I''ve still had left over after buying a higher level Synthesis kit. ¡ª¡ª1500G


    I''ve had enough money. So I bought ten sets of Iron Arrows. ¡ª¡ª300G


    The result, what remained was¡ª¡ª630G


    What I obtained with it is priceless. No wait!! I splurged too much. I''m broke again. It means I need to craft again.


    And I moved to to my field.


    "Ah, I have no money. No, if I sell Potions every day in a stable manner it''ll be 2000G every day. Also I have a portable furnace! I can make accessories with this! I can cut decent jewels from the stones! I can make Iron Arrows +10!"


    But¡ª¡ª I have no money. I''m heartbroken.


    Well, first to check the field. From the crops, one place yielded a Fine Herb after planting a Fine Herb Seed in it. In other words, if the seeds are planted as such, they won''t ever diminish. Also, the herb types were all high quality thanks to the fertilizer added in.


    There were twenty of them. Hmm. Forty of them even if I use ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s Lower Matter Conversion. That would make twenty Potions. It was a bit lacking to make a delivery to Magi-san, also I can''t make Antidote Potions and Pills with Herbs.


    Looks like hunting or harvesting is the main thing to do after all.


    Well, twenty potions a day is a lot. The simple calculation says it''s 700G a day. To refund the cost of the field five days are enough. Well, I''m the only person who has Seeds.


    Then I increased amount of Herbs by using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿, made Beginner Potions and Potions through it. Since I didn''t have time I made it through ¡¾Recipe¡¿.


    The effect was inferior than when I made them manually, ready-made goods. No, the Potion''s effect is better than those other crafters made, it''s something I can be proud of. No, even so there''s no visible difference between this and the lower Potions.


    "Hmm. With this ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Mixing¡¿ are raised at the same time. Until now leveling ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ was hard but now it goes up a bit."


    It was still early to turn material with Higher Matter Conversion without losing any, but if I could get the higher material, I could increase its size with Lower Matter Conversion. No, the trash Sense is flowering rapidly but the conversion rate hasn''t changed yet. Nothing might change in the future. Then, what will change? Well, time''s pressing. Next I need to make ingots with a mobile furnace.


    "Magi-san said Copper is a low level ore, let''s start with copper then."


    I made an ingot from Copper Ore ¡Á 5. I placed them into the furnace and hit the metal that melted out of it with a hammer, *ding**ding**ding**ding*, although the sound was comfortable. attack force "My arm, what''s with this..."


    The hammer was seriously heavy. If I didn''t swing with a constant strength and speed the copper has grown cold losing its red glow and¡ª¡ªit cracked. The ingot cracked resulting in a crafting failure, the item disappeared.


    On the first try, it didn''t become an ingot. Moreover, the second and third try weren''t successful either. I picked about thirty pieces of Copper Ore and now, I''m down to half.


    "Come to think of it, people who took ¡¾Smithing¡¿ or ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ have a ¡¾Attack Power Increase¡¿. That means, I was short on attack power, ATK shortage. Because I took ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿ now I''m in a deadlock.


    If I take a Sense without thinking about it deeply, it seems like it''ll strike back at me later, but if it''s absolutely necessary I need to devise a way to overcome this problem no matter what.


    Come to think of it, when I was doing the field work I worked while casting an enchant on myself, and that was classified as a crafting. In other words, applying an enchant on myself also has an effect on the crafting, in that case...


    In order to try it out, I held the hammer and cast an attack enchant on myself.


    "Oooh?! It''s light, really light."


    I could swing such a heavy hammer as intended. Moreover I wasn''t tired that much. The sound echoed as I hit the metal rhythmically. That meant, attack enchant increased what in other games would be referred to as muscle strength. Hmm, in the weapon''s case the strength had no role, something else had... no, let''s not think about it that deep. Anyway I could substitute ¡¾Attack Power Increase¡¿ with ¡¾Enchant¡¿.


    Hmm? Yesterday''s field work was done with the speed enchant. In that case, the action operating speed is increased with a speed enchant.


    The ingot was crafted, I was successful on my fourth time. I wasn''t impressed, but it confirmed my assumptions.


    "If I enchanted myself with two enchants, wouldn''t my efficiency go up?"


    I had the Sense build customized as ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿, ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ ¡¾Enchant¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ and ¡¾Crafting Knowledge¡¿.


    First, attack enchantment. Next, speed enchantment. The red and yellow light occasionally intermingled, opposing each other they enveloped my body. Yup, looks like two enchants are possible. I tried to shake the hammer lightly, and together with ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿ I felt that the speed at which my arm was swinging increased.


    And like that, it was fifth round of ingot production.


    Once the enchant''s effect worn off, I applied it again and wielded the hammer. Woah fast. The illuminated with red, forcefully hit copper had sparks occasionally appear from it.


    It was going well until I reached halfway. But making an ingot takes time. I was too concentrated on keeping up the enchantments and MP ran out halfway. I failed one step after that.


    "Hmm. I should level my Magic Power if I want to do it like this. It''ll be impossible for me to do ingots better than Iron like this. Do I need to take ¡¾Attack Power Increase¡¿ after all?"


    As I waited for my MP to recover I folded my arms and pondered. And then I remembered, crafters can make items with a shortcut from a skill after they make it once before.


    So I could make Copper Ingots. Ahh, I wasted the five Copper Ore from before.


    MP was consumed as the¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ skill consumed a lump of Ore. Somehow, It was unsatisfactory.


    However, it took about 20% of my MP. I already knew well how handy ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ were. My current ¡¾Magic Power¡¿''s level was 19. I''ve had so much of it, and yet this much was taken. In other words, the more it takes the better quality metal it becomes.


    Same as with Polishing, Ingot had a possibility of a failure.


    I can''t use ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense well and swing the hammer well enough to make various things.


    It couldn''t be helped even if I thought about a clear solution, I need to level ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Power¡¿. By doing so, I might be able to cope with higher metals.


    Next is, the Tin Ingot. After that, finally Iron.


    I worked manually while strengthening myself with enchant. Even though it''s a game my arms felt heavy and heat rose from the furnace making me feel hot. Not paying any regards to it, I continued innocently pounded it with the hammer.


    Cracked, made it; made it; cracked; I repeated it like that and was able to make some ingots.


    It took me some time, but I was able to make a number of ingots.


    I''ve had two Iron Ingots, others failed. Two Copper Ingots and four Tin Ingots.


    ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ was at 17, ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ leveled up to 20. Because I did double enchants the ¡¾Enchant¡¿ leveled up to 19, I think it was about the same as an ordinarily-growing sorcerer.


    Now that I think of it, although initially the MP''s consumption wasn''t good at first and yet it didn''t change that much, still the ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ has grown and the things that were initially unavailable are no longer so. And coupling it with the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ it was possible to compensate for its short range.


    Thanks to properly making the ingots my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ level went up to 10.


    "Although I''ve been requested to change by Myu, I quite like the Senses I''ve got now."


    I whispered in daze. Fuh, I''m satisfied. It was pretty fun. Next time let''s try making some accessories, and I logged out.


    ¡ñ


    Waiting for me was, a hungry Miu who was bowing down to look at me.


    As I leaned on sofa and was stared at by Miu who had a blank look in her eyes, I went in a hurry to the kitchen to prepare dinner.


    "Onii-chan, no matter how much you''re enjoying the game, don''t forget to make dinner."


    "Um, I''m ashamed."


    After the dinner we faced each other while drinking tea, me and Miu. Certainly, I was engrossed in a game and forgot to prepare dinner, that was bad. But you too are sometimes late right.


    "If Onii-chan''s not here, dinner won''t appear."


    "No, you could be concerned about your brother and make it occasionally."


    "You sure? It might end with food poisoning."


    "No, try remembering some food that''s not poisoned."


    "I don''t want to talk about that! How did it turn like this?!"


    "How... even if you ask me. I''ve gotten quite a bit of money and was in a festive mood."


    As I sipped the tea loudly, Miu stared at me intensely. Silently, she relayed ''say more details'', that''s what it meant.


    "That''s, I met a crafter who taught me a lot and bought items I made. Then I gained money to buy tools and could concentrate on doing things I was unable to before, and it turned this late."


    "Hmm. Is that crafter a man, or a woman?"


    "............? A woman, why?"


    That moment, I felt like Miu''s gaze turned even colder. Her eyes narrowed, being stared directly from the front wasn''t too comfortable. Somehow, recently I''ve felt that my dignity as a an older brother was gone.


    "So how much did you earn today?"


    "I made 4600G by selling Potions and materials."


    This was the only thing I was proud of. Being able to earn this much as well, I could boast of it. It was a chance for me to regain my dignity as an older brother after losing a bit of ground.


    However, Miu''s reaction was something different.


    "So you only earned that much. Top level crafters earn ten times of that in a day."


    "............"


    Onii-chan''s heart is about to break. I was originally a power level 5 trash. And I''m not a top-level producer. Even though I sold so many products and earned so much.


    "By the way, I have 300k currently, Onee-chan should have about 200k."


    You bourgeoisie. What. Is that your power-level? If that''s the case with 630G I''ll be treated as garbage.


    ¦Â testers were able to retain their gold? What a horrible disparity.


    "For today''s dinner, I''ll forgive you if you accompany me tomorrow."


    "Want me to carry your luggage again? Do you really want to walk through this concrete jungle in this hot summer?"


    "No! There''s a quest I want to do in-game! It''s restricted to a party of two women and I want to do it together with Onii-chan!"


    "No, but I''m a man."


    "Your game character is female right? Also, since it''s a quest not many know of, don''t pull along any other women."


    That''s why please. Miu joined her hands and asked me cutely. Certainly, my character was female, but it''s not like I liked it. Moreover, I wanted to avoid such a challenging quest...


    "I said, come with me tomorrow! If you don''t I won''t forgive you!"


    "After a request it''s a threat? I get it. But is it okay to go in initial equipment?"


    "Eeeh, you''re still in initial equipment?!"


    "I was thinking of buying something cheap. When I save up some money I''ll buy weapons and armour from an NPC."


    "It''s better if you don''t buy from NPC. The bow purchased from NPC will have low durability. It''s just the beginner''s weapon and armour that don''t have durability set and will never break."


    "Eh, seriously. Then I''ll keep using it."


    "However, it''s design is cheap."


    She''s right. I felt it in the back of my head. Somehow, even though there still are beginners around, Magi-san as well as Taku have fancy clothes and armour. I felt a bit envious of it.


    "The bow is fine, but at least buy some clothes. How about buying some after we finish quest? There are some crafters who deal with cheap and cute clothes. However, their performance is a bit low."


    "I won''t buy it. Rather, I''m a man. Why do I have to wear cute clothes."


    "I think it would fit you."


    I spat out a sigh, rejecting. Right now, I need to concentrate on changing my entire equipment rather than appearance.


    "I get it. Is there anything I can wear?"


    "Nope. I don''t have what would suit you after all."


    I guessed so?, being told that so clearly was a shock. My little sister already let go of Onii-chan''s hand. Miu drank the rest of tea all at once and went up the stairs, but it seems like her grumpy mood from before was gone and she moved with a nimble gait. Geez, what''s going on.


    On that day, I went to sleep after that. And on the next morning, I was woken up by Miu hitting me.


    The watch displayed five o''clock in the morning, hey, that''s way too early! Although I was angry, I reluctantly made breakfast and finished the housework. However, waking up five o''clock in the morning wasn''t such a bad thing, spending time in the cool morning was more comfortable.


    Rather than have sunlight stab at me when I was hanging laundry, there was an enjoyable and fresh sunshine... it was satisfying.


    No, I guess that doesn''t matters. The quest I''m to do with Myu is scheduled to be given in the afternoon, so until then we''ll act separately.


    I went to sell the items to Magi-san. Yesterday I didn''t have time to hunt so the only items I had to sell were Potions, forty in total¡ª¡ªI earned 1400G.


    And heard something good and something bad.


    The films and leathers I sold yesterday were at much higher value so she''ll pay more for it next time.


    I was glad hearing that. However next were the bad news, I scowled.


    "Ah, it seems like there''s an oversupply of Potions now. That''s why the price seems to be breaking down."


    "So that''ll mean my Potions will be the same."


    "Oh, you don''t need to worry. Originally they were sold at a fair price, moreover Yun-kun''s potion have a high effect so there are people who know they''re hidden masterpieces."


    "That''s great."


    "Also, It''s about time I purchased a store. I finally accumulated the right amount."


    "Oh, congratulations."


    I honestly congratulated her.


    "Eh, the cheapest store costs 500k minimum, and if I''m buying one then I thought of getting the biggest one in this town. The initial capital I need is 750k, and I need money for materials too. Currently I have about 1M?"


    "Is that so. You''re quite rich aren''t you."


    M. In other words, either Mega or Million. A unit for 1,000,000. Yeah. That''s more than Myu and Sei-nee. As expected of a crafter. Isn''t she quite a top player?


    "That''s why, bring the potions directly to my shop. I''ll buy them properly."


    "Thank you very much. At that time I''ll come over."


    I bowed. Although I was a mercenary at first, thinking ''can I sell the potions?'' and met her, now I think we''ve got a pretty good relationship.


    Magi-san occasionally chatted with me, or called out to customers to promote her new shop. Then, I casually looked at the price and performance of weapons sold by Magi-san. The cheapest one cost 20kG.


    "M-Magi-san? This weapon is?"


    "Ooh, One-Handed Sword? I made it in spare time. Hmm, there''s no Sense in it."


    "Not that. The effect, effect!"


    Wild Blade ¡¾One-Handed Sword¡¿


    ATK+15 Additional effect: Critical Increase (minimal)


    My bow had ATK+2 and Iron Arrows had ATK+3 which made a total of +5. It was roughly the same as the initial sword''s. NPC''s weapons had at most 6. The game barely started and it''s already a high level weapon. But the problem wasn''t there. There''s something like an additional effect I''ve never seen before.


    "Ah, additional effect? This, anyone can add it if they have a higher level of ¡¾Smithing¡¿ Sense."


    "Hee?"


    "If you raise your ¡¾Smithing¡¿ to 30 it''ll change into ¡¾Tempering Iron¡¿, if that happens your weapons will have an additional effect. Amazing right? By the way, when ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ is leveled to 30 it becomes ¡¾Engraving¡¿ so do your best."


    "Um, if it''s fine could you teach me?"


    "It''s fine, fine. It''s all in the guides on the website. What''s more important, is combining characteristics of each Sense. It''s not something that can be standardized. It''s a game where everyone seeks the only talent. It''s not something one can do with a template. The least expected way to achieve it might come from within you."


    Somehow, she said what I was thinking. ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾Enchant¡¿. Others wouldn''t think of it.


    After all ¡¾Enchant¡¿ is a magic vanguards would use and ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ only gives far sight. The first and the second, they were contradicting each other no matter how you slice it, but the range increases when they''re combined.


    "I see, but oh well. It really helps to hear that when ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ reaches 30 there''s a derivation. I''ll do my best and aim for that."


    "Yupyup. Onee-san likes to watch young ones who do their best."


    Isn''t Magi-san quite young, I thought. Probably she''s a college student or so.


    "It''s about time for lunch, so I''ll log out and eat."


    "Ah, I need to go out and make lunch as well or my little sister will be angry."


    "Ohh, a young girl''s cooking. Onee-san would like to eat that."


    Somehow, I felt an interesting nuance there, I too logged out in a place no one will interrupt me.


    Today''s lunch was miso soup and stir-fried vegetables as well as white rice. Yup, I was quite generous with vegetables. Out of spite for being hit awake in the morning I mixed in eryngi mushrooms Miu was bad with...


    When she was eating, her eyes turned teary but I ate it with appetite. After meal¡ª¡ª


    "Onii-chan, I''ll be waiting at the east gate."


    After saying that my little sister confined herself in her room. No, at least she could help me wash the dishes, I thought. Well it''s not a big effort anyway.


    Soon after I logged in to chase after her.


    ¡ñ


    At the east gate there was a dense crowd of people. At the centre of it there was my little sister.


    "Come hunt with us. We''re about to break through a boss mob."


    "Hey, can you come..."


    "Won''t you come with us?"


    Well, she was being called out to by men and women. My little sister might give off a favourable impression, she''s a pretty girl after all. She''s being called out like that, I thought.


    "Sorry to make you wait."


    "Too slow! Let''s go!"


    Myu was wearing an armour, her sword was placed the same way as Taku''s. There was a profound feeling to it, with white tonation her character image made it feel like she was a Paladin.


    "H-hey."


    "Come on already."


    Wanting to run away from the crowd, Miu pulled me by hand. From the crowd behind I could still hear voices calling out but I decided to ignore them and tagged along with Miu.


    When we made some distance, I asked her what happen but¡ª¡ª


    "I''m a quite well known player now, there''s lots of people who try to pick me up."


    "Oh, is that really all right?"


    "Also, this equipment is a made-to-order product I asked for an acquaintance from ¦Â version, ''talk to them for me'' or ''give it to me'' and so on, I''m quite tired of it."


    "Be careful. Don''t let some weird guy attach himself to you, it''s not a good idea."


    "What? Yun-oneechan''s worried about me?"


    Even though her brother''s worried, she pokes fun at me by saying that. Since she looked at me with a knowing smile on her face, I pursed my lips and looked away.


    "I''m sorry. Thank you for worrying about me, Yun-oneechan."


    "Hey, I might be a female character in game, but can''t you call me brother?"


    "Impossible. Also, it''s because Onee-chan was too slow it turned out like that!"


    "Should I abandon housework? You could''ve helped me right? Like wiping dishes for example."


    Impossible, game was calling me, she brought out emotional arguments. Haa, I spat out a sigh and changed the topic.


    "So, what quest are we going to undertake?"


    "Female only! Moreover it''s a quest with set limit to 2 people, it''s ¡¾Investigation of Crystal Cave''s interior¡¿."


    "No, I have no clue."


    "To explain with simple terms, there''s a cave to explore in the woods. There''s a separate quest for men only called ¡¾Environmental investigation of Hyumune Pond¡¿."


    "Hee. Quests are given by NPC''s right."


    "Yup yup. And so, the hunting grounds over there are just right for me right now. In ¦Â version I was the one who was taken care of, it''s hated by everyone but in the end it''s just a mob and not a real game."


    "Umm, I''m starting to feel a disturbing atmosphere because of this conversation..."


    "It''s all right. If Onee-chan stays behind, I''ll hunt all the Centipedes."


    Blechh, I want to go back. Even if I''m not a woman I don''t want to go against insect-type monsters.


    "I''m going back! I don''t want to go to a place with Centipedes."


    "You promised yesterday! Are you going to break the promise?!"


    "Before that you should''ve said so properly!"


    "Uuu... and here I thought I''d finally be able to go on a decent adventure with Onee-chan."


    What, what''s with those teary eyes, all right I get it. I''ll do it fine?


    "I get it. However, I''ll just cast enchants on you from afar."


    "Yeah. Look at my valiant appearance!"


    She smiled again even though she still had tears in her eyes. There were rich expressions even though it was a VR game, a completely unrelated thought crossed my head.


    "However, along the way let me harvest. I want to take tin and copper ore around here. It''s perfect for me to raise my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense."


    "That, is that something you heard from that female crafter from before?"


    "Well, yeah."


    "Hm?mm. Understood. While we''re at it lets hunt some small fries. You haven''t come here before right?"


    There seemed to be something hidden in Myu''s words. Well, let''s not worry about that.


    Although I''ve came here once, I haven''t fought along the way. Unlike the herbivores on the plains, there are monsterish monsters in here, like Goblins or Slimes? A classic small green dwarves and a jelly cloudy bulging thing. Myu was wielding a One-Handed Sword and attacked two of them. I also aimed and shot at a small Goblin from a distance.


    In my case, bow attacks were a single point attack and unless you hit the slime''s weakness which was nucleus there was almost no damage. That''s why I left the slimes to Miu and focused on goblins. I cast attack enchant on myself and took it down with six arrows.


    Indeed, even if I use ¡¶Long Range Shooting¡· arts, having approach me after being shoot six times was a bit scary.


    During the hunt for Big Boars I didn''t know whether my role was to lure, support or attack. But I realized that I need to improve my equipment if I want to go to distant hunting grounds.


    Whereas I killed one enemy risking my life, Miu killed one with a single swing. Looks like I''m luggage after all.


    I wonder what she''ll say after the combat is over, I thought while waiting for Myu to come back.


    "It''s finally over."


    "Haa, it was a good warm-up, Onee-chan."


    "That was a warm-up? It was seriously dangerous for me."


    "There was room to spare. But I was surprised. Onee-chan''s gotten good at handling the bow."


    "I appreciate you saying that."


    "Speaking of which, how are your Senses now?"


    "Ahh, something like this."


    Possessed SP8


    ¡¾Bow Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv20¡¿


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv9¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Mixing Lv13¡¿


    The levels were raised in the battle just now. The reason for prioritizing ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ is the appraisal of the stones picked up.


    "Hee. You took ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿. Also unexpectedly ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ ¡¾Enchant¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ are high. How did you make it so only those are so high?"


    "No, I use enchant on the move, whatever I do apply enchant for it."


    "Ah, it''s hard to grow if it''s only applied in emergency during combat. But on the move eh."


    "This, once you try it, it''s really useful. It can be a substitute for ¡¾Attack Power Increase¡¿. How about you?"


    ¡¾One-Handed Sword Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Armour Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Attack Power Increase Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Defence Power Increase Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Fighting Spirit Lv17¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Talent Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Recovery Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Light Element Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Recovery Magic Lv15¡¿


    "Real high level!"


    "It''s normal. It''s something I''ve done once already so I can do it efficiently. Also, Senses are harder to level starting from 20, you don''t need to be bothered okay?"


    Myu''s amazing for having ¡¾Sword¡¿ turn into ¡¾One-Handed Sword¡¿ in such a short time.


    "In fact, I''m doing better than I did in ¦Â test. There''s a difference of money and equipment after all."


    While humming she went in front. Yeah, I need to hurry and accumulate some money, I swore to myself in my heart.


    "Yun-oneechan, we arrived. Here''s the Crystal Cave. Are you prepared?"


    Myu turned around with a twirl. Her white hair shook and she made a big smile. Her armour gave her an appearance of a Paladin, no, she let out an aura of a Battle Maiden.


    Behind her, there was an entrance to the dark den. Ahh, will we be able to go back safely?


    "Now then, let''s go¡ª¡ª¡¶Light¡·!"


    The dark cave was illuminated with one word of Myu''s. This too is a light magic''s skill huh.


    But I had ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿, I saw clearly into depths of the cave where light didn''t reach. However, that didn''t go my way this time. Yes¡ª¡ªI saw it clearly.


    *Gasagasagasa*¡ª¡ª


    The sound in the damp air was enough to make me not want to enter it. I don''t want to have night vision any more. I''ll remove the Sense and look away from that ugly appearance. A Centipede which had about 50 centimetres in width droves towards us.


    Perfectly round eyes appeared in the darkness.


    *zowawawawa*, I''ve got goosebumps. I wanted to look away and forget about enchants.


    "Then, Onee-chan, let''s go!"


    Leaving those words Myu started running. She stood in front of the slowly moving Centipede, poised with the sword in both hands and¡ª¡ª*slash*.


    She continued to screw the sword in between the sections of the insect and tried to forcefully rip it apart by adding a twist.


    The Centipede has been disconnected and let out a high-pitched scream in agony. The torso without head continued to move for a dozens of seconds independently. Come on, I want to cry already after seeing this scene.


    I understand the feelings of the girls who ran away. This''ll become a trauma. So why does she happily plunge into that instead?!


    "Come, let''s hurry!"


    "I don''t want to, no more! I don''t want to see any more scenes like that!"


    "Do your role before whining! Your armour''s paper and your weapon''s poor so devote yourself to defence! Also pick up the items!"


    Myu reprimanded me, pierced with her sword and screwed it decapitating. I withheld the need to whine in me and looked away from Centipede.


    Ah, since it''s a cave there''s a lot of stones. I found three stuck in one place, the result of appraisal was ¨C Iron Ore. It was more efficient than run around the west forest but¡ª¡ªit was the worst for mental health.


    *higyaaaa*, the Centipede''s cries of agony rang out increasing the physiological disgust which came from the surrounding''s rustling sounds.


    While Myu took care of three Centipedes that appeared at once, I continued to harvest. After thirty minutes I could see the end.


    "Onee-chan, this is the boss room. And in the room behind there''s the quest item."


    "Should I fight too?"


    "Hmm. Onee-chan must be bored right. Then, attract the enemy and cast enchants in advance okay?"


    "Got it."


    I drew the bow for the first time in this cave and shoot the giant centipede that was occupying the room with an arrow¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªHey, what do I do after I attract it?"


    "Whoa, it didn''t have enough attack power so the damage was ignored. Next time try increasing your attack power and use Arts."


    That meant my attack power was too low. I want to change equipment quickly. Thinking that, I raised the bow again.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡·"


    ¡¾Bow¡¿''s Sense second Arts. An arts with a small charge-up that released two arrows at once. One of the arrows shot entered the gap in insect''s body and slightly hurt it.


    The giant centipede finally showed a reaction, and lifted its heavy body.


    "Now, since you were able to attract it, try not to get caught."


    "Got it. Then ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Defence, Speed."


    Enchants were cast in rapid succession, while it was my first time casting triple enchants, it was successful. However the MP consumption increased exponentially as they were overlaid. It was too late to notice. Although in RPG''s it was a fixed value for each, the ¡¾Enchant¡¿ became clearly more difficult to use for each one cast.


    "Then, let''s go!"


    Myu vigorously jumped towards the back of the centipede, the Centipede was three times as big as the ones from before raised its head, saliva was hanging from the jaw it opened and closed. *ssshhr*. After the saliva hit the floor a smoke rose from it. It''s name is Acid Dozer. By the way, the small fries from before were called Poison Dozers.


    "YAAaaa!"


    After raising a shout, Miu thrust into the Acid Dozer and walked around the large room.


    I continued to look for stones in places magic light can''t reach undisturbed.


    While listening to the sounds of the centipede that was cut apart I looked for stones.


    Somehow, I found a different kind of stone. ¡ª¡ªA fossil, I don''t know what kind of fossil, but it was most likely a fossil. I looked at it from all directions but I didn''t recognize it. It looked like it was big like a fist, it be a small fossilized fish or a shellfish. And as I did that, the noises behind started to quiet down.


    "Onee-chan, I finished over here!"


    "Ooh, well done."


    "What is it? Did you find something?"


    "I found a fossil."


    "Ohh, amazing!"


    "Is it? I don''t know what kind of fossil it is though."


    "Fossils can be appraised by NPCs so it''s okay. Get it appraised after we go back to town."


    Apparently, fossils are remnants of ancient items, that''s the setting. If you have an expert NPC look at it, you can change it back into item. It''s been said around that they become weapons and armours as well as materials, some people had little luck and got items they didn''t know what to do with.


    "What''s going to come out?"


    "Hmm. No idea. Well, don''t have too high expectations."


    "But fossils are something like a lottery, in some cases there are rare weapons materials, in other equipment, and sometimes its dragon excrements with an unknown applications."


    "Uwaa..."


    "Well, there''s a possibility for a rare item to come out."


    "I see. So, how much is the appraisal?"


    "Hmm. Flat 5000G."


    "...I''ve got 2030G."


    "I-It''s okay! Quest''s reward is 3000G and a quest item!"


    Even so, 5030G. My equipment improvement has been postponed.


    "Cheer up, the quest is almost over."


    "...ah, yeah."


    Myu took my hand and pulled me, proceeding to the back of the cave. The light flooded from the back of the cave and blocked ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿'' vision, I couldn''t see anything ahead.


    "The quest''s end. The deepest part of Crystal Cave¡ª¡ª¡¾Crystal Tree¡¿''s Garden."


    "...uwaa, beautiful."


    There was a drifting scent of flowers, the ceiling of the cave was open and light rained down from above. The colourful flowers bloomed in full glory gathering the light and water was welling up to the spring in the centre, a huge crystal tree stood in the centre of it.


    "This crystal tree is a symbol of this quest. It''s a view you can see only here. I love this beautiful scenery."


    "Yeah, it''s a good place."


    "At first I thought of showing it to you on a screenshot, but since Onii-chan turned into a girl I thought of coming here to see it together directly. But since you haven''t leveled your combat Senses quickly, I waited until I''ll be able to bring you here safely by myself."


    "Ah ahhh?! That means, refusing because you go with friends, or saying you want to level up were lies?!"


    "I lied about friends, but the part about leveling up was true! But Onii-chan cast enchants on me and helped me to finish the fight with large centipede soon enough even though it usually takes a long time! You were helpful!"


    Good grief, lying to her older brother, when I thought that I put my hand her head and stroked it.


    "Thank you. You showed me a great place."


    Myu had a shy and embarrassed expression. Khh, seeing such an expression on her, it''s been a while since I last saw it. She''s usually an energetic girl, but occasionally she becomes really meek.


    "I-I also want to save this landscape. How do I take a screenshot?"


    "Ah, okay. I''ll teach you how."


    After that, it was a bit awkward but I was taught how to take screenshots by Myu. The crystal tree reflected in the well was too beautiful.


    We sat down in the flower garden and after we chatted for a while we could relax and the awkwardness between us disappeared. Recently, the two of us shut ourselves in the game and haven''t talked to each other from the heart like this. Well, like adolescent girls, although I''d like to refrain from calling it like that.


    "Yup. It was a great change of pace."


    "We''re going back already?"


    "We need to complete the quest and go back. Evening will come soon. Let''s hurry before that happens."


    Myu ignored the fact she was soaking in water and approached the crystal tree.


    "Yop."


    "I-it broke?!"


    "Yup. The quest item this time is a branch of this crystal tree. Here, Onii-chan."


    I received a glittering crystal branch.


    Crystal Tree''s Branch ¡¾Important Item¡¿


    A tree that seems like a crystal. It grows only a centimetre per year, trees beyond the stature of a human are thought to be more than hundred fifty years old. In this world, it appears that thousand-years-old crystal trees exist. That was the description but...


    Nono, it has a length of a little finger?! Is it fine to break it?


    "It''s all right Onii-chan. The place that''s broken will return to original after we leave this place."


    "As expected of game quality. A fantasy. Also, Myu. For a while now I''ve went back to Onii-chan."


    "Ehee, so you noticed after all."


    With her cheeks dyed red she entangled her arm with mine and entrusted her neck to me. Damn, even though we''re related, she''s still cute. Somehow, I felt like I''m being deceived by her appearance as she acted in a charming way.


    What was to come was the worst, but she has prepared a surprised for me.


    On the way back, the enemy hasn''t appeared in the cave and we were taken home in the vicinity of the plains. On the way back, I chatted with Myu.


    "Sorry. I invited you forcibly today."


    "No, it was fun. I didn''t know there was such a place."


    As I looked at the fingertip she touched my nose with, Myu let out a small laughter. But soon after that expression disappeared from her face.


    "One more thing I''m sorry about Onii-chan. You were unwilling to go on an adventure with me and you looked really happy as you talked about that other person, I was frustrated. That''s why I forcibly brought you along."


    "I don''t really mind. In the end, it was fun."


    I lightly put my hand on Myu''s head and lightly stroked it. Without any resistance in particular, she nodded lightly.


    After that I received a reward from the NPC ?Geologist who was the quest''s client.


    I was tired for today, and deciding to continue tomorrow. I logged out. Apologizing to Myu for yesterday, I tried making a luxurious dinner.


    Securing money, equipment, leveling, and the fossil appraisal. The amount of things to do increased but, today I felt like I saw a different aspect of ¡¾OSO¡¿.

 Chapter Volume 1 4

    Chapter 4 - The Golem and the Third Town


    For the next three days whenever I logged into ¡¾OSO¡¿, it was only for an hour until it was 10 o''clock in the evening.


    There is something I have to do before I can go anywhere else, honestly, my thoughts were completely pre-occupied with the game.


    In our household, our parents are very busy during summer earning double income. Moreover, it''s a school break, so Miu''s at home all day long. I have to prepare three meals, do the cleaning, and do housework beginning with laundry.


    The errands to do aren''t only related to housework, At the school we attended, which integrated middle and high schools, the high school students were to attend the school on set days. It was a tedious day on which high-schoolers were asked to clean the school which wasn''t cleaned during the summer, and we had no choice but to attend it... In addition, I''ve had bad luck being found by a teacher, and ¡º"You''re interesting, I''ll leave this work to you"¡». I have been asked to do chores and, thus being bound in school for longer than the others. My payment was a refreshment; a single bottle of juice, in reality it could be considered a serious labour.


    On that point, it seemed like Miu and Takumi had a ''sense'' allowing them to sniff out such troublesome things and avoid them, they avoided being in the same place as me which seemed like the trouble is surrounding me.


    When I came home from school walking under the scorching sun all sweaty, Miu greeted me with an ice candy in her hand. I remember feeling slight irritation.


    But that feeling didn''t help me take back the huge block of time I lost during the day. During the short time I was logged in for I delivered the potions I mixed, though the delivered amount was small. I felt resolved to buy another field.


    And since moving to a land far away would be troublesome, I asked for the adjacent field¡ª¡ª


    "If it''s that, then you need to pay 2000G of additional fees; 5000G in total."


    Although that''s what the NPC said, making me angry in process, I reluctantly bought it.


    The amount of gold in my possession now is 30G. I''m broke again, moreover I don''t have time to properly prepare the field, so it won''t become a source of income yet.


    In the end, I delivered the Potions to Magi-san''s place. Since Magi-san was not always there; the NPC salesperson bought them from me, but rather than at the NPC price, it was purchased from me at Magi-san''s price.


    The Potion supply started to become smooth, and the resale shops also began to lower their prices, thus I was able to procure a small amount of Herbs.


    Even so, I want money. I want a brand new weapon and armour, as well as time to appraise the fossil from before.


    Other than that, I want to make accessories and metal ingots, I want to cultivate Antidote Grass and Paralysis Grass. I feel like my Senses are spread too wide, and they''re going out of my control. The worst thing was, that I couldn''t continuously manage the field, and would need to hire an NPC. However, that is only if I were to have the money for it.


    And today under the blazing sun I stood in front of Takumi''s house.


    "Heeey, Takumi? Hurry up and open up. I''ll burn to death in this heat."


    "Come in, come in."


    "Sorry to intrude. Here, Takumi. Ice cream."


    "Thanks."


    As we ate the ice cream which I''d brought as a gift; we sat opposite each other.


    "How''s the homework?"


    "I copied it without a hitch. Thanks."


    "It''s fine, it happens every year. So, what''s today''s bussiness?"


    The reason I was here today, was because Takumi called me here. Well, if I was called by him then nine times out of ten it would be related to a game. And even if it''s not that, then it would become talk about games anyway.


    "One week after the service started. The Potions begun being supplied in a stable manner, and I''ve already arrived at the Second Town."


    "Hee?."


    "What''s with that indifferent response of yours."


    "Nothing really. Did you call me because of something like that?"


    "No, there''s something else. The people who go enter the Second Town are able to transition from town to town via portal. That''s why we thought of going to conquer the Third Town in the west next, and so we hoped you''d join us for that."


    "Why. I''m a crafter."


    In response to my questioning gaze, Takumi answered indifferently.


    "Since you have ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Senses you can prepare recovery items in advance to take the recovery role, also in the previous fight we learned that Enchant is effective. So you can take turns with Minute for the recovery role, and attack roles, also you don''t have to be worried about the secret of ¡¾Enchant¡¿ being discovered since the members are the same as last time."


    "No, but still..."


    "Is there a problem?"


    "There''s too many, it''s troubling. I''m broke and still have beginner''s equipment, there''s no materials for Potions, also the field."


    "A field... you, why did you spend money on something like that!"


    "Is there anything bad about it?"


    "Well, any ¦Â tester knows the stories about agriculture."


    This was Takumi''s plain description.


    In the ¦Â version, the south district originally didn''t exist, and the town was semi-cylindrical. It was added during an additional update two weeks before the ¦Â test ended. The seed items that were added with it seemed to be too difficult to obtain.


    "That''s why there''s nobody who has a field. Even if you''re lucky enough to find a Seed, the efficiency is too bad since there''s twenty seed slots in each field."


    "Hee. Then I need to buy more of them and become a Potion billionaire. Ahahahahaha."


    Even in ¦Â ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ was treated as a mishappen Sense and when the Seeds were added to the game, people didn''t try Lower Matter Conversion on the Herbs and since no one tried it in the official version there''s no information about farms. According to what Takumi said, clearly more than half of the players considered it as ¡´"Fuck agriculture"¡µ.


    "In the meanwhile there might have been some modifications to the farm in the update. So? Will you help out?"


    "Hmm. Recently all I''ve been doing is working and haven''t leveled my combat Senses. Even so, the drops from Sandmans and Golems sound attractive."


    "Got it, but are you fine with just that?"


    "I want drops from the enemies. I don''t know if I''ll be of any help, but preferably I want plant-type drops, even if just one."


    "Again, some detailed stuff. Yes yes I get it. Then, I''ll relay it to the others. Our request here is this, twenty five Potions and fifty Pills."


    "Haa?! Impossible. There''s not enough Gallstones dropping from herbivores for me to make it."


    "It''s all right. I''ve got the materials. In the first place, drops other than equipment are just making a mess in my inventory."


    "That''s fine then, so when is the hunt?"


    "Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. I''ll contact you later with the exact time. Tomorrow''s a warm-up with a Sandman, we''re going for the Golem the day after tomorrow. If it turns out to be impossible because of your level you''ll just have to do your best next time."


    "Yes yes because in the end. I''m packed with trash Senses."


    "Don''t pout like that. We trust you."


    Takumi said so lightly, but well I said it half-jokingly anyway.


    Also, I can make the items with a ¡¾Recipe¡¿. Ah, but there might be not enough materials so I''ll have to journey to the forest in the west to gather some.


    "Understood. I''ll be going home to make preparations in that case. I''m going to try making some accessories, my Defence Power''s paper, but that''ll be better than nothing."


    "Sure, then I leave it to you."


    Going with Taku''s party to beat a boss mob huh... I''m looking forward to it a little.


    After I logged in I made accessories from the ingots I had on me right now.


    I put the Bronze Ingot I synthesized from copper and tin ones on a mobile furnace, and stared as it was heated up.


    When an Ingot is being created, it was fine to hit it with all my strength. For accessories that seemed to be pointless. Time after time I went through the procedure step by step in my head, for any procedure that''s failed the rating of the accessory is lowered.


    There was a memorization and instantaneous reaction needed like in the so-called rhythm-games, moreover what was required was to be able to repeat the same moves.


    To be frank, I ruined a bronze ingot in a blink of an eye.


    "Hmm. If I apply an enchant it''ll be the same as forming an ingot won''t it. After that I just need to make the thing I want by selecting it from the screen¡ª¡ª"


    From that moment, the workflow similar to a rhythm game began. *klang* *klang*, I hit it soundly with a hammer a few times, then returned it back to the furnace. Then once again I hit with *klang* *klang*, and returned it back into furnace. Sometimes I bent it on a bench to make it round and then but it back into the furnace.


    Without taking a break I continued to work in the furnace''s heat. Making even the most basic accessories required time. I had to focus on the unfamiliar task, it was pretty tiring.


    As a result, even though the rating decreased because I failed a few times. it wasn''t a total failure. I was able to make an accessory for the first time.


    Bronze Ring ¡¾Equipment Item¡¿ DEF+1


    I was able to make lowest-level equipment.


    It held great meaning to me, but can I sell something of this level?


    It took quite a while, and I have no more Bronze Ingots. All that''s left are Iron ones. My ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ level rose to 11 but, I didn''t feel like I could make Iron yet.


    "Well, it''s fine even if I fail."


    There''s no point concerning myself too much with it, I put the Iron Ingot in the furnace.


    Hammer it, bring it back, bend it, connect it, and heat it up...


    Even though I was in a game, I wiped the sweat from my forehead. The raising heat was a nightmare and reduced my thinking capability, nevertheless I continued to pound it endlessly. Just like the polishing I once did. It failed. I put in another ingot without resting. The enchant costs and the amount of MP being recovered wasn''t balanced so the amount of MP I had remaining continued to decrease, but my mind was focused only on the ingot in front of me.


    Free of unnecessary thoughts. Unconsciously, the work continued to flow. Although my throat was parched, I continued to swing without stopping, shaping it. After that I continued to look at the created accessory for a few minutes.


    And finally I was able to spit a sigh.


    Ring ¡¾Equipment Item¡¿ DEF+2


    There was a long way for me to go. There was a huge difference; like heaven and earth between what I made, and the accessories Magi-san made in her spare time. My ring was rugged without any pattern nor engraving on it. Magi-san''s was created finely, and on them were embedded finely cut jewels.


    "Geez, on top of this there are accessories like bracelets, necklaces, earrings and so on. I can''t continue to stumble at this point."


    After rolling the rings I created in my hands, I equipped them on my fingers. The iron one on the middle finger of my left hand, the Bronze Ring on the ring finger of the same hand.


    I looked calmly on my left hand. It was somewhat different from ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿, I created a piece of equipment, a profound feeling welled up inside me, and on my slender fingers as white as the whitebait it gave off a feminine feeling which made me feel uneasy.


    "Haaa. Well, quite good for the first time. Took me more time than expected."


    I didn''t have enough time to make an ingot, nor to hunt any more.


    That''s when a chat came from Taku.


    "What is it?"


    ¡º"About tomorrow, We''re gathering at noon twelve o''clock, and we''ll be going to level on Sandmans. Are you ready on your side?"¡»


    "I made two rings. The total defence is the same as that of an initial armour."


    ¡º"That''s great. Your defence doubled, isn''t that a cheat?"¡»


    "As if making it twice as much as initial equipment was a cheat. Rather than that do you know anything about accessory prices?"


    ¡º"From worst to best. The good ones like a bracelet +8 DEF for example cost more then 10kG."¡»


    "Uwaa, then how about rings with gems in them?"


    ¡º"Rings huh. The gems increase the accessories effectiveness, but they''re also quite popular with women too."¡»


    "Why?"


    ¡º"Well, because they''re shiny things. And there are guys who want to give them to girls as presents."¡»


    "Ahh, shiny things huh. Somehow, it makes me want some seafood."


    ¡º"I''m not talking about food. You always do stuff at your own pace don''t you."¡»


    I just think there''s no point in hurrying.


    "Well, fine. Well then, don''t be late tomorrow."


    ¡º"Same to you."¡»


    After that, I had chatted with Taku about silly things and time passed imperceptibly. Speaking of which, it''s always been like this in school, but this kind of behaviour expanded since the holiday began. I thought.


    ¡ñ


    Next day. In order to go hunting Sandmans with Taku and the others I came to the meeting place at the west gate early.


    If I didn''t come at least ten minutes early I would be anxious.


    "Taku, I''m here."


    "As fast as ever. You''re the third."


    Taku said so; welcoming me.


    At the meeting place there were two people, Taku and Kei. It looked like they were having a conversation between guys, they seemed to be quite fired up


    "It''s been a while, Yun."


    "Yo, it''s been a while. What were you talking about with Taku?"


    "Hmm? About effective utilization of Senses as well as their effects."


    "Hee. That sounds interesting. Taku, give me the materials. I''ll make the Potions and Pills now."


    While glancing sideways at the items Taku was putting in the trade window, I listened to their talk.


    "Information sharing is important. Yun, did you know that you can change the colour scheme of equipment if you have ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿?"


    "This armour is made of Iron, but I had a crafter use ¡¾EX-Skill¡¿''s ¡¾Colouring¡¿ to change its colour scheme. It''s a skill most of the crafters have, it''s necessary to dye the items."


    "Seriously? Wait a second."


    I checked to confirm it. In the ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s skill column, there was ¡¾Ring Crafting¡¿ and ¡¾Colouring¡¿ added. In other words, they have appeared when I made a ring.


    Also this ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ had skills allowing to change shapes and patterns of the accessories from the default. Then, was my ring a default!? I was embarrassed to make a default item despite calling myself a crafter.


    "Oh, then how about you try it now? Also, what kind of weapon-type Senses are there?"


    "Hmm. Yun''s ¡¾Bow¡¿ is a combat Sense, but there''s a ton of other ones as well. Me and Taku use Sword, but there are also mage''s Wand and Book, vanguards use Spear, Katana, Dagger, Shield, and Mace. There are also Senses for weapons attached to body parts like Gantz''s. Didn''t you investigate them before?"


    "Yeah. Although I only skimmed through them, I''ve never seen them before. That''s cause I picked stuff from the bottom of the website''s guide."


    "What an idiot, this girl! Well, it''s fine since you showed me something interesting. From other interesting Senses there''s ¡¾Cooking¡¿ and ¡¾Fishing¡¿, they are so-called hobby Senses."


    "Sounds interesting. In a game food won''t go bad. I''ll try to remember it."


    "You idiot!! Stop that. These are also called trash Senses. Taku too, don''t teach her half-assedly!"


    I didn''t really get it, but Kei seemed to get angry for my sake. Well, in the meantime I used the Mixing and with a sparkle the Potions were prepared, it looked so surreal.


    "I think that with his range and ¡¾Enchant¡¿ the style Yun should use is stealth."


    Stealth, it seemed like a slang.


    From Kei I''ve heard about ¡¾Concealment¡¿ which makes others unable to sense the light generated by your skills, and ¡¾Discovery¡¿ which allows you to find hidden things.


    Allowing one to get increased Critical Hit Rate by striking enemy''s vitals ¡¾Vital Point Knowledge¡¿, receiving a damage bonus for doing a pre-emptive attack on the enemy ¡¾Pre-emptive Knowledge¡¿ but I was discouraged since they were mainly combat Senses.


    By the way, in case these Senses are incorporated, they are very compatible with combat Senses like ¡¾Throw¡¿ which allows throwing daggers and ¡¾Dagger¡¿ as well as ¡¾Twin Sword¡¿.


    "Kei. Don''t recommend such expert Senses to Yun. That''s a build made with in PVP in mind right?"


    "Ughh... I might have jumped the gun. Sorry, forget that."


    "No, that was helpful. Well, ¡¾Discovery¡¿ looks interesting."


    ""Ehh...?!""


    "Also, I made the recovery items."


    I forced the items on Taku and looked for a new Sense.


    Oh, ¡¾Discovery¡¿. Yup, found it Now, to acquire it.


    Possessed SP10


    ¡¾Bow Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv1¡¿¡¾Magic Talent Lv22¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Power Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv11¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿¡¾Mixing Lv15¡¿¡¾Synthesis Lv15¡¿


    Oooh?! The collection points that didn''t appear until now were visible! I can pick up the items I''ve overlooked before. As an collecting-type (?) player, it was a discovery that makes me happy.


    "Taku! I can see an item!"


    "Well, that''s the kind of Sense it is. To think you acquired it."


    "It allows to find people, it''s something scouts and spies usually have, though I don''t think it''s an useful thing for a rearguard."


    What are you saying! Being able to see is wonderful! Ahh, it''s fantastic to be able to pick up items I couldn''t before.


    "Hey, what kind of Sense is there after this ¡¾Discovery¡¿?"


    "Oh, I think it turned into ¡¾See-Through¡¿, a combat-support type Sense. ¡¾See-Through¡¿ allows you to perceive in advance what the enemy will do. There''s also other ways to do that like having ¡¾Sensing¡¿ turn into ¡¾Sixth Sense¡¿ and such."


    "Then, why are there are different ones?"


    "That''s because of Sense derivation. The most famous one is ¡¾Attack Power Increase¡¿ and ¡¾Defence Power Increase¡¿ turning into ¡¾Physical Increase¡¿ after leveling both of them up to 30. It''s useful since two Senses occupy only a single slot."


    So that''s why Myu took those two. In other words, there''s a way to make a place to equip other Senses. Just because she was a ¦Â tester she was familiar with Sense derivation.


    "However, the drawback is that the Sense disappears before it can be derived and categorized into another tree."


    Ughh, ''Sense Tree'' or ''categorize''? Hearing unfamiliar terms I wanted to ask and clear it up immediately, but wasn''t able to.


    "Heey, I came!"


    "It''s been a while Yun-chan!"


    As I was suddenly hugged, I screamed quietly. Hey hey, what a voice to came out from my mouth. Seeing this reaction Minute said I''m cute, and started rubbing her cheek against mine. Before I noticed, Mami-san lined up next to Kei. Somehow, the two lined up next to each other, looked like a picture together.


    A quiet warrior and a gentle witch.


    "Yuriyuri eh Let''s start as soon as possible, but to think we''d see some yuri."


    It was Gantz, he had a pleased look on his face but¡ª¡ªdon''t look this way.


    Even so, Gantz''s armour evolved from a normal Leather Armour to Scale Mail. I wonder if it''s yet another class of armour. He''s got some good equipment there.


    As I continued to sulk alone, I noticed that Mami-san was quietly staring at my hand.


    "Ara ara, Yun-san. That hand, fufufu."


    "W-what is it, Mami-san. What?"


    For some reason, Mami-san said ''hand''. My hand was normal, when I held it up and stared at it. I heard a loud voice in my ear and it resonated strongly in my head.


    "Yun-chan! What''s with that ring!''


    "That''s too loud, my ear hurts!"


    "S-sorry. But fufufu, you sure are a girl?. Who did you get it from?"


    "...haa?"


    "I mean, that''s a finger on which you put an engagement ring on right. Who is it from? Tell us!"


    What. What with this? As I looked towards Taku and Kei, Taku responded with laughter, and Kei looked like he realized something. Hey, if you understand that much then at least explain it to me.


    "What?! Why did you look towards Taku-kun?"


    "Yun-chan was seduced by some man?!"


    Suddenly, Gantz cried out. No, I''m a man! I want to tell them I''m a man and it''s not like that, but what do I say?! And Mami-san quietly showed me her own left hand. There was an elaborately crafted ring on her ring finger.


    "...nonono, it''s not like that, listen to me!"


    "It''s fine, there''s no need to explain to Onee-san."


    I desperately tried to solve the misunderstanding, and because I was embarrassed I continued to fall in deeper and deeper.


    I don''t know what would have happened if Taku didn''t stop it ten minutes later. No, seriously, save me earlier.


    "I SAID. It''s not like that."


    "I''m sorry, I jumped conclusions."


    "That''s great. If some man were to attach himself to such a cute girl I would get mad and his neck would go, *crack*, and I would rip his head off."


    After making Gantz and Minute who were making the biggest racket seiza in the west gate I folded my arms making a doubting pose in front of them. The ring I had on a finger was removed and re-equipped on the right hand as not to have it mistaken again.


    "Geez. I''ve told you before that I''m a crafter. This is a ring I made."


    "Ara ara, what a shame."


    As Minute prostrated before me, Mami-san placed her hand on her cheek and spoke happily.


    "Hey, the time''s passing quickly. First, confirm the Potion distribution and positions."


    Taku distributed the Potions I made earlier to everyone. Most of them went to vanguard. Rather, although with Sandman it wasn''t as tough a battle as the one with the Big Boar, but we can''t drop our guard.


    The characteristics of a Sandman were slow movement, and it''s attack power was no greater than that of a Big Boar. On the other hand, its physical defence was high. If you challenged it without a plan you will surely end up with a battle of endurance, and since the damage I deal with my bow wasn''t too big, it seems like it''s not my role to lure it in this time.


    "¡ª¡ªIn other words, the strategy is simple. Men are holding it down, women are casting their magic. Yun will be putting his enchants on us."


    "Is it fine without a defence one?"


    "Down to 50% HP is the safe zone. Just like with the Big Boar, as long as the vanguard isn''t taken down the rear guard won''t be attacked. Let''s decide this battle fast with the increased attack power."


    If Taku says so then so be it. But if the magic attack power cannot be increased, it''ll turn into wiping-power.


    "Now, how about we try it out?"


    "Yeah yeah, let''s take it easy."


    "Minute, don''t take it too easy. Your recovery magic won''t grow unless you commit yourself."


    "Even so, I''ve got Light level 10 so there''s no problem."


    That was the conversation between Minute and Kei, and what was I doing in meanwhile? Of course I was running around while using a speed enchant. The forest was full of items, there was lots of Iron Ore and Gemstones. There was also Tree Branches and Herbs. I collected Mulch because it was necessary for the field. Also, Stones. Although I went a grade higher to Iron Arrows and it was no longer necessary, I continued picking it up for now.


    And then we moved further than the places I''ve been in before, it was a area behind the west forest. It was an open bald area which looked like a quarry.


    There were some kind of stones which looked like they would be perfect to sit on.


    Those were also mobs. They were called Armadillos and Rock Crab. Their defence was high and their movement slow. The warriors didn''t seem to like them too much, but they seemed appetizing for the mage-types.


    We proceeded as Minute and Mami-san continued to hit them with magic. The men were the vanguard and acted like a wall. I put on attack enchants to help.


    My enchants as a result of my growth reached more than 20 metres. I kept taking detours to collection points within that range, it was a really sweetly spent time. Thanks to ¡¾Discovery¡¿ I found hidden collection points that didn''t appear up until now and picked up items. In one place there was five Iron Ore in a cluster.


    We proceeded smoothly towards the safety area in the middle. Although I''ve seen several parties along the way, they went back before reaching this point.


    "Lets take a break and organise our inventory here. After that, it''s Sandman hunting and lets end it for today."


    A voice called out. Certainly, I remember that I didn''t organise the contents of the inventory recently since I wasn''t looking for new ¡¾Mixing¡¿ combinations, I took a look inside."


    ¡ª¡ªThere were items I didn''t know.


    A Goblin''s Horn, Blue Jelly, Venomous Insect''s Shell, Acid Liquid, Stone Scales and Rock Crab''s meat...


    Given the order of them, Goblin, Slime, the Centipede and Large Centipede. And the drop from Stone Armadillos and Rock Crabs we killed today.


    And, the amount of Iron Ore was over hundred and fifty. I want to hurry and make them into Ingots. The application for Rock Crab''s meat was unknown. Is it used for cooking?


    "Hey, Taku. What''s this Rock Crab''s Meat item used for?"


    "Haa? You have ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and you don''t know?"


    "I don''t know. That''s why I''m asking..."


    "The way to use it, is to do it with ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Cooking¡¿. As a material, it''s a tasteless meat, but normally its used just for ¡¾Mixing¡¿..."


    "What?"


    "Tasteless meat on which ¡¾Mixing¡¿ is used only produces negative effects. And for tasty meat there''s a positive effect. The tasty meat is a rare drop, and in the first place the only one who can prepare it is someone who has the ¡¾Mixing¡¿''s improved Sense ¡¾Dosing¡¿. Currently, no one focuses on it that much."


    In other words, the meat that can be obtained easily is bad huh, although Rock Crab seems like it would be delicious, it has an appearance that made me feel like it could become a Crab stew. That appearance is a damn fraud.


    And the delicious food is the Big Boar''s. Big Boar''s delicious. I want to try eating it.


    "If Cooking fails its put in an abnormal state and cannot be utilized any more. The only utility value of the meat is to sell it. Now then, we''ve rested for long enough. Let''s start hunting according to the schedule."


    Taku called the break to an end, and everyone went into battle formation. On the other side of the safety area there was a broader quarry. The rocks on the left and right were steep, and in distance there was a pudding-like body, The Sandmen''s bodies had sand constantly flowing from its hands.


    Their number wasn''t large, but to avoid them we had no choice but to run past them all at once. In the back there was the boss. When we ran through unskillfully and stopped before the boss. There was a large amount of Sandmen was behind us.


    As they approached, Minute and Mami-san attacked them with magic. The three vanguards attacked them with swords and fists. I put the enchants on three people.


    From what I''ve seen, on Sandman physical attacks were less effective, slashing in particular, but when Gantz twisted the Sandman''s finger in the opposite direction, it made a clearly anguished expression. Hey, it''s just sand so why can you twist its fingers...


    Even though they had ATK enchants on them the damage didn''t rise by much, and the rearguard was asked to finish it off.


    Minute and Mami continued to cast attack magic but in the middle they ran out of MP and stopped, there were too many opponents.


    "MP was a bottleneck after all. It''s fine for short-term battles like Big Boar or Red Lizard, but this is a prolonged fight. In which case mages can''t attack, I wish I had even the lowest level of ¡¾Magic Power¡¿. Shall we have Minute go back to healer position and prepare for a long battle?"


    "Looks like it. Well, let''s level up steadily. If it seems impossible let''s challenge it again later."


    "Hey, Taku. How about getting another helper? I think it would be good to challenge it with more people."


    Ah, when I said that to one person while dragging out words. Everyone''s lukewarm line of sight concentrated on me. Why?


    "There''s a limit of six party members. If you add any more than that you get a penalty when hunting mobs."


    He said. Unlike the death penalty for dying, it''s a penalty for having people join the fight. And the penalty for it is that the more participants is there the lower leveling rate of Senses and item drop rate decrease, stats decline and increase of mob''s stats, random bad statuses... the occurrences were named in order. Unreasonably harsh.


    By collecting monsters and pushing them on the others to MPK them, although the person doing the PK is subjected to penalty, the people who are involved do not receive any consideration. The recent AI''s amazing.


    "There''s no merit in attracting them, so let''s hurry up and progress gradually."


    "What''s with you. That... you''re always like that. You leave the most important things for later. The first time I''ve heard about ¡¾OSO¡¿ was when I went to your home, that''s also when you passed the VR to me after just a brief talk... hey, are you listening? Taku!"


    "I get it! So don''t bring that face so close to me."


    "You don''t get it!"


    I need to stand firm at times like this, I thought. And then I''ve felt a stare on my back.


    To his home... childhood friend, tsundere''s heeereeee. Although that''s what I heard, I didn''t retort.


    "Let''s continue hunting Sandmen! Since I can''t attack I''ll continue spamming enchants."


    Seeing me panicked Minute and Gantz were agitated even further, but when we entered the battle they flipped their concentration switch on, as expected of players.


    I contributed to the battle by diligently casting enchants.


    Generally, in order to raise everyone''s level and to learn how to efficiently hunt Sandmen with enchants, we continued to improve until we started running out of MP and were defeated.


    We disconnected at a good time, to prepare for the battle with Golem tomorrow. We were scheduled to defeat the boss mob, and open the road to the Third Town. Well, in my case it would be the second town though¡ª¡ª


    ¡ñ


    It was the day. The boss mob¡ª¡ªGolem was to be subjugated.


    Taku and the others headed for the Golem, I felt quite insecure knowing I couldn''t deliver the stock of recovery items. I told Magi-san that I couldn''t deliver them today.


    ¡º"It''s all right, no worries. Yun-kun too started to go out to hunt eh. Just bring some when you have spare time. Currently the Potion market is quite stable."¡»


    I responded to that with gratitude. I was fired up wanting to prepare Potions after the hunt, I felt like I could prepare fifty of them. Well, I won''t let it go to waste.


    And then I did some ¡¾Mixing¡¿ research for the first time in a while¡ª¡ªI tried boiling Blue Jelly in an iron container. The precipitation separated the blue mush into a solid mass and water. The solid further changed into a powder as the water disappeared. It''s name was ¡¾Blue Powder¡¿.


    And if I added water to it, it turned back into Blue Jelly. What''s up with this.


    And I tried mixing Herbs with Blue Jelly. What came out of it, was a Blue Potion. Was it as effective as synthetic Potion is? You think it would be? But that''s wrong.


    The Potion''s effectiveness was different. When I tried to mix Blue Powder with Dried Herbs, there was an extract which looked like coffee, it''s effect increased.


    It''s effect increased even more with Fine Herbs.


    The recovery amount was large, that makes me happy.


    I mixed it, and extracted it. There wasn''t many of them, but I tried experimenting with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿.


    ¡ª¡ªWhy did it turn out like this. What came out of ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ was Blue Gelatin.


    Moreover, it''s description suggested it was a food item.


    "I DON''T GET Itttttt!!"


    From a material I made a medicine, and in the end it ended up as food, just how chaotic is this!


    My shoulders rose and lowered as I took heavy breath, I fixed my breathing.


    "Yeah. It''s all right now. Let''s just put this in the inventory."


    I put away the Blue Gelatin and took out Blue Jelly once again.


    I turned it into powder and mixed to extract. I used an enchant for stability since it unexpectedly required brute strength. Recently, I started thinking that I wouldn''t survive in this game if not for enchants.


    In the morning I prepared Potions like that and proceeded to the west the same as yesterday afternoon.


    I avoided combat as much as possible and headed for the Golem.


    Everyone was talkative at first, but they gradually stopped chatting. Looks like the boss battle will be tense after all.


    And that''s when we arrived.


    "Is everyone prepared?"


    As Taku shouted everyone nodded. In front of us was Golem. A 3 metre big bulk of brittle rocks. It''s movement was slow but I can imagine there was a lot of power in that huge body.


    "Then, to start this ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    I enchanted the three vanguards, after that I put defence enchant on Taku and Kei, for Gantz I cast a double enchant with speed.


    This was the most effective way to hunt Sandmen. Taku and Kei acted as a wall, Gantz decided to do grappling, whenever our movements stopped the magic rearguard wiped them out with fire. The same tactic as yesterday.


    "All right, come over here!"


    "We''ll be your opponents!"


    Taku''s One-Handed Sword, and Kei''s Two-Handed Sword were raised up and they shouted facing it from the front.


    They used the swords to receive the strikes and parry them, whenever the Golem lost its balance Gantz took its arm and threw it with an Aikido-like move and used a kneebar on it. His movements were fluid, as if he was used to it. Ohh, the competitor Golem seems like he''s in pain, wait, is this pro-wrestling or what?!


    The lethal weapon a martial artist could boast of, is his entire body. His kicks and punches, although he seemed to start using throws, it''s quite fierce. To be able to throw such a giant, is something that would probably only happen in games, although there might be some martial artists who can do it in real. Oh, Golem was completely downed.


    "Mages! Now!"


    A channelled magic was released with Taku''s shout and hit the Golem. Gantz retracted immediately, as someone on rear guard position I had a good view on the entire battle.


    "Yun-chan, recovery please."


    "Yes, here. While at it I''ll re-cast the enchant."


    Martial arts-type player''s fighting style was proximity fighting. And as such, since the body itself is the weapon, they receive a small amount of damage when they attack. While there were fist protectors, gauntlets, as well as foot protection, boots and sandals. There were many ways devised, it couldn''t be completely nullified. Thus I took the role of the person responsible for recovery.


    "Gantz''s headin'' out."


    What a funny guy. I thought when I stared at his back.


    As Gantz ran he left behind a red and yellow glow behind him.


    When Golem got up it rapidly moved targeting Gantz, but was blocked by Taku and Kei, it changed target. And when its posture broke down, he was slammed with magic.


    Every time it was hit with magic, its HP visibly went down with a loud *thud*.


    It''s going well isn''t it? I thought that but, the enemy was a boss. It won''t sell itself at such a low price.


    "We''re out of MP here! Vanguard endure!"


    The mage rear-guard ran out of MP when the Golem was at about 40% HP. My MP was also running out because I''ve been continuously casting double enchants.


    From here on, we men will support the frontline until mages recover MP.


    Even though I said so, I was out of mana as well and felt insecure. I strived to maintain the minimum.


    I switched the three vanguard''s enchants to defence ones.


    Rather then putting an emphasis on attack, this is where the goal changes to surviving on the frontline.


    Even though sometimes it was critical, all the vanguards managed to maintain their positions.


    And to try keeping it up, the frontline was consuming potions en-masse.


    "Come on! Fall again!"


    "Stop it Gantz. It''s different from before."


    As Kei''s voice resounded, Gantz jumped in front of the Golem.


    He took its arm, sunk low and finished it by bending his joint. He took an effort to take it down, but if failed.


    The minimum of enchants was maintained on him, although he could immediately withdraw if there was a speed enchant, right now he only had defence. He didn''t have enough speed to dodge.


    Golem''s fist hit Gantz''s belly, delaying his escape.


    He was flung into the air, sent flying in a parabola with a resounding hit. It was a critical hit, but it seemed he still had quite a bit HP remaining. However¡ª¡ª


    "Dodge it!"


    Minute''s voice sounded as she was in a position to overlook it all. The Golem stood up, grasped Gantz''s foot while he was still in the air and swung him down vertically. Gantz''s HP who was slammed hard into the ground entered the red zone.


    Taku and Kei stood between Gantz and Golem in a hurry to change its target.


    "Hurry into the back and recover!"


    "Hey move, ¡¾Fainted¡¿ damn! What a bad timing!"


    Gantz didn''t move. His HP remained in red zone.


    Even though it was dangerous he didn''t move, no, he couldn''t move. The bad status ¡¾Fainted¡¿ was the cause.


    The ¡¾Fainted¡¿ status appeared when a certain percentage of damage was taken all at once, it''s an abnormal condition that happened with low probability. To think it appeared at this timing.


    The two vanguards couldn''t cover Gantz, and it was impossible for the two mages, they weren''t supposed to go in front in the first place. The one who should move now, is me.


    As the one with recovery role, I took out a Blue Potion with the biggest amount of recovery and broke into a run. I accelerated with a speed enchant and got closer with a single leap.


    I sprinkled the potion on him and slapped his cheek literally hitting him awake.


    "Um, it hurts!"


    "Hurry and wake up! There, one more."


    I took out another Blue Potion and sprinkled it on him. After using two, his entire health recovered.


    "What''s with this recovery amount."


    "It''s fine, go in the back. You''re in the way of those two."


    I grabbed his neck and pulled him.


    "MP''s almost recovered! We can attack again!"


    "Then ignore the timing and don''t wait for the down, just shoot!"


    "Understood!"


    At the same time as we withdrew, light and wind magic passed by.


    *krkkrkrrr*, a roaring sound of the stones breaking sounded. I couldn''t open my eyes because of the strong light.


    The moment magic stopped we waited for a moment, but Golem appeared rolling out of the dense sand cloud.


    "Not yett! Damn it!"


    "No, it''s already over."


    The moment I spat out a curse, Taku muttered.


    The Golem raised a heavy roar and began to collapse.


    It rumbled as it crumbled, the atmosphere of the Third Town''s gatekeeper was kind of sorrowful, as if he wasn''t able to protect it.


    Everything collapsed, now that nothing was moving I was finally able to exhale.


    "Haa?. It''s finally over. That was seriously dreadful."


    "I''m saved. Thank you, Yun-chan."


    Oh, he''s back to being lively. Gantz showed it off by jumping lightly.


    "Geez, would it better if I didn''t save you, since the mages were able to attack soon after, eh?"


    "That''s too cruel. Even if the boss was defeated, if I was to die it wouldn''t count as if I took it down. That''d make me lonely."


    "Also, were Yun-chan not to pull Gantz''s away I intended to engulf him with the magic as well."


    "Horrible!"


    Ah. Yeah, throwing a small thing away to get the big one. Minute knows her stuff. But well, right now we have no resuscitation items, if he died he''d be ported back.


    "I''m joking I''m joking. You did your best Gantz."


    "Everyone, good job. We can go into Third Town with this. Yun too, good job."


    "Let''s do a drop check before that. Someone might have a rare drop."


    Oh, that. Well, rare drop aside, if I''m not wrong it might have dropped a Fine Iron Ore. Were I to use Alchemy on it I would get a several Iron Ores and make ingots to level up right?


    I opened the inventory thinking about that, there was no Fine Iron Ore, but a different item.


    "Something called ¡¾Stone of the Earth Spirits¡¿ dropped."


    I murmured casually.


    """Rare drop''s cameeeeeeee!!"""


    Because of the loud noise my body trembled. I was scared of the sudden screams.


    "Sorry about that. There are two kinds of item that drop from bosses. Normal and rare, but for one to come out suddenly, Yun might have good luck."


    "Stone of the Earth Spirits can be used by crafters to reinforce weapons and armour, its rare and can grant items additional effects. Gantz''s armour is also reinforced with Blade Lizard''s Stone Bladescales. It has an additional effect of reflecting damage when receiving an attack."


    Hmm. So what do we do with this?


    Stone of the Earth Spirits ¡¾Material¡¿


    A stone holding the power of an Earth Spirit within.


    That''s the full description? I don''t know what''s the additional effect, well, fine.


    "Hmm. I don''t know what''s its worth. Let''s ask someone later."


    "You better not. The cardinal rule of ¡¾OSO¡¿ is not to show off your Sense build, and not to hint you''re in possession of a rare item. The former is a PVP countermeasure, the other is to avoid being scammed in trade."


    Hoo. So there are things like that, but I trust Myu and Magi-san, what about asking them? But I still have the initial armour and since I don''t have much money I probably don''t have a way to use it.


    "Well, I''ll just have it lie here in my inventory."


    "What a waste. Well, it''s just like you, and your pace. We''ve recovered, let''s head to town."


    All of us together headed to town. We arrived¡ª¡ªat Mine Town.


    The buildings had two wooden floors and didn''t have much green on them. The NPC''s skin tone was slightly dark, and they were a bit dirty.


    With towels around their necks, they really did give off a feeling like miners.


    "I''m here. In a different town."


    As I trembled in excitement slightly, everyone else was.


    "Cheers up for the good work. Now then, see you next time."


    "Thanks for saving me this time, Yun-chan."


    "Laters. Next time level up your ¡¾Bow¡¿ and lets find some enemies to hunt."


    "Then, Yun. See you next time."


    They touched a pale blue ball and disappeared. I was left behind alone, in a daze.


    That was surprisingly bland from everyone. Hey, don''t leave me behind.


    ¹â¤êÎï (Hikarimono), literally it means shiny things. But Japanese call fish with shiny skin with that term, usually when talking about seafood. A Japanese term for love between women/girls. For those who don''t understand, MPK ¨C Monster Player Kill, and PK ¨C Player Kill. Originally a Japanese proverb, translated the meaning of the meaning of the proverb literally as I didn''t found a decent equivalent other than one Dutch one, which was even more confusing and far from the Japanese meaning.

 Chapter Volume 1 5

    Chapter 5 ¨C The Pursuers and Equipment


    There still weren''t many players who had arrived at the Third Town. It felt really quiet. I went on a stroll and along the way I listened to what NPCs were talking about, I looked for item selling booths.


    "Welcome, looking for something?"


    I was greeted by a somewhat-motivated man. His skin was white and he didn''t fit the atmosphere of this town, but let''s not bother about that.


    Medical Spirit Grass¡ª¡ªno matter how I looked at it, it was upwards-interchangeable with grass.


    And one more.


    Magical Spirit Grass¡ª¡ªsomehow, it seemed like it was a herb related for magic. Maybe MP potions can be made with this. However, it''s expensive.


    500G each. Total of 1000G. Were I to spend a few days here, and buy some; 2800G would disappear in no time. However, in my case if I buy one each I can grow them with time, that''s why I''m going buy it.


    After that, I asked the NPCs around, and was recommended a certain place.


    It was a tavern in the centre of the town.


    I thought that since it''s a town there''s no danger and entered to take a look. There were quite a few people dressed like thugs, since there were muscular people inside; the feeling that I was out of place couldn''t be denied.


    "Hoho, Missy. This is not a place for children to enter."


    "Don''t call me ''missy''. And I''m a man."


    I returned a glare to a man with a short cut and short sleeves who spoke to me. I wonder if it''s an event NPC. Well, let''s answer appropriately.


    "Hm? What are you wearing on that finger?"


    "A ring."


    Somehow, the drunk man has suddenly turned silent and it turned eerie. The eyes of the man in front of me turned stern as well.


    "Did you make that ring?"


    "Yeah, I made it with ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿."


    "I don''t think such slender arms can handle metal!"


    I was yelled at for some reason?!


    "Whaat! I made it! Look!"


    "If you''re satisfied with no better than scrap iron equipment and ornament makes it obvious."


    *kachin*. This guy kinda pisses me off. It pisses me off that even NPC''s know that. I too want some more time to make elaborate accessories, but I don''t have time to.


    "What? Want to go at it? Then try hitting me. If you make me move even a single step I''ll acknowledge you."


    "Men don''t go back on their words."


    "Of course."


    I dropped my waist and accumulated my strength. And then I threw a punch into his stomach with force of my entire body behind it. However, this man wouldn''t budge. His six-pack abdominal muscles were as hard as iron. The hand I punched him with hurt, it felt as if I hit an armour.


    "Hey, you must be joking."


    "That''s how a woman''s slender arms are. Go back and train."


    "Wait a moment!"


    I tried calling out to the man, but I was made to leave the store by a dandy old man who looked like the shopkeeper.


    As soon as I left the tavern I heard voices of men chatting leak out from inside. Somehow, I felt like I''d saw a horrible atmosphere and got in a bad mood. Oh come on, once I''m back I''ll complain to Magi-san for a bit.


    The sun was still high. The portal¡ª¡ªif I used the pale blue sphere object it would be fast¡ª¡ªbut let''s run and collect items while at it. The quarry''s enemies are slow after all.


    After deciding so, I ran through everything with ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿ and speed enchant. The Golem and Sandmen cast me a sceptical gaze and went inactive, I went back to the First Town while collecting items.


    Thanks to harvesting in the quarry the amount of Iron Ore I had on hand was extremely abundant.


    "Magi-san, listen to this."


    "Ohh, Yun-kun. How was the boss'' subjugation? Did it fail?"


    After arriving at Magi-san''s shop, I spoke to her across the counter.


    I went to a chair nearby and started complaining.


    "The Golem was successfully defeated and I went to the Third Town."


    "Aah, that place. There are people among friends who want a high metalworks, so I want to go there in the near future too."


    "Magi-san''s a crafter right? Can you fight?"


    "No waay. That''s why, six parties. We''re going to break through it with 36 people in total. Half of them are crafters. Since the purpose is to go to the town it doesn''t matter to me even if I get a penalty. In the first place the way we raise levels are different."


    "Haa. Combat and crafting are different huh."


    "There''s a substantial and clear difference. So, it''s not about Golem''s subjugation?"


    As she said that, we finally came back to the topic.


    "Earlier, I went into a bar when looking around the Third Town and got in a quarrel with an NPC, I couldn''t hold a candle to him."


    Although it was brief, it seemed like Magi-san realized something.


    "Ahh. The tavern near the centre. Haa¡ª¡ªhow nostalgic."


    "What is that place?"


    "It''s a place through which everyone who handles metal goes through. Yun-kun, what''s your ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ level?"


    "Umm, 13?"


    "Impossible then. You need to have at least 25 or that event won''t proceed."


    "What does that mean?"


    "Actually, we ¡¾Smiths¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmen¡¿ don''t work only on metal."


    "Well, that''s right. Hey, right now I can only use metal and jewels."


    "Yupyup. That''s why in there, after you hit him after reaching level 25 he''ll say ''physical strength is the essence of a smith!'' or something and will throw you forcibly into a mine alone."


    What''s the meaning of that event? They want to offend the player?


    "Well, you get a special skill from that. In general EX-Skills are obtained in events."


    "Hee. What kind of skill in this case?"


    "You can change appearance of items other than metal."


    "And their performance?"


    "It''s unchanged, but design is often by players who want the looks in equipment."


    For example I could attach fur to an alice band making dog ears, cat ears, or animal tails. There are some maniacs who would buy those.


    "Well, the one who started it first was me."


    "Magi-san has?"


    "Right now I''m using tough metals to make weapons and armour, but if there''s an order I''ll make it. By the way, I made a killing in the ¦Â version."


    "It doesn''t sound too interesting. But that looks like it could make a custom image for a character."


    "Indeed indeed. A carpenter came to me for some reason wanting to attach a skull to an ugly stick to make it into a necromancer''s image. Then there''s a case a weaver who wanted to make a vampire cloak by covering the fabric''s surface with bat''s film. There''s quite a lot of freedom. In the end, I happily made it. Those two deal with cloth and wood, and paired up for an event in the second town. I guess now we''ve kind of partnered up into an association?"


    I see. That''s quite an interesting story I''ve heard. Hmm. Ornaments to match character image. A high degree of freedom.


    "Well, I guess that''s it. Also, do you have any potions for sell?"


    "Ah, yes. I understand. Are the new ones I made okay?"


    "Hohoo, let me check them."


    "The new thing, Blue Potions as well as the remainder of Potions. In the end I overestimated the Golem''s challenge and made fifty, only about half was used."


    "Oh, a Bluepot. Moreover the recovery amount is high. It''s as good as the average Highpot."


    "Is its effect that high?"


    "Yupyup. Ten Bluepots and twenty-two Potions huh. Well, Bluepots are cheap when sold to NPC, but this recovery amount is that of a Highpot, half price of the Highpot so... 500G, about 5770G in total?"


    "Woah, a cheap material like Blue Jelly''s made it so expensive."


    "I don''t know how to make it but I''m glad it has high effectiveness. I''m leaving, I look forward to future deliveries."


    I was able to let out my complaints and earned deliciously for the Blue Potions.


    My evaluation of Blue Jelly sky-rocketed. After that, I bought some from the NPC shop, even if you pile up a dust it''ll become a mountain... 7G for one, I bought a hundred for a total of 700G, it was quite out of schedule.


    What remained was 6000G. I need to procure equipment, then I''ll be short on money to expand the field again.


    After I logged out during that day''s dinner we reported to each other on the recent events.


    "Woah! Onii-chan went to the third city eh."


    "I was invited by Takumi to be a pseudo-healer."


    "Ohh, well, Takumi-san thought of it well. Crafters want to go to the third town as soon as possible."


    For some reason Miu was convinced. In fact, Takumi might have thought of that as well. When I thought that I felt like I was dancing in his palm.


    "Oh right. Onii-chan, today my ¡¾Defence Power Increase¡¿ was disposed of and I got a new ¡¾Physical Increase¡¿ Sense. I put the ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ in the free place."


    "Speaking of ¡¾Physical Increase¡¿, I''ve heard about Sense Tree, but what''s that?"


    "Sense Tree is, so to speak, a diagram of Senses. From the ¡¾Sword¡¿ either ¡¾One-Handed Sword¡¿ or ¡¾Two-Handed Sword¡¿ is derived, it changes into a different class."


    "So what''s in there?"


    "For example if you level Senses A and B you''ll be able to get a Sense C from a separate tree. And if you pick Sense C you won''t be able to go down the trees for A and B."


    "In other words, you need to redo it all."


    "But re-leveling it from the beginning is a bit hard, only extreme power fighters would take it. There are some people who don''t transfer into another tree and continue to level the same ones."


    "Hmm. What''s that ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ Sense? It wasn''t acquirable in the initial Senses."


    "Onii-chan, you need a bit more info."


    Being efficient is all right, but your brother wants to leisurely sip his tea on a veranda.


    "Once you acquire more than 20SP, the amount of Senses you can take increases. In the ¦Â times, it increased at 40 too and will probably increase at 60. That''s why there are people who make a total replacement when they get to 20 to fit their image."


    "So, are the Senses that appear at 20 strong?"


    "Nn, not at all. Speaking of performance, there''s not much difference. However, what appears are things that allow to exploit enemy weaknesses or resist abnormal states, a conspicuous kind of things I guess? Also, some turn into are insight-types Senses when leveled."


    "So is ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿."


    "For example there''s a ¡¾Snake Eyes¡¿ Sense. That one gives a paralytic effect on the seen enemies when activated. it''s one of the ones that can be obtained at 20. It''s more fight-oriented than ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ is."


    You were called garbage. Sorry, ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿. But I won''t forsake you.


    "If ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ is grown, one day it''ll be the strongest."


    "Certainly, no one knows what''s the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ derivation, since even in the ¦Â no one raised it to more than 25."


    "All right, I''ll try raising all the Senses to 30 and see. But now that I think of it, in order to get a lot of SP it''s good to get a lot of Senses."


    "In fact, there''s a lot of people who take Senses and level them to 10 to get new ones. But when I consider it I think that''s hard. Moreover, higher level Senses take 2 or 5 SP. After doing such a thing to get those Senses you need to level up to 50 or 60. Leveling up on average is quite hard."


    As expected of an advanced player. She assessed the shortest route.


    "I still have quite a while until I reach my level from ¦Â I think? Onii-chan what are you doing?"


    "What do you mean by what?"


    "Exactly what I meant. What are you doing to level up?"


    "Ahh. I''m making potions, accessories. I make money by creating consumable items. It''s a good way to level. That''s for crafting only though."


    "You''re broke like usual aren''t you."


    Miu laughed merrily with a voice like a bell. It''s fine isn''t it. Even so I''m at a level where I''m somewhat useful in the combat. It''s true.


    "Well, little sister will watch over Onii-chan."


    "Hoo, do so then."


    "Yupyup. It''s my role to make sure no nasty insects attach themselves to girl Onii-chan."


    "Give it a rest with such teasing jokes. Sometimes when I recall I''m about to lose consciousness from the agony."


    "I understand. Then I''ll be going to hunt with Sei-oneechan."


    "Yes yes, send my regards to Sei-nee."


    "Onii-chan, want to go hunt together?"


    "I''ll pass for now, I''m tired."


    I did a lot of things, I was nervous on the boss mob, although VR isn''t all that realistic, It was incredibly tense during the battle. I didn''t think I would wear down my nerves so much. And what about fighting with a Dragon, I went to my room. I thought of these words and of Taku''s hunting party, enhancing weapons and armour''s great after all, that instant I realized it.


    ¡ñ


    A few days later, with a goal of enhancing my equipment I went out to do field work. By making accessories and polishing with ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ leveling as well as making potions I saved up 40kG.


    I had a pleased look on my face after accumulating this much money. It would be good if someone sold me a bow for this, I thought as I walked through the town...


    I¡ª¡ªwas being stalked!


    No, wait. It must be a mistake. A model man in his early twenties had a lolishota-type boy with him . Heyhey, wait. This isn''t no joke, why do they continue to stalk me even after I left the town at a brisk pace, chasing after me? Aren''t they quite high-level players?


    As I turned around, the edge of the cloak and the tall man''s head could be seen from where he hid, I can see you. But, for some reason even knowing he was seen he didn''t stop tailing me.


    "Should I call SOS to someone? But... no, if it''s a PK then people will ran away before that."


    I have confidence in my feet. They won''t come to the third town after me. After deciding that, I escaped to west at full force.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed."


    I applied an enchant and ran through. Up until now I learned the entire forest''s geography as I collected. I left toward the quarry quickly using the shortest route, but the two continued to remain behind me. They''re high ranked after all! But why are they aiming for me?


    What I could think of was¡ª¡ªStone of the Earth Spirits and the money I had on hand.


    Can it be that they know I have the strengthening material?! Even if not so, the half of the 40kG of my sweat and tears could move the enemy.


    The benefit of the PK system allows you to take money off the person you defeated.


    I can''t stand up to two people with initial equipment!


    Even though I''m a man, I''m stalked by men, this is my life''s crisis. Even though it''s a game.


    I need to flee to the Third Town, then go back through a portal and ask someone for help.


    In the quarry I avoided Armadillos and Crabs, as well as ignored Sandmen and the Golem. The two in the back were stopped by Sandmen. Yeahh, I seeded them out with this, I took a breather after entering the town.


    "Haa haa, finally seeded them out. What''s with them. Ahh, that was scary."


    They aren''t coming after me. I turned back and looked, although I wasn''t confident they disappeared and at ease, I entered the portal hoping that someone would sell me a bow in the First Town. Also, an armour, one made from cloth. Ahh, speaking of which that tall man had some good clothes, I wonder if they sell those. While thinking that I transitioned through the portal.


    "We finally meet you jerk."


    There were those people from before in front of the destination portal. I didn''t think they would travel such a long distance.


    "We underestimated beginner''s equipment. I didn''t think you would go as far as the Third Town. We died and came back here."


    ¡ª¡ªI''M SUCH AN IDIOTTTTTTTTTTT.


    They returned after dying. I don''t have much use for that town yet, they assumed I would use a portal to return and just waited for me to appear!


    "Now, let''s talk, hey wait!"


    I ran away again. This time I need to go to a place these people won''t come to. No, I need to hide somewhere where I can wait until someone responds to my SOS. That''s right, Magi-san''s shop should be good. Thinking that I started running.


    As I glanced behind, the two were running at full power, but they were slower than earlier. Oh, I see, the death penalty status decrease huh.


    At this moment, I rushed plunging towards Magi-san''s shop.


    "Ah, Yun-kun... ¡º"Magi-san, hide me."¡» he?"


    Like that, I jumped over the counter and crouched behind it.


    I suppressed my breath as much as possible and started moving my sight to see signs of presence behind me. Somehow, my heartbeat rate increased rapidly and sweat flowed unpleasantly.


    After a while, people entered the shop.


    "Magi, got a moment?"


    It was those men. The two people''s footsteps. My heart rate jumped further, even though I couldn''t see, I moved my eyes to ascertain where they are. Even if PK is impossible on the streets, I don''t want to stay together with such guys.


    "What? What happened? And how did the speed accessories from before feel?"


    Magi-san spoke in an informal tone. Those two seemed to be frequent guests at Magi-san''s shop ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿.


    "Yeah, they gave us quite good speed. With five accessories speed bonus we were as fast as speed-type players."


    "It was fast. If I were to put the left over SP into speed, I would be the fastest."


    The two spoke indifferently about the dead chase after me.


    "Looks like there''s a huge difference just with the equipment''s enhancement. So, Magi. You''re hiding her."


    I looked up at Magi-san from inside of the counter and shook my head. Magi-san continued to smile and gave me an OK sign with her fingers.


    "Whom? Recently there''s been quite a few smiths coming to beg me to teach them, but our rule is to sell things at reasonable price right?"


    "A reasonable price, no problem. I more or less know your Sense build."


    "What we want to know is about the ¡¾Mysterious Bluepot Vendor¡¿. The one Magicchi is selling for in consignment, it''s effect has reached our ears too."


    Bluepot he says, my Blue Potion?!! But why. Anyone could make that.


    "Hahaaan. In other words, you want to force out of her how to make highly effective Blue Potions and for her to teach you how to how to use ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿? Cloude."


    Magi-san''s tone of voice lowered by a level. Because of this voice the man called Cloude faltered.


    "M-Magicchi, that''s not it. Kurocchi was just interested. Also, we''re curious about the novice player Magicchi got to know recently. The weaver Kurocchi wants to know the origin of the Film and the Big Fur."


    "Listen Lyly. I don''t know what you''re up to, but the fact that she came to ask me for help is enough. Moreover, what about forcibly eliciting technology from someone? Won''t that girl''s efforts and advantage be lost?"


    "Uuu..."


    This time, the lolishota went silent. Magi-san, seriously thank you. You''re really dependable.


    "So, what did you do."


    "We thought of asking."


    "And?"


    Magi-san looked up at them from below. Her face was scary, or rather she cornered her opponents with a smile on her face.


    "At first we wanted to call out to her but... we couldn''t get the timing and... that''s, she ran away. Although she finally came out from the portal, her expression changed and she escaped in a dash into this place, did she escape through the back door already?"


    ...hey, aren''t those people just pathetic?!


    Weren''t they like, super angry when one of them called me jerk? I totally thought so.


    "Geez, what kind of a retarded thing is the top weaver doing? You too Lyly for keeping him company. Think about feelings of a girl chased by two men. Even if it''s a game the expressions are transmitted to it. Even if in a game ethics are different from ordinary, it can''t be helped that someone would get suspicious."


    Magi-san said everything I wanted to say. However, I''m a man. As for ethics being different from ordinary. In other words, murder isn''t a sin.


    "Cloude, your sulky face is scary so anyone would escape."


    She ended it perfectly.


    "I get it, my bad. Um, can I ask you for a follow-up? I''ll also prepare some goods as apology."


    "From me too please, Magicchi."


    Magi-san spat out a big sigh.


    "¡ª¡ªSo, what will you do? Forgive them? Yun-kun."


    Like that, I was called out to on the inside of the counter. Certainly, after hearing the story from earlier it didn''t feel like I was being stalked, well it should be fine to show my face. That Cloude man was a bit intimidating. He was so tall.


    "Umm. Magi-san, thank you very much."


    "...so she was there."


    Cloude had a somewhat uncomfortable expression.


    "So, will you forgive them?"


    "Forgive or not, Magi-san already said everything I wanted to so it''s fine."


    "I see I see. Yun-kun''s a kind girl. You make Onee-san happy."


    "I said, what girl, I''m a man."


    "There''s no way such a cute girl is a boy!"


    Suddenly Cloude raised his voice.


    Ahh, somehow I understand what kind of person Cloude is. He''s that. His vectors are the same as Gantz''s. In response to my cold gaze Cloude started coughing and Lyly smiled wryly.


    "So, can you introduce me?"


    "Hmm. This is the archer selling the mysterious Bluepot."


    "I''m Yun."


    "Then, Yuncchi it is. I''m Lyly. Since I''m a Woodworker come to me if you want to request a bow. I''m bored with all the requests being staffs."


    "I''m Cloude. A weaver mainly dealing with cloth and leather."


    Ahh, both of them are crafters. It felt like they had no weapons, so it was like that. I thought they were sorcerers, surprising.


    "So, I wanted to ask, what are the Bluepots?"


    Hmm. Everyone put on a subtle expression. Only the person asking didn''t notice, but the out-of-place feeling was undeniable.


    ¡ª¡ªMysterious Bluepot.


    It was a potion sold in consignment with ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿, a shop that dealt with metal weapons and armours in ¡¾OSO¡¿.


    The Blue Potion was equivalent to Mixed Potion, it''s been found very useful in ¦Â version as it was very cheap. However it was difficult to create as it required level 15 ¡¾Mixing¡¿, the hurdle was too high for players who just started the official version, with the early potion uproar, there was no one who would make Bluepots.


    Currently, the Potion prices have settled down but a concern for High Potions'' price rising, and then a Bluepot with high recovery amount appeared.


    Although it was inferior to High Potion, it was cheap and easy to use making frontline players rush to ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿ to obtain them.


    And then a story of a mysterious potion mixer appeared as well as a story of Mysterious Bluepot.


    "We were looking for the person but... um, I apologize for scaring you."


    "No, it''s fine. So, I''m that Bluepot maker?"


    That''s surprising. Even though I just mixed Dried Herbs with Blue Jelly Powder.


    "Yeah indeed. We saw a player who went in and out despite not using metal weapons or metal armour, it was out of place."


    Certainly, I had a bow and cloth armour, Magi-san sold neither of them.


    "Well, I''m just a broke crafter. I just try to barely make a living selling potions like this."


    "However, I don''t like it. You, look at my appearance all right?"


    "Hm?"


    Cloude had quite a frown on his face. Honestly, his glare was scary. Magi-san grinned having fun. I looked back and forth between him and Lyly comparing them.


    "We''re crafters, why do you think we insist on such equipment?"


    "Who knows, maybe to enhance your basic stats?"


    As I tilted my head lightly, Cloude''s eyes were opened wide.


    "Wrong! That''s where the romance is!"


    "EH?!"


    "Certainly, enhancing the status part is necessary in the game! However, were just that the case, it would be sufficient to just use what''s already in the game system to make ourselves unique. Us crafters are seeking what''s not available in the game system. For example, if we are ordered to make a skimpy outfit we would make one. However, if it''s just a costume that has a purpose of showing boobs it would be vulgar. Indeed, it''s important to make it beautiful, to make it attractive. That''s where the romance is! Wear cat ears made by Magi! Use equipment made by Lyly! Dress in the clothes full of romance made by me!"


    The language I''ve been hearing was Japanese. However, I didn''t know what the man in front of me was saying.


    "Therefore, I''m trying to say. For you to continue wearing initial equipment¡ª¡ªis a waste."


    "A-a pervert?"


    "Well, Cloude''s weird, but there are parts I can sympathize with. How to make it so it''s easy to use, how to make it to fit the person. How will the person wear it after its made, imagining that is fun."


    Magi-san said so. Somehow, I could understand the meaning that way.


    "I didn''t think of such a thing, I just created potions to sell them expensive."


    "I''m the same. I just make what I want to make. Everyone is different and that''s all right."


    Lyly looked towards me with a carefree smile. There crafters really say various things and there are various crafters out there.


    "Therefore, let''s consult it. No, no consulting. Even if you don''t pay, as an apology I''ll make you best armour I can."


    "Cloude. You''re really condescending aren''t you. Hmm?"


    "Uuu... p-please let me make you armour."


    "Kurocchi''s being really humble."


    "Eh? Who was the one who chased her together with him? Lyly."


    "Eh? Me too?"


    "Of course, the two of you are to apologize. Using the technology you have, right. By the way, she has made 40k."


    For a while now, I''ve felt a big change in Magi-san as compared to when she taught me about crafting.


    "...that''s too cheap! Every piece of the cloth armour costs 40k! Six pieces of top and bottom would cost 250k!"


    "Who said, it''s only for you Cloude? 40k, for both of you."


    Hiiiiiii, Magi-san. That''s cruel.


    "Magi-san. That''s overdoing it, an overkill."


    "Come on Yun-kun, you''re too kind. If you didn''t entrust the potions to me you would earn it sooner."


    "No, I want money. But if I, umm, if I get too greedy my little sister''s complaints will get worse so I''m not in that much of a hurry. Also, Magi-san is selling them at reasonable price aren''t you. That''s it. If it''s this person then I can trust her, is what I thought."


    "You said something that makes me happy. It can''t be helped. You, men."


    ""YES!""


    Magi-san''s tone of voice was lower by a tone.


    "You escaped by a narrow margin. Be thankful to Yun-kun. However, the main culprit, Cloude. You''ll make Yun-kun the minimal possible armour."


    "Yeah, of course."


    Hmm, 40k per piece.


    "By the way, what are the six equipment pieces?"


    "Main are Head, Arms, Torso, Waist, Underwear and Outerwear. By the way, beginner''s equipment is just the waist and outer clothes."


    "Oh-ho, Then first the outer clothes please."


    "Understood. What about additional effect? For a crafter DEX would be good."


    "Is that the best choice for a crafter? Oh right. Can you use this to strengthen it?"


    I took out an item from the corner of my inventory.


    "I see, certainly to pass by the Golem, you need to defeat it at least once."


    "Ohhh, Stone of the Earth Spirits. Another request for Kurocchi with a rare material came. I''m jealous."


    I took out the Stone of the Earth Spirits. Originally I thought that I''ll be PK''d if I held it, so using it in such a way might be a good idea.


    "If you have a rare material, then pass me all your money. I''ll ignore the minimal possible and make it the best one I can make."


    "Is that fine? Isn''t the 40k a price for the the minimal piece?"


    "That would have only the minimal performance then, the reason is lack of the material. Fufufu, like this I''ll be able to level up as well and we''ll be mutually beneficial."


    His black smile was somewhat scary. Well, if you can then please do make it.


    I left the store leaving the Stone of the Earth Spirits and all my money behind.


    ¡ñ


    A day later, I was contacted through Magi-san.


    I waited for the armour to be done restlessly. In meantime I continued to craft potions in silence and trained Enchant.


    Since it seemed like there wasn''t enough pills I hunted around the town collecting Gallstones and Fur.


    On the field, I completely changed over to harvesting Medical Spirit Grass and Magical Spirit Grass, and completely migrated to buying herbs from the NPC.


    My status has grown as well.


    Possessed SP12


    ¡¾Bow Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Lv28¡¿


    ¡¾Mixing Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv12¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv5¡¿


    From the Medical Spirit Grass I created High Potions. From the Magical Spirit Grass I created MP Potions. Moreover, through going the same drying procedure I was able to increase the recovered amount. Perhaps because my ¡¾Mixing¡¿ was low more than half failed at first, but right now there''s about 70% chances for success.


    It was also of high quality, their number increased by using Alchemy''s Lower Matter Conversion, although I was quick at preparing them, I couldn''t ensure big amounts. For the moment I recovered the excess from the additional recovered HP.


    On the contrary, my recent worry was that I wasn''t able to level my ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Sense. There was no longer any need to create synthetic Potions and I no longer felt a need to raise it. Recently, I''ve been buying the arrows from the shop.


    "¡¾Synthesis¡¿ went back to being a trash Sense."


    At this rate ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ will no longer be needed. I need to do something, I thought and looked at unused items in my inventory.


    "Hmm. Recently I haven''t been doing the Synthesis with three different items, even adding potions increases the amount they recover. Highpots and MP Potions are too high level so they''ll fail. Is there an item... stones?"


    I have stones piled up in large quantities. Isn''t there like two hundred of them already? They were destroyed when I used ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ on them before, I feel like it would most likely be successful now.


    "Easier to do something than worry about it¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·!"


    The result of three stones being combined with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ was¡ª¡ªa Rock.


    A beautiful round rock was lying on my waist.


    "H-heavy. I need to move it to inventory... oh, there it is there it is."


    Since they were in the way, and to raise the level I began changing Stones to Rocks. In the middle, I used ¡¾Alchemy¡¿.


    I tried it, but it failed. I wonder if there''s some kind of rule for it. Rock wasn''t a higher level stone. I wonder what''s it used for.


    They were of perfect size. I''ll put them around the field, it''s just a whim but like that it''ll be more scenic. I''ll leave a dozen rocks.


    Gray stones, ocher soil and green herbs as well as yellow and purple Antidote Grass and Paralysis Grasses changed it into something that looked more like a flower bed than a field.


    "Uwaa, it turned beautiful, it would be good to leave it for a while and show it to Myu later."


    Everyone makes fun of agriculture, but I think it looks beautiful.


    There was also decoration called frame, it seemed to add on onto the taken screenshot. One day, I want to decorate a shop of my own.


    *pon*. A sound echoed in my head. It was Magi-san contacting me.


    "Yes, Yun here."


    ¡º"Ah, the armour''s made. Cloude left it over earlier along with a note."¡»


    "Oh, then I''ll pick it up as I deliver the potions."


    ¡º"Understood I''ll be waiting."¡»


    Well for Bluepots I can make them immediately from a recipe. As long as I go through multiple processes it''ll be the same and the only difference will be an intense MP consumption. Instead, for that amount Magic Power will be leveled up. It has its good and bad points.


    "Now that it''s made, let''s go. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed."


    I changed into ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿ Sense and applied an enchant on myself before advancing to town at full speed. Leaving a yellow afterimage behind me I arrived near the town centre at the ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿ in matter of minutes.


    "Magi-san, hello."


    "Yes yes. Welcome. Armour, here you go. Also, there''s a service he said."


    Nervous, I received the armour through the trade screen with Magi-san. There was some kind of a note attached inside.


    CS No.6 Ochre Creator ¡¾Outerwear¡¿


    DEF+16 Additional Effect : DEX Bonus, Auto Repair


    "Uwa, it''s as different from my old armour as heaven and earth."


    "That''s right. But what''s the most amazing is the effect of Stone of Earth Spirits."


    The rare material gives the equipment an additional effect, that''s a so-called reinforcement material which can bring on special effects.


    "The effect of this Stone of Earth Spirits was Auto Repair. With this effect the equipment will absorb MP to automatically recover, even if it''s completely destroyed it will recover as long as there''s time and MP, that''s what''s written on the note."


    That''s convenient. If it''s broken I won''t have to pay to re-purchase it again.


    "Ahh that makes me happy. Then, I''ll try it immediately."


    After I took it out and looked at it, it felt like black and yellow-brown coat. There was a large cut on the shoulders which exposed the entire shoulder and its skin, focusing on the ease of movements. There were decorations made from leather and golden metal at some places, I understood just how good Cloude''s sense was.


    The inside was simple, black and durable. It felt nice. When I put the leather coat over it, the inside was hidden.


    Although I said it was a leather coat, it''s hem wasn''t too long. It was at a degree where it hid my butt at best. Around the waist there was a belt I could adjust to have it fit the body.


    "It''s cool. I like it. But what does the CS in the name mean?"


    "Ah, that. Crafters can freely change the name of items they create. In Cloude''s case for him to put his ID in there means he has has confidence in them. It''s an abbreviation for Cloude Series."


    "That''s embarrassing."


    Somehow, it felt like a limited edition item. Well, fine.


    "Next time I''ll pick it up from him normally."


    "It''s embarrassing after all isn''t it. Also, if you act as a model for him next time, there''ll be a discount. That''s what was written on the note."


    Uuh, somehow I had a bad feeling after being asked to be his model. That guy''s on the same vector as Gantz, he''ll most likely have me wear some weird clothes.


    "I''ll think about it."


    "Right. Also... there''s nothing else."


    "Is that so. Then, Potion delivery."


    I placed the Bluepots in the trade screen.


    "One Bluepot for 500G, 50 for 25kG. You''ve gathered a lot in three days. Have a little patience, won''t you have your own shop soon?"


    "I wonder. I want to have it one day, but well, hey hey."


    "I see. If that happens you''ll sell them by yourself. Onee-san will be lonely."


    "Then I''ll show my face here once in a while. Talking to Magi-san is fun after all."


    "Oh-ho, you trying to make Onee-san fall for you?"


    "Don''t joke. It''s true. Also, we can talk with each other as crafters, right."


    As I smiled, Magi-san opened her eyes wide in surprise, and immediately responded with a smile of her own.


    "A conversation between fellow crafters. That sounds appealing. Well, if that happens I''d be glad if you were willing to deliver some potions here."


    "Then, in exchange for a souvenir from this shop."


    The two of us had fun speaking about time that hasn''t come yet.


    "Then I''ll try making something with armour performance."


    "Hm? Going to create items again? Your DEX was rose from before when you failed, so it might succeed."


    "Before that there''s a battle. I don''t know what kind of effect the status will have."


    "Hmm. When you confirm it let me know."


    "Understood."


    After I heard that I got out of the town, and headed east.


    Goblins and Big Boars, in the middle area where Slimes emerge there were two other kinds of mob emerging, Mill Bird and Grey Rat. In terms of level they were corresponding to Armadillos and Rock Crabs, but here, their speed was fast but defence was low.


    The Mill Bird was twirling around in the air, when I approached within a certain distance it raised a cry and assaulted me. In Myu''s case, she waited for the enemy to approach to slash with her sword. Even though it was charging at me, it announced its assault in advance with a loud cry and was easy to perceive.


    Grey rats were just big rats. Not cute at all. The rats were as big as a small dog, if I didn''t approach them they wouldn''t attack. It''s a mob which linked at short distance.


    My target today were the birds.


    I aimed from long range at the Mill Birds flying in the air. My attack power wasn''t high, but their HP wasn''t high either. After I shot it I was noticed, and before it approached I released three arrows, dropping it down to the ground.


    My bow''s accuracy hasn''t as low a hit rate as others said it had, but the accuracy was kind of different from before now.


    I aim effortlessly. Indeed, I can aim at the place of my choosing freely.


    In fact, when I aimed at the bird''s wings it''s flight was disturbed resulting in its destruction.


    Just by changing armour, there was this much difference.


    And by aiming at specific parts of the bird I learned that there is a significant difference in amount of damage dealt.


    In particular, if I hit its head it''ll be a critical hit for sure. By hitting both wings I disturbed its flight.


    "I see. The damage is determined also by the location which is hit, also it seems like bow has a close relation with DEX."


    The relation between bow and dexterity.


    Thanks to the bonus DEX from the armour; accuracy went up. That meant archers had their accuracy improved with DEX.


    The reason many archers were frustrated before, was cost to performance of the bow, accuracy and range.


    For the range, there''s a trend for relying on ATK. For the accuracy, there''s a trend of relying on DEX.


    Cost to performance was related to player''s ability to manage their own finances.


    While certainly, in this game the player''s skill is necessary, that doesn''t mean there''s no assistance. Something like the swordsman''s motion assist and mages'' tracking.


    In other words, the bow also has its own assistance, but everyone was too distracted with shooting range and didn''t notice the accuracy correction.


    "In other words, muscle brains. And because I''m a crafter, my DEX is high. How ironic. The fact that I took trash Senses led me to this."


    Early I didn''t level much, but as I continued to train everything my DEX increased and the correction was applied to my accuracy. That was my hypothesis.


    That meant, if I lowered the DEX on purpose my accuracy would decrease, and in exchange my DEX and correction would continue to increase.


    I returned to the initial armour and removed all the Senses which might have been involved with DEX.


    I didn''t think I could shoot down the birds without ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿. Now, I''ll believe in the bow''s level and shoot them.


    The arrow flew 10 metres. It didn''t go as far as half of the usual range with full Senses equipped. It didn''t reach the crow and after drawing a parabolic trajectory it fell down. It hit a rat that was wriggling on the ground.


    "Aa..."


    In a state with an arrow stuck to its back, it has come to assault me angrily.


    I pulled an arrow in a hurry and aimed it, but it didn''t hit at all. It took too long to equip the Senses and the equipment, the rat closed the distance between us. Since I removed ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿ and ¡¾Enchant¡¿ even if I ran away I would be caught.


    I was brought to close combat, and because of a single rat I returned to town by dying.


    "Ouch... dying is surprisingly painful. It''s been a while since I received any damage hasn''t it."


    The last time was on the first day the game started. Although I was doing crafting and long range shooting up until now, I might have went too far with Sense experimentation.


    The place I was returned to, was the central square of the First Town.


    I have proven if, probably. Considering the initial speed of herbivores, if DEX is low then a enemy might be made to avoid the arrows.


    I stood up and fixed the equipment.


    Because of death penalty I''ve got boring leisure time. Not good. I''ve still had time.


    "Maybe I''ll log out to do shopping. How about I do Chinese cuisine for dinner?"


    I gave up on crafting for the day, and obediently logged out.

 Chapter Volume 1 6

    Chapter 6 - The Trion Ring and Value of Information


    And on the next day, after learning my lesson yesterday I decided not to leave the town for the day. No, I don''t plan on becoming a shut-in, I''m just going to earn money to buy a bow.


    Although I have a reliable source of income from Bluepots, I haven''t had anything other than that, I thought of trying to sell handmade accessories.


    When it came to my feelings it was on a ''it would be good if they sold'' level.


    Thanks to the armour''s DEX the amount of failures when polishing jewellery decreased and I was able to work in a stable manner; I tried to proceed to the next stage.


    That is, processing Fine Iron Ore.


    "I want to try out the limits of a portable furnace, also, I want to make a one-off piece of equipment unique to only me."


    Influenced by what Magi-san and Lyly said. The urge inside me to make unique equipment burst out, and this is the result. I put the Fine Iron Ore I prepared with Alchemy into the furnace and changed it into an ingot.


    I applied an enchant on myself and continued to swing the hammer pounding into the ingot, and the first one was completed. Since my DEX is high the success rate of crafting was increased. In fact, it was really noticeable, it was easy.


    Even the Iron was being made while humming a song, and I continued to mass produce more and more Fine Iron Ingots.


    The reason he was struggling so hard up until now, was because he was leveling. Looks like the path of carnage is the path of the strong ones after all. Low rank crafting skills were okay, but at high rank, it was a highly valuable experience to make something with one''s own hands. The success rate was also high.


    And I, made a ring of my own.


    I changed its name and design, the colour was changed into that of a black metal to match my black clothing, three rings intersected with a Peridot on a middle pedestal.


    The effect of the jewellery material was a defence increase. For a minimal it was 1, for small-sized 2, for medium-sized 3. The ring I made now was incomparable with the ones I had made up until now.


    Trion Ring ¡¾Equipment Item¡¿


    DEF+9


    The upper limit of Fine Iron Ore was 6, so it was a quite high-level accessory.


    My Sense levels were also rising nicely I thought, and looked at them, it seemed like ¡¾Enchant¡¿''s level reached 30.


    ¡¾¡¾Enchant¡¿ Sense has reached Lv 30 or higher¡ª¡ªConsume 3SP for ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿¡¿


    Hmm. It seems like I got a Sense I''ve seen for the first time. Since the total number of SP I have acquired hasn''t reached 20, it must be the Sense''s growth.


    ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿''s description was¡ª¡ªthe amount of enchant types increase, releasing attribute-based preconditions, e t c...


    The former meant that there were three more types of enchants including INT enchant. If I have an INT enchant then my existence significance increases as I''m able to strengthen the rearguard, And as for the latter, it was no good. I didn''t know the unknown preconditions.


    After that, the description continued.


    ¡ª¡ªItem Enchant.


    "...for real. If I can strengthen things in advance, battles will be easy. I wonder what can it be used on other than equipment."


    I was excited after acquiring the skill.


    In Enchant''s skill column... ohhh?!! It increased all at once. The magic attack power increase with ¡¾Intelligence¡¿ and magic defence power increase with ¡¾Mind¡¿. Other than that, there was ¡¶Cursed¡· which lowered the target''s stats appeared.


    In addition to that, there were two new types added ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· and ¡¶Item Enchant¡·.


    "What what, ¡¶Skill Enchant¡·... you can apply one of your skills into an item. Hey, that doesn''t benefit me at all! This, it''s used to stick my skills into equipment of others!"


    The other one, has properly benefited me.


    "¡¶Item Enchant¡· player can apply the enchant to an item. This, if I put it on items it''ll sell! ¡¶Item Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªEnchant attack."


    Immediately I applied the Item Enchant on an accessory.


    Ring ¡¾Equipment Item¡¿


    DEF+5 Additional Effect : ATK Enchant


    I did it, and then in a good mood I tried applying a second enchant to the item, but it broke.


    "Ahh...fuu. Is that so. If I could enchant items indefinitely with no risk, I would do double, triple enchants."


    Since they were items I intended to sell rather than use anyway, I repeated the experiment.


    "I wonder if in addition to enchants I can put cursed on it? Well, let''s experiment more. ¡¶Item Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªCursed defence."


    Along with a black luminescence released the ring''s status has acquired ¡¾DEF Cursed¡¿.


    "Uwaa, isn''t that a cursed item. Now that I think about it. ¡¶Item Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªCursed attack."


    It broke after all. Next, I used enchant, cursed, and enchant in this order.


    The Trion Ring I made. Seriously. This performance is impossible.


    Trion Ring ¡¾Equipment Item¡¿


    DEF+9 Additional Effect : ATK Enchant, SPEED Enchant, MIND Cursed


    With this, for a mage, I could discard the attack and put magic attack as well as defence.


    Why did it broke and was cursed when using two enchants. This, maybe a material has a limit to its tolerance. In other words, depending on the material it can take more or less. If the material''s grade were to be raised, there would be no negative compensation with cursed. Moreover, these enchants, if I apply the cursed and enchant of the same types they cancel each other out. That means, this rule allows me to freely change enchants on the equipment.


    By the way, it was impossible for food items and consumables. They broke immediately and disappeared.


    I wondered how would it work if the stones and ingots I had were applied an attack enchant. Were it combined with Throwing Sense, would their attack power go up?


    "The number of possibilities have expanded. Well, that''s about this much for now. And now that I know what the conditions are for it. and the fact it doesn''t break, I know it''s magic, not crafting type."


    Eh? Speaking of which, am I the only person who has ever leveled ¡¾Enchant¡¿ up to this point? In order to raise that question, I contacted Magi-san.


    "Magi-san, is it all right now?"


    ¡º"What is it Yun-kun? Coming to deliver potions again?"¡»


    "Yes, I''ll come over. Also after that there''s something I want to talk about."


    ¡º"Got it. I''ll be waiting."¡»


    I headed over there by running. Although I ran equipped with accessories that were subjected to speed enchants, the regular enchant and item enchant seemed to be separate and there was a slight difference between the speed.


    Because of that, I almost hit people several times while running. In the middle I switched into walking at a brisk pace. And in the case of item enchants, there was no light generated.


    "Magi-san, hello."


    "Oh, you came. Shall we get onto the potion delivery?"


    "Let''s do it then."


    As usual, I sold Bluepots, making money. Because of the DEX bonus the amount of potions which failed decreased, I increased the size of the field and wondered about making Antidote Potions and Paralysis Potions in addition.


    "Yun-kun, how''s your current state?"


    "Getting better bit by bit. Also, the DEX seemed to have an effect on the bow''s corrections."


    "Ohh, you finally got that far. As expected of my disciple."


    No, it has nothing to do with our master-disciple relationship, also she spoke as if she already knew about it.


    "You knew?"


    "Who do you think I am? Magi-san the blacksmith, during the ¦Â test I examined variety of Sense characteristics together with Cloude and Lyly, we were looking for optimal corrections and combat positions."


    "If you knew then you could have told me."


    She made a sign with her hand and apologized.


    "I didn''t do it on purpose to be mean to you. Just think about it. What would it be if I taught you everything? Wouldn''t it be same as looking at the guide on the website?"


    "Well, certainly that''s true."


    "Also, I hate people who overly rely on the others and the people who look for their own selves are my pride. I give advices to people who come or negotiate with them. I welcome interesting children like you. What I hate, is the riffraff. The people who want to be taught, the guys who track guide sites to boast I''M THE BEST. That breaks the Only One concept, is what I think."


    "These are some harsh words."


    "Well, even information is for exchange. I too bought information about items and mobs in exchange for the best weapons and armour for them."


    I was thankful for the top crafter''s words. Geez, I need to pave my own way.


    "It looks like there''s a need for payment for the advanced lesson just now."


    "Ahahahaha, I''m not that much of a devil. As long as Yun-kun becomes a fellow crafter in the future I''ll be satisfied."


    "Then, for raising me up to this point I''ll give you this ring as a present. I finally managed to make it out of a Fine Iron Ore today."


    "Ohh?! You''ve finally reached that point. Right now I''m dealing with steel. Also, I deal with silver products."


    "Well looks like there''s still a long way ahead of me. Then here you go. I did my best."


    I removed the Trion Ring from my finger and passed it to her. I still haven''t had enough confidence as a crafter.


    "Then, I''m going to secure some more money from now on."


    "Yup. See you. Onee-san will cherish this gift."


    I went out of the store and when broke into a run, Magi-san jumped out of the store in a rush. But since I already began running, I didn''t notice it.


    "Geez, why did she leave it and left like that? I''ve never seen an accessory like this one."


    Magi-san murmured with an inaudible voice no one could hear.


    ¡ñ


    In order to secure more money, I carried out the field expansion using the money I had. After buying the fifth additional field the price increased tenfold, there was a further fee for buying an adjacent one.


    The amount of fields I had increased to six, and the amount of items I could cultivate was one hundred and twenty. Moreover, I bought items necessary for Mixing and ended up having only 10kG remaining.


    "Even though I acted in such a grand manner in front of Magi-san, I''m back to being broke."


    To improve my weapon and armour, also to buy my own store. The road ahead of me is long. But before that, in order to create accessories I''ll need a higher-ranking furnace.


    A furnace that can process steel costs 80k. The one above that, 800k.


    "I wonder if I can do anything with the remaining money."


    I browsed my inventory. The items that failed to go through the inspection were destroyed. Also, the randomly enchanted accessories occupied a corner of my inventory.


    Other than that, what I could use was meat, centipede''s poison... speaking of which, I forgot about the fossil.


    "The appraisal fee''s 5000G for a single time. If I take potions to Magi-san''s place I can get some money, let''s turn it into an item. Umm, so where do I restore it?"


    If I''m not wrong, then I need to show it to an NPC named Geologist, I remembered. I didn''t know where he was, but it should be fine if I proceed while asking the town''s NPCs and explore the town.


    I asked the first NPC on the central square, it seemed to be in the northern district. I had the NPC tell me the exact location and headed towards it, when I arrived, for some reason I was in front of an antique shop.


    "Heyhey, fossils are fossils but why does an antique shop take care of fossils."


    "Welcome, do you need anything from our store?"


    A man wearing a shabby vest and a wild bedhead appeared.


    "Can I have a fossil appraised in here?"


    "Yeah, other than that I deal with antiques. Occasionally I have real bargains."


    As I looked at the items in the store, most of them looked more like ornaments than item used for battles, in front of some of their names ¡¾Broken¡¿ was written.


    "For today just appraisal. This thing here."


    I removed gold from my inventory, and put it next to fossil.


    "Sure. I accept. Then I''ll take a look."


    He removed a monocle from his breast pocket and looked at the fossil through it. Seeing his figure, it seemed like he could use it as a theme for making accessories.


    "Appraised. This is a Seed."


    "A Seed? One of those you sow on the fields? Well, that''s convenient for me."


    "What, are you a farmer? This is a vitality tree''s seed. It''s not really rare."


    "Eh, and I thought it was rare."


    "It''s a tree that grows in a quite remote location, but it can be easily found in volcanic regions. Where did you find this fossil?"


    "In a nearby cave."


    "It might have been growing in this neighbourhood long time ago, if you want to sell it I''ll purchase it for 100G."


    "No, I''m taking it with me. I want to raise it."


    "It''s not an unusual tree, but if it takes root, it''ll bear fruit every day. In long term, you might be able to collect it."


    And thus I have received a Seed of Vitality Tree.


    Although I went back to the field in a hurry and tried to plant it, but unfortunately, the preparations still weren''t done. I swung down the hoe intently on the three new fields.


    Under the blue sky I worked in the field, while emanating red and yellow light. Thanks to the bonus from the accessories, I showed a performance equal to that of a farm tractor.


    It was easier than before, but as expected, it took some time. I wasn''t able to prepare any funds by selling accessories. However, I''m cultivating the High Potion and MP Potion''s materials on the field and have a prospect of stable production for Antidote Potions and Paralysis Potions.


    Today, I logged into the game in the afternoon.


    The fields I desperately cultivated yesterday and the day before were now about half-covered with plants. The other half was unused since there wasn''t enough seeds. Good grief, I thought of blaming the fact that I didn''t plan ahead, but I decided not to go to deep into it since it''s a game.


    *pon*, immediately after I logged in a sound rang out. The caller, was Magi-san. It was unusual for her to contact me on her own since I was at her place yesterday. Thinking that, I opened the friend chat.


    "Hello, what happened?"


    ¡º"Heya Yun-kun. Actually, Cloude and Lyly want to talk with you. So could you come to Cloude''s shop?"¡»


    "Seriously? Ah, umm..."


    Meeting him would be hard. The stalking incident aside, I''m not good with his attitude and behaviour.


    ¡º"Looks like you''re bad at dealing with him. I too sometimes go ''what''s this guy talking about?''."¡»


    "Yeah, well..."


    You don''t really hide it, but I won''t say that.


    "Um, can I make some potions first? It''ll take about thirty minutes."


    ¡º"Roger that. Then if you come to ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿, I''ll guide you to Cloude''s shop."¡»


    I cut the call from Magi-san, and recovered items I cultivated on the field. The Vitality Tree only extended a little and wasn''t harvestable yet. Even so, the amount of items that were planted increased.


    However, since it was time-consuming to harvest from the field, there was no time to make potions.


    "Ah, there''s no time. Highpots and MP Pots should be fine for a delivery. I can make more after coming back."


    I made sure there are items in the inventory and left the field.


    It was a road I was accustomed to traverse. I was also familiar with the NPC I avoided as I passed by. Look, there''s a perfect gap to pass through between those two, oh, those players were surprised by me slipping past. Sorry.


    I continued to run like that and arrived at Magi-san''s shop.


    "I''m here."


    "Oh, just in time. Let''s go then."


    Magi-san said something to the Clerk NPC and left ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿ with me. After we left the store, the people we passed by continued to glance at us in secret. Since I moved through the town at full power I wasn''t being looked at too much, but an archer was unexpectedly unusual. I felt bad being looked at and wanted to go to a place I won''t be seen in.


    "Magi-san, um, Cloude''s shop is..."


    "It''s a shop in the eastern district that faces the main street. Look, there it is ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿."


    In the direction she pointed to with her finger, there was a shop with an open terrace. No matter how I looked at it, it was a caf¨¦.


    "By the way, that one on the opposite side is Lyly''s shop ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Shop¡¿."


    As I looked at the other side, there was a store with an elegant wooden sign. Although the amount of people entering wasn''t all that big, but there were quite a few people coming and going.


    "How to say it, one side seems quite diligent, I wonder about the other though. It''s a nice caf¨¦ isn''t it."


    "Isn''t it. Cloude said that it''s supposed to be a cosplay caf¨¦."


    I have a bad feeling. I don''t want to enter, no, I have to enter though.


    "Then, let''s go in."


    "But it seems like it''s closed though..."


    "That''s because ¡¾Cooking¡¿ is a mishappen Sense, so it doesn''t serve as a caf¨¦. Sorry to intrude?."


    Immediately after I entered following the calm Magi-san, I was attacked by a fierce regret.


    "You came. Then change into this."


    For some reason, Cloude was waiting for us holding a pink maid outfit as well as a Japanese-style maid outfit.


    And while continuing to move with the flow as she entered, Magi decided everything with a blow to his belly. The way her fist hit him was beautiful.


    "G-gufu... your fist seems heavier than before. I though I''d vomit my internal organs."


    "Come on Kurocchi, don''t make fun of people like that. It''s not good."


    "Hmm. Looks like the strength is different. That ring''s amazing."


    All three of them said something completely different.


    I stood in daze at the entrance of the store and looked over the scene, Magi-san gripped her fist and confirmed it, Lyly sat on the counter seats further ahead and on the ground Cloude peeked through behind his knees.


    "Y-you all right?"


    "I''m okay. No problem. I was just shocked, there was no HP damage nor pain."


    "So, why are you saying to people who are passing by something that makes the space freeze."


    Cloude stared at Magi-san and laughed under his nose.


    "Why? A foolish question. I want you to wear it, because I want to see it. This characteristic and practical pink maid outfit makes one seem like he''s being fawned upon, it has a sly cuteness. Japanese-style maid clothes have calm and nostalgic colours from Taisho era''s romanticism and Japanese beauty as well as slightly mature and non-striking atmosphere! I want to see it. That''s all!"


    "Yes yes. I don''t really get it but since your acquaintance with Yun-kun is shallow you better stop."


    As I listened to the flow of conversation between Magi-san and Cloude, I took some more distance.


    "Well, that''s enough jokes. Yun, I want to ask you something. Is that fine?"


    "W-what is it?"


    I was slightly shaken up after the lengthy speech from before, I braced myself slightly.


    "You didn''t give accessories to anyone other than Magi have you."


    "...the Trion Ring? Ah, yeah. I haven''t prepared enough assortment to sell yet."


    Although I mostly used them to practice enchants, the Copper Rings couldn''t bear it. Enchants were possibly only on accessories made from bronze or higher material.


    "I see. Then this way."


    I looked around the store. We were guided to the room in the back, behind the counter which had an atmosphere of a workplace. The tapestries were decorated with cloth and leather, there was a simple dressing room made of stone prepared inside as well.


    The four of us sat down around a large wooden table in the centre of the workspace.


    "Now then, I have a few questions."


    "S-sure."


    "I''ll say in advance, it''s fine if you don''t say anything. If you are worried about your own advantage in the game or things like to the point of wanting to hide it then that''s fine."


    Somehow, Cloude exuded an atmosphere as if he was a police interrogator and it felt even harder to deal with him. I glanced at Magi-san, she responded with an atmosphere which meant ''it''s all right''.


    "Then I''ll ask. Can you make the ring Magi''s wearing freely?"


    "Yeah, if I have time."


    At this point I thought of talking about ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿, but earlier they said that they don''t want to force the process out of me so I shut up.


    "Are you completely aware of the process?"


    "Not... yet. I think I know about half of it."


    "The last one. If you were to sell Trion Ring, how much would you call for it?"


    Somehow, an unexpected question came in the end. Hmm. It''s the best from my weak rings, but I have confidence, it would be at least¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªHmm. It should be fine to sell it for 15k?"


    """Haa?."""


    That''s when everyone spat out a sigh. Eh, too expensive huh. Then then.


    "Too expensive is it... then 10k."


    "No no. Yuncchi, it''s the other way around. That''s too cheap."


    "Shocking?. Since I''ve been buying her items up until now, Yun-kun doesn''t know the stall''s prices."


    "To put it plainly, that thing of yours costs at least 50k. If the combinations can be freely changed, then mages would pay 100k for it."


    "Haa? Asking for 50k for five Iron Ingots, that''s too expensive. Impossible."


    In fact, it would be fine if ingots sold for 500G each.


    "Currently we can only make one bonus type as an additional effect. But you can make three types. Although there''s a cursed which is a negative effect as an addition, but for players who don''t need physical attack such a thing wouldn''t bother them as they would get no disadvantage."


    Well, I could tell that if I put on INT and MIND and ATK as a negative I could sell it to mage-types.


    Other than that, I could make a purely physical one. Customizing it to individual''s style was possible.


    And if my Sense was still ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿, if it increases to level 30 and becomes ¡¾Engraving¡¿ I might be able to attach bonuses with more freedom.


    "In other words, that''s this thing''s only worth."


    "Yeah, the equipment provides players enhancement. And here''s the main thing. We want you to teach us the manufacturing method. Of course, we''ll pay for information."


    "Haa?"


    Another outrageous request came, I''ve stopped thinking for a moment.


    I didn''t know how to interpret it, Cloude began explaining with a meek expression.


    "We''re not approaching you with RMT. We intend to pay you with in-game currency."


    "N-no, wait a minute. How did it turn out this way? What''s up with the ''sell me the recipe''? I don''t get it."


    "Even if you ask for the meaning, well. Just teaching us the process is meaningless. Once the information appears on the net, we''ll get it. But if anything, there''s a basic philosophy of the three of us."


    I still didn''t get it. My expression must''ve relayed that, that''s why Magi-san took over after Cloude.


    "The fundamental principle the three of us have is to ¡ºSell at a fair price¡». It''s no good if it''s too cheap, or too expensive. It was a coincidence that we were called the top crafters in the ¦Â version. And so, the things we made usually sold. In other words, that''s synonymous with us setting the price. That''s why we want information about items in order to set a proper price."


    That means, we''re the ones who are indicating what''s the fair price in this game?


    "For example, what if Yun-kun created the accessories with his new recipe. Whether it was cheap or expensive, no matter. And if that price was thought of as appropriate, what do you think would happen?"


    "...if I sold cheap, it would be resold at a higher price. If I sold it too expensive, I would be profiteering."


    "Indeed. Moreover, with little availability it would be thought as premium and there is a possibility it would become breeding grounds for RMT. We don''t want such situation to happen."


    "That''s why we want to know the preparation method in advance in case someone appears and makes it so that we''re able to provide the same thing at reasonable price. Well, you''re free to laugh if you think that wanting to balance the game is hypocritical. We''re just going to find another player who found the new process and negotiate with him or her. After all, the game''s currency is imaginary gold. There''s no regret even if we have to pay information fee."


    In other words, if I release those I would earn. And it would be a reasonable price too.


    "Then, it''s not about the talk about me selling it. Is it. It''s about the possibility someone found that point."


    "Yup. We have no intention of obstructing Yuncchi from playing, it''s okay to play as you want to play. Also, it''s fine if you refuse."


    Lyly said so, I thought it was fine to cooperate with them. The first impression I had of Cloude and Lyly was bad but I was made this great armour, moreover I trusted Magi-san.


    "I understand. I''ll tell you. Though, it''s not like it''s anything special."


    "Ah, that helps."


    I explained about my ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ Sense.


    There were the two newly-added skills ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· and ¡¶Item Enchant¡·. The additional effect on the Trion Ring was made with usage of ¡¶Item Enchant¡·.


    "And for some reason, if you don''t put a curse on it, it''ll break."


    "Break?"


    "If I don''t adhere to the rule the item disappears. I can put three effects on a material, but depending on the rank and type of the material, it''s possible that amount of additional effects it can be enchanted with might change both for more or less. Also, it''s impossible for food and consumables. It was possible for material items. That''s about all I know right now."


    "Hee? Yuncchi investigated quite a lot. I roughly understand what''s ¡¶Item Enchant¡·, but what does ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· do?"


    "¡¶Skill Enchant¡· is, that''s... I haven''t verified it yet so I''m not sure, but probably it allows me to stick the skill I have into the items."


    "That''s why you said you know only half of it. I''m glad I asked in advance."


    Cloude murmured. No, I think that was completely useless.


    "Yun-kun, you''ve learned another outrageous skill. Being able to enchant your skills to the items freely is convenient."


    "No, I don''t think it''s not useful at all though."


    Umm, there''s ¡¾Bow¡¿''s ¡¾Arts¡¿ Long Distance Shooting and Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form, as well as ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿'' recipes. Also, there are the ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s additional skills that are subject to ¡¶Skill Enchant¡·.


    ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· cannot enchant passive abilities that are associated with the Sense, for example ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿'' far sight or night vision as well as its targeting ability or ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s appraising eye.


    The so called skills that were called ''active skills'' could be added to the target.


    That''s why my ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿''s speed increase nor ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ far sight cannot be added, it''s impossible.


    "There are several possibilities, what kind of items can be enchanted, whether it can be enchanted into materials or not, and what happens to the enchanted items if it''s a magical skill - where is MP taken from. Depending on these three it might change a lot."


    "It has to be verified right. Then Yuncchi, try enchanting this staff."


    A piece of of wood Lyly took out started emitting light and changed into an uncouth staff. It must''ve been made with ¡¾Woodworking¡¿''s skill.


    "Is that fine? But, I don''t have any magical Senses."


    "¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ is also a Sense from the magic class. Isn''t it fine to enchant it with ¡¾Enchant¡¿?"


    "Got it. Ah... somehow, it seems like I need to register a keyword."


    It seemed like there was a need for a word to trigger the skill. Hmm, I wonder if it''s to make it so it doesn''t overlap with creator''s own skills? Then¡ª¡ªhow about ¡¶Active¡·?


    "It''s set. Then, ¡¶Skill Enchant¡·¡ª¡ª¡¾Enchant¡¿ Attack."


    My MP was drained and the cane started to emit a red light changing its status.


    Staff ¡¾Weapon¡¿


    ATK+2 INT+8 Additional Effect : ATK Enchant


    "Then, can I try it out?"


    Lyly held the staff.


    "The keyword''s ¡¶Active¡·."


    "Got it, let''s go. ¡¶Active¡·!"


    Together with Lyly''s voice the cane flashed red light which enveloped Lyly. And then the staff¡ª¡ªbroke.


    "I see. ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· is too strong so this is the price. ¡¶Skill Enchant¡·''s skills can be only used once and then they''re disposable. Also, Lyly, your MP?"


    "Good grief. The enchant was used without any MP."


    "Ohh, it can be used without MP Sense since it''s not sucked out. But it''s disposable."


    Breaking weapons is wasteful, an out-of-place thought crossed my mind.


    "This is dangerous, there''ll definitely be a demand. The fact that not only Yuncchi can use it, and I could do it as well changes a lot. Anyone can use it. This can not only be put in equipment but also simple materials, inexpensive items might turn into items from which magic can be used."


    After that, we experimented with a few items, but the ¡¶Skill Enchant¡·''s limit was maintained.


    The enchanted skill can be added to item separately from ¡¶Item Enchant¡·.


    And the added skills will not activate unless creator sets the ¡ºKeyword¡» in advance. It will break whenever the skill is used. Having weapons or armour damaged in the middle of the combat is fatal.


    Among skills, there were some that couldn''t be enchanted in. It was ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿'' ¡¶Skill Enchant¡·and ¡¶Item Enchant¡·, just these two. It was obvious that it''ll be impossible.


    The final things, the fact that it could be attached to materials was a big thing. And the items ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· was used on can be named freely.


    "Hmm. I see. At the moment Yun has monopoly on it."


    "Looks like it. Well, I don''t think that''s its limit. Just like with ¡¶Item Enchant¡· which broke accessories made of copper, if the material is appropriately high-ranked to the skill that was put in it might not be destroyed. If you learn anything else contact us."


    I was really grateful to the three of them. Although aside from them accompanying me to confirm things, I was the one they were grateful to.


    "Thanks for today. If Yun-kun wants to sell some items made with use of ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ then I would be glad if you consulted the price with us."


    "Yes. If anything then I would be the one grateful for such advice."


    "Then, Yun. This is the information fee."


    A trade request screen appeared, and connected with Cloude. Then, when I saw the amount being given I doubted my eyes.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª3000kG. Meaning, 3m.


    Too much money, it was unrealistic. Being given a 3m fortune suddenly I was confused.


    "Nono, there''s so much it''s weird! Wait wait, wait a moment!"


    As I cried out Cloude tilted his neck, Magi-san and Lyly smiled wryly.


    "One gets paid for the work they have done. It''s natural. Also, the three of us discussed the amount we thought was reasonable beforehand. It''s a fair price."


    That means the three of them brainstormed and concluded they chip in 1m each?! Nono, I need to refuse.


    "I can''t take it..."


    "Don''t worry. In this game, you''ll use up that kind of money in no time. If anything, it''s twice the amount needed to purchase a shop. Even more is needed to expand the facilities. That''s why take it. Or will you return it?"


    With Cloude''s last words my will bent. Big money sounded appealing. But I would be anxious if I held it. First, with my equipment I would lose to a PK. And I didn''t want a huge amount of money to go to waste. I appreciate goods more. ¡ª¡ªThat''s right, it should be fine if I change it into items as soon as possible.


    "Umm, that''s... Cloude and Lyly. Prepare me equipment for 1m."


    "Sure. Yuncchi is using a bow, but what kind to make? Longbow? Or maybe a short bow? What bonus, ATK or DEX? I''ll take the contract for 400k."


    "Then I''ll take 600k and make the waist and the underwear equipment. As for enhancement material, it can be strengthened later. The bonus will be DEX, the same as last time and I hope you will leave design to me."


    "Umm, Lyly. As for the bow, a longbow with ATK bonus. And Cloude, the same armour bonus. As for design, absolutely no skirts."


    Somehow, it felt really anticlimactic as I ordered the equipment so casually. Also, when I said no skirts, Cloude''s made a unpleasant expression.


    "You are a perfect model I found! Sailor uniforms and miko garments, battle maiden''s costume. Yukata''s and cheongsams, I even want you to wear a swimsuit. I''ll put up with all that, but at least wear a skirt!"


    "No, I''ll be troubled if you emphasize it so much. And hey, why are you looking at me from above."


    "After you wear it I''ll take SS''s from various angles! I''ll give you a discount too, and will be satisfied!"


    "I don''t want to! Rather, I''m a man!"


    What... a man. Then a boy scout''s outfit, military uniform, a naval costume. No, it should be a casual outfit or a swordsman''s. Nono, it has to be one from animal pyjama series, a suit hiding body... and so on. I''ve heard quite disturbing words.


    Magi-san re-equipped the Trion Ring and gripped her fist. As Cloude looked at it, he began to shed cold sweat.


    "I beg you, wearing a skirt is too embarrassing, anything but that."


    "I get it. A craftsman needs to fulfil the client''s request. However, I will get you to wear my cosplay costume one day."


    Kukukuku... hey, that''s scary. Somehow the cool atmosphere was ruined.


    Well, fine. I paid the two 1m upfront.


    "I really have no idea what to do with remaining 2m."


    "Yuncchi''s using the initial equipment right now so she doesn''t know, but repairing equipment unexpectedly takes time and money."


    "By the way, the price paid for repairing broken equipment is based on its rank. Roughly 20% of the price paid when buying the weapon. I calculate 10% for armour."


    In other words, 80k for the weapon I asked now, 30k for one piece of armour. The total for all items I asked for would be 140k.


    "Well, the price is also influenced by the degree it was damaged by, it''s an amount you''ll use immediately and in a planned manner too."


    I was grateful for Magi-san''s words, I delivered the potions and logged out.


    RMT ¨C Real Money Trade. SS for Screenshots

 Chapter Volume 1 7

    Chapter 7 - The Black Maiden''s Longbow and the Magic Gem


    The need to secure money has disappeared. But forget 50kG I can''t just carry around friggin 2m.


    Although a huge amount of money rained down on me from the sky, I''m just a simple citizen. I don''t want to carry such a fortune around.


    I''m seriously scared of things like PK. I might be in a state a lottery''s winner would be in.


    I selected Taku from the friend list and called him.


    "Hey, you there? Taku."


    ¡º"What is it? If you want an invite for hunt then it''s impossible. We''re currently hunting around the second town."¡»


    "Not that, a short consultation. I won''t take long."


    ¡º"Got it. Everyonee, a small break! I''m talking now."¡»


    Hm, isn''t stopping in the middle of a hunt bad?


    ¡º"So? It''s unusual for Yun to consult with me."¡»


    "No, I just accumulated a lot of money but I''m afraid to carry it around with me. Can it be deposited somewhere? Is there an in-game bank or something?"


    ¡º"Aah, I haven''t seen one. But guilds and homes can function as a storage for items and gold."¡»


    "I don''t have a home."


    ¡º"Well, there are no guilds yet either. I''ll start one soon, if I find people that is..."¡»


    I see, a guild. Well, I''m hunting solo so it doesn''t matter to me.


    ¡º"So, how much did you accumulate?"¡»


    "No, it''s scary so I''m not saying. Also, I want to deposit it as not to splurge. I would use it up immediately afterwards."


    ¡º"You''re right, you''d buy something like a field."¡»


    "Ahahaha... after buying fifth field the price goes up tenfold. There''s also a fee taken."


    ¡º"No way, don''t tell me you bought more."¡»


    "...I bought six. I paid 100k for the fields up until now."


    Although I''ve been earning quite well, the money continues to disappear for some reason when I buy materials or tools. How mysterious.


    ¡º"You, you should just set up a shop in there."¡»


    "Eh, I can?"


    ¡º"No, I have no idea... it''s possible? Maybe."¡»


    "...I''ll ask the NPC."


    ¡º"S-sure, then I''ll be going too."¡»


    Somehow that conversation ended. No, it can''t be, it''s a farmland, the south district. It could be done everyone would buy out the fields right. And that''s not true is it, NPC-san.


    "Hm? You want a store? If you buy enough land to become a landlord you''ll be able to make one."


    Hey, it can be done?!


    "By the way, how much land do I need?"


    "If you buy ten you''ll be authorized as a landlord. However, the land for the store is a different thing. In addition, construction of the store is done separately from that."


    "Then, four adjacent fields."


    "200kG then. Can you handle all that land alone? If needed you can hire a farmer''s daughter, want to try it?"


    The NPC was worrying about me. No, he''s right, I think I might not be able to manage it. While worrying about that, I received a deed of land.


    "You said you wanted a store? There''s a lot of land to pick from so you can freely choose."


    "Then a place that''s adjacent both to the field and the main street..."


    "You chose some favourable conditions again. One land piece 200kG."


    Eehh, just a moment ago I paid 200k for 4 pieces of land, now it''s 200k for one!


    "Well, with one it would be too narrow, if you bought three, four, it would be nice and wide."


    "How wide is one land?"


    "The same as a single field."


    Ah, so four would be quite spacious, but it might be good with just three.


    "Then give me three please."


    "That''ll be¡ª¡ª800kG."


    "Wait a moment! Just now you said 200k."


    "That''s the lowest price. In that case it''s 800kG together with fee for adjacent lands. This should already be a good enough compromise."


    The NPC rebuked me saying so. Grrrr...


    "Got it. Fine then. Then give me those."


    I didn''t think 2m would turn into 1m in such a short time. However, with ten fields I could produce two hundred items. That made me happy. I might even hire an NPC to manage it, when I thought that, the key item, landlord''s certificate appeared in my inventory.


    "Then I''ll pass this to you."


    "This is?"


    The NPC passed me a few sheets of paper and a pen. It seemed important even though there was nothing written on it.


    "Draw the floor plan of the store on it and just show it to ¡¾Master Carpenter¡¿ at the Second Town. Just put the estimates in there. After that you just need to pay me to build the store."


    In other words, this is a quest item. This town only rents out shops, one isn''t constructed by merely purchasing the land. There is a dedicated quest for construction.


    In fact, a quest ¡¾Store Construction¡¿ appeared in the quest column but¡ª¡ª


    "Hey, have you been in the Second Town?"


    "Oh, once you go there once you can move between with portals right."


    "But before that you need to defeat the boss at least once."


    The NPC narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. No, I already agreed. Is there anything else? Hey.


    "Oh, right. I''ve forgot."


    It seems like a new conversation. Is that something advantageous to me?


    "In case you want to hire farmer''s daughter, it''s 100kG a month."


    "You''re saying that now?!"


    "What will you do?"


    "...3 months contract."


    But well, I hired her. She can cultivate it with a hoe, plant the fertilizer and I just have to give her Seeds and specify partitions and everything would be done by itself.


    And when it''s ripe, it seemed like she harvested it.


    NPC-san who did heavy labour, cheers for the good work. It seemed like she worked even after I logged out.


    The field problem has been eliminated, from tomorrow I need to start heading to Second Town to capture it.


    The store I dreamed of! I need to go to the Second Town to find Master Carpenter get the store plan, in order to do that I have to fight with boss mob, Blade Lizard.


    Honestly, it was a pain. However, I had an idea who would help me with to pass it.


    "...Miu, actually, I need to go to the Second Town. Could you help me pass through?"


    That''s what I let out of myself when we were sitting together at the dinner. Today''s dinner was made to please her, thus I made Miu''s favourite meat spaghetti. Well, it was easy to make noodles. But that was secret from her.


    "Onii-chan got interested in moving forward! Of course I''ll help! Let''s summer aventure!"


    "Not really. Rather than that Miu, do you know what ''aventure'' means?"


    Aventure meant adventure in French. Although it was necessarily wrong, it had a meaning of love adventures and playing with fire.


    "I have a quest for which I absolutely have to go to the Second Town."


    "It''s unusual for Onii-chan to receive a quest. If it''s the Second Town then there''s ¡¾Collection of Fairy Glow¡¿ or ¡¾Investigation of Milldandy''s Road¡¿, also there''s a quest related to establishment of a guild ¡¾Subjugate Mastil Dane¡¿?"


    "No, it''s ¡¾Store Construction¡¿ quest."


    "I''ve never heard about it. What do you get for it?''


    "Ah, that''s..."


    Is it fine to say. Honestly, it''s the Seed business, I want to keep it secret since I want to continue buy out the fields in secret. All right, let''s say it ambiguously. As long as I''m not specific there''s no problem.


    "...I''ve become a landlord."


    "How do you become a landlord?"


    Yup, it didn''t work. My little sister hath tilted her head cutely, a classic. If a natural-type pretty girl did it, it seemed like everyone would most likely drop in an instant. Damn, this girl''s a hardcore gamer, the possibility of becoming a landlord has lodged itself in her head already.


    She''s a person who would start investigating flags to become a landlord.


    "Um... I bought land."


    "Land, where? I haven''t heard of it."


    "No, I think you know. I''ve heard of it from you."


    From me... she thought silently with a fork in her hand. With that question, I shut up and watched her quietly.


    "It can''t be...eeeeeeee!!"


    "Oh, you noticed."


    "Southern district''s fields! You bought it even though there''s no seeds?! Even I haven''t found any!"


    "No, I bought it because I had seeds."


    "Eh... Onii-chan has seeds. How did you get them?"


    "Normally, like this, eiii..."


    Indeed¡ª¡ªit glowed and done. I used a skill, see.


    Well, if she understands, that''ll be amazing.


    "...did you find a Sense that makes seeds?"


    She understood. What''s this, a non-verbal conversation between siblings?


    "Don''t spread the word, don''t put the info on the forums."


    "I won''t tell anyone, I won''t!"


    "Then I''ll tell you."


    "Thank you Onii-chan."


    What a greedy little sister. Good grief.


    "I made it with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense."


    "Eh... did you learn such a skill by raising ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ ''s level?"


    "No, I used Lower Matter Conversion. If you use it on plant-based item, the seeds are the lowest level item of the type and they grow into the source plant."


    "In other words... you made it from Herbs. That means..."


    "I bought raw material for Highpots and MP Potions, and cultivated them. By using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense I increased the number of seeds, cultivating a whole field. I create potions by using ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and sell them."


    "O-OOOOnii-chan! You can make Highpots and MP Potions?!"


    "What, is it that surprising?"


    "It''s impossible not to be surprised! The items players create have a naturally high effect. When thinking of hunting efficiency, those potions are much more efficient then the ones made by NPC!"


    But I''m playing solo, and I defeat things before they can deal damage, I will die if they get close. Other than the hunt with Taku and the others I haven''t tasted any real hunting.


    "Right now I''m in the middle of cultivating materials for Highpots and MP Potions. Meanwhile, I earn by selling Bluepots."


    "For you to make Bluepots, you raised your ¡¾Mixing¡¿ pretty high. Recently there have been circulating premium Bluepots, they''re perfect for rearguards who have less HP."


    Premium Bluepots? After Mysterious Bluepots, now it changed into premium.


    "I don''t know about Premium Bluepots, but I purchase and make them with cheap materials, I have switched the fields to raising Highpots."


    "Onii-chan! I''ll get the best setup of members! Tomorrow I''ll talk with everyone, so the day after tomorrow! Let''s go and hunt Blade Lizard in two days!"


    "S-sure. I''m also in the middle of preparing equipment, so if you could do that, it''d help."


    I managed to get her on my side. That''s great but it made me uneasy just how was Miu so easily motivated.


    "Tomorrow I''ll also be preparing so the day after tomorrow. I''m fine with any time so I leave it to you."


    "Got it! We''ll provide you the passage making sure you''re safe and sound!"


    I want to level my bow too so let me help, as I said that Miu started pondering.


    "Hmm. I got it!"


    I''ve become really anxious. It seemed like I''d be a huge nuisance to her party members. Rather than just provide the party provisions, how about I prepare them apology gifts? It will be a reward for escorting me through this boss, as well as for spreading shop''s publicity.


    After dinner I started preparations for the day after tomorrow, I bought materials and created potions. The enemy challenged was Blade Lizard.


    When we were fighting Golem majority of the Bluepots I had were unused. After talking with Myu it seemed that the recovery items that were currently used were Highpots and highly effective Bluepots.


    For players of Myu and the others'' level Highpots won''t be necessary, but I can''t say it''ll be absolutely safe. Although I couldn''t increase the success rate to the extreme, I''d like to erase the elements that make me anxious as much as possible. Admittedly, I felt like something would happen because of how fired up Myu was. And so, despite knowing it''s an excess I made about hundred Bluepots.


    If there''s this much prepared I can feel safe about everything. And the yet-unseen party members as well as Myu can use it on another occasion.


    And, since there was no time at the moment, rather then preparing it manually I used a skill.


    When using ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ to create items one by one success rate is high but the experience amount given is low. On the contrary, if you create a large amount of items at a time, a part of crafted items will fail but a bigger amount of experience will be earned.


    Recently the amount of Bluepots I could make at once with the skill increased. There was no more big material losses because of failures.


    "Hmm. Passing just Bluepots to them doesn''t seem all that interesting. Need to find something that''ll be more interesting."


    If possible, I want to pass them some items that would increase publicity of my shop.


    I looked for items that would look good in my inventory.


    Thinking of practical use, an assortment of Highpots and MP Potions would have an impact. Something like bon festival gifts.


    "Wait, that''s for house visit gifts. An enchanted ring...''s impossible. I can''t pass them such a thing all of a sudden."


    Come to think of it, ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· can be used on material items. If I don''t have any items to give out, let''s try making some. Let''s try experimenting for a bit.


    "Umm, the keyword ¡¶Enchant¡· should be fine. ¡¶Skill Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªEnchant Attack."


    I applied attack power increase enchant to a stone.


    The material received the red light of enchant and without breaking, it settled down on my hands.


    "To name it now, how about Enchant Stone? The trigger key''s ¡¶Enchant¡· too."


    The enchant stone I held in my hand sensed the keyword I was thinking of and started the skill that has been embedded in, it finished its role and became sand.


    "Not only just with a murmur, but also despite not intending to activate it. There''s a lot of stuff that needs to be verified."


    Checking the differences between the normal stones and Enchant Stones I made, I wondered.


    "Like this it''ll be hard to distinguish it from a normal stone, it''s no different from the normal large stones I hold."


    They are stones of the size of my fist,. It seems like it would be hard to carry them around.


    "Well, I made this thing, but passing them something this clunky is well, awkward. That''s right, I''ve got just the right skills for processing substances."


    I took out a new stone, and then subjected it to ¡¾Polishing¡¿ from the skill window.


    The scrubbed stone has changed into a size that was easy to hold and had a glossy surface.


    "This, this is it. This size makes it easy to grip. But the colour has remained as it is. Since each type of enchant has its own colour, let''s dye it to match the type of enchant."


    Red for attack power increase, blue for defence increase, yellow for speed increase, also orange for magic attack and green for magic defence. After matching the colours, I polished the stones and dyed the each type in their respective colours before subjecting them to enchantments.


    "There are items like these in games aren''t there, ones that raise your stats temporarily."


    Well, in this game''s case if you have ¡¾Mixing¡¿''s next Sense ''Dosing'' you can make that kind of potions from monster''s meat, that''s what Taku said before.


    And for no reason in particular, the ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ level increased... maybe to enchant a magic attack, I should level up a Sense which deal with magic attacks? And wouldn''t putting a magic attack in be awesome? For example scrolls with magic in them that let you cast magic once.


    There should be items like that. Ones that allow you to invoke magic without using MP and pointlessly long chants.


    A Gatling Gun which has hundred magic rounds, truly, romance.


    I was curious about it to the point I couldn''t help but to try it out.


    Possessed SP12


    ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv3¡¿


    ¡¾Mixing Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv1¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv18¡¿¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv8¡¿


    Because I wasn''t in combat, I removed ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense, and got an elemental talent. The reason I picked ¡¾Earth Element¡¿ was because it was somewhat unpopular and none of my acquaintances had this element. No, it wasn''t all that unpopular, it''s just that others were putting appearance as the priority.


    Of course, even though I took magic it doesn''t mean I''m going to become a mage. Don''t expect me to level Senses like ¡¾Staff¡¿ or ¡¾Magic Book¡¿, right from the beginning I''ll focus on crafting items by using earth magic.


    "¡¾Earth Element¡¿''s magic. At the start, there''s just this huh."


    The only ¡¾Earth Element¡¿''s skill was ¡¶Bomb¡·. When I tried it out, there was an explosion of ochre-yellow light. Honestly, as far as explosions go it was just as vivid as light or flame.


    "It''s plain, but it''s not like it''s the only weak element among the six elements is it. Can it be enchanted into a stone?"


    Although I tried it out on a stone, it cracked. I tried to enchant it two, three times and it broke every time.


    In other words, stones weren''t of high enough rank as a material. I tried using Iron Ingots but it was no good either. If it came down to that, the only item I could use were gems.


    I tried using a small-sized gem but it didn''t work. The synthetic gems of medium size weren''t strong enough and collapsed too. It left only medium-sized Peridots.


    "As expected, it''s impossible to enchant small-sized ones. If the next size won''t work I''ll give up for today. Keyword''s ¡¾Bomb¡¿ set. ¡¶Skill Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªBomb."


    After emitting ochre-yellow light the Peridot gem remained in my hand without breaking.


    "Hmm. That means elemental magic needs quite a high-ranked material otherwise it''s no good huh. At the very least medium-sized gems..."


    Although it''s not yet confirmed, but seems like containing the top level magic would be difficult or impossible.


    Thinking of the game balance, deadly blows which could be triggered with just a keyword without consuming any MP just by preparing the magic in advance would be nothing else other than a cheat. In order to avoid that, the rank of the material required for attack magic might have been set higher.


    "Ahahaha... seriously. I do think it''s quite reasonable."


    Also, one more thing. My MP gauge. Just by casting the weakest magic 30% of my MP was consumed. 1% of my MP was used when recited normally but...


    The reason MP consumption didn''t bother me when making Enchant Stones was either because of Enchant magic''s low rank or the fact that it was originally derived from the ¡¾Enchant¡¿ itself.


    And, depending on how much MP is required in order to enchant a high rank attack magic, I can assume that if there''s not enough MP the enchanting will fail. Enchanting with high level spells will be hard.


    "The material, and the amount of MP I possess, as well as the magic I possess are the deciding factors, eh."


    If I were to name it in the same fashion as the Enchant Stones, it''ll be Magic Gem, I guess.


    "I can''t make big amounts of Magic Gems. Well, let''s think of it as of a trump card."


    I sat down to recover my MP and put the bomb enchants into the remaining gems. After finally making about two dozen of them, my ¡¾Earth Element¡¿ went up to level 2.


    Somehow, it took quite a while, maybe I should take Magic Recovery Sense? I thought, but it was too late to experiment with that.


    ¡ñ


    On the next day, the moment I logged in I was called out to by the NPC I left management of the field to.


    "Ah, Yun-san?"


    "Yes? What is it?"


    There was something to talk about concerning field, the NPC spoke to me by herself. Anyhow, even if I talked to the AI for the entire day I wouldn''t get bored of it, that''s the conversation ability it had. Amazing.


    I wonder if there are people who train their ability to speak with people by using NPCs.


    "The Vitality Tree has finally settled in."


    "Thank you. I''ll take a look then."


    After I replied, she returned a charming smile. Uh, how detailed. Can it be that there''s a person inside? I wondered.


    And I''ve been guided to the Vitality Tree, it was tall enough to reach my chest and bore three fruits.


    The shape of the fruit, amazing, it''s garlic. Garlic growing on trees, how surreal.


    "Hey, what can Vitality Tree be used for?"


    "I wonder? On the contrary, I want to ask Yun-san, why have you planted this?"


    "I had a seed so I planted it."


    "¡­..."


    It would be better if there were no such realistic awkward atmosphere. If I was told that it''s people who are operating NPCs, I''m confident I would immediately believe them.


    Since the atmosphere was so awkward, I spoke out.


    "I-I''ll be going out for a while so I''ll leave harvesting to you."


    "Yes, have a nice trip."


    I was running away, though I did have errands to run. I contacted Magi-san and the others beforehand and went to pick up the weapon and armour. It seemed like we''re gathering together in Lyly''s shop today.


    I left towards the town, and headed to the shop in the eastern district. Probably since it was open today, there were people who entered and left Cloude''s shop. Surprisingly, I felt like there was a lot of female customers.


    "No, just a coincidence. Yeah, coincidence. It''s just that there''s a lot of women who dress in cloth and leather equipment."


    While telling myself that, I entered Lyly''s shop on the opposite side.


    Inside, there seemed to be some customers, they were magic-users, and people who wanted wooden weapons.


    In the store, there were wands and staff with jewels as well as bows, there were also striking weapons like flail, a stick with a chain attached to it, they all decorated the shop. The weapons had a different kind of charm from the ones Magi-san''s shop had and were pleasing to the eye.


    "Hee?. Interesting... there''s even a slingshot."


    There was an Y-shaped wooden weapon with stretching leather material between branching parts.


    "Welcome, Yuncchi. The bow is ready."


    Leaving the people who looked at the weapons in the store alone, I faced towards Lyly who was behind the counter.


    The store seemed to be smoothly operated by a Clerk NPC who had a slender face. After Lyly took me to the back of the store, NPC looked towards us and nodded lightly. This too, was realistic.


    "I came, how about the other two?"


    "Kurocchi''s still in his shop, Magicchi is waiting in the back."


    "Can I go into the back too? There''s something I want to show everyone that I don''t want others to see."


    "Whatwhat? You''ve been naughty again?"


    "Stop with the accusations. It''s nothing I need to feel guilty of."


    I mouthed a complaint, but Lyly in front of me laughed happily. I cringed.


    "Oh, Yun-kun. Hello."


    "Hello, Magi-san."


    "Hmm. I feel like I''m not necessary today, but is there something?"


    "About that, look forward to it later."


    "Ahahaha, you''re such a tease, Yuncchi."


    Lyly said so and picked up a longbow that was placed in the middle of the table.


    "The bow was made just as Yuncchi requested it. It''s big so handling it might be hard, try holding it."


    It was a curvy and flexible bow, the colour was black. The tone was like that of ebony.


    The string was very tense, overall the bow was quite heavy. But it wasn''t at a level where it couldn''t be handled. Rather than that, it gave of a nice feeling as I held it in my hand.


    Black Maiden''s Longbow ¡¾Weapon¡¿


    ATK+40 Additional Effect : ATK Bonus


    Black Maiden''s, why ''Maiden''s''?


    "Weapons just like armour pieces rank up, and additional effects can be added with an enhancement material. Also, I''ll occasionally do a maintenance on it to recover it''s durability but... Yuncchi, can you use it?"


    "Yeah, it''s a bit heavy but it fits nicely. Using it might be hard but I''ll be able to aim quite far with this."


    I pulled the string without an arrow and released it. A clear sound like that of a string instrument resounded in the room.


    "...Yun-kun''s really amazing."


    "Is that so?"


    "Among weapons the equipment that does not fit ones status gets a negative stat correction. If a metal armour is equipped without enough ATK, SPEED drops down extremely, and in case of a large sword, it cannot be lifted. That also applies to a bow. And so, Yun-kun wasn''t rejected by the bow. That''s amazing."


    If the equipment does not fit the status there''s a negative correction, a rejection, that''s clever.


    "The negative correction for the bow, is damage reflection. The people who use bows in reality sometimes injure their hands while handling it right? That''s the happening phenomenon. If your DEX is too low, every time you shoot an arrow you receive damage. It seemed like they were groundless fears of mine. ''Maybe she''ll somehow manage as she is now?'' I thought, but it seems like you have enough DEX."


    So the reason Lyly was hesitating as he passed the bow, was that.


    Even so, to think ¡¾Bow¡¿ had such an unfortunate circumstance and I didn''t know of it. Also, it seemed like its impossible to use any other equipment since it doesn''t match me.


    Speaking of which, Taku for example didn''t wear a whole body armour. He didn''t have metal equipment on his head nor arms. Among the players I passed by in the town only a few of them had full body metal armour, although it was lack of funds but it seems like they couldn''t equip it for such a profound reason.


    "It appears like Kurocchi has come. Come inside."


    Lyly seemed to have been talking with Cloude via friend call. Before long Cloude came inside guided by the NPC.


    "I''m last huh. Sorry, I''m late."


    "We didn''t really have to wait for you. Also, you were doing that again right?"


    Magi-san waved her hand speaking in amazement. What''s that.


    "Hey, what does that mean?"


    "I was putting screenshots of players wearing my clothes on the blog."


    "...peeping shots?"


    "You really are rude. I properly explain it to people. I hide their faces as well, it''s a blog introducing the clothes. And you too, are one of my models."


    "Why!"


    "The clothes you''re wearing are my masterpiece¡ª¡ªthey''re pieces wearing the name of CS. How could I leave them unrecorded."


    "No no, I''ve no idea about that. Just give me the armour."


    Good grief, what a hasty girl. He let out a sigh. No, I''m the one who''s tired mentally here.


    "Here, Inner and Waist equipment."


    I started gnashing my teeth in the middle. Inner was still good. There was an embroidery same as the one on the black coat. I didn''t know what kind of embroidery it was, but it looked like a cool emblem. However, I couldn''t accept the waist.


    "Hey, this ain''t pants."


    "This is a swimsuit. It''s not panties so you don''t have to be ashamed!"


    "I said no skirts so you made a swimsuit?! That''s extra embarrassing."


    "Don''t worry, if you tie a loincloth on your belly it''ll be like a skir... no, sorry. I was joking."


    Magi-san raised her fist aiming for Cloude with a smile on her face. Among rings she had equipped on her fingers, there was the Trion Ring.


    These are ATK increasing rings, that''s for sure.


    "The real thing, is this."


    Instead of the swimsuit from before, what he took out was hot pants. These, were made from dark green fabric, they felt similar to jeans as they touched the skin. It must''ve been easy to move in them. I was a bit anxious about my back, but the hem of the coat was splendidly designed to hide my butt.


    "CS No.6 Ochre Creator. That''s what you should call it."


    "That series name and number feels a bit embarrassing though."


    "That''s one thing I won''t surrender. Also, look at the equipment''s performance."


    CS No.6 Ochre Creator ¡¾Underwear¡¿


    DEF+10 MIND+10 Additional Effect : DEX Bonus


    CS No.6 Ochre Creator ¡¾Waist¡¿


    DEF+10 SPEED+10 Additional Effect : DEX Bonus


    "Add the +16 Physical Defence from the Outerwear, there''s Magic Defence 10 and Speed 10. That''s what you get from three pieces of armour. The performance should be better than some lame full body metal armour."


    No, I have no clue. There''s nothing I can compare it to so I leave it to specialists.


    "Is that so, Magi-san."


    "It''s true. If anything, there''s the speed increase so you can move more nimbly than when using a metal armour."


    You serious. Well, certainly being fast appears to be a good thing.


    "I''ve already prepared the designs for the three other pieces. Hurry up and prepare gold for it, I want people to worship the fully complete Ochre Creator set."


    "But won''t they look even if it''s on the display?"


    "Clothes are to be worn by a best model! I have no interest in clothes that aren''t worn!"


    That line of his was cool, but he wants to dress me up. Dangerous, I feel goosebumps because of that.


    "Lyly, is there a place I can change in?"


    "Then, there''s a private room over there, this way please."


    I''ve been guided to the room and changed into Ochre Creator equipment.


    It was comfortable to wear, much better than the initial equipment I''ve been wearing up until now, my body was light. I could feel the ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿''s benefits.


    "I''ve finished changing."


    Hmm. Everyone''s been staring at me. Wait a sec, the quiver is hung on my shoulder, my hair was fine. Although it felt weird to worry about dressing up in the VR, but I lightly fixed it up.


    "It suits you. Yun-kun looks really light."


    "Ohh, Yuncchi looks like a model."


    "Hmm, looks like my judgement wasn''t wrong."


    Being given such a positive feedback by those three made me happy, but a bit embarrassed as well.


    Maybe sympathizing with these feelings of mine, Lyly approached me and pulled me by my hand.


    "Then while wearing that equipment, let''s try out the bow."


    Lyly took us all to the back of the shop.


    In there, was a 10 metres wide and 15 metres long place that was reminiscent of shooting grounds.


    "I made it for trial shooting with magic and the bow. Yuncchi, try shooting the scarecrow."


    "All right, let''s try it for a bit."


    I stared with ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ at the scarecrow wearing a plate armour.


    I nocked an arrow on the new longbow and pulled the string. Probably because of the new armour''s DEX increase it was easier to handle the string then a while ago.


    I released the first one. The arrow flew straight and hit the centre of the scarecrow, but was repelled by the metal plate. However, in the place it hit there was a small dent.


    Next I moved, walking to the right. I shot an arrow, and despite moving away to a different spot I hit the same place as before. The third one, was shot from the left and it also hit the same place. This time, the dent on the steel plate increased.


    Fourth, fifth... I shoot from the left and right the same way. Sixth, seventh, eight, ninth, tenth, although it was a small pace, I continued to sidestep to both left and right and while shooting arrows, my posture was undisturbed.


    After shooting eighteen arrows I was able to tear through the metal plate. I lowered the bow and let out a big sigh, I spoke to myself about my impressions.


    "I think it''s good. Before, I was unable to pierce through Iron."


    "You pierced through iron with just an arrow. Shooting on the move is high level technique for those who attack from long distances, Yun-kun."


    "Moreover, she shot all the arrows in the same place. Yuncchi''s DEX is quite high."


    Being told so by Magi-san and Lyly was embarrassing.


    And while crossing his arms, Cloude mumbled. ''REC done, SS made, folder name: Black War Goddess. Finished, saved and hidden.''


    I''ve heard something scary. Ignorance is a bliss. Let''s move on with the conversation.


    "Thank you for making me cool weapon and armour, Lyly, Cloude."


    "Don''t mention it. Won''t you become my model? I''ll give you a discount on the armour."


    "Don''t worry. I love making things with my own hands."


    "Lyly, I look forward to being your regular customer. And Cloude. Men''s clothes, and you won''t use my name, these are the conditions."


    Lyly made a joyful expression, and Cloude raised his shoulders in protest. As well as Magi-san who looked at us as if she saw something pleasant.


    "Now then, the thing I wanted to talk to you three about. With the ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ ''s ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· from before I have itemized materials."


    I showed the three Enchant Stones and Magic Gems.


    The fact that enchanting in attack magic consume a large amount of MP and the possibility that higher level skills cannot be added unless the material is adequately high level. I have expressed my opinion on that and described what I think.


    After my explanation finished, the first one to raise a doubtful voice was Lyly.


    "Hmm. What about effectiveness? How much damage does it deal? When holding a wand or staff there''s additional damage correction, how about the enchanted Magic Gem?"


    The perceptive Lyly posed questions in a rapid succession. As a carpenter, he knew a lot of magic-users who used wands and staffs thus he asked. But I couldn''t answer.


    "In fact, I haven''t tried it out yet. So could I do it in here?"


    "Sure, try aiming it at that scarecrow."


    I stowed the bow in the inventory, and took out the magic gems instead. I held it in my left hand.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·!"


    I held another gem in my right hand, I made a pose to throw it.


    Responding to the keyword the Magic Gem started to emit light. But the gem in my right hand wasn''t the only one that lit up. The nine gems I held in my left hand responded as well.


    "Shit... get down!"


    Immediately after Cloude''s yell rang out, all the gems I held in my hands¡ª¡ªexploded.


    After the explosion a dense smoke enveloped us, but I somehow survived.


    The surroundings of ground zero were marked with brown burn marks, the part of the store was broken.


    "*Cough*, *cough*... impossible, a spontaneous discharge."


    "Uuu, I feel dizzy."


    Since I was at the ground zero, my HP barely survived after being subjected to multiple magical explosions. Have I not changed my equipment I would be definitely dead.


    Lyly who was nearby has also received some damage.


    "Magi-san, are you okay?"


    "I''m fine since Cloude held me down."


    "Better say that I shielded you. But that sure was flashy. Scolding will come later, look at your body first."


    He? I raised a dumb voice.


    I looked at myself, the left half of the Outerwear''s coat disappeared completely. The underwear and hotpants were torn giving them a risqu¨¦ feel. My left flank and my left buttock were completely exposed.


    Since I had a female body type, exposure of the white skin was horribly embarrassing.


    In real I''m a man, even though it wasn''t my original body, being seen still wasn''t good.


    Although I immediately hid my body with my hands, the torn places were very wide and it was pointless to try hiding them like that.


    Seeing my reaction continued to stare. *click*, a sound of a shutter rang out. What did he screenshot just now?


    "Lyly''s clothes were torn as well."


    "Hmm. It''s true. My entire body received minor damage.''


    I checked my equipment, the entirety of my new armour was damaged, even though it was brand new...


    "For an armour to be damaged by ten rounds of beginner''s magic... impossible."


    "Not necessarily. There''s a bonus for chaining the same type. Also with a simultaneous explosion a combo happened. The amount of damage was increased with every blow, it''s not such an impossible phenomenon. Moreover, only I received the damage since I was at zero distance."


    While hiding my body I took out a potion, and recovered.


    "Looks like you need clothes to change into. You two can change into these."


    What Cloude took out was... a sailor uniform and a navy''s military uniform.


    "...you, it can''t be that you want me to wear sailor uniform?"


    "Wrong. The one who will wear sailor uniform is Lyly. You''re wearing this military uniform."


    "Sure. Give it to me, I''ll change into it."


    "Is that fine?! You''re a man aren''t you!"


    "It''s okay?. Since it''s a game one should fool around a bit."


    After saying so, Lyly went into a private room to change into a sailor uniform. After he came back, this time I went into the private room and changed. The navy''s military uniform let out a neat impression overall. I spontaneously accepted the waist equipment which were slacks, feeling the mood those clothes created, I tried folding hands behind my back.


    "I changed. Lyly, um... I''m sorry for causing such a commotion with that explosion."


    "Don''t worry Yuncchi. My armour was broken just a little bit."


    "Haa, playing with fireworks on the grounds is dangerous. But that''s not a phenomenon you see in games."


    Although two people were optimistic, Cloude silently crossed his arms. His form was beautiful, but unfortunately he was intimidating as he stood silent. Please say something.


    "Haa, how sad. It was torn up immediately after I passed it to you."


    "...um, I''m sorry."


    "I''ll fix you two''s equipment immediately. Yun''s Outerwear will repair automatically. But the other has to be repaired, same for Lyly''s who was hit by collateral. You will pay for the repairs since you''re the one responsible."


    "No way, I wasn''t all that..."


    "No, it''s fine. I''m the one responsible, so let me pay."


    The fact that I was the one who involved him with it didn''t change, that''s why I''ll pay.


    "Good, that''s a great resolve you''ve got. Lyly''s shop repair''s approximately 300k. Your clothes repair 150k, Lyly''s full body armour repair 350k. 800k in total."


    Impossible. I can''t pay! There''s no way I can pay that. I don''t have enough gold on hand now! A cold sweat starts flowing down my skin.


    "...I don''t have enough. I don''t have enough gold to fix the store."


    "...to spend 2m in just a few days, that''s amazing in it''s own way. Yun-kun."


    "It can''t be helped. If you allow me to put screenshots of you wearing those clothes on the blog, I''ll pay the money you''re lacking."


    With that it''ll get cheaper. Well, if it''s just one or two shots.


    "...well, that much is fine."


    "Lyly, take a pose! Yun, fold your arms behind your back! I''m going to take screenshots until I''m satisfied."


    "Eh, ah, hey, wait..."


    The current situation escalated grandly, and many photos were taken. Later, he sent me commemorative pictures. I don''t need them!


    "...fuh, it''s been a while since I did such a good job."


    "Cheers for the good work Yun-kun. Cloude too, you should hold back some."


    Magi-san happily watched our photo session. In the middle I gave up too, and continued to do what Cloude told me to. Eh? That has nothing to do with screenshot does it.


    Right now, my broken armour was self-repairing itself by absorbing my MP. For other pieces, Cloude repaired them for me. My pockets were once again empty, I was left without a penny.


    "Now then, we''ve strayed from the main topic. Yuncchi, what do you intend to do with Enchant Stones and Magic Gems?"


    "I want to pass it to acquaintances to get impressions and then try selling them in the store. However, since making Magic Gems is tedious, I''ll probably leave them for my own use."


    "Then, let''s do our standard routine, time to determine the price. We''re going to market it with an average of the prices everyone says. If it doesn''t feel good enough we''ll adjust it. How much for an Enchant Stone?"


    As Magi-san said that, everyone said their price going clockwise as we sat around the table.


    "5000 from me."


    "10"


    "Then, I''ll say 10k. How about Yun-kun?"


    "Eh? I''d say... 5000G?"


    "Then, A Enchant Stone for about 7500? For a consumable used for boss battles that''s reasonable. If the effect''s duration lengthens, then that amount can increase."


    I don''t know much about prices, but is that how it is?


    "Then, how about Magic Gem?"


    """50"""


    The opinion of the three was perfectly in sync.


    "...well, I''m going to use it for myself. I don''t know what''s its value, but does is it really worth that much?"


    I''m going to keep making them for myself, but I didn''t think it was only worth that much.


    "Well, the price depends on the magic type. The damage of ten bombs that brought you near death. Were such a suicide bombing to be used at the rearguard positions, I think that would surely send everyone to oblivion."


    Ahh, 50kG for fireworks which will fly up from the ground.


    "Also, if you can use a defence type-magic with one action, I think it might be useful when an immediate effect is needed. Magic Gem seems to activate about five seconds after the keyword is chanted. In the meantime, it''s possible to throw it. From what I''ve seen, rather than using a tracking like magic, the drawback is that it''s activated starting from the gem itself."


    "Hmm. I don''t really feel like it''s a disadvantage. Maybe it''s possible to install a trigger activation for it? You could make something like traps right? Something like bombs or landmines."


    I can''t think of 50kG lying down on the ground. Heck, from what I''ve heard it feels like it''s more useful against other players rather than monsters.


    In fact, after checking it later it seemed like it was possible to set up a trigger beforehand.


    It seems like the ownership of the Magic Gems remained even after they left my hands. Although it was convenient, it felt like it''ll be hard to handle multiple of them. I need to utilize the lesson I learned from the accidental explosion and give each one their own keywords. Honestly, it would be a hassle. I would definitely forget them.


    "Haa, somehow, the value of gold remains the same. Ehh, I''m broke so I can''t buy anything."


    "It''s fine. If you need money then bring them to me. I''ll buy Enchant Stones in consignment along with the potions."


    "Then after I''ll get some impressions, I''ll bring you some. I''m sorry to take your time today, and thank you for your counsel."


    I said so in the end and left Lyly''s store.


    As a side note, in the evening of that day¡ª¡ªI''ve been sent a picture of myself cross-dressing (even though I''m really a man) into navy uniform and a confused expression in a two-shot photo with Lyly hugging me with a big smile as he was dressed in sailor uniform.


    It was taken really well, and since it would be a waste, I didn''t delete it. Surprisingly, cosplay can be a good thing.

 Chapter Volume 1 8

    Chapter 8 - The Blade Lizard and the Train Man


    On the day I was supposed to subjugate the Blade Lizard with Myu, I was made wait for Myu at the eastern gate, the same one we met at last time.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªI''m going to meet up with friends and head to the meeting location."¡»


    And like that, it was my turn to wait. Well, that''s fine by me.


    I opened the inventory and confirmed what items I had, four sets of Iron Arrows+10, other than that there were Enchant Stones and various recovery items, Antidote and Paralysis potions.


    Oh right, I learned something interesting. The name of the NPC that was hired to take care of the field appeared to be Kyouko.


    After talking with her I learned that she can also deliver the items to other people on my behalf as well as purchase items from NPCs for me. I thought of having her purchase additional material items and having her deliver potions to Magi-san.


    Also, one more thing. This morning when I was mixing items on the field my ¡¾Mixing¡¿''s level increased up to 30.


    After using 2SP I upgraded it to ¡¾Dosing¡¿, with this I could use monster meat to create medicines.


    And so, it could be said that my Senses have grown splendidly.


    Possessed SP12


    ¡¾Bow Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv29¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Power Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv19¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv3¡¿


    It was a Sense build adjusted for combat purposes. The reason ¡¾Dosing¡¿ was used rather than ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ was for the sake of equipping items.


    Even though they were on similar levels, one of the Senses was a stage higher, and the DEX increase value was high for crafting-type Senses. Originally my main wasn''t magic so I don''t benefit much from INT and MIND stats.


    Well, I''ve quite the margin when it comes to SP I can spend, the amount of SP I acquired exceeded 20 and even though I checked the new Senses, I didn''t find anything attractive.


    The best ones, were ¡¾Snake Eyes¡¿ Myu told me about, bad status resistance Senses as well as different types of resistance Senses.


    From operation-type Senses, the ones which managed operations there was ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ Myu took, ¡¾Swimming¡¿ ¡¾Step¡¿ and ¡¾Climbing¡¿. Other than that, the knowledge-type Senses; ¡¾Survival¡¿ and ¡¾Linguistics¡¿, also ones for relations with NPCs; ¡¾Haggling¡¿ and ¡¾Purchase Increase¡¿. Those were some specialized Senses.


    Being able to acquire more Senses was a good thing, but all of them had very limited applications.


    Although I was interested in them, there was nothing I needed from among them.


    "Well, the Senses you don''t need to think too deeply about are the best."


    I was waiting for Myu and the others while staring blankly at the sky. Occasionally, I''ve felt gazes from around focused on me, the moment I looked around, everyone faced away all at once. Although that seemed to happen many times, it must have been my imagination after all. Once again I looked at the sky inadvertently.


    After a while, *klop* *klop* *klop*, a sound of fast footsteps reached my ears.


    "ONEEEEeeeeeee-CHAAAaaaaaaaannnn!"


    "Hm? Dowahh?!"


    I had been embraced from the side. I withstood the weight of the other party, then complained to them.


    "Myu, you... approach normally. It''s embarrassing to do such a thing in front of people right?"


    "That''s cause! You finally replaced your clothes after such a long time! Both your bow and your equipment are new!"


    "Yes yes, your comrades are looking over here."


    The women who stood behind Myu were either dumbfounded, smiled wryly, or for some reason they made ecstatic smiles.


    "Also, seeing Onee-chan in new equipment made me kinda happy."


    "That''s fine, but stop calling me that."


    ("But you have a female body, won''t it be weird if I call you Onii-chan?")


    Myu moved closer to me and whispered, although I tried to argue with her...


    ("But...")


    ("Or maybe, you want people to think your little sister''s family is weird? Just speak as if you were my Onee-chan.")


    ("Then you should have introduced me as your friend right?")


    ("I wanted to introduce my Onee-chan to them. My older sister I''m proud of.")


    Geez, being told that it''s hard to refuse. Myu likes me to the point where she wanted to brag about me. It can''t be helped, let''s do it properly.


    "Um... have you finished talking?"


    "Yup. Luka-chan, we finished."


    "Today, we were supposed to bring Myu''s acquaintance crafter to Second Town, is it this person?"


    "Yup, my real family!"


    "Nice to meet you, I''m called Yun. My little sister has been in your care."


    Somehow, everyone was surprised. I see, so I was the main reason for that.


    The woman in chainmail equipment who stood in the centre had a different kind of black hair tied behind her back and a two-handed sword at her waist. Even though she was a woman she was about as tall as I am.


    "Nice to meet you, I''m Lucato. Among companions I''m called Luka."


    With Lucato''s greeting as a trigger, Myu''s comrades introduced themselves to me.


    A prideful magic-user with small round glasses, and thick eyebrows was called Kohaku.


    The magic-user wearing a fancy two-forking hat was Rirei.


    With purple hair and hybrid black-coloured armour made of cloth and metal, Toutobi.


    The girl with mismatched eyes; right eye blue, and left eye red, as well as long canines as her features, Hino.


    Together with Lucato and Myu they made up a party of six.


    Since all of them were at a similar age to Myu''s, I was relieved in a lot of ways.


    "Now then, we can''t keep standing here and be in the way, we can continue talking as we move."


    "Yeah, you''re right."


    We left the town through the eastern gate. For some reason, from behind I felt regret, and gazes full of envy. Once again, I want to think of it as a coincidence.


    "I have heard about it before, about Myu''s family member who is playing this game as well."


    "Well, I have some spare time during summer holidays, and I started playing to meet our older sister."


    "By older sister, you mean Sei-san?"


    "Yeah. Though I say that, I''ve met her only once in the game. She doesn''t contact me at all."


    Thinking of which, even though I started playing to meet with Sei-nee, I''ve been fascinated by crafting and the bow.


    "Sei-san is doing her best in another party. We have passed by each other several times."


    "Is that so."


    Well, as long as she''s all right. If there is a need for it, she will contact me through friend list.


    "It''s about time to organize the party and register each other as friends."


    "Ah, you''re right. Are we going with all seven for the boss?"


    "No, if we do that then there will be a penalty. One person will leave the party and Yun-san will enter instead. In fact, we can hunt the boss with five people."


    "Understood. For the time being let me at least help out with the small fries."


    I too wanted to raise the level of my bow, that''s how I felt. Lucato didn''t reject it.


    I registered everyone as friends, and formed party with them.


    The rearguard Rirei was removed from party and replaced with me.


    For the time being, I called out to Rirei whose position I took.


    "Nice to meet you, can I call you Rirei?"


    "Likewise. Fufufu, thank you very much for showing me some good stuff when we first met."


    "Umm..."


    Rirei was staring at me with a hot expression.


    Seeing that, the girl with odd eyes grabbed her neck and pulled her.


    "Please don''t mind her. She welcomes only girls entangling with each other."


    "That''s..."


    "The so-called ''yuri''."


    "I found some new material. Fufufu, such a slender body, like a kitty-cat..."


    The one who showed a wry smile, was Hino with distinctive long canines.


    That''s a very nice smile, Rirei-san. She''s been staring at me with an ecstatic look for a while now, my intuition told me that she''s a dangerous person with a different vector from Gantz and Cloude.


    "Now then, let''s proceed."


    "Ah, Lucato. Wait a moment, can you distribute this to everyone?"


    I opened a trade screen stopping Lucato who was about to depart.


    "What? Onee-chan, it can''t be that you''re bothered about paying? I explained about Onee-chan before in detail convincing everyone already."


    "Ain''t na problem, na need to worry. You''re one of our''s relative. We can bear carrying ya."


    Following Myu''s remark was Kohaku. Is that Kansai dialect? That''s a bit unique. Well, for me having to depend on someone makes me feel unpleasant too.


    "Well, just take this for now. The recovery should be sufficient with this, and I want you tell me your impressions on how comfortable using those items is later."


    In trade, I forced a large amount of Bluepots and various Enchant Stones to Lucato.


    "W-why do you have so much of those?!"


    "Wha-what happened?"


    After she checked the item she received, Lucato raised a confused voice, Hino asked anxiously.


    "...a hundred of the luxury Bluepots and unknown status rising items."


    Everyone was surprised. Nono, Myu you already knew about Bluepots. Though speaking of which, you don''t know about Enchant Stones.


    I told them how to use the Enchant Stones, and what the keyword, as well as briefly explained the types of enchants activated by each colour.


    "W-we can''t take luxury Bluepots and such valuable items like this!"


    "Hm? Is that so?"


    Come to think of it, status rising-type of items made from monsters are very rare. So items that raise status might be quite expensive.


    In my case, I made it from cheap materials so it would be a rip-off.


    "I want some impressions on these items usage. They''re one of the new items I''ll be putting in the store I intend to open. Well, as well as a thank you gift for today''s escort and my regards for accompanying Myu in the future."


    "I understand. But let me say, Myu is our important companion. We will continue getting along well in the future."


    So she felt similar. I''m glad such nice girls have gathered around Myu.


    "Fufufufu... beautiful sisterly love... as this rate it''ll bear forbidden..."


    "You, you should restrain yourself a bit."


    Somehow, there seemed to be a fool and the straight man exchange but let''s leave it at that. Otherwise it might come back to me and hit me like a boomerang.


    Along the way we kept hunting the enemy properly and proceeded with seven people.


    Because my weapon''s performance was better, even without an enchant I easily defeated Mill Birds and Goblins. As usual, I couldn''t defeat slimes that easily, but it seemed like I was dealing some damage. If I spent some time on it, I think I could defeat it.


    Even so, Myu''s comrades were amazing. The Big Boar which took us a few minutes to defeat was taken down without us taking major damage.


    "You''re all amazing. I''ve been hunting Big Boars before, but we haven''t been able to defeat them so easily."


    Although before I was being carried as well. Taku and the others might be able to do the same thing now.


    "Nono, not at all. Our magic-classes cannot hunt them solo, from the ones who can kill a Big Boar solo it would be only our vanguards, Myu-chan and Tobi-chan."


    "...not at all, I can''t do such a thing. I can only use the worst tactics and attack it from behind for a critical hit. The one who''s strange is Myu. She can fight with the Blade Lizard alone."


    Hey, Myu, you can fight with a boss mob alone?


    "Ehh, it''s normal for me to challenge a Blade Lizard before going to sleep. Even if I die the death penalty will be released as I go to sleep, I don''t level up nor gain experience. Just by doing actions I''m leveling up even if I don''t defeat it. The complex movements from a fierce fight are optimal for leveling up."


    "Dat way of thinking''s weird! In VR there''s pain as well. Fightin'' while bein'' aware of ''at''s insane. Moreova, the percentage of your win is weird! ''s a real cheat!"


    This little sister of mine leveled up so much she was able to defeat a boss mob who''s supposed to be defeated in a group huh.


    And although it didn''t take long, with ease I spoke to Kohaku who was the straight man.


    "Um, sorry for having Myu burden you in so many ways."


    "Well, she''s very reliable."


    And in such a peaceful atmosphere we proceeded towards the Blade Lizard.


    "Even so, even though we''ve heard from Myu that you''re a crafter, you can fight quite well."


    "Is that so?"


    "As expected of Myu''s Onee-san. You''re quite a gamer."


    Ahh, I wanted to correct Lucato''s remark. I''m an older brother, also I''m not playing games all that much. I held down the words that seemed like they would unconsciously leak from my mouth and spoke appropriately.


    "Well, it''s that. With a bow I can attack from a distance and defeat enemies while not allowing them to approach. That''s how it is."


    "Fufufu, even if bow''s garbage, you''re a bow-holding cupid. You can make anyone fli¡º"Stop ''dat!"¡»."


    Rirei and Kohaku made a comical scene behind me, but just as Rirei said, the Bow was treated as a mishappen Sense. However, Lucato muttered ''is that so?'' curiously.


    "Um, Yun-san. I''ve got a question, how far can you shoot with a bow?"


    Such a question. Honestly, I didn''t know. I confirmed along the way that I can normally hit the targets 15 metres away.


    With the bow''s attack correction as well as the ¡¶Long Range Shooting¡· and Enchant I might be able to shoot as far as 60 metres which was the limit of ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿.


    However, I can''t expect it to hit. If I make sure it hits, it''ll be about two thirds of that.


    "I don''t know, I haven''t tried it."


    "...is that so."


    My ''I don''t know'' was taken negatively. Lucato made a slightly regretful expression.


    "Can you try hitting that from this position?"


    "Eh, that?"


    I looked towards it. That was probably the Blade Lizard.


    The distance was about thirty metres. It was an about 2 metres long lizard curled up and sleeping, its scales were about as sharp as a sword was. The gaps between there were wide, but the scales seemed to be hard. Looks difficult.


    However, I could aim for the gaps between them at this distance.


    "Wait, I''ll pull it so prepare for combat."


    "Eh, from this place?"


    I applied a triple enchant on myself and aiming towards the sky, I released the Art ¡¶Long Range Shooting¡·. The arrow that was released from the bow as I made such a form drew an arc and was stuck to the back of Blade Lizard. The advantage of this way of shooting was that the time between shooting and the moment it hit was extended, like this we could prepare ourselves before we engage with enemy.


    "It faced this way! It''s coming."


    When the Blade Lizard faced this way, I shoot for the second time. It pierced through the gap between the scales on its shoulder.


    Just as I declared, the big lizard stood up on its limbs and came at us with full force. I continued to shoot like a machine.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡·"


    When the Art''s cooldown ended, I triggered another Art.


    After taking two arrows in my hand, I released both of them at the same time. I surprised myself with my own fantasy-like movements. One of the arrows hit a scale, the other pierced through its nape.


    The moment the lizard entered the range of magic attacks I fell back, deciding to leave it to Lucato and the others.


    "Fuu, unexpectedly that scraped off some HP."


    The long distance attacks with arrows took 10. 10% of the lizard''s HP was shaved off.


    "Fufufu, that was wonderful, Yun-san. It''s as if you are a battle maiden from fairy tales."


    "Well, thank you."


    "Yeah, there''s no choice but to fiercely embarra¡º"Won''tya stop ''dat! Rirei!¡»...geez Kohaku. I''m properly guarding her aren''t I."


    With a fearless smile Rirei responded to Kohaku who retorted to her despite being in middle of battle. That was some classic manzai comedy. In the middle of combat Hino tried to calm Kohaku saying ''calm down calm down''.


    Rirei running out of control, retorting Kohaku and Hino who followed up. That might have been a good combination.


    However, it was a bit painful as Rirei continued to watch me feverishly.


    I ignored it, and continued to observe the battle against Blade Lizard.


    The four vanguard members cooperated accurately damaging the Blade Lizard. When they saw it prepare a dangerous attack with its tail everyone moved away, with that timing Kohaku unleashed her fire magic.


    Lucato taunted it, Hino shattered its scales from the flank by using a large hammer, Myu happily followed up hitting the exposed flesh and Toutobi aimed for weaknesses to get critical hits. When everyone switched to avoiding attacks Kohaku attacked with fire magic. With a stable formation they continued to deal damage. At this rate it''ll be done soon enough, I thought.


    "Rirei! Why are you looking away! You need to guard her properly!"


    "No, you''re wrong. There''s something in the distance."


    Rirei was looking in the opposite direction from the boss. Her expression was a serious one, different from the one earlier.


    I looked in the same direction. It was still small, but I knew it was a player. It gradually grew, it seemed like he had a large amount of monsters behind him.


    "That guy, he''s pulling monsters."


    "What did you say, his clothes'' characteristics?"


    "Umm... red."


    I plainly answered Rirei''s question who stood next to me.


    "?!! Train Man is coming!"


    Rirei yelled loud enough to have everyone in this location hear it. What''s a Train Man, I shouldn''t be the only one who was reminded of a certain unique romance novel that''s been a hot topic once.


    "That'' ain''t a train! It''s a MPK''in PK''er!"


    Haa, Kohaku can even retort to my thoughts?! What!


    "Restructure the party! Hino and I will attract the big ones! Toutobi reduce the number of small fries. Kohaku and Rirei wipe them with magic! Myu continue attracting the boss to you."


    "I can reduce their numbers with ranged attacks!"


    As Lucato gave out precise instructions I gave her a proposal.


    "You can''t. If you attack as you are now there will be a penalty."


    "So what should I do!"


    "I''m sorry, please take Blade Lizard together with Myu! Don''t worry about the small fries and the Train Man."


    There were five Big Boars, as well as a huge number of rats and birds pulled. Could they win against so many opponents?


    "Luka-chan, what to do? I can win even alone."


    Myu intended to defeat the boss who had 70% HP remaining all alone. I get it, I''ll support you and we''ll defeat it together. We organized the party, it was just me and Myu together.


    "Hey, Myu. Honestly, can we win against it just the two of us?"


    "Hm? Easily, I could even defeat it alone you know?"


    Myu made a provocative smile, but hearing such a cheap provocation I laughed.


    "Myu, there''s no time. Let''s hurry up and defeat it so we can help Lucato and the others. I''m pretty generous so I''ll use quite a lot of items."


    "How reliable. I leave my back to you."


    "Leave it to me. Also, take this! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Defence, Speed."


    And I applied enchants on Myu. Attack, defence, speed, the three enhancements. And I recovered my MP from 20% to full by using an MP Potion.


    I continued to cast Enchants, it was time for next step.


    "Now, you lizardy bastard. I''ll be your opponent! ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªDefence."


    I stretched my hand to the Blade Lizard and chanted a curse. Myu''s sword which was strengthened with an enchantment tore through the weakened defence of the scales as if they were paper and shove off its health.


    "Onee-chan, this is amazing!"


    "Stop the pointless chatter! Watch out for its tail!"


    "Got it! My body is as light as a feather!"


    While standing in front of the boss, Myu showed sharp swordsmanship and occasionally she avoided irregular tail attacks after which she launched counterattacks. It seems like she could feel the benefits of the Enchant.


    I moved as not to hit Myu with the bow and took the lizard on.


    "Myu. Target change."


    "Roger!"


    After I moved to the opposite side from Myu, I signaled her. The moment she saw my signal she loosened her attacks and took distance. That moment I hit the Blade Lizard with all my firepower.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    It was an art I learned at the bow''s 15th level. An art with emphasis on the firepower. The released arrow cut through the air with a loud noise and pierced the lizard''s side.


    "Target''s heading this way!"


    "Roger! Change!"


    The target was changed to me, the Blade Lizard directed its head towards me, who was a short distance away, although I couldn''t move because of the arts cooldown, using the opportunity Myu approached Blade Lizard from the other side.


    "HAAa¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    Enchant, cursed and a big Arts'' technique. In conjunction of all these elements we all invested in, it would surely shave off the Blade Lizard''s HP.


    What remained was half of its HP. Even if it''s difficult for Myu alone, together we can defeat it. Just when I thought so, I saw Lucato and the others collide head-on with a flock of monsters.


    The Train Man who was in front passed by Lucato''s side and was clad in black aura.


    That must have been the penalty for joint struggle. A disadvantage that occurs when you try MPK''ing. His strength fell drastically. In the worst case, Train Man will be involved in the fight at melee. However¡ª¡ª


    "Myu, careful!!"


    Suddenly my body moved. Myu has become the Blade Lizard''s target and couldn''t pay attention to anything else. As I entered between the Train Man and Myu, my body has received things which were flying towards her.


    "Ugh..."


    "Onee-chan?!"


    What was stuck to my belly, were throwing knives. It wasn''t a fatal wound.


    So there was no reason to fall because of a single attack from a player. Rather than that¡ª¡ª


    "Don''t let your guard down!"


    "Eh....kyaah!"


    As Myu looked away from the Blade Lizard, she was hit by a tail swipe and after her body received it, she was flung into a tree.


    "Gahaa?! Bastard... fucking around like that."


    I put the anger I''ve felt for a while now into words. Why did this guy do such an action. I understood that, the moment aura emanating from the Train Man''s body disappeared.


    The joint struggle penalty appears when people present fight together. To remove it, you need to become hostile with other players. It was a simple theory. That''s why here and now it turned into a three-way struggle.


    And, after regaining his speed and forcing the monsters on us, the Train Man plunged into the woods.


    "Onee-chan, I..."


    "Don''t mind it, rather than that, let''s hurry up and finish the Blade Lizard."


    In order to have it take its eyes off from Myu and have its guard drop I received damage I didn''t need to. Currently after taking on Blade Lizard''s and Train Man''s attacks I had 10% HP left. After falling because I didn''t have a defence enchant on, luckily, I haven''t ¡¾Fainted¡¿.


    "I''ll heal you immediately¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·."


    "Geez, why are you making such a tearful expression."


    "But, because of me..."


    "You''re all worn out after taking a hit right. Hurry up and recover."


    Although it was less severe then mine, she received damage. It can''t be helped. I took out my trump card, a High Potion and used it on Myu.


    Mine and Myu''s enchants had ran out already. Lucato and the others somehow endured but it was dangerous because of a huge number of small fry. Right now the target concentrated on those girls, that means we need an early conclusion.


    "Myu, can you lure him somewhere!?"


    "Onee-chan?"


    "Let''s strike back at once."


    "Y-yup! Then I"ll guide it to that tree!"


    The place Myu specified, was by the roots of a single tree.


    "I''ll make preparations for something big. Can you endure?"


    "Leave it to me. I''ve gotten this from Onee-chan after all."


    She took out a yellow Enchant with her hand and activated it. Myu who had her speed raised started to play around with the Blade Lizard without restraints. The lizard who lost half of its HP had the scales on his body stand up making it harder for people.


    In the specified location I spread Magic Gems. I hope it goes well.


    "Myu, preparations are done!"


    "Roger! I''ll head over there!"


    Myu rushed towards the tree at full force. I poised with an arrow from a distance and waited. And when Myu rushed towards the tree and she kicked off it.


    She jumped over the lizard''s head and used the tree''s branch as a scaffold. It was the so-called triangle jump.


    Although I was surprised by that superhuman movement, I acted how I was supposed to.


    "Blow up, you lizardy bastard. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·!"


    As it bumped its head against the tree, multiple bombing has occurred under the belly of Blade Lizard who searched for Myu. Although it was a weak magic if it was just one shot, a chain attack occurred with the same timing.


    As the bombing happened, its HP was reduced all at once. I didn''t think it would take it down completely, that''s why at full force.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªDefence."


    "¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    The strengthened Myu landed on its back, and launched five consecutive hits on the weakened Blade Lizard, as a result of the physical statuses difference the attacks crushed the scales and reaped its life.


    We defeated the Blade Lizard.


    ¡ñ


    Even though we defeated the Blade Lizard, the battle continued.


    We went to help Lucato and the others to deal with large amount of birds, rats and nasty Big Boars.


    Since we were divided into two parties, if we attacked unskilfully there would be a joint struggle penalty. In order to avoid that, I used enchants and cursed, and Myu was supporting others with recovery.


    3rd party heals, such assistance was performed frequently in other games. If you act in that manner in this game, joint struggle penalty doesn''t occur.


    "¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªDefence."


    "...¡¶Backstab¡·!"


    My cursed lowered the Big Boar''s defence, and one blow of Toutobi''s dagger in the vital point dealt critical damage and killed it.


    "It''s ovaaaaaa! Imma done. I''ll neva forgive tha Train Man!"


    The one who raised a loud voice, was Kohaku. It seems like everyone else was just as angry as she was.


    "Come on, I''m already fed up. This is such dangerous melee combat. I would have died three times already if not for the items we got from Yun-san. Well, thanks to that my combat Sense''s level went up greatly."


    "Indeed. When I tried using Enchant Stones I was really surprised. My defence has skyrocketed with a buff and my attacks got stronger as well."


    The one who said so, were Hino and Lucato. Those two were attracting enemy''s attention by actively standing in front of the Big Boars. Because of that, they were able to experience how Enchant Stones for attack and defence worked.


    "Hearing you say that means that it was worth coming prepared. But I didn''t think we would use that many potions."


    I was tired and crouched down. In order to restore MP after using my enchants, as well as to restore Kohaku''s and Rirei''s MP I generously used MP Potions. I was almost out of items I could use.


    "Everyone has it so nice, your combat Senses leveled up. The only thing that leveled up for me was ¡¾Recovery¡¿ and ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿. Let''s try leveling up the same way next time."


    "...the risk is too high. Also, this time we managed to do it thanks to items we were given by Yun-san. Maybe if we buy some next time..."


    As Myu made a thoughtless one-sided declaration, Toutobi returned a realistic response. Well, she had only one way thinking, but everyone smiled wryly forgiving her for that.


    What was spend this time, was hundred Blue Potions and five types of Enchant Stones, twenty of them per person. I thought it was unlikely all of them would be used. Moreover, I passed MP Potions to others.


    A hundred of Bluepots 500G each, 50k in all.


    Since I''m going to sell Enchant Stones for 7500G each, it was 750k for hundred. As for MP Potions, about twenty was used? Twenty times 1500G each, 30k in total.


    "...a 1M spent in just a moment huh."


    That moment, the air around froze. In my case, I was the one who made the items, they were items I created by collecting materials for a few days that''s how it felt to me. However, the surrounding atmosphere felt different.


    Their glittering eyes were honestly scary.


    "W-what? Um, the items that were used this time... that''s if I sold them in my shop... is what I mean."


    "Is that true? What you said just now."


    Everyone who was sitting down stared at me. Even Rirei who was staring at me with such feverish expression before.


    "Um, is 1m too expensive? S-sorry about that. Then I''ll cut the price more than..."


    "Not that! It''s the other way around! It''s too fair a price!"


    Is that so? Since I''m broke, that''s a lot of money to me.


    "If everyone chips in and we''re able to acquire such items, we can engage in difficult battles to have our levels skyrocket, the efficiency would be really good! If it''s me I would pay the money without the hesitation."


    Like that, Lucato''s manner of speaking strengthened.


    I see. 167K per person and they can buy it. Well, it was similar to the price as I paid for repairing my armour and if they can explosively increase their leveling efficiency it''s a fair price, is what it means?


    "...also, I''m curious about that explosion. What was that attack you used on Blade Lizard? That magic-like item-like thing. A landmine?"


    Toutobi pointed out. Although it had a flashy effect, there was no way she saw the Magic Gems. Hmm. It is an item, but I don''t intend on selling it. If I were to sell it, that would be 50k each. This time, it was just a remnant I had used to experiment with bombing attack.


    "A trade secret."


    I somehow managed to squeeze out those words, Toutobi backed out obediently.


    "Fufufu, by the way, that landmine cheat, how much did it cost?"


    "Ah, that''d be 450kG."


    "450k... dat''s an absurd splurging. Also Rirei, landmine cheat has a different meaning."


    Rirei asked and Kohaku retorted to her.


    Well, that''s true, using 450k just to take down 30% of Blade Lizard''s HP was absurd. I thought so as well.


    Moreover, I was currently in a state where I had no gems on me. Like this I couldn''t make any accessories with gems embedded in either. That means I need to procure them from somewhere, price-wise it wasn''t all that nice for me.


    "Well, there''s a lot I want to ask about, so forgive me. Also, what''s a landmine cheat?"


    "...landmine cheats exist in the ReadNovelFulls, a ¡º"Take this and blow away"¡» type of thing that overwhelms the enemy?"


    Toutobi-san, thank you for a polite description. It seems like something as stupid and mishappen as what I did. I understand it well.


    "I don''t know if that''s a cheat, but the last move Myu definitely looked like one."


    I mean, that was a triangle jump. Also, it seems like running on the walls and three dimensional movement by kicking off objects seemed possible. Also, running over water''s surface or running vertically like a ninja.


    "That''s normal. If you level ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ you can easily jump two metres into the air."


    "Myu''s an authentic cheater. Before that, she jumped overhead of medium-sized mobs and cut their brains like bamboo shots."


    It''s hard to understand it if it''s said like that. In a nutshell¡ª¡ªFirst, jump up; second, rotate vertically above the move; three, slash the mob''s unprotected head, Four; land behind it. Those were no longer human actions. O'' little sister of mine, you have stopped being human.


    "Doing acrobatic attacks on a boss mob, what are you aiming for."


    "To be a Paladin!"


    "If what I imagine is correct, a Paladin shouldn''t be that mobile."


    Everyone around agreed with me. Really, you''re really troublesome.


    "...haa, he came again. What do we do."


    Toutobi who was wary of the surroundings realized it quickly. As I turned around, I caught a sight of a guy.


    A man wearing bright red cloth armour. It was the appearance of the guy who pulled monsters once again.


    Since it was such a hassle to defeat the monsters, I''ve put it into a corner of my head, but when I recalled it anger sprung from nowhere.


    "Onee-chan, what to do? Are we running away?"


    "Yeah, there''s three Big Boars and lots of other mobs. Running to the town is a good idea."


    It felt unpleasant, although I wanted to complain to him directly, talking with him would be a pain in the ass too. The moment he entered melee range with us he would escape once again.


    Suddenly, I''ve come up with a way.


    That''s right. Train Man''s method is to gather monsters by using his speed and then to push them onto others then run away proud with what he did.


    In other words, the strength and the weakness of that strategy was speed. I muttered in as low as possible voice.


    ("I hope this works. ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed.")


    I applied it aiming at the Train Man. It seemed to be applied properly, a dark-yellow colour was emitted from his body and he slowed down all at once.


    "All right, let''s go."


    And like that, I proceeded into the Second Town with a smile of satisfaction. I felt like I heard a man''s scream from behind, you reap what you sow.


    "H-hey, Onee-chan. What did you do? Somehow, that guy, he''s been knocked down by monsters!"


    "Oh, he must have sprained his feet, isn''t he just tired? Look, he got what he deserves."


    "That''s right, a guy like that should just beat the mobs he pulled by himself!"


    Hino believed the shameless excuse I made even though everyone else knew well that wasn''t so.


    "Fufufu, Yun-san''s quite wonderful. Just by looking at him with your cold eyes that guy''s been thrilled ¡º"Ya'' sayin'' jokes like ''dat again. Won''t ya stop it!"¡»...fufufu."


    Kohaku and Rirei really do get along well.


    "What a pity. Yun-san, won''t you enter our guild when we make one?"


    "That''s right! Onee-chan! Come and join us!"


    Myu has clung to my arm. Well, it was a situation which normally would make boys jealous, but having silver armour pressed against my arm hurt.


    "Since I want to leisurely enjoy playing this world, I will have to refuse."


    Although I apologized, Lucato didn''t seem like she was disappointed. Looks like she expected that answer.


    "Well, let''s leave jokes at that, we have arrived. With this the escort request is finished. Although I''ve said we will escort you, we made you enter battle. I''m sorry for that."


    "I don''t mind. My level has increased and I had fun as well."


    "If you say it that way, then my heart''s at ease. Welcome then; to the Second Town."


    After we left the forest, there were wide pastures and beautiful streams.


    It was a rural town flooded with single-floored wooden buildings.


    In a few places old people gathered and drank tea in the sun, in other some children were running around.


    "...it''s a peaceful place."


    "The Third Town is dealing with things like ore, this place deals with cloth and leather, as well as wood. We''re fighting with mobs in the nearby forest to raise our levels.


    "But since the boss is too strong we can''t beat him. That''s why we spoke about trying to go north and south of the First Town before that."


    Lucato explained, and Myu provided supplementary information. I see, all mobs other than boss are of a reasonable strength, but if you have a strong boss that entices people to explore different locations. So the management encourages people that way, they''re good.


    "Well then, that''s as far as we go. We''re going to hunt some."


    "Dat''s right. We''ve defeated a lot and got plenty of items. Let''s sell this and purchase some recovery items."


    "Onee-chan! I''ll be back for dinner!"


    Myu said so and walked alongside Lucato, I parted with them¡ª¡ªand then she came back as if recalling something.


    ("¡ª¡ªOnii-chan, when you covered for me you were really cool.")


    She whispered those words into my ear so that only I could hear them before chasing after Lucato and the others with a mischievous smile. Good grief, I smiled wryly and mixed in a sigh.


    And then, I explored the town alone in order to find ¡¾Carpenter¡¿ the quest NPC.

 Chapter Volume 1 Epilogue

    Epilogue - The Archer and the Atelier


    I met up with the ¡¾Carpenter¡¿ NPC and completed the quest, but since I was penniless, I spent four days securing money. Yesterday, I was finally able to complete the store I desired.


    I wiped the wooden counter while grinning.


    "Yun-san, are you that happy?"


    "Of course. This was my dream! Going independent is a man''s dream!"


    "You''re a woman, Yun-san."


    Kyouko-san the NPC responded like that. I''m a man so I didn''t mind it.


    "Well, although I''ve been only hired, since Yun-san can''t manage her money I need to manage the contents of your purse."


    "Um..."


    "It''s embarrassing to continue forever with just a counter in a store, if we have money then we can do renovations and expand it."


    "...yes."


    That''s right, only the counter was splendid. On the contrary, instead of shelves, items were lying on the item boxes, there were sample-use potions sorted by class and Enchant Stones.


    Just this wooden counter cost me 300k. And to hire Kyouko-san as a clerk, I needed to pay 50kG monthly.


    Because I paid an additional fee to have her work the shop on top of doing agricultural work, it was cheaper than hiring a clerk normally.


    For the time being, to have it function as a quarters one could live in I needed 30000kG¡ª¡ª30m. It was an endless struggle, but my current goal is to get a high-temperature furnace and a high-level mixing kit. The beginner''s mixing kit wasn''t good enough to process monster''s meat or Vitality Tree''s fruits, I''ve had a shortage of high-grade tools.


    Just the furnace''s cost was estimated at 1m. And the next level of Mixing kit cost 200k.


    "In the first place Yun-kun''s business policy is weird. You''ve limited transactions up to 5 pieces of one kind of good and cheap too, thanks to that we always have problems with stock. If you''re selling you should release the limit and sell it for more."


    "Surprisingly you''ve got self-indulgent parts to you, isn''t making money a secondary concern? If we sell it cheaply we''ll get a lot of returning clients. If the item performance is good, they''ll come back every day even if it''s a hassle. Also, it''s a way to prevent reselling so I think it''s a good way to slowly increase the amount of visitors."


    At first, I introduced the shop to all my friends. After that, their acquaintances came as customers.


    "I think people won''t come but I leave it to you. Do you remember the important points?"


    "Yes. I have noted everything. I remember the Enchant Stone description perfectly."


    "Even so, with only Enchant Stone as the featured product, isn''t our assortment kinda poor?"


    "Beginner''s Potions and Potions, Pills, High Potions and MP Potions and ST Recovery Medicine. There''s no other shop that has such an assortment in this town, please have some confidence."


    Kyouko-san made a charming smile. I managed to obtain a beautiful woman''s smile. An NPCs though.


    The reason it doesn''t sell is probably the location.


    It was the south district, and the only people who would try exploring the south district would be those who want to try having a field.


    And even those who buy one, eventually resell the field. As I looked around, no one else other than me had a field covered with greenery.


    Occasionally, people look at my field curiously. But since non-authorized people can''t harvest it, they think it''s just a part of the background.


    "Oh right, there''s a message from ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿. They want some Enchant Stones for resale too."


    "Hearing that makes me happy. Let''s get to the main issue then."


    For a few days I haven''t shown my face at Magi-san''s place. Occasionally we reported to each other via friend calls, ''it''s not like I''m restraining you, there are times like these?'' kind of feeling.


    I did quests or hunted in the vicinity of the Second Town in order to secure money. However, most of the various mob types dropped mainly meat or thread. I harvested high quality wood and any medicinal herbs I could find.


    Most of them weren''t items I fancied, after consulting with Magi-san, I learned that Cloude and Lyly wanted them. Next time, I''ll show my face at their places with souvenirs.


    The rank of the materials I''ve had wasn''t low at the moment, I guess I could process it into a higher rank material by using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿.


    Also, I''ve been invited by Magi-san with ''Let''s try searching around the Third Town together next time?''. Certainly, the ore that was around it sounded really appealing, and I wanted to take revenge on that tavern sometime.


    Not good, the summer vacations are about to be wrapped up, and I''ve perfectly addicted myself to this game.


    "Haa?, I''ve had lots of fun, haven''t I."


    "Feeling fulfilled every day is a good thing. However, you have no money so do your best."


    "You''re right. Then, I''ll be going. I leave the store to you, it''s fine if you do everything as scheduled."


    "Have a nice trip, Yun-san."


    I stood up from the counter chair and checked my equipment.


    Bow''s okay, armour''s okay. Also... a self-made Iron Ring. One strengthened with an attack enchant.


    There''s no Iron Ore around the second town, and my stock of Iron Ingots was gone.


    "Should I run towards the second town? I could harvest some Iron Ore on the way there."


    I said so absent-mindedly and after going out into the sun, I turned around to look behind me.


    There was a brand new store made of wood. It was built on the site adjacent to the main street, with nothing on its left or right, the plain store stood out.


    On the small store built on three pieces of land I bought there was a splendid sign propped up.


    An unique term coined for this game¡ª¡ª¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Workshop, ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was coined from the term ¡¾Yell¡¿ as to cheer on the adventurers.


    The original purpose of this character¡ª¡ªwas to devote it to support, the shop''s name was made such as to remind me of that. Also, it suggests that there are crafters who cheer me on.


    "I''ll be going¡ª¡ª¡¾Atelier¡¿."


    I cast these words into empty air, and sprinted through the town.


    While leaving a yellow light behind me, I avoided the players passing by them. I left the town moving outside, today too, the sky was blue. It seems like it''s going to be a fun day.


    In the original, ¡¾Atelier¡¿ is written as ¡¾¥¢¥È¥ê¥¨©`¥ë¡¿ and ¡¾Yell¡¿ is written as ¡¾¥¨©`¥ë¡¿ and in Japanese it can mean ''a shout cheering people on''. Of course ¡¾Atelier¡¿ means workshop in french too.

 Chapter Volume 2 Prologue

    Prologue - Shop and Lack of Customers


    A single-floored brand new wooden building with no traces of sunburn had simple d¨¦cor, and its entrance was made out of cobblestones.


    The inside of the building was like that of a common private house from fantastical settings. I looked at the light entering from the wide-opened entrance.


    "...no one''s coming..."


    Haa, I spat out a tired sigh. There weren''t many customers who would come over to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Feeling a bit sulky, I pressed my cheek to the counter, the cold feeling was very pleasant.


    After a while, as I continued to wait without any motivation suddenly the light has been blocked. I reflexively got up.


    "Welcome. ¡ª¡ªAh, Kyouko-san eh."


    The one standing in the store''s entrance was Kyouko-san the clerk NPC.


    "Yes, I''m back. So, what were you doing?"


    "I was waiting for customers, but it doesn''t seem like anyone is coming."


    "Even if people aren''t coming, this shop''s flourishing, isn''t it."


    "Well, I guess."


    Certainly, this shop was freshly built and wasn''t well-known, normally people didn''t come, but people who knew about this shop''s existence from the consignment shops might. I waited patiently.


    After saying that with a charming smile, Kyouko-san started reporting like a secretary.


    "With that said¡ª¡ªMagi-san and Cloude-san gave us a good price for Enchant Stones to sell in consignment."


    "That''s great. Did we reach the target amount of money with those?"


    "Yes, we have enough."


    With the amount of money I''ve had on hand, even after deducting necessary expanses I could expand the store and buy equipment for Dosing. However, my spending money would completely vanish.


    The place I was in right now was a shop inside of OSO which mainly specialized in dealing with consumables.


    This shop was in possession of my game character ¨C Yun; I was the shopkeeper.


    There were special circumstances behind my ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s establishment. I skipped the ''selling steadily at stalls'' step and instead I earned money by selling things in consignment with other shops. And because I wanted to continue my consignment with those shops, a problem has arisen, people wouldn''t come to my shop.


    "It''s lonely without anyone coming."


    "Then you should go outside to earn money and replenish the stock of potions. I''ll stay here instead of Yun-san."


    With a charming smile on her face Kyouko-san made a sensible proposal, well, that''s true. Convinced, I took out my equipment to check it.


    "We have reached the target amount for facilities expansion, I''ll go and order it right now."


    And while I''m at it, I wanted to practice hunting as well, and while muttering so in my mind I left the store and was replaced by Kyouko-san.


    The first place I aimed for was the old man NPC who managed purchases and selling of fields.


    "Old man, got time?"


    "What is it? Oh, it''s the Missy."


    "Don''t call me ''missy''. I''m a man."


    There was a reason as to why the man with a strong tan treated me like a woman.


    That''s because the machine misidentified me during my initial OSO character edit, and I have become a female character because of that, the NPC called me ''missy''.


    "I want to ask you for a store extension, a workshop behind the store. Also, I want you to prepare higher level Dosing equipment."


    "You''re finally taking another step, it won''t be just a counter store any longer."


    He muttered as he received money from me. Not your business, is what I want to say. Certainly, currently it''s just a wooden building that looks like a box, and only has a counter inside. In the back there''s only a field for cultivating medicinal plants. Still, it played its role as a base well.


    "Well, fine. How long will the renovation take?"


    "Few days at most. Now then, I''m going back to work."


    The NPC folded his arms standing in the same place he always stood, just what kind of work is that. I felt an urge to retort but managed to suppress it. I walked through the town.


    As I walked, the feelings of happiness from having the store renovated started to appear and a smile of joy gradually appeared on my face. With a light gait I''ve headed to hunting grounds.


    The hunting grounds I usually use is a forest a small distance away from the town. In this place I could find materials to use to craft items for ¡¾Atelier¡¿ like herbs or ore. My mood was great and it felt like a stroll.


    However, today I met a party which was there ahead of me. Their prying eyes focused on me and their whispers have reached my ears.


    ("Look, she has a bow on her back.")


    ("That thing has horrible accuracy and high usage costs.")


    ("Well, it has nothing to do with us.")


    I looked back reflexively after hearing that, found them and readied an arrow.


    I aimed over the three people''s heads and released an arrow. Immediately after the arrow pierced through the mob that was above them, the mob fell to the ground and after bouncing off it, it disappeared. Seeing their surprise I felt gratified, I should do that more often. And feeling like that I proceeded into the back.


    The bow¡ª¡ªto be exact the ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense had been receiving horrible treatment because it required consumable arrows to use. It was my main weapon, and I was quite fond of it. And because of that, I felt slightly offended when they were badmouthing it, I could fight using this weapon as well as I would if I mastered a regular weapon. Feeling like that I proceeded to look for stronger mobs.


    "I''ll definitely change they way they look at it!"


    And after entering an area with strong enemies in it I fought my first battle and returned to town after dying.


    "That''s right. They were progressing in a party of three, what am I doing assaulting those solo, I''m such an idiot... let''s cool my head off a little."


    The moment I got motivated, I failed. I scratched the back of my head and while letting out a sigh, I selected ''Log Out'' from the main menu. The character named ''Yun'' has withdrawn from the world of OSO.


    ¡ñ


    I stood in the kitchen in the early morning preparing a boxed lunch.


    My attire, was an apron on top of a summer school uniform. My little sister Miu was sitting dressed in her summer school uniform as well, she ate the breakfast before I did. Although there was still time and there was no need to panic, she put the ham and fried eggs on toast and already started eating.


    "Miu, even if you don''t hurry like that you''ll still make it."


    "Ughh... that''s true but the time''s precious. I''ll use the remaining time to collect info!"


    And while saying that, Miu poured the tea into her stomach all at once. She said ''thank you for the meal'' and put the dishes into the sink right next to me.


    Miu finished breakfast and after bringing a laptop from her room, she looked at it with a serious expression.


    "So, did you find anything?"


    "Onii-chan... right now, there''s a server maintenance ongoing."


    "Hmm."


    "Oh, that reply makes it seem like you''re not interested. Also, some specifications will change with the version change."


    "Specification changes? Did they find some bugs?"


    "No, not that. Something like a balance adjustment?"


    I was beckoned over by Miu who looked like she was about to devour the laptop''s screen with her gaze after she brought it to the living room. She put it down right next to the prepared lunch boxes.


    "They introduced a satiety system which utilizes the mishappen ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Senses."


    "Hee?, in other words..."


    "Meals will be also necessary in-game. The stats will decrease with hunger, and at worst you can die of starvation. Haa, it reminds of a certain roguelike."


    My third year middle schooler little sister folded her arms and nodded several times. You, you''re supposed to be younger than me but it feels as if you remembered something nostalgic from ages ago.


    The roguelike Miu mentioned seemed to be a stealthy-type RPG.


    In the game, players and monsters continue to act by alternating turns and move on square fields, a very simple game where the behaviour is determined by order which is influenced by their agility. However, if you don''t make full use of items and traps, you will die surrounded by enemies. If a single player is surrounded by eight or more enemies, it would not end well. The solution to that was to wipe out an entire column of enemies or kill the them on three adjacent fields in front.


    If one''s surrounded in a bad way, the monsters will use friendly fire on their companions and rank up, or if the player is stuck in a trap might be mercilessly attacked.


    And if one continues to level while remaining in the same field he will start feeling hungry, it was a difficult game.


    Shizuka-nee was good at these roguelikes, she used to say ¡º"Player''s skills will work only if you can predict what''s ahead. And if you can''t look ahead, there''s no choice but to learn by dying."¡»it was that type of game.


    However, the thing I was concerned about was...


    "What if we can''t eat in the real later after eating in the game. If even though I made dinner we couldn''t eat it because of that, it would be sad."


    "I don''t think that''ll happen. I tried eating food item ¡¾Rice Ball¡¿ in the ¦Â version, despite having a taste it didn''t fill the stomach. So it''s just game status-based thing."


    Such a thing. I looked back at the screen convinced.


    On the screen, there were various samples of food items arranged.


    My in-game store ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was dealing mainly with consumables. Adding food-type items to the offered products sounded interesting. I could make items like sandwiches with ease just by putting the ingredients together.


    "...let''s try picking up the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense."


    Responding to my absent-minded murmur¡ª¡ª


    "Onii-chan, aren''t you picking up too many? ¡¾Bow¡¿ and ¡¾Enchant¡¿ as well as ¡¾Mixing¡¿. And now ¡¾Cooking¡¿..."


    "Leave me be, you cheat of a little sister."


    I thought that I was spreading my skills too wide as well, but I didn''t regret it. I intended to play the game at my own pace. And if I didn''t use a Sense, then I could always put it away.


    "If it''s Yun-oneechan, I think the support-magic type role mage would fit her best."


    "I said, don''t call me ''Yun-oneechan''."


    Although I scowled hearing what Miu said, I understood what she meant. I could increase stability of the party by combining ¡¾Recovery¡¿ and ¡¾Enchant¡¿, and if there was time to spare I could attack with magic. That''s how the style was envisioned but... hey, that''s no different what I''m doing now.


    For recovery, whether potions or magic, there was no difference. For attacks, it was the same whether I use bow or magic.


    My role wouldn''t change much. Moreover, the character I have is already devoted to support. If someone needs food, then it''s my role as a support to deliver it.


    Of course, even if it wasn''t improved at this time I thought of eventually taking ¡¾Cooking¡¿ anyway. Things like steaks from dragon meat felt like a dream to me.


    "Grr... if that''s how it is, then let me eat delicious food in the game as well."


    "Yes yes. Lunch box''s gonna get get cold, so put the lid on it."


    "What''s in it today?"


    "Chicken rice."


    "Yay! Onii-chan, I love you!"


    Although she was happy about a childish meal chicken rice was, on the other hand I felt embarrassed about it. Well, I was fine with it since it was easy to make.


    "Come on, put the lunch box in your bag before you forget."


    "Onii-chan, come here for a sec."


    The moment I tried to eat my breakfast after putting away my lunch box, Miu sat right next to me showing me the laptop''s screen once again.


    On the screen, there were business contact as well as various schedules for OSO. Among them, there was the latest information about the update in a video format.


    "I''ll play it."


    ¡º"Nice to meet you everyone. I''m Yoshino Kazuhito from ¡ºOnly Sense Online¡»''s development department."¡»


    We watched the man who appeared on the laptop''s screen. It was a handsome man in his twenties. Ain''t that an idol from somewhere?


    ¡º"The announcements this time is the contents of the update as well as an event announcement."¡»


    I glanced sideways at Miu who had a serious expression on her face as she stared at the screen, it was as if she wanted to make a hole in it with her gaze. Silently I looked back at the video.


    ¡º"This update incorporates more realism by introducing Satiety system. As for the official event, we have been preparing a surprise during the entirety of summer holidays operations. In ten days at 1 p.m. there will be an official event held in the First Town. The participation is restricted to parties up to 6 members. The number of items one person can hold is restricted up to a hundred. Depending on how you conduct yourself during the event, even players who haven''t played for a long time can become strong in a short period of time. Moreover, the event also contains gift-type elements to it, please join us and participate."¡»


    Although the video was peaceful and no longer than three minutes, Miu started pondering about its contents.


    "An official event... getting stronger in a short time... the condition is the number of members in party and amount of items."


    "Miu? It''s time. We''re going to school."


    "Yup."


    Even as we left the house, we continued to discuss the contents of the announcement from earlier.


    "What does Onii-chan think about the announcement from earlier?"


    "It''s my first event right? There''s no more details about it so there''s nothing for me to think about."


    "That''s true but, considering they mentioned getting stronger in a short amount of time, it seems like we can acquire some unique items. It smells like rares."


    "It''s a world I don''t know much about. So, should I join and try it? What about Shizuka-nee?"


    "Onee-chan''s a hardcore gamer so she''ll definitely participate, and since it''s summer there''ll be a lot of people participating too?."


    Miu walked next to me and stretched her hands all at once and said while squinting in the sun. I squinted because of the dazzle in the same way.


    "If Shizuka-nee was available, we could try participating together."


    "Ahh, impossible, no way. Onee-chan''s a guild''s sub-guild master. They''ve got like thirty people now, she can''t favour relatives over them. And she''s ahead of us too."


    "Seriously?!"


    "Yeah. Right now we''re raising our levels near the southern entrance. Onee-chan has a higher level and she''s even further. Also, she''s been earning money for the guild."


    Hoo?, she already has a guild. After doing the guild establishment quest it seems like the next bottleneck are the funds, so she even cleared that step. I have no intention of joining a guild, though that''s completely unrelated.


    "In other words, there''s no one I can rely on. Maybe I should participate alone. Well, I''ll at least do some preparations."


    "I guess. I need to prepare too, by leveling up and such. Even so, ahh, I started feeling like playing now. School''s such a pain."


    "It''s just half a day, also I''ve already prepared boxed lunch."


    "Onii-chan will make a good bride in the future."


    "What''s this little sister saying to her brother..."


    I protested to Miu and sighed.


    We still had time to spare before school started. The whole way to school was travelled on our own two feet. Walking in this hot and humid weather over hot asphalt was physically demanding.


    Finally after reaching the school gate, we separated as I was in high school and Miu was in middle school. As I walked down the hallway I heard voices leak from classrooms, I entered my own classroom.


    "Yo, Shun. Been a while."


    "It hasn''t has it. We''re meeting occasionally in-game."


    As I complained I threw him a punch with no strength behind it. Takumi received it.


    "Somehow, you seem sleepy. Did you get enough sleep?"


    "No, I''ve been leveling up to twelve o''clock midnight. I''ve been in charge of pulling a strong enemy in a mine. It was a delicious level up."


    "You game addict. So, how was it? Did you get any good items?"


    "Nah it was useless. It was an ore-type but we couldn''t use it. Also, that boss is too strong. We''re trying to raise our level to the very limit and proceed in the north direction."


    "I see. I''m doing things like harvesting or crafting. If you need anything then visit my store."


    "I''ll do so then."


    Hmm. A mine huh. I''d like to try going there once. Well, let''s try going to take a look after I level up my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿.


    We spoke about the maintenance from this morning and the update info as well as the official event.


    The impression Takumi had after watching the same video was that it was made to have people take advantage of Senses that weren''t used up until now.


    Other than that, I spent time that remained until the morning homeroom talking with Takumi and other classmates I haven''t met for a while.


    It was a school day that happened during summer holidays, in response to the teacher''s notice we gathered to clean the school after which we went home. That was the flow of events.


    Takumi went running back home in order to log into OSO as soon as possible and check the contents of the update.


    I went to buy groceries for dinner on my way home, and immediately after coming back I logged into OSO as well.

 Chapter Volume 2 1

    Chapter 1 ¨C Cooking and Satiety


    The satiety system made it so that the satiety number decreased as time passed or activities were done. It was necessary to regularly restore satiety by using food items.


    When satiety hits 25% there will be a negative status that has an impact on stats, and when satiety reaches 0, HP will gradually start decreasing.


    The satiety level put a status on the player that was different from other abnormal effects and couldn''t be recovered from as such. In order to restore satiety one could use consumable items like pills and potions which recovered a small amount of satiety, or food items like rice balls which recovered a high amount of satiety.


    In short, that''s how it felt.


    Also, if you have a ¡¾Sense¡¿ and make food items from materials that dropped from monsters, it will temporarily increase one''s stats. Also, the opposite could also be achieved...


    "Oh, Yun-san. Hello."


    "Ah, Kyouko-san. Hello. Any customers today?"


    Not moving from in front of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s counter, I checked the menu screen for satiety and didn''t notice a person standing next to me until they I''ve been called out to.


    "No one came. Although it would be good if someone did."


    Kyouko-san said so while raising her shoulders. Come to think of it, because of the maintenance which started this morning no player could log in and purchase anything from the store. NPCs are really close to real people. I thought, they had very realistic personalities.


    "What happened? Yun-san."


    Because I stared intently at Kyouko-san, she looked back at me in wonder.


    "It''s nothing. Could you buy a larger amount of Herbs, as well as materials for Blue Potions tomorrow? I need to replenish the Beginner''s Potions stock."


    "I understand. Then, this is today''s harvest."


    I looked at the items I''ve been passed. They were herb-type items that were grown on the field next to the shop.


    The herb-based items grown on the field were higher level than normal ones, and if potions were made out of that material, there were effective to the point of overhealing.


    Well, because of that I compensated it with another Sense.


    "What should I try today. I need to secure money for upgrading the facilities too..."


    Also, I want to acquire the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense because of the newest update. And I need to organize items for delivery before that. When I looked down at the menu for that, I''ve heard a voice call out.


    "Hello."


    "...hmm?"


    Since I was called out to, I stopped working and looked in the direction it came from.


    "Yahoo. It''s been since earlier today, Onee-chan."


    "Hello there, Yun-san."


    "Oh, Myu, Lucato. What is it?"


    It was my little sister Myu and her party member Lucato.


    The reason Myu called me ''Onee-chan'' was my current appearance.


    Since I was originally feminine, the correction that was applied on me by OSO''s character edit added even more femininity. My hair extended to my waist, my voice was higher, and my body has gained curves. Once again I was reminded of that fact and let out a sigh.


    "What happened? Is there anything on my face?"


    "Stop that, um... calling me ''onee-chan.''"


    "Even so, it doesn''t seem like there are any customers. Are you able to properly secure funds?"


    "Listen to what people are saying, geez..."


    As Myu looked around the store no customers visited, Lucato who was beside her smiled wryly. I spat out a small sigh.


    "The item types and prices aren''t bad, but people won''t come just because I made a shop."


    "The restrictions you placed on the number of items purchased is probably one of the reasons. Please get rid of that."


    "ST Recovery and Highpots. I get it. I just have to steadily continue."


    The NPC Kyouko-san was doing accounting instead of me. Initially when the game started there were multiple resellers who bought out all the potions and sold them at high prices, to avoid that happening to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and to sell potions to everyone at an affordable price I imposed a limit on number of items. Though, unless I remove it I won''t have enough people coming over. And, the accounting was completed as I was lost in thoughts.


    "Now that we have prepared ourself for an adventure, let''s go on one that''s full of dreams and romance, expect a souvenir! Because I expect a delicious dinner!"


    "Isn''t that the same as always. Good grief... Lucato, can I leave Myu to you?"


    "Yes, it''s the usual thing..."


    Lucato''s smile made it seem like I could leave it to her and be at ease. I sent off the energetic Myu and Lucato, then once again, I considered what to do.


    "So, what do I start with."


    Help came from the NPC Kyouko-san who had her arms folded.


    "How about you deliver items and show your face at Magi-san''s?"


    "You''re right, lets start with that. I''ll be going then."


    I took the items and left the store. Since there was an update in the morning there were a lot of people on the streets, I walked while observing them.


    People were forming parties, purchasing equipment as well as advertised their stalls with loud voices. While enjoying the atmosphere I arrived at Magi-san''s shop, ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿.


    "Magi-san? You here?"


    "Heya, Yun-kun. It''s been a while. Since you''ve been leaving all the deliveries to NPC I started to worry about you."


    Although she said she worried, Magi-san greeted me with a smile on her face. If anything, it seemed like she had fun talking with me.


    "Well, since it''s been a while since I came over to Magi-san''s place, Kyouko-san proposed that I come myself this time."


    "The NPC''s are highly autonomous aren''t they. Just a while ago, one got really angry at me."


    "My condolences."


    Magi-san turned her gaze at the NPC who was organizing weapons in the store.


    While we were talking like that, I delivered the items.


    Magi-san''s shop was dealing with metal weapons and armour, she herself had a ¡¾Smithing¡¿ Sense. I was crafting potions and medicines with ¡¾Mixing¡¿ Sense and sold them in consignment with Magi-san. The Blue Potions I delivered to Magi-san were made from relatively cheap materials and their effect was reasonably high. Because there was a lot of people coming to Magi-san''s shop, they sold out like hot cakes.


    "Why are they selling like that at Magi-san''s place... even though they''re the same items..."


    "I still haven''t seen Yun-kun''s shop, how does it look like?"


    "Ah, want to see a screenshot?"


    I displayed the screenshot of the shop I was proud of for Magi-san to look at.


    A small wooden store, the store I loved. Also, the verdant herbs. As well as the Vitality Tree that has started to bear fruits recently.


    "Amazing, it looks like part of the background."


    "...doesn''t it..."


    That''s how it must''ve been looking from perspective of general public, and as she saw my eyes cloud over, Magi-san started to panic.


    "N-no, I think it''s good! I-it has a good taste or... how to say it..."


    "It''s all right. The store''s pretty shoddy, but I can set the limit on items purchased or leave it all to the clerk, I haven''t advertised it yet either. So the only ones coming are my little sister''s party members. The consignment is the majority of my income."


    Another thing to do, was to invest into the shop''s appearance and equipment. That''s why, I wasn''t being sad at all right now. Hey, just now, my visibility has distorted a bit.


    "Come on, Yun-kun. I have a proposal for that. Won''t you sell Enchant Stones in here?"


    "Enchant Stones, huh?"


    While rubbing my moist eyes, I blinked to see Magi-san.


    Enchant Stones were one of main ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s products.


    It was an item I made with ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿''s skill ¡¾Skill Enchant¡¿.


    When my ¡¾Enchant¡¿ had reached level 30 I received a skill ¡¾Skill Enchant¡¿ which allowed me to put Arts and Skills I possessed into an item which could be activated with a keyword afterwards, it wasn''t a crafting skill in a strict sense of the word.


    I was using ¡¾Enchant¡¿''s skill on Stones which were an inexpensive material and made convenient Enchant Stones. Moreover, the skills that can be put into an item were dependant on the skills I had. One of them were enchanted Gems called Magic Gem, because I couldn''t create many of them, they became my personal means of attacking.


    The once-enchanted items, no matter their level and type, whether its weapons or materials, they all disappear after being used once. Therefore, it was a basic disposable consumable item.


    And like that, I was slightly lost in thoughts.


    "Yeah. I''ll make sure to properly explain to people how to use them and give your store publicity. Since we''re mainly a store which deals with metal items, it''s fine if you give us just the attack and defence stat raising ones."


    Hmm, it''s an attractive proposal. If the existence of such items is known, there might be people who will come to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ seeking magic attack and defence ones. And if the amount of customers increases, there will be more repeaters coming over to our store. Incidentally, the rearguards will probably purchase MP Potions as well.


    "...but."


    "Is there something that bothers you?"


    "No, it takes a minute to make them, it''s more like casting magic on an item rather than crafting items."


    "So, what do you mean by that?"


    "Assuming I have a hundred of herbs I can use a skill to make a hundred of potions at once. As for Enchant Stones, I need to select the target stone and apply magic on it so it would be troublesome to make many of them. Well, one per minute."


    Included in that there''s the process of polishing and dyeing. This effort was done in order to make it easier to differientate each type of enchant.


    "And if I don''t gather the material, which is stones..."


    "So you can''t make too many of them. Then, that person! I mean, me, I will try to advertise your store to people."


    "Then, how about I deliver some starting from tomorrow? Also I''d be glad to hear impressions after people use them."


    "Understood. Looks like a customer came, see you later."


    "Yes, see you."


    I said so, and left the store having a customer replace me.


    ¡ñ


    I acquired ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense by using the surplus of SP I had and purchased a beginner''s crafting kit for it after which I transferred to the Second Town through the town portal.


    Possessed SP16


    ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv32¡¿


    ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv1¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Bow Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv24¡¿


    I instantly switched over to the idyllic scenery leaving the First Town.


    And I called out to the NPC Clerk who stood next to the portal.


    "Good day, Martha."


    "Oh, Yun-kun. Hello."


    I greeted the well-built middle aged woman who was holding a basket. This person was Martha the Baker. From Martha you could get a item delivery quest, but also undertake one more quest from her.


    "Will you deliver for pocket money today too?"


    The delivery quest Martha gave was one that had you deliver items to local residents, there was a similar quest in the first town as well, all you I had to do was to pass out items on the street, it was an easy way to make money. The amount was small but it was easy and safe, players also got various items from the NPCs involved with the quest.


    "No, I came to receive bread-making lessons today."


    "Oh dear?! For such a young girl to come to me! It''s 5kG for one lesson."


    "Then here, tuition fee."


    That moment, I received the quest ¡¾Martha''s Bread-Making Lesson¡¿.


    This was a tutorial quest which assisted a player in utilizing the Cooking Sense in many ways.


    A tutorial quest was one that taught players knowledge and techniques it wouldn''t hurt them to know in exchange for gold. Currently I still needed to take a similar quest from the fish store and a butcher.


    "Now then, I''ll show you how to make bread in a way even beginners can use. Well, don''t strain yourself and use the tools and materials as you please."


    While being slightly overwhelmed by the NPC who continued to do preparations, I wore the brown apron that was pressed against my chest.


    "Now, I''ll explain. The ¡¾Cooking¡¿ has three basic skills,¡¾Preparing¡¿ ¡¾Processing¡¿ and ¡¾Facilitating¡¿. The ¡¾Facilitating¡¿ skill can be used to shorten the time it takes to prepare dough. And to tear it to form the shapes you desire. The next one is ¡¾Processing¡¿ which allows you to change the rough shape into the form that has been registered. If you don''t have time then you can use the¡¾Cooking¡¿ skill to make dishes right from the material. However, because this skill is used to make it all at once, the evaluation is low. You need to make it properly if you want to cook something delicious. Now then, try making the bread the way you want it."


    "Hey, what''s with that all of a sudden. Oh well, there are tools so I''ll just do as I like."


    As I was told to make bread, there appeared a material called ''Fresh Bread''. I took advantage of it.


    With Martha''s bread, lettuce and bacon and the cheese I cut appropriately, I used an easy and fail-proof recipe to make a sandwich.


    Yun''s Sandwich ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Satiety+25, Evaluation 5


    A sandwich Yun put her heart into making.


    And it became like this ¡°¡ºCrafter''s name¡» and ¡ºDish Name¡»¡± has become this item''s name. Moreover there was that description. ¡°¡ºDish Name¡»¡ºCrafter''s¡» has put his/her heart into making. ¡± as well as the item evaluation which was something that estimated how tasty the item was in numeric value.


    "Oh, you''ve made it. Now then, try eating it."


    Although the Satiety stat still had a wide margin, since I already made it after so much trouble I might as well eat it.


    "Here, the bread you''ve made. Also here''s this house''s recipe."


    I received a poor quality brown paper from Martha as well as a mountain of bread packed into a basket as a quest reward. Although I glanced on the several recipe sheets, they were all simple and that consisted mostly of required material listings. It was stuff that could be made without any cooking knowledge.


    "Now then, bread-making lesson is over. Incidentally, I have a bread delivery for old man Hustel. What about it?"


    "I''ll do the delivery quest then."


    I received the paper bag containing sandwiches for delivery and the quest.


    "He''s fishing in the river as usual. Be careful when passing through the woods. You might be an adventurer, but it''s still dangerous."


    The old woman saw me off with a peculiar sigh. All of those NPCs have that human-like smell as they smiled wryly.


    With a paper bag stowed away in my inventory I left the town and started running through the dense forest.


    Through a gap in the forest entered light. The moment I left the forest, I felt cool moisture of the river on my skin. It was wider than the river flowing through the town and its flow was stronger, it deserved to be called a mountain stream.


    This was a place inviolable by mobs, and they didn''t emerge in it. A point made for players to take a break at¡ª¡ªthe safety area.


    I found an old man fishing while sitting on a large rock beside the stream.


    "Hello, Hustel-san right?"


    "Indeedly, what''s up?"


    "Sandwich delivery."


    As I said that, old man Hustel turned back towards me happily.


    "I totally forgot about the meal. Thanks, Miss."


    The way this old man interacted with others was very gentlemanly. However, It''s a shame. Old man, I''m a man.


    After receiving the paper bag from me, the old man Hustel immediately began to rummage through its contents. He skilfully sandwiched the fishing rod between his legs and took out the sandwich.


    The moment he received it the Martha''s delivery quest was completed. The old man Hustel stuffed himself with the sandwich. He happily said "Yum, tasty.", I felt that appearance of his was pleasing.


    Hustel didn''t miss the reaction from the fishing rod sandwiched between his legs and caught the fish with practised moves and threw the fish to the basket beside him. He looked at me as I stared at it and flashed a smile.


    "This ¡¾Fishing¡¿ is just a hobby of an old man''s. Well, it''s about time to stop fishing for today, guess I''ll go back home."


    The old man stood up heavily and moved away from the river while dragging his right foot. I also stood up the same way, thinking of going back together with the old man, then, I noticed.


    "Old man, is there anything in the water?"


    "Not really. Stones and rocks. A quiet spot you can find fish in."


    "...stones! I see. There are stones in there! "


    "Whoa?! What''s with your sudden shout!!"


    "Thanks, old man. I''ll be going back into the river for a bit."


    I turned around and headed back where I just came from, hurrying towards the river. I entered the river without any hesitation, even though I was surprised by a strong flow which seemed like it would carry me away despite how shallow it was, I knelt and plunged my hand into the water.


    "Uhee?! It''s cold!"


    As the places that touched the cold water immediately felt cold seeping into flesh and bones, I picked up stones from the bottom. They were of good size. As a material for Enchant Stones they were satisfactory. I continued to pick them up one by one and put them in my inventory. Before I realized I was already near the middle of the river. The water has come up to my waist but I kept picking up stones without noticing it. And, I carelessly¡ª¡ª


    "UwaA?!"


    Slipped in the water. It was in the deepest part of the river and I flowed together with the stream. Water soaked my clothes making them heavy. I panicked because of what suddenly happened, I struggled but water was only passing through my fingers. When I finally grabbed something, it turned out to be a fist-sized stone. And my consciousness faded away gradually, I understood I was rolling around on the bottom of the stream.


    I was washed away, and so to speak, knocked out. Cold water flowed into my mouth.


    The momentum of water currents differed in various places, while spinning, the stream washed me away.


    Every time I hit a rock the air leaked out from my mouth. The edge of my field of vision was gradually eroded.


    Not releasing the stone until the very end, my consciousness gave out¡ª¡ªwhen I woke up, I was in the central square of the First Town. Among people who died just like me, I was the only one with wet hair and standing in daze.


    And I was bathed in gazes on the spot, I checked my body. It was all soaked, wet and heavy clothes were sticking to my skin.


    It wasn''t the colour of clothes themselves as they were all dark-coloured, but the lines of my body which stood, making people around focus on them.


    "Ah... uu..."


    Heyyyyyy!? This is embarrassing! Returning after dying was fine, but this isn''t!


    I screamed in my heart and began to run at full power. I ignored the mental exhaustion due to my half-drowned body which was heavy with water and escaped to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    The sight of me leaving at breakneck speed while leaving behind yellow light might have made a different kind of strong impression. When I reached ¡¾Atelier¡¿ after running I immediately logged out and lied down on the sofa in the living room lifelessly.


    Having drowned in a river inside of a game has dealt a blow to my spirit. I noticed that after logging out. The hands which were removing headgear were trembling slightly and my knees were trembling.


    To try rehydrating myself I took out the chilled barley tea from the refrigerator, I was walking unsteadily like a newborn fawn.


    "Haa. Today was quite dangerous."


    I no longer had motivation to do anything. Sorry Miu. Today''s dinner will be retort pouch, or maybe instant? Onii-chan''s tired. I apologized in my heart.


    When I planned to lie down on the sofa and sleep, my mobile phone went off.


    It was the default continuous ringtone, after it rang out four times I decided to pick it up.


    "...yes."


    "Yo, Shun ...how is it?"


    "...this morning we met in school haven''t we."


    "You seem under the weather. What happened?"


    Probably sensing it in my voice, Takumi asked. Geez, when it came to noticing people''s change of mood he was really something.


    "I''ve come back from my worst death ever."


    "Ahh, careless, did you fight with a boss?"


    "No, I was collecting items in a river, my feet slipped and I drowned."


    No, that was seriously a death. It wasn''t something'' on the level of ''painful'', it was an unstoppable violence. I''m in a groggy state now.


    "Seriously, what are you doing."


    "Hahaha, how to say it. When I drowned, water entered my lungs, my body hit the rocks as it was being swept, it was more and more painful until I finally came back from the death. You too should try it out."


    "Uwaa..."


    Probably imagining it, Takumi let out an unpleasant voice. That place, although I picked a large amount of stones in there, it was dangerous. Unless I take safety measures like binding myself with a rope, today''s occurrence will repeat itself.


    "Which river did you drown in?"


    "The safety area around the second town. The scenery was nice."


    Come to think of it, I forgot to take a screenshot of the landscape. For the time being I don''t want to go back there and gouge out the trauma.


    "Hee?, so there''s a place like that."


    "There was no enemies, it was a quiet spot. So, I ask you this late, but the reason for the call is?"


    Oh, yeah. He let out a voice as if he remembered. I wonder what''s happening.


    "I wondered what are you going to do to prepare for the event."


    "What do I do. Hey, what do you normally do before an event? I tried to cope with the update changes but..."


    "You mean the satiety level update? That ''coping with'' you don''t mean..."


    "Hm? I acquired the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense."


    It can''t be, that conversation was a flag... and Takumi started to mutter incomprehensible stuff on the other side of phone.


    "So, what do you normally prepare for event."


    "Ah, yeah. That''s leveling, strengthening equipment and replenishing consumables. So, how about you?"


    "Naw, nothing big. I''m steadily crafting potions."


    "That''s barbarous! We discussed the party balance yesterday and decided by consensus it would be best to have you. Though, I wouldn''t mind it even if you joined us for the event too."


    I was happy being relied on, but it was bothersome. However, I couldn''t refuse my best friend''s request.


    "Good grief, it can''t be helped. Next time, take me to a place I can gather some ore and I''ll team up with you temporarily."


    "Thanks?."


    "But only occasionally. If I feel like it. Also, show your face at my store at least once. I''ve decent assortment right now."


    "Thank you very much, tsundere." he said. Hey, I''m not a tsundere.


    Well, the story from just now, if I weren''t a crafter then I would probably have gladly accepted it. However, there were several things I wanted to do right now.


    "Establishing a safe way to secure stones is a priority now."


    I reached out towards the ceiling of my home.


    "All right, my energy''s back! Let''s make dinner."


    I raised my voice to inspire myself. Somehow, after speaking with Takumi my mood has gotten better. For that, I''m thankful to Takumi. I thought.


    ¡ñ


    I ended for the night soon after. Mentally calm, I logged in into ¡¾OSO¡¿ next afternoon.


    What was waiting for me over there, was newly prepared equipment installed and waiting for me in the new workshop. I looked at it with a satisfied expression.


    "Not good, this isn''t good Kyouko-san. I can''t stop smiling."


    "Well. With this we have secured the minimal required appearance."


    "Ahh, I want to call over others for some tea. Or rather, I want to boast."


    Because I was way too happy, I tried touching everywhere. The texture of stone walls, a big mortar that was a part of Mixing equipment, wooden windows and item box for materials storage.


    As I was delighted like a child, Kyouko-san continued to smile, but that smile was an incredibly wry one. When I noticed that, I unnaturally cleaned my throat and changed the topic.


    "Next time, please buy materials that can be used for making sandwiches which will be sold in the store."


    "I understand. But no matter what you make, make sure it sells, the store is having a hard time getting by..."


    Haa, Kyouko-san let out a tired sigh. No, I''ll do my best.


    "It''s all right. The number of item types we sell will increase! It''ll definitely sell... probably."


    "...probably, is it. Well, there''s a lot of products in stock at the moment, it''s not like they''ll sell out immediately. The harvest on the fields is done, will you use this time for research?"


    Implicitly she stated ''the customers aren''t coming, so there''ll be stock left over'', but I wasn''t bothered.


    "I will. I want to use different materials like raw monster meat which wasn''t used up until now."


    "Do your best. Then, I''ll be go back to store."


    She said so, I saw Kyouko-san off as she went to the counter store''s section, then started Mixing.


    I put a large amount of herbs in the bigger mortar and started to grind soundly. Before, I decided to discontinue preparing it by hand outside, and felt it was a progress. But this time... this time I put the liquids that were extracted in process of grinding the herbs in the new device, the condenser.


    It was made with the same amount of material synthetic potions consumed, but what''s the effect?


    The component extraction was complete, I stared at the change like a child.


    But as it continued to boil in a large pot, I began working on something else.


    With a well equipped workshop extension like this I could work on pills and potions in parallel.


    Right now, I concentrated on Mixing the usual Pills which was a solid recovery drug, and the High Potions which were an upper level recovery potions.


    Haa, looks like having a lot of space and tools just like when I''m cooking makes it fun... oh damn, the potions?!


    It seems like the new condenser component was operating beyond expectations. Usually it turned into something dark ten minutes after putting in potions as a material.


    Condensed Potion ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    HP+300


    It was registered in recipes as as a completely different kind of potion. Despite being concentrated, the effect recovered was the same as that of an ordinary potion. Since it was condensed, then it should be fine to return it to normal with water, thinking like that, I diluted the concentrate with five times the amount of water and was able to obtain five times the amount of Potions.


    When I diluted it with ten times more water, I received Beginner''s Potions.


    "Somehow, I managed to do it without failing, but what is Condensed Potion used for?"


    I don''t know. The recovered amount didn''t increase, I felt like there isn''t any use for it considering the extra material it needs. However, in order to confirm how the condenser operates, I subjected variety of materials to it.


    Antidote Grass, Paralysis Grass, Medicinal Spirit Grass, Magical Spirit Grass as well as variety of dropped meat-type items.


    For herb-type items, if previously dried herbs are subjected to concentration there seems to be a slight increase in effect as compared to usual. For Antidote Potions and Paralysis Potions their state recovery increased making them ¡¾Antidote 2¡¿ ¡¾Paralysis 2¡¿.


    The High Potions and MP Potions were improved having now 1 more charge. In the future, I will continue producing them through the condenser.


    It was possible to condense High Potions and MP Potions as well, but as compared to Potions, it took more time to produce.


    In addition, when I tried producing an item like MP Potion from the condenser through a ¡¾Recipe¡¿, the MP consumption was very intense and I couldn''t continuously use the skill.


    The usage of crafting skill was replaced by a tedious task which was condensing MP Potions to the limit. I did everything with skill before condensing, and then did the necessary stuff manually in different manners.


    "Well, I could recover MP between manual work. Even so, for medicine to become a poison. Although I say that, it seems like I can make poison too."


    When I tried extracting from Poison Blood which dropped from bats, I''ve gotten ¡¾Poison ?Droplets¡¿. It was a different item from Poison itself and as the name suggested, it was an item which caused someone to fall into an abnormal state.


    When I tried to extract that poison component further, it has changed into an item called ¡¾Poison ?Weak¡¿. It was causing an abnormal status ¡¾Poison 2¡¿. Considering the rules that govern it, if I concentrate it five times more, up until the item''s limit, it will be no longer possible to concentrate it any more. However¡ª¡ª


    "Hahaha... I knew there''s more than one route already."


    By consuming all of the ¡¾Poison ?Weak¡¿ I crafted from the Poison Blood and using the recently neglected ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s Higher Matter Conversion skill on it I have succeeded to put it on a separate route beyond of Dosing limits.


    While it was only one sample that I successfully managed to make, for me it was a major progress. I needed to gather ten more of ¡¾Poison ?Weak¡¿, but currently I didn''t have any material for it.


    "So the crafted item''s effect is ¡¾Poison 3¡¿ huh."


    In ten seconds it slipped in 1% of damage. It was an item that dealt 9% of total HP in damage over 90 seconds.


    Other than that, I studied if I could generate any items by using poisons.


    Starting with poison, I crushed monster meat and drop items, mixed them with water and put in them in the condenser.


    But the best thing I could make, was the weakest poison ¡¾Poison ?Droplets¡¿. And it could only be condensed into ¡¾Poison ?Weak¡¿. After which the effect could be raised with alchemy, I gave up on trying to acquire the necessary number of ¡¾Poison ?Weak¡¿ to improve it further.


    "Haa?. there''s not enough material items. For the event, it seems like I''ll have to take mainly Magic Gems with me."


    In order to prepare consumables like potions for my own use, and to prepare some for the shop, I will definitely have to collect some gems. I realized that.


    And for that, I have to overcome the trauma of drowning in the river no matter what.


    ¡ñ


    One week has passed since the event announcement, the update introducing the satiety level has caused a slight confusion but they were able to react to it immediately thanks to NPC stores which were dealing with food items. As the official event was getting closer I continued to swim in the river to overcome my trauma.


    Possessed SP15


    ¡¾Bow Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv34¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Power Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv5¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv24¡¿


    ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv21¡¿


    ("Ain''t this an endless supply of gemstones!")


    While grasping the rock on the riverbed to withstand the rapid flow, I threw stones and gemstones into my inventory.


    I acquired ¡¾Swimming¡¿ Sense in order to work safely in water, and I continued to work hard at collecting materials.


    "Puhhaa! So tired?."


    I rose from the water and after sitting on a nearby rock I wiped myself and the clothes with the towel I took out from the inventory. The characteristics of ¡¾Swimming¡¿ Sense was making it possible to swim in clothes as well as allowing one to dry them. As such, it was a quite good Sense.


    There were two things I discovered, a good one, and a bad one while I swam. The good discovery was that ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿''s far sight effect is adapted to water, and coupled with ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense it was possible to find items on the bottom as well as fish. Thanks to that I could comfortably act in water.


    On the other hand, the bad discovery is that since I couldn''t speak normally in water, I couldn''t cast skills and it was a fatal flaw when it came to combat. However, I didn''t feel like such a condition in which I couldn''t use Arts and Skills put me at a disadvantage.


    "Both ¡¾Swimming¡¿ and ¡¾Cooking¡¿ are currently at level 5 huh. The growth rate is so-so."


    While resting I checked my Sense status. The two I just mentioned were growing, however the other ones weren''t changed much. The exceptions were ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ ¡¾Discovery¡¿ which leveled up during the activities in the water, but only slightly.


    My ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ increased to level 5 and I acquired a defensive magic ¡¾Clay Shield¡¿, if I enchanted Magic Gems with it, I would have defensive Magic Gems prepared.


    The surroundings were all speculating "The first official event?! It might be the First Town defence!" or "It might be a PVP event." like that. And while there were people who raised their combat Senses in a hurry, I''ve had a defiant attitude. I felt it was meaningless if everyone raises their combat Senses in a similar manner and amount, so I continued to raise my crafting Senses.


    Nevertheless¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªThere''s not enough slots for the items."


    With the event imminent, I stocked up on the items. Enchant Stones, potions, although I also prepared items like Magic Gems, I haven''t decided on the main configuration yet.


    With the official event having a limit on number or items which can be brought set at 100, the things I brought¡ª¡ª


    Alchemy, Synthesis, Mixing, Polishing, the portable crafting kits for these and a portable furnace for Craftsmanship as well as a cooking kit.


    My bow. Six sets of Iron Arrows. Three of my armour pieces. That''s ten weapon items and six crafting items.


    The breakdown of the remaining 84 item slots was still undecided.


    What about cooking, what about recovery consumables, and what about Magic Gems? How much attack and defensive Magic Gems should I bring? In the first place I didn''t know what I might be short on during the event. As I thought so, it seemed like hundred items wasn''t enough.


    Maybe I should distribute space equally to be on the safe side, and just when I was about to spit out a sigh, a friend call from Magi-san came.


    "Yes, what is it?"


    ¡º"Ah, Yun-kun? Are you going to participate in the official event?"¡»


    "Yes. Though I say that, I intend to participate alone. Most of my acquaintances have fixed parties and it''s hard for me to join any of them."


    ¡º"I see I see! Looks like Yun-kun''s alone!"¡»


    Was there someone else beside Magi-san? She immediately replied.


    ¡º"Yun-kun, won''t you participate together with us?"¡»


    "And who''s ''us''?"


    ¡º"Other than me it''s Cloude and Lyly who are participating. I''d love to see what kind of official event it is!"¡»


    "Is it fine? For me to join that is. Aren''t there better people who could join you?"


    ¡º"Ahh, nope, not at all. Everyone''s like ''yahhoo a battle event!'' and ain''t laid back like we are. Our goal is to tour the event. Look, we prefer soloing, and we''re not too good at acting as a group."¡»


    "Haa, I guess you''re right. I''m not that fired up with the participation either. Take care of me."


    ¡º"That''s decided then! Sorry for being sudden, but we want to have a meeting so could you come to my store?"¡»


    "Yes, I understand. I"ll come over immediately."


    After saying so I ended the call. After that I passed through the portal in Second Town and went to Magi-san''s store, ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿.


    Cloude and Lyly were already waiting in the store, when I entered they raised their hands to greet me in a carefree manner.


    "Sorry for being so sudden. But we need to carefully select the items we need..."


    "I understand. So what items are the three of you taking?"


    And then I listened to the three of them. Magi-san had a smith''s crafting kit and full set of armaments including mining pickaxe. Other than that, she had metal ingots as well as heavy weapons.


    Cloude and Lyly who were crafters were generally the same, Lyly who was a woodworker had processed wood with him and Cloude who was a weaver brought cloth and leather with him.


    And I¡ª¡ª


    "In that case looks like I need to go with ¡¾Dosing¡¿ and ¡¾Cooking¡¿ after all."


    "So Yun-kun took ¡¾Cooking¡¿ huh. Then how about I decrease the amount of food items I hold?"


    "Hmm. If I bring ingredients with me I''ll be able to increase the food number by Cooking... in that case¡ª¡ª. But why are you bringing so many heavy weapons, Magi-san?"


    Cloude and Lyly brought crafting materials, but Magi-san took a large axe and a large sword with her, other things like metal weapons and full body metal armour were taking her equipment slots as well.


    "I''ve got quite a few sub-weapons. But the rest is similar to Yun-kun''s. If I melt the equipment I can make multiple ingots from them. Well, their value will decrease though."


    Magi-san spoke with a bitter smile, indeed it worked well for suppressing the amount of items brought, I think it would work. But there was also a need to bring some ingots as well to get to work instantly. Balancing it out was difficult.


    "The things I''m crafting are mainly consumables, so it requires a lot of materials... it''s difficult to bring the materials in large amounts."


    "Certainly. Since Highpots and MP Potions are consumables so you can''t bring many of them.."


    "No, I''ve got that figured out already."


    For the time being, when I heard what they were saying I remembered about a way of compressing items. If I bring a ¡ºHigh Quality¡» material it''ll need only one frame. After that I can decompress the items by using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s Lower Matter Conversion after the event starts. Also, there''s the way of condensing potion-type items with Dosing and dilute it with water afterwards. I should bring high quality materials for High Potions and MP Potions as well as ready Highpots and MP Potions which could be used immediately.


    It was unclear what the contents of the event will be. It might turn into a free-for-all fight immediately after start, we might not have time to organise the crafting. But I don''t think such a hard event would happen without a prior notice considering the large amount of players participating. No, I hope it won''t be.


    After that, we discussed the items we brought with each other, each of us saying what was our opinion.


    It took us a surprisingly long time to select the items, after which we went back to our own stores to diligently prepare for the day of the event.


    And on the day itself. After eating lunch I met up with Magi-san and others to make a party, after which we waited for the event to commence.


    "I look forward to it! With this much people gathered in one place it looks like a festival."


    Lyly let out a smile as he said so and Cloude spat out a tired sigh.


    "I don''t feel well. I hate crowds."


    Then why did he make a store, aren''t people gathering in those?


    "How about you Yun-kun? Nervous?"


    "Not at all. It''s just a game after all, there''s no need to panic."


    "Oh-hoo, you''ve got nerves of steel. I''m a bit nervous myself."


    "You don''t look like it at all."


    "That''s true."


    Magi-san and I were waiting for what was about to come as well.


    And when the time has come, a loud announcement has resounded throughout the main square of the First Town which was the meeting place.


    ¡º"The official event will start soon. The participating parties are asked to remain in place. Non-participants are asked to move away from this place as soon as possible."¡»


    There were few people who only looked at the scene from far away. As I looked at the people all around, players nearby had expressions of anxiety or full confidence.


    ¡º"Now then, everyone who has remained on spot will be transferred into a different, special server. There will be a detailed description after the transfer completes. You might feel a slight shock, but there will be no effect on your body. 10, 9..."¡»


    As the countdown started, a visible tension appeared on everyone''s faces, I prepared for the shock of the transition.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ª2, 1, 0."¡»


    My field of vision distorted, I felt like I was on a rocking ship. Not feeling good, my legs bent, my body has swayed and unable to withstand it I fell on my butt. Immediately after my senses went back to normal, I looked around.


    "...where is this?"


    "Who knows? From what it seems, it looks like a vacant space in middle of a forest. What do you think Kurocchi?"


    "It might be a safety area. Even so, where are the other players?"


    Around us, there were about ten groups, everyone was looking around restlessly.


    There were much more players who are participating, others must have been moved to a different location.


    "Hmm. The parties were located all over the place?. This isn''t an event for mass battle event."


    Magi-san said so, and stretched out her hand towards me and helped me to stand up.


    "Thank you very much."


    "It''s all right. Let''s just help each other. Also¡ª¡ª"


    Just when she wanted to continue, an announcement rang out once again.


    ¡º"Thank you for participating ladies and gentlemen. I am Yoshino Kazuhito from ¡¾OSO¡¿''s development department."¡»


    As I looked at the 3D hologram which was projected in the sky, I thought ''huh, this guy again''.

 Chapter Volume 2 2

    Chapter 2 ¨C The Summer Event and the Young Beasts


    ¡º"Thank you for participating ladies and gentlemen. I am Yoshino Kazuto from ¡¾OSO¡¿''s development department."¡»


    With that announcement, the ruckus players were making suddenly stopped as they listened to it.


    ¡º"This event is configured so that many players can enjoy it together. This time event is¡ª¡ª¡¾Forest Camping Game¡¿. If we speak of summer, it has to be outdoors. You guys will spend 7 nights camping in this forest."¡»


    From somewhere came a ''don''t fuck around! This is a killing game, I''m logging out'', and although such voices appeared, the announcement wasn''t over yet.


    ¡º"Everyone seems to have misunderstood something. This isn''t dangerous, but it doesn''t consume any of your time either. The flow of time in this field has been stretched about eighty times on this special server. In other words, one week in this place will take two hours in real. That means you can level up a lot in a short amount of time. Now, you get what I mean don''t you."¡»


    That meant, the people who participated in this could secure a week''s worth playtime. That''s how it was. Hey, is this a special training room?


    ¡º"Of course, people who want to progress the game as normal can go back by dying to monsters. In that case, the death penalty will not occur."¡»


    Everyone went silent after they heard this part. They seemed to be motivated all of a sudden. There was an unknown forest in there. They should try leveling up in there, there was no loss in enjoying it. That was the atmosphere.


    ¡º"Now then, I will explain the rules. The camp event will last seven days and six nights.The place everyone is right now is the safety area. In this forest there are multiple safety areas. It doesn''t matter if you move from the location you are in right now. This is a stray continent, it has lakes, ruins and mountains. Of course, the event''s unique monsters and items are placed in each location. Believe in your own Senses and find your own way to enjoy it."¡»


    The voice sounded as if it was said from a distant location.


    ¡º"Moreover, further in the forest there are inactive monster young animals wandering around. If you''re able to build a friendly relationship with one in a week, it will become a summoning stone and your exclusive pet. If you have a ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense, it will be possible for it to fight with you as your magical beast."¡»


    Continuing, the voice came from a different place.


    ¡º"The last thing, people who have survived the entire week will be judged with a numerical value depending on their actions and the top five people will be presented with souvenirs. Moreover, you will also be able to take all the items found in this area back with you. You don''t need to aim for the prize, you can enjoy yourself looking for rare materials."¡»


    At this moment, the excitement seemed to have reached its climax. Everyone aimed for the victory and in the middle of everyone who was being motivated, I thought of something else.


    I see, so the item cap was there in order for us to have a camp. It would be good if I could bring some rare plant materials to cultivate. I had completely different ideas from the normal players.


    As the excitement was growing, Yoshino Kazuto poured cold water on the players.


    ¡º"However, there is a limit. All players can acquire up to one Sense during this period."¡»


    Well, that''s reasonable. It would be troublesome if players were to acquire new Senses only to use them temporarily.


    ¡º"And in case a player did not acquire the ¡¾Survival¡¿ Senses beforehand, it will impose a negative correction to point conversion on the final day. Don''t expect to win without it. By the way, the acquisition of ¡¾Survival¡¿ will also count if you acquire it right now. Now, the last matter, the items that are available to for picking up in this forest can be immediately appraised. To feel its effect you need to appraise an item with a Sense corresponding to it. The appraisal information can be shared amongst each other within a party. Do not hesitate to share your field map with your party either. I want you to work hard under such limitations, but if you rush too much you will scrape your feet, I recommend you to proceed steadily without rushing."¡»


    The announcement was over, as everyone was stunned I opened the map of this field. The place we were in seemed to be the centre of this continent. The range of hundred metres I could see with my ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ was mapped, the rest of it was gray.


    I cast a sceptical gaze at people around who went into the forest and sat down.


    "Now then, shall we make a base camp? Securing food is a top priority with the introduction of the satiety system."


    After hearing Cloude''s words we all nodded. After discussing it we judged that with the well-balanced items we brought with us we can hold up for up to two days.


    "How about we experiment first? Wait a moment."


    Magi-san moved away slightly from this place, and when she came back she held several types of grass in her hand.


    "Cloude, Lyly, look at this. Can you tell what kind of item is this?"


    "Nope, not at all."


    "Sorry Magicchi, I''ve no idea."


    "Then, next. Yun-kun."


    She showed me the grass while saying so, it was divided into three types¡ª¡ªMedicinal Plants, Poisonous Plants and Herbs. During the current event, the items that exist in here need to be appraised by an expert, if one doesn''t have a corresponding Sense, it cannot be appraised. That was the reason Cloude and Lyly were unable to verify them.


    "Umm, Medicinal Plants and Poisonous Plants as well as Herbs."


    "Ahh, I understand it now. That means Yuncchi has a corresponding Sense which allows him to appraise the plant?"


    "If that''s the case, it must be the ¡¾Dosing¡¿ Sense. It''s the one that uses the plants after all."


    Cloude muttered convinced and Magi-san puffed her chest proud of her reasoning. In other words, just like the ¡¾Survival¡¿ Sense which is very general, my ¡¾Dosing¡¿ could also pinpoint such things.


    "Now that my reasoning was proven right, let''s act separately. We''ll divide into two squads, one procuring food, and the other making the base camp. Yun-kun and I will gather food around, Cloude and Lyly will make the base camp."


    "Understood. We''ll prepare the best beds there are."


    "I''m looking forward to it! I''m excited about the thought of staying over for the night."


    "Haa?. I wonder what would be good for the dinner?"


    I muttered and looked up at the sky. Oh, the sun was directly above me, which meant that sun would set in about six hours. At the very least, we needed to ensure food and water.


    "Now then, take precautions, and check everything. Do not eat items we took with us carelessly. First of all, eat only items previously appraised by Yun-kun. And if there''s not enough materials, contact others through the friends list to have them gather more."


    "Haa, damn it!"


    Suddenly, Cloude raised his voice. Everyone turned around to look.


    "I didn''t bring dyes. Like this, I can''t make camouflage costumes or boy scouts costumes?!"


    "...haa?, you''re the same as always aren''t you, Kurocchi."


    I respected him in a certain sense for not losing his nerves at all in a place like this. Though, I have no intention of wearing those clothes.


    No, if you can extract the colours from natural materials you could make an indigo dye... Cloude muttered to himself. Just how obsessed with it was he.


    "Well, we''re going to explore and map the surrounding area. We''ll return before the nightfall."


    "Yup. Magicchi and Kurocchi, be careful."


    We left everything to Cloude who was submerged in the sea of thoughts as well as Lyly and decided to fill the map starting from the eastern direction.


    Along the way we located the places in which plants were growing in abundance and continued to collect information on collection points on map. It were very detailed notes.


    "It''s great to have Yun-kun with us. Look, another item."


    "Magi-san?! That''s Paralysis Grass! Also, this is a cluster of Confusion Grass, if you don''t prepare it properly you will end up with an abnormal status."


    "UWahh?! That was dangerous. It looked like spinach to me, so that''s how it was."


    "That horribly-looking grass over there seems like it can be eaten after its flavoured."


    We steadily appraised the herbs and items that could be eaten. Among herbs, we confirmed there were Medical Spirit Grasses and Magical Spirit Grasses which could be used as material for Highpots and MP Potions.


    Surprisingly, more than half of the items we found weren''t edible. Just by the looks, we found a tree with fruits which seemed delicious and yet were extremely hazardous as they put an abnormal states of ¡¾Poison 4¡¿ and ¡¾Confusion 4¡¿ on the ones that eat it.


    Also, fruits like apples and bananas could be collected. Although the climatic requirements were completely ignored.


    Since among the only items that could be collected were wild grass and vegetables, it seemed like we will be eating healthily for a while. Although nutritional balance was pointless in a game, I wanted some proteins from animals.


    "We''ve gathered a lot of plants, how about we try some different ingredients?"


    "I''ll leave it to Yun-kun. The map is also nicely filled out."


    About three hours after starting the sun started to slowly set, and we have covered only about 10% of the map. The areas we uncovered had a radial shape and started from the centre.


    We could see a mountain far in the north, there were two rivers flowing from it down south drawing arcs and downstream there was a lake.


    Since our base camp was sandwiched between those two rivers, it would be good to look for fish in either the east or west river.


    While we were filling the map we passed through other safety areas, unlike us, they were too busy looking for unique monsters rather than collecting food. I wonder if they''ll be all right. I was worried about lots of things like that.


    "Now then, how about we go and fish in the river."


    "You''re right... ah wait a moment. It seems like I''m hungry. Let''s take a small break."


    I agreed to Magi-san''s proposal. The satiety level seems to have decreased slightly I wanted to recover it right here by eating a sandwich.


    I used a stump instead of a chair and sat down, we took a break.


    "You''ve got food don''t you, Magi-san?"


    "Yup. Look, hot dog bun."


    "How''s the taste?"


    "Hmm, I can''t say it''s tasty."


    "Then, how about you eat my sandwiches?"


    As Magi-san answered with a wry smile, I made a proposal. Since retrieving food items in here would be a hassle, I activated the ¡¾Preparing¡¿ skill from Cooking Sense and made ten sandwiches instantly from four types of ingredients.


    I took it out of inventory and held out to Magi-san.


    "That seems like a delicious sandwich, its evaluation is high too. Looks like possessing a Sense makes all the difference."


    "It''s just ingredients sandwiched with bread, anyone can make it."


    As Magi-san happily stared at the outstretched sandwich, I took out my own sandwich as well.


    That moment, I felt more than a single gaze on me. I stood up from the stump quickly and looked around.


    I triggered the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ and looked towards a place with a lot of trees, but there were too many blind spots to cover. However, combined with ¡¾Discovery¡¿''s high accuracy I managed to find them.


    "What happened?


    "There''s something there."


    Still tense, I looked towards the grass which seemed like the source of the stares, what has left it eventually was¡ª¡ªthree small young animals.


    "Hahahaha..."


    "Naa¡ª, naa¡ª."


    "¡­........."


    The three small beasts were eyeing our sandwiches.


    "Ohh, we met the young animals this fast. A dog, a cat, and a bird? Let''s record them immediately. How did it work again..."


    A light blue-silverish fluffy and round puppy was looking at the sandwich expectantly with a glitter in its eyes.


    The two-toned kitten that had black fur and white tips of its paws has come to my feet and pressed against them while letting out sweet meowing.


    The last one was the bird, it was a bright-reddish coloured chick, it had a yellow beak and slightly see-through feathers. The bird moved unsteadily desiring a sandwich. It didn''t fly, it jumped and helped itself by moving its short wings.


    If I were to move, I would scare them away, so I tried not to.


    "Recording''s on... so, what do we do Yun-kun? They look like they want the sandwiches."


    "I wonder?"


    As I moved the sandwich slightly to the right, their line of sight followed it.


    When I moved the sandwich to the left, the three young animals'' line of sight followed it¡ª¡ªand the kitten fell over.


    "...for now, let''s give them one."


    I brought the sandwich before the three.


    First was the puppy whose nose convulsed as it confirmed it by the smell, and it opened the small mouth.


    Once the puppy started eating, I was prompted by the animals stares saying ''more more'' and held out another sandwich. Maybe they liked the sandwiches, because they continued to eat more and more and after eating the sandwiches I''ve held in my hands they started greedily licking my hands.


    The chick pecked my finger sweetly with its beak, the puppy''s and the kitten''s gazes moved towards the sandwich Magi-san had.


    "Ah, you guys. Magi-san''s no good. I''ve got more in here."


    "Kuu?n." "Naa¡ª." "Chirp, chi...." ¡ª¡ªAs if they understood my words, the three stared at my face strongly.


    Uwahh, that look of expectation is so dazzling.


    I calmly took three sandwiches out of my inventory, and put them in front of the three animals.


    "Look, sandwiches. Come on, eat them."


    In response to my words, the three started to eat the sandwiches innocently.


    "Hey, were those little ones hungry?"


    "Who knows? But there''s something I found out."


    "What is it?"


    I looked as the little ones held down the sandwiches with their limbs and struggled to eat it. Although one sandwich was enough for me, the young animals continued to beg me for more despite the fact that their bellies already turned round.


    "These guys, they want to eat my sandwich no matter what."


    "That must be because Yun-kun''s sandwich is delicious."


    "Is that so? They might just be gluttonous."


    Even though I said that, I was in a good mood and held out another sandwich to the three.


    The result was that out of ten sandwiches in total seven of them have been eaten by the little ones, and since the two of us ate one each, there was one sandwich remaining. As someone responsible for the party''s food supply, I was a bit worried by the unexpected consumption. I was forced to rapidly remake the plans for food.


    The young animals seemed to be satisfied, the puppy exposed its stomach by lying on its back, the kitten was licking its own paw to taste the sandwiches flavour and the chick was asleep.


    "How cute. Heere, *tickle* *tickle*."


    Magi-san lightly stroked the puppy''s belly, it moved its body feeling ticklish.


    "It calmed down. I''ll send a screenshot to Cloude and Lyly."


    "Ah, I''ll take one too."


    Magi-san scooped up the chick from the grass and put it on her own palm before taking a screenshot.


    I took screenshots of the fluffy hairballs which looked like they felt really comfortable after a meal.


    Seeing Magi-san have fun, my expression also loosened.


    "Well then, shall we go?"


    "Yun-kun, Yun-kun, can''t we take these little ones with us? Rather, I''ve been asked by Cloude just now to bring them over no matter what."


    "I won''t oppose it, since it''s a part of the event. However, we need to get some fish from the river before that."


    "I understand. Also, what will we do when the small ones get hungry and start begging us again?"


    "I''ll pass the last sandwich to Magi-san. Please divide it between the three of them."


    When we started moving, the puppy and the kitten at my feet have responded, they understood from our conversation that I gave Magi-san a sandwich and moved towards her feet.


    Kuhh, these guys only care about themselves. I couldn''t help but think so.


    Magi-san held the three in her arms and we moved towards the river.


    "Haa?, it''s a hairball festival. So fluffy?."


    "You look really happy... I might be a bit envious."


    The last words were muttered in low voice, but they seemed to reach Magi-san''s ears, she had a slightly surprised expression but immediately after a smile bloomed on her face.


    "Want to touch? Hold? Cuddle?"


    "Ah, no, that''s..."


    "I don''t mind. Here."


    She held out the three little animals in front of her while supporting them properly. Holding them in a slightly unstable way, I received them from her.


    "U-uwaa..."


    Their fur was so fluffy and pleasant, when I carried them my fingers sank into their fur.


    For a moment I''ve become so obsessed with the fluffiness in front of my chest I forgot myself.


    When I stroked their ears and neck gently with my fingertips the three leaned on me very weakly. Magi-san looked at it and laughed as if she''s seen something interesting, it seemed she had a good time staring at this.


    The moment I noticed it, Magi-san was already all smiles.


    "P-please don''t tell anyone about this no matter what!"


    "Yupyup, it''s all okay. So, how was it? Did it feel good?"


    "?!! I-I don''t know. Rather than that, since I''ll be going to get ingredients please look after the little ones."


    When I heard the sound of water from our destination, I passed the small animals to Magi-san to cover it up and started to walk towards the river.


    "Now then, I''ll look for ingredients for dinner. If there''s anything, please call me."


    I stowed the outerwear in the inventory and went inside of the river lightly dressed.


    As to reduce the water resistance I swam together with the flow of the water I grabbed the rock on the bottom and looked around.


    (The fish... there they are.)


    I found two fish in the shadow of a rock nestling themselves, I caught them with my bare hands.


    (I appreciate the fact that I can store the caught fish in the inventory. If I think that we need a dinner for three little animals who can eat like a person, I need fifteen or more fish.)


    After that, while also picking up the stones from the riverbed I went around looking for fish. Unfortunately there were no gemstones on the riverbed, but the stones were also a valuable material for me.


    I surfaced in intervals that were up to five minutes long, and after catching my breath I dived again. I occasionally looked towards Magi-san, she put the little animals on her lap and spent the time peacefully.


    By the time I finished the quota I set for myself, fifteen fish, the young animals fell asleep completely.


    "Magi-san, I''ve finished over here."


    "Cheers for the good work. Sorry to have you work by yourself, Yun-kun."


    "Please don''t worry about it. There are things that can be done because there''s two of us here. But there''s something we need to do before that. Please take out your weapon."


    Magi-san let the young ones down and took out an axe form her inventory.


    I equipped the outerwear on top of still-wet clothes and took out the bow. I calmed my breathing and turned the bow towards the woods.


    "You guys stay down. Yun-kun, I''m a little anxious to be in front, but I leave the rest to you."


    "I''ll count on you. It''s coming from on top of the tree."


    I responded to Magi-san''s words and sent an arrow towards a black creature that came jumping at us.


    Long thin legs, covered with spiky hair, they had something like a yellow powder on its mouth, six red eyes were glaring towards us¡ª¡ªthe moment I saw the monsters name, Spice Spider, the young animals started trembling, frightened.


    "Then, let''s finish it all at once! Theere!"


    I was speechless seeing her unexpected behaviour. She has thrown the axe she held in her hands, the axe combined its own weight with the centrifugal force, and while vertically rotating it approached the target with strong momentum. However, it hasn''t dealt a fatal wound to it as the spider avoided to the right. Instead, it has cut off all of its legs on one side. Without losing the momentum the axe was stuck into the tree behind the spider.


    That moment, Magi-san who was now unarmed ran in front of the spider and raised both of her hands high up.


    "Now, it''ll be over with this."


    A sledgehammer was taken out of her inventory and appeared in her hands.


    She swung down the sledgehammer using her brute strength and gravitational force on top of the spider''s brain who couldn''t escape.


    *gugiiii*...sounded the death cries of the monster who was finished by splatter-style combat, I''m really glad that flesh and blood doesn''t splash around in this game.


    "That was surprisingly bland."


    After saying so, Magi-san recovered the thrown axe and hid it in her inventory.


    "...nonono, what''s up with that combat style?!"


    "What? I just normally threw a weapon by using ¡¾Throw¡¿ Sense."


    Although she said it so casually, I knew that there''s a requirement of ATK and DEX. The damage dealt by throwing could increase depending on the thrower, but it must be hard control. The crafters high amount of DEX made up for that, and also the user has to train with the weapon.


    Truly, the ultimate weapon-wielding technique which can be used only by craftsmen.


    "The weapons that are normally thrown are daggers aren''t they."


    "Dealing with such small things is tedious and I hate it. Originally I thought of using a throwing weapon."


    Normally, the throwing axes were smaller, but Magi-san threw this one with both of her hands.


    "That aside Yun-kun, your reaction was a bit lacking. Onee-san is a little disappointed."


    "That might have been an unique mob aimed at the beginners. Rather, there seems to be a treasure chest at the spiders location."


    "That''s true, let''s hurry and open it immediately."


    I held up the still frightened three young beasts, Magi-san opened the treasure box and peeked inside.


    "Yun-kun should use this unique item."


    "Umm... ¡¾Set of Magic Seasonings¡¿?"


    The description said ¡ºThe seasonings that do not deplete despite being used. The seasonings alone do not recover satiety.¡».


    I wonder if that was made so in order to prevent recovering satiety just by eating sugar and licking salt. So, it was made to be used in cooking only. It seemed like it was salt, pepper, sugar and curry powder, a useful item that could infinitely yield those four seasonings. It can''t be, was the powder the spider blew from its mouth a curry powder?


    The Spice Spider dropped unique items assisting in food preparation.


    "No way, do unique mobs drop things like camping sets and barbecues?"


    "Could be. The low level players wouldn''t have a Sense configuration that could help them with survival, so these are the items given to assist them."


    Responding to my murmur, was Magi-san''s calm analysis. Well, let''s use all we can.


    "Now then, let''s go back before night falls."


    "You''re right, let''s limit our operations at night as it''s dangerous."


    I headed back towards the point we set up a camp at while embracing the three hairballs.


    ¡ñ


    Along the way as we returned, Magi-san sent me screenshots. They displayed my feminine appearance as I held the three fluffy animals with a look of joy. When she saw my face all red and on fire as I saw it, she floated a mischievous expression and grinned.


    "M-Magi-san!? When did you take this!"


    "Who knows? Yun-kun''s pretty defenceless, nishishi."


    "Magi-san, please don''t show that screenshot to anyone!"


    "I know. Sometimes you''re being unexpectedly cute."


    "Not really... forget that."


    Regarding the screenshot that Magi-san sent me, I pressed on to make sure she doesn''t show it to anyone. It was somehow embarrassing. If Taku were to see it he would tease me until I''ll completely admit defeat.


    "Fuhh. Even so, we finally arrived at out base camp."


    "Yeah, we haven''t seen it for just a short while but... if my memory is correct then there should have been a lot of vacant space here..."


    In front of our eyes there was a splendid log house. Although it was a bit small, it was at a perfect size for sleeping in.


    "Magicchi, Yuncchi, welcome back. I did my best! It''s a splendid log house!"


    "No... this isn''t camping any more, what is this? And what ''splendid'', it looks like a holiday house."


    "Indeed, praise me. I''ve finished the interior walls as well."


    Cloude emerged from beyond the doors expressionless like usual, but then he smiled. As I saw him like that, I felt like he was handsome after all. Kuhh. When I compared his face with my own feminine one, a wound has opened in my heart.


    "Come, gaze upon this! The bunk beds created by Lyly! And the generously prepared beddings! Moreover, each of the three small animals has their own fully equipped sleeping place! How is it!"


    I was slightly taken aback by Cloude''s high tension. In Magi-san''s case, she said "Hoo, amazing." raising her voice slightly and drawing the words out.


    Indeed, it seemed like it would be comfortable to spend the night under blankets and on comfortable bedding. The bunk beds were used in order to use the small space of log house in an efficient way, moreover it was equipped with a curtain. It seemed to be done out of consideration to separate men and women. Wait, I''m a man!


    In addition to that, there were wooden boxes fitted with cushions, it was a sleeping place made for the three little beasts.


    This was the proficiency of the best carpenter and weaver... they were reliable allies to have in this survival life. However, I felt like saying that this is a waste of talent.


    "I''ve prepared a wooden table and wooden tableware to help Yuncchi with her cooking."


    "Woahh, the table''s so wide! And the tableware looks pretty solid."


    Although I was in daze after seeing the absurd workmanship of the log house, I got motivation to cook when I learned there was tableware.


    "Fufufufu, we have prepared a safe and comfortable place to sleep tonight. Now, it''s your turn next!"


    "Yes yes, here''s our harvest."


    I took out the fruits and plants from my inventory, I put them side by side. The fish seemed to retain their freshness, and in the end I showed them a set of magical seasonings.


    "I think there''s enough food until tomorrow morning, but if we''re lacking, we can go for a night hunt."


    "The harvest is better than we expected. But you should stop with the idea of night hunting. The visibility in forest at night is poor, it''s dangerous."


    Although what Cloude said was right, I had the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ night vision, in addition if I used ¡¾Discovery¡¿ it was easy for me to make them my prey. It was a hit&run tactic which focused on taking down enemy with a surprise attack before they could retaliate.


    Even if the enemy was too strong for me, my survival rate should be pretty high if I used a speed enchant on myself and a curse on the enemy.


    If I were to be unable to run away, it would just mean I was unlucky.


    "The night is my exclusive domain. Originally, I was a solo player. You don''t have to worry. Well, lets light the lights before it gets dark."


    The darkness wasn''t a problem for me, but for Magi-san and the others it wasn''t so. Welcoming the night in a state where we have no light source like magic or lantern would cause anxiety. I made a circle with the stones I picked up on the bottom of the river and inside, I put down branches and left over timber used by Lyly to make a bonfire.


    And I was reminded of a certain thing that should be prepared when cooking.


    "Now then... to put the pot on the fire... ah..."


    I forgot something critical. I didn''t secure water. Like this I can''t make a soup can I. Moreover, I couldn''t distil water because all the potions I had were concentrated.


    "Ahhhh. I''ve made a blunder."


    "What is it Yun-kun?"


    "Kuun."


    Magi-san and the puppy she held in her arms stared at me anxiously.


    "No, I just forgot about water. I''ll run to the stream and get some right now."


    "Wait. It''s already dark and dangerous. We can have someone acquire ¡¾Water Element Talent¡¿ to get us some."


    "But I don''t want to pick a Sense like that on the first day. We don''t know what will happen ahead."


    As I reluctantly responded to Magi-san''s proposal, the puppy twisted a little and let out a small howl. The moment it let out a voice, the pot started to shake and a rigid sound came out of it.


    "He? Water?"


    "Woof!"


    Every time it barked, a 5 centimetres large block of ice materialized in the air and fell down with a *plop*. I watched as the ice filled the pot.


    "...no way, is that your magic?"


    "Woof!!"


    "Ohhh! You''re amazing Rickle!"


    The puppy wagged its tail furiously as Magi-san held and praised it.


    "Did you name it Rickle?"


    "Ah speaking of which, Yun-kun was the one who won him over. Should I have asked you for permission?"


    "It''s fine. I have no naming sense."


    The three small beasts played with the three top crafters.


    Magi-san held the puppy. Cloude held the kitten and Lyly held the chick.


    Each of them respectively showed an interest in the ones who were holding them, and gave off an atmosphere of acknowledgement. Admittedly, each one of them has separated from me and found their own partner.


    "It''s fine. As long as they''re happy, for their sakes I will..."


    "AHH! Yun-kun, come back to reality!"


    Still feeling a bit sulky, I started to prepare the dinner. I put the pot full of ice on the fire to melt it, after it was turned into water I was able to prepare the food without a hitch.


    "Heey. Dinner''s done."


    After I called out, three people, and three animals came over. Although it was just half a day, they must have been starving for decent food other than the standard NPC one which had a bland taste.


    "Today''s dinner is grilled fish, soup from minced fish, fish steamed in herbs and flavoured wild grass. I feel like there''s a bit too much of fish, but it''s just the first day. I intend to explore more area starting from tomorrow."


    "No, it''s enough. If anything, then Socks will be pleased with the fish festival."


    "Socks?"


    He pointed at the kitten which was waiting eagerly on the table for the moment we start to eat.


    "Look, even though his entire body is black he has white paws. It''s as if he''s wearing socks."


    "It does look like it. Hey cat, are you really fine with such a name?"


    "Naa¡ª" it squealed happily. Earlier it rode on Cloude''s shoulders and rubbed its cheeks against his, how enviable. Not that, I mean, it must like Cloude a lot.


    "The puppy''s Rickle, the kitten is Socks. Lyly, did you name the bird?"


    "Hmm. Not yet. This will be improvised, let''s have it Neshias. The nickname will be Shiacchi!"


    Hearing that voice, Neshias stared at Lyly and started to jump up and down happily.


    "Uwahh... that surprised me?! Shiacchi, we''re going to eat now."


    Yeah. It seems like something important was born. Eh? Weird. Before I noticed all the young beasts left me.


    "...uuu, my fluffy hairballs..."


    "This is..."


    "Ahh, Yun-kun. What is it? Don''t get so depressed."


    I thought they were willing to be tamed by me, but that was just an illusion. The young ones seemed to have found their own partners. While the other three ate a meal with their partners I was engulfed by loneliness. I decided. I will absolutely find a partner of my own.


    ¡ñ


    "Thank you. Fuah?. That was delicious Yun-kun."


    "Thank you for the meal."


    I finished eating as well, the drinking water made from melted ice Rickle provided has calmed my stomach.


    As we ate dinner, it''s become really dark. It was a very dangerous time to go out. Moreover, it seemed like we had a monopoly as no other party has come back to this safety area after leaving. It was very quiet.


    "It was indeed delicious. I might have eaten a better meal than I do in real. The taste was pretty firm and despite eating a lot I won''t get fat. That''s nice."


    Cloude evaluated the meal as such with a mild look as he stroked his partner. Socks too was full and looked happy being stroked, his tail was slowly wagging.


    Lyly who was next to him started to sway back and forth, I was worried he might crush Neshias that was in his hand.


    "Lyly, you all right? If you''re sleepy then how about going to sleep?"


    "Hmm. I will. Somehow I feel really tired."


    He rose up from his seat and headed towards the log house in a wobbly gait. And not only Neshias sleeping in his hands, but also sleepy Rickle and Socks followed him.


    In order to build this log house, unexpectedly he must have used a lot of his willpower. The biggest contributor today might have been Lyly.


    "Lyly did really well."


    "You''re right. It might have been a recoil from excitement after being placed in an environment like this. Since we can''t explore anything at night, how about we go to sleep?"


    "I''ll try organizing the items a little. I''ve nothin'' to do anyway, I''ll be awake until about midnight."


    "And I''ll try making potions from the new herb types I gathered today."


    There was a large container with water Rickle prepared so the water for potion-making was secured.


    At the very least, I need to dilute the concentrated potions, we will need them tomorrow.


    "I see. Then I"ll go join Lyly and sleep ahead of you. Wake me up at midnight. It''s a non-combat safety zone in here but it''s better be vigilant just in case."


    "Okaay, then I''ll wake you up when I''ll be going to sleep."


    After saying so, Cloude disappeared in the log house.


    "Hmm. Let''s start our nighty night then."


    "Indeed."


    "Also... speaking of camp at night, girls'' talk is a classic isn''t it."


    "No, I''ve told you before, I''m a man."


    I retorted to Magi-san who made a cheerful smile and proceeded with my work.


    The poisonous herbs-type material and the abnormal state recovery-type material, it was possible to convert them into seeds by using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿, I need to bring them home, I thought. The new plants I''ve have on hand now are Awareness Grass, Sedative Grass, and Dispel Grass, that''s how they were named.


    From the poisonous herbs-types there was a pair of Hypnosis Grass which caused the target to sleep and Confusion Grass which caused the target to fall into a state of confusion. I was also able to find a grass which caused curses; Curse Grass.


    The same way I did the abnormal state recovering medicines up until now, I mixed two new herbs to make a potion.


    The medicine I was able to create was Waking Solution, Calming Solution and a ST Potion which dispelled curses. In addition, I was only able to craft a few things from poisonous herbs.


    Having the items prepared including the diluted concentrated potions, I''ve had a number necessary for the tomorrow''s activities. Magi-san too reshaped the large weapons she brought back into ingots.


    "Hey, Yun-kun?"


    "What is it?"


    Although there was a loud sound of the blows she made with her hammer, they didn''t sound strange or unpleasant. The sound with a certain constant rhythm engraved in them reminded me of metronome, my eyes naturally started feeling heavy, to oppose the sound which invited me to sleep I chatted with Magi-san.


    "Do you have any melee weapons?"


    "Why ask that out of the blue?"


    "Since Yun-kun has the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense, I thought it would be interesting if you had a kitchen knife for a weapon."


    "Is there any archer who would suddenly pull out a kitchen knife to fight?"


    A fighting cook who hunts his prey while poising a kitchen knife in both of his hands? Quite surreal.


    "Can I even use one? A melee weapon that is."


    "¡¾Smith¡¿ allows me to attack with all the weapon types I can create regardless of the acquired Senses."


    "Seriously? Isn''t that a cheat?"


    "Not at all. It only allows me to roll an attack, there''s no weapon damage correction nor arts. That''s why I use throwing tactics where the damage is left to the weapon''s strength."


    Hoo, unexpectedly I''ve heard something interesting. But a kitchen knife as a weapon huh. A knife from the cooking kit would be surely inferior to a throwing knife, I thought.


    "Similarly for ¡¾Cooking¡¿, if I use a weapon I normally use for crafting to attack, then the attack should hit right."


    "It''s possible for me to make such a weapon. Ufufufu, Onee-san will make you the best cooking knife there is."


    While saying that she put away an ingot melted from a weapon. and pulled out another heavyweight weapon.


    And then I continued to create potion-type items while listening to the sound of Magi-san''s hits on the metal.


    Since I was able to gather many types of herbs during the daytime I tried adding simple materials and food to the process.


    "Yaawn! So tired! But I managed to return all of it back into ingots!"


    "Cheers for the good work. I''ve finished preparing the supplies for tomorrow as well."


    Magi-san stretched her back tired and turned her shoulder around a few times.


    "I''ll make a kitchen knife for Yun-kun now."


    "But is that fine? What about money?"


    It was alarming for me who was broke. How much should I pay, how much will it take me to pay. But Magi-san waved her hand showing she doesn''t mind it at all.


    "Ah, I don''t need money, in the end during this camp life we''ll understand it sooner or later, that meaning of money disappears for this period of time."


    "...you''re right. Certainly that is so."


    There was no restriction on the amount of money brought to the event. Although there might be people who have it with them, there is no stable supply of items from NPCs or crafters in a place like this.


    And if I continued to endlessly create potions in here, I would cause inflation.


    "...how much do you think the new potion types I made are worth?"


    "Asking that now huh. Even though there is only space for hundred items the amount of consumables one can bring is too small to fight bosses of the equal ranking. By the way, there''s a possibility people won''t be able to move at all unless they repair their weapons at least once during this week."


    Magi-san spoke with a tone of voice that suggested she had fun, in fact, bringing crafters together with you during an event might be terribly important, I thought. Isn''t this camping event quite unreasonable too? When we walked around on the first day today, among collectible items there were a lot of malicious ones like poisonous herbs or fruits.


    "Well, me making a knife for Yun-kun is something like a reward I guess? Thank you for the meal today. And I''ll be in your care in future. That''s the kind of meaning, also, it will serve like a charm for you."


    "I see. Thank you very much."


    I received it from her and honestly showed my gratitude. I peeled the skin of an apple and boiled it together with dried herbs in a pot. After some time I filtered it the same way I did for potions and poured into my and Magi-san''s cup.


    "Please try this."


    "Hm? This potion has quite a nice smell."


    "It''s a herbal tea. I made it from apple skins and herbs I found today. I have ¡¾Cooking¡¿ after all, don''t I? Well, I just made something to drink instead."


    "Haa, Yun-kun''s really versatile. I was right to invite you."


    "Versatile huh, in a meaning that''s a bad thing. A jack-of-all-trades but master of none."


    While saying the obvious, I sipped the herbal tea as well.


    Magi-san tilted the wooden cup she held with both hands and drank quietly.


    "I feel healed. I''m relieved with this warmth. It tastes refreshing. It feels tranquil to be far away from hustle and bustle of the city, like a moment of bliss."


    "That''s true. Even though it''s a game, the night sky is beautiful."


    "One can see them well since its an open location."


    While I listened to the sound of popping firewood I looked up at the sky, and agreed with Magi-san''s words.


    "Mmm. Thank you for the tea. It feels like I can do my best again."


    "I see. Then I''ll go ahead and go to sleep before you. Though first I''ll pass the potions I made to you."


    I passed three quarters of each potion type I made to her. I left a quarter for my own use, it weren''t that many in the first place. But things like potions were only an insurance for long-range fighters.


    "Thank you for everything. Now then, good night."


    "Yes, good night."


    I said so and entered the log house.


    Inside I saw the small animals curled up in boxes and sleeping, I laughed softly.


    "...good night."


    I muttered quietly and fell on the lower part of the bunk bed.


    Dragonball reference! ^_^

 Chapter Volume 2 3

    Chapter 3 ¨C The Unicorn and the Collapsed Elf


    Sleeping inside a game. It was the first time I''ve ever done that, it was surprisingly smooth making it anticlimactic instead.


    Haa, the feeling of thoughts being heavy dissipated then it became clear. It was no different from sleeping normally.


    I must have slept five, six hours. When I woke up I was wrapped in a dim light.


    I slept on the lower part of the bunk bed, I heard a quiet regular breathing from above. I realized that it was Magi-san sleeping and got up quietly.


    "...you woke up."


    "Good morning Cloude. Were you on the lookout the entire time?"


    As I woke up, I found Cloude sewing some leather by the table.


    "I was doing my own crafting. There''s no problem at all, in real I stay up all night as well."


    "You better start living a healthier life."


    "Hmph, impossible."


    Cloude responded to my advice after which he passed me a leather belt and a knife to me.


    "This is Magi''s gift and my apology for earlier."


    "What apology?"


    "...that''s umm, for naming the little one on my own, also as thanks for the food."


    "Something like that? I don''t really mind."


    As I said that, I started to prepare breakfast from the ingredients which were left over from yesterday.


    He must have been looking at me since I''ve felt his gaze on my back, I started a conversation with him.


    "Are you really okay with that? For me to take a cub you''ve tamed."


    "Ahh, well. I would be lying if I said I don''t feel anything about that. However, can I ask something?"


    "What is it."


    Cloude spoke strongly. He must have thought that I''ll request something instead. That''s vexing. It really wasn''t such a request.


    "Let me touch Socks as well. I''ll be healed just by touching him."


    "...something like that? As long as they don''t hate it, you''re free to play with them as you please."


    "Okay. Thanks?. Also, thank you for the belt. I''ll try putting it on."


    I equipped the belt and the knife right away. The thick leather belt passed through the belt loop of trousers. The knife I took out was slightly longer than a knife that was in a cooking kit, it was almost the same size as kitchen knives in real world.


    Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife ¡¾Weapon ? Knife¡¿


    ATK+25 SPEED+15


    CS No.6 Ochre Creator ¡¾Torso¡¿


    DEF+8 MIND+8 SPEED+4


    I thought that both the belt and the knife were good equipment. To try I equipped both of them and tried to hold the knife.


    As I tried to slash in front, behind, left and right there was a sound of air being cut, it was enough to show how good it was. But¡ª¡ª


    "It''s an ordinary kitchen knife. Although it can be used as a weapon, it''s still just a kitchen knife."


    "I see. But I need to properly tell what''s my impression to the crafter. I''ll report to Magi-san on it afterwards."


    "Well, you know how to use a normal knife."


    To use the knife and finish making the breakfast. Although it was first time I used this kitchen knife, it fit mysteriously well in my hand.


    "Ah, let me tell you before I forget."


    "What is it?"


    "Open the menu and look inside."


    What is that about? I thought after hearing these words suddenly, but I opened the menu and saw there was something extra added to the usual menu screen.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Information Board¡¿? What''s this?"


    A new menu has suddenly appeared. The trigger for its release was probably the time which elapsed ever since the event started. Or maybe when a certain amount of players retired. The already locked thread was filled with rambling, and the information on the current situation was divided by content.


    While Cloude and I spoke, maybe woken up by the sounds of our work Magi-san holding a cub and Lyly came over.


    Cloude started talking about the today''s schedule based on the information from the thread as we sat to eat breakfast.


    "Since a lot of players died on the first day, I can roughly tell how this area looks like."


    The breakfast everyone ate was fruits, cooked apples, ohitashi, and a healthy salad. I wanted carbohydrates, but considering it''s a game, we could recover satiety with just this.


    The little beasts also gladly ate it.


    "The image of the area is like this, mountains in the north, lake to the south, ruins to the east and underground was the main highlight in the west. In middle of each area there are high level enemies and materials, a number of players who work on peripheries of nearby safety areas."


    "Mmm. I''m sleepy."


    "The breakfast was delicious, but I''d be happy to have bread; Yun-kun, can you make bread?"


    "If I obtain all the ingredients. But since we don''t have facilities to make it, I can''t guarantee how it''ll look like."


    A blue vein appeared on Cloude''s temple. No, we''ve heard what you were saying, but it seems like it''ll take a while and that''s a pain?.


    "You guys, listen to what I''m saying. The things I, Magi and Lyly need are mainly in the north. And the food and herb-type materials Yun needs are on east and southeast. What will you do? Will you work together with us? Or will you move solo?"


    "Then, can I head south solo? But what about this log house? We were keeping watch on it yesterday and now we''re leaving it behind like that."


    "No problem if it''s that. Lyly is still owner of the log house and it can''t be taken away. Even if the log house were to be broken, it can be set up once again. By Lyly, that is."


    He relied on Lyly without any hesitation.


    "Repair, construction, leave carpentry work to me?, uu?sleepey?."


    With Neshias on top of his head, Lyly was munching the salad. Neshias was also sleepy and slowly ate by moving its small beak.


    "We''ll be active in early hours and come back to the base camp later. I get it. What about lunch? Go back to explore once we''re back?"


    "That would make it inefficient, let''s make simple lunch boxes."


    "Then that''s decided. Preparation and distribution of items for lunch as preparation. Let''s search the fields nearby."


    Reacting to Cloude''s words the ones who finished eating breakfast started to move.


    "All right. I thought of allocating potions to everyone now, while at it I''ll pass you this too."


    I took out the Enchant Stones I made in a rush.


    "The keyword is ''Speed''. They''re only the speed increasing ones so use them if you need to escape."


    "Thank you, Yun-kun."


    "I''ll use it gratefully."


    "Uu?, mnn?, haa, t-thank you Yuncchi."


    Lyly finally woke up, and he stared at me with his eyes which finally found focus.


    And then, as a result of us scattering to explore the surroundings, we found a new ingredient.


    By the time everyone finished their preparations, I''ve prepared lunch boxes for four people + three animals and handed them out.


    "Now then, we''ll be going, Mom."


    "Okay, make sure to take care. Also, Lyly. Who the hell are you calling ''mom''?!"


    When I retorted to Lyly the others only giggled but didn''t set it straight.


    Kuhh... stop with ''mom''. It pains my heart. At least make it Onii-san.


    "Yun-kun, call us if anything happens!"


    "Understood. If you encounter any problems contact me from your side as well."


    "Then we''ll be going."


    The three went north to find their own prey. Well, they have the lunchboxes, and even without appraisal they won''t do something as stupid as eating poison. Also, they should have enough potion-type items.


    They are the type who know when to quit. But I was still a bit worried.


    "...what the heck, I really am thinking like a mother!!"


    I took a breather after self-retorting. It''s all right, I just need to do my thing. I proceeded towards the east alone and planned to start moving south from there.


    As for the enemy''s strength, I''ve learned from the information board that even unique mobs aren''t very strong. The real danger is posed by mobs in the west and east dungeons. But because one won''t encounter them unless they approach the ruins in the east, I was able to proceed alone and with confidence.


    Even though it was only a single day yesterday, I''ve raised the level of my Senses.


    Possessed SP16


    ¡¾Bow Lv24¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv35¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Power Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv7¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Synthesis Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv26¡¿


    ¡¾Swimming Lv8¡¿


    The amount of Senses I have increased considerably and management has become quite hard. In combat I need to properly switch out the crafting Senses. I tend to rely on DEX as it makes my bow stronger so I''m restless unless I have ¡¾Crafting Knowledge¡¿ which gives a strong DEX bonus.


    Although I have equipped ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ in order to look for my own partner today, I wasn''t sure how to exert an effect with it. I can only hope for a chance meeting like the one yesterday. I continued to proceed east until I reached the front of ruins, after collecting herb-type materials I proceeded southeast.


    While taking on only mobs that seemed like they would yield food ingredients, I concentrated on recovering items in the woods.


    There were food-type materials and potion materials, moreover, there were mobs that looked like the Blue Slime which appeared near the First Town. I proceeded while gathering, not feeling any impending crisis.


    I went south along the river, the landscape changed from the river landscape filled with natural objects.


    Stacked stones, an amateurish artificial canal directed towards the southeast.


    I advanced while tracing the water canal, and I raised a loud voice seeing the sight.


    "Uwaa... its a wheat field."


    The waterway ended at a reservoir on the hill, right beside it there was a pasture. Golden wheat fields spread over it. *slosh**slosh*, players were waving their weapons to harvest wheat. Deeper into the open area there was a remnant of an old field, a place which had various native plant species vacate the space.


    First of all, I need to gather wheat, right. If it goes well we might eat some carbohydrates today.


    I moved closer to wheat and tried pulling it but... it wouldn''t budge.


    "I can''t pick it... my wheat masterplan is..."


    Everyone in front of me seemed to harvest it by reaping it, I tried to copy the method. I removed the knife I''ve been given this morning and started cutting it at the base.


    It felt crunchy, it was pleasant sensation to collect wheat randomly. After I gathered a bundle of wheat I changed it to Flour by using ¡¾Processing¡¿, a basic skill of ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense. I collected 10 bundles of wheat and processed it into a 1kg bag of Flour. After collecting about thirty bags I went back to the pasture.


    "That was tiring. Eh, did I gather too much?"


    I crouched down and looked at the circle in which I collected the wheat. However, the wheat started to grow once again from the left over roots and was restored to its former state soon enough.


    The artificial canal in the middle and the cultivated areas, as well as the dungeons and ruins were evidence that people lived in here. This stray continent probably has a ''people once lived here'' setting.


    "Well, let''s investigate it step by step. Now, to gather some more ingredients."


    Although thirty bags of Flour was enough for more than four servings, I''m still worried about food. I made the flour with ¡¾Processing¡¿, but why did it appear in a bag, or rather where did the bag come from. Well, let''s stop retorting to myself.


    The next field I headed to had materials for poison potions, poisonous plants, they were mingled with vegetables.


    When I pulled out one of the vegetables thinking it''s was a carrot, I found that it was a poisonous plant which had a curse effect and the form of a carrot¡ª¡ªMandragora.


    Speaking of which, they certainly do look like carrots, it would be easy to fail recognizing it by appearance. I could appraise it immediately after collecting so I could tell whether its safe or not, understanding the danger.


    Considering the normal vegetables were mixed with the poison it took me a while to gather a sufficient number. After that I went to the pasture and decided to have a lunch.


    The weather was good, I bathed in sun while having a picnic at the meadow.


    "I''ll take a look at the information board."


    Suddenly, I thought that my current knowledge of the situation was underwhelming. Both about the circumstances surrounding me, and my own standing. I thought that I might have overlooked something fatal. I removed the easy-to-eat lunch and ate as I browsed through the board. Although it was bad manners, I focused on efficiency.


    The board was divided into several categories.


    The titles of the threads were as follows, ¡¾Ruins Dungeon Guide Part 3¡¿, ¡¾Young Beasts are too cute :)¡¿, ¡¾Everyone''s safe life¡¿, ¡¾Stray Continent''s Mob Pictures¡¿, ¡¾Trade Board, Rates Consultation¡¿ and so on.


    From among them I examined the information that was relevant to me, like a kid in candy store I opened the threads that interested me even though it was pointless.


    The dungeon configurations and types, the recommended Senses and levels. There were also stories of failure in the middle of the event.


    ¡º"If a fruit seems delicious, it''s most likely a poison £º£©."¡» ¡º"Because of ¡¾Confusion¡¿ state we cut down three of our party members :£ý."¡», and so on. It seemed painful.


    The contents of the topics was either interesting or funny, I was absorbed in reading it.


    "Waa! Young beast''s screenshots?! I can post here!"


    The thread which raised my tension the most was the one about little animals. A fantastical creature, a black mini dragon covered with fluffy feathers... a small silver monkey stuffing itself with fruits...


    Small animals as big as stuffed toys frolicking around...


    "Haa, I want a partner of my own as soon as possible."


    I couldn''t help but think so.


    "Fuu... let''s eat my lunch and do my best in the afternoon... hey, where''s my lunch?"


    The lunch I took out and left unattended has disappeared and was all cleaned up, instead, I found a pure white foal resting on its knees sleepily.


    In front of me there was a pure white foal with beautiful fur, I''m sure that if I stroked it, it''s mane would feel really good in touch. That was the extent of my thoughts. But considering the circumstances, this white horse must have been the thief who stole my lunch...


    "Hey you, just when did you appear."


    I must have been too focused on the information board to notice... I thought. But it seems like I was wrong.


    The moment the white horse glanced at me, the scenery around it distorted and the horse disappeared.


    "¡­?!!"


    However, when I concentrated my gaze at the location it disappeared at, I''ve seen its figure vaguely. The white horse didn''t move a single step. It seemed as if it read my surprised expression, and responded with ''how about it, amazing right?''. It acted quite arrogantly.


    "...you''ve got a stealth feature huh... impressive."


    An impression that mixed both a surprise and praise leaked out of my mouth.


    "If I didn''t have ¡¾Discovery¡¿ I wouldn''t have noticed you."


    The ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense allowed me to find hidden people and collection points, if not for this Sense which allowed me to find mobs easily the lunch thief would have succeeded with his perfect crime. However, even though I looked at it carefully I could only see it vaguely, if I looked normally I definitely wouldn''t have found it.


    Feeling like that I muttered under my nose. Without any emotions in particular, the white horse replied by only shaking its tail once. For this horse, I might have been just an irrelevant existence.


    The white horse''s stealth capability might be one of the individual properties young animals had, just like Rickle''s ability to summon ice. Even so, it didn''t seem to have too favourable impression on me. There wasn''t any hostility, but it lacked interest as well.


    "That aside, I''m hungry too, you lunch thief. Well, I can always make more."


    Making it was simple and there was plenty of ingredients. I took out a cooking kit and started making a proper meal.


    The foal stared at me as I finished preparing food, it stood up quietly and then stared at the fried vegetables.


    "...you, you just ate and you want to eat again?"


    As it nodded, I held out dishes in front of the young horse.


    Seeing as it gobbled it down I wondered, can I touch it now? And motivated by curiosity I moved to its side and touched its body.


    Even though I touched it with my hand it wasn''t fazed at all. *pat* *pat*... *sparkle* *sparkle*


    It wasn''t as fluffy as other little ones, but this comfortable feeling might turn into a habit.


    In particular when my fingers passed through its long mane, the light was diffused randomly. Beautiful.


    "...you, do you want to come together with me?"


    The white horse turned its head towards me and stared at me with its clear eyes. Ten seconds, then twenty seconds, silence continued to last.


    No good huh. Just when I was about to give up, it poked my belly with its head.


    "Hey!! Wait, don''t push me!?"


    The sudden occurrence made me fall on my butt, and I had my knees raised up, my legs making up a triangular shape like this ?¡ª¡ªultimately I sat in a feminine way. The white horse came over and put its head on my lap.


    "Hey... what does this mean."


    It just waved its tail, it closed its eyes completely.


    The white horse broke into a nap. I still haven''t eaten my lunch, ''dis way I can''t cook anythin''. Despite thinking like that, seeing the foal lie like that comfortably I felt like I shouldn''t disturb it. I relieved my hunger by eating a fruit I took out from the inventory.


    I caught a bit of its mane in my palm and enjoyed the feeling, I pat its forehead and mane. There seemed to be something hard on the white horse''s forehead, I pushed the soft hair away to examine it.


    Certainly, there was something there. As I pushed aside the hair on his head which lied on my thigh I found what I have caught on earlier.


    "...this is¡ª"


    I blinked and looked towards the heavens to make sure it''s not a hallucination. Seeing my reaction, the foal raised its head a little. ''What, any complaints?'', that''s how it felt.


    Cause, this little one had a small horn. I didn''t notice it earlier since it was hidden in the hair, but it was a famous mythical beast that had a horn growing out of its forehead, a Unicorn.


    Unicorns were said to approach only maidens. Hey, I''m not a woman, I''m a guy.


    For a while I wondered what was it. And reached that conclusion. The horse felt really nice in touch so the presence of a horn didn''t matter. It''s not like it disadvantaged me anyhow.


    And while I enjoyed its sparkly fur, the white horse suddenly interrupted its rest and stood up.


    "¡­? What is it?"


    It rotated its neck a few times, and after staring in the direction of lake, it broke into a run towards it.


    "Hey, wait!"


    I chased it in a hurry. The white horse ran down the gentle hill and entered the woods, it continued to rush through the gap in the trees.


    "At this rate I''ll be left behind. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed."


    As not to lose the sight of it I raised my speed as well and chased. The white horse looked back once to see how I''m faring, and after confirming that I''m keeping up it raised its speed even further.


    "Shit! What''s up with him all of a sudden!"


    I proceeded while avoiding obstacles like stones and tree roots. Passing by, I ignored all unique mobs occasionally saw which could drop useful items for survival. I felt it was a huge waste.


    And from the wheat fields I entered a forest, the white horse stopped in a place where according to the map there was nothing in particular.


    "I suddenly chased you, but it''s not like you were escaping from me was it¡ª¡ªhey, there''s a person!"


    Under the white horse''s feet there was a player lying face down.


    I realized its a woman from her petite figure and long hair, around her there were two animals, a Herbivore and a Mill Bird.


    "She''s being attacked?! For now¡ª¡ª"


    I took a step back making distance from Mill Bird and the Herbivore. Moreover, the white horse positioned itself between the fallen player and the two mobs. The fallen player was a priority.


    "Hey, you all okay?"


    "...I cannot... move."


    "Were you attacked by some kind of mob?!"


    "...fo...od."


    Haa? Certainly, it was unnatural for her to have a full HP if she was attacked, and she didn''t seem to be inhibited by an abnormal status. Also, by food she means...


    "...I collapsed."


    Despite having a pretty face she said something really disappointing, I took out a fruit and passed it to her. She grasped the fruit with trembling hands, and because of how wild she ate it, my admiration cooled down in an instant.


    "Fuu... I finally recovered to 30%."


    "You going to eat more?"


    "No, I''m fine, but these tamed ones need food."


    She pointed with her finger as she said so, she called over the Mill Bird and Herbivore that were surrounding her earlier. It seems like they weren''t enemies but allies... so that''s how it was.


    "So you have the ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense?"


    "Yes, let''s talk in detail as we''re eating..."


    No, that way of speaking makes it seem like I''m to prepare the food. That''s not a line which should be said by someone who just collapsed, is it. I was about to put these words in my mouth, but I noticed something and took a step away.


    "Elf ears..."


    "Ah, yes. Elf ears indeed."


    "Why?"


    "Hm, I was playing around with ears in the character edit. I wanted to look like an elf."


    Hee. I left the default from camera shoot, and my body was modified too. To a more feminine one.


    The loose hair-strands of her blonde hair were raised up by the ears, since she showed her pointed ears I observed them intently for a moment, but I realized I shouldn''t gawk at women and looked away.


    I''ve heard her story while she was eating, it seemed like the three animals have eaten all the food she had. Hey, white horse. You''ve eaten earlier haven''t you. As I stared at it, it pretended not to know anything. Geez...


    "Now, self introductions. I''m Letia. I''ve made the character in image of the forest people; the elves. Now these tamed beasts, the Herbivore is Haru and Mill Bird is Natsu."


    "I''m Yun. As you can see, an archer."


    "Well, I can see that. And I advise you to change it as soon as possible."


    "I''ve been told that by my little sister. However, I''ve started to like it so give that a rest... rather than that, Letia, why have you fallen over in such a place."


    "That''s... there''s a profound reason for that..."


    A profound reason. Maybe her food was stolen by someone, or maybe she left it all as she ran away...


    "Although I went into the woods hoping to find a rare young beast during the event, I''ve distributed my portion of food to Haru and Natsu... a lot happened."


    "No, I won''t say ''you reap what you sow'', but food can be collected at various places. And if you have a corresponding Sense you can appraise items to check if they''re safe, right?"


    "That''s... embarrassing, but I''ve acquired ¡¾Light Element Talent¡¿ for overnight activities and cannot get another new Sense."


    Yup, she reaps what she sows after all. I spit out a tired sigh.


    "Then you could join some party, or barter with items you had on you for food."


    "The consumables only restored a small amount of satiety, I have eaten them. Several times I have received an abnormal state after eating food I picked."


    Is that something to boast of?! Moreover, she didn''t use the ingredients but ate them...


    "Haa, geez. I''ll teach you how to make safe food. If I tell you about it you''ll be able to see the details on the item. In exchange, give me the ingredients you''ve been eating earlier."


    "In other words, despite being already sate, I''ll eat in excess, right?"


    "That''s what you''re worried about?!"


    "To go further, you want me to eat Haru''s and Natsu''s portion... you''re a demon."


    "Somehow, I want to protest..."


    As I poorly retorted with an indifferent expression Letia spat out a small sigh and smiled.


    "I''m joking. Thank you very much for taking care of me. Yun-kun''s a gentle girl."


    "Listen, I''m¡ª¡ª"


    "¡ª¡ªSo what''s this white horse''s name?"


    "Listen to what I''m saying, you sorry elf."


    I couldn''t relay that I''m a man to Letia who was together with the Herbivore Haru and Mill Bird Natsu who had swollen bellies. What interested her more was the white horse.


    "A rare beast huh. I want it. Does it have a name yet?"


    "No, even if you ask me for a name... right."


    I looked at the white horse for consent, it snorted and looked away. I haven''t given it a name yet, and it hasn''t become my partner. After a while it dispersed going somewhere.


    "Oh, it''s gone."


    "Did something go wrong?"


    "Isn''t it just going on and off on a whim? That aside, let''s go and look for proper items. I''ll appraise them for you. We will gather the items we found in two, is that fine?"


    "Yes, are the ones that have poison in them all right too?"


    "It''s fine. Poison can be used as a crafting material for other things than food. If you have a base camp somewhere we can trade the ingredients and products there."


    "I understand. Let''s do our best looking."


    With that said, she used the two tamed beasts Haru and Natsu and started to look in the forest.


    I also went in the forest to replenish the ingredients that I have used up. Also, I''ve felt the presence of the white horse following me even though it disappeared earlier.


    ¡ñ


    "So for example, if you mix the poisonous herbs I''ve been eating for satiety you can make a medicine that recovers from bad status which reduces stats."


    "No, although your wording is funny, it''s not entirely wrong."


    Among the mountain of items we collected together there were many types, I needed Letia to remember them.


    "Look, eat this. Also, you can eat this too."


    "Impossible. Why can you eat it despite knowing it''s poison..."


    "Don''t worry, if you eat Antidote Grass immediately you can minimize the damage."


    "Even so..."


    Currently, I''ve had Letia remember which ingredients are dangerous, it was literally having her body learn. It was the so called ¡ºDiscerning¡». Moreover, as we chatted I''ve told her how to use each one.


    "If you have ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and have materials which cause abnormal states and recover from them, you can make a variety of items. Next one, it''s a normal ingredient but..."


    It appeared that if it was a normal item which had no disadvantages to it, then the tamed beasts, Haru and Natsu could appraise them. Even though Letia and the beasts didn''t want to use poisonous plants, they took this to mouth voluntarily. It''s not like I''m bullying them.


    "Uuu... this is a camp, even if I put poison in my mouth I''ll survive."


    "No, if you normally appraised it you wouldn''t have to eat it. Also, if you eat it once you''ll be safe later."


    The elf-styled girl stuffed the materials into her mouth indifferently to identify them, she turned her gaze towards the tamed beasts. They ignored their lord''s gaze and munched the materials. It seemed like doing something dangerous should be done together by partners. The moment I thought that, I''ve gotten a surreal feeling that it was something subtle and sad.


    "Well, whatever. It''s good to be able to survive during the event. That''s why, don''t overdo it."


    "You''re a mysterious person. Helping someone who collapsed and teach them a way to survive without asking anything in return..."


    I didn''t really help her with any special intent in mind...


    "And you have a bow as a weapon. I can sympathize as I too hold a mishappen Sense."


    "Hey, are you selling me a fight here?"


    "No such thing. ¡¾Taming¡¿ too is considered a mishappen and dead Sense, I''ve been told a lot of stuff about it."


    "Ah, speaking of which I''ve heard something like that when I asked about ¡¾Taming¡¿. I''ve acquired it, but haven''t been able to use it"


    I recalled what Letia said, ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense was a dead Sense. The probability of taming a mob was low, it was a dead Sense because a huge amount of luck was required for it to work properly.


    "That recognition is half-right, and half wrong."


    "Haa? What do you mean?"


    "There must be something else other than relying on luck. For example winning them over, didn''t you notice anything?"


    "Umm, feeding I guess?"


    "Indeed. Also, you can win them over by showing your combat skills with Taming turned on."


    Certainly, although if you use ¡¾Taming¡¿ in combat at the enemy it''s all up to luck, but it''s possible to increase the chance of success by several methods. If you use a best method matching your opponent, they are likely to become your companion. However, the element of luck is still involved, and more attempts might be necessary. Also, if the mob becomes a partner, he will turn into an item called Summoning Stone which will allow one to call them.


    Calling a mob with a Summoning Stone costs MP, the amount is determined by the mob type. Because of that, players MP limits what mob can be used with ¡¾Taming¡¿.


    "Something like that."


    "Hmm. Is that so."


    I identified items while listening to Letia''s explanation. I could already see the end of the item pile.


    "Haa?! There''s a young animal."


    "Eh, no way. Where..."


    Letia''s gaze pierced into my back, she looked in the direction I was staring and she saw it stay on top of tree''s thick branch.


    It was a creature with bright red eyes and white fur, it had a long and narrow body. It was a creature resembling a ferret or a weasel, it was staring at us.


    "Then, let''s demonstrate what we were talking about earlier. Let''s try several things before we try having it surrender in combat."


    While saying so, Letia took a fruit which was identified as non-toxic and spoke to the little one on the tree.


    "Look, it''s food. Come over here."


    The weasel''s line of sight was focused on the fruit, it should come down soon enough. However, unlike the time I encountered the little ones, it was quite wary and wouldn''t just come close.


    "Next, you can try captivating it by playing a musical instrument."


    She said and took out a flute. As expected, the self-proclaimed elf must be able to let out a beautiful tone from from it. I''ve had high expectations but¡ª¡ª


    *pihyororo?*, an indescribable silly sound jingled in vain throughout the forest.


    "Like this you use a ¡¾Musical Instrument¡¿ to deepen your friendship with the other party."


    "Before that, it has already turned stiff in amazement! That weasel''s mocking you!"


    "Weird. When the enemy was a goblin it waved both of its hands and started dancing... well, the performance is finished, let''s try it. It might have been because its level is low."


    That ain''t good. Just when I thought that, the young weasel''s atmosphere changed.


    Unfortunately, the moment the flute stopped playing, from being wary it turned into being wary and hostile, it tried to intimidate us.


    "Hey, isn''t it completely furious..."


    "Sometimes they turn hostile for no reason at all in the middle of solicitation. How unusual."


    "That''s no good at all! Hey, uwaa?!"


    The weasel''s paw was wrapped in pale green light and there was wind swirling. I avoided a sharp wind blade that was released from the paw it waved, it left a small scar on the ground.


    "A Kamaitachi huh. It''s hostile now, is there no choice but to defeat it?"


    I pulled out the knife that was attached to my belt, wanting to confront wind blades with it. Letia and her two tamed beasts positioned themselves, but it didn''t mean we have formed a party. We decided not to make one in order to avoid receiving a penalty.


    "Letia, what to do once it turns into a battle?"


    "Unfortunately, I have no way to fight in close quarters. Mostly I leave it to Haru and Natsu. Do your best."


    "Haa, I too am an amateur when it comes to close combat."


    The distance was too small and it would be difficult for me to maneuver with a longbow. Although I took out my knife, it would be better to have a tactical retreat. However, with this atmosphere I couldn''t just leave it like that.


    "I''ll go in front. Letia, support me from range in a way that won''t cause us to get a penalty."


    "Understood."


    The tamed beasts immediately moved and stuck closely to Letia''s side as she has moved into the back. I''ll move pre-emptively... and when I thought that I felt like something caught my hand in which I held the knife.


    "You... what..."


    The young Unicorn that was hiding from Letia up until now has pulled on my sleeves making it so I couldn''t swing the weapon.


    Did this guy turn into an enemy? I thought that, but it didn''t seem like it was attacking me. It didn''t seem like it was anyone''s enemy, there was no hostility in its eyes.


    "It''s coming!"


    "?!! It hurts."


    Both the young Unicorn and I received the wind blade and our HP was reduced. I took one step back in shock, but Letia instantly healed my and the Unicorn''s wounds with recovery magic.


    Even after being attacked by the Kamaitachi, the Unicorn didn''t show any hostility against it. Don''t kill it. That''s what it seemed to say.


    "I get it. We just need to render it powerless. If that''s fine then let me go."


    I didn''t know whether it understood my words, but it stopped pulling on my clothes and distanced itself from me. A way to incapacitate it without taking it down, there was one.


    "Letia! Don''t stop healing me! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªMind."


    I increased my magic defence with an enchant and took a step further. I have received the wind blades that were released in succession with my crossed arms, it seems like I managed to decrease the amount of damage taken as compared to before. With heals being cast on me I reduced the distance steadily. The wind blade attacks seemed like they were released in confusion and disproportionate. And when I got to the distance where I could reach it with my hands¡ª¡ª


    "Don''t give me so much trouble, geez¡ª¡ª"


    I sprinkled a liquid I removed from the inventory on the Kamaitachi, immediately after it stopped moving and fell over.


    "No matter what I make, it always turns out to be handy. An abnormal state drug."


    In response to the drug, an abnormal state of ¡¾Sleep¡¿ was caused, the Kamaitachi started to let out sounds in sleep. Even so, after this it might wake up in less than ten seconds.


    And then the young Unicorn moved forward and stood by my side, light has gathered near its forehead and it contacted the sleeping Kamaitachi. It recovered Kamaitachi''s reduced HP and the abnormal state. We didn''t deal any damage to it, that must have meant it was damaged earlier.


    "Oh, it woke up."


    Although Kamaitachi was in an excited state after waking up, it checked its own recovered body and after glancing at the Unicorn and us it ran away in a hurry. Letia was watching that from behind, even though she muttered regretfully, she didn''t really say anything.


    "Thank you for the support."


    "No, it was a right person for the right job. Yun-san''s a mysterious person after all. Well, to defeat a rare animal like that would be a waste. I think it was a good decision."


    "It wasn''t my judgement though. Hey, it''s gone already."


    The young Unicorn disappeared using its stealth ability right after it was over, it stayed some distance away.


    "Even so, it seemed like it was damaged by someone before it met us."


    Was there a player who aimed at the young ones, or did it fight with another mob.


    "No clue. Hm, sunset is about to come. What will you do, Letia?"


    "I''ll make a base camp in an appropriate spot and go to sleep."


    "Then we''ll be separating here."


    "It seems so. Next time, if the fate''s willing."


    She said so, and after taking her partners with her, Letia went into the forest and was no longer visible before long.


    "Now, we should go back too... hm? What''s this."


    In the place Kamaitachi stayed in, there was something shining dully. It was a metal ring that had a reddish colour. Because I couldn''t see any details I equipped the ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense, I identified it.


    Wrath Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿


    DEF+15 MIND+15 Additional Effect : ¡¾Anger 3¡¿


    It was dangerous equipment. However, why was it in a place like this. As I examined it closely, I found a pattern that was strangely ominous.


    "Well, no matter how much I think about it I won''t find an answer. Let''s just put this thing in the inventory."


    I muttered so and went back to the base camp. The Unicorn followed me halfway, but when it saw Magi-san and the others in our base camp, it ran away to hide again.


    We''''ll meet again if so willed by fate, I stored these words in the corner of my head and reported today''s results to everyone.


    To better describe the mentioned pose (it''s obvious in Japanese, but not so obvious in english) I''ll have this lass to present it:http://i.imgur.com/WWfxkR6.jpg ¨C something like this. Haru means spring, Natsu means summer. She''s naming her tamed beasts with the names of the seasons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamaitachi

 Chapter Volume 2 4

    Chapter 4 ¨C Swimming and the Ruins on Lake Bottom


    "Today we''re acting separately as well, will you be okay Yun-kun?"


    "There''s no problem. I''m going to use ¡¾Swimming¡¿ Sense to check whether the rumours about the lake are true. I might be able to find something."


    In the morning of the third day Magi-san was quite worried. Yesterday when I told her that I challenged a violent young beast and didn''t resist it, she was seriously worried.


    "Yun-kun, don''t be too reckless. Come back safely."


    "Come on, we''re going. Today too we''re going to look for crafting materials."


    Magi-san seemed to be broadening the area of their search together with Cloude and Lyly. Yesterday they seemed to search while maintaining a safety margin, but the mobs which appeared were mostly weak and it gave me an impression of a monotonous work.


    While embracing little furball in her arms Magi-san anxiously looked back a few times, I sent her off with a smile, I continued to smile until she disappeared. What a worrywart, I muttered.


    "Now then, now that they''re gone, let''s head straight towards the lake today."


    I muttered and moved out of the safety area in which we had our own base camp, the young Unicorn appeared in front of me, I put on a wry smile as it started walking beside me.


    "You were close by after all. You should have come to our base camp yesterday."


    The foal walked right by my side, it was as big as a pony, it had a different charm from Rickle and others.


    "It''s inconvenient not to have a name right? What do we do about it?"


    I looked at the Unicorn but it didn''t show any reaction in particular, I started thinking of names with a finger on my chin.


    "Not much of a talker huh. You''re not talking so... how about Taciturn. Hey, uwaah?! You didn''t like it?! Sorry, sorry about that."


    I was headbutted from behind, the white horse showed its dissatisfaction. Names are quite difficult.


    "Then, Ryui. How about it?"


    As I said that, it stopped headbutting me. Although it showed an aloof attitude, it didn''t leave me and kept up with my pace. I don''t know if it liked it, but it seems like it has acknowledged it. Speaking of which, about the young Unicorn¡ª¡ªI''ve forgotten to tell Magi-san about Ryui.


    We faced the waterway on southeast, and went along it towards the lake.


    There was a clean boundary between the lake and the canal, there were tidal flats by the edges of the lake.


    "There are living things in the shallow water too, I don''t need to use ¡¾Swimming¡¿ to secure food."


    Although I took a step forward into the tidal flat, it seemed like there will be a delay as my footing was unstable and I lost balance. Ryui didn''t enter the unstable ground at all.


    "You''re not good with these huh. Wait there, I''ll be going to pick some food for tonight."


    As I said that, Ryui lied down and started napping.


    I focused on the tidal flats again and proceeded deeper, after a short while I was able to pick up something that looked like oversized shrimps.


    When I bent over to pick them up, the shrimps and shellfishes attacked me with its limbs or shells.


    "Hey that''s dangerous... these are treated as mobs too?"


    Although I pulled out my knife to try attacking it, there was no damage. Since I didn''t have an appropriate Sense it seemed like it didn''t judge it as an attack. Though, I only tried hitting its shell.


    "It''s slow and it doesn''t move. And it''s a mob... like this, move around the shrimp and stab the knife into a gap in it''s shell..."


    I held the opponent down with my leg, and after stopping its movements I pressed the knife against the gap. Fuuh, I took a deep breath. I put some strength into the knife all at once and bisected the shrimp starting with the gap.


    It''s shell gave a strong resistance at first, but as I pushed it forcefully and before long it gave a death cry and disappeared. ''Shrimp'' has appeared in my inventory.


    "So I can use a kitchen knife to hunt mobs. It''s not a dagger, I don''t want to be joked about as a ''kitchen knife user''."


    But a dagger was quite thick. I was able to attack the gap like this because of how thin and sharp a kitchen knife is.


    After that, I was able to insert the knife inside of a shellfish''s shell and after cutting the adductor muscle inside I obtained a shellfish.


    Since I had to stop it from moving and aim at the gap it couldn''t be said it was too efficient. It was time-consuming.


    However, when I killed about a hundred of them¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"The ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense is level 10 or higher, a skill was generated after subjugating over a hundred enemies with Cooking-type equipment."¡»


    "Ehh? So skills appear after fulfilling conditions that are different than the Sense level or events huh."


    A new skill was added to ¡¾Cooking¡¿ besides the ¡¾Preparing¡¿ ¡¾Processing¡¿ and ¡¾Facilitating¡¿.


    Even so, the level went up by attacking mobs with a kitchen knife. Hey, what''s this?


    ¡¶Ingredient Knowledge¡·¡ª¡ªFor 10 minutes a red marker appears on enemy, damage increases if the marked place is attacked.


    In other words, it was a skill that revealed weaknesses. When I tried it, a red marker appeared in a gap in the shrimp''s shell.


    Unlike ¡¾Enchant¡¿, it felt more like a Sense increasing weapon damage. An additional damage correction within a limited range felt completely different from how enchant worked.


    "I''ve gathered enough ingredients, let''s check out the lake and go back."


    I unequipped the ¡¾Dosing¡¿ Sense and switched to¡¾Swimming¡¿ Sense. Although I was slightly anxious removing the high level ¡¾Dosing¡¿, I''ll try covering its correction with an enchant.


    The water wasn''t unmoving, the aquatic plants swayed back and forth as underwater streams moved them.


    I swam freely in the water as there was less resistance as compared to the stream''s rapids. When I found a building on the bottom of the lake, on the edge of my vision I saw a black shadow of a fish swimming towards me at breakneck speed, I immediately avoided it.


    (Danger...?! What''s that.)


    I looked over my shoulder for signs of the fish, a pitch black 1,5m long giant fish was there. Its name was Western Bluefin Tuna.


    I was convinced that it was seafood that had strength incomparable to shrimps and shellfishes I''ve picked up until now.


    (This is the lake''s unique mob.)


    What to do, although I want to examine the building on the bottom of the lake, this guy will definitely get in my way. There''s no other way than to get rid of it.


    I returned to the surface once again. Although the Bluefin Tuna gave up on chasing me halfway, seeming as if it had no intention of leaving the depths, and it went back into the depths.


    "Now then, let''s come up with a strategy to defeat the guy."


    If it comes to worst, I''ll escape to the surface where he won''t chase after me. I can challenge him as much as I want. I adjusted my posture in water and took a breath. I cast three enchants on myself, ATK, DEF and SPEED. I''ve also cast the ¡¶Ingredient Knowledge¡· I''ve acquired very recently to see its weak points.


    I clenched the knife and once again dived into the water, I looked for the tuna.


    I didn''t have to look long, the tuna which avoided still water came out of the area it occupied and assaulted me.


    This time when we got in contact I didn''t avoid it completely, and I swung the knife at the marker on the tuna''s body.


    Although I swung it with all strength I had in my arms towards the large figure, the moment the knife has struck the tuna¡ª¡ª


    (It hurts?!! My arms¡ª¡ª)


    I didn''t pull the knife which pierced through tuna. With a knife still piercing it, the tuna held my body and started to swing to sides in water. As I was exposed to water resistance, my HP has gradually decreased.


    Not good, I thought. I didn''t pull out the knife yet, I waited until he slows down and then pulled it out.


    (Come out¡ª¡ª?!!)


    The moment I pulled it out and thought of escaping, the tail fin was swung and hit my side, I''ve been strongly blown away in the water.


    I''ve moved in the water traversing an unknown distance, and when the tuna finally stopped approaching me I escaped towards the surface in a hurry. The first contact was my loss.


    "Shit! That guy received barely any damage, I''ve dealt only about 5% of his HP."


    It''s speed wasn''t great when it was caught, but if I stab my knife in I''ll be attacked and pulled around. At times like these I could use ¡¶Cursed¡· to decrease its speed, but there was quite a distance from the water surface and it was impossible to articulate in water.


    I recovered my HP with a potion and went back into water once again.


    The sense of distance wasn''t a problem. I need to change the way I attack,


    If I stab it in like before I''ll be pulled around. With this blade length I could kill it as long as I lured it away from the underwater streams. I continued to avoid not finding a way to attack it.


    ...three times, four times, five, six, seven, eight times.


    I confronted him nine times. An hour has elapsed since I first fought with the tuna. Mechanically, my body remembered how to move in water optimally. Meanwhile, I thought of a way to attack.


    The only means of attacking I had was the kitchen knife in my hand. How do you use a knife?


    In my head, I recalled the way a knife was used. Knife is pressed and then pulled. That''s the basic movement. Then I need to press it against the tuna, but how do I go about pulling it.


    Perfect, the tuna was heading towards me.


    With elbows close to my body, I impaled the opponent in the place with a red mark using the knife I clenched in my hands.


    When the driving force of my propulsion and tuna''s added to each other, the knife cut smoothly.


    (Good, it cut.)


    Just to outstretch the blade and use our driving force to cut.


    Because of the water''s high resistance I swung my arms blindly, when I thrust the knife I just continued to swim¡ª¡ªand this was the result.


    The blow just now traced the marker, but it was slightly offset in the middle. Next time, I will follow the line precisely. Now, it''s my turn to go on offensive.


    I kicked the water and proceeded towards the tuna head-on.


    I increased my speed in the water and created a waterflow.


    The moment we closed in on each other, I diverted my body and pierced the knife into the longest marker. I put more strength into my legs and continued to swim forward until the the knife reached the tail.


    Coupled with the momentum I''ve had from kicking the water, and without wasting my strength this time I cleanly cut along the marker.


    With this, I have gained confidence. The time has come, I rose up to the surface and rebuilt my posture.


    "At least I shaved off 10% of his HP. 90% left."


    I challenged it for the tenth time.


    I confronted it head on again and approached it. It was a chicken race during which we both gained momentum. If I miss the chance to avoid, I''ll be hit by the tuna''s mass and carried off, it will prevail, but if I avoid normally I won''t be able to deal a large amount of damage.


    Every time we crossed each other, its HP vanished. And it came down to the final showdown.


    *slip*, the kitchen knife was stabbed into tuna''s body and driven into the end of its life.


    (¡ª¡ªDismantling complete. Or something like that.)


    It was a formidable enemy. One vs one it was stronger than any mob I''ve encountered before. It was on par with a boss, it might sound funny, but the environment made the boss really strong.


    And a treasure chest which was a reward for subjugating the water unique mob, was sinking.


    I followed it in a hurry, after making sure everything is calm on the bottom I opened the treasure box.


    (Now, let''s see what kind of item did Western Bluefin Tuna drop.)


    I looked at the items expectantly, and was stunned with surprise. And then, conveying those thoughts by kicking the water strongly, I rushed to the surface above.


    "Why the heck the reward for Western is a set of western cooking tools?!"


    The item contained inside, was a set of western tools.


    A tool that turns pasta dough into pasta by putting it in and turning a handle, a bowl, a cylindrical pot, a large magical stove, there were various tools in it.


    I appreciated it, the management has mischievously named it, but I still wasn''t convinced.


    ¡ñ


    "Ahh, I''m dead tired. Now lets confirm what''s underwater and go back."


    I dove underwater to look for artefacts. In the stone building there was only one entrance.


    I entered it, the interior seemed to be filled with air. I lit a torch.


    "Heyhey, I shouldn''t be able to use a torch in such a damp place."


    Despite me thinking so, when I used the cooking set''s lighter it caught fire. Well, it''s a game. As I proceeded to light the torches I was finally able to see the entire room.


    It was narrow and long, the stone walls continued, there were pictures drawn on the walls.


    On the picture there was a variety of animals. Wolf, tiger, large bird, elephant, bear, fox, dragon. Beside them there were multiple people coexisting with them. There wasn''t a single character in it, but everything was expressed with a picture.


    As I looked around the room, I found a passage leading to another space, but I was unable to pass through it as the ceiling has collapsed.


    I explored the surroundings carefully, but there were only pictures of animals.


    One by one, I took screenshots of it, I didn''t want to divulge it though. The ceiling pictured coexistence on it.


    And then I proceeded to the deepest part, the aspect of the pictures changed.


    Humans coexisted with animals, and now the tamed animals cherished their ties with humans.


    There was a particularly conspicuous presence in the picture.


    It had a gaping mouth and irregular sharp fangs, an organism which had countless tentacles extend from its black body. The colour scheme promoted odiousness, its torso was so twisted it was impossible to be biological. The location in which pupils should be, had gaping cavities.


    That organism captured the animals with its tentacles and threw them to its mouth.


    A number of these creatures appeared and has overrun the animals, it has ruined the impression of idyllic murals.


    It was as if it was a natural enemy of the animals.


    "It might be just my imagination, but there might be such a setting for this continent."


    And the people held weapons in its hands and attacked those natural enemies. The deformed profile had hidden eyes behind it and it targeted people with them.


    In the end, there was a mural highlighting a fierce fight with number of irregular monsters. At the end of the dead serious mural, it was treasure time again.


    The treasure chest that was enshrined in the deepest part of the space was more decorated and better build then treasure chests up until now, giving it a dignified feel.


    This time, it was a treasure chest from the building at the bottom of the lake. I was able to arrive here because I had ¡¾Swimming¡¿ level 12. Considering there was no workaround for mortal combat with the Bluefin Tuna, the difficulty was considerably higher. If I didn''t take ¡¾Swimming¡¿ Sense yesterday-today I wouldn''t have arrived here. No, in a party of six it would be easier with an equipment like spear, and it would be easy to attack.


