Chapter 49: The Resplendent Sea of Trees

"Fumyaa, that was a super strong-looking Pioneer, desu wa."

"No doubt... She's probably four or five times stronger than me."

"But Sunraku-san wouldn't lose in terms of Vorpal Soul, desu wa!"

"Well, thanks for that."

It's not that I'm bad at talking to people, but it felt like the genre suddenly switched from Hack & Slash to a Simulation Game right in the middle of gameplay, so I'm oddly exhausted.

"Well, whatever. Let's just treat it as having met a 'Lycaon who is relatively easy to talk to' and switch gears."

Negotiating with players is interesting, but right now I'm in the mood to Hack & Slash in a fantasy setting. I'm going to enjoy the area ahead with everything I've got and clear it down to the tips of the roots. With that mindset, the tension from Thirdrema vanished, and Emul and I arrived at the Prismatic Forest Cave surprisingly peacefully.

"I used up all my money on leaving Thirdrema and various compensations, so I need to balance exploration with earning money."

My possession money is a shocking 100 Mani. I'm so broke I can barely afford medicinal herbs, so fundraising is an urgent task. Gathering tasks become instantly tedious if you treat them as "work," but if you view them as part of exploration, they quickly turn into a fun adventure. I guess I'll take it easy. If my inventory gets too bulky, it affects my AGI, so I have to think about that balance too.

When I exited the tunnel, it was a fantasy world. I've had that experience countless times. Sometimes when I exited a tunnel, a rifle bullet grazed the tip of my nose. Ah, the worst one was when a meteorite cut right in front of my eyes as I exited a tunnel. Even though the meteorite crossed in front of me like I was watching a train pass from behind the yellow line—and thanks to hitboxes, I was unscathed—I couldn't help but smile bitterly... only for a flying knee kick from a player flying behind the meteorite to hit me in the head and send me to respawn. Good memories.

"Wow, it's bright even though we are inside a cave, desu wa!"

"Glowing moss... that type, huh."

True to the name "Prismatic" (Thousand Purples, Ten Thousand Crimsons), it was a carpet of flowers where various blooms scattered vivid petals and the scent of nectar. And despite being inside a cave, it was a sea of trees—a Jukai—woven by trees and plants too deep to simply call a forest. Illuminating this fantastical scene, impossible in reality, was glowing moss growing thickly on the walls and ceiling. I've heard that real luminous moss reflects sunlight, but this is completely generating its own light... Depending on the world setting, there are games where an artificial sun floats in the sky, so considering the possibility of utilizing that, checking these things is important.

"Now then, what should we start with... Oh."

Straining my eyes, I immediately discovered a monster. It was a sphere... with giant butterfly wings? No, that's not it. Looking closely, attached to a torso the size of a basketball filled with golden liquid was a head the size of a ping-pong ball, which looked far too small in comparison.

"I see... shaking your belly in such a suggestive way..."

It really makes you feel thirsty (in the sense of aiming for drop items), yeah. I took out the Marsh Daggers and dashed out at once. The butterfly—let's call it a Balloon Butterfly for convenience—seemed to notice me. Despite storing a massive amount of what was likely flower nectar in its belly, it tried to fly away with nimble movements... but it was too slow. As I passed by, I flashed a slash at its wings. The moment the Balloon Butterfly lost its balance and created an unnatural opening in the air, I thrust into its head. Without dealing any damage to the belly, I slammed critical hits into the wings and head. The Balloon Butterfly burst apart along with polygons, and as expected, I caught the nectar balloon falling from within the polygons before it hit the ground.

"Well, I figured this would definitely be a rare drop."

"Wah, I want to touch it too, desu wa!"

It feels like... a water balloon, but slightly thicker? Restraining Emul, who was squishing the item that looked like it would burst if mishandled, I put it in my inventory and checked the item description.

Storage Papillon's Honey Sac An abdominal sac storing nectar collected by a Storage Papillon. It is sensitive to impact, making it extremely difficult to obtain while filled with nectar. Correct whether enjoyed by eating or by throwing.

"Throwing...?"

No, I certainly felt the sensation of wanting to kick it with full force. Well, whatever. I'll probably collect three or four of these items anyway, so maybe I'll try throwing one then.

"Alright, let's go to the next one."

Butterflies aren't the only ones who collect flower nectar. And when designing monsters with real creatures as motifs, there is one guy more major than a butterfly.

"As I thought, they're here. Bee-type monsters."

"Awawa, it's an Empire Bee Worker Bee, desu wa...!"

Hmm, so "Empire Bee: Worker"? A bug-type monster the size of a basketball with that indescribable texture specific to insects... for some people, this area might be hell. Looking like a honeybee simply scaled up, it was diligently collecting nectar from flowers with its large body, just like the Storage Papillon earlier. No, not just nectar, but pollen too?

"Right... In my estimation, the stinger is a rare drop."

That said, let's hunt one and see what drops. Just like before, I dashed out, slashed, thrust... and in that instant.

Bashu! Something was ejected into the sky from the Empire Bee Worker's body. It burst in the air like a firework, scattering as golden powder. The true identity of that is probably pollen... no, that's not the important part. I've seen this kind of visual somewhere before... Specifically, like a flare used for a distress signal (Help Call) in military-style games...

"Kyaaaah! It's a swarm of Hunter Bees! Desu waaaa!!"

Isn't forcing that sentence ending a bit much?

"Compared to the Workers, they're aggressive... or rather, frankly speaking, they're hornets."

