Chapter 318: A Primary Industry Worker Challenges the Unknown

Author's Preface
To think I'd end up recycling the title of a work I shelved a loooooong time ago as a subtitle... Even with these eyes of Rihaku, I could not foresee this... [*1]

While desperately trying to keep my body from being blown away and my heart from shattering amidst the raging storm, I clutched a Watering Can in one hand and screamed.
The act of screaming itself held absolutely no systemic meaning. But even so, if I didn't scream, I felt like my heart—which was already teetering on the edge of a cliff—would completely shatter............

"Goddaaaammit! Like hell I'll let you take my precious children away from meee!!"

Aaaaaaaah! Another greenhouse just got blown awaaaaay!!
Dammit, but if you think my children will yield to something like this... Gyaaaaah! It's taking the radishes along with the soil!?

Piercing through the veil of violently lashing raindrops, I manipulated the window while vigorously swinging the watering can in my right hand. Energy Water mixed with fertilizer scattered across the field, keeping the quality of my crops in the "Premium" state.
Without a moment's delay, I used the system window to designate an area, deployed the highest-grade greenhouse regardless of the cost, and then yanked out the Long Staff (Rod) planted near the field, taking up a combat stance.

"I could understand if it was some other mid-sized Calamity Beast, but an apex-tier bastard like you using a surprise attack is just straight-up cowardly...!"

Directing my gaze forward, I looked up, and up, and up until my back bent backwards just to see its Head, and without any intention of hiding it, I clicked my tongue and spat.
Its appearance was that of a colossal giraffe whose head nearly reached the clouds. However, its true identity was the strongest and worst Calamity Beast (Saijuu) in this entire game: "Zepyura Gira"—a beast that constantly generated a calamitous storm centered around itself, blowing everything away without question or reason...!
Because it's an apex-tier Calamity Beast, it didn't even bother directing any hostility toward me, who was essentially the size of a pea from its perspective.

However, just by it passing through, my children—the radishes and eggplants I had raised with such tender care—would be completely ruined.
I can tolerate a minor loss. But if I let my guard down even for a second, it wouldn't just be the crops; it would take the very soil of the field with it, just like before───!!

"Uooooh! Stop looking at the damn sky and notice me down here! 【Ignis Sizan Full Blasten】!!"

That World (Game) has its own Providence (System). The highest-tier fire attribute magic in this world took the form of a Flame Demon God and soared toward the colossal divine giraffe... Perhaps the timing was off, but the Demon God—which should have been capable of one-shotting a group of lower-tier Calamity Beasts—was swallowed by the raging storm and vanished like a mosquito... Ah, how heartless.

No matter how much a fly trains itself, it can never knock out an elephant... This is a game that teaches you that very truth. That is Thrilling Farm... Wait, please forgive me! I left the seed rice for next season sitting right there! You've gotta be kidding me, the durability of the alloy shed is actively dropping!? Ahー, please stop! Tomorrow's seed rice is more important than today's meal, damn iiiiiiiit!?

............

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......

Waking up with a mukuri in the real world, I muttered a single sentence filled with profound emotion.

"I am truly grateful to farmers..."

Although I lost about 50% of the entire field to the storm, I successfully managed to harvest Crops (Scores) of the absolute highest quality. Well, considering I hadn't played in a while, I'd say I did pretty well.
I mean, obviously it's not as extreme as a video game, but you really shouldn't forget to appreciate real-life production workers. Setting that aside, I'm definitely gonna beat the crap out of that giraffe bastard someday.

"...Let's just eat breakfast for now."

Cup noodles are the best! And if I down an energy drink, I'll be completely invincible! Uhahahaha!!

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"Alright."

The time is 6:00 AM... The pioneer ship arrives at the New Continent at 9:00 AM, so... Nah, I should probably go show my face to my employer just in case.

And with that, I logged in, woke up Emul—who was sleeping with a supyo supyo—placed her on my head, and immediately transformed into Sunra-ko-chan right after waking up before heading over to the Saint.

"You occasionally disappeared from the ship, so I was entirely convinced you had already departed..."

"No, no. I wouldn't do something so discourteous."

So she had somewhat kept track of my movements... Her setting as a strong character is way too intense. Hey Josette, are you sure about this? One wrong move and we might end up fighting the Raid Boss "Iristella."
Staring with half-lidded eyes at Josette—who was maintaining a composed expression while practically radiating an aura of, "Haaaa, the just-woken-up Saint is too cute..."—I waited for the Saint's next move.

"───Josette. Hand That to Him."

"............Hah."

Although she paused for a split second as if something had caught her attention, Josette, adhering strictly to her roleplay, handed an item over to me.
Wait, I've seen this somewhere... Ah, right. The shape is slightly different, but it looks very similar to a screenshot item... No, wait, a video recording item.

"The rescue of His Majesty the King and Her Royal Highness the First Princess, who are being targeted for assassination on this New Continent... I know this is an unreasonable request, but would you allow me to add one more completion condition to this task?"

"Let us hear it. We can discuss it after."

According to her, simply saving them wouldn't be enough. The First Prince would just say, "Well, thanks for that. Now hand over my father and sister," meaning the assassination ending wouldn't be fully averted.
Therefore, it was necessary to secure a definitive statement from the "Third Knight Order"—which she declared with peculiar clarity would be acting as the executioners on this New Continent—and then have the Church step in to protect the King and Princess.

"...In other words, you want me to endure the situation until I capture a definitive, damning statement, and Then save His Majesty?"

