Chapter 99: All Things Fall Downwards, All Phenomena Conceal Solutions

"............Haa, seriously?"

After logging out and checking the official site, there was indeed a sentence in the patch notes saying "Adjusted the behavior patterns of some monsters."

Just from this, it's unclear which monster it refers to, but for me, who experienced before and after the correction, I know what "some monsters" refers to.

"This is troublesome..."

Since it was originally an unintended exploit like a bonus stage, I thought it would be corrected someday... but the countermeasures were earlier than expected, or rather, faster.

"In that case, I have to correct my plans significantly too."

Biting on a jelly drink pack, I lean back in my chair and think about future plans. Now that it's been patched, earning money using Crystal Scorpions is no longer possible.

That means I have to think of a new way to make money, but honestly, I don't have the motivation to find one today.

"Mmmm... Ultimately, to earn money, I need a level high enough to farm efficiently... So I should focus on leveling? But..."

Since the Wethermon fight, I should have repeated battles reasonably well, but my level hasn't gone up since then.

As expected, leveling gets harder near level 80. That said, since I've defeated Area Bosses and Gimmick Bosses, even in a party, it should be about time to level up...

"Level up... Farming..."

Thinking about that, Crystal Scorpions flicker in my mind. That monster is wonderful in every aspect: its ecology matching the field characteristics, its exquisitely stupid AI, and the deliciousness of its drop items.

Looking at the surface, Crystal Scorpions might look like terrible monsters. But their default AI of simple physical charges, the relationship between inactive and active states, the rules of dropping items, and the performance of a single Crystal Scorpion... the feeling of "seemingly beatable but unbeatable" really stirs up the desire to conquer...

"Seemingly beatable but unbeatable... Charging AI..."

And more than anything, the honest truth is that I can't give up on the items mineable there. The key is that they are gems, not simple ores. Gems are excellent not just as materials but also as cash items.

I want to neutralize the threat called Crystal Scorpions somehow and just mine. At this point, if that's possible, I can even give up on the Crystal Scorpion items.

However, now that the ambush surprise attack motion has been added, securing safety through conventional escaping is difficult. The only countermeasure I can think of is physically distancing myself to extend the time until the attack, but...

"Physical elimination... Not considering item drops..."

Juiii, sucking on the empty pack, I gather my scattered thoughts. I feel like I'm about to grasp something. Just one more thing... if I had a screw of thought to bind and fix the scattered information............

"Upo!"

Perhaps sucking too hard, the moment I inhaled, the spout of the jelly drink pack popped out of my mouth.

According to the physics engine installed on the server called Earth, namely gravity, the jelly drink pack draws a slight parabola and immediately falls to the floor.

I reach out instantly, but unlike in a game, reality doesn't move as I wish, and my catch motion is two moves too late. Although the contents didn't splatter, the pack slammed onto the floor. The moment I saw that, electricity ran through my mind, a supernova of ideas exploded, a light bulb lit up, whatever, scattered thoughts led to one answer.

"...Newton descended."

Falling. That's right, falling.

Universal gravitation... everything falls from top to bottom. The physics engine basically imposes physical laws equally on everything. Note: Bugs excluded; those rebel against something higher-dimensional.

Where is Crystal Nest Cliff? What are the location conditions? What is the thought pattern of Crystal Scorpions? How far will the scorpions, who gained enough obsession to ambush, chase?

"Fufu, fufufufufu... Devs, I praise the correction itself as wonderful. But did you think I would yield to just that...?"

At first, I intended to accept it, but I changed my mind. I won't let you sleep tonight; after all, I'm going to increase the number of cases you need to patch again!

One more piece is needed. There's no need to think about what to do for that. Trial and Error and Level Up.

"Ah, Sunraku-san! You were back desu wa?"

"Emul, huh? How's progress?"

"Aydward-oniichan said he needs to think a little, so please wait until tomorrow desu wa! Also, Bilac-oneechan was calling for you desu wa!"

"Alright, let's clear Bilac's side first."

Tossing Emul onto my head hyoi, Emul, used to it, corrects her posture in mid-air and lands on my head. She's not luggage and carrier for show.

"Sunraku-san seems fired up desu wa?"