I see. The motif changes to a different species of bee depending on the role. Amidst the refrain of buzzing wings, multiple Empire Bees directed strong hostility toward Emul and me... The Hunters, presumably, clicked their mandibles with villainous faces resembling hornets.

"Count is five... No, if they call reinforcements just like the Worker, there's a possibility they'll increase geometrically in the worst case..."

"Sunraku-san!? I will assist you too! Or rather, I will defend myself, desu wa!"

"Right. Emul, you just handle the ones that come at you. And one more instruction."

"Y-Yes!"

"Just gather items at random."

Zuko—! Emul nearly tripped, but if I rely on Emul even for trash mob battles... Bring on the numbers. I've been trained by the Majority Hounds. They aren't as high-quality as the Majority Hounds, but they swarm me with movements far superior to the doggos who lost their Commander... Six on me, two on Emul.

"Sha!"

I deflected Bee Hunter 1, who came simply from the front to sting with its butt, using a Parry—not a skill, but my own technique. Then, I stomped on the head of Bee Hunter 2, who tried to bite me from a low trajectory. Bee Hunters 3 and 4 were far away, so I ignored them. Against the biting attack of Bee Hunter 5, who attacked in sync behind Bee Hunter 1, I activated [Accel] to boost my speed and thrust my dagger out to intercept. Even if I start later, if I hit first, it is a counter. My dagger, boosted by the skill, wedged into the tip of Bee Hunter 5's jaw and into its oral cavity. I further activated [Spiral Edge], ravaging the inside of its mouth before pulling the dagger out.

"If you're going to launch a surprise attack, you should have silenced that buzzing (vibration). Too loud."

I wouldn't go so far as to call it Echolocation, but if I saw Bee Hunter 6 fly up, I could prepare in advance, and I can grasp the general position by sound. [Loop Slash] activated. A skill that continuously unleashes slashes while rotating the whole body as long as stamina lasts. I put a twist in my hips, bending the originally horizontal rotational combo into a vertical one. The first hit struck Bee Hunter 6's right wing, and the second hit severed the crushed wing. Adjusting the blade angle with my wrist, the third, fourth, and fifth hits slammed three criticals into Bee Hunter 6's abdomen.

"Fu!"

This skill is excellent in that I can interrupt it voluntarily. Bathing in the polygons of the exploded Bee Hunter 6, I recovered my stamina. In those few seconds, I confirmed the positions of the remaining ones. 1 is behind. 2 is in front, recovering from the flinch. 3 and 4 are focused on Emul; Emul, who surpasses me in level and firepower, easily draws hate. But they are monsters with a "Call for Help" command; their aggregate hate judgment is likely based on quantity, not quality. Now, about time for 5...

"Yoisho-tto."

Four or five thrusts later, Bee Hunter 5 exploded into polygons. Light walking or stepping doesn't consume stamina. Bee Hunters 1 and 2 had relatively straightforward attack movements, so I parried them lightly to recover stamina... Yeah, the effect of [Accel] is still active.

"Okay, policy decided!"

First target is Bee Hunter 2. While it was in its turning motion, I closed in and unleashed a combo, letting the STR and AGI boosted by [Accel] do the talking. I don't know the recommended level for this area, but if it's 30, it seems I can fight reasonably well. Running through the scattering polygons, I activated [Rush Slash] on Bee Hunter 1. Unlike the rotational Loop Slash, I showered it with orthodox continuous slashes, and with a finishing kick, Bee Hunter 1 also turned into polygons.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The duration of [Accel] ended, but the remaining time was enough to close the distance. It seems the hate of Bee Hunters 3 and 4 finally shifted to me, who had defeated four Bee Hunters. Two simultaneous attacks aimed at me, but if you seriously intend to land a hit on me, feints and delays are mandatory, you know? If it's a linear attack... well, I'd get hit by gunfire. But if the conditions are right, I can dodge even a pistol... [Slide Move]. I used this skill, which allows for momentary sliding evasion, to follow the two Bee Hunters I had just dodged with my own steps. Closing the distance gained by Slide Move, I took two backsteps, twisted my hips, and slashed upward from below...!

"Hah-haaaah! Bingo!!"

I'm sharp! I'm on fire! Based on the Bee Hunters' movements, which I had completely seen through, I aimed my twin upward slashes at roughly this spot, and they magnificently hit the Bee Hunter... which one is this? Probably 4? Anyway, it hit the Bee Hunter's abdomen. Mu, based on this sensation, I didn't get a critical? As expected, landing a critical hit with an attack swung on intuition is difficult.

"Recast complete!"

With three attacks, Bee Hunter 4 scattered as polygons. Aiming for that instant, Bee Hunter 3 launched its final attack at me, attempting a bite while clacking its jaws loudly.

"Where is the hitbox on this thing... Tto."

The question was on my lips, the proof was on my sword. Feeling a little pity for Bee Hunter 3, who couldn't inflict a single scratch on me even with its final attack due to [Repel Counter], I decided that if I got hit, I might die, so I'll let the player do what players do and hunt mobs. The Marsh Daggers clad in a spiral effect, the piercing and twisting bee, and then Bee Hunter 3 shattered into polygons.

"Phew, I'm tired, desu wa."

"You're mimicking me again, desu wa!"

That wasn't on purpose... No, have I been infected by the Emul-suffix unconsciously...!? While thinking about such silly things, Emul and I diligently picked up the drop items that had fallen on the ground.