Chapter 300: An Inherited Dream

Author's Preface
The Afterword got too long, so the 300-chapter commemorative lore dump corner will be in the next chapter.

When you don't know something, your best option is to just ask.

"Hey, what are they doing over there?"

"Uwa, a joke-equipment player."

Oi, my defense is higher than your pathetic-looking gear, you know. Then again, since I currently unequipped the Star Cloak of Lapistella because it's bulky and gets in the way, I probably just look like a newbie who sold off their starting gear and equipped a joke item on their head.

A new player—whose name is "Tango," I've memorized it now you bastard—shot me a look that practically screamed, "Starting the game half-naked just for some pocket change is just sad..." I've been beating the crap out of wolves and octopuses practically in this exact state, so don't underestimate me... No, leaving that aside, Tango, who appeared to be a mercenary wielding a greatsword, looked at me with a slightly creeped-out expression but still answered my question.

"That's... um? They're that joke group known as the 'I want to dress-up [Name]-chan' squad, right?"

"...Ahー, I think I've heard of them somewhere."

I feel like Pencilgon mentioned them a while ago. If I recall correctly, they're a group of perverts who get off on dressing up a little girl NPC in a bikini armor or something.
It's deplorable, but since it's a game, you're bound to run into that kind of crowd. I had completely brushed it off at the time, but so that's who they are... Weren't they originally a clan formed after the Bounty Hunter system was implemented? And wasn't their core membership made up of former PKers?

"If I remember correctly, they intentionally cause PK incidents inside towns specifically to summon Bounty Hunters, right...?"

"What, you knew about it?"

"Whether I remember it or not is a completely different issue. It's like a history test."

"Don't bring up studying inside a game..."

Ah, I see. This guy is the "Immersion Type." He plays the game not just as a game, but acts as if he's truly a resident of another world. Naturally, there's absolutely no reason to deny that playstyle, but from his perspective, a half-naked guy wearing a mask probably just looks like someone messing around.

"Hahaha, if you worry about the little things, you'll go bald, young man. More importantly, look at them. They really are good at PvP."

I heard Bounty Hunters are NPCs with TAS-like performance. And these guys are intentionally summoning them. Naturally, they seem to be specialized in PvP; their equipment might be pathetic, but their movements are entirely those of hardcore addicts.

Even an unreliable weapon that looks barely any different from a wooden stick can truly shine as a weapon when wielded by a veteran.
The player using a simple one-handed sword and shield style dealt with the fierce onslaught of the spearmaster by parrying with his shield, accurately closing the distance, and landing blows. However, the spearmaster was fully aware that his own strengths completely clashed with his opponent's weaknesses, making it a battle over securing advantageous positioning rather than simply clashing weapons.

"Why aren't they using skills?"

"Because this is just a preliminary skirmish for them. They're probably saving them for the main event."

The distance favored the spearmaster. However, the fully-charged, lethal thrust he unleashed was caught by a rather reckless countermeasure—the sword-and-shield user took the attack head-on with his shield.
One side made a resolute decision to catch the blow; the other suffered the opening created by having their lethal strike blocked. The conclusion was inevitable: the blade of the one-handed sword sank deeply into the spearmaster's neck, and the match was decided alongside a flashy damage effect.

"Kuh... My dream of the naked apron, is..."

"Friend (Worthy Adversary), I actually think the naked apron would suit Lutia-san better."

"To me, whether it's Tias-chan or Lutia-san, it's a massive victory either way............ I'm entrusting my dream to you...!"

And with that, the spearmaster shattered, and the one-handed sword user's name turned red, branded with the mark of a PKer.
The "Karma Value" system implemented in ShanFro heavily penalizes PK acts committed inside a town.

"Oh, it's just a 1v1 spawn, we got lucky... Hey, here she comes!"

"Please don't be Tour, please don't be Tour, please don't be Tour......"

For some reason, the one-handed sword user started praying. I don't know who this Tour person is, but it landed right in front of the one-handed sword user as if it had fallen from the sky.
The sound of its landing was light. The slender hunter seemed to treat exposing bare skin as an absolute taboo; she was thoroughly covered in a thick long coat, had a hood pulled low over her eyes, and even hid her mouth with a muffler. Isn't that hot?
However, it seems... yes, to the members of the "Dress-Up Tias-chan Squad," the person who appeared was an entity worthy of absolute jubilation.

"Lu–........."

"Lutiaaaaaaaa!!"

"Hey, what was Gozmandragora holding!?"

"You idiot, we all agreed that Lutia-san deserves the maid outfit!"

"There's still time! Trade with me, hey!"

"Sorry guys, but I think it's perfectly fine to dress Lutia-san in a school swimsuit!!"

"You bastaaaaard!?"

Ahー............ Damn, they look like they're having fun. As long as the PK penalty is strictly a benefit for them, those guys are basically invincible...
That being said, since a PK penalty is still just a penalty for me, all I can do is watch. So let's see just how capable this Bounty Hunter really is.

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

Lutia, the Bounty Hunter who maintained absolute silence. What were those things in her hands? A Tonfa Edge, where the blunt section of a tonfa had been replaced with a blade? I suppose that's what you'd call it.
Is its weapon category Dual Swords? Or maybe it's slashing in terms of attributes, but blunt in terms of weapon type?
As she silently took her stance, there was absolutely no sign that she was struggling to handle an unknown weapon. Wielding the Tonfa Edges as if they were extensions of her own body, Lutia assaulted the one-handed sword user... Gozmandragora.

"Kuh...!"

"Oraa! Just hurry up and die!"

"Shut up! At least let me try to put up a fight!"

