Chapter 373: The Beast's Roar Echoing Through the Crystals

Author's Preface
I cast Conjunction, so here's an update. [*1]

It seems that using "Tachyon" comes with a pretty severe drawback as recoil: a massive recast time, and the number of seconds it's active equates to a drain on her Hunger value.
The latter might not seem like a big deal, but it's pretty serious for an NPC, which is why I'm currently offering up gratins and whatever else alongside the cake to Loli Sensei.

"Dammit... what kind of sick joke is this, having to fight a horde of muscle-heads while being instructed by a muscle-head..."

"Yo, lolicon, she said no because your eyes are creepy."

"Are you kidding me, I'm becoming a Full-Face Helmer starting today!"

Asking for details, it turns out there really is a clan called "Full-Face Helmer" that exclusively equips full-face helmets. I couldn't care less. More importantly, don't try to recruit me.

Where did his previous depressed state go? Watching Survival instantly get into position to take screenshots with half-lidded eyes alongside Sensei, I calmly put back on the clothes that had been blown off.

"Oh, right, Survival. Tias-Sensei is currently very hungry."

"Master, serve her the most expensive dish in this establishment. I'll foot the bill."

"Understood."

What an unwavering man, even if his exterior is a woman. Or rather, it's a female avatar that gives off a tomboyish vibe, but the voice being fatally deep makes for an indescribable mismatch.

"Well, I guess it's not as bad as that fake magical girl..."

"Still, even just barely scratching the surface, the 'Avenger' job has some pretty crazy specs."

"Hah... Did fighting a named monster suit the tastes of the savage from the φ (Phi) Server?"

"It was the best... Though, getting forced to fight a horde of muscle-head trolls with Tour of all people as my chaperone was a pretty big letdown."

During my trial, the target was the Fresh Meat Golem "Aigaio," but it seems Survival was forced to fight the "Athanatoi"—a troll army that, while easy to handle individually, swarms in groups and excels in regeneration.

"Well, if they flinch from just a single punch, they're softer than a Magic Pig [Mutton]."

"Hmm... Come to think of it, are you doing a bare-handed-only run here in ShanFro too?"

"Nah? When you talk about bare-handed, there's that Monk stuff, but it's a pain in the ass, so I'm running a Warrior-type class. My main weapons are my fists, but I do use axes as a backup."

So even using weapons doesn't wash away the barbarian stench? Have a little modern human decency, decency I say. Yeah, like me, for example.

"Oh, right, Sunraku, I heard you already caused a massive scene on the New Continent."

"Ugh... It was an accident, an accident. A product of coincidence."

"Nah, nah, dropping a catchphrase that boldly in front of a crowd, color me impressed. Karma this and that, did you come up with that yourself? Kuku, gives me goosebumps, you know?"

"...That's the chant for Revenge Call."

"───Ah, exactly, I was shivering with such emotion I couldn't stop the goosebumps. Magnificent, you really showed me the true spirit of an Avenger."

If you stuck your wrists in the ground, I bet they could dig a hole with how fast they flip.

"Thank you for waiting. This here is the scraped meat of a Tidal Sea Serpent, sourced from the New Continent."

As we were talking, a massive chunk of bone and meat was set down, shaking the counter table with a heavy thud.

"...Does this classify as Seafood?"

"...Looks delicious."

"Ah... how much is this?"

What left a lasting impression was Survival hearing the price and requesting to pay in installments with a big smile, and the fact that despite being red meat, it had the texture of an eel.

I found out later, but apparently, Tias-Sensei has a skill that allows her to stockpile her Hunger value over 100%. No wonder she easily polished off about ten servings... Wait a second. If her Hunger value can go over 100%, doesn't that mean the active duration of "Tachyon" also...

I decided not to think too deeply about it.

Now then, since I've gotten the experience, next up is money. Sadly, the massive fortune I obtained from the treasures of Ruluiath is, for various reasons, on the verge of drying up.
Well, I still have a balance of nearly 100 million left over, but... I'd like to secure at least a billion or so.

"Nice, nice, hyperinflation of cash is one of the best parts of gaming."

And so, I've arrived at Crystal Nest Cliff. It's as deserted as ever. Though to say it's "deserted" isn't because it's "unpopular," but rather because a "0% survival rate" is the root cause, which just invites an indescribable, dry chuckle.

Well, it's basically a minefield laid out without an inch to step on. The only real strategy is to sprint through before it blows up, which makes it completely unmanageable.

