Chapter 29: Bird Mask with Rabbit vs. Shark Mole

"This is... bad."

"Uhyah, my clothes are going to get dirty, desu wa."

Just as the Gluttonous Giant Serpent had stationed itself before the suspension bridge leading to Secondil , the Mud Digger was likely positioned right in the middle of this large swamp—a blatant obstacle placed in the center of the canyon leading to Thirdrema.

"This counters AGI characters way too hard..."

You can't run in the swamp. In other words, to get past this, you basically have to fight the boss while remaining immobile.Dammit, I should have anticipated this the moment I saw the area was the Marshlands of Agony.

"What will you do, Sunraku-san? At this rate, neither you nor I can hop around, desu wa."

"Right... let's just wait until we see the boss to think of a plan. Emul... just, cling to my back for now."

Since we're in a party, I can't just leave her out of the boss fight. And since Emul is the size of a normal rabbit, if she gets stuck in the swamp, her movement will be even more restricted than mine.

"Okay!"

Twisting my body slightly at the fluffy sensation attaching itself to my back, I stepped into the great swamp. Dammit, the coldness of the mud seeps right into the barefoot-style sandals I wear when unequipped. What kind of sad existence is this, playing with self-imposed naked restrictions? More than that, I hate that I'm actually starting to get used to this situation.

"Myo! Sunraku-san, here it comes, desu wa!"

"I can feel it...!"

As I waded through with splashing sounds (zaba zaba), vibrations transmitted through the mud directly touching my bare skin. It was undeniably the omen of the Area Boss's appearance. The swamp swelled up as if pushed from directly underneath, and at the same time, it appeared.

"SHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

"What the heck is that?"

A shark-headed mole? A shark with limbs? But why does it have whiskers...? Anyway, the inorganic gaze of this giant shark-headed thing locked onto us.

"Incoming, desu wa!"

"Tch...!"

Moving is so damn hard! No, first I need to check the opponent! Using Repel Counter , I managed to force a critical hit activation, using the skill's knockback effect to blast the Mud Digger sideways. It wasn't physically burrowing; it seemed to be diving into the ground using some kind of mysterious power (it's a game, so that's that). Even though it was blown into the shallow part of the swamp where I only sank to my shins, the Mud Digger dove into the mud as if it were no problem at all. Then, in a move strictly reserved for sharks of this variety, it rushed toward us with only its dorsal fin protruding from the surface.

"Kyaa! I'm going to get skinned alive, desu wa!"

"What are you, the White Hare of Inaba?!"

Dammit, being forced to use evasion skills this early in the fight...! I activated Slide Move, a skill that allows me to dodge attacks with a sliding motion, narrowly avoiding the Mud Digger's charge as it tried to bite into me. Although skills don't consume parameters like stamina, they do have a recast time before they can be used again. Having used up both of my evasion skills, I now have to dodge on my own for the duration of the recast time... a combined total of about 10 seconds.

"Now, what to do...!"

I have to compile information before the Mud Digger makes a U-turn and attacks again.First, the characteristics of the area itself: obviously, the mud acts as a blatant snare to seal away Agility (AGI). The game determines that once you stick your foot in the mud, your other foot remains stuck until the first one touches the bottom. In other words, if I just increase the rotation speed (cadence) of my leg movements, I should be able to move somewhat quickly!

"Here it comes, here it comes! We're going to get eaaaten!"

"We won't get eaten!"

Using Accel, a skill that temporarily buffs AGI and STR, I forced my legs to move, dodging the second charge by a hair's breadth. Damn, now I've used up every skill that can genuinely be used for evasion... I wanted to save Accel for when I shifted to the offensive, but I had no choice. The Mud Digger's attack interval is shorter than I expected.

"If I want to stop its movement for now... Emul, you have attack magic, right?"

"Eh? Yes, I have some, desu wa."

"Use it. Hit the Mud Digger the moment it attacks."

"Roger that, desu wa!"

Is it okay to rely on an NPC stronger than myself? It's not like I don't have those thoughts. But the moment I decided to make Secondil and this area a waypoint, I decided not to care about appearances. I haven't experienced it personally, but I've heard plenty of stories from other players about the hassle of dealing with the overcrowding of new players. I'll force myself to believe that the "No Strong NPC (Emul)" restriction only starts from the next area. Thinking of it that way, perhaps the fact that the Mud Digger is a strong enemy is something to be welcomed.

"Mmm... Magic Edge!"

Climbing up my back from a piggyback position to something closer to a shoulder ride, Emul stood on my shoulder and chanted the spell. In an instant, a translucent, crescent-shaped blade created in the void was fired in a diagonal line, striking the Mud Digger perfectly in the face as it attempted its third charge. The time bought by the Slide Move dodge, the Accel dodge, plus the lag caused by the current attack... and if I endure until it gets to point-blank range where I can feel its breath... Recast complete!!

"I'll launch you!!"

I reactivated Repel Counter. Taking a step back to create distance, I smashed the Mud Digger from below, launching it upwards. Furthermore, I followed up with a finishing blow using Spiral Edge , a skill that thrusts the Marsh Daggers I was gripping as if to gouge the target. This skill is probably originally intended to be something closer to a parry—an evolved form of deflection. I know that my method of using the knockback as a semi-offensive attack is heretical, but the fact that these "incorrect usages" still activate properly is exactly what makes Shangri-la Frontier the best.

"Alright, let's go! Hold on tight!"

"Yes, desu wa!!"

Author's Notes & Lore

The technique of using skills in "ways different from what was originally intended," like the protagonist did, is a reasonably major technique. Examples include "using an attack skill with a large range of motion for evasion" or "using healing magic on the undead to deal damage."

Translator's Remarks

"White Hare of Inaba": Sunraku's retort to Emul ("Are you the Inaba no Shirousagi?!") references a famous Japanese myth where a rabbit tricks sharks (or crocodiles/wani) into forming a bridge, only to get skinned alive by them just before reaching the shore.