    (This time, I hope it''s not a joke item!)


    After I opened the treasure box with a tense hand, inside I found four weapons I couldn''t appraise.


    ¡ª¡ª A Staff, a battle axe; a longbow, and a pair of daggers.


    The staff had an onyx gem on top which sucked in the light. It was distinctly black.


    The battle axe was dark red, it felt solid and it didn''t seem like I would be able to lift it. The blade had a cracked up surface and it pulsed with red and black like magma.


    The pair of daggers, the colour of their blades was different even though the handle had the same design. One of them was black and glossy, the other was purple and looked poisonous. Both of them had a texture which seemed rough and didn''t reflect light.


    And with a red cloth wound around the flexible wood, made out of a material unknown to me and elaborately decorated with feathers, a long bow with a black string.


    It was slightly larger than the bow Lyly made, although it was unlikely that I would be able to casually shoot it, if I stood unmoving, I would be able to shoot from it.


    The last thing inside, was a memo.


    "Umm, ¡ºCongratulations. You have found a chest hidden in the field. The contents are unique weapons. These are weapon types that your party uses the most. You can learn the details by appraising them.¡» hey, it''s not appraised yet."


    I checked the details, but they weren''t appraised yet. I could equip them, but I don''t know what will happen. Better confirm it with Magi-san and others tonight. Rather, these are weapons for the entire party.


    Even though we''re separated, we''re still a party. Nice. I thought.


    I didn''t have anything else to examine in this place, so I dived in the water once again.


    As I looked up from the bottom of the lake, water reflected sunlight and shined brilliantly. I stopped in place for a moment and recorded the scene before leaving the lake.


    "...Ryui, you here?"


    I might have left it for too long. I couldn''t find the white horse even as I looked around. When I thought it must have been too long to leave him for two hours and scratched my head, a figure appeared from the grass nearby.


    "You waited for me, thanks."


    I bent over and stroked Ryui who approached me. It looked away, it was a sign of being grumpy. I did something I shouldn''t.


    "I finished searching the lake, should we return, or maybe search a different location... what is it Ryui?"


    Until now it hasn''t looked into my eyes, but Ryui hasn''t shook off my hand that stroked it, suddenly it seemed as if it saw something and quietly it tensed up.


    It happened few seconds later. Ryui moved to a position 30 metres away from me, it waved its neck signalling me to come. Urging me. Was the ability to perceive a crisis of animals also applied to the game? The moment I stopped near Ryui I heard a heavy metal sound and a loud shriek.


    "W-what?!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Power Wave¡·£¡"


    Along with a familiar voice, two huge monsters were blown away from the forest into the lakeside. It was the location I just stood in.


    "Being blown away by a single hit, you''re too lacking to be a field unique! Come on, become rust on my sword!"


    Pointlessly high tension. Pointlessly brandishing a sword, cutting through the air.


    Girls took on shrimp-type and a tree-type unique mobs appearing from the place they were originally blown away.


    "...Myu. Taking on two opponents all of a sudden is too risky."


    "Hmm. I''m fine as long as I can raise my Hammer''s level on that hard crustacean."


    "Well well, let''s search-and-destroy before it''s stolen by someone else! That''s the best!"


    Acquaintances, helluva acqueintances.


    The lightly equipped Toutobi used her daggers to thrust. Hino took out her sledgehammer and laughed, and my little sister Myu was running out of control. Probably feeling danger, Ryui who was next to me in stealth straightened its vigilance.


    Even so, where are the three remaining ones including Lucato? Well, I''m acting separately as well so I shouldn''t question it.


    "Eh? It''s Onee-chan! Heey, Yun-oneechan!"


    "Myu, in front, IN FRONT!"


    Even though she was in middle of combat, she had time to spare to wave. She effortlessly avoided the pincer attack of the from monsters'' wood and spear. Hey, cheating little sister. I beg you, don''t worry your brother so much.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Wall Breaker¡·£¡"


    "...¡¶Backstab¡·£¡"


    Toutobi pierced through the blind spot of shrimp-type mob''s Timewasting Scissors, Hino swung her hammer and crushed its studs.


    While the two of them dealt with one unique mob, Myu took the Sweets Tree-type mob all alone.


    "Hey hey! You won''t hit me with such a slow attack!"


    Myu continued to resist curses the tree has been casting because of her high magic defence and avoided all the wooden spears made from the tree branches.


    It quickly switched between offence and defence, I felt like it could be called a true unique mob. The spider mob we''ve seen on the first day was weak enough to be taken down by a beginner party, the Bluefin Tuna from the lake might not have had high stats but it was difficult to defeat. If even once one were to be hit underwater, there was a high possibility of losing.


    And the two mobs in front of me had a strength that made me feel like I absolutely wouldn''t be able to defeat them alone.


    I''ve observed the fight with the Sweets Tree, it attacked faster than one could move one''s arms and body. However¡ª¡ª


    "You''re too slow so I''ll make my move instead!"


    "No, just how is that slow."


    The growing branches were corresponding to its hands, the number of those piercing increased, if I didn''t focus on avoiding them I would have been skewered immediately.


    She continued to avoid it by a hair''s breadth and closed the distance. With the sword she had poised in her hand she lightly cut down the branches that interfered with her approach.


    It felt like both of them gave their everything in this battle. However, the Sweets Tree still had a margin. And Myu...


    She''s been blown away earlier, but now she was rooted to the ground and stood firmly.


    "¡¶Fifth Brea¡ª¡ª"


    After entering the range at which she could use Arts, Myu started operating one. I perceived a change in Sweets Tree and raised my voice.


    "AVOID. MYU!"


    She cancelled the operation and immediately stepped back gaining distance. The location in which Myu was earlier had wooden spears protruding from the ground.


    The Sweets Tree was immobile, in the medium distance it used piercing attacks. Once one has approached it, it had wooden spears protrude from the ground. I immediately thought of countermeasures for that, that would be long distance magic attack, however...


    "Nice! That''s how it should be!"


    "Yeah, my little sister has become a complete battle-freak..."


    She avoided a dangerous blow, but she didn''t chagrin or curse. She had a large childish smile on her face and happily held her one-handed sword.


    Momentarily, she dropped her waist low and sprung out to reach it all at once. With just her speed she avoided the spears the tree attacked her with, she twisted her body and went past them by a fine line.


    Her actions were the same as before, but her speed was in another league. Seeing that high level players are capable of such a things, I felt fear.


    Once again she went into close range of the tree. When there was an unnatural upsurge from the ground Myu rushed without stopping.


    The spears popped out momentarily like mines, they appeared from blind spots. It was inevitable.


    "Naive! I won''t get caught by the same trick twice!"


    She suddenly stopped, leaving all the momentum remaining from the run centred on her right foot, she rotated around using the momentum and deflected the wooden spears with her sword. And once again she started running to confront the tree.


    Truly, inhuman technique.


    "This time¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    The Arts left a pale light behind as the one-handed sword cut the Sweets Tree body.


    Its HP was greatly reduced with each blow, even so it only shaved away about 30%. Because her first blow earlier decreased it by 10%, there was 60% remaining.


    If she repeats the thing from before two times more she will win. Taking distance and using a hit-and-run tactics would be best, I thought.


    However, it was Imouto-sama quality. She went beyond what I predicted.


    "Lukewarm! This is lukewarm! So this event''s strongest enemy isn''t Ki-sama huh!"


    When it comes to nuances, it must have been ¡ºÙF¡»-sama and ¡ºÄ¾¡»-sama huh, even though it''s just a Sweets Tree.


    Hey, that wasn''t what was surprising. Myu dropped her waist and took an action with a motion which looked as if she activated an Arts.


    "Chesto!"


    It clearly wasn''t a technique, that attack was a series of five consecutive strikes. I could trace behaviour that seemed exactly the same as when she used the one-handed sword Arts called Fifth Breaker before.


    The speed and precision was as good as that of Arts, but the Arts wasn''t emitted. There was no damage correction applied to it which would shave off a large amount of damage. Just the action was the same.


    "Teyahhhh!!"


    The continuous attacks left everything to speed. No matter how long the interval was that took the wooden spears to be reused, fighting in close quarters was reckless I suspected.


    The tree''s tentacles approached, she hunched over and continued to slash with her sword ignoring the branches'' attacks.


    She was visibly damaged, but she continued to cast self-heals recovering it.


    "With this it''s over.¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    This time it was the genuine Arts. Even though it was sunk down with just two hits Myu dealt the rest of the hits overkilling it, I felt sympathy for the Sweets Tree.


    The fake-Arts attack from earlier was good, and it must have took a lot of courage to challenge an unique mob in close quarters combat.


    Myu was abnormal after all. She was worthy of being called a cheater by normal people.


    It was absolutely impossible for me. Even if I were to defeat it alone, I would have spent a lot of time attacking it from a distance of the underground tree spears.


    ¡ñ


    "...oh, you don''t need to be so wary. They''re not enemies."


    Immediately after Myu finished her battle, I said that to Ryui, but not only it didn''t come out of stealth, but became even more vigilant as well.


    "Ho, amazing. You''re outstanding as usual. But you''ve received quite a lot of damage haven''t you."


    "Hm? I''ve took on those attacks to raise my ¡¾Armour¡¿ level."


    So she withstood those attacks to raise her level huh. As usual, she ignores the risk and emphasizes on efficiency.


    "That''s too reckless. If you retire we''ll be the ones troubled."


    "Ahahaha, sorry. But we''ve got a treasure."


    Although I didn''t see it, it seemed like that the three saw the unique mob drop a chest. From how they acted, it seemed like they were opening a chest. And as I looked at them, they took out from the subspace an egg beater, a bowl, cup, cookie cutter and so on...


    "All right! It''s another step towards the sweets-making plan we dreamed of!"


    "I think that since no one in the party has ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense, this dream will never come true."


    "...agreed. Before that, you''ve forgotten something. Look."


    "Oops, Yun-oneechan! It''s been a while!"


    The three approached me. Although I wanted to call out to them in a friendly manner, Ryui beside me was very wary and I didn''t want to scare him.


    "Y-yeah, you doing good? Also, sorry Toutobi, Hino."


    "Why is Onee-chan apologizing?"


    I glanced towards the two of them, you have my sympathies, I''ve relayed. Sorry about her always being a bother.


    "So, why are the three of you here?"


    "Hmm. Looking for food? See, because they implemented satiety we don''t want to retire because of lack of food. So we acted divided into two teams, and then we found a party run away from an unique mob, so we pulled it instead. Because the place was narrow, we asked Hino-chan to blow it away with her hammer elsewhere!"


    Wasn''t that MPK? Also you guys are amazing for defeating two of them so fast.


    "I see. If you''re properly securing food I don''t have to worry."


    As I spoke, the three openly looked away. Hey, why do you look away.


    "Ehmm, we haven''t eaten any decent food ever since we came here."


    "Fruits are delicious. We tried forcing Myu''s and our cooking into ourselves..."


    "...since all of us had ¡¾Poison Resistance¡¿ Sense beforehand, its level went up quite fast. Also, the poisonous fruits tasted like combination of strawberries and orange."


    Umm, in other words. For food, they have endured the poisonous plants because of hunger? Strengthening one''s tolerance to poison by eating it was a ninja''s technique wasn''t it. Letia whom I met yesterday didn''t have any self-support capability either.


    "Haa?, enduring three days of such meals sounds the worst."


    "Cause? we were suddenly given a Sense learning limit, we didn''t know what kind of new Sense to take and level in order to adjust to the living environment. Everyone was lost. And when I wanted to do my best cooking everyone stopped me..."


    "Myu, you better stop. Don''t increase the amount of victims outside of our home."


    "You''re horrible, Onee-chan."


    "Call me brother. Geez, you''re lacking when the situation absolutely requires something, you need some ingenuity."


    Top players making a commotion over cooking a single meal and creating poisonous miasma, haa?, I sighed deeply.


    "The necessities ran out... yesterday our potions have ran out in the dungeon and Luka-chan''s weapon durability went down to the point of almost breaking. We''ve gotten a lot of drops and unique items, weapons and armour, but we want potions. And using unappraised items is scary."


    "...luckily we were able to appraise normal food and poisonous fruits. If Myu was to rampage because of eating something with ¡¾Confusion¡¿, it wouldn''t end well."


    Hell, prepare to retire at that time.


    "You guys, that''s a critical zone. Get a hold of yourselves. Geez, I''ll help you out a little."


    "Eh?"


    Dumbfounded, Myu stared towards me.


    "Dinner and potions, I can prepare it at our base camp. The dinner''ll be later together with my party, is that fine?"


    "That''s..."


    "However, I''ll take compensation properly. It''ll be ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s bussiness trip, barter trade. I don''t need money I will be able to use only five days later. I want items. Not really the unique ones, ingredients and herbs, as well as information. I''ll give you potions and abnormal status recovery drugs as well as dinner later."


    I think it was a quite a good idea. Even if I did something similar in real, I''m not a such good person to help others unconditionally. Give and take, is what it is.


    "I''ll be able to enjoy the taste of home for the first time in a while."


    "I definitely won''t have enough ingredients so it''ll be impossible to do anything other than fruit meals."


    "Okay let''s go! Let''s go to convince Luka-chan and the others!"


    Myu raised her first and started walking towards the forest. Good grief, what a troublesome little sister.


    "...umm... there''s something I want to talk about, Yun-san. Is it fine?"


    "What is it, Toutobi. If you have ingredients then that''ll broaden what meal I can make."


    "No, that''s not it... there''s something next to Yun-san... what is that?"


    The timing was bad. I wanted it to remain unseen for now since it was stimulated after seeing that battle.


    Also, Myu will be definitely interested. Although it was a short relationship, I already knew that Ryui absolutely wouldn''t forgive anyone for touching it.


    "Umm, Toutobi-chan can you see something? I can''t see anything."


    "That''s probably because of a search-type Sense, I think. So, what''s that next to Yun-san?"


    "...eh, umm... That''s... absolutely don''t touch it."


    Don''t stimulate it. Myu was especially vigilant. I said few words asking Ryui to come out. *fshoo*, the eyes of the three were glued to the white horse which appeared.


    "Calm down, they aren''t enemies."


    I crouched and stroked its body to calm it. All three responded differently, but Myu who was most cautious raised a shrill voice as expected.


    "Uwa!! A young animal! And a white horse too! WANTTT!!"


    "Not giving it! Not yielding it! Capture your own."


    "Yun-oneechan, I didn''t say a word about you giving it. But how did you get it?"


    The other two were also curious. But I didn''t really know.


    "Like... before I realized it... it was beside me?"


    "Why did you turn it into a question..."


    "In fact, this guy is invisible so when I looked away for a moment it had eaten my lunch. Then it was tamed slowly."


    Ryui''s excitement settled down considerably as I continued to stroke it. On the contrary, it started pressing its body against me. No, that could be taken as showing off our relation. It could be expressed that way.


    "Can I at least touch it?"


    "Ryui, you heard her."


    "Hey? Is it okay?"


    But it averted its neck after hearing Myu''s question, rejecting her.


    "Arara... Myu, you were dumped."


    "But I will touch!"


    "Hey!"


    As usual, my little sister couldn''t control herself, but Ryui''s figure disappeared before she could touch it. Myu doesn''t have a searching-type Sense so she didn''t know where it was gone.


    And like that, Ryui showed up further away, it was a bit weird. It was looked slightly uncomfortable.


    Toutobi too seemed to feel it and she has raised her eyebrows.


    "Fufufufu, to chase the running one is in my nature! It''s the beginning of the game of tag!"


    The young animal wouldn''t beat Myu''s overwhelming speed. So it seemed. But the reality was different.


    The small white horse took on the existence which overwhelmed the Sweets Tree.


    Its running speed wasn''t great. It disappeared the moment Myu tried to touch it, and reappeared elsewhere. We could see an illusion as if it teleported a small distance.


    And when Myu lost sight of Ryui and found it appear elsewhere she instantly unleashed her maximum speed.


    She was one step away from touching it. That''s when her body ricocheted away.


    "Kyaa... uu..."


    Running over, Ryui came back to us. After thoroughly making fun of Myu it looked satisfied.


    "What happened? You lost 20% of HP."


    Myu came back while applying a heal to herself. Although to Hino it looked like Myu was being only played with, Toutobi and I grasped the harsh reality.


    "That, was an illusion wasn''t it."


    "...yeah, while hiding its figure it displayed an illusion of itself. And then, the object of her desire disappeared right in front of her."


    The truth was that Ryui barely moved. What was moving, was Ryui''s illusion. The phantom was erased every time she was about to catch it, it seemed like short-range teleportation because it repeatedly disappeared and reappeared.


    The thing that Myu was blown away, was her own outrageous speed. She hit the tree that was hidden behind Ryui right directly from the front.


    "Uhh. I give up on today, but let me touch you sometime!"


    Ryui responded with a ''come at me, I''ll take you on at that time''. It gazed at her a bit merrily. It might be the moment like those in manga where one recognizes someone as their rival.


    With this as the trigger, the atmosphere became softened, for the time being we aimed at Myu''s base camp and chatted. After withdrawing from there we will head for our base and after spending the night there, they will head to an underground dungeon once again.


    The three finished contacting Lucato and the others, along the way I lectured them on the types of plants that can be eaten, picked up herbs and had the three appraise them. I adopted the same appraisal method I used for Letia. And, we laughed the most along the way when Hino and Toutobi abruptly touched Ryui. Seeing that, Myu was frustrated and once challenged Ryui to touch it.


    I thought it will reject her again, but it might have been the result of Myu''s unusually nervous and fearful appearance, without resistance Ryui let her obediently touch it. However, she''s gotten too full of herself and after incurring Ryui''s wrath she received a kick.


    And when we arrived at Myu''s party''s camp¡ª¡ªwe found players caught up in the spreading pillar of flames.


    Now, a wordplay. Both ÙF and ľ can be read as ''Ki'', -sama is a suffix for someone who greatly respect. To go further, ÙF can be a honorific for someone ''noble'', but used with the honorific "sama" it means "bastard". So the nuance is that she''s calling him "kisama" as in bastard or whatever. Sigh.

 Chapter Volume 2 5

    Chapter 5 ¨C The Cursed Equipment and the Young Fox


    One could call Myu party''s base camp ''hell'', and they wouldn''t be exaggerating


    A pillar of fire rose in the centre, the players who tried escaping from it were swallowed in the sea of flames. Why did something like this happen, neither I nor the three with me knew, we were all taken aback.


    "Come on... no matter how much they wanted a campfire, isn''t is still daytime?"


    "It''s not time for jokes! It''s obviously an abnormal situation... let''s join up with Lucato and the others. Contact them first."


    I knew that Myu''s was joking. But unlike when she normally joked, her face was tensed, strained. It must have shocked her that much.


    Usually, as not to upset my little sister any further my heart cools down instead, I observed the surroundings.


    The flame spread to the utensils like tents that were spread around, the camp''s functionalities were devastated.


    A blessing in disguise was the fact that tents had quite a distance between each other and they didn''t block the road ahead of us.


    "I contacted Luka-chan! Currently, she''s leading the people!"


    "Got it! We''re going to act together for now. Let''s find a place where we can share our parties'' maps. Toutobi, I leave navigation to you."


    The two nodded with stiff expressions. The truth was that if they escape, they will be spared from annihilation, but since they had a strong will to rush and help their comrades in a crisis I couldn''t say so.


    I recalled what skills I had, it was better than nothing. I cast MIND and DEF enchants on everyone as we went against the flow of people.


    "Was there any sign of this happening?"


    "...not at all! Like this we can''t even confirm whether its a magic attack or a mob at all! In the first place, it''s impossible for mobs to invade a safety area!"


    Even Toutobi who usually spoke calmly was shaken.


    "I think an unique item can be the cause. Maybe someone has a cheat weapon or something."


    "Hino-chan, you''re reading too many ReadNovelFulls! In real games there''s no such thing as cheats, if there were then people would stop playing!"


    I don''t want to hear that from you, realcheater, the voice of the three hearts other than Myu''s were in sync. But the next moment, we could no longer afford such chats.


    "Flame attack! Defences!"


    I raised a voice and, everyone solidified on spot. I took out a Clay Shield''s Magic Gem from the inventory and pounded it into the ground.


    "¡ª¡ª ¡¶Clay Shield¡·£¡"


    The approaching flame strike clashed with wall of earth. The flame scattered on the mud wall and we were exposed to hot air.


    I looked slightly from behind the wall, although I saw the flame on the other side, it was still raging and didn''t calm down at all.


    "...like this we won''t proceed."


    We weren''t far from the location we wanted to reach, but passing through this flame would be difficult.


    "Onee-chan, Luka-chan and the others won''t come to us. ''Right now, we''re devoting ourselves to protecting players that were left behind'', she says!"


    "Fine fine, it means we need to rescue them. We don''t know the cause... I wonder if we can do it?"


    Said Hino, the three were anxious. The defence won''t be able to withstand waves of attacks from a flame like this even if they devoted themselves to defending. Everyone assumed that the worst lies ahead.


    Shit, just when I was about to spat out a curse, something touched my right hand.


    "...Ryui... sorry, you''re anxious too aren''t you."


    Ryui snuggled up to my right hand and stared at me.


    "The flame has weakened a little. A bit more and we''ll be able to go."


    There was a sign of flames weakening, it seemed like it came in cycles with an interval, we seem like we''ll be able to proceed. And then my shoulder was poked, Myu had me turn around to her.


    "Luka-chan wants to talk with you. Soon there will come a friend call."


    "Oh, got it."


    Immediately after that, communication came from Lucato. Currently, I wanted to know all I could about the situation in the field.


    ¡º"Hello, Yun-san."¡»


    "Let''s spare greetings for later, we''ll try to get you out. I''ll ask a few questions try to answer them, what''s the cause?"


    ¡º"...a young beast."¡»


    I recalled the young Kamaitachi we''ve been attacked by yesterday and frowned. Were the mobs made that way?


    "Is there anything else? Something that might be the cause."


    ¡º"That young animal was brought by a player... no, rather abducted and forced to come, that would be more appropriate way to describe it."¡»


    Abducted, not really too gentle a way to do it. In other words, it was brought forcibly. That''s how it was.


    ¡º"On the first day there were a lot of players who kidnapped them the same way and brought young beasts over to the base camp, it happened yesterday too. As a result, the young beasts have went out of control, tearing up tents and places, destroying things and fled. Although we waited to see if this one will go violent the same way, but soon enough flames started to rise and spout out of it."¡»


    "...a cause? Why did that happen?"


    ¡º"From a distance I can''t tell. But it seems to have something shiny. It seems to me like a strange bracelet."¡»


    Hearing that, I''ve found a strange connection between this incident and the Kamaitachi from yesterday.


    Although there was no conclusive evidence, this young beast''s and Kamaitachi''s cases are one and the same.


    Rather than appraise an item on a player, it was tested on a young beast resulting with it running out of control. An Item with demerits like the accessory I picked up yesterday, there''s a possibility that a young beast has one equipped.


    Geez, I want to kick ass of the fool who''s causing so much trouble to others.


    "Thank you. I''ve got a grasp on the situation. We''ll head over immediately. Don''t be reckless."


    ¡º"Yes. Thank you very much."¡»


    With perfect timing, the flame weakened at the same timing as the friend call with Lucato finished, we proceeded deeper.


    As we proceeded towards the centre of the flame my skin started to sting being roasted.


    The centre wasn''t that far away, but the way was blocked by the hot air and occasional flame bullets, heat haze was hung over the field of view, even with ¡¾Hawk Eye¡¿ I was unable to look far into it.


    How do I find a weakness in something like that. The moment I smiled wryly, there was a response in the edge of my field of view.


    "Luka-chan!"


    "It looks like they''re safe! We should go as well!"


    We approached them and confirmed, they have endured in the wake of attacks.


    In the pillar of fire there was a small shadow present, it faced towards the girls clearly knowing where they were despite the intense flames and started radiate flame waves and shot flames. Among them there were two mages Kohaku and Rirei who protected the remaining players, they withstood by casting defensive magic alternating between each other.


    However, the density of the attacks was on different level from the ones that we have avoided. Just the two of them will be overwhelmed. That''s what I felt.


    "Na good! I''m outta MP!"


    "Even if you say that, we have no MP Potions... ah."


    The defence magic deployed by Kohaku and Rirei was being taken down, Rirei''s defensive magic has been extinguished earlier, and all the load was applied on Kohaku''s defence magic and it started to crack like glass, there was a countdown before collapse.


    "Make it in time!¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·."


    I took out a handful of Clay Shield''s Magic Gems and threw it between Lucato and the young beast.


    The flame hit the wall of earth made up from four pieces that was erected between the two, after that, that magic defence was extinguished as Kohaku ran out of MP.


    "What happened?"


    "We came to help! Luka-chan, everyone."


    Lucato, Kohaku and Rirei, as well as five members party that was led by them. A total of twelve of us has deployed a defence in here.


    The guys that seemed completely out of MP didn''t look like they would recover in time, I silently used MP Potions.


    "Thank you very much, Yun-san."


    "Leave thanks for later, before that, can you escape immediately?"


    I confirmed using the least amount of words, her confused expression didn''t make me happy though.


    In the meantime, I didn''t know how long will the earthen walls keep the attack at bay.


    "Is it impossible?"


    "Yes, since we''re the target, as soon as we turn our backs to it we''ll be assaulted. As we run away someone has to buy time... no, let''s not speak ambiguously. We need to sacrifice someone."


    Hearing those words, I''ve had an impression that I''ve stuck my neck into something really troublesome. So that''s it. Retiring without making dinner tonight won''t be forgiven will it. No, I absolutely can''t die.


    "There''s one more way, to defeat that animal."


    That was reasonable. It wasn''t an adult mob. It''s overall stats should be low. It was possible to win with the twelve people that were in here.


    "Everyone, do you have no objections to defeating the young beast?"


    Hearing those words, everyone nodded. All right, then we need to think of a strategy. Just when I thought that, I''ve been hit from behind.


    As I staggered and looked back, I saw that Ryui headbutted me. And many, many times too.


    "Hey, it''s not time to play now. You know that right."


    Even so, it continued to hit me again and again, I''ve felt suspicious and crouched to look into its eyes.


    "What is it."


    "............"


    Without any words, not everything could be relayed to me. However, the emotion that was in Ryui''s eyes which stared right at me. That was¡ª¡ªa plea.


    I thought of a reason why would the partner I met recently make such an expression.


    It was the same as with the Kamaitachi yesterday. Ryui didn''t want its brethren to die in front of it, it wanted to help them. Geez, it''s just a speculation. But I was convinced that was the case and thought of doing everything to fulfil that wish.


    Moreover, I would have difficulties with facing myself after this otherwise. Fulfilling the wishes of their partner, is a man''s duty.


    "I apologize, I took some time."


    "It''s nothing, what happened?"


    Lucato asked me anxiously, I tried to answer brightly.


    "Sorry! I''m against defeating it!"


    While looking at everyone''s dumbfounded expressions, I jumped out from behind the clay wall along with Ryui.


    "Now, can we do what we need to do by ourselves? Partner?"


    One person and one animal confronted the great flame. I wasn''t really a top level player, but I had prospects for victory.


    ¡ñ


    Ryui and I observed calmly while avoiding flames emitted from the pillar of fire.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    I increased my speed further by using an enchant.


    While Ryui avoided the fire by making full use of the illusions it specialized in, I was hell-bent on making sure I don''t look inferior.


    "¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªIntelligence!"


    I cast the curse towards the young animal in the flames, the momentum of the flames has weakened.


    This flame is magic. It was expected that it''ll be dependent on the INT stat. If it didn''t work, I would lower its ATK.


    I applied enchant on us after a moment. The type I selected was enchant adding magical defence. The reason for waiting before casting another enchant was there to eliminate the large gap effect caused by the effects expiring at the same time and not to have it all consume MP at the same time.


    Although it was a simple technique, the survival rate went up with this.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªMind!"


    In addition to yellow light, a green one spilled from our bodies. Although we reinforced out defence like this, it didn''t mean we had a surplus yet.


    For about two minutes I continued to avoid the attacks from inferno, the flame from the pillar was interrupted.


    Once again I started measuring time from the beginning and continued to run it around in my head.


    1, 2, 3, 4...


    I''ve heard voices of Myu and the others in the distance but I concentrated on the pillar of fire that was in front of me. Right now, I did a complete reconfiguration of Senses for combat, among them, I included Craftsmanship Sense.


    11, 12, 13, 14...


    Using the sound of my heartbeat I engraved the number of seconds that have elapsed. I focused as not to lose its initial motion as it starts once again.


    21, 22, 23, 24...


    It was currently impossible to look at the state of the young beast from behind the roar and shimmer of the flame. First of all I need to quell the flames otherwise I won''t be able to observe it directly.


    31, 32... it moved.


    I avoided the flames that were spewed and licked the ground, the two minute test of endurance began once again.


    Although I ignored how my body felt since it wouldn''t even sweat, very tense, I heard myself leaking air from my mouth with a hoarse sound.


    "Haha, I''ve got lots of prolonged battles today, first the tuna, now the pillar of flame. What an unlucky day!"


    I snorted and continued to avoid.


    Because the time between bombardments was the same and monotone, timing the evasion was easy.


    I endured two minutes for the second time. On the edge of my field of view I saw Myu come out from behind the earth wall, but I glared at her sharply making her go back.


    If you come out now, you''ll just get in the way, that''s what I relayed to her with my glare.


    I didn''t have a cool ability that would allow me to save everyone in a cool manner. I could only do my best. While thinking so, two minutes have passed and the flame has stopped. Waiting for this moment, I took out a Magic Gem from my inventory.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·!!"


    I threw two Magic Gems with a sidearm throw to left and right side of the pillar, scattering the flame with blasts.


    The impact of earth and fire magic created a blank zone around the hypocentre.


    The young beast was exposed from the pillar of fire, clad in flames it counterattacked after what just happened, it displayed its anger.


    However, I didn''t respond to its line of sight, I was appraised the thing that interested me and was exposed as flames dispersed.


    The Sense that was related to accessories, ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ was used in conjunction with Hawk Eyes'' capacity to see the equipment stats.


    Dead Soldier''s Bracelet ¡¾Ornament¡¿ Weight : 5


    ATK+50 INT+50 DEF-50 MIND-50 Additional Effect : ¡¾Ultra HP ?MP Recovery¡¿ ¡¾Release at Death¡¿ ¡¾Berserk¡¿ ¡¾Curse 3¡¿ ¡¾Resistance to Dispel Curse¡¿


    I was stunned by the completely broken performance of the accessory.


    The raised stats and reduced stats were extremes, but the additional effects themselves were abnormal too.


    It was a super attack-specialized accessory which discarded all defence. And yet, it was an impossible to control item that had a curse which disallowed taking it off.


    Ultra HP ?MP Recovery. In other words, the thirty seconds during the attacks cease is the period during which these stats recover.


    Release at Death, it must mean that the equipment is released when it dies. That''s the kind of item. Otherwise, this berserk state would continue indefinitely.


    Also, berserk and Curse 3. I tried to find out what was the meaning of it.


    The last one, Resistance to Dispel Curse¡ª¡ªgoing only by the name, it means that it has an increased chance at resisting dispelling the curses...


    I''ve expected this, but really seeing it was the worst. The management killing off players.


    Meanwhile, the amount of flames the young beast was clad in increased, and the pillar of fire was restored.


    The interval after that was five seconds.


    I decided on a strategy. Avoid for two minutes, disperse the flames with the Bomb Magic Gem during the 30 seconds it stopped and during the 5 seconds interval I want to release one curse with a Curse Dispel Potion.


    "I''ve got only eight Bomb''s Magic Gems remaining. The chances aren''t all that high."


    Once again, I devoted myself to avoiding. It seemed like there was no problem with Ryui''s stamina either.


    During the third round of endurance Ryui was the one dominant, I''ve avoided the flames dangerously close. Occasionally flames licked the edge of my clothes, although there was damage to my HP, it wasn''t on a level of a fatal wound.


    I reapplied enchants and recovered the lowered HP and MP without sparing potions. I somehow endured the third round.


    The flames stopped, it was the moment of counter-attack. I threw two gems with my hand at the same time and broke into a run towards the pillar of fire.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·!!"


    I was too close and received some damage from the Bomb''s blast, but compared to multiple blasts at ultra close range it was practically nothing.


    I moved closer to the cub at a stretch, quickly removed a Curse Dispel Potion and hit it with my arm.


    The bottle with liquid broke and it spilled. As soon as I confirmed it I rotated my body and escaped from the pillar of fire.


    The flame loomed approaching me from behind. For a moment I felt pain and heat on my back as I was too late to escape, but I didn''t have time to groan, I fled.


    "That was... a direct hit in the back."


    I could only see the end of the outerwear near my neck, but it was slightly charred. Pain ran down my back, I frowned. A large area on my back had been roasted, the skin on my back that was exposed was darkened.


    During a moment of interval I took out a potion and attempted to recover, but it didn''t heal me up completely. The effect of recovery was thinner and my MP decreased gradually. As I checked my own status, there was ¡¾Curse¡¿ written.


    "Ouchh... it can''t be, is this a chicken race with abnormal states. There''s not enough potions."


    I couldn''t use Curse Dispel Potions on myself. What was the cause of this ¡¾Curse¡¿ in the first place. Was it propagation of the curse from accessory, or maybe the cub''s own characteristic?


    As I spaced out, Ryui immediately ran up to me and after producing water and after turning it into a ball of water, Ryui gently wrapped my back with the water.


    The pain was subsided as if it was dissolved in the water. What was left behind after the water disappeared, was my clean back with no scratches on it, the abnormal status was also gone.


    "In addition to illusion, you can do Healing Arts. Thanks! You saved me."


    There were 20 seconds left of the interval, alongside Ryui we overlooked the pillar of fire.


    In the flame, a skull made out of black flame was born, it displayed the count of ¡º2¡». In other words, when that disappears, the equipment will disengage.


    The pillar of fire was red at first, the temperature was now raised and it changed into blue.


    "Geez, on top of abnormal status it has resistance to curse dispels... I see, its additional effects'' abilities raise whenever dispel succeeds. That''s nasty."


    That guys flame got stronger by a stage. If it was to be like this, I should have made Myu and the others should escape, I don''t know what will be the aftermath of it.


    "You guys! Use this chance to run away! I''ve no idea what''s going to happen next!"


    "What are you saying! We can''t leave Yun-san behind!"


    The moment I raised my voice, the attack from the young beast was resumed. I continued to avoid the flames which had increased power and tried to convince Lucato and the others.


    "Run away immediately when it runs out of MP! If I''m stuck protecting here the situation will deteriorate!"


    "If Yun-san can fight alone, then we too can fight!"


    "Then listen! ¡¾Curse Dispel¡¿ has to be used on that guy''s equipment! If you can''t do it then stay back!"


    I''ve seen Lucato''s frustrated expression. However, sorry. If it was just defeating it then using a powerful magic or barrage of attacks it would end it. But the battle this time was my and Ryui''s selfishness.


    "I can use it! In the Recovery magic there''s ¡¶Dispel¡· magic!"


    The one who raised her voice was Myu. Other than her, Lucato showed up to attract the flame barrage and protect us.


    "Geez.. you guys, we aren''t beating it but dispelling its equipment, it''s a huge hassle."


    "It''s fine. We just want to help Yun-san."


    Lucato responded with a nice smile on her face. As I looked around, I found Toutobi in the flames, she probably used movement-type Senses and moved around leaving only an afterimage as she played around with the young beast.


    In addition, Hino and Lucato paired up with the mages, Kohaku and Rirei participating in the defence and playing around with the beast.


    Ryui attached itself to Myu who was a cornerstone, Ryui produced a shield of water and offset the flames protecting her.


    The momentum of the flames increased, but so did the amount of people attracting them. The burden on me has certainly decreased. Let''s do the final stretch from here on.


    "Toutobi! Left!"


    "I know. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sidestep¡·!"


    Toutobi and I used Senses which allowed us high speed movement and the Senses which allowed us to perceive the crisis to circumvent the flame.


    Myu was just quietly waiting for her role to come, beside her Ryui created a shield of water which had a perfect affinity to receive the flame attacks.


    "I can''t hold the magic wall for long alone!"


    "It''s all right. The timing''s good, please cancel it!"


    Rirei and Lucato, Kohaku and Hino combinations didn''t move to avoid the attacks, instead they brushed them away. However, exposed to the flames with increased firepower they weren''t able to get out of it unscathed.


    "Let''s go! ...3, 2, 1¡ª¡ª"


    Along with Lucato''s countdown cracks appeared on the magic wall''s surface. It was erased when the countdown finished and the flame bullets approached them.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    Lucato met the incoming flame and slammed into it with the sword she held in both of her hands. The arts was accentuated with a yellow light and accepted the flame, *gkinn*, a dull metallic sound rang out and like that, it leaked into the sky.


    "I''ll do it now! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Magic Strike¡·!"


    In the same way, Hino swung her sledgehammer and flicked away the flame.


    They endured by using magical defence, and when the wall''s durability was gone they used Arts to send the magic back. And after that, they hid behind the magic wall to wait until they can reuse Arts once again.


    Although they seemed to intersect easily, to hit the magic and send it back with Arts required a high skill from a player and a perfect timing.


    Moreover, in order not to burden the weapon too much, it couldn''t be used too often. It''s what might become a folly of this ''one week survival'' in such environment. It was difficult to repair the brand-new weapons.


    And yet, everyone helped out with my selfishness. I need to respond to those girl''s best efforts.


    "Not yet, not yet is it."


    While avoiding the flames that sprouted, I was running out of patience while waiting.


    "¡¶Shock Impact¡·¡ª¡ªwha!"


    The moment the sword and flames clashed once again, Lucato''s sword shattered. At that moment, Lucato lost any way to protect herself. I thought, ''come faster'' and waited for the opportunity to counterattack and finish this.


    "Myu! Prepare!"


    "Got it!"


    I didn''t know how much Magic Gems I needed to break through the blue flame that had increased thickness so I increased the number to four and threw them at the same time and broke into a run towards the flame.


    My upper body shook from the blast which was stronger from before, I was about to fall but I raised my waist and rushed to the blank area where the blast happened.


    Behind me, Myu was casting a white divine magic while being protected by Ryui.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Dispel¡·!"


    When I entered the area where the flames where, Myu''s Curse Dispel hit the cub''s bracelet and the count on the skull dropped down to ¡º1¡». Along with it, the blue flame intensified even further and changed into dark red flames.


    As if closing up the wound, the black flames rushed to the blank space I was in.


    In the distance I''ve heard a scream, but I could no longer run away. In the first place, if I intended to run away I wouldn''t dive right in.


    With Lucato''s sword broken, prolonging the fight was no longer a valid choice.


    The thing that would be most helpful in dealing with the strengthened flames until the I dispel curse, as well as the thing that would be in the biggest risk are my own muscles.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·"


    I triggered my own spell - ¡¶Bomb¡·. Unlike the Magic Gem which needed some time before it activated, I could detonate the skill right after activation at close range.


    The blast and shock engulfed my body, a ton of my HP was shaved off. The black flames were blown away, momentarily paving me a way to the cub.


    Under the effect of the explosion and the flames my body had wounds all over. I didn''t have time to recover with a potion, I tackled the young beast.


    "To finish it off!"


    I raised my voice and squeezed the potion to pour the dispel liquid. The black flames momentarily expanded. And that moment I¡ª¡ªdied. I looked at the situation around and realized.


    The flames changed into white colour and bulged out. I didn''t know why I moved like that, but embraced the cub to protect it despite the fact it was still clad in flames.


    I closed my eyes tightly, and in the middle of the roar that shook my eardrums violently I waited for the end. Surely, when open my eyes next time, I''ll be in the town square of the First Town.


    ¡ñ


    I thought so and waited ten, twenty seconds. But let alone hustle and bustle of the town, I didn''t hear anything at all.


    When I fearfully reopened my eyes, I was still in the same place.


    "...I''m... alive. That''s great?."


    All the tension was unravelled and any extra strength left my body. The widespread flames were all gone, it was tranquil as if that flame was just an illusion. However, certainly there was something burning and brown on the ground, it was a testimony of the tragedy from earlier.


    It was the same for me, I wasn''t an exception. I''ve been engulfed in flames many times, caught up in my own explosions, and even though I could recover HP, the cloth armour which protected me was completely worn out.


    The inner and outerwear had a huge hole on the back, the belt was sooty, and the pants had a slit torn in them.


    Although part of it would repair itself automatically by absorbing my MP, but asking to have this one repaired was way too fast considering I just got it.


    "Haa?, at least the saving grace is the fact that the damage is not critical."


    I let out a tired sigh like that... in order to have items repaired, I need to remove it first. When it comes to that, I don''t have spare clothes.


    "Onee-chan! You okay?!"


    Myu and the others ran over in a hurry. Ahh, I must have worried them by diving into the flames alone.


    "I''m fine... not really. I''m all ragged out. Mainly my armour, that is."


    "Y-yeah... I''m having trouble focusing my eyes."


    Lucato looked away poorly. No, don''t look away or I''ll get embarrassed instead.


    "You all were really reckless. Sorry. So what''s up with other people?"


    "They went ahead, it seems like they''ll join up with others."


    "I see... now then, what do we do? About this one."


    We no longer had any problems. And looked towards what has been the centre of the problem earlier.


    It had black hair which looked really soft, red hair ran through it from the top till bottom. The young fox let out a characteristic regular noise from its nose.


    "What do we do about the cub that was the main culprit."


    "What... do you mean by that?"


    "No, we can''t just leave it behind like this. Rather, admittedly, I want to take it back with me but... in addition to Ryui there''s three more animals back there, the young beasts that is."


    "T-three more?! Yun-san, just how much do the young beasts love you!?"


    Other members said something similar. Well, the other three already left my hands...


    "Now, let''s try contacting them."


    I connected the chat with Magi-san.


    "Do you have time now?"


    ¡º"Yup, I dooo. What is it?"¡»


    "I''ve met some trouble on the road, my armour is broken and I''m bringing back more young animals."


    ¡º"EH?! Yun-kun you involved yourself with some trouble again?! You should have come with us after all... I get it. Bring them. Also, I''ll ask Cloude to prepare spare clothes."¡»


    "Ah, one more thing, can I bring my little sister''s party with me? To have a dinner together with us, that is."


    ¡º"Got that. Then, hurry up and come back. We''ve got lots of achievements to share too."¡»


    It was just a short conversation with Magi-san. However, I''ve started hearing some grumpy voices.


    "There''s a permission for everyone to come, let''s talk on the way back."


    I looked at everyone for permission and saddled the young fox carefully. Ryui moved right next to me.


    There was something I needed to tell Lucato and the others.


    "Um, I''m sorry. You went along with my recklessness. Also, the reason Lucato''s sword broke is because of me."


    "That''s right. It''s my only weapon, that''s troubling. Please reimburse me."


    "Luka, normally you wouldn''t min''. Ain''t dat'' throwin'' a tempa''?"


    Kohaku stared at her, but I too wanted to compensate for it. With only good intentions, one won''t survive this event.


    "Kohaku and Rirei have weapons they don''t use to hit the enemy directly, but Luka and I were brushing away that flame. The durability on the weapons decreased quite a lot. I still have a spear so I have a leeway but..."


    "...the worst, I might equip a blunt sword we found in a dungeon, but it''s possible that there''ll be a curse on it."


    Hino and Toutobi spoke next. I''m really sorry.


    "Oh well. It couldn''t have been helped it''s become like this. Speaking of which, what happened with the accessory which made it go out of control?"


    "Ahh, this."


    Before I realized, I found an accessory in my inventory and then materialized it, it rolled on my hand.


    "That''s exaggerated. If not for the disadvantageous effects, it would be a completely broken piece of equipment."


    I retrieved a bracelet made out of black metal. On its surface there was an elaborate grim reaper and a man who looked like he was in anguish. Honestly, I wouldn''t be able to bring myself to use such tasteless equipment.


    "Uwaa, that''s beautiful equipment. Onee-chan, it''s amazing."


    "Indeed. A wonderful piece of art."


    Hoo, all the girls leaked a sigh of admiration at once. Eh, they mean this accessory?


    "Isn''t it tasteless, absolutely ugly."


    " " " " " "Eh??" " " " " "


    "Ehh?"


    There''s no way my little sister and the others have such a horrible aesthetic taste... no, that''s definitely not it.


    "Hey, how does it look to you?"


    "Umm... a white bracelet with a female angel praying... isn''t this bracelet like that?"


    "...haa?, how exaggerateddd."


    Without an appraisal, someone would misrecognize it on a glance. It had a divine design, but in fact¡ª¡ªthat''s the pattern it followed.


    However, this must have went around as idiots experimented with using it and in the end they started to try it on young beasts. Well, maybe beast''s potential was higher, or they were more compatible with the equipment, resulting in such a disaster.


    "After appraisal, this accessory in fact turns out to have a design in bad taste. Everyone, if you recover any non-appraised items, I think it would be best if you appraised them first."


    "Umm... thank you very much for advice?"


    Lucato spoke seeming to fee a bit lost and confused. Well, we''re tired and there was the tension there, I''ll overlook it.


    And then we advanced towards the camp in which Magi-san and the others were, along the way gave a lecture on herbs and food so we harvested them on the way, so it took slightly longer.


    And although Rirei was more quiet than expected, I''ve felt her hot stare on my back.


    Haa haaa, a beautiful white back, a wonderful nape, white thighs visible from under the torn trousers. Each time I''ve heard such dangerous remarks, Kohaku has retorted to her. I''ve felt like retorting would mean losing so I tried to ignore it.


    We arrived at our base camp when it started to darken. When we reached it, I''ve reacted with ''finally arrived'' and strength left my body. The young fox still sleeping peacefully in my arms.


    "I''m back, Magi-san."


    "Welcome back Yun-kun. Trouble has been haunting you since yesterday, don''t make me so worried."


    "M-Magi-san?!"


    When I greeted Magi-san in a slightly tired manner, she gently embraced me and I couldn''t pull us apart immediately. Myu and the others looked at the scene while grinning for some reason.


    "Leave it at that Magi. Even so, for you to be able to damage the armour this much in such a short amount of time. How do you use it to have it turn like that. I''ll raise its grade so that it doesn''t end up like this again and repair it. Here, spare clothes."


    Cloude pulled away Magi-san who attached herself to me in embrace and passed me new equipment in a trade screen. I received it.


    Seems like both I and Magi-san needed a little bit of time to calm down, I quietly entered the log house.


    Lyly wasn''t here, I wonder why. While considering that, I replaced the equipment...


    "...all right, I''ve changed. Hey, what''s dissssss!''


    It was a white one-piece dress which covered only about half of the back. In the end, there were short pants in consideration for me, who hated skirts, but the hem of the dress was so long it was completely hidden.


    "Hey, Cloude! What''s the meaning of this!"


    "Uwaa! Yun-kun ''s made-over!"


    Vitality returned to Magi-san''s worried expression, Myu and the others'' pupils were sparkling.


    "Hm, it looks good on you. Yun."


    Dat ain''t ittt! I didn''t look at the clothes since they were passed to me in trade, and the moment I was getting dressed was like a hero transformation. But come on!


    "I don''t want to wear such fluttery clothes!"


    "What are you saying! Your slender-type body. Beautiful black hair, black eyes. I cannot leave a raw gemstone like that unpolished!"


    Somehow, Cloude further emphasized it in response! I blocked my ears as not to listen any further and crouched.


    "A pure white one-piece has a beauty reminiscent of simple maidens running through the gardens of summer. You have black hair. Although black and white contrast, both of them represent purity. There is not many things that are so compatible. I know you hate skirts, therefore there are shorts. Even if your skirt were to be lifted up there would be no vulgarity at all. Dare to imagine, your dress is rolled up by the wind, and while protecting your purity you can show your sex appeal as its rolled up, it won''t show any excessive eros! The pursuit of beauty is not only eros!"


    This person, what is he emphasizing here in front of the girls?! My little sister is here!


    Moreover, for some reason he had an expression of someone who was in middle of work, what do you intend to do about this atmosphere.


    The cries in my heart resulted in a single continuous sound.


    It was clapping applause, Rirei alone looked towards Cloude with a mysterious look of respect.


    "Indeed. Beautiful women should be indeed like that. While in front they should protect their chastity, but at the same time they must want to act a bit dirty. Wonderful idea, and that mental attitude, you deserve to be called my comrade."


    "Seeing there is someone who understands, I too am pleased. How about we exchange our views to our heart''s content?"


    "Fufufu. Yes, by all means. How about going with gothic lolita as the theme next time?"


    "Interesting."


    No, those two, why are they getting fired up? Kohaku-san, it''s no good without the retorting role. Please function properly.


    "Oops, I forgot."


    "What is it."


    Fed up with it, I glared at Cloude.


    "Pass me the armour. I''ll raise the grade while repairing. Also, this."


    I''ve sent armour in the trade, on the other hand I''ve been given items which materialized.


    "When you''re cooking, by all means, equip it."


    It was a simple apron. At the ends there were cute chicks made from felt sewn into it.


    "Cut this out already!"


    At the same time as I cried out, my fist had pounded into Cloude''s belly.


    In response to my body blow with a twist Cloude fell in place. His partner started to deliver cat punches to his head, healing his heart. Of course, I''ve saved that majestic figure in a screenshot.


    Then, I introduced my party members to my little sister''s party.


    "Umm, this woman is Magi-san. She''s a blacksmith, I''ve been always delivering potions to her. Hey, were you buying Bluepots at Magi-san''s shop?"


    "I''m blacksmith Magi. Nice to meet you. This is my partner, puppy Rickle. Even though I say that, there are some familiar faces here."


    The women were deprived of their line of sight by the sight of lovely Rickle who was raised up in front of their faces, Magi-san smiled wryly.


    "Next... well, I don''t want to introduce him but... Cloude. The weaver who specializes in cloth and leather armour. Also, his partner Socks."


    "My introduction is sloppy."


    Cloude rose up as if nothing happened. I should have put a considerable amount of strength behind that, to make sure he doesn''t get up I need to pack more strength in it next time.


    "Of course. A guy who goes out of control in front of my little sister deserves no consideration."


    By hooking its claws deftly into Cloude''s cloak, Socks reached up to his shoulder by climbing vertically. Everyone looked at the lovely white and black cat that was introduced to them.


    "Also, there''s Lyly the woodcrafter. Magi-san, where''s Lyly?"


    "When we got a report from Yun-kun I asked Lyly to find some more ingredients... but it seems like he''s back."


    Lyly left the woods on the opposite side from where we came from, a small round reddish chick rode on his shoulder skilfully.


    Lucato leaked out a voice.


    "Magi, Cloude, Lyly... the top crafters. It''s the first time I see all three gathered in one place."


    "Well, it''s not like we''re always together, we''ve got our own shops. Lucato-chan."


    "...?! Why do you know my name?"


    Lucato was startled, and Magi-san smiled like a child whose prank succeeded.


    "Well, I remember the regular customers who come to my shop to a degree. In particular, I''ve heard a lot about you from Myu-chan."


    As Magi-san spoke matter-of-factly, Lucato glared lightly at Myu, it seemed like she was a bit impatient.


    "B-but, girls like chatting with each other right? If it''s Luka-chan then you''ll understand right?"


    "You want the best order-made, but you don''t have enough money. I know it all."


    Something that embarrassing was exposed and while blushing Lucato strongly protested to Myu. Seeing that Magi-san changed the topic in a hurry.


    "So... how about ''involved-in-trouble'' Yun-kun introduces the young animals she''s brought."


    Magi-san had an smile on her face, but somehow her tone of voice seemed to have anger in it. As my face was cramped up, the young unicorn beside me took a step forward.


    "Umm, this is a young Unicorn, its name is Ryui. In fact, even though it joined me yesterday... it didn''t appear in public and I haven''t decided on a name. And this cub of a black fox was protected in the place there was trouble. I''m sorry for everything."


    I showed them the young fox. It was in deep sleep and there was no signs of waking.


    "Now then, let''s take a small break and chat with each other for a bit."


    We sat by a simple table, and I finally was able to spit out a sigh.


    Myu and the others who haven''t participated in describing what happened were struggling to find places for themselves to sleep. Their tents were burned in flames today. There was a spare tent that dropped from unique mob, I''ve heard that Lucato will be using it.


    I didn''t know what should I say, so I slowly started talking in a low voice.


    From yesterday until today. I told them everything that happened yesterday and I haven''t spoken about yet. My own point of view was mixed in with the story. I spoke about things that happened despite not organising them in my own head yet.


    Cloude and Lyly who were listening to the story prepared a bed for the young fox in meanwhile. When my story ended, there was a slightly long silence, Magi-san exhaled with a grim look on her face and finally spoke.


    "In such a short time you''ve had really thick experiences, Yun-kun. I''m interested in the cursed accessory, but let me say first¡ª¡ªstop being so reckless."


    "Yes. I''m sorry."


    "Oh, that''s right. On the board ¡ºFire Outbreak¡» is treated like a joke, to think you stuck your neck into that incident. Yuncchi''s ''reckless'' appears first class. But... I''m really glad."


    Magi-san and Lyly released the accumulated strength, they were happy that I was safe, I had a tearful expression. Even though I had a party which worried about me, I''ve been so reckless, I''m sorry.


    "Yun. The cub in question seems to have woken up."


    Maybe in response to our voices, but Cloude noticed a faint reaction from it and signalled us. The black fox''s young that''s been sleeping up until now was awake.


    Maybe because of a difference between the place it has fallen and this, or maybe fearing the place it didn''t know, but the young fox put some strength in its small body and was increasingly wary as it woke up.


    It stood up with trembling limbs and while raising its tail and fur it tried intimidation.


    No matter how you look at it, that poor figure could only be called a bluff.


    "Eh? That child woke up. Hey, Onee-chan. Somehow, it''s wariness is at MAX."


    "I know. Everyone, don''t stimulate it too much. You''ll scare it."


    As Myu called out to me after finishing preparation of her tent, the young fox was startled and took some distance.


    This little one must have started severely distrusting people because of how those guys treated it... hey, the latest AI is way too amazing. Being wary of humans because of a self-learning function. This game is pursuing reality too much.


    If someone tried approaching it, the young fox was visibly scared. At the same time as I thought it was quite a shock, I stroked Ryui''s head as it snuggled to my waist and reminded myself.


    "Just watch over it for now. That should be fine."


    We met Rickle and the others in completely different circumstances, let''s look over it and see if its state improves. As expected, even Myu wouldn''t forcibly touch a young fox whose feelings are mix of being frightened and intimidation. If anything, she was the one who was mostly bewildered seeing that appearance.


    "Now then, we can''t do anything even if we look over the young fox. Isn''t it about time we decide on a reward for the party who saved Yun?"


    With what Cloude said cutting in as a trigger, everyone''s line of sight moved away from the young fox. With the gazes focused on it disappearing, the thread of tension it felt vanished and the young fox collapsed on the bed. After confirming it, I focused on the discussion again.


    "Now then, what you probably need is to recover durability of weapons and armour, replacing Lucato-chan''s broken weapon, potion-type items, and food, is that all right with you?"


    I called out to Lucato who was relaxing after placing her tent.


    "Yes. I don''t mind. Or rather, I feel like I''m given too much..."


    "Don''t mind it so much, we just did what we wanted to do."


    "However..."


    Lucato didn''t feel like she could take it. I thought it was appropriate. It could have ended up with everyone being burned in flames and retired, it feels quite cheap considering that. However, Lucato was absolutely not convinced.


    "Hmm. Then, how about this. Instead of replacing Luka-chan''s weapon, I''ll make you one made-to-order. I''ll make it perfect for you later. What I can make for you now is a steel sword, how about it?"


    "Ehh?! I said already, that''s too much!"


    "In exchange... how about we trade items. How about it? It''s give-and-take."


    "...Hmm. Is everyone fine with that?"


    Lucato asked other party members including Myu, everyone gave a positive reply.


    "Then please."


    "All right, should I make it immediately?"


    "Magi. There''s still something we haven''t done. We need to appraise the rare weapons Yun found."


    "That''s right, forgetting is no good."


    From the inventory I took out a war axe, pair of daggers, magic wand and a long bow. Myu and the others were interested in these weapons and came over to peek, they didn''t have corresponding Senses so they couldn''t appraise them though.


    "Hohoo, they''ve got an ominous appearance. An axe that flashes red suits my taste well."


    "I wonder if these daggers are mine? Magicchi, appraise please. I''ll appraise the staff and bow."


    While saying so, the two''s faces changed as they appraised the weapons and were no longer carefree, they tensed up. But it was a tension coloured with delight rather than the dark tension.


    "Hey... Magicchi, how is it on your side?"


    "Hmm. They all have the same performance. Geez, management has some nice hobbies."


    While saying so, they passed the corresponding weapons to the wielders.


    Wolf Commander''s Longbow ¡¾Weapon¡¿


    A longbow used by a expert sharpshooter of beastmen, Commander Wolf.


    ATK+25


    Only this? I thought. Cause for some reason it has similar performance to the knife Magi-san made. It was a weapon inferior to one Lyly made.


    But I was surprised by a message that started flowing next moment.


    ¡¾The additional effect of this weapon is that you can add 15 additional effects into it. Also, because this is a unique equipment, it cannot be stolen, it cannot be broken. Although you can delete additional effects freely, if you want to grant them once again you need to have it undergo the same process the second time¡¿


    "Kukuku... giving crafters base body that can be customized by crafters. They''ve got a good sense. The management."


    Cloude was happy, and he let out an eerie laughter. No, I understand what you want to say, but the atmosphere is scary.


    Next one was Magi-san who said "As expected of OSO. Giving me an opportunity to make only mine weapon", and she stroked the axe with a happy expression.


    It was Lyly''s turn, "If such cheat-weapons are given out, that denies the existence of crafters", he said.


    Certainly, if people who are able weapons were to be given items beyond what they can make in a half-assed manner, that would really be a spoiljoy. In that sense, he was right.


    But still...


    "...right now I have no clear vision on how to customize this, what to do about it?"


    I looked at the bow I held once again.


    I glanced at the surroundings, Myu was staring with amazing sparkle in her eyes. Well, I know this is something amazing, but if Myu looked so greedily at it, I started to feel anxious for a different reason.


    "Listen. That thing, is super rare! A magical weapon you can remodel however you dream of. If possible I''d assault you for it, that''s how much I want it."


    "That''s dangerous. Oi, I don''t want to be PK''d."


    "Ahh, there''s a possibility of being PK''d. Well, even if it can''t be taken, it seems like people will do it out of jealousy."


    "Magi-san, what are you saying so carefreely now."


    As I stared in her eyes, she responded with a ''ahahaha, it''s a joke'' and waved her hands. However, I didn''t feel like it was a joke though.


    "Yuncchi, thanks for the best weapon."


    "Yeah, the top motivation in the game is to enhance one''s equipment, it makes me really glad."


    Lyly and Cloude said so looking pleased, I felt an itch on my back.


    "Don''t worry about it. With that, the story''s over right. Also, I''ll send Cloude the screenshots from the bottom of the lake by e-mail later. Also, Lucato and the others, potions right. Tell me the types you require and the number. I''ll prepare them before tomorrow."


    "I''ll make Luka-chan''s sword. I''ve searched for ore entire day so I have enough material. Yun-kun, you''ll use the gems right?"


    We began to move to start doing what we were supposed to do.


    Magi-san passed the gems she''s found today to me and started crafting the sword for Lucato. Cloude started talking about the current situation while repairing my armour and armours of others, his gaze wandered and he seemed to be looking at the information board. That was quite skilful.


    It was the same for Lyly, while performing durability recovery on the staffs he spoke with Kohaku and Rirei, I assume it was probably appraising goods in the biggest part.


    And I¡ª¡ª


    "Yun-san, there''s a single item as a reward for today."


    "This is... Sweets Factory?"


    "Yes. It''s the drop from Sweets Tree. Also, the book which dropped from Timewasting Scissors. We can''t read it."


    "Then I won''t be able to read it either... I want to read it though. So, where''s that book?"


    "Umm, Cloude-san has it now. It seems like he''ll read it later."


    Probably hearing these words, Cloude waved his hand this way.


    I was envious that Cloude could read that book casually. Looking at books lined up making a collection, it might be a masterpiece. I wanted to read the book I couldn''t read.


    Then, I was pulled back to reality by Lucato as I immersed myself in delusion.


    "...so, Yun-san?"


    "Yes?"


    "I have high expectations. For sweets that is."


    Joyfully, happily, lovely girls smiled to me. Yes, for the sake of sweets, for the sake of snacks.


    Since it was impossible to work at night, I cooked and made sweets, I diligently made potions from the materials I gathered. The fruit jelly I managed to make will be left for tomorrow''s breakfast.


    After finishing my job, I turned my gaze towards the sleeping young fox for a moment.


    "Hm? What is it Onee-chan?"


    "No, nothing really? I''m tired today so I''ll be going to sleep already."


    "Ah, nn. Good night."


    "Good night."


    I called out to everyone in the place and after picking up a box with the young fox I headed for the log house. Although yesterday Lyly was the one who went to sleep earliest yesterday, today I''ve been assaulted by drowsiness the moment I decided to go to sleep.


    While being careful not to curl up the unfamiliar one piece I laid down on the bed.


    Gently, as not to wake it up, I put the young fox beside already sleeping Rickle, Socks and Neshias.


    When I closed my eyes tired, my consciousness fell into the darkness immediately.


    My last thoughts were, yeah, I''m pretty tired. That kind of impression. We were able to safely survive the third day.


    58 thoughts on ¡°Chapter 5 ¨C The Cursed Equipment and the Young Fox¡±


    jetzer0


    is it me or is he getting wimpier as the story progresses


    and him apologizing for everything just comes of as annoying


    so far he has shown 0 backbone to anyone , i guess it''s this boring type humor


    if this happens in real life he''ll probably give away his house willingly and with a smile(scammed)


    ¡ý


    krytykPost author


    Then don''t read it. If you''d like I''ll ban you to save you from reading this boring humour.


    ¡ý


    Cyclloid


    There was a spare tent that dropped from unique mob, Lucato was said to use it.


    -> ... dropped from an unique mob, Lucato was told to use it.


    -> ... dropped from an unique mob, Lucato was going to use it.


    I said everything that happened yesterday and I haven''t spoken about.


    -> ...yesterday which I haven''t spoken about.


    -> I explained everything that happened yesterday which I haven''t spoken about.


    My own point of view mixed in with the story.


    -> My own point of view was mixed in with the story.


    I spoke about things that happened and I still haven''t organized on my own yet as well.


    -> I spoke about things that happened, even though I still haven''t organized the events on my own yet.


    -> I spoke about things that happened, even though I still haven''t organized my own thoughts yet.


    -> I spoke about things that happened, even though I still haven''t organized what happened on my own yet.


    "Then I won''t be able to read it either... I want to read it thought. So, where''s that book?"


    -> thought -> though


    ¡ý


    Bareus


    Sometime I wish the english rules for commas were identical with the rules in german... ~.~ it''s hard to understand a sentence which could have several meanings if no commas were set...


    I remembered my about my skills, it was better than nothing


    -> I remembered about my skills, it was better than nothing


    Fulfilling the wishes of their partner, is duty of a man.


    -> Fulfilling the wishes of their partner, is the duty of a man.


    I cast the cursed towards the young animal in the flames, ...


    -> I cast the curse towards the young animal in the flames, ...


    If it were not to work, I would lower its ATK.


    -> If it doesn''t work, I would lower its ATK [stat]. (not sure if "doesn''t work" or "didn''t work" is correct...)


    The reason for waiting before enchant was there to eliminate the large gap effect ...


    -> The reason for waiting before enchanting was to eliminate the large gap effect ...


    Although I ignored how my body felt as it wouldn''t even sweat, but I was so tense I heard as I let out air from my mouth with a hoarse sound.


    -> Although I ignored how my body felt as it wouldn''t even sweat, but I was so tense I heard, as I let out air from my mouth, a hoarse sound.


    OR Although I ignored how my body felt as it wouldn''t even sweat, I was so tense that I heard a hoarse sound from me while letting out air from my mouth.


    OR Although I ignored how my body felt as it wouldn''t even sweat, I was so tense I heard, as I let out air from my mouth, a hoarse sound [from me]. (don''t know if the last two versions are even correct, but the original version was phrased awkwardly or I''m just to dumb to read it correctly...)


    And yet, it was an impossible to control item that had a curse that disallowed taking it off.


    -> And yet, it was impossible to control an item that had a curse which disallowed taking it off.


    OR And yet, it was an impossible thing to control an item that had a curse which disallowed taking it off.


    I tried to find out what was the meaning of it.


    -> I tried to find out what the meaning of it was.


    Once again, I devoted myself to escaping.


    -> Isn''t "escaping" missplaced here? I mean it would mean, that Yun escapes the fight entirely... . Maybe like this: "Once again, I devoted myself to evade the [oncoming] attacks." ?


    The thing that would be most helpful in dealing with the strengthened flames until the I dispel curse, also, the thing that would be in the biggest risk is my own muscles.


    -> The thing that would be most helpful in dealing with the strengthened flames until I dispel the curse, and also the thing that would be in the biggest risk are my own muscles.


    The pushed away the black flames momentarily paving me a way to the cub.


    -> The explosion pushed away the black flames momentarily paving me a way to the cub.


    OR It pushed away the black flames momentarily paving me a way to the cub.


    I didn''t know why did I move like that,...


    -> I didn''t know why I moved like that,...


    The wide flame was all gone,...


    -> ok, wide flames? or maybe "wild flames" ? "white flames"? or something more conservative like this: "The flames were gone, ..." ?


    So what''s up with other people?"


    -> So what''s up with the other people?"


    At the ends there were cute chicks made from felt were sewn into it.


    -> At the ends there were cute chicks made from felt sewn into it.


    At the same time as I cried out, my fist was pounded Cloude''s belly.


    -> At the same time as I cried out, my fist had pounded Cloude''s belly.


    OR At the same time as I cried out, my fist pounded Cloude''s belly.


    As my face was cramped, the young unicorn lined up next to me took a step forward.


    -> As my face was cramped, the young unicorn beside me took a step forward.


    With the gazes focused on it disappearing, the thread of tension it felt and the young fox collapsed on the bed.


    -> With the gazes focused on it disappearing, the thread of tension it felt vanished and the young fox collapsed on the bed.


    I''ve searched for ore entire day so I have enough material.


    -> I''ve searched for ores the entire day so I have enough material.


    I called out to everyone in the place and after picking up a box with young fox I headed for the log house.


    -> I called out to everyone in the place and after picking up the box with the young fox I headed for the log house.


    I gently as not to wake it up put the young fox beside already sleeping Rickle, Socks and Neshias.


    -> I gently[,] as not to wake it up[,] put the young fox beside the already sleeping Rickle, Socks and Neshias.

 Chapter Volume 2 6

    Chapter 6 ¨C Revenge and the Mage


    I opened my eyes, it seemed like I woke up at the same time I did yesterday. I saw a dim light enter the log house through a gap of the door.


    "...morning huh. I need to get up."


    I need to prepare breakfast. Being the only one who has the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense, I stood up quickly and stretched my back.


    "...morning, Cloude."


    "Oh, morning, and good night."


    After saying that much, a dull sound rang out and Cloude started to sleep while breathing loudly. Hey, isn''t he afraid of suffocating staying like that, I thought.


    "If he''s having a hard time being the look-out we should have switched, well, thanks to that we can sleep in peace."


    I said so and left the log house. Toutobi was already up, with a dagger in her hand she was fighting with an imaginary enemy.


    To the right, to the left, she thrust the dagger into nothingness while leaving afterimages behind her.


    "You''re fired up right from the morning aren''t you."


    "...good morning, Yun-san."


    "How about the others?"


    "...everyone''s sleeping. Since I woke up already, I switched with Cloude-san."


    "I see. I''ll prepare the breakfast then."


    For my armour, I put an apron on top of the one-piece from yesterday.


    "This early?"


    "Yeah, preparing processed food is time-consuming."


    While saying so, I shook my hands and prepared a variety of tools.


    I took out a stove and an oven Magi-san and the others obtained yesterday by hunting down an unique mob and started preparing food.


    While crafting bread by using ¡¾Cooking¡¿ skill''s Preparing to shorten the process, I prepared side dishes in parallel.


    Although I didn''t notice because I focused on the cooking, Magi-san and Lucato have woken up. Lucato was doing a swinging practice with the new sword, and Magi-san was looking after her while holding Rickle in her arms.


    Lucato''s sword was longer and wider than a one-handed sword. While it was a sword held in both of her hands, it seemed like its weight wasn''t sufficient¡ª¡ªit would be classified as a bastard sword.


    Even with the least amount of decorations possible, it had atmosphere of a first class goods and coupled with Lucato''s appearance it didn''t give any discomfort. She swung it lightly with her hand in search of a prey, occasionally she clutched it with both of her hands. Just the pressure from the sword was enough to scatter the grass around her.


    "Good morning. It seems like it''s finished, Lucato''s sword that is."


    "Morning, Yun-kun. Yeah, I''ve finished it last night, but since we were tired we''re checking it now. So how is it, Luka-chan?"


    "Yes, it''s just as I imagined it. I''m more of a type that emphasizes on strength of the blow rather than the speed, the sword I''ve been using up until now was too light."


    While muttering so, Lucato stowed the sword exhausted.


    "So I can assume that sword was delivered? Yun-kuuun, what''s the breakfast menu?"


    "Hmm, freshly baked bread and scrambled eggs, salad, fried vegetables and meat, cut up fruits. Since there''s the Sweets Factory, I can make hotcakes too. If I''m able to prepare dough, all that''s left is to fry it. There''s the jelly I made yesterday too."


    "Ohh!? If I can pick one then I want to eat hotcakes."


    "Then just pick what you want to eat from what''s made later."


    While saying so, I put a frying pan on the stove.


    Using the dough I continued to prepare hotcakes which piled up more and more on the platter. Moreover, I put the freshly baked bread in the open basket crafted by Lyly.


    Anyone could eat whatever they wanted from what I made, but since I thought it wasn''t satisfactory, Lyly and Hino went hunting and brought me a bottle of honey which dropped from a bee-type mob. I think I shouldn''t bother considering where did the bottle appear from.


    After a while, all the preparations were finished and I was able to rest.


    "It''s still morning, and I''m already tired. Ten people and five animals is indeed a lot. Can we do with what''s been cooked today?"


    While saying so, I sat down on a wooden chair.


    Seeing me like that, Magi-san passed a glass of water to me.


    "Well done. Are you okay?"


    "It''s hard. For today and tomorrow we can save food in inventories, but we might have to look for ingredients for the remaining days."


    As I said what I thought, Magi-san nodded repeatedly agreeing with me. With two people beside me, I ate breakfast. After putting a hotcake in my mouth I felt incredible sweetness of honey and the texture of the dough, I felt like some of my energy came back after eating.


    Then, probably attracted by the scent of breakfast the little beasts have woken up, they greedily devoured their meals. Among them, only the young, black fox was still wary. When it comes to distance, rather than to us players, it had a tendency of snuggling up to other young ones who were at similar age. It especially stuck to large-bodied Ryui like superglue, but Ryui didn''t mind it at all.


    "Let''s have a short meeting as we eat breakfast."


    The one who called that out, was Cloude. Although he fell over and slept, after finishing his short nap he joined us for the breakfast as the last one. This man, he slept for only a short while and he seemed to look all right, that might be because we''re inside of a game. I thought, but I was worried he might have been doing the same in real.


    "Now then, let''s talk about schedule for today. I thought of having Magi and me tour the base camps around."


    "Why is that?"


    "Let''s call it development of infrastructure. Last night, there were many topics on information board stating that there''s not enough support from crafters. Today, along with my crafting acquaintances we decided to support the fighters."


    "The crafters can easily level up their Senses, and the fighters will gain some proper support. That''ll make everyone happy."


    It seems like there already were people who had contracts like that. I wonder if I should show my face there. Then, Cloude continued speaking.


    "Well, at first we didn''t intend on making a move, but it seems like the negotiations aren''t too balanced and it became a hot topic. As expected, we can''t overlook this. Our names have quite a bit of value, so we''ll go over there for a bit."


    "Hmm, is that so. Well, you''ve got it hard. Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "No, nothing in particular. Yun-kun, you have no intention of undertaking contracts for making potions through the board, do you? Just stay behind at ease."


    Although I''ve been told to take it easy, I put a hand on my chin and thought. I wonder if there''s any merit in doing that? If I undertook it, I could somewhat advertise my ¡¾Atelier¡¿. Also, I could obtain things I want without using my own time.


    However... that''s only if I was able to get results satisfying both sides.


    If negotiating with other party is no good, I could look around this stray continent accompanying Taku''s or Myu''s party, mainly undertaking the healing role.


    I looked at the sky, thinking. Should I benefit in safety without moving, or prepare myself to take risk and adventure. Troubled, I turned my gaze to the side. Beside me, there was the young fox riding on Ryui''s back.


    That''s right. If I took the risk, I would have to separate from these two to ensure their safety.


    "Well, I''ll try it then. If it doesn''t work out, I just have to stop right?"


    Hearing these words, somehow, an expression of relief appeared on Magi-san''s face.


    "Ohh?, that''d help us a lot. There are people who have Mixing, but there aren''t many who are as good as Yun-kun."


    "Aren''t you subtly saying that I''m not normal? Hey."


    As I said that, "ahahaha", she responded with a dry laughter. Well, I don''t really care.


    "Also, sorry, your armour isn''t repaired yet. It''s scheduled to be done today. And it''ll be over with this."


    With these words, our discussion was finished.


    After that, I passed the potions I crafted to Lucato and the others, with their equipment being as good as new they left to conquer the ruins in the east. I''ve received gemstones and stones from Magi-san, and then prepared a simple lunch box for Magi-san and Cloude, I passed it to them and sent them off.


    Then, Lyly and I watched over our camp, and worked hard on our crafting. I''m sure that Magi-san''s real intention was to have me rest after yesterday''s trouble, it might be that Lyly was given role of watching over me.


    I polished gemstones I received from Magi-san to replenish Magic Gems I used up yesterday and enchanted them with magic.


    Lyly too was working on his crafting, it was on much greater scale than normal woodworking.


    He crafted lumber from logs, plated the roof and built wooden hut.


    "Hey, Lyly, what are you making?"


    "Ryucchi''s bed. Since its bed isn''t small like Shaicchi''s or the young fox''s, he needs a proper bedding. Look, it''s almost complete."


    As he said that, he lifted a large piece of wood that was taller than him, and headed for the establishment beside the log house.


    "All that''s left is to prepare straw. Come on, Ryucchi."


    Ryui who was lying further away with closed eyes checked the stable.


    After approaching it while carefully looking all over, Ryui sat down on top of the straw that was laid down to confirm if it was comfortable. The stable was prepared in the shade, it seemed like a perfectly cool spot. The young fox didn''t want to leave Ryui''s side and headed to his side in a hurry. Rickle and Socks who stayed behind with us, as well as Neshias were interested in the new place, five young animals clustered in one spot. They narrowed their eyes, and immediately fell asleep.


    "Should we take a small break?"


    "Why not. Oh, are there any snacks left?"


    "There''s some hotcakes left, is that fine?"


    I said so, and while looking at the young ones, I prepared our tea time break.


    "Do you guys want me to avoid getting in trouble yesterday, and have me spend my time quietly by crafting?"


    "Yuncchi doesn''t really have much spare time since he has ¡¾Dosing¡¿¡¾Cooking¡¿ and ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿."


    "There''s also ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿. Well, I think that having skills spread out like this is fun."


    "Yuncchi, aren''t you unexpectedly inconstant?"


    "That''s rude. Say that I have a spirit of challenger instead. Certainly, I did take too much but..."


    Lyly started giggling, and after that we had a fun chat.


    A while after, probably tempted by the smell of tea and hotcakes, the young beasts who were curled up on Ryui''s bed woke up.


    The young fox was one step behind the others who have cried out to me right by my feet.


    "What, you want these?"


    Their line of sight was glued in the direction of the dish that had hotcakes on it. Right, left, right.


    And as I moved the dish, all of their bodies swayed back and forth, once again, Socks fell over.


    I removed a hotcake from my inventory and placed it in front of them, but they wouldn''t eat the hotcake alone. This time, their line of sight was glued to the bottle of honey I had in my hand, geez, while spitting out a sigh I poured the honey over the hotcake.


    The hotcake covered in honey was sliced up from various angles, then the young ones began to eat. The circular hotcake reduced in size in an instant, and after distorting it eventually settled down in everyone''s stomach.


    But it did not end there. Three beasts clung to my legs, ''more'', Rickle and the others cried out ''more'', the young fox stared at the bottle of honey in my hand. Also, Ryui circled around me and pressed against me with its head.


    "H-hey, you guys. Calm down, calm doown!"


    Pushed by Ryui, I fell down on spot. As usual, I thought of hating my own powerlessness which allowed me to be pushed down, but before I could do that, honey spilled from the bottle I had in my hand and it started sticking to my white one piece and my cheek.


    "Uwaa... not good. Now I did it. Dirt''s gonna be conspicuous because it''s white... hey, this is a game, whether its dirty or wet, it''ll disappear over time, I wonder if it''s the same for this?"


    While thinking that, I wiped the honey off my cheek with a finger. I felt a strong tingling line of sight on the tip of that finger.


    The bottle in my hand that still had about third filled with honey, the honey that spilled on my dress, the honey that dripped of my cheek onto my nape and clavicle as well as the line of sight on my cheek and fingertip.


    *slurp*... along with a sound of someone sipping their drool, young beasts jumped at me.


    "Hey, where are you entering! Rather, you can''t have honey!"


    The young ones flocked over to me, making me unable to move. No, I could move, but I was worried that I might crush small Socks and Neshias so I didn''t move. Moreover, I dropped the bottle with honey.


    The young fox has put its head towards the bottle and desperately licked the honey remaining in the bottle. Occasionally, it stopped licking to glance towards me.


    Neshias sweetly chewed my honey-covered right hand with its small beak, that feeling sent a chill down my back.


    Socks jumped towards the honey that spilled on the one-piece near my belly and started licking it desperately.


    Both of my hands as well as abdomen were pinned down, from the place where honey dripped onto my collarbone Rickle entered my clothes and started licking. Ryui stretched its neck towards my cheek which had honey on it and started licking me. Ryui''s physique was much larger than other young ones, and the pressure was stronger. Moreover, because Ryui''s neck was on my shoulder I couldn''t move.


    "H-hey, you guys, stop licking! Don''t suck on the fabric! Why are you sticking your heads in my clothes! Stop licking completely unrelated places! Ngh?!! Lyly, help!"


    "Hmm, Yuncchi, do your best!"


    "YOU TRAITORRRRRR!''


    While my cries of agony resounded, Lyly continued to smile happily. This guy, all he intends is to watch from the side. Confident of that, I withstood the few minutes of that torture. During that time, I''ve shown an appearance I don''t want anyone to see. Ever. I don''t even want to remember it.


    ¡ñ


    "Cheers for the good work, Yuncchi."


    "...haa, haa. Help me instead of just looking."


    "Hmm, no way, impossible. Give up."


    While saying so, Lyly shrugged lightly. Over time, the honey disappeared from my clothes and the young animals who were licking me reluctantly separated from me.


    "Haa?, I feel like I was too soft on them."


    "That''s right, Yuncchi. It was your complete loss wasn''t it?"


    "Indeed."


    I shrugged and stroked Ryui''s neck.


    For a while, there was a cosy silence, but I broke it soon enough.


    "Lyly, change your Senses to combat ones."


    "Hm? Sure."


    I was thankful for such immediate response without any doubts. Were they there ever since I''ve been playing with the young ones? I also changed the Senses I equipped.


    Possessed SP18


    ¡¾Bow Lv24¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv36¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Power Lv35¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv12¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿


    ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv25¡¿


    I adapted my Sense build to what was required at the moment and took out my bow, my gaze wandered casually.


    There were three reactions. Although they have hidden outside of the safety area, it was obvious for me. If they want to hide, they should first acquire an ability on Ryui''s level at the very least, I sighed.


    "So, Yuncchi, how many? Their equipment?"


    "Three people. A warrior and two mages."


    "Quite a good balance. Are they customers?"


    "If they were customers, they wouldn''t pull out their swords would they. So, what do we do?"


    I responded to Lyly''s unfunny joke, and considered the current situation.


    In the safety area battles don''t occur and players cannot damage each other. But it can''t be said it''s absolutely safe. There''s the case of the young black fox from yesterday. We don''t know what cards can the opponent play.


    "I''ve contacted Magicchi and Kurocchi, but they''re in the furthest away camps."


    "That means they can''t come right away. It would be good if they gave up on a sudden attack. In case they do attack..."


    We thought of multiple ways out.


    If they are players that don''t have their own tents and want to take our log house¡ª¡ªin that case, they might be intending to attack the person who prepared these facilities.


    A raid with a goal of obtaining necessary recovery and rare items¡ª¡ªthat might be exaggerated, but I felt it could be that.


    A raid with a goal of robbing the young beasts¡ª¡ªthat would be the worst. There was no room for discussion in this case.


    "Lyly, how does your combat abilities look like?"


    "Hmm? Moderately strong? If it''s a non-complex nor unusual strategy then I can execute it, I can handle normal hunting. In the first place, crafters don''t normally fight."


    "Then, do you think two crafters can take three fighters in an unbalanced battle?"


    "Impossible. Rather, whether it''s three of them or just one, I would run."


    "Riight?."


    Originally, we crafters have less beneficial skills and the stats that are related to crafting are high, while stats related to fighting are low. There''s a difference in specs even if our levels are the same.


    "Should we escape immediately?"


    "Yeah. After hearing the story from yesterday, even if it''s impossible to steal installation-type objects, it seems possible to damage them."


    "Yeah, the tents right. But rather than damage, it''s more like ''completely destroy'' them. Then, let''s run... tch."


    Unconsciously, I clicked my tongue. The moment became more vigilant, the young ones hid behind Lyly.


    Just when I thought about escaping, we were approached from the other side.


    The three moved to a distance where even Lyly could see them. They were holding their weapons, but it was unlikely they will attack us immediately.


    "Are you that black one''s user?"


    The swordsman was a boy with silky blond hair and blue eyes. Somehow, his eyes were really grim. He was different from the assailant I imagined. His gaze rather than hold a pointless malice, had a pure hostility in it, making me even more wary.


    "What''s with you guys. You''re scaring the little ones, hide your weapons."


    As I strongly furrowed my brows and replied, the mages on the left and right of the swordsman glared at me in silence, whatever. The warrior replied soon after.


    The swordsman in question ignored my words and glanced at the young beasts hiding behind Lyly.


    "I see, so that''s it after all. You''re the black one''s user. I finally found you."


    "Nono, I''ve no idea."


    "Did you forget about yesterday''s incident?! You''ve been a huge bother to us and many other players. The player who set up a black beast against us, is our enemy!"


    The men on the left and right spoke after hearing my response.


    "Yuncchi, let''s run!"


    I''ve been stunned by an unexpected accusation, and regained my senses only after hearing Lyly''s words. We started to run immediately.


    Thinking they''re in the right, they branded me evil. I didn''t really mind, but when I spoke, they jumped to a wrong conclusion. My words didn''t reach them at all.


    Lyly had Neshias on his shoulder and two other young ones in his hands, we escaped in the direction of east, Ryui also ran in parallel to us with the young fox riding on top of him. After that, those guys also chased after us, they were surprisingly fast.


    "Let''s get away all at once. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    While leaving behind a yellow afterglow as we run, our speed increased.


    "Leave this to me. ¡¶Wind Armour¡·."


    The mage cast a spell from which a green magical veil wrapped around the pursuers.


    And their running speed visibly increased.


    "What''s with that magic!"


    "It''s the higher level of ¡¾Wind Element¡¿ Sense, ¡¾Storm Element¡¿''s magic. If he leveled it that much, then we would be done for after taking three hits from him."


    "Why are you being so carefree! If we don''t increase our defence we''ll die. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªMind!"


    This time, I applied a protective enchant on us.


    Intimidated by the pursuers who rushed at us from behind, I felt fear. Although Lyly acted frivolously, I could see impatience in his expression.


    I tried to think of a solution somehow, but because I felt impatient and scared, I couldn''t find any.


    And I used the only solution I knew of. That''s right¡ª¡ªan SOS mail to all my acquaintances.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ºHELP. RIGHT NOW, LYLY AND I ARE ON THE RUN. WON''T HOLD OUT.¡»


    The content was simple, if I were to reread it later I could easily tell just how panicked I was when I sent it.


    Immediately after, explosions of the storm and flames approached from behind and grazed us. Enveloped in the light and deafening roar, Lyly and I screamed.


    "AHHHhhhh! There''s a cooldown on magic use isn''t there? Why can he unleash such a barrage?!"


    "It''s quite short, he must have a high level of ¡¾Chanting¡¿ to shorten it!"


    "I didn''t want to hear that! Damn, hurry up and run out of MP!"


    I spat out a curse loudly, and ran towards the east desperately.


    The magic released burned trees and gouged the ground. It approached us occasionally, we defended ourselves with my Clay Shield''s Magic Gems and Ryui''s water shield. However, enemy''s magic was powerful, our skin and hair was roasted by the aftermath and wind mercilessly hit our backs. We somehow managed to survive, but the supply of Magic Gems I had was running out, and Ryui''s shield was not almighty either.


    However, it wasn''t as if we couldn''t counterattack at all.


    Remembering about it, I turned back towards them and shot arrows at the mages, but they were blocked by the swordsman. Frustrated he clicked his tongue as he responded to the attacks on the run. Being under attack, they couldn''t continuously cast their spells.


    As for Lyly, he was holding the little ones'' and run while protecting them. Obviously, he couldn''t concentrate while being attacked.


    In other words, we were stuck in repetition.


    Will the enemy run out of MP first, or will we be knocked out first. We continued to play runaway like that.


    "Yuncchi, is there a way out?"


    "I sent a mail to everyone I know!"


    "That gives us some hope."


    "Hey, what do you mean by that!"


    I couldn''t ignore the words Lyly silently spoke right beside me. What, you''re saying I don''t have many acquaintances?! Umm... Taku, Myu, Sei-nee... eh? It''s just their friends, Magi-san and Cloude?


    "What is it? Yuncchi."


    "No, I actually might not have too many friends..."


    "Don''t mind!"


    "Geez, that was out of place... wha?!"


    While speaking, I did a twirl and shoot an arrow. While doing such a surprise attack I checked what''s going on behind.


    The released magic which was originally stronger versions of fire and wind magic, was now gradually being switched out to the lower and more convenient versions. There seemed to be emphasis on fire magic too.


    Moreover, I''ve seen enemy take MP Potions while taking a break from attacking, it felt like they were frantic.


    Randomly cast magic sometimes blocked our path or scooped our feet. Once it stopped, it looked calm.


    Nevertheless, it was worth continuing without stopping. A virtual body could run without regard to physical fatigue, after withstanding the sprint for long enough, enemy''s magic has stopped.


    "Are they finally out of MP?"


    "Fuu... it would be good if that was the case. If so, then they won''t chase us any further than this."


    "Let''s run away then."


    We attempted to run away once again, and the moment we lowered our hips, I felt a new reaction from ¡¾Discovery¡¿. The new magic cast by enemy wasn''t mighty. A mysterious invisible blow reached Lyly.


    "Lyly!"


    As I cried out, Lyly slowly collapsed. Since he was falling forward, he would crush the little ones in his hand, so he twisted his body and fell on his right shoulder.


    I rushed to him in a hurry, but there was no damage to his HP, he just fell down. Judging by his eye''s movement, he was conscious. But he couldn''t articulate properly, a hoarse voice spilled out.


    "Yun...cchi... this is... para...lysis."


    "...got it, Paralysis lifting potions isn''t it!"


    The moment I took out the potion from my inventory, the invisible attack was released again. The potion slipped out of my hand and I knelt.


    My body went numb, the only thing I could move freely were my eyes. The young ones around us were looking at us anxiously. Run away, I wanted to say but I couldn''t speak up.


    We had an abnormal state ¡¾Paralysis 3¡¿ on us and couldn''t move. We understood that the cause of it was the mage in front of us.


    His eyes were long and vertical, there was a coldness reminiscent of reptiles in them. The reason his pupils changed into those of a reptile could be derived from the paralysis¡ª¡ª


    "...¡¾Snake Eyes¡¿...ri..ght."


    I desperately moved my unmoving mouth, and muttered a groan.


    "Indeed. It took quite a while, but it finally succeeded."


    Indifferently, the three of them approached us, one of the mages pushed Lyly down, someone else locked my arm behind me, I was made to kneel in front of these misunderstanding bastards.


    "You''ve resisted quite a while. Thanks to that we ran out of MP Potions, well, it''s fine as long as we can purge the evil."


    I glared at the swordsman who said that. I was pressed on from behind and the bow I held fell to the ground. I couldn''t take out any weapons out of my inventory nor move my mouth. The young beasts seeing us in that state were terrified.


    "...don''t... touch the... little ones."


    I intimidated them with a glare. If you dare to touch them with a single finger, I''ll make you bastards regret it for your entire life. After I relayed my intentions, the witch behind me further pressed against my arm. I clenched my teeth, bearing the pain.


    "Let''s proceed before ¡¾Snake Eyes¡¿ effect expires. Our objective is only the black cub and the player who uses it."


    "Tell me... the reason."


    "Our party members were swallowed in flames released by that black cub."


    "...then... it has nothing... to do with us."


    After I muttered what I thought, my arm was twisted further. There was no more room for discussion. Deciding one-sidedly, the warrior raised his sword.


    The moment sword was to be swung down, involuntarily I closed my eyes. I determined myself to be cut, but no matter how long I waited, the blow didn''t come. I''ve had deja-vu of being in this situation before, I fearfully opened my eyes. There was a figure separating me and the swordsman.


    "When I saw Yun-chan call for help I wondered what can it be. But this seems quite troublesome.


    "...Shizu..ka-nee."


    ¡ñ


    "Yun-chan, in game it''s Sei-nee right?"


    Don''t use real names in game! Sei-nee spoke something out of place in such situation. However, the sword that was swung down at me was deflected diagonally with a staff.


    "Why are you getting in our way! That''s the black cub''s user!"


    "There''s no way Yun-chan would do something bad. Also, Yun-chan asked me for help, that''s enough for me to protect her."


    "Then we''ll take her down by force!"


    "...Sei-nee?!"


    While saying so, the warrior swung his sword aiming at Sei-nee. The magic-user Sei-nee''s close combat ability is... I thought, but my expectations were betrayed.


    She pulled the staff back, and after meeting the the sword she parried it. The attack came from the top returning, although Sei-nee was attacked again, she once again met the sword with her staff and she hit the sword while it was above, while maintaining its momentum the sword flew away and pierced the ground.


    "The way you grip your sword is too weak. I wonder if it''s because you mainly fight against mobs..."


    Enemy was taken aback by that for a moment, but immediately after he started to cooperate with his party.


    The two mages released me to respond to Sei-nee, as for the swordsman, he pulled out a spare sword from the inventory.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Quake Blast¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    The magic of fire and wind was released at the same time. Facing the magic coming from two directions, Sei-nee dealt with it calmly.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Water Round¡·"


    After a quiet murmur, what appeared was a circular water shield, same as Ryui''s. It was the same as the one created by Ryui but twice as large, although it felt unreliable, it splendidly protected us from the attack.


    "You''re not using the strong points of your magic. You need to learn better cooperation."


    She used a single hand to create a water shield to match them, it perfectly resisted the magic of wind and fire that came at us. Her movements themselves were something that seemed slow in my eyes, she resisted the attack with the least amount of moves.


    "Wind has a fast projectile speed and rate of fire. Fire, has a great instantaneous firepower. The perfect cooperation would be to use high temperature to break through my defence and aim bullets of wind in meantime. There''s no need of high attack power to defeat me."


    While saying that, Sei-nee prevented one attack after another as if dancing. She lectured the shocked people who attacked her. They shook, overwhelmed by her.


    "Don''t forget about me!"


    The young swordsman jumped at Sei-nee from behind the barrage of wind and fire while she was distracted.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Wind Armour¡·!"


    The wind magic user applied the same speed increase on the swordsman he used before when they were chasing us and the swordsman closed the distance all at once. While maintaining the water shield she has created, Sei-nee posed as to intercept him.


    However, the opponent raised his sword before Sei-nee could cast magic and swung it down.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Gram Sword¡·"


    At the same time Sei-nee raised her staff to match the sword which was being swung down, the tip of the staff was covered with water and changed into a shape of a sword, it met against the enemy''s sword.


    A sword attached to a long staff, rather than a sword it felt more like a lance, it shook lightly and parried the enemy''s sword same as before. With half-circular motion she swung back at the enemy''s sword, and hitting it powerfully, she sent it back with her staff.


    "You?! Aren''t you a mage?!"


    "I am. However, being able to use only magic is inconvenient so I learned a bit of stick fighting as well."


    While saying so, when the opponent slashed once again she thrust with her staff.


    Even as she was being attacked by the swordsman, Sei-nee continued to maintain the water shield in mid-air and parried the attacks with a staff. Even though her moves were slow, she avoided attacks lightly and flexibly like a willow tree and thrust whenever she had a chance. There was a difference in technique that could be seen even by someone with untrained eyes.


    "Why! Why aren''t my attacks reaching!"


    Responding to his question, Sei-nee strongly thrust in the enemy''s solar plexus. In order to lessen the impact from being hit, the swordsman jumped strongly to the back. And behind him was¡ª¡ª


    "Sei-nee! Big one!"


    "It''s okay. Onee-chan is really strong."


    Before I realized, Paralysis'' effect has worn off and I raised a voice, Sei-nee had a margin to spare and smiled. The three had the swordsman to buy time and the mage duo prepared a powerful magic attack.


    Sei-nee surely had a large move prepared to eliminate that.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Burn¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Mirage Mist¡·!"


    Sei-nee. Although I called out to her my voice was drowned in the roar of flame. I stared at the flames which swallowed Sei-nee. I watched as her figure collapsed.


    It was impossible after all. I thought Sei-nee might win 1 vs 3 but...


    "Flame magic''s attack power is amazing after all. Were I to take it head on it would be dangerous."


    When I looked towards the one who spoke, I saw Sei-nee stand on top of a tree.


    She folded her arms below her chest and looked down at the place that was burned.


    The three looked up at her and at the same time as they opened their eyes wide in surprise, the staff aimed for the wind mage and stopped moving.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·"


    That moment, dozens of water bullets appeared behind Sei-nee. It was a water element''s beginner spell. But with a number like that it posed a threat despite being a beginner magic. Overwhelmed by the sight, nobody moved. No, were they to attack, the dozens of water bullets would rain on them.


    "Certainly, if it''s against mobs then it''s best to shoot immediately after chanting, but when it comes to players, there''s no need to use high-powered magic."


    "What. What''s up with that number of magic?! What''s up with you! Why can a mage fight in close quarters combat! What''s up with your attitude, holding back, looking down on us!"


    As the swordsman turned hysteric and raised his voice, Sei-nee responded indifferently.


    "I''m not holding back, and I have no intention of underestimating you. This is the way I fight."


    As she spoke, the number of water bullets behind her further increased.


    "It''s a basic magic-user''s build, the ¡¾Delay¡¿ I have allows me to stock magic I created temporarily. As for close combat, like I said earlier, I just learned how to fight with a staff. Time is about to run out. Now then¡ª¡ª"


    Do your best and endure it. And as she muttered these words, dozens of water bullets were released all at once with a loud sound.


    The three desperately avoided the looming spheres, although they looked for an opportunity to attack desperately, they were unable to break out from the barrage of water bullets.


    Gouging the ground, piercing the trees, the water barrage was scattered in an unnecessarily large range, although part of the water bullets missed, wherever they tried to avoid, the enemy was hit by the water bullets.


    The two magic-users retired early, the boy with a sword advanced while prepared for the damage, but Sei-nee already compensated for the used-up water bullets.


    The closer he got to Sei-nee the more dense the attacks were and so was the rate of fire. Unable to withstand continuous magical attacks, he was blown away.


    "Are you interested in having a talk yet?"


    "Why... why are you covering for her! She partially destroyed our party! She''s the black cub''s user!"


    "I said, that wasn''t me! Some idiot took a young beast and forced a cursed equipment on it which resulted with that. Certainly, this is the black cub in question, but it was an unfortunate incident caused by overlapping factors."


    "Then where did that guy go!"


    "It seems like he was the first one to be burned."


    Sei-nee quietly said the truth.


    "The day before that incident there seemed to be a similar incident with a cub going on rampage and setting the base camp in flames. The party that caused it was too slow escaping."


    "Then who! Who do I take revenge against for my comrades! Those three were looking forward to the event! Is it fine to give them such unreasonable and half-assed ending?!"


    The three had their HP reduced by a great deal, they dropped their weapons and grasped the ground.


    As Sei-nee started walking towards the three without hesitation, I wanted to call out to her, but she placed her index finger on her lips stopping me. Seems like she thought of something. I guess I have to leave it to her.


    "Looks like you''re not convinced, but you know that pressing the guilt on Yun-chan and her friends is unreasonable, don''t you?"


    "...yes."


    They faced down powerlessly, and responded faintly. Even so, Sei-nee smiled satisfied and cast a heal from recovery magic on the three.


    Even though Sei-nee recovered the damage she dealt to them, it didn''t seem like the mental damage would recover soon. Sei-nee gently and yet strongly spoke to the three.


    "There''s a few days left. Why don''t you consider what you can do by yourselves instead? Something that won''t bother other people that is."


    "Something we can do? That''s..."


    They didn''t know what they should do, the three looked at each other and Sei-nee continued to speak further.


    "When the event is over, you need to puff your chest with pride and tell them it was fun. Will you raise your levels? Or maybe you''re going to find some rare items to give as presents? Or will you boast to see their jealous expressions?"


    Sei-nee, the last one was a mean thing to do. I murmured in my mind, but her words must have loosened the three''s tension and their expressions softened.


    "Also, although the retired people would be dissatisfied, what would they think if they learned you PK''d someone? I don''t think your comrades would make nice expressions hearing that you went PK."


    "...yes. I think so too."


    The three meekly nodded in response to Sei-nee. Lyly was released from the paralysis as well, he lined up next to me together with the young beasts.


    "I..."


    The swordsman wanted to say something, but Sei-nee stopped him from speaking the same way she stopped me.


    "I''m not the one you should talk to about PK. Whether you will proudly reunite with your comrades or not, is up to you guys."


    The attack itself was a misunderstanding caused by lack of information. But, should it be all forgiven? That''s not what I should be saying... the victim this time wasn''t just me, there was someone else here too.


    I glanced towards Lyly who responded to me with a nod. I leave it to you, he said. That''s why, I put my feelings in words¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªEven if it''s a misunderstanding, the fact that you attacked Lyly who''s partnered up with me doesn''t change."


    "...what should we do to make you forgive us."


    The three shrunk further hearing my words. I responded.


    "After you doing something bad, you''ve got to apologize right?"


    "Got it. Sorry."


    And they lowered their heads.


    "Not to me. Apologize to Lyly and the little ones."


    I pointed at Lyly and Ryui with my finger, the three''s eyes went round and they bowed deeply to them. After that, when he made sure the three left Lyly pulled my clothes and asked.


    "Yuncchi, is that fine?"


    "What I''m angry at, is them scaring the little ones. I don''t care about anything else."


    "Yun-chan never thinks about herself."


    Sei-nee furrowed her brows troubled, I think that has nothing to do with this though.


    "I thought that Yuncchi would forgive them, but I didn''t expect her not to do anything."


    Yuncchi''s kind even when he''s angry. He spoke to his partner, Neshias riding on his shoulder.


    And, Sei-nee watched us with a smile before quietly speaking and stirring up my anxiousness.


    "Speaking of which... in response to Yun-chan''s mail, Taku-kun and Myu-chan with her friends are starting a large-scale search."


    "...somehow, I feel like that''ll become a serious matter."


    "Yuncchi, you need to clean that up. Do your best!"


    "It''s okay. You can still make it. Well, you''re not allowed to let them look for you overnight."


    "Damn! Those three parties! They absolutely won''t forgive me!"


    I raised my voice resenting the difficulties ahead of me. Seeing that, a grin appeared on Lyly''s and Sei-nee''s faces.

 Chapter Volume 2 7

    Chapter 7 ¨C A Stroll and the Emergency Quest


    ...hmm. My neck hurts. I wonder if its sprained.


    While thinking that, I raised my body. I was sleeping under the bright sunlight.


    "Yeah, I fell asleep like that."


    I stretched my body and yawned, I looked away from the table I had my head placed on and looked around.


    Our base camp turned into a large establishment with thirty people in it.


    These were remnants of the last night''s feast, there were a lot of people who fell asleep just like that.


    "Even so, they had a really horrifying look in their eyes."


    Although we survived the attack of those three, what was awaiting me were further difficulties. When we safely returned to our base camp¡ª¡ª


    "From the first party to fifth, search north. Sixth to tenth parties, search south! We''re making this place the headquarters!"


    "Yun-kun and Lyly aren''t here! We shouldn''t have left them alone after all!"


    "Calm down. I''ll go to hunt in the mountains! They appear in the party menu, so we know they''re safe."


    "That damn Yun, he disappeared after sending a such a short mail asking for help."


    "T-T-Taku-san, calm down."


    "Calm down, both of you."


    The base camp I came back to was in chaos. A single woman led few dozens of people, it seemed like they would enter the woods any moment.


    In addition, the shaken up Magi-san was being calmed down by Cloude''s words.


    Taku''s knees were shaking, and it seemed like he would go flying any moment. And Myu''s voice was trembling as she was really upset.


    It''s been a while since I saw my acqueintances like that?, although that was my carefree impression, my expression must have been really bad. The entire place was chaotic, it seemed like headquarters for a search of a mountain climbing''s victim.


    "Heeey! I brought Yun-chan!"


    "Wah!! Sei-nee! Wait a second!"


    "You need to hurry up and give them relief. Give up, Yuncchi."


    Lyly who''s younger than me had an expression as if he was enlightened already and waited.


    I couldn''t withstand the gazes that turned towards me when Sei-nee called out and looked away¡ª¡ª


    "Umm¡ª¡ªI''m back?"


    "Where did you go!"


    Magi-san came to us and embraced us by entwining her arms around our necks, she hugged Lyly with her right arm, and entwined her left with mine and squeezed us with all strength she had. I was both happy and embarrassed since her chest touched me, and also I felt apologetic. The black cub and Rickle whom we were holding raised a voice as they were hurt, sandwiched in between. Responding to it, Magi-san let go, but she once again hugged us strongly while making sure she doesn''t hurt Rickle.


    "Where did you two go. I was worried."


    "No, that''s..."


    Not good. I can''t think of an excuse. Why did I request aid like that, I couldn''t give them a sensible reason. Lyly started to talk while overflowing with cold sweat in secret. It was a lie for a reason.


    "I was invited by Yuncchi to look for ingredient items, but we were attacked. When we were running away, Yuncchi sent that mailbomb in a rush."


    "H-hey! Lyly?!"


    Since I was in a bind Lyly spoke, I cried out seeing his unexpected action. The surrounding seemed a bit embarrassed, but it seemed like the thread of tension was cut.


    "So?! Did it turn out all right?"


    "We found an unique mob in the woods by chance. Let''s confirm the drop from it later."


    I glanced towards Sei-nee, that''s when a friend call came.


    ("That kind of excuse should be fine, right?")


    Sei-nee smiled and explained while being consistent with what Lyly said, on the other hand she spoke through the friend chat.


    ("Is that fine? To lie to them.")


    ("It is. If we say the truth, those three we overlooked will become a target of mountain hunting.")


    It would be troublesome if the party prepared to search for Yun-chan were to turn into a player-hunting party. Sei-nee added. And then, she readily said a fake story about the rare mob which emerged. The content seemed as if we really fought it¡ª¡ª


    ("I really fought it. I didn''t lie. I defeated the unique mob and then we saved Yun-chan together. No, wait. There''s no mention of Lyly-kun being attacked there.")


    Sei-nee''s and Lyly''s contents didn''t match and she covered it up immediately.


    If she spoke about unique mob right after Lyly said we were attacked, they would think we were attacked by an unique mob.


    Well, there was a strange atmosphere that seemed like everyone was convinced, and while it lasted Sei-nee spoke to a certain player to change the topic.


    "So, why is Mikadzuchi and the others here?"


    The woman called ''Mikadzuchi'' had her burning, wine-red hair bundled together, she had a slender body like a model and was taller than me, a high school boy. Somehow, there was an atmosphere which made her feel like an adult woman, she was somewhat intimidating, or maybe her charisma could be felt.


    "Even so, it seems like sub-master''s relatives are all an interesting bunch."


    "Sub-master?"


    Hearing the woman''s words, I''ve said in wonder, and was responded with a light introduction.


    "I''m the guild master of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿, Mikadzuchi. This time I''ve been asked by the one whose name starts with Kuro and brought my guild. Well, it seems like Sei, the sub-master found you. ¡ª¡ªSo, how about it? Won''t you join our guild?"


    After hearing these words, voices started calling out to me from various directions.


    "Yun-kun, you have a constitution that attracts trouble so we have to protect you! Let''s cooperate and start a crafting guild." Said Magi-san.


    "If you stay out of our sight we''ll get worried again, so join our party." Said Taku.


    "No, join us!" Myu jumped on the bandwagon.


    "Mikadzuchi, don''t pressure people like this!" Sei-nee stirred the atmosphere further.


    I''ve received their words with gratitude but¡ª¡ª


    "Sorry, but I have to refuse. I want leisurely play solo."


    "I see, a shame."


    Mikadzuchi said so and shrugged, it felt like she had nothing to lose by asking.


    At the same time, I heard sighs of relief from the surroundings.


    "That''d be enough for jokes, Kuro. What do we do now? In the end, it ended up being a waste of effort and we lost valuable time. How are you going to persuade us now?"


    "We''ll compensate you, Yun will¡ª¡ª"


    "ME?!"


    "The consumables'' crafter, that''s valuable. Then we''ll borrow this missy here."


    "Don''t call me ''missy''! I''m a man! Also, don''t rent people without permission!"


    As I said so, I''ve been strongly grasped and led away. Magi-san and the others saw me off like that.


    ¡ª¡ªWhat happened after that, is omitted.


    "Geez, they made me craft items endlessly, and then they said they''re hungry and requested a meal."


    I muttered, recalling events from last night.


    Although I was lent to them to replenish their consumables, they got hungry in the evening and I had to cook something up, after which I was made to craft potions once again.


    On the other hand, even though I was caught up in their partying, the crafting work continued until midnight and I fell asleep as I was.


    "I''m really glad I can make things by using ¡¾Recipe¡¿ at times like these, good grief."


    I stretched my body which was stiff because I slept in a strange place, relaxing my body.


    Yesterday, ever since we were involved in the trouble, Ryui and the young fox didn''t leave me even for a moment. Thanks to that, I wasn''t cold in the slightest as I fell asleep. I felt warm instead.


    "Morning, Missy. Were you able to make the items?"


    "Morning, Mikadzuchi. Also... don''t call me ''missy''. I''m a man. As for items, I''ve crafted the requested number. Is that fine?"


    "I won''t complain any more then. It''s fine if you rest today."


    "Hey, don''t ignore the part about me being a man... also, is it fine for me to get a payment?"


    "No problem. It''s just that obtaining the items you made was a priority to us, Missy. We''re not as greedy to request them for free. On the other hands, are you fine with the items you''ve got?"


    "It''s fine. I''m satisfied with these."


    Hearing those words she responded with "I see". She said so convinced, after that she distributed the items I made to the guild members and prepared for a hunt or a dungeon.


    "Now then, see you in the evening. Yesterday was fun¡ª¡ª¡¾Young Beast''s Nanny¡¿."


    "Haa?! What, what''s with that nickname."


    As I raised my eyebrows, she smiled as if she found something interesting and turned away. Mikadzuchi waved to me and left, Magi-san ran up to me in a hurry from the opposite direction.


    "Good morning, Yun-kun. How are you feeling?"


    "So-so. Rather than that, what''s up with ¡¾Young Beast''s Nanny¡¿?"


    "Ahh, that''s..."


    Magi-san caught Rickle by its shoulders and embraced it while holding in front of her, it seemed like she was looking for words she should be saying.


    "Do you remember what happened last night?"


    "I was taken by Mikadzuchi, they made me craft potions, I prepared a dinner, I ran away from their partying..."


    "When you escaped you said that you''re going to look after the young beasts right? ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ has a few of them as well, you looked after those too didn''t you."


    ''Looked after''. Even though she says that, I only played around with Ryui, if anything, I was taking a breather after work.


    "You gave off an image of a woman who comes in contact with young beasts without any discrimination. It resulted with a number of titles, the most decent ones being ¡¾Young Beast''s Nanny¡¿ or just ¡¾Nanny¡¿."


    Wh...at... when was such a nickname born.


    Before that, what ''image of a woman'', I''m not a woman but a man. No, wasn''t there something else other than ¡¾Nanny¡¿? What kind of a nickname is that. It didn''t mention that I''m an archer nor that I craft potions, it was completely unrelated.


    "Well, as long as you''re active doing different things, that nickname will naturally change."


    "At least they should have given me a normal nickname..."


    Rather than being called by that embarrassing nickname, I''d rather be called by my name, or have a nickname which represents my designation as a potion maker,an archer or a healer.


    "Well, you''ll get used to it. So, what kind of payment did you get from ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿?"


    "Oh, that''s¡ª¡ª"


    The collected materials, poisonous plants and extra items, cursed accessories, books that dropped from unique mobs, and so on.


    "Yun-kun, that''s not good. No¡ª¡ªrequesting that as a payment is strange."


    "Is it that strange as a payment? Personally, I''m happy with it."


    "It''s super strange. In the first place, you better find a way to equip cursed accessories."


    But the cursed accessories could be used in a different way, for example for their designs. In fact, I didn''t gather them for them to be used, but to have them as references for ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense, I''ve gathered quite a lot of cursed accessories.


    As a result, as if it was a joke, I''ve gathered more than thirty dangerous objects.


    "Just the opposite, dangerous things have their charm, and I want to have them. That''s the kind of feeling."


    "Ahh, they''re the ones with abnormal states like the Dead Soldier''s Bracelet."


    The Dead Soldier''s Bracelet, that was the main reason of the young fox going berserk. It won''t come off, it cannot be controlled, it''s extremely dangerous.


    The other abnormal-state inducing accessories was the one dropped by Kamaitachi who attacked me. Starting with Poison, there was Sleep, Curse, Charm, Confusion, Fainting, Anger. Accessories which induced such abnormal states were among them.


    Their performance itself was very high, but if the resistance check fails in the last moment, I''ll receive an abnormal state.


    When I checked the abnormal states, it seemed to occur at regular intervals, the fact that the next check happened before the previous abnormal state expired was a pain.


    The only saving grace about them, was the fact that one could unequip them at any time.


    "But there are useful accessories too, look¡ª¡ª"


    As I said so, I showed her a ring that had only a base and no gem attached. Although its appearance was a bit regretful, it was one of the few useful accessories I''ve been given as a payment.


    "That''s... something quite a few people are desperate to have. Moreover, it matches Yun-kun''s playstyle."


    The ring Magi-san evaluated as such, was simple and yet very potent.


    Gem Substitute Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿


    Additional Effect : ¡¾Gem Substitute¡¿


    Although it was an accessory that didn''t change any of my stats, the ¡¾Substitute Gem¡¿ effect was useful. Its effect was to have the gem placed on the base to unconditionally receive attacks instead of me. Although I say unconditionally, the shabbiest attacks and one-hit-kills were nullified and counted just the same, but having a function which allowed it to protect me from damage was enough.


    Moreover, even if the gem is broken, as long as I can meet the conditions I can use a different gem.


    There were three rules. The number of attacks that disables jewellery is decided. The fully disabled gem will disappear. The last one, the fitted jewellery can''t be taken and the ring won''t accept new gems for an hour for each attack taken.


    On top of having the special rules stated above, it''s compatibility with my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense was good, and it fit well with my playstyle.


    "But, right now it has no effect since there''s no jewel fitted on it."


    "That''s right. I''ve gotten a lot of of food and recovery items, but I don''t have any extra gems."


    Although I used my limited inventory space to bring ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s tools, I had no opportunity to use ¡¾Polishing¡¿, I didn''t bring any gems other than Magic Gems either.


    Now then, what do I do. It would be good if I could trade with someone for some. As I muttered that, Magi-san asked me with a smile.


    "Hey, Yun-kun, won''t you go out with Onee-san for a change of pace?"


    "What is it, and what''s with that sexy tone of voice. If you need help, I''ll lend you a hand."


    "Woah, I''ve been refused. That''s right. The place I want to go to is¡ª¡ª"


    ¡ñ


    Ryui and Rickle, as well as the young black fox headed out. Cloude and Lyly remained in the base camp, so we took Socks and Neshias as well as we headed to a certain place. It was a collection point on the rocky mountain Magi-san found when she was working with Cloude and Lyly as we separated to look for materials.


    Travelling with me, was Magi-san and one more person.


    "...why is Sei-nee accompanying us?"


    "It''s because I''m worried about Yun-chan... well, not really."


    Then why is it. I retorted in my mind, and stared at her, she quietly apologized and said the truth.


    "We haven''t met recently, there was some time to use so I... did I get in the way of your date?"


    As Sei-nee narrowed her eyes, Magi-san strongly denied it.


    "No, not at all! I''m glad that I get to talk with Sei-san about a number of things."


    When it comes to a mood, rather than a date, it felt like two girls going on a walk... The fact that I''m not seen as a man hurt. We advanced through the forest to a rocky mountain area while speaking peacefully, contrary to how our conversation went on, there was a sight which made my expression twitch and spasm.


    As we walked, not leaving a single mob we met behind, Sei-nee produced multiple water bullets and one-sidedly wiped them out.


    While we went on a trip in picnic mood, we proceeded while hearing cries of agony of mobs and small birds within a mile.


    And in the middle of that¡ª¡ª


    "Hmm, the image''s different from a mage."


    As Magi-san spoke, I tilted my neck in wonder, Sei-nee understood what she meant and smiled wryly.


    "Magic-users are the number one damage dealers of a party. They annihilate the enemy with maximum firepower, that''s the image I have. Sei-san feels like someone who defeats enemies with precision instead."


    "Is that so? Sei-nee."


    "That impression is roughly correct. The Senses I use right now increase my general versatility and rate of fire. Wait a moment."


    Sei-nee moved her fingers in the mid-air, operating her own menu. It seemed like she changed her Sense build. After a small nod, in front of her she held a staff that was longer then the one from before.


    In response to it, a light blue light appeared under her feet, creating a fantastic scene where light filled the forest.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "Come to think of it, I haven''t decided on the target. Yun-chan, you have good eyes so find an enemy."


    "No, decide on one beforehand."


    "Hurry up, I''m wasting MP here."


    I spat out a sigh as Sei-nee continued to maintain the spell active, I looked for enemy as far as ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ could reach. And what I found, were two birds circling in the sky.


    However, I was amazed by how big the birds in the distance were and stared at them. Seeing that, Sei-nee and Magi-san stared the same way.


    "These are¡ª¡ªAir Condors?! It''s an unique mob that dwell in the northern mountain!"


    "It would be cumbersome if we were attacked by them on the way, let''s take them down."


    Sei-nee aimed her staff towards the sky, she poised aiming for the birds circling above¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Maelstrom¡·!"


    The change was instantaneous. The small water pool born beneath the ominous birds and while swirling, it has sprouted at an explosive speed, it swallowed the birds while swirling. The birds were spinning vigorously as the huge whirlpool that appeared in-mid air rotated them.


    The whirlpool that has caught the birds lowered itself a few dozens of metres while intensely rotating, it stopped in front of us.


    It turned over dozens of trees, the centre of the water spread under our feet. The human-sized birds had their necks and wings twisted in various directions, after convulsing their figures were broken down into particles of light.


    The young black fox and Rickle didn''t want to wet their paws, so they went up to stay on my and Magi-san''s shoulders. The birds were unable to even raise a cry, I''ve worn a surprised expression for the second time today.


    Sei-nee looked towards where she killed the unique mobs Air Condors and raised a cheerful voice.


    "Hmm. It seems like having too much power can turn into a friendly fire easily. It''s hard to use a build prepared for maximum firepower but, were you satisfied seeing it, Magi-chan?"


    After recovering a chest that was visible only to players that defeated the mob, Sei-nee looked back and asked Magi-san.


    "Kh..."


    ''Kh''? What''s that. Magi-san who was a bit in ahead in front of me spoke quietly. That''s not a voice of someone surprised. If anything, that feeling is¡ª¡ª


    "Khhh!! The mage''s firepower is amazing after all!"


    Her eyes were sparkling and glittering, she clenched her fist. After being showed Sei-nee''s high-powered magic she spat out a satisfied and happy sigh.


    "I''m glad you''re satisfied. With this the amount of mobs that will disturb us at the rocky area should decrease I guess?"


    "Yes! Yun-kun, let''s go! Our destination is a bit further away."


    "Please stop pulling me. Rather, why is the place we''re going for on a nearly-vertical rock."


    "It''s okay. Nearby, there should be a stone staircase."


    That''s why there''s no problem? While I tried to calm down the hurrying Magi-san, we proceeded. Sei-nee was one step behind us and looked at us with a happy smile.


    We entered a staircase made from large rocks and took the long way up. Magi-san put Rickle on her shoulders, I put Socks and Neshias on my shoulders while I held the young black fox in my hands. Hey, you guys, climb on your own...


    "Magi-san, are we at the collection point yet?"


    "We''re almost there. We''ll reach after getting up there."


    Magi-san proceeded up the stairs while saying so, traversed the stairs all at once, I repeated after her and¡ª¡ª


    "Uwaa... this is..."


    "Since it was very frantic ever since day one, coming to a place like this is good too, isn''t it."


    From a high place, we could see small meadow with blooming flowers, on the green space they created. There was a number of round rocks all over, and from a cliff in the destination one could look back to see the square base camp in the vast forest, as well as the lake. The view spreading in front of our eyes symbolized how vast was this continent.


    "It''s the collection point for ore and gems, there''s a number of places like this one. I''m going to go to a different rock with a pick and dig for a bit. I''ll join you later. Sei-san, what will you do?"


    "I''ll stay with Yun-chan."


    Magi-san waved her hand and said "see you later" before separating from us. Though, it seemed like she swung her pick within our field of vision.


    "It''s been a while since I went out with Yun-chan like this. It feels like a picnic."


    "Indeed."


    I walked around the small plateau looking for stones in places I could reach, looking for gemstones. A slight distance away from us, Rickle and the other young beasts were playing merrily entangled with each other in the grass, seeing their movement and figures a smile appeared on my face.


    "How is it? Are you enjoying ¡¾OSO¡¿?"


    Suddenly, Sei-nee asked such a thing. And responding to it I¡ª¡ª


    "Yeah, it''s fun. At first I took mishappen Senses and didn''t know what to do, but I''ve become acquainted with more people and started to enjoy myself."


    "That''s great. At first Taku-kun invited you a bit too forcibly making you feel indebted. And then we left you alone."


    "I''m not a child am I."


    I''m fine even if I''m alone. Though it would be better if I stopped showing off my skin. Well, all the people I met up until now are good, so when I logged in I felt like I was going to meet friends.


    "But you could show your face occasionally. I''m running a store that deals with consumables, ¡¾Atelier¡¿."


    "I get it. But for Yun-chan to have a shop huh. How does it look like?"


    "Don''t have too big expectations. It was built very cheaply..."


    "Fufufu, a shop that grows along with Yun-chan. That seems interesting."


    Her eyes were droopy and gentle, she muttered that and smiled. She was a beauty just like Myu, making me worried in a different way.


    "Yun-kuuun, I finished over here! How about you?"


    Magi-san who lifted a pickaxe in the distance turned towards me, I responded in a loud voice and a wry smile.


    "Just a little bit more!"


    "Then let''s have a break after that and go back to the camp!"


    Sei-nee looked at us as we spoke and tilted her neck happily. I collected the young beasts and joined Magi-san, all of us took a break together.


    ¡ñ


    "Yun-kun? How does it look like on your side?"


    "There''s a lot of normal ore, there isn''t too many gems in here."


    "The ones I mined are roughly 50/50. Want to trade gems for ore?"


    "Thank you very much, let''s do so."


    We sat down on the green carpet and distributed the collected materials. Sei-nee looked happily even as we acted casually, her line of sight made me a little anxious.


    "So, what kind of gems did you get?"


    "In that place, there are splendid small Zakuros."


    "Zakuros?"


    "Indeed, it''s a another name for Garnets."


    "Is that so."


    While saying so, I picked up a single gemstone. It was still surrounded by a stone so I couldn''t tell, after instantly polishing it with ¡¶Polishing¡· skill, I raised it towards the sky and looked at it. Small sized gems could be prepared by processing them with skill, the black contrasting with red in the middle was beautiful.


    As I looked at the gem in daze, the young fox started poking me with its front legs. It seemed like it wanted to draw my attention to something.


    At first it was fairly cautious, but it started acted spoiled towards me. Of course, I was healed by that too.


    "What is it, are you interested in this?"


    I showed the garnet to young fox right under its nose, after licking it, the fox understood that it couldn''t be eaten.


    "Hey hey, it''s not something to be eaten... here, if you''re hungry then eat this."


    I smiled seeing the young fox skilfully hold down a fruit and eat it, I compared the garnet and the young fox''s fur. The red hair shining among black hair, it was very similar to the garnet I held in my hand. It was probably a coincidence, but people sometimes feel such coincidences are fate.


    I raised the young fox after it finished eating, and spoke.


    "I was busy until now and forgot to give you a name, haven''t I. It''s simple, but I''ll give you one now."


    The young fox didn''t understand what I was talking about and it tilted its neck in a classic move. I smiled wryly, and spoke the name in a clear voice.


    "Your name is¡ª¡ªZakuro."


    "Y-Yun-kun?!"


    That moment, the fox''s red hair scattered flames. The flames touched my hands directly making Sei-nee and Magi-san panic, but these flames weren''t hot at all. It wasn''t a fire that dealt damage to opponents and it was immediately extinguished. The young fox, Zakuro looked at Magi-san''s frightened expression, and returned her stare as if saying ''what is it?''. As Magi-san and Zakuro exchanged wondering looks I shifted the atmosphere by muttering.


    "Let''s get along from now onwards, Zakuro."


    Something heavy pressed against my back as I said so. When I looked behind, I saw Ryui rubbing his head on my back.


    "I''m not forgeting about you, let''s get along, Ryui."


    Satisfied with these words, it back away two steps and lied down on the prairie.


    I wondered if the event will finish with such a calm atmosphere. But¡ª¡ª


    "Yun-chan, what''s that?"


    "...young beasts, they''re running?"


    Because we were on a high rock we could overlook the forest from above, in the direction Sei-nee pointed to I saw small mobs running in the same direction. A wide variety of young beasts desperately ran in the same direction. Their appearance made it seem as if¡ª¡ª


    "It looks like they''re running away from something."


    As Magi-san muttered beside me and I started to feel anxious, a loud alert sounded directly above everyone''s heads.


    ¡ª¡ªAn emergency quest ¡¾Great Eater of Mythical Beasts'' Interception¡¿ has been given to all players.


    From now on, until the quest is finished the penalty for joint struggle is cancelled on the stray continent.


    The moment that announcement rang out on the stray continent, there was a drastic change.


    As for Kuro, it refers to Cloude whose name starts with Kuro (¥¯¥í©`¥É Kuro-do). All right, in this case Zakuro Stone (¥¶¥¯¥íʯ) is a Japanese name for Garnet, garnet appeared in the novel before but under the english name written in katakana, this time it appears under Japanese name, thus I''m leaving at Zakuro, there''s also another reason two pages away.

 Chapter Volume 2 8

    Chapter 8 ¨C The Great Eater of Mythical Beasts and Support


    What greeted us when we hurried back to our base camp were players rushing around like bees from a beehive that was poked.


    I thought that players who moved around the base camp were upset the same way as I was, but¡ª¡ª


    "Hey! Let''s go for a hunt immediately. Let''s locate ¡¾Eater of Mythical Beasts¡¿ and hunt him down."


    "Wait a moment! How about we lure it over here and have everyone watch?"


    "That''s a good idea?!! Let''s have parties and individuals compete with time attacks."


    "I''ll participate too!"


    "Wait a second, what''s that, it''s disgusting. I don''t want to approach that?!"


    "Woahh?! It came over already! Let''s go at it, bastards!"


    " " "YEAHH!!" " "


    "............"


    What is this, what''s up with the difference in temperature between my anxiousness and their motivation...


    When I was returning to our base camp from the rocky area in the north I saw the ¡¾Eater of Mythical Beasts¡¿ mob only once. It was using its irregular mouth sharp teeth lined up inside to tear apart trees. The elements its body was comprised of, could be called eerie. It''s torso had a meaty texture mixed of brown and black tones, countless tentacles extended from it, there were places which seemed to have human fingers sticking out of it, from the dark meat white and pale pink muscle fibres peaked out, it was painted with red to accentuate the colours.


    The place that looked like its head seemed to have recessed; fallen in, the eye sockets were vacant and filled with darkness. With its raspy screech my spirit took a hit and I frowned feeling unpleasant.


    Only now, I hated ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ for being able to see that figure clearly. However, I did see a similar figure recently.


    "...Yu......-kun, Yun-kun!"


    "¡ª¡ªEh?!! What is it?!"


    "I know what Yun-kun wants to say. Well, this is the game''s reality."


    Because I started thinking deeply, I didn''t realize it, but it seemed like Magi-san called out to me multiple times. Then I recalled it and asked Magi-san and Sei-nee about the ''temperature'' difference I thought of a while ago.


    "Sei-nee... normally, wouldn''t one panic when they see such a monstrosity?"


    "Well, this is a game. But thinking logically, if players were to be instantly killed they wouldn''t be able to raise their levels, I wonder if they''re feeling too safe."


    "But, it''s design takes into account physiological disgust and intimidation, I think that''s interesting."


    After hearing what Magi-san and Sei-nee said I was convinced. If anything, players happily collected information in this situation, places to attack and weaknesses, locations where damage can be dealt and locations there''s none... that spurs need to exchange opinions to verify it.


    When I furrowed my eyebrows as the situation changed, Cloude found me and approached.


    "Perfect timing, Yun. Help us out."


    "Haa? With what?"


    "To prepare consumables for the decisive battle with the boss."


    "Uhee, I made them just yesterday, you want me to do it again..."


    I started to walk towards the location designated by Cloude. There seemed to be collected materials waiting in there.


    And towards my back, he called out to me before leaving.


    "Oh right. The screenshots you made on the lake bottom will be the hints for taking down the enemy. We''re studying various hints aside from these, so we''ll be able to find enemy''s weak points at an early stage."


    "Hm? Is that so? Got it."


    I''ve responded to his words, so that was useful. With a small smile I started crafting potions.


    And then, as the intense interchange of players to and from the safety area happened, the crafting system has been established in the safety area which was involved in this wild dance.


    "Hey! Multiple Beast Eaters are approaching the base camp! Intercept them immediately!"


    Reacting to the voice of the person who was on the lookout, the players who were taking a break took action immediately. And¡ª¡ª


    "...myth eating, is it after Young Beasts?"


    I stopped moving my hands as I worked to check as the situation changed, I saw young beasts come to the safety area to take refuge.


    Seeing the Mythical Beast Eaters who were hurriedly defeated by the players, the young beasts hugged each other frightened.


    "Umm... what to do with these little ones?"


    A woman carried several young beasts who were cuddling against each other and asked me.


    "Eh, why ask me?"


    "No... it''s cause you''re Young Beast''s Nanny."


    "Stop with that nickname. I hate it."


    Even though I''m a man, to be called a ''nanny'', I hate it a lot. I''ll probably be teased by Taku because of that. It seems like there''s gloom ahead of me. But well, I can''t just leave them like that.


    "Why don''t you ask around if there''s anyone who wants to take care of them? Maybe someone will be able to contract with them."


    There seemed to be a number of people who were looking for Young Beasts but didn''t meet any. It''s a good opportunity for these people to look after them.


    "Is that fine?"


    "Fine or whatever, I already have two of them... and it''s not like I have a right to tell others what to do. But, if there are people who are willing to look after them, isn''t it fine to just cooperate with them?"


    As I said so, the representative was taken aback. After returning to her senses she lowered her head deeply.


    "T-thank you very much!"


    "Don''t act so humble, you make me feel apologetic instead."


    Being relied on by such humble person made me feel a faint itch. After that, the woman''s serious expression loosened in an instant and I realized that she''s been already charmed by the little ones.


    After that, without any mishaps the ran-away young beasts were able to find refuge. The men seemed to pick ones that might become strong in the future, focusing on the cool young beasts. Women seemed to emphasize on the young beasts'' cuteness.


    Trying to feed them, asking what''s better for them, they made a commotion by talking to them, as well as explored the sense of distance by timidly patting the young beasts.


    Looking at the situation objectively, it looked like a proper animal-petting plaza, it was soothing. However...


    "Why do I have to prepare food for the young beasts."


    "Practically none of us can use ¡¾Cooking¡¿, please."


    "No, I need to craft potions though..."


    "It''s okay. You can mass produce them with the skill until you deplete MP, and use the time MP takes to recover to use ¡¾Cooking¡¿."


    The one who came to talk to me first, was the woman I thought was humble earlier, but that''s what she said to me.


    However, despite several people taking the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense and advanced it while listening to my lecture, it didn''t become any less of a burden.


    That said, the day was nearing its end, and after finally securing a constant supply of consumables I decided to get some rest.


    Since it''s virtual reality I wasn''t fatigued physically, but I felt mentally exhausted. Nevertheless, as I turned my shoulders around or moved my eyes, my body seemed to operate as if I was normally fatigued.


    "You seem quite tired, Yun."


    "What, Cloude huh. I helped out just as you wanted me to. It''d be good if I was rewarded better though."


    "Before we talk about the reward, there''s another thing I want to ask you..."


    "Hey, I hope it''s not more work, I absolutely won''t do any."


    "Yun. Won''t you participate in subjugation of the boss mob?"


    "Haa, that''s another thing which seems like it''ll be a hassle."


    Haa, although I spat out a sigh, Cloude asked me if I want to do it and didn''t force me. I listened to what he had to say before making my decision.


    "We confirmed six Mythical Beast Eater boss mobs in total, the ¡¾Great Eaters of Mythical Beasts¡¿. As for their weakness, although its their pupils just like with the normal Beast Eaters, they have an abundance of them on their huge bodies. Above all, they have an ability to generate Beast Eaters around them over time."


    "So... why are you inviting me. It''s not like I''m that strong."


    Cloude should know that. I''m not strong enough to be useful.


    "The ones who are inviting you right now aren''t looking for fighting force. They need the support your enchants can provide as well as improvement in heals in the rear, thanks to that, the ones in front won''t have to spend extra time and power. It''s what you''d call reserve force."


    "I see, my role is to be a medicine box."


    That''s what I said myself, but strangely, I was convinced.


    "The ones being recruited are rearguard staff and magic-types who are relatively safe during combat. If you''re anxious we''ll have you go to the same place your acquaintances are now... what will you do?"


    I am a bit uneasy but¡ª¡ªI have earth magic, ranged attacks, I can act as a pseudo-healer with potions, I can use Enchant Arts to act as a buffer, I can fill various roles while maintaining safe margin as the rearguard. Although, the number one safe position is crafting in base camp...


    "Got it. I''ll roll out as a support. If I''m together with Taku and Myu then I''ll feel secure to an extent and if it turns out badly I can always run."


    "Fuu, very well."


    Although Cloude smiled with his arms folded, that fresh smile of his was suspicious instead. That was something concerning.


    "But I don''t want to have Ryui nor Zakuro follow me to the boss fight."


    "You should ask Lyly and Magi then. I didn''t ask those two to go out to frontlines. I too, was invited to take charge of the front line operations and strategy."


    I would feel secure were Ryui and Zakuro to stay with Magi-san.


    "Then, let''s assign you to one of your acquaintances. Your older sister should be fine right?"


    "Why did you come up with Sei-nee all of a sudden."


    "The best adjustment would be to place you near a highly skilled mage who would ensure your safety, under that pretence you would compensate that mage''s used up MP with MP Potions."


    "AM I AN MP TANK!?"


    As I raised my voice, Cloude responded with "hahaha", he laughed shadily, but I wasn''t joking there. It felt like truth to me.


    "Now then, I''ll go back to finish my own preparations first."


    "Yun. Do you intend to challenge the boss like that? You forgot something."


    As he said so, Cloude has passed me the armour I left with him for repairs, the Ochre Creator. Speaking of which, I got used to the white one piece and forgot about it, I raised the hem of the dress lightly.


    "I made quite an effort to raise its grade, with this, the defence has increased and you can have some peace of mind right?"


    "Thanks. See you later then."


    I separated from Cloude and went to our dwelling to retrieve the materials. For as long as time and MP permitted me, I processed the gems and continued to embed magic in them by using ¡¾Skill Enchant¡¿.


    I prepared two types of Magic Gems and the equipment, consumables, and confirmed my Sense build.


    And after I finished my preparations, I headed to where Lyly was to leave my partners, Ryui and Zakuro with him. There I found¡ª¡ª


    "Magi-san?! Why are you here!"


    "Yun-kun. You''re not being fair, you''re going to join something as interesting as boss subjugation and leave your Onee-san behind."


    "No, I''ve just been asked by Cloude... rather, I''ve been only requested to help with rearguard..."


    "That''s¡ª¡ªso you''ve been involved in by Cloude, so he forced you to do it huh."


    Wow, it''s the power play. I was surprised, but I''m not sure if I felt sympathy for Cloude or not.


    Sei-nee was waiting for me ahead, she accepted Magi-san coming along without raising any problems and we joined forces.


    The six bosses were to be defeated simultaneously. The one we were going to defeat was one that appeared near the lake in the south.


    Possessed SP19


    ¡¾Bow Lv24¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv36¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv39¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Power Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv16¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Taming Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿


    ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv27¡¿


    ¡ñ


    As we marched towards the lake I''ve been lectured about the positions of parties and group battles, the duty assignment and switching, voice exchanges and other methods, and so on by Magi-san and Sei-nee. Because of that, since I was mainly playing solo I didn''t really understand it and was anxious, but it seemed that the trick was to have a clear purpose in mind.


    That''s why I decided to stick to my goals and act accordingly.


    As for the goal, I had no choice but to look at the current situation and judge what''s required accordingly, although it''s easy to decide on being flexible, if I were to mistake the timing it would be the same as not doing anything at all.


    And after we arrived at the location before dawn, I squeezed out a voice full of disgust from the back of my throat.


    A mass of black meat, I saw something similar to the Mythical Beast Eaters, but the scale was different.


    The mountain-like mass of meat was covered in human faces with anguished expressions on them. Like a four-legged animal, it crawled on its own limbs while drilling holes in the ground and released a dissonant roar.


    Moreover, the pupils that were a weakness of Mythical Beast Eaters were everywhere. On its limbs, on its back, throughout its torso and its head. All of these eyes shed tears of blood, hatefully they looked around with an empty and dark look in those eyes.


    Just the sight of murky dark-coloured tentacles flailing around made me uneasy. Seeing that figure, I took a step back, and my shoulder was gently hit.


    "It''s okay, Yun-chan. Don''t worry."


    "Yupyup. Sei-san and I are here with you."


    Hearing that Sei-nee is with me and Magi-san''s encouragement I was happy and made a strong smile.


    "I know it''s artificial but..."


    Seeing this creation which should have an age limit, my mood turned bad. It felt unpleasant and I was restless, I was unable to puke since it was a game, and as I stood there the creepiness undermined my spirit.


    The spectacle that unfolded before my eyes. There was a huge body with countless amount of eyes and its subordinate Mythical Beast Eaters surrounding it, behind them, the lake could be seen¡ª¡ªThe Great Eater of Mythical Beasts had all of its eyes look in front, and the meat from its body was dripping down to the ground. With the pupils in the meat that fell to the ground as a nucleus, it continued to grow fresh meat, building a body. The eyes that fell into the lake turned into figures that slowly crawled out of the water, coupled with its black and red body colours, it produced a splatter horror.


    "No way... it''s creating Beast Eaters."


    The pupils that were left behind grown meat and build bodies, the predators were born all at once. Then, those Mythical Beast Eaters have scattered all over the forest, and started to fight against the players that awaited them. Moreover, the newly created monsters stayed nearby the boss and protected it.


    Expulsion of old mobs and creation of new ones. This cycle repeated and Mythical Beast Eaters appeared in various places. If it turns into a prolonged war, we''ll be at disadvantage.


    And again, brand new pupils dropped from the black meat and started moving.


    "Looking at it from up close, it has quite an impact doesn''t it."


    "Yeah, it''s big isn''t it. There''s its surface shine and the texture, those are... well, let''s not say that."


    It seems like for women, the sight of new Mythical Beast Easters being created was disgusting as well, Magi-san rubbed her arms and Sei-nee put a wry smile saying ''I''m bad with those too''.


    The Great Eater of Mythical Beasts slowly deposited half of its body on the shore and continued to creep up to the shore.


    While we had subtle expressions seeing this disgusting spectacle, our great game-addicted little sister was¡ª¡ª


    "Because there''s a lake in the back, we can only seriously attack from the front... don''t cluster up too much."


    "The moment the eyes land, its henchmen are being created, it''s the worst possible timing! Oh come on!"


    Taku muttered, and Myu yelled angrily, you guys... I murmured quietly as I stared at them.


    However, that was a fact. With a small amount of land area around it, surrounding and defeating it was impossible. The boss and the minions need to be defeated from the front. In such a situation, players couldn''t pull their prey properly.


    I''ve held a bow in my hand, but my role wasn''t a big one.


    Since I had no experience in group battles and couldn''t read the enemy''s behaviour pattern, I was unable to immediately begin shooting from outside of range or skilfully escape.


    "Now then, we''ll be going in front, Yun and the others should do their best too."


    "Don''t force yourselves too much, Onee-chans."


    After that was said, everyone started acting their respective roles.


    What I could do, was to heal people and support those within my reach, as well as shoot from long distance. That''s the job I have tasked myself with.


    "Now then, I''ll aim for the places that are hard to reach. What will you do, Sei-nee, Magi-san?"


    I''ve drawn the bow and I asked the two lined up next to me as I aimed the arrow.


    The distance between me and the boss, Great Eater of Mythical Beasts was about seventy metres. There was a wall of monsters between us, but as long as I don''t aim at the pupils at the feet of the monsters, there''s no problem.


    The place I aimed for, were the pupils at hard to reach areas.


    I shot in the air at an angle of about sixty degrees, after drawing a large arc aiming for the back¡ª¡ªthe arrow fell into the lake.


    That''s no good. The voices of surrounding people judged the situation. The second arrow appeared in their line of sight.


    "¡ª¡ªAll right!"


    I fine tuned power and strength, the arrow I released from my hand flew just as I aimed it and was stuck to the monster''s back. However, it was stuck to the black meat between pupils rather then a pupil itself. Looks like the arrow''s point attack was hard to use in a case like this, I changed my plan.


    "This should be fine. If precise shooting is not good, then I need to shoot faster instead... next!"


    As the third, fourth arrow advanced over the monster''s head¡ª¡ªthe first collision started on the ground.


    A single arrow didn''t crush the pupil, but an accumulated damage from dozens of them caused one to collapse. My attacks with the bow didn''t focus on precise aiming, and I didn''t know how good were the results considering the attacks dispersed widely on the eyes that were located high up.


    "Yun-kun, nice shooting. Could you put an a physical attack enchant on me too?"


    "Understood. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Enchant¡· Attack."


    "Yup. Thank you."


    After saying so, around Magi-san who waved her hand various weapons appeared, with a dull sound they all fell on the ground. A broad axe, javelin, throwing knives, a small iron ball, a battering hammer and various different metal weapons. From between then Magi-san pulled out a light javelin, she poised her shoulders and¡ª¡ª


    "First throw! GOOoooooo!!"


    After a short run-up the javelin was released with a powerful momentum reminiscent of a cannonball, it has grazed the Great Eater''s torso.


    "¡ª¡ªGYAAaaaa!!!"


    The Great Eater let out a loud shrill voice. The attack flew over the vanguard players heads and gouged the flesh in a flashy manner, my cheek started to twitch as I saw that attack tear off one of tentacles nearby.


    "Hmm. The aim seemed to be a bit off? This time I''ll aim for the middle."


    "Nono, that''s more than enough!"


    "But look, because I didn''t hit an eye, the tentacle and the gouged off part are regenerating."


    The place she pointed at with her finger had dark red smoke appear from it and through cell division the meat was regenerated and wound closed, that sight made my mood plummet. Moreover, the mobs around intensified the attacks to give it time to regenerate.


    The damage taken high up and the regeneration were completely separate from what happened below. After looking down on the ground, both vanguards had four out of six party members surround Beast Eaters and they continued to wipe them out.


    One party was responsible for one monster. Roughly, the twenty parties efficiently slaughtered enemies at regular intervals and pressed in front.


    "Luka-chan restrain it! I''ll do it!"


    "Understood! Hino-san, Tobi-san, suppress that side! I''ll go in front. Myu-san from behind. Kohaku-san and Rirei-san support!"


    "Yes yes... thereee!"


    ...well, one of the parties takes two of them at once, as expected, asking other parties to do the same would be cruel.


    But to put it simply, we didn''t have the required numbers.


    The better the parties managed to take actions in conjunction to the disparate movements of surging mobs and reduce the time it took them, the greater were the results of player side.


    All parties moved while emphasizing security as not to be taken down, there were no holes noticeable as of yet.


    Even so, suppressing them all was impossible, the vanguard was fighting a defensive battle and the minions were pushing them backwards.


    Eliminating them, was the role of mages located in the rear.


    "Sei-nee, it''s your turn. You okay?"


    "I''m all right. I''ve already made my preparations."


    As she said so, Sei-nee raised her long staff and five spears of ice which waited before her were raised higher.


    "Go forth. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Ice Lance¡·"


    Originally, the ice spears are released one by one. Sei-nee changed the time it was triggered by using ¡¾Delay¡¿ and five spears of ice were released all at once.


    The result of her from her Sense structure which emphasized on power rather than firing speed, the legs of the approaching Mythical Beast Eater were gouged out, it has also pierced deeply into its head and chest pulverizing its pupils including the ones on the back.


    In addition to two monsters that were killed on spot, three others luckily had the pupils on their back survive the attack. But another player swiftly came up and easily destroyed the eyes on the back of pierced monsters.


    The end to this destructive sight has come.


    "10% MP left. Need to recover."


    "Roger. I''ll use an MP Potion."


    "Set it aside in case of an emergency, I''ll just change my Sense build to quicken the recovery."


    Sei-nee refused the MP Potion gently and after lowering herself a little, she watched the situation with wide opened eyes.


    I too held my bow and after nocking arrows I aimed at the eyes and shot. And as I did that¡ª¡ª


    "Hahahaha! You''re too sweet, you''re sweeter than sugar mixed with honey and maple syrup that''s been boiled for two hours! Fuhahaha! A good beast eater is a dead beast eater!"


    "Heyhey, calm down a bit. You''re attracting too much attention. Ah, Minute. Recovery please?."


    "Suree."


    As for Taku''s party, Taku alone held down one monster and other of his party members held another one.


    The excited Taku was eye-catching, continued to buy time as avoiding attacks and giving others time to defeat the other monster.


    "That place looks amazing."


    "Yup. Taku''s jumping all over the place."


    "Not that, Taku-kun''s party members'' cooperation is very good."


    The ones Sei-nee praised, was Kei and the others who were fighting against the second monster. Kei withstood the enemy''s attacks from the front while Gantz hit the enemy''s weak points from behind using his martial arts. Also, there was the cooperation of two mages, Mami-san''s and Minute''s who assisted in recovery and by attacking in moderation.


    Taku was running around alone. Probably inspired by him, Gantz bounced off, dashed and raising a high pitched voice he did fluttered in the air making an acrobatic motion then attacked the pupils which were the monster''s weakness. Seeing other players continue to annihilate them at this pace worried me in a different way.


    "Good grief... Taku and the others seem energetic."


    I looked around the battlefield and shook off pointless thoughts, I poised the bow once again. Probably because a considerable damage was dealt to the Great Eater, I was able to determine a weak point in the mass of meat, after activating a supportive skill I continued to release arrows mechanically.


    ¡ª¡ªThe skill ¡¶Ingredient Knowledge¡·


    Although it''s a skill of the Cooking Sense, it allows me to find enemy''s weak points in combat, as I tried to use it like this it turned out to be very useful. Light remained on the number of places on its body, but it disappeared from the part of the back.


    At first I used a broad range of attacks, but I gradually changed into precise aiming. I crushed eyes one after another. I destroyed about ten pupils in the hardest to reach part on its back, all that was left was about half of them.


    And when the wall of smaller monsters in front has diminished, everyone rushed aggressively seeing possibility to attack the Great Eater. That''s when I observed a new type of movement.


    "Retreat!! Beam is coming!"


    One of the players in the back who was the supreme commander screamed.


    Immediately after that, lights were lit on the tips of the tentacles growing out of the Great Eater.


    I couldn''t tell from my position, but I wondered if there was any indication of that happening in advance. Towards the forest and the sky, the beams were emitted including the ground, it was blocked by defence deployed by mages. There were various defensive spells. Everyone was chanting and created a colourful wall between themselves and the Great Eater behind which players hid and prepared for the impending rays of light.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿"


    I was no exception, I slammed a Magic Gem into the ground and activated it by chanting a keyword.


    "Run this way!"


    "Thanks!"


    As I peeked out from behind the wall of soil I saw the boss whose eyes moved around violently as it looked for a target. The front lines backed off once again and the small monsters flowed into emptied space.


    Although the special attack was suppressed, it was a hassle to maintain the front after that. A multitude of defensive magic types formed a semi-circular shape around the Great Eater whose back was in the lake.


    Avoiding the walls, the small monsters flocked to places the defences were weak, here and there the situation turned dangerous.


    "Oh, all the small ones gathered in the place ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ is in."


    "That''s true. Mikadzuchi''s there. Is that place fine?"


    "I think they should be... but aren''t they short on walls over there? Since Yun-chan can place walls too, come with me."


    "Eh?! Is it fine to move around freely?!"


    "It''s okay. We''re mainly a force that moves around freely. Rather than that, we might not make it in time, so put an enchant on us."


    "Got it. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed."


    I said so and applied a speed enchant on Sei-nee and myself. Magi-san was left behind, protected by the wall of earth I created. I jumped from behind the wall together with Sei-nee and went to a place the forest was thin.


    With one hand I prepared the Magic Gems, and immediately ran towards the place Sei-nee instructed me to go to.


    As I ran, I saw beams of light aim at places where the defence was thin, in order to ward them off I placed walls of soil in these spots.


    And as for the places there were holes in through which smaller monsters entered in, they ground their teeth as I filled the holes opened up by the beams of light.


    As I looked around wondering what to do, I saw all the people who knew me make the same surprised expression. From among them I found one person I could consult with and spoke to her.


    "Heyy, Mikadzuchi. Could you help out with reinforcing the walls?"


    "You... why are you in this place. Weren''t you in the rearguard."


    "I came with Sei-nee to reinforce the defences, she''s in the back."


    In the place I pointed to there was Sei-nee who scattered the enchant''s yellow light behind her as she created walls of ice in regular intervals.


    "It seems like Sei''s okay. Got it, we''ll help you Missy! We started getting more injuries, we have to suppress them on the other side of the wall."


    "I said, don''t call me ''missy''!"


    Although I raised a voice in protest to Mikadzuchi''s words, everyone from ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ who was hiding waited until the beam attack ends and jumped from behind the earthen walls, they engaged in combat against the Mythical Beast Eaters that entered through the gaps.


    I used that opportunity to run around and close the gaps by installing one gem in each place where there was a hole in the defences. I also placed gems in places where the defence was weak.


    On the battlefield that had attacks flying all over, I used the ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense and overlooked the battlefield to see preliminary motions. Since I had a full view spread out and could see the attacks, I could easily tell which ones were going to come my way, it wasn''t that hard.


    Well, I still relied on the enchant''s speed increase to get away, it didn''t look the best, although I was supposed to have a margin, there were blows I barely managed to avoid.


    "Missy! It''s fine now!"


    "Roger that. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿!"


    All the Magic Gems I held reacted to my voice and a five-layered wall of earth was created.


    Seeing that, Mikadzuchi opened her eyes wide in surprise. Although Sei-nee could simultaneously activate multiple spells by using ¡¾Delay¡¿ Sense, this was an alternative approach to that.


    I regained my composure as the influx of enemies has stopped.


    "For the time being, let''s call it a success?"


    "It went well. All that''s left is our, vanguard''s job. But before that, we need to breathe some life into these guys"


    As I came back Mikadzuchi smiled and said words of appreciation.


    I checked if the beams of light from the Great Eater had stopped, confirmed how the magic walls built up until now were used in combat and understood it''s not something I should join in. That''s when Sei-nee came to collect me.


    "Yun-chan, I''m here to pick you up. Let''s go back to our original location. Also, Mikadzuchi I leave the rest to you."


    "Sure. It''s time to strike back! Disperse and deal with enemies!"


    After staining her own rod-like weapon with her prey''s blood she yelled.


    While watching her from behind and the surroundings, we have came back to where Magi-san was positioned.


    Our right side was dominating, the centre was restraining the enemy and the left side was using the walls to rebuild the front. The counter-attack was going well. At this rate we will push the front, if we''re able to wipe out the minions before the next special attack, we will open the way to the main body.


    We got this far after thirty minutes.


    It would be fine to say that my role was over at this point of time.


    I''ve used up the Clay Shield''s Magic Gems when I built the earthen walls earlier, all that remained were Bomb''s Magic Gems which I couldn''t use unless I was close enough. They couldn''t be used now.


    As for High Potions and MP Potions, it seems like we''ll manage to finish a fight while having some of them left over.


    Together with Magi-san we were using my arrows and her weapons to take down the eyes on top of the monster''s large body but¡ª¡ª


    "...I ran out of arrows."


    If I continued to shoot with my bow, it would be possible to take down all the pupils.


    Even if there was an auto-recovery function and I carried a lot of arrows, the bow''s attack power was lower than that of an attack from close range. After shooting dozens of arrows I finally managed to take down a single pupil. If the arrow missed, it was judged as no damage dealt and the arrow was wasted. I don''t know how many pupils I crushed with the flurry of long-range attacks.


    "With this, my role''s over isn''t it."


    It was fifty minutes after the battle started. Regular mobs were almost wiped out. Everyone surrounded the boss and continued to beat it. If we reached up till this point, we could say that this pattern means a win.


    "Report¡ª¡ªthe boss on the north. Also, the northeast as well as western bosses are nearly subjugated! An unknown attack pattern discovered! Hundred eyes more discovered!"


    As everyone heard the communication officer''s voice, everyone called ''let''s hurry and defeat this one too''. The morale has increased and most of the pupils were crushed. The Great Eater of Mythical Beasts had wounds all over its body and it has started the last offensive.


    ¡ñ


    Thick hind legs penetrated the ground, it half-burried itself in the ground, the meat of its front legs melted and its tentacles rooted itself to the ground like a plant.


    Although it looked like a beast, it hasn''t opened its mouth until this moment, it has released a roar.


    "GUURURUUU¡ª¡ªGYAAaaAaa"


    As the roar and a shockwave shook the air, everyone stopped moving.


    In it''s opened mouth there were conspicuously large eyes which hung down.


    Considering it from biological perspective, they grew in the place tongue should have been, after establishing vision a pale blue light appeared.


    It looked similar to the white beams from before. The remaining eyes flashed with these lights as well and emitted beams. Short lasers. That''s how these rays of light looked like.


    Although the range and the damage itself were greatly inferior to the special attack from before, the rate of fire and accuracy was higher. It has intercepted the approaching players and magic regardless of the type, making it difficult for anyone to close on it.


    A storm of perfectly accurate lasers seemed to constantly reject anything approaching. The momentarily reaching laser accurately aimed for vital points, it was impossible to run through at constant speed.


    "So this boss has it too. The enraged mode."


    "Enraged mode?"


    As Sei-nee muttered, I tilted my neck and asked. Magi-san immediately replied.


    "It''s the mode that appears after a boss'' HP falls below a certain level, it gains stats and special attacks. Yun-kun."


    "That means... isn''t this bad?!"


    I panicked a little and looked at the players on the frontline.


    "YEAHHHH! Let''s take it down!"


    "Uohhhh!! I''ll take the honour of doing the last attack!"


    """UOOOOOO!!!!"""


    "I''ll be happy if there was a drop!"


    """The last eyeball is first come first served!!!!"""


    There were enthusiastic gaming maniacs who weren''t afraid of the laser barrage nor tentacles in here.


    The laser streamed from the right to left, as explosions under their feet sent players flying Magi-san and Sei-nee showed troubled expressions.


    "Well, enraged mode is that kind of mechanic. The mob gets relatively stronger, but in exchange for raising its capacity, it abandons its defence to change into a peak state."


    "Also, another troublesome thing is that as the mob is in the enraged mode, when its HP percentage decreases it uses special attacks."


    "Oh, does it."


    Sei-nee and Magi-san lectured me about the game. Originally, I didn''t come here to learn about the game. I looked towards the Great Eater once again.


    "What''s happening."


    It''s defensive posture, and the way it attacks was unexpected, it''s as if it''s buying time, that thought crossed my mind.


    The only remaining weakness were five places in its mouth where new pupils appeared.


    Three on the right and one on the left, one of those was in a place that''s hard to reach. And one in the centre.


    I stared at it, and understood from observation, each pupil aimed using its own sight and released the lasers. Sometimes it hit a shadow of someone with large physique or people hidden behind defensive magic before those who approached it, it might have been a coincidence or its habit. I thought.


    With that said though, it''s mine, an amateur''s opinion. In fact, there was a person who rushed ahead while carrying a tower shield and as he hid behind it he wasn''t targeted by the pupils.


    The tentacles that have melted and sunk into the ground reacted and sprung out the moment he entered the range, it jumped out like a spear and pierced through his body mercilessly. There were lasers from the front, and if one reached that range, there was an attack from below one''s feet. It would be one thing if it was a single tentacle, but you could have tentacles pop out all at once, one wrong step and you turn into a beehive.


    The long range magical attacks too, were suppressed by the lasers and completely erased before they reached the flesh.


    I thought that if all the mages cast their spells at once they would go through, but I couldn''t recommend something that risky to magic users who had low defence, it would be suicidal.


    "Well, I''ll just watch until it''s over."


    "Is that fine? There''s still room for participation."


    "Hm? Ah, Taku. Yeah, as a rear guard who''s out of ammo I don''t have any means of attacking, so I have no choice but to act as a medic now."


    As I shrugged my shoulders and spoke exaggeratedly, "What a liar" he said and laughed it off.


    "I saw it. You jumped into the front-lines together with Sei-san and continued to create walls."


    "You were being reckless too. Going against a Mythical Beast Eater alone..."


    "Then, how about you join our party. You''ll cover me from behind as the sixth member."


    "I''m a solo crafter. Well, I occasionally hunt to raise my level but..."


    "If you want to join us to hunt efficiently and have fun and you''re making network where we get mutual benefits, then we''ll gladly welcome you if you want to participate in our party. Then, you''ll be our temporary member."


    "I won''t be temporary anything."


    Although I retorted to him, Taku had a lively and happy expression on his face, knowing that I had fun playing the game he didn''t complain any more.


    "Geez, seeing you motivated in a different way makes it hard on me too."


    As I spat out a sigh, what responded me was laughter. I too have completely devoted myself to the game called ¡¾OSO¡¿.


    "Fuu, even so, it seems like they''ve lost interest in attacking. Yun."


    "Indeed."


    Certainly, there were those who jumped whenever an opportunity came, but they were unable to land a proper attack at all and they have returned. It''s about time we settled this, but is that something you should say in front of me? He pulled out the sword he had in his sheath, put more strength into the grip¡ª¡ª


    "Want to go at it together?''


    "It sounds as if you were asking me if I''ll go with you to a convenience store despite inviting me to danger zone. I''m not going."


    "Even if you say that, you''re too late. It''s forced participation."


    Ahhh... my acquaintances in the distance stared at me strongly. My sisters, Mikadzuchi, as well as Myu''s and Taku''s party members.


    "Better resolve yourself."


    "No way. I want to go back right now..."


    "You''ve been already included in the strategy."


    This conversation must have been planned to keep me here. Surely, we spoke naturally, but meanwhile he must have been receiving instructions through friend chat to detain me.


    As I held my head in my hands, I''ve heard the details on the plan flow from Taku''s mouth.


    "First, Sei-san will make a foothold with ice magic."


    "Is that really necessary?"


    "We will attack from the sky in order to avoid tentacles in the ground. The decoy will jump from the scaffolding and go on top of boss'' head to attract attention of all the pupils. If possible, blind them."


    "And in the meanwhile, the attack will come from the air and bring it down. Huh."


    Yup. And my position is¡ª¡ª


    "So, do your best, decoy."


    "Riiight."


    At times like this, I always get such a thankless role.


    "Rather, listen¡ª¡ªis it possible to reach the boss'' head with a normal jump?"


    "Well, normally it''s impossible. However, you can do it! No, only you can do it!"


    It seemed like I raised a delicate topic, but the meaning behind his words was ''if you don''t become a decoy, there will be much more victims'', I felt like I was threatened with that.


    "By the way, I want to hear what''s the metho¡ª¡ª"


    "You''ll make a huge double jump by riding on a magic''s blast wave."


    "Eh?!!"


    "Like I said, you will jump in mid-air. You will use the backlash of your own magic to propel yourself and gain momentum."


    No, that''s impossible. Simply impossible.


    "A movement method using knockbacks, it''s a little trick. You don''t receive any damage as you are accelerated by the magic''s blast wave, there''s a PVP style that utilizes that skill and the fact you don''t receive any damage."


    "...don''t force me to perform some tricks I know nothing about. Isn''t that sort of thing more like something either you or Myu would do?"


    "Doing those movements with an armour equipped is impossible. Also, you can activate multiple spells at once with those items, right? We don''t know how to use it, currently you''re the only one who can handle it."


    "I''ve got the items, but anyone can use it as long as I teach them how. I don''t want to do it."


    "The problem is not the usage. You''re absolutely needed in order to safely carry out the role of the bait. If it''s you, it''ll succeed. I''m confident about it! Please!"


    He said that, then lowered his head and said "please" once again. Around us, several people who observed our exchange had concerned expressions.


    "F-fine, raise your head. Their line of sight is..."


    "Thank you. I''m in your debt."


    "Geez, I''m weak at dealing with people who lower their heads."


    As I was in daze, what reached my ears from the surroundings was "tsundere", "she went dere". "splendid tsundere" in low voices. HEY, come out whoever said that! You''ll be acting as a decoy together with me!


    When I looked around with a gaze full of resentment everyone looked away.


    "Stop idling and start preparing!"


    As everyone was standing restless, Mikadzuchi had everyone regain composure with a single sentence. In front of the Great Eater there was an ice slope prepared by Sei-nee, it was reaching to the boss as far as it was possible.


    "Yun-chan, we''re ready any time. Your objective is to gather their line of sight at you. Also, blind them. Do your best."


    "Got it. Let me prepare for a moment."


    I checked my own status. I had a sufficient number of Bomb''s Magic Gems. Since I''m not aiming for the pupils directly I went with both of my hands empty. Since I had no Sense corresponding to one, I had no weapons.


    I concentrated and performed a simulation in my head. At what timing should I detonate the bomb, and calculate back from it to learn when to recite the keyword.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence, Mind, Speed."


    The last thing I could do, what a cheap trick which increased my own ability.


    Magi-san approached me. She threw a number of weapons, and what was left is only her favourite large axe.


    "Yun-kun, are you all right?"


    "Yes, I''m okay."


    Even though I said that, I don''t want to be the decoy. It''s dangerous... a strangely calculative thought appeared in my head but I immediately shook it off and determined myself once again.


    "Then, I''ll go ahead and act as Yun-kun''s shield. That''s why, be at ease and blind them¡ª¡ª"


    "Yes. Thank you for worr...ying...?"


    Eh? Didn''t Magi-san just say something strange?


    The moment I thought that, Magi-san ran up the slope created by Sei-nee.


    "Yun! Go together with Magi-san!"


    I also broke into a run to chase after Magi-san. I grasped a Magic Gem in each of my hands and ran up the ice slope at full power. Without slipping, I threaded firmly on the icy road and continued to accelerate, I ran up to a position slightly above the Great Eater of Mythical Beasts.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·!!"


    Just before the end of the road I chanted the keyword and left behind gems I had in my hands. Five seconds until the magic activates. In my head, imagined the phenomenon that will happen.


    I jumped over the edge and felt a gentle light-headedness as I flew forward due to inertia.


    With the aid of the enchant I caught up with Magi-san who was leading ahead. Magi-san who was lined up next to me poised her large axe like a shield right in front of me. All the pupils were directed at me and a blue light near them.


    Before the light could be emitted, the blast of magic pushed against my back, I accelerated together with Magi-san.


    While overflowing with a cold sweat as the lasers passed right beside where I was just before accelerating, but then I felt relieved seeing as there was no damage as I was far away from the effect.


    But it was something I won''t be able to get used to. I predicted the location where we will land together with Magi-san. The distance we flew wasn''t sufficient, at this rate we will fall by the Great Eater''s feet. I could predict the future in which I will fall to the ground along with her.


    "It''s all right. I''m here for you, Yun-kun¡ª¡ªGOOOooooo!"


    While saying so, she took my hand in mid-air with no footing at all and¡ª¡ªshe threw me?!


    "¡ª¡ªMagi-san?!"


    The distance I travelled in the air was increased after being thrown, in exchange Magi-san''s distance travelled decreased.


    But what awaited me next, was failure. Next laser was ready to be released and it was aimed at me. The moment I felt like it''s over as the light was emitted, I heard a sound of wind coming from behind, it offset the laser.


    Seeing an ice spear crumble and turn into dust after being hit by laser I understood that Sei-nee covered me.


    Since the thing that was about to intercept me was gone, I took out a handful of magic gems with both of my hands while still in mid-air.


    In the place I was in right now, above of the Great Eater''s head I scattered the magic gems. From this place I could easily see the pupils I destroyed with my bow, I had that out-of-place thought.


    The eyes under me tried to capture me in mid-air, tentacles stretched as far as possible from its body but they didn''t reach, they flooded. A number of players surged and cut then down preparing the road to the body of the boss.


    "Choke on this, bastard. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿"


    As I said the keyword, the gems I''ve scattered over the six pupils started to shine radiantly. I maintained the momentum as I flew through the air and jumped on the back of the Great Eater and looked at the outcome.


    The gems that poured down on the boss exploded at the same time, their power increased as multiple explosions overlapped making a chain.


    The yellow explosion blocked the view and rushed towards the pupils.


    Although the interception lasers tried to open a hole in the blast, the overwhelming power surged anyway.


    "Tch... the impact''s going to reach me too!? I need to hurry and run away!"


    The power was increased because of the chain attack, but it seemed like the range and the power of the blast have been raised as well. I was surprised since I''ve felt the impact but didn''t receive any damage.


    The rest of the blast spread a yellow smokescreen, I could tell that the surge of players has finally reached the pupils, it happened when I decided to leave the rest to them and stood up.


    "Eh..."


    From behind a pale blue light pierced my chest and my body floated in the air.


    In my ears I''ve heard a *parin* sound as if something cracked and my body was blown away by a blast, I was carried away by the flow I was unable to control.


    As I was being blown away, the pupils were focused on my position in the air, but immediately after they were crushed by Sei-nee''s ice spears, I continued to fly away, at this rate I would fall into the lake.


    (...I died. But it doesn''t seem so, there was no damage.)


    Unexpectedly, as my back hit the lake''s surface and as I continued to sink, my own finger reflected in my field of vision resolved my question.


    ¡ª¡ªSubstitute Gem''s Ring... has no gem?


    In other words, it took one hit for me. It took over all the damage. That''s how it was.


    With that question resolved, there was no longer any need to continue sinking in the water. I immediately equipped the ¡¾Swimming¡¿ Sense and emerged to the surface.


    "Fuhaa!"


    At the same time as I appeared from the water, the mountain-like black organism turned into sand and all players received a message at the same time.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡¾The Great Eater of Mythical Beasts'' defeat confirmed. Five left.¡¿


    Loud cheers sounded on spot, and after a small delay, there was a report of the second one being defeated. Everyone went crazy.


    And as that went on, I got out to the shore and slowly headed towards where everyone was.


    "Yun-chan! Are you all right?!"


    Sei-nee who ran up to me caught me, strength left my body and I nearly collapsed.


    The excitement and battle fever that was beyond my expectations has cooled down after I dropped into water, mental fatigue attacked me all at once.


    "I''m back and tired. Participating in combat after replenishing potions made me wanna sleep. I''m tired."


    "You can rest after we get back. Bear with it until then!"


    After a delay, starting with Taku and Myu, my acquaintances came over worrying about me, who fell into the lake.


    "I know but that... might be impossible."


    The rest of the strength left my body and I fell towards Sei-nee, after I completely leaned on her, Sei-nee who is a mage-type player with low ATK couldn''t hold me up me completely. Magi-san reached out from the side and supported my body.


    "Yun-kun, cheers for the good work. Rest well."


    My body was completely soaked, when her quiet voice reached my ears I nodded lightly and fell asleep.


    The sun has risen, and I fell asleep as a new morning has come. The next time I woke up, everything was already over.


    Well, in this case "sweet" means "weak", basically that.

 Chapter Volume 2 Epilogue

    Epilogue ¨C Reward and the Customers


    ¡¾"¡ª¡ªFinal result calculation initiated. No points will be added for actions from now onwards. After calculation, the results will be announced. I repeat¡ª¡ª"¡¿


    I woke up when the surroundings turned noisy, I remembered that I was slightly hungry when I was going to sleep so I checked the status. The satiety level has decreased. When I confirmed the time, it was six o''clock in the morning of the last day. I seemed to have slept nearly 24 hours.


    I looked at myself, there seemed to be a thin cloth on top of me, Ryui who was carrying Zakuro on its back was already awake, it seemed like it was waiting for me to wake up.


    "Good morning, Ryui, Zakuro."


    "You woke up, Yun."


    "Cloude huh. It''s the last day today isn''t it. It was all shorter than expected."


    "Right. There''s still time before results are announced, Magi and Lyly are waiting."


    "All right."


    "Also, here¡ª¡ªthe compensation for the damage you received yesterday, or so they said."


    While saying so, Cloude passed the items to me he was entrusted with. These items seemed to be my compensation. For me becoming the decoy, also, consideration of the fact that I passed out seemed to be included in it.


    Some rare equipment and unique goods, as well as variety of cursed equipment. Also, the book I secretly wanted.


    "With this, I''ve got all the books."


    "It seemed like you wanted them, so we farmed mobs to get it for you."


    That''s... quite a heavy truth.


    "...did you read it while I was sleeping?"


    "I have no intention of depriving someone of their enjoyment. Also, I''ve got the complete collection too."


    I imagined that he exchanged equipment for them. He did better collecting them than I did, I thought.


    "Heey, Yun-kun. Here here."


    Magi-san and the others were waiting around the campfire. As I looked around, everyone seemed sleepy.


    "Good morning."


    "Morning. Good grief, don''t go back to bed, you''ve been sleeping all this time. We were worried since you wouldn''t wake up no matter how we called out to you, Yuncchi."


    "Sorry."


    Seems like I made them worry for no reason, while I thought that inside, I still smiled wryly.


    "Even so, everyone seems nervous, did something happen?"


    "Hmm. There was a party to celebrate the boss subjugation, after that everyone though it would be a pity to waste remaining time and they went on a hunt in the middle of the night."


    Magi-san said so, she poured herbal tea into a wooden cup and passed it to me.


    The heavy aroma of the herbal tea refreshed my thoughts. I sipped some and spat out a breath after tasting it.


    ¡¾"¡ª¡ªSending results."¡¿


    When the information was transmitted, the reactions to the result sent by mail were; excitement, frustration, resignation, bitter laughter. Although there was a lot of disappointment, in the end everyone looked at their comrades with relieved expressions.


    "Now, my result is¡ª¡ª"


    My own result that was sent to me had big characters written on the top.


    ¡¾Score£¨Rank 4 / 2396£©congratulations on your prize¡¿


    Was written in big characters, I didn''t expect to win and my movements stopped in surprise. Seeing Cloude smile happily, glares full of resentment focused on him, he spoke somewhat indifferently.


    "There are detailed results too. It seems to be prepared very fairly."


    I also looked over the contents, certainly, it was devised in order to judge everyone fairly. Not acquired any Senses ¡¾4000p¡¿, vacancies in party ¡¾40000p¡¿, furthermore there was crafting weapons ¡¾24500p¡¿, crafting armour ¡¾17500p¡¿, crafting recovery items ¡¾18200p¡¿, there was a lot of points added for crafting. Other than that there were points for defeating mobs and defeating unique bosses.


    "Bonus treasure box ¡¾3000p¡¿... on top of obtaining items we get points too?"


    "It must be because of the difficulty degree. Your diving was just ¡¾500p¡¿ by itself which isn''t much. It seems like not the fact you dive but the results that counts?"


    "Hmm. Other than that... Cooking ¡¾21000p¡¿?! Isn''t the rate weird?!"


    "No, it''s because of the amount you crafted. The individual rate is smaller than crafting weapons or armour, but it''s multiplied by the amount created."


    While that was said I scrolled down the entries further. Team negotiations, team cooperation and exchanges with other players, cooperation during the boss subjugation, destroying the weak points and so on.


    And in the back there was score with unprecedented rate.


    "Befriended young beasts ¡¾100000p¡¿, hey, isn''t there one number too much?"


    "That''d be the number of young beasts we partnered up with. 20000 for one animal. Well, the rate must be good because of how good our relation is with them."


    I don''t want to read that deep into the circumstances behind it.


    "Well, this is the result of everyone''s hard work. Cheers for the week''s worth of good work."


    "Yupyup. We made it because of the members we gathered! We made a house, hunted, cooked... it was fun!"


    Magi-san and Lyly spoke, so they enjoyed themselves? And after hearing that I felt my expression loosen.


    "But, Yun-kun, you haven''t forgotten have you."


    "About what?"


    Suddenly, Magi-san let out a daring laughter. I asked her what is it, did I forget something?


    "The winners get limited edition items. I wonder what will they be?"


    "Items that almost break the game balance?"


    That was the only thing I could answer with. In fact, only the top players would get exceptional game-balance breaking items. The content from the bonus treasure chest were items that could be modified with magic materials. I think they won''t break the balance.


    "For example, a dedicated home? That would be useful."


    "Umm, stores and guild buildings can be used as homes... so there''s no need for that."


    "Uuu..."


    I stammered hearing Lyly''s sensible opinion.


    Then, I wonder what will it be. And as I thought so, another mail came. Good grief, another mail from management. They should have sent the conents all at once, they''re way too business-like when doing these things.


    ¡¾¡ª¡ªCongratulations on winning a prize. Please choose your prize from the items listed below. The chosen item will immediately appear in your inventory.¡¿


    "Somehow... there''s a selection formula for the prizes."


    "Well, it''s better than having management deciding one-sidedly. It would be troublesome if crafters like us were given weapons."


    Although Cloude said so, his expression turned serious immediately after.


    As I skimmed through I saw ¡¾A legendary-class weapon with a usage number restriction¡¿, ¡¾A legendary-class weapon with a set longevity¡¿ ¡¾A weapon strengthened with a magical material¡¿, and the armour had the same choices as weapons.


    ¡¾Rights to a special home¡¿, ¡¾Ownership of a personal field¡¿, ¡¾The right to make your own dungeon¡¿, they were field-related items.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªCrafting-type''s ¡¾Making Box¡¿."


    That''s what has caught my interest.


    The description was ''produces one random material from specified crafting-type per day''. And a possibility to change its setting to ''the box can replicate a material item housed inside once a day''.


    In other words, if I set it to herb-type items I will get a random herb-type material, if I set it to metal-type, the function will give me a random ore.


    The appearance rate varies depending on the rank and the replication function is not perfect either, the original item does not disappear but the replication might fail if the rank is high. While it was possible to change delivery settings, unlike single-item crafting like weapons and armour, potions were mass-produced. The materials for potions weren''t limited to herbs. Monsters body parts are also required, there was no immediate income from it, it wasn''t convenient in use.


    "It''s not too convenient but... I''m really interested in it."


    "That thing''s nice. Maybe I should try it too?"


    The magic box seems to have caught Magi-san''s eye as well. I felt a bit happy seeing we match.


    "Lyly, what did you pick?"


    "Me? I chose ¡¾Ownership of a personal field¡¿."


    "Eh? Didn''t you say you don''t need a home earlier?"


    "That''s not it. If it''s a field, then it''ll be a vast area I can use as I please. There are many things I need a vast space to craft with woodworking... what should I make as I return? Before that, I need to gather materials?. Shiacchi will help me out okay?"


    Lyly spoke with a nice smile, it felt dazzling to me. In the contrast Cloude was¡ª¡ª


    "I see. Then Cloude, what about you?"


    "Hmm. ¡¾The right to make your own dungeon¡¿, the period is three months."


    "Cloude as a dungeon master? That gives me villainish vibes..."


    As Magi-san stared at him, Cloude snorted and laughed.


    "Although it''s for limited period of time, I can freely operate a dungeon. That means I can determine what''s inside of the dungeon. I can set the the nodes to tailoring materials and collect them extensively..."


    "AHH?! Cloude, no fair! Set the materials to balanced!"


    Cloude''s handsome face distorted evilly. Although what we picked had its good and bad points, Lyly''s appearance with his innocent smile healed my heart.


    We''ve send our requests, and I''ve confirmed receiving the Making Box.


    And, there was a final result announcement.


    ¡¾¡ª¡ªYoung Beasts will be contracted to players shortly.¡¿


    The last event began quietly.


    The contract with Young Beasts. With that announcement as the trigger, Young Beasts faced the humans they trusted most one after another.


    All the people who towards whom the beasts were faced were unable to say anything. The contract was a necessary step, but everyone was speechless because they haven''t heard anything about it. However, informing anyone was unnecessary as the situation will proceed automatically.


    The Young Beasts have started to emit light one after another, the time of contract seems to have come.


    "...Ryui? Zakuro?"


    I somehow muttered that as I faced the Young Beasts that were wrapped in light. Ryui was wrapped in white light while Zakuro was wrapped in dark red. As for others, Rickle was wrapped in light blue light and Socks was wrapped in intermingling black and white light which looked like marble. Neshias was clad in mix of golden and vermilion light. I could see various lights shine in the surroundings.


    About thirty seconds have passed and when the light subsided, there were Ryui and the others. However, there was a slight difference in their appearance.


    "...Ryui has now a longer horn, and the number of tails Zakuro has increased to two."


    From Ryui''s forehead extended a spiral horn peaking out beyond its short hair, and Zakuro had two black bushy tails now.


    As for Ryui, I knew he''s a legendary mythological beast, Unicorn. But I don''t know what Zakuro is, a fox with a lot of tails?


    Other than that, as I looked around the held-up Rickle and Socks didn''t change much. On the other hand, Neshias'' nostalgic appearance of a hairball was nowhere to be seen, it has undergone a transformation into a vermilion bird with a beautiful tail.


    "The change from before and after was drastic."


    Somehow, it felt like something rare.


    "Aahh... that cute Rickle is..."


    "What happened, Magi-san?!"


    "It''s claws and teeth have extended! Somehow, it''s both cute and cool at the same time now!"


    Rickle she was holding turned this way, as it breathed heavily with a ''haa haa haa'' and let out its tongue we could certainly see that its canines have grown a little.


    As everyone stared, Rickle let out a short howl and collapsed into grains of pale light. What appeared in Magi-san''s hands was a light blue stone.


    "Ohh? Is the contract complete?"


    "Then, next is my turn. Thy name is Socks. Become my kin for I shall be the one to take you in."


    Socks started to skilfully scratch its neck with its hind legs. Cloude finished his embarrassing speech, I stared at him with half-closed eyes. Lyly smiled wryly and Magi-san held her mouth trying not to laugh.


    "Fuu?. Come, Socks."


    Socks who was grooming its hair was called by Cloude, and instantly leaped in a way unimaginable from its small stature, its appearance changed into that of a stone with black and white mixed.


    "So, contract''s complete with this."


    "But Cloude, what were those lines. Do you want me to laugh to death?"


    As Magi-san pointed out, his face distorted bitterly, he remained silent and didn''t refute. He seemed to be aware of how embarrassing his behaviour was.


    Meanwhile Lyly was¡ª¡ª


    "Shall we form a contract too? Shiacchi."


    Neshias who turned into a beautiful bird didn''t take any actions in particular. It''s appearance vanished and it turned into a a warm-orange coloured stone.


    "That means¡ª¡ªit''s us now. Well, let''s get along in the future as well?"


    I bent my knees and beckoned over the two animals to make it easier for them to come up. Ryui bluntly started licking my face, and Zakuro went up my arm and started licking my cheek from the opposite side with its small tongue.


    "Uppowah? W-wait a moment, that tickles!"


    "...Yun-kun''s being licked all over. Oops, that''s really stimulating. I feel I''ll have a nosebleed."


    "Mmmm?! An inspiration for a new armour!"


    "That''s so nice?. Shiacchi only gives sweet bites, let me mix in too."


    No, help me instead! I thought, but the situation didn''t last long. Ah, I leaked out a short sound and the two animals changed into particles. In my hands I''ve had a stone as white as snow, and a stone with red and black stripes.


    "You managed to complete it safely, Yun-kun."


    "Yeah, it seems so."


    "I''m curious what kind of mob everyone partnered up with."


    "Then, my Shiacchi is, ¡ª¡ªa Phoenix. It''s a name of a completely mythical legendary creature. Well, it''s a young beast right now so it''s fine."


    Lyly, there''s no use escaping reality right now. In the future, it will turn into a dreadful existence.


    "A Phoenix huh. It can take place of reviving items, so anyone would like to have it."


    "W-w-what to do!? Shiacchi will be crushed and used!"


    Cloude''s words upset Lyly who started to worry, it seemed like he wanted to shoo away the bad people.


    "Don''t worry. At that time we''ll protect you two with our bodies on the line."


    "Indeed. I''ll help you too when you''re in trouble."


    "Well, that''s it. Just be happy about it for now."


    First Cloude, then Magi-san and I spoke to Lyly.


    "Now, instead of worrying what''s ahead let''s announce what''s the race of our partners. Next is Cloude, Yun-kun''s after that."


    "Got it. The name is¡ª¡ªa Luck Cat of some type. It seems like a demonic beast that governs over luck."


    "A cat that carries both good and bad luck within... it looks like a support-type young beast."


    "Fufufufu interesting. In some places black cats are said to be an existence that carries luck to their owners. In other words, an existence that robs others of luck and passes it to its owner. It''s peculiar but interesting. I like it."


    Cloude who put on a daring smile was a bit repulsive. Magi-san encouraged me next.


    "Next, Yun-kun. How is it?"


    "Even if you ask how, Ryui is an Unicorn as its appearance suggests. Zakuro is..."


    And my other partner was¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªA heavenly fox."


    Both the unicorn and a fox spirits in fantasy games were never main characters, they always had a supportive role behind the scenes as far as I could remember.


    "Hmm. Two types that mature late I guess? Well, they''re still Young Beasts, we''ll see what''s ahead."


    "Then, Magi-san, what about you?"


    "Eh, in my case it''s¡ª¡ª"


    She spat out a ''bfttt''. Why was she so surprised. Ahh, she placed a hand on her forehead and looked towards the sky.


    "Nn. It''s a mythical beast called Fenrir. It''s a name that appears in myths and games."


    "If trained well, it seems like it would be the strongest one."


    "And what will we do if they turn into giant monsters?"


    """¡­........."""


    The three of us couldn''t respond anything to Lyly''s murmur.


    Yeah. These monsters are called Young Beasts. That means we''ll discover them in a field somewhere. A Fenrir that stands in front of players, just how strong will it grow to become.


    In this sense, the monsters we could contract during this event seemed to have a considerable potential and as long as we could meet the conditions it was relatively easily to contract them.


    On the other hand, their bodies were limited to being Young Beasts, seems like management needs to watch over the balance at all times.


    "...let''s not think of something that dreadful. We''re crafters after all."


    "You''re right. In the near future, let''s just pray for the peace of souls of the people who collect materials."


    "No wait, they haven''t died yet. In the first place, its unknown when will they even appear."


    For some reason, I naturally ended up retorting to Cloude who made a cross in front of his chest.


    Well, if one intends to create something out of the rare drops that appear, he might end up request subjugation of the mob for said drop. In that sense, he''s a man who thinks of the future.


    Even so, in this safety area there''s a number of Young Beasts, but only about half of them were able to properly make a contract. The rest has reluctantly went back into the forest.


    Some people looked towards the fading Young Beast''s backs and called out to them with a sorrowful, fearful voice. It was a sad farewell, but the fact that a party of the Young Beasts stayed behind was a remedy. There were people in daze all around who had the hair or horns and such appear in their hands and inventories..


    Well, as a souvenir and something to carry around it was a good thing.


    "It seems like not everyone involved was able to perform a contract."


    "Well, those were Young Beasts that flocked to the safety area for refuge."


    As Magi-san murmured, I turned around and stared at their backs in melancholy. I might might be counted as one of the people who have great luck. I thought.


    ¡¾¡ª¡ªAll event procedures are complete. After this, within 10 minutes you will be forwarded to the normal server. Various functions used during this event will be disabled and the normal specifications will be returned. ¡ª¡ªI repeat¡ª¡ª¡¿


    The last announcement huh. After hearing they have won, the winners have come together in the end and although they were noisily celebrating, as expected, no one made it too flashy since it was a game. In the end, everyone announced their results and presented the items they have received.


    Later, there might be some information passed around in secret too.


    "Hmm. It''s over, but I can''t believe only a few hours passed in reality. Even if I were to be told that now, it would sound doubtful."


    "What if we wake up now, and realize that a month has passed instead."


    Magi-san and Lyly spoke to each other. Well, if time can be compressed, it must also be possible to do the opposite.


    Thinking that way, it seems like Ureshima Tarou might become a popular joke in the game.


    "Now then, it''s about time. Well, let''s get along on the other side as well."


    "Magi. It might be late to say this, but, it was fun."


    "Yupyup. The summer''s over, let''s try gathering together often?"


    "That might be good too. Everyone goes their own way after this. So, take care of me next time."


    As we finished to say our regards, I felt the same sensation I did when the event started.


    ¡ñ


    After the event, there a small change happened to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "Three sandwiches and various potions up until the purchase limit."


    "I want five of Yun-chan''s full-of-love sandwiches and same for the potions too."


    "You... don''t say such a thing in front of the person herself. Also, I want the same here, on the right."


    Starting with ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ Mikadzuchi, some of the players I got acquainted with started to come to my store as customers.


    And the one who was servicing those players, was NPC Kyouko-san to whom I left it. Although I was sitting in the store''s corner, currently I was being the store''s customer-pulling attraction.


    "Now then, I''ll come again. Yun-chan."


    "Thank you very much for the purchase. Also, don''t call me Yun-chan!"


    I called out to the customer who was waving to me in the store''s exit and and let out a tired sigh.


    "Yun-san, are you tired?"


    "I wonder. Well, isn''t it a welcome change in a way?"


    "Then, please go and collect materials. With more customers now, we''re lacking several materials."


    "Got it. Now then, let''s do my best for the store''s sake. Let''s go, Ryui, Zakuro."


    The two animals who were sitting down together with me stood up swiftly and looked towards me.


    Seeing that I nodded with satisfaction and hung the bow on my shoulder.


    "Now, let''s safely and leisurely hunt some."


    I listened to the reply of two animals and left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, after locating appropriately-leveled enemy I collected the materials.


    Relaxedly, I spent time in this world in my own pace.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow


    Secondary Weapon : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (Outerwear, Underwear, Torso, Waist).


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10


    Rugged Iron Ring (1)


    Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP22


    ¡¾Bow Lv28¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv38¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv42¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Power Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv20¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Craftsmanship Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿


    ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv30¡¿


    Accessories obtained during event:


    Dead Soldier''s Bracelet¡Á1


    Various abnormal state-inducing accessories (poison, paralysis, sleep, curse, charmed, confused, fainted, angry), a set of eight¡Á1


    Joke accessories¡Á12


    Cursed accessories¡Á10


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urashima_Tar%C5%8D

 Chapter Volume 3 Prologue

    Prologue - The Mine and EX-Skill


    "With this, it''s finally 100 huh..."


    It was the dim entrance of a mine; for the past few days I''d repeatedly come to this mine, searched for a bit and went back.


    "If I progressed deeper, I''d find more mining points, but since there''s no deadline on this quest it doesn''t matter. I don''t need to hurry with collecting them."


    What I was undergoing now, was a Sense-based quest for ¡¾Smithing¡¿ and ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿. Previously, my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ level hadn''t reached the required level and I wasn''t able to receive the quest, but after satisfying the conditions it was possible for me to undertake it, as I am now.


    "Even so, the accomplishment criteria of this quest¡ª¡ªto gather 100 pieces of ore in the mine eh."


    At the entrance of the Mine dungeon near the third town it could be mined safely, as there were almost no mobs placed there.


    Among the items mined, there weren''t only ore-type ones, but also large quantities of materials such as Stones or Soil which I brought back instead of discarding.


    And that monotonous work ends today. I went back to the third town while carrying a pickaxe I had borrowed for the quest. My destination was the tavern in which I had received the quest order from. There I spoke to the quest-giver NPC.


    "I''ve collected them all. 47 pieces of Copper Ore, 31 pieces of Iron Ore, and 22 pieces of other ores."


    "Hmm. Then I''ll acknowledge you as a full-fledged miner."


    "Fuhh, the quest''s finally complete..."


    Although it wasn''t long, I finished a tedious quest, then I recalled the time I received it.


    "Hmph, the obstinate one''s back again."


    "Yeah, this time I''ve properly raised my level."


    "Then try hitting me. If I take even a step back, I''ll acknowledge you."


    The male NPC quest-giver spoke a fixed statement initiating the quest.


    This man was the NPC who chased me out when I came to this tavern for the first time. He said various things to me, like ''you''re not strong enough'' or ''as if you could do smithing with such thin arms!'' and like that I was forced out while being unreasonably scolded, but I was able to receive the quest like this eventually.


    And after the exchange of words for undertaking the quest, I hit the NPC''s belly. And something like this happened.


    His abdominal muscles were as hard as iron. If I normally punched it, I would most likely hurt my hand, unable to make him move an inch or deal any damage.


    "Is it really okay to hit with all my strength?"


    "Yeah, a man doesn''t go back on his word."


    "Is that so. Then I''ll go with all I have."


    This was the exchange we had when I was receiving the quest for the second time. This time, my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ level exceeded the requirements and I should be able to undertake the quest. However, I wasn''t satisfied with just that.


    "Here I go. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    Including my anger for the unreasonable scolding he gave me last time, I punched him with all strength I had.


    "Eh, wai..."


    This time, it was all my strength. I used the self-reinforcement from the ¡¾Enchant¡¿ Sense I had, increasing my physical attack power. Moreover, on all the fingers of my right hand I used to punch him, I had rings with ATK increase which further raised my attack power stat. The man opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but I didn''t bother with it and punched him.


    "¡ª¡ªFly away!"


    That''s when I used the accessories I held on my clenched hand like a knuckle, and put into practice the tips for punching I learned from Magi-san. Stabilizing my lower body, and while rotating my arm I released a straight punch.


    "...haa?"


    *Clang*, *dingg*. Despite it being the result of my own actions, I let out a silly voice. The punched NPC''s body bent into a shape similar to a ''¤¯'' character; drew a beautiful arch, and only stopped on a wooden table, knocking off glass bottles lined up on it. Although I had raised the power and damage a little, I was stunned by this unexpected result.


    "...heyy, are you alive?"


    "Yeah, I acknowledge your strength. However, that''s merely the entrance of ¡¾Smithing¡¿."


    As if nothing happened, the male NPC stood up. His rugged face made an even more grim expression, feeling pressure for a moment I made a step back. However, the man''s legs were trembling like those of a newborn fawn, I understood that he properly received the damage.


    "Now then take this pickaxe, go to the nearby mine and collect 100 pieces of ore. After finishing it, you will be acknowledged as one of the miners."


    While saying so he passed a bit worn-out pickaxe, which I received. With this pickaxe one could mine only in the specified location. In other words, it was something quest-limited.


    I managed to safely receive the quest, let''s immediately head to dungeon and start it.


    And as I headed to the exit, my shoulder was grabbed from behind.


    "...Miss. Reimburse the table and liquor."


    "Y-yes..."


    The Tavern''s dandy manager smiled at me, but there was a blue vein visible on his temple as he spoke. When I looked at the person; who was taller than me, I felt a little scared, obediently nodded and reimbursed him.


    Also there''s one thing I''d like to reassert, although this dandy manager called me ''miss'', I want to correct it. I am a man!


    ¡ñ


    "Ahahaha, Onee-chan, you went too far, even if you were asked to punch an NPC for the quest, to knock him over and be charged with the shop''s repair costs is..."


    After finishing the quest and successfully obtaining the EX-Skill I came back to my shop, ¡¾Atelier¡¿. There, I met with Myu and explained the quest sequence to her. And after hearing that Myu was currently holding her stomach and laughing.


    "M-my stomach hurts, I laughed too much. But getting fired up like that instead just clearing the quest for reward is very much like you, Onee-chan."


    "I said already, don''t call me ''onee-chan''. I''m your brother."


    Good grief, I let out a sigh and confirmed my own appearance.


    My body has gained curves and my black hair grew long giving off a feminine impression, but in real, I am without a doubt a man. During the character edition, a correction is applied to balance the body. In my case, for some reason I was given a feminine modification and my appearance turned out like this.


    "Sorry about that, but as long as you''re having fun. So, what did you get for that quest?"


    "Oh, a ¡¾Mining¡¿ EX-Skill and the tool for it, a pickaxe."


    While saying that, I took out the pickaxe from my inventory and showed it to Myu. It was surprisingly heavy and required one to get a knack for it in order to swing it down straight.


    "Hmm. Maybe I should learn an EX-Skill too."


    "That''s fine I guess? But, the requirement for this quest is to have either ¡¾Smithing¡¿ or ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ level 25 or above."


    "Then I give up. Now then, do your best, Onee-chan."


    "Geez... welcome."


    I said so ending my conversation with Myu, and greeted a player who just entered ¡¾Atelier¡¿. Myu was still looking and touching the samples installed on the wall unbothered and touched the little beasts who were occupying comfortable spots in the store warmed up by daylight.


    After the summer event''s camp which finished the other day, a few customers have started visiting the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Among them¡ª¡ª


    "Excuse me. Sandwiches for take-out."


    "Sandwiches are supplied by the clerk over there."


    I answered politely with a smile. I was happy to be selling my merchandise, but deep inside I had a very delicate and complex feeling as the only thing that sold were Sandwiches.


    In the store, although it wasn''t constant, a decent amount of visitors was entering and purchasing what they required. From time to time, there were players who didn''t understand the NPC''s, Kyouko-san''s explanation and came directly to me for one. In cases like those I explained how to utilize an item by myself.


    "But... why am I being asked to explain about food and young beasts."


    Originally, ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was a shop dealing mainly with consumables like potions and antidotes. However, after the satiety system was introduced in order to improve the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense right before the event, the food items had influenced it like this.


    "I''m happy that the food items are being evaluated well, but why is such reverse phenomenon happening?"


    Although I prepared Sandwiches as a hobby and added it to ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s line-up, they have become a hot-selling product comparable to Potions.


    Then, another female player came as a customer.


    "Hello. One ¡¾Nanny¡¿''s smile please."


    "That article is not for sale. Hurry up and go home."


    "Eeeh?! Then five Sandwiches and three Blue Potions, also, three Antidote Potions."


    This time, accepting a proper order Kyouko-san removed items from the box under the counter and placed them on top of it.


    I felt like asking a question to the female player in front of me who had a slovenly, smiley expression and was looking at the corner of the store.


    "Hey, can I ask you something?"


    "Yesyes. What is it?"


    "Um, ¡¾Atelier¡¿ is a store dealing with consumables like potions, what do you think about it selling sandwiches? I thought I would ask."


    I want to ask for your opinion, the girl in front of me opened her eyes wide and while waving her hand in front of her mouth she emphasized.


    "You lack self-awareness! A broad-minded motherly figure holding the nickname of ¡¾Nanny¡¿, instead of being proud you stay humble. Your inner beauty is overflowing when you''re in contact with young beasts. As proof of your purity you own a unicorn which spurs your popularity even further! A sandwich handmade by a beautiful girl like that! It''s a product which is a collection of romance for both men and women! Among OSO''s players there''s many who have earned a nickname through either combat or crafting, but having one given because of one''s personality, that''s extremely rare!"


    I was the one who asked, but I''m sorry. Please forgive me already. I appealed while using an instant-blush technique when I heard the machine gun-talk.


    Probably satisfied with seeing that reaction of mine, the girl responded with ''thank you for a treat'', and with a smile she left the store.


    Some of the players remaining in the store listened to the long lines which could be called lavishing with slightly disrespectful praises and left the store with uncomfortable expressions.


    When the last customer was leaving, along with Kyouko-san I called out ''thank you very much'', sending them off.


    "What''s up with that. It''s beyond the level of ''embarrassing''."


    I covered my face with both hands and tried to cool it off, but it didn''t go too well.


    "That''s why I told them not to call me ¡¾Nanny¡¿."


    "Ain''t that fine, ¡¾Nanny¡¿ sounds wonderful. Makes you seem caring."


    To that voice, *bam*, turned around reflexively and with my elbow I hit Myu who was still in the store. She probably heard those compliments from before, I covered my face with hands again, embarrassed.


    Seeing me like that, the young beasts that were waiting in the corner, a unicorn Ryui and a black fox Zakuro has come to me and rubbed their heads against me, comforting me.


    "Sorry to make you worry. If you just waited for a moment I would have calmed down."


    "Nicknames usually don''t come so fast, so you should be happy about it. Or maybe you wanted to get a painful one instead?"


    "Either of those are beyond my acceptable range though."


    I responded like that to Myu''s words. ¡¾Nanny¡¿ was a nickname I was given against my will.


    There were various reasons, but after the event, that''s what people started calling me. The tamed mobs I have gained as comrades during the event were still insufficient as fighting force, but their loveliness characteristic to young animals was very popular.


    "Since Onee-chan looks like she''s considerably heartbroken, it''s about time I perform a tactical retreat. Now then, see you at dinner."


    She said so, stroked Ryui and Zakuro who were beside me and left.


    While seeing Myu off, I stared at her with a reproachful gaze for severely making fun of me, but I gave it up after two seconds.


    "Good grief, there are too many things I can''t deal with that it''s troubling."


    I murmured so, and when I tried to log out, a lively *pon* sounded and a small icon was displayed at the menu''s end.


    "A friend call, it''s from Magi-san."


    Accepting the friend call, I started a conversation with Magi-san.


    ¡º"Hello, Yun-kun. It''s about this time''s tea party, will you come?"¡»


    "A tea party? And where is that?"


    ¡º"At Lyly''s place. Members are the same as the event party''s. Us crafters and the young beast partners of ours all together, okay?."¡»


    Hearing the voice from the other side, I could easily imagine her appearance winking lightly.


    Although I didn''t see her, I made a small smile and responded agreeing to it


    "I got it. Its fine to come now?"


    ¡º"Nope. It''s not now, is it fine if I contact you in a few days? This time it''s Lyly and Cloude that are organising it, so I don''t know any details either."¡»


    "Is that so. I understand."


    ¡º"Now then, let''s look forward to the day itself."¡»


    And there, Magi-san''s call ended. Now then... I have once again started the log out, and from OSO''s world I have returned to the real one.


    I was lying down on the bed. I removed the VR gear attached to my head and stretched grandly. So, a tea party with Magi-san and the others huh. While I looked forward to it, I was anxious wondering if they''ll make a coming-out with something strange, mainly with Cloude as the culprit. Still, I did look forward to it, I muttered in my mind.

 Chapter Volume 3 1

    Chapter 1 - Event Rewards and their Utilization Methods


    The summer has passed, although I have resumed my life as a student in real, I haven''t distanced myself from the world of OSO.


    This and that happened, and I got acquainted with a few people and managed to obtain my own shop as a crafter. Also, above all else, there was the ''healing'' in there.


    "Hmmm. The Making Box''s content is a herb again, huh. It''s been a week already and those are the only ones that appeared, did they decrease probability of getting different materials correspondingly?"


    I was groaning in the workshop part of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿. Making Box was one of the rewards from the summer event. Although it''s a mysterious box that delivers me some kind of item every day and confirming the material has become a daily routine, I was a little disappointed by the materials I''ve acquired up until now.


    "Kyuu??"


    "Sorry, Zakuro. I''m not really in a bad mood."


    It was a sound let out by the mob I''d tamed, the young fox Zakuro, whom I was holding in my chest. It looked at the making box puzzled and tilted its head as it was being held.


    While being healed by its appearance, I stimulated it lightly by scratching the nape of its neck and behind its ear.


    It squinted comfortably, seeing its figure nestling comfortably in my arms a small smile spilled on my face. Interacting with these small animal mobs has become one of the joys I had during the holiday, playing OSO, it''s become one of the things that healed me.


    "Now then, let''s go back to the counter."


    Responding to my voice Zakuro swung the two of its black tails. It was truly what they call a fantasy, Zakuro was a young fox with two tails.


    Also, one more animal. A tamed mob lying in a nice sunny spot of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was also my important partner.


    Probably because it had seen me and Zakuro come back, the white horse stood up. In the middle of its head it had a small horn growing, it was a young unicorn.


    "What is it, Ryui. Oh, that..."


    It stood, and as if to direct me to the sunny spot, it has pressed its head against my abdomen. I could understand what it wanted from me just from the way it skilfully pressed its horn against me.


    "I get it. There''s no people today, I''ll do it."


    In response to me agreeing, Ryui took two steps back and lowered itself with a wry smile. I sat down on the sunny spot, as I was sitting down with my legs twisted to the sides, Ryui put its head on my thigh. Zakuro left my arms and sat beside Ryui, making it so only its tail remained in my arms.


    "As usual, you really love the lap pillow don''t you."


    Is that bad? As if saying so Ryui looked up at me with a sleepy, half-opened eyes. ''It''s nothing'' I responded to it by stroking its neck. Probably feeling good because of that, it closed its eyes once again and fell asleep.


    I passed my fingers through Ryui''s mane, enjoying its feel. Unlike Zakuro''s soft and fluffy fur, there was smoothness and silkiness in it as it slipped through my fingers.


    After playing around with Ryui and Zakuro plenty, my thoughts shifted towards the tea party planned for today.


    "Come to think of it, Magi-san too had chosen the Making Box. I wonder how it turned out for her."


    Although Magi-san chose the same reward for the summer camp event, I thought of asking how the material delivery looked for her.


    And when the appointed time was approaching, I proceeded with my preparations.


    "Zakuro, Ryui. We''ll be going out for a while so wake up."


    Hearing my voice Ryui stood up listless. Zakuro who was leaning on Ryui lost its support and *twirl*, rolled away in panic, got up and shook its head.


    "Come on, Zakuro. We''ll be going out. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Dismissal¡·."


    In response to my voice Ryui and Zakuro let out a quiet cry and each of them transformed into small stones that fit well in my palms.


    Tamed mobs could be summoned freely as long as one has the ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense and the summoning stone, this time, I returned them from their summoned appearance.


    "Now then, let''s go to Lyly''s place."


    Since they didn''t specify what to take, I left ¡¾Atelier¡¿ empty-handed and headed to ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Shop¡¿.


    ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Shop¡¿ was located on the east side of the first town, opposite of it stood Cloude''s ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ .


    When I arrived and peeked inside Lyly''s store, the NPC was arranging the weapons made out of wood. I was noticed by Magi-san and Cloude who came ahead of me and waved lightly.


    "Hello, Yun-kun."


    "Hello Magi-san. Also¡ª¡ªCloude."


    "Yun, why only when greeting me, do you add a subtle pause?"


    "About that, how about you put a hand on your chest and ask that yourself."


    Cloude was a crafter who produced both leather and cloth armour, he tilted his head in response to my words and placed a hand on his own chest. And the one who looked at Cloude follow-up on my words like that and letting out "ahahaha" laughing dryly, was Magi-san who crafted metal weapons and armour.


    "Welcome, Magicchi, Kurocchi and Yuncchi. I''ve been waiting."


    And from behind the counter appeared the store''s shopkeeper, Lyly, a boy who was the crafter specializing in wooden weapons.


    Then Lyly beckoned, and guided us to the back of the shop; 10 metres in width and 15 metres in length, it was a place I had once made a memory of an embarrassing failure in. I wondered if they wanted to prepare a tea party in a wide place this time, but Lyly''s feet carried him even further.


    "Eh? We''re not going to have the tea party here?"


    "There''s a better place than here. This way."


    He said so and proceeded, even further in the back of the store there was a black door. However, comparing the store''s appearance and the position of this door, there wasn''t supposed to be any space in there but...


    "Now, I''m opening. Follow me."


    As he said so, going after Lyly who opened the door and entered was Magi-san and Cloude. Then, I too have entered without any hesitation, ahead there was¡ª¡ª


    "Where is this?"


    There was a wide plain and a forest of young trees in a slight distance away, also I could see a building made out of wood.


    ¡ñ


    "How is it, amazing right?! This is my ¡¾Ownership of a personal field¡¿ !"


    "Ohh, from the event reward. So it''s this amazing huh."


    In front of us; who were looking at the grand spectacle, Lyly happily spread his arms and headed towards the middle of the built-up building. When we looked behind us, all we could see was a black door and several dozen centimetres of a wall. Even as we circled around it, there was nothing on the other side. We shook our heads at the mysterious sight of just the door being there.


    We followed Lyly who was smiling wryly as we did that. Inside of a building we have arrived, located by the entrance to a huge mountain of lumber we could see a small table.


    "Today we''re having tea party here! Kurocchi, take out the tea."


    "Yeah, leave it to me. I want you to tell me your impressions on the product I''m going to be offering in Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier."


    Cloude, prompted by Lyly, took out a tea set and a cake from his inventory. Because it was just a sample made in order to get impressions on the taste, it has been created as a mini-cake.


    "These are cakes prepared by a patissi¨¨re. I want you to tell me which combinations could be offered without any problems at my store. Also, if you have any other ideas fire away."


    Magi-san raised a voice of admiration when she saw beautifully prepared colourful cakes.


    The contents of several teapots were respectively different and it seemed like we were to pour it for ourselves.


    When I was about to reach out to the table, Magi-san seemed to remember something and pulled on my sleeve.


    "Wait a moment Yun-kun. Hey Lyly, if there''s a field here, then can I call Rickle?"


    "Ah?! Then I''ll call Shiacchi too."


    After Magi-san said so I understood what she meant and immediately took out Ryui''s and Zakuro''s stones to summon them.


    It was wide and safe, a place far from people''s sight was a great playground for young beasts.


    Magi-san had a small light blue wolf. Lyly had a beautiful bird which had gold and vermilion colours together. Cloude had a black kitten with only its paws coloured white.


    And I summoned the unicorn, Ryui and two-tailed young fox, Zakuro.


    "This place is safe so you can play all you want, just don''t go too far."


    All of the young ones listened to Magi''s voice, and understanding what she meant, all five greeted each other by rubbing their noses and left through the entrance to the plains outside.


    Then, all of them climbed on Ryui''s back and head; riding him. Hey, can''t you move your own legs? I felt like retorting so, but after moving further away they seemed to start playing tag. Relieved, I sat down at the table.


    "Now, let''s begin the tea party. Go on and tell me your impressions."


    Being told that, I immediately took a cake in my hand. Generally women like Magi and children like Lyly are said to love sweets. Also, since I didn''t hate sweet things I went through them one by one and reviewed them.


    I took several kinds of straight tea and cakes, then tried one after another to compare.


    "The orthodox combination is quite delicious after all. As long as it''s something like shortcake or millefeuille I drink just about anything with them."


    "Is that so? I prefer it balanced. For chocolate-types wouldn''t something like a coffee set be good? I think the sweet and bitter would balance each other out well."


    "Hmm. Lyly likes standard. Yun-kun''s prefer the chocolate eh. I prefer the sweet and sour fruit cake-type, cream and chocolate are too sweet so instead I go for the ones that are more sour."


    "Mm. So the balance is the essence huh. It''ll be a good reference."


    Although Cloude muttered so, it seemed like he already knew the answer. He might just have wanted to confirm his choice was not a mistake.


    "Also, it''s quite difficult to carry those cakes. Wouldn''t it be fine to have cookie-like sweets that last longer and can be bought for take-out? Also, baumkuchen and waffles, or chiffon cakes."


    Since my ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s sandwiches are type of food assumed to be taken outdoors I made them as such for ease and convenience of portability, cookies would also fall under that category.


    "I''ll adopt that idea."


    My pleasure. I answered and looked around.


    The plain with green surface spread out far. Wind blowing through the grass resulted with waves forming patterns, it was a mesmerizing sight.


    After we finished telling Cloude our impressions, I asked Lyly implicitly.


    "Even so, it''s amazing. To be able to use a field freely to this extent, was it like that right from the beginning?"


    "No, in fact, it was very hard to arrange it to this extent. At first I simply selected several field patterns and that was all, and I didn''t know what to do after that. Making it up to this extent was difficult."


    He said so, sipped tea and started complaining. However, it didn''t feel like he was frustrated, seeing him smiling made me think he must have enjoyed doing it.


    "I thought of editing this field more, but there''s nothing that comes to my mind as I already made the shipyard I''ve been wanting to make for a long time. To make a building, I didn''t have enough wood so I made it that I can collect it in the forest here, but it took a while before I could unveil it."


    "No, just creating a forest from scratch would take a lot of time. Just where did you move those trees from."


    "Hm? These are made from seeds. Really, it took an entire week for them to turn out as they are now. Also, they are limited to the amount that was planted and won''t multiply any more than that, it''s made so as not to have it arbitrarily increase by itself onto the field or something like that."


    That really felt like fantasy after all. The cultivated herbs are also ready to be collected after a day, so being able to collect wood after a week since planting is possible too...


    "I''m curious about how''s Yuncchi''s and Magicchi''s Making Box? I''ve heard a little about Kurocchi''s dungeon from rumours already."


    Lyly already told me what I asked him about. That''s why I told him what my circumstances were like without hiding anything.


    "I''ve gotten medicinal herbs for one week straight. Also, being able to replicate some materials I''m short on is convenient, but its usability is not all that good."


    "I got Mithril Ore on the first day but..."


    Honestly, I was a bit envious after hearing those words come from Magi-san who was a smith. Speaking of mithril, in fantasy it''s a magical metal. Mithril = rare. And as I was in the middle of thinking like that, Magi-san continued to speak hesitatingly and my envy disappeared along with the words that followed.


    "To turn it into an ingot, five pieces of ore are required. Although I''ve been duplicating it for a week, it continued to fail and the number wouldn''t increase."


    She said so and smiled wryly. Hearing about the complex result of someone who took the same reward, I too smiled wryly.


    "I wonder if a personal field would be good for me too? The wide field could be used to secure herb-type materials for example."


    "Turning this wide field to harvest an excessive amount of materials would be too much effort for something that''s supposed to be a game right?"


    As Cloude retorted calmly. He''s right, I thought. Having it on scale where I can leave it for Kyouko-san the NPC to handle was the best. Any more than there currently is would require me to hire additional NPC personnel.


    "That sounds... difficult."


    "In the first place rewards like Making Box and Personal Field are just a bonus to the event. If their usability was good it would increase the difference between us and other players wouldn''t it."


    "Well, I guess so. I shouldn''t have had such high expectations."


    As I growled Cloude retorted calmly and Magi-san pouted, cutely revealing her feelings.


    "Speaking of which, how about Cloude''s? It was ¡¾The right to make your own dungeon¡¿ wasn''t it?"


    "Well. Currently, I''m researching how to earn more efficiently with it."


    "Earn more efficiently?"


    "The dungeon''s level and the materials yielded by it, as well as increasing my own level. It''s mostly working on earning gold with it. Well, let''s talk about that later. The reason I called Yun is to talk about the crafting guild."


    "Crafting guild?"


    Talk about the crafting guild; I''ve heard about it before, but I wasn''t interested and refused so they didn''t bring up this topic again, still, I was a little interested.


    "Ohh?! Yun-kun, you''ve got interest in it? Then let''s talk about that before we talk about Cloude''s dungeon."


    "I''ll take it upon myself to explain."


    Saying so, he proudly grasped his black cloak and energetically wrapped his body with it.


    In that short moment Cloude''s equipment changed.


    A white shirt and grey vest. The long pants on the suspender accentuated his slender and long legs.


    In addition, he used his index finger to push-up the glasses with a square frame. Before I realized he took out a white board and hit it twice with a marker. That appearance of his looked like a detective''s assistant or was in image of 19th century''s scholar. That''s how it felt.


    While his everyday behaviour gave an unfortunate impression, as long as he remained silent his features were quite refined. However, that''s not where the problem was lying¡ª¡ª


    "Why did you change in a hurry! What kind of meaning is there in that!"


    "There is no meaning! It''s just for self-satisfaction!"


    He asserted that?! And continuing like that Cloude started explaining.


    "Listen well, what kind of guild we conceptualize for ourselves!"


    On the whiteboard he wrote ¡ºWhaat is a crafting guild??¡» with childish writing which annoyed me quite a bit. Lyly let out a ''waaa'' and clapped his hands and appalled Magi-san spat out a sigh,


    "In the first place, the crafting guild''s concept is to make a system promoting our concept of ¡ºfair price¡» as well as promoting technical enhancement among crafting players."


    Starting with that introduction, the guild''s concept itself has been explained.


    The crafting guild is centred on Magi-san and the others, and exists to support crafters.


    The amount of quarrels for places to open stalls in at the market has increased, invigoration of resale and buying up all the material items, and so on. In order to have fighters and crafters sober up and eliminate stress on them a guild hall will be created and various systems will be put in place. Is how it seemed.


    Centralizing the material trade and its simplification which will lead to decrease their costs. Also, stabilizing the crafted items'' cost.


    Support for new crafters, opening a variety of crafting facilities inside of the guild hall free of charge, offering a place to level and have an initial experience of crafting Senses.


    Giving a place for fighters and crafters to exhibit and sell the obtained and crafted items by holding auctions. Other than that, acting as an agency that sells items for players who do not have a shop.


    "Well, putting it simply, we''re making a backup system for crafters that do not have their own shops so that they could freely enjoy crafting?"


    "I can understand that. But what I don''t understand yet from that story is where the problem lies."


    "As expected, you can tell even with that vague explanation?"


    "Haa, somewhat."


    Such grand plans are bound to have difficulties. That''s why when they started explain it to me I thought there has to be some kind of problem.


    "Well, there''s only one problem¡ª¡ªwe have no money. We''ve ran out."


    "Ehh? Even the three of you top crafters together?"


    As I muttered, the three smiled wryly. "You''re overestimating us?" Lyly responded with a listless tone of voice, and Cloude explained the reason why was that.


    "No matter how much we earn, there''s only three of us. Three people or few dozens, if we do it poorly we won''t be able to create an organization capable of backing up several hundreds of fighters."


    Cloude stretched his shoulder once. Certainly, that might be so, I thought.


    "The guild establishment item ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ and the guild''s base, equipment and facilities necessary for the guild. Continued employment of NPCs in order to operate various facilities, initial cost of merchandise. There''s no guarantee we can raise it, but most of them are problems that can be solved with gold."


    Although I didn''t understand half of what he explained, I could understand the last part about needing more money.


    "And so, you want me to become a member and help out."


    "No no! We''re not going to insist on that, we know that Yun-kun plays solo. We ask for your cooperating with something else."


    Hurriedly, Magi-san strongly denied that idea, I might have used too low a tone of voice. I touched my throat and listened to what Magi-san had to say.


    "We want to ask you for funding so that we can establish a guild for fellow crafters. Even a small amount would be fine. Of course, if we manage to create the guild it will become a proxy responsible for sale so the time spent at market''s stalls will decrease and there will be more time for other activities. Also, we will purchase materials for more than NPC''s do and when we sell them, it will be cheaper as well. If materials are cheaper, it will be easier to raise crafting levels. There are merits like that."


    "In Yun''s case, it would publicize ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and you would get priority for necessary production material, or something like that. Well, these would be your benefits."


    Magi-san''s and Cloude''s proposal was attractive, but what does that mean for the crafting guild.


    "What about the crafting guild? Can you keep selling crafting materials with such minimal amounts of profit?"


    "No. Rather than earning by trading items, we intend to earn money by using entertainment events like auction. An admission fee, you see. Also, the auction''s primary role is to determine the value of new items and quest items."


    "Our primary principle is ¡ºSelling at reasonable price¡» after all. For the auction items that don''t have any balance between supply and demand, we can have crafters distribute them starting gradually from there, decreasing its price. That''s why. By preventing situation where players who lack common sense like Yun start supplying items free of charge in their ignorance, we will maintain integrity of crafter''s activities as one of our goals.''


    Somehow, I feel like I''ve been told something very rude, but since it''s a fact I''ll stay silent. I thought about it a few seconds and asked a question.


    "Then, are there any benefits for players who have funded the guild or people like guild members who have ties to it?"


    "Unfortunately, the crafting guild is not a company. There''s no dividend of the sales and no discounts on merchandise. The ones having it would be rather the resale guilds."


    Cloude categorically stated and then Magi-san added on.


    "It''s pure goodwill... maybe it doesn''t go that far, but isn''t it convenient to be in guild with other crafters? I think there would be many funders who think like that. The guild isn''t only for crafters but open to all players after all."


    Told so, I reviewed the entire story.


    "That''s fine. If it''s just funding¡ª¡ªrather, I don''t have any on me now so can I pass it at later date?"


    Hearing my words, Magi-san stroked her chest in relief, "it''s all right" said Lyly and "seems she''s convinced" said Cloude respectively.


    "As for the amount, is it fine to prepare just to an extent acceptable?"


    "Yup. Thank you, Yun-kun. Recently we''ve been continuing to secure money so it''s a big load off our shoulders. But if we use Cloude''s dungeon''s materials, it might turn easier to fund it."


    "Hey, Cloude. Can you earn that much with a dungeon?"


    "It''s the same as Lyly''s, in order to prepare stable operation a fair amount of preparations is necessary. It should be good time now, wanna take a look?"


    He said so and moved his finger in mid-air and visualised the menu for us to see.


    The semi-transparent menu was expanded to a size of a large TV and affixed in easy-to-read position.


    "This is the full view of the dungeon currently."


    What has appeared when he said that were maps filled with black and brown mass. There was a number of those maps and on each was a number indicating the tier.


    White dots on the map indicated the presence of players moving around in real-time.


    "Even if you show this to me like that, I don''t get it."


    After saying that, the map divided into squares and configured to display in 3D. However, since there was a large amount of information on each square, only the first layer was displayed.


    "Now then, as for the dungeon, I''ll start with explaining its concept. The concept is ¡ºTaking out the material¡» as main. ¡ºSurvive and return¡»."


    "Eh? Recently, wasn''t there a player who managed a dungeon just like Kurocchi? I''ve heard that the balance was poor and people wouldn''t approach it..."


    As Lyly spoke, Cloude responded with "good question".


    "To make a dungeon, Dungeon PointsDP are required. You can collect DP from spontaneous recovery, player''s defeat and from MP recovery of players in dungeon. From the other methods, there''s an emergency measure of exchanging 10kG for 1DP which would instead earning cause you a loss."


    "Hee, 1DP turns into 10kG eh. Seems quite profitable."


    "Unfortunately, it''s not such a convenient system. The upper limit of natural recovery is 10k DP at the initial level of the dungeon. If the level increases, that goes up by 1000 and the natural recovery is 100 DP per hour. The emergency measures have little effect and there''s a limit on the DP rates, as for changing DP into money on, the natural recovery being tenth of the total amount possible. Moreover there''s the rate of 100 points to 10kG. It''s not worth the candle."


    Cloude said so, and sighed finishing the explanation there.


    "Let''s go back to the topic. The dungeon Lyly spoke of was one that was created in mind with defeating players in order to earn DP."


    "I see. With high difficulty set in order to defeat players, it won''t attract anyone. No one would try leveling in a place where''s a high risk of getting a death penalty."


    "That''s right."


    "Then, how do you earn DP, Cloude?"


    Magi-san agreed convinced, Cloude confirmed it and then I asked a question I just thought of.


    "In my case, I have a low-cost dungeon below the range of DP''s natural recovery. Also, I use the MP recovery of players as the main. That''s why, the dungeon isn''t that safe."


    He said so, and showed us several 3D images of installations set up in the dungeon.


    Fundamentally, it was a cave-type dungeon. Crafting material-type items are placed as drops and collection points inside. Moreover, he didn''t forget to place some random chests in order to provide some flavour for players...


    "Hey, Cloude? I wonder, why is the crafting materials biased with most of them being for ¡¾Tailoring¡¿?"


    "Of course, it''s for my sake. I provide the players information about my own dungeon, and actively purchase materials they obtain. Don''t you think it''s a great matching?"


    "That''s not fair Kurocchi! Add some ¡¾Woodworking¡¿ materials too!"


    "It''s a cave-type dungeon, so make sure to add some locations you can mine ores at. Now that we have summarized the guild concept, you can''t just steal a march on everyone else!"


    "It''s not fair!" "Immediate opposition to monopolizing a collection field with crafting materials!" Half-jokingly Magi-san and Lyly raised their voices.


    Cloude ignored Magi-san''s and Lyly''s protests and continued to operate the menu. With a fearless grin on his face he enlarged a window showing a single location.


    "Hoo, are you trying to ignore us, Cloude?"


    "Before that, there''s something interesting to look at. Just now, there are players who have entered the depths."


    I promise to fund the guild''s establishment with it, and with Cloude saying that, the topic ended. He pointed at the semi-transparent screen and expanded a part.


    Advancing there was a group made up of almost only warrior-type players. For weapons, they had swords and spears, there was also a player with a hatchet for heavy blows. It seemed like a hurriedly-constructed and unbalanced party without anyone to act the scout role and they continued to walk straight forward.


    "¡ª¡ª3, 2, 1."


    Cloude began to count. When the count has reached 0, something that seemed like a purple magical circle has shined under the party''s feet and activated.


    "A trap?!"


    "Correct. Also, the effect''s this."


    ¡º"What? What happened!"¡» ¡º"Be careful! It''s a trap!"¡» ¡º"It''ll be dangerous if monsters spawn! Brace yourselves!"¡»


    Before the light has dispersed they have prepared the engine for battle and filled the blind spots by standing back-to-back. But¡ª¡ª


    Nothing happened.


    ¡º"What. Nothing''s there. Is this a bluff?"¡» ¡º"That scared me. It''s bad for the heart."¡» ¡º"However, we might have been too relaxed. We need to focus."¡»


    "Thank you for the treat. I can earn money by using traps like this too."


    Although the players on the other side of the screen leaked out sighs of relief grateful for the fact that nothing happened, Cloude muttered quietly and watched the remaining amount of DP displayed at the end of the menu which has increased.


    "Did it increase Kurocchi? But the players weren''t defeated, and they didn''t use neither skills nor arts."


    "Aaah?! I get it Cloude. It''s the kind of trap which uses ¡¾MP Absorption¡¿."


    "Oh, I see. So the trap has sucked MP out of them."


    I raised a voice as Cloude nodded. The MP consumed in the dungeon is converted into DP. This matches Cloude''s concept of earning DP without defeating players. However¡ª¡ª


    "So you install it in narrow passages, and places where there''s only a single road somewhat like toll gates."


    "Unfortunately, this trap''s location is changed randomly at regular intervals and its limited to be installed in locations large enough to make it possible for players to reliably avoid it. However, since there''s no damage dealt by this trap, it''s a good occasional income as its cost is low."


    "Is that so... hm?"


    The players who have left the MP absorption field have instantly disappeared at the edge of menu which was the limit of our field of view.


    No, it would be more correct that they fell into a pitfall trap.


    "Ohh, splendid fall."


    "But, isn''t that hole unexpectedly shallow? It''s filled with water, but doesn''t seem like a drowning trap, it can''t be a trap that causes discomfort by having people get wet it it?"


    "Of course that''s not it. Look carefully, Yun."


    While saying so, Cloude moved the angle from which the image was displayed, making it easy for us to see it. And, as we looked into the middle from that position, the depth of the hole seemed to be shallow enough for an adult male to jump out of. Also, floating at the bottom of the hole there was a myriad of floating, spherical bodies. I was relieved seeing it was something both unknown and familiar to me at the same time.


    "Oh, the pitfall is stuffed with a large amount of blue slimes huh."


    Just when I wondered what it meant, and what kind of devilish trap had Cloude created, he just tossed a number of weak and cheap slimes inside a hole. Relieved, I sipped some tea.


    Since I''ve engrossed myself with discussion, I quickly drank the cooled-off tea and poured myself a new cup of piping-hot tea.


    "Look, it''s starting."


    *plup plup*, *shlsh* *slsh*, they were surrounded by wriggling slimes? If anything, it only looked to me as if they were toying with the party as their HP decreased slightly... eh, decreased?


    I watched it while drinking tea from my cup, starting with just a millimetre of their HP bar decreasing it started to be scraped off strongly and before they could even react, they players have fallen inside of the slimes.


    "Bfuu?! Khkh keho..."


    "Uwaa?! Lyly is choking!"


    Lyly started coughing as the tea he was drinking entered his windpipe, I stroked his back, and looked at the slime puddle.


    Magi-san was shocked and didn''t give any reaction.


    "It''s a trap making full advantage of weak slime-type mobs. It''s name is ¡¾Slime Hell¡¿."


    "No, we''ve seen it but..."


    "This concept prioritizes DP recovery with low cost. First, the pitfall is specified to be at a size one can escape from so that it can be created at low cost. Slimes are set to respawn at the bottom of the pit and spring out at regular intervals, and the players are dropped into the crafted slime pool. Finally, there''s the chain attack bonus from saturation attack of large amounts of slimes, crushing players to death! In addition, if by any chance the trap is discovered, eliminating this many slimes would require the usage of skills and arts. Even their elimination will ensure an increase in DP, then, as time passes they will recover! It''s a great combo-trap when it comes to cost-to-performance ratio!"


    Cloude stood up from the chair and emphasized strongly. Seeing it, we looked up and opened our mouths dumbfounded as we stared at him.


    No, even if you emphasize it that much... Rather, because of amount of time from the point players have been dealt that tiny bit of damage, the speed at which the chain damage increased leading to their defeat was too great. I''ve had a weird feeling, unconvinced. Being defeated by weak mobs like slimes... at least make it a slime boss with a reward. I thought.


    "Cloude, is it that easy to get caught in a trap? Isn''t it pointless to just use traps?"


    "Fufufu, to make up for that, there''s this."


    He rubbed the menu with his finger, *snap*, the scene has switched and sounds were emitted. A single passage in form of a tunnel with side routes branching of it. And, a certain situation played out as there were stairs leading to the lower layer.


    ¡º"Ah, stairs leading down."¡» ¡º"All right, let''s proceed further down in here."¡» ¡º"It looks like there''ll be a good material for armour ahead of here, lets collect it and go back."¡» ¡º"Yeah, let''s get fired up and go!"¡»


    Distracted by the stairs in front of their eyes that were leading to the lower layer, the moment they set their feet on the intersection¡ª¡ª


    ¡º¡º¡º"UWAaAa?! AAaAaaaa¡ª¡ª"¡»¡»¡»


    The ground on the intersection rose up, tilting to the side blowing the players off into the side street. The moment they fell deep into the darkness ahead, a sound of water could be heard.


    " " "............" " "


    "And so, in order to induce people like this, traps like floor flip-up are very useful when combined with Slime Hell."


    Then, the reaction of players who fell into the side street''s Slime Hell disappeared.


    "Demon."


    "Devil."


    "Heartless."


    In order, Lyly, me, and Magi-san spoke a single word each towards Cloude.


    "What are you saying. Using a low-cost trap to accumulate damage. Isn''t it wonderful?"


    You should praise me more, said Cloude and looked down at us with a satisfied expression. No, that wasn''t a compliment. I retorted inside of my mind.


    No matter how I looked at it, rather than a type of a dungeon which kills people with monsters, it was one that uses traps to kill people off. Looking at it carefully, the traps were built in order to make it possible to avoid, but not everyone was careful enough to do that. Although it wasn''t difficult for players who had proceeded carefully and had the knowledge appropriate to their level, if they let themselves feel at ease and drop their guard taking it for a normal dungeon, they will be instantly swallowed by its concept.


    Were any players I''m acquainted with to visit this dungeon, I hoped it would end with nothing happening. Of course, I worried about both players and the dungeon.


    ¡ñ


    ¡º"Ohhh, so this is a player-made dungeon. What''s inside?"¡»


    ¡º"Mainly ¡¾Tailoring¡¿ materials, I wonder if we''ll be able to obtain materials for Rirei-san''s and Kohaku-san''s armour?"¡»


    At the dim entrance to the dungeon, looking at the depths of the dungeon there was a white-haired girl clad in silvery equipment. That''s right, my great little sister''s party set their foot into the dungeon¡ª¡ª


    "Gehh, Myu. Why is she there."


    "I made the entrance close to the town. Seeing her come isn''t surprising."


    So he made the entrance in such a place, I didn''t know about that. Having a dungeon right beside the town doubled the possibility of Myu''s advent.


    ¡º"Then, Tobi-san in front to warn us of traps. Hino-san and I will be vanguards. In the middle, Rirei-san and Kohaku-san as the mage-types. Staying in the back vigilant of surprise attacks will be Myu-san who can handle both proximity fighting and use magic."¡»


    "Hmm. A theoretically perfect formation. With this, they should be able to easily reach the second tier. Well, it would be good if they recover materials up to that point and go back. Advance any more than that and... kukuku..."


    "Hey, Cloude, no matter how I look at it you seem like a villain. Restrain yourself a little."


    I held my temple and spat out a small sigh. As I stared in Cloude''s eyes, he just shrugged his shoulders acting like a movie producer. Sorry about that, my joke didn''t go through.


    Then, I quietly looked away from the dungeon, taking a glance at Magi-san and Lyly. They were staring curious, wondering how will Myu and the others complete the dungeon and occasionally, they raised voices of admiration.


    When it came to how it felt, it was like watching a reality show in TV. The challengers were proceeding nimbly through the high-difficulty course in a time-attack type event. Unlike other individuals on the same course, there was a completely drama displaying completely different human qualities.


    Certainly, having the challengers face countless and ever-changing difficulties might have been common with such programs. Thinking like that, I got convinced and decided to observe Myu and the others complete the dungeon.


    "Actually, I don''t know how Myu and the others are acting at times like this."


    It''s a good opportunity, and with that I started looking carefully. Thinking that, I poured more tea as I observed them.


    They proceeded through the first layer smoothly, they collected materials and defeated mobs. Their progression seemed steady and peaceful. The traps at this point were still reasonable and at most at the level of harassment.


    Occasionally, they passed by the side of MP absorption traps, they were at the level where Toutobi as the scout could find a workaround for.


    The degree of these traps too was at pitfalls with depth reaching at most to ankle and mud inside that have behavioural inhibition as their goal. There were many laughter-inducing traps from which escaping was easy.


    As long as they had the right Senses, they could avoid or dispel them. It weren''t that significant problems. However, what I was bothered about was¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"And then, you see, a while ago Sei-oneechan has..."¡»


    ¡º"Really, you do love your older sisters a lot don''t you, Myu."¡»


    ¡º"It''s familial love!"¡»


    ¡º"Fufufu... what a wonderful familial love. Makes me want to attach flowers to the background. Mainly lilies too."¡»


    ¡º"Rireei, come baack. Na good, she''s tripped."¡»


    Somehow, the one most at peace was the peerless combatant Myu. Rather than being preoccupied with combat, she continued to chat.


    What did I and Sei-nee do, what happened to us... Myu continued to happily talk about things like that. Lucato continued to listen to that with a smile on her face, Toutobi and Hino too, without dropping down their vigilance processed the mobs they encountered and joined the conversation with a smile on their lips.


    As for Rirei... she has already travelled alone into world of delusions. Her face was red and she had an ecstatic expression, she started breathing roughly which felt sexy, though Kohaku struggled to return her back to sanity, she gave up before long.


    And, rather than that¡ª¡ª


    "S-so embarrassinggggggggggg!!"


    The cry I let out with a stifled voice towards Myu didn''t reach her.


    Seeing that Magi-san and Cloude stared at me with a grin and Lyly had an expression saying ''you have nice hobbies''.


    "Earlier during the holiday, despite there being a stock of snacks in the house you bought pudding and ate it before five minutes even passed, and so on, there''s a lot of cute things there."


    "Lyly!"


    "Ain''t that fine? Buying and eating pudding. You must have wanted to eat one right?"


    "...back then, there were different snacks in the house. Somehow, it felt like, or rather I had a transient desire to eat something else. Although I do feel like there''s no point in buying what''s not absolutely necessary but..."


    "So serious aren''t you. I thought. Pondering if it''s all right to buy something that''s already in your home, balancing the budget and your own needs on a scale... so, what was the result?"


    "I forced Myu to buy it. ''There''s nothing I''d really like to it, so go and buy it''. Umm... the pudding from speciality store was delicious."


    Although it was a surprisingly expensive pudding, it had a reasonable amount of caramel and bitterness, because I''m personally not satisfied with things that are too sweet, the result of shopping was quite good.


    Prioritizing pudding before other snacks which had their expiration dates still far away was not a problem at all, thinking about it it now, what kind of stupid thing I was worrying about. I thought.


    "To put it the other way around, normally you suppress your own desires, isn''t that right? Even so, you really get along well, the three of you sisters together. It''s a mystery as to why you haven''t made a party together."


    "Mmh... there''s a lot of things on our side too. Also, it''s not three sisters, I''m a man."


    Even if we do get along, it''s not like we''re together all the time in real, moreover the way we play the game is considerably different.


    Rather than involve myself with them forcibly right from the beginning, it''s best to occasionally associate with them for a limited amount of time.


    We drank tea and ate snacks as we merrily chatted, and meanwhile Myu and the others have proceeded further.


    "Now then, they passed the first tier, and entered the second. The enemies aren''t any stronger, but how will they handle the traps?"


    "Hey, Cloude. How many tiers in total does this dungeon have?"


    "Four simple tiers. Even though I say that, the last one is basically a straight line leading to the boss room so you could call it three tiers. It takes quite a while to get there, but if taking the shortest route on the way back, one could leave in over 10 minutes."


    Hearing that response, I turned my gaze towards Myu and the others again. They were able to handle enemies with ease and on the display they were about to reach that point with the Slime Hell from before.


    ¡º"...excuse me. There''s a large trap in here. A pressure-sensitive trap."¡»


    ¡º"Everyone, stop!"¡»


    Toutobi informed them of the trap''s presence and Lucato halted everyone by sending a signal to stop with a commanding and clear voice. She pondered for a few seconds and after managing to come up to a conclusion, she asked the party members for their opinions.


    ¡º"It''s possible that the level increases with each level. I think it would be good to activate one of those to have a better grasp, how about it?"¡»


    To Lucato''s proposal, led by Myu voices in favour have resounded. As for the one to trigger it, Hino was chosen.


    ¡º"Hino-san, could you please do it?"¡»


    ¡º"Okayy Lucato. Is it fine if I just hit this place with my hammer?"¡»


    She said so and hit the trap with a large sledgehammer, the pitfall turned into a hole.


    Although the Slime Hell he was boasting about was easily found, Cloude was looking at the situation without any expression in particular.


    ¡º"Uwaa, it''s filled with slimes. Somehow, they''re all jiggly."¡»


    ¡º"Feelin'' like a physiological reception. Hey, Myu, Rirei. Wha'' we goin'' to do''?"¡»


    ¡º"Hmm. The situations with mucus can be quite maniac can''t they."¡»


    ¡º"You! What''cha talkin'' ''bout!"¡»


    ¡º"Fufufu, well, let''s leave it at that and burn it out¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Burn¡·!"¡»


    ¡º"Oohh! Like usual, Rirei''s doing things flashily."¡»


    ¡º"Thank you very much for the compliment, Myu-san."¡»


    ¡º"No, consult it with us before ya do somethin''. Geez, Rirei..."¡»


    Myu looked up at the flames spouting from the pitfall and creeping up the ceiling, Rirei let out a boastful feeling. In contrast to it, Kohaku who was acting as Rirei''s stopper let out a tired sigh, Lucato and Hino smiled wryly. Toutobi had an expression that was hard to read, but she seemed to enjoy the atmosphere.


    At this rate the second tier won''t be a problem either. And as I though that, the man beside me has made a very steep expression.


    "Up to this point this is the first time they used either a skill or art. Also, even though they used magic in order to break a trap, despite that attack power the amount of DP awarded was also low. She must have ¡¾MP Consumption reduction¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Attack Power Increase¡¿ Senses. It''s a loss considering the DP consumed in order to replenish mobs that were defeated. I need to go on offensive here."


    Cloude started muttering something shady.


    On the second tier, once, because of the better concealment Myu got in danger and almost fell into a pitfall, but using ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ she kicked off the walls inside the hole when about a half of her body fell inside and using three-dimensional movement she returned to the surface before she could fall to the bottom. After being attracted by those movements the Slime Hell was burned down by Rirei''s flames.


    And, the third tier. It was the area Cloude has called substantially last tier. When they entered it, Cloude issued commands to the dungeon.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Emergency CommandOrder¡¿. 40 of ¡¾Undead¡¿ and 30 of¡¾Cursed Flame¡¿ from third floor are to repel the intruders. The ¡¾Spirit¡¿ which appears on the 3rd tier is to be relocated to 4th tier, to be carried out immediately!"


    Responding to Cloude''s order, mummy-type undead bearing spears and clad in armour as well as souls releasing a black flame has slowly began to move as ordered to. The strength of those mobs was greater than those from the area before, but they weren''t strong enough to stop Myu and the others. And besides that¡ª¡ª


    "...I''m glad these aren''t the horror-type."


    Because he said ''undead'' I imagined them to be more like ones from a horror, but if there was a way to describe them it would be a wooden-doll like figures and dark-shaded lanterns that were only a little bit scary. However, the darkness in the vacancies they had for eyes and mouths felt a little eerie.


    In a narrow passage a platoon of those has assembled and prepared themselves to blockade the party with their spears poised.


    ¡º"...that seems hard for me as my dagger''s range is very short."¡»


    ¡º"It''s a moderate blockade, we can suppress them with Rirei-san''s and Kohaku-san''s AOE attacks."¡»


    Toutobi muttered that her reach is too short, Lucato had it a little difficult with the bastard sword she was proud of and used it like a shield parrying the attacks with the side of the sword.


    Hino too, has switched from the sledgehammer to a long spear, mutually restraining the enemy and waiting for magic suppression come from behind but¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"Oh come on! Something came out of the wall!"¡»


    ¡º"Tchh! That black flame, it doesn''t have much attack power but causes a ¡¾Curse¡¿ abnormal status!"¡»


    ¡º"Fufufu, that''s troublesome. If hit by ¡¾Curse¡¿¡ª¡ªbut well, this time, I can''t ignore it so let''s shower it with magic. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Wall¡·!"¡»


    ¡º"That ''ight be good. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Aero Bash¡·! "¡»


    ¡º"Pushing the envelope eh. Nice! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Wave¡·!"¡»


    Magic of the three people in the rear went flying towards the mummy soldiers and broke their figures momentarily.


    Cloude looking from our side at the screen had a cheerful smile on his face. No matter how you look at it, it was unfavourable situation for him. Also, since he called emergency MOBs his DP has dropped significantly. However...


    "Kukuku, it was completed just in time."


    "Cloude? How about you drop that tough act and let them complete the dungeon?"


    Magi-san squinted a bit happy and muttered. However, it seemed like she was feeling happy from seeing Cloude struggle so much.


    "I''ve told you right, this is the low-cost combo dungeon. Multiple elements are brought together in order to make a perfect combination. This, is no longer a fight for DP. It has turned into a battle in order to reproduce the situation I imagined for my dungeon! I''m no longer bothered about the damage!"


    "What damage, Kurocchi. The number of mobs you went out of your way calling has dwindled that''s all."


    "No, something''s weird."


    As Lyly pointed it out, I found a change.


    What did Cloude command earlier? It were instructions for re-deployment of two mob types. However, the mobs that were should have been on the third floor in the first place weren''t there. And those, have escaped from inside of the mummy soldiers'' bodies.


    These were suspicious cyan-coloured souls. They passed through the walls all at once, escaping.


    "Something came out! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Wave¡·! Grr, they ran away."


    Myu noticed the cyan ¡¾Spirit¡¿ and took one down with magic, but a number of others had disappeared into the wall. After that, mummy soldiers rushed in and filled the void that was created.


    Then Myu got in contact with the black ball of fire which appeared from the wall and slashed it with a sword, dispersing it.


    "Now then, let''s use this third tier in order to introduce the boss'' concept."


    Rising up from the chair, Cloude showed off.


    "First, I''ll explain the role of each mob. While the Undead are slowing down the players, when they are defeated a large amount of spirits are sure to be released. And Cursed Flames that slip through the walls are mobs that lack substance and cast a bad status, ¡¾Curse¡¿."


    "W-why Spirits? Why is there a need to produce a large amount of mobs?"


    "That''s the boss'' cornerstone. However¡ª¡ªwell, you''ll understand once you see it. I''ll set it aside for you to enjoy later."


    Cloude said so and, "kukuku", a laughter sounded from his throat before he resumed explanation.


    "Now, here''s the question. Why do you think I have Cursed Flames use ¡¾Curse¡¿?"


    Hearing his question I placed a hand on my mouth and thought about it. If I''m not wrong, ¡¾Curse¡¿ was decreasing 1% MP per second and a random negative effect, so the MP''s reduction was...


    "I see. What you''re saying Cloude, is that you ensure the DP gain by using ¡¾Curse¡¿."


    "Also, if the ¡¾Curse¡¿ stays on the players, DP will continuously increase, and if recovery magic is used to dispel it, DP will still increase."


    Satisfied with Magi-san''s and Lyly''s answers Cloude nodded. In fact, when an opportunity for Myu to cast a recovery magic, ¡¾Dispel¡¿, Cursed Flames started spreading ¡¾Curse¡¿ again. However, the second time and the third time the surprise attack''s success rate has decreased, in the end, all the Undead and Cursed Flames were wiped out, a number of spirits was released and the third tier was cleaned up.


    ¡º"We finally stopped the flow of enemies. There''s no traps ahead."¡»


    ¡º"Then, let''s have a small break here. Our arts and skills, as well as MP is low because of the ¡¾Curse¡¿. I''m tired?."¡»


    ¡º"That''s because you are protecting, attacking and healing, Myu. You were the one who worked the hardest."¡»


    Gudahh, the party members looked at Myu with a smile as she sloppily leaned her back on the wall of the passage. They rested for a predetermined amount of time, recovered the rest of MP with MP Potions and rushed to the deepest part.


    "Now, the last gimmick! The third tier''s cornerstone and the boss of the fourth tier¡ª¡ªThe demon dog ¨C Hellhound."


    There was only one bowl-shaped room and a single dog inside. It was about as big as amedium-sized mob and was a bit too small for a boss. Floating all around, there were dozens of spirits that were created earlier.


    ¡º"Is the boss only that? Also, the death candles from before."¡»


    Hino muttered. Hellhound reacted to it and stood up, it barked towards the ceiling.


    Following the echoing voice, the spirits drifting around were absorbed into Hellhound all at once, its body increased in size with each spirit entering it and became enormous, it finally had a size appropriate for a boss mob.


    Seeing that sight, not only me but also Magi-san and Lyly were agape.


    "Spirits are mobs without no capability to attack. And the only Sense they possess is ¡¾Possession¡¿. The possessed target''s stats rise accordingly to the level of the ¡¾Possession¡¿ Sense. And there''s 32 of those. Although several of them were downed during the fight, the Hellhound absorbed all the remaining ones. It''s strength is beyond comparison."


    The dog''s howling turned more powerful for each spirit it has absorbed and it turned powerful enough to be called a roar, Myu and the others confronting it were attacked by pressure coming from it.


    And the battle with Hellhound has began.


    Although it was as large as a medium-sized boss mob, it ran through the ground with the mobility of the original Hellhound. Powerfully charging in, it has tore up the party''s formation.


    ¡º"Ha, na?ve¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"¡»


    With that, Lucato released a diagonal slash with her bastard sword, blowing it away.


    ¡º"......¡¶Neck Hunt¡·"¡»


    The Hellhound rebuilt its posture in mid-air turning around, right before its legs could touch the ground again, Toutobi moved at high speed and jumped right above the Hellhound, using Arts with the daggers she held inverted in her hands she attacked the enemy in a flash.


    In response to the slashing attack Arts which seemed like it would crush its neck from above, the Hellhound fell down.


    During the short moment before it could rise up Myu and Hino approached and swung their weapons.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"¡»


    ¡º"¡ª¡ª¡¶Grand Hammer¡·!"¡»


    Myu flashed with a pale blue light and released five consecutive attacks in an instant into the Hellhound''s side. After a moment of delay, when the Hellhound''s body rose up Hino swung down a sledgehammer on it.


    Once again hitting the ground, the Hellhound rolled and tried to rebuild its posture. And the last one was¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"Fufufu, let''s dispose of it with maximum temperature."¡»


    ¡º"Big move''s preparations are complete!"¡»


    Rirei and Kohaku moved into positions where their extended staff and wand made a 90¡ã angle, and had Hellhound as the point where their magic overlapped.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Circle¡·!"¡»


    ¡º"¡ª¡ª¡¶Little Tornado¡·!"¡»


    A flame circle released by Rirei has surrounded the Hellhound and converged as to block its escape route.


    The circle compressed to the limit, wrapped around the Hellhound and stirred up an explosion.


    A small tornado was released towards the Hellhound''s body that''s been swallowed by flames and has roused the flames further increasing the temperature.


    Seeing a fire tornado suddenly created in the dungeon and be displayed all over the screen stunned everyone.


    "Kurocchi''s miscalculation is to give Myu-chan and the others a wide space to act in."


    "No way, for the boss Cloude made so much preparations for to be so overwhelmed, they''ve got amazing combination."


    To Lyly''s analysis and Magi-san''s murmur, I''ve once again witnessed the strength of Myu''s party.


    Despite consuming a large amount of DP in order to raise the Hellhound''s level and capabilities, it''s been handled this easily, that was a bit pitiful. I thought.


    And looking at the damage dealt to Hellhound, this battles'' MVP''s were Rirei and Kohaku.


    To Rirei''s strongest fire power Kohaku has timed and released her wind magic, due to the synergy effect even a bigger amount of damage has been dealt.


    Lucato has confronted the Hellhound from the front and blown it to the side, then Toutobi used a fast and accurate surprise attack, Myu and Hino stepped up matching the timing. In front of their perfect combination, Hellhound was overwhelmed.


    The Hellhound was trapped in the fire tornado and continuously damaged, but there was still 30% of its HP remaining. Then Myu''s attack caught up with it.


    ¡º"It hasn''t fallen yet, tenacious. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·! "¡»


    Releasing a laser beam of light magic from her fingertip pointing at the Hellhound that was trapped in whirlwind she burned it further. Then, a complete silence has come. After seeing the enemy being played with one-sidedly like that, I started to sympathize with it.


    "Trying to use mobility against Myu and others was a wrong move. Although their three-dimensional means of attacking were sealed in the dungeon''s narrow passage, it''s been released all at once during the battle with the boss."


    If anything, it was their best performance today.


    Taken aback by the loss, Cloude''s shoulders were trembling.


    "You should have let them fight normally and go back."


    "Kukuku, certainly, I have lost as a dungeon master. However, my desires don''t end here."


    "Haa? What are you..."


    A moment later, the Hellhound has completely disappeared. And, seeing the treasure chest left behind by the Hellhound an indescribable anxiety assaulted me.


    ¡º"Now theen, what''s the treasure? Eh, uh?"¡»


    ¡º"...the dungeon is quite deep so it should be quite decent, hey, Myu?"¡»


    ¡º"Ara ara..."¡»


    Myu was the first one to open the chest, she took out what was inside and looked at it. Her eyes looked at it in wonder as she was puzzled, seeing it her comrades made wry smiles.


    And, on this side¡ª¡ª


    "Hahahahaha, certainly I have lost the match, with that said, my objective is something else."


    "It''s just like you, Kurocchi."


    "To put it this way, it''s quite a sloppy way to end it."


    In response to the lines spoken by Cloude, Magi-san and Lyly looked at the screen amazed. What came out from the treasure box, were six different outfits


    Most of it were remodelled clothing like swimsuit with small amounts of clothing and wedding dress, a bold twisted costume with upper part of the chest left open and a headband with horns, from normal ones there were yukata''s with cute goldfish and floral patterns like those taken to watch fireworks. Including the small accessories there was an assortment that exceeded twenty cosplay costume pieces.


    After seeing them one by one, overlooking Myu and the others as they picked it up, I have grasped Cloude''s collar who has intentionally manipulated the boss drop.


    "What are you sending to someone''s little sister and her friends!"


    "But doesn''t it sound fun!"


    "Think of my feelings when I''m forced to wear such an outfit!"


    I shook Cloude''s collar strongly with one hand and hit the table time after time with the other in protest. Magi-san and Lyly quickly perceived the impact on the table and lift cups with tea as well as the dishes with sandwiches and cookies.


    For a while I continued to voice my protests, but Myu who has been inspecting the cosplay costumes has raised a voice.


    ¡º"Thank youuu!"¡»


    "...hey, just now, didn''t Myu call out while facing this way?"


    "Certainly, but there''s nothing visible like surveillance cameras in the relay points."


    Surprised by the fact that Myu was able to pinpoint us like that, our movements stopped.


    ¡º"Myu-san, what are you doing?"¡»


    ¡º"Hm? Somehow, I felt like we''ve been looked at by someone, no that''s not it. Somewhat, I felt like this chest was set-up deliberately, so I just faced towards there and waved."¡»


    Myu tilted her neck surprised by her own action made without any reason in particular, seeing that Lucato smiled wryly.


    However, everyone has agreed that the contents of the treasure chest seemed to be deliberately set up, and then, everyone was reminded of the fact that this was a player-made dungeon.


    ¡º"Then, we had a lot of fun today, thank you very much! If the dungeon grows further we''ll come again!"¡»


    Because of her good intuition, Myu looked exactly towards where the relay point was despite it being invisible and have made a declaration that they''ll come to regularly reduce Cloude''s DP. With a distant look in his eyes, Cloude laughed dryly.


    Lilies, in other words ¨C °ÙºÏ yuri, meaning love between girls.

 Chapter Volume 3 2

    Chapter 2 ¨C The Library and Linguistics


    The ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop area; In the corner where the¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ equipment is installed, a new item was placed.


    "The thing I asked Lyly for before is finally done. Let''s arrange them immediately."


    What I took out of the inventory was an empty bookshelf made of polished wood and varnished. It was about as high as I am tall, and seeing the glossy woodgrain gave me a sense of security.


    I''d asked Lyly, who''s a woodworker, if he could try making one, but he easily accepted my request. He said that he''s bored as he''s been only making staffs and he''ll gladly make something else. Apparently he already built a shipyard and was so bored he could barely stand it.


    On the woodworker-made bookshelf I continued to line up items that have been neglected up until this moment.


    "Various ornaments should be placed up high, in a spot where their sight can be easily enjoyed after all. And then in the middle shelves I should put the books... good, feels good."


    I muttered alone in the workshop section and continued to place items as to fill the blanks on the shelves.


    Starting from the middle and proceeding down, I have continued to place the books I''d obtained during the summer event, on the upper shelves I placed the accessories I''d also gotten during that event, decorating them.


    The accessories were put in cases in order to make them look of more importance as decorations. Most of these ornaments were accessories that were cursed with various disadvantageous effects. Since I intended to use them as references for ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s designs, there was no problem even if they couldn''t be put into a practical use.


    When I placed all of the items I had in plan to decorate the bookshelf with, the result was the third of the shelves being filled.


    "Well, it''s finished. Even so, there seems to be a problem."


    Muttering, I pulled out one of the books I just placed on the shelf and turned a page. After that, I tried skimming the entire book, but in fact, I couldn''t read a single word, a single letter. It was the same for all the books on the bookshelf.


    "Haa, well, since Cloude has ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ I took it too to read it, but as expected ¨C I can''t do it with level 1."


    Once again muttering, I opened the menu to check status of my Senses.


    Possessed SP20


    ¡¾Bow Lv28¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv38¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv42¡¿¡¾Magic Power Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv1¡¿


    Unequipped: ¡¾Alchemy Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿


    ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv30¡¿¡¾Cooking Lv21¡¿


    These are my current Senses. Speaking of what has changed, by using 1SP I obtained ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ and turned ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ into the higher sense which is ¡¾Engraving¡¿.


    As for the new ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense, there''s nothing special about it to speak of, aside from fact that its required in order to read the letters. For the higher Sense which had me consume 2SP in order to change it into ¡¾Engraving¡¿, a lot has changed.


    First, ¡¾Engraving¡¿ allows me to provide a limited amount of additional effects into the item I create.


    For example, if there''s a reinforcement material, it will give an effect associated with it. In addition, ¡¾Engraving¡¿ originally has a capability of include an additional effect granting the item''s user additional stats which looks like ¡¾XX Bonus¡¿. With that said, since ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ is already providing additional effect, there''s still a lot to figure out about it.


    Another point is, that it becomes possible to create accessories with a variety of materials. Of course, that means materials other than metals. This is where the ¡¾Engraving¡¿ is written with golden letters. I felt like retorting to myself, but then stopped thinking to deeply about it.


    Anyway, unlike before where I could only make accessories from ingots, I have a wide range of freedom when it comes to creating accessories now.


    Well, let''s put that aside¡ª¡ª


    "Reading books, that means a library right? If I''m not wrong, there should be one in the North part of the town."


    Occasionally I stroll the medieval European-style town made out of bricks and cobblestone to enjoy the unique atmosphere, thanks to that I more or less know the location of various facilities. From among those, my current destination was the library, it should be facing west towards the main street at the intersection. I should be able to get there without getting lost.


    "No time like the present, I guess? Let''s go there immediately."


    When I left the workshop area of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I moved to the store area; young beasts Ryui and Zakuro looked up from the sunny spot they were napping in.


    I spoke to the salesperson who was at the counter, Kyouko-san the NPC to tell her that I''ll be going out.


    "Kyouko-san, I''ll be going to library for a bit."


    "I see. But, why so suddenly?"


    "To level up ¡¾Linguistics¡¿? I can''t properly read the books I have as I am now."


    "I understand. Take care, Yun-san."


    Lowering her head lightly, Kyouko-san made a soft and charming smile.


    And at the same time, Ryui and Zakuro who heard our conversation stood up and moved closer to me. They looked up at me from below, are you going out? Then take us too. That''s what it felt like they were saying.


    "I don''t think it''s that interesting a place but... well, let''s have a stroll while at it."


    If I recall correctly, next to the library there is a space to rest in with a green lawn in it.


    It might be good for Ryui and Zakuro to bask in the sun for a bit. I smiled inside of heart and picked Zakuro up with both of my hands.


    While supporting the two tails and its butt with one hand, I left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ with Ryui walking beside me.


    The ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was located in the south part of the town and had an exit leading towards the main street which extended north. Above the street there was cloth extending and on the sides were players who brought tables and ran restaurant services. The more elaborate those were, the more people those stalls attracted.


    "The number of players who are using the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense sure has increased."


    Recently, it has turned into a trend where nearly half of the player stalls sell ingredients or food items.


    A while ago, ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense was only used for producing items that temporarily increased stats, honestly, its usability wasn''t too good. If used by someone unskilful, it would turn into poison before long and the low amount of monster-dropped materials for stat-increasing food, there were many facets making it hard to use. However, along with the introduction of the satiety system in an update right before the summer event, now with everyone conscious of the satiety level which players needed in order to play for a long time, naturally the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ has come into the spotlight.


    "Well, it does look like a risky business though..."


    Despite there being a high demand, not necessarily all cuisine prepared by players is high level. In particular, there are some stalls that have a mixture of good and bad things. There''s a variety of cooking that goes beyond the basics needed for satisfying satiety. And there, was the room for development when it comes to the Cooking Sense.


    "Let''s grab a bite somewhere and head for the library."


    Hearing my words Ryui turned towards me, and started pressing on my back at a specific angle as to make sure it doesn''t hit me with its horn, as if saying ''let''s hurry and look for something tasty''.


    In addition, seeing Zakuro who was nestled in both of my arms look at me with expectant eyes and cheerfully wave its two tails, I smiled wryly.


    "Good grief, when it comes to food, your eyes change colour."


    I muttered as if I was amazed, knowing that I was the one who made them remember the taste of food I continued to make a bitter smile.


    "You can choose what you want judging by smell."


    When I said that, Ryui''s and Zakuro''s line of sight started wandering busily, then, they turned towards one of the stalls.


    Just in time, on one of the stalls skewered pork just finished baking so I headed towards it. Noticing me, the person from the stall raised his hand towards me.


    Startled by the action, Zakuro suddenly slipped out of my arms and hid behind my hood.


    However... well, it hid itself only partially as its two fluffy tails were sticking out, swaying. Both the clerk and I smiled wryly at that.


    "Excuse me, please give me ten skewers with pork."


    "Yeap. Big Boar skewers, freshly baked too."


    "Ah, do you have a dish or something for take out?"


    "Dish for take out eh, I see. Got it. Also, two more as a service for showing me something good."


    The nice guy at the stall received payment for the skewers, grinned, and sent a strong glance towards Zakuro''s tail. Probably noticing that gaze, Zakuro''s body stiffened in my hood and his fur ruffled up. He''s still not accustomed to contact with humans, I thought.


    I spoke for a moment with the man, when I received the skewers and dish the first thing I did was to remove meat from skewers other than my own, dividing them onto dish.


    I figured it would be hard for Ryui and Zakuro to eat skilfully if I passed them the skewers, and thus devised an easy way for them to eat. Ryui and Zakuro who slipped out from the hood started to compete over the meat that was put on the dish. Although Zakuro was bothered by people''s gazes for a moment, it lost to its own appetite and started eating the meat from the dish.


    "As expected of ¡¾Nanny¡¿. I didn''t notice that, but you sure do notice these fine details. This time, allow me to offer you those pork skewers which went on the dish as a service."


    "So you know that nickname... um, personally, I don''t really like that ¡¾Nanny¡¿ name."


    When I raised my eyebrows making a troubled expression, he raised his hand saying "sorry" and handed me another skewer as a service. I obediently accepted it.


    I tried biting onto the pork, and I could feel a soy-sauce based taste. Its slightly sweet, seasoned taste would probably be popular with millions of people. Because it was a bit greasy, I was satisfied with a single one, how many of these do you think I can eat. On the other hand, my hungry young beasts cleaned up 10 skewers + service but...


    "Thank you for the meal. Can you wrap a few of them for me as gifts? If there''s another chance I''ll come again."


    "But ¡¾Nanny¡¿ herself has the Cooking Sense right? There should be no need to eat out on the stalls, is there. Also, I''ve seen something good too. Small animals are cute after all."


    As the man older than me glanced at Zakuro with an incredibly sloppy expression, I smiled wryly for nth time today.


    I said a light farewell and moved away from the stall, heading to the library.


    Leaving the main street which was more crowded than usual was quite difficult. At that time, something big and far from human has approached me. Something that looked like a grey rock was gradually wading through people.


    "...w-what''s that."


    "Mutsu? What is it? Did something happen?"


    The grey mass has moved pushing people aside and appeared in front of my eyes. Startled by its size, me, Zakuro and Ryui stopped in our tracks.


    Then, a long nose started sniffing the package with skewers I just bought. I slowly followed the nose in front of me and looked up at the source of the voice, a girl with elf ears with whom I was familiar with has leaned her head out to look down in my direction.


    "Oh? Yun-san, hello?"


    "Letia? And... a new tamed beast?"


    My face was spasming a little as I looked up at the thing with grey skin¡ª¡ªit had short tusk growing, limbs thicker than my body, the existence that could freely move its long and distinctive nose was¡ª¡ªan elephant.


    Letia jumped down using the leg of an existence which could be called enormous elephant as a scaffold. Comparing Letia and the elephant she came down from made my neck feel painful because of its size.


    "Yes. The new tamed beast Mutsuki. Nicknamed Mutsu."


    "Even so, was there a mob like this out there? You really did well to tame a boss-class mob."


    "This child¡ª¡ªis one of the children from the event before."


    "...ha?"


    I tilted my neck slightly and the voice I let out was loose, but Letia seemed to be serious. She looked towards me who couldn''t keep up with understanding and continued.


    "It''s a young beast I have made one of my comrades during the event before. A young beast of Ganesha."


    "That means... it''ll grow even bigger?"


    The giant elephant in front of me was still a child, although I was horrified by that fact, Letia lowered her eyebrows somewhat troubled.


    "That''s right. Because its so big, it''s very costly too. For example, summoning and maintaining cost, food, moving around the city and food."


    "No, wait. Why did you said ''food'' twice."


    As I retorted, "is there a problem?" Letia tilted her neck. No, not really... hey, while we were talking Mutsuki the Ganesha''s nose has been attracted by the package with skewers. No way, are they targeted?


    "By the way, how much does it need to eat?"


    "Who knows? Whenever we go through the town it sidetracks to the stalls, other than that, there are players who feed it because it''s rare but that won''t continue indefinitely. Just now it has eaten everything on the stalls on that side so I''m a bit low on money..."


    She put a hand on her cheek and said "what should we do now?" suddenly an atmosphere appeared which seemed like I''ll be asked for something, then what should I do. I ended up wanting to retort.


    "Well, Mutsu can do a lot of little things so please pass us some food."


    "Even if you say food... what I have now is only those skewers and what I have in the inventory..."


    Like Ryui and Zakuro, Mutsuki seemed to understand my words and faced towards me with sparkling, extremely expectant look in its eyes. Despite looking like a huge elephant, it was like an innocent lamb and it made it hard for me to refuse.


    "Geez, it can''t be helped. Here, eat a little."


    When I gently unwrapped the skewers smell of sweet sauce has spread. The elephant''s nose reacted and skilfully picked up a skewer. Although the meat was still on the skewers, I guess that''s fine. When I thought that, the elephant used its nose and mouth to skilfully eat the meat. Although this amount of meat was insufficient for its huge body, but when it opened his eyes wide and opened its mouth enjoying it, I felt somewhat happy about it.


    "Hmmhmm. This sauce is quite good. On which stall did you buy it?"


    "Hey! Ahh, Letia''s eating it too! Also, Ryui and Zakuro are eating again?!"


    While my line of sight was stolen, Letia has shrewdly taken one of the skewers and evaluated the taste together with Mutsuki. Although I cried out in protest, my own young beasts started appealing to me that they want some too, so I reluctantly placed a dish down and removed the meat from the skewers.


    "What is it. Why are you looking at me with such eyes."


    Letia and her partner Mutsuki finished eating first and now were staring in this direction with eyes full of envy. So it wasn''t enough, I thought and let out a small sigh.


    "Geez. Is something else fine?"


    "Sure, as long as it''s delicious."


    "No, it should be ''as long as it''s food'' right?"


    Why is she sneakily requesting something tasty. But even as I thought that, from the inventory I took out a basket of sandwiches which are one of ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s products.


    "Thank you very much. Let''s dig in."


    Letia and Mutsuki swiftly picked the taken out sandwiches one by one and threw them in their mouths. After continuously retorting, I felt quite exhausted, and then when I saw their happy appearances my expression loosened. Then I noticed that I didn''t have an opportunity to touch an elephant in real before, and for a change I started getting interested.


    "......!!"


    Sneakily I tried to stretch a hand to it as it was eating, but Mutsuki was a fast eater, before I could touch its nose it already snatched a sandwich from the basket and I withdrew my hand. Then, I tried to stretch out my hand again to it but I couldn''t get the timing right to catch it. Letia laughed finding it funny.


    "There''s no problem if you want to touch it. Everyone feeds it and touches it because its rare."


    "No, um... is it fine?"


    I''ve been found out, although I wanted to deny, I''ve been silenced by Letia. Because she shook her head vertically, saying that there was no problem with it, I determined myself and tried patting its nose.


    Mutsu who was in middle of eating sent me a glance, ''what is it?'' and got absorbed in eating again. Although Mutsuki was comfortable in touch, it was more rigid and porous like skin of an elderly person rather than smooth or soft like Ryui''s and Zakuro''s fur. However, touching it was surprisingly calming.


    Ryui and Zakuro who have finished eating the meat have surrounded me, and I alternated between stroking all three.


    With each of them being differently pleasant in touch, my heart has completely calmed.


    I forgot that we were in the middle of busy traffic, and got absorbed in it.


    "Yun-san, your expression has turned completely loose."


    "Eh, no way?!"


    In a hurry I pressed my hands against my face. Did I really have such a sloppy expression? I wondered. When I stopped patting the young beasts and left my the world of my own into which I escaped, voices of some players surrounding and overlooking us have reached my ears saying a certain word that was bothering me.


    Nanny, Nanny, Young Beast''s Nanny, Nanny...


    "Are you happy? Miss Nanny."


    "Letia!"


    Honestly, this nickname is just embarrassing.


    "...haa, it''s fine already. I''ve been held up for too long and the amount of time I have decreased, I''ll be going."


    "I see. I apologize for holding you up."


    "Also, this."


    "......?"


    "Aside from Mutsuki there''s Haru and Natsu right. It''s their share."


    I held a different basket towards Letia. The basket she received with both of her hands was stuffed with a decent amount of sandwiches, she understood my intent and bowed her head lightly.


    "Thank you for your consideration. Now then, I''ll apologize myself."


    Letia instructed Mutsuki to raise its leg, and using it as a scaffold, she climbed on top of it swiftly.


    Mutsuki and Letia headed towards the east gate with an intention of using that enormous body to send a Big Boar flying and obtain money to buy food. I could easily imagine the Big Boar''s figure rolling like a ball after being charged at by Mutsuki''s huge body.


    "That too, is for the sake for food."


    Leaving behind words which were unclear whether they are a joke or not, a single person and a single animal walked away.


    Since I was heading to a different destination, I only looked behind over my shoulder... but as the enormous elephant advanced, whether it was players or NPCs, everyone was divided into one of the sides. The sight of the players who were late to escape from its way and were lightly flung aside was quite surreal.


    However, it was possibly because the surrounding players were troubling her that she chose to move around the town on Mutsuki. I thought.


    Is that how it is? Letia-san. I asked inside of my mind, of course no answer came.


    Well, leaving her matter aside, I headed to my own destination ¨C the library.


    ¡ñ


    The library in the north part of the first town was an impressive two-story building made of red brick, instinctively I saved its appearance as screenshots.


    When I entered it through the wide-open entrance, I was greeted by chilly air and tranquility specific to libraries. And, when I started walking towards a book which had drawn my attention¡ª¡ª


    "I''m sorry, but bringing food and drinks as well as living beings is prohibited. Also, there''s a 10k registration fee and a monthly cost of 10k for each month of library''s usage."


    "I understand. Beside the library there''s an open square, are animals allowed in there? Also, here''s the registration and monthly fee."


    "Yes, if it''s in the square then there''s no problem. You can go there directly from the library, and it''s also possible to bring food and drinks in there. However, please refrain from taking the book out. Now then, please take this library pass. We''re closing at five o''clock. In case you want to borrow the book, you''ll have to make another payment other than the registration and monthly fee which is also 10kG."


    "For now, I''ll just read it in here only."


    "Then, please enjoy yourself."


    No way, I didn''t think that I''d be immediately stopped by a librarian. Unlike the libraries in modern Japan which are visited by tens of thousands of people, in this library admission was limited. After that, I guided Ryui and Zakuro to the open square next to the library, made them wait there and went back inside the library.


    There were many thick books, even after reading the text on the back covers I didn''t know what to pick.


    First I tried to pick up some bulky books, then some thin ones to see, but I couldn''t read them and my ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ level didn''t increase.


    "...I came to the library and I still can''t read any books, huh."


    I suddenly started feeling frustrated, but there are people who would teach me if I asked politely. I went back to the librarian who received me a while ago and tried asking.


    "Excuse me, what do I have to do to be able to read the letters?"


    "To be able to read you need to obtain ¡¾Linguistics¡¿. After that, if you want to start learning, I recommend starting by reading the picture books from the corner on the right."


    "Thank you very much. I''ll go there immediately."


    The corner with the picture books I''ve been recommended, had very thin books that had conspicuous pastel illustrations in it.


    The letters I read for the first time were about the same as Japanese hiragana. It''s possible that I won''t be able to read the books I have in ¡¾Atelier¡¿ unless I raise my level high.


    "Haa?. Well, let''s start with this picture book."


    To think I am reading a picture book at this age, that''s how it felt but it can''t be helped.


    The book I took in hand was apparently a story about a fire mage. Born in a very common household, the man became a mage''s apprentice and after several twists and turns, he subdued a dragon alone. It was a story about an adventure. It was all written in hiragana, I easily read the short text.


    "Well, this is quite normal, or rather standard."


    It was a fantasy-themed picture book you could find anywhere. However, in the end of the book was the original book''s title, but something like mosaic was applied on it and I couldn''t read it even if I strained my eyes. I judged that once again, my ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ level wasn''t high enough, the only part of it I could read was the name of the person who became a mage.


    What I took in my hand next was a story of a swordsman. I easily read this one as well and then took another book in my hand.


    All of them were ordinary stories, after a while I started to notice that the stories were speaking about people who took certain Senses.


    The story of a fire mage spoke about him having ¡¾Fire Element Talent¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿.


    A swordsman, aside from the ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense had also ¡¾Armour¡¿ and ¡¾Physical Increase¡¿ Senses. I''ve seen that build somewhere before, I think that''s a typical style players take isn''t it?


    Then, I searched for a certain picture book.


    "...found it."


    The book I was looking for, was one about an archer. It''s contents wasn''t a story about a mage or a swordsman who killed a dragon nor hundred of foes, but one about a hunter searching the forest in order to look for a herb who ultimately faces off against a bear all alone. In the end, he took the herb and went home to heal a sick person which is a happy ending. However, since it was the bow, I hoped for anecdotes like the ones about Robin Hood or Nasu no Yoichi. It was a bit disappointing.


    Since that was the case, after that I started looking for picture books about the Senses in my possession. Even if I say that though, it''s difficult to tell at a glance which one are those. I was unable to determine which ones are for enhancement-type Senses like ¡¾Speed Increase¡¿ or auxiliary Senses like ¡¾Crafting Knowledge¡¿ so I gave up on finding them.


    After reading a number of books, I muttered a thought as if sighing.


    "I wish I had a notepad and a pen."


    What I thought of doing, was noting down the titles written at the each books'' end. I still wasn''t able to read it completely, but I could look for these books based on the character''s name and the part I was able to read. If I read the original the picture books reference to I will be able to understand the Senses more deeply, I thought. After thinking that made me want to obtain a notepad immediately, I left the picture book and moved away from the corner.


    "...geh, there''s none after all."


    After I read the books and obtained some experience, my ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ level was still low, at level 3. I thought a writing instrument might be given to me if I level up, I couldn''t find any and decided to go back to the picture books.


    "Did something happen? You have been walking back and forth for a while now..."


    "Ah, miss librarian. No, I wanted a notepad and a writing instrument, and started wondering if library sells anything like that..."


    "Ohh, I see."


    Before I decided to call her myself, the NPC in front of me spoke to me. Really, sometimes it''s so real I start to wonder if I should speak with the NPCs, and their human reactions are so fun it can''t be helped.


    "If it''s that, then we have it in reception. I''ll take out what''s needed."


    "Eh, is that so."


    "Yes. If you''re satisfied with a fountain pen and a notepad, we can sell you those. The library is cooperating with a paper and stationery shop to sell them."


    I was told so, and at the reception I was given a paper poster. Even as my fingers bit into it, I still couldn''t read most of the characters. Just barely, I was able to read the price. The fountain pen cost 50kG and the notepad cost 10kg, I felt it was quite expensive, I wonder if it''s something valuable in this medieval world setting.


    Although I wanted to keep money for the crafting guild''s founding, I also thought that I should make an initial investment into my comfortable library life.


    "Mmmhh... I-I''ll buy it."


    "In that case, please take these."


    "Here, money."


    No way, I didn''t think I would spend money for something else other than library registration''s fee. I felt dizzy paying a price equal to that of a good armour piece. Although recently the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s sales have went up, I still haven''t got enough money to use freely.


    "Now, please continue to enjoy yourself."


    As the librarian NPC gave me a relaxed nod, I also responded with a light nod and went back to the corner with picture books.


    That item of low importance, the fountain pen I bought at that time has eventually become one of my favourite tools in OSO the longer I played.


    The corresponding Senses mentioned in the corner''s picture books and the titles of the source books, I transcribed the originals'' titles to the notepad, then started to pick up new picture books.


    I was simply writing down simple words in order to find out more about the Senses, but it was more fun than I thought it would be. I began to study Senses other than the ones in my own possession.


    Because I continued to concentrate for a long time, I noticed that I was able to read other characters to a certain extent only after I raised my head up by chance.


    "Ah, I can read the letters I was unable to read before. Eh, even so it''s only on the level of simple kanji, huh."


    When my checked my status, I saw that the ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ level has increased to 6.


    Although there were lots of picture books left, if I continue to read simple books my level won''t raise. I''m almost done with this one, let''s go find a new book.


    "But, where and what kind of book should I look for?


    I still couldn''t read part of the poster''s letters.


    "It can''t be helped, let''s use the references."


    Speaking about the references. Roughly, it''s a type of service where the librarian helps out the library''s user find necessary materials. Although it''s hard to find a book on one''s own, as long as I tell what kind of content I''m searching for, I''ll be told where I can find it. While I''m at it, let''s try learning something on crafting Senses.


    "I''m sorry to bother you time and time again, are there any recipe books for ¡¾Mixing¡¿, ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ I could use for leveling my ¡¾Linguistics¡¿?"


    "There are. Five books are matching the description, what would you like?"


    "I''ll read all five of them."


    "I will guide you to the book''s location, please follow me."


    I walked behind the librarian who acted in a calm manner, we left the first floor with bookshelves and arrived in a certain corner.


    "This is where you can find a number of books about crafting. And the books you''ve specified are this one, this, and..."


    She has took out the books from the shelf and put them on top of my hands. The books were quite thick, but about half of each book was filled with illustrations.


    "We''re closing soon, can you read them all before that?"


    "Ahh, I wonder? I''ll read as much as I can before that, and borrow the remaining ones?"


    "If that''s the case, then you have to pay 30kG of security fees to borrow them. The deadline is two weeks, if you exceed it, the items will be transferred back to the library automatically."


    What''s with that super-overtechnology. If that''s the case then you don''t need the security costs do you. I thought, but the librarian said "that''s the rule" with a smile on her face... I''ll ask her to lend them when going back.


    I held the five books and went to sit down at a nearby table. I opened the notebook and continued to write down the important information.


    And, right before closing time came.


    What I was able to finish reading, were two books. Although it took me til just being closing, the content of two books had written out the basic methods of usage of ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿. It was almost perfectly what I verified earlier. But there were new discoveries too.


    If a monster-based material with a negative effect is used, the negative effect can be nullified using corresponding materials. However, the stat-rising effect will lower.


    The example of a recipe like that was one that which Rock Crab meat''s bad status as a negative effect.


    The Medicine Stones crafted with usage of ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ from the gallstones which drop from Herbivores.


    And the negative effect countering antidote grass, pills made out of those three components turns into stat-rising type of item.


    It seems like something I should try making. Whether it does overlap with ¡¾Enchant¡¿ Sense''s buff or not. Also, since the effect is lowered after it''s neutralized with corresponding materials, I need to find a way to enhance the effect by that amount.


    "Which way would be faster?"


    Would raising my ¡¾Linguistics¡¿level and locating the information in the book be faster, or maybe go with the trial-and-error method trying to make the enhancement pills¡ª¡ªBoost Tablets and arrange a recipe like that.


    For a while, wrinkles appeared between my eyebrows, then I suddenly laughed.


    "It''s not like I have to pick only one of those options. I''ll just examine the book and try preparing it."


    By the time I left the library the town build of stone was already dyed red with sunset, I went to pick up Ryui and Zakuro who were waiting on the square next to library.


    "Ryui, Zakuro... sorry, I made you wait."


    When I came to pick them up, the two animals sleeping on the lawn raised their heads. Ryui, the white horse was dyed in madder colour, Zakuro''s black hair let out an unique sheen in response to the sunset''s light.


    "Now, let''s go home for today. If there''s a need, let''s come back to this place sometime."


    When I embraced Zakuro and was about to go back side-by-side with Ryui, I looked back for a moment at the library, it was lit up by the setting sun.


    In response to the sunlight falling on the window I felt a slight discomfort as I saw a red reflection, I thought it was probably my imagination and went back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    ¡ñ


    It¡¯s been a few days since I borrowed the book from the library. Basically, since I didn''t go out of town and fight, I devoted my free time into reading the books. As I stocked on information, I continued to work on improving the items.


    "Hmm. This goes here. No, that''s no good. It won''t go well no matter what."


    What I was doing at the moment was improving the stat-rising item prepared from monster''s meat, Boost Tablets.


    At first, I made the item according to recipe but¡ª¡ª


    Boost Tablet (Rock Crab) ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    DEF+1£¯10 Minutes


    A pill created by using Rock Crab as material


    That''s what came out from the default recipe, in attempts to increase the effect I tried mincing the meat, boiling it, drying it, marinating it in antidote. Although I tried many things, there was no effect. All that happened, is that my ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense''s level increased by 1 as I was tampering with a ingredient item.


    "Haa, not good. Although I tried to create a highly-effective item at low cost, it''s hard to make something like that alone. A material that doesn''t cause a bad status effect is high but because of the drop rate it would be costly... can''t be helped, let''s leave it at that and read some books."


    Speaking of that, what I was currently reading was the last book of the ones I borrowed the other day.


    The two books I read first, ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Senses'' simple ways of usage. It was a simple list of item recipes.


    However, there were things that my ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ crafting kit didn''t support as it only could synthesize three items. Aside from the items created by synthesizing four materials that were listed in the book, there were things like stone arrows I made before. There were recipes what can be created by combining multiple items in there. However, I didn''t think of improving the crafting tools before.


    And what I was reading currently, was a book titled ¡¾Make a Chimera¡¿.


    It was written in a fantasy world-like language, instead of MP it said ''magic power'' and mobs were represented by ''demon'' and the like which made it difficult to understand, I noted down the important parts written in there.


    And what I learned as a result¡ª¡ª


    The ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Sense could combine certain items to create mobs.


    It was different from mobs befriended by using ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense, there was nothing like leveling up for those and the mob''s strength was determined by the synthetic combination.


    Well, the requirement of the recipe is to ¡¾Have a crafting kit capable of synthesizing five items¡¿, it''s two stages above the current crafting kit I have.


    The crafting kit supporting four items cost 100kG, one supporting five items cost five times that, 500kG. If that''s the case, I''d rather acquire ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ tools.


    "So, I''ve thought it over. However, it''s impossible in the current situation."


    It wasn''t that the materials were a problem, but the investment cost was too high. Since this synthetically-created mob couldn''t be made via multiple usage of synthesis, it was put on hold.


    The last thing... what I felt faintly, was that the chimera''s intelligence increasing depending on the used material... in other words, the mob''s performance was unchanged and the AI could be improved.


    It was something like difficulty levels on the computer fighting games, I wonder. At first they''re weak, and gradually become stronger. Of course, their abilities don''t change and the strength depends on how well the body is handled.


    I finished reading the book and spat out a long breath. I glanced at the books on the shelf, while only the titles were barely readable, the contents of the books were still unknown. Level 9 of ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ felt like there''s still a long way to go.


    "Maybe I should try finding a new book for a change of mood..."


    I headed to the library. This time around I left Ryui and Zakuro in ¡¾Atelier¡¿ to watch over it and entered the library alone.


    I returned the books I lent out last time at the reception and again aimed for the corner with books about crafting.


    Although I knew the approximate location, it took me a moment to search for it. It was a dim place far away from the small window on the bookshelf furthers in the back. I took the book in my hand and headed towards the nearby window in order to read it.


    In order to level up I picked up various books, but basically most of them were related to Senses I have. However, if I limit it only to the ones about my own Senses, there surely will be a limited amount of books to read so I read books anyone could have interest in.


    After reading several books, the one I took in my hand this time was a book titled ¡¾Pre-cooking technique of special ingredients to draw out the poison¡¿.


    What was written in there was a way to handle a poisoned item.


    Locations and characteristics of venom glands, ways to judge parts that caused abnormal status by colour. Also, it seemed possible to remove venom glands and eat it.


    Suddenly, something connected inside of my head.


    The features of the venom glands were similar to that of Rock Crab''s meat.


    To be precise, when split vertically there was something which seemed like purple blood vessels, I saw that when I was grinding and drying the meat.


    If I were to cut it, the poison glands would be damaged and meat would be contaminated. It could also be contaminated by temperature change. In the book it was written how to usually get rid of poison.


    "This... can I use it?"


    I closed my eyes and reassembled the image.


    Make a vertical cut on the Rock Crab''s meat, carefully remove the poison glands on the sides as not to damage them. After that, all that''s left is to wash the meat clean and craft the Boost Tablets.


    There were other books I haven''t read yet, but I wanted to try out this piece of information. Feeling like that, I stood up.


    I quickly cleaned up the books and borrowed the book about poisons, then hurried back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Ryui who was lying down in a sunny location inside of the store raised its head for a moment and tilted it curiously as I passed by, I entered ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop.


    I took out the book from my inventory, while reading on poison I took out material and knife.


    I vertically inserted cutting edge of the knife made for me me by Magi-san into the meat, opening up the body. This work was much more delicate than cutting chicken''s white meat and I ended up damaging it. However, since the venom glands remained, I decided to remove them as practice and continued.


    The result was that I eventually damaged three venom glands in the piece of meat. Second time was similar to the first one. The third time went a little better but I let my guard down in the end and damaged the gland.


    After that it continued endlessly, I wasted a lot of meat because of poison contamination but somehow managed to remove the venom glands in the end.


    Later, I accustomed myself to it after a number of times. In the end, I was accustomed to it enough to have one out of three attempts succeed. I was able to secure some material. Just when I thought that¡ª¡ª


    ¡º¡±The ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense is level 10 or higher, the number of successful attempts of removing poison from material has exceeded ten times.¡±¡»


    It was a message I saw before already. I quietly checked on the new skill.


    "Looks like it''s ¡¶Poison Removal¡·. A skill that removes poison from ingredients. Whether it succeeds or not depends on the player''s level and DEX. Disabled and unusable during combat. Well, it''s a crafting auxiliary skill."


    At any rate, since I have gotten the ¡¶Poison Removal¡· skill, I tried it out on the Rock Crab''s meat but...


    "Only one out of five succeeded, so doing it manually gives a much higher success rate eh."


    That''s the result with a low-rank material. I silently decided to manually remove poison. By the way, the material that fails to have poison removed changed into the mysterious damage-inducing item ¡¾Poison¡¿ that I''ve seen appear when ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ or ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ failed before. Before, it was a liquid, this time it''s a strangely-poisonous looking piece of meat tinted with purple. I wonder what''s the difference.


    I used the ¡¾Dosing¡¿''s skill on the Rock Crab''s meat from which poison was removed and dried it, then crushed it into a fine powder. Then I took out the Medicine Stone that was already crushed to powder and mixed it carefully making sure to balance them.


    "Finally, add water little by little and to bring them together. There."


    I poured a little of distilled water on it and quickly mixed, it became a mass. Since it has become a watery paste because the amount of water was too much, it has ended in failure. It didn''t settle well if the amount of water was too small either, but it wasn''t a big enough problem to mind it.


    I shredded the mass I have made in the end into small pieces and shaped them using my palm.


    "Last thing to do, casing, I guess."


    Although I was able to make the pills after drying them, for the pills taken into the mouth the taste was honestly too awful.


    From this point onward it didn''t affect the amount of recovery, I coated the still-damp pills in flour to smoothen their texture. Since Medicine Stones and Gallstones themselves felt a bit oily, it adhered to it firmly. And there, I decided to add colouring.


    To show the effect in the same way as with Enchant Stones, after they dried I coloured the Boost Tablets made from Rock Crab which increased defence power were dyed with blue which was the colour of DEF''s enchant.


    What has come out in the end, were vivid-blue coloured pills.


    Boost Tablet (Rock Crab) ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    DEF+4£¯10 Minutes


    A pill created by using Rock Crab as material


    "I made it without using the Antidote Grass..."


    Although at first I was sceptical whether I really removed the poison, but when it has succeeded, I relaxed my shoulders.


    The material''s price to effect ratio was good enough. All that''s left is to sell it in store for a price that wouldn''t disrupt the Boost Tablets market.


    "Kyouko-san, are you here?"


    "Yes, what is it?"


    "Will you do some market research? I want to determine the optimal selling price of Boost Tablets with an effect like this."


    "Another new product, isn''t it. I understand. Next time I go to town to buy materials I''ll take a look."


    "Also, could you gather a small amount of monster meat of each kind? As samples."


    "Understood. Then, I''ll go back to the counter."


    As Kyouko-san left the workshop, Ryui and Zakuro entered instead.


    "Oh, sorry. I still haven''t cleaned up. Hey, Zakuro don''t come over here."


    As it scurried with its small feet towards the workbench a kitchen knife was on, I picked Zakuro up.


    Ryui''s gaze was aimed at the end of the workbench where the damaged Rock Crab''s meat contaminated with venom glands was.


    "Come on, let''s go back to the store."


    I prompted Ryui and stroked its back, but instead it has taken a step forward.


    "Heyy¡ª¡ª?!"


    When I looked there, Ryui has created a water ball and plunged it inside of the container with contaminated Rock Crab''s meat, and loudly washed it. From my point of view, it was a surprising sight as if looking inside of the washing machine.


    And then, Ryui ate the washed Rock Crab''s meat! Heyyy!?


    "Hey! That''s for disposal! And it''s raw too! Spit it out! Come on!"


    Although I tried persuading it in a hurry, Ryui munched on it and carefully chewed before swallowing.


    "...nothing''s happening? The poison wasn''t applied has it."


    Ryui shuddered to my words, affirming it. Next, I took out a piece of meat out of the water ball and put it in my mouth.


    Since it''s a crab it probably can be eaten raw. The taste was... so-so, I guess? I thought it would be good to add into miso soup or something. Not wait, not that¡ª¡ª


    "There''s no poison? Why."


    Why, although I said that, the answer was obvious. It''s probably because of Ryui''s ability.


    Previously, when I had ¡¾Curse¡¿ applied on me, Ryui healed me with the water ball. It seemed like its effective on the ¡¾Poison¡¿ status.


    "Hahaha, what the heck. And here I desperately tried to learn how to remove poison, like an idiot."


    The mountain of meat I planned to dispose of has been purified by Ryui''s water ball and could be reused. Since Zakuro started to eat it, the amount of Rock Crab meat decreased a little, but I could recover the rest.


    Since I had a bit of time, I made a dish using large quantity of Rock Crab meat.


    Cooked rice with crab''s scallop and crab miso soup, as well as crab salad has turned into a crab menu. Somehow, my acquaintances and regular customers have sniffed it out and ate a cup of rice and miso soup each before night has enveloped the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    46 thoughts on ¡°Chapter 2 ¨C The Library and Linguistics¡±


    Rereading while waiting for the next chapter (V4c5 as of this writing). What, no Aki or Fuyu? Did Letia skip a few? I kind of want to know what kind of mob gets named Kisaragi, for... . Other possible naming series could be derived from the Zodiacs (East or West).


    ¡ý


    Bareus


    "Various ornaments should be placed in high, in a spot where their sight can be easily enjoyed after all.


    -> "Various ornaments should be placed up high, in a spot where their sight can be easily enjoyed after all.


    In addition, ¡¾Engraving¡¿ originally has a capability of include an additional effect granting the item user additional stats which looks like ¡¾XX Bonus¡¿.


    -> In addition, ¡¾Engraving¡¿ originally has a[/the] capability to include an additional effect granting the item''s user additional stats which looks like ¡¾XX Bonus¡¿.


    OR In addition, ¡¾Engraving¡¿ originally has a[/the] capability to include an additional effect granting the item''s user additional stats which looks like ¡¾XX Bonus¡¿.


    Another point is, that becomes possible to create accessories with a variety of materials.


    -> Another point is, that it becomes possible to create accessories with a variety of materials.


    ..., thanks to that I more or less know locations of various facilities.


    -> ..., thanks to that I more or less know the location of various facilities.


    If I recall correctly, next to the library there is a space to rest in with a green lawn in it.


    -> If I recall correctly, next to the library there is a space to rest in with a green lawn in it.


    As if to support the two tails and his butt with one hand, I left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ with Ryui walking beside me.


    -> While supporting the two tails and his butt with one hand, I left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ with Ryui walking beside me.


    (grammatically your version is correct, but because of the "as if" it sounded like, Yun is just pretending to hold Zakuro or something like that o.o...)


    Above the street there was cloth extending and on the sides there were players who brought tables and ran restaurant services.


    -> Above the street there was cloth extending and on the sides there were players who brought tables and ran restaurant services.


    ..., it''s usability wasn''t too good.


    -> ..., its usability wasn''t too good.


    This a little bit sweet, seasoned taste would probably be popular with millions of people.


    -> maybe replacing "a little bit" with "slightly"?


    Can you wrap a few of them for me as souvenirs?


    -> ok I''m curious, is this really correct? I mean, c''mon, food as souvenirs? Or is it some weird quirk of the english language I don''t know?


    Then, a long nose started sniffing package with skewers I just bought.


    -> Then a long nose started sniffing the package with skewers I just bought.


    This is sauce is quite good.


    -> This is sauce is quite good.


    Because she shook her head vertically, saying that there was no problem with it, I determined myself and tried patting its nose.


    -> maybe replacing "shook her head vertically" with "nodded her head" ?


    Ryui and Zakuro who have finished eating the meat have surrounded me, and I alternating between stroking all three.


    -> Ryui and Zakuro who have finished eating the meat have surrounded me, and I alternated between stroking all three.


    After that, I guided Ryui and Zakuro to the open square next to library, made them wait there and went back inside the library.


    -> After that, I guided Ryui and Zakuro to the open square next to the library, made them wait there and went back inside the library.


    After that, if you want to start learning, I recommend starting by reading the picture books from the corner on that corner on the right."


    -> After that, if you want to start learning, I recommend starting by reading the picture books from the[/that] corner on that corner on the right."


    It was all written in hiragana, I easily read the entire, short text.


    -> remove the last comma


    However, in the end of the book there was the original book''s title, ...


    -> However, in the end of the book there was the original book''s title, ...


    ..., but one about a searched the forest in order to look for a herb, ...


    -> ..., but one about a search in the forest in order to look for a herb, ...


    ..., I noticed that I was able to read other characters to a certain extent was only after I raised my head up by chance.


    -> ..., I noticed that I was able to read other characters to a certain extent was only after I raised my head up by chance.


    There''s five books matching the description, what would you like?"


    -> There are five books matching the description, what would you like?"


    However, the stat-rising effect will lower.


    -> However, the stat-rising effect will be lower.


    (I think "will be lower" is more fitting here than "will lower", since a crafted item won''t lower its effect, but it will be lower from the start)


    The example of a recipe like that was one that used Rock Crab meat''s bad status as a negative effect.


    -> The example of a recipe like that was one which used Rock Crab meat''s bad status as a negative effect.


    (also optional, but "that was one which" is nicer to read than "that was one that"... at least for me)


    Also, since the effect is lowered after its neutralized with corresponding materials, I need to find away to enhance the effect by that amount.


    -> Also, since the effect is lowered after it''s neutralized with corresponding materials, I need to find a way to enhance the effect by that amount.


    Ryui, the white horse was dyed in madder colour, Zakuro''s black hair let out an unique sheen in response to sunset''s light.


    -> Ryui, the white horse was dyed in madder colour, Zakuro''s black hair let out an unique sheen in response to the sunset''s light.


    (do you mean with "madder" as "crazy" or do you mean the colours madder red/brown?)


    ..., I thought its probably my imagination and went back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    -> ..., I thought it was probably my imagination and went back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    ..., let''s leave at this and read some books.


    -> ..., let''s leave it at this and read some books.


    Speaking of that, what I was currently reading was last of the books I borrowed the other day.


    -> Speaking of that, what I was currently reading was the last [one] of the books I borrowed the other day.


    However, it''s impossible in current situation."


    -> However, it''s impossible in the current situation."


    The last thing... what I felt faintly, was that the chimera''s intelligence increasing depending on the used material... in other words, the mob''s performance was unchanged, and the AI could be improved.


    -> The last thing... what I felt faintly, was that the chimera''s intelligence can be increased depending on the used material... in other words, the mob''s performance was unchanged, but the AI could be improved.


    I quickly cleaned up the books and borrowed the book about poisons, then hurried back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    -> shouldn''t it be something like "poison removal" instead just "poison"?


    Ryui who was lying down in a sunny location inside of the store raised its head for a moment and tilted it curiously as I passed by, I entered the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop.


    -> Ryui who was lying down in a sunny location inside of the store raised its head for a moment and tilted it curiously as I passed by, I entered the¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop.


    I vertically inserted cutting edge of the knife made me by Magi-san into the meat, opening up the body.


    -> I vertically inserted the cutting edge of the knife, made for me by Magi-san, into the meat, opening up the body.


    "Last thing to do, casing? I guess."


    -> "Last thing to do is casing? I guess."


    OR "Last thing to do is casing, I guess.[/?]"


    From this point onward, it didn''t affect the amount of recovery, I coated the still-damp pills in flour to smoothen their texture.


    -> From this point onward, since it didn''t affect the amount of recovery, I coated the still-damp pills in flour to smoothen their texture.


    ..., after they dried I coloured the Boost Tablets made from Rock Crab which increased defence power were coloured with blue which was the colour of DEF''s enchant.


    -> ..., after they dried I coloured the Boost Tablets made from Rock Crab which increased defence power were coloured with blue which was the colour of DEF''s enchant.


    Although I was sceptical whether I really removed poison, but when it has succeeded strength left my shoulders.


    -> Although I was sceptical whether I really removed the poison, but when it has succeeded strength left my shoulders.


    OR At first I was sceptical whether I really removed the poison, but when it has succeeded strength left my shoulders.


    The materials price to the effect was good enough.


    -> maybe replacing "to" with "for" ?


    It seemed like its effective on the ¡¾Poison¡¿ status.


    -> It seemed like it''s [also] effective on the ¡¾Poison¡¿ status.

 Chapter Volume 3 3

    Chapter 3 - The Underground Library and Horror


    Since then, I''ve come to library several times. I left ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s sales to the Kyouko-san the NPC and without any troubles I read a book with an elbow on the counter.


    I went to the library, read a variety of books, and was finally able to read a book series as thick as a dictionary outside of the crafting books corner.


    ¡ºSense Course for Beginners? Book About Weapons?¡» in other words, a book about armour, a book about magic, a book about physical abilities, a book about auxiliary operations, a book about daily living and such.


    I took various books in my hand while thinking about my own status and playstyle. I looked at the table of contents for the book about weapons, and opened the bow''s description.


    "¡ºThe bow and arrow are two in one, you need to prepare both to use them.¡» Ain''t that obvious."


    As for other valuable information in there, the automatic recovery feature of the arrow has been described. That''s all.


    Also generally, when the weapon Sense exceeds 30, the Sense derivation will occur.


    For example, a sword is derived into a one-handed sword or a two-handed sword, which are two of several types of sword derivations. However, this derivation doesn''t consume the Sword Sense to become a different Sense, but rather allows retaining the Sword Sense and acquire a new One-Handed Sword Sense. That''s how it is.


    In other words, if you have ¡¾Sword Lv30¡¿, it will allow you to equip ¡¾One-Handed Sword Lv1¡¿. In this case, you can continue to use all the Arts one has learned with ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense.


    The ¡¾Sword¡¿ Sense can be equipped and mastered. Because there''s a possibility to do that, the taken derivation of the original Sense has low performance. This seems to prove what Myu said from her experience with ¦Â version. If possible, then changing a Sense into a derived one is a good idea.


    "The derivations ahead are, Long Bow, Short Bow, Compound Bow... there''s a lot. My weapon is a long bow, so let''s take the Long Bow Sense. Even so, the official book admits there''s a low hit rate with a bow as well."


    In the book, it''s written that the further enemy is, the harder it is to hit him. Amateurs are recommended to use a short bow or a rapid fire bow and proceed ahead starting with that. That''s what was written in there.


    "Well, I don''t feel like changing my weapon. Also, is there any other usable information here?"


    Although I skimmed the tables of contents, most of them had ''beginner'' in title, all the useful information were the derivations from the initial Senses.


    Even as I read the other books, all Senses were derived roughly at level 30.


    However, in the book about magic there was additional information on the elemental magic up to level 30.


    "My earth element''s skills are... ¡¶Bomb¡·, ¡¶Clay Shield¡·, ¡¶Mud Pool¡·. These are the ones I learned so far. Other than that there''s ¡¶Earthquake¡·, ¡¶Rock Burst¡· and ¡¶Explosion¡· huh."


    It''s good to learn the description of skills that I''ll acquire. The first one I''ll acquire will be a skill that makes the earth swell and bulge out, ¡¶Earthquake¡·. The skill that makes a 1 kg rock explode and scatter around like shotgun pellets , ¡¶Rock Burst¡·. The last one was an enhanced version of Bomb, ¡¶Explosion¡·. The skills are learned every five levels.


    After reading this far, I think the earth element magic is interesting as well. However, I could understand the reason why it is unpopular compared to other elements.


    "As I thought, there''s a possibility that earth element skills would inhibit comrades'' movements."


    Solo-oriented, a magic which seemed like that. I don''t know what''s the higher Sense magic of it, but it would probably retain the characteristic object-like property and strong interference with the field.


    If one uses ¡¶Earthquake¡· or ¡¶Clay Shield¡· in a narrow space during battle in a party, they can accidentally divide the vanguard and rearguard, it falls into a rather unwieldy category. However, as a solo player, I like it.


    "Since it''s the type that has an effect on natural objects and the field, I think it''s good to slow enemy down and delay them to buy time. It has a good compatibility with me."


    My way of fighting is to use surprise attacks, as well as hit & run tactics. Given that, the magic of earth attribute which can interfere with the surroundings is something preferable to have.


    "I want to try using the new magic."


    I muttered so, closed the book loudly and spat out a sigh. Because my ability to read was still unstable, I was quite tired mentally.


    "Wassup. Is Yun in?"


    "Oh, Taku huh. Welcome."


    Since I closed my eyes, placed a hand on my forehead and looked up at the ceiling, I didn''t notice Taku who entered.


    After coming, Taku called for me specifically.


    "What is it? You told me ''if you have some time then stop by the store'' haven''t you."


    "Yeah, I''m going to put a new item for sale in ¡¾Atelier¡¿, I wanted your comments on it."


    "Ah, so it''s like that. What kind of item is it?"


    "It''s a stat-rising pill made from common monster''s meat. The price has been decided on already, but I want to improve its usability as much as possible."


    "I see. Hey... what''s this, it''s made from that trash mob Rock Crab material, how did you make it."


    He received the Boost Tablets made from Rock Crab, and checked their stats. What pulled him in was the name ''Rock Crab'', as expected I thought, but it seemed like Taku didn''t know how to make these. Books are really handy things aren''t they.


    "How did I make it... eh. Well, it''s thanks to books?"


    Hee, he raised a voice impressed, and after checking the pills he stowed them in his inventory. Then, he looked at the book placed on the counter.


    "Is it from that book?"


    "No, this is an illustrated encyclopaedia of basic Senses, I guess? I wanted to know ahead how the Senses will look like after I level them and what choices are ahead."


    "Hee... I can''t read squat."


    Taku didn''t have ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense so he couldn''t read it. However, just by looking at the illustrations he could tell what Senses it was about.


    "This one is about shields huh. What''s written in there?"


    "The basics about ¡¾Shield¡¿ Sense. What Arts can be used with it, and what are the derivations."


    That being said, it was only on the basic level, the skills and arts that can be learned by meeting certain conditions weren''t mentioned in there.


    "Oh, there are all six ¡¾Shield¡¿ Arts. Even so, the ones that are usable are actually only two or three of them."


    "Is that so?"


    There''s a lot of Shield''s arts that passively take on the attacks, but all of them seem tricky and interesting. However, in fact half of them are unusable in actual combat, is what Taku says.


    "Yeah, if you think only about battling in a party, it''s better to have easy and simple Arts to use. There are many with weird effects that take a long time to activate and deteriorate the battle tempo."


    "There''s a lot of them, so I don''t know about that many available Skills and Arts yet..."


    "In fact, it''s all up to people''s own preferences."


    He said so, and once again looked at the book''s contents, in fact the contents about solo and party combat were different. Especially the Arts that are used in Hate management are useless when playing solo. On the other hand earth element was just the opposite, although the inhibition could have an effect on the party, as long as the effect is under control it''s reassuring to have in solo play. Also, combining it with the targeting ability of ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ I could cast it with considerable accuracy, although I still had problems with power and activation timing. However, it was limited to my field of vision.


    "I''ve learned something. Thanks. Sorry to make you think about that."


    "Well, these things are a child''s play so it''s fine, but you would learn more seeing the actual thing. How about you go for some light hunting with me?"


    "Ah, sure. Well, I guess it''s fine from time to time? But I have a little errand to do before that."


    "Got it. And the errand is?"


    "I need to return this book."


    "I''ll go with you then. After that, let''s go hunt outside."


    Is waiting okay with you? I asked. No problem, when he answered that I took advantage of it.


    Hunting with Taku was still too early for young Ryui and Zakuro, so without summoning them I only took equipment I had already prepared and headed to the library.


    Although Taku attempted to enter the library together with me, he was asked for admission fee at the door, as he didn''t want to pay I told him about the square beside the library as he decided to wait outside.


    I returned the book I borrowed earlier, and headed to the crafting books'' corner to pick up a new book. This time I picked up a ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense handbook, and when I went back to the reception I waved my hand to Taku who was outside the window. And, probably because he noticed, Taku started a conversation through the friend chat.


    ¡º"What is it? Did something happen?"¡»


    "No, you were looking this way so I just waved. Did something happen on your side?"


    ¡º"I didn''t know about this square next to library."¡»


    "I chose a book already so I''ll be coming out right now."


    ¡º"Got it. I''ll wait over here."¡»


    I said so, and hurried to the reception at quick pace to borrow the book, then headed towards where Taku was.


    The library''s interior had bookshelves installed symmetrically right from the entrance, the bookshelves by the wall were low as not to block the windows, and the bookshelves on the inside were taller. When one enters between the bookshelves, they can feel the tight walls of book approaching them from both sides, it was narrower than it looked like.


    In one part of the library there was a door leading directly to the square, I used it to go outside.


    "Sorry. I made you wait."


    "You took quite a while, is the library that wide?"


    "Oh, the part you called me through friend chat is the deepest part in there. It should be that one?"


    I said so to Taku and pointed at the window through which we spoke with friend chat. It was the very end of the building. In response to it, Taku tilted his head puzzled.


    "Yun. What ''deepest part'' are you talking about, was the window adjacent to that one."


    Impossibru. The corner with crafting books is in the innermost part. There shouldn''t be another window next to it. In the innermost part there were bookcases on the entire wall. There was no space for anything beyond.


    "It can''t be helped. Let''s check it out."


    "Check what out..."


    "Obviously, what''s inside of that window!"


    Taku said so, and called me, we peeked in through the window. Certainly, through the third window we could see the place I was in earlier. And when we looked through the innermost window, we could see space that shouldn''t be there.


    "It''s riddled with bookshelves and I can''t see well."


    "No way, hidden space? Why is such a thing..."


    To think there''s a place like that inside of the library I''m so familiar with.


    "Hey, how are the library''s bookshelves installed?"


    "They''re installed in few columns of tall bookshelves."


    Indeed. They''re installed like that to make it impossible to see what''s behind.


    "That''s it then. They''re making an illusion of distance with all the bookshelves? In order to make people not realize that''s the actual size of the building."


    "Why would they do..."


    Such a thing. I wanted to ask, but Taku raised both of his hands.


    "No idea. We can''t do anything about it now, let''s go hunt!"


    "Y-yeah, you''re right."


    "What''s with your disinterested reply. If you''re that worried than I''ll try researching it a bit. Don''t worry. I''ll tell you later what''s the result so let''s go hunt for now."


    "I''m not worried. I get it."


    I shook off Taku''s hand who was lightly patting me on the head, and as if to run away, I started moving my legs faster.


    And like that, we went out for some light hunting. I was a little tired afterwards because I had to match Taku''s a ''bit too fast'' pace.


    At first I felt concerned and fuzzy because of the library''s mysterious space, but since there was no room for that during high-speed hunting with Taku, I forgot about the library before long.


    A few days later, Taku came to deliver the results of his findings.


    ¡ñ


    Summer vacation has ended, but September still displayed signs of lingering summer heat. I fanned my flushed body as I walked towards the school, hoping to cool off in the classroom, my bad friend Takumi approached me immediately in the entrance to classroom.


    "Shun. Do you have some time available tonight?"


    "What, suddenly coming at me with no greeting. Well, I don''t have anything planned."


    "So can you leave some time open? The results of the research from before are prepared."


    I said and sat down on my seat, then, Takumi hit my desk loudly.


    "H-hey, geez."


    He gave off an atmosphere that hinted an all-nighter to play the game. I judged so. Since summer vacation has ended, we need to fix that lazy attitude and match the school life''s rhythm right. And thinking so, I started to listen to the homeroom which has started.


    Then, after seeing that Taku has been dozing off for two hours I spat out a small sigh, I need to photograph the notes for him, I muttered quietly. In the end when ''show me'' came I spat out a sigh again.


    Then, after school finished and I went home a mail from Takumi came with details on the meet-up.


    "Uhh... ¡ºI''ll pick you up at ¡¾Atelier¡¿ at 10 p.m.¡» huh, deciding one-sidedly again."


    However, my reply was short. Roger. A single word.


    I checked the current time, then made dinner, cleaned up after eating, spend some time for bath and school preparations, when I finished it was about the specified time.


    After I prepared dinner in a hurry and the time for it has come, Miu came down from her room on the second floor.


    "Yahooo! There''s a sweet and spicy chicken for dinner!"


    "The dinner''s almost ready so go ahead and sit down. I''ll be finished here soon."


    I cut the chicken, and for finishing touch I soaked it in a soy-based sweet and spicy sauce.


    Meanwhile Miu ate the sliced cabbage that was served, and then started to eat the fried chicken dipped in sauce I put down.


    "Let''s eat!"


    "Not everything is prepared yet."


    While I was preparing garnish, spinach and miso soup, Miu stuffed herself with rice. Seeing that energetic way of eating I made a bitter-sweet smile.


    "Onii-chan, add more sauce."


    "My share would decrease then..."


    I only made two peoples worth of sauce, since there was no way around it, I poured some of my share into the outstretched bowl.


    "Food dipped in sweet and spicy sauce is delicious after all."


    "Good grief, make sure to taste it properly."


    "Anything that Onii-chan cooks is delicious."


    As Miu said with a smile, the uncomfortable atmosphere completely disappeared and I took a bite as well. It was a bit sweet and spicy, there wasn''t much of the sauce, just the chicken itself seasoned with pepper and salt was delicious enough.


    After the meal we drank tea together, relaxing.


    "Haa, this is happiness."


    "You''re happy with just a cup of green tea. If there were some sweets to come with it it would be even better..."


    "No, if you eat too much you''ll get fat."


    "Don''t tell girls they''ll get fat! Theeeen, after this I''ll come to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ so prepare some snacks! We''ll continue the tea party over there!"


    "No can do. Also, I''ve already got something planned with Takumi."


    "Mhh... Takumi-san huh... it can''t be helped then."


    After I said so, Miu quietly backed down. Ohh? I was a bit surprised, but Miu immediately made a bright expression.


    "Then I''ll excuse myself first."


    "Yes yes. Put the cups inside the sink."


    I said so and looked at Miu''s back who was going into the bathroom. Geez, you could act more calmly in the house. I worried as her elder brother.


    After that, I washed the dishes and got in the bath. I went back to my room around half past eight. I killed some time before the appointment for meeting with Takumi by preparing for tomorrow''s school, and lied down on the bed leaving well before the appointed time.


    I put the VR gear which was beside my bed on my head and started it up. My relaxed consciousness dimmed and sank into darkness because of the hypnotic induction.


    When I next woke up, I was inside of a dim stone workshop. From the workshop part of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ which I had set as my login point, I moved out to the store.


    Because Kyouko-san the NPC only acted as a salesperson during the day, instead of having it open at night-time, ¡¾Atelier¡¿ door''s was firmly locked when the darkness came and a ''closed'' sign hung at the entrance.


    Waiting by the entrance of the store was a familiar boy.


    "Taku, sorry. I made you wait."


    "Ah, no problem. You''re just on time."


    I was a bit worried that I had him wait, but it seemed like I was more or less on time. Taku too, had a radiant smile on his face.


    "So, what ¡ºResults¡» did you talk about."


    "Eh? Didn''t I tell you?"


    "You didn''t, did you. Something about research results, you didn''t tell me the reason for calling me one-sidedly. Good grief."


    I folded my arms amazed. Trying to recall it, Taku twisted his neck left and right. After a while, he concluded ''probably haven''t told you'', and wondered ''where to start''. And as an introduction he started to talk about the investigation''s results.


    "Yun, do you remember when I went together with you to the library? That unnatural space in there."


    "Ah, yeah I remember."


    "There''s a hidden space inside the library''s building visible from the window."


    "That''s quite classic."


    In the old mansions and buildings there''s a hidden space. It''s the type of content that exists in many games.


    "So it''s an area that can''t be simply entered? My ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense didn''t give any reaction. Or maybe my ¡¾Discovery¡¿ level isn''t high enough to give a reaction?''


    ¡¾Discovery¡¿ is an auxiliary Sense which allows sensing hidden objects and the like, is what I meant. In the library, there was nothing like that. There''s a possibility something will be added in future update, but it was still unknown.


    "It''s a pity. But I have managed to get inside yesterday."


    "Seriously."


    "Well, you''ll understand once you come."


    With that said, we headed towards the library together, at this time of the day the entrance should be closed... or not?


    "Hey, why is it open. This door."


    "There''s no way we could enter if it was closed, right."


    "No, but isn''t it closed in the evening..."


    "Oh, despite the closing time you''re free to go in and out. However, if you try to take out a book from library you''ll be forced to pay fines. The resistance is pointless."


    "What''s that, scary."


    "Well, it''s a system-based thing. There''s no problem if you escape outside without doing anything."


    "That sounds even more scary..."


    Since I had ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ I could see in the darkness, but there was a certain atmosphere in the library at night. Taku took out a lantern from his inventory and lit it.


    And, facing the bookshelf deepest in, when I pressed strongly on the second bookshelf¡ª¡ª


    "A rotating bookshelf, is it a ninja mansion or what. Moreover, during the day ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense didn''t react, and now it could be seen clearly."


    "Entering is limited from 8 p.m. after closing until 4 a.m. in the morning. If by chance you''re trapped inside, you''ll be forcibly removed and transferred to the library."


    "Hmm. Why is that?"


    "When I tried various things which took me entire night, I was removed."


    So that''s why he looked so sleepy. Hey, if Taku couldn''t complete it then I wonder what''s in there. I shivered slightly.


    And when I glanced inside through the rotating bookshelf entrance, I saw a spiral staircase leading to the basement.


    "...hey, is it underground?"


    "Who knows, let''s go."


    "Somehow, I''ve got a bad feeling."


    In a place the moonlight didn''t reach, underground the only source of light was the lantern, Taku and I walked down the stairs. And after we proceeded to a certain extent and left the stairs, atmosphere has changed.


    The air felt dusty and chilly.


    "Somehow, it feels kinda haunted and I don''t like it..."


    "Right. I think so too, what I investigated yesterday was up to this entrance."


    I immediately turned to the right, and tried to run back the way I came from, but my shoulder was caught by Taku and I failed.


    "There''s no need to be that scared, is there."


    "Release me! I''ve got a bad feeling about this!"


    "Well, you''re necessary to me though."


    Taku said such a thing with no hesitation, but I have no intention of getting dragged into a place with such haunted atmosphere. No thank you.


    "I will be going home. Uuu, let''s hurry back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿."


    "Give up I said, also¡ª¡ª"


    I didn''t listen what Taku was saying to stop me until the end and went back to the spiral staircase. He was holding the lantern, but since I had ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿''s night vision capability I could go back without a problem. However, everything felt unclear, hazy and colourless.


    As I headed to the stairs Taku followed me from behind, when I moved there, ahead was.


    "Ehh, ah¡ª¡ª"


    In front of the spiral staircase there was a wall, the road we used to come down was closed.


    Taku who caught up to me from behind uttered continuation of the sentence I didn''t listen to earlier.


    "Also¡ª¡ªit''s impossible since the entrance is blocked by a wall."


    Seriously. I tried touching the stone wall blocking the staircase, hitting it, it didn''t even budge as I pushed it.


    When I took a few steps back from the wall, Taku called out to me.


    "Now, let''s go back and search the library''s underground."


    "Why do you look like you''re having fun."


    Feeling gloom because of the haunted atmosphere I spat out a sigh, and when I attempted to descend down the stairs a light was emitted from the wall behind me.


    When I looked back, slipping through the wall was a party which came to this side.


    "...ah, eh? M-Myu? W-why¡ª¡ª"


    "Aah... we''ve been found! Everyone hide! Hide!"


    Why are you here. Before I could say that, Myu released a light sphere from her finger, dazzling me. It''s already too late to hide! To begin with, there''s nowhere to hide on this spiral staircase!


    As I raised my hand to block the light, Taku''s eyes adapted to it and he asked Myu the same question I did.


    "Eh? Myu and the others. What a coincidence. No way, have you been following us?"


    Although Taku spoke as if poking fun at them, several of Myu''s party members shoulders trembled. Seeing that reaction, when my eyes got accustomed to the light I stared at Myu intently, although I didn''t ask she started making excuses.


    "No, that''s cause, if Taku-san and Onee-chan are going alone, something''s going on! Is what my intuition said."


    "I''m sorry, I tried stopping her."


    Lucato averted her line of sight and apologized. Well, there''s no way around it if Myu strongly insists, but it seemed she didn''t want to stop her all that much. I thought.


    "Well, explore all you want. I''m going back."


    "Why! After putting so much effort to follow I want to go with Onee-chan!"


    "No, I''m good. Rather, I''m logging out and escaping now!"


    I really didn''t want to go, but Myu grabbed my hands not letting me go. Seeing this situation, Rirei''s breath turned suspiciously rough which made me want to retort.


    "Why is Yun-san so much against it?"


    Why, is what Lucato asked Taku.


    "Yun is scared of ghosts and the like."


    "Haa?"


    Lucato tilted her head as if she didn''t really comprehend that, Hino and Toutobi responded with "so undead-type mobs like those from a haunted house appear here" which was quite accurate.


    "Come on, it won''t be scary with everyone here! It''s okay, it''s okay."


    "Haa, geez. Why did it turn out like this."


    I leaked out a sigh, I wanted to shout at Taku for involving me in such a thing, but I was thankful for Myu and the others to jump in and participate together. With just Taku and me it felt discouraging, but if Myu''s here then it''ll be much brighter and something to laugh about later.


    ¡ñ


    When we went down the stairs, a sudden quest''s announcement has been relayed to each party.


    ¡¾Quest: Obtain the Underground Library''s Treasure¡¿


    We stood at the entrance of the underground library. It seems like there was a condition for this hidden quest, Myu and the others felt like going on adventure to explore it, but I didn''t feel like it at all.


    When we proceeded to library and everyone received a quest, I let out a sigh.


    "So, what do we have to do to escape? Also, what was it that you needed me for."


    "Rather than treasure, it''s escape for you huh. Can you read this with ¡¾Linguistics¡¿? You should be able to."


    Saying so, Taku pointed at the letters carved into the stone wall of the entrance.


    Myu and the others all looked at it, but since they didn''t have the corresponding Sense, they tilted their heads in puzzlement.


    "Umm... ¡ºReturned to place with correct colour¡» it says."


    "So it''s like that after all. To put it simply, these are the hints to complete it. It means to find a mismatch on a bookshelf and return it to the matching correct bookshelf."


    Oh, I see. So we have to look for a book on a wrong bookshelf and return it where it should be, is what it means. Then, Taku pointed at some spaces on the shelf with books missing.


    "Hey, how do you know that despite not being able to read?"


    "I investigated it by brute force yesterday. Even if I can''t read, I could tell it''s probably the type of quest that requires you to place something, but in the end I was stuck."


    No, being able to infer that much is amazing right. Is what I wanted to retort, but several people seemed to understand immediately.


    "I see, if the right book is placed in the right spot, the bookshelf will move allowing us to progress?"


    "Correct. Lucato-chan is very perceptive."


    "Thank you very much."


    "Grr, even I do know that much."


    Myu puffed her cheeks towards Lucato who answered Taku, though, she spoke with a refreshing smile on her face. Sorry, I didn''t know.


    "And so, to proceed further in I want Yun to help out."


    "...in order to escape, I will do my best to help out."


    This place had a lot of fine details like spider webs everywhere and piled up dust, in order to escape quickly from this grim underground it would be best to help out Taku. I was not good with the eerie atmosphere of this underground library.


    I moved to a single bookshelf in the corner and after finding a single red book, I put it on the bookshelf with missing red books.


    It was the so-called tutorial of the underground library''s challenge.


    "If you can tell the book colours, why were you stuck?"


    "I couldn''t find the missing book. I must have overlooked it."


    Taku responded to my question. So even Taku fails sometimes. I thought that''s quite unusual and stared at the moving bookshelf. From here onwards we have to start searching the library seriously.


    "So, with this many people, how are we going to arrange the groups?"


    Since Myu and us two are in different parties, if it turns into a battle we''ll get a penalty for joint struggle if we''re not careful.


    And what we decided on was, me and Taku, Lucato and Hino, four of us. And the other group was Myu, Toutobi, Rirei and Kohaku.


    Although I felt there was a huge bias when it came to fighting power...


    "I want to stay together with Yun-san. Also, I want a certain someone to be with us. Ah, we don''t need men here so Taku-san can go away somewhere."


    "Rirei, what''ya selfish thing ya sayin'' with a serious look!"


    "I don''t want to! Yun-san''s side is loaded with things happening! Fufufu, I''ll see some lucky lewd situations!"


    I wondered what kind of image Rirei has about me. But I was too scared to ask.


    And Kohaku dragged Rirei the rest of the way deeper inside of the library. After that Myu followed, and in the end I saw off Toutobi who first deeply bowed her head towards me before leaving.


    I turned towards Lucato who smiled wryly and Hino.


    "Now, let''s go as well."


    "E-ehh? Ignored that? Did you completely ignore Rirei''s reaction?"


    "For us, it''s just the usual."


    After Lucato and Hino spoke with a smile, I once again realized that it was normal for them.


    "Now then, let''s g¡ª¡ªhiii!"


    Seeing a white ghost appear a little bit behind Lucato and the others, I stiffened on spot. Everyone noticed it when the ghost let out a wailing sound.


    "Haa, so ghosts like this appear as well."


    "That''s right. When I was trapped yesterday, I was stuck until the very time limit and saw these ghosts many times."


    As Taku said that calmly, Lucato and Hino stared at the ghost with interest, and before long moved their gazes to me.


    I, who have stiffened after seeing the ghost, relaxed as tension left me and chuckled.


    "It''s all right Yun-san. You can''t help it that you''re bad with these."


    Being told that by Lucato, my face started burning hot because of the embarrassment.


    "Somehow, I feel like I lost."


    I was also called cute by Hino which was extra embarrassing. Also, the sight of Taku looking at that and having fun, grinning was really hateful.


    After that, we continued to examine the bookshelves and look for clues we need to complete the quest.


    There weren''t many books that worked as keys, but we finally found a green book and placed it on a corresponding bookshelf.


    "It does seem hard to find the missing books among many books on the bookshelves."


    "Well, at least it''s comfortable with no enemies coming out."


    That''s right, since there was no enemies like the white ghost we saw at the beginning, I was at ease if anything.


    And, from time to time we could hear footsteps in the distance and sound of wind which seemed like ghost''s voice. No, that was definitely not a ghost''s voice! In middle of such atmosphere, a sound of footsteps has approached us.


    Moreover, it wasn''t just a few of them. The footsteps numbered ten or twenty.


    "W-what?! What''s this voice."


    "Yun-oneechan! We found books!"


    Pulling a wet sound after them, like wet clothes hitting against one another was a group rushing through the underground library. Myu was coming over with two books in her hands, but what I was bothered about, were the purple ghost-shadoma''s that were chasing after them. They had red shining eyes on the sides and a black mouth peeking out which looked like a tear. That Shadoma all chased after Myu through a narrow passage and trampled each other, the sight of them going through on one another had blood leave my face and pale.


    "Myu! Behind you, behind!"


    "Oooh?! They''re still chasing after me!"


    "...it''s not time to act carefree is it."


    Toutobi cut apart Shadomas that approached from behind one after another, not allowing any to approach she continued to defend Rirei and Kohaku who were the rear guard.


    "Myu! You''ll get it for this laterrr!"


    Kohaku directed her anger towards Myu, and Rirei escaped with an unmotivated expression.


    "Then, let''s wipe them clean. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Wave¡·!"


    A wave of light was released from Myu and rushed through the narrow space, the Shadomas in the front that were chasing her disappeared, blown away.


    As if it was just a momentary illusion.


    "Myu! What''s the meaning of this!"


    When I demanded an explanation from Myu, she held out the books she had in her hand and explained.


    "No, um. We found two books and when we were on our way back to rejoin with you, we found a bookshelf with the same colour. And when I put it in, it turned out to be a dummy."


    I didn''t think that if I put a purple book on a bookshelf with purple books, it would change to yellow. Myu reported with a wry smile.


    "Speaking of which, when you place a book on a wrong bookshelf, a large amount of mobs will appear."


    "Too late to tell us now!"


    I threw a thick book taken from Myu towards Taku''s face, but he caught it with ease.


    "Geez... but, is there a way to tell apart dummy books and those with spoofed colour?"


    "Well, try until it works if there isn''t!"


    "...Myu. If you''re doing that, finish them before returning to where I am."


    "Roger!!"


    *Swshh*, Myu saluted cutely, but all I felt was anxiety.


    Worried, I gathered everyone''s books and divided them by colours then checked the titles, several dummy books have been mixed in. There were black and red books that had the same title. Some of the volumes could be distinguished even without the proper Sense by inscription, but it was impossible to distinguish the ones with wrong titles. If not for the ¡¾Linguistics¡¿, the dummies would cause a considerable loss of time.


    "Every time you turn in a dummy ghosts come out, gruesome."


    I muttered to myself, and deciding to be sure I don''t make a mistake, I went back to searching.


    I found a bookshelf with a gap in which a single book could fit, read a number of book titles with ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ and put in a book which seemed to be correct. When I filled the gap on the shelf, the bookshelf has slowly slid to the left. Until the bookshelf moved, I was worried that I might have put in a dummy book, but it seemed like it was a correct one and I breathed out with relief.


    Also, Myu and her group went back to look elsewhere, although I heard screams and sounds of explosions in the distance, I didn''t bother with it.


    "This is another broad location.''


    "The objective is to find books in this place, how troublesome."


    "In that case, how about we split up and search."


    Ahead of the bookshelf which slid to the side, was a maze with a huge number of bookshelves deployed inside, Lucato put a hand on her cheek troubled.


    "Then Taku and I will look on the right side, Lucato, Hino, I leave the left side to you."


    "Yup. Leave it to us."


    We left the search of the wide space on the left to the two, and together with Taku we went to investigate the bookshelves on the right. I went up the ladder that was casually leaning against a passage, and searched every nook and cranny.


    And we found a dark grey-coloured book laid down messily on top of the bookshelf.


    "That should be it. Taku, I''ll reach out to take it so can you hold the ladder?"


    "Got it."


    I took a step up the ladder leaning against the bookshelf, and after climbing I reached out to the sideways towards the book, I almost could grasp it felt like it was stuck.


    "It seems like its stuck. Wait a moment."


    "Be careful."


    "I know."


    I was warned by Taku, but even though I put strength into the fingers to pull the book, it wouldn''t come off. I got annoyed and grasped it with both hands, trying to pull it out. That moment¡ª¡ª


    "?! What... is this space?!"


    Darkness spread out in front of my eyes, I felt as if I was floating for a moment, and immediately after my body that was on top of the ladder, appeared on the ground. The height should have been a few dozen centimetres, but unable to respond to sudden event I fell on my knees.


    ¡º"Put it away, put it away."¡»


    Somehow, after getting this classic, it has an opposite effect and it''s no longer scary."


    I recalled the famous ''put it away'' chant and turned around, the sight stunned me, what I saw was a book-type mob, Ghost-of-Books which had a full lineup of sharp fangs.


    In the pitch black space only the head portion of the book mob continued to speak ¡º"Put it away, put it away. Put the book away."¡», I thought it was quite surreal. But if that was the only thing, it would be nice. Dozens of mobs started to attack me in droves. What I did was¡ª¡ªto run away for the time being.


    "U-uwaAAaaAaaa¡ª¡ª"


    It was considerably scary. Different from fear of ghosts and spiritual things, it was fear of something chaotic beyond human understanding that made me run away.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed."


    Seemed like I could use speed enchant even in this mysterious space. However, the mobs which seemed to be still far away slowly closed the distance on me.


    "What''s this! What the hell''s this!"


    Not embarrassed nor caring about how I look like I continued to run through the darkness, I wonder how long did it take. I think I escaped far enough. The only thing that answered me was my heart beating strongly in fear of being chased, it''s sound had resonated painfully in my ears.


    And when I turned around to look behind¡ª¡ªthe book mob has opened its mouth widely and¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªYun!"


    "¡ª¡ªHaa?!"


    My name was called, and I was suddenly pulled back into reality, the book I was pulling on has slipped out.


    The book which was pulled with a strong momentum opened wide, the pages inside were pitch black and from the page''s dark space the Ghost-of-Books which as been chasing after me has popped out.


    As if that nightmare spectacle I''ve seen earlier was to continue in front of my eyes.


    "Yun! Tch, a mob too."


    With the momentum after pulling the book, my body''s posture and balance broke, and I swam in the air towards the back. The Ghost-of-Books that jumped out danced in the air, and Taku threw his sword in the air to take it down.


    I felt my body fall down from the ladder in slow motion, and I could see that I properly grasped the book with both hands. That''s great, it finally came off. Thinking something out of place like that, I prepared for the shock.


    "¡ª¡ª?!!"


    Certainly, there was an impact. But it seemed like my back hit the bookshelf behind, and a dull sound could be heard of something reducing the shock, I didn''t feel any pain in my back.


    "That hurt... Yun, are you okay?"


    "Y-yeah, I guess I''m okay?"


    "What happened. I tried to calling out to you but there was no reply at all."


    "...Taku, how long was I acting weird?"


    "About ten seconds?"


    The time I experienced and actual time differed. It was more like a daydream, no, to think that the time spent in that nightmare space was only tens of seconds is...


    "Yun, are you really all right?"


    "Ah, yeah. I was pulled into the quest''s gimmick and surprised, that''s all."


    Probably, that pitch black space had its time stretched out just like the summer camp event had. What was transferred into another field was my consciousness, leaving my character''s body intact. And when that ghost book has approached my consciousness was placed back in the character and the ghost appeared outside.


    I breathed deeply several times to calm myself. As I felt my heart throb slow down, I picked up the book which slipped out with one hand.


    "Yun-san, Taku-san, are you all right?"


    After hearing us fall down and cause a ruckus, Lucato and Hino rushed between the bookshelves to us. Seeing us in the state we currently were in, they have quickly averted their eyes. I had a feeling that my face turned red.


    "Y-yun-san, also Taku-san. Um, wh-what to say..."


    As Lucato spoke hesitatingly, I checked on my own appearance and saw that when I fell down Taku has embraced my body from behind. And I was raising both of my hands. Taku''s one hand was wrapping my body at the chest, the other one was supporting my butt. I''m a man, but since my body was subjected to feminine modification, OSO''s character editor has rounded certain parts and added certain softness to it. And above all, I had a sense of shame. I instantly brushed away Taku''s hands and stood up.


    "Taku. Although I''m grateful for helping me, but where are you touching."


    "Sorry. But since your balance has broken in the air, I couldn''t catch you too well."


    Taku stood up, worried about his back which was struck, and went to recover the long sword he threw in order to defeat the flying mob.


    I turned away from Taku, feeling my face burn up, and I held the book which slipped off earlier against my chest.


    "Geez, touching me in strange places damn it. People are looking."


    My mutter didn''t seem to reach Taku''s ears, but Lucato has heard it. She blushed even further in consternation, and muttered "so it''s okay if other people don''t see it". No, that''s wrong too. Hino alternated between staring at me and Taku, then I felt like I heard a sound of her swallowing her saliva.


    "Come on, we''ve finished investigating here, let''s proceed further."


    Acting as if nothing happened, Taku went ahead. In fact, because Taku and I are both men, nothing has happened really. Aahh! I''m thinking about strange things. I shook my head once to dispel that thinking.


    After that, the search of the underground library proceeded. There was a book ghost that jumped out from a wall of bookshelves, a key book required for proceeding held by the lying down skeleton which has suddenly grabbed our arms, there was a lot of haunted house-like gimmicks. Ahead of us were Myu and the others who continued indifferently. Taku too, when he was grasped by the skeleton he didn''t let out any sound, and with a cold gaze he directed towards the inorganic object, he cut its skull apart.


    And despite finding several dummies, we finally arrived at the deepest part while holding two books.


    "So here''s the deepest part. Hey, there''s a staircase in the back, can I go back?"


    "Before that, there''s a pedestal here. We need to examine that first."


    Although he suggested that, I was the only one who could examine it. I traced the sentence carved in the rectangular pillar all around it with a finger.


    "...¡ºThe gold book is the treasure of knowledge. The silver book is the treasure of knowing. Choose one of the two.¡» that''s it, well, there are two books remaining."


    The book Taku held was a golden book with red letters written on it. And Myu was carrying a silver blue with blue letters on it. Both books were of the same size.


    "So, which one do we put in?"


    It seems like we''ll get a reward if we put a book onto it, although the party getting the reward will differ depending on the book we choose, and he asked which one will take it. I myself, was invited to search this place by Taku and just wanted to leave it as soon as possible.


    "Hmm. I don''t really care, I''ll just hand the right over to Myu."


    "Really?! Onee-chan!"


    "Yun, are you fine with that?"


    "We can just come here again. Next time, we can check the other half of treasure."


    At that time, help me out. Taku said so. Go there alone. I wanted to say.


    "Myu-chan, which one do you choose?"


    "Hmm. Then, the silver one."


    No one seemed to object, and Myu put the book on the pedestal, she took a step back and¡ª¡ª


    "Ooh?! The pedestal moved."


    The pedestal with the book on it has sank in, and in exchange a pedestal with something else has come up. It looked like a handball-sized crystal, there were clearly three items listed as treasure of knowing.


    The crystals were probably auxiliary items of divination or magic. At the moment, we didn''t know what use it had.


    "Hmm. The reward isn''t affixed to any party?"


    "No, even if you ask me, I don''t know."


    "But if there''s multiple of them, we can split them up."


    "No, since I don''t need it, Yun and Myu''s party can split it between each other."


    "I''m the same as Taku and don''t need it..."


    "No! Onee-chan needs to take it! It''s because Onee-chan was here we could acquire it! If you don''t take it I won''t let you out of this underground library!"


    "Why turn to threats... haa, fine."


    Since Taku rejected the reward, me and Myu''s party discussed how to split up the three crystals. Because I was fine with a single one, the result was that Myu''s party will divide the remaining two amongst each other¡ª¡ª


    In the end, Myu took one, and the other one was given to Toutobi.


    "Grr, because it''s thanks to Onee-chan''s ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ we obtained these, she should request more."


    "I''m fine with having just one. Also, it''s not like we can''t get our hands on more of these, just obediently take them."


    Not satisfied with the allocation, Myu tried to pass her worth of reward to me, but I gave her a good reason as to why not, and continued to act evasive.


    Myu said that it was thanks to my ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense that we obtained them. But there are things I can''t do alone. That''s why, that crystal should be Myu''s reward.


    And like that, the night search of the underground library came to an end.


    The quest to search the underground library, was one restricted to be done by a player once a day.


    Moreover, after some time, the information about a quest inside of the town has started circulating, whether it''s fighters or crafters, the amount of people visiting the library at night increased, probably wanting to feel an atmosphere of a haunted house...


    Well, since I''m bad with ghosts and the like, I have no intention of getting involved with it ever again.

 Chapter Volume 3 4

    Chapter 4 - Synthesis and Mob Boom


    After I put down the colourless ball on ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s counter, Zakuro started rolling it around with its small paw.


    It was an item called ''treasure of knowing''. To be precise, it''s a consumable item called ¡¾Search Orb¡¿ which can display basic information about an enemy a single time. That''s how it was. Taku went to the underground library every night, and came back with samples of the reward.


    What else we found out was that the reward was fixed at three orbs. Moreover, the other reward item called ''treasure of knowledge'' was a consumable called ¡¾Oracle Orb¡¿. The item''s effect was to answer with tips to questions one poses. Personally, I think that item was more interesting, but I''ve heard that if you pose a question very irrelevant to the game, it will only consume the item. A certain player who accompanied Taku and obtained the ¡¾Oracle Orb¡¿ asked about a certain player''s three sizes, I was amazed by that.


    "Hey, I think this isn''t of any use to a crafter... I''ll sell it"


    Although I made such a decision without any hesitation, I would probably be scolded by Myu. At the moment, I wanted more money even if just by little a bit, so that I can help funding the crafting guild. Rather than keep unused items, I''d rather sell them to establish some funding.


    However, there was a possibility that it''ll sell cheap.


    "Maybe I''ll pass the item to Magi-san and the others, and they can use the money for selling it to help funding the guild."


    If it''s someone who knows how valuable things are, they might be able to sell it for a high price.


    I picked up the ¡¾Search Orb¡¿ which was useless to me and Zakuro was playing with, and stowed it in my inventory. I turned my line of sight away from Zakuro who was tilting its head seeing the ball disappear, and looked at the person peeking in through ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s entrance.


    Recently, the amount of people quietly peeking inside through the entrance had increased, but those people never come in as customers. Because it''s a small store, standing in the entrance they should have been in the way, but honestly, because the amount of traffic wasn''t large that wasn''t the case.


    "Haa, geez. How did it turn out like this."


    I asked myself that, but the answer was obvious. Their line of sight was directed towards Zakuro who was letting out a small cry and twisting its neck, and towards the sunny spot where the unicorn, Ryui was swinging his tail in a good mood.


    "That''s what they call boom, isn''t it."


    Ryui and Zakuro are rare young beasts I have made my companions in the summer. Other than that, there was Magi-san''s Rickle and Cloude''s Socks, as well as Lyly''s Neshias. The cute young animals were gathering sight of people wanting them as pets or companions.


    And at the same time, people who want pet mobs not for combat, but only for the healing cuteness have appeared. There was a boom for the ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense which has been dead up until now and the tamed mobs.


    If it''s being comfortable in touch, then it''s the small, fluffy Herbivores as well as Mill Birds that are the most popular ones. Moreover, if one wants a neat and faithful pet, the Wild Dogs which are low level mobs are popular as well.


    The people who aren''t swept by the mob boom nor pet boom, always secretly observe mobs other players have. Although they seek interaction with young beasts they meet in town...


    "Yeah, it''s no good after all."


    Realizing that one of the observers had taken a step inside of the store, Zakuro hid behind the counter in a hurry. Also, recently Ryui acted similar, probably tired of people''s gazes its body shimmered as it hid its body with an illusion.


    My Ryui won''t let a stranger touch it, Zakuro developed anthropophobia because of an incident with cursed equipment and ran away every time someone whom it didn''t know approached. I guess it gave off a feeling of being rare. Although, even if it didn''t avoid contact with players, it was already extremely rare.


    Other players like Letia who had young animals didn''t mind a little bit of contact, what criteria do they use. I wondered.


    "Welcome. Do you need anything?"


    "N-no, I was just taking a look. I-I''ll be going."


    Momentarily the person made a regretful expression, but the act of peeping was perfectly known by me already.


    Well, I felt that they were quite determined considering they used the ¡¾Concealment¡¿ Sense in order to peek inside while hidden, but because their level was low I was able to find them with my ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense.


    Possessed SP21


    ¡¾Bow Lv28¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv39¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv42¡¿¡¾Magic Power Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv15¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv30¡¿


    ¡¾Cooking Lv22¡¿


    Let''s not delve any deeper into why the level of ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾Discovery¡¿ increased despite me just sitting quietly, overlooking my workshop.


    When I was reviewing my Sense status, I received a friend chat invitation and confirmed who the other party was.


    "That''s unusual, it''s from Minute."


    ¡º"Hiii. Hello, Yun-chan."¡»


    "Oh, that''s unusual. What happened? What about Taku?"


    ¡º"Taku-kun is acting on his own at the moment. I have a little personal favour to ask, can I come to your store now?"¡»


    "Yeah, I don''t mind."


    ¡º"All right. See you later then."¡»


    She said so and ended the chat. A favour from an unusual guest.


    Minute is one of Taku''s party members, a blonde cleric-style player. Because I always involved myself with her because of Taku, I wondered what kind of favour she wants. I tilted my neck puzzled, then prepared sweets and tea in order to entertain her.


    "Sorry for suddenly coming with a request, Yun-chan."


    "Well, I''m a crafter. I welcome all crafting-related requests."


    "Hmm. It''s not really a crafting request, is that fine? Come on Mami, don''t hide there and come in!"


    "Is it really okay? Is it all right?"


    Minute pushed in Mami who was hiding beside the entrance. Her appearance gently admonishing Mami seemed like that of an attentive older sister. Also, it seemed like the real client of the request this time was Mami.


    "Don''t stand at the entrance, how about you sit down? I''ll prepare tea right now."


    "Y-yes, sorry to disturb."


    Although she visited many times to buy potions, seeing the little witch act like a small animal made me put on a wry smile.


    "Here, tea."


    "Thank you very much."


    "These cookies are delicious, Yun-chan. Handmade?"


    "Correct. Well, since there''s no expiration date and it can be stored in big amounts without going bad, I made a lot of them once before. If you want I''ll give you some."


    Seeing them enjoy the cookies with tea, my expression loosened.


    When I prepare the tea and sat down facing the two, Zakuro went up on my knees and quietly entered the space between my stomach and counter.


    "Greed for cookies has come out. Can''t be helped, geez."


    I brought one of the cookies in my hand and brought it close to its nose, Zakuro opened its mouth and sucked on it. It''s appearance holding down the cookie with its paw and eating it bit by bit has caused the atmosphere to turn very peaceful.


    But, rather than that¡ª¡ª


    "Hey, Minute. Can it be that Mami''s request is related to the current fad?"


    "Correct. You can tell?"


    "That''s because there are many people coming to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ in order to look."


    The person in question was staring passionately at Zakuro and didn''t notice our conversation at all.


    "So, what do you want me to do? Even if you tell me to teach you how to obtain a partner with ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense, it''s impossible for me."


    "I don''t think that''s it? I don''t think she can afford go out of the way to spend SP for a Sense she won''t use."


    "Then, what is it about?"


    "Recently, Mami has been spacing out a lot. Probably her desire is clouding her thoughts. And so, I thought that she might get better if that desire is fulfilled."


    "Well, it''s not like I don''t understand."


    When the two of us were talking, Mami, unable to suppress the desire has gently reached out to Zakuro. When Zakuro realized that, it stiffened for just a moment and hid behind my back.


    Remaining with her hand still extended, frozen solid, Mami was clearly discouraged.


    "...Yun-san, I also want a pet."


    She murmured dazedly, in low voice. If possible I''d like to help her but¡ª¡ªno, there is a way.


    "Is the pet supposed to be used for combat?"


    Answering my question, Mami shook her head to the sides so hard it seemed painful. Well, adjusting them to combat seemed difficult, but if all she wants from the pet is cuteness then there should be no problems.


    "It will be a disposable mob, but if you''re fine with that then it''s possible."


    "Really? Yun-chan, how is that?"


    "It''s similar to a crafted item. There''s a ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ recipe which can be used to create a slime mob. It doesn''t have much fighting force, but won''t it be enough as a pet?"


    So, what to do? As I asked Mami, her discouraged expression was dyed a little bit red and she happily nodded.


    "But in this case, it''s going to become a crafting request right? What''s the estimated price?"


    "Hmm. It''s impossible with the crafting kit I''m using now. Since I need to prepare new ones, about 600kG? Because the costs of materials fluctuate, I can''t say it''s the final price."


    "Uh, as expected 600kG isn''t an amount that can be paid that easily."


    "Because equipment, repairs and strengthening are costly, we don''t have the budget."


    "I''ll pay the 600kG because in the end, it''s an investment into creation of synthetic mobs. However, materials will have to be paid for by you. And the payment for job will be... let''s say, 100kG?"


