Chapter 38: The Situation Fruition

Initial plan: Take out the one who seemed easiest to deal with... the player wielding a greatsword among the PKs who were clearly looking down on me as a low-level and sandbagging. No matter how you look at it, a greatsword has a low number of moves per second, meaning I could minimize the actions needed to dodge attacks. Plus, their equipment, which practically screamed "Physical Specialization," made the worry of surprise magic attacks seem low. Well, the biggest reason was that he looked like the one underestimating me the most. Anyway, my initial plan was to seize the initiative, catch them off guard, slip past, and escape... Why do I keep explaining it in the past tense, emphasizing "was"? The reason is simple.

Because right now, that greatsword user has been blown backward past the gate, body bent like a prawn in the shape of a "<", scattering polygons like a comet's tail. Or rather, an obviously dangerous shockwave just passed right next to me. If I had been just a little more to the right, I would have been blown away too.

"What!?"

"One hit!?"

"Who did that!"

Beyond the gate, right in the middle of the main street, the greatsword PK exploded into particles. One glance at the reactions of the PKs, whose petty villain vibes were maxed out, was enough to tell that this was an unexpected situation. In such confusion, they wouldn't be able to launch a calm attack. That is why, without even looking at the obvious spectacle, I turned around and looked directly at the player standing in a pose that suggested they had just swung a sword.

(Looks like a high-level player. Name isn't red, so not with Pencilgon...?)

To begin with, there is no such thing as an absolute ally for a player like me in this place. They say "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," but the most appropriate phrase for the current situation is "enemies have started cannibalizing each other." Holding a Unique Scenario, I possess neither the backing to prevent interference nor the level to defend myself. The fact that the Unique is a talking rabbit—something likely sought after by many for reasons other than strength—only spurs this on. Animalia is a good example; the possibility of being targeted by animal-loving players is extremely high. No, more importantly, I need to gather as much information as possible about that player.

One-shotting a Player Killer... and a physical build greatsword user at that, causing total HP loss... almost certainly a frontline-class player. A complete vanguard specialist incomparable to Animalia or Pencilgon. Judging by how the PK flew and the damage calculation, I assume they are the type that boosts single-hit power...

"Equipment... Greatsword, Shield, Full Plate Armor..."

Damn, having a variety of equipment makes it troublesome because I can't tell at a glance if they use magic or not. I should assume they do. Clank, clank. Ignoring Pencilgon and the others entirely, the Armored Knight approached one step at a time. Now, how to handle this situation? I came up with three impromptu plans.

One: Break through the front. Even if the Armored Knight comes from behind, pray they are a muscle-brain and hopefully score an Assassin Kill.

Two: Run back. Fight the high-level vanguard player, or return the way I came. Though there are three players who seem to have reached the level cap back there!

Three: Withdraw. Like hell I can win. Forced logout or whatever... no,

"Plan 4 it is."

Without hesitation, I charged full speed toward the gate. Why are strong guys always surprised when an inferior opponent charges in without hesitation? Have they never experienced a beginner's C4 charge? At least that dog wouldn't be surprised. Without slowing down at all, and moreover, without even readying a weapon, I closed in on the PKs. If I had to say, Equipment: Emul?

".........!"

Three. The Armored Knight started running in a panic.

"Kyaaaaaahhhh! I'm gonna die, gonna die, gonna die, desu wa!!"

Two. Strength flowed into the hand gripping the Armored Knight's greatsword, and the PKs finally began to enter combat stances.

One. So—

"What's that?"

"!?"

"Nya!?"

Full speed run feint into full stop, full look-away... Like passengers in a car that suddenly stops being thrown forward by inertia, or like a third party suddenly opening the pause menu in the middle of a rhythm game. In terms of time, a "blank" of a few seconds is born. From the side, it's a classic and cliché tactic, but in a game where everyone is immersed in their roles (Roleplay) and anything can happen, such methods work laughably well.

"Emul, ready the Gate."

"Y-Yesh!?"

From a standstill to full sprint in the opposite direction again... The few seconds it took for everyone present to shift their recognition back to me. Rapid acceleration and deceleration in a short time that would be absolutely impossible with a real body, possible only because of digitized stamina. I took one step and closed in on the Armored Knight who had come right behind me. On the second and third steps, I "ran up" the sword. And the fourth step was...

".........Wai—Fugyu!"

"Sorry about that."

Big avatars make for good footholds at times like this. Running up the slope of the sword forcibly created by the heavy-weight greatsword and the STR supporting it, I used the Armored Knight's shoulder as a stepping stone. As a result of the reversed positional relationship, I jumped over the PKs behind me in one breath. I put a little too much spirit into the jump and almost lost my balance, but I added a rotation in mid-air and landed.