"I think a school swimsuit is a great choice for Lutia-san too!"

Un-equipped—meaning he had even less equipment than me—Gozmandragora swapped out his depleted shield and stood firm against Lutia's assault.
However, describing her performance as TAS-like didn't seem to be an exaggeration at all. With a single swing of the left and right Tonfa Edges, a quick spin of the tips turned them into piercing weapons. Conversely, slamming the pommel ends down turned them into blunt weapons.
There was absolutely zero mental hesitation. She constantly maintained the absolute optimal solution in her battle style, a style that could only be described as Sylvia Goldberg constantly switching types.

"I can sense the firm will of the management to absolutely eradicate PKers..."

"That weapon looks strong..."

Oh Tango, having a goal is a good thing. Motivation is important; it allows you to endure most of the trash-game elements until you achieve it.
Does the Mace class eventually branch into Tonfa, and then into Tonfa Edge? I mean, the clearly dual-sword-like Anti-Blade Sword was a branch from dual daggers, after all... Hmm, maybe I should ask Bilac.

"Kuh... She's strong after all... Gwaah!?"

"Screenshoooots!"

"Did the screenshot team get that beautiful leg shot just now!?"

"We've got a flawless three-camera setup!"

"As expected of a low-angler..."

"Someone really should point out that Gozmandragora just got violently sent flying."

Yeah, Gozmandragora-shi just got sent flying in a spectacular fashion... straight toward us.

"Woah."

"A kick!?"

"Uwah!"

This Lutia character is probably a female avatar, but it seems her appearance and actual STR are completely different things. Ignoring Tango-kun, who let out a yelp and completely froze up at the sudden event, I caught Gozmandragora-shi—who came flying at us with considerable speed—on the sole of my foot.

"Hey mister, is there a ring-out rule here or something?"

"Sorry, you saved m... Not!"

"Hm?"

Oh my. Looking up, I saw the Bounty Hunter descending from the sky, crossing her Tonfa Edges, aiming for the finishing blow.
Huh? Given the trajectory, if she drops down, swings those blades, and inertia kicks in... Yeah, Tango-kun and I are going to get caught in the crossfire.

"Hey, Mandragora."

"Ah, yeah, it's Gozmandragora, alright?"

"Does this game have any processing for self-defense?"

"Hah?"

I pulled out Aspiring Blades of the Hero (Duxram) and opted to intercept the "Death" falling from directly above.
The Tonfa Edges were in slashing mode, tips pointed forward. Following the laws of physics, I firmly planted both feet, met the heavy downward swing capable of inflicting a fatal wound head-on, and repelled it.

Hmm, that's heavy. Or rather, my HP got shaved a bit. I wonder if I could have endured it cleanly if my STR was a bit higher?

"Getting the audience caught up in an out-of-bounds brawl is bad manners. Go back to the ring and fight."

I was saved by the fact that her slash was an ideal, TAS-like strike; it made it much easier for me to catch.
Now then, looking purely at the situation, it seems I just protected a PKer, but it was legitimate self-defense, so I should be fine. Look, I even have Tango-kun right here as a witness to my protection.

.........Yeah.

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

"............Wait a minute, I haven't committed a single murder. I swear it."

The tips of the Tonfa Edges were pointed directly at me.

The players surrounding me backed away as if her stance was declaring 'Get ready,' and the large, circular empty space formed by the crowd essentially created a brand-new ring.

"No, seriously, why am I being targeted..."

"Hey, you..."

"Hm?"

That's right, Gozmandragora-shi. You have the crucial mission of putting Lutia in a school swimsuit, so hurry up and get back on your feet... Wait, an item transfer request?

"I don't really understand, but... please, make our dream come true...!"

• Isolating Blade's Water-Repellent Swimwear (School Swimsuit)
  Crafted by Gonbutorion. A torso equipment with high waterproofing performance.
  Creator's Comment: I successfully implemented a feature that displays the equipped player's name in hiragana on the name tag! Please, make our dream come true...! By Gonbutorion

To experience a baton pass as utterly cursed as this... it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Author's Afterword

• Hidden Job "???" Acquisition Conditions
  Condition 1: Hidden parameter "Veteran Status" must be above a certain threshold (Basically the human version of the Vorpal Soul parameter).
  Condition 2: Must be "Unaffiliated" without any organizational ties.
  Condition 3: Must achieve a specific level of results in combat against the NPC job "Bounty Hunter."
  Condition 4: Karma Value must be 10 or below (By the way, field PK adds +50 Karma, town PK adds +100 Karma).

Incidentally, Condition 2 can be achieved retroactively. Normally, to leave a guild, you have to join another guild and change your main job. This means that while changing your main job is easy, becoming retroactively "Jobless" is actually quite difficult.

However, there is a way to become Unaffiliated while maintaining your current job.
If you go to your affiliated Guild in each town and punch the Guild Master NPC, you will be expelled for bad behavior. However, this accumulates a significant amount of Karma. By spamming confessions at the church afterward, you can become jobless while keeping your current job.
If your Karma Value is 100 or higher, the church will turn you away at the door, meaning habitual PKers cannot use confessions to reduce their sins. Basically, PKers don't go to the confession booth; they go straight to the slammer.

In short, it's the start of an underworld life beginning with Re:structuring...!

Furthermore, the "Tour" that Gozmandragora was so desperate to avoid is the result of a summoning accident: a gritty, heavily muscled, middle-aged man Bounty Hunter who got forced into wearing a maid outfit. Since he's a VIT monster, his physical durability is so absurd that even light warriors struggle to deal chip damage to him.