    "In that case, yes. I''ll pay it. Please make a cute slime."


    Mami deeply lowered her head.


    "For materials, anything you have on hand is fine, it''s fine to get the items at the street stalls as well. I''ll write a list with the required materials."


    Synthesizing a slime required five types of items. Or to be precise, items of five different natures.


    One of the items is a mob drop which determines the mob type. Other than that, there are items which can be classified by elements, fire, water, wind, and earth.


    If it''s the earth element''s item, it can be an ore, or a drop from a mob related to earth element. And like that, the created mob''s strength will be determined by the balance of the four elements.


    I made a list of only simple materials, but if I had higher-level materials I could make a strong mob. Although, limited to slimes.


    "...got it. Since we''re low on materials, can you give us a day to gather them and bring them to you? "


    "In that case, I''ll do my own preparations until then."


    The discussion between Mami and me ended, although it doesn''t need to be said, they passed on half of the pay in advance. I guess I need to do my best.


    The savings I have gathered thanks to the recently increased amount of customers have disappeared as I purchased crafting equipment, a synthesis kit. I need to earn some more money, I started thinking so.


    ¡ñ


    "There we go, a synthesis kit for five items."


    The synthesis kit for three items was just a fabric with magical circles painted on it, the kit for four items is a lithograph-type. And the synthesis kit for 5 items are stationary lithographs making up a magical circle, it could be only placed in a broad space.


    The synthesis'' magical circle consists of five vertical and horizontal lithographs, the base material is placed in the middle and the remaining materials are placed in four directions around it.


    When I finished placing the lithographs I looked at the cramped workshop. I will need to extend it or maybe get a separate room for synthesis, I thought. Right now, after buying the synthesis kit I don''t have money to spare. After placing the lithograph took me an entire hour, I leaked out a sigh.


    "Even if I stand here nothing will happen. I should at least make a sample before Mami and Minute come."


    Suddenly, I realized that rather than waste material by failing to create the synthetic mob, it''s better to practice several times and learn a few things.


    Inside of the synthesis'' magical circle I put a drop from blue slime, blue jelly. On the four sides I have put charcoal, well water, crow feathers and a stone. These were inexpensive materials I purchased in the city.


    "Now, let''s do it. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·!"


    I stood beside the synthesis circle and triggered the skill. The MP consumption was much higher than the two and three item synthesis I usually use. The magical circle engraved on stone tablets has absorbed MP, which has started flashing with pale light and raced through the circle. Materials on each side decomposed into particles corresponding to each element and were sucked into the base material in the middle of magical circle, light has subsided a moment later.


    "...success, for the time being."


    After the pale light which illuminated the workshop has vanished, in the centre of the magical circle was lying a thinly coloured stone.


    It was somewhat similar to that of Ryui and others'' summoning stones, a ¡¾Nucleus Stone¡¿ which allowed calling out a synthetic mob. This time, ¡¾Slime''s Nucleus Stone Lv1¡¿ was created.


    "The instructions for calling it out is the same as for mobs acquired with ¡¾Taming¡¿ right, it should be ¡¶Summon¡· and ¡¶Dismissal¡·."


    I placed the ¡¾Slime''s Nucleus Stone¡¿ on my palm, and called it out.


    "Slime¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    Momentarily, the stone has released a white light and the dazzle has blinded me. Before the light has subsided, *plop*, something squelchy, a slime organism has wrapped around my hand.


    "Uwaaa?! Disgustingg!"


    The slime I shook off by waving my hand has slammed into the workshop''s cobblestone and splattered out. Mucus that has spread out dragged itself towards the grain-like small nucleus at the centre of its body, and it has come together.


    "Uuu, it''s a bit different from the slime I imagined. No, blue slimes are like this."


    What I imagined was a little bit gummy, stiff one. This one had mucus continuously circulate around the nucleus, making it seem more like an amoeba than a slime.


    To speak of its size, it would be smaller than a blue slime. I think using this as a pet requires a considerable amount of knowledge. I don''t think this is what Mami is expecting.


    "Seems like there''s no other way than devise a synthesis recipe."


    Once again, I set up the materials and created a synthetic mob. And then, I continued to synthesize the created ¡¾Slime''s Nucleus Stone¡¿ with ore-type items.


    "...this isn''t good. Only its volume has increased. What material would be good to use?"


    Ore-type items, wood, herbs, mob drops, potions, I continued to synthesize it with various items.


    The mucus base continued to increase its volume as I repeated synthesis, and the base colour of the slime changed depending on the material''s elemental attribute. When I synthesized the Nucleus Stone with water attribute item, it changed colour to blue, after converting it into a blue slime. After that I added earth element and it has been converted into a mud slime.


    There were many patterns the changes have followed, and it was difficult to comprehend even if I noted it down.


    "Mmm... I have no clue. How do I make it into a cute slime."


    In front of my eyes, a multi-coloured slime was continuously wriggling. If I were to use onomatopoeia to describe it, it would be ''glcsh'' and ''blshsh'', I thought with a scowl.


    "Yun-chan, sorry to intrude."


    "Hello, sorry to bother."


    Kyouko-san the NPC already spoke with Minute and Mami, then smoothly guided them to the workshop. When the two entered after collecting materials, each of them showed a different reaction.


    When Minute saw the colourful herd of slimes in front of her eyes, her expression has cramped slightly and Mami looked them a bit impressed. Unexpectedly, it might be a idea to bet on them?


    "For now, I tried making some samples. How are they?"


    Unable to stand it physiologically, Minute moved away until she reached the wall. Mami has hesitantly reached out to one of the slimes, and after patting the squelchy mass with a palm of her hand, she looked up while still squatting.


    "Not good. It''s not elastic enough."


    "So it''s that after all."


    "No no no, rather, what''s up with this disgusting scene."


    Turned towards Minute whose face was blue, I said "They are just ordinary slimes, aren''t they". I made eye contact with Mami who said "That''s right, they''re the same as slimes you can find on the plains." as if nothing was wrong with it. Yup, no problem at all.


    "Well, seems like Minute turned hopeless, so I''ll put them all away. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Dismissal¡·."


    Unlike tamed mobs, even large quantities of synthetic mobs aren''t a burden as they don''t consume any MP. As I picked up Nucleus Stones that rolled on the floor, Minute started to move.


    "So, can you make an elastic slime?"


    "Hmm. It''s difficult for me to do as I am now. Although I tried various combinations, I''m not too knowledgeable yet. There''s a possibility that it will be more expensive than the budget we decided on. Still, is that fine?"


    "Yes. In for a penny, in for a pound."


    Mami strongly nodded, is it all right to use these materials like that? Well, I''ll acknowledge her determination.


    "Then, how about we try making it together?"


    "Making, you say, but neither me nor Mami has a ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Sense."


    "I''ll be the one actually activating it, all you need to do is think of combinations and say them out."


    "That sounds fun."


    Finally, Minute smiled for the first time after coming here. First, I showed the two a basic synthesis procedure, and demonstrated how to make a synthetic slime.


    After roughly understanding how does it work, we proceeded to create a new slime from the materials they brought.


    "So what you have is a Fire Rat''s fang, Gun Fish''s Scales, Aero Snake''s Skin and a Hobgoblin''s Horn. That''s quite a high level material."


    They were higher level materials than the ones I used.


    "If it''s these, a better slime might come out. Let''s try it immediately."


    I placed the items on the magical circle, and triggered the Synthesis skill.


    And from the created ¡¾Slime''s Nucleus Stone Lv3¡¿, a bigger slime has appeared.


    "Hmm. The level is higher, but it''s still of the same type."


    "Hey, Yun-chan. Do items for synthesis need to be materials? For example, synthesizing multiple ¡¾Nucleus Stones¡¿ with each other."


    "Combining slimes with each other to make something like a king slime?"


    Minute and Mami spoke. I didn''t think of that before. And I placed large quantities of Lv1 Slime''s Nucleus Stones on the synthesis circle.


    What was created by combining five Lv1 Nucleus Stones, was a Lv2 Nucleus Stone.


    Although the Lv1 Nucleus Stones became Lv2, the volume increased. I wonder if the level increased because their experience value accumulated.


    "Hmm. It''s grown larger, but that''s not it. Also, making a different mob is on hold since there''s no recipes right?"


    "Next, how about we try synthesizing it with things of a specific element? Since there''s already a Mud Slime, we could try merging Mud Slimes with each other, or synthesize them with ore-type items. I think we should take that approach if we want to make it more elastic."


    "Understood. Let''s try mass-producing Mud Slimes with a variety of ores. Also, what I want to try out would be¡ª¡ª"


    I used the idea of using ¡¶Synthesis¡· on multiple nucleus stones, and came up with an idea of using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s higher conversion on them. I brainstormed with Mami and tried out many things.


    The results that have come out, were ¡¾Mud Slime Lv3¡¿, ¡¾Sand Slime Lv1¡¿ and ¡¾Huge Slime Lv1¡¿.


    As I continued to synthesize various materials into the slime''s base, its level and volume increased.


    The result of continuous synthesizing the Mud Slime with ore-based materials, was a change in its constitution where mucus has changed into sand. A Sand Slime could hardly be called a slime at this point.


    And 10 of ¡¾Slime''s Nucleus Stones¡¿ fused with Alchemy resulted with a Huge Slime.


    Like that, although we managed to create new types of slime, none of them had the elasticity and didn''t fit the image Mami had.


    "Hmm. The Sand Slime''s surface is hard, but that''s not it."


    After touching the sandy surface I felt a fine sandy texture, but it was continuously flowing. Also, the Huge Slime was big enough to swallow a person whole, after summoning I returned it back into Nucleus Stone in a hurry.


    "If ore-type materials are no good, what do we use. Aahh, my brain''s tired!"


    Although I tried numerous patterns, I wasn''t able to make something decent enough. Maybe I should try herb-type items, maybe mix it with potions, or should I try synthesizing it with a weapon. I continued to ponder endlessly.


    "Hey, don''t you have anything that solidified liquids? Something like jelly, or a pudding."


    "Jelly and pudding huh. Well, I do but..."


    I took out a Blue Jelly which was crafted from Blue Slime''s drop.


    "Blue Gelatin is a cooking ingredient, but let''s try it out."


    A little bit tired, Mami was playing with Mud Slime and Sand Slime by poking them with her finger. She looked back at the blue powder which worked as gelatin, but didn''t seem to expect much.


    I too, had no longer anything to lose and placed blue gelatin as to surround a single Nucleus Stone.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·"


    In response to my words, the Slime''s Nucleus Stone turned bluish. However, rather than turn into Blue Slime''s Nucleus Stone it as turned into something different, a ¡¾Gel''s Nucleus Stone Lv1¡¿.


    "No way. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·"


    What was called out, was a jelly-like object that fit the palm. It seemed like the jelly-like matter that trembled and jiggled around the dark red nucleus, was what Mami has been seeking.


    Mami, not bothered with the displaced three-cornered hat and glasses, opened eyes widely and scooped the jelly with her hand. She used her entire palm to check how pleasant it was in touch, and enjoyed the elasticity under her fingertips.


    "I want this. Thank you, Yun-san, Minute."


    "You''re okay with that then. What about size and colour?"


    "Then, a bit larger please."


    "Roger."


    In response to Mami''s words, I continued to synthesize the ¡¾Gel''s Nucleus Stone Lv1¡¿ for size adjustment. In the end, it has ended up being of a small cushion''s size.


    "Hey, I got an idea when I saw that, how about we prank someone with this?"


    "Prank?"


    Both Mami who was holding the completed Gel against her chest, and I who have been stroking Zakuro and Ryui whom I have summoned, have tilted out heads.


    "Like this, ¡ª¡ª¡ª"


    After that we listened to Minute''s proposal, and thinking it was interesting, we decided to put it in practice immediately. Because the amount of materials we had was a bit insufficient, the two went to hunt and shop for some and I proceeded with preparations.


    ¡ñ


    The details of the prank, was to have slime resemble food and have it move right before the target eats it. The targets are the usual party members, Taku, Gantz and Kei. Targeting the three men, we proceeded with the preparations.


    I synthesized a Poison slime by using poison extracted from poisonous herbs and light element materials, I put it into a pot with soup¡ª¡ªcreating a Sweet Red-Bean Soup-style Slime.


    A colourful Gel nicely boxed like a frozen desert¡ª¡ªWater Bun-style gel set.


    Sand Slime and Gel that was similar to soy bean flour¡ª¡ªKudzu Starch Cake-style Slime.


    A three-coloured Gel that was similar to a dumpling¡ª¡ªDumpling-style Gel.


    The last one, was a colourful chaotic slime plunged into a pot¡ª¡ªDarkness-style Slime Pot.


    We had too much fun making it, making pretty food samples was really interesting. It was a little bit different from crafting, but making something in a noisy atmosphere was pleasant as well. And as for the further 100kG of expanses, they were paid by Mami and Minute, so the amount I spent remained at 600kG for the crafting kit. I told them that payment for work was just a bonus, but in the end I settled for the 100kG we initially agreed on.


    "All right, now that the preparation''s over, let''s carry it to the store."


    "We properly practised the instructions, let''s see their surprised faces."


    The moment I imagined what kind of stupefied expression Taku will make, thought it would be fun. Well, since overdoing it would be a problem as well, I made preparations to properly show off the synthetic mobs, Slimes and Gels.


    When I stuffed the prepared dummy food into the wooden box and carried it to the counter, the preparations have been finally finished.


    "Okay, we''ll call them now."


    "Yeah, please do. Also, I guess I need to prepare some drinks too."


    In two types of containers I have put respectively a Paralyse Slime and authentic Lemon Squash, finishing the preparations. I thought, but since I forgot about something important, I went back to the workshop.


    There were no spoons, forks and chopsticks that were required to eat. Because it''s fake food, I forgot about it, but it cannot be eaten without tableware.


    And when I came back from the workshop to store part with the necessities¡ª¡ª


    "Ohh, Yun-chan, I''ll go ahead and pick something."


    ...what?


    I stared at the object Gantz picked up with his fingertips.


    He picked one of the Gels that were pretending to be Water Bun''s, unworried about tableware and swallowed it.


    The synthetic mobs are very artificial and disposable. That''s why they faithfully obey commands and instructions, on the other hand they don''t take any independent actions. And as such, it was unable to run away, unable to take action¡ª¡ª


    "E-eaten?!"


    "Ohh, it''s not that tasty. I''ve heard that the three of you girls with Yun-chan''s lead made candies, but appearance aside, taste isn''t so good. In particular, this bad taste must be Minute''s creation."


    Shock, is what my face expressed, now you''ve done it, I felt like saying to Gantz, but I couldn''t do it. They were supposed to move in unison when Taku, Gantz and Kei were about to eat them at the same time. And yet, Gantz went ahead and ate it not noticing anything.


    "Hmm. This red bean soup. When I tried licking it earlier, it seemed to be poisoned, so it''s Minute''s failure which causes abnormal status huh. So to say..."


    "H-hey, Gantz? W-where''s Taku and Kei? Wasn''t Minute and Mami supposed to call them?"


    With my voice trembling, I finally managed to ask why was Gantz alone.


    "Ah, since Kei found an item he wanted on the stall, they''re negotiating a price cut. Since I hate taking time when shopping, I went ahead. They should be coming soon?"


    Immediately after he said that, a friend chat from Minute came.


    ¡º"Sorry. Gantz headed to the store alone. Try stalling him for a while."¡»


    "Ahahaha, sorry. The moment I looked away he ate some of the cooking."


    Even now, he was drinking up fake Lemon Squash which was in fact a Paralysis Slime.


    Heck, despite having high viscosity, this guy still doesn''t notice.


    "Buhhaa! The carbonated feeling of a carbonated drink makes me feel as if my throat and stomach went numb!"


    No, they really went numb! Does this person really not notice it?! Maybe it''s a prank to surprise me instead?! What should I do, when my heart was pounding hard as I thought, Minute and Mami came back, pulling Taku and Kei. I just have to do what has to be done, I thought.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Jump!¡¿"


    With a single word said by me, the slimes which were included in the dishes and the pots have jumped in unison. Although I wanted to include Taku and Kei as well, but I couldn''t allow Gantz to eat any more of the fake food, and activated the gimmick with only Gantz as the victim.


    In fact, the Gel which jumped has hit Gantz''s forehead and left a small mark, a large amount of colourful mucus has fell in his surroundings. Not only Gantz became a victim of the spectacle, but also Taku and Kei opened their mouths from their position at the entrance.


    When I activated it, I wondered if the slime Gantz swallowed will choke him to death or crawl out, but it seemed like it has disappeared inside of his stomach.


    Then, Minute exploded with laughter and Mami glanced out from behind Kei.


    After the prank was spoiled, Taku and Kei put hands on their chests relieved that they haven''t become the victims.


    "Woah, dangerous. No way, I''d never think that Yun would set up a prank."


    "No, it was Minute''s proposal. Well, I guess I wanted to have a payback for earlier too."


    I responded to Taku, and once again summoned some of the Slimes and Gels.


    "Really, not noticing its fake and eating it. Gantz is such an idiot."


    "What are you saying, Minute. There''s no way I''ll notice when they''re so neatly served."


    "No, I actually suspected that you noticed and ate it despite that."


    Mainly, because of the comedic bodily reactions of his.


    "As if I would do that!"


    And the number one victim actually said "In a certain meaning, it''s a nice position to be in" not bothered. Originally it should have been a lighter prank, but the person himself has delved deep into it, I was relieved that he wasn''t all that bothered.


    "Even so, it''s well made, Yun."


    "Well, since they''re disposable I wanted to make them as pets, but synthesizing various things turned out to be really fun."


    As Taku spoke, I responded slightly embarrassed doing something so childish.


    Mami was tired of our conversation, and put the Gel on her knees, enjoying the elastic feel. Until now, it was hidden in her triangle hat, called by her it has dragged itself out from inside. Not only I was surprised, but so was Kei and Minute. In the end, it felt like Mami pranked everyone. When the hidden Gel moved out a little from the hat, "Heyy", Mami used ventriloquism. Then, Kei sank to his knees and covered his face, his shoulders trembling as if he tried to endure something.


    "Hey hey, can I touch it? I want to touch a Slime."


    "It''s not a Slime, but a Gel. It''s different from a Slime."


    "Don''t mind the details. It reminds me of slime I made when I was a kid."


    Gantz stretched out his fingers to the slime as if nothing was wrong. Barrage of hits, a barrage of hits sending things fly, when I recalled that while happily looking, momentarily a familiar phenomenon has occurred.


    Mami''s Gel''s HP has decreased slightly. And Gantz continued to stab his fingers into it not taking any notice.


    "¡ª¡ª¡ª!! Gantz! Stop touching it!"


    "What? Yun-chan, are you jealous?"


    "Aahh¡ª¡ª"


    The quiet murmur, was let out by Mami. The pierced Gel lost is viscosity, melted, and turned into particles.


    "Retard. You''re a martial artist aren''t you."


    Gantz''s Sense configuration was one that allowed him to fight in proximity mainly with his bare hands. One of its characteristics was adding damage judgement to his barehanded attacks. The act of poking the Gel was an attack action, and even if he held back when touching it multiple times, the chain attack has stacked up and Mami''s Gel HP disappeared because of the damage.


    "Yun-chan, can you help me punish Gantz a little?"


    "Sure. Geez, just what the hell is he doing."


    Seeing Mami''s stunned, pained expression, I frowned. Taku and Kei too, have stared accusingly at Gantz.


    "Eeehh?! M-my bad! Sorry!"


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Speed."


    "Let''s try fixing that broken brain of yours with shock therapy."


    I cast an enchant increasing Minute''s attack and speed stats. Although Minute is a mage, she swung her weapon ¨C a mace at Gantz''s head with all her strength.


    Her swing was aimed so that he would be hit and flew outside through the store''s entrance, right into the street. Although he could have easily avoided that, he understood that doing something unnecessary like that would make this situation turn worse. At the moment of receiving the attack, he jumped back slightly to passively reduce the damage.


    "Tch! I intended to kill him."


    "I said sorry! Please forgive m¡ª¡ª"


    Gantz got up, bowed his head and tried apologizing, but a heavy sound of something cracking came from his head and his movement stopped.


    "Nice assist, Yun-chan."


    "I''m angry too, since something I made was broken."


    I''ve passed Mami the pet, it was the same as with the consumables. However, because of how we struggled with the creation process, and its pointless destruction in just a moment I got angry as well. Right now, I threw a ¡¾Paralysis 4¡¿ drug. Unable to move, Gantz thought that Minute would dispose of him, but previously stunned Mami moved and stopped us.


    "W-wait."


    "Mami, you want this to stop? This idiot''s punishment?"


    "No. I''ll do it myself."


    Those words were said with a clear, cold tone of voice. Yup, seems like support is not needed here.


    "W-wait a se..."


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªIntelligence. Also this, your INT will increase even further."


    In addition to magic attack power increasing enchant, I handed an INT-increasing Boost Tablet to Mami. She swallowed it, and quietly closed her eyes.


    "Ohh, she''s going to cast the one with highest firepower."


    "Highest firepower?"


    "Mami is a typical mage. Well, she''s usually saving up her strength. It doesn''t fit her personality so it doesn''t stand out but..."


    Mami quietly opened her eyes, and poised her staff against Gantz who stood in front in anticipation. Seeing that, Gantz''s face turned blue and he took a defensive posture.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Aero Cannon¡·."


    In other words, an air gun. Although wind element is quite moderately powered magic, this skill had more than twice as much power than normal, and an invisible shell has sent Gantz flying.


    "The ¡¾Meditation¡¿ Sense increases MP recovery rate and power of the next released magic. Moreover, there''s Yun-chan''s enchant and stat-enhancing item. That''s some amazing firepower."


    I couldn''t tell since there was nothing I could compare it to, but the wind that came from impact''s aftermath has thrown my long hair out of order.


    Mami didn''t even look at the result, cast the magic towards the back and pressed her head against my chest.


    "Is it fine now?"


    "Please make me another one. A cuter one."


    "Got it."


    I was a little bit nervous with a girl so close, but when I thought of her as of little sister I no longer felt anything. I lifted her hat and patted her head, a little embarrassed.


    After that, Kei and Minute comforted her by inviting to eat some sweets to improve her mood.


    Gantz''s lowered his shoulders, Minute laughing hard at the state he was in, hit his back several times.


    "Really stupid. But that was super amusing! Oh, Yun-chan, thanks. It''s been a while since I had this much fun. This, your reward."


    The blonde beauty exploded with laughter, just what was so fun about it, I didn''t know, but I was surprised to get money as a reward.


    Well, it should be fine if I think about it as of compensation for destruction of synthetic mob. Also, it was true that I needed money.


    "Yun-san, please make me a new one. Ah, of course, Gantz will pay for the pet."


    "So I have to pay for it after all, huh. Tohoho... hey, Yun-chan, can you make me a pet as well?"


    "...what? You want to destroy one again?"


    In response to to my cold gaze, "No!" Gantz raised a voice of protest.


    "Since I learned my lesson with Mami''s Slime, I''ll make sure to go easy on the pet! I''ll properly pay for it!"


    "Haa, well. It can''t be helped then. I''m going make it after I finish Mami''s Gel. Any requests for your pet?"


    "Hmm. First, make it that it won''t die! Next, one that won''t be bothered even if it''s damaged."


    Even though he said that, right now what I had in the store were only Slimes and its relatives like Gel.


    "Then this. ¡¾Huge Slime''s Nucleus Stone Lv3¡¿. It has physical damage received reduction and a lot of HP, but aside from that it has no other features."


    "All right! I''m buying it!"


    And so, I passed it to Gantz for an appropriate price of 100kG.


    "Come! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    The Huge Slime Gantz called out was a pale green slime a bit larger than an adult man. Gantz prompted it "Come on", with his arms wide open, he called the slime with benevolence in his eyes.


    Although it was a response akin to that of calling a new puppy, but the AI was very artificial. Gantz faced it and touched the enormous slime mob. As a result¡ª¡ª


    "Woah, wa¡ª! Wait!"


    "Ahahahaha! My stomach hurts! He''s inside of his own slime!"


    Holding her belly, "hihihihihi", Minute''s shoulder trembled from laughter. She seems to be having fun.


    My hunch was right, and I looked at it with a difficult expression. Gantz called slime to come to him. Although a normal mob would have stopped after walking to some extent, the result this time was Slime continuing to come and swallowing Gantz whole.


    "Dammit! I''ll definitely master your usage!"


    "I''m glad that I chose a small Gel."


    Gantz was swallowed by his own pet, seeing his appearance struggling to escape, everyone made a different reaction.


    Taku said "Retard", and smiled wryly. Minute burst into laughter, and Mami strongly reminded me that she wants her pet in a handy size.


    "I give up, give up! Help!"


    "...hey, why won''t he use ¡¶Dismissal¡·. Or maybe log out?"


    "Ah..."


    In the end, the situation was resolved by Kei''s calm words.


    Gantz was revived after a moment and calmed himself down. I''ll definitely learn how to handle the Huge Slime. I watched over him warmly as he expressed his determination after showing disgraceful behaviour.


    After that, Taku and others gathered, undertook a quest and left through ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s entrance.


    Then, I went to create the synthetic mob I was asked to make by Mami.

 Chapter Volume 3 5

    Chapter 5 - Resale and the Crafting Guild''s Concept


    Because of testing various patterns and creating large quantities of the synthetic Slimes and Gels a while ago, I used a lot of materials at once and a problem has emerged.


    "Haa, I didn''t think that a time will come where I''m out of materials and have to get them on my own."


    I stepped on a blue slime with my shoe, and stabbed the nucleus with a knife. Most of these slimes drop a Blue Jelly material after dissolving.


    Since Blue Jelly was the most important item required to synthesize a slime, as well as to create Blue potions from now on, I had to secure the material no matter what.


    Compared to before my level and equipment was much better, and my attack power has increased. Still, the bow''s point attack wasn''t suitable for hunting slimes. Equipped with ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense, I continued to hunt them with a knife.


    As I continued to hunt indifferently, the excitement of being in battle disappeared and it turned into a simple task. Originally, the low level mobs had higher numbers and spawn rate than normal, so as I hunted them solo, before I wiped them out new ones have already spawned.


    "...haa, I got 3 of slime''s rare drops huh."


    Although what I was hunting were Blue Slimes, there was a rare drop other than Blue Jelly dropping from it. It was a ¡¾Slime''s Nucleus¡¿ item, which was a shared drop from all slime species.


    It was an item reinforcement material, although it didn''t give any effect when placed in a weapon; in armour and accessories it had a very small effect ¡¾Damage taken reduction (minimal)¡¿. However¡ª¡ª


    "After defeating 378 Blue Slimes I get 4 of them huh."


    The probability of dropping was around 1%. Well, since its a rare drop from mobs that are defeated en masse, these could be found at the street vendors and bought on the market for 10kG. The accessories with its additional effect were sold for about 100kG, it''s a staple connecting many of the beginner''s equipment.


    "Haa, well, it has other uses than making accessories with them."


    On top of granting an additional effect to accessories, it was a synthetic material necessary for improvement of the AI for synthetic Slime and Gel mob species I created the other day.


    By synthesizing ¡¾Slime''s Nucleus¡¿ with either a slime or gel synthetic mobs, it was possible to improve them, but not their levels but AI itself. In other words, it''s something like AI of enemy in a fighting game, in a mirror match between two same characters, a superior AI will have higher winning percentage. It was the same for synthetic mobs.


    Well, as I said many times before, it can get stronger but it''ss limited to slimes.


    And like that, the material I obtained after spending a lot of time could be used in few ways, but mostly its effectiveness was low.


    "Fuu, maybe I should leave it at this for today and rest a little."


    Since the hunting ground wasn''t far away from the town, I returned back to the town''s entrance without hurrying too much. Halfway back, I saw players on the stairs at the boundary between the plains and north-eastern forest, and understood that it was Cloude''s dungeon that had its entrance near the town. Although I roughly knew where was it, it was my first time seeing it.


    I returned to town, and deciding to take break at Cloude''s ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿, I headed over there.


    After the recent update which changed the¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense, he was able to get a hold of a crafter who had ¡¾Cooking¡¿ and proudly boasted of the store starting to operate as a caf¨¦. The form it took was a joint operation of Cloude who was responsible for managing the clothing store part and another player. Speaking of store ownership, I guess Cloude was the owner. I walked towards the open terrace-style caf¨¦.


    "Welcome. How many seats?"


    "Oh, only one."


    "Then, I shall guide you to the counter seats."


    Since I was alone, I have been guided to the counter seat. It was first time I have received a coffee caf¨¦ service after coming to this store.


    I wonder if that''s an NPC? I wondered for a moment as the female player politely guided me to the counter seat as a part of customer service.


    Naturally, my gaze wandered in a certain direction. On the counter seats there was Cloude in waiter clothes of chic design matching the store''s atmosphere, and Lyly.


    Noticing my gaze, Lyly waved towards me with his hand grandly wanting me to come over, it was abrupt but I asked for an adjacent seat.


    "Understood. Please use this counter seat then."


    Since on Lyly''s right there was Cloude, as if sandwiching him I sat down on Lyly''s left and greeted them.


    "It''s unusual for you to come to Cloude''s store, Yuncchi."


    "I wanted to see how the caf¨¦ is like. Also, I wanted to talk about the ¡¾Search Orb¡¿ and the guild''s funding."


    Creating synthetic mobs at someone''s request, a lot of gold was spent, as expected members from a highly skilled party right. Spending just 500kG to create a synthetic mob was quite reasonable.


    The breakdown for that, was Minute''s 150k surprise payment for success, Mami''s 250k of payment for the pet. And Gantz''s payment for his pet, 100kG.


    I''ll take what''s given to me, and use it effectively.


    "And so, I have prepared 500kG, for how much did you sell the ¡¾Search Orb¡¿?"


    "Kukuku, listen and be surprised! Somehow, it went for 200kG."


    "Hee, you sold it quite expensive."


    I left the ¡¾Search Orb¡¿ I had with him, told him to find out its price and sell it.


    Taku also got some from a quest, but wouldn''t let go of it. Speaking of number of those existing, it could be called rare, but it''s effect was very subtle. Still, for it to go for 200kG... I expected 100kG at best.


    "I showed it to a few parties and had them compete over it. Well, there were parties with a good and bad reaction to it though. Also, they said that if another one appeared they want to rotate turns to get those."


    "That''s impossible. So I see. It turned into gold huh."


    If that''s the case, I''ll do the quest every nigh... no, it''s impossible after all! I don''t feel like going to an underground library that has a ghost infestation.


    "Yuncchi? Is that not a crafted item? Or is material rare?"


    "I will exercise the right to remain silent."


    "Well, if that information gives you an advantage, I won''t ask."


    I was a little relieved when Cloude finished the topic with these words. However, seeing that, feeling mischievous he raised his index finger and started speaking.


    "However, if it''s information, then I do have some as well. Oh right. The location you were recently going to¡ª¡ªthe library. Fuu, looks like I hit the mark."


    "I want to know why do you know about what I''ve been doing recently, also, how were you able to pin point it so accurately."


    "Hm, I can tell that it''s not a crafted item going by the fact that you exercised the right to remain silent. Moreover, when I was determining a price there was no price indication on it. And so, I thought it''s probably not something one can purchase from NPC. If it were purchased, there would be a minimal price indication. In that case, rather than being something which requires collecting materials nor being something which requires combat abilities, it had to be a quest inside of the town. And thinking about the recent actions you were taking, it came to me naturally."


    "Kurocchi, you''re just like a detective."


    "Seriously, how come you know that much."


    With this, I started doubting if rather than his brilliant reasoning, he knew about it since I''ve been monitored. Well, there''s no way that''s true is it.


    "Well, even if I know the location, I couldn''t find the quest. I would rather get the information without having to search for it."


    Cloude ascertained that dryly, giving up.


    In the end, the amount of gold I gave for funding the crafting guild was 500kG and 200kG from the ¡¾Search Orb¡¿.


    "Haa, the total is 700kG. It''s a great help to get a comparatively large funding like that. And, you could help me to establish my cosplay caf¨¦¡ª¡ª¡º"I won''t, geez."¡»¡ª¡ª"


    I refused, not allowing Cloude to finish and momentarily made a cold expression.


    "Why! I can prepare a miniskirt police costume immediately! You''ll act as a set with Lyly!"


    "Why are you partnering me up with Lyly. And why did you choose policewomen, both Lyly and I are men."


    "As to why I partner you up, that''s because having a duo of miniskirt policewomen is a classic. A dark blue neck-tie on white shirt, wearing armbands, the dark blue miniskirt making up the absolute territory when you bend down, making it unclear whether it can be seen or not! Then, arrest the perpetrators, put handcuffs on them... it''s romance!"


    He took a breath by the end, exhaled, and spoke to me with a confident expression.


    The woman who acted as the waitress saw it. The player said "Don''t bother the customers that much". Then she held his arms behind his back, locking them in a hold.


    "Uuoo?! Wait, that''s obviously too strong!"


    "Come on, you wanted to be arrested by police right... the criminal is secured, see?"


    "I give up!'' the large adult tapped the counter seat, and managed to get released.


    The waitress, acting like nothing happened with her dress spotless waited for us to order. Her service had a very professional feel to it, and I felt something like respect seeing it.


    Leaving Cloude''s treatment aside, the caf¨¦ had a calm atmosphere even in VR, and could offer proper service. I too, started to long a little towards having a different kind of store from ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "What did you choose Lyly?"


    "A short cake and tea set."


    "Then I''ll take gateau au chocolat and caf¨¦ au lait. If it''s this, you should be able to eat it."


    "Thank you, Yuncchi."


    "A shortcake set and gateau au chocolat sets, yes? Understood."


    The waitress took a step back and lightly bowed her head. Then as the preparations behind the counter proceeded, the aroma of tea and coffee has reached us.


    The cake, was in an item box. No, it was a showcase-type item, since it was prepared beforehand the wait time wasn''t long.


    "I apologize for the wait. Short cake set and gateau au chocolat set."


    "Thank you very much. Let''s eat."


    I thanked the waitress, cut out a bite-sized chunk from gateau au chocolat with a fork and put it in my mouth. I enjoyed the slightly sweet modest chocolate taste and moist texture, then I washed away the sweetness with caf¨¦ au lait which had bitterness softened with milk.


    "Yuncchi Yuncchi, let''s exchange."


    "Sure, go ahead and eat my cake."


    "Thanks. Then, I''ll help myself."


    Lyly cut my cake with his fork, and ate it with gusto.


    Seeing a happy expression on his face was calming.


    "Then, your turn next Yuncchi. Aaann."


    Lyly cut the short cake with my fork right in front of my mouth, and I reflexively bit it. There was the strawberry''s acidity and the fresh cream''s sweetness, while enjoying the softness of sponge dough I chewed on it. I placed a hand on my mouth and swallowed the cake, after which I enjoyed the aftertaste with my eyes closed.


    "...Kuro-san, what is this girl. She''s seriously dangerous. She''s so charming just looking at her makes my heart pound like mad."


    "Indeed. She''s one of models that caught my eye."


    "I''ve been always thinking that your behaviour is sick and ignored it, but just now I can sympathize."


    Hey, you there caf¨¦ owner and employee, what are you saying. And I noted that the waiter on the other side of the counter smiled wryly.


    "You will definitely become a wonderful and undefeated model. That''s why you should wear equipment I made ."


    "Don''t talk as if I was some lame magical girl. Also, I''m not a model. Do you really get customers despite acting like that?"


    I spat out a sigh and looked at Cloude, but he himself made a gesture telling me it doesn''t bother him.


    "After much trouble this store started to function as a caf¨¦, yet no people are coming. Honestly, since I keep drinking coffee in my free time, my stomach is starting to bulge out because of it."


    "The atmosphere''s good, does that little people really come?"


    I looked around the store with a very few people. I too have been feeling quite lonely in ¡¾Atelier¡¿ until recently, Cloude relayed to me what was the current situation calmly.


    "Hmm. The ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense has been more recognized after the introduction of satiety system, but putting it the other way around, it was the only change. Everyone is satisfied with just having a stable supply of stat enhancement food."


    "What a waste. Even though this modern feel is nice."


    "On the other hand, hobbyists who enjoy the atmosphere do come but... so you''re that worried about the store eh. In that case, how about you wear maid clothes and attract customers?"


    "I won''t."


    Holding a conversation like usual, we enjoyed our time until our drinks were exhausted. Then suddenly, when I looked sideways at Cloude, I felt that I saw a shadow on his face.


    "...hey, Cloude. How are the preparations for the crafting guild? Is there anything you''re worried about?"


    Ever since earlier he was covering it up with jokes, but the shadow seemed to be there after all.


    "...haa, I guess. It should be fine to tell you, Yun."


    Cloude received an eye contact from Lyly, and looked away uncomfortable, then said what was the reason for it.


    "For the time being, we have reached our goal for funding the guild. We have secured the land and employment of NPC''s is going well. However, there is one thing, we weren''t able to prepare the most important thing."


    "Important thing you weren''t able to prepare?"


    What can be that important?


    "That would be the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿. It''s a special item required to establish the guild system. Without that, we''re unable to start a guild no matter how ready everything else is."


    "Ah, the thing you can get by doing the guild quest?"


    I felt like I''ve heard a little about it, and pulled out my faint memory.


    If they don''t have it, they can just do the quest right. Although I tried to say that, I was interrupted by Lyly''s words.


    "Yuncchi, we''re crafters. We aren''t too good in combat. That''s why Magicchi tried to purchase the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ but..."


    "It started with a single reseller, and then it was bought out by a reselling guild. At first it cost 1mG, the price started growing and currently reached 4mG. Moreover, all players'' levels rise, and communities are being formed between parties increasing the demand for guilds."


    Lyly stared worriedly at Cloude who squeezed his first with a chagrin.


    "If I bought it at the very beginning... no, if I obtained the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ from the player selling it when I noticed the price is starting to rise, it would have been still okay. But now if I go to the player and ask him directly, the request fee for him to obtain it would be too high. Moreover, it''s difficult to buy it off the market. However, we can''t leisurely wait for the prices to drop."


    Lyly and I stared at him anxiously, but it seemed like Cloude hasn''t given up yet.


    "That''s why, Yun, Lyly, help me out."


    "Yup, let''s do our best together, Kurocchi."


    "If there''s anything I can help out with, then whatever you say."


    What I said to Cloude wasn''t a lie, it was how I really felt. I too looked forward to the creation of crafting guild.


    "The funds we have to purchase are 3mG. In order to buy the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ which costs 4mG on the market for 3mG... we need to look around and find a stall which would sell it cheaper."


    Cloude declared strongly.


    "And the ones to look around are Lyly and me?"


    "That''s right. I''m included as well, so me, Yun and Lyly. I''m going to pass the ownership to that female waitress over there for now."


    At least call me by my name. The female waiter raised her voice from behind the counter which Cloude brilliantly ignored.


    "Let''s conduct a frontal assault and find the cheapest ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ possible. The budget we can provide is 3mG after including Yun''s funding. I want to buy it as cheap as possible."


    "Were you unable to buy it at higher price at earlier stage?"


    Even without doing something that troublesome, you top crafters should have enough money right? I thought, but to his next words I looked up to heavens.


    "We can''t let such info out there. The reselling guild will raise the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿''s price even further. Earlier, the information that we want to buy it leaked out, and the resale guilds started raising the price. We''re still not in a guild, and as such we lose when it comes to financial strength. The result is the current price of ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿."


    "Even so, for resale guilds to continue endlessly buy up¡¾Guild Emblems¡¿..."


    That''s impossible. I wanted to say so, but Cloude stared straight at me, so I refrained myself from speaking.


    "The purpose of resale guilds is not infinite collection of ¡¾Guild Emblems¡¿, but sabotaging and delaying the founding of our crafting guild. To begin with, resale guilds buy up cheap items and sell them expensive for profit. What would they do if a crafting guild suddenly appeared and started to sell items on the market for a reasonable price."


    "Well, they wouldn''t sell. Oh, so that''s why they''re sabotaging it."


    "That''s right. They started raising the market price of it when they realized the purpose of the crafting guild. At first they were able to profit from the ¡¾Guild Emblems¡¿, but currently they must be making a loss on those. However, while the crafting guild''s establishment is delayed, they can compensate for it by profiting from other items, profiting in the end."


    "Haa, how confusing."


    "And, when they decide that they''re no longer profiting they will do an inventory clearance selling the ¡¾Guild Emblems¡¿ cheaply. Probably."


    After saying what could possibly happen in the future, "kukuku" Cloude let out a muffled laughter.


    Lyly and I stared as he laughed a bit eerily, and have quickly averted our gaze. Cloude has instantaneously changed the subject and the atmosphere of conversation.


    "We-well, umm, what. Even though we were defeated in the economic and information war, since there''s only a few of us, as long as we obtain a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ all problems will be solved."


    Rather, it seemed like he was concerned about losing an information war with the resale guilds. Still, it seemed pretty advanced to have information warfare inside a game.


    Cloude''s enthusiasm didn''t erase that impression which lodged itself in my chest, he grasped his fist strongly and raising his spirits, he declared openly.


    "Therefore, we will buy a cheap ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ within the budget on the stalls!"


    While making a pretty cool pose, Cloude said something painful which made me shed tears deep in my heart.


    ¡ñ


    "I''m holding the money, so let me know through friend chat if you find a cheap ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿."


    Cloude told us that, and together with the waiter person they have scattered in different directions.


    Lyly and I immediately started going around the stalls together.


    "Oh, what? This accessory..."


    "Ah, that''s a rare drop from a boss. It''s an accessory which increases damage against insect-type monsters. It''s popular among lady-like girls."


    "And this?"


    "That has no practicality. It''s an unbranded accessory available from a common quest. It''s aimed at beginners, but I don''t think it would be sufficient for you."


    Since our original purpose was to find a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿, being distracted by various items was inefficient.


    "Hmm. I''m bad with insect-type monsters. The price is¡ª¡ª1mG huh. I wonder if I can get a discount?"


    "Unfortunately, since there''s something I want as well I cannot give you a discount."


    "Hey, even if you say that, we don''t have that kind of money on our hands anyway."


    Lyly waved his hand reminding me that we have no money with us, how cold, we bid farewell to the player with a stall who smiled wryly and went to look at different stalls.


    "Hey, Lyly. Found anything?"


    "Not at all. How about you Yuncchi?"


    "I didn''t find anything either."


    It''s been a while since I last toured stalls other than those selling food, I could see that the amount of different products has increased dramatically. There was a masked player who specialized in dealing with material items.


    There was a player who held a large sword and sold expensive rare materials as well as rare drops.


    Boasting of weapons, armours and accessories as well as other things like potions and cooking, there were also crafters who sold joke items and handicraft like cloth for wrapping around one''s head for skinheads.


    There was a bearded, chubby merchant who enjoyed fiercely arguing and interacting with players.


    Reseller''s stalls which lacked any vibrancy and attraction and the business was left to NPCs.


    We slowly toured them, sometimes purchasing what we needed and tried to locate a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ which could be sold cheaper than one from a store, it felt a bit regretful that I enjoyed it despite being unable to find one.


    Among the stalls, there was an acquaintance. There was a single player who opened a stall.


    "Oh? Yun-kun and Lyly. It''s unusual for you two to tour the stalls together."


    "What are you doing, Magicchi?"


    Just like the first time I met her, with a weapon stall spread out, we found Magi-san interact with customers. The weapons were easy to handle orthodox long swords and spears made from common materials, which had an ordinary price. However, among those items, there was highest quality equipment as well.


    "I''m collecting information. Cloude asked me to look around the stalls for a cheap ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿."


    "Hee, is that so. So, did you find anything?"


    "Hmm. After we''ve talked with people who came to us, the prices on the market have gone up again. I have gathered some information, but it''s not so easy to find people who sell it. You need to look patiently. Also, there are some stalls over there too, how about you go look in there?"


    "Thank you very much for the information, Magi-san!"


    After hearing Magi-san''s advice Lyly pulled my hand, and we started running in the specified direction.


    "Do your best?. For sake of the crafting guild!"


    We''ve left Magi-san who waved her hand, and started touring the stalls in the direction Magi-san pointed to, then finally found a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿.


    "...I found it, Yuncchi."


    A man sitting cross-legged who looked at the stream of people in front of him with a bored expression was selling it.


    I moved in front and called out.


    "Hello, can I take a look?"


    "Yeah, feel free."


    Certainly, there was a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿. However, the price was barely any cheaper than any market at 3,98mG


    "Hmm. Getting a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ at this price, is probably no go right? But we have nothing to lose... Excuse me, could lower the price on this ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿¡ª¡ª¡º"No way I could."¡»¡ª¡ªI guess."


    He glared at me sharply. I wonder if I angered him on the first straight. After finally finding it, it''s impossible to buy it at this price. On top of that, the atmosphere didn''t show room for haggling. Lyly and I quietly left to look for another stall, but since we couldn''t find anything we came back again, it was already bought by someone.


    "You serious. Did someone really buy it at that price. No, the market price for that is a little special."


    "Not good. It seems like we won''t be able to buy it unless we go over the budget."


    Lyly listened to my murmur and spat out a small sigh. We''ve already seen other stalls, and we won''t find any more even if we go tour the lively stalls again. In that case, we should go back to Magi-san''s place. When I thought that, suddenly I saw a person sitting in a dim back alley through the gap in pedestrian traffic.


    "So there''s a stall in a place like that."


    "Ehh, ah, I didn''t notice."


    I headed together with Lyly towards a poor location hidden between buildings.


    "Yo, welcome. Wanna look?"


    He was cheerful and looked somewhat suspicious with sunglasses and hair in dreads. The man has a lot of metal accessories cluttering and laughed showing white teeth contrasting with the dim location.


    Among the products we found a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿! And it was priced at 3,5mG which was cheaper than the one earlier. Other items were boss'' rare drops and crafting materials, everything was about 10% cheaper than the ones we saw on the stalls earlier.


    "Hey, can I ask something?"


    "What''s up? No way, the reverse pattern? No, I give up. To think I''d be asked out by a pretty girl."


    There''s no such thing. I said flatly. The other party was joking, and let out an "arara", smelled his shoulders in an act.


    "Why is it so cheap? It''s 10% cheaper than the market price. Also, why are you in such a back alley, people won''t come right."


    "Well, ain''t that fine."


    Together with Lyly, we responded with ''I don''t get it''. And tilted our necks. The man in front of us pointed towards the street in front.


    "Certainly, if I put my shop in there I would sell. However, selling my spear isn''t all I want. I want to sell rare items cheaply in a dark alley role-playing as a back-alley black merchant. I get self-satisfaction from spending time with no customers in the dark alley, I say shady lines to players like you who come closer and sell items."


    The man removed sunglasses and winked, although he looked suspicious it suddenly felt refreshing in the middle of conversation.


    I think it was quite interesting to role-play as black merchant, I forgot about ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿, seeing his enthusiasm he role-played with as a black merchant Lyly and I started to listen attentively.


    Lyly seemed to like speaking with enthusiastic players like Cloude and the black merchant when they role-played. He listened to him with his eyes sparkling. I too admired it in my own way and asked him something once in a while, I wanted references to various ways to play the game.


    "Nice, it''s really nice to see people who''d listen to romance! It was really fun."


    Hehe, the black merchant man rubbed his nose with his finger.


    "I had fun as well. Especially the part where you insisted on crafting."


    I continued to improve my potions. And he, directed his own role as black merchant. We could feel empathy towards each other''s insistence, and laughed.


    "Interesting. I want this Treant Wood and Ebony."


    "Oh, got it. Wait a moment... kukuku, these are smuggled goods I''ve been secretly logging in the area they grow. These are rare highest quality items managed by the country which appear once every 50 years. There''s still a feet attached to it, still wanna buy it?"


    The youth''s refreshing voice he used until now, has changed into a voice of a shady dealer. I swallowed my breath, and Lyly paid him impressed, obtaining materials for woodworking.


    "Sorry. Wait a moment."


    Engrossed in the conversation, when we noticed another customer came into the back alley we took a step back.


    "That''s cheap. I''ll buy this, and this."


    "Kukuku, come on brother you''re not honest. That''s some good stuff you got there."


    This time, the black merchant role-player held a short conversation with the customer, making it seem as if there was something behind it and then saw him off. Then, when I looked towards the merchandise¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªThere''s no ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿!"


    "Ah, that brother there bought it. He paid with a grin on his face."


    "Do you have any other in stock?"


    "Ahh, so you two were aiming for the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ huh. Unfortunately, that''s a monthly quest."


    "Monthly?"


    "It can be undertaken only once a month, that''s what it means Yuncchi."


    Monthly. So it can be done once a month. By the way, quests like the delivery ones or underground library''s quest are dailies and can be done every day, there''s a limit on amount of times the quest can be done for a period of time.


    "A-ahahaha... what a shame."


    "I see. Well, you can come to look for something else next time. ¡ª¡ªKukuku, Miss, you shouldn''t wander around to such suspicious shops. I won''t say anything, but you better go home soon."


    Knowing that the product we were interesting in was no longer there, the black merchant started role-playing for the first time with us, and although he spoke lines to make us go away, he had a smile on his face. We left the stall after that.


    What kind of excuse should we use after missing that ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ from earlier which cost 3,5mG. And while thinking, I continued to look for a cheap ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿, but unable to find anything we reunited with Cloude and explained to him.


    "...and so, despite finding a guy who looked like he could give us good conditions, we have let it slip away. I''m sorry."


    "It''s not Yuncchi''s fault. It was over the budget too."


    Lyly tried comforting me, but after Cloude and the waiter heard about a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ seller with good conditions, Cloude crossed his arms and closed his eyes which felt oddly intimidating. Quietly, I waited for his reply.


    "Well, there''s that too I guess."


    "...aren''t you angry?"


    "Our budget is small in the first place. Also, on this side too I have been beaten to it by resellers and ordinary players every time and was unable to get one. I''m guilty too."


    "However, as far as I can remember, we probably get the funding for that. For example we could sell my potions at Magi-san''s or Cloude''s..."


    "It''s pointless to talk about assumptions. Also, selling things by proxies will hurt your main store sales right. Putting our hands in there and crushing all fellow crafters of ours with such move is out of question. If it comes to this, we need to take a direct approach."


    "Meaning, to take the guild quest, right."


    "There''s no other option is there. If should be fine if we use the 3mG of funds for the request fee."


    With that said, the monthly quest, unlike normal quests could be undertaken only once a month, and it would be used up.


    I wonder if there are people who would undertake the request to obtain the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ for 3mG when the market price is 4mG. In my opinion, there isn''t any.


    "What would you say if I told there''s no chances of success?"


    What do you mean? When I asked, Cloude came up with a number of reasons.


    "First, even if six people undertake the quest to obtain a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿, the reward is only one emblem."


    "Yeah, in that case the 3m would be divided between six of them."


    "If in an extreme case the quest could be cleared by a single person, then the 3m of reward would go to that person alone. Also, there''s a boss drop other than the quest reward. There''s more than enough reason to aim for a boss which can be only challenged once a month."


    Certainly, there are people who would think like that. I agreed.


    "Then, how about me, Cloude and Lyly go?"


    "No, Lyly and I can''t go since we need to do various adjustments for the crafting guild''s founding. That''s why¡ª¡ª"


    *Pat*, Cloude put his hands on my shoulders.


    "¡ª¡ªGather some members. I leave it to you."


    "Yuncchi, fight!"


    "H-HAAaaaa?!!"


    My voice echoed in the plaza. Players have turned around to me, but before that, what is this guy forcing me to do without any hesitation here.


    ¡ñ


    "I just have to gather some members right, geez..."


    "Well, I''ll do my best too. Is all I can say."


    Cloude and Lyly were holding preparations for establishment of crafting guild and weren''t in Cloude''s caf¨¦, Magi-san who picked up her stall now stared at the tea cup''s surface.


    I put my face on the counter pondering, and spat out another sigh.


    "In the first place, I helped to fund it, so why did he come to me with that money. I don''t get it at all."


    "Well, that money already left your hands once. Your own money and organization''s money are two different things."


    I don''t know whether Magi-san tried to comfort me, or maybe encourage me, I couldn''t even tell the taste of tea I was drinking at the moment.


    "Yun-kun, you have reliable acquaintances don''t you? You''ll somehow manage."


    "It would be good if that was the case..."


    Magi-san paid for my tea instead of me. Sorry, I said in small voice apologizing, but she waved her hand saying there''s no problem.


    "Think of it as of support for when you''re undertaking the guild quest."


    "Uuu, that''s heavy. But I''ll do my best."


    After that was said, I bid Magi-san farewell, and after coming back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I put my head on the counter once again and started worrying.


    Not having any good ideas, I let out a sigh again.


    However, even as I distress myself over it nothing will happen, so for the time being I tried calling my acquaintances. I opened the friend list through the menu, and called players who could possibly participate one after another.


    Even though I say that, basically it was just Taku''s and Myu''s party members and fellow crafters who were registered in my friend list. I didn''t expect a positive response.


    The only positive response was ¡º"Hmm. An adventure with Onee-chan huh. Yup, I''ll consult with Luka-chan for a little. If it weren''t a monthly, then I''d immediately ride on."¡» is what I was told.


    The reason for that was, that possibly Lucato and others could undertake it and go.


    If Myu were to undertake the monthly quest, the next time she would be able to undertake the quest and challenge the boss would be in a month.


    For Myu who was adventuring in a fixed party, receiving a monthly quest alone could break Lucato and the others'' pace. That''s why, unless there''s a serious reason, I''d like to ask others first.


    In that case, the only one left was¡ª¡ªsomeone who already joined the guild ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿, Sei-nee.


    "I have nothing to lose. ¡ª¡ªAh, Sei-nee. There''s something I''d like to consult you about."


    ¡º"Yun-chan? That''s rare, to think I''d get a call from you."¡»


    Sei-nee responded in wonder, with a little surprised voice.


    "Actually, I was thinking to undertake a quest in order to acquire a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿. I wondered if you could offer some help with it."


    ¡º"Sure. Who are the other members?"¡»


    "Haa, so it''s okay after all... Hey, it''s okay?! Really?"


    Because I thought it''ll be no good, when I she agreed to it so easily, my thinking stopped. Sei-nee agreed to undertake it.


    ¡º"Yun-chan, you''re way too reserved. You don''t let me spoil you at all."¡»


    "Nono, I''m a high school student now, I can''t have my older sister spoiling me."


    ¡º"Even though I was joking about spoiling you, but as your Onee-chan I''d like if you relied on me more. You''re not relying on me at all."¡»


    "Ah, no. You probably have a lot of things on your mind right? Like your guild or university life."


    ¡º"Helping siblings is more important than that. Also, doing things alone is lonely. You could at least stop refraining yourself from asking Myu-chan, that would make her happy."¡»


    On the other side of the call, Sei-nee sighed. Sorry. When I responded that, I''ve heard a wry laughter respond me.


    ¡º"Also, it''s not like there''s no benefit for me in it. I want a rare drop from the boss Mastil Dane, which is another reason. That''s why, I''ll undertake it as an advisor who once already accomplished the guild quest."¡»


    "Got it. Also, there''s no other members. For the time being, I received a vague response from Myu."


    ¡º"Is that so? I''ll call Myu-chan, wait just a moment."¡»


    Sei-nee said so and ended the friend chat. What was that? And when I tilted my head puzzled, immediately after that, a friend call has come.


    ¡º"Yun-oneechan! Why didn''t you tell me Sei-oneechan is participating! If that''s the case, I''ll participate even if I have to apologize to Luka-chan until I collapse afterwards!"¡»


    "No, wait a second. We just decided that, why suddenly..."


    ¡º"What suddenly. For a long time now I wanted to go on adventure the three of us together, but there was no opportunity for that at all! I can''t let this chance go! Also, we''re going just the three of us so don''t add any more people."¡»


    "Hey, wait a moment. Why are you riding on the momentum, are you saying we should do the guild quest just the three of us? Do we have enough fighting force?"


    ¡º"That''s... yup. We''ll somehow manage! Then, later!"¡»


    "H-hey... She hung up on me."


    Myu has one-sidedly decided she''s participating. Surely, Sei-nee must have spoken with her. Although it was determined that Myu will be participating, but what should I do about her since she wants us to undertake it just the three of us. I started worrying about it, but it was unlikely that we would gather any more people. If it''s no good with the three of us, we can prepare more people and challenge it again. I immediately proceeded with preparations for the quest.


    Recovery medicine with focus on High Potions and MP Potions.


    Boost Tablets for stat enhancement.


    Various bad status recovery medicines to deal with abnormal states. Moreover, various bad status-inducing drugs I made from extracting a number of the poisonous herbs I obtained during the summer''s camp event.


    I checked on my stock of arrows for the bow and my sub weapon, the kitchen knife.


    The simple magic consumables, Magic Gems and Enchant Stones, as well as replenishing the ¡¾Gem Substitute Ring¡¿''s charges.


    I did all that to prepare, still it was not enough.


    Normally it''s challenged by parties with six members, we have only half that. And among those three I''m a crafter, since I have half the fighting potential of the other two, I calculated that we weren''t strong enough.


    "That''s not enough. And I can''t let the Ryui and Zakuro who are young beasts fight. What else can be used..."


    I confirmed my Sense build, levels and combat style, and looked for what else can be used.


    Possessed SP21


    ¡¾Bow Lv28¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv39¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv42¡¿¡¾Magic Power Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv22¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv15¡¿


    After I confirmed my Senses which haven''t grown much ever since the summer event ended, I''ve started feeling anxious again.


    "No matter how I look, it''s not enough. If I knew that a day would come where I have to challenge a quest boss, I would have raised my combat Senses."


    It was too late to have regrets. Although it was already too late, I''ll use whatever I can.


    "I''m really unsure about this. Buying time will be necessary too right. ¡ª¡ªLet''s use this too for now."


    In order to undertake the quest in perfect state, I continued my preparations.

 Chapter Volume 3 6

    Chapter 6 - ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ and Suicide-Attacking Slimes


    "Now, it has come. The guild establishment-related quest! Let''s get revved up! Yeahhh!!"


    I looked at Myu who formed a fist and extended it to heavens, appalled. Sei-nee made a bitter smile.


    "Come on, Yun-oneechan and Sei-oneechan should ride on the mood. A long adventure is going to start now."


    "Even if you say that, I''m fine with it being a short adventure. Also, don''t call me ''oneechan''. Geez..."


    I let out a sigh and when turned my gaze towards Sei-nee, she has taken over as the advisor.


    "That''s right. Since starting from the very beginning is a pain, let''s use a trick to cut straight to the last part, ¡¾Subjugate Mastil Dane¡¿ and finish it."


    "Mmgrr, let''s have more fun, it''s been a while since we sisters were alone together."


    "Even so, what I''m aiming for is the drop from the boss."


    "And I need the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿."


    With that said, Sei-nee and I exchanged glances, and said "that''s why we can''t".


    "But, is there really a trick to the guild establishment quest?"


    "Yeah. In fact, it is a quest which has three stages, but two of them can be skipped as long as the we meet certain conditions. That''s why, let''s go and undertake it immediately."


    The place Sei-nee guided us to, was the main street of Third Town at the base of the mine. There, standing upright was a middle-aged man who looked like a knight. He was very distinctive as he had a kaiser moustache.


    "Oooh?! You three, could you the defeat Ghost Knight that goes rampant in that mine?! I want you to release the soul of the Grand Master who is the greatest of the Ghost Knights, who are decaying in that mine; the knight is wandering, looking for his own successor."


    ¡ª¡ª ¡¾You received the guild quest: Subjugate the Appointer Mastil Dane¡¿


    Is what my menu displayed, the preparations were finished.


    "Now that we have received the quest successfully, let''s go inside the mine dungeon. What we''re aiming for, is the Mine''s boss on the second layer."


    "The Mine''s second layer huh, I haven''t been there before, is that okay?"


    "It''s fine. Enemies are all weak."


    Myu said ''weak''. But I don''t think ''weak'' for her criteria would be ''weak'' for me as well.


    "Indeed. Speaking about the quest''s procedure, if we first defeat the four different types of ¡¾Wandering Ghost Knight¡¿ on the second layer before going to the ¡¾Appointer Mastil Dane¡¿, we''ll be able to enter without having to obtain a key."


    "But the other enemies, Hobgoblins, Middle Worms and Eye Ants are weak compared to the Ghost Knights."


    "Hey, if it''s easy for you two, could you let me try myself fighting against those? I haven''t raised my battle Senses at all, so I''d like to improve them even if only by a little."


    Hearing my proposal, the two had a shocked expression on their faces, but immediately after they nodded.


    "Sure. Even if we fight the amount of experience won''t be too tasty, so we can yield it over to Yun-chan."


    "If Onee-chan finally found motivation, we''ll back you up."


    I guess it''s something to be grateful for. I thought. And after rushing into the Mine, Myu activated ¡¶Light¡· magic, and we proceeded after securing a light source.


    Although the enemies on the first layer were made so that you could defeat them when you''re obtaining the EX-Skill ¡¾Mining¡¿, I took them on.


    I pre-emptively shoot arrows at the mobs that appeared when we headed towards the second layer through the shortest route.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack."


    I raised my stat by using an ATK-increasing Boost Tablet, furthermore I added more power by casting an enchant on myself.


    After raising my strength sufficiently, before the enemy mob has noticed me I overlapped skills one on another.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Ingredients Knowledge¡·"


    Seeing through the darkness with ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿, I saw red markers that appeared on top of the mob. Those were weak points on the head and torso of the organism. I slowly poised my bow and nocked an arrow.


    I pulled the arrow back, and after drawing the bow to the limit I chose the last Art I had.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·"


    A single arrow released at the mob''s weak point has reaped its entire HP.


    "Hoho, that was easy. Wasn''t that an overkill?"


    "Yup, but it''s inefficient. Just now I used a single consumable item, two skills and an art."


    I said so, and in my mind, I counted the waiting time until I can use the Art again, and without resting released the arrows. In response to the arrows I shot with strengthened stats, one after another mobs fell to the ground and disappeared, turning into particles.


    "Yeah. Its seems like even alone, Yun-chan wouldn''t have any problems with the first layer, right?"


    "Looks like Yun-oneechan is stronger than before. Outstanding!"


    "But there are many weaknesses right. My way of fighting incorporates many things I have to rely on. Long distance attacks are my strength, but if it were to be turned around I would be at a disadvantage."


    The bow, and in particular the longbow had a lot of power and range. However, on the other hand it was hard to manoeuvre with it in close range. Another characteristic of the bow is that the attacks cover a very small point where arrow pierces.


    "You don''t need to be so concerned about that. In order to compensate for those shortcomings there are vanguards like me, there''s a lot of rearguards."


    "Party''s division of roles. There''s no need to be a jack-of-all-trades solo player. That''s why, what you need at the moment is a talent to specialize in."


    So, do your best. Sei-nee admonished me.


    I understood what she meant, and strongly squeezed the ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ I held in my hand.


    After proceeding through the first layer without any problems, we went down to the second layer.


    "Now, from here on it''s Yun-chan''s real fight. We''ll support you so do your best."


    Hearing Sei-nee''s words, I thought that even though I chose my Senses in order to support, currently I was so weak that I was the one receiving support. And smiled bitterly.


    I paid close attention to the first enemy we met, and aimed at the weak point on its head.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    The Hobgoblin who had yellow skin and height of an elementary schooler from upper grades had its head blown off, fell to the ground and disappeared. Immediately after that, the Hobgoblins linked together ¨C four in total have gathered.


    Although I defeated the enemies in order starting with the closest one, the opponents approached at high speed and I was able to take down only two of them. Without Arts it took two to three arrows to take down one of them.


    "Leave the rest to us!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·"


    Myu jumped in front and cut down one of them with her one-handed sword, and Sei-nee blew away the mob''s head with a water ball.


    "That should be all...not!"


    Once again I raised the bow which was almost completely lowered, nocked an arrow and turned towards the wall. I shot an arrow towards a point I perceived with ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense, immediately after, it skewered the Middle Worm which had jumped out of the mini tunnel in the wall, destroying it.


    "Nice Yun-oneechan. Intercepting a Middle Worm who uses element of surprise to attack on your first time, that''s really good."


    While saying so, Myu stabbed the sword''s tip into the Middle Worm''s body that was sewn into the wall with an arrow. I could feel the difference in basic attack power between my and Myu''s attacks.


    "Even if I look up higher, I can''t do anything about it."


    The words spilled out in response to my feelings, but it didn''t reach Myu''s nor Sei-nee''s ears and I walked to look for the next mob. The Eye Ant mob that appeared on the second layer had a strong physical defence on its torso, hard like iron ore. However, It''s joints were soft and it could be damaged easily. I focused on that part, but the main method of fighting against it was to use magic. I used both the bow and magic balancing them out, and took down two out of four ants approaching, leaving the others to Myu and Sei-nee.


    As we proceeded through the second layer, we encountered enemies and found dungeon traps.


    "Trap found, wait a second."


    "Ehhh, again. The traps in this area aren''t anything to be scared of so let''s just run through them."


    "We can''t. We need to go carefully through it so that Yun-chan can practice."


    Every time I located the traps that were all over the dungeon with ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense, I dealt with them appropriately. With that said though, if it was a wide area we passed by them, avoiding it, but currently we couldn''t go through as the trap was located in a narrow passage.


    "The traps in this place are at most falling rocks or poison, magic, it''s damage. If it''s me, I''d do this."


    "Ah, Myu!"


    While I was staring at the track I discovered, Myu has ran on the wall and passed over to the other side. Since it was possible only thanks to Myu''s ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ Sense which allowed her three-dimensional movement, it was impossible for me.


    "Sei-nee, although Myu used that kind of workaround, what would you do in this case?"


    Myu waved her hand energetically towards us from the other side of the trap. Sei-nee furrowed her brows as if she was troubled and answered my question.


    "Hmm. I would attack the trap with magic from long range? After it activates I should be able to pass. Also, physical traps can be destroyed like that."


    "So just bulldozing through if needed, huh."


    "I don''t really use any special method. I just leave it to a party member who has ¡¾Release¡¿ Sense...


    With a light blush, Sei-nee hurriedly piled up excuses, she''s a beauty but I thought that''s cute. However, let''s use her bulldozing through as a reference.


    I took out an item from the inventory and put it on the ground.


    "¡ª¡ªSlime, ¡¾Summon¡¿. Go forward as it is."


    What I called out, was a low level slime. I suppose I should take advantage of synthetic mobs in situations like this. The slime proceeded dragging itself through the ground, and the moment it entered on top of the trap, it was crushed by falling rocks and disappeared. Then, we observed as the trap was released.


    "All right, we can proceed."


    "With three of us, there sure is a lot of methods to release the traps, isn''t there."


    Sei-nee let out a sigh impressed. Myu runs on the walls, Sei-nee destroys the traps. And I cause the traps to trigger, each of us had our own method to release traps. But, still, we weren''t match for the people who had Sense that allowed them to release traps, I thought and broadened my searching area.


    And, we have found our objective.


    "That''s a ¡¾Wandering Ghost Knight¡¿."


    "Isn''t that a ball of fire?"


    "That''s right, after its attacked, one of four types will appear at random."


    "Attack it huh. You said there are four types, what types are they?"


    "There are knights holding either a sword, axe, spear and a staff as their weapons. But as I said, they appear at random so we can get double the key parts, so let''s be patient."


    "Random, huh."


    "What is it, Yun-oneechan?"


    "No, I''ve got a small doubt, or rather ¨C I''m curious, I guess? I think I know a way to determine whether it is random or not..."


    I have already sold the ¡¾Search Orb¡¿ I had and no longer have it. It wasn''t possible right now to determine what type the ball of fire is.


    "...if we had a ¡¾Search Orb¡¿ that is."


    After coming to this place, I regretted that I sold it. However, the other person who knew about the method of using ¡¾Search Orb¡¿ to investigate, Myu has started pulling the hem of my clothes.


    "If it''s a ¡¾Search Orb¡¿, then I have one in my inventory. Because I didn''t need it, I left it there. Should I use it?"


    Myu tilted her neck, and after coming closer she looked at me with upturned eyes. I opened my eyes widely in surprise.


    "Is that fine? That was your share right?"


    "In the first place, it''s something we got because Yun-oneechan was there. Also, I''ve said that before, and tried to pass it to Yun-oneechan right."


    "Thanks. Let''s use it."


    I received the crystal ball from Myu. Seeing that I''m going to do something, Sei-nee left everything to me.


    After being passed the ¡¾Search Orb¡¿ by Myu, I used it to dispel my own doubts.


    "Now, ¡¾Search Orb¡¿, look through that ball of fire''s identity."


    The crystal ball has turned into particles which have circled around the ball of fire and disappeared. Then, information about the ball of fire appeared in our menus.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Wandering Ghost Knight (Axe), a ghost of a knight wandering inside of a mine. Wields an axe.¡¿, hey is that all? It really isn''t random though."


    "If it''s an axe, then it''s the B-type. Other than that there''s sword, spear and staff. But, if it can be determined in this way, rather than doing it at random people might actually start doing it with this method."


    Rather than defeat the Ghost Knights at random after they''re born from the ball of fire, we learned that it''s possible to determine it in advance, but what of it. Understanding that piece of info I made a complex expression. Seeing through my expression, Sei-nee followed up on it.


    "It''s okay Yun-chan. This little trick should usable in different situations. It''s inefficient only on the Ghost Knights since they''re weak."


    "This has to be forced through a number of attempts! It''s all right Yun-oneechan! Ghost Knights are weak!"


    Hahaha, Myu and Sei-nee treated Ghost Knight as a small fry without any hesitation. Haa, feeling that there''s no point in stretching out the fight any more, I pre-emptively shot an arrow towards the ball of fire.


    And then, black fog gathered with the ball of fire as nucleus, and its appearance changed into that of a knight with an axe who wore plate armour. Wanting to know how does my own strength compare to the Ghost Knight, I stood in front of it alone. Together with the knight''s appearance, I shot an arrow as fast as I could.


    The released arrow was repelled by the axe which was used like a shield.


    "Tch. It''s not over yet!"


    I raised my voice and tried to shoot as fast as possible, in meanwhile I took distance moving diagonally towards the back. It was a trick that allowed to increase the distance slightly by moving back diagonally rather than retracting straight. I don''t know how effective it would be on this opponent, but until he launches the first attack I''ll continue to buy time like this and attack.


    As the Ghost Knight closed on me occasionally knocking away arrows with his thick axe. However, even if it was a humanoid, its actions movement patterns were different from those of a player, and there was awkwardness in it. I used those chances to stuck two arrows into its armour. Even so, those attacks still weren''t enough.


    The Ghost Knight approached ignoring his lost HP, and I retreated as if running away. I could see Myu''s appearance who was ready to jump in any time, and Sei-nee who was stopping her despite having magic ready to cast at any time so that she can intervene.


    And I hit the tunnel wall behind me, there was no way for me to escape.


    When I saw the axe swing vertically trying to hack my head¡ª¡ª


    "Now!! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·!"


    I sprang into the side of Ghost Knight avoiding the axe approaching from overhead. At the same time with the ground under the Ghost Knight''s feet as the target, I cast magic.


    The behavioural inhibition magic learned at level 10 of earth elemental magic¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·.


    The Ghost Knight who swung his axe sank in, plunging in deeply into the pool of mud that was born under its feet and fell.


    It twisted its body trying to lift its legs from the mud, but its insanely awkward movements looked like that of a marionette.


    "Now, all that''s left is a one-sided game."


    I moved behind the Ghost Knight and shoot my arrows. Every time it tried to rebuild its posture I used the ¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡· which had a knock-back effect, and made the armoured knight look like a hedgehog.


    The small amounts of damage have accumulated and I finally defeated the Ghost Knight.


    "Yun-oneechan, I didn''t think you would defeat him with a snare combo! Since when has my Onee-chan become so nefarious."


    "Don''t call me nefarious."


    Although I protested against Myu''s words, I knew it was a joke.


    Since my stats and level were inferior, I had to prepare a clever plan and items to defeat it.


    "By the way Yun-chan, how would you stop a floating enemy ¡¶Mud Pool¡· has no effect on from moving?"


    "Ah, I see. It''s meaningless to use ¡¶Mud Pool¡· on a floating enemy. I''ll have to think about countermeasure for that."


    After it was pointed out by Sei-nee, I started wondering what to do.


    "If the enemy is floating in the air, you can just knock it down into the ground right."


    "Myu, that sounds quite extreme."


    "Certainly, in Yun-chan''s case you should be able to shoot it down with the bow right?"


    Nonono, don''t ride on what she said, Sei-nee. I thought. Well, if I encounter a floating enemy, I''ll think about it then. Once again, we started walking around to look for a Ghost Knight.


    And luckily, we found a ball of fire nearby. Moreover, two of them.


    "So? What do we do?"


    "What you ask, we can easily defeat them at the same time. I will take on one of them, I''ll leave the other one to Myu-chan and Yun-chan."


    "Got it. Then, I''ll call them out. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡· ."


    I let out two arrows at once, and hit both fireballs right in the centre revealing the Ghost Knights.


    This time it was ones with a sword and staff patterns. If we find the spear one afterwards, we''ll be able to challenge the boss.


    "Well, I''ll fight with the knight holding a staff. You two take care of the one with the axe.""


    "Understood. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Speed."


    Myu received attack and speed enchants from me and shoot out like a bullet.


    The knight''s longsword and Myu''s one-handed sword clashed at full force, and Myu parried it. On the other hand, Sei-nee moved to the side and immediately returned a magical attack... or rather, has started a one-sided magical battle. She blocked the darkness attacks pressing on with a water shield she made with one hand, and while the enemy released one attack, she shoot out three water bullets. Meanwhile, behind her was waiting double that number of magic.


    "Sei-nee seems to have an easy time. Rather... Myu! How long are you going to play around!"


    "Sorry! I''ve been found out!"


    Although she had blown away the Ghost Knight''s sword, she didn''t take action when she had a chance to counter-attack. Geez¡ª¡ª


    "Hurry up and finish it. ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªDefence."


    When I cast cursed which was a weakening magic working just the opposite from enchant on the Ghost Knight, Myu poised her sword.


    "I know. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    In an instant she released five slashes, and was able to take down the Ghost Knight''s entire HP. No matter how weakened it was, I wouldn''t be able to take it down until I released dozens of arrows, seeing it go down this easy eliminated the little self-confidence I had left.


    "Cheers for the good work. It seems like no one had any problems. If we find another Ghost Knight, let''s do it all three of us."


    "That''s right. I want to hurry up and fight the boss, let''s go!''


    I smiled wryly at Myu who brandished her sword and started looking for another Ghost Knight. After that, we found a sword and axe duplicates, when we reached the fourth one we were already used to battles with Ghost Knights. Moreover, with my support applied to Myu and Sei-nee, in front of their enhanced firepower the Ghost Knights disappeared unable to hold out more than a minute.


    ¡ñ


    Far in the back of the second layer were stairs which descent lower, in this place I never entered before as I had no need to, there was a boss.


    "Now then, let''s begin the preparations."


    Sei-nee who held two pieces of the key, Myu and I who have held one piece each, fit them together.


    It has regained its original shape, taking the form of a circular key.


    "Is this key needed in order to fight the boss?"


    "That''s right. This is the ¡¾Appointer''s Key¡¿. You need to put it in this hole."


    Sei-nee put the key into the circular depression and let go of it, the key didn''t fall down and instead started moving by itself.


    A heavy sound could be heard, as if something was moving inside of the wall, the rock wall in front of our eyes moved to the side and exposed the darkness beyond it.


    "The boss, ¡¾Appointer Mastil Dane¡¿ is a large living armour. In its right hand it holds a staff, in its left hand it holds a sturdy lance. It''s an enemy who uses both physical attacks and magic."


    "Hey, it''s a little late for that, but don''t we need a tank?"


    My worry was our current party structure. We had two rearguards and a vanguard. The reason our badly-balanced party had progressed this far was thanks to high individual skill and level. I don''t think it will be that easy to defeat the boss though.


    "Probably. However, it might just be the opposite and not having a tank could be better."


    I tilted my neck puzzled after hearing Sei-nee''s murmur. It''s best to fight strong enemies in a party with a role division, why would the opposite be better. I wanted to ask why was that, but Myu''s words interrupted me.


    "But it''s hard for Sei-oneechan and me to raise our levels on half-baked enemies. We need to confront difficulties head-on!"


    "Although, if we lose we''ll have to defeat the Ghost Knights from the very beginning."


    As Sei-nee said with a wry smile, I swallowed the question I was supposed to ask and imagined having to defeat the Ghost Knights for the pieces of the keys we didn''t have duplicates for.


    "Let''s go then."


    "Before that, here, use these."


    Everyone swallowed Boost Tablets and I applied enchants beforehand. I didn''t think we''ll win that easily, but I had no intention of losing. After I cast double enchants on us, we proceeded further.


    We proceeded while relying on the light released by the ball of light Myu created. In the back, lying on the floor on its knees was an armour with a staff and a spear in its hands.


    It was three metres in height exceeding that of a human. The black twisted staff it wielded had some rust on its surface, and while holding a spear which looked like it was carved directly from stone, the living armour stood up.


    From the depths behind the helmet which covered its face shined a red pair of eyes directed in our direction.


    That appearance looked more like a robot than a Ghost Knight, it felt like a golem.


    ¡º"W-we are. Decaying, old, old era''s warrior, loo..."¡»


    In response to the Appointer''s twisted voice which sounded like a broken radio¡ª¡ª


    "Hey, it''s annoying so can I do a pre-emptive attack and skip the conversation?"


    "Better not, okay? If you attack it before its over, it will gain the Anger status which will increase its attack power, so I guess it''s not recommended?"


    Because of Myu''s and Sei-nee''s chat which lacked any tension, I missed the hard to understand words of Mastil Dane.


    ¡º"If ye are worthy ones... I shalt appoint ye!"¡»


    Mastil Dane poised his spear and started running in our direction. Its movements were smoother than that of a Golem, Myu and Sei-nee intended to deal damage to it with magic before it approached.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Maelstrom¡·!"


    Myu''s laser has pierced Mastil Dane''s limb, and Sei-nee''s whirlpool crashed on it from overhead, swallowing it.


    "¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªMind!"


    Meanwhile, I cast Cursed, increasing their damage. After having its limb shot, Mastil Dane was astonished but pushed onto the whirlpool''s wall with brute force, and I shoot an arrow towards its arm which stretched out of it.


    "Myu-chan, get his target on you! I''ll withdraw!"


    The instant the whirlpool disappeared, Mastil Dane''s entire body was revealed. Sei-nee stepped back taking distance, I moved circling around it and started dealing damage to the parts above the waist.


    And, Myu stood in front of the boss to confront it. Supporting the hand in which she held the one-handed sword, Myu parried the spear diagonally as it fell down on her because of the height difference. After sending the spear back, she kicked Mastil Dane''s body, danced in the air and took distance. Also, since Myu''s attacks couldn''t reach the locations that were higher, Sei-nee and I aimed to intercept the darkness bullet that was emitted from the staff it held in the boss'' right hand causing an explosion and using the opportunity to deal damage.


    Three versus one, we slowly damaged it. From time to time, she was unable to completely parry the spear or staff, resulting with a small amount of damage accumulating, but she healed it with recovery magic. Mastil Dane''s HP decreased to 70% and at this rate we would take it down. When I started to feel so, it displayed a different movement. It completely stopped using any magic, extended one leg behind and bent the front one.


    What is it doing. What I saw from behind as I continued to shoot arrows, was Mastil Dane place the sturdy spear on its shoulder, from behind it was clear that the tip was aimed towards Sei-nee.


    "Sei-nee! Avoid it!"


    Hearing my voice, Sei-nee has grasped its intent and she started running to the side. The large spear that was thrown over Myu''s head pierced the wall, and pulverized it. And Mastil Dane''s movement didn''t stop, it rushed to recover the spear using its massive armour''s weight.


    Although Myu was in close range devoting herself to holding it up, because of the difference in mass she was kicked away, and danced in the air.


    I saw her momentarily use defence magic and rebuild her posture in the air.


    "Yun-oneechan, scaffold!"


    "?!! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·!"


    After being told that by Myu, I immediately created an earthen wall right in front of where she was about to land.


    Myu bounced off from the earthen wall, and pounced at Mastil Dane once again.


    "HAAaaa!!"


    She used all the momentum she had to hit Mastil Dane from behind, and took the position it was at. The earthen wall I made was unable to withstand the momentum with which it was hit and was destroyed. Mastil Dane grasped the spear and swung it strongly creating air pressure which reached where I was.


    "I didn''t think it would suddenly go for the mage. Sei-nee, are you all right?"


    "I''m okay. Myu-chan, did you suffer any damage?"


    "Recovering it now. I might be a little tired though."


    The two drank MP Potions, recovering the MP they lost while using skills, and stared at Mastil Dane without dropping their guard.


    It turned around and poised the spear to the side, the living armour readied its staff. I wondered how to deal with the opponent who had about 70% of its HP remaining. If Myu continues to take the vanguard''s burden on herself and loses concentration she might suffer a direct hit. Even so, neither I nor Sei-nee could replace her.


    "No other choice. ¡ª¡ªSei-nee, if I stop him for a moment, can you use the strongest attack on him?"


    "I can, but will you be all right?"


    "I''ll be fine until Myu recovers."


    Also, since I had the ¡¾Gem Substitute Ring¡¿, I could definitely withstand a single blow.


    Now then, from now on, bow is a no. It''s difficult to manoeuvre with it, so I can''t use it.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    I cast an enchant on myself, and moved close to Mastil Dane''s feet. I lowered my body to increase speed.


    As I approached, it has swung down its staff like a club, I avoided it largely and running further I circled around the armour.


    "Woah, danger!"


    When I turned around I saw the spear''s stone tip fly at me. Together with a jump to avoid it, I used the cornerstone of my plan.


    "Yun-chan, I''m ready!"


    "A little more. ¡ª¡ªNow! ¡¾Clay Shield¡¿!"


    I triggered the magic gems I have spread around Mastil Dane. Four walls of earth rose up forming a square and surrounding it. It served as a cage that confines Mastil Dane, in the narrow space it couldn''t exhibit the power of the long spear and the staff''s ability sufficiently.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Ice Lance¡·!"


    In response to Sei-nee''s cast, more than ten spears have been created and were hovering.


    When I ran out of the line of fire, the ice lances tore through the air and pierced the earthen cage, rushing at Mastil Dane.


    That''s when I triggered what I prepared together with the earthen cage.


    "Blow up! ¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    A chain of explosions has occurred around Mastil Dane, further piling up damage on it.


    "Ohh, that''s spectacular. Did that finish it?"


    "¡­!! Doesn''t seem so!''


    The earthen walls broke, a cloud of dust has spread and Mastil Dane appeared from inside. It released a large number of darkness bullets, and as a follow up it has made an assault posture with the spear, heading for Sei-nee.


    Myu moved in front of the boss who had 20% HP left.


    "Eat this, ¡¶Armour Brea¡ª¡ª"


    "Myu-chan!"


    Mastil Dane lifted the spear while rushing, and momentarily moved the centre of gravity behind itself. I immediately triggered an enchant.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    Sei-nee was dealing with darkness bullets so couldn''t follow up after Myu.


    I used the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ targeting capability to select Myu as my target, and cast a defence enchant on her. Immediately after Myu received the blow from sturdy spear head-on, she fell to her knees. She endured it. Immediately after I thought that, Mastil Dane whose spear was struggling with Myu stabbed her with the end of its staff.


    "U-khh..."


    With her shoulder stabbed sharply with a wooden staff, Myu''s posture broke. The staff was swung down on her from above, and she was thrown into the ground.


    "Myu!"


    "That... hurt!!"


    As she stood up, she reflexively swung her sword, and hit by the impact of spear''s attack, she was blown away towards the back.


    Myu rolled on the ground taking distance. After that series of attacks Myu''s HP had reached a dangerous area. Normally Myu would use recovery magic to immediately heal herself, but right now she was unable to, and while breathing heavily she recovered by using a High Potion and MP Potion.


    "Why, not only HP, but also my MP has decreased."


    Myu muttered, saying what was the reason she couldn''t use recovery magic. Also, one more thing.


    "This guy, at the same time he hit you, he recovered."


    Mastil Dane who should have had 20% HP remaining, has recovered to 30% .


    "That''s the effect of the staff he''s holding in his left hand, ¡¾HP Absorption¡¿ and ¡¾MP Absorption¡¿. That''s why, it''s better to fight by avoiding his attacks rather than withstand them."


    As Sei-nee muttered explaining to Myu and me, we understood what she meant.


    What Myu was handling up until now, were the spear''s attacks. And absorption occurred during the staff''s attacks. Also, main attacks with the staff are magical. Although there was no damage dealt to us by magic because Sei-nee and I prevented it, if we were hit by magic and damaged, absorption would occur.


    If we were to have a tank who endures its attacks, that tank would become the enemy''s HP tank, and it could possibly turn into a prolonged battle.


    Now that it had 30% left, I felt like asking a few questions.


    "I want that staff, cause there''s an additional absorption effect in it."


    Knowing what I was concerned about, Sei-nee muttered carefree, to what I responded with a wry smile. I worried because I was weak, but Sei-nee who is strong didn''t seem to worry. In that case, I''ll believe in her and fight.


    "Sei-nee, your instructions."


    "Me too, Sei-oneechan."


    When Myu and I requested her that, she nodded with a smile.


    "Yun-chan, can you stall him like you did earlier?"


    "I don''t have any more ¡¾Clay Shield¡¿ Magic Gem''s, but I can do it in a different way. In that case, ignore the situation and just release your magic."


    "Myu-chan, try holding him down while making absolutely sure you don''t get hit by the staff. I''ll finish it off."


    Brandishing its sturdy spear in front of us, Mastil Dane prepared itself as if waiting for our conversation to finish. In accordance to Sei-nee''s instructions, I started running together with Myu. Myu moved left towards the spear, and I made an arc approaching the cane from the right side.


    I took out the bow I put away before, and nocked an arrow. I ran through while avoiding the darkness bullets, and used my arrows to shoot down the ones I was unable to avoid.


    Myu who approached Mastil Dane started to exchange blows with it, and the moment I closed onto the opponent the staff has been thrust towards me along with a strong wind pressure.


    It was unavoidable. If anything, I took a step forward attempting to fall down to dodge the attack. But the staff''s thrust has grazed my forehead, and a sound as if a thin glass broke, the attack was invalidated.


    Thanks to the ¡¾Gem Substitute Ring¡¿, without receiving any damage, I closed on to Mastil Dane, and spread a large amount of Nucleus Stones I took out from the inventory.


    "Come, Slimes! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    In response to my voice, multicoloured Slime organisms have appeared. I gave instructions to the Slimes which had no consistency in size or colours.


    "Attach yourself to its right foot!"


    Mastil Dane swung down its staff on the Slimes which crawled forward to it. The Slimes in its attack range had their nucleuses crushed and disappeared, their HP was absorbed by Mastil Dane.


    "The amount of HP is only a few slime''s worth! I can make up for it with my arrows alone!"


    Having the Slimes take the tank role, I continued to release arrows without stopping.


    Because Mastil Dane was dealing with Myu and me, its main target being Myu, a horde of slimes had arrived at its right foot. Even as it tried to hit and crush the Slimes which limited its actions with the spear and staff, although their HP was low the Slimes were resistant to blunt attacks and the amount of HP the boss has recovered was insignificant. Myu used that opportunity to shower Mastil Dane with attacks, and if it focused on Myu leaving Slimes unhindered, they overlapped each other on its foot.


    And I¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·"


    Same as when I fought with the Ghost Knight, I created a pool of mud under Mastil Dane''s left foot sealing its movement.


    The Slimes'' movement halted, Mastil Dane rotated its right leg axis, and the moment it subtracted the spear in preparation for a clash with Myu, its left leg was plunged deep into the mud pool.


    "Myu! Fall back!"


    In order to avoid a fail by having an ally fall into the ¡¶Mud Pool¡·, I had Myu fall back.


    In the meantime, Mastil Dane was unable to control the momentum of it''s spear swing and its upper body had fallen backwards. Now, the finishing touch.


    "Last one! Huge Slime¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    The Nucleus I threw into the air changed its appearance into a Huge Slime, and fell down on top of Mastil Dane''s body.


    "Sei-nee, ready yet?!"


    "A little longer!"


    The living armour struggled, the number of Slimes under it gradually decreased. Still, the slimes faithfully followed the instructions, and their life burned out as they didn''t retreat. The Slimes were worthy of being called ''suicidal'', and no matter how many of them were crushed the boss'' staff didn''t recover sufficiently.


    And when the Slimes'' restraint weakened, the moment we were waiting for has come.


    "Yun-chan, ready!"


    "Sei-oneechan, do it! If it isn''t enough, I''ll finish it off!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Diamond Dust¡·!"


    Momentarily, with the boss as starting point, everything turned white.


    Dyeing every Slime white, a world of ice has been created.


    Just before everything broke a disturbing sound rang out, Mastil Dane''s body''s movement gradually slowed down. The slimes that were binding its arms and legs have become shackles of ice, and damage continuously decreased its HP.


    However, Sei-nee''s magic wasn''t sufficient just by a little bit.


    Myu and I started to run, closing on the Mastil Dane''s body.


    "Now, my thanks for slamming me into the ground, I''ll return it back at you! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Armour Breaker¡·!"


    The one-handed sword was swung down from above, and a sound similar to glass fracturing has rang out as it pierced the chest of Mastil Dane, opening a gaping hole in the armour. Still, I aimed an arrow towards the glowing eyes hidden behind the full face helmet.


    "It''s over. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    The single arrow which pierced through its head concluded everything, Mastil Dane''s body disappeared and turned into particles.


    The Slimes frozen and killed by Sei-nee''s magic also crumbled into pieces, and diffused the light illuminating the place.


    "NNNnnn! Yayy! We wonnnn!"


    Raising a loud voice, Myu ran straight to Sei-nee who caught her from the front. She buried her face in Sei-nee''s chest, and every time her head was stroked she made a slouchy expression. Since Myu let out her shout of joy first, I''ve lost the timing to raise my voice as well.


    "Yun-chan, come here."


    "Yes yes, I get it."


    After being called by Sei-nee, I started walking to them. No way, I didn''t think my strength would allow me to stand up against the boss. It was a borrowed strength, one that normally is unusable, but that''s because my own strength was not sufficient. The next time I fight it, I want to win fair and square. While thinking that¡ª¡ªI took a step into the pool of mud.


    "...I''ve done myself in."


    The ¡¶Mud Pool¡· I placed my left leg in didn''t disappear together with the synthetic slimes, and remained where it was. After stepping in the trap I set myself, I could feel as my feet has sank in, then looked at Myu and Sei-nee seeking help.


    "...Myu, Sei-nee, help."


    "Yun-oneechan. So uncool."


    "Oh Yun-chan, I guess it can''t be helped. "


    Myu stared at me, and although Sei-nee said that, she was happy that I relied on her.


    And when I grasped the hands of the two who approached, and tried to get out but¡ª¡ª


    "W-wait! Why won''t it come off! Nn!"


    "W-woah, dange... kyaa!"


    Although Myu and Sei-nee pulled my hands, ¡¶Mud Pool¡·''s binding strength has instead caused them to fall towards me.


    I caught the two, but unable to support myself I fell on my back into the pool of mud. Covered and stuck in mud, stared at each other, blinked and¡ª¡ªlaughed.


    "Hahaha, what''s this. So sloppy."


    "Come on, it''s Yun-oneechan''s fault, I want to get angry but... fufu, ahahaha!"


    "In the very last moment... it''s gotten real fun. Thank you Yun-chan."


    Sei-nee scooped up tears that appearing in her eyes because she laughed too much, and instead of getting angry she thanked me.


    Like this, the quest to subjugate the boss ¡¾Appointer Mastil Dane¡¿ has finished.


    Although it ended sloppily, it was a good thing that we managed to complete our objective.


    ¡ñ


    "No way, although I intended to use and throw away all of them, there were some that survived."


    After the ¡¶Mud Pool¡·''s effect expired, what waited for me after I escaped the constraints were disposable Slimes that were ordered to do a suicide attack on the boss. Most of them were wiped out after being crushed by Mastil Dane and by getting hit by Sei-nee''s magic collateral, but luckily two Slimes survived, one of them was a water element''s Blue Slime and the other was the earth element''s Mud Slime.


    "Were they lucky, or maybe they were late to attack?"


    For the time being I returned the two Slimes which survived into their Nucleus Stones, and stowed them in the inventory. When I''m making synthetic mobs next time, I will restore their HP, though I''ll have to do adjustments to the ¡¶Synthesis¡· skill.


    And, as for the result on the topic of Sei-nee''s awaited boss drop¡ª¡ª


    "Haa, a normal drop. Well, I wasn''t expecting much, yeah."


    "Ah, I got a staff."


    "Me too me too!"


    "This is the power of greed sensor! Yun-chan, Myu-chan! Give me one of them!"


    Greed Sensor. To put it plainly, it''s a phenomenon where the most desired item won''t drop for the person desiring; it seemed like Sei-nee was in such a situation at the moment.


    By the way, the abilities of the staff that I obtained were¡ª¡ª


    Staff of Mistletoe ?Mastil ¡¾Staff¡¿


    INT+30 Additional Effect : HP Absorption, MP Absorption


    It was the actual effect that Mastil Dane used in combat.


    I took it out, and showed it to Sei-nee.


    "This! This is what I wanted!"


    "Then, I''ll exchange it for the normal drop you''ve gotten."


    "Is that really okay?"


    "Of course, you helped me get the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ after all. Also, I can''t use it myself."


    "Kyaa! Yun-chan, so manly!"


    "Well, I am a man."


    I stopped Sei-nee who embraced me, calming her down. As expected, being hugged by Sei-nee at my age was embarrassing.


    After she calmed down we traded, and Sei-nee was really happy to have the staff become her own weapon.


    "With this my collection of unique staffs has increased again. Thank you, Yun-chan."


    "What a waste. The market price of it can easily reach 4mG."


    "It''s fine since I can''t use it anyway. Speaking of which, what will you do with yours Myu?"


    "Me? Hmm. I''ll show it to Rirei and Kohaku, and consult them if it can be used? If they can use it, I''ll sell it to them, if they can''t then I''ll leave in my inventory and sell it if I need money."


    I thought that was weirdly vivid way of using it. I still had one more thing to do before going back.


    "All right. There''s no enemy so let''s dig."


    I took out a pickaxe for mining out of my inventory.


    "Yun-chan, what are you doing?"


    "No, um, I''ve been running around a lot in combat right? At that time, in the deepest part I found a mining point. It might take a while, so how about you eat some snacks and tea?"


    I took these out and passed them to Sei-nee forcibly, then in high spirits started to dig up the mining point.


    "A mining point in a boss'' location. What will it give?"


    Is it just a randomly generated mining point, or maybe a bonus in a boss'' location. I swung down the pickaxe, digging, and was able to dig out the best quality materials I''ve ever managed to gather.


    "Ohh?! Fine Iron Ore! Also, there are Gemstones too, and Silver Ore."


    As I was mining the point with all strength I had, Myu and Sei-nee were taking a break a bit further away.


    "Haa, normally we would have went back home after that. Yun-oneechan''s a crafter through and through."


    "But, it looks like Yun-chan''s having fun. That''s probably today''s best smile."


    I''ve heard their murmurs for a moment, but the words that followed were drown out by the sound of the pickaxe I swung down. After that I could hear pieces of their conversation.


    And, the boss'' mining point turned out to be something which could be called a large vein. There were 37 pieces of Fine Iron Ore, 17 Gemstones, and in the end there were 11 Silver Ore pieces. Also, there was a single, unknown green ore I didn''t know application of. As for the last ore, I decided to show it to Magi-san, and enhance my crafting equipment to be able to process Silver Ore.


    "Was the result good?"


    "Yeah, I''m satisfied."


    "Why are you more lively than during the battle with the boss?"


    That''s just how my personality is so I can''t help it. Also, I relaxed myself and when we went back I dug in the mining points on the way before exiting the dungeon. By the time we approached the dungeon''s outlet, I had a very happy content expression which amazed Myu.


    Although we were inside of a dim dungeon before, outside it was already night. When I looked up, I could see a starry sky spread out which was worth a perfect score. Below, under the starry sky the Third Town illuminated by small lanterns could be seen.


    "It''s already night isn''t it."


    "Sorry for making you help me out."


    "But, it was fun. Also, since I''ve gotten what I have aimed for, you don''t have to worry Yun-chan."


    Sei-nee responded to Myu''s murmur and my apologies not bothered at all.


    "So, Myu-chan, how was today?"


    She abruptly asked Myu a question, which Myu answered after blinking repeatedly.


    "It was super fun! It was the first time I fought with Mastil Dane, it was exciting! Next time, I''ll invite Luka-chan and others... Ah, next time I might be too strong."


    As she said with great confidence, I smiled wryly. If it''s Myu, then that''s most likely how it''ll be.


    Then, Sei-nee asked the same question to me.


    "And, Yun-chan how was today, was it fun?"


    "I guess it was. My goal was the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿, but I was able to raise my level and mine some ore. Yeah, it was fun."


    I responded to Sei-nee once, and then after reflecting upon my words I have once again said that it was fun.


    "I had fun as well. I was able to go on an adventure with Yun-chan and Myu-chan, and got the staff I wanted. It was a good day."


    I walked towards the town while listening to Sei-nee''s words.


    Myu''s fierce combat with boss. Sei-nee''s rare staff drop. And my ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿. Our goals and the parts we enjoyed were all different, but it was an adventure that satisfied everyone.


    "Truly Only¡ª¡ªand no less."


    "What did you say?"


    "No, it''s nothing."


    Surely, the perspective, the meaning of adventure and the things Myu and Sei-nee focus on are different. But that''s also one of the fun things about it.


    We returned to the NPC from whom we received the quest.


    "Ohh! You hath defeated the Grand Master''s ghost! I''ll give this to you then."


    I received the quest reward, ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿, and listened to the continuation of his words.


    "A knightly order comparable to Grand Master''s. No, I want you to build up a wonderful organisation not caught up in the framework of knighthood."


    Those were quite deep words. While I thought so¡ª¡ª


    "But, there are people who sell those right. Yun-oneechan is from the sellers side too."


    "She said it! This girl, she poured cold water on this emotional scene!"


    Maybe because he was an NPC, but even as he was made fun of the NPC''s solemn expression didn''t change at all. I retorted, Sei-nee smiled wryly and after Myu''s excuses have subsided, I immersed in the afterglow from the sense of accomplishment.


    "Quest clear, congratulations!"


    The three of us did a high five. The first one who raised both of her arms and urged us was Myu, then Sei-nee followed suit. After being induced to do a high five with both, I stared at the hands which let out a snapping sound reflecting upon the sense of accomplishment I felt.

 Chapter Volume 3 Epilogue

    Epilogue ¨C Working Gels and Guild Hall


    Some time after safely completing the quest and obtaining the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ we passed it to Cloude, and we have evenly divided the reward between the three of us.


    Myu used the reward money to repair equipment that had been damaged during the battle with the boss, and to improve it, and Sei-nee saved it for later.


    And I made an initial payment for a higher level furnace I wanted¡ª¡ªthen leisurely thought of how to use the remaining gold.


    "Yun-san, I have finished today''s harvest."


    "Oh, thank you. Leave the items in the box as usual."


    "Yes."


    Kyouko-san the NPC came in and called out to me as I stood by the counter and was calculating the amount of money I need to pay for a higher level furnace.


    And behind her, there were two creatures, a blue and brown Gels.


    "Kyouko-san."


    "...? What is it, Yun-san."


    "So, how are they?"


    "They''re hard workers, very."


    Saying so, Kyouko-san returned to her job as the salesperson, she picked up the Gels which were by her feet and put them inside of the pots by the window. The Gels happily trembled, and the tip of their bodies inside the pots could be seen, as if they were looking outside.


    "Well, they can be used like that too."


    They were a water element''s Aqua Gel and earth element''s Earth Gel. The two Gels were synthesized anew by using the Slimes which survived the guild quest as a base.


    Since I had no use of Slimes I changed them to Gels, and further synthesized them with the ¡¾Slime Nucleus¡¿ I had. As a result of passing them to NPC Kyouko-san, the two started to work as loyal subordinates of hers.


    "No way, to think they had a use like that."


    Although I left the field management to Kyouko-san, what I regularly see is the Aqua Gel which takes in the water well in its body, and sprinkles it over the field. It was quite a spectacle as it made a small rainbow on the field. Also, after the harvesting is finished, the Earth Gel takes in Soil, Bone Powder and Mulch, and mixes the fertilizer with grass uniformly inside of its body.


    Appropriately moistened and with a good amount of air inside, the soil became optimal for farming and constantly yielded high quality herbs.


    When I saw the field being cultivated so easily, and compared it to my previous efforts with a hoe, I was happy, but on the other hand I had doubtful feelings. After seeing this fantastical and comical scene two, three times, I fell in love with it and before I realized I already took a screenshot of the Gels.


    "If I could make humanoid synthetic mobs, I could sell them to Lyly."


    I felt it would be interesting to pass a mob like a Golem to help Lyly plant trees in his personal field. No, if anything, I''d make a town in the field, give the synthetic mobs specific instructions making up a pseudo-monster town, that''s romance, it would be fun to watch.


    "Well, it''s not mine so that would be impossible."


    I didn''t own a personal field like Lyly did, but imagining it costs nothing. Also, all the ¡¾Slime Nucleus¡¿ pieces I had were all used up.


    "You really love that Heat Gel, don''t you Zakuro."


    Zakuro had its chin on top of an elastic organism, a Gel that continuously emitted heat. Moreover, whenever Zakuro moved the sight of it dragging it together looked like a young animal carrying its favourite stuffed animal or cushion.


    And since that Heat Gel cushion had a Slime Nucleus synthesized in, improving its AI, from time to time it moved as if trying to escape. At times like that, Zakuro chased after the escaping Gel as if it was prey, but since it was still a cub and had very short legs it only could look like playing around rather than hunting.


    It seemed like the other two Gels were looking at that situation, or maybe not, it was hard to tell.


    And the last ¡¾Slime Nucleus¡¿ was¡ª¡ª


    "Yun-san, hello."


    "Welcome. Mami, Minute."


    After my acquaintances visiting the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ called out to me, Mami''s triangle hat was raised and a wind elemental Gel showed itself as if saying ''I''m here too''. This one too, had its inorganic reactions changed after synthesizing the AI, and was fulfilling its role as a pet now.


    "So? How was it afterwards?"


    "I love it. It''s so soft."


    "Really. Recently she''s been putting it on the head to enjoy the vibrations."


    I imagined that situation as Minute smiled strangely, and responded with a smile as well.


    "Also, about Gantz. He looks envious of the fact we can touch it,if he touches it he might deal damage to it and is in conflict. And, whenever he tries to communicate with his own pet, he''s swallowed by it which is really interesting."


    "Can''t he just take off the ¡¾Martial Arts¡¿ Sense..."


    "''If I take it off, it''ll be like I lost'' is what he said, ''then, I need to master an Arts that allows me to deal no damage.'' and he''s rushing it, trying to fulfil different conditions to master a different Arts."


    For example, there''s a ¡¶Finger Attack¡· Arts that can be learned by doing a hundred attacks with a finger, it can be learned on a slime while making sure a chain combo does not occur.


    The Art that allows to attack the enemy with open hand ¡¶Palm Strikes¡·, is a progress from the finger and can be obtained by touching Slimes with an open hand. But his reason to do it was a little weird.


    "We want to raise our levels now, and need recovery items. Please give us the usual recovery items for mages."


    I sold the items to the two ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s loyal customers, and saw them off waving a hand. Maybe I should raise the level of my combat Senses as well. And thinking that, I took some time to prepare equipment for hunting and left the store.


    In order to do some leveling, I went to the portal, a transportation object in the centre of the town, and faced towards the sounds of construction which could be heard even among the crowd.


    After finally obtaining a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿, the construction of the crafting guild''s hall has began. Currently it was just the building''s skeleton, but since the amount of space secured was three times as big as the surrounding buildings took, my chest was filled with expectations.


    "There''s a lot of change going on eh."


    "Ohh! Onee-chan came to see it too?"


    When I turned around after hearing a familiar voice, I saw Myu and Sei-nee there.


    Just like me, the two came to look at the crafting guild''s guild hall, the three of us lined up and stared at it.


    "I look forward to it, the guild Magi-san and others make. They''ll be doing a lot of things right?!"


    "That''s right. There''s talk that there will be auctions, so we ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ are looking for items to put up on it too. Everyone''s really motivated."


    "Sounds interesting! The three of us... no can do. After this I have promised to go with Luka-chan and others."


    "Ehehe" after saying it herself, Myu recalled an appointment with Lucato and others from her party, and laughed bitterly.


    "We''ll go on adventure the three of us again, right."


    After she spoke abruptly, I blanked out for a moment but nodded soon enough.


    "Of course. But before that, go and don''t make your party wait."


    "Yup! Now then, Yun-oneechan, Sei-oneechan. I''ll be going!"


    Hearing my answer, Myu shoot out like a bullet and left while waving her hand greatly. Running backwards is dangerous. I thought as I saw her off, waving my hand.


    "Myu-chan went off, but, want to go for some hunting with Onee-chan?"


    "Hmm. I wonder. I''ll refrain myself this time. I want to raise my combat Senses by myself a little."


    I see, a shame. And even though I felt Sei-nee shrugged her shoulders with regret, I separated from her.


    Not only myself, but the surroundings changed as well. Training their Senses, everyone progressed. The sound of the construction, was the sound of change. While listening to the pleasant sound, I transferred to the optimal hunting grounds for my level.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow


    Secondary Weapon : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (Outerwear, Underwear, Torso, Waist).


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10 Rugged Iron Ring (1) Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP25


    ¡¾Bow Lv31¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Discovery Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv42¡¿¡¾Magic Power Lv45¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv22¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv15¡¿


    Obtained Items:


    A pickaxe used for mining and ¡¾Mining¡¿ EX-Skill


    Synthesis Crafting Kit for 5 Items


    Synthetic mobs of three colours (fire, water, earth Gels)

 Chapter Volume 4 Prologue

    Prologue - Crafting Guild and Insect Repelling Incense


    "¡ª¡ªAnd so, I''ve managed to obtain some petals of the Wisteria Peach tree."


    "What''s that ''wisteria'' tree you''re talking about?"


    "Didn''t you hear from Miu-chan before? That they have passed through the Horror Cave and reached the Wisteria Peach tree."


    I had no idea. I shook my head.


    "There''s just a single Wisteria Peach tree growing on a hill, it''s always in full bloom and has pink petals."


    "Hee?. Sounds perfect for flower viewing."


    Drinking a cup of sake in the moonlight night. Could be nice. Oops, if I think that I''ll start thinking about cooking, and so I have discarded those thoughts.


    "Ahh, that''s impossible. Mobs in there spawn really fast so there''s no opportunity for flower viewing. If anything, rather than a rain of petals, I''m guessing rain of blood would be more likely?"


    "That''s not something I want to hear during a meal."


    A lunch break in school. Among a great number of students eating their lunch we were no exception and ate our lunches while having a disturbing conversation.


    "After wiping out the spawning mobs, everyone gets a single petal of the Wisteria Peach tree."


    "Is it some kind of quest item?"


    "No, it''s an inferior revival item that revives you at just 1 HP. By the way, Shun. As usual, your boxed lunch really is nutritiously balanced isn''t it."


    "Don''t change the topic. But, you know what''s going to happen if I leave lunch to Miu, don''t you."


    "Ah, well, we''re the same after all. I can''t really talk about others like this..."


    My best friend Takumi who was right in front of me stared at my boxed lunch enviously and hurriedly ate the bread he bought, then washed it all down with juice.


    I scowled at that poor nutritional balance, as Takumi''s childhood friend, I knew why he would buy such a thing.


    "Good grief, I wonder, where do you find time to play other games despite playing OSO."


    "I have to squeeze out some time for that."


    Squeeze out, you... I spat a tired sigh. That''s right, Takumi saves up money from his lunch to buy games he wants to play.


    On top of that, he continues to play a VRMMO, he''s a really broken gamer.


    Also, my little sister Miu is a broken gamer as well. If she were to be given money for lunch, the fact that it would turn out the same way could be easily understood by watching this childhood friend of mine. That''s why, I make lunch boxes for two people every morning.


    "You talk about others, but I know that you''re doing quite well yourself."


    "...what''s that about?"


    "I''ve heard from Miu-chan, but it seems like you''re always logged in whenever you have some free time."


    Takumi turned towards me smiling broadly.


    As we faced each other, a shadow has appeared between us and a girl''s voice has called out from over our heads.


    "Let''s see. Having free time would suggest you finished what you had to do. Takumi-kun."


    When I looked up towards the source of the voice, I saw a female student stand there.


    "Geh, Endo."


    "If Endo-san has come, it means the due date has come again huh."


    Her long hair was braided into a single plait that was hung over her shoulder, and there were strong-looking eyes behind her lower-rim glasses. Her expression was soft, but she left a strong impression and had a straightforward, serious personality. The girl was Endo-san from class committee.


    "Indeed. Today''s the due date for classics homework submission. You still haven''t handed it in have you, I came to check up on it."


    "Shun, help me out!"


    "...Takumi. Geez, I have submitted my homework already so I can''t show you, but I''ll teach you."


    "All right! I''ll submit it on the next break."


    "Why then."


    "If I deliver it to the staff room after school, I''ll lose that much of my gaming time."


    "Geez, you really are..."


    When I sighed hearing Takumi''s answer, Endo-san laughed quietly and said "Thank you for the work Shun-kun" to me.


    "Really. How can you two be best friends despite having completely different personalities."


    "Ah, I think it''s strange as well."


    "Well, despite what he says, it''s ''cause Shun''s caring."


    "I don''t want to hear that from you."


    I complained to Takumi who relied on me, and Endo-san agreed with him, saying "You''re right".


    "It''s great to have Shun-kun. If not for him, I would have to watch over Takumi-kun until he finishes his homework."


    In those cases, as long as I tell Shun-kun, he''ll make sure it''s done even if he has to use force, it''s a great help. She said, but I could only respond with a wry laughter.


    "Come on, Shun. We''ve finished eating so teach me!"


    "Yes yes, wait a moment."


    I looked as Takumi has pulled out his homework. I checked what he didn''t know and what did he have trouble with, I intended to have him solve as much as possible on his own. I casually taught him what he didn''t know. And, what suddenly entered my line of sight was Endo-san who watched over Takumi.


    Her eyes behind the pair of glasses were narrowed as she made a serious expression. Except for the sound of Takumi writing notes, the place was very silent and the ambient sounds felt very distant.


    "............"


    "...Endo-san?"


    "Seems like he started on it properly. Now then, I leave the rest to you."


    After confirming Takumi had started to do his homework, with a light feeling Endo-san moved away from their seats. Because of the serious expression she made as she stared at Takumi, I was confused by the change.


    "Shun. Teach me this next."


    "Y-yeah..."


    Embracing a hazy feeling for some reason, I helped Takumi do his homework. Just as he declared, he submitted his homework by the end of the afternoon break and hurried back home.


    "Good grief, leaving his best friend behind huh. Well, it can''t be helped since I have to do some shopping for dinner. What should I make tonight?"


    As I bought ingredients in the supermarket, Endo-san''s serious expression crossed through my mind.


    She calls out to Takumi a lot and often takes care of him. Although that''s the role of a class committee member, it can''t be that¡ª¡ª


    "It can''t be that Endo-san..."


    Likes Takumi? No, no way. Nope. Smiling wryly to myself I finished shopping and went home.


    I put away the ingredients and headed towards my room without hesitation.


    I put on the VR Gear placed next to the bed, laid down on the bed, closed my eyes and logged in.


    ¡ñ


    "Thanks to everyone''s efforts, we have safely completed the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿''s guild hall. The guild has been established as well and all that''s left is to start its operations, but before that, let''s make it grand! ¡ª¡ªCheers!"


    " " "¡ª¡ªCheers!" " "


    Currently, I was in the interior of a building with an open hall and lined up counters, there were a lot of tables available and on them, were arranged a variety of dishes and sweets.


    This place was the base of the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿, called Guild Hall. It''s appearance was that of a three-story building that had more than twice the size of the buildings surrounding it. Pillars and signs were painted red and stood out. But the reason it attracted attention was the inside of it.


    The guild room''s subspace extended to the maximum, and it was twice as big as it appeared to be, currently, this place has attracted a considerable amount of crafters.


    "Among them there are working NPCs trading materials, aren''t there."


    It still hasn''t started to run in earnest, but it already allows easy purchasing of items and two-way distribution of materials, it acts as a proxy agency for selling items from crafters¡ª¡ªthat''s the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿.


    Other than that, there are plans to provide support to those without any crafting facilities, encouraging joint crafting, and crafting experience corner.


    And right now, I was looking down on the happily-chatting players from the terrace on the second floor.


    "Yun-kun, how was it? My leading there, that is."


    When I turned around from the terrace towards the source of the voice, I saw a familiar person there.


    "I saw it perfectly fine, Magi-san. It was quite dignified. Still, is it really fine to invite me? I''m an outsider."


    "It''s all right. Most of the people here are outsiders. But, if there is a common point between us... then it would be that you''re also the co-founder."


    I listened to what Magi-san said and responded with "I see, I''ll be at ease then". Today, I was invited to the party in the evening hours, "participate by all means", for which in exchange I presented with these words.


    "Thank you very much for inviting me today. And¡ª¡ªfor establishment of the¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ and your inauguration as the guild master, congratulations."


    "Thanks, Yun-kun. But really, how did this happen? Cloude is the submaster, I''ll push all the work on him anyway."


    Magi-san laughed, in response I said "Isn''t that fine?", agreeing.


    "Yahoo, Yuncchi. I greeted everyone and came."


    Seeing me and Magi-san talk, Lyly has approached us.


    "Oh, you came too, Lyly. What about Cloude?"


    "Kurocchi is going around greeting and listening to reports of other crafters. It was planned that we talk about the event during the party. So after we did our rounds, we came over to you, Yuncchi."


    Cloude sure is doing well, I muttered. As I thought, Cloude seemed to be more capable as a guild master. I felt that way but¡ª¡ª


    "Well, rather than someone arrogant like Cloude, someone striking and bright like Magi-san makes it easier to accept."


    "Ahh, I get it. Kurocchi is the shadow ruler, something like a chief of staff."


    "Indeed indeed. ''Just as planned'' or ''in the end Magi is merely a puppet'', ''I''m the true ruler of this guild!''. That''s something he''d say. In the end, I''m just a puppet huh."


    Magi-san muttered that strangely serious. In response to that joke, Lyly and I let out a small sigh. It was way too easy to imagine Cloude take a theatrical pose and say that.


    "Well, let''s leave it at this for introductions."


    "Then, you must have errands to do other than introductions don''t you."


    "Ah, you can tell huh."


    When I said that, the two got onto the main topic immediately.


    "I think it must have reached your ears already, Yun-kun. The talk about the event."


    "Yes. You mean the event organized by the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ that''s supposed to take two days, right."


    It serves as a promotion and anniversary event for the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿, a grand-scale scheduled event.


    Offering various items, holding an auction in the guild hall and so on. Other than that there''s supposed to be a stage show and a PvP event.


    "Yup yup. So, in order to liven up the event, we thought of asking Yuncchi if there are any interesting items to use."


    "Interesting items..."


    "Yup. Yuncchi who has a ¡¾Making Box¡¿ seems like she''d have some unusual items."


    Just as Lyly said, I had some materials and recipes that were lacking in practicality, but I couldn''t tell whether they are interesting or not.


    "Hmm, interesting materials or items huh. That''d be drugs causing abnormal status and poison. Also, from the recipes there is ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿, ¡¾Cannibalistic Elixir¡¿, ¡¾Hair Growth Elixir¡¿ and... ¡¾Charm Fragrance¡¿ I guess."


    "Abnormal state drugs are quite generic aren''t they. Hey, eh? Magicchi, your face is red."


    "Ehh?! Ah, mm. It''s nothing!"


    As Magi-san blushed, knowing the reason I felt somewhat awkward.


    It''s about what happened the other day.


    Together with Myu I have performed experiments with unknown materials. Unlike myself who is careful, I was actively encouraged by Myu, and during the experiment with the potion I made¡ª¡ª


    After using multiple potions, we couldn''t see any effect strong enough to affect my consciousness, when I drank the last drug, a change has occurred.


    ¡ª¡ª*ba-dump*. My heart started to beat incredibly strong. My entire body has started to heat up, and I have squatted down on spot.


    "Onee-chan?!"


    "Haa, haa... it''s okay. But, something..."


    As my consciousness became ambiguous, Myu grabbed my shoulder to support me. In the menu, the bad status ¡¾Charmed¡¿ was displayed. So the last drug, was a bad status inducing one... as I carefreely considered that, a change in Myu in front of me has occurred.


    "O-Onee-chan. Somehow, I''m feeling strange! W-what is this!"


    Myu''s eyes were tinged with seriousness, she put some strength into the arms grabbing my shoulders and pushed me down on the floor.


    "Wai... what?!"


    "I wonder? I''m also... ¡¾Charmed¡¿? I can''t stop."


    As we were, Myu hunched over as if riding me and she repeatedly breathed shallowly. Somehow, I started to feel incredible danger.


    I tried to push Myu away, but I was unable to resist because of the difference in our stats. "Helloo. Yun-kun, there''s something I want to talk with you about... ah."


    "Eh... Ma-Magi-san?"


    "No, um, you''re having some s-skinship with your little sister, right. Um, sorry to intrudee!"


    And like that, we caused Magi-san to misunderstand, I resolved it on the next day. Probably, she still hadn''t digested that memory well enough yet. I didn''t want to recall it either, so I proceeded with the story.


    "From the recipes I can use, it''s just the two first ones."


    The ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿, just as its name suggested repelled insect-type mobs and ¡¾Cannibalistic Elixir¡¿ was a mix of various foods that increased stats for about thirty minutes and increased the speed at which satiety was being depleted.


    "And, that''s about it."


    "Is that so. ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ sounds interesting."


    "Does it? If ¡¾Cannibalistic Elixir¡¿''s effect was adjusted it could be more hardcore."


    Although her face was still slightly red, since Magi-san asked about it, I explained the effect of the ¡¾Cannibalistic Elixir¡¿.


    The setting of the ¡¾Cannibalistic Elixir¡¿ was that it formulated a drug inside the user''s body and turned the food into energy at high efficiency, explosively increasing strength.


    Something like that.


    Certainly it increased the stats. However, if the mixed ratio is wrong, the speed at which satiety is reduced increased to an unprecedented level, and unless the user continues to eat until the elixir''s effect expires they will starve to death.


    "In other words, if the satiety reduction effect is maximized, one would turn into an eating machine."


    "Uwahh... that''s nastier than poison. Yuncchi, what a horrible item you have there."


    "Is it now. But, I really do want to avoid using it."


    "I think so too. It''s a dangerous item. It''s too early to give ordinary players such a thing."


    With our opinions matching, we have decided not to use the ¡¾Cannibalistic Elixir¡¿.


    In that case, the only recipe I could reproduce was ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿. But Lyly seemed to have come up with an idea and he smiled joyfully.


    "Still, with just ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ we can prepare some interesting events. Yup, I''ll go consult it with Kurocchi."


    He said so, and without telling us what his idea was Lyly ran away. We looked at his back as he left.


    "There he went, that Lyly."


    "Indeed. Then, I''ll excuse myself as well."


    "Eh?! But the party has just started."


    "I thought of coming and showing my face after being invited and congratulate you all. I have to prepare dinner now."


    "Ah, I see. You''re Myu-chan''s onee-chan after all, aren''t you."


    I said, I''m a man. Is what I wanted to repeat like I usually did, but it can''t be helped. I convinced myself.


    "If that''s the case, thank you for coming today."


    "No, I''m glad I could talk to you."


    After exchanging our greetings, Magi-san went back to greet other crafters. Seeing her off, I logged out.

 Chapter Volume 4 1

    Chapter 1 - Wetlands and the Darkman


    The ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was a small shop located in the south of First Town, it dealt with potions and recovery items as well as food items like sandwiches.


    And, in the back of the store there was a small field, various kinds of herbs were cultivated there.


    "Kyouko-san, how was today''s harvest?"


    "Since the herbs are now available, their cultivation was stopped. Instead, the materials from the ¡¾Making Box¡¿, poisonous plants, material for Highpots and MP Potions are grown evenly."


    "I see, thank you. We have a large stock of herbs now so there''s no problem. For the time being, I want to increase the amount of materials that have come out from the Making Box before going back to the original cultivation."


    Kyouko-san the NPC made a charming smile and went back to work. I looked from behind as she''s working, then moved to the workshop part of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Recently, I''ve been using the ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense to gather crafting recipes and have noted down a number of recipes.


    While looking at the item recipes and the materials required, I murmured.


    "As I thought, there is a limited amount of materials I can get in the current situation. Waiting for other players to bring them in is one thing, but if possible, I want to find some myself."


    Since I walked around the fields gathering materials when I started playing OSO, those feelings were strong in me.


    "Also, in the place I want to go to now, there''s lots of interesting mobs. I want to go to the town that''s located a bit further."


    I tried organizing my goals, it would be material collection, find new mobs and reaching the new town. Three goals. If I learn about the area, I''ll know which enemies I should be wary of and will roughly know how do my prospects stand. In other words, there was a worth doing a preview visit before going there solo.


    And for that, I''ll expand on the method I have previously used.


    "Yun-oneechan, we''re here!"


    "Geez, why don''t you just call me normally."


    Making a small, wry smile, I stopped organizing the materials and returned to Atelier''s store part. There, was waiting Myu who called me earlier and her party.


    "Sorry about this. I decided to resort to rely on you again."


    "Please do not mind it. We''re getting a proper reward after all."


    Lucato answered me with a smile.


    In order to go to the Second Town, I have formed a party with Myu and the others and broke through the boss on the east side, the Blade Lizard. Back then, we got involved in some trouble and I have ended up fighting the boss, but basically, I have defeated the boss by being temporarily carried by Myu''s party.


    "Is assortment of Highpots and MP Potions similar to the one you got last time really fine?"


    "Yes. Since our party is in combat very often, we''re always short on those."


    Since Lucato said that like it''s a trivial thing, I smiled bitterly. To make a partial down payment, and to provide the items required for combat, I passed recovery items to her starting with High Potions.


    "...since Yun-san''s name is becoming famous recently, wasn''t there a different method of getting past other than relying on us?"


    The one who spoke to me while I was making a business-like exchange with Lucato was Toutobi, who took on the role of a scout in the party. Seeing her somewhat anxious, I tilted my head puzzled.


    "A different method?"


    "See, Yun-san is well-acquainted with Magi-san, Cloude-san and the others right? Isn''t it possible for you to get a better escort thanks to those connections than we can provide?"


    "Ahh, that."


    Hino provided a supplementary explanation as Toutobi was a person of few words.


    Certainly, it was possible to form a battalion of multiple parties and a number of crafters could be escorted at the same time.


    While avoiding the joint struggle penalty, they would divide into the parties taking care of small fries and anti-boss specialized party, parties specializing in healing from outside of the party and so on. There were multiple merits in that kind of assistance and one could be safely transported.


    However, there were also demerits.


    "Hmm. Somehow, that kind of things doesn''t fit me at all."


    "...doesn''t fit you?"


    Toutobi who furrowed her eyebrows anxiously made a stunned expression. For some reason, that expression of hers looked lovely and funny, causing me to quietly laugh.


    "Indeed. Preparing such escort requires preparations, considerable planning and it''s time constrained right? Also, a large amount of money is required for the reward. Well, that''s an expanse shared by the crafters participating though."


    "...is that so."


    "And there''s one more, most important reason of mine."


    When I said ''most important'', everyone has shown interest in the details of it. But, it wasn''t that serious a reason. It was a simple matter of my hobbies.


    "Being stuck in a huge crowd isn''t too pleasant is it? I''m fine leisurely taking my time."


    "Fufufu, that thinking is very like you, Yun-san. I really like that kind of thing."


    "Indeedly. As I''ve been thinkin'', as sisters with Myu it ain''t no wonder ya too are bit air-headed as well."


    In response to Rirei''s and Kohaku''s reaction I felt like complaining ''where do you see me being an airhead''. However, if we continued to talk here, we''d never go out for an adventure.


    "Yes yes. Now then, about time we moved. Yun-san, it''s fine if the destination are the wetlands right?"


    Lucato found a timing on her own and spoke to me. It was about the time where we almost forgot the original goal. Reflecting on it, I said to everyone.


    "The goal is the south of First Town, the wetlands. Well, since it''s very close the Atelier, we can go there leisurely."


    Accepting the objective, we formed a party for the adventure. Last time, Rirei has remained outside of the party and acted as my escort, but this time the eyes of the party - Toutobi has been planned to be outside.


    I took a glance at the plains spread outside of the first town as we moved, they were filled with non-active herbivorous mobs, soon enough we have arrived at the entrance to the wetlands.


    "Now then, I''ll concentrate on searching for the enemy. Please be careful, Yun-san."


    "Got it."


    "Well then, Tobi-chan, do your best."


    Myu waved her hand towards Toutobi who went ahead alone to confirm our safety, seeing her off. I was told by Toutobi to be careful of surroundings as well but...


    "...for some reason, I feel something like multiple gazes on us."


    It wasn''t clear where it came from, but I certainly could feel it. Since it was a very inorganic gaze that struck me, it didn''t feel like we would be immediately assaulted, but I couldn''t see enemy mobs clearly.


    "Mobs in here are very harsh in many ways."


    "Three, at one o''clock."


    Toutobi came back and at the same time she briefly relayed the info before going back there. When we proceeded relying on those words, certainly, in the direction specified by Toutobi my ¡¾Discovery¡¿ could sense something.


    Immediately after that, something has popped out of the ground. Lucato swung down the sword she had tied to her waist. Also, Rirei created a pillar of fire on the wetlands covered thinly with water.


    The water has evaporated in an instant, the firepower making the ground dry has left me stunned, but from the traces of the burns there were particles of light scattering as a proof the mobs have been erased.


    "W-what?!"


    "Ah, they have reacted to us approaching haven''t they. Yun-san, were you able to react?"


    "N-no. I couldn''t. Was there something in? How much of it?"


    "Yun-oneechan, is your sense level low? Or maybe you didn''t raise them?"


    Having it pointed out by Myu, I opened the sense status menu to confirm.


    Some of the Senses could grow or be derived from.


    "I took two new ones."


    First, since my ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense reached 30, a derivation of a Bow-type Sense was possible. Since ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ is my weapon, just as the name suggested, it''s been classified as a long bow, thus I have consumed two SP to get the ¡¾Longbow¡¿ Sense.


    And, at the level 30 the ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense could be grown into a higher Sense that is ¡¾See-Through¡¿. In this case, although the original Sense disappeared, it was possible to obtain an even stronger passive effect, it consumed the same amount of SP as picking up the ¡¾Longbow¡¿ Sense.


    Possessed SP21


    ¡¾Bow Lv31¡¿¡¾Longbow Lv1¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv23¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv42¡¿¡¾Magic Power Lv45¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv14¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv15¡¿¡¾Cooking Lv21¡¿


    I organized the Senses again, then told Myu and the others how does it look like.


    "Two Senses at level 1 huh. In that case the stats must be much lower. What to do..."


    Myu made an evaluation, but since ¡¾Discovery¡¿ has grown into ¡¾See-Through¡¿ I was able to find mobs and hidden mining points I haven''t been able to before so I was satisfied. Field work was fun because I was able to make such discoveries.


    "Hey, Yun-oneechan, are you listening? Come on..."


    "It''s fine, Myu. Yun-san must be thinking about lots of things now."


    Since Myu looked appalled with a hand on her hip, Hino appeased her.


    Once again the scout, Toutobi returned and conveyed new information.


    "Ahead of here there''s a Treant. What do we do?"


    "A Treant huh, since Yun-oneechan is here let''s pass this time."


    "Yes, you''re right."


    After hearing Toutobi''s report Myu judged to do so and Lucato has agreed with her. However, on the other hand there was also a different opinion.


    "Wait me a secon''! Treants are cumbersum'' mobs to find! ''t might be an accident but it''s better to take it down if foun''! Definitely!"


    "Fufufu, the material dropping from it is very useful for us mages. If possible I''d like to secure it."


    Myu and Lucato were for avoiding it while Kohaku and Rirei were in favour of defeating it.


    "Umm... what to do, Tobi-chan."


    "...I wonder."


    Hino and Toutobi, unable to make a judgement made troubled expressions. But before that...


    "Umm... what kind of mob is a Treant?"


    Earlier, I was unable to confirm how the mentioned new mob looked like and had no idea what to do about it. I wanted some objective information to know whether I should defeat it or avoid it instead.


    "Onee-chan, the Treant mob is said to be a ''strong mob'' type of enemy."


    In the game, there are mobs that are stronger than some of the weaker boss mobs, they cause some nasty bad statuses, use special attacks, or are collectives of strong small fries. They''re usually called ''strong mobs'' and ''strong small fries''.


    "And so, this Treant¡ª¡ªpure stats-wise it''s stronger than the wetlands'' boss mob, it uses attacks that aim at the vital points, often killing people with one hit. It''s an exemplary mob of the wetlands."


    "...also, Treants are mimicking the appearance of a tree. Since they''re waiting for players to come into their attack range, a considerably high level detection Sense is required."


    Toutobi supplemented Myu''s description. Everyone stared at my face, the decision on the Treant''s matter has been shifted to me, the escort target.


    Although I thought that there''s no need to risk it, on the other hand I was interested in the Treant. As a compromise for the both sides¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªEven if I''m not fighting it, I can take a look at it."


    I proposed, ''we didn''t think of that at all'' they made wry smiles suggesting that.


    "And then, Yun-san who went to take a look will be suspended in the air by Treant''s vines, that immodest appearance¡ª¡ª"You! Cut ''t out an'' shaddup! Any more an'' it''ll turn hazardous!"¡ª¡ª"


    Kohaku approached Rirei from the side and held her mouth to silence her. She sure has practice in that, even though I felt so, I was really scared of hearing what kind of appearance of mine Rirei had in her head.


    "...let''s leave Rirei and Kohaku for now. If it''s Yun-san, I think you will be able to watch from here."


    "Tobi-chan, cruel! Why are ya lumpin'' me together wit'' Rirei!"


    Treated as a set with Rirei because of their comedic act, Kohaku raised a voice of protest, but was ignored by everyone.


    They''re quite accustomed to it, I thought while staring at what Toutobi was pointing to.


    Thanks to the farsight of ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ I found a single tree. A single old tree with roots in the wetlands. Other than that, there was nothing strange about its appearance. The ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense I obtained a moment ago delivered a feeble response suggesting it''s a mob, but it was very close to that of a collection point.


    "It practically looks like a tree."


    "...that''s the Treant''s mimicry''s effect. It''s real appearance shows only during combat."


    Hearing that description I was satisfied. I didn''t want to risk by approaching it out of curiosity.


    "Sorry. This time, let''s take a route on which we won''t have to fight a Treant please."


    "Fufufu, it can''t be helped this time. However, I''m satisfied by seeing a beautiful girl like Yun-san make an apologetic expression."


    "Give''t up already, Rirei! Well, can''t be helped this time."


    The two consented and we have proceeded further, avoiding the Treant.


    ¡ñ


    "So these are this area''s mobs."


    By now, from the mobs I saw in the wetlands to the south, with exception of the Treant at which I sneaked a peek, are Moor Frog mobs, low viscosity Mould Slime, a slime-type mob, and a mob called ''balls of fire'' or ''souls'' - the Will-o''-Wisp.


    The figures of the mobs I couldn''t see before with ¡¾Discovery¡¿ Sense despite getting a reaction from it were lurking under the leaves and lotus-like plants, in the swamp''s mud and attacked when a player approached.


    After the Treant, it seemed like Moor Frogs also attacked from surprise, but since they appear in groups once you attack one of them the linked mobs in the surroundings will also attack you.


    Unlike the Treant, their numbers were large but they also were quite nasty. However, other mobs than that like the Mould Slime and Will-o''-Wisp weren''t as high a threat. Rather, they could be ignored.


    "If I avoid Treants and Moor Frogs, I can move around well enough alone can''t I."


    "Indeed. Here, let''s engage in combat for once to experience the Moor Frog''s strength."


    "Earlier, we wiped them out with a single hit, so let''s leave some for Yun-san this time."


    Rirei who evaporated a whole herd of Moor Frogs that flocked to us with a pillar of fire. She was an excellent firepower-specialized mage.


    "Fufufu, Yun-san, what is it? Staring at me so much. No way, you''re inviting me?"


    "As if I would."


    I stared at Rirei. If only she didn''t act like this, I sighed and turned to look at the swarm of Moor Frogs nearby.


    Since my bow''s range was greater than the enemy''s attack range I could safely deliver the first attack. After that, I left all mobs other than the one I attacked to Myu and the others.


    "Let''s go then."


    After I finished my preparations, everyone returned a nod. I held the bow and pulled back the string. I fixed my aim at the frog that was hiding behind the leaves of a lotus and was easy to target, then shoot an arrow.


    The arrow released from the bow raised quite high before drawing a parabola and piercing the point I aimed for. The arrow pierced the lotus leafs and ripples spread through the water the wetlands were covered with.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Fire Shot¡·"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Quick Blast¡·"


    At the same time as the wave of frogs in front has jumped, Rirei and Kohaku used beginner''s magic to reduce their number.


    After a slight delay Myu also took down one frog that landed on the ground with a ray of light from the spell ¡¶Sol Ray¡·.


    "Make sure to fight as to leave some for Yun-san."


    "I know!"


    At the same time as Lucato called out, Myu and Hino approached the frogs.


    Retaining the movement momentum, Hino poised the spear to the side, pierced the frog and lifted it up. After lifting it, she realized it still had HP remaining and swung the spear, slamming the frog into the tree and defeating it.


    Myu''s movements were very detailed, she approached the Moor Frogs without letting them aim at her and finished them off in an instant.


    "Just like that, the flock was reduced to a half... no, to three frogs huh."


    Right in front of me the frogs were taken down one after another.


    Even as the frog''s long tongues attacked her from the blind spots, Myu avoided them by sinking her body low and not even having to fight back, showing how to fight safely.


    In the end, what remained was a single Moor Frog left for me to practice on.


    Myu and Hino have moved closer to me ready to help out any time with their weapons drawn.


    Without being distracted from the remaining Moor Frog, I set up the bow.


    My stare was returned by the amphibian''s peculiar large and cold eyes, causing me to feel a pressure. However, I couldn''t pull back here.


    "It''s okay! It''s weak as long as you deal with it calmly!"


    Hearing Myu''s cheering, I took a deep breath.


    And, the one who moved first, was the Moor Frog. It stretched its limbs making a powerful jump, going higher than my height was, its body closing on to me.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡·!"


    I used a bow-type Sense Art, shooting an arrow at the frog that had no way to escape in mid-air. As the frog didn''t fall despite having its soft abdomen was pierced with two arrows, I immediately moved, taking distance from its landing point.


    I moved as to get behind the frog if possible. After observing Myu and the others fight, I learned that if I move behind it immediately after it jumps it cannot immediately use its long tongue attack.


    They had no choice but to turn around. By utilizing the time I bought I shoot an arrow.


    After being hit by two in the belly and the third arrow on its back, the Moor Frog has created a small water bullet.


    Since the frog has very little HP left I decided to cut down the rest of it before it attacks. But¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªDamn."


    The moment I missed the very last arrow, I received the stray water bullet.


    After it finished turning around, the Moor Frog jumped high in order to hit me with its body.


    This time I shoot an arrow with a perfect timing as not to miss and cut down the last of Moor Frog''s HP which has turned into particles of light in mid-air and disappeared.


    "Onee-chan, are you okay? ¡ª¡ª¡¶Heal¡·"


    "You''re exaggerating. It wasn''t that strong of an attack."


    Worried, Myu has clung to me and started to touch me to ascertain my safety, but Moor Frog''s attack wasn''t that much of a threat. I understand that what was really scary, was having an entire flock attacks centred on you, I was grateful to others for reducing their number first.


    "How did it feel now that you tried fighting it?"


    "Lucato, well, I can win if it''s 1 versus 1. Any more than that and I''ll run. Absolutely impossible."


    "Was it a good warm-up? Now then, let''s go to the boss. It''s all right. There''ll be no problem if we fight normally."


    In accordance to Lucato''s words, we headed to challenge the boss of the wetlands.


    Other than some combat for my training, we took a route avoiding mobs, aiming for the direction boss was in.


    Fighting only with a few mobs, we have arrived in front of the boss mob, the Darkman.


    ¡ºDaaaaark¡»


    "...that''s quite an unique boss mob."


    To describe the boss, Darkman''s appearance, one could would say it''s a shadow with mass.


    Occasionally its irregular mass made up a humanoid appearance before turning back into shadow with mass once again, which happened repeatedly. I don''t know where did it have vocal cords, but the mass spoke ¡ºDaark¡» with a very difficult to understand voice, and was without a doubt the Darkman.


    "It''s coming! This time Tobi-san isn''t participating in combat and will stick out until the objective is complete! Top priority is Yun-san''s survival!"


    "Luka-chan. We just have to take it down, right!"


    "Myu-san, you never change do you."


    Lucato smiled wryly in response to Myu''s remark and pulled out the sword that was pointing into the back. Larger than an one-handed sword, and kinda small for a two-handed sword¡ª¡ªshe set up the sword classified as a Bastard Sword right in front of her.


    Rather than use a heavy weapon like a sledgehammer, Hino used a long spear. Rirei and Kohaku held their staffs as they stared straight at the boss.


    "The boss is moving."


    As if waiting until our preparations were complete, the Darkman begun to move. It created an irregular shadow shaped like an adult man and its arm has begun to melt.


    "Let''s take initiative¡ª¡ª¡¶Wind Cutter¡·£¡"


    First, Kohaku fired a blade of wind towards the melting Darkman. The ground was gouged out and a mass of moist soil has scattered, blown in all directions. The Darkman stretched on the spot and jumped onto a nearby tree, then rebuilt its shadow body and looked down towards us.


    "Na'' good. Opener failed."


    "It can''t be helped. Now then, what do we do about the one in front of us."


    "In front?"


    Hearing the words of Rirei who comforted Kohaku, I was puzzled. My line of sight was focused on the Darkman that jumped up now turned towards the place Kohaku aimed to, and saw the shadow arms disconnected from the Darkman''s body. The defeated mobs and cut off parts of the bodies normally turned into light particles and disappeared, but the mass of shadow has began to change shape.


    "...something is wriggling there."


    "Darkman makes offshots out of its own body parts."


    As Lucato calmly explained, the Darkman that jumped on top of the tree once again disconnected a part of its body, creating a new one.


    *plop*, *plop*, the parts fell down and formed the same humanoid shape with the same size as the main body.


    "The offshots have the same stats as the main body, except for HP. Also, each of them wields a different weapon."


    Immediately after Lucato spoke and Hino provided supplementary information, the third offshot has stretched its shadow arms and after making a long spear it thrust in our direction. Hino parried its spear with her own and pierced the abdomen of the offshot.


    "Weak..."


    "Even if they''re weak one on one, they''re a pain when are there many of them, ha!"


    Lucato swung her bastard sword sideways, cutting three offshots at the same time. However, the Darkman in the back created new offshots one after another which soon have surrounded us.


    Sword, hammer, shield, dagger, short bow, club, large axe. The offshots that have created various weapons were cut apart with Lucato''s bastard sword, Hino also used the long reach of her weapon, swinging strongly to blow away entire groups on the field.


    "Fufufu, we can''t lose to them now, can we."


    "Indeedly, lez'' match ourselves and finish it perfect!"


    "Let''s go. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Circle¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Little Tornado¡·!"


    A converging circle of flame has swallowed offshots and its power was given a momentum by the tornado Kohaku has produced, evaporating a number of offshots on the field in its wake.


    "I see it! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·!"


    Unable to keep up with the speed of the battle that has unfolded, I just stood in the centre being protected.


    Myu has released converged rays of light through the gap that was made after the flame whirlwind hit, trying to hit the main body, but using its high speed the main body managed to hide among the offshots that looked exactly the same and scattered in all directions.


    "What a pity! Come on, Yun-oneechan too, help out!"


    "?!! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    This time''s objective was to make sure I don''t die before reaching next town.


    That''s why this time I prioritized a defence enchant on myself before setting up the bow and shooting at the offshots.


    "Which one should I aim for?!"


    "Please prioritize the ones doing long range attacks!"


    "Roger!"


    Following Lucato''s instructions, I aimed between the vanguard offshots at the offshot in the back that was throwing arrows and daggers.


    Although they didn''t fall with just one hit like they did when Lucato and Hino did it, but after being hit by four arrows the offshot melted and disappeared. I used MP recovery items on Rirei and Kohaku who were running dry and once again applied enchants, the two way battle didn''t go either way. In the first place, the reason for that was because the Darkman''s main body was hiding among the offshots and we were stuck in a situation where we couldn''t find it.


    "Hey, how did you take it down before?"


    "Back then¡ª¡ªLuka-chan and Hino-chan suppressed the offshots, Rirei and Kohaku took down the ranged ones, and we didn''t find the boss until Tobi-chan and I did a pincer attack."


    While explaining that, she cut one offshot with the one-handed sword and aimed her free hand in opposite direction, shooting a converged ray of light to pierce two offshots at once.


    "So we are short on attack power because I''m here, huh."


    "There''s that but... Tobi-chan, can you see it?"


    Although Toutobi has detached herself from the battlefield, she seemed to have been observing it from the top of a nearby tree and turned around when Myu called her.


    "...at eleven o''clock there are signs of offshot creation! The Darkman is there!"


    "Kohaku! Rirei!"


    "Fufufu, I know. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Circle¡·."


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Little Tornado¡·!"


    The two''s combined skill exploded and a violent heat wave has come from the direction Toutobi has pointed to. Responding to it, the offshots moved to create a protective wall, but Lucato and Hino wouldn''t let them escape.


    "I won''t let you. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Multistage Thrust¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    The two secured the path to the boss, and Myu dove in there. I applied enchants looking at her back.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Speed!"


    "Thanks! Now, don''t run this time!"


    Ahead of the firestorm that has cleared up, there was the Darkman all alone, as if to run away from Myu its shadow lower body slid on the ground.


    "I won''t let you runn!"


    Although Myu''s sword closed on it with a tremendous speed, the Darkman didn''t lose when it comes to speed. It changed its arm forming a lance and has defended itself from the attack by parrying.


    On the other hand, part of its body melted generating new offshots that have headed towards us.


    "Stand firm again! We need to hold out in here!"


    As Lucato commanded, I once again applied defence enchants and we confronted the offshots coming at us. Thrusting with spear, cleaving with the sword, baking them with magic and carving. My arrows also have pierced and were sucked into the enemies'' foreheads.


    As for Myu, her already high speed has been increased by the speed stat-increasing enchant and has gradually overwhelmed the Darkman. Being dealt damage bit by bit, it''s HP was reduced to about 30%.


    "It''s over! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·£¡"


    Myu swung up the sword that emitted a light of the art and was about to release the deadly attack. However¡ª¡ª


    "...it''s time. It escaped."


    The voice of Toutobi who was away from the battlefield so that we avoid the joint struggle penalty has sounded in my ears. Both the Darkman''s body and the offshots have collapsed, melting in front of us and disappeared, sucked into the ground.


    Myu''s first attack has cut through the air and the art was immediately cancelled.


    "No way, it escaped?!"


    The moment she thought she would cut it down, Myu received a shock from not being able to defeat it.


    "Hey, what was that?"


    "The battle with the Darkman has a time limit. Actually, withstanding until the time limit counts as a clear, but we don''t get any drops."


    While watching Toutobi comfort Myu who chagrined, Lucato described the specifics of the battle.


    Certainly, just a little more and we would have taken it down, having it escape at that point was really frustrating.


    "One more time! Let''s do it one more time!"


    "We can''t. We need to guide Yun-san to the next town."


    Lucato dragged Myu away who was obsessed with the boss battle. This too felt like something everyone was used to, I turned towards the direction boss was originally in.


    After walking for a while, I saw the end of the wetlands on the south.


    "This is the fourth town¡ª¡ªalso known as ¡¾Maze Town¡¿."


    What spread in front of me, was an outer wall that had a very south-eastern Asia''s-based feel to it.


    ¡ñ


    Drawn on town''s gate there was a very characteristic pattern, the town overflowed with moisture and oriental patterns were drawn on the buildings, matching those drawn on the gate.


    After entering the main street I could immediately see the object that functioned as transition portal, I touched it and registered a transition point.


    "In the city''s bounds, there are four entrances to the dungeons. It''s called the ¡¾Maze Town¡¿ because it has dungeons inside."


    While listening to Lucato''s explanations, I was guided to the city''s key locations.


    Right beside the portal that was in the town centre, there was a spire-like building that was supposedly a dungeon.


    There was a cave-type dungeon near the First Town and on the outskirts of the Third Town there was a mine-based dungeon. But the dungeons of the Maze Town were of a completely different type.


    While the former have assumed forms conforming to the area, the Maze Town''s dungeons were expanded in the subspace.


    Their entrances were four large buildings, but their contents differed for each of them.


    The first one was a normal dungeon with stone walls that was intensive when it comes to attack causing bad statuses.


    The second one was a dim underground cave dungeon with poor footing that had a lot of fighter and water attribute mobs.


    The third one was a horror dungeon with dark space, complex terrain and dominated by undead mobs.


    The final one, was a yet-unreleased dungeon that is to be released with an update.


    "The dungeon in the centre of the town is the main hunting ground. There are areas spread in all directions from the town, but outside is overflowing with strong, high level enemies. Even the progression-oriented and min-maxers don''t set a single foot outside."


    "Hee, dungeons in the unexplored and wild area huh. It sure sounds like a fun town."


    I feel like taking a peek outside, collecting items in the entrance''s vicinity and escaping if needed would work.


    "Onee-chan, just now you thought of snatching some material without fighting, haven''t you."


    "...can''t I?"


    "Not only you can''t, but there were other players before you who thought the same and had little success, isn''t it more constructive to give up on that and raise your own Sense level?"


    Well, I guess. Avoiding strong mobs without defeating them and obtaining items would be difficult.


    Even if I obtained some materials, it would be at most one or two before dying and coming back to town with a death penalty. It wasn''t worth it.


    "Can''t be helped. I''ll give up."


    "Yun-san, you''re really actually fired up about going at it, aren''t you. An unexpected challenger."


    Ahahaha, Lucato and the others laughed with small grimace. Myu looked shocked and said "Onee-chan is really crooked at times" and sighed.


    "Well, let''s leave it at that, what do we do next? At this rate we''ll dissolve party, that sounds really dull."


    Hino asked in order to change the topic. I have achieved my objective after registering the portal in the Maze Town, so I didn''t have any problem with disbanding.


    "Let''s have revenge on the Darkman! This time we''ll take it down!"


    "Let''s take down that Treant we let off! Grade up the staffs with Treant''s material!"


    Myu and Rirei raised their voices. Moreover, Toutobi who was outside of the party this time sent me multiple glances full of expectations.


    "Since we achieved Yun-san''s goal, how about we hunt as we go back. Yun-san how about you come with us?"


    "Is that fine?"


    "Just like this time, we''ll escort you in the future as well. In that case, we might team up together to practice."


    "If that''s the case, then there''s something I''d like to ask. Since I haven''t raised my combat Senses too much, can we do some leveling as well?"


    "Yayy! Then, we''ll have Onee-chan enter and try all the patterns by fighting Darkman five times more."


    Surprised by what Myu suddenly said, I froze.


    No way, are we fighting that boss again and repeatedly too?!


    "Let''s go then! Let''s go right now!"


    "Fufufu, you''re right. The Treant is going to escape. It would be nice if it remained in the same spot as before."


    In addition to fighting the Darkman we''re to chase down the Treant?! I was swept away with the flow straight towards the wetlands.


    In order to fight the boss, Darkman that turned inactive earlier, Myu party''s members rotated and we challenged it to five consecutive battles. We have grasped the flow of the battle more or less, but out of five tries it escaped twice and three times we were able to beat it on the verge of the time limit.


    After defeating it three times, all that dropped for me was a material ¡¾Magical Organism''s Catalyst Metal¡¿.


    It was an item that turned into a random type of ingot when processed in a manner of making a normal ingot. However, in order to make a normal ingot 5 pieces of it were required, so one wasn''t enough.


    "Well, I guess I''ll hold onto it for now?"


    After we were exhausted by five boss battles, I was swept by the momentum as we went to defeat a Treant, but for better or worse, the Treant has already moved and we were unable to find it, which marked the end of our adventure.


    "Khhh! Next time we find it, we''re definitely taking it down!"


    Even though I comforted frustrated Myu, in fact, while we were searching for the Treant I recovered some herbs from the collection points, so I thought it wasn''t all that bad.


    Getting a grasp on the wetlands'' scenery I no longer felt anxiety.


    In the end, I passed Myu and the others potions and consumables as a reward. As for what I felt, seeing as they escorted me and accompanied me in leveling, it seemed to me like the amount was small and wanted to give them additional reward. However, I didn''t have enough items on hand and decided to go back to Atelier with everyone first.

 Chapter Volume 4 2

    Chapter 2 - Guild Solicitation and Disappearance


    After five battles with the Darkman and search of a Treant in the wetlands, we explored quite a big area and were about to return to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "As I thought, the battle with Darkman consumes MP very intensely as multiple arts and spells are used."


    "In that case, how about the additional reward be MP Potions? Also, after doing this and that your satiety must have decreased quite a lot right?"


    Since I was the escort subject and only provided covering fire my satiety parameter that indicates the degree of player''s hunger reduced only to about half. However, Myu and Toutobi who ran around the enemy mobs as well as Lucato and Hino who wielded large weapons must have had their satiety decreased considerably.


    "I''ll add some of my store''s sandwiches."


    "True, I''m starving. Sandwiches are okay, but make some delicious food for us to eat."


    "Geez, it can''t be helped. But it''ll take a while to make."


    In response to Myu''s request I answered with a sigh. Even if she was happy about being spoiled, I think spoiling her is a bad habit to have as an older brother.


    Actually, it would be nice to make some food out of the drops from the wetlands'' mobs, but unfortunately, no ingredients that could be used have dropped.


    "Let''s see... from the ingredients, I can use Mill Bird''s meat."


    In the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense there was a skill that removed poison from the ingredients, and the ingredients that couldn''t be utilized at first could be used.


    However, the moment they heard about poisonous Mill Bird meat, two people''s expressions have cramped up strongly.


    "It''s okay. I''ll properly remove the poison. Also, Ryui''s ¡¾Purification¡¿ will erase the bad status on it."


    I just thought about it, but Ryui''s ¡¾Purification¡¿ is a skill removing bad statuses and recovering HP, isn''t it. Recently, I might have treated it only as part of the ingredient treatment process, but it must be just my imagination.


    "Since it''s a Mill Bird, then I could make a chicken nanban, karaage, simple stir fried chicken with vegetables or grilled chicken. From what you can take with you just the grilled chicken would fit, but for the stats correction the best would be nanban and stir fried meat with vegetables... no, speaking of time and effort the stir fried meat and vegetables would be best. None of them are elaborate home cooking, so which one you want?"


    "A-as expected of ¡¾Nanny¡¿, to be able to make so many dishes with just one ingredient..."


    "Hm? This much is normal. Oh right, we purchased a surplus of meat so I want to burn through it as fast as possible."


    Recently we''ve been supplied excessively by some of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s customers. I immediately cooked meat like the Big Boar''s since there was no need to remove poison from it, but I had to spend some time removing poison from Mill Bird''s meat.


    "Well, can''t help it even if I think about it. Is both grilled chicken and stir fried vegetables okay? I''ll make some extra so you can take it with you."


    Since they couldn''t really decide on what they want, I decided on my own.


    And then, Lucato muttered absent-mindedly.


    "¡ª¡ªIs ¡¾Atelier¡¿ a tavern as well?"


    "Lucato. My place isn''t a tavern."


    "I-I''m sorry."


    Sometimes ¡¾Atelier¡¿ is mistaken for a restaurant or a food dealing store, but it''s a workshop devoted to supporting and cheering the players on.


    It''s mostly because of the crafting Senses I acquired as my hobby.


    At times I use ¡¾Dosing¡¿ as a medicine maker and provide some ¡¾Cooking¡¿ if necessary. Although I don''t do it too much openly, I also dealt with ¡¾Engraving¡¿, ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿. Although, no matter what I''m dealing with, the core business is still making potions.


    After we finished to talk about cooking, I headed to the store.


    There was a single player waiting in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ which was a quiet store on the south side of the First Town.


    He didn''t look like he came to buy something and I didn''t recognize this player.


    When I approached the store with a puzzled expression he noticed me.


    "Excuse me. Are you this store''s player, Yun-san?"


    Although he used polite wording, judging by his assertiveness he already knew it was me.


    "That''s right... is there something? If you need items, you can ask the clerk, Kyouko-san."


    Since he most likely would be someone that''s a pain to deal with, I wanted to escape before he would get to the main issue. That was the plan, but he was pushy and one-sided, saying his request right in the store.


    "Yun-san, please come and join our guild, the ¡¾Green Fall¡¿!"


    "I refuse. Go home."


    Hearing me reject it completely, the male player was unable to understand what was said for a few seconds and gradually came to realization. Please, at least listen to me, is what he relayed with his gaze but I wouldn''t meet it. I implied rejection. Go home, don''t talk to me, you''re in the way. And so on.


    "I have no interest in someone else''s guilds. If you''re not a customer, then get out."


    "Please, somehow! Right now we''re a medium-sized guild, but if a famous player like Yun-san joins our recognition will go up! Also, all the combat members will be motivated! Right now it''s the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ that''s on top! But in future we''ll become OSO''s largest guild!"


    I coldly stared at the player who continues to talk one-sidedly. I confirmed the state in which Myu and the others were as they came from inside, when I moved my sight I saw their facial expressions solidify.


    Geez, I made them feel something unpleasant, extra frustration welled up inside of me.


    "¡ª¡ªThat''s why, please join our guild."


    "I already refused at the very beginning, haven''t I."


    Finally taking a proper look at my face, he realized there''s no hope. If anything, he realized that I was negative about it. In response to my gaze he faltered. Still, the solicitation continued.


    "...um, that''s a waste. Really."


    "So what? There''s no advantage in it for me to enter a guild is there?"


    "We''re always fighting! If you make recovery items for us, it''ll be easy for you to raise your Mixing Sense."


    "I don''t feel like that''s a benefit though... enough. Kyouko-san, from now on don''t sell anything to this player. Also, if player of the same affiliation to guild ¡¾Green Fall¡¿ come, warn them unconditionally ''Next time, we''ll ban you from entering''."


    "Yes, understood."


    Leaving it to the NPC Kyouko-san who entered before anyone realized, I entered the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s store.


    With a charming smile, Kyouko-san has asked the player to leave. Unable to say anything to an NPC, he left depressed.


    "Sorry for making you see something strange."


    "N-no it''s nothing, but..."


    When I was about to enter the store''s counter, Lucato answered hesitantly. Did something happen?


    "Are you always refusing guild solicitation?"


    Myu arrived at the counter seats and asked. While wondering what to say, I prepared the cooking utensils.


    "Well, sometimes, I guess? I thought it''ll be exposed sooner or later, but after I joined the summer camp event and was given a strange nickname they started to appear here."


    I had rare young beasts, unicorn Ryui and a heavenly fox Zakuro as well as stable crafting facilities of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Well, other than that there were various other reasons, but getting me alone join their guilds would open up many options to them, is what they must have felt.


    "Recently, the intervals between the solicitations are growing shorter and it''s getting annoying."


    I lit a fire under a magical stove with a sigh and heated up the frying pan.


    I took out Mill Bird''s meat that had its poison removed for cooking and a few types of vegetables from an item box in the back.


    Recently, I''ve obtained a stock of vegetables in order to raise my ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense. I cut some of them into bite-sized chunks with a knife and put them on the frying pan along with meat and oil. I put on salt and fried it all.


    On the other hand I cut the bird meat into bite-sized pieces and skewered it for grilling.


    "...a-amazing... to prepare two types of food at the same time..."


    "Hm? I''m used to this kind of thing."


    There wasn''t enough of the stir-fried vegetables for six people, but I finished enough for one and placed it on a platter, making portions for everyone one after another. In addition to that I added the grilled chicken to the vegetables garnish.


    "Fufufu, the vegetables crispiness and saltiness of the meat is really delicious..."


    "...no, before that, they add a positive status correction. +3 ATK for 15 minutes. The grilled chicken seems like it''s overlapping, but it''s +2."


    "Well, that''s cause'' its monster''s meat. It doesn''t raise as much as Big Boar''s, but still does."


    Seeing Toutobi stop moving her chopsticks surprised, I turned towards her and said so. Myu and Hino stuffed themselves not bothered, Lucato and Rirei were aware of the status enhancement but still still ate appetizingly. It was just Toutobi who was surprised and Kohaku who examined the food seriously. During a meal, their uniqueness has surfaced. While thinking so, I asked Kyouko-san to make tea for everyone and started to remove poison from the meat for the sandwiches.


    "Yun-san, your hand''s movements feel like you''re very accustomed to it."


    "Is that so? Well, I did this many times before, that''s why."


    They somehow understood how and where to cut in order to remove poison. Maybe it was because of some kind of assisting effect of a Sense, but not bothering with it too much I prepared the grilled chicken.


    After a while, satisfied, everyone was about to go back with an excess of grilled chicken.


    "Thanks for the food. I''ll come to eat again!"


    While saying so, Myu and the others happily talked while leaving the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "Geez, it''s not like I''m cooking the entire time. Well, if I feel like it... there might be another time¡ª¡ª"


    This time, the amount of prepared Mill Bird meat has decreased and I''ll have to remove the poison when I have some spare time.


    Since there was no more time left for collecting materials or hunting small fry mobs nor crafting items, I started some crafting preparations here and there.


    "¡ª¡ªI''ll excuse myself."


    When I was removing unprocessed Mill Bird meat form the box, someone entered the store from the front. I turned around and saw two male players equipped with a dark-coloured light armour.


    One man just stood there letting out an intimidating feel. And the man who called out to me approached me with a wild gait.


    "Welcome. I''m a bit busy now so tell your request to the clerk over there."


    "My request is you. You''re called Yun right? Our guild master wants you. Won''t you enter our guild?"


    "I refuse."


    Without even facing the man, I rejected it.


    "You little... who are you pickin'' a fight with here? We''re PK''s."


    The man pulled out a rapier from his hip and identified himself as a PK.


    PK¡ª¡ªPlayer Kill. It refers to the act of attacking other players in the game. And the people who do it are called Player Killers. There are various forms derived of that, but it''s something very rare in OSO. The reason for that was that there was very little merits in doing it...


    "Stop being silent! Heck, show your face!"


    The man claiming to be PK was frenzied, he impaled the counter with his rapier. Also, he pierced through the Mill Bird''s meat that was piled up on the counter. The man who silently stood at the entrance also pulled out his weapon and moved towards me.


    "What are you doing."


    "Ha! Just some solicitation for the guild! No way you''ll refuse, will you now."


    "I''ll repeat, I refuse."


    A blue vein appeared on the man''s forehead as I said that. But I couldn''t care less.


    "It sounds troublesome so I''ll pass. Hurry up and leave."


    In response to my words, the man reached over to me through the counter.


    My collar was grasped and I was pulled in forcefully. I scowled as having my collar grasped felt painful


    "Don''t get ahead of yourself here. Don''t think we''re just any PK''s. We''ll mobilize the¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ and persistently target those women who were here just now."


    I didn''t really care what was done to me, but this guy said he would target Myu and the others.


    "...I won''t forgive that. Targeting my acquaintances... how can you even say such a thing."


    I''ve dealt with them cruelly until now, but this guy was an enemy. While my collar was still held I glared in the man''s eyes.


    "Ah? What''s up wit that look in your eyes."


    "Since you knew Myu and the others were in the store, you must''ve been watching from somewhere, right? That''s why you entered when there was no one inside, I thought."


    It seemed like I was quite angry. Since I said what I thought to provoke him, the grasp on my collar strengthened and my feet have left the ground as he lifted me.


    When as expected, I couldn''t bear the pain any more, a strong wind has ran through the shop.


    "Just when I come to hear some interesting stories, I see some uncouth bunch here."


    A sharp blow hit the arm that was holding me and I was released along with its impact. I fell down on my butt on the inner side of the counter.


    "Khh... hey, we''re going."


    After calling out to the other man who just stood there stunned with a stiff expression, the men left with an unsteady gait. I give up, remember this, they say anything like that as they left. What a shame, I thought, feeling surprisingly calm.


    And after the noisy PK guild recruiters have left, I spoke the names of the two who came in.


    "¡ª¡ªMikadzuchi, also, Sei-nee."


    "Ohh, it''s a honour to be remembered."


    ¡ñ


    "Kahaa! As I thought, booze is the best when there''s a side dish to it!"


    "Don''t talk about booze with minors. Geez."


    The ones who saved me were Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi. I was grateful for them coming to Atelier at perfect timing and drove away the malicious guild recruiters, but their reason for coming was...


    "The lil'' sis had some grilled chicken, so we came to eat too!"


    Mikadzuchi said that shamelessly and ate grilled chicken with one hand while holding alcohol with the other.


    "Even so, are you okay Yun-chan?"


    "...I''m not okay at all."


    Since such explicit threats started, it would be a bother to my acquaintances and friends.


    "Haa, really, what to do."


    I didn''t think Myu and the others would lose to the PK''ers just because there was such a provocation, but since it might be a bother, maybe stopping to play OSO would be a good idea.


    "What are you worried about so much. At times like this, you should consult with your seniors."


    "As if I''d consult with a drunkard."


    I said that while grilling one chicken after another, but since I couldn''t come up with a conclusion I decided to consult with them.


    "Recently I''ve had lots of guilds trying to recruit me and it''s getting annoying. Also, it seems like I''ve caught an eye of a bunch like that one earlier."


    "Some time might be needed until it calms down."


    I nodded agreeing with Sei-nee. In the first place, the reason I refused guild invitations was because there was nothing in it for me.


    "I get whatever I need from the Crafting Guild. Whether it''s materials or the sales market."


    "That''s cause it deals with both members and non-members equally. Crafters in our guild can enjoy the crafting activities without transferring guilds too and are really happy about it."


    Holding the grilled chicken in one hand Mikadzuchi answered hearing the talk about that.


    "In that case, you''ll have to do that. Go to a place with a few people for a while or don''t show your face outside of the store."


    "You mean¡ª¡ªthat I should disappear?"


    As I returned the question, Mikadzuchi nodded while chewing on the grilled chicken.


    "That''s right. Well, once it calms down you can drop by and show your face behind the counter from time to time right?"


    After finishing to eat the grilled chicken, Mikadzuchi waved the skewer around and drank a mouthful of her booze, because of her words a way out appeared in front of me.


    There was no real need for me to do the work in the store. Before I have gotten a store I was always on the move. I had no problems returning to these times.


    "That sound good. In that case, what do I need to do so?"


    "If you want to disappear, you need two items. Missy, how much money did you save up so far?"


    "If it''s money I can use immediately... about 800kG? I have a bit more than that but I save it for upgrading my crafting equipment and for the store''s maintenance costs..."


    "Perfect. The first item you need is a ¡¾Mini Portal¡¿. Did you hear about it before?"


    "If I''m not wrong, it''s a portal that can be installed in guild homes right. A simple portal."


    The Mini Portal basically had the same effect as the area transition objects. It was an item for organizations like guilds and could be installed freely in a specified location.


    "If you have a Mini Portal, you can transition to various areas from inside of the store. You won''t have to worry about being found outside of the store, and in case you''re found at another portal you''ll be able to go back to the store without anyone noticing, shaking off the surveillance. Also, oh right... as a side effect, if they notice you''re transitioning to a Mini Portal, they''ll think you already are some guild, Missy. Surely. There''s no way they''ll think you have your own."


    Kukuku, Mikadzuchi made an evil smile. Certainly, being able to return freely to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was very appealing.


    "But, if I''m not wrong that costs a 1mG. I don''t have enough money."


    "Yeah. To disappear you need 200k more. Also, Sei. Do you have that with you?"


    "By that you mean the ¡¾Dark One''s Mud¡¿? I do."


    Sei-nee operated the menu, and took out a small vial she held in her hand. It seemed like there was a black mud-like liquid in it, but it vibrated subtly and was downright creepy.


    "...do I drink this?"


    "No! The ¡¾Dark One''s Mud¡¿ is a reinforcement material item. If you use it on the armour, it has an effect that reduces the range from which mobs sense you and decrease the amount of hate you gain from them. Other than that, it makes it hard for Senses ¡¾See-Through¡¿,¡¾Sixth Sense¡¿ and ¡¾Abandonment¡¿ to sense the preliminary operations of your arts and skills¡ª¡ªin other words, it causes ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿."


    Suppression of hate generation and reduction of range from which mobs sense you were effects good for solo and rearguard players.


    If the amount of hate didn''t increase, my attacks would be treated as low priority.


    And if the range from which mobs sense me decreased, it would make it easy to get one vs one situations, and would be useful when I search the area avoiding the combat.


    Above all I could activate skills in combat with other players without being noticed, which allowed me to launch surprise attacks and raising the success rate of escape if the enemy is confused.


    "Thanks. Sei-nee..."


    "Woah, Missy. You not thinking you''re gonna get this for free are you."


    "Well, I''m fine with giving it just like that though."


    When I reached out for the vial Sei-nee held, Mikadzuchi stopped me. I looked towards Sei-nee and smiled wryly.


    "Missy, there''s no need to brace yourself like that. I''m not going to eat you."


    "No, I told you not to call me ''missy''. I''m a man."


    I asserted that I''m a man like I usually did, but when she protruded an empty platter, I reluctantly put grilled chicken on it.


    "Ah, wrap it for takeaway."


    "This is thanks for being helped. Thanks for being helped..."


    I repeated a several times, dissatisfied by Mikadzuchi''s pushiness.


    "...so, what do you want Mikadzuchi?"


    "Don''t rush so much. Let''s organize it first. What Missy Yun needs, is the remaining 200kG of funding and ¡¾Dark One''s Mud¡¿. If you have that, you''ll be ready to disappear."


    Disappearance thought up by Mikadzuchi. There was something missing from it. And, Mikadzuchi and others had it.


    "Now, it''s my turn. The guild ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ wants to conquer the Maze City''s normal dungeon. Although the enemy mobs'' specs are low, they extensively use bad statuses. I want to overcome that."


    With serious look in her eyes Mikadzuchi stared at me after giving me a problem to solve.


    "Conquering a dungeon you say. You just have to do it right?"


    "There''s only cure that recovers from ¡¾Confused¡¿ and ¡¾Charmed¡¿ bad statuses one at a time right? It''s quite tough on us."


    "But that''s still better than nothing right."


    "Well, it can be substituted with recovery magic, but you can make a highly-effective potion right?"


    During the exchange with me, Mikadzuchi drank happily. I think this kind of talk isn''t all that bad.


    "Then, I''ll pull out a few of the ones I don''t sell in the store. There isn''t many, but I have a few kinds."


    Starting with poison, I pulled out eight kinds of BS recovery potions, there were only a few.


    The weak antidotes made initially cost 70G, but their recovered amount was low, for every stage of recovered amount the price went up.


    Every rank up increased the price by several times, The ¡¾Antidote 4¡¿Potion cost approximately from 7kG to 10kG. However, to make those ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s ¡¾Higher Conversion¡¿ had to be used on 10 antidotes of the lower level so the loss was quite large.


    That''s why, other than the affordable potions, the store didn''t put out that kind of goods.


    "In that case you''ll be able to make around 100kG of it. Now, next. Do you have poison?"


    "...you, who are you about to poison. No, assassinate?"


    "Don''t be rude. It''s one of the countermeasures."


    When I looked towards Mikadzuchi with suspicion, Sei-nee lent her a helping hand.


    "This time, we want to use poison causing bad statuses for leveling of resistance-type Senses. It''s a more reliable method than waiting for weak mobs to use a BS attack."


    Accustoming one''s body to the poison and increasing resistance¡ª¡ªwhat kind of ninja training is that. I thought of retorting.


    "Well, I do. Just like with the BS recovery potions, I have many types."


    "Then give us the three classified as mental types, anger, confusion and charm. Combining this with high MIND stat and resistance we''ll be able to avoid the nasty ones."


    I see, I thought after hearing Mikadzuchi''s words. Admiring.


    The body-type abnormal states, poison, paralysis, sleep and stun could be prevented to a certain extent with the DEF stat.


    The mental-type abnormalities, confusion, charm and curse were - as Mikadzuchi said, statuses corresponding with MIND''s magical defence.


    "Then, that''ll be bad status recovery potions 100kG in all and bad status inducing drugs 100kG as well. Each high level medicine dealing with bad statuses is very expensive."


    In order to get them I cultivated a variety of poisonous herbs I gathered in the summer camp event on in the field behind the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, but the bad status medicine are very rare.


    Since they were much more expensive than recovery potions, I squeezed what I could out of them.


    However, there was something I still couldn''t understand¡ª¡ª


    "You said the efficiency of getting a BS from a monster is low, but even without relying on the drugs you could substitute it with monster meat, right?"


    I took out the highly-treasured potions from the box behind the counter.


    When I returned my gaze to them after retrieving items from the box, I saw Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi made a bitter expression.


    "There was a nasty incident."


    "Yeah, I didn''t think it would end up like that."


    "Eh, what?! What happened?!"


    Even as I panicked and asked the two, they didn''t say anything and just stared at me with a warm, benevolent expressions.


    "T-that''s scary! What happened! Sei-nee!"


    After that, Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi didn''t tell me anything until the very end, further fuelling my fear.


    ¡ñ


    Two days after Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi visited the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, I didn''t find a good moment to talk with Cloude but I have purchased the Mini Portal and placed it in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop.


    Other than when I went to the town to purchase the Mini Portal during which Sei-nee accompanied me out of consideration, I didn''t go outside of the workshop. After logging in I read books, played around with young beasts Ryui and Zakuro or created potion and spent time cooking.


    And currently, I have had an appointment with Cloude, we lent one of the Crafting Guild''s rooms and were facing each other.


    "Sorry for not being able to help you immediately. It seems like you were targeted by solicitation of malicious guilds and PK''s."


    "Well, that''s right. It doesn''t feel real though."


    Since it was something about me, I felt carefree about it. Even if I thought about it, I couldn''t keep up with the reality anyhow.


    "For a while I''ve heard that you were preparing to disappear. About the guild solicitation, we are partially responsible for that too. We''ll lend you a hand to an extent possible."


    "What do you mean?"


    When I tilted my head puzzled at Cloude''s remark, he said "we have involved you indirectly" as a prelude to the conversation.


    "Do you remember how the price of ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ soared when we were creating this Crafting Guild?"


    "Yeah, since there wasn''t enough funds, we had to get it ourselves."


    I remembered the very recent events, but not knowing how was that connected to current ones, I tilted my head.


    "Even if the price has soared, it will go back to normal sooner or later. When the ¡¾Resale Guild¡¿ determined they cannot profit any more, they sold the collected Guild Emblems at a bargain. It resulted with a price crash and a flood of small and medium-sized guilds, which leads to the current situation."


    "Oh, so that''s why the guilds are soliciting in order to increase their size even by a bit and to prosper. Calling something that can''t be helped involving someone indirectly is really dutiful of you."


    Good grief, I would never realize if he didn''t say that. I sighed. But if he offers help, than I''ll take it.


    "Then, can you strengthen my armour with this ¡¾Dark One''s Mud¡¿?"


    "Got it. Then wear this inst¡ª¡ª"I''m fine, I have beginner''s clothes with me."¡ª¡ªTch, you successfully made an escape route huh."


    As if I''d let myself get manipulated by Cloude into wearing cosplay every single time.


    "It can''t be helped. While at it I''ll grade up the armour''s material to strengthen it."


    I switched the equipment and passed Ochre Creator set and the ¡¾Dark One''s Mud¡¿ to Cloude.


    "The rework will take time. Oh right. Is afternoon in three days okay? Also, there''s something I want to ask you for that''s related to the event. Of course, there''ll be a reward for it."


    "I''m not in such a hurry to disappear so you don''t have to hurry it. So, what do you want to ask me for?"


    I wonder what does he want to request of me. If there''s anything, it would probably be something about the recipes Lyly asked about earlier.


    "I want you to create ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ and ¡¾Fireworks¡¿. I''ve heard from Lyly that you already know the recipe for the Insect Repelling Incense, so I''ll pass you just the Fireworks recipe."


    I took a piece of paper Cloude took out from his inventory and took a look at it.


    The Fireworks were a joke item, but the amount of materials required was large and their practicality was very low.


    "This is something, ¡¾Black Exploding Stone¡¿,¡¾Phosphorous Soul Crystal¡¿,¡¾Frog''s Stomach¡¿ and ¡¾Strongly Acidic Jelly¡¿... why does it require this much items."


    "First, we intend to shoot them in the air for the Crafting Guild''s event''s closing. Just shooting magic into the air is too fantasy-like, so we thought of doing it in an ordinary way. And the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ is needed for the main event Lyly is planning."


    "While there still is some practicality in ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿, the ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ recipe has no practical use as it''s a joke item and has no actual use, yet is quite hard to find isn''t it? You really did well to find it."


    "Didn''t you take a look at it yet? It''s in one of the joke books that came from the camp event."


    Among the items that dropped from special mobs in the camp event there were books.


    I haven''t read all of them yet. My ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense was still level 15 which was very low and there are books I can''t read.


    "You convinced me. Then, I''ll undertake the task of creating the ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ and ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿. Do you have any other items related to the event you need?"


    "Let''s see. Nothing comes to my mind right now, but just in case something might be required it would be good if you collected materials to use."


    The event hosted by the Crafting Guild is supposed to be carried out over two days.


    The players are going to sell items in booth and stalls¡ª¡ªthe free market.


    On the special stage everyone will be able to perform¡ª¡ªthe stage show.


    Bidding for the goods inside of the Guild Hall¡ª¡ªthe auction.


    An event in which players fight each other, whether they are crafters or fighters¡ª¡ªPvP tournament.


    Other than that there are various small events and highlight events for which various prohibitions are lifted, it''ll be fun just looking at it.


    "Now then, it''s about time I leave."


    "In that case, before you disappear go meet Magi first. Right now, she''s outside of the town''s west gate."


    "West gate? Why there?"


    There was no valuable minerals there, and the materials that can be collected in Cloude''s dungeon are mainly cloth or leather-based.


    "She''s scouting for PvP event participants. They''re using night that''s unsuitable for search to increase the levels of their combat Senses, so most likely they''ll voluntarily join the PvP."


    "Got it. I''ll go take a look."


    After being told that by Cloude, I left the room in the guild hall. After taking a look at the size of the guild hall, I left the building.


    Outside there was artificial light like lamps and torches illuminating the town, when I looked overhead, I had a good look at the stars in the night sky.


    When I headed from approximately the centre of the town to the west gate, outside I saw a lightless world spread. However, in the corner of the plain that should have no light, I saw a number of spheres of light, under them there was a players poising a weapon widely and attacking each other with them.


    "Eh? Yun-kun? What is it? Also, what''s up with that equipment?!"


    While I looked for her, Magi-san was first to call out to me.


    "Good evening. I came here after hearing you''ll be here. As for equipment, I left it with Cloude''s for reinforcing."


    "Is that so. Did Cloude do anything weird to you?"


    "Yeah, it seemed like he''ll pass me substitute equipment so had this one with me."


    When I answered with a distant look in my eyes, she responded with "ahahaha that''s correct", laughing dryly.


    "Magi-san, I''ve heard you were scouting PvP players."


    Recalling what Cloude has told me, I asked.


    "Indeed. During the night there ain''t any light. Not everyone is using a night vision like Yun-kun''s ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ or ¡¾Light Element Talent¡¿ to ensure light. That''s why PvP''ers are playing out here at night."


    "Hee, is that so."


    In front of me, there were players repeatedly fighting one on one, honing their combat skills.


    "That''s why I came here to advertise PvP tournament and ask them to participate."


    Impressed, I listened to Magi-san''s story.


    There were quite a few players here who seemed like they''d participate, but gathering the players together in advance and later having them advertise the event among their own connections seemed like a good idea.


    "So that''s I''m joining such basic activity."


    "Do your best. I''ve been asked by Cloude for something as well, so I''ll cooperate with you here too."


    "Ah, you mean the thing Lyly has planned out. Lyly is really looking forward to it so do your best as well."


    "Understood. Now then, excuse me."


    I lowered my head to Magi and was about to leave the place. I''ve heard male players on the left of me talk about something curiously in undertone.


    "Hey, that''s ¡¾Nanny¡¿ isn''t it. But why does she have initial equipment on." "It seems like she passed her equipment for strengthening. I really love her usual hot pants. I can worship her beautiful legs." "Idiot, her abdomen peeking out from the gap between the initial equipment''s jacket is also good." "That lame beginner''s equipment makes her look like a raw gemstone instead so it''s quite good. I like that look as well."


    For some reason it seemed like their spoiled desires were leaking out, but I didn''t hear anything, I heard nothing at all.


    Magi-san behind me removed a battle axe that shone with red behind me and leaned it against her shoulder.


    "You guys! No looking at our Yun-kun with such perverted staaares!!"


    She turned the battle axe with a grave look and started to chase around the escaping players who have indulged in their desires.


    Magi-san let out an angry voice but her expression was a smiling one, after she started chasing them she made a teasing grin like that of a cheshire cat.


    It looked like a cat chasing down rats.


    Knowing that, the players have disengaged from PvP and joined the fun.


    "Good grief... now then, time to go back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿."


    Behind me, one of the players was caught by Magi-san''s battle axe, but I wasn''t bothered by it and left the location.

 Chapter Volume 4 3

    Chapter 3 - The Treant and the Alchemic Mob


    "Fuu, what do I spend time on today."


    I opened the window, letting a cool breeze into the room and went out to the garden in sandals.


    "Onii-chan, it''s a holiday and yet you don''t log in to OSO?"


    "That''s cause it''s noisy all around. Even when I log in, I try to avoid places with a lot of people."


    I answered Miu who was sitting on sofa and playing a mobile game, then carried laundry outside to dry it under the empty, autumn sky.


    On the holiday there was cleaning, laundry and preparing meals. A limited amount of things to do.


    "Well, even if I log in I read boo... speaking of which, I finished reading them all. I''ll have to go to the library. Still, to borrow some I''d have to pass through the place with lots of people."


    When I muttered that, Miu sitting on the sofa puffed up her cheeks grumpily.


    "Confining yourself in a room is not good for mental health!"


    "No, when we''re playing we sleep in our rooms right, with VR Gear on. That doesn''t change."


    ''You''re wrong! It''s refreshing just to walk through the wide plains and forests! Why are you confining yourself in a place dimmer than your own room?! Onii-chan, go out for a bit!"


    "You''re right. We''re almost out of miso, I''ll go buy some."


    "Talk about shopping again! Use some time for yourself!"


    I was grateful to Miu for being worried about me, but even with that said I didn''t have anything to do.


    "Good grief. Then, I''ll stop by the book store while doing shopping in the afternoon."


    I''ll take it into consideration, I turned towards Miu and saw her tilt her head and then drop her line of sight to the mobile game.


    "I''ll be going out after lunch, is there something you want?"


    "Pound cake or sweets then!"


    "Roger."


    After I finished hanging the laundry to dry, I carried the empty laundry basket into the house.


    I took the apron hung in the kitchen and with familiar movements I wore it, then asked for Miu''s lunch request.


    "What do you want for the lunch?"


    "Gratin! I want to eat plenty of cheese!"


    "Yes yes. Then, is gratin with minced meat and tomato sauce okay?"


    I took out ingredients from the refrigerator and started preparations. I mixed fried minced meat with onions and peeled tomatoes, mixed it with macaroni, placed it in a small pot, covered it with tomato and white sauce as well as cheese and fried it.


    Gratin is a very simple la carte dish, but such a minute lunch wouldn''t be satisfying. What else should I make, I wondered as Miu called out as if she remembered something.


    "Oh right. Today, Dad and Mom are going to come home early so there''s no need to make dinner."


    "In that case, I can make something simple. How about nabe?"


    In that case there was no longer any need to think of assortment and quantity. Not having to think about the housework any longer, I finally had some leisure time.


    I lined up the dishes prepared for lunch on the table and ate together with Miu.


    After I finished cleaning up after lunch I quickly dressed myself, and holding a borrowed game I left the house.


    "If it''s books and groceries, I guess it would be best to go to the department store in front of the station."


    I departed using public transportation. When I looked around the department store to find some things in addition to groceries and book, a familiar figure has entered my view.


    The other person noticed me and nodded.


    "Hello, Shun-kun."


    "Hello, are you shopping too, Endo-san?"


    "I thought I''d buy some sweets after coming to buy a book."


    "I was kicked out of the house because it''s apparently unhealthy for me to stay in on a holiday."


    In response to my words Endo-san said "It''s same everywhere, isn''t it", and laughed quietly, I also put on a wry smile. And then her line of sight wandered as if she was looking for something.


    "What is it? Are you looking for something?"


    "Eh? No, I wondered if Takumi-kun is with you since you''re always together."


    "Right now he''s probably playing some game in home I guess? He''s always obsessing about games. He''s probably in a party with someone since he''s got lots of friends."


    In response to my words Endo-san said "You''ve no mercy do you" and giggled.


    "I see, so he''s not here. Then you''re alone after all?"


    "Yup. I''ve been asked for some tasty sweets by my little sister."


    "You sure do get along well don''t you."


    "Yeah, not bad I guess? Also, if you have anything like pound cakes to recommend, I''d gladly listen."


    "In that case, there''s a shop I always buy some. I guarantee the taste."


    I was guided by Endo-san to a speciality chain''s store in which there was merchandise lined up and packaged in small portions.


    "Pound cakes here are delicious. I love the dried fruit and brandy types with strong smell and moisture."


    "I see. I wonder what should I take. Considering Miu''s taste..."


    Hmm, all of them look delicious. I pondered.


    I took the two with brandy and dried fruits Endo-san recommended me. Other than that, a simple pound cake with lemon and a few with black tea flavouring and put them in a paper bag.


    "After getting this much I''ll remember the taste, it''ll be helpful if I ever try to reproduce the taste. Yup."


    "I knew you always make your own boxed lunch, but you also can make sweets can you, Shun-kun."


    "Well, when Miu feels like eating some I try to make what I can out of the ingredients I have."


    However, recently after gathering a lot of ingredients I feel like I have steadily raised my Cooking level.


    "Is that so. But ingredients for reproducing so many types on your own will be quite costly, won''t they."


    "It should be fine. I''m free to practice in VR. Also, I can study some recipes... find some on the net. Hey, was that weird? You''re staring at my face."


    "N-no. It sounds fun, I thought when I heard that. I''d like to try the pound cake you make next time."


    "It won''t be as good as the ones sold, but I''ll share some with you."


    I promised hopeful Endo-san without much consideration, but there should be no problem. I''ll practice a bit in OSO and after remembering the procedure and taste I''ll give her some, let''s leave that for now.


    "Now then, see you in school. Goodbye."


    "Goodbye, Endo-san."


    With a soft smile, Endo-san bowed her head.


    I saw her off after she turned her back to me and breathed out.


    "Polite and responsible, she really feels like a class committee member. It would be nice if she complimented the sweets I made."


    But, she was looking for Takumi. Does that mean she''s really conscious about him after all?


    No way, is spring about to come for Takumi?! I imagined that and went back home while grinning.


    At a perfect time for a snack I compared the purchased pound cakes with Miu.


    "Onii-chan, you seem really happy. Did something good happen?"


    "It''s nothing. Rather than that, this pound cake was recommended to me by someone else but it''s really delicious."


    I was in a really good mood as I tasted the cake recommended to me by Endo-san.


    Miu tilted her head curiously as she greedily ate the sweets.


    I read the book I bought, spend some time checking sweets recipes and logged into OSO not long before going to bed.


    I left the daily work on the sales and inventory management of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ to Kyouko-san. After leaving instructions on what to do tomorrow to her I logged out.


    To the instructions I gave her, I added purchasing material for sweets.


    ¡ñ


    On the afternoon three days after I left my armour with Cloude, the equipment has arrived after being subjected to strengthening. It seems like it was brought by Kyouko-san the NPC as she was carrying the goods sold in consignment.


    CS No.6 Ochre Creator ¡¾Outerwear¡¿


    DEF+29 Additional Effect : DEX Bonus, Auto Repair, Recognition Inhibition


    The additional effect was added into the external clothes and all of the deposited equipment was improved with a higher level material.


    During the few days without Ochre Creator, during the crafting activities I had 10% to 20% failure probability and observed a degradation in the crafted item quality which made me realize just how great was the ¡¾DEX Bonus¡¿.


    "Still, even if I shut myself in this small workshop it doesn''t change the fact it''s really noisy."


    In fact, during my absence a few incidents happen in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ with multiple parties and players crowding in.


    They named themselves members of ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ and came to continue their guild recruitment that failed last time and acted clearly intimidating. The store is really noisy, while thinking that I pat Ryui and Zakuro who lied on the cold stone floor.


    "I didn''t really notice the problem before, but that bunch''s actions are causing problems to others as well, aren''t they,"


    I recalled how I realized the truth after a player who came to the store contacted me through friend chat, I immediately banned all of the ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ members from entering and immediately reported it to Cloude.


    "They''re looking down on crafters aren''t they. Fine. We''ll take them on with all we have!"


    Magi-san who heard about it from Cloude was so angry she looked like a raging inferno.


    After her call to action, majority of the Crafting Guild was immediately notified of the ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿''s malicious actions. Moreover, since some crafters were also harassed in similar manner by different guilds, some guilds have been ostracised and the amount of guilds started to decrease.


    "Two PK guilds and eight guilds have been ignored by multiple crafters and started to blame others, they were way too active over the last two days."


    Good grief, why can''t I quietly spend some time. I spat out a sigh and immediately commenced the disappearance in order to run away from this hassle.


    For the time being I was in a picnic mood, wanting to stroll around on the field together with the young beasts while gathering materials to finish Cloude''s request.


    Since both Ryui and Zakuro were very conspicuous I asked Ryui to use illusion to hide itself and stood in front of the installed ¡¾Mini Portal¡¿.


    I raised the usually lowered hood part of Ochre Creator into which Zakuro entered and performed a check on my equipment.


    "All right, equipment ready. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Mini Portal¡¿, transition."


    Together with Ryui and Zakuro I jumped to the town I registered a few days ago.


    The registered ¡¾Maze Town¡¿ wasn''t my goal, it was materials in the southern part of wetlands. That''s why in order not to be seen I have entered it from the ¡¾Maze Town¡¿ side.


    "Now then, let''s go backwards from here. I wonder how strong is the ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ effect."


    When I entered into the wetlands, there was a reaction from ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense.


    The boss Darkman was the first encounter after coming to wetlands from the ¡¾Maze Town¡¿ side, it was non-active at the moment but there was no knowing when will he attack, so without looking away from him I slipped away. However, when I was passing by I made a small nod to no one in particular, maybe it''s because I''m Japanese.


    "First, let''s see how does the ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ effect work for soloing. I need to examine it. ¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªAttack, speed."


    I confirmed there was a Moor Frog in the shallow swamp hiding under the lotus and drew the bow in its direction.


    The released arrow penetrated the lotus leaf roughly in the same way as when I performed some combat training with Myu and the others. With this, the Moor Frogs all around jumped all at once. This time, thanks to the ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ effect it only resulted with five of them coming at me.


    "Decreasing the range from which enemy senses you is one of the effects. Next is..."


    Since Ryui and Zakuro were invisible they weren''t targeted and the frogs have come towards me. When I took distance by stepping back a few of them stopped for a moment before they returning to their original location.


    "...I guess the range of their pursuit decreased as well? Well, it''ll be easy to use it solo."


    I muttered, when I further increased the distance, all except for the one I attacked have went back. It seems that no matter how strong the hate decrease effect is, the attacked one would still chase me.


    What I learned from the Myu party''s actions was¡ª¡ªvictory goes to the ones who moves first. I have executed that.


    The frog used body blows and tongue attack, to take it down before it used water attack I held my breath and showered it with continuous attacks.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·"


    Using the combination of the bow and magic as the enemy approached I tried to deal as much damage as possible, and when it approached I switched to the knife, slashing it while avoiding the body blow.


    "Did I grow accustomed to avoiding it naturally after fighting against them many times?"


    I fought against them on one versus one basis many times, and since getting hit by their body slam was frustrating I''m glad that my avoidance skills have gone up.


    I circled around the frog that jumped towards me, stepped on it with my leg and impaled its head with the kitchen knife to stop its movement. Along with a light response I saw its HP decrease significantly, I confirmed that it wasn''t defeated yet and stabbed it again. In the blink of an eye the Moor Frog disappeared leaving nothing behind. Except for¡ª¡ª


    "All right, material for the ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ acquired."


    What I obtained was a drop from the Moor Frog, ¡¾Frog''s Stomach¡¿.


    I''ve gotten some when I was hunting together with Myu, but it was better to acquire more of them for the sake of making the adjustments easier.


    "Let''s safely hunt one after another until we reach the safety area. Ryui, Zakuro, be careful."


    Together with the two invisible animals I proceeded in the direction of safety area while defeating the enemies.


    In the area with a lot of mobs that attacked from surprise I assessed the situation and struck first.


    In addition to the flocks of Moor Frogs, I found non-active flat and yellow jelly mobs with exposed cores¡ª¡ªMold Slimes. These mobs dropped the ¡¾Strongly Acidic Jelly¡¿ material that was used in ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ as well.


    Since it was hard to hit the nucleus that was their weak point with a weapon that used point attacks like a bow, I used the Earth Element''s ¡¶Bomb¡· four times to take them down.


    Majority of the materials for the ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ could be gathered in this area. Not just from the mobs, but also collected or mined.


    "Oh, that spot, isn''t that a collection point. But it''s in the middle of entire group of slimes."


    In a spot with black and moist soil I wouldn''t normally notice it in, there was an extraction point, in its surroundings there were hidden yellow Mold Slimes lurking. They gathered together to eat something similar to moss.


    To take down all five of Mold Slimes at once using ¡¶Bomb¡· magic time after time would be tedious. Although they were weaker than other slimes of the same rank, I still didn''t want to take on more than one at once.


    "Even if I threw multiple magic gems at them and won thanks to the chain bonus, using gems would be a waste... hm? Some info came."


    Just now, I raised the ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ Sense''s level by fighting Moor Frogs earlier and it seems like I have mastered a new spell.


    It seemed perfect for taking down a group of mobs like these all at once.


    "It doesn''t necessarily have to take them all out in one blow, maybe I''ll enchant it into magic gems and... doesn''t work huh."


    The gems I took out were the usual medium-sized ones, but it was no good.


    "Then, I''ll raise the attack power and take out the remaining ones later. ¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªIntelligence."


    Don''t ask why are there frogs on the illustration when novel mentions slimes. I don''t know.


    I applied an INT enchant on myself and pressed my hands against the ground.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Earthquake¡·"


    The ground started rumbling around me, and before long my own body shook.


    The fourth spell of the Earth Element ¡¶Earthquake¡· was one that generated an earthquake with the caster as the focus.


    The side effect was one that caused the enemy to be stunned during the earthquake''s duration. Against mobs that move in the ground like worms or this time''s Moor Frogs as well as Mold Slimes that are lurking on the ground it was especially effective.


    However, its usability was very poor. While it didn''t damage the allies, the shaking could be directly felt by the companions and inhibit their movements.


    Moreover, if there''s another party in the vicinity, it couldn''t be lightly used. It also had too small range to hold off large mobs as it was centred around the user and had a low range.


    Other than that, it was meaningless to use it against flying mobs.


    "The number of mobs taken down is two, huh. Well, fine."


    The Mold Slimes hidden on the ground sprung up and appeared, about half of them was defeated.


    I threw two Magic Gems in the middle of the remaining slimes and defeated them with a blast.


    "So I can''t take them out in a single hit, huh. As I thought, it''s either because the Sense grew just now, or because my Senses are too low. It was weaker than I thought it would."


    There was a lot to reflect on, but before that I had to dig up the collection point.


    In contrast to the mining point for which I used a pickaxe, here I took out a scoop for farm work from the inventory.


    I dug up the soil collection point while listening to the soft sounds, what I pulled out was a pure black stone and low grade ore, and then gemstones have appeared.


    There were more of them than I had used before and I thought that having a positive balance was nice. The item I was looking for was there too so I was satisfied.


    I picked up the pure black stones¡ª¡ª¡¾Black Exploding Stones¡¿ and put it in my inventory. Since there were only eight of them which wasn''t enough, I moved away from the spot and searched for another collection point. Looking for the same dark soil I continued to harvest.


    Sometimes, there were flocks of Moor Frogs on the collection points too dense for ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ to work making me give up on it. At times I replenished herb-based materials and ore-based materials at different collection points and spend time meaningfully.


    "Let''s take a break in the safety area. Come, Ryui, Zakuro."


    I sat down on the ground in a slightly elevated spot in wetlands and deposited my back on a tree.


    *pon* *pon*, I hit my thigh lightly, calling my young beast partners, and their figures that were hidden behind illusion have appeared. Ryui put its head on my knees and I pat Zakuro who rubbed its neck against the back of my head.


    Fuu, I took a deep breath and enjoy the large space and sense of freedom.


    Recently, until the preparations for my disappearance were completed I have confined myself in the narrow workshop the entire time. It wasn''t that I hated the Atelier, but I felt a sense of liberation after playing solo for the first time in a while.


    "Surprisingly, I might''ve been really tired mentally."


    I muttered, feeling very exhausted.


    After spacing out for no reason for a while, I took out sandwiches from the inventory.


    I tore it into pieces to make it easy for Ryui and Zakuro to eat and gave it to them. I smiled as I watched as they eat.


    "Ahh, I''m being healed?."


    While watching as Zakuro pecked the pieces and Ryui ate a third of it at once I took out a bottle with piping hot tea for myself.


    The design of the game was fantasy-styled, but as long as it was placed in the inventory heat wouldn''t escape. After drinking hot, sweet tea I let out a deep breath.


    "Haa, black tea is really good."


    Since there was no sign of people coming here I took off the hood that obscured my head down to the eyes and let out both my hair and the hot air from within outside.


    As I got into the lazy, picnic mood, I suddenly found a certain existence outside of the safety area''s boundary. A wobbly, wavering, yellow ball of fire drew an 8 in the air, appealing in my direction.


    "A wisp, huh. I guess I''ll take the invitation while at it."


    I lifted my hips in a heavy manner and moved closer to the yellow ball of fire. Wisp¡ª¡ªor to be exact the mob called Will-o''-Wisp. It was a mob of the ball of fire or soul-type.


    As for the balls of fire, their colours represented emotions. Green was joy, red was anger, blue was sorrow and yellow was fun.


    Just like the Mold Slimes, the Wisp was a non-active mob. Although they drop ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Crystal''s Fragment¡¿ material, there are also other ways of obtaining it. The ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Crystal''s Fragment¡¿ had the same effect as ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Crystal¡¿ but they were smaller and five of them were needed instead of one.


    "Can you eat this?"


    I had Ryui and Zakuro wait beside the tree and moved in front of the Wisp.


    I spread out Medical Spirit Grass I just collected that was a material for the High Potions in front of the Wisp.


    Like an insect attracted to the light the wisp has closed on the Spirit Medical Grass. Although the Wisp''s flame has wrapped around my hand, but since it wasn''t hostile I didn''t feel any heat from it.


    When the flame touched the bundle of herbs as if licking them, the items disappeared turning into particles... no, they were actually absorbed by the Wisp, and its flame changed into green flame of joy.


    And after the Wisp finished eating all the herbs from my hand, it''s body made of flame trembled.


    Together with a *pop*, whitish crystals fell out of the Wisp''s body.


    Two, three of them fell on the ground piling up.


    "That''s quite a lot. Phosphorous Soul Crystals huh, I wonder if this much is enough?"


    Wisp is a mob that steals life energy of the living things. By giving items to a non-hostile Wisp, it releases excess energy in form of a Phosphorous Soul Crystal.


    If they were defeated, a player would obtain only pieces of the crystal, instead, the barter with a mob in the wilds was interesting and one could get better items than by doing it normally.


    "Oh, there''s a ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Ore¡¿ mixed in. Not only it''s a rare drop but also one with low drop rate."


    I put the items in the inventory, satisfied with the result.


    In the end, I got 23 ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Crystals¡¿ and 2 pieces of ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Ore¡¿.


    I played around with the wisp that wrapped around my hand until Ryui and Zakuro got tired of waiting and arrived next to me.


    Zakuro grasped my clothes and dangled on it with its light body and just dangled, but Ryui poked me with its small horn while making sure not to hurt me to express its dissatisfaction.


    "Uwah?! Sorry! Now then, let''s resume the search."


    At the same time as I got surprised by them, I saw off the Wisp that disappeared into void and finished the break, restarting the search of wetlands.


    ¡ñ


    As I continued the search of wetlands on the south, I saw a male and female players walk from the direction of the First Town while quarrelling.


    "That''s why! We came here! I want to hurry up and go further!"


    "No way I said. Let''s go on steadily. Hey, listen to what I say."


    They were about Myu''s age. The girl proceeded forward angrily, and from the conversation it seemed like the boy wanted stop her from overdoing it by coming here.


    When I checked their equipment, it seemed like it was the initial one.


    Seeing the equipment that used to be everywhere when the OSO''s service started made me very nostalgic.


    The initial equipment gave a dowdy impression, which instead gave me an idea just how green the novices are.


    The girl notices my gaze and our eyes met, then she made a questioning look in my direction.


    She was a little bit wary, maybe because I was suspicious with a hood covering my head. While I thought of that, the boy nodded towards me and started to persuade the girl again.


    In an area matching their current level I would just see them off like this.


    But this time, I''ll meddle in and stop them.


    "Good grief, what are you doing. There are bigger problems than going steady or fast."


    I moved towards the unsuspecting boy and girl who wandered into the wetlands. Even though they came shallow in, it''s a miracle they got this far without being attacked by Moor Frogs. I sighed in response to the two''s luck.


    "What was that just now? Since you''re solo it must mean you''re quite strong doesn''t it? Are you trying to show-off with that hood on?"


    Maybe let''s give up on meddling. I thought with a distant look in my eyes. However, the moment I let my eyes off them they started to move.


    "Rai-chan, there''s a collection point there. If we take these items back we can buy some items without overdoing it."


    "Come on, what a worrywart you are. I get it. For better or worse, we didn''t meet any enemies, if we had we would take them down and get some experience."


    The moment I looked away from them, they headed to a collection point that was a slight distance away. However, I found that place earlier and avoided it.


    "Wait! That''s¡ª¡ª"


    I called out to them to make them stop, but the two headed for the collection point at the base of a tree.


    I took out a kitchen knife from the inventory and clenched Magic Gem of ¡¾Clay Shield¡¿ in my left hand.


    What was in the place the two headed to was not a flock of the Moor Frogs. A mob that mimicked a tree, a Treant was there.


    "What. Is she in a hurry because she don''t want us to take the items?"


    "Hey, the person from earlier is coming our way!"


    The two turned around saw me and their expressions stretched.


    Geez, even though I''m trying to stop the children''s recklessness, I end up being mistaken for a PK. What a disaster. I spat out curses in my mind and continued my charge.


    "Are you trying to get in our way?! Al, we''re taking her down!"


    "Rai-chan... okay."


    Oh c''mon. The two pulled out their weapons, poised them in my direction and turned their back on the Treant. How comical.


    Behind the two, the Treant gradually cancelled the mimicry and slowly spread its stems, cavities resembling eyes and mouth appeared, it made a nasty smile and turned its branches sharp.


    "Ryui, Water Shield! ¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªDefence, speed. ¡¶Cursed¡· ¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    I cast a speed enchant on myself and closed the distance all at once, then passed by the two who set up their weapons. After I got close to them the girl with a naive stance thrust at me with her spear, I avoided it and then passed by the boy who held a staff with both of his hands before parrying the Treant''s sharp branch.


    "W-what?! Kyaa!!"


    "Uwaa!!"


    I entered between the two and intercepted the sharp spear-branches. I cut them down, but only within my reach. The kitchen knife that had a small reach was unable to cut some down and the attacks have closed on the two.


    However, I did what I could and left the rest.


    "Nice, Ryui! You two, hurry up and run!"


    The spear-branches that were about to pierce through the two were stopped by Ryui''s shield, it splendidly blocked the blow that came after it had its attack power reduced by my curse.


    I cut down the extended branches and prevented the mimicry tree''s surprise attack.


    However, it didn''t mean that I blocked all of the attacks. I was unable to block the attacks that came at my head as they approached my body and my head was grazed. That''s when hood I had on came off. My hair was exposed to the outside air, but I didn''t care about that now.


    "...beautiful."


    "Y-yeah."


    "Don''t space out! Escape with Ryui''s lead!"


    When I called out to the dazed two, they returned to their senses.


    "Let''s run! Nana-chan!"


    "Don''t call me ''nana-chan''. I''m Raina now."


    "S-sorry, Rai-chan."


    "Hurry up and go you two."


    While I listened to their calm conversation I disposed off one spear branch and a vine whip with the kitchen knife. At first I gave up on the attack and devoted myself to the defence, but the enemy''s attacks wouldn''t shift to me.


    Even though I interfered so much it still wouldn''t change its target, making me impatient. A single fact has come to my mind.


    "Damn!! So that''s why!"


    The effect newly added to the armour ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ also suppressed the generation of the hate value towards me by the enemy mob. It was very advantageous for players rearguards and hit-and-run attacking players, but to have the target changed to yourself it required of the player to deal more damage than normally.


    "You said we should run, but we can fight too!"


    "Don''t even try now! There''ll be a joint struggle penalty!"


    "Ghh..."


    "Not good. There''s no timing to escape."


    As for the Treant''s attacks I couldn''t intercept, I took them on with my body after raising my defensive power, still, my HP was being scraped off.


    "It''s sink or swim now, let''s try damaging it all at once!"


    I dropped the Magic Gem of ¡¾Clay Shield¡¿ I held to the ground and pulled out a new ¡¾Bomb¡¿ ones.


    And after throwing it at the Treant, I said the keywords.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿, ¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    Starting from the gem that was dropped on the ground an earthen wall has rose up, the spear branches were received by the earthen barrier, and their tips could be seen as they broke through the wall.


    What echoed immediately after was a sound of multiple ¡¾Bomb¡¿ explosions and an impact that hit the earthen wall.


    At the same time as a sudden roar sounded and a cloud of dust has swept in I called to the two, telling them to escape.


    "We''re running! Ryui, Zakuro go ahead!"


    In response to my voice, Ryui who was defending the two headed towards the wetlands'' exit. I pushed the two''s backs as if to make them keep up with Ryui.


    "I''ll run as w¡ª¡ª?!"


    Something has pierced my shoulder and side, I reflexively looked towards it.


    What was sticking to them were hardened, bright green leaves. After being released they bypassed the mud walls and making a curve they flew towards me.


    "Haha, shurikens, for real?"


    In addition to that, on the other side of the crumbling walls I could see the Treant make an angry expression because its prey has escaped.


    It wasn''t a nasty smile, when it saw me the corners of its eyes and mouth have raised again, making a smiling expression.


    "What the heck. After finally escaping it changed target to me. That''s way too slow."


    I spat out curses, then soon after got hit by the leaves thrown at me and lost my balance.


    The amount of HP I had remaining was 30%. It''ll be really bad if I don''t hurry and recover with a potion. Thinking so I looked up at the Treant in front of me.


    "Heyhey, it''s coming at me at full force dammit."


    A number of branches has twisted gathering together, making up a thick mass. To describe it plainly, it looked like a club. It raised the club very high.


    "Good grief, with this much strength there''s no way we''ll all get out of this safely."


    I''m as weak as usual. When I sighed after thinking something so simple, I heard a voice.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·. Go, Bronze Golem!"


    The Treant''s cavities formed an unpleasant expression.


    A copper-coloured fist sank into its face.


    I couldn''t move as a mass of metal appeared together with a strong wind pressure.


    A copper-coloured colossus appeared from the wetlands'' ground and hit the Treant, raising it slightly up.


    The Treant and copper-coloured golem. Also, there was a single player that appeared between us.


    As a result of the Bronze Golem intervening in my battle, we were covered in a black aura of joint struggle penalty, me, the golem and its master.


    The weakened Bronze Golem was constrained by the Treant.


    "H-hey! There''s a joint struggle penalty!"


    "Yeah... I''ll apologize now, I''m sorry."


    The one who hold my hand was a beauty with a mask on the upper half of her face. She had long, cream-coloured hair in a braid that flowed towards the front from her shoulder and spoke in a mechanical tone of voice, she gave me a very neutral impression.


    The masked beauty pulled out a single sword from the sheath by her waist.


    Although it was a double-edged straight sword, it was very mysterious as it''s blade was divided into different segments at regular intervals, it was pressed against my shoulder, I was lightly stabbed.


    "Oww!"


    "Golem! Defeat the Treant with all you got!"


    The masked beauty dealt a minimum amount of damage to release the joint struggle penalty and instructed the Bronze Golem.


    The copper-coloured giant clad in black aura who was entwined by the Treant''s vines raged as he was released from the double constraint of vines and the aura.


    Even as we watched from the back, the wind pressure from the copper-coloured fist has reached us. The golem''s giant body''s attack crushed the Treant''s trunk, scraping it off.


    Sandwiching the part of the trunk that corresponded to the Treant''s face, the golem exerted strength in a manner similar to a vise. Slowly damaged by the pressure, the Treant''s HP was being slowly but surely reduced.


    "Continue and crush it!"


    In response to the beauty''s instructions, golem increased strength of its hold.


    The Treant tried to escape and by twisting branch spears and vine whips formed a club to hit the golem, it slipped of the copper-coloured shiny body''s surface, and it failed to escape.


    ¡º"Gi-giiiiiiiiiyaaAAaAAaaaA¡ª¡ª"¡»


    In the end, cracks appeared on the tree and together with its harsh cries of agony it was crushed by the golem''s grip. The shattered pieces of wood turned into particles of light and gradually disappeared, the Treant''s body disappeared as well.


    "...the drop is Treant Wood eh. Are you okay? You need recovery?"


    "N-no. I''m okay! I can recover myself."


    I took out a High Potion from the inventory and drank it.


    In the meanwhile I observed the person in front of me. Her beautiful braid shook and she had formed a smile with her mouth. Although her eyes were hidden by the mask, judging by her body shape she was definitely a woman.


    "It''s troubling if you''re being so wary. Certainly, I have attacked you to release joint struggle penalty, and I''m sorry for not explaining."


    "No, I don''t mind that."


    "I see, that''s great then."


    "Um... thank you. You saved me."


    There was a little bit of truth in what she said about me being wary. However, there are even more eccentric people in the world of OSO. Compared to them, she was still cute. Rather, depending on the perspective, a young girl acting cool was a very pleasing sight.


    "...for some reason you''re making a really charming smile, aren''t you misunderstanding something?"


    I was asked that with a mechanical-ish voice. I asserted "not at all". It wasn''t just our Myu, there were other players coming to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ who had some quirks and committed themselves to some role-playing or characterization.


    "Haa, well, fine. Now then, let''s go back."


    "You''re right, was Ryui and Zakuro able to properly lead them out?."


    "Are those kids your acquaintances?"


    "No, some reckless beginners have come this way so I just helped them out."


    Haa, I give up. I sighed. After trying to help complete strangers, I was about to lose myself... the eyes hidden behind the mask stared at me intently.


    Feeling pressure from the stare, I went "ahahaha", laughing dryly.


    "Rather than that, let''s find those players from earlier."


    Since the direction they fled to was towards the First Town they should be fine.


    After I stood in front and started to walk through the wetlands, the masked player moved right beside and the golem tagged along behind us.


    Occasionally I took a look behind to take a look at the golem.


    A copper-coloured giant. From the part corresponding to the eyes on its head I felt no intelligence, but its figure seemed reliable.


    The player who could tame such a powerful golem must have been considerably skilled.


    "That''s right. I still haven''t introduced myself. I''m Yun, nice to meet you."


    "True. As for the current name, please call me Emilio. Other people call me¡ª¡ª¡¾Material Merchant¡¿. Okay? ¡¾Nanny¡¿ Yun."


    As I made a disgusted expression, Emilio quietly laughed with mechanical-ish voice.


    "Sorry. I''ll rephrase it. ¡¾Atelier¡¿ store''s owner, Yun."


    "Grr, I hate that nickname from before..."


    "I''ll be careful then."


    I see, the moment we started to go with the light flow, the entrance to the forest has come into our view.


    Ryui and Zakuro who were waiting for me at the boundary with the forest ran up to me so I caught them.


    I pat Ryui and Zakuro who behaved really spoiled, it was a recoil after worrying about me. On the other hand, the beginner players were unable to stand up from the spot after seeing the Bronze Golem.


    Some time had to pass until the two were to talk calmly.

 Chapter Volume 4 4

    Chapter 4 - Beginners and Material Merchant


    "Um... thank you very much for coming to help us. As I thought it was impossible challenge for beginners. Ah, I''m called Alphard. Feel free to call me Al."


    "...I''m the older sister, Rainard. Raina is fine."


    The saved duo calmed down, they turned towards the ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ and introduced themselves.


    Raina, the older sister had trimmed short ash-blonde hair, only her hair on the sides in the front was long. Her slightly slanted eyes and a grumpy expression gave a strong-willed impression.


    Even now, it was unknown whether she was grateful for being saved or just acting rebellious, she introduced herself with just a few words.


    Al, the little brother had more grey than black short hair and slightly drooping eyes and was surrounded by a calm atmosphere. He lightly apologized for Raina''s cold attitude, he might have been bossed around by her. I could somewhat sympathize with having to go along a sisters'' whims.


    "I''m Yun."


    "I''d like you to call me Emilio."


    The ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ and I briefly introduced ourselves and delved into the main subject.


    "So, you two, why were you in such a place?"


    "............"


    "Come on Rai-chan. I''ll talk."


    Al started to explain in place of Raina who defiantly kept silent.


    "Just by taking a look at us you can tell, but this is our first day in OSO."


    Raina and Al knew about OSO since the ¦Â and seemed to have applied to become testers.


    They were unable to obtain VR Gear from the first batch produced, but this time they were able to get it from the second batch and were finally able to start playing the game.


    "Is that so. So that makes you late starters."


    "Yes, I actually think that we should enjoy it steadily but... there''s also Rai-chan."


    "What, I just chose a risky method to become stronger. I can do it."


    Raina was shaken by what Al said and angrily raised her shoulders.


    There''s lot''s to puberty isn''t there. I thought so and sent Al a gaze, then spoke to encourage him to talk.


    "Rai-chan wanted to keep up with OSO and checked various walkthroughs on the net, looked around lots of places and watches lots of videos, thinking about it... and, um..."


    "Found a method of leveling she thought she''ll be able to use?"


    When ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ spoke with a mechanical voice Al shook his head vertically.


    "It was a video called ¡¾Low level solo Moor Frog leveling¡¿."


    "...haa? What are you talking about."


    Possessed SP25


    ¡¾Bow Lv33¡¿¡¾Longbow Lv4¡¿¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv25¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv43¡¿¡¾Magic Power Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv16¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv16¡¿¡¾Cooking Lv23¡¿


    I checked my Senses just now, but the average level of my Senses was about 26. How can you do it when you''re even lower leveled.


    "Ohh, that video. It uses a specific approach, tactic and utilizes prepared equipment. Also, quite high skill is required from the player."


    "But in that video it worked!"


    "I said, it''s too reckless. In the making of that video there were collaborators who prevented unwanted mobs from joining in. Do you even have anyone who can do that?"


    Raina closed her mouth in response to ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ Emilio''s somewhat cold tone of voice and just argument.


    "As I thought. We should listen to what experienced people have to say, Rai-chan."


    "Even so! I want to become strong!"


    "Rather than get a death penalty for being reckless, it''s better to do what''s within the range of your abilities right? Are you really fine with involving your little brother with that?"


    She said she wants to get strong, but having me point that out Raina fell silent and chagrined. Younger brother Al said "I don''t mind" but Raina realized that she was too impatient and blinded by that, receiving a shock.


    "Then that''ll be it. I myself was saved by ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ Emilio so it might sound like I''m acting self-important, but today was just a whim. That''s why we''ll be going already."


    "¡ª¡ªWait!"


    Leaving that behind I tried to leave with Ryui and Zakuro, but Al raised his voice to stop me from going.


    "Please make me, no, please make me and Rai-chan strong! Please!"


    "Wait, Al! What are you saying?!"


    "I mean, look, it''s the person who saved us! We don''t have anyone to rely on here! It''s because Rai-chan''s attitude is so bad!"


    "Al! You''ve some guts to disparage your older sister in public! A mere little brother, mere twin brother shouldn''t try acting like he''s better than his sister!"


    Right in front of me the siblings went "gyaa gyaa!" and "wah-wah!" noisily quarrelling. Those two, they aren''t fighting for real are they, I could somehow tell. In particular, some of Raina''s gestures and wording reminded me of Myu.


    However, I wasn''t strong enough to think of helping them, and couldn''t show them the way.


    "Then, since it seems like it''ll take time I''ll be goi¡ª¡ª"


    "I won''t let you get away! Guild solicitation is horrible now so there''s no one to rely on! I can''t let such a good and caring person get away!"


    "...I don''t think that has anything to do with it."


    Al who grabbed mine and the ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿''s hands was willing to detain us even as he was being dragged along, and I was unable to shake him off.


    Also, there was a term I was concerned with, the thing called ''guild solicitation''. Somehow, several patterns have appeared in my head and my feet stopped.


    "Haa, geez..."


    "Will you help?"


    "Well, it can''t be helped this time can it?"


    Possibly, I might have been part of the reason for that.


    The flood of new guilds appearing stems from the competition between the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ and the ¡¾Resale Guild¡¿.


    During the start-up of the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ we planned to purchase ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ from the market to establish it, but the ¡¾Resale Guild¡¿ bought them out to lift the price.


    That''s why we obtained the ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿ directly by doing the guild founding quest and established the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿.


    Because of that the ¡¾Guild Emblems¡¿ became a dead stock and a large amount of them was sold at low price, players purchased it and a flood of guild establishment has come.


    In the end, it might have been just me blaming myself, but felt there was a connection.


    "You''re right, it''s something Yun''s acquaintance, Taku caused after all."


    "Yeah... hey, haa?! What does Taku have to do with this!"


    "The one who defeated a Moor Frog on level 8 in the video mentioned earlier was your acquaintance, Taku. I took a look at that video and confirmed it."


    Hearing that and coming to a realization that Taku and I are acquainted Al and Raina stared at me respectfully with a glitter in their eyes. However, Taku and I were two different people and even if we know each other, it''s not something that compliments me nor am I a maniac gamer! Don''t look at me so expectantly!


    "...Taku, I''ll definitely punch you!"


    I secretly swore in my mind. Still wearing a mask, Emilio looked towards me with pity.


    "It can''t be helped. I''ll join too. Well, you might not want to stay with a suspicious person that wears a mask on her head though."


    "Thank you very much!"


    "...hmph."


    Al happily lowered his head, but Raina seemed not to acknowledge Emilio and put on a cold attitude. It made Al panic, but Emilio wasn''t offended in particular, instead she just smiled wryly.


    "Well, I won''t continue doing it forever, maybe until I reach second or third town. Until then, I''ll teach you some things."


    "Then, I''ll make some items from the materials I have with me. Also, I want some help collecting materials, I guess?"


    The two of us gave them some conditions, but neither mine nor ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿''s were harsh, we lent them a hand in leveling in quite a gentle manner.


    For some reason I felt that I didn''t disappear at all, but forming a party of four people who aren''t affiliated with any guild wasn''t that bad.


    The consultation was over and we were about to leave the location but¡ª¡ª


    "W-what?! My body''s strength is..."


    "I can''t stand up either. I have no strength. Enemy?"


    Raina and Al raised their voices. Apparently they received a penalty due to the decrease of satiety. Seeing that, the ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ decided what to teach them first.


    "Then, first thing we''ll teach you is the management of your status."


    In response to Emilio''s declaration, I passed some of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s sandwiches to the two and calmed them down.


    "Nomnomnom... I absolutely won''t forget this humiliation! Seconds please!"


    "Rai-chan, you''re saying such things again. Ah, me too!"


    "You two... don''t you have any restraint, geez."


    Each sandwich recovers 20% of satiety, and when hands extended for their sixth, Emilio strictly stopped them.


    "Just because there are items that doesn''t mean you have to use them all. Set at least one aside and keep it in your inventory."


    "What, this is mine! I won''t be taking any orders from you."


    "No, they''re my sandwiches in the first place."


    Emilio spat out a tired sigh in response to Raina''s aggressive attitude.


    "Well, fine. I guess the little brother will properly listen to my advice right?"


    She tilted her head lightly, and with the face hidden behind the mask she made a smile that only extended to her mouth. Scared by that expression, Al acknowledged by nodding time after time.


    "I see. Now that you stuffed yourself until bulging, let''s start collecting items."


    "Haa?! Why. It''s leveling first right?"


    "That''s fine by me but... do you have consumables to use to continue fighting?"


    "I don''t need that."


    "Maybe. Raina using a spear might have no problems, but what about Al who''s a mage? Once he''s out of MP he''ll just be beaten up you know? You need to think about using time to recover, so fighting mobs while looking for items is the most efficient way. It''s critical for a party to match their pace."


    Hearing Emilio''s logic Raina went silent. Seeing that I thought that''s decided and proceeded with preparations by setting up base in the field.


    The place we''re in currently, was one of the safety areas to the west of the first town. Although mob encounter rate is low in here, I have had something to do here that''s why I specified this place.


    "First, an outdoor crafting base and a portable furnace. I''ll need Mixing tools as well. Ah, and a table. I''ve got the ones Lyly made so I''ll take it out... there we go."


    Speaking loudly to myself I pulled out two long wooden tables in the safety area and lined up side by side. On top of it I prepared required crafting tools, gradually giving it a proper form.


    Seeing that the two siblings were dumbfounded, Emilio advised them amazed.


    "Well, that''s cause she''s a tough player when it comes to survival. This player you''re seeing here."


    "W-what? Is it weird?"


    "Wait wait wait! It''s not just weird! Why do you have such things prepared! Are there really players who suddenly build bases in fantasy RPG''s?!"


    "Is that so? At first I picked up items and continued crafting in a safety area, how nostalgic."


    With a distant look in my eyes I saw myself pick up herbs in the forest to craft potions, collect materials for arrows, the times when I had to do my best because of a low cost-performance ratio Senses.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t tell you to imitate me."


    "There''s no way I would could do that!"


    Somehow, it seemed like a connection appeared between Raina and Emilio, maybe they became friends just a little bit.


    They looked at each other with strange expressions and were talking about something in low voice. I thought it''s good that they aren''t fighting, meanwhile Zakuro left the hood and got on top of Ryui who was lying down at the base of a nearby tree.


    "Really, when you came to help us you were holding a dagger, but now you''re equipped with a bow and yet you used magic! Also, you have a horse and a fox accompany you, as well as some kind of weird tools! Just what on earth are you!"


    "Ahh, I can''t put it in a word. All you said is true though. Also, it''s not a dagger but a kitchen knife, I use it for cooking."


    "I didn''t ask about that!"


    Grahhhh! Raina was frustrated over her capacity and started to roar and Al calmed her down.


    "Well, I''m a little of everything. Also, I''m weak in combat. You could call me a jack of all trades I guess?"


    "Mm, you could also classify me as a crafter for the time being, most likely."


    "Hee, so you were a crafter as well."


    "My field is ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ so it''s quite different from normal crafting."


    "So ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ comes from combining materials into better ones?"


    "Indeed. Depending on combination a variety of items can be made."


    "Is that so! I also have ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ but I only use it in a specific manner. Does that mean the golem from earlier is a synthetic mob?"


    "That''s¡ª¡ª"Hey! Don''t ignore us!"¡ª¡ªSorry about that."


    When Emilio and I started a discourse on the crafting Senses, Raina sensed it might take a while and decided to meddle in.


    Since I was forgetting about my surroundings, I thought it''s good that she stopped us. When I turned my gaze towards Ryui, I saw it stand up and stare at me intently.


    "Ahahaha, sorry Ryui."


    Hmph, Ryui snorted and lied down again. If I continued to talk like that, I would''ve probably been headbutted. I imagined it with ease.


    "Okay then, I''ll go with these children."


    "I''ll leisurely wait here. I leave gathering to you."


    I sent the three off with that.


    Now then, let''s try a few things as I wait. Even without any material gathering I can make some sweets as I wait.


    ¡ñ


    "I made a simple one, but will it work?"


    I peeked into the small window of the ¡¾Oven Stove¡¿ I obtained during the camp event to see how the pound cake grows.


    As I made the sweets made with the use of ¡¾Sweets Factory¡¿''s mould that also dropped from the mob in the camp event, a sweet scent has started to quietly spread throughout the forest.


    "Look! It''s stopped with ¡¾Parry¡¿. Al, hit it now!"


    "Nh! Ha!"


    "Just because your MP ran out, to hit it directly with the staff is..."


    Raina held a wooden shield reinforced with leather and metal rivets and held a spear in the other hand. She thrust the spear at the mobs and hit them with the shield.


    When the enemy movements stopped, Al used the staff like a stick and hit the enemy time after time with it.


    Emilio stood a step behind them with her arms folded and evaluated them.


    Bluntly speaking, their cooperation felt nothing but chaotic.


    In the first place, as ¦Â testers Myu, Sei-nee and Taku as well as their companions were familiar with the game right from the beginning.


    So that''s how it looks like at the beginning. I wondered, deep in thoughts.


    "Even though I saw so many videos and did so much image training! Why won''t it work!"


    "Rai-chan, your moves are still amazing."


    In response to Raina''s tired yell, Al retorted while sitting down on the ground and out of breath.


    "It''s fine if you slowly learn to cooperate. Everybody is like that at first."


    "Khhh, how frustrating!"


    Raina and Al explored for about 30 minutes. Emilio accompanied them and safely collected items.


    "Yun, choose some of the items you need and make the two something."


    "Roger. I''ll make some potions for them from these herbs."


    While the pound cakes were being baked in the oven I started to make potions instantaneously.


    I continued to process herbs with hand movements I was familiar with and extracted potions.


    As I hummed while making potions, on the side I asked Ryui to create some water and boiled it to prepare tea.


    "Uuu, here I''m completely tired and uncool, why is there someone doing such feminine stuff right here... I want to look cool and cute as well."


    "Before you start talking about that put these potions in your inventory."


    With such remark I passed the two Beginner''s Potions.


    They''re just Beginner''s Potions, but I guess they''ll change to normal Potions before long.


    The two took them reluctantly, but Emilio who saw the potions'' effect from the side approached me and asked in undertone.


    "Is it fine to give them those? They''re Beginner''s Potions, but the amount recovered is comparable to normal Potions."


    "It''s fine. If they raise their level the amount recovered will decrease anyway. In the end, they can''t use potions for attacking anyway."


    The potions had a recovery amount restrictions. The Beginner''s Potions I passed to Raina and Al had the amount they recover greatly reduced after the user''s total SP surpasses 10. In the same manner, Potion that''s one rank higher has its recovery amount reduced after SP surpasses 30.


    As for the High Potions, the recovery limit is not yet known. However, Blue Potions unlike normal potions were not restricted by a limit. Instead, their effect was very weak and required use of many materials, so they had their merits and demerits.


    When I fell silent thinking about potions, I suddenly felt a stare.


    Depressed Raina raised her face and her gaze focused in a single place.


    "...hey, can I touch those two animals? I think I''ll feel better afterwards."


    Raina who raised her face after drooping down directed her gaze towards the tree under which Ryui and Zakuro were resting.


    "They hardly let others touch it. But you''re free to try¡ª¡ª"


    I told her that they aren''t accustomed to people, fell silent and poured the made potion into a pot.


    "Eh, so it''s okay! Then, I won''t hold back..."


    Without waiting until I finish explaining Raina approached them, but with her presence alone Zakuro climbed on my back and hid in the hood. It''s two tails wound around my neck, making me feel sweltering hot.


    Ryui quietly stood up and took distance from her.


    "What a shame. It seems like they ran away from you."


    "Why..."


    As Raina stood with an extended hand and in shock, I could hear Al mutter "Again her bad habits come out".


    "Zakuro... the black fox is shy and has a fear of strangers. As for the white horse, it won''t let anyone but people close to it touch it."


    "Even though it''s so fluffy and looks so pleasant to touch, it won''t let me touch it... one more time!"


    Raina charged at Ryui who took distance from her, but it was naive. Not even Myu managed to catch it so a beginner stands no chance. The moment she approached its body, she was lightly avoided.


    Feeling defiant Raina didn''t want to lose and thought of making a clumsy feint with her legs, but it was all seen through and continuously avoided. Clearly having it easy with her, Ryui produced situations where she was just a step away from touching it.


    And like that, they slipped out of the safety area. One human and one animal ran around throughout the forest.


    "Yun-san, Emilio-san, is it fine to leave them like that?"


    "Isn''t it fine? They''ll come back after they''re tired."


    "There''s no need to worry about our Ryui. Sweets are more important than that."


    As Al worried about elsewhere, I poured improvised tea for Emilio.


    While enjoying the scent of tea that came from the pot, I waited for the pound cakes to grow in the oven.


    "Ohh, a little bit longer and they''ll be baked."


    "No way, to think he''d fulfil the promise so fast..."


    "Emilio? Did you say something?"


    She seemed to have muttered something, but I couldn''t catch it. After that she returned "it''s nothing", causing me to tilt my head.


    For a while Al fidgeted anxiously, waiting for Raina to come back, but that didn''t happen for a while.


    Ryui came back after about ten minutes making its way through the forest.


    "Ryui?! What happened! Isn''t Raina with you?!"


    Leaping, Ryui rushed towards me and biting on my clothes it pulled me with it.


    "Did something happen to Raina?!"


    "That how it looks like. I''ll go as well."


    Together with Al and Emilio who stood up, led by Ryui we headed towards where Raina was.


    In the west, if one doesn''t overdo it they won''t meet any strong mobs, but I advanced through the forest together with Ryui.


    "Time is precious. I''ll put on some speed support! ¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    We were running as to match Al''s speed, but since it was too slow I put on a speed enchant on him and we sped up all at once.


    After proceeding in the south-western direction and going deep enough we arrived at an area I haven''t been in before.


    "There! It''s Raina!"


    I was the one who raised my voice first. After confirming Raina''s appearance in between trees with ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ Sense, I set up my bow.


    She was surrounded by a flock of wild dogs. I aimed at the one that looked like it''ll jump at her any moment and set course directly at them.


    The arrow shot in a manner preventing the animal to avoid it pierced the dog''s head. It''s body was blown away, it turned into particles and disappeared.


    "Al! Yun-san?! And masked woman?!"


    Raina turned in the direction the arrow came from, but since a bat has attacked her from overhead I shoot again in rapid succession.


    "Rai-chan! You okay?!"


    "I''m fine! Rather than that, let''s take them down!"


    She recklessly brandished her spear, Al properly attacked with magic. Normally, they would prioritize targets, but since they were unable to do so yet I supported them from the distance and Emilio followed up from close range.


    As the number of enemies gradually decreased, I saw a creature appear from between the trees and froze.


    A massive figure snuck up behind spear-wielding Raina.


    "Raina! Behind you!"


    "Eh? Kyaa!!"


    ¡º"GWAAAAAAAA¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Swinging her spear with a strong momentum Raina turned around and looked up at the creature behind her.


    More than three metres big, black mob with sharp claws, a Forest Bear swung up both of its arms and roared as if to announce its presence.


    "Khh, ¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    I determined that I can''t take it down with the bow and cast defence enchant on Raina. Although the bear swung down its claw at Raina, the attack was parried by her shield. Following that, as she was looking up at the Forest Bear, Raina was attacked by its left arm, but a shadow has barged in between them.


    Although Emilio tried to block it with her straight sword, its blade has fallen apart and received a hit in the head.


    However, a player whose level was higher than Raina and Al, no, even higher than me wouldn''t go down in a single hit. Emilio''s mask shattered and she stopped after swaying for a moment.


    "That''s enough, you''re a nuisance! Fine, I''ll take you on! ¡¶Summon¡· ¡ª¡ªBronze Golem, Flame Beast, Ice Beast!"


    She threw three stones high up into the sky. Although they seemed like Zakuro''s and Ryui''s summoning stones, they were slightly different.


    "Get him!"


    From them, came power that one-sidedly crushed the bear.


    The Bronze Golem easily beat down the Forest Bear which was much weaker than the Treant and the two beasts of flame and ice drew away a large number of wild dogs. In addition to that, the pieces from Emilio''s broken sword danced in the sky, slicing the bats apart.


    "A-amazing."


    The amount of strength she possessed despite being solo was unprecedented. Alone she held strength comparable to a party and using it, she eradicated the enemy.


    I knew a player similar to her, but the impression that came from the mobs used here was very mechanical in comparison.


    "It''s over, huh. Are you okay? ...ah...ehh?"


    The rampaging mobs have ran out of enemies to defeat and after standing still for a moment were dismissed by Emilio. I watched it as I stood by the three, and saw something unbelievable that made me doubt my eyes.


    Emilio''s real face that was behind the shattered mask. Her hair colour and clothes as well as her voice were different, but her face was spitting image of Endo-san''s from my class.


    "What is it? Yun."


    "Ah, umm..."


    When I recognized her as Emilio I didn''t feel any discomfort even as she called me without a honorific, but after recognizing her as Endo-san I felt was full of it when referred to without one.


    I was at a loss of words faced with Endo-san who tilted her head in a wondering manner


    I connected with Emilio directly through a private friend chat.


    ¡º"Umm... can it be Endo...-san?"¡»


    Hearing me say that inaudibly, she touched her own face, let out a sigh and crouched on spot.


    Raina and Al looked at it anxiously, but soon enough Endo-san raised her face and returned the greeting with a smiling expression.


    ¡º"Yes, Shun-kun. Hello."¡»


    In the same manner she replied through friend chat without letting out a sound outside of it.


    ¡º"Let''s talk about this later."¡»


    ¡º"Got it. Um... there''s a lot I want to ask."¡»


    The friend call was disconnected, and Endo-san has already recovered from having her mask broken.


    "Um... are you okay?"


    "Yes, I''m all right. Thanks for worrying about me, Raina."


    After she said that, Raina blushed.


    Since Endo-san was hiding her face behind a mask the entire time, seeing her face from the front properly surprised Raina and made her recall how she was saved. She got embarrassed about her rude behaviour earlier and fell silent, is how it looked like.


    "Since my face was already seen, I don''t need this any longer."


    After saying so, Endo-san operated the menu to switch equipment. She took off earrings and a bracelet.


    Immediately after that, the equipments effect was reversed and noise ran through the name ¡¾Emilio¡¿ as it changed into ¡¾Emily¡¿. Her voice also changed from a mechanical one into her usual one.


    ¡ª¡ªEndo Emily. If I''m not wrong, that''s Endo-san''s name in real.


    "Once again, I''m an OSO player and crafter ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ Emily. Take care of me."


    There was a lot I wanted to ask Emilio, rev. Emily-san, but I was told to do so afterwards through friend chat.


    "Still, Raina, why were you surrounded by mobs?"


    "Y-yess?!"


    Raina raised a slightly panicked voice. She was probably nervous because Emily-san called out to her. Seeing the change in Raina, Emily-san laughed quietly.


    "Just explain slowly as we walk."


    "That''s... I chased after the white horse, before I realized I jumped into a group of mobs. There was a lot of them, I was unable to deal with them or run away and their numbers increased fast."


    Since Raina faced down feeling bad about it, I admonished her with a gentle tone of voice.


    "This time, since Emily-san and I were here it wasn''t a problem, but if you encountered other players it would''ve turned into MPK you know?"


    "Yes."


    "Be careful so that it doesn''t happen again. Still, you did well to endure against that many. That''s amazing, Raina."


    When I honestly praised her, Raina made a wondering, blank expression which turned into a sloppy one before long.


    "I-is that so. Ehehe... true. Certainly, I might be amazing for not giving up there."


    "Oh Rai-chan, you''re acting full of yourself again."


    Al frankly warned her, but it didn''t reach her ears as she was now. I realized that she''ll probably blunder again. And as I thought so, Emily-san lightly poked my shoulder.


    "Yes? Emily-san."


    "Isn''t the reason she held out because of Yun-kun''s potions? They probably had an excessive amount of recovery for beginners, didn''t they."


    "Probably. But saying that now would be tasteless, right?"


    "Yun-kun''s methods won''t really pay off. Still, I don''t hate that kind of thing."


    Good grief, it might be so. I laughed at myself as we returned to the camp made by me.


    What I noticed then, was a nasty smell.


    Realizing that, as everyone furrowed their eyebrows I yelled alone.


    "AAAaAaaa¡ª¡ª!"


    In a hurry I opened the oven I left alone and what I saw in the mould I pulled out was a pitch black burnt mass.


    After much trouble I managed to prepare pound cakes in a satisfying manner, and now they''ve been burned down.


    Harbouring a slight hope I scraped off the surface, but it''s been firmly burnt and inedible.


    As I fell down on my knees and thrust my hands on the ground dejected, Ryui and Zakuro snuggled up to me to comfort me. Emily-san and others felt awkward, not knowing if they should call out to me.


    "Ahahaha, I-I just have to make it again, yeah. Yup."


    I raised my head and the words I muttered echoed in the space between the trees.


    ¡ñ


    "So, why did Endo-san... no, Emily-san do such a thing? What is the meaning behind that equipment?"


    ¡º"Do I have to answer that? I have a few tricks up my sleeve..."¡»


    "You don''t have to if you don''t want to."


    Currently, I was talking with Emily-san through the friend chat.


    Why was she wearing a mask.


    Why has she falsified her name.


    Why did she change her voice


    There was a lot I wanted to ask, but I didn''t intend to inquire deeply.


    "Ohh, there it is. I found some crafting materials on the way back."


    ¡º"Really, for Yun-kun anything that isn''t crafting material doesn''t matter, does it."¡»


    "Ahahaha, sorry. But this is very important to me."


    On the way back after helping Raina, I actually found one of the materials I was looking for, but since we focused on escaping to a safe place I wasn''t able to collect it and have obtained it now.


    It was a material for the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ Cloude has asked me for, the ¡¾Bark of the Fragrant Moss Wood¡¿. Moss propagated on the fallen wood, but the material was the bark along with the moss.


    I collected a several dozen of it by peeling it off.


    The dried bark was a base material for the incense, it was mixed with ¡¾Pyrethrum¡¿ flower that was also dried. After making a clay-like consistence it''s been shaped into a bar shape and dried at the same time thus completing ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿.


    I don''t know what does Cloude, no, Lyly need a ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ for the event he''s planning, but I have gathered the required materials for ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ and ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿.


    I made a pleased expression as I explored the forest in the west. I have left Raina and Al with Emily-san and together with Ryui and Zakuro went to gather materials for their potions.


    ¡º"You''re completely different than you are at school and do things are your own pace, don''t you."¡»


    "Mm? Is that so?"


    ¡º"Well, that''s because you''re living a life there conforming to rules... so it doesn''t stand out, but you''re quite free here aren''t you."¡»


    Just now, Emily-san interrupted in the middle to look after Raina and Al, interrupting in the middle probably meant she had to deal with something. Not minding in particular, I listened to what she had to say.


    ¡º"Fine already. The reason I disguised myself, let''s see. I did it so that I''m not found by acquaintances."¡»


    "Haa, and why is that?"


    ¡º"Because it''s awkward! An uninteresting class president type of person like me playing games! Moreover, playing a fashionable VR game to top it off, it doesn''t suit me at all, right?"¡»


    "I wonder? At first I was surprised, but Sei-nee is also very serious and yet she plays games."


    There''s no need to mind it that much, speaking of which, I''m the same. I responded.


    ¡º"At first, I disguised to avoid Yun-kun and others, but with the recent guild solicitation I put more effort into disguising. The mask is a normal item, but the two other ones are unique, probably joke items."¡»


    As for the mask, it was sold in sets of ten at some stall and had an additional effect ¡¾Receive Pain¡¿ that took over part of the damage dealt to armour. That''s why it was fragile, which was also the reason it was used as a method to measure armour durability.


    The name and voice changing items were joke items that dropped during the summer camp event. I remember well how Sei-nee''s and Mikadzuchi''s ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild''s members showed off the joke items and tricks during a party back then.


    "As I thought, guild solicitation is ongoing everywhere. I escaped from malicious solicitation as well."


    ¡º"In a sense, at least on the surface it can be said that we''re both victims of guild solicitation. Although it wasn''t that severe in my case. Also, sorry for calling you without honorific."¡»


    "There''s no need to worry. I also referred to you without honorific, well at least your pseudonym."


    ¡º"Also... you''ve had a desire to transform yourself after all."¡»


    "I didn''t! This is a bug! Character edit''s body correction misidentification! Heck, what''s up with ''after all''! C''mon, what is it?!"


    When I grandly retorted in inaudible voice in the middle of the empty forest, from the other side of the friend call I''ve heard a strange, quiet laughter.


    ¡º"I didn''t think you would deny that strongly. Still, it suits you."¡»


    "That doesn''t make me happy at all."


    After saying that I fell silent as not to let my bad mood show.


    The call with Emily-san wasn''t disconnected, we just fell silent for a moment. And then, I asked Emily-san something I suddenly recalled.


    "There''s something I''d like to ask... is the reason why you stare at Taku, explore how to talk to him and know about videos with him because¡ª¡ªyou like Taku?"


    ¡º"Haa?! No such thing! Absolutely not."¡»


    "E-eh?"


    Even though she inquired so meaningfully earlier... so it was my misunderstanding.


    ¡º"The reason I was bothered is because I didn''t want to meet him. It''ll be troublesome if I''m found out to be a player right? It has nothing to do with love!"¡»


    After hearing Emily-san deny strongly, I let out a sigh of relief.


    "Is that so."


    I muttered and it turned silence. Afterwards, I spoke from my side again.


    "Um, let''s end this topic. For some reason it feels like I''m bringing trouble on myself."


    ¡º"You''re right. I won''t touch the subject of Yun-kun being of different sex in OSO in relation to Taku-kun."¡»


    Both of us were convinced, "let''s change the topic" said Emily-san.


    ¡º"Then, let me ask this time. Why were you on the south of the wetlands, Yun-kun?"¡»


    "Ah, acquaintance crafter asked me to craft an item and I was collecting materials for it."


    ¡º"In that case, do you have any of the items called ¡¾Magical Organism''s Catalyst Metal¡¿? If possible I''d like you to give it to me."¡»


    "Ah, if it''s that then I have a few, I got some when I was hunting with my little sister and others."


    That''s great, I wasn''t able to defeat it. Her happy voice resounded.


    "So the reason Emily-san was there was..."


    ¡º"That''s right. But alone I don''t have enough forces to take down Darkman."¡»


    Hearing her say ''forces'' rather than ''strength'' I felt like her strength came from the summoned mobs rather than from herself.


    Well, fighting off Darkman would be easy, but Emily might have been incompatible with defeating it.


    While talking with her like that on the move, I came back to the safety area and tried arranging the materials I already had and materials I obtained to try making ¡¾Fireworks¡¿.


    If I want to do it properly I''ll calmly do it in the workshop, but if the strength of the effect doesn''t matter it''s fine to do it outside with a portable crafting kit.


    "Now then, see you later Emily-san."


    ¡º"Sure, I''ll gather some materials while leveling with the two for a while."¡»


    Try not to overdo it, I thought as the call was disconnected and confirmed the material in front of me. To make ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ I needed to craft intermediate materials first.


    First one was a Damage Potion. To make it I needed to use Frog''s Stomach that dropped from Moor Frogs and Strongly Acidic Jelly that dropped from the Mold Slimes.


    I minced the stomach, added a little bit of distilled water and ground it well. Then I added Strongly Acidic Jelly and filtered it.


    I removed impurities and heated up the yellowish liquid, it concentrated and thickened.


    If I used the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s condenser it would be faster, still, by carefully decreasing the moisture and bottling it, Damage Potion was completed.


    Damage Potion ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    HP Damage¡¾-30 (¡À 5¡¿


    It was quite poorly made, but in the end it''s only a intermediate material and a prototype at that. I wasn''t really bothered with the amount of damage. However, assuming a failure I made a larger amount of the damage potion before turning off the fire in the surroundings.


    Next, I made another intermediate material, a bomb¡ª¡ªor to be precise, I wanted to create the first step to it, an explosive ball.


    What I prepared was Phosphorous Soul Crystal I got from the Wisp and Black Exploding Stone I dug up from the ground. Neither of them had any effect by itself, but after mixing them it turned dangerous.


    "Ignition checked. Let''s do this."


    Normally I would grind them in the machine for grinding ore in the workshop, but this time I did steadily.


    As the Phosphorous Soul Crystal was soundly crushed and broken down it turned into a silky powder that diffused light like glass.


    On the other hand Black Exploding Stone changed into a clay-like moist black powder akin to soil.


    For the real thing I would be mixing it as to maximize bomb''s damage, but since I was making a explosive ball for the fireworks, I used a slightly larger amount of Phosphorous Soul Crystal. I did fine adjustments weighting the two before mixing, and then shaped a single clay-like mass into a ball.


    Explosive Clay ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    While it still wasn''t complete, I cut off part of the explosive ball and stowed the rest in the inventory.


    "Oh? Yun-san. What are you doing?"


    "Mm? I''m making explosives."


    When I responded to Al''s question, both his and Raina''s movements stopped in the middle of coming towards me.


    Although the two came back from hunting together with Emily-san, only Emily-san approached as if nothing.


    "That''s an item I haven''t heard of. What kind of thing it is?"


    "You could call it a joke item or role-playing one. Wait a second."


    I took the bottled Damage Potion and poured it into the container once again and put in a single piece of metal. The metal dissolved inside of the potion.


    When I soaked the Explosive Clay piece I cut off in the damage potion that had melted a piece of metal, the yellowish colour of the liquid gradually weakened.


    After a while I pulled out the wet Explosive Clay from Damage Potion that turned colourless and transparent, dried it and reformed it into an Explosive Ball.


    If I used Rapid Drying skill of skill of ¡¾Dosing¡¿ as a finishing touch, I would complete explosive ball from Damage Potion and Explosive Clay.


    After collecting all the stuff and putting it together, it has become a Fireworks'' Explosive Ball.


    "I''ll do a small experiment so get away! Zakuro! Help me out!"


    In response to my words Zakuro who stayed in a remote location ran up to my shoulder. I showed the Explosive Ball I had between my fingers to Zakuro and instructed.


    "I''ll throw it into the sky, put it on fire when it''s high up, okay?"


    "Kyuu!" After hearing a short and clear response I pat Zakuro with my free hand and said "let''s go".


    I strongly threw the Explosive Ball into the sky like I usually do with Potions and Magic Gems and Zakuro lit it up with fox fire.


    The minimal amount of fireworks that went up towards the sky in the bright daylight bloomed in the open space between trees.


    It didn''t show up as a clear cyan colour, but it has certainly flowered in colour on the sky before disappearing.


    "Ohh, it was properly coloured. But the colour was still pale. Is it because Damage Potion was too strong and colouring dissolved, or maybe because too much metal was put in? Also, by changing the type of metal I can change colours. Well, I need to talk about the request with the client about this. In some cases even explosives made from Explosive Ball can be enough."


    As I muttered to myself, Raina and Al in front of me froze after seeing what happened. Emily-san smile wryly and said "the sight might have been too much for beginners".


    "Did you finish your work?"


    "About half of it, I guess? I think I''ll do the rest later."


    "Is that so. Then, can I get what we talked about earlier? How about some barter trade for materials I have with me? As ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ dealing with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ I can provide enough materials for that."


    Seeing Emily-san wink I saw she was in a good mood and I took out ¡¾Magical Organism''s Catalyst Metal¡¿ from the inventory.


    "You sure managed to get lots from a single hunt. I got a piece here and there off the market, but since it mainly flows to the players with ¡¾Smithing¡¿ it wasn''t enough. It''ll be finished with these."


    Certainly, if one gathered up ¡¾Magical Organism''s Catalyst Metal¡¿ and made it into ingots it would become a random different metal ingot. That''s why players with ¡¾Smithing¡¿ and ¡¾Workmanship¡¿ were gathering them.


    From what I heard, I''ve heard it was possible to get a Mithril Ingot and such.


    "Are you satisfied with this?"


    "Hmm, yeah. In that case, choose 30 pieces of the material I took out in exchange. Anything is fine."


    Interested, Raina and Al also took a look at the materials taken out by Emily-san, but having no idea about their applications they lost their interest soon enough.


    I checked on them one after another and considered if I''m able to use them. Among them, there were some like Fine Iron Ore and Hobgoblin''s Horn I knew how to create.


    Since there were few of herb-based materials I gave up on them and took a different one in my hand. And then when I picked up an item called Element Stone, info about skill acquisition has appeared in front of me.


    ¡ª¡ªAfter fulfilling a condition an ¡¾Enchant¡¿ skill has been unlocked. After surpassing level 30 of ¡¾Enchant¡¿ and getting in contact with an item consumable by the skill, ¡¶Element¡·-type enchant has been unlocked.


    "...?!!"


    I froze, still holding the item.


    Immediately I selected the menu with usable skills and selected skills available under ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ Sense.


    There was the basic ¡¶Enchant¡·. Weakening ¡¶Cursed¡·. ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· that put a skill inside of the item and ¡¶Item Enchant¡· that provided additional effect.


    And the new, fifth enchant skill ¡¶Element Enchant¡·.


    It was a type of skill that consumed an item. In a sense, it was similar to how ¡¾Bow¡¿-type Senses consumed arrows.


    "What happened, Yun-kun?"


    "End... Emily-san. Is that all the Element Stones you have?"


    I was so shaken I almost called her ''Endo-san'' before restraining myself and asked her as nothing happened. Emily-san looked at me questioningly for a moment before answering.


    "That''s my exclusive... probably not, but it''s one of the recipes I completed. It''s a consumable that raises power of the corresponding elemental magic. Can it be that you want the recipe?"


    "Truth be told, I want it badly."


    "No can do. But I can prepare them so you can purchase them at my place."


    It can''t be helped then. I let out a sigh and told her that I want 10 each of the elements she had with her.


    Fire, water, wind and light, there were four elements, but since I was taking 30 pieces of material in exchange it would exceed trade by 10. It couldn''t be helped, I had to raise some funds first and purchase it the other day since I exhausted my money on the Mini Portal.


    However, seeing me act reluctantly, Emily-san made a proposal.


    "If you want, I''m fine with exchanging them for materials other than ¡¾Magical Organism''s Catalyst Metal¡¿. Let''s see... do you have bad status inducing drugs? Like poison or paralysis."


    "If that''s the case, then I do. What will be the balance?"


    "As for rate... how about 1 for 1?"


    Fine then. I passed five pieces of poison and paralysis drugs each and strength of 3 to Emily-san, in exchange I got a total of forty Element Stones instead.


    Emily-san made a satisfied smile as well and she took out a synthesis kit and spread it out.


    "Actually I needed it in order to complete an unfinished recipe. Right now I''m synthesising drops of strong poison-type mobs but the success rate is below 1%, I wonder how will pure poison work."


    Emily-san selected two-way synthesis, then put on a throwing knife consumable and the poison I passed to her earlier.


    It was a simple concept. Put poison even on a poor weapon and you''ll be able to defeat the enemy.


    A light leaked from the synthesis circle and two items have come together, dissolved and formed a single item.


    Poisonous Throwing Knife ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    ATK+7 Additional Effect : Poison 1


    "As I thought, the success rate is high when a proper poison is used... oh. But ¡¾Poison 1¡¿ is quite weak isn''t it."


    "Then how about we check the poison strength? I''ll take out poison of each level."


    "Really? Thank you, Yun-kun."


    Emily-san and I talked with each while smiling. In front of us poison and throwing knives were lined up, and together we continued to synthesize the knives and poisons.


    "T-that''s scary! Having two beauties smiling with poison between them is scary!"


    "Let''s give up. We''ll only end up being poisoned."


    Raina and Al said something rude as we amused ourselves with discussion about crafting. This was very important.


    Well, putting the two aside, we tried a few times to make a sample, and as we examined the laws behind synthesizing knives and poison I made notes.


    A knife synthesized with a bad status Poison 3 drug resulted in Poison 1''s Throwing Knife. Based on this, I made two hypotheses.


    First, when synthesizing all of the bad statuses end up as strength 1.


    Second, toxicity decreases a several times after synthesizing.


    To confirm this we synthesized drugs of various strength and checked whether synthesis succeeded or failed.


    The result was that synthesis with poison up to 2 failed, and synthesizing of Poison 4 proved that second hypothesis was true and the poison has gotten weaker.


    Synthesizing Poison 4 resulted with Poison 2''s Throwing Knife.


    "Since it''s a consumable, that means my arrows can be synthesized with bad status as well."


    "That would make Yun-kun really nasty. You''ll be able to one-sidedly put bad status on people from a long distance."


    Is what she said, but it wasn''t that easy.


    If the other party has a high DEF and MIND stats or resistance Senses, bad statuses can be resisted or mitigated. That''s why strength of level 2 was barely usable in the battle.


    Also, potions and arrows or throwing knifes contacted with the target''s surface area differently which was a problem as well.


    "Emily-san, you know that bad statuses wouldn''t make me that superior in the first place right? If it''s Emily-san, you''d be able to easily shield yourself by using that golem as a shield."


    "Fufu, I guess."


    Non-biological and magical-biological mobs like golems were completely immune to bad statuses in the first place.


    However, there were few ¡¾Bow¡¿-type Senses users, and while it was very simple concept, only a few people used it. The first impression one would get, is that it would be used for surprise attacks against other players.


    Poison was highly effective if thrown from a close range and the effect of poisoned arrows shot from a distance was low. Each of them had their disadvantages, I thought.


    ''Well then, let''s take a break, after that let''s go hunt again. This time I''ll join as well."


    "Y-Yun-san? Can it be that you''ll be using those poisoned arrows?"


    "Of course? There''s lots I won''t know until I try using them."


    "That''s true. Whether I sell it or use myself, I don''t want to compromise."


    Emily-san also agreed and after synthesizing a number of poison arrows I joined the hunt.


    The only thing we learned, was that the enemies in this area are too weak and they die before the bad statuses can be even applied.

 Chapter Volume 4 5

    Chapter 5 - Wisteria Peach Petals and the Cornerstones


    After learning Emily-san''s identity, along with the two beginners we have created a party of four and played together for a few days on hunting spots with few players in it.


    At times I accompanied them in hunting, I remade pound cakes or played with Ryui and Zakuro. I enjoyed activities no different from ones I enjoyed in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Eh? I don''t think this is what ''disappearing'' means, maybe.


    ¡º"So, Yun, what''s your current situation?"¡»


    "Oh, for the time being I partnered up with a player I met during the disappearance and we stay in a place with few people."


    ¡º"On this side we''re doings lots of stuff to finish the matter of guild solicitation. We''ll probably manage to settle it before the event."¡»


    "Well, I''ll be waiting patiently then."


    It was a friend call from Cloude. Since I was currently hiding and couldn''t meet him directly, I was contacting with ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ members this way to exchange information.


    Last time it was Magi, and before that, Lyly.


    "After I come back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I plan to craft ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ and ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿, want to hear about the progress?"


    ¡º"Please."¡»


    "I thought that the ¡¾Fireworks¡¿ have to be coloured beforehand, but I can just deliver ¡¾Exploding Balls¡¿ and you can decide yourself what kind of fireworks you want. How about it?"


    ¡º"Hmm. Certainly, rather than have you decide all the fireworks alone, leaving it to a number of crafters will be more interesting. Let''s do that then."¡»


    "Then, I''ll deliver the ¡¾Exploding Balls¡¿ colourless. Also, the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ is progressing well so far."


    ¡º"So far?"¡»


    "It''ll take some time until it''s complete."


    The procedure of crafting ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ was to crush ¡¾Bark of the Fragrant Moss Wood¡¿ into powder and mix it with dried ¡¾Pyrethrum¡¿.


    It was simple so far, but it has become similar to wood chips so far and had yet to be compacted and moulded with thermal compression.


    After moulding is finished it has to be dried in the shade, currently, I was waiting for this last step to complete.


    "¡ª¡ªSo, I''ll make for the delivery date, but it''ll take time."


    ¡º"I see. Then there''s no problems. Well, take care."¡»


    "Sure, you too."


    Slightly worried about each other, we disconnected from the chat.


    Fuu, I sighed and spoke towards the sky.


    "Settling the matter of guild solicitation... heck, what are they doing! I was too scared to ask."


    During the chat with Magi-san and Lyly they said the same thing, I thought of asking Cloude, but the conversation centred on the order and I didn''t have a chance.


    "Yun-kun, were you called by someone again?''


    Emily-san who was close by asked the moment I closed the friend communication with Cloude.


    "Ah, yeah... this time it was about the item delivery."


    Other than that, there were people who contacted me worried by the fact I don''t appear in the store. In those cases, I have politely responded to each person explaining that I''m in the middle of laying low.


    "You''re really loved by everyone, Yun-kun."


    In response to Emily-san''s mutter, I went "is that so?" and tilted my head.


    The twins, Raina and Al didn''t have interest in it, instead, they were nearby, reflecting on potion replenishment and cooperation during battle.


    And when I was about to speak to Emily-san, once again a friend communication has come. I checked who was the caller.


    "What on earth. Just a moment passed... ah, it''s from Taku."


    In response to my murmur, the gently smiling expression Emily-san had so far stiffened. Raina and Al also looked my way curiously.


    "Yun-kun, I think you know already but..."


    "I won''t leak anything about Emily-san."


    Exactly, thanks. While looking at still anxious Emily-san I connected to the chat with Taku.


    "What is it? For you to contact me... you know that I''m in middle of disappearance right?"


    ¡º"I''ll tell you my request straight up. I want you to process ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petals¡¿."¡»


    "...hey, they''re a revival item right? Why do I have to process it?"


    ¡º"Oh, I see. So you still don''t know."¡»


    As I heard Taku talk as if he was all-knowing, I recalled the harm done to me by the low level video of his and once again resolved myself to punch him.


    "So, what is it. If you''ve nothing then I''m ending the call here."


    ¡º"Ah, sorry. Earlier I''ve heard that some revival medicine was made with ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petals¡¿. Well, they''re incomplete low quality stuff though."¡»


    "About that, can you tell me in more details?"


    So far I''ve heard only half of what Taku had to say, but I got immediately fired up.


    ¡º"I thought you''d be interested. That being said, the recovery amount of the reviving medicine is unchangingly 1 HP."¡»


    "Wait a second. If I''m not wrong Wisteria Peach Petals also revive at 1 HP. There''s no difference at all right?"


    Eh? Didn''t I explain you in detail? And so Taku tilted his head on the other side of the friend chat.


    ¡º"There''s a big difference between petals and reviving medicine."¡»


    "No, I don''t understand what you mean here..."


    Since one way or another I couldn''t get a grasp, Taku gave me a simple example.


    In the case of Wisteria Peach Petals, if a Player A falls, Player B can use them to revive Player A, but the Player A can''t use his own petals from the inventory to revive himself. It''s a type of item that allows you to revive others.


    On the other hand, in case of revival medicines, if Player A falls, he can revive himself by using a revival medicine in his inventory. Moreover, just like petals it can be used on other players.


    ¡º"That''s why, to use petals multiple people are required."¡»


    "I see. Well, that''s a huge difference. Rather than that, why do you need it all of a sudden?"


    ¡º"Oh, I thought of joining the crafter''s event''s PvP tournament! For that, I intend to secure as much reviving medicine as possible."¡»


    "That, do rules even allow it? Doing such a thing in a PvP tournament."


    If they allow revival drugs like that, it won''t matter how hard it is...


    ¡º"About that, if things like items for throwing, HP recovery and MP Potions get restricted, power balance will crumble. That''s why they''ll be allowed."¡»


    For real? Even though I thought like that, I guess it''s certainly unavoidable.


    "Got it. If I have an answer I''ll call you back. Gonna disconnect now."


    ¡º"Yeah, I leave it to you."¡»


    I turned off the chat and turned towards Emily-san, Raina and Al.


    But, what should I say. In order to punch Taku at least once I need to meet him, but leaving in the middle of helping out beginners...


    "What are you bothered about. You were called out right? And by that Taku-san no less."


    "Yeah, that''s true but..."


    "Please go on! And bring some stories about Taku-san back!"


    Pure gazes of Raina and Al were brilliantly dazzling.


    Saying "leave this to me" with a wry smile, Emily-san pushed my back. "But don''t say anything about me", her eyes weren''t laughing at all as she said that.


    "Got it. But before that..."


    I needed to properly support the beginners, Raina and Al.


    "All right, it might be a bit early but I''ll pass you Potions that are above Beginner''s Potions. Also, I''ll make you some simple bronze rings from the ore we''ve collected. And, as for the stones we''ve gathered, I''ll make some Enchant Stones out of them. You can ask Emily-san about the method of use. Also..."


    "Yun-san! It''s fine, just go!"


    Seeing me take out items one after another to support the beginners, Raina yelled. And then, with a slightly irritated tone of voice she pressed on my back, trying to send me away by force.


    "Yun-san, we''re not children."


    "But..."


    "it''s fine, go! There''s no need to worry!"


    "If something happens contact me immediately!"


    "Are you our guardian or what?! There''s no need to worry, we won''t cause people any more trouble!"


    "So Rai-chan knows she''s causing people to worry."


    Well, if Al is there to retort then it''ll be fine I guess.


    "Really. Like this, it''s no wonder you got a nickname like ¡¾Nanny¡¿."


    I made an unconvinced expression in response to Emily-san''s words and sighed.


    However, unable to remain on spot forever, I left the party.


    In order to secretly return to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I logged out once, then used the starting point I had set in the workshop.


    Usually I used the Mini Portal to go out like this, by doing this procedure I could move around without using either the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s entrance or normal portals.


    After coming to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I made preparations to meet Taku and called back to him.


    The reply has come soon enough and I was able to invite Taku into the workshop part before long.


    "Yo, I was waiting."


    The moment Taku appeared I took a step forward. I twisted my waist and strongly sank low gathering my entire body''s energy to hit Taku''s amused face with a right straight.


    "Woah, what''s this. A sudden greeting."


    Because of his strange video, I''ve had to deal with the aftermath of beginner players trying to imitate him, thus I punched him to repay for that, but he lightly caught my fist with his hand.


    I have sank into a bad mood, displeased at my own low stats and being easily stopped. I immediately released strength in my arm and Taku let me go.


    "Sorry, made you wait. So, let''s talk in details now."


    When I spoke as if nothing happened, Taku tilted his head in wonder and joined in.


    "As I said through the friend chat, I want you to make revival medicine from the ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petals¡¿."


    "With that said, I need quite a few of them."


    "That''s why let''s go and pick some up! Rather than alone, we''ll pick up more the two of us, I''ll leave all I get with you for research purposes!"


    "Don''t be unreasonable. Do you think I could make it so easily without a recipe or information on other materials?"


    "That''s why I''m relying on your intuition and Senses."


    As Taku come at me with such baseless confidence, half of me wanted to live up to it and the other half felt a bit oppressed. Well, this time his timing was good.


    "I don''t know who''s the one to make the reviving medicine, but I was already examining the unfinished recipe."


    "Why didn''t you say anything."


    "I thought that a request for revival medicine will come sooner or later so I was making preparations. I thought of telling the first person who approached me about the recipe."


    It was one of the recipes not even Magi-san and the others knew about.


    I took out notes I gathered by using ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense. OSO''s mixing recipes are something that summarize blending ratios and couldn''t be readily shown to others. It was one of my advantages.


    "Yun, just where did you gather that information."


    "I''m a crafter. My home ground is the entire town including this store and material field. Well, it''s a by-product of searching for another recipe in the library and I don''t know the procedure yet."


    "That''s why it''s an unfinished recipe. So, what are the materials?"


    "Trade secret. Well, honestly speaking, I''m short on the materials. I can''t find one of the four. That''s why, look for the material in question in parallel with ¡¾Wisteria Peach Flower¡¿ gathering."


    I had two materials on hand and had ¡¾Wisteria Peach Flower¡¿ collection scheduled now. However, as for the last material, I didn''t know anything about it other than its name.


    "The item I want you to look for is¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Water of Life¡¿."


    "Roger that. Then, let''s go gather the peach petals later... ohh right, you still haven''t passed through the Horror Cave haven''t you, you need to go through it at least once."


    "I didn''t say a single word about going there myself to collect materials."


    "Well, it''s fine isn''t it. On the other side of the cave there''s a portal for transition."


    I glared at Taku, and was stared at with half-closed eyes in response.


    "Why are you so reluctant in the first place, Yun."


    "Um, that''s..."


    "Horror Cave''s mobs aren''t that strong."


    "Uhh... so, that ''horror'' name is what I hate!"


    "What is it, snapping all of a sudden."


    "Khhh... it''s not sudden. I don''t want to go to that Horia Cave."


    I really didn''t want to, but it was true that I had to pass through there sooner or later.


    It''s official name was ''Horia Cave'', but since ghost-type mobs appeared in there it was called ''Horror Cave''.


    To reach the Wisteria Peach Tree, players had to move on a road from the Second Town and go to the branching in the middle of it to enter the Horia Cave. Then, after going through an abandoned village the portal was in, there was a tree growing on top of the hill.


    Taku should have known that I''m not good with ghosts.


    "Give up. I''ll be there as an escort. Also, if you get to the abandoned village, you won''t have to pass through there again. It''s just once. And, taking your level into account it should be easy. No problem."


    "Got it, but I''m still doubtful about it. I''ll be going off for a while, I''ll contact you after I eat."


    "Roger. I''ll take a break as well, I''ll come to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ in the afternoon again."


    With that said, we logged out and returned our consciousness to real.


    After logging out, I got up from the bed and with a heavy feeling I prepared lunch.


    Today''s lunch was meat spaghetti, instant corn soup and raw vegetable salad.


    Since onions remained from the last time I made gratin with tomatoes and minced meat, I added it together to white wine I used instead of cooking wine, tomato ketchup and placed plenty of it on top of the pasta. Then I added some parsley, mixed and it was complete.


    The soup and salad were simple to make and could be easily prepared while pasta was being boiled.


    As I was preparing the lunch, a certain person came down from the second floor.


    "Good morning?, Onii-chan."


    "Good morning. Hey, it''s already lunch. You''re lazing around just because it''s a holiday? Didn''t you sleep too much?"


    "It''s okay it''s okay. Sleep time''s same as always... about four hours. I just went to sleep late."


    Heyhey, your lifestyle''s madness. It was more or less noon when she woke up. Normally Miu''s sleep time varied from six to seven hours. That means she usually goes to sleep at four or five o''clock. Until then she''s probably endlessly hunting in the night.


    It''s not something that impresses me as her brother.


    "Try living in proper hours, you''re missing breakfasts too..."


    "But you know, during the weekdays there isn''t any people late at night so I adventured until late with acquaintances. Playing in a party is more efficient when aiming for higher levels."


    "Good grief... worry about your health before efficiency. Hurry up wash your face and dress yourself."


    "Yee?s."


    When Miu disappeared into the washroom making loud sounds with her slippers I let out a sigh and snuck in a generous amount of spaghetti to compensate for the breakfast.


    After a while, together with Miu who washed her face and was refreshed we sat down by the table.


    "Yaay! Meat spaghetti! There''s a lot of cheese powder so it''s delicious. Can I ask for carbonara tomorrow?"


    "Maybe next time. I have ingredients for tomorrow already stocked up."


    "What are you doing in the afternoon Onii-chan? If you''re still in the hiding, then how about going to an unpopular area with me? Like, to a mine dungeon with orc-type mobs, it''s moderately hard."


    "Ah, no can do. I''ve got a prior engagement."


    When I said that, Miu narrowed her eyes and her gaze turned sharp.


    "Oh-hoh. A prior engagement huh... hmm, with whom?"


    "No, just for a little while¡ª¡ªin the game..."Wait a moment. I''ll guess it."...okay."


    Is it that? But... considering the circumstances... Like that, Miu tilted her head and tried to predict with whom I''m meeting.


    "There''s a low probability of Onii-chan extending the circle of his friends. That would mean... from the people who''re on holiday today¡ª¡ªthe favourite would be Takumi-san. Runner up, would be crafting activities you want to prioritize. For the black horse, Cloude-san, maybe?"


    "...correct. I was invited by Takumi."


    "Hmm hmm. Can I join? It seems more fun than looking for a party."


    "Ahh, I''ll be calling Takumi after the meal, so I''ll ask for his consent."


    We talked about silly things the two of us, and after the lunch I mailed Takumi to ask and got "by all means" as a reply.


    Since Takumi and Miu have apparently occasionally teamed up together in the game, their cooperation could serve as a reference. Also, Miu not only would become a strong escort, but her brightness could be a little bit calming in a dark cave.


    In that meaning, I was very grateful to Miu for coming with us.


    ¡ñ


    After I logged in through the unchanging OSO''s introduction screen, I stood in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "Sorry, I''m late."


    "No, I was about to explain everything in details to Myu-chan."


    "Onee-chan wouldn''t tell me this interesting stuff no matter what!"


    "No, it''s part business so..."


    "Well then, call Ryui and Zakuro, come on, hurry."


    "It can''t be helped."


    I muttered and when I summoned the two young beasts, Myu embraced the two that appeared enjoying herself.


    Every time they appeared, she pat and hugged them.


    At first they resisted and sought my help, but as I was unable to save them from Myu''s devil hands they have accepted the current situation and gave up.


    Let''s pretend I didn''t see them look into the distance as they were stroked.


    "Haafuu... it''s unfair after all! But I''m satisfied."


    While Myu made a wonderful smile, Ryui and Zakuro slipped away tiredly.


    "Since Myu-chan''s already satisfied, let''s confirm everything. We have two goals today. Successfully deliver Yun to the abandoned village''s portal and search for the material Yun needs for revival medicine. No problems so far right?"


    "No problem! Let''s go!!"


    Myu swung her fist grandly. On the other hand, I already thought of the Horia Cave and was disheartened.


    Exhausted Ryui and Zakuro comforted each other as if they were licking each other''s wounds.


    During the journey up to the cave, there was nothing in out of order.


    We jumped to the portal in the Second Town and advanced while defeating mobs that appeared on the road.


    Mobs that appeared on the main road were Fairy Panthers and Furball Demons that had a setting of plundering fields, we defeated them but...


    Since Myu with a kill-on-sight attitude lightly cut everything down together with Taku, I was able to journey safe and comfortably.


    "Ahahaha, you''re too strong and we proceed really fast... I wonder if I''m really needed here."


    "Then at least put enchants on yourself. Also, protect yourself."


    "In the first place, Yun will be useless from the moment we enter the cave... right from the beginning, you weren''t counted as part of fighting force."


    A dry laughter spilled out from me naturally. Ahh, as I thought. Oh dear, my existence is really thin at the moment...


    "They''re so weak?. Mine dungeon''s orcs or normal dungeon''s second floor is closer to being adequate to our level I guess?"


    "That would be the case if we were solo, with me and Myu-chan we could go a bit deeper, right. Next time let''s choose an area with higher difficulty, how about it?"


    "Then, please. Fufufu, I look forward to it."


    My best friend and little sister sure do get along well. When it''s the three of us, one always can''t enter the conversation, and that would be me.


    "Can I go back after all? I feel like making some bombs. Also, I hate ghosts."


    "Hey! Onee-chan, come back here! You''re not a child!"


    "It''s fine, come on! Don''t throw tantrums and complicate this!"


    "I don''t want to! I''m going back!"


    I resisted to a rare extent even if I say so myself, but Myu grabbed my left hand to stop me from escaping.


    "Come on, look. We don''t know what''ll appear so probably put on defence."


    "Uuu, I''ll remember this. ¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªDefence."


    After taking a look if I put on an enchant, Taku dragged me into the cave''s interior as if I was a police suspect.


    Inside of the Horia Cave, it was dark and there was a spine-chilling cold. The cold caused goosebumps on my skin and every breath felt cold, painful and heavy.


    And above all¡ª¡ª


    "Uwaaaa! Ghost''s voice wailed just now."


    "It''s okay. It was just the wind. Think of it as of sound effect inside of a haunted house."


    "Lookkk, there''s a soull..."


    "That''s Zakuro''s ball of fire isn''t it."


    When I saw the fireball float around us, I froze on spot. Zakuro whom I was embracing in the front created a light a ball of fire for additional light which moved together with it, but its flickering has stirred up fear inside of me instead.


    "Tch, they came out immediately because Yun made noise."


    I didn''t even think of asking what has come out.


    The sound of wind has mixed with groans and sound of rattling as if something hard collided with the ground. Myu''s magic was illuminating depths of the cave and what I saw through the darkness with my ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ were red, eerily shining eyes.


    "Uuu..."


    "It''s not that scary, right. This kind of thing..."


    The undead-type mobs, Zombies and skeletons have crossed the boundary of the light and darkness, moving closer to us.


    Taku spoke as if nothing and hit the approaching skeleton with his knuckle guard, the skull noisily rolled down on the ground. Next was a Zombie, Taku slashed sharply which made its upper and lower half bid an eternal farewell.


    The Zombie''s upper and lower half that fell to the ground moved by themselves, that sight alone caused my spirit to be scrapped off bit by bit. The skeleton also moved even without its head.


    Both of the Zombie''s halves crawled around on the ground.


    Seeing them unfazed by being cut and hit, looming towards us without putting up a guard despite being attacked has fuelled my fear.


    Unlike the Wisp, I was unable to communicate with them, they one-sidedly attacked.


    Moreover, after being defeated they were strangely realistic and scary. Why are they dying after having parts of their bodies like arms cut off?


    "Myu-chan!"


    "Affirmative. Ryui, you can do it too right! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·!"


    Myu and Ryui shoot light to a remote location. A ray of heat was released from Myu, and from Ryui came a veil of purification that came from above at the undead.


    The blazing light beam of Myu''s extended in a straight line towards the back of the cave and caused the undead to burn in intense flames, then turn into particles of light. Ryui''s purification caused the undead to gradually crumble like sand as they floated peaceful expressions.


    "Undead''s weakness is stuff like light and purification, so Ryui will contribute much more than Yun. Still, they were burned clean, Zombies and skeletons that is."


    "Look Onee-chan. No need to be afraid, don''t be scared. They all disappeared and it''s all clean."


    Just how grateful I was for Myu''s presence who held my hand the entire time ever since we entered the cave without letting go.


    However, on the contrary, it also meant I was unable to run away from Horia Cave.


    "I want to leave this place, and fast."


    "Okay okay. Taku-san is in the front and I"m nearby with Ryui. Don''t worry."


    "Yun, steel yourself. If you don''t, you''ll become a burden in this cave."


    Indeed, I didn''t want to become a burden, but I also knew that I don''t bring in any strength into the party.


    My fear of humanoid horror-like monsters was fading. But even though it was fading, cold and chills didn''t change and continued to wrap around me.


    If anything, it felt like it''s gotten worse compared to when I entered the cave.


    It felt as if someone was watching me.


    Rather than a single gaze, it felt as if multiple gazes were directed towards me from the entire cave, wrapping around my body heavily.


    "Come on, Onee-chan. The more you walk the more we progress."


    "I said... I can''t."


    Every time I tried to take a step forward, my movements have turned sluggish from fear. Being hurried made me further step on brakes and I''ve become stuck.


    That''s when the light source Myu made with her light magic started to blink and the luminosity began to weaken.


    "Taku-san! A Spectre came!"


    "Got it. Safety measures then."


    Slipping through the wall, appeared a translucent spirit body called Spectre. Eroding the light in the cave it floated in the air.


    My eyes were bound by the figure that swayed like a willow and my heart started to beat powerfully.


    And, the moment my enchant has expired an invisible darkness approached me.


    "¡ª¡ªI''m going back! I don''t want to be here!"


    "Onee-chan!"


    I shook off Myu''s hand and hid my head with both my arms. Zakuro whom I was holding with one hand jumped out at the same time and ran up Ryui''s back.


    "Taku-san! Onee-chan got caught completely!"


    "Tch, got caught huh. He forgot to put on an enchant. Myu-chan, I leave the spirit Spectre to you. I''ll take a look at Yun."


    Myu''s and Taku''s conversation felt distant to me.


    Now, I was regretting letting go of Myu''s hand and holding my head.


    My fingers are cold, very cold. No, don''t let go. Scary, it''s scary, scary... that''s right, I''m safe beside Ryui and Zakuro.


    I tried blindly feeling through the darkness in front of me and strongly hugged the two animals.


    I felt the two''s warmth, but that has also made my hands and cheek feel surprisingly cold. My limbs grew numb and crouching on spot, I shivered.


    Gazes I was entangled with that came from all directions were scary.


    Feeling fear from not being able to see anything and viscous malice, I swallowed saliva from tension.


    It felt like my ice cold body was about to be eaten by the darkness.


    And, while thinking of things I didn''t want to think of, I noticed something I didn''t wanted to notice. In this cave¡ª¡ªthere were bodies of living beings.


    The malice that had no source felt like a thick mucus.


    Warmth escaped from my own body, I felt as if I was being digested.


    In the end, I''ll be eaten out by those Zombies, won''t I.


    I imagined it for an instant and my fear was roused, my teeth chattered and were grit strongly.


    In response to the coldness that felt as if I was thrown into a refrigerator and sound of my own teeth resounding in my skull, I started seeing an illusion of becoming a skeleton myself.


    I have already melted away and became a skeleton.


    "Tch, ¡¾Confusion¡¿''s level is growing fast. Come back to your senses with the Awareness medicine!"


    I don''t want to hear anything. I don''t want to know anything. Cold entered my body and I was being filled with fear alone. When a cold liquid was poured over me it felt relieving for some reason.


    I wonder why? My ears that refused to hear anything started to pick up sounds, although my thinking was hazed, I was able to properly hear.


    "...Yun! Get a hold of yourself"


    "Ta...ku? My-u."


    My disfocused eyes saw the two.


    There was Myu releasing bullets of light from her hand as she faced a semi-transparent ghost drifting in the air.


    Dozens of Spectres were staring towards us, they looked as if they were about to cover the entire cave. However, they didn''t attack all at once, a few of them attacked at once and they were all taken out by Myu in a single blow.


    "Come on, one more. Awareness drug!"


    "What, ho..."


    A glass container was pushed into my mouth forcefully and a liquid has flowed down my throat.


    As not to let me choke, it was poured down my throat and then moved away from my mouth to let me breathe. Spilled liquid flowed down my chin and to my throat before being drawn into the clothes on my chest.


    And then, at the same time as I realized how shameful I appeared, my thinking has cleared up.


    "Fuhaa, it''s enough. I''m okay now."


    "Let''s hurry and leave the area with Spectres then, that''ll be the end."


    "Taku-san! Take Onee-chan and go ahead!"


    While I was still sitting down, Taku pulled my hand and started running through the cave.


    I just continued to proceed being pulled by hand. I tried to look behind worried about Myu and Ryui who were the rearguards, but I was stopped by Taku.


    "Don''t look behind! Just focus on the front!"


    "G-got it."


    I obediently followed Taku''s instructions and looked away from the back.


    Ahead of us we could see the end of the cave from which light was entering.


    Just like that, we slipped away from the undead stretching their hands towards us and jumped out of the cave.


    Ahead of the Horia Cave''s exit spread out an abandoned village. Modest houses built of stone with decayed wooden roofs, a slight feeling of life coming from the abandoned tools.


    Of course, it wasn''t as dark as the cave. I slowly walked through the abandoned village that had a peaceful vibe, then withered and exhausted I squat down by the portal installed near the fountain.


    "...that was scary."


    "Been hard on you. I didn''t think you would ''catch'' it so simply."


    "What''s up with that ''catching'' of yours. Also, what was that back then? What did you make me swallow there."


    I stared at Taku, but I didn''t notice that since I was looking up at him while crouching down I made upturned eyes.


    Laughing he pat my head in a rough manner.


    "W-what is it?!"


    "Well, I''ll explain in order. First, I asked you to increase your defence to protect you from bad statuses."


    "Haa..."


    After I made a reply that implied I more or less understood, Taku continued.


    "The bad status you received was ¡¾Confusion¡¿. At first it was ¡¾Confusion 1¡¿, but after receiving bad status attacks many times you got 2, then it raised to 3, and when I saw it, it was 4."


    Thanks to that, it wouldn''t go off unless a cure for confusion was used, is what he was saying.


    "Was the one who attacked with a BS that semi-transparent Spectre mob?"


    "There''s that, but going from the start, it''s a terrain effect of the Horia Cave."


    A terrain effect, simply speaking, it''s nature and characteristic of a terrain.


    Forests and plains didn''t have any nature in particular and not having any characteristics, they were standard.


    Taking plains as a basis and to compare them to wetlands, it was slightly difficult to walk through the wetlands and often your legs could sink in. If you think of it as of a terrain effect it would probably be¡ª¡ª¡¾SPEED Decrease¡¿ I guess.


    Other than that, a normal dungeon had variety of traps placed inside, and since it''s a cave there was no source of light inside of it, so it was dark by nature.


    The difference between day and night can also be considered a natural property.


    Although such things could be casually considered terrain effects¡ª¡ª


    "For Horia Cave''s effects, in addition to darkness, there''s granting of ¡¾Confusion¡¿ bad status. With that said, since it''s a spirit-type bad status, if one raises their MIND it''s quite difficult to catch it..."


    "So I was unlucky and caught it, have I?"


    "No, it was blocked by the defence enchant, but since you received ¡¾Confusion¡¿ immediately after it has expired it means you simply don''t have enough MIND."


    Disappointed with the fact that I bothered Myu and Taku because of the cave, I slumped.


    "Well, depending on one''s state of mind it can be difficult to catch it."


    "You mean, fighting spirit and guts?"


    "Things like that. Well, this time it was quite easy since your movements stopped and you didn''t go on a rampage. Also, you were hit by the Spectre''s apparition wave attack which increased the speed at which ¡¾Confusion¡¿ grew."


    "............"


    I was told that I won''t be of any use, but in fact I became a burden.


    If I knew about the cave''s nature I might have prepared one or two safety measures in advance, it was a punishment for neglecting information collection.


    Before throwing tantrums like "don''t want to" "no way", I should have asked about it, possibly avoiding this outcome...


    For example, I could acquire a ¡¾Confusion Resistance¡¿ Sense in advance. If I acted level-headed the results might have been a little bit better.


    "W-well, don''t be so disheartened. Even I didn''t think you would catch it. I should have explained it in advance."


    "............"


    My memories were hazy and I couldn''t recall either my miserable, distraught appearance back then and the thinking that became a mess, empty white blank. Just vague fear remained and a discomfort of being unable to recall what I was afraid of.


    Because of my naivety and the discomfort, my mood has turned bad.


    "I told you, don''t go feeling so down. Looking at it from a different perspective, having people like you who could catch it is a good a thing. Game creators want players to feel a realistic atmosphere of a haunted house and a test of courage. For that, people like you who can catch confusion and get stuck are necessary. If anything, it was a rare and delicious experience."


    "...Taku. Are you trying to comfort me, or maybe you''re trying to make me angry?"


    Laughing at someone else for being bad with something, I''ll shoot this guy in the back one day.


    "Ohh, your usual expression is back. That''s it, that''s the expression you should have."


    "What is it, what ''expression''."


    Even as I grimaced in dissatisfaction, I placed my hand on my face to check. It seemed like my facial muscles have loosened, but I couldn''t tell too well.


    "Well then, it seems like you have come back to your usual self. It seems like you''re all right."


    "I want to think I''m all right... hey, wait a sec. I was in a daze up until now so I didn''t notice, but Myu isn''t here. Ryui too."


    One human and one animal who have a valid means of attack towards undead still haven''t caught up.


    They would let themselves get done in so there was no sense of crisis. I turned my gaze towards the cave''s entrance and waited for them to come.


    Zakuro too, anxiously turned in the same direction I have.


    "Well, Myu-chan must be having fun right? I mean, shooting beams of light at attacking Zombies and Spectres."


    "No no no, it''s not a theme park attraction or a horror FPS, is it..."


    However, seeing as they weren''t coming out for quite a while, I gradually started to worry.


    I was unable to see through the gaping vacant entrance of the cave even with the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿.


    "Oh, it seems like Myu-chan has come"


    "No, rather than come... how do I say it..."


    At first I thought a person came, but gradually the sound of footsteps multiplied, echoing inside of the cave. I furrowed my brows as the dissonance between voices and footsteps grew.


    Myu and Ryui came out of the cave jumping, able to visually recognize the two I sighed with relief. Behind them, there were several dozens of monsters.


    Evil spirits of mountains and rivers. Seeing a sight similar to a Hyakki Yakou, my face that had its complexion recovered has started to pale once again.


    "¡ª¡ªTake that!""


    At the same time as Myu raised a not-so-feminine yell, the undead chasing her were assaulted by the daylight and suffering agony they gradually burned down.


    I faintly recalled Myu coming back while pulling monsters with her before.


    However, this time was different as the undead who tried to return to the cave caused a major traffic jam and the undead in the back pushed them outside of the entrance.


    After being pushed outside, the undead who lost their refuge from the sunlight have let out agonizing cries, making a hellish sight.


    Groaning Zombies, screaming Spectres, Skeletons who twisted around to expression their pain.


    In response to the sight, Myu made a guts pose as she received a massive amount of drops all at once. Together with Myu, Ryui let out an aura of confidence.


    This made the undead seem pitiful instead.


    "Somehow, rather than scary, this makes them look pitiful instead."


    "Well, small fry mobs are like that."


    I welcomed the amount of drops that appeared in my inventory with a melancholic mood.


    The undead who avoided being bathed in the sunlight moved away and were stuck in the cave''s entrance until the turmoil has subsided.


    "I''m back! Also, I brought lots of souvenirs!"


    As a result, I acquired a large amount of drops.


    The drops from Zombies were rusty, there were Iron Swords and Bronze Sword with ''rusty'' attached to their names.


    Their performance and durability was lower since they were rusted, but by using ¡¾Smithing¡¿ and ¡¾Engraving¡¿ they can be used to craft ingots. The ratio was roughly two rusted items for an ingot. These were often called hidden mines or mob mines by crafters.


    The drops from Skeletons was Bone Powder which could be used as a fertilizer. If it was mixed together with wild grass and soil then spread regularly on the field, the quality of items that can be harvested would grow.


    In regards to this, after crafting fertilizer I left it to Kyouko-san and synthetic mobs who put it in when it was appropriate time.


    Finally, the Spectre''s drops were Tears of Soul''s Repose.


    In exchange for the fact that Zombies and Skeletons did not have any rare drops, Spectre''s dropped only rare items. However, the probability of items dropping from them was overwhelmingly low.


    This time, thanks to Myu''s excessive farming two of them have appeared in my inventory.


    It was used as a strengthening material for the equipment items, using it on the weapons added ¡¾Undead Slayer¡¿ effect and using it on the armour granted ¡¾Undead Resistance¡¿ effect.


    "Good grief, Myu, you''re too reckless."


    "Ehehe, well. High risk high return is really nice isn''t it. Also, buy items I don''t need from me."


    "Yes yes. Ryui, you did really well to watch over Myu. So admirable."


    When I stroked Ryui''s mane, it squinted feeling comfortable and acted spoiled, rubbing its neck against me.


    "Not fair! I did my best too!"


    "Yes yes. You did well, you did your best."


    When I pat Myu''s head in the same manner, she made a sloppy, smiling expression.


    "Ha! Right, I almost forgot! I picked up souvenirs for Onee-chan while at it."


    "Ahahaha, so you even picked up the stones in the cave. So that''s why you were late to come back."


    Suddenly remembering, Myu took out gemstones, ore and stones from the inventory making a mess. Taku picked them up and laughed.


    "Taku, don''t try to hide it with laughter. Geez, Myu sure loves to worry people."


    " "Onee-chan isYou''re one to talk." "


    "...I''m sorry."


    Being told a just argument by both Myu and Taku I fell silent. Soon enough Myu clapped her hands, wiping away the atmosphere of self-reflection, I picked up the items taken out by Myu to appraise them.


    Half of the stones picked up in the caves were normal stones, but the other half was lucky.


    "It''s mostly gemstones and ore. I won''t know in detail unless I polish them. Is it really fine if I take it?"


    "Absolutely indeed?."


    "C''mon c''mon, let''s look for revival medicine materials instead of talking. There isn''t any enemies appearing around here, other than under the Wisteria Peach Tree."


    "Then, how about there?"


    In the direction I was pointing to, there was a path between the trees that continued towards the mountain. It was the opposite direction from the one we could see cherry-coloured blossoms dance in.


    "Over there''s impossible. It''s clearly too high level, if you go you''ll die for sure. Even I had no idea what was happening and could only run away."


    "E-even you couldn''t do it, Myu?"


    "That''s how it is. That''s why, unless we approach the mountain or hill, no enemies will appear."


    I was convinced with that, and started to search in the middle of the abandoned village and its woods.


    That being said, I didn''t know the area at all.


    "Hey, is there a prominent symbol or object in this area? I feel it might be in a place like that..."


    "True. After coming for the first time you won''t know what''s what so¡ª¡ªin the ¡¾Basement¡¿ there''s a tapestry with the village''s map."


    "Speaking of which, there''s that. I didn''t leave any image data of so I remember it only faintly, but certainly, despite there being a basement under the mayor''s house it seems like there''s nothing there."


    Look, in that house. In the direction Myu was pointing to, there were rotten houses spreading between the portal and the fountain in a semi-circular shape. The biggest house built with stone that had a slightly original form seemed to be the mayor''s house.


    The two guided me to the mayor''s house, while its outside appearance made it seem like it was severely damaged, the inside was surprisingly clean. Although there was dust on the furniture, it was either very strongly made or the house held out better than the others.


    "If I''m not wrong, if you go into the room in the back and remove flooring, there should be a basement there."


    "Got it. I''ll take a look."


    I used the ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense to examine the location for reactions. When I quickly removed rotten wooden floor parts, a thick wooden door with framework of iron has appeared.


    When I opened it by lifting it up, a mouldy stench and dust entered my nose and caused the young beasts to escape mayor''s house and flee outside, Myu and Taku held their noses.


    A rotten air flowed out from the basement, attacking my nasal cavities and in reverse, fresh air flowed inside from the room.


    "Myu, I leave the light to you."


    "Got that. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light¡·"


    Myu lowered a sphere of light into the dark basement. Peeking in from the entrance I confirmed it''s safe and went down using a ladder that was left in there.


    In the basement''s wide space there were bookshelves and desks, on the wall there was a large tapestry-like embroidered picture map. There was an atmosphere that made it seem like something could be there.


    "This is the tapestry map. Can you tell anything?"


    "Wait a moment."


    Tracing the tapestry map on the wall with my finger, I checked the locations.


    In the centre there was the fountain and the mayor''s house, there was a road that connected houses in the village which were spread radially.


    Other than that, the Horia Cave route we used to come here and the road between the trees towards the mountain were also detailed.


    And on the hill with Wisteria Peach Tree, although the colours were fading, there was an embroidery of light pink flowers.


    "I see. I''ve got a grasp on how the village looks like. Also, I''m curious about this mark here, the last material might be there."


    While I was checking the tapestry alone, bored Myu ransacked the basement and held out one of the items that were on the bookshelf towards me.


    It were wooden strips used as a recording medium, there were a holes in it and a linen string passing through them. They made a clattery sound as I was taking a look at them.


    "This, it''s one of objects that can''t be taken out of this basement. It can''t be put in the inventory either, if you try to leave with it, it''s going to transfer back into this basement by itself."


    "If I''m not wrong, it says ¡ºIf you can read this, make sure not to involve yourself with that monster¡ª¡ª¡»."


    Taku tried to recite the passage of text from his memory, but it seemed like he didn''t remember it in detail.


    I switched a Sense with the ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ and looked through the wooden strips.


    "Wait, that''s wrong."


    I read the contents of the wood strip aloud.


    What was written on the strips, were words of the village''s mayor and fortune teller.


    The village''s origins. The relationship between the god of land, a giant wolf and the sacrifices. Also, the survival and the crisis of the village. Increasing sacrifices and flowers continuing to bloom.


    In spite of the soil being very rich, the village''s population decreased. In the end, there were deaths of the young people who stood up against it and a stream of the spectres appearing with them.


    At the end of was a warning written by the village''s fortune teller.


    "¡ª¡ª¡ºDon''t get involved. He is the underworld''s gatekeeper¡» and that''s it."


    ¡ª¡ª ¡¾R Quest: Subjugate Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf¡¿ has been started.


    In that moment, we have started an unknown quest.


    ¡ñ


    " " "......?!!" " "


    The three of us were startled by the sudden appearance of quest information.


    "Hey, Taku. Why did a quest start?"


    "I''ve no idea, there must''ve been some condition. We did something no one did before."


    "Um, not done before. That''d be, deciphering the words left by the mayor? But it was done before. However, deciphering it from a screenshoot..."


    "Maybe deciphering the object that cannot be taken away in this place is a condition?"


    I organized the quest conditions pointed out by Myu.


    ¡ºDeciphering¡» the ¡ºObject¡» in the ¡ºBasement¡». If the location, target and action conditions are fulfilled it starts up, that''s convincing.


    There''s only a few players who would have ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ to decipher it and even less would come to this place directly.


    Honestly, there was a blind spot in the conditions, I''ve had tons of questions about it.


    What does this R Quest''s R mean? Anyway, let''s confirm the quest details from the menu for now.


    ¡ª¡ª ¡¾R Quest: Subjugate Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf 1£¯3 ¡¿ ¡ª¡ª


    Destroy the cornerstones. ¡ª¡ª 0£¯7


    Not understanding the meaning of the quest''s content, I looked towards Taku and Myu for help, but they shook their heads in the same manner.


    "I don''t know. But let''s take screenshots of the important things in here. They might get handy later."


    "You''re right. Let''s try looking for other info and go out."


    As suggested by Myu, I saved the tapestry map on a screenshot and explored the basement. I was unable to find anything else other than the tapestry map.


    "Still, R Quest huh. Myu-chan, do you have any idea what this R character means?"


    "Hmm. Maybe it''s something like ''Rare''s'' R, or maybe ''Relation''s'' R?"


    What Myu mentioned might have been possible. However, Taku shot one of them down.


    "I don''t really get it, but I think its not ''relation'' meaning. In case of the related quests, there''s already the C of the ''chain'' written in front. I don''t think it''s rare either. Yun, does anything come to your mind?"


    "There''s no way I could know if two hardcore gamers don''t. Before that, the quest''s first challenge, a cornerstone..."


    "Won''t we figure it out after we go back up? I''ll go ahead."


    Leaving that behind, Myu escaped from the stinky basement.


    Taku and I shrugged in the dim basement, feeling the same and not wanting to stay in the dim basement forever.


    After we left the narrow oppressive deserted house, we were able to feel a pleasant breeze under the blue sky. I stretched my body feeling the openness and took a look around.


    "The hint would be tapestry''s mark, I guess."


    The number of marks on the tapestry in the basement was 7 and matching the number of cornerstones, that would probably be it.


    Also, cornerstones would be the stones that are put into the ground to control underground water flows and earthquakes, at times it was used to seal spirits.


    If you think of it as of a spiritual symbol, then it was something that shouldn''t be touched. Is what it meant. And destroying it...


    "The ''cornerstone'' sounds unpleasant. It seems like something that seals evil spirits..."


    "Rather than that, the closest one from here would be there."


    Myu proceeded forward alone. Isn''t that a bit too forceful, I thought, but looking at her from behind I understood.


    "Good grief, Myu can''t suppress her curiosity."


    "It can''t be helped right. Just by knowing there''s an unknown quest, she became both cautious and excited. Let''s overlook this."


    Myu''s suppressed the desire to dash in all alone and impatience could be felt from how she was skipping towards the target. She''s all fidgety, still a kid isn''t she. I thought.


    "Still, Subjugate the giant wolf, that''d be a boss battle... are we going to do it with the three of us?"


    "Well, if it seems like we can''t do it we can always run. If we don''t escape and die we can always retake the quest again."


    I think dying and getting a death penalty would be painful, but it wasn''t like we would lose any levels.


    The demerits of it would be losing half the money and decline of the stats over a period of time. Meanwhile we would have time to remake out strategy and spend some time to cool our heads.


    "Look look, Taku-san, Onee-chan. Isn''t that the first cornerstone?"


    In the direction Myu pointed to, there was a rock we saw before when we were exploring the abandoned village. Other than that nondescript stone, there was no other object that could be the cornerstone.


    "Now, let''s start. Onee-chan, please."


    "Me, huh. Well, what we have do won''t change, so fine."


    I pulled out a pickaxe from the inventory and swung it down. With a high-pitched, hard sound as a response, a small scratch appeared on the stone. Unlike it''s appearance suggested, it seemed difficult to destroy.


    "Hard! Won''t my pickaxe break before we finish destroying them all?"


    "If that happens I''ll blow it away with magic."


    "Then, I leave that to you. Ha!"


    I swung two, three times, enlarging the scratch. And when the cornerstone was destroyed, a change has occurred.


    "What?!"


    "Yun, get back! Myu-chan."


    "Yes!"


    I moved to the back, Myu and Take moved in front and set up their swords. Ryui''s and Zakuro''s also entered battle readiness, their hair tails and mane were raised as they stared at the broken cornerstone.


    A white smoke has flowed form inside and gradually formed a shape of a person. It was a semi-transparent adult woman that looked like she was from countryside. There was no vitality in her face, she just one-sidedly spoke.


    ¡º"I''m grateful to you for releasing me. But you should go back immediately. You''ll still make it."¡»


    After leaving those words behind, she disappeared, dissolving in the air like a ghost or apparition that moved on.


    "What was that just now."


    "Wasn''t that a quest NPC? Probably there are similar ones in the other cornerstones."


    Taku responded to my question. Indeed, it was convincing if it''s an event character.


    "Look, the number on quest is increasing so it''s properly progressing."


    Despite the words of warning the woman who disappeared said, there was interest in the quest and curiosity that told us that the next cornerstone will reveal why was the village ruined.


    Even if we were being stopped, the next one would bring us closer to the truth. It was as if one read about a ghastly sight but wouldn''t know the truth until they continued reading, a development of a mystery novel.


    "...it''s gotten interesting."


    "Ohh, after coming this far you''ve finally gotten eager, Yun. Well then, let''s learn the giant wolf''s identity as today''s quest."


    "Agreed! Next would be there! Let''s go!"


    We continued to destroy the cornerstones one after another.


    From the destroyed cornerstones appeared a small child, dauntless youth, a girl with freckles, one-eyed hunter, a fat peddler. After hearing each of them confer, we gradually approached the core of the story.


    We listened to the words of the last one, a woman wearing a robe.


    ¡º"I am a fortune teller. Well, I no longer have the power to learn things. Well then, since you are going around breaking the cornerstones, it must mean you want to fight that giant wolf. Even though I left wooden strips to stop ye. Since it''s come to this, it''s now too late. So, about him. He''s just a ghost wolf that was entrusted the tree by a goddess. Nonetheless, he lived as a ghost for long long years, ye better remember his strength is not ordinary. If you can, I want ye to help that wolf who''s obsessed with his mission. That''s the last request of this old woman."¡»


    After all the cornerstones were destroyed and all the cast finished talking, I had a rough idea of the background story.


    It was a tale of a small, somewhat dark village becoming a ruin.


    After a bad harvest had befallen the village, it has offered sacrifices to the giant wolf that was the land''s god. Some of the rebellious villagers broke the cornerstones and rebelled, trying to defeat the giant wolf. However, the plan had failed and the village was destroyed.


    The living had become sacrifices and the dead had become undead in the Horia Cave.


    It was the ¡¾Giant Wolf and the Wisteria Peach Tree¡¿ that devoured foreign enemies, protecting people. And at the same time it was the ¡¾Giant Wolf and the Wisteria Peach Tree¡¿ that was being given sacrifices by the village.


    In the end, they could either run away from the village or settle for the current status of the village. The giant wolf only cared about its own mission. In an attempt to overcome this fate, they incurred the giant wolves'' wrath and everything has perished.


    "It''s a somewhat sad story. I was surprised when the children and women appeared as ghosts."


    "True. Even if it''s a setting, it''s quite sad. Still, the quest is ongoing. If we defeat the Giant Wolf at least their souls will be saved, so we can properly give them salvation."


    "It''s just as Myu-chan says, the quest proceeded to the next step."


    In response to Taku''s words who checked the quest in the menu, I also took a look at the quest that progressed.


    ¡ª¡ª ¡¾R Quest: Subjugate Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf 2£¯3 ¡¿ ¡ª¡ª


    Defeat the monsters that appear by the Wisteria Peach Tree. ¡ª¡ª 0£¯1


    The quest was definitely progressing.


    We arrived at the quest point which was the Wisteria Peach Tree.


    After we climbed up the hill we saw a normal blue sky spread out and space spread out below, but after we took a step over an invisible border we saw a different space spread out.


    "Wha?! This is..."


    There was a purple sky and a Wisteria Peach Tree with beautiful purple flowers. And, by the tree there was a horde of mobs awaiting us.


    Illuminated by the creepy black sun, they all set up on their respective prey.


    "Uwaa... impossible. This many of them."


    "Wheeew... hmm. That''d be above hundred I guess? Taku-san, you think we can take them on?"


    "If each of us takes 30 of them on... we''ll barely manage."


    "Myu, Taku! It''s no time for carefree act! We''re escapin...g."


    I turned around, and when I attempted to take a step away from the tree, another few dozens of undead have crawled out from the ground and surrounded us.


    Completely surrounded, I realized we cannot escape.


    "Oh come on, we''ll lose this right. Sorry Ryui, Zakuro. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Dismissal¡·"


    "Oh-hoh. Taking this many enemies at once is too hardcore. I''m thrilled."


    "That''s a number that''d makes even me want to run for my life, but well, let''s got at them at full strength!"


    I have already realized that we''re going to lose and returned both Ryui and Zakuro to the summoning stones. Myu and Taku also seemed to have resolved themselves to receive a death penalty. However, we displayed the will to fight until the end.


    "Yun. Give me attack. For Myu-chan, a speed enchant!."


    "Roger. ¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªAttack, speed."


    With my enchants as a starting point, the undead have assaulted us.


    Forming a circle around us, they pointed their swords and spears in our direction as not to let us escape. Bodies of bone stomped on the ground with dirty leather boots they barely wore, forming a siege around us.


    And jumping over the undead was someone entering the interior of the encirclement.


    "¡ª¡ªSkeleton Raider?"


    In the direction Taku muttered towards, there were three skeletons riding semi-transparent wolves large enough to allow a human ride on them. Each of them had a weapon and were irregularly equipped skeleton cavalry. The cavalry wolves had a semi-transparent bodies and were clad in purple flames, they had skeletons sitting in ragged saddles on top of them.


    When those three came out, the surrounding undead only poised their weapons and were stuck on spot.


    "First move for the win! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sunlight Arrow¡·!"


    Myu shoot multiple arrows of light from her free hand, engulfing one of the Skeleton Raiders and turning part of the undead siege into ash.


    With just a single hit she sent a Skeleton Raider and a number of undead into oblivion.


    What remained were undead who wouldn''t attack and two Skeleton Raiders.


    If it''s like that then we can fight... we held onto faint expectations, however.


    "Hahaha, no way. They got replenished."


    My mutter has been sucked in by the purple sky.


    The undead moved to close the hole that opened in the encirclement and behind them new undead have appeared, crawling out from the ground.


    The undead siege simply replenished itself and once again, a Skeleton Raider has jumped in above the wall of undead.


    "This seems like an event battle. We can''t get away, but we won''t be attacked harshly enough to be annihilated. We need to defeat a number of them and there''s probably a time limit. Yun, are you ready?!"


    "Well, we have to go at it until we can see the end! Onee-chan, support please!"


    Myu and Taku kicked off the ground the same time and closed on the Skeleton Raiders.


    Back to back with each other, Myu and Taku covered each other''s blind spots, fighting against three Skeleton Raiders at once with the two of them.


    After having her speed increased by the enchant Myu played around with the Skeleton Raider, inhibiting its mobility by aiming at the wolf that was responsible for it.


    Using that chance Taku used an art and steadily dealt damage to the skeleton''s body.


    Myu led it around its nose and Taku delivered damage to it.


    When the target changed to Taku, he loosened the attacks and Myu rushed at it instead to get targeted again.


    I couldn''t afford to just watch as the two performed a delicate hate management during combat. I attacked lightly to avoid the target changing, put on enchants on the two and used the speed cursed on the skeletons.


    In addition to that, I assumed a support role of recovering HP and MP that were decreased as the two were hit or used arts.


    Time after time again the two defeated Skeleton Raiders that reappeared. Even if one was defeated, another one always jumped inside of the encirclement. Alone, they were quite weak, but with no end in sight or a break our nervousness grew and we were being slowly worn out.


    "Yun, a new one came out!"


    "Roger!"


    Since they were late to cope with a Skeleton Raider jumping in from outside of the encirclement, its target didn''t change to Myu and it came running towards me.


    As expected of a raider-type mob. It approached at a considerably high speed, as it charged towards me with a strong momentum and a high reach of the spear it held in its arm, the sound of the air being cut has reached my ears.


    Also, since it thrust down at me from a higher position, it was difficult to counter-attack with a kitchen knife that had a small reach and the longbow that had low manoeuvrability.


    Still, even though it wasn''t at level of Myu or Taku, I was capable of self-defence.


    "¡¶Cursed¡· ¡ª¡ªDefence."


    Rolling on the ground, I avoided the thrust coming from above and applied cursed on the back of the Skeleton Raider that ran by.


    The Skeleton Raider turned around by the edge of the encirclement by directing the wolf and without losing momentum assaulted me again.


    "Onee-chan!"


    "Yun!"


    The two raised their voices, but there was no need to worry. I was already prepared to intercept it.


    " ¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·!"


    An earthen wall appeared between me and the Skeleton Raider.


    Without reducing the momentum the Skeleton Raider grandly hit the earthen wall that suddenly appeared and the bones its body was made of have scattered grandly.


    Having a cursed status applied on it, the Skeleton Raider received damage from its own charge.


    The wolf stood up unsteadily and its raider barely had any bones left in its body to fight. That''s when I dealt the finishing blow to it.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    I jumped out from the side of the earthen wall and pulled the bow''s string to the limit. The art released at close distance penetrated the Skeleton Raider''s upper body, broke up and scattered its bones.


    The Skeleton Raider''s upper body turned into light particles and the wolf spirit that was carrying the remaining lower body of the skeleton has escaped outside of the encirclement while sprinkling the particles of light all around.


    Before we could check if the opponent was defeated or not, a new Skeleton Raider appeared from outside the encirclement and was halted by Myu and Taku.


    I turned towards the two''s back and re-applied the enchants.


    "¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªAttack, speed!"


    "Thanks! Myu-chan, hold down the right one!"


    "Roger!"


    We continued to fight, cooperating together the three of us without falling. However, we didn''t think a fight there''s no sight of end to could be this tiring.


    "Enemy''s levels are are fine but... just how long are we supposed to take them on for!"


    "Calm down Myu-chan!"


    "Ahh, can we die and go back already? I''ve no problems with it at all..."


    "You too saying such things, Yun! C''mon, another one''s coming!"


    When Taku cut the Skeleton Raider, no new enemy has appeared. Instead, the two remaining have jumped over the encirclement and the skeletons surrounding us dispersed to the sides, opening a path to the tree.


    "What? Did we finally progress?"


    "Seems... like it."


    We defeated a few dozens of Skeleton Raiders. I don''t know the exact number, but there was quite a lot of them.


    And, we proceeded to the final step¡ª¡ª


    ¡ª¡ª ¡¾R Quest: Subjugate Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf 3£¯3 ¡¿ ¡ª¡ª


    Defeat the Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf ¡¾Garm Phantom¡¿. Remaining¡ª¡ª 0£¯1.


    The quest advanced to the last stage and at the same time, fog started to gush out from the base of the tree.


    The gushing purple poison-like gas formed a spiral. The wolf that was formed by the semi-transparent gas was worthy being called a giant.


    Its total length was about ten metres. It was about three times as tall as a human. Wolf''s limbs had its sharpness despite being a spirit body, and its mouth was big enough to swallow a human all at once.


    The boss was clearly on a level at which players were unable to deal with. I felt a deja vu as I looked up and saw how enormous he was.


    ¡º"So ye are ones who destroyed my cornerstones..."¡»


    "...the boss spoke. So he has an AI."


    Taku muttered with admiration. However, it was ignored and the story continued.


    ¡º"The cornerstones are key points adjusted to suck out life! It''s because of ye destroying it those undead are overflowing! Ye fools! Or maybe, ye were tempted by the healing of this tree!"¡»


    Oh, I remember. I''ve seen mob this big before. It''s the same as the ¡¾Great Eater of Mythical Beasts¡¿ that appeared on the last day of the summer camp event. It was too reckless for one person, no, it was too reckless for just one party to take it on.


    A raid-class boss. R meant Raid. A quest recommended to be finished by multiple parties.


    ¡º"Just ye three aren''t sufficient to become sacrifices. It cannot be helped, kin of mine, call them back."¡»


    Howls have resonated together with the giant wolf''s ¡¾Garm Phantom¡¿ words, seven Skeleton Raiders have appeared from the ground and flew away somewhere.


    ¡º"I would be content with devouring ye here and feeding the three with ye. However, for a new sacrifice ye are too few. I''ll think of it if ye endure this blow."¡»


    The giant wolf swung its big front leg. We reacted to that action.


    Taku stood in front as a vanguard and took a defensive posture. I applied double DEF and MIND enchant on him and Myu expanded a light element''s defensive membrane.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªYe resist huh. Then I''ll show ye."¡»


    A single swing. A shockwave was released by the front leg swung down from above, it gouged the ground, engulfed the undead and assaulted us.


    We tried to resist by clinging to the ground, but our resistance was in vain and we were lifted up and unable to position ourselves we fell on our backs.


    "K-khha..."


    It was a flashy attack that had enough power to lift a player''s body. However, the shock I felt with my five senses was weaker then the one I would receive in the reality, making me confused.


    If this was the reality, I should have felt a pain similar to being ripped apart, but having pain cut off in the game caused my sensory nerves to go mad, making me imagine it caused an overflow.


    Myu and Taku also fell to the ground, glaring up at the giant wolf.


    ¡º"Hmph. Ridiculous, to think ye could defeat me with just that much! If ye wish to destroy us, bring ten times this much forces with ye!"¡»


    The voice resounded on the battlefield. As I thought, this quest is recommended for a large number of people.


    Rather than there being six cornerstones for six players of a party, there was seven for seven parties. The giant wolf also said there wasn''t enough sacrifices. In other words, it meant ''call more people'' hasn''t it.


    Even so, the resounding voice was quite harsh. Heavy bass sound intermittently delivered an impact to my head.


    ¡º"Hmph. Seems like they made it in time."¡»


    While we couldn''t get up, the Skeleton Raiders that flew away earlier have come back.


    In their hands, they held seven ghost of the sacrifices with chains wound around them.


    Both young and old, they were screaming with both their hands and legs immobilized.


    ¡º"So we weren''t saved after all."¡» ¡º"No! I can''t bear it no longer!"¡» ¡º"And here I thought I could finally meet my dead wife!"¡» ¡º"Back under the dark soil... I wonder when the next time will come."¡» ¡º"O'' Goddess, is this also a trial?"¡» ¡º"I had nothing to do with the village in the first place! Release me!"¡» ¡º"So it failed huh. Well, think of yourselves as lucky for not becoming human sacrifices like us, forget this."¡»


    The sacrifices that have become ghosts were dragged back to the ground along with the Skeleton Raiders.


    What we saw in the end, were the ghosts making philosophical expressions or ones that suggested they gave up, crying children begging for help and heard screams that continued seemingly forever.


    ¡º"We will be going back to sleep. There will be no next time."¡»


    Turning back into mist, Garm Phantom disappeared. Chasing after it, the undead sank into the ground. What was left behind, were just us, rolling on the ground.


    Looking up at the Wisteria Peach Tree from below, having time to watch it with leisure I thought it was beautiful and out of place.


    That''s what they call escaping from reality, isn''t it.


    "Yun, Myu-chan. Are you okay?"


    "I''m alive somehow. I was furthest back so I received little damage."


    "I''ve had it close. Damn, my armour''s durability..."


    Right after such a tense scene, we''ve had a silly conversation. However, Myu alone stood up quietly without saying a word.


    "Sorry. I''m feeling kind of bad, can I drop out?''


    "Y-yeah, sure. Take it easy."


    "Myu, are you okay?"


    "Yup. I''ll drink some water and calm down. Sorry."


    Myu made a delicate smile and logged out. It was just a game, but she was deprived of her usual energetic behaviour and motivation.


    This event must have been too shocking, normally filled with pride and confidence Myu probably had it all shattered with one blow...


    "Got it. Since it''s not enough with just us, I''ll talk with some acquaintances."


    "Sure, I leave that to you, Taku. I''ll go take a look how''s Myu."


    I got worried about Myu who logged out and kind of lightly ignored what Taku said.


    "Myu-chan''s isn''t feeling the best. It can''t be helped. Hurry up and go."


    "Thanks, Taku."


    "What are you saying. Both Myu-chan and you are important companions of mine. It''s a given."


    I thanked Taku in my mind. Accepting his encouragement, I also logged out.


    After logging out, I went to Miu''s room to check up on her and knocked on the door.


    "Miu? How are you feeling? Can I enter?"


    I''ve heard a sound come from inside, after a while, "you can enter" I heard Miu''s voice say so.


    "Coming in. Are you okay?"


    "Ehehe, I lost."


    She made a broad smile like back when I pat her, but this time it felt devoid of energy and motivation. It felt like she was just acting strong.


    I asked Miu not minding that at all.


    "Was losing that much of a shock to you?"


    "Hmm. I... guess so? I mean, I never lost before."


    As iff?. She made a joke, but her expression was clouded over soon enough.


    "As I thought, losing in a game is normal, isn''t it. Winning and losing, losing and winning. Repeating that is fun, but I might have forgotten how is it to lose."


    "I hardly ever win, it''s all failures. It''s not something to be bothered by so much, right?"


    "That''s because Onii-chan knows how it is to lose. But, you see. That''s why I didn''t think losing in VR would be that shocking. It was my first experience..."


    Miu paused in middle of the sentence. I waited for her to continue.


    "...also, that quest. The last ghost quest NPC stared at me before it disappeared. It''s eyes were incredibly hateful, it was scary. I''ve never been looked at like that."


    "How unexpected, to think you think such things as well."


    "Hey, that makes me mad! But, isn''t that quest''s objective?"


    Quest''s objective, I didn''t understand what she meant, but there seemed to be a meaning of it for Miu.


    She looked up at the room''s ceiling, let out a breath grandly and answered to that.


    "Games are fun right. They''re exciting, thrilling and addictive making you want to play. They makes me wanna go at them hard, have fun and make an uproar. That kind of festival-like fun times seem to go on forever, right."


    "Well, I think it would be nice if fun times continued forever."


    "But, playing games has to end one day. The world of dreams won''t be there forever. Sometimes I decrease the time I play to remind myself of the real, aren''t times like this that leave a bad after-taste good for to reconsider things?"


    "...an opportunity to reconsider, huh. Maybe so."


    When I was passing through the Horia Cave I hated it from the bottom of my heart. Since the games were providing fun, being pulled back to reality at times was very uncomfortable. No one could tell what kind of traumas people had, what they were uncomfortable with or what would stimulate them. However, among the people with diverse personalities there will be those pulled by to reality by such things.


    In order to change that unpleasant mood of theirs, they would look away from the game and would be reminded of the society existing in the real. I wonder if that was the intention behind such things.


    "So, Miu, you''re going to readjust yourself on the inside?"


    "Yup. I might not break through it immediately, but it''s okay. The greatest paladin Myu will come back without a doubt. Um... wait for it, kai?"


    I extended my hand to wards Miu who acted shyly, as I pat her head she responded with a slightly embarrassed smile.


    And¡ª¡ªMiu''s stomach sounded grandly. Honestly, her stomach reminded of its existence loud enough for me to hear it. Miu tried to make excuses in a hurry.


    "N-no that''s not it! It''s not that!"


    "Yes yes. Good grief, is there anything you want to eat?"


    "Uuu... then, something gently-tasting."


    I looked as Miu grasped the sheets of her bed and was dyed red with shame up to her ears.


    "Then, I''ll make rice gruel with crab and eggs. There should be a crab for a hot pot, so I''ll borrow a leg or two from that."


    "...thank you."


    When I was leaving Miu''s room, a quiet mutter made me return a smile before I shut her room''s door.


    It seems like there was nothing to worry about, but it will take time.

 Chapter Volume 4 6

    Chapter 6 - The Greed Sensor and Flame Prison Corps


    "And so, I''m worried about Myu after all..."


    ¡º"Yun-kun, your excessive doting is showing."¡»


    When I shared my worries with Emily-san through the friend chat, she responded appalled.


    ¡º"But I get it. R Quest discovery and ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ right. As for the revival medicine, you''re still in the middle of creating it right?"¡»


    "Yeah, Taku is gathering the Wisteria Peach Petals now, the last material I need is ¡¾Water of Life¡¿."


    ¡º"Mmm. I don''t know. But how about asking other people?"¡»


    "You''re right. I''ll do that."


    ¡º"Do your job properly and then tell Raina and Al about it in fun and interesting manner please. Until then I''ll look after them."¡»


    Although I felt like I was being spoiled by Emily-san who had a caring personality, I allowed myself to rely on her this time.


    "Thank you for agreeing for the consultation today."


    In the end we said our farewells and the friend call was disconnected.


    "Now then, let''s try asking crafters, Magi-san and the others."


    It would be nice if they knew, thinking like that I initiated a friend chat, contacting Magi-san.


    The chat connected with Magi-san immediately.


    ¡º"Yes, Yun-kun. What is it?"¡»


    "There''s something I want to ask. Is now okay?"


    ¡º"Yup. It''s all right. What is it about?"¡»


    "Actually, I''m in the middle of looking for an item for crafting a certain item. I wanted to ask Cloude and Lyly as well..."


    After I said up to there, Magi-san responded with "wait a moment" and it seemed like she was talking with someone.


    ¡º"Sorry, Yun-kun. I''ll switch to multi chat mode now. It''ll be easier if you ask Cloude and Lyly at the same time, right."¡»


    "Thank you very much."


    The friend chat menu changed to the multi chat mode, and it turned into a state where I could hear multiple voices.


    Of course, Cloude and Lyly were in the chat, but I felt like I heard other voices there too... or rather, I''ve heard those quite recently.


    ¡º"Then, as for the shark''s rare drop, please."¡»


    ¡º"Haa, fine. We''re really busy. If we get it, we''ll do an exchange."¡»


    That voice, it was probably Mikadzuchi. The one who sighed was Cloude. What were the two talking about?


    ¡º"It seems like Yun-kun has something she wants to ask, is it okay?"¡»


    The conversation on the other side of the call stopped and I was prompted by Magi-san.


    "Umm, I''m looking for a crafting material ¡¾Water of Life¡¿, do you know of it maybe? Cloude, Lyly."


    ¡º"¡¾Water of Life¡¿? Never heard of it."¡»


    ¡º"Me neither. By the way, Yuncchi, what are you trying to make?"¡»


    "That''s... I''ve been asked for ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿."


    ¡º"Oh, a ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ in this time of need. Recently there was talk about a revival medicine being completed, were you inspired by that?"¡»


    Magi-san acted a little bit surprised and it felt like there was something behind it as well, but continued.


    "No, I''ve been asked for it by Taku. He''s gathering the ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petals¡¿ while I''m looking for the other materials."


    When I responded to Magi-san''s question, I''ve heard a convinced murmurs.


    ¡º"I see. But I don''t know either. I don''t know what kind of crafting material is it, but if it''s water then I could use it as a metal coolant."¡»


    ¡º"In my case I could use it in a stage of weaving threads."¡»


    ¡º"I could use it when I''m dissolving the paint and varnish on the staffs."¡»


    Magi-san and other crafters have each imagined a situation in which they could use it with ease. I myself, secretly expected for the potions effect to rise if I were to use it instead of distilled water.


    ¡º"Yo, Missy. If you can''t find it, how about you come here and make some side dishes to come with booze?"¡»


    "I said, who the hell is ''missy''! I''m..."


    I''m a man, I wanted to complain as usual but before I could, a voice I haven''t heard earlier interrupted me.


    ¡º"Um, Yun-chan? I think, I know where it is."¡»


    "Hey, that voice, Sei-nee?! Why?!"


    Why, did she know and why, was she there. Although it meant those two things, it seems like Sei-nee took it as the former.


    ¡º"I''ve heard about the raid quest from Taku-kun. He invited a number of parties and friends to participate, did he spread that info?"¡»


    After Sei-nee said that, I was reminded of the conversation I had with Taku.


    "Ah, speaking of which he said so earlier."


    ¡º"That''s right. As thanks for the info I''ll tell you where to find it for free. You can get it in¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Sei-nee''s voice was interrupted halfway and I could hear something like a slapstick sound come from the other side.


    "Sei-nee?"


    I called out worried, but for some reason the one who answered was Mikadzuchi.


    ¡º"Won''t you make a party with us and go on adventure in a dungeon, Missy?"¡»


    "A dungeon?"


    ¡º"The ones who discovered the raid quest is you Missy and Taku after all. We''ll take you up to the location you can get the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ you want in."¡»


    That would be great. Despite thinking that, I still was bothered about Mikadzuchi calling me ''missy''.


    "Please stop with calling me ''missy'' So, about Sei-nee¡ª¡ª"


    ¡º"Won''t you make a party with us and go on adventure in a dungeon, Missy?"¡»


    ¡º"I''m okay! Yun-chan, it''s fine I''m all right!"¡»


    Why was she panicking, what was she upset about, I thought there was some trouble on the other side, but since Magi-san and Cloude as well as Lyly didn''t make any noises, I could only tilt my head in wonder.


    Whatever. I thought and directed my thinking towards the dungeon.


    If I go with Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi to a dungeon, I''ll be able to learn the location of ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ collection point.


    And, by fighting in a party I could do some leveling. However¡ª¡ª


    "So, what''s Mikadzuchi''s real goal?"


    ¡º"In the underground dungeon of the Maze Town, there''s a reinforcing material that has an additional effect we want. Missy, will you join the party in order to go and get it?"¡»


    "I said, don''t call me ''missy."


    Probably, on the other side of the friend chat Mikadzuchi was going "kukuku" trying to suppress her laughter, I could easily imagine that.


    "Well, if it''s that then I''m fine with it. But I won''t be too useful in there."


    ¡º"It''s all right. I''ve heard from Sei. That you have something she doesn''t."¡»


    I wonder if that''s the case. Sei-nee is strong and beautiful. Also, she holds the position of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ submaster. Compared to me, she was a top player.


    Saying that I have something Sei-nee doesn''t, sounds like a method often used to console someone so I didn''t take it seriously.


    "Well, fine. So when do we gather?"


    ¡º"Let''s see. With everyone''s schedule... how about this evening?"¡»


    "Understood. Now then, I''ll prepare before then."


    I disconnected from the multi-chat with Magi-san and the others and proceeded with preparations for completing the dungeon. Speaking of which, I didn''t hear anything about the dungeon other than that it was the underground cave dungeon so I prepared the general purpose items.


    I made a large number of High Potions and MP Potions. Also, Enchant Stones and Magic Gems. For as long as I could I polished the gemstones collected by Emily-san and others, then continued to use ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· on them.


    In addition to that, I used ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ consuming my MP to combine items, I combined Iron Arrows and various bad status drugs making poison arrows. Since with this my stock of bad status drugs has been thinned, I''ll have to return to cultivation of the poisonous herbs in the field I thought and made a small sigh.


    Working all alone in silence I forgot about lots of things as I immersed myself, when I suddenly remembered I got worried about Myu again.


    "Not good, these kind of feelings. All right, let''s do this!"


    I slapped my cheeks once, firing myself up.


    Since it was the good time, I transitioned from the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s mini portal to the portal in the Maze Town.


    The meeting was in the street in front of the dungeon''s entrance, there were quite a few above average leveled players there.


    "Oh, Missy! Here, this way!"


    "It''s embarrassing so stop with that ''missy''!"


    Mikadzuchi found my figure and started waving to me, but I was in the middle of disappearing so I didn''t want to attract too many gazes towards myself. I had a hood lowered deeply on my head and was facing down, so the players went "who?", looking at me puzzled.


    "Mikadzuchi. You''re troubling Yun-chan so quit it. Now then, let''s form a party."


    I accepted the party invitation that came from Mikadzuchi, entering it.


    The party members were Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee as the two from ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿, Magi-san, Lyly and Cloude the three crafters.


    Seeing this unusual combination I was puzzled but refrained from asking until we entered this unpopular dungeon.


    After we were guided by Sei-nee to a stone gate, the scenery has completely changed.


    It was very quiet and a murmur of water could be heard in the distance. It was a cave-type dungeon, but the ceiling and the passages weren''t that narrow. Rather, the ceiling was high and the passages were wide.


    The pale white light on the walls didn''t have cold sharpness, it felt soft and dazed.


    "Haa, since Yun-kun''s been hiding recently Onee-san was very lonely."


    "Uh, umm... I''m sorry, Magi-san."


    As I stood there impressed by the sight of the cave, Magi-san called out to me with a smile. Since I was dazed my reaction was delayed and I reflexively apologized.


    "Oh Yun-kun, you don''t have to worry so much!"


    "Uwahh?! Magi-san?!"


    "Yuncchi, I''ll cling too!"


    "Hey, Lyly!"


    While I was making a puzzled expression, Magi-san has embraced me from the front. When I hurriedly raised my voice, Lyly also joined in and clung to my waist.


    "Wai-, it''s embarrassing! Sei-nee and others are watching!"


    "But...! Without Yun-kun to heal me I''m starting to have trouble breathing because I stay with Cloude!"


    Being a guild master of crafting guild is not fuuun! Magi-san''s cries echoed throughout the cave. Not knowing what to say to comfort her I lightly pat her back.


    Then, Lyly, probably satisfied earlier than Magi-san moved away from me.


    "Sorry, Yun-kun."


    "No, it''s fine, really..."


    I''ll keep to myself the fact that she pressed her breasts against me from the front.


    And when I looked around, I saw smiling Sei-nee with a hand on her cheek say "oh my'' and Mikadzuchi who grinned broadly. The last one, spreading his arms saying "now, I''m next" was Cloude. I suppressed the urge to smash his face in, ignoring him.


    "S-speaking of which, why are Magi-san and others here?"


    "We undertook a consultation on the topic of raid quest completion also, we came to collect items for the event Lyly''s planning."


    I recalled the event he was supposed to use the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ for and went "ahh", convinced.


    "The raid boss is a spirit type so ¡¾Silver Ore¡¿ will be needed right? We can gather a little of it in here and at the same time get reinforcement material for Sei-san''s weapon, there''s lots of reasons."


    When I was convinced by Magi-san''s explanation, she said "of course, learning the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿''s Yun-kun wants is also an objective" and winked.


    "Since we''re going until we reach boss, until what layer are we going to go?"


    "Until we pass through all five layer of the dungeon."


    Sei-nee seemed to have been most familiar with this dungeon and has taken over the explaining role from Magi-san.


    The boss mob was in the deepest part of the dungeon, fifth layer, there was no shortcut that would lead to the bottom.


    However, the mobs on the first and second layers are not active so we can ignore them and proceed, the fifth layer is just a rest area and the boss room so only the third and fourth layers were real problems.


    "But we''ve searched this dungeon thoroughly so don''t worry."


    "You''ve searched it thoroughly yet you still need the reinforcement material from the boss, do you need a new staff again?"


    When I responded to Sei-nee who puffed her chest and raised the bottom of her robe, her smile somewhat stiffened.


    "What is it? Sei-nee."


    "It''s nothing."


    When I tilted my head, puzzled with Sei-nee''s strange appearance, Mikadzuchi furrowed her eyebrows and made a small grimace.


    "Sei has her own circumstances."


    "Haa..."


    Is that so. Nothing came to my mind. "I''ll guide you then", Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi stood in front.


    "There''s no need to hurry, let''s proceed leisurely. Speaking of dungeons, it''s treasures. Random treasure chests filled with hopes and dreams occassionally appear at random."


    " "Hee?" "


    Lyly and I let out our voices impressed with Sei-nee''s explanation.


    "On the first layer, you move in a straight line towards the stairs that lead lower but no treasure chest appears on the way there, but it does appear on the side alleys. That''s why you should look around to the sides and search for the treasure chests."


    "Yuncchi! There it is!"


    "That side alley. It''s in a place where light doesn''t reach."


    "But, about 90% of the drops from the treasure chests is poor equipment. It''s mostly stuff that''s sold to NPCs and becomes seas of electrons. Earlier, I found just poor items like a ¡¾Magic Power Hammer¡¿."


    While listening to Sei-nee''s explanation, Lyly and I went to pick up the treasure chest in the alley.


    "Yuncchi, let''s open it together."


    "Sure, then, one, two¡ª¡ª"


    " "¡ª¡ªThree!" "


    Partially forced to do it by Lyly, I thought I should act my age, but without minding too much I checked the items.


    Air Reduction Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿


    DEF+4 Additional Effect : Substitute (Wind)


    "Yuncchi, what did you get? I got an item called ¡¾Power Knife¡¿."


    "I got ¡¾Air Reduction Ring ¡¿. What''s this ¡¾Substitute¡¿ additional effect? Is it like ¡¾Gem Substitute Ring¡¿? Hey, Sei-nee..."


    In the treasure chest, there was the accessory with ¡¾Substitute¡¿ additional effect, a little bit of gold, silver and iron ore crafting mateirals and basic potions with default recovery value.


    I wanted to ask Sei-nee to evaluate it, but she crouched on spot and was holding her knees.


    "Umm..."


    "What Missy pulled out is a very rare item with 5% drop probability. It''s an item that reduces elemental damage taken by the player in exchange for the item''s durability. If the item''s durability runs out it''s destroyed, but since its effect overlaps with many other effects that have limitations, you''re in the luck. As for Lyly, that''s a ''miss'' equipment."


    "Is that so. Great for you, Yuncchi."


    In response to Mikadzuchi''s description, I thought ''hee, is that so'' and realized it had a backwards compatibility with ¡¾Gem Substitute Ring¡¿. As long as the ¡¾Gem Substitute Ring¡¿''s gem was changed, it could exert its effect multiple times and the ring itself wasn''t an unique item by itself. However, since it had quite a peaky nature, there were advantages and disadvantages to using it.


    "I don''t need it, so if you want Lyly you can take it?"


    "Eh? Is that okay?"


    "I don''t mind. I already have the ¡¾Gem Substitute Ring¡¿. In exchange, how about you give me that ore?"


    "That wouldn''t be enough alone, next time I''ll perform a maintenance on your equipment for free."


    "Okay then."


    I agreed to trade with Lyly and passed the ¡¾Air Reduction Ring ¡¿ to him.


    In fact, since I needed Silver Ore so that I could fight against the Garm Phantom, I was happy about getting it.


    "Hey, Sei."


    "That''s right. Yun-chan is always like that."


    "Ahh, how dreadful. Obliviousness."


    Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi were talking about something and it seemed to be about me.


    "Hey, what about me?"


    "No, it''s nothing. Let''s proceed forward."


    As we were prompted by Sei-nee, I once again today tilted my head puzzled. I thought that she acted kind of strange.


    We went down to the second floor, engaged in some light combat to coordinate ourselves and level up, we aimed for the bottom layer.


    ¡ñ


    "Kurocchi, there''s one there too. A ¡¾Black Lustrous Sphere¡¿."


    "I know. I''ll collect this one here first."


    Cloude and Lyly entered a small room in the middle of the third layer and were picking up black cobblestone that was lying in the corner of the room.


    It seemed like they would be used for Lyly''s event. While staring at the excited duo young beasts and I were taking a break.


    "It''s like an aquarium with fish flying isn''t it."


    I muttered after recalling the sight I saw on the second layer.


    Fish-type mobs freely swimming in the wide space. The thinly stretched over the ground water matched well with the light source and created a reflection of water on the walls and ceiling.


    When one looked up to the ceiling, they could see movements of fish that can normally be only seen from inside of water, observe an angle impossible to observe from normally.


    That impression lodged itself inside of me earlier.


    Flying fish aquarium. Of course, if attacked, they would assault us, but I was secretly satisfied being able to enjoy the aquarium part of the dungeon.


    And, we were able to take a break on the third layer because Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi took initiative hunting down the enemies.


    In a room with two entrances the two were in charge of taking care of mobs that came from one of them each.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·"


    Sei-nee raised her staff, created dozens of water bullets, and with a barrage of the water bullets she crushed an entire group of mobs that were looming towards her. Other than that, fishes were momentarily frozen with -30¡ãC from a long distance and then one-sidedly slaughtered.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Multistage Attack¡·"


    Mikadzuchi raised her stick and released fast and sharp, barely visible thrusts. In an instant a sound of multiple enemies'' bodies getting hit has rang out.


    "Hmm. Enchant''s strengthening is nice. Usually they take down about 80%, but with Yun-chan''s support it''s one shot."


    "I took them down in a single blow in the first place, but the SPEED enchant is not bad."


    "No, I think you''re fine even without enchants."


    I put intelligence enchant on Sei-nee and a speed enchant on Mikadzuchi who ensured a safe zone, but the combat in the meanwhile could be summarized in one word, ''spectacular''.


    In the first place, the reason mobs were left with 20% HP, is because this dungeon''s mobs appeared to have a small water resistance. For Sei-nee to take down those mobs with a single blow, her magic attack power was extremely high.


    "Seicchi, Mikadzucchi. Let''s go forward after we finish collecting!"


    "Okay then, to the fourth layer. There''s no pretty mobs like ones so far in there, but if we''re lucky, he will appear."


    "If we''re lucky?"


    "That''s Mikadzuchi''s objective. There''s the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ collection point and ¡¾Silver Ore¡¿ mining points on the fourth layer, but the enemies are significantly stronger there."


    Guided by Sei-nee, we headed towards the stairs leading to the lower layer.


    Meanwhile, I tried asking Lyly and Cloude about the ¡¾Black Lustrous Sphere¡¿ item they were gathering, but was responded with "secret" in a cute manner by Lyly making me give up on trying to forcibly elicit it from him as it would be boorish. I''ll just look forward to the day of the event.


    And, the first mob we met after going down to the fourth layer has blown away all the mood and impressions of the aquarium''s flying mobs.


    "A fishman, Sahagin. It''s very realistic making it harsh."


    "Yup, that''s true. Still, Sei-san is really ruthless isn''t she."


    Magi-san agreed to what I muttered.


    Sahagin are fish that had the chest fin and the dorsal fin evolve, turning into hands and legs. In their hand, there were three-pronged spears and knives they were armed with. They had ragged cloth wrapped around their waist.


    It''s protruding eyes caught the sight of us and it drew near, but¡ª¡ª


    ''Mikaduchi'' is a romanization fail (¤Å - pronounced dzu is brought up by writing ''du'' when using Japanese keyboard setting).


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Steam Pillar¡·"


    As the the Sahagin appeared looking like it came out of a monster movie, Sei-nee created an extremely high pressure and high temperature of over 100¡ãC steam to stew it. Although it was steam cooking that didn''t use any fire, the fishman''s hazy death throes could be heard.


    Since it couldn''t be instantly defeated with the enchant support like the mobs so far, I created a ¡¶Clay Shield¡· to prevent it from escaping. Its exterior was completely roasted.


    All the mobs defeated in the dungeon so far looked like big fish and shellfish, so without any reluctance I was rejoiced being able to use it as a food treasury.


    But, imagining ingredient drops from the Sahagin, I lost my appetite. I mean, that appearance...


    "It''s okay, Yun-chan. Sahagin''s drops are mainly metal weapons and armour parts."


    "I see. That''s great then. Hey, Sei-nee. Did I say anything?"


    "Just how many years you think I''m Yun-chan''s older sister? I can tell just by looking at your face."


    When Sei-nee said so with a smile, I wondered if it shows in my expressions so easily and sighed. However, I got taken aback after hearing what Mikadzuchi said next.


    "That''s for Sahagins though. However, it''s different for a certain rare Sahagin-type mob."


    "N-no way, it drops ingredients?!"


    "Oh, Mikadzuchi. That thing doesn''t appear so often."


    Although Sei-nee tried to protest Mikadzuchi''s words, starting with Lyly, Magi, Cloude and I listened intently. None of us had ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense as our main, but we''ve gotten curious hearing her say it so pompously.


    "Sahagin''s rare mob¡ª¡ªSabagin''s strength is twice that of a normal Sahagin¡ª¡ª"


    Mikadzuchi paused for a moment. If it had twice the strength of a normal Sahagin, I felt it must''ve been quite strong. One versus one against a Sahagin I would use lots of items and win easily, but against a twice as strong Sahagin I would barely make it.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd, a three times as tasty ingredient! The drop is ¡¾Sahagin-Approved Mackerel Can¡¿."


    "Processed goods?!"


    "That mackerel can is delicious. It''s amazing when eaten with booze and rice."


    No, I couldn''t care less about that. I thought.


    "Ahh, speaking of which I''ve heard of it. If you eat something canned your HP''s and MP''s upper limit will be temporarily increased, or something."


    Magi-san mentioned something she recalled and Sei-nee affirmed it.


    "Taste aside, having food that increases stats is really appealing."


    There weren''t any ingredients found that would increase both HP and MP limit so that was quire rare.


    "But, even if we find the Sabagin, there''s only 50% chances for a drop. And the extra rare drops from it would be silver equipment and the can."


    "I told you, it doesn''t appear so often."


    Sei-nee admonished Mikadzuchi again. We still haven''t finished our goal on the fourth layer so we couldn''t go look for the Sabagin.


    "In that case, how about we split in two? If I''m not wrong, Magi-chan is looking for ¡¾Silver Ore¡¿ and I have to show Yun-chan the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ collection point right."


    "Then I''ll take missy Magi to explore this layer. I''ll take one more with me."


    "I''ll go then, I''m a mage after all. It''s more balanced with two vanguards and a rearguard, right."


    Cloude volunteered for that, the remaining ones going to collect the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ was me, Lyly, and Sei-nee who assumed the leading role. However, considering that both Lyly and I were closer to scouts rather than vanguards, I don''t think one could call it too balanced but with Sei-nee there it should be good enough.


    "Sei! If you find the Sabagin make sure to take it down!"


    Mikadzuchi reminded us in the end right before we split into two.


    In case we fight in separate locations, players who aren''t near won''t get any drops. Well, we have to find it first.


    "We''re going as well then."


    After seeing Mikadzuchi off, guided by Sei-nee we proceeded deeper.


    We have encountered several Sahagins, but Sei-nee defeated them all with pre-emptive attacks, when their number was reduced to only a few, Lyly and I used them for combat training. Until they approached I slowly damaged them with the bow, when they got close I switched to the kitchen knife and together with Lyly we played around with them.


    I used ¡¶Ingredients Knowledge¡· and aimed at the vital points with the normal attacks, Lyly took care of the hate management, attracted and avoided the enemy''s attacks before dealing damage with the arts.


    Since the knife and the dagger were the same type of weapon, we both used hit and run tactics. However, we still got hit by attacks from time to time, at that time Sei-nee immediately used recovery magic to restore our HP to full.


    And when we advanced towards the dungeon''s end repeatedly battling like that, there was a small crack in the wall from which water has been trickling down.


    "Is this it? Sei-nee."


    "Yup. ¡¾Water of Life¡¿''s collection point."


    "Yuncchi, let''s scoop some fast. We need to collect enough for Magicchi and Kurocchi too."


    "You''re right."


    Agreeing with what Lyly said, I took out large containers and poured ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ into it.


    Water of Life ¡¾Material¡¿


    Permeated with power of ley lines, water that grants vitality.


    I checked the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿''s simple description and filled the containers with it. Even after the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ ran out from the small pool, I collected it directly from the crack.


    "Sei-nee, I''ll should be able to make revival medicine with this. Thanks."


    "It''s fine to be grateful, but I''m having expectations of Yun-chan for the boss fight here."


    "I don''t know what you''re expecting, but I''ll do what I can."


    While I answered Sei-nee, Lyly moved slightly ahead and peeked around the corner.


    Since he made a stop sign with his hand, it seemed like enemy mobs were there.


    "Yuncchi, please check the enemies."


    "Understood."


    Lyly checked the passage, but since he doesn''t have either ¡¾See-Through¡¿ or ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ Senses, I investigated the enemy instead.


    On the passage we used before, there were three Sahagins on a patrol. Among them, here was one smart individual mixed in.


    Its back was darkish blue, its belly shone beautifully as it was lit up by the cave''s silver light source, emitting a beautiful marine blue glow. In addition to that, various places on his body were covered in silver, this Sahagin was clad in an armour.


    For a mere fish, this Sahagin''s model was much more refined than of those we met before. It didn''t seem like the same Sahagin-type mob at all.


    "A cool Sahagin is mixed in there."


    "No way? ...to think we''d really encounter it."


    "We did it. Let''s not let it escape and defeat it."


    In response to Lyly''s voice, Sei-nee took a step back from surprise, grimaced and glared at the Sahagins.


    "Well then, I''ll defeat the normal Sahagins first. After that, Yun-chan and Lyly-kun will attack Sabagin and hold it up. As soon as preparation for my magic is complete, you retreat and I annihilate it, is that okay?"


