Chapter 260: Moonlight Upon the Moonless Depths

Good things and bad things usually arrive at the same time. When the balance tilts toward one side, it becomes either "Fortune" or "Misfortune."

For example, if you buy a game, the fortune of acquiring entertainment is shadowed by the misfortune of consuming money... your assets. But very few people would lament that, because a game is fun precisely because the fortune outweighs the misfortune.
In that regard, Trash Games, which have a shockingly low degree of fortune, are basically throwing your money down the drain... Fufufu, but this is a path of carnage walked with full resolve. Whoops, dangerous instant-death attack—dodge, dodge.

"Shiiii!!"

"Your movements are way too honest, idiot!"

When she secreted some sort of highly toxic-looking mucus from her body and shaped it into a sword, I felt a chill, but I can manage this level of threat even without an energy drink.
That being said, the location is terrible. I'm currently trying to figure out if there's any way to escape this mortar-shaped hole.

"Tch... 【Firing-up】! And then 【Growing-up】!"

The Isana Togetsu has a terrible affinity here. I switched to the Gilta Brille while trying to maintain my distance, firing a Crystal Bullet straight down and instantly activating it to form a crystal pillar as an impromptu shield.
Her bodily-fluid weapon is essentially liquid, making parrying practically useless. Even if I deflect it, the liquid will just splatter everywhere. I'd be better off tackling a shop curtain at full speed.

"It is technically a mineral, though..."

The liquid curved sword wielded by the self-proclaimed Goldunine slammed into the crystal pillar, the purple mucus slowly beginning to melt the crystal away.
With its durability severely compromised, the crystal pillar was shattered by a kick from the self-proclaimed Goldunine, exposing my figure hiding behind it.

"Die!"

"My bad, that's what they call an Empty Mirror."

Vorpal Blade Arts [Fading Mirror]. Having slipped into the self-proclaimed Goldunine's guard while her attention was diverted by the decoy created via the aggro-severing secret art, I drove an uppercut cloaked in silver light straight into her jaw with a leaping motion.

Bending down to land the finishing blow on Me (The Decoy) was your fatal mistake. A solid weight transmitted through my right fist as it dug into her jaw; though I figured it was unlikely anyway, she didn't manage to parry or redirect the impact either.

"Shake, brain!"

Boosted by the Lethe Punisher effect to increase the stun probability, the strike caused the self-proclaimed Goldunine's body to bend backward heavily. She flinched! Alright!

"Flank! Flank! Winding up for a huge swing and... Flaaank!!"

Relentless liver blows. I piled combo after combo onto the self-proclaimed Goldunine, who couldn't endure the strikes and stumbled several steps backward.
I adjusted my angle and fired a Crystal Bullet, activating it to form a crystal pillar directly in the trajectory of her swinging sword.
With a sound resembling meat slamming into something hard, the self-proclaimed Goldunine's wrist crashed into the crystal pillar, causing the toxic liquid temporarily taking the shape of a sword to lose its structural integrity.

Hah, I'm completely used to matching timings frame by frame! Come back when you can consistently hit the jackpot in roulette through pure eye-tracking!
Though I can't speak for real-life roulette, in games, the result is frequently determined by the elapsed seconds from the start of the spin the moment you press the button, completely ignoring the actual movement of the roulette wheel displayed on screen... When you time it perfectly by eye only for the needle to suddenly stop right as it's slowing down, or randomly accelerate again, all you can do is laugh.

Whoops, let's get back on track.
For me, this current situation leans heavily toward "Fortune." After all, she went out of her way to change her style to a "Humanoid" form focusing on "Physical-based movements."
It's not like I'm exceptionally gifted at PvP, but I did just finish defeating an absurdly strong master swordsman. A Wave of high tension is rushing through me.

This wave of tension isn't something that can be managed by player skill alone. Sometimes you suffer a massive losing streak despite living a perfectly healthy lifestyle, and sometimes you go on an unstoppable winning streak despite being exhausted to the point of death.

"If there was a way to perfectly calculate the exact timing of peak condition, I'd pay good money to know it." Those were the words of a pro gamer (fish) I know, and I couldn't agree more. But right now, in this very moment, I have caught the ideal wave.

"Applying Roleplay against a giant is definitely outside my expectations, but the fundamental countermeasures are still the same... Whoops!"

Thanks to her focusing the toxic liquid into a single point as a weapon, the danger has been clearly defined. She occasionally attacks with movements that clearly defy human biomechanics, but... Eh? A human body twisting into the shape of a "W" to charge at me? That's just a standard attack in "Benpi." The real fight begins when that "W" human gets a vacuum hitbox with a one-meter radius.

