Chapter 28: The Targeted Quarry

"......He's not here."

Why is he so impossible to find? The armored knight sighed, as if trying to alleviate the disappointment weighing down her digital body.

In truth, traces of him could be found. After hearing that a high-level player from a clan called the "Tempura Knights" was nearby, she asked around and confirmed that a player named Sunraku had indeed been seen. Yet, no matter where she searched, he was nowhere to be found. He showed no signs of coming out of the inn.

Suspecting their playtimes simply didn't align, she staked out the inn late into the night, but he never emerged. Just as she began to entertain conspiracy-theory-level delusions—wondering if the very laws of causality were conspiring to keep them apart—that email arrived.

"A Clan Messenger Bird (Mail Bird)..."

These Messenger Birds, which can be used by paying a fee at facilities run by developed clans or NPCs, function as this game's email system. Despite being "birds," they appear instantly at the recipient's location upon sending, so there is no lag in delivery. Assuming it was just an email recalling her to the clan since she was out on personal business, the armored knight opened the message—and her body went rigid with heart-pounding shock.

To: Psyger-0

Sorry, but please suspend your private manhunt. There is a player I definitely want to scout, so I need you to find him. His location is near Secondil. He is a player named Sunraku who wears the Gazing Bird Mask, has the Black Wolf's "Curse" on his torso and legs, and is reportedly accompanied by a talking Vorpal Bunny wearing clothes. Being involved with a Unique is significant enough, but a player who encountered Lycaon and received two markings is unheard of. If possible, I want to bring him into our fold.

From: Psyger-100

The armored knight... Psyger-0 knew the truth. She knew he hadn't even been playing the game for a week yet.Knowing that, she was struck with fresh amazement at the fact that he had encountered a Unique monster no one knew about, and on top of that, had managed to survive a major confrontation with Lycaon the Night Raider —the very monster her guild sought after so intensely they used it as their emblem.

"......Heheh."

Regardless of the details, this meant she could now search for him openly. If things went well, they could deepen their friendship in the same clan, and perhaps even in real life... Just as she sent a reply of acceptance, feeling as though her heavy armor had grown wings, a new email arrived, swapping places with the one she just sent.

"......?"

Wondering if it was a postscript, she opened the email... and was left speechless for a completely different reason than before.

To: Psyger-0

Call it a postscript or supplementary info: as far as our members have confirmed, "SF-Zoo," the "Ashura-kai," and the "10 PM Army" are currently moving to secure Sunraku. The possibility of this developing into PvP is extremely high, so be careful.

From: Psyger-100

"~~~~~~~!?"

The illustrious lineup of top clans in Shangri-la Frontier... and the fact that one of them specialized in PvP... Faced with the appearance of unexpected rivals, Saiga Rei (Psyger-0) switched her pace from a walk to a full-on sprint in her quest to find Sunraku.

"......Hmm?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just felt a shiver down my spine... I wonder what it is? Noise in the signal?"

My back has been feeling itchy for a while now... but it's not like I'm suffering from any status effects. What is this?

"Well, whatever. If the map is accurate, the Area Boss should be just up ahead. Let's take a break here."

I wanted to keep my hunger gauge topped off. Putting the hard lessons of my wildlife survival life to good use, I took some flint and firewood branches from my inventory and started a fire. Nice, it only took two tries to light it this time.

"Then I shall have a meal as well, desu wa!"

As I roasted the wing of a Bandit Vulture, Emul mimicked me and began roasting a carrot on a stick. A rabbit eating a carrot... how cliché.

"Mmm, tastes like flavorless jerky."

"Hot carrots are quite good too, desu wa."

"Come to think of it, since I didn't gather much info, I have to fight the Area Boss without any prior knowledge. Emul, do you know anything?"

"Hmm, the master of these marshlands is a monster called the Mud Digger. It attacks by going Zudon! from out of the ground, so you have to stop its movements, desu wa."

Zudon from the ground... A monster that attacks like a Whac-A-Mole? No, this is the management team that threw the Gluttonous Giant Serpent at us as the first boss. It's surely a boss with more malicious gimmicks.

"What is it this time? Urine? Farts? The possibility of vomit (breath attacks) exists too..."

"Oh my, Sunraku-san, you are being vulgar, desu wa."

Hahaha, let her talk. But for me, having regained my intuition for "first-sight killers" thanks to "Benpi", taking me by surprise is no longer possible.

Now, onward to the Second Area Boss: "Mud Digger"!

Author's Notes & Lore

The boss information provided by Emul is basically the extent of information that can be gathered in town. NPCs who have contact with "those who fight bosses," such as Guilds and Weapon Shops, often hold information regarding Area Bosses.