    We nodded to Sei-nee who had a serious expression, then waited for the timing during which the Sahagin patrol will be turned away.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Steam Pillar¡·!"


    When the enemy started to notice us, Sei-nee strengthened by my enchant cast ¡¶Steam Pillar¡· which crawled on the ground approaching the Sahagins, then roasted them. All of the Sahagins were trapped for several tens of seconds and fell one after another in the steam pillar.


    Only the Sabagin withstood Sei-nee''s extreme firepower and slipping out of the steam pillar, it has come to assault us.


    "Let''s go Yuncchi!"


    "I know! ¡¶Cursed¡· ¡ª¡ªDefence, speed!"


    Subjected to the cursed, Sabagin had its defence lowered, but it has resisted the speed cursed.


    But, not minding it I released one arrow after another, dealing damage to it.


    Between his fingers Lyly held a weapon other than his daggers, throwing knives which he was throwing at the Sabagin. Since we were both crafters who had a high DEX we didn''t miss much as we unleashed a barrage of physical attacks at it, but the Sabagin skilfully blocked it using its trident.


    Even with multiple arrows and knives flying at once densely since Lyly and I matched our timing, only one or two at best struck the enemy.


    Still, the target changed from Sei-nee to us, as not to allow it get any closer I changed to the kitchen knife and together with Lyly we ran to the front.


    "Kshaaaaa¡ª¡ª"


    "Lyly, don''t get hit!"


    "You too, Yuncchi!"


    Since Sei-nee was currently preparing the magic, she couldn''t provide support with recovery magic. That''s why we had to avoid fatal wounds and attract the enemy to ourselves.


    Alternating with Lyly I moved in front of the enemy and attacked it. Although our movements were much better than back when we first entered the dungeon, the Sabagin had twice the Sahagin''s strength and closing on us it released sharp thrusts with its spear.


    "?!!"


    "Yuncchi!"


    "I''m all right."


    An attack with the spear that came from below as it was swung up has captured armpit and the shoulder. That blow has reduced my HP by 30%, then the spear was pulled back and Sabagin poised for a thrust. I avoided it by jumping strongly backwards, took out a High Potion and recovered.


    If I received another attack now, it was possible that I''d receive ¡¾Stunned¡¿ bad status for losing more than half of my HP in a short period of time. It was quite close, causing cold sweat to trickle down my back.


    "Preparations are complete. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Diamond Dust¡·!"


    Signalled by Sei-nee, Lyly and I evacuated. Then, tiny particles of ice drifted in the air freezing Sabagin starting from the ends of its limbs. Sabagin tried to blow away the ice with its spear but the icy erosion did not stop. In the end, the Sabagin turned into an ice figure, cracked and shattered.


    "Good work. How was it?"


    "Tough. Sabagin''s real strong. Also, that''s not my normal battle style."


    I muttered a complaint and sighed.


    "Let''s check Sabagin''s drop then. If it''s silver equipment, we''ll be able to make ingots out of it and we''ll have a material to create weapons against undead."


    "Yuncchi, Yuncchi. If we''re to find out what is it, let''s do it after meeting up with Kurocchi and others. Let''s announce it in front of others."


    Lyly''s proposal isn''t that bad, as I thought that, Sei-nee called Mikadzuchi through friend chat to decide the meeting point and we started to move.


    On the way to the collection point we moved slowly in order to level up some by battling, but on the way back to merge by the stairs leading below we moved fast. The reason it was much faster, was because Sei-nee annihilated the Sahagins with the first attack.


    "Sei-nee. The fight with Sabagin, did you hold back?"


    "Rather than holding back, in order for Yun-chan and Lyly-kun to get some battle experience I just delayed the spells''s activation."


    When Sei-nee said so with a troubled smile, both Lyly and I laughed, forgiving her.


    It''s something she did thinking of us. Even if she kept quiet about it, it wasn''t something to be angry about.


    "Ah! Yun-kun, Lyly! Also, Sei-san. Welcome back."


    "Magicchi, Magicchi! On the way back we found Sabagin and defeated it!"


    "Really?! And, the result?!"


    Seeing Mikadzuchi all bothered about the drop Sei-nee made a bitter smile. Then, on Lyly''s signal we checked the drop we haven''t taken a look at yet.


    "One, two¡ª¡ª"


    Lyly opened his inventory with a sparkle in his eyes, but after checking the item he slumped.


    "Sorry, Mikadzucchi. It''s ¡¾Silver Shoulderpads¡¿."


    Ehehe, Lyly laughed without any energy in it.


    "Well, the probability is 50%, there''s no need to be bothered about it is there? Ah, Mackerel Can."


    Honestly, since I could make stewed mackerel by myself I didn''t need it. The moment I thought that, Sei-nee who was walking next to me crouched, her shoulders shaking strongly.


    "Yun-chan, not fair?. Why are you getting rare items one after another like that..."


    "Umm... Sei-nee?"


    I saw something I''ve seen less often since she moved to university far away, Sei-nee''s depressed appearance. Mikadzuchi for some reason put a hand on her forehead and muttered.


    "Really, why did Mikadzuchi have to call Yun-chan... it would be fine if we just told Yun-chan where ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ can be collected."


    "But, just as we suspected, Missy has it."


    As expected, seeing Sei-nee like this Mikadzuchi faltered. Sei-nee was a reliable beauty of an older sister, but at times she acts spoiled or gets depressed like this. That also is quite cute, but let''s leave that aside for now¡ª¡ª


    "Mikadzuchi¡ª¡ªis there any other objective you have other than the dungeon''s boss?"


    When I glared intently at Mikadzuchi, after faltering she panicked even further.


    She tried to make some excuses, but when I ignored them and continued to stare at her she has given up on the idea and slumped.


    "I get it so don''t stare at me like that. Sei said it before, that Missy is lucky."


    While happily, with a broad smile she polished the new staff which dropped from the boss mob, Sei-nee bragged boasted about me to Mikadzuchi. Sei-nee intended to normally teach me the location, but Mikadzuchi acted assertively and has incorporated me into the party for the dungeon to rely on my luck.


    "Aiming for the rare drop many times and battling is tough, right. Also, Sei catches it quite often."


    "Catches what."


    When I spoke to Mikadzuchi with irritation in my voice, I was responded with unfamiliar words.


    "She''s catching the greed sensor."


    Greed sensor is an occultistic phenomenon that''s supposedly making it harder to get an item the more one wanted it, it was true that there were deviations from the probability, and there was a lot of people who caught it.


    "So Sei-nee catches it quite often? Is she unlucky?"


    "Her luck isn''t bad. However, the items Sei herself wants don''t want to drop. This time''s boss drop, the reinforcement material is for Sei sake, this time surely..."


    "And so you involved me?"


    "To be precise I involved Cloude and others as well to increase the chance of getting it."


    Rather than get two items after defeating it with two people, defeating it with six and getting six items was better and the possibility of the item dropping for one of the members was higher.


    "Sei herself has rare items she has no use for she can trade for it, or so we calculated."


    I listened to what Mikadzuchi had to say while consoling Sei-nee. Depressed Sei-nee was considerably calm, but I decided that going to challenge the boss like this would be cruel to her and made it so that we rested in the break room of the fifth layer.


    "So, Missy. The ¡¾Sahagin-Approved Mackerel Can¡¿ give it to m¡ª"


    "There''s no way I would give it away after hearing that. Geez..."


    I ignored Mikadzuchi and thought of a way to cheer Sei-nee up. It should be fine to spoil and distract her. I can''t care less about Mikadzuchi whose shoulders drooped dejectedly.


    "Sorry Magi-san, Cloude, Lyly. Will you lend me a hand in consoling Sei-nee?"


    "Sure, but what will you do?"


    Magi-san tilted her head puzzled. She didn''t have any intention of rejecting it, so I explained and convinced her. In the end, I called out to Cloude and consulted him if a certain something could be done.


    ¡ñ


    "Haa, I''m being healed?"


    We were still in the fifth layer''s break room right before the boss'' room.


    Inside of it, small animals not fitting in with the dungeon have surrounded Sei-nee.


    Magi-san''s partner, a young wolf Rickle. Cloude''s partner, kitten Socks. Lyly''s partner, the bird Neshias. And, my partners Ryui and Zakuro. Patting them and holding them gently against her chest, Sei-nee made a loose expression.


    Small tears could be seen in the corners of Sei-nee''s eyes, she must''ve felt like crying because of her greed sensor. I thought.


    "Sei-nee. Calmed down?"


    "Yup. Yun-chan, sorry."


    "Well then, let''s go to the boss."


    Sei-nee put down Rickle and Socks she was holding to her chest on the ground and pat their heads.


    Patted Rickle squinted comfortably and Socks who cried sweetly as it stared at Sei-nee reluctant to part with her. However, she shook it off, ignored Mikadzuchi who was still depressed and turned towards us.


    "Well then, the vanguards will be Magi-san and Mikadzuchi. Yun-chan and Lyly in the centre. The rearguards will be me and Cloude-kun, no problems right?"


    "No problems. Before we go to the boss put enchants on us."


    I applied an enchant of the type of a chosen type on everyone. When it was Sei-nee''s turn and I put magic attack power increase and mind enchant on her, Socks made a remarkably loud cry.


    ¡º"Myaaa¡ª¡ª"¡»


    "Mm? What was that?"


    "Socks is just being friendly. Now, about time we returned them."


    Cloude lifted up Socks who was coiling itself around his leg and returned it to the summon stone. Doing the same, was me, Magi-san and Lyly. Each of us returned our partners to summoning stones and proceeded deeper.


    There was a long and narrow passage leading to the boss who was far in the back.


    In case someone else was there before, we should wait in the resting place we were in earlier, but this time there was more than one party ahead of us.


    "That''s... a party that''s fighting the boss and a party that watches them fight?"


    The party that was fighting the boss mob, Twin-Headed Shark had it cornered, but they seemed to be worried about the party that was observing them. Also, the party that was observing had their weapons drawn and something like killing intent could be felt from them.


    "¡ª¡ªMikadzuchi. Among them there''s the guy who came to my store."


    "I know. They''re ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ PKs."


    There was one of the PKs Mikadzuchi saved me from in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿. He noticed and headed towards us.


    "You bunch?!!"


    My body trembled as I recalled how I was grasped by the collar, but Sei-nee held my hand and I was able to calm down. Moreover, Magi-san and Mikadzuchi positioned themselves as to hide me.


    "Tch, the female player who got in the way back then and ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿''s guild master huh."


    He muttered as if spitting the words out, to which Magi-san cheerfully responded.


    "Hello there?. How are we feeling?"


    "Ha! Obviously, the worst! You guys''ve tightened too hard and we can''t buy any weapons, armour or consumables! Don''t screw with me!"


    "Who is the one screwing around here. Not only you repeated your guild solicitation, you also acted maliciously towards a number of crafters. In response to the losses and disadvantages PK guilds and new guilds bring to us, crafters united and just stopped supplying you items."


    Magi-san did something like that while I was in the hiding?! Surprised, I looked at Magi-san''s reliable back.


    "Tch, we''re outta here."


    Spitting curses, the leader took his comrade, the PK who tried to solicit me and escaped towards the open entrance.


    "Well then, it seems like people over there finished fighting boss, let''s greet them."


    The party that was in combat with the boss earlier lowered their heads to us lightly and we chatted about a thing or two. They were grateful to us for driving off the PKs, since I didn''t do anything in particular that made me feel uneasy.


    "All right, let''s challenge the boss again."


    In response to Mikadzuchi''s voice we turned towards the boss that reappeared and readied our weapons.


    The boss was a shark-type mob with two heads. Our pre-emptive attack was Sei-nee''s simultaneous sweep of dozens ¡¶Aqua Bullets¡·.


    Magi-san and Mikadzuchi moved in front of the boss and attacked.


    The flying Twin-Headed Shark attacked with a tail slam and by biting with its sharp fangs. After avoiding those, Mikadzuchi thrust into the shark''s nose that was its weak point, which resulted with the Twin-Headed Shark landing on the ground having its senses driven mad. That moment Lyly cut with the daggers he held in both hands. And Cloude released a darkness element magical attack.


    "I''d better not lose to them."


    While everyone attacked continuously to gaining chain attack gaining bonus damage every time they hit, I tried buying more time making the boss unable to move, even if only a little.


    The arrows I chose were ones that were synthesized with ¡¾Sleep¡¿, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ bad statuses.


    After they pierced the shark''s body, it received a bad status.


    The movement of the shark that gradually recovered its senses from the impact had slowed down again.


    When there remaining HP was cut down to 40%, Mikadzuchi started to move away from the front.


    "I leave the rest to you!"


    "Hey! Mikadzuchi!"


    "Yun-chan, it''s up to us!"


    Sei-nee has rebuked me, and when I turned around I saw the PKs who have fled earlier plus one new one who were about to pounce at us.


    "Geez, they waited until we start fighting the boss to attack us from behind, that''s cheap."


    I sighed and looked away from Mikadzuchi who faced five PKs and one more who was observing us, looking back at the boss again.


    "Let''s finish this! Match me!"


    Along with Cloude''s shout, we went on the last offensive at the Twin-Headed Shark that almost recovered from the bad status.


    "Haa¡ª¡ª¡¶Sword Dance¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Make Weak¡·!"


    Using continuous attack art Lyly increased the amount of chain attacks and Cloude used a darkness elemental magic I didn''t know of. As a result, a dark red aura surrounded the Twin-Headed Shark.


    "He''s become weak to fire element!"


    "It''s my turn then! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Turn¡·!"


    Magi-san used a weapon enhancement magic and flames have sprouted from the cracks of the dark red flickering axe.


    I matched it and used a new enchant.


    "¡¶Element Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªWeapon!"


    The one I chose was a fire weapon enchant that consumed a fire elements stone. Even more intense flames sprouted from Magi-san''s weapon, she was surprised for an instant before floating a smile of satisfaction as she brandished the large axe.


    "It''s over!"


    The shark''s right head was swallowed by the gushing flames, struggled and it drooped without strength. The left head tried to fight back, it opened its mouth and attacked Magi-san who was close by, but the head was pierced with ice spears from the left side.


    The grandly opened mouth has been pressed down by numerous chunks of ice that made one mass and sewn together by a large number of ice spears. That turned out to be a decisive factor, the Twin-Headed Shark''s body turned into light particles and disappeared.


    Normally, I would be honestly happy with having this as the end, but I was worried about Mikadzuchi who headed to fight off the PKs. However, that also ended as baseless fears.


    "What? You came back in high spirits and had tables turned on you?"


    "Damnn! Flein! Take her down!"


    The PK that tried soliciting me into his guild called to the new one who appeared, the man who hasn''t participated in combat until now pulled out the sword from his hip and started to walk at a brisk pace.


    Seeing the man called Flein participate, remaining PKs made dark smiles, but that has immediately changed into astonishment.


    "Even if you bastards from ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ are also a PK guild and we cooperate with each other, it doesn''t mean I have to clean up after you fuck up. It''s unsightly, so why don''t you become my experience?"


    "Wha?!!"


    Without any hesitation, he cut down a ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿''s PK from behind. The five PKs were hit by critical hits from behind and taken down in the blink of an eye.


    "Oh, sorry. It seems like ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ guys troubled you. I''m Flein."


    Flein called out to us as if he didn''t just commit a slaughter, but Magi-san absent-mindedly muttered, saying what''s his position.


    "¡ª¡ªThe other PK guild''s ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ guild master, Flein."


    "Ohh? So you know about me! There''s the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿''s master and sub-master. There''s the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿''s trio. And... well, I don''t know you, but since the bunch is obsessed about you, there has to be something."


    Seeing as the man didn''t deny being guild master of a PK guild, my expression strongly cramped up.


    Considering his abilities that allowed him to take down the five from earlier in the blink of an eye, I didn''t want to fight him.


    "If possible, I''d like you to overlook us."


    "That''d be out of question."


    Can''t we negotiate? Is it items? Guild solicitation? Or maybe revenge?


    "There''s only thing I desire¡ª¡ªintense enough to uplift me, thrilling slaughtering each other! So I want PVP which isn''t a set in stone routine work. I want to fight with flesh-and-blood players! That''s why I can''t overlook you here!"


    Of all things a combat maniac, it''s over, we''ll be taken down here - is what I thought, but I didn''t really have any problems with just losing half of my money...


    "But, I''m not conceited enough to think I can take down a party of six all alone. That''s why I''ll fight with the strongest one here and go back. How about it?"


    "In that case I''ll take you on. Missy and others can watch."


    "Mikadzuchi..."


    "Don''t worry."


    "Without you the party''s vanguard''s balance will break down, it''ll be hard to go back. Don''t lose."


    Sei-nee... is she concerned? Or maybe it''s her real feelings? In any case, Mikadzuchi accepted it and just smiled wryly.


    "Well then, let''s start."


    "I''m ready."


    Mikadzuchi readied her stick that was as tall as her. Flein set up a sword so thin it seemed like it''ll break if used in combat.


    Both of them closed the distance between each other in an instant and swung their weapons at each other. Mikadzuchi''s thrust was deflected by the thin sword, Flein moved in all at once and cut her. She avoided it by hair''s breath and did a horizontal swing that was avoided with a jump.


    There were a few dozens exchanges, but Mikadzuchi was gradually being overpowered.


    "Hoho, what''s this! Is a huge guild''s top only this much?!"


    "Where did you get this strength. What a brute force!"


    They yelled at each other and used all their strength.


    Flein joyfully raised his voice and Mikadzuchi painfully took each hit.


    They were both players, so I wondered where did such a difference come from. Both Flein''s strength and speed exceeded that of Mikadzuchi. She compensated for it with her skills and her weapon''s long reach. It seemed like someone''s weapon would break if they continued to fight like this. And, that time has come.


    "Haa¡ª¡ªwha?!!"


    "Over huh. What a shame, I''ll at least use this thing to end it. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Killing Edge¡·!"


    Mikadzuchi''s stick was broken down and she lost her weapon. The fact that Flein''s brittle-looking weapon was more durable than Mikadzuchi''s was strange, but I''ve had an even worse feeling about the art he used.


    A black effect crawled through the thin sword, extended and disappeared in thin air. In that state the sword''s slash aimed for Mikadzuchi''s neck¡ª¡ª


    "¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    "?!!"


    Momentarily, a speed enchant was cast on Mikadzuchi and she succeeded in barely avoiding the attack in the last second.


    The art, avoided by leaning backwards as if falling down, had the effect on the blade scatter in the air during the swing.


    "...she avoided it, huh."


    Flein who seemed to be having fun furrowed his eyebrows and glared towards me. He knew I did something just a moment ago. He understood that I intervened in the two''s fight. I just acted instinctively.


    "Kukuku... ahahahaha¡ª¡ªavoided! She avoided a sure-kill!"


    He placed a hand on his forehead, Flein''s laughter echoed loudly in the location. Feeling it possible that his target would change to me for intervening in the two''s fight, I was covered in cold sweat out of dread. Flein continued to laugh happily from the bottom of his heart.


    "Is that so, I see. So that''s why ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ is obsessed with her. This one''s interesting! There are folks strong by themselves, but to strengthen others! Like this, fellows who couldn''t do a thing against me might actually surpass me!"


    Flein stared at me happily, but Mikadzuchi stood between us to intercept his line of sight.


    "Our match isn''t over yet."


    "Ah? That''s true. Ohh, well, after having that avoided, I can''t use it any more. Let''s do it again next time in perfect conditions. Okay then, I''ll be going back."


    After saying so, Flein walked towards the only door in the boss room. And, when he was leaving¡ª¡ª


    "The obsessed-about fellow over there... next time we meet, I''d like to go at it with ya."


    I''ve caught attention of a troublesome guy. I screamed in my mind and unable to protest it I could only see him off.


    Flein said a lot of meaningful things like about that attack not being perfect, and then our encounter has ended.

 Chapter Volume 4 Epilogue

    Epilogue - Enthusiasm and PVP


    After defeating the boss and the encounter with PK Flein that was an overkill, nervousness quickly left everyone and we aimed to escape the dungeon.


    Like that, using the shortest route we arrived on the surface in a short amount of time and immersed ourselves in the feeling of freedom.


    "Haa, so tired?."


    Lyly and I sat on spot, exhausted. Also, Magi-san smiled wryly seeming just as tired. Cloude was talking about something with Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee drew near me.


    "I''m sorry. Somehow, it''s turned really weird."


    "It couldn''t be helped. But, way too much stuff happened..."


    In addition to that, we forgot to check the drops. Without thinking much about it I opened the menu to check what did I get and sighed.


    "No way I could get rare drops continuously, right."


    "Speaking of which, we defeated the Twin-Headed Shark. I forgot all about it with during that rich development. If Yun-chan didn''t get it, it doesn''t seem like I will."


    Sei-nee sat down beside me and with little expectations she checked the boss'' drop.


    "............!"


    "Sei-nee, what is it?"


    "...I did it, Yun-chan! It''s boss'' rare drop! The strengthening material I wanted is here!"


    Saying so, Sei-nee threw her arms around my neck embracing me. I was embarrassed by the lines of sight around us, but since she was really happy I thought that pointing that out would be very crude.


    "Oh right. Lyly-kun, can you reinforce this staff with it?"


    I sighed seeing off Sei-nee who moved away unusually excited, Cloude approached taking her place.


    "If not for you, this party wouldn''t exist, in that meaning we could say that you''re indirectly carrying luck."


    "That kind of thing is boorish, Cloude."


    "Hmph, I get it. Still, to think such a proposal would come."


    He said so, smiled, then looked at Sei-nee who was heading towards Magi-san and Lyly to consult on the topic of her weapon''s strengthening.


    "What? I thought you two were plotting something, did you do something after all?"


    "That''s a secret."


    I responded like that to Mikadzuchi who overheard us. It''s not like I manipulated drops.


    When we called the young beasts before the boss to console Sei-nee, Cloude had the Luck Cat Socks raise Sei-nee''s luck. I don''t know if it affected the drop rate, it might be just a superstition, but I asked him to do so.


    Even I don''t know if it had any effect, Sei-nee acquired the boss drop so I was satisfied with the result.


    "Well then, we''re disbanding right. It''s getting late so I''ll be logging out."


    After that, I''ll continue my hiding and probably mix the revival medicine. When I thought so, Magi-san called out to me on behalf of the crafters.


    "Yun-kun. Before the event comes we''ll blow away and clean up all the problems with guild solicitation and such, so just wait."


    "I understand. I''ll look forward to it."


    Then, this time Sei-nee called out, halting me.


    "If you''re logging out, then can you spare me some time? It won''t be that troublesome."


    "Sure? What is it?"


    "Just a little talk."


    Fufufu, Sei-nee laughed.


    After parting with Mikadzuchi, Magi-san and the others, together with Sei-nee we came to the First Town''s portal.


    As we walked in brisk pace down the main street, Sei-nee started a conversation.


    "Yun-chan, are you worried about Myu-chan?"


    "Did you hear from Taku?"


    "Yup. ''It seems like she''s feeling down'', he said. So, I thought ''then isn''t Yun-chan worried in that case?''. But, Myu-chan is okay. She''s a strong girl after all."


    In that case, wouldn''t it be better if she talked to Myu rather than to me? While I thought that, I was taken by Sei-nee through the west gate, outside the town''s walls.


    There, was the place PVP practice was frequently happening at night.


    And in the centre of it, there was Myu.


    In the middle of a battle royale in which numerous players were fighting all at once, she intently fought using both sword and magic.


    "Need more! It''s not enough! This is nowhere close to that boss! Next!"


    "In that case, I''ll be your opponent. Let''s raise both of our levels and abilities!"


    "Yes! If I can win against Taku-san in PVP, I''ll win against the boss next time!"


    Myu who was the last one standing in the battle royale system started another PVP battle without even taking a breath. Her opponent was Taku, they both laughed loudly which seemed like a starting signal and the two''s weapons clashed, smiling.


    As I continued to watch the spectacle that unfolded with their high level offence and defence, Sei-nee spoke to me.


    "Yun-chan, are you still worried after seeing this?"


    "It''s my loss for worrying. Good grief, just my imaginary fears."


    Just when I thought she was so depressed, she already was all positive about raising her levels and improving her skills in combat with other players. What a busy person my grand little sister is.


    Then, after the two settled their fight they fell down and sprawled out on the night plains. That''s when my eyes met Myu''s after she fell down. She raised a loud voice and got up energetically.


    "Yun-oneechan and Sei-oneechan?!"


    "Y-you look energetic. Well then, It''s about time I logged out and prepared for tomorrow..."


    "Sei-oneechan, capture Yun-oneechan!"


    "Let go! Sei-nee!"


    Sei-nee standing next to me grabbed my arm to prevent me from escaping. I''ve got a bad feeling the moment I was found by Myu and tried to escape immediately but it didn''t work.


    Taku joined in and I was surrounded by three people.


    "Yun-oneechan is also coming to fight that big pup! Don''t run and become strong!"


    "No, it''s a wolf not a big pup, right. Heck, you should remove me from the member list and take someone stronger."


    I slowly moved backwards to retreat, but my back was pressed on by Sei-nee and my hand was grasped by Myu when I bent forward.


    "Now then, let''s do some light PVP training!"


    "Let''s see just how well can Yun fight. Actually, I don''t know that too well. We''ll have you show us your abilities."


    "Speaking of which, Yun-chan. Didn''t you use an ¡¾Enchant¡¿ skill we don''t know just earlier? Tell us all about it while we do some PVP. "


    I felt like I was lured into an outrageous place.


    During PVP, Myu wiped off her sweat with satisfaction, Taku happily chased me all around and Sei-nee overwhelmed me with ease despite leaving her main staff with Lyly and using a sub-weapon. This time it was me who fell down on the plains and sprawled out.


    It was hard for me to even move, but thanks to that all rather than my attack senses, the senses related to avoidance were intensely raised.


    Being able to clearly realize I have become stronger, I thought it wasn''t so bad.


    "All right, let''s do it again sometime!"


    But, I didn''t want to do it ever again. I logged out in such mood.


    The crafters'' event is nearing. Also, with preparations for the raid quest we found there was lots of things to do, sounds fun.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow


    Secondary Weapon : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (Outerwear, Underwear, Torso, Waist).


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10


    ¡ñ Rugged Iron Ring (1)


    ¡ñ Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP23


    ¡¾Bow Lv36¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv47¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv28¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv44¡¿


    ¡¾Magic Power Lv48¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv19¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv34¡¿


    ¡¾Taming Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv26¡¿


    Current circumstances:


    ¡ñ Discovered raid quest


    ¡ñ Crafting Guild''s event is nearing


    ¡ñ Caught an eye of Flein, a PK

 Chapter Volume 5 Prologue

    Prologue - Revival Medicine and Black Insects


    "Yun, can you really make a Revival Medicine?"


    "The recipe isn''t complete. Since we gathered materials, I can experiment. Right."


    "And what if mixing fails?"


    "We''ll go gather them again."


    "There ain''t time."


    I invited Taku to ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop and received ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petals¡¿ from him. As the item provider, Taku watched me from the side.


    I haven''t told Taku about it, but for mixing the Revival Medicine, there were other materials than ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petals¡¿.


    Herbs that are the base of every potion, the Spirit Grass that''s used for MP Potions. Also, the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ that''s used in various ways in crafting.


    After knowing the combination of the materials, there was a possibility of reproducing the recipe from that. That''s why I didn''t tell Taku any details and have proceeded with the preparations alone.


    With this, no matter the procedure I''ll be able to make the Revival Medicine. The work from now on is to explore it blindly.


    "Well, I''ll just try like usual."


    "Sure, it''s in your hands."


    First, I mixed the same amount of Potion, MP Potion and Water of Life together. With that, I created a pale green liquid inside of which I mixed in the peach-coloured petals. The petals have dissolved in the light green liquid over time and in the end, the liquid changed its colour to pink.


    Degraded Revival Medicine ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Revival ¡¾HP +1%¡¿


    I heaved a sigh at the result. In order to determine what was wrong I considered what effect each material granted the potion and wrote a crafting procedure I thought of on a note.


    ?The effect difference between the basic Potion''s that was made with a skill and a high-quality Potion made manually.


    ?The effect difference between Potion, High Potion and a Concentrated Potion.


    ?The effect difference depending on the Potion and MP Potion ratio.


    ?What happens when Water of Life is used on a Potion.


    ?In case it was subjected to concentration, the difference depending on when was it done.


    First, I changed ratio of each medicine to create a different mixture, on each try there was a difference in the shade of green.


    I dropped a petal into a beaker with each mixture one by one and mixed it in, dissolving it.


    Meanwhile, Taku looked around the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ interested, glaring at the tools he doesn''t normally see.


    Starting with concentrator and grinding machine, through multiple Synthesis Kit magic circles, the furnishings and to the Making Box. In the corner of the workshop part, were hanging herbs for drying and a portable furnace in the corner.


    As I stared sideways towards Taku who acted like that, I summarized the results I got from each mixture in the notebook.


    Depending on the mixture, some liquids have reacted by turning vividly pink immediately and there were ones that have turned pale over time as the petal dissolved. There were also ones that completely lost their colour.


    The pale ones have shown themselves to be complete as ¡¾Degraded Revival Medicine¡¿, the ones that turned vivid were complete Revival Medicine.


    Judging by these results, thinking of the impact it has on the mixing¡ª¡ª


    "For highly effective Revival Medicine¡ª¡ªthe high quality potions are not essential. ¡¾Water of Life¡¿''s usage is mandatory. If the potion already uses ¡¾Water of Life¡¿, there is no need to add it during the mixture''s production. For highly effective ratio I need three High Potions to one MP Potion. The concentration is to be done after mixing the solution. ...something like that."


    "Yun, you can tell that much?"


    "It''s the ratio I''ve gotten as a result but only in case the conditions are the same as with everything else. Still, most likely a more detailed ratio might be possible."


    After saying so, I started making a mixture under the best conditions I knew with the remaining petals.


    I carefully measured the quantity, since I was using the potions I have prepared beforehand there was no strange failures.


    But, in this case what was quite painful, was making the concentrated potion. Or rather, making the concentrated mixture.


    I put the mixture of the High Potions and MP Potions into the concentrator, concentrating it down ten times which increased the costs tenfold. Moreover, the mixture''s name was Concentrated High Potion, it had no MP recovery effect and its HP recovery effect was inferior as compared to the one before concentration. It was a mere intermediate product in a complete recipe.


    Then, I dropped a petal into that vivid dark green concentrated mixture. The petal melted the moment it touched the liquid and a pink colour spread throughout it. Then I slowly refilled the potion bottle, before showing it to Taku.


    Revival Medicine ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Revival ¡¾HP +10%¡¿


    "It''s complete now. Next I''ll use the remaining petals to make Revival Medicines."


    "Ohh?!! Finally, a Revival Medicine! A complete Revival Medicine was made!"


    "The ones I made earlier are mostly failures or Degraded Revival Medicine. I made one more, but it has quite low amount recovered."


    Looking sideways as Taku rejoiced staring at the Revival Medicine, I prepared the rest of the medicine.


    "From the ten petals used to search for the Revival Medicine recipe, two are complete for now. Four more have become Degraded Revival Medicine and the rest was failures."


    "Thanks, Yun. With this my preparations for crafter''s PVP event are complete. Come to think of it, we haven''t talked about the payment, have we."


    Eh? Didn''t we? I recalled the conversation I had with Taku and while certainly I was asked to prepare Revival Medicine, we didn''t talk about payment. Well, I was able to do some ¡¾Mixing¡¿ with expensive materials, so I got a big reward in the Sense experience. Moreover, getting multiple ¡¾Mixing¡¿ recipes for ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ was a reward by itself. That''s why I didn''t think of asking for anything else.


    "I don''t mind, the experience I got is good enough as payment..."


    "That''d be working for free. While it might be a reason for a discount, it''s not a reason not to get any payment. That''s why¡ª¡ª"


    While saying so, Taku passed about half of the Revival Medicine to me and forced 500kG on me by using the item trade function.


    One high quality Revival Medicine, one normal Revival Medicine and four Degraded Revival Medicines.


    "That''s shrewd. You took the highly effective ones for yourself, leaving the failures and ones with weak effect to me. Do you really need six highly-effective Revival Medicines?"


    "I''m in the vanguard so I need the ones with high recovery amount, otherwise I''d retire immediately after revival if I receive any damage."


    In that respect, I''m a rearguard, an archer. It was convincing considering the fact I don''t take much damage. Moreover, as my childhood friend Taku knew I wouldn''t agree on taking any more.


    "Speaking of which, it seems like there was a declaration of ¡¾Guild Solicitation Discontinuation¡¿, aren''t you going to go outside now?"


    "Even if it stopped it doesn''t mean I have to immediately go outside. I''ve got enough of what I need."


    After finishing Taku''s request, I took out tea cups and started preparing tea. We moved from the workshop part to the store part and started drinking tea, sitting face to face.


    The uproar caused by the price crash of the Guild Emblem¡ª¡ª


    As a result of the inexpensive Guild Emblems appearing on the market in large amounts, there was a flood of new guilds. The small guilds wanted to grow in power by doing aggressive guild solicitation.


    Among them, there were guilds that behaved maliciously. Starting with me, a part of the players have performed a ¡¾Disappearance¡¿, no longer appearing in the town and popular areas.


    "Well, I''m glad the whole fuss is over."


    "You''re right. ¡¾Atelier¡¿ without Yun behind the counter feels lonely."


    "As I thought, this place is calming me the most."


    Magi-san was eager to finish it before the Crafting Guild-sponsored event begins, but it seemed to have ended sooner than expected.


    Well, speaking of what was done, as a protest the crafters have ceased to sell anything to them. The fact I have banned maliciously-soliciting guilds from entering ¡¾Atelier¡¿ has sparked the other crafters to do the same.


    A number of guilds was unable to secure weapon maintenance and consumables, dissolving naturally or have lowered their heads apologizing. Is what I heard.


    Cloude spread information and had spread the fear of turning the crafters into enemies.


    There were a few stronger guilds and guilds that have crafters remaining, but they aren''t in the best state and no longer perform any solicitation.


    It seemed like they also had players targeting the consumables in dungeon treasure chests.


    In a time like this the resale guilds would be able to earn a lot, but like a ship sinking, they felt it wasn''t enough and have come into an agreement with Cloude behind the scenes.


    "Well, it seems like lots is going on that''s unrelated to me, they''re doing their best."


    "Yun, you talk as if it was not your business... you''re the one who pulled the trigger."


    I know nothing. Sooner or later it would have become a problem anyway. I held out freshly prepared tea to Taku and drank my own from the cup.


    "That''s right! How about we go and eat something to celebrate the ending of your disappearance and completion of the Revival Medicine?"


    "Then it''s your treat, Taku. It''ll be additional payment for the Revival Medicine."


    "Roger that. So, where do we go?"


    I''ve said that as a joke, but he easily agreed on it. What should I extort out of Taku who''s pretty rich in the game... I pondered.


    "How about we go to Cloude''s ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿? I want to eat some cake."


    "Let''s go right away!"


    With that said, Taku drank all the prepared tea at once and stood up. There''s no need to hurry so much, while thinking so I drank the tea to match Taku''s pace and ended up burning my tongue.


    ¡ñ


    I left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and spoke as I walked.


    "You''ve gathered the Revival Medicine for PVP, right? Taku, you''re going to win that?"''


    I asked what I was curious about, Revival Medicine gave the user a big advantage. I wondered how far could he get if he used that. When I asked wondering about that, he shook his head slightly.


    "I wonder about that. I might retire early."


    "...then, isn''t it meaningless for me to prepare the Revival Medicine?"


    "It can''t be helped, victory depends on the luck of the day. When I stand up, there''s a possibility of receiving a barrage of hits. Well, it''s just one of measures for survival."


    That''s really a blunt way to approach it, I thought, but it was true. Certainly, normal tournament would take too much time so they gave up and decided on a battle royale. In that case, everyone around would be enemies... I feel chills just by imagining it.


    "Yun, what cake you''re going to ask for in the caf¨¦?"


    "Let''s see. I''ve tried the chocolate-based ones before. I''ll try cheese-based ones this time. Also, I''ll pick some sweets for Zakuro and Ryui to eat after I go back."


    "Heyy. ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿''s patissier is someone who specializes in sweets and the food has stat-raising effect, the price is ten times higher than that of normal cooking. Moderate yourself a little."


    "You were stingy with reward so you can pay this much."


    When I stared intently at Taku who walked beside me. It can''t be helped, he said and heaved a sigh.


    That''s when, a slight distance away¡ª¡ª"A date in a caf¨¦. Damn it!" "The hell ya flirt in the public, ya wanna make us cry tears of blood or something?!!" "Go croak." "I''m so angry and envious I feel like dying." "Hey, he said PVP earlier. I''ll participate. As long as I can get a hit on him." "Good idea. We can get rid of the riajuu players at the same time, take initiative and crush them." "All right, that''s decided. There''s no time! Let''s begin!"¡ª¡ªI''ve heard male voices say that.


    I didn''t hear it too well, but they seemed to enjoy themselves. I didn''t think about the fact their gazes were directed towards us, the thoughts of the caf¨¦''s menu have prevailed.


    We have arrived at Cloude''s store, the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ and peeked inside. The seats by the counter were all filled and the only ones open were those at the terrace.


    "I''ll go and reserve some seats for us outside."


    "Then I''ll go pick some cakes and tea. Taku, what you want to drink?"


    "Same thing as you."


    "Got it."


    How about refreshing lemon tea today, I wondered. Since there was a lemon-flavoured cheese cake, I picked a lemon-based combination. At the same time, for Zakuro and Ryui I ordered some cream puffs for take-away.


    Before taking the cake set for eating in the store, I took the cream puffs for take-away and then I carried the cake and tea on a tray towards Taku.


    "Welcome back, but Yun... shouldn''t a clerk carry it here?"


    "Hm? It seemed busy so I carried it myself. This way''s faster, right?"


    The Commonest''s clerk and waitress players hesitated a little, but since I was Cloude''s acquaintance my suggestion was passed.


    "Well then, let''s eat. A lemon cake set. Here we g¡ª¡ª"


    My bliss was only temporary, as if to break it something black has suddenly come jumping.


    "W-what?!"


    Five insect-type mobs broke through the wall of ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Store¡¿ that was across the street.


    Momentarily, the open terrace was surrounded by five black insect mobs.


    There were some players trying to cut them with swords and block them with shields, but because of multiple parties fighting in joint struggle penalty, they couldn''t quite defeat them.


    At first, we have stood up while still clutching our forks and froze, but one of the mobs that wasn''t defeated had come flying at us on the open terrace.


    "Hey, you serious?!"


    "Get back, Yun!"


    Taku strongly pushed me away at the same time touching my chest, making me fall back. Hey, where are you touching.


    "Haaa¡ª¡ª¡¶Sonic Edge¡·!"


    And Taku who had pulled out two long swords, retracted them and then swung in order to take on the insect mob.


    The two swords have shone in matching yellow light, creating a huge vacuum wave, smacking the flying mob directly.


    The insect-type mob couldn''t escape in mid-air and was subjected to large damage from the front, it hit the table and its body changed into particles of light, disappearing.


    "Ah..."


    In this situation where the insect mob was suddenly defeated, I fell on my butt and was looking upwards.


    "You okay, Yun?"


    I wanted to take Taku''s outstretched hand, but realized I still had fork in my own. Feeling awkward I outstretched my left hand and was pulled up by Taku.


    And what has come into my sight, was the miserable state¡ª¡ªof my cake.


    Seeing the crushed and scattered on the table cake and lemon tea, my spirit has plummeted.


    "Ahh, it''s gone to waste."


    "...my cake."


    Fortunately, the cream puffs in the inventory weren''t damaged, but I was really looking forward to the cake.


    At that time, a loud clattering footsteps have approached the caf¨¦ from the other side of the road.


    "What''s this, what happened. It seems like part of the terrace is broken..."


    "Kurocchi, sorry! An item went off! Did anyone take damage?!"


    The woodworker Lyly had come flying from the ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Store¡¿ on the other side of the street. He was holding knives in both his hands, his appearance suggested he was fighting a moment ago.


    "...let''s prioritize the damage first."


    The owner of the caf¨¦ and a tailor, Cloude had checked on the damage dealt by the black insect-type mobs.


    "Ohh, this time it''s something going berserk in quiet Lyly''s store." "Speaking of which, there was a guy who tried to make bombs and his store had become a sea of fire." "Ahahaha, crafting sure is a risky job." "It''s a battlefield different from ours." "No problem. We took down all that have come out."


    The bystanders didn''t seem to be particularly bothered by it. Speaking of damage, it was limited to part of the store''s terrace and tables being destroyed. Lyly should be able to repair it as a woodcrafter.


    However¡ª¡ª


    "Aah, Yuncchi. Um, sorry."


    "...haa, don''t make such sorrowful face. Choose whatever cake you like. This time it''s an event-related accident. Crafting guild''s gonna pay for it."


    "Come, order a new cake. Ahh, fine, eat as much cake as you like!"


    Cloude and Lyly started to make a fuss around me, who was dispirited. Still, I''ve had a lingering attachment to the fallen cake.


    "Uuu, it won''t come back, my lemon cheese cake..."


    "It''s part of the payment for work you asked for, don''t hold back."


    Seeing me depressed, Taku called out to me. Then, he pulled me by hand, taking me in front of the store''s showcase.


    Unfortunately, lemon-flavoured cheese cake was sold out, so I chose kiwi and cream roll cake.


    I combined it with sweet milk tea, I ate while sipping the tea for taste.


    "...delicious."


    It was delicious, but I still had tears in my eyes out of the lingering attachment to the dropped cake.


    "That''s right, Lyly. Explain, how did the accident occur?"


    While I ate the cake in the middle of sadness, Lyly provided an explanation for the accident.


    "Um, I was performing an experiment at my place before the event starts, by using the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ Yuncchi made. I failed to confirm the range and they escaped..."


    "Haa, that sounds unlucky, but I get it. I''ll be going back to the back of the store."


    Understanding the situation, Cloude drank the coffee that was just served and stood up. Then, as if he recalled something, he called out.


    "The preparations for the Crafting Guild-sponsored event are mostly complete. Look forward to it."


    Seeing Cloude''s wink as he was leaving made me half expectant and half anxious considering the accidental outburst earlier.


    The event will be carried out during the two days of this weekend.


    I don''t know how do Taku and Myu with others plan to spend it, but I intend to spend it relaxedly.

 Chapter Volume 5 1

    Chapter 1 - Event and Stalls


    School after classes were over. Numerous students were leaving back home with just some remaining behind because of cleaning duty or for their clubs, people who had various affairs to deal with. Among them, I walked right next to a single female student.


    "Endo-san, I''ll help you carry half."


    "Thank you, that''s a great help."


    Endo-san from the class committee collected notes submitted from entire class, but after it was all gathered it had become quite heavy. Since she was someone I managed to get a step closer among our classmates, I somehow got worried and offered to help.


    "It''s easy when Shun-kun helps out. How about you do some work for the class committee like this?"


    "I hate work like this. It''s tedious."


    "Should you really call it tedious in front of me?"


    "Sorry."


    In response Endo-san chuckled and said "it''s a joke".


    "Since you''re taking initiative to help with work you hate, don''t you have something you want to talk about then? Something about me you don''t want Takumi-kun to hear."


    "Yup. Well..."


    I was seen through, I thought. Then I nodded confirming Endo-san''s words.


    My connection with Endo-san was that of fellow OSO players. Endo-san knew that Takumi and I were playing OSO. I had no idea that she was playing it as well and learned it just recently.


    At first, she hid her identity from me as well, but now she interacts with me openly. Though, it seemed like she was still hiding it from Takumi.


    "So, what you want to ask, is it about those two?"


    "Yeah, I''ve left it all to Endo-san so, I wondered how was it going."


    The two in question was about Raina and Al, after whom Endo-san was looking after recently. When asked by me, Endo-san raised a slightly worried voice and gave her evaluation.


    "Let''s see. To a certain extent they seem to understand their Senses, so there''s no problems. Level-wise, if they work hard for a little bit longer they''ll leave the newbie zone. Also, if they join some party they should be able to hunt Big Boars. Still, they''re not good enough to hunt them solo yet."


    "I see. So no problems."


    I was relieved hearing Endo-san''s evaluation.


    By chance, together with Endo-san we have encountered and saved the twin novice players from a strong mob, a Treant. With that as a trigger, we have made a connection with them, I was relieved to hear they are steadily growing.


    "Since they are about to leave beginner levels, I wonder if we should give them a present as senior players."


    "In that case, let''s decide on it before the weekend''s event. You''re participating too, aren''t you, Shun-kun?"


    "Yeah, let''s decide on it then."


    The participation Endo-san was talking about referred to the Crafting Guild-sponsored event.


    There, the crafters will provide a richer assortment than usual in their stalls and stores, there will be also stage shows and PVP events.


    While I originally came to talk with Endo-san to ask about the novice players duo Raina and Al, while at it, I decided to consult her about gifts.


    "What should I give them? I''m not too knowledgeable on what items are in fashion."


    "How about you pay for something they like on the day itself? Rather, I don''t think there''s a need to concern yourself that much."


    As Endo-san smiled wryly, I thought it was the most reliable method. Convinced.


    While talking about how much should we spend on it, we passed the class notes to the teacher in charge and returned to the classroom.


    "Shun. Where did you go?"


    "Takumi, you were waiting? I helped out Endo-san. The notes seemed heavy."


    "Thank you. See you."


    When Takumi had shown his face, to avoid being found out that she was an OSO player, Endo-san returned back to her seat.


    Takumi squinted seeing our exchange of words, starting intently.


    "W-what is it with that look."


    "No, I just wondered when did you become friends."


    Damn you, aren''t you strangely sharp with weird stuff like this. Still, it was Takumi. It would be seen through were I to spit out a strange lie.


    "We just met during the shopping and chatted for a while. She recommended me some sweets... well, lots of stuff."


    "Hmm. Oh well. By the way, want to walk around the event together on this weekend? Or are you with Miu-chan and Shizuka-san?"


    "Umm... I''ve got a prior engagement. I guess Miu and Sei-nee are doing something separately from me? But, probably, we''ll pass through by each other."


    "Well, there are also times like this. Got it."


    Probably convinced by my answer, he grasped the bag and saying "I''ll be going" Takumi went home.


    What, so he just wanted to know my plans for the weekend. I heaved a sigh and looked towards Endo-san.


    "Cheers for good work."


    "Well, it''s just the usual. Rather than that, let''s go home.


    I prompted Endo-san and the two of us went to the exit, leaving to the outside.


    From how low the sun was and the falling temperature, I felt the autumn come day by day. Talking about silly things we have headed towards the school gate to go home.


    On the other side of the school gate I found a familiar back and called out to it.


    "Miu. You going back now?"


    "Eh? Onii-chan. Yup, I was on cleaning duty. And... a friend?"


    "Hello. I''m Shun-kun''s classmate, Endo."


    "Okay. There''s no need to speak politely. I''m the little sister from middle school, Miu. So, what''s your relationship with my Onii-chan?"


    "Hey, Miu."


    What rude questions you''re suddenly spouting, geez. When I squinted and stared at Miu, she said "it''s a joke" and took a step back.


    "Let''s see. A classmate and a friend, I guess."


    "Endo-san, you don''t need to answer her seriously."


    "Then, Miu-san, won''t you become my friend?"


    "Yes! Endo-senpai!"


    When Miu made a broad smile, Endo-san also smiled and the two walked side by side.


    Naturally, I moved slightly behind the two and listened in to the conversation but... sorry. What, just what is this parade of unknown terminology.


    Was it about games? I think it was, but to me the two''s conversation sounded like casting spells. Something about avoiding, attack timing, game-making staff''s previous works, field type increases, move variations based on colours, mutants and abnormal species, download content... I understand nothing.


    As they spoke about it, Miu made a sparkly and joyful expression that had resonated with Endo-san''s. So Endo-san is a gamer on Miu''s level, huh. I pondered.


    "Onii-chan! It''s amazing! Endo-senpai really knows a lot of stuff!"


    "Is that so. Good for you."


    The brother who couldn''t keep up with their conversation had started speaking monotonously out of loneliness.


    "Are you sulking because I took lil'' sister? I wonder."


    As Endo-san started giggling, I said that''s not it. I was just overwhelmed by you two, I relayed with my gaze but it wasn''t noticed at all.


    "In the end, I just have knowledge. Certainly I love games, but out of all of it I enjoy reading the walkthroughs, configurations and other information. I''m someone who enjoys staring at data."


    "Ehh, I wanted to play a game with Endo-senpai..."


    "I''m sorry. Probably, I''m not that good at games."


    Can you really say that? I stared at Endo-san with half-opened eyes, but I was ignored.


    "All right, this is as far as I go. See you, Shun-kun. Lil'' Sister too, thank you for the time spent fun."


    We''ve seen off Endo-san who went in her own direction. As compared to the first time where Endo-san called Miu per "Miu-san", imperceptibly it had become a familiar "Lil'' Sister".


    Miu called her "senpai" too, so their relationship wasn''t too bad.


    "To think there was one more person who loves games so much! She was very knowledgeable, it was fun to talk to her."


    "That''s great."


    "Yup! Still, it''s a pity she''s more of a hidden gamer than one that moves aggressively. But..."


    "But?"


    "I feel like I''ve seen her somewhere before."


    ...as usual, this little sister of mine has a good intuition. But, this is where I divert the topic.


    "Want to buy a cake before going home?"


    "Eh?!! Can we?"


    "Once in a while, it''s fine."


    Honestly, part of this proposal was because of the lemon cheese cake I couldn''t forget, but let''s not mind it. Diverting the main topic, diverting Miu''s thinking, I exhaled.


    Endo-san, it''s probably just a matter of time until you''re found out to be an OSO player.


    ¡ñ


    Thirty minutes before the start of the event, I confirmed the cleaning and laundry was finished, deciding to log in early. Thinking of that, I headed to my own room.


    I put on the VR Gear, lied on the bed and like usual, my consciousness submerged.


    The place I appeared in, was the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop that was set as the login point. Myu was already logged in and should be somewhere in the town.


    Curious about the outside, I opened the door to the store part. When I looked outside from the store''s entrance, I immediately heard a cheerful music and the front was bustling.


    I could see more people than usual in the town. The only times during which this many people gather, was when the OSO officially started and during the official events.


    "That''s a lot of people. With so many gathered, it feels like it''s going to start already instead of waiting for the official opening."


    I smiled wryly alone, returned to the counter seat, then summoned Ryui and Zakuro.


    As the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was the meeting place and Emily-san will bring Raina and Al, I waited for them leisurely.


    Although there were several major meeting points in the town, on a day like this there weren''t many we could use considering the amount of people out there, so it ended up being my store.


    As I brushed Ryui''s and Zakuro''s fur, a shadow had appeared at the entrance to the store and certain people have peeked inside, interested.


    "Welcome. Well, that''s a little strange to say. You''re just on time."


    "I brought the two."


    Today, Emily-san had a mask and a voice changer on, moreover she was wearing the equipment for changing her name to Emilio.


    "Emily-san. Why that appearance again?"


    "There''s Taku-kun and Lil'' Sister right? If possible, I don''t want them to see my face."


    Convinced by what she said, I invited Raina and Al into the store.


    The interest of Raina who had entered the store was directed towards the transparent shallow pot with synthetic mob of three different colours inside. Al looked towards the MP Potions, Enchant Stones and items useful for mages like Boost Tablets.


    "Hee, so there are items like this too. Look at this, Rai-chan."


    "...hey, won''t this squishy thing escape? Like that fox or unicorn."


    Al was analysing the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and Raina was seriously staring at the gels with a serious expression.


    With part of their bodies inside the pot, the gels were confirming the situation around them.


    The two are really distracted. Both Emily-san and I thought, making wry smiles.


    "It''s fine to touch them."


    "Eh?! Really?! Waii! The blue one''s cool! The red one''s warm, and this one, is moist!"


    Seeing Raina excited about something like that, Al had calmed down.


    "Come on, it''s time for the opening."


    It was the time and I urged the two. Together with Emily-san we went to the city''s centre and looked up at the sky above the guild hall.


    There, spread a dense black fog, just that part of the sky looked as if it was in the middle of the night.


    "W-what''s that."


    "It''s all right. That''s darkness magic''s ¡¶Smog¡·. It''s a smokescreen that doesn''t deal damage."


    Emily explained to surprised Raina.


    In darkness element magic, there''s an auxiliary magic like that of earth element''s ¡¶Mud Pool¡·, the smokescreen magic ¡¶Smog¡·. Normally, it''s used for blinding the enemy and escaping which is its main use, but it was easily cleared out with light from magic or torches, a disappointing magic.


    "But, this time that''s not the purpose for it."


    Something was thrown into the fog from the guild hall below and¡ª¡ªburst.


    Along with a dry sound of explosion, the gunpowder inside it had become a colourful ball of fire and on the black ¡¶Smog¡·''s background the fireworks bloomed.


    "Woah... That''s the ¡¾Gunpowder¡¿ Yun-san was making earlier, right?!"


    "That''s right. Though, I only passed the gunpowder balls and left the design to them."


    It wasn''t like I made all of it. Other crafters participated in it and I shared the information on the way to craft them.


    After that, the black had been stretched in the sky to produce an effect of the night sky for the exploding fireworks, causing cheers to erupt in various places in the town.


    This staging was made so that people could see beautiful fireworks in the daytime, thought of by ¡¾Darkness Element Talent¡¿ users centred on Cloude. In the end, the ones that were most flashy were the attack magic''s illusions that cut through the darkness magic''s fog.


    A diffused voice had spread throughout the town.


    ¡º"Thank you for coming to the event planned by us for today! How was the opening ceremony?! There are various events hosted so please look forward to it! Well then¡ª¡ªI declare the event''s opening!"¡»


    "That voice''s Magi-san''s, huh. Since it begun in the earnest, we should go too."


    "Indeed. Well, let''s hang around the stalls buy something, eat something and ask for prices."


    The two behind me and Emily-san made somewhat lonely expressions.


    "What is it? You two."


    At the same time I noticed, Emily-san asked. Even despite the fact the upper half of her face was hidden behind a mask, I could tell she was worried from her soft tone of voice.


    "We''re beginners, we don''t have money. I wonder if we have enough money even despite selling the items that dropped from mobs."


    "And we can''t splurge because we''re gathering money for new equipment..."


    When I looked towards Emily-san, it seemed like she didn''t talk with them about the equipment presents. I guess it''s fine to tell them beforehand, but they''d be happier with a surprise present.


    "Umm, let''s say that for today''s goal, in addition to buying and eating from the stalls, there''s one more. We want to give you some equipment as a gift."


    "Somehow, since you were with us the entire time you ended up still being in beginner''s equipment, right? That''s why after talking with Yun-kun we decided to pay for the equipment you two purchase, is how it ended up. Of course, there''s a limit to how much we''ll pay."


    So that''s that, Emily-san had supplemented my words. We planned 200kG for the two together. What we can find in that price range is a 60kG weapon and 40kG armour piece. However, embarrassment had welled up from my belly and I couldn''t put it that way.


    "W-well, that''s why it''s fine if you use the money you earned as planned. Yup."


    Because of embarrassment I ended up talking sloppily. Still, even as I thought that, the two''s gazes felt itchy so I looked away from them.


    "Um, that''s, I don''t know what to say. Thank you very much."


    "Uh, in order to answer your expectations we shall devote ourselves from now on as well."


    "You two sure are dutiful. It''s a game so it''s fine to play as you want."


    Even though Emily-san said that, as if they didn''t heard it at all, they directed sparkly and pure gazes towards us.


    "It''s something my little sister said, but at first it seems like someone''s expecting something of you. But don''t think about it so deeply. Also, if you two get stronger, you''ll just purchase consumables in my store. If that happens, I''ll get it back. You must lose a fly to catch a trout."


    With that said, the conversation on the topic ended. Then, I took Zakuro and Ryui and walked forward as if to run away.


    Behind me and Emily-san who walked by my side, Raina and Al discussed something happily. While watching the two with a sidelong glance, Emily-san whispered quietly to me.


    "Yun-kun, you sure aren''t honest. To say you''ll get it back if they get strong."


    "W-what is it."


    "If you were a person like that, you wouldn''t set a limit on the prices so low that you don''t break the market and didn''t put a purchase limit in the shop."


    "Geez... all right, I''m just not honest, okay."


    I was completely seen through by Emily-san and pouted displeased.


    In order to calm myself, I pat the two tails of Zakuro who had entered my hood, healing myself. Because I brushed it, there was a very smooth feel to it.


    Little by little I calmed myself and corrected Emily-san''s misunderstanding.


    "But, even with that price I''ve got enough methods of making profit."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, because I grow materials on the field beside the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, the costs are smaller than those of other players."


    When I said that, she asked "You prepared it yourself?". I told her that story items can be used to do some gardening even in a planter inside of a small room. However, the efficiency was lower than that of a field and seeds were also required. Since Emily-san had the ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense, it wasn''t a problem.


    And then, we headed towards the stalls. Since they were supported by Emily-san and me without entering the town, Raina and Al looked at everything as if it was unusual, distracted by one thing after another.


    What was ahead of their line of sight, was a food stall.


    It was a stall that sold both things for eating and ones that shouldn''t be eaten.


    "Welcome! It''s Mill Bird''s meat with poison removed! It'' delicious! The effect it gives is ATK increase!" "How about a kebab from a Big Boar! It''s tasty!" "Here, we''re selling fresh (laughs) vegetable sticks straight from the second town!"


    I''ve heard lively voices like that and on the opposite side, I''ve heard jokes targeted at gamers.


    "Come, it''s Russian roulette! One out of six has poison inside! It''s a trial of luck for the parties. While at it, we also sell antidotes!" "It tastes bad, but you can increase experience with bad statuses! It''s weak enough not to make you vomit, you can easily level up!" "The material''s taste remains as is, certainly an uniquely strange taste! Now, let''s start the party, the poison cuisine this way!"


    Poison cuisine aimed at people leveling up the poison resistance-type senses. A Russian roulette play for the party lined up together with that. In order not to let beginners try it out of curiosity, the price was high enough to make them think it over twice.


    Despite of that, those who have purchased it influenced by the atmosphere continued to suicide in front of the store.


    "Well, let''s find a normal stall."


    Hearing my words, the other three nodded repeatedly and we resumed our tour at the stalls.


    We got dizzy just looking for a stall with something delicious. Then suddenly, one section of the street had vacated itself.


    "I wonder what''s that. Just there alone people aren''t lined up for the stall, instead they gathered... is it a performance? Let''s go look!''


    "Ah, Rai-chan. Wait!"


    Raina broke into a run and Al had followed her. I heaved a sigh and looked at the unnatural corner of the street with stalls.


    "Did something happen?"


    "We''ll learn once we go there."


    The two of us chased after Raina and Al in normal walking pace, moving through between people. And, what we saw after making it to the scene was¡ª¡ª


    "Excuse me. Please give me all the food in the stall."


    "P-please spare me! Letia-chan! There won''t be any food for anyone else!"


    The players who were the owners of the three stalls lined up together and lowered their heads so desperately, it seemed like they would prostrate any time.


    The girl made a mystified expression and said "what to do?". Then looked at her own tamed beast, it had tilted its small head, tweeted and shook its ears.


    "It can''t be helped then. Give me ten servings for a take-away."


    Since it seemed like the storekeepers would scream hearing these words, I took a step forward.


    "What are you doing, Letia."


    "Oh, Yun-san? Hello."


    "Yun-kun, your acquaintance?"


    "Well, you can tell just by looking, but she has ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense just like me."


    Currently, while Letia should have had two tamed mobs which are the herbivorous animal Haru and Mill Bird Natsu, but now there were two other with her. One of them was a Will-O''-Wisp, a ball of fire that appears in the wetlands at the south. The other, was a Fairy Panther that appears on the road to Horia Cave.


    "It''s the first time Yun-san sees them, right? The wisp is Aki and the Fairy Panther is Fuyu. Since there''s a lot of people today, that with conjunction with the consumption of MP made it impossible for Mutsu to be here, so it''s just us four."


    As Letia introduced them, the four tamed beasts have come closer to them acting like spoiled children. As Raina''s eyes sparkled seeing that, Letia allowed her to touch them saying it''s no problem.


    Since they received food from people as they walked through the city, the four animals were more accustomed to humans than Ryui and Zakuro and didn''t show any reluctance at all when touched.


    "Hee, tamed mobs huh. A different type of mob-user from me."


    "Umm... this person is?"


    "My acquaintance, Emily-san."


    When I said "Emily-san" I felt a chill, but it was too late to rephrase. Since I already said it, I looked away to escape from Emily-san''s cold smile.


    I recalled that now, with mask and impersonation equipment she was Emilio.


    "Nice to meet you. I''m Emily, I use mobs made with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿."


    "I see. Emily? Or is it Emilio?"


    Since she identified herself as Emily yet the character''s name was disguised as Emilio, Letia made a puzzled expression.


    "Then, since it''s Emily and Emilio...let''s make it ''Lio''..."


    Certainly, it was all right as a nickname, but since it was very different from Emily-san''s original name, the person herself made a difficult expression.


    "Um... if possible, use Emily."


    "...? Understood. Then, Emily. Since I use ¡¾Taming¡¿ to tame mobs, I think it''s quite different. How about we talk as we eat?"


    "You''re right... I really look forward to it."


    Feeling something connecting them, Emily-san and Letia started happily talk with each other.


    Raina and Al were having fun feeding food bought at nearby stall to Letia''s tamed mobs. I alone felt a little bit alienated.


    "Heey. Let''s go and buy Raina''s and Al''s weapo¡ª¡ª"They''re doing a stage show there! Let''s go!"..."


    After coming here, Raina had thoughtlessly descended away again. While I was accustomed to it with Miu, it reminded me of the first time I met Raina and Al. I sighed lightly and followed them with Emily-san and Letia.


    The outdoor stage was several floors high and currently, distinctive players made a show utilizing their Senses.


    "Woaa! What! Is! That! Can such a thing really be done?!"


    Currently, a martial arts-focused player did pseudo-walking in the air with continuous use of arts. The same type of a fighter as Gantz had a very short delay time for the arts. Once again, he used a shortened waiting time for arts to do a pseudo-uppercut, continuing to walk in the air.


    But, with that said¡ª¡ª


    "He''s moving forward, but only one step at a time."


    It was more like with each usage of art he rose vertically until he reached high enough to receive damage after fall.


    Then, distracted by something he failed the timing and falling to the bottom he made a hole in the stage.


    He seemed to be alive, waving his hand from the hole but soon enough he was dragged out from under the stage. The hole was closed with a wooden plate and without any problems, the show was moved to the next performer.


    "What to say. There''s lots of stuff here."


    A dance performance of sword enthusiasts where they slashed on the venue excitedly, a throwing knives performance with apples placed on the collaborator''s head and beautifully hit right on target. Moreover, the apple was turned into apple juice using the grip of a petite ATK specialized player who performed. The staff member drank it with gusto.


    ¡ñ


    "Haa, I''m satisfied."


    "That''s great. Well then, let''s go to the next place."


    "Next place?"


    "Looking for equipment, right."


    "I-I didn''t forget."


    After that, Raina and Al enjoyed the stage performance, but we headed to achieve one of today''s goals which was purchasing weapon and armour for the two.


    On the way we have joined together with Letia to watch performance, but it was about the time to go buy it.


    "Look! There''s a lot of people gathered there! Surely they must be selling amazing weapons!"


    To hide the fact she forgot, Raina had assaulted the stall at which people had gathered.


    "Such powerful weapons would be sold at the auction. Or rather, I don''t think you can buy that with just 200kG."


    "If possible, I''d like to buy it at the store of an acquaintance crafter."


    "Rai-chan won''t listen any more."


    Hearing mine and Emily-san''s words, Al bowed.


    And before anyone noticed, Letia disappeared and on top of Ryui''s head stood the Mill Bird Haru.


    "Where did Letia go?"


    "Earlier she said she''s going to buy more food at the stalls. It seems she left Mill Bird to act as a mark."


    "Haa, Letia''s a free spirit too."


    I held my temple and spat out a sigh. However, we had to chase after Raina now.


    We moved through the crowd chasing after Raina and approached a stall not knowing what was being sold there.


    After approaching I felt the scent of familiar plants, consumables like potions and pills. The person at the stall was a crafter with ¡¾Mixing¡¿ Sense.


    "What I have prepared today is a ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ that allows resurrecting a dead player! One of them for 4mG! Other than that I have highly-effective potions!"


    "A ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ huh..."


    I already knew that other players made Revival Medicine before me. That''s why I moved closer to Raina to see Revival Medicine made by someone else.


    "Revival Medicine, where is it..."


    "What is it, Yun-kun?"


    After catching up to Raina, I saw the colour of the ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ made by the male player and was disappointed.


    As pale pink as possible¡ª¡ªit was a ¡¾Degraded Revival Medicine¡¿.


    Suddenly, I sighed inside my mind. The owner, looked towards me. Why me?


    "Isn''t it the ¡¾Nanny¡¿, Yun-san over there!"


    "I don''t like that nickname."


    I furrowed my eyebrows slightly as the ¡¾Mixing¡¿ owner had called me ¡¾Nanny¡¿.


    Hearing his loud dramatic voice, I got annoyed.


    "Yun-san''s the owner of the famous ¡¾Atelier¡¿ that sells highly-effective potions! How is it! My Revival Medicine!"


    "Eh, yeah, yup. It''s fine, I guess?"


    It was clearly different from the Revival Medicine I completed, a degraded product, but it was still usable.


    "Is that so, is that so! With this it can be said that I might be OSO''s best ¡¾Mixing¡¿ user, right! How is it! My potion!"


    With that said, asking 4mG for a Degraded Revival Medicine wasn''t a fitting price. Unless he goes down with the price, no one will buy it.


    "What''s with this potion. The effect is much lower than what Yun-san makes. Acting all important with just this much."


    "Stop it Raina. Come on, let''s go."


    "Is it really fine?! He''s saying whatever he wants! Aren''t you frustrated by that?!"


    Honestly speaking, I couldn''t care less. I wasn''t really interested in the title of the best crafter.


    "And he put on an impossible price like that! It''s strange!"


    "But, just this time that''s not a strange price."


    Saying so, Emily explained to Raina. Probably, he was trying to make up for the cost of failures.


    "When selling crafted items, the crafter should profit, right?"


    "Even so, that''s profiteering."


    "It seems like he continued to purchase ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petals¡¿ that''s material for Revival Medicine from others and researched them, making that."


    Just as Emily-san said, if the study is prolonged, the maker has to cover the development cost by selling the potion high.


    In my case, although I did an initial investment into the field, by mixing manually I was able to decrease the costs and make high quality potions.


    It wasn''t that the potions at this stall had the effect and price unbalanced. He was a skilled crafter, but he must have been thinking about recovering the development cost of Revival Medicine.


    In this case, that''s the result of accumulated development costs.


    When explained that, Raina went silent slightly frustrated.


    "What''s with it. It''s unfair. Even if he fails, that''s way too high a price to put on."


    "Having a high price doesn''t mean it''ll sell. If someone makes one cheaper than that, it won''t sell. Like that the price is going to go down naturally."


    "Somehow, hearing that I feel Yun-san who can make it cheap is an amazing player. I didn''t understand what you''re doing at first though. You have an image of a person versed in survival."


    "Al. I''m not amazing, but I do feel like cross-examining your recognition of me for the next hour."


    "Oh, that''s right. There was the talk about our equipment! Emily-san, please guide us to the store that sells weapons."


    "Got it."


    Being able to change the topic immediately was Raina''s strong point. I was able to escape well, heaved a sigh and smiled wryly.


    Imperceptibly, we have rejoined with Letia who held a large amount of food. Eating while walking we arrived at Emily-san''s acquaintance''s store.


    "Oh, miss ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿! What''s up?"


    "We thought of giving some equipment as a present to beginners we were looking after."


    The people Emily-san had called out to was a slim woman, a tall girl and a plump man''s trio of crafters.


    Each of them had items made with a different crafting beside them, selling them on the stall.


    "That''s a lot of joke weapons."


    "Right?! Missy over there."


    The plump man in his latter twenties gave a thumbs up and raised some food from the paper bag in his hand. Letia returned the same gesture with her empty hand.


    The lined up items had no sense of unity, but after being told the budget and the rough fighting style, the Male storekeeper started to consult with Raina and Al to decide.


    "It seems like this stall will take some time. I''ll pass 100kG ahead of time then."


    "Yeah, it might be difficult for Yun-kun."


    Most likely implying, the girls'' shopping takes long. Certainly, my little sister Myu and Sei-nee always took time to try things, but thanks to that I had free time meanwhile.


    And when I looked at the items at the stall, it seemed like half of them were based on owner''s hobbies.


    "These sure are wonderful weapons."


    "Is that so? No matter how you look at it..."


    It looked like a bar. There was a lot of convenient weapons whose application was beating to death, stabbing and hanging, but because of their strange length and curvature they seemed hard to use. Also, they were strangely graphic as their tips were covered in red paint.


    Other than that there was a things like a yellow helmet, it was packed with broken fantasy equipment.


    While that was the male player''s hobby, the slim woman and the tall girl were dealing with normal items. And in the corner of the store, there were Emily-san''s materials lined up and sold in consignment.


    In there, were six stones¡ª¡ªElemental Stones.


    They were consumable items that temporarily increased magic power of the corresponding element, but I had another application for them.


    The skill capable of enchanting a weapon or armour with a corresponding element, ¡¾Element Enchant¡¿. There were still many unknowns about it and I used it in combat only once.


    "Excuse me. Can you sell me 20 of each Elemental Stones?"


    I said, purchasing them.


    "Sure. Grade 5 Elemental Stones 20 each. Here you go."


    When I bartered with Emily-san before, it must have been Grade 4 stones, Grade 5 were considerably cheaper than that.


    It must have been able to use ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s ¡¶Higher Matter Conversion¡· to make them into Grade 4. Or maybe, to use ¡¶Lower Matter Conversion¡· to examine the original materials. While I pondered about it, I noticed Letia''s stare as she was continuing to eat fruits.


    " "...staaare." "


    "......"


    "...sta-sta-staaaare."


    "...w-what is it, Letia."


    "No, it seems like the two''s equipment was already decided on."


    "Eh?"


    Letia pointed her finger in another direction, I turned around and saw Raina make a happy expression and a wryly smiling Al.


    They have completed registering the crafter as their friend.


    Their equipments changed into new one and the impression they gave off was largely different. From uncool beginners, they seemed to have transformed into competent adventurers.


    "You two, your equipment changed a lot. It looks quite splendid."


    "Hmph, isn''t it! Yun-san and Emily-san paid for us, but the missing money we have recompensed with what we diligently gathered!"


    Saying so, Raina happily pat the buckler attached to her arm. Her weapon was replaced with a short spear good for manoeuvring, for defence, she was wearing leather armour dyed in indigo colour. Design-wise it was somewhat clunky, but with the functionality as a priority the person herself was satisfied.


    As for Al, he completely postponed purchase of the armour, equipping a staff made of aged wood and INT correction-type accessories.


    It seemed like the combination of a light-armoured vanguard with spear and a standard mage was devised based on the two''s cooperation and sense of distance.


    "You can''t call us beginners any more with this."


    "Rai-chan, you''re getting full of yourself again."


    Again, Al smiled wryly. But, it did seem like he too was agitated wanting to try the equipment of his own.


    And then the two''s eyes sparkled when they heard a voice echoing throughout the entire town.


    ¡º"Now, to start the secret plan for those participating in today''s event! We will now release mobs into the town, make sure to hunt them down¡ª¡ªstart the hunt!"¡»


    It was Lyly''s voice that had resounded. So the event Lyly was planning and proceeded with in secret was this, I realized.

 Chapter Volume 5 2

    Chapter 2 - The Secret Plan and the Emergency Quest


    ¡º"The subjugation of the mobs is the highlight of the event''s first day, to start we shall summon a certain amount of mobs we have prepared! The parties that defeat a certain amount or more are going to be awarded with an accessory as a prize. The location is in front of east and west gates outside the city! You can participate in it freely. In this area, we have the joint struggle penalty cancelled. However, the condition is that only those who have stats appropriate for reaching second or third town can participate, do your best!"¡»


    From Lyly''s words I could feel that a certain amount of strength was required.


    It didn''t seem like the mobs were as strong as the ones that ran berserk at ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Store¡¿, but as expected they were unable to adjust the strength of the mobs that are called in.


    "Accessories! Then we have to participate. Let''s go, Al!"


    "You''re right Rai-chan! We need to test our improved equipment!"


    "Hey! You two!"


    I grasped the collars of the two who tried to break into a run, retaining them on spot.


    "Give up this time. Your levels aren''t high enough."


    "Yun-kun? How do you know?"


    Well, that''s because I was involved in it. Once they have appeared, I was able to immediately get a grasp on the situation.


    While not defying the flow of gathering people, the participating players moved in front of the city gates on the east and west. Among them, the players mainly watched the screen displayed on the sky.


    In the space prepared in front of the east and west city gates, "certain things" were placed at regular intervals and on the outside of it, these things were put fire to.


    There were some who have scowled not accustomed to incense''s smell, I who knew what was it spoke its name.


    "¡ª¡ª ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿, huh. As I thought, it''s those bugs."


    "What''s a ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿?"


    Since Letia didn''t know, she tilted her head in puzzlement. Emily-san knew I made them, but she probably didn''t think it would be used like this.


    "The called in mobs are limited to insect-type, by putting the incense arranged at regular intervals an area inhospitable to insects was created, making it possible to keep down the mobs in a specific place."


    No way, to think items for avoiding encounters with mobs could be used in this manner, it was a concept reversal.


    "It was said that the mobs called in are about the strength of people who reached second or third town. The location in which you can get the item is the dungeon in the ¡¾Maze Town¡¿ . That''s why, it''s reckless for the two to go now."


    So for this time, just watch. When I said that, the two were convinced and came apologizing.


    "Um, thank you for stopping us from charging in again. And sorry."


    "I was careless too. I should have properly stopped Rai-chan. I''m sorry."


    The two lowered their heads looking apologetically, so I accepted their apologies.


    "This time, let''s just buy some juice and watch it. It''s my treat."


    "Is that so? Then, for me five mega bucket mix juices."


    "You... hold back yourself. Letia."


    Seeing my exchange with the hungry elf, Emily-san chuckled which in turn induced Raina and Al to laugh as well.


    Like I said, I treated everyone to juice and put out the sweets I had in my inventory, as not to get in people''s way we moved to the corner and looked up at the screen displayed in the air.


    In the centre between the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incenses¡¿, the ¡¾Black Lustrous Spheres¡¿ piled up like a mountain, looking like nothing else but black cobblestone.


    When magic was used beside them, the black cobblestone immediately changed into black insect-type mobs at once.


    Previously when Lyly had them outburst into the town I was unable to observe them leisurely, but the insect mobs heads were tear-shaped and on it was a highly-transparent crystal that looked like jewellery. While it''s body was hidden behind a large head, it was covered with a large shell and at its tip it brandished large vertical pair of scissors. They used their six legs to firmly thread on the ground, moving their tails and scissors in an intimidating manner.


    They have appeared one after another, cramming themselves into a narrow space.


    "Somehow, seeing so many of them gather is gross. I feel it''s a good thing we didn''t go."


    "How do you take that on? Conversely, won''t they be easily wiped out with magic if they''re so dense?"


    "It hasn''t begun yet. Probably, the effect of the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ will be turned off inside and the insect mobs will spread more?"


    The two seemed to enjoy the fact that I assumed the explaining role this time.


    However, with the following event the town had become dead calm.


    ¡ª¡ªAn emergency quest ¡¾Town Assault¡¿ has been started in the town. A number of bosses have been arranged in the town and the joint struggle penalty is cancelled until the quest ends. The level required is suitable for all players. After subjugating a number of monsters you''ll become a winner eligible for a reward. In addition, limited edition items have been prepared for the winners¡ª¡ª


    This, was the announcement of an official event from the management. The content was an emergency quest for all participating players. Hearing this, I''ve felt a vague fear the crafter''s event and the official emergency quest might complicate things.


    Still, despite that, the players who couldn''t participate in the event earlier stood excited, holding their weapons.


    It was because the official emergency quest had no level restriction.


    With everyone holding a weapon, they waited for the emergency quest mobs.


    "Hey, this time we can participate, right. We''ll do what we can."


    "Y-yeah, with appropriate level there''s no problems."


    With that said, the twins have happily swung their newly-bought weapons. However, I was still anxious about whether it was all right for them to participate in something this unexpected.


    "How about we form a party and back each other up?"


    Hearing Al''s question, I thought he''s right, Emily-san and I just have to support them as much as possible. I noticed.


    "Like usual, Yun-kun and I will cover you. We won''t meddle in too much and just support you so that you don''t die."


    "Well then, Letia will you¡ª¡ª"I''ll fight together with you"¡ª¡ªparticipate?"


    She nodded energetically. Since we didn''t know what fighting style Letia used, I was worried if we''re able to cooperate all of a sudden.


    "Okay, I understand that Letia'' will fight. Well then, let''s drop the talk and go."


    Despite my anxiety, Letia and Emily-san spoke about the order for the emergency quest, so I too supplemented it with ideas for cooperation.


    No enchant support for Raina and Al. No recovery from recovery items. We''ll defeat the mobs coming from the side, but we won''t help with the ones the two are targeting.


    When we told that to them, they suddenly got motivated.


    "Well then, let''s do it!"


    Raina moved the buckler on the arm forward and made a stance with half of her body, Al squeezed the staff with both his hands.


    And as the countdown for the emergency quest had begun, on the screen displayed in the air the secret plan''s group of black insects have started to gradually spread.


    "Haa?! Seriously."


    A certain voice. The person speaking must have thought that the secret planning and emergency quest were started jointly. At first I thought of the same.


    However, it was actually different in reality.


    ¡º"3, 2, 1..."¡»


    As the countdown progressed, the amount of black insect mobs projected on the screen had increased. The density had thickened within the predetermined range and as it started to rapidly form a shape I started feeling vague anxiety.


    ¡ª¡ªThis is bad, this is bad, this is bad. There''s no evidence for cooperation with the emergency quest."


    Reflected on the screen, as the crafters executing the event greatly panicked, finally the time had come and¡ª¡ª


    "The insects ran away."


    Multiple medium-sized boss mobs from the emergency quest appeared everywhere in the town and next, small fry mobs have appeared surrounding them.


    The appearance of the group of black insects from earlier, emergency quest bosses and small fry mobs had overlapped, turning everything into chaos.


    "Players who don''t fight run away to the centre! Fighting players, to the front! The mobs started moving!"


    Someone''s roar had echoed.


    Originally, the horde of black insect mobs wouldn''t leave the area created with ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿. The personnel was placed so as to not let the lit incense be destroyed. However, a wide variety of mobs have appeared in the town due to the emergency quest without receiving the effect of the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ and destroyed part of the incenses, allowing the freed insects to rush out.


    And there, the strong and weak jumbled together have entered large-sized close combat battle.


    The town in which there was a large number of people. In addition, with the stalls and booths the passages were narrow, where the players movement was inhibited a horde of insect mobs had attacked.


    When someone incapable of defeating had encountered the black insect mobs they were revived in the town square, then continued to deal with the mobs coming one after another despite the death penalty.


    "It''s just like ¦Â version''s Zombie Attack."


    "Zombie Attack?"


    "That''s right. During the town defence event in ¦Â version, defeated players continued to rush in despite death penalty. Revived, they continued their assault. And, bit by bit they delivered a little bit of damage to the enemy."


    Hearing Emily-san''s explanation, I recalled a fragment of a story I heard before. If I''m not wrong, it was about the actions of ¡¾Bow¡¿ users who have ran out of arrows. Because of that story the ¡¾Bow¡¿ had started receiving treatment as a trash Sense.


    In this situation there was a localized battle like that as well.


    ¡º"All the crafters! Will you allow the event to break down because of such a thing?! We too sortie and go out there!"¡»


    ¡º" " "UOOOOOO¡ª¡ª!" " "¡»


    ¡º"Everyone, CHARGE!"¡»


    "Magi-san, Cloude..."


    Projected by chance on the screen were the crafters from the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ who organized the event. Called out to by Magi-san who held the position of the guild master, they continued to defeat the monsters the town was overflowing with.


    "So what should we do? Just stand firm and protect?"


    "Letia, let''s see..."


    I downcast my eyes slightly.


    Magi-san and the others are fighting too. Other players are fighting right now. As if I''d let such an occurrence screw up the event. That''s why I¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªWe''ll support Raina and Al so that we can defeat as many mobs as we can. Let''s not have this confusion spread any further."


    "Got it. With that said though, with a confusing battle like this I can''t use my synthetic mobs because it''ll end in friendly fire."


    "In that case, since they can''t add on to combat potential it''s bad to leave Ryui and Zakuro summoned. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Dismissal¡· !"


    "Then rather on the main road, it would be better to meet them where they enter a side road."


    In that case, it''ll work. I thought.


    The enemy mobs have spread out in the town, although a lot of mobs were running on the broadest streets leading to in south and north, east and west, there was just as many players there. We entered a side street and selected mobs to defeat immediately after.


    "Well take care of just the small fries. Let''s go, Al."


    "A-all right!"


    When Al nodded in response to Raina, she had yelled raising her fighting spirit and rushed at the closest weakling mob to pierce it with the short spear, then slash it.


    Not to lose to her, Al activated magic in the narrow side street without anywhere to escape, delivering damage.


    "Natsu and Aki, scout and restrain the enemy. Fuyu, attack as soon as you find black insects. Haru, please stop the enemies that get in the way."


    Letia instructed the four tamed mobs.


    The Herbivorous Beast Haru took on the enemies and using its elastic hair, absorbed the attack''s impact. While the enemy was stopped, the Fairy Panther kicked off the wall and spread fairy wings, gliding in the air, then crushing the enemy from above.


    The Mill Bird Natsu and the Wisp Aki drew an 8 in the sky, restraining the enemy with fire and blades of wind.


    "All right! There!"


    I aimed with the bow and fired. When the black insect walking on top of the building was pierced, it fell on the street, turned into particles of light and disappeared.


    "Coming again!"


    "Roger!"


    In the same manner, I shot an arrow towards an insects that clung to the wall and made clunky sounds with their scissors and tails, piercing them. One of them kicked off the wall it clung to and headed towards Raina and Al.


    "Emily-san, I leave it to you!"


    "Understood."


    She drew the connecting sword and when she swung up the extended metal pieces and the wire core entwined around the black insect, dropping it to the ground.


    "It''s bound, devour it!"


    When she twisted the handle of the connecting sword a sound of wind could be heard and the wire tightly crept on the body''s surface, metal pieces tore the black insect to shreds.


    There was damage from tightening and the damage from being slashed by metal pieces, in particular they were biting into the insect''s soft parts tearing it apart. Finally, it had changed into particles of light.


    "That was splendid. Emily-san."


    "It''s the first time we group up, but you''re not bad, Letia."


    "It''s fine to compliment yourselves, but don''t forget to support the twins."


    Letia and Emily-san complimented each other''s actions. I chided it while continuing to shoot arrows, continuing to aid the twins.


    Still, even though the twins weren''t familiar with fighting while watching the surroundings, level and stat-wise they were enough to overwhelm small fry mobs. However, since they immediately attacked the enemy in front of them, they were surrounded by weak mobs.


    "Let''s thin them out leaving some for Raina and Al."


    "Well, let''s do our best."


    "You''re right."


    When I saw black insects mingle among the growing flock of mobs I heaved a sigh, Emily-san smiled wryly and Letia instructed her four tamed mobs.


    ¡ñ


    How many did we defeat, how much time has elapsed. We arrived in an open plaza slightly away from the town centre and stopped our legs.


    In the centre of the square Raina and Al have reached by chasing after an enemy in the side street, there was a boss mob.


    "¡ª¡ªForest Bear!"


    Along with Raina''s voice, Al gasped.


    It was a medium-sized mob that had previously attacked Raina. However, its size was greater than 3 metres, it had claws and the fur''s colour was red. In other words, it was a sub-species of a Forest Bear.


    While the Forest Bear wasn''t that strong for an emergency quest boss, because of their memories they were unable to take a single step.


    "Seeing enemy lie in ambush like this, it reminds me of the early game bosses. In any game there''s lots of these weak small fry bosses."


    "To me, seeing as its hair colour is different, it seems as if they''re cutting corners and just change colour scheme to increase the number of enemies. Certainly... if it''s a boss whose colour is clearly different stats and movement patterns are enhanced, it might actually fulfil the role of a boss?"


    "If we defeat that, we''ll get materials for bear pot, right?"


    Each of us three had thought whatever we liked. By the way, it was spoken in the order from the right, starting with me, Emily-san and Letia.


    With just an enemy of this level, we didn''t feel any threat.


    "Why are you so lacking in tension!"


    "No, Al. You see..."


    Why would we be scared of a boss we''ll probably defeat with ease. We have directed our gazes saying that towards Al.


    "Enemy''s moving, Yun-kun."


    "Follow them up! Raina and Al, which one you''re aiming for?!"


    "Of course, the boss! We''ll defeat it!"


    Raina showed her motivation and Al screamed from behind her. Well, being at mercy of the sister is the destiny of a brother, accept it. I already accepted it.


    In my mind I cheered for Al, then shot arrow from the bow piercing through the black insects on the wall.


    Letia cooperated with her four tamed mobs in close proximity as not to let Raina and Al be attacked from behind by the black insects.


    Emily-san freely manipulated the connecting sword, just attacking the enemies that assaulted Raina and Al from the sides. She sometimes let them go through allowing the two to take them on.


    "Geez, you''re pretty Spartan aren''t you, Emily-san."


    "But spoiling them too much isn''t good either!"


    Having a reasonable ordeal was important. And as Raina and Al rushed to the boss in front, Emily-san and I stood back-to-back raising our weapons.


    "Normally, this would be quite a pinch, but I don''t feel any sense of crisis at all."


    While saying so, I nocked the arrows as fast as possible and reduced their number in blink of an eye¡ª¡ª


    "Were I to describe it, it feels as if I''m playing a Musou game. You know, manipulating the warlords."


    After saying that, Emily-san returned the connecting sword to long sword state and cut down a black insect with it.


    Although the enemy numbers were gradually decreasing, we still couldn''t see the end of it. In order to clean up the secret plan and the emergency quest, we had to dispose of all the black insects and boss mobs that appeared in the town.


    "Well, let''s increase the pace a little ¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡·!"


    I aimed at two mobs that came jumping at me and nocked arrows. The art that fired two arrows in a row further changed as the level increased.


    Both the delay time and the time the art itself took had shortened, in an instant two arrows were fired.


    Enhanced by the art I fired continuously, delivering a powerful barrage.


    If there was a drawback, that would be the fact arrow had to be replenished once they expired and that MP was consumed by continuous use of art. These two weren''t a problem as I had the + correction arrows and plenty MP to spare.


    The drawback that couldn''t be covered by items or level, was that due to the art recoil the angle I could move the aim was limited. However, at the moment Emily-san was protecting my back.


    "I''ll do it too¡ª¡ª¡¶Cracking¡·!"


    The connecting sword was swung up far overhead, bent strongly and was swung down.


    The sword like had slammed into the cobblestone like a whip, creating a shockwave which damaged enemies radially from that point.


    It had a paralysis effect and damaged with sound. Originally it was an art from the ¡¾Whip¡¿ Sense, but it could be used with the weapon that was derived from and had both of ¡¾Whip¡¿''s and ¡¾Sword¡¿''s properties.


    The metal pieces tore through returning to the long sword shape. Cutting with Whip''s arts, it showed a variety of attack methods.


    "Emily! Above!"


    As Letia''s voice resounded, above me and Emily-san there was a black shadow.


    I reflexively looked up and saw a black insect jump in. Spreading its six legs, it tried to crush us .


    Normally it would be easy to avoid it or shoot it down, but I couldn''t move because of the recoil from continuous use of arts and I could move my aim as the angle was restricted.


    "Leave it to me! HAAaaa!!"


    Emily-san swung the connecting sword overhead, tangling the insect in the wire and metal pieces.


    And like that, she held the sword''s hilt with both hands swinging it vertically. The metal pieces bit into the insect''s body, launching it.


    The black insect was pulled down with the swing and slammed into the stone pavement, taking large damage.


    However, there were more black insects over our heads. They brandished the tips of their legs. The attack with the claws increased the attack power together with the falling momentum.


    I still couldn''t move because of art''s rebound.


    Emily-san brought down the one insect but it wasn''t defeated yet. If she solved the restraint it would move towards Raina and Al so she couldn''t move.


    Since Letia was defeating the enemy mobs that got in the way of Raina and Al, she couldn''t help.


    "Geez... well, gotta let myself get hit."


    Rebuilding the posture after being hit takes time so it''s a pain. While thinking so, I resigned myself and got hit by the scissors attack¡ª¡ªthat didn''t happen.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·! One more discovered!"


    A white shadow contrasting with the black insects that moved from building to building jumped over our heads.


    It had emitted a laser beam from its fingertip which pierced the black insect from the side, then it kicked off the wall changing direction to cut down the black insects escaping on the walls.


    "Myu!"


    "The boss is already taken, but there''s a lot of untouched mobs. Now, become my nourishment for the sake of defeating that big pup!"


    "...Myu-san. I defeated the enemies on the roof. Let''s go!"


    "Roger. Let''s move around for a little longer before merging with Luka-chan and others. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Wave¡·!"


    Myu landed on the ground and spoke with Toutobi who stood on top of the building. From there, she triggered a wide-range attack magic to the narrow alley and rushed in.


    "What was that... just now."


    "As usual, Yun-kun''s Lil'' Sister is being energetic."


    Emily-san and I looked at where Myu had ran to for just a moment.


    And then, once again we saw Myu pop out from between the buildings, using ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿ she kicked off the walls moving in three-dimensional manner all over the town. I somehow understood.


    Surely, looking from above was more efficient. She thought. Toutobi too nonchalantly jumped from one building to another.


    "Somehow, I''ve got a headache."


    "Don''t escape reality. The boss is still remaining!"


    "Oh, right! Raina and Al!"


    When I looked back at the boss from the Forest Bear subspecies, I saw Raina extend the buckler on her wrist to the front and endure.


    While she emphasized on the defence, Al was now the cornerstone of their attack steadily shaving off the boss'' HP. They fought carefully managing their HP and MP.


    "They''ll defeat it eventually, but before that we''re going to run out of mobs around us."


    "It can''t be helped. In order to shorten the combat time let''s give them some aid. Raina! Al! We''re gonna give you support!"


    "Please make it minimal!"


    When I called out, I was responded to by Raina who burned with desire to take revenge on the Forest Bear. She sure hates to lose, I felt so. If possible, we didn''t want to butt in directly, but we couldn''t afford to prolong it either.


    Well, I won''t directly intervene in the twins'' battle.


    "Let''s go! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed!"


    I put on physical enchants on Raina, raising her stats.


    Then after a few seconds of delay time, I put different enchants on Al.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªIntelligence, speed! The last one is a bonus. ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon!"


    On Al, I put on magic attack increase and speed enchants. Also, I crushed the Elemental Stone for the element I wanted to use, strengthening the corresponding element.


    "This¡ª¡ª¡¶Fire Ball¡·!"


    "Me too! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Charge Lance¡·!"


    Al released two large fireballs and Raina hid in their shade, rushing in with the short spear in her hands.


    The fireball hit the Forest Bear''s body and spread throughout it, delivering damage. The Forest Bear swung its thick arm to scatter the flames, but with low posture hiding behind the fire Raina had stabbed in with the spear.


    "HAaaa! Pierceee!"


    The furious charge pierced Forest Bear''s belly, breaking its posture. Retaining the momentum Raina ran through behind it and pierced the Forest Bear''s outstretched neck, then twisted the handle gouging it.


    It had become a decisive factor, the Forest Bear sank in and turned into particles of light.


    "All right! Boss is defeated!"


    "Not yet, the town assault isn''t over yet! Let''s go to the next one."


    "A break before that. You need to recover HP and MP."


    I stopped Al who spoke happily and joyful Raina before the two rushed to the next enemy in sight.


    "Despite the boss being defeated, the Bear''s Paw didn''t drop. I expected that considering it was a subspecies..."


    "Letia. Don''t make such a sad face. Come on, I''ll give you some of the sweets I made earlier."


    "Yes. Yun-san, I love you for giving me so many things."


    Matching her Letia''s tamed mobs cried out. Since the Wisp couldn''t speak, he relayed it by changing the flame''s colour.


    "Yun-kun, getting closer by feeding, huh."


    "That wasn''t my intention..."


    With appetite Letia had begun munching on the pound cake.


    The large screen visible from anywhere in the town that was still being projected in the air had displayed a quite changed battle situation.


    Since the black insects have mixed together with the weak bosses spread out all over the town, and subjugation of the weak enemies in this labyrinth did not go as I thought it would. On the other hand, the excessive forces on the major roads in the east and west, south and north already finished cleaning up the enemies. The organization of the teams for fixing the stalls and the sweeping teams for the alleys were ongoing.


    In the centre of it was Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee from the guild ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿. The ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ members capable of combat moved, starting with Magi-san.


    Talented parties like Taku''s have scattered in various places, engaging in the encounter battles.


    "Hey, we''ve rested enough we want to go on!"


    "You''re right. Then, how about we go south where''s less people and defeat what we find?"


    As Emily-san proposed, no one objected and have nodded.


    "Now, let''s go!"


    I put on a wry smile seeing Raina raise the spear again and close on the enemy in front of her. We chased after her.


    Possibly because they defeated the Forest Bear subspecies boss earlier the twins'' level increased. The rate at which enemy was being exterminated and the combat efficiency had increased.


    "At this rate, soon enough they''ll be able to join a party to defeat Big Boar and Blade Lizard."


    "You''re right. When that happens, they''ll be out of our hands."


    While both of us took down the black insects, Emily-san and I muttered.


    And then, we continued to fight until a sound had rang out thirty minutes later, signalling the end of emergency quest.


    ¡ñ


    "Take that!! Haa! Aaa..."


    ¡ª¡ªEmergency Quest complete. Cheers for the good work. The summary of the results are ready, please wait for a moment.


    Raina released a full body thrust, scratching the mob that had disappeared and her movements stopped retaining the posture as she missed.


    And since she continued to concentrate on fighting until now, tired, she calmed her breathing and sat on spot.


    "Rai-chan. Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine. I just need to rest a little. Rather than that Al, look at the status. In this short time it''s gone up 5 levels."


    Her breathing was still rough, but I looked at her with a smile as she said so happily.


    I too checked my own Sense status.


    Possessed SP24


    ¡¾Bow Lv37¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv48¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv28¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv48¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv19¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv34¡¿¡¾Taming Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv26¡¿


    Considering the strength of the mobs we took on, it seemed like my level barely increased at all making me heave a light sigh. It can''t be helped. I smiled wryly.


    The result must have been similar for Emily-san as she made a subtle smile.


    "Yun-kun, cheers for good work."


    "You too, Emily-san."


    Both of us took out drinks from inventory and put it up to our mouths.


    When we sat in the side street from which we could view at the main street, we saw that even after the assault quest, the residual black insect sweeping program and the preparations of stall were over, everyone was running around and the town was bustling.


    "Yun-saan, Emily-saaan. Please look at thiiis."


    "What is it, Letia. Hey, haa?!!"


    Letia had hailed to us, when we turned around, there, we saw the black insect gnawing on the Herbivorous Beast who seemed completely fine as well as the Mill Bird Natsu and Aki restraining the insect with magic. In addition, in case the insect were to turn violent the Fairy Panther Fuyu was there to protect Letia.


    "What are you doing! It''s dangerous, isn''t it!"


    "No, somehow I wondered if I could make it a comrade."


    Raina and Al raised their tired bodies and set up their weapons, but Letia entered between them not letting them fight.


    While ignoring them, Letia approached the black insect and touched the crystal on its forehead.


    "Let''s go then. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Taming¡·"


    She muttered quietly, a pale ripple spread from Letia''s hand.


    As that was sucked into the black insect''s forehead, it''s mouth inside gnawing on the Herbivorous Beast''s fur had relaxed. It''s eyes glowing red changed into blue and the black insect moved away from Haru.


    "It succeeded. So the mob''s name is Runner Bug, huh. Your name is Kisaragi. So, your nickname is Ragi. Best regards."


    Saying so, she pat the Runner Bug Kisaragi, it let out a clattery sweet sound and morphed into a summoning stone.


    "If I call you out now you might get attacked by mistake, see you later. Ragi."


    Letia muttered to the summoning stone in her hand, then tired, she fell down into the Herbivorous Beast Haru, sticking her face in its fur.


    "Hey, you okay?"


    "I''m... hungry."


    Her stomach let out a loud sound and she stretched her hand in my direction. I responded with "good grief" and went to buy food in the restored stall to pass it to her.


    With that for the time being she secured enough physical strength to move and had begun to actively go eat on her own.


    The problem with Letia was over, we looked towards Raina and Al again and seeing them make a difficult expressions despite raising their levels, Emily-san and I smiled wryly slightly troubled.


    "What happened?"


    "It''s fine that our levels increased, but the amount recovered by the potions used so far has decreased. MP Potion didn''t change. How about you, Al?"


    "Me? Nothing changed."


    "Congratulations. That means the amount recovered was reduced as your level increased. Right now you''re using Beginner''s Potions, right? Then next ones you use will be Potions and High Potions."


    "But I still have lots of them left. It''s a waste. Just earlier we bought equipment, and we have to spend again..."


    I calmed down Raina and Al who lowered their heads and shoulders dejected.


    "Then, how about you make them into Blue Potions that have the same effect as Potions? With just a little bit of adjustment to the Beginner''s Potions, they can be changed into Bluepots."


    Hearing my proposal Raina and Al raised their faces and tilted their heads.


    If one used ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ on multiple Beginner''s Potions with each other, it was possible to make a different potion. If there one mixed in the material Blue Jelly, one could make the Blue Potions instantly.


    Originally, I would have boiled herbs then concentrated it to make highly effective potions, but it would be too excessive to give that to the two right from the start.


    "The effect will be just a little higher than that of a potion, how about it?"


    "With that we might suppress the costs. Rai-chan, how about we go hunt some slimes later?"


    "Hmm, sure."


    By the time the two consented, Letia had come back holding enough food she had to protrude her hands to hold them.


    Looking as she had divided it between the twins and the tamed mobs, Emily-san lined up next to me and spoke.


    "Yun-kun and Blue Potions sounds nostalgic. Miss ¡¾Mysterious Bluepot Vendor¡¿."


    "It''s not like I named myself that though."


    Recalling the way I was once referred to feeling nostalgic myself and smiled wryly. I thought it was a better nickname than current ¡¾Nanny¡¿.


    "Certainly, with the basic recipe their effect is on the level of a Potion, but with the recipe adjustments it can be comparable to High Potions. Since there''s no potion recovery amount limit, the two might use them for really long."


    "I didn''t really think of that."


    Understanding Emily-san''s grin even despite the mask, I returned a similar grin.


    At that time, information had reached us through the party menu which we checked through.


    ¡¾"¡ª¡ªCongratulations on winning Emergency Quest ¡¾Town Assault¡¿''s prize. The commemorative prize had been placed in your inventory."¡¿


    "Al! Look! Really?! We got it?!"


    "We did! It''s not a dream!"


    The summary of the emergency quest results had ended and we have won a prize. For our result of defeating 80 small fry mobs and a single boss we received a prize. Comparing it to others'' results, we have barely made it, but for novice players it was a really good result.


    "We did it! Also, with new accessories we''ll get even stronger!"


    "You''re right!"


    What the two had equipped on their arms were bracelets shining in brownish colour with a missing portion that made it easy to put on. A red gem was fitted into their centres, it was an unique product with a relief engraved on it.


    Emily-san and I, as well as Letia have received the same equipment and checked the information on the items.


    Scramble Hero ¡¾Accessory¡¿(Weight: 3)


    ATK+3 DEF+3 INT+3 MIND+3 Additional Effect: HP+3%


    It raised four stats and its additional effect increased HP limit by 3%, the effect should be more than enough for Raina and Al.


    For the two who haven''t yet established a clear fighting style for themselves, this type of accessory that raises their base stats will come in handy. However, for me, Emily-san and Letia they were quite lacking. When they get far enough in the game like we did, they''ll want to choose accessories that match their Senses, combat styles and weapons.


    In that meaning, for the high-level players it was a medal and for the low-level players it had a worth as a reward. It could be said it was a balanced prize.


    For accomplishments, not only ones for the emergency quest had come but also ones for the summoned Runner Bugs interception had come, but our party was unable to make it.


    "What, even though we defeated a lot of them."


    "The ones who defeated them were Yun-san, Emily-san and Letia-san."


    "But..."


    Well, since the event required players to have stats high enough to reach second or third town, the accessories prepared were for people like that. Voices of joy have rose up in various places in the town, for this moment Magi-san must have worked hard. The accessories must have been a great treat.


    "But the ones who did the most were senior players, wasn''t it. We were being saved the entire time."


    "What are you saying? You''re the event''s heroes."


    Letia caught Raina and Al, and with her head between theirs she continued.


    "It''s fine for you to stand out."


    "Is it?"


    "Really?"


    She responded the twins with a nod. Raina and Al turned around to look at us, so we smiled and nodded to them.


    "Let''s march through under the banner of bracelet-wearing arm. A victory parade."


    With that said, Letia walked to the widest location in the main street.


    Since we realized what she wanted to do, we helped to clean out the surroundings of people, then watched over Letia''s actions.


    "Let''s go, Mutsuki¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    Letia had called out the elephant young beast, Ganesha Mutsuki. Despite being a cub that huge body had emitted an overwhelming aura.


    I was accustomed to it because it was my second time seeing it, Emily-san standing next to me looked up slightly agape.


    "Now, let''s go."


    She had nimbly climbed on Mutsuki''s raised front leg to its back, then reached out to Raina, Al was raised up by Mutsuki''s long nose and put on its back.


    After confirming the two are safely riding on Mutsuki''s back, Letia called out to us.


    "How about Yun-san and Emily-san?"


    "I''ll pass, I don''t like standing out."


    "Well. I''ll refrain myself as well. I want to talk with Yun-kun."


    "Is that so. We''ll be going then. Mutsu, please."


    When she instructed Mutsuki from its back, Mutsuki started parading through the main street with the twins on its back showing their brown bracelets. They were surrounded by Letia''s four tamed mobs, Haru, Natsu, Aki and Fuyu flying about tagging along them. We could hear cheers from surroundings celebrating the prizes.


    "Well then, what to do next."


    "Let''s see. Actually, I''ve found something I''d like to ask Yun-kun..."


    "Something to ask me?"


    "The skill you used during emergency quest, ¡¶Element Enchant¡· was it? The item used by that, was it Elemental Stone?"


    I was surprised that she saw me when I used that skill just once on Al, but I didn''t really have any intention of hiding it.


    "Yeah. When we were bartering, that skill was added."


    "When you took it out at first I thought you''re going to use attack magic, but the stone''s element was fire. What Yun-kun uses should be just earth, so it surprised me."


    "Was it that surprising?"


    "It meant there was a method to use them I didn''t know of."


    Even despite the mask I could tell Emily-san made a joyful expression.


    "I''ve got a proposal, can we verify the effect of the skill? I want to know as many methods of using the material I sell as possible."


    "I don''t mind, but now?"


    "No. I need to do my own preparations. Let''s see. When the preparations are over I''ll contact you through friend chat."


    "Then I''ll log out for now. I need to prepare lunch."


    Because of the event battle somehow the time for lunch had passed. Myu was still logged in, but I had to prepare it.


    "Well then, see you later."


    "Yes."


    Emily-san and I both logged out to take a break.

 Chapter Volume 5 3

    Chapter 3 - ¡¶Killing Edge¡· Skill and PK


    As the water had soundly boiled in the pot, Miu came down from the second floor while stretching. It was 2 p.m. which was really late to eat lunch.


    "Onii-chan, I''m hungry."


    "I''m making it now so wait while drinking tea. What kind of taste do you want?"


    "Today, salty!"


    "Got it."


    What I was making today, was ramen.


    Boiled vegetables and boiled eggs sliced in half, thinly sliced pork, it was ramen in which I used canned corn. Since there was no time, this was easier, but since dinner will also probably be disordered maybe I should prepare something ahead. I wondered as I drained hot water from the noodles.


    "Here, it''s done."


    "Yay! Thank you for the food!"


    As Miu happily started eating the noodles made by me, I asked why was she late for lunch.


    "So Miu, are you still excited after the event?"


    "Of course! It has to be enjoyed after all!"


    She said so and with a broad smile, she reported their achievements.


    "See, we won double prize! A hundred small fries and two bosses, also thirty black insects, great victory!"


    "Amazin'', that''s more than we have."


    No way, to think they won double prize. When she came down from the building she disappeared like the wind, it seemed like she was quite emphasizing one efficiency then. At that time, Lucato and others might have fought in a different location.


    "Also, see. Shizuka-oneechan''s and Takumi-san''s parties defeated 50 black insects each and were on top of the main event! Amazing, right?"


    "So Shizuka-nee and Takumi aimed for strong enemies, huh."


    "And you know. When it ended a parade had started into which we got mixed in and couldn''t escape. Some newbie players also got a prize, we can expect a lot from them! We won''t lose either!"


    I don''t think it''s a bad thing to be motivated, but the more Miu, Takumi and Shizuka-nee do their best the more newcomers targeting them fall behind. But I couldn''t just tell them to hold back.


    "Then, was the entire event able to safely recover?"


    "Hmm. Some stalls had withdrawn prematurely after losing items to sell. Instead, they helped with things like fixing the stages or went out to hunt for ingredients to make food to sell tomorrow. That''s why, there won''t be another secret plan again. Is what they said."


    "In that case, tomorrow it''ll be mainly stage plays and PVP tournament, huh."


    Then for the remaining time today, we''ll work with Endo-san on verification of the ¡¶Element Enchant¡·.


    While I assembled the plan in my head, Miu already ate and made a satisfied expression.


    "Haa, I''ve eaten well. Now then, game again."


    "Your digestion will be poor so wait for thirty minutes first."


    "Grr, then I''ll talk with Takumi-san. We''ll prepare a strategy for defeating that raid quest''s big puppy after the event is over!"


    No, the raid quest''s boss is a giant wolf and not a dog. Is what I wanted to say, but before I could Miu already went back to her room on the second floor.


    It can''t be helped, I heaved a sigh and finished eating late lunch before preparing a light dinner.


    I mixed cooked rice with sugar and vinegar, making vinegared rice, added a small amount of sesame and mixed evenly. Then I put it into deep-fried tofu, formed it completing inari sushi. I cleanly prepared them in a short amount of time, then put the servings on platters and put them in the refrigerator.


    If I add miso soup and vegetables to it later, it should have good nutritional balance. Thinking that, I checked on the time.


    Three o''clock was quite late, I checked things in the house then returned to my room and took the VR gear in hand.


    I put it on the head and lied on the bed, logging into OSO again.


    "Emily-san, did you wait?"


    ¡º"I logged in a while ago myself. Were you able to get a break, Yun-kun?"¡»


    "Yes."


    Together with Emily-san we confirmed both of us logged in before merging.


    After rejoining, Emily-san guided me to the location in which we will verify the ¡¶Element Enchant¡· skill.


    A small workshop in a narrow back alley between two buildings. There was a store with a simple plate sign saying ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿.


    Since it was an always dim place, it gave an atmosphere of researching location indeed, it was a similarily calming dark workshop atmosphere like that of ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop part.


    "So this is Emily-san''s store..."


    "With that said, people don''t come here. In the first place, I sell the made materials directly to the crafters, the sales mainly come from the material requests. So, I wonder if a research lab wouldn''t be a better term."


    While saying so, she took off the mask and hat indoors, then removed disguise accessories before sitting face to face with me.


    "Well then. Let''s first ascertain what we''re both aware of at the moment."


    "Ascertain. You mean, usage of Elemental Stones and ¡¶Element Enchant¡·?"


    "That''s right. I can be the first to start."


    After saying that, Emily-san took out sample of several items to explain.


    "First, for me myself the Elemental Stones are used as materials for synthesis. Well, I''ll omit the combinations, but I think it could be said they add an element to a non-elemental attribute?"


    I confirmed the items Emily-san took out and squinted.


    Iron Ingot of Earth (minimal) ¡¾Material¡¿


    An ingot tinged with earth element.


    Iron Sword of Earth ¡¾Weapon¡¿


    ATK+13 Additional Effect: ATK Bonus, Earth Element Bonus (minimal)


    Glove of Earth ¡¾Armour¡¿


    DEF+7, MIND+3 Additional Effect: DEF Bonus, Earth Element Resistance (minimal)


    Necklace of Earth ¡¾Ornament¡¿


    DEF+3, INT+1, MIND+3 Additional Effect: Earth Element Increase (minimal)


    The presented accessories all seemed to have been synthesized with Elemental Stone and after forging the difference was the added effect.


    "This is an additional effect obtained by combining it with Elemental Stone of fifth grade, when raised to fourth or third grade, the additional effect is also strengthened."


    "So it''s the same system as that of gem size''s, huh. How does the resulting effect look like?"


    "For weapons, an elemental bonus is added to the attack. For armour, there''s a resistance to the added element. For ornaments it adds damage and bonus and damage shielding effects, all of it by a few %."


    Well, that''s the effect for the fifth grade, if the grade raises the result gets stronger and can''t be made fun of. Emily-san said.


    "This was made by processing already-synthesized material, the made weapons can be further improved with reinforcing material if you use ¡¾Synthesis¡¿, ¡¾Smithing¡¿ or ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿. However, if the weapon is turned back to an ingot, the Elemental Stone''s effect disappears."


    "I see. So putting it on after the item was already made is impossible."


    In fact, that''s slightly wrong. She said.


    "If combined with material beforehand, it retains a high grade effect, if it''s put on a ready item the effect decreases by one grade."


    That reminds me of something... oh right. It''s like the two grade decrease when synthesizing arrows with toxic potions. It''s same as that.


    "I think it''s different from that. Also, the magic power''s correction is roughly the same."


    I listened to information provided by Emily-san and organized it in my head.


    I wonder if these weapons and armours'' effect overlaps with my ¡¶Element Enchant¡·, if they do an instantaneous explosive power would be born. I considered.


    "Well then, Yun-kun''s turn."


    "You''re right. My ¡¶Element Enchant¡· consumes an Elemental Stone and temporarily enchants weapon or armour with the element."


    "Can you try it now?"


    I received Elemental Stones of fire and earth from Emily-san and put the enchants on the iron sword and glove that were put out as samples.


    "¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon, armour."


    I put the fire element on the iron sword and earth element on the glove respectively, releasing pale light. Since we were verifying it in a calm place, the delay time before next use and MP consumption seemed longer.


    "I see. ¡¶Element Enchant¡·''s effect is temporary, but it seems to have the same effect grade as that of the consumed Elemental Stone."


    "So no matter the use, the result is the same huh. Also, being temporary it has a poor efficiency."


    In that case, I felt like semi-permanent additional effect was more efficient.


    "Not really. Unlike the additional effect, in case of ¡¾Enchant¡¿ it can hold two elements. Also, the effect applied to the armour had duplicated temporarily raising the additional effect by one grade."


    In other words, it was possible to use the same element twice and two different elements. It was much easier than preparing equipment for each situation.


    "Also, there''s one more thing I want to try. Can you enchant my sword?"


    "Hm? Got it. ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon."


    I used grade four elemental stone passed to me by Emily-san and put a water elemental enchantment on the connecting sword. Emily-san stared at it seriously, her gaze was directed at the connecting sword''s stats.


    "I see. So both of them have their own merits."


    "Merits? Other than the overlapping effects?"


    "Yun-kun, you have ¡¾Engraving¡¿ Sense so you should know about the upper limit of additional effects in the equipment."


    I nodded in response to Emily-san''s words. It was information similar to the hidden stats. The equipment had a limit until which additional effects could be granted, if surpassed the equipment would self-destruct. That''s why own items effects are chosen for the user''s senses and fighting style.


    In my case, when I use ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿''s ¡¶Item Enchant¡· I can use cursed additional effects to balance out the plus and minus effects.


    On a side note, the long bow I have obtained during the summer camp event, in exchange for the weapons basic stats being low, it could have up to fifteen additional effects from magical strengthening material attached and was indestructible as an unique item.


    "This connecting sword has additional effects put into it to the limit."


    "Hee...eh, ehhh?! No matter the experiment don''t use your main weapon! What if it was destroyed!"


    "In that case, repairs. Well, that aside¡ª¡ªit succeeded."


    She hurriedly interrupted me saying so.


    "It successfully enchanted the item. Concluding, we found out that it temporarily increases the weapon''s upper power limit."


    "I see. It''s great that it doesn''t break."


    "Oh come on, it''s a part of the enchant''s new capability to be happy over."


    Emily-san smiled wryly, but to me, if I were to enchant someone''s weapon with an element enemy was weak to and the weapon would collapsed, the person would be left with bare hands. Knowing no such thing would happen, I was relieved.


    "I guess we have briefly examined the information we have?"


    "It''s fine if we examine it again if we find something, right? Oh right. Can I do some preparations for the raid quest in here? The Elemental Stones will be also needed."


    "Sure. What do you need? Since I claim myself to be ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ I do have quite a collection of materials."


    "Really? Then¡ª¡ª"


    Since the material I ordered was immediately prepared, I purchased it in bulk. I purchased various Elemental Stones of grade four in exchange for certain items.


    I exchanged my silver ore for silver ingots Emily-san had and paid the charge for processing them.


    "Why do you need silver ingots? You should be able to process them with ¡¾Engraving¡¿ Sense."


    "My level and furnace is too low to process it, so I can''t make them myself."


    Because there was no immediate need for me to make iron ingots I was unable to raise my ¡¾Engraving¡¿ Sense that high.


    If possible, I swear that next time I''ll come up with refining technique of ingots with ¡¾Engraving¡¿.


    In order to prepare it as one of the trump cards for the raid quest''s boss battle, I synthesized items with silver ingots.


    Silver ingot, tree branch and a bird''s feather, the three were synthesized to make Silver Arrows.


    Silver Arrow ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    ATK+5


    These Silver Arrows were literally disposable since there was no automatic return correction on them from combining a number of them. The cost-performance was poor so I was slightly regretful feeling it''s a waste.


    However, against an undead-type boss, weapons made from silver were required.


    The silver-based materials have special damage increase against the undead. Moreover, while I don''t know if it''ll be needed, I synthesized a number of bad status arrows to prepare myself.


    "This will be last one¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·"


    "You sure made a lot. Still, I didn''t think you''d secure that many bad status agents."


    "Well, everyday effort I guess. I grow the materials on the field for times like these."


    While answering like that I moved my head left and right stretching myself. Maybe worried about me, Emily-san made a proposal.


    "Let''s take a break and buy something at the stalls. There might be some stalls remaining out there."


    "You''re right. Let''s go."


    Emily-san once again put on the mask and the hat, then we left the back alley together.


    When I looked up the sky was red, but the alley had become quite dark in the shade of the buildings. As I walked through the place that felt like a labyrinth, thinking that there are still places in the town I don''t know, together with Emily-san we moved towards the main street.


    ¡ñ


    On the main street there was still a sparse amount of stalls and it bustled with players. However, their state was somehow shadowed, it seemed like there were disturbing signs making Emily-san and me look at this atmosphere puzzled.


    "Something''s... strange."


    "Yeah, something might have happened. I''ll try asking."


    I ordered drinks for two people in a stall in the vicinity and asked the player in front of me what happened.


    "It''s really bustling here, did something happen?"


    "A large amount of PKs appeared near the town."


    "PKs?!"


    "Indeed¡ª¡ªit''s PKs involved with two guilds, ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ and ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿. From a number of our comrades who went to hunt Big Boars to secure food for the stalls tomorrow, some haven''t come back yet."


    "Yun-kun..."


    "Emily-san, I have a bad feeling."


    I have met PKs from ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ several times. Emily-san also knew the story about malicious solicitation.


    "Emily-san, let''s check the friend list."


    I opened the friend list and checked who is online. Among categories divided "in combat", "area" and "town", there were two names labelled as "in combat".


    "Just Raina and Al are continuously in combat. Letia didn''t seem to be with them."


    Since we separated after logging out we had no idea what happened with them afterwards, I immediately called Letia with the friend chat.


    "Letia, there''s something I want to ask. What''s happening with Raina and Al?"


    ¡º"What''s this all of a sudden? If it''s the two, they have temporarily formed a party with people of the same level range and went to the area nearby. They went to gather materials for Blue Potions and to hunt Big Boars."¡»


    Some bad information had come one after another. Isn''t that exactly the area PKs are in now.


    "I see... sorry."


    ¡º"Yun-san? What is it? Did something happen?"¡»


    "It''s just my guess but..."


    I explained what''s happening in town to Letia. Then I asked Emily-san for the confirmed information on points in which the PKs attacked indiscriminately, then relayed it to Letia.


    ¡º"...I understand. I''ll head there immediately as well"¡»


    "We also intend to look for Raina and Al. Then, let''s meet at ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿''s guild hall. We''ll start gathering information."


    "Let''s go, Yun-kun."


    After hearing Letia say she''ll meet us later, I turned off the friend chat and aimed at the intersection of main street.


    There stood a remarkably prominent building, the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿''s guild hall into which we entered.


    The sub-space had extended the hall''s size several times its appearance suggested, at the moment there was a huge traffic as people sought information and it was hard to find people I knew.


    "Yuncchi?!"


    "Found you! Lyly! Are you gathering information on what''s happening by the town?!"


    From the side I approached Lyly whom I found by chance and asked him on the topic.


    When I did, he looked towards me and Emily-san, his eyes turned so big it seemed like they''ll spill and his expression had tightened.


    "I understand. We can''t speak calmly here so I''ll guide you to the second floor."


    After we were guided by Lyly and passed into a space on the second floor that looked like a meeting room, Cloude was about to instruct players sitting inside.


    "Move in groups of at least three people! Organise yourself as to do surprise attacks and scout. After you form parties, sortie. Also, don''t act unreasonably and don''t overdo it. If you''re taken down by enemy players, you''ll turn into their experience. Make sure that doesn''t happen! ¡ª¡ªReport your locations!"


    In response to Cloude''s voice, the players responsible for acting as liaisons have conveyed information in unison and organized incoming information.


    "...Cloude."


    "Yun, huh. The information started getting complicated. When the night comes we''ll get lots of uncertain extra info. Sorry, but help us organize information."


    I wanted know whether Raina and Al are safe, but as Cloude said that without even looking my way I felt trying to get it out of him was impossible. Also, it didn''t have to mean they still remained where PK are.


    "Got it, pass information to me. Emily-san, Letia will come here so take care of her."


    "Leave it to me."


    Cloude noticed Emily-san''s and mine exchange and raised his face, surprised similarly to how Lyly was, but then immediately returned to organizing information in the menu.


    I started organizing information sent to me by Cloude.


    The content of the sent information were PK party''s configurations, used skills, objective behaviour patterns, the reports of the damage received by the parties that met them and a list of players that haven''t returned.


    By operating touch panels of the multiple translucent menu''s floating in the air I sorted it.


    For the PKs met in the forest I have made a list of sighting points and synchronized it by inputting that on the map.


    By continuing to correct base information with the updated one, I organized it. Then I sent back the organized information synchronized with the map to Cloude.


    "I''ve finished organizing it, Cloude."


    "That''s fast."


    "I could check the information I wanted to know so I got serious."


    I was able to check the list of players remaining in the forest, but couldn''t find Raina''s and Al''s names there. I hoped the information will be added later so I continued to organize the information.


    "Next are positions of players driven back by PKs and the positions occupied by PKs. After that, put positions of the vanguard who went to eliminate the PKs and the points in which they intercepted them."


    "Done already."


    "As expected of you. You''ll become a good, beautiful secretary."


    I couldn''t afford getting along with Cloude''s jokes. This place was dominated by tension and everyone rushed to understand the information. That alone was a proof they loved this game, this world of OSO.


    I too, for this world I love and friends did what I could.


    My eyes followed the information and my hands sorted it, I continued to handle multiple things in parallel in my head.


    In middle of doing that my eyes and thinking stopped for a moment.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªTwo more who were late to escape. Player names are: Rainard, Alphard. The last point they were witnessed is east-northeast forest area."¡»


    The moment I saw it, I felt an illusion as if a cold water was poured down my back.


    "¡ª¡ª"...found them."¡ª¡ªPlayers who entered the forest to counter the PKs pretended to be normal players allies before PKing them. It''s almost like a trojan horse... what happened?"


    "Acquaintance was late to escape. I''ll be going."


    "Hey, calm down. Wait a¡ª¡ª"Yun-kun, the two are headed for the forest on the east side."¡ª¡ªhaa..."


    As Cloude tried to halt me, Emily-san had rushed inside with Letia and covered his voice relaying information to me.


    "Letia heard that from the players the two were in party with so it''s certain."


    "Information had come here as well just now. I''ll put the location on the map."


    "Let''s go then."


    "I said, calm down!"


    After hearing Letia''s words the three of tried to rush out of the room, but Cloude stopped us.


    "No going in with just you three. There might be PKs disguised as people who were late to escape or pretending to be allies. It''s difficult to determine friend from foe."


    "...I get it. But¡ª¡ª"


    We didn''t have a long lasting nor special relation with those twins. They were someone who became my comrades on a whim, but if acquaintances are caught in midst of troublesome events, I want to help them.


    How strange, it''s just a game yet here I''m getting serious. I mocked myself in order to start thinking calmly, but it was impossible anyhow. It had nothing to do with whether this was a game or real.


    "We''re just going to pick up acquaintances, that''s all."


    "Indeed. We''ll just retire the guys who try to interfere. These children are Yun-kun''s and mine acquaintances."


    "Letia, Emily-san..."


    While I was only able to remain silent with downcast eyes, Emily-san put a hand on my shoulder and Letia held my hand, I looked towards them and felt their words spread inside my chest.


    "...the day''s already over. It''s dark, do you think you can find them in a forest where you''re susceptible to surprise attacks? We should begin cleaning up the PKs with a larger amount of people."


    "Unfortunately, I''m not calm enough person to wait for that!"


    "If you''re going to go that far, first defeat me¡ª¡ª"Cloude. It''s your loss."¡ª¡ªKhh, Magi, don''t stop me!"


    As Cloude took out his staff and we glared at each other, imperceptibly Magi-san had entered between us.


    "With Yun''s information organizing ability we can organize a team to counter PKs really fast. That''s connected with Yun''s and others goal. You know that, Magi."


    "Still, how is that a reason to bully three cute girls."


    "Umm... I''m a man thoug¡ª¡ª"I''m not bullying them!"¡ª¡ªAt least let me say it."


    As I lowered my shoulders dejected, Emily pat my shoulder twice. Somehow, her line of sight seemed filled with pity and it really hurt.


    "You. Look around you and you''ll notice. If you don''t want to become a villain, pull back."


    When Magi-san pointed at the surroundings, the players acting as liaisons have looked at Cloude anxiously.


    "...haa, I get it. To think even ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ would back Yun so much. I''ve heard she didn''t come in contact with anyone, just when did you become friends."


    Cloude made a somewhat fatigued sigh, but then he fixed his expression and stared directly at us.


    "Make sure you come back safe! I won''t forgive you if you become PKs'' experience!"


    "Cloude, Thanks!"


    Saying so, we rushed out of the meeting room


    We knew where the twins'' have separated from their temporary party. Also, we know that they were in combat during the day. We worked on a strategy as we moved.


    "There''s a possibility we''ll be found by the enemy. Let''s avoid using any light sources."


    "I''ll lead then. With my ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ I can move even in the dark."


    ¡ñ


    And then, we proceeded through the forest relying on ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ night vision capability.


    With Mill Bird Natsu released to the sky, we proceeded as to avoid encountering mobs and players if possible.


    Art and skill effects'' light is easy to spot, that''s why for the mobs we couldn''t avoid we took them on with normal attacks.


    Even the Big Boars that took me a lot of effort to defeat in the past had majority of its HP shaved off when hit in the vital points by an arrow and were defeated with Emily-san''s subsequent attack.


    In my heart, there were just two concerns.


    First one was the fact that we had no details on Raina and Al who were late to escape and remained in combat the entire time.


    The other one, was that PK''s existence.


    The PK we have met in the ¡¾Maze Town¡¿ who was on entirely different level, Flein. Also, the mysterious skill that Flein had used¡ª¡ª¡¶Killing Edge¡·. Although I didn''t know its effect, but back then it had cut Mikadzuchi''s weapon in two. It was a considerably dangerous skill.


    In case a player having that was there, what should we do, how to proceed not allowing them to use it. How much damage can we deliver with the first attack.


    I thought of it, but before I could settle it we found the people we searched for.


    "Found them."


    I glanced from behind a tree to check on the situation.


    I confirmed that Raina, Al and a fainted male player were surrounded by PKs, then with my eyes I signalled Emily-san and Letia to draw back.


    The PKs occasionally delivered a light attack to Raina and Al and the healer recovered their HP. Meanwhile, the twins did not move and had eyes closed.


    "Is that ¡¾Sleep¡¿ status? What do we do? The goal is to take Raina and Al back, but my conscience wouldn''t let me leave that sleeping player behind."


    "You''re right. The PKs are too dense there for defeating one by one."


    "Still, there''s no need to kill each one of them. A surprise attack and rescue using a decoy. How about that?"


    Emily-san showed us several types of stones.


    These were not ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense''s summoning stones... were they. Probably synthesized mobs Nucleus Stones.


    "The strategy has two points. A mixed force of my and Emily-san''s mobs will hit from the front. During that opportunity Yun-san and Emily-san will rush in."


    "In that case, the mobs I''ll lend you out are disposable so instruct them as to crush the enemy."


    The three of us continued to make up a plan. Since Emily-san intended to use her mobs until they''re useless, I added another idea as to reinforce the strategy.


    "Then mixed force of mobs will hit from the front, Emily-san and I will prioritize crushing the healer and rescuing the twins. At the same time we complete objective we withdraw. Is that all right?"


    All three of us nodded and we started acting.


    ¡ñ


    A small vacancy in the forest. In there the PKs put the lantern lights and remained wary of their surroundings.


    In order to do a pincer attack on them Emily-san and I concealed our breathing and waited for Letia''s movement.


    And soon enough, the PKs line of sight was turned towards the darkness on the opposite side we stood at.


    "Come out of there! So you came after all."


    "Could you give back the people sleeping there? They''re my acquaintances."


    With a somewhat carefree tone of voice Letia spoke and stood on the edge of the forest''s darkness. In the vicinity of her shoulder was the Wisp thought to be a source of light, it retained the distance not moving away.


    "You sure screw around! You''re all alone! A sucker just asking for it ain''t you! Come and become our experience!"


    A single PK lunged, approaching Letia.


    In response to that, without any fighting spirit Letia just raised her right hand and then lowered it forward. That moment, a shadow had jumped out of the forest''s darkness.


    The Herbivorous Beast had hit the PK approaching Letia with its body and the Fairy Panther had bit into his throat.


    From behind her, what appeared one after another¡ª¡ªwas a group of live human-sized wooden dolls with spherical joints. Their heads were like leopards, bodies had stiff dog hair on it and hands had conspicuous sharp scales and claws, the tail had a sharp needle like that of a bee''s¡ª¡ªthe Chimera''s.


    What appeared last, with moonlight shining from between the trees being reflected on its smooth surface notifying the PKs of its large bulk¡ª¡ªwas a Bronze Golem.


    All of it had rushed at the PK who had strayed away and attacked him until he got stuck.


    "I''ll return you to town then."


    "C-counter-attack! She''s manipulating the mobs. Aim for her alone!"


    The sudden surprise attack had the other members get ready to run away, to rouse the others one of the PKs had moved forward.


    "Wood Doll corps, forward¡ª¡ª"


    As the dolls with rough, spherical joints sluggishly approached them, the PKs took them down with their weapons, but the Wood Doll soldier corps have proceeded with assault with no fear catching three PKs immediately. Still, since the Wood Dolls were originally weak, they didn''t deal any damage and were brought down by PKs recklessly swinging their weapons.


    "Second batch, charge."


    A part of the Doll Corps that was on standby gripped something in their palms and assaulted.


    And, the moment they have embraced the PKs, Letia spoke the keyword.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿"


    A flash had flared up and a sound of explosion rang out.


    The Magic Gems with Bomb magic inserted into them had triggered in Wood Dolls'' palms and burst out at PKs in close range.


    PKs aside which was natural, the multiple bombing of Magic Gems had also engulfed and sent flying the Wood Dolls. It was a result of combining conventional use of Emily-san''s Wood Dolls and aiming for chain damage.


    As a result, the PKs were dealt a large amount of damage, they had just a little bit of HP remaining.


    "Healer! Recovery!"


    "G-got it¡ª¡ª¡¶Round He..."


    Aiming for that moment, I shot an arrow.


    "...eh?!!"


    The recovery magic''s skill didn''t make it to activation. The healer was unable to understand why did the magic not activate, why did he receive impact from behind and why was there an arrow in his chest. That''s how he looked like.


    And, together with Emily-san we have pounced at the healer from behind.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Snake Bite¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Ingredients Knowledge¡·!"


    Emily-san had released Connecting Sword''s art from the sword''s point, tying the healer''s body.


    Then I activated auxiliary skill, switched the weapon from a bow to knife and thrust it towards the back of the man''s head that was his vital point.


    "Kha..."


    "Tough!"


    Not fully defeating him with the knife''s blow piercing his neck I pulled the knife out and this time, I pierced the weakness marker on his back, defeating the healer as a target of highest priority.


    "Letia! He''s down!"


    "Well then, all troops, clean them up."


    As she instructed with a lax tone of voice, the Chimeras and Letia''s tamed mobs raised a roar, also the Bronze Golem had acknowledged the order by loudly creaking.


    After that, it was an one-sided overrun.


    Four PKs have sustained a large amount of damage from the suicide attack during which the Wood Dolls were used. The healer whom they requested for recovery was defeated so they were slowly brought down by the assault.


    "Damn it! You again! ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s Yun!"


    "You... who are you again?"


    "I won''t let you say you forgot us! We''re ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿''s¡ª¡ª"Ah, you''re the PKs beat up to a pulp by Mikadzuchi."¡ª¡ªlet me finish!"


    Despite being sandwiched by mobs, the PK spoke.


    I couldn''t care less about the PKs. They weren''t at the level where they could use that Flein''s ¡¶Killing Edge¡· skill, we also have already secured Raina and Al.


    "How many times will you get in our way before you''re satisfied!"


    "No, I''ve no clue. The ones who came in breaking my peaceful game life were you guys, right. Coming to threaten me to join your guild."


    Hearing my rebuttal, Emily-san in her mask and Letia have stared intently at the PKs, but the people in question desperately tried to handle the attack so they haven''t noticed.


    "Any more than this and we''ll get death penalty! Remember this! Withdraw!"


    And when two PKs fell, they signalled withdrawal.


    Letia had decided from the start it she won''t chase after them, it was because she didn''t want to receive an unexpected counter-attack.


    Then, we have ascertained the state of Raina and Al.


    "Multiple bad states, huh. In order to stop them from moving they used ¡¾Sleep¡¿, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Charm¡¿."


    I confirmed what bad status did they have on them, then immediately sprinkled them with potions for recovery.


    There was an immediate effect and the two slowly opened their eyes.


    "We''ve come for you. Raina, Al."


    "...Y-Yun-san? Also, Emily-san and Letia-san? Why?"


    "Rather than that, what is this situation?"


    Why are we here? Unable to understand that Al shook his head with a tired expression.


    "Well, we''ll talk later. Now then, let''s help this person who fell over here."


    When I said that, the player stood up on his own slightly after Raina and Al. Did the bad status expire since the PKs moved away? I turned towards him and called out.


    "Are you all right? We cleaned up the PKs for the time being."


    "...umm, thank you very much."


    "How did you end up like this?"


    "Me? They strongly recommended me to join their guild and when I refused, I ended up like that."


    His talking mannerisms were like that of an athlete, he made a grin devoid of tension.


    "For now, you should log out to return to the town. That''ll be safer. There should be lots of PKs remaining around here."


    "I understand. Thanks for advice. Ah, speaking of which, they said something interesting. Something about a PK Sense..."


    "What?! Really?!"


    To think we''d get information in time of need. We wanted info for measures against Flein no matter what.


    Have the PKs obtained something other than gold? The characteristics of it are? The reason why PKs dislike death penalties and details of that skill. I''d like even a single information out of these.


    "Um, if I''m not wrong, something about special PK-related skill to be obtained, during this turmoil they seem to want as many people as possible satisfy conditions for it. The skill''s, well, something like this! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Killing Edge¡·!"


    In front of unsuspecting me, the man''s attitude suddenly changed.


    The man downcast his eyes for a moment, his relaxed tone changed and he cast the skill in an instant.


    The dagger he held in reverse hold emitted a dark red effect and as if it was sucked in to it, he swung it towards my neck.


    Unable to avoid my body collapsed with the event, in front of my eyes the dagger had hit cut my artery splashing blood-like phosphorescent effect.


    "...so it can even block that skill."


    "Wha?!"


    What I received was just the attacks impact. I raised my collapsed body.


    At the hard sound like that of a breaking glass the man''s expression stretched. He swung the knife to attack again but I avoided it immediately.


    As the man took distance with a back step, Emily-san''s connecting sword crawled towards the man''s feet to capture him, Letia had the synthetic mobs advance but the man flung throwing knives at their attacks simply preventing them.


    "Ohhh, amazin''. Perfect co-op. Also, I''m really curious as for how did you avoid that sure-kill skill."


    Despite the unfavourable situation of three versus one, the man squinted nonchalantly.


    "Stop with that gross manner of speaking."


    "Ah, then I''ll speak normally. I got into a role of a small fry for catching enemy off guard, did it not suit me?"


    As the man spoke alone, the three of us remained vigilant as not to miss any move of his.


    "There''s something I don''t get, you attacked with suicide bombing. Then you aimed directly for the healer, attacking his weakness. But, when I thought I''d be able to take you down as you wouldn''t expect the player you saved to attack you, it was still blocked. How did you do that? Heck, how do you know of ¡¶Killing Edge¡·?"


    "I''ve seen it once before. A guy called Flein used it."


    "Flein-san... hey, so you''re that Yun girl! So that''s why Flein-san''s interested in you! Somehow, I thought it was just a farce to make ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿''s members see his skills, thinking it''s a miss I withdrew. But he seems to have had an interesting encounter there."


    The man in front of us ignored our vigilance and continued to rattle on. Hearing some of it I couldn''t let it go without commenting.


    "...is that really something you should say?"


    "Hmm? I wonder about that? We ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ and ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ aren''t one thing, they lost and ran away, right? I''m not obliged to help them."


    As the man spoke coldly, I felt the relation between ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ and ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ was very sparse.


    "Well then, let''s continue from earlier. This time you''ll become my food."


    "Hey, there''s something I''d like to ask you first, can we let the two log out first?"


    As Emily-san proposed, the PK glimpsed at Raina and Al who have lined up next to Letia.


    "Hmm, let''s see. You''ve come this far to save them, might as well use them as your weakness¡ª¡ª¡¶Killing Edge¡·!"


    He held a throwing knives with the dark red effect between fingers of his left hand and threw them towards Raina and Al.


    Emily-san and I moved to protect the twins shooting down the knives, but from among them one hit my belly, triggering sure-kill effect.


    "Yun-san... just now..."


    Raina and Al. I wonder which one was it who said it. This time I fell over, but I also moved my lips articulating "it''s all right".


    "Ohhh, this time she fell. Good! That Yun girl prevented it just once. Then... next, let''s defeat that girl with a strange weapon."


    "Try if you think you can! Golem! Return the master authority! Take him down!"


    After recovering management rights that were passed to Letia, Emily-san left dealing with PK to the Golem.


    However, the number of Wood Dolls has reduced during the previous fight and the Chimeras were cut apart lightly by the PK''s dagger.


    Avoiding the heavy Golem, PK moved in front of Emily-san.


    She took on the swung dagger with the connecting sword, the two crossed blades.


    "Come on come on! If you don''t protect them, I''ll rush at your juniors behind you!"


    "What a horrible person! Saying such things to distract me!"


    He should have been at a disadvantage with a dagger, but his blows were heavy.


    "You, with the mask. You''re plenty strong, but somethin'' is missing."


    "Of course. Yun-kun and I are crafters. Combat isn''t our main."


    The two spoke while they pushed against one another in a contest of strength.


    "That so."


    And as her hand has become numb with repeated clashes and her grip has lessened Emily-san dropped her sword.


    "Ah..."


    The man in front of her stepped in deeply. Unable to move the mobs effectively in close combat, suffering damage herself Emily-san had fallen into a situation where she can''t land a valid attack herself.


    "Well then, it''s over. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Killing Edge¡·!"


    "......?! I''m...sorry."


    Receiving the skill, Emily-san''s HP was lost all at once. The ¡¾Mask of Pain Receiving¡¿ took over some damage of the armour and cracks have entered it, turning into light particles it had disappeared, revealing her real face.


    As Emily-san fell over, the deployed subordinate mobs all around faded away.


    "Uh-huh, I''ve used up my share of skill for today. Well, I''ll somehow manage with the rest."


    "Hee, so that means it has a limited number of uses per day."


    "Yun-san!"


    "You, you should have received ¡¶Killing Edge¡· and was defeated earlier."


    The PK turned around, his eyes grew large from shock. Surely, this man didn''t think his skill could be blocked twice.


    The first time was nullified by the unique accessory I possessed, the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿''s effect. This equipment allowed to withstand a number of any attacks dependant on the inserted gem''s size. A medium-sized gem should have withstood two attacks, but when I took down the healer the tip of his wand hit me which was judged as an attack, leaving only one use of the ring''s effect. Since it "nullified any attacks" it meant it could be consumed and wasted by even weak attacks.


    And for the second time¡ª¡ª


    "Letia. Use that on Emily-san!"


    "......! Got it."


    I threw a potion bottle to Letia who used it on Emily-san without hesitation.


    "...*cough* *cough*, thank you. Any longer and I''d return to the town all alone."


    "Then, I''ll use a potion for full recovery too."


    Seeing as Letia took out a High Potion and recovered Emily-san''s HP to full, the PK muttered.


    "...a Revival Medicine, huh. Haa, you''re like our natural enemy, aren''t you."


    The second method. To be precise, I have returned by using a Revival Medicine.


    It was a valuable item, but it would be meaningless not to use it at times like these. I used them instead of sparing.


    "Now, we''re back to three versus one again."


    "Oh-hoh, this is troublesome. But, I don''t mind taking you on for a little longer!"


    He shouted, threw knives and approached all at once. There was no need to be scared of throwing knives without ¡¶Killing Edge¡· skill.


    I stood in front of Raina and Al, parried the knives aiming for my vital points and took on the rest.


    As only I received damage the PK had changed the target and has come at me with thrusting motion.


    "Ha?!!"


    As he thrust I moved further forward, receiving his stab into my body. I''ve heard screams behind my back, they probably saw dagger pierce my belly.


    "Yun-kun!"


    "Emily-san! Now!"


    "Stop being reckless!"


    As the pierced-in dagger continued to scrape off my HP, with the dagger still buried in my body I grasped the handle, not letting it go.


    "Damn it! Tch."


    Letting go of the dagger, the PK kicked off me taking a distance.


    The last kick had become the decisive factor, my HP was cut down again. In front of me a choice for "Revive?" was displayed, for which I responded with "YES".


    "Geez, that''s the second time."


    I pulled out the weapon suck in me and recovered myself with a potion.


    I''ve had a knife stuck in my body but I didn''t feel bad at all. There was nothing but a slight sense of emptiness in my pierced body, I felt that this is a game after all.


    "Haa?, to think I''d snatch the enemy''s weapon."


    "Yun-kun, stop being reckless."


    "That''s right. There''s no need for you to risk yourself."


    Emily-san and Letia were worried about me, but I was all right.


    "Well then, your skill is used up and your weapon taken. What will you do? Still going?"


    "Haa, this is a checkmate huh. Then, it should be fine to end this¡ª¡ª"


    Thinking he still had a trump card other than ¡¶Killing Edge¡· skill, I put enchants on myself in rapid succession and prepared Clay Shield''s Magic Gem.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Sacrifice Counter¡·"


    The PK used some kind of skill. A black haze drifted around him and rapidly reduced his HP. We could hear a slightly pained moan, but he continued to speak to us as if nothing.


    "I''ll tell you one thing. PK death penalty is only received when they''re killed by others. In other words, if we self-destruct ourselves, we receive a normal death penalty! See you."


    And the man who continued to give his HP to the black mist fell down quietly.

 Chapter Volume 5 4

    Chapter 4 - PvP Tournament and Battle Royale


    "What was that just now?"


    Hearing Raina''s question, Emily-san looked at the PK''s body turning into particles of light and answered.


    "If I''m not wrong, it should have been magic of darkness element. I don''t remember the details, but ¡¶Sacrifice Counter¡· shouldn''t have been a self-destructing skill."


    Emily-san muttered in low voice.


    As she pondered about it alone, Raina and Al raised their voices.


    "Y-Yun-san?!"


    "W-what is it?"


    "It''s not ''what is it''! Those clothes! Your navel is in full view!"


    "Yun-san, does your body feel strange? Are you all right?"


    "My belly? Ah, damn..."


    After receiving a number of attacks from the PK, in the end the last thrust I received had cut my armour vertically damaging it. Normally I wouldn''t mind it because of the ¡¾Auto Repair¡¿ additional effect, but a big enough hole has been opened not even the effect was capable of recovering.


    "Haa, let''s go back for now. You two, it''d be better if you logged out for today and rested."


    "Worry about yourself before others."


    "Belly button, peeking out."


    Raina heaved a sigh and for some reason, Letia gave a thumbs up.


    Still, excited Raina and Al without logging out have started reluctantly walking towards the town. Meanwhile, the PKs who were in the forest seemed to have retreated, unconcerned by the parties looking for PKs in the forest we successfully returned to the town.


    "Emily-san and I have somewhere to go for a bit, when you calm down you should log out."


    "Yun-san, it''s all right. I''ll look after them and calm them down."


    Letia volunteered to take care of the two. Sorry and thank you. I told her my thanks.


    "Um... Yun-san, Emily-san. I''m sorry for today."


    "Don''t mind it. We decided to do it ourselves."


    "But, for our sake you used a lot of valuable items like Revival Medicine... I''m sorry."


    Good grief, Raina and Al just continued to apologize and faced downwards.


    As they lowered their heads to a perfect height, I pat them to calm them down.


    The two who acted panicked at first have gradually looked more and more embarrassed, Emily-san chuckled seeing them like that, which caused Raina to glare with a blush on her face.


    "Yun-kun, it''s about time we go."


    "Yeah, got it. Well then, see you tomorrow."


    The event lasted 2 days. Even if today was the worst, possibly it''ll end nicely.


    For that sake, I had to visit the meeting room in the guild hall and report.


    "Yun-kun! You''re back! Are you okay? Weren''t you too reckless?"


    "Uwahh?! M-Magi-san?! What all of a sudden?!"


    When we came back to the meeting room, at the same time the door was opened Magi-san had come to embrace me worried.


    In particular, I was pressed against her breast with my spine stretched forward. As Emily-san next to me gazed at me coldly, I felt cold sweat flow down my back.


    "That''s how much you made us worry. Also, Magi let her go, we can''t proceed."


    At Cloude''s voice Magi-san reluctantly released me. Since she cooperated in sending me off and worried about me, I had to be grateful to her.


    "I''m back. Cheers for the good work here too."


    Cloude and Magi, as well as Lyly looked at us who came back together all making harsh expressions.


    "There''s a lot I want to retort to, but beside you that''s ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿, isn''t it."


    "Hello. Well, I guess Emilio state''s image is quite strong. Wait a moment, I''ll take the disguise off."


    Her mask broke, but Emily-san''s character name impersonation and voice changer were still remaining, she took them off and spoke again.


    "I''m Emily, the ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ dealing with Alchemy and Synthesis. Well, you''ve bought materials from me before and met me as Emilio."


    "Here I was wondering what did Yun do when she was hiding, but here she appears with ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿, what''s the meaning of this."


    Cloude stared intently at me, but well, I''ve had lots to hide.


    Since the conversation wouldn''t proceed if that continued, Cloude recommended Emily-san and me to sit, then begun speaking the prelude to conversation.


    "Hmm. The uproar this time seemed to be centred on the PK guilds ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ and ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿, as well as medium-sized guilds ¡¾Green Fall¡¿ and ¡¾Mutual Aid Army¡¿. Other than that there were some independent solo players. I don''t know their numbers in detail, but there was at least two hundred of them this time."


    "That''s quite a number."


    Agreeing with my words, Magi-san took over explanation after Cloude.


    "There seem to be several reasons for that, but one of them is that the backlash of us crafters opposing their malicious solicitation had finally exploded. Probably. The medium-sized guilds must have joined the activities to protest that. But, there must be a real goal too."


    "Real goal? Speaking of which, when we came back the PKs disappeared without trace."


    "Let''s see. Then... a decoy?"


    In response to my words Emily-san muttered.


    "Correct. In order to monopolize a certain area, the PKs have taken a noticeable action in order to blind us. With that said though, the only ones who executed it were the two PK guilds while others were just used."


    After Cloude answered indifferently, Lyly continued after him.


    "The monopolized area is apparently guarded by PKs rotating every certain amount of time. There''s quite a number of them and since they''re strong in PvP we could lose to them if we rush in poorly."


    "Also, while its an area unreachable for new players, it hurts quite a bit since it''s a highly important place."


    Judging by the fact Magi-san had an annoyed expression, I could tell it was an important area.


    "And where is that area?"


    Emily-san asked what I wanted to know before me.


    "The occupied area is¡ª¡ªthe surroundings of the Wisteria Peach Tree. Not just the place where the Revival Medicine materials are collected but also the starting point of raid quest. Since it hasn''t been completed yet, it''s very important."


    Since as of now there was no alternative materials or alternative recipes for Revival Medicine, new Revival Medicine couldn''t be made.


    Moreover, if they occupy the area for a long time and monopolize the raid quest, they''ll be able to bite into various parts of the game economy, affecting it badly.


    "If it goes too far, there are measures like having their accounts deleted by the management, which would be a passive method of countering it. The most ideal, would be eliminating the reason for them to stick to that area."


    Cloude had finished reporting for the time being and it was our turn to make a report.


    A lot happened in the forest that could be spoken about, but we mainly focused on the objective things that were the skill the male PK had used, the ¡¶Killing Edge¡· and the magic called ¡¶Sacrifice Counter¡·.


    "A sure-kill skill with limited number of uses, huh."


    "One time, it was blocked by Substitute Gem''s Ring. Also, I was able to return by using ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿. Is all I can say."


    "Still, ¡¶Sacrifice Counter¡· huh."


    "You know of it Cloude?"


    "Well, I am a mage using darkness element. That magic, so to speak, is using HP as a cost and depending on the amount dedicated, it reflects equal amount of damage to the opponent."


    "And, what does that mean?"


    As Lyly and I who weren''t too familiar with magic tilted our heads, Cloude explained what was the main use of ¡¶Sacrifice Counter¡·.


    "Let''s see. For example, were this magic put on a player, the attack from his opponent would reflect the damage back to the attacker."


    "Does that block damage?"


    "It doesn''t block damage like defensive magic, but damages the enemy. Well, it''s like eye for an eye. It''s a magic for simple parties."


    The rare drop from the Blade Lizard''s, Stone Bladescales had a similar additional effect. Reflecting damage when hit could be used in various ways.


    "Used in PvP, it consumes users HP when he rushes at the enemy, making the enemy hesitate. A method like that."


    For example, if you use ¡¶Sacrifice Counter¡· when the opponent has more HP, in long term combat it''ll gradually make you disadvantageous. That''s why it was mainly used for psychological tactics in PvP...


    "Well, in this case it was used as a self-destruction technique for avoiding the disadvantages that come with PK sense. Also, to use ¡¶Sacrifice Counter¡· when the opponent has an upper hand to safely self-destruct, the opponent was a PvP specialist."


    Cloude muttered seeming impressed, I also agreed with him. We managed to remove him somehow, but I can''t remember dealing any proper damage to him.


    "Still, Yuncchi was way too reckless. Also, your armour is broken. We were really worried."


    "That''s right, Yun-kun, Emily-chan. Onee-san was worried."


    At Magi-san''s and Lyly''s words, I''m sorry, we honestly apologized and asked the three to perform a check on our weapons and armour. As a result, including Emily-san''s the equipment have been diagnosed to require a maintenance.


    "I''ll ask an acquaintance crafter. What about you, Yun-kun?"


    "It seems busy so I don''t mind the repairs being later."


    There''s an event tomorrow, they''ll be busy. I muttered in my mind.


    "So, will today''s happenings have any effect on tomorrow''s events?"


    "Well, PKs won''t move immediately and it''s hasn''t gone far enough to abort the event. However, the ingredient procurement for food stalls didn''t proceed. Some events will be shrunk, we''ll be considering prioritizing the success of the PvP event."


    At Cloude''s words, I heaved a sigh of relief. Emily-san and I intended to leisurely sit among the audience.


    "Oh right. The talk about PvP reminds me, we need to give Yun a punishment for being reckless. For the time being, let''s have you perform tomorrow''s PvP event''s opening show."


    "Haa?! Why!"


    It seemed like something flashed through Cloude''s mind as he made a scheming expression, making me want to immediately argue, but nobody backed me up.


    "Unfortunately, I have to agree with Cloude this time. If you''re reflecting on the fact you made us worry, show it with your actions. Oh right! Adorn tomorrow''s PvP opening in a cute outfit! You know, like a race queen!"


    "In that case, how about something that suits Yun''s personality better? Something with modest exposure."


    As Magi-san mercilessly took Cloude''s side, I looked towards Lyly but...


    "Yuncchi, do your best!"


    "Khh, but..."


    While thinking on how to refuse, I also thought of under what conditions should I ask Cloude to repair my armour.


    "Well then, let''s add Lyly''s participation. He needs to make amends for failure of this time''s highlight plan."


    And, my thoughts were directed towards standing on the stage.


    "Well, as long as I''m not alone."


    "No way, I''m forced to participate too?! Kurocchi! That wasn''t my fault!"


    Although Lyly appealed with tears in his eyes, I didn''t back him up. I feel bad for Lyly, but I''ll have him accompany me.


    "What to say. Yun-kun, you''re pretty easy aren''t you."


    "Emily-san?! I-I''m not easy!"


    I raised my voice in protest, but my hand was grasped by Cloude and together with Lyly we were taken away to the room in the back.


    Emily-san seemed to have logged out ahead to prepare for tomorrow, but Lyly and I were made to change into various clothes by Cloude before logging out exhausted.


    ¡ñ


    The second day of the event''s highlight, the PvP tournament wasn''t carried out in town, but in an arena temporarily placed outside the town .


    The arena was assembled near the west gate where normally PvP training is being carried out. From the stage, I looked as the spectating players have slowly gathered to watch PvP.


    "Yuncchi, calm down."


    "Uuu... there''s still quite some time until the start, and yet... I''m so nervous..."


    Lyly and I who were suddenly have been made to acts as the hosts for the PvP tournament''s opening show changed into costumes in the space behind the stage, as we waited Emily-san had come to check up on us before the start.


    "Hello, Yun-kun."


    "Emily-san, you came."


    "Hello there, Emilicchi!"


    By talking with an acquaintance before the opening show loosened my nervousness slightly, but with Emily-san''s next words it was blown away completely.


    "As I thought Yun-kun, your desire for transforming..."


    "No, I''ve none. And what''s up with "as I thought". This is a costume for the stage show."


    Emily-san who had a mask on her face said something misleading, so I strongly denied.


    "Emilicchi, have fun today!"


    "Yes, I look forward to it. That costume of yours is cute as well."


    As Emily-san praised Lyly''s costume, he blushed and laughed shyly.


    "Yuncchi, what happened?"


    "Nothing, I was just thinking about the costumes."


    Back then, the costumes chosen by Cloude had a design completely ignoring our fighting styles.


    "Now, equip this inste..."I refuse!" then this!"


    The first protruded costume was a pink-coloured sailor uniform. The next one that was taken out were light blue robes with a bold slit, then a pure white long and loose dress with pure white feathers attached, an angel costume. In addition to that, there were body suit-type costumes that revealed the body line.


    Lyly rejected another one presented to him, in the end Lyly and I have chosen costumes that looked like a good compromise.


    The costume I chose was a remodelled clerical robe.


    The simple pure black robe had a turtle-neck that didn''t expose my nape or collarbone.


    There were detailed decorations all over the clothes, a cross embroidered with silver thread on the chest and it was quite loose making it comfortable as it raised up and down. However, since the waist was tied with a string, my body line stood out making it hard to wear comfortably.


    While the body exposure was small, since the robe was sleeveless, to hide my skin I was wearing long gloves going over my elbows. The amount exposed was extremely low and no matter how one looked at it, I looked just like a girl.


    "And so, I chose it as a last resort but..."


    "So, what Yun-kun is wearing seems just like a nun''s clothing. It''s somewhat erotic."


    "How did it come to that."


    "It can''t be helped. A nice outfit has to be worn on the stage."


    Although Lyly tried to encourage me as I was discouraged, you too have a modest costume, I thought and clenched an improvised mace close in front of my body.


    "It''s the same for you Lyly! No, rather, you''re getting too much along it! You''re a man!"


    "Well, it can be done only at times like these."


    The brown hood with white and green plants on it made in the image of a village girl. Pants and a see-through fluttering round skirt with pumpkin design.


    Rather than a girly boy''s costume, it was more like a Halloween-type magical girl''s one. Above all, the long stick with a decorative pumpkin spoke for itself.


    Emily stared at it with a complex expression.


    "Yun-kun''s slender waist and flowing hip line as well as curves are well expressed by the low exposure. As for Lyly-kun, there''s an androgynous cuteness since your secondary sexual characteristics still haven''t developed. Both of your figures are tinged with overall roundness. And so, this is my simple analysis."


    "Khh, even though I''m a man."


    "Well well, after coming this far, give up. Also, the stage has already begun."


    "Eh?!! No way!"


    "Well then, I''ll go look from the audience seats."


    Emily-san shook her hand in a fluttery manner and left. Left behind, I thought it can''t be helped and resolved myself.


    "It can''t be helped. Prepared?"


    "Perfectly! Let''s go, Yuncchi."


    Taken by hand by Lyly, we ran up from the side of the stage.


    There were players who faced towards the stage prepared on the PvP arena, waiting for the opening show.


    ¡º"Everyoone, feelin'' good today?"¡»


    As Lyly sprinkled a smile like an idol, I could only fake a smile and shake my hand at the surroundings.


    "Hey, it''s a witch girl. No, a trap?" "And Nanny too." "No, it''s a sister!" "Then, a holy mother? A female saint?" "Make it holy nanny." "That''s ittt!"


    Despite smiling wryly, I waved my hand appealing to the surroundings.


    Lyly winked at me to proceed, and I raised my voice. I spoke loudly with chat opened to a wide area.


    ¡º"The second day''s planned highlight. The battle of the strongest you were waiting for! PvP tournament''s opening!"¡»


    ¡º"This PvP will be carried out in two stages of qualifiers and the finals, in the battle royale mode."¡»


    ¡º"The rules for the qualifiers is prohibition of recovery magic and recovery items. The usage of MP potions and MP recovery is limited to ten times. Consumable items useful for battle are all banned. Fight believing in your wisdom and courage, weapons and Senses!"¡»


    ¡º"The first stage has been organized in order to filter out participants, you''ll be fighting until the amount of participants is equal or lower than a certain number."¡»


    ¡º"The players who win and advance to the next round will have the restriction on recovery items usage released. That''s where we''ll determine the true champion!"¡»


    This is where Lyly and I spoke together giving a signal to start.


    ¡º" "¡ª¡ªNow, strong ones who have gathered to fight! Respond to everyone''s expectations and fight with all you have!" "¡»


    We made the pose Cloude thought of and I have have practised overnight with Lyly.


    As to intersect the wand and the mace, we have stood back to back bumping out legs and shoulders protruding the weapons forward.


    ¡º" "¡ª¡ªWell then, raise the curtain of the battle!" "¡»


    After coming this far, it had started to become fun, Lyly and I vigorously swung up our crossed weapons and with the same timing, pre-arranged, numerous magic has been launched over their heads.


    *fwhhh*¡ª¡ª


    As magic rose up, cheers rose up the venue towards me and Lyly who were raising the weapons.


    At that time my robe had fluttered up and down due to the wind pressure of the magic''s aftermath and the wind pressure from the swung up weapons, or to be precise, from the wind produced by Lyly''s large pumpkin stick.


    Under the robe I was wearing spats, still, it didn''t mean I wasn''t embarrassed being seen.


    My legs in full view, my stomach and waist were revealed, the black fabric had come down softly.


    ¡º"D-d-d..."¡»


    My face burned up from embarrassment, after it was already over I held down my clothes with the hand I was holding the mace in.


    The entire arena started listening as I tried to say something. My voice resounded in the wide-chat mode.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªDON''T LOOOK!"¡»


    And just like that, I escaped to the side of the stage.


    ¡º"Ah, Yuncchi wait!"¡»


    Lyly had come chasing after me in a hurry, but during the fuss Cloude took over after the curtains were pulled and continued the explanation with a confused tone of voice.


    ¡º"The battle royale will be held soon after this. You''re free to jump in to participate. Join the players who have signed up for participation. In each case a penalty will be decided. Of course, for the winner we have prepared prizes."¡»


    Cloude''s words have wrapped it up and as the preparations have started on the first round''s stage, I went behind it then called Ryui and Zakuro then sank my face into Ryui''s fur.


    "...I''ve had enough."


    "Sorry, Yuncchi."


    "It''s fine. It didn''t roll up during the practice, there''s a different cause of all this."


    I wiped the tears that pooled in the corners of my eyes and made a complex smile towards Lyly. His usual bright expression will be riddled with guilt, I can''t continue with low spirits. That''s kind of feelings that welled up in me.


    "Ah, damn! I''ll stop thinking, completely!"


    "Yuncchi?"


    "This time, it''s all Cloude''s fault! Making me stand on the opening show''s stage, yup! It''s Cloude''s fault."


    "Kurocchi''s fault?"


    "That''s right, Cloude''s fault."


    "You''re right. It''s Kurocchi''s fault!"


    We repeated that several times, for some strange reason I didn''t understand myself, Lyly and I have started laughing.


    "Haa, well then, I''ll be going towards the audience."


    "Ah, I''ll go as well. I want to recruit some people from the audience to jump in."


    When I entered the audience together with Lyly, the nearby players looked in our direction.


    "Earlier, that was divine wind." "Yeah, it''s a pity they were spats, but I''m fine just seeing that innocent reaction." "A small-breasted sister''s shyness is more than enough." "Conversely, not seeing any charm in perverted women makes us perverted gentlemen." """I totally agree."""


    When I stared at them intently, they have looked away pretending nothing happened or used classical theatrical methods to cover it up like whistling. As if I''d be deceived by that, while thinking so I headed towards where Emily-san was in the audience.


    "Cheers for good work Yun-kun. Also... that sure was unfortunate."


    "Yeah, indeed. So, what about Raina and Al?"


    "It doesn''t seem like they came yet."


    I sat next to Emily-san, Zakuro sat down on top of my knees and Ryui behind me. We took quite a lot space, but for some reason there were very few people around us.


    "Well then Yuncchi, I''ll go look for unofficial participants."


    While saying so, Lyly took out a picket sign from the inventory and started parading among the audience.


    Passing beside him was Raina and Al. Also, behind them there was Letia who held a bucket popcorn.


    "...Yun-san! Emily-san!"


    "Hello."


    Last night we have left the twins to Letia, said goodbyes and separated but it seems like the two managed to properly calm down.


    "Were you all right yesterday?"


    "We''re okay. Come on, Rai-chan too."


    "Umm, uhh. Once again, thank you very much for yesterday."


    Although she was still acting stiff, pressed onto by Al she spoke.


    "As not to get involved with something like that, together with Al we''ll become stronger!"


    "No, I don''t think there''s a need to worry about it."


    "Also! I''ll aim to become a cool and cute woman like Yun-san and Emily-san!"


    *crackle*, the air inside me froze.


    ¡ª¡ªI, am a man.


    In the strange silence Raina got confused and the sound of Letia chewing popcorn echoed.


    "Listen, Raina. I am a ma¡ª¡ª"Onee-chaaan."¡ª¡ªDwahh! Myu?!"


    With Myu suddenly hugging me from behind I bent over forward.


    When I turned around, I saw Myu''s party members Lucato, Toutobi, Hino, Kohaku and Rirei.


    In addition to that, there was Minute and Mami who were Taku''s party members.


    "You all, why are you here..."


    "No, everyone''s either looking for seats at the audience or nourish their spirits before fight¡ª¡ª"


    "That''s why you came jumping at me?"


    Ehehehe, Myu laughed as to deceive me. Good grief, I peeled her off me.


    "Ryui and Zakuro cheer for me too!"


    Myu attracted the two animals'' necks towards her and hugged them tightly, behind her stood Lucato with a troubled expression.


    "Yun-san, it''s about to start. I''m sorry for making so much noise."


    "I don''t mind, but others are..."


    When I looked towards Emily-san, she said she doesn''t mind.


    "It will be more enjoyable together, right? Also, it''s a waste to take so much space."


    "Thank you, Emily-san."


    One after another nearly half of the seats behind and in front of us that were vacant have filled.


    "So, Myu and others are participating in PvP? How about Kei and Gantz?"


    When I asked Myu who started exchanging sweets with Letia in the back, she answered me while munching on a stick candy.


    "The ones participating is just me, Luka-chan and Tobi-chan. Also, since Taku-san, Kei-san and Gantz-san are also participating we invited Minute-san and Mami-san. Also, from the acquaintances Sei-oneechan and Mikadzuchi-san also plan to participate."


    Do your best Lucato, Toutobi. When I cheered for them, that moment the site started to get filled with participating players.


    "Ah, it''s Sei-oneechan! Onee-chan!"


    "Heyy! Don''t jump from the audience seats!"


    Alone, throwing her feet behind the handrail Myu jumped in the competition field. Lucato and Toutobi ran to the regular entrance in a hurry, chasing after Myu.


    "Oneeee-chaaan! I''ll do my beest!"


    Unsheathing her sword Myu waved it around. That''s dangerous, stop, you''re a nuisance to your surroundings.


    "Good grief, what a noisy little sister."


    The people who remained lowered their heads, so I heart-warmingly told them not to mind it.


    The person in question had clung to Sei-nee.


    When I cheered on Lucato and Toutobi who appeared late from the audience seats, they waved a hand in return.


    As for us who remained in the audience, the people who met for the first time did a light self-introduction, then we searched for acquaintances among the participant.


    "I wonder where are the others."


    "Ah, there''s Kei."


    "You''re right, Taku and Gantz are there too."


    Sharply sighting them, Mami-san and Minute pointed at the acquaintances. Silent lead-coloured warrior Kei, martial artist Gantz and my best friend, Taku. The three did a pre-match meeting and started taking distance from each other.


    "Come on, if you don''t cheer now the game''s gonna start."


    Mami-san was too shy to cheer, but encouraged by Minute and strongly squeezing the Wind Gel synthetic mob she cheered.


    "Kei! D-do your best¡ª¡ª!"


    Seems like her voice reached him as Kei waved towards Mami in the audience. Mami-san happily smiled at that, seeing that fluffy sight made me smile.


    "Keh, this guy''s a riajuu." "Yeah, he''s our enemy." "Let''s crush him first." "I won''t allow a popular bastard like that to stand out. I''ll definitely crush him." "ERADICATEEE!!"


    Kei''s surroundings have momentarily become frenzied and despite the combat hasn''t started, it had turned into a quite savage atmosphere.


    "E-eh?"


    ¡º"The countdown starts. 3, 2, 1¡ª¡ªbattle start!"¡»


    Tilting her head cutely, Mami-san seemed puzzled, but the heartless battle had begun.


    " " "Riajuus shall be purged with death!" " "


    Letting out a voice that seemed as if it had come from the bottom of hell the male players clenched their weapons so hard it seemed like they''ll claw and bite, then all at once assaulted Kei, beating him up.


    Seeing that Minute went "oops, I might have failed the timing for the cheer". She put a hand on her forehead and shook solidified Mami, returning her to sanity.


    Just like that, the PvP tournament''s battle had started.


    ¡ñ


    "Aaa?!! Kei was swallowed by a group of men?!"


    "He couldn''t withstand the wave of jealousy. Other than him, a guy rumoured to have found a lover in the game was also done in."


    "The world is heartless, isn''t it."


    Minute and Letia have commented like that, Mami-san ran out to comfort Kei who had retired early at the start and was no longer here.


    The intensive attacks fuelled by jealousy have gradually calmed down and the show had turned into a decent battle royale.


    ¡º"The qualifiers are a battle royale that''ll last until participants are reduced to a certain number, leaving the winners! There''s a limit on the recovery items, if you can survive you''ll make it to battle royale finals where the champion will be decided!"¡»


    While listening to Cloude''s commentary, my eyes followed acquaintances.


    "Woahh, amazing. That person''s way of using magic is really skilful."


    "The one stretching out that barrage o'' magic is ¡¾Still Water''s Witch¡¿¡ª¡ªa player called Sei-san. She''s Yun-kun''s olda sister and embodie'' the perfect mage damage dealer''s fightin'' style."


    "No, dealing with that is impossible. Stalling for time with continuous magic and casting more advanced magic¡ª¡ª"


    Al said it''s impossible for him to exceed or do something like that by himself in response to seeing the barrage of water magic. However, there was one that had passed through the barrage diving in and approaching Sei-nee.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Gram Sword¡·"


    At the tip of the staff held towards the player a water blade was projected and a slash was released.


    "¡ª¡ªLike you just saw, even if someone passes through her stick-fightin'' skills ar'' quite good, they be thrust at with the staff and frozen wit'' magic."


    Speaking towards Al who carefully observed Sei-nee, Kohaku took the commentary role. Rirei who was beside her continuously sidled up to me with excited movements from the seat behind.


    "That round butt and modest chest. Inside that sisterly clothing the faith called entire world''s delusions has gathered. A maiden having both such a cute and dignified aspects to her sitting defenceless¡ª¡ª"Rirei! Yer to concentrate on cheerin'' now!"¡ª¡ªWell, at next opportunity. Do your best!"


    Without even looking at her Kohaku in charge of Rirei has grasped the nape of her neck, I''ve already started to get used to it.


    "Ah, it''s Mikadzuchi-san."


    Next, Hino had described Mikadzuchi to Raina.


    Hino and Raina were no different in age and history as a player, regardless of levels they have easily befriended each other.


    "Mikadzuchi-san''s main is stick-fighting, but since her weapon is long there''s a lot I can use as a reference. Since a stick and a spear are different I need to pay attention as she PvP''s."


    Hino was a power type using large hammers and a long spear. Raina was quite different since she used a short spear and a shield, but there were things she could learn from looking.


    Despite the fact it was a battle royale, Mikadzuchi was surrounded by three players. To raise their chances to win even a little, people improvised cooperation with eye contact to take down the strong ones.


    "Amazin''. So there are things like that too."


    Even with an improvised cooperation, the players have released attacks an average player wouldn''t be able to avoid. As Mikadzuchi parried and counter-attacked against that, a voice of admiration for Mikadzuchi''s skills had leaked out.


    Her body didn''t waver and she accurately aimed her sharp thrusts at the armour''s seams.


    Just, compared to the time where she duelled with Flein it was slightly slower, so it was clear she was holding back.


    "Look, Yun-kun. Your little sister is doing her best."


    "Oh, you''re right. Or rather, how did it turn into such situation?"


    Although they have started scattered, imperceptibly Myu and Lucato rejoined each other and held a sword back to back.


    Surrounding her were players fighting in united front.


    They wanted to take down strong players first, but were they swing their swords at the two they would receive a counter-attack, so they stood stiff.


    "That''s incredible. As expected of people who normally form a party together. Their breathing''s perfectly matched."


    "You''re right. But, I don''t think fighting together as acquaintances is too welcome."


    I thought of that too.


    In the battle royale PvP elements like improvised cooperation is also one of the elements to enjoy. That''s why players who don''t know each other team up and with their numbers they attack stronger opponents, proceeding through battle advantageously.


    But among that, if two people who normally cooperate in a party partner up with each other, there''s a possibility of the battle turning one-sided. That, for the event was pretty bad.


    However, the two raised their hands stopping people in their surroundings, slowly took distance from each other¡ª¡ª


    "Let''s go. Luka-chan."


    "Yes, Myu-san. No holding back."


    After such a short exchange, the two with backs against each other have suddenly faced each other and clashed swords.


    They showed a great cooperation so far, why do that all of a sudden, the audience was greatly surprised.


    In addition to that, there were people who saw an opportunity in that and narrowed the siege that had loosened, but when they slashed at the two, both have started cooperating as to cover each other''s blind spots.


    "A bait?" "Or acting." "But that slashing at each other looks serious."


    In the middle of such mutters I could hear from the participants, beside me Hino and Kohaku said "as I thought" and both sighed.


    "What is it? Hino, Kohaku."


    "No... from the start, the two must have looked forward to that happening. I thought."


    "Because we''re always in a party together, in a place like this they feel like going at each other seriously, I guess?"


    As I listened to Hino''s and Kohaku''s interpretation, the two''s fight had grown more intense.


    After clashing together for ten, twenty times Myu''s and Lucato''s speed increased.


    A fierce battle in which both exerted their skills against each other. Myu''s diversified combination of magic and slashing was seen through by Lucato who projected her sword spoiling Myu''s enthusiasm.


    Lucato didn''t use the bastard sword that was unsuitable for a sword fight with Myu, instead she held a long sword in both her hands. She prevented the opponent to step in and released a blow where Myu was disturbed.


    Myu too attacked violently. She cancelled her actions and did feints, taking initiative of the battle instead.


    Perceiving Myu''s triggering of magic, Lucato prevented it. However, using the magic as a decoy Myu retaliated with a sword.


    Behind the intense slashes the two have waged a short yet dense mind battle. And, the end result of it was¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªAh!!"


    "There! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Brea..."


    Myu''s long sword had caught Lucato''s long sword and parrying, blown it away leaving Lucato empty-handed. She had raised her sword above her to deliver a decisive blow with her entire body.


    "Not yet! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Grand Slash¡·!"


    Pulling the bastard sword out from her back, Lucato matched Myu''s art. Confident of her victory Myu tried to push on with force, aiming for the time where she triggered art and was unmoving, Lucato pushed onto Myu blowing her away.


    For just an instant Myu was upset and too late to lower her sword again, the last blow was aimed for that chance. Being cut Myu lost her HP and was forced out of the field to the outside.


    Seeing the two''s fight go back and forth was enough to make spectators'' hands sweat. The passionate gazes focused on the two until the end have changed into cheers with the conclusion of the match.


    The PvP was still continuing, but Lucato somehow already had a satisfied expression.


    As her breathing turned longer, retired Myu had jumped out to the front row of the audience.


    "¡ª¡ªLuka-chan!"


    In the audience, just by the entrance stood Myu with whom Lucato was fighting just a moment ago.


    "You won against me! Keep on winning!"


    "Yes! Please watch me!"


    While saying so, Lucato raised he sword towards Myu. To that, Myu responded with a smile.


    After a series of exchanges with the discouraged, uncouth bunch in surroundings she crushed them as if they never been there and the battle continued to change.


    Gantz did put up a good fight alone, but he struggled quite a lot because of a martial artist''s low reach.


    Toutobi took advantage of her speed and aimed for vital points, getting close and cutting the enemy soundlessly, she ran past. The slashed opponent mistook it for an attack by the player next to him and caused a confused fight which continued to evolve into carnage.


    "Toutobi''s doing really good. In a battle royale she preserved quite a lot of HP."


    As many players cut down each other''s HP, Toutobi''s way of fighting where she retains a margin of HP was efficient. In addition to causing confusion, she aggressively aimed at players with low HP remaining.


    "And compared to that, Taku-kun."


    Ahead of Emily-san''s sight, who sat next to me, was Taku.


    Directed towards Taku was an attack of a group like the one that assaulted Kei at first... and currently, he was on the run.


    "Heeey! Yun! Myu-chan!"


    "That guy, is he taunting them on purpose? Or is he seriously running away?"


    "Taku-saaan! Do your beeest!"


    While brilliantly avoiding attacks and magic coming from people with menacing expressions behind him, Taku waved towards us.


    That had further fuelled the flames of jealousy with which the unpopular players have gone mad, enraging them even more.


    "Definitely gonna crushh youuu!!" "Having three beautiful sisters as childhood friends, just disappearrrrrrr!!" "Lose unsightly! Lose hideously! Beg for your lifeeeee!!" "I won''t forgive you even if you beg! I''ll give you overwhelming defeat!"


    I don''t care about winning, but, I just can''t forgive that guy. As crisis had approached him from players thinking that, Taku continued to escape like the wind. Occasionally, he pressed the players chasing against him onto groups of fighting players, depleting them.


    "T-that''s stingy! His avoiding and parrying skills are high, but his overall combat strategy is stingy..."


    "Well, it looks like it would be a fruitless fight."


    Kei was already suffocated by people driven crazy with jealousy and Gantz was about to lose normally. Ah, he lost.


    The battle had slowly changed from the mid-stage into the second half, a lot of players continued to fight despite the consumption.


    From acquaintances, the ones still inside were Taku, Sei-nee, Lucato, Toutobi and Mikadzuchi.


    Such veterans have remained qualifying. Suddenly the part of the audience had stirred, a single player in the centre stood still, calmly, smiling fiercely towards the PvP''s participants.


    "¡ª¡ªIt''s ¡¾Flame Prison Corps''¡¿ Flein."


    The moment someone said that, Flein who had looked down at the battlefield from the audience until now had put his foot on the handrail and jumped off to the field.


    Spreading bustle inside like ripples on the surface of water, the person himself had unsheathed his weapon, a long black and thin sword, then approached the PvP players.


    Knowing just the image of him as of a villainous leader of a PK guild which had preceded him, fear had spread in the arena.


    "I want to enter and participate!"


    I looked for the audience seats to Cloude who sat on the seat for moderator.


    ¡º"Interesting, we''ll allow participation as a special case. PK is also PvP in a broad sense. However! For the penalty you''ll have stats cut to 70%, consumable items are banned and HP is limited to 50%!"¡»


    "Ha, 50% is more than enough."


    Muttering just that, Flein tried to cut the nearest player. Despite the fact he had a penalty on him, unable to respond to his speed the player was taken down by continous attacks of the thin sword.


    "Hurry yerself up and come at me! If not, ya can put on more handicap!"


    In response to his provocation, the anger in the players roused. In addition, the audience who harboured hard feelings towards the PKs for the yesterday''s uproar have started jeering at him.


    "Yeah! I''m a PK. Doing whatever I please is my way of playing!"


    The person himself swung his sword looking pleased, repeatedly provoking. No matter how you look at him, a villain.


    However, I felt discomfort in that attitude of his.


    Flein was without a doubt a battle-crazed villain, but I didn''t think he himself had a bad personality.


    Meanwhile, a single player had appeared heading towards Flein.


    "T-Taku-san?!"


    Raina''s and Al''s eyes sparkled as they watched Taku confront Flein. Until now he only continued to escape from the players behind him, no, even now he continued to pull players behind him as he headed towards Flein.


    "To think there''s someone who''d come at me! Nice! I''ll take you on!"


    "Well then, I''ll take you up on your words¡ª¡ª"


    The moment Taku had entered the range of Flein''s thin black sword, he pulled out a long sword and parried the thin sword to the right, then Taku ran past Flein''s side.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd let you take care of handling the guys behind me!"


    "Uwahh, that guy''s downright rude."


    Raina and Al who watched Taku''s videos and looked up to him made shocked expressions. Moreover, the ones sitting beside them, Hino, Kohaku and Rirei looked at it with pity.


    Flein who had people pushed down on him had directed his killing intent to the group chasing Taku rather than Taku himself, cutting them down as if welcoming them with open arms.


    The gazes concentrated on a player who shouted loudly while heading towards the centre of the confused battle Flein was in.


    "FLEIIIIIIINNN!"


    With a roar, it was Mikadzuchi heading towards Flein.


    She ignored the players who opened her a path, smacked down the players who stood in her way and even when she was hurt by a counter-attack she continued to rush in.


    And when she arrived in front of Flein, there was a wall of players surrounding him, standing in her way but¡ª¡ª


    "S-she flew?!"


    Mikadzuchi pierced the ground with her stick, then used it to do a pole jump twice as high as a person''s stature, then poised the stick to swing it down.


    "Take thissss!!"


    "HA! Bring it on!"


    Flein received the blow that had the momentum of Mikadzuchi''s fall and body weight added on top of it by using his thin sword, his feet sank few centimetres into the ground along with the impact and cracks ran in his surroundings.


    "It''s the second time isn''t it. Mikadzuchi! Before, it was a draw, but this time I''ll win overwhelmingly in your own playing field!"


    "Ha! You specially came to get done in! Also, last one wasn''t a draw, Flein. It wasn''t settled since you ran away! This time we''ll decide it!"


    Pressing their weapons against one another, the two glared at each other from close range.


    "You bunch! Flein is my prey! Don''t interfere!"


    "Nee-san!" "Anego!" "Leave Anego alone then!"


    It must have been players who admired Mikadzuchi. They looked at her with worry as she confronted Flein, but they didn''t interfere.


    "Damn it! Don''t let anyone interfere with Nee-san''s duel! Eliminate everyone in the surroundings!"


    " "Yeah!!" "


    "That''s amazin'', in more way than one."


    Moreover, as not to let anyone interfere with Mikadzuchi, the players she was acquainted with started to eliminate the surrounding players, the situation heated up by the end of battle royale.


    In Flein''s and Mikadzuchi''s battle both of them were handicapped, but they haven''t directly clash again like Mikadzuchi''s first blow using her body weight.


    In silence they exchanged blows, feints and avoided. As their attacks loudly cut through the air, Flein''s sword grazed Mikadzuchi''s bangs and Mikadzuchi''s stick caught Flein''s clothes.


    Knowing each other''s skills, they fought aware of the fact its over the moment they receive a hit because of how few HP they had left.


    As the two fought without crossing their weapons the audience had gradually heated up.


    "Flein, hurry up and lose!" "Go lose! Hurry up and lose!"


    They jeered at Flein, it wasn''t very pleasant for those listening, but the person himself took it as natural, like a breeze.


    On the other hand, Mikadzuchi reacted. For just an instant she stopped moving in response to the voices. Flein didn''t miss it, in that moment he released the fastest thrust at Mikadzuchi.


    The quiet battle had quietly headed for the end.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªQualifications are over! The number of the players has decreased to the set number! The PvP Finals will start in an hour!"¡»


    The voice of the host, Cloude had echoed.


    As the thin black sword stopped right before Mikadzuchi''s forehead, anyone could tell it was Mikadzuchi''s defeat.


    "Tch, you narrowly escaped death."


    "Shut up. This is a draw."


    Seeing Mikadzuchi frustrated Flein shrugged, then he moved to the centre of the field with a determined step.


    ¡º"All of you listen! I''m ¡¾Flame Prison Corps''¡¿ Flein! I know well you bastards are frustrated losers!"¡»


    At these words that sounded right after the PvP qualifiers ended, many players opened their eyes wide.


    ¡º"We have occupied the surroundings of the ¡¾Wisteria Peach Tree¡¿. No matter how much you deny you lost to us PKs, it''s a fact you lost! If you want to win against me, come there and dare try it! Coming alone is fine! Coming in a group is fine! If you kill a PK, his level drops! On the other hand, if you''re killed by us PKs, we get stronger! Now, if you got any complaints come at us and let''s settle this! Well, that is if you reach us... of course."


    Just once Flein paused in middle of sentence. Then, acting provocatively he left the place.


    To Flein victory in PvP didn''t seem to have any worth and he came just for the sake of publicity.


    As he was leaving he found me at the audience seats and made a fearless smile in my direction, I''d like to think it was just my imagination.

 Chapter Volume 5 5

    Chapter 5 - The Final and the Sky Eyes


    The finals will start again after everyone refocuses. Flein''s suddenly stormed in and made a declaration of an area''s occupation, after which he provoked all the players and left.


    Flein himself saw no value in the PvP''s victory and just seemed to just gathered the players in the area to serve as his prey. That''s how I judged it based on my meetings with PKs so far. However, the atmosphere in which ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ and ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ were clad in seemed different. Possibly, the declaration was that of ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿, or Flein alone. I wondered.


    "Hey, I''d like to eat those sweets too, can I?"


    "Then, in exchange..."


    "Hmm. So your aim is the dark horse after all? Or maybe we should make a steady bet of 10kG?"


    "That be seven thousand fold increase eh?"


    As we waited for the finals to start, everyone did whatever they pleased. Running to the stalls to buy sweets and food, exchanging juice. Also, though there was too many people to do it in the qualifiers, betting on players was permitted by the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ for the finals.


    Even now, the names of finalists were displayed on a huge screen with the amounts of money bet on them.


    Taku, Sei-nee, Lucato, Toutobi, Mikadzuchi. Among these five acquaintances remaining, the vanguards Taku, Lucato and Mikadzuchi were favourites. The rearguard Sei-nee and guerrilla Toutobi were believed to be short on defence and attack, not included among the candidates for winning.


    "Yun-san, Emily-san, don''t make such dark expression!"


    "That''s right. Let''s make predictions together."


    Raina and Al have already accustomed themselves to this space. They induced me and Emily-san to make our own bets.


    We were trying to escape reality though...


    "It can''t be helped. But, I don''t intend to bet too much."


    "I''m not interested but..."


    "Then! J-just your predictions! What are your predictions?!"


    The two have quickly turned towards the screen with bets.


    On the betting screen, there were various bets. From standard betting on who will be on the first place up to third place, but also ones where you chose five players who will enter the first five places, there was a lot of options.


    The odds depended on the rumour''s about players and their reputation, but there were also people choosing stable bets and those with low odds, people investing as congratulatory prizes for their relatives and acquaintances cheering them on by betting small amounts on them.


    Also, they bet big amounts or split the risk by betting on multiple players...


    "I''ll bet on Sei-nee. Also, for the dark horse I''ll bet everyone loses."


    "Betting on a relative huh. Well, I guess it''s reasonable? Still, everyone loses option was prepared as a joke, isn''t that the one with seven thousand fold multiplication."


    Well, for a relative it was a congratulatory prize, but I also think everyone losing isn''t impossible either. There were few mages overall, but if a mage used a spell for wide-area annihilation, they can be hit by a cross-counter and collateral damage, also being taken down.


    "Oh my, aren''t you going to congratulate your childhood friend Taku?"


    "Ugh, Minute. Also, Hino, Kohaku and Rirei. Haa, it can''t be helped. Then, Lucato and Toutobi, Mikadzuchi as well as Taku, for the congratulatory prizes."


    "Mufufu, Yun-san sure isn''t honest."


    "By betting on everyone, you hide the fact you''re cheering for Taku-san. Still, you won''t fool my eyes."


    No, your eyes are knotholes. I stared intently in response to Kohaku''s and Hino''s words.


    Ahahaha, unable to bear my gaze the three laughed dryly. I heaved a sigh.


    ¡º"Now, for the finals'' moderator''s baton is passed from Cloude to me, Magi!"¡»


    The preparations for PvP finals must have been complete as Magi-san stood on top of the stage and once again, she described the finals'' rules to the gathered people once again.


    ¡º"For the rules, although the usage of recovery items was prohibited in the qualifiers to prevent from making them tedious, from here on there''s a partial release of recovery items! Still, you don''t have to worry! If you see a player use a recovery item, you can of course prevent them! As for recovery items that can be used, regardless of type you can use up to 10. MP Potions are counted separately! Whether you use potions with high recovery amounts, pills that are hard to prevent from being ingested, it''s all up to you!"¡»


    Who''s the strongest one?! PvP Tournament starts!!


    Magi-san finished a simple explanation, then started the countdown.


    ¡º"Countdown, 3, 2, 1¡ª¡ªbattle start!"¡»


    At the same time she swung her hand up, the players who have won their ways to the finals started running all at once.


    The thirty remaining players begun to fight with weapons in their hands.


    Sei-nee started battling with a fire-type mage, the aftermath of their magic clashing spread to the surroundings, creating a situation where no one could approach them.


    Taku and Toutobi have entered a duel by themselves. They bustled about on the field, Toutobi tried to suppress him with speed and number of moves and Taku had continued to counter while protecting himself.


    Even though he was slow compared to Toutobi, Taku continued to avoid thanks to his skills and combat Senses, persistently surviving.


    Only protecting his vital points Taku accumulated small amounts of damage, Toutobi who had low amount of defence and covered it up with avoiding. Myu and the others cheered for them both.


    In the battle of the two, they were tied evenly.


    Toutobi moved horizontally like a ninja to escape from Taku''s sight. Unable to lay a hit on Toutobi Taku had released a sharp stab with the long sword in his right hand, she had avoided it by twisting her body and had entered below him using the opportunity to counter-attack.


    "Naive!"


    Taku blocked Toutobi''s attack with the sword in his left hand and pushed her back by force.


    Using the sword in his right hand he attacked and the one in his left hand to defend, he stopped Toutobi''s dagger using the difference between their reach.


    Occasionally, there were players entering the two''s fight, but were unable to keep up with their advanced offence and defence. They were also high-level players, but the two were stronger by several stages.


    "...then, let''s raise the speed even further. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Attack¡¿, ¡¾Speed¡¿"


    "In that case, I''ll use borrowed strength to win as well. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Attack¡¿, ¡¾Speed¡¿"


    Toutobi and Taku squeezed something and used it. I was familiar with that item which changed into particles right after using.


    "The two used Enchant Stones."


    "So there are people among Yun-kun''s acquaintances who use that."


    The stones put on sale in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿¡ª¡ªEnchant Stones. The two with enchants on further increased their speed and power.


    In the battle that was in stalemate, a slight difference in their stats was born.


    "HAaAaaaa!"


    "YAAaaaa!!"


    Along with a shout, both of them started running.


    Capturing Toutobi who never stood in one place and emphasized on speed was difficult, with his power enhanced Taku''s single blow pulverized the ground.


    Taku continued to defend himself, but the blade''s point often grazed his body and the damage accumulated.


    Taku and Toutobi continued their battle interchanging themselves in rapid offence in defence. They have moved up to the brim of a certain location and their movement stopped.


    "Tobi-chan! That place is...!"


    Before Myu''s voice could reach, fire and ice clashed in the location in which Taku and Toutobi were in, swallowing the two.


    "G-guwahh¡ª¡ª"


    "GAAaaa!!"


    The advanced attack magic engulfed not only Taku and Toutobi, but also a few other players.


    "Imperceptibly they entered the location where the mages were clashing. A shame."


    The simultaneous defeat of Taku and Toutobi was because they were too heated up to notice they entered the attack range of the mages. Even though I felt it''s a shame for the two''s battle, I turned towards Sei-nee''s battle with the other mage.


    "Now is the time! Let''s fight with the seat of strongest mage on the line!"


    "I''m not really interested in things like seat of strongest, though."


    With a troubled look on her face Sei-nee raised her staff, creating multiple water bullets and ice lances.


    The opponent held a large book in their hand, activating magic in the same manner.


    In their surroundings from which people have retracted unfolded fierce barrages of fire and ice.


    Magic of both of them have cancelled themselves out and the aftermath had swept on the field. They used defensive magic, interference and feints. Both of them were familiar with the localization and timing, continuing to wage an advanced game of magic as long as MP allowed them to.


    However, Sei-nee had gradually gained advantage.


    The amount of MP remaining, number of magic waiting on standby, magic power granted by external source of an enchant, as well as the number of high-level magic cast.


    In each one of these, she was just slightly higher and when it all stacked up it had come to a level where it couldn''t be ignored.


    And, the end had come to the two''s game of magic. Sei-nee''s magic had passed through one after one, then the rest of her magic flooded the opponent delivering a large amount of chain damage.


    Originally, the mages had a weak defence and their firepower was an overkill. The compensation for waging a high-level battle between mages was high.


    MP depletion and delay time until activation of another magic skill. The surrounding players confronted with the firepower of a high-level mage moved as to prevent her recovery with an item. Sei-nee entered an uphill battle.


    "...I have returned."


    "Welcome back, Tobi-chan! That was close! Still, to think you''d become so enthusiastic as to let out such a loud voice!"


    As Myu happily welcomed her, Toutobi recalled having let out a loud voice as she rushed at Taku and faced downwards in embarrassment.


    Everyone spoke words of praise to her, but I couldn''t see Taku''s figure who should have lost together with her.


    "And Taku?"


    "...he wasn''t with me. But, we were done in at the same time."


    For an instant Toutobi made a frustrated expression, pausing, then said.


    "...it wasn''t decisive, but his movements seemed to have aimed for directing me to that place together with him. By the end, Taku-san managed to respond to my speed..."


    When Toutobi muttered that, I opened my eyes wide. And at the same time, Taku who had surely fallen was displayed on the giant screen.


    Taku''s and Lucato''s conversation could be heard from the screen.


    "You were in the middle of the magic clash together with Tobi-san, weren''t you."


    "Yeah, I was. But, I have prepared some recovery items for today and was able to continue the battle."


    "Haa, that''s sly. You''ve made Yun-san your ally and acquired ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ haven''t you."


    While Lucato and Taku set up their weapons against each other, the words that leaked out caused an uproar in the audience.


    And, for some reasons put up on the screen were us, sitting in the audience. Hey¡ª¡ªehh?!!


    ¡º"H-heyy! Why are you showing me on the screen! I have nothing to do with it!"¡»


    ¡º"Here''s appears Yun-kun, the new creator of Revival Medicine who had also adorned the opening ceremonyy!!"¡»


    As my voice had resounded twice, Magi-san''s had overlapped it.


    In order not to be noticed I lowered my head, but Myu, Minute and the others who were also reflected on the screen have waved appealing to people.


    "Please, stop it already."


    After a while it had ended and once again the scenery on the screen had changed to Taku and Lucato.


    The two who didn''t have anything to talk about in particular closed the distance in an instant.


    The passage of arms between Taku and Lucato had intensified. However, Taku who got used to Toutobi''s speed easily parried Lucato''s attack and dealt damage.


    Taku wielding two long swords and bastard sword-wielding Lucato. So far Lucato seemed dominant, but since the timing of her attack''s impact was off, it was a negligible difference. Taku''s speed was higher. As the two didn''t use any arts the difference in skill between them could be seen clearly, meanwhile, Myu waited for something with a broad smile.


    "Myu?"


    "It''s okay. Luka-chan is strong."


    In that instant Taku released his fastest blow to finish the match. Lucato avoided continuous attacks from the cross-wielded long swords by a narrow margin and in the same manner she slashed the fastest she could.


    "Yes!! It''s decided with Luka-chan''s counte¡ª¡ª?!"


    Just like Myu I thought it was over with the counter, but Taku surpassed it.


    He let go of his sword then re-gripped the handle in mid-air with a reverse grip. With an acrobatic feat and the reverse grip on the sword he parried Lucato''s attack, then continuing to move as if to tackle her he thrust the long sword held in reverse grip at her shoulder.


    That blow had decided Lucato''s elimination. The remaining ones in the battle was Sei-nee who had endured but was in a pinch because of MP depletion and cast time delay, locked in a showdown between members of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ with Mikadzuchi who still had surplus strength.


    Sei-nee used all of her remaining MP to create a barrage of water and ice, releasing it with a strong momentum at approaching Mikadzuchi.


    "Sei! Ain''t you quite strained! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Kidoukon¡·!"


    In response, Mikadzuchi triggered an art prepared, hitting the necessary minimum of magic.


    However, the magic that was blown away was sent towards Taku who was taking a break until the two settle their fight.


    "Woah, danger?!!"


    "Nice! Sei-nee! Take Taku down!"


    "Hey, Sei. Is Missy cheering on you? Or does she have a grudge on that Taku boy?"


    "That is, hiding embarrassment."


    The two had a short exchange of words, then again focused on fighting.


    If Sei-nee doesn''t let Mikadzuchi get close by using barrage of magic, she wins. Conversely, if Mikadzuchi gets close to Sei-nee, she wins. That''s the situation they were in.


    Sei-nee fired barrage of magic and Mikadzuchi blown it away.


    Mikadzuchi could be seen accumulating small amounts of damage when hit during a small gap in defence after activating art, Sei-nee suffered a heavy MP consumption.


    The two''s battle had settled during a very short moment of stiffness after art activation. Not missing it, Sei-nee used an advanced magic that was on standby making a situation in which Mikadzuchi couldn''t defend herself.


    The only ones remaining, were Sei-nee and Taku.


    All other participating players have retired.


    ¡ñ


    "Hey, Taku-kun. Won''t you already give up the win?"


    "What are you saying, after much trouble I''ve preserved myself in various ways for this."


    As Taku said that while running all around, I realized that his behaviour focused on avoidance was an unshaken strategy for the victory.


    And to the audience who wanted to see a PvP battle, it was more than enough a reason to jeer him.


    From all over the audience came taunting voices saying things like "That''s dirty! Fight fair and square!" as well suppressed laughter. In response to that Taku¡ª¡ª


    "Who cares as long as I win."


    Suppressing his laughter just like the audience, he answered. No, it would be better if he said without looking as if he''s about to laugh. It''s ruining the atmosphere in the area.


    Other than that, "Riajuu go explode!" "To have three beautiful sisters as childhood friends, seriously, just lose already!" taunts filled with jealousy have also sounded in his direction. Wait a second, I''m a man.


    Taku received the jeers containing jealousy laughing and with a smile. On the other hand, the cheers going in Sei-nee''s direction were mainly positive.


    "Do your beest!" "As a disadvantaged mage, aim for victory!" "Become our hope!"


    And among such heart-warming cheers¡ª¡ª


    "Marry mee!" "By all means, be my wife!" "I love you!"


    "Umm, please let me off!"


    " " "Thank you very much!" " "


    The guys who made such remarks were immediately beat up senseless by surrounding players. Incidentally, Myu too started rotating her shoulder doing warm-up.


    I''ll be right back, hey where are you going?! I caught her with my hand to stop her. Hino, Kohaku and the others also appeased her.


    In the end, it took a while until those cheers quietened down.


    Meanwhile, Sei-nee recovered her HP and MP to full with items and Taku had changed his equipment.


    "Taku-kun, couldn''t you attack aiming for the moment I''m recovering?"


    "That wouldn''t satisfy the audience, right? I''ve been running around until now. This is where I show off. Still, Sei-san, with two seconds you''re able to form a barrage of minor magic aren''t you?"


    With that said, Taku laughed fearlessly.


    "As I thought, it''s best to win fair and square, isn''t it."


    Sei-nee smiled.


    Rather than his usual long swords, Taku used two iron blue long swords this time.


    The one who made his move first, was Taku. He took a large leap, reducing the distance between them. However, reacting to it immediately Sei-nee fired magic.


    Sei-nee was a mage damage dealer, just like with Mikadzuchi she had no intention to fight him in close combat.


    Just like Mikadzuchi, Taku aimed to block the magic with skills. It did seem like a repeat of the previous scene but¡ª¡ª


    "...he cut down the magic."


    He cut apart the ice lance with the sword in his right hand and dispersed a water bullet with the sword in his left.


    I didn''t know what happened, but Myu and other mage acquaintances stared at it with bitter expressions.


    "Taku-san, that''s too much. Not only ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿, he also prepared such meta equipment."


    "M-meta? What''s that?"


    When I asked, Myu stared explaining not looking away from Taku.


    I listened to it seriously along with Raina and Al.


    Meta¡ª¡ªa specific type of configuration prepared for a virtual enemy, chosen as to have advantage in a fight. In a nutshell, if enemy is weak to fire element, it would be a weapon of fire element. If enemy is using wind element, that would be an armour with wind element resistance.


    Moreover, in case of going against mobs which have a fixed routine actions, it would be acting, planning and general strategic measures to fight against them. It was called meta measures.


    Just recently, what the guild master of PK guild ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ used, ¡¶Killing Edge¡· could be called anti-player meta.


    In other words, currently Taku had prepared equipment against mages, in particular he was equipped against mages using water element.


    "What Taku-san is using, probably are weapons with ¡¾Seal Magic (Water)¡¿ and its higher version ¡¾Seal Magic (Ice)¡¿. It''s an effect that disables magic of the corresponding effect when slashed, but..."


    "But?"


    "It''s incredibly difficult to obtain. Also, when used its durability drops significantly, not only it can be used against one element but also can be used only for a short amount of time. It''s literally a meta equipment."


    To have prepared two of these, what else did he prepare. Myu muttered appalled.


    Possibly, aside from my ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿, he had also prepared other meta equipment he didn''t use this time.


    Sei-nee had to take special measures against such an opponent, she was surprised for a moment but learning that low-level magic won''t work'' she cancelled it.


    "I''m surprised. I didn''t think you''d find such a precise countermeasure."


    "That just shows how high I evaluate Sei-san, you see. Even I can''t find countermeasures for all the participants."


    "Well, let''s keep it at that. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Wall¡·!"


    Three sheets of water wall have surrounded Taku in a triangle pattern. It was a defence magic, but was used to narrow enemy''s line of sight instead allowing Sei-nee to use a high-level magic in its shade.


    "This is pointless! But, is that so!"


    He cut the wall of water with the long sword in his left hand, but was repelled by the wall of ice behind it.


    When he cut down the dummy wall of water his sword was repelled by the wall of ice. Taku pulled back the sword in his left hand in a hurry and pierced the ice wall with the sword in his right hand, making it shatter and make it turn into small fragments.


    "...no. That''s also a feint."


    We who sat at the audience have seen everything.


    Sei-nee created a siege of water walls, behind which there were ice walls and even further behind there were five icicles.


    She was dealing with two elements of water and ice. Basically, water and ice were of the same group and among the meta equipment''s additional effect ¡¾Seal Magic¡¿, one weapon included the derivation.


    That''s why Sei-nee tried to make the long sword in Taku''s left hand meaningless by narrowing the used magic to ice. Moreover, if she makes it hit a mass of ice instead of water, there was a possibility of lowering the weapon''s durability and destroying it for free. That''s how she must have calculated it.


    "Well then, let''s go!"


    "?!! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    Just like Mikadzuchi, Taku had clad his weapon with an anti-magic skill and tore apart a number of magic coming at him.


    For the icicles difficult to avoid he had reliably destroyed them with the sword in the right hand and the minimal amount of magic was blown away back towards Sei-nee with the sword in his left.


    Sei-nee''s concentration had to be broken to deflect the approaching ice blocks that were hit back at her, because of that her control over magic aimed at Taku had weakened.


    Taku judged the attacks with ice have weakened and the damage was minimal, still, Sei-nee''s attack didn''t end.


    "I''m sorry. Even if it''s Taku-kun I can''t hold back, I assume you already prepared countermeasures."


    While saying so, this time she swung her staff sideways. One of the icicles that waited for activation has broken and a large size fist-sized pieces have assaulted Taku.


    All at once several dozens of pieces of ice rushed at Taku, hitting his body and stopping his movements. Aiming for that moment, the remaining ice had approached him at once.


    "Oh shit¡ª¡ª¡¾Mind¡¿!"


    He pulled out an Enchant Stone for magic defence from the inventory then used it, giving up on avoidance and interception Taku had defended himself by crossing his arm.


    "No way?!! You withstood that?!"


    "UOOoooo!!"


    Taku raised his magic defence, smashed the ice chasing him with the longsword in his right hand and assaulted Sei-nee while raising his voice loudly.


    A little bit more and he would reach Sei-nee.


    "But, you''re one step late. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Maelstrom¡·!"


    Taku was caught in a vortex generated beneath his feet. Rotated by something like a deep blue, large washing machine, Taku was washed away.


    That seems nauseous. Rather, after rotating that much Taku will surely get dirty. An out of place thought had crossed my mind.


    The match is over. I thought.


    Taku powerlessly rotated in the vortex, he regained strength only for a moment and held the sword inside the water.


    After rebuilding his posture in middle of spin, Taku swung the long sword in his left hand, tearing the vortex apart before jumping out.


    "HAAaaa! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Power Buster¡·!"


    Momentarily, Sei-nee tried to intercept it with the magic waiting behind her, but before she could Taku swung both his long swords. Taku twisted his body rotating to the right while falling down, retaining the momentum and swung his right longsword, slashing Sei-nee diagonally from the shoulder.


    "Sei-nee''s loss?"


    However, neither of them moved. And¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"Draw! It''s a draw! All players are wiped out, a draw without a winner!"¡»


    Magi-san''s commentary has sounded on the site and at the same time, Taku and Sei-nee were ejected outside the field.


    Together with Magi-san''s voice who had forgot to do live commentary, the audience had boiled with excitement. A wipe out of all things. As for those of the audience who didn''t know what happened, a commentary had immediately come together with an edited video.


    ¡º"It seems like the competitor Taku had in the end attacked with a full body blow and ¡¶Power Buster¡· art. On the other hand, the competitor Sei had delivered a pincer attack with the blocks of ice hovering up until that moment, which caused a simultaneous knock-down. It was truly a wonderful fight."¡»


    With this the most significant event was over and the audience immersed itself in the after-taste.


    The previous battle had left various impressions on the people in the location, exciting many.


    Taku specialized himself in particular type of defence and took corresponding measures in consideration to the risk on his life. And Sei-nee, who has countered him by using a variety of magic. The audience was gradually overwhelmed by the two''s greatness.


    After the PvP had ended, the players had gradually moved to locations chosen by themselves. The place into which the two locked in a fierce battle just a moment earlier have come, had naturally attracted a lot of attention.


    "No way, I didn''t think you would have come out from inside the vortex. You have surprised me, Taku-kun. I should have crushed you with ice cubes while you were restrained by the vortex."


    "As for me, I regret not throwing my weapons instead of attacking directly after getting out. No, I reflect on not doing it."


    Hearing Sei-nee and my childhood friend Taku talk about methods of finishing each other off in a relaxed mood I was horrified and greet the two.


    "Sei-oneechan, Taku-san. Cheers for good work! We have sweets prepared here!"


    Myu had called Sei-nee and Taku from part of the audience seats, joined them and then everyone started an big evaluation meeting.


    The light gamers, me, Raina and Al couldn''t keep up with their conversation so we diverted our consciousness towards the sweets. Emily-san who didn''t want to talk with Taku and indifferent Letia had also gathered by the sweets. Also, Taku hasn''t realized Emily-san''s identity.


    "Ohh, they''re talking in some mysterious language."


    "Well, let''s talk about something else ourselves. Speaking of which, Yun-kun, you didn''t forget have you?"


    "Forgot, about what?"


    "Yun-san, you have bet on ''everyone loses'' haven''t you."


    Raina stared at me intently, did you forget? In response to that cold gaze I went "ah", recalling while letting out a miserable voice.


    "The lowest possible bet was 100G, if I''m not wrong it was multiplied by seven thousand fold... so 700kG."


    As I muttered that quietly, Raina and Al''s eyes shone. Well, for me it was just some lucky extra income. It wasn''t something to think about deeply. Had I to say something¡ª¡ª


    "Well, it''s just some more savings."


    When I muttered that, Raina and Al directed a gaze towards me that said "you have no dreams" making me falter.


    "W-what''s with that look¡ª¡ª"


    "No, let''s say it''s just like Yun-kun. How do I say it..."


    Emily-san said something ambiguous. Say it clearly! I wanted to protest loudly, but I directed my gaze towards one player approaching from the audience seats.


    "Ah... it''s Mikadzuchi."


    "Good job in PvP. The big event is over now."


    Approaching, Mikadzuchi spoke a light greeting and headed towards Sei-nee.


    "Mikadzuchi, where were you until now?"


    "Naw, I was called over by others. In the end, there were a lot of people who moved straight over there after being provoked by Flein so it took time to get them under control."


    Mikadzuchi must have gotten through to everyone, seeing as she smiled broadly.


    "All right! The after-event''s festival night! We''re going to hunt PKs and complete the raid quest so start preparing!"


    "Hey, wait a second!"


    "By the way, Missy, forced participation!"


    "You have already planned to ignore my will?!"


    Is there a need to hurry so much? I thought, but Mikadzuchi had explained it to me.


    "Right now, the ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ and ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ are occupying that area. They won''t let us pass through smoothly. That''s why, we need to gather a number of people to compete with them. We can gather the most right after Flein''s declaration."


    After saying one of the prerequisite she paused.


    "Next, as for the disadvantages of having that area occupied, you must have already heard from that Kuro character."


    "Yeah, if I''m not wrong then it''s monopolizing the materials for ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ and the raid quest, which would be disadvantageous in a long term."


    "That''s why, gathering people and settling it tonight would be the best."


    "I get it. Still, that''s no reason for me to participate."


    When I said that disgruntled and pouted, did you forget? She responded with a sigh.


    "Missy, you have the ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense that''s a key to triggering the raid quest right? Without a player who meets the quest''s conditions the plan won''t start. Kuro character who has learned the same Sense is busy with post-processing of the event. And above all, it won''t do if one of people who discovered the quest isn''t there."


    With that said, Mikadzuchi had decided my participation. Actually, I have done preparations with the intention of undertaking it one day, but I was confused seeing it be so sudden.


    I have turned my line of sight to Emily-san as to seeking help, she had showed just a slightly concerned attitude and nodded.


    The time is running out. We need to hurry and start preparing.


    ¡ñ


    "Emily-san, help us out with the quest. You might not like being with Taku but, please."


    "Am I really okay?"


    I didn''t know what kind of expression did she make under the mask, but surely she must''ve been concerned.


    And. Why are you asking in a manner weaker than that of a girl, I can''t refuse like this. That quiet complaint didn''t reach my ears, the one asking.


    "Combat potential-wise, you can bring Letia as well can''t you?"


    "No, the person herself isn''t interested. Also, she''s taking care of the twins..."


    Raina and Al couldn''t undertake the raid quest and they themselves were aware of that, so they didn''t even try saying they want to participate. Letia had taken them saying "let''s enjoy the rest of the event" and went away with her expression unchanged, fist raised high.


    I think it was Letia''s concern, so I felt apologetic.


    "You might not like being with Taku, but could you?"


    "This once, I''ll undertake it since I am also interested. With acquaintances there I''ll be at peace as well. However, don''t expect me to be too much of use with my strength."


    "It''s all right. I don''t count as a fighting force at all."


    "What''s with that thinking of yours."


    Hearing my self-evaluation Emily-san stared intently at me, but she stopped it soon and said "let''s do our best".


    I was relieved seeing as Emily-san had undertaken it.


    "So, there''s no time right? What are you doing for preparations?"


    "For equipment, Cloude and Lyly should make it in time. Also, for consumables I''ll just take some from the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ but¡ª¡ª"


    I checked my Senses and rearranged them for combat.


    Possessed SP25


    ¡¾Bow Lv38¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Hawk Eyes Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv28¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv48¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv18¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv26¡¿


    It seems like because of the yesterday''s battle at night with PKs, the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ had reached the level required for growth and a target Sense had appeared.


    The ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ Sense specialized in targeting and night vision capabilities. And the growth target that could be selected was ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿.


    It was the highest level Sense among the ones I possessed. My stats increased with its level, but were it be grown the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ would turn level 1 and the stat increase would disappear.


    Considering just the stats, it would be best to challenge the quest as is.


    Considering the Sense''s skills and passives, it would be best to grow the skill.


    "Hmm."


    "What is it? Suddenly growling."


    "No, um... I''ve got a Sense that can grow and I wondered what to do."


    I consulted Emily-san, but maybe it was a difficult question since she fell silent.


    If this was a derived Sense, I would have acquired it without hesitation and would equip it double like with ¡¾Bow¡¿ and ¡¾Longbow¡¿, a method like that would exist.


    "Then, Yun-kun. What''s the description of the target Sense? Generally, the higher Senses are compatible with the previous ones, so it depends on the handling of the new performance and skills."


    "Let''s see, ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ growth target and is named ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿."


    Sky Eyes can be obtained by consuming 3SP, it allows expanding the targeting ability within the visible range


    There was just one point, a special skill called ¡¾Zone¡¿ would be added.


    It could be triggered alone and had an effect when combined with other skills.


    It''s description said that when triggered, it expands the single effect skills and magic range.


    "But, whether its usability is good or not is something we won''t know unless we actually use it."


    Even though it seems like its usability is good based on the skill description, it happens often that it actually is a miss.


    "Uoohh! In that case, man''s guts!"


    By consuming the SP, I have grown ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ into ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿.


    "I haven''t heard any info on the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ Sense. It''s either a Sense no one reached so far, or the information on it hasn''t been published, so there''s no one to ask. What will you do?"


    "Emily-san, help me out checking the Sense until it''s time..."


    Where did your man''s guts go. Emily-san had heaved a sigh as I weakly appealed for her help.


    "First, try using it in a basic manner and what else you can think of."


    "G-got it. ¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    While looking at Emily-san, I used the attack increasing Zone Enchant.


    The enchants were applied at the same time, the effects were the same as that of a normal enchant.


    The problems, were the delay time that was longer than that of a normal enchant and much bigger MP consumption.


    After repeating it several times, I told Emily-san what I found.


    "Umm, whether I''m alone or with Emily-san, the MP consumption doesn''t change I guess? It did increase considerably though."


    "In that case, won''t the overall consumption decrease if you use that for putting enchants on the party members?"


    "I guess. Also, it can be used only once a while because of the delay time so it''s limited to one type. I''d like to learn some more. Emily-san."


    "I get it. These little ones should be a good target. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·"


    While saying so, Emily-san threw Nucleus Stones, summoning 59 synthetic mobs I saw last night, the Wood Dolls. After that, she summoned 5 slime-type mobs.


    While thinking it''s a good way to use mobs that don''t consume MP and are disposable, I used enchant on the mobs Emily-san had prepared.


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    Emily-san and I stared towards the summoned synthetic mobs. The number specified for targeting were six parties, approximately the number we''ll challenge the raid quest with.


    But, nothing happened?


    "¡ª¡ªE-eh?"


    All my MP was drained and the enchant did not go off.


    "With a misfire I''ve ran out of MP..."


    "In that case, let''s examine it in detail."


    I confirmed again that the effect of the enchant had expired and used the enchant again.


    As a result, we found out several things.


    "The MP consumption increases beyond 6 targets."


    "But, the fact that the delay time for reuse doesn''t change with the number of people is an advantageous point."


    Is she trying to console me? I tilted my head strongly.


    With the base skill''s consumption increasing ten times, the consumption rose beyond a certain point. In enchant''s case, ten people was the current limit with a full MP tank.


    Anything beyond that ended up with a misfire.


    Moreover, it was the same with attack magic.


    Eight rounds of the ¡¶Bomb¡· magic was the limit, even with simultaneous bombing, in the end it was just a lowest level magic.


    "It''s good enough against one opponent at a time, but it pales in comparison with Sei-san''s barrage."


    "Right? As I thought."


    It was incredibly bad considering MP consumption efficiency. In bomb''s case the MP potions could be used during the delay time before re-use, but the potions would go like water and it was inefficient.


    Casting bomb on each target. In that case, Sei-nee''s simultaneous sweep using multiple stocked magic which used ¡¾Delay¡¿ Sense had good efficiency and high attack power. Even though ¡¾Delay¡¿ consumed MP to withhold the magic, my efficiency was bad even when compared to that.


    It could be fired at the same time and considerably dense, allowing to add some chain damage, but it was too restrictive.


    "In that case, it might be better to just operate with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ during the raid quest."


    "Also, since the delay time is shorter than that of the time enchant takes to expire, I probably can put on two or three normal enchants in the meanwhile."


    "Certainly. It takes a fairly short wait time to use a single-target enchants."


    Right now my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ level is still low, but if it goes up and somewhat improves, there''s a possibility I''ll be able to afford more.


    "In the end, I''m not suited for attacking. Well, with the remaining time let''s raise ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ level as much as possible."


    "Understood. Then, I''ll put myself in sleep state and take a short break. Meanwhile, you can use the synthetic mobs as the target."


    "Thank you, Emily-san."


    After I said that, consciousness had disappeared from Emily-san''s body. It seems she was able to safely log out.


    The Wood Dolls that were arranged as if to protect her and Slimes have lined up themselves in front of me.


    During the time I waited for Emily-san who logged out, I have summoned Ryui and Zakuro whom I couldn''t call out during the PvP event and yesterday''s mess, relaxing myself.


    Having my maximum MP reduced by summoning the two, the maximum number of targets for ¡¶Zone Enchant¡· was reduced to 8, but it didn''t matter. Having the two''s company during the long skill re-use delay, I continued to repeat enchanting.


    Since it was low level it grew easily and the efficiency of the Enchant had raised just slightly. Specifically speaking, there was a slight decrease in MP consumption and delay time. Feeling it was better than nothing, I waited for Emily-san to come back.


    Me and a part of the mobs were clad in red, blue and yellow enchant auras at the same time, looking like a strange spectacle. Somehow, for some reason I feel like I''m seeing a deja vu.


    After a while, when my head had gone empty, suddenly words had leaked out.


    "Hey, Ryui, Zakuro. Can I really do the raid quest?"


    Ryui had put its head on my knees and closed its eyes, Zakuro tilted its head mystified. Well, it wasn''t like I''d be heard by anyone, so I just felt like saying so.


    "Mikadzuchi said it''s the best timing and that I was needed by everyone, but that was probably because they needed someone with ¡¾Linguistics¡¿."


    *Kyuu*, I tickled Zakuro''s throat as it let out a lovely cry, it had twisted its body and rolled around. Seeing that, my smile spilled naturally.


    "Myu aimed to raise her levels for the sake of revenge. Taku too had thought of various measures."


    It wasn''t just Myu and Taku. Sei-nee, Lucato, Toutobi, Mikadzuchi, they all aimed for leveling and polishing their skills as players in PvP.


    In addition to that, Magi-san, Cloude and Lyly did their best to calm the PK uproar that occurred at the same time.


    "I want to be useful with more than just ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ and ¡¾Linguistics¡¿."


    Haa, I heaved a sigh. Good grief, as I look up I see no end. I muttered. When I looked away, suddenly Ryui who slept on my lap and Zakuro have quickly moved away from me. What is it? And, a shadow had enveloped around me...


    "Yun-oneechan. No, Onii-chan. Pull yourself together!"


    "Gueh!! My-Myu?!"


    I got hit in the back strongly, then let out a strange voice.


    When I got up on the knees and turned around, Myu had caught my face in both hands and moved her face close enough to have our foreheads touch, staring straight at me.


    " ''She''s doing something interesting!'' I heard, but when I come to look here you are acting all-weak."


    "No, I had no intention of doing anything interesting..."


    Eh? Was it my quirky handling of ¡¶Zone Enchant¡· for leveling up my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿?


    "My Onii-chan is certainly weak alone! Weak-kneed and quick to run!"


    "Hey, can I cry? Or should I get angry here?"


    "When we''re acting reckless you come to help us! You always wait for us, encourage us! Come to help us! That''s why¡ª¡ª"


    She smiled at me. Her confident smile.


    "We leave our back to you and only face forward to fight. That''s why I believe Yun-oniichan will definitely support us from behind."


    "...Myu."


    The ones fighting in front cover each other''s backs. But to support them, was my role.


    Geez, why is someone with character whose main is support getting all-weak here!


    I already knew well I had no attack power.


    That''s why, I''ll just do what I can.


    "Thanks, Myu. I''ll do what I can do."


    "Also, Mikadzuchi-san said this! When the raid quest is over and the feast starts, without Yun-oneechan we''ll run out of fish."


    "You ruined it!"


    "Pu-kukuku... Yun-kun''s being pinned down."


    "E-ehh?!! Since when were you here?!"


    When Myu moved away from me energetically, before I realized Emily-san who was in the sleep state had come back.


    "When I logged in, I heard Yun-kun complain so I stayed silent. I''ve seen something unusual."


    I glared at Emily-san who wore a mask and the voice changer, but since she said "I''m sorry", apologizing, I couldn''t get angry at her.


    "Well then, I''ll take Yun-oneechan for a break, let''s meet later for the quest!"


    "Sure. Make sure to gather enough strength before coming."


    Pulled by Myu, I was made leave Emily-san''s location and made log out.


    I''ve spent time until the set time for the quest participation calming myself.


    58 thoughts on ¡°Chapter 5 - The Final and the Sky Eyes¡±


    Bareus


    Flein himself saw no value in the PvP''s victory and just seemed to just gathered the players in the area to serve as his prey.


    Flein himself saw no value in the PvP''s victory and just seemed to justgather the players in the area to serve as his prey.


    ..., there was a lot of options.


    ..., there were a lot of options.


    "Let''s see, ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ growth target and is named ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿."


    "Let''s see, ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ growth target and is named ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿."


    -> I still think that''s somehow wrong, but that''s just me :/


    ..., in the end it was just a lowest level magic.


    ..., in the end it was just a low level magic.


    ..., in the end it was just the lowest level magic.


    Pulled by Myu, I was made leave Emily-san''s location and made log out.


    Pulled by Myu, I was made to leave Emily-san''s location and made to log out.


    -> I still think that''s somehow wrong, but that''s just me :/

 Chapter Volume 5 6

    Chapter 6 - The Ghost Wolf and the Raid Quest


    The meeting place was the town''s centre where the portal was installed. There, when I have appeared together with Myu after logging in, most of the players participating in raid quest were already waiting.


    Players with whom I was acquainted with spoke with those I didn''t know. The few players that didn''t know each other have done final confirmations and comparisons of methodology and items.


    I also checked on my Senses, the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ only changed by an insignificant, single level, making me heave a sigh.


    "Yun-oneechan, why are you sighing! It''s all from now on! The future!"


    "Yeah, I''m all right."


    "Now then, I''ll go greet everyone!"


    With that said, Myu moved away from me and jumped into the gathering of players. As I felt lightly envious of her activeness, it seemed like I was being watched from somewhere afar.


    The players participating in the raid quest were¡ª¡ª


    The party of six. Myu, Lucato, Toutobi, Hino, Rirei and Kohaku.


    The party of five. Taku, Gantz, Kei, Minute, Mami.


    Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi, as well as twelve elite members of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿, making up two parties.


    The reserve troops consisted of solo players picked in case-by-case manner depending on the type needed.


    And finally, me and Emily-san.


    ¡ª¡ªA total of thirty people. Five parties participated in the raid quest this time.


    As for the configuration, there were mages as the main damage dealers, tanks and quite a few healers.


    Speaking of tanks, my acquaintance Kei had mainly PvP equipment on and wasn''t really active, but now he had switched to his defence-oriented large shield and short sword.


    Moreover, Kei had become the centre and the leader on the position, he discussed with others the entire formation for the vanguard players and even the timing of attacks of the rearguard.


    "Amazing right, that Kei."


    "Hm? Ah, Taku. Yeah, I have no clue what''s he''s on about though."


    I just stared at them stunned, but I could feel some kind of a reassuring atmosphere from the tanks.


    "Those guys specialize in protecting the rearguard you''re included in. Also, since all of them trained cooperation in PvP they look like they have a considerable sense of stability when improvising.


    It''s something worth seeing. Taku laughed like a child.


    "You won''t see it as a vanguard, will you. I''ll watch firmly from behind instead."


    "Yeah, I leave it to you. This time''s raid quest challenge is for fulfilling our revenge. I''ll go at it with full force as well."


    I knew that even without him declaring that, I nodded in silence.


    Meanwhile as we roused ourselves the members have gathered on time, leading them from the centre was Mikadzuchi.


    "For beating the raid quest this time, we have a joint of multiple parties. There are probably many reasons for joining. The ones who discovered the quest, those who have high expectations of a large-sized quest, those who want to take revenge on the PKs who have occupied the area. This time''s quest completion has more meaning than it usually does. There must be some who are anxious as for the quest rewards. Well, it''s fine to have expectations for that, but we need to defeat the boss before that."


    As Mikadzuchi jokingly declared starting the quest, I put on a bitter smile, but when she paused, everyone made a serious expression.


    "There''s lots I want to say, but I hate long-winded talks. So¡ª¡ªlet''s go!"


    " " "¡ª¡ªYeahh!" " "


    The enthusiastic men formed a circle and shouted together.


    I thought it looks reliable as I watched them. After being put in a different position from Emily-san, we started to move.


    We have transferred to the portal in the Abandoned Village nearby the Wisteria Peach Flower, a few people including me have entered the underground of village chief''s house, triggering the quest.


    ¡ª¡ª ¡¾R Quest: Subjugate Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf 1£¯3 ¡¿ ¡ª¡ªDestroy the cornerstones. ¡ª¡ª 0£¯7


    At the same time the quest was activated, the raid quest attendees moved towards the cornerstones, continuing to destroy them one after one.


    However¡ª¡ª


    "We were waiting! For a bunch like you to come!"


    "Tch! As I thought, you won''t let us undertake the quest so easily. Everyone, fight back!"


    The surroundings of the cornerstones were a battle area. There, PKs have gathered and with weapons in their hands they have approached us


    Together with Mikadzuchi''s shout, the raid quest participants have begun to fight back. From the start we knew they won''t let us take the quest so easily.


    The elite players have gathered and turned the tables on the enemy. The PKs tried to compete with numbers. They have built up a siege, surrounding us and interfering at full force.


    "If you want to pass, you''ll have to get killed by us first! Also, leave behind your consumables!"


    And, one of them said a line like that of a bandit or a thief.


    As for our side, the participants felt no sense of crisis and just striked back at the PKs, feeling them to be cumbersome.


    Gradually, the number of PKs defeated had increased and while they had originally a high morale, they had begun to get cold feet. Well, they too had their own risks. There were better ways to earn experience than picking a fight with people they can''t win against.


    However, the encirclement was still maintained and there was a change to the situation where a part of strong PKs had stood against us.


    "Mikadzuchi-neesan! Whilst belated, we have come!"


    "Anego! It took time to bring those who haven''t registered the portal yet!"


    "You guys! ¡ª¡ªI''ll leave release of this area to you! Go around and eliminate all occupying PKs!"


    " " "¡ª¡ªYes sir!!" " "


    "Quest participants follow me! We''re going to break through at one point!"


    As Mikadzuchi shouted, the siege was cut apart all at once and we rushed through. However, there were twelve PKs in front on watch waiting as to prevent it.


    Among them there were familiar faces. One of them was ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ guild master, Flein. Also, there was the shrewd PK we met during the uproar on the first day.


    Other than that, there were senior members of the PK guild ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿.


    With curiosity, vigilance, emotions completely different from hostility in his line of sight, Flein had first spoke to Mikadzuchi.


    "Yo, did you come to defeat us?"


    "No way. We''ve come to undertake the quest. That''s why, don''t get in our way, boys."


    An exchange of Flein''s and Mikadzuchi''s.


    Hearing Mikadzuchi''s provocation there was a bustle among the other PKs, but Flein himself who was talking had only laughed, finding it interesting.


    "Then, when your errand''s finished, won''t you fight me? That''ll be the third, concluding match."


    "Let''s settle it this time, after I get the quest''s rare equipment. Prepare yourself to be the first test subject."


    "That''s interesting. Then, I won''t interfere. You''re free to go."


    Hearing what Flein said, numerous other PKs started bustling.


    Let''s defeat them here, let''s call fellow PKs and we''ll have advantage, there''s no need to let them through. Is what they were saying. In fact, there was no benefits for the PK guilds in letting us pass here.


    However, Flein looked at the other PKs without any emotion in his eyes, as if they were boring.


    "Fightin'' in such a siege using large numbers brings no benefits to us, ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿."


    "Wha?!!"


    "That''s see. Here on starts¡ª¡ªa big brawl!"


    "Let''s go. Yun!"


    Responding to Taku''s voice, we have passed by Flein''s PKs side.


    Becoming a wall behind us, Flein had started fighting with the same PKs.


    While leaving, I took a glance at Flein.


    What I saw, was the PK guild''s guild masters arguing.


    "You''re the same PK guild''s master, why would you point a weapon at me!"


    "Obviously! Cuz'' I want to fight! Just like you bunch. Even if you have joined hands with small fries, you want to fight strong guys! What I want, is battle with boiling blood and dancing meat!"


    "You''re mad. To raise PK levels, you have to reduce the risks and only fights against suitable opponents!"


    "That''s where our opinion differs! ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ is a collection of battle crazed fools! In the first place, we''re annoyed with your way of doing things. That''s why, end up being my experience bastards!"


    With a ferocious smile, Flein had cut down one of the ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿''s senior members.


    Noticing my line of sight, just for a moment our eyes met and Flein tried to convey some words just by moving his lips.


    I couldn''t read from lips, but wondering what he wanted to say I remembered the movement of his lips as we hurried to the cornerstone, searching for the words.


    And, the words I found were¡ª¡ª"I''ll, wait."


    ¡ª¡ªI''ll wait. He wanted Mikadzuchi to strengthen herself, as I thought, he''s a battle junkie.


    Also, while Mikadzuchi strengthens herself through the raid quest, he will cut down the interfering PKs by himself leveling himself up. I could see through that thinking of his.


    And leaving this place to Flein, we have started moving between cornerstones proceeding with quest.


    After we have released all the seals and moved closer to the Wisteria Peach Tree, the assaulting PKs and the players confronting them have disappeared from the surroundings and we reached the tree.


    The moon was stained red and the pink flowers have strongly presented themselves.


    As everyone looked up at the tree towering in front of us, the Skeleton Raiders had emerged from the ground beginning the baptism ceremony.


    "The ten tanks, protect the rearguard! Mages, fire from behind the tanks! Healers, make sure to have a safe margin, take care of HP management! Vanguards, follow me!"


    "This time, we''ll defeat him!"


    "Myu-chan, don''t overextend too much."


    Myu and Taku started running towards their respective Skeleton Raiders. The ones having the same roles in vanguard Gantz, Lucato, Toutobi and Hino fought while cooperating.


    Unlike during the previous baptism by the Skeleton Raiders, this battle was a full-on clash with all enemies that appeared.


    Matching our numbers, the number of Skeleton Raiders assaulting has changed.


    Just like the last time, the normal skeletons with weapons have built up a siege and approached us. However, we didn''t let them approach as they wanted. The party''s tanks have hampered their invasion by lining up in front of them.


    As the tanks have protruded their weapons from the gaps between the shield, the skeletons had change into particles of light. Nevertheless, the skeletons continued to flood in filling the holes.


    In addition to that, when an elite Skeleton Raider had bypassed the tanks using the mobility of a wolf raider, Mikadzuchi''s vanguard had surrounded it with a number of players and brought it down.


    "Let''s go as well. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Ice Lance¡·!"


    Starting with Sei-nee, Kohaku, Rirei, Mami and other mages have fired magic leaving a trail, piercing through an area dense with skeletons. In order to kill off the Skeleton Magicians whose existence we weren''t able to confirm the last time, the mages have fired over the tanks'' heads.


    And us, the support which has also included the healers¡ª¡ª


    "So there were skeletons using magic. The magic attack will focus on the tanks. In that case, ¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªMind!"


    "Kei, please continue maintaining the defence as you are! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Round Heal¡·!"


    "I know, Minute! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Calling Shield¡·!"


    " " "¡ª¡ª¡¶Calling Shield¡·!" " "


    Minute and I put on wide area heals and defence magic enchants. On the other hand the tanks, including Kei have hit their shields letting out a loud sound.


    The ¡¾Shield¡¿-type skill ¡¶Calling Shield¡· had an effect of increasing the hate value. It allowed the user to attract more enemy to their side.


    "Amazing. So this is how multiple parties fight..."


    "Yes, a way of fighting in cooperation."


    Feeling excitement seeing this way of fighting for the first time, I aimed at enemy''s rearguard comprised of Skeleton Magicians and fired an arrow.


    Standing near me Emily-san swung her connecting sword, defeating the skeletons that slipped from both left and right.


    From the beginning till end we had the initiative during combat with skeletons, overwhelming them. We didn''t receive any serious damage.


    After defeating a certain number of them, the skeletons have pulled back, splitting to the left and right opening a road leading to the tree.


    But, everything until now was just an opening act.


    ¡ª¡ª ¡¾R Quest: Subjugate Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf 3£¯3 ¡¿ ¡ª¡ªDefeat the Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf ¡¾Garm Phantom¡¿. Remaining¡ª¡ª 0£¯1.


    The true raid boss, Garm Phantom had appeared.


    ¡º"So ye are ones who destroyed my cornerstones..."¡»


    The exactly same words. It was an AI that had a fixed scenario so it couldn''t be helped, but it felt like it spoke as if hardly taking a notice of us.


    It was my second confrontation with the glaring giant wolf. I swallowed my saliva from tension. Worried that she might recall the shock of losing, I looked away from the giant wolf and to Myu. When I did, I saw her shoulder tremble slightly.


    But that trembling wasn''t from something negative like fear or agitation. In fact, the will in her pupils was strong as she looked up at the giant wolf, she showed her white teeth and a playful expression making it seem like she would jump in any moment.


    Holding herself back like that, the look of her fidgeting made me think she''s acting like a child.


    It wasn''t just Myu. Taku and other people too shook with excitement at their first raid quest, there were several people looking forward to the battle. Loving this game, game-loving fools, is what you''d call them.


    I''ve realized the nervousness was needless. I felt it was silly.


    And as we returned our gazes to the raid boss, Garm Phantom, probably because we have reached the default number of people there was a change in the dialogue.


    ¡º"Perfect, the Wisteria Peach Tree is lacking nutrients. Also, to re-create the lost cornerstones the number is just right. Feel it an honour, the becoming one of the belov''d tree!"¡»


    "Incoming!"


    That was the trigger to the start of the battle.


    Together with Mikadzuchi''s voice we have spread like before, making up a formation.


    Letting out a roar from his more than ten-metres big body, Garm Phantom had called out a number of skeletons from the ground.


    "Missy! First contact! Raise the stats!"


    "Roger! ¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    Just like earlier I put on DEF enchants on the tanks within range and immediately after, they were hit by the preceding Skeleton Raiders, enduring.


    Lined up in a row, the tanks they pierced through with the swords and spears from the gap between the shields made of various materials, pushing them back. Compared to the skeleton baptism, the density of enemy attacks was low and there were more chances for counter-attack. As for the enemies they were unable to push back with weapons, they have smashed with their shields.


    The series of assault had ended up with a misfire and the Skeleton Riders have made a large arc, circling around the periphery, preparing for a re-offensive.


    To fill the gap, Skeleton Magicians have raised their bone staffs in preparation for the rearguard to move out.


    "Mages! Defence, after that, attack!"


    Directed by Mikadzuchi, the mages have expanded a defence magic in front of the tanks, suppressing the attack. And immediately after the attack was over, flying out from the tank''s defensive lines was the vanguard that started running to the front. Over their heads flew colourful attacks of the mages, piercing the Skeleton Magicians.


    Before the Skeleton Raiders have gained momentum to go on offensive again, the vanguards have hit them.


    "Yun-kun, I''ll be going as well. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·, Bronze Golem, Flame Beast, Ice Beast, Blood Shadow."


    What Emily-san had summoned, was a Bronze Golem and Fire and Ice Chimeras. And, I saw the last one for the first time. However, it was somewhat similar to the boss mob of the wetlands in the south, the Darkman.


    An irregular human shape with a smooth surface.


    "Using the ¡¾Magical Organism''s Catalyst Metal¡¿ I asked Yun-kun for exchange to make a nucleus, I constructed a mob out of bat''s poison blood. Now, go forth!"


    So that''s how she used the items we traded before. Also, she must have used the bat''s poison blood she had acquired when we formed a party for leveling Raina and Al.


    Because we emphasized on the defence and there was an empty area because of the lack of workforce, there Emily-san had gathered her mobs.


    The Golem had took on the charge of the Skeleton Raiders.


    Using their mobility, the Chimeras of fire and ice have bit onto the Skeleton Raider''s legs, pulling it down.


    In the end, the magical organism Blood Shadow had turned its hand into something like a hammer and smashed with full force.


    By dealing with the skeletons that had programmed behaviour patterns, we have gradually reduced their numbers.


    I recovered MP used up by ¡¶Zone Enchant¡· with an MP Potion and this time, I have performed a wide area INT enchant on the rearguard''s mages.


    At the early stage the hit and run troops, and the mages have reduced the numbers of Skeleton Raiders surrounding us. The tanks have held enemy down, controlling the hate and not allowing them to be directed towards the rearguard.


    At the moment I held the bow, but until the situation changed I was prohibited from attacking.


    "Haa, hate management is such a hassle. If we could attack, that much more damage could be done."


    "Yun-chan, don''t say that. This is one of the important techniques for fighting in large group. During the long-term battles healers and damage dealer are targeted with priority. If that happens, the completion rate of the quests will vary. Even if it takes time, it''s important to stably defeat the enemy.


    While saying so, Sei-nee continued to release relentless attacks that seemed like carpet bombing towards the Skeleton Magicians.


    Other than that, with an attack enchant put on them the main mage troop quickly disposed off the skeletons.


    After a while the enemy''s numbers have decreased, a road to the giant wolf has opened and Garm Phantom had roared again.


    Until now the giant wolf only continued to watch, but now it had started to move by itself.


    To match it, Myu, Taku and others from the hit and run troop composed by last-minute participants have approached Garm Phantom and attacked him directly.


    "This is the crucial moment! Shields, to the front! Hit and run, to the left and right! I''ll command the right side!"


    "Left side, over here!"


    "The front! You''re most likely to die, so pay close attention to HP!"


    The troop on the right was commanded by Lucato and Myu''s party.


    The troop on the left was focused on Taku and was a hybrid party that included Emily-san and Gantz.


    Then, the front and us the rearguard, as well as Emily-san''s mobs centred on the Golem. Mikadzuchi stood like a flag in front, instructing Sei-nee who was her adjutant.


    "Everyone, emphasize on timing! When the target seems like they''re going to attack either left or right troop, attack together and take-over the target!"


    " " "Yes!" " "


    "Also, Yun-chan, after confirming the safety margin when contacting with boss, I''ll instruct you."


    "Roger. Hey, he''s coming! ¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    As Garm Phantom rushed from the front, I once again applied a wide range enchant on the tanks setting up their shields.


    The impact that hit the tanks was incomparable to the assault of Skeleton Raiders, just by receiving it their HP was cut down by 30%.


    They either were healed by a healer or a potion, recovering to full. It was part of the strategy "life is important" giving priority to ensuring a safety margin. For that, they used items generously.


    In addition to that, the players my enchant was unable to reach have Enchant Stones and self-strenghtening items, raising their base stats.


    After we endured a frontal attack from Garm Phantom, the hit and run troops have counter-attacked.


    "I couldn''t do too much in PvP, but I''ll make this a brilliant success! Haa, I''ll drill my guts into youuu!! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Demon Hunter¡·!"


    Jumping high, Gantz from the left troop had spearheaded the attack, he performed a backflip leaving behind a residual image and releasing a powerful kick.


    "Don''t get too full of yourself, you''ll get hit by the foreleg!"


    "Then, one more time before that! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Demon Hunter¡·!"


    The characteristic of barehanded fighters like Gantz¡ª¡ªwas the very short delay time between their arts'' activation.


    As the combo in mid-air flashed with blue extending the flight time, he continued to deliver kicks and backflip continuously ignoring laws of physics. In addition to that, following Gantz the entire troop had joined in the attack.


    However, none of the attacks was decisive, feeling them troublesome the giant wolf twisted its body and swung its front paw to crush Gantz.


    "!!¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    Just before he was hit by the Garm Phantom, I made it in time with my DEF enchant. Gantz was blown from the air and slammed into the ground, receiving about of 40% of his HP worth of damage.


    Gantz was immediately healed, Minute who served as the healer for the left hit and run troop had used a recovery spell on him.


    Of course, it came together with a lecture.


    "You, it''s because you''re getting full of yourself you were slapped down like a fly! Listen, even if you don''t suffer instant death, with that much HP lost at once you''ll suffer ¡¾Stun¡¿!"


    "I-I was just caught off guard a little!"


    "Then. Be. On. Guard!"


    What''s with that conversation devoid of tension. This time I barely managed to cast enchant between the delay times of my ¡¶Zone Enchant¡·, but with a different timing I wouldn''t be able to put on a defence enchant on him.


    As the giant wolf twisted his body and turned his attention to the left side, the right troop and the front safely cut him, delivering one blow and withdrew.


    And at the same moment adding to it, was numerous magic surging like a waterfall from the front.


    The magical attacks have become the main source of damage and succeed in cutting Garm Phantom''s HP by 20%.


    "All troops! Brace yourselves! It''s still the very beginning!"


    Mikadzuchi said to tense ourselves. Everyone was immediately wrapped in a reasonable sense of tension.


    "Hey, our role is to hold down the enemy with our bodies... right."


    "That''s right. The impact is harsh but... that''s how it is with shields, right?"


    "After this is done, I''ll settle down and try popularizing shield positions!"


    "Hey you, stop that, it''s a death flag!"


    Some people were talking about silly things, but it was a fairly serious work.


    The tanks who had much higher defence than the others received multiple heavy blows and their HP was reliably reduced. The healers behind them have recovered their tanks'' HP, maintaining the front. The tanks have safely attacked from behind the shields, steadily delivering damage.


    However, a death flag was something like a promise.


    ¡º"GRRRUOOOoOooo¡ª¡ª"¡»


    "This is bad! A big hit''s coming! Left and right, avoid it!"


    Together with Mikadzuchi''s rushed voice, the giant wolf set up its limps as if to impale the ground.


    Since it was the first time beating this boss, there was no information and every of his moves had to be dealt with carefully. Responding to Mikadzuchi''s alert, the troops on the left and right spread out, preparing themselves for the possible attack. The tanks in the front formed a dense formation, strengthening the defence.


    A rush with more power exerted by the four limbs has approached the tanks.


    I''ve rotated ideas in my head as for what else can be done in addition to defence enchants and chanted.


    "¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    I used Cursed to decrease its physical attack stat. The giant wolf''s rush hit the countless shields. However, the tanks forced down the power and diverted it diagonally, somehow parrying it.


    The attempt to reduce the damage seems to have succeeded.


    However, the giant wolf''s momentum hasn''t weakened and it ran by the left side of the wall forcefully. As it continued to run, it had raised a loud howl.


    In response to the howl Skeletons have raised up from the ground once again. With the field greatly disturbed, the adds have appeared again. On top of that, unlike how it was at first, Garm Phantom acted freely


    "Incoming!"


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    Responding to the second assault, the tanks were turned back into perfect state and made a dense formation again.


    The moment assault came, the tanks have further increased their defence by cooperating, their bodies and armour let out large creaking. Pushed down by Garm Phantom''s momentum they have gouged the ground and their HP was reduced, but by leaning forward and protruding the shield they managed to stop the giant wolf.


    "Now! Half of the left and right assault the boss, the rest deal with skeletons!"


    The boss'' body was sticking to the shields and as it was unable to raise its front legs, it had undergone an assault with arts from the left and right.


    Thanks to this chance the mages were able to fire a volley of strong magic in response to which, the giant wolf had retreated making space in the front, also fighting back with its back legs and tail.


    Moreover, we have fought back, parrying sporadic attacks of a small number of summoned skeletons.


    "I didn''t call for small fries! Go back to the ground!"


    The giant wolf interchanged biting and claw attacks, but the wall layer built up by tanks was thick, pushing it back as much as possible.


    As this situation was maintained, the Garm Phantom''s HP was steadily shaved off.


    And when his HP was reduced to 70%, the giant wolf retreated and started emitting a translucent, dark coloured shockwave from its body, blowing away the hit and run troops that chased after him.


    That shockwave dealt a little bit of damage and had a knockback effect. The mobile troops on the left and right had to refocus themselves. And the Skeleton Raiders have shown up again in response to the giant wolf''s howl.


    "Damn!! We haven''t processed the skeletons that came out earlier and here''s more!"


    Someone spat a curse as they took down a Skeleton Raider, but the giant wolf was neglected instead.


    As the mobile troops temporarily concentrated on the Skeleton Raiders, we had to go to the front and fight and buy time until the adds are defeated.


    Also, we had to manage the hate values since there was a risk the few hit and run troops might be attacked directly from behind by Garm Phantom.


    It was a difficult battle where switching between the adds and the main target was required. And Mikadzuchi had precisely directed it despite difficulty! "Don''t do anything other than gaining hate! Those who can attack, attack the boss! Hate is more important than damage! Earn time until others come back!"


    Finally, the declaration of a ban lift on attacks had come from Mikadzuchi.


    While managing the enchants, I nocked an arrow.


    I took out arrows with various bad statuses while making sure not to disturb others around me and aiming straight at the giant wolf, I shot them.


    Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Stun. Although I shot a several types of arrows, there was no effect. Earlier, the Cursed succeeded in lowering its attack power, but that was pure luck.


    Raid boss-class mobs must have had higher stats and resistances. These kind of roundabout methods didn''t work well.


    Then, I''ll change to straightforward attacks.


    I took an arrow from the set in the quiver and shot.


    The body was big and it was easy to hit it with an arrow. Because of that, a single blow dealt low damage to its HP. However, this arrow pierced deeply into the body composed of gas.


    ¡º"GRRRUUuu?!!"¡»


    "Silver equipment has a damage compensation when fighting undead due to the material''s characteristics. When preparing these, I splurged quite a lot. I''d like it if you enjoyed it thoroughly!"


    What I used, were Silver Arrows. The arrows that used silver arrowheads had a damage increase against the undead-type enemies.


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    Again, I strenghtened the defence, then used MP Potion to recover. During the long delay time after the enchant I shot arrows, slightly contributing to the battle.


    And after defeating the adds, when left and right mobile troops returned, I once again devoted myself to casting enchants.


    When repeating this pattern we have reduced the giant wolf''s HP to 60%, a change in his attacks has appeared.


    It was a sign of the middle part of battle starting.


    ¡ñ


    Beyond the middle part, not only the boss but also the skeleton adds'' attacks have gradually become fiercer, delivering moderate amounts of damage to the players.


    "Ghh...recovery! Hurry!"


    "Yes!! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Round Heal¡·!"


    The damage dealt to the tanks in the front had increased as time passed. Somehow the defence managed to maintain safety margin with enchants and heals, but against the Garm Phantom 50% or more HP was required as a safety margin.


    Also, when we started fighting him, the giant wolf''s pupils were reminiscent of deep darkness, but as he accumulated damage it became increasingly red, currently having purplish-red colour.


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    A wide-area enchant for the nth time. Not only the boss'' attack power was growing, also the interval between summoning of skeleton adds had gradually become shorter, the toll of a long-term battle shown itself.


    For one of the measures to overcome that, I have tried to put cursed ATK on Garm Phantom, but the difference between our stats and its resistance resulted with a misfire.


    With boss'' attack increased, if we loss focus there''s a risk of the boss breaking through defence line and damaging us.


    "Next time, when we dispose of the adds everyone attack together! We''ll cut him down at once!"


    After the leader, Mikadzuchi said that Lucato on the right and Taku on the left in charge of their mobile troops have acknowledged in response, acting accordingly.


    The parties that included Myu and others have hardened the defence against the Skeleton Raiders that sprung forth, starting to take distance from Garm Phantom.


    In addition to that, the party in which Taku and others were also have retreated away from Garm Phantom in the same manner.


    As the re-summoning of the skeletons repeated, the left and right mobile troops have optimized their actions, finding an easy way to process the adds in their behaviour patterns.


    "Being attacked by small fries all the time sure is a turn-off. I''d like to do something more active like *smash* and *bam*."


    "Oh well, to me this is fun, when I swing I hit a few of them at once and they fly like pinball."


    It was Myu nonchalantly beating enemy Skeleton Raiders and Hino, swinging the hammer blowing away a number of enemies in the field along with a loud sound of wind being cut.


    In the middle of the encirclement, Kohaku and Rirei began preparations for powerful magic, Lucato and Toutobi continued to assist.


    "Ahh, come on! With this many there''s no choice but to wipe a whole bunch at once! Hino-chan, please buy me some time."


    "What? Are you doing something interesting? Sure. But cast recovery on me afterwards."


    After saying so, Hino who did large swings with her hammer grasped it very high and started fighting with smaller and sharper swings for manoeuvrability. For the skeletons that have entered too close for the hammer''s attack range and couldn''t be hit properly, she beat them up with the hammer''s handle.


    Still, suddenly there was a larger burden on Hino because of which she was subjected to moderate damage, but soon enough Myu''s preparations have completed.


    "Go! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sunlight Shower¡·!"


    As Myu swung down her raised hand, light poured down in their surroundings.


    The sunlight''s reflection, as if amplified, the strong light dispelled the darkness of the night illuminating the surroundings.


    The skeletons in the range of light were burned by it and decayed.


    Most of the individuals who received the damage from light magic more powerful than ¡¶Light Wave¡· have disappeared and for those that endured it gradually turned into particles after being hit with just one blow.


    While Myu and the others prepared area effect magic, Taku''s side had prepared a simultaneous attack, processing enemies quickly.


    To an extent where it won''t decrease their capability during the simultaneous assault, the rearguard has delivered some damage with magic to the skeletons and the vanguard had reliably finished them off.


    Despite the lack of powerful means of attack like Myu''s, the enemy number had decreased in a stable manner. Emily-san''s summoned mobs played a big role in attacking.


    And, we who were protecting the front¡ª¡ª


    "Sei. When the adds are cleaned up, prepare magic for holding him down."


    "I understand. That said, because of its size I can stop one leg at most."


    "That''s enough. As for Missy, strengthen mages before the attack."


    "Roger."


    In the tense atmosphere, the number of skeletons was reduced and finally the command had come.


    "Now!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Icicle Lock¡·!"


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªIntelligence."


    Sei-nee''s restraint and my enchant were invoked with almost exact same timing.


    While cold has sprung up by the giant wolf''s leg entwining it, my enchant had raised the base magic attack power of the mages going full frontal.


    In addition to that, when the boss was held up and the aim settled, the left side let out a barrage of magic to earn chain bonus, raising the damage.


    The right side''s attack was Kohaku''s and Rirei''s combination magic that exploded dealing large amount of damage.


    And the maximum of firepower in the front. As the giant wolf was rooted, the entire group of mages had their damage raised by the enchant and chain damage bonus, including Sei-nee they shoot all magic at once.


    I scowled at multiple magic attack effects resonating together.


    Fire and ice, storm and light. We have directed our attention to the aftermath and everyone had fixed their positions in preparation for the next attack.


    In this place, no one had thought the raid boss was defeated, everyone hardened their defence, healed the damage and replenished MP with items.


    However, in such a moment, anyone would like to say this.


    " " "Did we get him?" " "


    Immediately after the impact from the magic, a shockwave was emitted from Garm Phantom''s surroundings.


    I can understand wanting to say it, still, there was no need to purposely raise that kind of a flag. Not only that, it was said by multiple people.


    "Tch. Everyone, defensive formation! The attack power has increased again!"


    Subconsciously, Mikadzuchi clicked her tongue and issued a warning.


    Garm Phantom''s visible HP was cut down by 30% and his pupils turned from purplish-red to red, shining with atrocious light.


    His movement was fast.


    The vanguard in the front raised their shields towards him, in order to withstand the attack I applied an enchant on them.


    In addition to that, the ¡¾Shield¡¿ Sense holders triggered a defensive arts together in a group, as we focused on defence Garm Phantom''s thick front leg was swung along with a purple effect¡ª¡ªand a part of the defence broke down.


    The giant wolf''s attack was caught from the front by the players in perfect formation and state, but it broke through.


    ¡ª¡ªA deadly blow.


    Those who endured that blow received damage taking down 60% of their HP, surpassing the safety margin of 50%, unable to withstand the impact their posture broke backwards and their damage was further reduced by 30%.


    Some received damage to their armour and others have received a ¡¾Stunned¡¿ bad status.


    It was a dangerous situation where they could receive another attack from Garm Phantom.


    Although rearguard immediately recovered the vanguard, the giant wolf tried to break through the hole that opened in the defence.


    "¡¶Summon¡·¡ª¡ªEverything available, come out!"


    Originally, there should be no extra forces to use to fill the hole that opened in the front. However, there was a single player who could generate those forces.


    "It''s great that I made it in time."


    An army of various mobs has confronted Garm Phantom. All of it was summoned by Emily-san, mobs that were made to function as a wall.


    A golem made from earth and stones, Chimeras made of multiple beasts. Humanoids, insects, various irregular alchemic mobs, the synthetic mobs have attached themselves to the giant wolf''s left front leg buying time.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Icicle Lock¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·!"


    Sei-nee and I made an eye contact, then used rooting magic at the same time.


    Sei-nee''s ¡¶Icicle Lock¡· was cast on his back left leg and my ¡¶Mud Pool¡· has been activated at the front left leg, also engulfing the synthetic mobs in. Garm Phantom''s body slanted towards the right side mobile troop.


    Garm Phantom held out on just his free legs and tried to forcefully slip out, but the left side''s hit and run troop has prevented it.


    "Eat this!" "Stab stab stabbb!!" "HAaa!"


    His legs big like logs were slashed by Taku''s long sword held in both hands and repeatedly thrust at by Gantz and others to prevent him from rising.


    "We''re going in as well!"


    The tanks have restored the front and begun to advance as to crush the boss along with Kei''s shout.


    Garm Phantom wasn''t being one-sidedly done in, rooted up himself he called in the skeleton adds and devoted himself to defence.


    The ones to receive the interference on the left side were Emily-san''s Golem and Chimeras.


    The left troop pulled back like a wave and with used movements they have started to process the Skeleton Raiders.


    I drew the bow to the limit and did my best to reduce the number of adds, but it was too late to prevent Garm Phantom''s return.


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence."


    Those who have returned to the line of battle have all glared at the giant wolf. They made a stance like before as not to miss even a smallest attack, as to receive it were it to come again.


    "Left side, be careful!"


    The giant wolf shook off the mobs clinging to his legs and at the same time he eradicated them, he turned around to the left side.


    "Front, full-on attack! Steal the hate! Take distance!"


    Together with the instructions, Mikadzuchi immediately rushed to the front. I shot an arrow from behind her. Continuously slashing, piercing, using magic and many other types of attack we still were unable to change the target.


    The left mobile troop Taku and others were in charge of took a distance, but their pace wasn''t matched and one corner was delayed.


    Aiming there, the giant wolf swung its strong leg releasing the purple effect again.


    Its range had reached three people. The mage, healer and Emily-san. If here the left troop breaks apart, we''ll have to incorporate them into the front and somehow resist.


    While I already started thinking of the future events, my predictions were betrayed.


    "As if I''d let you! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    As to match the extended front legs and claws of the giant wolf, Taku jumped up attacking with his two long swords.


    The claws and long swords have clashed in the air, the aftermath let out a shockwave in the surroundings. The three people originally caught Garm Phantom''s range also received damage.


    After a moment of clashing, Taku''s body was blown away by the impact.


    Emily-san and others who originally were supposed to receive the attack have received damage, but were safe.


    Dumbfounded they didn''t retreat, but we were able to change the target to the front. However, Taku''s health on the bar had gradually decreased as he took on the attack instead of three others.


    Seeing Taku''s figure roll like a doll, I thought it can''t be. That kind of feeling welling up inside me. And, Taku had lost all of his HP, fallen over and didn''t get up.


    "...Ta...ku? It can''t be."


    I leaked out a dry smile.


    Did Taku, who always acted like he had strength to spare fall?


    Standing there until the end, acting relaxedly. That kind of a guy was taken down.


    Word that welled up from the bottom of my belly was squeezed from the back from my throat, overflowing.


    "¡ª¡ªTaku!"


    "Oww, aaa-ah, I was blown quite far. And died once."


    Taku swiftly rose up, then stood while stretching his neck.


    Everyone who saw the moment Taku was blown away stared at him worried when he fell, but he stood up as if nothing happened.


    Even though everyone opened eyes wide with surprise, the person in question smiled soon after getting up.


    "As I thought, it was impossible to intercept it alone."


    "Idiot! What kind of idiotic thing are you doing!"


    After the first person said that, the entire left troop started to loudly reprimand Taku for being reckless, maintaining their own roles they made a formation as to protect Taku.


    In the middle of the formation, the healer recovered Taku''s HP.


    After having his HP fully recovered, Taku headed towards Mikadzuchi in the front.


    "Even if you have Revival Medicine, don''t go doing things like covering for others. Well, thanks to that the rearguard that would have dropped off has survived so it''s all right..."


    "Yeah, fortunately. The man who survives even death is ready to serve."


    As he grinned looking sideways at me, why did I even worry about him. I averted my gaze while thinking that.


    Also, I was appalled by my foolishness, forgetting about Revival Medicine''s existence until this moment.


    "Well then, since Taku-boy came here, it must mean he came up with something?"


    "Yeah, whether we will continue to fight Garm Phantom risking collapse in the defence from an attack, or do we bet on defeating him."


    Taku said that with a serious tone of voice. That''s where we took measures as soon as possible to counter Garm Phantom''s powerful blow.


    When the Skeleton Raiders were summoned again and then defeated, a restructuring of the troops and players was performed.


    The front and the right mobile troop have solidified the defence and behind them, the mages started preparations for large spells.


    And the left troop Taku was in charge of had Myu and other ten players capable of using interception skills included in it, I too was positioned with them.


    "The strategy is simple. We''re aiming at the moment Garm Phantom is intercepted and rooted. In order to increase success rate even a little more, give everyone an attack enchant. ¡ª¡ªLet''s go."


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    Along with Taku''s words I have subjected the very limit of ten players to zone physical attack enchant, then we all together have turned towards Garm Phantom.


    Since we had no tanks, we repeated hit and run tactics, continuing to accumulate damage and hate. I also fired arrows, gaining hate despite my poor abilities.


    How long is this going to go on. While thinking that I fired an arrow then withdrew.


    Others, the front and the right side troop had the tanks and mages try not to participate in combat as much as possible, attacking passively in order not to have the target change. It was so that by chance they aren''t taken down with Garm Phantom''s deadly blow and that they could instantly annihilate the adds with the magic they were preparing, patience was at work.


    "Incoming! Everyone form a line. Ready for interception!"


    The deadly blow had come earlier than expected. The purple effect of the preliminary operation had overflowed. As Taku had judged it to be a powerful blow and called out, I chanted once again.


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack."


    As soon as I confirmed a physical attack enchant was put on ten people I recovered MP with MP Potion. Unable to recover entire MP with one potion I used the second one.


    In that moment, the giant wolf''s legs and claws clad in light purple light were swung up.


    " " "¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!!" " "


    A dozen of intercepting strikes had overlapped with giant wolf''s blow. I protected my face from the shockwave with my arm.


    As if time had stopped¡ª¡ªan instantaneous event.


    As a dozen of interceptions has stood against the attack, a single weapon had crumbled.


    ¡¶Shock Impact¡· was an art that excessively consumed the weapon''s endurance, it seemed like a weapon was damaged. Having a premonition of failure cold sweat had flowed down my back.


    However, the one person who had their weapon destroyed wasn''t blown away like Taku, instead they have landed on the ground directly below after a free-fall.


    The scene had unfolded there.


    This time during the clash, giant wolf was parried and we were successful in breaking his posture.


    At the front of repelled giant wolf was released magic prepared by the front and the troop on the right side. An attack that was repeated many times on this boss. And until the very end, everyone acted precisely not letting their guard down.


    ¡º"GYArrruruuuu¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Letting out a cry like death throes, Garm Phantom jumped out from the centre of the magic barrage and had come at us with an assault. In the end he wanted to take even one person with him. However, because of that the giant wolf has let his guard down.


    "¡¶Magic Sword¡·¡ª¡ªSol Ray."


    "¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªIntelligence."


    From among many players who focused on avoiding, Myu alone had jumped out in front of Garm Phantom.


    Brandishing her sword towards the wolf''s forehead.


    The silvery shining sword was wrapped in light and the blade extended a few centimetres. Also, after Zone Enchant''s delay time had ended I further put on strengthening.


    I consumed a light Elemental Stone to put an light element enchant and also raised Myu''s base magic attack power.


    Myu''s long sword''s shine had increased further, leaving a white afterglow.


    "GOOOoOOoo!!


    Kicking off the ground, as if passing by each other, Myu had moved by the giant wolf''s head and slashed his neck. Both their movements have stopped and the sword remained stuck in boss'' neck.


    The giant wolf swung its leg while Myu was in range of a direct hit. Still, Myu did not let go of the weapon, instead she pushed the sword stuck in the neck further¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Release¡¿"


    Light overflowed from the point of the stabbed-in sword, piercing through the shrunk rays of light have come out on the opposite side of the neck. The giant wolf''s movements have stopped completely.


    ¡¶Magic Sword¡· was an art that had contained available magic within itself. It gave the sword a bonus of corresponding element and activated magic contained inside with the keyword ¡¾Release¡¿.


    After pulling the sword from giant wolf''s neck, Myu had returned sluggishly.


    Although her expression looked tired from tension, she looked somewhat satisfied.


    "The finishing blow, received."


    "Geez, don''t do such dangerous stuff. We''d win even without adventuring."


    I caught Myu who fell over as if diving in and greeted her while heaving a sigh.


    Together with Myu who had turned around we looked at the giant wolf.


    After Garm Phantom''s HP was exhausted, his pupils were no longer red, instead they have changed into clear blue and he has sat down looking in our direction.


    He didn''t look like a mob with a beast''s intellect, but more like a presence with intellect on the level of a NPC that had a virtual personality.

 Chapter Volume 5 Epilogue

    Epilogue - Mikadzuchi and Flein


    As he folded his back legs, I thought the ten metre large sitting giant wolf is cute. It was savage during the fight a moment ago, but it must have unconsciously sought soothing.


    Garm Phantom overlooked us from above with his blue, intelligent eyes and the event finishing the quest had begun.


    ¡º"No way, to think I would lose to humans of whom I only thought of as sacrifices. I hast come this far thanks to obsession of mine, but it seems yea I hast limit."¡»


    As he made a speech, a monologue, everyone lowered their weapons and looked up at him.


    ¡º"Until the person who loves this tree sees its flowers, a mountain of carrion men was swallow''d by the tree. The roots suck''d the flesh and blood and continu''d to blossom. However, it nay longer is possible f''r me to watch ov''r it."¡»


    The body of Garm Phantom, who seemed to be looking somewhere distant, was covered in coloured smoke and started dispersing.


    Even as he gradually lost his contours, the wolf spectre had looked at the players for the last time and left these words.


    ¡º"I can no longer protect the natural way of things. The young ¡¾Wisteria Peach Tree¡¿ belongs to no one. Hopefully, before he comes back this tree''s flowers will cover the entire world¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Unable to finish relaying his words, the raid boss disappeared and, at the same time an information update had come.


    ¡ª¡ª ¡¾R Quest: Subjugate Wisteria Peach Tree''s Giant Wolf 3£¯3 ¡¿ ¡ª¡ª


    Quest Complete¡ª¡ªA reward for success, first quest achievement bonus received.


    Seeing this information, I felt that it really finished. As for other information, it seemed like we would be forcefully transferred into normal field in three minutes, but that was enough.


    Still¡ª¡ª


    "Good grief, both Myu and Taku, you were too reckless. I got nervous just by looking at that. I''d like it if you left it at that."


    The moment Taku was blown away and when Myu delivered the final blow were really bad for my heart.


    Personally, I would like to refrain myself from participating in such thrilling quests for a while.


    "Grr, I have surpassed the raid boss with my own hands! Onee-chan should praise me."


    "Yun, Myu-chan. Prepare for the return. We still don''t know how it was settled in the normal field outside."


    "What. I''m not in the wrong here."


    Even though I worried about Taku and Myu, the two regardless of my words were in festive mood over quest completion. At times like these I should put adult response aside, I reflected on it.


    "Time''s short so let''s make it brief. First, about the reward. The normal reward and the bonus for the first completion. Did everyone confirm receiving them?"


    Sei-nee spoke in a loud voice on the topic of the quest reward. Prompted by her, I looked inside my inventory for the quest reward.


    The reward was a plant''s seedling, a lilac full body armour that had a wolf design engraved on it, and a bracelet of multiple layers of ivy wrapped in a circle and seven wisteria petals on it.


    The full body armour had all six item slots integrated as one armour piece.


    In addition, on the bracelet with wisteria petals, three of the petals were pale pink and reminiscent of Wisteria Peach Petals.


    "What kind of items did you get?"


    "Armour and seedling, as well as a bracelet accessory." "I got a fang strengthening material, cloak and a book." "I have a seedling, a seedling and a seedling." "So there are duplicates too. Heck, that''s too many duplicates lol. I got a bracelet, a shield and..."


    The rewards didn''t seem to be the same for everyone. From what I heard, there were seven different items. A reward was given randomly from among those. Two items for the first completion, to get them all one would need to complete it at least four times.


    I thought that the appeal to a player''s gambling heart, making it not possible to complete with just one run is a good method. Well, as long as I get what I want there''s no problem.


    Since there was no time, Mikadzuchi raised her voice.


    Immediately after, the transfer was initiated and I strongly gripped the bow preparing myself mentally so that I could respond to attack right after transferring.


    I''ve felt my feet were floating for a moment, then I was transferred to the same location in the normal space and dropped from a few centimetres. It seemed like feedback announcing this is a different space.


    In the place we have come back to, there was Flein sitting cross-legged and PKs standing as to protect the surroundings. Further in the distance surrounding the place were the players who have rushed in as reinforcements shortly before the quest started.


    As they have glared at each other, Flein stood up.


    "Haha!! I''ve been waiting. You bunch."


    "What, so you''re still here. I thought you''d be taken down while we were in middle of the quest."


    Flein snorted at Mikadzuchi''s provocative response.


    "We have cleaned up this side. There''s no longer any retards like these ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿. What''s remaining, is just us."


    One of the players in the surroundings aimed at Flein all alone and slashed at him. Noticing that, Flein''s escort had immediately responded, cutting down his HP in an instant.


    There still were some players in the surroundings, but as everyone hesitated to become a decoy themselves and being eliminated, it was a stalemate.


    "What? A falling out with comrades of a similar PK guild?"


    "Comrades? As if."


    Patting his shoulder with his sword in its sheath, Flein started to talk.


    "I just used them in order to cut up some strong people. However, growing impudent and making light of crafters was a bad move. Even this sword of mine was made by someone who knew I''m a PK. That''s why, before it had become even more cumbersome, I defeated them with my own hands. It was delicious, experience value that is."


    As Flein grinned, the PK that had mixed in during the first day''s event night sighed and retorted.


    "What''s are you finding so much fun, really. In the first place, we weren''t interested in occupying the area or the quest reward. In addition to that, management had become negligent with a large guild and the uproar had happened because PK quality has decreased. Because ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿ and ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ got treated the same, some nasty PKs have mixed among us. Well, on the other hand some battle crazy folks like us got mixed in the ¡¾Fosch Hound¡¿. too."


    "Shut up Tobias. Don''t say needless stuff. To me, it was interestingly funny, as long as I can have a risky fight with strong folks I''m satisfied."


    The PK guild''s guild master Flein and sub-master Tobias started talking quite frankly in front of us.


    Noticing my dumbfounded line of sight, Flein and Tobias who were talking have smiled and waved in my direction, with a cramped expression I have waved in return.


    Somehow, it seemed like treating the PKs as villains was a prejudice and they were more like stylish combat freaks. Seeing how different he was when not going crazy, I felt like I noticed Flein''s charisma.


    A guild master just like him, overflowing with charisma, Mikadzuchi did a few practice swings with her long weapon as if to warm up. Both of their actions seemed cool every time. These two, really. I muttered in my mind.


    "Well then, gotta fulfil my promise. I''ll take you on with my rare equipment on."


    After a short pause, the equipment wrapping around Mikadzuchi''s body changed. The quality cloth and leather armour has changed into lilac full body armour with a wolf design engraved on it.


    "Yeah, don''t fall over too easily."


    "That''s my line. ¡¾Flame Prison Corps''¡¿ guild master, Flein. Let''s make the third time serious."


    Both of them have set up their long weapon and thin sword.


    "You bunch! Don''t interfere! This is a match between Mikadzuchi and me!"


    "After winning the quest, can we lose the match?! No! Whether the quest or match, we''ll win! Don''t interfere!"


    Without any signal, the two instantly closed the distance and drove their weapons at each other.


    Each time the stick and the thin sword clashed, a sound impossible to come from their material had resounded.


    Mikadzuchi who should have worn a heavy full body armour, contrary to the appearance had parried opponent''s attacks with smooth movements and incredible strength.


    On the other hands, at this forceful battle-style Flein had determined that he''ll lose if he focuses on strength. Like a beast he had let out difficult attacks from a low posture.


    Both gave up on minimizing the contact, because of their intense clashes of strength it was clear both had skill rivalling each other.


    "Seems like they''re having fun, those two."


    "What do you want?"


    With his line of sight still following the two''s fight, Tobias had called out to me. Personally, because I fought him before and couldn''t do anything I felt bad at handling him. Emily-san had noticed it and came closer to us, but Tobias spoke ignoring that.


    "Today ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ disbands."


    "Haa? You''re stopping OSO?"


    "No, we''re disbanding the guild once then remaking it with the same name. After getting rid of this entire uproar, once again we''re recreating with folks who like looking at Flein''s selfishness."


    "...that so. But, don''t be a nuisance to others."


    "That''ll be difficult. If Flein is selfish then so are we. Once we get bored of it, we''ll leave without hesitation. We accept who comes to us, we do not chase the ones who leave. You''re free to do whatever you want. We won''t deny it nor we will interfere. It seems quite simple but... it''s comfortable."


    With a distant look in his eyes the PK in front of me spoke of Flein.


    Ahead of his line of sight, Flein who was gradually pushed down with force fought, enjoying himself like a child.


    ¡ª¡ªPK. It appeared like a way to play freely unbound by rules in exchange for a high risk, it had left me with impression of yet another way to play the game.


    And, everyone watched the two''s battle in silence.


    Without selecting any method of recovery right from the start, the two continued to fight shaving away each other''s HP.


    Then, Flein moved.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Killing Edge¡·!"


    It finally came! Driven into a corner Flein had triggered sure-kill skill for a one-shot reversal.


    A single blow was released with the thin sword after he lowered his waist and posture. A sharp blow approaching the gap between helmet and the armour, Mikadzuchi avoided it with minimal amount of movement and instead reversed it on Flein by kicking him in the abdomen.


    After rolling on the ground Flein stood up again, confronting Mikadzuchi.


    "UOOOoooo¡ª¡ª¡¶Killing Edge¡·!"


    He did a detailed feint with his legs, betting on one-shot reversal.


    Aiming at the moment Mikadzuchi couldn''t react, he let out a blow at the gap in the armour. In response to the attack with sure-kill skill, Mikadzuchi''s HP received normal damage.


    Not missing the moment Flein stopped moving, Mikadzuchi has flattened him with monstrous force. Then, she''s gotten on top of Flein mounting him, stopping his movements.


    "Now then, your loss is decided. From what I''ve heard, there''s a self-defeating technique that allows avoiding risk. But, let yourself be defeated nice and quiet without self-destructing."


    "Of course. Geez, who was it, the guy who avoided risk by self-defeating. Just you wait."


    Saying so Flein snorted, relaxing his body.


    When I glared at the person who actually used ¡¶Sacrifice Counter¡·''s self-defeating technique to avoid risk, ahahaha, Tobias laughed dryly and averted his gaze.


    "You''re completely different from the two times before. What did you do."


    By pinning down the wrist of the hand holding the sword with her leg and poising her stick at his throat, Mikadzuchi sealed Flein''s movement. He requested her to spoil her change.


    "That''ll be this armour, a quest reward."


    One of the items Mikadzuchi has obtained as a reward from the quest. I opened my inventory and checked the equipment''s stats.


    Dark Wolf''s Guardian Armour ¡¾Armour¡¿


    DEF+30 Additional Effect: ¡¾Defence Attribute: Immortality¡¿¡¾Might¡¿¡¾Skills Sealed¡¿


    The full-body armour with a wolf''s design was equipment made with raid boss Garm Phantom as a model, the defence itself was quite low.


    However, the additional effects were useful.


    "The armour''s additional effect is that of an undead, an immortality-type. The damage from slashing done to undead is very low. Also, since they are already dead, sure-kills are meaningless."


    "Haa, in that case the way to attack would be blunt attacks, fire or light. Also, recovery-type, was it."


    Well, I got this one by chance though. Mikadzuchi shrugged.


    Other than that, the additional effect ¡¾Might¡¿ significantly enhanced physical attack power, in synergy with similar physical increase-type Senses it allowed her to surpass Flein''s strength.


    In the end, ¡¾Skills Sealed¡¿ made it unable to use any skills and arts which was a disadvantage, but in PvP, the usage of ¡¾Arts¡¿ makes opening in defence and their usage is avoided as much as possible, so during this time''s battle with Flein it wasn''t a disadvantage.


    "A combination of burly and muscle-brain huh. This...brute...woman..."


    The moment Flein started cursing, Mikadzuchi ruthlessly delivered a blow to Flein''s head from above as if to clearly declare the win. The heavy blow broke Flein''s head who couldn''t escape on the ground, stealing away his remaining HP.


    From among everyone watching, Flein''s PK comrades who confirmed his loss let out a long sigh, then with light tone of voice "Withdraw?, well then, sorry for intruding." they tried to leave.


    Hearing such careless voice, Mikadzuchi called out to stop them.


    "It was fun. How about you people? Having a closing party together now."


    "Huh? We''re PKs, just a moment ago you were fighting our guild master. What are you saying?"


    "I don''t mind. Well, you''re free to participate."


    "No, our top is sleeping here..."


    Is that fine? What do we do about this. With that kind of feeling Tobias had loudly scratched his head, troubled.


    When he did, with expectation Mikadzuchi''s line of sight was directed towards me.


    "Haa, geez. I get it."


    "Thanks. Missy."


    I said, don''t call me "missy". Speaking inside of my mind I stood in front of fallen Flein and used a single potion.


    "Heyhey, no way..."


    The PKs opened their eyes wide as Flein was revived along with a pink-coloured effect. Well, to use an expensive Revival Medicine on reviving a PK, they must have thought me as of some kind a weirdo.


    "That hurt. Even if you''re a brute, you don''t have to go that far. Seriously."


    "Don''t call a woman ''brute''. Also, a finishing blow has to be decisive."


    As Mikadzuchi replied with a personal grudge mixed in her voice, Flein admitted to losing and no longer challenged her. For now, but...


    "Next is a match in drinking. Hey, gather up the folks that are logged in to join the party."


    "You serious... aren''t you. Well, I''ll go along with it. Until I''m bored that is."


    Imperceptibly, the quest clearance''s after-party had started and involved unrelated people.


    Eating, drinking and socializing. With free participation, it had started with people still excited after battle. And, together with PKs the adults have started drinking liquor while snacking. There was also a trading competition with the quest rewards.


    ¡ñ


    "Heeey, are the drinks and fish ready yet??"


    "I''m bringing them now. Heck, why am I making those!"


    I retorted while carrying dishes on a platter to the drunks.


    After coming back to the first town, we have gathered the remaining food from the stalls and improvised hors d''oeuvre, then together with people who had ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense I made requested dishes.


    "Hmm. Looks delicious. Let''s try it with wine then."


    "Fuhaa! Deep-fried good and sh¨­ch¨± combination really is good."


    "Beer for me. But, a cook... hey, a few of you from my guild hurry up and learn ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense!"


    A set of adult drinkers. Mikadzuchi, PK Flein and completing the peculiar trio after hearing about the party from somewhere, Cloude. They picked their fried food and favourite alcohol.


    Well, like usual it was decided that responsible for preparing food for the party will be people with ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense.


    Some people from among ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ who wished to acquire the Sense have appeared and used the opportunity to try studying and memorizing the efficient methods for growing the Sense.


    "Heey. You can change! I''ve called in personnel from the Crafting Guild who have ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense to prepare food for the closing party."


    "Magi-san, thank you very much."


    I could finally rest with this. When I made a relieved smile, Magi-san waved her hand telling me not to mind it.


    "We just wanted to participate as well. Originally after the event organized by crafters we planned to do a closing party, so we''re just taking advantage of this now. Also... everyone loves festivals."


    "You''re right."


    Really, there are all kinds of people here.


    Some traded or auctioned the rewards from today''s quest, the onlookers continued to gather until it was all settled.


    The members of ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ other than Flein made demonstrations of PvP combat, performing a street fight.


    That man who was called Flein''s right arm had participated in the street fight, also a different person, a female player with a soft expression has received ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense''s lesson from us.


    "Still, it seems like there''s some rare materials gathered here that make me really excited."


    Squinting, Magi-san watched one of the raid quest''s rewards, Garm''s Fang pick up the price on the auction.


    The crafters seemed to be interested in the reinforcement materials.


    "Oh right?. By the way Yuncchi. Yuncchi, won''t you use the seedling for a bow?"


    Sitting next to Magi-san, Lyly tempted me with meat on skewer in hands.


    One of the raid quest''s rewards, ¡¾Wisteria Peach''s Seedling¡¿ was a material and an item for cultivation. Lyly already undertook contracts from several people for crafting staffs with them.


    But, my answer was already decided.


    "Sorry. I intend to plant it."


    "Thought so?. As I thought, you can get materials for ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ in a stable manner. It must be really alluring option for someone with ¡¾Mixing¡¿ Sense."


    "Then, Yuncchi. What else did you get? Is there something you can use?"


    "Not really, doesn''t seem like I''ll use it."


    The same full body armour Mikadzuchi received and a bracelet accessory.


    As for the armour''s description, I explained its stats already during Mikadzuchi''s and Flein''s battle, but it was different for the other reward.


    The bracelet accessory had a little interesting effect.


    Wisteria Peach Tree''s Ivy ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (Weight: 3)


    DEF+5 MIND+5 Additional Effect: ¡¾Limited Revival: 3 / 7¡¿


    The bracelet that was made with motif of the Wisteria Peach Tree that was the quest''s symbol, temporarily granted an effect of a revival skill.


    The effect was limited, the revival skill could be used up to a number indicated by amount of pink petals on the bracelet, one petal a day recovered its colour after usage. The number of petals was seven.


    Since I had the Wisteria Peach Seedling, I felt won''t have many opportunities to use the accessory''s revival skill.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd, so. I''d rather have the second seedling or the book."


    "That''s allowance of those who haveee!!"


    "Woahh?!! Myu, don''t startle me."


    Suddenly Myu had yelled from behind me, making me turn around in surprise. Myu furrowed her eyebrows with just a little of tears in her eyes.


    "The bracelet was the reward I want... Taku-san got a strengthening material he can use for his weapons, Sei-oneechan got mantle and seedling through trading, she said she''s going to enhance her mage equipment!"


    Ahh, Taku had unexpectedly good luck. Sei-nee didn''t get the items she was aiming for because of her greed sensor, but it seems like she obtained them through trade.


    "Well, I don''t really mind exchanging with you."


    "Really?! Yayy! Onee-chan I love you!"


    I said, call me ''brother''. Is what I wanted to say, but I was forcibly pressed an item to through the trading screen.


    For the trade''s contents, Myu put in the book and I put the bracelet. However, I thought of asking what is she going to do with the bracelet I can''t use myself and¡ª¡ª


    "See, with this I can use limited revival magic! Since revival belongs to recovery magic type, when I use it I get much more experience than from using normal recovery! In other words, it''ll be a leveling item!"


    As Myu explained excitedly, the three of us crafters responded with "I see", convinced. So there''s also that kind of usage, I was impressed.


    Agitated so much it seemed like she''ll start skipping, Myu returned back to Lucato. Looking at her from behind, I thought that she''s still a kid.


    Then, arbitrarily stirring up a fuss during the closing party seemed like the second event. The young people escaped early. The adults remained drinking until latter hour.


    And as everyone spend time in their own way¡ª¡ª


    "You... are Endo, aren''t you."


    "W-w-w-what is this about I wonder? Swordsman Taku."


    "No, after I covered for you I saw your entire face under the mask from below. Don''t hide it."


    Emily-san''s shoulder slumped and it seemed like her background had become dark, it seemed like her identity was easily found out by Taku. With this there was no longer any reason for her to hide her identity, right now she sat next to me and looked at the surroundings.


    "Somehow, it seems like unrelated people mixed in."


    "Everyone loves festivals."


    There were quite a lot passer-bys who have mixed in, they ate various things and continued to talk with each other.


    Look, there are some even next to us¡ª¡ª


    "...by the way, Letia, Raina, Al. What are you doing?"


    "*''nomnom*... *gulp*, Yun-san, Emily-san. Welcome back."


    "Ah, Yun-san, Emily-san. Cheers for good work."


    "Cheers for good work."


    The three have collected remaining food and were eating it. Mainly Letia that is.


    And then, Al''s and Raina''s expression suddenly turned bright and they gave us a report.


    "Listen to this! We decided to make a guild!"


    "Our own guild! We were fed up with annoying solicitation and after thinking about it, there was no need to enter anywhere!"


    Fufun! As Raina puffed her chest proudly, oh, so that''s what happened. I thought.


    "You did well to obtain a ¡¾Guild Emblem¡¿."


    "That''s just something I bought during a walk around the market. It was quite cheap."


    She made a classic head tilt, how about it? Want some? Letia had recommended me some fried food, but I refrained myself.


    "Our guild is ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿! We haven''t decided on doing anything yet, but Letia-san is the guild master and we''re the members! Since there''s still just three of us, we don''t need a sub-master, but one day I''ll become stronger and the undisputed sub-master!"


    Raina got fired up, but I think a guild''s sub-master isn''t just about levels. If you look at Sei-nee or Cloude, it would appear that composure and administrative capacity are required. Well, if she were to become Letia''s sub-master, the atmosphere wouldn''t go bad I guess.


    Together with Emily-san, do your best. We said and logged out.


    And, at a later date¡ª¡ª


    "Hmm. I overdid it but well, no problem."


    I renovated the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ using the money I obtained through betting. The price of land increased every time I bought some, there was a sunroof and a wooden deck from which I could overlook the field, I prepared a table and chairs making a small stylish space for a tea party.


    On a side note. To build this I didn''t have enough money saved up, so I got some more by selling Revival Medicine and such, securing the required money.


    And, in the field visible from the wooden deck the Wisteria Peach''s Seedling was planted, it grew quickly stretching itself out.


    "Beautiful."


    Leaning on the tree''s trunk was Ryui and running around its chasing after its own tails was Zakuro. The two animals occasionally looked up at the hanging petals.


    A comfortable sound reached my ears as wind swayed the vines and petals.


    In the real winter was imminent, but in the game the sunshine was warm enough to sunbath.


    "Oh my? Fufu, Yun-kun. I''ve come to see how are you, and here you are sleeping."


    I''m not sleeping. I''m awake, I wanted to say but in contrast to my consciousness, my eyes remained closed.


    The one who called out to me as I slept on top of a table on the wooden deck must have been Emily-san.


    Her gentle voice made me extra drowsy. If I''m not wrong, if fatigue or some other for sleeping is detected through the brainwaves, the player''s awareness is temporarily put to rest, allowing the brain to rest.


    However, even though I was sleeping, I felt something warm by my side and on my knees.


    Before my consciousness fell, the single cry of a wolf I heard must have been a dream or an illusion.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow


    Secondary Weapon : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (Outerwear, Underwear, Torso, Waist).


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10


    ¡ñ Rugged Iron Ring (1)


    ¡ñ Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP23


    ¡¾Bow Lv40¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv28¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv49¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv18¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv27¡¿


    Raid Quest Rewards


    ¡ñ Wisteria Peach''s Seedling


    ¡ñ Dark Wolf''s Guardian Armour


    ¡ñ Mysterious Book (not deciphered)

 Chapter Volume 6 Prologue

    Prologue - The Bounty and Metallic Thread


    I looked inside while humming, making sure it''s well-baked.


    It would take some more time, but the aroma of the butter from the baking cookies drifted in the store. Two gluttonous young beasts got up and were waiting for them, their noses twitching.


    "It''ll take time until they''re baked, maybe I should read a book."


    While they were being baked, I picked up a book placed on the counter and continued from the page that was marked with a bookmark placed between the pages.


    The other day I finally finished reading through the book I got during the summer event and now I worked on deciphering a new book.


    The mysterious book that was a reward for the Wisteria Peach Tree and Giant Wolf''s raid quest. The book''s title was¡ª¡ª ¡¾Folk Medicine''s Encyclopaedia¡¿, it was a book that had collected together highly versatile ¡¾Mixing¡¿ recipes.


    "So this was the original recipe for making Revival Medicine."


    I turned the book''s page and compared the Revival Medicine recipes.


    Although it was clearly written in this book how to make the Revival Medicine I came up with by trying blindly, comparing it to my recipe, apparently this one was a very basic arrangement.


    The choice of materials and the way of preparation were slightly different, but roughly there was not much difference. It was interesting that this much could make such a difference in potions.


    In the meantime, the timer function in the oven''s menu had sounded the alarm, informing me that the cookies are done.


    "Oh, looks like they got baked properly."


    When I opened the oven, the leaking out scent of butter had spread all at once and the young beasts that were sleeping to wait it over have stood up immediately, coming closer to my feet.


    "Hey, Ryui, Zakuro. They''re still hot so wait."


    In response the unicorn, Ryui lied down flat at the sunniest spot. But, the two-tailed black fox Zakuro''s movement stopped in a pose with one of its forefeet raised, supporting itself with the remaining legs it started to strongly tremble.


    "Pft, you don''t have to do your best like that. Also, until the heat settles down you won''t be able to eat anyways."


    Hearing that it can''t be eaten, Zakuro lost support and did a classic fall to the side. So it must have been a horrible shock to hear it can''t be eaten immediately, I thought and let out a light laughter.


    The place I was in now, was the shop in OSO that had dealt with potions and consumables as its main¡ª¡ª¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    To make medicines I use ¡¾Mixing¡¿ type Senses, but as for why I''m baking cookies, that would be because ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense is my hobby.


    "It can''t be helped. C''mon, Zakuro. You can eat the ones that look poorly-made ahead of time."


    With these words Zakuro who fell sideways had bounced up and put up forefeet on my leg, stood on its hind legs alone.


    "Don''t rush so much. They''re still hot so be careful."


    I said so and threw some baked cookies cracked in half into Zakuro''s mouth, they were sunk teeth into with gusto.


    Just, possibly because they were still hot, Zakuro ate them while trying to deal with heat. Huffing loudly, it seemed like they were really hot but at the same time delicious. That''s how it looked like.


    I picked one up to try, they were brittle and tasty, together with hot air the butter''s scent filled my mouth, but it seemed still too early to eat them.


    "Hmm. Well, once they cool down I''ll wrap them in something. ¡ª¡ªWelcome."


    While holding the clean cloth and a ribbon I prepared and put aside, I called out to the players who visited the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "Hello, Yun-san. Smells delicious."


    " "Helloo." "


    "Letia. Also, Rain and Al. How are you?"


    I exchanged greetings with an ever-hungry elf guild master Letia and the newbies who joined her newly established guild ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿.


    Raina and Al also greeted Ryui who was lying down in the sunniest place in the store and Zakuro who was oozing the scent of butter, but Ryui just coldly turned away.


    "Little by little... we''re gathering ingredients."


    "No, I''m not asking about your food supplies."


    Immediately after I retorted she responded with "It''s a joke" with straight face.


    "I''m accumulating guild funds by utilizing tamed mob for earning, we''re working towards acquiring a guild home."


    "By your tamed mob, you mean¡ª¡ª."


    Herbivorous Beast Haru, Mill Bird Natsu, Wisp Aki, Fairy Panther Fuyu.


    Also, Ganesha Mutsuki that she had made her comrade during the summer event.


    The Runner Bug Kisaragi she had tamed during the crafting event sponsored by the guild.


    A method taking advantage of those six would be¡ª¡ª


    "It can''t be that you''re shaving Haru''s fluffy fur and Natsu''s feathers to sell them or something..."


    "I won''t do that. If I did, my pillow would disappear."


    "Letia-san! Is Haru-chan a pillow for you?!"


    Raina who was trying to get Ryui''s and Zakuro''s attention turned around and raised her voice. If I muttered "I had a similar idea" Raina would probably glare at me and Al would put on a bitter smile.


    "If not that, then... passing herbs to Wisp to get ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Crystals¡¿ and ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Ore¡¿ and sell them?"


    "There''s that too. For a while now Aki is eating various things and from time to time ejects an item. They are quite expensive once they''re sold."


    Certain mobs are giving specific drop items or rare materials in exchange for fixed items. Out of them Wisps give off a really fun reaction when you pass an item to one of their kind.


    "Also, it''s not just Aki, there''s another one who had become a source of income."


    "Another one?"


    As I tilted my head puzzled, Letia called that tamed mob on spot.


    "Come out, Ragi. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡· "


    The one called out was the insect-type mob, Runner Bug that had a tear-shaped crystal in the centre of its head Kisaragi, nicknamed Ragi.


    When I earlier saw it, it was only from the front and during the combat so I couldn''t calmly observe it, but the way it chattered its teeth and rubbed front legs was somewhat cute.


    "How do I say this soft body has a somewhat attracting charm."


    "Yes, if they''re raised with affection the tamed mobs all become cute and pretty."


    Even for the Wild Dogs that are beast-type mobs, although their appearance looks dirty when you face them as enemies, if you carefully raise them as companions and brush them their hair turns gloss and they look much more graceful.


    My Ryui and Zakuro too, through brushing and communication maintain a fluffy and silky appearance.


    "Ragi isn''t just beautiful, you see. This little one is creating crafting material."


    "Crafting material?"


    "That''s right. Here I take out an... Iron Ingot."


    With that said Letia took out a lump of iron from the inventory. With gestures as if a magic trick was about to be presented, she held out the ingot towards Ragi.


    And, receiving it, Ragi¡ª¡ªstarted to eat it.


    "Wha?!!"


    *crunch* *crunch* *crunch*, Ragi crushed the mass of iron with its tough jaws as if it was a rice cracker or some other snack.


    "Hey, is it all right to eat that?! Is it really okay?!"


    "It''s all right. And, Ragi, please."


    When Letia said that, Ragi who finished eating several ingots opened its mouth and discharged something thin from between its front legs, starting to spin it.


    "This is, a thread?"


    "Yes, Metallic Thread. Depending on the ingots, it''s things like Steel Thread, materials for mesh."


    "Howaah."


    Certainly, insects like spiders and silkworms spit out thread, but to spit out a thread of metal, this is a true fantasy spectacle.


    "The Runner Bugs are limited to metal, but they spit out metal thread. So, Silver Thread and Iron Thread, they''re all purchased from us as material for cloth-based armour."


    They sell quite expensive. Letia added.


    Its use would be reinforcement of vulnerable points where the damage is most likely to enter by weaving a mesh. It would also have an effect for defending against blades although not to the level of a chain mail. In addition to being used for armour, it could be also used for embroidery and improvising traps, there are many ways of using a sturdy rope.


    "Amazing. Where do you sell this?"


    "Currently, it''s offered through the crafting guild. Since there''s a limit to the amount Ragi can produce every day, currently there are reservations."


    "I see..."


    "That''s why, Yun-san, in order to reduce burden on me please do your best and craft Metallic Thread. If possible, please secretly spread information on how to craft it."


    "That means... yeah, I got it."


    I nodded. Crafting of Metallic Thread. No, it''s more like synthesizing it, considering the combination of materials with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Sense well, it may be possible to create metal-based items and yarn. However, it would be difficult with low-level items so high-level materials need to be prepared.


    In that case, the creation cost would be higher than having Runner Bug make it, but it''s worth experimenting on.


    "Interesting. Then I''ll have to mine for ore and find thread I can use... hey, what''s up with you two?"


    Hearing my mutter, Raina''s and Al''s gaze shook. I looked at them curiously and asked.


    "No, we just thought that you''re really amazing, Yun-san."


    "Whatt?"


    Hearing that suddenly from Raina, my voice turned inside out. I turned towards Al in order to ask him to supplement for Raina''s lack of explanation.


    "Being able to go into mines and dungeons to easily recover materials is amazing. That''s what we realized just recently. We can''t find any materials ourselves and we''re chased around by mobs, it takes time to collect and we don''t get the results we''d like."


    "Well, my Sense build is adapted to doing that."


    This was the one thing I couldn''t help them with because our fields of specialization are different.


    I turned towards Letia and signalled her that I have no advice for the twins, leaving the rest to her.


    "If you''re that worried¡ª¡ªthen gather some food instead!"


    "So in the end, it''s foodstuffs after all!"


    "Yes, all is connected to each other. Defeat enemy mobs. Level increases and at the same time ingredients are gathered. And, eating food you power up. And then again hunt. That''s the repetition."


    I have no need for her smug expression as if she had said something good. It''s just Letia''s own gluttony in the first place.


    "Well, that is true, although you can temporarily raise your stats with cooking, it''s not as simple. Well, try forming a stray party with various players to see how it goes."


    Since Letia''s opinion was too extreme, I told the twins my own idea and received a lively "yes!" in response.


    I too learn a lot from Taku and Myu, Magi-san and others. If it''s those two, they should be able to do more things than I do.


    "So, ultimately what did you come to the store for?"


    "Oh right, right! Replenishment of consumables! Bluepots for me and Al. Highpots and MP Potions for Letia-san. Also, sandwiches for all three of us please."


    "Sure thing."


    I took out goods from a box behind the counter and passed them to the Kyouko-san the NPC. Leaving accounting to her.


    And, when the transaction with the three was complete, a new visitor stood in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s entrance.


    Seeing him Raina and Al froze.


    "Yoo, been healthy? ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s boss."


    "¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ guild?! Why are you here!"


    The ones who came to the store were PK guild ¡¾Flame Prison Corps''¡¿ guild master Flein and the sub-master Tobias. Raina screamed seeing the emergence.


    Just recently, there was a little trouble with the PKs so Raina and Al were in full alert.


    In particular, that troublesome event involved Tobias so the target of the twins'' vigilance was exclusively directed towards him rather than Flein.


    "Hn? What is it? Your acquaintances?"


    I heaved a sigh and prepared recovery items for the two, after exchanging words for two, three times their shopping was finished.


    Since Flein had a fearless grin on his face the entire time, Raina and Al remained cautious and didn''t move, watching the two until they left.


    And, when the two from ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ were no longer visible, they exhaled with relief, but soon enough they pressed towards me for answers.


    "Why! Why are you allowing the PKs in this store?!"


    "It was scary. Rai-chan used me for a wall, I was stared at intently, it was scary."


    "Ahh, well, there''s circumstances you know. Just calm down, you two."


    With the twins in this state, going on adventure would probably be impossible, judging so I have made the two together with Letia sit on the counter seats.


    Since the cookies I baked earlier have cooled down, I prepared some together with sweet tea to calm the two.


    ¡ñ


    "Now then, what shall we talk about."


    "Nomnom. ...these cookies are delicious. Do you have those on sale?"


    "Good grief... Letia, really."


    While drinking sweet tea we picked some of the prepared cookies. Just Letia had stuffed her cheeks full of the cookies, looking like a chipmunk. Try to hold back just a little bit.


    We''ll have a serious talk now, that''s what Raina and Al have imagined but the scene has turned out like this and their shoulders slumped in disappointment. But well, I don''t think it was that serious of a topic.


    "Well, you can''t change the fact that Flein and Tobias are PKs, just because they disbanded once doesn''t mean they''re quitting being PKs."


    "Yun-san, why do you sell items to people like that! Some time ago, you banned guilds that carried out malicious solicitation from entering the store!"


    "I don''t like PKs, but with OSO''s system it''ll be a problem if you one-sidedly decide something without letting others to explain."


    OSO''s PK system worked in this way, that if a player kills another player, then half of the money the killed player carries is transferred to the killer.


    It was simple, but not to the taste of many people. However, the system did exist and was acknowledged. Also with PK-oriented and PvP-oriented Senses discovered PK has become one of ways to play the game and recognized as such.


    "Well, PK is a radical way to play done by a minority."


    "Certainly, if PK wasn''t acknowledged, eliminating attack judgement towards players would be fine and the player against player combat would be limited to normal PvP. However, thinking of that, it feels kinda stifling."


    Raina had described the world without PKs as stifling. Certainly, going over the top with anything was not bad, so if a limit was applied it would feel stifling.


    OSO''s catchphrase was¡ª¡ªyour playstyle is only¡ª¡ª. So as long as it isn''t too much of an annoyance, it was fine.


    "Also. PKs being shunned was decided one-sidedly whereas normal PvP is preferred. Do you know what''s the difference?"


    "Hmm. Normal PvP is fair and square?"


    "That''s slightly wrong."


    Raina responded really honestly. I thought with a smile. And then, Al who considered it with a hand on his chin answered.


    "Whether all the players have same profits and losses?"


    "Correct. In case of PKs, if they one-sidedly decide to attack someone they have the advantage, even if the attacked player defends themselves, the PK would take the risk of defeat into the account beforehand and deposited their entire money, so just the attacked player suffers risk."


    In response, the two nodded strongly.


    On the other hand, for normal PvP the players decide on the rules and fight in accordance to them. The rules can be a time limit, bet on money or items in case of victory or defeat, but in that case both would have same profits and losses in case of their victory and defeat.


    "In order to prevent the centralization of the benefits on the PKs, Flein and others from ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ have cooperated with the Crafting Guild and created a certain system. And that''s¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Bounty¡¿ system."


    "By bounty you mean, that bounty?"


    I nodded in response to Raina''s words, affirming it. Since it was mostly made by Cloude, I heard about it directly from the person himself.


    "Flein and others have registered themselves in the ¡¾Bounty¡¿ system themselves for PK activities. With that, 90% of the money obtained from the players they defeat is put up as a bounty."


    For example, if Flein PKs a player who owns 200kG, he receives 100kG, out of that 90kG is added into the ¡¾Bounty¡¿.


    Speaking of why is it 90%, it seems like that''s roughly the amount required for replenishment of consumables, equipment and item costs.


    "And, if a PK with ¡¾Bounty¡¿ is defeated, the player or the party that has defeated the PK will receive the accumulated bounty. Well, it''s one of the services provided by the guild."


    Once the system''s rules are decided upon, the checkout of the prizes is left to the NPCs. Other than that, if for a certain period of time the PK with a bounty isn''t defeated, half of the accumulated bounty is transferred to the PK, there''s lots of detailed rules about it but I don''t know that deeply.


    "I see. Players hunting PKs.Those hunters would be PKKs huh."


    Al nodded, convinced. Well, with bounty on PKs, we can expect people aiming for their bounties to appear.


    Flein too, by defeating players would gladly turn himself into a bait attracting even more players.


    "Then, what about PKs who don''t register themselves with this ¡¾Bounty¡¿? Will they be out of control?"


    "That''s where their way of having fun differs. Flein and others are enjoying themselves by playing the role of OSO''s heel''s. So I think if others PKs are being an excessive nuisance they won''t leave it be, right?"


    Like I said to the twins, everyone from Flein''s ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ seemed like they are going to take initiative taking down wild PKs. Not really out of some sense of justice, but simply because they''ll increase their own bounty like that. They can already compete who has more prize money among PKs.


    "Haa, seems like there''s a huge world we don''t know anything about."


    "Right. I guess that if they attack poorly they''ll get their own head hunted instead."


    Raina and Al said so, let''s not involve ourselves. They stated.


    "Well, it''s fine to play however you want and understand what you need for that, right?"


    I have no clue myself. I''m not interested in PK, and even more so in the ¡¾Bounty¡¿.


    "Actually, for future reference let me ask, how much bounty is there on their heads?"


    Letia whom I thought hasn''t listened to my explanation had swallowed a cookie, drank some tea and asked.


    "Um, well. If I''m not wrong Flein has 3,45mG, Tobias has 2,14mG..."


    I wasn''t confident in my faint memory of that, also, if they PK''d more since then it should have increased.


    "How about it? Let''s beat them and we can buy a guild home."


    Letia had asked while looking at the twins sleepily, but Raina and Al shook their heads so strongly it looked like their head would come off, rejecting it.


    "Well, it doesn''t look like I can get food to drop out of them so I won''t take them down, well then Yun-san. Thanks for the food."


    So Letia''s criteria was food after all, huh. Thinking so I''ve seen off the three out of the store.


    Since there were more efficient ways to earn money than attacking noticeable players like Flein, one could expect it to turn into a battle of strong players, but well, it has nothing to do with me.


    I returned to the counter seat of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and when I began to list materials for the ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ experiments to make metallic thread an official notice had come from the menu.


    "Hee, a maintenance and update. Also, a time-limited quest huh."


    The text I read through contained the announcement of the maintenance period and the content of the update. Also, the suggestion what the time-limited quest''s content after the update will be.


    The update''s content were additional mobs and additional items, things like that.


    The detailed content on the time-limited quest wasn''t written down, but after the update the information should appear.


    I''m not interested in the update''s content. Probably, Myu and Taku will find some information and come with it, thinking so I continued to list the required materials.

 Chapter Volume 6 1

    Chapter 1 - Thorns and Arachne


    The school''s hallway. Seeing the class committee member, Endo-san whose features were lower rim glasses and a long braid was carrying a large amount of what seemed to be notes and submissions. I decided to help her out and during the short while we carried them we exchanged information about OSO amongst each other.


    "Hey, Shun-kun. Do you remember the planter I spoke with you about?"


    "Ah, that story item for gardening? What about it?"


    I remember well the story we talked about when we chatted about nothing in particular. While I thought so, I listened to what Endo-san had to say.


    "I thought of going to take a look at it, but I don''t know where they sell it. Would you come with me?"


    "Oh, I see. Certainly it''s hard to describe with words how to find it."


    I recalled the NPC that was selling the store items for gardening. The location was in the back alley, since it''s quite far in the back of it it''s hard to explain the route, just one turn was enough to get it wrong.


    The reason I have entered that back valley was because I was exploring the town for a change of the mood. Since muffling myself up in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was not good for mental health, other than to library I went to purchase stationery supplies like notes and fountain pen, I also walked around looking for a store that sold agricultural and gardening items for plowing the fields.


    Other than that there was a vacant relaxation with lots of free space and grass growing in there, I really liked its atmosphere.


    "But, why?"


    "No, um, the reward from the raid quest last time. Mine was, um... a seedling."


    "Oh, I get it."


    The raid quest related to Wisteria Peach Tree. Endo-san and I who participated in it have received reward for clearing it. One of the reward items was an item called ¡¾Wisteria Peach''s Seedling¡¿.


    By planting and growing it, one could collect a Wisteria Peach Petal every day, they were one of the ingredients used in crafting Revival Medicine.


    And, the ¡¾Wisteria Peach''s Seedling¡¿ that was planted in the field behind the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ grew larger every day, it''s been five days now, once it reaches its maximum size it will be possible to collect up to ten petals a day.


    However, since there were very few player who owned a field like I do, there were many players who couldn''t use it.


    "Certainly, it can''t be helped if I only got a seedling. People might say."


    "It''s quite hard to use, right? I looked into it and it seems like it won''t grow fully, but the collected amount will increase to a certain extent."


    "Got it. But, that shop is only open during the day so I''ll take you there tomorrow. It''s the weekend so that''s perfect."


    "Understood. In any case, today''s an update and we can''t log in anyway. Well then, I''ll be looking forward to it."


    After that, I exchanged some more information with Endo-san and spoke of tomorrow''s meet-up, after which I went home.


    And, the next day. I logged in and headed to Endo-san''s, no, since it''s the game character - Emily-san''s store to pick her up.


    The sign in the back of an obscure alley where sun didn''t reach marked the store for crafters called ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿.


    "Hello. Emily-san, are you here?"


    "Yes, Yun-kun. I''ve been waiting. Well then, let''s go."


    Emily-san put on a hat and a mask, transforming into masked beauty Emilio she went outside.


    "So you''re going to wear it outside after all."


    "I got used to it."


    She put on a bitter smile.


    "Even though your real face looks great."


    "Even if you drop such a pick up line, with a girl''s appearance it doesn''t feel like one."


    "No, I didn''t intend to say any pick up lines. Also, I''m also bothered about my character''s appearance."


    I took the long hair that extended down to my waist in my hand and heaved a sigh.


    As a result of receiving a character''s body correction during the character edit, I ended up with this female character I am now.


    "Since your identity is known by Taku now, there''s no real reason to wear it, right?"


    "Aah, I guess. But, isn''t it more mysterious this way?"


    She slid the mask to the side and sent me a wink. Certainly, it could be considered a fashion item just like glasses.


    Also, Emily-san''s mask, ¡¾Mask of Pain Receiving¡¿ was useful as equipment since it was a good measure of armour durability consumption.


    Together with Emily-san we passed through the main street, although our goal was the shop that sold gardening items, somehow the town seemed different from usual.


    "It kinda looks like it''s more lively today than usual."


    "That''s because it''s right after the update. Everyone wants to enjoy the new content even if just a little bit earlier."


    Told that I once again looked around and saw players who were so restless it seemed like they would jump out somewhere, squirming, they looked around nervously as if searching for something.


    "When the announcement after the update comes, the time-limited Fairy Quest will begin. Also, it seems like unique boss will appear randomly in the field. Other than that, there are various minor additions as well as bug fixes, there''s lots of it."


    "A Fairy Quest and unique boss huh."


    I wonder about those, I muttered. Fairies could be called an exemplary element of fantasy worlds. Since Letia''s tamed mob Fairy Panther also had fairy-like translucent wings, I guess it''s something like a tiny human with that kind of wings? I tried imagining it.


    "Well, I intend to start it once there''s enough information, I guess, I''m not in much of a hurry."


    "Ahh, I guess it''s the same for me."


    Since I had no motivation to become a pioneer for the quest myself, inside my mind I sent encouragement towards the squirming players who looked for fairies and headed towards the store with gardening items in the back alley together with Emily-san.


    In there, we found the speciality store with planters under eaves full of blooming flowers. At the moment, the clerk NPC was watering the flowers.


    "Hello."


    "Welcome."


    The NPC clerk that looked like a florist girl had bowed and entered the store.


    In there, in addition to the flowers that were outside under the eaves, there were also gardening items.


    Flower seeds, seedlings and consumables. Pot and planters for growing plants. Fertilizers for improving the quality of the grown plants, there were various different categories of items.


    "Hee, there''s lots of things. Hey, what''s that big tool?"


    Emily-san ignored the tools she understood the usage of and stood in front of a tool that stood out conspicuously.


    It had a semi-spherical cover and a tray placed on top of it, a magical circle was sketched on the lump of iron. I remember having a similar question when I first came here myself.


    "That''s¡ª¡ªa Seed Maker."


    "Seed Maker? You mean it can make seeds?"


    "Ah, for example if you put a herb in this pan, you can get its seed. In other words, if you harvest the planted herb you receive one herb for one seed, so theoretically, you can increase the amount of the herb of one type."


    "So it''s the same as ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s ¡¶Lower Matter Conversion¡·. But, with the way you said it, it feels like there''s a catch."


    Theoretically, because of that word Emily-san looked at me with suspicion, but she was completely right.


    "Actually, its conversion efficiency is bad. ¡¾Alchemy Skill¡¿ converts one herb into two seeds, this Seed Maker here converts one to one."


    "Ah, so it''s backwards compatible with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense."


    In fact, the ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense''s efficiency was poor in the first place, hearing that this was even less efficient Emily-san made a slight grimace.


    "Then, that picture frame?"


    "That''s¡ª¡ª"It''s a Green Frame.""


    As I was at loss for words, not knowing it, the NPC approached from behind, explaining.


    "It''s a product that we have acquired recently. If you set it to the side and plant a seed inside, it turns into a three-dimensional interior for a plant."


    Now, it''s just a white frame, but if it''s complete it turns into this, She had displayed the real thing.


    The herb would pop out from the frame and grow straight towards the sun, the plants would extend and twist its ivy to hook itself into the frame creating a natural art. This was a short frame with a single side for short moss-like and grass-type short plants that grew thick.. There were various types of frames in the store.


    "This is a small version, but a bigger one would be good for planting a seedling in."


    "Hee, so you didn''t know, Yun-kun. Which means, this might be one of many minor items added with the update."


    Somehow it feels like I profited, Emily-san quietly muttered and touched the moss'' frame, stroking it.


    She stroked comfortable cool and moist moss, enjoying it innocently. Next, Emily-san enjoyed the stimulus of scratchy grass, before focusing on the moss again.


    This is... it seems like she won''t come back for a while. Thinking so, I went to the front of the store to enjoy the greenery and flowers, waiting until Emily-san is satisfied.


    "I''m satisfied. Now, let''s buy a plant pot and go back."


    "So you''re not buying a frame."


    "If it''s patting things slime-type and beast-type synthetic mobs are enough. Let''s return immediately."


    With that said, she purchased a large plant pot and planter from the NPC and carried them inside the inventory.


    Since I had fertilizer I could put inside the plant pot, we headed to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ first.


    However, on the way back Emily-san made a few small detours to do item delivery as ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿.


    And, after going around a several shops, delivering items Emily-san stopped by a store of her acquaintance crafter.


    "Welcome, miss ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿. There''s something I''d like to consult you about, is it all right?"


    "What is it? If it''s work as ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ then you''re welcome to. But before that, I need to deliver materials."


    After Emily-san had passed tailoring materials to her acquaintance tailor, I attended the two''s consultation.


    "Hey, Miss ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿, could you prepare a lot of this item?"


    After the delivery of tailoring materials, the female crafter pulled out a bunch of a certain thread.


    "What''s this?"


    "Ah, Metallic Thread. And copper-coloured too."


    While Emily-san tilted her neck in wonder, I muttered the name of the material I was familiar with.


    "Oh my, the girl over there, you''re really up to date with news. You''ve got good info there."


    "No, I''m a man, you know.."


    "It''s a new material that began to circulate today."


    Hey, "ignoring my remark?" I wanted to retort, but the female crafter explained meanwhile.


    What mob drops it, what is it crafted from, it was a mysterious material. Although she meaningfully explained it like that, the truth was that Letia''s tamed mob was eating metallic materials and ejected it as thread. Since it was too exaggerated I felt like exposing it all.


    "So, I want the same material or similar. The moment I saw it a lot of different clothes came to my mind!"


    I looked away as the female crafter emphasised strongly, but Emily-san put on a big smile, motivated.


    "Fufufu, being presented with the possibility of a new material, as ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ I want to complete it no matter what."


    "Ohh, seems like some switch went on."


    "Tough like metal, flexible like silk. It''s a material suitable for making the whip part of my connecting sword."


    As Emily-san confirmed the properties of the Copper Metallic Thread, her eyes sparkled. Emily-san was a crafter after all. Once it comes to her speciality, her switch is flipped on. I thought, looking into the distance.


    And, having my shoulder tapped by Emily-san I returned to reality.


    "So, Yun-kun, how did you know about it so fast? It started to circulate just today."


    "Eh, ah, Emily-san, you''re being really scary..."


    "I''m not scary or anything. Just, I want information I can use for coming up with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ pattern. That''s why, tell me everything you know."


    "...yes."


    Unable to go against her, I nodded obediently.


    After that, when we finished deliveries and returned to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I explained in detail.


    "I see, so Metallic Thread comes from Letia''s Ragi. With just Letia alone, there''s no way she''ll be able to keep up with balancing the supply and demand."


    She sipped the tea and let out a heavy sigh.


    From the renovated wooden deck I looked towards the field, drinking tea. I asked Kyouko-san the NPC to replant the seedling into a plant pot and explained the other matter to Emily-san.


    "I certainly have tried combining sewing-type materials with metal-type materials. I tried the combination of the materials you have listed and it all failed."


    "They were 90% failures, were they."


    Some of the attempts have succeeded, but the result was an item different from Metallic Thread.


    "Letia didn''t forbid you from speaking about it. In other words, she must be annoyed with how troublesome it has become. Also, it''s so that information was passed along to me."


    Since it''s hard to find my store she didn''t even try looking for it, did she. Said Emily-san and taking the mask off, smiled bitterly. Certainly, Emily-san''s store was in a back alley in a hard to find place, but Letia could also just tell her about it through friend call. She had thought its too troublesome to explain it a few times, I ended up thinking.


    "Let''s see. I have one-sidedly elicited information from you so, Yun-kun. How about you pair up and make ¡¾Metallic Thread¡¿ together with me?"


    "If I could help you out, who''s much better at handling ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ then I''d be glad. But is that to any benefit for you, Emily-san?"


    "Yun-kun, I would benefit greatly from that. Making a ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ recipe is a difficult matter."


    Emily-san who combined multitude of materials using ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ seemed to have been in middle of a war with materials and money.


    There was a limit to the amount of materials she could gather by herself. To compensate for that she increased the amount of her comrades by synthetic and alchemic mobs, fighting. However, she needed material to maintain them, too.


    Since there was a limit to how much she can do alone, she purchased materials from others and made a new material to sell it for profit, it was a handful.


    In particular, the materials with very low demand and high difficulty of mobs to defeat to obtain were either difficult to obtain or very expensive, making it impossible to obtain the required number.


    "That''s why, I''d like to cooperate with someone else who has the same goal in order to complete the recipe. With just this, once we go to the area and the amount of mobs we defeat increases, the costs will decrease."


    I was impressed hearing her quiet emphasis.


    Certainly, I was weak at first. I struggled all alone. Even now I struggle. And, until my store had started functioning in a stable manner I suffered lack of money. The times when I had three or four digit amounts of money were nostalgic.


    That''s why, I offered to cooperate with her.


    "Let''s do our best together. No, please let me help!"


    "Thanks, Yun-kun¡ª¡ªactually, during the fight with Garm Phantom a while ago I have exhausted almost all of my synthetic and alchemic mobs."


    "Did you say something?"


    Since I couldn''t hear Emily-san''s subdued mutter starting from the middle part, I asked for her to repeat.


    "Yeah, well. We need to gather a lot of thread samples. The material I couldn''t collect myself are¡ª¡ª"


    Emily-san mentioned several types of mobs. We have immediately headed out to hunt them.


    ¡ñ


    The materials we need are ¡¾Arachne Silk Bag¡¿, Magical Silk Scraps and Magical Bamboo.


    The place in which you could obtain each of them was completely different, but two of them are materials front-lines players like Taku, Myu and the others bring to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    And, the only material for which we were missing enough samples was ¡¾Arachne Silk Bag¡¿ obtained from Arachnes, to obtain it we have come to the Mine Dungeon nearby third town, and went down the stairs to the third level of the Area A.


    "Uehh, it feels like it''s been a while since I was this deep inside here."


    Last time I was here to fight a boss for guild establishment quest, but this time we have proceeded even further than that.


    "Yun-kun, are your preparations all right?"


    "Yeah. Both Senses and consumables."


    Possessed SP23


    ¡¾Bow Lv40¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv28¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv49¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv27¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv18¡¿


    Once again I confirmed my Senses and started to worry if I can fight well enough with them.


    "It''s okay. Compared to third level of Area B, Area A is all right for our levels. Surely."


    "It might be so but..."


    The Mine Dungeon wasn''t like a common dungeon where the aim was to follow straight route towards the bottom.


    Each level was wide and complex, and had more than one exit.


    In the third level''s Area A Arachne''s emerged and in Area B Orc-type mobs assaulted players in formations.


    The Area A was a narrow and dim cave, and the Area B was bright and wide enough for a full party to fight comfortably. Each area had their own characteristic.


    The Mine Dungeon''s lowest levels were still unexplored, seeing a large increase in difficulty with each level you descended, I got nervous.


    "C''mon, we can''t help it even if we stand here forever, let''s go."


    "Uuh, I get it."


    Resolving myself, I went down to the third level.


    In this darkness specific to cave dungeons my grown ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ Sense gave me a night vision capability and I could grasp firmly what''s ahead. There, I could see the Arachnes, spider-human mobs we were aiming for. From the chest and above they had human bodies and below of the chest they had bodies of a spider, including both spiders arm''s and legs.


    "Somehow, they look less human than I thought they would."


    "Well, these are just small fry Arachnes, Arachne boss feels more like a human."


    So to speak, Arachnes were in 30% human and 70% spider. After we went down to the third level, it had approached us moving along the ceiling of a narrow tunnel.


    "They have irregular movements so be careful!"


    "Got it!"


    "Yun-kun, support."


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Defence, Speed!"


    I overlapped three different enchants on Emily-san, reinforcing her stats.


    ¡º"Shiiiii"¡»


    It swung up its forelegs and looking at us with its spider compound eyes in a human''s face, it bared fangs in intimidation.


    "YAahhh!"


    Emily-san raised her long sword above her head and swung it to receive the crossed forelegs, but she didn''t deal any damage. However, as she immediately pulled away, I shot an arrow towards the Arachne whose movement was stopped.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    I used an art in the narrow tunnel without any place to run to, striking the Arachne.


    The arrow had slipped through the forelegs and gouging a big hole in the human body part, it pierced the wall of the tunnel.


    The moment the arrow struck, even over the distance I felt a very soft sensation. As the Arachne''s defence broke greatly Emily-san pressed onto it.


    "Haa!"


    A single slash of the long sword. The human head was cut off and the Arachne broke into light particles.


    "......"


    "Yun-kun, what is it?"


    As if to ascertain the soft sensation I felt, I gripped my palm several times, causing Emily-san to ask curiously.


    "Its torso was quite soft, I mean, the damage entered really well."


    Maybe Arachne''s weakness is the torso. Next time, let''s use ¡¾Cooking¡¿''s ¡¶Ingredients Knowledge¡· to examine it.


    While I considered the arrangements for the next fight, Emily-san confirmed the drop from Arachne through the menu.


    "Well then, the first drop is... Arachne''s leg."


    "Do you know how the way to use it?"


    "It seems to be delicious, kind of like a crab."


    She took out the long leg out of the inventory and showed it to me. Certainly, the appearance was was very similar to that of a crabs, but considering the human element I lost the appetite.


    "Somehow, I don''t feel like eating it."


    "What are you saying. I haven''t tasted half-human meat until now so I''d like to try it."


    "Seriously?!"


    "The meat of the Orcs that appear in Area B is the representative of the kind. It''s quite popular food considering it adds ATK."


    I didn''t really want to hear that. Thinking so, I continued to explore the third level.


    The passage was narrow and the Arachnes very rarely grouped up together. In case there were two or three of them, I lured one with an arrow and Emily-san would finish them off.


    We could avoid the traps and Arachne''s surprise attacks thanks to ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense.


    "They aren''t too strong after all."


    "What''s strong, is the boss'' Arachne''s special attack. Look, adhesive silk is coming!"


    Arachne had turned its backside towards us.


    White silk ejected with high velocity from the backside tried to catch us. However, the adhesive silk''s attack only traveled in a straight line which made it possible to avoid it to the side.


    At first, despite sensing the usage of the adhesive silk I didn''t know the scope and the effect, ending up hit head-on.


    As my legs were immobilized with the adhesive silk and I couldn''t escape, the Arachne aimed their attack at me in unison.


    It seemed like the adhesive silk had an effect of attracting other of their kind so quite a number of them has gathered. There was also a limit of how many Emily-san can take on at once.


    At the time, maybe, I thought of trying to use the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ I made a while ago. Since it had an effect of repelling insects, it might have an effect on the Arachnes.


    At the same time, I thought that it might not have any effect since spiders are not insects, but it did have an effect.


    After using it, I waited for the effect of the adhesive silk to expire.


    Even if we were caught up in trouble between two groups, thanks to cooperation our efficiency had increased and we took down Arachnes one by one, as if it was work.


    "Emily-san, there''s a treasure chest on the dead end over there."


    "Oh, I''m happy to hear that."


    The Mine Dungeon''s landscape went up and down randomly so it was hard to find oneself, other than the main route to the boss there was a lot of minor side routes, but as long as you followed the main course you wouldn''t get lost.


    And, in some of those back streets there were mining points or treasure chests, we could collect materials for synthesis from those too.


    "I wonder what''s inside."


    "Well, I don''t think it''ll be anything amazing."


    The treasure chests in the first and second levels of the Mine Dungeon were common treasure chest-shaped ones, but in this level they were unusual because of the Arachnes residing over here and shaped like a cocoon.


    The cocoon made of spider silk was big enough to require both arms to lift. Emily-san had opened it by cutting it open with the long sword.


    "...well, as expected there''s nothing really amazing inside."


    With that said, she retrieved what was inside and showed it to me.


    It were was a leather armour and Arachne''s greaves. The leather armour had slightly inferior performance as for the dungeon''s difficulty, the Arachne''s greaves were extra rare equipment that was part of an item set and for the set collector it was a very strong equipment.


    "Splendidly turns out to be equipment we can''t use. What will you do, Emily-san? Sell?"


    "Since we don''t need it that''s all we have left. But, if we put up an entire set at a stall it might sell, with just one piece it might not be so."


    "Well, it if doesn''t sell at worst we can sell it to NPC. I smiled bitterly.


    And then, suddenly, what I almost overlooked, was that hiding behind the cocoon in the front there was another one in the back.


    "Emily-san, there''s another treasure box."


    "Eh, ah, you''re right. But, why are there two treasure boxes so close to each other?"


    Despite the puzzlement because of seeing a second treasure box so close to the first one, Emily-san cut the cocoon with the long sword.


    And, once she looked inside the cocoon to confirm what''s inside¡ª¡ª


    "A person? Too small for that thought."


    "She has wings on her back. So, a fairy?"


    It was a small humanoid with indigo-coloured hair and wings. She was thin, her limbs looked as if they would very easily break as it curled up inside the cocoon, just the wings have moved as she breathed, moving lightly.


    What this figure had reminded me of, was the time-limited Fairy Quest that was added with the update.


    And, we have stared at the fairy emerging from the cocoon, she spread her wings sparkling with phosphorescent light.


    "Fuaa?, where am I?"


    With a sleepy look in her eyes, the fairy tilted her head and fluttering the phosphorescent indigo wings she illuminated the dim cave.


    "I''m Water Fairy. I have no name. Thank you for helping me."


    "Eh, yes. I''m Yun."


    "At the moment, I''m called Emilio."


    Wearing a mask and the equipment for falsifying her own name, Emily-san introduced herself with the pseudonym.


    "While you have saved me, I have a request. Could you please save our Fairy Village?"


    The Water Fairy tilted her head in opposite direction and at the same time as she asked, a quest had began.


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Limited Quest: Save The Fairy Village (provisional)¡¿ has been initiated.


    Although I expected it seeing the information, it was the limited fairy-related quest. But, why was (provisional) attached to the quest.


    "Emily-san, the quest has been started, hasn''t it."


    "Looks like it."


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Limited Quest: Save The Fairy Village (provisional) 1£¯ 4¡¿¡ª¡ª


    Defeat Thorn Tokens. ¡ª¡ª0£¯ 4


    ¡ùThis is the quest for the companion of the player who has received the quest. By advancing this quest it is possible to receive the quest.


    Although it was described as the first stage of the quest, it seems like I received it only provisionally and the one who received it officially was Emily-san.


    In order to obtain more detailed information, Emily-san asked the Water Fairy.


    "Miss Water Fairy, could you tell us about that in detail?"


    Collecting information through conversation with game''s NPC was basics. Despite the fact the fairy was clearly languid, she spoke clearly.


    "Our Fairy Village was assaulted by monsters, both the Fairy Village and the Fairy Queen have fallen into the demons'' hands. That''s why please, save us."


    "I see. So, what do we have to do?"


    "In order to catch the fairies that escaped, the monster that had assaulted the Fairy Village had made monster subordinates. That''s why, if by defeating the subordinates you weaken the main body, we''ll be able to guide you to the Fairy Village.''


    So this fairy was the NPC acting as a moderator and guide for the quest. Both Emily-san and I were convinced so.


    The Water Fairy rode on Emily-san''s shoulder, who had officially received the quest and, a single monster subordinate has been spawned within the mine. She announced that.


    "Our comrade might have been caught. Therefore, please help her."


    "Yun-kun, what do we do? Our original goal was already achieved so..."


    "Well, let''s do what we can? Also, being asked like that is hard to refuse."


    Folding her hands in front of her chest, the Water Fairy asked with tears in her eyes. Somehow it felt like a small child''s request, imagining the guilty we''d feel if we refused, we decided to take on the monster''s subordinate mob.


    "Well then, the presence can be felt this way. I will guide you."


    Flying away from Emily-san''s shoulder, the Water Fairy proceeded into the back of the tunnel.


    ¡ñ


    After beating several Arachnes, the area we advanced to, was a large room of the Mine''s third level''s Area B. In the paths connected to the large room there were several Arachnes.


    "Is that the monster''s subordinate? It looks like a normal Arachne to me."


    "Same here."


    No way, do we have to defeat it in the same way we have defeated the Arachne''s so far, when I though that¡ª¡ª


    "It''s coming!"


    The Water Fairy raised her voice. Immediately after that, with a dull sound the entire room had began to shake.


    As the shaking had grown stronger Emily-san and I put our hands on the ground and endured it.


    While the ground shook strongly enough that we couldn''t remain standing, a green object emerged from the ground.


    "Kyahh! A plant?"


    Thick green thorns rampaged striking the ground, but most of it struck the Arachne, defeating it. In the middle of it the tip of the thorn had pierced deeply through the remnant of the Arachne.


    "This is kind of a grotesque sight. Especially when you consider that Arachne has human parts."


    I frowned while looking at the tragedy in front of us.


    It was fine since it''s just a game, but if blood splattered all over my mood would definitely worsen.


    However, the change in front of me put me in a bad mood in a different way.


    "¡ª¡ªThorns are eroding it."


    Emily-san strained her eyes staring at it in the dim cave. I could clearly see the erosion with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ night vision capability and I could feel my face turn pale.


    The thorn that pierced through its back grew inside of Arachne, thin thorns crawled under its skin like green blood vessels. Matching the growth of the thorns, the spider''s limbs jerked in convulsions and its body expanded, turning bigger than it was originally.


    And, small thorns appeared on the human chest from which a red rose had bloomed.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Thorn Token¡¿ it says."


    The mobs name changed from Arachne to Thorn Token and its head hung without any strength. The Thorn Token, using the Arachne like a doll had used the spider limbs to leap high into the air.


    "Eh?!! Avoid!"


    Emily-san instantly jumped to the right, I avoided by jumping to the left.


    The Thorn Token used its mass and agility beyond that of Arachne''s and pounced on us.


    "Khh?!! ¡¾Enchant¡¿¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    The front legs that struck the ground using the mob''s large weight had made it sink in, and then with a swing they have left a scratch in the ground, the broken off pieces from the ground scattered all over the room.


    I had become the Thorn Token''s target and I was chased after. With no time to set up the bow because of the continuous attacks, I focused on desperately avoiding.


    "Yun-kun?!"


    "I''m all right!"


    Although I was somehow able to deal with it by immediately casting a speed enchant on myself, I couldn''t continue to avoid forever.


    Longbow was a weapon difficult to use in close proximity while manoeuvring, so my means of attacking in close range were nearly non-existent.


    "HAa!! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Cracking¡·!"


    As the Thorn Token exposed its back to Emily-san, she had swung her connecting sword releasing a powerful blow at it.


    However, the next moment the powerful strike of the connecting sword''s was to hit Thorn Token''s back, its body withdrew backwards strongly making Emily-san''s attack miss.


    "What was that movement just now..."


    "The thorn dug in the ground have pulled it. That''s troublesome."


    The thorns that eroded Arachne from its back had extended to it from the centre of the room, connecting the Arachne with the Thorn Token.


    The thorns were capable of freely extending and retracting, although they could manipulate the host irregularly, it seemed like they hated being attacked from behind where the thorn was.


    "Let''s try it. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·!"


    Using ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ Sense''s high level targeting capability it retained from the previous Sense, I aimed at the base of the thorns in a place where it was absolutely unable to move from and caused a blast.


    Although it was the weakest earth element magic, in response to it the Arachne''s body stiffened for a moment.


    "You did it. If we know where to aim, we can do it. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Snake Bind¡·!"


    Emily-san swung her sword as close to the ground as possible and winding it around the base of the thorns, she tightened it around them damaging the thorns by slashing bit by bit.


    Although it was a hassle to fight with an enhanced Arachne, knowing where to aim for we could deal with it.


    Once again the Arachne''s body leaped, then fell in my direction.


    It''s using the same move again, I thought and tried to avoid to the left but¡ª¡ª


    "Wha?!!"


    The thorn connected with the body bent and caused it to turn to the right in the air. As if being swung in the air, Arachne pounced at me from improbable angle, putting pressure at me.


    "Yun-kun, I''ll help you now!"


    "Emily-san, you won''t make it!"


    The metal pieces of the connecting sword wound around the thorn have shred the surface, but the Thorn Token''s attack was faster.


    The lifeless mouth opened wide and inside, I could see small wriggling thorns.


    Suddenly, I could feel chills on my spine and at the same moment I was pushed down, the mouth full of thorns had stuck to my left shoulder. I felt a horrible sensation of the thorns assaulting the inside of me through the shoulder.


    "?!! You... get off!"


    I let go off the bow and holding the kitchen knife for ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense I had at my belt in reverse grip of my right hand, I impaled the Thorn Token making it falter for a moment, the strength of its bite had also weakened.


    "Try eating this instead. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    I grasped all of the ¡¾Bomb¡¿''s Magic Gems I had available with my left hand and shoved them into the mouth full of wrigling thorns, then I closed it''s mouth with a kick, activating them.


    A yellow explosion had wrapped around the human face, the Thorn Token had started rampaging, scratching its own head as if it wanted to tear it off.


    "Yun-kun, are you okay?!"


    "Yeah, I received some damage, but I''m fine."


    Supported by Emily-san who ran up to me, I raised my body. When I touched the place that was bitten I didn''t feel anything in particular, but it had put me into an unpleasant mood.


    I took out a High Potion from the inventory and poured it over the bitten place, the damage done by the bite and erosion has gradually recovered.


    Still, once the ¡¾Bomb¡¿''s explosion had subsided, I looked towards the Arachne Thorn Token that had completely turned towards me as the one with highest hate and sighed.


    "I didn''t deal that much damage to it. Why was it so keen on getting me, I wonder."


    "This thing, didn''t it recover its HP through absorption while using its biting attack?"


    "That''s troublesome. Well, as long not all attacks are like that we just have to be careful of that one."


    The enemy attacks patterns were based on Arachne''s movements. However, with the thorns'' movements added, it sometimes showed unexpected actions. Still, considering I was pushed down and was able to get out of it, its total power wasn''t that great. It seemed like I could cope with it by using a few items.


    "Emily-san, I have a proposal. I''ll act as a bait, so in the meantime, can I leave the attacks on the thorns to you?"


    "Is that all right? Normally it should be better to split into vanguard and the rear, right?"


    "If I can''t deal with those thorns, I''ll leave it to you. Meanwhile I''ll use the chance to run and continue observing it."


    Even if the target changes from me to Emily-san, I don''t think she''ll be able to respond to these irregular movements. That''s why, I have to earn as much time as possible for her to attack the thorns themselves.


    "...got it. Well then, do your best."


    "Now, I''m not used to close combat but, let''s do what I can. ¡¾Enchant¡¿¡ª¡ªDefence, Speed."


    After using defence and speed enchants for strengthening myself for the endurance battle, I used Boost Tablet to increase my SPEED.


    Holding a kitchen knife I looked at the opponent''s movements, like before it had leaped high into the air using spider legs.


    If I avoided too early, the thorns would change the token''s trajectory and I would end up getting crushed, so I waited until the last moment before avoiding backwards.


    Immediately after avoiding, the Thorn Token used its legs to catch me, but I easily avoided that kind of monotonous attack.


    Behind it, Emily-san swung the connecting sword at the thick thorns, delivering damage.


    Aware that I cannot stop for even a moment, I continued to avoid.


    "Haa, haa, Taku and others sure are amazing. They do this kind of thing happily."


    Since I didn''t do much close combat before, my movements slowly have grown dull. My long black hair was grazed by the Thorn Token''s nails, and my armour was caught.


    Still, for the vital points where an attack could be critical, I parried the attacks with the kitchen knife and avoided them.


    "It''s getting worse. Emily-san, hurry up."


    I muttered as if praying, but then, the Thorn Token''s stopped just for a moment. What''s it doing, I wondered and stopped moving in order to raise my vigilance, but that was my mistake.


    As it protruded its backside, I realized it was the motion for ejecting adhesive silk.


    The adhesive silk emitted had headed straight towards where I stood.


    If I receive it, I definitely won''t be able to escape. If that happens, I''ll surely be defeated and Emily-san will have to fight alone.


    Normally, I wouldn''t be able to leisurely think about this. However, right in this moment I felt like the flow of time was slower than usual.


    ("This is¡ª¡ª")


    I took a step forward, feeling as if I walked in water.


    When I took a step towards the front leaning forward as if I was to fall over, and then the flow of time returned.


    While taking that step, I sank my body low while moving in front, dodging the adhesive silk by a hair''s breadth.


    "!! HAaa!"


    Taking this chance, I approached the Thorn Token''s body all at once.


    "Take this!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Whip Slash¡·!"


    I rushed over and impaled the blooming rose on the Arachne''s chest, at the same time Emily-san let out a powerful whip-type Art, deciding the fight.


    While it was unknown which attack was the decisive one, the thorns powerlessly separated from the Arachne''s body and dove into the ground.


    Left behind, was the husk of the Arachne Thorn Token''s body.


    "You did it. You defeated the monster''s subordinate. Cheers for your good work."


    "Thank you."


    I sat down limp in front of the defeated Arachne''s body. Just before the attack with adhesive silk, there was a moment where the movement of everything in the surroundings had slowed down. Nothing like that had happened before, there must be a reason, as I put a hand on my forehead and thought, I realized.


    "Possibly, these eyes had evolved in a different way, too."


    The ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ Sense grown out of ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ took over the night vision and far-sightedness ability from the ¡¾Hawk Eyes¡¿ Sense, as well as targeting capability and the auxiliary skill ¡¶Area Targeting¡·. Aside from those, it might have a hidden ability.


    "I''m glad you avoided it, Yun-kun. I thought you wouldn''t be able to make it."


    Meanwhile as I concentrated on the issue of my eyes, as Emily-san put on a smile of relief, the Water Fairy riding on her shoulder had said words of appreciation from above me.


    As we confirmed each other''s safety, the Water Fairy jumped up from Emily-san''s shoulder.


    "With this, the power of the monster that had assaulted Fairy Village had weakened. Also, a comrade of ours was released, thank you."


    "Speaking of which, that comrade¡ª¡ª"


    Where is it? When I was about to ask that, the mass in front of me moved from the inside. What? The Arachne Thorn Token ahead of my line of sight should have been defeated. While a normal mob would have disappeared turning into particles of light when defeated, this one remained.


    "W-what is¡ª¡ª"


    As I tried to raise from my sitting posture, something popped out breaking through of the Arachne''s remnants and headed straight towards my face.


    A slimy and warm existence stuck right into my face.


    At the same time as the green body fluids spilled out from the Arachne''s body, it had disappeared turning into light particles.


    "Thanks for saving me! I''m Mischievous Wind Fairy! What I''m good at and what I like, is mischief! Nice to meet you!"


    When I pulled away the object sticking to my face, I saw it was a humanoid dripping wet with green mucus who waved cheerfully towards me.


    "...switch."


    "You''re horrible! I will stick to you and guide you, so be grateful to me!"


    No, I''m not happy at all to have my face tackled by a fairy dripping wet with mysterious green mucus.


    "Emily-san, help."


    "Well, you properly got a guide for the quest so it''s all right, isn''t it?"


    While Emily-san smiled wryly, the Watery Fairy riding on her shoulder with a composed expression had produced water and washed away the mucus attached to me and the Mischievous Wind Fairy.


    Meanwhile, the Wind Fairy splashed water over my face, referring to it as to pranks. It was really annoying so I''d like it to stop. With a Wind Fairy that loves pranks I felt nothing but anxiety.


    "Shaaa¡ª¡ª"


    " "¡ª¡ª?!!" "


    Defeating the Thorn Token that was the quest''s goal we have grown relaxed. The last attack of the Arachne''s which emitted the adhesive silk had an effect of luring all the Arachnes from nearby.


    And, from two out of three passages leading to this small room, Arachnes were in two of them.


    "Damn it. Our way back has been blocked!"


    "Yun-kun, use that! Throw the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ at them!"


    "I didn''t make them for a while so I don''t have anymore!"


    "Then, we can only break through them forcefully..."


    Emily-san held the connecting sword and confronted the Arachnes. I also held a bow ready to go any time, but the Mischievous Fairy riding on top of my head had pulled my head.


    "Hey, hey."


    "What is it, I''m busy now."


    "I know a way out."


    "¡ª¡ªEh??"


    "I''m a wind fairy! I can tell where''s the exit from the flow of wind! Follow me!"


    Saying so, the Wind Fairy took off from my head and headed to the last passage, the one that didn''t have any Arachnes in it.


    "Emily-san..."


    "Let''s believe her now."


    While remaining vigilant as not to receive attacks from the Arachnes behind us, together with Emily-san we followed the Mischievous Fairy.


    We moved through the passage to the right and then to the left when it branched.


    When the Arachnes caught up to us, they would shoot adhesive silk, further increasing the amount of comrades chasing after us and shooting silk.


    "Hiii! Arachnes crawling on the ground are super scarryyyy!"


    "I think horror films have these kinds of scenes, don''t they. Ones with monsters that have very low stature chasing after people."


    Speaking personally, they feel like those characters from the exorcist films possessed by the devil. And those things are now rushing through the narrow tunnels.


    "C''mon, we''re almost at the exit!"


    "Great. We can escape now!"


    I started running faster towards the outlet from which light was entering and together with Emily-san, we escaped through the hole.


    In there¡ª¡ªwas a narrow wooden scaffolding and a thick wire extending to the other side.


    "Look, hold this!"


    Ahead of where the Mischievous Fairy was pointing, there were a hooks and ropes, they was a huge Tarzan rope even thicker than one used in athletics.


    She must have meant to use this. Emily-san and I held one rope each and hooked them to the wire.


    "Let''s go then! ¡ª¡ª¡¶O'' Wind, Blow¡·!"


    Deciding on her own when our preparations are complete, the Mischievous Fairy had entered my hood and generated wind that blew from behind us.


    The tailwind pressed directly onto our backs.


    As we slid towards the cliff on the opposite side which was lower than the cliff we started at, we desperately clung onto the rope.


    Seeming to enjoy the wind stroking her cheeks, the Mischievous Fairy that entered my hood had laughed happily into my ear.


    "Wohooo! Look! Enemies look like garbage! Ahahahahaa¡ª¡ª"


    When I looked towards where the Mischievous Fairy pointed to, Arachnes that rushed to the small outlet of the mine had gathered turning into a ball. As they turned smaller and smaller, they did indeed look like garbage.


    "Haa, it''s over isn''t it."


    "Ahahahaa, the wind feels great! I''m the wind!"


    With her head peeking out from the hood, the Mischievous Fairy continued to laugh by my ear. Probably because I could relax after escaping the enemy, I clung to the rope, enjoying both the wind and the scenery.


    It seemed like I''ve been possessed by a strange fairy, but it might be surprisingly fun. That''s the hunch I had.

 Chapter Volume 6 2

    Chapter 2 - The Mischievous Fairy and the Fairy Quest


    "Uuh, we''re finally back."


    After coming back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, Emily-san and I tardily sat down on the chair and fell on the counter.


    The wind during the escape using the rope was comfortable, but as we gradually approached the opposite cliff and were on the verge of colliding with it, we felt fear. However, thanks to the fantasy world, we decelerated ignoring the laws of physics and stopped right before colliding with the cliff. Although both Emily-san and I were able to get off safely, both of us had a very difficult expression.


    "Really, what was that in the first place, I wonder."


    We were mostly silent until we returned to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, but after arriving, I asked.


    "Isn''t it one of those short-cuts you see often? Something like a warp device connecting with outside of the dungeon."


    The dungeon was complex, so a trip both back and forth would take quite a long time. So they made a short-cut for the sake of returning with ease.


    "Well, it''s a gimmick that uses a different concept from a portal."


    "If that''s the case, then I''d prefer some equipment that strains my heart less."


    "I guess, it might just be one of the attractions."


    Stating that the thrill was the equipment''s purpose, Emily-san made a slightly fatigued expression.


    At least there''s enough ingenuity to never get bored. While thinking so again, I looked towards the two fairies flying around inside the store.


    "Ahahaha!! Human habitats are interesting! There''s lots of strange things!"


    "Plants. I love raising plants. Leave water management to me."


    The Mischievous Fairy that had come after me was flying freely around the store and touched various things. The Water Fairy that had come after Emily-san was interested in the seedling of the Wisteria Peach Tree whose replanting was complete.


    "Well, there''s no problem leaving them be."


    "You''re right. Well then, let''s confirm the materials and prepare the ¡¾Synthesis¡¿."


    Saying so, starting with the ¡¾Arachne''s Silk Bag¡¿, Emily-san and I have started confirming the drops and the ore mined in the dungeon.


    Other than that, I took out Magical Silk Scraps and Magical Bamboo as well as ingots and ores from the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s stock.


    "Ohhh?! What are you doing?! What are you two doing?! Can I do it too?!"


    "We''re synthesizing materials. Since you can''t do it, eat this instead."


    As the Mischievous Fairy was being noisy as it was flying around, I took out a single parcel out of the inventory and held it out towards her. The content of the wrapping were the cookies I made the other day. The Mischievous Fairy, unable to support the weight had gradually dropped down. Seeing it, the Water Fairy helped her to support it and they placed it at the counter.


    "OHHH?! Human''s sweets! The sweetness you can''t eat in the Fairy Village!"


    "Sweet nectar is good too, but human''s sweets are rare! They look tasty."


    The two, cooperating, have unwrapped the package and started enjoying the spreading aroma of the butter cookies. The fairies that acted noisily just earlier now were quiet. We returned to working with synthesis.