"You know? I barged into my friend's (sucker's) house and got mobbed, so I thought I'd prepare for a revenge visit."

"I think you should probably apologize for that..."

"Those guys are very shy, you see. Even if I go to meet them, they hide, and try to kill me instead of greeting..."

"Do you really call that a friend desu wa?"

Me and Crystal Scorpion-kun are very good friends! After all, my wallet gets filled and their home gets cleaner; it's a win-win relationship... Communication is mainly violence, though.

"So, just a little preparation to go raid them... right."

Arriving at the workshop where Bilac is, I peek inside with Emul still on my head.

"Oh, ya came."

"How's progress?"

Bilac, wearing those bulky goggles on her head, greets me with a mismatched appearance of fantasy clothes and sci-fi parts attached.

"Finishin' stage. Hurry up and hand over the Legacy Weapon."

"Aye."

As a result of consultation with the two, we decided we won't use it and dismantling it is fine, so I take out "Non-Standard Weapon: Convergence Mechanism Type [Comet Catapult]," a staff-type Legacy Weapon of which two types existed within the same category.

"You can dismantle it or do whatever you like."

"Ooh, ooh... Wait 'til tomorrow mornin'. By then, I'll learn the depths of Divine Age Smithing..."

"Counting on you~."

Whether we can use robots, powered suits, and sci-fi weapons depends on you.

Tilting my head at the unexplainable stirring in my heart, I leave the workshop...

"Wait a sec, there was somethin' I wanted to ask."

"Hm?"

Turning around, Bilac had removed her goggles and was staring at me, so I turned my body properly toward her.

"Ask, or rather, it's a request... Crystal Scorpion materials. I want ya to let me make a Legacy Weapon usin' those."

"Eh? That's fine, but can you even make one?"

I thought "Ancient Craftsman" was a job to repair broken Legacy Weapons.

"Can't make it like a normal weapon, probably gonna fail many times. So I might waste the materials ya have, but..."

"Sure, sure. By all means, repeat trial and error."

"Much obliged...! By the way, is Dual Blades okay to make?"

At those words, I return a negative answer. My policy is to strengthen the three dual blades: Marsh Daggers, Empire Bee Twin Blades, and Togetsu. Using other weapon types will result in more choices available.

"If you're making one............"

After visiting several other facilities and finishing preparations to reach the final strategy, I came not to Crystal Nest Cliff... but to the Canyon of Ancient Souls below it.

"Why did we come here desu wa?"

"Ruins of Past Glory is certainly delicious in terms of EXP, but the enemies are tough and unpredictable. In that case, this place, where EXP is slightly lower but enemies are easier to defeat, has better EXP efficiency in the end."

Besides, as a countermeasure against the bottleneck Humming Lich, I have the Clumsy Sword aka Decapitation Sword of the Flame General, and Emul who learned new magic thanks to obtaining "Magic Books" needed for Magicians to learn new spells as promised.

"Quota is, let's see, Level 80. Let's rampage enough to wipe out the undead."

"My new magic will roar desu wa!"

Sorry, but the new magic I made you learn is mostly for assist, though.

Author's Afterword
For some reason, they are treated as pitch-black evil despite not understanding they are evil (by themselves), so here is a defensive explanation.

SF-Zoo
Abbreviation for "Shangri-la Frontier Zoo." A clan whose main activity is observing and photographing animal-type monsters appearing in Shangri-La Frontier.
Basically constructed of animal-loving players, but the breakdown is mismatched: players who "like watching fantasy animals," players who "like petting fantasy animals," and players who "like researching fantasy animals." The process is not unified.

Therefore, regarding Emul, it's mixed whether they are interested "as a talking animal for petting," "as a pet," or "worldview-wise."
Some players treat her like a stuffed toy, some treat her normally like someone else's pet, and some treat her strictly as a monster.
It's like cutting down Aru and Meru normally even though they are cute and allies.
Because they are a "troublesome group with the same purpose but mixed processes," Pencilgon treats them as a nuisance in the sense that "if invited to Rabituza, those who pet, those who research, and those who don't treat them as NPCs will cause trouble." Yet, their "know-how on capturing monsters" is outstanding in ShanFro, and they don't particularly harm players, making them a troublesome group.