"Hah-haa! Acrobatics pulled off without system assist feel irresistible!"

"W-Wait, it's shaking so much I can't concentrate, desu wa!"

At times like this, tall and lanky avatars are useful. Because I can reproduce the movements of tall track and field athletes seen on TV without physical limitations.

"Oh, I got permission earlier, so I can enter, right! Sorry, but I won't wait for an answer!"

"Eh, ah!"

Leaving those words to the gatekeeper old man, I finally took a step beyond the gate.

"Psyger-0, huh... I'll remember at least the name."

I chanted the player name I saw for a fleeting moment to recall it, keeping it in my memory. As long as high-level players are targeting the Unique I hold, it won't hurt to remember the names and styles of players who stand in my way. Honestly, I can't remember the PKs other than Pencilgon, though. Without looking back, I dashed into Thirdrema.

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

Just silence. Was it because the Ace of the top clan "Black Wolf" (Wolf Schwarz), whose name thunders across the front lines, was used as a stepping stone and even made a fool of? The answer is no.

(H-He spoke to me...!)

Inside, Rei Saiga (Psyger-0) felt as if she had been spoken to by an admired Hollywood star. However, her face trying to suppress a grin and her body trembling with joy, when combined with the full plate armor and the biased view of a stranger, looked only like she was trembling with rage. While a considerable number of onlookers distanced themselves from Psyger-0, some approached to surround her.

"H-Hey... are you seriously gonna do it? The opponent is the 'Attack Holder'..."

"Are you scared? 'Highest Firepower' or whatever, after all, relies on buffs and debuff support. If we kill him here, we can even reach the single digits in the ranking, you know?"

"If he enters the city, there's nothing we can do. We can't beat the Bounty Hunters. Plus, if push comes to shove, we have Pencilgon-san..."

Due to an update, a special NPC called a "Bounty Hunter" appears under the condition of "PK-ing inside the city." With CPU violence that could be called Demon AI and inexhaustible stamina, these NPCs chase PKs to the ends of the area and kill them mercilessly. Furthermore, they have a special ability to "use the killed player's equipment as their own." When the former Rank 8, Rank 10, and Rank 3 of the "Ashura-kai" clan were PK-killed (PKKed), and it became clear that multiple Bounty Hunters existed, the effect was so potent that almost all PKs, regardless of whether they were in Ashura-kai or not, were forced to refrain from combat inside the city.

The players of the PK clan "Ashura-kai," who had come to observe such morals within the city, were discussing their counting of chickens before they hatched, relying on their insurance (Pencilgon) for emergencies. They had not yet realized the fact that, at that exact timing, Pencilgon had been hit by Animalia's "take-you-with-me" self-destruct spell, suffered instant death, and turned into polygons.

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

To a third party, it might seem like a silly joy, but for Psyger-0 herself, she was rejoicing at progress akin to an astronaut's first step on the moon. However, upon thinking it over carefully, she realized the fact: If not for the PKs (them), wouldn't I have been able to talk to him more certainly without him running away? Unlike with Sunraku, the greatsword was lifted with clear, conscious intent.

"...Um, how should I say this... It's venting anger... desu, no... it is."

A death sentence delivered with obviously forced roleplay. A few seconds later, unable to receive help from Ashura-kai's No. 2, the Player Killers would come to know the meaning of the title "Attack Holder."

Author's Notes & Lore:

Bounty Hunters: Added in a major update before the story began. They are special profession NPCs that pop the moment a PK occurs in town. Similar to the hunters in a certain nightmare-hunting enlightenment game, they silently come to kill PKs, which is quite horrific. However, with about a 5% probability, a Russian blonde loli Bounty Hunter named "Tias-chan" pops, so some players intentionally engage in collusive town PKs to get PKed. By the way, Tias-chan's current equipment is a bikini armor. This is because when the former Rank 3 of Ashura-kai encountered her by chance, he had surrounding players buy time while he organized his inventory to ensure that "when he got PKKed, Tias-chan would definitely obtain the bikini armor," effectively making her wear it. It is now manners to equip full nudity (unequip everything) when fighting Tias-chan to prevent overwriting her equipment via the Bounty Hunter's "Seize" feature.

Incidentally, the AI of the Bounty Hunters is based on "3S". That is:

• • Shimasu (We will do it.)
  • Sasemasu (We will make you do it.)
  • Sasemasen (We will not let you do it.)

Translator's Remarks:

Certain nightmare-hunting enlightenment game: A reference to Bloodborne.