    "Emily-san, is it fine to just synthesise this with metal?"


    "First we need to make preparations. It''ll fail as it is."


    "Seriously?"


    As she said so, I put down the Magical Bamboo and the Copper Ore I had in my hands on the counter and listened to Emily-san''s explanation.


    "First, we''ll process the pieces of Magical Silk with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ to make ten pieces of ¡¾Magical Silk Fabric¡¿."


    After saying so, she immediately started using the ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s skill, Higher Conversion to create ten pieces of silk fabric.


    The mobs you can acquire this magical silk from is the Magical Robe that appears in the normal dungeon of the fourth town, the ¡¾Maze Town¡¿.


    Although it was a dungeon with a lot of mobs dealing bad statuses, there were very few people grinding it because of the lack of countermeasures, I have purchased the material from Taku in large amounts as he had come to me saying he had no use for it.


    "It looks pretty. It might look great if I were to hang it on the wall."


    "There are stores that do that, too. Look¡ª¡ª"


    Saying so, Emily-san had shown me a screenshot of one of those stores.


    The glossy fabric was hung all over the store, indirectly lighting it up. Reflecting delicate light it brightened up the room, creating a gentle space inside, it was a store with a great design.


    "Ah, we''ve strayed from the topic. So, if we use ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s lower conversion skill on this ¡¾Magical Silk Fabric¡¿¡ª¡ª"


    It would return to the original, is what I thought, but it had turned into two bundles of silk.


    "Like this, you can make ¡¾Bundle of Magical Silk''s Thread¡¿. Also, you can use ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ to turn drop items into an easy to process form."


    "Is it fine to teach me this? It seems like quite significant knowledge."


    "No problem. Rather, it''s one of the required pieces of information for crafting the target material."


    Other than that, the metal gravel that had come out of the treasure box was a material situated between the ore and the ingot, but it was difficult to process by itself. So, it could be processed manually using the ¡¾Smithing¡¿ or ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ by melting and remaking into ingots, but those who couldn''t do that were able to use ¡¾Alchemy¡¿, by gathering three of them, they could turn them into an ingot.


    So that''s how it was. I didn''t know since I have always processed them the same way as ore.


    And, as for the method of handling the Magical Bamboo, she had explained it verbally, but left it to me.


    "I see, so I''m eligible to do it."


    We entered the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop part, I put fire to the mobile furnace for making accessories and put the Magical Bamboo into it as it was heated up by weak flame.


    The weak flame had slowly burned the Magical Bamboo. While paying attention to the flame in the furnace making sure it doesn''t disappear, I piled up Magical Bamboo pieces one on top of another.


    As it was scorched with the flames, the green pieces of bamboo had carbonized , once the combustion was complete it turned white, piling up as ash in the furnace.


    "Is this fine?"


    Once it had been burned to ash I scrapped it out and dissolved it in the prepared water bucket.


    I scooped the black fibres that had emerged from the ash dissolved in the water and washed it clean in another bucket with water.


    A very small amount of a durable fibre could be obtained from the Magical Bamboo, which was called ¡¾Bamboo Fibre¡¿. And, the remaining Arachne''s Silk Bag could be processed into a thread by leaving it to a crafter with ¡¾Sewing¡¿.


    "There''s only this much of the fibre made from the bamboo we had, so it''s quite valuable. I wonder, if Emily-san is done."


    After removing the fibres from all the bamboo, I bundled it together and brought back to the store part of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    ¡ñ


    "Emily-san, how is it on your side?"


    "Yun-kun, I finished processing them on my side too."


    All of the magical silk was converted into the thread and neatly lined up next to each other.


    The fairies finished eating the cookie and had headed to visit the field as I could see them fly outside of the open window.


    "Well then, what''s remaining is the ¡¾Arachne''s Silk Bag¡¿, right."


    "I''ve asked an acquaintance crafter to process that, it''ll take a day for processing the bags, so I''d like you to wait two days until we synthesize it."


    "Then, there''s time until the day after tomorrow¡ª¡ª"


    So the results won''t show immediately, it can''t be helped. Thinking so, I stretched my back.


    At the same time as I said there''s time, I triggered a certain skill.


    A summoning that used the stones I took out of the inventory. No, the young beasts have forced a summon, coming out on their own and appeared by my side.


    "¡ª¡ªRyui, Zakuro."


    Recently, because of the event and preparations for the raid quest there were very few opportunities to call them, so they started coming out on their own. I thought.


    The mobs tamed with ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense were highly autonomous, as compared to Emily-san''s alchemic and synthetic mobs. And so, if you don''t summon them for a long period of time or summon them less often, sometimes they forcibly pop out by themselves.


    In such cases, they choose a timing when nothing related to combat happened. This time the words "there''s time" must have been the trigger.


    "Sorry. This time, let''s go do some field work together."


    I pat both Ryui and Zakuro that have both rubbed their necks against me.


    I checked Ryui''s silky mane and Zakuro''s glossy fur.


    "Ahh, there''s lots of green out there! Like, small flowers and a big tree! So humans are raising things that can be found in the forest!"


    The Mischievous Wind Fairy blew inside from the wide-open window, and seeing out figures, it froze in mid-air.


    "W-what! What are those creatures?!"


    "Yun-kun, your fairy is really energetic."


    "She''s just being noisy."


    Emily-san looked towards me with a pleasant smile, but personally, I''d like a quiet fairy instead.


    "I have possessed this human first! I''m the senior over here all right!"


    The fairy flying around Ryui and Zakuro had stopped in front of their eyes and declared strictly. However, hearing that Zakuro grasped the fairy''s neck in its mouth.


    "Uwoah?!! What! I''m the wind fairy that loves mischief! I''m doing mischievous things! Stop handling me so roughly!"


    She flailed her hands about in struggle, but soon enough she had hung down powerlessly, grasped with the mouth.


    "Uuu, even if you eat me I''m not tasty."


    "No, Zakuro won''t eat you."


    When I retorted to her, still holding the fairy in its mouth, Zakuro had walked towards the sunniest place in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Just like that, Zakuro positioned its two tails by its belly and put down the fairy onto the tails.


    "Somehow, Zakuro''s acting like Ryui."


    When I muttered that, Ryui head-butted me lightly. However, the way Zakuro placed the small fairy beside it as not to crush it looked just like Ryui did with Zakuro. It was a pleasing sight, like a younger brother imitating his older brother.


    "I''m a fairy. Faced with such captivating fluffiness I¡ª¡ªhowaahnn."


    Before long, charmed by the fluffy powers of the twin tails, she buried herself in the fur and her body disappeared, hidden.


    "Speaking of which, where is my Water Fairy?"


    "It seems like she''s watering plants with a different human?.''


    Buried in Zakuro''s fur, the Mischievous Fairy responded to Emily-san''s question with a muffled voice.


    Speaking of humans other than me and Emily-san that were in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, it was just Kyouko-san the NPC.


    After the Mischievous Fairy responded to Emily-san''s question, it quickly fell asleep. Ryui too had lied down in the same place as to snuggle next to the two.


    "It''s truly a healing sight. Yun-kun, are you going to sleep there too?"


    "Certainly, I''d like to receive some healing, but before that let''s finish preparations for ¡¾Synthesis¡¿."


    In addition to the thread-type materials and ingots I passed Emily-san some of the materials I knew that were related to the ¡¾Sewing¡¿ Sense. I also included the recently found materials such as ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ that was one of the materials for ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿.


    After I passed them to Emily-san, the first stage of the arrangements was complete and all the materials just had to be stowed away in her inventory..


    "Oh-ho, ¡¾Arachne''s Silk Bag¡¿, ¡¾Magical Silk''s Thread¡¿ and ¡¾Bamboo Fibre¡¿, you''ve got multiple materials there. Are you making a ¡¾Sewing¡¿-type material?"


    A shadow had plugged the entrance to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and had accurately discerned the materials we held. When I looked in its direction, I saw a player wearing a cape who had a kitten ride on his shoulder. Cloude stood there.


    "Ohh, Cloude. Welcome. What''s up?"


    Cloude walked straight up to the counter and for an instant, he squinted while looking at the aligned materials.


    "Hmm. For now, is it all right if I asked what are you trying to make?"


    "Yes, we''re trying to synthesize the Metallic Thread that has been in circulation recently, it''s a joint project with Yun-kun."


    "Once it''s complete, we''ll order the materials and we''d like purchase the recipe from you. You know, I''m working behind the scenes of the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿, I know who had brought it to us, but because of the high demand we can''t keep up with the supply."


    Hearing what Cloude said, I realized that he did know that Letia was the origin of the Metallic Thread. And since we, friends associated with Letia are gathering ¡¾Sewing¡¿-type materials, he must have guessed we''re making something relevant to the Metallic Thread.


    "As for your orders for the material, we''ll accept as long as it''s bringing in the synthesized material, as for the selling of the recipe, we refuse."


    While saying so, Emily-san stowed away the materials arranged on the table in her inventory and I prepared tea for three people.


    "For the time being, let me ask. Why?"


    "There are two reasons. If we immediately publish the recipe after making, everyone will craft it. Ours won''t sell, will it. That''s why, at least until we recover the material costs and research expanses, we''re going to refrain from publishing it."


    Seeming satisfied with the answer, Cloude nodded. I also nodded in the same way, but if I were to describe it somehow, it would be because I was impressed by the two. The two stared at me intently wondering why am I nodding.


    "Haa, Yun-kun is really unaware. Well, fine. The second reason is because it''s joint project with Yun-kun. It has to pass through Yun-kun first."


    "I see, then, once the time comes we''re willing to pay both Yun''s and ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ for the recipe."


    Other than that, if we think about the level required and the costs of synthesising the recipe it seems like there will be a variety of problems. But, thinking of all that, it''s difficult. Is what Emily-san was saying.


    As the conversation was interrupted for a moment, I put the tea on the counter.


    "Speaking of which, why did you come to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, Cloude?"


    Cloude own store, the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ did sell potions in consignment with the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, but there was no need to come over. It was unusual, so I asked.


    "Right. I came to tell you about the next tea party''s preparations and to buy ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿."


    "Oh, I see. Right, that one isn''t sold in consignment."


    The ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ for which the main material were the petals that could be collected from the ¡¾Wisteria Peach Seedling¡¿, a reward for the raid quest, was still circulating in very few number. Also, compared to the other ¡¾Revival Medicines¡¿ mine was highly effective. That''s why, it was poorly distributed as not to drive away other crafters from the market, the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ sold them quietly and in limited number.


    "So, sell me three ¡¾Revival Medicines¡¿. Also, I came to buy some MP Potions. Oh right, have some of the sweet bean jelly we''re selling for take-away."


    The food for take-away he showed was glossy sweet bean jelly. Seeing it, I thought that I should have put out green tea instead of black. I''d like if he showed it a little bit earlier.


    "Got it. I''ll take care of these sweets on depos¡ª¡ª"Sweets! Did you say ''sweets''?!" "


    Cloude opened his eyes wide in surprise, movements of mine and Emily-san''s froze. When we looked towards the voice, only a head had peeked out from Zakuro''s twin tails, the Mischievous Fairy locked onto the jelly I had in my hand. She already had droll in the edge of her mouth.


    On the other hand, Cloude stared at the Mischievous Fairy very seriously.


    "Hm? What? What is it? Did I do something?''


    Unable to understand, the Mischievous Fairy tilted her head in puzzlement. Cloude moved his gaze away from the fairy and onto me.


    "...hey, Yun."


    "Umm, what is it?"


    "That''s a fairy, isn''t it."


    "Yeah, so it is. Cuz'' we started the limited quest."


    I responded Cloude blandly, but inside, the cold sweat wouldn''t stop flowing. Having a bad premonition I took step backwards, when I did, Cloude put his hands on my shoulders sealing my movements.


    "If you accompany those who received the Fairy Quest, you can obtain a fairy! So, share it with me."


    "Scary! You''re being really scary!"


    There was a shadow on Cloude''s face as he looked at me from close, he was clad in mysterious fighting spirit.


    "I want to find mine and only mine fairy, and I''ll dress her up freely! No, it''s a waste to only dress up one of them. I want to make lots of costumes suiting fairies'' personalities and make them wear them! For the sake of my ambitions shagh¡ª¡ª?!"


    Pressed on to by Cloude''s enthusiasm I was taken aback, when tears were about to appear in my eyes, something fell from above and Cloude''s movements stopped.


    Emily-san sitting next to us had shut Cloude up by striking his head with the sword''s sheath. Socks who rode on Cloude''s shoulders also had ground its paws into his cheeks.


    As Cloude withstood the attack with the sheath from overhead and the paw strikes, Emily-san spoke, appalled.


    "What are you doing. Yun-kun will sue you for sexual harassment."


    Certainly, if it went too far it would be sexual harassment, but being treated like a woman put me into a bad mood.


    "I got too excited. My bad, don''t hit me so hard."


    Socks delivered a series of cat punches to Cloude''s cheeks. Emily-san too, once again swung the sheath, but Cloude responded with "wait" and protected his head with his hands.


    "But, Yun. It''s a time-limited quest. Players who don''t have luck to find a fairy on their own can only rely on others to share it with them."


    "Well, I know that much."


    Weak me has this time proceeded to the back of the Mine Dungeon in a party with Emily-san, the two of us. And, by advancing the quest by one stage I met a fairy.


    "Just this time. I''ll put an effort to spreading the fairies around so there won''t be any burden on you, Yun."


    Certainly, it seemed like it would be troublesome if the few parties that received the quest did it alone and didn''t spread it. Also, I myself have received the quest from Emily-san, so I have to at least spread to one more person in exchange.


    "Haa, I get it. Then¡ª¡ª"All right, let''s hurry and go now!"¡ª¡ªehhh?!!"


    Cloude jumped out of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ pulling me after him. Ryui and Zakuro chased after me. And, before I realized the Mischievous fairy took a mouthful of sweet bean jelly and ate while riding on my shoulder.


    "Now, fairy! Where are you comrades!"


    "Hmm. The monster''s presence can be felt from that way, I guess?"


    "Let''s go there then!"


    Emily-san had seen me off as I was being dragged away.


    "I''ll proceed with the research using ¡¾Synthesis¡¿. Do your best."


    No, Emily-san, you also have a Water Fairy who had come back and is now right next to you, so help us as well! I wanted to shout, but I was seen off unable to say anything.


    ¡ñ


    "Now, Fairy. Where''s the enemy?"


    Continuously circling over my head time again, hmm, the Mischievous Fairy growled.


    Currently, we left the first town together with Cloude and were looking for the next Thorn Token in the plains.


    To think that I''ll have to fight with two of them in a single day, at least let me rest a little.


    "What are you saying. For a time-limited quest, it''s the basic of basics to advance as much as possible while you can. There''s always a possibility of an emergency where you won''t be able to find time to complete it."


    When Cloude said so, the Mischievous Fairy seemed to have felt something as she pointed towards a certain location.


    "I can feel a strong monster subordinate''s presence from there!"


    "Let''s go then."


    "Heyhey."


    Without motivation, I held Zakuro in my hands and stroked Ryui''s neck who tagged along with me as I followed Cloude.


    "............"


    "............"


    As the two of us walked in silence, the Mischievous Fairy''s humming resounded strangely.


    While Cloude was relatively good at socializing, it might have been the first time for us to make a party just the two of us. The crafters hardly go out to adventure in the first place.


    "...hey, Cloude."


    "What is it? Yun."


    Unable to stand the silence I asked, but I had no idea what to talk about so I started to think of a topic.


    "Um¡ª¡ª"It''s boooring!" "


    The Mischievous Fairy suddenly yelled loudly. My words were interrupted as she started throwing a wild tantrum in mid-air.


    "Mmgh, it''s not interesting! Let''s make it this, dah! Eii!"


    She generated a small wind and lured in non-active mobs in the plains. Herbivorous Beasts, Slimes as well as Hobgoblins have began gathering one after another.


    "Yun, they started to gather."


    "You''re being too calm! Hey, wait! You Mischievous Wind Fairy! Stop attacking!"


    "It''s not attacking! It''s a prank!"


    I stretched my arm trying to catch her, but my hand just passed through the air and the Mischievous Fairy had puffed her chest in the mid-air. Higher than my hands could reach it, she had blown wind towards all the mobs within her range.


    "Just as she said, it''s quite amusing."


    "It''s not amusing at all! Geez.''


    The mobs that gathered were all small and weak. Just their numbers were high and each could be beaten with a single hit. I cut them down with the kitchen knife in my hand and Cloude had hit them with his staff.


    It were fighting styles unlike that of an archer and a mage, but we decided to fight with physical close combat attacks in order not to waste arrows and MP.


    "What a hassle."


    "Isn''t it fine. It''s a light warm-up. Also, it''s good to know what Wind Fairy is capable of."


    "Capable of?"


    "The basic elements the fairies that stick to players have are fire, water, wind, earth, light and darkness, these six. And, for personalities they apparently have a countless number of patterns prepared."


    "Not much time has passed since the update, but you sure know a lot."


    We continued to talk as we worked through the enemy in front of us.


    "Having just half a day, you can gather information regarding the quest to some extent. Also, although the fairies provide light support, their element and personality as well as the kind of assistance they offer differs between each fairy."


    Cloude and I glanced at the Mischievous Wind Fairy. Being stared at, she had returned a blank expression at us.


    "What is it? Did I do something?''


    "No, it''s nothing."


    She arbitrarily started to attack the enemy mobs indiscriminately and lure them in. It didn''t seem like support to me.


    With my mood turned worse all at once I pierced the slime in front of me with the kitchen knife.


    The gathered mobs were wiped out in matter of minutes, there was no longer any trace of mobs in our surroundings.


    The Mischievous Fairy that was flying overhead had finally come down and rode on top of my head.


    "Ahh, that was fun! Now, now! Let''s go!"


    "Good grief, you sure are energetic. Next time don''t do whatever you want."


    I advised the Mischievous Fairy, but seeing her ignore me, I drooped my shoulders dejected.


    "Speaking of which, Yun, how much do you know about the Fairy Quest?"


    "Hm? From the overview I know it''s time-limited quest and that the person accompanying the player who received it can also obtain a fairy and advance with the quest. Also, you need to defeat four Thorn Tokens, right?"


    "If you''d like, I''ll tell you all the information I have gathered from the players who came to my store."


    I responded with "sure" and started to listen attentively to the information Cloude possessed regarding the quest.


    "Let''s see. First, the quest has players to defeat monster''s subordinates¡ª¡ªThorn Tokens. Also, Thorn Tokens'' behaviour patterns vary depending on the mob they parasaitize upon."


    "Yeah. I fought against Arachne Thorn Token so I somewhat get it."


    "Then next. The range of the mobs that can become a Thorn Token is dependant on a condition that the player must have defeated the type of mob in the past, or so we think."


    "I see. With that condition, there won''t be any cases where someone will be beaten upon first meeting with the mob."


    Since the behaviour patterns are similar, its something like a simple strengthening in case of the Arachne or so it feels. However, the base mob in addition to its own attack patterns becomes able to attack with thorns. There was also the HP absorption attack and the manipulation of the body using the thorns.


    "Well, that''s pretty much everything I heard. Also, if there''s good compatibility with the mob parasitised by Thorn Token, it seems like they become quite strong."


    Although the full information wasn''t available yet, it was still good to re-confirm what we already know. Thinking of that, I realized that being able to gather information within just a few days, and then share it with me, Taku''s and Myu''s ability when it comes to that was abnormal.


    "Also¡ª¡ªoh right. It''s not related to the Fairy Quest, but there''s information about a wandering mob added with the update."


    "Oh, something like new mobs?"


    "There are those too. Among the Big Boars and Forest Bears, there''s quite probability that you''ll meet the young beast versions of them."


    Cloude operated his menu and displayed a screenshot.


    On the screenshot there was a characteristic striped wild boar''s piglet, there were screenshots of it sleeping and cuddling up to people. For the Forest Bear young beast there was a screenshot of one clinging to its parent''s back.


    "Woaa, what''s this! That''s super cute! I want to touch them!"


    The moment I said so, Ryui started head-butting me lightly. Of course, I love both Ryui and Zakuro, too.


    "Although there were people who could tame young beasts during the event, the other players didn''t have a chance at getting young beasts, which we believe is the reason for their addition. Although they won''t turn into fighting force, it must have been requested very often."


    While saying so he closed the image, ahh, I let out a voice full of regret.


    "Also, there''s information about a wandering-type unique boss but¡ª¡ªif you encounter it, you die with certainty."


    "D-die?!"


    He spoke so unhesitatingly, I ended up responding with a weird voice.


    "Its name is Grim Reaper. A humanoid using a scythe for a weapon. A certain front-lines party seems to have met it and was wiped out."


    "By Grim Reaper, you mean like, Death? C''mon, what''s with that calamitous boss."


    "It does look like Death itself. If you meet him, run for your life."


    "Um... is there anything like, omens?"


    "Right. It seems like a purple mist hangs over the surroundings and cold air starts drifting around."


    "Purple mist and cold air¡ª¡ªhyaa?!!"


    While I muttered absent-mindedly a chilly wind had flowed by my legs. Feeling something pass by my neck I immediately turned around.


    I braced myself and touched my neck to confirm, but there was nothing there. Was it just my imagination? I thought, but then laughter came from above my head.


    "AHAHAHA, so funnyy! So startled by mere wind."


    "...m-my heart."


    Although the fairy laughed, I didn''t have any strength to even get angry at her and just fell down on spot.


    "You okay? Yun."


    "I''m bad with ghost stories and such, so I was just relieved. I''m fine."


    "Well, even though it''s a Grim Reaper, rather than like a creepy ghost it has a cool design so it doesn''t strike fear into people. If anything, it''s a design that makes you feel awe the moment it takes you down."


    "Still, it''s scary in its own right."


    Design amazing enough to make you respect it the moment it kills you. I wonder how is it.


    "Really, at least spare me from pranks using ghost motifs."


    "Mgrr, fine."


    Although the Mischievous Fairy looked disgruntled, when I asked kindly she agreed. So if I ask kindly there''ll be an effect?


    In the meantime, we have approached the place the second Thorn Token was.


    "Hey, isn''t this the Wetlands?"


    Ahead of where the Mischievous Fairy pointed to, there were the Wetlands spreading south of the First Town. This area had a lot of enemies who attacked from surprise.


    "Yup yup, it''s just a little bit in!"


    "Can''t help it. I''ll walk in front and ensure our safety."


    For now, I put down Zakuro whom I was holding and clenched the bow.


    I avoided the Treants and Moor Frogs hiding in the Wetland, from time to time we also entered combat as we walked towards a certain location.


    After proceeding in the direction Mischievous Fairy had pointed to, trying to avoid enemy mobs and places with bad footing, at certain location there was an instruction to stop.


    "It''s coming! Also, do your best."


    Immediately after these words, a thick thorn penetrated the Wetlands'' ground and extended, it attempted to erode a Moor Frog that was hiding behind the leaves of the plants that are floating on top of the Wetlands.


    The Moor Frog''s body expanded to the size of a human''s body in no time and roses bloomed on both of its eyes just like it happened with Arachne, using its long tongue and inherent jumping ability it aimed its attacks at us.


    "Hmm. For now, let''s withdraw to take a good look!"


    "Agreed on the safety measures!"


    Taking Cloude''s suggestion, I took distance from the Thorn Token as fast as possible. And, once we moved away quite a bit¡ª¡ª


    "It''s not chasing us. Or rather..."


    "It can''t. The thorns are in the way."


    Thorn Token was a mob that was the result of thorns extending from the ground and parasitising a mob on the surface. And, since the base of the thorns is only in one place, the mob''s movement range seems pre-determined.


    The parasitised huge frog tried to jump and crush us underneath, hit us with it''s extending tongue and use water magic to shoot Water Bullets at us, but neither of the attacks reached.


    "Can this be, a chance?"


    "I like that pattern."


    Both Cloude and I made expressions as if we were scheming an evil plan.


    For Arachne Thorn Token it wasn''t possible since we were in a closed space of the mine, but it was possible now.


    Cloude one-sidedly assaulted the frog with darkness magic.


    "Hahahahaha, now, dance, dance for me! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shadow Bolt¡·!"


    Laughing loudly Cloude shot an arrow of darkness that had high penetration. While watching it I ascertained the aim with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and raised my bow high.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack. Now, go!"


    The arrow shot into the sky drew an arc and pierced the frog''s back. It was called high-angle deviation shooting. Although impossible to use in closed space, it was possible to shoot one arrow after another having them draw a three-dimensional trajectory.


    "How disgraceful. Even a toy frog would entertain me more!"


    "Ahh, speaking of which, I wondered what is it similar to, so that was it."


    What Cloude meant, was a rubber toy that used a pump to sent it into the air. The air was pumped into it from below and the frog''s legs would extend, making the toy jump. Since its attacks didn''t reach us, the appearance of this frog rampaging was very similar to that.


    "Tch, just its durability is high. I ran out of the jokes to make and the strength to laugh."


    "No, you better start moving your hands before joking around."


    The frog''s body was large and easy to target, but it didn''t want to fall.


    It was different from attacking with the knife considering I could attack however I wanted, but what else was different was the sensation between the attacks with an arrow and how the kitchen knife had pierced over the rose mark on Arachne''s chest.


    "Did it''s defence power increase?"


    "Doesn''t that differ between each parasitised mob?"


    "Hmm. Does it?"


    Feeling some discomfort, I shot an arrow.


    And, Cloude''s shadow arrow and my own strike pierced the roses that bloomed on the Moor Frog''s eyes, it was a decisive blow which finished the battle with the second Thorn Token.


    Once again the thorns abandoned the parasitised mob and dove into the ground, while looking as the thorns ran away, we carefully approached the defeated Moor Frog''s body.


    "What is it? Why are you so jumpy?"


    "No, um¡ª¡ªthe flu"Don''t tell him!"¡ª¡ª?!!"


    Suddenly, the Mischievous Fairy appeared and blocked my mouth. As I wondered where was she until now, she closed my mouth using her entire body and then whispered into my ear.


    ("At this rate, when my comrade wet with mucus jumps out, it''ll be interesting.")


    "What''s up, Yun? You wanted to say something?"


    "N-no, it''s nothing."


    I decided to keep quiet. After being covered in mysterious mucus I won''t show any mercy. At least I''ll bring down Cloude together with me. As such dark thoughts crossed my mind, Cloude received what had popped out from the Moor Frog''s body.


    Immediately after that, the mob''s body disappeared turning into particles of light and Cloude raised a sleek, jet-black egg.


    "What? This isn''t a fairy?"


    It was a moist sphere, but by no means it was an egg dripping in mucus.


    "Heeey, how long do you intend to sleep? Wake upp!"


    Beside me, the Mischievous Fairy called out towards the egg. As if in response, the jet-black shell turned phosphorescent and then, floating on Cloude''s palm, rubbing her eyes sleepily, was a darkness-coloured fairy.


    "Did you save me? I''m Darkness Fairy."


    After saying just that, she had intruded on Cloude''s pocket.


    "She''s not... covered... in mucus?"


    "Ahahaha, it''s a failure!"


    The fairy beside me had burst into laughter, then I noticed something.


    "Hey, can you turn into an egg as well?"


    "I can. You see, it''s a protective wall for a fairy''s emergency escape?."


    "Then, why on earth were you dripping wet with mucus when I met you?"


    "What?! Yun, I''d like to hear more about the case of dripping wet with mucus!"


    "Don''t come over here! And, don''t ask! Don''t remind me!"


    "Yaayy! Ruuuun!"


    As Cloude took a step forward, I took a step backwards.


    Geez, how did it turn out like this.


    I blatantly changed the topic back to the drowsy Darkness Fairy that was in Cloude''s pocket.


    "S-speaking of which, my Mischievous Fairy was able to read the flow of wind and lead us to the cave''s exit, what does that fairy specialize in?"


    "Hmm, so Wind Fairies had that kind of power."


    I was relieved that I was able to divert the topic from the mucus. The aforementioned Mischievous Fairy had puffed her chest proudly and answered.


    "That''s right! I''m Mischievous Wind Fairy! Using wind is my forte! Especially when it comes to getting in others'' way, I''m better than anyone!"


    Hmph, while she snorted proudly, on the other hand the unmotivated Darkness Fairy had showed her face out of the pocket and muttered a response sleepily.


    "See, I''m a Darkness Fairy. I prefer quiet over noisy¡ª¡ªlike this."


    Eii, letting a voice out without any intonation, she turned her fingertip towards the Mischievous Fairy. The loud fairy that continued to repeat "praise me praise me" had fell silent immediately and started swaying in the air, seeming likely to fall down.


    I caught her on my outstretched hands in a hurry, the Mischievous Fairy was sleeping with a slovenly facial expression.


    "Bad status induction. In particular, I''m good with using sleep. Also, I''m sleepy."


    After saying so, she dug deeply into Cloude''s pocket.


    "Well, it seems like the two fell asleep, we defeated the Thorn Token too, let''s go back."


    "You''re right. But to think that the fairies required for finding another target would fall asleep."


    Fuu, Cloude let out a heavy sigh, so he wanted to continue fighting I stared at him thinking so. Just today I fought with Arachne and Moor Frog Thorn Tokens. I want to rest a little. I thought.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "While taking a break, let''s hear more about that mucus! What, let''s take our time talking in Commonest while eating some cake and drinking tea."


    *pam*, when I turned around after Cloude put his hand on my shoulder, although he had a refreshing smile, the look in his eyes said "I won''t let you run away".


    There''s no escape from the demon lord.

 Chapter Volume 6 3

    Chapter 3 - The Wild Boar''s Piglet and the Fibre Material


    A few days have passed since defeating Thorn Token together with Cloude. He continued to persistently inquire about the mucus issue but I dodged the topic every time.


    Also, the information on the Thorn Tokens had been gradually gathered.


    There wasn''t much difference between the parasitised weak mobs and boss mobs as Thorn Tokens. However, some Thorn Tokens that parasitised mobs with certain characteristics were very strong.


    "Yeah, they aren''t something you can battle one after another. Haa, the inside of the store is wonderful."


    "Isn''t it. Here, tea."


    "Thank you, Kyouko-san.


    After being through a lot I ran out of energy and didn''t leave the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for even a step and was mixing potions, as well as crafting accessories.


    "Hey, hey! Make me something too! I''m bored you know!"


    "Eeeh, it can''t be helped then..."


    After such exchange, I have made a composite bracelet out of leftover leather and melted down iron equipment, but rather than of the size for a fairy''s wrist, it had turned into something that was worn like a belt.


    Some other time, when I frantically swung the hammer in front of the furnace, the sight of the Mischievous Fairy who had brought the snacks in and was crunching them soundly, had annoyed me greatly.


    "Heyy, don''t you have some other sweets?? I''m tired of these?."


    "Certainly, no wonder you got tired of butter cookies, but your demands are too luxurious. Geez."


    Ryui and Zakuro aren''t complaining at all, I thought, when I turned towards the two, they looked away slightly. No way, so they were tired of them.


    "Haa, let''s stop eating butter cookies for now then. But, I''m not making anything else."


    "Why! I was looking forward to human snacks!"


    "No, today there''s a tea party with Cloude and the others, so you can eat some in there, there''s no need for me to make any."


    "What! Then, fine!"


    When I said so, the Mischievous Fairy went "pyuu" and bolted out through the window towards the field. Seeing that, Kyouko-san the NPC chuckled cutely, but personally, I''d like more peace to calm down in.


    "Hello, Yun-kun. It seems quite fun."


    "Emily-san. Since you''ve come, it''s about Metallic Thread, right?"


    "Yes, so it is. Well, let''s talk talk about it leisurely, Yun-kun, how are you?"


    The Water Fairy riding on Emily-san''s shoulder took off in order to take a look at the plants on the field, Emily-san saw her off with a smile.


    "How nice. Emily-san''s Water Fairy is so quiet. Mine is complaining all the time ''I''m bored'', ''I want this'' ''I want that'', like a kid."


    "Mine isn''t so. ''It''s dark'', ''dull'', ''I want more plants''. She says."


    Emily-san received a cup of tea from Kyouko-san, took a sip and heaved a sigh.


    Since the conversation seemed like a talk of two mothers, I burst into laughter quietly.


    "So it''s like that on your side too."


    "Everyone in the surroundings is at mercy of the fairies. They try to match them, understanding them better is constructive."


    "Mmm, it feels like it''s too late for me to do that. I''ve been quite cold to her."


    "If Yun-kun is being cold to her, then most of the players would have treated her much worse."


    "Really?"


    "That''s right. If you really was to be hated, she would respond to you mechanically without any expressions, like a noh mask. Compared to that, I think your Mischievous Fairy is really expressive."


    When I looked outside the window, the Mischievous Fairy created a breeze which swayed the herbs in the field and formed waves in small grass. Emily-san''s Water Fairy had moistened the ground by spreading water mist in the air, which resulted with a rainbow.


    The Wisteria Peach Tree in the back of the field and the rainbow, as I watched the two fairies dance in that scenery a smile had naturally spilled on my mouth.


    "The flowers are beautiful aren''t they. It''s worth clearing that hard raid quest."


    "Yeah. It''s great to spend time leisurely by that tree, brushing Ryui and Zakuro."


    "Since my own Wisteria Peach Tree won''t grow to this size in the plant pot I got from Yun-kun, I''m envious."


    Saying so, she sipped the tea again and to her mouth, she raised one of the butter cookies the Mischievous Fairy was tired of.


    A brisk crispy sound reached my ears accompanied by pleasant silence.


    However, in the middle of it, just for a moment a shadow appeared on Emily-san''s face.


    "I kind of feel a gaze on us, don''t you?"


    "Hm? Not really."


    "You see. Ever since I put down the plant pot with Wisteria Peach Tree I''ve been feeling a line of sight on me. It wasn''t the malicious kind, the Water Fairy too, said that it''s a good gaze, that a good kid has come."


    "Hmm. I wonder what is it? A guardian spirit? A fantastical existence?"


    I tilted my head, wondering, but from what I could recall I hardly felt any gazes on me before.


    Even when there were, at most it were people peeking in through the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s and checking up how''s the store.


    When I told that to Emily-san, "Yun-kun, whether about the gazes or your own evaluation you''re really dense", she told me something horrible. Incomprehensible.


    "It''s just your imagination, doesn''t that happen too? Or maybe it''s not imagination but ''tree''s spirit'' or something." (Note: šÝ¤Î¤»¤¤ (ki no sei) for one''s imagination and ˜ä¤Î¾« (ki no sei) for tree''s spirit)


    "Oh my, quite a pun it turned to. Well, let''s leave the small talk at this and get down to main topic."


    I didn''t intend to make a pun at all, but it turned into one contrary to my intentions. With these words a smile returned to Emily-san''s face and then, her expression turned into ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿''s serious one.


    "First, to report. The three types of textile materials, ¡¾Arachne''s Silk Bag¡¿, ¡¾Bamboo Fibre¡¿ and ¡¾Magical Silk¡¿ have failed when synthesizing them normally."


    "I see, so they were all misses."


    Although I was disappointed, Emily-san''s facial expression was full of confidence and in contrast to me, she just tilted her head.


    "I said ''synthesizing them normally'', right? So, I tried synthesizing some additional materials with them I had information on to see how it goes."


    "Then..."


    "Yes. The result is this."


    While saying so, she placed a few bundles of Metallic Thread, the same Letia had previously showed me.


    "The recipe is, an ore-type item and ¡¾Water of Life¡¿. And, this time the thread-type items that succeeded were ¡¾Arachne''s Silk Bag¡¿ or ¡¾Magical Silk¡¿, it was ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ of those three."


    "Great! We did it!"


    "If I''m not wrong, the Runner Bug that spits out Metallic Thread comes from the ¡¾Town''s Dungeon¡¿ of the Maze Town right? So, I tried to combining all three materials from the Town''s Dungeon, like this the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ was added to the recipe."


    "I see. In the cave dungeon where you can get the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ you can also get the item for summoning the Runner Bug, can''t you."


    "Also, I talked to the crafters who use ¡¾Sewing¡¿, apparently when they use ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ when producing thread or yarn, its quality improves."


    Other than that, it can be used for ¡¾Smithing¡¿''s cooling water and for ¡¾Woodworking¡¿''s dissolving of varnish. I remember Magi-san and the others mention this before.


    "Haa, I didn''t notice it at all. I would have been able to make it immediately with the materials on hand."


    Even without going to gather ¡¾Arachne''s Silk Bag¡¿, I''ve had ¡¾Magical Silk¡¿''s scraps, ore and the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "This kind of thing can''t be found without knowing the laws ruling it and experience. I just have a larger database than others do."


    After saying so, Emily-san took out the materials left-over after crafting Metallic Thread.


    "In the end, a third of it had disappeared as failures. The other third was changed to Metallic Thread. So, for surplus materials we''ll divide it between myself and Yun-kun. Well, there''s only lots of ¡¾Bamboo Fibre¡¿ left behind."


    Even though I have carefully burned the bamboo to make them they weren''t used, but thinking that there might be another opportunity to use them, I received my share.


    "Can I try the recipe for the Metallic Thread right away?"


    "Sure, go on."


    I took out a sheet for synthesising three types of items, and on top of it I put ¡¾Magical Silk¡¿, ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ and Silver Ore.


    "Go. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·"


    Light ran through the synthesis circle, it surrounded the three materials and gathered them together at the centre, overlapping them. And, the light gathered at the centre burst¡ª¡ª


    "It''s¡ª¡ªnot done? A failure, huh. Even though I have quite high ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ level."


    I picked up a worn-out thread-like material and heaved a sigh. Then, once again I confirmed my Sense status.


    Possessed SP23


    ¡¾Bow Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv49¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv8¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Speed Increase Lv28¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv18¡¿


    My ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ level was 33, but it still failed, huh.


    "Speaking of which, we haven''t looked into the success rate by level. I wonder what would be the recommended level for the recipe."


    "One more time¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·! Oh, this time it succeeded."


    When I changed the type of ore used in synthesis from Silver Ore to Iron Ore, I was able to synthesize it. It seemed that the success rate mainly depended on the type of synthesized ore, the only one I could synthesize in a stable manner at my level was up to Iron Metallic Thread.


    "Well, since I know the recipe, I''ll gather some materials and raise my level at least to the point where I can synthesize Silver Ore."


    "That''s a good idea. Also, can I try synthesizing something else while at it?"


    Saying so, Emily-san took out some materials.


    The materials she had put on top of a four-materials synthesis circle were a High Potion, MP Potion, ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ and ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petal¡¿. It can''t be, I thought.


    "Now, let''s go. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·"


    With her quiet murmur, the four materials emitted pale pink light and turned into a single form.


    "...it''s ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿. It''s amazing, Emily-san! So ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ can be made with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ too!"


    "So it''s not ¡¾Mixing¡¿ Sense''s exclusive, the price might drop then. Still, the recovered amount is just the default one."


    Emily-san shrugged as she said that.


    Really, the methods of using the Senses are very wide. There''s not just one route, I was made aware once again that there''s many routes to crafting.


    And then, I proposed something to Emily-san.


    "Emily-san, do you have time after this?"


    "What is it?"


    "Won''t you participate in the tea party with Magi-san and the others?"


    The tea party was an opportunity for exchanging information between the crafters. Well, at times we''re just eating sweets and chatting away.


    However, Emily-san responded immediately.


    "I''ll refrain myself. I''m not interested in that kind of thing."


    "As I thought."


    "I don''t like standing out. I don''t feel like getting mixed in together with the top crafters."


    Saying so, she drank the remaining tea and stood up.


    "If there''s something I want to relay to that place, I''ll have you mention it."


    "Got it. It''s a shame, but I can understand not wanting to stand out."


    Emily-san''s Water Fairy who was frolicking in the herb field has come back and sat on her shoulder, then with Ryui, Zakuro and the Mischievous Fairy we''ve seen them off.


    "Haa, refused huh."


    I already suspected it so I wasn''t that dejected. Still, I''m glad I was able to talk about crafting with her before the tea party. I thought.


    "Hey, how long until that tea party?"


    "Let''s see. It''s about time so we can go already. This time it''s at Cloude''s ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿."


    We left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ a little early and started walking towards the location the tea party will be held in.


    ¡ñ


    This time the tea party was in Cloude''s ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿. It was carried out by the table prepared in the corner of the store''s workshop.


    During this tea party there were more conversations than ever.


    That''s because in addition to the usual members, there were a lot of guests.


    "Wow, human sweets." "Nomnom" "Keh, you got no pride as a fairy, do you?" "Shoop"


    "So Magi-san and the others managed to get fairies attached to them."


    "Yup. Perfectly so!"


    "Me too!"


    When I said so, Magi-san and Lyly responded with smiles and then called out towards the fairies I have seen for the first time.


    "C''mon, you need to do a self-introduction."


    "Why do I have to introduce myself to some human..."


    The male fairy with brown skin who complained seemed to have been the fairy who attached himself to Magi-san.


    "Hmm. It seems like the ''Single Bite Sweets Series'' sold in ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ is quite popular with the fairies."


    "True. I like them too."


    "I might love candies tooo."


    Lyly and the Wind Fairy attached to him happily ate the single bite-sized sweets that Cloude had provided to go with tea.


    Right now, aside from the bite-sized sweets that were already sold in the caf¨¦, there were some trial products, something you couldn''t taste yet as a customer.


    Personally, I''d like to buy some baby castella and take it home.


    "Haa, now that the crafting event is over, the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ is back on track. Since I''m in the position of guild''s figurehead guild master, I''m glad that I can return to normal crafting activities?."


    "Agreed."


    Magi-san and I drank the tea and rejoiced at the decreased workload.


    The two of us drank black tea, Lyly drank green tea and Cloude''s drink of choice was black coffee.


    "Hey, Cloude. Recently, there''s been talk about a material called Metallic Thread circulating, you know anything?"


    "Right, the sewing-type crafter Kurocchi should know."


    The information concerning Metallic Thread reached Magi-san and Lyly too. On the other hand Cloude conveyed the information that was open to public and passed the rest of the explanation towards me who worked on it with Emily-san.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd so, since I haven''t managed to acquire any samples of Metallic Thread, I didn''t make anything yet. In that case, wouldn''t Yun be better-informed?"


    "I figured you''d pass the baton to me. We have managed to confirm a method separate from using a tamed mob, we were able to craft it using ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Sense."


    While saying so, I took out a stack of Metallic Threads we made just earlier. There were silver, iron, and copper types.


    I kept silent about the method of creation, but I told them Emily-san was the one who made it, and advertised that if necessary, they should ask her to make it.


    "Hmmm. So that ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿ girl made it. I could use this material for reinforcing ring mail for example."


    "Hmm. In my case I could tie the staff''s core with it or something, I guess there''s lots of uses? Next time I''ll order some of it to try."


    "Magi-san and Lyly, did the two of you discover anything new?"


    I asked the two who held the Metallic Thread in their hands with serious expressions, but they denied energetically shaking their heads to the sides.


    "Recently, there''s nothing new you see. So, I was just wondering if something could be done with this Metallic Thread."


    "Same the right side?."


    "Same here. By the way, Yun, how far did you proceed with deciphering that book?"


    "Eh, well, there''s still lots left I guess? I''m reading through bit by bit."


    The book Cloude spoke about was the raid quest''s reward I received which had ¡¾Mixing¡¿ recipes. Inside, there was the recipe for the Revival Medicine, but for the others, I was still in the middle of deciphering it using ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense.


    In regards to deciphering, I think that Cloude has gone further than I have as his ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ level was higher.


    "Then, I''ll pass this memo to you. The recipes I was able to decipher are written down on it."


    When I peeled open the piece of paper he passed to me while saying so, I saw the recipe and the page numbers written down carefully. To think he''d pass me something this valuable. I put on a bitter smile.


    "Thanks, Cloude. I''ll use it well."


    "What, don''t mind it. It''s a thanks for help with advancing the Fairy Quest."


    Saying so, he sipped the pitch black coffee.


    Since there were no other topics coming from Magi-san and Lyly, the tea party had immediately turned towards a normal chat and the fairies that turned to be our comrades have become its centre.


    "Still, it''s great that the Fairy Quest has spread from Yun-kun to Cloude and to us."


    As she said that, Magi-san held out a bite-size sponge cake to the Fire Fairy, the Fire Fairy puffed up his cheeks and wouldn''t receive it. But, just the sight of the castella chasing after him was cute.


    My Mischievous Wind Fairy, together with the same Wind Fairy that had come with Lyly ate the sweets, getting along well. Just, I wondered where did those amounts of food go in, the huge amounts of sweets swelled their bellies to improbable sizes. I convinced myself that it was just a fantastical scene.


    "So, Cloude. Sleeping over there is your fairy from last time, right."


    "Yeah, the Darkness Fairy that has come to me."


    I said and glanced at the fairy who put her head on a tiny cushion made for fairy-use by Cloude. The Darkness Fairy moved her mouth, mumbling as she slept leaning on the kitten, Socks.


    "Somehow, it feels like she''s wearing different clothes than I saw her in last time. The other fairies also look more colourful, something like that."


    "Yun-kun, you too have passed a splendid belt to yours haven''t you."


    "Well, that''s true."


    Being told it''s splendid by Magi-san, I felt a little embarrassed. The Mischievous Fairy noticed that she''s the topic, but wouldn''t let go of the sweets no matter what.


    Magi-san and I only gave ours small ornaments, but Cloude''s efforts were different.


    The Darkness Fairy should have been wearing a simple black one-piece, but now, she was wearing a black-themed gothic lolita costume with plenty of lace.


    "Fufufu, you don''t know how long it took me to make this piece. Just how much material I have used up making it."


    Cloude put on a fearless smile. Lyly and his fairy stared at Cloude''s masterpiece with great interest.


    "I''m envious. With my crafting speciality there''s nothing I can make for a fairy."


    "Indeed. I think so too. Since he''s cute I''d like to make something for him."


    While saying so, Magi-san pat the head of the Fire Fairy with her fingertips.


    And, the Fire Fairy whose head was pat, responded to her words.


    "What, are you dissatisfied with me?"


    "No, not at all. Thanks for powering the furnace for me."


    She said something interesting, Lyly and I tilted out heads in wonder.


    "Magi-san, by ''powering'' you mean?"


    "Ah, speaking of which I haven''t told you. When I do ¡¾Smithing¡¿ with him, he raises the temperature in the furnace so it''s easier to process the metal."


    "It''s nothing."


    Like that, Magi-san boasted of the Fire Fairy that was on top of her palm. The fairy himself folded his arms and said it''s nothing, but seemed to fidget happily.


    "Is that so. Then Lyly and Cloude, are yours doing anything?"


    "Hmm. Nothing in particular, I guess? Just, she uses the wind to clean up the shaved-off wooden chips."


    "I''m fine as long as she wears the clothes I make."


    As Cloude answered, both Magi-san and I stared at him intently, so he cleared his thought and added that she''s good at putting sleep bad status on enemies.


    Since we spoke about the relationships with the fairies one after another, this time all the faces turned towards me.


    "And, Yun-kun''s fairy is..."


    "Pheww, I sure ate lots!"


    The Mischievous Fairy who, until this very moment continued to eat sweets. Although a few days passed since she attached herself to me, all she did was to sleep, eat and invite me to play around. Such things. Also, she did some minor pranks like changing arrangement of sorted items.


    "Nothing in particular."


    "What! You''re speaking of me, right! I''m Mischievous Wind Fairy! I can do amazing mischief!"


    "Like shifting objects by few centimetres."


    "Stop mocking me! Mischief magic! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Take This¡·!"


    Yes yes. Not paying any attention to her I finished pouring more tea for myself and put in a small amount of sugar, then sipped it.


    "Geez, they''re just little pranks. ¡ª¡ª?!! Phuaa?!"


    "Yun-kun, are you okay?!"


    "Ynucchi, what happened?"


    I suddenly spat out the tea, surprising Magi-san and Lyly. I myself didn''t understand why, but seeing the Mischievous Fairy hold her belly as she laughed in mid-air, I understood I was pranked.


    "Y-you,, what did yo do?"


    "Ahahaha, that''s for mocking me! What a funny face!"


    A little of tea entered my nose so it hurt. Since I spat it to the side I didn''t dirty the table, but since my mouth was dirty I wiped my face with a towel.


    Cloude poured himself more coffee, took some sugar from the bowl and after dissolving it in the coffee, he sipped it.


    "I see. Salted coffee. For next sweets let''s try to ask for some salted ones."


    "Salt?!"


    Surprised, I picked some of the crystals and licked. The content of the sugar bowl changed into salt.


    "Let''s go with more! Theere, there!"


    The Mischievous Fairy fluttered in the air as if dancing, with a swing of her arm tea changed into a different drink and one of the table''s legs broke off. Cloude and I hurriedly supported it as it sloped.


    "Hey, stop!"


    "More, more, go go! Theere!"


    A whirlwind raised Cloude''s mantle and wrapped around his face. If I stopped supporting the table to stop the Mischievous Fairy, it would have fell down.


    "Magi-san, Lyly! Catch her!"


    "Got it."


    As expected, Magi-san and Lyly also thought it''s gone too far and rose from their chairs and reached towards the Mischievous Fairy.


    "Hehen, you won''t catch me!"


    "Wai... stop moving!"


    The Mischievous Fairy escaped slipping away from their hands. The fairy was flying around in the air freely having us at her mercy.


    "Hey, be obedient and let me catch you."


    "That''s right. Wait... w-woahh?!"


    "Lyly, careful!"


    Magi-san and Lyly reached out at the same time to stop the Mischievous Fairy''s movements. However, she wasn''t at an open spot, instead was was flying over chairs and table so that they got in the way. The fairy moved the chair with the wind and made Lyly stumble.


    Although Magi-san immediately tried to catch Lyly, since Mischievous Fairy pressed on his back to make sure he falls over, the two fell down together.


    "Magi-san! Lyly!"


    "What! What happened?!"


    With the mantle still wrapped around his face, Cloude had no grasp on what''s happening.


    "S-s-sorry Magicchi!"


    "No, it''s fine as long as you aren''t hurt."


    "Magi-san! Lyly!"


    I blushed seeing the two''s posture. Falling over, Lyly''s face pressed against Magi-san''s chest.


    Understanding the situation, Lyly tried to move back in panic, but he failed because of the hurry, somewhat unable to slip out from Magi-san''s chest.


    "Lyly. Calm down a little. C''mon, breathe in, breathe out."


    "Suu, haa, suu, haa. Okay, I''m fine."


    "Now, stand up slowly."


    Magi-san herself spoke to Lyly as if nothing happened, telling him to breathe to calm himself. After calming down Lyly slowly stood up, moving away from Magi-san.


    "Lyly, were you hurt?"


    "N-no, Magicchi."


    Lyly''s face turned beet red and he hung his head down. Magi-san put on a smile like that of a Cheshire Cat.


    "Lyly, was it embarrassing? Even though a child, you''re still a boy aren''t you."


    "Magicchi!"


    "Ahahaha, sorry. You were just too cute.''


    Magi-san and Lyly spoke cheerfully, but I was quite furious inside.


    I somehow was able to fit in the leg of the table back in and moved away.


    "Hey, didn''t you go too far with pranks?"


    I caught the Mischievous Fairy with a steel grip as she continued to laugh seeing her mischief a great success and asked seriously.


    "Let go! I''m a Mischievous Fairy! What''s wrong with pranks!"


    "It is wrong! If it''s so important to you, then limit it to just me!"


    "What''s with you! Whatever I doesn''t concern you!"


    "If you don''t apologize¡ª¡ªI''ll bottle you up!"


    Bottling, hearing that words all the fairies in the room tensed up.


    To be precise, the fairies'' expressions cramped up and the next moment, they started crying.


    " " "NOOOOOO, not bottling¡ª¡ª!" " "


    Just the Darkness Fairy who was sleeping woke up and was looking in the surroundings, but including the fairy in my hand they all started to cry.


    Magi-san who was teasing Lyly and Cloude who somehow managed to return his mantle to original have stared both at me and the fairies, wondering what happened.


    "Eh, ah, as long as you don''t do bad things I won''t bottle you! I won''t do it, so don''t cry!"


    I put down the Mischievous Fairy I caught on top of the table and comforted her.


    "Really? You won''t bottle me? Ever since long ago, bad fairies were put in bottles and used as Revival Medicine."


    Bottled Fairies, is this the game with hero in green clothes?! I retorted to myself in my mind and continued to soothe her.


    "I won''t bottle you. But, going too far with pranks is dangerous."


    "But, I''m Mischievous Fairy."


    "If you''re doing it, then do one that makes others happy. Also, since you troubled others, apologize."


    "...I got too carried away. I''m sorry."


    The Mischievous Fairy bowed her head obediently. The other fairies who were crying were also calmed down by Magi-san and Lyly.


    "I don''t really mind. Well, I was a little surprised, but there was no substantial damage."


    "Same here. If you''re to do pranks, then how about you let out some whirlwinds on the main stree¡ª¡ªMagi, lower your fist."


    Cloude spoke jokingly, but since he mentioned mischief that involved flipping skirts, with a smiley face Magi-san raised her clenched fist in front of his face.


    Lyly who received the most damage was facing downwards in embarrassment.


    "I''m sorry. I went too far."


    "I-I''m fine. Um, I was a bit... surprised but..."


    He took a glance at Magi-san and let out a groan. Magi-san herself wasn''t really conscious of it since she treated Lyly like a little brother.


    Seeing everyone get over the prank, I breathed out with relief.


    "Kukuku, still, it was a brilliant response to those prank. As expected of ¡¾Nanny¡¿ I''d say."


    "Grr. Cloude, don''t say that. I don''t like that name."


    Told so, I looked around for a second and the overly-free actions of those fairies overlapped with the sight of kindergarten children.


    As I made an unpleasant frown, Lyly diverted the topic away.


    "But, that was amazing. Changing the contents of the sugar bowl, removing legs of a table and such."


    "Hehen! ''Cause, I''m a Mischievous Fairy you see. I''m good at restraining others and making them fall over!"


    "Getting carried away again I see. Some time ago you gathered a bunch of enemy mobs at us, haven''t you."


    Diverting her body sideways to us, the Mischievous Fairy bragged, I gave her a frank advice but it seemed like it didn''t reach her. Then, Magi-san seemed to have noticed something.


    "Hey, my Fire Fairy can support crafting, but, isn''t this Mischievous Fairy a battle support? Just like Cloude''s Darkness Fairy who can put bad statuses on enemy."


    "I see. It might be so. Holding up enemy and pulling their attention away is quite splendid combat potential."


    "Then, what can my Wind Fairy do?"


    Lyly asked. We started to seriously think about the abilities of the fairies attached to us.


    Until now I thought of mine as annoying and didn''t face her seriously.


    I was told so by Emily-san too, but it seems like I might have to face my fairy once.


    Certainly, since I hardly engage in combat I didn''t think of her supportive ability for combat.


    Staring at the Mischievous Fairy I muttered quietly.


    "Maybe we need to grow a bit closer. No, let''s get closer."


    Grasping resolve in my chest I raised tea to my mouth, and spat out salty tea again.


    I forgot there''s still the salt tea left behind.


    ¡ñ


    After that tea party, the pranks have relatively settled down. Yes, relatively.


    "Ahahaha! Forward! Forward!"


    "Kyu?"


    The Mischievous Fairy sitting on Zakuro''s back seemed to have fun just riding on him as he walked around the store. Flying around would be faster, I thought while looking at it sideways and continued my preparations for adventure.


    Over the last few days, I choose potion recipes I could create as of now from the memo Cloude gave me and compared the deciphered recipe with the undeciphered ¡¾Mixing¡¿ recipes book.


    By using the decrypted recipe, the speed of my decrypting with ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ increased. While referencing to the decrypted material names and procedures I continued to develop new ones.


    And, today, I headed outside the town to gather the materials I was capable of gathering by myself.


    "Ryui, Zakuro, also Fairy. We''re going outside the town."


    "What, what?! A picnic?!"


    "Unfortunately, we''re gathering materials today. Also, we''ll be done soon enough."


    When I said so in response, Ryui and Zakuro lowered their heads dejected. However, the Mischievous Fairy who rarely leaves to the outside still seemed happy.


    "Then, then! For our sake let''s defeat the monster''s subordinate and release the Fairy Village!"


    "As long as there''s an enemy''s reaction outside town and nearby."


    "Grr! You have no motivation! Bring some out! You never know when the enemy will come!"


    "Yes yes, we''re going."


    The Mischievous Fairy riding on my shoulder prompted me to proceed with the Fairy Quest, but I simply ignored it, taking Ryui and Zakuro I left the town.


    The place I headed to this time was the interior of the Wetland southeast of the first town.


    I knew how to walk in the wetlands and as I proceeded while avoiding enemies as much as possible, between muddy ground and trees growing in the Wetlands I found a certain space.


    A decaying cemetery''s fence surrounded it. And, hidden in the back of it between two overlapping tomb stones there were stairs leading underground. It was an entrance leading to one of many small dungeons scattered around OSO''s world.


    Suitable to an underground dungeon of a cemetery, most of the mobs were of the undead-type.


    "Ohhh! A staircase leading to the bottom of an ominous tomb! I can feel adventure! I can feel adventure!"


    "No, we''re not going in."


    "Why?!"


    It wasn''t scheduled this time and I was bad with ghosts in the first place.


    My aim were the plants growing near the tombstone. As I looked around it intently I could see plant mobs sway occasionally.


    I took out the kitchen knife I had by my belt and while pressing down the leaves I impaled the mob''s roots while gouging the soil.


    The root rampaged struggling in the soil and the plant''s leaves shook vigorously, suppressed they slowly grown weaker and turned increasingly quiet.


    "Eh, it can''t be, a Mandragora?!"


    "Correct. The drop is... ¡¾Male Mandragora¡¿ huh. Well, ¡¾Female Mandragora¡¿ is rare drop."


    With that said, I took out the freshly dropped Mandragora out of the inventory and showed it to the Mischievous Fairy. Hiiii, she responded with a shriek.


    Although Mandragora''s face was distorted in a torturous expression like The Scream painting, to me it seemed like nothing but a radish with a human face carved on it, so I wasn''t afraid.


    "T-that! Isn''t it much more dangerous than a ghost?!"


    "Mandragoras can''t be grown on a field so I come all the way to this cemetery to pick them up. Haa, I wish I could grow them on the field."


    There were no seeds, since it was treated as a mob, I couldn''t cultivate it. I hoped that I might be able to do it with ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense, but there was no reaction.


    "Quit it! It''s dangerous! It''s a plant whose cry destroys the surroundings."


    "I know that, that''s why I defeat it while it''s still in the ground."


    Mandragora was a very weak type of mob. I could beat it one-sidedly, but for those who don''t know how to fight it, it''s a very nasty opponent.


    First, the player who doesn''t know it gets close. Once close enough, it waits for them to pick its herbs.


    Then once its pulled, combat begins, jumping out of the ground it lets out a loud cry that puts ¡¾Curse¡¿, ¡¾Charm¡¿, ¡¾Confusion¡¿ and ¡¾Anger¡¿, mental-type bad statuses on player and has an ability to call in other mobs.


    As such, the method I chose to use was a pre-emptive attack while pressing onto it so that it doesn''t come out of the ground.


    "Now now, let''s do our best to gather materials for a potion."


    "H-hiiii! Treating a Mandragora that''s treated as super dangerous organism in the Fairy Village like a mere weed, and with a smile at that!"


    While casting sceptical gazes at the fairy trembling inside Ryui''s mane, I recovered all the Mandragora around the entrance to the tomb. The ratio of male to female Mandragora was four to one. Although it was enough this time, I need to come again to pick some Female Mandragoras.


    "Well then, that''s it for harvesting in here. Let''s go back."


    "Let''s go there then! There''s a short-cut!"


    The direction Mischievous Fairy pointed to, was north.


    When we came here, we first moved to the south and then to east, by going straight north we would get out to the road leading to the Second Town. It''s been a while so I can go buy some food ingredients like vegetables in there, I thought.


    "Got it. Guide us then."


    "Leave it to me!"


    And, as I slowly followed the Mischievous Fairy, the muddy Wetlands'' ground changed into a forest''s soft soil, after proceeding for a while, I found something.


    "Isn''t that a Big Boar''s young beast?"


    After moving from south-eastern area to the eastern area, one of the aspects was that the enemies radically changed, in the middle of all that, I saw a sight of a small shadow running around the field that had a non-active, sleeping Big Boar.


    The appearance that had white stripes on it and body of elliptic shape without any tusks by its mouth was that of a wild boar''s piglet.


    I didn''t think that I would encounter one of the additional elements added by the update, a young beast.


    "Buu."


    It cried out and moved closer. The piglet that was of the same size as Zakuro had fixed its aim putting a lot of strength into its hind legs, then started to run towards Zakuro.


    "Buu!"


    "Kyuu!"


    "Y-you guys, calm down."


    Suddenly, Zakuro an the piglet started playing tag. The two animals ran around my feet in circles.


    Since they kept running around me, I couldn''t move and could only watch it, confused.


    "Interesting! Go! Faster! Overtake!"


    "What overtake, is this horse racing?! Stop this already!"


    I had no idea why was it that they ran around me. Although it wasn''t a hostile mob and the piglet only played around by chasing Zakuro, it seemed like Zakuro himself was escaping seriously.


    Meanwhile, Zakuro jumped on Ryui''s back and the piglet started wandering under Ryui''s feet not sure what to do so I caught it.


    Although its hair was slightly harder than Zakuro''s, it was soft compared to Big Boar''s.


    "Buu."


    "Hey, don''t chase Zakuro around."


    "Buu."


    "Geez, so you understand."


    I heaved a sigh and looked straight into piglet''s eyes as I lifted it up with both hands. Wide open eyes, twitching nose and little ears, its weak cry seemed like it would drain me of strength.


    "¡ª¡ªHey, hey. What do we do?!"


    "Yeah, well, I don''t feel like increasing the amount of my tamed beasts, so we can only let it go back to its comrade¡ª¡ª"


    "Not that! The third monster''s subordinate is nearby and coming here!"


    "Until now we were the ones who were looking for them, so this time it came by itself, huh."


    Spitting a curse I put down the piglet on the ground and looked in the direction the fairy was pointing.


    I nodded silently and ordered Ryui to protect Zakuro and hide themselves with an illusion.


    I headed in the direction the fairy was pointed to, behind the bushes and trees.


    The Ochre Archer''s additional effect ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ was sufficiently demonstrated as I was able to watch the third Thorn Token while hiding in the vicinity.


    "Seriously, this time it''s a Blade Lizard, huh."


    The boss mob that was blocking the way to the Second Town, Blade Lizard.


    It''s appearance eroded by thorns had its scales ruffled, limbs entangled by thorns and the hard nails extended with thorns. The roses that were the weakness of Arachne and Moor Frog''s could be seen at its left eye and the tail.


    Even though the Blade Lizard was a boss, right now it was an easy enemy to beat. However, I didn''t know how much was it strengthened with the thorns.


    Since Thorn Token would take action to defeat the mobs nearby, I waited for it to do so to confirm how strong it is approximately and to confirm a way to attack it.


    "Let''s watch for now¡ª¡ª"Buu, buu"¡ª¡ª No way."


    When I looked towards the voice, I saw the piglet walk my way. It looked around restlessly as if searching for something.


    As if it had come searching us.


    "Hey, look, if we leave it be it''ll go to where the monster is."


    "I know."


    Right now, the Blade Lizard Thorn Token was attacking the mobs around it at random. Big Boars, Mill Birds and Rats, it took down the mobs using its claws and fangs.


    "Buu buu!"


    Looking for us, the piglet continued to raise a cry. Because of the ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ it had passed by overlooking us, I continued to observe the Blade Lizard Thorn Token.


    "Buuuu!!"


    "AAahh?!! It was found."


    "SHURAAAAAA¡ª¡ª"


    With the piglet appearing in front of it, the Blade Lizard let out a hoarse, intimidating voice.


    "Bu, buu, buu!"


    Despite being frightened, the piglet tried to intimidate the Blade Lizard as it continued to look for us.


    And, the Blade Lizard swung up one of its legs.


    "Ahh damn it! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·!"


    I discarded my own advantage of ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ and created an earthen wall between the piglet and the Blade Lizard.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed."


    Hindering the attack of the swung thorn-claws, I earned a little bit of time and ran the distance separating me from the piglet all at once. Scooping it up I ran through, forward.


    "Geez, if I decided to save you earlier, it wouldn''t have turned into a troublesome situation like this., I''m so stupid."


    "Still, better than forsaking it!"


    The Mischievous Fairy that entered my hood had peeked out and responded into my ear.


    Seeing us appear all of a sudden, the Blade Lizard had opened its mouth and started intimidating us. With its sharp scales erect, it pierced the ground with its hardened thorn-nails and thrust all four of its limbs taking a stance.


    "Can we win a battle against it without enough information?"


    "I''ll help so we''ll definitely win!"


    "Buu, buu!"


    Encouraged by the Mischievous Fairy, I found motivation to fight. However, the piglet seemed to be happy finding us and was rubbing the tip of its nose against my arm.


    "Good grief, with one arm I can''t avoid or shoot any arrows. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Defence."


    I further applied double enchant of physical attack and defence on top of the speed enchant against the Blade Lizard whose attacks were all physical. And, immediately after that I avoided the large claws swung at us to the side.


    After avoiding, a tail with bristled blade scales had passed right in front of me, it was correct to avoid it with a spare, I thought.


    I stepped backwards taking distance and threw Magic Gems at the Blade Lizard.


    "Take this. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    The Magic Gem bombs exploded grandly. They had about the same power as the ones I have previously used against a Blade Lizard. No, since my earth magic level increased since then, they were more powerful.


    "SHURAAAAAA¡ª¡ª"


    As I thought, both its defence and attack power were enhanced.


    After it turned into a Thorn Token, half-assed attacks wouldn''t work. When damaging Moor Frog and Arachne there was no response either.


    "This guy, isn''t he stronger than the other were?"


    "Most likely. The monster doesn''t want us to get close to the Fairy Village so it focuses on strengthening its subordinates."


    "Then, the next Thorn Token is going to be even stronger, huh. First time hearing that."


    "Yup. ''Cause it''s the first time I said it."


    She didn''t have to confess the shocking truth in the middle of combat. I felt like sighing at the sky, but I couldn''t let my sight off the enemy.


    I slowly took distance trying to reach the position from which an attack won''t reach the piglet, but as I took a step backwards, a green wall had appeared behind me.


    "No way, a wall of thorns!"


    "This, it cut off our retreat completely. What do we do?"


    The wall of thorns that surrounded mine and the Blade Lizard''s battlefield was like a wire mesh of a wrestling deathmatch.


    I couldn''t escape while holding the piglet.


    "No choice but to fight, huh."


    Holding the piglet in my left arm, I raised the kitchen knife with my right. However, since the bristled scales of the Blade Lizard were longer than my kitchen knife, unless I target firmly it won''t go through to damage the body.


    "SHURAAAAAA¡ª¡ª"


    "Tch!!"


    I manoeuvred as to prevent being squished between the Blade Lizard in the front and the wall of thorns.


    The thorny deathmatch stage was too small to move in as a party. Perhaps, it was made for a solo player. Either a barrier to prevent one-sided attacks from the distance or a jail to prevent stand-away attacks.


    "Danger!!"


    The swung claws, swayed tail, the bite of its fangs, the scales standing on its entire body. Using my entire body I continued to avoid Blade Lizard''s attacks and observed it.


    "As I thought, my eyes have gotten better."


    I was now clearly aware of the capability I felt during the fight with Arachne.


    Only for a moment as enemy''s attacks approached, the movement of the world around me appeared slow. Still, it wasn''t that I moved like I usually did. Just, all the movements including my own felt like a playback in slow motion during that time.


    However¡ª¡ª


    "If I have time to think, then I''ll chose optimal course of action! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Ingredients Knowledge¡·!"


    Using the slow-motion during the moment of attack, I predicted enemy''s attack and avoided it with minimum of movement, deciding the measures of the next action.


    One of them was analysing enemy''s weak points with ¡¶Ingredients Knowledge¡·.


    While avoiding the attacks I found the roses that were enemy''s weak points and fought back, aiming at them.


    "Ha!!"


    "GYAAAAAAA¡ª¡ª"


    I held out the kitchen knife in a slight counter against the tail''s cleave. The rose blooming on the tail scattered its petals and the Blade Lizard trashed around.


    The roses commonly blooming on the Thorn Token, as the ¡¶Ingredients Knowledge¡· marker reacted to them, I aimed at that point.


    "Yes! My attac¡ª¡ª!!"


    My attack went through. There was no time to rejoice over that, the thick thorn connecting with Blade Lizard had assaulted me.


    I forgot that the enemy wasn''t just the parasitised Blade Lizard, but also the thorny vines stretching from the ground. The thorns have grown restless in response to the sight of writhing Blade Lizard and have approached me.


    As even using the time to think I got from the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I couldn''t find a timing to avoid nor find a safety zone, I started to get impatient.


    ("What do I do, where do I run, where do I dodge to¡ª¡ª")


    Unable to find a way, I took a defensive posture.


    With a posture as to have the thorns hit my shoulder, I held the piglet as to protect it.


    "Ughh¡ª¡ª!"


    The thorns thick like a log hit my shoulder, blowing me away with the impact.


    I endured only for a moment as the impact bit into my shoulder and was thrown in to the wall of thorns behind me.


    Thorns stuck to my shoulder and the back, 40% of my HP was scrapped away and I fell on my knees.


    The Mischievous Fairy fled into the sky before the thorns'' attack, the piglet I held in my arms was also safe. However, as I was unable to completely block the impact, the piglet received slight damage.


    "I''ll heal you now."


    Before my own recovery, I prioritized putting down the piglet that let out feeble cries in my arms and using a High Potion on it.


    "Hurry up and stand, avoid it!"


    I raised my head hearing Mischievous Fairy''s voice, the Blade Lizard brandishing its thick tail was approaching from the front.


    "¡ª¡ª?!! I leave it to you!"


    I realized that I cannot avoid it and tossed the piglet high into the sky. Immediately after that, the tail drew a curve and like a hook, captured the side of my head.


    While my HP had decreased, I saw the Mischievous Fairy firmly catch the flying piglet and carry it outside the wall of thorns.


    Outside the wall there was Ryui and Zakuro so I could be at peace of mind. As I thought so, at the same time as my HP went down to zero my field of vision turned black.


    And, a choice had appeared in the middle of my dimmed vision¡ª¡ªas to whether I use a Revival Medicine or not, I selected ¡ºYES¡» without any hesitation.


    "Now, let''s refocus myself."


    I slowly stood up and once again faced the Blade Lizard.


    I used the High Potion I took out earlier, but it wasn''t enough so I used one more to recover my HP fully.


    "Are you okay? You were done-in weren''t you."


    "I''m fine! Rather did y¡ª¡ª"I properly carried it outside the thorns."¡ª¡ªWell done."


    "So, I must put you up to it but let me ask, our chances?"


    "I have no confidence. But, we''ve got to do it, right."


    While saying so, I changed my weapon from a kitchen knife to Black Maiden''s Longbow.


    "And, what should I do?"


    "The battle will last just an instant. I''ll aim for the vital point. So draw the enemy''s attention however you can."


    "Simple plans and easy to understand plans are the best!"


    The Mischievous Fairy took off from my shoulder while saying that. She created a whirlwind in front of the Blade Lizard and attacked with it. Although it was for using as mischief and had no offensive power, since whirlwind continuously remained where the Blade Lizard''s face was, it tried to swing its claws and tail at it. Also, it tried jumping at the Mischievous Fairy in the sky, but with the thorn in the ground acting like shackles, Blade Lizard couldn''t reach her.


    "Hehen. There''s more!"


    In meantime, I proceeded with preparations.


    Since I have returned using Revival Medicine, the strengthening effects of the enchants have disappeared, so I reapplied them.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed. ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªDefence."


    I have strengthened myself with enchants and weakened the Blade Lizard''s defence.


    And, I swallowed ATK enhancement Boost Tablet, assisting myself with an item.


    "The effective time is three minutes. ATK+8 for maximum attack power."


    However, it wasn''t over.


    What else I took out was a fire Elemental Stone and an arrow synthesised with bad status poison drug.


    "¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon."


    I applied a fire enchant to the Black Maiden''s Longbow and nocked a poison arrow. I aimed at enemy''s weak point while adding attack correction from Art.


    "I''ll decide it now. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    An attack I was most used to. The shot I released as if being sucked into it, had pierced through the Blade Lizard''s eye while Mischievous Fairy attracted its attention.


    Following the first one on the tail, the rose on the Blade Lizard''s eye scattered, but it had glared at me with its remaining eye.


    In addition to the accumulated damage, this blow had further delivered damage with poison, the 20% of enemy''s remaining HP was decaying with slip damage.


    Unable to defeat it with a single blow and seeing as it wasn''t defeated with just ¡¾Poison 3¡¿''s slip damage, the Blade Lizard turned its target back to me and charged at me again.


    As it opened its big mouth, I could see numerous thin thorns inside.


    Recalling what the Arachne did when I was crushed, I got goose bumps.


    "So it wants to absorb my HP!"


    Although the Blade Lizard jumped as to pressure me, I activated a Magic Gem to counter.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿!"


    I shouted and pressed the gem onto the ground.


    With the gem as the starting point a wall of soil was raised from the ground, it struck the Blade Lizard''s jaw, forcibly closing it.


    And then I jumped at it, straddling Blade Lizard''s head.


    "I''ll sew your mouth with this!"


    I wound a several layers of Iron Metallic Thread I took out of the inventory around its mouth, unable to open it the Blade Lizard continued to shake its head violently. Unable to stand that I was shook off, but rolled on the ground and immediately stood up and raised the bow towards the sky.


    "Guide it!"


    "Leave it to me!"


    I listened to Mischievous Fairy''s proud answer and shot an arrow towards the sky.


    And, as I looked towards the Blade Lizard who rampaged unable to get the Metallic Thread off, this is bad, I muttered. The several layers of Metallic Thread were unable to withstand it and started creaking loudly.


    "Stay quiet for a little longer! ¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿!"


    The Blade Lizard received a push-up by the mud wall again, its head shook and its movements dulled. In that moment I jumped on its head again, I wrapped the Metallic Thread around my hands and tightened the Blade Lizard mouth''s binding more strongly.


    "Ghh!"


    In order to prevent it from using HP absorption by biting, I tied up its mouth with Metallic Thread.


    In order to recover the HP that decreased, the Thorn Token tried to shake me off and bite me.


    It rampaged with all its strength, rolled on the ground to shake me off.


    Unable to defend, just by the Blade Lizard''s attempt to shake me off by charging at the wall of thorns, 60% of my HP disappeared. Still, I endured it clenching my teeth without releasing the Metallic Thread.


    And, as the rampaging Blade Lizard once again charged into the wall, my death through the collision''s damage was decided.


    My visibility dimmed, although my strength in my limbs loosened for a moment I immediately brought myself back with Revival Medicine and again, tightened the thread.


    As the Blade Lizard repeatedly hit the wall with its body, I revived myself from death each time.


    "SHURAAAAAAAA¡ª¡ª"


    After I revived myself six times, it abruptly fell down.


    The Blade Lizard Thorn Token had bent backwards and from a small gap in its closed mouth had protruded a tongue with thin thorns, letting out hoarse breath it fell to the side.


    The Thorn Token couldn''t be defeated with just slip damage.


    And, the one who decided it with the last attack was¡ª¡ª the Mischievous Fairy.


    "I''m the best! Guiding in was perfect!"


    The arrow shot into the air was manipulated with her wind and had brilliantly pierced through the last rose on the back of the Blade Lizard.


    "Thanks. If not for you I wouldn''t have won."


    "Fufun. You can praise me more!"


    "You''re getting carried away."


    To heal my wounded body and to fix the broken armour I used a High Potions and MP Potion. My HP was recovered and the armour would recover its durability by absorbing my MP through the effect of ¡¾Auto Repair¡¿.


    "Still, I''m fed up with fighting in such disadvantageous conditions. Next time, I''m fighting with overwhelming advantage."


    I spoke as if swearing to myself.


    The wall of thorns stretched in the surroundings also went loose and dove into the ground, on the other side Ryui and Zakuro, as well as piglet were waiting.


    "I''m back. Sorry to worry you."


    I gently pat the animals one by one and then leaning on a tree nearby, I let out a large sigh.


    If not for that last blow my Revival Medicine might have ran out before enemy died.


    The third Thorn Token had the rose weakness in three places. This time it was one eye, tail, and between the scales on the back.


    I shot the arrow into the air and had the Mischievous Fairy guide it after which I tied the Blade Lizard''s mouth with Metallic Thread, and the arrow had pierced through the rose weakness.


    Through putting my body on the line I bought time, and thus we won.


    If the guided arrow missed or if my restraint was broken off resulting in my HP being absorbed, or my Revival Medicine was exhausted, I would have died and had to return to town.


    There was a lot to reflect upon. But, now I was really tired.


    Unable to think immediately after fight, I took a moment of rest in the shade and the gentle wind.

 Chapter Volume 6 4

    Chapter 4 - The Age-Faking Medicine and the Demon


    I rested for a while and performed a check on the equipment and situation.


    The third Thorn Token, Blade Lizard was clearly stronger than the Arachne that was the first and Moor Frog that was the second. And, above all it used a wall of thorns making sure it won''t go favourably for the players.


    Meanwhile, the Mischievous Fairy had shown a big reaction as if she had noticed something.


    "Ah!! There''s a presence of the fourth nearby!"


    "I''m going back. Why do I have to fight a series of battles."


    "Ehhh, our cooperation was the strongest! Let''s go, come on, let''s!"


    The Mischievous Fairy shook my shoulder with her small body.


    After the splendid victory against the Blade Lizard the Mischievous Fairy got carried away and tried to lead me towards where the last Thorn Token was.


    I also prompted, raised my heavy hips and we started walking. As we approached the border of the area, the piglet began to squeal.


    "Buu buu!"


    "Oh? What is it?"


    "Buu buu!"


    "This kind can''t go out of here, so it seems that''s as far as it''ll come with us."


    The piglet stood still on the boundary of the area. Although I forgot since we were moving together with Ryui and Zakuro, but the Big Boar''s young beast wasn''t my tamed mob.


    I didn''t add it to become my comrade, but I still felt some regret despite the short time. However, I couldn''t afford to continue staying in this place.


    "Sorry. But, will you play with us next time we come?"


    "Buu!"


    The piglet let out an energetic voice and started running towards the depths of the forest. The Mischievous Fairy sitting on my shoulder had responded "I''ll look forward to it" in the piglet''s place.


    Well then, let''s come back here sometime soon. As I decided so, at the same time I was surprised by the fact that Mischievous Fairy can translate the young beast''s speech. Aren''t her simple specs a bit too high?


    While the mystery of the fairies had grown deeper, ahead of where I was guided too by the preceding, triumphant Mischievous Fairy¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"FUUU...KOoH..."¡»


    "...i-it seems... like some kind of horribly dangerous existence stands in front of us."


    "Yup. It''s an absolutely worst guy. I can''t do anything about it either."


    "H-heck! He''s spitting something from his mouth!"


    Steam spouted from its mouth and a heat haze flickered in between his sharp fangs.


    The opponent seemed like a Thorn Token parasitising on a Hobgoblin.


    As a result, his body turned huge and changed into that of a muscular Demon. Between the two horns there were twisted thorns that let out white and black electrical discharges. His ominous silhouette was burned into my eyelids.


    "The number of roses is four, huh."


    On one of his completely white eyes there was one blooming rose, two more on right shoulder and the neck, last one at its left breast.


    The club that Hobgoblin had originally was integrated into the change and turned into a green thorned bat.


    "Weeell, that''s some bad luck. If the order we beat them in was different, it might have been easier."


    "This is the worst. I wanted to enjoy clearing the quest more."


    "Anyway, just think of it as of bad luck and go try it!"


    In other words, it was the strongest type of Thorn Token and I have to face it when it''s in the strongest possible state.


    No, not yet, I can still do it. From the battles so far I found out that their weakness are their flowers. I''ll beat it here and now!


    "LET''S GOOOOooo!"


    "Do your best!"


    I raised the bow and aimed it at the rose weakness in the eye.


    The shot I released from the from headed straight for the Demon Thorn Token, but a wall of thorns that appeared from under the ground had blocked it.


    *pshh*, the hindered arrow fell to the ground. And, the Demon that noticed my attack had slowly opened up the wall of thorns and started walking my way. In meantime, the arrow that was stepped on broke like a twig.


    "AAhhh! I could still use that arrow if I recovered it!"


    "Is that what worried you the most? Hey, it''s coming! It''s here!"


    ¡º"GUOOOOOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Opening his white eyes, the Demon roared. As it proceeded a single step the ground was crushed under his feet and then, what appeared was mountain of something that looked like walnuts, bigger than the Demon''s fist.


    The Demon grasped it with one hand and then swung the green barbed bat, striking it.


    From the sound, it actually seemed like something like a fruit inside a hard shell.


    "Haa? HAAaAAa?! A long-distance attack?!"


    "Avoid! Avoid it!"


    Immediately after he punched the walnut with the bat, it flew straight towards the sky. However, the shell exploded in the air after a few seconds and small grains poured at me like a shotgun.


    Unable to even avoid it, I received the storm of the small pieces with my body.


    Before I realized, I was lying on my back.


    "Khh, oww. What the hell. So it has ranged attacks?"


    It was a greater range than that from which I was shooting at the Moor Frog. I intended to fight by attacking safely from a distance, but it was within the enemy''s range as well.


    "Meh, I need to refocus myse¡ª¡ª"


    That''s when I noticed, the identity of the small seeds I have received with my body. They rapidly sprouted and grew, small thorns tied up my hands and legs, pressing me down onto the ground.


    "You need to hurry and run! That Thorn Token is coming!"


    "I know! Khh, ¡¶Enchant¡· ¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    As expected, they didn''t erode my body, but with abnormal growth rate they restrained my body. I pulled out the knife from the belt at my waist and tried to cut them apart, but their number wouldn''t decrease.


    "Hurry, hurry!"


    "Damn, all right, they''re off!"


    While I cut apart the thorns with one hand, from my waist and below was covered by green thorns. And, as I raised my head seeing a shadow over me, I met the Demon''s white eyes.


    "Ah¡ª¡ª"


    Immediately after that, I received a blow from a straight swing of the thorned bat and my body fell apart.


    My vision darkened and the menu displayed an option of using a Revival Medicine.


    Even if I revived myself, I would be still tied up by thorns and the Demon was nearby. In that case I would have been taken down immediately, so I obediently chose to return after dying. My body had gradually turned into particles of light.


    "...hey, what do we do?"


    "What do you mean by what do we do?"


    The two of us sat down on the floor of the dimly-lit ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop and started thinking.


    No matter what I try, I don''t feel like I have a chance of winning against that Thorn Token.


    In that case, there were three methods that could be used.


    First, gathering comrades to fight it. A party battle.


    Second, strengthening equipment and increasing damage efficiency.


    Third, self-improvement through leveling.


    "Then the one we can do right away is to gather a party! Let''s find someone immediately!"


    "Before that... my bow''s string snapped so it''s impossible."


    While saying so, I showed the string on the Black Maiden''s Longbow to the Mischievous Fairy.


    After consecutive battles and that last attack, the first thing that broke was the string.


    "Well, I will have to show this to Lyly."


    "Mgrr, what. And here I wanted to free the Fairy Village as soon as possible."


    "It can''t be helped, right? Eh, let''s just do what we can."


    I raised my hips heavily and immediately contacted Lyly. He was actually in the store at the moment, so I got an appointment with him.


    "Now then, I need to follow up with Ryui and Zakuro."


    I re-summoned Ryui and Zakuro who were forcibly dismissed at the moment of my death and return.


    Most likely worried about me as I returned after death, the first thing Zakuro did was to jump towards my chest and squealed repeatedly, meanwhile Ryui had continued to head-butt me in dissatisfaction. And, for some reason Mischievous Fairy looked in our direction with a huge grin.


    "What is it."


    "No, I just though you sure are loved."


    Hearing that, "it''s not so bad to be worried about" I thought and after calming down the two, we went to visit ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Shop¡¿.


    "Welcome, Yuncchi. You said the string snapped, but, could you show it to me immediately?"


    "Yeah, its like this..."


    Lyly continued examining the outstretched bow for a while and immediately derived what was the reason for the damage.


    "It looks like the endurance of the bow itself dropped. Just putting a new string on it might not suffice. Did you receive an attack in close combat or something?"


    "Uhh, well, yes. A several times."


    Several times I received attacks strong enough to make me use revival Medicine. But I can''t tell him that.


    "Ehh, even though we''re almost in the Fairy Village..."


    I held down the Mischievous Fairy''s mouth, silencing her. Don''t hurry him like that, I wanted to rebuke her, but Lyly already concentrated on his work and didn''t hear what she said.


    After taking out materials for a string Lyly growled and then stared at me.


    "Hey, Yuncchi. If I''m not wrong you have Metallic Thread and Bamboo Fibre, don''t you."


    "Yep, I have some of the ones I made with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and materials for synthesis."


    Certainly, I did have the Metallic Thread I made using ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ with Emily-san and the Bamboo Fibre I made out of Magical Bamboo.


    "Could you pass some of it to me? I want to try to see whether to use the same string or one of those."


    "Then I''ll give you what I have now."


    With that said, I took out the copper, iron and silver Metallic Thread, as well as Bamboo Fibre and gave them up.


    Lyly aligned a few dozen of them, raised up to make sure they aren''t spreading out and then made a string.


    And then, with a serious expression he put the string on the bow for me to try and passed it to me.


    "Yuncchi, this."


    "Y-yeah."


    I pulled the string once. With a string made out of Copper Metallic Thread on, I felt like the previous one was better.


    As neither I nor Lyly were satisfied with it, we tried once again after replacing the string.


    We have repeated that several times and once we went through the strings made out of expensive Metallic Thread, for the last one I pulled the string made out of Bamboo Fibre.


    "?!! This!"


    "Yup, this is it. Sound and everything is different."


    The Silver Metallic Thread wasn''t bad either. But, compared to the powerful sound and tension of the Bamboo Fibre, it was several levels below.


    "I''ll re-tension it immediately, carefully this time."


    After saying that, Lyly re-tensioned the Bamboo Fibre string on the Black Maiden''s Longbow.


    "So the difference is that big. Bamboo Fibre is a hassle to make, but it isn''t an expensive material. I guess it has great compatibility with bows."


    "You''re right. Metallic Thread is too strong so it''ll make the bow''s durability decrease faster instead, so it''s not suitable for a Longbow or a Strongbow. For those it might be best to use something like a fibre made of a large mob''s tendon."


    After saying so, Lyly adjusted the string to my level and removed it again.


    "I''ll adjust the main part of the bow carefully later. Also, I don''t know what did you lose against, but don''t be too reckless."


    "Yeah, I got it. I''ll try leveling a bit, forming a party and then challenging it."


    I paid Lyly for replacing the string and left the store.


    ¡ñ


    Sitting on top of my head, she peeked into the same pot. On the side, I had a book open.


    "Hey, aren''t you going to get stronger?"


    "I''ll get stronger with this."


    "Normally, doesn''t getting stronger mean defeating enemies and fighting?"


    "............"


    "Heey, say something. Respond to my question?."


    After moving to my shoulder, the fairy started slapping my cheek with her small hands.


    Since I remained silent she got bored of it and flew towards Ryui and Zakuro who were lying on a cool part of the workshop, then entered between Zakuro''s tails.


    In the first place, with death penalty after dying and returning there was no way I could do any proper hunting, so I calmly did crafting in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Finally the noise subsided. I heaved a sigh of relief and looked towards the recipe book.


    "Myurel Change Grass, Vitality Tree''s Fruit, the male and female Mandragoras to become a catalyst, now¡ª¡ª"


    I traced the recipe in the book with my finger, checking the materials.


    This recipe was one of the ones included in the book from the raid quest''s reward that was called ¡¾Private Pharmacopoeia¡¿, one of the few for making a story potion.


    The story in the book said that it was a magical medicine for treating baldness, and there was a recipe for making ¡¾Hair-Growth Medicine¡¿ and a ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿.


    The Myurel Change Grass was one of the materials I received from the Making Box I got during the summer camp event and its random delivery, after many failures of replication I increased the material''s number.


    The Vitality Tree''s Fruit grew on my field. And, the male and female Mandragora was a drop from Mandragora and served as a magic catalyst.


    Other than this, there were a lot of recipes that used a large number of existing materials.


    Although I picked it because of the appropriate degree of difficulty, there was also another reason for which I had to make this one.


    "In order to stop people from treating me as a woman I need to shorten my hair."


    Saying so, I lightly scooped up my long black hair.


    Since I received bodily correction making me more feminine, I was mistaken for a woman time after time again. In order to become more manly, even if just a little, I''m going to shorten my hair.


    "I''ll definitely complete ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿."


    Actually, ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿ was just a bonus recipe, but I needed it.


    ¡¾Hair-Growth Medicine¡¿ used Male Mandragora and ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿ used Female Mandragora, but the procedure was almost the same.


    First the male or female Mandragora was shredded, grated and crushed.


    After crushing it with the pulverizer, I further decreased the size using a mortar. And, once I finished the time-consuming creation of the catalyst, I put it aside.


    The next part of work, was mixing a fixed ratio of High Potion and MP Potion and warm it up and boil carefully as not to let it dry out.


    "Until it boils from slow heating up, I need to process Myurel Change Grass."


    I need to grind the Myurel Change Grass and mix it with juice taken from Vitality Tree''s Fruit.


    I cut it into a several dozen pieces loosely with a kitchen knife and ground it on the mortar until juice had come out, after that, I added Vitality Tree Fruit''s juice, turning it yellow.


    The Myurel Change Grass had changed into a paste in the mortar. I will put and mix it with the liquid boiling on low heat, once combined, I will add the catalyst I prepared in advance and scoop up the supernatant.


    "To make this a mountain of herbs was used and what comes out is just several bottles, so it''s not profitable."


    It was one of the reasons I couldn''t try this recipe before. If I were to use the same amount of materials, I should just create a different potion. But now, I favoured experience over the efficiency, so I made this potion.


    "Now, I''ll put the mixture of Myurel Change Grass and Vitality Tree Fruit''s juice in two kettles, once I put in male and a female Mandragora''s catalyst they''ll both be complete. There."


    In two small kettles, I slowly boiled a ¡¾Hair-Growth Medicine¡¿ and a ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿. I mixed them carefully, once the liquid had thickened a little big bubbles started forming and burst.


    "It''ll take more than twenty minutes until I put the catalyst in. In meantime, let''s replenish the items I used up."


    The arrows I used in the combat, the Highpots and MP Potions, as well as Revival Medicine need to be replenished or I won''t be able to participate in combat next time.


    I had to take my eyes off the potion for a while, but on my higher-level equipment that had a function preventing from drying, so there was no problem.


    "First, I need to make some Revival Medicine. After that, synthesising arrows. Also, stat-increasing Boost Tablets."


    I listed up potions to make and immediately prepared the materials for mixing. Since Revival Medicines had a chance of failure when using a skill, I created them manually. For the rest of items, I crafted them by using crafting skills and MP.


    Since I had the intermediate materials for the Revival Medicine prepared, I only mixed the optimal amounts and there were no problems in particular. Rather, I checked up on the ¡¾Hair-Growth Medicine¡¿ and ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿ and there was still time remaining.


    "Hmm. Let''s organise the items then."


    I muttered in the workshop.


    I organised the materials I have recently acquired and frequently-used items. Also, I sorted the equipment I have acquired during the quests and in dungeons.


    "This is the ¡¾Dark Wolf''s Armour¡¿, huh. There''s nowhere to put it in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿. Maybe I should sell it next time. But, it would be a waste."


    I took out the unique whole-body equipment ¡¾Dark Wolf''s Armour¡¿ and checked it. Other than that, there were Iron Swords and Knives, maybe I should turn them into ingots or sell them straight to NPC. Lining up the selected equipment side by side I growled.


    As I did that, there was an existence moving which attracted my gaze.


    "Ushishishi, there''s no way I can give up on mischief in such a fun situation."


    The Mischievous Fairy peeked out from between Zakuro''s tails, her line of sight was directed towards the automatic anti-burning kettles and the recipe book beside it.


    "Oh-ho, Myurel Change Grass and Vitality Tree''s juice. Then... the Antidote Potion I sneaked out, a Dried Mushroom, after that the confusion-inducing ¡¾Confusion Grass¡¿ and charm-inducing ¡¾Charm Weed¡¿ one each, and finally my ¡¾Fairy''s Scales¡¿ to all of that."


    The Mischievous Fairy had secretly put in the pot various items she sneaked out or just moved around from another spot, in the end, making her wings tremble slightly she spilled a powder from her wings which merged with the ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿.


    "And last, the female Mandragora''s catalyst¡ª¡ª"Hey, the heck are you doing!"¡ª¡ªdang it, I was found! But it''s too late now!"


    While I let my eyes off it, the Mischievous Fairy put a Mandragora catalyst into each kettle.


    With an iron cage in my hands I hurried over to the kettles.


    The catalysts were already put in and the firepower under the kettle increased all at once, powered by the Mischievous Fairy''s wind.


    The viscous content of the bottle had let out a nasty scent as it started to boil intensely and the fluid inside the kettle changed into bright orange, a colour different from the one described by the recipe.


    "What, this i¡ª¡ª"


    Before I could finish speaking, the contents of the kettle exploded.


    *puffun*, I received a direct hit from a very comical explosion and fell on my butt on the floor. My entire body was bathed in the orange liquid as well as red and pink smoke.


    Reacting to the explosion in the workshop Ryui and Zakuro hurriedly stood up and took distance from the kettle.


    "*cough*, *cough*... damn, I forgot about the Mischievous Fairy. There goes my precious Hair-Shortening Potion."


    I coughed several times and looked at the orange liquid boiling over. I knew that something else was made from what I originally intended. With the explosion the origin of fire disappeared and the boiling in the two kettles subsided.


    "Geez, the pricey materials are all ruined...hmmm?!"


    What do I do to clean this up, I tried scratching my head and realized. No, it can''t be, I thought, but I stood up.


    "Up we go. Somehow, my line of sight is low, or rather, my limbs shortened..."


    I realized something I didn''t want to realize and my face paled.


    "W-WHAT THE HELLLLLL?!!"


    That''s when the culprit, the Mischievous Fairy showed up in front of me.


    "Fufufu! How''s it! The effect of the secret elixir handed down among the Mischievous Fairies."


    "S-secret elixir?!"


    "Yes, everyone thought of it at least once. ''I don''t want to become an adult'', ''I want to be a kid forever''. This is the Elixir of Neverland that fulfils those thoughts! This is the ¡¾Age-Faking Medicine¡¿!"


    "W-what did you saaay!"


    I confirmed it by touching my body all over. Height-wise I returned to about ten years old, my features also seemed considerably younger.


    If only the hair had shortened together with it, but it remained long.


    "Hey! Is there a way to turn back?! Is there one?!"


    I clasped the fairy who had a smug expression on her face with my small hands and tried to force her to tell me a way of returning back to normal.


    "Sto?oo?op, it feels horriblee?."


    "Ah, sorry."


    Because I was agitated, I shook the Mischievous Fairy strongly. Her eyes turned spun and she went limp on my palm.


    "You''ll go back to normal once the medicine''s effect wears off, just put up with it until then."


    "Is it really all right? Or maybe there''s a recipe to turn me back¡ª¡ª"


    When I opened the menu and checked the recipes, certainly there was an addition of ¡¾Age-Faking Medicine¡¿, but there was no recipe for one with opposite effect.


    "I want the reverse recipe! A recipe to turn adult!"


    "There is one, but you don''t have enough Myurel Change Grass do you?"


    Told so, I confirmed the material stored in a box. Although there was some remaining, there wasn''t enough to recreate the potion again.


    "...I''m out of ideas."


    As I sat down on the floor depressed, Zakuro had come up to me and licked my fingertips as to cheer me up as to console me.


    After dazedly looking around, I recalled that I need to clean up after the explosion and slowly stood up.


    The supernatant liquid remaining in the kettle¡ª¡ªoriginally it should have been ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿, had changed into red ¡¾Age-Faking Medicine¡¿. On the other hand, the ¡¾Hair-Growth Medicine¡¿ that used Male Mandragora as a catalyst wasn''t dabbled with, so despite spilling, it was completed.


    In the end, I had three potions of red ¡¾Age-Faking Medicine¡¿ and five ¡¾Hair-Growth Medicine¡¿ potions.


    After I finished the clean up, I heaved a sigh and noticed.


    Even after the death penalty time had passed, probably because I turned into a child all of my stats were lowered, my limbs were shortened, my line of sight was lower and I sometimes stumbled.


    As I have become powerless, there was nothing for me to do.


    "What do I do? What should I do?"


    "Yun-oneechan! I''ve come, are you here?"


    "Geh, Myu."


    I timidly opened the door connecting with the store slightly and confirmed what''s happening.


    "Myu-san, you''ll cause trouble if you speak so loudly."


    "Sorry, Luka-chan."


    "Hey, I''mma with Rirei replenishin'' MP Potions, what''cha gonna buy, Hino, Toutobi?"


    "Hmm, I''ll buy High Potions and sandwiches. Also, Boost Tablets and Enchant Stones."


    "...same here."


    "Righ'', decided eh."


    Myu''s party was visiting and everyone bought whatever they needed from Kyouko-san the NPC.


    I imagined what would happen were I to be found now and decided to pretend not to be here.


    "It''s fine. As long as I stay silent they''ll lea"Yeah, I''m here! Just come in."..."


    I looked towards where the voice had come from. The Mischievous Fairy had a huge grin on her face seeing her mischief succeed. She manipulated the wind to imitate my voice, calling Myu over.


    Why, she''s clearly high-spec, so why does she use it for pranks! This damn fairy!


    "All right! We got permission from Onee-chan! Let''s go!"


    "Really, Myu-san you''re..."


    "This is bad, really bad! I don''t know what she''ll do to me if she finds me!"


    "Mhh, mhhh!"


    I caught the fairy as not to let her do any other pranks and closed her mouth with my hand.


    Ryui noticed that Myu and others are coming in and hid himself with an illusion, Zakuro along with the Mischievous Fairy had entered my arms.


    "I need to hide somewhere! Somewhere to hide!"


    In the organised workshop, there was no space to hide other than that under the table.


    "I''ll escape through the window! Heck, it''s a bit too high?!"


    Since I shrunk, I couldn''t escape through the window for lighting and ventilation, it was too late to escape using a chair or a table.


    "Isn''t there something, something... there is!"


    I used the thing that caught my attention to hide.


    Immediately after I finished hiding, Myu opened the door and entered the workshop. It seems like I barely made it in time to hide.


    "Eh? Straange. I''m sure I heard Onee-chan''s voice."


    "Yes, I heard it as well."


    Myu tilted her head, puzzled, and looked towards Lucato.


    Then, Kohaku and Rirei with the others peeked inside the workshop.


    "What eh, Yun-san ain''t here? Maybe she turned back to real or summat?"


    "Fufufu, then won''t she come back if we wait a little?"


    As Rirei made that remark, "that''s true" others agreed and sat down inside.


    Since stopping by a crafter''s workshop was unusual, everyone looked around with great interest.


    I continued to hide while praying they leave the workshop as soon as possible.


    "Mhhh! MMmhhh?!"


    "Q-quiet."


    Although the Mischievous Fairy tried to shake her head and escape from my hands, but if I let her do that I would have been exposed.


    Then, Myu and the others who looked at everything in the workshop without touching, had slowly approached where I was.


    "So the equipment is put down here."


    "...you''re right. Since Yun-san doesn''t have ¡¾Smithing¡¿ Sense, it must be all drops from adventures."


    "Isn''t it just prepared for turning into ingots? Also, some might be for decorating the store. This one is the raid quest''s unique equipment after all."


    While saying so, Myu stared intently at the place I hid in.


    The place I hid in, was inside the armour I took out for organising. I took Zakuro and the Mischievous Fairy inside, covering my shrunken body with it to hide.


    "Hmm. Seems like Onee-chan isn''t coming back, let''s leave for today then."


    Myu said that and started walking towards the workshop''s door. Yess, I wasn''t found. The moment I thought so¡ª¡ª*kshun*. A sound could be heard.


    "Hm? Sneezing?"


    In this important moment, to think Zakuro would sneeze. An improbable ambush from a different existence blanked my thinking.


    Myu had accurately pin-pointed the source of the voice and moved in front of the armour, then removed the armour''s clasp.


    As the armour had collapsed on the floor, our figures were exposed.


    "...ah."


    Someone muttered that. No, it might have actually been me. The moment my eyes met Myu''s, I gave up on escaping.


    "Kyahhhhhh! Onee-chan, what''s up with that appearance?!"


    Staring Myu let out a shrill voice and hugged me strongly from the front. She crushed Zakuro and the Mischievous Fairy between us, she had quickly noticed they were in pain and moved away slightly, but the hands placed on my shoulders wouldn''t let go no matter what.


    "Why?! Why is it! Why is it that you turned so small?! So cute! Yun-oneechan!"


    "UWahh?! Stoooppp!"


    Agitated all alone, Myu put her hands on my sides and lightly lifted my shrunken body, pulling me out of the mountain of armour. Even with my body shrunken the basic equipment automatically adjusted itself to the body size, so I didn''t have to worry about my pants slipping down, but being lifted up was very, very scary.


    "Myu-san, Yun-san is troubled."


    "Haa, oh right! Why did you try to hide something this interesting?! Onee-chan!"


    "You''re the reason!"


    I cried out, refuting.


    ¡ñ


    After that, Myu and the others wanted a detailed explanation, so I was sat down in the chair where my legs didn''t reach the floor.


    At the same time Myu hugged me from behind, completely treating me like a child.


    The Mischievous Fairy was released and she sat down on the table, flailing her feet freely and Zakuro was nestled in my arms. He stiffened with tension seeing this many people. And Ryui was still using an illusion to hide.


    Surely, looking from the front, Myu, me and Zakuro must have been seen as an arrangement of big, medium and small.


    "Hawahhhh, this comfortable hugginess. This springy, specific to children skin, sweet milky scent, smooth hair. Why are you charming me so, Onee-chan! No, Yun-chan!"


    "Why did you rephrase it? Rather, I''m not charming you! Let go, Myu!"


    "No! How cute you are. I''m the youngest child so I wanted a younger brother or sister, you see?. Such squishy cheeks, spreading ¡¾Charm¡¿ bad status all over, what a bad girl!"


    "Stop screwing around already!"


    I tried to push away Myu''s face, and although I resisted, everyone looked at me as if my defiant expression must have been treated as tantrum of a cheeky little girl.


    Still, possibly because of the huge difference in physique and stats, I couldn''t even resist properly.


    "Umm... so it''s Yun-san after all. It seems so judging from the clothes, but, why did this happen?"


    "It''s genuinely me. My Mischievous Fairy had changed the potion I was creating into something else for a prank."


    Hearing Lucato''s words I sighed and stared at my own long black hair. Normally, by now I should have had my hair shortened with ¡¾Hair-Shortening Medicine¡¿. The culprit, Mischievous Fairy was now flying around, laughing.


    "Yun-oneechan, you turned so cute."


    "I''m not cute!"


    I tried to twist my body to escape Myu who was patting my head, but since her hand was embracing me over my belly, I couldn''t escape. Seeing as I couldn''t strongly reject her as she looked at me with a slovenly smile, I realized I was really spoiling my little sister.


    "This is no good. Truly no good."


    "...Rirei?"


    Rirei muttered quietly. She was trembling in anger aimed towards the girl who were calm in face of my turning into a little girl. Seeing her words of pity towards me in this situation, I felt like crying in defeat.


    "Certainly, Yun-san is a beauty. Therefore, these clothes suited her, but now she''s a cute little girl! In which case, she doesn''t look good in dark clothes, thus, change."


    "You, what''cha saying upon others'' misfortune. Still, ''dat does feel inappropriate. We puttin'' a ribbon on?"


    Kohaku retorted amazed, but had casually joined her, taking out a white ribbon and a brush. Myu who received it had started fiddling with my hair happily.


    "Haa, do whatever you want."


    "Then, I''ll take you up on those words."


    When I looked up, she had started changing my hairstyle into various ones with a great smile.


    A ponytail, braids, buns, a comb-up, weave with braid. Putting my hair on my forehead, tying a ribbon on top of my head, changing position my hair stopped in. She enjoyed herself with my black hair in any way she came up with. Meanwhile, my spirit was shaved away and I got fed up with it.


    "Hey, hey."


    "...what."


    As I couldn''t hide my grumpy mood, Myu had come up with a demand.


    "Don''t get so angry. Like this, make a smile."


    "Haa, just release me already."


    "Ehh?, ain''t it fine. Just a for a little bit."


    "Geez..."


    I heaved a sigh, lowered my face once and calmed myself.


    And, when I raised my head back up, I put on a perfect smile and tilted my head as a bonus.


    Then, after a moment of silence that descended¡ª¡ª


    "...bhaa?!!"


    "R-Rirei!"


    Suddenly, Rirei had collapsed and Kohaku had supported her in a hurry.


    "Fufufu, hitting on me? Or maybe inviting me? Having a big smile of an innocent girl aimed at me is a great reward, isn''t it."


    Supported by Kohaku, Rirei made an ecstatic expression.


    "Aww, as I thought, Yun-oneechan. I''ll be taking you home like this!"


    "Denied!"


    "Kyuu?"


    I stopped smiling and together with Zakuro in my arms, we protested. Since Rirei and Myu broke the mood in the place, the atmosphere felt a bit awkward.


    In order to change that, I diverted the topic.


    "Hey, speaking of which, why did everyone come to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿?"


    "Eh, ohh, that''s right."


    At first unable to understand the meaning of my words, mystified, Lucato panicked. I thought it was a bit cute, at the same time I confirmed that she forgot all about it in this situation.


    "We''re just replenishing items in the middle of Fairy Quest."


    "I-I see."


    At this surprisingly ordinary answer, I lacked words to respond with.


    That''s right. A skilled party won''t be one-sidedly massacred like I was. I muttered in my mind and patted Zakuro in my arms.


    "All of them are weak and boringg! I want to fight a stronger opponent! I wonder if someone got one like that."


    "...it''s all right to proceed with the quest easily, but it does feel like a slight let-down."


    Said Myu, who languid put her chin on top of my head, and Lucato who wished to get a firmer challenge during the quest.


    "Well, I''m fine with them being easy. Although the mobs get much stronger, because their compatibility is normal, they aren''t all that strong."


    Hino alone felt glad it was easy and spoke while stretching her body.


    "In that case, I sure would like it if you helped out with mine."


    "How far did you progress, Onee-chan?"


    "I''m at fourth token, a Hobgoblin."


    When I responded, the colour in Myu''s party eyes changed.


    "Onee-chan! We''ll help! The stronger the enemy, the better experience! I want a formidable enemy!"


    Myu swung her fist as she said so.


    "Then I''ll pull out of the party this time. Is that fine?"


    Since parties had an upper limit of six people, to help me with the quest this time mean that one person had to leave Myu''s party. This time, Hino volunteered to do so.


    "See, if I attack the enemy I''ll gather too much hate so it would be hard to control it. So, I''ll just watch from behind."


    "Roger! Then that''s it for talking!"


    Myu and the others ignored me and progressed with the talk.


    Immediately after, I received an invitation to party from Myu and at the same time I accepted she brought me out of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ while saying "This is it!".


    "Myu! Wait until the medicine''s effect expires!"


    "I won''t! Now, let''s go! Yun-oneechan''s fairy, guide us."


    "Leave it to me! This way!"


    "Y-you traitor! H-hey, uwahh?! Stop, put me down!"


    I was made to ride on Myu''s shoulders.


    I tried to struggle and get away somehow, but my thighs were firmly pressed down. I could only move my knees and below, I also tried to resist by hitting Myu''s back with one of my hands, but she wouldn''t budge because of my lowered stats.


    "Put me down! People are looking! Don''t carry me like this!"


    "Haa haa, this sight of a little girl flailing her arms and legs."


    "Cut it. We goin'' to be fightin'' a Thorn Tokn'' classified as strong."


    Rirei was warned by Kohaku. But rather than that I''d like her to do something about Myu carrying me in such embarrassing manner.


    "...it''s kind of... cute."


    "How do I say it, it''s a pleasant sight."


    O'' Toutobi and Lucato. This is only pleasant to the people looking, the person itself has to endure the same in the presence of an entire company here!


    I held Zakuro even stronger and faced downwards.


    I wonder if it was that interesting, as all of Myu party''s fairies have shown up at once.


    In a party full of girls, one of them was happily carrying me. In the surroundings, one could see fairies dance happily.


    The spreading of this happening and the upsurge of the pervert gentlemen on a certain message board, is a story for another time.


    ¡ñ


    In the end, the ¡¾Age-Faking Medicine¡¿''s didn''t show any signs of expiring and with me still looking like a little girl we have arrived where the Hobgoblin Thorn Token was.


    "Are you ready?"


    "Not at all. I didn''t bring anything with me."


    As Lucato spoke to me to confirm, I could only respond with that.


    The weapon I used when I fought him a few hours ago was left with Lyly and been repaired. I had no means of attacking, so in order to escape anxiety I went into the back together with Ryui and Zakuro.


    "Oohhhh, so that''s a Hobgoblin changed into a super mob. Looks strong."


    Ahead of our line of sight, the Demon stood up in high spirits. As expected, no wonder he''ll notice us if we come at it from the front.


    "Well then, Luka-chan, Tobi-chan! Let''s go!"


    "Yes. Leave the front to me."


    "Let''s decide it with a swift attack."


    Scatter! With that instruction of Lucato''s, Myu and Toutobi headed to the left and right, leaving Lucato in the front raising her bastard sword.


    The Demon''s thorned bat and the bastard sword clashed, then using the recoil of their attacks they followed up with another attack.


    A roundhouse slash. Instead of resisting the recoil, Lucato used it to deliver continuous attacks by slashing as she pivoted on her feet and twisted her body.


    It was an action that left her open in PVP, but it was effective means of fighting against a sluggish mob.


    As she forcibly modified the trajectory over which the Demon''s thorn bat travelled, Myu and Toutobi alternated coming close to the mob and dealt small amounts of damage.


    "It''s the last Thorn Token so it has considerably high defence."


    "Yer'' right. Well, the weaknesses are kinda high so it''s gonna be hard to get ''em."


    Kohaku agreed with my murmur.


    And the remaining rear guard¡ª¡ª


    "Haa, haa, fufufu, together with a little girl. With a little girl."


    As Rirei slowly closed on me, Hino who was outside of the party this time had held her down by the nape of her neck.


    I felt like a real crisis was coming and prayed it ends quickly and Myu comes back as soon as possible.


    "Then, let''s do it to end this fast. ¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    By combining the enchant with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ zone-type skill I put down a zone enchant on three people at the same time.


    "For the sake of flirting with a little girl after this¡ª¡ª¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    "O''well, I''ll try aimin'' as well. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Quick Blast¡·!"


    Along with the disturbing words, even though Rirei''s fire magic and Kohaku''s wind magic aimed over Lucato''s head, a wall of thorns appeared separating the vanguard from the rearguard which blocked the magic.


    "As I thought, the enemy is strengthened even more with each stage. In various ways, too."


    Unsurprised by the appearance of the wall of thorns, indifferently releasing magic, Kohaku adjusted the position of her glasses.


    Since they constantly fired magic without a moment of pause, Rirei and Kohaku''s MP was rapidly reduced, so I replenished their MP with a potion as they continued to destroy the wall.


    "Fairies, it''s yer turn! ''Dat wall, do somethin'' ''bout it!"


    " " "Everyone, chaaarge!!" " "


    In response to Kohaku''s words, Myu''s and the others'' fairies appeared all at once and started attacking as to overlap and add onto Rirei''s and Kohaku''s attacks.


    Compared to my Mischievous Fairy these fairies had fairly offensive attacks, the attack power was strong enough to make me think it would defeat a weak Thorn Token, it had all continued to break the wall of thorns.


    And, finally we were able to see the vanguard through the wall of thorns, but there was no significant damage dealt to the Demon.


    The two sides¡ª¡ªwere at a stalemate.


    "Hey, Kohaku? If I''m not wrong Myu and Toutobi hit him with their attacks. But, the enemy hardly received any damage."


    "Yer right. After a wall of thorns, it''s auto-recovery. My, Myu''s gonna have fun with this."


    Why the heck are you carefree. I swallowed those words and looked towards the front, the damage Myu and others dealt to the Thorn Token, even with the attack enchant, was all recovered by the auto-recovery ability.


    "Isn''t this getting worse instead?"


    Although the Bastard Sword had blown away the thorn bat, shock transmitted through the sword had gradually scraped away Lucato''s HP.


    "Luka-chan, I''ll heal you now. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Large Heal¡·!"


    Myu withdrew far into the back and restored Lucato''s HP. At this rate, the entire place would turn into a stalemate. Then, the demon could be seen making his move.


    "UGOOoOOooo!!"


    Raising a roar, inflating his muscles the Demon made the black and white electric shock between his warped horns to sparkle violently, painting our vision white.


    "Damn!! My eyes..."


    "Rirei, defence. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Wind Seal¡·"


    "Fufufu, I know¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Wall¡·"


    The strong point of my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿, the great eyesight had caused a disaster, causing me unable to see after the dazzle. Also, feeling dull pain I squat down on spot, but someone had supported me from behind.


    "Yun-chan, are you okay?"


    "This voice? Hino? What''s the situation? Heck, don''t casually add -chan in there!"


    Tehee, I heard Hino''s laughter, but then she explained to me, who was currently blinded.


    "Right now, Rirei and Kohaku, as well as Ryui are defending from an attack."


    Rirei''s fire wall and Kohaku''s protection. Also, apparently Ryui''s round water shield had protected us, the rearguards.


    As I tried to look towards the front with my hazy sight, the Demons thorn bat''s shotgun seed attack rained down on us, the three of them had protected us from it perfectly.


    I have gradually recovered my vision, and among the seeds that rained down I saw Myu''s and Lucato''s appearance.


    "Yun-san, as expected, continuous triggering of defence magic is harsh on MP, potions please."


    "G-got it."


    Once again I used MP Potions on Kohaku and Rirei, then looked around broadly.


    Lucato stood in front, Myu used magic from the back.


    Although Myu''s light barrier blocked the seeds, since some of them broke through the barrier at times, Lucato blocked them with her bastard sword.


    While Myu and Lucato minimized the damage as much as possible, I couldn''t see Toutobi''s appearance.


    "No way, was she taken down?"


    Possibly, while I was blinded, Toutobi might have received a shotgun attack from close range or a direct blow from the thorn bat and was defeated. Then, I need to locate her figure as soon as possible and use a Revival Medicine. While such thoughts crossed my mind, Myu yelled.


    "We have all the information on this strong mob! We got countermeasures for this attack too! Tobi-chan!"


    "...I''m going! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shadow Dive¡· release!"


    During the break in the seeds avalanche Myu gave a sign and then Toutobi''s voice had echoed.


    I looked around to find her, she was hiding in an unexpected place.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Neck Hunt¡·!"


    Suddenly, Toutobi who appeared behind the Demon slashed, scattering the rose at the Demon''s neck. Receiving damage after being hit in the weakness, the demon turned around and swung the thorned bat at Toutobi, in response she¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Misdirection¡· ¡¶Backstab¡·!"


    The swung-down thorn bat grazed Toutobi''s side and in an instant, she had moved behind the Demon. She cut the back of the Demon''s knees with the dagger, making it fall on its knees.


    "Fufufu, tie him up¡ª¡ª¡¶Flare Band¡·"


    A band of flames created by Rirei wrapped around the Demon. Although he tried escaping from the band of loosely-wrapped flames, the more he tried to move the more it burned him and gradually bound him tightly.


    "First, let''s cut off those horns that get in the way! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    Lucato''s slash hit the Demon''s horns while it was constrained and broke off both.


    "UGAAaaaaaaaa!!"


    Although the Demon roared having his horn broken off, but the more he had rampaged the more band of flame had tightened. And while the band of flame restrained his motions, the comrades had continued attacking the Demon.


    "I''ll give you a return gift as well. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·!"


    Myu who was stretching out defensive magic from behind Lucato released a converged beam of light, which pierced through the Demon''s right shoulder and the rose on it, hollowing it out.


    By destroying the weaknesses and characteristic parts, the damage dealt to the Demon increased all at once.


    "Kohaku, it''s about time my restraint expires."


    "Then, leave it t'' me! Yun-chan, enchant."


    "Kohaku''s adding -chan too?! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªIntelligence!"


    Even though I retorted, I applied a magic-attack raising enchant on Kohaku.


    Receiving an INT enchant Kohaku nodded with a smile, I couldn''t tell whether it was to thank me for responding to her joke or for the enchant.


    "Imma smash yer face as strong as I can! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Aero Canon¡·!"


    Kohaku spread her fan, and as if fanning away, she fired an invisible shell.


    At the same time Rirei''s restraint disappeared it had landed straight on the Demon''s face.


    The muscular, tall Demon''s body bent backwards and fell down, he received substantial damage to his face and head. The rose on the Demon''s left eye had scattered when hit by the invisible shell. And for the last rose blooming on his left chest¡ª¡ª


    "...this is the end. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Heart Piercer¡·!"


    Toutobi stood on top of the fallen Demon''s upper body and triggered an Art at almost zero distance, striking his left chest.


    Her wrist rotated as she thrust as if to gouge it, in response the rose on the Demon''s chest scattered and the heart located behind it was pierced and broke down.


    That blow had become the decisive factor, the Demon''s body had stiffened for a moment, then warped and run out of strength.


    ¡ñ


    And, at the same time as the fourth Thorn Token fell, the fairies raised a cry of joy.


    "You did it! We''re now one step closer to the Fairy Village!"


    The Mischievous Fairy had clung onto my face, but there was something I was curious about and distracted me.


    "Yun-chan, wassit?"


    "So you''re still adding -chan. Just stop it already. And more importantly, why was Toutobi unscathed?"


    I wanted to know why, in the middle of a shotgun attack that was incredibly difficult to avoid, she appeared behind the Demon completely intact.


    "Ah, that. Hmm, Toutobi? Will you explain to Yun-chan?"


    Most likely, it''s one of her trump cards. Kohaku can''t explain what was it without permission, so she asked Toutobi once she returned.


    "...since it''s Yun-san, you won''t spead information. That''s the effect of my ¡¾Concealment¡¿ Sense''s emergency avoidance skill, ¡¶Shadow Dive¡·."


    "¡¶Shadow Dive¡·? You say you''re diving in the shadow?!"


    A skill allowing to enter a shadow space must have had a high versatility not limited to just avoidance.


    "...certainly it''s powerful, but it has limitations. While in ¡¶Shadow Dive¡· a large amount of MP is consumed. And, above all, it cannot be used in a place without a shadow."


    Normally, the shadows are mostly available in caves and forests, as well as under large-sized mobs, there was also a combination with darkness magic.


    This time she hid in the shadow of the demon the moment he had let out that strong flash of light and stayed concealed.


    "Hee, there''s still lots of skills I don''t know."


    Other than that, the skill that made the thorned bat go off its aim, ¡¶Misdirection¡· was an avoidance skill shifting the target of enemy''s attack. ¡¶Neck Hunt¡· and ¡¶Heart Piercer¡· are dagger-type Arts that receive a high damage correction and critical rate when used on the specified locations.


    In a build that uses various skills and arts, the combos were their real charm.


    "As I thought, I should examine the characteristics of various skills and arts, huh."


    For the typical Arts and skills, I read about them as I leveled up my ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense from the books that were in the library, but for the higher Senses, it''s all information I can learn from people who are using it.


    "Fufufu, then, shall I teach you? I''ll do it slowly, patiently."


    "No! I''m fine!"


    Before I realized Rirei stood behind me and whispered in a sticky voice, I took distance and refused at full power.


    However, in the direction I moved to, Myu was waiting prepared and caught me.


    "Hey, Yun-oneechan. We''ve helped you with the quest, so we''d like a reward."


    "Haa, w-what do you want..."


    "Let''s seee, what would be good?"


    With sparkle in her eyes, Myu wondered what to request of me.


    Meanwhile, my body held in Myu''s arms had began to spew out white smoke.


    "Eh?!! This is..."


    "Yess, I''m back to normal."


    The effect of the ¡¾Age-Faking Medicine¡¿ that was applied on me disappeared and I returned to my original appearance. I confirmed by checking my face and limbs, and it seems like I was properly back to normal.


    "That''s great. I''m properly back."


    "Tcheeh, and here I wanted you to wear cute clothes for a little girl."


    Myu pursed her lips and complained. She casually tried to make a horrible request. It''s really, really good that I returned back to normal, I was relieved from the bottom of my heart.


    "Well, this time we could do some leveling with this strong mob, so let''s just say you owe us one?"


    Since Myu had no request for me in particular, it was decided that the matter of reward was to be postponed, all the members of her party have consented with that.


    If it was known that some of the ¡¾Age-Faking Medicine¡¿ remained, I could imagine being forced to use it and played around with, so I kept silent about the amount left over and the existing recipe.


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Limited Quest: Save The Fairy Village 2£¯4¡¿¡ª¡ª


    Pass through the Fairy Circle and head to the Fairy Village.


    Finally I have finally reached the stage where I can enter the Fairy Village.


    When I thought that there''s a strong boss mob even more powerful than Thorn Tokens, I felt it''s absolutely impossible alone.

 Chapter Volume 6 5

    Chapter 5 - The Half-Beast Plant and the Fairy Queen


    "Taku, it''s impossible alone."


    "Then gather comrades."


    Even though I confided with him the unease I felt, my best friend who replenished his potions and Revival Medicine, Taku had responded bluntly.


    "I told you it''s impossible! Although I asked some of the store''s regulars, either they already are in a party, or refused saying they''re uneasy taking a crafter because of lacking battle strength."


    "Yun, are your stats that low? Let me take a look."


    Told so by Taku, I visualised my own Sense Status.


    Possessed SP27


    ¡¾Bow Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv9¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv30¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv27¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv35¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv9¡¿¡¾Engraving Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv20¡¿


    "With this you could somehow make it alone."


    "What''s your basis for saying that?"


    After I stared at Taku, he explained his rationale.


    "The quest boss'' strength depends on the strength of the participating players, it seems like beginners can easily defeat it. On the other hand, with strong players participating apparently there''s heaps of additional mechanics added."


    "Then, in my case the boss will be weak?"


    "There''s a high possibility it may be so, but it might be just the opposite. Also, if there''s few people, there''s a possibility of matching you with others player in order to reduce the burden on the server, In which case you''ll have to participate with other parties."


    "What does that mean?"


    "For example, if you go with a party of six, the boss battle will begin when another party joins in. The enemy''s strength will be raised to match the participants. Is what it means."


    After hearing Taku''s explanation, I started puzzling over it.


    If I join some party, I''ll end up being carried, if I go alone I''ll have to do a quest jointly with players I don''t know and possibly hold them back.


    Uhh, aaah, as I started growling out of worry, Taku heaved a grand sigh.


    "Yun. Want to do the quest with our party?"


    "Is that fine? Taku. Won''t I be a burden to you?''


    "You say that now."


    "That was casually horrible of you."


    That would mean that to Taku, I''ve been classified as a weakling, huh. Although I was tempted to protest, it was a fact, I couldn''t refute since I was weak.


    "Also, we''ve just received the quest too. If you miss this chance you''ll have to look for a party again."


    "G-got it. I''ll get ready immediately!"


    I rushed to the workshop part of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and hurriedly prepared my equipment.


    Since I was going to face a quest boss this time, Ryui and Zakuro were staying home. Together with the Mischievous Fairy I performed a check on the equipment and consumables.


    Although I prepared them after defeating the fourth Thorn Token, there was no party who would take me in for the quest and all of it was saved up until now. I took them out of the storage and moved them to my inventory.


    "All right, preparations complete."


    By the time I returned to the store part, Taku had just finished speaking with someone through friend call.


    "Just got acknowledgement for your joining the party. We''re going to meet up with Gantz and others now and have the fairies guide us afterwards."


    "Leave it to me! I''ll guide you to the Fairy Village''s entrance¡ª¡ªthe Fairy Circle."


    As she said so puffing up her chest, Taku smiled wryly at the Mischievous Fairy.


    "Your Mischievous Fairy sure is energetic, Yun."


    "Exactly, all she does is to drag me around."


    When I said so with a shrug, Taku''s fairy showed up. It was a male fairy, but it was pleasing to watch his figure dancing in the air together with the Mischievous Fairy as Taku guided me to a certain workshop.


    "Sup''! Suddenly I hear that Yun-chan''s participating, the party sure turns glamorous as the amount of girls in party increases."


    "Gantz, stop ogling. But I am happy to see Yun-chan in the party again."


    As we met, Gantz exuded "welcome" atmosphere at full force and Minute was appalled at his attitude. However, Minute also seemed positive about my sudden inclusion in the party.


    "So, how is it?"


    "How is what?"


    Minute drew her face really close to mine, making me bend backwards a bit.


    "I''m asking how did it happen that you''re participating! What did you talk about?!"


    "H-haa?!"


    With eyes full of expectations she prompted me to answer. That was a response which seemed like that of a girl wanting to listen to a love story, but unfortunately it wasn''t anything that fun. In the first place, I''m a man.


    "Just, as I was unable to find a party, Taku asked me if I want to come to yours and forced me to make a quick decision..."


    "Kyaaa, Taku is quite the forceful type isn''t he!"


    No, really, how did she convert it in her brain to come up with that. It was just that I''ll have to continue looking if I miss this opportunity.


    "Minute, what are you doing?"


    I had no idea how to respond to Minute who continued to talk excitedly, as I started to cringe Mami had joined us.


    When I looked in her direction, there was Mami-san the mage in her mantle and Kei who asked a crafter to adjust his armour.


    "Look, look Yun-chan has come!"


    "Um, take care of me today."


    "Hello, Yun-san. I''m taking good care of this kid here."


    As Minute pressed onto my shoulders as I stood in front of Mami-san, she thanked me for the synthetic mob I previously made. Feeling grateful for her treasuring it, a smile had naturally spilled on my face.


    "Kei too, take care of me today."


    "Sorry about this, talking to you with such unsightly appearance."


    "Since Kei is always clad in armour, it''s more like stifling rather than unsightly."


    "Shut up Gantz!"


    As Gantz teased him with his cackling laughter, Kei had heaved a sigh calming down. Like this they unloaded the tension and enhanced their concentration, I guess the party''s balance was good.


    After a while Kei''s armour adjustment was completed and he stood up.


    "Well then, let''s now have the fairies guide us to the Fairy Circle. Guide us, fairies."


    " " "Leave it to us!" " "


    With that said, the fairies preceded us flying in moderate distance away.


    The location we were guided to was the forest on the west. As we advanced after the fairies, the scenery suddenly changed and we entered a small open space.


    In the short grass, there was a space with grass squashed in a form of a circle¡ª¡ªthere was the Fairy Circle.


    "Everyone, enter this circle! And then we''ll go to Fairy Village!"


    "Reminds you of the transition during the camp event, doesn''t it."


    Taku happily entered the circle as the first one. After that when everyone entered as if chasing after him, we understood that there was just enough space inside as to accomodate a party without having members bump into each other.


    "Okay then, let''s go. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Transfer¡¿!"


    " " "¡ª¡ª¡¾Transfer¡¿!" " "


    As the same time the fairies shouted, a white light had shone from the circle under our feet. It gradually grew stronger, at one point it was too dazzling to look at and we covered our eyes with our hands and closed our eyes.


    Rather than the light-headedness of the transition, I couldn''t feel anything for a while. And, once someone pat my shoulder, I fearfully opened my eyes.


    What I saw, was the same circle we saw before and a forest with slightly overcast atmosphere.


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Limited Quest: Save The Fairy Village 3£¯ 4¡¿¡ª¡ª


    Head to the centre of the Fairy Village to save the Fairy Queen.


    I checked the menu and judging we have arrived in the Fairy Village, I stepped out of the circle.


    "This is Fairy Village? Looks different than I imagined it."


    "After the monster came our Fairy Village turned harsh. That''s why, we''ll drive away the monster and retrieve our home!"


    The Mischievous Fairy spoke vigorously, the other fairies also said they''ll do their best and defeat the monster.


    "Let''s go with our cooperation like usual¡ª¡ª"


    Since the quest wouldn''t proceed if we remained by the Fairy Circles forever, Taku had prompted us to move ahead, and that''s when a Fairy Circle next to ours had started emitting light.


    Looking at it from the outside, only a pillar of light has rose up and the glare couldn''t be felt. Then, human figures appeared in the pillar of light, after which the light gradually subsided.


    Inside of there¡ª¡ª


    "Fairy Village, we''ve arriiiived! ...hey, eh? It''s Yun-oneechan and Taku-san!"


    The party that had transferred to the Fairy Circle next to ours, was Myu''s party.


    "So we got matched because we entered the Fairy Circles at similar time?"


    "Which means we''ll do the quest jointly with Taku-san! Seeing the difficulty rise further makes me all thrilled!"


    "Right? With a strong enemy it''s easier to raise our levels!"


    As Myu and Taku got fired up having the same opinion, I who was particularly weak in the group, would rather ask for the difficulty not to be further increased.


    "Take care of us during today''s joint quest."


    "Yeah, same here. Let''s have some good cooperation as vanguards."


    Lucato and Kei exchanged brief greetings and they confirmed their movements as tanks. Also, Hino and Mami-san joined in, extending the talk of cooperation to the rear guard as well.


    The number of people increased, the amount of patterns for coordination has also increased. Since the amount of new mechanics added to the quest was quite low, I could see some hope.


    "...Yun-san, are you all right?"


    "Yeah, I''m fine. I feel out of place as the only crafter, but I''m okay, probably."


    That''s right, I prepared enough High Potions and MP Potions to make sure I won''t run out of them. I also replenished Revival Medicine so there shouldn''t be any problems.


    I closed my eys, it''s all right, I said to myself calming my heart and opened my eyes again.


    "HYAHOOOoo! The girl''s ratio among participants went uppp!"


    "Gantz, shut up! You''re unpopular because you say things like that."


    As Gantz made a guts pose, Minute lightly swung her mace at the back of his head.


    Meanwhile, Rirei had drew close to Minute.


    "Fufufu, let''s get along today."


    "Yes, take care of me."


    "Also, once the quest is over, would you like to rest together somewhere? We''ll take it slowly, carefully."


    "Ahahaha, not just Yun-chan, but you''re targeting me as well are you."


    Rirei stared at Minute feverishly. As Minute''s gaze wandered about, Gantz started to make noise with "it''s hereeeeeee!".


    "Rirei! You, troubling others again!"


    In middle of this chaos Kohaku had made her entry and brought it to an end, somehow my nervousness before the start of the quest was blown away.


    "I kinda feel my worries were silly."


    "...well, it might be so."


    I looked towards Toutobi who put on an embarrassed, wry smile and smiled in the same way.


    It''ll somehow work out, when I felt that, the next moment my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense reacted.


    There was a strong reaction from beneath my feet, I sprung away from the spot. Toutobi who also possessed ¡¾See-Through¡¿ also noticed it, both of us have looked towards a certain line and that moment¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªA wall of thorns!"


    The wall of thorns that appeared in front of us had rose up from the ground.


    As the thorn wall''s sudden emergence divided the party in two, the wall of thorns emerged all over the Fairy Village completing a maze.


    I approached the wall and touched it. As I received damage upon contact, I pulled my hand away and raised my voice.


    "Taku! Myu!"


    "Yun, calm down! We''re fine!"


    While I was relieved to hear Taku''s reply, at the same time I grasped what was the situation.


    Left on this side, was Toutobi, Rirei, Kohaku, Gantz, Minute and me, the six of us.


    On the other side of the wall, judging by the voices I could hear, there was Taku, Myu, Lucato, Hino, Kei and Mami-san. It seems like we were split evenly into groups of six.


    "Onee-chan, get away from it. I''ll destroy this wall right away!"


    "Haa?! Nono, wait!"


    Wait a second. Before I could say it all, intense light had spilled over the wall above me, I hurriedly rolled to the side to avoid.


    Immediately after, powerful light magic hit the wall. Other than that, Mami-san, as well as Rirei and Kohaku from our side had matched Myu''s timing and attacked the wall of thorns from both sides, but no damage could be seen on it.


    "This¡ª¡ªit seems like it''s treated as indestructible object, huh. Well, we can only meet up at the maze''s exit."


    Taku''s calm analysis had echoed in the field.


    "If there''s something, let''s contact each other by friend call. Is that fine?"


    "G-got it! We''ll somehow survive and head for the boss! Lucato and Kei, I leave Taku and Myu to you!"


    "Hey, Yun-oneechan! What did you mean by that?! Heyy!"


    Since I was uneasy leaving the two gamers roam as they please, I left taking care of them to Lucato and Kei who were people with common sense.


    As I listened to Myu''s voice as she was being dragged away from in front of the wall, I faced the members split onto this side.


    "This, I''m the only man on this side! The story of my popularity starts here!"


    "Nothing of the sort is starting! Heck, how about you put effort first before talking about being popular!"


    "Fufufu, a single man had mixed in. Were it only girls I would have abandoned the quest and made a paradise in here. What a shame."


    "Rirei, you sure are unshakable."


    Gantz made one of his usual comedic remarks and Minute retorted tiredly.


    And, acting as usual was Rirei with her yuri hobbies and Kohaku who sighed in response.


    With no clue what to do, Toutobi and I just stood there flustered.


    Eh? Is it just me or this side is full of elements that bring unease?


    Since the gamers and people with common sense went over to the other side, the only ones that were left were the comedians and two of us, normal people.


    "...what shall we do?"


    "I wonder."


    I responded to Toutobi who had asked me.


    "Right, Yun-chan! Speaking of things to do first, it would be confirming our forces!"


    "Gantz says some good things at times. Then, to supplement it, after confirming the forces let''s think about the formation and how do we move through the maze."


    Since we weren''t players who normally partied with each other I agreed with that and we have sorted the formation.


    Toutobi as scout and Gantz who was a martial artist acted as vanguards. In the middle, the mages - Rirei and Kohaku. And, in the rear there was me who could use both bow and the kitchen knife instead of a dagger acting as an all-rounder and Minute the healer.


    "Now that we decided the party''s formation, next thing to decide is the leader, right?"


    As I spoke in a form of a question, everyone nodded. And¡ª¡ª


    "Fufufu, in that case, let''s have Yun-san as leader and have Toutobi as an assistant, how about it?"


    "Ohh, ''dat sounds good."


    "HAa?! No way, I can''t do it!"


    "...me too, I can''t do it either."


    Toutobi and I refused, Gantz and Minute noticed something from how Rirei and Kohaku wanted us to do it and backed them up.


    "Isn''t this a good opportunity? If anything, it''s experience. Yun-chan can look over the whole party from the rear and Tobi-chan can deliver up-to-date information from the vanguard. Yup, it''s a good combination."


    "True. And, leaving it to Gantz would make us all uneasy."


    Toutobi and I, through a majority vote had been decided to be the core of the party.


    "Uhhh. Take care of me, Toutobi."


    "...yes, please take care of me as well."


    Even though it was forced on me, I couldn''t abandon the role. The two of us thought of the movement of the party centred on Toutobi and me, and for what we couldn''t decide alone we asked the rest of the party before deciding.


    ¡ñ


    "We''ve got lots of mages and from the pure fighters we''ve only got Gantz. It would be difficult to fight."


    "...you''re right. Since we don''t have a tank who would attract the mobs, it would be best to avoid combat as much as possible."


    "Mainly, let''s avoid combat. If we absolutely cannot avoid it, let''s hold enemy down then retreat until we can annihilate them with magic, I guess.


    Then, with Toutobi in the vanguard and me in the rear, we would proceed through the maze warily making use of ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense. In the narrow maze, it was hard to escape but it was easy to hit the enemy with magic.


    Once we told everyone how the combat will look in general, each of them had responded with their own impression.


    "Fufufu, I have no objections in particular. After all, mages mainly attack from the distance."


    "Yer'' right. Not like ''lot changed in what we do."


    "Still, this way of doing things is very much like you. If it was Gantz preparing tactics, it would all end with a vain assault on the enemy."


    "That wouldn''t happen... uh, I can''t deny it. But well, I''ll do my best to hold back the enemy this time. My low kicks will go full burst!"


    And then Gantz repeatedly did a few low kicks, the sound of his legs cutting through the air was quite loud.


    However, rather than having Gantz stand in front I assumed I would hold back the enemies with my ¡¶Clay Shield¡· and bad status arrows, so I don''t know if he''ll even have a chance to try.


    "Now that we''ve decided, let''s go. Mischievous Fairy, can you guide us?"


    "Nope, no can do. I have no clue which way to go."


    Mm-mm, the Mischievous Fairy raised a groan, unable to grasp the route through the maze. I thought that she should just fly upwards and find out, but as she tried to fly up the thorns would extend and strike her down, making me give up.


    "...then, let''s just proceed along the wall on the right.


    "I guess that''s the basics. I''ll try to make a map so let''s move on."


    I took out pen and paper used with ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ and moved through the maze.


    Based on the width of the maze, I started drawing a map of what I could see with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿.


    I mapped down the traps and treasure boxes either Toutobi or I found with ¡¾See-Through¡¿ and shared the information within the party.


    "...Yun-san, there''s an opening in the wall of thorns on the left side."


    "Aw, did I miss it? I''ll add it to the map right away. Toutobi and Gantz, check it for traps and come back after confirming what''s there, if enemies appear wipe them with magic. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed."


    "...understood."


    "We''ll be going then."


    With the two vanguards preceding for luring out enemies, we proceeded forward. So that we''re not attacked from behind, we used a similar mechanic. While defeating as few enemies as possible, when it came down to combat I put down a ¡¶Clay Shield¡·''s wall behind us to prevent a surprise attack.


    Weak mobs, Thorn Tokens appeared in the maze, their appearance was like degraded versions of the Thorn Tokens that appeared so far. The army of thorns that mimicked shapes of various organisms was easily beat by simultaneous sweep of magic.


    However, if in this narrow maze a large amount of mobs appear from a monster house-like trap right in front of us, we''ll suffer lots of damage so we had to act carefully.


    "Now!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Circle¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Little Tornado¡·!"


    Aiming for a large amount of Thorn Tokens overflowing from opened door, Rirei and Kohaku released their magic.


    We repeatedly lured them out and examined the emptied monster house after annihilating the enemies.


    "In normal dungeons there''s a lot of normal and monster traps. The only saving grace is that they don''t respawn."


    Talking about that were me and Minute who had nothing to do in the rear.


    I only focused on mapping or independently lured out mobs from a distance using a bow.


    "...let''s rest in that room for a while. I''d like to check the map, too."


    "You''re right. The enemy isn''t respawning and there''s only one entrance which makes it easy to defend."


    I agreed with Toutobi''s proposal, we entered the small room to take a break.


    "Sorry, Toutobi. I missed some monster houses."


    "...no, it''s thanks to Yun-san finding the simpler things that I can focus on searching for traps."


    Since neither of us had rushed the conversation, we spoke which was quite pleasant. Toutobi chose easy to understand words so that I keep up. If Myu was to be the assistant, she would shower me with gamer terminology and cause my head to burst from confusion.


    "Really, I''m very grateful for your assisting."


    "...i-it''s nothing."


    As I thanked her from the front, she raised her muffler up to her mouth in embarrassment and answered in fading voice. Somehow, with Toutobi facing downwards and blushing, an awkward atmosphere appeared between us.


    I lightly scratched my cheek with a finger, wondered if there''s something I could do, I took out a certain something.


    "Um... if you need to recover satiety... would you like to eat?"


    "...yes."


    The thing I took out, in cutely wrapping, were cookies I made. After receiving them, Toutobi''s appearance as she unwrapped them and put in her small mouth reminded me of a small animal.


    "Aaah! Not fair! I want to eat too!"


    "Yes yes. I''ve got more cookies, but I need to deliver them to people stealing glances this way first."


    With that said I passed cookies for Gantz and the others, their own partnered fairy received it and carried it over to them.


    "Ahahaha, that was surprising, to think Yun-chan and Toutobi would show us heart-pounding scene."


    "What to say. ''Dat made my heart pound as well."


    "Fufufu, it felt like a relationship of a girl school''s onee-sama and an underclassman. By all means, I want to mix in there."


    Even the normally retorting Minute and Kohaku gave up on that and stared at us, their faces red. As for Rirei, while giving cookies to fairies she looked towards us with passionate gaze and ecstatic expression.


    "Yun-chan''s, a girl''s home-made cookies! I''ll win with this!"


    Gantz alone just held the package with cookies shivering with joy, hurry up and eat.


    I too passed a small packaging to the Mischievous Fairy for eating, and then we resumed our search.


    Taku and his group where the power-type players have gathered would proceed by blowing away all the enemies, but in our case the goal was to catch up with them quickly but carefully, prioritizing safety.


    Along the way, Toutobi opened a found treasure box and the wall of thorns moved changing the structure, but thanks to steady mapping we slowly closed onto the exit¡ª¡ª


    "We did it. Finally at the goal."


    "Yeahh! We can join up with Taku and the others."


    Seeing the exit from the thorny maze Minute heaved a sigh of relief, Gantz immediately started running towards the outlet with the fairies charging right after him.


    I''d like it more if he didn''t act so recklessly, it''s not like I''ll request of him to act paranoid, but if there are traps or mobs by the exit, it will end up with Minute nagging at him.


    Chasing after Gantz, we passed through the maze''s exit.


    Outside the thorny maze there was¡ª¡ª


    "Taku and the others aren''t here. So we arrived earlier, huh."


    Now of all times, I looked around.


    The withered flowers spreading under our feet were probably a beautiful flower garden before. And, if this was the Fairy Village''s centre¡ª¡ª


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Limited Quest: Save The Fairy Village 4£¯ 4¡¿¡ª¡ª


    Defeat the Half-Beast Plant ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ and save the Fairy Queen.


    I confirmed in the menu that the quest has progressed and looked for the boss in question.


    I moved closer to the centre of the dead flower garden, but as I looked around nothing that resembled a boss could be seen.


    "It''s not here. Where is¡ª¡ª?!"


    A piercing response of ¡¾See-Through¡¿ had approached from below.


    "The boss is appearing! Everyone prepare!"


    Toutobi and I noticed its existence, I picked up the bow and shouted.


    With just these words everyone entered battle readiness and waited for the boss'' appearance.


    What appeared digging through the ground, were multiple thick thorns that entangled together forming a huge tree and bloomed with countless of roses. And, two vine-like whip thorns that protected the roses.


    The huge rose tree that looked like the main body ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ and the ¡¾Thorn Whip¡¿ protecting it have appeared in front of us.


    "Yun-chan, what do we do?!"


    "You''re the leader so give us some instructions!"


    "At time like this, what would Taku or Myu say..."


    I didn''t think taking down that huge rose tree would be simple. Moreover, I didn''t have experience as a leader. I wasn''t strong. Taku and the others weren''t here. In this situation where I had nothing, I could only believe in my comrades.


    "We don''t know the fight so just respond appropriately for now! ¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    I believed everyone would move optimally and cast a speed enchant on them raising their avoidance abilities.


    Gantz from the vanguard immediately proceeded with charging in, basing on the experience so far he launched an attack on the main body''s roses.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence!"


    I overlapped more enchants on Gantz who was the first to get in contact with the enemy. When he extended his palm towards the rose as to crush it, the ¡¾Thorn Whip¡¿ had coiled around his wrist and retaining his momentum threw Gantz into the air to the left.


    "Ohh?! Not bad. But¡ª¡ª"


    Confirming that the main body doesn''t attack by itself, Gantz grinned broadly. Immediately after that, Toutobi started running.


    Toutobi got through the second ¡¾Thorn Whip¡¿ and momentarily scattered two roses. She entered a location difficult to aim at and ran to the opposite side.


    The roses on the main body were numerous, but it didn''t mean they were difficult to deal with.


    And, our attacks weren''t over yet.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Circle¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Little Tornado¡·!"


    It was Rirei''s flame and Kohaku''s whirlwind they couldn''t use to their fullest in the narrow maze. Momentarily, it wrapped around the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿''s body and burned off roses all over it.


    The flame whirlwind not only burned the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿''s roses but also the ¡¾Thorn Whip¡¿, the length of its vines shortened to half of their original.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡·!"


    I scattered the roses remaining after it was burned. Toutobi and Gantz moved to the opposite side of the maze''s exit and took down the roses one after another.


    Then, when the last rose was taken down, the rose tree started ringing and more of huge rose flowers had appeared.


    "It revived, how cumbersome. This enemy is like that Great Eater of Mythical Beasts. Yun-chan, what do we do about it?"


    "Although the rose weaknesses have become bigger, their numbers decreased! If we repeat it, they''ll eventually run out, right?"


    "Should I join in and attack with light magic?"


    "Minute, please focus on healing."


    Although she proposed to participate in attacking, I had Minute focus on the healer''s role in order to maintain safety margin.


    With the second repetition, the amount of ¡¾Thorn Whips¡¿ increased by one and got in our way.


    There were fewer chances for Kohaku and Rirei to release their combined magic and they devoted themselves to avoiding, meanwhile they scattered the roses with single target attacks.


    The roses grew, but since their number decreased they were easy to aim at. However, the pace of the newly grown ¡¾Thorn Whips¡¿ had increased, interfering with us. When they revived for the third time, the thorns started striking indiscriminately in all directions. Moreover, the interval between its attacks had decreased, turning a storm of lashes.


    The power of the barbs was quite low when it was just a single hit, but if you couldn''t ignore them and continue receiving attacks.


    Minute did her best combining recovery magic and use of potions. In addition to that, Kohaku and Rirei created a safety zone with magic and destroyed the roses slowly, one by one.


    "Damn, so I made the wrong choice. Maybe we should have stopped attacking mid-way and just bought time until Taku and the others come."


    "...that''s not true. Even now the enemy''s attacks are gaining momentum so a short-term battle wasn''t a wrong choice."


    "Thanks, Toutobi."


    As I once again used the enchants and potions in the safety zone, turning weak-minded, she encouraged me.


    Although only provisional, I''m the leader now. I need to stand firm!


    "If only Kei was here with his shield we could get closer. It can''t be helped, I''ll go. Yun-chan, full support please!"


    "Got it. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed. And an extra ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon!"


    I put the full set of enchants on Gantz who went on with a suicide attack on the last rose.


    After putting down three types of enchants, I consumed a fire elemental stone to put a fire enchant on Gantz''s fists.


    "Uohhh! My hands are on flames! Cool! And not hot at all!¡ª¡ª"Just go already!"¡ª¡ªSure!"


    As Gantz started joking around Minute sent him off by hitting him in the back. Starting with that hit''s momentum he began to run from the magic''s safety zone quickly and approached the tree drawing an arc.


    "HAa¡ª¡ª¡¶Kazoe Nukite¡·!"


    Countless thrusts of Gantz''s open hand carved the way open.


    Starting with a single finger, with each nukite he used one more finger, doing four more attacks in succession.


    He pierced through the ¡¾Thorn Whips¡¿ in the way and cut open the shortest way to the rose, the third and fourth attack touched the rose and with the flame enchant passing onto it, the roses scattered in middle of flames.


    "All right, it''s over now!"


    Now that all the roses were destroyed, the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ boss was defeated.


    "Unexpectedly, we somehow managed."


    The remaining ¡¾Thorn Whips¡¿ rapidly withered and broken up into particles of light.


    Although the thorn tree was still remaining in the centre of the flower garden, since there was no more roses blooming, this was probably the end.


    "Yun-chan, I did my best so praise me!"


    "Yes yes. Good job. Here, a High Potion for healing."


    "Oh, how cold."


    I threw him a High Potion, Gantz chugged it down recovering the damage he received during the last suicide attack.


    Kohaku and Rirei also stopped deployment of their defence magic and unexpectedly taken aback, they spoke unanimously.


    "Well, this, if we really defeated it before Taku and the others came they''ll surely complain about it."


    I smiled bitterly alone, but then a question had remained.


    Why was it that the thorn tree didn''t disappear even though no more roses were on it?


    And, where is the saved Fairy Queen?


    As I fell silent thinking of that, the Mischievous Fairy pulled the hem of my clothes.


    "That thing is still alive."


    "Eh?"


    What are you saying, I wanted to ask, but there was a change to the thorn tree.


    The thorns have untangled and opened up, inside of them one had opened and a large rose emerged from inside.


    "H-huge."


    The flower bud formed of overlapping heavy petals was so large we lost our composure.


    Just what were those rose flowers we have destroyed so far, I wondered.


    It wasn''t a weakness, but pruning. It made it seem like we were pruning them in order to foster the huge rose.


    And, as the rose gradually bloomed, the monster appeared.


    In the centre of the roses there was a head reminiscent of that of a crocodile, the untangled thorns started to move like limbs. By the crocodile''s throat there was a cage of thorns and inside of it, there was a girl with wings similar to that of fairies, she was being held captive.


    "So this is the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿''s second form."


    Immediately after Rirei muttered, the half-beast plant with crocodile head we looked up to has roared.


    "Ugh..."


    The roar was powerful enough to make me fall on my knees on top of the fine sand, I held down my ears.


    Once the combat was over we relaxed, and since we all stood together, we received the same attack all at once.


    Starting with ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Curse¡¿, various bad statuses were put down on us at random.


    The extended roar ceased, luckily I didn''t receive behavioural inhibiting bad statuses like ¡¾Sleep¡¿ or ¡¾Stun¡¿ so I pulled out Paralysis Antidote potion, but at that moment two tentacles approached my feet.


    "Kyahh!"


    "Toutobi! Kh, let go! Khahh!"


    Toutobi and I were caught by the outstretched tentacles and lifted up. I tried escaping by twisting my body, but they entangled around my body firmly raising my feet from the ground.


    "Let go, let me down! O-oww!"


    A gasp of pain leaked out as my body was squeezed tightly. Kohaku and the others who weren''t caught still haven''t recovered from the bad statuses, so they couldn''t move.


    Toutobi who, like I did, received ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ let her voice out, but her body remained limp.


    "Damn! If I could dispel this..."


    Since from ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Curse¡¿ bad statuses I first removed ¡¾Paralysis¡¿, I couldn''t use magic because of the ¡¾Curse¡¿. Since my hands were constrained I couldn''t use items and Minute, who was the healer had received the ¡¾Curse¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ bad statuses.


    Gantz had high resistance, but he still received a light ¡¾Paralysis¡¿.


    And, both Rirei and Kohaku had ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ on them so it didn''t seem like they would return any time soon.


    "Well, isn''t this a pinch."


    We were in a desperate situation. The thorns bit into my arms and body, accumulating the damage.


    And, both Toutobi and I have gradually approached the opened, huge crocodile head.


    I wonder if we''ll be eaten at this rate. Or maybe we''ll be caught in the same way the Fairy Queen at its throat and won''t be able to further participate in the battle, or maybe the quest will fail and we will be forced to retire.


    Yeah, it''s over. I thought and gave up on resistance, that''s when¡ª¡ª


    "Don''t ya give up. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sonic Edge¡·!"


    A shockwave tore apart the thorns that caught me and Toutobi, I was caught by someone before I fell to the ground.


    "The star is here! First, recovery¡ª¡ª¡¶Cure¡·¡¶Dispel¡·¡¶Reset¡·¡¶Cool Down¡·!"


    Bad status recovery magic was used in rapid succession.


    While the ¡¶Cure¡· was used for ¡¾Poison¡¿ and ¡¾Paralysis¡¿, ¡¶Dispel¡· removed ¡¾Curse¡¿ and ¡¾Charm¡¿. ¡¶Reset¡· was for ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿. ¡¶Cool Down¡· was for ¡¾Anger¡¿ and ¡¾Confusion¡¿, the recovery magic corresponding to two types of bad status each was used.


    "Yoo, sorry. We''re late."


    "Hero is someone who appears late!"


    As I looked at the comrades who emerged from the maze''s exit, a sigh of relief leaked from my mouth.


    With this, all twelve of us were here. From here on the real thing starts.


    ¡ñ


    "The bad status attack doesn''t affect everyone, but a specific area! Spread out moderately!"


    " " "Roger!" " "


    Taku immediately instructed and everyone promptly started moving.


    My own abilities as a leader couldn''t compare to that of Taku''s, I looked up at him in daze.


    "Taku-san, how long are you going to hold Onee-chan?"


    "Oops, sorry, I forgot."


    "Ehh?! Ah!! Hurry up and let go!"


    Taku had let me down on the ground and I finally let out a long breath.


    Somehow, I felt like we were being looked at with strangely lukewarm gazes, although, even despite that these shrewd players fulfilled their own roles properly.


    "Taku, Myu. Um... you''ve saved us."


    I said just that and ran over to the rear, meanwhile I heard "tsundere", "she went dere" "dere indeed" spoken in undertone.


    However, as if to quieten down those voices Taku shouted instructions.


    "Kei and Lucato-chan, block the attacks from the front! Gantz and Myu-chan, Tobi-chan and Hino-chan, attack from the sides. The rearguard, Mami-san use defence magic. Rirei-chan and Kohaku-chan focus on attacking. Yun, keep the boss in check with bow and assist the rearguard with enchants and MP management. Minute, I leave vanguard''s HP management to you!"


    In response to Taku''s orders, I immediately passed MP potions to others, recovering their MP.


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    I subjected everyone within my range of sight to an attack enchant and once again stared at the boss having a wide perspective.


    The ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ boss, was a monster with a crocodile head inside a huge rose. Until now the boss'' HP was synonymous with the amount of roses left on it, but now on the second stage his HP was displayed.


    His head let out roars that induced bad statuses and tried to bite, as well as fired air cannon-like attacks from its mouth.


    The thorn tentacles that protected the main body that was the crocodile head numbered six in total, on their tips there were rose buds. The attack methods of the tentacles were whip lashes, interference with a wall of thorns and releasing a solution liquids from the buds. The yellow liquid that fell to the ground dissolved it while raising a white smoke.


    "You''re in the way! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sonic Edge¡·!"


    Although Taku measured the timing of the crocodile head''s attacks and attacked from the distance at the right moment, it was perfectly blocked by the thorn tentacles. Therefore, Taku changed the target of his attacks to the tentacles to destroy a part of them.


    Even though the tentacles were destroyed by continuous slashes...


    "I expected them to regenerate, but this is a bit too fast."


    Taku spend some time destroying the tentacles, but they immediately returned to normal. We won''t be able to safely attack the main body if we continue trying to destroy the tentacles. And so, before long the vanguard gave up on attacking them.


    "Fufufu, so the regeneration speed is faster. Then, we can only focus on attacking the main body. Yun-san!"


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªMind!"


    "Let''s go¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Circle¡·!"


    "Let''s match it! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Little Tornado¡·!"


    I used a magic attack-increasing enchant on Rirei and Kohaku, they used their combination technique, a flame whirlwind on the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ in front of us.


    The flame whirlwind whose power was increased with stat enchant approached the boss with its power raised by entire level.


    Although the wall of thorns blocked the flame whirlwind, only its power was dampened as it passed through and swallowed the rose flower and crocodile''s head. We could hear the cry of the crocodile head from the flames.


    "That was lots of damage! Let''s follow up!"


    Although three out of six tentacles disappeared, the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ brandished the remaining three and extinguished the flames.


    Taku and the others from the vanguard rushed in when it was easy to land attack and released Arts one after another.


    I also shot an arrow from a long distance together with them, contributing to combat.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Grand-Hammer¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Neck Hunt¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Demon-Hunting Kick¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Power Buster¡·!"


    Myu, Hino, Toutobi, Gantz and Taku have used their Arts continuously delivering large amounts of damage, including the flame whirlwind the boss lost 30% HP in total.


    The thorns supporting the crocodile head bulged and the bulge gradually rose up approaching its mouth.


    "Mhh! I won''t let you! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fortress¡·!"


    "Same here! HAa! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    Kei set up his shield against the air cannon ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ fired. With just the distortion in the air as a clue, he activated defensive art at the moment it landed, instantaneously increasing his defence to offset the attack.


    Moreover, Lucato used her Art-clad sword to parry away the solution tentacles emitted.


    "Kei, that was awesome. Well done noticing that attack."


    As I muttered, Mami-san responded.


    "It''s because he''s been practising it hard. Kei is putting in a lot of effort."


    At the moment of the attack he got down on his knees and angled his shield in order to parry the attack to the side. To be able to use such a skill against a practically invisible attack, as I was really impressed, Mami-san standing beside me boasted as if it was about her. Seeing it Minute made a broad, merry grin.


    "I see, so it''s the result of yours and Kei''s practice together."


    "EHhh?! T-that''s not, true."


    Mami-san responded with a somewhat fading voice, but even though she was upset she still maintained a defensive barrier of the wind.


    Kei''s physical defence and Mami-san''s wind barrier. The rear guard was safe protected by the firm wall of the two.


    "Now, let''s continue attacking"


    As Taku raised his voice, another opportunity for attacking appeared. Occasionally the roar placed a bad status on someone, if the person was far away Minute recovered them with magic, if they were close I used a potion. Dividing the role we continued fighting.


    Along with the boss'' HP decrease the speed of tentacles'' regeneration and their amount has further increased and the attacks have grown more intense. But as everyone fulfilled their role properly, we continued to fight in a stable manner.


    And, when we finally reduced his HP to 10%.


    "All right, one more push! Everyone focus!"


    In response to Taku''s encouragement, I concentrated on applying enchants as my own attacks no longer passed through the enemy''s intense attacks.


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    With speed increased the vanguard freely ran through the defence and aimed to approach the boss'' crocodile head.


    The thorn''s whipping and the solution liquid. While resisting it the ones who dealt their blows last were Kei and Myu.


    "UOOHHhh! Don''t look down on shields!"


    Holding the shield in front of him, Kei performed an assault with enhanced speed and using the shortest route. It looked as if a lump of steel had been advancing. Hiding behind Kei who blocked all attacks and blew them away with his momentum was Myu, who sprung up at the moment they approached as close as possible.


    "Like this, I can decide it with the last blow! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    Maintaining her posture in mid-air Myu had slashed five times with her sword, then passing by the crocodile head she landed on the ground.


    She should have cut down the rest of his HP, but the boss was alive and well. No, his pupils were dyed in red colour and he had turned enraged.


    "Heyhey. Even if they added extra mechanics and increased difficulty, you must be joking with this enrage mode at the very end!"


    Although he no longer had any HP, the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ entered enraged mode and wouldn''t fall unless he was hit by the finisher and the damage dealt to the vanguards was greater than ever.


    "¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence!"


    "Make it in time¡ª¡ª¡¶Round Heal¡·!"


    Thanks to my zone enchant and Minute''s area heal we were able to mitigate the damage dealt to the vanguard, but in order to rework our strategy everyone had return to the back as we stretched out defensive magic at full power.


    We gathered together and looked at the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿ boss through the smoke caused by the solution liquid he released as we prepared a new strategy.


    "...what do we do? How do we deliver the last blow?"


    As long as we hit it with one last attack, there''ll be no problems. So even with poor attacks given enough tries we would eventually get it, but we still sought a method that would increase the probability even a little bit.


    "How can we safely make that last attack enter, huh."


    "I''ll do it! I want to do it!"


    "Gantz. Right now we aren''t looking for volunteers, but for the method to deliver it safely."


    And, among various opinions spoken over a short amount of time, Myu proposed a certain plan.


    "Here, here! I''ve got an idea!"


    "Myu-chan, what kind of plan is that?"


    "You see, I think having Onee-chan make a suicide attack is the best approach!"


    "HAA?! Me?!"


    Startled by the sudden proposal, I listened to Myu''s plan. Certainly I could understand why was it, and the plan was adopted.


    The strategy was fairly simple, all the attackers would carry me up to the boss or something like that.


    "Toutobi, have you finished preparing?


    "Yes. I''m all right. Let''s go! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shadow Dive¡·!"


    Toutobi entered my shadow and entered standby in subspace.


    My role was to safely carry Toutobi close enough to the boss so that she decides it with the last attack. I was chosen because I could use ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ accessory to block a few attacks.


    Protected by Taku and others from the vanguard I would get closer to the boss protected by the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ and carry Toutobi safely.


    "Operation start! Don''t get in our way!"


    Along with Taku''s command, Rirei and others from the rearguard switched from defensive magic to attack magic and an exchange had started between their magic and the liquid solution.


    "I''ll bet everything on this shield and defend with my all! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fortress¡·"


    "I''ll also bet on this sword of mine! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    The vanguards started running at full power. Taku, Myu, Gantz, Kei and Lucato protected us and were striking down the approaching enemy.


    Kei and Lucato held their weapons in front and parried attacks as they moved forward.


    "I won''t let you get Yun and Toutobi! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sonic Edge¡·!"


    "I won''t lose either! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·!"


    Taku and Myu let out long-range attacks and cut down ¡¾Thorn Whips¡¿.


    "I''m not good at precise attacks, but let''s do it! ©¤©¤¡¶Wisdom of the Stream¡·!"


    Gantz hands lit up with pale light and he blew away the attacks that passed by Taku and the others.


    However, after Arts'' usage there was a moment of stiffness.


    "Kh, kyaa!"


    Right after parrying an attack, Lucato received an attack from the liquid solution in the blind spot outside of her weapon''s protection and fell on the back from the impact.


    "Lucato!"


    "Yun, don''t stop!"


    Reprimanded by Taku, I continued moving although I almost stopped on spot. And, blocking the hole after Lucato fell was Kei who not only used his shield, but also caught attacks with his armour and spread arms.


    "I won''t let attacks pass! Take care of rest of the thorns now!"


    "I know! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sonic Edge¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Sol Ray¡·!"


    Taku''s and Myu''s attacks brought down all the ¡¾Thorn Whips¡¿ again.


    "Yun, run before they regenerate!"


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    I passed by Kei''s side and closed onto the boss all at once. There were several tens of metres left. As I ran into a position from which Toutobi could attack, new ¡¾Thorn Whips¡¿ appeared from the ground.


    "Tch, so there were more of the henchmen. From here I won''t make it."


    In the back Taku started dealing with another ¡¾Thorn Whip¡¿ that started regenerating. In here, I''ll have to survive by myself.


    "I''ll show you a crafter''s potential!"


    Seeing the thorns come from both left and right, I received some time to think from ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿. No matter how much I struggled I wouldn''t be able to get out of it safely. Therefore, I rushed in prepared to receive damage.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    I pressed Magic Gems I had in my right hand onto the thorn and blew it up. For the attack coming from the left I dived forward receiving a minimal amount of damage.


    My own ¡¾Bomb¡¿''s Magic Gem and the damage from the thorn were enough to shatter the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ gem.


    There were five metres remaining. At the distance of few steps away, my legs stopped.


    "Even though I''m almost there!"


    I looked at my feet and saw the thorns which attacked me earlier entangle my ankle.


    "Onee-chan!"


    I could hear Myu''s voice. I was currently being raised up by the tentacles holding my ankle tightly. If I fell here caught by thorns and was defeated, Toutobi lurking in my shadow would also be caught.


    But I won''t give up!


    "Myu! Light! As strong as possible!"


    "!! Got it. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light¡·!"


    The meaning behind my words was relayed correctly. Myu used her support magic ¡¶Light¡·, the blinding brightness illuminated the surrounding area. Influenced by it my shadow had grown long extending up to the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "Dash up, Toutobi. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·!"


    "I have been waiting for this moment. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Neck Hunt¡·!"


    Toutobi who was lurking in the shadow had leaped out of it.


    I created an earthen wall that became a scaffolding leading the way to the crocodile head, Toutobi ran up over it. As she leaped from the wall of earth the dagger she held in her hands emitted light and she swung it to pierce the crocodile''s throat. The slash drew a big arc cutting the thick crocodile''s neck. Just like that, the head alone had disappeared.


    The remaining thorns have gradually withered and shrunk, in the end what remained was just a beautiful, giant rose.


    And inside of it, a single woman stood up.


    "Thank you, people of the Fairy Village for heading to the outside world to seek help. And, thank you, human who have responded to our Fairy Village''s inhabitants'' plea for help."


    The NPC had began to speak in soft and crystal clear voice. As everyone gathered around her, the NPC spread her folded wings, emitting a pale phosphorescent light.


    "I''m the Fairy Queen of the Fairy Village. You have my thanks, gratitude for helping us."


    We were able to safely clear the time-limited quest ¡¾Save The Fairy Village¡¿.


    All the players and their fairy partners that led them to this place have moved close to each other and faced the Fairy Queen. And then, the ¡¾Cannibal Plant¡¿''s huge rose withered and was absorbed by the flower garden, which had bloomed with colourful flowers. The fairies hiding in the distant forest had began to gather.


    "This is..."


    "This Fairy Village received the monster''s assault and received severe damage. From here on we intend to join our forces to restore it to its previous state, but right now there''s nothing we can offer you as thanks. Therefore¡ª¡ª"


    It seemed like something was transmitted among the fairies. The Fairy Queen who started speaking quietly and the fairies nodded. Of course, the Mischievous Fairy floating beside me also nodded and moved in front of me.


    "Well then, take care of me."


    After saying so, she changed into particles of green light and was sucked into a Rugged Iron Ring that was on the finger of my right hand.


    Taku''s, Myu''s and the others'' fairies were sucked into either their equipment or bodies in the same manner and disappeared.

 Chapter Volume 6 6

    Chapter 6 - The Wish and the Grim Reaper


    "What kind of a reward is this?"


    As I muttered that, the Fairy Queen, an important NPC had answered.


    "There''s nothing in the Fairy Village I could give you as thanks. Therefore, the fairies accompanying you will take your request, and within the possible range they will fulfil three of your ¡¾Wishes¡¿."


    Hearing that I confirmed the Rugged Iron Ring the Mischievous Fairy possessed.


    Fairy-Possessed Iron Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿


    DEF+2 Additional Effect: ¡¾Fairy Possession 3/3¡¿


    "Oh, an assisting item."


    It seemed like the players who don''t have an item without additional effects have had a randomly-generated item subjected to ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ instead.


    Everyone took those items out and looked at them.


    "Aha, my fairy turned into an accessory."


    "Still, within possible range... what should I wish for, I wonder."


    Myu and Lucato started discussing their wishes. Everyone else too, started consulting with each other.


    "All right, I''ll use it first!"


    "Gantz! Don''t rush it!"


    "Come out, my fairy!"


    Ignoring Kei''s advice, Gantz raised a bracelet with ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ and called out the fairy from the inside.


    "Yes yes. Right away, what would like me to do?"


    "My wish is¡ª¡ªI want the strongest reinforcement material for a weapon!"


    Hearing this exaggerated wish all of us were shocked and unable to say anything. Even though it was said that it has to be a probable wish...


    "What do you specifically mean by strongest??"


    "Well, I guess something like a reinforcement material from a Dragon or a Giant!"


    "There''s no way a single fair is going to fulfil a wish like that, is there."


    Saying so, the fairy refused to fulfil the wish.


    "Eh, it''s no good? T-then, umm, get me a slightly weaker reinforcement material!"


    "No way that''s happening. Hey, got any other wishes? If you don''t, I''ll be going back?."


    "Uh, um..."


    "10, 9, 8..."


    The fairy started a heartless countdown as Gantz panicked. And¡ª¡ª


    "I don''t care what is it, please just get me some reinforcement material!"


    "Yup. Time''s out. See you."


    Gantz didn''t make it in time and the fairy returned to the bracelet.


    "Hee, so that''s how it works."


    Wasting the effect of ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ with an unclear wish, the amount of wishes Gantz had remaining had dropped down to two. Dejected by that he fell down on all fours, everyone else instead of comforting him had calmly analysed the effect.


    "Hmm. This means that it would be better to make a wish that can be easily fulfilled. We need to gather some samples in order to determine the range of possible wishes."


    "Thanks to Gantz-san we''ll carefully consider our wishes, that''s great."


    "Gantz, your sacrifice won''t go for naught."


    "At least try comforting me!"


    Taku, Myu and Kei spoke in order causing Gantz to roar.


    I smiled bitterly seeing everyone look at Gantz with lukewarm eyes as he acted like usual.


    As the exchange had calmed down, the Fairy Queen NPC called out to us.


    "Now then, it''s about time we returned everyone to the human world. Thank you very much for help."


    It seemed like time has come as the same light we''ve seen on the transition circles had began stretching out from under or feet.


    Until the pillar of light was completed, the previously-hidden fairies have seen us off waving their hands.


    If possible, I''d like to visit the Fairy Village once it turns beautiful again. As I thought so, we were transferred.


    I thought that we would be transferred to the location of the Fairy Circle we used to get in, but the entire party was actually transferred in front of the First Town''s portal.


    "Now then, quest has been cleared, what next? Shall we gather people to confirm the ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿''s effect?"


    "Here, an ideeaa! Let''s eat something to celebrate!"


    With the quest over, everyone started moving.


    The ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ confirmation group centred around Taku.


    The celebratory party group has centred around Myu.


    And, other than that there was a group of people tired who were going to take a break.


    "I''ll be going back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and log out."


    "Ehh, come with us."


    "I''m a bit tired."


    I said so and pat Myu''s head who schemed going around to eat sweets, then moved away from the group.


    In the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ Kyouko-san the NPC had come out to greet me. Feeling like I''ve finally returned, I heaved a long sigh.


    "Welcome back, Yun-san."


    "I''m back, Kyouko-san. Did anything change in the store?"


    "Same as usual, only the regulars have come to buy some potions. Also, I would suggest prioritizing the replenishment of High Potions."


    "Got it. I''ll confirm it later."


    I''m tired, I thought, and in order to be healed by Ryui and Zakuro I called out the two animals.


    "Kyuu?"


    "I''m tired. Ryui, Zakuro. Heal me a bit."


    I leaned on Ryui, held Zakuro on my stomach and sat down on the floor behind the counter.


    For a while, I felt Ryui''s and Zakuro''s warmth in silence, but the two seemed restless. When it started to seem to me that they''re looking for something, Zakuro started licking my right hand.


    "What is it? Is there something on it?"


    I said so and when I started patting Zakuro, I noticed.


    What Zakuro was bothered with, was the ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ ring rather than my hand.


    "I see. Well, you were together the entire time recently. Yeah, the Mischievous Fairy is in here."


    I raised the ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ ring as to make it visible, and both Ryui''s and Zakuro''s line of sight gathered on it. Zakuro touched it several times. From time to time he bit my finger lightly, but then tilted his head seeing the difference from the usual noisy Mischievous Fairy.


    "I guess it does feel lonely once she disappears."


    While she was here in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ during the quest, I guess we have gotten used to the noisy Mischievous Fairy.


    ¡ñ


    The deadline for the time-limited quest was approaching, one after another the quest information has been gathered and complete. Meanwhile, over the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s counter I listened to the story of a player who visited the store.


    And, the one I was talking with was¡ª¡ª


    "Yun-chan, listen to this?."


    "What, did something happen?''


    With tears in her eyes, Sei-nee came to complain.


    "Half-way onto the deadline I still couldn''t get a fairy, when I finally got one, in the middle of the quest I got assaulted either by the Grim Reaper or PKs and can''t really proceed further! And I get the super difficult Thorn Tokens all the time!"


    "You''ve been through lots, really."


    I said so and quietly poured her a sweet drink.


    When I asked for the full story, it seemed like right after the quest started she was invited to various parties but thought she''ll find a fairy on her own and refrained from joining, she also gave priority to other people and couldn''t pick one up. In the end she was helped by Mikadzuchi.


    Other than that, because Mikadzuchi was there Flein and other PKs have actively assaulted them.


    Also, she randomly encountered the new wandering-type, humanoid boss mob, Grim Reaper who was added in the same update as the Fairy Quest. Or she had trouble dealing with powerful Thorn Tokens and defeating them.


    "Yun-chan, thank you for listening to my story. I calmed down a bit thanks to that."


    "That''s great. So, Sei-nee, how far have you progressed with the quest now?"


    "Right now, we''re doing the last part, entering the Fairy Village. It does seem like we''ll be taking a difficult course with lots of mechanics like Yun-chan and the others had."


    "I think you''ll be all right, Sei-nee."


    "If I can''t clear the quest, I''ll go kill those PKs who have gotten in our way and wring the money out of them to buy ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ accessories."


    With tears in her eyes Sei-nee said something disturbing. Actually, she''s quite wealthy so she doesn''t have to aim for the bounty and can just buy the accessory normally.


    However, currently the ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ items were sold on the street stalls at outrageous premium prices. The lower limit of the price was 1mG. The most expensive ones were 5mG.


    "Then, Yun-chan, how about you sell me yours for 2mG?"


    "No way! I''m not giving it up."


    I clenched the ring on my right hand with my left as if to protect it.


    "But Yun-chan, you won''t use such a rare item with limited number of uses will you?"


    "Uh... that''s true."


    I groaned hearing her lucky guess. Certainly, reluctance to use such items was something not good in a game. If not used at the right time, one might lose because of that.


    "¡ª¡ªElixir Syndrome."


    "Uhhh, but I won''t give it up. It''s too precious!"


    It''s something important connecting me and the Mischievous Fairy, so I won''t give it up even to Sei-nee.


    "Rather than think of what happens if you fail, I think it would be more constructive to think how to use ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ after you clear the quest."


    "You''re right. I think I teased you a bit too much, Yun-chan."


    Sei-nee... I stared at her. Sorry, she responded quietly.


    "Let''s see. Maybe I should ask three times for reinforcement material."


    "Is that so. Well, I''ve heard people ask for things like temporarily helping them with attacking and such, apparently there are various uses."


    Currently, from the methods ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ can be used in what was found were asking for items, asking for money, attack support, stat support, resistance support, quest hints, as well as effects like obtaining bonus experience. Each and all of them were minor effects that didn''t make much difference.


    Honestly speaking, this time''s reward wasn''t worth the effort.


    Personally, the time spent with the fairy seemed more worthwhile.


    "Well then Yun-chan, it''s about time for me to go."


    "Do your best Sei-nee. Here, potions as farewell gift."


    As I passed the potions to Sei-nee who was going to enter the Fairy Village, I was suddenly reminded of something that could be used and took out a piece of paper.


    "Sei-nee, take this with you as well."


    "Yun-chan, what is this?"


    "The map of the maze I made when we got separated from our party. I wrote detailed data inside like the types of traps and the contents of treasure boxes."


    It wasn''t like I filled the entire map and there was a possibility of the maze''s structure changing. Still, knowing what kind of traps are there they''ll be able to warn themselves off them.


    "Thank you, Yun-chan. I''ll use it effectively."


    Then, Sei-nee left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ in order to head to finish the quest together with Mikadzuchi and other ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild members.


    About what happened afterwards, it seemed like the map I passed them was helpful when it came to the releasing traps and the scout-type players have started learning how to map the dungeons on paper.


    "Well then, how about we go for a walk as well."


    Ryui and Zakuro who sat down on the cold floor quietly when Sei-nee was here have gotten up and headed to the entrance and looked towards me as if to say "hurry, let''s go".


    "I know. Today we''re going to gather some herbs and ore in the east, I guess we''ll go as far as the second town."


    And then, after deciding the schedule on whim I brought Ryui and Zakuro with me as I walked outside.


    I looked at the stalls and stores, sometimes I exchanged light greetings with acquaintance players as I headed outside of the town.


    The usage of ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ accessories has already become a main topic of the conversations between the players.


    "Haa, but I can''t decide myself."


    I heaved a heavy sigh, Ryui and Zakuro too let out a similar, heavy sigh.


    Just like Sei-nee said, I had something like the Elixir Syndrome making me feel it''s a waste to use, because of which I haven''t decided yet.


    "Well, it''s not like I''m in a rush, I can just leave it as an item for an emergency."


    I muttered to myself, but it was still unclear whether I myself was satisfied with this choice.


    "I guess I''m just indecisive."


    While saying so I continued to collect herbs from the ground one after another.


    Laid-back I walked thoughtlessly under the blue sky, before I noticed I arrived in the eastern forest.


    "Ah, so I came this far. Well then, let''s take a break somewhere near."


    I stopped by the safety area in the eastern forest, took out warm tea from the inventory and sat down using a fallen tree for a chair. I gave Ryui and Zakuro some chilled cucumbers I bought at the stalls on the way here, they nibbled on them with a loud crunching sound. They were just chilled cucumbers, but fresh they were quite tasty. The two immediately ate one and requested more.


    "Yes yes. Here you go... hey, something''s coming."


    I raised the cucumber I took out and waited for the presence I felt from the tall grass.


    It didn''t feel hostile, but since it was quite small it might have been a Grey Rat. While I remained wary, something small and striped popped out.


    "Buuh"


    "Oh the piglet! Been healthy?"


    The Big Boar''s young beast had ran up to me looking just as energetic as it was when we first met it.


    The piglet''s nose pointed towards the chilled cucumbers, when I offered it one, it started gnawing on it without hesitation.


    "Ahaha, somehow the mobs around me are mainly drawn to food."


    Recently, in the Wetlands on the south the ball of fire mobs, Wisps immediately approach upon seeing me to get herbs. I wonder what''s going on, it feels like mobs all over are acting friendly with me.


    "Buu"


    "What, you already finished eating?"


    As I stroked the piglet''s slightly stiff hair, I noticed its gaze wandered as if looking for something.


    "...as I thought, looking for the Mischievous Fairy, huh."


    Just like Ryui and Zakuro, the piglet looked for the Mischievous Fairy who was flying above my shoulders before.


    And, probably smelling the scent, it pressed its nose against my right hand, puzzled.


    "This time, Mischievous Fairy isn''t here. Sorry."


    I don''t know if the piglet was convinced by my words, it ran over to the grass nearby and dug something up with its head.


    I looked at it for a while, then the piglet returned with something in its mouth.


    "This is... a fossil, huh. Yup, thanks, I''ll take it."


    The piglet passed me the unidentified fossil and happily returned to the woods.


    It seems like something similar will happen next time I come here. I smiled bitterly, drank some tea and stood up.


    "Ryui, Zakuro. The break is over. Let''s go to the next place!"


    Meeting the piglet again I had entered a merry mood, but as I resumed walking I felt like something was missing.


    "I need to hurry and decide on how to use the ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿."


    Even though I muttered so dazedly, the opportunity for that will probably far ahead in the future, I thought. But unexpectedly it came before long.


    ¡ñ


    It happened abruptly as we walked around without any goal in particular.


    A dense purple fog hung over the surroundings and the visibility turned poor.


    And, cold air welled up from deep in the forest causing me to shiver.


    At the same time I was startled by the sudden change in the space around me, all sound disappeared.


    The chirping of birds, I couldn''t even feel my own footsteps.


    Even with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾See-Through¡¿ combination I couldn''t find a single presence in the surroundings.


    "What is this. Everything disappeared."


    Disappeared... no, just the opposite. I waken into an empty space.


    Ryui and Zakuro who were walking together with me have huddled closer. Ryui entered full vigilance, bristling his mane, on the other hand Zakuro had put down his tails low, frightened.


    "I can''t expose you two to danger. Return¡ª¡ª¡¶Dismissal¡·"


    Using ¡¶Dismissal¡· skill I returned them back to stones.


    Alone, I kept an eye on the space filled with dense purple fog.


    "...something''s here."


    The ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense indicated something from one point in the surroundings and turned in that directions.


    "Is it an enemy?"


    What appeared was an existence wearing a plague mask and a wide-brimmed hat, there were crow feathers attached to the jet black cloak it was wearing.


    The name displayed floating over his head was ¡¾Death - Grim Reaper¡¿.


    "So this is the wandering boss mob added in the update, huh."


    I had not the least intention of fighting it solo, I confronted it with intention of escaping.


    ¡º"Kakakaka."¡»


    The Grim Reaper let out a voice similar to a crow''s cry and closed the distance between us in an instant.


    "?!!"


    I leaped to the side avoiding the casual swing of an arm I didn''t even see.


    "Woah. That''s really high attack speed."


    The Grim Reaper''s weapon was a sickle reminiscent of death. In his right hand there was a sickle connected with dozens of chains dangling from the Reaper''s sleeves. In his left hand, there was a blade of a sickle so long it was half-buried in the ground. The Reaper casually swung it with just one hand.


    And on the back, a huge folded scythe could be seen on the Reaper''s back.


    The first attack had come from behind, the sickle from the left hand was swung down at me. Even if I saw it with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ it would be too late to avoid but...


    "...he''s not that scary."


    Only his presence itself was abnormal and there were no pressure like one you get when facing a huge mob. If anything, it could be said his presence was weak.


    "The moment I thought so¡ª¡ª"


    "?!!"


    Once again he closed the distance instantly and casually swung the huge sickle blade casually with one hand. This time I avoided by leaning my body backwards, but my hair was cut and danced in the air.


    "S-Scarrryyyyyy!!"


    This guy''s scary after all!


    Since his presence was weak, it was difficult to read the initial motions before he moves. Before I realized he was already in front of me.


    Simple instantaneous power combined with the weak presence making it seem like he had suddenly appeared in front of me.


    I did all I could in order to escape that Grim Reaper.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence, speed!"


    I subjected myself with double enchant of defence and speed and started running behind the Reaper''s back.


    Without an idea how to exit the forest covered in the purple fog, I just kept running away.


    If I''m caught by the Grim Reaper, I lose. Thus, I had to try to escaping recklessly.


    "He''s¡ª¡ª"


    When I looked behind me for an instant, the Grim Reaper had sluggishly turned in my direction. He only faced towards me not moving an inch. Like this, maybe I''ll be able to escape. The tiny hope I found was shattered in an instant.


    "¡ª¡ªNo way."


    His instantaneous speed and power is high, but his movements other than that are slow was what I expected. In response to the Reaper''s linear movements I intended to run in zig-zags, but that thinking of mine was naive.


    "I didn''t think he could use that sickle on chain like that!"


    The sickle hanging on the chains from the right sleeve was swung and with a loud clanging struck a tree growing in the forest. Then, swallowing the chain back into the clothes the Reaper closed the distance between us all at once.


    ¡º"Kakaka."¡»


    "?!! Damn¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·!"


    I used the very basic magic at the Grim Reaper standing horizontally on the tree''s trunk supporting himself with the kusarigama pierced into it. I knew it wouldn''t deal any damage, but I aimed to cause the Reaper some dizziness.


    Even though I knew it was mostly meaningless action, I still fired the magic to distract myself from the fear of being chased after and continued to run.


    When the cloud of dust from explosion cleared up, the Grim Reaper stood there as if nothing happened, tilting his head.


    At this rate I''ll be caught up to, thinking so I further increased the pace and rushed.


    The Reaper used the chain in order to close the distance between us after which he swung his scythe. While somehow avoiding the deadly attacks in the middle of the fog I searched for the exit from the forest.


    From time to time I tried holding him back with ¡¶Bomb¡· or ¡¶Clay Shield¡· from impatience, but it was meaningless, the Grim Reaper received it all from the front and cut through with the scythe.


    "Haa, haa, haa¡ª¡ª"


    It continued endlessly and in the middle I lost the sight of the Reaper''s figure.


    "Where''s he..."


    I leaned my back on the tree and checked the surroundings.


    In order to calm down my roughened breathing, I took deep breath time after time, gradually settling down.


    Although the surroundings were still heavily coloured by fog, a single wishful thought crossed my mind.


    "No way... did I lose h¡ª¡ª?!!"


    Did I lose him. That judgement was quickly betrayed.


    The kusarigama that jumped up from the ground had tied my back to the tree I was leaning on.


    "Damn! He''s got me?!"


    The chain wound around me several times and the sickle was stuck deeply into the tree''s trunk, arresting me.


    Because I relaxed for just a moment, I''ve been caught.


    I twisted my body and tried to escape from the chains, but they strongly bit into my body and the only effect was loud sound of the metal rubbing against each other.


    Isn''t there something to use, my gaze wandered, then I looked ahead of the chain extending from the ground.


    *clask* *clask*...


    I could hear a sound of slow steps on the dead leaves of the forest, slowly the Grim Reaper''s figure appeared in the purple fog.


    "Get off, get off, get off!"


    I tried to take the chains off forcibly, twisted my body trying to slip out, but I was still stuck. Meanwhile the Reaper slowly moved closer to me relying on his chain.


    Is there any way¡ª¡ªI desperately recalled the list of items I have and thought of a method to get out of this place.


    In the meantime I used earth element magic like ¡¶Clay Shield¡· and ¡¶Mud Pool¡· to slow him down, but the Clay Shield was cut apart and he calmly walked over the Mud Pool.


    "What do I do, what to do, what¡ª¡ª"


    Looking at my restrained hands, I thought of one method.


    If I used the ¡¾Fairy Possessed Ring¡¿''s effect, I might possibly be able to defeat or fight off the Grim Reaper, or escape. But before I executed that idea a black shadow stood in front of me and my thinking stopped.


    The Death standing in front of me looked down at me with his eyes in the mask mimicking a bird.


    "No g¡ª¡ª"


    A carelessly-swung sickle cut my body diagonally from the shoulder. I didn''t prepare myself mentally for the attack that reaped my entire HP in an instant. My field of view dimmed and the message displayed was different than normal.


    ¡ùIn case you are defeated by a special mob the Death Penalty you will be subjected to will be different from normal.


    The ¡¾Grim Reaper¡¿ mob''s penalty extends the status decrease period to ¡¾72 Hours¡¿.


    Indeed, this death penalty is no joke. Normal death penalty last for an hour, the period of three days is quite unreasonable.


    I would like to avoid receiving a three-days long death penalty from being beeaten by an enemy that appeared out of nowhere.


    Without any hesitation I pressed ¡º"YES"¡» upon the Revival Medicine usage choice.


    I hope this nightmarish situation is over when I wake up. I wished so and when I revived myself, I saw the Grim Reaper who already retrieved his kusarigama and turned his back to me.


    "So it''s not over yet. Means I can only escape."


    In response to my revival the Reaper tilted his mask curtly. But next, he would probably come to hunt me with his sickle. as if to say "Well, fine. I need to reap him again".


    I started to run desperately and on the way, I gulped down a High Potion.


    "Haa, haa... what a bad luck."


    I thought of meeting the mob that ultimately sends you back after death as bad luck and escaped frantically.


    Since the enchants were cancelled upon my death and revival, I re-applied enchants on myself.


    Although the Grim Reaper followed me with his high-speed movement using kusarigama, this time I didn''t let him out of my sight.


    For the sake of avoidance I didn''t use neither a bow nor the kitchen knife and continued to escape while watching the enemy''s every attack and move.


    Still, the enemy was strong. Even if I extended the time to think during the attack using ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I had to receive attacks I was unable to avoid. Each time I revived after death and continued to escape.


    As I moved continuously escaping, the purple fog covering the forest gradually grew thin and I thought I might be able to escape at this rate.


    "¡ª¡ªThere''s light."


    There was the exit from the forest, I saw a place where the fog was thinner. If I escape through there, this frantic game of tag will end. When I thought so, I relaxed for a moment, which was directly connected with my death.


    "Again, huh..."


    I saw the swung sickle and my body fell again.


    Without hesitation I selected ¡ºYES¡» on the appearing menu. With this I no longer had any Revival Medicine left.


    "I''ll bet everything on this! ¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    I scattered a large amount of Bomb''s Magic Gems and triggered them, then rushed to the exit all at once. If he turns dizzy because of my magic and is stranded, it''ll be my win.


    While I thought so I took a step and slipped, falling to the ground.


    "Damn, why. Heck, what is this..."


    I noticed as I tried to stand up. The kusarigama entangled around my leg. On the other side there was the Reaper who was intact despite the multiple bombing.


    As he retracted his hand, the chain was wound back and I fell to the ground again.


    "Aghh, I got this far and yet..."


    I used the valuable Revival Medicine to run away and yet I couldn''t escape in the end... I extended my hand to the outlet wanting to get closer to it even a little, but I lost to the strength pulling the chain and dragging me back on the ground.


    Let''s use this ¡¾Fairy Possessed¡¿ ring on the finger of my right hand. I thought, but once again water was poured on that idea.


    As I knelt the Grim Reaper put the sickle under my neck. Seeing the blade''s dull shine I felt fear.


    I felt like a sinner waiting for execution.


    Restrained like this, sadness and loneliness raged inside my chest.


    Then, that sadness and loneliness was bound to the ¡¾Fairy Possessed¡¿ ring reflected in my vision, an out of place thought crossed my mind.


    ¡ª¡ªI wonder, is it lonely inside of that ring?


    The moment I thought of that question, my fear of the Reaper disappeared completely.


    Not feeling any fear as the sickle approached, I just felt like accepting it. In the end what I was disappointed with, that I couldn''t do anything about the Reaper.


    Then, the sickle reaped my head and my consciousness fell into darkness completely.

 Chapter Volume 6 Epilogue

    Epilogue - Release and Honey


    The place I woke up in, was the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ workshop''s cold floor.


    It was a crushing defeat. Death - Grim Reaper was a boss that made players feel awe.


    "Ahahaha, it''s my complete loss."


    In the first place, even before fighting I knew I''ll lose. However, thinking that I''ll be able to escape, it was my complete loss.


    "I didn''t stand a chance. I didn''t even deal any damage to him."


    I couldn''t do a thing, still, he had a presence I couldn''t hate. It was truly a mob that only hunted the players, although it was odd and horrifying, but also an existence to respect strongly.


    And, in the middle of the fight with the Grim Reaper I found an answer.


    "Hey, Mischievous Fairy, come out!"


    I spoke to the ring fitted on my own finger.


    The ring of ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ allowed for summoning the fairy three times. I have decided on the first wish.


    "You call, I come¡ª¡ªhey, woahh?! You, why are you so beat up?!"


    "How noisy, it''s been a while since we met."


    "Eh? EH?! You okay? Why did you call me looking like this?!"


    The Mischievous Fairy I called was flustered not knowing what''s happening. Therefore, I conveyed my feelings to her.


    "Well, calm down. As for this, I fought someone earlier and lost."


    "What?! Can I blow that guy away?!"


    "Nah. Well, listen."


    To think I would speak so seriously with an NPC, I''m real strange. As I thought so I spoke of the feelings the Grim Reaper made me aware of.


    "You see. I''m troubled as for how to use you. You''re way too free and your loving pranks troubles me. Also, you''re leaving leftovers after eating sweets."


    "Grr, hearing that from you while you''re so beat up is..."


    "But you see. Doing things with you wasn''t so bad. And when the quest was over, you were sucked into my ring and I was told you would grant three of my wishes, but I don''t have any."


    "............"


    The Mischievous Fairy listened to this with a perplexed expression on her face. Normally she would say some joke, she''s a good girl.


    "I''ve heard of many wishes fairies granted to players. None of them sounded any good to me. Thinking you''d only respond if you''re called out, it felt kind of sad and lonely."


    I paused for a moment. And in order to convey my wish to the fairy¡ª¡ª


    "And just earlier, I noticed. I want to be friends with you. That''s why¡ª¡ªI ¡¾Release¡¿ you."


    The ¡¾Fairy Possessed¡¿ ring responded to these words and my bond with Mischievous Fairy disappeared.


    Hearing this wish the Mischievous Fairy blinked several times in surprise.


    "Release, by release you mean, I''M FREEEEEeeeeee!!"


    "Woah, wait!"


    Suddenly, wind raged inside the workshop part of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and the windows opened wide. Flying around the workshop the Mischievous Fairy generated wind, laughing merrily.


    "I''m the freedom-loving Mischievous Wind Fairy! The ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ where I have to listen to someone''s orders didn''t fit me! This is feels the bestttttttt!!"


    "Ohh, good for you!"


    "Yup yup. Then, Yun and I are now on equal footing!"


    "Yeah, I guess."


    "And so, I''ll do whatever I like. See you!"


    She said so and flew out of the window.


    Eh?!! Isn''t this where we deepen our friendship a little, talk a bit? She suddenly went somewhere and once the wind subsided, there was no one left here.


    "...pft, good grief. Just how free is she."


    Even if I don''t meet her again, I was still in somewhat refreshing mood.


    "Aa-aah. Well, I''m glad the distressing ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿''s ring is gone."


    With that said I lifted to take a look again at the ring on my finger.


    And I noticed. The ring had further changed.


    Faerie Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (Weight: 1)


    DEF+5 Mind +5 Additional Effect: Faerie Blessing


    The Rugged Iron Ring changed into Ring of ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿, and then with the blessing of the Mischievous Fairy it changed into an unique accessory.


    The ¡¾Blessing¡¿''s effect was slight increase of stats and slight increase of skill success rate. There was also slight rare drop rate increase. It was an aggregation of small yet handy effects.


    A smile naturally spilled on my face. This is enough.


    And, once I checked the equipment on my beat-up body, the dirt disappeared over time and the damage to the armour recovered absorbing my MP.


    Just when I felt it looked good enough to appear in public, a voice had called out from the store part of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "Hello?. Is Yun-san in?"


    "Yeah, wait a moment."


    The one who spoke in such slow manner was Letia. When I entered the store part, I found Letia waiting alone.


    No, she was together with someone else. On top of her head, there was someone who tilted her head with the same expression as Letia.


    "Hello, Yun-san."


    "Hey. That fairy on top of your head is?"


    "Ah, after I completed the fairy quest I negotiated with her so that she becomes my tamed mob. She''s Wind Fairy, Yayoi-chan."


    Silently, the Wind Fairy raised her hand in greeting. Although normally I would congratulate Letia honestly, at the time my facial expression cramped up.


    "Eh? Yun-san, did something happen?"


    "Eh, no, Letia. Actually¡ª¡ª"


    I told her that the Mischievous Fairy I released earlier left as if nothing happened.


    Therefore, seeing such a clear difference between me and Letia, I felt like I failed to raise hidden friendship parameters. Well, I guess our relationship wasn''t that good right from the start. She covered me with mucus and I threatened to put her in a bottle.


    "Isn''t it all right?"


    "Is it?"


    "You see, doesn''t ''see you'' mean that you''ll meet again?"


    These words entered straight into my heart.


    I guess that even if she freely flies away, she''ll also freely come back. I might have worried about it needlessly.


    "Thanks, Letia. Want to eat something?"


    "I''m in mood for doughnuts."


    "Making me make some from scratch, huh."


    When I stared at her intently, "You can do it, Yun-san." together with the fairy on top of her head they looked at me with gazes full of expectations.


    Good grief, I heaved a sigh and started preparations for making doughnuts. With that said, they weren''t shaped doughnuts, for materials I used hot cake mix and deep fried it making doughnuts in shape of a ball.


    Then I covered them in powdered sugar, completing them. When I put plenty of them on top of a simple platter, Letia and the fairy started eating them while drooling.


    I guess, I should prepare a stock of sweets in case the Mischievous Fairy comes back. I muttered quietly.


    ¡ñ


    After that, the story of Letia using a fairy as a tamed mob spread. Inside OSO, there were various discussions on the topic of ¡¾Fairy Possession¡¿ accessories usage. Among our acquaintances, there were many people who chose the ¡¾Release¡¿ option.


    "Well, that''s because there''s a higher value in their existence itself rather than in items and temporary help in combat. If they are to disappear after using three times, might as well release them right from the start."


    Emily-san said so and sipped tea.


    I was talking with Emily-san over the counter.


    The time-limited Fairy Quest was over, the leisurely everyday life in the game has returned.


    From among acquaintances who released fairies, Cloude freely treated his fairy as a dress-up doll. Magi-san''s blessed her furnace increasing its firepower and Lyly''s was entrusted with the management of the vast, private field.


    "Well, it might be so. Cloude, Magi-san and the others are enjoying their company even without them doing anything, you could say they have the role of mascots."


    But there were very few fairies who have become tamed mobs and lent people their strength like in Letia''s case.


    Well, I guess it means that my favourability rating was low.


    "I don''t think that was the case. She seemed to have plenty of fun."


    Saying so, Emily-san and her released Water Fairy comforted me.


    "Then, why did you release your fairy, Emily-san?"


    "No, you see, the management of an indoor plant is troublesome so I released her and left it to her."


    Now that''s a luxurious way to use a fairy. I made a bitter smile, but since my Mischievous Fairy was long gone, I was a little envious.


    "Well, I guess she''ll casually appear sometim¡ª¡ª"Yahooo, I was invited by the sweet scent!"¡ª¡ªAnd there she is."


    What a good timing she has. Ahead of my line of sight, there was the diving Mischievous Fairy.


    "Been a while, were you healthy?!"


    "That''s my line. You overly-free Mischievous Fairy."


    There was no touching reunion. I guess I can''t be surprised every time.


    "Ehehehe, I returned to the Fairy Village and brought lots of things! Be grateful to me!"


    While saying so, the Mischievous Fairy held out a small pot.


    Inside, there was a sticky amber-coloured liquid.


    "It''s the first sweetness after the Fairy Village''s revival! Yun''s human delicious sweetness and fairy sweetness. If we combine the best taste and sweetness, we''ll become invincible!"


    Filling the outstretched pot there was honey named ¡¾Fairy Village''s Honey Crown¡¿. (Note: Honey Crown here is written as Hani Kuraun)


    Good grief, she was really gluttonous. And, the Water Fairy stared at the little pot too.


    "I get it. Well then, so that everyone can eat it I''ll make some hot cakes with the honey."


    "It''s not mere honey! It''s the king of honey! Honey Crown! It''s super delicious!"


    As the Mischievous Fairy emphasised using her entire body, yes yes, I responded, put down frying pan on the stove and took out hot cake mix I made the other day.


    "Hot cakes huh, I haven''t eaten any recently."


    "If it''s to retain honey''s simple taste, I think they will be best."


    I said so and made one soft hot cake after another and put them down on platters.


    To finish up, I covered three hot cakes from the top with ¡¾Fairy Village''s Honey Crown¡¿.


    While holding down the fairies, Ryui and Zakuro who were about to leap at the food any moment, I cut the hot cakes into portions for everyone.


    Once I uniformly put down the dishes with hot cakes covered in butter and honey on the table, the fairies flocked to them.


    "Taaaaastyyyy!"


    "Geez, you''re exaggerating."


    Emily-san and I smiled wryly seeing Mischievous Fairy''s exaggerated reaction.


    As I made next hot cakes I cut them into smaller parts with a knife and fork, then divided them between Ryui and Zakuro.


    Ready to it, I put them down on one, two, three platters. Eh? One too many?


    "Rather, isn''t there one animal too many here?"


    Somehow, there was one fluffy animal too much. A small, slightly purple wolf was greedily eating hot cakes next to Zakuro.


    "Hmm? This kid was here before."


    "No, it''s my first time seeing him!"


    The Mischievous Fairy I asked licked the sticky honey off her hands.


    "This kid was watching over that tree."


    "Eh, if you mean the Wisteria Peach Tree, that''d make him Garm Phantom, huh."


    Suddenly, Emily-san and I grew wary.


    I raised my spatula, Emily-san raised her fork and knife, but the figure looking up at us with dropping ears was just dumbfounded.


    To think an over ten metres long boss would turn into a doggy who at most reached my knees. The moment I though so, he barked and disappeared like mist.


    "What on earth was he doing."


    As I looked at the dish from which the hot cake disappeared cleanly and muttered, Emily-san''s Water Fairy responded.


    "That kid, he''s only watching over the tree making sure it''s growing well. Also, it seems like there are the same trees in other places so he''s touring various places. He often stops by Emily''s place."


    "Oh, so the line of sight and presence I felt was his."


    Convinced, Emily-san made a strange expression and stared at the Wisteria Peach Tree outside the window. Although it wasn''t exactly the spirit of the tree, but more of a spiritual guardian of it.


    "I wonder if it has any effect."


    "No. He only watches over it and doesn''t do anything. He only appears sometimes to watch."


    "Somehow, I start to feel my store is becoming haunted by more and more things that aren''t human..."


    Mythical beasts Ryui and Zakuro, three different coloured synthetic Gel mobs, Mischievous Fairy who drops by from time to time and now on top of all that, a wolf from the underworld started to appear.


    "Well, there''s no harm so isn''t it fine?"


    If there was any effect, it would be that the amount of hungry fellows in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ increased.


    And afterwards, the released fairies could be seen around specific players and playing in specific places all over the town.


    The ¡¾Atelier¡¿ had grown famous as a store where many fairies could be seen playing in.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow


    Secondary Weapon : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (Outerwear, Underwear, Torso, Waist).


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10


    ¡ñ Faerie Ring (1)


    ¡ñ Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP29


    ¡¾Bow Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv31¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv47¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Cooking Lv27¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv35¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv20¡¿


    Time-Limited Quest''s Rewards


    ¡ñ Faerie Ring


    ¡ñ Fairy Delivery (Mischievous Wind Fairy will visit the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ on regular basis bringing faerie-related gifts)

 Chapter Volume 7 Prologue

    Prologue - The ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿ and Drop Rate


    Countless players aligned items, spending time preparing for dungeon and field searches in the evening. As people shared information amongst each other and traded items during the hours where it was bustling with adults, in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿¡ª¡ª


    "Hmm. Rice crackers in this store are delicious."


    "They''ll feel too salty if you don''t drink tea with it. Here, sweets."


    "I prefer ball candies here rather than crackers. I love sweets."


    Finding the time when there''s few people in, they have occupied the corner of the store...


    "Hey, you all. What did you even come to my store for?"


    "Hohee?"


    Making a mystified expression, the Mischievous Fairy and her friends desperately swallowed the sweets they had in the mouths and after pouring hot barley tea to fairy-size cups, she then answered my question.


    "Eh, this is the most quiet place to take break in the entire town."


    "No, I don''t intend on making a break station for fairies you know."


    Although I stared at her, "and so" she responded and plopped her butt on top of the three-coloured synthetic Gel mobs. Is that like a soft sofa spoiling people? When I thought so, other fairies also started lazying around.


    Seeing a sight of fairies lazying around on sofa with rice crackers in their hands, I could only thing they''re picking a fight with fantasy setting.


    "So. What are you doing for a while now?"


    ''Hm? This?"


    What I raised up in front of the fairies was a crafting recipe''s note with the mixing ratios. I always verified the ratios of the recipes I was able to decipher and I wrote the results of try and error in order to improve their effect.


    And, on the page I left the note in there was something slightly different from the crafting verification results.


    "I was looking at the ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿''s effect verification results."


    "Ahh, that."


    Saying so, the Mischievous Fairy flew up to me and touched the ring on the index finger of my right hand. And, as if convinced, she stroked the ring.


    After becoming a ¡¾Fairy Possessed¡¿ accessory, as a result of the fairy''s release, it did not return to being a normal accessory, but was changed into an unique accessory. I have written results of the ¡¾Faerie Blessing¡¿ effect it had in the notebook.


    "The slight increase in stats can''t be measured, but the success rate of skills, rare drop rate, elemental damage and bad status resistance are all increased by 3%."


    "Is that amazing?"


    "No, I''ve no clue. Isn''t that in the margin of error? Well, since it doesn''t overlap with other accessories and Sense effects, it shouldn''t be too bad."


    There was no way I could verify ¡¾Faerie Blessing¡¿''s effect alone. Other players who held the ¡¾Faerie Blessing¡¿ items helped me out in gathering information I put up together.


    "Well, skill and drop rate''s bonus is 3% and in margin of error, but I''m glad it''s a fixed value."


    Although only some skills had a success rate, the ¡¶Cursed¡· skill that reduced enemy''s stats is one of those that are sometimes resisted, so its success rate was increased.


    Also, since the effect was also applied not just to skills but also manual crafting, the success rate of precise crafting had increased, so it was a great help.


    "Just, I don''t know if this rare drop rate increase is good or bad."


    "I don''t know, but is that drop-rate amazing?"


    "It''s not that important to me¡ª¡ª"Then Yun-chan, won''t you give it to me?"¡ª¡ªEh, woah?!! S-Sei-nee?! You startled me."


    Sei-nee suddenly appeared. I was careless since there''s few people at this hour, I almost slipped down from the chair so I grasped the counter in panic.


    "I have a bad luck with drops, so I want that kind of item."


    "Ahh, speaking of which, you always miss the drops you want don''t you, Sei-nee."


    Sei-nee was a skilled mage and a sub-master of OSO''s top guild ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿. But, her only weakness was her greed sensor which was the cause for her bad luck with drops.


    "Yun-chan, won''t you give that ring to me? I''ll pay."


    "No way. No matter how much you pay, I won''t give it up."


    I remember responding the same way when Myu had come just recently, asking for the same thing.


    "That''s right. This is the proof of our bond!"


    Saying so, Mischievous Fairy embraced my right hand as if to show off.


    "Uuu, I heard you refused Myu-chan too, but it''s no good after aalll."


    "Sei-nee, you have safely finished the Fairy Quest too, right? How was it?"


    "I used up the wishes before the information on ¡¾Faerie Rings¡¿ appeared."


    She slumped depressed. If only I knew earlier, she muttered, but unfortunately I couldn''t say anything.


    The Mischievous Fairy stood on Sei-nee''s shoulder and with "Well, cheer up. Want a candy?" she held out a candy ball.


    They were honey candies made with the honey material Mischievous Fairy brought in a few days ago. Sei-nee put it in her mouth and made a delighted expression.


    "It can''t be helped.. It''s not put up on auctions or the stalls as it''s an item with limited availability. I should gather guild members and aim for that. It might be good to make them shared items in the guild too."


    Saying so, she made her usual smile. That''s when Kyouko-san poured her tea and Sei-nee sighed.


    This ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿ is highly versatile and makes a slight increase in drop rate. The method to obtain it has been discovered after the time-limited Fairy Quest added with update had ended.


    "If I''m not wrong, don''t ¡¾Fairy Possessed¡¿ accessories drop in dungeons?"


    "It was added by the update right. They made it so that people who didn''t clear the time-limited event are able to enjoy the atmosphere a little."


    Although the time-limited Fairy Quest had ended with the last update, the ¡¾Fairy Possessed¡¿ are now possible to obtain through normal play means.


    They can be for example found in treasure chests of certain level dungeons or be in stock of NPC stores at times.


    In those cases, the number of "Fairy Wishes" was only one, which was very little compared to the Fairy Quest''s reward.


    "Well, no choice but to be patient and aim for it."


    "Is it really something you can aim for?"


    "Now, I wonder about that. I might get it while I aim for a boss'' rare drop, maybe when I aim for ¡¾Fairy Possessed¡¿ accessory it''ll unexpectedly appear right away from some treasure chest. That''s why, I''ll head to the dungeons in the frontlines and leisurely try aiming for getting one."


    She''s considering it quite care-freely, while I thought as we talked about it, the Mischievous Fairy bit through the ball candy and entered the conversation.


    "I think it might be difficult. After all, they''re fairies who were sealed a decade ago, they probably don''t have any interest in humans."


    "Hee, so there was a setting like that. First time hearing it. Did you know, Yun-chan?"


    "Nope, I didn''t."


    Same here. When I said that, speaking of which it''s the first time I said it, the Mischievous Fairy responded, making me exhausted.


    "Well, we don''t know much about the era when those fairies were sealed, but there shouldn''t be too many of them."


    "In other words, the drop rate of the accessories is low, you mean?"


    "But, if it''s hard to get, since it''s possible to receive ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿ and tamed mobs from it, they''ll become rarer."


    Currently, although there are fairies who visit their original accessory owners like Mischievous Fairy and there''s a few dozen of such cases, there were few people whose accessories had become a ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿. Moreover, as far as I knew there was only one person whose fairy had become a tamed mob.


    "Ahh, then, I wonder which is faster, to defeat the enemy mobs for rare drops or getting the ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿. Well, there''s no use thinking about it."


    After saying Sei-nee stretched her back, purchased necessary consumables like potions and Revival Medicine and left the store. It seemed like a light chat where she complained for a bit had left her refreshed.


    "Still, a drop-rate increase huh. If the probability is low, and the lower it gets, the better the effect is, eh."


    For example, if a rare item''s drop rate is 1%, after defeating 100 mobs you receive one of the item on average. And with ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿ equipped that probability rises by 3% to 4% total and rather than 100, you need to defeat roughly 25 mobs on average to get the item.


    As expected, having it will probably feel like a huge change.


    "...maybe I should go hunt some mobs aiming for rare drops."


    I also want some strengthening materials for ornaments, I muttered absent-mindedly.


    ¡ñ


    I equipped a Sense build for combat in order to aim for hunting rare drops.


    Possessed SP29


    ¡¾Bow Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Speed Increase Lv31¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Magic Talent Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Magic Power Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv22¡¿¡¾Cooking Lv30¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Dosing Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv35¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv36¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv37¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv22¡¿


    While doing that, I found Senses that could be grown and proceeded with it.


    This time, it was ¡¾Speed Increase Lv30¡¿''s higher Sense ¡¾Swiftness¡¿, and ¡¾Cooking Lv30¡¿''s higher Sense ¡¾Cook¡¿.


    Also, after both ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ reached level 50, I acquired the new Sense ¡¾Sorcery¡¿ which had integrated the two.


    The advantage of ¡¾Sorcery¡¿ is that it had effects of both ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Talent¡¿ in a single Sense slot. The disadvantage was that its level would go down to 1 and the stat increase value would decrease, but the growth rate should be higher. Also, it was possible to obtain ¡¾Magic Power¡¿ once again to compensate for it, but I didn''t need that much MP in the first place.


    And so, the new Senses looked like this.


    Possessed SP25


    ¡¾Bow Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv1¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv34¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv1¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv35¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv36¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv37¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv22¡¿


    "The mobs long-distance attacks will work against, and I can take on are..."


    I thought about it for a while, but I couldn''t think of any appropriate mobs and ended up heaving a sigh.


    "As I thought, what a solo crafter can do is quite limited. I''m weak and since my build''s half-baked I can only go into places below my level."


    Although I tried mixing in some combat Senses, I didn''t understand my own directionality in the first place.


    Bow-type Senses, cooking, elemental magic, enchants all amounted to being a support. Was I a long-range attacker or something similar, or maybe a mage.


    To say, I was jack-of-all-trades and master of none.


    "Haa, let''s go around beating bosses I can fight with my level, like the Blade Lizard or Golem."


    Rather than taking on rare mobs that have useful drops, it was better to aim for weak bosses with a fixed respawn rate.


    The rare drops were Stone Bladescales and Stones of Earth Spirits.


    "Well, let''s go at it lightly."


    Using the mini-portal installed in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I jumped to the Second Town and moving from there I found the Blade Lizard at the road to the First Town.


    There was no one there when I came, I continued to challenge Blade Lizards time after time and then on another day, I kept challenging Golems.


    It was something I normally didn''t do, but aiming for rare drops with the ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿, to put it simply, wasn''t too interesting.


    Against the Blade Lizard, I delivered damage by attacking from a distance with the bow. As I escaped I continued to attack with my arrows until the opponent fell down. Since the attack patterns of the bosses near the early towns were monotone, it was mostly routine work.


    Occasionally I bored of it, so I tried attacking with only magic or limited myself to only using the knife, but in most cases it was a waste of time because the damage was much lower than with the bow and since I wasn''t used to it I received enemy''s attacks. Because of that there were many cases where I had to hurriedly escape into a distance to recover my self with potions.


    "As I thought, Golem is stronger than the Blade Lizard, huh."


    And so, that was my impression after finishing the rare drop hunt at later date.


    The Golem was a mob that had a high durability against physical attacks, the damage dealt to it with arrows and the knife was small, so it took much longer to defeat it even compared to defeating Blade Lizard with magic or the knife, because of which I defeat it only using earth element magic.


    As for damage dealt, it was good compared to the other attacks, but considering enemy was of the same earth element the effectiveness was slightly worse than it should be. And so, during the Golem hunting I simply practised earth element magic I normally haven''t used too often. I continued to use magic endlessly and repeatedly recovered the used MP with potions.


    "My level didn''t go up, but how are the hunt''s results?"


    Later, when I arranged collected drops, from the rare drops there were 12 Stone Bladescales and 7 Stones of Earth Spirits. It seemed like the rare drop probability increased from 5% to 8%, or maybe this time I just had luck, but I obtained a lot of strengthening materials so I was pleased.


    "Still, I''ve nothing to use them on. Oh well, I''ll make some accessories, reinforce them with the materials and put up in the store."


    After that, a high pitched sound of a hammer striking metal had echoed in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for a while.

 Chapter Volume 7 1

    Chapter 1 - The Climbing Sense and The Climber


    "Oh right. I''m going on a trip today, want to go with me?"


    "Haa?"


    It was the lunch break in the high school. When we talked as I ate my boxed lunch, Takumi suddenly told me such a thing.


    "What is it? So abruptly. A game event? Or maybe queuing for a new game''s release? It can''t be that you want going to a company''s booth on a game show or something?"


    When I stared at Takumi intently, he frowned with a disgruntled expression and denied.


    "Wrong. Going to an event requires preparation in the first place. Also, it''s easier to purchase a game via mail order rather than wait in the queue on release day."


    "That''s really blunt of you again."


    "I don''t want to play the games I like as soon as possible, but rather play them even if a second longer."


    Hearing that, I had an impression that''s very like him.


    "Then what is it? A trip, is it about OSO? Why do you have to take me with you?"


    Speaking of what I recalled, although he mainly hunted in the game, Takumi had a fixed party members and had an option of making a temporary party with acquaintances. There was no reason to go out of his way to call me, a half-hearted crafter.


    "Others are doing well, that. It''s time of studying for tests and taking tests so we can''t match our timing."


    "Then, how about you study too..."


    "Our test period ended last week!"


    I don''t know how it is in other schools, but our regular tests ended last week and a relaxed atmosphere had spread in the classroom after drilling the tests.


    "Also, you know! Watching the same scenery lacks stimulation right. So, I intend to have a change of pace with something different."


    "Still, why would you invite me."


    "No, I mean, Shun, you haven''t gone outside recently have you?"


    "Of course I di¡ª¡ª"


    Having that pointed out by Takumi I tried to refute but¡ª¡ª


    I went to school, I did housework after I came back, I rest for a little and then started studying.


    And during the break time I logged into OSO, where I checked the sales of ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s potions and using the skills I quickly crafted items.


    Also, if I found some more time I made ornaments with ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense in order to put the strengthening materials I got from the rare drop hunting in them.


    By using ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s skills like ¡¶Colouring¡· and ¡¶Design¡· I freely changed their appearance and after a change of pace, I returned to studying.


    "¡ª¡ªWell, it''s not like I''m troubled about it."


    "Thought so. Even though Miu-chan sees you at home, I''m hearing from various players that you aren''t coming out of the store and got worried."


    At least show yourself to your acquaintances acting cheerfully. Told so, I could only growl, unable to refute.


    "I get it, geez."


    "All right, got your consent for going out! Now, where do we go!"


    "Hey, I didn''t say I''m going to make a party with you!"


    "If you want to show yourself to acquaintances acting energetic, it''s best to make a party, right?"


    Making a pleasant smile, Takumi drank some juice from a paperback that was sold at a vending machine and raised his lunch''s chip butty up to his mouth.


    One way or another, I ended up accepting it.


    However, looking back at my recent activities, I certainly did feel shutting myself in is bad. Going outside on adventure would mean leveling my combat Senses, but I didn''t put much importance to that.


    "But, it is a fact it''s hard for me to adventure alone. My stats and Senses are a jack of all trades."


    "Shun, I don''t think that rampant picking-up of yours can be simply classified like that."


    ''Y-you''re horrible!"


    "Well, speaking of areas appropriate for your leveling, it would be north of the First Town."


    After he finished drinking the juice Takumi started to bite on the straw and speaking of his idea.


    "Enemies in there are reasonably strong and drop items are quite good. Since for the time being it doesn''t seem like I''ll be able to party with acquaintances, we can focus on leveling your character and earning some funds."


    "And, your real motive?"


    "I challenged the areas too high for me, my weapons'' and armour durability dropped, I''m out of potions and other consumables too. I''m in red now so I need to compensate."


    "I thought so."


    When I asked for Takumi''s real motives, "but leveling your character being the reason is true as well", he still pressed on the case.


    "So, what kind of area is the north of the first town?"


    "There''s an area spreading along the mountains. What I want you to take care of, are the enemies in the sky."


    "Enemies in the sky? Well, I can understand splitting between you doing the close-range and me doing long-range attacks but..."


    "The mob you get best experience for is Bunker Bee. Also, if we''re lucky and defeat a rare mob called Queen, we''ll get some strengthening materials."


    "I see. You take the ground, I take the sky. Easy to understand. While at it, while I aim at Bunker Bees take a look around for items to pick up, mainly herbs and ore."


    "Then after going home, before logging in I''m going to mail you."


    Yes yes. After that we talked about making adjustments and some other pointless things.


    After school ended and I returned home, I checked the mail from Takumi and logged in to OSO.


    ¡ñ


    The place for meet-up with Taku was in front of general store by the north gate. I found Taku, among a few sets of other people similarly waiting to met up with someone.


    "Sorry. Am I late?"


    "No, no problem. You''re on good time."


    Leaning on the wall, Taku checked his menu and raised his hand.


    "Let''s go to hunt as scheduled then."


    When we started walking, I could feel the lines of sight in the surroundings gathered on one point. Although I felt somewhat unpleasant menacing gazes, when I looked around I couldn''t find them and tilted my head in wonder.


    "¡ª¡ªnemies in the area are... hey Yun, are you listening?"


    "Ah, yes. Sorry. Something distracted me. We were talking about mobs in the northern area, right."


    "Right. So in the area along the mountains on the ground there are plant-type mobs called Mad Seeds and Rafflesian''s, in the sky appear Aero Snakes and Bunker Bees."


    Judging from their names, the mobs on the ground were seeds and flowers. Just recently we fought against plant-based mobs like flowers and thorns during the Fairy Quest. And, the flying mobs that I was supposed to fight were two types, Aero Snakes and Bunker Bees.


    "Mad Seeds'' characteristic is that they are small and thus hard to hit. Their base stats are low, but they have a lot of defence. And their number one characteristic is¡ª¡ª"


    "Is?"


    "¡ª¡ªThat they explode."


    "Hee?, they explode... wait, they explode?!"


    "Yep, if you don''t bring them down with a single hit they start blinking red and approach their enemy at abnormal speed, then three seconds after they stick to someone, they explode dealing physical damage."


    "...uwahh."


    Just by imagining that my legs slightly gave out. I mean, suicide-attacking enemies are scary."


    "If you can take them out in a single hit, they''re great mobs to fight. In case they''re defeated by exploding on you, you get experience but you don''t get any drops for them, so be careful for that."


    Since you got no items if they suicide, I felt mild harassment from the developers in that, but in case several of them were stuck in Mud Pool and caused a chain explosion in short amount of time, a phenomena similar to my Magic Gem''s chain bonus might occur, so it''s better to be careful about that.


    "And the other kind, Rafflesian, calls in the Mad Seeds."


    "...that''s all?"


    "No, it has also high physical and magical resistance. Their occasional physical attacks have unexpectedly high damage. But since it''s a close-range attack, it''s not something you have to worry about from your position, Yun."


    "Is that all? If that''s the case then there''s a lot of similar mobs..."


    "The called-in Mad Seeds explode even if they don''t receive any attacks."


    "Uwahh."


    It was like a meta tactic against low level players. Rafflesian''s instigated Mad Seeds on players to defeat them with explosions. And, they didn''t get any drops for the Mad Seeds, it wasn''t too profitable without a proper level. But...


    "Hey, Taku. Then can''t you use Rafflesians and Mad Seeds for leveling defensive Senses?"


    If it''s just receiving attacks, it would work for leveling defensive Senses.


    "It''s possible to level them if you ignore the expenses for damage to armour and the death penalty, but there are more efficient methods of leveling established. They aren''t suitable for leveling."


    He easily discarded the suggestion. It seemed like there already were people who tried the method of leveling I came up with.


    "Aero Snakes and Bunker Bees are flying snakes and huge bee flocks, so I''ll explain about them later."


    "That''s really sloppy. Geez... well then, should I put up enchants now?"


    "Sure, go on. We should be in the northern area soon. Once we find the enemy, we''ll defeat them one by one moving to the mountainside."


    "Roger. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed!"


    I put up triple enchants and we rushed along the mountains in the north.


    Then before long we found conspicuous plant-based mobs with red flowers that had dots on them¡ª¡ªwith the appearance of Rafflesian we started the battle.


    ¡ª¡ª*KYOEEEEE*, raising an eerie screech, Rafflesian raised its beautiful flowers upwards cutely and puckering them, spew poisonous red pollen, then started to swing its vines.


    "Yun! You aim for Rafflesian! I''ll take the incoming small fries!"


    "Got it!"


    I raised my bow and settled my aim at Rafflesian. In the meantime, Taku held long swords in both hands and cut down the Mad Seeds summoned by the pollen emitted by Rafflesian with a single hit each.


    "Now! Bring it on!


    Raising his voice he provoked the Mad Seeds which looked like an acorn and continued to swing his swords.


    As he manipulated long swords with both his hands, when sometimes the Mad Seeds passed by his slashes, he sometimes sent them flying with the sword hilt.


    When the individuals received a hit and started flashing before explosion, Taku took a step forward and killed them before they started moving.


    "Whoops, that was close. It really is a good practice for defending."


    "No way, you call this defending practice?!"


    As the enemy loomed towards him, Taku prioritized hitting them immediately before acting to defeat them, making me feel the difference in our sense of values.


    He sometimes avoided with light footwork, parried the Mad Seeds with the side of the sword and kit them with the part of the handle.


    The optimized movements for defence looked like a beautiful dance.


    "Ops, it''s no time to be admiring. I need to do my part."


    I calmed myself taking a big breath and drew the bow to the limit. I aimed at the Rafflesian''s central part.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    The arrow whose power was enhanced by Art passed over Mad Seed''s head and pierced the centre of the red flower with white polka dots and the Rafflesian raised a creepy screech.


    Rafflesian didn''t fall down with just one hit and had recklessly swung its vines, it tried to block the arrow, but I shot the second and third arrow accurately, delivering damage.


    But the Rafflesian wouldn''t collapse so easily. As expected of the plant-based mobs, their HP and toughness is extremely high.


    "Hurry up... and go down!"


    As it cried out, I pierced the Rafflesian''s centre and finally defeated it. The moment I relaxed I heard Taku call out.


    "Yun! I hit one and it leaked through!"


    "Eh? Woah!!"


    An acorn-shaped Mad Seed rushed at me. It was already hit by Taku''s long sword''s hilt as he defended and was flashing before the explosion.


    When I saw that, ¡¾Sky Eyes''¡¿ ability activated automatically and the time I experienced had extended.


    I immediately discarded the bow and pulled out the knife from the holder at the waist and swung it holding the knife in reverse grip, cutting the seed apart. At the same time my sensations have returned to normal and the repeatedly-blinking Mud Seed fell down on the ground, then disappeared becoming particles of light.


    "Sorry. I blew him away in wrong direction."


    "No, it''s fine, albeit a bit bad for my heart."


    Haa, when heaving a big sigh I turned my gaze at Taku, he was dealing with the last Mad Seed.


    I recovered the bow from the ground and put away the knife in the holder on the belt. While I was able to fight back instantly with the knife, if the same scene repeats I didn''t have confidence I could react the same.


    "Haa, if I get attacked like that again I might get stuck with my head going blank."


    "Hmm. Really? Well, matter of getting used to."


    So in order to get to used to that I have to be assaulted from surprise, huh, I heaved a sigh.


    "Mad Seeds are one thing, but Rafflesians have quite high durability. You should find a way to beat them faster, Yun."


    "Even faster than that?!"


    "If you can, yeah."


    "...I''ll do my utmost best."


    In that case, I had to find a more optimal method of fighting.


    From the methods of attacking I have now... as I growled considering that, suddenly Taku''s laughter spilled out.


    "W-what is it, suddenly laughing."


    "Naw, I thought you picked up misfortunate Senses at first, but you can fight quite well now."


    "It''s not like whether they''re misfortunate matters. I''ve just grown familiar with them."


    That was one of the reasons why I haven''t used any other weapons.


    Although it seemed like Taku was praising me, I was troubled as to how should I react.


    "Rather, let''s move on. We don''t have that much time."


    I rushed laughing Taku and we proceeded ahead.


    Several times we have encountered groups of Rafflesian and Mad Seeds, and after repeating that we arrived at the edge of the mountains.


    In the meanwhile, I was able to deliver much more effective attacks to Rafflesians by using fire ¡¶Elemental Enchant¡· on my weapon, but since Fire Elemental Stones were consumed, I had to be careful about the amount of them remaining.


    ¡ñ


    And, what awaited us when we arrived by the mountain¡ª¡ª


    "Woah, a cliff huh. And there are mobs up there."


    "What you are seeing now, Yun, are Bunker Bees."


    Taku said so and ahead of where he pointed with his finger, more than thirty metres above in the sky, there were two types of mobs flying.


    One type,was a flock of bee-type mobs, but they had very atrocious shape. After all, their needles were pointed at their bellies and were very thick. Moreover, they didn''t move alone but in flocks of several bees.


    "So these are Bunker Bees."


    "Yeah. There''s a lot of them up in there and they come down tracing their patrol routes. Their method of attacking is sticking to players as a group and stab with their pile bunker-like needles."


    "S-scary!"


    "Moreover, if you are in middle of a confusing battle with Rafflesian''s and Mad Seeds, your body will turn literally into a beehive and you''ll suffer a storm of multiple explosions!"


    I didn''t want to hear such information. I probably wouldn''t be able to stand having my body pierced with thick needless countless times and engulfed in continuous explosions of Mad Seeds. Of course, meaning both my mind and HP wouldn''t be able to withstand it.


    "Bunker Bees have low resistance and defence. Their characteristic is that they specialize in attack and speed. The other enemy type are Aero Snakes, they are small in number and won''t come down to attack unless targeted, they''re normal flying snakes."


    When he said so and I looked in another direction, I saw snakes with green bodies and wings like bats who were swimming in the sky. Rather than flying with their wings, their wiggling in the air made if feel more like they''re swimming in the air. It seemed like they used their wings for moving quickly up and down.


    For numbers, the snakes moved alone and the bees moved in flocks of nine on average. Among the bees there was a possibility that there was a special one called Queen, but I couldn''t tell if there was one.


    "Mmhh..."


    Looking intently at the pitch black group of bees above us, I imagined the moment the countless bees came at me along with a low humming and I started to get scared.


    "...hey, Taku. How about we give up on Bunker Bees, aren''t Rafflesian''s enough?"


    "Stop acting like a spoiled kid. Compared to dragons and giant monsters, this is still quite plain."


    "Even if you compare different types of fear..."


    Hurry up and do it, he said and strongly appealed at me with a stare. Although I glared at him in response, ultimately I was the one to give in.


    "I get it. But protect me well."


    "I won''t fail with that. So, I expect you''ll get us a queen with your luck."


    Even at this age I was weak against such baseless simple smile of trust pointed at me. Good grief... I responded and after heaving a long sigh, I breathed in deeply.


    Drawing an arrow on the bow, I aimed at the Bunker Bees in the sky.


    Unlike Rafflesians who hardly move at all, each bee moved vigorously and it wasn''t possible to settle my aim at them.


    And so, I aimed at the flock most densely populated with the black bees and shot an arrow.


    "It''s difficult even for you, Yun. Well, it''s natural. It''s one thing for magic''s area of effect attacks, but your bow has a single point attack."


    Just as Taku said, the shot arrow disappeared far in the sky without dropping down a single bee.


    And, the fact that it didn''t hit had hurt my pride as an archer a little.


    "I''ll definitely drop them down."


    Since it came to area attacks rather than power and effects, I prepared an Art I normally didn''t use.


    "Taku, I''m going to set it up so take care of the rest."


    "Ohh, you''re up to something?"


    Finding it interesting Taku made a belligerent smile and raised his two swords in preparation for interception.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, speed. ¡¶Elemental Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon."


    I put up a speed and attack enchant on myself, and furthermore put on a wind element enchant on the weapon.


    And then, aiming at the flock of black bees in the sky I triggered an Art.


    I aimed not at a particular individual but at the whole flock.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡·!"


    The Art I have obtained by reaching the specified level had pulled a green tail behind the arrow as it penetrated through the flock of bees.


    Without hitting any bee the arrow penetrated the flock, but with a slight delay a green wind pressure had spread, striking an entire layer of the black bee''s flock in the air.


    As the bees received damage from the wind pressure left from the arrow''s passage, their numbers decreased.


    Rather than damaging a single bee, the entire flock''s HP was significantly decreased.


    Still, the bees that were further away from where the arrow had passed through were alive and well despite receiving damage, recognizing us as enemies they were coming down.


    "Yun! That Art...!"


    "I''ll explain later, the remnants are coming!"


    Acknowledging enemies, Bunker Bees'' compound eyes were dyed red and they surged all at once approaching us.


    Although the waiting time for using Art still hasn''t expired, it was easier to aim at the enemy mobs coming at us rather than aiming at them when they draw 8''s in the sky.


    I shot one arrow after another and as I shot down the bees, finally the Art had become available again, and I triggered it.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡·!"


    Once again I shot the same Art and had the majority of gathered bees crash down.


    Although most of the bees I aimed at were defeated, the bees who rushed over to us were too close and I couldn''t use the same Art against them.


    I switched the weapon from the bow to the kitchen knife and cut down the incoming bees.


    While giving up on arrows I cut down bees one by one, Taku cut down a few, getting rid of the remaining bees immediately.


    The moment Bunker Bee''s swarm HP had reached zero, the bees who were fighting up until now have escaped into the sky all at once.


    Withdrawing when a certain percentage of the flock is gone, they''re like army. Thinking so, I watched them leave.


    And even though it was just a single battle, I received multiple drops from a single flock of Bunker Bees. Confirming there were a lot of drops, I did a high five with Taku joyously.


    "What! So you did have an area attack!"


    "Well, I don''t have too many opportunities to use it and its power is quite low in the first place."


    A little embarrassed I scratched my cheek with a finger lightly. The Art producing a wind pressure had damage lower than normal arrow, moreover, the damage decreased the further the enemy was from the point the arrow passed through.


    That''s why the bees further away from the arrow survived. Were it magic, probably all bees would receive same damage within the effect range, I thought.


    "Well, don''t be so discouraged. We''ve got a good enough attack means. C''mon, aim the next one! Next!"


    "Yeah, got it! Let''s beat more of them!"


    After Rafflesians and Mad Seeds, we aimed for the Bunker Bees and continued to hunt. Although we fought while thinking of the strengthening material that drops from the one called Queen, but that one didn''t really appear and we just continued to collect drops from several defeated flocks.


    "We repeated it several times and I got used to hunting Bunker Bees, but I didn''t manage to bring even one of them. And in consecutive battles too."


    "That can''t be helped, right?"


    "No, but, hmm."


    "Worried about something? Or are maybe you''re tired?"


    Taku turned around as I growled.


    No, it''s not a big deal but...


    "I am slightly tired but... I was thinking that I don''t have time to collect herbs or ore, and such."


    "You... forget about that when you''re hunting or leveling."


    "No, I mean! We''ve come this far, it''s a waste!"


    As I emphasized that, I was looked at as if I was pitiful.


    "But, they are patrolling a wide area and you to stay in one place for a long time. That''s why, if you care-freely collected items, we''d lose our initiative in combat."


    "B-but, along the mountain there are only Bunker Bees."


    "It''s fine if I take those Bunker Bees on, but a few of them will surely leak out to attack you, and if I try collecting and you leak some to me, I''ll die."


    Grrrr, isn''t there a way to gather safely. I thought, and was reminded of a certain item.


    "Then if we can repel the Bunker Bees, there''s no problem, right?"


    "If only there was such a convenient ite... ahh, there is one, speaking of which."


    Although it was limited to bug-type mobs, I took out the item they couldn''t get close to¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿.


    If I use this rod-shaped incense, the Bunker Bees won''t be able to come close. In other words, the area by the mountains where only Bunker Bees appear will become safe.


    "I see. So by using it you make a pseudo-safety area."


    Depending on the location, it could be used in order to ensure a place to take a break. I have once ran out of stock since I used them for escaping, but I have remade them and left them in the inventory.


    "Got it. Go on and use it in order to safely collect."


    I immediately put fire to ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿.


    "If Bunker Bees no longer can get close, you can wipe them out one-sidedly from long distance. That sounds tasty."


    Ahead of where he looked up, the insects spread in the air in a reaction to the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿''s smoke and fled from it moving behind the mountain''s cliff.


    As expected, I couldn''t aim at them when they were hiding, so Taku''s one-sided wiping-out was impossible.


    "Then while I gather by the cliff, you can rest a bit, Taku."


    "Yeah, I''ll do that. Still, an item with limited use, huh."


    Hmm, Taku put a hand on his chin and continued to stare at the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ placed on the ground as it continued to smoke.


    "Could you give me some of this ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ ? It looks convenient."


    "Sure, but properly pay for it."


    "Of course, I can buy them here and now."


    Since he said so, I took out five ¡¾Insect Repelling Incenses¡¿ and passed them to him by throwing and received the payment.


    "Thanks."


    "You''re welcome. Well then, I''ll start with digging this mining point on the cliff."


    I took out the pickaxe for mining from the inventory, located the mining point that appeared on the wall and swung at it.


    "Yun! I''ll act as a lookout so share some with me!"


    "Then, how about fifty-fifty?"


    "That''s too even. I probably won''t be doing anything, right¡ª¡ª?!! Yun, avoid!"


    I don''t really mind if it''s half each I muttered and swung the pickaxe, and that''s when Taku panicked.


    What? And ahead of where Taku had turned to, a voice had come from the sky the bees have disappeared from.


    "¡ª¡ªUOOOOOOoOooooooaaa!!"


    A deep male voice. The scream which could be either a warning or anything else had quickly approached from a distance. No, it was falling down from the cliff.


    This sudden event caused my thinking to freeze and I stopped moving.


    (Damn, to think I can''t move at a time like this! Why did it react when Mad Seed was rushing at me and it doesn''t now!)


    As I cursed my unmoving legs hatefully in my mind¡ª¡ª


    "Yun! Avoid this way!"


    Seeing me motionless, Taku pulled my arm and sprung away from the spot. The pickaxe I had in my hand had fell out when my arm was strongly pulled, and I fit snugly in Taku''s arms.


    "UOOOOoooo¡ª¡ª"


    I looked at the person falling from the top of the cliff.


    He had marks of the battle that happened just earlier. And, with the damage from the fall his HP was completely exhausted in front of us.


    It might have been the first time I stared so intently as someone''s HP turns 0. The player''s body fell on its back and wouldn''t even budge.


    The player who fell down was wearing a durable-looking thick leather armour and a tough-looking metal helmet on his head, for boots he was wearing trekking shoes. It was a muscular man, on his back and the belt he had backpack and belts, and was also equipped with ropes.


    Heck, what am I doing, calmly observing him here¡ª¡ª


    "At times like this, uh¡ª¡ªgotta use a Revival Medicine!"


    Before I could hurriedly take out Revival Medicine, the man''s eyes opened and he stared at us.


    "Hyah?! He got up!"


    The dead guy just got up on his own! I thought, but as long as someone is in possession or Revival Medicine they can revive even if their HP falls to 0.


    After waking up, the muscular man raised his upper body, took out a potion from the inventory and recovered his decreased HP with it.


    "Sorry. Didn''t mean to scare you. Naw?, I thought I''d die."


    Were this reality, I would definitely die. The muscular male player said and laughed heartily.


    "What? Did I interfere with young''uns date?"


    "HAa? ......?!!"


    Pointed out by the man in front of me, I was reminded of my own state. I was seen solidified in a state where Taku had caught me.


    I took distance from Taku in a hurry and in order to calm myself I muttered repeatedly taking deep breaths.


    ("It couldn''t be helped. It couldn''t be helped. Suu-haa, suu-haa.")


    "Yun? You okay?"


    "Y-yeah! I''m fine!"


    Spoken to by Taku I responded with high-pitched voice, but I somehow managed to calm down and once again faced the player who fell from the cliff.


    "Sorry about that. Old man didn''t intend to interfere with lad''s and missy''s date."


    "No, I''m not a missy, I''m a man."


    "What? Embarrassed about your date?"


    "Why does it turn out like this!"


    Wahahaha, as the muscular player laughed heartily, I pressed my index finger against my temple as to suppress a headache.


    Just how, did it turn out like this.


    ¡ñ


    The heartily laughing male player''s name was Ivan. He looked so powerful it seemed unthinkable he would fall from a cliff of only that height. Every time he laughed his muscles swelled up and I had an illusion that the leather armour he was wearing had screamed.


    "So old man Ivan, why are you here?"


    "When I was climbing for a hobby, I made a little mistake."


    As for the talk with Ivan, I left it all to Taku. In the meantime I swung the pickaxe recovering materials by digging in the mining point at the cliff''s side.


    Between the high-pitched sounds of hitting the rock, I stealthily listened to Taku''s and Ivan''s conversation.


    "I''m what you could call a hobbyist player. I use one of the Senses, ¡¾Climbing¡¿ to repeatedly climb those cliffs and rocks."


    Rock climbing and bouldering, even walking in the mountains of the modern Japan requires hours of preparation, so in OSO where one could find natural fields to your own taste and mood, it was easily to perform those.


    "Hee, so you did that kind of thing."


    "Yeah, mountains are great! They''re a man''s romance!"


    Ivan spoke about the greatness of the mountains as he spread arms of his mountain-like body. Taku sat down cross-legged and talked with Ivan face-to-face.


    "Well, that''s not so strange. Among my acquaintance players I have some who like fishing, but since they can''t go fishing on weekdays they took¡¾Fishing¡¿ Sense and are doing it in OSO."


    "I''m similar. I''ve heard about this game from an acquaintance. I didn''t have any interest in the game itself, but I started it for my own hobby."


    Really, you know your stuff, lad. Said Ivan happily.


    "So, what caused you to drop down from that cliff?"


    I stopped my arm swinging pickaxe and listened to Ivan''s response.


    Folding his arms, Ivan growled and furrowed his eyebrows.


    "It''s a pathetic story though. I was dropped down from the cliff by bees. Suddenly a horde of bees has rushed at me, I tried to somehow get rid of them but was taken down. But it''s not a big deal as compared to snowstorm and avalanche in the snowy mountains in mid-winter in reality."


    There was a lot I felt like retorting to.


    Experiencing blizzards and avalanches in real was amazing, but considering the fact they were assaulted by bees and the relevance of mine and Taku''s actions right before that...


    "...Yun."


    Taku stared at me. I put the pickaxe back into the inventory and I sat down beside Taku in front of Ivan.


    Let''s talk honestly and apologize.


    "...um, it''s just probably, but... I think we might be the reason why that bee swarm flocked to you."


    "Oh?"


    Ivan put his hand on his chin and raised one brow, interested.


    I explained what happened right before he was dropped down. That I had ¡¾Dosing¡¿ Sense, and I described the effect of the ¡¾Insect Repelling Medicine¡¿ and that we used it to chase away the bees from this place.


    "That is... I''m sorry."


    When I lowered my head deeply and apologized, a laughter had come from over my head.


    "Whaat. So that''s it. It wasn''t on purpose, right? Also, you held a potion wanting to recover me after I fell. No need to worry missy. To begin with it''s my problem that I was unable to deal with the bees."


    He said that and lowered his rugged hand at my head and stroked it. Somewhat embarrassed, I felt it hard to raise my head. And, as Taku tried to muffle up his laughter... I glared sideways.


    "Still, I was surprised. I fell by chance in a place where a boy and a girl are... really surprising."


    "I was surprised as well to see a huge man fall from above. Unconsciously I grabbed Yun and leaped away."


    "I said, I''m a man! Also Taku, you''re doing this on purpose! Why won''t you correct this mistake!"


    I retorted to the two as they spoke, but Ivan, with his arms folded had tilted his head puzzled.


    "What? missy, still hiding your embarrassment?"


    "Come on, why does it turn like this! As if I was embarrassed! Taku, stop laughing!"


    I''m saying you should just correct it! I said, but he turned his ears deaf to it.


    "Geez, I''m thankful for immediately pulling me by my arm, but I can''t even thank you."


    "Yun. Did you say something?''


    "It''s nothing!"


    I denied strongly, but Ivan looked in my directions with a big grin somewhat pissing me off a lot.


    "What''s with that face."


    "Naw, that''s youth for you, I though."


    For some reason I got really irritated. Let''s call him "old man" from now on.


    "Well, whether missy is a man or a woman has nothing to do with me."


    "But it''s a big problem to me!"


    I raised my voice protesting, but he wasn''t bothered in the least. On the contrary, I lost the mental battle as he smiled showing white teeth despite his rock-like body.


    That sympathetic gaze and its difference with that oppressive physique had caused my comfort to strangely deteriorate.


    "Won''t you try climbing the mountain with me?"


    "Whatt?!"


    As I responded with a high-pitched voice, Ivan spread his arms and started talking about the goodness of mountains.


    "Mountains are great! Going around in circles on ground is just too small! The places you normally are in look really small."


    "And, you can laugh like a villain seeing the world so small."


    "Taku, don''t make fun of it."


    As Ivan started to talk seriously Taku started to ridicule him, so I hit him lightly in the flank where a gap in his armour was. He tilted his body and fell silent.


    "When you climb mountains, whether you are a man or a woman, human relations and work troubles, difficulties of life, all of it seems puny! That''s how big the mountains are! And they teach you that human worries are tiny! That''s why, let''s climb the mountain together!"


    " "............" "


    Taku and I were overwhelmed by the powerful voice. The bass voice had sounded deep inside my belly like a gong and had intuitively caused me to be amazed...


    "What''s your basis for t¡ª¡ª"There''s none! If you go to a mountain, you''ll understand naturally!"¡ª¡ªIs that so."


    Ivan was a mental-supremacist mountain dumbnut.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd so, let''s climb the mountains together!"


    "Not even waiting for us to agree?!"


    "Spirit of challenge above all. Have a heart of challenge! And so, wanting to get on top of mountains and big rocks makes you a man among men, right?"


    "No, that''d be just you."


    I have no intention of climbing. Ridiculous, I thought and in order not to cut this talk short I turned my back to Ivan, took out the pickaxe again and swung it.


    And towards my back, he said certain something.


    "¡ª¡ªA man''s running away?"


    As I was about to swing the pickaxe, my body stopped moving. After a few seconds, Ivan spat out the continuation.


    "Ohhh! That''s right. You were a weak girl, right. Sorry, sorry. My mistake."


    When he spoke those words acting exaggeratedly I frowned, I won''t go along with his provocation, I chanted in my mind but¡ª¡ª


    "You sure are high-spirited, but a girl after all, huh. It''s lonely to hear you aren''t interested in mountains."


    "I said I''m a man! If you''re going that far, show me that mountain of yours or whatever!"


    Ah, I noticed after I said it. And here I thought I shouldn''t let him provoke me.


    "Kukakaka!! You bit the bait, missy! You say you''re a man, and a man doesn''t go back on his word!


    "Khh, I am a man! I won''t!"


    However, unable to back down any more, it was decided that I''ll climb the mountain with Ivan.


    And fearfully I turned towards Taku.


    "Yun. Are you an idiot?"


    "Uh, s-sorry. But..."


    Taku heaved a sigh and looked at me as if I was a pitiful guy. Stop it, don''t look at me like that.


    "Old man Ivan, can I ask something?"


    "Oh, what''s up? You gonna go with us, lad?"


    "I don''t mind participating. But when acquiring a new Sense, even if it''s a hobbistic Sense, it''s better to learn from someone who already knows it rather than go with trial and error."


    But. Taku added.


    "Is there any benefit for us in obtaining that ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense?"


    Narrowing his eyes Taku asked him seriously. This face of his, is that of a gamer. He looks like this whenever he appraises the item and skill effects and the worth of getting them.


    In response to Taku acting like that, Ivan put a hand on his chin and groaned.


    "Hmm. See, I''m doing it as my hobby. Satisfying my own desire is the greatest advantage of it, but when it come to benefits for others¡ª¡ª"


    Ivan wondered for a while.


    "Can''t think of anything. At best, you can pick up ore on the cliff and I found an entrance to a cave above this place. It''s right there."


    "All right, I''m in! Let''s tackle it at full power!"


    "So easily?! Taku, are you fine with that?!"


    "Rather, there''s more than enough benefits for us!"


    When he said so, I looked up at the cliff using my combination of ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Senses.


    "Why didn''t I realize it earlier. There''s a lot of mining points up there."


    Beyond comparison to the mountainside where I was digging earlier, there were countless places to mine on the cliff.


    And, on top of the protruding cliff, ahead of where Ivan pointed to, apparently there was a cave.


    If I was able to mine on this cliff, just how many crafting materials would I be able to gather?


    "Hey, Yun. Won''t you pick up ¡¾Climbing¡¿ and tackle it together with me at full power?"


    "I changed my mind too. But, what''s in it for you, Taku?"


    "It''s an unknown cave! There might be a dungeon in the back of it. And it might be leading to an area on the other side of this cliff!"


    Taku couldn''t hide his excitement as he said so.


    "But, Ivan probably investigated it alre¡ª¡ª"I didn''t go inside."¡ª¡ªYou didn''t?"


    Normally, the discoverer would check it right away, right. I thought, but it seemed like I was wrong.


    "Searching caves has nothing to do with climbing mountains. Also, if it does lead to the other side, then I want to get there through the top of the mountain!"


    There''s a mountain so I''ll travel over it. He seems to think. I was appalled.


    "In any case. It seems like I successfully got a lad and a missy to get ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense!"


    Ivan said so and laughed heartily. Taku and I, got fired up and picked up ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense from the Sense acquisition list in the menu


    By consuming one SP we have equipped ourselves with ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense and immediately started studying under Ivan.


    "So, Yun and I equipped ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense, but what do we have to do to raise its level?"


    What Taku asked about, was Sense''s basic performance. How is it used, for what action is experience accumulated, what kind of correction is added to actions. We didn''t really know such information.


    "Certainly, you''re right. Even though it says Climbing, everything walking on steep mountain roads to getting up steep walls could count as climbing."


    As Taku asked his question, I added my own thoughts too. The pioneer, Ivan responded¡ª¡ª


    "You do get experience for hiking, but it raises very slowly. Although it might seem impossible at first, but once you''re capable of climbing a ten metre cliff there won''t be no problem, based on my experience. From time to time you''ll just have to take a break on some ledge."


    There and there are ledges you can sit down on. He pointed with his finger, showing them to us.


    "First, it''s important to climb alone to the lowest ledge. Wait a moment."


    Ivan said so and leaving us, he climbed up to the ledge ten metres above without any aid. There, he nailed something in and hung a rope, then using it he returned to us.


    "This is a safety rope and a harness. You equip it and go up while driving bolts in at regular intervals. It''s your lifeline for when your hand slides. Go on and try, missy!"


    You go first, my back was strongly pushed and leaning over I took two steps forward.


    When I stood in front of the tower cliff and I wondered where do I put my hands and feet, I naturally realized how does the Sense''s assitance work.


    I confirmed points mixed in among mining points and put my hand on the rocky surface.


    There certainly was a response telling me where should I grab next to climb. But¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªNo wayy! I won''t go any further than this!"


    I gave up early and raised my voice. Unable to find any undulations within the reach of my hand and was unable to reach further even though only a little was left. And, I went down to try finding a different route but it took a lot of time to return.


    "Are you okay, Yun?!"


    "Impossible! My arms are all shaky!"


    "Calm down, missy. Come down for now!"


    Told that, albeit slowly, I carefully went down while looking for scaffolding below me. Then finally, I kicked off from the wall when I approached nearly my own height. When I finally arrived on the ground, I fell on my knees and started laughing before I sat down.


    "It''s harsh! What''s with that, really!"


    As I complained, my body trembled unable to find any strength, so I rested myself.


    "What. You don''t have enough muscles. Eat more meat!"


    "This is a game!"


    "Well, let''s leave jokes at this. You try next, lad. I''ll explain the rest to missy while looking at you."


    "Got it. I''ll be going then."


    After saying so, Taku started climbing and it went smoothly as it had for me, but he stopped in the middle. It was the same place I had stopped in.


    "Missy, why do you think that doesn''t work?"


    "Hmm. Since his right hand can''t reach the undulation, choosing a route?"


    "Actually, there''s a trick to reaching that place with your right hand. lad, look in the opposite direction to the place you want to reach and then try again!"


    "......? Got it."


    I don''t understand, said Taku''s expression, but the result from his trying it was drastic.


    "Oh? I reached. But why?"


    He said so and raised up where I couldn''t go any further. It didn''t seem like his arms were shaky, I lost to Taku in both stats and the way of handling the Sense.


    "But, why did he reach it when he couldn''t earlier?"


    Even though both I and Taku have tripped on the same place, thanks to Ivan''s advice Taku had proceeded smoothly.


    "It''s simple. Although he can''t reach it normally even by stretching out his hand, by turning his head in the opposite direction his body naturally twists around and he is able to extend his hand by that amount, is what it means."


    I actually tried to turn my left and right, with my neck''s movements the opposite shoulder had moved forward. Using reach longer by that amount, it was possible to reach the point.


    Taking only a single advice form Ivan, Taku had climbed up ten metres until he reached the ledge, then easily got off and climbed up again, striving to level up.


    On the other hand, possibly because I didn''t have enough muscles I fought against my trembling arms and repeatedly resting, I stretched the distance I travel bit by bit.


    "How is it? Did you grasp the trick?"


    "Hmm. It''s quite harsh on arms. But I know how to do it, so it feels like I can go further."


    "Then go and try it."


    "Do your best, Yun."


    Told so, I challenged it again.


    Ivan watched over me in silence as I slowly climbed up.


    "Yun, you''re almost there."


    "Missy, a little more!"


    "Uuu¡ª¡ªdid it!"


    For the last spurt I put my hands on the ledge and climbed up.


    Strangely, for the places I couldn''t reach before I only turned my face in opposite direction as I was taught to and stretched my body, and I was able to climb up with all of my strength.


    "...huff, huff. So harsh."


    I rolled and collapsed on the small resting space of the cliff and looked up at the sky with my back on the rocky mountain.


    "You two learn quickly right from the first day. There''s worth teaching you."


    When I looked in his direction, Ivan who was watching us from the bottom had climbed the same distance we have without any lifeline, catching up to us. As expected of ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense''s pioneer, his abilities were really high.


    "...Taku is as you can see, but I don''t have any talent, right."


    "Lad''s just abnormal. You missy, just use your muscles more than usual."


    "Well, thanks...?"


    Although I was praised, climbing ten metres was enough to have me exhausted.


    After resting a little I regained some composure and exhaled.


    "All right. Well then, next, we''ll repeat the practice we''ve done so far and aim for twenty metres!"


    "No way, impossible! Rather. It''s about the time I have to log out."


    Although the sun was still high in OSO, when I checked the time in the menu, it was already six o''clock in the afternoon. If I don''t start making dinner soon I won''t make it in time for dinner at seven o''clock.


    "Speaking of which, it''s that time already. I''ll get some more advice from Ivan and log out too."


    "And here I thought the amount of climbing companions increased, how lonely. It can''t be helped, let''s have a manly talk, lad!"


    Then, one-sidedly Ivan placed his hand on Taku''s arm. Honestly speaking, it was stifling so I took a step back.


    "I''m logging out then."


    "I''ll be climbing here for a while. If you want to raise your level, come again."


    "Sure, in order to dig out the ore in here my ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense and skill itself isn''t enough after all."


    Since I wanted to mine the points scattered in this area so I intended to come here for a while.


    And then I logged out, returning my consciousness from OSO''s world back to the real world.

 Chapter Volume 7 2

    Chapter 2 - Bunker Bees and Mountain Mining


    A few days have passed since we started receiving guidance on ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense from Ivan. Every day we went in front of the cliff and stayed there for a little until evening, Taku and I slowly learned to do new things.


    As a result, we were able to climb twenty metres alone and then climb down practically perfectly.


    While my ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense raised to level 7, I faced a certain problem.


    "Hmm. This pickaxe can''t be used on that cliff after all."


    What I took out was a sturdy steel pickaxe. It was handy to dig ore with by using EX Skill ¡¾Mining¡¿.


    However, since it was heavy enough that it has to be held in two hands, it couldn''t be used satisfactorily on unstable cliff and bluff scaffolds, so at this rate it would be impossible for me to obtain ore from the mining points spreading all over the cliff.


    "Can''t help it. Let''s go and look for a pickaxe I can hold with one hand."


    And, I''ll probably get a small pickaxe in the Third Town, I thought, but was able to buy it in a surprising place.


    "Mm? You want a small pickaxe? I have one used for ploughing hard soil."


    I was able to successfully purchase it from the NPC ¨C Farmer who managed trade with farmland in the south of the First Town.


    At first I went to the Third Town and asked where is the NPC selling small pickaxes, but was taught about the farmer NPC and returned back to the First Town.


    "Then, I''ll buy three small pickaxes including spares."


    "Here you go, watch out, they''re heavy."


    I received three small pickaxes for 5kG each from NPC ¨C Farmer who dealt with land, farm tools and NPC employment mediation and after putting them in the inventory, I headed towards the northern gate.


    "Took me some time to buy a pickaxe. Taku seems to have went ahead."


    When I told Taku that I''ll be late, I received a message from him saying that he''ll be going ahead. That''s why, I ran straight for the cliff in the north while avoiding the Rafflesians and Mad Seeds that appear in the area north of the First Town.


    And, what I saw there was¡ª¡ª


    "Taku and old man Ivan, what are you two doing?"


    Hooking a rope to a thick branch of a tree, wearing a harness and a lifeline each, the two were hanging on the ropes.


    Hanging loosely with their spread limbs, it seemed like they were trying to maintain balance, then they raised their upper bodies before relaxing and turning loose again.


    Since Taku wasn''t used to raising his upper body he turned to the sides, but somehow managed to stop rotating and tried to raise his upper body again. On the other hand, Ivan was accustomed to it so he was able to raise his upper body smoothly, took out a telescopic stock, stretched it to half the length and did a practice swing in that state.


    "Oh, Missy. You came."


    "Well, I did come but... what''s this?"


    Some training? I asked, and it seemed like it was a simulation training for climbing.


    It seemed to be a training for fighting when you''re entrusting your body to a lifeline rope on unstable scaffolding.


    "Yun, this is quite hard, but fun."


    "No, um, it seems a little embarrassing."


    There was no doubt that the optimized methods of training and leveling the ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Senses were effective, but I''d like to refrain from being seen by others hanging on a rope.


    On contrary to reluctant me, they raised their upper bodies using their abdominal muscles, relaxed their bodies holding out their hands and arching their bodies backwards like a shrimp, then moved their heads up and down taking balance. However, I''d like it if they stopped with what seemed to be them playing around, as they groaned loudly showing whites of their eyes, it was scary.


    "Missy''s shy after all. It can''t be helped, we''ll go do light climbing training with Lad here so try doing balance training alone."


    "Well then, I''ll switch with Yun. I''ll be going with old man Ivan for a while."


    Saying so, the two quickly untied their ropes and came down.


    Since the way of tying a knot with a rope was part of the training, my survival skills have risen as well.


    And, I have seen off Ivan and Taku, when they were no longer visible I started balance training.


    "...if I stop before the two are back, I won''t be seen right."


    I was embarrassed, but since it was the lifeline I entrusted my body to, there was a need of getting used to handling it. Telling myself it''s for the sake of leveling up the ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense, I equipped the climbing harness that was climbing''s auxiliary item, gradually adjusted the rope and knot and I hung my body.


    When my legs moved off the ground I let go of the rope and tried to take balance. I tried putting strength in my various muscles and my body began to tremble, somehow I was able to keep my upper body raised up for about five minutes.


    "I can... somehow! Do it! Uwoah?!"


    The moment I relaxed, the force that has been supporting me until then has changed into a force that moves me and turned my entire body so that I could see upside-down. Since my body was being swung around and I couldn''t control it, I gave up on using my muscles and relaxed, waiting for the motion to stop.


    "Uuhh, I feel sick from this spinning. If I relax and face upwards I''ll be able to stabilize."


    While dangling I turned my face upwards, my head slowly lowered itself, I pulled my jaw backwards and naturally used the strength in my abdominal muscles to raise my upper body.


    Supported by the waist harness, I remained for some time in a relaxed posture looking up at the sky.


    "Aah, the sky''s so bluee."


    The scattered clouds and blue sky. At the end of this view there was the towering cliff and flying in the sky snakes and flocks of bees.


    Relaxed in this way, looking up at the sky was actually fun.


    "A journey to find sceneries in OSO sounds like it would be interesting. Finding your own special spot."


    "You''re right. Want to go to some unexplored area then?"


    "Even if we party up, you''ll bring me to battle some boss anyway, right?"


    No way, I don''t want healing I need to go through carnage for. When I said that and received "what a shame" in response I noticed I''ve been spoken to from the side.


    Eh? Why am I having a normal conversation here? And so I turned my face towards the voice and saw Taku and Ivan with their arms folded, smiling in my direction.


    "Hey, since when are you here!"


    "You noticed really late. We''ve been here for a few minutes. We were looking at you as you space out alone."


    Uwahh, I''ve been seen as I laze around on balance training.


    I somehow tried to excuse myself and hurriedly moved my hands but because of that my body''s centre of gravity was disturbed and I started to rotate.


    "Hya-wawaah! S-stop it!"


    "Aa-aah. What are you doing really, Yun."


    "Missy, since balance training means maintaining one state it seems like you have progressed, but you''re lacking composure."


    Ivan also turned towards me as I panicked and made a cool assessment, but I couldn''t afford to bother with it.


    As I went st?oop?it?, Taku had held down my head with both hands. Although I was grateful to Taku I was looking upside-down at, but why head?


    "Want help getting down?"


    "No, I can get down myself so it''s fine. Let go of my head. Don''t hold it so firmly."


    Taku quietly let go of my head with his hands and made sure I maintained my attitude. I slowly raised my upper body, grasped the rope, loosened the knot and put my feet on the ground.


    Feeling a great sense of security when my feet touched the ground, I let out a breath of relief.


    "Missy''s improving fast, too."


    "S-so, how was it on your side?"


    Although I was embarrassed showing myself in unsightly manner, I asked the two as if nothing happened.


    "We beat some Aero Snakes up there. Ivan''s amazing! He climbed without any tools!"


    "Cause rope being here gets in the way. Also, even if there''s the lifeline I''m not used to handling weapons so there''s less accidents if I use my bare hands and blunt weapons."


    "That''s somehow convincing."


    Since old man Ivan wasn''t used to the game, rather than swing a sword around it was better for him to perform a lariat on someone with those arms or swing a stick on someone, judging from his looks the impact would be huge. And, it would easily break opponent''s bones.


    "But, after climbing up what I learned is that the footing is unstable and it''s hard to put any strength into an attack."


    "Seems impossible for me. My weapon is a bow used with both hands. If there''s anything I can use, it would be a kitchen knife in place of a dagger."


    I didn''t know if it was possible to aim properly with the bow while leaving my body to the rope, it seemed like it would be hard to control the recoil.


    "Taku, you better protect me."


    "Yun, aren''t you relying others your for your own gain here?"


    "The right person in the right place. I''ll take care of recovery with potions and mining the ore."


    "Gahahaha, Lad, you''re being relied on by Missy so protect her well!"


    Ivan hit Taku''s back with his thick arm, to which Taku responded with a voice of protest feeling a big impact and pain. I was slightly concerned with the nuance to what Ivan said, but I still chuckled seeing them act like that.


    "Then come Missy, we''ll climb up and pick up ore where''s shallow, I''ll try to pick up some too within my sight''s range."


    "If Yun''s going on the cliff, I''ll go to the forest and fight some mobs and collect items."


    Saying so, the two started moving. Geez, those two are acting too free, I''ve seen them off with a smile and with a delay, started preparing to climb the cliff.


    Just as I''ve been taught by Ivan, I secured my body with equipment and using the rope and stakes for safety I slowly climbed up.


    I climbed up for a while and when I arrived in front of a mining point in middle of the cliff, I took out the small pickaxe and struck the point.


    Since I couldn''t swing using my entire body like usual, I carefully broke the rocks little by little before catching one breaking off ore that spilled out before I dug again.


    Although the amount of ore that can be found in the mining points at the cliff-side in each point was smaller than normal, the amount of points themselves was large.


    Going back and forth on the very edge of entering the places patrolled by mobs, I was able to collect a decent amount of ore.


    "Phew, I got quite a lot. But, If I''m careless and drop them it seems I could injure someone."


    I need to be careful as not to drop them when I''m mining, when I carved these words in my mind Ivan had returned.


    "You''ve really started looking the part, missy. Like this, you should be able to get to the cave together with the Lad."


    "I said, stop calling me ''missy''. Also, show me the ore you picked up, I''ll give them a look."


    Since I had the ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense, I used its effect to appraise the ore.


    I sorted the ore I received from Ivan, but since some fell to the ground their quality and number wasn''t all that good.


    "There are 5 Fine Iron Ore and twenty of 20 of normal Iron Ore, also 13 Silver Ore. The rest are normal stones, what about them?"


    "I can use them for throwing so leave them for me."


    "Got it."


    After appraising his, I proceeded to appraise my own ore.


    Apparently the gems didn''t appear in the northern area. Like this I won''t be able to secure the material for Magic Gems. Thinking so, I appraised them one after another.


    "I need iron and silver for making arrows so I''m happy to get that. Also, for making accessories, too."


    "Oh, what kind of accessories do you sell, missy?"


    "I''m not selling any. It''s purely a hobby of mine."


    Since my main is polishing for making Magic Gems and Enchant Stones, at most I can make accessories for killing time, I answered and continued to appraise the many ore I picked up.


    What I dug up were 12 pieces of Fine Iron Ore, 34 of normal Iron Ore and 21 pieces of Silver ore, I had a higher ore rate than Ivan.


    120 pieces of iron. 97 pieces of silver. 55 pieces of blurite. 35 pieces of black iron. Oh, another one, 36th piece of black iron. And, it turned out that all I have picked up from mining was ore.


    "¡ª¡ªBlack Iron Ore is very tough from what I heard, but it''s my first time hearing about Blurite Ore."


    Since I could only work with iron using my furnace, it was an ore I haven''t worked with at all.


    How is hit handled, I wondered but, let''s consult with Magi-san next time, I concluded and stowed the ore in the inventory.


    ¡ñ


    "Yun, I''m back, how was it?"


    "Welcome back, Taku. I got quite a lot of ore."


    Taku returned after hunting mobs in the forest. He looked as if he has been smashing mobs with all he had as he returned the sword to the sheeth on his back.


    "If you''ve got some ore, how about exchanging some with the herbs I picked up?"


    "Sure. Let me take a look."


    When Taku listed up the herbs he had collected in the trade menu, I have put in ore on the displayed menu in the same way and the two of us have exchanged for the materials we wanted.


    Although the ore prices were higher than those of herb-type materials, since I received the materials I needed I coloured up the deal a little.


    "Yun, is that okay? To trade that Blurite Ore ones and Black Iron ores for this."


    "It''s fine. Rather, I quite need those herbs."


    With that said I executed the trade and took out the items Taku gathered.


    There was a bunch of fruit-type food ingredients called ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ and the item itself felt like it.


    Compared to the grapes available on the market, there were very few fruits in each bunch but each one was big and had beautiful shape.


    I picked a single piece from the bunch and put it in my mouth, it was a sweet fruit of which skin could be eaten as well.


    "Mm! It''s sweet!"


    "Well, glad you like it."


    "This is an ingredient temporarily increasing resistance to confusion and anger. But, as an ingredient, the effect seems weak."


    Also, unfortunately the ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ didn''t have seeds, so I couldn''t grow them in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s field.


    Taku picked a single piece and threw in his mouth, but finding the grape''s sweetness too strong, he scowled. It seemed like it wasn''t to his taste.


    "Hey, old man Ivan. We should be able to climb up to the cave up there, right."


    Hearing Taku''s question, Ivan affirmed it.


    "Well then, Yun and I want to go to the cave in the middle of that cliff but, won''t you join the party and guide us?"


    "I don''t mind. Then for the time, it might be good to do it at night."


    "At night? Why is that?"


    "From what I know, the visibility during the night is poor and it''s not too suitable for work. So people concentrate on doing dungeons that don''t require a light source but¡ª¡ª"


    "You see, the activity of the enemies that appear on this cliff changes at night. During the day there''s many Bunker Bees, at night, a lot of Aero Snakes appear. And, the amount of Aero Snakes appearing still isn''t all that large."


    "In other words, if all you''re doing is climbing, doing it at night is more appropriate."


    That''s how it is. Ivan confirmed.


    "Also, if missy climbs up while gathering ore, it''s better to do it when there''s fewer enemies, right?"


    "C-certainly, overlooking found ore would be a waste but..."


    I could easily imagine myself regretting it if I miss ore as I climb. Since there were less enemies, it might be better to take my time gathering.


    "Well, speaking of my real intentions, I want you to learn how fun it is to climb at night."


    Gahahaha, he laughed heartily.


    I thought it would be something like that. I heaved a sigh and smiled bitterly.


    That''s where mainly Taku and Ivan started to plan the climbing. They set up the climbing order and formation as well as matched the time to climb.


    Just, since old man Ivan and Taku couldn''t find a time convenient for all of us, it turned out that the start time was pushed to late at night.


    "Well, if it''s just lad and missy, it shouldn''t take as long as until the morning to climb it."


    "Looking at it from another perspective, if we continue until the morning..."


    Probably they were predicting a pattern where I''ll take time mining ore, but, watching sunrise as you climb is one of the mountain''s pleasures, Ivan said. He seemed to have a really positive personality.


    "So, I guess we''re disbanding until night comes? Yun, is all fine on your side?"


    "An all-nighter today, huh. Fortunately we''ve got tomorrow off, so if I prepare dinner now it should be okay, I guess?"


    And if I include a nap time into that... as I grumbled under my nose, looks like you''ll be fine, said Taku.


    Since usually I watch out for my health, playing all night was a rare experience and I a little excited.


    After that I logged out and predicting that I won''t be able to make tomorrow''s breakfast, I prepared food that could be shared between this evening and tomorrow morning.


    "OHH?! There''s curry today! What meat is there?"


    "Today there''s beef curry. Also, tomorrow there''ll be bread and curry for breakfast, as well as yoghurt."


    If it was just baking toasts and warming up a serving of curry, I didn''t have to worry about Miu.


    "Fresh curry on the first day and ripe one on the second day! Yayy!"


    "Yes yes. Also, can I take a bath first today?"


    "Fhue, fhai?"


    "Don''t speak with a spoon in your mouth."


    Miu calmly drank some water and asked again.


    "That''s unusual. Why?"


    "I was invited by Takumi to play over the night a little. So I want to enter the bath as soon as possible and take a nap before we start."


    "That''s really unusual of Onii-chan. You always lead an orderly life so... then, this curry is..."


    "Sorry. Tomorrow morning I might not be able prepare anything, so it''s an insurance."


    When I said that apologetically, I don''t really mind, she responded.


    "I see, Onii-chan going together with Takumi-san, huh. Today, I have an appointment to go into a dungeon with Sei-oneechan and Mikadzuchi-san, too."


    "And Lucato with the others?"


    When I asked about Lucato and others who are usually with Miu, she smiled wryly.


    "Everyone seems busy. Well, there are times like this too. Also, since it overlaps with the test period in their schools they can''t log in. Being under parent''s watch sure is tough."


    "No, Miu, you study too. Even if our school''s test period''s over, you shouldn''t slack off."


    I stared intently at Miu, but she only responded with "help me out if I''m in a pinch", causing me to heave a sigh.


    I''ll probably have to help her, along with Taku, I felt a vague premonition as the time for dinner had come.


    And after I finished preparations for playing over night, in the end I didn''t take a nap so I resolved myself to sleep tomorrow in the morning as I logged into OSO.


    "Yoo, seems like Yun arrived on time."


    "You two are early, Taku and old man Ivan."


    "A male high-schooler''s night is long!"


    "A single man''s night is long too!"


    No, you don''t have to act all cool folding your arms. Also, it makes me feel lonely so stop that.


    As for the time, it was about the middle of the night, looking into the sky with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I couldn''t see any of the numerous Bunker Bees flying around during the day, but instead saw some figures of Aero Snakes.


    "Their number really decreased."


    "Well then, let''s go. I''ll go first, then missy. For the last one, Taku. Protect missy well!"


    Saying so Ivan hit Taku''s back and went up leading us on the route.


    Since our ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense''s level was relatively low, Ivan went up slowly.


    With just ropes Ivan prepared as a lifeline, we climbed until we reached a ledge on the cliff and when our arms felt tired and out of stamina, we left our bodies to the rope and rested our arms a little.


    The ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense''s support had visible markers appear even at night, they had a different colour than mining points visible with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾See-Through¡¿.


    From time to time we moved accordingly to Ivan''s instructions and dug mining points that were nearby. So that he doesn''t get hit by the falling ore Taku overtook me and I mined alone.


    We climbed, rested, then climbed again. From time to time I mined ore. As we repeated that our levels increased and the progress speed had slowly increased.


    And, at a point in the middle¡ª¡ª


    "If we climb any higher, enemy will attack us. So, we''ll resume climbing after a short break."


    After saying so Ivan sat down in a break space in the cliff, resting his limbs.


    "I see. So you''ve dropped down from up there, old man."


    "Although you can''t see below because it''s dark, it''s already quite the height from here too."


    I looked down from the cliff and Taku had looked above us.


    Hearing my words and Taku''s, Ivan made a bitter expression, but continued to prepare in the moonlight.


    He removed a magic burner on the large break space in the cliff, placed a kettle on it and boiled water. Then while the water was heating up, he put instant coffee powder in three metal cups.


    "Hee, so you really drink coffee while mountain climbing."


    "Well, of course. Still, its taste is inferior compared to full-fledged coffee, but you can enjoy the atmosphere with this."


    Saying so, Ivan passed instant coffee to me and Taku. I received the cup with both hands and leaned with my back against the cliff, then sipped some coffee.


    "Bitter..."


    "Gahahaha! Well, it''s coffee after all! I''ve got sugar and coffee milk too!"


    "Thanks."


    After putting in stick-packaged sugar and milk I mixed it in, and it turned into something I could drink.


    Drinking something warm I felt relieved and exhaled slowly, then looked up at the sky.


    I was entranced by the sight of OSO''s artificial moon and starry sky.


    I slowly sipped the warm coffee as I looked at the cold, mysterious starry sky. It was a sight impossible to see in the urban area in the real.


    "Actually it can be seen quite well in midwinter''s cold weather. Well, it''s good enough for a substitute."


    "Are you climbing mountains in the winter too, old man?"


    "Yeah, still, it''s not full-fledged mountain climbing. I pitch a tent in a camp-ground during the winter and look from there."


    Probably as part of a climber''s pride, he showed us a screenshot in place of a photo.


    It was a photo of starry sky, but there were also a few lines of falling stars in the sky.


    "A screenshot of falling stars? Looks pretty."


    "So missy likes it. But unfortunately, these aren''t falling stars. This is a fixed photo of the star movement made by keeping shutter open. It''s a photo of the stars'' movement."


    Saying so, this is thirty minutes, this one is after an hour, he continued showing us pictures.


    From East to West. From bottom to top. The direction the stars moved varied, making it beautiful and interesting.


    "In this game you can take a screenshot of a player''s view, but you can''t take this kind of thing."


    As Taku muttered that, Ivan smiled merrily.


    "That''s why, to me this world is just a high-quality substitute. It''s a hobby dependent on weather which uses a lot of physical strength and time, but I still prefer the mountains and the sky of the reality."


    Still, I don''t intend to reject this game you like, lad and missy. He said.


    Ivan who had put everything into his hobby knew ways of enjoying himself kids like us didn''t know, honestly, I felt envious.


    Well, in my case it was also fun climbing to the top, but I thought climbing like he does was a real thrill.


    "I can understand that, but in my case I prefer results."


    Taku who continued to repeatedly climb up without experiencing game-like elements was a little tired, but he got his back hit by Ivan.


    "Don''t worry. Once we go higher, you''ll fight enemy even if you don''t want to. Of course, in reality you can''t fight flying snakes as you climb!"


    From here on there''s uncharted territory, he said happily and drank the rest of the bitter coffee in the cup as if to incite himself.


    "Now, from here on we need to climb with fighting spirit. Lad and missy, time to get serious!"


    In front of us, there was the steep cliff. Behind, the darkness of the abyss, there was a struggle in front of us and behind us. I was anxious whether Taku and I could fight under such circumstances.


    Since I was unable to attack using my bow even in this darkness, the only way for me to attack was a combination of ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and earth element magic, but I still wondered how will Taku and Ivan fight.


    ¡ñ


    We resumed climbing with Ivan going ahead.


    After looking up for a while, we found snakes with dark green wings and red pupils wait for us. With wings like those of a bat, the Aero Snakes looked like a tiny limbless Wyvern.


    I used my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ night vision performance to scout.


    "Enemy''s approaching! Two snakes from upper right. Another two from upper left!"


    "I''ll drop down a few ahead! Taku lad, protect missy!"


    After I said a warning as a scout, Ivan spoke instructions and immediately took posture for interception.


    Ivan daringly let go of the rope and with just the one tied to his body and a footing to support him, he took out his weapon.


    It wasn''t the metal stock attached to his waist, but a claw attached to a rope.


    The claw rotated in the dark soundly, quickly increasing its speed.


    "There!!"


    And when the Aero Snake entered the range of lantern''s light, he threw the claw.


    The flying metal had its power increased by centrifugal force as it grazed the Aero Snake, the rope following it entangled around the mob and with the claw as a weight, it had collided with the rock wall.


    A single snake fell down the cliff and gradually disappeared, but three remaining ones have come attacking. Ivan pulled out the stock from the belt at his waist and expanded it, then as it passed by, he hit one snake. Then, he clenched the rope and hit another one with his fist as if to crush it.


    One of the Aero Snakes has slipped by Ivan who had immediately defeated three of them and had approached me baring its fangs but¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªI won''t let you. ¡¶Sonic Edge¡·!"


    Taku who was below me swung his long sword in unstable posture and with a slash, cut off the snake''s head and wing.


    Since he still wasn''t as familiar with it as Ivan was, he gripped the rope with his left hand, so he could only hold the weapon in his right.


    "All right! Missy, are there any other enemies?!"


    "Wait a moment... yup, it''s all right. There''s none approaching!"


    I told the two that the surroundings are safe.


    Ivan repeatedly beat the enemies efficiently by using equipment adapted to fighting on the cliffs and Taku continued to use long-range Art.


    The attacks from Aero Snakes were sporadic and since they weren''t all that strong, it was great that the battles weren''t too long.


    The number of enemies was small, possibly because the respawn timer was long, and even during mining the ore I haven''t been attacked a single time thanks to which we were able to climb without missing ore collection.


    "Hey, old man Ivan, how did you choose your weapons?"


    "What''s this, out of the blue."


    "It''s pure curiosity."


    And in the middle of climbing, even though it was necessary to concentrate on climbing I relaxed myself, starting a little chat. It might have been because my ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense''s level had increased.


    "Let''s see. Using remodelled tools I''m familiar with was more efficient, and also there''s romance in it."


    The claw with rope is used for putting up tents, the contracting metal stock can be used instead of a walking stick for hiking, it seemed like there were lots of useful things.


    "That sounds similar to me using a kitchen knife instead of a dagger."


    "No, aren''t you two weird?"


    " "Why?" "


    Taku had retorted from below us, but neither Ivan and I understood it and were puzzled.


    Certainly, having a dagger properly made as a dagger had more stable performance and durability, but since Ivan and I used it for crafting and hobby Senses their performance was secondary, as long as we could use them as weapon, it was fine to us.


    "Haa, a gamer like me is too different from a hobbyists to understand them, eh."


    Heaving a sigh, Taku gave up.


    "Taku. New enemies appeared. This time there are three on the right, two on the left and one in front making six total."


    While the morning sun still hasn''t shown itself, Ivan and Taku accurately handled the snakes.


    As we slowly climbed, I also proceeded collecting ore.


    "It''s almost time it dawns."


    "Eh, is that so?"


    When I checked the time in menu, it was still four o''clock.


    "Missy, it''s not autumn''s long night, it''s before dawn in OSO. Since the enemy''s distribution slowly changed before dawn, we''ll be increasing pace as we climb up."


    "Got it."


    I gave up on gathering ore and focus on climbing.


    For a while we have climbed the cliff and then turned towards the ascending sun. After we confirmed the sunrise in OSO, an abnormal noise had reached our ears.


    *BZZZ* *BZZZZZZZZ* *BZZzz*¡ª¡ª


    The bass sound resounding deep in my belly had gradually approached from the bottom.


    "What''s this soun¡ª¡ª"


    It was a black mass that appeared to have been blown out of the forest.


    The sounds of wings'' buzz had approached the cliff in a group.


    "Are these Bunker Bees? We can''t fight in here!"


    "Yun! Light up an ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿!"


    Responding to Taku''s instruction I took out an ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ and ignited it, then spread smoke all around.


    The black mass gathering in our direction had moved away to avoid the white smoke, breaking into two large lumps.


    And in the swarm, we saw one remarkably big bee.


    "......?!! H-huge!"


    The compound eyes of the big bee shone with emerald green colour, the edges of the eyes also shone with beautiful green. As we were projected in its emerald pupils, something had popped out from the bee''s butt.


    "Ow!"


    "Yun, you okay?!"


    I frowned and looked at the hurting place. My left arm was pierced with a thick black cone. The arm struck with a needle was spitting out purple liquid and spouting smoke from the hurt point. I hurriedly pulled out the needle in the middle of pungent odour that hurt even my eyes, and assaulted by sickness similar to heartburn, I opened the menu to confirm my state.


    "Bad status¡ª¡ªand it''s ¡¾Poison 4¡¿, too."


    As 1% of my HP was reduced per second, I sprinkled a highly-effective Antidote Potion on my left arm, then gulped down a High Potion.


    When both the bad state and damage dealt went away, I once again turned towards the enemy.


    "What''s with this one, doesn''t look like a normal Bunker Bee.''


    "This is Bunker Bee''s boss. Queen Bunker Bee."


    "Lad, missy! This place isn''t good for this! Let''s climb while this smell''s effect remains!"


    Ivan increased the climbing pace he was matching with ours all at once and raised up.


    To keep up with him, I moved after his traces and when I turned around to confirm the bees aren''t coming closer because of ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿''s scent, a stinger had pierced the cliff right beside my face.


    "Hihh?!"


    "Yun! More of stingers are coming! Hurry up and climb!"


    Hurried by Taku from below, I desperately climbed.


    "Missy, you''re almost there!"


    Ivan who climbed ahead and confirmed the safety of the space in front of the cave had peeked down at us. After climbing desperately for a little longer, I rolled as to avoid a stinger shot by the queen.


    Taku pulled himself up on the rope dropped down by Ivan and we all safely arrived in front of the cave.


    "That was close! A poison needle hit right beside my face!"


    "Calm down, Yun. Fortunately, apart from the first blow the hit rate was quite low."


    In response to Taku''s words I calmed my still-pounding heart and clearly confirmed the appearance of the bees bathed in the rising sun''s light.


    The ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿''s effect had disappeared and a flock of Bunker Bees had surrounded the queen.


    "Hey, we''ve got a cave behind us, how about we escape?"


    " "No escaping!" "


    "Ah, is that so..."


    My best friend and the old man joyfully faced the swarm of bees. Both of them had a boyish sparkle in their eyes.


    "No way I''m gonna escape from a rare enemy! Let''s beat it and get a rare material!"


    "This is great fortune to meet them here! I''ll have a showdown with the bees that pushed me down off the cliff!"


    The gamer and the hobbyist seemed to brim with the will to fight. Escaping alone is no good I guess. I thought with distant look in my eyes.


    "So, lad. Defeating those bees one by one to drag out that queen isn''t too good an idea, right."


    "That kind of mobs turn into a disorderly crowd when the boss is gone. So, we better aim straight at the boss! Yun, buff us and decrease the number of bees in the surroundings!"


    "Got that! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence!"


    Their speed was too high for confronting them in such a small place, adding an accident factor. I put on double enchants on the two, strengthening them.


    If possible I wanted to weaken the queen with Cursed, but my visibility was blocked by the flock of bees and it was impossible for me to see her with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿.


    Taku and Ivan who were strengthened by enchant have intercepted the incoming adds, protecting me who was in the back.


    And, when the queen''s poison needle had come from the swarm of bees, at times they avoided it and at other times they parried with their weapons.


    As soon as the delay time was over, I shot an Art dispersing the bees.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡·!"


    I shot an arrow with bow''s Art that had a large area of effect using wind pressure straight into the centre of the bee swarm. Bees wobbled in the air pushed away by the pressure and fell down the cliff.


    The queen hidden in the centre had appeared for an instant, but was soon hidden by bees again.


    Although the queen also seemed to have received damage from my Art, but as expected of a rare boss mob, she endured without wobbling in the air.


    "Yun, shoot one more time!"


    "Shooting now! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡·!"


    The arrow accompanied by wind pressure had once again blown away the bee adds.


    With that timing, Ivan threw the rope with claw attached and captured the queen''s body.


    Ivan held out in a tug of war against a bee as big as a child.


    The queen desperately resisted, moving her wings at high speed in order not to be dropped down to the ground.


    Like a growl from an engine''s rotational speed increasing the wings'' buzzing had gotten louder, on the other hand Ivan clenched his teeth and pulled the rope with his both hands.


    "Old man, hold out a little longer! Yun, continue decreasing the number of bees!"


    "Hurry up! I won''t hold out long!"


    Ivan lowered his waist and desperately endured the tug of war against the queen, she started to slowly drag him down.


    I shot one ¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡· after another, decreasing the number of bees. And, as the amount of hate value towards me increased, they changed their target to me.


    Taku stood in front of me and holding two long swords he continued to cut down one after another.


    Once their numbers decreased, I could finally see the queen with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿.


    "GOo! ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed!"


    I put on cursed for physical attack, physical defence and speed on the queen, weakening her.


    The physical attack curse was resisted, but with physical defence and speed reduced, the hum of her wings weakened.


    With that the balance in tug of war had inclined towards Ivan, in order not to miss this opportunity he did his best, which made his muscles seem to swell to bursting.


    "¡ª¡ªCcoome onnnn!"


    Wrapping the rope on his shoulder and back as, he pulled it all at once.


    The queen dragged by the rope in a posture like that of a shoulder throw had fallen in front of us.


    "I''ve been waiting for this moment!"


    The bee that crashed in front of us tried to escape using her six legs as she fired the stingers randomly.


    Although it seemed like she was aiming at Taku who rushed in, when he avoided it had nearly hit me, but I used ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ to stretch experienced time and avoided in an instant.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    The series of five attacks delivered by Taku in an instant have damaged the queen''s outer shell, giving her significant damage.


    The queen''s HP was significantly scraped off with every blow, turning to zero with the fourth one. But, as the Art couldn''t be stopped after triggering, the fifth slash had delivered an overkill damage.


    She had let out a cry of agony that sounded like scraping of metal and the adds scattered all at once hearing it.


    Although the queen could certainly be called intimidating, but being beaten down by Taku''s excessive attacks, I felt sympathetic to her.


    "Phew, as expected, this middle-aged man''s body did bear it despite the lost health."


    "You okay, old man?"


    I called out to Ivan who had sat down, but he only glanced at me and turned towards the bottom of the cliff.


    "No worries. Seeing this scenery, my tiredness is being blown away."


    Ahead of his line of sight, there was the forest illuminated by the rising sun.


    Morning dew had sparkled reflecting the light of the sun overlooking the forest and ahead of it, spread a grassland extending far towards the small town behind the walls.


    We climbed the cliff overnight, battled with enemies and received the items we wanted.


    Taku stood next to me, exhausted in a state where his thinking nearly stopped he squinted at the scenery in front of him and the warmth of the sun.


    "I can''t stop climbing because of this kind of pleasures, you see."


    Hearing Ivan mutter that, Taku and I nodded in silence. It felt like we understood a little what''s so enjoyable in the mountains.


    I took a screenshot of this scenery, stood up and turned towards the cave.


    Since we''ve gone through the hassle of climbing here, we need to conquer this cave at least once and find a portal''s transition object... I thought, but as I looked carefully there was something I got bothered by.


    "Hey, old man Ivan. Isn''t this a tunnel rather than a cave?"


    "What? Really, Yun?!"


    "You''re right. I probably didn''t notice because every time I came here it was the night."


    I was spoke to Ivan, but Taku was the one who reacted more strongly. When Iwan turned around next he realized it seemed like there was light in the back of the dark cave.


    "Yun, let''s go take a look! Old man, you too hurry up and come!"


    "Geez, wait a moment. Don''t rush so much."


    "Good grief, young ones sure are energetic."


    I heaved a sigh as I chased after Taku who charged towards the dark tunnel.


    The tunnel''s exit had appeared immediately, Taku''s legs naturally accelerated.


    Ahead of where I chased after Taku, spread a highland. The land was covered in green and there were animal-type mobs. The fresh morning air indeed seemed like that of a highland.


    When I checked the animal-type mobs who were far away with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿, I found cattle and sheep as well as chicken.


    "Feels like a highland pasture."


    Indeed that was the impression this place gave out.


    "I see, a highland area. Another area discovered making me really excited."


    While Taku had happily looked around the highland zone, I took a look in the surroundings and found a transition portal by the tunnel''s side and was relieved I won''t have to climb the cliff that often.


    "You''re both so energetic, lad, missy. Oh, there''s a portal."


    Ivan who caught up to us with a delay had found the portal and we registered ourselves with the highland area''s transition point.


    "What are you two going to do now? I''m going to take a look at the highland area now."


    Hearing Taku''s proposal I shook my head refusing.


    "I''m quite tired so I''ll log out now and go to sleep."


    "Then, Ivan?"


    "Unfortunately, I''m not interested so I''ll be going to sleep."


    Although he smiled merrily, as expected Ivan couldn''t maintain the high spirits from the night and was a little sleepy.


    Before logging out there was something I had to consult with the two.


    "For the last thing, is equal distribution of ore fine with you?"


    Taku and Ivan were with me overnight and thanks to their protection I could gather it. They had the right to getting a share of it.


    "I''m fine with that."


    "How about Ivan?"


    "It''s cumbersome, so how about you purchase them from me, missy? I''m not good with the market and I can trust you missy."


    "No, we haven''t meet too long ago so how can you trust me. Geez."


    In response, you probably don''t intend to trick me at a time like this do you, Ivan responded pointing it out. Taku too, had laughed in agreement and I glared at the two unable to refute.


    "Certainly I can purchase it from you, but since I mined some ore I don''t know the price of I''ll need time to calculate the price. Also, you''ll have to visit my store when I''m there."


    "Then keep it as a deposit until you determine the price. Also, since you''re telling that to me, it seems like you don''t intend to trick me after all. You sure are serious and honest, missy."


    "Should I take it as trust towards me, or that you''re sloppy. Good grief..."


    In that case, I''ll need him to come to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ at a later date. Well, I''ll undertake that. I noted down the number of ore and type that was Ivan''s part to settle it after consulting.


    "Today was fun. Old man, let''s party up again if there''s opportunity."


    "Then bring me some more ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense applicants next time. Missy, I''ll stop by your store next time!"


    "Yeah, I''ll wait patiently."


    Taku and Ivan did a farewell with their fists and then together with Taku we''ve seen off Ivan as he logged out.


    And then, this time I logged out seen off by Taku, waking up in a bed in the real world I took off the VR Gear and resided in the bed once again.

 Chapter Volume 7 3

    Chapter 3 - The Magical Furnace and Blurite


    A sound of hard metal being struck had echoed inside the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop.


    Pouring hot metal from a mould to a mould, I hit it with a hammer, shaping it.


    The mass of metal purified from the ore had turned into a lot of Fine Iron Ingots and Iron Ingots. Currently, on the side there was a mountain of ore piled up.


    "Phew, for now I was able to turn the iron-type ores into ingots. But what do I do about this."


    The heat leaking out of the portable furnace installed in the workshop felt like it was burning my face and I stroked my forehead with the back of my hand to wipe off the sweat.


    Beside the Iron Ingots there was Silver Ore, Black Iron Ore and Blurite Ore I didn''t work with at all until now.


    "I thought Blurite Ore is the same rank materials as iron, but even if I place it in the furnace, it doesn''t melt at all."


    I tried putting Blurite Ore in the furnace once for an experiment, but probably because heat wasn''t enough as it continued to remain in the furnace it had eventually disappeared as a crafting failure.


    Although I predicted this was a phenomenon happening when the furnace''s performance wasn''t enough, there could also be another cause of failure so I put out the furnace''s fire immediately.


    Feeling that a portable furnace is already insufficient for crafting equipment, I decided to upgrade it.


    Still, since I didn''t know how should I get a new one, I decided to rely on a senior crafter.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd so, please tell me where can I purchase a furnace."


    "Yun-kun, to think you still used a portable furnace, Onee-san is a little shocked."


    When I visited Magi-san''s store, ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿ and asked lowering my head, she muttered amazed as she leaned on her elbow on the counter.


    "No, I''m mainly using ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ for polishing gems so..."


    "Still, since you have money you could purchase decent equipment earlier."


    Magi-san made a bitter smile and lightly listened to my circumstances.


    "How much firepower do you need, Yun-kun? You can immediately purchase a furnace for changing iron into steel and processing Silver Ingots, but any more than that and it gets troublesome."


    "Right now, the ore I can''t process is Silver Ore and Black Iron Ore. Also, there''s the Blurite Ore item I can''t handle at all."


    I took out sample of each ore and put them in front of Magi-san.


    The reason I came to consult Magi-san was to consult the purchase of a furnace with a top crafter, but also to ask about Blurite Ore I couldn''t handle.


    "This is... show it to me for a little."


    Magi-san narrowed her eyes, turning her expression to a serious one. She lifted the ore and looked at it from various angles.


    After observing the ore with blue metal for long enough, she turned towards me.


    "Yun-kun. Where did you get this?"


    "I mined it along the mountain area located in the north. Did you know about this ore, Magi-san?"


    "Yes, I''m occasionally brought one or two. I certainly did hear its mined in the northern area but..."


    Did something happen that she speaks so uncomfortably? When I wondered that, Magi-san opened her mouth heavily.


    "Could tell me specifically where did you get it?"


    "Yeah, it''s not really a hidden area. It''s just that you need to mine it by climbing that mountain''s cliff."


    "C-climbing a cliff you say..."


    It just so happened that I acquired ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense and was digging the mining points at the cliff as we climbed. There wasn''t too many Blurite Ores when I dug under the cliff, but the closer to the top I was the number of Blurite Ore I mined had increased.


    "Haa, you sure are aggressive, Yun-kun."


    "No, I was just swept with course of events."


    I didn''t intend to deny that I moved quite actively, but it was to the extent where I thought positively about the fact my means of mining ore had increased, so it was not a mistake.


    "I-it''s fine about me already. Magi-san knowing Blurite Ore saves me time. Actually, I need to decide the price for it..."


    When I said so, Magi-san went "aaah" and made a strange expression. Why did Magi-san who purchased it before react like that?


    "You see. Actually I can''t decide on the price of Blurite Ore either."


    "Eh, Magi-san can''t?"


    "Certainly I did buy the Blurite Ore that was brought to me, but I wasn''t successful in refining it into an ingot yet. That''s why, when I purchase it I pay three times the price of Black Iron Ore."


    When it was first brought my furnace''s performance wasn''t enough, then I didn''t have the technology to do it, not high enough level, not enough firepower... and so, I''m now in a situation where I''m waiting to gather up enough ore to make an ingot, she said.


    That''s where a single question for Magi-san had appeared in my mind.


    "Um, but Magi-san should have the Making Box, right. Couldn''t you get the number required by using it''s duplication feature?"


    The Making Box was one of the rewards from the summer camp event, the functions aimed for the crafters were a delivery of a random item every day and duplication of a specified item.


    Since I selected the same rewards I remembered about it, but I thought Magi-san could use random delivery or item duplication to align the ore...


    "Aah, that. I''m in the middle of duplicating another rare ore I got from random delivery so I can''t use it for this one."


    Ahahaha, Magi-san laughed dryly. It seemed like it can''t be helped.


    "In that case I''ll deposit all the Blurite Ore I have."


    "Ehh?! But, this would put you in a loss."


    "I can go and pick up more so it''s fine. Also, I can''t use it yet anyway."


    To me, who had a furnace which could only process iron, this was a useless treasure. That''s why, I wanted to make sure of the Blurite Ore''s value even if I had to hand it over to Magi-san to learn it.


    "Uuu, I''m still unconvinced."


    "I only want to know what would be the reasonable price for Blurite Ore, so don''t mind it."


    "...I get it."


    Although she was still dissatisfied with my words closed her eyes and muttered quietly.


    "If I settled with this situation all content, it would be a disgrace to me as a top crafter! Therefore, I''ll present an exchange condition to you, Yun-kun!"


    "Exchange condition?"


    "That''s right. Yun-kun will provide me with Blurite Ore. I will make equipment with that Blurite Ore and pass it to Yun-kun. Of course, for free."


    How about it? As Magi-san tilted her head inquiring, I accepted without any objections.


    "I understand. Then please do that. I''ll pass the Blurite Ore to you in that case."


    Saying so, I left 47 pieces of Blurite Ore with Magi-san. It was enough for making 9 ingots. If it goes well, she''ll be able to make at least one ingot.


    "So, contract established. But before that, we have to purchase a furnace for you."


    "Yeah, speaking of which..."


    I''ve gotten caught up in the Blurite Ore''s price problem and forgotten about it.


    "We''ll go buy it immediately, but there are two choices I recommend."


    After we left ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿ Magi-san spoke as we walked towards the NPC selling furnaces, she raised two fingers as she explained.


    "First, there''s the Blast Furnace that can stably process gold and silver as well as black iron. Normally, you would eventually purchase it by raising a grade for each stage, but since you have money Yun-kun, I think you can immediately buy it."


    A higher level Blast Furnace was impossible to carry like a mobile furnace and had to be installed inside a workshop, but the performance was guaranteed.


    "That sounds good enough to make accessories."


    "True. The other one, is a furnace that can process magical metal. It''s called the Magical Furnace."


    This one was also a crafting equipment that required installation like the Blast Furnace, but had different features from the Blast Furnace.


    "The Magical Furnace can temporarily increase the firepower by using player''s MP. On the other hand, if MP expires in middle of crafting and firepower decreases suddenly the crafting fails."


    The Blast Furnace which had more stable performance or the Magical Furnace that had higher performance but was harder to handle.


    From the two Magi-san had proposed I choose¡ª¡ª


    "Better too big than to small, they say¡ª¡ªI guess the Magical Furnace."


    "As I thought. Then, you''ll have to do your best with the quest."


    "Eh, that''s..."


    What did she mean? I tried asking, but Magi-san had entered a building at the town''s outskirts.


    I followed after her in a hurry and inside the building I felt a breathless because of the steaming, hot air inside the building.


    "Yun-kun, the bricklayer NPC here sells the Blast Furnace and Magical Furnace."


    "Welcome. Do you need bricks?"


    The one who appeared was a rugged male NPC with an apron dirty with mud. As I looked up at the man with square features, he left the scoop he held in his hands to mix clay and had turned in our direction.


    "Um... I want a Magical Furnace that can process magical metals."


    "Sorry. Magical Furnace is made of the special-made bricks and we don''t have materials for those."


    The rugged man lowered his eyebrows as made an apologetic look. I wondered what to do and turned my gaze towards Magi-san for hlep, who nodded with a smile.


    Should it continue like this?


    "However, if you bring in the materials it will be possible to make it. I''ll tell you where you can find the material."


    "Ah, so that''s it. I accept then."


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Quest: Look for Fine Magical Clay Balls¡¿ has been accepted.


    Gather 30 of the quest item, ¡¾Fine Magical Clay Balls¡¿


    I opened the map that appeared along when the quest was accepted and checked the location. It seemed that there were several places to pick up the quest item around the First Town.


    "You can gather 3?4 clay balls in each place. Bring them to me once you gathered the required number."


    After saying so, the Bricklayer NPC turned his back towards us and started kneading the clay in brick kiln in front of him.


    "Thank you for guiding me, Magi-san."


    "Well then, that''s it for my guidance. I''ll go try my hand with Blurite Ore, so you do your best too, Yun-kun."


    I''ve seen off Magi-san who went on the road to ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿ waving me goodbye and motivated myself.


    "Still, I''m used to walking around the first town, so there''s no need to worry."


    It seems like it''ll be laid-back gathering no different from the usual picnics and walks.


    Therefore I called out companions for my stroll.


    "Now, let''s go! Ryui, Zakuro¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    I summoned my partner young beasts, unicorn Ryui and two-tailed black fox, Zakuro.


    "Now, let''s gather some items as well walk around like usual!"


    I stroked summoned Ryui''s and Zakuro''s neck and brought the two on a walk outside the town.


    ¡ñ


    While collecting the quest item ¡¾Fine Magical Clay Balls¡¿ I also collected various other items on the way.


    Branches required for arrows and gemstones as well as herbs. Making a little detour I also gathered rare herbs from a secluded location as I steadily collected clay balls.


    "Phew, I''ve gathered two thirds of the required clay balls. But, I''m a little tired so let''s take a break."


    Locating the places I could collect clay balls from was easy, but digging under the ground to gather it required quite a lot effort.


    I dug the layers of clay which had exactly the same hue as the ground in surroundings up to thirty centimetres deep and then I formed a clay balls of a basketball size with my own hands.


    Making two, three of them and putting them in the inventory was quite tiring.


    I gathered it as I moved from the eastern are towards the southern area and once I entered the safety area on the west''s side area I decided to sit down and rest a little under a tree''s shade.


    "Haa, Ryui, stop putting your heads on top of my knees like usual. Also Zakuro, why are you trying to enter such a narrow place?"


    I stroked Ryui who requested a lap pillow and Zakuro who tried to enter my clothes from my side and meanwhile, I looked for some food in my inventory which would match the mood.


    "Today''s mood... ahh, there''s ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿."


    I took out the grapes Taku found in the woods in the northern mountainside area.


    When I put in one mouth, sweet juice spread inside.


    I took a few from the bunch and gave to Zakuro since he rose on his hind legs and seemed to want some, he started to eat it along with the skin.


    "Normally grapes are bitter if eaten without peeling skin, but I guess it saves effort to eat them along with the skin."


    I picked another one and put it in my mouth.


    Since I was distracted with Zakuro for a moment, when I felt the weight on my lap lighten and turned towards Ryui, I saw him eat entire bunch of grapes.


    "Wooah, what''s with that lavish eating?! Is it really fine to eat it by bunch?!"


    I retorted in response to the sight, but Ryui continued to chew only spitting out the stems.


    He cleanly only ate the fruits.


    "Aaa-aah, and I still haven''t eaten myself."


    And I wanted to eat some more of them. I felt depressed, but the small fox froze as he gulped grapes down.


    "...Zakuro. It''s fine, you can eat the rest of them."


    I picked the remaining grapes from the bunch and heaved a sigh quietly.


    It''s not like grapes are that unusual, why did Ryui eat them up all at once, I wondered and the answer I ended up with was that we haven''t eaten any fruits recently.


    "It can''t be helped. After we gather up the quest items let''s go to the northern area and search for ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿."


    One more push, I slapped my own cheeks lightly and resumed clay ball gathering.


    In the western area nearby the shallow cave which was bat habitat, near the pond I dug up clay balls and finished their collection. Then, I headed to search for ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ in the north.


    "Ryui, hide yourselves with illusion like usual and protect Zakuro. We''ll avoid combat as much as possible."


    I gave instructions to Ryui in front of the northern forest and started to walk inside carefully.


    Using my armour''s ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ additional effect I advanced so that we''re not found by enemy mobs.


    "Although it''s just ore at the cliff, there''s a lot of gemstones in the forest. Although there''s few herbs, seems like a lot of food ingredients can be found here."


    From the food items other than ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿, I found ¡¾Mountain Apple¡¿ which resembled an apple, a blue fruit similar to a plum ¡¾Shiyu Fruit¡¿ and ¡¾Tou Fruit¡¿ which had a sweet fragrance similar to that of an apricot.


    ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ was easy to pick up because the fruits are hanging in a low position, but the other trees were tall and picking them up seemed difficult...


    "Should I drop them with the bow? But I''d rather not, fruits will be hurt."


    Maybe I should just pick up what''s within the range of my reach, I thought, but recalling that I had ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense I equipped it and climbed the trees thanks to motion assist in order to pick fruits.


    "I forgot about this Sense since I got it just recently. Now, let''s go look for the next one!"


    The four kinds of fruits each provided a resistance to different bad statuses, ¡¾Shiyu Fruit¡¿ improved resistance to Poison and Charm, ¡¾Tou Fruit¡¿ resistance to Paralysis and Stun, ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ resistance to Confusion and Anger. And ¡¾Mountain Apple¡¿ correspondingly improved Curse and Sleep resistance.


    If only could I grow these on my field, I thought and tried to look for seeds in the fruits, but I was unable to get any. Instead, I located a small tree called ¡¾Shiyu''s Seedling¡¿ and scooping it out from the ground I succeeded in putting it in my inventory.


    Although I did walk around looking for the seedlings of three other fruit trees, but since I could only find a single ¡¾Shiyu''s Seedling¡¿ I resolved myself to come here occasionally to search.


    "Phew, I guess this is enough?"


    Since every time I found fruits Ryui and Zakuro requested a taste of them, rather than searching it had turned into something like fruit hunt for Ryui and Zakuro.


    In addition to gathering clay balls I went fruit picking, since I did quite a lot of field work, it''s about time I go back, when I decided that a bright red colour had appeared in front of me.


    Speaking of red colour in the northern forest, it would be ¡¾Mountain Apples¡¿ so I decided to return and complete the quest after picking the apples.


    When I proceeded in the direction of the red colour I exited to a small, open area.


    Lined up in there, were trees covered in red flowers. The flower petals were half-open like a bowl. And then, the entire flowers fell down from the tree.


    Under my feet spread lots of those flowers, still maintaining their shape.


    "So this is the safety area, right. Also I feel like I''ve heard of ''Whole-falling flowers'' before..."


    Zakuro walked through the flowers composed and Ryui had fearfully bounced around as not to step on them.


    I walked checking up one tree after another as I searching my memory.


    "I feel like I''ve seen this recently. Where was it again."


    "Oh right. It resembles a diagram for a material I extracted from this book."


    I took out the book from inventory and opened the relevant page.


    "Is this the ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿? If so, by squeezing out its seeds I should be able to get oil."


    Although it was supposed to have camellia fruits, I couldn''t find anything similar to seeds in them, I could only find some broken off seeds from time to time. However, their number was small.


    "Means I can''t gather large amounts of seeds so easily, huh."


    And, as I walked between the trees with camellia flowers on them, I stepped on something hard.


    What was that, I looked at my feet and saw a hard seed of a golf ball''s size.


    Hidden by ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿''s flowers there was a fallen seed.


    "It''s darkest under the lamp post, they say."


    I picked up the camellia seed and started collecting the seeds that fell nearby. Looking at it mystified Zakuro tried imitating me and brought a seed in his mouth, but not knowing the use of the seeds he bit on it while tilting his head.


    "Thanks, Zakuro. If we collect lots of these, I''ll make oil."


    I opened the book and confirmed the diagram for squeezing out oil and its applications.


    ¡¾Double Camellia''s Oil¡¿ could be used for both Mixing and Cooking, moreover the draff could be used for a fertilizer in the field.


    "Also ¡¾Double Camellia''s Oil¡¿ is the base material for ointment."


    According to the recipe for making an ointment for wounds and cream, oil, water and a stabilizer third material were used for the base cream.


    Among the materials, ¡¾Double Camellia''s Oil¡¿ was used for oil and ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ for water, but the stabilizer material was still missing.


    In the book it said a sumac wax squeezed out of a certain plant was used, but unfortunately no material came to my mind.


    "...but sumac wax, a wax huh. If I''m not wrong honeycomb wax was also a material for candles."


    When I gathered the camellia seeds as I was thinking, before I realized lots seeds were gathered by my feet.


    Since Zakuro happily waved his two tails, I pat his head as a thanks and recovered the seeds he brought.


    "It can''t be helped even if I stay here and think endlessly, so let''s go back for now. Ryui, Zakuro, we''re going."


    I patted the two animals who ran up to me in response to my voice and without any detours, we headed straight back to the First Town.


    And, we stopped by the Bricklayer NPC''s store located in the outskirts, reporting the quest.


    "I finished collecting clay balls for the quest!"


    "I see. I can make a Magical Furnace with this. The making of the furnace and installing will cost 1.2mG, when should I begin work?"


    "Umm, I don''t have the money with me, so please come to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ first and confirm the location for installing in the workshop part before starting."


    "Understood. Let''s go then."


    I passed all the clay balls I had and being able to purchase the Magical Furnace, I brought the Bricklayer NPC with me and returned to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    After exchanging greetings with Kyouko-san the NPC I guided the Bricklayer NPC to the back of the store, then after conveying my request as for the installation I paid the costs of the furnace.


    "Well then, near the furnace''s location put down a magic barrier to prevent the hot air spreading in the entire room, noted."


    "Since I got other materials for Mixing you know. Also, I don''t want to take a break in a hot room."


    "Understood. I''ll start working with this for the time being."


    But, the craftsman who was about to return to his store to begin the installation of the Magical Furnace had dropped a bomb as he was leaving.


    "The installation of the furnace will take three days. Meanwhile, it will be impossible to enter here."


    "Hee? No, it''s first time hearing this, that''d be troubling."


    The Bricklayer NPC left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ before I could respond. No way, has construction work already started? As I put my hand on the door of the workshop part of the store a message saying ¡¾Entrance Prohibited¡¿ had appeared.


    "...Kyouko-san, do we have enough in stock for three days?"


    When I asked the Kyouko-san who was tending to the store, she answered with a smile that it''s all right, making me feel slightly relieved.


    "But it''s still troubling. If I can''t mix a base cream then..."


    No, but thinking again about it, there was still an option of mixing with the beginner''s crafting kit I haven''t used for a while.


    "...haa, good grief. Well, let''s just confirm the recipe works and worry about performance improvement later."


    For now, in order to proceed with preparation of the base cream I took out the book and started squeezing out oil out of ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿''s seeds while consulting the method with the recipe.


    ¡ñ


    "Hmm. I made a stabilizer for the time being, but it looks somewhat poorly."


    I sniffed it, but the smell that had come from the green stabilizer placed in front of me was far from what could be called refreshing.


    Two days have passed since then. Until the installation of the Magical Furnace completes I slowly dried the ¡¾Double Camellia''s Seeds¡¿ under the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s eaves and on the wooden deck facing towards the field, I worked on the stabilizer with the materials I had.


    The material I used as for the stabilizer was ¡¾Bark of the Fragrant Moss Wood¡¿ which was the material for ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ and using that, I proceeded with extracting the stabilizer.


    I boiled a large amount of ¡¾Bark of the Fragrant Moss Wood¡¿ in hot water for more than thirty minutes.


    As I stirred it dyeing water with the moss wood, eventually all of the water had been stained by the green moss and something like oil started to slowly appear floating on the surface. Once I boiled it for a long time it had become a thick layer of oil and the remnant of the moss and bark was swimming inside the pot.


    Then, I took the pot from on top of fire and waited for it to cool down slowly.


    With the use of the difference in temperature between water, oil and the stabilizer, I waited for the green solid on the surface¡ª¡ª¡¾Moss Wax¡¿ to solidify.


    Finally I took out the green mass, and throwing away the remaining water, oil, moss and bark I secured a certain amount of ¡¾Moss Wax¡¿, but the grassy smell didn''t disappear.


    "I should have asked Lyly about a suitable material for making wax."


    Lyly the woodworker should know about a stabilizer material for making wax or varnish for polishing the surface of bows and staffs, I thought. What should I do, I wondered.


    "I have cometh! Hey, what are you doing?"


    When I was checking the texture of the prepared wax, the Mischievous Fairy had come to play.


    "Welcome. There are sweets prepared in the back."


    "Yayy! Well then, have this in exchange."


    The Mischievous Fairy who visited from time to time had placed a small pot full of honey on the table and flew towards the store to pick up some sweets.


    "Geez, so energetic."


    "Yahoo! Candies today!"


    Apple-flavorued and grape-flavorued candies were something I made by mixing juice squeezed out of fruits I collected recently, sugar and water. I decided to use ¡¾Shiyu Fruit¡¿ and ¡¾Tou Fruit¡¿ on some other time.


    As for the ¡¾Shiyu''s Seedling¡¿ and ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿''s seed I have had them currently planted inside a planter and was waiting for them to grow.


    The Farmer NPC in whose care I am very often said that the ¡¾Shiyu''s Seedling¡¿ and ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿''s seed will have to grow in a planter for two weeks before they can be re-planted in the field. And, I was told that they will start bearing fruit a month after they are planted in the field, I already had the place to plant them in prepared.


    "Mm? Whashiit? Sho ''ve anyshin on my fashe?"


    "No, I just thought that you''re eating deliciously."


    The Mischievous Fairy put in the candy of a size for humans into her mouth and licked it with her cheek inflated incredibly.


    She couldn''t speak too well but, What is it? Is there anything on my face? She must have wanted to say. Seeing her like that, a smile appeared on my face.


    Although she continued to lick the candy for a while, in the middle of it she had started to chew on it. Once she finally settled down, she flew right in front of me.


    "Looks like a strange lump, and it kinda smells."


    "I intended to make wax out of a plant. Actually, I''d be glad if I had Beeswax."


    "What are you saying. You have Beeswax don''t you."


    Saying so, the Mischievous Fairy pointed at the honey she brought in.


    "I mean, ¡¾Fairy Village''s Honey Crown¡¿''s pot is made by processing the light and sturdy honeycomb."


    "Seriously?"


    "Seriously serious I am. There''s no way we could carry an ordinary, heavy pot after all."


    Use some common sense and you''d realize, hmph. I was a little annoyed by how she snorted, but I felt like I found a new method.


    "Well then, next time prepare a cake!"


    "No, even if you make a request I won''t... heck, she''s gone!"


    I received a big hint from the free and unrestrained neighbourhood Mischievous Fairy.


    Taking out the small pots the Mischievous Fairy had brought in the honey in so far, I checked them.


    Certainly, the pot was light and durable. There was a moist texture somewhat different from ceramic.


    "All right. Now that I have the prospect of stabilizer, let''s prepare the base cream!"


    I set up two small pots.


    I filled the pots with water and put bowls inside which had a Beeswax and Moss Wax, making them float on hot water.


    Since the Beeswax pot was quite big it was somewhat hard to melt it so I smashed it with a hammer first. The Moss Wax was slowly purified as I slowly added fresh water and removed the impurities.


    "It''s not like I have a beehive. I need to be able to make it with the materials I have access to."


    It was important to be able to make it at any time rather than count on rare, high quality items I couldn''t make myself.


    Meanwhile, since the crushed Beeswax pot had melted turning into big mass, I took it out from the hot water to cool it down.


    After removing the impurities for about three times the Moss Wax too, had its colour and grassy smell fade, it had only a light green colour and refreshing scent.


    "Since Beeswax didn''t have much impurities in the first place, there wasn''t much change, huh. And for the Moss Wax, once I got rid of the impurities it doesn''t smell so bad."


    Rather, since it had refreshing scent of greenery, it might actually be better that way.


    "Hmm. Let''s make it with both."


    I stopped heating up water and crushed the lumps of chilled Beeswax and Moss Wax into several bottles.


    "What''s left is... oh, a friend call from Taku?"


    Next were the large pot for the oil extracted from ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿''s seeds and a large amount of water, and when I was preparing a steamer, a friend call had come from Taku.


    ¡º"Yun, how are you?"¡»


    "We meet in the school all the time don''t we."


    ¡º"Haha, I guess. I''m going to drop by your store now, is that fine? I want to talk a little about the highland area in the north."¡»


    "It''s fine. I''m in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ right now."


    ¡º"All right, I''ll head over right away!"¡»


    It was sudden for him to contact me, but I understood once he spoke about the highland area. Soon, we''ll probably go explore that place, I thought and finished preparing the steamer and waited for water to boil.


    After I waited for a while, Kyouko-san had guided Taku and the others from the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s store to the wooden deck.


    "Welcome. So today Gantz, Minute and the others are with you."


    "Yeah, we''ll intrude for a little. Still, you have some strange things lined-up."


    Following Taku were Gantz, Minute, Mami-san, Kei. Also, the climber Ivan was with them too.


    "Eh? This looks like a strange combination. It''s old man Ivan."


    "Hey, I wanted to see missy''s store so I asked Taku lad to guide me."


    "Well then, look around freely. We can talk once I finish up with this work."


    As Ivan smiled showing his white teeth, feel free, I said, and continued to work in front of Taku and the others who watched it with interest.


    When the steamer was filled with steam, I put in dried ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿ seeds in.


    "Now, the preparations are finished. Well then, let''s talk about the highland area in the north."


    Acting as representative for this talk were Taku and Ivan, others were looking around at the Wisteria Peach Tree and herbs in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s field, or stared at the tools spread on the wooden deck''s table that were in middle of processing.


    "Simply put, I want to invite you to search in that highland area. Gantz, Minute and the others also seem interested in that area, so before everyone gets the ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense, won''t you go take a look in there with me, Yun?"


    I don''t mind but... as I muttered that I turned towards Gantz and others, who responded to me excitedly.


    "It''s a new area! I want to go there too, but because I don''t have the ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense I can''t go! Why didn''t I log in back then, really!"


    "Gantz is acting way too excited all alone. But, I am slightly anxious about sending off Taku and Yun-chan alone into an unknown area."


    Although appalled about how Gantz clenched his fist saying "I''m envious", Minute worried about us going to the highland area.


    "Then, does Ivan teach you about ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense all alone?"


    Ivan who crossed his arms beside had made a happy smile and shook his head.


    "It turned out that my acquaintances who have the ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Senses gathered up and we''re going to carry out large-scale study for climbing. I came in order to consult about the items required as preparation for that."


    I see, so Taku wanted to invite me to the highland area and Ivan actually had come to seek advice from me and Taku who actually experienced learning about the Sense under him.


    First, let''s respond Taku¡ª¡ª


    "I don''t mind going to the highland area, but I don''t want to search too deeply. If it''s light, then sure."


    "Sure, leave it to me."


    Taku said so all confident, but will it really be fine? I tilted my head puzzled.


    Then, I took out a notebook from the inventory and wrote down a several items and a Mixing recipe for Ivan.


    "Food and consumables like potions are essential. Also, since Bunker Bees appear in that place they need to light the ¡¾Insect Repelling Incense¡¿ from this recipe so that bees don''t attack them even during daytime. I''ve written down where each material can be found."


    I wrote down things I needed when I was leveling my ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense.


    If they had acquaintance crafters other than me they should just ask them to prepare a number of those. It would be too much of a burden to provide items for a large number of people studying. In order to reduce the burden on myself even if just a little, I passed him the recipe.


    "Is it fine to take this? Aren''t crafter''s recipes something confidential..."


    "First time hearing that. Ah, also, I''ve checked up on the prices for ore, but since Blurite ore''s price is still undecided, want to sell it for slightly more than others?"


    For the Blurite Ore I entrusted to Magi-san, following her example I purchased it at a price three times that of Black Iron Ore. Together with the other ore, it all cost quite a lot.


    "It''s more than enough. But, if you have this much money missy, it seems you can collect the presented items with ease. If it''s needed I''ll split up with acquaintances to secure materials. Sorry, I''ll be in your debt!"


    It seemed like Ivan''s bussiness was over since after I purchased the ore from him, he left the store early.


    After that I discussed the schedule for going to the highland area with Taku and did adjustment.


    "Hey, Yun-chan. What is this?"


    When I was done discussing with Taku, Gantz had pointed towards the ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿''s seeds inside the steamer. Minute also looked at them with interest.


    "I guess its an ointment''s material? After steaming, I plan to squeeze out the oil from camellia seeds."


    Originally I was supposed to crush the seeds whole on the grinding machine in the workshop and then put them into linen cloth and squeeze out, but since I was unable to enter the workshop because of the Magical Furnace''s installation, I had to crush them with the hammer used in craftsmanship and squeeze them out.


    "Since they''re camellia seeds, you mean it''s Camellia Oil?"


    "I guess so. If I squeeze out the oil I''ll get a versatile material that can be used in cooking and mixing. Also, it can be used for medicine. Speaking of which, I guess it could be classified as a cosmetic."


    Mami-san had asked puzzled, so I responded confirming it and then took out the steamed seeds so that they cool down slightly.


    Meanwhile, Minute had stared at the camellia seeds with her eyes shining.


    "Are you saying it can be used for hair and skin?!"


    "I wonder? But I guess since its a material for something like a hand cream, there should be no harm."


    As the seeds cooled down I checked the ointment recipe using Camellia Oil in the book set aside.


    The basic things were ointments and creams, but by changing the recipe it seemed like I could make things like a lip cream.


    "Great, this is really great! Since you''re squeezing, you need strength! Gantz, come here and use some strength instead of Yun-chan!"


    Hearing about item associated with skin care and beauty Minute had grow energetic and struck Gantz back repeatedly.


    She did it so powerfully that Taku and Kei had escaped to ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s store section.


    "Ahh, Taku, Kei! Don''t make me a sacrifice and escape!"


    Gantz called out to the two who were already gone and tried to escape but Minute had pressed against the nape of his neck with a smile.


    "Now, if you''re a man, then get to work."


    Threatened with a big smile, Gantz had used his fists used for martial arts in order to squeeze camellia seeds. Thanks to that, a plenty of oil was squeezed out, more than I could have gotten by myself. Incidentally, Gantz hands have turned all wet with oil.


    "............"


    "Um, cheers for good work, Gantz."


    "...d-damn ittttt!!"


    With Camellia Oil all over him, Gantz had headed towards the store part where Taku and Kei were.


    "Hey, Yun-chan. What will you do now?"


    Minute had rushed me, wanting me to proceed with the next step. Beside her, Mami-san stood silently but with excitement in her eyes.


    "Um, first I''m going to emulsify Camellia Oil, ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ and stabilizer at a 5-6-1 ratio."


    This time, I dissolved the Beeswax in hot water and mixed it with Camellia Oil. After adding a small amount of ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ in there, I continued to mix them together until they blend. This work would be faster if I used automatic stirrer that was in my workshop, but this time I did it all manually, slowly mixing ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ and oil into a cream.


    "Keh, it''s quite hard, but by doing this we get a base cream."


    Although in this state the item still didn''t have any effect, the scent of Beeswax was great.


    "Amazing. Can I take a little?"


    "M-me too, me too."


    "Go on."


    When I passed fresh base cream to them, the two scooped it up with their index fingers and spread it on their arm, ascertaining how comfortable it is. I also rubbed some on the back of my hand and when I raised it to my nose, I could smell a faint, sweet honey aroma.


    Although there was no change in stats, it made me feel a little happy.


    "How is it? The comfort, scent and such."


    "It smells a little sweet. How would you make a lip cream?"


    "For that, I would add more stabilizer making it closer to a solid."


    "Then, at the time how about you mix in some honey or a flower extract for the scent?"


    I hurriedly wrote down Minute''s advice.


    Although it felt like it was to Minute''s liking, but Mami-san frowned slightly in response to the sweet smell.


    "Mami-san, if the scent of Beeswax is no good, how about this one?"


    When I used a material in exchange and held out the purified Moss Wax, it seemed like Mami-san preferred a more refreshing scent of greenery.


    "I might like this one."


    "I see. So the preferences can vary depending on just a single material."


    Slightly impressed, I have divided the sample base cream into small containers. Currently, preparation of a base cream was the main goal, but overall it should exert an effect by adding more material afterwards.


    The small portions of base cream were for verifying the combinations with other materials.


    "Still, Camellia Oil, huh. It might be good to putting it on the hair directly."


    "Then why don''t you try? Your hair might turn shiny."


    When I muttered that half-jokingly, Minute in the edge of my field of view had made a merry smile.


    "True. Let''s try it on Yun-chan then. Mami, hold Yun-chan down!"


    "Y-yes!"


    Mami-san had clung to my waist as I was making base cream. Although it was far from being a restraint, seeing her desperation, I hesitated to resist.


    "Yun-chan has long black hair, so we''ll try it out a little."


    "H-hey, Minute. Won''t you calm down? I''m fine, really. Also, I''m a man, too."


    I tried to resist with my words, but Minute approached with her hands covered thinly in Camellia Oil.


    "Resign yourself!"


    "Hhyah?!"


    She grasped my head from behind and holding it down strongly, she rubbed oil on my hair.


    "How is it! This Camellia Oil hair care!"


    "Uu-faa, w-wait, this is..."


    I involuntarily let out a voice, it felt good. As the oil was rubbed into my head with modest strength, it felt so comfortable I naturally relaxed my body.


    Before I realized, Mami-san''s restraint had disappeared and I fell down limply on the table located on the wooden deck.


    "Y-you''re horrible."


    "U-uwoaa, I can see it glow."


    "*gulp*, this is some terrifying effect."


    As the two stared, I took out a mirror to reflect my appearance in and ascertained the effect of Camellia Oil.


    My long black hair had an increased lustre and was strongly reflecting light, glowing. As I slid my fingertip on it, the texture of the hair had grown smooth.


    But the problem was, that because of the massage Minute gave me my face was flushed and tears appeared in the corner of my eyes.


    I squat down in place in order to hide my sloppy-looking face.


    "This isn''t me!"


    "It''s amazing. Your hair is even more beautiful now."


    "I don''t need such praise!"


    I sat down and retracted my neck like a turtle, waiting for myself to settle down. Meanwhile, Minute and Mami-san had covered each other''s hair with remaining Camellia Oil and their merry voices reached me.


    Minute''s wavy blonde hair had turned smooth and Mami-san''s smooth hair under the hat had become too smooth, making the hairband slip off and fall down.


    "You should enjoy yourself more, Yun-chan. Hey, won''t you make a lip balm next?"


    "I would like a hand cream with refreshing scent."


    "What, aren''t you having fun."


    "Taku, you''re here! Stop those two..."


    It seemed like Taku, who escaped from the task of squeezing out oil from the camellia seeds, has come back. I turned around in order to ask Taku for help with dealing with the two girls acting enthusiastic about cosmetics and tried to make me a guinea pig, but when I saw him I fell silent.


    "Hm? What is it, Yun? Falling silent like that."


    "Ww-w-what''s with that sparkle!"


    Is there anything strange? Taku puzzled himself as he stroked his neck, but his hair looked much better and was sparkling as compared to a while ago. Somehow, he looked cooler now.


    Something happened in this short while.


    "Oh, Gantz had touched all over my head while his hands were sticky with oil."


    It was a real pain. While Taku said that, beside him there was Gantz, who had Camellia Oil all over his face and whose skin was all shiny, but he still had a smug expression on his face. There was no change in particular in Kei''s appearance, but, the moving parts of the armours are smoother with oil put on them, he muttered.


    "Uwoah, Taku-san looks even more refreshing."


    "Hoee, so it has an effect on men too."


    Since I had a female character, the Camellia Oil had emphasized on its femininity upon use, but it had a different effect on Taku, even though we are both men in real, I thought and tears appeared in my eyes.


    "Shut up! Stupid Taku! Don''t show yourself in front of me for a while!"


    "What happened, Yun."


    "Hmph!"


    I vented out my anger. But she''s being shy, she''s embarrassed, Minute and Mami-san had decided. That''s definitely not it.


    Meanwhile, with a smile on his face Gantz had made a pissed off expression and, are you showing off, you damn riajuu?! And delivered a body blow to Taku from the side.


    I somehow managed to drive Taku away and I crouched behind the counter, holding my legs.


    "Why only Taku gets to look more manly. When my hair turns glossy I only become more feminine. Even though I''m a man in real."


    *sniff*, I sat down for a while waiting for my energy to return.


    Hating myself for driving Taku away mid-way as I vented my anger, it didn''t seem like I can face him for a while.


    "...Taku''s a dumbass."


    A quiet mutter had spilled from under the counter.

 Chapter Volume 7 4

    Chapter 4 - The Highlands Area and the Great Rampage


    A sound of hard metal being struck had spread inside the workshop, sparks scattered at the same time as the hammer was swung down.


    I poured the metal that melted in the furnace into the mould, then adjusted the metal in the mould by hitting it with a hammer as it cooled down.


    I made ordinary Iron Ingots, Fine Iron Ingots and up to Silver Ingots.


    "Phew... I thought it would go easy once I set up a Magical Furnace, but my level was lower than I had imagined."


    Possessed SP25


    ¡¾Bow Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv5¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv33¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv35¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv6¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv37¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv38¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv39¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv11¡¿


    Even ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s higher Sense, ¡¾Engraving¡¿ was raised higher all at once when I did a large amount of work changing ore into ingots.


    At first, I tried changing Black Iron Ore into ingots, but because of my low level and insufficient DEX which was related to crafting it had failed continuously. Therefore, I slowly accumulated experience by working steadily.


    "I''ve got 12 of ordinary iron, 10 of fine iron, 18 of silver. Well, I guess it''s enough. Still, it''s hot."


    Saying so, I put away the ore into item box for materials and moved away from the newly-installed magical furnace.


    Although there was a magic barrier, there was hot air hanging over the surroundings of the furnace. I took one step away from the barrier and entering the cold part of the workshop I exhaled.


    "Ahh, so cool. I got tired because it''s so hot in front of the furnace."


    I wiped off the sweat and put the cup with cold tea I had prepared beforehand to my forehead and neck before gulping the tea down all at once.


    Phew, once I have calmed down I stared at the mountains of ore illuminated in the light coming from the Magical Furnace that still was blazing with powerful flames nourished with MP.


    Most of the remaining ore was Black Iron Ore and Blurite Ore I couldn''t process.


    "These are really stubborn."


    Earlier, I said something horrible to Taku and then started to swing the hammer to forget self-loathing, but before I realized I forgot about Taku and have absorbed myself in work to change the ingots.


    "Black Iron Ore is too hard and I winded up purchasing new hammers again and again. And Blurite Ore failed either because of my level being too low, stats being too low or the lack of firepower."


    I tried making it with the hammer sold by NPC, but Black Iron Ore had exhausted the hammer''s durability because of its incredible hardness. Blurite Ore didn''t melt sufficiently despite the fact I poured MP into the furnace to the limit.


    "I could use items for increasing the temperature in the furnace, but first I need to change this fragile Iron Hammer to another one."


    Although I did think of several points to work on, currently the person I could ask for it, Magi-san, should be concentrating on making Blurite Ore into ingots.


    "Geez, Magi-san really is dependable."


    I heaved a sigh as the Blurite Ore had tinged with blue when I changed the angle I looked at it.


    Since I was unable to turn it into an ingot at the moment, it was useless to me.


    "Let''s pass the remaining Blurite Ore to Magi-san later."


    After muttering quietly I looked at the watch in the menu.


    It was nearly two o''clock in the afternoon, I don''t want to go, I said and heaved a sigh.


    "What kind of face should I make when we search just the two of us."


    Thinking of it now, it wasn''t something to get that angry about. Still, it was a fact that being shown off the difference in our manliness had worsened my mood.


    "Haa, why did I get so angry."


    Feeling that to be a puny reason, I felt like the regret and self-loathing had become a weight on my back.


    "It can''t be helped. Let''s go!"


    Slapped my own cheeks with both hands and using the mini-portal set up in the workshop I started the transition to the registered portal at the highlands area.


    The destination I transferred to was the portal ahead of the cliff in the north we have climbed earlier.


    This time, I was scheduled to meet up with Taku in there, but there was also another person waiting aside from Taku.


    "Take care of me today, Yun-kun."


    "E-Emily-san?! Why are you here?! Rather, how did you make it this far?!"


    This was the portal on top of the cliff. Since we have steadily acquired and learned the ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense, I was surprised that Emily-san had climbed up the cliff and arrived in here.


    "Yun, you''ve come."


    "Why is Emily-san here?"


    "Is there a problem if she''s here?"


    "No... there''s none but, you could have said a word that you''re coming."


    "No, I''m not sure what was it about, but it seemed like I''ve made you angry, Yun. Whenever I tried to speak with you, I was avoided so there was no opportunity to talk about it."


    Sorry about that, he said, but I was completely at fault here.


    Haa?, I heaved a long sigh. Just how rude was I to Taku, once again I felt that I caused him trouble.


    "It was my bad. I was frustrated and ended up venting my anger on you. Sorry."


    "Naw, I don''t really mind. Anyway, let''s go!"


    Taku made a refreshing smile to me, who has endlessly distressed myself with self-loathing and started walking towards the highland.


    Although I reconciled with Taku using the momentum, I didn''t forget Emily-san''s existence.


    "I get it that there was no opportunity to talk, but how did you come up here, Emily-san? Did you simply pick up ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense and climb?"


    "Wrong. I rode a flying synthetic mob to raise up here."


    "Uuuh, sounds unfair."


    "Certainly it''s easy to climb this way, but they''re disposable. Also, it''s not like I get a permanent Sense either."


    "It might be so, but..."


    "And... I wanted to see how you two are doing, so I forced myself in."


    Although she didn''t want to get involved too much in game with people whom she knows in real, but she realized we are acting strange and had forcibly joined our adventure today.


    "Well, my worries were unfounded though."


    "Thank you, Emily-san. For worrying about us, that is."


    "Looks like your usual expression is back, Yun-kun."


    Emily-san had smiled with relief, but since I couldn''t tell what kind of expression I had, I groped my face all over to check.


    "Yun, Emily, what are you two talking about?"


    "About how it''s unfair that I climbed up here from below using a flying synthetic mob."


    "Ohh, that."


    Taku made a knowing expression and entered the conversation.


    "You should charge the players who want to get here as fast as possible 100kG each and earn money that way."


    "Carrying those fifty players gathered under the cliff is a pain so I''ll pass."


    "But, at some point there will be someone who''ll start bussiness by transporting players up here. This is probably the only time you can earn anything, Emily."


    "I''m not doing it. My main is being ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿. If I can''t profit with that, what I''m going to do is to find a way by raising my ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Senses'' levels."


    Taku''s and Emily-san''s dialogue was quite interesting and a smile spilled on my face.


    "I thought you two don''t get along that well, but it doesn''t seem like it was true."


    "It''s not like I dislike Emily, it''s just that we rarely get in contact."


    "I don''t try actively to get involved either. I mean, it''s a hassle to do that with someone you know in real."


    In the meantime, we have arrived in the highlands area.


    The scenery was unlike during the dawn''s morning mist and it was now possible to overlook the highlands.


    There was a small hill ahead on the highlands and in the deepest part on top of the hill, lying down, there were horses several times Ryui''s size.


    Other than that, there were cattle-type mobs scattered, as well as a herd of goat-type mobs with atrociously twisted horns. Near the rocky mountain that was in the middle of the plain, there were plump and fat chicken-type mobs flying in the sky.


    Seeing the clearly toy-like chicken figures fly in the sky while ignoring the laws oh physics, I burst out into quiet laughter.


    "Fantasy, isn''t it. This scene that is."


    "You''re right. Well then, let''s defeat some mobs to check their strength and drop items."


    With Taku in the front, we approached enemy that caught our attention and started combat.


    The cattle mob, Steel Cow who instead of underdeveloped horns had its head covered in plate armour which had extended to to the back, charged at us alone.


    Although the cow''s attack was similar to that of a Big Boar, the part where she was capable of changing direction as she ran was different. Therefore, it was necessary for someone to attract her attention in order to fight back.


    The cow rushing at Taku and Emily-san who were the vanguard, seeing them split up in different directions, had aimed for Taku without any hesitation.


    Although she ran straight at Taku, he was better at predicting the opponent''s course.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ª Speed!"


    When I used an enchant from the rearguard raising Taku''s speed he shook off the cow''s pursuit and suddenly struck back on her flank with an Art.


    "Take this! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Power Buster¡·!"


    The strongly swung two swords cut the cow''s side, dealing large amount of damage. After receiving damage she had tried to charge at Taku again, but something had entangled around her hind legs and she fell forward.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Whip Bite¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·!"


    Emily-san''s connecting sword had restrained the cow''s hind legs and I, using my earth magic and cow''s weight, had her rooted in the mud.


    "One more time! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Power Buster¡·!"


    The Art Taku used again had settled on the cow''s flank, making her let out a loud cry and fall on the side.


    After confirming the cow had turned into particles of light and disappeared, everyone lowered their weapons.


    "Well, I guess it''s possible to take them down with brute force approach."


    "No, that would be only you, Taku. I think mine and Emily-san''s attacks are short on power for that."


    When I spoke, Emily-san had nodded in agreement.


    Steel Cows who had high strength and endurance would be difficult to fight against while solo at the moment.


    The goat mobs we fought against next, Mage Goats, were groups of goats who used magic.


    Their magic was limited to fire elemental magic, but they mainly used magic which caused sleep and stun bad statuses. The entire herd showered us with barrage of magic, but they were vulnerable against physical attacks so Taku and Emily-san had entered between them and took them down one after another.


    For the last, the roundish bird mob, Cockatrice¡ª¡ª


    "This one seems more compatible with Yun."


    "You''re right. Yun-kun is the only one who can attack from a distance, after all."


    The attack method of Cockatrices was surprise attack from the sky in a group.


    And, their normal attacks had a low probability of causing a paralysis bad status, also, although weak, they were capable of using restraining magic of the wind.


    However, I kept shooting them down one Cockatrice after after another from an overwhelming range using my long bow.


    "Yup. Looks like we took down most of the enemies in this area. What''s left, is the horse-type mob on top of that hill."


    After confirming that there''s no Cockatrices in the surroundings with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿, I directed my gaze towards the top of the hill.


    "The boss'' name is Lightning Horse, huh. I wonder if we can beat him."


    "Enemies in this area are quite tough, so the boss will be correspondingly strong, right."


    "True. Let''s give up on fighting him without a plan."


    Responding to my mutter, it seemed like Taku and Emily-san were being careful about fighting him.


    Since it was a boss no one has fought against before, his strength was an unknown.


    "Well, there''s no use thinking about it. Let''s go around and get some drops and collect some items."


    Emily-san and I agreed with Taku, we went around the highlands defeating mobs that caught our attention and getting some drop items.


    Steel Cows dropped Steel Cow''s Hard Leather and Beef Tenderloin.


    Mage Goats dropped Mage Goat''s Horn and Milk.


    Cockatrices dropped Cockatrice Feathers and Blood.


    From among these, Steel Cow''s Hard Leather could be used to make a leather armour, Beef Tenderloin and Mage Goat''s Milk could be used in cooking. Also, Mage Goat''s horn was hard enough so that it could be used for a spear''s tip once processed.


    And, the usage method of Cockatrice Feathers was¡ª¡ª


    "Feathers can be used for making arrows using Synthesis, and I guess blood can be used for making potions?"


    "As for me, I can use blood as a source of information for making a synthetic mob. Also, I wonder if it could be remade into another material using Alchemy."


    After taking out the materials we acquired, Emily-san and I considered the material''s methods of usage.


    "You two, we''re in the middle of the field so leave thinking for later."


    "Sorry. We were just curious."


    I tried to cover it up with a smile, but Taku had heaved a sigh.


    "Well, since you''ll only continue to miss if you fight in that state, let''s take a break."


    "Is that fine? We still haven''t examined that rocky mountain."


    "Right now that would be dangerous, considering you''re distracted. Once break''s over we''ll go to that mountain and I''ll have you do some mining."


    "Leave it to me. I need ore myself, too."


    Emily-san answered him proudly. For the time being, we decided to return to the nearby safety area.


    Still, I wondered if it was my imagination that the highlands were too wide an area for so few enemy mobs. Maybe their number was small to make it appropriate for the small number of players who arrived in here in the first place.


    ¡ñ


    Once I returned to to the safety area, I took out a mixing kit for using Mixing in the field, then crushed Mage Goat''s Horn to make it easy for making a potion with it.


    On the other hand, Emily-san had used ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s Higher Conversion on the select materials or used ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ using various material combinations, but I was the first one to get any results.


    "Emily-san, how are results on your side?"


    "Let''s see. Using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ on Steel Cow''s Hard Leather makes it a Large Hard Leather. As for others, well, both Synthesis and Alchemy are all misses. Other than the leather, I guess there''s no choice but to use them for synthetic mob nuclei. And what are you doing, Yun-kun?"


    "I crushed Mage Goat''s Horn so that it dissolved in base cream easily."


    Just when I managed to grind down the horn, I put the powder in the water where it melted, colouring water red.


    And for the remaining powder, I took out the container with small portion of base cream I made the other day and put mixed the powder in it. I added it gradually and it firmly dissolved as I continued to mix it in with a whisk.


    "Yun. Is that the one you made the other day?"


    "Yeah. I mixed the base cream I made from ¡¾Double Camellia¡¿''s oil, ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ and Beeswax with material dropped from mob, and the result is a cream that gives elemental resistance¡ª¡ª¡¾Element Cream¡¿.


    "So it wasn''t just a cosmetic item."


    Lightly ignoring Taku''s mutter. If I mixed powder in all at once, the emulsified and stable cream would have returned into a liquid state so I mixed it carefully by adding powder little by little.


    After a while, when the milky white base cream had changed into pale red I stopped mixing and returned it back to its original container.


    "All right, its complete."


    I looked at the created item''s stats and confirmed completion for the time being.


    Resistance Cream ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    ¡¾Fire Element Resistance (small)¡¿


    "Hmm. As expected, the effect is low because I didn''t use the equipment in my workshop to make it."


    "Yun-kun, what kind of item is this?"


    Emily-san spoke to me while I was lost in thoughts. Speaking of which, I haven''t explained the effect of this item yet.


    "This is a cream that grants resistance to elemental damage. I guess Mage Goat''s Horn grants resistance to fire element."


    After saying so, I lined up the container with completed creams. There was light blue, brown, pale green, milky white and grey-brown creams one next to another.