"...Yes."

Hmm... Since this game progresses in real-time, there's always a specific Timing for things. But at the same time, Unique Scenarios and Quests also function within a certain Framework.
Since the completion condition within the quest itself has been altered, doesn't that mean it's theoretically possible to pull it off?
Even the absolute embodiments of unreasonableness like Wethermon, Lycaon, and Ctarrnid had some kind of clue for their strategies... Can I do it?
Alright, then let's go with some roleplay of my own here.

"...Understood. That wish, this sword of vengeance has certainly heard it. We, the swords, shall obey the will of our wielder."

"Fufu, a new blade that has joined the wandering swords... I shall believe in you."

Yeah, I can completely understand why the hardcore simps would form a clan over this.

Regardless of that, the shape of the New Continent was finally starting to come clearly into view.
And when the form of the Torvante Discoverie—the pioneer ship that had set sail as the first group—also came into sight, it was inevitable that everyone and anyone would want to look outside from the decks or windows.
Blending in with the massive swarm of players popping their heads out, I too gazed at the full view of the New Continent.

"Sunra-ko-san, are you going to go save the King and Princess right away, desu wa?"

"Hmm, well, according to the Saint's Prophecy, 'Since doing it in public would be bad, they'll make their move deep within the New Continent.' Plus, considering the frontline base is apparently in a state of chaos right now, the actual assassination attempt probably won't happen for a little while longer."

His Majesty the King and Her Royal Highness the First Princess. As NPCs, they are in the absolute highest tier. In fiction, it's common for powerful figures to wander around the castle town incognito, but if they tried moving around in a place like this, they'd definitely leave a trail.
If they're planning to assassinate them deep within the continent, they must have made some kind of preparations and fabricated a reason to get them there. If I just gather information around that area............ Crap, if I do that, I'll just end up standing out in a bad way.

"Is this a softlock?"

No, not yet. Don't I have a highly reassuring senior right here!?

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"───And that's why, could you please lend me your assistance, Ero-Ra... Lutia-paisen."

"...Did you just try to call me by an incredibly dishonorable name just now?"

"Of course not! Perish the thought!"

Kuh, this erotic radish is sharp.
The pioneer ship was right on the verge of landing on the New Continent. While everyone else's hearts danced at the sight of the new horizon, I was visiting the "Serpent's Apple," which had quietly opened for business at the bottom of the ship. Master, one apple juice, please.

"...Well, I don't mind. You seem to be doing quite well as that girl's junior, and we ourselves have a few issues with the current King's policies."

"Yes, Loli Sensei has been taking very good care of me."

Sitting across from the Bounty Hunter Lutia—who had taken a seat without removing her hood or muffler, apparently still "on the clock"—I internally curled up the corners of my mouth at obtaining the desired answer.

"Setting that aside... are you actually a woman?"

"No, my base frame is that of a man, ohoho."

"Ah, so you have those kinds of hobbies..."

How rude. If you factor in games with fixed characters where playing as a female character is simply an option, there isn't a single gamer in existence who hasn't experienced playing as a nekama. All of humanity are nekamas. Reconcile with the nekamas.

That being said, I've successfully secured an NPC information source. Now all I have to do is wait for the right opportunity to brilliantly rescue the King and the First Princess and clear the quest.
Brushing aside the window blocking my vision, I couldn't help but let out a smile.

Author's Afterword

• Calamity Beast "Zepyura Gira"
  A super-massive Calamity Beast appearing in Thrilling Farm. Although it possesses a powerful heart necessary to maintain its non-standard, colossal body, its output is far too high. If left alone, its body temperature would continuously rise until it self-destructed. Therefore, it lowers its physical stamina by consciously generating a storm around itself. Its appearance is that of a giraffe boasting the size of a skyscraper, and it has achieved the double crown of "Enemies that Hazardous-Farming Players want to snap the neck of."

• Calamity Beast "Vulcanu Phant"
  A super-massive Calamity Beast appearing in Thrilling Farm. Unlike Zepyura Gira, it expends almost all of its energy just to move its massive body. As a result, despite being a warm-blooded animal, it suffers from the fatal flaw of being unable to maintain a survivable body temperature on its own. Because of this, it inhales clouds and sprays bodily fluids from its trunk into the air, creating a lens that amplifies sunlight several times over. This activates the symbiotic plants on its back, securing both energy and temperature. Naturally, any area it passes through is plunged into a severe drought, causing catastrophic damage. Its appearance isn't quite as bad as the damn giraffe, but as a massive elephant, it has achieved the double crown of "Enemies that Hazardous-Farming Players want to tie the trunk of into a knot."

• Calamity Beast "Legio Dachshund"
  A mid-sized Calamity Beast appearing in Thrilling Farm. Unlike other Calamity Beasts that ruin the farm simply by existing, this one actively and thoroughly attempts to kill the player. Its claws can dig through the walls of a nuclear fallout shelter, and it uses its superior sense of smell to track you down no matter where you are. If you don't carefully plan your escape route, it will literally run straight through your farm just to chase you down, making it a completely different kind of annoyance compared to the super-massive Calamity Beasts. Its appearance is an incredibly vicious Dachshund the size of a limousine. Since players can actually kill mid-sized Calamity Beasts, it is heavily despised, but also frequently killed in return.

Is it just me, or is thinking up new lore for settings I shelved a long time ago as a change of pace way too fun...?

Translator's Note

• [1] Fist of the North Star