Chapter 62: Dedicated to a Moment Part 9.5

"Hmm, I only logged in just recently, but it feels like I haven't been here in years."

Current me is not the shirtless bird-masked Sunraku, but the fighter who has mastered the Iai-Fist Style—unlockable via a hidden route in story mode—Berserker Sunraku. In other words, I was standing at the login point of Berserk Online Passion... also known as "Benpi" (Constipation). Naturally, ModoruKatzo's avatar isn't here. That guy is fishing again today to finish up his leveling. Well, since Pencilgon is apparently doing it with him, it shouldn't take too long, and I doubt he'd go out of his way to come to Benpi regardless.

"Is there anyone who looks like they can fight...?"

The reason I logged into Benpi was to find a sparring partner for Wethermon the Tombguard. According to the information Pencilgon gathered, Wethermon is equipped with a parade of super-speed frame attacks, instant death moves, and AOE attacks by design. In that case, the story mode of this game, where the startup frames of all attacks are broken speed-wise due to bugs, would serve as good practice. Fortunately, this game allows you to fight the Last Boss in an NPC battle via multiplayer mode, so I decided to stroll through the deserted (shitty) game that is Benpi today.

The Last Boss of Berserk Online Passion's story mode is "Crisis"... Um, what was his deal again? Something cliché like obtaining ultimate power to manage the world as the pinnacle of humanity, leading to massive body modification and doping. Even if I'm going to fight him, I want to warm up first. I'm looking for an opponent for that purpose, but I can't seem to find one. Well, even if it is summer vacation season, it's still Wednesday morning. If the working adults aren't online, I guess this is to be expected... Oh, there's a player with a "Looking for Match" icon!

"Ah, excuse me?"

"Y-Yes!"

When I spoke from behind, the player turned around with a high-pitched voice. The voice sounds younger than I expected. Is it like Katzo where that's their natural voice, or is it truly a young player? I checked the Player Name: "Dragonfly"... It's a name I haven't seen before. At least, I didn't see it back when I was grinding this game seriously.

"Umm, are you okay with a match?"

"Yes! I am still a novice who cannot even defeat the Last Boss yet! But it would be helpful if you could train me!"

Amazing. This is a "New Player" even more cliché than this game's Last Boss. They seem rarer than some endangered animal species. From the looks of it... Yeah, a basic All-Rounder type. It's the combat style you can choose at the start, and also the type with the most bug variations. Though, unless you have player skill on the level of Katzo, it's difficult to fully utilize the bug derivations.

"Umm, bugs enabled? Or disabled?"

"Bugs...? Ah, the Bug Tudo (Bug Arts) the seniors were talking about! Yes, please use them!"

Bug Tudo... Ah, Bug-toood. For a second, I thought a new combo had been discovered. Still, the fact that they are on this server means they bought the packaged version, and the mention of "seniors" suggests they've received some bug instruction from other players. The match was established, and a field formed around Dragonfly and me.

"Well, anyway, let's have a good game."

"Let's have a good game!"

And the gong signaling the start of Round 1 rang... "ALRIIIIIIIGHT!!"

"Whoa!"

A rushdown!? Usually, you'd use a high-agility Speedster type for that, not an All-Rounder... Ah, right. Beginners don't know the theory.

"Twist the fist... pull back and strike!"

Dragonfly wound up a fist, then pulled it back even further, causing Dragonfly's right arm to stretch out. Because the fist texture was fixed at the coordinate where it was wound up, the arm stretched like rubber being forcibly pulled... It was a completely texture-collapsed, inhuman bug specific to Benpi.

"Hmph, a 'Pile Bunker,' huh?"

The "Pile Bunker" is a bug technique where, if you perform a punch preparation motion and then pull the fist back to perform a second stage preparation motion, for some reason the punch hitbox hits twice and deals double damage. It's a bug for beginners... No, saying that makes no sense, but essentially, among the inhuman bug games, it's a bug technique that is relatively easy to trigger.

"Toaaah!"

As if releasing a stretched rubber band, the extended texture of Dragonfly's fist retracted, sending the punch flying towards me. My combat style in this game is the "Iai-Fist Style," a counter style that nullifies attacks by deflecting them right before impact. I could parry this, but here, let me demonstrate one of the bugs discovered by the players of Benpi at the end of their grinding and research.

"From a stationary state, jump in an arbitrary direction with the right leg, but keep the left leg planted on the spot...!"

"Huh!?"