For someone thoroughly accustomed to "Benpi"—a game unparalleled in its blasphemy against the human anatomy—an attack from behind delivered by twisting her waist 180 degrees is nothing special.
I detonated the Crystal Bullets I had set up beforehand. Three rapidly growing crystal pillars assaulted the self-proclaimed Goldunine like spears... However, their tips never reached her. But that was exactly according to calculation.

"Gii...!?"

"It's not an attack, it's an obstruction... Alright, I'll be racking up some damage now!"

As long as I can stop her movements, it's time for the Isana Togetsu to shine. Now, let's collect Goldunine's "Curse"... Wait.

"What exactly is a 'Curse'?"

First of all, mechanically speaking, a "Curse" in this game isn't an object, it's a status debuff. In other words, it's just numbers and text... How am I supposed to gather that?

"Slashing her body normally just gives me 'Component Crystal: Goldunine Reptica 4'..."

Wait, is this the target item? No, no, that feels wrong... Or rather, it quietly ranked up to 4. Did she evolve right there on the spot?

"Hey Snake Woman, try dropping a 'Curse' for a second."

"Gaaaaaaaaah!!"

"Oh, strong muscle..."

Considering her trash durability despite her appearance, I expected her to break out, but I didn't expect her to smash them with what looked like a shockwave.

"Kill! Kill! Kiiilllll!!"

"Her thought process is about the same level as mine when I've pulled three all-nighters... Hm?"

Goldunine's curse is poison, right? If it's poison, that means it technically exists as a physical Object. In other words, the logical conclusion is...

"Serioooously?"

I have to intercept the liquid curved sword she's swinging around with a critical slash of my own? Bro, that difficulty is way too high... No wait, it's not impossible.

"That'll require some preparation... Can I pull it off?"

While I do have experience with Trapper playstyles, setting up traps in this situation is admittedly a bit high in difficulty.
At minimum, I need the Isana Togetsu and the Gilta Brille, and since I'm solo, I have to move while constantly managing aggro.

"Given the time limit, even including fallback plans, I'll only have one chance. No deaths, no mistakes... Sounds great! This is exactly when you're supposed to get hyped!"

I'll do it! And for that, I'm changing the Chart! I'll stick with the Isana Togetsu and charge up the combination gauge!

"Bring it on, Snake Woman! I'll dance with you until my caffeine burns out!"

"Shiiiii!!"

The toxic blade swung down. I stepped to the side and activated Formula Drift. My stepping foot, which normally should have acted as a brake, slid and accelerated.

Drifting over the rough rocks, I moved right beside the self-proclaimed Goldunine. Visually, she looked fleshy and voluptuous... but when I actually slashed her, her skin felt like incredibly barren, high-density rubber coated in varnish. I slammed a Flowing Flash Dance, its power boosted through continuous skill activation, straight into her.
Tch, the self-proclaimed Goldunine is tough, but this location has a far worse affinity with me than I expected.

The character known as Sunraku does have heavily biased stats, but it's kept within a reasonable degree. The skills I've acquired, however, are almost entirely related to mobility or enhancing mobility.
And this mortar-shaped hole offers very few upward escape routes. Most importantly, the fact that the moon is completely obscured despite it being nighttime is completely locking out the activation of "Managarm Pride."

In other words, I'm currently in a situation where I cannot perform at my absolute best. While using the Levin Trigger: Hazard and the Star Cloak of Lapistella would grant me mobility far surpassing my usual limits, relying on unfamiliar movements in a situation where failure is unacceptable is far too risky.

A grab attack. I dodged the palm of a toxic hand that would clearly cause instant death upon contact by a paper-thin margin, utilizing a Imitation step from Ryuguin Fugaku. Switching the Meiki to my left hand in a reverse grip, I slashed upward at the self-proclaimed Goldunine's wrist.
Her bizarrely sturdy, snake-derived bones meant that even a slash to a wrist with very little meat on it couldn't inflict proper damage. Wait, actually, isn't she harder than be...

"Whoa!?"

No, it's not just that. She's gotten faster too. Don't tell me, is that what shedding her skin meant!?

"Karorororo..."

"Did you get a tan? And hey, stop ripping off my moves..."

Her pale-blue skin had turned into an even harder pitch-black, and the toxic liquid curved sword that previously only appeared in one hand now manifested in both.
Clearly harder, faster, and far more lethal than before, the self-proclaimed Goldunine licked her lips and glared at me with those serpentine eyes.

Author's Afterword
Orphan of Kos + Dancer of the Boreal Valley

Even if it is but a barren flame, to the inexhaustible serpent, it is the sole guiding light...

By the way, some behind-the-scenes trivia: in the initial drafts, she was planned to be "Goldunine of the Severed Cliff." From Hades Katarina, now Agnis Katarina.
Um, I have a 3-star uncapped Shiva, so my screen time is... Actually, what the hell is an SSR character pick-up anyway? (Got Kaguya at the same time)