    "I mixed water element''s ¡¾Blue Gelatin¡¿ in this one, the brown one is earth element made with ¡¾Goblin''s Horn¡¿, the green one is wind element made with ¡¾Aero Snake''s Scales¡¿, milky white one corresponds to light element and was made with powder made out of ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Crystal¡¿, the grey-brown one is for darkness element and was made with ¡¾Magical Organism''s Catalyst Metal¡¿ which drops from Darkman."


    And the one I just made using powder from Mage Goat''s Horn, was pale red cream which corresponded to fire element.


    With this, it''s all six types, I said and displayed them, which resulted in an impressed response.


    "Hee, an item increasing defence against elements. But, these materials are all quite rare, so it''s not all that sweet."


    Certainly, although ¡¾Blue Gelatin¡¿ and ¡¾Goblin''s Horn¡¿ drop from slime and goblin enemies, so getting them is easy enough.


    And, the ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Crystal¡¿ Wisps dropped was also relatively easy to obtain using a slightly special method. Then there was the boss mob Darkman.


    "Can''t you make it with cheaper materials?"


    Taku did have a point. But, there was a reason for this.


    "In fact, I tried using Mold Slime''s Strongly Acidic Jelly, powdered dried stomach of a Moor Frog, Bat''s Poison Blood, Acid Dozer''s Acid Fluids and such, but the result was¡ª¡ª"


    "Result was?"


    "¡ª¡ªThere were ones that had bad status effects and things that deliver continuous damage to the user, so they can''t be used."


    When I answered so, I see, Taku and Emily-san said and made complex expressions.


    "Also, the resistance effect is correspondingly higher the rarer the material. Although, Aero Snake''s Scales seem to be on the same rank as Cockatrice''s Blood."


    I mixed in Cockatrice''s Blood into Beeswax base cream, completing a green cream this way. For red blood to change into green wind element, this sure is fantasy.


    Taku stared at the ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ as if he tried to judge the value of it and Emily-san squirmed with curiosity as a player who loves verifying things.


    "Then, Yun-kun. Can duplicate of this effect be used? What would happen if your ¡¶Element Enchant¡· was used or the armour itself had resistance to an element?"


    "In that case, it''s whether resistance against a single element can be strengthened and whether a resistance to another element can be put on."


    Taku joined the conversation and the field had changed into where we verified ¡¾Element Cream¡¿''s effect.


    "First, let''s check if the same element''s effects will overlap. I''ll use the cream, and then Yun will use ¡¶Element Enchant¡·, is that all right?"


    After saying so, Taku lightly coated his arm with water resistance cream.


    "Oh, the effect properly appeared in the status. Yun, I''m ready."


    "Got it. Well then, I''m starting. ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªArmour."


    I took out Grade 4 Water Element Stone and using it, I applied water element enchant on Taku''s armour.


    Currently, Taku had water resistance cream''s ¡¾Water Resistance (minimal)¡¿ on him, but how would ¡¾Water Resistance (small)¡¿ affect him, I wondered. And the result was¡ª¡ª


    "It changed now. The effect was overwritten and turned to ¡¾Water Resistance (small)¡¿."


    "In other words, Yun-kun''s ¡¶Element Enchant¡· and ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ have the same effect. That''s why the effect was overwritten."


    Continuing, when we tried a different element''s cream, the result was that the temporary element resistance was overwritten.


    "Now, what''s left is to see whether it can overlap with equipment that has permanent resistance effect."


    Saying so, Taku took out equipment and accessories which had resistance effect and checked his status.


    "Oh, it worked."


    "Your ''it worked'' sounds really light."


    "Isn''t it great that the effects overlap?"


    When Taku had lightly announced the result, I unconsciously retorted to him and Emily-san followed up with a wry smile.


    "Well then, the conclusion is that if you use a temporary effect that''s duplicate of a permanent one, you receive a decent amount of elemental resistance."


    "My normal enchant and resistance cream don''t overlap. So, I guess I''ll sell cream as a set with Enchant Stones."


    Although we have summarized the results of ¡¾Element Cream¡¿''s verification, there was still some dissatisfaction within me.


    "Somehow, I feel that I won''t really be using ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ since my ¡¶Element Enchant¡· overlaps with it."


    "But that can''t be helped, right? Although I can''t affirm it yet, but there might be difference in the duration of the effect and such."


    "I guess. Also, there''s the issue of whether I''ll be able to craft cream of all elements in a stable manner."


    While in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I had easily usable items provided at low cost, I did sell highly-effective items, so having a variation in item performance made me feel bad.


    "I wonder if I can get some items that provide stable amount of resistance."


    "...hey, Yun-kun. If ¡¶Element Enchant¡· and ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ have the same strengthening effect, won''t Element Stones work? They''re graded from Grade 5 so it''s easy to divide it accordingly to effectiveness."


    "...I see. I didn''t think of that."


    I immediately tried what Emily-san had pointed out.


    After crushing an earth element''s Grade 4 Element Stone, I mixed it in the base cream, crafting ¡¾Element Cream¡¿.


    Resistance Cream ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    ¡¾Earth Element Resistance (small)¡¿


    "Thank you, Emily-san. It succeeded."


    "You''re welcome. With this, the demand for Element Stones will further increase."


    As she smiled merrily, she sure has commerce in her blood, I thought with a bitter smile.


    "Well then, now that you two''s anxiety has cleared up, should we continue our search and verification?"


    For the search, Taku meant confirming what items can be mined from the huge rocky mountain in this highlands area. And by verification, he meant confirming the differences between ¡¶Element Enchant¡· and ¡¾Element Cream¡¿.


    Doing both at once had its advantages.


    "Taku will use fire resistance cream. On Emily-san, I will put down a fire element resistance enchant."


    "Understood."


    "Let''s start. ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªArmour."


    I passed the cream I made from Mage Goat''s Horn to Taku and used Grade 4 Element Stone to put fire element resistance enchant on Emily-san.


    Both had the same ¡¾Fire Element Resistance (small)¡¿ effect, but for how long would it last, I wonder.


    "All right! Let''s resume the search! We''ll head for that rocky mountain."


    Taku started walking ahead, aiming for the mountain.


    We approached it while passing by the enemies we encountered on the way. Since in the middle of it we found a colony of herbs, our progression had slowed down a little.


    Although I couldn''t tell its exact size from a distance, as we approached the mountain, on top of it I saw what looked like a Cockatrice nest from which chubby chicken took off occasionally.


    "Chickens, cattle and goats make the atmosphere pastoral."


    "Since all enemies we met are active upon encounter, we enter combat every time and don''t get time to rest, making it quite hard."


    Emily-san and I felt disappointed by that part as we aimed for the mountain.


    And, Taku had noticed abnormality in the rocky mountain early.


    "Yun, Emily. Something''s strange. Raise your weapons."


    "Eeh? Taku?"


    "There''s no time. Hurry!"


    "Hurry you say, kyahh?!"


    While we stood confused, the abnormality Taku felt had manifested in form of shaking. Although Emily-san and I had trouble standing, Taku alone pulled out his two long swords and looked up at the huge, rocky mountain.


    "¡ª¡ªThe mountain is moving!"


    Looking from the side, it seemed like Taku''s face convulsed and the mountain ahead of his sight has began to vibrate.


    When it did, limbs with short and thick claws have appeared at the bottom of the mountain, as well as a short, hard tail and a turtle head with a pointed chin.


    Surprised by the fact the rocky mountain was a mob, I looked upwards.


    It was big enough to overshadow the large bosses we have defeated previously, such as th Great Eater of Mythical Beasts, Garm Phantom and Cannibal Plant.


    Truly, an existence akin to a mountain.


    "Superdreadnought-class land tortoise mob¡ª¡ªGrand Rock, huh."


    I heard Taku''s mutter and the next moment, Grand Rock roared.


    ¡º"VVUUOOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª"¡»


    As the air trembled, I held down my ears to bear the roar and at the same time, the surrounding mobs have started an uproar.


    All the mobs in the highlands have received ¡¾Anger¡¿ bad status.


    "This is bad. Let''s escape for now!"


    "Taku! Escape, but where?!"


    "Doesn''t matter, run! At this rate we''ll be surrounded and crushed!"


    Mobs I have seen have started rampaging around the highland indiscriminately, leaving themselves to ¡¾Anger¡¿.


    Also, Steel Cows who previously walked around alone started running in a herd. Mage Goat herds further increased in numbers.


    Cattle, goat and chicken mobs started to appear on the highlands, coming from the distant forest and mobs have started to gradually grow denser in the broad highland area.


    "Certainly, this looks bad. Taku-kun, any idea where to run?"


    "We can only either run outside of the area or get so close to Grand Rock that the mobs won''t approach us!"


    The place we were in was nearly halfway between the area''s exit and the Grand Rock. We didn''t have time to think whether we go back and move on forward.


    "Look, a herd of cows is coming our way!"


    The cows have charged straight at us. In front, there was one with a remarkable physique and body of deep red colour, but it wasn''t the time to be bothered about that.


    Together with Taku and Emily-san, we somehow avoided that group and started running outside of the area.


    Compared to the direction Grand Rock was in, the cattle herds moved in straight lines, but they were like a tsunami, be engulfed once and there''s no saving you.


    "If you''re avoiding them, move to the side! Absolutely don''t escape in the same direction they''re running to!"


    "I know! This time they''re coming from the left!"


    As I dodged the incoming attack from the herd of cows, the moment I used ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ to avoid, I looked at the red cow mob once again.


    It was a completely different mob from Steel Cows and I confirmed it was a boss mob called Iron Cow.


    I checked the surroundings as I ran and in the distance, I saw a Mage Goat with large and round horns and a Cockatrice on top of the Grand Rock who was ten times larger than a normal one.


    "What the hell''s going on!"


    "Yun! More cows are coming!"


    "¡ª¡ª?!!"


    As I ran looking at the surroundings while spitting curses, before I realized distance opened between me and the other two. Although I jumped to the opposite side of where a herd of cows had emerged and was able to avoid being engulfed, I was separated from Taku and Emily-san.


    "Taku! Emily-san!"


    "Yun, escape for now! Climb on the Grand Rock!"


    "Taku-kun, a herd of Mage Goats! Yun-kun, if you''re safe afterwards, let''s meet up in front of the portal later!"


    The moment Emily-san spoke a warning, a huge wall of flames appeared between me and them.


    I couldn''t remain in one place in the middle of the mobs'' onslaught forever.


    I started running towards the Grand Rock who was in the opposite direction of where Taku and Emily-san was aiming to reach, beyond that wall of flames.


    ¡ñ


    ¡ª¡ªClimb on the Grand Rock.


    I believed Taku''s words and ran towards the gigantic land tortoise.


    However, as if to prevent me from doing so, enemy attacked from the distance, both from the sky and the ground.


    "Tch, ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    Increasing my speed with an enchant, I confirmed the barrage of magic released at me by Mage Goats from a distance.


    I continued to avoid in the time extended by ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿, but receiving an attack from a wind sickle released by Cockatrice behind me, I was blown forward by the impact. Right after that, I saw Mage Goat''s fire magic appear where I was a moment earlier.


    "Oww, that was close. Couldn''t really avoid that one."


    As I ran at constant speed, Steel Cows whose movements have turned monotonous in state of Anger have charged in my direction.


    "Mobs of this level predict movements before attacking, don''t they."


    In that case, I thought, and intentionally slowed down slightly.


    And continuing to avoid monotonously, I narrowed down enemy''s predictions, making enemy concentrate their attacks on one point.


    "...keep the pace, then accelerate at once!"


    As if chanting, I maintained seventy percent of my maximum speed and observed the enemy movements with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿.


    When enemy entered a motion for attacking, in conjunction with the experienced time extension of ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I entered my top speed and moved through when the enemy was unguarded.


    Once I slipped through Mage Goats'' attacks, next I found a herd of Steel Cows.


    Steel Cows rushed at me with even more ferocity than normally. I didn''t have the confidence to shake them off as they came at me with considerable speed and if I''m stranded in place, Cockatrices and Mage Goats I left behind would catch up.


    "If you add the mobs behind into this, I don''t think I''ll be able to escape."


    Even now, the amount of enemies I could take on was the limit for me alone. Of course, assuming survival as a goal rather than defeating them.


    It was clear that if I avoid the Steel Cow''s charge poorly, I''ll be stifled immediately.


    "And so, running away is winning!"


    Steel Cows have come from the right side as if to block my path. Unless I slip by, I won''t reach Grand Rock. I had to break through no matter what.


    Since I was regulating my pace, I recovered my speed and swallowed a speed-increasing Boost Tablet, held Magic Gems in both hands and started running at maximum speed.


    I ran through before a herd of Steel Cows could block my way, but since I couldn''t make it in time I decided to jump forward at full speed.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·!"


    I created an earthen wall beneath myself and using it for footing, I jumped high into the air.


    The herd of Steel Cows rushed beneath me, Cockatrices and Mage Goats after me from behind.


    Since the distance I flew wasn''t enough, I was about to fall into the herd of cows, but holding Magic Gems in my both hands I spoke the keyword.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    Receiving the blast of the Magic Gem''s explosion behind me, I accelerated in mid-air.


    Reproducing the big jump I did once before, I increased the flight distance.


    "And, I was able to land safely."


    Although I lost my balance and had to support myself with a hand, I somehow managed to keep running.


    I took a glance behind and saw the group of Steel Cows who were unable to change direction block the Mage Goats chasing after me.


    Looking into the air with the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿, I saw a flock of Cockatrices had gathered and was trying to attack again.


    "Blow away! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Zone Bomb¡·!"


    The magic whose range was expanded with the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ had blown away Cockatrices flying in a formation.


    Because of the dense formation they were flying in, they received accumulated chain damage from each magic activated, thanks to which I was able to eliminate anything that could prevent me from climbing Grand Rock.


    "All right, succeeded! All that''s left is running to where Grand Rock is."


    Just a little more and I''d reach the giant tortoise. And that''s when mobs who were sporadically attacking me started to withdraw one after another.


    "...monsters are backing down?"


    While the enemy didn''t approach anywhere near the Grand Rock, the huge tortoise dragged a loud sound and sand cloud behind it.


    Since I was scared of being crushed by either its legs or tail were I to approach poorly, I took some distance from Grand Rock and observed it first.


    At this point, only Cockatrices remained above me, but they weren''t interested in me in the least and only returned to their nest on top of the Grand Rock.


    Just, I felt like I saw a conspicuously large individual among Cockatrices above, but it had quickly hid behind the cliff.


    "Ten times larger than a normal Cockatrice? I saw it earlier from a distance, but it doesn''t seem like I was mistaken."


    I looked up again, but I couldn''t see it no longer. Also, I had to decide on what''s in front of me before concerning myself with that.


    "What should I do? Should I continue running like this until this is over?"


    That''s troublesome in itself, I thought and when I raised my head to look up so high my neck started to hurt and saw narrow, spiralling mountain roads on the entire rocky mountain that was Grand Rock''s back.


    The footing was a little unstable, but it was a safe area.


    I resolved myself and jumped on the Grand Rock.


    Although it seemed like I would fall as I jumped after running in parallel to it, I somehow managed to cling to Grand Rock and riding on it was surprisingly not so bad.


    "Its unexpectedly steady."


    I grasped the nearby rock and as not to be shaken off by the vibrations caused by Grand Rock''s movements, I slowly climbed up the mountain.


    For the time being I equipped ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense and safety equipment, driving a wedge into the rocky mountain I proceeded slowly.


    When I climbed about ten percent of the mountain''s height, a narrow mountain road has spread which had enough space for a party of six to rest.


    "I can be at ease if its this wide. Doesn''t seem like I''ll fall too easily. Still, I wonder what''s happening, really."


    I pat the rocky surface nearby and looked up to the top of the mountain.


    Viewed from afar it looked like a mountain, but it was in fact a superdreadnought-class mob and the mobs on the field started to rampage in conjunction with its movements.


    "Good grief, I''d like some info beforehand."


    I heaved a sigh while riding on the Grand Rock, but after speaking, another thought appeared in my mind.


    Those who are called frontier players or raiders enter new areas without any information, just like this. Thus, it''s normal that there''s no information about it. It just means its our turn this time.


    "Still, how long is this rampage going to continue?"


    I overlooked the surroundings with my ¡¾Sky Eyes''¡¿ far-sightedness, but the rampage of the mobs in the highlands showed no signs of subsiding.


    Currently, the mobs in the highlands area were rampaging after receiving ¡¾Anger¡¿ bad status.


    It was a bad status which decreased the defensive statistics which were DEF and MIND, instead increasing the ATK and INT as well as causing a frenzied mental state.


    And there was no signs of the mobs recovering over time.


    "Well, no use thinking about it. Let''s search this area for a while."


    Although we were supposed to examine it together with Taku and Emily-san, I''ll do what I can by myself.


    "Now, I wonder what I''ll get."


    I returned the kitchen knife into the sheath at the belt for climbing equipment and took out a pickaxe for mining.


    And I started to move on the Grand Rock on what was akin to a rocky mountain road by grasping rocks on its back.


    Since there was no mobs attacking me and there was only occasional shaking, I took breaks in moderation as I examined the surroundings of the open space.


    Taking a brief look, I found several spiral routes for climbing the Grand Rock and on both the surface and the break spaces away from the road there were some mining points.


    "If I climb too high, I''ll have trouble returning and I''m scared of getting close to the Cockatrice nest. Let''s gather some samples nearby."


    I returned to the wide break space and stood in front of a mining point.


    There was footing which made mining relatively easy and space to swing a larger pickaxe.


    "Okay, let''s go. ¡ª¡ª?!!"


    Although I swung down the pickaxe at the mining point like usual, it had bounced away.


    "Damn hard, my hand''s gone numb."


    Since my hands were trembling all numb, I let go of the pickaxe for a moment and waved them.


    And this time carefully as not to break the pickaxe, I swung it strongly to dig up ore.


    I acquired fifteen pieces of ore in a very inefficient manner before the pickaxe broke.


    "Woah, the Iron Pickaxe broke... and it was the best one sold by NPC, too."


    After that, I used up the small pickaxes treated as farm tools and acquired a total of twenty-seven pieces of ore.


    In the meantime, the intervals between each vibration of the Grand Rock had gradually increased and the rampage of mobs beneath has slowly subsided.


    Mobs who have newly appeared in the highlands area have returned to the woods outside and above me, a white mass of Cockatrices had returned to the nest they had near the summit of the Grand Rock.


    That''s when a friend call from Taku had come.


    ¡º"Yun, you safe?"¡»


    "Yeah, I somehow managed to reach Grand Rock. What about you two?"


    ¡º"We managed to safely exit the highlands area. Mobs rampage has subsided so you should come back too, Yun."¡»


    "Got it. I''ll return right away."


    I descended down Grand Rock''s back whose movements have stopped and headed to the portal near the highlands area''s entrance.


    In there, Taku and Emily-san had waited for me, I increased my pace to ascertain the two are all right.


    "It''s great that you are okay, you two."


    "Sure, I''m all right."


    "Rather, what are you saying after enjoying yourself."


    Taku had greeted me with a smile, but Emily-san had stared at him intently in response to that. It seemed like something happened while I wasn''t with them.


    "What happened?"


    "While I was running away, Yun-kun''s fire ¡¶Element Enchant¡·''s duration had expired, but since Taku-kun''s Resistance Cream''s duration lasted longer he fought mobs on the highland area''s peripheries, decreasing their number."


    "Because I had fire element resistance I could beat a herd of Mage Goats with ease! I also took down a boss mob, getting both strengthening material and drops!"


    "What boss mob! Heck, ain''t that dangerous!"


    Although he said so proudly, I was appalled at him taking such risk while mobs were rampaging dangerously with ¡¾Anger¡¿ bad status.


    "Speaking of boss mobs, there was a cow that had a different name. If I''m not wrong, it was Iron Cow."


    "That''s right. It might be that the boss mobs appear for a limited amount of time unlike the normal ones. Iron Cow is the boss of the Steel Cow mobs. Warlock Goat is the boss of the Mage Goat mobs. I didn''t confirm whether a boss mob of Cockatrices exists, but there should be one."


    "If there is a Cockatrice boss mob, it''s over there I guess."


    Ahead of my line of sight was the Cockatrice nest on top of the unmoving Grand Rock''s mountainback. When I approached the Grand Rock, I felt like I''ve seen a shadow of a large Cockatrice, maybe it wasn''t just my imagination.


    "So, Yun, did you find something on the mountain?"


    "I didn''t even climb halfway to the hill, but I found a mountain road and mining points on it. While I did get some ore I don''t know, the mining point was so hard my pickaxe broke."


    When I said so and showed them a pickaxe with a broken tip, Taku and Emily-san had opened their eyes wide with surprise.


    "I guess a normal pickaxe is no longer enough. I''ll have to consult with Magi-san on the topic."


    "If you''re going to ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿ then I''ll go with you. I want to know what''s the ore you''ve got. What about youm, Emily?"


    "I''ll pass. Today made me want a synthetic mob with better flight capacity so I want to research synthesis a little more. If I have a flight capability to get on that mountain, it''ll be easier for me to mine ore, you see. Fortunately, I got quite the amount of Cockatrice Feathers and blood."


    Emily-san responded happily. They probably met quite a few mobs on their way back.


    "It''s decided then. Let''s take a break and go to the ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿ in the evening."


    "I guess. I''ll go back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for now."


    After saying so we parted with Emily-san, together with Taku returned to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and logged out for a break before meeting up in the evening.

 Chapter Volume 7 5

    Chapter 5 - Damascus and the ¡¾Element Cream¡¿


    Evening. I met up with Taku and after contacting Magi-san beforehand we visited ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿. We spoke with the Clerk NPC and had him call Magi-san who had been working in the workshop in the back.


    "Hey, Yun-kun and Taku-kun, it''s unusual for you two to visit together. Did you come to have pair-rings made?"


    "Certainly, it''s unusual, but I don''t want any kind of pairing with Taku."


    I denied it flatly and briefly explained what I have come for.


    "One of the reasons of coming this time, is to check on the Blurite Ore''s research and to replenish the samples."


    "Thank you, Yun-kun! With the ones I got I was able to grasp the method, but I wasn''t able to make too many ingots yet."


    "Then, I''ll pass you some new ore."


    I deposited the newly acquired Blurite Ore with Magi-san.


    "Yup. I''ll be able to make Yun-kun''s weapon with these."


    "Good for you. Looks like you''ll get a new weapon."


    Taku had happily hit my back, but, most likely there won''t be much opportunities to use it, I ended up thinking.


    And, I spoke of another issue I have come with.


    "Another reason, is that I want you to take a look at something."


    Saying so, I took out the unknown items I acquired from the hard mining point on the back of Grand Rock and the broken pickaxe.


    "I acquired these items today at a certain mining point¡ª¡ª¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ and ¡¾Fragment of Land Emperor Turtle''s Shell¡¿. And, I broke my pickaxe on the same mining point."


    What I placed on the table were 13 pieces of ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ and 2 ¡¾Fragments of Land Emperor Turtle''s Shell¡¿. Since the remaining ore I mined was known, I didn''t take them out.


    Taking the items in her hands, Magi-san broke into a joyful expression and heaved a sigh.


    "Yun-kun, why do you always bring items I really want at with such good timing, I wonder. You''re troubling Onee-san here."


    "Is what Yun brought in that good a material?"


    Taku asked in my stead, in response to which Magi-san thought for a moment before answering.


    "It''s more like an intermediate material. A material that can be mined in many of high level zones. If you use Iron Ore and ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ for refining, you can make Wootz Steel. It''s a material that provides high durability, ATK and DEF, and is easy to handle."


    "I heard of weapons made with Wootz Steel. If I''m not wrong, they''re exhibited on ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿''s auction. I saw someone bid on it."


    "Indeed. Just as you say, Taku-kun, it was exhibited only once in the past. Its distinguishing feature was that it had an unique pattern on the surface. Well, it was me who made it though."


    "As I thought, Magi-san was the one who made it."


    "Just once I made a weapon from Wootz Steel after many attempts, but it was my disgrace as it was too ordinary. I was forced by Cloude to sell it on auction since there wasn''t enough goods that stand out, you see."


    By the end, Magi-san''s voice was tinged with resentment.


    Considering the flow of their conversation Magi-san was probably involved with it, I thought, and it was spot on.


    Since I hardly used metal weapons I didn''t have much knowledge about then, but I muttered a simple question.


    "What''s Wootz Steel in the first place?"


    "Ahh, Wootz Steel is... you could call it fantasy''s Damascus Steel."


    "O-oh. Well, I did hear of it somewhere, I think."


    I was satisfied knowing that Wootz Steel was another name for Damascus Steel.


    "So, Yun-kun, will you sell this to me?"


    "From what I''m hearing, it doesn''t seem like anything I can handle with my current ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿''s level, so I don''t mind."


    Then it''s decided, and with that said I was able to trade ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ at quite a high price.


    "Hey, if you have ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿, sell me a Wootz Steel sword!"


    "Unfortunately. My pride won''t allow making a half-assed weapon like the first one I made. So, wait a little longer. I need time to grasp the trick to making Wootz Steel."


    "Well then, we need to gather a lot of ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿. Yun! We''re going to fetch some for my sake!"


    "Don''t be silly. My pickaxe''s broken and all..."


    When saying so, I turned my gaze towards the tip of the broken pickaxe, Magi-san had made a daring smile as if she was waiting for this moment.


    "Fufufu, let me introduce a wonderful commodity to you, Yun-kun! A three-set of pickaxes made from black iron for any situation!"


    She said so and what she took out, was a pickaxe made of black iron which was harder than iron. There were small, medium and large pickaxes which had weight and shape making it easy to use in each situation, even the handle was well thought of.


    I lifted the black pickaxe''s wooden handle and felt its heaviness, but there should be no problem with using it.


    "Looks good, I want them."


    "Then how about 500kG for the set?"


    "I''ll buy it."


    Since it wasn''t particularly expensive, I decided to buy it. Rather, it was an essential expanse for collecting ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿. Still, I felt like inflation had come seeing as 500kG seems cheap. The times where I struggled to earn 1000G felt nostalgic.


    "I''ll give these to you now in that case."


    "I don''t have enough on hand to pay in full, so I''ll pay 250kG in advance and have Kyouko-san deposit the rest in the store next time."


    "Yup, got it. Well, even if I don''t get it, I can always deduct it from the consignment I have with you, Yun-kun."


    Magi-san joked around, but I instructed Kyouko-san the NPC to make the payment for the pickaxe through the menu.


    "Still, why do you have a pickaxe ready at such a good time?"


    "Because these are spare pickaxes I made for myself. I said it earlier right. ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ can be gathered in various high level zones, that is. In order to mine in those areas you need a pickaxe made from black iron."


    Also, I got a large amount of ore in stock now. She said and winked to me. She must have meant that she made it with the Black Iron Ore I brought in.


    "Thank you for purchasing Black Iron Pickaxes?. Now, the ¡¾Fragment of Land Emperor Turtle''s Shell¡¿, right. Its my first time seeing this strenghtening material so I don''t know what effect it has."


    After we finished the trading procedure Magi-san breathed out shortly and looked at the next item.


    "Then, how about we try the additional effect on some weak weapon? It''s not a good idea to try it on the usually used one."


    Since I didn''t want to put an effect I don''t know on my main weapon, I thought of checking it with an Iron Sword or something but...


    "Yun-kun, at times like these you should use this."


    Magi-san took out a weapon and raised it in front of me and Taku.


    It was the axe Magi-san had acquired previously in the summer camp event which could hold up to fifteen effects.


    I was reminded of the existence of the same magic remodelling weapon, the ¡¾Wolf Commander''s Longbow¡¿.


    "I normally use it to check the unidentified straightening materials. For now¡ª¡ªit''s a straightening material checker."


    Isn''t that different from how it''s supposed to be used? Taku beside me retorted and heaved a sigh. I agreed that the usage method was different from the original one, but that was one of the ways to use it, I thought.


    In the first place, Magi-san had a different battle axe as her main weapon.


    "If you like the effect you can have it stay on the item, if the compatibility is bad, you can just erase it, it''s waste-less. Yun-kun, can I start?"


    "Yes, please go on."


    I looked as Magi-san had used the strengthening material, ¡¾Fragment of Land Emperor Turtle''s Shell¡¿ on her own remodelling weapon, an axe.


    We immediately found out what was the the strengthening material''s additional effect.


    Stone-Axe Erupter ¨C Volkaraxe ¡¾Weapon¡¿¡ª¡ªmagical axe carved from cooled down magical metal that''s like flowing lava.


    ATK+30 Additional Effect: ATK Bonus, Physical Attack Increase (small), Fire Element Bonus (medium), Damage Penetration (small), HP Absorption (minimal), Automatic Recovery (small), Durability Increase (medium)


    After checking the stats of the weapon which had a new additional effect added, both Taku and I were at loss for words.


    "The new effect is¡ª¡ª¡¾Durability Increase (medium)¡¿, huh."


    "Nonono, wait, certainly its good that we learned the material''s effect is ¡¾Durability Increase (medium)¡¿, but what''s with that large amount of effects!"


    "That thing is a fraud considering the base specs. Clearly, it can already be used in live combat."


    I raised my voice in surprise seeing the numerous additional effects I haven''t seen before on the weapon and Taku had enviously looked at the remodelling weapon.


    "It just turned like this when I left only valid effects on it. Oh right, I wanted to ask you for enchanting it, Yun-kun."


    "Eh? Um, is that fine?"


    To do it so simply, I added in puzzlement and used ¡¶Item Enchant¡· on Magi-san''s remodelling weapon to add ¡¾ATK Enchant¡¿ to it, specializing it further in physical attack.


    "Thanks, Yun-kun. What about the remaining one?"


    "What about, you ask, I wonder myself."


    One material was consumed for effect verification and one more was left. There was no need to decide here but...


    "Then why not put it in Yun''s pickaxe?"


    "By pickaxe, you mean the Black Iron Pickaxe I just bought?"


    I tilted my head, puzzled.


    "Indeed. It''s a tool you''ll be using for a long time. Also, even if you do maintenance and grade-up the additional effect won''t disappear and this way it won''t break in the middle of gathering like this time."


    In the first place, there was no point in adding ¡¾Durability Increase (medium)¡¿ into weapons or armour. If someone did put that effect into a weapon, the weapon would receive a limit to how much it can be improved.


    In that meaning, it was a good idea to put it into a pickaxe which is not a weapon, but...


    "Can it even be added into a pickaxe?"


    "Pickaxe is a type of a weapon. Something like a variant of an axes and hammers."


    "Also, Yun-kun''s kitchen knife I made is also both a tool and a weapon. When I''m attacked during mining I swing my pickaxe to deal with the enemy."


    I was convinced by Taku''s and Magi-san''s explanations.


    And then, Magi-san strengthened the large pickaxe with ¡¾Durability Increase¡¿.


    "Now, since I don''t have enough ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ to make a Wootz Steel weapon, can you bring me some more? Also, I want to ¡¾Durability Increase¡¿ for my own pickaxe, too."


    "Understood. I''ll concentrate on mining for now."


    "Thanks. I''ll give you some extra when purchasing them."


    For the time being, I decided to mine for Blurite Ore of which there wasn''t enough yet and the ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿.


    "I guess I need to go confirm how is Gantz''s and others'' picking up of ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense before we proceed."


    Taku stretched his back and a mutter leaked from his mouth.


    Since it was the first time we mentioned it, Magi-san made a curious expression.


    "¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense?"


    "Yeah, the place I we got Blurite Ore and ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ is the cliff on the northern area and the highlands area on the other side..."


    When I summarized the explanation about the highlands area and the super-dreadnought mob in it, Magi-san grinned as if she came up with something.


    "Hey, Taku-kun. Can ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense be acquired easily?"


    "Currently, teaching the Sense is centred on a player called Ivan. He''s teaching several parties and acquaintances altogether."


    "Then, can players with ¡¾Smithing¡¿ Sense be included in that? So we can run an operation for climbing Grand Rock."


    Even if they don''t climb up to the top, they could mine numerous mining points.


    "What do you think?"


    "Hm. I guess it''s fine? I can hang around to teach and time is needed to examine under what conditions that Grand Rock starts moving."


    "I''ll organise it with ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ as a centre in that case, let''s talk in detail later, Taku-kun."


    "Feels like its turning into a really big deal."


    While I listened in silence beside them, I somehow felt that the operation for conquering the highlands had become really important.


    "Also, I wonder if I could ask you, Yun-kun to help me out."


    "H-help out?"


    "Well, I need to do some preparations on my side, so we''ll speak about that too, at later time."


    Magi-san winked to me, and the conversation had ended for today.


    ¡ñ


    *clank* *clank*. I swung the pickaxe at the mining point and dug out the ore.


    "Phew, that makes 100 of them. Mining those is quite harsh, these mining points are real hard."


    I picked up the ore and looked up at the sky.


    Above me, there was the towering rocky mountain and Cockatrices fling in the sky.


    "It took a lot of time to gather those."


    I accepted the request from Magi-san and continued to dig the mining points on Grand Rock''s back and near the cliff.


    At first I was worried about whether will Grand Rock roar, but it seemed like it happened only at fixed time and didn''t happen when I was mining.


    Still, since on the rocky mountain Cockatrices and on the cliff-side Aero Snakes and Bunker Bees attacked me, when fighting back my combat-related Senses level up unexpectedly well.


    "The total of ore I gathered in three days is 144 pieces of Blurite and 101 pieces of ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿. Also, 8 of ¡¾Fragments of Land Emperor Turtle''s Shell¡¿, huh. Means I was lucky when mining before."


    With that said, it was just the third of the total amount of ore I dug up in three days. The other two was not so unusual ore like iron, silver, gems and black iron.


    The ¡¾Fragments of Land Emperor Turtle''s Shell¡¿ had a low probability of appearing and it was time-consuming to acquire it. Although it was a little disappointing that the drop-rate increasing effect of the ¡¾Fairy Ring¡¿ didn''t have any effect, it was possible to collect a significant number of those over time.


    "Now, it''s almost the time I agreed on with Magi-san, I should go back."


    First, I returned to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ through the portal and from there, went to visit Magi-san''s ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿.


    "Magi-san! Hello."


    "Oh, Yun-kun. Just on time."


    Magi-san welcomed me with a wide smile.


    "Sorry, it took three days to prepare."


    "It''s fine, but could you tell me what are we going to do?"


    Three days ago, she didn''t tell me any details so I once again asked what does she need help with.


    "Back then Taku-kun was here you see. I don''t intend on revealing this to anyone other than crafters I trust."


    She said so and led me towards the workshop. And, inside¡ª¡ª


    "What is that?! What''s with that furnace?!"


    What I pointed out when I cried out, was the temperature on the Magic Furnace Magi-san had installed in her workshop. It should have been the same as the one installed in my own workshop, but the thermal power was completely different, it caused the air in the surroundings of the furnace to shake.


    If not for the barrier around the furnace which shut away the heat in its vicinity, it would have scorched the entire workshop.


    "I''ll explain about it now. I want you to help with my smithing, Yun-kun."


    "You say ''help with smithing'', but I can''t make weapons."


    My ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense allowed for making of accessories and while it could be used for refining ingots, it couldn''t be used for crafting weapons which belong to ¡¾Smithing¡¿ Sense.


    "Of course, I know that. What I want to ask you, is help with crafting Wootz Steel Ingots. We will strike the metal together¡ª¡ªI want you to do joint hammering with me."


    "Joint hammering?"


    "That''s right, I will use this big hammer to remove the impurities and increase the quality. And, you will be shaping it with a small hammer, as well as adjusting the position, Yun-kun."


    What Magi-san passed to me as she said so, was a Black Iron Hammer for smithing.


    Standing firmly, she swung the hammer she held in both of her hands. Certainly, while she changes between the hammers, the metal will cool off.


    "So, what specifically am I to do?"


    "First, I guess practice? We need to match ourselves perfectly. Also, in order to make Wootz Steel, we need to get used to the temperature in there first."


    Saying so, Magi-san moved a step in front of the furnace.


    Immediately after, I saw something that made me doubt my eyes.


    "Magi-san! It''s decreasing! Your HP!"


    "Well, that''s because the temperature is the highest I can get now."


    She had turned around and smiled to me, but sweat appeared on her forehead.


    "That''s fine, but come back for now!"


    I pulled back Magi-san, who had come up in front of the furnace. I also was assaulted by the hot air and my HP decreased faster than hers.


    "How did the temperature go up this much?"


    "Most of my MP went into the furnace, in addition to that, Fire Fairy increased the temperature and Treant Wood was used to fuel the fire. Though, its strong enough for players to receive damage if they aren''t resistant to fire element."


    Magi-san had ¡¾Fire Element Talent¡¿ Sense allowing to use fire elemental magic. Still, despite that she needed even higher temperature, what on earth is she making?


    "Magi-san, are you really making just Wootz Steel Ingots?"


    "Ahahaha, so you noticed after all?"


    "Can''t you make it with the same method you have succeeded before?"


    "I don''t want to use the method from before."


    She said so and took out a large plate. It was a heavy iron, no, steel plate.


    "Earlier, I used this thin steel plate and ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ to make a one ingot. But, the result was a rough, seven-layered Wootz Steel Ingot.


    "Wootz Steel''s has characteristic is the unique, beautiful wood-grain pattern because of the multiple layers of metal overlapping. However, the amount of layers on mine was not enough, the temperature wasn''t strong enough to allow bending it again."


    "Then, the method now is...?"


    "Mix steel and ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿, then bend it into many layers in in high temperature."


    For every bend, the amount of layers doubles and, by repeating it you make beautiful Wootz Steel.


    "So, Yun-kun. Will you lend me your strength and wisdom?"


    "I understand, I''ll support you however I can."


    "Yun-kun, thank you. Now then, let''s start joint hammering practice immediately!"


    After saying that, Magi-san took out several ores and began preparations for smithing.


    She purchased all the ore I have mined this time for using it as practice material this time.


    "I put ¡¾Durability Increase (medium)¡¿ additional effect on mine and Yun-kun''s tools, now, let''s go!"


    Magi-san, holding a hammer and I, holding a small hammer have set up as to face each other in front of the furnace.


    The metal inserted into furnace melted and flowed into a mould.


    "First let''s start with practising something light like normal iron, then fine iron, silver, steel, black iron and then with Blurite."


    "Understood. I''m ready any time."


    Exposed to the extremely hot air from the furnace, Magi-san had swung her hammer down on the ingot taken out of the mold.


    That was the signal for joint hammering.


    There was a clear sound and sparks flying the bright red metal. While wiping sweat off my forehead, I struck the metal without taking my eyes off from it and matching Magi-san.


    I swung down the Black Iron Hammer striking the iron to adjust it and then, Magi-san swung her hammer down once again.


    Thanks to motion assist I knew what timing was optimal, but what was troublesome, was the damage dealt by hot air.


    In the workshop, filled with the sound of metal being struck we overflowed with sweat. In the middle of it I excluded everything that disturbed me and concentrated on the heated iron in front of me.


    And when it had began to cool down we returned it to the furnace, then once it had turned red again, we took it out.


    Beginning with ordinary iron there was no problem with fine iron as well. We somehow managed with silver too, since I worked with it in my own workshop, but the first one was steel.


    "Now, let''s make a Steel Ingot."


    "Magi-san, I don''t know how to make a Steel Ingots though."


    Magi-san was astonished hearing my words. In one hand, she held an inexpensive blue potion in order to replenish her HP depleted by the hot air, it looked to me like nothing other than a sports drink.


    Well, let''s leave that aside, about the method of making Steel Ingots...


    "Ahh, steel is further refined from Iron Ingots you make from Iron Ore, you see."


    Which means that steel is high purity iron with impurities further removed.


    "That''s why, the basics are the same as for metallic threads. However, a bit more power is needed."


    She said so and put the Fine Iron Ingot we made earlier back into the furnace for refining, then struck the melted metal.


    Magi-san hit the metal with her hammer and I used mine to reshape it, but because of my low ATK the ingot only rattled and didn''t change its form. I put in all my strength to somehow fix it, but after I hit the metal repeatedly, it ended up as a failure.


    "Ah..."


    "cringg*, and at the same time we heard a sound of cracking, the mass of metal had turned into particles of light and disappeared.


    "Aww... so there''s a difference between mine and Yun-kun''s ATK stat. Should I adjust my stats to balance it out?"


    But by that amount the work time will lengthen, Magi-san muttered, but our aim was the high-level Wootz Steel. If we compromise in this moment, we won''t be able to make a good ingot.


    "It''s all right, Magi-san. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    I put an ATK enchant on myself, raising my base stats.


    Since enchant-type Sense''s level has increased, the duration of enchants is longer enabling me to refine a several ingots over the duration of one enchant.


    "I''ll catch up to you with this. Now, next one!"


    "You''re right. From here on the ingot crafting difficulty will quickly increase, so we''ll have to work hard with repeated practice of trial and error."


    Then once again, we returned to refining a Fine Iron Ingot and Steel Ingot.


    For the time being, we were able to make a Steel Ingot on our second try, but since Magi-san tried to match panicking me, we didn''t proceed to the next ore and instead, continued to make Steel Ingots to match our breathing.


    "This is the fourth one. About time we proceeded to Black Iron."


    "Haa, haa... agreed. But first, a break."


    Since we continued to stand in front of furnace endlessly releasing heat, both Magi-san and I were dripping with sweat.


    To take a break, we moved outside the ward sealing off hot air.


    Sweating even more than I did, from her face to her neck, collarbone and towards her chest, Magi-san''s sweat-covered figure made me unable to focus my eyes. The skimpy cloth also sucked in sweat, making it see-through.


    On the other hand, I too was dripping with sweat, but the cloth equipment had become only a little see-through.


    While drinking a Blue Potion for HP recovery and re-hydration, Magi-san summoned her partner, Rickle, a wolf cub who wielded ice element.


    "Ahh, cold air from Rickle feels amazing."


    "How nice, I want some ice too."


    Flushed, Magi-san was cooled off as she hugged the wolf releasing cold air from his entire body.


    Rickle responded to my mutter with a woof, and made a piece of ice perfect for me to cool my neck with.


    "Hyah, cold! But, feels great."


    I held the ice Rickle created and pressed it against my nape, then a sigh leaked out.


    Although the cold was comfortable, the ice melted and the water soaked my clothes, feeling a little uncomfortable.


    "Uehh, I''m all wet."


    "Ahahaha, so you did it after all, Yun-kun."


    "Magi-san, did you know and kept silent?"


    "I made the same mistake once before. That''s why, to cool my body I hug Rickle like this."


    After responding so, we decided to end the break and started to relay to each other what we felt during joint hammering.


    "Yun-kun, how was the first joint hammering? Was it hard?"


    ¡°Well, it was. I''m worried that I''ll hold you back."


    ¡°The results you put out were enough, Yun-kun. Also, it''s a great help that you''re adjusting your position for me to strike the metal easier. Any tips on how to do that?"


    She asked me for tips, but there was nothing I could come up with. If anything...


    ¡°I guess I''m used to it."


    ¡°Used to? This is the first time you''re doing joint hammering, right?"


    "Yes, but I''m accustomed to matching the movements of others. Well, I guess that''s because I don''t have the skill to do stuff alone."


    With a bitter smile, I spoke of my memories from childhood.


    I often played with gamers, Taku, Myu and Sei-nee, but it didn''t mean I was good at gaming.


    But, I did remember how to manoeuvre in the confusion and match my movements to support my partners in team games.


    And somehow, we have become able to win one game in a ten thanks to that.


    This time I did the same, I matched my movements to Magi-san''s movements who used motion assist and supported her however I could.


    ¡°So, in that kind of way I''m used to it, I guess?"


    When I finished talking, Magi-san put a hand on her forehead and let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Substantial player skill is required for joint hammering, but to think there was such a reason. Come to think of it, whatever party it is, as long as they match their movements they become a force to be reckoned with, don''t they."


    ¡°M-Magi-san? Are you okay?"


    I fearfully called out to her as she continued to mutter to herself.


    ¡°If you''re tired then how about we end it for today?"


    ¡°Ah, I''m fine I''m fine. I just had a glimpse of the lack of your self awareness on your high skills, Yun-kun."


    ¡°? Is that so?"


    I wonder, which part of my skills is high? Even my Sense build is jack-of-all-trades and without specialization, I should have no especially conspicuous ability but...


    ¡°Now! Next, let''s get enough practice with Black Iron and Blurite then assess what''s necessary for crafting Wootz Steel Ingot!"


    ¡°Yes!"


    Once Magi-san''s motivation returned we got down to crafting ingots.


    And, with the help of Magi-san''s furnace I learned the quirks of the metal and making of the Black Iron and Blurite Ingots, then received some guidance on making accessories.


    ¡°That''s right, just like that. To make an uniform ring you need to be especially careful when joining the parts. The gem pedestal can be made separately and joined in so it''s all right."


    ¡°Haa, haa, phew... done!"


    The method taught to me by Magi-san was more efficient than what I learned by myself and I was able to create rings made of Black Iron and Blurite.


    The Black Iron ring was made simple. The Blurite ring used silver for the pedestal and edge, and made for being decorated with an aquamarine gem, it was consciously designed for a woman.


    ¡°Looks good."


    ¡°Thank you very much."


    Black Guard Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (Weight: 1)


    DEF+12 Additonal Effect: DEF Bonus


    Blue and Silver Mystic Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (Weight: 1)


    DEF+7 INT+3 Mind+12 Additional Effect: INT Bonus, Water Element Improvement (small)


    I checked the stats of the two rings and said thanks to Magi-san. They had quite good effects. The Black Iron ring had purely defence bonus and the other one, in addition to magic bonus had an additional effect which was inherent to Blurite Ore.


    Holding these in my hand, I started looking through my inventory for suitable strengthening material.


    ¡°¡¾Black Guard Ring¡¿ has physical specialization. And, the ¡¾Blue and Silver Mystic Ring¡¿ has magic specialization. Then, might as well enchant them so."


    ¡°Hey, hey. Yun-kun, are you going to give these accessories to someone as a gift?"


    ¡°? I didn''t have any such plans in particular..."


    In front of the furnace, Magi-san had wiped off her sweat, but the flowing sweat and the clothing clinging to her skin was sensational, so I quietly averted my line of sight.


    ¡°Ehh, you''re lying. I mean, you don''t intend on equipping those accessories yourself do you, Yun-kun."


    ¡°W-why do you think so?"


    ¡°Well, you averted your eyes when I spoke about it..."


    It''s a misunderstanding! I thought of shouting that, but I was presented another reason.


    ¡°Those accessories don''t have unified design you see. Were it something you yourself would use, would have an unified design and decorations with yours, right."


    I see, even if someone aligns expensive equipment together, if there''s no unity it''ll feel incongruous. She had a point, that would make me look like an upstart.


    ¡°So, it''s for a gift? I thought. Just like back then with me."


    While saying so, Magi-san raised the ring made from three overlapping circles she had on her finger, the ¡¾Trion Ring¡¿.


    With a small, bitter smile I thought of gifting it and replied.


    ¡°Were I to give it to someone, it would be to Sei-nee and Myu. They''re my precious family after all."


    ¡°Eeh, isn''t there anyone else? Like, girls from Myu-chan''s party. Also, girls like Luka-chan or Tobi-chan would exchange presents to each other, right?"


    In fact, giving them as gifts to Sei-nee and Myu, as well as Lucato and the others would be a good idea, but making one for entire party''s worth would be hard, I thought with a wry smile.


    ¡°Then, how about giving it to Taku-kun?"


    ¡°Why did Taku''s name even appear?"


    She grinned seeing my reaction.


    ¡°In Yun-kun''s case, the member of the opposite sex you are most intimate with is your childhood friend, Taku-kun, right. So, I thought the Black Iron ring was for him."


    ¡°You''re wrong. In the first place, I''m..."


    ¡º¡±Excuse me, is Yun here?¡±¡»


    A man. When I was about to say it the same way I always do, I heard Taku''s voice from the direction of ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿''s store."


    That moment, Magi-san made a wonderful smile.


    ¡°Ohh, a customer for Yun-kun. I''ll go to take a look."


    Magi-san stood up and headed towards the door leading to the store. After watching her go, I noticed after a few seconds.


    Until just now she was in front of the furnace and both her skin and clothes were wet with sweat. Going in public in such a state, let alone in front of a man would be bad, I felt.


    ¡°M-Magi-san, wait!"


    I chased after her in a rush, but she had already entered the store.


    What I saw after chasing her, was Magi-san''s flushed appearance slightly covered with sweat and the figure of Taku, his overwhelming gaze was glued straight at her chest.


    ¡°Hey, Taku-kun. Would you like it if you received a present from a girl?"


    ¡°Eh, ha, well, I guess so."


    ¡°Magi-san!"


    She had folded her arms under her breasts and leaning forward she asked Taku in a form of a counter-attack. As expected, this isn''t good! I thought, and forced her to stop.


    ¡°Magi-san! Don''t go in front of people in such strangely erotic state!"


    ¡°Aah, yes yes. Sorry."


    ¡°Seriously, stop that!"


    For Magi-san''s body''s safety! I shouted in my mind as I pushed her back to the workshop.


    Then, when I turned my gaze towards Taku, he had heaved a regretful sigh.


    And, he turned his gaze towards me.


    ¡°W-what is it."


    ¡°No, I''m just thinking that you''re covered in sweat too, Yun."


    ¡°?!! D-don''t look!"


    I hugged my own body as to block his line of sight.


    ¡°What is it? I just got curious as to what you''re doing there in the back."


    ¡°We''re just making ingots at smith''s furnace!"


    By the time I answered so, sweat disappeared and my equipped clothes dried naturally returning to its original state. Magi-san who also returned from the workshop seemed to have groomed herself and her sweat too, disappeared.


    ¡°Sorry. I wanted to see Yun-kun''s reaction and ended up teasing you a bit, Taku-kun."


    ¡°Suddenly being greeted in such appearance gave me a serious shock."


    ¡°Really, stop with that. I nearly got a heart attack."


    I turned limp inside, but Magi-san seemed satisfied seeing our reactions and smiled brighly.


    ¡°Well then, let''s listen to what Taku-kun has to say."


    She said so, and once again asked Taku for the reason he had visited ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿.


    ¡ñ


    ¡°So, what did you come here for, Taku."


    ¡°No, I went to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ searching for Yun and told ''went to ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿'', I came to ask about the situation with Wootz Steel while at it."


    ¡°If that''s the case, we plan to work on it after we get used to joint hammering with Yun-kun. However, I probably won''t be able to make a sword immediately."


    Knowing that, Taku was satisfied and didn''t pursue the matter any further.


    ¡°Taku, why where you looking for me? Did something happen?"


    ¡°The timing of the next roar in the highlands has been found out."


    ¡°Seriously? Heck, only a few days have passed since then!"


    Learning the rules behind these kinds of things usually takes over a week, they are working way too fast.


    ¡°The prediction is, that it''s going to happen five days from now on, from three o''clock in the afternoon to six o''clock in the evening."


    ¡°Why do you even know that?"


    ¡°Verification mania players found out that flowers in the highlands peripheries change colour every day. We confirmed that the flower colour slowly changes in order from blue to yellow, orange and to red."


    Verification maniacs are amazing, I was genuinely impressed by them. To discover something like that based on highlands flowers, I take my hat off to them.


    ¡°So, I came to ask Yun to adjust his time to be there at the time."


    ¡°Well then, to match it we''ll aim for being able to make a Wootz Steel Sword."


    ¡°Understood."


    Taku said what he came to say and although I was about to see him off, I called out to stop him.


    ¡°...Taku. Wait a moment."


    ¡°What is it? Yun."


    ¡°Just stop!"


    I returned to the workshop to take ¡¾Black Guard Ring¡¿ and insert additional effects with the strenghtening materials I had on hand.


    In order to give it highly-versatile effects I used ¡¾Sting Bee Queen''s Wing¡¿ taken from Queen Bunker Bee and ¡¾Fragment of Land Emperor Turtle''s Shell¡¿ taken from the Grand Rock, furthermore by using ¡¶Item Enchant¡· and at expanse of INT stat which Taku didn''t use, I enchanted it with ATK and DEF.


    Black Guard Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (Weight: 1)


    DEF+12 Additonal Effect: DEF Bonus, ATK Enchant, DEF Enchant, INT Cursed, All Bad Statuses Resistance (small), Durability Increase (medium)


    It was a Black Iron ring with five bonus effects and one negative one. Normally it could hold only four additional effects but I balanced it out with cursed.


    I forced it on Taku.


    ¡°Take this for now."


    ¡°This looks like a general-purpose accessory for a swordsman. Well, even if INT decreases it''s not a problem. Though, there are actually bad status resistance-specialized pieces of equipment."


    ¡°If you don''t need it you can give it to someone or whatever. I intend to give one to Myu and Sei-nee too."


    ¡°I didn''t say I don''t need it. In that case, I''ll take it with gratitude."


    This time, Taku left ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿.


    When he had left I looked towards my left where Magi-san was, and saw her grin merrily.


    ¡°W-what is it?"


    ¡°No, I just thought that in the end, you passed it to Taku-kun."


    It was a fact that I passed it to him, but when making it I had no other intention other than leveling up my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense.


    But, I felt like denying too strongly here would mean something else to her. Good grief, I heaved a sigh, which had already become my habit.


    Once Magi-san''s rampant grinning had subsided, I turned towards her again.


    ¡°Now, that''s enough for a break, next let''s get to the main objective, Wootz Steel. First we''ll make layers by bending the metal, creating distinctive patterns."


    ¡°Okay, I''ll do my best."


    Although there was a small uproar, we have crafted a variety of things as preparation for crafting Wootz Steel Ingot.


    ¡°The steps for making it is applying crushed ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿''s powder on the Steel Ingot and fusing it in the heated furnace. Then, its stretched out by hammering, then once again coated, and a repeat of fusing."


    Stretch it out as if making candies in order to make enough layers for Wootz Steel.


    ¡°Well then, let''s begin!"


    Along with Magi-san''s instruction the hammer was swung down for the first time and thus, we began crafting a Wootz Ingot.


    Hit by the large hammer several times, the Steel Ingot had expanded on the furnace, turning into a steel plate nearly three times as large.


    When it had turned red in the heated furnace it was taken out and ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ was applied evenly on its surface. It was returned back to the furnace and when it was confirmed it had melted, Magi-san and I quickly fused coal in with our hammer and large hammer. Then, we bent the softened steel plate on the anvil.


    And, we struck the bent metal surface evenly with our hammers to fix it back to the shape of an ingot before stretching it out to a steel plate again.


    Stretching the steel plate thin we applied ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ evenly and fused it in, then folded it to create a distinctive pattern on the Wootz Steel, and when we repeated folding five times¡ª¡ª


    ¡°!! Yun-kun, abort! We''re aborting!"


    Saying so, Magi-san stopped swinging her hammer and grasped my hand to drag me away from in front of the furnace.


    ¡°Yun-kun, look at your status!"


    ¡°Eh? ...hey, I''m dying?!"


    I focused on work too much and forgot about the accumulating damage caused by furnace''s heat. At that rate I would probably die in the middle of it.


    ¡°Here, Yun-kun. Let''s wipe off the sweat and think of counter-measures. I think it would be dangerous for me too if I remained like that."


    I wiped off the uncomfortable sweat with the towel Magi-san passed me and looked at the mid-crafting Wootz Steel Ingot. Since it was bend and not yet rejoined, the metal had cooled down and became just a piece of steel, causing it to be treated as a failed product and disappear.


    ¡°I''m sorry. Valuable Wootz Steel materials disappeared because of me."


    ¡°It couldn''t be helped. In fact, if Yun-kun died the crafting would have failed anyways. But in that case, we need to get some fire element resistance. Since I''m using accessories which increase my statistics for crafting, I don''t have any open slots I can use."


    ¡°In that case, I have something good."


    I took out a single container and opened the lid. Inside, there was pale red cream.


    "This is a cream temporarily increasing resistance to corresponding element¡ª¡ª¡¾Element Cream¡¿. Its effect lasts for about two hours."


    We have discovered that it lasts longer than ¡¶Element Enchant¡· when we tried it together with Taku.


    ¡°Oohh?! That''s handy! And it has a sweet scent, too."


    ¡°I mixed a little bit of honey in it."


    ¡°Onee-san is impressed by this very feminine thing you''ve made."


    Saying so, Magi-san took the cream in her palm and with accustomed movements she covered her face and neck, as well as other exposed parts like arms.


    I too covered my body thinly with cream and when I stood in front of the furnace, the decrease of my HP was reduced.


    ¡°Still as hot as ever, but it seems like we can work for a long time now."


    ¡°You''re right. This time, we''ll make the real thing! Let''s do our best!"


    Once again she took out the materials and we started making Wootz Steel Ingot.


    The steel was stretched into a plate and after applying ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ the plate was bent and coal was fused in.


    We then repeated it making two layers from one, then four from two, eight from four, sixteen layers from eight layers, quickly increasing the number of layers of steel. The more layers there were the hardness and strength of the metal had increased making it difficult to process. We stretched it and bent using the weight of the heavy Black Iron Hammer.


    And finally, we have completed it.


    ¡°Done! Sixty-four-layered Wootz Ingot!"


    ¡°Woahh, it has a beautiful wood-grain pattern."


    The Wootz Steel Ingot made from a Steel Ingot had great toughness and durability after being folded many times.


    ¡°Thank you! It was thanks to Yun-kun that we made it!"


    ¡°T-that''s not true... I was only helping out."


    Magi-san held my hands and shook them strongly to convey her gratitude, but I got embarrassed having told so from the front.


    As she moved closer to me, her chest and the scent of the ¡¾Element Cream¡¿''s she had used, as well as the lustre of her skin wet with sweat were all bad for my heart.


    ¡°Yun-kun, you''re always so humble."


    ¡°Now! From here on is where Magi the smith shows her skill. I''ll be making a sword out of this Wootz Steel Ingot."


    ¡°Magi-san, I''ll help you until the end."


    ¡°But, for Yun-kun to help means..."


    ¡°I''ll manage the furnace''s heat and use ATK enchant for support. Also, in case fire resistance drops off in the middle, won''t it be necessary to use a fire element enchant?"


    I want you to make a sword in your best state. Magi-san had perceived my feelings and nodded strongly.


    ¡°Well then, please do. Pour your MP into the furnace and maintain the current temperature."


    ¡°Understood. And, ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    I cast a physical attack enchant on Magi-san and standing in front of the Magical Furnace, I held my hand out to it.


    Pouring my own MP, I fuelled it to maintain the heat.


    Moreover, do your best furnace''s Fire Fairy, I said and passed a light candy I took out from the inventory to the fairy as well as inserted the Treant Wood Charcoal that was piled up beside the furnace.


    ¡°Preparations complete!


    ¡°Smith Magi, going in."


    Then, Magi-san sat down in front of the furnace and after heating Wootz Steel Ingot in it, she swung down her hammer.


    The Wootz Steel Ingot made by bending the metal was softened by heating it up and reshaped, making its form closer to that of a long sword.


    I cast physical attack enchant on Magi-san to assist her in working smoothly. Also, I also repeatedly cast ¡¶Element Enchant¡· to compensate because ¡¾Element Cream¡¿''s effect had expired long ago as I watched the sword being completed.


    And, the last swing had come down, the long sword forged from Wootz Steel has been cooled down with ¡¾Water of Life¡¿.


    ¡°Did it succeed?"


    ¡°For now, yeah, I guess? What''s left to do are small details like making a handle and sheath."


    Saying so she raised the long sword''s blade from the water and the rippling, beautiful wood grain pattern had appeared.


    Steel''s silvery-white and embedded ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿''s black made the blade very durable.


    Damascus Sword ¡¾Weapon¡¿


    ATK+75 DEF+37 Additional Effect: ATK Bonus


    Since it was newly-made weapon, there were few additional effects, but depending on the customer''s preferences their number will increase.


    ¡°Finally complete, huh."


    ¡°Yun-kun, cheers for good work. I''ll contact Taku-kun through friend call and consult on the additional effects, but before that, I have something to pass onto Yun-kun."


    She said so and took out two wooden boxes from the shelf at the back.


    Once she quietly opened them one by one, what appeared inside them were weapons.


    One of the weapons Magi-san took out was a thick black and shiny knife made of Black Iron. It was a knife resembling a hatchet or an axe. The other one, was a single-edged beautiful blue katana, different from the clunky Black Iron one. It had a straight blade with a hamon pattern on it, the katana pursuing sharpness was made simple, without a collar.


    ¡°Magi-san, are these weapons?"


    "They''re your reward, Yun-kun. Its the thank you gift for Blurite Ore and joint hammering I mentioned before. Thinking of Yun-kun, I had them classified as kitchen knives."


    "...kitchen... knives?"


    No matter how I looked at it, they were a hatchet and a Japanese sword. The thick Black Iron hatchet had faint traces of similarly to Chinese kitchen knife, but the blade with straight, blue blade looked just like a Japanese sword.


    Since it was a reward for delivering Blurite Ore, I guessed that it was made from Blurite Ore as well.


    "The one made from Black Iron was made simply with emphasis on durability and attack power. On the other hand, it might be difficult to handle because of its heaviness. The other one, was made from Blurite Ore which is a magical metal, so after completing it holds an additional effect, try checking them."


    Meat Cleaver ¨C Heavy Black ¡¾Weapon ¨C Kitchen Knife¡¿


    ATK+65 SPEED -15 Additional Effect: DEX Bonus


    Dismantling Knife ¨C Blue Dancer¡¾Weapon ¨C Kitchen Knife¡¿


    ATK+55 Additional Effect: DEX Bonus, Water Element Bonus (medium)


    The Meat Cleaver seemed like it was heavy and had a dull blade, but looked like the type to break things under its weight. It was so heavy it felt like it''ll swing me instead.


    And, the Dismantling Knife had a medium-level Water Element Bonus so I think its evaluation was quite high. Since the accessories I made out of the Blurite Ingot were low level, it looked like this must have been the difference between crafters, or maybe a water Element Stone was synthesized into the ingot beforehand, I had many guesses on this.


    Both weapons had very high performance, in combination with the knife I already have¡ª¡ª


    ¡ª¡ªA speed-oriented, ordinary short knife.


    ¡ª¡ªA power-oriented heavy Meat Cleaver.


    ¡ª¡ªWith handle that could be held with both one or two hands, the Dismantling Knife with long reach.


    I guess it would be good to use each of the three knives depending on the situation, though its difficult to change weapons quickly in close combat. Oh right, I wonder if I can change weapons through the menu while in ¡¾Sky Eyes''¡¿ extension of experienced time. I started thinking about weapon combination with Senses.


    ¡°Magi-san, can I try swinging it?"


    ¡°Go on. It''s yours after all, Yun-kun."


    Told so, I timidly took the kitchen knife in my hand.


    I held the heavy Meat Cleaver in my hand and swung it slowly. To the right, the left, then again to the right, I swung the knife both vertically and horizontally. Because it was so heavy, my entire body swung in its direction and swayed around, which was its drawback, but since it wasn''t a weapon which required fine control it was good for holding in my left hand which wasn''t my dominant hand.


    Next one I lifted was the Dismantling Knife, it had a lustre similar to that of water reflecting light and could be wielded lightly, like extention of my own hand. However, since I didn''t know how to use a sword in the first place nor had any motion assist, it looked like amateur swordsmanship.


    ¡°Now, isn''t it about time you started your preparations, Yun-kun?"


    ¡°By preparations you mean, for climbing Grand Rock?"


    Now that Magi-san had succeeded in making a Wootz Steel Ingot sample, she would concentrate on raising her level and adjustment of the Wootz Steel Sword together with Taku.


    But, as for what I''m going to do is...


    ¡°I heard a lot of players are going to gather in the highlands area. So, it''s going to increase the demand for¡ª¡ª


    "Consumables. But they can buy those in other places... ahh?!!"


    I recalled, that although it had gradually began to stabilize, there still wasn''t enough of ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿.


    "Won''t it be bad if you dawdle here and don''t return immediately to increase production? You need to consider a sudden rush and increase in demand."


    "T-thank you very much! I''ll head back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ immediately to take appropriate measures!"


    I put away the Meat Clever and Dismantling Knife I received from Magi-san in the inventory and left the ¡¾Open Sesame¡¿.


    Since she had seen me off to the entrance, I thanked her for the experience I gained today and dashed back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    The store I have come back to seemed like usual, but once I confirmed sales with Kyouko-san the NPC, it seemed like they were growing slightly.


    Since then items continued to sell quickly and I replenished them over a short period of time using crafting skills, finally ending up in a predicament where there wasn''t enough materials.


    When I was troubled with what to do, the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s regulars who weren''t going to participate in the highland area conquest have started to come to sell me the lacking materials directly.


    Seeing this connection between players, I felt warm inside.


    In the middle of all that, I prepared myself for Grand Rock climbing as well, until the day itself came.

 Chapter Volume 7 6

    Chapter 6 - The Grand Rock and The Cockatrice King


    I entered the party of Taku''s and the others and waited in the entrance to the highlands area which was nearby the Grand Rock. In there, there already were several dozens of players on standby who have come through the cliff in the north and were now chatting with each other.


    When I saw that from time to time Taku''s acquaintances approached and after exchanging two, three words they went away, I felt that he was very well known.


    And, there was also a certain person who has approached me.


    "Onee-chan! Let''s do our best! We''ll be aim for defeating as much mobs as possible on the ground and getting drop items!"


    Saying so, Myu showed her thin arm''s biceps enthusiastically.


    "I''m fine with anything as long as I survive."


    "Grr, your aspirations are too low! If anything, make defeating that huge mountain-like mob your goal!"


    "That''s way too reckless..."


    I was shaken strongly by Myu as she continued to say things like "let''s do our best" and "get some motivation". Meanwhile I looked over Myu''s shoulder and nodded towards her party members. Just, only Rirei''s gaze made me feel unexplainable danger.


    Other than that, there were the elites from Sei-nee''s and Mikadzuchi''s guild, ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿.


    "Ahh! Sei-oneechan came too!"


    Myu immediately changed the target of her clinging from me to Sei-nee. As a result, Rirei''s passionate gaze also shifted there.


    "Oh, Sei-nee with the others came too."


    Sei''s line is in text. Myu''s line:


    "Onee-chan! Sei-oneechan, do your best too! Let''s take down mobs on the ground!"


    "At short notice. We were told to get ¡¾Climbing¡¿ Sense to participate."


    It was toughh. While Sei-nee said so nonchalantly, Mikadzuchi pierced the ground strongly with the rod she had on her shoulder and watching the highlands area with interest, she spoke to me.


    "Any advice from the person who discovered this area first?"


    "No way, I''d like some myself."


    Good grief, I responded while sighing. It''s not like I know all the mobs. You should ask this to players who verified it in advance. I said and, you''re right, Mikadzuchi responded and smiled.


    "Well, let''s leave greetings at this, let''s do our best both of us, Missy."


    "I said, don''t call me ''missy''."


    We exchanged light greetings before separating.


    At the same time Taku also finished saying his greetings and called out to me.


    "Now, Yun. Done with your preparations?"


    "I''m fine. What about you?"


    "They''re perfect. I got a new sword, too."


    Saying so he showed the long sword with beautiful wood-grain pattern. For this time''s highlands area''s conquering there were several groups. Among them were players who aimed to climb onto the Grand Rock, a group hoping to mine ¡¾Layered Coal¡¿ and a group aiming to subjugate the Cockatrice boss on top.


    Also, other than the Grand Rock there were Iron Cows, Warlock Goats and Lightning Horse whose strength was unknown.


    "What are we aiming for? Let''s make our goal beating all kinds!"


    "First, how about starting with Warlock Goat?"


    "Then we, ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ will aim for the Iron Cow."


    "You''re right. Let''s stick to the schedule."


    Nervous, players spoke with each other about how they scatter and what enemies they are going to defeat enemy to relax themselves.


    Then, once the colour of the flowers on the peripheries of the highlands area has changed from orange to red¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"VVUUOOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª"¡»


    A growl like a siren had sounded and the Grand Rock carrying a mountain roared in the highlands.


    The atmosphere which had started loosening disappeared and everyone braced themselves at once, players have started running through the highlands one after another.


    The battle in order to progress even a little more in combat against boss mobs before the normal mobs with Anger bad status gather from the peripheries of the highlands, had started.


    "Amazing. This is¡ª¡ª"


    "Yun! We''re charging towards the Grand Rock through the closest possible route!"


    While I stood there overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Taku''s voice pulled back my consciousness, then at the same time as I put speed enchant on all members, we started running.


    As we rushed through the highlands, a group of mobs nearby had hindered our movement.


    "Geh... a herd of cows, huh."


    Many players who caught themselves up with Steel Cows, were blown away and crushed.


    Was the herd of cows to proceed straight forward, we would come in contact with them soon.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ elite! Forward!"


    A powerful female voice had resounded strongly in the highlands. With her wine-red hair swayed by the wind, there was Mikadzuchi. Standing behind her and raising her wand was Sei-nee with her conspicuous light blue hair.


    And, poising their weapons as to prevent the Steel Cows from moving on, were elite players of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ in a horizontal row formation.


    "This is nothing compared to Garm Phantom''s charge! Mobile troops, attack from the left and right to strand them, then return!"


    "We, the mage troop are preparing our magic! Activate it at the same time the mobile troop moves away!"


    Mikadzuchi raised her voice loudly as she spearheaded the assault and Sei-nee, who gave out instructions from behind to support Mikadzuchi. And so, ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ elite players have suppressed the herd of Steel Cows.


    "Sei-nee..."


    "I''m participating with ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿, but you give your all too, Yun-chan."


    "Yeah, I''m off!"


    As Sei-nee waved her hand lightly with a soft smile I turned my back to her and started running. The simultaneous attack of the mages had illuminated the highlands brightly.


    Slipping by the battle of mobs and other players, we headed towards the Grand Rock''s back.


    From time to time mobs have slipped by the players and assaulted us, but Taku and Gantz have instantly dealt with them and we proceeded.


    Also, whenever Mage Goats have used magic from the distance, Minute and Mami-san blocked it with defensive magic, whenever Cockatrices attacked from the sky I shoot them down one after another on the move with my arrows.


    Kei, as the rearguard had bashed the mobs coming from behind with his shield to strand them in one place before dashing away.


    "As I thought, having six in the party rather than just five makes it easier, less burden for each member! Also, Yun-chan is cute!"


    "You''re right! Having what we lacked join in makes the party move well! And, Yun-chan is so cute, too!"


    Even among all this confusion Gantz and Minute joked around. Certainly, the cooperation in the party wasn''t bad, but in the first place, I didn''t team up with Taku''s party too often.


    "Don''t talk too much. Grand Rock''s right in front of us. Let''s prepare to get on it."


    Seeing that, Kei cautioned them. While trying to appease him, Mami-san had protected us from the Mage Goats'' magic precisely with a barrier of wind.


    "Now, let''s get on it!"


    As we approached the Grand Rock who caused the earth to rumble, any signs of mobs around us have disappeared and they only looked at us angrily from afar.


    In the middle of multiple players who had a hard time trying to get on top of Grand Rock, Taku and Gantz have jumped ahead.


    In order to receive us, after ensuring a route we can climb together the six of us, they sent us a signal.


    Following them, were the healer Minute and mage Mami-san who extended their arms in order to be pulled up.


    "C''mon! Grab my hand!"


    "Y-yes!"


    "I know. But, its quite difficult to get the timing right."


    Mami-san panted heavily and desperately caught her breath as she ran by the Grand Rock, but was quite unable to find a good timing to jump on. Meanwhile, Minute had kicked off the ground strongly to jump and was pulled in by Taku''s and Gantz''s hands.


    Unable to grasp the timing, I need to go next, Mami-san muttered shaking her head back and forth.


    Seeing her movements, skipping as she ran like an elementary schooler and being unable to grasp the timing, do your best, I cheered on her in my mind.


    But, my cheer and expectations were betrayed in an unexpected way.


    "Mami, don''t force yourself. Excuse me."


    "Ehh? Kei! Let me down!"


    From behind her, Kei had scooped Mami-san up down from her feet upwards.


    Despite wearing heavy equipment, he continued to run while holding a petite girl in addition to that.


    "Kei! Let me down! It''s embarrassing!"


    "You''ll bite your tongue. Also, hold my neck with your arms so that you don''t fall."


    "Eh, kyah!!"


    The normally taciturn, large man holding a girl in glasses in princess carry with only one hand and increased the speed at which he ran.


    He ignored Mami-san''s embarrassed and surprised, cute scream and leaped all at once using his warrior''s stats.


    The two were able to jump on the Grand Rock, albeit a little closer than Taku and Gantz did.


    "You''re last, Yun!"


    "Y-yeah..."


    Kei''s surprisingly aggressive, I thought and kicked off the rock on top of the Grand Rock and grasped Taku''s hands to be pulled up.


    At the same time, the Grand Rock moved its huge leg, making the entire mountain shake.


    "Woops... you okay?"


    "...I''m fine. Rather, how is Kei and Mami-san?"


    Retaining the momentum from being pulled, my head resulted with my head pressing onto Taku''s chest, I didn''t feel anything special, but two who went up ahead of us were bothered by it.


    One stage below us, Kei helped Mami-san climb up by lifting her, she was also pulled by Minute from above. Afterwards, Kei too climbed and everyone had rejoined together again.


    "Kei, what embarrassedly-happy things you''re doing! Explode already!"


    "No, um. ...sorry."


    "Eh, uhm... I didn''t dislike it, really. I was just surprised... um, thank you."


    As Mami-san responded muttering quietly, Kei embarrassedly scratched the back of his head.


    After seeing that, glaring at Kei, Gantz jabbed at him lightly. Seeing his appearance like envy incarnate, the party members smiled bitterly.


    "Taku, what are you laughing at! You hugged Yun-chan when pulling her up! You''re a criminal as well!"


    "HAa? But Yun is... uh, hey..."


    Taku looked at me with a complex expression. I somehow understood what he wanted to say. In game my character model is female, but I''m a man in real. That''s why, we don''t feel anything special even if we''re close like that but...


    "C''mon what! Exuding a atmosphere as if you''re relaying something between yourselves! You have three beautiful sisters as childhood friends, because Yun-chan was too close she turned into a normal existence to you?! Damn, enjoying youth, damn you¡ª¡ª"Gantz, shut up."¡ª¡ª?!!"


    When I tried to correct the facts, Minute smacked the back of Gantz''s head with the mace to shut him up.


    I lost the opportunity to correct them again, I heaved a sigh thinking so, that''s when a dazzling flash had appeared on top of the hill and a roar had shook the air.


    "W-what was that?!"


    "That''s not a normal boss battle! Yun, look it up!"


    Once the flash subsided I looked towards the field and confirmed the cause of the occurrence.


    Bright flashes ran through the highland Myu and Sei-nee were fighting in flashes, after the third explosion I found the existence that caused them.


    "The guys who picked a fight with Lightning Horse have disappeared in an instant."


    Literal lightning had ran through, wiping off entire groups of players at once. Even if someone luckily survived, before they even realized the Lightning Horse circled around them and struck them with lightning directly from behind.


    "...seriously?"


    "He''s stronger than Iron Cow and Warlock Goat. Heck, the flickering hurts my eyes."


    The ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ had far-sightedness performance, but intense light blinds me in exchange. This time, both the flash and roar happened in the distance so I managed to confirm it by controlling the amount of light passing by holding out my hand to block it.


    Taku looked my way, seeming to want to know more about the situation, but there was something that interfered.


    "Taku, Cockatrices are coming from the upper left!"


    White bodies could be seen well under the bright sky. Kei was the first one to notice them and warned everyone.


    "I''d like to observe Lightning Horse''s movement a little longer but... Yun, we''ll give up for now!"


    "Got it! I''ll go first then!"


    I immediately looked away from Lightning Horse and aimed my arrow towards the Cockatrices.


    As the number of Cockatrices further increased, Kei activated a skill.


    "I''m here! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Hate Action¡·!"


    Purple ripples have spread from his body and wrapped around Cockatrices'' bodies.


    Cockatrices who entered berserk state because of Grand Rock have all targeted Kei.


    "Minute. We''re intercepting them."


    "My preparations are done!"


    Minute and Mami-san fired their magic at the Cockatrices assaulting Kei.


    While hindering Cockatrices'' attack with a barrier of wind, Mami-san shot them down one after another.


    Then, once Cockatrices passed through the barrier Minute shot them with rays of converged light, the ones who have slipped through that were brought down by Taku''s, Gantz''s and Kei''s attacks.


    I aimed from a distance at the Cockatrices who were unaffected by Kei''s skill, shooting them down with my arrows.


    "We got distracted by the Lightning Horse, but the battle has already started all over the place."


    When we looked up at the rocky back of the Grand Rock, like white grains, Cockatrices took off from it one after another and assaulted the players rising up on the mountain road.


    "Now then, others have started climbing up. We need to catch up to them."


    Everyone nodded in response to Taku''s words and we started walking.


    Our aim, was the Grand Rock''s summit. I glared up at the unexplored location.


    ¡ñ


    We quickly climbed up the Grand Rock''s back while repelling the attacking Cockatrices one after another.


    Since it was difficult to fight in this irregular enviornment, Mami-san, Minute and I remained in the rear, and in the vanguard Taku, Kei and Gantz stood in the vanguard prepared for attacks. We progressed in two rows.


    Divided into two groups, each of the vanguard protected one of the members from the rear.


    "Taku, Cockatrices are approaching from lower left! There''s four of them!"


    Locating Cockatrices with the combination of ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾See-Through¡¿, I shot an arrow pre-emptively, but even though I took one down, there were three remaining.


    "Kei, take care of it!"


    "Leave it to me! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Hate Action¡·!"


    Kei invoked the skill to spread the purple ripples and by doing so, he increased the approaching Cockatrices'' hate value towards him.


    The taunt-type skill ¡¶Hate Action¡· was a skill that increased the hate value towards the player in the surrounding hostile enemies. In what way is it different from the same shield-type skill ¡¶Calling Shield¡·? It seemed like like there was a difference in usage or the effectiveness.


    Leaving the hate management to Minute and I, Taku and Gantz, as well as Mami-san had defeated Cockatrices one after another.


    "Yun, nice scouting!"


    "I''m hardly doing anything. Kei''s doing the most work. Rather, everyone okay?"


    After confirming the berserk Cockatrices attacks have subsided, it looked like they were a little tired of combat in irregular enviornment.


    The geographical disadvantage didn''t allow us to take initiative in combat.


    Because of the damage and the unfamiliar footing, our advance was slow.


    "Taku, what do we do? Should we take a break soon?"


    "You''re right. It seems like we climbed up half-way already and we have no idea if the road continues further. We''ll rest a little once we find enough space."


    Taku had accepted my proposal and we quickly found a place to take a fifteen minutes break in.


    Normally in the party I would mine some ore, but since we didn''t know when will Cockatrices attack, I didn''t want to take such risky actions. I reluctantly sat down to take a rest and took out the fruits I previously gathered in the forest.


    As Minute and Mami-san unconsciously stared at those fruits, Taku and I looked at each other.


    ¡º"Yun. Sorry, but could you share some? I think it would increase their motivation."¡»


    ¡º"I wouldn''t monopolize fruits in a place like this. I didn''t intend leaving them only for myself."¡»


    After Taku connected with me using friend call, wary of the surroundings, I held out ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ and ¡¾Mountain Apples¡¿ to the two.


    "Sweet things are best for tiredness, is what they say. Also, it''s best to recover satiety whenever it''s possible."


    Receiving it, Minute and Mami-san first tried ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ and made pleased expressions, then wrapped their both hands around ¡¾Mountain Apples¡¿ and started eating with their small mouths.


    I passed sandwiches to Gantz and Kei so that they can eat while maintaining caution, then poured some tea for Taku from a bottle into a cup.


    "You sure are attentive, Yun."


    "Actually, I did prepare as much as I could beforehand."


    Potions and Revival Medicine, Bad Status antidotes, food, I had various items in the inventory with me.


    "As expected of a self-proclaimed support character."


    Smiling, Taku drank the black tea all at once. After putting away the cup he returned to me I also put some ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ in my mouth, regaining vigour thanks to the sweetness.


    And, once the fifteen-minute rest finished, we started climbing again aiming for the top.


    On the way, we found players who chose to climb using the shortest route rather than use the mountain route and were now struggling. We also warned those below us about the Cockatrice attacks as we climbed up at our own pace.


    We steadily proceeded forward, careful not to drop off because of the intermittent shaking caused by the Grand Rock''s movements.


    We took a repeated breaks and in addition to ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ and ¡¾Mountain Apples¡¿ I also took out ¡¾Tou Fruit¡¿ and passed them to others. Although ¡¾Shiyu Fruit¡¿ wasn''t that delicious without processing, ¡¾Tou Fruit¡¿ was like a sweet and soft apricot, everyone ate as many of them as there were.


    "Ahaha... I need to collect some again."


    I muttered so during the break, and soon afterwards we have climbed two thirds of the Grand Rock.


    We could see Cockatrice nests here and there on the rocks, but since it seemed as if there was something like an invisible wall between the middle and the upper part, Cockatrices have returned in the middle of it.


    "Which means that up there, there''s the Cockatrice boss mob, right. Everyone, focus as we move on. Kei and Gantz, protect your partners well!"


    Gantz winked to Minute and Kei held out his shield as to hide Mami-san behind it.


    I also moved near Taku''s back and looked up towards the top, but was unable to confirm Cockatrice boss'' appearance.


    As we proceeded carefully, we heard the sounds of fierce combat of players who were ahead of us which echoed from the mountain road one level above us.


    "Seems like someone''s fighting above."


    "Which means, the Cockatrice boss mob can be up there¡ª¡ª?!"


    When I looked up, I saw something lose its footing and be knocked off.


    " "Everyone, stick close to the rocks!" "


    We did so, and a player had fallen down pulled by gravity, passing beside us.


    Taku and I raised our voices at the same time, then everyone clung to the mountainside.


    "¡ª¡ªAaaaAAaaAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª"


    The player did not possess the ability to fly and did not have any skill allowing him to stop the fall, as a result they momentarily fell downwards.


    My eyes met with that of an unknown player for just a moment. They had a stiff expression caused by fear as they fell.


    The moment Taku stopped pressing against my back, I reflexively took a step towards the cliff.


    "Yun. Don''t go there!"


    I slipped by Taku''s hands as he tried to stop me and using ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I peeked from below the cliff.


    When I did that, a white mass had grazed right in front of me. I looked at it from behind its back.


    "Yun. Come back!"


    "Y-yeah..."


    While I focused on the expression of the falling player, it seemed like Taku paid attention to other details. That is, the thing that chased the player.


    Since I relied on my Senses for scouting I was late to notice it.


    And ahead of where I looked up¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"KUkueeeeee¡ª¡ª"¡»


    The presence on the cliff had emitted a high-pitched voice. Ripping through the wind at high speed, it held something big in its legs and was hovering.


    It was a huge but slim chicken with a white body. It had a distinctive yellow crest and a serpent''s tail. The boss mob spitting out flames from its mouth¡ª¡ªthe Cockatrice King had appeared.


    I looked at the boss mob''s leg and saw it had seized the body of the player who was falling just earlier.


    The player was already limp from the fear of falling and didn''t show any reactions. The Cockatrice King put in a lot of strength into the leg he held the player in, causing the player in front of us turn into particles of light and disappear.


    Seeing this shocking scene right in front of me, I was unable to react immediately.


    "A-aah..."


    As a hoarse voice spilled out from my mouth, the Cockatrice King flapped his wings and caused a whirlwind which assaulted us.


    The attack which didn''t aim anywhere in particular had turned into a gust of wind and struck my back behind the cliff.


    "Ah..."


    It was an attack I would withstand if I clung to the rocks. However, because I stood up I was thrown into the air.


    Without footing and not holding onto the lifeline, I flailed my arms in mid-air.


    In the experienced time stretched by ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ the scenery felt like I was falling slowly in zero gravity, and in middle of it I could see Taku run my way.


    What an idiot, he should just give up on me. While I thought so and Taku grasped my hand, the experienced time had returned to normal.


    "Hh-hkyaahhh¡ª¡ª"


    In the middle of the two of us being thrown into the air a scream had come out from my mouth, and at the same time Taku had pulled me to himself with one hand and pierced his sword into the rocky surface in front of us with the other.


    Our fall decelerated along with a crunchy, unpleasant sound, but the sword was unable to withstand it and broke.


    However, for that moment my scream ceased and it was long enough for me to think.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·!"


    The Magic Gem I threw below had created a horizontal earthen wall which extended from the rock where the gem triggered. Then, I used earth element magic''s ¡¶Mud Pool¡· so that it works as shock-absorbent material into which the two of us fell.


    An impact passed through my body. Although it seemed like my consciousness was slipping away, the mud on the earthen wall suppressed the impact and we fell on the mountain road one level below.


    "............"


    "...Taku, you alive?"


    "There is no answer, it''s just a corpse."


    "If you can say jokes, you''re all right."


    The emergency use of the ¡¾Clay Shield¡¿''s footing and ¡¶Mud Pool¡· for absorbing the impact, the item and magic were able to suppress the damage, but we lost more than half of our HP. Especially Taku''s HP had decreased to near-death state of 10% HP left.


    "C''mon Taku. I''ll heal you with a High Potion, but can you move immediately?"


    "Yeah, status-wise there''s no problem. A blessing in disguise, it seems like I didn''t receive any bad status."


    "Bad status?"


    "We were lucky we didn''t receive a ¡¾Stun¡¿ status from the fall damage. Were we unable to move, we might have been taken out by Cockatrices right now."


    There was the temporary bad status resistance from the fruits we''ve eaten just earlier. Also, the ¡¾Black Guard''s Ring¡¿ I passed to Taku might have had its effect as well.


    "Geh, we fell to the middle of the mountain."


    "Seems like it."


    "Geez, Taku, you''re too reckless. You''re the party leader, you should have abandoned me."


    "HAa?"


    Taku furrowed his eyebrows in response to my mutter, but not noticing that I continued to speak.


    "I''ll retire here. If you use enchants and strengthening items, you''ll be able to break through the herd of Cockatrices and re-join Gantz and others."


    "Wait a second. Why would I leave you here."


    "I would be a burden to you. Also, I can pass some time by mining ore¡ª¡ª"


    "Yun!"


    Unable to hide his dispersement Taku grasped my shoulders.


    "I called you because you''re needed, Yun. You''re needed¡ª¡ªso I don''t want you to retire here."


    You should leave that kind of passionate persuasion for girls. I thought, appalled.


    "Good grief, I''m being pulled around by you again. Try having some consideration for me, trying to keep up with gamers."


    "Which means..."


    "I''ll go along with it until the end."


    I sighed in response to Taku''s persuasion. That said, since we fell near the middle we hadn''t enough time to climb up normally.


    "From here on, it''s hard work. Let''s go, Yun."


    "It''s all right. Let''s use ¡¶Clay Shield¡· to make footing and climb up at the shortest possible course!"


    In order to advance faster than normally using the spiral mountain road, I created footing artificially.


    "Let''s go! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Zone Clay Shield¡·!"


    I created ten side-alternating earthen walls extending from the rock.


    We equipped ourselves for climbing and using a lifeline, we climbed up the earthen walls.


    "Taku, Cockatrices are coming!"


    "Let''s charge through!"


    I shortened the distance by creating earthen walls several times and Taku had preceded me to cut down the Cockatrices who appeared by the border between the upper and middle part of the mountain.


    Since Taku cut down many Cockatrices he gathered their hostility on himself and all of them have headed to attack him.


    "Outta way! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Zone Bomb¡·!"


    Although I couldn''t use my hands when climbing, I could use magic. I blew away four Cockatrices I caught within my line of sight with simultaneous explosions.


    By repeating that, we forcibly broke through and arrived in the upper layers.


    ¡ñ


    Once we arrived in the upper layers, we saw magic and skills flicker everywhere, shining with bright colours.


    "Taku! Where''s Gantz and others?"


    "No clue. But there''s several Cockatrice Kings here."


    Judging by the positions from which light was emitted, Cockatrice Kings must have been waiting at the end of each mountain route. Now that we had no idea on which path is Gantz and the others, if we climb poorly we''ll get caught up in another party''s combat.


    "For now, let''s climb up and check them up¡ª¡ª?!!"


    A shadow had appeared at the cliff in response to which Taku and I clung closely to the rocky mountain, assuming its a Cockatrice King.


    And, that shadow had called out to us with a voice of an acquaintance.


    "Phew, I didn''t think you two would be falling down, but it was even more unexpected that you would recover by forcibly breaking through the shortest route."


    "Thanks to that enemy numbers have become scarce and we were able to pass as well so it''s all right, isn''t it? Miss ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿."


    "Emily-san! And Magi-san too!"


    What the two were riding on, was a mob that looked like a centipede with multiple transparent wings. It must have been a result of using ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Sense to combine a centipede with several insect mobs, it was a centipede mob with a wide body capable of flying in the sky as if undulating.


    The two landed with their flying centipede beside us.


    "Why are you two here?"


    "I was invited here by Emily-chan. I want as much material for Wootz Steel as possible, you know."


    "And I''m doing my work as ¡¾Material Merchant¡¿. Experimenting with flight-type synthetic mob and acquiring materials."


    But well, we noticed you two falling in the middle of it, she added.


    "Well then, Emily-chan. Recover me later, kai."


    "Got it. I''ll go up for now then. C''mon you two, get on."


    " "......? What do you mean?" "


    Seeing Emily-san encourage us to ride on the back of the flying centipede, both Taku and I tilted our heads in puzzlement.


    "You''re rejoining your party, right? It''ll be faster to look for them from above with this."


    "Thanks, that''s a great help."


    Taku jumped on the back of the flying centipede without hesitation. I also fearfully rode behind him and I entered my fingers in the gaps of the shell to hold on.


    "I will only deliver you. Also, I''ll have Taku-kun pay for it later."


    "Why am I the only one paying! Well, as long as its reasonable!"


    "Well then, let''s go all at once!"


    According to Emily-san''s instructions the flying centipede started to fly vertically, aiming for the summit. Seen off by Magi-san, we rose above the square with Cockatrice King boss mobs and started to look for Gantz and the others.


    "Where''s everyone?"


    "Taku, there. ¡¶Zone Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefence, mind!"


    In the place we looked down to, Kei raised his shield desperately receiving the Cockatrice King''s attacks.


    At the same time as I prioritized double defence enchant on Kei, Taku jumped off the flying centipede.


    "Hey, Taku?!"


    Taku jumped using the flying centipede''s back as a scaffold and leaped straight at the Cockatrice King, then pierced him with the sword using the momentum of his fall.


    "Now, it''s my comeback! Let''s beat the boss right away!"


    "Taku, Yun! You''re late!"


    Holding his shield, Kei called out. Gantz, Minuet and Mami-san also spoke happily seeing our return.


    Since I was unable to do things as reckless as Taku, Emily-san approached the rearguard with the flying centipede and landed on the ground.


    "Thank you, Emily-san."


    "It''s fine. I''ll retreat before I''m caught up in combat."


    She said so and the flying centipede undulated greatly as she dove downwards.


    I once again looked at Gantz and the others facing Cockatrice King boss mob.


    The Cockatrice King had about 60% of his HP remaining. The party was able to damage it in a stable manner under the lead of temporary leader.


    "Can it be that we weren''t needed?"


    "No such thing! I''m happy that Yun-chan came back!"


    Minute had greeted us. And, Mami-san also nodded while firing magic at Cockatrice King.


    "Still, to think you''d come back in such a short period of time. And, just now..."


    "Ahahaha... that''s, well, I''ll explain it step by step later."


    Kei''s gaze was turned in the direction Emily-san had left towards with her flying centipede. Taku rejoining the party had a big influence on the battle, but Emily-san seemed to have left plenty of an impression. We''ll have to explain later.


    "Now, Taku, what do we do from here on?"


    Although Kei served as a temporary party leader, he tried to return the role to Taku, but was stopped.


    "Continue leading, Kei. I came late, I''ll move as just a party member."


    "...got it. Yun and Mami in the middle, everyone else form a circle for anti-air defence! Yun and Mami focus on anti-air attack, Minute focus on light magic barrier."


    At the same time Kei gave instructions, the Cockatrice King escaped into the sky and aimed to attack from there.


    Everyone surrounded Mami-san and me, facing towards the Cockatrice King. Standing in the centre the two of us shot arrows and magic, but the Cockatrice King continued to avoid the attacks in an agile manner incongruous to his chicken appearance.


    "Withstand the attack! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Wind Guard¡·!"


    Holding his shield Kei used an Art which increased the entire party''s defence, I matched the enchants with it at the same time in preparations for the Cockatrice King''s storm.


    Immediately afterwards a wide-range breath attack had come from the Cockatrice King''s mouth and raged in the surroundings.


    Minute''s defensive magic and the circle made by vanguards has received it, protecting the rearguards in the centre.


    When the breath attack weakened, Minute and I used recovery magic and potions to recover vanguard''s HP, who dissolved the circle.


    "Yun. Drag him down! Taku and Gantz, attack him the moment he falls!"


    "Roger. ¡ª¡ª ¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡·!


    I predicted the Cockatrice King''s movement in the air and continued to shoot arrows continuously. Moreover, they were arrows synthesized with ¡¾Paralysis¡¿, ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ bad status drugs in order to drag the boss down to the ground.


    "Let''s go, Gantz!"


    ''Yeah, its our chance!"


    While the Cockatrice King fell to the ground and was unable to move, Gantz and Taku launched continuous attacks. Gantz dealt damage by using his entire body to attack and Taku chopped enemy up with the Damascus Sword.


    Kei, in order to keep protecting the rearguard had joined the attack by using long-range Art. Mami-san and I used magic and arrows as to fill the gaps in the vanguard''s attacks.


    Shortly after the bad status on the Cockatrice King was released and he tried to escape to the sky.


    "Vanguard return and prepare for breath!"


    Again Taku and Gantz returned to form a circle, but once the Cockatrice King''s displayed new movement once his HP decreased to a low value.


    "¡ª¡ª!! Everyone, get away!"


    The Cockatrice King flew towards the remade circle from above. We rolled away in order to dissolve the close formation, but I received a kick to my shoulder from the rampaging Cockatrice King and was blown away.


    "?!! My bow!"


    The longbow I had in my hand was blown away towards the cliff by the momentum. In an instant our party''s cooperation had broken down and the Cockatrice King aimed for Minute, the healer.


    "Minute! Run!"


    While Gantz''s shout echoed, I slipped in between Minute and Cockatrice King''s raised-up leg.


    The blow of the swung-down leg resulted with a dull sound like that of something striking a thick, iron plate.


    "¡ª¡ªYun-chan?!"


    "Oww, as expected of a Black Iron kitchen knife. It''s really sturdy."


    Although I staggered after receiving Cockatrice King''s blow, I somehow was able to catch the attack using the the side of the Meat Cleaver as a shield.


    I didn''t have the bow within my reach and the party''s cooperation was broken. But¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªIt''s not like I can only support everyone from the rear guard! I can become a living wall in case of an emergency, too!"


    I raised my voice and cleaved with a huge swing using the kitchen knife, the Cockatrice King received the blow with a kick and its wings.


    Even though I was pushed back because of my lacking attack stat, I avoided and parried skilfully using my high DEX as I waited for the party members to rebuild their postures.


    "Yun, continue attacking together with Taku!"


    Kei and Gantz finished preparations for protecting Minute and Mami-san. However, thinking of the Cockatrice King''s remaining HP, Kei instructed me to continue attacking the boss and finish him off with Taku.


    "Let''s cut his head off in that case!"


    With Taku''s participation, our attacks have surpassed those the Cockatrice King had dished out.


    And, avoiding the Cockatrice King''s attacks I closed right under it, then slashed his neck with the thick Meat Cleaver. The brute slash wasn''t enough to cut completely and stopped in the middle of his neck.


    Since I hadn''t the skill allowing me to pull out the knife from Cockatrice King''s neck, I easily let go of it and took out the Dismantling Kitchen Knife from my inventory.


    "Yun! Let''s decide this! Match my attack!"


    "Got it."


    During the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ extended experienced time, I used the Dismantling Kitchen Knife to carve the Cockatrice King''s chest as Taku released his own slash. And then, with a further swings together with Taku, we engraved another slice on the enemy''s back. The matching attack had received bonus damage for a chain attack and dealt large amount of damage to the Cockatrice King.


    Then finally, during the time Taku and I attracted the boss to ourselves, Mami-san finished preparing her strongest magic and released it at the Cockatrice King.


    ¡º"KUKEEee¡ª¡ª"¡»


    The Cockatrice Kings final death throes came out from the middle of the magic inferno and were gradually erased by the flames momentum.


    As a boss he could be said to be one of the weaker ones, but after so much happened I was tired.


    Once I recovered the Meat Cleaver that was pierced into the Cockatrice King and the longbow which was blown away. I can finally catch a breath, my head was full of this thought.

 Chapter Volume 7 Epilogue

    Epilogue - The Mysterious Resting Place and the Inside Body Dungeon


    "Oh, Grand Rock''s rampage started to subside."


    I looked at the sinking sun from the back of the Grand Rock and leaned the Black Iron Pickaxe against my shoulder.


    After defeating the Cockatrice King boss, all mobs that respawned including the boss have become non-active mobs, but only towards the parties that killed a Cockatrice King.


    Once we realized that, Taku and the others have started helping out other parties as much as possible with defeating the emerging Cockatrice Kings.


    They formed parties with groups of players who gave up on boss battle after arriving in the upper layer and continued to beat the bosses. Meanwhile, I left the party and dug up a mining point in the upper layer and took useful items such as eggs from Cockatrice nests.


    "Yun-kun, cheers for the good work."


    "How are you?"


    "Ah, Magi-san and Emily-san. I gathered quite a bit."


    I looked back towards the voice and saw Magi-san and Emily-san who thanks to Taku and others'' help defeated a Cockatrice King.


    The two were able to safely mine ore in different places thanks to the fact Cockatrices were non-active for them.


    "This place is nice. Below there''re only fixed types of ore you can get, but here you get various ore types."


    "Since conversion rate is high, they''re good for covering ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s and ¡¾Synthesis''¡¿ research expanses."


    It seemed like Magi-san and Emily-san have acquired plenty of ore.


    Speaking with the two, I entered what seemed the Cockatrice King''s hay nest to look for useful items.


    "But, climbing up this mountain every time to gather would be a real pain."


    Agreeing with my words, the two nodded.


    And, as I carelessly looked down on the highlands, I saw the mobs nearly all defeated with the only bosses still alive being the master of the highlands, the Lightning Horse and the super-dreadnought mob, the Grand Rock. The Lightning Horse was left alone because his overwhelming strength, but on the other hand¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"What''s left, is the huge turtle! I''ll have you give me all the exp and rare items!"¡»


    The players who have survived have attacked the Grand Rock in unison.


    Although there wasn''t any real need to defeat it, seeing the players trying to fight with the Grand Rock I was totally appalled.


    "They''re savages."


    I spread a sheet and put a tea set on top of it, then treated Magi-san and Emily-san to apple tea made with ¡¾Mountain Apple¡¿''s skin and black tea as I watched what''s happening below.


    "If they actually defeated the Grand Rock, it might be easier to get to the upper layer next time but..."


    "No matter how you look at it, it''s not going down, that thing¡ª¡ª"


    The players below us continued to change the way they attacked, but no damage at all was dealt to the Grand Rock.


    With ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I saw Myu, Sei-nee and others realize normal attacks won''t work and move away slightly to plan a new strategy.


    "They sure are doing their best. Why not just give up."


    "It''s because the enemy in front of them isn''t fighting back. They can level up their attack-related Senses this way."


    While I listened to Magi-san''s commentary, a player jumped in the direction the Grand Rock was travelling to and was trampled. Even if the enemy doesn''t fight back, it seemed like accidents still happen.


    Watching what''s happening below us we finished drinking the apple tea and resumed item collection.


    "I want to collect as many items as possible. Who knows when will be the next time I come here¡ª¡ªwhiiihh?!!"


    I tried to look through the bottom of Cockatrice King''s nest for items, but suddenly fell into it.


    Looking up at Magi-san and Emily-san who rushed over in panic, I waved my arms to them to tell them I''m safe.


    "Yun-kun, are you okay?!"


    "I-I''m all right."


    Under the Cockatrice King''s nest spread an empty space inside the rock. Unable to crawl out of the hole I proceeded further and saw a place which looked like a garden.


    There was short vegetation growing on the soft ground and a fountain from which a large amount of water flowed towards the back of the cave.


    "What''s with this place. It''s bright."


    I looked up towards the ceiling and saw multiple holes big enough for people to pass through, it seemed like they were nests of Cockatrice Kings like the one I fell into.


    Light passed through those holes ensuring a sufficient amount of light even in this cave.


    "What''s this, I wonder. It feels like a broken way of entering. I need to go further to find the exit."


    When I checked up the gushing out water, it seemed like it was ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ which was used for crafting and I was also able to confirm there was a portal''s transition object. Apparently, this was some kind of a safety area.


    I looked around for a little bit and my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense showed a reaction, I swung my pickaxe at its location and was able to get outside.


    From what it looked like, the exit was facing the mountain path slightly bellow the summit. Also, there was a Cockatrice King nearby so to enter this area one had to finish at least one battle with the boss.


    "Phew, I''m finally out."


    I thought that I might have to crawl out of that hole if I didn''t find a way to escape.


    I immediately returned to the summit to pick up Magi-san, Taku and the others and returned to the entrance.


    "Ohhh?! What is this place?!


    "It extends further into the back. So there''s still more to explore!"


    As Taku raised his voice with joy, everyone entered the merry mood seeing a short-cut leading to the upper layer of the Grand Rock.


    At the same time, the Grand Rock''s activities stopped and the gradually increasing intervals between the shaking have changed into a complete stop.


    "Grand Rock stopped, huh."


    I''ll go back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ with the portal found here. About the moment I thought that, a friend call has come from Myu.


    ¡º"Yun-oneechan! Everything''s over here!"¡»


    "Cheers for the good work. We found a portal here, so I''ll be using it to go back to town."


    ¡º"EHH?! You found something?! Is there something there?!"¡»


    "No, there''s just a hole that seems to continue further inside the mountain."


    ¡º"It can''t be, an entrance inside the body?! In other words, Grand Rock was a boss needed to be defeated from inside! I''ll be coming right away!"¡»


    Myu one-sidedly ended the friend call. I got worried about her and moved outside the cave and saw Myu advance on the back of the unmoving Grand Rock. Around the middle, when she tried to climb further Cockatrices started jumping out of the nests one after another, there was so many of them it was impossible to distinguish Myu''s white equipment and the mobs when they tried to chase her away.


    "No way, Cockatrices are springing out endlessly. This sure is fantasy."


    There was so many Cockatrices jumping out one after another I started wondering where are they coming from, the mobs have fought off all the players who started a splendid charge upwards together with Myu.


    Once again, a friend call came from Myu.


    ¡º"Why can''t I break through?!"¡»


    "Well, because Cockatrices are springing out endlessly."


    ¡º"To think I''ll have to wait for the next chance to climb up! This is frustrating! Then, Yun-oneechan, explore what''s there for me!"¡»


    "Whatt?!"


    I''m tired and I want to go back already, I muttered in my mind, but it was all too late, I had a bad feeling.


    ¡º"The climbing to super-dreadnought mob''s summit, and, a cave leading inside means¡ª¡ªan inside-body dungeon!"¡»


    Shouting that, Myu ended the friend call.


    I hurried back inside the cave''s resting space and saw Taku and the others already finish their preparations for proceeding further.


    "A dungeon full of blood and meat should spread ahead of here."


    Hearing Taku''s words, I felt sick just imagining it.


    "There might be some gimmick related to the Grand Rock, or maybe something completely different. That''s why, we''ll be the first ones entering the unknown area to get information and items!"


    When I tried to slip away secretly by approaching the portal for transition, Taku caught me by the shoulders.


    "And so, we''ll be going as far as we can!"


    "Seriously...?"


    My shoulders drooped dejectedly, now let''s go, my hand was held and I was taken to where Gantz and the others were.


    I thought that women wouldn''t like going there after hearing there will be blood and meat, but Minute was unexpectedly enthusiastic and although Mami-san had a slightly poor complexion she didn''t complain.


    "Well then, Yun-kun. I expect a report of the useful items you find."


    "We''re scheduled to go back together with Emily-chan so do your best."


    Smiling, Emily-san and Magi-san quickly escaped from this place. I wish I could do the same. I thought as I watched the two transition away.


    Players have flocked into the cave to register with the portal and have started discussing the dungeon''s exploration.


    "C''mon, Yun! If we don''t hurry we won''t get the honours of being the first ones to conquer it!"


    "Personally, I don''t want to challenge the scary unknown and the grotesque flesh and blood..."


    The words I muttered didn''t reach Taku, he turned a childish smile my way.


    "Geez, just this once. I''ll go along with you for conquering this dungeon..."


    "Great, well then, let''s go!"


    Taku stood in the front and started walking towards the back of the cave.


    In contrast to the dim cave, the party''s atmosphere was bright and full of motivation.


    It didn''t seem like our adventure was over yet.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow


    Secondary Weapons : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife, Meat Cleaver ¨C Heavy Black, Dismantling Kitchen Knife ¨C Blue Dancer


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (Outerwear, Underwear, Torso, Waist).


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10


    ¡ñ Faerie Ring (1)


    ¡ñ Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP33


    ¡¾Bow Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv10¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv36¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv40¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv11¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv38¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv39¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿


    Grand Rock''s Climbing Operation


    ¡ñ Subjugation of the Cockatrice King


    ¡ñ Discovering of a mysterious inside-body dungeon?


    ¡ñ Blue and Silver Mystic Ring (currently in adjustment)

 Chapter Volume 8 Prologue

    Prologue - The Inside Body Dungeon and Parasitic Insects


    "Blech, the walls are all soft and flabby."


    "Ohh, it really looks like we''re inside a body!"


    In contrast to Taku and others, I proceeded on the flabby floor of the inside body dungeon very fearfully.


    It was the dungeon existing inside the super-dreadnought mob, Grand Rock.


    Various mobs attacked us after coming out of the walls of the dungeon.


    White and boggy blood-sucking leeches appeared from there.


    Mobs similar to pin worms crawled and along the meat walls of the inside body dungeon''s and came down from the ceiling.


    There were also mobs that looked like parasites who drilled through the meat wall.


    All those mobs splattered colourful mucus upon their defeat which caused bad statuses.


    At this stage, the amount of my SAN points was shaved down quite a bit.


    Also, the inside body dungeon had other gimmicks aside from mobs that were waiting to take away my SAN points.


    "Oh, there''s a passage leading downwards!"


    "Gantz, wait. I have a bad feeling about this."


    "A bad feeling? Are your Senses reacting?"


    "No, um, they do but, it''s like my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense is too low and I''m not entire surely what it''s reacting to I guess?"


    Actually, I had level 20 of my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense upon entering the Grand Rock''s inside body dungeon, but I couldn''t tell despite that.


    "Hmm. Is there a trap in there, or maybe it''s reacting to enemy mobs in the back... not knowing that makes it hard."


    "Still, we can''t afford to have any one of the party to go in there and investigate."


    Taku and Kei thought about it seriously, their arms folded. Meanwhile another party entered the passage leading downwards and¡ª¡ª


    "U-UWAAaaaaahhhh¡ª¡ª"


    The players were snatched away into the depths of the passage with terrifying momentum.


    Then once the passage entrance''s mimicry solved, the head and eyes of a degenerated organism appeared.


    "No way, it wasn''t a passage leading downwards..."


    "It was the mouth of an organism, which means that they fell into¡ª¡ª"


    Minute and Mami-san were girls so they didn''t feel completing the sentences, but it was clear enough to cause my hair stand up with dread.


    " " "UWAaahhhh¡ª¡ª" " "


    "Hhiih?!"


    Hearing the screams of the players captured inside the organism that was mimicking the passage, my face changed its colour from pale to pure white.


    "What''s with this horror space. So intense."


    "As expected, Yun won''t be any good here. It can''t be helped, let''s go back for no..."


    "Taku? What happened?"


    I looked away from what I rather not look at, but because Taku suddenly stopped speaking I raised my head and saw him look at a certain point.


    "Aa-aah, while I feel sorry for Yun, it doesn''t seem like we''re going back."


    When I looked after his line of sight when he said that, I saw that the meat wall that formed the passage we came through had squeezed itself in and closed the passage.


    On the other hand, another passage opened up elsewhere.


    "I''m fine. Probably, I''ll somehow endure using willpower."


    I already put on a brave expression and suppressing the urge to leave this grotesque horror space, I forced myself to act rationally.


    "The road leading back is gone. What do you think, Kei?"


    "It must be a timed structure change of the dungeon. If that''s the case, the way leading to boss and the exit must be open somewhere.We have no choice but to move on carefully, I think? Shall we go ahead and look for an exit for Yun''s sake?"


    "I guess. Let''s do that."


    Then, although we wandered around looking for the dungeon''s exit, we were completely unable to understand the dungeon''s structure.


    I did actually map the dungeon as we searched, but because the dungeon''s structure changed it was impossible to find regularities and certain routes so the map wasn''t reliable. Then as a result of wandering aimlessly¡ª¡ª


    "Uwaa, it''s swallowing me! My leg fell into a meat pitfall!"


    "Yun?! We''ll pull you out right away!"


    "Hey, enemy''s coming! Protect Yun!"


    When I thought I slightly sank into the flabby meat floor, it was my left leg that was swallowed and I had become unable to move.


    Matching that moment, a variety of mobs broke through the walls of meat and pounced on everyone.


    While I couldn''t move with my leg caught, I tried to assist others with enchants and the bow, but that''s when the inside of the pitfall had become hollow and something wriggled inside.


    "Hyah?! T-there''s something inside! Ah! It touched me!"


    "Yun-san, please hold out! We''ll help you soon!"


    "UWAaaahhh, hurry, hurry up, it''s disgusting!"


    In television programs I often saw games where people put their hand inside a box not knowing what''s inside, but I didn''t think I would taste that fear.


    I didn''t think that the fear of having something unknown touch me was this horrifying, because of that I was unable to assist others and could only wail.


    As Mami-san encouraged me, I clung to her seeking help.


    With everyone focusing on defeating enemies and no one capable of helping me I felt like crying, I single-mindedly focused on enduring this horrible sensation. Meanwhile the enemy mobs were wiped out and then I was helped to pull out my leg from the meat pitfall.


    Wrapped around my legs were creatures similar to loaches.


    When I saw them swim in the water that accumulated in the meat pitfall, I was astonished that I was scared of such a thing, at the same time my energy was slowly consumed.


    I mean, why even make this kind of thing, I thought depressed.


    After that, when searching for the exit I ended up catching a blood-sucking leech in my hand, I felt goose bumps all over my body from the boggy sensation. I threw it away in a hurry and it ended up flying towards Minute, who responded with a scream.


    At other time, a parasite mob appeared from inside a wall and covered Gantz with mysterious liquid, he received poison and paralysis bad statuses as well as slip damage. Seeing Gantz suddenly covered with mucus Mami screamed and her legs gave out, trembling, she sat down on the meat floor wet with mucus.


    The worst ones were gel-like organisms which looked like giant single-celled ¡¾Fresh Bacteria¡¿.


    Upon receiving an attack their HP was halved and they split up in two, their tackles had an effect of HP absorption. Not only we struggled with growth in numbers every time we attacked, Kei who had high HP was surrounded by a group of cells and focused on.


    "Kei! We''ll save you now!"


    "Don''t mind me! Just hurry and beat them!"


    As we were surrounded by a group of cells absorbing HP, this turned into a long battle.


    We felt fear as the army of cells approached us, vanity as we continued to beat them without any effect. Burning through the consumables, feeling impatient as their number decreased we somehow rescued Kei, then had Minute and Mami-san eliminate the ¡¾Fresh Bacteria¡¿ with area of effect magic. From then on, whenever we saw those bacteria we avoided it however it was possible.


    And, walking with the mindset of wanting to escape from the dungeon even if a second faster¡ª¡ª


    "Why the heck did we have to arrive at Grand Rock''s heart chamber! Moreover, there''s a boss mob who took this place over!"


    The Grand Rock''s heart chamber was a boss room, waiting inside was a boss with countless tentacles who looked like a sea anemone, the ¡¾Electric Parasitic Insect¡¿.


    Beyond the tentacles there were electrical orbs, it used them both for protecting itself from attacks as well as attacking enemies. The electric attacks also caused a ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ bad status.


    For the way of beating it, there was no other choice but to steadily cut off its tentacles, destroy them before we are captured by the electric orbs.


    "...cut down tentacles, destroy orbs. Cut down tentacles, destroy orbs."


    During the battle with slimy, disgusting enemy mob at some point I started to program movements onto myself and just execute them like a robot.


    And when we finally noticed, what we were looking at wasn''t a heart infested by a sea anemone-type boss, but a huge heart with dark engravings caused by boss mob''s erosion, at the same time we received strengthening materials dropped by ¡¾Electric Parasitic Insect¡¿, the ¡¾Parasite Pacemaker¡¿.


    Then part of the boss room''s wall opened and stairs leading to the top appeared. Moreover, the menu announced the start of a new time-limited quest.


    ¡ª¡ªEmergency Quest: Heal Grand Rock''s heart. (72 hours remaining)


    With the ¡¾Electric Parasitic Insect¡¿ defeated the heartbeat weakens.


    Use this time to use either recovery magic or recovery items to heal the heart. If the deadline expires, the ¡¾Electric Parasitic Insect¡¿''s eggs will hatch and start parasitizing it again.


    "Ooohh?!! A time-limited quest huh. This stimulates my curiosity. Also, this quest is suitable for our party set-up."


    Saying so Taku looked towards Minute who looked a little tired after the battle with the boss and me, whose heart was at brink of death.


    I wanted to sit down on spot, but sitting on the meaty floor would be unpleasant so I forced myself to stand with willpower.


    "Well then, I''ll start first. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Large Heal¡·!"


    The recovery magic Minute cast enveloped the Grand Rock''s Heart.


    And then new information was added to the quest menu.


    ¡ª¡ªThe ¡º 1/10000 ¡» numbers.


    "Uwah, do I have to use magic ten thousand times?"


    Minute said so and tried various magic and methods. Magic recovering from bad statuses had no effect, the weakest magic didn''t appear to have an effect, but we assumed that it worked but wasn''t strong enough to increase the count by entire number.


    "Hmm. ¡¶High Heal¡· gives one point. Area of effect ¡¶Round Heal¡· gives two. The highest magic, ¡¶Mega Heal¡· gives four points. That''s haarsh."


    "Next, Yun."


    Already in lethargy I took out potions form my inventory and left them to Taku and others.


    Handmade highly-effective Potions, default Potions with basic effect, Revival Medicine. The result of using a variety of different potions was¡ª¡ª


    That they had effect similar to that of recovery magic. Potions added below one point, High Potions added one point.


    However, the Blue Potions added two points despite being quite inexpensive. The one who had the highest effect was the Revival Medicine that added five points each.


    The Blue Potions seemed to have some correction and were the most cost-efficient.


    "Hmm. Using ten thousand High Potions sounds toughh."


    I checked up on the amount of potions I had, but it was obviously not enough to achieve the quest conditions.


    "Also, since you can''t deal damage to the heart it means that it''s not treated as a mob but as an object. It can''t be helped, let''s round this up for now!"


    We can finally escape! The moment I thought so I grabbed Taku''s arm and dragged him outside of the dungeon.


    Everyone else was shocked, even though I cast an enchant on myself, they didn''t think I would manage to pull Taku with my stats.


    After I rushed at full power up the stairs provided towards the outlet, the floor made of flabby meat slowly changed to a hard one made of rock, giving me some sense of security.


    Then, finally¡ª¡ª


    "We''re finally out...."


    We came back to the safety area we were in before entering.


    It was already evening, moonlight entered through the holes in the ceiling and bathed itself in the fountain with the ¡¾Water of Life¡¿.


    The moonlight reflected in the waving water surface reflected light at the ceiling and the walls of the cave, creating fantastic atmosphere.


    Gantz and others who followed joined me as I submerged myself in the fountain''s atmosphere, then I sat down on spot.


    "HAAaaa??finally ooout..."


    With just the dungeon search I went over my willpower capacity and exhausted all energy I had.


    Just, I was a little reluctant, wondering if it''s really all right to leave the Grand Rock like this.


    ¡ñ


    "Onee-chan! Yun-oneechan...!"


    "Ah?! W-what is it? Why have you all gathered up?"


    Ever since the we completed the Grand Rock''s quest I often found myself lost in thoughts. Even now, I didn''t even realize Myu and the others have gathered up.


    "Yun-oneechan! You''re dazing out too much recently!"


    After exhausting my energy in meat and mucus of inside-body dungeon, that evening I shut myself in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ to recharge.


    Right now in here there was worried Myu and Taku, but what was more unusual was that even Sei-nee had come.


    "I can understand that Myu and Taku come, but why is Sei-nee here?"


    It wasn''t rare for Myu and Taku to come since they frequently came to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for shopping, but Sei-nee was mainly using items made by her guild''s crafters so she didn''t come too often.


    "I came to Yun-chan with a request from ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿."


    "A request?"


    I bet she''ll give me some impossible challenge, I thought for a moment, but seeing my expression Sei-nee explained, solving my misunderstanding.


    "Mikadzuchi is organising a tasting party of liquor we had made from fruit-type items and she wants players with ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense to evaluate them, the request this time is an invitation to that tasting party."


    Saying so she passed to me a folded bronze-coloured invitation, it seemed to be an item for inviting outsiders into the guild. It seems to have been used up.


    "Hmmm. Tasting party, huh. Still, we''re minors so we can''t drink liquor can we."


    "That''s all right. We also have prepared the juice we made the liquor with, the liquor was also used for cooking so there''s no problem."


    Which means the alcohol was burned off I guess. Depending on the type of liquor there would be various dishes, while I imagined that I voiced one concern.


    "Hey, Sei-nee. Will there be any insistent solicitation or something like that when I go to your guild?"


    "Pft, nope. The truth behind this tasting session is that it''s just a pretext for Mikadzuchi to drink."


    Well, it''s mainly a casual party rather than a solicitation, on personal basis some might try some light invitations or speak up about your party, quests and schedules. Sei-nee predicted lightly.


    "Also, I don''t know why but Yun-oneechan has been dazed for last few days! So let''s go for a change of pace! Staying in here all alone isn''t good for your mental health!"


    It seemed like Myu wanted to participate in the tasting session, or rather, the drinking party as well.


    When I turned my line of sight towards Taku¡ª¡ª


    "I won''t participate because I have a prior engagement. Also... well, sorry for forcing you along last time."


    Taku scratched his head and apologized with difficulty. If he is to apologize for forcing me into the inside-body dungeon, he should think earlier that I don''t have tolerance for that kind of thing. Next time, he just needs to give it some thought beforehand.


    And what more importantly I want to ask is¡ª¡ª


    "Aren''t you going to clear that quest?"


    "There''s no real need to clear it right away, is there. Let''s take our time preparing, there''s a possibility the prerequesites are very different from what we have. So it''s wait and see for now. Rather, Yun, if you make potions in such state you''ll fail."


    "Uh, it''s as you say."


    I had it pointed out by Taku too, but it was true, the misses I made because of being absent-minded when making potions stood out.


    "If you want to complete the Grand Rock again, invite me. By the next time we''ll prepare tactics for clearing it in shortest amount of time and there''s less burden on you, Yun."


    "...thanks, Taku."


    "DAHH! What are you happily chatting about in middle of conversation!"


    "Woah?!! Myu, don''t ride on my back, really..."


    I peeled off Myu who jumped on my back and clung to me.


    "Then looks like it''s decided! Let''s go play in ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ home right away!"


    "Agreed, let''s go. For a change of pace, you''ll have some fun other than staying muffled in the store."


    "Okay, let''s go!"


    Myu pointed at the entrance energetically and as if to say "strike while the iron is hot", she pulled my hand trying to bring me out of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Midway, I saw my partners the unicorn Ryui and the black fox Zakuro stare at me worried through the door of the store part so I pat them to calm them down same as usual.


    "Sorry. It doesn''t seem like I''ll be back to normal right away, but should be all right."


    When I said that, both of them rubbed their necks on me.


    And in the end Taku said this¡ª¡ª


    "¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ is OSO''s largest guild. You''ll probably learn a lot. Have fun!"


    "Ah, yeah. Got it."


    I said just that, and brought outside by Myu and Sei-nee I left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    We moved on the main street heading from South to North then to the northernmost part of the first town.


    It was an area with various buildings lined up with most of them being for sale tobe used as guild homes.


    It was easier and cheaper to purchase one like this rather than purchase a land and make a building from scratch like the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    The ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ home was located just the opposite of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ which was located in the South side so I wasn''t very familiar with the exact placement. Then, we stood in front of the building that stood out the most.


    "Yun-chan, we''ve arrived."


    The guild was standing in the location that allowed for gathering players together the best.


    It was an European-style building with white walls and roof painted in red.


    However, it wasn''t only an European-style building. Next to the main building there was an expansion that looked like a Japanese-style mansion which looking from the front, had a wide garden full of gravel.


    On the opposite, left side, there was bare ground which was used as training grounds for players to do PvP and such.


    Sei-nee stood in front of the gate and opened it with natural movements and we entered.


    "Welcome, this is ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild''s home. We did a lot of remodelling inside, enjoy yourselves."


    Saying so she invited me and Myu, then entered inside the home from the front.


    After following her, we were overwhelmed and agape, we stared up at the ceiling.


    The moment we entered we saw atrium hall with several sets of tables and sofas, there were counters on both sides, as well as several parties in middle of a discussion.


    "Woah..."


    "Amazing, Onee-chan! So that''s how the guilds are!"


    "Fufufu, it''s surprising since the guild''s facilities were extended beyond how it looks from outside. How about Myu-chan''s party also participate in the taste-testing session together with us?"


    "Really?! Ah, but they can''t participate today because they have things to do."


    "Then they can come to play on another time."


    I could only let out a voice of admiration. Inside this home which had the space extended beyond its appearance, I had no way of knowing just how many rooms are there.


    "It''s so spacious I can''t calm down."


    "Just gotta get used to it. When the guild members and guests gather, even this turns crowdy."


    Being spoken to from behind I turned around and there, saw a woman with wine red-coloured hair.


    "Heyy, Missy. Finally feel like joining the guild?"


    "I came for the tasting party rather than to join. Well, I look forward to that liquor. Also, don''t call me ''missy''."


    I reflexively talked back to the guild master, Mikadzuchi who was there when I turned around.


    "To me, just having you Missy come to the guild is a step forward."


    "Are you soliciting to guild like that?"


    Personally, I always thought that Mikadzuchi''s solicitation was something like a greeting or a joke, but it seems like she was actually serious.


    I wonder what''s so good about me. My Sense build had gathered several trash Senses and completely ignores balance, there''s nothing special about it worth mentioning.


    While I can understand why would Myu be recruited, I have no idea why am I.


    "Well, you can consider whether you enter the guild or not meanwhile. For now, once again¡ª¡ª"


    Standing straight in front of us Mikadzuchi spoke in serious voice to Myu and me.


    "¡ª¡ªWelcome to ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild home. Well, make yourself at home with the intention of a change of pace."


    With her words as a start, other guild members who were sneakily stealing peeks at us have started to come one after another to welcome us.


    It was a little embarrassing but not unpleasant, made me feel a little shy.


    Since it looked like there were many interesting things inside the OSO''s largest guild, I thought it might be fun.

 Chapter Volume 8 1

    Chapter 1 - ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ and Tasting Party


    It might be fun... I want to punch my past self who thought so.


    "Now! Start preparations for tasting party!"


    """YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH¡ª¡ª"""


    Since I heard it will be tasting of fruit-based drinks, I thought they would be poured from wine bottles into glasses and it''ll be an elegant buffet party, but what was prepared at the venue were entire barrels.


    Starting with the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ members and ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense holders slowly gathering, through small feasting, it grew to huge sizes and became nothing but a "party".


    Unable to slip out Myu and I held grape juice squeezed out of ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ in one hand and sitting, we looked around.


    Other than us, the adult players were drinking the prepared red wine like it was water.


    Myu allowed herself to be swept by the atmosphere and undertook the dancing and singing role. Sei-nee was acting as a stopper for Mikadzuchi who started drinking with overly lightness, so she remained by her side.


    "So, what do I do now?"


    As I sat alone with nothing to do, by my sides there were Ryui and Zakuro whom I called out to relieve my anxiety and snuggled up to me.


    Since it was forbidden to touch the two, by having them by my sides no one approached me so I ended up being isolated and standing out in a bad way.


    "What should I do... this might be a little uncomfortable."


    "Hey, got a moment?"


    "Hyah¡ª¡ª?! W-what is it?!"


    I didn''t think someone would speak to me, so having a hand placed on my shoulder I ended up letting out a strange sound. Ignoring the fact that I ended up attracting further attention I turned around and saw a boy''s face in front of me.


    The player who spoke to me was a boy who wore a spacious brown and white kimono. He stared straight at me with his sleepily-looking half-open eyes.


    "There''s still time until the party starts, you look bored so I''ll show you around the guild."


    "Party you say. Um, is that fine?"


    When I asked him, he responded saying that he got the permission from the guild master. I looked towards Sei-nee, who said "have fun" and saw me off.


    "Well then, could you?"


    "Yup. Let''s go then."


    With that said, guided by the boy with sleepy eyes I slipped away from the hall and we started walking around with the first floor.


    "This guild home has two floors up and one underground floor, and an expansion. The first floor has meeting rooms for combat players and private rooms, as well as various others like rooms with NPCs the crafters can ask for things."


    "Hee, the guild management must be hard."


    "Yeah. Every month there''s a quite high maintenance cost so that''s collected from the guild members."


    "Isn''t that too kinda harsh?"


    I wasn''t knowledgeable about details on guilds, but even in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ the cost of employing Kyouko-san the NPC is several tens of thousands. From what I saw there was more than ten NPCs here, which would make the cost ten times that.


    "I don''t think it is. If the guild maintenance costs were covered only by some of the members, other probably wouldn''t feel attachment to the guild, right? Also, every month the cost of maintenance is shared over a lot of people so it''s not that high."


    "I see..."


    "Also, people who don''t know how to earn money for maintenance costs are helped out by other guild members to find a method. For combat players it''s helping out with hunting and leveling. For crafters it''s selling items to players with money. Of course, with in-guild price it''s made and sold quite cheaply."


    So he said, by fulfilling minimal amount of obligations they were able to play freely, I was convinced.


    The boy moving ahead of me went up the stairs to the second floor, then stood in front of the doors leading to one of the rooms.


    "This is the room with guild crafters'' facilities including craftsmen''s rooms. It''s where we, the guild''s crafters gather. People who don''t like the parties below come here."


    When I entered the room prompted by him, I saw miscellaneous rooms with variety of crafting equipment installed in them.


    Since it was a shared space, crafters took turns using unmovable crafting facilities. In the back, it seemed like there were also private rooms available.


    The players who gather here do their work in front of their crafting facilities and sometimes chat with crafters from other specialities.


    "Hey, you''re late, what happened? And Otonashi, who''s that behind you?"


    The one who spoke to the sleepy-eyed boy was a tall, easygoing young man. He had a jacket on top of naked upper body and had multiple accessories on him.


    "I''m showing a participant around while escaping the party myself. She''ll be out soon."


    "I see. I''m Langley. Nice to meet ya."


    "I''m Yun. Nice to meet you, I guess?"


    I made an amiable smile as I exchanged greetings with Langley.


    "By the way, what crafting speciality did you take?"


    "Umm¡ª¡ª"


    I checked up my Sense status.


    Possessed SP35


    ¡¾Bow Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv10¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv36¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv11¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv40¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿


    "¡¾Dosing¡¿, ¡¾Engraving¡¿, ¡¾Alchemy¡¿, ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Cooking¡¿."


    "Seriously? To take five professions, eh... wait, are you Yun the ¡¾Nanny¡¿?!"


    My mood turned grumpy hearing that nickname. Noticing that I don''t really like that way of calling me, the man in front of me panicked.


    "Sorry sorry. I didn''t mean bad. Oh, you''re also an engraver aren''t you. Then let me teach you how to make some minor accessories and forgive me with that."


    Langley apologized and smiled bitterly. Despite looking flashy, he didn''t seem like a bad person. Also, I was indeed interested in making of accessories.


    "Well, I am a little interested in that."


    Since I came to ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ for a change of pace, it might be a good chance to try putting some effort into ¡¾Engraving¡¿.


    "I''ll bring some accessories to show you."


    After saying so, Langley brought things from the work space, they all looked like small parts.


    At first glance I couldn''t tell what materials were they made of, but bigger and smaller parts were made of the same material.


    "What material is this? It''s light and hard. Also, a little warm."


    "These are accessories made of goblin-type mobs'' horns. They''re bone accessories, a different type from metal ones."


    Saying that, Langley took out a chisel, drill and a file from the ¡¾Engraving¡¿ crafting kit.


    "These are the tools mainly used. You carve them roughly with a chisel, finish up with a file and then drill holes for passing thread through them. Unlike rings which is made in one part, this is made of multiple and connected with a thread, so it can be made little by little over longer periods of time."


    Continuing, he passed a thread through variously-sized parts of goblin horns.


    "Well, it doesn''t look all that good, but it has it''s own roleplay flavour."


    "You''re right. Unlike metal and jewellery that are cold, these feel warm."


    Also, the atmosphere also was somewhat oriental as if made by some tribe. I could feel the depth of these accessories.


    "So you get it! Horns and fangs, bones, also wood rings made by cutting out hard wood. There''s a lot of applications."


    "Hee, what, that sounds interesting. Can you make bead accessories?"


    "Nice! I''ll use that idea! In that case, we''ll have to look into the materials that can be used... and gather up samples."


    It should have been him teaching me how to make bone accessories, but before we realized it had evolved into a discourse between crafters.


    "Then I guess we can try right away? Though, I have no materials..."


    The only materials at hand were those prepared by Langley, and I put everything I''m not using in the item box at the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    We can''t make items without materials.


    Reminded of crafters'' disadvantages I felt it''s a shame, but that''s when Otonashi who was quiet by our side had pulled on my and Langley''s clothes.


    "Hey, if you go to the basement you''ll find materials."


    "Basement, basement rooms huh... well, certainly you''ll find them there but..."


    Langley spoke uncomfortably. Unable to understand, I asked puzzled.


    "Hey, so are there materials in that basement?"


    "Yeah, well I guess there are. Someone stored materials that can''t be put in store or are sold for cheap change to NPCs in there, and then it started turning into a yard for unwanted items. So, I guess it''s something like a garbage dump for entire guild."


    Since Langley and other crafters asked guild members to gather required materials, it was a place they almost never used.


    Other than a few people who look for items on bargain through that disorganised mess, there were few people going in there.


    "Yun is an outsider, but if she has a permission I think it should be fine. I will go pick some up."


    "Well, there should be some materials on level of making bone accessories and woodcraft, go on."


    Then, Otonashi left the room to go to basement to pick materials and returned after a while.


    "You should be able to use these for various things. In addition to Goblin Horns there are Lizardmen''s Scales and Hound-type mobs'' fangs."


    "Ohhh, that''s a lot of materials."


    I had fun just looking at the materials Otonashi brought, but I wanted to learn making bone accessories as quick as possible.


    I tried to take one of the materials in my hand, but was stopped by Langley.


    "Wait a sec. It''s way softer compared to metal y''know. Give up on starting with those, and try this one first."


    The material he took out as he said that, was featureless piece of wood.


    A five centimetre-large cube was placed on my palm.


    "Try making a wood ring first. It''s cheap and hard to break. If you get used to these, it should dramatically decrease the chance of failure when making bone accessories."


    "Oh, got it."


    Accepting Langley''s advice, I started making a wooden ring.


    When I looked at the wood and chisel in my hands, steps different from those for making ingots appeared in my head.


    It was the ¡¾Engraving¡¿ Sense''s assistance, but it wasn''t as strong as upon making a ring out of ingot. Only vaguely a blueprint of a wooden ring appeared in my head.


    I could tell where and how much should I scrape off by intuitively comparing the image I had in my head with what I held in my hand.


    First, I tried to carefully scrape out the inside with a chisel, but it was too hard and wouldn''t go well.


    "It''s a bit hard."


    "It''s easy once you get used to controlling your strength."


    Langley said that with a smile, I responded silently with a nod and returned to work.


    "¡ª¡ª?!! I cut off too much again."


    "You''re too tensed. Have some tea and sweets."


    Otonashi who was looking after me had brought tea and sweets made by ¡¾Cooking¡¿-type crafters.


    "Here, tea."


    "Thank you. Haa, it''s difficult."


    In my hand I had several pieces of wood that I have failed with.


    At first I took a lot of time to cut out the five centimetre-big wooden cube and failed, but after I repeated it several times I found out that it had characteristics different from that of metal.


    Wood''s softness and annual rings, hardness of various parts. If I don''t confirm them by touch I will end up failing to adjust my strength and cut off too much.


    Even now when I tried to shape up the outside cracks appeared because there was too much cut off. Still, it was within range of what can be fixed, so I just cut off the part containing the cracks and rehsaped it as a C-shaped ring.


    I completed the form while drinking tea, then in the end I used a file to polish up the surface and then varnished it.


    Wooden Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (Weight: 1)


    DEF+1


    It looked like a kid''s toy, but I might kind of like the warmth it has.


    "...it''s difficult, but fun."


    "Then you might have affinity for this. This kind of work goes on and on, so there are many who are bad at it."


    Because I was too absorbed in making the Wooden Ring I didn''t notice what Langley was doing, while I was working with mine he made several bone accessories.


    Also, he made a Wooden Ring as well, but his was made as thick as it was possible and had elaborate relief engraved on it, the difference with what I made was clear.


    Honestly, I was made realize the difference in experience we have.


    "I guess you understood while working with it, Yun, wood has different peculiarities from a lump of metal, right?"


    "It has quirks when using a chisel on it. Also when you put in too much strength it breaks easily, right."


    "That''s it. Wood isn''t too soft nor too hard, also, it has quirks. That''s why it''s good for getting used to various materials. Well, I had a beginner like you work with it, but wood has higher degree of difficulty than Goblin Horns and monster fangs."


    He said so and laughed as if it was nothing, but I looked at the pieces of wood I broke so far and grimaced. I didn''t think it was Spartan training of all things.


    "Don''t make that face. Next is the second and last step. Try actually making one, that is."


    And I was told to use the materials prepared by Otonashi.


    What was left to do, was to work using my Senses and my sense.


    ¡ñ


    Langley went back to challenging creation of bead accessories, Otonashi didn''t just stand there looking either and had taken out some materials he started to examine.


    On the other hand, I started making my first bone accessory.


    "First, what kind of design should I give it."


    For now, I picked up a Goblin Horn a hemp twine and small pebbles.


    "Let''s make a simple one to start with."


    I used a cutting tool to separate the Goblin Horn into three pieces at regular intervals. Then split up each again and together with small pebbles I started to polish their surfaces.


    Once I eliminated the roughness on the surfaces, I gave the pieces oval shape.


    Then once twenty glossy parts of different sizes were finished I drilled them one by one to pass a hemp twine through them.


    The largest oval piece was in the middle and the smaller ones were on the sides, between parts of the horn I placed small polished stones, in the end I cut off the excess hemp twine and connected the two ends lightly.


    The design was very common and it was too large for a necklace. But it should be good to use as a bracelet if I wrapped it around my wrist twice. I tried that and put it on my wrist.


    The status of the finished item was¡ª¡ª


    Little Demon''s Bracelet ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (Weight: 2)


    ATK+1, DEF+2 Additional effect: ¡¾Demon-Type Bonus (Small)¡¿


    The performance wasn''t too high and it was a bit heavy. I might have made it slightly heavier by using pebbles as a material. Looks like there''s still room for improvement.


    I quietly took off the bone accessory and looked at Langley and others.


    Langley put in sparkling, irregularly reflecting light sand into furnace and dissolved it into a mushy mass.


    When that cooled down it started to turn into a rod-shaped transparent material. Langley again heated that up and cut into small grains, increasing the number of same thing.


    At a different furnace than the one Langley used, Otonashi cut small grains from a metal ingot and continued making things of the same size one after another.


    He used gold, silver and copper ingots to make small beads and also pendant top of his own making.


    I wouldn''t mind making another bone accessory, but I also had interest in the bead accessories.


    "Still, I shouldn''t bother them."


    When I muttered quietly, my eyes stopped at little, rough gems that were brought in together with materials.


    Most likely they were too small to be used for placing on accessories'' pedestal, but I still polished them.


    "Well, it''s better to do what I''m used I guess."


    I continued to polish them in silence in order to make jewels to minimal size required for beads. As expected of the OSO''s largest guild, the amount and types of gemstones was abundant.


    Peridots, lapis lazuli, jades, crystals, amethysts, aquamarines, tiger eyes, rubies...


    Just polished and gathered together the gems were pretty.


    "Okay... this should be enough for bead accessory prototype. Eh, hey Yun, what are you doing?"


    "I finished making a bone accessory and since I''m interested in bead accessories I''m polishing gems for using as material for those."


    When saying so I divided the small-sized polished gems by the type, both Otonashi and Langley looked at me with amazement.


    "These are just the gemstones that were brought at random from the basement, right. Because they''re so small they are prone to cracking, it must have been tough to polish this many, right?"


    "Very small ones are good for beads and it''s easy to get enough of them. Yeah, glass-based, metal-based and gemstone-based make for three kinds of beads."


    Seeing the prepared gems Langley was enthusiastic, but when he took out a thick thread used for bone accessories it looked to be too large for small glass, metal and gem beads.


    "Langley, that won''t pass. You''ll have to use some material similar to wire. Hey, don''t you have some material used with sewing?"


    Another crafter from the guild who was looking at our attempts from the distance lent us some tools and materials.


    Using a needle for sewing to pass the yarn through beads made it easier, but a normal thread wasn''t strong enough and there was a possibility it will get torn off if you pulled on too strongly.


    Otonashi and Langley continued to ponder as to what could be a suitable material for bead accessories, but I came up with one.


    "I want to borrow a private room and there''s material I want to use, so could you bring some from the basement?"


    Hearing my request Otonashi tilted his head puzzled and Langley inquired as to the material I want to use.


    "Still, we can''t provide you with materials and location if we don''t know what you want to make."


    "That would be..."


    It was just as Langley pointed out.


    There was a possibility I would list items not actually required and take them. It was even more suspicious since I asked for using a private room.


    I could understand the need for vigilance like that. But I too had a reason because of which I couldn''t tell them the materials I would use. Thinking so I fell silent.


    "Langley, you''re being too threatening. She fell silent."


    "No, it''s not like I suspect her. Well, being careful like this is normal, right."


    Langley responded to Otonashi who poked at his side lightly. I answered saying as much as I could.


    "What I want to make is ¡¾Metallic Thread¡¿. And the method for making it is, well, secret."


    The ¡¾Metallic Thread¡¿''s recipe I co-produce with Emily-san was still a secret.


    "Ah, that. I heard it''s a sewing material, but since it''s strong it might be suitable for maing bead accessories. Also considering that the distribution is limited it''s clear that the recipe is a secret... got it. For now let''s go get a permission from Mikadzuchi-san."


    "Really?! Thanks!"


    I honestly thanked him.


    And, when we consulted with Mikadzuchi who was on the first floor and in the middle of preparations for tasting party¡ª¡ª


    "Sounds interesting so you have permission! Also, once it''s done come over here!"


    "Your reasons are way too light!"


    Is that really okay? Guild master. I retorted.


    I took the items I was looking for from the basement ¨C the ¡¾Iron Ore¡¿ and ¡¾Silver Ore¡¿, as well as a ¡¾Magical Silk Scraps¡¿. I had ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ I used for potions in my inventory, so I used that.


    Then I borrowed a private room and used ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Senses to remake the materials.


    "Now, let''s begin. First¡ª¡ª¡¶Alchemy¡·!"


    I remade the ¡¾Magical Silk Scraps¡¿ with Alchemy''s Higher Conversion as part of preparation. Then, I used lower conversion to change it into a bundle of yarn.


    "And last is¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·!"


    From there I used the ore items, ¡¾Bundle of Magical Silk''s Thread¡¿ and Water of Life to perform a three items synthesis.


    "¡ª¡ªDone. It''s ¡¾Iron Metallic Thread¡¿ and ¡¾Silver Metallic Thread¡¿."


    Then after making several metallic threads that had the strength of metal and flexibility of a fibre I exit the private room and passed them to Langley and Otonashi.


    "So this is Metallic Thread. Certainly, it looks strong enough."


    "You made quite a few."


    I passed the Metallic Thread through the sewing needle and then passed the thread through the beads one after another.


    "Whoa?! That''s easy. Let''s make simple beads accessories right away."


    At Langley''s suggestion, everyone took up the Metallic Thread and had it pass through the borrowed sewing needles, then everyone sat down and we started working with the beads we selected.


    Langley sat in front of the transparent glass balls he himself made, Otonashi in front of the polished gem beads. And I started making an accessory using metal beads.


    "Looks interesting. Can I get some of the Metallic Thread and beads?"


    "The materials come from the guild''s basement and the tools are also borrowed, sure go on."


    The Sewing Sense-using crafter who lent us the tools asked me and then also started working with beads.


    I finished making a simple accessory made of silver beads and Silver Metallic Thread.


    Silver Bead Bracelet ¡¾Ornament¡¿


    DEF+4, MIND+7


    Just like with the bone accessory, it was good enough for the first one.


    The bead accessories Otonashi and Langley were working on looked great when finished.


    "Ohh, this is quite stylish!"


    "Is that so?"


    "That suits Otonashi."


    The one Otonashi chose were small jades.


    Once he passed the Metallic Thread through a number of small jade grains, then added a few big jades he polished himself and gave a comma shape to creating an accent.


    Langley didn''t seem satisfied with the transparent glass balls so he used the ¡¶Colouring¡· skill to try various colour schemes on them.


    "I might have failed I guess."


    "Did you? I think it''s good enough."


    "I also think making it like that is good."


    When Otonashi and I looked in Langley''s hands he made a bitter expression.


    "I tried using the ¡¾Crystal Sand¡¿ I got my hands on just recently as a base, but with how it''s transparent it narrows the design you can make. Also when you use ¡¶Colouring¡· it looks like cheap plastic beads so it''s difficult to make something good with it."


    Still, continuing to devise he finished a choker made with alternating beads and metal parts.


    While we worked on prototypes, one of the tailors let out a cry of joy after finishing something.


    "YESS! Donee!"


    When I looked towards that voice, I saw a mannequin wearing a sparkling and beautiful dark blue dress and him, repeating hurrays in front of it.


    The dress'' skirt''s hem was made of lace was made with use of Silver Metallic Thread, Silver Beads in a way it didn''t stand out, the usage of lace made it look three-dimensional.


    There were colourful gems embedded in the cloth.


    And with a conspicuously large topaz necklace on the chest, I could see a certain scene.


    "...night sky?"


    "Indeed! The dark blue dress is likened to night sky and the lace expresses the river! The jewels embedded in cloth represent stars shining in the sky! Rivers and stars of the Milky Way! And the oversized topaz glowing on the chest represents the moon!"


    Milky way, the heaven''s river, huh.


    Otonashi and I were quite taken aback by the creator tailor''s high tension, and Langley was appalled.


    "And so, to spread the new crafting and decoration technique, let''s go look for a model!"


    "Then go."


    "Take care out there. We''ll stay here and drink tea in peace."


    "I don''t feel like going down there either..."


    "Onee-chan! Isn''t it about time to end the touring? Preparations below are over so let''s go!"


    "...Myu."


    As if to suppress headache I pressed lightly on my temple with my fingers.


    Couldn''t she enter while making less noise? When I thought that, Myu quickly approached and took my hand.


    "Onee-chan, let''s go?"


    "Haa, good grief... it can''t be helped huh."


    With Myu tilting her head just slightly and looking up at me, as her brother I was unable to refuse.


    Also, her face was slightly reddish, even though she didn''t drink any liquor she might have gotten slightly drunk with the atmosphere so I shouldn''t leave her alone.


    When I reluctantly agreed, satisfied, Myu made a sloppy smile. That''s when she noticed the dress that was placed behind us.


    "Oh? That''s a wonderful dress, it''s all sparkly."


    "I just finished making it, want to try being a model for it?"


    The tailor entered the conversation.


    "Is that okay? Yaay! Like a princess! But I''m a paladin, so more like a princess knight?"


    She said so and changed her equipment from the usual white and silver armour to the dark blue dress. Drunk with atmosphere she didn''t mind being the model at all, after thinking for a moment I also lightly let it pass.


    After we also put some matching accessories on Myu, she pulled on my hand and we went down to the first floor.


    ¡ñ


    Myu moved down the stairs to the hall with light movements. Matching that, the hall fell silent for just an instant.


    Gazes of many participants of the tasting party gathered on her as she descended the stairs, in response to which Myu continued to walk with pride.


    On the contrary, I felt embarrassed so I lowered the hood on deeply on my eyes, trying to avoid everyone''s gazes.


    "Sei-oneechan! I brought Yun-oneechan! And, see? I was given a dress to wear!"


    "Oh my, that''s a wonderful dress. You turned mature all at once, Myu-chan."


    Moving in front of Sei-nee, Myu put on a happy but embarrassed smile.


    I took a look around and saw groups happily eating and drinking, compared to the quiet crafters'' room I was in earlier this was so bright and dazzling I could only squint.


    "C''mon, Myu-chan, go show off your dress to more people. Missy, come beside me and Sei."


    "Okaaay! Well then, I''m off!"


    "Don''t call me ''missy''. Geez... fine."


    Though the only thing that had become mature was her appearance, thinking that her inside didn''t change at all I sat down on the chair near Sei-nee.


    And, seeing side dishes for eating with liquor in front of me, I grimaced.


    "Hey, Mikadzuchi. What is this...?"


    "What, you ask, its party''s food. It serves for recovering satiety after we come back from adventure."


    Even though the party still hasn''t started, Mikadzuchi snatched away cheese, salami, peanuts, dried squid and such and ate it together with the liquor she had in a glass.


    What about the players with ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense who were called to the party?


    When I looked at the cuisine on other tables it looked like the few Cooking Sense owners did well, but their numbers were nowhere near enough.


    One of the reasons for that was because they were a bit too enthusiastic and obsessed over details to make make the best food there is and ended up taking profusely long time.


    "Haa, geez... can I get some of the materials and side dishes?"


    "What, you''ll make something?"


    "Just a little..."


    I called out to the Cooking Sense owner who was nearby and was given some ingredients.


    The players who acquired the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense during the camp event mostly remembered each other, so acquiring some materials and side dishes went smoothly. I also had some seasoning and tools in my inventory at all times.


    "Well, let''s make some standard things."


    "Something that goes well with liquor please!"


    "Are you an old man or something? Mikadzuchi."


    "Ahahaha... but it has been a while since I ate Yun-chan''s cooking so I''m happy.


    Told so by Sei-nee who went to university far away I felt a little glad, but made food without saying anything.


    I peeled the potatoes, cut into appropriate size, cut sausages, added olive oil and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper then put on fire¡ª¡ªmaking German Potato ready for serving.


    Continuing, this time I sliced potatoes and spread them on the vessel instead of pizza dough then from the top I put on tomato sauce, onion, green pepper salami, topped it with sliced cheese and fried it¡ª¡ªand completed the Potato Pizza.


    Other than that, I made smoked squid, cucumber salad and potato salad.


    All of these were food recipes that could be made quickly, something like home cooking for large numbers of people.


    "Ohhh, those plain side dishes were reborn into something glamorous!"


    "It''s great. The taste is deeper and drinking goes better!"


    People started to eat the cooking that was done first.


    "Ahh, I want one. A ¡¾Nanny¡¿ in my house."


    "¡¾Nanny¡¿''s cooking is delicious! The best!"


    The people who were eating the food I made spoke as they ate.


    "Yes yes. Also, don''t call me ¡¾Nanny¡¿. But, it''s still not enough."


    I watched as the food I made disappears, then thankful for how convenient it is that in OSO cookware cleans itself over time I started making basic fried food.


    At first I added some water to flour and together with cheese and fried cheese I started making rolls and then¡ª¡ª


    "I want to eat fried chicken." "Then kakiage for me." "I want to eat some fried vegetables" "We have squids for frying so make squid rings!" "I want fried shrimp!"


    While I was slightly annoyed at everyone talking whatever they like, I retorted to them that I don''t have ingredients to make what they want.


    "Bring me ingredients if you want to eat! Even crafters can''t make stuff from thin air!"


    I was sure that it was a good counter-attack. But the next moment I realized that I lost.


    The reason for that, was because everyone started to pull out ingredients.


    "Can you make fried chicken from Mill Bird''s meat?" "I have vegetables that drop from plant-type mobs." "I have something from mobs that are similar to shrimps, is that okay?"


    Why do you even have those. I felt like saying, but only spit out a sigh and started to cook using their ingredients.


    After preparing appetizers I continued to make fried food without time to rest.


    When the ingredients were exhausted I was finally released from cooking and went back to Sei-nee.


    "Haa?, I''m tired."


    "There you go, Yun-chan. Plum juice made from ¡¾Shiyu Fruits¡¿."


    "Thanks, Sei-nee. ¡ª¡ªPwah, makes me come back alive."


    The juice I drank tasted more delicious than usual. When I looked around feeling a pleasant fatigue, Mikadzuchi approached me.


    "Was it a good change of pace for you?"


    "Mikadzuchi, well, I realized how broad the ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense is."


    "That''s great. Don''t tense yourself up too much. Sometimes your efficiency improves after you do something different from usual."


    "Does it?"


    I raised the cup with juice up to my mouth again then pat Ryui who nestled himself up to my side as well as Zakuro who rode on top of my head.


    "The guild helps out with leveling various Senses. Is there anything you''d like to acquire?"


    "Even if you ask me..."


    I wonder if there was anything like that and remembered there was one thing I wanted to acquire but couldn''t really level.


    "I do actually..."


    Sei-nee who heard my conversation with Mikadzuchi joined in and spoke.


    "Yun-chan, will you undertake the guild-hosted high speed leveling?"


    "Hey, what?! Onee-chan will be taking new Sense? What kind of Sense is it?!"


    "Sei-nee, Myu. Well, with Mikadzuchi recommending it to me I thought I might try..."


    Sei-nee just finished giving out instructions for party''s preparations, Myu finished enjoying the milky way dress and returned to her usual equipment, then they both joined in conversation.


    "So, so then?! What Senses will you take?"


    "Um... well¡ª¡ªI thought of taking bad status resistance Senses."


    It seemed like Myu expected some eccentric Sense and since that wasn''t the case, she made a disappointed look. On the other hand Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi asked for the reason with joyful expression.


    "So, why do you want that?"


    "The mobs in the dungeon inside the Grand Rock''s body spread a bad status-inducing liquid around upon dying, also there''s a possibility I receive bad status when working with ¡¾Dosing¡¿ Sense..."


    For completing the Grand Rock''s quest and for myself, after explaining that I realized I wasn''t able to change my mood completely yet.


    "Actually just a while ago I mixed in materials I shouldn''t have used and..."


    I ended up dropping dried poisonous and bad status plants and mob drops of various types into a large pot by mistake.


    As a result I breathed in various bad statuses raising up from the pot and fell down on the cold floor of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop.


    Back then Ryui realized there was danger and used ¡¾Purification¡¿''s light to envelop the entire workshop part, but I don''t want that to happen again.


    "That''s why, I want the resistance Senses as an insurance, kinda..."


    "How do I say it, that''s stranger than I thought but it''s very much like you, Yun-chan. Actually I also have a bad status resistance I want to take."


    "Then, you can get it together with Missy."


    Sei-nee smiled wryly, Mikadzuchi grinned widely. On the other hand, a little frustrated that she can''t join in the conversation, Myu lowered her face and spoke.


    "I''ll take resistance Sense too!"


    "Myu-chan? You have ¡¾Recovery¡¿ you can use instead of resistance, right? Also accessories with resistance."


    "But it''s not fair for just Yun-oneechan and Sei-oneechan to have fun!"


    "No, is leveling really fun? Also, since its resistance this will mean we''ll continue receiving the bad statuses so I think that will be kinda harsh?"


    "Kukuku, isn''t it fine. Myu-chan, you can also invite your party members. We''ll show you the ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ special bad status resistance acquisition boot camp."


    While I remained there puzzled, Mikadzuchi said "it''s getting interesting!" and agreed on it.


    Is it really okay? I worried, but Mikadzuchi said that it was fine and lightly pat my shoulder.


    Then once she calmed down a little she spoke again.


    "Now, it''s how we do things in the guild, but could you help us out procuring and preparing necessary items?"


    "Yeah, no problem."


    "With that decided, I''ll give these to the two of you."


    Mikadzuchi passed silver invitations to the two outsiders, Myu and me.


    "These are time-limited invites to ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿. With these you''ll be able to enter ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ freely for the entire month."


    "Aren''t these cards for joining the guild temporarily?"


    I asked and Mikadzuchi responded with a throaty laughter.


    "If you noticed that it means you''re slightly back to yourself, that''s great. Now, let''s start the party!"


    "Mikadzuchi, are you an old man?"


    Between the minors Myu, Sei-nee and me, Mikadzuchi raised up her cup with wine. Since minors were poured juice, we did the same out of consideration.


    "Well then, let''s begin! ¡ª¡ªCheers!"


    """CHEEEERS!"""


    The voices of the party participants resounded throughout the guild hall, a commotion full of drinking and eating has started.


    Among them there were people who were going with the flow of the party and after forming parties left to adventure as well as players who finished their adventuring and came to participate.


    Since food ran out in the middle I cooked more again, Myu danced and sang enjoying the noise.


    Sei-nee sat down by the wall in the hall''s wall and enjoyed the food I made. Mikadzuchi went around chatting and interacting with the guild members'' before returning to Sei-nee and enjoying liquor.


    This kind of noisy atmosphere didn''t fit me, but I thought it wasn''t all that bad once in a while.


    Meanwhile, several players approached Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi. They held bundles of paper in their hands and explained things with hand gestures, I looked at that without paying any special attention.


    Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi either agreed seeming to have fun and responded occasionally. However, because of the party''s commotion I had no idea what was it about.


    Then, Mikadzuchi looked towards me and grinned broadly.


    Is something happening? I thought for a moment, but Mikadzuchi averted her eyes and finished speaking with the player who brought the papers.


    The players who were carrying paper bundles seemed in great spirits because of the result and returned to partying. Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi also returned to feasting.


    Since my curiosity was a little stimulated by that, holding food and drinks I approached Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi.


    "Want a refill of food and drinks?"


    "Ohh, how attentive. Sure."


    I poured drink to Mikadzuchi''s cup and asked casually about the people earlier.


    "You were speaking with someone just earlier. What was that about?"


    "Mmm, ah, that..."


    I might have stepped in where I shouldn''t, I thought with regret. If it was related to the guild, it was not a nice thing to pry as an outsider.


    Then, Sei-nee''s and Mikadzuchi''s answer was¡ª¡ª


    "...preparations for something fun, I''ll say?"


    "Kukuku, yeah, preparations for a fun and enjoyable trip¡ª¡ª"


    A trip inside this OSO''s world, that was quite unusual. Travelling in this game world where you can use portal object to transition anywhere it sounded like a riddle.


    Puzzled, I was unable to understand what exactly the two were talking about.

 Chapter Volume 8 2

    Chapter 2 - Resistance Senses and Leveling


    "Yun-chan! Some light food and a drink!"


    "Some meaty food for us please!"


    "Yeeess! Coming right up. ...heck, what the hell am I doing."


    Haa, I heaved a sigh quietly. Wearing black slacks and white shirt, dressed like a waiter I walked back and forth ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ guild hall.


    I took out cooking previously made and stored in an item box and carried it to respective tables.


    While I thought ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild''s bad status resistance Senses leveling will start shortly, but apparently preparations were required and I was told to freely spend time in the guild home until then.


    But I didn''t know what should I be doing and considered making potions as usual, however, since it was a rare opportunity to visit I decided to kill some time by hanging out at the guild hall.


    From time to time I went to the crafting room Langley and Otonashi were in and researched bead accessories. Organised unnecessary items in the basement and helped out the guild''s ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense owners to put out snacks.


    "Here. A light sandwich and plentiful teriyaki chicken meal set."


    "Thanks. Uhaa! Looks delicious, Yun-chan''s handmade cooking."


    "Unfortunately, today''s menu is leftover from yesterday. The ones I helped with will appear tomorrow."


    The members expecting my own cooking slumped with disappointment, but still complimented the food for being delicious as they ate.


    The reason why I did such pseudo-serving, was because I could enjoy the same thing I did over the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s counter.


    "And y''see, then I said.¡ª¡ª "We''re too long in this dungeon already, let''s go back"¡ª¡ª and y''know, this guy said "I can still go on! I''m fine!", can you imagine that?"


    "You weren''t against it either were you, you''re guilty as well."


    "After that we encountered two strong mobs wandering around the area. Two at the same time. That''s when we prepared ourselves to return to town by dying."


    "So, what happened then?"


    Dressed as a waiter I listened to various players'' adventure stories.


    The adventures players coming to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ spoke of were exciting, but in ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ which was OSO''s top guild, players had even more of various experiences. Even stories from the same areas differed from each other.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd then, I used this guy as a shield and somehow defeated on of them and we somehow escaped from the other one."


    "Right. Back then despite the horrible situation your HP didn''t go down at all. What kind of swordsman are you. More like a scout or a ninja."


    The story the swordsman who ate the sandwich and his partner''s who ate the chicken set was quite interesting.


    "Yun-san. Sei-san is calling so please come for a moment."


    "Ah, yes. I''ll be going. Well then, take your time."


    I headed to a place hard to see from the hall where the cooking equipment was installed in.


    "Yun-chan, cheers for good work. How do you feel?"


    "Well, I guess it''s good for a chance of pace? And, what do you think about these clothes? I chose them myself but..."


    The black slacks, black vest and white shirt with a black bow tie I had tailored for serving were quiite simple and I liked them a lot.


    And, Sei-nee''s reaction was¡ª¡ª


    "Mm. It''s very cute. It looks like you''re about to serve champagne in some restaurant at night."


    "C-cute? Not cool?"


    "Yup. Like a smartly-dressed capable woma... no. A capable person."


    Sei-nee. Just now, were you about to say "woman"? Which means that even wearing slacks, I look like a woman...


    Noticing the fact I slumped disappointed.


    "? What is it, Yun-chan? Why are you hanging your head down like that..."


    "N-no, it''s nothing. So, what did you call me for?"


    "Mm, I want you to help me to look for items required for your bad status resistance leveling."


    That''s what Sei-nee answered when I asked her for a reason.


    "Got it. I''ll change equipment right away."


    I switched from the serving clothes to the Ochre Creator I usually have equipped and then together with Sei-nee we used a mini-portal installed in the guild to jump to the Second Town.


    From there on we entered the forest and aimed at the deeper part of it.


    "Yun-chan, sorry to make you help out."


    "It''s okay. Rather, I''m happy that you rely on me."


    Also, the one who asked for resistance leveling was me. I''ll gladly help out with preparations.


    "So, Sei-nee? What are the items we''re looking for?"


    "Um, we''re looking for ¡¾Crazy Water Lily¡¿, but I don''t know what kind of item is it. Do you know of it?"


    While saying so Sei-nee confirmed the required item''s name in the menu''s memo.


    I happened to know about that item.


    ¡¾Crazy Water Lily¡¿¡ª¡ªits appearance was the same as that of a water lily and the flowers didn''t cause any bad statuses in particular.


    However, if you purify the extract from the flowers, it turns out to be intensely poisonous flower you could make ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Confusion¡¿ bad state drugs.


    "I do. Or rather, I have memories of failure when using it."


    "Failure?"


    "Just a while ago I made extracts of various flowers to add scent to the ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ I made."


    Previously I mixed materials from various mobs in with the ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ to verify, and I also added the flower extracts for the scent.


    That''s when the ¡¾Crazy Water Lily¡¿ who didn''t have any bad statuses before extracting had turned out to cause splendid bad statuses.


    So recalling that, I frowned a little.


    "But why do you need the ¡¾Crazy Water Lilies¡¿?"


    While it was a powerful poison, it was a little hard to use the poison purified from the ¡¾Crazy Water Lilies¡¿.


    The purified drug can cause both ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Confusion¡¿ bad statuses. However, since ¡¾Sleep¡¿ makes players unable to move it was a poor to combine with ¡¾Confusion¡¿, it was treated as an unstable bad status inducing drug.


    When lucky enough it stops enemy movements and if enemy goes berserk their movements turn monotonous so that''s also fine. It was an item that had an element of gambling to it.


    The difficulty of mixing a drug out of it was quite high and the demand was low so the material was rarely gathered.


    "We''ll use it for your leveling Yun-chan, but I also wanted to resupply ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ stock because we ran out of those."


    "But not knowing where to find them, you asked me."


    "Sorry, Yun-chan."


    "Ahahaha, it can''t be helped. The place is hard to find."


    I laughed forgiving her and proceeded while brush away bushes in the forest. In fact the collection point for ¡¾Crazy Water Lilies¡¿ is not just hard to find, but there''s also a trick to entering it.


    "Sei-nee, we arrived at the place we can collect lilies in."


    After saying so I called Sei-nee to the other side of the bush and we entered an open area devoid of trees that had a pretty stream flowing into a pond.


    In it, there were pale red and blue as well as white water lilies blooming on the water.


    "It''s pretty, Yun-chan. It''s here?"


    "Yes, ¡¾Crazy Water Lilies¡¿ collection point. This is actually a safe area so there''s no need to worry about enemies coming."


    I said so, took off my shoes and coat then entered the pond.


    "Like this you can break the stems in the water and pick the lilies.


    To demonstrate I entered the water until it reached above my knees and put my hands in the water, I lightly broke off the water lily''s stem and collected it by raising it up.


    Sei-nee looked my way and probably thought she can do it, then entered the pond but¡ª¡ª


    "Kyah?! It''s cold."


    "Sorry, I forgot to note that it''s pretty cold. Are you okay?"


    "It''s all right. I was just surprised."


    And Sei-nee moved deeper into the pond, but I stopped her before she entered where water reaches up to her knees.


    "Sei-nee, stop! Your mantle is getting wet. Also, it''ll turn real bad if you crouch in that miniskirt!"


    In a hurry, I drove her back to the edge of the pond.


    "Yun-chan? Ah, you''re right. You have short sleeves and short pants, but it''ll be troubling if my equipment gets wet."


    Sei-nee fidgeted holding down her miniskirt. Even if there is a correction making it so the inside of the skirt isn''t shown, she must have felt embarrassed imagining herself take a bold pose.


    Because she usually used water elemental magic she must have ignored the fact she might get wet. Then, she asked me.


    "Yun-chan, what should I do?"


    "Sei-nee, do you have any clothing suitable for collecting in here? Some equipment that''ll be fine when wet."


    "Um, well, I do have one but..."


    Although she said that hesitantly, I judged that there''s no problem if she had one and thrust my hands into the water to collect the water lilies.


    As I broke off the stems and collected the flowers, meanwhile, Sei-nee seemed to have finished her preparations.


    "Yun-chan, I changed equipment."


    "Well then, you should join i... heck, what''s with that equipment?!"


    "I-is it strange? It''s a swimsuit..."


    She asked me with unease in response to which I held my head and groaned.


    While it was indeed suitable for activity in water, Sei-nee''s appearance was quite bold.


    When she leaned forward to pick flowers her large breasts were emphasized and the form of her pretty butt''s could be seen clearly.


    This defenceless appearance of hers cannot be seen by some strange man¡ª¡ªI will protect my older sister!


    The moment I thought that I swore to protect Sei-nee with all Senses I had.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Zone Clay Shield¡·!"


    I created earthen walls in the periphery of the pond, blocking the visibility from the surroundings.


    But since I was unable to cover everything with ten walls I made, I used an MP Potion and created the walls two times more.


    "Sei-nee! Now you can be at ease. Now, let''s quickly gather up flowers."


    "Y-yes. So it''s fine to gather them in these clothes."


    "...it''s fine for now. But next time when you''re working in water you should wear something with a little more cloth."


    Normally she''s a reliable elder sister, but she worries me sometimes with how defenceless she was in some aspects.


    After that, nervous because of Sei-nee''s swimsuit appearance caused me to work slightly clumsy. I desperately gathered the required number of flowers.


    Before going home we took a break at the edge of the pond and our legs inside it, drinking tea. I was at peace of mind thanks to the fact Sei-nee had returned to her normal appearance.


    "Sei-nee, why did you have a swimsuit with you?"


    "Umm... that is, I wondered if there will be an opportunity to play in water with you and Myu-chan, you see? And then I had it made for me."


    In the end, there was no opportunity to use it, she said with a bitter smile.


    I felt somewhat happy that she was thinking about us. For a while I enjoyed myself talking together with Sei-nee, our legs in the cold water, Ryui and Zakuro forcibly appeared from the summoning stones in my inventory.


    "Kyu?"


    "Woah?! Ryui, Zakuro?! I didn''t forget about you, but sorry to have fun without you two."


    Ryui and Zakuro rubbed their heads against me. Then, Sei-nee reached out to Ryui.


    "Ah..."


    "Fufufu, your Ryui is so comfortable in touch. I might get addicted."


    Ryui who normally doesn''t let people touch him allowed Sei-nee to, Zakuro too was stroked under his chin and narrowed his eyes comfortably. Maybe because they remembered the events from the camp event and accepted her.


    "Now, it''s time to go back."


    "You''re right. I need to make poison from the ¡¾Crazy Water Lilies¡¿ once we''re back."


    "You don''t have to worry about it, Yun-chan. Leave it to others and do your best with resistance Senses leveling."


    I was shocked by what Sei-nee said.


    Despite coming to ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ for a change of pace my thinking had turned towards ¡¾Mixing¡¿ again.


    Not just Sei-nee, even Ryui and Zakuro stared at me intently.


    "Yup. I''ll take it easy once we''re back."


    "There are players with ¡¾Mixing¡¿ in the guild so let''s leave it to them."


    Sei-nee''s expression softened and a smile spilled on her face.


    ¡ñ


    With resistance Senses leveling preparation finished, aside from me, Myu and her party members also gathered in the training field outside the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild''s home.


    While we were waiting, Myu somehow ended up patting Ryui and Zakuro.


    Already used to it, the two seemed to let out an aura saying they want it to end as soon as possible.


    "I look forward to it, Onee-chan. What kind of method do they have for leveling, I wonder?"


    "They''ll induce bad statuses with potions and such, I guess? But using potions like that makes you feel sick so I''m not good with it. Speaking of which, Lucato and others have come here to pick resistance Senses too, right?"


    When I asked, Myu''s party member confirmed.


    "Yes. We were interested in the inner-works of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild so we decided to experience it by joining Yun-san''s resistance Sense leveling."


    "We too are unaffiliated with any guild, but it''s not like we aren''t interested. We''re actually touring just like you, Yun-san."


    Adding on top of what Lucato said, Hino explained further.


    On the other hand, Kohaku, Toutobi and Rirei were discussing as to what Senses they are taking.


    "What Sense are you taking? ''m gonna pick ¡¾Curse Resistance¡¿."


    "...you are a mage so losing MP must hurt. I think I will take ¡¾Poison Resistance¡¿. After all, I have acquired the Sense already but haven''t leveled it at all."


    "Fufufu, what shall I do then. Honestly, I don''t mind picking any of them but let''s make it ¡¾Curse Resistance¡¿. I''ll cover the rest with equipment."


    I listened to what the three were talking about and it seemed like they didn''t intend on taking all eight Senses like I do.


    That''s when Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee who were to help us with leveling resistance Senses have come.


    "So everyone''s gathered. Well then, I''ll explain a few things before we begin the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿-style resistance Senses acquisition boot camp."


    "Explain?"


    "Well, it''s nothing stuffy. Just the methodology for leveling resistance Senses and explanation of advantages, disadvantages it has."


    "And after hearing it, think well what Senses you take, okay?"


    Sei-nee followed up after Mikadzuchi, then after confirming no one had any questions Mikadzuchi started explaining.


    "Well then, first, for the method of leveling resistance type Senses, speaking simply ¨C we''re using strong poisons right from the start."


    "Before we explain details, let''s talk about advantages and disadvantages. For advantages, you will be able to level the resistance Senses you want in a short amount of time. Multiple members of our guild acquired their Senses like this. On the other hand, for disadvantages, if you take multiple resistance Senses the amount of SP acquired increases. If your overall acquired SP increases too much, the amount of HP recovered by potions will be limited."


    Sei-nee looked my way as she said so. Certainly, just like the amount of HP recovered by Beginner''s Potions is decreased upon reaching certain total of SP acquired, there was a similar limit to Potions and High Potions.


    In fact, the guild''s verification and leveling maniacs haphazardly acquired Senses and as a result of increasing the amount of their SP, ended up having to use limitless Blue Potions.


    So, either prepare yourself for the risk and acquire multiple resistance Senses or in consideration of the future select Senses carefully. We had to pick one of the methods.


    Myu and others seemed to know that already and have acquired one or two Senses, then cover the rest with equipment, items and recovery magic.


    "Yes yeees! I thought of picking up ¡¾Charm Resistance¡¿!"


    Myu raised her hand and said so.


    "Then you''ll be together with Sei. I''ll give you two powerful bad status drugs so slowly raise your levels together."


    And I¡ª¡ª


    "Then Yun-chan, what about you?"


    "I will... pick all of them after all."


    "Kukuku, so you''re onto the harsh course Missy. Fine. Then pick up the Senses. I''ll explain the method for leveling them after you equip them."


    Prompted by Mikadzuchi I acquired eight resistance Senses and equipped them.


    Possessed SP27


    ¡¾Dosing Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Poison Resistance Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Paralysis Resistance Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Sleep Resistance Lv1¡¿¡¾Curse Resistance Lv1¡¿¡¾Charm Resistance Lv1¡¿¡¾Confusion Resistance Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Stun Resistance Lv1¡¿¡¾Anger Resistance Lv1¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv10¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv36¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv40¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿


    "Then I''ll explain the process of receiving bad statuses, when you receive a bad status attack you gain experience corresponding to its heaviness when you recover. Base stats give resistance to bad status depending on the type, it''s DEF for body types, MIND for mental types. If your stats are high you can weaken or avoid them."


    Through logic, if you have high enough DEF and MIND you don''t need resistance Senses, said Mikadzuchi. As if to protest against that declaration, Sei-nee put on a bitter smile.


    "The role of those resistance Senses'' role was to increase DEF and MIND against those bad statuses to invalidate them, the higher level of the Sense the harder it is to level them and you recover faster. But this part is unnecessary for this time''s leveling so we''ll ditch it."


    "The heck?!"


    "Oh right. Like I said earlier, we''re using strong poisons. To be precise, you gain far more experience when recovering from ¡¾Poison 5¡¿ rather than recovering from ¡¾Poison 1¡¿. Because of that we''re going to use 5''s right from the start, then reapply it continuously to gain experience faster."


    For that sake, Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee will be the ones managing the bad statuses.


    "Well, these are the basics of leveling, we''ll postpone the ones that affect player''s will and actions ¡¾Charm¡¿, ¡¾Confusion¡¿ and ¡¾Anger¡¿ for now."


    "Well then, we''ll lend you out tools for corresponding Senses."


    With that said I started moving towards Sei-nee and Myu to join them, but I was stopped by Mikadzuchi.


    "Whoops, Missy, you''re with me."


    "Not with Myu and others?"


    "Missy, you''re going through special course for taking all eight at the same time. First, we''ll start with ¡¾Poison¡¿, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Curse¡¿, then ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿. The last one will be ¡¾Charm¡¿, ¡¾Confusion¡¿ and ¡¾Anger¡¿. Three-stage leveling."


    And, the accessories passed to me looked quite familiar.


    "These are... accessories inducing bad statuses, right. And this many, too..."


    What Mikadzuchi took out were accessories acquirable during the summer camp event, it was unique cursed equipment that induced bad statuses on the players.


    I also had all eight types, but because they had such powerful bad status effects I only used them as reference for design and decorations rather than using them.


    "These are ¡¾Poison¡¿, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Curse¡¿ inducing rings. Once you equip them you''ll receive high level bad statuses.And, every time you level up their effect will weaken."


    Other than these, we''ll be using bad status poisons prepared by guild for the leveling. She added.


    Nearby, Myu and others already started leveling their selected resistance Senses, to join them I equipped nine bad status rings on fingers of my both hands.


    I feel like a nouveau riche, I thought and drank poisons Mikadzuchi passed me, one bottle after another.


    "Uehh, nasty..."


    "Bear with it, it''s for leveling''s sake."


    The poison had a harsh taste, like vinegar. Then, I drank the paralysis drug which numbed my tongue and I was unable to tell taste of anything else.


    Because my body was paralysed and I couldn''t move my arm well, I was unable to swallow the ¡¾Curse¡¿-inducing drug.


    "Shongue, rumb, kant, shalk. Fvelz howwibre."


    "Kukuku, just lie down. It might be painful because of poison and paralysis, but as you level up it''ll get more comfortable."


    While staring at the poison''s effect burning up my HP I laid down on top of a sheet spread on the training field.


    The strength of the bad statuses I received from poison and paralysis drug were 3, but together with the rings'' effect it increased to 5.


    More specifically, it felt like I was struck down with a cold.


    "My mouth is no longer numb, but that only made me feel even worse."


    "Your HP is decreasing nicely, here, a High Potion for recovery."


    Lying down on the side I somehow managed to hold the potion''s bottle and carry it to my mouth. The tip of my tongue wouldn''t move well so a little of the potion spilled onto my chin, but I had no time to bother with that.


    This isn''t as bad as to call it unbearable, I thought and repeated breathing shallowly, my eyes closed tight.


    Seeing me lie down Ryui and Zakuro snuggled up to me, worried.


    Haa, it feel really warm. Thinking so I hugged Zakuro. Ryui sat down behind my back and warmed it up.


    Although normally Ryui would use Purification to cleanse the bad status, since this time the bad status was used for leveling he only used healing to recover my HP.


    "...oh right, what about Myu and others?"


    I moved my head and saw others also seemed abnormal.


    Toutobi who was leveling ¡¾Poison¡¿ resistance looked the worst and was sitting down. Well, her symptoms still seemed lighter than mine...


    The ones with the lightest symptoms were Kohaku and Rirei who chose ¡¾Curse¡¿ resistance. Only a little languid, they worried about other members.


    "Zzz...zzz..."


    "And those two are sleeping."


    On the other side, Lucato and Hino were lying down and asleep.


    "That''s leveling for ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿. Both of them immobilize you, but it''s also safest leveling. Once their level goes up the bad statuses won''t work any more and they''ll just wake up."


    After explaining Mikadzuchi added "You''ll be doing that later too, Missy", hearing that I felt like switching to that leveling as soon as possible.


    Then, Rirei walked up to where Lucato and Hino were to look at sleeping faces.


    "Fufufu, defenceless pretty girls exposing their faces as they sleep. Haa, haa, this is great. And over there, Yun-san looks as if she had a cold, the way she endures the nausea makes her look so bewitching."


    "They look comfortable as they sleep, don''t disturb them."


    "Rirei, don''t ya dare lay a hand on ''dem. Got ''t?"


    Myu, who still hasn''t started her resistance leveling and Kohaku had took on the role of Rirei-stoppers.


    Sei-nee was watching over everyone so there should be no problems happening. I thought and closed my eyes again, focusing on repeated shallow breathing.


    Hurry up and go up, my levels. While I continued to wish so, the bad statuses and recovery were reapplied multiple times.


    In the middle of that I felt someone move beside me, when I quietly opened my eyes I saw Mikadzuchi''s appearance. She was holding her hand out in my direction.


    "M-Mikadzuchi?"


    Seeing a sparkle in her eyes and a mischievous smile I felt an indescribable anxiety.


    I tried twisting my body to escape from her but I still had ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ applied on me and it wouldn''t move as I wanted it to, moreover I felt nauseous and feverish because of ¡¾Poison¡¿ and ¡¾Curse¡¿. I shook my head slightly to stop her.


    Seeking help I looked towards Sei-nee, but she didn''t notice anything. Moreover, she also seemed strange.


    Mikadzuchi extended her hand to my right leg, imagining what is she trying to do I paled.


    And then¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª?!!"


    I couldn''t even scream because of the paralysis.


    I felt agony as my numb body was tickled.


    Excited like a little kid Mikadzuchi moved her hand to touch my sides. Seeing this, Rirei made an ecstatic expression.


    That''s when Mikadzuchi''s movements stopped, the temperature in the surroundings had gone down all at once.


    "Looks like you''re having fun, Mikadzuchi."


    Sei-nee''s voice spread out loud and clear over the field, her appearance spreading cold air all over the place. Moving like a rusted machine, Mikadzuchi turned around towards her.


    "T-this... I was just a little curious. Don''t get so angry."


    "Is that so. See, my body feels really hot now. It''s so hot I can''t bear it."


    Cold wind spread in Sei-nee''s surroundings as she said that and the earth''s surface gradually froze.


    "Ah, no fair Onee-chan! Me too! I''m itching to do something so hard I can''t bear it! I wonder what''s this strange mood." Myu also pulled out her weapon, the longsword and raised it up.


    Judging from the way the two breathed shallowly, it didn''t seem like they were completely sane. Their faces were reddish and they smiled bewitchingly.


    "Haa, haa... M-Mikadzuchi, what''s up with Myu and Sei-nee?"


    "Don''t ask me, I have no clu... hm?"


    Mikadzuchi herself was confused seeing the two like that.


    I turned towards other Myu party''s members, before I realized Toutobi had moved to where Lucato and Hino were sleeping. In there, there was chaos. Kohaku who looked like she was in bad condition was desperately trying to stop Rirei from going berserk.


    And seeing a bottle beneath their feet, Mikadzuchi seemed to have been struck by headache.


    "I might have mistaken some liquor for bad status drugs and gave them that."


    "Huuhh?!!"


    "I''m saying that I thought I passed ¡¾Charm¡¿ drugs to Sei, but it must have been the cocktail with ¡¾Charm¡¿ drug mixed into it."


    "What happens once you drink that?"


    "In case of players who are over twenty it works like a normal food item. Unless you drink too much there won''t be any problem... but if minors drink that they receive ¡¾Drunkenness¡¿, a special bad status."


    It seemed that aside from ¡¾Charm¡¿, Sei-nee and Myu also had ¡¾Drunkenness¡¿ applied on them.


    While ¡¾Drunkenness''¡¿ effect seems like a bad status no different from ¡¾Confusion¡¿, ¡¾Charm¡¿, ¡¾Sleep¡¿, ¡¾Stun¡¿ and ¡¾Anger¡¿, it''s something completely different.


    Moreover, it seems that combined with ¡¾Charm¡¿ status it turns really troublesome.


    As I listened to Mikadzuchi''s description the bad status on me started to fade and I finally could tell that my resistance Senses'' level had increased.


    Clad in absolute zero-cold air, Sei-nee approached me.


    "Yun-chan, Myu-chan and I are going to play with Mikadzuchi for a little bit so just rest here for now."


    She said so with a cheerful smile and then, the ring on my fingers were all removed to be replaced with different ones.


    The new rings'' effect activated immediately, due to ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ states my consciousness had gradually faded.


    The last thing I saw was Myu''s and Sei''s figures clashing in PvP against Mikadzuchi.


    ¡ñ


    Once ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ leveling had completed I stared blankly at the scene spreading in front of me.


    A gouged-up and frozen-over training ground. Also, Lucato and others who have finished their leveling before me, staring at it.


    The ground was scarred by Myu''s and Sei-nee''s battle against Mikadzuchi.


    "Phew, well, I guess I''ll forgive you with this? Why did you pass us liquor for resistance leveling, really."


    "Sorry, it was my bad. Still, Sei! You sobered up in the middle of combat but you didn''t stop attacking!"


    "Once my sanity returned, I continued to punish you for giving us that cocktail and for playing with Yun-chan. Look, Yun-chan woke up, go apologize now."


    "I get it."


    Mikadzuchi seemed quite roughened-up compared to how she was before I lost consciousness, her PvP with Myu and Sei-nee was over and she had approached me.


    "Sorry. I felt a little mischievous when I tickled you, forgive me."


    "Haa, it''s all right. It seems like it''s over already."


    I spoke carelessly and looked away from Mikadzuchi to overlook the surroundings.


    This devastation wasn''t strange considering Myu and Sei-nee were the ones behind it. But, unable to tell how specifically was the field devastated I asked Mikadzuchi.


    "Hey, what really happened here?"


    "No, um, well. Nothing you need to worry about, Missy."


    "How did you fight for this to happen...?"


    "Sei and Myu were just rampaging because of ¡¾Drunkenness¡¿. More importantly, meanwhile you had ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ rings on you for leveling, check on your Senses now."


    With no intention to explain any further, Mikadzuchi fell silent.


    I tried looking around to find an explanation, but there was none.


    Despite feeling a little anxious I opened my Sense Status window to confirm the leveling''s results.


    Possessed SP42


    ¡¾Dosing Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Poison Resistance Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Paralysis Resistance Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Sleep Resistance Lv34¡¿¡¾Curse Resistance Lv30¡¿¡¾Charm Resistance Lv1¡¿¡¾Confusion Resistance Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Stun Resistance Lv32¡¿¡¾Anger Resistance Lv1¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv10¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv36¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv40¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv14¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿


    Five resistance Senses have grown at once and I also acquired 15 SP.


    With that I approached the limit of Potion recovery limit, but since my total SP still hasn''t reached 100, High Potions can be used the same as usual.


    Although there isn''t any higher Sense for resistance Senses at level 30, but if you have ¡¾Poison¡¿, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿, ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ Sense resistances at level 30, you can merge them into one ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿ Sense.


    I could either continue leveling all the Senses or decrease the amount of SP I acquire in the future in order to delay the time I reach the High Potions recovery limit.


    "Take the possibility of higher Sense, or take the merged Sense... all right!"


    I wondered for a few moments before using 3 SP and acquiring ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿.


    At the same time the four Senses integrated into one, the four appeared on the list of Senses I could acquire.


    "¡ª¡ªOh right, Missy. I forgot one thing, this boot camp''s goal is raising resistance Senses until they are practical in use, make sure not to take ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿ or ¡¾Spiritual Resistance¡¿. They aren''t dead Senses when it comes to usability, but there aren''t many merits in taking them."


    Mikadzuchi told me that right after I took ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿ Sense.


    "Well, it''s a Sense that integrates the four."


    I responded with a trembling voice.


    "Don''t be fooled by the description. Certainly it does integrate the Senses and reduces the space they take but the resistance it gives isn''t any higher than before. If anything, it''s lower because the level goes down."


    "You''re kidding, right? I go through all this nausea to have it level down again."


    "Also, it''s quite slow in leveling. Roughly calculating, it takes about eight times as much time for it to return back to practical level. Well, all four bad statuses give you experience so you can level it with the easy one but..."


    Because of the shock I felt Mikadzuchi word''s hardly reached me.


    Thinking about the time it would take me to get ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿ to level 30, I was astounded.


    "What is it, suddenly falling silent... did you pick it up? You didn''t, did you?"


    "Ahahaha... kinda did."


    "W-well, I guess you can take the resistance Senses again? The effect seems to overlap."


    Said Mikadzuchi and averted her eyes.


    "Hey, why are you looking away?"


    "But if you take those four Senses again and increase the amount of SP, the amount of HP recovered from potions will decrease."


    "Haa, it can''t be helped. I can only continue leveling the ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿ Sense to practical level. But before that..."


    "What is it?"


    "It feels bad to have the spirit-type resistance Senses on low level so help me level them until they''re merged into ¡¾Spiritual Resistance¡¿."


    "Haa, what a hassle. After Sei and Myu-chan, this time it''s Missy. And, if you level too many Senses at once you''ll end up reaching recovery limit."


    "Mikadzuchi, it''s your fault in the first place, you forgot to explain the merged Sense. If you had time to tickle me, you also had time to explain."


    I pursed my lips not even hiding my bad mood and blamed Mikadzuchi.


    Having that pointed out and unable to argue, Mikadzuchi roughly ruffled her head and stood up.


    "It can''t be helped. I''ll help you out for a little."


    Mikadzuchi shouldered the hexagonal stick that was her weapon and we moved to the devastated field''s centre, then she greeted me with a smile like that of a mischievous child.


    "Welcome to ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ eight-resistance Sense leveling boot camp''s annual practice, Mikadzuchi''s PvP d¨­j¨­. For now, once bad statuses are applied you''re free to attack me all you want. This is a competition where we compare how much we can hit the opponent until the leveling is complete."


    After saying so, Mikadzuchi send me an invitation¡ª¡ªfor PvP: Hit Count Battle.


    While overwhelmed by her as she held the stick in a stance I took a step forward.


    Sei-nee approached me and changed the rings from ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ to ¡¾Charm¡¿, ¡¾Confusion¡¿ and ¡¾Anger¡¿.


    With the three bad statuses applied to me I was unable to use any skills because of ¡¾Confusion¡¿''s effect, but thanks to ¡¾Anger¡¿ my attack-type stats increased.


    "Well then, let''s have a good match."


    After saying just that, I surrendered my body to the bad statuses.


    Right after the PvP started the three bad statuses struggled for initiative. I didn''t try resisting them and only focused on Mikadzuchi''s movements.


    Mikadzuchi''s reach with the stick is long, but I can take more distance with the bow.


    My body moving in auto-mode held up the bow, pulled an arrow from the quiver and shot.


    I shot three arrows with ATK increased by the ¡¾Anger¡¿, but Mikadzuchi struck them down with the stick.


    "Hmmm. Well, you can do continuous shooting with the bow, but the control isn''t too good. Also, with bad status on you you can''t use feints, so even if your stats are higher..."


    She said and took a step to the left, leaning in heavily as if to fall.


    My body predicted ahead of time where she will be and shot an arrow, but Mikadzuchi''s movement was a feint and she avoided all the arrows immediately by moving to the right.


    "If you want to catch me you need to shoot at least ten arrows!"


    I continued to shoot arrows mechanically, but all of them were either avoided or brushed away with the stick.


    And in meantime, the quiver was emptied.


    There were many arrows struck down by Mikadzuchi and no longer usable so the arrow''s automatic recovery wasn''t working.


    With my arrows running out faster than usual, I was forced to change my action pattern.


    I stowed the bow in the inventory and took out two kitchen knives.


    In my right hand I held the Dismantling Knife ¨C Blue Dancer that was reminiscent of a Japanese sword. In my left, I held the Meat Cleaver ¨C Heavy Black, that was like a hatchet made of thick Black Iron.


    After raising them my body charged right at Mikadzuchi and I slashed with the dismantling knife.


    "This time you switch to close combat, huh. It''s good to have multiple means of fighting, but your movements are monotone."


    Mikadzuchi twisted her body lightly as she said so, avoiding the dismantling knife and attacked my chin with the stick.


    Receiving an attack from below onto my jaw I fell on my back, but the struggling bad statuses caused me to bounce back up immediately and I assaulted Mikadzuchi again.


    After avoiding my roundhouse slashes with dismantling knife and the meat cleaver, Mikadzuchi countered with a stick thrust and a cleave.


    This PvP mode was not limited by amount of HP players had and the victory or defeat was decided by the amount of hits received. The number "32" had already floated above my head in contrast to Mikadzuchi''s "0".


    It was hardly a proper match, but as we continued to fight my resistance Senses must have slowly leveled up since the deprived control of my body had partially returned. With that said, it was just that during attacks I was able to move the point of my knives to shift timing of Mikadzuchi''s attacks.


    Seeing the change, she furrowed her brows for a second.


    "It''s still awkward, but there''s a change in your movements. Resistance levels must have gone up, huh."


    She analysed the change and once again struck my side with the stick, forcing me on my knees.


    I tried standing up like a zombie, but my shoulder was mercilessly hit with the stick and I fell on my back.


    Then, aiming at my head on the ground as if it was a golf ball, Mikadzuchi swung her stick.


    ¡ª¡ªThis is bad!


    Instinctively sensing danger the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ triggered automatically and the time I experienced had stretched out.


    As the perceived time stretched out with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I avoided the incoming stick with movements like that of a beast.


    "Ohh, so you avoided that. Your character''s specs are so-so, your avoidance skills are high. However, without combat-type Senses'' support or past experience your movement''s are downright amateur."


    Mikadzuchi said and attacked.


    I slashed with the meat cleaver in my hand many times, but the stick changing like a snake had blew it out of my hands.


    And, the stick had struck my arms, legs, belly, shoulder and head time after time again. However, my body dominated with bad status didn''t stop attacking Mikadzuchi.


    After that, as the time passed I regained the control of my body and the speed at which I swung the dismantling knife I held in my both hands had increased.


    But I only continued to receive hits from Mikadzuchi, not even one attack of mine hit her.


    Then with a little longer until the match''s time limit ended I completely recovered the control of my body from the bad status and swung the dismantling knife upwards.


    In addition to that I used a magic skill that was sealed until now with ¡¾Confusion¡¿ for a surprise attack.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bomb¡·"


    I aimed the ¡¶Bomb¡· at Mikadzuchi''s coordinates and swung the dismantling knife at the same time to attack her with everything I had. But¡ª¡ª


    "Both your aim and grip are naive. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Kidoukon¡·"


    Mikadzuchi shifted her body sideways, then cladding the stick with the Art she flicked the ¡¶Bomb¡· magic overhead away.


    At the same time as she negated the ¡¶Bomb¡· that was to explode imminently she struck the dismantling knife''s handle forcing it out of my hand.


    She hit my head appalled increasing the count over my head and at the same time, the buzzer announcing the time limit had sounded in my head.


    The signal ending the PvP, and match ended with Mikadzuchi''s victory by a landslide, "91" to "0".


    I literally couldn''t do a thing against her. I pulled off the bad status rings and sprawled out on the ground.


    "Haa?, I lost! Completely lost!"


    "Cheers for hard work. But it looks like your bad status leveling went well."


    Just as Mikadzuchi said, the three bad status Senses exceeded level 30 and I was able to merge the four spirit-type resistance Senses into ¡¾Spiritual Resistance¡¿. I was able to but...


    "I''m unconvinced."


    "With what?"


    "The surprise magic attack was avoided and even my last attack sealed off."


    "You see, I''m a guild master of a few dozens of members. There''s been lots of them doing the same thing as you, and I trained with them countless times. C''mon, the boot camp is over, let''s do the clean-up."


    "Yeah, got it."


    I stood up in response. I recovered the meat cleaver that was blown away and when I returned to where Myu and others were, I was greeted by everyone.


    "Welcome back, Onee-chan. Still, it''s a shame you couldn''t get a single hit in."


    "Uhhh, it feels horrible to see my little sisters has so low expectations of me."


    "I mean, the opponent was Mikadzuchi-san. Especially that when Sei-oneechan and I attacked her when under ¡¾Drunkenness¡¿ state she fended off even more severe attacks. There''s no comparison."


    I didn''t see it, but it seems their PvP under the ¡¾Drunkenness¡¿ state was amazing.


    "Now, even if you can''t die in PvP your HP was reduced to half. I''ll heal you up. ¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·!"


    "Myu, I''ll heal up the rest myself. Still, there''s only this few left so Potion will be enough."


    Normally I would use a High Potion or a Blue Potion, but considering the small amount required I thought a Potion would be enough.


    "Eh? It didn''t heal me completely. Or rather, the amount recovered went down?"


    The potion''s item status was normal but the potion didn''t work as usual, the remaining 10% of HP wasn''t all recovered.


    I used another one to try, but the recovered amount had clearly lowered.


    "Ohh, congratulations. You reached the Potion''s recovery limit."


    "Congratulations?"


    "I mean, your level went up by that much, didn''t it? Also, there''s no problem for you Onee-chan since you were using High Potions in the first place."


    Told so by Myu, I guess so, I thought.


    Leaving the investigation of the lowered recovery amount for later, I decided to rest a little.

 Chapter Volume 8 3

    Chapter 3 - The Expedition and Volcanic Area


    A few days after receiving ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ style resistance leveling from Mikadzuchi I examined the effects of the recovery amount limitation caused by the acquisition of large amounts of SP. To do so I used the potions and other healing items I had on hand.


    As a result, I found out that the recovery amount was lowered for one type of potion and pill each. Moreover, there was no change to pill derivations such as the strengthening Boost Tablets.


    Although the amount of HP recovered by Blue Potions didn''t decrease because of the SP''s recovery limit, the amount they recovered was at most as much as a Degraded High Potion.


    And so, by the time I reach High Potion''s recovery limit I need to make a Blue Potion that''s as good as a High Potion. Deciding that I borrowed ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ crafting room but...


    "I knew it, it''s no different from the usual high quality bluepots."


    "How about you give it up already? It''s good enough as is. Let''s have some tea instead, okay?"


    While saying that, Otonashi passed a needle through beads he was working with.


    "I''ll be drinking coffee, what about you two? Is black tea fine?"


    Langley stretched his back and his arm, then drank the cold tea beside him all at once before brewing a new one.


    "Black tea then. With the recipes I have on me, there''s nothing I can make to replace highpots."


    I''ve started deciphering the ¡¾Folk Medicine Encyclopaedia¡¿ that I received as a raid quest''s reward, but there it wasn''t there.


    "Then, how about aiming for higher version of basic potion?"


    "Well, let''s see. The potion above High Potion huh. I would have to start by looking for the recipe, then create prototype, stabilize the effect and then devise how to supply it at low cost. It''s a long road."


    Haa, I sighed. Let''s start by collecting information first. I thought and started sipped the tea I received from Langley.


    Since it brewed for a little too long it was bitter, which reminded me of the tea in Cloude''s ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿.


    "All right, I''ll be going to the library for a while."


    "Take care."


    "Yap, hope you find something good."


    I brought Ryui and Zakuro with me and left ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ guild home and headed to the library.


    Still, since I was unable to bring them inside I had them wait in the space behind library and started searching for a book that could have the higher level potion I wanted.


    "So there''s nothing after all. I quickly looked through these, but if there''s nothing in here it means I have to either acquire information from a quest, or continue trying in blind."


    It might have been a bad idea to search for the higher level potion without knowing it''s name in the first place, but that couldn''t be helped.


    "Haa, let''s give up for now and do some accessory adjustment instead."


    I was currently in the middle of crafting accessories for Myu, and for Sei-nee who has invited us to have a change of pace in ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿.


    The plan was to pass the previously made ¡¾Blue and Silver Mystic Ring¡¿ to Sei-nee after adjustment. And I wanted to give Myu bead accessory for which I was in middle of researching, with trial and error method.


    Beads accessories could be made anywhere as long as you had beads, Metallic Thread and a needle so today, I decided to work leisurely on the bench in the resting place behind the library, together with Ryui and Zakuro.


    "Now, let''s continue where we left off."


    I took out a special case with beads while making sure they don''t spill out, inside there were milky glass and silver beads.


    While staying in the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild I researched making bead accessories together with Otonashi and Langley. We confirmed that the glass beads change hue depending on the material added to the ¡¾Crystal Sand¡¿.


    Even the shade could be changed accordingly to the metal powder''s amount and type added. These milky beads were made by mixing ¡¾Phosphorous Soul Ore¡¿ from Will o'' Wisps and ¡¾Crystal Sand¡¿.


    In the centre of the bracelet there was a conspicuously large pedestal. And, by matching small beads I made the large part by using several of them.


    The bracelet wasn''t one that inhibited movements by jingling around but rather a strong one with a relatively simple design.


    On the inner line I put the milky white beads and on the outer lines I put the silver beads.


    I continued to work on it fully focused, then finally for the last part I tied hooks with metal thread so that it doesn''t come off. After adding the hook part that made the bracelet easy to remove I fitted a polished aquamarine jewel on the pedestal, completing it for the time being.


    Snow White Bracelet ¡¾Accessory¡¿ (Weight:1)


    DEF+8, MIND+12


    The finished accessory was meant for Myu.


    Both of them were prototypes and since I found out that I could attach three additional effects to them I''ve been looking into choosing those...


    "I don''t have any good strengthening materials."


    "What is it that you don''t have?"


    "Woah?!! That surprised me! Heck, it''s Cloude?!"


    As I nearly slide off the bench I held down Zakuro who was sitting on my knees.


    When I looked back I saw Cloude, he had his Lucky Cat partner, Socks on his shoulders and was looking at my hands. I didn''t notice him at all.


    "It''s been a while."


    "You''re right. I did meet with Magi-san, but there was no opportunity to meet you and Lyly. Is he doing okay?"


    "We often go for a hunt together and do crafting lectures. Lyly is also worried that you don''t show yourself around."


    "Um, sorry about that."


    These days I''ve been mostly hanging around in the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild home. I only picked up the minimum of necessary materials from the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and supplemented the merchandise in the store and for consignment.


    "There''s something going on right?"


    "Actually..."


    I looked downwards and pat Zakuro who was on top of my knees.


    Matching that I also rubbed Cloude''s Socks who jumped off his shoulder and onto the bench, in response he let out a purr.


    After a moment of silence I explained to Cloude that I''m under ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ care for some time.


    "Mm. So since you''ve exhausted your spirit you''re trying a different stimulus to get back motivation, huh."


    "Sorry to make you worry."


    "Well, as long as you''re doing all right. Still, to think there was an inside-body dungeon in the highlands area''s giant mob. Anyway, it seems like you didn''t disappear like you did before because you found involving yourself with others a bother so it''s all right. Moreover, you found something to stimulate you, too."


    Saying so, Cloude squat down on the ground and picked something up.


    It was a single bead that spilled out of the case when I nearly fell off the bench.


    "I''ve been looking, it seems like you''re working with beads. Isn''t bead and Metallic Thread combination give poor sensation on the skin? If you sew on the more flexible and tough [Silky Spider''s Thread] it will feel better and it would be a good accent."


    As a top tailor, Cloude came up with a method of handling beads immediately. In addition to having an idea much better than those of ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ tailors, he even presented a method of improving it.


    "You showed me something good today."


    With that said, Socks climbed back onto Cloude''s shoulder and they headed home. I''ve seen them off until they disappeared.


    After that on another day, I saw masterpieces decorated with beads arranged in the showcase at ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ and was astounded, but that''s a story for another time.


    "Now then, let''s go back."


    I said and started walking towards ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ home.


    And when I opened the guild hall''s door, an atmosphere different from the usual had come into my sight.


    "C''mon, outta way! Gather together as parties not to be a hindrance." "Bring back souvenirs, kaay." "Got it. We''ll gather some materials there, I leave the rest to you." "It''s my first time going there, is that okay?" "I''ve been there together with the advance team, it''s an interesting place. Well, you''re going now so look forward to it."


    The noisy roster of players gathered were the core of the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿, top and medium-leveled players as well as some crafters mixed in between them.


    What on earth is happening for this many people to gather at the same time, I wondered surprised but the commotion had continued regardless. That''s when Sei-nee had started giving out instructions to several guild members.


    "Mm. So preparations are complete. Well then, once Mikadzuchi gives instructions you just move through the portal. Also, for people who can''t use the portal ¨C Mikadzuchi and I will cooperate to help you reach and register it."


    She seemed busy so it''s better that I don''t disturb her now. I thought and took step backwards, bumping into someone.


    "Woops, I''m sorry. Ah, Mikadzuchi?"


    "What about you, Missy, if you don''t prepare quickly we''ll leave you behind y''know?"


    "Leave me behind? What do you mean, are you going somewhere?"


    Not understanding the situation I was told to go into another place by Mikadzuchi, in there I saw Myu''s party, Otonashi and Langley gathered together.


    "Onee-chan! Really, we were waiting!"


    "My-Myu, I can''t breathe..."


    After spotting me Myu embraced my neck tightly and Lucato with the rest of the party stared at it, used to this happening. Also, keeping moderate distance from everyone were Otonashi and Langley.


    "Right, tell me, what''s this gathering?"


    "Eh? Didn''t you hear about it from Sei-oneechan and Mikadzuchi?"


    "No, nothing at all..."


    I didn''t speak with Sei-nee and in Mikadzuchi''s case, she either forgot or possibly thought it would be more interesting not to tell me.


    And, Mikadzuchi in question had raised her voice from the stairs that were in the centre of the hall.


    "The guild''s elite! Well done gathering here today! Starting today, just as planned, we are going to thoroughly complete the content on the frontline area as we have been planning for some time, let us depart! For a week from now on we are going to uncover the front lines at our full power! Well then¡ª¡ªexpedition, head out!"


    Expedition, I muttered and at the same time Mikadzuchi''s speech ended. The guild hall was filled with cheers and everyone started moving, one after another.


    Then Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee joined us where we gathered...


    "All right, we should be going too!"


    "No, wait, what ''going'', it''s my first time hearing about it. And what''s that expedition..."


    "Fufufu, you see, we''re expeditioning to the summit of the Volcanic Area!"


    Sei-nee smiled seeming to have fun but personally, I was disappointed hearing it''s mountains again.


    "Well then, go on, have fun¡ª¡ª"You''re going too, Missy."¡ª¡ªSo that was it."


    "It''s all right Missy, there''s a place you''ll definitely like. ...but actually, it''s part of a dangerous zone though."


    "Wait, Mikadzuchi. What did you say for the second part?!"


    I''ve heard that. What "dangerous zone", where the hell are you bringing me. I wanted to say in protest, but before I could I was dragged away by Myu who was still clinging onto me and Mikadzuchi.


    Ryui and Zakuro followed right after us.


    "This group still hasn''t registered the portal in the Volcanic Area so we''ll head there quickly to catch up to the group preceding us."


    "Haa, fine, whatever happens, happens."


    I sighed deeply and decided to accompany Mikadzuchi and others in conquering the frontline Volcanic Area.


    Although apparently there is a place to my liking there, it was a frontline Volcanic Area. If possible I would like to avoid entering an area where I''ll kick the bucket from a mere scratch, thinking like that I didn''t enter it before.


    ¡ñ


    Not too long after that we have reached the entrance to the Volcanic Area.


    "Ha ha ha, that was a quick arrival."


    As the dry laughter spilled beside me, a reddish-brown mountain with cracked surface has spread out in front of us.


    On the ground there were black spots flashing with red repeatedly because of lava and volcanic gases blowing out from the below to turn into pillars of fire.


    "Now, let''s go."


    "Seriously? Let me rest a moment."


    "C''mon Onee-chan, do your best!"


    Having my back slapped lightly by Myu I raised my sight from the ground below us.


    We walked quite a distance to reach here.


    Once we passed through the Mine Dungeon nearby the Third Town and slipped by the place half-spider Arachne mobs spawned, we ended up in this Volcanic Area.


    At the entrance to the Volcanic Area there was the portal''s safety area where the preceding guild members have been taking a break.


    Passing beside those guild members, with Mikadzuchi in the front our succeeding group has proceeded forward after her to the top of the mountain.


    "Go forth. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Ice Lance¡·"


    "I won''t lose, Sei-oneechan! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Fifth Breaker¡·!"


    "Aren''t you energetic, haa!"


    "No, you''re all too energetic."


    Enemy mobs have climbed up and attacked us in groups.


    Since they were active mobs, any mobs that could perceive us have come rushing at us for no reason. Myu, Sei-nee, Mikadzuchi and others have dealt with them one after another.


    With every party fighting separately and positioning themselves there were no problems with joint struggle penalty and we smoothly climbed upwards.


    "Aaa-ah, I have so few chances to enter combat that I feel bad for it. Feels like I''m being escorted."


    "You''re a crafter so this is normal. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·"


    "If you''re free then gather items! We''re investigating all the resources in the area!"


    Sei-nee fired water bullets and ice lances one after another, Mikadzuchi yelled as she beat down the incoming enemies with the stick.


    A bear-type mob with lava on its back who spits out flames, the Magma Bear.


    A moth-type mob who spread out metal powder and sparks to generate dust explosions, the Dust Moth. The group mob that had multiple caterpillar bodies with mottled patterns, Dust Eater.


    Taking those on we moved forward.


    "They''re really something to cope with those attacks."


    "Isn''t it just the case of getting used to it?"


    Lucato responded to my question. Ahead of our lines of sight there was Myu and Mikadzuchi swinging their weapons in the vanguard.


    Faced with the Magma Bear, Mikadzuchi didn''t move back even a single step as she continued to exchange blows with it. Myu avoided dust explosions occurring one after another in mid-air and at the same time, she cut down Dust Eaters below with her sword and shot down Dust Moths with light magic.


    Just as told to by Mikadzuchi, I did my best recovering items together with the crafters from the same group.


    Otonashi and Langley gathered and dug up with a pickaxe the few collecting points there were in the barren earth, I also swung my Black Iron Pickaxe on the hard mining points.


    And by the time we have finished gathering up the ore, and rough gemstones from the mining points, the enemy mobs around us were nearly wiped out.


    "We''re done here. Yun-oneechan, how is it over there?"


    "About done now. Rather, I don''t know anything about this area, could you explain properly for once?"


    After combat and item gathering was over I asked Mikadzuchi as we climbed a mountain path of the Volcanic Area.


    "Let''s see. This is one of the frontline areas, the Volcanic Area. The Highlands Area you found Missy is the unexplored frontline area to the North. Other than that there are mountain and forest area''s to the East and a wasteland area to the south."


    Considering the peaky strength Lightning Horse from the northern highlands area has, it could be said that it''s the Northern frontline.


    "So, what kind of thing are here in this Volcanic Area?"


    "Hmm. According to the advance party there''s a secret door here."


    "Ohh, sounds interesting! Let''s head straight there! We''ll get there faster and we won''t have to climb this convoluted mountain road!"


    Saying so, Myu was about to break into a run but Sei-nee and I held her shoulders stopping her. Following that, Mikadzuchi said why is she hesitant to climb directly.


    "You can try taking the direct route, but it''s a slope with footing of gravel and pebbles that make it easy to slip. Also, you''ll have to avoid heat traps and volcanic gas traps that are around there as you combat fire-resistant enemy mobs. So, how about it?"


    "All right! Let''s get over with this mountain road!"


    This time, Myu rushed up the mountain road and Lucato with others have started chasing after her.


    "Then, what are special characteristics of this area?"


    "Let''s see. There are multiple man-made facilities around here. Also, look, a stone egg landmark over there."


    Ahead of where Mikadzuchi pointed there was a rock on a pedestal that was twice as tall as a human. Myu ran up on top of it and seemed to have been looking around from above.


    "Ohh, so high!"


    "Myu-san! It''s dangerous so please come down!


    "Ahahaha, that''s just like you Myu-chan. I''ll climb on it later too!"


    "Hino-san!"


    Lucato panicked all alone. Beside the rock Toutobi wondered what''s the meaning of that object, there was also Rirei and Kohaku there.


    And, Sei-nee explained regarding that meaning.


    "There should be a key in there. To enter the dungeon at the eight station you need a key item called ¡¾Demonfolk Gatekeeper''s Key¡¿, they exist scattered around this Volcanic Area, but it seems not here.."


    After listening to Sei-nee''s explanation Myu jumped off the stone egg to look into a gap between the stone egg and the pedestal.


    "When the key item ¡¾Demonfolk Gatekeeper''s Key¡¿ is either used or carried outside the area in someone''s possession it will disappear and reappear in its original location."


    "Hee, that sounds interesting. It might be my first time encountering a locked dungeon."


    Once we caught up I looked sideways into the cavity the key was in.


    Sei-nee''s commentary had tickled my fancy a little. For a while after we proceeded through empty space, but the further up we went the air had grown hotter and several of us have started feeling discomfort.


    "Soo hooot. Yun-oneechan, are you okay?"


    "I''m fine, but what about you, Myu?"


    "Hmm. It''s a little too harsh. Ah, Onee-chan''s Ryui is so cool."


    The volcano''s heat, the high temperatures had been dealing environment damage to players bit by bit starting with the players with lowest DEF and fire resistance.


    As for me, I could withstand this heat thanks to accustoming myself to it when I was working on accessories with ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿.


    My partner Zakuro had a high compatibility with fire element since he used fox fire and seemed to be doing all right. As for Ryui, since he could use water element his body let out a cool air and he seemed totally calm.


    And, around him¡ª¡ª


    "Haa, such refreshing air coming from Ryui¡ª¡ª"


    "Certainly, it''s cool."


    "Oasis in the middle of a desert."


    The players with no resistance gathered, cooled off and moved away. Although a little irritated by that, Ryui walked beside me with Zakuro on top of him.


    Once we neared to a depression we have seen for a while, Mikadzuchi pointed with her finger.


    "This is the fourth station''s* ¡¾Sweltering Oil Pond¡¿!"


    Beside the mountain road there was a gouge in the mountain, a liquid accumulated inside it.


    The flashing red light from the blinking ground had been reflected on the highly transparent oil surface.


    When I approached, a pebble from under my feet fell into the pond and sunk in the a way specific to viscous oil.


    "Hee, so there are things like these too."


    I approached the ¡¾Sweltering Oil Pond¡¿ then using scoop and funnel for collecting I poured the oil into a container.


    After acquiring several bottles of ¡¾Volcanic Zone''s Sweltering Oil¡¿ I moved away from the reservoir in order to check up on the material.


    "Hmm, it''s different from edible oil, I guess it''s mineral oil. In which case, it can''t be used for ¡¾Cooking¡¿ or ¡¾Mixing¡¿. Maybe I can use it as quenching agent instead of water for ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿. For silver equipment that doesn''t require hardness and sharpness, especially when it''s for use with magic it might be better to cool it off with the oil rather than ¡¾Water of Life¡¿..."


    I muttered to myself as I investigated the materials in my hands, and when I raised my head I saw everyone stare at me with lukewarm gazes.


    "W-what is it? Is there anything on my head?"


    "No, you sure are a crafter, is what we thought."


    Told so by Mikadzuchi I looked at others and saw Otonashi and Langley hold bottles of ¡¾Volcanic Zone''s Sweltering Oil¡¿ in the same way as me.


    Both of them were studying it just like I did.


    "Ahh, well um, sorry."


    "It''s just a crafter''s nature. Anyway, we''ve come this far, how about a small sideshow."


    "Sideshow?"


    "Yep, a little lesson to make sure you don''t end up forget yourself and about security and take things lightly."


    I furrowed my eyebrows puzzled, but Myu''s eyes shone with curiosity.


    Seeing our reactions Mikadzuchi grinned fearlessly and fired a long-range art at a Magma Bear that just respawned, pulling it.


    It was a bear who let out flames from his back. And, there was a pool with oil nearby.


    This combination gave me a really, really bad feeling.


    "S-Sei-nee..."


    "Yes yes. Everyone get back, okay? ¡ª¡ª¡¶Ice Shield¡·"


    A highly transparent wall of ice has separated us from the oil pond.


    And, on the other side of it there was Mikadzuchi, fending off Magma Bear''s attacks. She let out a knock-back art to push the Magma Bear into the oil pond behind it.


    "¡ª¡ªGUOOOOOOOOO!"


    Immediately after that, the Magma Bear''s fire had crawled over the surface of the oil pond.


    In a split second the Magma Bear was enveloped by a fire lake, burned by inferno more intense than the fire he was burned in he struggled.


    "And so, be careful so that this doesn''t happen to you, don''t approach the oil pond carelessly.


    "Woahh! Truly a sea of flames. He got ultra-well done!"


    "............"


    Myu looked at it completely careless, and in contrast to that, I lost my voice.


    Every time the Magma Bear flailed its limbs struggling in the oil pond, oil turned-fireballs scattered in all direction.


    If not for Sei-nee''s wall of ice, it would be a dangerous situation.


    The Magma Bear''s gradually sunk into the flames, his body scorched, in the end only his foreleg reached out from the oil pond and towards the heaven.


    That''s when someone nearby said "I''ll be back", I didn''t miss hearing that.


    Mikadzuchi called out to us, who were looking at this scene agape.


    "Next time you''re getting close to it make sure to do a safety check. Also, there''s a ¡¾Demonfolk Gatekeeper''s Key¡¿ in that oil pond but ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ members seem to have collected it earlier."


    "Hey hey. What about that flame? Will it continue to burn like that?"


    Myu pointed at the oil pond that was still in flames.


    "It''s all right, it''ll stop after a while. Well, if you handle collection poorly it turns into a trap, I wanted to show you that as soon as possible."


    "Um, Yun-chan, are you all right?"


    "Yeah, just a little surprised and at loss for words."


    "Was that too much a shock?"


    "No, I''m just glad that I was careful when I was collecting it."


    I answered so to Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi who looked worried, but it didn''t seem like I could move right away.


    I covered my face with my hands and massaged it to fix my stiff expression.


    Meanwhile, Ryui and Zakuro snuggled up to me and looked at me worried, I enjoyed their fluffiness to recover my energy.


    "I''m all right now."


    "I see. Well, a little further and we''ll be in safety area. We''ll rest there."


    And so, we have continued to climb up.


    Once we approached the vicinity of the Volcanic Area''s sixth station we noticed white smoke coming from the mountain.


    ¡ñ


    A strange space has been built on the blazing volcano.


    Mainly, because there was an exemplary relaxation facility in it.


    In the safety area on the middle of the mountain there was a gigantic rock buried in the ground, roughly cut out in it there was a basin.


    Stored inside of it there was hot water being blown out from the mountain''s slope¡ª¡ªturning into hot springs.


    Beside it, in the back of the hot spring''s basin there was a building. It felt like a true private hot spring in a volcanic region.


    "Wow, it''s pure white with steam. Is this really a hot spring?"


    "It''s a rest area made in a form of a hot spring. If you use it you will receive SPEED bonus for a certain amount of time. Inside the building in the back there are open-air baths for men and women, feel free to go in."


    "Looks like a great reward for getting this far."


    I said and walked towards the men''s bath entrance marked with blue curtain.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªEntering prohibited. You do not have authority to enter."¡»


    "Wha?!!"


    "Hey hey, Missy. That''s men''s bath. The one beside it is for women."


    Mikadzuchi pointed at the red curtain marking women''s bath...


    As if I''d enter women''s bathh!! Heck! Why the hell can''t I enter men''s?! I''m a man!


    While I screamed inside my mind, Lucato and others commented happily as they entered the women''s bath. Gradually the number of people outside has decreased.


    "Not going to enter, Missy?"


    "Ah, eh, um..."


    Just a moment earlier I was eager to enter, I need a reason to refuse... I thought and my gaze wandered to Ryui and Zakuro.


    "I-I have the young beasts, Ryui and Zakuro, right?! I mean, since we can''t go in together we''ll just have a footbath in there."


    I said and pointed at the hot spring cut out in stone.


    "That so? Well, I won''t force you."


    "Well then, Yun-oneechan. We''ll be going in the hot spring inside!"


    "Yun-chan, see you later."


    Saying so, the women group entered the dressing room.


    The remaining male players were...


    "I''m not really interested in hot springs so I"ll be going to hunt some mobs meanwhile." "In that case, we''ll go do some gathering outside." "We leave escorting us to you. And, we''ll be back after a while."


    Saying things like that, other than a small number of male players who entered the men''s hot spring everyone had started searching the surroundings without taking a break.


    Nestled together with the two young beasts in front of the hot spring I''ve seen them off and put my hand in the cloudy water from the hot spring''s edge.


    "Hmm, the temperature is a little too high I guess."


    I said, then took off my boots and jacket, stowing them in the inventory. I sat down on the edge of the basin and slowly sank my legs inside the hot spring.


    "Ahh, it''s not so deep which makes it great for a footbath. I love this scenery with this kind of charm."


    As I muttered, Zakuro who was by my side had jumped into the hot water.


    The Fur on his entire body absorbed hot water, he put his head on the edge of the basin and squinted comfortably, his body floating on the water.


    Seeing his normally fluffy body turn slim I broke into laughter.


    On the other hand, Ryui drank the hot spring water with composure.


    Is it all right to drink it? I worried, but it didn''t seem like there''s any problem.


    "Phew, it feels great."


    I lightly moved my feet inside the footbath to mix the hot water.


    The movement of my feet had caused small waves that caused Zakuro''s submerged body to sway in the water.


    "Come to think of it, I''ve acquired a lot of eggs lately. I wonder if I can make hot spring eggs."


    The crack from which the hot spring is blowing out is steaming strongly and looks like the water has high temperature.


    "Woah! It should work well for making hot spring eggs."


    I took out a large basket from inventory and inside I put in Cockatrice Eggs I acquired in the Highlands Area, then sank it where the spring water was falling into.


    To make it easier to recover I tied a rope I can use to pull it out later.


    While I was doing that my feet have cooled down a little so I returned to where Ryui and Zakuro were and once again sank my feet into the footbath.


    "Haa, I look forward to those hot spring eggs. I''ll share some of them with Myu and others since there''s too many for me to eat."


    My voice echoed in the surroundings as I muttered, but it was drown out in the sound of water flowing into the hot spring. And once it quietened down I recalled.


    "...Myu, Sei-nee and others are inside the hot spring."


    I couldn''t hear anything from inside the dressing room and the open-air bath in the back, probably it was made so that no sound leaks out to prevent peeping and eavesdropping, but inside that building¡ª¡ªor to be precise in the open-air bath on the other side, everyone must have taken off their equipment and were immersing themselves in the hot spring.


    "...do they go in naked?"


    It was too quiet, which instead made me imagine it.


    Myu, Lucato and others, also Sei-nee, Mikadzuchi and their ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ female members must be completely defenceless inside there, I imagined and... didn''t get aroused in the least.


    "Eh? That''s strange. I''m a healthy male, I should be more excited by this..."


    Holding inner corners of my eyes and started thinking, but I could only image how Myu and Hino are playing around in the bath, Rirei is trying to touch other women''s bodies with Kohaku stopping her. Lucato and Sei-nee look at it with troubled expressions and Toutobi is acting flustered. Meanwhile I imagined a scene with Mikadzuchi bringing liquor to the bathtub. It was a noisy scene without a speckle of eroticism.


    Left Upper text: "Recover the tiredness from exploring the new area at¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Hot Springs¡¿! " Other text: In the chapter, near the beginning of the hot springs part.


    The time passed as I was thinking and then I heard sound of footsteps coming from the hot spring''s dressing room direction.


    "Phew, the water was great. What about you, Sei-oneechan?"


    "It was a bit too rowdy, I''m sure it would be great around midnight with less people in it."


    "We kept you waiting, Missy!"


    I turned around with my legs still immersed in the footbath and saw Myu and others come out of the dressing room.


    Their hair was still moist and it seemed like they felt it was too hot as they slightly loosened clothing near their chests. Since it was completely different from how they usually wore their clothes it looked sexy, making me avert my gaze in panic.


    "I-I see. So, how was it inside?"


    "It was wide and comfortable. You should have come in with us."


    "D-dumbass! As if I would!"


    Myu clung onto my back and whispered into my ear so I answered reflexively. I don''t know if it was because of the hot spring or embarrassment, but my face burned hot.


    "Ahahaha, Onee-chan''s blushing! It''s all right, you can wear swimsuits inside. And if you don''t have one, you''re forcibly equipped with a bath towel. What, did you imagine something perverted?"


    "W-w-w-wha...! You were teasing me?!"


    "Kyaa, Yun-oneechan got angry!"


    Nifufufu, Myu teased me making me respond angrily. However, Myu escaped and ran over to Lucato and others who were leaving the hot spring''s dressing room.


    Haa, good grief... I heaved a sigh and pulled out my feet from the hot water with one strong move, standing up.


    "You took a break at hot springs but you didn''t recover satiety, have you. I made something while you were in the bath, everyone have some."


    I pulled out the basket with hot spring eggs I had hung earlier, took out enough eggs for myself, Ryui and Zakuro then passed the rest to Mikadzuchi and others.


    Once the heat has faded a little I split one egg open to check, white part was firm and the yolk was soft-boiled, it could be said it had a passing mark.


    Cockatrice Hot Spring Egg ¡¾Cuisine¡¿


    Satiety+20% Additional Effect: ATK+8/60min


    I looked at the item''s status as I peeled eggs from the shell and passed them to Ryui and Zakuro.


    "Hey, Sei. Isn''t Missy''s girl power higher than ours? She''s attentive, good at cooking and caring for others. No wonder she''s called ¡¾Nanny¡¿."


    "That''s true, Yun-chan''s skilled with housework and is caring, so girl power-wise... well, it''s high I guess?"


    "For me, it''s attack power over girl power! And once I eat these eggs my ATK will go up! I''ll also SPEED up with hot spring''s effect! My preparations for battle are truly complete!"


    I could hear Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi talk behind me.


    Myu also raised her voice holding a hot spring egg in her hand.


    I don''t like being called ¡¾Nanny¡¿, I thought, meanwhile Zakuro who was eating an egg with his chin on the edge of the hot spring had slipped off and carried away by the water flowing from the crack.


    Zakuro had just eaten a warm egg and let himself get carried away by the flow looking comfortable, floating on top of water.


    "Geez, Zakuro was carried away. I''ll go get him."


    I entered the hot water and waded forward through it, because of that new waves appeared on the surface and carried Zakuro even further to the opposite side.


    "Ah, Yun-chan, there''s..."


    "What is it? Sei-nee¡ª¡ª"


    And, as I chased after Zakuro who arrived at the hot spring''s centre I fell into the water, my words being interrupted halfway.


    With the hot spring suddenly turning deep I was immersed completely including my head and my vision was taken by the cloudy, hot water.


    There was a strongly tilted wall beside me, I could tell how suddenly has the hot spring deepened because of that and I also could feel myself touching something with the soles of my feet.


    I squat down in the water and picked it up, then by holding onto the slanted walls I pulled myself out of the hole.


    "PWAH! Haa, what''s this?"


    "Onee-chan! Are you okay?!" "Yun-chan, are you all right?!" "Missy seems to be safe."


    Everyone was worried about me and leaned from the edge of the hot spring, looking in my direction.


    I moved to the shallow part and sat down, my lower body being immersed in water.


    Oh right, Zakuro... I looked around and saw Zakuro who was floating on water being caught by his neck and pulled out by Ryui. Then he shook his body on the edge of the spring to dry his fur.


    Foxes are canines, right. I recalled something pointless and sighed with relief seeing him safe.


    Immediately after that I felt a chill on my back despite the fact I was submerged in the hot spring.


    "Haa, haaa, a pretty girl in water all wet, her clothes showing through..."


    "Rirei, how ''bout ya look away?"


    When I turned around I saw Kohaku hold Rirei''s head and forcibly take her somewhere else. The chills stopped at the same time.


    Pheeew, I sighed. I shook off my long black hair sticking to my face with a hand and tried to squeeze out the moisture from them, but then I remembered I picked up something at the bottom of the hole.


    Once I opened the tightly-squeezed hand¡ª¡ª


    "Eh? Yun-oneechan, why are you holding a key?"


    "Isn''t what Yun-chan holding the ¡¾Demonfolk Gatekeeper''s Key¡¿?"


    "Key? You mean the key item?"


    I tried looking at the clunky copper key I held in my hand from various angles.


    "Actually we had the advance team examine the Volcanic Area, but it seems like they didn''t find everything. Luckily we found it, we can enter the gate any time now."


    Mikadzuchi who thought we''ll have to spend some time searching for a key made a radiant expression, but I couldn''t move out right away with my whole body drenched.


    Since all stains disappear over time I could wait until it does but...


    "After several minutes it will dry naturally which makes this game really convenient. Still, Zakuro, could you?"


    When I turned towards where Ryui carried Zakuro and asked, he seemed to have realized what I meant and created several small flames.


    Flames created at regular intervals have been floating around me and Zakuro, drying us.


    After a moment Zakuro and I dried completely, I re-equipped the boots and jacket I put away before soaking my feet in and was ready for leaving right away.


    Seeing my clothes dry Rirei, who was released by Kohaku looked really disappointed, but I ignored that.


    "Zakuro, thank you for drying me. Ryui, thanks for watching over Zakuro."


    As I pat the two like usual getting along with them, I heard Lucato and others talk quietly.


    "I feel like I have seen a very luxurious way of using tamed mobs."


    "...well, that''s how Yun-san is."


    "Right. That''s how she is."


    For some reason they convinced themselves that this kind of thing is normal for me.


    After that, as we waited for people who have gone out to gather materials nearby to come back I used that time to make more of hot spring eggs.


    We departed from the sixth station''s spring and before long we arrived at the gate at the eight station.


    "So this is the Demonfolk Gate."


    "Indeed. It''s the gate leading to the frontline dungeon. Now, the key."


    Prompted, I stood in front of the gate and looked up at it.


    I inserted the ¡¾Demonfolk Gatekeeper''s Key¡¿ into the mouth of the demon face carved in the gate and turned it around. The key had turned into particles of light and disappeared, then the huge gate opened with a loud noise.


    The light that overflowed from the inside dazzled me and my vision was dyed white for a moment.


    Frontline area''s dungeon. Surely there are mobs with vicious mechanics inside. I prepared myself and looked inside¡ª¡ª


    "...a town?"


    There were stalls and shops at the passages, people walking around doing bussiness, soldiers patrolling the streets. The dungeon with the shape of a town had somewhat Japanese-styled atmosphere and looked very cosy.


    While the facilities were mostly the same as that of an ordinary town, there was also a different element there. The residents of this place weren''t NPCs but mobs.


    Goblin merchants looking tidy and proper were running stores, Hobgoblin soldiers with unified equipment were patrolling the streets. Also, tall humanoid Ogres marched between the stores.


    Apparently, it was completely different from what I imagined the dungeon to be like.


    "C''mon folks! For a week from now on we can play to our content in this frontline ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿!"


    """YEAHH¡ª¡ª!"""


    With Mikadzuchi''s shout as the signal, all the parties have surged into the gate.


    They strove to be the first ones to find interesting things and to locate the enemies.


    I found myself still unable to understand the situation and left behind at the entrance.


    "Well then, Yun-oneechan! I''m going to tour everything with Luka-chan and others!"


    "And so, excuse us."


    Although taking me into consideration, Myu chased after the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ members.


    Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi remained in the end and pulled the confused me.


    "All right, welcome to the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿."


    "Let''s have fun, Yun-chan."


    Dragged in by the two I entered inside.


    And there, spread out an outlandish demonfolk town.

 Chapter Volume 8 4

    Chapter 4 - Demonfolk Resort and Lottery Tickets


    "Haa, this tea is delicious."


    Greeting the second day of the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ expedition to the frontline Volcanic Area, I was resting in a tea house in the corner of the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿ dungeon.


    I was sitting down in a tea house that seemed like it came out of a historical drama, sipping green tea and eating three-coloured dumplings, acting laid-back I looked at the dungeon''s scenery.


    "Still, to think there would be a town inside a dungeon. I guess anything is possible."


    There was also a mob that had a dungeon inside it. It''s not all that strange for a town to be inside a dungeon, I started thinking probably because I adapted to this world of OSO.


    "Moreover, I didn''t think we''d enter combat right after arriving."


    Pheew, I exhaled and sipped the tea, then recalled what happened immediately after we rushed into the dungeon.


    The first thing we did together with Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi after entering this dungeon, was opening up a portal.


    In the process, we ended up fighting twin boss mobs that protected the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿''s back gate.


    I hadn''t imagined that after entering the dungeon, we would arrive straight at the boss battle without fighting anything on the way to it.


    Well, we have stopped by the extended stalls on the way though.


    And, speaking of the boss battle¡ª¡ª


    "Now, come at me!"


    ""GUOOOOOO¡ª¡ª!""


    The two humanoid mobs roared and rushed at Mikadzuchi.


    The mobs protecting the back gate were called Red Ogre and Blue Ogre, it was a twin pair of bosses who shared HP and MP.


    One of them was a demon with red skin and a single horn, the other had blue skin and two horns. They were two-metre tall and good-looking demons.


    Facing them, Mikadzuchi boldly attacked them all alone. In the rear there was me and Sei-nee providing support and attacking with magic, using various means to make sure Mikadzuchi doesn''t fall.


    "Let''s go! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed! ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªDefence, mind!"


    I applied an Enchant on Mikadzuchi and at the same time weakened the enemy with Cursed, then shot arrows at the enemy to deal damage from a distance.


    Although the twin bosses resisted Cursed''s weakening, I retried casting it and successfully surpassed their resistance.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·¡¶Ice Lance¡·!"


    Sei-nee fired magic in quick succession at the Red Ogre who had his magic defence decreased with Cursed and dealt a large amount of damage to the bosses.


    Mikadzuchi in the vanguard scuffled with the two Ogres, then at one point having her hexagonal stick parried she moved away from them and sighed.


    "Sei! If you hit them too strong the target will switch to rearguard!"


    "Actually, I''ve been minding that as I attacked. Still, it seems like I gathered quite some hate so I''ll switch from attacking to healing."


    Sei-nee ceased the attack on the Red Ogre that had water element as his weakness and switched to act as Mikadzuchi''s healer.


    And I further strengthened Mikadzuchi.


    "Mikadzuchi, I''ll put this on your equipment so you don''t get pushed away again! ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon, armor!"


    The Ogres remaining HP was still at 70%. Holding Fire Elemental Stones in both hands I applied enchant on Mikadzuchi''s equipment.


    Her weapon shone with faint red colour and had started to leave an afterglow after every swing.


    Also her armour began emitting similar colour, increasing her elemental defence.


    With Sei-nee recovering Mikadzuchi''s HP and the reduced amount of fire elemental damage she receives, Mikadzuchi could defend against Red Ogre''s attack in more stable manner.


    And, she has focused on the Blue Ogre whose weakness was the fire element.


    "¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence!"


    The two Ogres whose Mind stats were decreased already have been further weakened.


    Unable to resist my continuous application of Cursed the two Ogres had their attack and defence lowered, thanks to which the momentum of Mikadzuchi''s attack on them increased.


    "In their state it might be easy for bad status arrows to work."


    I shot bad status arrows at the weakened Ogres and succeeded in putting bad statuses on them thanks to their low resistance.


    Still, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿, ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ stopped their movements only for an instant. The ¡¾Poison¡¿''s slip damage had shorter duration than usual and the Ogres recovered fast.


    When the shared HP of the two Ogres decreased below 50%, the MP that wasn''t used so far has been used for the first time.


    "GUOOOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª"


    The metal club the Red Ogre was wielding was clad with fire and the moment it smashed into the ground, Mikadzuchi was hit by a shockwave.


    "Khhh?!! It''s real harsh even with elemental defence!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·! Mikadzuchi, are you all right?!"


    While Sei-nee immediately proceeded to heal Mikadzuchi, my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense didn''t miss the Blue Ogre''s movements.


    The Blue Ogre''s metal club was covered with frost and let out freezing air, but before it could smash into the ground I cast my own magic.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·!"


    An earthen wall appeared between Mikadzuchi and the Blue Ogre which prevented the blue-tinted wind that started swirling from the Ogre''s feet.


    The places on the earthen wall touched by the wind have been scrapped away and the wall was destroyed within few seconds, turning into particles of light.


    However, thanks to those few seconds Mikadzuchi was able to escape from the Blue Ogre''s range.


    "What was that?"


    "From what I''m hearing, the Ogres attack skills."


    "Mikadzuchi, you''ll receive ¡¾Stun¡¿ if you get hit consecutively."


    "Oh that, when one of their skills stops the other comes smashing at you, right. If you go down Sei-nee and I will have to fight in the front."


    "Don''t worry, in that case I''ll revive with ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿. Still, it''s important not to die. For the time being I''ll fight with avoidance as the focus."


    As we shortly counselled with Mikadzuchi the Ogres special attack cooldown must have ended as the two started moving.


    "Let''s attack with Sei''s magic as the focus. Also, the moment I shout ''switch'' you change from attack to healing. That''s when I''ll attack."


    "I understand. Then let''s do it."


    "Hey, what about me?"


    "Missy, you move as you like."


    "That''s too vague..."


    Having my own movements left all to myself by Mikadzuchi, I focus on stable cooperation with Sei-nee.


    Mikadzuchi as the vanguard has parried the attack of the two Ogres using all the defensive techniques she had and when their stance was broken, Sei-nee fired magic at Red Ogre who was weak against her element, efficiently dealing large amount of damage.


    "¡ª¡ª''Switch''!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Icicle Lock¡· ¡¶High Heal¡·"


    At the same time Mikadzuchi made the signal, Sei-nee changed to the heal and support role.


    Meanwhile, Mikadzuchi who was emphasizing on defence and parrying started to beat the Blue Ogre with her fire element-clad hexagonal stick.


    To support her, Sei-nee sealed the Red Ogre''s movement by freezing his feet and healed Mikadzuchi allowing her to beat each other up with the Blue Ogre.


    "Still, not being told what to do is also a pain. Well, let''s just imitate Sei-nee. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·"


    Instructed to move freely, I decided to take action to reduce the burden on Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee.


    First, I decided to match Sei-nee and created a ¡¶Mud Pool¡· beneath the Red Ogre, inhibiting his movement.


    Next, I nocked ¡¾Curse¡¿ bad status arrows and shot them at the Ogres. ¡¾Curse¡¿''s effect was MP decrease and if lucky enough, an additional random negative effect.


    While it was some plain support, without MP the Ogres couldn''t activate their skills.


    It was worth doing so as by the time their HP decreased by 20%, the two mobs MP was drained completely.


    Once Mikadzuchi realized the opponents were unable to activate their skills, the fight was decided in a moment.


    "UOOoOohh! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Six Rotations Smash¡·!"


    In an instant Mikadzuchi released a powerful six-rotation attack at the Blue Ogre''s chest blowing him away and scattering enchant''s light in the process.


    "Freeze everything. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Diamond Dust¡·"


    The magic Sei-nee unleashed had sprung from the ground and in an instant wrapped around the Red Ogre, reshaping his surroundings into an icy world.


    When the crystals of the cold air touched the Red Ogre''s body, the ice spread throughout his entire body delivering damage.


    Mikadzuchi''s and Sei-nee''s big moves concluded the battle, the two Ogres fell on their knees and then on the ground at the same time.


    "All right! Back gate''s open. Once we register with the portal we won''t have to descend the mountain to return and if we want to come here, we won''t need to look for the key. Good to have it easy."


    Nihihi, Mikadzuchi laughed and passed through the gate that opened with a heavy sound, then registered herself with the portal''s transition object that was right outside the gate.


    "Sei, Missy. How was it?"


    "Actually, the boss was quite easy? Or rather, you and Sei-nee are too strong."


    "That''s strange. If I''m not wrong, I heard the advance team struggled quite hard."


    Sei-nee and I were both puzzled.


    Normally a boss guarding a place like this would be a bit stronger, right? I ended up thinking, but Mikadzuchi has come up with her own explanation.


    "The advance team is organized with members having high searching ability and survivability. This time, we have a fighter like me, as well as Missy''s enchants to buff and debuff which allowed us to suppress them with brute force, right?"


    "Now that you mention it, that is the case. A normal party would focus on blocking attacks and slowly fight back."


    "No, personally I think this battle was fierce enough..."


    Although the two made such evaluation, I could imagine that the advance team wasn''t that weak. Still...


    I looked towards where Mikadzuchi fought with the two demons and saw the ground was dented in strongly proving how powerful the two bosses were.


    The wind pressure from the swayed metal clubs was really terrifying and I''d like to express my respect to the advance team that fought against the Ogres without any prior information.


    "Now, we registered ourselves with the portal so let''s do the usual drop check."


    "You''re right. My drop is ¡¾Blue Demon''s Horn¡¿. How about you, Yun-chan?"


    "I have ¡¾Red Demon''s Hard Leather¡¿. "


    "I got ¡¾Red Demon''s Horn¡¿. Which means the drops are red and blue demon''s horns and hard leather, right."


    Taking out the ¡¾Red Demon''s Hard Leather¡¿ that dropped from the boss and ascertained, it wasn''t a strengthening material but a normal one.


    Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee also showed theirs, but none of them seemed like rare drops.


    "Matching this with the info from the advance team, it seems like there are four items dropping. That''s many, but none of them are particularly conspicuous... okay! Let''s have a few rounds with the bosses to gather several of these!"


    "Seriously?!"


    "C''mon Missy, hang out with us for today!"


    Saying so Mikadzuchi held my arm and headed back for the back gate.


    Afterwards, when we challenged the respawning bosses three more times in total, every time we changed out fighting style seeking a more efficient method to fight the boss.


    Sometimes I became a decoy and ended up running around, at other time I attacked with my bow as the main, or together with Sei-nee focused on fighting with magic.


    Then for the entire day we kept challenging the bosses for collecting drops doing what''s commonly known as boss farming.


    "¡ª¡ªAnd this is the result, huh."


    Returning to reality from recalling that, I muttered.


    Looking at my Senses after the battles that turned out to be unexpectedly high speed leveling I sipped the tea.


    Possessed SP51


    ¡¾Bow Lv48¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv16¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv37¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv11¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv42¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv1¡¿


    My combat Senses have leveled up.


    The ¡¾Longbow¡¿ and ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ I used for restraining the enemy have increased, and since I used magic together with Sei-nee my magic-related Senses also leveled up.


    When Mikadzuchi lured the Ogre onto me on purpose I ran away at full power to avoid him, thanks to that my ¡¾Swiftness¡¿ leveled up.


    And when we fought the bosses directly I used Enchants and items to increase our stats, resulting in ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ increase.


    Thinking back to the day¡ª¡ª


    "We left most of fighting to Mikadzuchi and even though we were only three, it wasn''t as hard as usual."


    Usually I focus on selecting optimal enchants for the entire party and apply them in rapid succession as they wear off, but this time I only continued to apply enchants on Mikadzuchi.


    Also, humanoid mobs have few unpredictable movements and their appearance isn''t disgusting, which allowed me to remain composed.


    "Anyway, this dungeon is too cosy. Excuse me, can I get a refill of tea and steamed buns? De-skewered three-coloured ones."


    "Gigii."


    When I heard a reply from the female Hobgoblin, a Goblina waitress who was clad in kimono, sash and apron had come out from inside bringing a cup of tea and steamed buns.


    The Goblin had pale green skin and short horns, as well as jagged teeth as her special features, but otherwise was no different from an ordinary NPC.


    Ryui and Zakuro ate the three-coloured steamed buns, looking puzzled at their sticky texture. Looking at the two I could calm down well.


    The mobs in this dungeon communicated with the players only with gestures, but they made rich expressions in response.


    "Haa, this tea is delicious."


    I muttered the same words for the second time today and took a mouthful of a modestly-sweet steamed bun. That''s when I realized.


    "No no no. I''m getting too used to this. What a terrifying dungeon."


    My original goal was to play as much as possible in the frontline area''s dungeon, I recalled.


    I shook my head and with extreme reluctance I asked Goblina for the bill.


    "Excuse me! I''d like some buns for take-away and the bill."


    "Gigii."


    Once I paid the bill along with the buns I received a mysterious green piece of paper, then started wandering around the dungeon without a particular goal.


    As I walked around I split the buns for take-away and ate them together with Ryui and Zakuro, at the same time looking for anything interesting.


    ¡ñ


    For the dungeon structure, there was a broad main street leading from the front to the back gate and three narrow ones spread in parallel to the left and right.


    Also every street had a single passage so the whole dungeon looked from above has the shape of a vertically-laid ladder.


    Seven passages deployed on this ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿''s ladder were numbered in order from the right as viewed from the front and each had a different role.


    The street to the furthest right had Japanese-style buildings lined up, homes for sale and for rental to players. Position-wise it would be something like this dungeon''s residential area.


    Since there were few players here now, it was a place giving off a quiet impression.


    In contrast, the sixth and seventh streets to the left were the ones with mobs in this dungeon so it was a place to battle in.


    The two dimly lit streets seemed somewhat like back alleys, unlike the streets from the first to fifth where items were sold, there were thug Goblins, armed Hobgoblins and Ogres attacking people.


    By the way, the sign for combat to start is eye contact with them. Told so at first I wondered if they''re delinquents or something, but it was more like the sixth and seventh streets were home of outlaws of this monster town.


    And, currently I was walking down the fourth street.


    "I wish I could find something good. If possible I''d like to get some strengthening materials for the accessories I''m going to give Sei-nee and Myu."


    I muttered as I searched the stalls, but rather than strengthening materials, most of what they were selling were handicrafts and souvenirs.


    "Oh, a meat bun set. Might be good for a souvenir for Letia. And there, a store selling minerals, I wonder if there''s ore that''s mined on this mountain."


    I took the food items as souvenirs for Letia and the ore from the Volcanic Area as a souvenir for Magi-san. Other than that, I purchased some material items for both Lyly and Emily-san.


    "The materials are a little expensive, well, probably because collecting materials outside is kinda harsh."


    Normally I would have collected ore-based items outside on my own, but since the environment outside of the dungeon was too tough for me alone I decided to buy a number of items in the stores.


    In the end, I found a souvenir for Cloude. Wooden carved figurines like those sold at sightseeing spots.


    "This wooden carving of Magma Bear looks strangely dynamic... I''m gonna buy one for myself as well."


    As a result, I purchased two ¡¾Wooden-Carved Figurines¡¿ and started walking around in search for materials again.


    Just one of the stores had been dealing with very few items, some of the items being the same as ones sold in other stores, but with strange difference in prices.


    Among the items I found one that interested me.


    "Oh, they''re selling items acquired in the Volcanic Area."


    Impressed by the fact there actually were plants growing in this barren Volcanic Area I stared at the item.


    "This ¡¾Karukoko Fruit¡¿ is still dirty with soil though..."


    The ¡¾Karukoko Fruit¡¿ had an appearance of a red potato and seemed to be grown in the ground the same way potatoes are.


    To try it I purchased ¡¾Karukoko Fruit¡¿ and selected ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense''s ¡¶Lower Matter Conversion¡·, but there was no item to change it into.


    Since there was a bud like a potato''s, it might grow like one when planted in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s field.


    I acquired several of them, it seemed like there was a need to ask the Farmer NPC to learn the cultivation method.


    Other than that there were other plant-based items such as the ¡¾Vitality Tree Fruit¡¿ I''ve had planted in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s field. Seeing the materials I recognized filled me with sense of security.


    "I''m buying this for 100kG!"


    "Hm? Is this Myu''s voice?"


    I looked around hearing a familiar-sounding voice on this crowdy street and a little bit away I found Myu engaged in something with a Goblin NPC merchant.


    "I''m buying this for 130kG!"


    "Gigii, gigii."


    A neat-bodied Goblin merchant with cloth on his head and a hook nose displayed denial by shaking his head.


    "Then 140k! No, 150k!"


    "Gigii, gigii."


    Myu continued to pile up more and more of blue paper in front of her, but no matter how much she raised the price the Goblin merchant shook his head sideways and showed a big "no" with his arms.


    Seeing the neat and comical movements of a Goblin like one of those that normally fought on plains, coupled with his comical movements, I thought he''s ugly but adorable.


    "Uuuhhh! Why can''t I buy it?!"


    As I silently observed Myu and others, I saw Myu start stomp her feet in frustration as she was unable to buy the item she wanted.


    "Myu, ya move fer a bit. I''ll try."


    That''s when Kohaku put a hand on Myu''s shoulder and moved in front of her.


    "C''mon, let''s start barterin''. Point wit'' yer finger which items ya wanna exchange for."


    Said Kohaku and starting with mob drops, ore, potions and such she confirmed the exchange rate of items she placed.


    The exchange rate at which I peeped from the distance using ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ seemed to be dependant on the location where the item was acquired. The further the location the higher rate.


    Even materials that are normally priced the same at the NPCs differ in rate depending on how far from Volcanic Area were they acquired.


    And as for Kohaku¡ª¡ª


    "Well then, the thing Myu want''d, also ''dis and ''dis. Also ''dis, to make ''da exchange even, how''bout it?"


    "Gigii."


    The Goblin merchant nodded in agreement, establishing the deal.


    "You did itt! Thank you, Kohaku!"


    "Myu, yer too impatient. Lookie, there''s a barter drawin'' on da billboard."


    I didn''t notice because it was behind Myu and others, but ahead of where Kohaku pointed to there was a blackboard with a picture of meat and vegetables on left and right as well as two-way arrows in the middle representing exchange.


    "Ehehehe... but why did you exchange for things you don''t need as well?"


    "Uh, it look''d useful so... mm? If it ain''t Yun-san."


    Once the barter ended, Kohaku raised her head and noticed me.


    I intended to peek in secret but it couldn''t be helped now that I''ve been found, so I approached Myu and others.


    "Onee-chan? Since when did you look?"


    "Umm, since around when you said ''100kG'' I guess? I did think you wouldn''t want that to be seen but, well, sorry."


    "You should have come out quicker! I don''t mind at all!"


    Myu and Kohaku discussed where to go next as they received the items they got from barter.


    Everyone held some kind of food in their hands, I could tell from their appearance as they walked around while eating that they enjoyed themselves.


    "Hey Onee-chan, how about walking around with us? Next we''re thinking of going to the second street! Everyone''s okay with that, right?!"


    "I don''t mind."


    Starting with Lucato, everyone said there''s no problem with that.


    I still haven''t gone to the second street so I thought it''s a good opportunity and decided to accept Myu''s invitation.


    "Then, I''ll take you up on the offer."


    "Yess! Okay Onee-chan, let''s go there right away!"


    "Indeed! Let''s take Yun-san with us and go! We''ll get divine favour from having a lucky person!"


    "Actually I''m not that lucky. Rather, what are you talking about?"


    Ignoring what I said Myu and Hino took one of my hands each and pulled me.


    Help me, I looked towards Ryui and Zakuro, Lucato and the others but they all stared at it with smile.


    I muttered that more of a habit because I wasn''t all that against it. Pulled by Myu and Hino I headed for the second street.


    "Hey, Myu. I haven''t gone to the second street yet, could you tell me what''s there?"


    "The main thing in the second street is, actually¡ª¡ªlottery stall! Onee-chan, did you get any green papers in the dungeon?"


    "Yeah, a few of them. You mean these?"


    I took out a the pieces of mysterious green paper I received every time I did shopping inside the dungeon.


    "Yup, that''s it. You can play lottery once for every three of these you collect."


    "Hee, is that so. ...hm? Speaking of which, what was the paper you had the Goblin merchant sell you earlier?"


    "Ah, that''s a gift voucher that can be used only inside this dungeon. Wait a second."


    Said Myu and took out red, blue and green pieces of paper.


    "Red papers are arena challenge tickets, blue papers are gift vouchers and green papers are lottery tickets."


    "I didn''t see any of red and blue paper, where do you get those?"


    "They drop from the thugs on the seventh street."


    "Eh?! No way..."


    "Aww, yesterday we''ve entered the seventh street by mistake as we were shopping y''know. Suddenly they''ve come at us so we fought back and instead of drops, we got three random pieces of paper. Still, it''s dangerous so you shouldn''t get anywhere close, Onee-chan!"


    "I definitely won''t go there in that case. Heck, those gift vouchers from earlier..."


    "Welll, after learning they drop tickets after we beat them we''ve gone around picking up a fight with all the Goblins there!"


    "You better stop that! I feel sorry for them!"


    Seeing Myu say that with a smug look on her face, I imagined the thugs having roles turned on them and being mugged off items.


    It''s fine it''s fine, Myu tried to appease me but I still didn''t feel convinced. Meanwhile I counted the number of lottery tickets I had.


    "...fourteen huh."


    And, Myu once again explained the use of each paper again.


    "I''ll explain then, okay. The red arena challenge tickets allow for challenging the arena on the fifth street after you collect ten of them. However, their drop rate is low so we haven''t acquired enough yet."


    It should take about a week to gather them, Myu muttered. Taking over after Myu Hino explained the blue papers.


    "The blue paper are gift vouchers. Well, I guess you get it already, but limited to this dungeon, the paper can be used instead of money for the amount written on it. Although, it seems it can''t be used for barter shops like the one from earlier."


    Finally, Kohaku explained about the green paper.


    "Just like Myu explain''d earlier, when ya go to the lottery store ''t da second street ya can play lottery once for three of ''em. As a result, ya get items. Since we''ve gathered lots when shoppin'' let''s go try it, is what we were thinkin'' just earlier."


    If it''s three pieces for one try, I could challenge it four times.


    "Well, if you''re getting items for free, then why not go take a look."


    "Right? You can also get some rare items too, exciting right?!"


    I''ll draw a loss anyway, while I thought deeply in my mind, the lottery on the second street has come into view.


    The lottery stall had a conspicuous signboard in the shape of a octagonal lottery machine raised high and several lottery machines themselves placed in it.


    Depending on the colour of the ball that comes out from the lottery machine the prize seemed to change.


    With the prize items displayed as decoration, even despite knowing I won''t hit any of them, it made me excited about it just by looking.


    The special prize was one of the summer camp events'' rewards for winning, the ¡¾Special Home''s Expansion Rights¡¿. Below it, there were first prize and second prize equipment.


    The first prize equipment was ¡¾Evil-Rending Sword ¨C The Rending King¡¿, a big sword classified as a Greatsword.


    For the second prize equipment there was a weapon series with ¡¾Sin¡¿ in the name and apparently rewarded weapons matching the Senses of the winner. Although their attack power was higher than those of the first prize sword''s, they also had disadvantageous additional effect.


    That additional effect had a bit of a chuuni name ¡¾The One Piling Up Sins¡¿. For every enemy beaten with that weapon decreased ¡¾Experience Gained¡¿ by 1%.


    Actually, the probability of acquiring each prize has been displayed, but the probability of the first two grand prizes was really small, special prize had 0,01% and the first and second prize equipment had 0,1% chance.


    "Getting the special prize requires 30000 lottery tickets on average, is this really all right?"


    "Aren''t you rushing it a bit? The first and the second prize are more affordable."


    "A-affordable?"


    "Indeed! It''s easier than beating low level mobs for a 1% probability drop!"


    Is it? I wondered, puzzled. I think either of those are a torture.


    The first and second prize altogether have 0,2% probability of winning which means 1250 lottery tickets are required.


    However, it''s precisely because the probability was so low that everyone stared at the display with greed in their eyes.


    "UOAAHHH! I''ve collected the tickets from acquaintances and put myself in debt already, but I still didn''t get ittttt!"


    "DAMNNn! Friggin'' RNG! If I move the thing without any wasteful motion it''ll definitely make it easier to get it!"


    "I bet there isn''t any in this lottery machine. Then, the one beside it, no, let''s go to that one."


    At another lottery machine there were players aiming for high level prizes. The players were screaming or on their knees in front of the lottery apparatus, showing off strange dances or wandering from one machine to another. Their actions were a complete mystery to me.


    "What is that...?"


    "Ah, don''t mind that. More importantly, Onee-chan, let''s play lottery ourselves."


    With my hand pulled by Myu, I moved in front of the closest lottery machine.


    ¡ñ


    "The lottery has a special prize and nine prizes of other prizes, huh. How many times can you try, everyone?"


    When I turned around and asked, everyone showed the number with their fingers.


    Myu could try five times, Lucato and Toutobi three times, Hino, Kohaku and Rirei four times.


    "Well then, I''ll go first. And, so that I can get something good with Yun-oneechan''s divine faavour."


    "What? What do you mean my divine favour. Heck, don''t cling to me!"


    "I mean, Yun-oneechan, in the end you''ve always got great luck."


    "If I have any luck that''d be bad luck!"


    I said to Myu who embraced me but she ignored that, then next Myu had hugged Ryui along with Zakuro on top of him.


    "Now, I''ve charged Yun-oneechan''s power to max, let''s go!"


    "Yes yes. Just go on already."


    "DARYAAaaa¡ª¡ª"


    Filled with fighting spirit Myu started turning the lottery machine. Everyone watched that holding their breath, and the first ball that came out was¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªWhite!"


    Once we confirmed the colour with the board in the back of the lottery stall, we found it was the ninth prize, a candy. It was pretty much the same as tissues given out in real.


    "Mgrr! One more time!"


    "Don''t get too worked up."


    Although I warned her, she turned the machine with strong momentum again. The second and the third times it was white again, the fourth time it was black ¨C the eight prize ¨C an MP Potion.


    "UGHhgrrr! Last one!"


    "Myu-san, do your best!''


    "It''s okay, you can do it!"


    "Can you even do your best at lottery?"


    I wondered as I watched Myu try the fifth try at lottery¡ª¡ª?


    "¡ª¡ªThis isn''t gold, it''s yellow! I''ve mistaken them! How confusing!"


    "But yellow is the fourth prize, it''s not too bad is it?"


    Since the colours were similar Myu mistook it for the special prize and was disappointed when realized it''s yellow, but she came back to herself right away.


    "Hmm. Well, it''s better than average, looking at the probability displayed I guess I did have Onee-chan''s divine favour..."


    "Myu, since you''re done pulling you need to go get your items."


    "Ha?!! Oh, that''s right!"


    Myu immediately moved away from the lottery machine and received the items from the lottery stall''s Hobgoblin. The ninth and the eight prizes were decided, but the fourth prize allowed choosing from several kinds of items so while Myu was pondering what to take, Lucato and others started to line up.


    "So... why pray to me?"


    "Eh, um, Myu-chan got the one with 3% probability so I wanted to receive some of the divine favour as well."


    "I didn''t think Myu-chan would get the fourth, you see. This kind of thing has really low probability so I''d like to increase it even if just by a little."


    "...and I, um, somehow..."


    Lucato smiled wryly, Hino laughed as if to cover something up and Toutobi averted her gaze away. I stared at them intently for a moment, bu then "good grief" I heaved a sigh and forgave them like usual.


    "Fufufu, to have Yun-san''s divine favour fill every part of my body just a hug isn''t enough."


    "Come''eere, Rirei. Start turnin'' the lottery. No botherin'' Yun-san."


    As Rirei started stretching her hands my way suspiciously Kohaku had dragged her away to in front of the lottery machine.


    And, as a result of all five turning the lottery machine one after another, everyone mostly got the ninth, eight and seventh prizes. Kohaku got a sixth and Rirei got fifth.


    "What, the sixth allows ya to select one of da three ticket types, wat a moodbreaker. In ''dat case even eight''s better."


    "Kohaku, if you''re to choose, isn''t it best to take one with the lowest drop rate ¨C the arena ticket? Well, I don''t even know what does my fifth prize''s ¡¾Hobgoblin''s Silver Coin¡¿ do."


    Saying so, Rirei repeatedly did coin catching with the silver coin that had Hobgoblin carved on it.


    It seems one random coin is given out of several types.


    Personally, I did feel like gathering all types and putting them in a case as decoration so I was a little envious.


    "So Myu, how was it?"


    "Hoeh? Waht wash?"


    "You got to licking the candy right away... speaking of which, what did you get for the fourth prize?"


    In order to answer my question Myu put the candy in her mouth and crushed it to pieces with her teeth.


    "You choose from three types of material! I chose material called ¡¾Cyclops'' Tatara Tamahagane1¡¿. It''s a little rarer usual."


    Saying so she showed me a lump of metal with small holes as if bubbles burst out on the surface.


    Other two types were ¡¾Fire-Rat''s Leather Robe2¡¿ and ¡¾Jewelled Branch of H¨­rai3¡¿, they were materials that could be obtained only here.


    "C''mon Yun-oneechan, you''re last! You need to pull out better than everyone!"


    "Don''t be absurd!"


    Having my back pushed by Myu I stood in front of the lottery machine. I passed twelve lottery tickets to the Hobgoblin shopkeeper in front of me, and when I tried to turn the handle Ryui and Zakuro stood beside me.


    "...want to try once each?"


    Ryui and Zakuro both nodded at the same time, I decided to let the two go ahead of me. Still, since it didn''t seem like Zakuro could turn the handle with his small body I embraced him and positioned him as to turn the handle with his leg.


    Then, as I slowly lowered his leg the octagonal lottery machine started to turn and immediately the ball came out with a rattle.


    "White huh. A miss. ...next is, Ryui... heck, you too..."


    Ryui pressed the horn he prided himself in against the handle to turn it, but it had immediately spit out a white ball. Still, as a result the two seemed satisfied. Ryui and Zakuro received the ninth prize''s candies from the Hobgoblin and immediately put it in their mouths, they started licking them contentedly.


    "Good grief, your appetite gets priority huh. So, two left."


    I had two more tries at the lottery. I won''t get anything anyway, I thought as I turned the handle.


    *klatter* *klatter* *klatter*, I listened to the balls intermingle inside the lottery machine and without expectations, I looked at the ball that was discharged.


    "Umm, the colour is... blue, huh."


    The moment I muttered that, the lottery stall''s Hobgoblin made a smile on his rugged face and shook an iron bell.


    *di-ding* *di-ding*. My body twitched in response tot he sound of the bell, moreover, everyone in the surroundings had looked my way surprised by it, making me feel embarrassed.


    "Mgrrr, you got the third prize! I''m so envious!"


    "The third prize is the ¡¾Precious Magic Crystal¡¿. The description of prize''s additional effect is written there."


    When I turned around in response to Myu''s and Lucato''s voice, I saw everyone look my way with envy. Since I felt a little uncomfortable I turned the wheel for the fourth time. No way, is she gonna get another good prize? The surroundings strangely paid attention to me so I felt a sense of relief when a white ball had come out.


    And, the third prize I received from the Hobgoblin was a crystal ball that repeatedly blinked with red as if it was full of lava.


    The additional effect of the strengthening material ¡¾Precious Magic Crystal¡¿ was¡¾Magic Increase (small)¡¿. It was another version of ¡¾Magic Increase¡¿ Sense''s effect, having an effect of increasing magic-type stats.


    "Nice, really nice. It''s a rare material. Onee-chan, I''m so envioous."


    "You got a rare material too, Myu."


    "I can make at most a small knife with this! To make one-handed sword I need two!"


    "In that case, there''s a long road ahead of you."


    I muttered and stowed away the third prize''s strengthening material ¡¾Precious Magic Crystal¡¿ in the inventory.


    Thinking that it might be good to use that strengthening material on the gift accessory for Sei-nee or Myu, I put the ninth prize''s candy in my mouth; a coarse taste and gentle sweetness spread inside of it.


    When I turned around to Lucato and others after finishing my four tries with lottery, "so the divine favour exists" someone said and I was worshipped by everyone.


    And, I want to do it again! Myu raised her voice, gathered the extra tickets from everyone and decided to try lottery again.


    I passed two of mine to Myu, and it all amounted to three tries total. It was decided that Myu, Rirei and Kohaku who had luck earlier will try one each.


    "All riiight, this time let''s aim higher!"


    "I dun'' think it''ll go ''dat easy, but well, if we win we profit."


    "Said Kohaku, but she was secretly hoping for a good prize. Fufufu."


    "Rirei, stop addin'' strange narration!"


    Since it seemed like their playing lottery will take some time I moved away and watched over the three from a distance, that''s when Lucato spoke to me.


    "Was that all right? To give up two lottery tickets, that is. Just one more and you could try again."


    "I don''t really mind. I mean, I can''t do anything with two and I''d forget about them anyway."


    When I said that and waved my hand, I felt someone standing behind me and turned around.


    "Well, if that isn''t something to envy. If we''d come earlier maybe we''d get some too."


    "Mikadzuchi, and Sei-nee."


    After turning around I saw Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee.


    "We heard the sound of bell earlier. Seems like you got the third prize, Missy. You got the best item out of the ones having realistic probability, what amazing luck you have. Now then, let''s use these lottery tickets we''ve hoarded!"


    When Mikadzuchi slapped a bunch of lottery tickets in front of the lottery''s hobgoblin, he started to count the number of the tickets in a hurry.


    "Aren''t you going to try, Sei-nee?"


    "I, um, don''t have luck, since candies is all I''m going to get I thought that I''d give all my tickets to Mikadzuchi."


    Saying so, Sei-nee made a sorrowful look.


    No, it''s not like she doesn''t have luck, but that she doesn''t get the things she actually wants. You actually have a lot of rares right, I encouraged her in my mind.


    "It''s fine. Half of the lottery tickets Mikadzuchi has are mine, we decided that everything other than what Mikadzuchi wants will be shared."


    "So, the thing Mikadzuchi wants is¡ª¡ª"


    Noticing that the atmosphere at the lottery stall changed I turned around and saw the Hobgoblin had finished counting tickets. Mikadzuchi had clenched the lottery machine''s handle to turn it.


    Her expression changed into a serious one and I could almost see an aura come out of her back.


    And, Mikadzuchi started turning the handle with great fighting spirit.


    "¡ª¡ªThe aim is, seventh prize! Come!"


    Her aspirations are quite low, I thought as I watched the lottery machine spit out balls.


    Mikadzuchi''s appearance could truly be called that of a demon of many trials.


    I''ll keep turning until I get the item I want, is the atmosphere she was exuding, there was a different kind of tension than that of lottery''s excitement.


    And, once Mikadzuchi finished trying for her own and Sei-nee''s worth of tickets, the result was¡ª¡ª


    "Five seventh prizes out of thirty-three turns huh. Well, so-so I guess? But it''s actually good that I got some of aerna tickets from sixth prize since we didn''t gather too many."


    Said Mikadzuchi and holding a bag full of candies, eight prize''s MP Potions, several of the fifth prize''s coins as well as two of fourth prize''s crafting materials she returned to where Sei-nee was.


    "Here Sei, take all of these."


    "Eh? Is this okay? Didn''t we split in half?"


    "It''s fine. Also, you wanted these right? The fourth prize''s ¡¾Jewelled Branch of H¨­rai¡¿."


    "Yup. But two aren''t enough to make a staff. I need one more to have a staff made... well, I''ll try winning at lottery myself later."


    Mikadzuchi passed the majority of the items she got to Sei-nee and rid of the weight she turned towards me.


    "Now, it''s great that Missy''s right here. Let''s go elsewhere and talk a little."


    "Um, being told ''let''s talk a little'' by Mikadzuchi feels kinda scary... what do you want from me?"


    Moreover, she said that with a smile in order not to make me too wary, but to me she looked like a lion baring his fangs.


    Feeling danger I took a step back.


    "No need to get so scared is there? You made me want to bully you a little."


    "Hiih!"


    For a moment she made a black smile making me squeeze out scream.


    And, a voice smashing this situation had rang out from behind me.


    "Mikadzuchi-san! Wait right theeeeereee!"


    Myu had come and as if tackling me, she embraced my right arm. Although usually I did reprimand her, in this case I was relieved how she disturbed the atmosphere.


    "Yun-oneechan is now ours, no taking her away without permission!"


    "Myu, I''m not anyone''s possession!"


    Embracing me more strongly, I''m not giving her away, she expressed with her entire body but...


    "Ohh, I got one extra arena ticket I don''t need after exchanging the lottery tickets earlier. I already have ten tickets to challenge the arena, I wonder, what should I do with this one?"


    Seeing Mikadzuchi flutter around the red paper she held between her fingers, Myu pressed on my back and walked towards Mikadzuchi.


    "Yes, here! Please have Yun-oneechan! And, do whatever you want with her!"


    "That was fast! Heck, I was bought?!"


    Then, when Mikadzuchi embraced my shoulder so that I don''t run away my body had stiffened from nervousness. Sei-nee raised her eyebrows saying "sorry" and together with Myu and others we were guided to a caf¨¦ with Japanese sweets.


    "Missy, Myu-chan and everyone, order whatever you like! I''ll pay for all of it with my gift vouchers!"


    "Yayy! Mikadzuchi-san, that''s big of you4!"


    "Myu-san, that kind of wording is rude towards a woman."


    Lucato whispered quietly to Myu, but Mikadzuchi laughed saying "I heard that", causing Myu''s party to tense up and then laugh dryly.


    In order to dispel this strange atmosphere we ordered our sweets and I sat facing Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee. I braced myself wondering what kind of hassle is going to befall me.


    "Don''t get so vigilant. I just want to make a request for Missy as a crafter."


    "If you want to ask me to do something, then stop calling me ''missy''. So, what do you want me to do?"


    Mikadzuchi placed a certain item on the table. It was an item she acquired in the lottery earlier.


    "¡ª¡ªThe lottery stall''s seventh prize ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿. I want you to make this, and within few days too."


    1Tatara is a traditional Japanese clay furnace used for making of Tamahagane, traditional Japanese high quality steel.


    2A reference to the mythological robe of the China''s fire-rat featured in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a 10th century Japanese prose


    3A branch of jewelled tree from mythological island of H¨­rai, featured in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.


    4A double meaning I can''t exactly translate too well. "Ì«¤Ã¸¹" means literally "generous" or "lavish", but the kanji themselves are... "Ì«" can mean "fat" and "¸¹" means "belly" or "stomach". Well, you see where this is going right? That''s why don''t use this phrase on women, ever. Unless you don''t value your lives.

 Chapter Volume 8 5

    Chapter 5 - Yellow Potion and Arena


    "Suddenly telling me ''make it'', and during the expedition too. Well, I actually intended to go to the guild in order to examine the materials I acquired..."


    What I was asked to do while being treated to sweets by Mikadzuchi, was item crafting.


    Confused by the suddenness I ordered cold tea to cool off myself, but now that I think about it, since Mikadzuchi was treating us I should have asked for anmitsu. Feeling slightly regretful I heaved a sigh.


    "Still, a ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ huh."


    I recalled Mikadzuchi''s request.


    "¡ª¡ªThe lottery stall''s seventh prize ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿, I want you to make this and within few days too."


    The item she took out as she said that was a potion bottle containing a yellow liquid.


    "This is?"


    "It''s the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ that can be purchased in the drugstore inside the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿ or be acquired as a seventh prize from the lottery stall."


    I picked up the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ placed on the table to check its stats.


    The ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ was the higher version of the ¡¾Blue Potion¡¿ and its recovery amount was nearly equal to the High Potion''s.


    I myself have investigated ¡¾Potions¡¿ and ¡¾Pills¡¿ after the bad status resistance leveling the other day in concern with the recovery limit. To prepare for the time I will reach the recovery limit I wanted to make a higher level of recovery items, but I didn''t think I would receive a request from Mikadzuchi for crafting one.


    "But why do you need it? High Potions have sufficient recovery amount. There''s no need for me to go out of my way to make the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿, is there..."


    "Actually. Mikadzuchi got full of herself and continued to beat the Red and Blue Ogres right? Back then she levelled up and went over the highpot''s recovery limit. That''s why she needs a High Potion''s equivalent that doesn''t have the recovery limit, which is the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿."


    "In order to do this dungeon arena''s continuous battle challenge I need stable means of recovery."


    Told so, I roughly grasped what''s the situation. However, it wasn''t like I could make it right away just because of that.


    "Anyway, bringing me the finished product and tell me to make the same thing is kinda troubling. I don''t have any hints on what materials to use."


    When I said that, a single lithograph had been placed in front of me.


    "This is a Goblin healer''s recipe I bought in the antique shop. It''s damaged in some places but should be enough for a hint! Good luck with the rest!"


    The thick and heavy lithograph had letters and pictures carved on it, but in some places it had crumbled off and was chipped. So she found a lithograph like this, while I thought so amazed, the lithograph was forced on me and she had entrusted the making of the potion to me with the last line.


    After that, heaving a sigh I started to decipher the damaged lithograph in the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild''s crafters room.


    "Still, it doesn''t require that high ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense."


    While recalling my conversation with Mikadzuchi I copied the contents of the lithograph and made notes of what I understood with my ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense level, then heaved a sigh.


    The content of the lithograph were two recipes, one was for the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ and the other was for ¡¾Demon''s Wonder Pill¡¿ that was something like a High Potion''s pill version.


    However, since the middle part of the lithograph where ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿''s recipe was, was damaged, I had difficulties identifying the combination of materials.


    "Haa, seriously what am I doing."


    Sighing time after time, thanks to borrowing the guild''s private crafter room I could line up materials on top of the table.


    I have reproduced the ¡¾Demon''s Wonder Pill¡¿ recipe using the same method of making pills as always, as for the materials I used High Potionsmaterial that was Medicinal Spirit Grass and the ¡¾Magma Bear''s Liver¡¿. I Mixed those together, added water little by little and moulded. It was a relatively simple pill recipe.


    It was also described in the ¡¾Folk Medicine''s Encyclopaedia¡¿ I received as a reward from the raid quest.


    Because it was relatively simple I could immediately make improvements.


    And, another of the results was¡ª¡ªthe content of a large barrel.


    "Really, what am I doing."


    After I deciphered the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿''s recipe I looked at the lithograph that lost its purpose, and felt an impulse saying that I could use it for making pickled vegetables.


    Since I could make those in a relatively short amount of time I simply put fresh vegetables and an appropriate amount of salt inside a barrel and placed the lithograph on top of it to act as a lid. I gave priority to making the pickles.


    "The original goal, making of the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ doesn''t proceed at all."


    I looked at the deciphered recipe once again.


    The materials to use I knew for the time being were the ¡¾Karukoko Fruit¡¿ and the ¡¾Vitality Tree''s Fruit¡¿ and the rest of the lithograph was indecipherable.


    "Meh, I have no clue about the rest of the materials."


    There were two places missing on the lithograph, from a very small piece remaining I was able to tell that one of the materials was herb-based.


    I thought that one more material was necessary, but the remaining location was scrapped off and I couldn''t tell at all what was written there.


    "Actually I did try making it using the materials I have, but the ¡¾Karukoko Fruit¡¿ is a material with very strong tendencies."


    Using the information I have acquired I tried coming up with combinations using the materials I knew of, but I couldn''t make even a low quality potion.


    The reason for that was the red potato ¡¾Karukoko Fruit¡¿ I was holding in my hand. I continued to fail until now because ¡¾Karukoko Fruit¡¿ still had poison in it and everything that was made was poisoned.


    "Haa, first I need to remove poison."


    To start with I washed the ¡¾Karukoko Fruits¡¿ I had clean, removed the skin and the sprouts leaving only the red part inside.


    Once all the skin was peeled off I cut it into pieces and put the pieces of ¡¾Karukoko Fruits¡¿ inside a large pot with boiling water I prepared in advance.


    "Here starts the important part."


    I equipped myself with ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿ Sense and waited for a change to happen inside the pot.


    When I started stirring the ¡¾Karukoko Fruits¡¿ that were bobbing up and down, a pale red and purple colour started to mix in together with white steam.


    "It started. I need to bear it now."


    Karukoko''s red fruit turned into a muddy, mushy heavy mass inside the pot as I mixed it. The white steam coming out of it had become progressively darker with red and purple colours, quickly growing more toxic.


    I held my breath but it had grown painful and when I ended up inhaling the hot, purple steam from the pot I received the ¡¾Poison¡¿ bad status I suffered from the specific symptoms such as my field of vision being narrowed.


    "As I thought, with ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿ level 1 you don''t feel any effect."


    If that''s how it is, I should have left it as ¡¾Poison Resistance¡¿. I thought and continued to mix the increasingly thickening mass at constant speed.


    After some time my arm started to hurt a little so I raised my stats by applying an ATK enchant on myself, stabilizing the rate at which I mixed the content.


    Since I was continuously under the ¡¾Poison¡¿ bad status HP recovery was essential so I worked while having ¡¾High Potions¡¿ placed beside me I kept drinking.


    Using ¡¾High Potions¡¿ in order to make ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ is quite the contradiction, I thought as I kept mixing the insides of the pot for another twenty minutes until a change in the steam''s colouring had appeared.


    The purplish-red colour started to fade and gradually the steam had returned to its original white colour.


    When the poison completely disappeared from the steam I lowered the fire under the pot and allowed it to cool naturally.


    Once it had cooled down to a certain extent peeked inside the pot and saw a white mass settled on the bottom.


    "I guess I succeeded in removing the poison?"


    What was left, was to drain the remaining water and use a clean cloth to squeeze out the remaining water, drying the material.


    "¡¾Karukoko Fruits¡¿ changed into ¡¾Karukoko Starch¡¿ huh, it''s almost like Blue Gelatin."


    It reminded me of the Blue Slime''s drop ¡¾Blue Gelatin¡¿ that was a cooking ingredient which was combined with herbs to make a potion. The starch this time was also classified as an ingredient.


    I wonder why. Are coloured potions all related to food?


    While saying so I stored the detoxicated ¡¾Karukoko Starch¡¿ away and took a little rest.


    What was left, was to prepare the ¡¾Vitality Tree''s Fruits¡¿, the herb-based item and to look for the last material by mixing at random.


    "Good work there. How are you feeling?"


    "We bought some of the delicious green tea from the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿, want some?"


    "Eh, Langley and Otonashi? Why are you two here?"


    "Why, you ask. This is the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild so it''s no wonder we''re here. Also, we wanted to talk up to you but when we opened the door a purplish-red poisonous fog had started to spout out of the room. We''ve been waiting for it to settle down."


    "Oh, sorry for the inconvenience then."


    I lowered my head deeply. I didn''t think the poisonous steam would leak out from the private room. However, it seemed like it leaked out because Langley opened the door a little to call me, so the poison didn''t affect others as he closed the door immediately.


    While Otonashi prepared the green tea, I took out the freshly pickled vegetables to have them as snacks with tea.


    "Green tea with snacks, how nice."


    "You''re right. We can have a meal while at it. Still, aren''t those pickles kinda strange? I see some strange patterns and drawings on their surface."


    "Don''t mind it, it''s nothing. So, did you need anything?"


    Eating the pickled vegetables with a loud crunchy sound, Langley started speaking about what they came for.


    "I was asked by Mikadzuchi-san to check up on how you''re doing. Although from the standpoint of the one asking to it was more like she forced it on me, but she herself is busy exploring the dungeon and the Volcanic Area."


    "And I''ve come with him. Actually I got some materials in the dungeon so I wanted to try making some weapons and accessories."


    "In other words, to remind me about the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿. As much as I''d like to help Mikadzuchi, it''s not finished yet."


    When I said that, Langley furrowed his eyebrows and immediately denied what I said.


    "Just the opposite. You came to ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ for a change of pace so she told me to make sure you don''t overwork yourself. Mikadzuchi made the same request to the guild-affiliated crafters too. You don''t have to force yourself too much."


    "She''s really exaggerating."


    Actually the time I holed myself up in for so far is no big, I said and smiled bitterly.


    "Well, Langley and I are also crafters so it''s not like we don''t understand that. So, how is it?"


    "Ahh, yeah. Well, it''s gonna turn haphazard here."


    From decoding the lithograph I only learned the order of mixing the materials to a certain extent, just enough to narrow the mixing patterns.


    "It looks harsh, are you all right? If needed we''ll ask some of the mixing crafters from the guild to help out?"


    "It''s fine, really. It''s not that hard."


    I explained simply to the two.


    From here on what I''m going to do is making a reagent from the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ materials and looking for a material by randomly dissolving things into the made reagent.


    While doing so I might find the correct mixing pattern, it''s work requiring patience.


    And, once I find it I will adjust the amount blended in as well as seek the changes depending on various factors such as the temperature and heating time.


    "That''s why, it''s monotonous work that can be done by anyone."


    As I explained how I make my own recipes for a change of pace, I slowly regained motivation.


    "Eh? The way of making recipes we know is nowhere as precise..."


    "Or rather, you''re more like a researcher. Trying haphazardly feels really overwhelming. Well, I get it. All right, just don''t force yourself."


    Acting like a good-natured elder Langley worried about me.


    "Thanks for worrying, but it''s all right, I''m used to this."


    "Well be going back to our crafting too. Ah, also, can I have some pickles? I want to eat them with everyone."


    Since Otonashi seemed like he really wanted some pickles I passed a number of them to him in a small container which he happily received.


    After this the two will probably make new items from their own crafting speciality by using the materials they acquired. I need to do my best as not to lose to them.


    "All right, let''s do this!"


    Once again, in order to try making the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ I made liquid samples.


    I added the dried ¡¾Karukoko Starch¡¿ into the ¡¾Vitality Tree Fruit''s Juice¡¿ to make the liquid, then into two separate containers I added the juices of the ¡¾High Potion¡¿''s material''s, the ¡¾Medicinal Spirit Grass¡¿ and MP Potion''s material''s, the ¡¾Magical Spirit Grass¡¿ and diluted them with ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ instead of distilled water to make a pale green reagent solution.


    I poured small portions of that into small test tubes, then I inserted different materials in to each of them to find out the material for the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿.


    "First, let''s try using Volcanic Area''s materials. Then we''ll move on to a wider range of materials. Last, I''ll try the potions I have on hand. If none works, it means it''s impossible."


    I muttered in order to instil fighting spirit in myself and started looking for the material by using various powdered reagents I brought from the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    When I did, quite quickly I found the reagent react by changing the colour, but it was a different one from the one I was looking for.


    "It''s blue, and very clear blue at that."


    When I inserted the Magma Bear''s drop, ¡¾Magma Bear''s Liver¡¿ one of the two reagents, the one with ¡¾Magical Spirit Grass¡¿ responded. I wrote down the data concerning its mixing so far in a notepad.


    Although the reagent was made quite diluted, I recorded that the recovery effect was quite considerable despite that as I searched for the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ yellow reaction.


    Even if not as deeply yellow as the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ Mikadzuchi showed me, I expected it to have quite a distinct yellow colour. I added one material after another looking for the optimal combination.


    And, by using the powder reagents I brought from the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I found a reaction, although a very pale, then by combining associated materials on priority basis I was able to find a correct combination.


    "Ahahaha, it took a while. Still, I didn''t think that this potion would be the last material."


    When I finished checking about half of the materials, when I mixed in the ¡¾Blue Powder¡¿ obtained by processing Blue Jelly the reagent showed a yellow reaction.


    Then, when I tried Blue Jelly-related items, the ¡¾Blue Potion¡¿ itself showed the strongest yellow colour.


    "I see. I wonder if the coloured potions are all the type that use the previous potion as the material? In that case, the next potion might use this ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ as one of its materials."


    I muttered to myself and noted down the required materials for the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿, and tried making a potion by using the combination with ¡¾Magma Bear''s Liver¡¿ that reacted first.


    "Let''s start by making one normally, then look into making a potion with high recovery amount."


    The basic method was to mix ¡¾Karukoko Starch¡¿ with ¡¾Vitality Tree Fruit''s Juice¡¿, then adding mashed Medicinal Spirit Weed and add ¡¾Blue Potion¡¿ before cooking it in a small pot.


    As I heated it the hue immediately changed, turning yellow. When the colour change stopped as it started to boil I took it off the heat when it grew hazy, removed the refuse and poured it into a potion bottle.


    Yellow Potion ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Recovery ¡¾HP+35%¡¿


    A very low quality Yellow Potion was completed.


    It was as similar to the deteriorated version of the ¡¾High Potion¡¿ and its recovery amount was worse than that of high quality ¡¾Blue Potion¡¿.


    "It''s a complete substitute of a potion, huh. Well, let''s try changing the way I make it."


    Actually I didn''t just review on the making of the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿, feeling that improvement of the ¡¾Blue Potion¡¿ might be necessary I tried another combination.


    The potion combination with ¡¾Magical Spirit Weed¡¿ and ¡¾Magma Bear''s Liver¡¿ that responded with blue had reacted faster than the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿, moreover the reaction was finished before it started boiling and a pale blue potion was made.


    Holy Mountain''s Magic Water ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Recovery ¡¾HP+10%, MP+10%¡¿


    I was stunned seeing the created potion.


    Of all things I made a potion that simultaneously recovers HP and MP. It was an item many crafters dealing with ¡¾Mixing¡¿ were searching for and could not be made by just mixing Potions and MP Potions.


    So the day has finally come, I thought, but the effect itself was quite low.


    I wondered how high quality of a ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ requested by Mikadzuchi can I make in these few days. Moreover, I also wondered how far into practical level can I take the potion recovering HPMP simultaneously. Thanks to that I started to feel a little bit of excitement.


    However, the menu''s timer function started to ring, informing me that it''s time to log out.


    I''ve gotten so fired up that I forgot the time, so I decided to give it up for today.


    I raised my body from the bed in my room, removed the VR Gear I wore on my head and lied down on the bed again. Until I fell asleep I wondered what mixing combinations would increase the recovery amount and why was the crafted potion low quality.


    ¡ñ


    The ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild''s expedition''s fifth day.


    When I arrived in the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild home Myu and others were already gone, seeming to have gone to the dungeon.


    "Today is the day Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi challenge the arena, right. There''s still time."


    Since the two were challenging the arena without any prior information they made elaborate preparations over the last two days.


    On the third and the fourth days I continued to improve the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ and was somehow able to complete it.


    "I need to pass them to Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi before they challenge the arena."


    I entered the guild''s private room I borrowed and started making ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ using the improved recipe I made with all of the time I spent logged in yesterday.


    The method for making the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ was mixing the ¡¾Karukoko Starch¡¿ and ¡¾Vitality Tree Fruit''s Juice¡¿ ahead of time, then heating it along with addition of little water. At this time I mixed it at temperature from 60 to 70 degrees Celsius until there''s a reaction.


    When the ¡¾Karukoko Starch¡¿ melts completely and everything turns into a smooth liquid I add the ¡¾Medicinal Spirit Grass¡¿.


    At this point, the raw materials are more effective.


    And when I get a green liquid I maintain it at boiling temperature.


    In the end, I pour a ¡¾Blue Potion¡¿ into the green liquid at 1:1 ratio, making it change colours to yellow.


    All that was left was to allow the created ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ to cool off naturally.


    Yellow Potion ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Recovery ¡¾HP+60%¡¿


    Making a ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ equivalent of the highest quality ¡¾High Potion¡¿ I could make, I was satisfied.


    Still, I wonder why a green liquid with the ¡¾Blue Potion¡¿ gives a bright yellow. I guess it''s because it''s a fantasy game?


    While giving priority to crafting the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿, I used extra time to craft another potion which was the ¡¾Holy Mountain''s Magic Water¡¿.


    The crafting method of ¡¾Holy Mountain''s Magic Water¡¿ was similar to that of the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ but the reaction''s temperature was from 35 to 45 degrees Celsius and it was necessary to maintain temperature of lukewarm water.


    Because of that, I didn''t mix it on open flame but rather by placing a pot inside boiling water instead.


    After receiving a reddish-brown muddy liquid I diluted it with water and heated it up to human skin''s temperature. Until this point I only used the¡¾Water of Life¡¿.


    When I was looking for the material I used ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ as a material in order to broaden the conditions, luckily I didn''t use distilled water, if I did I wouldn''t have found this combination.


    In the end I added ¡¾Magical Spirit Weed¡¿ when the reddish-brown liquid turned transparent and warmed it, maintaining constant temperature of human skin, which resulted in completion of a clear blue potion.


    Holy Mountain''s Magic Water ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Recovery ¡¾HP+35%, MP+35%¡¿


    It had both the effect of a high quality Potion and MP Potion.


    With the battle situation changing rapidly in combat, it might be advantageous to recover both HP and MP at the same time.


    Still, I felt that the recovered amount was a little low, but one of its features was that the recovery amounts wasn''t limited by the acquired SP''s recovery limit.


    I was able to make 50 of ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ and 20 of ¡¾Holy Mountain''s Magic Water¡¿ within the time schedule.


    "Now, I need to call Sei-nee."


    I opened the friend chat from the menu and called her.


    "Sei-nee, got time now?"


    ¡º"Wait a moment, I''ll finish combat now¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·"¡»


    Apparently I had bad timing and ended up interrupting a battle. From time to time I could hear her voice activating magic.


    ¡º"Since you''re calling, it means it''s about the potion right?"¡»


    "Actually I was able to finish the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ you asked for, did I make it?"


    ¡º"Thank you, Yun-chan. Mikadzuchi, Yun-chan seems to have finished the yepot, where will you receive it?"¡»


    Sei-nee had spoken to Mikadzuchi to consult her. After exchanging words a few times they seem to have decided.


    ¡º"Yun-chan, can you bring it to the arena at the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿''s sixth street? After receiving the potions we''ll challenge the arena."¡»


    "Got it, I''ll head over there right away."


    I placed the two types of completed potion in the inventory and moved out from the private room in the guild heading towards the guild''s entrance where the mini-portal was installed so that I could transition to the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿''s back gate, but then I noticed a lot of noise at the entrance.


    "Arrr! You shall not pass! We won''t let players without invitation pass!" "We finally have a chance of getting a pretty girl, as if we''d let it slideee!" "She''ll provide us cosy space. For that sake, we must get rid of all elements that might make her decline joining the guild!"


    It seemed like combat had started in front of the guild''s gate, clash of metal had echoed outside. When I peeked out I saw an acquaintance surrounded by multiple ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ members.


    "Hey?!! Taku?! What the hell are you doing!"


    "Oh, Yun! I came to check on how you''re doing. I spoke to these guys asking if I could meet you, but for some reason it turned into PvP."


    Taku laughed happily as he said that, but he himself had received damage as he was attacked by an entire group. Moreover, it seemed like he didn''t fight back as the guild members didn''t receive any damage.


    And yet, for some reason they bit their lips in chagrin and gnashed their teeth, having expressions as if they were to shed tears at any moment.


    "He''s speaking to her as if it''s nothing, and just because he''s her childhood friendd." "And all we can do with our communication disorders is to look from afar..." "I''m envious, jealous, he''s acquainted with the three pretty sisters, ain''t he a winner both in real and the game, seriously."


    I think some misunderstanding turned into a personal grudge here, what to do about this? I asked Taku with my gaze. There isn''t any real damage so there''s no problem, he responded in the same way.


    When we made an exchange with just our gazes, the guild members who assaulted have for some reason fell on their knees. What a mystery.


    "If all you want is to meet up and talk, you could do that in school."


    "I only came to meet you today, I''ll talk to you about the rest in real. But, I didn''t think I would receive damage just by coming to meet you. And right now the highpot''s recovery amount is decreased for me, too. Well, it''ll recover over the time."


    "Geez... don''t move."


    I used the lowest quality ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ I made on Taku to heal the damage he received.


    The quality was too embarrassingly low for me to deliver it to Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi, but actually it was good for recovering little damage like this.


    "Ooh? A new potion?"


    "A failure of one. It''s not of quality for selling but well, think of it as of a degraded highpot."


    "Could you give me some?"


    "Ahh, so your recovery amount was limited because your level went up. Once I stabilize the quality I plan to sell them in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ so buy them properly."


    I passed the ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ with varying performance to Taku.


    "Well then, I''ll be going back. I''m relieved you''re looking all right."


    "That''s fast. Well, I do have plans now so that''s fine."


    Right after I said that, Taku left.


    I need to hurry to meet up with Sei-nee.


    Using ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ mini-portal to transition to the portal nearby the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿''s back gate I aimed for the designated place in the dungeon.


    While I was choosing relatively calm places to explore like the streets from second to fourth, the fifth street had NPC merchants with weapons and armour, accessories and quests. The seventh street had the rogue humanoid mobs that attacked players. The arena was on the sixth street sandwiched between fifth and the seventh.


    "Oh, Missy! Over here!"


    "Yun-chan, cheers for good work making those potions."


    Mikadzuchi noticed me first and waved to me showing herself.


    As I approached Sei-nee said her thanks, I felt like my hard work until now was rewarded, even if by a little.


    "Well, I''ve been collecting yepo''s little by little from the drugstore NPC and did quests to get lottery ticket sub-rewards, but you saved me since I couldn''t gather enough."


    "Indeed. The arena allows every participant to use up to 30 recovery items, thanks to you we have enough now."


    "I made 50 of them, did I make too much?"


    "Not at all. This time I''m gonna use about half, but they can be used outside of the arena as well."


    "I see, that''s great. Well, then I''ll pass them to you."


    I passed the two kinds of potions and the recipes for them to Mikadzuchi.


    The lithograph thanks to which I got the hints for the material was passed to me by Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi, so this was the consideration for being able to study that.


    If they spread the recipe in the guild they''ll be able to make it in a stable manner from now on.


    I passed it out of consideration, but Mikadzuchi frowned, making a questioning look.


    "What is it?"


    "There are some other potions aside from ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ but... rather than that, what is this paper?"


    Mikadzuchi fluttered around the piece of paper she received in trade through the menu. Is it just me or does she look grumpy?


    "Actually I made it with yours and Sei-nee''s support, so I''m giving you the potions and the recipe instead of a report?"


    When I answered puzzled, Mikadzuchi beckoned me to come closer.


    "Haa, yep. Missy, come ''ere."


    "......?"


    I took two steps wondering what is it, and then Mikadzuchi caught my head in a steel grip with one hand.


    She started pushing from above as if to crush me, forcing a voice of protest out of me.


    "OWWwww! Hey, my spine! You''re crushing it!"


    "Crafters don''t give out recipes just like that! And don''t look down at our guild''s freaky crafters! How many people do you think I requested the same thing as you! They''ll find it on their own at some point! It''s a waste of your concern!"


    "S-sorry."


    Hmph, she let go of my head and pushed the recipe alone back on me.


    I was surprised seeing Mikadzuchi seriously get angry at me for the first time.


    Normally she either teases me or drinks liquor, but this time I felt her kinda scary and different from her usual bright and charismatic side.


    Seeing me react like that, Sei-nee on the side chuckled.


    "Mikadzuchi is worried about you, Yun-chan."


    "...worried?"


    "Certainly, we do trust our guild''s crafters, but you''re too careless so she warned you out of worry."


    "...Sei."


    Mikadzuchi''s bad mood didn''t change, but she started fidgeting a little, embarrassed.


    Seeing that appearance of hers, Sei-nee''s shoulders further shook as she suppressed her laughter.


    Whenever I make new items or show them off to acquaintances such as Magi-san and Emily-san, they advise me.


    I recalled that I''m being protected by various players I''m acquainted with.


    "Mikadzuchi, um, thank you for worrying about me."


    "Ahh, damn, as long as you get it! All right?!"


    Mikadzuchi scratched her head strongly and put on the usual expression.


    "Still, well done making ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ in such a short time. Again, thanks for that."


    Told so right up from the front made me feel kinda embarrassed, so this time I looked away.


    "Also, the effect is higher than the default, moreover you made a new type of potion. Let''s share them with Sei right off."


    "Let''s see. Normal highpots are enough for me, so I''ll have a generous amount of ¡¾Holy Mountain''s Magic Water¡¿."


    Somehow, whenever I show people new items they are either surprised or appalled, those two patterns. However, Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi accepted it all normally.


    "What is it? You''re making a strange face."


    "No, I thought you''d be more surprised, kinda..."


    "Hmm. I''m plenty surprised. But it''s about you, Yun-chan."


    "Well, that''s how it is with Missy."


    Why did me being myself turn into a reason for accepting everything?!


    "Now, let''s raid the arena! The bunch from the guild is tired of waiting!"


    "The bunch from the guild?"


    When I asked puzzled, Sei-nee explained.


    "Actually, you can watch it from the audience. Myu and others have taken seats already."


    Thinking of it now, I did feel like there were few people in the guild''s home, and the reason Myu who logged in early wasn''t there was because she gathered with others at the audience.


    "Arena is a place where you fight a series of matches, right. Mikadzuchi, Sei-nee, are you going to challenge it just the two of you?"


    "Yeah, for now. It''s hard to allocate the prizes if there''s too many people."


    Saying so she looked towards the entrance to the arena where the prizes were exhibited.


    There were ten prizes total with each one being unusual and suitable item.


    I got unusually interested in one of them.


    "¡¾Crystal of Exorcism¡¿?"


    It was a big cluster-like crystal.


    Although the crystal had white cracks inside, they diffused light passing through it making it like beautiful, fresh snow.


    "Ah, the prize for the sixth round."


    Noticing what I look at Sei-nee explained.


    The strengthening material ¡¾Crystal of Exorcism¡¿''s description said the additional effect was¡ª¡ª¡¾Recovery Effect (small)¡¿.


    This effect raised the recovery effect of recovery magic and items used.


    If I used it together with the strengthening materials I have on hand and the ¡¾Precious Magic Crystal¡¿ I got from the lottery I could make some pretty nice accessories.


    "...wish I had one..."


    Knowing it''s a strengthening material I unconsciously muttered this, and Mikadzuchi ended up hearing it.


    "Ohh, Missy''s aiming for the strengthening material. Well, I don''t mind passing it to you. My aim are the third and the seventh prizes."


    "And I''m aiming for the eight prize."


    "The tenth prize is split between the entire party. If it''s just the two of us up we''ll have one extra once we reach the ninth prize. In that case let''s add Missy to the party and split it evenly between us three. All right!"


    "Eh?? EHHH?!!"


    While I was still confused by Mikadzuchi''s and Sei-nee''s conversation, an invitation to join the party was sent to me.


    "C''mon, let''s form the party."


    "No, I have no intentions of joining..."


    "Let''s challenge the arena."


    "Eh, ah, yes."


    Somehow I lost to Mikadzuchi''s impetus and joined the party.


    "Great! Let''s go to the arena! With the three of us!"


    "Eh, ehh?!!"


    Mikadzuchi put an arm around my shoulder and firmly held it as we walked to the arena, at the entrance to the arena she passed ten of the challenge tickets, and then I was brought inside.


    ¡ñ


    "Why did this happen..."


    After passing through the arena''s reception and entering inside we have walked downstairs and inside the basement.


    Once we passed through a passage only dimly lit with torches, spread ahead there was a circular arena.


    The audience were one stage higher, on the right there were Goblins and Goblinas, as well as other humanoid mobs like Hobgoblins. On the left hand there were ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ members mixed together with humanoid mobs, the players started cheering loudly once we appeared.


    "If you want something you need to take appropriate risk to get it. Now, resolve yourself!"


    "I wish you told me about this earlier though..."


    Haa, I sighed and got comforted by Sei-nee.


    "Eh? Yun-oneechan''s taking part too?! Do your beeest!"


    And, I heard Myu yell from the audience.


    "Look, Yun-chan. Myu-chan is watching so it''s a good chance to show dignity as her elder."


    "Uhhh, in this case I have to get the prize even if I end up completely covered in dirt!"


    When I finally found motivation, the arena''s consecutive battle began.


    The first opponents appeared from the doorway on the opposite side.


    What appeared, were ten Goblin thugs with weapons. Looking well, compared to the sleazy Goblins, they were looking neat and their weapon were well-maintained.


    "So Goblins are first, huhh. Well, I guess even I can do something against Goblins."


    "Yun-chan, don''t let your guard down. Their level should be higher than that of normal Goblins. There are three with sword, two with axes, two with spears, two with bows and one with staff."


    "So, the quota is at least three each. Everyone ready?"


    In response to Mikadzuchi''s voice I gripped my weapon, the longbow, pulled an arrow from the quiver and waited for the signal starting the battle.


    The Hobgoblin referee stood in front of the gong and struck its centre strongly.


    At the same time the metallic sound echoed throughout the arena, the Goblin vanguard had rushed at us.


    """Gugegegegeee¡ª¡ª!"""


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡·!"


    I invoked art and shot between the incoming Goblins in order to do a pre-emptive attack against the Goblins in the rearguard.


    Two arrows were released from the tense string and drawing sharp trajectory, they captured two rearguard Goblins.


    Receiving a pin-point attack in the humanoid mobs'' weak points, the Goblins were unable to react to the sudden happening, fell on their back and disappeared turning into particles of light.


    "First, two..."


    As I muttered quietly, Mikadzuchi slowly walked out in front of the two of us.


    She thrust her hexagonal stick at the vanguard''s Goblins forehead, neck and chest.


    The light and fast thrusts have blown four Goblins away in an instant, they hit the ground and when they tried to get up, they turned into particles of light.


    "They''re really fragile, hardly any different from the ones in the seventh street."


    After releasing contrarily heavy blows with very light movements Mikadzuchi turned to the remaining Goblins.


    "What''s left are two spears and a bow¡ª¡ªah, it''s over already."


    Mikadzuchi repelled the arrow shot by the bow-equipped Goblin and turned to Sei-nee to ask which Goblin should she take down, but they were all defeated by the two of us before she could.


    Sei-nee created ice spears that pierced the axe and spear Goblins'' abdomen, and I pierced through the forehead of the bow-equipped Goblin before he could shoot the next arrow.


    "Oh, Missy. You were so reluctant at first, but you''re unexpectedly fired up to it."


    "I hate pain and I''m scared of receiving damage. But, if I''m doing it, I''m going to do it at full power."


    Mikadzuchi placed an arm around my shoulder applying pressure and started poking my cheek with her fingertip. How cumbersome.


    As if to run away, I looked towards Sei-nee seeking help.


    "Look, next opponent has come out."


    When one round finished, we were given time to make a choice whether we want to continue or retire and once that time has passed, the arena challenge automatically continued.


    The second round''s enemies were six of the Goblin Soldiers that walked around the town. Wearing unified equipment they attacked us in a line formation.


    "Looks quite fun! Haa!"


    Mikadzuchi rushed out to the Goblin Soldiers who matched their pace closely to each other.


    Holding shields lined up in a row, Goblins thrust at Mikadzuchi from between the gaps, but Mikadzuchi jumped high over them as if jumping over a vault and struck with her stick from over Goblins heads''.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Icicle Lock¡·!"


    The Goblins'' feet were stuck in mud as they tried to turned around towards Mikadzuchi, furthermore their feet and ankles were frozen by Sei-nee''s magic.


    "Nice snare! HAa!"


    Mikadzuchi assaulted the Goblins unable to turn around and knocked them down one after another.


    "One-sided huh."


    "It''s only simple at first. I guess the next one will be a little harder?"


    So far we were able to progress without wasting any potions whose number were restricted.


    The second round ended and the third started soon after.


    Certainly, even if the opponents are weak, there''s no time to catch a breath when they appear one after another.


    What appeared in the entrance on the opposite side, was a single Magma Bear.


    The colouring and strength didn''t seem different from that of the Volcanic Area one, but the various parts of his body such as arms and torso had metal protectors attached. Including the magma-back there were only a few places to deliver effective attacks.


    "Great. This is my third prize aim''s opponent right. Sei! Missy! I''ll fight this one by myself! Rest a little!"


    After saying so, Mikadzuchi smashed at the Magma Bear with her stick not waiting for us to consent.


    When she struck the Magma Bear''s protector with the stick a high sound echoed. The Magma Bear counter-attacked with his claws glowing hot, tearing through the soil.


    Although she avoided it, Mikadzuchi had received a little of damage from the heat the claws spread. But she used a ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ while striking the gaps in the Magma Bear''s armour.


    "Go gooo! That''s it! Do your best Mikadzuchi-saaan!"


    "Sis! Beat him! C''mon!"


    "Master! Don''t lose! Bring out as much information as possible for when we are fighting it!"


    Hearing the cheers from the audience she waved one hand to it while avoiding the attacks at the same time.


    "That Mikadzuchi, she really is popular."


    "Well, you know, there are some kids who enter the guild just because they look up to Mikadzuchi."


    "I see. I can understand that, somehow. Still..."


    I was overwhelmed by the fierce cheering Mikadzuchi''s fight received.


    Although the heat caused by Magma Bear''s claw slashes was strong enough to reach us in the rear, receiving the cheers Mikadzuchi continued to show sharper and sharper movements, avoiding direct hits.


    "Fuhahahahaa! It''s nothing as long as it doesn''t hit!"


    "No, that''s true, but isn''t it scary? Getting so close to that."


    "It''s all experience and training!"


    Diving below the Magma Bear''s attacks Mikadzuchi kept striking at the enemy''s knees and arm joints with the stick.


    Still, I wonder why did she say she''s gonna fight alone in the third round.


    She received damage and used potions whose number is limited, is there any meaning to it?


    "It doesn''t look like Mikadzuchi has any personal grudge against Magma Bears though..."


    "In Mikadzuchi''s case it''s not about the Magma Bear, but about the third prize she wants. Also, she probably wanted to make sure she has the skill to win the third round all alone, I guess?"


    Sei-nee explained her deduction. Right, was the third prize that Mikadzuchi wanted, I recalled, meanwhile there was a change in Mikadzuchi''s battle against the Magma Bear.


    "Gauu!!"


    The Magma Bear let out a short grumble, crouched down and held his nose with both arms.


    Overlapping attacks on the wrists and knees accumulated damage in these parts.


    As a result the bear''s movements dulled and he was unable to guard the vital point that was his nose from attacks, ending up on his knees and in a temporary indisposition to fight.


    Meanwhile the Magma Bear squatted down in pain, Mikadzuchi ruthlessly attacked the weakness in the back of the bear''s neck with the hexagonal stick.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Six Rotations Smash¡·!"


    "GAAaa!!"


    Opening eyes widely, Magma Bear fell on his side and started convulsing.


    With art released into the weakness in the back of the Magma Bear''s neck its HP went down to zero and it disappeared turning into particles of light. Surrounded by cheering voices Mikadzuchi returned to where we stood.


    "All riight! If I''m this strong I can beat those in stable manner! And I got my liquor!"


    "Geez, don''t exhaust yourself all alone. Here, healing."


    "I can do that much myself."


    I went ahead to recover Mikadzuchi''s consumed HP and MP with a potion, but she ended up refusing it.


    Seeing Mikadzuchi''s attitude as she faced to the side and pursed her lips, Sei-nee suppressed her laughter, her shoulders shaking strongly.


    Why laugh? I wondered, but that''s when I heard quiet voices come from the audience.


    "Treating that Mikadzuchi-san like a kid, Yun-san''s amazingg." "Yeah, she really is the ¡¾Nanny¡¿." "Thinking that way and imagining master like a frolicking kid is kinda moe." "So Yun-chan was a ¡¾Nanny¡¿ after all!"


    When hearing that I made a displeased expression, Sei-nee was no longer able to bear it and started to laugh quietly.


    "C''mon, Sei and Missy, the fourth round is starting."


    Told so by Mikadzuchi we immediately focused as we waited for the next opponent.


    The fourth round had a group of Goblin''s higher mob type, Hobgoblins. There were more of them than in the first round, their equipment was improved and mixed in between them there was a mob that took position of the commander.


    "They''ve got mixed classes. There''s a Hobgoblin Knight and multiple Hobgoblin Soldiers."


    It would be difficult for three normal players to deal with them. Once it turns into a battle there will be no time to think up a strategy.


    As the gong was struck signalling the start, immediately the Hobgoblin Knight instructed the Hobgoblin Soldiers to spread on both wings.


    "Encirclement huh. Sei, Missy! They''re behind us so be careful!"


    Mikadzuchi attacked the soldiers who have come charging at us from the front, but they used their weapons and shields to reduce the damage. The Hobgoblins split in front of Mikadzuchi to the left and right, surrounding her the moment they closed on.


    Since the hexagonal stick Mikadzuchi was using as a weapon had long reach, they closed in to reduce her manoeuvrability. Meanwhile the rest of the soldiers have passed by her side.


    "Damn! Seriously?!"


    "Moreover it looks like the Hobgoblin Knight increases his comrades'' stats! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·!"


    I shot arrows one after another and Sei-nee fired water bullets, but even though we finished off a few enemies we were unable to dampen the siege''s momentum.


    In that case we need to aim for the commander, I thought and shot an arrow at the Hobgoblin Knight, but it was blocked by soldiers in the back and the knight himself.


    "Keh, we''re surrounded. In that case..."


    "It can''t be helped. Though I''m not too good at close combat¡ª¡ª¡¶Gram Sword¡·"


    "I''m also a rearguard so I''m not good at it either. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed."


    Completely surrounded I talked frivolously with Sei-nee as we prepared ourselves for intercepting enemy.


    Sei-nee clad her weapon, the staff with water making a blade on the tip of it and held it like a spear.


    I applied a triple enchant on myself and switched the weapon from the long bow to the kitchen knife I took out of the inventory.


    "Really, I''m really glad to have sub weapons."


    In my left hand I held the heavy Meat Cleaver ¨C Heavy Black. Making sure of my grip on it I remained on alert looking at the approaching Hobgoblin troop.


    "Gobu gobuu¡ª¡ª"


    At the same time the Goblin Knight spoke a command, the soldiers have swung their weapons at us.


    "¡ª¡ª ¡¶Ingredient Knowledge¡·!"


    In response to that I used the support skill ¡¶Ingredient Knowledge¡· showing the enemy''s weak points and closed on them at once using the speed increased by enchant.


    The enemy''s simultaneous attack''s timing broke as I moved forward and they missed their swings, then I swung the heavy meat cleaver with brute force at the soldier in front of me, leaving everything to brute strength.


    Although the soldier tried to block my attack by pulling back his weapon''s handle, my attack sped up by the enchant closed onto his neck and with brute force cut through his weak point, chopping off his head.


    And then, without even letting out a cry the soldier turned into particles after a single blow.


    "So if lucky enough even I can take them down with a single hit."


    Even though I dealt critical damage to his weakness, I was still surprised by that.


    Meanwhile, the Hobgoblin next to me had swung his long sword at me.


    "Yun-chan, don''t let you guard down!"


    The moment I heard Sei-nee''s reprimand, noticing the swung down long sword ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ activated naturally.


    Inside the extended experienced time I raised my left arm and received the long sword with the side of the meat cleaver.


    Next, I used my empty right hand to pull out the normal, everyday kitchen knife from my belt and holding it in reverse grip I moved right under the enemy to pierce the kitchen knife right under his chin, then cut with it.


    When I moved away, I took distance from the soldier by kicking his abdomen.


    In the middle of the experienced time stretch I saw the blood splash diagonally from the soldier as his body turned into particles of light and disappeared. Looking at that in a daze I turned around towards the next soldier.


    The experienced time returned to normal and I looked around to check on the remaining enemies.


    And, I received the next opponent''s attack with the meat cleaver in my left hand, then counter-attacked with the knife in my right.


    For the first two enemies I luckily decided it by dealing critical damage to the weaknesses, but because of the difference in reach and number, as well as because I wasn''t skilled nor familiar with close combat it turned into a situation where we shaved off each other''s HP.


    "Damn! I''m getting quite some damage."


    "Yun-chan, I''ll use a potion so wait a little longer! I''ll clean up the enemies over here right away¡ª¡ª¡¶Ice Lance¡·!"


    Sei-nee and the Hobgoblin continued to cut at each other, the bladed staff against the sword. At the same time, Sei-nee fired ice lances to keep the enemies at bay.


    Mikadzuchi who was the first to be surrounded had already defeated the soldiers and was about to attack the Goblin Knight and his escort.


    "I knew Sei will be all right, but you''re holding out nice Missy! In this case I can go for the commander without reserve!"


    "Help out beating the weaklings first! Beating adds is one of RPG''s basics, right?!"


    "Sometimes it''s faster to beat the boss first!"


    Saying so, Mikadzuchi started combat with Goblin Knight and the adds.


    I somehow continued enduring. Fortunately, as I endured and dealt damage to the enemy one of them fell and the number of enemies decreased, allowing me to move more freely.


    Also, although there was a limit on the recovery items, having them allowed me to tenaciously continue exchanging blows with the soldiers.


    "This guy''s the last one!"


    What a long muddy battle. With only one enemy remaining I used not only Enchant, but also Cursed to suppress him with brute force.


    In the end, I defeated him by doing an overkill, swinging down the meat cleaver right on his brains.


    "Haa, haa... it''s over. Damn it, the fourth round was quite taxing."


    My breathing was rough, my shoulders went up and down, but Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi looked completely fine.


    "Well done there. It must''ve been a good experience for Missy, right?"


    "That''s true. There was a large burden because we have few people in the party, but it was good practice. Moreover, everyone''s been cheering you on as you fought, Yun-chan."


    "Haa, haa... you say some Spartan things. Also, I didn''t notice the cheering at all."


    Feeling fatigue after constantly avoiding attacks and from tension of the battle, I couldn''t stabilize my breathing.


    I raised my face and saw Myu, Lucato and others cheer. Other than that there was Langley, Otonashi and other guild members cheering and praising me.


    "Yun-chan! You did great!" "Do your best next time too! But don''t force yourself!" "Thanks for showing another side of your cute self, Yun-chan!"


    Somehow it felt like some other stuff was mixed in among cheers, but my participation was received positively.


    Although, I think it''s weird for an outsider who is not in the guild like me to party up with the guild master Mikadzuchi and participate in the arena in the first place...


    "Why is everyone cheering me on?"


    "Well, isn''t it because you''re cute, Yun-chan? And as for another reason¡ª¡ª"


    When Sei-nee turned towards the audience as she spoke, she received the answer immediately.


    "Mikadzuchi-san and Sei-san are too strong, they defeat everyone before we can see all their movement patterns and it''s not helpful as a reference." "And as for that, Yun-chan fought quite tenaciously and brought out the enemy''s movement patterns." "Also, it''s our first time seeing her innocent reactions which is kinda enjoyable."


    One after another voices explained, causing me to smile bitterly.


    "What''s with that? First time seeing someone happy with me being weak."


    "Everyone is just being selfish! So don''t mind it Onee-chan, just puff up your chest and fight!"


    Myu had cheered on me from the arena''s audience.


    "...yup, I''ll try doing my best for a little longer."


    "That''s the spirit! Let''s aim for conquering the arena."


    "No, I''m not thinking that far ahead."


    As everyone continued to cheer, the arena''s fifth round had began.

 Chapter Volume 8 6

    Chapter 6 - Curse and Hot Springs


    The fifth round had the enemy we have fought multiple times already.


    "...Red Ogre and Blue Ogre, huh."


    We have repeated those so many times. They won''t be much of a problem now."


    "But if they''re the fifth round''s opponent, means that the sixth round onward will be harder than the boss. I don''t mind retiring after I get the eight round''s prize, what do we do?"


    "We''re going as far as we can! And if that doesn''t work, we''ll challenge it again!"


    "Then I''ll continue supporting you two with all I have. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed!"


    I applied a triple enchant on Mikadzuchi and have seen her off.


    While watching Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi who optimized their movements for fighting the Red Ogre and Blue Ogre at the back gate, I contributed to the battle by attacking with bow and arrow.


    At early stage I used ¡¾Curse¡¿ arrows for cover fire to seal enemy''s special attacks so we were able to get through the fifth round without any difficulty.


    So far the Red and Blue Ogres from the fifth round were the strongest, but since the fourth round''s Hobgoblins fought as a group they were even harder to fight against for a small group of people like ours, because there was a limit to how many of them can one person take on at once.


    The sixth round, the one that awarded the ¡¾Diffusing Crystal¡¿, the strengthening material I wanted. And the round''s opponent was¡ª¡ª


    "Urami-danuki? This time it''s a mob I''m seeing for the first time. Moreover, he''s animal-type."


    What appeared was a nearly two metres tall, huge bake-danuki.


    Covered in fluffy hair, he had a kettle-like armour on his torso as if to hide his fatty belly and was holding a spear in his hand, a spear with cross-shaped blade.


    Although he had a cute silhouette, just like the "grudge" in his name suggested he glared at us with resentment in his eyes, these eyes butchered all cuteness there was to him.


    "Oh-hoh, a new type of mob came out. Let''s turn this uncute tanuki into a tanuki soup. Of course, Missy will cook it."


    "Enemies in the arena don''t drop items, so I can''t cook it."


    "Yun-chan, so that''s what you''re retort to, mm? Anyway, it''s starting!"


    This time, it was Sei-nee who retorted to me.


    Right after that, the sound of a gong had started the sixth round.


    At the same time it started, the Urami-danuki leaped up high.


    Ahead of where we looked, the Urami-danuki let out a comical *bofun* sound and a white smoke spread from his body, hiding it.


    "We have no idea what''s coming, be careful!"


    "This smokescreen can disappear for all I care!¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡·!"


    At the same time Mikadzuchi warned I invoked the art creating strong wind pressure along with an attack.


    The arrow pierced through the centre of the white smoke and after scattering it, disappeared in the sky.


    "What?!! He''s gone!"


    "Or rather, he divided? Look, we''re surrounded."


    Sei-nee silently moved as to protect Mikadzuchi''s and my blind spots and as the three of us stared at the enemy standing back-to-back, little Urami-danuki''s surrounded us.


    There were five Urami-danuki''s tall enough to reach my waist, each of them held a spear suiting their physique. They have steadily decreased the distance between us and them.


    However¡ª¡ª


    "Trying to surround us like the Goblins won''t work!!"


    "Dumbass! Don''t attack a new enemy carelessly!"


    I switched the weapon from the bow to the meat cleaver and slashed at the Urami-danuki standing in front of me.


    At the same time the meat cleaver reached, the Urami-danuki disappeared literally turning into smoke.


    Along with that a blow from the cross-spear had come out from the white smoke and grazed my side.


    As expected, with a blow delivered at zero distance even by making full use of my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ and ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I was barely able to avoid the spear tip and ended up having my flank torn by the spear''s blade.


    "Oww! Heck, seems like the attack is also accompanied with ¡¾Curse¡¿."


    I could hear a quiet scream from the audience when I received the counter, I just held my cut flank and took a step back.


    "So rather than dividing, he made shadow clones, huh. In that case we need to find the real body between the clones."


    Mikadzuchi calmly analysed the fact that one of the Urami-danuki disappeared turning into white smoke.


    Meanwhile, Sei-nee healed me up, returning me to perfect state.


    "Seriously, how do we find it."


    Succeeding with an attack on me, the Urami-danuki''s mouth distorted turning into a cynical smile.


    "We can attack all the shadow clones at once. We can eliminate all those clones and then attack the real body. Also, we can try preventing him from his special attack. That''s about all I can think of."


    Or, we can try frontal attack on them to try finding the difference between clones and the real body. Mikadzuchi muttered and at the same time she rushed towards the Urami-danuki and thrust with her hexagonal stick.


    As the weapons fiercely clashed against each other Mikadzuchi parried Urami-danuki''s spear and hit him in the torso. However, just like the first one the enemy disappeared letting out white smoke and another shadow clone appeared, joining others surrounding us.


    "Seriously, what do we do about these?!"


    Although I desperately avoided the attack from the cross-spear, my HP was cut down by the counter-attack coming from inside the white smoke.


    The shadow clones'' attacks weren''t strong enough to take us down with a single hit, but they put on ¡¾Curse¡¿ bad status, moreover, the spear''s shape was troublesome.


    The ¡¾Curse¡¿ bad status in addition to reducing MP had caused random negative effects from time to time, so if we continue receiving those attacks there''s a chance of receiving a lethal negative effect.


    Right now we could recover with items, Sei-nee could also use ¡¾Recovery Magic¡¿ to maintain the margin of safety, but it didn''t seem like we could deliver any damage to the enemy.


    The cross-spears had broad attack range as their tips had crescent-shaped blade so it was hard to avoid them, unless you avoid them by a large margin you will get caught.


    Also, since the spear encirclement narrowed from all sides, defending ourselves had gradually become more difficult.


    "Damn it!! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Zone Bomb¡·!"


    Desperate, I used the lowest magic in the Earth Element in combination with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿.


    Focusing on multiple enemies in my range of vision I invoked ¡¶Bomb¡· magic all at once.


    As a result, four shadow clones of the tanuki were wrapped around by ¡¶Bomb¡·''s yellow explosion and received slight damage, but since they were attacked at the same time four of them thrust at me with their spears.


    "Nowah?! T-that was close!"


    Abandoning any shame and respectability I avoided by crouching, four enemies'' spears have passed over my head. As if crawling, I slipped away from under them.


    "Missy, what are you doing?"


    "What, you ask. Trial and error!"


    "That attack just now was dangerous. Try imagining what would happen if you received that spears'' simultaneous attack."


    Told so, I thought of a situation where I receive multiple simultaneous attacks from four shadow clones and came to conclusion that there was a high chance I could receive severe ¡¾Curse¡¿.


    As well as chain damage from continuous attacks within a short period of time.


    "Seems like you understood. But well, it''s a good example of a failure. The guild''s members will surely take note of that."


    Kukuku, Mikadzuchi let out a muffled laughter as she parried an attack of a shadow clone and continued to search for a clue on beating them.


    After that, I received several counter-attacks from the Urami-danuki, and while recovering the damage with potions I used ¡¶Bomb¡· magic to accumulate damage on a single Urami-danuki.


    "Damn, attack with ¡¶Bomb¡· don''t deal too much damage. I need to think of a more efficient method."


    "Missy, can''t you find the main body with your ¡¾See-Through¡¿?"


    ''Not happening. I''ve been looking at them all for a while now, but I can''t seem to find tanuki any different. His ¡¾Concealment¡¿-type Sense must be quite high."


    "After coming this far we had a nasty opponent appear. We might get really exhausted if it goes badly. But, what if..."


    While Mikadzuchi and I idled fighting against the Urami-danuki, Sei-nee seemed to have found a way out.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·"


    White light had appeared on the tip of the staff and the single target heal ¡¶High Heal¡· was activated.


    Its target wasn''t me or Mikadzuchi, but the Urami-danuki''s shadow clone.


    ¡ª¡ªGYAAAHHH!


    Although the clone screamed and turned into white smoke, no spear had come as counter-attack.


    The other shadow clones of the Urami-danuki returned to the main body and all the damage dealt to them so far had been included.


    "I guess it''s simple once you realize it?"


    "Sei-nee, what do you mean?"


    "Urami-danuki is an undead enemy so physical attacks are ineffective I think. Moreover, unless it''s specific magic it will have very poor effect."


    "I see. It''s simple once we know the trick. Missy, give me fire element."


    "Roger that. ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon!"


    The counter-attack was fast once Mikadzuchi and I learned the enemy''s weakness.


    I used Fire Elemental Stone and applied element enchant on Mikadzuchi''s weapon.


    From thereon, Mikadzuchi fought Urami-danuki using fire elemental damage, Sei-nee attacked with recovery magic and I continued to deliver damage by using silver arrows that were very effective against undead.


    Finally, the Urami-danuki let out his death throes and sprouting white smoke from his body, he collapsed.


    "He was quite tough. I used lots of ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ there."


    "I also hit him quite many times with ¡¶High Heal¡· so I don''t have much MP Potions left."


    Although Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi were in perfect state, they didn''t have enough consumables to support that.


    "Are you all right? How many ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ you have left?"


    "Got 10 right now. At current pace it feels like I''ll be able to barely reach tenth round."


    "Looks like for now, we don''t have to think about retiring half-way."


    I listened to the two''s opinions and though that at this rate we''ll get through the seventh round and will likely be able to get the prize for eight round, the one Sei-nee wanted. Possibly, we might see through it to the end.


    While I stood there relieved I''ll get the strengthening material I wanted, suddenly I received an impact in the back.


    "¡ª¡ªHAa?"


    The shock was strong enough to crush my naive ideas about the arena challenge.


    A purple cross-spear had protruded from my belly.


    Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi also were pierced by the same thing and voice like a scream sounded from the audience.


    ¡ñ


    "Yun-oneechan! Sei-oneechan!"


    With a loud *whump* I was pierced by a purple spear, but I didn''t feel any pain or received damage.


    I twisted my body to look behind and saw a purple, semi-transparent Urami-danuki looking at us with resentment. In the end, right before disappearing he put on a cynical smile.


    "What was that, just now..."


    As I rubbed my abdomen stunned by the lack of pain it was Mikadzuchi''s voice that made me return to myself.


    "Tch! He got us!"


    Mikadzuchi immediately cursed and confirmed her status in the menu.


    "In the end he left us a ridiculous ¡¾Curse¡¿! How about you, Sei?"


    "It was somewhat reduced since I have ¡¾Curse¡¿ resistance accessories on but..."


    When the two looked my way I confirmed my status in the menu.


    Seeing the ¡¾Curse¡¿ effects displayed there, I was at loss for words.


    "...what the hell is this?"


    My status was currently displayed as ¡¾Cursed¡¿ and there was no value that would indicate its intensity.


    Moreover, unlike normal ¡¾Curse¡¿ I received a variety of negative effects.


    "¡¾Skills Sealed¡¿, ¡¾Healing Skills and Items Disabled¡¿, ¡¾Statistics Decrease¡¿. Also ¡¾HP Decrease¡¿ and ¡¾MP Decrease¡¿? What''s with this?"


    I was stunned by the overly-strong ¡¾Curse¡¿''s effect.


    With this I couldn''t recover my HP and MP, as well as from the bad status. The HP Decrease wasn''t as fast as that of ¡¾Poison¡¿ but it was steadily decreasing.


    And it seemed like Mikadzuchi received the same ¡¾Curse¡¿ as me.


    "So Missy didn''t resist it and got the whole set. And you Sei?"


    "Just ¡¾MP Decrease¡¿. But, since my MP is decreasing I won''t be able to use much magic in combat."


    "Tch, Urami-danuki''s final attack huh. Let''s get over the retirement choice and rush for the seventh round. In fact, this turns into a battle with time limit."


    Final attack is a general term for attack that forcibly activates when mob''s HP reaches zero, it''s also called ¡¾Attack Upon Death¡¿ and ¡¾Stray Attack¡¿.


    During arena battle you cannot pass recovery items to each other.


    Right now Mikadzuchi and I cannot use items we have available, the only one who could use items was Sei-nee who mainly picked up MP Potions.


    "It was going too easy, I should have been more careful."


    Mikadzuchi muttered quietly, her mutter echoed in the completely silent arena. Then, "it was easy for you, Mikadzuchi", a retort had come from the audience.


    What we clearly understood now, was that the situation had changed from a comfortable one into one where we are backed into a corner by the Urami-danuki''s ¡¾Curse¡¿.


    "He appeared, the seventh round''s enemy..."


    The enemy from the seventh round that was ahead of Sei-nee''s line of sight was¡ª¡ªTwin-Torso Warrior.


    It was two demon warriors'' bodies stuck back-to-back as one, they held curved swords in their hands, a two-faced embodiment of four swords-style.


    The demon warrior in front wore heavy armour, the demon warrior in the back wore loose kinagashi.


    "How does the guy in the back move with those legs? Is what I''d like to inquire, but I guess it''s no time for that."


    "The guy attached to the back has reverse ankles like those common in robo-games. That thing has an unexpectedly strong jumping ability."


    "Yun-chan, Mikadzuchi, we don''t have time to talk about that. So, Mikadzuchi, what do we do?"


    "Sei, you''ll act as a healer just in case. Don''t attack and spare MP. Missy, use all items you can. I''ll settle this quickly!"


    I immediately passed non-recovery items I had in inventory and that could be used to Mikadzuchi.


    "Here, Enchant Stones and Boost Tablets. Also, I''ll lend you the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿, it can block up to three attacks."


    "I know how to use Enchant Stones and Boost Tablets so no problem there, but this ring is your treasure isn''t it, Missy?"


    The ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ was unique equipment that could completely invalidate the attacks depending on the size of the gem fitted on its pedestal.


    For me, who has poor defence this is a very powerful item.


    "If you fall, Sei-nee and I behind you won''t win this. We can''t have you losing, Mikadzuchi. Also, I''m a support character. Since I''m a support, my role is to arrange it so that combat positions fight at their best."


    "Missy... I get it. I''ll be borrowing it."


    After saying so, Mikadzuchi put on the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ on the index finger of her right hand. Then continuing, she crushed the Boost Tablets between her teeth and said the keyword for the attack, defence and speed Enchant Stones, activating them.


    "It feels like the enchants mostly offset stat reduction."


    By lightly swinging her arms and stretching, Mikadzuchi checked up on her own body.


    Sei-nee and I also used strengthening items to mitigate the stat decrease, readying ourselves beforehand.


    Once it was time, the Hobgoblin referee sounded the gong and the seventh round started.


    "Well theeen, I''ll be going."


    "Go on, I''ll support you as much as I can."


    In order to make it through this battle I did my best to provide cover fire with the bow.


    The arrow I shot over running Mikadzuchi''s head was cut down by the Twin-Torso Warrior''s curved sword, but I continued to shot arrows without rest so the enemy couldn''t ignore it.


    And, once Mikadzuchi sprung in front of the Twin-Torso Warrior, they started exchanging blows.


    She delivered precise blows with her hexagonal stick as she avoided lightly. The Twin-Torso Warrior had continued to let our wide-ranged slashes, cleaving with his curved swords.


    Normally after the enemy attacks there''s an opportunity to hit them, but enemy''s four swords delivered too many attacks covering the openings so Mikadzuchi couldn''t hit the Twin Torso Warrior cleanly.


    However, having Mikadzuchi strike at him the Twin-Torso Warrior was unable to block my arrows and various places unprotected by armour were pierced.


    Actually I did use arrows synthesized with bad status drugs, so the moment arrows have pierced into enemy their effect could be seen.


    Although arrows themselves dealt little damage, ¡¾Poison¡¿''s slip damage, ¡¾Curse¡¿''s random negative effects, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿; ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ inhibiting actions have blunted Twin-Torso warrior for an instant, allowing us to come out advantageous.


    Still, since the Twin-Torso Warrior recovered from bad statuses quicker than Ogres, the effect wasn''t too strong.


    "He''s stronger than the Ogres! This is harsh! This isn''t something I''d like to fight against if I was completely weakened!"


    Since Mikadzuchi wanted to preserve the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿''s protection she continued to avoid the attack of the warrior.


    Because of that, Sei-nee who acted as an emergency healer was unable to participate and only watched over us.


    ""¡ª¡ªVOOOOOOOOOO!""


    As the Twin-Torso Warrior''s front and rear heads howled, the warrior in front swung down his curved swords diagonally then took a step forward, that''s when the other side swung its swords cleaving from the sides.


    Mikadzuchi avoided the attacks and slipped to the side of the Twin-Torso Warrior, but ahead of where she avoided to the rear side had released a thrust. In order to avoid that, Mikadzuchi leaped further to the side.


    "Pheew, that was close. Since he has another body on his back he has no blind spots behind him."


    This time, Mikadzuchi confronted the demon warrior wearing kinagashi that was on the Twin-Torso Warrior''s back.


    And, Sei-nee and I have faced the demon warrior wearing an armour in the front. We positioned ourselves as to do a pincer attack from the front and the back with the three of us.


    "Um, won''t this turn real bad if he ignores Mikadzuchi...?"


    "At that time we''ll might have to stall for time no matter what."


    "You''ll think when that happens. HAA¡ª¡ª"


    Mikadzuchi slowly slid her feet on the ground moving forward, measuring the distance of enemy''s curved swords, then with a loud shout she thrust with her weapon.


    Matching that attack I shot an arrow at the demon warrior in the front.


    That''s when the Twin-Torso Warrior showed a move we haven''t seen yet.


    The demon warrior on Mikadzuchi''s side blocked the attack with the swords in his hands, but the demon warrior on our side didn''t help with that. Instead, he struck down the arrow that were ignored until now.


    "This is... don''t the movements of the front and back side have a subtle difference?"


    Up until just earlier, all four swords focused on intercepting Mikadzuchi, but now they have been distributed to sides.


    And, with just the two swords on the back he was unable to suppress Mikadzuchi''s onslaught, allowing Mikadzuchi to approach.


    "Blow away! Haa!!"


    Filled with fighting spirit she thrust with the stick at the kinagashi-clad warrior., as a result the Twin-Torso Warrior was blown away in our direction.


    In order not to let him close onto where Sei-nee and I were, I threw a magic gem in a hurry.


    "Make it! ¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿!"


    Starting with the location the thrown gem had fallen to, an earthen wall had grown from the ground into which the Twin-Torso Warrior slammed.


    After slamming into the wall the warrior fell in that place and sluggishly rose up.


    "That''s some power. The attack just now took 10% of his HP."


    "Looks like you didn''t see it from your side, Missy, but half of that came from him slamming into the earthen wall you made."


    While saying so, Mikadzuchi shouldered the hexagonal stick, then once again readying the weapon she lowered her waist.


    The Twin-Torso Warrior had 70% HP remaining. And, Mikadzuchi''s HP was reduced to 60% by the Urami-danuki''s ¡¾Curse¡¿.


    Since it would be dangerous for her HP to fall below that, Sei-nee who has been on standby has moved.


    "Mikadzuchi, healing. ¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·!"


    "Oh, thanks. Well, let''s try my best for little longer!"


    Sei-nee used recovery magic to heal Mikadzuchi, who resumed combat with the Twin-Torso Warrior.


    I continued shooting arrows as I observed the change in enemy HP''s decrease.


    "Doesn''t the Twin-Torso Warrior have slight differences between defence on both sides?"


    "So you noticed that too, Yun-chan."


    Since I ran out of bad status arrows, I stopped for a moment to take out normal ones. Meanwhile, I listened to Sei-nee''s analysis.


    "The back is vulnerable to physical attacks. Mikadzuchi must have realized that since she matches the Twin-Torso''s movement as it tried to turn with front towards her, and continues to stay behind him."


    That''s when the demon warrior cleaved broadly and did a half-turn to the left. Along with that movement the front warrior had turned towards Mikadzuchi and swung his curved sword, but Mikadzuchi matched those movements and rolling she avoided it. Once again, Mikadzuchi confronted the demon warrior in the back.


    "Tch, he turned with the front again."


    "Mikadzuchi, I''ll recover your HP. ¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·"


    "Thanks, Sei."


    "And Yun-chan, you also received as ¡¾HP Decrease¡¿, haven''t you? ¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·"


    "Thank you, Sei-nee."


    Since I''m a rearguard I neglected my own HP, and before I noticed it dropped down to 40%.


    I had much lower max HP as compared to Mikadzuchi, so using heal magic on me with the same timing would be a waste of MP, so Sei-nee used heal on me once for every two times she used it on Mikadzuchi.


    "My MP is already low so settle it before it runs out."


    Hearing Sei-nee''s words Mikadzuchi waved her hand and took a step forward.


    The battle with the Twin-Torso Warrior was to resume again, but after having his HP cut down by 30% the enemy made a movement completely different from how he moved until now.


    "He''s taking a step back?"


    The Twin-Torso Warrior took a big step back, lowered his body, and leaping forward he cleaved at Mikadzuchi with the curved swords.


    "Tch, he''s fast!"


    The sound of air being cut with strong momentum by the curved swords reached me in the rearguard. Mikadzuchi, averted her upper body avoiding the attack by a hair''s breadth, but the Twin-Torso Warrior twisted his body and advanced another step forward.


    "Yun-chan, prepare!"


    "Got it! ¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿"


    Just in case, I moved together with Sei-nee.


    "Tch, he''s chasing me?!"


    Mikadzuchi lowered herself further avoiding it, but the Twin-Torso Warrior continued rotating, switching front and the back constantly he let out heavy slashes at Mikadzuchi one after another.


    The second attack was received by the stick, but Mikadzuchi lost in contest of strength and was parried away, her posture collapsing.


    With the third attack she received damage for the first time and the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ took effect, letting out a quiet sound of breaking. Then the fourth and fifth attacks the Twin-Torso Warrior let out had easily exceeded the damage ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ could receive.


    Mikadzuchi was unable to fix her posture as she received the nullified attacks and receiving the sixth cleave, some of her HP was shaved off.


    "Ghaa!"


    And, when the Twin-Torso Warrior was about to release the seventh attack I threw magic gems at Mikadzuchi''s feet, creating earthen walls under her and scooping her up.


    Multiple walls were too brittle for the strong attacks of the curved swords and have collapsed, but thanks to the fact walls grew under her feet she was able to escape upwards.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·, ¡¶High Heal¡·!"


    Sei-nee invoked a heal on Mikadzuchi twice, restoring the received damage worth of HP.


    "Sei, Yun. You saved me there."


    "...no way. She called me by my name."


    "The attacks earlier were really persistent, if not for this thing Missy lent me, your support wouldn''t make it in time. One more hit and it would be over for me. Also, Missy, thanks for this ring."


    "So, how do we take the rest of his HP?"


    Sei-nee used recovery magic in succession so her MP hit the bottom, forcing her to recover it with MP Potion on hand.


    Still, because the ¡¾Curse¡¿''s effect was reducing it little by little, she sought to settle it early.


    "In that case there''s no choice but to decide it all at once with all firepower we have."


    While saying so, Mikadzuchi took off the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ that had the gem on its pedestal shatter and returned it to me.


    After once used, the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ had several hours of cooldown applied to it. Good work, I muttered to it and stowed it away in the inventory.


    We turned towards the Twin-Torso Warrior, it seemed like he finished his big move and fell on his knees, completely defenceless for about ten seconds.


    "I''ll give up on avoiding and continue attacking him physically."


    "I will use the remaining MP Potions to barrage him with magic."


    "I-I''ll spread around remaining Magic Gems to blow him up."


    "Well, it''s decided!"


    Mikadzuchi switched from her current fiery red light armour to the unique equipment that had a gloomy, wolfish design, the ¡¾Dark Wolf''s Armour¡¿.


    The ¡¾Dark Wolf''s Armour¡¿ was unique equipment received as a reward from a raid quest, it''s negative effect ¡¾Skills Sealed¡¿ had overlapped with the negative effect from the Urami-danuki''s ¡¾Curse¡¿ so currently it had no disadvantages. Moreover, it''s ¡¾Might¡¿ additional effect increased the user''s ATK significantly.


    "All right, let''s go!"


    As if chasing after running Mikadzuchi, I also started to run towards the Twin-Torso Warrior.


    Sei-nee created water bullets and ice lances in large amounts, and consuming MP Potions she continued to wait until the moment she can use them all at once.


    "Missy, match Sei''s magic. Don''t get hit until then!"


    "I''ll do this from a safe place."


    I moved to medium distance while shooting with the bow, then started placing ¡¾Bomb¡¿''s Magic Gems little by little, throwing them beneath the Twin-Torso Warrior''s feet.


    Mikadzuchi parried a swung curved sword with armour on her arm and circled around to enemy''s side, then using stats increased by ¡¾Might¡¿ she thrust the stick at the demon warrior in the back. When she did, the enemy''s body rotated, receiving and mitigating the attack with the armour in front.


    "Tch, but... I''ll force it through! DARAAahhh!!"


    The hexagonal stick thrust into the front demon warrior''s belly and strongly dented in his armour.


    Along with a loud, dull sound, the Twin-Torso Warrior lost strength in his knees and fell on the ground.


    While it was possible to reduce the damage by allowing the impact to flow behind, the enemy was unable to do so and it had spread in his entire body.


    The demon warrior in the front pierced the curved swords into the ground and supported himself with both arms and the demon warrior in the back immediately counter-attacked.


    Mikadzuchi parried that strike to the side with all her strength, then struck the demon warrior on the back.


    "Now. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Aqua Bullet¡·¡¶Ice Lance¡·, fire at once!"


    "Let''s do it. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    Sei-nee fired several dozens of magic that was waiting behind her, all straight at the Twin-Torso Warrior.


    The water bullets flying at high speed made dents in the front warrior''s armour, the ice spears gouged his limbs, water burst out meeting the icy air and froze the Twin-Torso Warrior.


    And while the enemy was unable to move, ¡¾Bomb¡¿''s Magic Gems activated all at once. The Twin-Torso Warrior was unable to avoid the multiple bombing and as he was swallowed by yellow explosions, the contours of his body were distorted.


    "I threw in several dozens of Magic Gems there. This should do."


    "Not yet! Mikadzuchi, last hit!"


    As the explosion''s flash gradually faded, the Twin Torso Warrior appeared to have survived, although his armour in the front and kinagashi in the back were all in tatters.


    He stood up despite having less than 10% HP, poising his four swords broken in half he launched a continuous rotation attack on Mikadzuchi.


    However, the broken swords had small range and Mikadzuchi easily avoided them, moreover she was able to release the final blow by taking advantage of superior reach.


    "Great timing! Blow away!"


    Mikadzuchi thrust with all her strength at the enemy''s side that was exposed by the rotation.


    The rotation added to the attack''s strength and the Twin-Torso Warrior''s armour was crushed and the strike deeply sank into his flank.


    ""¡ª¡ªVOOOOOOOOOO!""


    The Twin-Torso Warrior was blown away along with a cry, hit the wall of the arena and slipped to the ground.


    In there, his body turned into particles of light, disappearing.


    """WOOAAAA¡ª¡ª"""


    Since we have been fighting with our Arts and skills suppressed ever since the seventh round started and the very end was flashy, the cheers from the audience were the loudest so far.


    "All right, let''s continue to the eight¡ª¡ª"We''re retiring."¡ª¡ªSei-nee?!"


    The seventh round ended and I felt enthusiastic since next one had the prize Sei-nee aimed for, but she herself had declared we''re retiring.


    The retirement had been accepted by the system, but I asked Sei-nee in wonder.


    "Is that okay? I mean, isn''t the next prize what you were aiming for?"


    "It can''t be helped. Urami-danuki''s ¡¾Curse¡¿ still continues. Also, I only have enough MP for one spell and few potions. Mikadzuchi and Yun-chan, even if you can fight with your HP you can''t use skills, right?"


    "But..."


    "If we force ourselves to challenge it here and lose, we lose all the prizes so far. It''s wiser to withdraw here."


    While saying so Mikadzuchi put a hand on my head from behind and ruffled my hair strongly. Shaking off her hand, I had to agree with her.


    "Yup, you''re right. Maybe I wasn''t calm enough."


    "No, Yun-chan, you were taking me into consideration weren''t you. Thank you."


    Sei-nee gently pat my head as if to comb my hair, causing me to feel embarrassed.


    In the edge of my vision Mikadzuchi''s mouth distorted in dissatisfaction that I shook off her hand, but that''s because she was too rough.


    Mikadzuchi suddenly exhaled, then rose her voice as to let the entire arena hear it.


    "Now, we have challenged the arena as the first, how was it? Will that serve as tips?! We have come in without taking any special measures, as a result we retire after the seventh round. Take advantage of this information. Also, look at how other guys challenge the arena and use that to knead your own measures. So yeah, do your best!"


    Along with Mikadzuchi''s closing declaration a variety of cheers had come from the arena''s audience. I smiled wryly seeing that enthusiasm, then left.


    ¡ñ


    After challenging the arena, we have distributed the prizes and as a result¡ª¡ª


    Each of us picked a single prize out of the prizes for all seven rounds and four prizes remained.


    I received the ¡¾Crystal of Exorcism¡¿ first, then Mikadzuchi received the prizes for the third and the seventh round. Since Sei-nee retired before we acquired the item she wanted she had a right to choose the prize out of the remaining four on priority basis.


    "I''ll...take the fourth and fifth prizes. You''re next, Yun-chan."


    "Eh? I... then, the second round''s prize."


    "You''re lacking greed. We got the items we wanted so you should take all remaining ones, missy Sei."


    Saying so in the end, Mikadzuchi received the remaining prize and the allocation was over. On that day, since all three of us were already exhausted we decided to rest.


    Then, the next day, in the evening of the sixth day of expedition.


    I was doing the final adjustments of the accessories in the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild''s craftsmen room.


    Whew, I ended up practically re-crafting the accessories for Sei-nee and Myu again.


    I stared at the accessories placed on the table.


