Chapter 115: Holding the Lamp of Ambition, Part 1

Name: Sunraku
Level: 99 Extend
Job: Mercenary (Dual Wielder)
Money: 1,000 Mani
HP: 80
MP: 50
STM: 100
STR: 100
DEX: 100
AGI: 100
TEC: 80
VIT: 901
LUC: 129

Skills:

• Flowing Flash Dance (Ruru Senbu)
• Single Thought, Rock Pierce (Ichinen Iwaugachi)
• Formula Drift Lv.1
• Moment Sight
• Airgetlam Lv.1
• Trial Traverse Lv.1
• Possessed by Yoshitsune (Shanaou-tsuki)
• Gravity Zero Lv.1
• Flit Float
• Pride of the Moon Wolf [Managarmr Pride]
• Vorpal Secret Art [Utsurou Mikagami]
• Burnout Lv.1
• Riot Accel Lv.1
• Bloodshedism (Kessen Shugi)
• Lethe Vanisher
• Dirty Sword Lv.1
• Blade-Breaking Demon Chaos (Kaitou Ranma)
• Vorpal Sword Arts [Half-Moon Slash] Third Form
• Reckless War God (Sengoku Burai) Lv.1
• Sword Dance [Spinning Blade]
• Persistand
• Melostic Foot

Equipment:

• Left/Right: Decapitation Sword of the Flame General
• Head: War Horn Helm [Quad] (VIT+500)
• Torso: Lycaon's Curse
• Waist: Excavated Polished Belt [Ancient Soldier] (VIT+400)
• Legs: Lycaon's Curse
• Accessories: Inventory Key: Inventoria

More than the organized skill list, the fact that my Vitality became 900 made me tremble.

I realized too late that I had forgotten to equip waist gear, so I tried equipping a store-bought waist item, and as expected of Eleventar, a late-game town.

Even though it's a weapon from a Rare Enemy, to think it rivals equipment from just before the end game. No, maybe the War Horn Helm, which is still active at this stage, is amazing... Yeah, the helmet clattering around is annoying, so I'll switch back to the Bird Mask.

Just the surprisingly light metal belt waist equipment fulfills the usage conditions for the Brilliant Scorpion Gauntlets (Gilta Brille).

"Fifteen minutes until the meeting time... Well, I asked for this, so it's natural for me to wait first."

The meeting place is in front of the "Statue of the Decayed Greatsword" on the main street. I can roughly imagine what it is from the name, so let's head there while checking the organized skills.

...And that was five minutes ago when I started moving.

"Strange, I didn't hear about a 'Statue of the Decayed Greatsword and Holy Knight'..."

I grab the shoulder of my thoughts trying to escape reality with a "hahaha" and drag them back to reality. I won't allow you alone to escape to a flower field.

A player carrying a sinister greatsword... if I recall, a Unique Weapon called "Divine Demon Greatsword (Antinomy)"... completely opposite to the divine white shining full plate armor, is standing in front of the gigantic sword covered in rust with its function as a weapon almost lost.

The intimidation radiating from her entire body is more like a boss character than a player. Specifically, like a "Guardian-type enemy that is unexpectedly tougher than the boss ahead because its defense is insanely high and its AI is solid."

To be honest, I really don't want to talk to Psyger-0-shi, who is gathering more gazes than the decayed greatsword behind her. If possible, I want to pretend to be a stranger and run away.

But as a gamer, I cannot overlook such rudeness. The one who called cancelling at the last minute is out of the question; it's a foolish act that deserves being thrown onto a blacklist along with "noob" calls without complaint.

"Ah—... how long have I kept you waiting?"

"...I, JUST arrived."

Mustering courage, I speak to her. While aware that the surrounding gazes are rapidly gathering from Psyger-0-shi to me, I try not to think about Psyger-0-shi's words, which exude a presence impossible to create by just waiting for five or ten minutes.

"Is, is that so... Cough. I apologize for making an unreasonable request today."

"...No, it was just... right, Just when I had free time, so."

Why emphasize "Just"? Is this that? An implicit message saying "Be grateful I made time"? No, the opponent is the top player in ShanFro; I should consider the possibility of some other intention included.

After all, since a member of "Wolfgang" is borrowing the power of "Black Wolf's" highest combat power, some kind of gratitude is necessary... Will she demand something related to Uniques? No, she probably will.

"Ah—, so about the thanks for coming all this way..."

"...Please, do not mind. Um, we are Frie-, Friends, so...!"

"............"

(Scary! Wait, super scary! Unconditional goodwill is incredibly scary!?)

There has never been a day I was more glad to have equipped a mask than today.

Because surely, right now, I might be rolling my eyes back with a twitching smile.

"This area, Barren Darkruin, is an area where you can strongly feel the civilization of the Divine Age, same as the Ruins of Past Glory... However, unlike the Ruins of Past Glory which was a 'Factory Site,' this area is... a 'Battlefield Site'."

"I see... Seems like it was quite a fierce battle."

"According to the people from Library, 'It is unclear if it was the decisive blow, but it is certain that there was a battle fierce enough to drive them back to right in front of the weapons factory'..."

There are few sights that make you understand what happened so visually.

Barren Darkruin... As the name implies, it is the "Corpse" of an ancient castle; the castle is dead. And that "Death" is not Senility due to weathering or aging.

Arm.