Dragonfly's eyes widened as the straightforward punch whiffed. It must have been more shocking than just being dodged. After all, right now, I have slid backward about five meters while leaving only my left ankle and foot behind in the original spot.

"This is a bug technique called the 'Yo-Yo.' It lets you displace the avatar's texture along with its hitbox for three seconds."

"Y-Your leg is stretching..."

Apparently, the planted judgment of the left leg and the jump judgment bug out. Even aside from the Yo-Yo, doing contradictory movements like this with left/right or up/down inputs causes bugs about 80% of the time. There are others, like "Shield Bash," where moving forward while guarding causes the guard hitbox to rush at the opponent while active, pushing them to the wall. Or the "Shotgun," developed recently by Katzo (I don't know the conditions), which scatters the split hitboxes of a fist like buckshot... It's a trash quality that can't be compared to anything but a trash game, but once you get used to it, it's actually fun.

"There's way more to this game's bugs than just this, you know."

"At least one round...!"

Fuhaha! I shall show you a new sensation bug game that combines bugs with the Iai-Fist Style!

"I-I can't win..."

"The Iai-Fist Style is the invincible school!"

That inhuman monster (Pro Gamer) ModoruKatzo is an exception, an exception. Even if I use a trick he's never seen before, he'll meta-game it by the next round, so he is incredibly hard to deal with.

"O-One more match! One last match, please!"

"Hmmm..."

Honestly, I want to quit soon. I originally came to fight the Last Boss, not a player. However, this isn't ShanFro... It's not a God Game where hundreds of newbies join even if you stay silent. This is a Deserted (Shitty) Game made by mixing desolation with excrement. A new player is more valuable than a diamond. I don't expect this game to become explosively popular, but I don't want it to die out completely either. Since it's a precious newbie, I suppose I can act like a senior and train them a bit.

"Sure."

"Thank you very much!"

Besides, fighting Dragonfly, who is trying their best to deal with me through trial and error, is reasonably fun. To be honest, I'd like a bit more of a challenge... No, no, I shouldn't ask that of a beginner.

The gong for the round sounds. Perhaps deciding not to force a correction but rather to enhance their strengths, Dragonfly approaches with a super-fast charge, likely a strategy picked up from other players. I've already shown that I can intercept linear charges without taking damage countless times, so how will they deal with it in this last match?

"Right here!"

Heh, a Yo-Yo right at the edge of my interception range? Indeed, Dragonfly created distance with a slide that is creepy to say the least, but if they return to their original position as is, they'll eat my waiting counter straight on. However, Dragonfly doesn't resist the movement of the body being pulled back; rather, they jump forward with their right leg. In an instant, Dragonfly's body, which should have returned to the coordinates of the planted left leg, closes in on me with speed comparable to teleportation.

"Ei!"

"Oops."

A normal light punch without the Pile Bunker. Because my timing was thrown off, I ended up taking it to the face. Since I had already entered the interception motion, I couldn't dodge it either way, so attacking with a Pile Bunker would have been the correct answer. But to come up with this answer despite not even playing for an hour... not bad.

"I-I did it!"

"But in fighting games, landing one hit doesn't mean it's over."

"Uwah!"

No one said a counter-focused style couldn't switch to offense. While jamming in Pile Bunker light punches with minimal movement, I constantly move forward to deny any opening for a counterattack. Even if they try to run with a Yo-Yo again, I'll intercept it perfectly this time.

"Th-Then!"

"Whoa."

I see. The plan is to push me back using a Shield Bash, rushing forward while keeping the guard hitbox active. Hmmm, correct but wrong. 60 points!

"Yo-shhh!"

"Eh... Guh!?"

"Guard breaking is a mandatory subject in fighting games."

At least regarding the Shield Bash, it's not a defensive technique but an offensive bug technique. A staggering Shield Bash into a wall-carry instant death combo is a valid reason for a real-life brawl. Dragonfly, blown away by a heavy punch while staggered, immediately gets up but creates distance, wary of me.

"Now, what will you do? Generally, the Iai-Fist has a range of one meter around the player."

"Ku... In that case!"

A linear charge as usual. I won't say it's a bad move, but if you have no plan, you're just a sitting duck...? Okay, run straight towards me? Suddenly stop right in front? Enter the stance for a Gauge Move? Guard Cancel derivation into re-activation... Hmm!?

"Eh, what is that!?"

"TORYAAAAAAH!!"