    For the blue and silver accessory made with Blurite Ore, I first strengthened the ingot itself by synthesizing in a water ¡¾Element Stone¡¿, increasing the water element effect.


    As for the bead bracelet, I first made transparent glass beads, but then I thought that the way the ¡¾Crystal of Exorcism¡¿ diffuses light would suit Myu, so I continued to process the beads.


    I roasted the glass beads on a frying pan and had it rapidly cool in ice to make cracked glass to match the look of the ¡¾Crystal of Exorcism¡¿.


    I was given advices by Otonashi and Langley which I used as reference, finally making an accessory for Myu.


    Also, I used a light ¡¾Element Stone¡¿ on this one as well, combining it with the materials at early stage to add additional effect ¡¾Light Element Increase (small)¡¿.


    All that was left to do, was using the strengthening material I had on hand on these two.


    I took out four strengthening materials.


    The Highlands Area''s boss mob''s King Cockatrice''s drop, the ¡¾Chicken King''s Crown¡¿


    The drop from the sea anemone-like Electric Parasitic Insect boss that was inside the Grand Rock, the ¡¾Parasite Pacemaker¡¿.


    And the two strengthening materials I acquired in the Volcanic Area''s ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿, the ¡¾Precious Magic Crystal¡¿ and the ¡¾Crystal of Exorcism¡¿. I added the effects to each accessory.


    And the result was¡ª¡ª


    Blue and Silver Mystic Ring ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (weight:1)


    DEF+7 INT+3 MIND+12 Additional Effect: ¡¾INT Bonus¡¿¡¾Water Element Increase (medium)¡¿¡¾Magic Increase (small)¡¿


    Snow White Bracelet ¡¾Ornament¡¿ (weight:1)


    DEF+8 MIND+12 Additional Effect: ¡¾Recovery Increase (small)¡¿¡¾Range Improvement (small)¡¿¡¾Light Element Increase (medium)¡¿


    For Sei-nee''s ¡¾''Blue and Silver Mystic Ring¡¿ I used the ¡¾Precious Magic Crystal¡¿ in order to add the effect increasing magic-related stats.


    As for other effects, there was the ¡¾INT Bonus¡¿ that could be attached by crafter''s ¡¾Engraving¡¿ Sense and ¡¾Water Element Increase¡¿ that was an additional effect added by the use of Blurite Ore.


    It was an accessory specialized in water element and magic.


    Myu''s ¡¾Snow White Bracelet¡¿ had used the remaining three strengthening materials and was an accessory that boosted recovery, light magic, and had an auxillary effect.


    Thanks to the light ¡¾Element Stone¡¿ and ¡¾Parasite Pacemaker¡¿''s overlapping effects the ¡¾Light Element Increase¡¿ effect had strengthened by one stage.


    "Sei-nee''s magic will grow even more powerful. And since Myu says she wants to be a paladin, I made a general combination of effects for her."


    Imagining the two''s happy faces I ended up smiling.


    I stretched my body and noticed it was already night.


    "Ah, it''s almost time to sleep... I took a bath already, so all that''s left is to go to sleep."


    After muttering that, I suddenly remembered.


    "The hot spring building in the Volcanic Area, there should be no people there at this time..."


    The frontline area was populated with few players. Furthermore it''s around midnight so there isn''t as many people online, I might be able to enjoy the hot springs without being seen by anyone. Thinking so, I immediately started acting.


    I transitioned to the portal at the back gate of a dungeon from one that''s out of sight, then headed towards the hot spring.


    "...there''s no one here. Comin'' iiiin."


    After making sure there''s no one inside or around the building I took off my boots at the grate in the entrance and sneaked inside on tiptoes.


    And, the moment I passed through the door to the dressing room¡ª¡ª


    "OHH?!! My entire equipment was changed huh."


    What was my equipment earlier, had forcibly changed into a bath towel wrapped around me.


    Apparently if I had a swimsuit I would have been equipped with it instead of a bath towel, but unfortunately I don''t have that kind of equipment...


    "I''m all naked under this... heck, what am I thinking about!"


    I hurriedly shook my head and got rid of needless thought, then headed to the bath.


    Holding down the unreliable bath towel with my both hands I walked slowly.


    "Woah... so this is how it is inside."


    When I entered from the dressing room to the bathroom, I saw an open-air bath made with rugged rocks.


    After once again confirming there is no one inside, I a nearby bucket and poured hot water on myself before entering the bath.


    "In real you can''t have the bath towel get wet, but here it can''t be helped since it won''t come off."


    I held down the unreliable bath towel that won''t get off no matter what I immersed my body in the bathtub.


    "Haa, this is paradise. ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿ might really be a good match with me. Mmm, I sure spend this week leisurely."


    Combat, farming boss and the arena challenge weren''t all that tiring. All of that was many times better than mobs in a grotesque dungeon.


    "It has an atmosphere like that of an hot spring town, there''s a lot of shops with delicious stuff I enjoyed."


    Tomorrow is the end of the guild expedition huh, I said and relaxed, I looked towards the night sky seeing off the white steam disappear in it.


    Then, after spending some time in daze, my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense perceived signs of life in the dressing room causing me to panic.


    "EH?! There''s someone else coming in at this time, what do I do?! I''ll be seen!"


    If it gets out that a man like me entered women''s bath it''ll be end of my social life. I need to hide somewhere, I thought and started looking around, but other people have already entered the bathroom.


    "So you really were here, Missy."


    "Good evening, Yun-chan."


    "Mikadzuchi, Sei-nee..."


    Finding out that they''re my acquaintances I was relieved, but also thought that I can''t stay here and hurriedly rose up from the bath.


    The water I have been soaking in up to my shoulder had flowed down my body, the drenched bath towel felt heavy.


    Holding down the heavy bath towel with my hand I headed towards the dressing room but¡ª¡ª


    "He?"


    Just when I thought I passed by Mikadzuchi, she caught the edge of my bath towel and threw me back into the bath.


    I fell into the bath along with a loud splash, then rose in a hurry and raised my voice in protest.


    "PWAH! That was dangerous! What if my bath towel comes off?!"


    "What are you getting all embarrassed for. Also, you just got in so don''t leave so early, accompany us for a little bit."


    Saying so, Mikadzuchi soaked in the bathtub right next to me.


    I tried standing up again but she held my head down and forced me back into the bath.


    Unable to resist because of the difference in our stats I gave up, then soaked up to my mouth in the cloudy hot water in order to hide my body.


    "Why did you two come here?"


    "Mm. We saw Yun-chan run this way and got curious."


    "Still, aren''t you embarrassed to come after me as far as to the bath...?


    "We have swimsuits under this, look."


    Sei-nee said that and showed off shoulder straps that were visible despite the bath towel wrapped around her.


    At that time her chest was strongly emphasized, causing me to avert my gaze.


    "Aahh, fine. I get it already¡ª¡ªhya!"


    "Kukuku, so innocent. Aren''t you cute."


    Mikadzuchi lightly stroked my back with her fingertips. I reflexively bent backwards, turned towards her and glared.


    "Mikadzuchi! Heck, what the hell are you showing off here!"


    Seeing her shift the bath towel to show off the swimsuit just like Sei-nee I immediately averted my eyes from her.


    "Why are you overreacting like that? It''s too cute, makes me want to bully you."


    "Shaddup."


    "What? Do you have a complex over your small breasts? Don''t worry, mine aren''t too big either."


    As if! When I shouted that in my mind and stared at Mikadzuchi, she took out a tray from the inventory and placed it on the edge of the bath.


    Then the next thing she took out, was a painted sake cup and a liquor bottle.


    "Mikadzuchi, liquor again?"


    "It''s stylish to drink while looking up at the moon, right?"


    She poured the content of the bottle into the sake cup painted red, filling it up.


    "And that is?"


    "Arena''s seventh prize¡ª¡ª¡¾Magic Cup¡¿"


    And saiyng so she drank little of the liquor from up, then tilted the cup horizontally. When she did, liquid had started coming out of the cup as if springing up from a fountain.


    "The liquid poured inside earlier can be reproduced by consuming MP. If you pour a potion in, then a potion, if liquor, then a liquor. Of course, the amount of MP consumed depends on what you pour inside."


    "Mikadzuchi is using it differently from how it was intended to. Moreover, she aimed for the third and seventh prizes in the arena just for this, you know?"


    Haa, Sei-nee heaved a sigh. The prizes Sei-nee and I have chosen, the second and the fifth one were of two types, big and small tsuzura boxes.


    The content of the wicker boxes changed at random, Sei-nee''s large box had one large item inside and my small box had three smaller ones.


    "My fourth prize is a material called ¡¾Nameless Demon''s Horn¡¿. And as for the fifth prize''s box, I don''t have luck so it''ll probably be a item I don''t need."


    Although we were immersed in a pleasant bath, Sei-nee started letting out a depressing atmosphere, making me panic.


    "It''s all right, Sei-nee. Um... if you won''t need what you get, I''ll exchange it with what I get from the box."


    "Uuunh, Yun-chan''s kindness pierces my heart. But at the same time, it looks like no one expects anything of my luck."


    Seeing Sei-nee even more downhearted, in contrast, Mikadzuchi smiled happily.


    "Once the expedition is over you should open them in front of everyone. Whether you have luck or not, everyone will get fired up."


    "Uuu, Mikadzuchi, you talk as if it had nothing to do with you."


    "In fact, it doesn''t. Also, missy Yun, come participate in tomorrow''s party."


    Mikadzuchi called me by my name again. She did that once in the arena before, at the same time I felt a little happy to be called so, I was ashamed to be called that right now and sank into the bathtub up to my mouth again.


    "And, it''s about the time you decide what will you do, Missy."


    "Decide?"


    "Whether you officially join our ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild, or leave."


    "...it''s all right. I have already decided."


    It all felt too cosy I sometimes nearly forgot about it. That''s why I have decided right from the start.


    Hearing my words, Mikadzuchi responded with "I see, I see." and drank the rest of liquor all at once.


    "Well then, I''ll be going ahead."


    "Sure, good night. Don''t be late for tomorrow''s party."


    "Good night, Yun-chan."


    I held down the heavy bath towel with my hand and walked towards the dressing room with sound footsteps.


    Behind me, I could hear Sei-nee and Mikadzuchi speak to each other.


    "Yun-missy sure is strong."


    "You''re right. It does seem like Yun-chan goes with the flow, but since long ago whenever she decided on something, she would always carry it through."


    Hearing their words I denied that in my mind. I''m not strong or anything, I thought.

 Chapter Volume 8 Epilogue

    Epilogue - A Party and Accessories


    "We were able to safely expedition to the Volcanic Area. We used human wave tactics to acquire information on quests, shops, items as well as facilities. This is all thanks to guild members'' hard work. ¡ª¡ªCheers!"


    Holding a cup with liquor in one hand, Mikadzuchi announced the start of a party ending the guild expedition.


    With the people having the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense including me, having preparing food as the centre, the members of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ were divided in several groups.


    A group that boasted of the items they acquired during the expedition, a group that immediately opened auctions for items, and a group that shared stories of their adventures with each other.


    Among them, Sei-nee and I stood in a conspicuous place.


    "Well then, we will be opening the ¡¾Tsuzura Boxes¡¿!"


    Sei-nee took out a large tsuzura, I took out a small one.


    "Ready, Yun-chan?"


    "Any time."


    "One, two--!


    We matched our timing as we opened the lids, for just a moment light spilled out from inside and we saw items inside.


    "...uu, this is?!"


    Inside Sei-nee''s large tsuzura box there were three pieces of rare crafting material, ¡¾Jewelled Branch of H¨­rai¡¿.


    "That''s great, Sei-nee. It''s the material you wanted."


    "I''m glad, my luck wasn''t bad this time! In the very end I got the item I wanted. But..."


    She smiled happily, but a slight shadow appeared on her face.


    "To make the staff I only need three, so I''ll have two spare ones."


    "Oh, that''s...''


    Since it was a rare material in the first place, it had a limited number of uses.


    "Inside my tsuzura there are..."


    Inside the small box there were earrings, necklace and a hair clip, these three types of accessories.


    "Accessories, and kinda rare-looking?"


    The effects of the accessories were things like "halves max HP but increases stats", "increases stats when HP falls below a certain percentage", "increases speed, but constantly consumes MP in exchange". Each of them had peaky effect.


    "So Yun-chan got unique accessories."


    Since they have effects difficult for me to use they''ll probably end up as references for crafting, I thought and heaved a sigh.


    However, for people who were watching over me and Sei-nee as we broke the seals on the boxes, the items we got were classified as jackpot, which further motivated everyone to challenge the arena.


    "Well then, let''s go back to Mikadzuchi."


    "You''re right. And since there''s food prepared, let''s eat some on the way."


    The two of us have headed to the corner of the hall where Mikadzuchi was.


    "Oh, looks like you got some amusing items, you two."


    "Welcome back, Yun-oneechan, Sei-oneechan?."


    Mikadzuchi and Myu''s party have gone ahead and started eating, and were chatting with each group.


    "I''m sooo envious of you two getting rare items. I''ll show you I can get rare equipment in the arena too!"


    "Kukuku, you sure are energetic, Myu-chan."


    Seeming like she already had some alcohol in her blood, Mikadzuchi asked us when we sat down and started eating.


    "The guild''s expedition is over, Missy and Myu-chan, what will you do? Are you going to officially enter the guild? Or will you leave?"


    It was the same thing she asked me last night. I already decided on the answer.


    "I will¡ª¡ªbe going back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿. I''m sorry, I have been in your guild''s care."


    "We are going back to our original playstyle as well, is what we decided together. It was a lot of fun this time, so if you''re going for another expedition please call us."


    Myu''s party also decided not to enter the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿.


    Hearing our choice, the guild members who heard it have screamed.


    "You guys, shut up! Sure, we failed to recruit pretty girls, but you''re being too noisy!"


    "But...! It''s really motivating to have cute girls with us! Also master, although you have charisma, you have zero charm!"


    "VRAHHH¡ª¡ª!"


    The guild members disappointed by the fact we didn''t join the guild were glared at by Mikadzuchi. This isn''t good, let''s not break the atmosphere, I thought and came to her rescue.


    "Ah, Mikadzuchi. Um... I got some acquaintances in the guild so... can I come to play sometimes?"


    """¡ª¡ªOf course, you''re welcome!"""


    I was startled by the energetic reply coming from the entire hall. At the same time, seeing the bad atmosphere change with my words, Mikadzuchi spat out a long sigh.


    "Aa-aah, fine, from here on it''s adults'' time, kids go home. And here we''ve gone to such lengths to recruit you, guess we gotta drown this in a drink. Also, Sei, see Missy and others off properly."


    Mikadzuchi shook her hand saying "go home". Seeing that guild members said "she''s being contrarian" or "she''s just lonely", it looked like it was lucky guess as Mikadzuchi stood up holding her hexagonal stick.


    "Thanks, Mikadzuchi."


    "Thank you very much. If something interesting happens we''ll come running right away!"


    What we said in the end was ignored, but seeing as Mikadzuchi''s ear were a little red, she must have been embarrassed. As I thought so, I walked together with Sei-nee, Myu and others to the entrance.


    While hearing the guild members'' voices full of grief behind my back I stopped Myu and Sei-nee for a moment.


    "Myu, Sei-nee..."


    "What is it? Yun-oneechan."


    "Mm? Yun-chan?"


    "Um... thank you for dragging me out of the workshop."


    "Fufufu, so, are we going to get something as thanks? Like, a rare item."


    Myu said jokingly, but I immediately responded with "yes" and passed her the bracelet I made for her.


    "Eh, you really are?!"


    Receiving the white beads bracelet, Myu looked at it happily and also embarrassed hearing a thank you from me.


    "I''m happy, but this is kinda sly! I said that as a joke, but you really prepared an item!"


    "Uh, I''ll take that as thanks. Also, for Sei-nee too."


    "My, thank you. I''ll properly use it as equipment."


    "I-I''ll use mine preciously too!"


    I was glad the two were happy with them.


    "Well then, we''ll be goin¡ª¡ª"


    "Yun-chan, Myu-chan, wait a moment."


    Sei-nee stopped us as we were about to leave the guild.


    "Actually, Mikadzuchi entrusted these to me. So, come to play again."


    Before we left, Myu''s party and I have received the golden invitation from Sei-nee, it could be said to be the ¡¾Eight Million Guild¡¿''s free pass.


    I decided to log out after coming back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Myu and others decided to go off on adventure somewhere after that. Sei-nee had seen us off and returned to ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild home.


    "Well, let''s go back to my own home."


    ¡ñ


    And, I have returned to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for the first time in a while.


    Since I haven''t been in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for a while I was a little anxious about how it''s doing, but the counter-type shop was the same as usual. I was also relieved seeing Kyouko-san the NPC managing it.


    "Welcome back, Yun-san."


    "Yup. Kyouko-san, how is the store?"


    "Both sales and consignment are as usual. As for things to report, the fruit trees planted in the field have started to bud."


    "Understood. I''ll check on them later. Also, these are samples of new products and their materials, could you acquire the materials if you see them on the market next time? Also, can ¡¾Karukoko Fruits¡¿ be cultivated in the field?"


    I took our the three types of items I created in the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild and started consulting with Kyouko-san to adjust the crafting/sales system.


    That''s when, the entrance to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ had suddenly grew noisy, then the next moment the door was opened with impetus and a stream of people have passed through it.


    "Welcome back, Yun-kun! I thought you''ll never come back?."


    "Yuncchi, how was ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ tour?"


    "Hmm, looks like you have new products in stock. Prices are good too. I''ll be buying some."


    Hearing that I returned to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, Magi-san and the others have come all at once.


    Also the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s regulars who came and had seen me on the counter seat all started saying "it''s great that you''re back". Confused by the sudden happening I started panicking.


    "W-what''s happening?! Everyone?!"


    "Everyone is happy to see Yun-kun back!"


    "E-even Taku''s here!"


    "Now, I''ve got work for you right away!"


    Saying so, Taku showed off the ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ I previously gave him.


    "This ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿ is highly effective for healing the Grand Rock''s heart. Sell them to me, quickly!''


    "Seriously?! In that case¡ª¡ª"Yun-kun, stop right thereee!""


    Hearing Taku''s words I was surprised that the problem I have been worried about before leaving the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was so easily resolved and felt like dancing on spot. But that''s when Magi-san interrupted us.


    "No selling items for which we haven''t decided reasonable prices yet! Also, Taku-kun, no monopolizing of Yun-kun, it''s not fair!"


    "Speaking of which, we have to consult on a fair price. Oh right, this, I brought some souvenirs from the dungeon for everyone."


    "Eh, thank you. I wonder what is it."


    I passed the items I acquired in the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿ to Magi-san and others.


    Taku looked at those enviously, so I spoke to him.


    "There''s none for you, Taku. Rather, let''s make those ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ I gave you, your souvenirs."


    "Seriously...?"


    "Also on other note, I don''t have enough materials for ¡¾Yellow Potions¡¿ so the number I can make now is limited."


    Hearing my words Taku drooped down disheartened, but soon enough motivation appeared on his face.


    "All right, I''ll gather the materials so make them for me with priority!"


    Taku jumped outside without even waiting for my answer. Geez, this guy can''t be helped, I thought and made a wry smile.


    "There''s too many things to do. Well, let''s do one thing at once."


    Charged with motivation after a change of pace in ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ I resumed my interactions with acquaintances and the store''s regulars.


    For a few days after that, the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was really busy.


    My usual daily life has started again.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow


    Secondary Weapons : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife, Meat Cleaver ¨C Heavy Black, Dismantling Kitchen Knife ¨C Blue Dancer


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (Outerwear, Underwear, Torso, Waist).


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10


    ¡ñ Faerie Ring (1)


    ¡ñ Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP53


    ¡¾Bow Lv48¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv16¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv37¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv11¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv1¡¿


    Information:


    ¡ñ NEW: ¡¾Dosing¡¿ has reached level 50. A higher sense has been unlocked.


    ¡ñ NEW: ¡¾Crafting Knowledge¡¿ has reached level 50. A higher sense has been unlocked.


    Expedition''s results:


    ¡ñ The ¡¾Atelier¡¿ has new items in stock: ¡¾Demon''s Wonder Pill¡¿, ¡¾Holy Mountain''s Magic Water¡¿ and ¡¾Yellow Potion¡¿.


    ¡ñ Returned home with a lot of souvenirs for acquainted players.

 Chapter Volume 9 Prologue

    Prologue - The Update and Adult Form


    "Fufufu! It''s here! It''s here, here heree! It''s come! Onii-chan!"


    "What is it? C''mon, let''s go do shopping."


    The November temperature suddenly dropped low as we entered the December and we could feel the winter''s arrival.


    Although in the region our town was in there was no snow, it was so cold that we felt like wearing coats.


    "Christmas is soon! I''m starting to enter a merry mood!"


    "You''re right. When I think that that busy time is coming my mood plummets."


    "There''s Christmas, end of the year and the New Year! The end of the year is when the shopping season begins! There''s no way one can stay in bad mood while there''s a release rush of new games!"


    My little sister''s, Miu''s eyes shone brilliantly as she spoke with emphasis.


    "No, we''re not buying several games, I mean, do you even have time to play them?"


    "I''ll squeeze out some! I''ll play diligently whenever I have a little of time, y''know. Ah, can I go get a flyer from the game shop? I want to talk about it with Onee-chan and Taku-san later."


    "I don''t mind, but be right back."


    As we passed in front of a game shop Miu dashed over to get a flyer.


    "Good grief. Our goal today is something else though."


    I heaved a sigh as I waited for Miu to come back.


    While waiting I dropped my sight at the shopping list I held.


    On the memo there were the Christmas cake and hors'' d`oeuvre, as well about pre-ordering of New Year''s dishes.


    "Uhh, so cold. Let''s finish shopping quickly and go back home."


    Miu has come with me since she wanted to pick the Christmas cake, but if I knew she would make a detour like this I would just ask her what type does she want and have come alone, I thought with regret.


    After I waited for a while under the cold weather, Miu had come back rejoicing with a mobile in her hand.


    "Onii-chan! There''s an event! Event is coming!"


    "Is that something still relevant if said by a Japanese, surrounded by events all year round?"


    ''Oh c''mon! There''s an announcement of OSO''s official event! Look!"


    "Ohh, is that so."


    I thought she meant there''s an event ongoing in one of the surrounding Christmas-coloured shops, but it was about OSO''s event.


    "The content of the event is a time-limited Quest Event it says! There''s supposed to be an update by the end of the year centred around environment damage, they are implementing ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ and fixing the ¡¾Heat Damage¡¿ as well as changing some details! I so look forward to it, I can''t wait!"


    Miu must have been really excited about it as she pulled the end of my muffler, desperately trying to convey just how excited she was.


    The passer-bys looked at Miu with smiles, but since I was embarrassed I held down her head to stop her.


    "Calm down. Still, to come up with an event during such a busy time the end of the year is..."


    Does OSO''s management intend to die from overwork? I thought, and suddenly the face of the man who was called OSO''s development department director crossed my head.


    "Oh Onii-chan, you''re acting all dry! Enjoy yourself more!"


    "Ahh, yes yes. Right. Miu, is there anything you want?"


    "Eh? Let''s seee, we could buy some Japanese sweets like broiled sweet chestnuts. Then I''ll chill out under the kotatsu drinking some bitter tea."


    Since the Christmas season has come I thought she''d request some sweets matching that, but her surprising choice wasn''t too bad either.


    "Still, they''re doing an event during the Christmas season and then an event by the end of the year?"


    I looked at the smartphone''s screen shown to me by Miu and confirmed the event''s date.


    The event that starts during the middle of the month end around the Christmas season and a week from then there''s the end of year update.


    And, there was one more reason Miu was in so high spirits.


    "I look forward to it. There''s the Christmas event, but Shizuka-oneechan is also coming back for Christmas!"


    "Before that, we''re entering the winter break so do your homework properly."


    "Hwah! Don''t tell me such hateful thiings!"


    We enter the winter break before Christmas comes, but I had to stab a nail into Miu who seemed too wound up with the Christmas and New Year''s.


    Shizuka-nee is coming back for the year''s end and the New Year so I want her to rest leisurely.


    In the meantime, Miu and I arrived in front of a cake shop decorated for Christmas and entered it.


    "Now, we''ve arrived at the cake shop, which one do you want to eat?''


    "Hmm. I narrowed them down to three candidates in advance, how about buying them all¡ª¡ª"No. Give up."¡ª¡ªriiight?."


    After saying so, Miu started choosing seriously one of the three candidate cakes, a Strawberry Cake, B?che de No?l and a Fruit Roll Cake.


    The price for the three cakes was roughly the same, I smiled wryly to the clerk as Miu furrowed the eyebrows on her cute face.


    "All right! I decided! Let''s reserve a B?che de No?l."


    "You''re sure of that, right."


    What Miu choose was B?che de No?l, a cake covered with chocolate and powdered sugar.


    "The strawberry cake can be eaten in any season, but if we''re picking one it''s best to pick one fitting Christmas season. Ah, but I did look forward to the fruits roll cake since it''s different during every season."


    As Miu said that, I placed an order with the clerk before she could change her mind.


    Miu looked at the other cakes with reluctance and said "let''s quickly go home" but our shopping wasn''t over yet.


    "C''mon, we still have to buy the appetizers and reserve New Year''s dishes."


    "Ohhh! That''s right!"


    For a moment she showed a displeased expression as I stopped her, but when she recalled we still had things to do, her bright expression returned.


    For the remaining things such as the appetizers and New Year''s dishes there was no need to choose like for the cake since we bought the same thing every year, but the shopping still seemed quite fun.


    As we made our orders one by one, by the time we have finished shopping Miu''s attention was completely changed towards OSO.


    "We''re baack?. And let''s check what OSO''s maintenance changed!"


    Miu rushed straight back to her room and logged into OSO.


    "Good grief. The event still haven''t started, there''s no meaning in rushing so much."


    With that said, after I put away the ingredients we bought into the refrigerator, my thinking also was directed towards the winter event.


    "What should I do about my Senses now..."


    I was anguishing lightly over what Senses should I improve during the short period the event is going on for.


    Among the crafting-based Senses I had two that either grew or had a derivation.


    If I concentrated on combat-type Senses I could derive or grow the ¡¾Bow¡¿ and ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ Senses.


    However, I didn''t have enough time to raise them both.


    Do I take combat Senses or crafting Senses?


    "Well, there''s no need for me to hurry and take them, let''s do it as usual."


    It''s not like it wasn''t possible for me to cooperate with Miu and Takumi to get some unreasonable high-density high-speed leveling.


    But unlike Miu, I preferred enjoying myself at my own pace.


    And so, there was no need to think about the Sense build too deeply, I felt.


    "...speaking of which, Miu. She wanted to eat a Strawberry Cake and Fruits Roll Cake."


    Once we finished buying everything and put it away, I recalled what happened in the cake shop.


    "...well, Christmas is near, might as well level my ¡¾Cook¡¿ Sense."


    In the end, I decided to level ¡¾Cook¡¿ that was a crafting Sense.


    I went back to my room as well, put on the VR Gear that was placed on the desk and lied down on the bed.


    I left myself to the feeling of sinking into the darkness as I logged into OSO.


    ¡ñ


    "Phew, arrived. Heck, it''s cold!"


    Once I logged in, at the same time I landed in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I shivered of cold.


    I opened the menu and looked for the cause of the chill inside the workshop and saw an announcement of a small update that has been made.


    In preparation for the implementation of cold damage it seemed that they have implemented varying temperature during four seasons, each area having temperature adjusted individually.


    "It''s no time to talk about cakes. I need a countermeasure against cold damage. Also, my equipment was made during the summer so it feels quite cold."


    My Ochre Creator armour hadn''t sleeves and had shorts so it felt quite cold.


    "Uhh, it''s seriously cold. I wonder if I have any items I can urgently use to deal with it."


    I immediately started looking for items inside the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I could use and after a while, I found something I could use.


    "Let''s warm up with this for now."


    What I took out while saying that was the ¡¾Oven Stove¡¿ I acquired during the summer''s camp event.


    Using it I could bake a Christmas cake or a roasted chicken, but what was more useful to me now was the stove feature rather than the oven one.


    I carried it out to the store part of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and after placing it next to the counter I turned on the fire.


    "Since the stove is already installed and working, let''s boil some water for tea later. I wonder if there''s anything else I could use."


    I carried a kettle filled with water and placed it on the installed ¡¾Oven Stove¡¿ and started looking for something else I could use as a countermeasure against cold.


    Ahead of where I turned to, there was a deformed red gel-like object lying beneath my tamed mob, black fox''s young best.


    Although I smiled seeing Zakuro sleep on top of the Heat Gel he used as a countermeasure for cold, I shook from cold and prepared myself to craft.


    "Let''s make some synthetic mobs for the first time in a while."


    Among the synthetic mobs that could be crafted with the ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ Sense, there was a Heat Gel that could be used like a hot water bottle.


    I took out the Blue Jelly that was the base material and prepared materials of four elements, fire, water, wind and earth.


    I put them on top of the synthetic circle and did a synthesis of five items, crafting an item called ¡¾Slime Nucleus¡¿ that allowed summoning of a slime.


    Furthermore, in order to make the synthetic mob I wanted I synthesized it with fire element material and a ¡¾Blue Gelatin¡¿. And like that, I was able to craft a nucleus stone of the Heat Gel like the one I already had in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "All right, it''s been a while since I made it, but there''s no problem. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    The summoned Heat Gel was a red translucent slime. It had a higher elasticity compared to a normal slime, at the same time it had perfect stiffness to act as a cushion and was warm because it held the fire element.


    I immediately tried touching it and felt warmth spreading in my palm.


    "Hmm, one is only enough to feel a little warm. What if I put it beneath my feet?"


    I put the gel on the floor under the counter, took off my boots and placed my feet on it.


    There was warmth and soft elasticity that pushed my feet back upwards.


    As a cold countermeasure I should prepare two of those, I thought.


    "As for other things I can use... I can put the ¡¾Large Fur¡¿ I made by synthesizing Wild Dog''s Fur on my knees."


    After I prepared some cold countermeasures and placed them on top of the table, it had turned into an unreasonable mess.


    "Hmm. Since ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ is being implemented, it would be nice if there was an item among recipes that could protect me from it. Also, I need to confirm my Sense status."


    I opened the menu and checked my status levels and the Senses that have satisfied conditions for growth.


    Possessed SP53


    ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv16¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv37¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Crafting Knowledge Lv50¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv48¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv1¡¿


    Information:


    ¡ñ NEW: ¡¾Dosing¡¿ has reached level 50. A higher sense has been unlocked.


    ¡ñ NEW: ¡¾Crafting Knowledge¡¿ has reached level 50. A higher sense has been unlocked.


    "Hmm. Maybe if I have ¡¾Dosing¡¿ grow into a higher Sense I''ll be able to make a potion to counter the cold."


    I consumed 6SP in order to acquire ¡¾Dosing¡¿ and ¡¾Crafting Knowledge¡¿''s higher Senses.


    Possessed SP47


    ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv16¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv37¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv28¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv43¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv1¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv48¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv27¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv11¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv1¡¿


    I checked both Senses, but there were no big changes.


    There probably was an increase in stats with the level up, but the benefits won''t be visible right after acquiring the Sense.


    "Hmm. There''s no new skills or anything. Are there some conditions for it?"


    I examined the list of available skills but not finding any change I quietly closed the menu.


    "Well, even if the higher Sense has higher stat increase rate at level 1 it''ll temporarily have the stats and skill correction lowered. Let''s make some potions carefully until ¡¾Dosing Master¡¿ Sense reaches at least level 5."


    I sighed quietly and first, in order to raise ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv1¡¿''s level I continued making synthetic ¡¾Heat Gel''s Nucleus Stone¡¿ one after another by using Synthesis.


    After I completed 20 of them without failing, I confirmed ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge¡¿ rose up to level 2.


    Afterwards I reviewed the number of remaining materials, then seeing as fire elemental materials are low on stock I decided to stop crafting for the time being and take some rest.


    That''s when the water in the kettle put on the stove started boiling so I prepared tea and opened the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s entrance. Cold wind blew in causing me involuntarily shiver.


    Outside, there was the woodworker Lyly.


    "Hello, Yuncchi! It''s so cooolddd!"


    "Welcome, Lyly. I was just about to prepare tea, wait just a moment."


    "Woaa, it''s so warm in the shop!"


    As I greet him, Lyly walked towards in front of the ¡¾Oven Stove¡¿ beside the counter.


    "It must be really cold in those clothes."


    "Same to you, Yuncchi, you''ve got a fur placed on top of the counter. In middle of preparations for cold countermeasures?"


    Lyly asked me that and together with his partner on his shoulder, the immortal bird Neshias they warmed themselves up by the ¡¾Oven Stove¡¿.


    "Well, you''re right. With that said, I just started it."


    When I passed freshly brewed black tea to Lyly he took the cup with both hands and slowly drank it while warming up his hands slowly with the heat.


    "Phew, I calmed down. Thank you, Yuncchi."


    "You''re welcome. So, what do you need today?"


    "Oh right! Yuncchi, listen to this! Shiacchi grew big!"


    "Hee? Big?"


    I looked at Neshias who''s also called Shiacchi and tilted my head in wonder.


    The phoenix riding on Lyly''s shoulder didn''t look like it, told that the fluffy gold and vermilion bird grew big I arrived at one possibility.


    "Can it be he''s become adult?"


    "Exactly! Today when I logged in the ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense had an EX-Skills called ¡¾Adult Form¡¿ and ¡¾Young Beast Form¡¿ added! That''s why I came to show it to you, Yuncchi."


    "Hee, I look forward to seeing it then."


    Probably because they heard what Lyly and I talked about, Ryui who was lying on the stone pavement and Zakuro have got up and come beside us. The Heat Gels remaining on the ground after synthesis have crawled on the ground in order to go back to the pot where other gels were.


    "Ryuicchi and Zakurocchi are curious as well, right! Well then, let''s unveil it! Shiacchi¡ª¡ª¡¾Adult Form¡¿!"


    As Lyly cast the EX-Skill ¡¾Adult Form¡¿ Neshias riding on his shoulder flew off and burst into flames fiercely in mid-air.


    "Burning?! He''s burning!"


    "It''s all right, look."


    The phoenix young beast wrapped in flames scattered sparks, his shadow inside the flames grew.


    And at the same time the shadow stopped growing within the flames they started to subside gradually and beautiful phoenix had appeared.


    His figure scattering particles reminiscent of sparks was much more beautiful than when he was a young beast.


    And, the first impression that came out of my mouth was¡ª¡ª


    "So waarm. We''ll be receiving ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ from now on so the timing''s perfect."


    "Yuncchi, thanks for giving me the same impression as everyone else!"


    Apparently I was the first one to see Neshias'' unveiling and that everyone else had the same impression.


    "By everyone you mean who?"


    "Kurocchi and Magicchi. Both said he''s warm and perfect for the coming season."


    "Everyone''s thinking the same thing, are they."


    I drank the tea I brewed and muttered earnestly.


    Were it Myu or Taku, they''d go "Strange! If it grew you have to make it fight!" making me retort, but personally, I thought the ability to keep others warm is nice.


    Young beasts aren''t just for combat, they''re also useful for other things, is what I thought. In that respect it seemed like we could hold expectations for non-battle activities of Lyly''s Neshias.


    "Well then, that''s it for unveiling! Shiacchi, go back to normal¡ª¡ª¡¾Young Beast Form¡¿!"


    When Lyly activated the Ex-Skill ¡¾Young Beast Form¡¿ flames sprouted from Neshias, his body had grown smaller returning back to original young beast appearance.


    "That''s great for you, Lyly."


    "Yup! Kurocchi''s Socks also turned adult! I look forward to see how your and Magicchi''s young beasts grow, Yuncchi."


    While saying so, Lyly lowered himself to his knees and pat Ryui and Zakuro who nestled up against me.


    After I watched Lyly and the young beasts for a while, a call from Cloude had come through friend chat.


    ¡º"Yun. Lyly is in there, right."¡»


    "Yeah he is, what happened?"


    ¡º"I wanted to call you over, but Lyly has rushed out first. There was a possibility you weren''t in the store y''know. Sorry but recover him and come over."¡»


    "Got it. Since you''re calling me, do you need something?"


    ¡º"Yeah, together with Magi we decided to round up a provisional crafters'' tea party. Sorry, but hurry up."¡»


    "Roger that. We''ll head there right away."


    I turned off the friend call after a quick exchange with Cloude and called Lyly and the young beasts who were still playing together.


    "Cloude says you''re to come back. I''ll be going with you as well."


    "Ah! Right! I forgot about Kurocchi and Magicchi!"


    He must have been really happy about Neshias adult form, seeing him act happy I smiled wryly.


    "Wait a moment, I''ll just put away the things from the counter."


    I gathered all the items from on the top of the counter and put them in my inventory, then left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ together with Lyly.


    "Uhh, outside is so cold."


    "Since it''s cold, let''s run and get to where Kurocchi and Magicchi are!"


    "You''re right. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    I applied enchant increasing speed on Lyly and myself, then bringing Ryui and other young beasts we ran over to the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ Cloude and Magi-san were waiting in.

 Chapter Volume 9 1

    Chapter 1 - Winter Clothes and Cold Damage


    "Hello."


    "I''m back?."


    Once we ran over together with Lily to ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ and entered it, I could smell the aroma of coffee and black tea inside and there were male and female players wearing serving clothes who have greeted us.


    "Welcome, and welcome back. I was surprised when you have suddenly dashed out of here, Lyly-kun."


    "I''m sorry."


    "Calian, leave it at that. Cloude-san and others are waiting."


    The female player who came to greet us wearing a classically-coloured maid uniform matching the shop''s atmosphere was Calian-san.


    And, the young man wearing a waiter''s clothing of a matching shade with hers who also rebuked her was Ratem-san.


    The two were working in the caf¨¦ part of ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ and were a little unique players.


    Both of them started OSO to try running a caf¨¦ and were neither combat-players or crafters. Other than them, there was also Fior-san, a female player who hopes to become a patisserie and worked behind the scenes in the caf¨¦.


    I''m quite acquainted with Calian-san and Ratem-san from when I occasionally come to the store.


    Their clothes today were different from before, they had long sleeves and skirt, it seemed like they wore those to protect themselves from the cold air.


    "I see your clothes changed today."


    "It''s cause we felt cold when we logged in today. And then we quickly went to take out winter uniforms Cloude-san made before. I thought that he''s just pointlessly increasing the number of cosplay outfits, but I''m grateful for that just this once."


    While saying so, Calian-san stroked the arm wrapped in a long sleeve and muttered "it''s so nice and warm".


    Then, the place Lyly and I were guided to by her was the room we usually held a tea party in.


    When we arrived in it, we saw the tailor Cloude and blacksmith Magi-san, who were crafters just like us.


    Cloude has elegantly drank coffee and Magi-san seemed cold as she rubbed her thigh while she drank tea.


    "Sorry to call you out, Yun."


    "Yu-Yun-kun, hello."


    "Hello, heck, Magi-san you''re really pale!"


    Magi-san who shivered likely out of cold had the most revealing clothes out of us all, so it was no wonder the cold had gotten to her.


    Even drinking something warm and holding Cloude''s tamed mob, Socks the Lucky Cat, she was unable to mitigate the cold.


    Heck, because she was embracing adult Socks, her breasts looked even larger than usual.


    "I guess I should say congratulations on your Socks'' Adult Form."


    "Thank you. He turned adult just like Lyly''s Neshias, but since he was a support-type tamed mob in the first place, there wasn''t much of a change."


    After saying so he interrupted to moisten his throat with tea and spoke to Magi.


    "Now then, it must be harsh to stay in that equipment isn''t it, Magi. I prepared new equipment, how about you try it? Also, give Socks back to me."


    "Considering it''s your choice of clothes I bet it''s some cosplay, so I don''t want to."


    Magi-san answered in feeble voice and hugged Socks strongly so show her emphasize on her refusal.


    "Wait a moment, Magi-san."


    I summoned the synthetic Heat Gel from the ¡¾Heat Gel''s Nucleus Stone¡¿ I have made for countering the cold.


    When I passed it to her, Magi-san hugged it strongly against her belly.


    Then for another thing, I took out the ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ that temporarily granted water element resistance and smeared it on Magi-san''s arm.


    "Ohh?! It feels like the cold is getting weaker. Thanks, Yun-kun."


    It seemed like it had an effect that Magi-san could immediately feel.


    Smiling broadly she released Socks and thanked me.


    Previously when I have worked on blacksmithing work together with Magi-san and when I went to the volcanic area I received ¡¾Heat Damage¡¿ and now, I recalled at that time I could ease the effect by increasing fire resistance.


    Applying that this time I was able to decrease the amount of ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ Magi-san receives by increasing her resistance to water element.


    "Magi-san, even if this is a game, a woman shouldn''t allow her body to get too cold."


    "Umm, but putting on Cloude''s weird clothes is a little..."


    "What ''weird clothes''!"


    "Magi-san..."


    I lowered my tone of voice as I called her name. With just that, Magi-san faltered.


    "I mean, cosplaying all alone is embarrassing."


    "Then I''ll change together with you. C''mon, let''s wear something warmer."


    When I said that gently to Magi-san, Cloude stood up flapping his cloak.


    "Well said! Now, since you two have decided I''ll gift you the finest warmth and cuteness!"


    He said and taking out clothes from inventory he protruded them in front of us.


    "G-got it."


    "Kukuku, did you forget who made your armour? The armour bearing the name of CS was made with assumption of a variety of situations and is available in multiple patterns and designs. These are the winter clothes versions!"


    Magi-san and I took the equipment in our hands and checked it up.


    The black innerwear had covered the body up to the neck, a white outerwear coat had extended up to my knees in the back and shortened obliquely towards the front. When looked from the front it looked kind of like a miniskirt.


    Furthermore, on the coat''s hood there was a black fluffy part that looked like very warm.


    Other than that, there were knee-high socks in order not to expose bare feet to the cold if possible, and for protecting the hands there were wool gloves with an archer thimble. All of this made the winter version of the Ochre Creator.


    Magi-san''s equipment was a combination of a leather jumpsuit and a leather jacket made from snake leather. The hard leather emphasizing her chest and the leather gloves made it seem like a rider suit.


    Lyly''s clothes didn''t have a particularly big change, he wore a woolen hat, gloves, as well as white tights.


    "This is so well-made it makes me feel stupid for acting stubborn, how frustrating."


    "Woah, it''s fluffy and waarm."


    "Somehow my equipment looks like it has a skirt. Also, why high-knee socks? Why not just pants?"


    As we said that and immediately checked the armour in our hands Cloude had informed us of one more fact.


    "Ah, and let me say this, this equipment aside from Lyly''s is insufficient to protect you against cold."


    "Then why the hell are you passing it to us!"


    "I have made the designs alone quite a while ago, but I don''t have enough materials for making equipment protecting from cold."


    "So, why are you making us wear unfinished armour?"


    Magi''s question was natural, Lyly and I nodded in agreement.


    Responding, Cloude had indifferently explained it.


    "Actually the reason I called you guys this time is in order to complete these armours made as countermeasures against ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿."


    There, Cloude fell silent for a moment.


    "Normally I would slowly gather the materials to make it, but the update''s date was decided already and we need to hurry. That''s why I''ll have you guys gather materials."


    "Hmm. Well, I understand. So, what are we supposed to gather?"


    "It''s written down on this list."


    Once we looked at the note Cloude took out, saw the materials and locations they are collected we all furrowed our eyebrows.


    "These collection areas wonderfully scattered all over. I have some of these items so I''ll have Kyouko-san bring them later."


    "Yup. I think I had several types of these at my place so I''ll provide them the same way."


    "At my place I have only one item type of these. The leather I just bought to use for reinforcement of armour."


    After we excluded the materials we had in stock from the list, in the end just two materials were missing.


    "Well then, let''s split the collection fo those materials between us four."


    The two materials remaining on paper were ¡¾Silky Spider''s Thread¡¿ and ¡¾Cloud Fluff¡¿.


    "The place you can gather these are..."


    I recalled the places they could be collected in.


    The first material, ¡¾Silky Spider''s Thread¡¿ was a normal drop from the Arachne boss mob that appeared in the Mine Dungeon. To complete Magi-san''s armour we needed twelve of them.


    And the ¡¾Cloud Fluff¡¿ was an item that drops from a normal enemy mob that appears in the back of the forest near the Second Town, in order to enter that area it was neccessary to fight a boss guarding the passage at least once.


    In the end, to collect either materials there was no choice but to fight with a boss.


    "I''ll go get the ¡¾Silky Spider''s Thread¡¿. Since it''s a mine, I can mine some ore as I pass by. I also wanted to beat some Archeni and Arachne in order to go to the Volcano Area.


    "By all means I want to see the ¡¾Fire-Rat''s Leather Robe¡¿ in the Volcano Area dungeon''s lottery stall so just like Magi, I''d like to go get ¡¾Silky Spider''s Thread¡¿."


    If Magi-san and Cloude are going to the Mine Dungeon, it means Lyly and I will be going to collect the remaining ¡¾Cloud Fluff¡¿.


    "No objection here. It''s a good opportunity to go to a new forest area and I want to see what wood materials are there."


    "No problem here either."


    With this the split for collecting materials has been decided, as a finishing touch Cloude had raised his voice.


    "Well then, put on the winter clothes I gave you."


    "Put on you say, but aren''t these unfinished?"


    "The protection against cold is insufficient, but it''s still warmer than what you have equipped. If you do your activities in those clothes you''ll worry less about the cold than you do now. Also, lend me the armour you''re wearing now for a moment."


    Told so, we passed our current armours to Cloude who subjected them to emergency process for improving protection against cold then returned them.


    "Once you''re done changing I''ll explain the winter clothes'' new function."


    Magi-san and I received our winter clothes and went to the locker room in the back of the store to change.


    I tried on my Ochre Creator.


    Since I had exposed arms and legs until now, once I wore the winter clothes, I felt warmth of the innerwear and knee-high socks wrapping tightly around my skin. At the same time I felt attentiveness from how there was a place on the belt of the long coat where I could put in potions securely.


    "Certainly this is great equipment, but the long coat looks like a skirt. It''s warm, but I''m really bothered by the knee-high socks."


    I stroked my chest and my arm over the innerwear with my right hand, and with my left I pressed down the mini-skirtish coat so that it doesn''t roll up.


    Even if I was wearing hot pants inside the coat, what bothers you, bothers you.


    "That''s how the design is. By likening the hem of the coat to a skirt it emphasizes the zettai ry¨­iki between the skirt and the knee-high socks."


    "I have no need for such concept!"


    Following my voice of protest Magi-san had also come out from the dressing room once she finished changing his clothes. As expected, it looked like a rider suit. Although it was unfinished and lacking in details and decorations, the suit had fit very tightly and emphasized her chest making me unable to focus my gaze.


    "You''re cute, Yun-kun."


    "Uuu, rather than cute I want to be called cool."


    While averting my gaze from Magi-san, I sighed lightly.


    Lyly had changed clothes ahead of time and seemed to have been waiting for as he had sweets with tea.


    "Now, I''ll explain the new function. With that said, there isn''t much to say. It''s just ¡¾Equipment Consolidation¡¿."


    "¡¾Equipment Consolidation¡¿?"


    When hearing the unfamiliar term I tilted my head in puzzlement, Cloude explained.


    "The ¡¾Equipment Consolidation¡¿ is a setting where two or more equipments can share the same additional effects. Well, it could be said it''s a function allowing you to change just your appearance and retain the same reinforcement material effects."


    Because of its nature, the unique equipment and drop equipment cannot be used with ¡¾Equipment Consolidation¡¿ and it was limited to player-made items.


    That function was mainly a short-cut allowing switching of equipments and the benefit from it was that you didn''t need to prepare same additional effects for multiple pieces of equipment.


    But of course, there was also a disadvantage. It seemed like it was more difficult to repair and recover the armours durability.


    "From other differences, the performance changes to that of a base armour''s. Although the winter clothes originally had the same amount of defence, since part of performance was allocated to protection against cold, the defence had dropped down to about 90%. Any other crafter would made it drop down to about 70% in the process."


    "Plain boasting, huh. Heck, is ¡¾Equipment Consolidation¡¿ ever being used?"


    "Hardly. Even if it''s used it would be only by players who are acting as net idols, dancing and singing so that they can change clothes in a blink of an eye. Also by people who want to act as superheroes and transform, purge armour."


    I imagined magical girls, heroes of justice on a motorbike and a golden knight purging his armour until nothing''s left.


    "But as long as we have summer and winter clothes, there''s no need of ¡¾Equipment Consolidation¡¿, right?"


    "True. In the warm areas I''ll use just the clothes I''ve been using until now and in the cold ones I can just change them."


    When Magi-san and Lyly said so, Cloude''s smile turned deeper.


    "Personally I would prefer if you wore various clothes."


    "You say ''various clothes'', do you have that many ideas?"


    "I have an infinite number of ideas. But let''s leave that for the another opportunity."


    Personally, I''d rather if I didn''t hear it, ever.


    Since today we were unable to head out straight to collect items because of lack of time, so I made an appointment with Lyly to do it at later date.


    Lyly alone had his winter clothes completed, Magi-san and I have had Cloude remove ¡¾Equipment Consolidation¡¿ from winter clothes and returned them to Cloude.


    Once we gather the materials and winter clothes are complete, we planned to receive them again properly.


    Also, once we were leaving Cloude told me to gather as many tailoring materials as possible since there might be some other players who''d require treatment against cold.


    ¡ñ


    At a later date, Lyly and I met up in front of the Second Town''s portal.


    We both prepared ourselves for materials collection and aimed for the area in which ¡¾Fluff Cloud¡¿ mob emerged in order to collect its drop,¡¾Cloud Fluff¡¿ we were asked for by Cloude.


    "Lyly, is your equipment all right?"


    "Yup, perfect. How about you, Yuncchi? You aren''t wearing winter clothes."


    "The cold damage hasn''t been implemented yet so there shouldn''t be any problem. Just, I guess I''m a little worried about how will combat go. What about our cooperation?"


    "Hmm. It might be difficult for us to suddenly cooperate well with each other, so I guess we should do our best not to get in each others way, how about it?"


    "Understood then."


    I made sure the grip on my weapon, ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ is good and made final adjustments to my knives at my belt.


    To confirm the grip on his weapon in the winter equipment''s woolen gloves, Lyly held the pair of his knives in reverse grip and did some practice swings.


    "As for enemies on the way, we''ll mainly ignore them and head straight to where the boss is. After that, we''ll register with that area''s portal and go gather the materials."


    "Understood. Also Yuncchi, can I propose something?"


    Lily looked up at me.


    "What is it, so suddenly."


    "How about we have a race who reaches the boss first?"


    "What childish things are you¡ª¡ª"Ready, go!"¡ª¡ªwoah, fast! Hey, Lyly!"


    I tried to refuse, but before I could do that Lyly had one-sidedly announced the start and rushed out.


    Not letting me to decide he started to dash into the woods.


    I followed after him in a hurry and ended up concerning myself with the race''s result.


    "Yuncchi! If you don''t hurry I''ll beat the boss all alone!"


    Since while being a crafter Lyly had a scout-type Sense build his SPEED stat was very high so he ran through the woods very quickly.


    "Geez. Fine by me! I won''t lose! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    In roder to catch up to Lyly I put a speed increase enchant on myself.


    Seeing the distance he opened between us with his surprise dash Lyly had screamed "I need to ruuun!" and started speeding up even more while laughing.


    "He''s fast! Hey, enemies are gathering."


    Because we moved using the shortest route to where the boss is, naturally we started gathering enemy mobs along the way.


    I pulled out a knife from the belt and cut down the mobs jumping out from between the trees at me, sometimes also avoiding them.


    A giant locust jumped that out as if aiming to block my way¡ª¡ªwas a ¡¾Bullet Locust¡¿.


    A giant catterpillar that had fallen from the tree in an attempt to crush Lyly under it¡ª¡ªwas a ¡¾Paralyze Caterpillar¡¿.


    Equipped with hard shell, toppling trees as it rushed and spat out venom¡ª¡ªwas a ¡¾Bull Beetle¡¿.


    I cut down the Bullet Locust that was in my way and offset the Paralyze Caterpillar''s free fall attack by using Bomb magic.


    Normally I would ignore the opponents I can easily defeat, but since it would turn into a monster train like this, there was a need to reduce the number of monsters that gathered by a bit.


    We could ignore the slow Paralyse Caterpillars.


    As for the Bullet Locusts and Bull Beetles that chased us relentlessly, I turned around and shot a bow Art.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡·!"


    An arrow pulling a green tail behind it had penetrated the group of insect type mobs.


    The arrow hasn''t pierced a single mob and has passed by them, but a green wind pressure had spread and damaged the group of insect mobs.


    Relatively weak Bullet Locusts have died at once, the remaining Bull Beetles continued to chase, but once we took some distance from them, they gave up.


    When I looked forward again, I saw Lyly cut the attacking mobs with knives as he passed by and continue rushing towards the boss'' location.


    Then in front of the boss, Lyly had decreased the speed of his run.


    "Arriiived! And it''s my win!"


    "Haa, haa, Lyly, you''re fast. Still, if we include the start dash into this we were about the same."


    "Yup. But if I didn''t go first we wouldn''t have gotten here this fast so it''s my win!"


    "Yeah, that''s fine."


    In fact, the locusts that jumped halfway and the caterpillar''s adhesive yarn were all cut through by Lyly who was preceding me, I wasn''t able of doing the same.


    "But thanks to Yuncchi dealing with the mobs chasing from behind I could go ahead with peace of mind. Thanks."


    "Good grief¡ª¡ª"


    Being thanked so straightforwardly I scratched my head a little embarrassed.


    "Ah, it''s no time to be standing and talking. There''s nowhere near enough time for gathering materials."


    There might be some other useful items other than the materials we were asked for by Cloude, there''s no way we wouldn''t gather those.


    "You''re right. Well then, let''s fight the boss."


    We stepped in to the location the boss was waiting in.


    In an open space with lush trees blocking the light of the day, in the centre there was the boss.


    The mob with elongated limbs and torso that mimicked the colour of dead branches of the surrounding trees¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Killer Mantis¡¿ was waiting.


    "First move for the win! Yuncchi, I''ll be going in!"


    "H-hey!"


    Lyly slashed at the waiting boss.


    He jumped high with his petite body and swung the knife at the mantis'' inverted triangle head.


    The Killer Mantis received that attack with the right sickle and counter-attacked with his left.


    "Ah, damn!"


    Lyly intercepted the incoming slash with the other knife he held in his left hand.


    Rebounding from that, he moved away from the mantis and after twisting his body in the air he landed.


    "Woah, that was dangerous!"


    "What are you doing, going in without preparation!¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed!"


    Feeling chills, I put on triple enchants on Lyly and myself.


    Starting the fight anew, we stared at the Killer Mantis'' inorganic eyes.


    When I nocked an arrow Lyly held the two knives in reverse grip, aware of the blinds spots he had because and crouched, lowering his body.


    After we glared at each other for a while, Lyly was the first one to move.


    With power output increased by the enchants he was faster than earlier as he approached the Killer Mantis and dealt a poweorful blow, but it was received by the right sickle.


    The Killer Mantis once again counter-attacked at Lyly with the left sickle, but Lyly had moved away from its trajectory before he got hit.


    Following that, he dealt two quick blows and retreated. Like that, Lyly continued hit and run attacks.


    However, the enemy''s compound insect eyes were able to react to Lyly''s attacks from any angle.


    Moreover, whenever he used his increased speed to force a blow through, it didn''t deal too much damage to the mantis thin yet high defence.


    When Lyly was moving away the enemy took advantage of that and skimmed his shoudler, but in exchange received a painful counter-attack.


    "¡ª¡ªSo the blind spots are covered thanks to the compound eyes and it has high physical defence, huh. Lyly, use a potion."


    I passed a potion to Lyly by throwing it, he received and used it all at once.


    Compared to the weakling mobs from the Second Town''s forest, the Killer Mantis had highly unbalanced level of difficulty.


    But according to Cloude, the irregular party of me and Lyly had more than enough chance of winning.


    "In that case, this is how I''ll get at him. ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªDefence, mind!"


    At the same time I placed the cursed on the Killer Mantis I released my arrow.


    Although I applied two types of weakening on the Killer Mantis, he has cut down my flying arrow with his sickle.


    However, the arrow I shot was just a decoy, Lyly who lowered his body and closed onto enemy had used the reverse grip on the knife and swung it at Killer Mantis'' abdomen.


    "All right! This works!"


    "You''re right! Let''s smash him!"


    Feeling a proper response to a hit from the boss, Lyly and I continued to attack.


    Since Lyly has repeatedly continued his hit and run attacks he gathered a lot of hate, Killer Mantis was naturally attracted to him.


    "Let''s go! ¡ª¡ª ¡¶Rapid Fire Bow - Second Form¡·!"


    After I confirmed Lyly has gathered enough hate, I fired two arrows in rapid succession.


    While Lyly occupied enemy''s front, my arrows aimed at the enemy from the side. One of the arrows was cut down by the Killer Mantis'' left sickle and the other one was repelled by the body.


    "So my arrows won''t pierce him."


    "Yeah. We don''t have enough firepower like this, Yuncchi, use an Art with more power!"


    "Got it."


    While Lyly attracted the enemy delivering attacks without stopping and gathered hate, I shot a high-powered Art every when delay time was over.


    "I''ll pierce that hard defence! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    I released the string I pulled very strongly, shooting an arrow at the Killer Mantis from the front.


    The Killer Mantis crossed its both sickles to receive the power of the arrow enhanced by Art, but along with a loud sound the mantis'' body was pushed backwards.


    While the boss took a defensive posture, Lyly jumped below him and raised his knives.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Sword Dance¡·!"


    The knives in Lyly''s hands let out a pale glow as he let out continuous attacks, his steps resembling that of a dance.


    "Yuncchi, we just have to repeat this enough times!"


    "You''ll get hit by enemy''s attacks! Your endurance isn''t that high!"


    "It''s okay! Evasion is my speciality... woahh?! That was dangerous!"


    "Geez. Don''t scare me too much. I''ll shoot another one in a moment!"


    "Okay. Safety first then."


    Right after using the Art Lyly had some time of inflexibility and was nearly hit by Killer Mantis'' scythe, but managed to withdraw somehow.


    I reapplied enchants on Lyly then waited for the opportunity to attack again.


    "This time I''ll go first! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sword Dance¡·!"


    Right from the front, he released the sword dance of continuous attacks at the Killer Mantis.


    "Second shot! Let''s go¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    I aimed at the boss who couldn''t take a defensive posture because of Lyly''s continuous attacks and released an Art.


    The arrow flew again and the mantis tried to block it by moving the sickle to the right, but because he didn''t make it in time the arrow hit the arm joint.


    Although I aimed at the vital point on its head, I delivered some damage to the arm.


    With this, the boss remaining HP was 70%.


    After finding a stable attack pattern that worked on enemy mob, what was left was manoeuvring as not to make a mistake.


    As Lyly continued to avoid attacks in the vanguard there were some moments that scared the hell out of me, but afterwards all that was left was to repeat the same pattern.


    After I shot more than ten ¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡· and Killer Mantis'' HP fell below 10%, we could finally see the end of it.


    However, by the end the enemy''s action patterns changed.


    Lyly''s ¡¶Sword Dance¡· attacks were avoided and my arts hit the enemy in succession. Because of that I have gathered more hate than Lyly and the target changed to me.


    "Yuncchi, dodge!"


    With low HP remaining the Killer Mantis opened up the wings on his back and along with vibrations he floated.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·!"


    Then using wings'' propulsion the mantis charged at me so I created an earthen wall between me and him.


    Still, the Killer Mantis tore through the wall with the sickle arms and tried closing onto me. At that time¡ª¡ª


    "This''ll be¡ª¡ªLAST!"


    Lyly let out the last attack, cutting down the boss'' remaining HP.


    He pounced from behind the Killer Mantis and deeply pierced the knife in his left hand into the weakly protected part hidden below thin wings.


    That attack was decisive, the boss twisted his body in the air and fell to the ground.


    Retaining the momentum it had when he charged at me he slid on the ground and stopped on a tree. Lyly let go of his knife and landed.


    After that, the Killer Mantis turned into particles of light and when I saw Lyly''s pierced knife only remain after it, I finally realized we were able to defeat the boss.


    "Phew, that was tiring. As I thought, with just the two of us we had low attack power and it turned into a long battle."


    "True. But personally, it felt quite simple to me."


    "Is that so?"


    "Yup! My ¡¾Woodworking¡¿ type crafting requires me to concentrate real hard to finish a single item so compared to that, the combat just now was much easier."


    "Woah, crafters are amazing..."


    "You''re a crafter too, Yuncchi. Also, you''re amazing too. You can attack, heal and support by yourself all at once. I can only focus really hard on one thing so that''s impossible for me."


    I wonder if that''s really the case. It''s just that I don''t move much and I have a wide field of view from behind. I self-evaluated myself like that.


    "Well, for now let''s move ahead. The area we''re aiming for is right there."


    "Right! We defeated the Killer Mantis boss without receiving much damage so it should be all right!"


    I smiled wryly and said "I guess", agreeing with Lyly.


    In the back of the road that was blocked by the Killer Mantis there was an even denser forest.


    We proceeded through the forest that didn''t have much light even during the day.


    ¡ñ


    Inside the forest that had grown dense we started walking relaxedly, as if going on a picnic.


    "No sight of the Fluff Cloud we''re looking for. Ah, a branch I can use for a staff!"


    "You''re right, can''t find it. Well, this is the area''s boundary so there''s few mobs overall. Oh, there are some berry ingredients here."


    Lyly and I collected the materials we were attracted to.


    "It feels like we could overlook these it this darkness, but if I leave it to Yuncchi it''ll be easy."


    "Yeah. With that said though, trees are your specialty so focus on that."


    I had the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ that allowed me to see far into the distance and gave night vision, in combination with ¡¾See-Through¡¿ it allowed me to find hidden things and see through enemy''s actions. I used that to find materials in the woods.


    I carefully picked up strawberry and blueberry-like nuts, when I thought of using them as materials for making a cake an overjoyed expression appeared on my face.


    Lyly had used his petite body to climb on top of a tree and cut off branches with a saw, also picking up fruits from the trees while at it.


    "Look, Yuncchi! There''s a fruit that looks like kiwi!"


    "Oh, you''re right. If we gather those and pass them to Cloude, he''ll have various sweets made from those."


    "Then let''s do our best and gather them."


    At this moment, the goal inside our minds was changed from searching for the enemy mobs into collecting materials.


    Moving slowly we proceeded into the back of the woods.


    "Yuncchi, I''ll be cutting down this tree, could you watch the surroundings for enemy?"


    I moved away from the tree specified by Lyly and watched if there are any enemy mobs coming to attack.


    Lyly took out an axe for woodcutting and swung it at the base of the tree.


    As I admired how he looks the part despite his small body, after the tree was cut a little deep Lyly had started swinging the axe from the opposite side.


    "Yuncchi! It''s gonna fall so be careful!"


    "Yeah, got it!"


    When along a sign, Lyly had finished the last swing the tree let a sound of snapping and started to fall.


    While I was overwhelmed by the sight, Lyly immediately took out a hatchet and started cutting off branches.


    After a short while, the branches that couldn''t be used for staffs have been scattered all around and the thick logs were put into Lyly''s inventory.


    "All right, it''s over! Hm? What is it?"


    "Mm, no, I just wondered if I can take those branches."


    I picked up a branch Lyly had cut off and raised it up. He didn''t need those, but I could use them as materials.


    "I don''t mind. Small ones are useless unless you do parquetry with them, but since the parquet materials have low durability they aren''t used often."


    The arrows used for ¡¾Bow¡¿ Senses are made by synthesizing three types of materials, a tree branch, a bird''s feather and a material for arrowhead.


    Arrows were consumable items and had bood cost-to-performance ratio so I did my best to provide them for myself. That''s why collecting materials was important.


    "To me, these logs are more important. I intend to chop down two more."


    "What are you going to do with so much wood?"


    "Wood has different characteristics depending on the area, you see. These ones for making sticks, staffs, also bows like yours Yuncchi. When building houses and furniture, ships and such it''s better to use the logs made from the trees I had grown."


    The drop from enemy mob, ¡¾Treant Wood¡¿ and the material for crafting Revival Medicine, the ¡¾Wisteria Peach Petal¡¿, the material that was a prize in the Volcano Area''s lottery, the ¡¾Jewelled Branch of H¨­rai¡¿. There was a variety of materials such as those, but the items they were suitable for crafting with have also varied.


    "I need to gather various pieces of wood and confirm their properties, then make suitable items with them. Also, it''s fun to gather aged and very dry wood that has an antiqueish look."


    While saying so, Lyly started cutting down the second tree.


    "As I thought, there are big differences between crafting fields."


    "Yeah. The particularly rare materials are ones that have ¡¾Old¡¿ added to the ¡¾Tree Name¡¿."


    It''s probably a classification similar to my ore and herb-based items'' ¡¾Fine¡¿ classification, I thought upon hearing it.


    "All right, the second one acquired. I''m tireed?."


    "Cheers for good work."


    As Lyly sat down on the stump of a tree he cut down with the axe, I took out a cup of tea from my inventory, intending to take some rest.


    "Lyly, want some tea?"


    "Thanks, Yuncchi."


    Each of us took a cup of tea in our hands. Since we have gotten cold because of the ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿''s implementation, the hot tea had warmed us up as we drank it little by little.


    "Still no sight of Fluff Cloud, is there."


    "Yeah. Once we finish drinking let''s expand our search range a litt... hey, there it is."


    Between the trees there was a cloud-type mob, it had a fluffy main body and arms that looked like long bags. We found a Fluff Cloud.


    Why is it that we couldn''t find it when we were looking around and it appeared when we''re taking a break, I thought and the term "greed sensor" crossed my head.


    Lyly and I drank the remaining tea all at once without letting the Fluff Cloud out of our sights.


    "Yuncchi, I burned my tongue because it was hot."


    "Geez, what are you doing at time like this."


    It buurns, he said as he extended his tongue a little. While I thought about what do I do about him, the Fluff Cloud had gradually floated away into the back of the forest.


    "Ah, it ran! Yuncchi, we have to chase it!"


    "Is your tongue okay? ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed!"


    I applied a speed increase enchant on Lyly and myself then chased after the Fluff Cloud that drifted through the dim forest.


    Although it moved by quietly floating in the air, it was moving surprisingly fast, but we still were faster.


    "Just a little more."


    "Right! Woah?!!"


    "?!! Yuncchi!"


    When we were about to catch up to the Fluff Cloud my view has turned upside down.


    Or to be exact, something like a tree''s vine that hanged over my head had suddenly wrapped around my ankle and hung me upside down.


    "I''m all right! Anyway, Fluff Cloud is attacking!"


    "Eh?? Woah!"


    The Fluff Cloud that has been moving to the back of the forest had turned towards Lyly and after creating a pale blue sphere it attacked him with it.


    Lyly immediately avoided it, but the pale blue sphere passed by my side as I hung upside down and hit the trunk of a nearby tree. A cold air had passed by me, stroking my cheek.


    "T-that was dangerous. I better do something and quick."


    I shook myself and using the momentum I raised my upper body, took out a knife tied to the belt at my waist and cut off the vine wrapping around my foot.


    At the same time I twisted my body thrown in the air and somehow managed to land on all fours...


    "Seriously? It''s not just a trap but an actual mob?"


    I didn''t notice because my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense didn''t perceive a trap or a mob, but what tangled around my leg was a plant-type mob.


    The cut-off barbed vine rose up, regenerated turning as if it was brand new and aimed the tip at me.


    Not perceiving a mob that was only a little bit different from one that appeared during an event, a ¡¾Thorn Plant¡¿, was my mistake.


    "Lyly! I''ll take care of this one!"


    "G-got it, be careful!"


    Lyly seemed like he''d be fine even if he got hit by the cold blue ball, but despite the fact the Fluff Cloud''s attacks were weak, he was forced to defend.


    On the other hand, I watched the plant-type mob, Thorn Plant stretch its vines from on top of a tree.


    Since enemy''s body was too thin to attack it with a bow, it turned out that I have to deal with it by using a kitchen knife.


    "Let''s hurry up and get rid of them and pick up materials from Fluff Cloud¡ª¡ªnhh, coldd?!"


    When I raised my kitchen knife and tried to cut the Thorn Plant, a received a light shock in my head and a cold air had spread throughout my whole body making me involuntarily shudder.


    Feeling cold as if someone threw a snowball at me I wondered what was it, after I looked in the direction the cold had come from I saw one more fluffy existence other than the one we chased.


    "Damn!! A new one, in that case¡ª¡ªhyihh?!"


    Just when I was about to use Earth Element Magic to defeat the new enemy, an impact hit me from behind and surprised by the cold like ice attack I fell forward.


    "W-wait a sec! This is strange! This amount of damage is damn strange!"


    I protested loudly. It was the same mob Lyly was dealing with and used the same attacks. And there shouldn''t be much difference between mine and Lyly''s magic defence.


    And yet, it felt like I received far more damage than him when the ball of cold air hit me.


    "Argh! I''ll take down Fluff Cloud first¡ª¡ªheyy, oww! An attack from there, too?!"


    The Thorn Plant swung its vine-like body and attacked me from the front, from the left and right Fluff Clouds attacked me with balls of cold air.


    That''s when another Fluff Cloud had appeared and before I realized I was consecutively attacked by three Fluff Clouds and a Thorn Plant.


    I intercepted the hurled spheres of cold air with my knife, but every time I cut them apart cold caused my arms to grow numb and I received a lot of damage from cold itself.


    "Uuu, cold. The ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ is seriously horrible."


    The update this time was implementing environmental ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿. I was already aware of the ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ caused by magic like Sei-nee''s ice magic, but it was now that I realized how horrifying it actually is.


    Since cold made my limbs grow more and more numb like slip damage, my attacks started to delay. The Fluff Cloud''s movement inhibition was really annoying, makinge frustrated.


    "Yuncchi, help!"


    "Hey, you were surrounded too, Lyly?"


    Lyly who fought against just one opponent at first was now surrounded by six Fluff Clouds and desperately avoided a barrage of cold air.


    Since I was equipped with armour that was processed to improve resistance against cold I could afford getting hit by ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ a few times, but I was overwhelmed by numbers.


    I tried to counter-attack with everything I had, but since I wasn''t as good at avoiding as Lyly my body grew numb as I received attacks.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "Cut it out dammit! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Zone Bomb¡·!"


    I captured all enemy mobs within the range in my sight, that was including the Fluff Clouds Lyly was fighting with, and targeted them all.


    The activated bomb magic simultaneously blew up enemy targets. Although Fluff Clouds didn''t fall with a single blow, in places enemies were grouped up they received damage from multiple bombs and thanks to chain damage bonus the mobs disappeared.


    "They''re thinned out now. I should fix my position right noooo¡ª¡ª"


    Most of the Fluff Clouds disappeared after being hit by bombs. However, while I was distracted by explosions the Thorn Plant snuck up under my feet and hung me upside down again.


    "Ngh?! This time the thorns pierced in!!"


    The vines have tied my legs together and hardened, then grew thorns.


    Those hardened vines couldn''t be easily cut, the thorns bit in and slowly delivered damage along dull pain.


    And, once again Fluff Clouds started gathering to fire balls of cold air at me as I was hanging.


    "Hyah! Not my neck! My arms and legs are bare so they''re cold too!"


    I received ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ and shivered from the cold. If I knew this would happen, I would have taken even the incomplete winter clothes from Cloude.


    "Damn, Fluff Clouds gathered again!"


    "Yuncchi, help!"


    "Shit. In this case, I''ll do it as I am¡ª¡ª¡¶Zone Bomb¡·!"


    While hung upside down with reversed vision I once again had the Fluff Clouds explode.


    All of the surviving enemy mobs'' hate has gathered on me, their target changed from Lyly to me. Unable to avoid their attacks with cold air I endured while rubbing my arms from cold.


    But since I received enemy attacks in quick succession, the chain damage and ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿''s slip damage had accumulated, eroding my HP.


    Then finally¡ª¡ª


    "Yuncchi! Yuncchi!"


    My HP was completely exhausted, strength left my body and my field of view dimmed. The kitchen knife I held fell from my hands.


    What I felt at the same time, was a warm world. Rather than the cold forest, I felt warm and peaceful world of darkness.


    Hearing Lyly''s voice in the distance I saw a white window appear in my field of vision in the darkness and a choice was displayed.


    ¡ª¡ª¡º Use Revival Medicine? YES/NO¡»


    If I am to revive in a place full of swirling cold air, I''d rather return to town after death. I felt a sweet temptation like that, but shook it off.


    While I wondered at what timing should I revive, I heard Lyly''s voice in the distance.


    "I won''t let Yuncchi stay dead! Shiacchi©¤©¤¡¶Summon¡·!"


    Lyly seems to have summoned the immortal bird, Neshias from the summoning stone. Even in the darkened view I could feel the phoenix''s light, the vines burning and my back hitting the ground.


    Ghh, oww©¤©¤!


    As felt horrible pain running through my back, warmth had wrapped around my whole body and my vision had gradually returned as I was scooped up from the darkness.


    "©¤©¤HA!"


    I felt myself returning from death, as if waking up.


    When I raised my body in a hurry, I saw Lyly''s tamed mob Neshias fight with a Fluff Cloud.


    Apparently, the Thorn Plant was defeated by Neshias'' attack and I was brought back with his ¡¾Revival¡¿.


    But even with me being revived, Lyly was a real bad situation.


    I did deal damage to several Fluff Clouds with my ¡¶Zone Bomb¡·, but new ones seemed to have gathered again . The density of the cold air ball attacks had increased and the place Lyly was in turned into a snowstorm.


    "Yuncchi, I leave the rest to you..."


    Leaving these words behind his HP turned zero as if switching with mine, and he fell inside the mini-snowstorm.


    Then, with his summoner, Lyly defeated Neshias was unable to maintain his presence and turned into particles of light returning to the summoning stone.


    "Nono, wait, don''t leave it all to me!!"


    What am I supposed to do when I''m so outnumbered?! I protested in my mind, but in the end I only had one choice.


    "Let''s go! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Zone Bomb¡·!"


    At the same time as I activated bomb magic on all mobs I could see, I ran over to fallen Lyly held him under my arm.


    "Strategical retreat! ¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿! ¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    Holding Lyly to my side I ran towards the exit of the dark forest.


    Because I was defeated once and revived, the enchants that were applied on me were all gone. In this situation rather than reapply them, it was better to take action to prevent Fluff Clouds from chasing us, so I scattered Magic Gems as I ran.


    "Lyly! Wake up! We''re running!"


    "Y-yeah..."


    Lyly must have revived himself with his own Revival Medicine as he woke up when I called him.


    "Aa-aah, we lost. But it''s fine since we got the ¡¾Cloud Fluff¡¿ from the mobs we defeated earlier, right."


    "This is no time to act carefree¡ª¡ªhihh! A ball of cold hit my back!"


    Although I pulled quite far away from them by scattering Magic Gems behind me, since Fluff Clouds had a long-range attacks their balls of cool air hit me from a distance.


    In any case, after escaping outside of the area at full force we ran out of the dark forest and passed through the forest near the Second Town we finally returned to the secure town.


    "Whezee... somehow, escaped."


    "Yuncchi, are you all warmed up after running so much?"


    Certainly, my body had warmed up when I ran but I was attacked from behind and also felt unpleasant after getting covered in cold and normal sweat.


    That''s when I remembered I escaped while holding Lyly under my arm.


    "I forgot. Since you revived halfway I should have stopped and let you down."


    If I did, I wouldn''t be this tired, I muttered inside my mind.


    In the end, I ended up escaping all the way here while holding Lyly, ending up resulted and covered with sweat.


    I was dragged by Taku and Myu to fight strong enemies before, but this time was completely different.


    Every mob here was weak by itself.


    Certainly, they were stronger than the mobs appearing in the forest near Second Town, but Lyly and I were more than strong enough.


    However, the enemy shot attacks of cold air causing ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿. Each attack didn''t deal much damage but they gathered in numbers, their behaviour meshed together well making something like cooperation causing us to easily lose.


    When Lyly gathered too many Fluff Clouds and caused a tiny blizzard I got honestly scared.


    "Yuncchi, how about we go rest a little at Kurocchi''s place?"


    "...You''re right, let''s do that."


    I heaved a sigh from fatigue and together with Lyly transitioned from the Second Town''s portal to the First Town, then went to Cloude''s¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿.


    On the way, we reflected upon the hunt this time.

 Chapter Volume 9 2

    Chapter 2 - The Winter Event and the Quest


    "Let''s refleeect! Bambam pompom!"


    "What''s with those sound effects, they''re lacking motivation..."


    "I just wanted to say it."


    Seeing Lyly say so and smile wryly, I also made the same smile.


    Thanks to the drops we got from the Fluff Clouds when we escaped from a group of them, we somehow managed to satisfy the requirements for materials to improve equipment.


    For now, I''d like to leave the materials with Cloude and hope the winter clothes are made even if a day earlier.


    I decided that until they are, I won''t take a single step inside areas that had enemies attacking with cold air.


    And currently, Lyly and I were sitting in the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ with a table between us.


    Since we were in a very cold environment because of the Fluff Cloud attacks, reviewing what happened in a warm caf¨¦ felt like heaven.


    Both of us called our tamed mobs and ate sweets together.


    "First of all, what I should reflect on is the fact I allowed the Thorn Plant to surprise me. I couldn''t find it despite having the ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense. Also, I underestimated ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿. That thing is seriously dangerous."


    As a result of receiving ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ in my summer clothes, I received endless slip damage like that of poisons.


    "In this case Yuncchi''s ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense must have had lower level than Thorn Plant''s Concealment-type Sense. Also, couldn''t you use your¡¶Element Enchant¡· to raise water resistance?"


    "...I totally forgot."


    Because it was too sudden of an event, I forgot about the application of the enchant that I have tried on Magi-san before.


    "In that case the points to reflect upon is my low level of ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense and lack of ability to match all means I have available to ongoing situation."


    Haa, I sighed.


    Even though we were right before the event, I got depressed by my own no-good parts.


    "I''m next, right. If I beat the first Fluff Cloud that appeared, the others wouldn''t have gathered in such numbers. I only survived their attacks thanks to having winter clothing that were processed in a way to resist cold."


    "Also, we should have switched positions earlier."


    Lyly didn''t have any skills allowing him to take on multiple opponents so he should have fought against the Thorn Plant instead of Fluff Clouds.


    Moreover, since I had the ¡¶Zone Bomb¡· that could attack all mobs within the range of my sight I could do better against Fluff Clouds that had low defence, rather than fight very thin Thorn Plant.


    Unable to assess the situation like that made me feel like I''m still lacking player skill.


    "But, I actually am happy that we failed this time."


    "You''re happy?"


    "Yup. I was able to find out how does Shiacchi''s ¡¾Revival¡¿ work."


    I listened to Lyly explanation on his tamed mob''s, the phoenix Neshias'' ¡¾Revival¡¿.


    "When Shiacchi uses ¡¾Revival¡¿ a lot of my MP is taken, it made me understand I can''t use it randomly."


    "Well, no wonder, since the tamed mob skills use the summoner''s MP."


    I didn''t check Lyly''s MP back then, but considering the way he spoke, it must have consumed quite a lot of it.


    "Even with my MP being full, I could use it at most twice in a row."


    "I see. Twice... then, what about when you yourself were defeated?"


    "That part is important too. In fact when I was defeated, before the ''Use of Revival Medicine'' menu, a menu with ''Auto-Revival by using Shiacchi''s skill'' had appeared first, but I didn''t have enough MP for using that."


    In other words, to use Neshias'' ¡¾Revival¡¿ the summoner Lyly needs to consume a large amount of MP, and in case of Lyly''s auto-revival it uses the MP he had remaining.


    Moreover, the menu displays revival using Neshias as a priority, but in this case it ended with shortage of MP.


    "Hey, isn''t Neshias a tamed mob for rearguard players?"


    "You''re right. Moreover, his qualities make him more appropriate for parties."


    Thinking of that, with Lyly''s fighting style that''s very close to that of a vanguard scout he had nowhere near enough MP to use Neshias'' abilities to the fullest.


    Because of that, Lyly''s and Neshias'' sense builds could be said to be have poor compatibility.


    "Well, since I normally don''t use much MP, as long as I''m alone it''s not a bad idea to use MP on Shiacchi."


    "Right. But if it triggers faster than a Revival Medicine and you can''t control it by yourself you might get revived in a state without MP and disadvantaged."


    "Let''s think a little bit more about that."


    Neshias was a rare young beast that had a revival skill, but it didn''t mean it was something easy to use.


    "I need to do my best as well as not to lose to Shiacchi, right."


    Lyly took out the berries he collected in the dark forest, put them on his palm and held out to Neshias.


    Seeing Lyly happily feed Neshias who pecked the berries from his hand I though that for Lyly, rather than ease of use, the hard work as partners was more important. Such a vague thought crossed my mind.


    I want to do my best with Ryui and Zakuro as well, I felt and looked towards the two. Ryui ate the cream puffs I bought from the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ in one bite, while Zakuro had his nose covered in custard cream.


    "Good grief, I''ll clean you up."


    I called him over and wiped his nose.


    With Lyly''s and my review over I sighed and drank some tea, at that time a black shadow came from the back of the store and jumped on my lap.


    "Woah?! Socks, what happened?"


    Even though just the other day he was a kitten, he turned big all at once. Socks curled up after jumping on my lap.


    Ryui also often put his head on top of my lap, is my lap really that nice? I wondered.


    Then, with a delay after Socks, Cloude has made his appearance.


    "Kurocchi, good joob?. Were you able to collect materials?"


    "It took a while but we gathered the expected number by repeating the Arachne boss. But with the ¡¾Heat Damage¡¿changes it was too difficult to advance into the Volcano Area without prior preparation."


    He said and sighed deeply.


    The reason Magi-san wasn''t here, must have been because she left the materials with Cloude and went to the Volcano Area alone.


    "So, how long will it take for Magi-san''s and my winter clothes to complete?"


    "I also have request from a lot of players, so. At fastest it''ll be just before the event''s update."


    "I see, in that case you can get my winter clothes after the update. At first I''ll deal with ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ to some extent by using items and skills."


    "If you say so then I''ll finish them up during event, but why?"


    Hearing me say that Cloude furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Well, I thought of trying to make some Christmas cakes first."


    My little sister Myu seemed like she wanted to eat a strawberry cake and a fruits roll cake, is what I was too embarrassed to say, so I''ll just say some mundane reason.


    "Mm. Well, I bet it''s some reason like your little sister wanting to eat some."


    "H-how did you know?!"


    Hmph, Cloude snorted at me.


    "We know each other for nearly half a year now. I can tell you''re really soft on your little sister."


    Is that really so? I wondered after hearing Cloude''s words and turned towards Lyly, who nodded with a wry smile.


    "Well, I understand your reason for wanting to make cakes. But you''ll feel cold if you make it in your summer clothes. I''ll give you some substitute armour."


    "Really?! Thanks!"


    "Yuncchi, if you agree before asking Kurocchi for details¡ª¡ª"


    "Fufufu, let''s start by having you wear these clothes."


    While saying so Cloude took out clothes with a white base, a chocolate-coloured apron with a skirt and a hat of the same colour.


    These clothes somewhat resembled cook uniform and I knew similar clothes.


    "This is... what Fior-san is wearing..."


    This equipment was very similar to that of ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿''s crafter in charge of kitchen, Fior-san.


    "Exactly, it differs from Fior''s patissi¨¨re dress in colour. The kitchen is surprisingly cold y''know. Treatment against cold is perfect on this."


    "Hey, aren''t there any oth¡ª¡ª"There aren''t."¡ª¡ªyes sir."


    Cloude interrupted with a satisfied smile.


    I understood I couldn''t change Cloude''s decision and slumped. As long as I lock myself in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop I won''t be seen in these clothes by too many people.


    Thinking it might be nice to use a patissi¨¨re''s clothing to make cakes, I swallowed my tears, bearing with it.


    "If you''re making cakes, give us some to eat as well."


    "Yaay, Yuncchi''s cake!"


    "Your place is a caf¨¦, you eat those all time don''t you."


    "Fior is doing her best on Christmas cakes, but unfortunately they''re all for customers and there are none left for us."


    "Good grief. Then it''ll be a cake instead of rental fee for this armour."


    "I look forward to it. In that case, let''s exchange the Christmas cake for the completed winter clothes."


    "Yes yes, got it."


    I receiver the patissi¨¨re''s clothing from Cloude, then on the way back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I purchased materials required for making the cakes.


    After returning to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I locked myself in the workshop part and changed into patissi¨¨re uniform.


    The stone workshop was very cold, and since I felt chilly in Ochre Creator the moment I changed clothes the cold had subsided.


    I started preparing the cake.


    "Hmm. Is this temperature on the oven fine?"


    I carried over the oven from the store part back to the workshop, lit the stove up and raised the temperature inside the oven.


    In the meantime, I prepared generous amount of sponge dough and whipped cream.


    With round sponge dough I could make the strawberry cake, with a square one I could make the fruit roll cake.


    While calculating the time the dough needs to grow I mixed the beaten eggs with sugar and flour, then poured in a mould. In the meantime I prepared the whipped cream and fruits I acquired in the dark forest.


    "The whipped cream has become the base, but how''s the sweetness?"


    I added some sugar making it modestly sweet. Since wild fruits were just as sweet and delicious as the ones sold in the store I went easy on the cream''s sweetness, bringing out the sweetness of the fruits themselves.


    "All that''s left is to bake the dough and wait... hm? What is it, Ryui?"


    Then I noticed, Ryui and Zakuro were looking up pleadingly.


    Ahead of their line of sight there was my hand holding the eggbeater with whipped cream remaining on it.


    "Geez. Just a little, okay."


    When I put a little of whipped cream and cut fruits on small plates, Ryui and Zakuro ate it right away, they even licked the plates clean.


    Ryui must have been satisfied as he returned to the back of the workshop.


    But Zakuro continued to lick the plate time after time again.


    "You really love sweet things, don''t you."


    "Right? Ah, of course I love them too."


    I thought I was alone in the workshop, but hearing a voice I looked behind me.


    "One cake for fairies please."


    When I turned around, I saw the Mischievous Fairy that often came to play in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "Haa, an order from someone else again huh. Good grief, fine."


    "Yaay! Then please!"


    Saying just that, the Mischievous Fairy suddenly disappeared.


    Seeing just a few cut fruits disappear as well I smiled bitterly at that mischief and once again started cutting the fruits I had remaining.


    After that, I started with the strawberry cake I was already experienced in making of.


    I sliced the baked sponge caked from the side, put whipped cream and strawberries inside.


    Then, after covering the entire cake with cream I decorated it with more cream and strawberries. Although the strawberry cake was completed, the way I squeezed the whipped cream wasn''t too good and it looked awkward.


    "Mm, I don''t like it."


    However, it was still the first one, I thought and finished another one which looked a little better, but still didn''t look nice.


    Afterwards, in order to make a satisfactory cake I repeated that. After a few days I ended up making twelve whole cakes.


    Because of that, I didn''t have enough ingredients for the fruit roll cake, having to purchase them after a few days. Then I made six roll cakes.


    Since making cakes required that much concentration, my ¡¾Cook¡¿ Sense went up to level 14 all at once, which was a big gain.


    And, since I immersed myself in making cakes over a few days I totally forgot.


    "Speaking of which, I didn''t do anything to prepare for the event."


    That said though, I had consumables such as potions in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ so there was no need to hurry.


    However, to form a party you need other people to agree on it.


    "I don''t know any details on the event, but maybe Magi-san and others will party up with me?"


    I put away the finished cakes in the inventory and made a friend call to Magi-san.


    "Magi-san, can you talk now?"


    ¡º"Yup, it''s fine. What is it?"¡»


    "Uh, how about we form a party for the event? Is what I wanted to ask."


    ¡º"Aww, sorry. This time I have a lot of requests for equipment I need to deal with, I was also supposed to party up with ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿''s members at first but I''m too busy."¡»


    "Is that so. So you''re with the guild..."


    ¡º"Yup. Cloude and Lyly are also acting alone, but we intend to party up at times for the event. If we had more time we could party up with you, Yun-kun but... I''m really sorry."¡»


    "Please don''t mind it. As someone who hasn''t joined the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ I''m not in a position to complain about not partying together."


    ¡º"Sorry, really."¡»


    "Please don''t mind it, although it is a shame."


    Hearing Magi-san apologize in a regretful voice I told her not to mind it too much.


    The ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ was a guild that acted as central management for material trade for crafters and auctions. There was no need to join it in order to use their services, so even though I didn''t join the guild I helped out a little bit in establishing the guild.


    Of course it wasn''t just me, there were other players involved in founding the guild, and there were also members who maintained it. That''s why I don''t think I, an outsider should be prioritized and the guild members be neglected.


    "So Lyly and Cloude are no good either."


    ¡º"Looks like it. The two have their crafter acquaintances to play with. Speaking of Cloude, earlier an NPC delivered my winter clothes."¡»


    "Is that so, understood. I see, so this time I''ll have to participate solo, huh."


    ¡º"Don''t you have any other acquaintances? You''re well known, right?"¡»


    "I wish that was the case."


    Taku and Myu, Sei-nee and others were playing mostly in fixed parties, it might be possible to join them temporarily, but it''s hard to imagine that could be the case during the event.


    It wouldn''t be too bad to invite Emily-san and Letia who were about as strong as me, but I don''t know if they''ll accept...


    "Well, I''ll do my best solo at first."


    ¡º"But if it turns out you can''t do it alone, make sure to rely on us."¡»


    "Yes, do your best in moderation as well, Magi-san."


    ¡º"Same to you, Yun-kun."¡»


    Although it was a friend call where I couldn''t see her face, I imagined Magi-san wink and smiled wryly.


    After that, the call ended and I went outside to the field in the back of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for a change of pace.


    In there, was the Wisteria Peach Tree blooming in cold winter and leaning towards the wooden deck.


    Despite how cold the air was, I was healed by the pink flowers reminding me of spring.


    I stretched under the open sky and relaxed my shoulders.


    "Well, it''ll work out somehow this time as well."


    Thinking optimistically about the winter event, I logged out of OSO.


    When I log in again, it''ll be probably after the event update has finished.


    ¡ñ


    A bustling square. I stood among the players who gathered right after OSO''s update and engaged in light conversations.


    It was my first time logging in after the update.


    I finished my preparations all alone and matching my log in time with Myu and Taku I gathered together with acquaintances before we start playing.


    Myu, Taku and others also made preparations for this day.


    Not only they did leveling and procured items, but also had ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿''s countermeasures.


    Taku''s looks didn''t change much, he only got long sleeves that reduced the exposure to cold. There was however, a large change to Myu.


    "Onee-chan, you look cold, will you be okay?"


    "Actually, it''s okay since I''m using items for countermeasure against ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿. Rather than that, I see your armour changed, Myu."


    Myu''s armour had a long white dress covering her legs below her knees, was equipped with silver plate armour and felt like it had much higher defence than the one she had used so far.


    Also, her armour up until now had the back, arms and legs exposed making it seem cold, but the new equipment had very low exposure. The only part exposed were the shoulders, but the person herself seemed fine with that.


    "Right?! It was just finished! I asked Magi-san to maintain the defence as she added countermeasures against ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ and she made it using metal of fire and light element! Although the exposure is smaller than that of previous armour''s, this is cute in its own way!"


    As her brother I was relieved that the exposure had decreased, I also understood the reason why Magi-san was so busy right before the event.


    "I''ll go talk with some other people about the event."


    After boasting of her new armour to me, Myu entered the circle of players elsewhere.


    Until the official event''s announcement starting, Myu and others went around speaking with various people. Unable to keep up with everyone I shut my eyes and waited for the announcement to end.


    "...Yun... Yun."


    For the event this time I''m going solo.


    Since I was a crafter, I felt a little uneasy and nervous.


    If possible, I''d like to do the mini-events I can do alone, while I thought that¡ª¡ª


    "...Yun!"


    Hearing my own name spoken loudly from up close, I held down my ear and turned around.


    There, a little displeased, stood Taku.


    "?!! W-what is it Taku?"


    "I''ve been calling you for a while now, but you ignored me with your eyes closed."


    "Sorry. I was lost in thoughts."


    "Nervous? Are you okay alone?"


    "I''m fine alone... I hope so, at least."


    "We have one empty slot in our party, it''s still not too late, wanna join?"


    Taku''s party members turned towards me and waved their hands with smiles, so I lightly waved back and answered.


    "I don''t know what kind of event it''ll be, but well, I''ll go at my own pace."


    "Yun, are you refraining yourself from something with us? We don''t mind at all! So why don''t you join our party?"


    "No, simply speaking it''s that I''d have hard time matching your pace."


    "Ugh!"


    When I answered looking straight into his eyes, Taku seemed to have had an idea what was it about as he gasped.


    It certainly did seem like he worried about me, but on my side ¨C I already decided to go at my own pace.


    "Well, thanks for worrying about me."


    "Sure, come rely on us any time!"


    Seeing him put on a pretence of a big bro, I muttered "good grief" and laughed quietly.


    And the official event''s announcement had started again.


    ¡º"I shall now explain the winter event. This explanation can be also looked up through the menu in a video or text form."¡»


    The announcement was spoken in female voice and a huge three-dimensional image was projected on the First Town''s sky.


    It was the same situation as that of the camp event last time. And, the person who appeared was¡ª¡ª"


    ¡º"Dear players, it has been a while. Also nice to meet all of you who see me for the first time. I''m Yoshino Kazuhito, the chief of ¡¾OSO¡¿''s development department."¡»


    The boss of the development department appeared in person.


    Similarly to the previous event, Yoshino Kazuhito started explaining the event.


    ¡º"This time''s time-limited event has been adjusted so that it can be enjoyed by new players as well. This event will be in short¡ª¡ª a ¡¾Quest¡¿!"¡»


    When he said that and waved his hand, NPCs with troubled expressions appeared.


    ¡º"Ever since forever, games and quests were inseparable. And quests here, are the troubles of the town''s inhabitants. And so, we''ll have you players resolve the problems in the First Town that have taken form of ¡¾Quests¡¿! "¡»


    That''s a really classic event. While I thought so, I was relieved knowing that aside from the mob subjugation quests there will also be collection and errand quests I will be able to do alone.


    ¡º"The event spans over three weeks until Christmas, during this time you have to resolve the quests all over the town and reclaim its peace!"¡»


    Declaring that, the development department''s chief raised a coin between his fingertips.


    ¡º"And during the time-limited event quests this time, we have prepared special Quest Chips that will be awarded in addition to normal quest rewards!"¡»


    The Quest Chip he had raised must be an important item for this event, everyone thought and looked up at the 3d image.


    ¡º"The Quest Chips are rewards for clearing event''s quests, if you acquire large number of these you can exchange them for a variety of items on the last day of the event! You will be able to choose the rewards accordingly to the amount of Quest Chips you have acquired. All of the event''s participants will receive two types of special rewards depending on the total percentage of quests resolved."¡»


    There, he interrupted for a moment before speaking the last part.


    ¡º"You''re free to resolve large-scale raid quests in large groups! Act out an ally of justice and defeat the great evil lurking in the town! Improve the atmosphere of the town by fulfilling multiple of little requests of the townspeople! Although there''s no prize this time, you will receive a reward corresponding to the amount of chips you gather, you can even get the same rewards there have been last time. Either aim for large amounts of chips by challenging highly-risky quests, or diligently collect chips by doing low-risk quests. There are various ways to enjoy yourself!"¡»


    That explanation had excited all the players that have gathered.


    My mood has also grown merrier as well.


    After that there were additional explanations on the event, but few players listened to those.


    Quest Chips are not transferable. After the exchange period of chips for items ends, they will be automatically exchange for 30kG per chip. It was possible to take multiple time-limited quests from the quest boards installed all over the town. There were few important explanations like that.


    Other than that it was said that there were quests you could take directly from the NPCs. The quests that have been resolved at least once by others and the quests that were not have differed in colour.


    ¡º"Well then, dear players! I wish you luck!"¡»


    Along with the voice resounding, the 3D image in the sky cracked apart, turned into particles of light.


    The particles of light transformed into snow and descended upon the entire town as white powder.


    The snow had gradually covered the town dyeing it white, at the same time NPCs who weren''t in the town have appeared from inside the buildings.


    "So it started¡ª¡ªthe winter quest event."


    I muttered quietly and confirmed that I can watch the video from earlier through my menu. Meanwhile the players in the surroundings have started moving.


    Everyone rushed towards the quest boards installed all over the town in order to get a good quest ahead of others.


    "Chaaarge! First for the event queestt!"


    Sprinting in in the lead of all that, was Myu.


    Myu and others who listened to the event explanation together with me, had split up from the group the moment explanation had ended and rushed to the quest board.


    From time to time she kicked off walls and ran on top of the roofs as she aimed for the quest board, so I quickly lost sight of her.


    "We''ll be going to take a look at the quest board as well, but..."


    Taku said, and hesitated for a moment.


    "I''ll... take my time."


    Thinking of this number of people, even if I headed over there now I probably wouldn''t be able to reach the quest board. In which case, there was no need to rush.


    "I see. Then we''ll match your pace."


    "Is that fine? Um... Myu and others rushed over there already."


    "Rather than hurry and take the first quest there is, we''ll look for a good subjugation-type quest. What about you, Yun?"


    "I''ll do some errand-type quests."


    "You can do some subjugation quests as well, don''t you? Why would you do the quests anyone can do? Won''t it be more efficient if you join the party and we take subjugation quests together?"


    "I just want to do those. C''mon, we arrived in front of the quest board."


    As we spoke, we arrived in front of the quest board.


    In front of the board there was open space that fit me, Taku and his party. Hurry up and pick your quest, I pointed my finger at it to relay so.


    "I see, got it! We''ll be going then, do your best as well!"


    "I''ll be questing in moderation."


    I lightly bumped fists with Taku and sent him off to the quest board.


    Well then, I''ll probably only be able to check the quest board leisurely only after some time passes, I thought and avoided it heading towards the edge of the road. That''s when something suddenly caught my eye.


    "...where is this? I want to go home."


    By the edge of the road there was a boy who squat down and held his knees. I could hear him mutter quietly.


    The boy who spoke in very quiet, subtle voice was probably not a player, but an NPC.


    Still, pretending not to see the child NPC''s sad expression would leave a bad after-taste, so I approached him and spoke.


    "What happened? Why are you in a place like this?"


    "...I was separated from mom."


    The boy looked up at me with tearful expression, so I made a smile as to reassure him.


    "Then let''s look for her together. I''ll help you."


    "Really? Thank you, Onee-chan."


    I was relieved seeing him make a wonderfully cute smile. I''m a man though, I thought on the other hand.


    That''s when a message appeared in my menu.


    ¡ª¡ªYou received the quest ¡¾Looking for Lost Child''s Parent¡¿.


    I somehow felt that to be the case, but the boy really was a quest NPC.


    And it was a quest one can receive by speaking directly with NPC, one that was explained a while earlier.


    At this rate it seems like I''ll get involved with various NPC quests in the town, I thought as I held the boy''s hand and started to look for his mother.


    After that, we searched around for his mother for a while.


    I asked the boy for his mother''s characteristics and then asked NPCs in surroundings for a woman looking like her, collecting fragmentary information.


    It took us thirty minutes to arrive at location the boy was shopping with his mother when they separated, and were finally able to find her.


    "Thank you, Onee-chan!"


    "Really, thank you very much!"


    The youthful mother in her early twenties lowered her head deeply.


    She continued to bow so I stopped her in a hurry. I''m an Onii-san though, I muttered in my mind meanwhile.


    The two held hands and left mixing into the crowd, that''s when the quest completion message appeared.


    ¡ª¡ªYou completed the quest ¡¾Looking for Lost Child''s Parent¡¿.


    And a single Quest Chip was added to my inventory''s list of important items.


    Although there was no reward other than the Quest Chip, thinking that it has the value of 30kG, it seemed quite good reward for an errand quest.


    "Still, finally got one. Its merely the start huh."


    When I thought about heading to the quest board, I saw one of the NPCs I have asked for information when I was searching the lost boy''s mother, sitting on a bench by the roadside.


    "Hello."


    "Yeah, she was by the fruit and vegetable shop."


    "That''s great. So, do you need anything of me?"


    The old woman with a purple shawl covering her shoulders asked, making me wonder on how to answer.


    Should I ask flat out "give me a quest?". That sounds bland, I don''t think that''s it.


    The goal of this event is bringing back the town''s peace, so¡ª¡ª


    "Umm, do you know any people in trouble, or have any trouble to resolve?"


    "Oh my, are you a handyman?"


    The old woman opened her eyes wide with surprise.


    "There''s been lots of these recently. Monsters grew even more rampant making hunters and miners unable to progress with their work. Because of that there isn''t enough goods in the town. The prices of meat and vegetables is on the rise, everyone is having a hard time."


    Oh, so that''s the problem that arose in the First Town.


    Rather than some impending crisis, incoming horde of mobs, it was a pretty plain problem.


    Then, housewife NPCs started gathering around the old woman to hold a gossip meeting.


    "Did you hear? My daughter dropped a vase and hurt her leg. Because of that the bag I wanted her to deliver wasn''t delivered. But maybe a handyman would do that for me?"


    "My, good idea. I want to send some clothes to my son and his wife as well, but there''s too much of it for me to carry."


    "I want to send a potted plant I raised as my hobby to my hobby friends."


    Unable to slip out of the gossiping circle I listened to all of that, and then the old woman in purple shawl had spoke to me as the representative.


    "Hey, you''re a handyman aren''t you? Could you undertake everyone''s delivery requests?"


    "Well, if possible then¡ª¡ª"


    The moment I said that, a menu with a message had appeared in front of me.


    ¡ª¡ªYou received the quest ¡¾Postman¡¿.


    I received the quest, as well as the NPCs quest items and a map with delivery destinations marked.


    "Thank you for undertaking it. Deliver it directly to the people that are located on this map."


    When I agreed, the gossip circle NPCs had spread apart and left.


    "But well, speaking to that NPC triggered the quest."


    Not completely understanding, I received the quest and started walking towards the delivery location marked on the map.


    On the way I passed by the quest board, it seemed to have calmed down after the first dash to it and there were few people standing in front of it.


    A little further, a group of players gathered and was calling out.


    "We''re recruiting for raid quest ¡¾Wyvern Subjugation¡¿! We want to go for it with a well-balanced parties! Twenty to go!"


    "I want to complete a potion delivery quest so please sell me potions you have on hand! I pay 1,5 times the original price!"


    "Won''t anyone join us for the quest? The reward''s good!"


    I listened to the voices of the people near the quest board, and it seemed like it was related to raid-level subjugation and delivery quests.


    The delivery-type quests require you to bring various materials ranging from crafted items to materials, I need to check them out later, I thought and passed by the quest board.


    For the moment, I headed to the delivery destination to clear the ¡¾Postman¡¿ quest.


    ¡ñ


    "Oh my! Such a slim girl doing delivery! You sure did your best!"


    "There was nothing really perishable there, you didn''t have to hurry and deliver it today! But cheers for good work!"


    "But look! She''s got a splendid donkey! It must have carried the luggage for her so it''s all right!"


    "Aww no! That''s not a donkey, but a horse!"


    """Ahahahaha!"""


    Right now, I was surrounded by middle-aged women with strong physique who laughed loudly.


    I was unable to find the delivery destinations for the ¡¾Postman¡¿ quest for all of yesterday, and it took me two days to pass the quest items to the target NPCs.


    While at it I summoned the two tamed beasts Ryui and Zakuro, and in the very end of the quest I was dragged into the gossip circle again by the old women. Suffering slight convulsions, I had to wait until all of it was over.


    Ryui sighed seeming to want to go home as soon as possible, Zakuro was surprised by the womens'' loud voices and hid in the hood of my clothes, only his two tails sticking out.


    "Well then, I''ll write you a note saying that we properly received it!"


    Once the rambling was finally over, the old women said so and wrote their names on paper and gave me the note. I received the quest item called "Delivery Certificate".


    With this, I had delivery certificate of all recipients, what was left was to return to the quest-giver NPCs to finish the quest.


    Since the last location for delivery was adjusted so that it''s near the quest-giving NPC, I was able to return quite fast.


    "Oh my, is the delivery over? Here''s your reward then."


    ¡ª¡ªYou completed the quest ¡¾Postman¡¿.


    "If we need something else we''ll count on you again, miss handyman."


    "Understood."


    I received the reward from the old woman NPC in purple shawl, bowed lightly and left.


    The delivery quest''s reward were two Quest Chips and a little bit of money. So just three Quest Chips so far, huh. Still, there''s been other things I gained.


    I didn''t take two days just to deliver the items to NPCs.


    I checked out the quest boards installed in various parts of the town.


    There was one in the town''s centre, and on in the North, South, East and West each making five in total. The quests posted in each place were slightly different.


    Although there were subjugation-type quests on each board, the errand and delivery types had their special characteristics that differed by the quest board location.


    For example, the quests on the board on the East side were weapon delivery quests and on the West there were potion delivery quests.


    Also, when I talked to the NPCs I delivered the quest items to, I was able to learn a lot about the problems happening in the town.


    Where and who, in what situation they are, and what help do they need. Since I noted down all such information I heard, it took me two days to finish the quest.


    And I was able to learn that those quests were hidden and not posted on the quest boards.


    "I investigated, but the lost child quest from yesterday, as well as the delivery quest weren''t on any quest board. Which means that they were hidden quests that are not put up on boards."


    I muttered to myself and received a quest posted on the South side''s quest board.


    "There are the potion delivery quests on the West side, but it''s not like I need to do them now, so let''s start with this."


    On the South side by the wide fields and the internal side of the outer walls, there was the so-called unpopular quest board, not many of its quests were completed.


    From among the quests on it I took¡ª¡ª¡¾Help With Farm Work¡¿.


    I went to speak with the Farmer NPC who previously helped me with herb cultivation and ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s construction work.


    "Oh, it''s you. What''s up today?"


    "Actually I came to undertake the quest, could you explain it to me?"


    "Oh, that''s great help."


    The Farmer NPC who stood there with his arms folded, pointed at the field in the corner.


    "Then I''ll explain your work. Plough this unseeded land here. You can mix the weeds together with soil, they''ll become fertilizer."


    Since I had experience from when I prepared the field with herbs from nothing for the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, the designated work felt very limited.


    "Got it. I''ll get it done real quick."


    I headed to the specified location, let''s do it, I thought motivated and stood on the field with the hoe I use in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    I pierced the hoe into the ground that had weed growing up to my ankles, then fighting with heavy resistance I flipped the ground along with the grass roots.


    "Ghh, as expected of soil that hasn''t been cultivated by people before, it''s hard. ¡¾Enchant¡¿¡ª¡ªAttack!"


    In the middle of work I used the ATK stat enchant and continued doing the plane work.


    From time to time I found potion materials such as herbs and poisonous plants, detoxification grass mixed in together with weeds so the work extended as I collected those.


    As expected, Ryui couldn''t do anything to help out with the field, but Zakuro tried to help and continued to dig a hole in the corner of the field watched over by Ryui. Glancing sideways at that, I proceeded with work.


    Finishing three fields took me longer than when I was looking for the lost child''s parent.


    ¡ª¡ªYou completed the quest ¡¾Help With Farm Work¡¿.


    When I reported completion of the quest, the Farmer NPC looked at the field and nodded with satisfaction.


    "You did well. Here, your pay. Also some fresh vegetables, take them."


    I received a single Quest Chip and a basket with assortment of vegetables, then my back was strongly tapped.


    I looked at the basket filled with carrots and onions, cabbage, potatoes and others and thought that they are great materials for making a pot-au-feu, that would warm me up and protect from ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿. Personally, I thought this was quite tasty a quest.


    "Now, let''s finish one more quest and then start preparations for the other quests I picked up."


    I raised up Zakuro who looked like he''s gonna fall into the hole he dug by himself and moved in front of the quest board.


    This time I headed to the quest board to the East and received the ¡¾Rubble Removal¡¿ quest.


    And, when I arrived in front of the pile of rubble I heard the details from the quest NPC.


    "Hey, you came to help with rubble removal right? This work is more fit for a group of people, you sure you''ll be okay?"


    "For a group of people, meaning it''s a quest for parties, huh?"


    It should be fine if it''s isn''t too difficult, I thought and listened to the headband-wearing NPC''s full explanation.


    "We were building a building on master carpenter''s orders, but we''re having really hard time post-processing the rubble after demolition of the previous one. So, could you move the materials from here to the vacant land nearby? Also, burn the trash that can''t be used as materials."


    Told so I looked towards the rubble of mountain and saw beams, brick, and well-shaped stones.


    "If it''s too hard for you alone, you can invite some more people. I will pay everyone''s share. Well then, I leave the rest to you."


    After saying so, the headband NPC left.


    Left behind, I folded my arms in front of the pile of rubble and started thinking of what to do.


    Moving gravel, stones, bricks and wood would be hard to do alone, impossible even.


    That''s why I applied strength-in-numbers tactics without involving other players, using items to do that.


    "Come, there''s work to do first time in a while! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    I summoned the synthetic mobs from the ¡¾Nucleus Stones¡¿ I made the other day with ¡¾Synthesis¡¿.


    Aside from the Heat Gels I made as countermeasure against cold there were Aqua Gels, Earth Gels and wind element''s Wind Gels to act as leaders of the gel troops.


    Although basically they were just disposable slimes for acting as a living wall and stalling the enemy, the synthetic mobs have been helping me out in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for a long time now, and were simple workforce.


    "Heat Gels, collect trash and incinerate it inside your bodies. Earth Gels, collect gravel and sand then transport it to the specified location. Other gels are to carry bricks and stones one by one, sort them in the vacant lot. Well then, begin!"


    When I gave them simple instructions, the synthetic mobs started to move.


    Just like when they were ploughing the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ fields, the earth element slimes swallowed sand and gravel inside their bodies leaving wood and bricks behind.


    The slimes that carried bricks and sand have been going to and from the vacant lot.


    Although bricks were messily stacked together, they could be properly distinguished from stones, stones were also placed in easy to distinguish place.


    The slimes that were carrying gravel had entered the provided sand bags and discharged the gravel inside them before crawling out of the bag.


    Also, slimes spat out bent nails into a small wooden box.


    While the slimes worked, I focused on the detailed work such as placing bricks in order, preparing new sand bags and tying the full ones.


    Then as the mountain of rubble was gradually removed¡ª¡ª


    "Ohh, they were hidden beneath, but that''s a big. These might be a little difficult."


    Hidden beneath gravel, stones and bricks there were beams and columns.


    How do I carry those, I wondered. Meanwhile, a group of slimes have started carrying a large rubble.


    While I watched what are they trying to do, the big piece was lifted.


    "WOAH?! No way, that''s how they''re gonna carry it?!"


    Unable to believe my eyes, I saw multiple slimes lift up a large piece of rubble from below and move by rolling their gel-like bodies.


    Then once the slimes finished carrying it, they moved back to the demolished building, entered below rubble and started rolling again.


    Worried about the slimes and possibility of them being crushed I watched them carry another piece safely.


    In the end they carried a large beam, Heat Gels took in small remaining wood and wooden chips and burned them.


    And thus, the strength-in-numbers plan using slimes was over.


    During the work Zakuro caught small nails in his mouth and helped carrying them to the wooden box.


    "I guess it''s over? Cheers for good work¡ª¡ª¡¶Dismissal¡·"


    After I sorted out useful materials out of the mountain of rubble I returned the summoned slimes to Nucleus Stones.


    And, picking up the large number of Nucleus Stones was personally the hardest part of the entire job for me. After all, there were quite a few of them.


    After the rubble removal work was finished I sat down at the edge of the vacant lot. Emily-san would have an easy time with this quest, I thought as I sipped tea.


    A while after, the headband NPC returned.


    "Wow, this is a surprise. How did you remove all the rubble in such a short period of time? Well, whatever. We can move onto dismantling another building now! Thanks, here''s your reward."


    ¡ª¡ªYou completed the quest ¡¾Rubble Removal¡¿.


    A message saying that appeared and I received a little generous amount of money from the NPC, as well as three Quest Chips.


    The fact it was a higher amount then the one I saw on the quest board surprised me.


    "That''s more than the reward specified on the quest board."


    "Oh, that''s a reward each person gets when you finish it with a few people. Since you achieved it on your own we don''t have to pay several people. That''s why you get extra."


    "So it''s a bonus for completing the quest solo?"


    I muttered to myself. So they added that too, I thought.


    If I were to clear this quest all alone it might have taken me over three days. While thinking that I counted the chips I gathered so far. I had seven in total now.


    I decided that tomorrow I won''t be taking any new quests, instead I''ll focus on preparing for delivery quests.


    On a side note, my rubble removal work using slimes was seen by multiple players who had taken screenshots and videos of it.


    The slimes working were evaluated as cute, the troublesome rubble removal quest was also re-evaluated seeing as one could it solo by using synthetic mobs. However, I wasn''t aware of such things happening.

 Chapter Volume 9 3

    Chapter 3 - Cold Resistance Material and the Mimicry Turtle


    One day after completing the ¡¾Rubble Removal¡¿ and ¡¾Help With Farm Work¡¿ quests.


    When I opened the door between the chilly workshop and store part of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿, the hot air coming from the stove placed in the store had flowed into the workshop.


    "Well then, I need to stew the chopped vegetables in the large pot and take out scum, then put in sausages and bacon to get a consomm¨¦ stock."


    While making a pot-au-feu with assortment of vegetables I received as a quest reward I prepared for delivery-type quests.


    I placed the pot with hot water on top of a Magic Stove and put vegetables inside it, meanwhile, I prepared potions inside the usual cauldron I had inside the workshop.


    "Using the materials I acquired during farm work I can prepare the required number of Potions, what''s left is High Potions and MP Potions, as well as few types of bad status antidotes."


    The quests I checked in advance required crafting of Potions, High Potions, MP Potions, various bad status antidotes and arrows. There were also material delivery quests for materials such as herbs, Iron Ore, fur and others. So I prepared all those items.


    Those quests were aimed at the beginners so their degree of difficulty wasn''t high, thus I could clear them just by retrieving items I had in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    However...


    "Ah, I don''t have enough of drop items I don''t normally use."


    The delivery-type quests required players to bring 20 or more pieces of an item, so I might not have enough of some items I only had samples of.


    Moreover the timing of the discovery was really bad, since I changed the Iron Ore to Fine Iron Ore and Iron Ingots just recently and didn''t have enough.


    While I considered the arrangements for the delivery quests I mixed the pot-au-feu boiled on low heat to make sure it doesn''t boil out, and prepared the potions for delivery in parallel.


    Since I was used to working in parallel on crafting potions in cooking, I did that while humming.


    The scent of consomm¨¦ started drift around the workshop. Lured by that appetizing smell Ryui who was gnawing on a carrot I gave him beforehand, and Zakuro who was grooming his tails by licking, started lurking around me displaying hunger.


    "Wait a little longer. I''ll finish pot-au-feu soon."


    As I waited for the vegetable to cook thoroughly, I poured the potion into bottles one by one.


    I finished crafting potions and decreased the flame under the pot to make it only warm.


    "Well, it should be edible. Though I have some more work to do."


    I moved from the workshop to the store section of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ to check on the product stock and whether there is a need to replenish something."


    And when I looked through the window to check whether there are any changes on the herb farm, cold air had crept up my legs.


    Feeling the cold I naturally turned towards the entrance.


    "Uuuh, it''s soo cold! H-hello, Y-Yun-san."


    "Good day, Yun-san. You seem free now."


    The ones who came to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ were the twins, spear-using girl Lyna and the mage Al.


    "What''s up with that assertive question. Well, I am."


    "Ahh, so warm. This store is sooo warm!"


    Lyna who was rubbing her chilly arms had stretched her body.


    Then seeing warm Ryui and Zakuro, she started walking towards them. Seeing that Al and I smiled wryly.


    However, Ryui and Zakuro ran away from Lyna leaving her with a depressed look and forcing her to change her goal towards the stove.


    "Al, I see you aren''t with Letia today."


    "Yes. We aren''t playing together too much during the event period."


    "Letia-san is cooperating with people from medium and small guilds to clear some quests! We can''t lose to her either!"


    Together with Al we looked dubiously towards Lyna who raised an energetic voice as she clung to the stove.


    Speaking of which, Lyna was still wearing the same cold-looking leather armour as usual, but Al''s equipment was a robe that had some extra lining that used material that stopped air from passing so he didn''t look that cold.


    "Did you get new armour, Al?"


    "Yes! I did! When I heard about ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ implementation I requested it and it was done just recently."


    Ehehe, his cheeks went loose as he laughed. Seeing that Lyna stared at him reproachfully without moving away from the stove.


    "It''s not fair only Al''s got it! Why am I the only one to be cold?!"


    "That''s because you reap what you sow."


    "Did Lyna mess something up?"


    "What?! Don''t treat me like a troublemaker!"


    Lyna got all angry, but knowing that she was a little short-sighted I thought that couldn''t be helped.


    "Well, calm down. I was about to finish making something that''ll warm you up. I''ll listen to you as we eat."


    I moved the still-warm pot to the store part''s counter and treated the two with pot-au-feu.


    I also put a little of soup on shallow dishes for Ryui and Zakuro to lick and added plenty of cut vegetables, bacon and sausage to it.


    Ryui started by eating the carrots and drinking soup, Zakuro put hot and steaming potatoes in his mouth.


    And, together with Lyna and Al I scooped the soup and vegetables with a spoon to put in our mouths.


    "Haa, I can feel the warmth course in my body. I''d like Letia-san to have some too."


    "You''re right. It''s warm and to us, who came from the cold it''s really reassuring."


    When the two squinted and exhaled happily I asked again.


    "So, what did you want from me?"


    "Oh right! Yun-san! Do you have any other items for countering the cold?!"


    Lyna jumped straight to the point.


    I turned towards Al seeking detailed explanation. He nodded in response and started talking.


    "Actually, Lyn-chan cleared a potion delivery quest."


    "It''s a simple quest where you just deliver items, right? And she cleared it too, so what''s the problem?"


    "What if I said that the reselling guilds are involved and the prices went up?"


    While saying so, Al glanced towards Lyna, who overwhelmed by his gaze had leaned backwards.


    In other words, the demand for potions increased because of the delivery quests and then further increased because of reselling guilds.


    So Lyna didn''t analyse the situation and invested the money she had on a potion spree, then after clearing the quest she was out of funds.


    "Good grief... ¡¾Atelier¡¿ has a limit on the number sold every day but it''s cheap, you could just have waited for a few days."


    "I told her the same, but she didn''t listen to me and bought potions at rip-off price. As a result, she ended up with no money for winter equipment."


    Seeing Al heave a sigh I thought that he sure has a lot on his plate.


    "Uuuhh, I am reflecting on that! But what''s done is done!"


    "So you can''t afford winter equipment, instead you want some cheap items for cold protection to take their place..."


    "Yup! That''s it! I thought Yun-san will surely have some useful item like that!"


    I heaved a sigh and started cleaning up dishes after the two finished eating the pot-au-feu.


    "Still, my place is supposed to be a place that deals with potion and other consumables."


    I said and lined up several items on the table.


    "From the right, Element Cream, ¡¾Water Increase¡¿ accessory and Heat Gel''s Nucleus Stone."


    "How much do they cost?"


    "Element Cream is 200kG, accessories are from 70kG to 150kG. Heat Gel''s Nucleus Stone is 100kG each."


    The Element Cream''s effect lasted for several hours, the fire element and heat resistance cream was purchased for Volcano Area''s adventuring and the water element and cold resistance cream was purchased as cold countermeasure.


    Although I sold them for a bit high 200kG each because of rare materials, the sales were great.


    The various cold resistance accessories that cost 150kG were something I made recently by using various materials.


    The 70kG ones were accessories I made a long time ago and was experimenting with additional effects. Their cold resistance effect was weak and since they were just prototypes from when I made the concept, they weren''t adjusted for the player purchasing them. Well, they were just samples so they could be adjusted for new players.


    Lastly, the Heat Gel''s Nucleus Stones were something I made to be used instead of a hot water bottles and cost 100kG, including the materials used.


    When I explained this in order, Lyna who had a joyful expression when I was taking those out, slowly changed her expression to a cloudy one.


    "I-it''s all too expensive!"


    "Are you that broke?"


    "I''d like something for 2000G, even if the effect lasts short!"


    "Lyn-chan, you''re aiming too low. Also, these prices are that of a High Potion."


    The fact the two just stopped being using beginner potions recently didn''t mean they can afford these. They would like some inexpensive cold resistance-raising items that had a shorter duration.


    "Well, I guess this counts like supporting players, I guess I should do something about it."


    The items I lined up on the table were originally made for a different use and their secondary effect happened to be cold resistance increase. In which case, making items that were intended to have cold resistance effect from the get-go would be good.


    "So, so?! Will you make some cheap items soon?!"


    "Since you two were the ones who came with it, help me out."


    "Ehhh?! Why me too?"


    "You''re helping out too, Al! Cuz'' we share our destiny here!"


    My remark ended up including Al, but in case of Lyna it''s better to have him accompany her.


    Well, when I thought of what could be used, it seemed like I could make something with the heat resistance and cold resistance materials I already had.


    Lyna and Al also started considering it while growling, but that soon stopped.


    "I tried thinking of something, but no idea of cold resistance item comes to my mind. I mean, there''s lots of ways of fighting against cold."


    Just as Lyna said, one could fight against cold and heat by increasing DEF stat and increasing the resistance, as well as adapting their equipment.


    Other than that, there were heat sources like my Heat Gels, Magi-san''s tamed mob Rickle emitted cold air so it cooled people off. There was a big difference just by having such existences close.


    "How about thinking from the opposite direction, Lyn-chan? We do know a player who''s not bothered by cold."


    "Ehh?! Who''s that?! Don''t beat around the bush and say it Al!"


    "¡ª¡ªIt''s Letia-san. Aside from the minimal expanses on armour and consumables, that person throws all her money on food."


    Letia''s same as usual, ain''t she. I thought, but what Al said was interesting.


    "In other words, among the food Letia eats there''s an item that gives her resistance to cold, is what you''re saying?"


    "I think so."


    According to Al''s hypothesis, there''s something that has an effect of increasing cold resistance among the food Letia eats.


    Food can have effect of temporarily increasing player''s stats, so that wouldn''t be too strange.


    "Speaking of which, recently when I saw Letia-san go to a cold area, I saw her chew on something that looked like a tree root."


    "And I remember her munching on some leaves when she was going to a hot area."


    "Let''s investigate then."


    If those food items were to increase heat and cold resistance, there was a high possibility of making them into some kind of potion.


    "I saw them before, I remember where you can get those materials!"


    "Umm, if I''m not wrong, the place we know is the forest to the side of the road leading up to the Second Town, right before it. You can get vegetables and wild fruits in there so Letia-san often goes there to pick some."


    "Let''s go there right away!"


    "Waaait. It''s not the time to immediately go and look for it."


    "That''s right Lyn-chan. There''s also Yun-san''s convenience."


    Together with Al we stopped Lyna from going out of control.


    Lyna was a little dissatisfied, but sat down on the chair again.


    "Is that somewhere near the ¡¾Horia Cave¡¿?"


    Asking the two for more details I tried to learn approximately where was it.


    "No. It''s the other branching in front of it. A little further ahead of where Fairy Panthers and Furball Demons appear."


    I did walk around that area looking for materials, but I didn''t remember seeing anything that resembled what they described.


    I haven''t searched that area since then, so there was a possibility I overlooked it.


    "In that case, how about we meet at four o''clock in the afternoon tomorrow? If we log in after school we will have time until dinner."


    "Understood. Then..."


    Lyna consented on the meeting time, Al also nodded.


    Then, Lyna looked outside the window at the scenery filled with chilly wind.


    "It''s cold so can I stay here until the tomorrow''s meet-up?"


    "Of course not. Hurry up home."


    After I answered bluntly, Lyna and Al logged out on spot.


    The next time they log in will most likely be in front of the portal of the town they registered as their base.


    ¡ñ


    Next day. When I came home from school Miu was already home and logged into OSO.


    Apparently for the last few days she has been clearing quests at furious speed. On breakfasts and dinner she reported in detail what quests she had done.


    Takumi too, had spoke of similar things during the breaks in the school.


    And when I told the two that I continue to do the errand-type quests that had poor efficiency, they advised me to do the subjugation and material collection quests.


    Well, listening to them was slightly annoying, but I also heard some useful information.


    "Now, let''s log in."


    After changing clothes I checked the remaining time until the meeting tune we decided on, and logged in.


    Then along with some light-headedness I landed in the workshop section of the ¡¾Atelier¡¿. Inside of the stone workshop was cold, really cold.


    In order to escape this place which was colder than the outside because the windows were closed, I quickly moved to the store section.


    In the store section Lyna and Al were already waiting while drinking the tea Kyouko-san the NPC brewed them.


    "So you''re already here, that''s early."


    After seeing me come Lyna drank the tea at once and stood up.


    "Now, let''s form a party and go!"


    "Oh Lyn-chan, calm down a little."


    Al rebuked her with his usual tone and turned towards me.


    "We finished our preparations, how about Yun-san?"


    "There''s one place I want to go to before we go, is that all right?"


    When I asked the two, they nodded mystified.


    It seemed like they thought we''d go straight towards our goal, so they were disappointed.


    "It would be a waste to only go look for materials, right? Let''s get some quests before going."


    "Ah, you''re right! That sounds good!"


    Lyna, who had completely forgot about the event agreed with a loud voice.


    "Well then, let''s go. Oh right, before that. Ryui, Zakuro¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·."


    I called out the tamed mobs Ryui and Zakuro before we left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    The first place we headed to was the Eastern quest board.


    There we have seen several parties look up the quest board to select quests. I took some quests whose paper had colour indicating they were already completed.


    ¡ª¡ªYou received the quest ¡¾Fur Delivery¡¿.


    Completion criteria: Deliver 60 fur-type items to NPC Tom the Clothier.


    Reward: 5000G, 1 Quest Chip for each member of the party.


    "All right, this one''s first."


    "First, you say. Are we going to take more quests? Going to other quest boards is a pain in the ass."


    "Well, I''ll explain as we move."


    Appeasing Lyna who complained I entered a back road and spoke to a bearded old man NPC.


    "At this time of the year as winter comes, the Furball Demons turn into Snowfur Demons. It''s said that their decorations made with their hair bring good health. Can you collect some Snowfur Demon''s fur for me?"


    ¡ª¡ªYou received the quest ¡¾Gather Decoration Materials¡¿.


    Completion criteria: Gather 15 of the quest item ¡¾Snow White Demon Fur¡¿.


    Reward: 5000G, 3 Quest Chips.


    "If we beat the Furball Demons we''ll get both fur-type materials and the quest items so we will be able to do two quests at once. Well, we can go now."


    ""Wait, waait, wait a second!""


    "Mm? What is it?"


    I turned around to Lyna and Al who tried to stop me in a hurry, but I didn''t stop moving towards the portal''s transition object.


    "What was that?! Ehh?! Are the hidden quests not listed on the quest board that easy to find?"


    "We received a quest directly from the NPC, right? So, Yun-san knew about that hidden quest?!"


    Is that really this surprising? I thought seeing the confused two and waited for them to settle down.


    Once they calmed down after taking some deep breaths I started explaining.


    "Yun-san, why do you know that hidden quest?"


    I''ve been going around speaking with NPCs and to my surprise, I experienced that they''re likely to drop some hints on hidden quests, I thought and smiled wryly in my mind.


    "Somehow it seems like there''s a big difference in information on the event we have and the information Yun-san has, so we would like an explanation."


    "Got it. But much of what I''ll say will be second hand knowledge, okay?"


    "Skip the prelude, just tell us!"


    "That''s right! Stop putting on airs."


    "Geez, calm down a little, haa, ehem¡ª¡ªso then."


    As the two hurried me up, I rebuked them and after a cough I started telling them what I know.


    "There are two types of quests on the quest board. Single quests and chain quests."


    "Taking that literally, single quests would be normal quests, and chain quests would be those that start a chain of quests, right?"


    "That''s right. The number of chain quests is undetermined and their difficulty differs."


    "Then how do you discern those?"


    The method to discern them was very simple.


    "By colour of the paper on the quest board."


    "Paper''s colour differentiates the completed and not yet completed quests, right?"


    "Yup. White aren''t completed yet, red were already completed. They turn red if all quests associated with the chain quest are completed, but if only some of them were completed, they''re shown as yellow pieces of paper."


    "Then the quest Yun-san received directly from the NPC wasn''t a hidden quest, but a chain quest that wasn''t fully completed yet?"


    I shook my head in response to Al''s question.


    "That one''s a hidden quest. You receive it the same way as you do normal quests, by talking with the NPCs. It''s easy to miss if you rely on the quest board."


    "Hmmm. So you searched thoroughly by talking with every NPC."


    "No, I got information from the old womens'' NPC network."


    When I explained to the two about the old women''s network, the two looked at me coldly as if to say "what is this person doing?", so I cleared my throat to change the atmosphere.


    "Ehem. If you talk to certain NPCs and follow up on their responses you can find the quest NPCs. They aren''t really hidden. Anyway, it''s a bit of a hassle to walk around and talk to NPCs, there are some quests like this one that have good rewards."


    "Good rewards? The reward this time isn''t that good..."


    Well, the quests ¡¾Fur Delivery¡¿ and ¡¾Gather Decoration Materials¡¿ didn''t seem to different, but the details of the rewards differed.


    "There''s a big difference in the rewards part, right? One quest chip each for each player in the party and three chips to share between the party members, is that big difference."


    "Ah, you''re right!"


    The one who noticed it earlier was Al. As expected, he thinks quickly.


    "There''s a huge difference when it comes to reward per player depending on whether you do it alone or in a party!"


    "What does that mean?"


    Lyna asked displeased after hearing Al''s answer, so he explained in more detail.


    "The first quest we received, ¡¾Fur Delivery¡¿ give one quest chip per person whether it''s a six member party or a three member party like ours."


    "You''re right. But if we gather the materials for the ¡¾Gather Decoration Materials¡¿ quest, we''ll get 3 quest chips for three people. One each. Aren''t both rewards the same?"


    "That''s the case if it''s three people! But ¡¾Fur Delivery¡¿ requires 60 pieces of fur whether it''s full party or solo. 10 pieces each for party of six, 60 pieces for solo. The number of pieces you have together changes too drastically and yet you still get one quest chip. But ¡¾Gather Decoration Materials¡¿ quest is quite doable alone and gives you three quest chips."


    "Eh, then ¡¾Gather Decoration Materials¡¿ can be done solo?! Let''s disband the party now¡ª¡ª"Calm down, Lyn-chan."¡ªWoah, what''s it?"


    Seeing Lyna and Al''s exchange I forced myself not to laugh.


    "Ah, but but, the total is..."


    "Lyn-chan, would you choose to clear the quest easily or to get more quest chips?"


    "Uuh, uuuhhh, uggrahhhh! I don''t care, let''s go as we are!"


    The moment Lyna gave up on thinking, I reached the point where I was no longer able to bear the laughter.


    "Kuku-ahahaha, no need to think so deeply on it."


    "Really, if not for Yun-san bringing up such mean subject, I wouldn''t have to think about it!"


    "Don''t get so angry. This is one of the criteria for choosing a quest reward."


    Some quests differ in degree of difficulty depending on the way you challenge them.


    The easiest to understand example are raid quests.


    The reward for this large quest shared between six parties of six people totalling thirty-six members is astounding number of 400 Quest Chips.


    If completed with a full raid of thirty-six members the reward for each person is Twelve quest Chips.


    If completed with half the raid the amount of chips is doubled, but the difficulty degree goes up.


    Thinking of the correlation between the difficulty degree and the number of participants for the quest, it''s best for everyone to look for quests suitable for them.


    I explained that to Lyna and Al.


    "That''s why there''s a need to pay attention to such things. By the way, this time I looked into a quest that allowed us to collect the materials for heat and cold resistance at the same time."


    The ¡¾Fur Delivery¡¿ and ¡¾Gather Decoration Materials¡¿ quests could be done while collecting the materials, in a location of that difficulty we would lose some time so I made it that we use that time to get high reward.


    "Look, there are the Furball Demons and Snowfur Demons, go fight them."


    "Go fight them you say, what about Yun-san?"


    "I''ll cover you with arrows and enchants if it get''s dangerous, but I''ll focus on collecting materials."


    Although it seemed like they''ll complain about rough handling, I ignored that and headed to a place where a herb-based item caught my eye and also started collecting ore from a mining point.


    "There''s lots of them but they''re weaklings! Let''s go, Al!"


    "Yup! Let''s show Yun-san how much we grew!"


    After saying so, Lyna and Al attacked a group of furball and snowfur demons.


    I paid attention to the two as I gathered materials.


    A while later Lyna had used a shield-type hate gathering Sense which resulted with too large number of mobs for the two to beat, so I stealthily regulated their numbers with arrows.


    We were still a slight distance away from the materials Lyna and Al spoke of, but before arriving there we might finish gathering the two quests and also get some other delivery quests'' items.


    ¡ñ


    "*huff* *huff*, we gathered too many enemies at once. That was hard."


    "I ran out of MP mid-fight and thought it''s over."


    "Well then, rest a for a moment."


    Completely exhausted, Lyna and Al rested in the nearby safety area.


    In the middle of combat it started getting dangerous for the two so I supported them with potions and enchants. It seems like they were fed up with the large amount of weak mobs.


    "The loot we got just now is 53 pieces of fur and 8 pieces of ¡¾Snow White Demon Fur¡¿ in total. I''ll go get the rest."


    With that said, I passed the two some snacks and warm tea before going out to search the surrounding area by myself.


    If I beat seven of Furball Demons and Snowfur Demons each we would complete the two quests'' criteria so I walked through the area quite eagerly.


    But our first goal, the materials that had heat and cold resistance were yet to be found.


    "Why can''t I find the materials I look for, instead I get lots of enemies of low importance?"


    I muttered as I stared with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ at a mob visible between trees.


    I saw a single Snowfur Demon on the other side of the forest.


    They were another version of Furball Demons that received minor changes and were a little stronger. I nocked an arrow and shot it.


    The arrow passed through the trees and pierced the small body covered with white hair.


    Blown away by the momentum of the arrow the Snowfur Demon bounced three times on the ground like a ball, rolled, and turned into particles of light.


    After that I beat the Snowfur Demons with one shot each, making it five in total.


    "Why am I finding this many Snowfur Demons?"


    At this rate we would finish the two quests first, I thought while looking around. That''s when Ryui whom I brought together with me pulled the hem of my clothes, and Zakuro had led me to some place.


    "What is it? Is there something over there?"


    Ahead of where Ryui and Zakuro led me to, there was open space in the centre of which there was a large mob mimicking a rock.


    "A turtle-type mob, huh. And it seems like there''s a reaction of a collection point beneath it."


    The turtle mob, ¡¾Mimicry Turtle¡¿ affixed itself to the ground as if to protect the collection point.


    I tried changing around several Senses to check on it, and it turned out that it had a high level of ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ effect allowing it to erase its presence and blend with the surroundings.


    That''s was why I was previously unable to find the Mimicry Turtle with a lower level of ¡¾See-Through¡¿.


    "So, can I do it now?"


    I sorted out my Senses once again, and started preparations to beat it from a distance.


    Possessed SP47


    ¡¾Bow Lv49¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv28¡¿¡¾Sky Eyes Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv18¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv16¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv39¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv19¡¿¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Dosing Master Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv3¡¿¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv1¡¿


    "Now, let''s go. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defence, speed!"


    I applied triple enchant on myself to start with.


    "Since I don''t know what element this guy''s weak to, this time I''ll go without ¡¶Element Enchant¡·. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Ingredient Knowledge¡·!"


    The enemy''s weakness marker blinked, I invoked the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ skill that increased the amount of damage dealt ot that point.


    "Next, let''s weaken the enemy with ¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªdefence!"


    I lowered the Mimicry Turtle''s defence using cursed, making it easier for my attacks to go through.


    With that, the preparations were complete.


    "All right. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    The arrow released from the string flew straight at the Mimicry Turtle.


    I aimed for the gap between the rock-like shell and the neck, which was the location indicated by ¡¶Ingredient Knowledge¡·.


    Even the Killer Mantis was unable to block this attack with its defensive posture¡ª¡ªbut the Mimicry Turtle endured it.


    "...Seriously? It''s supposed to be my strongest attack."


    I muttered and scratched my head wondering on how to get the turtle out of the way.


    Although I said strongest attack, it was my strongest normal attack.


    If I used attack items such as ¡¾Magic Gems¡¿ I could add a chain bonus damage by increasing the amount, but since I used a lot of them on the other day when I was running through mobs with Lyly, I didn''t have much on me.


    "But it looks like it properly received damage."


    The Mimicry Turtle wasn''t intact and had received little damage. When it received damage it shivered slightly before stopping its movements again after a while, stuck in the same place again.


    "Heck, while I watched that his HP recovered."


    I went to great lengths to deliver a powerful blow to it, but the automatic HP recovery had already restored the damage.


    "Haa, can''t be helped. Let''s go back to Lyna and Al, consult this with them first."


    If I show them this place they might remember and provide me some information.


    When thinking so I returned to the safety area, I saw the two have finished their break and were doing some light fur farming nearby.


    "Ah, Yun-san. Welcome back."


    "Welcome back, we gathered 3 pieces of ¡¾Snow White Demon Fur¡¿."


    "I acquired some as well so if we put it together we should have enough to complete the two quests."


    As I said so, Lyna happily made a guts pose and Al exhaled with relief.


    "Just earlier, when I was searching nearby I found something. I want you to take a look at it."


    ""Something you want us to take a look at?""


    The two tilted their heads in puzzlement in the same manner, making me put on a faint smile before I guided them to the location I was in previously.


    The Mimicry Turtle was unchanged from when I saw it earlier and continued to mimic a rock.


    "There''s a collection point beneath that rock. That''s why I think it''s suspicious. Did you hear anything like that from Letia?"


    I''d be grateful if they knew something about how to defeat or chase away the Mimicry Turtle.


    Thinking so, I directed my gaze towards Lyna and Al who were pondering with their arms folded.


    "What the heck is this? Just a rock?"


    Lyna said and not having any Sense like ¡¾See-Through¡¿ she carelessly approached the rock, the moment she tried to touch the Mimicry Turtle¡ª¡ª


    "Woah?! Something came out!"


    A head had extended from inside the rock and with a slow movement it tried to bite Lyna''s hand but because of how slow it was, she could easily avoid it.


    "This thing is super tough. I''m wondering on how could we get rid of it."


    "Tell me that earlier!"


    "It''s no good, I don''t remember anything about it."


    "So, what do we do?"


    How do I get to the collection point beneath the Mimicry Turtle... while I wondered, Lyna raised her short spear and moved around to the mob''s side.


    "Obviously, we just need to attack and beat it!"


    While Al and I hesitated whether to stop her, Lyna attacked the Mimicry Turtle.


    "Take thaaaattt! Dieee, c''monn!"


    Swinging her short spear she continued to hit the rock-like shell.


    Al shrugged and created a bullet of flame with fire element magic he used to attack the turtle.


    I guess we can join her until she''s bored, I thought and repeating preparations from before I shot the ¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡· Art.


    Receiving attacks from all three of us, the Mimicry Turtle retracted its limbs completely to take defensive posture.


    Lyna and Al''s attacks didn''t do any damage at all, but some of my attacks slightly decreased the turtle''s HP. However, while I drank an MP Potion to recover MP, it recovered automatically.


    "Haa, haa... why do we deal no damage despite us attacking it all the time?"


    "Lyn-chan, it just means that he has real high defence. Phew, I''m tired."


    First one to feel vanity after attacking the enemy who doesn''t receive damage was Al, who stopped from exhaustion, and then Lyna who tired herself out to the point where she could no longer swing her spear.


    As for me¡ª¡ª


    "Ah, this might be unexpectedly good for leveling ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense."


    I muttered as I continued to shoot arrows without end.


    By attacking the enemy with much higher defence than my attacks could go through, I gradually accumulated combat-type Sense experience value. It seemed like there was more experience than from beating large numbers of weak mobs, but less than from beating strong boss mobs.


    After I shot a few dozens of Arts my ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense went up by 1 and reached the big breakpoint of 50. And, I saw a new ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿ Sense derivation field added which I took without any hesitation.


    Possessed SP47


    ¡¾Magic Bow Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv30¡¿¡¾Sky Eyes Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv18¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv40¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv19¡¿¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv50¡¿¡¾Dosing Master Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv3¡¿¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv1¡¿


    After I unequipped the ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense and replaced it with the newly acquired ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿ my attacks were¡ª¡ª


    "...The attack power decreased, eh. Well, it can''t be helped since it''s on level 1."


    Maybe I''ll be able to beat the Mimicry Turtle with the new Sense, I thought, but that thinking was naive.


    "Hey, Yun-san. Isn''t it about time we give up?''


    "Can this thing really be beaten? Isn''t there a possibility that the place Letia-san found is elsewhere?"


    Lyna and Al already gave up and had no motivation to continue.


    I was also near giving up, but if we don''t find what we''re looking for we will be out of time for today. Thinking so I tried to challenge it one last time.


    "Sorry. This will be the last try."


    I said and took out a shovel from the inventory, moved closer to the Mimicry Turtle. I scooped some earth aside from between the Mimicry Turtle''s shell and the ground, then put my hand inside.


    "Are you trying to lift it up? No way that''ll work."


    "I''m not as dumb as to do that. For now, there''s nothing to lose trying¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·"


    A wall of earth grew from below the mob.


    I made it appear as to hook up edge of the turtle''s carapace.


    It would be great if this we could topple over the Mimicry Turtle, while I thought that the earthen caught on the edge of turtle''s shell as it grew. Once the wall was finished, one side of the turtle was raised and it stood tilted on the side. It was impossible to topple over the turtle, but we revealed the collection point below it.


    That''s when I received a painful gazes from Lyna and Al, which said "if you had a method like this, you should have used it right from the start".


    "N-now, you two hurry and collect the items below."


    "Eh?!! No way! We have no idea when will it fall down. C''mon Al, go do it!"


    "I''m not doing it! Look! The turtle is wobbling, it''s too dangerous!"


    The Mimicry Turtle must have noticed it had its shell raised up on one side as it extended its head, and short limbs and flapped with them slowly.


    It''s really cute how it slowly moves its limbs, I thought, but seeing as the earthen wall started to crack I had no time to dwell on that.


    "Geh, it''s falling over! It''s dangerous so I''m outta here!"


    "Ah?!! Lyn-chan don''t leave me!"


    "Hey, don''t leave me while I''m lifting it up with magic!"


    The cracks on the earthen wall gradually grew and it had become unable to support the turtle any longer.


    And when I thought it''s over and turned around on my heels to follow after Lyna and Al¡ª¡ª


    Along with a heavy sound like that of a falling rock, strong pressure had pressed against my back and pushed me forward making me fall headlong on the ground.


    "Yun-san, are you all right?"


    "I was only covered with earth, so I''m fine."


    Lyna and Al who hid in the shade of nearby trees peeked my way fearfully, so I waved my hand above the pile of soil.


    "KYUOON"


    On the other other hand, the Mimicry Turtle who returned to its original posture after impact had raised a cry and started to slowly move away revealing the collection point.


    I stood up and shook off the dirt from my body and stared at the collection point that was hidden beneath the turtle.


    "Whitish sterns and leaves, and yellow roots?"


    I pulled out the plant that had near-white sterns and leaves. The roots covered with soil had a yellowish colour.


    "Ah, it looks like the ingredients Letia-san was eating, so that was it."


    "Al, this one too."


    I expected the cold and heat resistance materials to be separate items, but to my surprise it was the same plant.


    It seems like it was called Hakuga.


    The Mimicry Turtle who hit us with the strong impact turned around and started to slowly dig out the Hakuga from the ground and eat it.


    "This is bad! Lyna, Al, let''s gather as many samples as possible!"


    ""Roger!""


    We were able to gather about a third of the ingredients in the collection spot before Mimicry Turtle finished eating


    When the turtle finished digging out about half of the plants, it returned to the previous posture to protect the collection point.


    "We found a real weird mob, but we accomplished our goal."


    "I didn''t intend to force myself this much, I''m tired now. But if it''s possible to make cheap cold-resistance items with this, it''ll be easier to play in cold areas."


    "Lyn-chan, we still haven''t confirmed it can be made."


    Al tried to bring Lyna back to reality, but there wasn''t much feeling in his voice. Lyna had no energy to refute to Al either.


    "Well then, let''s try it out right away. Ryui, could you?"


    When I called Ryui who - before I realized - took Zakuro and hid themselves with illusion, he cancelled the illusion and snuggled up to me.


    I asked Ryui to bring out some water and washed away the dirt and soil from myself and the Hakuga. Then I took out the kitchen knife I had at my belt, cut off a piece and ate it.


    "Ohh, I see."


    "Yun-san is quite a challenger to try eating it right away."


    "Want to eat some, Al?"


    "No, I''ll pass. So, did you find out something?"


    Al refused to take one of the leaves I extended to him, and asked a question instead.


    "Certainly, leaves have a heat resistance effect and the roots have cold resistance effect, but they have a short duration of five minutes."


    It would be hard to use unless I increased the duration from three to six times longer.


    If it was to be used as is, it would have been chewed in mouth all the time like a gum, but the taste is a problem.


    "The root is spicy. Leaves make you feel cool and cold."


    Although leaves exerted a heat resistance effect the moment I put it in my mouth, at the same time I felt like it affected my invisible stats as I felt a little chilly, started trembling, forcing me to rub my arms lightly.


    "But well, I understand how it''s used now."


    "All right, we''ve done what we came for, let''s go back now!"


    "We will leave all the Hakuga material with Yun-san, but when will there be some result?"


    "Well, I''ll try to make something out of it tomorrow."


    In order not to let anyone notice that I feel cold I hugged Zakuro and returned together with the twins to the Second Town.


    After reporting to the Quest NPC and distributing other collected materials I split up with Lyna and Al, returning to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    By putting the materials in my mouth and experiencing what happens, I had an idea on how to craft the items with it.


    After returning to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I immediately prepared the materials necessary for making cold and heat resistance items and went offline since it was late.


    And on the next day in the ¡¾Atelier¡¿¡ª¡ª


    "Yun-san, please show us the potions you made with the materials from yesterday! Relieve me of this cold!"


    "Lyn-chan, can''t you buy some weak winter equipment with the reward for yesterday''s quest?"


    Al stared intently at Lyna.


    I poured the two kinds of liquids into cups, I spent a day and a night to make them using Hakuga as material.


    "Here, the reddish-brown has cold resistance effect, the cyan one has heat resistance effect."


    "This, right! Let''s drink the cold resistance potion right away!"


    Despite the energetic declaration, Lyna drank the steaming reddish-brown liquid little by little. Meanwhile Al tried drinking some of the cyan drink.


    "Phew, so this is the cold resistance potion! Somehow it warms me up starting from my stomach! In my status it also says the ¡¾Cold Resistance Effect¡¿ lasts for 25 minutes."


    "I drank the heat resistance potion, but I started feeling cold instead. Since I feel too cold now, I''d like a cold resistance potion now."


    Seeing the two drink the liquids I gave them I suppressed my laughter.


    And once the two started looking puzzled over the fact I was smiling, I told them that this wasn''t a potion.


    "You see, actually. This liquid isn''t classified as a potion made with the ¡¾Dosing¡¿ Sense."


    "Eh? But it has an extended effect."


    "Well, I''ll demonstrate how does it work."


    I said and took out processed Hakuga and two teapots.


    I split Hakuga into roots and leaves.


    First, I put a spoonful of ground roots into a teapot, added some of ¡¾Fairy Village''s Honey Crown¡¿ and poured hot water to cook it together.


    As for the other teapot, I put in dried leaves minced with scissors, poured in boiling water and put in a few slices of lemons.


    Then poured the two liquids I made into the twins'' cups.


    "As you can see, they''re items made with ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense. To be precise rather than potion, it''s more of a drink, I guess?"


    The easy to handle and make ginger tea-like drink ¡¾Hot Drink¡¿ that granted cold resistance, and the peppermint-like herbal tea ¡¾Cold Drink¡¿ that granted heat resistance were completed.


    Also, Hakuga roots could be used instead of ginger and the leaves could be used instead of mint, so I expect that if they''re commercialized, plenty of cuisine granting cold and heat resistance will appear.


    "But it has to be commercialized, right? Is it possible?"


    "Actually you can get Hakuga seeds by using ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense, so I''m trying to grow them in a planter."


    Other than that, Hakuga could be grown by planting the roots directly in the ground, which made it a really mysterious plant.


    A plant that was a combination of ginger and mint. Moreover, it was tastier than what NPCs were selling. This is truly fantasy.


    In fact, I gathered the information about those plants and wrote them down on paper.


    "Well, based on all this I want to consult you two on something¡ª¡ª"


    I consulted with the two on a certain thing.

 Chapter Volume 9 4

    Chapter 4 - Information Trade and the Stable


    I consulted something with Lyna and Al. What we spoke about was¡ª¡ªselling information on Hakuga plant.


    Not only the useful items themselves, but also information about them might be purchased by crafters.


    For example, information about my ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ Sense''s skills ¡¾Item Enchant¡¿ and ¡¾Skill Enchant¡¿ as well as about items made by them, were evaluated by Magi-san and others to be worth 3m.


    On the other hand, the ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ and ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ recipe for ¡¾Metal Thread¡¿ Emily-san and I devised is kept secret by us thanks to which we can make higher profits, but if we decided to sell it there definitely would be people who would like to purchase.


    And so, I consulted with the two on whether we could sell information on the Hakuga ingredient. As a result¡ª¡ª


    "We aren''t the first ones to discover it. We''ve seen what Letia-san was eating, that''s all."


    "I guess. That''s why in case we sell it, we''ll include her in the share."


    Hearing that, I blinked for a moment, before long my expression softened.


    "Yeah, you''re right. Then it''ll be split between two of you and Letia then."


    "Why aren''t you included in that, Yun-san? Aren''t you the one who used the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense to make recipe and found how to cultivate it?"


    "That''s right, it wasn''t discovered by just us."


    What Lyna and Al said was natural, but I would never agree on that.


    "I''m don''t really have any big problems with money that would make me want to take my share, so you two should have it. Also, even though I have information about Hakuga ingredient, I don''t intend on continuing to sell ¡¾Hot Drinks¡¿ because of their poor effectiveness."


    I told the two that right from the start I intended to leave the continuous availability of modestly-effective, inexpensive cold-resistance items to other players.


    If crafters trade ¡¾Hot Drink¡¿ recipe amongst each other the items themselves would naturally become affordable and the demand saturated.


    "Also, being able to acquire seeds for this plant is a big thing to me as well. More importantly, confirm this with Letia through in-game call."


    While I looked sideways at Lyna and Al as they contacted Letia-san for confirmation, I wondered what should I make with this ginger-ish luxurious ingredient.


    Grilled pork with ginger, or maybe young chicken with ginger, dumplings, it would be also good to make a boiled fish with it.


    Meanwhile, as I concentrated my thoughts on cooking fantasies, Lyna and Al have finished contacting Letia-san.


    "Letia-san said that she leaves it all to us. Also, she said she''ll be in the guild home today so you should visit. ¡ª¡ªStill, do you need any help with that information selling, Yun-san?"


    "Personally, we''re worried we will sell it to cheaply without Letia-san with us."


    "It''s all right. I know a strange, but trusty guy. I also have something to do there so I''ll go with you."


    I said and taking the two, I left the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and headed to the store of the person who would buy information.


    And we have arrived at the¡ª¡ª


    "This place! It''s the fancy caf¨¦ ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿!"


    "The Western confectionery that has prices far beyond our reach! Since Letia-san prefers quantity over quality we haven''t been able to visit it, the store we longed for!"


    The two looked at the store with sparkles in their eyes.


    They seemed quite pitiful to me, so when we entered the store I made a proposal.


    "I''ll treat you to a tea set. Also, we''ll get some souvenirs for Letia."


    "Really?! Then I''ll have Pudding A La Mode with milk tea!"


    "Umm, I would like a chocolate cake and matcha latte!"


    "Woah, so fast!"


    When I said I''ll treat them, they immediately secured counter seats and ordered from the menu.


    I asked the waiter who received orders, Latem-san to pass a message to Cloude.


    I also made an order for a cup of tea and watching the twins ate their tea sets with appetite I waited for Cloude.


    "I was wondering when will you come to pick up your winter clothes, and finally you''re here."


    "Well, as expected the cold started getting to me. Also here, the cake I made."


    I passed a box with shortcakes that I had in my inventory to Cloude, and in exchange, I received the winter version of the Ochre Creator I have previously changed into in the store''s dressing room and had the ¡¾Equipment Consolidation¡¿ removed from, then switched equipment.


    The winter clothing treated with cold resistance processing had retained more heat than previously and the inside felt pleasant in touch.


    While I was returning from the dressing room to my seat, I looked at Lyna and Al who haven''t noticed me changed in the winter clothes.


    "Ah! A cat! Come here kitty?."


    "Lyn-chan, let me pat it as well!"


    When Lyna called the adult Lucky Cat, Socks, he quickly jumped on top of her knees. Lyna stroked Socks lightly under the chin with her fingertips, Al too, was very familiar with Letia''s tamed mobs so he gently pat the cat''s back.


    Seeing Socks purr loudly, Cloude walked up to me and muttered.


    "Hmm? You brought me models for dressing up? My mood is uplifted."


    ''Don''t get uplifted, pervert! Keep your hands off them!"


    Cloude squinted and looked at the two with a hand on his chin, and did not ever try to state it was just a joke. His eyes were serious.


    Then noticing my voice, the twins looked my way but didn''t join the conversation.


    "If you''re not acting as model introduction intermediary, then is there something else you came with?"


    "I want you to buy a new ingredient information and recipe which provide cold and heat resistances, also the ingredient cultivation method."


    "Hmm. Is that a request to me as ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿''s owner? Or the sub-master of the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿?"


    "Uh, the stuff I''d like to consult with you about includes that."


    Listening to my poorly constructed request, Cloude seemed to want to know in more detail and invited me to a seat further away from Lyna and Al.


    "Well, drink the two sample drinks first."


    "Cheers then¡ª¡ªhm, it''s ginger tea. And the other one is mint tea. Two types of ingredients huh. Both of them give resistance effects."


    Cloude seemed to misunderstand the nature of it a little, he would probably be surprised to learn these two were originally food-based items. Thinking so, I smiled.


    "So, would you buy this information?"


    "Certainly, there''s a growing demand for cold resistance effect due to the recent update. And the only ones who can afford armour with cold resistance treatment are wealthier players. Which means this would be in very high demand among players who don''t spend much time in the game."


    He had immediately analysed the demand for the items, but he also seemed to be thinking about something else.


    "Personally, I would like to add the two drinks to the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿''s menu as they are. In addition to that, if there''s an ingredient similar to mint, I could offer chocolate mint and mint hard candies as well."


    However¡ª¡ªhere Cloude interrupted for a moment.


    "But that''s for me personally, as for the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ I can''t decide this by myself. Above all, there''s few crafters who have the Cooking Sense among the members so the material wouldn''t spread widely, currently there''s no foundation to use there."


    "Just as I thought, ehh."


    Haa, I sighed and looked away from Cloude, turning towards Lyna and Al playing with Socks, the Lucky Cat.


    Realizing what my gaze meant, Cloude nodded.


    "I see, the information this time came from those two? Or rather, "those twins" would be more precise? They were the ones because of whom you furiously rushed into the forest full of PKs, huh?"


    It was the first time he''s seen them. But he knew about that, I muttered in my mind.


    The rush into the forest full of PKs happened when the PK guilds starting with ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ have gone on a rampage, back then Emily-san, Letia and I headed over to that forest.


    Seeing a bitter look on my face, Cloude made a nasty grin.


    "I see. So you''re trying to sell information as high as possible for the junior players you''re watching over."


    "...What, can''t I?"


    "No, of course you can. What I personally can offer for this information is 500kG."


    He said and made an apologetic expression as I scratched the back of my head.


    "Sorry. Also, as for the entirety of ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ it would be difficult to act immediately."


    Cloude sipped some tea in order to moisten his throat, and added.


    "Well, if it can be continuously provided I might sweeten the deal a little to accommodate. Also, if you ask other players you might get a better price than I can offer you."


    "It would be great if you could accommodate, but I think it might be difficult to cultivate it enough for a stable supply. Well, as for price''s negotiation I''ll ask Lyna and Al for now¡ª¡ª"


    "Fueh? What is it, Yun-san?"


    "...Urk, do you need us join the conversation?"


    The twins who stuffed their cheeks with cake had swallowed what they had in their mouths and spoke.


    "Looks like you can sell that item''s info for 500kG, how about it? Want to sell it?"


    "500kG?! That''s the...! That price is 100 times more than we get for the quests we receive! It''s decided, we''re selling! I should buy cold resistance equipment first, definitely!"


    "L-Lyn-chan calm down! We''re sharing it between three so it''s 160kG each! B-but we haven''t ever earned this much so fast, right. Um, we have no problems with it!"


    Hearing the result of my negotiations with Cloude the two started dancing in joy, but because of that the two had revealed just how broke they are, making us look at them with pity.


    "Hey, Yun. Those two are..."


    "Cloude, can you prepare some sweets for takeaway for the two? I''ll pay."


    "It''ll be my treat in that case. I can''t pay them more than 500kG directly, but I can treat them as thanks for bringing in information."


    "We''ve got a deal then."


    After I shook Cloude''s hand, he had paid Lyna and Al 500kG. Then I passed him the Hakuga material and all the documentation I had on it.


    Seeing the strange plant, Cloude made a strange expression and immediately passed it to the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿''s caf¨¦ part''s crafters.


    "Well then, pick what you would like for a takeaway."


    "Yay. I''ll take this and this!"


    "I would like chocolate custard and cream puffs."


    In the end, receiving cookies, cream puffs and candies such as ¨¦clairs from Cloude, Lyna made a blissful expression, but then she was startled as if she realized something.


    "I just thought of something amazing! If we find and sell information on new items'' use we can get easy money!"


    "Lyn-chan, it''s not something we can make our goal and pull off."


    Cloude and I nodded to Al''s retort, but Lyna ignored that and continued to rouse herself up.


    "Ain''t that fine? Find useful items and sell information! It''s like becoming skilled treasure hunters! Fufun, sounds cool right?"


    Placing a hand on her chin she imagined herself spectacularly finding new items. I bet she''ll face reality soon enough, I thought and smiled bitterly but did not retort to her delusions.


    "Oh Lyn-chan. We''ll trouble everyone if we stay too long, let''s go home! Well then, excuse us. Yun-san, we''ll lead you to our ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿''s guild home."


    Catching the nape of Lyna''s neck, who had headed off to the land of delusions, Al left the store.


    "I''ll come again, Cloude."


    "Yeah, by the time you come again we''ll try to make some delicious sweets with these ingredients."


    I bid Cloude a light farewell and headed after the twins.


    Then once I quickly caught up with Lyna and Al who went outside to the main road, I lined next to Al and followed him.


    "Come to think of it, it''s the first time I''m going to Letia''s and yours ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿ guild home."


    "True. Rather, isn''t Yun-san like, second person to be invited inside from non-guild members?"


    "By the way, the first one was Emily-san."


    "Is that so. I wonder what kind of guild home it is."


    I recalled the renovated and extended ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild home, and had some expectations of the ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿''s home, but soon shook it off from my head.


    There was a huge difference between number of members, their levels and nature, it made no sense to expect anything similar.


    And, the place I was guided to by Lyna and Al, was a two story house with a stable expansion beside it.


    I felt it gave off a cute impression, as I was guided inside the guild home by the two.


    ¡ñ


    "Sorry to intrude."


    Inside there was kitchenette, dining room and a large room used as a living room where a large wooden table was located. Then, up the stairs leading to the second floor were rooms on the sides.


    "It''s simple and gives off a sense of security."


    "Yun-san, doesn''t that imply there''s nothing in here?"


    "It''s fine. We and our guild are just commoners. But one day I would like it if we acquired a big mansion in the game."


    "Ah, no, that''s not what I meant. I mean there''s not much decorations which makes it refreshing! Anyway, I''d like to greet Letia, where is she?"


    Since she wasn''t in the large room that took majority of the first floor, it must mean she''s on the second floor, I thought and looked up the stairs.


    "Letia-san isn''t on the second floor."


    "Oh? Is that so."


    "Yes. Letia-san has her own dedicated room."


    "Heh, a private room eh. She''s sure something, that Letia."


    So Letia did think about the guild master''s dignity after all, I thought a little impressed.


    However, considering she wasn''t on the first or the second floor of the guild home, was she maybe underground? I took a look around and outside a large window, for just a moment I saw something long and grey pass by.


    "......?!!"


    I must be seeing things, I thought, and when I stared outside the window again I saw the grey thing pass again, it was knocking on the window glass from the outside.


    When I rushed to the window and opened it in a hurry¡ª¡ªI saw an elephant occupy a section of the stables.


    "Oh, wow. So stables even have elephants these days... heck, NO WAY that''s actually the case!"


    "What are you yelling on about?"


    "?!! Letia!"


    "Yes, Yun-san, hello."


    An elephant was sitting in the stable, or to be precise, it was Letia''s tamed Ganesha young beast.


    On top of brown straw spread all over the stables, inside of it there were summoned tamed beasts all over.


    Herbivore, Mill Bird, Fairy Panther, Runner Bug, Fairy and the Ganesha''s young beast.


    Letia stood in the middle of all the tamed mobs, but¡ª¡ª


    "Why are you in a place like that?"


    She was the ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿''s guild master, why would she stay alone in a stables beside the guild home? I wondered.


    "Yun-san, the dedicated room I spoke of earlier was this place."


    When Al sighed and said that I took a good look at Letia''s dedicated room again. Enduring the wind and rain, there was a straw bed and sofa inside there, as well as lantern for lighting, making her stay comfortable.


    Moreover, considering the cold days continued because of the ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ implementation, the Will O ''Wisp had warmed Letia and others while making sure not to hurt them.


    If I were to represent that sight in one word, it would be "shabby".


    "Letia, it''s my first time hearing of a guild master living in a stable."


    I stared at Letia intently, but she responded as if it was natural.


    "As expected, I can''t stay in the guild home together with Mutsuki and others summoned. Just like this, I deepen my bonds with my comrades."


    She said and brushed the Herbivore with her hand, that''s when the fairy had sat on top of her head.


    "Haa... then why not just use ¡¶Dismissal¡·? Summoning seven tamed mobs is really reckless."


    "Certainly, I barely manage it, but the continuous summon raises my ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense level.


    Hearing Letia say that with a straight face, I made a strange grimace but...


    "I came to talk with you today, Letia. It''s hard to talk like this so we''ll head over there."


    "Eh?! WE are going to the stable?!"


    Seriously? I passed by Lyna who said that and leaving the guild home from the front door, I turned towards the stable.


    And we entered it.


    "I can call them out here, right. Ryui, Zakuro¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    Since I was visiting their guild home I dismissed Ryui and Zakuro upon exiting the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ but now I called them out in the stable. We sat down on the straw sofa.


    The straw that was spread on it had contained a lot of air, producing a slight rebound. Along with the sound of rustling cloth I slightly sank into it.


    Although it seemed like I could easily lose my balance on the straw sofa, but when Ryui lied down behind me as if to support my back it had become a surprisingly comfortable position.


    "...This is unexpectedly nice. How do I say it, it provides a different type of comfort from a bed."


    "Welcome, Yun-san, to the stable world."


    "Get a hold of yourself, Yun-san! Common sense... don''t throw away your common senseee!"


    "Don''t make us complete outsiders!"


    While I leaned my back on Ryui, Zakuro sat on top of my knees.


    I started feeling sleepy from the warmth the two provided, but Lyna and Al''s voice pulled me back.


    "Right. Let''s get to the main topic. Letia, sorry for borrowing Lyna and Al for all of yesterday and today."


    "No, since I went on a joint quest with other small and medium guilds, I was relieved that they are with you, Yun-san."


    "Glad to hear that. Also¡ª¡ª"


    I winked to the twins, when I did the two have pulled out Hakuga plant and the two drinks made from it. Furthermore, they passed 180kG obtained from the information sale to Letia.


    "This is the money for selling information about the ingredient you were using. That''s your share."


    Splitting the 500kG from the information sale into three equal parts, Lyna and Al passed Letia her share, but she was completely disinterested in money and didn''t even spare it a glance. Instead she turned towards the Hot Drink and Cool Drink.


    "Ohh, that wild flower I was chewing on."


    After drinking the two drinks one after another, Letia exhaled.


    "So it can turn delicious like this. As for money, deposit all of it to the guild funds."


    That sloppy handling of money is just like her, I thought and smiled wryly.


    Since the main topic of the conversation had ended just like that, we naturally moved onto normal chat.


    "How was doing the event with other small guilds?"


    "Hmm. We took on the quests that weren''t unreasonably hard for us and joined up with similar guilds and players who are active at similar times. Well, we didn''t finish that many quests over those few days, but we got about seven chips."


    "As for me, I got 9 chips until yesterday."


    "Possibly, the impromptu parties I made might have had poor efficiency."


    Strength drained from the two of us sitting in the stable, we continued the conversation while not meeting our gazes.


    Seeing us in such state, Lyna and Al prepared a simple table out of a wooden box and wood from the side of the table.


    There was a table, but since it was lonely without anything on it I took out sandwiches and drinks from my inventory, we also took out candy we got from the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿.


    "This custard is delicious. Yum yum."


    "Here, Letia. Tea''s refill."


    "Thank you."


    I stood up from the straw sofa and poured everyone tea, then fed small pieces of sandwiches to Ryui and Zakuro.


    Since Letia had many tamed mobs, Lyna and Al helped her to carry food for them.


    Mutsuki who manipulated with his long nose to grab sandwiches and cream puff and Runner Bug who used its front limbs dexterously, were eating food on their own.


    Mill Bird and the Fairy were very small, so they pecked sandwich cut into tiny pieces. Herbivore ate food from Lyna''s hand and the wisp didn''t eat normal food, instead eating herb materials from Al''s hand to increase the light intensity of his body.


    I watched the little tea party that suddenly started while drinking my tea and¡ª¡ª


    "Yun-san, seconds please."


    "That was fast! Geez..."


    The two-thirds of the prepared food was already eaten by Letia and the small elephant Mutsuki.


    It can''t be helped, I muttered and took out the strawberry cake I had stored away in my inventory.


    "If you''re fine with a strawberry cake, then."


    "By all means! A whole cake!"


    As Mutsuki''s and Letia''s expression changed completely into ones full of sparkle, I took out a whole cake for each of them.


    "Lyna, Al, want to eat some as well?"


    "I-I''ll pass. I''m full just by looking at this."


    "I-I''m full as well."


    Saying so, the two shook their hands, refraining.


    After I passed a whole cake to Letia she stabbed a fork in the middle of it and started eating in large chunks.


    Mutsuki used his nose dexterously to pick the soft cake little by little. Since his nose was full of fresh cream, he''ll have probably have to have it wiped later, I thought.


    And then I realized a spiral of green wind had appeared in front of me, and the Mischievous Fairy appeared from inside of it.


    "Invited by sweetness, I abruptly appear! It is I, the Mischievous Fairy!"


    She floated in front of me and made a pose, after which she sat down on top of my head.


    "You... what did you even come here for?"


    "What, you ask? Fairies are free beings! Also, since I shared the cake I got with the other fairies my share was small, so I want to eat more!"


    She suddenly appeared and then started pulling on my hair requesting a cake.


    Should I cave in to her request here? While I wondered that, the fairy riding on top of Letia''s head, Yayoi, stared at me.


    "...Cake for me too."


    "See? My compatriot here also wants some! Now, hand over the cake!"


    I looked questioningly towards Letia, who stuffed her cheeks with the large chunks of the cake from what she had pierced on the fork. She nodded.


    "Haa, it can''t be helped huh. A whole cake would too big, I''ll give you some cut cake."


    I heaved a sigh and took out a cake split into six equal parts, then on dishes I split up portions for the Mischievous Fairy and Yayoi.


    "Yaay! Thanks for the food!"


    "Thanks!"


    They started eating the cake with their bare hands. I raised myself in order to brew some tea again since mine went cold, meanwhile I watched the two lick the whipped cream from their hands.


    When I was holding the teapot with fresh warm tea, I heard several footsteps from the direction of the stables'' entrance and turned around.


    "...You guys, what are you doing here?"


    Ahead of where I turned around to with a teapot in my hand, stood Emily-san, she had an appalled expression.


    ¡ñ


    Stared at by Emily-san who had an amazed expression, I ended up laughing dryly.


    "Why aren''t you in the guild home and instead inside the stable beside it? Letia is one thing, but why is even Yun-kun actively tea-partying here? Shouldn''t you be the one to stop this?"


    "Uh, I thought the same as well at the start. But here we have Letia''s tamed mobs and its wide enough for me to call out Ryui and Zakuro too, the straw sofa is surprisingly comfortable to sit in and... um, I''m sorry."


    In the middle, I started making excuses and in the end, I lowered my head apologetically.


    "Well, I understand what you want to say. If I didn''t bring someone with me today, I wouldn''t have said a word."


    As she said that I rose my head to look at Emily-san, and saw another player stand in her shadow.


    The player had a peculiar hood on her head which had two pointed triangles on it¡ª¡ªa so-called nekomimi hood, judging from the physique it was a woman shorter than I am.


    Emily-san turned around to the person she brought and spoke.


    "I''m sorry. I''ll have Letia go to the guild home now so that we can talk there."


    "Nono, I don''t mind it. I prefer this place... it would be a waste to get away from the fluffy paradise in front of me."


    She seemed to mutter something by the end, but we couldn''t hear it too well and were puzzled, but agreed for the time being.


    The player sat down on the straw sofa as to face Letia and "yo" she raised one hand in a greeting.


    "Hey Letia, been since yesterday. Your guild has surprisingly many human resources I see."


    To respond to the nekomimi-hooded player who didn''t mind the tea party, Letia swallowed the cake she was stuffing herself with, drank some tea and exhaled, all at her own pace.


    "Ber. Both Yun-san and Emily-san aren''t ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿''s guild members, they are outsiders who just help us out sometimes."


    Listening to the two''s conversation Emily-san sat down on the corner of the straw sofa, and chagrined slightly seeing how comfortable it is.


    I prepared fresh tea and a cake for them.


    Thank you, said the woman called Ber and received it with a light nod. Stared at by her sharply like I was a prey, my body stiffened momentarily.


    Lyna, Al and I were confused not knowing the situation, so Emily-san interjected with timely help.


    "She''s Bergamot. A guild master of a small guild like ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿ is."


    "I''m the ¡¾Fluffy Tail Association¡¿''s guild master, Bergamot. Feel free to call me Ber."


    Based on the guild master''s appearance and the guild''s name I could imagine what kind of guild it is.


    "I didn''t think Yun-san would be here."


    The nekomimi-hooded player called Ber stared at me with a fearless smile.


    "You know Yun-san, Ber?"


    "It''s far beyond the level of "know"! We the ¡¾Fluffy Tail Association¡¿ are a guild whose hobby is to observe animal-type tamed mobs'' fluffiness! Among people like us, she''s really famous as a fluffy-taming player!"


    Told so, I quickly moved Zakuro from on top of my knees to behind me.


    What''s with that agile skill? Puzzled Zakuro tried to move out from behind me, but I hid him away from Ber''s line of sight.


    "Why hide him?. I won''t cuddle those who don''t want it. C''mon fluffies, let me cuddle you nicely."


    Ber said so and extended her arms. While Ryui and Zakuro haven''t gone out to her, Letia''s Herbivore Haru and Mill Bird Natsu, who already knew her have approached.


    She enjoyed cuddling them for a moment, then drank some of the tea I prepared, exhaled with satisfaction and continued the conversation.


    "The reason Ber came to the guild home this time, is to discuss future cooperation between the small guilds, right?"


    Emily-san spoke fluently informing us, although I still wondered why did an outsider such as her know these circumstances.


    When I involuntarily ended up asking about it, this time Letia had answered the question.


    "We had Emily-san''s help during the last joint quest of the small guilds, so I asked her to act as a guide at this time."


    "I participated in order to efficiently finish material collection quest events, so I also benefit here."


    After saying so, Emily-san sipped the tea that was prepared for her.


    "Then Ber-san and Emily-san met when Letia-san wasn''t around in the guild, right?"


    Hearing Lyna blurt out what she had on her mind, Ber smiled to affirm.


    "Yuup?. I came here today to discuss an even closer cooperation together."


    Well, we''re still at the conceptual stage though, Ber added ¨C stimulating Al''s interest.


    "So, what kind of cooperation is it supposed to be?"


    And to learn what was happening to their guild and how was it going to change, Al threw out a question.


    Ber looked at Letia and Emily-san, receiving a nod from them.


    Since Letia was a little bad with explanations and Emily-san was originally an outsider, Ber took on herself to explain.


    "There''s a lot of stuff to guilds, but the activities differ depending on the guild they belong to, right? Like guilds having lots of morning players, guilds with many players who work or are students. And there are also guilds that are centred around particular hobbies. All these guilds have disjointed and diverse login times, so the cooperation''s concept is to settle on relatively similar login times and activities for small and medium guilds, thus forming an union."


    "Our ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿ also formed parties with Ber''s and others'' guilds, currently doing trial and error attempts."


    Letia supplemented the information.


    "Well, the stronger players form parties in cooperation with players who have a similar level of ability. Lower level players also are organized into parties from among the backup members of each guild, is how it''s gonna be."


    When Ber said that, Lyna and Al anxiously looked towards Letia.


    "Does that mean that despite being in the same guild, we won''t be able to party together?"


    "You are in the same guild so of course we''ll party together. But it would be a waste if we limited our narrow friendly relations with others, is what it means."


    It was a high hurdle for Lyna who was bad with socializing, but this was necessary.


    If they remained as a small guild forever, one day they''ll meet their limit. Moreover, newcomer training is directly connected to developing those smaller guilds.


    Letia was properly thinking for Lyna''s and Al''s sake.


    Matching her words, Ber also spoke to the twins.


    "So far we were speaking about hanging out together among the guild masters, but we''re also slowly talking about matching less experienced players."


    "I-I get it. But I''m kind of dissatisfied with you saying we have little experience and narrow friendly relations!"


    "Lyn-chan. The only acquaintances we have is Letia-san, Yun-san and Emily-san, as well as the weapon and armour crafters."


    "Ugh! C-certainly that is the case!"


    "Let''s agree, Lyn-chan. And do our best to broaden our circle of friends."


    Told so by Al, Lyna reluctantly nodded.


    And when the place''s atmosphere relaxed, Ber spoke seriously again.


    "Although I said ''slowly'' earlier, personally I would like it to make it urgent."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    When Al asked the question, Ber looked towards me for a second before looking back at the twins again.


    "What''s important, is that you two know a skilled ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense user."


    Hearing these words, Letia, Emily-san and I roughly realized what was it about.


    "So what of it?"


    Lyna said straightforwardly, well that was indeed the case, I thought. The ¡¾Bow¡¿-type Senses¡ª¡ªthey was mostly referred to as poor Senses and treated with prejudice by other players.


    The twins who held no prejudice towards the ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense were very valuable to Ber.


    "By the way, our guild''s name is ¡¾Fluffy Tail Association¡¿, but I''m the only one in it that''s overflowing with animal love."


    Was there any need in explaining that? Maybe the person herself thought it is? I retorted in my mind withholding myself from speaking it out, and listened to the continuation.


    "And in this guild of mine I have a member who has the ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense, well, because of failing in a party before that member has very few acquaintances."


    We listened to what Ber had to say as she entered the main problem.


    "The people who can party up with her without holding any prejudice are very valuable. That''s why if possible, I want them to have good relations together with my members. Oh, of course we''ll train the ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense user to have the required skill in order not to leech."


    Exhausted by speaking all that at once, Ber moistened her throat with tea and exhaled. That''s when Lyna had spoke.


    "If that''s the case then, leave it to me! I''ll properly look after that person!"


    "You''re committing all too fast again, Lyn-chan. But I have no reason to say no, so let''s make a trial party first."


    Ber smiled seeing the two undertake the request without a hitch.


    However, Emily-san and I who knew the twins had another reason to worry.


    "It''s fine that you''re undertaking it, but can you properly play in a party?"


    "Agreed. I''m mainly worried about Lyna holding them back."


    "Why?! What is there bad about me?!"


    ''You should ask yourself that, with a hand on your chest."


    Lyna reflexively objected, so I stared at her intently and responded. She reluctantly closed her eyes and her complexion had turned for worse as she recalled what she had done in the past.


    "Yun-kun. It seems like she has awareness, doesn''t this mean there''s room for improvement?"


    "You''re right. Well, nothing bad should happen as long as Al''s with them."


    Lyna was a very active player, but just like her reflexive objection earlier, she is too impulsive. She should gain awareness and change that part of herself, at least a little bit.


    That''s where Letia muttered with her eyes half-closed.


    "In fact, you''ll be meeting others as members of the ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿. It would be best if you didn''t show them any scene of you randomly charging in, and leaving impression of being a weakling."


    "Randomly charge in?! Weakling?!!"


    Shocked by Letia''s words, Lyna fell on top of the straw floor. Although no one especially worried about her, she stood up with an energetic movement after two, three seconds.


    "We''re going to do leveling! We need to train cautiously! As the ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿''s representatives we can''t afford to lose! C''mon Al, we''re going right away!"


    "This is what we should avoid, Lyn-chan! We need to plan carefully!"


    Al caught Lyna''s clothes to stop her, as she stood up looking like desperation incarnate.


    It can''t be helped, I thought, sighed, and stood up.


    "There''s not enough time today, right? On another day I''ll help you practice your movements for your party with that ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense user."


    "Really?! But our levels are way too different for us to make it a reference!"


    "I just have to equip lower-level Senses, right? But this will be the only time I do it, got it?"


    When worried about Lyna and Al I declared I''ll help them out, Letia and Emily-san looked at me apologetically.


    "Yun-san, is it really all right for you to party together with Lyna and Al day after day?"


    "Actually I would like to look after them as well, but together with Letia we are included among members for the next small guilds'' quest event."


    "There''s no problem. I also enjoy myself this way. This is also an opportunity for me to level some of my new low-level Senses I acquired."


    Hearing my answer Letia and Emily-san exhaled with relief.


    And then, Lyna has¡ª¡ª


    "Hey, Ber-san. I''m curious about something, do you actually have animal ears inside that hood?"


    "H-hey Lyn-chan, you''re being rude."


    "Nyahaha, yup. But they aren''t the real thing, it''s a nekomimi band."


    While we talked about Lyna and Al, the person herself merrily spoke with Ber.


    Lyna was unable to hide her excitement as Ber slid down the hood and took off the nekomimi band she wore on her head.


    Other than that, aside from normal equipment Ber also had cat paw gloves equipped as well as a tail accessory. She showcased all off her love for animals.


    When I was leaving the ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿''s guild home, Ber told me about Senses of the ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense user who was to party together with the twins.

 Chapter Volume 9 5

    Chapter 5 - The Sewers and Rat Extermination


    On another day, as promised to Lyna and Al, I joined them in order to practice their cooperation in a party and was currently looking at the quest board for a suitable quest.


    "I can''t see any quest suitable for us."


    Lyna dazedly looked at the subjugation and drop item collection quests.


    "Lyn-chan, I don''t think disqualifying them without any basis is no good."


    "Hmm, how about this! ¡¾Skeleton Subjugation¡¿ quest!"


    When Al pointed out Lyna growled and pointed with her finger at a quest.


    I shuddered hearing those words and looked at where Lyna pointed.


    The location was Horia Cave. My face cramped up as I saw that on the bottom it said that the requirement was to defeat twenty skeletons.


    "Skeletons, huh. We have beaten them before together with Letia-san, so I think it''s a good choi¡ª¡ª"W-wait a second!"¡ª¡ªWhat is it?"


    In panic I stopped Al from consenting.


    Puzzled by the fact I stopped them in a hurry, the two looked at my curiously, but despite reflexively reacting I could not find an appropriate reason for that.


    "Well, you see. Even though you beat before it together with Letia, this time we don''t have her strength. And there are also some troublesome mobs such as Spectres spawning in there, considering we''re training cooperation this time it might be better to lower the degree of difficulty a little, is what I thought..."


    Once I gave them really forced reasons, I felt like the twins'' gazes were piercing right through me.


    The truth is, that I don''t want to tell the two that I''m bad with Horia Cave''s ghosts and such.


    Covered in cold sweat inside of my mind I looked at the two''s reactions¡ª¡ª


    "You''re right. I completely forgot about that. Thank you, Yun-san!"


    "Thank you for reminding us what we''ve forgotten."


    "Ahahaha, it''s all right."


    While I let out a dry laughter, I felt really uncomfortable receiving praises from the two.


    "But lowering the degree of difficulty, the quest most convenient for practising party cooperation would be... well, something like this?"


    With that said, Lyna pointed at a quest.


    I ended up interfering earlier because of my fear of skeletons, but I originally intended to respect the two''s choice so I closed my mouth now and watched.


    "Isn''t this one good? ¡¾Rat Extermination¡¿ quest. Grey Rats have invaded the town and continue to breed. We''re supposed to exterminate them."


    "They''re weak mobs we can beat even solo, seems good for practising party cooperation."


    With the quest decided, Lyna got into a good mood and smiled.


    "Looks like it''s decided. Then let''s take the quest and hear the detailed information from the Quest NPC."


    "And next we will consult roles in the party, right?"


    When I started talking about the next actions, Al had interjected saying what I wanted to say. I nodded and the three of us headed South-west of the First Town.


    There on a chair, sat a man holding a dirty scoop.


    "We are the players who accepted the ¡¾Rat Extermination¡¿ quest. Give us the detailed information!"


    "Lyn-chan, why are you acting high and mighty towards an NPC?"


    I smiled wryly in response to Al''s retort, meanwhile, the quest proceeded.


    "Ohh, so you guys undertook the quest. Actually you see, rats slipped into the town and are multiplying which is a huge trouble. They''re merely rats, but there''s so many of them that I can''t deal with them alone. Get rid of them all for me."


    "Leave it to us! So, where are they?! Inside a mansion or a warehouse? Or did they take over some field?!"


    Excited, Lyna asked for the quest''s location. That''s when the man rose from the seat heavily and then opened up a large iron lid that was behind him.


    "They slipped into this sewer here. Inside is dark and damp. There are grates to prevent people from entering, but rats can freely go in and out through the small gaps. Moreover, although I was entrusted with the sewers management I dropped the key to the grates when I was assaulted by rats. So please take care of it."


    The NPC said so and once again sat down on the log that he used as a chair. I looked at him and my face twitched.


    A dark, damp place. This pattern is no good, I thought.


    "About the roles in the party... hey, Yun-san. You''re a little pale, are you okay?"


    "Eh?! Yeah, I''m fine. Perfectly fine..."


    I can''t show a pathetic side of myself to those two, I thought and to show dignity of someone older than them, I participated in their discussion about the party structure.


    "I''ll have the tank role and I will restrain the enemy with my short spear, if there''s a chance I will attack. Al is a fire mage so he''s in the rearguard, so all that''s left is how we incorporate the player with ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense."


    "How much are you limiting your abilities, Yun-san?"


    In response to Al''s question I confirmed my own Sense status and selected the Senses I could use for this practice.


    "Let''s see. Basically, I''m limiting my means of attacking to only the bow."


    "Then you are sealing enchant''s strengthening and weakening, earth magic and melee attacks, as well as item attacks?"


    "Yeah, that''s about it."


    Learning that I seal my various means of attacking, Lyna seemed to get dejected. Still, that''s something that was decided right from the start.


    The two had to come up with what kind of role will I have, except for delivering bow attacks.


    "The Senses I plan to equip are ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance¡¿, those seven. For the remaining three, Ber told me her guild''s ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense owner''s build so I will pick up new Senses to make my build as similar to that as possible."


    "Yun-san, but that will consume a lot of SP, won''t it?"


    "I''ve got plenty of it so you don''t have to worry."


    I said and acquired three new Senses.


    "What new Senses are you picking up, Yun-san?"


    "¡¾Physical Attack Increase¡¿, ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge¡¿ and ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge¡¿. Simply put, they''re Senses that increase damage and focus on critical damage."


    Possessed SP44


    ¡¾Magic Bow Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv13¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv17¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge Lv1¡¿ ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge Lv1¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv30¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv40¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv19¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿


    Although I used some of my original equipment and Senses, this was quite near a pure ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense build.


    This was the very close to the build recommended to me by Myu, Taku and the others around the time I started playing OSO. While that, I showed my equipped Senses to Lyna and Al.


    "It kinda feels like I''ll be unreliable like this, will it really be okay?"


    "Yun-san''s equipment is much better than ours so there''s no problem, but I think we need some Sense to detect traps and enemy surprise attacks."


    "Then I could use ¡¾See-Through¡¿, but I would have to switch something out."


    "True, it might be necessary, but we won''t know unless we go and see for ourselves."


    Lyna''s anxious proposal was refused by Al, she quietly peeked through the hole leading to the sewer.


    "What is it, Lyn-chan?"


    "...I''ll get down first, next is Yun-san. Al goes down last."


    "Y-yup. Got it."


    Lyna a bit seriously announced the order and went down the ladder.


    Feeling I went down about seven meters below the ground, I entered the dim sewer.


    Since we were underground, the moist and lukewarm air had wrapped around me, making the new winter equipment unnecessary.


    "It''s dark like a dungeon and we can''t see much, huh. Al, light please."


    "Yup. Got it. ©¤©¤¡¶Torch¡·"


    Chanting the spell for a light source of the fire element, which was similar to the light element''s ¡¶Light¡·, Al illuminated the inside of the sewer.


    The sewers had arched ceilings and were made of brick, in the middle flowed the sewage and on the sides, there were footholds just a little above the sewage level.


    And I was able to get a full picture of the sewers by using my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿, but I couldn''t find any of the propagating Grey Rats.


    "Ohh, so sewers are even narrower than dungeons. It might be difficult for me to manoeuvre with my weapon in here."


    Lyna waved her short spear to the sides, up and down, and hit both the wall and the ceiling from a standing position.


    "Well, isn''t it fine to think it as of a practice to overcome your weakness?"


    Seeing the situation inside the sewer, we consulted on the means of fighting.


    "I know, but how am I supposed to attack?"


    "Focus on thrusts, as well as parrying and bashing with the shield? Also, it might be best if you refrain from using Arts, Lyna."


    "Uhhh, I-I get it. It''s so that I don''t accidentally self-destruct in this small place, right?"


    Lyna nodded despite the fact she was gritting her teeth. Well, I understand that she can''t fool around and use flashy attacks, but we need her to bear with it here.


    "So about the rearguard roles, what do you think Al and I should be doing?"


    "Umm, attack from a distance with fire magic and the bow, right?"


    "You need to devise something to make that work. In a place like this it''s difficult to visually find enemy without auxiliary Senses. Also, bow has point attacks so it''s difficult to aim unless the enemy is a big mob."


    Hearing the explanation so far, Al nodded convinced.


    "Then I''ll release fire magic first and when it illuminates everything, Yun-san will shoot. How about that?"


    "Yep. Then let''s move on like that for now."


    After confirming how will the front and the back move, we finally started to walk through the sewer.


    Still, since we were moving slowly, there was time to talk.


    "Haa, if we had Letia-san with us this would be real easy."


    "I actually think this would be difficult for Letia."


    "Ehh? But Letia-san has lots of tamed mobs and various moves to use. We were saved many times thanks to that."


    It seemed like based on the vague image of the always hungry elf who was always eating something, the twins imagined her not to have any weakness, but even Letia had things she was bad with.


    "Just like Lyna, she''s most likely bad with narrow places. You need space for tamed mob summoning, so her strength is limited by the location."


    The large mob, Mutsuki the Ganesha and medium mobs such as Fuyu the Fairy Panther and Kisaragi the Runner Bug would be difficult to use here, and Mill Bird Natsu wouldn''t be able to fly freely.


    In which case, the mobs Letia could use were the Will o'' Wisp Natsu and the Yayoi the fairy. This would result in her forces being limited in narrow places.


    Lyna and Al seemed to have seen a similar situation, and looked convinced now.


    "So what kind of places are you bad with, Yun-san?"


    "You''re being rude, Al. There''s no way Yun-san who''s highly versatile anywhere and any time would have a weakness. Also, enemy makes their appearance."


    Lyna''s open trust in me was so heavy I was unable to respond in any way, meanwhile, we encountered enemy mobs.


    "Now, enemy has come! Let''s quickly exterminate them!"


    Lyna stared at the darkness where the ¡¶Torch¡·''s light did not reach.


    There was a wriggling presence in there, countless red eyes glowing in the darkness have stared at us.


    "I''ll go first! ©¤©¤¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    Al fired a single target attack spell that had higher power than the beginner ¡¶Fireball¡· spell.


    While staring at the light made by the high-velocity flame bullet I set up my bow.


    The flame landed, revealing the figures of several rats trying to avoid it.


    "Six rats! Let''s go!"


    At the same time Lyna rushed out, I selected a certain bow-type Art for a pre-emptive attack.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Magic Bow Skill ¨C Phantom Arrow¡·!"


    An arrow leaving a red tail behind itself had pierced the mouse in the front.


    Normally, the attack would end there, but this time ¨C five magic arrows of the same red colour have appeared from the red tail that was behind the first arrow and pierced other mouses one after another.


    "Phew, it''s over."


    What I shot, was a new Art from the ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿ Sense.


    The bow-type Art ¡¾Magic Bow Skill ¨C Phantom Arrow¡¿ in addition to hitting the enemy with the arrow itself, had created five magic arrows from the red tail the main arrow left behind and damaged the enemy.


    Just like it happened earlier, the main arrow hit the enemy and the five magic arrows each attack other enemies, but it was also possible to concentrate all the magic arrows on one enemy.


    According to that description it would come out as a powerful Art, but the magic arrows'' power is dependant on INT stat and their hit rate and tracking accuracy varied greatly on DEX stat.


    Moreover, there was no chain bonus even if attacks were concentrated on a single enemy so it was not possible to increase the amount of damage that way.


    Lyna looked at me with resentment in her eyes after I used that Art to test it out.


    "...Yun-san, there''s no point in cooperating if you beat them all alone!"


    "S-sorry."


    "That''s right. Even though Yun-san is matching his level with ours, you have many Arts you can use, you also have to take that into account."


    "Yun-san! Unless something really extraordinary happens, you are forbidden from using Arts!"


    "Eh, okay..."


    Told so by Lyna, I further sealed my Arts for the sake of party cooperation practice.


    "Let''s redo it! More mouses have come!"


    Al released fire magic and I shot a normal arrow towards a rat that jumped out of the darkness©¤©¤


    "...You missed."


    "Y-Yun-san..."


    The twins looked at the arrow that pierced in the ground when the rat swiftly avoided it, and then they looked at me with pity in their eyes, making me object.


    "Wait, it''s because my equipment strength decreased that my accuracy dropped!"


    ¡ñ


    As a result of me re-configuring my Senses to match Lyna''s and Al''s level the accuracy of my bow has been reduced, making me realize again just how much the DEX stat affected the hit rate.


    By the way, what I had currently equipped was not the ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿, but the unique weapon I received during the summer camp event - ¡¾Wolf Commander''s Longbow¡¿.


    Because of my stat decrease from the change in the Sense build, the ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ showed some disadvantages such as a recoil damage caused by stat shortages. In order to avoid that I switched my weapon to the ¡¾Wolf Commander''s Longbow¡¿.


    "Mouses escaped from us. Normally mobs would have attacked back, I wonder if they''re up to something?"


    Ignoring my excuse-rebuttal from earlier, Lyna stared at the back of the sewer where the rats escaped, looking for any signs of them.


    "I wonder as well. It kind feels like we''re being led further in."


    "I guess there''s no point thinking about it."


    Saying so, Lyna stepped forward.


    As we cautiously moved ahead, our steps loudly resounded on gravel on the ground.


    And when we proceeded to the right on the branching in the sewer, we have reached a dead-end where sewage flowed into very narrow tunnel. Numerous rats were waiting for us there.


    "We''re at a dead end this time! We won''t let you run again! ©¤©¤¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    Continuing after Al who fired a flame bullet, I shot an arrow.


    This time, the rat wounded by the flame was pierced by the arrow and defeated.


    Although my attack power and hit rate decreased, being the second one to attack I beat the enemy. Regaining confidence, I prepared for another attack.


    However, rats have counter-attacked with overwhelming numbers.


    "Khh! There''s so many of them, how troublesome!"


    While Lyna tried to finish off one rat with her short spear, four more tried to pass by her side.


    She slammed two rats with her leather shield and stopped them, but one has jumped away from Lyna and rushed towards us in the rearguard.


    "Al, he''s going your way!"


    "It''s okay! ©¤©¤¡¶Fireball¡·!"


    Al shot a ball of fire towards the rat coming towards us. The ball of fire hit the rat, who in order to extinguish the fire jumped into sewage.


    Following up, I shot an arrow and finished off that rat.


    We have dealt with the rat that slipped towards the rearguard, but Lyna was still surrounded by three rats and was having a hard time.


    "Oh c''mon! They''re moving completely different from the ones in the open world!"


    "I''ll finish one of them off, take care of the other two, Lyna!"


    Three rats were kicking off the walls to make irregular movements, toying with Lyna.


    Then, from behind Lyna I predicted the movement of a rat and shot an arrow.


    Then, I predicted a rat would attack Lyna from behind and shot an arrow.


    Since she was distracted by what was going on in front of her, Lyna noticed the attack from behind only in the last moment and has stopped moving, confused whether she should respond to the attack from in front or the back.


    The next moment, an arrow caught the rat that jumped at Lyna from behind and pierced his body, after which it hit the sewer''s wall and turned into particles of light.


    That''s when Lyna had cleared herself of confusion and focused on the two rats in the front.


    "Two rats left! Haa!"


    She pierced one of the rats with her short spear, Al burned down the other with a fireball.


    After confirming there was no other rats in the surroundings, Lyna heaved a long sigh and returned back to us in the rearguard.


    "I think our cooperation was so-so, what do you think?"


    "It didn''t seem too bad to me? If it was just Lyn-chan and I, we would definitely take surprise attacks, and since you''re having trouble holding enemy back it might be easier with more people."


    "I think there isn''t anything I can say personally, I guess? Well, because my stats decreased I don''t have enough power to beat them in one hit, which makes it a bit harsh on me."


    "Oh well. Let''s explore this place some more."


    Although I left the party leader''s role to Lyna, I was actually impressed to see that she can do it if she tries. Then, we moved forward in order to examine the dead end.


    When we did, on top of a pile of white gravel we found a quest item called ¡¾Sewer Key (B)¡¿.


    The fact that it was a B key meant there were multiple other keys as well. Maybe they''re the type of key you need to open grates and proceed forward, I thought and when I turned around to where we came from ¨C five rats jumped out of the sewer.


    "An enemy attack upon acquiring a key item, a classic! Now, let''s go!"


    "I''ll go first! ©¤©¤¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    Al fired a flame bullet pre-emptively just like he did before, but this time the attack was avoided.


    "Lyn-chan, block them!"


    "I can''t stop them all! I can''t fight so many of them at once y''know?!"


    Unlike the rats from before who split up between the vanguard and the rearguard, this time rats all pounced at Lyna.


    "Hey! I really can''t defend this!"


    Using the shield strapped to her wrist she blocked attacks from two rats and was able to counter-attack against one more with her spear dealing damage, but she exposed her right arm wielding short spear and attacked by two rats she received damage.


    "What''s this? They barely deal any damage! In that case I can ignore defence and... eh, what?"


    Suddenly, Lyna slipped down on her knees and sat down powerlessly.


    From the rearguard I shot an arrow and finished off the rat Lyna had previously hit with her counter, also noticing the abnormality in Lyna.


    As the time passed her HP slowly decreased, and her limbs were trembling faintly.


    She lifted the shield and somehow managed to defend herself from attacks of two rats, but her HP continuously decreased due to chain damage she received.


    That''s when I used the ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ targeting ability, and yelled after checking the rats and Lyna.


    "Lyna, use poison and paralysis antidotes! Al! These ones aren''t Grey Rats! They''re a different species called Paralitic-Poison Rats!"


    Although they looked similar in the dark sewer, they were a different type of mobs than the Grey Rats. Based on their name and the current situation, it could be inferred that they caused Poison and Paralysis bad status.


    "...I can''t use potions because of ¡¾Paralysis¡¿."


    "Al! I''ll go collect Lyna, hold them back meanwhile!"


    I lowered the bow and headed over to Lyna who kept receiving rats'' attacks in the vanguard.


    Lyna lost half of her HP already and continued to receive slip damage from the bad status.


    I lent her a shoulder and while we retreated to where Al was we received attacks from the poison rats, but despite receiving poison bad status we haven''t been paralysed and were able to successfully escape.


    "I''ll be casting, Yun-san! ¡¶Firewall¡·!"


    A wall of flames sprouted between us who were escaping and the rats in pursuit behind us, it had filled the sewer up to the ceiling.


    Burnt by flames, rats dived into sewage one after another so we couldn''t damage them too much, but we acquired some time.


    I took out a potion and used it on Lyna, healing her up.


    "Here, a potion. Can you try again?"


    "Of course. This time I''ll keep up."


    Having her HP and status recovered by me, at the same time Al''s Firewall disappeared, Lyna jumped towards the rats who were on the other side of the wall.


    Thrusting her spear with the momentum of her movement she pierced on enemy and defeated him.


    "Now, I should attack as well."


    I nocked an arrow and aimed at a poison rat. If Al and I could finish off the remaining four poison rats the burden on Lyna would definitely lighten.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Arrow Stitching©¤©¤"


    "I''ll join in. ¡¶Fire Shot©¤©¤"


    However, our skills were interrupted in the middle of casting.


    Suddenly I felt a pain in my right arm I used to pull the string of the bow and my attention was drawn to it, resulting in the Art misfiring as the arrow disappeared in the darkness of the sewer.


    "Wha...t... hhya?!"


    "A-animal skeleton?"


    A small and light thing bit into my arm with sharp front teeth, holding to my body with four limbs. I reflexively tried to shake it off and smashed the thing into the sewer''s wall, but a moment later I felt the same kind of pain in my left leg.


    When I looked there, I saw the same type of thing biting my leg.


    "©¤©¤?!!"


    I screamed without a sound and raised my leg to shake off the rat''s skeleton along with the gravel under my feet. That''s when I realized something.


    The pile of gravel I was standing on wasn''t gravel, but small bones©¤©¤most likely rat bones.


    And noticed, that the rat bones beneath my feet were connecting with each other and turning into enemies, started surrounding me and Al.


    By the time I noticed the rat bones beneath our feet were a trap it was all too late.


    "Hy©¤©¤kyaah!!"


    "©¤©¤U-UWAaaaah?!"


    "Hey, Yun-san! Al!"


    Al and I were attacked by multiple rat bone mobs called Curserat Bones at the same time, and bit all over our bodies.


    Al had received the ¡¾Curse¡¿ bad status and having his skills sealed he lost the means to counteract and while he tried to fight back he was surrounded by bone rats who exhausted his HP completely.


    When that happened the bone rats fighting Al had gathered around me and I ended up being swarmed by so many of them that I was unable to move. The bone rats tackled each other, rubbed each against one another, and as their movements gave me goosebumps I fell the same way Al did.


    "Where are these mobs coming from?! And light disappeared too!"


    As I fell to the ground without any HP left I could hear Lyna''s voice as she struggled for a while longer, but before long I heard the sound of a human-sized something fall and the only sound that remained was that of dry bones colliding. After a while that sound had disappeared and I selected "YES" from the menu allowing the usage of ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿.


    "...It''s pitch black here. Well, we relied on Al for light so I guess it''s no wonder."


    Even in the pitch black darkness I crawled on the ground and found the twins by blindly groping, then without any hesitation used the ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿.


    "Owww... we died huh. In the end I attacked desperately, but was beaten."


    "©¤©¤¡¶Torch¡·. Uuuh, they say you learn stuff upon death, but this time our mistakes really stand out."


    Lyna and Al quietly got up. While recovering their HP that was restored up to 50% with the ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿, the two started reflecting on our mistakes.


    "First, let''s think why didn''t we notice the appearance of bone rats. Also, if the light disappears we end up fighting in complete darkness."


    "As for the bone rats, it''s because we don''t have anyone who has Senses for spotting traps and such. We were optimistic, but ¡¾See-Through¡¿ is necessary after all."


    "About light, it was because Al died. Lyna who has no Senses providing night vision has a lot of trouble battling in the darkness. We might need to prepare a lantern."


    I said and took out a lantern I used for searching dungeons and caves, then lit it.


    Together with Al''s flame magic, we had secured two sources of light.


    """............"""


    For a while the three of us stared at the light of the flame, but then I turned around to the two again.


    "Um, I made a huge mistake in the rearguard, sorry!"


    "Huh?! But wasn''t it unavoidable in that situation?"


    "Although we had our skills disabled, but if I used AoE bow-type Art when the first bone rat bit me we would be able to make a turnaround, but I failed to do that."


    Immediately after the first Art was interrupted I could use the ¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡· to attack the surrounding bone rats, it would have dealt a decent amount of damage or even wiped them out.


    "But it was really strange how Yun-san was shaken. Usually you''re really really composed."


    "Al. That''s because of the difference in Sense levels and item quality, she doesn''t mind using expensive consumables either."


    "But that makes me kinda relieved. I thought Yun-san is super amazing, but she''s no different from us."


    I''m not a broken gamer like Myu, Taku or others. I''m a normal human who gets scared by ghosts and other stuff that appears in haunted houses.


    "Hm, eh? You were all right with normal rats, but were shaken by the bone rats, so it doesn''t seem like you''re bad with rats overall, right? Speaking of which, your complexion turned worse when we entered the sewers, Yun-san, can it be that you''re bad with horror stuff?"


    "N-n-no such thin©¤©¤"


    "Ah, a bone rat behind you!"


    "Hyah?!"


    I reflexively turned around hearing Lyna''s words, then sighed with relief when I saw nothing in there.


    Lyna stared at me intently and Al smiled wryly.


    "Uuuh, fine! You''re right! I''m bad with horror stuff, grotesque and ghosts!"


    "I see, so Yun-san''s weakness are horrors, hee."


    Al stared at Lyna with appallment as she grinned broadly and seemed to be plotting something.


    It was the same expression Myu made when she wondered when should she surprise someone else, so I decided to warn Lyna ahead of time.


    "Just you try scaring me for no reason... and you know what''ll happen, right?"


    But instead, I smiled meaningfully at Lyna and stared at her.


    When I did, she paled and shook her head energetically.


    I didn''t know what she imagined, but if I put it this way, the person herself would think of a few things she wouldn''t want have done to her.


    When we calmed down after a while, we stood up heavily and resumed the search in the sewers.


    ¡ñ


    Basing on the failure earlier, we decided to adjust our combat styles.


    I replaced the ¡¶Sky Eyes¡· Sense with the ¡¶See-Through¡· as we decided to focus on vigilance against surprise attacks.


    Moreover, the amount of Arts I could use had reduced a little and it was decided that Al and I will be in the vanguard.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡·!"


    "©¤©¤¡¶Firewall¡·!"


    At the same time we started combat, both of us attacked with area of effect skills at the same time.


    ¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡· generated a wind pressure that spread from the arrow and damaged the enemy, and since there was no escape from it in the narrow closed sewer I could deliver damage with it even without ¡¶Sky Eyes¡· allowing me to see the enemy in the darkness.


    Al''s defensive magic ¡¶Firewall¡· deliver damage to rats who assaulted us without any plan and shaved their numbers by a fair percentage.


    "I''ll be going in!"


    Lyna rushed towards the rats damaged by our opening attacks and finished them off one after another.


    However, instead of attacking with a short spear, she knocked down the rats with her leather shield.


    Normally Lyna used the spear to beat enemy with as few moves as possible, but since rats received damage from our opening attacks, it was faster to just finish them off with the shield smash.


    "Ahaha! I was bothered by how low level my ¡¾Shield¡¿ Sense is, but you can totally beat enemies with it!"


    "Lyn-chan, don''t overextend."


    Al restrained Lyna who seemed like she would rush further out of our range.


    Since she was rampaging grandly, about twenty percent of the poison rats and bone rats have escaped into the darkness.


    "In the end, we defeated plenty of rats, but quite a bit escaped."


    The mobs we met during the search of this sewer were common Grey Rats, Paralitic-Poison Rats and the bony Curserat Skeletons.


    Every time we met multiple rats and received surprise attacks from sides, whenever we decreased their numbers through combat, the rats withdrew.


    Repeating that we continued to search the sewers.


    In the middle of search we ended up stumbling upon grates and whenever we didn''t have a key matching the lock, we had to search all over the sewer to find a fitting key.


    As a result, we have completely memorized the structure of the sewers.


    "The quest''s clear condition is to exterminate all rats, including those who ran away."


    "And all the rats that ran away are ahead of here, right."


    We proceeded for a while without encountering any rats and arrived at the sewer''s dead end where we found a collapsed brick wall with an opening leading to a narrow cave.


    Considering a rat who seemed to be a sentry, had rushed into the back of the cave upon seeing us, this must have been the end of the dungeon.


    "So this is the end point huh... let''s go."


    Lyna moved to the front and started walking inside the cave.


    After we proceeded through a narrow hole, the cavity had spread widely open.


    And something had approached us from the darkness, making loud footsteps.


    "It''s a boss©¤©¤Mutant Badrat."


    Along with Al''s mutter, a huge rat appeared.


    It was a mutant rat who had long front teeth protruding upwards, sharp claws, grey fur no different from that of Grey Rat''s, three vertical sets of red eyes and three tails which moved freely like whips.


    The mutant rat of a cow''s size had sucked a grey rat inside his mouth, then held a paralysis poison rat and a bone rat in his hands to stuff them into his mouth.


    Then, as if to protect their boss, countless small rats surrounded him.


    That''s when we received a message through the menu saying that the ¡¾Rat Extermination¡¿''s condition of exterminating all rats was fulfilled, and the condition had changed to "defeat the Mutant Badrat".


    "So we just have to beat this guy to be done, right! HAAaaa©¤©¤"


    Lyna poised her short spear as if to deliver a final attack and charged at the Mutant Mouse.


    That line is a death flag, I thought, but I still provided cover fire to support Lyna.


    Al too assisted in defeating the three types of rats standing in Lyna''s way.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Gust of Wind¡·!"


    "Let''s go! ©¤©¤¡¶Firewall¡·!"


    In order to decrease the burden on the twins, I used AoE attacks on the groups of rats.


    However, the inside of the cave was wide and there was place to run, so more than half of the rats have split to the sides, escaping our attacks.


    "Lyn-chan! We''re being surrounded!"


    "I know. But rats aren''t the only ones who can move freely in here! ©¤©¤¡¶Large Swing¡·!"


    Lyna held the short spear in a longest grip possible and spinning on her heel she swung her spear.


    The swung short spear released wind pressure in all directions which shot down the incoming rats in mid-air.


    Small rats had their bodies torn up by the spearhead as it skimmed them, or were smacked down by the handle.


    The momentum of the rats'' attack has decreased as Lyna intercepted the rats coming from the sides by using an area of effect Art.


    Together with Al, we haven''t missed that chance and attacked rats on the left side by using our AoE Arts.


    This time as not to allow them escape we sandwiched them with attacks from left and right, wiping them out all at once.


    With the rats on the left side defeated, Lyna alone dove into the group of rats on the right, and from the centre of the group she blew away rats one after another by swinging her spear around.


    "Ahahaha, poison and paralysis are nothing as long as they aren''t applied!"


    "Oh, I feel like I saw a game like this before, with a warrior fighting this way."


    Giving off a feel of an action game''s character smashing armies of weaklings Lyna had defeated the rats on the right side. The only remaining ones were only the minions the Mutant Badrats was feasting on.


    The mutant rat who hasn''t joined the battle until his comrades were defeated, and has finally started to move.


    "Al, match me! ©¤©¤¡¶Rapid Fire Bow ¨C Second Form¡·!"


    "Yes! ©¤©¤¡¶Fire Shot¡·!"


    Al''s and my attacks passed above Lyna''s head and aimed for the mutant rat''s eyes.


    Out of two of my arrows aiming for the eyes on the mutant rat''s head, one was shot down by the freely-moving tail, but the remaining arrow pierced into the middle left eye.


    Thanks to the effect of the ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge¡¿ and ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge¡¿ Senses, I succeeded in cutting down the mutant rat''s HP by 10% by with one blow.


    "I''ll take the left sidee!"


    Lyna attempted to slip to the left side where the mutant rat had an eye crushed, but was restrained by the mutant rat''s swift movement which didn''t suit his size.


    The mutant rat slapped away Lyna''s protruded short spear with his tail and when her posture broke, he swung his sharp claws at her.


    "?!! Half of his vision should be crushed, how can he still react to what''s on the left side?!"


    "Enemy has six eyes total so crushing one eye won''t steal his vision away. Anyway, Lyn-chan, check your status!"


    "Eh, no way?! This is bad, real bad, I got a bad status on me!"


    Lyna who took distance from the mutant rat had calmed herself down, took out antidotes for ¡¾Poison¡¿ and ¡¾Curse¡¿ bad statuses and used them.


    "The boss has characteristics of all rats in the sewers, doesn''t he. The troublesome one is the ¡¾Paralysis¡¿."


    "But that doesn''t change what we have to do!"


    Al continued to steadily deal damage by firing flame bullets at regular basis. I also continued to shoot arrows without end.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Calling Shield¡·!"


    Using her short spear and the shield, Lyna devoted herself to defence as she activated the ¡¾Shield¡¿-type Art that increased the amount of hate she gathered by the amount of damage the rearguard had dealt.


    Because of that, the mutant rat was unable to move away from Lyna and could only keep attacking her with claws on his both hands, Lyna parried those attacks with her leather shield.


    However, as the mutant rat''s HP decreased to 50%, there was a change in his movements.


    "He''s withdrawing? Is he gonna charge... kyaah?!"


    "Lyn-chan!"


    After leaping backwards, the mutant rat got on his fours and lowered his body.


    Although Lyna had braced herself with the shield protruded in front of her, guarding against the charge, she received an unexpected attack.


    Three long tails of the mutant rat have crept towards Lyna''s feet exploiting her blind spot as she raised her shield, and wrapped around her ankle.


    Just like that, Lyna was pulled by the tails and knocked down, then two tails started whipping her body.


    "Al! Don''t stop attacking! ©¤©¤¡¶Bow Skill ¨C Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    I drew my longbow to the limit and shot an arrow, but the mutant rat avoided that and jumped at restrained Lyna at the same time.


    "Get away from Lyn-chaaaan!!"


    Al continued to fire a barrage of flame bullets at the mutant rat, but the mutant rat bit into Lyna''s neck and protruded her forward to use her as a shield.


    When Lyna''s HP was depleted, a flame bullet landed on the mutant rat''s back and damaged him.


    Then, the rat slowly turned around from Lyna and towards us.


    Until now Lyna was standing in the mutant rat''s way as not to let him reach the rearguard, but now naturally the boss'' target changed to us.


    And then©¤©¤


    "Oh come on, how many times am I supposed to die in one day, annoying. ©¤©¤¡¶Large Swing¡·!"


    Lyna swiftly stood up behind the mutant rat''s back and aiming for the base of the boss'' tails she used the rotation-attack Art.


    Having the three tails torn to pieces, the mutant rat turned around towards Lyna who had a furious expression.


    Lyna made a proud smile, but her composure ended with that.


    "Hehen. Now you can''t do the same th... whoops, wait, I still haven''t healed myself up!"


    I have given Lyna a¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ in case she happened to die, she used it and her HP recovered to 40% of her total HP.


    With his tails chopped up and Lyna gathering mutant rat''s hate once more, the boss swung his claws at her again.


    "Lyn-chan! Keep his attention like that!"


    "Wait, no way no can do! I mean, his attack power seems to be increasing!"


    She let go of the short spear in a hurry and concentrated on defending herself with the leather shield.


    Raising the leather shield she gulped down a potion, trying to endure somehow but the onslaught of attacking coming from the mutant rat was abnormal, Lyna was forced to harden her defence.


    "Enemy has 30% HP remaining, huh. His characteristic is that the more his HP decreases the more his attack power increases, eh. Truly, a cornered rat will bite the cat, like they say."


    "Yun-san this is no time to be impressed!"


    With no time to rest, Lyna consumed the potions she had at hand.


    While feeling it''s quite unusual to see a player consume potions one after another like that, I winked to Al standing next to me.


    "We can''t go and allow the enemy''s attack power increase, so let''s beat him all at once."


    "Understood. I''ll go with maximum firepower."


    Al and I selected the attacks we could use and unleashed them at the mutant rat who had 30% HP remaining.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Flame Pillar¡·!"


    At the same time Al poked the ground with the tip of his staff a pillar of flames rose up from the ground and rushed at the mutant mouse who was turned with his back to us.


    The mutant rat repeatedly attacking Lyna had turned around towards the pillar of fire that emitted a conspicuously strong light, but he reacted too late and his whole body was enveloped in flames.


    "Al, that''s dangerous!"


    Receiving the blast flame with her shield, Lyna took distance from the mutant rat who was in flames.


    As for me, I aimed at the mutant rat''s shadow in the flames and used the Art that I have restricted myself from using.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Magic Bow Skill ¨C Phantom Arrow¡·"


    A faint red light condensed on the longbow, as I drew the string and accumulated power the intensity of the light increased, when the light had reached its maximum I released the arrow.


    The red arrow flew straight and pierced the mutant mouse struggling in flames, damaging him. But the damage didn''t end with just that arrow, the red tail connecting the arrow and the longbow has split apart and after changing into five magic arrows ¨C assaulted the mutant rat.


    The magic arrows approaching in a curve have damaged the boss one after another, and at the point four magic arrows pierced him, the mutant rat''s HP has went down to zero. The last magic arrow had nowhere to go, so it hit the cave''s wall behind the mutant rat.


    Then, the body of the mutant rat had fallen dramatically to the floor of the cave, turned into particles of light along with the magic arrows that pierced him and disappeared.


    "You two okay?"


    "In the middle of the fight I received ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Curse¡¿ and couldn''t move or even use defensive Arts so I thought it''s all over for me."


    "Cheers for good work."


    Smiling wryly I took out a potion and passed it to Lyna.


    Meanwhile, coming from where the boss fell down Al approached us with a treasure chest.


    "Yun-san, Lyn-chan, the boss dropped a treasure chest!"


    "Extra reward, isn''t it. But I don''t have any strength left to rejoice."


    "Well, there''s no enemies left any more, let''s check it after we''re out on the surface."


    As the twins nodded in response to my words, we left the cave and returned to the sewers.


    From there, we aimed towards the surface. Thanks to going back and forth in search for the keys, we had grasped the sewers'' structure and were able to proceed towards the surface through the shortest route possible.


    "Ohhh! You came back safely! So, a new species was born from the rats breeding in the sewer, huh?!"


    When we returned to report the quest, the Quest NPC responded a bit exaggeratedly.


    ©¤©¤The quest ¡¾Rat Extermination¡¿ has been completed.


    Along with the message, each of us received 10kG and two Quest Chips.


    "The reward is pretty weak. Just by using several ¡¾Revival Medicines¡¿ we''re in the red."


    "Lyn-chan, the one in the red is Yun-san, not us."


    "I don''t really mind. It''s something I did ''cause I wanted to."


    "Yun-san, you''re so handsome! Though you''re a pretty girl!"


    Lyna tried to joke in a good mood, but it only caused me some complex feelings.


    "W-well, I might be in red after just the quest reward but we still haven''t checked what''s inside the treasure chest, right?"


    "True. Maybe we''ll have a comeback from what''s inside!"


    She opened the treasure chest with high expectations and checked what''s inside.


    "The item is... accessories, huh. A choker, a ring, and... ugh, how tasteless."


    What Lyna took out were a leather choker with a pentagram tag on it, a silver ring that increased magic stats and an accessory imitating rats'' bones.


    A bracelet reminiscent of a rib and a ring imitating a rats'' skull were connected by a chain that was modelled after a spine, this accessory totally exhausted the meaning of "creepy".


    I was bad with horror and creepy stuff, but I was interested in the accessory''s stats.


    Cornered Rat''s Cursed Brace¡¾ Accessory¡¿ (Weight: 3)


    ATK+4, MIND+4 Additional Effect: Cornered Rat Attack, HP Recovery Disabled


    Just like its appearance suggested, it was a cursed equipment. At the same time, it was unique equipment.


    "Al? What do we do about this accessory?"


    "Ugh, the design''s horrible. Hmm, the effect doesn''t look too bad, but I don''t intend on rolling for such tasteless equipment."


    Lyna''s and Al''s evaluation of it was that it was so-so, but to me it was cursed equipment I would like by all means ¨C acquire.


    The additional effect ¡¾Cornered Rat Attack¡¿ increased the attack power when you fell below a certain amount of HP. HP Recovery Disabled did only effect natural recovery and did not prevent healing with items and skills. Well, as long as one adjusts to the lack of natural HP recovery over time and doesn''t go amiss, this accessory had no disadvantages.


    "And Yun-san... hey, why are your eyes sparkling so much? You want it?"


    "Honestly speaking, I really do."


    When I said that, the two looked at me with surprise.


    "This one is worth enough to compensate the usage of ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿. Moreover, it''s unique equipment."


    My ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ and ¡¾Faerie Ring¡¿ also were equipment that had no durability, accessories that couldn''t break or be destroyed was valued very highly.


    An accessory I acquired as a prize from the ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿''s arena had similar effect and no disadvantage to it, but in exchange the percentage of attack increase was low compared to this ¡¾Cornered Rat''s Cursed Brace¡¿.


    "Then Yun-san should have it. I feel like would be cursed as well if I equipped something this creepy."


    "Also, since Yun-san is the one who''s in the red after this quest so she should receive it."


    The two said so, so I received the ¡¾Cornered Rat''s Cursed Brace¡¿.


    This time I acquired new Senses and a rare cursed equipment, it was quite fruitful adventure.


    And in the end, I asked the two.


    "So, how was the party this time? Was it any helpful as a reference for partying with that ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense user?"


    Hearing my words, the two nodded and©¤©¤


    ""We''re glad to have seen an unexpected side to Yun-san.""


    "No, that''s not what I''m asking about, heck, just forget about that."


    The twins laughed seeing me make a sour expression.


    Despite the fact they were split between boke and tsukkomi roles, only at times like these the two exerted such nonverbal understanding, making me appalled.


    "It''s just a joke. Well, since Yun-san''s means of support were sealed it felt a little lacking, but I think I grasped the feel of it."


    "Also, normally Yun-san matches how we play, but we now understood that to cooperate well, you need consult with each other and also need time."


    The two made nice expressions and it seemed like they grasped onto something during this quest.


    "I''d lie if I said I''m not anxious, but I think we should meet that kid from Ber-san''s guild after all!"


    "If we find something we would like to consult on, we will come again."


    The two left after saying that, I''ve seen them off with a smile.


    "I guess I needn''t worry with how they are now."


    I muttered to myself after they disappeared and started walking towards the ¡¾Atelier¡¿.

 Chapter Volume 9 6

    Chapter 6 - The Wyvern Mountains and the Unicorn


    Just the other day, I finished party cooperation practice with Lyna and Al, then reported details of it to Letia and Emily-san through friend chat.


    After returning to solo activities once again, I went through the item delivery-type quests I have been putting off.


    The breakdown of quests I have completed by using items I took from the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ was¡ª¡ª


    ¡¾Potion Delivery (30)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip.


    ¡¾High Potion Delivery (30)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip, 20kG.


    ¡¾MP Potion Delivery (30)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip, 20kG.


    ¡¾Bad Status Antidote Delivery (10 of each type)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip.


    ¡¾Copper Ore Delivery (30)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip.


    ¡¾Herb Delivery (30)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip.


    ¡¾Medicinal Spirit Grass Delivery (30)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip.


    ¡¾Magical Spirit Grass Delivery (30)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip.


    ¡¾Arrow Delivery (1 set of 30)¡¿©¤©¤1 Quest Chip.


    By doing item deliveries I was able to quickly earn 10 Quest Chips.


    There still were delivery quests remaining for me to do, but when I did potion delivery quests their quest paper has turned yellow suggesting that the quests weren''t completely done, so I decided to finish them first..


    After that I took Ryui and Zakuro with me and headed to deliver the next set of items to the Quest NPC again, then returned to the quest board and took the next potion quest.


    When I completed the all potion delivery quest I was called out to by the NPC.


    "I''m sorry to stop you, but are you the one who made these potions?"


    "Yeah, that''s right, why?"


    Judging by the way things are, I could roughly tell it was a conversation leading to a next quest.


    "I''m in charge of this town''s general store, you see, Obaba the Pharmacist who delivered us potions has fallen ill. That''s why I''m buying potions from the outside to compensate for the potions she was delivering, but we''re at our limit. If possible, could you go and see if you could do something about Obaba''s state?"


    "Understood. Where is she?"


    "In the Eastern part of the town you go into a passage towards the north, there she has a pharmacy with a small garden. Please take care of it."


    At the same time the Quest NPC finished speaking, I have received a new quest called ¡¾Cure the Pharmacist''s Illness¡¿.


    The quests I did were easy to clear, but most likely to receive them you had to possess a specific Sense©¤©¤in my case it was most likely the ¡¾Dosing Master¡¿ Sense.


    If these quests are aimed at crafters, then Magi-san, Lyly and Cloude have most likely acquired them. No, some of the crafting quests'' papers were coloured red so they must have completed them already.


    While thinking about that, I headed towards the designed pharmacy together with Ryui and Zakuro. When I reached it, I found a building that looked more like a witch''s house than a pharmacy.


    It was an eerie store with the outer walls covered with ivy. The store sign was also nearly-covered with ivy as well, and on it there was a picture of a steaming cauldron used for Mixing, but it was discoloured due to age and rather than a pharmacist''s symbol it was more like a kettle from hell.


    "I-I guess it''s here."


    I stood in front of the pharmacy and slapped my cheeks, resolved myself and opened the door quietly but...


    "Excuse me, is this the pharmacy? I''ve been asked to check on granny here."


    "What is it? Coming with work? Can''t do it now."


    When I faced towards the source of the voice, I saw an old woman sitting in a chair.


    The cranky-looking granny tried to stand up, but I approached her in a hurry and had her sit down in the chair again.


    "What is it? You''re unexpectedly sharp. I guess you''re sent by the general store anyway. Sorry, I can''t make any medicine with my body like this!"


    "Granny, certainly I did come because I was asked to check on you by someone from the general store. Are you ill?"


    Based on the quest''s name, I guessed the old woman was suffering some kind of illness.


    That''s why I asked about that.


    "My illness is one that causes my limbs to tremble. That''s why it''s dangerous for me to walk, I can''t go outside either."


    While saying so, she extended her hand and showed it to me.


    "If it''s trembling, then won''t a ¡¾Paralysis Antidote Potion¡¿ heal it?"


    "¡¾Paralysis Antidote Potion¡¿ can only alleviate symptoms, it has no effect on the root of the problem."


    I grasped her wrinkled hand, but was unable to suppress the trembling and my hand also shook.


    "If I make a mistake when mixing a medicine with my hands trembling, it will turn into poison. That''s why I''m not making any medicine. Go tell the guy from the general store this: if you don''t want to make me a murderer, don''t ask me for any more medicine."


    "Actually, I can do ¡¾Mixing¡¿ as well, could I help somehow with curing your illness, granny?"


    If the old woman''s illness is healed, everything will be resolved. Hearing my words, the granny gripped my hand with her own trembling ones.


    Although her hands were very dry, granny''s touch was surprisingly gentle as she checked my palm.


    "Hmph. That man from the general store seems to have sent me a quite capable person."


    "Which means..."


    "I''ll have you gather materials and make a medicine to cure my illness."


    With that said, the old woman conveyed the content of the quest to me.


    "The three materials I specify will have to be gathered before nightfall. They''re ¡¾Waterfowl Grass¡¿, ¡¾Swamp Lotus'' Root¡¿ and ¡¾Crimson Slime Mould¡¿. Also, material''s freshness is very important. Make sure not to use the ¡¾Portal¡¿ or materials will go bad all at once!"


    "Before nightfall?! And I can''t use the portal?! There''s no time!"


    "If you have time to talk, you might as well go already!"


    Along with receiving of the quest, I was chased out from the store.


    Simple information on the three types of quest item materials was added to the quest description.


    After reading it I understood that they were in locations it was possible for me to get to on foot, although it would take some time.


    "No helping it. Let''s hurry up and finish this to make granny healthy. ¡¶Enchant¡·©¤©¤Speed!"


    Emitting yellow right I ran towards the outside of the town.


    While running I planned recovery of the quest items.


    ¡¾Waterfowl Grass¡¿ was in the back of the Second Town''s forest, growing in a lake a little further than the location from where Lyly and I ran away.


    Honestly speaking, I haven''t gone that far before so I intended to go there while ignoring enemies, using my armour''s additional effect, ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿ to its fullest.


    Next one was ¡¾Swamp Lotus'' Root¡¿, apparently clusters of it grew in a Western section of the Wetlands located South of the First Town. Since it was a place I approached several times while collecting materials it would most likely be easy to find.


    The last one was the ¡¾Red Slime Mould¡¿, a type of a slime which seemed to be living in a mountain zone whose staple food was iron. Ahead of the Abandoned Village where the ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿''s material ¨C Wisteria Peach Petals could be gathered, there was ¡¾Wyvern Mountains¡¿ in which the slime could be found.


    Since the areas the quest items could be collected were all over, there was a need of collecting the items efficiently.


    To start with, I aimed for the colony of ¡¾Swamp Lotus'' Root¡¿ Wetlands in the South.


    Ignoring attractive collection points I would normally never ignore, I headed to the colony of ¡¾Swamp Lotus'' Root¡¿ and one-sidedly, using my bow from a long distance I wiped out ¡¾Moor Frogs¡¿ occupying it.


    Then I entered the swamp, ignoring the fact I soaked in mud up to my ankles I pulled out a ¡¾Swamp Lotus'' Root¡¿ from it all at once.


    "So this is ¡¾Swamp Lotus'' Root¡¿... it does look like root of a real lotus root, maybe it can be eaten?"


    Ryui and Zakuro were reluctant to enter the swamp so they stayed away, meanwhile I gathered ¡¾Swamp Lotus'' Roots¡¿.


    "Now, this much should be enough... whoops, I can''t get out of here."


    I''ll end up losing time in here! Starting to feel impatient I somehow pulled out my leg out of the swamp and aimed for the edge of it one step at a time.


    After I exited the swamp Ryui and Zakuro wouldn''t approach me until the dirt disappeared with time.


    Still, I didn''t stop and wait for that happen, instead I headed to the Second Town while still dirty and wet with mud.


    I continued to run while feeling an uncomfortable sensation of muddy water inside my boots, the dirt and moisture disappeared by the time I reached the Second Town. Then, headed to forest on the outskirts of the Second Town.


    I ignored Fluff Clouds and other mobs and arrived at the lake, it had a considerably large size and there were multiple players gathered by it.


    "Is there a different quest here as well...? But right now I don''t have time to examine the details of that quest."


    Although I could see the figures of players on boats fighting against something in the lake, I had to look for the ¡¾Waterfowl Grass¡¿.


    I looked around the lake by using ¡¾Sky Eyes''¡¿ far-sightedness and located ¡¾Waterfowl Grass¡¿ on the shallow waters on the opposite side.


    I was able to find the ¡¾Waterfowl Grass¡¿ that was my goal, but it was a hassle to dutifully circle around the lake to get it.


    "It can''t be helped, let''s find some closer by."


    After changing my Senses I ordered Ryui and Zakuro to wait, and I dived inside the lake.


    It''s pretty deep here. I hope there''s some nearby.


    The place I jumped in wasn''t shallow waters, rather, it was quite deep in there.


    And after looking around at the bottom of the lake, I found a bluish-white water plant that seemed to be the ¡¾Waterfowl Grass¡¿.


    Oh, even without going to the other side I can gather them.


    I dove headlong to the bottom of the lake as I was and pulled out pale blue water plants that were growing there.


    One wasn''t enough, so I recovered several of ¡¾Waterfowl Grass¡¿ that sparsely grew around, when I did, ¡¾Waterfowl Grass¡¿ has ceased to act as a quest target and changed into a normal object. With that, the gathering of the second material was complete.


    It ended faster than it would if I had to go to the opposite side of the lake. With this I might have bought myself some extra time.


    While majority of the quest was moving around, I was happy thinking that I gained some time, and looked up to the surface from the bottom of the lake.


    When I looked up I saw the bottom of a ship that was on the surface, there was another player together with me in the water, who was engaged in fierce combat against a giant fish mob.


    For just a moment my eyes met with his, and we both nodded lightly.


    Then I emerged from the water making my appearance all at once.


    The sound from above I heard muffled as I approached to the surface had turned loud all at once at the same time I emerged out of water.


    The majority of voices has come from the players on to of several boats.


    "Hey! Captain isn''t coming back!"


    "Don''t give up! It''s our captain! The man who challenged that huge fish all alone!


    "B-but heyy. All thirteen members aside from Captain have already fled to the boats. It''s over, impossible, the quest failed."


    While players on the boats floating on the lake started giving up©¤©¤


    "GOOOTT IIIIITT!!"


    Raising up a harpoon from inside the water, the player showed everyone what seemed to be a drop from a giant fish, a giant tail fin.


    The player I nodded to was their captain and apparently they splendidly defeated a boss with multiple parties participating, and managed to safely return to their boats.


    Seeing the captain alive and the boss subjugation complete, players on top of the boats have shouted to each other in the same manner as their captain.


    I got up from the water and looked at the sight and once again, my eyes met with those of the player who beat the boss. This time he turned towards me and©¤©¤


    "GOTTT ITTTT!"


    "G-gottt itt?"


    My voice was a little low because I was embarrassed, but he still nodded contentedly and went back to his comrades.


    "That must be... Shichifuku, right."


    The player with short silver hair which looked damage by sea breeze he had goggles and a harpoon in his hand guild''s ¡¾OSO''s Fishermen''s Union¡¿ guild master, Shichifuku.


    Within his guild he wasn''t called "guild master" but "captain", he was underwater combat specialist and Taku''s acquaintance.


    An originally hobby guild for people who want to do fishing on ordinary days, has gradually grew and become a guild specializing in underwater combat because of certain circumstances.


    However ¡¾OSO Fishermen''s Union¡¿ was a medium-sized guild and didn''t have enough players to take on raid quests.


    When I looked at them in more detail, I saw that some players on top of boats had equipment that didn''t seem like something ¡¾OSO Fishermen''s Union¡¿ members would use.


    The fact they were together with another guild meant that they received a raid quest together with other small and medium guilds.


    I recalled how Letia spoke of small and medium guilds participating together in joint quests and muttered to myself.


    Finished with what I had to do in the lake I left the forest in order to search for the last quest item, the ¡¾Red Slime Mould¡¿, and headed down the main road extending from the Second Town.


    And after advancing up to where the road split up, I stopped in front of a certain cave.


    "Uugh, since I can''t use portal I do have to pass through here after all."


    The cave that was filled with the sound of screams whenever the wind passed through it©¤©¤The ¡¾Horia Cave¡¿.


    The commonly known Horia Cave was a location where mobs such as Skeletons and Spectres have emerged.


    However, unless I passed through it I wouldn''t be able to reach the Wyvern Mountains that had the ¡¾Red Slime Moulds¡¿.


    "...Countermeasures are important. I won''t fail a second time."


    Holding ¡¾Confusion Antidote Potions¡¿ in each hand in case the Spectres put a ¡¾Confusion¡¿ bad status no me, I equipped myself with ¡¾Spirit Tolerance¡¿ and asked Ryui walking next to me, to immediately use ¡¾Purification¡¿ were my behaviour turn any strange.


    "All right, let''s go."


    Although I raised an energetic voice, I entered the cave slowly ¨C almost dragging myself inside.


    Then after a walking for a while I heard the sound of bones clattering behind me©¤©¤I took a look around and there I saw Skeletons springing up from behind and a Spectre slipping through a wall.


    "Hiiihhh, this is impossible after all!"


    At speed that should be impossible for someone this scared, I ran in a straight line through the cave.


    In the middle of the cave skeleton hands extended to me from the walls causing me to scream, and then together with Ryui who was holding Zakuro we somehow managed to successfully run through the ¡¾Horia Cave¡¿.


    ¡ñ


    "Haa, haa... I''m really bad with passing through there after all."


    Sprinting at full speed I exited the cave and leaned on a disfunctional fountain inside the Abandoned Village to adjust my breathing.


    I repeated taking a deep breath several times and looked up towards my next destination.


    "So that''s the Wyvern Mountains the ¡¾Red Slime Moulds¡¿ are, huh."


    I was looking towards a different road than the one leading up to the hill where the Wisteria Peach tree stood, one that lead to a mountain road.


    The enemies appearing in that area were strong, large Wyvern-type mobs but they wouldn''t appear unless you climbed on the mountain high enough. Also, the mountains were also filled with a number of natural caves.


    "Well, according to the quest description even the entrances of the lower levels of the caves allowed for getting ¡¾Red Slime Moulds¡¿."


    I once again re-configured my Senses and then headed to the ¡¾Wyvern Mountains¡¿.


    Although I passed by collection points with great reluctance as I looked for the ¡¾Red Slime Moulds¡¿...


    "Can''t find any. Do I have to climb up a bit higher?"


    Thanks to the fact the large Wyvern mobs didn''t appear in the lower parts I could move on without fighting, but I still couldn''t find the item I looked for.


    "There''s none in the lower levels. Which means I have to look by the caves in the mountains."


    I had no idea what''s there inside the mountains themselves, but I couldn''t do anything unless I searched them.


    And I took a step inside one of the cave entrances present in the lower layers of the mountains.


    "...I can feel someone''s sight on me? Though I can''t see anyone here, probably just my imagination."


    For a moment I felt like my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense reacted, but when I looked around I couldn''t see any players.


    Before long I forgot all about that and entered the cave.


    ¡¾Wyvern Mountains''¡¿ natural caves had a fantastical origin and were lit up by light-emitting ore, so they were just a little dim . Using ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense I carefully looked around for ¡¾Red Slime Moulds¡¿ but I could only find one mining point for ore.


    After walking inside the cave for a while, I noticed.


    "...So it wasn''t my just my imagination."


    Faking my actions to look like I''m looking for quest items together with Ryui and Zakuro I quickly advanced towards the back of the cave.


    "Let''s run! Ryui!"


    And matching the signal I hurried further inside to run away from the players chasing after me, but lurking in the passages ahead of me there were more than just one player and they all threw shuriken-like things at me.


    Fortunately, I was the only one hit by the attacks and the damage wasn''t too high either.


    When the thrown weapons hit the mobs I passed by, the attackers were targeted by them and beaten instead.


    That method of protecting myself wasn''t too pleasing to the guys who chased after me.


    And then, ahead of where they led me to©¤©¤


    "©¤©¤What is this place?"


    The place I was led to was a large room. On the walls there were multiple holes with each having a passage in it, leading to them there was stair-like spiral-shaped scaffolding leading up to the top.


    "It''s where you meet your end."


    Spoken to by a player, a young man standing in the centre of the room I directed my sight to him.


    He had a smile that didn''t seem like one someone tricking another person would make, but it was horribly artificial.


    Before I realized, the players who have been chasing after me also started gathering all at once through the countless holes in the room''s walls.


    "What the hell do you want from me, to lead me all this way?!"


    I shouted emotionally while in my mind I devised a way to escape.


    Surrounded by roughly thirty players I could rush into a gap between them, or try make an opening during a conversation.


    "By what, I would say that we''re going to PK you. That''s all."


    "Why in a place like this? And what for? There''s isn''t much for you in doing that."


    The benefit you get from PKing other players in OSO was that half of the PK''d player''s money is given to the PKer.


    "Well. If I were to answer that question ¨C we need money you see. That''s why we PK people here, where strong players gather."


    "Strong players gather here...?"


    I answered with a question and stared intently in the young man''s eyes, meanwhile other players around me set up their weapons which made it seem like the conversation will soon be over.


    "This is the location for ¡¾Wyvern Subjugation¡¿ raid quest''s boss fight. Multiple parties locate key items inside this cave to progress with the quest and call the boss here by using those items."


    The young man, no, the PK player fell silent there, pulled out his own weapon ¨C a long sword ¨C and pointed the tip at me.


    "Players from the raid party who split up would have been led here one by one and PK''d by our numbers. As expected, players who take on raid quests are strong, but thanks to that we would get lots of money all at once!"


    Intoxicated with his own plan, the PK grew more and more excited.


    "I didn''t think there would be a player silly enough to come inside where we are lying in wait. If you leave all the money you have on you, we''ll let you go ¨C how about it?"


    The young man made an ugly smile as he proposed.


    And my response to such a blatant lie was©¤©¤


    "My answer is already decided. ©¤©¤Not happening!"


    "I see. Then©¤©¤"Then, what?"©¤©¤Huh?"


    The moment I heard a surprising voice interrupt the young man, he himself, as well as others who stood on his sides have been pierced from behind and fell forward.


    And along with a distortion in the air, a single player made his appearance.


    "Did you enjoy PK? It''s fun, right! I love PK! Fighting strong players is exciting!"


    "You... gh..."


    "F-Flein?!"


    The one who cut down the young PK from behind was PK guild''s ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ guild master, the one called "the worst" PK ¨C Flein. He pierced his thin sword into the fallen player''s back and stepped on him.


    The fallen PK''s comrades couldn''t get any closer because Flein was too close to him and could finish him off any time.


    "I also love PK. I can indulge in fighting strong people all I want! I want to cut down all strong people and those who are a nuisance to me. But you see, going about it without any principles would be troublesome. That''s why I have, we have decided on making rules. ©¤©¤My rules of PK."


    At the same time he pulled out the pierced sword from the young man he moved his leg away from him, then kicked him in the belly raising him upwards.


    "First, for decent players you first obtain their consent and go at them from the front. Second, if you want to kill someone, no complaints if yourself get killed instead. And all people who cause trouble will be cut down by us."


    The young man who was kicked away had slammed into the wall of the cave powerfully, the hit received was only possible for those who had PVP-limited Sense. After receiving damage from hitting the wall, the PK fell down and collapsed.


    Then, at the same time Flein showed a signal towards the holes in the walls, ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ member have appeared behind the PKs who were lying in wait and the location has quickly turned into a battlefield between PKs.


    Seeing the battle between PKs unfold all of a sudden I felt like I was left behind by the flow of events and stood there dumbfounded, but having my clothes pulled by Ryui I returned to myself.


    Realizing it was a good chance to escape I rushed in a straight line towards the nearby hole.


    "Hey, wait!"


    "Heey, that''s quite something of you to look away from us at a time like this. ©¤©¤¡¶Killing Edge¡·!"


    "Guahh?!"


    One of the PKs from the ambushers'' side jumped out to stop me, but a single male player has slashed him from behind.


    "So you''re here as well, huh, Tobias!"


    "Yo, been a while. How are you?"


    The ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ guild''s sub-master Tobias also made an appearance.


    In the past I wouldn''t ever think that Tobias, a PK who attacked me in the forest before, would save me.


    Recalling what happened back then I did not thank him properly. When I stopped in place for a moment, a yellow light has appeared in the cave''s room.


    The source of the light was inside hands of the young man Flein kicked away.


    Apparently he was using some kind of item as the yellow light has rose up to the cave''s ceiling.


    "Ahahaha! Fools! I won''t let you PK me! Even the PvP-specialized PK guild ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ can''t beat a raid boss!"


    "This guy, prepared to suicide he summoned the damn quest boss! It''s coming, Flein!"


    Wary of the ceiling which shined with yellow light, Tobias shouted to Flein.


    Flein cut down another PK, then happily looking up to the ceiling he made a distorted smile.


    "Nice! Not just PKs, but quest boss to beat too! To think we''d get two nice meals at once! Folks! Make sure that annoying lizard-wannabe doesn''t eat our prey! And then we''ll drag down that lizard-wannabe as well!"


    Hearing about the raid boss I recalled that this boss required several parties to beat and my expression cramped up.


    Ahead of where I looked up to, I saw an organism with a reptile body and bat-like claws, sticking down to the wall with its claws it looked down on us.


    "A Wyvern, and a quest boss sub-species too."


    The Wyvern I looked at with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ Sense was completely different from the ones appearing in the ¡¾Wyvern Mountains¡¿, it was a raid-class quest boss.


    Size-wise it was more than twice the size of a normal Wyvern, its nails and fangs were both longer and sharper, it''s body was of grey-brown colour. Moreover, it had bloodshot eyes and saliva dripping from its mouth seemed to be like strong acid. It looked very ferocious.


    "Heck, this is no time to be looking at him care-freely. I need to hurry and run©¤©¤Nwahhh?!"


    I escaped to a nearby hole, but as to follow after me the Wyvern''s sub-species has breathed fire at me.


    "This is bad, real bad! Ryui, Zakuro! To the side passage!"


    I escaped from the flame breath looming in to burn the inside of the cave and at the same time together with Ryui and Zakuro we jumped to a side passage, meanwhile Ryui made a simple barrier with a water shield.


    The water shield was made momentarily and somehow held back the fire breath, but it could not stop such high firepower for long.


    "©¤©¤¡¾Clay Shield¡¿!"


    I took out a large number of Magic Gems from my inventory and activated them all at once to temporarily seal the entrance to the passage with a multiple of earthen walls.


    Some of the flame breath has spouted from the gaps in the wall and the entire soil wall cracked, causing me to cover with cold sweat.


    Thinking that it might be real dangerous at this rate, I proceeded to the back of the passage taking as much distance from the earthen wall as it was possible.


    After several tens of seconds, flame has stopped coming from the gap in the earthen wall and the roar coming from the other side of the wall has stopped. A silence has come.


    "...Is it over?"


    Strength left me all at once and leaning back on the wall I sat down.


    The side street we jumped into fortunately allowed us to proceed further so it was not necessary to return through the passage the breath of fire ran through, but I was still anxious to walking blindly not knowing where the exit is.


    "Haa, no choice but to go on. Ryui, Zakuro, what is it?"


    Ryui and Zakuro who were snuggling up to my side had briskly walked deeper inside the side passage.


    When I raised myself heavily and went over to them I saw Ryui try to move a large stone with his head and Zakuro tried to help by digging a hole below it with his front legs.


    "Is there something in there? Leave it to me. ¡¶Enchant¡·©¤©¤Attack."


    I had Ryui and Zakuro move away, then stood in front of the large stone. And lifted the heavy-seeming stone with an attack enchant applied on me.


    "One, two©¤©¤woah, so light?!"


    As a result of vigorously lifting a stone that was lighter than I expected it to be I fell on my butt and dropped the stone on the ground by my feet.


    "Oww, this is bad, the stone broke... hihh?! Disgusting!"


    When I tried to turn the broken stone around, I ended up touching a red viscous fluid that oozed from it and pulled my fingers away momentarily.


    That''s when I received information from my reacting ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense and understood that it was the ¡¾Red Slime Mould¡¿ that I was looking for.


    I didn''t want to touch it, but I had to in order to acquire it. I touched it with my index finger before the red fluid coming from the cracked stone had escaped into the ground.


    "Oh, I got it."


    When I made sure the ¡¾Red Slime Mould¡¿ is on the list of quest items in my inventory, I saw an icon of a red fluid in a bottle. I actually took it out and somehow seemed to have a bottled version of ¡¾Red Slime Mould¡¿.


    There was no point in thinking when was it bottled, I only looked into a distance while thinking "this sure is a fantasy".


    "Why do I find it now, of all times?"


    If I were to find the ¡¾Red Slime Mould¡¿ before encountering the PKs I wouldn''t have been involved in all the trouble, I thought and sighed.


    "But I can''t just give up in the middle of a quest. That granny''s waiting, can''t lose in here."


    I slapped my cheeks once and stared towards the cave passage leading forward.


    Let''s hurry and proceed ahead, we need to aim for the exit.


    From time to time when we heard a sound of sword strikes Ryui and Zakuro went ahead to scout thanks to which we advanced by avoiding people.


    Otherwise, we proceeded while always taking the left passage in the wall. It was a more certain method than going by intuition.


    Midway we encountered enemy mobs appearing in the cave so we either defeated them with surprise attack or passed by them, and then slowly proceeded onwards.


    As time was ticking away, we proceeded aiming for the exit.


    And then©¤©¤


    ¡ñ


    After continuously walking inside the cave''s branches I returned to the cave''s entrance.


    As I looked from a slightly elevated location the light of the sun has began to sink in the West, since I walked inside a closed cave for a long time I was stunned by the sudden openness.


    "...We''re finally out, huh."


    I muttered quietly and sighed. Ryui and Zakuro who were walking by my side up until this point have snuggled below me under my hands so I patted them unconsciously. And Zakuro who was riding on top of Ryui had come up to my shoulder and started licking my cheek earnestly.


    "W-what is it, Zakuro? Stop it, stop I said."


    When I held Zakuro in both hands and raised him up to stop him from licking my cheek, he seemed to ask "feeling better?" so I hugged him to my chest, thinking he was really cute.


    That moment©¤©¤my line of sight lowered all at once.


    "Huh? Why am I sitting down? Why am I so limp?"


    I placed my left hand on my face and sighed grandly again, but I couldn''t find any strength in my legs anyhow.


    I was attacked by a group of PKs, witnessed a confusing battle between them and ¡¾Flame Prison Corps''¡¿, then barely escaped from a raid boss'' attack just to wander inside ¡¾Wyvern Mountains¡¿ interior for a long time.


    Relieved by the fact I was able to exit the cave I seemed to have had strings of tension cut.


    Even though I had to deliver the quest item ¡¾Red Slime Mould¡¿ to the pharmacist granny, I couldn''t force myself to move.


    "©¤©¤Looks like you properly came outta that cave."


    That''s when I heard a voice come from behind and turned around reflexively. There, on top of protruding rock above the cave, was Flein looking down on me.


    "...Flein."


    "Since you didn''t come out for a long time after escaping I thought you might''ve died and went back to town, but I see you''re tenacious."


    Hop, he lightly said and jumped down from on top of the entrance to land beside me.


    "I didn''t think that guy would call a boss right there. With that said, in the end we managed to hunt down all the PKers before he came and I myself cut down that delicious raid boss. I''m quite satisfied now."


    "Flein, why were you there? There''s no way that was a coincidence."


    Seeing me glare at him and Ryui, who stood in front as if to protect me, Flein laughed.


    "The reason they''re PKing was©¤©¤the guy said it himself right? Leave your money, that is."


    "...What do you mean?"


    While I made a puzzled expression, Flein happily spoiled the story.


    "Right now in the First Town there''s casino gambling. If you win, you get large amounts of Quest Chips. These PKs were gathering funds for that casino."


    "Then... I was aimed at by them for such a thing, huh."


    He said that with a wonderful smile, but hearing the truth I put my both hands on the ground appalled.


    "They were indiscriminately assaulting normal players y''see. In order to continue PKing as per normal ourselves we have thoroughly hunted them down."


    It seemed like Flein''s mad dog''s nature from back when there was no bounty system yet hasn''t changed at all.


    "When we were thinking on how to gather those PKs scattered all over the cave and beat them all at once, suddenly you went inside the cave out on your own and was led to that room allowing us to beat them in a single swoop, you have our thanks."


    "I don''t want to be thanked for such a thing though..."


    I lowered my shoulders dejected, then looked up at Flein again.


    "Heey, Flein-san! It''s about time for us to withdraw!"


    "Tobias'' callin'' huh. I''ll be going to look for another prey. Go on and walk around all over, then bring us more of them! We''ll eat them all up."


    I don''t want any more trouble coming to me! I protested in my mind but didn''t speak it loud because I could imagine him snort at me, so I just saw off Flein, Tobias and other members of ¡¾Flame Prison Corps¡¿ while sitting down.


    Because it took extra time to escape from the cave, the day was coming to an end.


    Finally able to stand up I went down the ¡¾Wyvern Mountains¡¿ and headed for the First Town.


    However, the sun has set increasingly faster, faster than I could run with my speed enchant. After getting down from the mountains I stopped by the withered fountain.


    "Haha, ahaha... In the end, the quest failed huh. What a shame."


    I looked up at the reddish sky, although it was a game I felt a little frustrated after doing all this work quite seriously.


    "I wonder if I made that pharmacist granny expect a lot? Heck, she''s just an NPC so I guess not."


    I laughed at myself for the words I muttered.


    I couldn''t play smartly like Taku. I couldn''t fight as cool as Myu. I couldn''t deal with things as well as Sei-nee.


    All I could do was not to give up, even when I''m doing stuff in unrefined and uncool way.


    Like that I''m getting some lucky chance at victory, or get a helping hand from one of my acquaintances.


    However, just this one time©¤©¤


    "Haa, I don''t want to give up but this time I can''t do anything."


    This time I couldn''t make it no matter how fast I ran.


    "Good grief, so laughable. No wonder I get a stupid nickname like ¡¾Nanny¡¿ when I look this pathetic."


    I muttered mocking myself and sitting on the edge of the fountain I watched the sun fading beyond the mountains.


    It was going so well up until the last part, I wasted a lot of time when I caught that PK bunch''s eyes. Moreover I went all lip after exiting the cave and sat down, wasting even more time.


    And after coming this far, I gave up.


    "Haa, I''m so pathetic. Ah..."


    The moment I muttered that, Zakuro escaped from my arms and©¤©¤water was poured on my head.


    I raised my head to see what''s happening, and saw Ryui headbutting me while snorting roughly.


    "W-what are you..."


    I wanted to ask him why did he do that, but he did not allow me as he poured more water over from over my head.


    "H-hey, wait! Are you angry?! Why?!"


    Another bucket of water was poured on me.


    I smeared myself with mud, dived into a lake and by the end of the day I was soaked by Ryui.


    While thinking that and raised my hanging-down wet hair to stare at Ryui, his appearance started to change.


    Strong light was emitted from his body, so dazzling I couldn''t keep my eyes open.


    His barely-visible outline inside the light has gradually changed and when the light subsided, there stood adult Ryui with a splendid horn on his head.


    ©¤©¤The tamed mob has transitioned from ¡¾Young Beast¡¿ state to ¡¾Adult Beast¡¿ state. The ability limitation of ¡¾Young Beast¡¿ state has been released.


    ©¤©¤Due to the growth you acquired EX Skills ¡¾Young Beast Form¡¿ and ¡¾Adult Beast Form¡¿. When the Adult Beast is using a Young Beast Form the cost of summoning is reduced in exchange for limitation on its abilities.


    Receiving two pieces of information at the same time, I looked up at adult-form Ryui.


    After growing into a splendid unicorn, Ryui rubbed his neck against my face the same way he did when he was a young beast.


    Zakuro, shocked at the sudden change had jumped towards my soaked chest.


    "Hahaha... You grew at a timing like this, it''s like a manga situation."


    Then, adult Ryui matched my height and pointed at his own back with his head.


    "Get on, you mean? Can we make it if you run at full speed? I already gave up on delivering the materials to pharmacist granny, but you sure are spartan."


    Despite saying that, I fixed Zakuro in my arms and sat on Ryui''s back.


    There was no saddle nor stirrup. Not having any riding experience in the first place, I rode Ryui relying on memory of what I saw on TV.


    Grabbing onto Ryui''s neck I sandwiched his torso between my legs.


    When I felt the smoothness of his mane that was unchanged even in adult form Ryui rose up with his hind legs and my vision was raised all at once.


    "This is a little scary."


    With my mutter as a signal, Ryui started to run.


    My body was suddenly pulled backwards and I felt the wind press on me making it feel more like I was on a suddenly-accelerating roller coaster rather than riding on a horse. Since he suddenly started running in a hurry I strongly embraced Ryui''s neck and sandwiched his body with my legs more strongly.


    Although I couldn''t afford to look at the surroundings, we left the Abandoned Village and were nearing the entrance to the ¡¾Horia Cave¡¿.


    "UWAaaaah!"


    We charged into the cave full of undead mobs such as Skeletons and Spectres without decreasing our speed.


    In addition to a mix of rodeo machine and a roller coaster the situation added horror elements in the background, with all that I could only scream pathetically.


    "We''re passing through there?! It''s the shortest route, but there are ghosts there!"


    As we passed by a Spectre had appeared by my side where I was looking towards but disappeared shortly, then Skeletons stretched out their arms to us one after another but were all repelled. Meanwhile my screams did not stop.


    "Ryui! Stop! STOP! Don''t charge in there!"


    Numerous Specters were blocking our way.


    With no way to avoid Spectres as he was, Ryui further accelerated and heading towards them©¤©¤he released ¡¾Purification¡¿.


    "...Ryui?''


    Along with pure white the wall of Spectres in front of us had their figures turned into particles of light and blown away by the wind, opening the road for us.


    Adult Ryui''s abilities grew dramatically and he kept running while oozing with pride.


    As Skeleton stood up, they were blown away and hit different skeleton toppling them over, it looked like bowling.


    And with speed higher than when he was charging enemy mobs Ryui rushed through the ¡¾Horia Cave¡¿ and then jumped out of the entrance.


    "HAaa?! ©¤©¤!!"


    I felt like we were floating due to a large leap.


    I clung to Ryui in order to bear the shock of landing.


    And then he continued to run down the main road, passed right by the Second Town and headed towards the First Town.


    Getting quite a bit used to straddling Ryui I raised my head and checked the sun''s position, the sun was already fallen behind the other side of the town.


    "At this rate we won''t make it for the quest. Any faster than this will be bad for my heart, but let''s win in the very end! ¡¶Enchant¡·©¤©¤Speed!


    I further increased our speed with an enchant targeted on Ryui and the wind passing by my ear started howl.


    We passed by the Blade Lizard''s side, jumped over Big Boar''s large body and upon reaching the grasslands we trampled over small mobs such as Slimes and Herbivorous Animals.


    Right before rushing into the First Town a haze enveloped our bodies.


    At this rate we''ll hit other people, I thought, but no one was even bothered by Ryui passing by at high speeds.


    It was as if no one saw Ryui with me and Zakuro riding on him... no, in fact he must have been using some kind of skill as he passed by people one after another like a ghost.


    So these were Ryui''s original abilities which were restrained by limitation until now, while I thought that, we passed by lots of people and finally arrived in front of the pharmacy.


    Exhausted after clinging to Ryui all this time, I slipped down to the ground.


    "Thanks, Ryui."


    After horse-riding for the first time I tried to stand up with my trembling legs to pat Ryui, but instead I got nearly headbutted by his splendid horn.


    He appeared to be saying "it''s fine, just hurry and go", so I obediently headed to the pharmacy.


    "...I gathered all... materials."


    Despite staggering while I walk I moved in front of the old woman and held out the quest items to her.


    "Hmph. You barely made it on time. But well, looks like you do have a spine. Well then, I''ll have you make me a special medicine by using those materials."


    Pulled by the pharmacist granny''s trembling hand I was dragged into the workshop she had in the back of the store.


    Then, I stood by the Granny''s side and while listening to her say how to process the three kinds of materials, I made the medicine.


    Gathering the materials was difficult, but making the medicine was somewhat easier than that.


    The detailed methods of processing and mixing were similar to those I used for ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and Cooking so I was able to make it well enough.


    And finally, I placed the finished medicine in front of the pharmacist granny.


    "Well done, considering it''s your first time making it. I''ll use it."


    The Granny poured the still-warm liquid medicine, it seemed like it was quite bitter.


    She closed her eyes and fell silent as if waiting for something.


    When she did, her faintly trembling hand and shoulders have gradually stopped shaking.


    "Looks like the medicine worked. Thanks to you I can still remain active as a pharmacist."


    Making a grin on her wrinkled face, the Granny made a smile that was more provocative than kind.


    And she continued to speak.


    "I''ll pass my knowledge as a pharmacist to you, so come any time you want. Also, call me Obaba. All people close to me call me that."


    Along with those words, the old woman, or rather, Obaba, has left the Mixing workshop and sat down in the chair by the store''s counter. With that, the quest has been cleared.


    ©¤©¤The quest ¡¾Cure the Pharmacist''s Illness¡¿ has been completed.


    The reward for clearing the quest, 4 Quest Chips and 50kG was on the higher side, but after being attacked by the PKs I felt this wasn''t sufficient enough.


    However, I didn''t say anything about that as I left the pharmacy and©¤©¤


    "...Ryui."


    Seeing Ryui waiting in front of the pharmacy along with Zakuro who was no longer riding on Ryui''s back I could finally make a relaxed smile.


    "Thanks. I was able to clear the quest thanks to you and cure the pharmacist granny''s illness. Thanks, really."


    When I stroked scruff of Ryui''s neck, he squinted comfortably.


    Meanwhile, I received a new quest to learn new Mixing recipes from the pharmacy''s granny, but for the time being I wanted to go back to the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and spend some laid back time with Ryui and Zakuro.

 Chapter Volume 9 Epilogue

    Epilogue - Quest Chips and Quest Completion Rate


    After curing Obaba the Pharmacist''s illness, in order to replenish my energy I spent the next day lazing around inside ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Right now, I sat on the stone floor that had a cold-resistance carpet laid on it and gave Ryui a lap pillow.


    Ryui couldn''t enter ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s store with his large adult body so I used the newly acquired EX Skill ¡¾Young Beast Form¡¿ to return him to his previous appearance, when I did he came to me to get spoiled.


    It seemed like Zakuro liked the warm carpet too as instead of holding a Heat Gel he lied beside me while waving his two tails in a good mood.


    "Ryui turned adult, huh. Which means I have to prepare equipment and stuff to match that, I guess I need to talk with Magi-san and others about this."


    I muttered while brushing Ryui whose head was on my lap.


    The quest to learn new Mixing recipes from Pharmacist Obaba was still remaining.


    But for now, I want to laze around¡ª¡ª


    "Onee-chan! Is it true that Ryui has turned adult?!"


    ¡ª¡ªBut it didn''t seem like I could do that.


    Opening ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s door with all her strength, ignoring the fact cold air was entering the store, Myu entered inside while leaving the door open.


    "Myu. It''s cold so close the door."


    Also, come in more quietly. I wanted to complain further, but another figure has appeared from behind Myu.


    "You''re hurrying too much, Myu-chan. Haa, haa, Onee-san got tired out."


    "So you were with Magi-san, that''s an unusual combination."


    After Myu rushed inside ¡¾Atelier¡¿, the one who closed the door was Magi-san.


    "AAAH! Yun-oneechan changed into winter clothes too! There''s less exposure than before, but this is cute in its own right!"


    Seeing me in winter clothes for the first time Myu raised her voice with surprise, still, being called "cute" by my little sister shocked me quite a bit.


    "Oh right, Yun-oneechan was so cute that I forgot about Ryui! Ryui! Show me your adult form!"


    While saying so Myu moved around me to look into Ryui''s eyes, but he immediately turned his head away in refusal. The sight made Magi-san and me smile wryly.


    "Well, you can''t force him if he doesn''t want to."


    "Uuu, but I wanted to see it."


    Rebuked by Magi-san like that, Myu quietly moved away from Ryui. When I looked towards her with thanks, she returned me a bitter smile.


    "Rather, where did you get that info? Ryui turned adult just yesterday you know?"


    "There were witnesses! Yesterday people saw a big white horse suddenly disappear in the middle of gallop in the plains, and then it reappeared in the town! All we need is to add Yun-oneechan beside the horse, and it all comes together!"


    Ah, so that how Ryui''s illusion looked like to others. Suddenly we disappearing and then appearing again sure would stand out. While I thought so, Ryui got up from my knees and hid himself with illusion.


    "Well, since you two have come all this way I might as well treat you to some cake."


    "Yayy! Cake! Caaake!"


    "I guess. Then let''s exchange information while we''re at it."


    I took out the strawberry cake and fruit roll cake Myu has previously given up on in bakery, and split them up.


    "Wow, there are two types! And these are...!"


    "The Christmas cake you gave up on. Well, they aren''t as good as those made by professionals though."


    "I''m so happy! Then I''ll eat both!"


    When I poured tea, Myu immediately started to eat and compare both cakes.


    "Here you go, Magi-san."


    "I''ll eat just the strawberry cake. In exchange, I''d like some cake for Rickle as well."


    The young wolf Rickle got down from Magi-san''s shoulder and lined up next to Zakuro, the two expecting to get cake.


    "Understood. I''ll prepare some."


    I prepared dishes for Zakuro and Rickle, and then poured some tea for myself and exhaled.


    "Now, for information exchange, what do we talk about?"


    Magi-san said so. What should I start with? I wondered, meanwhile Myu drank some tea after eating the cake and cheerfully answered.


    "How about we all say how many Quest Chips have we gotten and how did we get them? By th way, I have 41 of them."


    Currently, a week has passed ever since the three weeks-long winter event has started. But she still collected so much, when I thought that with surprise, Myu looked at our reactions and made a triumphant expression.


    "You got a lot, Myu. I got 25 chips."


    "Ohh?! You work unexpectedly hard, Yun-kun. I took on requests from acquaintances to do cold resistance processing with their armour and did delivery-type quests, so I have 20 in total."


    "Then you have finished ¡¾Smithing¡¿ quests already?"


    "Yes, and what about you, Yun-kun?"


    "I''m still in the middle of ¡¾Mixing¡¿ quests. Just earlier I had to clear a really troublesome quest involving gathering materials."


    "Then you better proceed with them. I received various crafting recipes as a reward for my quests."


    When I explained to Magi-san that when I finished a ¡¾Mixing¡¿ quest I received another quest at Obaba''s pharmacy, she smiled merrily.


    "Hee, so if you have a specific Sense you can get a quest corresponding to it. I finished all single quests on the quest board, but I didn''t do any of the cumbersome chain and hidden quests."


    "Then do you want the information I gathered? I''ve got hints for hidden quests, but I can''t take them on alone."


    "Really?! Thank you!"


    "Just for Magi-san?! No fair! Tell me too!"


    "Good grief, it can''t helped. Though they''re crafting quests, unrelated to you, Myu."


    When Myu finished swallowing a piece of cake, I told her about hints to hidden quest as well.


    Since the quests I received were mainly delivery-type quests, I thought of leaving the hidden hints for subjugation quests to Myu and Magi-san.


    "Speaking of which, I went to check on the quest board earlier and the current event quest completion rate was posted. Looks like roughly half of them were completed."


    "That means we have two more weeks to raise the completion rate, huh."


    "But won''t that be quite difficult? As time progresses people will prioritize themselves and chip collection, won''t they? Rather than take on quests they lack information on, they will be focusing on efficiently completing quests."


    Magi-san spoke her concern regarding the event, but I wasn''t that worried.


    Among players there are verification maniacs and broken gamers such as Myu and Taku. Although it would go on sluggishly for the most part, the completion rate will slowly but surely increase.


    Also, although they''re inefficient, simple errand hidden quests are probably remaining.


    I will take those while I do ¡¾Mixing¡¿ quests.


    For the time being I''d like to set 50 Quest Chips as my goal, I thought. The winter quest event still continues.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow


    Secondary Weapons : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife, Meat Cleaver ¨C Heavy Black, Dismantling Kitchen Knife ¨C Blue Dancer


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (summer and winter versions)


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10


    ¡ñ Faerie Ring (1)


    ¡ñ Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP45


    ¡¾Magic Bow Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv14¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv3¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge Lv8¡¿


    Current Questing Results:


    ¡ñ The winter quest event''s completion rate¡ª¡ª52%.


    ¡ñ The number of Quest Chips owned by Yun¡ª¡ª25.


    ¡ñ Yun''s current questing situation¡ª¡ªin the middle of doing ¡¾Mixing¡¿-type quests.

 Chapter Volume 9 afterword

    Hello to you, whom I meeting for the first time and you whom I meet again. I''m Aloha Zachou.


    To those who took this book in their hands, O-san in charge of editing, A-san the vice-editor in charge as well as many others of you who have read my work that was previously published on the net - I am really grateful to you all. Currently OSO series has a side story called Silver Muse running in the Dragon Magazine, as well as a comicalization drawn by Hani Kuraun which is published in Dragon Age. In the manga you can watch Yun''s and others'' cute activities, in the side story you can read about Myu''s cute and cool activities you won''t see in the main volume. Please pick those up, by all means.


    I thought of making "Film" the topic this time.


    Personally, I''m not the type to go to the cinema, I mostly partake in watching films from BDs my father borrows indiscriminately. And mostly, they are either Hollywood disaster film or American comic hero ones.


    When I was a kid I kept going "wow, amazing!" when I was watching film, but recently I''ve started paying attention to scene cut timings, use of CG technology, easy to understand dialogues and flags , and so on. I sometimes start thinking whether its an occupational disease.


    And when I see disaster films'' protagonist''s co-workers, colleagues¡ª¡ªintuitively I feel that "This guy will definitely have an unfortunate encounter". And that exactly happens in the film, either he''s assaulted by a monster, falls into trouble, or suffers a fatal wound in order to let protagonist escape. Though in some cases, they would survive.


    In such case the healing thought of "Oh, the character who acts as series'' conscience has survived" can be an unusual way to enjoy the film.


    I''m thinking of borrowing another BD to watch the next time I feel like it.


    Please take care of me, Aloha Zachou, from now on as well.


    In the end, I would like to once again thank you who have taken this book in your hands.


    I''m looking forward to the day I will see you again.


    April 2016, Aloha Zachou

 Chapter Volume 10 prologue

    OSO''s winter event which used time-limited quest as a theme had been ongoing.


    In the game in question, OSO, inside a store named ¡¾Atelier¡¿ which handled potions and consumables, I was checking the store''s stock in the workshop part.


    "As the event progresses, there''s lots of people who came to purchase items necessary for delivery-type quests and I need to make sure the stock doesn''t run out."


    As I muttered so and checked the stock of items whose number of daily sales was restricted, I saw the sales had temporarily increased compared to usual.


    "Since I still have a stock of materials, there should be no problems during this event. As for other problems... hm?"


    After checking the item stock, I checked the stock of crafting materials and raised my voice in doubt.


    The materials used for crafting in ¡¾Atelier¡¿ were either grown on my own field or purchased from other players, as well as left to Kyouko-san the NPC to purchase from NPC vendors and stalls.


    In the stock of those materials, the amount of some items harvested - mainly those cultivated on the field - has slightly decreased.


    "What does this mean? Let''s ask Kyouko-san."


    Finding Kyouko-san store-tending, I called out to her.


    "Kyouko-san, can I ask you something?"


    "Yes, what is it?"


    The owner of a charming face, Kyouko-san had tilted her head lightly. I asked her about the changes in harvest I have found earlier.


    "Yield for some cultivated items has decreased a little over the last few days, do you maybe know why?"


    "Yes. It''s because the growth of the plants has been delayed by the changes in temperature."


    Hearing Kyouko-san''s words, I realized that the reduction in the amount harvested has to do with the recent update introducing environmental ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿.


    "I see. So ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ not only affects players but also things like that."


    I was absorbed in taking measures against the ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ before the update and later, I was concentrating on the winter quest, so I left ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s management to Kyouko-san, which was why I was late to notice this.


    "Herb-type materials are strong against cold and heat so they can be harvested steadily over the entire year without a difference, but any kind of material that has flowers blooming requires insects to carry pollen, so their growth is slowed down during winter."


    Saying so, Kyouko-san lowered her eyebrows apologetically.


    "It doesn''t cause a big influence, but having the amount decreased is a little troubling."


    While I held my head in my arms, Kyouko-san proposed a few countermeasures.


    "The best way to improve yields is to cultivate plants in a warm place. For example, by transplanting them into a planter and relocating to a warmer area."


    "I see, got it. I''ll think of those countermeasures, please work as usual Kyouko-san."


    "Yes, I understand."


    Seeing Kyouko-san lower her head slightly I smiled and with the store''s stock check completed, I headed to the location I have promised to meet with an acquaintance.


    "Ryui, Zakuro. We''ll be going out, come."


    When I called out, Zakuro, the black fox''s young beast who was warming himself up by the stove installed at the store section of ¡¾Atelier¡¿, had ran up to my feet then climbed up over my body to snugly enter the hood of my winter clothes.


    While I smiled bitterly at the fact that it has already become Zakuro''s special seat, my other partner, Unicorn Ryui quietly stood up and walked up next to me.


    I stroked Ryui''s mane which was placed in perfect position under my hand and walked out.


    "Well then, let''s head to Lyly''s store."


    Today, a crafters'' tea party was held in Lyly''s store.


    Taking Ryui and Zakuro with me I headed to ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Shop¡¿ located on the Eastern side of the main street which connected Eastern and Western sides of the town.


    The inside of the store was bustling as usual. When I slipped beside other players and headed to the counter, a clerk NPC had guided us towards the back.


    Based on the store''s appearance, the black door I was guided to was installed in a place where it should lead to nowhere. When I opened the door without any hesitation and entered inside¡ª¡ª


    ¡ª¡ªThere was a wide plain and a plantation far in the distance. I could also see a big building that functioned as a shipyard.


    The plain created with the ¡¾Ownership of a Personal Field¡¿ Lyly acquired during the summer camp event was filled with warmth and there was good weather. Feeling hot in winter clothes, I loosened them a little by the chest.


    "It''s soo warm in here."


    At the same time I murmured, Zakuro who was completely hidden inside the hood had come out and Ryui has turned into his adult form, releasing his restricted abilities.


    "Heeey, Yuncchi, over heere?!"


    I must have been seen as I stepped out of the black doors as I saw a figure in front of the shipyard''s building wave its hand and walk my way.


    "Welcome, Yuncchi."


    Lined up on top of the table handmade by Lyly were tea and sweets. First, I said greetings towards Cloude and Lyly who were here first.


    "Cloude, Lyly, did you wait?"


    "No, it''s no problem. However, today Magi suddenly cancelled her participation."


    "Eh?! Is that so?"


    I felt a little disappointed hearing Cloude''s words. Just the other day I exchanged information with Magi-san so there was no information I wanted, but I was looking forward to everyone participating.


    Seeing my reaction, Cloude softened his expression and spoke the reason Magi-san''s absence.


    "Well, the reason Magi isn''t participating is because Ric?ur has turned adult.


    "He?! That''s great news."


    Surprised by the sudden report, my voice turned comical. But after hearing in more detail, my mood was uplifted.


    I wonder how does the young wolf look as an adult. Did it turn to look like a normal wolf? And it might also turn cool with fangs and nails turning long and sharp.


    Imagining that, I looked forward to seeing him.


    "So, that''s how it is. Magi is absent because she''s now verifying Ric?ur''s adult form. Now, let''s begin the tea party."


    The tea party where unusually one person was missing has mainly focused on consultation over adult Ryui''s armour, winter quest event soon reaching the turning point and the newly acquired information.


    "All right, since our tamed mobs are growing adult one after another, I''ll make equipment for them..."


    "Kyuu..."


    "Cloude..."


    "Kurocchi..."


    Feeling the heat of this space I took off the winter clothes and folded them on top of my knee, furthermore on top of which Zakuro lied down. Hearing Zakuro''s sad voice, the three of us looked towards him.


    "Mm, my bad."


    "You don''t have to worry, Zakuro. Take your time growing."


    When I comforted him like that, my feelings were relayed and Zakuro settled down a little. Ryui who felt like they were in the way of the conversation, took Zakuro, Cloude''s Lucky Cat Socks and Lyly''s tamed mob, Phoenix Neshias, into the plains to spend time playing.


    "...Back to the subject. My Socks and Lyly''s Neshias remain support-type mobs even after growing adult, so I think that accessory-type equipment would be good for them. However, Yun''s Ryui is a mob that can be mounted. Isn''t it more important to make something that will make you ride him in more stable manner, rather than focus on defence?"


    Just as Cloude said, previously when I rode Ryui without equipment it was quite unstable and there was a large burden on my body. Whenever I rode him, I clung to his neck and was unable to do anything, which was troubling.


    "You''re right. I think it''s important that I am able to use the bow while I ride Ryui."


    "It''s decided then. Do you have any detailed request?"


    Asked by him, I put my index finger on my chin.


    "Not in particular, I guess. Although I would be happy if you kept decorations in moderation."


    "I see, then let''s immediately measure Ryui''s adult form and decide on the design."


    Cloude grinned and turned to look towards Ryui running lightly on the plain.


    That moment, probably feeling his stare, Ryui accelerated all at once as if to run away. However, that movement had seemed to have stimulated Cloude''s inspiration even further as he pulled out a measure and started the pursuit after Ryui with a fearless smile.


    "Hahahahaha! Let me measure your adult-turned body!"


    While I stared with a cramped expression as Cloude chases after Ryui, Lyly changed the subject with a wry smile.


    "Oh right. Yuncchi, did you decide how to use Quest Chips yet?"


    Just the other day the first week of three-week long winter''s quest event had passed and information on new events has been announced.


    I operated the menu and displayed the official event information.


    "Even as I look at this, there''s nothing that catches my attention."


    What appeared in front of me, was a list of items you could exchange chips for.


    Quest Chips collected during the event could be exchanged for items at the end of it, but there were various item types you could acquire.


    An individual player could exchange each chip for 30kG, and a guild could exchange over 300 chips at once to acquire, for example, a ¡¾Huge Field''s Ownership¡¿.


    Other than that, there were unique items and ¡¾Random Box¡¿ that dropped items at random. Other than that, among the rewards there were items that have been rewarded to winners of summer camp event before.


    However, there was nothing in particular that I wanted.


    "I have 25 chips on me now, so I can exchange them for 3 of ¡¾Random Boxes¡¿, but I''m not really interested in those."


    "Is that so. But the event will continue for two weeks longer, how about you aim for higher prizes, Yuncchi? For the time being, I aim for 50 chips."


    If I reached that many, the number of things I could acquire would grow to the point where I''d have a hard time checking all of them, but it was a good place to aim for.


    "What are you aiming for with those 50 chips?"


    "Me? Hmm. Actually I didn''t decide on anything yet, either. For the time being I want to collect 50 and exchange the ones I don''t use for items the ¡¾Crafting Guild¡¿ requires."


    "I see. But I''m a solo-player so I can''t really exchange chips for items aimed at guilds. Hmm, what should I get..."


    While drinking tea I stared at the list of exchange items in the menu, and recalled the conversation I had with Kyouko-san before leaving ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "Speaking of which, because of ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿''s implementation, some of herbs I cultivate had their yield decreased."


    "Hmm. It didn''t affect my forestation though."


    "Yun said that it''s just some of his herbs that had yield decreased, that must mean there are some that are easily affected by cold. In that respect, Lyly has an advantage since his personal field is not influenced by seasons."


    Finishing to measure Ryui, with his clothes completely dishevelled by full-speed dash yet with a satisfied expression, Cloude had come back and joined the conversation.


    "Welcome back, Cloude. So like I said, I was wondering if there was an item that could reduce the changes in temperature, but..."


    To acquire ¡¾Ownership of a Personal Field¡¿, 100 Quest Chips were required, it was beyond my level of skill to acquire that much during the duration of the event.


    "Hmm. Although it''s not one of the items on the exchange lists, from methods I can think of, it would be creating a new base in a warm place. For example, how about ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿?"


    The higher part of the Volcano Area where demihuman mobs created a dungeon town¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿.


    What Cloude was proposing here, was purchasing a home for players inside that dungeon.


    "Certainly, that might work as one of the countermeasures, but it''s much more expensive compared to buying a home in the First Town."


    The ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿ was a place where the cheapest home had a cost of 10mG. Converting that to Quest Chips, it would be over 300 chips, which made it unrealistic.


    "Sigh, there is no really good countermeasures. In the worst case, I will place them inside planters and in the room despite the fact the cultivated number will be small, or buy a new field in order to increase the amount of cultivation that way."


    With that said, I didn''t want to decrease amount of space inside ¡¾Atelier¡¿ with planters, nor wish to increase the amount of trouble with management of the fields.


    "Well, there''s still over two weeks of the event, I''ll look over the list of items again before it ends. Thanks for the tea."


    The tea party with Cloude and Lyly had ended, I stood up from the seat and thanked the two.


    "Mm? You''re leaving earlier than usual, do you have something planned for now?"


    "Yeah, after this I''m going to learn new recipes from ¡¾Mixing¡¿ Sense''s event quest."


    "Then, do your best. I''ll prepare equipment for Ryui on my side. I''ll contact you once it''s ready."


    "Okay, see you then, Yuncchi. Let''s have another tea party later!"


    When I put the winter clothes back on, Zakuro had slipped back onto his special seat. I stroked Ryui''s back who had tired himself out by running away from Cloude and returned back to young beast form. Taking the two, I left ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Store¡¿.


    Afterwards, instead of returning back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I entered a certain shop in a back street, a street away from the main street.

 Chapter Volume 10 1

    Chapter 1 - Medium-Level Recipes and Unveiling


    After splitting with Cloude and Lyly I headed to the pharmacy.


    An eerie-looking shop which had exterior decorated with ivy. Discoloured due to age, the shop I carried my legs into looked more of a witch''s house than a pharmacy.


    "Ohh, you''re so late I''ve got tired of waiting."


    "I came to learn the potions'' recipes."


    When I exchanged words with the NPC owner of this shop, an eccentric-looking old woman Obaba, snorted and stood up before entering the back of the shop with steady steps.


    "Hurry up and come! Time is limited!"


    "C-coming now!"


    I told Ryui and Zakuro to wait by the counter, then chased after Obaba, entering the workshop in the back.


    In the workshop, there stood a board with several pieces of paper on it. It looked similar to the event''s quest board.


    "Now, do the work I haven''t done while I was sick, you''ll be doing it in my place. Once you do, I will complete the requests that have piled up. Like that, you will be able to memorize the recipes I know. It''s what you call ''give and take''."


    After saying that, she prompted me with her chin to go in front of the board, as if telling me to choose one.


    ¡¾Delivery of Mega Potions (15)¡¿¡ª¡ª2 Quest Chips


    ¡¾Delivery of MP Pots (15)¡¿¡ª¡ª2 Quest Chips


    ¡¾Delivery of Yellow Potions (15)¡¿¡ª¡ª1 Quest Chip


    ¡¾Delivery of Demon''s Wonder Pills (15)¡¿¡ª¡ª1 Quest Chip


    ¡¾Delivery of Holy Mountain''s Magic Water (15)¡¿¡ª¡ª1 Quest Chip


    ¡¾Delivery of Resistance-Granting Potions of Four Types (30 of each set)¡¿¡ª¡ª10 Quest Chips


    ¡¾Delivery of Magical Drug: Echo Liquid (5) ¡¿¡ª¡ª2 Quest Chips


    ¡¾Delivery of Magical Drug: Flash Liquid (5) ¡¿¡ª¡ª2 Quest Chips


    ¡¾Delivery of Magical Drug: Blinding Liquid (5) ¡¿¡ª¡ª2 Quest Chips


    Affixed on it were delivery-type quests like the ones I did before, but the only reward for all of them were Quest Chips.


    Well, thinking of the fact that I can get a new recipe in the process, this was quite reasonable.


    I already knew some of those potions, but there also were potions and magical drugs I didn''t know as well as a multiple set delivery. All of that made me quite excited.


    "Now, which one will you make first? In the worst case, if I don''t manage to teach you all I will sell you a book with the recipes, the ¡¾Intermediate Pharmacist''s Tech Book¡¿. ¡ª¡ªFor 1mG."


    "So expensive?! As if I''d dish it out just like that!"


    "Knowledge will turn into money. You''ll earn that much right away. C''mon, c''mon."


    While saying so, Obaba showed off the leather-covered book, I¡ª¡ª


    "I don''t have enough with me, I''ll buy it later."


    "Hohoho, thanks for your patronage. Well then, before you buy the book let''s make one simple thing from a recipe."


    Obaba said and urged me to receive a quest.


    I requested the ¡¾Delivery of Mega Potions¡¿ from among the pieces of paper on the board.


    "Oh-ho, so that''s what you choose. Fine, I''ll teach you how to make it. With that said, making of Mega Potions is the same as that of Potions and High Potions."


    With that said, Obaba pulled out a herb-type, higher level item of Medicinal Spirit Grass ¨C ¡¾Mystic Medicinal Grass¡¿.


    "You boil this Mystic Medicinal Grass like you do herbs for Potions and add water to make it. However, it it necessary to add one more process in the middle of crafting it. That is the way of making intermediate-level medicines and drugs."


    "And what is that process in question?"


    "Listen. Mega Potions and MP Pots have their effect stabilized and improved by magic power. If you don''t do that, they will turn the same as normal Potions. That''s why, you need to pour magic power into either herbs or into the potion itself."


    Pour magic power, meaning, raising their effect by consuming MP?


    While there certainly were cases where I used MP during mixing, but it was during making items through the mixing skill.


    So manual mixing did not consume MP, but it seemed like MP will be consumed when making potions from now on. However, I did not know the method to do that.


    "Is pouring of magic power something like the ¡¾Enchant¡¿ Sense''s skill?"


    "It''s different from that. Enchant is, y''know, putting in something with magic power already given directionality. I meant pouring pure magic power into the goods in order to bring out their original qualities. We call that¡ª¡ª¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿."


    "But, how do you do that?"


    Even as I stared at my own palm, there was no indication that I could do the ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ Obaba was talking about.


    "This is why I''m teaching you that. C''mon, bring me what''s in that cabinet over there."


    Made by Obaba to do everything, I opened the cabinet and inside, found a heavy hexagonal pedestal.


    As I held the pedestal in both arms and carried it on top of the bench, Obaba put a Potion in the centre of the pedestal.


    "This is the ¡¾Pedestal of MP Bestowal¡¿ for making you learn ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿. Now, put your hand in here."


    "Is it okay like this?"


    When I pushed my right hand against the dent in the pedestal, I felt like something was passing through there and at the same time, I could confirm over the menu that my MP was decreasing.


    Matching that, the engravings on the hexagonal pedestal were filled with light and as it drew geometrical patterns, light gathered in the centre and then inside the potion.


    "That''ll be enough."


    As Obaba told me to, I took my hand away from the pedestal. The light filling the patterns was gradually absorbed by the potion and a brilliantly sparkling potion was completed.


    Potion ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Recovery ¡¾HP+33%¡¿


    The ordinary potion improved by magic power has had the recovery amount increased.


    However, the recovery amount was merely 10% higher than that of a default Potion, so it didn''t feel too special to me.


    If it was like this, then potions I made manually had higher amount recovered.


    "Does recovered amount go up by only this much? Won''t it increase further if I pour more MP?"


    "What stupid things are you saying?! You want an explosion here?!"


    "Uwahh..."


    I was yelled at by Obaba. Certainly, it might explode if too much MP is poured.


    After getting angry, Obaba cleared her throat and continued her explanation.


    "Well, with this you can use ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ through the ¡¾Pedestal of MP Bestowal¡¿."


    As if responding to her words, the menu had displayed an announcement of a new skill''s acquisition.


    ¡ª¡ªEX-Skill ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ has been acquired.


    "Ohh, so ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ is an EX-Skill. Which means it might be useful for other types of crafting as well. For example, putting magic power into materials with ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ before crafting accessories¡ª¡ª"My shop is a pharmacy! As long as I live, I won''t let a successor candidate do such things!"¡ª¡ªYes ma''am."


    Here I thought I came up with something nice, but I got scolded by Obaba again. And before I realized, I have been made into a candidate for a successor.


    "Well, there are methods of achieving the same effect as using ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿, like soaking materials in something filled with magic power to permeate, or doing specific rituals. There is a lot of it."


    This ¡¾Pedestal of MP Bestowal¡¿ sucks in the magic power of the user as well as magic power from the air, and is a ceremonial tool to mix them together. After saying so, Obaba had me clean up the ¡¾Pedestal of MP Bestowal¡¿.


    With this, the preparations for making potion named on the paper sheet was complete.


    I reconfigured equipped Senses and once again, started learning from Obaba on how to make Mega Potions.


    Possessed SP45


    ¡¾Magic Bow Lv6¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv14¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv3¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge Lv8¡¿


    "To craft Mega Potions you first need to boil Mystic Medicinal Grass in water or Water of Life, then complete by using ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿."


    Using a mortar I ground the Mystic Medicinal Grass I was passed, added ordinary distilled water and heated it up in a small pot.


    Then, apparently the range of temperatures within which the ingredient could have the healing components extracted was narrower than usual, as it started bubbling furiously upon exceeding the temperature and has immediately turned vivid green and cloudy.


    At that point I hurriedly took away the pot from the fire, removed the residual scum of the herb from the pot and waited the heat and colour to calm down.


    Afterwards, I poured the completed liquid into a potion bottle and confirmed its stats.


    High Potion ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Recovery ¡¾HP+40%¡¿


    It had an effect compared with that of a deteriorated, ordinary High Potion. At this stage, it wasn''t a Mega Potion yet.


    Holding expectations on whether will it change into a Mega Potion from here on, I cast the EX-Skill.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿"


    Hovering my hand over the High Potion made with Mystic Medicinal Grass, I poured MP into it.


    Along with my MP decreasing at a steady rate, the High Potion started to shine like the potion that was placed on the ¡¾Pedestal of MP Bestowal¡¿ before.


    Not knowing how much should I pour, unable to judge it on my first time I checked my MP as I paid attention to the way the bottle shined.


    "It''s about time! Stop!"


    As told to by Obaba, I stopped pouring MP into the potion. I guess I poured roughly about 5% of my MP into the potion. Apparently any more than that and it would explode.


    And the High Potion which had the ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ performed on it had changed colour from a muddy one into a thinner one, and its stats changed greatly as well.


    Mega Potion ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Recovery ¡¾HP+60%¡¿


    "So the amount recovered changed by that much when ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ is used."


    "Stop being silly! This is nothing but a low-quality product. It still hasn''t reached the level of a product you can put out, so hurry and make more!"


    With that said, the light-coloured Mega Potion was robbed away from me and materials for the remaining 14 Mega Potions have been prepared.


    "Well, as long as I know the procedure, I can fine-tune the rest."


    Getting the temperature right was difficult as compared to using Medicinal Spirit Grass, but if I cleared that part I could finish the rest fairly easily. Afterwards I immediately completed Mega Potions whose effect exceeded the first one and was able to complete the quest.


    However, it felt that to make even higher quality potion it was necessary to improve the procedure. I wanted to hurry back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and do a mixing research on it, but¡ª¡ª


    "It''s not like you can make Mega Potions without Mystic Medicinal Grass anyway. Also, look, there''s more requests remaining."


    Recalling the very basic fact that I can''t make items without any materials, I calmly started preparing to do ¡¾MP Pot¡¿ mixing.


    First using higher version of Magical Spirit Grass, the Soul Grass to make the potion, I completed it with ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿.


    MP Pot ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Recovery ¡¾MP+50%¡¿


    I have fulfilled the number of deliveries for this potion as well, but it also seemed like there was room for improvement.


    Although I wanted to return to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and study various mixing procedures and differences in the state of materials, as well as blending ratios...


    "Without Mystic Medicinal Grass and Soul Grass I can''t make any Mega Potions or MP Pots, huh."


    As a test I tried using potions made with two lower level materials ¨C Medicinal Spirit Grass and Magical Spirit Grass and infused them with ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿, but they did not turn into Mega Potion or MP Potion, only had their recovery amount increased.


    As expected, they couldn''t be made with substitute material.


    "Hi hi hi, you are a candidate for my successor. I wouldn''t mind sharing materials with you as a special case."


    "Really?!"


    "Yes, however, each of Mystic Medicinal Grass and Soul Grass for 50kG."


    "Wha?!! That''s way too expensive!!"


    The lower level herbs Medicinal Spirit Grass and Magical Spirit Grass both were sold at 500G each, the price went way too high.


    "Soo? What will you do? Give up?"


    "Ughhhnn... five each, please."


    "Hi hi hi, thanks for you patronage. Well then, I''m looking forward to when you buy the ¡¾Intermediate Pharmacist''s Tech Book¡¿."


    "Aahh! I forgot I need to buy that as well!"


    After purchasing Mystic Medicinal Grass and Soul Grass for 500kG I had on hand, reminded by Obaba the pharmacist of the further cost to make new potions, I groaned while holding my head in my arms.


    ¡ñ


    A few days later, together with Kyouko-san the NPC we went into the field behind the store.


    "All right, now we just plant this and can take some rest. It''s a herb-type seed, so it should grow normally, right?"


    "I think so. You have asked the farmer about it, didn''t you?"


    Hearing her words, I nodded with a bitter smile.


    Whenever I had newly acquired seeds or seedlings, I always consulted with the Farmer NPC on how to raise it.


    As a result, on ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s field other than herbs, there was the Wisteria Peach Tree, a Shiyu young tree, Double Camelia''s young tree, even a Vitality Tree. On all of them there were fruits.


    And now that the cultivation of some medicinal herbs has been slowed down by the ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿, I used that part of the field for cultivation of Mystic Medicinal Grass and Soul Grass.


    The way to obtain the seeds for the two types of herbs, was to use ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ Sense''s ¡¾Lower Matter Conversion¡¿ on the herbs themselves to turn them back to seeds.


    By sowing those seeds on the field, increasing the number through cultivation and converting the harvested herbs with ¡¾Lower Matter Conversion¡¿ back into seeds, I prepared my field as much as possible for stable acquisition of Mega Potions and MP Pots.


    "Well, in a week at the earliest, I guess?"


    "Indeed. If something comes up I will report it right away."


    With that said, Kyouko-san and I have poured water on the seeds we have sown.


    Since the field wasn''t that spacious, the work was done quickly. When the two of us returned to ¡¾Atelier¡¿, an acquainted player was turned with his back towards us and was looking at the product samples.


    "Taku, so you came."


    "Yeah, it looked like you went to the field so I''ve been waiting."


    Realizing I''m back when I spoke, Taku turned around and greeted me.


    "You''re alone today, you need something?"


    "No, well, you could say there is something I want from you. Actually, I came to take a look at Ryui."


    Taku tilted his head as he found it hard to say, and then spoke of the reason he came to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "I heard from Myu-chan. She said that your tamed Unicorn has turned adult. Also, my other acquaintances said that they''ve seen it in the town."


    "Ahh, back then."


    Most likely the talk of back when we were dashing through the town has spread, I thought.


    Is that even a reason to come to look? I thought, but in contrast to my thinking, Taku''s expression grew stern making me tense up as well.


    "How many people have properly seen Ryui''s adult form?"


    "I don''t even know, so don''t ask me..."


    The only ones I actually showed Ryui''s adult form were Cloude, for the sake of making measurements for Ryui''s equipment and Lyly who was there as well.


    When Myu and Magi-san came I didn''t want to force Ryui so I refused.


    "Honestly speaking, you might be flocked by onlookers who will come to the store just to see it."


    "Eh, no way that''s..."


    I thought it was a joke, but seeing Taku made a worried expression, it must have been true.


    "...Seriously?"


    "It''s a rare tamed mob you have made your comrade during an event. That''s enough to draw attention, but now he''s turned adult. There''s high possibility many players will come to confirm that uncertain information."


    There is a possibility of other problems coming up as well, Taku said. Troublesome stuff coming up again, I thought and looked at the ceiling resigned.


    "And so, lots of acquaintances have been worried whether there are lots of people surging in here."


    "So that''s why you came alone..."


    Gantz really seemed to want to come as well, but I left him. Taku added making me smile wryly. At the same time I thought of the possibility that unknown players will surge into ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    While a bustling atmosphere wasn''t bad, but since I loved calm more, I might get a little depressed.


    "Which means that if I don''t properly show Ryui off somewhere in public, it''ll turn noisy?"


    That''s when my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense reacted and I turned towards ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s entrance, finding a player looking inside the store.


    Ryui was currently using illusion to hide himself from such players, I thought and stared at the player quietly. As a result, the player left from the front ¡¾Atelier¡¿ while acting suspiciously.


    "Sigh, I get it. With that said, how do I even do the whole unveiling?"


    "Let''s see. First up you should show him off to acquaintances. Won''t it be fine if you show yourself riding Ryui around a plain for starters? Meanwhile have people take screenshots and vids to share with other players."


    Although the number of players who come just to see Ryui would decrease, it would be embarrassing to have a video of myself taken.


    "But we can''t do that at least until Cloude finishes the equipment I requested for Ryui."


    I tried to make up an excuse to delay Ryui''s unveiling, but that''s when I received a message.


    The sender was Cloude and the content of the message was¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªRyui''s and Ric?ur''s equipment is complete, I want to talk about passing it onto you."¡»


    After looking at the message displayed in the menu, I commented shortly.


    "Cloude''s making things way too fast."


    What''s with this message, as if he''s waiting for this moment. By receiving this message, I have been made unable to delay showing Ryui off.


    "Resolve yourself, Yun. And if Magi-san''s Ric?ur has also turned adult, why not show them off together? Tomorrow''s a holiday, too."


    "Ughh, fine."


    At least I will have Magi-san with me, I agreed with him while sighing.


    Also, if Magi-san unveils Ric?ur the attention will be dispersed and there will be less noise by that amount, I considered reasonably.


    "I''ll decide on the time for unveiling, call Myu-chan, Sei-san and Mikadzuchi with others."


    "I''ll leave it to you, Taku. Once everything quietens down, I''ll close myself in the workshop to research the new recipes¡ª¡ª"We can''t consult on the unveiling without the person in question, so wait in here."¡ª¡ªGeez, what a pain."


    I was told by Taku to remain on standby in ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Actually I wanted to study the new recipes for potions I learned so far, but instead I decided to use the ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ on potions in stock during the time I have been made wait.


    While consuming MP with ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ I thought that I shouldn''t have come back to the store from the field and instead went to either do event''s quests or receive new delivery-type quest from Obaba to learn new recipes, and sighed.


    Then, once I ran out of MP and started waiting for natural recovery to catch up I suddenly thought up of something.


    What is Taku going to exchange his quest event''s chips?


    I spoke a question to Taku, who was showing his back to me and messaging with acquaintances.


    "Hey, Taku. What items are you planning to exchange Quest Chips for?"


    "Why the sudden question?"


    "Asking for the sake of a reference."


    For the time being I was aiming to get 50 chips, but since I haven''t decided what item to get I thought of taking others as a reference.


    "Hmm. If possible I would like to get over 135 chips. By the way, I have 52 so far."


    "You''re aiming way too high. By the way, what do you want?"


    "By exchanging 100 chips I want ¡¾Magic Remodelled Weapon''s Base¡¿, ¡¾Three Random Boxes¡¿ for 25 chips and use remaining 10 for ¡¾Instant House¡¿."


    "¡¾Instant House¡¿?"


    Hearing names of an item I''m not familiar and when I didn''t see it among items for 10 chips, Taku explained in detail.


    "¡¾Instant House¡¿ is an item you can get by exchanging 50 chips, if each of us in the party pitches in 10 chips we''ll be able to get it."


    Hearing his words I once again examined the field for items costing 50 chips, there certainly was an item called ¡¾Instant House¡¿.


    "It''s finally about time and we want a building to use as a base, but it will take time and costs to prepare one, right? That''s why we''ve been thinking of buying cheap piece of land in the South part of the First Town and build an ¡¾Instant House¡¿ in there."


    ¡¾Instant House¡¿ seemed to be an item allowing the user to easily build a one-story house. Although it was a simple building compared to guild houses and properties available for purchase in the town, you could decide the design by yourself to some extent and apparently they could be changed to several types.


    In the menu, there was a built-in trial of ¡¾Instant House¡¿''s design tool, although the height and width were restricted, it allowed to design the house freely.


    "This is interesting. There are dirt floor, flooring and tatami mats to use."


    "Yeah. Kei and I just a want place for items that get in the way, but Minute and Mami-san are thinking over a fancy design for it."


    As I listened to Taku''s words, hee so there are such building materials, I thought and when played with ¡¾Instant House¡¿''s design for a while I saw a certain building material standing out.


    It was glass panels.


    Normally glass was used for windows in the buildings, but I thought it could be used in this case.


    "Maybe I should do my best and get ¡¾Instant House¡¿ as well."


    "...Huhh? You''ve got ¡¾Atelier¡¿ as your base, why would you want a new house?"


    "No, I meant to make a house completely out of glass and grow plants inside. Like a greenhouse, you know?"


    The implementation of ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ made part of my herb cultivation decrease in speed, perhaps the problem could be resolved with this item? I thought, but Takeru''s stare expressed astonishment.


    "There are better items you can get for 50 chips. Either go for those or aim for 100 chips to exchange. I don''t mind helping you out a little to collect quest chips."


    Certainly, I could exchange 100 chips for ¡¾Ownership of a Personal Field¡¿ which would be better, but managing it felt difficult so I preferred something smaller.


    That''s why I''m so troubled, I told Taku. As a result he made a grimace.


    "When you talk about making new buildings or owning a private field I''m starting to worry you''re playing a game all by yourself in your miniature garden. Well, how do I say this, uhh... for now aim for ¡¾Instant House¡¿ and do your best, though you might change your mind half-way."


    "Hm? I don''t know why am I being encouraged now, but I''ll try."


    Although I ended up wondering what did he mean as Taku watched me with a warm look in his eyes, I ended up using this conversation as a reference for picking an item to exchange chips for.


    For now I will try aiming to get 50 chips'' ¡¾Instant House¡¿.


    A little later, as a result of Taku calling various acquaintances it was decided that Ryui''s unveiling will take place the next day.


    As always, he was quick to do this kind of work.


    Afterwards, Taku said he has nothing to do, so we took some simple subjugation-type and mob drop delivery quests together the two of us. As a result the number of my Quest Chips increased to 32.


    It was because they received such time-efficient quests with small numbers of people that fighters like Taku and Myu gather more Quest Chips, I thought vaguely.


    ¡ñ


    "Onee-chan, hurry!"


    "Don''t rush me so much. There''s still time... heck, don''t call me ''onee-chan''."


    "But I want to see adult Ryui as soon as possible!"


    I was forced out of the bed by Myu in the morning and immediately after having breakfast, logged in to OSO.


    And currently, Myu and I took Ryui and Zakuro, then headed to the plain on the West outside of the town.


    In the Western plain often used for PvP training there were acquainted players already gathered, waiting to see my partner Ryui and Magi-san''s Ric?ur in their adult form.


    "Heeey, I brought Onee-chan!"


    Ahead of where Myu waved her hand to, were Taku, Sei-nee as well as Lucato and other of Myu''s party members, Taku''s party members, and Mikadzuchi''s guild''s ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ members. They were all exchanging information on the event amongst each other.


    "Luka-chan, good morning!"


    Seeing off Myu who rushed to where Lucato and others were, I approached Taku.


    "Taku, is this everyone?"


    "Yes, actually. At this stage I wouldn''t call anyone you don''t know."


    When told so I took a look around, I noticed that everyone was carefully selected which made me relieved.


    "Heey! Are preparations for taking a vid of Yun-chan''s gallant figure complete?"


    "All perfect! Everything prepared for screenshots!"


    "We have a perfect battle formation, we won''t miss any lovely moment!"


    ...Should I really be relieved? It was supposed to be mine and Magi-san''s unveiling, but from among ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild members I heard very disturbing remarks hinting a different goal from original, so I concentrated on conversation with Taku not to be conscious of it.


    "By the way, isn''t Magi-san here? She''s unveiling Ric?ur, right?"


    I looked for the other protagonists of this event, Magi-san and Ric?ur but unable to find them anywhere, I asked Taku.


    "Ohh, Magi-san is..."


    When Taku was about to explain, something silver has slipped into edge of my vision.


    What was that? As I looked at it while tilting my head, a silver beast ran straight towards where we were. Then, as it approached, it seemed like it was even larger than adult Ryui and had splendid physique.


    The silver beast in question ran with light movements unsuitable to its size and weight, moving straight towards me and has stopped in front of me.


    ¡ª¡ªAgh, I''ll be eaten.


    My legs froze as I thought so, but the silver beast only rubbed its neck against me.


    Relieved that I wasn''t eaten and nearly collapsing due to being pushed strongly against by the huge neck I was supported by Taku from behind. I looked up at the silver beast again and noticed familiar features.


    "...Ric?ur?"


    I stroked the bluish-silver fur, it was the same as Magi-san''s Ric?ur''s.


    "C''mon, Ric?ur! Don''t surprise Yun-kun!"


    Magi-san''s voice sounded from above Ric?ur''s huge body. Then, she jumped off from on top of him and moved in front.


    "Yun-kun, are you all right?"


    "Y-yes... still, Ric?ur sure has gotten big."


    He was so small and cute and now he''s turned so splendid... thinking so, I continued to stroke his fur.


    "Ahh, no fair Onee-chan, me too! I want to fluffle that silvery fur too!"


    Myu embraced Ric?ur''s at full power, but even with her amount of power his body didn''t even flinch, and she started rubbing her cheek against him.


    Ric?ur who was acting very familiar with humans had rubbed Myu back in the same way, but due to the difference in physique she was nearly pushed down and had to brace herself to endure.


    While watching her do that from the side, I listened to what Magi-san was saying.


    "I went ahead to check how comfortable the saddle made by Cloude is."


    Saying so, she pointed at the saddle on Ric?ur''s back. She checked on the saddle, collar and reins made of white leather to match the bluish-silver fur.


    "Ric?ur, how was it? Did it hurt anywhere?"


    Magi-san stroked the collar, reins, inspected the saddle and Ric?ur himself to investigate, but nothing indicated that he was uncomfortable.


    That''s when Cloude had approached with Socks on his shoulder.


    "How is it, Magi? The riding comfort in a saddle."


    "Hmm. Well. Ric?ur running is very powerful and turns around very sharply, so we can ride inside places like forest and woods without any problems, but we can''t get much speed. Of course, as long as its in a place without any obstacles and in straight line, we can move just like we had just now."


    After listening to Magi-san''s analysis, Cloude nodded.


    "Well then, next is Yun''s turn. This is Ryui''s equipment."


    Cloude said and passed Ryui''s equipment onto me.


    "Thanks, Cloude. Well then, let''s do it Ryui. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Adult Form¡¿"


    I used the EX-Skill ¡¾Adult Form¡¿ to return Ryui back to adult state.


    Ryui who was walking next to me had turned into a splendid unicorn in an instant, causing a commotion in the surroundings.


    Normally, Myu would have charged right at him but just this once she read the mood and only observed from the side.


    I set-up Ryui''s equipment I have received from Cloude.


    "Ryui. Is there anywhere that hurts or feels tight?"


    I placed the saddle, made sure to install the reins on his Ryui''s head and that they aren''t in the way. With just that he already seemed to look the part.


    Then to make sure Ryui can do his best, I passed Zakuro who was in my hood to Magi-san.


    "Well then, show everyone what Ryui can do."


    "So you say, but what do I even do?"


    Is what I was told by Taku, but I didn''t know what was I supposed to do. While I was agonizing over it, Ryui had lowered himself on his knees and sat down in front of me. Get on, is what it must mean.


    I got on Ryui just as urged to.


    Before, I was in a hurry and rode directly on Ryui''s bare back, but this time there was saddle, stirrup, as well as reins which gave me a huge difference in stability and sense of security. I grew nervous in expectations for the moment we start running.


    Ryui stood up with me on his back and started to slowly walk in front of everyone.


    At first speed had increased to a level where I could feel a gentle wind, but eventually I started moving fast like wind itself which was very pleasant.


    I might have been experiencing one of the reasons why people were so fascinated with horses.


    "Actually I expected to see some special abilities, but seeing Yun have so much fun I can''t say anything."


    "It would be better to let Yun-chan ride around for a while first, let''s watch over them for now."


    In the distance Taku and Sei-nee were talking about something, but wind blowing into my ear had obscured the content of their conversation. Also, although I did notice Myu look very enviously in my direction, I ignored it as we further increased out speed.


    "Okay, Ryui. Isn''t it about time to show your power?"


    When I muttered while stroking Ryui''s neck who was running at high speed, a certain phenomenon had happened as my MP was suddenly consumed.


    When we were running through the town I was completely focused on trying to grasp the situation and did not confirm anything, but now I could see Ryui''s body and my limbs slightly transparent. However, that was just me, as others in the surroundings have lost us from their sight and were looking around to find us.


    Feeling a bit mischievous I lowered Ryui''s speed and turned to behind the onlookers'', then cancelled invisibility.


    "Hey, where are you looking?"


    "?!! Yun! Where did you disappear to?!"


    "Disappeared? We''ve been riding all this time. Well, Myu knows what I''m saying, right?"


    "I didn''t forget that failure. It''s Ryui''s ¡¾Illusion¡¿."


    Illusion on the level Myu and others could not see through¡ª¡ªtransparency. When Ryui was a young beast, Myu has once tried clinging onto him and failed, memorizing it very well.


    And so, Ryui''s abilities I have confirmed so far were water and purification magics, as well as illusion which could be used on himself and the rider at the same time¡ª¡ªno, more like transparency that could be used for both concealment and avoidance at the same time.


    "So, this is about it? It feels like an improved version of young beast Ryui."


    "Ryui''s the best! Come to me!"


    When I got down from Ryui, as if to take my place Myu tried embracing Ryui''s neck, but he reflexively hid himself with transparency.


    Then, as soon as it was released Myu jumped at him again so this time he ran away towards the plain at full speed with her chasing after.


    "Myu, don''t trouble Ryui too much!"


    "Yup! Okaay!"


    Even while she said that, she carefully closed the distance onto Ryui. However, on his guard, Ryui opened distance from heavily-breathing Myu.


    The moment Myu took a step, Ryui reflexively turned with his back to her and started running. Despite that, Myu continued to chase after.


    Like that, the two ran far away. They probably won''t come back for a while, I thought and decided to watch over them.


    That''s when Taku and Mikadzuchi had approached me.


    "I see. Can I ask you a few questions, Yun?"


    "What is it? As long as I can answer."


    When I responded to Taku, he started asking questions as a representative.


    "Can you attack with bow while riding? Also, how long can you continue maintaining invisibility?"


    "I''m not certain yet. If I get used to using the bow I might be able to, but I need to practice... as for invisibility, it might be hard to maintain it for long time. It keeps consuming my MP."


    "Then, Ryui''s own battle strength?"


    "He charged through a group of skeletons and trampled over them."


    "Last question. Can you attack from invisibility?"


    "Not sure. That''s something we need to check. ¡ª¡ªRyui!"


    Ryui who was chased by Myu had used transparency and came back to us while hidden from her.


    "Next time I will definitely ride on you!"


    I smiled wryly hearing Myu yell from a distance.


    On the other hand, Ryui seemed a little displeased by the fact I did not stop Myu.


    Stroking his body, I asked.


    "Ryui, would let me on you again?"


    In response to my words Ryui let out a sigh as if saying "can''t be helped" and let me on again.


    "So, what targets are you going to aim at, Missy?"


    Mikadzuchi asked me, but before I could respond with "don''t call me missy", Sei-nee made a suggestion.


    "We will prepare those. Myu-chan, can you prepare some decoys?"


    "Of course! I can! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon ¨C Light Servant¡·!"


    "And me, too¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon ¨C Aqua Servant¡·!"


    The magic Myu and Sei-nee chanted had created magic circles in front of us, from which light and water mobs appeared.


    What Myu summoned was a mob that looked like a octahedron crystal, and Sei-nee summoned a snake mob made of water. Both of them were fairly small mobs.


    "What''s that?! It looked a little cool!"


    "Fu-fun! These are light and water magic''s summon skills. Amazing, right?!"


    "With that said, there''s a limit on the number you can summon and their stats are about half as high as those of a normal player. They are good for acting as decoys, tanks and attacking."


    "Sei-oneechan, there is no need to reveal everything right after we show off so coolly. ¡ª¡ªOh well. Now, mobs of mine, escape at random, reveal Yun-oneechan''s and Ryui''s powers!"


    Myu and Sei-nee added two summoned mobs each and had them run around the Western plain.


    The octahedron crystal floating slightly above the ground and the water snake moved at quite high speed, escaping in all directions.


    "Well, let''s begin. Ryui!"


    I sat down on Ryui''s back and held the reins. With that said, rather than controlling Ryui it was more like Ryui was moving according to my will.


    Holding the bow on Ryui''s shaking back I strongly stepped on the stirrups and stabilized my lower body by clamping the saddle with my thighs.


    I aimed at one escaping water snake from an unfamiliar position and shot an arrow, but my aim was off and the arrow pierced the ground.


    "¡ª¡ªAhh, close!"


    I heard Myu''s voice from behind.


    At the same time, the water snake the arrow has missed had counter-attacked with a barrage of small water bullets.


    "¡ª¡ªRyui!"


    Responding to my voice, Ryui made our bodies transparent and the water snake''s water attacks have passed through us. Like that we confirmed that Ryui''s illusions were effective at neutralizing decoys'' attacks. I targeted the decoys the moment they lost the sight of me and stopped moving and drew the bow again.


    This time the arrow seemed to have been sucked into the centre of the light crystal and destroyed it. However, at the moment of attack the transparency was forcibly released. Ryui had avoided an attack from another decoy by running.


    It was impossible to immediately turn transparent again, so we fought back against the decoys while running around.


    We were able to confirm that Ryui''s transparency had a delay time just like player skills.


    Also, when I used an MP Potion to restore the consumed MP while under effect of transparency, it had been lifted again.


    Which meant that by either attacking or using items Ryui''s transparency was forcibly cancelled.


    "Now, it''s about time to finish this! ¡¶Enchant¡·©¤©¤Attack, Intelligence!"


    I defeated one summoned mob, but there were still two light crystals and three water snakes remaining.


    After putting an enchant on myself I selected a certain bow-type Art to use from on top of Ryui''s back and released it at the summoned mobs.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Magic Bow Skill ¨C Phantom Arrow¡·!"


    The arrow pulling a red tail behind it flew straight at the water snake, on its way the red tail extending from it had branched into four arrows and all five magic arrows have aimed for a different summoned mob.


    The magic arrow whose power was increased by a double enchantment raising my stats had pierced Myu''s and Sei-nee''s summoned mobs one after another.


    When all the summoned mobs turned into light particles I lowered my bow and gripping Ryui''s reins with my left hand I slowed down.


    "I guess that''s about it? Cheers for good work, Ryui."


    I stroked Ryui''s mane with my open hand as we returned to our acquaintances who were observing combat.


    I guess with this Ryui''s unveiling was over.


    "Good work there, Yun-kun. Here''s your Zakuro, back to you."


    "Thank you very much, Magi-san."


    Zakuro was calmly sitting in Magi-san''s arms, but as soon as I took him back he slipped into his place inside my hood.


    "He behaved very well. It seemed like he used to have distrust of humans, is this because we''re acquainted? I guess he opened his heart to me?"


    "Indeed, that might be so."


    While Magi-san and I talked, Ryui had used ¡¾Young Beast Form¡¿ EX-Skill on his own and returned to his young beast form.


    Upon doing that, the saddle he was equipped with had disappeared and he looked like usual, without anything on him.


    "Huh? Ryui''s equipment is..."


    "Don''t worry. It didn''t disappear. When he turns adult it will automatically be equipped again."


    Cloude had appeared from behind Magi-san''s back and explained, I called in Ryui and once again used the ¡¾Adult Form¡¿ EX-Skill.


    "©¤©¤¡¾Adult Form¡¿! Ohhh! It really was equipped!"


    Although I felt a little impressed, Ryui who was turned adult again right after he returned into young beast had turned into a young beast again, then started poking me lightly.


    "Ahahaha, sorry, Ryui. Sorry, I said."


    When I stroked his neck to calm him down, Ryui sighed loudly, making me smile bitterly.


    Meanwhile, while I talked with Magi-san and Cloude, it appeared that Taku, Mikadzuchi and the others were talking about something as they stared our way.


    "Right now Yun''s Senses directionality is completely disjointed and it''s all chaos, but the way she didn''t turn half-assed and was able to synergize them well is amazing."


    "Agreed. If Missy''s Sense build, equipment and additional effects are well-adjusted, there''s a possibility she''ll turn into one of top players. Right now everything is unbalanced which is why she can''t show her true strength."


    I approached Taku and Mikadzuchi who were talking with serious look on their faces, then asked.


    "How were our movements?"


    "Oh, it was amazing."


    Although it was plain, but hearing that answer from Mikadzuchi made me a little happy, and Ryui boastful.


    "That''s right, Ryui''s amazing! He feels where I want to go and moves, and I have ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense''s assist so there''s no problem riding."


    "Woah Missy, you''re so dazzling. It seems we''re being purified by you."


    "Well, this playstyle might be working because the one that''s using it is Yun, who prioritizes his hobbies over efficiency."


    Holding his fingers between his eyebrows Mikadzuchi looked up at the sky, Taku smiled wryly.


    I tilted my head wondering what did they mean, but they just went "it''s nothing".


    And©¤©¤


    "Hey, how about you come to my place?"


    "Fuahh?!"


    Mikadzuchi moved her face close to mine, making me let out a strange squeal.


    Her face was very close, and despite being a woman, she spoke really manly lines.


    Seeing her abrupt behaviour, Myu wedged herself between us.


    "Wait right theree! Any confessions of love towards Onee-chan are strictly forbidden!"


    "C-confessions of love?!"


    "Pfft-kukuku..."


    While I raised high-pitched voice, Taku started to laugh happily from his throat. Other acquaintances also started staring here, wondering what''s going on.


    That was already enough to make me feel like my face was on fire from embarrassment, but Mikadzuchi simply denied what Myu said, puzzled.


    "Ahh, that''s not it y''know. I was asking Yun-missy comes to our place to bring out her characteristics in full."


    "Ohh, so that was it. However, I''m not giving Yun-oneechan away!"


    Despite understanding what Mikadzuchi meant, Myu still loudly denied. This time I turned red from embarrassment for a different reason.


    "So you want to fight with Missy at stake, huh. Sounds nice, now, let''s go at it."


    Suddenly Myu and Mikadzuchi started duelling.


    Don''t start fighting with me as a prize while I''m not there, I thought as I left the two to go beside Taku to ask for an objective evaluation of Ryui and me.


    "Well, seeing your attacks, it makes me want you to join some adventuring party. I feel it''s a waste to leave you as a crafter."


    "Why a waste?"


    "Ryui''s high level concealment capability and means of moving at high speed by riding him, as well as your distance attacks with ¡¾Bow¡¿ type Senses. Although you have an established playstyle, your attack power is notwithstanding. That''s why I understand why would Mikadzuchi want to try correcting that."


    Which meant that Ryui''s abilities were high and wonderful, but I was wasting those characteristics, huh.


    "Sorry Ryui, your rider is a half-assed archer. Apparently I am unable to fully demonstrate your abilities."


    I was depressed by the fact pointed out by Taku, but Ryui rubbed his neck against me as if to say "don''t mind it".


    "No, you''ve already turned much better than you used to be. It''s just..."


    Taku spoke to support me, but hesitated in the middle of the sentence.


    "Just... what?"


    "You are quite strong against weak enemies. If you fight skilfully you might overwhelm one in twenty... no, more like one in fifty, I guess?"


    "Is that a praise? Or are you worrying about me? I''m having trouble how to take that..."


    Hearing my words Sei-nee moved closer and lightly pat my shoulder. Don''t mind it, she said with a bitter smile, then intruded on Myu''s and Mikadzuchi''s PvP, forcibly stopping them.


    Suddenly intruding she instantly temporarily turned the two powerless, making the surroundings let out voices of admiration.


    "C''mon Myu-chan, don''t make so much noise. You too, Mikadzuchi."


    "Yeees. I''m sorry."


    "Sorry, sorry. It seemed interesting, forgive me."


    With duel interrupted, Mikadzuchi came asking me again.


    "So, what will you do? How about leaving Missy to me?"


    "I want to spend time laid back, so no."


    She shrugged seeing me clearly refuse.


    "That''s a shame. Then, soon we are planning on holding a Christmas party in our ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild, how about that?"


    There''ll be lots of acquaintances gathering, she said, so I thought about it for a moment and nodded.


    "I don''t mind coming for that. But this time, I''ll bring some cakes I made in ¡¾Atelier¡¿, is that fine?"


    I''ve had a lot of strawberry cakes and fruit roll cakes I made as practice before the winter quest event started. Mikadzuchi acknowledged my thinking of supplying those.


    Afterwards, Magi-san''s and Ric?ur''s unveiling was held. Ric?ur had fangs and claws reinforced with ice magic and displayed his beautiful figure on the plain covered with thin layer of snow.


    There were many players raising voices of admiration for it, also admiring his powerful attacks they took videos and screenshots of it.


    Let''s download some of them later, I decided in secret.


    Thereafter, the unveiling video has been posted and the amount of people coming to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ to see Ryui decreased. Only some time after I have learned that the video had become very popular among animal-lovers.

 Chapter Volume 10 2

    The day after revealing my Ryui''s and Magi-san''s Ric?ur''s adult forms, I went to Obaba''s pharmacy and purchased the ¡¾Intermediate Pharmacist''s Tech Book¡¿ after which I started to decipher it with ¡¾Linguistics¡¿ Sense.


    I spent the whole day deciphering it, then headed to ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop in order to prepare materials. After that, I started preparing items for one of the delivery quest''s from Obaba''s pharmacy board - ¡¾Delivery of Resistance-Granting Potions of Four Types (30 of each set)¡¿.


    "Um... If I''m not wrong, materials for ¡¾Fascination Resistance Antidote¡¿ were Antidote Grass, Discharm Grass, Herb, Distilled Water, Shiyu Fruit and¡ª¡ª"


    I decided to make ¡¾Fascination Resistance Antidote¡¿, ¡¾Strife Prevention Drug¡¿, ¡¾Dusk Resistance Drug¡¿ and ¡¾Rage Sedating Drug¡¿ for the four types. The ¡¾Fascination Resistance Antidote¡¿ I was preparing materials with a recipe in my hand, was decreasing or completely nullifying the effect of ¡¾Charm¡¿ and ¡¾Poison¡¿.


    According to that recipe, in addition to necessary materials normally used for making antidotes for each bad status, a food item which was Shiyu Fruit, was required.


    Shiyu Fruit could be collected in the forest North of the First Town, it was very similar to a plum.


    When you eat it, in addition to recovering Satiety you also receive a weak, temporary resistance against ¡¾Charm¡¿ and ¡¾Poison¡¿.


    Also, other similar fruits were ¡¾Tou Fruit¡¿ which granted Paralysis and Stun resistance, ¡¾Cold Crimson Glory Vine¡¿ which granted Confusion and Anger resistance, as well as ¡¾Mountain Apple¡¿ which granted resistance to Sleep and Curse.


    "Since I''m done with deciphering the other recipes as well, I can start making them. But that''ll decrease the number of fruit items I have in stock by quite a bit."


    I often used fruits for making sweets and other food or even eaten them raw, so their consumption was quite fast.


    If in addition to that, they are used as materials for potions, the remaining stock would be insufficient.


    "Once the event ends I''ll have to seriously go look for saplings of these fruit trees. But for now let''s make ¡¾Fascination Resistance Antidote¡¿, though, how do I go about making it?"


    For the time being, let''s make it according to the recipe.


    I added Antidote Grass, Discharm Grass and a Herb in the same amounts and mashed them in the mortar. Afterwards I added distilled water, poured everything into the pot and started to boil it.


    Then, I had to pay attention to managing the temperature, but the overall procedure was the same as that for making an ordinary Antidote Potion. However, with the Antidote Grass and Discharm Grass were mixed, both effects should have cancelled each other.


    In this case, when I looked at the liquid inside, it appeared as a low quality Antidote.


    The Antidote Grass effect has been lowered because Discharm Grass was contained inside as well.


    At that point, I added Shiyu Fruit''s juice I squeezed out, then mixed well. But even with that done, the formed liquid still remained as Antidote.


    "It feels a little strange. Let''s try drinking some."


    I put a finger inside the mixture, then licked it to check the taste.


    "Hmm. I guess it tastes like a watered-down plum juice? Just a little bit sweet?"


    It being a potion aside, it''s tasty? I thought as I filled a potion bottle with the liquid and did the finishing touch.


    "Fuhh¡ª¡ª¡¾Magic Power Bestowal¡¿!"


    A pale light moved from my hand and onto the potion, and was sucked inside it.


    The potion''s colour changed, and the moment I saw it had divided into two colours, that of Antidote and Discharm Potion, they gradually mixed together to turn yellow. The finished potion''s colour was yellowish-green, coloured similarly to Shiyu Fruit.


    Fascination Resistance Antidote ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Resistance ¡¾Poison 1, Charm 1 (25 Minutes)¡¿


    I managed to make the first resistance potion, but I felt like I could still improve it.


    What about using finished potion for mixing?


    I mixed complete Antidote and Discharm Potion in ratio one to one, then added Shiyu Fruit juice before mixing. Afterwards I used ¡¾Magic Power Bestowal¡¿, but the result was a low-quality resistance potion.


    Next, I used the herb item from recovery-type herbs, Medicinal Spirit Grass and Water of Life instead of distilled water.


    In addition to that, I mixed it while changing temperature patterns and the timings of when I add materials. As a result of that, and of using higher level materials the effect had improved, but I also learned that the effect changed depending on material balance.


    For example, when adding 1 Antidote Grass and 1 Discharm Grass¡ª¡ª


    Fascination Resistance Antidote ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Resistance ¡¾Poison 1, Charm 2 (25 Minutes)¡¿


    ¡ª¡ªThis was the result.


    Also, the effect time increased and decreased depending on the temperature and how long the mixture was heated up, and affected the resistance in inversely proportional manner.


    "Hmm. If I play around with it too much, it''ll turn hard to use. Let''s make them using the standard way while using higher level materials."


    I decided so, and started crafting ¡¾Fascination Resistance Antidotes¡¿.


    And the potion resulting from that was¡ª¡ª


    Fascination Resistance Antidote ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Resistance ¡¾Poison 2, Charm 2 (35 Minutes)¡¿


    Other than that, I also thought of playing around with ¡¾Alchemy¡¿ and ¡¾Synthesis¡¿ to see if I can make it with completely different materials, but for the time being I crafted 30 ¡¾Fascination Resistance Antidotes¡¿ of this quality.


    Thirty of each of the three other potion types were made with the same procedure and completed when I applied ¡¾Magic Power Bestowal¡¿ to all of them.


    "Okay. With this I''ll have 10 Quest Chips. What''s left is to take Yellow Potions, Demon''s Wonder Pills and Holy Mountain''s Magic Water from the store''s stock, 15 of each, for 13 Quest Chips in total."


    Since I already had 32 Quest Chips, after delivering these I would have 45 of them, getting close to my goal of 50 in total.


    "Still, even with all the quests I have remaining at Obaba''s place, I''ll barely reach fifty."


    I cleaned up inside ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and headed towards Obaba''s pharmacy in order to deliver the items.


    As I left the store, the town''s scenery seemed to have a much brighter atmosphere as compared to the first day of the event.


    I couldn''t clearly tell what was different, but the faces of NPCs behind the falling snow, seemed to appear happier.


    The winter quest event''s objective was to solve the problems plaguing the town.


    Half of the event has already passed, the town''s NPCs might have changed because players solved many problems.


    As I thought so, I checked one of the quest boards installed around the town, looking for errand-type quests.


    In that moment, an announcement from OSO Development Department has appeared on the quest board.


    ¡ºCurrent completion rate of the event''s quests¡ª¡ª56%


    The release of special mobs and their suppression quests will happen at the end of the event.


    The abilities of the special mobs will depend on quest completion rate, the higher completion rate the lower stats and abilities will the mobs have.


    When the special mob suppression is complete, an additional reward shall be distributed equally among all players.


    Further details will be exposed at later date.


    ¡ª¡ªOSO Development Department¡»


    The content was concise and as I looked at it, the number for the quest completion rate had brokoen down to become 57%.


    "The event advanced quite far. I need to do my best as well."


    Since the amount of chips I was aiming for wasn''t so high, I picked several errand-type quests which had a pretty bad reward efficiency and headed for the pharmacy.


    When I stepped inside the dimly-lit store under the evening sky, tending to the store wasn''t the owner Obaba, but a young female NPC.


    "Welcome."


    "E-eh? Did I mistake stores? Where''s Obaba...?"


    "Granny is in the workshop in the back. In the evening it''s always me tending to the store."


    After listening to the explanation of the pretty girl with round eyes, I nodded convinced. Still, this girl looked completely dissimilar from Obaba, who looked like a typical witch with her eagle nose.


    While I stood there for a moment, stumped, Obaba walked from the workshop to the front with steady steps.


    "What, you''re here? What do you need today? Did you come to deliver items? Or maybe to buy materials?"


    "A-ahh... I came to deliver items."


    "I see. Then pull ''em out."


    Relieved that Obaba was blunt as usual, I arranged the potions specified for delivery on top of the counter.


    Obaba and I watched Obaba''s granddaughter as she checked the potions on the counter.


    "A good girl, isn''t she? She''s doing her best to take over after me. She''s cute, thoughtful and hard working. And she''s turning into a beauty like me."


    "I can agree that she''s cute and a hard worker, but... does she really resemble you?"


    I said and compared Obaba with the girl.


    "What''s with that look on your face? Her hair and eyes have similar colour. And she looks just like me when I was young."


    "Is she, now..."


    Certainly, their hair and eye colours looked to be the same. If Obaba in her youth looked just like this girl, thinking that this girl would come to look the same as this eccentric old woman, it made me feel that time is really cruel.


    "All right. There is no problem with their quality, I receive the delivery."


    "You too are very talented and easy to teach, it''s worth spending my time on."


    "Then I will count on you to teach me new drug recipes next time."


    I asked Obaba to teach me the new recipes I haven''t tried myself yet and received the 13 Quest Chips of reward from her granddaughter. When I left the store it was already dark outside.


    On the way back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I stumbled upon a strange sight.


    A long line of players extended from an a single alley and continued all the way near the place the pharmacy was located at.


    "What is this queue...?"


    When I looked ahead to where was the queue leading, there, I saw a luxurious mansion.


    In front of the mansion there was a brick wall and a steel gate where player parties have gathered in pretty rows.


    On a first glance, there were at least fifty people here, and, gathering on the side were temporary parties.


    In front of the queue stood an elderly male NPC wearing butler clothing, as well as a young butler who guided the parties into the mansion.


    "This must be... some kind of quest."


    I approached the players who were busy making temporary parties and listened to what the quest is about.


    "We''re looking for temporary party members to do the¡¾Party Infiltration & Escort¡¿ quest, which can''t be found on the quest board! It''s a bodyguarding quest. To complete the quest we need to protect the VIP from enemy NPCs who make assault on the party. There is an equipment restriction during the infiltration and armour is forcibly changed into party clothing with low defence power, moreover, only one weapon can be used. It''s a quest with harsh restrictions."


    Other than that, this quest was a starting point of a chain quest, but the quests ahead still were not completed by anyone.


    "And finally, the reward for this quest is 100kG and 5 Quest Chips for each participant! Anyone who would like to join our party, please come over here!"


    After listening to the entire explanation by one of the recruiters, "oh, there are quests like that, too", I thought as I looked towards the mansion again.


    A slight glow and the sound of bright classical music performance have leaked out from the mansion, surrounded by a fence.


    Based on the explanation earlier, it was impossible to complete this quest alone. Since I never did anything like guarding a VIP before, I probably wouldn''t be of any use in a temporary party.


    In any case, that quest has nothing to do with me, I thought and was about to leave this place¡ª¡ª


    "Oh! It''s ¡¾Nanny¡¿!"


    "Hm?"


    Hearing a nickname I disliked I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around, there, I found a male player approaching me with a smile. I did not know him, but he must have known me.


    Since I stopped moving, the distance between us was closed right away.


    "Are you alone now? Then, how about making a party with me? You were listening to the quest explanation really intently, so I bet you''re interested?"


    "No... it was out of pure interest, that''s all¡ª¡ª"


    I tried to refuse the player who was quite forcible in recruitment, but yet another player has approached us.


    "Wait! You''re a mage, aren''t you?! Your equipment doesn''t match well with ¡¾Nanny¡¿''s. That''s why I''ll..."


    "No, I''m... well..."We won''t let such a cute girl enter your filthy party!"¡ª¡ªListen to me..."


    Two female players had intruded in the middle of solicitation.


    In no time, four players have gathered around me and started bickering, which resulted in further attention from the surroundings.


    The two women and two men in front of me didn''t have such bad combination of equipment, so I felt like saying they should party up together instead.


    However, it seemed like the four''s objective was me and the look in their eyes made me draw backwards.


    At that moment, I was coincidentally saved.


    ¡ñ


    "Whoops, sorry guys. Yun was waiting to meet up with us."


    A familiar voice had sounded from behind me and a hand was placed on my shoulder.


    I turned my head and there, I saw my childhood friend, Taku.


    Taku, your face is too close. And don''t speak into my ear!


    While I complained in my mind, I nodded playing along with what he said in order to get out of here.


    "Well then, I''ll be taking Yun with me."


    Showing the four players a slightly crooked smile, Taku took my hand and pulled me away.


    Once we moved to a place slight distance away, we found Taku''s party members waiting for us.


    Gantz, one of the rare OSO players who fight without weapons, Kei who was clad in rugged armour and held a shield, Minute who wore cleric-like clothing, and a young witch Mami-san, wearing round glasses and a witch hat. All four were gathered there.


    "Sorry to make you wait, Gantz. Yun got involved in trouble again."


    "So you safely got Yun-chan out of there, huh."


    "Don''t make it sound like I''m some kind of troublemaker. Geez..."


    I heaved a tired sigh as I protested.


    "Anyway, why are you guys here?"


    "Well, that''s because we came to undertake this evening-limited quest. The reward is quite good and it''s a chain quest''s starting point."


    I see... I thought convinced and tried to go back, but Taku stood in my way, making it hard to for me to leave.


    "All right then, it''s about time for me to go..."


    "Look around us first."


    I took a quick look at the surroundings and saw that there''s still plenty of players watching us.


    "What''s going on?"


    "Obviously, it''s because you''re cute, Yun-chan. Everyone''s gaze just concentrate on you!"


    "Yes yes. You can ignore what this dumbass Gantz says."


    As she said so, Minute ground the tip of her mace into Gantz'' toes, making him scream in pain.


    Kei sighed at the sight and said "You can ignore Gantz", and Mami-san had explained the real reason behind all this attention.


    "Everyone wants to get acquainted with Yun-san. They probably think that you appearing here is an opportunity."


    "With ME? I''m not that strong..."


    "Other than that, you''re a really pretty girl so all the guys want to get close to you with ulterior motives¡ª¡ª"Stop saying stuff that will make her uneasy!"¡ª¡ªOww?!!"


    This time, Gantz was hit in the head with the mace. Hearing what he said, I made a completely disgusted expression.


    "Umm, Yun-san. You already were a famous crafter, and thanks to Ryui''s unveiling from yesterday, I think that everyone''s interest in you has temporarily increased."


    "So once we release you, you will probably be surrounded again, you know?"


    I glared at Taku, who said that happily.


    It was Taku who was the one who said I should do Ryui''s unveiling before people swarm over to me, but seeing this it appeared that the unveiling had no effect anyway.


    "I''ll be logging out then. Taku, thanks for bringing me out of there."


    "Come on, how about picking up the hidden quest together with us?"


    I thought Taku said I was waiting for them in order to bring me out of the crowd, but in fact he intended to invite me to the party to do the quest.


    "I told you before, right? That I''ll help you gather chips."


    "I don''t really need any help with that..."


    In fact, I could reach my goal of 50 Quest Chips without receiving this escort quest, just by finishing the apothecary''s delivery quests and some more errand quests.


    While I made a confused expression, Taku asked differently.


    "Then help US out, Yun. We need you."


    "...Well, if you really need me I wouldn''t mind helping out."


    Being told by Taku that I''m needed I felt a little embarrassed and agreed on taking the quest. I myself don''t need anyone''s support, but I did want to be of help to others.


    Hearing me answer like that, Gantz and Minute grinned¡ª¡ª


    "To think Yun-chan was this simple to talk over. And Taku, seriously?! Aghh, this must be jealousy, murderous intent towards Taku is growing inside of me... I feel like now, I could use that combo from before!"


    "Shut up Gantz. Rather than that, Yun-chan''s flustered expression is completely that of a girl in love, the destructive power is outstanding."


    Smacking Gantz'' ass with the mace as he howled something, Minute guided us to the queue for the hidden quest.


    Other than that, I felt slight killing intent from the surroundings, but ended up puzzled as I was unable to find it''s source.


    We stood in the long queue, during the wait I shared information with Taku and others.


    "I heard the quest summary from one of the recruiters earlier, Taku, what do you think about it?"


    In response to my words, Taku smiled broadly.


    "Best of all, I think is that we get 5 Quest Chips each. And the strength and number of mobs doesn''t change with the number of participants, it''s a really delicious quest for a full party."


    "I''m not talking about that. I never did any escort quest, I''m asking if you got any advice."


    "It''s just normal combat. Though, in this case you are limited when it comes to weapon and armour. That is the bigger problem."


    Taku was using dual long swords, but because of the limitation on the equipment he could only use one, and was unable to fight in his usual style.


    "By the way, what is everyone going to use?"


    "I''m using a single long sword, Gantz doesn''t use weapons, Minute uses a mace, Kei a shield and Mami a staff."


    "Is everyone in the same location?"


    "I think we should be able to cope with everything if we split in three groups of two on the party venue."


    And the pairings decided on were me and Taku, Gantz and Minute, Kei and Mami-san.


    Also, there was a need of avoiding other non-relevant NPCs on the party venue, but there was no way to plan for that until we actually enter the location.


    As the queue grew gradually shorter, Taku told me to relax.


    "It''s just a quest where you beat everyone who''s attacking us, there''s no need to worry."


    "G-got it."


    Since it''s a body-guarding quest, will I end up wearing some kind of suit? I thought, hoping that the equipment I wear will not inhibit my movements. Meanwhile, our turn came.


    "Welcome, adventurers. I would like you all to protect the organizer of today''s party, our milady."


    The Quest NPC bowed respectfully, it an elderly butler with a moustache and all-back hairstyle.


    Although it was just an NPC, I kind of admired this kind of dandy people who had an atmosphere of a hard worker so I observed him closely.


    "By the end of this year our master has been inviting nobles to parties every day. Among them, there are filth who aim to harm milady, our master''s only daughter. With that said, we are unable to cancel the party either, thus we want you to join the party and protect milady."


    After we listened to the base objective of the quest, Taku accepted it and the iron gate opened. We were guided into the mansion by a young butler NPC.


    "Well then, we shall now prepare you for entering the party venue. Once you complete our request, everything will be brought back to original state. Now, I will be waiting in front of the room, please call me once you are ready."


    Said the young butler and guided us to a room in the back, then, suddenly a menu appeared in front of us.


    "Oh, so you can check what you cannot use inside, and select what you bring in."


    I selected the ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ without any hesitation.


    At the party venue you could not use armour equipment or tamed mobs, both ¡¾Taming¡¿ Sense and ¡¾Summon¡¿ skills were temporarily disabled.


    I confirmed that there were no other restrictions and changed my Sense build.


    Possessed SP45


    ¡¾Bow Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Magic Bow Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv14¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv41¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv7¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Alchemy Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv23¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv3¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv24¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge Lv8¡¿


    Since I couldn''t bring in a knife as a weapon, I removed ¡¾Cooking¡¿-type Sense and in order to avoid destroying the party venue I removed ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ which had many explosive attacks.


    In exchange I equipped ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ and three bow-type Senses that were ¡¾Bow¡¿ ¡¾Longbow¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿.


    Since only one weapon could be brought during the this quest, it was simple to conclude that synergizing similar Senses was the best.


    Although the ¡¾DEX Bonus¡¿ from my armour was removed, I somehow managed to make a bow-specialized build by the time Taku called out to me.


    "Gantz and others finished preparing their equipment, what about you?"


    "Oh, I finished too."


    "Well then, let''s call the butler NPC."


    When we called the butler NPC standing in front of the room he immediately entered and requested confirmation.


    "We shall now head towards the party venue. Are your preparations complete?"


    "Yeah, no problem."


    Once Taku responded, the butler responded with "then excuse me" and raised his left hand and pointed with his finger.


    Matching his movement, my winter equipment I had on was instantly switched¡ª¡ª


    "Ohhh?! This is interesting."


    "Why am I wearing a DRESS?!"


    Taku, who was changed into a tuxedo in an instant, took a look around with interest. He surprisingly looked well in it, giving an impression of a refreshing young man.


    Similarly, Gantz who was changed into a formal wear gave off a slightly rough feel and Kei appeared like a sportsman with his well-built body.


    And, for the girls¡ª¡ª


    "Kyahh¡ª¡ª!! Yun-chan, you''re so cute!"


    "Um, you look wonderful."


    "Please, stop calling me cute when I''m wearing a dress. The dress suits you two much more than that."


    I peeled Minute off me as she clung to me strongly and once again looked at the two''s dresses.


    Minute was wearing a bright orange dress that gave off an "active" impression, Mami-san was wearing indigo-blue colour that expressed her docile nature. Also, a pretty ribbon on her chest was a very good accent, it accented her girlish charms.


    And finally for my clothes, I was wearing a jet black dress with simple purple decorations. It was decorated with lace at the hem and while there wassn''t much difference compared to the one piece dress I wore before, I still felt reluctant when it came to wearing women''s clothing.


    "I''m a man, and yet..."


    "Don''t act so effeminate, c''mon, let''s head to the party."


    I muttered quietly so that only Taku heard, but he did not try to comfort me. He followed after the butler NPC who said "please, this way", and we quickly walked through the hallway to the party venue.


    "Wait, there''s no need to hurry so mu..."