Except for that, it's a grassland area where trees grown wrapping around giant swords like the giant sword statue in Eleventar and decayed mysterious vehicles are scattered here and there, but That draws the eye after all.

Different from fantasy Western-style castles or Japanese-style castles, if I were to express it with the closest real-world analogy, it would be "Something made by crudely combining a battleship and an aircraft carrier."

An arm is pierced into a gigantic structure clearly designed as a defensive base for fighting.

Moreover, its size is abnormal. The size, which should be described as truly enlarging the ratio between a sandcastle and the child's arm that made it to fortress size... if the nonexistent part beyond the elbow existed, just how big would it be?

"...At least, monsters of that size have not appeared in Shangri-La Frontier... That is why players investigating what happened in the past... created Library."

"Omega, huh..."

"Eh?"

"No, talking to myself. Just escaping from the binding of Lethe by connecting my thoughts to Idea."

"Haa..."

While glossing over it appropriately, the speculation brain inside me pulls related information from memory.

The gigantic mechanical skeleton symbolizing the Ruins of Past Glory. It wouldn't be wrong to think it's related to this "Arm."

And the figure of "Ω" seen in that underground lab... Was the civilization of the Divine Age building something with a mechanical skeleton to counter the owner of this "Arm"?

Is the owner of the arm Ω, or is the completed form of that skeleton Ω... And above all, the word that suddenly started emitting presence within me... "Bahamut."

But there isn't even enough information to turn speculation into a hypothesis. As long as there is no thread connecting the remaining results and words, the Unique Scenario EX is indeed the key to approaching the mysteries of the world.

"...Um, Sunraku, san?"

"Nn, ah—, sorry. My Idea was Lethe-ing a bit."

"Haa... Um, Sunraku-sa, n... is prioritizing breaking through the area, right?"

"Yeah well, I have a meeting... in Fifticia by tomorrow."

I can't say it's related to a Unique Monster, so I'll blur the information here.

"Meeting... is it."

"Y-Yeah... With players I met in another game, well."

"I see. Could it be, um, er... a, woman, perhaps?"

"Well, one of them is, yes."

The next moment, Byugoa!, a greatsword swung with momentum even I almost missed cleaves the head of a four-winged dragon... no, a Wyvern approaching us sideways.

"Hiee."

"Sunraku-san, it's a Storm Wyvern! It's Level 99, so leave this to me..."

"N-No, if it's that, I can fight too... Various things happened, so I'm Level 99 and Extended!"

"Eh!?"

Activating buff skills, I slam the readied Decapitation Sword of the Flame General into the neck of the flinching Storm Wyvern.

The Storm Wyvern, whose left half of the face was crushed by Psyger-0-shi's blow, screams and struggles against the Zweihander embedded in its neck, but it's too late.

"Psyger-0-shi!"

"Sword God Severing Domination...!"

The fate was decided the moment the Storm Wyvern directed its attention to me and didn't leave immediately.

An overhead strike of the greatsword clad in clearly mastered skill effects is slammed into the Storm Wyvern's brainpan, and starting from the impact point, a visualized slash effect runs down the Storm Wyvern's neck, back, to the tip of its tail.

The pitiful Storm Wyvern wasn't even allowed a death cry, exploding into polygons spreading from where the slash effect ran.

"Umm, amazing power every time I see it."

"Yes, well............... Um, I have one reques-, proposal..."

"What is it?"

Psyger-0-shi, returning the greatsword to her back, straightens her posture somewhat and begins to speak her proposal.

"Um, er, well... um."

"Haa."

"...Um, calling me 'Psyger-0-shi' is... long, probably, and if it's just Psyger, um, Nee-sa... no, it overlaps with Psyger-100, so..."

"Indeed."

How should I put it? While encouraging my legs which want to back away from the pressure that looks like it might explode from inside the armor, I listen to Psyger-0-shi.

Indeed, they probably have some relationship in real life; since their player names are practically the same as the Clan "Black Wolf" leader Psyger-100-shi, there is a point in saying it's confusing.

"So, so so, um... If you could call me 0 (Rei), um, er, it would be easier to understand, or rather..."

"Ah, so it wasn't Psyger-Zero but Rei. Then Rei-shi and... hm?"

I feel like something caught in my mind, but what is it? There are too many things I have to think about, too many points that come to mind... No no, conquest is top priority right now. Thinking can be done later.

"I-Is there, s-some, c-clue, perhaps you have in mind-gozaru?"

"Ah no, nothing... Then from now on, Rei-shi."

"Tch...! ~~~~~~!"

"A-Are you okay? If you're feeling unwell, maybe logout for a bit..."

"No! I am in top form! I feel like I could beat Lycaon right now!"

In this person's case, it's troubling because she looks like she really could win.

She holds the title of Maximum Firepower, after all. I don't know how many players supported her, but at least she isn't completely reliant on allies.

"T-Then shall we go..."

"Yes! No matter what comes, I shall cut it down!"

With a bouncing voice, the dangerous greatsword cut the wind bwon.

Hahaha, I want to go back to Rabituza.

Author's Afterword
The pattern where she suddenly gets called "Rei" later and writhes in agony.

Hidden Stats
Actually, there are several times more hidden stats than the stats players can confirm.
For example, differences in aptitude due to Origin, degree of growth due to Job, budding of nature due to conduct... Skills manifest by analyzing these.