Did I lose this? No, losing one round is no problem. What bothers me more is that bug technique just now. The All-Rounder's Gauge Move is called "Flying Fist Impact," which shoots a fist-shaped shockwave. It already hits multiple times, yet it flew at me doubled just like a Pile Bunker technique. I stopped trying to dodge at the last second and took it directly to test it... and it shaved off 50% of my health.

Even though they are a beginner, they seem to have the minimum mindset of a fighting game player, as they didn't miss the opening while I was getting up and switched to the offensive. In the blink of an eye, my health was whittled down, and Dragonfly took a round for the first time.

"I-I did it! I took a round for the first time!"

"Ah, time out for a sec."

"Ah, yes!"

Even considering the time of day, it wasn't completely just the two of us, me and Dragonfly. I started consulting with the few spectators present.

"So, what do you guys think from a spectator's perspective?"

"In principle, it's a 'Pile Bunker,' but you shouldn't be able to duplicate a Gauge Move using the Pile Bunker method, right?"

"Speaking of Gauge Moves, isn't it a bug related to 'Doppelganger'?"

"No, that one shouldn't be able to produce a clone at the same coordinates; someone verified that. And you can't use 'Chimera' on 'Doppelganger,' so if that's the case..."

"Ah, if the verification squad can reproduce it later, it's confirmed."

Consultation over. A conclusion was reached, so I returned to Dragonfly.

"Err... Dragonfly-san."

"Y-Yes!?"

"Congratulations. Although it is provisional, that bug technique just now... you are the first discoverer."

"Eh... Eeeeeeh!?"

I see... So you can layer it if you sandwich a Guard Cancel in between... wait, why does the Gauge Move hitbox remain after a Guard Cancel? Seriously, Benpi is truly Benpi...

"So, regarding that, the discoverer gets to name the bug technique if they find a new one."

"Eh, wait, telling me that so suddenly..."

It's an unwritten rule, but because of this, there is a bug technique named "Nyan Nyan S'il Vous Plaît Buster" by a player who got carried away with a prank. Since it's a mandatory-class bug technique for certain styles, players of the grappling style use the Nyan Nyan S'il Vous Plaît Buster day and night with very complicated expressions on their faces.

"Well, decide on that later. First, I'm going to take back the round and end this match with my win...!"

"I-I won't lose!"

However, I still have to show my strength as the high wall that cannot yet be overcome.

Round 2 begins, and simultaneously, I use an opening Gauge Move—evasive action right on the verge of activation. It looks simple, but the success timing is extremely few frames, and it can't be used unless the style has a Gauge Move with slow startup, making reproducibility extremely difficult. However, it is a bug technique packed with both romance and practicality.

"Eeeh!?"

"Amazing, right? Because it's a game, I can multiply normally. And because it's a game, that is also me (Sunraku)."

In this game, Gauge Moves become uncancelable after a certain number of seconds have passed since activation. Unlike ShanFro, it doesn't give the player an image of "moving like this," but the system literally executes the movement. Therefore, right before it becomes uncancelable, if you slip out during the gap between the 1 frame where the player can move by their own will and the 1 frame where they cannot, the player themselves performs an evasive action while leaving behind the Gauge Move's hitbox and the avatar data performing it... In summary: I multiply.

"When naming this, I really wondered whether to call it 'Shadow Clone,' 'Swampman,' or 'Doppelganger'."

Since the Iai-Fist Style's Gauge Move "Iai-Fist Impact" has the slowest startup of all styles, I can physically hold Dragonfly in a full nelson with my main body while chatting nonsense like this.

"Ah, naturally, I don't take damage."

"No way...!? "

Instead of the long charge time, a high-power shockwave hits both me and Dragonfly. Once I seize the initiative, cooking a beginner player is an easy task.

"Umm, thank you very much! I will think of a cool name!"

"Ah, yeah. Good luck."

I said goodbye to the huge, bearded old man who bowed his head, and logged out, satisfied with the sense of fulfillment from facing a beginner player as an expert after such a long time.......................... Wait, what happened to my original objective?

In the end, I hurriedly logged back in again.

Author's Notes & Lore:

• Honestly, if I miss this chance, there will be no place to fit this in, so I'm just crudely setting up flags.
• For the Heroine-chan (Psyger-0) who has had delicious rice for three days due to the friend request and real-life encounter, her greatest rival approaches.
• The result of thinking, "What would happen if I actually depicted a fighting game that is full of bugs despite all the explanations?" is this. It's more of an inhuman martial art than I imagined...