    I walked in a hurry, but the equipment restriction even affected my shoes and it was very difficult to walk. Since it was possible there will be combat ahead of here, I was wearing low-heeled shoes which did not disturb movement. Still, I wasn''t accustomed to wearing women''s shoes so I entered the venue as the last one.


    ¡ñ


    On the venue lit up with bright chandeliers and filled with dance song played by the orchestra, the participants danced and ate dishes, enjoying their time.


    Walking below the chandeliers, we entered in the venue in pairs.


    Gantz headed straight for the all-you-can-eat buffet and Minute had chased after him, appalled.


    Mami-san wore the same shoes as I did and it seemed she wasn''t used to them either, so she walked slowly as she held Kei''s arm. Kei''s figure as he gentlemanly escorted her was something I felt respect for.


    I thought I would like to escort a woman the same way.


    And, seeing me like that, Taku has¡ª¡ª


    "What is it, Yun? Staring at Kei so much. Did you want him to escort you, or what?"


    "I''m a man. Why do I even have to be escorted by you, Taku? Heck, I want to escort someone instead."


    When I stared intently at Taku, he laughed and said it was a joke.


    I heaved a small sigh.


    Then, preparing for enemy''s attack we moved closer to the dance floor.


    Numerous men and women danced to the rhythm of music.


    Among them, there was a blonde-haired NPC wearing a white dress, the escort objective of the quest.


    "Now, Gantz and Minute are at the buffet table, Kei and Mami by the veranda. What about us?"


    "If possible, I''d like to move closer to Milady NPC, it would be easier to protect her. Oh, how about hitting on her? That would make it easier to get close."


    "That sounds good. If it''s possible, that is. Still, are Gantz and others okay?"


    Gantz was going crazy about food and Mami-san was listening to orchestra''s performance. I felt like they weren''t vigilant enough.


    "Each of their partners are properly watching the surroundings, so it''s okay."


    By Gantz'' side, Minute was looking around her. Kei was leaning on the wall next to Mami, his arms crossed as he looked cautiously.


    And, as for us¡ª¡ª


    "Yun, the target is on the move. We can''t hit on her, but we can move closer by acting natural."


    "Huh? Wait a second!"


    I missed the target''s movement because I was looking at others. Taku pulled me by my hand and we approached the dance floor filled with music, there, several pairs of NPCs were holding hands dancing together.


    "Why are we going in there?! Are you trying to harass me?!"


    "Nah, the target is dancing, that''s all. You danced the female part of a dance during PE class before, right?"


    "That was practice for folk dance in the elementary school! And I was made to because the number of boys to girls was uneven!"


    "It''s a fun story, now that I think about it."


    Talking about the past he made a joyful smile and quietly moved to the centre of the floor. However, I had no intention of dancing in the first place.


    "I never danced any social dances."


    "How about we just imitate others?"


    "No! I don''t want to cling onto a guy!"


    When Taku took my hand and looked into my face, I was unable to match his gaze and averted my sight.


    Ahead of where I looked to, were Minute and Mami-san who stood in position that allowed them to easily protect the target. They were looking my way with expectation.


    Why did it turn out like this. I hope the escort target moves as soon as possible, I thought strongly.


    However, it wasn''t the escort target that made a move.


    "Yun!"


    "I know! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, speed!"


    We let go of each others'' hands and jumped in the opposite directions. I put an attack and speed enchant on Taku.


    We avoided the chandelier that fell right on us, but tension increased as the entire room''s lighting has decreased.


    I pulled out the ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ from the inventory and jumped in front of the blonde girl who was the escort target.


    Taku pulled out his weapon as well, he crossed swords with an NPC that appeared from the darkness and seemed to be an attacker.


    In addition to using the only long sword he brought because of the weapon limit, Taku also used his arm and kicks for fighting against human mob.


    I examined the dance venue with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ night vision ability and found two more attackers.


    One of them was suppressed on spot by Gantz who completely ignored damage he received because Minute devoted herself to healing him.


    The other one had his movements hindered by Kei''s shield as Mami-san dealt damage with magic attacks.


    Although I pulled out my bow, other NPCs who ran around in panic and members of our party got in the way of my shooting and I wasn''t quite able to release the arrow.


    In the middle of all this chaos, together with the blonde girl that was the escort target I escaped towards the wall and applied an enchant on us.


    "Enemies themselves aren''t too strong, are they? Heck, is there any point in me being here?"


    That was great news, but I felt it was too easy for the reward of 5 Quest Chips.


    Meanwhile, Gantz took down the first attacker.


    It would be nice if the other two were taken down just like that, I thought, but it wasn''t as easy.


    "¡ª¡ªKhh! Sorry, I let him past!"


    Kei yelled, and the black-dressed attacker headed towards us with a dagger raised up high.


    The reason the attacker passed by Kei, was because he threw a knife towards Mami for a diversion and Kei moved to stop that.


    "Yun! Be careful! Don''t let him get any closer!"


    Taku shouted while he himself was busy with restraining another enemy and was unable to move, Gantz who took down the first attacker was running towards me in order to assist but he wouldn''t make it in time.


    Now, it was just me between the incoming assailant and the blonde girl.


    "I guess I have no choice but to do it. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, speed!"


    I''ll somehow manage if it''s just one enemy. In worst case, I''ll earn time until Kei and Gantz catch up.


    Thinking so, I applied enchant on my self and aimed the ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿.


    Thanks to other NPCs moving from the assailant in order to escape, and him heading straight for us, it was easy to aim.


    In order to earn as much time as possible I prepared an arrow with ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ bad status synthesized into it, in order to make sure I hit, I tried waiting until the enemy is in the perfect position.


    However, he tried to jump over me and onto the escort target behind me, so I released the arrow while he was in mid-air.


    "¡ª¡ªHuhh?"


    A dumbfounded voice reached my ears, it took me a few seconds it was my own voice.


    The assailant received a paralysis arrow to the abdomen from a close range and instead of his movements stopping due to paralysis, it seemed like he was pulled back as he was blown away, spinning in the air.


    It was like he was hit by an invisible iron ball in mid-air, the sight left us astounded.


    After falling down, the enemy bent down and didn''t move even an inch.


    Then, Taku defeated his opponent and approached the assailant who was blown away from in front of me to confirm he was taken out.


    While I was astounded by what I did everyone gathered up and a piece of information appeared stating that the milady escort quest has been completed.


    And¡ª¡ª


    "...Yun. What did you do?"


    Taku stared at me intently, but I couldn''t answer his question as I myself didn''t know why did this happen.


    I intended to release the arrow normally...


    When I looked at the enemy who was blown away, I saw that part of his clothing was damaged and underneath there was chain armour protecting him, but it was not enough to stop the impact.


    However, it was a mystery why did the arrow produce such impact, so I ended up asking Taku.


    "How did this happen?"


    "No, don''t ask ME. We have to check for difference between your last attack and what you used so far."


    Taku muttered in amazement. In response I counted out differences one by one on my fingers.


    In the meantime, Mami-san was comforting Kei who was depressed by the fact he let the enemy pass by, Gantz and Minute were speaking with the milady NPC who was the escort''s target and a newly appeared nobleman NPC, doing the finishing touches for the quest.


    "There is a limit on my armour so I don''t have the usual DEX Bonus. I use the same ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ I always do, and the arrow I used was one with paralysis in it."


    "Your accessories?"


    "Other than the defence-focused ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ I have nothing that affects stats too much. And that ring won''t show any effect when the enemy is taken down before reaching me. For my Sense build, it''s ¡¾Bow¡¿, ¡¾Longbow¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿¡ª¡ª"Wait!"¡ª¡ªHm?"


    He interrupted me, so I stopped counting the differences on my fingers and wondered with puzzlement "is there something wrong with that?".


    "Yun, tell me what''s your Sense build right now."


    "Umm, it''s ¡¾Bow¡¿ ¡¾Longbow¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness¡¿ ¡¾See-Through¡¿ ¡¾Magic¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master¡¿ and ¡¾Physical Attack Increase¡¿. For the weapon I use my ¡¾Black Maiden''s Longbow¡¿ so I focused on the Senses boosting my bow... also, I picked ¡¾Dosing Master¡¿ to increase my DEX."


    "You... didn''t you think there''s something off with that build?"


    Told so by Taku, I thought about it and concluded.


    "Is there? Ah, you mean that almost all of it is focused on the Bow Sense?"


    "Not that. You have three bow Senses equipped, don''t you."


    So what? I asked, making Taku heave a tired sigh.


    I combined the ¡¾Longbow¡¿ and ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿ before and before I acquired ¡¾Magic Bow¡¿ I used to combine ¡¾Bow¡¿ and ¡¾Longbow¡¿. Did combining three of them at once really produce such a dramatic effect?


    "Yun, you might not remember, but there are secondary effects to these Senses aside from damage correction, aren''t there?"


    Hearing this, I vaguely recalled that indeed there was something like that.


    For example, players who used either ¡¾Sword¡¿ or ¡¾Smithing¡¿ Senses could deal damage with a sword.


    However, using the ¡¾Smithing¡¿ Sense only allowed the player to attack, and did not give him any corrections to using the weapon or Arts.


    And since the correction is set individually for each of these Senses, they sometimes overlapped.


    "There are cases where people hold multiple Senses of sword or spear types, but it''s my first time seeing someone who equipped three of the unpopular Bow Sense."


    "Meaning, what I did earlier was..."


    "The knock-back effect multiplied due to equipment of triple bow Senses. Adding to that, were ¡¾Physical Attack Increase¡¿ and enchant stat increase. Furthermore, the enemy was in short range and in mid-air..."


    Normally it would be impossible for someone to be blown away like he was hit by cannonball with just an arrow. I guess I should say "as expected of fantasy world"?


    I myself was surprised by the fact it by what happened because of the triple Bow Sense equipment, but the first words I spoke after hearing Taku''s conjecture were¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªI wasted a paralysis arrow."


    "That''s the thing that bothers you?!"


    "Arrows synthesized with bad status are valuable consumables. I wouldn''t have used one if I knew it''d be such an overkill..."


    Hearing my answer, Taku let out a sigh of exasperation.


    "This is a big opportunity to change the difficult-to-handle Bow Sense''s low-evaluation. How about you rejoice for this good news?"


    The enemy this time was a human NPC, but if it''s also effective against medium and large mobs, this will open new possibilities for the ¡¾Bow¡¿-type senses.


    However, since I was a crafter at the base, I wasn''t very interested in that.


    While we discussed what happened, Gantz and others finished the quest and we have gathered in front of NPCs who appeared to have something to say.


    "Looks like they will be talking about the next of the chain quest."


    The blonde Milady NPC and an aristocrat NPC that appeared to be her father spoke of the quest''s content.


    "The attackers this time appear to be fanatics who worship the devil. They attempted to kidnap my daughter who has noble blood in her in order to use her as a sacrifice for summoning the devil."


    "Looks like a quest to protect a single NPC escalated really quick, can I go home yet?"


    Honestly speaking, I had no intention of pursuing this quest any further. But, the aristocrat NPC continued.


    "There are fanatics still remaining in their hideout, they may aim to try kidnapping my daughter again in the future. Thus, I wish for you who have protected my daughter this time, go to their hideout and crush them!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾CQuest - Devil Cultists'' Hideout Destruction¡¿¡ª¡ª


    Enter the Devil Cultists'' Hideout. ¡ª¡ª 1/4


    This kind of big quest would be quite difficult. Moreover, they said it hasn''t been completed by anyone yet. I''m sure even without me participating, someone will eventually complete it. That''s how I felt.


    "Please, do your best for my daughter''s safety."


    Still, seeing as the aristocrat NPC lowered his head deeply, and of how a parent protecting his child feels, I had mixed feelings about this.


    The young butler NPC who had brought us here upon entering, had guided us to the exit this time.


    "Well then, I shall now give you all the belongings the attackers had with them. They might be a clue to finding their hideout."


    He said and each of us received a quest item: ¡¾Map to Devil Cultists'' Hideout¡¿.


    Then last, when the restriction on everyone''s equipment was cancelled and everyone returned to their winter clothes, the butler NPC spoke again.


    "The equipment you wore at the party venue is yours, you can take it back home."


    "No, I don''t need it!"


    My resistance was in vain, and against my will I received the ¡¾Pure Black Coordinated Dress¡¿ as one of the quest rewards.

 Chapter Volume 10 3

    After we cleared the quest we have undertaken, we have automatically received the next part of the chain quest.


    However, since I have reached 50 Quest Chips when completing this quest I had no need to continue questing. I did not, but...


    "This escort quest was a really valuable experience. Thanks guys, I''ll be go¡ª¡ª"Yun, let''s talk for a moment with everyone before you log out."¡ª¡ªTch, couldn''t get away, huh."


    I wanted to log out as naturally as possible and get back to my daily life, but Taku grasped my shoulder and stopped me from leaving.


    "I know that you have no intention of continuing this quest, Yun."


    "Then why do you stop me from leaving?"


    "Just think about this for a moment. Lots of players have attempted to finish this quest but didn''t manage, it''s very difficult and of course, the reward must be nice. Let''s talk about this taking that into the account."


    Standing in front of Taku, I focused on listening.


    "First, if you come with us you will receive a good amount of Quest Chips and items that suit the quest''s high difficulty."


    Taku opened his menu and has showed off the reward for the ¡¾CQuest - Devil Cultists'' Hideout Destruction¡¿ chain quest that we received.


    It was 20 Quest Chips for each party member and a mysterious reward displayed as ¡¾???¡¿.


    Not only the reward constituted of more Quest Chips than the multi-party raid quests did reward, the mysterious reward tickled a gamer''s heart enough to make them rush towards the quest''s completion.


    Continuing, Taku spoke of the less attractive conditions for the quest.


    "As for the demerits, it would be the high difficulty that will make us spend a fair amount of time to complete it."


    "In other words, if we challenge the quest and fail we will just waste time."


    Minute said, and Taku nodded in response.


    Certainly, no matter how special the reward is, if a quest takes an entire week of time not only we will not benefit from it, but be in the red. By gathering 3 Quest Chips a day, one could gather 21 chips within a week instead.


    Well, it all depends on the mysterious reward, but taking too long on one quest is still a big loss.


    "That''s why I want everyone to decide whether we use the limited amount of time we have to complete this quest."


    "Yeah! I want to try do this quest!"


    Gantz didn''t show any sign of thinking before approving the proposal to do the quest. While amazed by his reaction speed, Kei shared his opinion.


    "I''d like to continue this quest, too. However, is there any need to calculate like that? We can decide on a deadline, and stop the quest progress when we reach it in order to complete other quests we still haven''t done."


    What he said was very constructive, Minute and Mami-san agreed with him and approved.


    And then, Taku spoke to me next.


    "So, what about you, Yun?"


    "I''ll¡ª¡ª"


    I closed my eyes to think.


    At first I had no intention of continuing this quest, but I feel like trying since it''s a time-limited quest.


    Also, in order to craft Mega Potions and MP Pots for ¡¾Atelier¡¿ I need to increase the number of Mystic Medicinal Grass and Mystic Spirit Grass anyway.


    Well, Mixing-related quests from Obaba''s pharmacy and the errand quests around the town could be completed in fairly short amount of time anyway. Even if we don''t finish that quest, I already have enough Quest Chips too. There is no need to rush.


    "Fine, I''ll help out. However, if we get to a point where it''s clear we can''t finish the quest I will give up on it."


    "Great! It''s decided! Then let''s disband for today, we''ll challenge the quest starting tomorrow."


    I might have rushed the decision a little, I thought and logged out for the day.


    The next day¡ª¡ªI logged into OSO immediately after coming back from school and appeared in ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop, I slipped through the store part to the main street, aiming for a certain place.


    It was the church plaza, the one I have first met up with Myu and Sei-nee when OSO first started.


    Taku and the others were already there.


    "Sorry, am I late?"


    I opened the menu to check the time, but it appears I made it for the meeting time.


    "Hello, Yun-chan. It''s just everyone coming too early."


    Saying so, Minute greeted me with a smile.


    "Well then, let''s get on with the quest. We gathered some info from other players who tried to do it, first we''ll move to where the map quest item points to."


    Said Taku. Everyone looked at ¡¾Map to Devil Cultists'' Hideout¡¿, a place in the Northwest part of the First Town was marked on the simplified map.


    "Um... is this the place?"


    "Yeah."


    When we arrived at the place marked on the map, we saw a single mansion standing there.


    Although it was as big as the mansion of the Noble NPC client that we have entered for the first quest, it had a somewhat desolated atmosphere to it.


    The main gate was wide open, but the gathered players did not enter and instead, were exploring outside the mansion.


    "Hey, are they all...?"


    "They all probably are players who received the same quest, aren''t they? But it looks like they can''t enter the place itself."


    There were over six parties worth of players and all of them have desperately searched for a way to enter, but it didn''t seem like anyone managed to enter the ¡¾Devil Cultists'' Hideout¡¿.


    "What''s going on? This IS the location marked on the map, isn''t it?"


    "Well, it''s because the first part is "infiltrating the hideout". Items like these wouldn''t be necessary if it was so easy to enter."


    While Taku muttered those words, there were players in front of us who tried to climb the iron fence around the mansion to enter, but along with the sound of a bell they all stopped moving and fell down.


    Next, black-hooded NPCs who appeared to be Devil Cultists came out from hiding in order to carry the players and drop them outside the gate.


    That moment, the restriction on players was broken, they appeared quite frustrated.


    "If you make such open attempts or you''re found, a sound of bell rings out and players become unable to move and the quest is forcibly rendered as failed."


    "Can''t something be done about not being able to move, like making preparations against bad statuses?"


    "No. Apparently the only way to prevent that, is to defeat the cultists that ring the bell."


    "Then how do we beat those ringing cultists?"


    "No one knows where they are and our movement is sealed the moment we pass the iron fence."


    It''s a game, there must be a way to get past that, I thought when I heard that. Figuring out what I was thinking, Taku said.


    "When there''s a way for a country-saving hero to let himself be found trying to enter bandits'' den and surrender to let himself be brought into the den and locked in a cell, you don''t just go "cut them all down!", right?"


    "It''s as you say, sir."


    Hearing Taku say this, I reflexively imagined such strange action be taken by the green hero.


    Meanwhile, Gantz and others seemed amused by our conversation as I could hear their muffled laughter.


    "D-don''t laugh!"


    "Well, it seems like there are multiple ways to enter, let''s try them."


    In any case, we have to infiltrate the hideout first.


    "Based on how the quest appears to look like, it will be divided into several steps. Hideout infiltration, searching the hideout and probably boss battle. I guess it''ll take a day for each step."


    "Hmm..."


    I groaned while observing from afar as the players try to infiltrate the mansion.


    Basically, all the players who entered had their movement stopped by the sound of bell coming from the inside.


    Also, when the bell sounded at one of the players who tried to get past the iron fence, two other players dashed through the front gate. One of them was immediately stopped by the sound of bell, but the other seemed to have either ¡¾Concealment¡¿ or ¡¾Recognition Inhibition¡¿-type Sense or equipment as the bell sounded for him a bit slower.


    In other words, the bell sounded for each intruder separately and everyone only received the effect of their own bell.


    "So, how about we go look at the other infiltration routes? When we separated yesterday I came here and found several entrances."


    "What kind of places are they?"


    "While there are several, the one with the highest chance of success is a route connected to a dry well on the North side. It requires players to fight boss-level mobs one after another and leads to the hideout''s lower chambers."


    Nope. I thought when I heard this.


    Fighting boss-level monsters only scrapes away my spirit. I started searching for another method to avoid going through that.


    "When battling in the underground passage the bosses don''t revive, so even though it takes time to get past we will get to explore the hideout by tomorrow."


    "Taku, before that - can I try infiltrating from the front one time?"


    "If you''re found several times the quest is failed... so just once."


    Taku exchanged glances with Gantz and others, then agreed while giving a condition.


    "Thanks. If it doesn''t work, I''ll properly go with you on the other route."


    I said so, and while worried whether I''ll be able to get in with my own method I took out a white summoning stone.


    "Come, Ryui¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    Summoning the now adult Unicorn, Ryui, I stroked his back.


    Help me out a little, I said and took his reins while holding his body.


    Turning transparent along with Ryui''s body, I moved towards the mansion''s gate.


    Our party members quietly watched our actions while we maintained transparency.


    During the reveal, Ryui managed to deceive everyone''s eyes. It might work if it''s Ryui''s transparency skill, I thought as we slowly passed through the gate.


    When we were halfway to the mansion''s entrance¡ª¡ª


    ¡ª¡ª*RRRRINNGGGGG*!


    Hearing a clear sound of a bell I stopped in my tracks.


    Was I found? I panicked and nearly let go of my hand touching Ryui, but bearing it I took a look around.


    Then, I saw a Devil Cultist standing on the balcony of the mansion who was shaking a bell in a different direction to where I was. I see, so he''s watching from a high place and rings the bell the moment an intruder is found, huh?


    Understanding that the bell responded to another intruder, I started moving again for the time being.


    When I reached the entrance to the mansion and touched the door, it opened without me having to put much strength.


    Since it was in a blind spot when looking from a balcony, the cultist on it did not notice me opening the door.


    I had Ryui remove the transparency there.


    "...70% MP remaining, huh. There''s plenty to spare."


    I used an MP Potion just in case, recovering to max then once again had Ryui put transparency on us to return back to where Taku and others stood.


    "Looks like we can get in."


    Hearing me say so as if nothing happened, Taku stared at me intently.


    "Looks like...? Why do you have succeed so easily using the hardest route there is?"


    Taku said so with amazement and heaved a sigh, everyone else nodded in agreement.


    "W-well, just think that we''re one day ahead of the schedule."


    I looked away in order to avoid their stares.


    "But, what area can Ryui''s transparency cover? Can it include players other than you?"


    Kei pointed out, making everyone go "ah!".


    I wonder about that. Can Ryui''s transparency only cover me, the summoner? But it always includes Zakuro who is together with us, so the area of effect must be quite wide.


    "Mami-san, lend me your hand."


    "Y-yes!"


    I called Mami-san, who was the nearest person standing to me and held her hand, then touched Ryui with the other hand and asked him to activate the transparency.


    Starting with my hand touching Ryui, transparency slowly spread and covered both me and Mami-san.


    "So it''s possible to use it on multiple players."


    "Looks like it. But..."


    One thing that bothered me, was that the amount of MP consumed increases all at once.


    The MP that tamed mobs need in order to use their skills is being taken from the player who summons them. I measured the amount of MP consumed when I walked towards the entrance earlier, together with Mami-san I consumed far more MP as compared to that.


    "Minute, can you hold hands with Mami-san?"


    "Got it."


    When Minute held Mami-san''s transparent hand, she gradually turned transparent starting from her hand.


    However, that moment my MP consumption had further increased and before Minute completely disappeared, Ryui''s transparency was forcibly cancelled.


    "This is..."


    Kei muttered seeing what''s happening, so I explained.


    "The MP consumption increases when there''s more people."


    "Then movement towards the mansion''s entrance is..."


    "For a short amount of time I can take three people at once."


    During combat it doesn''t seem possible for three people to be hidden, but it should be all right if it''s just moving some distance.


    Hearing my conclusion, Gantz yelled.


    "GREAT! I''ll be holding hands with Yun-chan and Mami-san as we move onto the entran¡ª¡ª"Shut up there."¡ª¡ªGUEH?!"


    Minute thrust her mace at Gantz''s throat, forcibly silencing him and quickly took my hand, then held Gantz by his neck with her opposite hand.


    "Let''s go now."


    "Ah, yes."


    I lost out to the pressure Minute was giving off, after recovering my MP I asked Ryui to hide us and we moved to the entrance under transparency.


    The sight of Gantz being dragged on the cobblestone while transparent was quite surreal.


    After that, I left the two by the entrance and once again returned to the gate with Ryui.


    Next, I moved Mami-san and Kei. For the last round I walked together with Taku, and succeeded delivering everyone to the entrance.


    When I arrived by at the entrance together with Taku, the two of us holding hands, I felt quite bothered by Gantz and Minute''s gaze but decided to ignore it.


    ¡ñ


    "Sorry, Ryui. Looks like I can''t take you any further."


    Because of a system restriction middle-size tamed mobs could not be summoned inside the mansion.


    Thinking it must be because the action takes place in rooms, I returned Ryui to the summoning stone and entered the mansion.


    The moment I entered the doors of the mansion, the world changed along with the sound of my step.


    The world filled with sunlight disappeared and I entered a dim interior.


    "Ohhh, so that''s how it looks like inside the mansion, this sure will be a pain."


    Everyone was confused by the radical difference between the outside and the inside of the mansion, Gantz was the only one who cheerfully raised his voice as he inspected the entrance.


    The brightness of the outside and presence of people has disappeared, the incredible silence pained my ears.


    Darkness spread in the space outside the window, the light inside the mansion came from thin candlesticks set on the wall at even intervals. Candles'' flame was swaying unsteadily.


    "So this is Devil Cultists'' Hideout interior... seeing as the space changed between inside and the outside, I guess it''s treated as a dungeon?"


    Gantz muttered. His thinking was probably correct.


    We couldn''t feel any presence at all inside the mansion, aside from our own.


    "Hey, Taku. There should be other players who entered the mansion aside from us, why aren''t they here?"


    "Well, I guess each party has a separate instance for themselves? I didn''t hear anything about parties meeting inside."


    "I see, no wonder."


    Although the entrance route from the outside was shared, the inside of the mansion was on exclusive instance for each party.


    It might have been set this way in order to stop parties from getting in each other''s way, competing for items, dragging others into combat and other kinds of hindering each other.


    "Let''s gather hints and quest items around the mansion to progress with the quest... Everyone hide."


    I raised my head hearing Taku''s words, on top of the spiral staircase that stood in the center of the entrance hall stood a human figure.


    We hid under the stairs and behind pillars so that the presence on top of the stairs doesn''t find us.


    While everyone held their breath, a man wearing a black robe and holding a candlestick had only passed by on the second floor. It was probably just a patrol.


    Thanks to the night vision of ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I saw the face of the man, lit by the candlestick''s light his face was hideously altered.


    Moreover, his body visible over the robe had one arm hideously deformed and bloated, the man walked while dragging it behind himself.


    When the light above disappeared, everyone let out the air they were holding in.


    "Huff, to think that there are NPC-turned monsters in here..."


    "Hmm. They ARE called cultists, it wouldn''t be so strange if they had a devil ruling over them from behind, deforming them and making them into their puppets, right? Anyway, look at the quest description."


    Everyone checked their quest log in response to Taku''s words.


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾CQuest - Devil Worshippers'' Hideout Destruction¡¿¡ª¡ªExplore the Devil Cultists'' Hideout. ¡ª¡ª 2/4


    Gantz and others opened the menu and checked the status.


    Taku who had confirmed the quest details earlier turned towards us, seeking our opinion.


    "I think we should search rooms one by one."


    "Naw, it would be faster if we go after the patrolling NPC."


    Minute and Gantz shared their different ideas and looked into each others'' face.


    Then asked Taku for his opinion.


    ""Which plan do we choose?!""


    Their voice was quiet but powerful, I focused on watching the three.


    "Let''s see. Searching the rooms one by one like Minute says is a basic method, but this mansion is quite large so it will take some time. We might be able to narrow down the places we search to the important rooms by tailing the patrol, but the risk we''ll be found is high."


    Mentioning the good and bad sides of both strategies, Taku crossed his arms and sought opinion from Kei, who also took a similar pose.


    "What do you think, Kei?"


    "We can''t take too much time doing this but I think we need to get some grasp on the mansion''s structure since we''ll be fighting in here. That''s why, one day to search as many rooms as we can on the first floor, and tomorrow we will tail the patrolling NPC on the second floor, how about that? There is no need to risk being found right from the start."


    "Sounds reasonable. The first and second floors are probably similar so it will be easy to grasp the structure. I really don''t think we can just force our way forward that easily by stalking the NPC."


    Taku muttered. First, for the time being we started exploring the first floor of the mansion.


    On the second floor of the corridor that could be seen from the entrance we could occasionally see the deformed NPC holding a candlestick. Patrolling NPC on the first floor were not deformed, the patrols on the first floor were really bad, allowing us to easily avoid being found by hiding ourselves the moment we saw one.


    When we moved between the rooms, it was Gantz and me who were in front.


    "Hey, Taku? Why is it me and Gantz who are in front? I''m supposed to be rear guard."


    "In this party the only one who has Sense that can detect traps is you, Yun. Also, Gantz has the ¡¾Trap Disarm¡¿ Sense so the two of you make the best combination."


    Certainly I do have the ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense that allows me to find traps. Furthermore, in combination together with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ that granted night vision it was very suitable for searching the dim Mansion


    Still¡ª¡ª


    "You had the ¡¾Trap Disarm¡¿ Sense, Gantz?"


    "I got it after the fairy quest. As dungeon difficulty level increases, the trap difficulty increases as well and we could no longer rely on brute-force methods, and thus I got it."


    So that was the reason, I thought, but seeing as his ¡¾Trap Disarm¡¿ Sense had low level we couldn''t feel completely safe.


    I decided to focus on moving in a way to avoid traps, rather than let him disarm them.


    "Well, I''ll make a map as we explore."


    I took out the pen and paper I used when noting down ¡¾Mixing¡¿ combinations and started drawing schematics of the mansion as far as I could see around us.


    "Speaking of which, Yun-chan, didn''t you draw a map before during the fairy quest?"


    Gantz muttered, he seemed to remember that I made a map when we were doing fairy quest.


    "If we have data on the entire mansion''s structure we might be able to find something out."


    I said and I drew the entrance to the mansion and the passage we were in.


    "It will be easier to check things later, it''s all up to you, Yun."


    Told so by Taku, I continued along with Gantz along the passage and found several traps.


    "Clapper, alarm, a pitfall, hypnotic gas. There''s lots of traps that hinder players'' action and alert the NPCs."


    Walking through the corridor we searched the rooms we could enter. Although most of the rooms on the first floor appeared open, they had traps set up hindering us from entering.


    When we investigated these traps we noticed that they were easy traps that could be found even without any Senses. We either disarmed or avoided them as we searched the mansion and we found items, potions, consumables and gold that served as secondary rewards.


    And when we finally found the only locked room¡ª¡ª


    "There''re weapons here, too... but are they made from gold?"


    Inside a clean room Gantz had opened with his low-level ¡¾Trap Disarm¡¿''s ¡¶Unlock¡· skill we found lined up wooden boxes. Stored inside them, were weapons made of gold that weren''t fit for actual use.


    Moreover, there were few dozens of them with enough weapon types to equip the entire party.


    Golden weapons couldn''t be used in actual combat, but they could be crushed and remade into Gold Ingots for which we could earn money. Well, personally there were no items that caught my attention, but...


    "This feels kind of artificial. I''ll take two long swords for now."


    Said Taku and pulled out two rich-looking swords.


    Minute took a mace with a jewel embedded into it, Mami-san - a gold-plated staff. Kei reluctantly picked up a golden armor, shield and long sword making him a possessor of the most shiny equipment.


    "And Gantz''s equipment is..."


    "I don''t actually need any equipment since I''m a martial artist who fights with bare hands."


    "Then what''s left are metal spears, arrows and throwing knives."


    I put those distasteful items into my inventory, planning to remake them into ingots later.


    We searched for other places on the first floor but we haven''t found any room or item that seemed like our goal, instead, we found something interesting.


    "So this is where the infiltration route leads."


    We found a basement that was connected to a cellar with wine, when we descended it we found that it connected the mansion with the dried-up well.


    Since I was wary of the consecutive boss battles I couldn''t check the inside of the underpass with my Senses, so Taku and Gantz got down there directly but there were no mobs at all inside.


    "Looks like once you infiltrate the hideout once, all other routes are opened."


    "That''s great, we won''t have to cautiously leave this place through the main entrance."


    Seeing me relieved that we won''t have to leave through the front, everyone smiled wryly.


    During the search of the first floor we found a few other infiltration routes, but nothing that would seem like quest''s key items.


    "We''ve checked the entire first floor, but it really feels like a reward for players who have cleared the quest up to this point. I guess the real thing starts on the second floor."


    Everyone nodded in response to Taku''s words, we took a step forward¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªOh, it''s dinner time."


    The alarm I set up in my menu reminded me of the time, everyone else also realized it was already evening.


    I logged into OSO as soon as I came back from school and we''ve been searching for about two hours. If I stay logged in any longer Myu would probably complain that dinner''s late.


    "Certainly, it''s good time to take a break."


    "True. Let''s leave through the well for the time being."


    Kei and Mami-san agreed that it''s about time for a break. With the search of the first floor complete, we escaped the mansion.


    When we climbed up the rope ladder hanging inside the dry well we saw players line up to infiltrate the hideout, we were also welcomed by evening sun and cold wind.


    "So what do we do about continuation? We gather later in the evening?"


    Taku brought up the topic of plans for doing next part of the quest, but Minute answered apologetically.


    "Sorry, I don''t have time this evening. How about tomorrow evening?"


    "What about everyone else?"


    Taku confirmed the schedule with everyone and logged out.


    After logging out, Myu and I shared information on our current situation as we ate dinner.


    "Hee, so you cleared the bodyguard quest in that mansion, Onii-chan."


    "Yeah, and then continuing I ended up helping out with hideout destruction chain quest."


    While explaining to Myu what happened, I extended my chopsticks towards food. For dinner I prepared chicken wings and boiled eggs with vinegar, oil and sugar, simmered with ginger and vegetables, as well as miso soup.


    Chicken wings I simmered inside pressure cooker were soft and giggly, the taste permeated well and it was delicious.


    Thinking of which, OSO has an item similar to ginger so it might be possible to reproduce this dish with Cockatrice''s meat. While I thought so, Myu took a strong interest in the quest.


    "Hee, so you undertook that quest too. Apparently it''s an incomplete quest, how does it look like?"


    "Well, it''s a quest you can''t complete just by brute force. The main entrance has high security, but aside from that one there are other special ways to infiltrate. The route through dry well forces you to beat multiple bosses one after another. Though, once you enter the mansion once all other routes open up for you, until then it''s kinda harsh. Also, there''s a malformed NPC patrolling the inside of the mansion."


    "Hm-mm. Then I''m sure Tobi-chan would play a huge role for our party!"


    Although in Taku''s party it was Gantz who played the scout''s role, he just barely started leveling up Senses related to scouting and was inexperienced.


    "I heard lots about that quest, too. If I''m not wrong, someone said that you can''t kill the patrolling NPC inside the mansion."


    "What I heard was that once you''re found several times, the quest is forcibly labeled as failed."


    "Information I have was something I heard just a while ago. The patrolling NPC is fairly strong and can''t be beaten alone, it takes quite some time to beat one. Meanwhile other NPCs gather and once there''s a certain number of them, players have their movements forcibly restrained and are thrown out of the mansion."


    "Does that mean the same kind of bell as the one outside is used? If that''s the case, it''s definitely forbidden to force your way through. Still, if you have more than one chance it''s probably not that bad?"


    "If it was possible, I''d love to rampage around inside that mansion!"


    Does she mean, that kind of scene? Slashing enemies on top of the spiral stairs and have their bodies roll down? I wondered as I listened to her.


    "Well, we''ll proceed cautiously and avoid using force."


    "Do your best, Onii-chan. I''ll be going with Sei-oneechan''s ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ to beat the raid quest!"


    Apparently, they''re preparing meat for the party that''s to be held in ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ guild home in a few days.


    The dinner ended as we talked like that, Myu sipped some tea after eating and I washed dishes.


    As we spend the after-dinner time in silence, Myu suddenly muttered as if recalling something.


    "By the way... I heard that once you finish that bodyguard quest you receive a party dress¡ª¡ª"All right, let''s prepare the bath!"¡ª¡ªHey, Onii-chan?!"


    I overlapped my voice over Myu''s mutter and quickly headed to the bath after finishing the dish washing.


    I heard her voice calling me from the living room, but I decided to ignore it.


    ¡ñ


    I took a bath, then during the little time I had before going to sleep I logged into OSO and did some crafting inside ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Sorting today''s spoils, I took the golden items aside from Golden Arrows and melted them in the Magical Furnace to return them back to Gold Ingots.


    The workshop at night was lit up by light spilling out from flames of a lantern and a Magical Furnace.


    I poured the melted gold into a forms for ingots, then once they cooled down a little I removed the forms and struck the surface with black iron hammer.


    The impurities surfaced and a high-purity ingot was crafted.


    "Phew, I guess it''s something like this?"


    After I finished processing golden weapons other than arrows, I had a stack of Gold Ingots on the table.


    "So, what do I do with this? It''s pure gold, maybe I should use it for alchemy instead of accessories?"


    Happy that I got some materials I made a loose smile and picked up the ingots. That moment¡ª¡ª


    A knocking sound came from the store part of ¡¾Atelier¡¿, making me stop working.


    "W-what is it?!"


    I turned towards the store with an anxious expression on my face. Hearing a knocking sound again my body twitched.


    Neither Ryui nor Zakuro were summoned now and Kyouko-san had closed the store and left long ago. I wasn''t waiting for anyone either.


    Feeling like I was in some kind of horror movie, I fearfully checked the inside of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and saw a shadow by the closed doors, the shadow knocked on the door time after time.


    I entered the store while making sure not to make any sound. Probably because of ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿, or maybe because of the horror atmosphere, I felt a chill on my back and trembled slightly. Moving to the doors, I fearfully opened them.


    When I did, standing there was¡ª¡ª


    "Brrr, so cold! Can I enter?"


    "Huh, so it''s you, Taku. Don''t scare me. You should have called or messaged if you''re coming."


    "I did call you when you logged in, it was you who didn''t pick up."


    "Eh, seriously?!"


    I hurriedly opened the menu when Taku refuted and indeed, there was a message from him.


    When it came, I was concentrating on remaking golden weapons into ingots and didn''t notice.


    "Sorry, I didn''t notice. So, you need something?"


    "Well, it''s not on the level of "need", I have some spare time now and wondered if you''d go with me to gather some materials for simple delivery quests."


    "Haa, if you''re that desperate I''ll just share with you some materials I have."


    I said and guided Taku inside ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Since the oven''s and stove''s flames weren''t lit I guided Taku inside the still-warm workshop and prepared tea.


    "C''mon, drink this, it will warm you up."


    "Oh, is this a ¡¾Hot Drink¡¿? It gives ¡¾Cold Resistance¡¿ when drank, right. Thanks."


    I looked as Taku drank the slightly spicy drink made from grated Hakuga Roots and sweetened with honey to make it easier to drink, then raised cup of my own to my mouth.


    "So? What kind of materials do you need? Mob''s drop material? Or maybe some ore-type?"


    "Nah, I wanted some herbs. I thought you could help me out gathering them since you know where the collection points are."


    He said and opened the menu to show me the list of quests he accepted. They were the quests I already finished.


    I opened the item box that was ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s item storage and took out the necessary items, then passed them to Taku through trade.


    He put in 100k into the trade window, but I refused that.


    "These materials aren''t worth this much, drop the 100k."


    "It''s my thanks. And I''ll get 3 Quest Chips when I clear this quest, too. Thinking of the time expanse, this is a fitting price, right?"


    Since one Quest Chip was worth 30k I was talked into accepting the money by Taku and the trade was established.


    Afterwards, Taku who was looking around the workshop with interest had found the ingots placed a table.


    "Hey, Yun. Are those Gold Ingots...?"


    "I made them from the weapons we found in ¡¾Devil Cultists'' Hideout¡¿ today. But seriously, this is really lots of gold. I wonder if there''s some meaning behind this."


    "I don''t know either, but since there was a lock on that room it''s possible that there''s some meaning behind it. Among the new info, there''s some saying that it''s best to completely avoid fighting against the mansion''s NPCs."


    "I heard of it from Myu. I''m wondering how are we supposed to search that mansion to have the quest continue."


    As I said "search" I was struck by how vague it is, I had no idea what should we do.


    "For the time being we should search the second floor, maybe we''ll get some quest items. Could you show me the map you drew?"


    Requested by Taku, I took out the schematics of the first floor that I made today.


    With the entrance as the center, there were lots of small rooms on the left side and big rooms such as the dining room and kitchen on the right side.


    "If the second floor''s structure is similar to the first floor, I guess the quest''s goal would be the right side of the second floor?"


    "Well, thinking of this with gaming logic, yeah. A large room is necessary for a boss battle."


    I voiced my realistic opinion as I looked down at the schematics together with Taku.


    "Also, this isn''t certain info but when you''re found by the enemy NPC, he calls others from all over the mansion. You need to either beat him before he calls others, or restrain him so that he can''t call them."


    Taku said, making me put a hand on my chin and think.


    In that case, I probably should prepare ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ bad status inducing potions. I thought and moved to the item box in order to take out necessary items, but my hand stopped in the middle of it.


    "Oh, bow isn''t fit for fighting inside the mansion, so maybe I should prepare another way to fight. Maybe I should make something for Gantz to use."


    Managing my longbow inside a narrow passage is difficult. In which case, in order to make some items for Gantz to use with his ¡¾Throw¡¿ Sense, I took out Iron Ingots this time.


    Then putting them into Magical Furnace I melted them in order to make several dozen of throwing needles.


    Next, I synthesized those needles with bad status potions and made new items named ¡¾Iron Sleeping Needle¡¿ and ¡¾Iron Stun Needle¡¿.


    On a side note, if you ever wonder why didn''t I make them from a Silver Ingot, it''s because synthesizing silver with bad status potions causes the silver to turn dark and the attack power drops drastically.


    Silver weapons have a bonus against undead mobs, but on the downside, it was very weak against poison and their compatibility excludes the mix.


    In any case, I ended up engrossed in making the two types of throwing needles.


    "Yun, you sure make interesting stuff."


    "Ah! Sorry Taku, I forgot all about you."


    I completely forgot Taku was there as I focused on making items.


    Finding that interesting, Taku chuckled.


    "Naw, I just thought that you''re really lively like that. I''m glad I got to see a rare side of you like that."


    Told so by him, I averted my sight diagonally downwards in embarrassment.


    "You won''t get anything out of me by flattery."


    "I just said what I thought."


    As if to escape from Taku''s gaze, I forcibly passed half of the throwing needles I made to Taku.


    "I''ll take half with me, you take the other half."


    "Got it."


    Said Taku and put the throwing needles in his inventory, then suddenly made a serious expression and spoke again.


    "I see you aren''t scared during this quest."


    "Huh? Why would I be scared?"


    Not understanding what he said, I made a inquired back.


    "You''re quite bad with horrors, dark places and such, right? That''s why although I invited you, I wasn''t sure myself if ¡¾Devil Cultists'' Hideout Destruction¡¿ isn''t too much for you. I''m glad you''re all right."


    "You''re misunderstanding something, Taku. It''s not like I''m bad with all kinds of dark places and horrors."


    Although others think that I''m reluctant to play horror games and watch movies because I''m bad with all kinds of horror stuff, but that wasn''t the case.


    "This quest doesn''t feel much like horror to me. It might be dark inside the mansion, but there''s no ghosts and the monster who''s patrolling isn''t much different from the mobs I''m usually fighting."


    "Then, what''s your distinction criteria for what''s horror and what is not?"


    Questioned, I put a hand on my chin to think. I haven''t thought about this well before, but most likely the difference whether it''s acceptable to me or not is¡ª¡ª


    "This time''s deformed NPC is a monster type and a mutant kind so it''s okay. On the other hand, even a normal NPC would probably be worse if it was a malicious murderer. Also other stuff you know I''m bad with."


    "So zombie and spirit types are out, huh? Also, you couldn''t stand meat walls so you''re bad with guro, too."


    "Yup, yeah. Those kind of things."


    Things that can be categorized as SF which was monsters and mutant types made me think rather than scare me, so I quite enjoyed those.


    On the contrary, zombies, spirits and guro roused instinctive fear in me so I was bad with those. Also, I was bad with sudden surprises, they were bad for my heart.


    "Yun, you cut meat as you cook and yet you''re bad with guro..."


    "Stop, don''t make me think about it. What if I turn unable to cook starting from tomorrow?"


    Hearing Taku''s mutter I protested with all my might, making him let out throaty laughter.


    "Sorry, sorry. Still, I''m quite surprised to know something new about my childhood friend."


    "Of course there''ll be things you don''t know. Sometimes I''m even surprised at myself."


    While at first I was invited to play OSO by Myu and Taku so that I can meet Sei-nee, I never thought I would get so serious about playing it.


    I thought so but didn''t say it, meanwhile Taku shrugged and said "I guess you''re right".


    "Well, I''m relieved to hear that you won''t suddenly panic during this quest."


    "Hmm? Did you come to the store at a time like this so that you can confirm that?"


    You could just ask about it tomorrow in school, I thought, but was a little happy for his consideration.


    "All right Taku, see you tomorrow I guess?"


    "See you tomorrow too, you mean. I wouldn''t mind at all if you joined our party, Yun."


    "Not happening. I like to play at my pace by myself."


    Joking around, we bumped our fists and laughed.


    That day both Taku and I logged soon after, but I felt like I received some motivation for tomorrow''s quest.

 Chapter Volume 10 4

    The next day, we have gathered in front of ¡¾Devil Cultists'' Hideout¡¿ and then infiltrated the mansion through the dry well.


    "All right. Today we''ll investigate the second floor, do your best Yun, Gantz."


    "Gantz, I made these thinking you might be able to use them, what do you think?"


    "What is it? A present from you, Yun-chan¡­ hm?"


    What I passed to Gantz, were two types of metal throwing needles.


    He stiffened as he looked at them, meanwhile, Minute peeked in from the side¡ª¡ª


    "This is¡­ I see, Yun-chan wants Gantz to swallow these and shut up once and for all, huh."


    "That''s a roundabout way of telling me to kill myself, isn''t it?!"


    "Uh, no. Gantz has a ¡¾Throwing¡¿-type Sense so I thought he could use these needles that were synthesized with ¡¾Sleep¡¿ or ¡¾Stun¡¿ bad statuses in order to render the patrolling NPC harmless."


    Right now the ¡¾Throwing¡¿ Sense has been integrated into his ¡¾Martial Arts¡¿ Sense, but the original throwing ability correction should have been inherited by the new Sense.


    The needles that I passed to him had each been synthesized with powerful ¡¾Sleep¡¿ or ¡¾Stun¡¿ bad status. In case the enemy does not have resistance to bad status, they should be unable to move for approximately 20 seconds.


    Gantz pulled out several iron needles from the bundle and put them between fingers of his main hand, then snapping his wrist he threw them at the wall.


    Soundlessly, the needles pierced slightly into the wall.


    "Ohh, looks like using these fulfilled requirements for a new martial arts skill."


    "SERIOUSLY?! What kind of requirement is that?!"


    "Well, it''s not a pure martial arts skill though, it''s weapon martial art skill. It''s name is ¡¶Needle Strike¡·. You receive the skill when using your martial arts and delivering piercing damage with an expendable weapon, it says, huh."


    "Why the poor reaction, Gantz? You get a free long-ranged skill, you profit right?"


    "I already have the Strike and Flying Kick skills for ranged attacks so I''m not sure how should I react for this one."


    "Well, with this you''ll maybe pass some other skills'' requirement."


    Said Taku, and this conversation was over.


    We climbed the spiral staircase near the entrance on the first floor and finally proceeded with the second floor''s investigation.


    "As we thought, there''s more patrols on the second floor than there was on the first one."


    While Taku muttered quietly, ahead of his line of sight was the deformed Devil Cultist NPC holding a candlestick, who was walking around the mansion. Because of the large number of patrols, the interval between their loops was quite short, we realized that soon after our six member party started moving.


    "First of all, Yun, Gantz, could you find us a safe zone?"


    "All right, let''s make some room our base of operations and then slowly progress."


    Moving ahead, Gantz and I searched for a safe place.


    As we avoided traps with my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense, we arrived to the left wing, the room closest to the staircase at the entrance.


    After I confirmed together with Gantz that the room is safe, we gave a signal to Taku and the others who were waiting on the floor below and we all slipped into the room.


    "We''ll make this room our base and investigate the second floor, but first let''s investigate this room itself."


    The two of us scouts listened to what Taku had to say and then once again started searching inside the room.


    There were no items or quest information inside the room, but the furniture and such were much more luxurious as compared to the rooms on the first floor.


    "Maybe the setting is that the first floor is servants'' residence area and workplaces whereas the second floor is used by the owners?"


    "In that case, based on the floor plan there should be a wide space on the right wing, like a dance hall."


    hearing Mami-san''s impression I responded by taking a look at the floor plan I drew myself.


    By the way, the patrolling NPCs were turning clockwise inside this mansion so it would be difficult to go directly to the room on the right since it''s going against the flow of the patrols.


    Therefore we also should move clockwise and collect quest hints along the way. Is what I thought.


    "So there''s nothing here, huh. Let''s have Yun and Gantz investigate the next room then."


    "Leave it to us!"


    Gantz''s usual lively reply made me uneasy as I listened to the footsteps of the patrolling NPC who passed by, after which I sneaked out into the hallway.


    Moving as not to be noticed by the patrols we checked one room after another, but there were much more locked rooms than there was on the first floor.


    Gantz stopped in front of one of the locked rooms.


    "Can you wait a moment, Yun-chan? I want to try something."


    "What is it?"


    "An idea flashed in my head, just like it happened for you yesterday."


    As he said that, Gantz knelt in front the door to confirm there was no trap on it.


    While I wondered what is he going to do, Gantz took out one of the iron throwing needles I made and twisted it by force.


    Yesterday Gantz had a low success rate with his ¡¶Unlock¡· skill, but by making a picking tool out of a bent metal needle he seemed to intend on opening the lock with it.


    Although he stubbornly challenged the lock, his ¡¾Trap Disarm¡¿ Sense wasn''t too high so he had a hard time succeeding with a tool he made on spot.


    Moreover he was working on a small keyhole inside a dim hallway, with not much more than the tactile feedback to go by.


    "It feels like it''s going to work¡­"


    "No, it''s taking a lot of time. Let''s return to Taku and others, then look for another¡­"


    Safe room, is what I was about to say when I noticed a light of a candle extending towards us.


    We had to hurry back to the room we were in earlier.


    However, if we didn''t make it in fast enough, the patrolling NPC might see that we entered the room. If that happens, the rest of the party inside the room won''t be able to escape and we will have to fight NPCs that come one after another.


    "Gantz, give up! We''ll come again!"


    "Just a little more¡­"


    Maybe because he felt a good response from the lock, but Gantz wouldn''t move away from the door even as I pat his shoulder.


    Filled with tension on the thought we''ll be found, I planned countermeasures just in case.


    Finish off the patrol NPC? No, these NPCs are quite strong and we could at most stop him in his tracks, if we attack and he calls for additional support we''ll be in trouble.


    In such case we should temporarily hide in the nearest empty room before joining up with Taku.


    Or maybe look for one of the pitfall traps there are in the mansion and let ourselves fall onto the first floor, then run away?


    Various thoughts passed through my head while the patrolling NPC has approached, but we could do nothing as long as Gantz didn''t move from that place.


    He was still concentrating on the door, so I resolved myself to believe in him.


    And¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"YOU, who are you!"¡»


    The deformed NPC''s filthy voice sounded and from under the robe he pulled out a slender knife that didn''t match him.


    When the NPC passed by the room Taku and others were waiting in¡ª¡ªhe suddenly collapsed to the side.


    "Heey, what are you letting yourself be found, you two."


    Taku, who was supposed to be waiting inside of the room was standing disgruntled behind the fallen NPC.


    An instant later, Gantz successfully picked the lock and the door was opened along with a loud sound.


    "Let''s check out this room for now!"


    "We''re going in before the NPC wakes up."


    Called in by Taku, Kei and others came out of the room they were waiting in and moved to enter the room Gantz was opening. Meanwhile I took a look at the fallen NPC.


    Stuck into the robe on his back there were four iron needles, I realized they were the throwing needles I synthesized with bad status and passed to Taku.


    In our party Gantz was the only one with ¡¾Throwing¡¿ Sense and could deal damage by throwing things, but even though Taku didn''t have a Sense allowing him to deal damage the needles'' synthesized effect was still properly applied.


    After confirming that, I slipped into the room after Taku and others.


    Then I stuck close to the door in order to listen to what''s going on the corridor. The NPC who was deprived of consciousness by Taku was woke up probably by another NPC, and started to move.


    "Seems like he slept for quite a while."


    "They were throwing needles with ¡¾Sleep 2¡¿ right? It seems like the effect is multiplied if you use multiple needles, and the NPCs bad status resistance might have been adjusted quite low."


    While the strength of the patrols was set quite high, on the contrary, their bad status resistance was set extremely low. Taku shared his opinion.


    It appeared that the NPC beyond the door was thought to have suddenly fallen asleep as a side-effect of deformation and his memory before losing consciousness was a mess.


    However, there was a more important problem than that.


    "Gantz, why did you risk like that?! You were nearly found!"


    If Taku didn''t find a good moment to put the NPC to sleep there was a possibility we would be surrounded by other NPCs that he called.


    Minute got furious at Gantz for doing that, in response Gantz scratched the back of his head along with a dry laughter.


    "No, you''re right. But it would be easier to hide while moving around if we have more safety rooms. So I thought we could make one as close as possible¡­ ahaha."


    He said apologetically and laughed, making me and Minute appalled and giving up.


    Since he did think about the party as he did that, we couldn''t blame him too strongly.


    "Well, we''re in, so might as well start by investigating this room before moving on."


    Hearing Kei speak up we started moving to explore the room.


    We already confirmed there was no trap on the door, but we had to be careful while investigating as there could be one inside the room.


    However, instead of a trap, we found some equipment that was quite valuable as compared to yesterday''s accessories.


    "These accessories look quite usable. We''ll split them once we''re done with the quest. What do we do now, then?"


    I spread out the floor plan on a suitable table and mapped the route we have moved and the doors we have checked, then had everyone look at it.


    "Since Gantz can open doors, do we investigate the nearby closed doors?"


    Taku nodded in response to Kei''s question and glanced at Gantz.


    "I guess we should. Though, we''ll have Minute go with the two this time to keep Gantz in check."


    He instructed Minute, who nodded in response.


    Just earlier I thought with regret that if I stopped Gantz unreasonable actions I could reduce the risk of being found, but now I was relieved to hear that Minute will be there to hold his reins.


    When the next patrolling NPC passed by the door of the room we were in, the three of us quickly moved into the corridor and started unlocking the nearest door.


    As it was his second time and thanks to familiarity and system''s support from leveling up, Gantz was able to open up the lock faster than before.


    That room, was the room next to the room with a balcony that overlooked the entrance and where a Devil Cultist NPC was overlooking the surroundings. There was a hole in the wall and a wallpaper thanks to which we could peek into the next room.


    Gantz and I peeked into the hole while everyone else eavesdropped through the wall. We were able to hear the conversation the guard NPC''s conversation with a patrol NPC.


    ¡º"I gained this appearance THANKS to FOUNDER''S power, but still DON''T feel I''m in perfect condition. My memory feels TURBID at times."¡»


    ¡º"According to the founder, you will eventually accustom to the power. Still, don''t force yourself too much."¡»


    ¡º"I KNOW. HOWEVER, we have to be on full guard to succeed in COMMENCING the next devil summoning ritual. Anyway, are there any ANOMALIES here?"¡»


    ¡º"No, from time to time there are some humans sniffing out around here, but we render them unable to move with this ¡¾Binding Bell¡¿ and throw them out."¡»


    The guard NPC said that and pulled on the decorative cord linking two bells. That appeared to be the bell preventing everyone''s entrance.


    After that, the two cultist NPCs had a short conversation about work before returning to their respective duties.


    We saw them off and then looked at each other.


    "The quest has progressed. The conversation just now must have included the minimum necessary information for the objective to be completed."


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾CQuest - Devil Cultists'' Hideout Destruction¡¿¡ª¡ª


    Intrude upon the devil summoning''s ritual site ¡ª¡ª 3£¯4


    The only fresh information for the progressed quest was the location of the devil summoning, we still hadn''t enough info.


    Taku seemed to think so as well, as he looked at everyone and spoke again.


    "Personally, I think we should first gather information on the devil summoning ritual they are about to do."


    "That''s fine I guess? There''s still plenty of rooms we still haven''t checked."


    I answered with a light tone, everyone else also agreed on gathering information about the ritual.


    Afterwards, we went around opening doors while being careful not to be found by the patrols. And the result¡ª¡ª


    ?The devil summoning ritual involved summoning a devil''s spirit into an object representing it and possessing it.


    ?The deformed NPCs are possessed by the lowest level of devil spirits.


    Was that we acquired these two new pieces of information.


    However, what we were looking for was a method to disturb the ritual and a method for extracting the devil spirits possessing the deformed NPCs. We had yet to find any information about enemy''s weaknesses.


    Then once again, in order to collect further information, me, Gantz and Minute moved ahead. The moment Gantz unlocked the room''s door, an alarm sounded all over the entire mansion.


    Hearing the high-pitched artificial sound we reflexively moved away from the door. Minute looked at Gantz.


    "Gantz, did you miss a trap?"


    "I don''t think so, Minute. I checked it too. In any case, let''s go back to where Taku and others are right now."


    Gantz himself thought he was the one who caused the alarm to go off and unexpectedly paled.


    We quickly returned back to the room everyone was waiting in and waited for the alarm to stop ringing, but there was no sign of that happening.


    Gantz who was listening to what''s happening beyond the door relayed what''s happening outside.


    "...It kinda looks like they''re searching rooms one by one, there''s the sound of doors opening and footsteps sound of several people."


    "Haah, to think there was a trap like that¡­"


    Taku held his forehead and sighed, making me inquire.


    "Got any idea what''s this about, Taku?"


    "We opened a lot of rooms to gather information, but there was a mechanism that made the alarm sound if a certain number of doors is unlocked."


    A mechanic that kills everyone on the first time, Taku said.


    Meanwhile, Gantz listening to the situation in the corridor said that the NPCs were gradually getting close to the room.


    Resolving himself when hearing Gantz''s report, Taku scowled and took out an item from his inventory.


    It was a reward for the quest we have completed in First Town''s library''s basement.


    An item said to be the treasure of knowledge¡ª¡ª¡¾Oracle Orb¡¿.


    Taku pulled out an item that gave hints when questioned and asked a question.


    "¡ª¡ª¡ºTell me how do we get out of this pinch!¡»"


    It was the first time I saw ¡¾Oracle Orb¡¿ being used, the shining orb turned into particles of light and responded mechanically.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªEscape is in the corridor''s dead-end."¡»


    With just those words, the particles of light disappeared leaving us astounded at the sight.


    "Yun, show me the plan!"


    "G-got it!"


    I spread out the hand-drawn plan, showing it to Taku.


    Surrounding the plan we compared the first and second floor''s plans to find the location specified by the hint.


    It was a dead end behind a crossing to the right outside of this room.


    "At this rate we''ll be found. Let''s go to the hallway and head to the dead-end!"


    Everyone nodded hearing Taku''s instructions and prepared in front the door.


    Then at Gantz''s signal we all ran outside.


    ¡º"YOU, where did you come FROM?!"¡»


    One deformed NPC has approached us, but the moment we leaped out of the room Gantz had thrown the throwing needles to buy us some time so that we could run down the corridor.


    At the crossing we looked to the sides, the left side led to the veranda and on the right there was a big door that was guarded by two deformed NPCs.


    The two NPCs who were on alert had come running in haste when they saw us.


    "As if we''d let ourselves get caught! ¡ª¡ª¡¾Clay Shield¡¿!"


    When we reached the dead end of the corridor I turned around and spread Magic Gems to create a triple earthen wall that would stop the NPCs.


    Although the NPCs were blocked by the wall, we could immediately hear the sound of the wall being shaved off from the other side. We were completely driven into a corner.


    With the ¡¾Oracle Orb¡¿''s hint to go by we desperately searched the spot.


    "Found something?! Anything?!"


    Taku looked around the dead-end but it was an empty space just like it was on the first floor.


    However, what if there was a meaning behind this empty space?


    I took out the plan I drew and compared the space with the first floor''s plan.


    By counting steps I compared it to the first floor and found out it was slightly shorter.


    And when I focused on it, I felt a slight, tiny response from my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense.


    "Over here, Taku! There''s space behind this wall!"


    "Here¡­? This wall?! But how do we enter it?!"


    Knocking on the wall I pointed to, Taku ascertained there was a difference in the sound, but we didn''t know how to enter it.


    "Taku! Try asking the ¡¾Oracle Orb¡¿ one more time!"


    Kei delivered a body blow to the wall and raised his voice. Taku tried pushing against the wall the same way and also replied loudly.


    "I only had one of those!"


    Gantz examined the wall with the assistance of his ¡¾Trap Disarm¡¿ Sense but couldn''t find anything.


    While we grew impatient because of the sound of the wall behind us being brought down, Minute, Mami-san and I moved away from the other three and looked for something else. That''s when Mami-san found something.


    "Hm¡­? Something''s weird."


    She pointed with her finger towards the candlesticks arranged at even intervals in the hallway. For some reason just one of them was turned around 90¡ã and pointed horizontally.


    I carefully touched the candlestick and turned it back to the correct position.


    When I did¡ª¡ªalong with a clicking sound, the wall Taku and others were pressing against had turned to the side.


    "It opened! Everyone jump in!"


    Taku jumped into the hidden door without checking whether there''s any trap inside, Gantz, Kei and others followed him.


    This wall looks like a ninja mansion''s hidden door, I thought as I entered the passage together with Minute and Mami-san. The wall turned completely and returned to its original state.


    After that I heard another clicking sound and the wall had affixed itself in place.


    At the same time on the other side of the wall, the enemy NPCs destroyed the wall made from Magic Gems and searched the dead-end, but soon enough I could hear their footsteps as they left.


    ¡ñ


    "Phew, that was close. Who the heck was it that thought up of a trap that rings the alarm when you open too many doors."


    "That''d be OSO''s development team. Haah, kill on first look joke, huh."


    Hearing an exchange of words between Gantz and Minute after we somehow slipped away from the NPCs I put up a weak, bitter smile.


    When we calmed down a little, we found a crystal ball that worked as a viewing hole that allowed us to look what''s going on outside and confirmed there was no enemy that followed us. The alarm also stopped ringing.


    "I guess we''re safe for now."


    I muttered that, and with the help of the light ball created by Minute''s light magic, I investigated the surroundings. On the other side of the hidden door there was a room with simple furnishings and a passage continuing to the back.


    Then, Taku found a piece of old paper on the table in the room and made a fearless smile.


    "The main item for this hidden room is this."


    Seeing the content included on paper I opened my eyes wide.


    "Is that a plan of the entire mansion?! And it''s complete, too!"


    I compared it with the plan that I made.


    I intended to draw mine quite accurately, but there were hidden rooms on the first floor that I failed to find.


    And what was amazing about this hideout, was that this hidden room was leading to other rooms.


    Of course it led to the first floor rooms, but also to the guard''s veranda room, corridor, and there was even a hidden door leading to the big room on the second floor that was end point of the quest.


    "Haah, to think we''d find an item like this. My sketch is inaccurate in comparison."


    "What are you talking about, yours has plenty value too."


    "No no, Yun-san! It might be incomplete, but distances and such are easy to grasp!"


    "Kei, Mami, thanks for cheering me up."


    Kei furrowed his eyebrows and Mami-san spoke hurriedly as they both tried to cheer me up, but I put up a faint smile as I responded so. However, everyone looked at me strangely.


    "Rather, there''s few players who are even able to make a plan this correctly."


    Saying so, Taku pat my back to cheer me up so I responded with displeasure.


    "As if, anyone could do this if they want to. All you need is paper and pen¡­ mm? You guys can''t make one?"


    I tilted my head and asked everyone, but they all responded by shaking their heads sideways.


    "If there''s anyone who can do it, it would be the few completionists who verify everything. Right now, the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild is training players to be able to create maps so that they can efficiently complete the unsearched areas."


    Learning something new at this point, I felt two new emotions appear inside of me.


    First was happiness, that my cartographic ability was necessary for the quest and was a highly evaluated player skill. Second, was that to use it I would have to actively take part in exploring new unsearched areas and quests, which was against my style of playing at my own pace.


    "Heck, Yun, why do you have such map-making skills in the first place?"


    "It''s your fault! You made me help you out with a game that had no auto-mapping function!"


    "Ohhh, back then!"


    There was a time when Taku was into high-difficulty games, and after he bought an old one somewhere he made me help him with completing it.


    While Taku was repeatedly dying in the retro game, I did my school homework and at the same time, I did mapping and took notes on items and NPC conversations.


    "Yes yes, while I am curious about your story, I think we should continue with the quest."


    "Whoa?! You''re right!"


    Reminded by Minute, I recalled what we were supposed to be doing and returned the floor plans to Taku.


    "For now let''s move into the back of the room that''s guarded. It doesn''t seem like there are any traps in the way."


    Taku moved in front while checking the plan.


    We still haven''t made sure there aren''t any traps, I thought and advanced with caution making sure there aren''t any traps with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾See-Through¡¿.


    After advancing for a while, we were safely able to move behind the guarded room, and Taku used the crystal ball to confirm the situation inside when we approached the hidden door. We listened attentively.


    ¡º"What are you doing! We''re right before an important ritual!"¡»


    ¡º"MY apoloGIES. FOUNDER."¡»


    After hearing a man shouting, we heard the voice of NPC apologizing.


    ¡º"Not only have you failed to abduct a maiden of high blood, which is necessary for the ritual, you even allowed the mansion to be infiltrated and then let them escape. At this rate, it will not go as planned."¡»


    The man called "founder" spoke to himself in frustration, before taking a deep breath to calm himself.


    ¡º"Mm, very well. Even without a sacrifice, there''s plenty of possessed believers inside the mansion. We should be able to summon a high-class devil if we make use of the malice that this mansion has been filled with."¡»


    "Hey, usually such plan modifications are flags for either failure or the whole thing going berserk."


    Everyone smiled wryly as they heard Gantz''s mutter, but we continued listening to what the Founder was saying in order to gather as much quest information as possible.


    ¡º"I will be heading to the ritual site now. Have all possessed believers, with exception of guards, gather in the eatery on the first floor and offer their malice. I will suck it into the dance hall on the second floor and commence the summoning ritual."¡»


    "UnderSTOOD, FounDER."


    With that said, the subordinate guy appeared to have left the room.


    ¡º"Kukuku, now, I need to start preparing the ritual."¡»


    And Founder also left the room.


    Taku, who was looking at the situation inside the room told us what''s going on inside.


    "There''s no one inside. Also, if what the guy said earlier is true, all the deformed NPCs inside the mansion should be gathering in the eatery on the first floor. Does that mean that we''re able to move around freely?"


    "No, the deformed NPCs that are patrolling might have been replaced with normal Cultist NPCs instead. However, we did learn where the ritual will take place."


    According to Taku''s map, the dance hall was above the eatery on the Eastern side of the first floor. Also, since the the hidden passage led all the way there, we could go to the ritual site directly.


    But, before that¡ª¡ª


    "Take¡ª¡ªwhat we can take."


    Along with Taku''s words we opened the hidden door and entered the unguarded room to ransack it.


    "It sure feels like I''m being infected by you guys. Ah, Taku, that drawer has a double bottom so leave it to Gantz."


    "Got it. Gantz, take care of it."


    Taku and Gantz found a small hole on the back side of the drawer with the double bottom, and after inserting a needle in there, they pushed from below to find a hidden jewelry box that Taku put in his inventory without even checking its contents.


    "Hey, Kei. Since we don''t have time to open it, help me destroy the safe that I found hidden behind the bookshelf here."


    "Got it. HNGH!"


    Minute and Kei broke a toolbox-looking metal box with their mace and sword, and then collected the items that were inside.


    I was also looking around the room together with Mami-san, and we found expensive looking accessories, jewelry, items that seemed like they would sell for a lot, and pure money.


    Looking at this objectively, it would be hard to tell which side are the villains, but I ignored that and we were able to recover the items without taking too much time.


    It appeared that this was an important room in the hideout, so we gathered not just information but also nice items. Leaving the item check for later, we headed back to the hidden passage and reached the dance hall that had been turned into the ritual site.


    "Looks like the ritual has already started."


    Just like with the other hidden doors, when we looked inside through the crystal ball placed beside it, we could see cultists and deformed NPCs with their backs turned to us.


    Ahead of the NPCs, there was a magic circle shaped like a five-pointed star on the dance floor. In the circle''s center was a devil''s statue made out of black stone that had a stern expression on its face.


    The Founder NPC was chanting some kind of spell. Standing beside him were two deformed NPCs who were acting as escorts, and they had purple smoke rising from them. Moreover, the same purple smoke was also rising from beneath the floor of the room and gathering at the magic circle.


    "So that''s the malice thing. All right, we''ll rush in and render the two unable to move, then go after the Founder guy to finish the quest."


    Everyone nodded in response to Taku''s words and he put a hand on the hidden door.


    "Let''s go¡ª¡ª"


    He opened the door along with the signal that he gave in a low voice and we sprinted out into the dance hall.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defense, speed!"


    While Taku, Gantz and Kei rushed towards the deformed NPCs, I applied triple enchants on them from behind.


    Taku, who had passed through the room in a swoop, slashed one of the deformed guard NPCs before the enemy could react, rendering him unable to move.


    Following that, we made our move in the rear guard before the other NPC could move.


    "HAaa¡ª¡ª¡¶Aero Cannon¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Mud Pool¡·!"


    Mami-san''s invisible cannon blew away the second NPC and I created a pool of mud at the place of his landing to stop him in his tracks.


    Kei stood on top of the fallen deformed NPC to avoid receiving the mud''s influence and stabbed his sword into the NPC''s neck, cutting his head off.


    "We finished off the guards, now for the Founder!"


    Seeing the two guards beaten, the Founder opened his eyes in surprise.


    If we beat this guy, we''ll be able to stop the ritual and destroy the cultists'' hideout. I thought.


    However, purple smoke started to blow from the bodies of the deformed NPCs we had defeated, which was then absorbed by the magic circle.


    "Kh-hahaha!! So with their hosts destroyed, the low-class devils left the bodies and became sacrifices for the ritual! With this I have the materials to summon an even greater devil!"


    The quest progressed along with the Founder''s delighted declaration.


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾CQuest - Devil Cultists'' Hideout Destruction¡¿¡ª¡ª


    Eliminate the summoned devil¡ª¡ª 4£¯4


    Since the previous stage of the quest involved intruding upon the ritual, the devil being summoned was probably the default route for this quest.


    The five-pointed magic circle sucked in the purple smoke filling the dance hall and its mysterious shine rapidly grew brighter. It appears like it has granted power to the black stone devil statue in the center of the hall.


    And¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"KUOOOooOonnn!"¡»


    The black statue suddenly twisted its torso, spread its wings, and roared as it raised its claws.


    "FUHAHAHAHA!! The ritual was a success! Go, gargoyle! Eliminate those intruders to start with!"


    The Founder swung his arm and commanded the moving statue to attack us.


    The statue flapped its stone wings and leaped between Taku and the Founder.


    "Gargoyles are usually small fries in games. What about you?!"


    Taku skillfully swung around his two swords to continuously slash at the statue with a devil inside of it, but it repelled his attacks. It looks like the possession had made the statue even harder.


    "Khh! His HP isn''t going down at all!"


    "I''m next! If slashes don''t work, maybe blunt attacks will!"


    Slipping behind the gargoyle, Gantz kicked the base of its wings and then struck it with his fist, but he ended up suffering damage from the recoil instead.


    "OWWwww!!"


    "C''mon, what are you doing. ¡ª¡ª¡¶High Heal¡·!"


    Gantz''s HP was healed thanks to Minute''s recovery magic, but neither Taku nor Gantz were able to deal any damage to the gargoyle.


    Then, the gargoyle who was not fazed by their attacks turned towards Kei for unknown reason, Kei raised his shield vigilantly.


    ¡º"KUOooON¡ª¡ª"¡»


    The devil spread its wings and charged with its body low, nearly sliding on the floor before striking the shield from the front.


    "Kei! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Aero Cannon¡·!"


    Mami-san fired her invisible cannon right after the gargoyle''s attack, but its extra-hard body of stone repelled the spell.


    In addition to being resistant to physical attacks such as slashing and blunt attacks, it was also resistant to Mami-san''s magic. Seeing that, everyone moved away from the gargoyle. Taku voiced his analytic opinion on the gargoyle''s abilities.


    "His defense is way too high. It would take several hours to beat him with normal attacks, and our weapons would break long before that. There must be some kind of special mechanic to beating him, either time or some condition."


    "In any case, I''ll defend the rear guard."


    "All right, leave it to me to buy us time. Rather, let''s beat the Founder NPC first if we can."


    While preparing a plan, Taku raised his two swords. Kei stood in front of the rear guard with his shield up and Gantz did some hops on the spot to calm himself down.


    "C''mon, let''s go!"


    ""¡ª¡ªYeah!!""


    The three rushed out with Taku''s shout as the signal. As long as we don''t find thea mechanic to beat the gargoyle, the possibility of our defeat will continue to rise. Despite that, the way the three happily rushed at the gargoyle made me, Minute and Mami-san put up wry smiles.


    "Well, let''s try attacking from a distance with magic."


    "Agreed, we can''t leave everything to the vanguard!"


    Minute and Mami-san also displayed their eagerness to fight as they prepared their spells.


    Matching that, I weakened the gargoyle.


    "¡¶Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªDefense, mind!"


    "Go! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Light Shoot¡·!"


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Flame Circle¡·!"


    The gargoyle, weakened by my Cursed spells, received Minute''s bullet and the attack from Mami-san''s converging flames.


    However, the gargoyle was intact even after receiving those two magic attacks. Taku''s slashes that had the purpose of preventing the gargoyle''s counter-attacks didn''t damage it either.


    Mami-san used magic attacks of various elements to check if there was any difference in the damage dealt, but all of the attacks only dealt a small amount of damage.


    "I can''t deal high damage like Taku or Mami-san, but I''ll try as well!"


    Raising my spirits, I released an arrow with a bad status effect synthesized into it, but it was repelled by the gargoyle''s body.


    If it''s going to be like this, we have no choice but to aim at the Founder who gave the gargoyle its orders.


    "Taku! Aim for the Founder! Check how it reacts!"


    "Well, if the gargoyle is this resistant to attacks, we can only beat the guy controlling it! Let''s go Gantz!"


    Taku ignored the gargoyle that was locked in frontal combat with Kei, and aimed for the Founder who was standing behind it.


    Noticing that, the Founder issued a new order to the gargoyle.


    "Gargoyle! Protect me!"


    ¡º"KUOOOON!"¡»


    Distancing itself from Kei against whom it was engaged, the gargoyle jumped and glided with its stone wings in order to slip in between Taku and Gantz.


    A normal enemy would have just focused on the player with the highest hate value, but the gargoyle was prioritizing its attacks under a different set of principles, making it a hard enemy to fight against.


    The gargoyle stood so that it could protect the Founder, using its high defense to withstand any attacks before delivering heavy blows in response.


    Also, since the gargoyle''s movements were agile, it crushed any of Taku and Gantz''s attempts at activating Arts. Moreover, while it defended itself against any kind of melee attack that was used against it, it also stood in the line of fire between the ranged attackers and the Founder, protecting him with its body.


    "What about this? Will this make you attack us?!"


    Minute, Mami and I aimed for the Founder who was behind the gargoyle''s back, but it freely manipulated its stone wings to block the long ranged attacks, not allowing any damage to be dealt to the NPC.


    In addition, since the gargoyle was now far away from Kei, and the Founder staying behind it took even more distance himself, there was a need to redo the positioning.


    "Damn, how about this!"


    At such a time, Gantz desperately threw something at the Founder, but it was blocked by the gargoyle''s wing.


    However, that action would become a trigger for finding out the mechanics of this boss battle.


    ¡ñ


    "This isn''t working. No matter what we try, we can''t beat this gargoyle."


    Even after repeatedly attacking the gargoyle''s stone body, it had endured the attacks and we weren''t able to shave even 10% of its HP off. It also had wings and could move around freely, so even if I created a mud pool on the dance hall''s floor, it could easily slip out of it.


    Other than that, we also tried doing things like dropping a chandelier on it to stop its movements, as well as checking the magic circle and items in the surroundings for hints. However, we couldn''t find anything that might help us beat it. And when we were nearly out of ideas¡ª¡ªmy eyes stopped on it.


    "...What''s that?"


    Something was pierced into the gargoyle''s stone wing. It was extremely thin and looked unreliable, but it had pierced through the wing that was as durable as iron.


    "Is that a needle¡­?"


    It was one of the synthesized throwing needles with a bad status effect that I had passed to Gantz.


    "Are piercing attacks working? No, my arrows didn''t pierce him, so that''s not it. Then what¡­?"


    Using ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ to its fullest, I looked for a way to beat the boss. And what I found was¡ª¡ª


    "...I see, a special effect based on what material was used for the weapon."


    Among the throwing needles that I gave to Gantz, the ones made out of iron have fallen on the floor, but the golden throwing needles have pierced its stone body.


    Speaking of which, we found a large amount of weapons made of gold on the first floor.


    And on top of that, gold was also used for candlesticks, chandeliers and weapons that were decorating the walls.


    "Let''s use this thing to confirm it."


    It was a golden arrow that was among the weapons we found on the first floor, and the only one I had left in my inventory. I thought there was no point to it since it was impractical, but now I nocked it on my bow and aimed for the gargoyle.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, speed!"


    Aiming for the middle of the gargoyle who had yet to take any evasive action so far, I pulled the string of the bow.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    The golden arrow that was empowered by the Art flew straight through the dance hall and approached the gargoyle, which was currently locked in combat with Taku.


    Sensing the golden arrow approaching it, the gargoyle took an action it had not taken before and distanced itself from Taku and the others.


    "It¡­ avoided the attack?"


    While Taku was astounded when he saw the gargoyle''s strange behavior, I shouted.


    "His weakness is golden weapons! Just like silver works well against undead, golden weapons are effective against him!"


    Once the Art''s delay time ended, I immediately aimed at the gargoyle and released another arrow.


    However, even with the increased hit rate from my high dexterity, my arrows were avoided by the gargoyle, who was able to fly freely within the dance hall.


    "Golden weapons might deal direct damage, but they need to directly hit it, right? This won''t help us at all if he flies around and avoids us!"


    Minute kept firing her magic at it after changing her weapon to a bourgeois mace, but it dealt no damage to the gargoyle even when it hit.


    Apparently, just like Minute said, the golden weapons'' special effect would only work with direct weapon attacks.


    Minute and Mami-san''s long ranged attacks weren''t working, and the vanguard couldn''t reach the gargoyle since it was flying in the sky.


    "Yun! Aim for the Founder! The gargoyle will definitely protect him, so let''s use that!"


    "Got it!"


    When I changed the arrow''s aim from the gargoyle that was flying indoors to the Founder, the gargoyle realized that and entered the line of fire as fast as possible in order to protect the NPC.


    And when the golden arrow pierced the gargoyle''s stone body, it dealt the highest damage so far, though the gargoyle still had over 90% of his HP.


    "All right, it''s our turn!"


    Taku and Kei changed to golden swords and slashed at the gargoyle that had landed on the ground, but it quickly escaped.


    We managed to find a way to beat the boss, but it still wasn''t enough.


    "Hey, Yun-chan. Do you have any golden tools I could use?"


    "Usable golden tools, huh¡­ I''m sorry to say that, aside from the arrows, I melted everything we got yesterday down and remade them into ingots¡­"


    "Then, could you show me an ingot if you have one on you?"


    Although I wondered what it was that she came up with, I took out a Gold Ingot that I had in my inventory and handed it to Minute.


    After receiving it, Minute checked its size and weight with her thin arms, and then nodded.


    "Can you put a physical attack enchant on me, Yun-chan? Also, I''ll be borrowing this gold ingot for a moment."


    "Eh? Ah, sure. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack."


    Although I was still wondering what this was about, I gave her the enchant that she asked for. Minute then switched her weapon from the bourgeois mace that she was holding to a heavy-looking mace made out of Black Iron.


    And then, after posing like a batter, she threw the heavy gold ingot into the air and swung the mace with both of her hands.


    "Hey!! What?!"


    The swung mace splendidly captured the Gold Ingot, sending it flying towards the Founder while rotating due to the air resistance.


    And when the gargoyle stood in front of the NPC to protect him, the ingot pierced its belly.


    "Actually, a spherical ball would be best, but this is nice in a way. Supply me with bullets, Yun-chan!"


    "Ah, I''ll do it too! Let''s do this! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Coin Toss¡·!"


    As he said that, Gantz''s eyes sparkled as he threw the things he had in his hand at the Founder with a snap of his wrist.


    The things he was throwing were G coins, which flew like shuriken and pierced the gargoyle''s stone body.


    Although Mami-san and I were taken aback by the sight of Gantz and Minute throwing Gold Ingots, money and other golden items at the enemy, we immediately removed the golden items in our inventories in order to replenish their throwing ammunition.


    Fortunately, there was plenty of ammo since the Founder had gold coins in his room.


    Eventually, an innumerable number of Gold Ingots and coins were stuck to the stone gargoyle''s body, causing it to be covered in cracks.


    "HIIiiihh!! Gargoyle! Protect, protect mee!"


    The Founder screamed miserably, but well, I can understand that having Gold Ingots and coins thrown at yourself does sound like a nightmare. I thought. A Gold Ingot thrown by Minute pierced the base of the gargoyle''s stone wing, causing it to break off and fall to the floor.


    As a result, the gargoyle was forced to descend to the ground as it had lost its ability to fly, allowing Taku to go on the offensive.


    "Now, let''s go!"


    "Yeah¡ª¡ª¡¶Shield Bash¡·!"


    When struck by Kei''s golden shield, the cracks on the gargoyle''s body continued to spread and its movements were stopped.


    And the instant the gargoyle was knocked back, Taku poised his sword.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    When this slashing sword Art was used by Taku, the gargoyle''s left arm finally collapsed.


    ¡º"KUOoooON!"¡»


    The gargoyle swung its right arm as if to show it was still eager to fight, but this time it was blocked by Kei''s sword, which caused the boss'' right wrist to crumble due to the golden weapon''s special effect.


    "This will end it! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Power Buster¡·!"


    Taku''s long sword, which was swung down from overhead, cut away the gargoyle''s remaining HP, causing the entire statue to collapse.


    With that, we finally managed to defeat the devil statue.


    "Ahhh, the devil we summoned¡­"


    The founder muttered in delirium as he looked at the statue.


    "That''d be the quest cleared."


    While saying that, Taku turned away from the gargoyle''s remains. Immediately afterwards, purple smoke rose up from the debris.


    "Taku! Behind you!"


    "?!! Whoa, a two stage battle?"


    He turned around and started stepping backwards as he raised his sword again.


    What appeared from the smoke, was a translucent devil-like spirit with long fangs and claws.


    "Ohh! The devil''s existence doesn''t disappear even after the host has been destroyed! Now, go on! Kill them!"


    The Founder rejoiced at the sight of the ominous devil appearing again and tried to give it orders, but the devil looked over its shoulder at him and breathed in deeply as if to fill its chest¡ª¡ª


    "Ghhh, the painn! No way, you''re¡­! I summoned you, yet you''re taking my soul¡­?! GAHHH!!"


    Something white, appearing to be a soul, slipped out of the Founder''s mouth and was sucked into the ghost devil''s mouth.


    The deformed NPC guards that had fallen on the floor had small purple souls pulled out of their bodies and sucked into the devil''s mouth as well.


    In addition to that, there were small purple souls springing out from under the floor, which were probably coming from the eatery below. These souls were jumping into the devil''s mouth one after another in the same manner as those from the guards.


    "Hey, the deformed NPCs are returning to normal."


    "Which means the problem is just the second boss."


    Gantz noticed the sudden change to the deformed NPCs, but hearing Taku''s analysis, we judged that the dead NPCs were no longer a threat. With that, we looked up and focused on the devil spirit.


    After sucking in all the lower devils that were possessing the deformed cultists, the devil spirit''s semi-transparent body was filled with ominous colors, showing that it had been filled with strength¡ª¡ªand then, the ¡¾Devil Geist¡¿ looked down on us while smiling sadistically.


    "He''s coming!"


    Seeing through enemy''s actions with my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense, I gave the party a warning. With that, everyone switched back to their original weapons and started moving.


    Immediately after that, the devil spirit spread his arms to the sides and started manipulating the objects inside of the dance hall.


    Objects such as golden candlesticks, pots, paintings, and swords rose up into the air before showering us from above..


    "That gargoyle didn''t have any ranged attacks, but this guy uses magic! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Sonic Edge¡·!"


    While running to avoid the objects manipulated by the devil spirit, Taku activated a ranged Art.


    His flying slash approached the devil, but the boss blocked it by using the objects around it as a shield.


    "He blocked it, but the objects being used as shields disappear after they''re attacked!"


    The objects broken apart by Taku''s slash turned into particles of light before they even fell to the ground and have disappeared. This meant that once the boss has no more objects to manipulate in the room, it wouldn''t have anything to shield itself with.


    "I''ll use area of effect magic to clean up the room, then! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Down Burst¡·!"


    Mami-san, who hadn''t moved until now, unleashed the magic she had been accumulating.


    A mass of air blew down as if it was going to crush the devil spirit from above. In response, the boss moved all the objects in the room to try and prevent it, where they were then struck down to the floor one after another, disappearing after they turned into particles of light. Finally, the devil spirit itself was pressed down onto the ground.


    Still, none of us thought that it was defeated.


    Kei quietly positioned himself in front of Mami-san and raised his shield in order to protect her.


    "Yun!"


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªDefense, mind!"


    Responding to his call, I put a double defensive enchant on Kei.


    The next instant, a black sphere jumped out from the fingertip of the fallen devil spirit, targeting Mami-san who had gathered a lot of hate with her ¡¶Down Burst¡·.


    Kei, who was standing in the line of fire, held his shield in front and repelled the attack.


    Before the black sphere had returned to the devil spirit, it jumped up and escaped.


    Aiming for that moment, Minute, Gantz and I attacked it all at once.


    "¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Magic Bow Skill - Phantom Arrow¡·!"


    I crushed a light elemental stone and enchanted my bow with the light element, then released a silver arrow.


    Following it, five magic arrows were created from the trail left by the silver arrow and overtook it, assaulting the devil spirit''s body.


    All five of the magic arrows pierced the boss'' limbs from different angles, and the silver arrow that lagged behind pierced its chest.


    "Take this¡ª¡ª¡¶Angel Ring¡·!"


    A shining ring was released from the mace that Minute was raising up high. This ring restrained the devil spirit''s body that was drifting in the air and had just received my arrow, forcing it to fall to the ground.


    "Go, Gantz!"


    "Leave it to me! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Multiple Kick¡·!"


    The moment the restrained devil was about to fall onto the floor, Gantz slipped beneath it and delivered several heavy blows to its body.


    Even from a distance, the sounds of his attacks were loud enough for me to hear. As the attack was repeated two to three times, the devil restrained by the Angel Ring spell had been turned into a sand bag floating in mid-air.


    "Now, for a combo finish!"


    Gantz blew away the devil spirit with a powerful roundhouse kick. Ahead of where the devil was sent, Taku crossed his long swords he held in his both hands, ready to cut the boss down. ¡º"GAAAaAaaa."¡»


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Cross Execution¡·!"


    The slashes cut the devil spirit''s body like scissors, splitting it apart. The cut body parts passed by on both sides of Taku, turned into particles of light and disappeared.


    Then, a white soul-thing which had remained after the boss was defeated flew straight towards the fallen Founder NPC''s mouth.


    After that, once all of the boss'' remains had completely disappeared, we were able to confirm the quest''s completion in the menu.


    "Phew, it was so-so for the second stage''s boss. Heck, wasn''t it actually weak? The gargoyle was stronger than this."


    "Nonono, I think that this was quite the difficult battle as is."


    I strongly denied Taku''s mutter, making everyone laugh with vague expressions.


    While it''s certainly true that its strength was set quite modestly considering it was a continuous boss battle, I still don''t think it can be considered "weak". I thought that, but then I recalled something.


    Oh right, Taku''s party members are all top class OSO players.


    For such players, a simple magic-based boss like ¡¾Devil Geist¡¿ would be much easier than the gargoyle, which requires you to discover a special mechanic in order to defeat it.


    "Well, it looks like the quest is finished with this."


    The sound of footsteps could be heard in the corridor and then the door opened towards us.


    From the entrance, Guard NPCs wearing armor flowed into the dance hall and captured the Founder and the NPCs who used to be deformed.


    "I am the commander of this town''s guard troops. I would like to thank you for your cooperation with destroying the Devil Cultists'' Hideout. Although your direct client is the nobleman, I would like to once again thank you for plucking the buds of disturbance we had in the town."


    After saying that, the Guard Commander NPC gave an order to one of the Guard NPCs, who then gave each of us a leather bag.


    "This is the reward that your client, the nobleman, had left with us. Now, please excuse us, but we have to deal with the aftermath."


    The guards disappeared all at once and we opened the bags that were passed to us. Inside the bag was the quest reward of 20 Quest Chips, as well as a mysterious reward that was marked as ¡¾???¡¿.


    It was¡ª¡ª


    Tattoo of Samsara¡¾Accessory¡¿ (Weight: 1)


    Additional Effect: HP Recovery Increase (Medium), HP Recovery Restriction Decrease


    There was a silver sticker that looked like an angel''s feathers on the slippery and hard paper.


    "What''s this? Are tattoos treated as accessories?"


    "Heeh, it''s like a sticker. Interesting."


    Saying so, Minute immediately tried wearing the reward item. Because the sticker was a unique accessory, it was apparently possible to stick it anywhere on your body.


    It appeared it could be used repeatedly, so she tried putting it on her cheek, and on the back of her hand and other places.


    "The HP Recovery Increase means that it''s perfect for me!"


    Minute was really happy that she received an accessory that''s well suited for her, and she finally decided to put the sticker on her shoulder.


    "How is it?"


    She asked, showing her shoulder to me. I answered.


    "I think it looks good. Though, it''s a little disappointing that it''s hidden under the winter clothes."


    "True, but if it can''t be seen then it means that no one will know that I have it, which will give me an advantage in PvP."


    Minute replied.


    Afterwards, we looked around the mansion to try and collect some more items, but¡ª¡ª


    "It looks like the Guard NPCs collected everything as evidence. There are no items left here!"


    "Well, we can''t do anything about that. If that''s how it works, then gathering the items from around the mansion must have been one of the main elements of this quest."


    Taku smiled wryly as he patted Gantz''s shoulder when the latter cried out at the lack of items to gather.


    Dragging Gantz with us as he lamented over the items we may have missed, we consulted each other on how we would split the items we have acquired during this quest.


    The items that would sell for a large amount of money would be sold and then the money would be split between us. Useful items would be picked out and given to the one who''ll make the most use of it, and unnecessary items would also be sold and distributed equally.


    The fierce negotiations between Taku and the other members over some of the useful items took longer than the fight against the second stage of the boss.


    I set my eyes on some accessories that could serve as references when I''m crafting with the ¡¾Engraving¡¿ Sense. Still, I wasn''t so desperate to have them that I would negotiate to get them no matter what, so I mainly picked up some versatile and cursed accessories.


    "Yun, are you really okay with these?"


    "Well, they don''t seem like they would be useful, but this kind of stuff is interesting."


    Still, I DID think to myself that there''s something wrong with me for picking cursed accessories just because "they''re kinda interesting". In any case, just like that, the quest chain that started with us escorting a noble had come to an end.


    In the end, we were able to clear the quest before the deadline we had set for ourselves, so it was a satisfying outcome.


    Then, once everything was finished, Taku recalled something.


    "Speaking of which, Yun."


    "What is it?"


    "Couldn''t you have used your ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ combo to blow up the Founder directly without allowing the gargoyle to get in the way?"


    """¡ª¡ªAh."""


    Everyone, including me, had forgotten all about that.


    The fact that I didn''t think of this method of attack even though I possessed it left me feeling slightly depressed.

 Chapter Volume 10 5

    With a week remaining in the winter quest event, I have already acquired the 50 Quest Chips that I had set as my goal, and was now the owner of 70 chips. With my goal achieved, I started visiting Obaba''s pharmacy again since I could now take my time learning the new recipes.


    "Hey, don''t you make an old woman wait like that!"


    "Fufufu, that''s what granny says, but she''s actually happy to see you."


    Obaba the pharmacist and her granddaughter welcomed me with these words.


    I smiled wryly, had Ryui and Zakuro wait by the store''s counter, and then entered the workshop in the back.


    There, I accepted the three remaining Mixing quests that I have yet to complete.


    ¡¾Magic Potion: Echo Liquid (5)¡¿¡ª¡ª2 Quest Chips


    ¡¾Magic Potion: Flash Liquid (5)¡¿¡ª¡ª2 Quest Chips


    ¡¾Magic Potion: Blinding Liquid (5)¡¿¡ª¡ª2 Quest Chips


    Obaba stood beside me and explained the new recipes.


    "Each of these magic potions are made by Cursemakers in each region and they originally have their own regional names as well. The materials used differ in each region, but they all have similar effects."


    She said that as she pulled out two materials, Aero Snake''s Scales and a new type of herb called ¡¾Magi-Scream Grass¡¿.


    "Are these materials all there is to it?"


    "Indeed. That''s why making these potions is the job of Cursemakers. Just watch."


    With that said, she heated up the Aero Snake''s Scales until they had been dried, ground them into powder, added dried Magi-Scream Grass, and then added water.


    Finally, she used the ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ EX-Skill just like she would for Mega Potions and MP Pots.


    The skill turned the muddy potion into a bright green liquid.


    Magic Potion: Echo Liquid ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Wind Damage (minimal), Additional Effect: Paralysis


    After Obaba showed the procedure to me, thanks to which I was able to understand the basics.


    "See, these are magic potions that use the elemental power within monsters. And this, this is our region''s common magic potion."


    "Hmm. Well, let''s try making some first."


    First off, I started by making ¡¾Magic Potion: Echo Liquid¡¿ according to Obaba''s procedure.


    I made five portions of the original liquid at once and used ¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿ on each of them, one by one. They weren''t difficult to craft.


    The crafting method was very similar to how I make Enchant Stones. Though, recently I have been using a combination of ¡¾Sky Eyes''¡¿ ¡¶Zone¡·skill and ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· to make multiple of them at once.


    With the work done, Obaba received the potions I had quickly made and started examining them.


    It looked like she dipped some kind of test paper into the potions and tried a drop from each one.


    Was she examining the potion''s effectiveness? I thought, then spoke to her.


    "Can I try making some with my own method?"


    "I don''t mind, but I WILL take money for the Magi-Scream Grass."


    With that said, I arranged materials with a wry smile while Obaba was still checking the first five ¡¾Echo Liquids¡¿ beside me.


    The materials I used were Magi-Scream Grass, Aero Snake''s Scales and Fairy Panther''s Scales. The drop items from Fairy Panthers are also of the wind element, and I sometimes use them when I''m making ¡¾Element Cream¡¿.


    First, I crushed the two wind element drop items. Then, I mixed them with dried grass and added water to make the solution.


    Lastly, I passed it through a clean cloth and into a bottle¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾MP Bestowal¡¿"


    And finished the creation of the wind element ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿ potion by activating the EX-Skill.


    As a result, thanks to using a different method and materials than what Obaba, the new ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿ was¡ª¡ª


    Magic Potion: Echo Liquid ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Wind Damage (weak), Additional Effect: Paralysis


    It was just a little stronger than the magic potion made by Obaba the pharmacist.


    If this was the case, then the item combinations that I thought were meaningless so far could now be used to make new potion recipes.


    As I was thinking that, I opened my Mixing research notebook to a page with a list of materials and picked out other materials that could be used while I checking the completed potion''s smell and color.


    "Hmm, this color looks deeper than the original sample''s."


    Curious, I spilled a drop onto my finger and put it in my mouth.


    And then, ended up groaning because of the horrible taste.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªUghh¡­"¡»


    It was supposed to be a faint groan, but my voice had been amplified and the moment it echoed in the room, the magic potion I was holding broke by itself.


    "Hey! What''re ya doing! Trying to break this place?!"


    I was just trying to test this potion¡­ heck, my voice is way too loud!


    I tried to make an excuse after being scolded by Obaba, but I couldn''t let my voice out so I put a hand on my throat.


    "Dumbass! You use this potion on a weapon! It adds additional effects to weapons! You''d better drink some potions to cure your inborn stupidity!"


    I see, so I received a penalty for using it in a way that was different from how it was originally meant to be used.


    That means that this magic potion is the weapon version of my ¡¾Element Cream¡¿.


    While ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ grants elemental resistance when it''s applied to the skin, these magic potions will make elemental attacks possible if they''re applied on weapons.


    I came to that conclusion, then continued to receive scolding from Obaba for a bit longer until my voice finally recovered.


    After some time, the broken potion bottle disappeared after turning into particles of light, and I was taught two more magic potion recipes. Obaba strictly warned me to make sure to take safety measures before I tested them out.


    When all the work was over, I put the four ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿ potions and ¡¾Magi-Scream Grass¡¿ that I received from Obaba into my inventory.


    "There are no more recipes that I can teach you. Still, I''m a little worried about you, girl. You''re really careless."


    "I don''t think my carelessness matters here. Also, I''m a man."


    "Well, don''t hesitate to come for help if something happens!"


    As I thought, she ignored my talk of being a man! I grumbled in my heart.


    However, when I was leaving the pharmacy with Ryui and Zakuro and was seen off by Obaba and her granddaughter, her anger was already gone and she looked somewhat happy.


    And as I went around the NPC stalls searching for and buying materials that could be used to make magic potions, I did think that I''d like to go visit her again if there was something I needed. Just when I was thinking of heading back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿, I received a message from friend chat.


    "Hm? Who is it...? Oh, it''s Sei-nee."


    It was an invitation to the Christmas and end-of-the-year party that was being held in the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild home, which Mikadzuchi had mentioned during the unveiling of Ryui''s adult form.


    Moreover, it was being held tonight.


    The message said that the party will start at 8 o''clock in the evening. I looked at the clock and saw that I still had some time, but since I intended to bring some cakes with me, it would be better if I arrived early.


    Following Sei-nee''s message, there was a message from Myu requesting dinner early, so I logged out on the spot and had dinner with Miu.


    After dinner, she logged into OSO again and went to meet up with Lucato and the others before going to the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild home, so I headed there on my own ahead of her.


    At the entrance, I pulled out the golden free pass ticket for the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild and entered the white-walled and red-roofed mansion. They seemed to be at the final stages of their preparations for the party.


    "C''mon, food''s ready. Carry it out!" "There''s no cake!" "Participants will bring some cakes! There''s no need to make any!" "HEY, no food snatching!"


    I stood there looking at the players who were moving busily, unable to find the timing to call out to anyone.


    After wondering for a while about when I should step in and pass the cakes that I brought with me, I saw Sei-nee heading towards me.


    "Welcome, Yun-chan. You''re early."


    "Oh, Sei-nee. Thanks for the invitation to the end-of-the-year and Christmas party. Also, here, the cakes."


    As I said that, I handed to her more than ten strawberry cakes that I had made earlier, which she then passed to the few players who were in charge of the party''s organization.


    "So, what will you do, Yun-chan? Wait somewhere in the back for now?"


    "Hmm, can I go to the second floor? I''ll visit my acquaintances in the crafters'' room."


    "Alright. Well then, I''ll call you when the party starts."


    With Sei-nee''s approval, I went up the guild home''s stairs and knocked on the doors of the room where the crafters gathered.


    "Can I intrude for a bit?"


    "Mmm~? Oh, welcome."


    "Oh, what''s up?"


    I looked towards Otonashi, who was looking at me with sleepy eyes as he drank tea, and Langley, who quietly raised his hand with a cheerful expression.


    "Came to kill some time here until the party starts."


    "Oh, I see. Wait a moment. I''ll take out some tea and sweets."


    "I''ll pass on sweets, I guess. I just ate dinner a moment ago."


    I refused Langley''s consideration and sipped on the slightly-bitter green tea.


    Afterwards, I exchanged information on crafting and the event quests with some crafters. Some of the crafters who listened to me immediately rushed out of the guild home.


    I guess some of the quests that only appear when you have the specific Sense for it aren''t that well-known, I thought, and I smiled bitterly as I continued to share quest information with the others.


    As crafters, they had a lot of information about material collecting and errand quests, and I was also able to acquire information on some hidden quests that I didn''t know about.


    Since there was only a week left of the quest event, I probably won''t be able to clear all of the quests they taught me about. However, I should do some of them when I have time.


    Other than that, we talked a bit about crafting and the time passed quickly until I received a message from Sei-nee saying that the party was ready.


    "Ah, looks like the preparations are done."


    "Is that so. Have fun, then."


    Hearing Otonashi answer me with a sleepy look in his eyes as I stood up from my seat, I looked at him questioningly.


    "Hm? Aren''t you two going too?"


    "It''s too noisy when there''s so many people. That''s why we snatched some appetizers and ran away to here."


    Langley said that as he sipped some tea. I wish I could do the same, I thought with a wry smile. Still, I would probably stay at the party together with Myu and Sei-nee until the very end anyway; as ?I continued that thought, I laughed in self-derision.


    And when I returned to the hall on the first floor, gathered there were Myu''s and Taku''s parties, Magi-san, Cloude and Lyly, as well as other acquaintances. They all had drinks in their hands.


    I poured juice into a nearby cup as well and picked it up, then I looked up at Mikadzuchi who was standing atop a platform.


    ¡ñ


    "Ehem, I really feel like drinking so let''s get to it¡ª¡ªcheers!"


    """HEY!!"""


    The guild master''s signal for the start of the party was so out of place that retorts flew Mikadzuchi''s way from all over. Also, Sei-nee, who was standing next to her, elbowed Mikadzuchi with a broad smile on her face. Mikadzuchi cleared her throat and resumed her speech.


    "I hate long speeches so I''ll make this quick¡ª¡ª"


    Hearing that prelude, all the players in the hall, including me, made bitter smiles as they listened to Mikadzuchi.


    "It''s been five months since OSO was officially released. Well, it might have seemed long, but it is actually quite a short amount of time. I got to know many players in that time, both directly and indirectly."


    She spread her arms towards everyone in the hall.


    "Wishing for our relations to continue, let''s make this a great party!¡ª¡ªCheers!"


    Mikadzuchi said that and raised her glass that was filled with alcohol. Following her, I raised my glass and drank some juice.


    After that, the actual party started.


    Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee walked around together, greeting the players who came to the party.


    Myu''s party, Minute, Mami-san and other female players were hanging around the sweets corner, eating cake. Quite feminine of them.


    Taku, Gantz and Kei, as well as other male players were munching on meat and other heavy food.


    Other than that, there were people who were only eating salads, those who were quietly drinking, and those who were stirring soba in broth.


    Everyone''s appearance as they ate far above the satiety limit made me smile wryly. In my case, I decided to balance the dishes I pick up.


    In the place Cloude and others were at, Magi-san and Lyly had summoned their tamed mobs and were having a meal together.


    "Oh, that looks tasty, Yun-kun!"


    After collecting the food I wanted on my plate, I headed towards a seat near them. There, I heard Magi-san call out to me.


    "Yeah, it feels like the cooks have improved since the last time I ate here."


    Starting with the very basic fried young chicken, there were chicken wings with boiled sweet potatoes, the usual fried chicken, and English-style fried chicken. There was a lot of fried chicken Christmas cuisine.


    I also summoned my tamed mobs, Ryui and Zakuro, and then split some chicken from the bone to make it easier for them to eat.


    "Ohh, there''s plenty of garlic in this salad dressing. Wanna try some, Yun-kun?"


    "This curry here is also really good. It''s an original with fried chicken and pork cutlet on top of it. Look at this, Yuncchi!"


    "Here, I asked Fiore, my store''s patissiere, to make this mini-cake. Have some."


    "Ahahaha¡­ I''ll take my time eating these."


    Receiving dish recommendations from Magi-san, Lyly and Cloude, I put on a bitter smile and slowly started to eat.


    Certainly, the things that those three recommended were delicious, and I gladly ate them together with Ryui and Zakuro.


    After satisfying my appetite, I put Zakuro on my lap and talked with Magi-san and the others as I brushed him.


    "Hee, Yun-kun, you partied-up with Taku-san''s party and did a yet unfinished chain quest?"


    "Yeah, it was very different from elimination quests and quite difficult."


    I moistened my throat with juice and explained the quest bit by bit.


    At first, Magi-san was also drinking juice, but as the party grew more lively she started to switch to a weak cocktail. And now, she''s folded the fingertips of both her hands together and placed her chin on them as she listens to my story in a good mood.


    "Fufufu, is that so."


    "Then, at the end, we split the items we got between each other."


    I got this, I said, and took out the various accessories I received as my share.


    Among them was a slightly oppressive choker made out of black leather with a silver chain. As the owner of a ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿-type Sense, Magi-san became interested in it and picked it up with her hand to examine it.


    "Heeh, a choker, huh. Heck, you picked up cursed equipment again, Yun-kun?"


    "Ahahaha, correct."


    I answered her question and then Cloude, who wasn''t particularly surprised, drank some of his white wine and asked a question himself.


    "So, what''s this cursed accessory''s effect?"


    In response to his question, I visualized the item''s detailed stats.


    Death Count''s Choker ¡¾Accessory¡¿ (Weight: 2)


    INT+15, MIND+15 Additional Effect: ¡¾Weakening¡¿¡¾HP Recovery Decrease¡¿


    It was magic-focused accessory with the demerit of applying ¡¾Weakening¡¿ to the wearer.


    ¡¾Weakening¡¿ was an effect that decreases the player''s HP by 5% of their max HP at certain fixed intervals. In addition to that, the accessory also has the ¡¾HP Recovery Decrease¡¿ effect, which greatly decreases the amount of healing the wearer receives.


    In other words, if you wear this accessory, not only will you gradually lose HP, but it makes the HP hard to recover as well. It''s a loser''s accessory.


    "Well, I won''t use it, but I thought it might have some connection to the quest''s setting."


    "Quest''s setting?"


    "The entire quest chain begins with the escort of an NPC that''s been chosen to be sacrificed during a devil summoning ritual. And so, I wondered whether the cultists planned to use this item on the victim. It''s interesting to think over possible settings and such."


    The cursed accessory would increase the NPC''s magical potential while gradually weakening her, making her unable to resist. Thus, the ritual would be completed without fail.


    It was also fun to think that as a result of players advancing the quest, the cultists were unable to make use of this accessory and it was left inside the mansion until you came to acquire it.


    "Hmmm, that''s one way to think of it I guess."


    While thinking over the conversation, Magi-san sipped her alcohol and snacked on nuts-type sweets together with her partner, Ric?ur.


    With the conversation exhausted, Cloude tilted his wine glass slowly as he stroked Socks'' back.


    Looking sleepy, Lyly dazedly stared outside the window.


    It was about time for underaged and tired players to start logging out, I thought. That''s when Lyly suddenly muttered a word.


    "...eh, Santa?"


    Lyly, who saw something outside the window, quickly woke up from his dazed state and moved towards the door leading outside.


    "Ah! I''ll go after Lyly!"


    "I''ll come with you, the night wind is good for sobering up."


    "So will I. I''m interested in what Lyly meant when he said "Santa"."


    And as a result of searching for Lyly, we went outside onto the guild home''s PvP grounds.


    There, we found players enjoying alcohol to the sight of the snowy aura. Together with them was Lyly, who was looking up at the sky with a sparkle in his eyes.


    I looked up at the night sky filled with white snow powder, and there I saw an erroneous existence flying over it.


    After activating ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ to examine it, I stared at the existence.


    ¡º"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!"¡»


    An old man in red clothes was flying in the sky while cheerfully laughing. He was skillfully manipulating the reindeers'' reigns as he carried large bags full of presents.


    "You serious? It''s really Santa Claus."


    Facing towards the town, Santa Claus waved his hand with a smile.


    The players who were partying inside noticed his sudden emergence and rushed outside as well.


    "¡ª¡ªSanta Claus. I guess it IS Christmas time."


    "Though, by investing yourself in the in-game Christmas event, it''s like you''re giving up on actual Christmas."


    "That damn event dedicated to riajuus can go to hell! Damn it...!"


    "I wish destruction for guys with girlfriends, amen. May riajuus face eradication, amen."


    Looking towards Santa, some male players started performing suspicious religious rituals and chanting strange stuff.


    And among the crowd, waving her hand with all her might¡ª¡ª


    "SANTAAA! Give me a preseeeent!"


    "M-Myu-san! Please stop it, it''s embarrassing!"


    Was Myu, who was then stopped by Lucato.


    Then, the game-brains Taku, Mikadzuchi and Cloude gathered and started deliberating about something.


    "So, does Santa Claus'' appearance have anything to do with the event? Speaking of which, there was an announcement before saying that there will be "a release of special mobs". Is this it?"


    "I don''t know, but even if Santa Claus is the special mob, would it really be all right to make him a target to capture?"


    "Actually, I wouldn''t want to do an event where we beat up a saint."


    Hearing their conversation, I glared at them for saying stuff that kids shouldn''t hear. All three of them turned their faces away, avoiding my line of sight.


    ¡º"Ho ho ho! Ho? NOOOOOOOOOOO¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Santa Claus, who was smiling as he flew through the night sky in his sleigh, was assaulted in mid-air by five deformed beings.


    Those deformed creatures not only pulled away his treasures, but they also kicked Santa himself off of his sleigh.


    Although Santa Claus somehow managed to land on the ground, each of the deformed creatures stole all the letters, the two reindeer, the sleigh, the gift bags, and his red hat. After which, they shouted.


    "Noow! We have the saint''s, Santa Claus'' precious treasures! There will be no NO Christmas for this town and the children will DESPAIR! We devils shall use that despair to call forth the arch-devil Satan!"


    The five devils that robbed Santa Claus of his precious tools and treasures flew straight outside of the town.


    And then, when the devils that had left the town arrived on top of each of the five pentagrams that had been drawn on the ground, black light poured down from the sky.


    ¡ª¡ªEmergency quest ¡¾Return of Santa Claus¡¿ has been given to all players.


    From here on, please beat all five of the dungeons that have been created by the five ¡¾Devils¡¿. For each cleared dungeon, you will recover one of ¡¾Santa Claus'' Tools¡¿.


    When all five tools have been recovered, the Return of Santa Claus quest will be complete, and all players will receive a reward for completing the event.


    Also, the difficulty of the ¡¾Devils''¡¿ dungeons will be influenced by the quest event''s completion rate.


    Current quest completion rate is¡ª¡ª62%


    "I''ll go take a look!"


    "M-me too!"


    And so, a mass of players rushed outside the town all at once.


    Light-bodied people like Myu kicked off the walls and left the town over the roofs of the buildings.


    On the other hand, I avoided the crowd by moving on the very edge of it.


    The end-of-the-year and Christmas party has pretty much been cancelled because of this huge fuss.


    I, along with Magi-san and the other crafters, have decided to watch as things unfold for the time being and help out with the party clean-up in the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild home. Then, three hours later¡ª¡ª


    "Fufufu, we''re done for. We don''t stand a chance."


    "The dungeon difficulty and mechanisms are just evil. This is one horrible Christmas present from the management."


    "Merry Christmas, my ass! It''s more like pure suffering!"


    The five dungeons have beaten the countless challengers; it looks like they are more difficult than any normal dungeons that were currently available.


    Each dungeon had its own characteristics.


    The first one was focused on flames and the red hat¡ª¡ªthe Hearth Dungeon.


    Other than tormenting players with hot air that blew through the brick-made passages at fixed intervals, and the entire dungeon was full of lethal traps as well.


    Although it seems to be a mini-dungeon, there was no info about its actual size or the dungeon boss.


    The second dungeon was focused on water and the reindeers¡ª¡ªthe Snowy Field Dungeon.


    It was an open-field type dungeon that was filled with heavy blizzard-like conditions. Inside it, the players need to find the staircase that leads below. However, they will start to be slowly tormented by ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ if they take too long in doing so.


    There was no information about this dungeon''s size or boss either.


    The third dungeon was focused on wind and the letters¡ª¡ªthe Great Tree Dungeon.


    There were no difficult mechanics like the hot air or snowstorm mentioned in the previous dungeons, but the respawn interval for MOBs was very short and no safe zone has been found so far. As a result, the continuous battles in this dungeon exhausted the players.


    Several parties have reached the boss of this dungeon, but the boss, who calls himself the ¡¾Devil of Magic¡¿, perfectly counters melee attacks and continuously releases barrages of magic without rest. Apparently, it''s a powerful magic-type boss that has no openings that would allow the players to beat him.


    The fourth dungeon was focused on earth and the gift bags¡ª¡ªthe Graveyard Dungeon.


    This was also an open-field dungeon like the Snowy Field Dungeon, but it had undead mobs that absorbed HP and MP.


    The enemies had very low movement speed and individual fighting power, but they chased after the players forever because they had an incredibly high range of player detection.


    Also, since the dungeon is an open field cemetery, the players'' actions are obstructed by the tombstones and other similar objects that are scattered across the field. In addition, before the players realize it, the number of undead mobs grows to a level that they can''t handle.


    The boss, who called himself the ¡¾Devil of Barriers¡¿, has a large amount of HP and magic defense. Although he doesn''t have any strong means of attacking himself, he can summon a large number of undead that will separate the players from him. He also uses powerful debuffs that decrease the players'' stats and cause bad statuses.


    And the last dungeon was focused on light and the sleigh¡ª¡ªthe Road Dungeon.


    This dungeon was completely different from the others.


    ¡ñ


    "The road dungeon features the boss battle right from the start. You fight the boss from a sled. It''s one of those battles on the move that you can find in games, like the battles on moving vehicles like trucks. Although it''s okay on the TV screen, it''s incredibly difficult in VR."


    Myu said and scowled.


    At the moment, I had prepared some tea for the players who challenged the dungeons and then came back after dying, and was listening to their stories.


    "On top of that, once you fall off the sled, you die and can''t come back! Seeing as revival medicine doesn''t work, this is the strangest dungeon of them all! Completely unreasonable!"


    Frustrated at her defeat against the boss, Myu complained with a scowl. However, as she spoke, her face slowly began to fill with the glow of excitement for her next attempt.


    "So, you know, the boss fight is carried out with around twenty auto-matched players that fight against ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ and his eight Devil Reindeer subordinates. Although the reindeers aren''t that strong themselves, they cooperate with the boss to drop players out of the dungeon. All of that is happening while our parties are having a hard time cooperating with each other as we travel at full speed on a sled!"


    I nodded with affirmation towards what she said, and once Myu had said everything that she wanted to say, she drank her tea all at once.


    "I received a death penalty in that dungeon, so I''m going to sleep for today. Good night!"


    "Oh, good night."


    I saw Myu off as she logged out ahead of me, and put away the cup that she drank tea from.


    Taking a look around, I saw that the after-party cleanup was over and Sei-nee, Taku, Mikadzuchi and Cloude had gathered to talk about something.


    And, noticing that I was alone, Mikadzuchi beckoned me over with her hand, making me wonder what she wanted.


    "What is it? Need something from me?"


    "So, Missy Yun, can you prepare ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ and ¡¾Hot Drinks¡¿? As many as possible."


    "Ahh, for the Hearth and Snowy Field Dungeons, right?"


    Hearing my answer, everyone nodded.


    The ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ that temporarily gives ¡¾Fire Element Resistance¡¿is necessary for the Hearth Dungeon''s hot air mechanism, while the ¡¾Hot Drinks¡¿ are necessary to reduce the ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ in the Snowy Field Dungeon. It looks like they wanted to make the exploration of both dungeons as easy as possible.


    "I can prepare the ¡¾Element Cream¡¿, but I don''t think I can make enough ¡¾Hot Drinks¡¿."


    Because I just recently started cultivating the Hakuga material that''s used to make the ¡¾Hot Drink¡¿ that grants cold resistance, I still don''t have enough of it available. Rather, I intended to use that as a substitute for ginger, if anything.


    "Can''t you do something about it? Please?!"


    "Like I said, there''s no way I can prepare that many ¡¾Hot Drinks¡¿."


    "Can''t you do something, anything?!"


    Even though I answered that it''s physically impossible for me to do it, Mikadzuchi continued to lower her head.


    Behind her, Taku seemed to have received a call from someone. He nodded a few times and then reported to Mikadzuchi.


    "Snowy Field Dungeon was beaten just now."


    "Missy, we''re cancelling the order for ¡¾Hot Drinks¡¿."


    "That''s a real quick change of mind you did there. You''ve clearly lost your motivation, as well."


    I stared at Mikadzuchi as she sighed deeply and started drinking alcohol straight from a bottle.


    Seeing her look somewhat irritated, I asked straightforwardly.


    "Mikadzuchi, why are you so frantic?"


    "Frantic? Of course I am. Sei will be gone soon!"


    "What do you mean by "she''ll be gone"?"


    I tilted my head in wonder and stared at Sei-nee, who was standing beside Mikadzuchi with a wry smile. She supplemented Mikadzuchi''s answer.


    "Yun-chan, you know I''m coming home for Christmas, right? The number of days I can spend on the event will be reduced because of that."


    "Oh, I guess so."


    Sei-nee won''t be able to log in for some time since she''ll be coming back home for the New Year''s holidays. Because of that, they wanted to beat at least one dungeon as soon as possible.


    "So, who the hell was it that beat the Snowy Field Dungeon so fast?"


    Sulky because her target had been stolen, Mikadzuchi asked Taku.


    "It was a joint party made from several small guilds. Heck, one of the participants, ¡¾OSO Fishermen Association¡¿''s guild master, boasted to me just now."


    Taku said that dejectedly, but I realized that I had heard about something like that before.


    Thinking about it, I recalled that Letia''s ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿ had been doing event quests jointly together with other small and medium guilds.


    "The party members'' breakdown was three people from ¡¾OSO Fishermen Association¡¿, one person from ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿, one from ¡¾Fluffy Tail Association¡¿, and one guildless."


    "Meaning, it was those guilds'' hidden trump cards... hm? What is it, missy?"


    Mikadzuchi noticed me look off into the distance as I heard familiar guild names.


    "No, it''s nothing."


    Letia was probably the player from ¡¾Fresh Green Wind¡¿, while Ber was probably the one from ¡¾Fluffy Tail Association¡¿. In addition, the guildless player might have been Emily-san.


    Well, if Letia and the others managed to have some success, then as their friend I could only be happy for them.


    That day, we collected plenty of information about what''s inside the dungeons, but there was no other report about any of them being cleared for the first time. Astounded by their high level of difficulty, players have focused on the yet-unfinished quests inside the town in order to raise the quest completion rate and decrease the difficulty of the ¡¾Devil¡¿ dungeons.


    And after a few days have passed¡ª¡ª


    "Yun-san... we got completely beat up in the dungeon."


    I''ve started growing the new ¡¾Magi-Scream Grass¡¿material on the fields outside ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    The ¡¾Mystic Medicinal Grass¡¿ and ¡¾Soul Grass¡¿ that I started cultivating earlier have finally stabilized, and when I was using the gathered materials to make Mega Potions and MP Pots, Lyna and Al entered the ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and called out to me.


    "For now, we''re going to do normal event quests until the death penalty is gone, so please give us some potions."


    "Coming right up."


    They''ve recently switched from ordinary Potions to High Potions, so I picked some of those up and passed them to the two as I had a light chat with them.


    "We heard that Letia-san finished the Snowy Field Dungeon, so we thought that we could do it too!"


    "No, where does that confidence of yours even come from? Also, so it really was Letia who cleared that dungeon, huh."


    "It was. Letia-san, Ber-san and Emily-san cooperated with players from ¡¾OSO Fishermen''s Association¡¿ and cleared it."


    Since he heard about it from the people themselves, Al was quite knowledgeable about it.


    They used Letia''s tamed mobs and Emily-san''s synthetic mobs to move at high speeds so they could minimize the damage caused by ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿, and they further decreased that damage by munching on Hakuga roots. Like that, they advanced straight to the boss.


    ¡¾Hindering Devil¡¿ was the boss mob''s name and it seemed to focus on defense. However, the attacks of Ber and Emily-san''s synthetic golem mobs were able to break through the boss'' defenses, and ¡¾OSO Fishermen Association¡¿''s top players, which included Shichifuku, dealt the damage to the boss himself.


    In addition, not only did Letia use her tamed mobs, but she also used light magic and recovery magic to support the entire party.


    "Looks like Letia and the others are also having some eventful time during the event."


    "They sure are. Ah, it''s about time for the death penalty to wear off, so we''ll be going back to doing some normal leveling before we try to complete the dungeon again."


    "Got it. ...Oh, speaking of which, how''s it going with the newbie players from Ber''s guild?"


    "It''s okay. They''re good girls. Well, we''ll come again."


    Is what Lyna said as she tried to leave ¡¾Atelier¡¿ while waving her hand. However, the short spear she was carrying on her back got stuck in the doors and she ended up making a small fuss. Seeing this comedic scene, I ended up smiling wryly.


    And after I saw Lyna and Al off, Myu passed by them and entered the store with force.


    "Yun-oneechan! Let''s go to a dungeon! Dungeon nau!"


    "Myu, I told you not to call me "onee-chan". Heck, what dungeon do you even intend to take me to?"


    Her party is one that already has six members, constituting a full party, so there would be a penalty if I joined them. She should already know that.


    Though, there was a certain dungeon that was an exception¡ª¡ª


    "Of course, the dungeon that Onee-chan can challenge together with us¡ª¡ªthe Road Dungeon!"


    I did consider that possibility, but it was that after all, huh.


    "We got beat on our first attempt last time, but this time we''ve gathered plenty of info and prepared countermeasures to take revenge! But for that to happen, we need you!"


    "Need me, huh¡­"


    There''s no way I would be that useful in direct combat¡­ is what I thought without much motivation, but unlike me, Myu was brimming with it.


    "So, why invite me?"


    "You see, it''s because you have Ryui!"


    "Ryui?"


    Ryui, who was sleeping in his young beast form at his usual spot inside the store, stood up and came next to me.


    "Yup. If someone falls off of the sled, then they''ll have to retire immediately. However, we can still recover that person if you summon Ryui. On top of that, we can expect a lot from your Enchants." Is what she said as she stared at me.


    It''s hard to refuse when I''m being asked for support. My character has been designed to play that role since the beginning, after all.. Also, Ryui snorted loudly for some reason, clearly raring to go.


    "Now that I think about it, Ryui has yet to perform in actual combat. Want to do it?"


    Ryui nodded, and I decided as well.


    "Fine. I''ll try the Road Dungeon with yo¡ª¡ª"Thank you, Onee-chan!"¡ª¡ª"


    Before I could even finish talking, Myu held both of my hands and shook them. And then, as if she had recalled something, she squeezed Ryui who was standing next to me.


    "All right, let''s go beat the dungeon right away then!"


    "Wait a second! I don''t have any info about that dungeon!"


    "It''s not like the game will always wait for its players! If you can''t prepare beforehand, make do with what you have! This way it''s more thrilling than preparing a sure-fire method!"


    Oh, come on. What''s so bad about gathering information?


    What''s so bad about preparing beforehand?


    What''s so bad about sure-fire methods that are safe? It''s not like we need the thrill.


    On top of that, it''s not like the players or parties who clear these dungeons will get anything special. It doesn''t matter who beats them. That''s what I thought, but unlike me, Myu might be thinking that being the first ones to defeat the dungeon has some sort of meaning.


    "In any case, wait a bit. I want to prepare as much as I can!"


    "Okay, but make it fast. We want to go even if it''s a second earlier!"


    Good grief, I thought with a bitter smile as I started picking out necessary items from ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and stuffing them into my inventory. After that, I returned Ryui to his Summoning Stone before finally heading out to the Road Dungeon together with Myu.

 Chapter Volume 10 6

    Dusk. Together with Myu, we have arrived in front of the Road Dungeon, one of the five dungeons created outside of the First Town''s walls.


    I took a few Mega Potions and MP Pots from ¡¾Atelier¡¿, but I''d like to avoid using them if possible.


    We joined up with Lucato and the others in front of the dungeon.


    "Sorry, it took time to persuade Yun-oneechan!"


    "I don''t remember being persuaded, really. Also, Myu, was there really any need to hurry so much?"


    After coming here at an unusually high pace, I was a little out of breath. I took a deep breath several times to calm myself, and then asked this question¡ª¡ª


    "Nope! But let''s say that there was!"


    "Geez, you''re absurd."


    While I sighed in amazement, Lucato and the others all smiled bitterly as they stood behind Myu.


    "Good evening, Yun-san. Thank you for coming with us today."


    "Don''t mind it, everyone. It''s not like there''s any risk, and I''m curious about the reward for having all five dungeons cleared."


    I said, and then had a chat with Lucato and the others. Meanwhile, Myu had lined up among the players waiting to enter the dungeon, securing our place.


    "Heey! Everyone, this waaay!"


    "Ugh, I''m suddenly feeling nervous."


    When Myu called for us and we all looked her way, I got nervous as I recalled that although I''m going in as a support, we''re going to be entering battle right away.


    "There''s nothing to get nervous about, let''s take it easy!"


    We lined up where Myu had secured place for us. When I put a hand on my chest and took a deep breath to calm down, Myu lightly tapped my shoulder in order to relieve my tension.


    It felt like it worked since I was able to relax a little.


    And as the queue to enter the dungeon advanced, our turn came.


    "Looks like it''s our turn, shall we go in?"


    "Yup. Yun-oneechan, after we enter, there will be a grace period before the fight starts, but don''t let your guard down."


    "G-got it."


    I nodded in response to Myu''s reminder and entered the dungeon together with the party members.


    There was a white haze in the back of the gate that had opened, and I entered it as i made sure to keep from getting separated from Myu and others. Then, the ground beneath us suddenly disappeared, leaving us with a feeling of floating.


    Along with the feeling of missing a step on the stairs, the clearing of my vision that was accompanied by a small impact made me realize that there was a snowy course in front of me.


    "This place is¡­"


    Slightly further ahead of me was Myu, Hino and Toutobi. Lucato, Kohaku and Rirei were behind me. All of them were on top of an one-person sled.


    "Heey! Everyone all right?!"


    "We''re here, all okeey!"


    There were empty sleds sliding downhill in our surroundings, players were appearing from nowhere and falling inside them one after another.


    I checked below me again and saw that, just like the other players, I was on top of a fairly large sled that was rushing through the snow at a high speed.


    "This sled looks quite sturdy. And¡­ the view is pretty."


    The snow powder that rose into the air due to the sleds rushing down the hill distracted me as it reflected the light, and the scenery stole my attention. Meanwhile I tried to maintain balance on top of the sled¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªWait, why am I acting all impressed! This thing is damn FAST!!"


    I held the sled''s reins and squatted down to lower my center of gravity, and then I simply endured.


    Although the sled was spacious, it was still scary because of the high speed.


    If I tilted my body to the right, the sled would move to the right, and the same thing happened if I tilted it to the left. Leaning forward caused me to accelerate, and I would decelerate if I leaned backwards. I was able to learn the basics by trying different postures, but I didn''t have a complete grasp on the controls yet. I was only able to slightly move the sled in the direction I wanted.


    On the other hand¡ª¡ª


    "Yahooooo! TAKIN'' THE LEAD!"


    Myu opened her legs wide as if she was snowboarding and measured her sword''s range as she swung it to the sides to balance herself. Moreover, she made a big jump by accelerating and pulling the front of the sled¡­ heck, she''s never gone snowboarding in real, yet she''s going berserk in here!


    "Myu-san! The battle hasn''t started yet! Don''t do anything dangerous!"


    "It''s still just the second time, but my Sense''s support is amazing! When I got used to it, I became able to move thanks to ¡¾Action Restriction Release¡¿!"


    She showed off some jumps where she rotated in mid-air, but I was really anxious that she might fail.


    Since it was their second time as well, the party members other than Myu had also become used to handling the sleds, and their driving was stable.


    The sight of Lucato using one hand to swing her bastard sword while on top of a sled was impactful.


    Hino had her long spear resting on her shoulder as she slid her hand over it to adjust her reach.


    The rearguard Kohaku and Rirei were also holding their fan and staff as they followed behind the rest of the party.


    In the meantime, nearly all the sleds were filled with players, and the boss fight was about to begin.


    "Luka-chan, Yun-oneechan, how are you doing?"


    "No problems here, Myu-san."


    "I still haven''t gotten used to it¡­"


    Aiming with a bow while on top of this unstable sled wasn''t something I could do right away.


    Meanwhile, Myu, who was rushing right to the front, stabbed her sword into the snowy road and used it as a brake to decelerate so that she could match Toutobi and Hino''s speed.


    "Don''t force yourself too much, Yun-oneechan!"


    You''re the one who brought me here, I thought as I took a look around and saw one player''s sled slide unstably.


    And the next moment¡ª¡ª


    "Lucato, watch out!"


    A player that was sliding in front of Lucato was thrown out because of his driving mistake, and the sled without a rider flew straight for Lucato and others.


    "Kohaku and Rirei, stay behind me! HAA¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    With Lucato as the lead, Kohaku and Rirei lined up behind her one after another, and then Lucato used an Art towards the sled that was closing in on them.


    She swung her bastard sword that was emitting yellow light at the sled diagonally from below, and after clashing for an instant, the sled bounced up.


    From there, it flew far above me before falling further behind us, where it was then left in the back as it pierced into the snowy road.


    When I looked away from the pierced-in-sled towards Lucato with a dumbfounded expression on my face and my mouth wide open, she made an embarrassed expression and smiled amiably.


    "Nice thinking there, Luka-chan! GOOD JOB!"


    Myu showered Lucato with praise for her calm response.


    Though, on the other hand, the snow that was thrown into the air had flowed towards Hino and she plunged right into the cloud of it.


    "Kyaahh?! Oh, come on!"


    Hino passed through the snow and had her posture broken because of the surprise attack. She had snow covering her nose as she pursed her lips with a displeased expression on her face.


    "H-Hino-chan, are you okay?"


    "Um¡­ I''m sorry, Hino-san."


    Seeing the state Hino was in, Myu''s and Lucato''s expressions cramped up.


    "Nhn¡­ that opened holes in my winter clothes'' tights! Damn you, dungeon boss! I won''t let you off for this!"


    Other than that happening, there were several players who, despite not being used to controlling the sleds, made some unreasonable movements and ended up dropping out before the battle even began. Meanwhile, a red-nosed eight-legged Devil Reindeer with thick and flat horns appeared, pulling a sleigh behind it that was carrying a devil that looked like a young boy. There were also other eight-legged Devil Reindeer who looked like the boss'' underlings, each with a different colored nose.


    It was the boss who stole the sleigh from Santa Claus¡ª¡ªthe ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿.


    ¡º"What''s up? You came to take back the Saint''s treasure? I don''t mind! How-ev-er¡ª¡ªyou need to beat me in this place first!"¡»


    He spoke in a childish and innocent voice, but there was also roar coming from behind us¡­ Wait! BEHIND us?!


    ¡º"Go now, my Devil Reindeers!"¡»


    Myu and Lucato who were nearby, called out to me.


    "Yun-oneechan, please cast enchants and support us as necessary! C''mon, Tobi-chan, Hino-chan. Let''s go!"


    "Well then, we''re off! Don''t force yourself, Yun-san!"


    I nodded towards the two and followed everyone while concentrating on controlling the sled in the back behind them.


    "¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, Defence¡­ WOOAH?!"


    When I cast a physical attack enchant and was about to add a physical defence one on top of it, something flew at me from ahead, so I avoided it in a hurry.


    It was a chunk of snow.


    And looking closely at the snowy road, I saw that there were holes in some places which could make the sled lose balance if we rode over them.


    Moreover, those holes were made by the Devil Reindeers.


    "Now that I look again, they sure have a horrible design."


    The Devil Reindeer ran on eight legs with an evil look in their eyes. They also attacked with low level elemental magic that matched the color of their nose. As for their eight legs, four of them were used to maintain their high speed, while the remaining four were used to kick snow backwards at us.


    They also used their flat horns like a scoop to powerfully scoop up the snow and throw it backwards in a parabolic trajectory.


    Other than that, the Devil Reindeer would sometimes physically attack the players by tackling them, so their attacks were really diverse.


    Although I wasn''t being targeted by the enemy since I was in the last sled, even one randomly-dropped lump of snow could be the death of me.


    "What''s with this barrage of snow..."


    "Yun-oneechan, do your best, but don''t overdo it! Whoops, that was a close one."


    "Same to you! I''m all right!"


    I said that and made Myu focus on combat, but I didn''t have the leisure to cast any enchants, and the sled was too unstable for me to participate in the battle with my bow.


    In the meantime, Myu and the others, who had started to get into their combat pace, were skillfully manipulating their sleds as they fought back against the Devil Reindeers.


    "Well then, here I go! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Delta Slash¡·!"


    With Myu''s attack as the opener, Toutobi and Hino followed her into combat.


    They dispersed to avoid charging Devil Reindeers'' attacks, and then immediately counter-attacked.


    Myu released a fast triple-slash Art, which was then followed by Toutobi dulling the enemy''s movements by slashing them with a dagger Art that causes paralysis.


    Lastly, Hino sped up her sled to approach the enemy from behind, before breaking the reindeer''s balance by using her long spear to attack his legs.


    The Devil Reindeer, which was running at high speed, lost his balance, rolled, and then bounced on the ground, before eventually being left behind by the players who were moving on their sleds.


    ¡º"GUOOooo¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Finally, the Reindeer was caught up in the collapse of the snowy road behind us and disappeared along with a growl.


    Amen. I secretly thought as I saw that scene.


    That was seriously no joke...


    "Isn''t this enough already? It''s not just the snow attacks that are coming from the front, but there''s also the snowy road''s collapse that''s chasing us from behind. On top of all that, there''s also the Devil Reindeers themselves."


    The Devil Reindeer that had disappeared in the collapse reappeared once more as it ran down from the sky just like when it had first appeared, before returning to the snowy road. It was the cyan-nosed Devil Reindeer.


    However, the snowy road''s collapse and the combined attacks of Myu and the others reduced his HP to 60%.


    Then, the Devil Reindeer''s nose suddenly started shining¡ª¡ª


    "WooAAH, no waaay!"


    Riding on top of the unfamiliar sled, I tilted myself to the right in order to avoid the ice magic bullet.


    Immediately after that, the ice bullet landed beside my sled, raising a cloud of snow.


    Following that, the next two ice bullets flew over my head and hit the ground. I moved the sled further in order to avoid the snow cloud in my way.


    What do I do, try attacking with the bow? Or maybe do a reckless attack with a knife¡­?


    Apparently, in the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿''s dungeon, one of the methods to come back into the game after losing a sled was to use a tamed mob like Ryui. However, I can''t rely on him this early.


    "...I''ve got no choice here. Let''s force my way with consumables!"


    I resolved myself and took out some Magic Gems from my inventory.


    Then, while taking the gems'' activation time into consideration, I measured the distance between me and the Devil Reindeer, chanted the keywords, and threw the gems behind me.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿¡¾Clay Shield¡¿!"


    The two types of magic that the gems carried were activated with the gems themselves as the starting point.


    As a result, an earthen wall appeared in front of the Devil Reindeer and multiple explosions occurred.


    However, the rushing reindeer broke through the wall, charged through the snow that rose into the air due to the explosions, and reappeared once again. Still, he didn''t get through that unscathed, and had less than 50% of his HP remaining.


    The damage I dealt was small when compared to the coordinated attack of Myu and the others, but still, seeing that I actually dealt substantial damage to it, I made a guts pose.


    "All right! I can do this¡­ wait, ehhhh?!"


    I saw two Devil Reindeers that had been attacked by the frontline players and were now bouncing on the snowy road towards the rear.


    I had a bad feeling about this, so I took a look backwards and¡­


    "I KNEW ITTTTT!!"


    In addition to the first reindeer, there were now three of them chasing me, the furthest one in the back.


    "Stay awaaaaaaay!! ¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    This time, I scattered three times as many Magic Gems from my sled.


    The Devil Reindeers were assaulted by even more explosions than before.


    Out of the three, two of them were blown away towards the collapsing snowy road, while the third one received a large amount of damage on the spot.


    "Ohh! Yun-san''s havin'' fun, eh."


    "Kohaku! This isn''t fun at all!"


    "Fufufu, then how about we steal the best part."


    Kohaku and Rirei, who were being protected from the front by Lucato, had turned their attention towards the rear.


    The reindeer that had been blown away reappeared by running down from the sky. Kohaku and Rirei released their magic at them.


    The two''s magic passed over my head and took down the reindeer''s'' remaining HP, turning them into particles of light.


    "Ooooh! Yun-oneechan''s having fun!"


    Just what part of my panicking looks like I''m having fun, is what I wanted to ask Myu, but before that I decided to confirm the situation we were in.


    The Devil Reindeers were being eliminated one by one by the other players.


    In addition, the most eerie thing about it was that the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ left all of the fighting to his subordinate Devil Reindeers as he single-mindedly drove the sleigh. The ¡¾Road Dungeon¡¿''s boss battle was slowly heading for the middle stage.


    ¡ñ


    The number of Demon Reindeers gradually decreased, and the number of attacks that roughened the snowy road decreased along with them.


    At this rate, the players will be able to focus on the boss once all eight reindeer have been defeated.


    While I was thinking such an optimistic thing, a group of players that appeared to be part of the same party approached the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ and attacked him.


    While making sure not to clash with one another, Myu and the other players exchanged places as they attacked the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ on top of the sleigh that''s being pulled by the red-nosed Devil Reindeer.


    "Looks like the front is quite safe. I should make sure I won''t get assaulted from behind."


    Every Devil Reindeers that has collapsed after receiving attacks from the players has rolled back into the snowy road''s collapse and then reappeared to attack the players again.


    Many players have already retired because they were attacked from behind, so we couldn''t afford to leave those reindeer alone.


    Remaining in the very back, I started to get used to controlling the sled and manipulated the reins with one hand while holding a bottle containing a bad status drug in the other.


    While controlling the sled so that I could avoid the Devil Reindeer that was heading straight for me, I threw the potion towards the location I was just at a moment earlier.


    The potion rotated in the air and was shattered by the rushing reindeer''s horns, spilling the liquid that was inside.


    As a result, the Devil Reindeer was covered in the potion''s contents, and having lost strength in his legs, it smashed its head into the snow road. Unable to move, it was swallowed by the collapsing snowy road soon after that.


    "Great, bad statuses work on them."


    The Devil Reindeers in the back were charging forward in an attempt to reunite with their comrades in the front, and while the ¡¾Paralysis¡¿, ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Stun¡¿ bad statuses were effective, they didn''t deal any damage. However, because the enemy would become unable to move due to these effects, it could be expected that they would receive damage when they got caught up in the snowy road''s collapse.


    "Yun-san, you sure are usin'' some nasty attacks there."


    "Fufufu, you were letting out such cute screams just a moment ago, but you''ve already gotten used to it. And here I wanted to hear some more of them."


    Kohaku and Rirei, who were close by, threw such words my way from a little in front of me.


    Meanwhile, they continued to cast spells without end over the players'' heads.


    In addition to that, Lucato protected the two from all of the attacks coming from the front.


    With all that going on, I continued to use Magic Gems and bad status potions to prevent the attacks coming from the Devil Reindeers behind us.


    The four of us made a diamond formation, with Lucato in front, Kohaku and Rirei in middle to the left and right, and me in the back. Each of us protected the others from the attacking Devil Reindeers on our respective sides.


    Then, one of the reindeer was paralysed by a bad status drug once again, and after being caught up in the road''s collapse, turned into particles of light and disappeared.


    As the number of Devil Reindeers decreased to three, the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ finally showed a new reaction.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªYou damn lowly humans!! Fine, I''ll use the power I stole from the Saint to get rid of you all!"¡»


    Making a complete change from his child-like appearance and way of speaking, the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿''s face distorted in an ugly manner and shockwaves started emanating from his body.


    Players who were trying to deliver attacks at that moment were pushed back by the shockwaves. Seeing them somehow manage to maintain their balance on top of their sleds and avoid falling off, I sighed with relief.


    "If he had that kind of ability, why didn''t he just throw the players off right from the start?"


    "Yun-san, what horrendous things yer'' sayin''."


    "Yun-san, that would be nonsensical."


    Kohaku and Lucato retorted after apparently hearing what I muttered.


    Meanwhile, Myu used a converged light beam in an attempt to attack the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ while he was protected by the shockwaves, but even that simply bent away from the boss.


    The ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ raised his right hand and started reciting a chant that resonated within the space, while at the same time continuing to emanate shockwaves.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªTwist, twist, pierce, break. None of you shall walk in my space. I order you in my evil''s name!"¡»


    In response to these words, a change occurred to the straight snowy road.


    "Hahaha, and here I had started getting used to controlling this sled¡­"


    Seeing the scenery change, I squeezed out a trembling voice.


    The snowy road that led into the distance started to undulate ahead of us and turn into a course with many turns.


    How do we even catch up to the enemy on a curvy race course like this? Moreover, the snowy road''s collapse behind us has increased in speed and is approaching us along with a loud roar.


    I bent slightly forward to increase my speed and maintain a fixed distance from the chasing collapse, but there were many among the players who were participating in the battle from the rear position like me that were unable to cope with the collapse''s increased speed, and while they weren''t immediately caught in it, they eventually lost control of their sleds and ended up crashing somewhere. There were also some players who were simply caught up in the collapse, and their screams remained in my ears for a while.


    However, along with the course''s change, the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿''s shockwaves disappeared. Noticing that before anyone else, Myu raised her voice.


    "It''s a chance! Onee-chan! Speed buff and fire element!"


    "Huhh?!"


    "Hurry!"


    "Oh c''mon! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªSpeed! ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon!"


    Responding to Myu''s request, I cast a speed enchant on her, and then crushed a fire element stone and cast fire element enchant on her sword.


    Then¡ª¡ª


    "Making a curvy road won''t let you run away from me! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Nine Sword Slash¡·!"


    "Woaah?! S-she flew?!"


    Here I thought she would ride on the side of the tunnel to approach the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ as soon as possible, but she simply jumped out of the course.


    She had the sled bounce right before falling out of the course, and then glided using the momentum before landing after the bulge of the curve, allowing her to take a bold shortcut.


    Along with the momentum of her jump, she approached the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ and attacked his back with an ¡¾Art¡¿''s chain attack that had been imbued with a fire enchant.


    However, not only had her control of the sled become weak because of the big jump and landing she performed, but she had also become unable to act because of the large attack she had unleashed on the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿. As a result, she ended up sliding sideways out of the course.


    At that moment, the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ turned towards Myu and cast an ice spear at her, but luckily she was able to avoid it by piercing her sword into the road with one hand and using it to decelerate.


    Seeing her like that caused me powerfully grip the sled''s reins as I completely froze up inside from anxiety.


    Just a small mistake and she would have ended up heading straight off the course and been forced to retire, yet she still went and did something that reckless.


    "Wooah¡­ that was close."


    "Myu-san! Stop acting reckless!"


    Lucato raised her voice as she spoke to Myu from far away. In response to it, Myu raised her hand and waved at her, causing me to let out an appalled sigh.


    "Fufufu, we should try as well¡ª¡ª¡¶Lava Cannon¡·!"


    "We should do our share of work so that Myu doesn''t have ta'' overdo it! ¡¶Aero Cannon¡·!"


    A bullet of burning lava created by Rirei flew along the snowy road towards the devil.


    If the lava bullet flew as it normally would, the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ would have avoided it. However, Kohaku''s Aero Cannon gave the lava bullet a burst of acceleration while it was in mid-air.


    The accelerated lava bullet entered the straight course towards the boss, but since the Devil Reindeer attempted to avoid it, the lava bullet exploded in mid-air and bathed the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ and the reindeer in flames like an incendiary bomb.


    "Great! The big attack succeeded!"


    "Everything''s going well. We might have overdone it a little, though."


    The boss, who appeared from a cloud of snow that rose due to Kohaku and Rirei''s combo attack, had received the biggest damage so far.


    Seeing that, they drove next to one another and gave each other a high five.


    Not wanting to lose, the other players took sharp turns and rode on the inner side of each curve in order to chase after the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ and assault him.


    Receiving these charging attacks from several players, the boss'' HP was gradually reduced.


    And then, just like when the snowy road became curved, the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ started releasing shockwaves and players became unable to approach him.


    ¡º"You damn inferior species!! Here I am, going out of my way to play with you, and you get all conceited! You''ve made me get serious!"¡»


    The shockwaves that were being released by the boss stopped after the curvy course had disappeared and the straight snowy road returned.


    And at the same time, the speed of the snowy road''s collapse became even faster. The approaching roar created a sense of tension among the players.


    Other than the red-nosed one that was pulling the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿''s sleigh, the other Devil Reindeer were unable to overcome the collapse''s speed, and together with a low reverberating growl, were caught up in it one after the other. After that, hundreds of ice spears appeared one after another above the red-nosed reindeer that was pulling the boss'' sleigh.


    "Hey hey, I can''t keep up with this."


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªPierce in from the sky, Icicle Cage!"¡»


    Driving the sled in the very back, I watched the trajectory of the ice spears from a distance. It didn''t look like they were aimed at the players, but were shot at the snowy road in front of us instead.


    They ended up randomly piercing the road, forming ice pillar-like obstacles.


    Myu and Hino rushed past the ice pillars that they approached by using their weapons to break them. However, as the pillars shattered, they ended up dealing damage to the players that attacked them.


    Toutobi chose to avoid the obstacles instead, so she didn''t receive any damage. However, as a result, she was unable to travel fast enough to catch up to the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿.


    Speaking of those of us in the back, it''s not like we were safe either.


    The ice spears regularly thrown by the boss continued to create obstacles, and there were players who bumped into the icicles and fell out of their sleds, or had them turn over. As they rolled on the ground, they ended up attacking us in the rear.


    "¡ª¡ªThey''re coming our way!"


    One of the sleds that lost control after failing to avoid the icy obstacles was rotating at high speed as it approached us.


    Lucato swung her bastard sword and repelled the sled, but at the same time that was happening, an icy spear pierced into the snowy road in front of Kohaku.


    As a result, Kohaku was thrown out of her sled and sent flying through the air.


    "¡ª¡ªKohaku!"


    They had to use their sword and magic to intercept the incoming ice spears, so neither Lucato nor Rirei were able to react to the instantaneous event and recover Kohaku.


    At this rate, Kohaku would fall into the snowy road and it would become difficult to help her. In addition, I was the only one in the back who was able to catch her.


    However, if I changed course to do so, I would hit an obstacle.


    If I avoided to the left, I could safely dodge it¡ª¡ª


    "Kohaku! Onee-chan!"


    "?!! Oh, damn it! Gotta show a man''s guts!"


    I tilted my body to the right and charged right into an ice pillar. If I can''t escape to safety, then I might as well resolve myself to plunge into danger.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Clay Shield¡·! Kohaku, hold on!"


    I created a diagonal wall of earth and sped up as I rushed up the self-made jumping platform.


    And then, after using it to launch myself high into the air, I flew over the ice pillar and caught Kohaku in mid-air.


    "Yun-san?! Why?!"


    Although the jumping platform''s angle wasn''t that high, we maintained the momentum that I jumped with as we hit the ground and charged straight into an ice pillar. Pierced by the shattered fragments, Kohaku and I received damage.


    I managed to catch Kohaku in the air, but this resulted in me becoming unable to control the accelerated sled.


    "Yun-san, I''m grateful fer help, but... at this rate we''re out!"


    "I know! But don''t expect me to have good enough reflexes to freely control the sled!"


    "Why the confident response?!"


    The sled continued to move at a speed that I couldn''t control. At this rate, we would end up outside of the snowy road''s course.


    I felt a little guilty after imagining what would happen afterwards, but there was nothing I wouldn''t do so that the two of us would survive.


    "Well then, let''s fly!"


    "Heeh? Fly¡­ wakyaa?!!"


    While holding Kohaku in my arms, I jumped off the sled that continued to accelerate and leave the course.


    From there, I immediately summoned Ryui, who I had left in reserve until now.


    "Come, Ryui! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    The moment I jumped off the sled, adult Ryui appeared below me and started running with us on his back.


    Meanwhile, the sled we were riding on left the course and disappeared into empty space.


    "Woah!! So fast! So high, Yun-san!''


    "Kohaku, don''t talk. You''ll bite your tongue."


    Held in my arms from behind and riding together with me, Kohaku appeared really moved she could ride Ryui and was in really high spirits.


    On the other hand I held Ryui''s reins in my left hand and skillfully... well, I didn''t control Ryui, and just left everything to him as he ran down the snowy road.


    Weaving his way in the gaps between the icicle obstacles, Ryui was able to soon rejoin Myu and others. His abilities really were far beyond what I deserved.


    "Nice assist there, Onee-chan!"


    "...I can''t save anyone again now."


    And don''t call me "onee-chan", are the words I swallowed, leaving it a short answer.


    I took a look around and other than Myu''s party members, I saw quite fewer players, but the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ boss had lost quite a lot of HP and appeared driven into a corner.


    However, because of attacks from ice spears and ice pillar obstacles, we were somewhat unable to deliver a decisive attack towards the boss.


    The obstacles that broke but delivered damage to the one who broke them, were quite plain but atrocious.


    I felt the damage received from one by myself when I earlier charged into one when saving Kohaku, hitting an ice pillar once was all right, but if it repeated the amount of damage would accumulate quickly and it would take large amount of HP, plus it affected the sled''s control.


    "You received quite some damage, Onee-chan, Kohaku."


    "Yeah. And I used some magic so my MP decreased, guess I should use a potion."


    I used one of the few Mega Potions and MP Pots I had on Kohaku and myself, rapidly recovering us. Kohaku made a surprised expression at the amount of HP/MP recovered, but let''s not touch on the subject for now.


    Well, what do we do next? I wondered as I rode Ryui. Beside me Myu rode on her sled.


    Now that all of Myu''s party have come together again, we moved while having Lucato and Hino eliminate all the ice pillars in the way to ensure ourselves safety.


    Behind them were me, Kohaku and Myu, and following behind us were Toutobi and Rirei.


    "Since there are obstacles in the way, Hino-san and I will secure the route. Myu and Toutobi-san will slash at the boss, Rirei, Kohaku and Yun-san provide support from the back. Agreed?"


    "No objections! How''s everyone?"


    Myu energetically agreed with Lucato''s proposal and as I took a look around, everyone nodded, so I also consented to the plan.


    Lucato and Hino immediately accelerated their sleds and started destroying obstacles one after another with their Arts.


    "HAa¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!"


    "Outta way! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Large Swing¡·!"


    Lucato swung her bastard sword, Hino swung around her long spear and the two crushed icicles one after another, leaving behind a sparkly diamond dust on the snowy road.


    However, at the same time the two also received damage.


    "I''ll smash a powerful bullet there¡ª¡ª¡¶Lava Cannon¡·!"


    "And I''ll deliver''t wit'' my wind! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Aero Cannon¡·!"


    Kohaku whom I was holding while riding Ryui, jumped down onto Rirei''s sled and the two cast magic.


    The two magics'' power was raised by the synergistic effect and destroyed the spears of ice flying in the air, cancelling each other out.


    "Go on! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, speed!"


    I cast enchants on Myu and Toutobi who accelerated and headed for the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿, raising their stats.


    At the same time the enchants activated, the two approached the boss with a strong momentum.


    Other than that, using the opportunity made by Lucato and Hino, other players who have survived started showering the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ with attacks.


    "¡ª¡ªGOOOOOooo!!"


    ¡º"This is why humans are annoying!"¡»


    The ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ didn''t stay idle as this happened. He whipped the red-nosed Devil Reindeer who was pulling the sled to speed up, and matching the timing of the attacking players he opened the distance with them.


    And he counterattacked.


    "We might be in a pinch."


    "...Myu-san, let''s escape!"


    Because of the boss'' speed up, there was space opened between him and Myu and Toutobi, the amount of ice spears coming down also increased to an extent where Kohaku and Rirei were unable destroy them all.


    Those attacks were on direct course towards Myu and others, and were launched during the opening made after they attacked, so they couldn''t avoid.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Magic Bow Skill - Phantom Arrow¡·!"


    In order to fill that gap I shot a magical arrow from the back, intercepting the ice spears in mid-air.


    In the back, I buffed myself with enchants, crushed a wind element stone to cast a wind enchant on my weapon and also used an arrow with ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿ dripped on it, like that I could release the fastest attack possible.


    Preparations and basic support aside, following up on comrades'' mistakes were also part of support''s job. Although I was unable to use it on an unstable sled, I had no problems using the bow from Ryui''s back.


    Myu and Toutobi slowed down the moment I destroyed the ice spears and joined us in the back.


    "One more charge! Let''s attack again!"


    "Just earlier the boss ran away right before we could attack him. We aren''t fast enough."


    "Above all, we couldn''t destroy all the spears with our attacks. We can''t guarantee your safety next time you go in."


    Toutobi calmly shared her opinion, then next Kohaku had peeked out from behind Rirei''s back on the same sled and added, making Myu groan.


    "Hmm, what do we do then?"


    "Just one more attempt. If we don''t finish it this time, the number of players capable of attacking will decrease and we''ll be checkmated."


    "Then how about we challenge the boss for as much as possible and use the information on next try?"


    Lucato and Hino proposed, but Myu protested loudly.


    "I won''t give up! Maybe next time we''ll get a lucky hit, we still haven''t used all the options we have. That''s why I''m going to continue challenging him here!"


    Here we thought we''ve driven the boss into the corner, but ended up just the opposite, and yet Myu still enjoyed the game.


    Her feelings have been conveyed to everyone in the party.


    And I thought that I''d like them to win.


    However, catching up to the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿''s would be difficult.


    Although I could destroy the large number of ice spears that are created by using my bow, but I probably couldn''t reach the boss.


    It was possible for me to use ¡¾Zone Bomb¡¿ attack method to cause multiple explosions within the range of my vision, but while I could use it to destroy the ice spears, it didn''t have enough power to stop the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿''s high speed rush.


    Isn''t there a method allowing us to safely move near the boss and stop him from moving, even for a moment©¤©¤I wondered as I looked through the item menu''s column, searching for something that can be used.


    And I found the most suitable item for this situation.


    "I have two ideas. However, after we do this I won''t be able to fight afterwards. So you''re warned."


    "It can''t be, a method where Yun-oneechan sacrifices herself?! I won''t acknowledge a plan like that!"


    "That''s not it, don''t worry. Also, it''s not worth calling that a plan. We''ll have Myu get on Ryui''s who''s fast and then I''ll just use an item that comes with quite the backlash."


    Hearing that, Myu immediately jumped on Ryui and sat behind me.


    Meanwhile, Hino used her long spear to skillfully manipulate Myu''s empty sled, guiding it to a place where it''d be easy for me to get on it.


    I fearfully jumped onto the sled, then operated it''s reins while wondering how can everyone else handle these sleds without any hesitation.


    "I''ll leave the timing for charging to Myu. Matching that, I''ll use the item, once that happens everyone rush in. Ryui, protect Myu."


    I extended my hand from the sled to Ryui who was next to me, and after patting his torso I moved away.


    Although I let Myu on top of him without telling him anything beforehand, Ryui obediently followed my orders which I really appreciated.


    On the other hand, Myu trembled from excitement caused by the fact she got to ride Ryui, but then immediately braced herself.


    I took out the ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿ magic potion that I made at Pharmacist Obaba''s place.


    Although it was a potion used on a weapon like I did earlier, to add an elemental attack to it, I was about to use it in a different way though.


    "Onee-chan, so that''s what you''re using! Well, let''s go everyone!"


    Matching Myu''s charge, I cast a speed enchant on Ryui.


    Just like before, Lucato and Hino plus Toutobi have started cutting the route open, Kohaku and Rirei cast spells to destroy the ice spears created by the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿.


    Other surviving players too, have matched our attack and attacked with both magic and normal attacks, making the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ scream in annoyance.


    ¡º"You will not catch up to my speed, no matter what you do! Your struggle is in vain, hurry up and fall out!"¡»


    "As if we''d give up. We''re©¤©¤"


    I took a deep breath, opened the lid of ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿ potion, and drank it all.


    As my throat burned from the heat, I squeezed out the air I had in my lungs to make my voice as loud as possible.


    "©¤©¤¡º"UNEXPECTEDLY TENACIOUS!!"¡»©¤©¤


    My voice got amplified and echoed within this space, attacking the enemy. With just that, all enemy mobs received wind elemental damage and further caused an additional ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ effect.


    "Myu-san, now!"


    Before Lucato even called, Ryui rushed through the snow as fast as possible.


    The additional effect of ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿ had caused the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿''s body to stiffen for a moment and make him unable to counterattack with ice spears, the movement of the red-nosed Devil Reindeer also grew dull.


    ¡º"...You...lowly...humaaaanssss!!!"¡»


    However, though rotten, he''s still a boss. He must have had high bad status resistance as he immediately recovered from paralysis and started launching ice spears at the approaching players.


    On the other hand, Ryui with Myu on his back took the shortest course and thrust into the spears.


    Then, Ryui along with Myu who was riding him, had started to become hazy and turned translucent, like that they passed between the ice spears.


    The perfect evasion which used Ryui''s transparency. It''s thanks to this ability that he could run to the enemy using the shortest route.


    When the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ noticed the two''s existence, they were already near him. The boss managed to recover from ¡¾Paralysis¡¿, but the Devil Reindeer''s movement pulling the sleigh were still slow and they couldn''t escape.


    Myu entered the attacking motion forcibly cancelling Ryui''s invisibility, but it was too late for the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ to escape.


    And Myu''s weapon flashed.


    ¡º"...It can''t...be..."¡»


    The boss'' body collapsed from the sleigh, received attacks from the players who caught up one after another, and rolled on top of the snowy road.


    We avoided his body and moved ahead, meanwhile the ¡¾Devil Brat¡¿ rolled further backwards before getting caught up in the snowy road''s collapse and disappeared.


    ¡ñ


    "Yess! We finally beat him!"


    Great, we beat him.


    Myu expressed her joy with her entire body, Ryui who allowed her to ride him found that annoying so he slowed down, looking irritated.


    "Onee-chan, we did it! We won!"


    I told you to call me "onii-chan", geez...


    When using the ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿ magic potion in a wrong way, the player who used it can''t say anything for a while after, thus cannot use any magic or Arts. I knew this much beforehand, though.


    Because of that I kept quiet and only listened to Myu as she one-sidedly continued to talk.


    Before long, the obstacles on the snowy field disappeared and we saw the end of the seemingly-endless snowy course, and the surviving players have jumped into the gate of light one after another.


    We followed them, diving into the gate©¤©¤


    ©¤©¤Congratulations. With the boss mob defeated, the Road Dungeon has been cleared. Once the two remaining dungeons, the ¡¾Hearth¡¿ and ¡¾Graveyard¡¿ dungeons are cleared, the special special events'' tasks will be complete.


    Listening to the announcement while in the light, we experienced the floating feeling just like when we entered the dungeon.


    Eventually, the sled beneath our feet had turned into light particles and disappeared and players were dropped outside the dungeon one after another.


    Among them, Myu riding on top of Ryui stood out most of all and combined with the fact the dungeon was just cleared, she has caught attention of many players.


    It looked like a new page had been added to my little sister''s legend, I thought and smiled bitterly.


    And thus, Myu''s party has been surrounded by many players who came out of the dungeon.


    Ryui who had Myu on his back had put her down on the ground, turned invisible, passed through the crowd and returned back to me.


    Other players thought that Ryui was ¡¶Dismissed¡· and checked their surroundings for him, but he was just hiding himself next to me.


    It seemed like it would take some more time for Myu and others to exchange appreciations and the ¡¾Echo Liquid¡¿''s effect still continued so I quietly left the place together with Ryui.


    I guess they''ll get angry at me for going off by myself, huh, I thought as I returned to ¡¾Atelier¡¿, after which I quickly logged out.


    In the end, as for the Christmas dungeon results, the ¡¾Snowy Field Dungeon¡¿ was cleared by Letia her party and while we were clearing the Road Dungeon, some other party had cleared the ¡¾Giant Tree Dungeon¡¿.


    The remaining ones were the ¡¾Hearth¡¿ and ¡¾Graveyard¡¿ dungeons, they were quickly cleared by someone two days later when the quest event''s completion rate increased and the dungeon difficulty decreased.


    When all the dungeons were cleared, the tools stolen from Santa Claus NPC have been returned. The Santa Claus returned to the sky once again, we happened to see him leaving towards somewhere while laughing merrily.


    Then, an announcement flowed to all players saying that Santa Claus has been saved.


    ©¤©¤Congratulations. Santa Claus'' tools have been safely retrieved from the hands of the Devils, as proof of thanks Santa Claus shall deliver everyone a ¡¾Present Box¡¿ on 23rd of December after the event ends.


    The special reward ¡¾Present Box¡¿ was an item that could be acquired for 50 Quest Chips, so it was pretty much the same as if every player was given 50 Quest Chips.


    Well, some players still said that it would be better to receive 50 Quest Chips rather than an item.


    After that announcement was made, I was spending my time in leisure alone inside ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Taking my time, waiting...


    "Yo, I came to play."


    "Sorry to intrude there, Missy."


    "...Why are you two here, Taku, Mikadzuchi?"


    While I resting myself in ¡¾Atelier¡¿, Taku and Mikadzuchi (in a slightly bad mood) came over.


    "Hey, listen to this Missy! Sei''s completely heartless!! We finally managed to complete the ¡¾Graveyard¡¿ dungeon with our ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ elite members, but she immediately logged out saying she has no time!"


    "Well, there''re preparations for homecoming and it takes time to travel. Myu and I look forward to her coming, too. If she was late because of you..."


    Although I didn''t finish the sentence, but what I said appeared threatening enough as Mikadzuchi obediently nodded.


    "Got it, I don''t want to make enemies out of you two."


    "It''s tomorrow that Sei-san''s coming back, right. Yun, can I come over to meet her too? I''ll buy some juice and sweets before coming."


    "I prepared appetizers and cake for Christmas so come to eat some. The more people join the party the more fun, it will end up a game tournament anyway. At least four are needed for stuff to get lively."


    When we''re playing party games for four people it''s always more fun to fight with the usual four of us. Well, it''s almost certain that I''ll be at the bottom of the ranking, though.


    The, while I chatted with Taku and Mikadzuchi, the time finally came.


    ©¤©¤Commencing score calculation. None of the actions will be counted into the score from now on. The results shall be announced once calculations are complete. Repeating.


    It finally began, the event''s results announcement.


    After a while, a menu was displayed in front of me.


    ©¤©¤Quest completion rate: 86%. Christmas dungeons: cleared. Possessed number of Quest Chips: 79.


    When I completed all magic potion delivery quests at Obaba''s pharmacy I had 76 Quest Chips, then after clearing the ¡¾Road Dungeon¡¿ I did three more errand type quests for 1 Quest Chip each, amounting to total of 79 Quest Chips.


    Also, other than the Quest Chips there was the ¡¾Present Box¡¿ reward for clearing the ¡¾Christmas Dungeons¡¿ and a reward for ¡¾Quest Completion Rate¡¿.


    "What''s this¡­? ¡¾As a reward for completing between 80-90% of quests, 7SP will be granted to all the players¡¿ it says."


    "7 SP huh, as long as you pick up Senses at normal pace, it''s an amount of extra SP you''ll easily gather."


    Mikadzuchi answered Taku while scratching the back of his head, but I had a different opinion.


    "Isn''t their goal to give more spare SP to players so that they pick up more, different Senses?"


    Hearing my words Mikadzuchi answered "you could also think that way", but then Taku pointed out a different kind of problem.


    "But y''know, this means the total amount of SP acquired increased and there will be players who get caught in current potions'' recovery limit, right?"


    ""............""


    What he said was reasonable. If SP acquired passes a certain amount, the recovery amount of certain potions decreases. There are certain potions such as Blue Potions and Yellow Potions that avoid it, but the recipes for them are quite troublesome.


    In which case, anticipating the trouble it''s better to act beforehand. Thinking so I immediately instructed Kyouko the NPC who was in the store, to purchase the materials for those potions before the price increased.


    "Well, leaving that aside. Personally I feel slightly bitter, y''know. If every player received 7 SP for 80-90% quest completion rate, what do you think we would get for over 91% completion rate?"


    "True, I''m also curious about what was the top reward."


    And then, the two changed the topic towards the ¡¾Present Box¡¿''s exchange item.


    "What about you, Yun? Aren''t you going to open your ¡¾Present Box¡¿?"


    The ¡¾Present Box¡¿ was an item that gave the player an item the player wanted at the moment.


    However, it didn''t gift player high-performance items that would break the game''s balance, and only included joke-like items with average performance.


    "Hmm, what should I do..."


    "In your case it''d be something like infinite arrows, or plant seeds, or maybe new potion recipe, something like that?"


    Mikadzuchi who quickly opened his own item box, had received a small distiller, and asked while looking my way.


    And Taku too, had exchanged his Quest Chips and opened his ¡¾Present Box¡¿, then lined up items that he received.


    He exchanged 100 Quest Chips for weapon made with magic-remodelled materials, and from the ¡¾Present Box¡¿ he received sheath matching it.


    Taku usually used twin long swords, but the weapon from magic-remodelled materials was a single-edged and slightly curved sword©¤©¤a weapon normally called katana.


    The blade''s length wasn''t much different from the swords Taku usually used, but the slashing method was different between a sword and a katana.


    And the sheath matching the sword, also seemed to have some feature.


    "Taku, and that sheath?"


    "It doesn''t feel right to just carry katana around bare. I ordered a sheath without durability setting, like this I can use the katana and the sheath as twin swords, right?"


    What are you, a master fencer? I retorted in my mind, but I agreed that every player has his own way to use items.


    And, the sheath Taku received was classified as a sword, and an unique item with no durability.


    Although it had nearly no attack power, it did possess an additional effect called ¡¾Holding Back¡¿ which made the attacks made with it, not take the enemy''s last 1% of HP.


    Next is your turn, the two looked my way with excitement.


    However, unfortunately, no matter how much I imagined ¡¾Present Box¡¿''s content, nothing felt like "the thing" to me. Because of that, I had no choice but to betray the two''s expectations.


    "I''ll©¤©¤decorate the store with it?"


    "...Well, that''s just like you."


    "Yeah, I guess there''s no need to exchange it right away, you can exchange it when something you want comes up."


    "Huh? I expected more like "you''re weird!" kind of reaction."


    I was surprised at their reaction being completely opposite from what I expected, but the two smiled wryly and answered.


    "It''s a valuable item so there''s plenty of players who think it''d be a waste and leave it as is."


    "There are some people in my guild, too."


    The two said and laughed. Is that so, I thought with relief.


    Afterwards I exchanged Quest Chips for items, I used 50 Quest Chips for ¡¾Instant House¡¿ and used the remaining 25 to get ¡¾Random Box (3)¡¿. As for the four remaining Quest Chips, I exchanged them for 4 SP.


    "Well then, it''s about time so I''ll take my leave. It''s been a nice event."


    "Yeah, good work there too. The winter quest event''s over, coming up next is the new year''s update."


    The two muttered and stood up, then after saying farewell to me they left ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Although I intended to spend some time relaxing for this time''s event, thinking back to it, in the end it turned out to be some busy time instead.


    Still, I had lots of fun, so it''s all right.


    Thinking so, I decided to log out.

 Chapter Volume 10 epilogue

    Epilogue - Homecoming and the Christmas Party


    ¡°Fufufu, Takumi-san, today is the day we settle it once and for all!¡±


    ¡°Fine by me, Miu-chan, let¡¯s do it!¡±


    My best friend Takumi and my little sister Miu have dominated our home¡¯s TV standing in the corner. The Christmas party starts in the evening, but they¡¯ve been gaming ever since noon.


    Sometimes they played against each other, sometimes co-op, as they competed for victory in various games. Right now they were playing a fighting game, their characters reacted under a split second and the fierce battle appeared like some kind of strange dance. Their gaze, all of it, was poured onto the characters on the screen. When I looked at their hands accurately manipulating the controllers and the combos appearing on the screen, honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t feel like I could copy that.


    ¡°You two¡­ You intend on playing games all day long?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I brought juice and sweets for¡­ heyyyy?!¡±


    ¡°Got youu!! Super combo techniqueeee!!!¡±


    My little sister¡¯s voice was much louder than even that of the rushing mohican meatball on the screen. And, the martial artist character Taku was playing with had lost all of his HP at once, was thrown up to dance in the air before falling, after which the KO was displayed.


    ¡°Ugh! I got distracted. One more time! I won¡¯t let my guard down this time!¡±


    ¡°Then how about a racing game next? Or maybe robo battle? Or maybe sports?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not listening¡­"


    With that said, Miu just wouldn¡¯t calm down until Taku came, so it¡¯s hard to say what is better.


    According to the schedule, Shizuka-nee will come back today. We heard approximately when will she be back, and she¡¯s supposed to make it for the Christmas party in the evening, but Miu was still all impatient so I was grateful to Taku for calming her down. While thinking about that, I drank some juice brought by Taku and watched the two.


    That¡¯s when¡ª¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m baack¡ª¡ª"


    ¡°It¡¯s Shizuka-oneechan!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Miu! Don¡¯t run in the house!¡±


    Dropping the controller she had in her hand, Miu rushed to the entrance in order to greet Shizuka-nee, who came on scheduled time. I raised my voice to rebuke her, but she Miu was already gone and didn¡¯t hear it.


    Good grief, said Taku, paused the game and went to the entrance to greet Shizuka-nee.


    ¡°Welcome back! Whoaa! It¡¯s Shizuka-oneechan! A raw, live Shizuka-oneechan! It¡¯s Onee-chan¡¯s scent!¡±


    ¡°Oh Miu-chan, you¡¯re still such a kid. Shun-chan, Takumi-kun, I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Welcome back. Hurry up and come in, drink some juice and rest a little. We¡¯ll be having a party after that.¡±


    ¡°Shizuka-san, I¡¯ll carry your luggage.¡±


    Takumi casually received Shizuka-nee¡¯s case and carried it in front of the stairs.


    Miu was burying her face in Shizuka-nee¡¯s chest from the front, so I peeled her off and then gave juice and sweets to Shizuka-nee. ¡°I feel like a guest here" she said in response.


    ¡°How long will you stay, Onee-chan?¡±


    ¡°From Christmas until right before the coming-of-age ceremony in January, so about two weeks. I¡¯ll take my time here until then.¡±


    ¡°Quite long.¡±


    ¡°University¡¯s holidays are long and sometimes they¡¯re different by the department. In my case it¡¯s not so busy, so I plan to reasonably schedule my vacations in spring and summer. It¡¯s hard to find good timing to come back from so far away.¡±


    Shizuka-nee said and heaved a small sigh, but it didn¡¯t feel too serious.


    If anything, it felt like a sigh of happiness caused by a fulfilling daily life.


    ¡°Now that Shizuka-san¡¯s here, let¡¯s play games with the four of us!¡±


    ¡°Yeees! FPS! FPS!¡±


    ¡°A party game would be nice. You¡¯ll play too, right, Shun-chan.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes. To fill up the party, right.¡±


    Among those four I¡¯m definitely the weakest, but it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve gathered with all four of us, surely it would be fun.


    The Christmas night has been spent on a game tournament. Everyone had games they were good in, and the ones I sometimes won in, were games where luck was a strong element.


    Once Christmas is over, most likely each of us would start our preparations in OSO.


    With the New Year¡¯s update coming up, I couldn¡¯t wait.


    ¡ªSTATUS¡ª


    Name : Yun


    Weapon : Black Maiden''s Longbow, Wolf Commander¡¯s Longbow


    Secondary Weapons : Magi-san''s Kitchen Knife, Meat Cleaver ¨C Heavy Black, Dismantling Kitchen Knife ¨C Blue Dancer


    Armour : CS No.6 Ochre Creator (Summer and Winter Versions)


    Accessory Equipment Limit 2/10


    ¡ñ Faerie Ring (1)


    ¡ñ Substitute Gem''s Ring (1)


    Possessed SP64


    ¡¾Longbow Lv31¡¿¡¾Magic Bow Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv17¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv10¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv45¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv45¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge Lv10¡¿


    Information:


    ¡ñ New: ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ reached level 30. A higher sense has been unlocked.


    Quest Event Final Results


    ¡ñ The Winter Quest Event Completion Rate¡ª¡ª86%.


    ¡ñ The Event Rewards: ¡¾Present Box (Unopened)¡¿¡¾Instant House (Unused)¡¿¡¾Random Box (3)¡¿


    ¡ñ Other Rewards:¡¾Death Count¡¯s Choker¡¿, Various Mixing Recipes

 Chapter Volume 10 extra

Sense Build Data

 Chapter Volume 10 afterword

    Afterword


    You whom I meet for the first time, you whom I meet again after a while, hello, Aloha Zachou here.


    You who took this book in your hands, O-san the editor in charge, yukisan who prepared wonderful illustrations, and also all of you who have read my work on the net before it was officially published - I am really grateful to all of you. Currently the OSO series has a spin-off called Silver Muse in Dragon Magazine, and a manga drawn by Hani Kuraun (Honey Crown) running in Dragon Age. In the comic version of Yun¡¯s adventures you can see Yun¡¯s cute and comedic adventures, as well as cute and cool efforts of Myu and others who aren¡¯t so often drawn in the original work. By all means, please try it.


    The ¡°Winter Town Arc" that started in Volume 9 had the characters do various things in wonderful winter clothes, but to me personally, winter is a time of trials.


    Once before when I was lodging in a warm part of Kanto region, there was no snow. Even when it was cold, I could go by wearing a thin jacket. If anything, I spent time in light clothes because the room was warmed up by air conditioner. But after continuing such life, when I returned home the situation changed completely.


    In the morning the temperature fell below zero and the melting snow froze over. In my home I used a kerosene stove and kotatsu, as well as blankets and thick clothes in order to stop my bodily temperature from escaping.


    The change of temperature inside the room and the drying air deprived my skin of moisture and dealt damage, so every morning when I had to leave the warm blanket I prepared myself for death.


    Every day I prayed ¡°I hope summer comes soon¡¯, and like that, I survived spring, and it¡¯s summer now. It¡¯s hot and not very humid making it very nice for a nap and spend time. I¡¯m thinking of splitting my time of the year, my winters in Kanto, and summers in my family house.


    Please take care of me, Aloha Zachou, from now on as well.


    Lastly, once again I would like to thank all those who took this book in their hands.


    I¡¯m looking forward to the day I meet you all again

 Chapter Volume 11 prologue

    Prologue - New Years'' and Miko Clothing


    The New Year''s Eve. Just when we finished eating the New Year''s soba and were about to rest¡ª¡ª


    "Onii-chan, I''m bored! Tired of this! Let''s do something fun!"


    "Calm down, Myu-chan. Here, have a mandarine."


    We were spending some leisurely time in a kotatsu at our home.


    Right now, Myu put her jaw on the kotatsu table, and Shizuka-nee peeled off skin off the mandarins and fed her with an "aan".


    I looked at the two and thought that they''re like a bird parent and child as I ate my own mandarins.


    "Still, it''s not like you''d be any happy with a busy New Year holidays, right, Myu?"


    "That''s true. But everyone else is busy with the New Year''s, they''re meeting with relatives and spending time with family."


    "Thinking of it, we''re different from everyone else. Dad and Mom always go out on a date whenever there''s time off."


    Our parents are working together and they dress themselves all up as they go on dates whenever there''s holidays.


    They''re having lots of fun huh, I thought, and reached out towards the mandarins in front of me.


    "Aa-aah, I want to play with Luka-chan and everyone~."


    "Speaking of which, Mikadzuchi said she''s "kinda busy"."


    Miu did a stretch then fell on her back, then, Shizuka-nee put a hand on her cheek and muttered.


    It seemed that was the reason Shizuka-nee who came back home after Christmas, and Miu, have lately been focusing on playing with the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild and own party respectively.


    "AAaa! It''s boring, BORING! It''s boring when Luka-chan and others aren''t here!"


    "Stop throwing a tantrum. How about going for a new year''s shrine visit in OSO?"


    "That''s it!"


    Miu, who has been laying on her back has raised herself up and pointed at me. Hey, no pointing fingers at people.


    "Hey, let''s go do it! In OSO! There''s a cathedral there, right?!"


    "You''re right. And there''s supposed to be a new year''s update too, so we might as well spend the end of the year in OSO."


    "Yayy!"


    "Really? I mean, are you okay with the new year''s shrine visit being that?"


    Shizuka-nee received Miu''s words with a smile, but I was a little doubtful about having the new year''s shrine visit like that, and questioned her. Maybe their real goal was the new year''s update?


    The cathedral''s for praying, is what I wanted to retort with, but seeing Miu in such high spirits I thought it didn''t really matter.


    Also¡ª¡ª


    "Guess it''s still better than going for a shrine visit in this damn cold."


    I rubbed my hands inside the kotatsu to warm them up as I trembled imagining the cold outside.


    "Then, let''s meet up in front of the cathedral, I''ll go ahead."


    "I''ll go ahead with Miu-chan and log in."


    While saying so, Shizuka-nee stretched grandly and followed Miu who headed to her room.


    "Yes yes, I''ll come soon."


    When the two left, I sluggishly stood up and muttered quietly.


    "Well, we''re just going to the cathedral for a bit¡­ it''ll be over right away."


    I turned off the power from kotatsu, cleaned up the orange peels and headed for my room.


    In my room, I turned on the air conditioner, put on the VR Gear and lied down on the bed.


    I let my consciousness be taken by the pulling feel of logging in, and fell into the darkness to enter the world of OSO.


    ¡ñ


    Like usual, I appeared standing in ¡¾Atelier¡¿ before heading outside, heading for the cathedral where I was to meet up with Myu and Sei-nee.


    The First Town''s main road that I passed through as I moved, was filled with quite the amount of players who logged in.


    "It''s the End of the Year yet there''s so many people logged in, huh."


    Speaking of which, when I logged into OSO for the first time to meet up with Myu and Sei-nee, I also met up with them in front of the cathedral, I thought while being overwhelmed by the amount of people logged in.


    This time, all the players around me were also walking the same way, towards the cathedral.


    "Everyone''s thinking of the same thing, eh."


    Players with free time like me and Myu gathered up their friends and headed towards the cathedral for the new year''s first shrine visit, and the players with stalls by the main road took advantage of that by selling food and accessories.


    It felt like the new year''s stalls in front of the shrines in real world.


    Glancing to the sides, I found Myu and Sei-nee in the place where we first met up in OSO.


    "Myu, Sei-nee, did you wait?"


    "No, not at all, Yun-oneechan!"


    "We met up just a moment ago, too. So then¡­"


    Sei-nee''s gaze turned towards the cathedral, where the main doors were opened and had a line of players stretching out from it.


    With everyone thinking the same thing and such a long queue, the year would end before we could even enter.


    "Hey, Yun-chan, Myu-chan. I think we should come when there''s fewer people, what do you think?"


    "I also think it would be better if we killed some time elsewhere."


    "Agreeed! Let''s gooo! Yun-oneechan! Sei-oneechan!"


    "I said, Myu, don''t call me "onee-chan". ...Good grief, can''t be helped."


    I sighed as Myu pulled my hand and we moved from in front of the cathedral.


    Here and there were players who prepared some interesting things for the New Year''s Eve.


    When we walked around eating food from stalls, we found a player stuttering around while wearing a full-body costume of the next year''s zodiac animal. Myu tackled and clung to him with strong momentum, making him brace himself to bear it. Seeing that, I felt quite strangely impressed. Then, shaking hands with the costume-wearing person made me feel happy, too.


    Then as we strolled around, seeing plenty of heavy food being served tonight, Myu suddenly muttered.


    "...I want to eat something sweet."


    "Oh, good idea. Actually I also feel like having sweets."


    "If it''s sweets¡­ then there''s just one place to go."


    I agreed with going to eat some sweets and the three of us headed to the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ that we know well.


    And when we arrived, we saw that the store was specially decorated for the new year''s.


    The Caf¨¦''s terrace had the tables and chairs removed, instead there was a hanging bell and a wooden hammer set in there.


    Besides the bell, which rang loudly when hit, there was a sign saying "One time per person", and there was a small line of players in front of it.


    Also, by the entrance of the Caf¨¦, there was a red torii set-up adding an Eastern feel to the Western-style building making it seriously out of place.


    Still, the world of OSO was so styled on Western fantasy, that just by having a little bit of "Eastern" feel made people gather.


    "Today, ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ isn''t functioning as just a caf¨¦, we are having special New Year''s sale! We have charms, Evil-Warding Arrows and special limited-edition sweets! Moreover, we''re having a New Year''s free service offering sweet sake!"


    "This service is limited to today only, and will end when we are out of stock!"


    Latem-san and Calian-san who were in charge of ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿''s caf¨¦ part have guided the players who finished ringing the bell, and were advertising the store.


    The two weren''t wearing the store''s uniforms like they usually do, but hakama. Latem-san was wearing a purple colored, and Calian-san was wearing scarlet-colored hakama, which were a priest''s clothing.


    Then, we heard a quiet yells from the two who were leading people in.


    "Why is it so damn busy?! Latem, where are we short on manpower?!"


    "I prioritized the sales, but the free sweet sake''s customer service isn''t going too smoothly. Still, if we overcome this it should get calmer eventually¡­ probably."


    "Oh c''mon, your predictions are just off."


    Hearing the conversation, I ended up calling out to the two.


    "Um¡­ are you okay?"


    They were acquaintances so I approached and spoke to them, but then the two instantly grabbed my hands.


    "Yun-san! You came!"


    "W-well¡­ yeah, to kill some time."


    "Cloude-san! We found extra help! Calian will bring her right now!"


    When Latem-san raised his voice towards the other side of the queue, there was a quiet and hard to catch "got it" answer.


    And so, pulled by hand by Calian-san I was brought into the back of the store.


    Seeing me like that, Myu and Sei-nee said "looks interesting" and followed us¡­ hey, don''t just look, stop them, help me.


    "Cloude-san! We found Yun-san!"


    "WHAT?! Good job!!"


    Cloude appeared, wearing a purple hakama.


    Then after looking at me and Calian-san, as well as Myu and Sei-nee who followed after us quietly he nodded strongly.


    "A''ight! I''m hiring all of you!"


    "No, wait. What''s this all about?! Also, don''t count myu and Sei-nee as part of the workforce!"


    When I protested, Calian-san finally noticed Myu and Sei-nee behind me, and went "When did they¡­?!" with surprise, but immediately retrieved her calm and started requesting the two to help.


    Meanwhile, Cloude explained.


    "What''s this about? ...Well, to put it short, I''m asking you to help us out overcome this situation."


    "This situation¡­ well, I get that you''re short on people but¡­"


    I was stumped by the ever-growing crowd in front of the store.


    "How did this even happen?"


    "The talk of accessories made by Magi has spread among players."


    While saying so, Cloude pulled out one item from among the well-selling goods and showed it to me.


    Seeing that over my shoulder, Myu suddenly raised her voice.


    "OHHH?! Is this an accessory made from the ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿?! I heard that ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿ was hard to process and wasn''t fit for crafting weapons or accessories!"


    "Oh, that''s unusual. ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿ is hard and brittle so ¡¾Eight Million Gods''¡¿ crafters are having a hard time with it."


    It looked like it was an item with a fairly high difficulty to make accessories out of.


    Classified as an accessory, it had a magic defense bonus and could have up to three additional effects added to it.


    "And yet the price''s just 100kG, plus free service! It''s too cheap! I want onee!"


    "Kukuku, it''s a featured product that I asked Magi for, I got it while being ready to go in the red. Even if you line up now, it will probably be sold out before your turn even comes."


    Cloude said and glanced my way. He must have been implicating that if we help out with the store, we''ll receive a ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿ as a reward.


    "By the way, where can you get this ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿?"


    "In the ¡¾Inorganic Cave¡¿ area you can get to by passing through Volcanic Area''s ¡¾Demonfolk Resort¡¿ dungeon. It''s an item you can gather from collection points, but it requires at least level 40 of either ¡¾Tempering¡¿ or ¡¾Engraving¡¿ to craft with it."


    "Whoa, that''s high! Looks like it''s impossible for me either way."


    It wasn''t like I couldn''t access the location it''s gathered in, but even if I get some, my ¡¾Engraving¡¿ level is at 26 so I wouldn''t be able anything for Myu. Furthermore, if it''s a hard and brittle material that requires the player work with it in a special way, it would take a lot of try and error tries to finally succeed, also making multiple trips to the area necessary.


    "Now then, once again I''d like to request you three to help out with the store. As a reward, I''ll give you three ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿ charms, how about it?"


    "Let''s see, in addition to that, could you prepare some limited edition sweets for us?"


    "I see. Very well, I''ll prepare those too."


    "¡ª¡ªHey, Sei-nee! Why are you negotiating by yourself!"


    "Eeeh?, ''cause I too want a¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿ charm."


    Riight? Both Myu and Sei-nee said together.


    "Please, Yun-oneechan."


    "I really want one, Yun-chan."


    With the two asking me like that I could only give up and nod wordlessly. Damn, there''s no way I could refuse such cute request from my sisters.


    Falling silent for a moment, I sorted everything out in my head and slapped my cheeks for some extra fighting spirit.


    "All right, let''s do it. So, what do we do?"


    "Then first of all, change into this equipment here."


    "All right! Let''s hurry and change! Changing in dressing room is okay, right?!


    Suddenly pulled by hand by Myu, I entered the caf¨¦''s dressing room and put on the equipment I was given.


    After changing clothes by clicking once in the menu I checked on my appearance in the mirror the dressing room was equipped with.


    It was a kimono that perfectly matched my stature. The upper part of it was pure white with short sleeves and the hakama on the bottom was colored¡ª¡ªscarlet.


    "I knew it¡­ I predicted that might be the case, but why does it have to be scarlet? Guys get purple don''t they."


    I spoke towards the wall of the dressing room in a stifled voice.


    Also, between men and women the height at which hakama is worn is different, too, so no matter how I looked at it, it was an outfit for women.


    Moreover, even the hairstyle was part of the equipment set. My long black hair were gathered behind my neck and tied with a leather strap which was further hidden by washi that was wound around it.


    "Yun-oneechan, did you finish changing? Hurry up and come out!"


    "Haa, fine."


    Prompted by Myu, I sighed deeply and opened the dressing room''s curtain.


    Waiting there, wearing miko outfits just like me were Myu and Sei-nee. The three of us headed back to where Cloude was.


    Not even trying to hide my displeasure, I stood in front of Cloude.


    "I changed. Got anything to say to me?"


    Why miko outfit, I wish I wore the same kimono for men that you have. Is what I tried to say with my gaze to him, in response, he nodded strongly.


    "As I thought, the prim and proper miko''s the way to go. Fantasy hair and skin colors feel a bit off when you wear miko outfit¡­ yup, I''m satisfied with this."


    Satisfied all alone Cloude, and in contrast me, disheartened. Staring at us like that with a smile, were Myu and Sei-nee.


    "All right, as for what you''ll help out. Yun, you take care of Evil-Warding Arrows and sweet sake sales. Myu and Sei, you two guide people in from the entrance."


    "Understood! Let''s go, Sei-oneechan!"


    "Well then, do your best, Yun-chan."


    After watching Myu and Sei-nee leave, I stood on my station.


    "Excuse me. I''d like two cups of sweet sake¡­ also, what are those Evil-Warding Arrows?"


    "Yes, right away. Evil-Warding Arrows have a silver tip and are an item effective against undead. In order to use them, you need the ¡¾Bow¡¿ Sense, so unless you are a possessor of said Sense, it''s mainly a decoration item."


    I politely explained the item''s usage to a customer who came asking, meanwhile my hands didn''t stop as poured sweet sake into a wooden cup.


    Among the items sold here, ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿ charm and New Year''s limited edition sweets were the items that had best sales, and most of the customers came to have some free sweet sake as well which made me quite busy.


    Moreover, Evil-Warding Arrows didn''t sell too well at first, but when I took charge of their sales, they slowly started to sell.


    I wonder why, I thought. Well, it doesn''t matter as long as they sell, let''s not think about this too deeply.


    Then finally¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªSold out! All items have been sold out! What''s remaining is just the free sweet sake service?!"


    When Latem-san raised his voice saying "sold out!" I relaxed slightly, it seemed like I was more nervous than I thought.


    "You can take a break, Yun. I''ll take care of the rest."


    Although Cloude proposed that, there were still customers remaining in the line despite the fact items sold out, so I decided to help out for a little longer.


    "Hmm, I''ll continue for a little longer. Can you have Myu and Sei-nee take some rest first?"


    When Myu and Sei-nee finish their break, it''ll be a moment after the the midnight. By then, the cathedral should have less people in it, I thought and continued to pour sweet sake into wooden cups.


    Then, passed it to the next player as well¡ª¡ª


    "Here, please have this. It''ll warm you... up?"


    "Yun, why are you in that getup?"


    "¡ª¡ª?!! Taku! Why the hell are you here?!"


    Because I left myself to the flow of the work, I didn''t notice Taku who approached to have some and my voice was completely filled with surprise.


    "I came back after doing some light solo hunting, so I came by since there was a free sweet sake service. To recover some satiety, y''know... and then I saw you."


    "I-I see."


    Being seen in a miko outfit by a childhood friend made my face burn up with embarrassment.


    From Taku''s point of view, it was just me being made to wear women''s clothing again, but to me, being seen in such clothes by an acquaintance it was embarrassing to no end.


    Also¡ª¡ª


    "Hmm, that outfit looks good on you."


    "Stop saying stuff like this again! Don''t make me any more embarrassed!"


    I raised my voice in protest, meanwhile, Calian-san and Latem-san who saw us together had come with help, making a proposal.


    "How about taking a break, Yun-san? I''ll take your place."


    "You can use the break room in the back, Taku-kun can come with you."


    Certainly, upset like this I might fail at work.


    I nodded in response and taking Taku with me I headed to the break room in the back.


    That moment, I heard voices of disappointment saying "Ahh, the person in charge changed." and those of resentment saying stuff like "Just a little more and I''d get some sweet sake from Yun-chan... I won''t forgive him!", but when I turned my head around everyone calmly stood in the line. Thinking it was just my imagination, I decided not to think about it.


    And when I entered the break room together with Taku, I was greeted by Myu and Sei-nee who have started their break earlier.


    "Nice work, Yun-oneechan. Also, Taku-san, why are you here?"


    "Yun-chan, thanks for hard work. Also welcome, Taku-kun."


    Myu turned tilted her head questioningly while eating sweets, and Sei-nee naturally greeted Taku.


    "Myu-chan, Sei-san, good evening. I came to get some sweet sake, but I ended up talking with Yun and getting in the way so we were sent here."


    Taku''s explanation wasn''t wrong, so I remained silent there.


    And when we all together drank some tea in the break room, Cloude entered it.


    "Sorry to have you do work so suddenly. These are the promised ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿ charms."


    While saying so, Cloude passed a simple charm with crystal accents me, Myu and Sei-nee.


    ¡¾Crystal Pillar¡¿ Charm ¡¾Accessory¡¿ (Weight: 1)


    Def+5 MIND+15


    The three of us happily received the charms, which still had yet to be equipped with additional effects.


    Taku was looking at us with slight envy, but since I didn''t have a hobby to show off I immediately put it into my inventory.


    "It''s about time for the New Year''s countdown. I want everyone to greet the new year together, so come in front of the store."


    "Oh, got it."


    Taking us with him, we left the break room and passed through the caf¨¦ and left the building.


    Everyone looked at the clock in the menu screen, the countdown for the New Year''s had started.


    """10, 9, 8¡­"""


    Myu, Sei-nee, Taku and I have lined up one next to another and looked up at the night sky, joining the New Year''s count.


    """3, 2, 1¡­"""


    In the distance, the bell was rang for midnight, and the sky above was filled with colorful magic and balls of light.


    Myu and Sei-nee had joined in, and have glanced my way, signaling they want me to join in.


    "Good grief, all right. ©¤©¤¡¶Explosion¡·!"


    I used the earth element''s attack magic ¡¶Explosion¡· and fired it far above us.


    My ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ took a point in the sky as a target, and activated magic there.


    Although it was activated quite high, it didn''t leave any trail behind and had made a big yellow explosion.


    Without any obstructions in the night sky, the explosion had spread out, coloring the sky.


    "©¤©¤¡¶Diamond Dust¡·!"


    "©¤©¤¡¶Sol Ray¡·!"


    Beside me, Myu sent a converged ray of light into the sky which had passed through tiny particles of cold summoned by Sei-nee and diffused into various directions to illuminate the sky.


    The sight of the fireworks made by magic coming from various parts of the town, had filled the sky with colors.


    "Ehehehe, take care of me this year as well. Sei-oneechan, Yun-oneechan, Taku-san."


    "Yes yes, same here."


    I pat Myu''s head and exchanged New Year''s greetings with Sei-nee and Taku as well.

 Chapter Volume 11 1

    "Oh, the New Year''s update''s information is up."


    When the New Year''s countdown and the magic fireworks show ended, and the surroundings have calmed down, Taku opened the menu and said so.


    We too, opened our menus and checked on the update information, but there was very few things written there, making me perplexed.


    "Several quests added, items added and balance changes?"


    There wasn''t a single detail written there, but Taku and Myu looked somewhat convinced by this.


    "It means we have to search by ourselves."


    "Greeaat! Let''s go search for quests¡ª¡ª"Wait a sec!"¡ª¡ª"


    Sei-nee and I grasped Myu''s shoulders as she tried to break into run while still wearing miko clothing.


    "We''re going for the first shrine visit, right? You''re the one who said you want to go, no escaping."


    "This makes onee-chan saaad. To think you would leave us just like that, Myu-chan."


    I rebuked her with reason, Sei-nee appealed to her feelings.


    As a result Myu lost her voice and high spirits.


    "I''m sorry, I was too hasty."


    Since Myu honestly apologized, Sei-nee pat her head with a warm smile. I also put up a mixed expression as I stared at her.


    And then I looked towards Taku and asked.


    "Are you going with us, Taku? For the New Year''s first shrine visit in the cathedral."


    "Indeed, everyone going together would make it more fun. It shouldn''t be crowded now."


    I invited Taku, and Sei-nee had agreed with my proposal.


    The New Year''s celebrations ended and players have split up and started to look for the new quests and items added by the update.


    Certainly, the number of people gathered in the cathedral should decrease in this situation.


    Taku''s gestured made it appear that he thought for a moment about our proposal, so I asked him whether he has some other plans.


    "Did you have something to do? Like, meeting up with Gantz and others?"


    "No, I don''t have any. Everyone from our party is busy with the New Year''s so the log in times are completely disjointed, we decided that for a week after the New Year''s we''ll play as we like alone."


    "Is that so."


    Hearing that, Sei-nee said something similar.


    "As I thought, it''s the same everywhere, isn''t it. Mikadzuchi said that she''s busy with the New Year''s drinking parties and such, and won''t be able to log in often until everything calms down."


    "It''s just the New Year''s, but still, is it really okay for your two on top not to function properly? O'' greatest of guilds."


    Hearing my retort, Sei-nee who was the sub-master of the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild smiled, and said "it''s okay".


    "I gave out instructions, and there''s plenty of other skilled players so there''s no problem."


    She said. Meanwhile, Myu who was in low spirits had recovered, and energetically spoke up.


    "Instead of talking forever here, let''s change and go to the cathedral!"


    "Hurry up and change, I''ll wait here."


    "Got it, then..."


    Prompted by Taku to change clothes, I took Myu and Sei-nee with me, then entered the Commonest store''s dressing room.


    There, I changed from miko clothes to my Ochre Creator''s winter version and exited the dressing room, Myu and Sei-nee also came out at nearly the exact same timing and the three of us headed towards where Taku was waiting.


    "Sorry to make you wait, let''s go."


    "Yeah."


    When leaving the ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿ I approached Cloude to give back the miko outfits, but ended up receiving them as gifts.


    Although I made an awkward expression, Myu and Sei-nee looked a little happy so I couldn''t get angry at him there, and had to receive it.


    We left the store and headed for the cathedral, I watched as Myu and Sei-nee have stopped by stalls to check goods and prices, and walked side by side with Taku.


    "Heey! Yun-oneechan! Taku-san! Hurry up and come or we''ll leave you behind!"


    "Fufufu, when was the last time we went for New Year''s shrine visit like this, with just the four of us? It does feel nostalgic."


    Myu called us out with a loud voice, and Sei-nee appeared to be lost in nostalgic thoughts. The sight made Taku and me smile wryly, and speed up the our walking pace.


    When we covered a bit of the distance¡ª¡ª"Fuck, enjoying a harem right from the start of the new year, huh?!" "A riaju in both game and in real, peh. Goddammit!" "An older, same age, and younger girls all with childhood friend attribute, and all three being sisters to boot. What kind of galge is that?!"


    Hearing voices saying such things, I turned around and saw multiple male players who looked like they''d start crying tears of blood at any time. Taku and I are guys, and most of the parties around us had high male ratios if anything.


    Was there a harem party somewhere near? I stopped moving and wondered.


    "Yun, what is it? Myu-chan and Sei-san are waiting."


    "Ah, sorry."


    Together with Taku we chased after the other two and arrived at the cathedral.


    There were still more players than usual inside, but we were able to enter the cathedral smoothly.


    The space inside was lit by the faint light from the candles and the moonlight pouring inside through the stained glass, displaying colorful art on the floor.


    Although usually there were few people here, now players have taken turns praying in front of the goddess'' statue.


    Still, the way everyone prayed was different and some knelt before it, others just joined hands, or followed real shrine''s manners. Seeing the players acting all freedom, I put on a bitter smile.


    Then came our turn.


    "All right, let''s pray."


    Along with Taku''s words, Sei-nee and I closed our eyes to pray, but in the middle of it we heard sound of hands clapping. It seemed like Myu and Taku followed real shrine''s manners to pray.


    Even when praying each of our personalities showed, I thought as I spoke this year''s wish in my mind.


    ("This year too, I wish all my acquaintances were healthy and we all have fun.")


    When I finished making a wish, I felt a gaze from the side so I opened my eyes, and saw Myu peeking at me from the side.


    "...What is it, Myu?"


    "Nothing, I just wondered what did you wish for, Yun-oneechan."


    Hearing the two of us, Sei-nee and Taku also finished praying and looked this way.


    "Oh, I want to know too. What did you wish for, Yun-chan?"


    "Ngh, then what did you wish for, Myu, Sei-nee?"


    It felt embarrassing to one-sidedly reveal my own wish, so I asked them first. Myu and Taku puffed up their chests and responded.


    "I wished I can level up and fight strong enemies!"


    "I wished for a new sword to join my weapon collection!"


    Really, these two... I stared at the two intently, but meanwhile Sei-nee had stared into distance as said¡ª¡ª


    "I¡ª¡ªwished I got some rare drops."


    ("""¡ª¡ªS-so earnest!""")


    Probably because of greed sensor, Sei-nee had such a bad luck that she almost never receives the items she wants from actual drops.


    Hearing her earnest wish for that to be fixed, Myu, Taku and I all have cried in our hearts, unable to say anything about her lack of luck.


    Realizing what our silence meant, Sei-nee tried to change the atmosphere by asking me this time.


    "Everyone said what they wished for, now it''s your turn, Yun-chan. It''s not fair for just us to be the only ones."


    "Ehh?! Um¡­ uh, it''s kinda embarrassing¡­"


    "Nope! We all said what we wished for, you have to as well, Yun-oneechan! I won''t forgive you otherwise!"


    It was just a normal wish, is what I wanted to say, but I ended up answering despite the embarrassment.


    "I wished for my acquaintances to be healthy and have a lot of fun, something like that¡­ hey, c''mon! If you have something to say, SAY IT!"


    When I answered while turning my gaze away, I received lukewarm stares from Myu and the other two, feeling even more embarrassed.


    "Yun-oneechan''s always thinking of others, that''s why I love you!"


    "Yes, Yun-chan is really kind."


    Still looking at me lukewarmly, Myu clung onto me and Sei-nee pat my head. Because of that I grew even more embarrassed than before I said what was my wish, and started walking out of the cathedral to escape.


    "We''re done with the visit, right. I''m going back! I''ll go back and go to sleep!"


    But I was stopped by Myu.


    "You can''t! You can''t go back yet! We''re doing a newly updated quest together!"


    "Kyaa?! Myu, where are you touching! Ah c''mon, fine, just get away!"


    When clinging onto me from behind to stop me from moving, Myu put her hands under my winter clothes and started touching my chest and sides. In order to release myself I ended up agreeing to helping everyone out with searching for the new quests.


    Taku who watched all of that with a smile, pat my shoulder lightly.


    "You sure are soft on Myu-chan."


    "I know, you don''t have to tell me."


    Haa, I sighed and chased after Myu who exited the cathedral while humming a song.


    "At worst, this might turn into an all-nighter where we won''t find anything, I hope we don''t get all the info from websites later."


    "Ahaha, that''s¡­ well, I can''t deny it."


    When I muttered, Sei-nee laughed dryly, but my fears have been blown away by Myu right away.


    "Onee-chans! I found one already!"


    "That was fast!!"


    We barely left the cathedral and yet Myu already pointed in a certain direction.


    When I looked the way she pointed, there was an entrance to a small park. Inside, stood a single adult priest in front of which a line of players had extended.


    "Is that a quest NPC added by the update?"


    "No, that NPC was there before, too."


    "Right, he sold holy water, didn''t he."


    According to Sei-nee''s explanation, he was selling an item that could turn active undead mobs non-active for a short period of time.


    Hearing that it could be used as item for crafting, I was a little happy with the find.


    "Maybe I should buy some of it. Still, that atmosphere doesn''t feel like they''re lining up to buy stuff."


    The line in front of clearly wasn''t for purchasing items. Entire parties spoke to the Priest NPC before slipping out from the line, after which they started to consult among each other. There were also those who, after speaking shortly with the Priest NPC, were disappointed and left. However, there was noone who bought or sold anything.


    We could only judge based on the few words we managed to hear, but there was talk of items, enemy mobs and errands.


    "What''s happening?"


    "Don''t know, we might as well ask!"


    Myu said so, and immediately stood in the very end of the line. We smiled bitterly and lined up next to her.


    And then to kill some time, we exchanged information with the players in front. Although indirectly, we grasped some information about the quest.


    It was the Sense Expansion Quest.


    In order to pick the quest up, it was necessary to spend 50SP and clear a few of randomly generated quest stages, before finally clearing the quest to receive the reward that was an additional Sense slot. Or so it seemed.


    "Sense expansion quest, huh?"


    There, I checked my Sense Status window.


    Possessed SP64


    ¡¾Longbow Lv31¡¿¡¾Magic Bow Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv17¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv29¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv20¡¿ ¡¾Earth Element Talent Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv44¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv10¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Bow Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv45¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv45¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv7¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge Lv10¡¿ ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge Lv10¡¿


    I had 64SP so I fulfilled the requirement for taking the quest, but I wasn''t really eager to take it now, which was sharply noticed by Taku.


    "What is it, Yun? You don''t look too eager."


    "No, it''s just that if I take the quest together with you, I''ll feel bad for your parties'' members and other comrades afterwards."


    Myu had a party Lucato and others.


    Sei-nee had the ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿, including Mikadzuchi.


    Taku had his party with Gantz and others.


    Aside from me, they all had their own party members and comrades. I wondered if it was really okay for the three to ignore them like that, just to take the Sense Expansion Quest with me, I felt a little guilty about it.


    After I voiced my opinion, my right hand that was holding onto the winter clothing near the chest, was wrapped around by Sei-nee''s both hands.


    "You really are kind, Yun-chan. But you don''t have to worry, I already decided to stick with you two these entire holidays."


    Hearing those words, I lightly opened my eyes.


    "Is that really okay? Sei-nee."


    "Yup. It''s a rare chance for me to do some adventuring together with you and Myu-chan. In which case, we might as well do the Sense Expansion Quest with the three of us, how about it?"


    "Sei-oneechan! You''re forgetting Taku-san! Let''s have him join and beat it with the four of us, childhood friends!"


    "It looks like you''re feeling guilty that we''re doing this quest ahead of our own parties, but this quest''s challenges are given out randomly. As long as we somehow don''t get the same challenges, we can still enjoy the new ones. Plus, Gantz and others won''t mind anyway."


    Said Taku, then Myu and Sei-nee also nodded.


    "Then it''s fine if we take it together?"


    When I once again asked to make sure, Myu and Sei-nee stood on my both sides, then hugged and started patting my head.


    "Oh Yun-oneechan, you should have more confidence!"


    "Fufufu, there''s nothing you need to worry about, Yun-chan."


    Surprised by the action taken by the two I stiffened, then feeling lukewarm stares from the surroundings I started feeling embarrassed.


    "C''mon everyone, it''s our turn."


    "S-sure¡­"


    Along with Taku''s words I was released from the two, but had started feeling uneasy about the Sense Expansion Quest that we were about to undertake.


    "Welcome on this fine day. What do you need of me?"


    "Tell us about the quest, pleasey!"


    When Myu energetically responded, the Priest NPC went "Hmm" and appeared to be thinking something, then after a moment took a look at us.


    That moment, our menus opened by themselves and our Sense Status window was displayed.


    "All of you appear to diligently work towards polishing your talents. In which case, as the representative of our Goddess I shall bestow upon you fitting trials. If you overcome them, your talents shall further expand."


    There, the menu had displayed a new window.


    ¡ª¡ªSpecial Quest ¡¾Sense Expansion - Three Trials¡¿ is available for undertaking.


    ¡ùThis quest requires consumption of 50SP in order to undertake. Upon finishing the quest, the player receives a new equipment slot for Senses and a free Sense to pick up along with it.


    In case of the quest''s failure, SP is returned to the player.


    Below the quest''s explanation there was a field with ¡¾YES£¯NO¡¿ choice, we selected ¡¾YES¡¿.


    "I shall now bestow three trials upon you. The trials themselves will involve gathering, aiding and subjugation. Once you complete all three trials, return to me once again."


    Here, the Priest NPC paused for a moment.


    "The three trials I bestow upon you are¡ª¡ª


    ¡ñ


    "Allll right, let''s do thiss!"


    The place we were in, and Myu energetically raised her voice in front of the Abandoned Village''s portal, which stood near Wisteria Peach Three''s hill.


    In the darkness of the late night, we started walking, relying on the ball of light that Myu conjured.


    "This Sense Expansion Quest''s trial content is a bit, y''know, that. I wish we got something simpler. Also, I think we don''t have to get on it right away, it''s dark and the footing is bad¡­"


    I voiced my opinion, but Myu''s motivation didn''t appear to dwindle anyhow.


    "Personally, the harder it is the more fired up I get."


    "Keh, you damn game freak."


    I turned a resentful gaze towards Taku, but was immediately rebuked by Sei-nee.


    "Calm down, Yun-chan. Rather than that, are you doing okay here?"


    "Well, I have ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ Sense so I have no problems with the darkness¡­ but I''m still anxious about this."


    The three trials that we have been given for the Sense Expansion Quest were¡ª¡ª


    Gathering Quest: Collect a ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿ from Wyvern Mountains.


    Aiding Quest: Deliver ¡¾Cure for Epidemy¡¿ to the town ahead of the Highlands Area and save the sick.


    Subjugation Quest: Subjugate the ¡¾Emperor Foolegobug¡¿.


    It was these three.


    However, among these quests there were some we lacked any information on and involved unexplored areas.


    "If it''s Wyvern Mountains, we''ll be able to search while sneaking around, so we should manage to get a ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿, but¡­"


    "But gathering quests are a pain, aren''t they. I''d like more like, BOOM and cut down enemies."


    "Well, I understand what you want to say, Myu-chan. If anything, I''m also bad with gathering quests."


    When I started talking about probability of finding a ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿, Myu also voiced her opinion and Taku agreed with her with a bitter smile.


    It certainly wasn''t a flashy quest, but I liked gathering so I sighed inside of my mind.


    "Gathering quests are Yun-chan''s specialty, it''ll be all right. For the Aid quest we have to get past the Highlands Area, which in fact means that it might as well be subjugation quest for the ¡¾Lightning Horse¡¿."


    Hearing Sei-nee say so, I made a displeased expression as I looked towards her.


    "Honestly speaking, I''m bad with boss battles."


    "Why?! They''re fun! And you get rare drops from bosses, too!"


    Myu made a seriously mystified expression, but I personally have usually played solo so I don''t expect or prepare for party-focused battle content. If anything, boss mobs are intense which makes me get scared. Well, I''ve been plenty involved with them anyway.


    But if I said that here, it would tarnish my dignity as the older brother so I kept silent. Then, Taku spoke up.


    "Also, this¡¾Emperor Legbug¡¿ is a mob I haven''t heard of yet, so we might have a hard time searching for him. I guess the main part of the trial would be searching for the unknown mob?"


    Although he said "hard time", Taku looked quite happy. Your face and what you say doesn''t match, I said to myself.


    I bet he''s enjoying this situation, I thought as I stared into the distance to look up at the silhouette of the Wyvern Mountain that I could see in the night''s darkness. Meanwhile Myu, growing impatient because we haven''t caught up with her yet, had returned.


    "C''mon! You''re all slow! Hurry, we''re almost in the Wyvern Mountains!"


    "Hey, we''re just going to collect, so we can ignore the cave, right?"


    ""DENIED!""


    My proposal was immediately denied by Myu and Taku.


    "Avoiding combat isn''t fun!"


    "I want a sword made from Wyvern drops, so let''s gather some!"


    Seeing the two like that, Sei-nee smiled bitterly.


    "Then we''ll leave combat to Myu-chan and Taku-kun. Yun-chan and I will support you while we search for ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿."


    Is that okay? She asked to confirm, we agreed on that and started walking a mountain path in the night.


    The lower parts where no mobs spawned appeared to be boring to Myu and Taku, who wanted to move on as fast as possible, but¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ªOh! It''s Mystic Medicinal Grass growing there! And that one''s Soul Grass!"


    I shouted, and rushed from the meandering path to a place with poor footing to gather herbs that grew on a slope. Because of that, our arrival at the middle part of the mountains has been delayed.


    "Ughh! C''mon, Yun-oneechan! Stop gathering all those herbs! We have a different goal today, right?!"


    "But, I mean¡­! These are materials for ¡¾Mega Potions¡¿ and ¡¾MP Pots¡¿! I want to increase my stock as much as I can!"


    I declared strongly with a sparkle in my eyes. Myu responded with "ugh" and fell silent.


    "My my, this time Myu-chan and Yun-chan exchanged roles."


    "Yun sure turns into a different person when crafting''s involved."


    When Taku said so with a wry smile, Myu puffed up her cheeks and made a displeased expression, but with the next thing I said¡ª¡ª


    "Ahead of here we might get into combat with Wyverns, so how about I share some Mega Potions and MP Pots with you?"


    "Really?! YAAY! I love you, Yun-oneechan!"


    Good grief, what a greedy fellow she is, I laughed in my mind as I passed the items to the three. Afterwards, I gathered the items in the surroundings lit by Myu''s ball of light.


    Previously I was here on a time-limited quest so I couldn''t stop by and gather, so this time the frustration from back then had exploded at full force and I started collecting everything within the line of sight.


    Most of it were Mystic Medicinal Grass and Soul Grass, but even among the stones there were items to pick up.


    "Oh, that''s a high quality Iron Ore. How rare¡­ oh, a fossil too. Speaking of which, I got a ton of these unidentified back in ¡¾Atelier¡¿."


    I said and as I continued to collect items one by one, before I realized we arrived in the middle part of the Wyvern Mountains.


    The sky was completely dark and the mountain path was steep, but there was no small mobs in the surroundings making it fairly easy to spot the enemies.


    "Myu, from the front, right side. Single enemy coming!"


    Using the night vision of ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ Sense and ¡¾See-Through¡¿ I predicted enemy surprise attacks ahead of time and relay that to Myu.


    "Finally came out, huh! Let''s go, Taku-san!"


    "There''s still some distance until Wyvern nests, but I guess we can warm ourselves up around here."


    What appeared wasn''t a Wyvern, but fairly smaller, medium-sized mobs called Arkeoplis.


    His wings had various colors such as black, white, red and blue, and appeared to look like a mix between a bird and a pterosaur, and assaulted us at once.


    After bringing him as close as possible, Taku and Myu both dodged enemy''s attacks before kicking off stones nearby to slash at Arkeoplis'' wings.


    When the Arkeoplis lost his balance and fell to the ground as a result, the two leaped at him and crouched to deliver the finishing blows at nearly the same time, turning the mob into particles of light.


    "Good job. And yes, it looks like it''ll be all right if we leave combat to Myu-chan and Taku-kun."


    Sei-nee said, seeing that there is no need to assist the two in combat. Hearing that, Myu puffed up her chest and Taku put up an aggressive smile.


    "He-hehn, right?! I''m worth a hundred of men! And it was my attack that beat him! At this rate I''ll be enough by myself to beat Wyverns!"


    "I can''t let that comment pass, Myu-chan. That last blow was mine obviously. Also, it''s easy for me to beat Wyverns and find an egg by myself, too."


    From my point of view it looked like the two got the hit in at roughly the same time, but they started competing over it.


    There was no special exp or drop reward for the last attack, but the two for some reason glared at each other provocatively.


    "Then Taku-san, let''s have a match! Who beats more Wyverns!"


    "Fine by me! Let''s go!"


    They said, and ran up the middle layer of the mountains to slash at the Arkeoplis coming down to attack from the black night sky.


    Matching Myu''s movements, the ball of light that we used as a lantern also moved away, so Sei-nee had to bring out an actual lantern from the inventory.


    "Sei-nee, is it okay to just let those two roam?"


    "I guess? Rather than that, Yun-chan, I want some Mystic Medicinal Herbs and Soul Herbs too, I''ll gift them to some of our crafters."


    "Then let''s do our best and gather some materials while we search for ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿."


    Sei-nee nodded in response to my proposal, then with me as the lead we headed towards the higher layer of the mountains while gathering items on the way.


    Among items we acquired, there were herbs like Mystic Medicinal Grass and Soul Grass, as well as earth element''s magic metal that was Grunrite and ¡¾Water of Life¡¿ that poured out of holes and gaps in rocks.


    Other than that I got some of the more common Medicinal Spirit Grass and Magical Spirit Grass plus other herbs, and lower tiers of metal ores like Iron Ore, which I shared with Sei-nee.


    Actually I wanted to search for materials a bit more broadly, but if we did that there would be a possibility of leaving the mountain path.


    "I guess this much of herbs should be enough? It''s about time we searched our goal that''s the ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿."


    I said and looked ahead of us, below a sphere of light where Myu and Taku were shooting down the attacking Arkeoplis.


    Myu used a converged ray of light and Taku released a flying slash, the two mixed long range attacks in, in order to stand advantageous.


    Squealing loudly, Arkeoplis summoned other ones, ultimately resulting in an never-ending loop. At this rate it wouldn''t end until we wiped them all out at once.


    The two ran ahead of Sei-nee and me, but ended up being stopped in their tracks by the mobs.


    "Yun-chan, there''s our chance! Let''s search for the egg while Myu-chan and Taku-kun are occupying Arkeoplises!"


    "Oh, yeah. Got it."


    Strongly instructed by Sei-nee I nodded, and together we circled around Myu and Taku to go up the Wyvern''s Mountains.


    While worrying about Myu and Taku who''ve become decoys, we approached the upper layer without meeting any enemies and were about to search for the ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿...


    "So, where can it be?"


    The upper layer had several holes in it, and each of them was a Wyvern''s nest.


    "This is troubling, which hole do we check, I wonder? Yun-chan, can you tell?"


    "Hmm, even with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ I can''t check the places that are hidden behind Wyvern''s bodies. Oh, there''s Mithril collection point in that nest hole! Also, in the other one there''s the ¡¾Healing Mushroom¡¿ growing, it increases healing effectiveness!"


    "Yun-chan¡­"


    Sei-nee smiled bitterly seeing me get all excited about things other than the egg-searching.


    "Let''s check them all one by one, we can enter the holes that are empty and don''t have any Wyverns in them. For the ones that have Wyverns sleeping inside, we should be able to somehow lure them out and check, how about it? Although, the lured-out Wyvern will eventually return so it might be better to beat them inside the nest instead."


    The two of us checked up on a nest that had a Wyvern sleeping in it, and hid behind a rock near the entrance, preparing to lure it out.


    "Okay, come¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·"


    I used ¡¾Aqua Gel''s Nucleus Lv2¡¿ to summon an Aqua Gel.


    "Enter that hole and put these five balls as close to the Wyvern as possible, then return."


    I said, and the Aqua Gel had taken in five Magic Gems that I put on the ground, then started bouncing jiggly as he carried them to the Wyvern''s den.


    "Your items sure are handy, Yun-chan. I would get found right away if I tried to cast a spell inside."


    "Magic Gems can attack with delay, so I can use the moment between saying the keyword and their activation to hide."


    Since Magic Gems could be used like bombs with high control over when they explode, they were extremely handy items and also expendable. Synthetic mobs such as this Aqua Gel too, could cheaply and safely do the work I instructed them to do.


    We decided to quietly chat a little until the Aqua Gel sets up the magic gems and returns.


    "Speaking of which, Yun-chan, is your magic Sense still at ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿? Does it remain low because you aren''t using it much?"


    "Ahh, now that you say it, it''s leveled up and can be turned into a higher Sense, actually."


    I forgot, I muttered, making Sei-nee smile wryly and start explaining about the higher elemental Senses.


    "It''s better if you take it."


    "I''ll do that, then."


    I opened my menu and consumed 2SP in order to change the ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ Sense into ¡¾Land Element Talent¡¿.


    If I just continued to use ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ I would be able to cast the same spells, but unless I grow it into ¡¾Land Element Talent¡¿ I won''t receive any of the new, higher rank spells.


    "Huh? I didn''t get any new spells."


    "Of course. The higher elemental Senses don''t give you many new spells, you get only one at level 10. However, as you continue to use lower level spells, eventually you might get new ones derived from those."


    I listened intently to Sei-nee''s explanation.


    It looked like there were specific requirements for players to learn derived magic, just like there was a requirement for my ¡¾Cooking¡¿ Sense to acquire ¡¶Ingredients Knowledge¡·.


    While I thought so, Sei-nee furrowed her eyebrows and made a troubled expression.


    "I think normally, by the time someone gets to the higher Sense they often already fulfill the requirements, so you not getting a single one so far is a wonder."


    "I do use magic¡­"


    Though, when I said that, I recalled a single possibility.


    The ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· skill of my ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ Sense allowed me to enchant skills I possess into items, and activate it at my leisure.


    Magic Gems are the very representative of the items made with that skill.


    As the skill''s nature dictates, by enchanting items with magic increased both ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ and ¡¾Earth Element Talent¡¿ levels at once.


    However¡ª¡ªwhat if it didn''t count to the number required for the magic derivation Sei-nee spoke of¡­


    "What is it, Yun-chan?"


    "Sei-nee¡­ actually, I might not have used magic at all."


    When I muttered quietly and lowered my shoulders, depressed, Sei-nee pat my head as if to cheer me up.


    And when I explained the reason, she went "oh my" with a troubled smile on her face.


    "In such case, this can''t be helped. Still, derived magic isn''t so hard to acquire so make sure to start using your magic a bit."


    "Yeah, I''ll do so."


    While we were talking, the Aqua Gel had finished carrying the Magic Gems and has returned.


    It appeared like the non-active Wyvern did not react to a small synthetic slime-type mob, and it was able to return safely.


    "Now, Yun-chan. Make it explode and we''ll check what''s inside the nest."


    "Sure, but before that¡­ Help me out, you guys! ¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    Before exploding the Magic Gems set up inside the nest, I summoned another few dozens of slime-type synthetic mobs around me, and gave them instructions.


    "Everyone, quietly and stealthily enter other holes and collect all items you can find and aren''t too deep in!"


    Along with my instructions, synthetic mobs split up and started bouncing towards various nests.


    "All right, if everything goes well, we''ll get the item we''re here for."


    "Yun-chan, you sure find interesting way to use items. Now, again, let''s check that nest."


    "Okay, let''s go¡ª¡ª¡¾Bomb¡¿!"


    I spoke the keyword to activate the Bomb Magic Gems that I had Aqua Gel leave in the nest. A flash of light could be seen coming out of the Wyvern''s cave for a moment, and the multiple explosions shook the nest, disturbing the Wyvern''s sleep.


    ¡º"GYAAAAAA¡ª¡ª"¡»


    The Wyvern who raised a howl and and peeked out of his cave, was a different species from the one I saw during the winter''s Limited Quest Event, and was about half of that one''s size, and had green bat-like wings.


    Then after running down the mountain''s slope, the Wyvern took off and disappeared in the night sky.


    ¡ñ


    "Looks like we weren''t found. Well, let''s examine it."


    Sei-nee and I entered the nest after the Wyvern has left, and what we found after searching it was¡ª¡ª


    "Woah, they''re all raw gemstones."


    In the back of the Wyvern''s nest, there was a small mountain of stones. All of it were medium-sized gemstones that could be used for creating Magic Gems.


    "This one''s a ruby, and here''s a sapphire, emerald, topaz, and a garnet! There''s a lot of jewel types here!"


    "Hmm, quest-wise we missed, but we could say that we got a big hit when it comes to gathering. Since we found it, might as well take it all."


    Sei-nee said, and split the gemstones between herself and me.


    After putting them into inventory I checked how they were split, about 90% of them were gemstones and the rest were raw gold, silver and mithril ore, plus a few fossils mixed in with them.


    I could identify ore and gemstones with my ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense, but couldn''t identify things like fossils.


    Meanwhile, Sei-nee who hadn''t the ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ Sense stared at a certain item.


    "Hey, Yun-chan. What is this pretty gem? It shines differently depending on the angle I look at it."


    "How unusual, Sei-nee! That''s a Pearl-turned fossil!"


    Since it was a Fossil type of item, there was a need to identify it at the specialist NPC''s place, or have a Sense allowing to identify it, but at the same time it was a gemstone so I could identify it with my Sense.


    There were two of them, one of them was the ¡¾Dragon Bone''s Fossil Gem¡¿ and it was a small milky-white lustrous bone, and one more was the ¡¾Dragon Fang''s Fossil Gem¡¿ and shone with blue color reminiscent of the sea.


    "Haa, amazing. To think there were things like that among fossils."


    "But, what is this used for? Does it work as a jewel?"


    "Let''s see, a normal Fossil would have been restored and would turn into item named ¡¾XXX Dragon''s Bone/Fang¡¿ or something similar, but this is a fossil that turned into a gem so instead of recovering, it can be used as a Jewel-type item for crafting."


    "I seee. Looks like my New Year''s wish has already come true?"


    Devoid of drop luck and item luck, Sei-nee muttered with a smile.


    That''s when¡ª¡ª


    ¡º"GYAAAAAA¡ª¡ª"¡»


    Hearing a Wyvern''s howl outside the cave, switched from a loose atmosphere to a tense one.


    "Yun-chan, it''s about time the Wyvern comes back, right? It''s about time we returned."


    "Got it, I don''t want to meet up with him."


    The cave that was the Wyvern''s nest was a dead end, if he returned we would have been left with nowhere to escape.


    In order to avoid that, Together with Sei-nee we had to leave about 30% of the gemstones behind and quickly escape the cave.


    And a moment later, the relieved Wyvern had returned from investigating the surroundings and entered the cave.


    Despite the fact we stole about 70% of his gemstones, there were no signs of a fuss inside.


    From there, we headed to the next nest and just like we did earlier, we lured out a Wyvern.


    We looked forward to finding something nice again, and what we found was a small black and dried-up mountain of soil.


    "Whoa, what''s with this smell."


    Sei-nee took out a handkerchief and put it against her mouth and nose, hesitating to get any closer. Bearing with the smell, I took out a scoop for farming and a jute bag for ore transportation, then scooped some of the black soil into the bag to collect it.


    And once it entered my inventory, I confirmed that the item''s name was¡ª¡ª¡¾Wyvern''s Feces¡¿.


    "...Ugh, to think there''s even an item like this. This nest is a complete miss."


    When I muttered so, Sei-nee called out to me.


    "Found anything out, Yun-chan?"


    "This is a complete miss. There''s no ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿ and that smelly thing is ¡¾Wyvern''s Feces¡¿."


    "In that case let''s quickly leave this place. Uugh, I don''t have any item luck after all!"


    Just a moment ago Sei-nee has become slightly more optimistic, and yet she''s already becoming depressed, tears appearing in her eyes.


    Her quick decision to leave wasn''t caused by only the fact the cave was a miss, but also by the horrid smell wafting around, I''m sure she wanted to leave even if a second earlier.


    I too, had no intention of staying there for nothing, and took a step out before an idea flashed by my head.


    Maybe this black soil, or rather, ¡¾Wyvern''s Feces¡¿ could be used for ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s herb field.


    If I mixed in this unusual ¡¾Wyvern''s Feces¡¿ with bone powder and dried grass I could make a fertilizer, that increases the number of herbs and improves their quality.


    Thinking so, I turned towards the mountain of ¡¾Wyvern''s Feces¡¿ again and filled four jute bags worth before chasing after Sei-nee out of the cave.


    "Phew, the air outside is really tasty."


    "...Yun-chan, you''re late, what were you doing?"


    Sei-nee who hasn''t had her item luck improved even after making a wish in the cathedral, was hiding behind a rock so that she''s not found by Wyverns, and asked me a question in powerless voice.


    "I thought that feces could maybe be turned into fertilizer material for ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s herb field, so I gathered some!"


    When I explained, she looked at me with a lukewarm gaze.


    "I''m so envious of how you can enjoy even a complete miss of a nest¡­"


    Actually I felt like she didn''t envy me that at all, I thought in wonder, seeing which Sei-nee chuckled and recovered her spirits.


    "Yup, I''m okay now. My bad drop and item luck isn''t something that started just now. We''ll definitely get ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿ on the next try."


    I nodded in response to her words. Let''s move to the next one, I thought, but that moment, a pillar of red flames had risen from below the cave we were near, then several converged rays of light were fired into the sky.


    "What the hell?!"


    "Myu-chan and Taku-kun reached the higher layer. And by the by, they got caught up with the Wyvern we chased out of the nest and one more."


    Ahead of where Sei-nee looked up to, there was the remnant of the Wyvern''s fire breath which danced in the sky.


    Although Sei-nee didn''t have night vision, she could tell that there was two Wyverns worth of flame breath.


    In fact, I could clearly tell with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ that there were two Wyverns.


    And as the battle unfolded, Myu and Taku were¡ª¡ª


    "Taku-san, we''re at the same number of enemies beat! If I beat those two Wyverns, I''ll be in the lead!"


    "Won''t let you! I''ll beat them first!"


    You guys, why are you completely forgetting original goal and doing some competition there, I stared down at them with resignation. There, Sei-nee put up a slightly mischievous smile.


    "Hey, Yun-chan. If we beat those two Wyverns instead, what do you think would happen?"


    "Well, the two wouldn''t be able to decide the match which sure will make them frustrate¡­ ohh, I get it."


    Sei-nee wanted to see their frustrated expressions and suggested we beat those Wyverns instead.


    I too, felt like getting back at them for their overly "freedom" behavior, so I also put on a mean smile.


    Standing in a higher position than the the two, Sei-nee and I had more than enough range to aim at the two Wyverns, we only had to wait for the right moment.


    Myu and Taku cooperated with each other while at the same time, paid attention to each others'' range as they fought. Meanwhile, two Wyverns'' HP slowly but surely decreased.


    And when they went down below 30% HP¡ª¡ª


    "Yun-chan!"


    "Let''s go, Sei-nee! ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªIntelligence! ¡¶Element Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªWeapon!"


    I put a magic attack increase enchant on Sei-nee, then enchanted her weapon with a water element increase enchant.


    "¡¶Zone Cursed¡·¡ª¡ªMind!"


    Furthermore, I put magic defense decreasing in combination with my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿, allowing me to decrease magic defense of multiple mobs within my range of sight.


    Once I prepared everything like that, Sei-nee raised her staff towards the Wyverns and swung it down.


    "Fall down¡ª¡ª¡¶Maelstrom¡·!"


    The point of her swung-down staff pointed below Wyverns, where water suddenly burst out like exploding and swallowed the them, then pushed high into the sky.


    In front of the surprised by the sudden happening Myu and Taku, the enormous whirlpool smashed the Wyverns into mountain rocks, then rotated them fiercely.


    As the power of the swirling water increased, the Wyverns smashed several rock objects while losing HP all at once.


    When smashed into rocks for the last time, the two Wyverns were caught between the rocks and high-pressure. One Wyvern howled and turned into particles of light, then disappeared.


    "Hmm. One of them has some HP remaining, Yun-chan, if you could."


    "Roger."


    Sei-nee''s magic increased its power even more as compared to when I last saw it, but the first Wyvern that fell down had acted as a cushion for the second one, decreasing the damage slightly.


    While Myu and Taku were surprised by the sight in front of them, they still ran out in order to finish off the nearly-dead Wyvern.


    However, before that could happen, I nocked an arrow and pulled the string of my longbow, then activated an Art.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Bow Skill - Arrow Stitching¡·!"


    The single arrow released from the drawn longbow flew straight through the darkness of the night.


    Although the Wyvern brought down by Sei-nee''s attack spread his wings attempting to fly away again, that moment his head was pierced by my arrow. For an instant, silence befell us.


    Then immediately after, the huge body fell down along with a low and loud sound that turned into a sound wave. The Wyvern fell on his side, turned into particles of light and disappeared.


    "Great job, Yun-chan! Now, let''s go join up with Myu-chan."


    I nodded as Sei-nee cheerfully said so, and we headed towards where Myu and Taku were, dumbfounded at what suddenly happened.


    "Heeey, you two, how long are you going to play around? You shouldn''t forget what we came here for."


    Sei-nee gently questioned the two as she showed herself, making them realize that we were the ones who finished off the Wyverns. Myu pursed her lips in displeasure, and Taku smiled bitterly.


    "Mmgh, I know! But my match with Taku-san is¡­!"


    "This will be a draw, I guess. In any case, we got the good part splendidly taken away from us by Yun and Sei-san."


    Let''s decide this match some other time, said Taku, making Myu get fired up again. But before that, there was something we had to do.


    "C''mon, let''s check up on the nests of those beaten Wyverns."


    "One of these two Wyverns is the one we lured outside to check his nest, so that nest is already investigated. Let''s go check the other one."


    When we agreed with Sei-nee, Myu energetically raised her hand and started jumping on spot.


    "I know, I knoow! I know where''s the nest that one came out of, I can guide us there!"


    She said and along with the momentum of her jump she broke into dash, making us chase after her again.


    Then, once we entered the cave¡ª¡ª


    "Yaay, everyone! We got ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿!"


    Myu reached the nest first, and once she arrived in the back of the cave she picked up a basketball-sized ellipse-shaped egg and turned around.


    The Wyvern''s egg was so big it was necessary to carry it with both hands, behind Myu there were several more of them just lying like that.


    We put the ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Eggs¡¿ into our inventories and then confirmed in menu''s quest tab, that the Sense Expansion Quest had one of the trials completed.


    "Finally we got the first one done. We started it in the middle of the night, so I''m quite tired."


    Rather than be happy over completion of the quest, the moment I realized we''re done I was assaulted by a wave of tiredness and yawned.


    Sei-nee looked at me with a smile.


    "That''s true, I''m also tired a bit. How about sleeping here for a little? Once Wyverns are beat, they won''t respawn for half a day, so it''s kind of like an artificial safety area."


    Agreeing with Sei-nee, I spread out a sheet on the spot and took out some limited edition sweets I received from Cloude as well as tea.


    Myu and Taku happily ate them, but Myu immediately started to doze off and ended up leaning on my shoulder.


    Seeing her like that, I also started to get sleepy, then eventually my eyelids grew heavier as I fell asleep.


    ¡ª¡ªI wonder how long have we slept.


    Before I realized, I was sleeping on my back, feeling someone shaking my shoulder and opened my eyes and could see a slightly bright inside of the cave. There was something like a blanket covering my body.


    "...Huh? Someone covered me with a blanket, thanks."


    "Yun-chan, can you get up?"


    "Yeah, no problem."


    Myu, who was sleeping as she leaned at me, was now lying on her back and in her arms, she was squeezing a Heat Gel, one of my synthetic mobs.


    "...Why is she squeezing that thing?"


    "Fufufu, the little ones you sent to bring items from other caves have returned just a moment earlier, and this one was caught by Myu-chan."


    Told so, I took a look around and saw a mountain of items in one corner of the cave. Synthetic slime mobs have gathered together and were waiting for further orders.


    Imagining half-asleep Myu catching a Heat Gel who was in the middle of carrying items, I smiled pleasantly. The person herself woke up and rubbing the corners of her eyes, she let out a yawn.


    "Huh? Onii-chan, Onee-chan, morning."


    Still not quite awake, Myu made a fluffy smile towards Sei-nee and me before lowering her head to us. The Heat Gel she was hugging was squashed into a strange shape, which made me a little worried.


    That''s when Taku, who was outside the cave had returned.


    "Oh, you finally woke up. I found a nice place, clean up the items and come."


    Along with his words, Sei-nee, Taku and I split the items between the four of us and then put them into our inventories.


    Myu, still sleepy, was drinking some tea in order to wake herself up, all this while still hugging the Heat Gel.


    "Still, releasing a horde of slimes to gather items¡­ you sure are shrewd, Yun."


    "Is that so?"


    When I answered like that to Taku''s mutter, Sei-nee only chuckled without saying anything.


    And once we recovered all the items and Myu has completely woken up, we were all led by Taku to a certain place.


    The night sky right before the daybreak was the darkest, just like the real one.


    Even I, with ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿''s night vision had slight problems seeing the road up as I followed Taku, but I could tell what''s the goal.


    "All right, we''re here. I guess there should be about five minutes left."


    Then, we waited in silence until the time for sun to climb up comes. This moment was strangely pleasant, we stared at the world being lit by the sun that slowly climbed up the sky.


    "Previously we saw the sight of sun appearing, but it seems like depending on the place, the sight is also different."


    Last time, we saw it from the mountainside North of the First Town so the sun climbed up from the left side, but this time we stared at it from the front.


    After watching the sky for a while, we took a look at each other with sideways glances to relay a certain something, then smiling broadly, we shouted towards the sun.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªHAPPY NEW YEAR!"¡»


    Although we did exchange New Year''s greetings and wishes among the four of us, but this time we turned towards the sun as we said it all four at once.


    With the Wyvern Mountains'' quest completed, we watched the sun for a while longer, before logging out, straight from that place.

 Chapter Volume 11 2

    After doing one of the Sense Expansion Quests overnight, Shizuka-nee, Miu and I have logged out, ate some New Year''s dishes and immediately went to sleep to wake up on the second day of the new year.


    Although Miu indeed did wake up the next morning to eat some of the remaining New Year''s food, completely taken in by the holiday''s mood she went to sleep again saying that she''s going "for a nap". In the end, it took us some time until we logged into OSO again.


    Together with Shizuka-nee we cleaned up the living room and prepared everything for the lunch, after which we logged into OSO and gathered in my store to consult on the second trial.


    "Yun-chan, can you manage the second trial? A boss fight?"


    "Hmm, I don''t think there''ll be any problem. I''m scared of the boss, though."


    The second trial of the Sense Expansion Quest was to deliver ¡¾Cure for Epidemic¡¿ to the town beyond the Highlands Area.


    We already received the ¡¾Cure for Epidemic¡¿ quest item from the Priest NPC.


    If it was a crafted quest item, I would have a chance to show my ¡¾Mixing¡¿ skills, but it wasn''t. It was easier this way, but seeing there wasn''t a chance to show my crafting skills I felt a little disappointed.


    "In that case, I guess we''ve done all we can do here for the second trial preparations."


    "Yeah. I have some things I want to do for myself, so I''ll move onto that."


    I said, and putting the second trial aside, I headed to the field outside of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and together with Kyouko-san we started preparing tools.


    Scoop and hoe, wooden planks and wooden hammer, as well as huge boundary stones I made out of small ones with Alchemy. Aside from that, I prepared several synthetic slimes for simple work. Meanwhile, my tamed mob partners Ryui the unicorn and the black fox Zakuro watched as the field expands from the wooden terrace that was near the field.


    Because I was busy during the end of the year I could only do some most basic preparations, but now that I have some time I can get right to it.


    "Let''s begin then."


    "Hey, what are you making, Yun-chan?"


    Sei-nee got curious about what I''m doing and watching from the terrace with Ryui and Zakuro, she asked.


    "Hm? I''m expanding the field. Recently I''ve started growing new types of herbs and it''s gotten narrow, so I bought fields next to mine, I''m going to cultivate it."


    Since I bought four fields I paid 6mG, but considering how much I managed to save up until now, I''ll be able to get this much back in no time by selling potions.


    "I see. Then I''ll go take a look what''s going on in my guild and collect some information, I will come back once that''s done."


    "Got it. All right, let''s do this!''


    I said, and immediately started working on the new field together with Kyouko-san.


    Out of the four new fields, in order to use two for growing Mega Potion and MP Pot materials that were Mystic Medicinal Grass and Soul Grass, I plowed the ground with the hoe then had Kyouko-san spread the seeds and slimes cover them with soil, water them.


    Then finally for the last step, I had the slimes line up and pass basketball-sized stones that Kyouko-san and I would set in place, finishing the field preparations.


    "All right, we still have some fields remaining, so let''s use them to store fertilizer."


    Previously, I made fertilizer on spot whenever it was needed, but now that the field expanded to this size I felt like it was necessary to have a separate location for it. So I quickly made one.


    "Well, I guess I''ll make a wooden container and mix everything together inside."


    After making a container for fertilizer in the field furthest from ¡¾Atelier¡¿, I inserted the materials inside.


    What I put in, were Mulch, Bone Powder and Dried Grass as well as the ¡¾Wyvern Feces¡¿ that I just acquired, then mixed it up with a scoop.


    While I was doing all this, I kept raising my stats with enchants so it really felt it was much easier for me to complete this work than it was before.


    Finally, the result was¡ª¡ª


    Medium Fertilizer ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Even further increases the number of materials cultivated and their quality.


    The item was just as I expected, so I immediately ordered the slimes to spread over all the fields. Still, that depleted it right away so I''ll have to make it again.


    "I look forward to gathering the herbs tomorrow. Just how many more, and how much better they''ll be, I wonder."


    While looking forward to the next day''s gathering, I stood in front of the field closest to ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    Feeling that the last part of today''s work is about to start, Ryui and Zakuro ran over from the wooden terrace and stood next to me, expectant of what''s to happen.


    "It really took me a lot of time to decide this part''s layout."


    I said, and after having Kyouko-san, Ryui and Zakuro line up in front of the field I opened my menu and used a certain item.


    It was the reward I acquired by exchanging the Quest Chips from the event, the ¡¾Instant House¡¿ item which allowed me to immediately construct a simple building.


    After acquiring it, I carefully inspected ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s positioning and such, so I took a while to decide on where to place it, until today.


    "Let''s do this. ¡ª¡ª¡¾Instant House¡¿ - place!"


    I used the ¡¾Instant House¡¿ item from the item menu and the location I selected started to shine with pale light, from which a building started appearing.


    Before long, a building made entirely of glass with a slanted roof has appeared.


    There was no floor inside and it remained bare ground, which was split into four parts with a brick pavement that led in four directions from the middle. In the middle, the pavement made a circular shape, inside of which there were a table and a bench.


    I planned to use these four separated fields for raising bad status recovery herbs which were bad against changes of temperature.


    I took Kyouko-san, Ryui and Zakuro with me and walked around inside the glass building in order to check up on everything.


    Ryui sat down in the middle of the glass building which was well lit by the sun to check how comfortable it is, while Zakuro leaped around all over the glass house enjoying the warmth and wide space.


    After enjoying freedom inside the glass house for a while, both Ryui and Zakuro returned back to my side, both flailing their tails quite pleased.


    "Looks like you like it. Well then, it looks like there''s no problem with temperature inside, we can leave seeding and spreading of fertilizer for tomorrow. Let''s go back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ for now."


    Leaving the glass house we headed back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿, there, standing right next to the store''s entrance we found Sei-nee looking up at the glass house that stood near the store, with amazement.


    "Welcome back, Sei-nee. How was the guild?"


    "Ah, Yun-chan. Mm, there''s no problems with ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿. I see that your fields increased in the moment I was away, yup, certainly you did some field expansion work there. But, when on earth did you build that thing?"


    Sei-nee put a hand on her cheek in wonder as she looked up at the glass house, then she closed her eyes for a few seconds, after which she returned back to her usual self.


    "Well, I guess it''s just the usual Yun-chan."


    "I''m not sure what to feel about the way you put that¡­ Anyway, how about we have a cup of tea?"


    Although there is a table and a bench inside the glass house, it felt quite empty now since there wasn''t anything growing inside yet, so as usual, we entered ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    "So, I gathered some information inside the guild, will you listen now?"


    While I prepared tea, Sei-nee has started the conversation. I nodded and started listening intently.


    "I investigated the Lightning Horse from the Highlands Area."


    When Sei-nee said that, Ryui''s ears stood up as he started listening. Maybe he reacted because he was interested in another horse-type mob, but hearing Sei-nee''s next words his ears drooped.


    "Unfortunately, I couldn''t find any info of anyone beating Lightning Horse."


    "I see."


    "Although, since it''s one of the frontier areas there''s plenty of people who challenged it and lost so I acquired information on him. We can predict several characteristics of the Lightning Horse based on that info."


    Lightning Horse usually starts with a big attack, after which he runs around freely and charges at people while clad in lightning, constantly distancing himself from players. As a result, it''s hard to get a hit on him.


    On the other hand, his defense is set quite low.


    "Also, I tried looking for info on the third trial''s ¡¾Emperor Legobug¡¿ but I couldn''t find anything."


    "Looks like this Sense Expansion Quest might be more difficult than we expected."


    "Yes, although the first trial in the Wyvern Mountains was a collection quest, that area is indeed one of the frontier ones."


    I poured the fresh tea into cups, then drank a little together with Sei-nee.


    "Mm, it''s tasty. Thank you, Yun-chan."


    "You''re welcome. Still, we''ll have to fight the bosses with so little information on our side, huh."


    On top of that, challenging Lightning Horse with a party of just four sounds harsh, we have to discuss this with Myu and Taku as well, I thought. That''s when Sei-nee had received a message from Myu."


    "Myu-chan woke up a moment ago and has already met up with Taku-kun. They''ll be coming here now."


    "I see. I need to prepare some more tea then."


    I said and when I prepared two new tea cups, Myu had energetically entered the store.


    "I just saw the glass building next doors, also the field grew¡­ just when did you make all that?!"


    Although Myu reacted like that, Taku who also entered ¡¾Atelier¡¿, already knew about the glass building had only been a little impressed by how much the field has grown.


    "So that''s how the ¡¾Instant House¡¿ looks like, huh. Also, I didn''t think you''d expand the field so much."


    Meanwhile Myu had charged straight at Zakuro and clung to him, making us smile wryly.


    "Yun, did you consult Sei-san ahead of us?"


    "Yeah. We were talking about how there''s few information about the Lightning Horse."


    When I said so, Taku appeared to be thinking for a moment and then spoke with a steep expression.


    "This isn''t the best timing to fight Lightning Horse, we should leave him for later."


    "Why is that?"


    I asked, but the one who answered me instead, was Myu, who was hugging Ryui and Zakuro.


    "It''s about time for the Highlands Area to go berserk, so if we challenge him now and it happens, the difficulty will go up."


    Myu who would normally go "let''s beat him when it''s the hardest!", has noticed my surprised glance, and had puffed up her cheeks, protesting.


    "Certainly there''s more experience points when you beat enemy when they''re harder, but there''s no point if we can''t beat him! So we should first become able to beat the boss, and then we can try it when it''s hardest!"


    She said, Sei-nee and Taku nodded to her words. In other words, this kind of thinking is probably normal.


    "I see, I get that the time is bad¡­ but what do we do? We can''t just waste time waiting, and we don''t know where to find the ¡¾Emperor Legobug¡¿, right?"


    When I said so, Taku went "yeah, you''re right¡­" and scratched the back of his head.


    Personally, I''d like to clear the Sense Expansion quest while Sei-nee is still home for the end of the year, so I was against wasting time.


    Even if we can''t progress with the quest, we should do something meaningful.


    It appeared that Taku also felt the same, so he proposed with a serious expression.


    "Then, how about this?"


    He said and then started explaining. Myu, Sei-nee agreed with him, but I scowled in response.


    ¡ñ


    "Having a quest leftover feels bad y''know! Let''s do it while we have a chance!"


    "I get what you mean. I do¡­ still, you could spare me from coming here!"


    We were currently in the middle of the periodical rampage of the Highlands Area''s ultra-sized mob, the Grand Rock, in the hollow upper part of it that had a spring in it.


    In the past we have climbed the Grand Rock during the rampage, thanks to which Cockatrices, a type of weak which stopped the players from getting up, have spread all over the Highlands Area, allowing us to reach the top.


    We have registered ourselves with the portal object, allowing us to teleport here directly at any time since then.


    The place the portal was set in, was a cave-like stony place, but there were countless holes in the ceiling that allows light to pour in, resulting in grass and vegetation growing inside, making a garden that included a plentiful spring of ¡¾Water of Life¡¿.


    "Now then, let''s beat the boss inside Grand Rock and this time, we''ll complete the quest to heal the heart!"


    Said Taku, making me take a look at the ominous location.


    "Still¡­ passing through that place is harsh on me."


    It was a dungeon with walls of flesh and weird mucus, as well as grotesque mobs appearing, I still remembered the psychical damage I received when we were here the last time, it had turned into a light trauma.


    On the other hand, Myu''s and Sei-nee''s reaction was¡ª¡ª


    "It''ll be great! We can cast heals on the heart all we want! The more remaining on the heart, the more we can cast healing and raise our levels! I wanna do it!"


    "Agreed. If I remember well, the accessory Myu-chan received from Yun-chan used this boss'' strengthening material, right."


    "Ehh?! Really?! All the more reason to go inside this dungeon!"


    While Myu and Sei-nee grew enthusiastic, I braced myself in place.


    "Still, we can''t complete this quest without prior preparations¡­"


    I said, but Taku had stared at me intently.


    "So you say, but I know you have prepared Yellow Potions in secret."


    "...I-I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    I averted my gaze as if to run away from Taku''s stare.


    Yellow Potions were a type of colored potions, just like Blue Potions.


    We discovered before that it had an extremely high effectiveness when healing Grand Rock''s heart.


    On the other hand, there were few potions who required Yellow Potions. Back when I started selling them in ¡¾Atelier¡¿, there were players who bought it out of curiosity, but eventually they became really unpopular.


    I myself don''t need anything better than High Potions either, and have become able to make Mega Potions now. As such, there was no reason for me to mass produce Yellow Potions.


    However¡­ despite that I did craft some Yellow Potions because this quest bothered me.


    By the way, when healing the heart with Yellow Potions, each potion recovers 20 points, and Grand Rock''s Heart has 10000 points to heal¡ª¡ªin other words, 500 Yellow Potions were necessary to heal it. I spent roughly a month and a half crafting this amount of potions, and theoretically we could complete the quest with them¡­


    "Ughh, but still¡­"


    I don''t want to go to a place with fleshy walls and grotesque stuff, I said. As a result, Sei-nee put a finger on her chin, thinking of something.


    "Then how about I freeze all the walls with ice as we move? It''ll consume MP, but it will be less straining on you, Yun-chan."


    "Ughh, Sei-nee¡­ please do. I''ll give you MP Potions and MP Pots for that."


    After hearing there was a plan to save me from all this grotesque stuff I engaged in trade with Sei-nee and with tears in my eyes, I passed her a large amount of MP recovery potions.


    "All right! Leave everything to me! Let''s do this¡ª¡ª¡¶Ice Age¡·!"


    The inside of the innards dungeon had started turning white and icy along with a rigid sound like that of metal colliding with each other.


    I timidly entered the dungeon which was frozen all over by Sei-nee and checked the insides. The walls and the pools of mucus beneath our feet were covered in white ice, changing the grotesque appearance of the dungeon into one that didn''t bother me, making me sigh with relief.


    Still, since the entire dungeon was covered in ice it was a little hard to walk inside, but that was nothing compared to the mental damage I would receive otherwise.


    "Yup, looks fine. What is this magic?"


    "Ice element''s support magic, I guess it''s kind of ice version of the ¡¶Mud Pool¡· you''re using, Yun-chan."


    ¡¶Ice Age¡· was a area of effect magic that decreases the enemy''s movement speed, their ice element resistance and with the newest update - also dealt ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿plus started dealing damage when someone destroyed ice in the surroundings.


    As a result¡ª¡ª


    "Whoa, we do nothing yet they all die. Kinda interesting."


    Ahead of where Myu looked with a sparkle in her eyes, blood-sucking leeches that have been hiding inside walls of the dungeon have broken through the walls to the outside in order to escape from the cold and have received damage from the pieces of ice that broke off. When they finally arrived at the floor, the started wiggling for a moment before turning unmoving.


    "Sei-nee, this¡­"


    "Oh my, was it always this strong? Or are they weak to ice element?"


    As Sei-nee tilted her head in wonder, one after another the leeches have pierced through the walls only to lose 80% of their HP to the shattering ice, then after being slowed they all died to ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ before reaching us.


    It looked like Sei-nee was invincible in here.


    "Well, let''s go."


    We started proceeding forward together with Sei-nee, who had made a troubled smile as enemy continued to appear in the icy realm already on the verge of death.


    Because the pitfall traps from before have all been frozen and didn''t work, we were able to proceed with leisure. Sometimes there were enemies that appeared from the walls outside of the ¡¶Ice Age¡·''s effect range, but they were easily dealt with by Taku and Myu.


    "Wait. Is there any point of me being here?"


    Myu, Taku and Sei-nee have grown stronger than before and with my enchants they were a heavy overkill for mobs of this level, making literally nothing to do for me.


    "Yun, your job''s to heal. Don''t mind it."


    And as we talked like that we traveled the dungeon that changed its structure as the time passed, but somehow we weren''t able to reach the boss'' location yet.


    "It''s my first time inside the body dungeon, I was hoping for something fun¡­ but Sei-oneechan is beating all mobs and there''s nothing for me to do! Where''s that boss room?! We''ve been in this passage several times already!"


    Because we weren''t able to get to the boss location yet, Myu had reached the limit of her patience and started raising her voice.


    "Well, this part of this dungeon is all up to luck. ...And there''s even less for me to do than for you, Myu."


    "Hm? Yun-oneechan, did you say something?"


    "Not really."


    I''m glad Myu didn''t hear the last words that I muttered quietly, I thought. I too, was already tired of walking through the same-looking places over and over again.


    "It''s your first time here, right? Myu-chan."


    "That''s right! Everyone''s got scared at the entrance of this innards dungeon and we ended up only registering the portal, what a shame."


    When I arrived here with Taku and his party, Myu''s party also had reached the spring portal at the back of the Grand Rock. As expected, this dungeon must have been a bit too much for the girls and they avoided getting involved in beating the dungeon.


    As we proceeded while conversing, we suddenly arrived at a dead end.


    "Arghh, it''s a dead end. This dungeon continues to change so it''s pointless to draw a map, too."


    Taku said and scratched his head wildly, but Myu had pat my shoulder.


    "What is it, Myu?"


    "Hey, but there''s a stairway passage in there, can''t we pass through it?"


    "Oh, that¡­"


    Saying only this much, I nocked an arrow on the longbow and shot at the wall in the staircase.


    When I did, the enemy mob that was pretending to be the stairway that had a deep-socketed eyeballs had immediately closed the entrance.


    "That''s an enemy mobs'' trap and not a stairway."


    "Hmm¡­but, did you really confirm that?"


    Hearing Myu''s words, Taku and I looked at each other.


    There''s a mob waiting to ambush players and forcibly drag them inside, it only makes sense that''s a trap. But it''s not like we saw that on our own eyes, we avoided it because it looked dangerous.


    "It sounds interesting so how about we try going in? I''d rather jump into a trap than go back and look for a route again!"


    "Wait, waait! You must be nuts to jump right into danger like that! Heck, I don''t wanna jump into a mobs'' mouth!"


    "But she has a point."


    Taku had immediately agreed with Myu.


    I looked towards Sei-nee, who was my last hope, but¡ª¡ª


    "They say a pinch can be a chance, we might be able to beat enemy and get some drops so it won''t be in vain. Let''s go."


    "My last hope had abandoned me!"


    My shoulders drooped and I fell to my knees no the area frozen over by Sei-nee, Myu and Taku pat my shoulders lightly to cheer me up and looked at me with a lukewarm gazes.


    "All right, let''s gooo!"


    Myu shouted and leaped inside the mouth of the stairway-looking enemy mob.


    Following her, Taku and Sei-nee also jumped in¡ª¡ª


    "Ahh, damn it! A man''s guts!"


    Finally, I also jumped in and slid inside the enemy mob whose insides appeared like a water slide.


    Thanks to Sei-nee continuously freezing everything over, we weren''t covered in the mucus like we normally would have.


    And when we finally stopped sliding, we arrived at fairly large space with whitish meaty walls.


    "It feels like we''re inside a completely different creature."


    Grand Rock''s insides had red meaty walls, but these looked white and flabby.


    And what appeared then was¡ª¡ª


    "Ueghh, it feels slimy and disgusting."


    Is what Myu said as she pointed at a slimy creature of uncertain shape, but at that moment its surface was ripped and a new shape appeared.


    A mob called Flesh Bacteria three times as big as human had appeared and extended tentacles at us.


    "Hiiihh! That''s why I was against this!"


    I screamed because of how disgusting it was, Myu and Taku stood in front of me and raised their weapons.


    However, the Flesh Bacteria had entered the area frozen by Sei-nee and immediately started to freeze over.


    "Huh? What the hell?"


    The Flesh Bacteria had growled and extended tentacles towards us which froze over from the tip and shattered.


    The shattered small pieces started moving on their own to move towards us, but froze over again and broke into even smaller pieces.


    Those ever-splitting small worms have eventually reached their limit of turning smaller and were turned into particles of light by the ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿.


    "Here I thought we''d fight a strong foe, but Sei-oneechan''s magic just went and beats it all on its own. Hmm, I guess this is a colony of tiny mobs?"


    "Well, in any case, it appears that Sei-san is something like an arch-nemesis of this dungeon itself."


    Being able to suppress most of the enemies without any effort made beating this dungeon quite easy.


    Aside from the fact we were having a hard time reaching the boss'' room, for some reason¡­


    "...Thank you Sei-nee, thank you!"


    I held Sei-nee''s hands to express my gratitude, resulting in her making a troubled smile.


    In any case, this enemy mob had no treasure dropping out of him and instead, behind him there was a stairway for returning back to where we came from.


    We were about to return back there and this time head for the boss, but Myu for some reason stared at the walls in this location.


    "What is it, Myu? Did something happen?"


    "Hmm, something feels weird, as if there was something more to this place."


    "Something more? But my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense doesn''t react to anything¡­"


    I stared at the wall Myu was pointing at, but there was certainly no reaction.


    "Sei-oneechan, freeze that part. Yun-oneechan, you have a skill that shows mobs'' weaknesses, right? Use that."


    "Understood. ¡ª¡ª¡¶Ice Age¡·!"


    "I don''t really get it, but¡ª¡ª¡¶Ingredients'' Knowledge¡·"


    Sei-nee had froze the part Myu had instructed her to and I used my ¡¶Ingredients'' Knowledge¡· to check the enemy mobs weaknesses within my sight.


    Then, a huge red marker appeared that wasn''t found before by the ¡¶See-Through¡· Sense.


    "Your hunch was right, there''s something there."


    Myu had checked the place I pointed to and then looked towards Taku.


    "Then, Taku-san, shall we go?"


    "Okay, let''s do it."


    The two raised their weapons and started running towards the frozen wall.


    ""¡ª¡ª¡¶Shock Impact¡·!""


    The two''s swords were swung down at the frozen wall.


    The sword Art that attained blunt damage had spread the damage along the wide area of the wall and broke it apart.


    "All right! Found a hidden passagewaaaay!"


    And just as Myu had predicted, beyond the white meat wall there was a red-walled Grand Rock''s passage continuing ahead.


    "Well, let''s go! I knew there was something in there!"


    "H-hey, wait. Geez¡­"


    Myu energetically rushed into the hidden passageway, after whom Taku had followed. Sei-nee and I had trotted after the two while making sure we don''t move out of the frozen area.


    And in the hidden room ahead there was¡ª¡ª


    ¡ñ


    After we slipped out of the hidden passageway, we found a wide space with a single house that appeared to be partially inside the meaty wall.


    The robust house build of stone had a third of it inside the wall, but still felt like it was inhabited.


    "Hee, a building inside a mob'' innards?"


    Taku took a look around.


    Other than the passageway we have come from, there were several other entrances leading to this house.


    "Excuuuuse meee! Is there anyone hooome?!"


    "C''mon, there''s no way there''s anyone¡ª¡ª¡º"What is it? So loud."¡»¡ª¡ªThere was someone here?!"


    I stared at Myu who yelled towards the house, but betraying my expectations a person had appeared from inside the house.


    "Oh my, there was an NPC in a place like this, that''s amazing."


    "Nono, it''s not like a normal person would be living inside a huge organic being."


    Sei-nee put a hand against her cheek and she spoke while going "my my",. Meanwhile, a bearded and short muscular old man NPC had spoken to Taku and Myu.


    "What are you doing here, old man?"


    "Me? I''m doing smithing here."


    "In a place like this?"


    As Myu further asked, the old man NPC had nodded calmly and started talking about what happened in his life.


    "Long ago, I used to be a famous blacksmith who had made swords for people who came seeking them. Every day I continued to make swords, but what I really desired was an ultimate sword. For that sake I have started to live in the mountains."


    After pulling out a chair from inside the house and sitting on it, the Famed Smith NPC pat his beard and continued.


    Curious as to why this hermit NPC had end up inside the ultra-large mob, we listened intently and swallowed saliva in nervousness.


    "After becoming a mountain recluse I continued to craft weapons until one day, a storm had caused a landslide on the mountain which took me along with my house. When I was buried inside earth and sand, I and my house was eaten by Grand Rock along with the soil he came to eat."


    "It can''t be¡­"


    "Grand Rock eats soil and then slowly melts the metals inside it to form his shell with it. However, he is unable to melt anything else, as a result I and my smithing facilities were able to safely arrive in here."


    "But this doesn''t seem like a good place for crafting swords, right?"


    Unlike me who was completely astounded after hearing an absurd story full of fantasy elements, Sei-nee retorted to something completely different that she was bothered by.


    The Famed Smith NPC responded to the question cheerfully.


    "Not at all. Grand Rock himself is like a lump of metals himself and inside the soil he swallows I can find good things for me to eat. There''s also a spring with water in the passage ahead of here. I can live here comfortably."


    He said, and pointed towards the passage leading to the spring and the portal, making us follow with our gazes.


    "We found an unexpected hidden area, I guess this is a safety area inside the innards dungeon."


    "NPCs living inside dungeons are rare. Hey, if you''re a Famed Smith, could you make a sword for me?"


    Taku, who on the New Years'' wished "for a new sword for his collection" asked with a sparkle in his eyes.


    In response to Taku''s expectations, the Famed Smith NPC answered.


    "I make swords while aiming to make the ultimate sword."


    "Then¡­!"


    Wanting a sword made so much, Taku hunched forward towards the NPC.


    "However, there is a limit to the types of ore I can find inside Grand Rock. Right now I don''t have enough ore. I''m satisfied as long as I can make a sword so I don''t need reward, so if you deliver me ore I will craft a sword especially for you."


    That moment, a menu opened in front of us and a trade exchange list with the Famed Smith NPC appeared.


    It was a system where by exchanging materials one could receive a weapon corresponding to them. Also, there was a low chance that the weapon would become an unique weapon.


    "The swords I make have power you normally will not see elsewhere."


    "In other words, they have additional effects that players can''t insert!"


    "So they''re NPC-limited additional effects? But I have this sword so I don''t need a new one."


    Although both Taku and Myu had sword as their main weapon, their reactions were drastically different.


    It looked like Taku wanted a weapon made by the Famed Smith, but Myu preferred to gradually improve the weapon she was using so she didn''t feel it to be very appealing.


    "Hey, Taku. If this Famed Smith NPCs weapons'' additional effect is random regardless of the materials used, then with bad luck you can end up with a really bad weapon."


    If luck is heavily involved with the Famed Smith''s made weapons, then if a player wanted a perfect weapon it would not end with just one exchange, is what I warned Taku about.


    And among the sets of materials required for making a weapon¡ª¡ª


    "Oh, I have all the materials for Mithril alloy-made sword."


    Among the ore that I gathered in the Wyvern Mountains'' on the New Years'' night there was the required amount of Mithril Ore and the matching magic metal ores.


    Hearing that, Taku¡ª¡ª


    "Please, Yun! Let me do an exchange with the Famed Smith!"


    "Ehh, no way."


    Taku suddenly jumped in front of me and lowered his head. I wanted to use this Mithril and turn it into ingots, then accessories, but Taku didn''t give up.


    "Just once! Let me try just once!"


    "With the amount required for exchange, I could make five accessories¡­"


    "Just once and I''ll be satisfied, please!"


    "Aghh, fine! I get it, raise your head! Geez, can''t help it."


    I heaved a sigh and passed 25 Mithril Ore and earth element magic metal called Granrite Ore to Taku.


    Neither Myu nor Sei-nee wanted a weapon, but they looked interested in what the result will be.


    Taku had passed the materials in order to receive a weapon called ¡¾Unsigned Ochre Spirit-Silver Sword¡¿. The NPC had received the materials and had immediately entered the house to make a sword, and we could hear the sound of a hammer coming out from inside.


    Although, the high pitched sound had quickly disappeared and the Famed Smith NPC came out holding the finished weapon.


    "That was fast?!!"


    "Feh feh, I AM a famed smith after all."


    The crafter players took quite some time to make a single weapon by themselves, but this Famed Smith NPC made one in no time.


    Well, if a player was made to wait in here as long as it normally takes a player crafter, they would gather some stress so this must have been consideration from the developers as well as a fantasy element to the Famed Smith NPCs skill.


    Seeing the finished product, although I didn''t expect an unique weapon, as a crafter I was still curious about the stats.


    "So it''s made! An earth element Mithril alloy sword!"


    "Here you go, it''s been a while since I made a sword this good. Oh, I need to name it. ¡¾Ochre Spirit-Silver Sword - Slowblow¡¿. All right, take it."


    Receiving the slightly ochre-colored silver-bladed sword, Taku raised it up high.


    I didn''t think an unique would come out at the first try so I was quite surprised as I looked together with Taku at the sword''s stats.


    Ochre Spirit-Silver Sword - Slowblow¡¾Weapon¡¿


    ATK+55 INT+15 Additional Effect: Earth Element Bonus (medium), Fatigue, Crushing Blow


    Along with nicely set-up statistics in the unique Mithril alloy weapon, there were additional effects I haven''t seen before.


    "Are Fatigue and Crushing Blow the new NPC-limited additional effects?"


    "Hey, Taku-kun, show me in more details."


    Myu held the hem of Taku''s clothes and shook to hurry him up and show the details of the additional effects.


    "Fatigue decreases the SPEED of the enemy attacked. Crushing Blow has 20% chance to increase the attacks'' damage by 50%. Not bad."


    "I''m so jealous of that unique weapon, Taku-kun."


    While Sei-nee who didn''t have any item and drop luck muttered her true feelings, I started thinking on the weapons'' additional effects.


    Comparing to the weapon a player could make with same materials, not only the weapons'' stats were slightly lower but it also lacked an ATK Bonus additional effect. Instead, there were Fatigue and Crushing Blow effects that were enough to compensate it.


    Since the weapon had a speed decrease debuff on it, and a chance to deal large amount of damage it was good enough to cover its weaknesses.


    It was still unknown what was the chance of the speed debuff effect activating and just how much did the other effect affect the damage, but it WAS interesting.


    As a twin sword wielder, Taku could hold a player-made weapon that had a stable effect, and in the other he could hold a peaky but unstable NPC-made unique, it was a playstyle that he could make happen.


    "All right! Let''s test it out right away!"


    "But, which way do we go to find the Grand Rock''s heart? It doesn''t seem like we can arrive there just by walking around the dungeon."


    When Sei-nee muttered so, troubled, the Famed Smith NPC had stroked his beard and pointed one of the passages.


    "If you go that way, you can use the passage to get to it. However, it''s one-way route and you can''t come back here. Also, that one route leads to the outside, I''ll move a stone from over there making it so that you can come here anytime."


    "Thanks, grandpa! I''ll come here with my party next time!"


    Myu said that her party members would be interested if she tells them about this, making the Famed Smith NPC laugh with "feh feh" cheerfully.


    "Well then, we''re going into the boss fight now! Let''s go!"


    Myu energetically preceded us towards the boss room.


    And just like the Famed Smith NPC said, the passageway towards the Grand Rock''s heart room had the walls close behind us when we passed making it impossible for us to go back.


    On the Grand Rock''s heart there was the ¡¾Electric Parasitic Insect¡¿, a creature that looked like a sea anemone that swung countless tentacles with electric orbs on them for both attack and defence.


    With this being my second battle against the ¡¾Electric Parasitic Insect¡¿, together with Myu and Taku have challenged the boss in high spirits.


    However, the result was¡ª¡ª


    "Yeah, Sei-oneechan really is this dungeon''s mobs'' archenemy. This makes me feel really unsated!"


    "We too have been leveling up and getting new equipment since last time, no wonder it ended so fast."


    The countless tentacles have been shattered by Sei-nee''s ice, the electric orbs were swiftly taken down by Myu and Taku, and finally everyone had dealt damage directly to the boss'' main body.


    This quick-paced battle left me slightly behind, but it ended so fast it left me astounded.


    And then, the emergency quest appeared¡ª¡ª


    ¡ª¡ªEmergency Quest: Heal Grand Rock''s heart. (72 hours remaining)


    ¡ª¡ªThe ¡º 1/10000 ¡»


    The quest had been initiated, prompted by Taku I stood in front of the blackened Grand Rock''s heart.


    "Now then, how about this?"


    I piled up a mountain of Yellow Potions in front of the heart then started pouring them on it one after another, but there was too many of them for me to use them all so I had Taku help me out.


    On the other hand, Myu and Sei-nee¡ª¡ª


    "It''ll be good healing magic leveling, right. Let''s do this! £¡¡ª¡ª¡¶Mega Heal¡·!"


    "I don''t focus on healing magic that much, though¡ª¡ª¡¶Rejuvenation¡·"


    Myu had used her powerful single-target healing magic in quick succession, Sei-nee used a spell increasing natural recovery of HP.


    With the two''s magic and my potions, the Grand Rock heart''s healed points quickly increased.


    "This will be the last one."


    I used the last Yellow Potion that would fulfill the set requirement of healing.


    When it was done, the black and weak heartly-beating heart had gradually recovered its color, returning to look clean and healthy and started beating strong.


    At the same time, along with a message sound a menu appeared announcing the completion of the quest, making me feel the quest was finally done.


    "Yeah, we finally managed to finish this troublesome quest."


    "But, what about the quest''s reward?"


    While Taku put some of the remaining Yellow Potions into his inventory while carefully counting them, Myu couldn''t wait to receive the reward for the quest.


    That''s when the boss room''s walls have started to wiggle as if in in joy.


    "Whoa, w-what''s this?!"


    "Yun-chan, are you okay?"


    When I lost my balance, Sei-nee held my right hand and supported me.


    We raised our vigilance in order to deal with the incoming change, but instead, something dropped from the ceiling like a drop of water and shining, it started floating in mid-air.


    Floating in the air and shining, it stopped in front of us and burst out to reveal a palm-sized medallion with turtle shell''s pattern inscribed on it.


    It was made with a material harder than Black Iron but it had warm amber color on which pattern was inscribed in black, feeling like it was made to imitate a part of a living being.


    And this was an key item that was the reward for this quest¡ª¡ª


    "...¡¾Land Emperor Turtle''s Medal¡¿"


    According to flavor text, it was an item given only to those acknowledged by Grand Rock, made out of Grand Rock''s own shell.


    One of its effects was making all mobs related to Grand Rock non-active. Another one, was increasing the chance of acquiring ore-type materials when gathering by 2%.


    I thought it was a quite good item.


    Also, seeing its effects, Taku, Myu and Sei-nee also noticed one thing.


    "With this, the mobs related to Grand Rock will turn inactive, does that maybe mean that we will no longer be attacked by mobs in the Highlands Area?"


    "I''m sure that''s it! If that''s the case, we won''t have to fight against the Lightning Horse and can just march into the North Town! Let''s try going outside right away!"


    "I get it, so stop pulling my hand!"


    As I held the ¡¾Land Emperor Turtle''s Medal¡¿ strongly in one hand, my other hand was pulled by Myu who started running towards the exit of the dungeon.


    Soon after we passed by the spring and leaped outside. There should be a Cockatrice nest in front of us and the Grand Rock should be causing everything to go berserk.


    Even though the medal is supposed to make the mobs here non-active, I still needed some time to prepare to go out.


    However, I was unable to stop Myu and we both moved outside.


    Because we just passed through a dim passage, the moment we left to the outside I ended up squinting in response to the bright light and covered my face with an arm to protect myself from the Cockatrices that might be attacking us, but there was no sign of that happening.


    "Ohh, the berserking is starting to stop! But everyone except for us is still being attacked!"


    Still having my hand pulled by Myu we passed by a Cockatrice''s nest and to a place we could overlook the highlands, we saw berserking mobs fight players here and there.


    Cockatrices including the Cockatrice boss mob that was the Cockatrice King did not show any interest in us and we were able to walk around the nest on Grand Rock''s back.


    If we attacked them they might turn active and attack us, but as long as we do nothing to them there were no problems.


    Sei-nee and Taku who rejoined us after a slight delay have also confirmed the medal''s effect and while surprised, they had bright expressions.


    "Doing the Grand Rock''s quest was a sudden idea, but it looks like we''ll be able to proceed with the Sense Expansion Quest thanks to it!"


    "Indeed. I''m also glad that from now on when we come here we won''t have to bother with mobs in this area."


    The two said and we once again returned to the portal by the spring to move towards the portal near the Highlands Area.


    We walked straight through the middle of the highlands like it was nothing, and ignoring the cow-type Steel Cow mobs, goat-type Mage Goats we headed towards the road protected by the Lightning Horse.


    When we arrived at the small hill that Lightning Horse was napping on, with this the second trial is over, I thought and relaxed myself, only to have the ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense react to alert me of danger.


    "Dodge, Yun!"


    "?!!"


    When I took a look around as I heard Taku''s hurried warning, Myu and Sei-nee had already strafed to the side to avoid.


    Immediately after, my vision was struck with a flash too bright for my ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ to bear, and my sight was dyed with pure white.


    Left behind all alone my body was pierced by lightning and its impact had passed through all my limbs to explode earth beneath me.


    Along with black smoke and with paining sight I saw the Lightning Horse calmly stand up and have crackling lightning spread from inside of his body.


    "This is bad! Yun got one-shotted!"


    Since I was taken down I didn''t really understand the situation, but it looked like I was being carried by Taku.


    Running by myself would be no problem, but if I used ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿ here and tried to run, I would have been nothing but a burden. As such it was better to quietly let myself be carried away. When we arrived in a safe place I selected ¡¾Revival Medicine¡¿.


    When I woke up, what awaited me was Taku''s face right next to me and his arms holding me.


    Since I was being carried in the so-called princess carry, I slipped out from Taku''s arms in a hurry. I took a look around and in the middle of the highlands I saw Myu and Sei-nee turned completely limp because of nervousness.


    Normally I would have been teased for being carried by Taku in princess carry, I thought and heaved a sigh of relief, then turned my gaze towards the small hill the Lightning Horse was on.


    Even right in this moment the boss mob was clad in lightning and vigilant, making me mumble.


    "Looks like it won''t go that easy¡­"


    Since he wasn''t turned into a non-active mob, it meant that the Lightning Horse isn''t a mob related to the Grand Rock. Learning that, I felt like we returned to the starting point.

 Chapter Volume 11 3

    Completely tired, we''ve returned to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ in complete silence, none of us spoke along the way.


    And once we sat down in the store part of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and had Kyouko-san pour us some tea, Taku finally spoke.


    "So¡­ what do we do?"


    This question didn''t seem it was pointed towards everyone, but towards me in particular as he stared at me.


    "Uh¡­ what do you mean "what do we do"?"


    "Yun-oneechan, you''re the only one who wasn''t able to react to that lightning attack. We''re wondering if you have an idea on how to avoid it."


    With Myu''s supplementing Taku''s question I finally understood and went "ohh, I see".


    However, I had no answer that would put everyone at ease.


    "No way, nope, NOPE. Even if I manage to realize it''s coming, I won''t be able to avoid it.''


    It''s true that ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense allowed me to predict an incoming attack, but I wasn''t skilled or strong enough to avoid or block the attack that comes.


    "We were caught off guard as well. I also thought we''d be able to pass through there without problems, and you didn''t have the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ on you either, right Yun-chan?"


    I nodded in response to Sei-nee''s words.


    No matter what attacks I receive, the ring will mitigate one or more of them depending on the gem inserted into the ring, so if I had that ring on I would be able to negate that first attack.


    I guess I''m still green, I thought and scratched my head, then heaved a sigh.


    "We''ve done the Grand Rock''s heart healing quest so we can log out and call it a day, let''s try challenging the boss again tomorrow. If we lose again, we can start thinking of a plan."


    See you tomorrow, Taku said and logged out ahead. When he did, Sei-nee looked my way.


    "What will you do, Yun-chan, Myu-chan?"


    "I¡­ there''s an item I want to make, I''ll log out later."


    "Well then, I''ll log out ahead and start preparing dinner."


    I agreed to leave Sei-nee to prepare everything in real life, but for some reason Myu stayed behind in the game.


    "Myu, aren''t you logging out?"


    "Nope, can I watch what you''re doing?"


    Myu tilted her head and asked. I guess it''s fine, I thought with a wry smile and led her inside ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop.


    "All right, let''s get to it."


    "Hey, what are you making?"


    As I stood in front of the workbench inside the workshop, my arms crossed, Myu suddenly asked while trying to play around with Ryui and Zakuro who were summoned and let roam freely.


    "Just like Sei-nee said, I can negate several lightning attacks with the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿, but there''s a limit to that so I''ve been thinking of devising a different item to protect myself."


    I said and lined up several different materials on top of the workbench.


    From among them, I followed my intuition and picked up a single item.


    "Let''s use silver this time."


    "Hmm? Onee-chan, are you going to make a protective accessory or something like that? Can''t you make some kind of defensive potion instead?"


    "Actually I do have ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ that grants elemental resistance, but that only decreases received damage, it doesn''t block it completely."


    Also, ¡¾Element Cream¡¿ can only cover one element at once.


    That''s why I thought of making an item that completely negates magic instead of reducing its effectiveness.


    "I want to use silver as base and synthesize it with two more items, but, which ones should I use¡­"


    "Hey, can I try too?"


    "Sure, although you need to take note that materials have their compatibilities with each other so there''s a limit to what you can pick to use. For example silver has an effect against undead but its compatibility with anything related to bad status is terrible."


    "Hmm, then how about a combination that feels like an evil-warding charm? Like, salt and piece of paper?"


    "That''s good thinking, Myu, but I was thinking of something a little different. If I''m to use something, it would be this."


    I pulled out a certain item from among the materials on the workbench.


    It was the Holy Water sold by the Priest NPC in the great cathedral which temporarily turned undead mobs non-active. I immediately combined it with a silver ingot.


    And the item that appeared as a result was¡ª¡ª


    Evil-Warding Silver Barrier ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Low Level Magic Negation (Charges: 3)


    "Ohh, amazing! You made an item in no time!"


    "I have but this isn''t enough."


    Honestly speaking, using a Silver Ingot and Holy Water to block three low level spells is poor, the cost-performance ratio is completely crap.


    Moreover, it retained the shape of a silver ingot as is, so it can''t be carried around.


    It was important to improve on it now.


    "I need to try adding one or two more materials to strengthen the effect, eh."


    "Then how about trying all materials one after another?"


    "If I did that, I''d run out of Silver Ingots right away, at times like this it''s best to use these."


    I said, and pulled out a different item - a Piece of Silver.


    "I''ve got lots of these, so I can use as many as I''d like to synthesize them."


    "S-so stingy¡­"


    "Stingy I am. Developing new items takes lots of money and materials, I need to be stingy wherever possible otherwise I''ll go bankrupt."


    Then, together with Myu we tried one material after another to find a good combination of three items.


    For some reason, when we synthesized herbs or potions into it we ended up having a weirdo item called ¡¾Healing Piece of Silver¡¿, but the amount of healing was so low that we dumped it for being useless.


    Also, when we synthesized it with another metal, it lost its magic negating effectiveness.


    "Argh, c''mon! Why can''t we get the right combinatiooon!"


    "This kind of thing requires patience, y''know."


    "Ugh, patience is something beyond me."


    "I actually quite enjoy this."


    Usually I''m all alone as I check the combinations, but today I was talking with Myu as we did it so it was quite lively.


    As I noted down the materials we have used for synthesizing, I checked which materials we still haven''t used and tried it.


    "Are there any materials we still haven''t tried?"


    "I wonder¡­ we tried all ores already."


    "Ah! What about the power stone kind of thingies? Let''s try synthesizing gems!"


    "All right, let''s do it!"


    I took out ruby gems that I acquired during the quest to collect ¡¾Unfertilized Wyvern Egg¡¿ in the Wyvern Mountains and synthesized it with the Piece of Silver. Once the piece of silver turned red I raised it up and confirmed the stats.


    Evil-Warding Barrier Piece ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Low Level Magic Negation (Charges: 3)


    "Yess! We did it!"


    Myu was more overjoyed than I was, but this wasn''t the final result yet.


    "Okay, let''s check other gems and ores now."


    "Ehh? We''re continuing?! This combination is fine, isn''t it!''


    It looked like Myu was already bored of this as she displayed her displeasure, but this was something I wouldn''t go back on.


    "It can be used as is, but I want to check which gems successfully synthesize to further decrease costs, then change the design to make it easy to use. That''s how you craft items."


    If it''s an item I alone will be using I can ignore any inconveniences, but as long as I put them up as ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s merchandise I need to be careful about the cost-performance ratio and the usability.


    On that point, the Enchant Stones that I make by using ¡¶Polishing¡· and ¡¶Coloring¡· to make them look good and separated by the type of enchant are a good example of how I do things.


    "Fine. I''ll try a little longer. But it''s a waste, to think at this stage it''s only a sample and can''t be sold."


    "Well, I will be using them for testing the effect so there''s no need to bother about it."


    I said and one after another I synthesized polished gems and compared the effects, then noted them down.


    As a result, I found that any kind of gem worked and that the polished gems had an additional effect on top of the original one.


    Evil-Warding Barrier Piece ¡¾Consumable¡¿


    Low Level Magic Negation (Charges: 3), Linked Barrier


    Linked Barrier¡ª¡ªbased on the name, it looked like something that allowed for using multiple barrier pieces to block an even stronger attack, I guess? I wanted to check this effect, but I didn''t have the amount required for proper testing so I had to put it off for later.


    However, there was a problem regarding the cost reduction.


    "I don''t have any cheap gem materials on me¡­"


    I use Gems depending on their type and size to make accessories that increase each stat, but those items'' prices are all fairly high.


    The gems that are in easy to acquire places are all small and of few types, the ones that can be acquired in more difficult locations are larger and have more types.


    The barrier pieces that had ¡¾Linked Barrier¡¿ effect included were all made with bigger gems.


    Thus, no matter what type of gem I use, it didn''t look like I could decrease the costs.


    "This isn''t good, I don''t have any gems for making these."


    "Hmm. Then how about trying to use some materials I have on me? I''m adventuring in more places than you, Onee-chan, so I might have materials you could use."


    "Really?! Let''s try!"


    Accepting Myu''s proposal I had her put everything down on the workbench.


    Among the materials she had pulled out there was one that got me interested.


    "¡ª¡ªIsn''t this a Crystal Pillar?"


    "A piece of it, y''know, it''s the same material our charms are made with."


    I raised the piece and compared it with the charm Myu and I have previously received for helping out at Cloude''s ¡¾Commonest Caf¨¦ & Clothier¡¿.


    The charm was more translucent and was made of a prettier piece of crystal, the piece of Crystal Pillar that Myu has taken out was more deformed and sharp.


    "Crystal Pillar can be gathered in lots of areas but gathering it is difficult. If you try to gather it normally it''ll just break off and turn worthless as a material, it''s hard to gather proper ones."


    "That''s why you''ve got so many of these shards, huh."


    "I mean, these can''t be used anyway. Even if I can sell a mountain of these, the price still isn''t worth gathering them in a high difficulty area."


    The pieces were brittle and sharp. Moreover, they had too low attack to use as substitute for throwing knives, Myu said as she continued to lament over their uselessness. Meanwhile, hearing that they''re useless I thought of making a way to use them.


    "If they''re useless low priced items, first thing to do is to turn them into higher rank item with higher conversion¡ª¡ª¡¶Alchemy¡·."


    I took 10 Pieces of Crystal Pillar and used the ¡¾Alchemy¡¿''s skill on it.


    As a result, the 10 Pieces of Crystal Pillar were consumed resulting in a higher level material Crystal Pillar (small).


    "Ohhh, you made something!!"


    While Myu was surprised and rejoiced by how the useless pieces have turned into a proper material, on the side I repeated the process with the remaining pieces.


    By using alchemy on a large amount of pieces I made multiple small Crystal Pillars.


    "¡ª¡ªThis is amazing, Yun-oneechan! Items that were pretty much worthless have turned dozens of times more expensive!"


    "All right, let''s try using this¡ª¡ª¡¶Synthesis¡·!"


    I synthesized a piece of silver, Holy Water and small Crystal Pillar, managing to create an ¡¾Evil-Warding Barrier Piece¡¿ which had Linked Barrier effect included.


    "Thanks, Myu! Now I can use them without putting much thought into the costs!"


    "That''s great! Next we''re checking the effect, right."


    "Yeah, let''s examine¡ª¡ª"


    Carried by the momentum, I took the finished ¡¾Evil-Warding Barrier Pieces¡¿ and was about to jump out of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ when a message arrived in my menu.


    The message came from Sei-nee, who wrote that she wants to have dinner and asked us to log out.


    "Phew, I guess we took quite a long time. Sei-nee is calling, let''s log out for now."


    "Yup. I''m a little tired after using my head so much. Still, crafting was quite interesting."


    "Then how about you start crafting too¡ª¡ª"Nope! It was interesting, but I realized really well that I''m not fit for it!"¡ª¡ªOh, I see."


    I was happy that Myu showed interest in making combinations of items so I tried inviting her to tread the path of crafting, but got refused. This feels a little lonely.


    "We''ll do the examination tomorrow. Let''s not make Sei-oneechan wait and log out!"


    I nodded and logged out together with Myu.


    For the time being, I have prepared some countermeasures against the Lightning Horse tomorrow. What''s left is to prepare some potions and challenge him with all we have.


    ¡ñ


    Last night, I came back to ¡¾Atelier¡¿ alone and prepared Mega Potions, MP Pots, as well as Evil-Warding Barrier Pieces for the second trial.


    Then this morning in cooperation with Myu and Sei-nee we tested the effect of the barrier pieces in PvP in the Highlands Area as we waited for Taku to join up with us.


    As the highlands were being devastated by Myu''s and Sei-nee''s magic, I only focused on blocking the spells with ¡¾Evil-Warding Barrier Pieces¡¿.


    In actuality, I focused on comparing the amount of ¡¾Evil-Warding Barrier Pieces¡¿ required for each level of attacking power and calculated the amount of them required to block Lightning Horse''s attacks.


    "It''s enough, Myu, Sei-nee. I got it roughly figured out."


    "I''m using high-powered magic, but even if you can''t block it, it looks like you can reduce the damage. Looks like your defense improved even more."


    "Yeah. I won''t get smacked down by him right away."


    With the examination over we took a short break after which Taku had arrived through the portal, just at the time we have settled on.


    "Hey Yun, Myu-chan, Sei-san. Looks like you were doing something interesting, you should have called me."


    That''s the first thing Taku said, making me heave a sigh and explain the reason why we didn''t call him.


    "We''ve been testing an item for protecting against magic, you can''t use magic so there was no point in you being here, Taku."


    "But it looks like it would be fun enough just watching it!"


    "It''s all right, Taku-san, you''ll be able to see it soon enough! Now, let''s go and exact our revenge!''


    Saying so, Myu went ahead towards the little hill Lightning Horse was on, making us chase after her.


    Then, looking up at the Lightning Horse who was lying down on the hill, we made our preparations.


    "Ryui, help me out¡ª¡ª¡¶Summon¡·!"


    I took out a white summoning stone and called in Ryui in his adult form.


    Since I wasn''t able to react to Lightning Horse''s fast attacks, I had no choice but to get Ryui to help.


    And finally, I set up my Senses.


    Possessed SP64


    ¡¾Bow Lv50¡¿ ¡¾Longbow Lv32¡¿ ¡¾Magic Bow Lv12¡¿ ¡¾See-Through Lv30¡¿ ¡¾Sorcery Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Land Element Talent Lv2¡¿ ¡¾Enchant Arts Lv45¡¿ ¡¾Taming Lv31¡¿ ¡¾Physical Attack Increase Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Pre-Emptive Knowledge Lv10¡¿


    Unequipped:


    ¡¾Sky Eyes Lv18¡¿ ¡¾Swiftness Lv22¡¿ ¡¾Dosing Master Lv12¡¿ ¡¾Alchemy Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Synthesis Lv46¡¿ ¡¾Engraving Lv26¡¿ ¡¾Crafter''s Knowledge Lv8¡¿ ¡¾Cook Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Swimming Lv15¡¿ ¡¾Linguistics Lv25¡¿ ¡¾Climbing Lv21¡¿ ¡¾Bodily Resistance Lv5¡¿ ¡¾Spiritual Resistance Lv4¡¿ ¡¾Vital Points Knowledge Lv10¡¿


    ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ made the Lightning Horse''s lightning attack''s flash blind me instead of helping so I removed it. Instead, I equipped three bow Senses.


    "Yun-chan, you know what''s the plan, right?"


    "Yeah, Taku, Ryui and I will catch Lightning Horse''s attention and attack to weaken him. Myu and Sei-nee are going to stay in the kill zone to prepare and will finish him off all at once when we bring him in. Correct?"


    The first one who''ll go at the Lightning Horse is me, since I was able to keep up with the boss'' speed thanks to having Ryui. Next, Taku, a pure swordsman, would take over.


    We will buy time as we slowly scrape away Lightning Horse''s HP, allowing Myu and Sei-nee to prepare their high-damage attacks, then lead the boss to them for one-shot-kill win.


    Most likely Taku and I will take a certain amount of risk, but with just the four of us in the party it wasn''t a good idea to fight a prolonged battle of endurance so it couldn''t be helped.


    "Well then, I''ll put enchants on everyone first. ¡¶Enchant¡·¡ª¡ªAttack, defense, intelligence, speed."


    Attack, defense and speed enchants for Taku, as well as magic attack and speed enchants for Myu and Sei-nee.


    Finally, I enchanted myself and Ryui with defense, magic defense and speed before I straddled Ryui.


    "All right, let''s do our best until Myu and Sei-nee finish their preparations."


    Leaving the two in a place a bit of distance away from the Lightning Horse, I headed towards the hill together with Taku, reaching close enough for the boss to react.


    Just like last time, Lightning Horse stood up and started releasing electric charges from his body. Matching that movement I took out 4 of Evil-Warding Barrier Pieces and raised it up high.


    With the four pieces of barrier linking together, the Lightning Horse''s lightning attack was parried and had changed trajectory hitting an empty space.


    "So we got the initial attack covered. This is where it starts then."


    Taku had already charged towards the back of the Lightning Horse, meanwhile, as the main when it comes to catching boss'' attention I shot an arrow towards him to gather some hate.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªKyuiiiiiin!"¡»


    An arrow pierced into his body making him let out a whine as he raised his forelegs up high.


    The arrow that had pierced him had a paralysis effect synthesized into it, but there was no sight of it working and the Lightning Horse was able to hurtle forward, his hind legs clad in lightning.


    "Ryui! Turn around and run at full speed!"


    Together with Ryui we succeed in gathering hate, but our main job started here.


    As instructed, Ryui had turned around and started to run away at once, but Lightning Horse appeared to be faster than that and was slowly closing the gap between us.


    However, on a wide field such as the highlands Ryui was able to maneuver skillfully towards the sides making Lightning Horse have problems with catching up.


    Holding Ryui''s reins steadily in my grasp and pushing against the stirrup with all my strength, I made sure not to get thrown off. Whenever we were about to turn around I let go off the reins to nock an arrow.


    As Ryui turned his side slightly towards the Lightning Horse, I twisted my body from on top of him and as my position rocked up and down I shot an arrow towards Lightning Horse''s head, who chased us.


    However, as the arrow soundly cut through the air, the Lightning Horse released a lightning attack to strike it down or tumbled down to avoid it.


    "Avoided again, huh. If I decrease my speed a little¡­"


    Although I removed ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ Sense in order to protect myself from Lightning Horse''s lightning, but this situation really made me want to have ¡¾Sky Eyes¡¿ and ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ combination for long-range Cursed''s weakening.


    I put enchants on Myu and others from close range before we started combat, but not being able to use the usual abilities in any situation is harsh.


    And so, being unable to deal any serious blow I continued to run away from the Lightning Horse who caught up some with me and was approaching all clad in lightning.


    Even a single touch of that might be fatal to me, which is why Ryui desperately avoided the electrical charge.


    Also, the lightning-clad charge was a type of physical attack.


    Although ¡¾Evil-Warding Barrier Piece¡¿ could reduce damage or completely negate magic attacks that came at me, they did not work against physical attacks and magical-imbued attacks such as magic sword which also counted as physical.


    In other words, it had no effect on the lightning charge and thus, I had to avoid it no matter what.


    "Ryui. Run straight as is, believe in me!''


    With the Lightning Horse approaching slowly but surely I felt a chill on my back as I hurtled forward together with Ryui.


    Just a little more and the boss will catch up, but I still had Ryui run straight forward.


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Sonic Edge¡·!"


    Receiving an attack, the Lightning Horse who has been chasing after us from behind had fallen over to the side and had the lightning he was clad in be absorbed by the ground.


    "No matter how fast he is, we can get a hit in as long as we predict where he''ll pass by."


    "Taku, you''re late!"


    "No, it''s you guys who''s been way too fast and unpredictable! I lied down in ambush multiple times but every time you ended up changing your course!"


    Taku, who separated from me after the initial attack and moved around alone, had been watching me battle Lightning Horse from a distance and waited for a good timing to attack.


    And now, holding the secret weapon to this battle in his hand ¡¾Ochre Spirit-Silver Sword - Slowblow¡¿¡ª¡ªthe unique weapon made by a blacksmith swallowed by Grand Rock who has been attempting to create the ultimate sword.


    "Damn, Lightning Horse is getting up. Get away, Taku!"


    "Sei-san and Myu-chan aren''t done preparing yet. We need to get in two, three more attacks to buy time!"


    Taku and I have started running in separate directions, as a result Lightning Horse had started chasing me and Ryui, who have had larger amount of hate gathered.


    Clad in lightning all over his body he was a real threat, but probably because he received ¡¶Sonic Edge¡· attack his movement speed seemed to have decreased.


    The NPC-exclusive additional effect ¡¾Fatigue¡¿ has probably decreased his speed.


    In which case, Ryui and I could strike back at him now.


    While the Lightning Horse was unable to catch up to us, I could shot my arrows and the boss would be unable to avoid them due to ¡¾Fatigue¡¿''s effect, receiving the attacks on his body.


    His defense must have been low as my arrows cut down a fair amount of his HP.


    Desperately wanting to attack me somehow, the Lightning Horse had released lightning attacks at me, but I have blocked them with ¡¾Evil-Warding Barrier Pieces¡¿.


    Also, Taku had watched for a timing after my attacks and delivered attacks to the boss to an extent he wouldn''t become the main target, further accumulating damage.


    And at the point where Lightning Horse''s HP fell below 70%, a ray of converged light had been shot into the sky.


    "Myu and Sei-nee''s preparations are done, huh. Ryui! Head for that pillar of light!"


    While making sure that Myu and Sei-nee are safe as they prepare the kill zone we ran in the opposite direction from the hill, but it seemed like we have moved much further than I thought.


    Taku also saw the sign and started moving towards it using the shortest possible route, so he would arrive at the meeting place before me and Ryui, who were chased by Lightning Horse.


    What was left, was to safely escape from the boss¡ª¡ªis what I thought, but in that moment in the edge of my view I saw Lightning Horse stop in his tracks.


    "¡ª¡ªWhat?!!"


    No way. I didn''t think he would stop attacking now of all times. Having provoked the Lightning Horse plenty up until now I was supposed to lead him in straight to the kill zone, but I couldn''t do that if he stopped all of a sudden.


    While Ryui continued to run as according to plan I wondered if I should signal to Myu and Sei-nee that something unexpected happened, but then, the Lightning Horse''s surroundings have exploded along with a loud thunderous sound.


    "Hiih! Run, Ryui!"


    My ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense informed me of an extreme impending danger, making me immediately instruct Ryui to speed up.


    The Lightning Horse had had his attack and magic attack increased, bad status removed and had become constantly clad in lightning, plus received ¡¾Anger¡¿ bad status. The apparent increase in power must have been the boss'' enrage mechanic.


    According to the info we have gathered beforehand, we learned that his enrage mechanic starts regardless of the damage he received.


    It must have been related to either time that had passed since start of the battle, or when the player had gathered a certain amount of hate on him.


    However, we couldn''t afford to inspect it closely, all I could was to have Ryui run straight towards Myu and others.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªKyuiiiiiin!"¡»


    While running, the Lightning Horse let out a loud high pitched whine and released the lightning that he was clad in towards the sky which caused small black clouds to form over the small hill.


    Momentarily, a white flash ran down.


    "?!! How the hell am I supposed to deal with lightning from above?!"


    A lightning pierced the earth diagonally ahead in the direction Ryui was running to and scorched the ground leaving a black scar on it.


    In the location beneath the black clouds lightning have randomly struck down on the ground and the shockwave after impact had reached my skin.


    Furthermore, the Lightning Horse himself had his stats increased and clad in lightning had been approaching me.


    With the boss'' speed recovered and his power increased, I have used my trump card to avoid the lightning-clad charge.


    "Ryui! ¡ª¡ªUse ¡¾Illusion¡¿!"


    I had Ryui make us and everything we get in contact with invisible.


    Lightning Horse who has been chasing us stopped in his tracks and started to look for us.


    In the meanwhile, we bought some time for ourselves and after arriving at a place it would be easy to lead the Lightning Horse from and to Myu and Sei-nee''s location, then released ¡¾Illusion¡¿.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªKyuiiiiiin!"¡»


    Finding us, the Lightning Horse had let out a threatening whine and started chasing us again.


    In the middle of lightning strikes that could hit us any moment from above and being chased from behind by the intimidating Lightning Horse, I got really tense.


    Because Ryui''s ¡¾Illusion¡¿ consumed a lot of my MP and because of the cooldown it didn''t seem like I could make it in time, I couldn''t use it again.


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªKyuiiiiiin!"¡»


    Responding to the high-pitched whine, my ¡¾See-Through¡¿ Sense alerted me, making me pull out ¡¾Evil-Warding Barrier Pieces¡¿ and throw a bunch of them out.


    Immediately after, the Lightning Horse who had understood that a normal lightning attack won''t work, had released a far stronger strike that I somehow managed to protect myself against with the barrier pieces.


    The weak pieces of silver have been erased one by another as they parried the lightning strike in three different directions.


    Honestly speaking, it was real close. This lightning attack was as strong as the one that the boss does initially and forced me to use most of ¡¾Evil-Warding Barrier Pieces¡¿ I had on hand.


    However, I had nearly arrived in the kill zone that Myu and Sei-nee have prepared.


    "¡ª¡ª?!!"


    The moment I thought so and was relieved, a lightning flashed from above and headed for us.


    In the extreme danger my vision had appeared like we were in slow motion, but at this rate a lightning would have hit us before I could do anything.


    "Ryui! Don''t stop no matter what! Continue to run!"


    However, the lightning that struck immediately after had pierced through Ryui''s body and filled my vision with white.


    I closed my eyes strongly and clenched my teeth to bear, but my consciousness flew for a second.


    At the same time I heard a sound as if glass was shattered in the distance and the whiteness seen beneath my eyelids had turned dark. Feeling my consciousness was pulled up by something warm I came to myself and gripped Ryui''s reins.


    "...Good, we''re still alive."


    I said with a slightly weak voice.


    It appeared that just like I instructed, Ryui continued to run even after receiving the lightning strike.


    I took a look at my body and saw black smoke come from a few places that had been swept behind me.


    I had 20% HP left, most likely I lost my consciousness because I lost over half of my HP at once and received ¡¾Stun¡¿ bad status, which Ryui had removed by enveloping me with his purification magic.


    I took out a Mega Potion out of the inventory and drank it all to quickly recover from the HP I lost, then took a look around to confirm the situation we were in.


    Behind, the Lightning Horse was chasing us but it appeared that the Enrage mode had expired returning his stats back to normal, the dark clouds and incoming lightning strikes also have calmed down.


    So, why did I receive damage from the lightning strike and Ryui was able to continue running?


    The other day when I received the initial lightning strike from the Lightning Horse, Sei-nee had pointed out that I didn''t have the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ on me. But this time I put it on, although, I put it on Ryui.


    In order to succeed in leading the boss around I needed Ryui to run at full speed and use his illusion. In other words, if Ryui was knocked out the whole plan would fail. That''s why I put the ¡¾Substitute Gem''s Ring¡¿ on Ryui instead of myself and decided to take on the attacks on myself.


    Also, even if I can''t move, Ryui can continue moving so the whole operation would continue even in worst case scenario.


    Recalling myself coming up with such a plan, I was relieved I made the right choice¡ª¡ª


    "You came, Yun-chan!"


    "Yeah, coming right in!"


    We galloped through the kill zone that Myu, Sei-nee and Taku who had joined them have created and passed over it.


    Immediately after, the Lightning Horse chasing after me had attempted to pass through the same place, but ended up falling down with a momentum and hit the highlands'' surface with a lot of force.


    "This is¡­?"


    The Lightning Horse tried to get up but a shining ring of light that appeared on his hind legs had prevented him from that.


    "¡ª¡ªIt''s ¡¶Angel Ring¡·. I don''t really like restraining spells and I''m bad at using them to catch moving targets."


    Restraining a moving target is really difficult, Myu muttered again. Still she did her job well this time.


    Following that, Sei-nee had struck the ground with her staff and froze the highlands surface with white ice also covering the Lightning Horse''s body to further restrain him.


    "Now then, let''s finish this with the next attack."


    She declared and raised her staff.


    That moment, the Lightning Horse''s target had changed from me to Sei-nee, and squeezing out all his strength he released a lightning strike.


    However¡ª¡ª


    "¡ª¡ª¡¶Shot Impact¡·!"


    Taku had jumped in from the side and thanks to his slash attack the lightning strike had been dispersed.


    "That was clooose."


    "Fufu, thank you, Taku-kun. Now¡ª¡ªit''s over."


    Along with that word, Sei-nee had released the spells that she had been continuously casting ever since the battle had started and had ready to use at any time.


    Over a hundred of icy spears have hovered in all directions around the Lightning Horse as if to surround him.


    All of their tips pointed right at the boss.


    "Drown in the overwhelming numbers!"


    ¡º"¡ª¡ªHiiiiinn!"¡»


    Matching the movement of the staff, the countless icy spears have shot at the Lightning Horse''s body which was still lying on the ground.


    The Lightning Horse raised his voice in response to the horrid pain, but it was immediately muffled by the sound of shattering ice spears.


    The shattered ice turned into something like a snow cloud, and once everything was over Sei-nee heaved a long sigh.


    ¡ñ


    The battle against the Lightning Horse was over, and finally released from the combat tension Sei-nee had turned towards me.


    "Getting over hundred of spears was really tough, I couldn''t do it without your MP Pots, Yun-chan."


    She said and pulled out empty potion bottle from her clothes to show me.


    Thanks for the good work, I muttered. Meanwhile, the snow cloud was blown away and from inside of it we could see the Lightning Horse, although still lying on the side he raised his head.


    "He received Sei-oneechan''s attack and is still alive?! In that case I''ll¡­"


    "Wait a moment, Myu!"


    As Myu tried to head towards the Lightning Horse and finish it off, I grabbed her hand to stop her in place, then waited for the snow cloud to disappear.


    There, sat down the Lightning horse showing his side towards us who didn''t show any sort of resistance or will to attack.


    It looked like he was already defeated and we received the drop items, but unlike other mobs he did not die and disappear as particles with light.


    "Um¡­so what happens now?"


    Considering the circumstances and whether the we could head North or there was something else we had to do, Sei-nee furrowed her eyebrows troubled.


    The Lightning Horse appeared to have decided there will be no more combat, stood up and returned to the peak of his hill.


    "Uuh, what is this? Why didn''t he disappear?"


    Myu muttered feeling this to be somehow unnatural, in response to which Taku had spoke his conjecture.


    "I wonder myself. Maybe he''s set like that because he''s a mob required for some other quest."


    After the boss is beaten and until he respawns, no one would be able to finish such quest. Maybe that''s why he was made so that he didn''t disappear.


    In any case, it looked like our path to the North Town had opened for us.


    Although we started moving North to the other side of the hill, the Lightning Horse did not attack us and let us pass by him as he lied down.


    And ahead of the small hill, we found a tunnel.


    It looked like a natural cave that had been further modified by human hand, once we passed the tunnel we arrived in a world covered in snow.


    A cold wind and snowy clouds blew from a far-away mountain and danced in the air, and the ground was covered in snow reaching our knees making it hard to walk.


    "Ahh, looks like it''ll be impossible to move on Ryui in here. Good work today, Ryui¡ª¡ª¡¶Dismissal¡·"


    I returned Ryui back to the summoning stone and we started walking towards the city we could see from the tunnel already in order to deliver the ¡¾Cure for Epidemy¡¿ we received from the great cathedral''s Priest NPC.


    "Hee, so that''s how it looks like."


    As we approached, I looked up at the tall walls of the North Town, impressed by the size.


    The walls made with stone weren''t as tall as the First Town''s walls, but they were very wide and had enormous pile of snow on the outside possibly piled up because it was shoveled outside.


    We arrived at the arch-shaped gate and let out a voice of wonder at the town of scenery.


    "Whoaa, look at all the pointy roofs! Also the white smoke coming out of the chimneys!"


    Myu started walking and watching the scenery of the town where all buildings'' roofs were slanted.


    These roofs were made slanted so that the snow slips down before enough of it manages to pile up. The buildings too, were made so that the entrance isn''t ever blocked by the piling up snow, and for that sake every home had stairs leading to doors which were raised a little above the ground.


    Also, probably because every house had a fireplace inside they were all releasing white smoke from the chimney making the sight of the town very fantastical. Furthermore, as we walked the road leading North in equal intervals we saw drainage holes with lids open into which townsmen NPCs were shoveling snow.


    Finally, the thing that stole our attention above all was¡ª¡ª


    "Amaaazing! There''s a castle in a place like that!"


    "It looks similar to Neuschwanstein castle in Germany."


    Myu let out an impressed voice and Sei-nee had named a very similar castle''s name.


    Even beyond the town wall''s North of us, in the clouds of snow we could see an unclear appearance of a splendid castle standing on top of a cliff and its slanted surface.


    Inside the white world, a white-walled castle standing on a snowy slanted surface had multiple high towers extending towards the sky. The summit of those towers had reached spiraling thin clouds, making the whole pure white sight almost eerie.


    "C''mon, I know you''re curious about the new area, but first we need to finish the second trial''s quest first."


    As we stared at the castle''s appearance, Taku had reprimanded us and we have resumed our walk down the road North and registered ourselves at the portal in the middle of the town. Next, we headed towards the North Town''s small church. Inside, there should be a quest NPC who''s waiting for us to deliver the ¡¾Cure for Epidemy¡¿.


    Inside the burly church made of stone that also doubled as a clinic we spoke to a male NPC.


    "Excuse me, we came to deliver ¡¾Cure for Epidemy¡¿."


    "Ohh, we have sought help of the Great Cathedral''s priests, so it has come! Thank you very much! I''ll have the patients drink it right away!"


    When we passed the ¡¾Cure for Epidemy¡¿ to the man who didn''t seem to look like a priest of any kind, he immediately ran inside of the church.


    "Is the quest over now? Doesn''t seem like it."


    After we had passed the item to the male NPC he had ran inside, but there was no information about the quest being finished.


    "Hey, it''s cold so how about we go inside?"


    "I guess. Also, I wanna see what is that NPC doing."


    Myu and Sei-nee proposed, and we entered inside of the church. Inside, there were small stained glass windows, but it had been pretty much converted into a clinic. In the warm space inside there beds lined up one next and patients lying on them.


    The male NPC we had met earlier had been making each patient drink the ¡¾Cure for Epidemy¡¿ one by one and did not notice us entering.


    It looked like this NPC was taking care of over twenty old and young, male and female patients all alone by himself.


    "I''ll go help out."


    I said and ran up to the NPC and spoke to him.


    "Um, I''ll help you distributing the cure."


    "Thank you very much. Well then, I''ll take care of this side, please take care of the children over there."


    I received the ¡¾Cure for Epidemy¡¿ and immediately headed towards a bed a child was sleeping in, then opened the bin with the cure.


    Raising the child''s upper body to make it easier to drink, I slowly poured the cure into her mouth.


    "Ughh, it tastes bad, onee-chan."


    "A good medicine tastes bitter. If you''ve drank it, lie down and sleep some more."


    I pat the kid''s head after making her drink the cure and once again put her down on the bed, then covered her with a blanket.


    When I did that, the child fell asleep and started breathing regularly in her sleep.


    On the other hand, looking at mine and the NPCs movements Myu and others considered what''s happening.


    "Can it be that the quest won''t end until that NPCs work is over?"


    "It''s an "aid" quest after all. In other words, our job is not only to deliver the cure but also help the sick."


    Sei-nee had opened her menu and responded to Myu as she read the quest information.


    "Let''s help out then. Yun, I''ll help out as well, share some of the cure with me!"


    "I''ll help too!"


    "Yeah, if we all do it will end sooner. I will help as well."


    Saying so, the three also took ¡¾Cure for Epidemy¡¿ and started to give it to the sick.


    The work was split between us. Myu and Taku have headed to take care of the sick adult NPCs who could move, the male NPC took care of the elderly sick NPCs, and I took care of the children NPCs together with Sei-nee.


    Thanks to that, we had shared the cure among patients in no time and all the sick in the church were soundly sleeping.


    "Thank you very much for helping. Now that everyone drank the cure their state should improve. I''m really, really grateful."


    The male NPC bowed deeply making Taku and Myu a little embarrassed, but they appeared kind of happy.


    On the other hand, Sei-nee and I felt a sense of accomplishment after saving the sick and had pleased expressions.


    "I cannot give you a reward right now, but if you carry this to the Great Cathedral you should be able to exchange it for a reward."


    The NPC said and passed to us a quest item called ¡¾North Town''s Thank-You Letter¡¿.


    We received it and with this it appeared that the second trial''s quest was completed.


    After we left the church we were filled with sense of accomplishment and happiness that we were able to save people and were displayed gratitude for it, which remained inside of us for a good moment.


    "Still, Yun-oneechan and Sei-oneechan, you two were really good at making people drink the medicine. Since Taku-san and I had a problem with it I kinda found new respect for you. You two were like a holy mother!"


    "H-holy mother¡­"


    My shoulders drooped dejectedly when I heard the expression Myu used, and Sei-nee had made a wry smile, but was actually happy about the praise.


    And speaking of Taku, he found it funny that I, a man, was called a holy mother and was attempting to muffle his laughter.


    "What is it, Taku. What''s so funny?"


    "Well, I just recalled how you were made to wear a sister''s outfit some time ago."


    He said and unable to further stop himself he laughed. I recalled that sister outfit happening I had forgotten about and my face heat up in embarrassment.


    "?!!"


    "Ahh, that appearance was really cute. Yun-oneechan, aren''t you going to wear it again?"


    "No way I''m ever wearing it again!"


    I refused with all my strength, then headed towards the portal set in the middle of the town as to avoid continuing this topic.


    "C''mon! We still have the third trial left to do! There''s no time!"


    "Wait, Yun-oneechan!"


    Myu had chased after me with a trot, then following after her with a wry smile were Sei-nee and Taku.


    After we used that portal to return to the First Town, we started searching for clues on the third trial.

 Chapter Volume 11 4

    With the second trial for the Sense Expansion Quest over, we sought information on the third trial''s subjugation quest target ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿ but we found almost no clues.


    And thus, we split up to try find information on the ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿. Then, after an entire day of looking for information, we met up to share what we have found.


    After sitting at the counter seats of ¡¾Atelier¡¿ we have decided to use as the meeting place, together with Myu and Sei-nee we had sweets and tea poured by Kyouko-san, then started to share the information we had. By the way, Taku would be a little late apparently.


    "Can I start?"


    Sei-nee raised her hand and reported the results of her investigation on ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿.


    "I tried asking our guild''s members but no one knows anything. Unlike the Lightning Horse, ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿ is an unconfirmed mob there''s no info on."


    Unable to bring any positive results, Sei-nee made an apologetic expression for a moment, but a smile soon returned to her face and she continued.


    "However, they have shared information on various quests that were added in the New Year''s update."


    It''s possible that the members of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ shared the information on different quests after seeing Sei-nee disappointed when she couldn''t find information she was looking for.


    It must have also been thanks to her virtue as the guild''s submaster, too.


    "Is that so? Then we could pick up one of these quests when we have some free time."


    "What about you, Yun-chan? You said you''d go to the library, did you find any clues?"


    As I listened to her while nodding, Sei-nee asked me this time.


    "I found no info on the ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿ but I found some interesting books on the shelves, then ended up losing myself in reading."


    I spoke of the encyclopedia on herbs that grow under snow and a book about legends of the snow country that I read. This time, it was Sei-nee who nodded with a smile as she listened.


    And as for Myu¡ª¡ª


    "Sei-oneechan, Yun-oneechan, why are you two taking it so leisurely?! A little more and Sei-oneechan will have to go back!"


    Once the New Year''s holidays are over, classes in the university Sei-nee attended would resume. She will have to return to the lodging far away from our home, which is why Myu was in a real hurry to finish this Sense Expansion Quest¡ª¡ª


    "But we have no clues on the subjugation target for the third trial."


    "Indeed. We can''t fight an enemy we can''t find."


    I heaved a sigh and responded, Sei-nee too has agreed with me.


    There was no time limit for the quest itself so Sei-nee and I took our leisure, but Myu appeared discontent with that.


    "Speaking of which, did you find any clues to ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿, Myu?"


    "Ugh¡­that''s...I searched as far and wide as I could but...I couldn''t find him."


    When I stared intently at her, Myu spoke in a choked voice and looked away as she reported results of her search similar to ours.


    "But! I did find several new mobs, including bosses who were added in the update!"


    Seeing Myu try to find excuses, Sei-nee and I just smiled wryly.


    It''s not like we were blaming her, we weren''t bent on doing this Sense Expansion Quest to that extent. I offered her some tea to calm her down.


    I spoke while Myu drank a slightly hot tea all at once.


    "Even if we can''t finish it this time, we can meet up again and finish it little by little, okay?"


    "That''s true, but I want to complete our goal as soon as possible! Also, I wanna boast to Luka-chan and others when we play in party!"


    She reached towards the cookies that I prepared and started binge eating them.


    "Also, since there''s no hints or anything I went to talk with that Priest NPC in the great cathedral."


    "And? What did he say?"


    "He said¡ª¡ª"No trial is given to those incapable of overcoming them" of all things!"


    Certainly, as expected of the important Sense Expansion Quest, each of its trials had matched our Senses and levels. Still, hearing that was the only hint they had for us Sei-nee and I smiled bitterly.


    That moment, ¡¾Atelier¡¿ store''s door opened and our gazes were drawn to it. Coming in together with cold air from the outside, Taku immediately spoke.


    "Everyone here? I''ve got good news."


    "What?! No way, did you find ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿ location?!"


    Myu stood up with a strong momentum, but Taku shook his head sideways.


    "I didn''t find him, but I know a guy who has."


    He knows someone who found the boss, but he get information? I thought and got a little disappointed, but Taku sat down on the counter seat and started explaining in detail.


    "I have this certain guild master acquaintance, when I asked him about the mob, he appeared to know."


    "But he didn''t tell you, right? Did he demand something in exchange?"


    "Money? Items? Or maybe cooperation with beating some boss?"


    "You''re right on spot with exchange!"


    Yep. Information has a value equivalent to items and equipment and just as Myu and Sei-nee said they were exchanged for such things.


    Sei-nee as the submaster of ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ guild had an access to a lot of information since it was open in the guild and used for strengthening all guild members. However, crafting recipe information was also a merchandise and was kept secret until the creator of the recipe could earn enough. The information about my ¡¾Enchant Arts¡¿ skills, ¡¶Skill Enchant¡· and ¡¶Item Enchant¡· was worth quite a bit, too.


    I looked at Taku curious about what was he asked of in exchange for the information, but what he said had made me unable to understand it for a good moment.


    "He wants to negotiate with Yun. He''ll tell you his demand in detail when you meet, he said."


    "Huh? Why me? Not Myu or Sei-nee?"


    Taku nodded in silence, but this way over my head.


    I could understand a reason to negotiate with all-purpose battle player Myu and ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ submaster Sei-nee, having the two in the party would bring a lot of fighting force.


    I twisted my head unable to understand the reason I in particular was requested.


    "I see, so that''s why."


    "Huh?! You know something, Sei-nee?"


    "Wait, why don''t YOU get it? Yun-oneechan."


    Myu retorted, and seeing me still unable to grasp the reason, she sighed appalled.


    While I was completely confused, Sei-nee explained.


    "Yun-chan, do you have any self-awareness that you''re one of the most famous crafters in OSO?"


    "I am? Maybe when it comes to funny stories¡­"


    Thinking that being joked about as ¡¾Nanny¡¿ all over could have counted as being famous, I frowned. However, it appeared that wasn''t what Sei-nee was trying to say.


    "Yun-chan, you''re famous among crafters who specialize in ¡¾Mixing¡¿, and you are close with other top crafters. Which means the reason you were requested, Yun-chan, is that¡ª¡ª"


    "¡ª¡ªHe wants to talk about something crafting-related?"


    I asked and turned my gaze towards Taku to confirm the truth. He nodded in response.


    "It''s not like I confirmed the reason with him, but I guess that''s the case if he wants to negotiate with you. However, I don''t know whether he wants some difficult to make item or crafters'' secrets, couldn''t get it out of him."


    Regarding my self-awareness as one of top crafters, I thought that I was still chasing after Magi-san and others'' backs and didn''t feel like it.


    However, I was convinced on the reason why the guy wants to negotiate with me.


    "Got it. So, where do we do these negotiations?"


    "Over here''s fine, right? The other side said they''re ready at any time, should I contact him now?"


    I nodded, and Taku got to contacting his acquaintance.


    Meanwhile, Myu and Sei-nee finished drinking tea and eating sweets and stood up from the counter seat.


    "I guess negotiations won''t end soon, so we''ll go hunt some together with Sei-oneechan."


    "We''ll go to the places Myu-chan had found new mobs added in the New Year''s update."


    The two said and left on a hunt.


    "Now then, let''s get to negotiations for ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿ info with the two of us."


    A little excited wondering what kind of item will be requested, Taku and I sipped warm tea that was freshly poured and waited for the negotiations partner.


    Before long, in ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s store that I had Kyouko-san temporarily close, a player had entered through the doors.


    That player was¡ª¡ª


    ¡ñ


    "Thanks fer contactin'' me right away, Taku-chan."


    Saying so, appeared a merry-looking, well-tanned player marked by salty winds. He had short silver hair and goggles, plus a harpoon on his back. Despite the fact it was winter in OSO, he was wearing a southern country-style shirt and sandals.


    This player had an aloof and friendly atmosphere to him.


    "I want the information on ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿ y''know. It''s give-and-take."


    "Taku said and the two laughed heartily at each other."


    Also, I knew this player.


    "¡¾OSO Fishermen''s Union¡¿''s guild master, Shichifuku¡­"


    "It''s a first that we speak directly, Yun-chan, eh. Lez'' get along. Also, I''d prefer bein'' call''d Captain rather than guild master."


    "Uh-huh¡­"


    I replied vaguely in response to Shichifuku''s light-hearted greeting, confused.


    Shichifuku appeared in my conversations in Taku a few times before, I also heard that he undertook quests together with Letia and Emily-san when small and medium-sized guilds banded together for a quest and managed to clear one of Christmas-limited dungeons.


    I also knew that he started a hobby guild and right now he made a big name as the top specialist when it came to combat in water.


    However, the biggest impression I had on him was in the winter when I met him while doing Christmas Event''s gathering quest in a lake, which made me nervous now.


    And probably this nervousness of mine was passed to him as¡­


    "GOTTT ITTTT!"


    He suddenly shouted and raised his fist up high startling me. Ryui and Zakuro who were hidden with illusion have appeared and stood right next to me.


    "The hell you''re doing! Don''t startle us!"


    "No, uh, last time I did this she''d made a nice response so I thought she''d do the same dis'' time as well."


    He said and looked at me with eyes filled with expectations, and so¡­


    "G-got iiitt¡­"


    My voice trembled from embarrassment as I said so and had to bear the painful looks of "the hell are you doing" coming from Taku and Ryui. As for Zakuro, he didn''t seem to know what''s happening and just tilted his head in wonder, his innocent gaze was even more painful as it pierced into my heart.


    "Ughh! Anyway, negotiations! Why did you request to negotiate with me?!"


    I started to talk in order to hide my embarrassment, which made Shichifuku make a serious expression and sit down on the counter seat.


    At the same time, Ryui and Zakuro put their heads on top of my lap as I sat down on the seat, so I pat the two''s head and listened to what he had to say.


    When everyone calmed down, Shichifuku spoke.


    "Looks like ya got relaxed ''nuff. Onii-san''s gonna explain reasons now."


    Said Shichifuku and made a bright smile, making me think he was hard to deal with and listen intently. He raised a single finger and started explaining.


    "One, is my personal preferences. I have been acquainted with Taku-chan ever since my guild was still a hobby guild, and I heard lots about ya, Yun-chan, from Letia-chan and Emily-chan with whom I did a quest together when small and medium-sized guilds'' come together. I also heard about ya from lots other places, and all I heard were good things y''know."


    "Is that so¡­"


    I felt a little abashed feeling that was a kind of a praise, and rubbed the back of my head.


    "I hear that yer really great at takin'' care of others, gentle, are very attentive of details and on top of that yer great at cooking, being in the top of the ranking of "players you want to become your bride"."


    "Wait a moment! Who the hell said that?!"


    This isn''t about crafting at all! No, I know that ¡¾Cooking¡¿ is also crafting, but still! I shouted in my heart, and Taku had muffled up his laughter further irritating me.


    "Well, jokes aside¡­"


    "A joke, huh¡­?"


    Having to react to everything he says is really tiring, I thought and heaved a sigh. Meanwhile, Shichifuku expression tensed up.


    "Still, the thing I wanna say is that if Taku-chan and others have a good opinion of ya and yer are a player they trust, it means that I can trust ya as well."


    Yeah, it did feel like I''m being praised, I ended up scratching my cheek and averted my gaze.


    "The second reason is that I''m personally grateful to you."


    "For what?"


    "After ¡¾Cold Damage¡¿ update has been implemented we had to wear cold-resistant equipment and it was very inconvenient fer us to fight in water. But thanks to ¡¾Hot Drink¡¿ and ¡¾Elemental Cream¡¿ you made, that problem was solved. I''m grateful ya know."


    Shichifuku said and lowered his head with all seriousness, making me flustered.


    "You don''t have to lower your head! Also, even if I didn''t make it, someone else would have!"


    "It might be so regarding crafting, but you sell it cheap, right? That matters lots to us, so accept Onii-san''s thanks. It''s free, after all."


    I haven''t ever been thanked this straightforwardly before, so I felt quite uncomfortable about it.


    Finally, Shichifuku''s final reason was¡ª¡ª


    "I, no, our guild had requested making of a certain item from several crafters but were refused. That''s why I we want ya, Yun-chan, who''s well acquainted with other skilled crafters to lend us yer knowledge and help us out. Please."


    He said, and once again lowered his head, but I couldn''t promise anything until I learn what was the item they wanted.


    "So, what is the item you want?"


    "¡ª¡ªA fishing vessel. And not a small one like a boat! We want a big ship that the entire guild could board at once."


    Hearing that, I closed my eyes and thought for a moment. Taku didn''t speak up either.


    "Can it be a wooden ship? Do you have any plan for it in particular?"


    "A wooden ship''s okay, in particular, we''d been thinking of something like a galleon."


    That''d be a damn pirate ship and not a fishing vessel, I thought for a second, but it was indeed easy to imagine.


    In which case, the person I should contact here was Lyly the carpenter.


    "Got it. I''ll ask a crafter I think might take undertake it."


    "Yesss¡«! I thought I''d be refused again, Onii-san here was really nervous."


    "Heck, it''s pretty obvious that a request to make a galleon would be rejected. There''s a problem with location to make it in and gathering materials, plus it would be reaaally expensive."


    I said and stood up, then entered ¡¾Atelier¡¿''s workshop and connected a friend call to Lyly.


    For the first three days of the new year there was no sign of him logging in, but he did log in now with a perfect timing so I was able to contact him.


    ¡º"Happy New Year''s, Yuncchi. I didn''t think you''d contact me now, what happened?"¡»


    "A request for crafting a ship has come to me just a moment ago, are you interested?"


    ¡º"Hmm, what kind of ship is it?"¡»


    "Apparently, they want a galleon-sized ship¡­"


    ¡º"Yuncchi, bring that person to me! Don''t let him run away! Also, I''ll call Magicchi too! See you in my store later!"¡»


    "Huh? Wait, wait a sec¡ª¡ªhe disconnected."


    Having the schedule one-sidedly decided I heaved a sigh, and decided this meant everything will work out, then returned to the store part of ¡¾Atelier¡¿.


    There, eating snacks and waiting for me were Taku and Shichifuku, both of them raised their heads and looked at me.


    "How was it?"


    "Bring him to me, he said. I guess he wants to hear details for now."


    "Yess! Thank you, Taku-chan, Yun-chan. You''ve really helped Onii-san lots."


    Seeing Shichifuku frolic merrily like a kid, Taku spoke up."


    "Where do you even intend to use a galleon-sized ship? No, considering you want all guild members to fit on it, can it be that you''re planning to use it as a guild house?"


    "That''s a secret. Now, where do I meet that crafter?!"


    "I''ll lead you there."


    I took Ryui and Zakuro, then with the three of us we left ¡¾Atelier¡¿ and headed to Lyly''s store.


    ¡¾Lyly''s Woodworking Shop¡¿ facing the main road in the Eastern part of the town was thriving as always, standing in front of it Shichifuku had looked up at the signboard with his mouth wide open.


    "No way. The crafter yer going to introduce me to is the top crafter, Lyly?!"


    Shichifuku was bothered by the imposing shade of this building, but this wasn''t a prank.


    "Lyly told me to bring you to him no matter what."


    "Nonono, I was refused by lots of carpenters so far, I don''t think anyone but someone with strange tastes would accept it. Why a top crafter all of a sudden?!"


    Leading completely confused Shichifuku, we entered the store.


    And just as usual, I spoke with the Clerk NPC and was allowed in to the back of the store. Along the way Taku and Shichifuku had looked around with curiosity.


    "I don''t have any equipment of ¡¾Woodworking¡¿ type so I haven''t come here before, so this is how it looks like here in the back."


    Taku muttered as we passed by the shooting range, and then was led towards the back of the store.


    Then in the very back, in the furthest corner of the store beyond which there was only the outside we stood in front of the black door. I opened the door and entered inside.


    "This is¡ª¡ª¡¾Ownership of Personal Field¡¿''s area."


    "Amazin''. There''s a plain and a forest far in the back, and also a huge building. Onii-san sure is surprised."


    Once we entered Lyly''s personal field, an adult phoenix Neshias had flown over and sat down on my shoulder.


    "Thanks for coming to welcome us. Can you lead us to Lyly?"


    I asked Neshias, who jumped into the air and slowly flew towards the building.


    We followed him and entered from the front.


    There we passed quickly by a wide space that appeared to be a workshop and arrived in a place that had several beams in the ceiling and was equipped with pulleys.


    "''Dis looks like a dock."


    Also, in the corner there were woodcrafting tools and also tools made for working with large woodcrafting projects. Seeing them, Taku and Shichifuku opened their mouths agape in wonder, so I left the two be and spoke to Neshias who once again sat down on my shoulder.


    "Thanks Neshias. You can go and play together with Ryui and Zakuro outside!"


    I said, and Neshias, leading Ryui and Zakuro, had flown to the plain outside.


    After seeing him off, I raised my voice and called.


    "Lyly! I brought the player who wants a ship made!"


    "Got it, Yuncchi! I''m coming now!"


    Lyly was apparently working in the back and has ran over to us in a trot. Even after seeing Lyly''s appearance Shichifuku continued to be dumbfounded.


    "Hello. Welcome in my shipyard! You want a ship, right?! I hear you want a galleon-sized ship or something?"


    "Yeah. I want a small and medium-sized guild to pilot it."


    "Got it!"


    After hearing what Shichifuku had to say, all excited, Lyly immediately ran to the back to get something. Meanwhile, taking his place and coming in was Magi-san.


    "Yun-kun, Taku-kun, happy new year''s."


    "Happy new year''s to you too, Magi-san."


    After I lightly lowered my head and said new year''s greeting to her Lyly had returned and Magi-san spoke again.


    "I was called by Lyly earlier and was asked to become an advisor for crafting a ship, is that person there the client?"


    "Nice to meet ya, yer Magi-san the blacksmith rite. I''m called Shichifuku, ¡¾OSO Fishermen''s Union¡¿''s guild master. I had asked Taku-chan and Yun-chan to act as a intermediate with carpenter Lyly."


    "Which means, you''re Taku-kun''s acquaintance?"


    "Yeah. Although ¡¾OSO Fishermen''s Union¡¿ is a small to medium-sized guild, they''re specialists when it comes to fighting in water. If you need any materials gathered in water, you can request it from them."


    Taku said and appealed Shichifuku''s usefulness, making Magi-san nod with a smile.


    "I see, I''ll do so if there''s a chance to."


    Now that the introductions were over, Lyly had came back holding several rolls of paper and spread them on a workbench nearby.


    They were all blueprints for a galleon that Shichifuku had requested, Lyly showed them to him with a sparkle in his eyes.


    "How about this? It has a lot of masts and is fast. And this one has few but instead can carry a lot of load! This one is very sturdy and simple!"


    Said Lyly and one after another showed blueprints to Shichifuku, who checked them one by one.


    Meanwhile, Taku, Magi-san and I set chairs next to a nearby table and prepared some tea on spot.


    Shichifuku had slowly picked out candidates out of several blueprints and then finally, chose one.


    "This looks very close to what we want. It can carry a lot and has a very broad deck making it easy to fight from it. There''s a few masts so it''ll be slow but can be piloted with a small amount of people thanks to that."


    Lyly had left the single chosen blueprint and cleaned up all others, then returned back to us.


    "Well then, Yuncchi, Magicchi, could you advise me? I want some good ideas for this blueprint!"


    This time Lyly had spread the blueprint so that everyone, not just Shichifuku could see it. I peeked in on it.


    ¡ñ


    Written down on the blueprint Lyly has spread on the workbench were forms and details of the required wooden parts, but there was no information on the materials to be used and equipment to be installed inside the ship.


    "The ship will use wooden materials as the main, but it will require some other detailed pieces. I want your advice on these."


    I took a look at the blueprint, there was a mast, rope ladders and ropes called rigging that were indispensible equipment for a ship.


    "Hey, Lyly, will you put cannons on this?"


    Magi-san asked with excitement, but Lyly only smiled wryly and denied.


    "Don''t think that''s possible. The entire thing will turn much heavier if we put in cannons, it might capsize once enemy mobs get on the deck."


    He said and showed data on the load limitations and the materials and parts durability. It was all black magic to me though.


    However, since this ship wasn''t just going to carry players but also act as a fishing vessel, I understood that there was a need to calculate the weight so that it doesn''t capsize once medium-sized enemy mobs get on.


    "Even if we don''t put any cannons on, they can use magic to shoot from a long distance, right?"


    "What a shame, if you wanted to put some on, I thought of using this opportunity to develop cannons."


    I smiled bitterly seeing Magi-san say so. Lyly had puffed his cheeks and protested.


    "We can''t! If we do that the ship will break!"


    "Our ship looks like it''ll become a pirate ship at this rate rather than a fishing vessel, is everything ''ll rite? Onii-san''s startin'' get worried here."


    Shichifuku muttered, but it didn''t reach ears of Lyly and Magi-san who were in the middle of cannon dispute.


    Afterwards we stared at the blueprint for some time and confirmed the materials that will be required to use for parts and equipment.


    "What wood will you use for the whole thing?"


    "Actually, for keel and masts I will use hardwood-type of material since they can be exchanged. But for the rest I''d like to use quality wood."


    "What about ship''s nails then? What will you do about it?"


    "Hmm. We can purchase some from NPCs, but those would make bindings between wood weak."


    "Hey, Lyly, could you show me how do actual nails used in ships look like?"


    Magi-san joined the conversation and took an actual ship nail in her hand to check the size and weight.


    "Strength-wise they should to be stronger than iron or steel, huh. What about Black Iron?"


    "Magi-san, won''t that be too heavy? Several thousands of such nails would start affecting the ship''s weight."


    "I see. Other metals could not be strong enough, so if steel and black iron aren''t fit¡­what about Blurite? It''s very compatible with water element¡­but will cost a lot."


    Hearing a pricy magical metal''s name appear among materials for the ship, Taku and Shichifuku had shuddered, but I had further added my own bit to the conversation.


    "Certainly, there''s a high probability a ship would be attacked by water element attacks. How about making an alloy with Mithril? It would have resistance to both water and magic, and be quite tough. You can make it, right? Magi-san."


    "Nice idea! Also, the alloy with Mithril would be lighter than pure Blurite and as light as Steel nails."


    "Also, the ropes used on the mast have a possibility of ripping if a normal rope is used, so how about using a rope made out of metallic thread?"


    "In which case, wouldn''t using Iron metallic thread which is hard to rip be good? For masts'' sails we could have Cloude pick the most fitting thing in his own discretion. Well, I guess this is about all we can come up with for now."


    Magi-san and I have heated up in the conversation, but Shichifuku spoke fearfully.


    "Actually, our guild''s budget for making the ship is 10mG¡­"


    "With just that, there''s not enough for using the materials we just mentioned¡­ A single Mithril sword costs few million G, so if we use several times that worth of Mithril we would run out of the budget with just nails."


    Magi-san said, making Shichifuku open his eyes wide in shock. Furthermore, without any awareness Lyly had added a further blow.


    "Also, I don''t think I''ll be able to make a galleon-sized ship alone, so I would need synthetic mobs to help me out. For that I''d like at leasdt 20mil G."


    "Ugh¡­ Just the nails and mobs for helping out will cost 30mG?! No waaay!''


    Shichifuku raised his voice hearing the great sum.


    However, this cost of 30mG was a rough estimate and if all more detailed pieces were included it could cost much more.


    Finally, I added a finishing blow.


    "I''ll have to say this, but¡­right now, the only ones who can make a Mithril alloy are just a few among the top blacksmiths. Normally such skilled crafters wouldn''t ever undertake a request to make several thousands of nails instead of weapons¡­ And thus, I guess we have to deny this ship construction standard."


    Hearing that Shichifuku had hung his head depressed and Taku looked at him with pity. Basically, making a ship under these terms was impossible¡ª¡ªbut if the terms were different, then¡­


    "About this request¡ª¡ªI''ll undertake it!"


    "Really?!


    "Well, I think that if you gather the materials by yourself the costs will decrease by a lot. Also, if your ¡¾OSO Fishermen''s Union¡¿ players acquire ¡¾Woodworking¡¿ Sense and help out it will get even cheaper."


    "But there''s no players who can make Mithril alloy nails, right?"


    Taku had pointed out, but Lyly had smiled towards me and Magi-san and replied.


    "I think the construction of the ship itself won''t start for a while. By then, Yuncchi will have increased her ¡¾Engraving¡¿ Sense level and become able to make Mithril alloy nails. Also, Magicchi probably won''t let something this interesting let pass by."


    Magi-san and I smiled in response to Lyly''s expectations.


    "I guess. Not joining in something as interesting as making a galleon ship inside OSO would be a shame."


    "I hardly ever get any requests for making items with ¡¾Craftsmanship¡¿ so I think I might be able to help out a bit."


    We will have to consult with Cloude on the sails, if we don''t he would definitely sulk. I imagined it and chuckled.


    "Hey, hey! How about we put those cannons in after all? Like, a bonus option!"


    "In that case how about a ballista?! If we''re fighting against huge sea monsters a ballista would be lighter!"


    "Hmm. Isn''t there anything even lighter? Like, molotov cocktails? It would be hard for the ship to catch fire since it''s on water, and it can be carried on the players."


    With the basics decided upon for now, we started playing around with other parts based on our crafting expertise wondering if we could add something. Hearing that, the client, Shichifuku had made a worried expression.


    Taku beside him had crossed his arms and muffling up his laughter watched the situation¡ª¡ª


    "Magi-san, if you want to make something with metal then how about you make an anchor? Lyly, you can make the a sculpture on the bow, and Yun, you make a lure for fishing."


    And had joined in to mediate, and we accepted his proposal.


    "Sorry. We got a little too excited. Although we can''t get onto constructing the ship right away, we''ll definitely make a good ship!"


    Lyly responded so, representing us and had exchanged handshake with Shichifuku.


    Personally it was an unexpected crafting request, but I was quite excited for something new that I hadn''t taken part in before.


    "Yun-chan, Taku-chan. Thank ya for introducin'' me today to wonderful crafters. I can see our goal nows."


    "Don''t mind it, I had fun too."


    "Well then, Shichifuku. Tell us the promised info on ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿."


    With Taku''s words I was reminded that we were negotiating in exchange for information for the third trial of the Sense Expansion Quest. The conversation about shipmaking was so fun that I ended up forgetting all about it.


    Shichifuku smiled wryly as Taku urged, but then immediately made a serious expression and explained.


    "I know I know. The boss mob ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿ is¡ª¡ªhiding inside Dais Forest''s lake."


    "...Dais Forest? Where''s that?"


    "What, Yun-chan, ya don''t rememba? It''s the lake I got a big fish during Christmas Event, that area''s called Dais Forest."


    "Ah, the place where Yuncchi and I were beat up by weakling mobs!"


    With that said I recalled how I was hung by my leg by a creeper plant mob and together with Lyly we were beat up and had to run. I also recalled how I looked to find a quest item inside the lake, but I didn''t know the area''s name.


    I thought of it as "the forest on the outskirts of the Second Town".


    Since Lyly looked my way and smiled bitterly, he must have known the area''s name.


    "Taku-chan, how about Onii-san helps ya out? It''s not like we''re strangers, and Yun-chan has ¡¾Swimming¡¿ Sense, right? How about we go hunt together and improve our relations while at it?"


    "Can''t do that. We''re on a Sense Expansion Quest, we want to do it with just ourselves."


    "Are you sure? Our guild has a lot of water-battle specialists y''know? I''m sure our leveling methods and experience will be of use."


    Shichifuku had assertively pushed, but Taku was a bit reluctant.


    On the other hand, I was pressed for an explanation on the Sense Expansion Quest by Magi-san and Lyly, so I started explaining.


    "We also have Yun''s little sister Myu and ¡¾Eight Million Gods¡¿ submaster Sei-san with us."


    "What a shame! And here I thought I could get closer to two more skilled players, well, I guess I''ll wait for another opportunity. We''ll plan a combat training from on board a ship sometime, so come join us with your party, Taku-chan."


    Shichifuku said and stood up from the seat. The talk of ship construction has been finished for the time being, and he was about to leave after receiving copies of the ship''s blueprints.


    With our goal of bringing the two together Taku and I have decided to go back too, so the three of us left the store together.


    There, Shichifuku started to leave along with a "see ya!", but then he recalled something and turned around¡ª¡ª


    "Look forward to after ya succeed ta beat ¡¾Emperor Isopod¡¿!"


    He said and left with a broad smile.


    After we saw off Shichifuku disappear in the crowd, Taku had furrowed his eyebrows lightly.


    "What is it, Taku?"


    "What''s up with you, Yun? Normally you would be more on alert if some guy wanted to try to get closer to Myu-chan and Sei-san."


    "Hmm. How do I say this, it doesn''t feel like Shichifuku has any bad intentions. Although he doesn''t seem a very serious guy, he''s not the type to hit on girls."


    "Correct. You have a good eye there."


    Taku praised me, but for some reason had made a difficult expression making me peek into his face and ask.


    "You worried about something?"


    "No. It''s just that I felt like Shichifuku''s last words had some hidden meaning behind them."


    "Hidden meaning? Wasn''t that just a cheer?"


    Although Taku''s intuition still said like there was something behind those words, his expression had softened right away.


    "But it doesn''t feel like a bad thing, so well, that''s enough about that!"


    "Good grief¡­ I guess. For the time being we should clear the third trial and move on with the Sense Expansion Quest."


    After thinking that Taku is worrying too much, I could only smile wryly at the speed at which he changed the topic.


    Now finally, we had some prospects for beating the third trial. I had to get myself together in order to challenge it together with Myu and Sei-nee.