That being said, I've heard rumors there's magic that lets you fly, so if Tamer-related research progresses, maybe safe mining won't be just a dream.
To be honest, the difficulty of obtaining Crystal Scorpion materials isn't actually that high. As long as you have the legs to grab the dropped items after offering up a sacrifice to the mosh pit before the next wave arrives, stable gathering is possible... However, after multiple tests, I found that the tail only drops if you directly sever it, and the final outcome is always guaranteed to be death by crushing, so it demands a resolve far beyond what simple stats can provide.

Even so, I won't be choosing the 'run away' strat this time. For this test, I need a decently tough swarm.

"Now then..."

Truth be told, this is my second time stepping into Crystal Nest Cliff today. Including my previous usage, I had to nearly die once just to be able to use it again... Well, I enjoyed a game of lacrosse after mining normally.

"Familiarity breeds contempt or whatever they say, let's go pay a little return-visit for earlier...!"

The Chalice and the Black Crystal. Two items and the magical girl is complete. And then one more—the item I'm using for this test... Equipping the Brood=Krone, I press forward along the pathless path spreading with crystals.

"Oh, they coming?"

Earlier when I stepped in, one of the Crystal Scorpions actually backed away from me, and I was shocked, thinking our friendship had crumbled. But it seems that when they swarm, they'll charge even higher-leveled opponents, so we're best buds after all.
I'm a little curious as to why a monster like the Crystal Scorpion—which even individually could be considered pseudo-Lycaon class—has a function to band together against stronger foes... but I'm still going to farm the hell out of them.

"Let's see, put it on and say the activation keyword... Even if it's an active skill, I really wish they'd let me trigger it with thought-input."

Lately, I've been feeling that having my moves read through motions or words is quite annoying when keeping PvP in mind. In Full-Dive, you're moving your own body, so the risk of biting your tongue isn't zero either. Thought-input really is number one!

Well, causing friendly fire from a mis-thought rather than a malfunction and creating tension is just part of the charm. And using a mis-thought as an excuse to stab someone in the back is also part of the charm... But I don't think a "Mis-Thought Divine Punishment (It was an accident so forgive me)" would actually be forgiven.

While my thoughts wandered to Bakumatsu, which was apparently pulling off another bizarre event, out came the swarm of scorpions... Wait, if my eyes aren't deceiving me, aren't they moving in a crane wing formation? Eh? Did they install military tactics?

"Bring it."

Even if we don't speak the same language, we can understand each other. After all, we possess the magnificent language of physical violence, passed down since before the fall of the Tower of Babel!!

"Blood Heart!!"

Kapon. I slipped the crimson skull over my head. Through its eye sockets, I locked my gaze on the charging scorpions, and loudly chanted the word to invoke the power of "Red."

"Ngu-!?"

A slight sensation of pressure, as if my head was being squeezed by something. Red bled into my vision, and something viscous—thicker than water—dripped down my temples, fell from my jaw, and crawled all over my entire body...

"Whether this counts as erotic or grotesque, isn't this R-18?! Aaaaaaaah!?"

Wow, amazing. My voice has some weird effect on it.

The surging waves of crystal were already right before my eyes. With Inventoria nerfed, any hope of escaping was completely severed... However,

"It's a Slaughter."

The me right now... is built different thanks to this external ferocity, you know?

Author's Afterword

• Tachyon (Transcendent Speed)
  The absolute strongest acceleration skill in ShanFro, and the very thing that makes Tias, Tias.
  By interfering with the server, it slows down all mobs within the area Tias occupies while simultaneously accelerating Tias herself.
  The acceleration multiplier is 5x, and the deceleration multiplier is also 5x, meaning it's effectively a full-swing from a Grim Reaper moving at 25x speed. You can really see the murderous intent of the developers shining through!

At normal thought speeds, it's impossible to not only track Tias's movements, but even realize that you yourself have been slowed down. However, by using specific thought-acceleration methods, it is possible to become aware of it.
That being said, even if you become aware of it, your body won't be able to keep up, so there's no fate other than becoming a punching bag.

As a price—or rather, a token limitation—there is a restriction where she can only use it for a maximum of 1 second per 100% of "Tias's own Hunger." Furthermore, once activated, a recast time equal to the "square of the seconds used" is generated before it can be used again.

Incidentally, thanks to a separate, Tias-exclusive skill called "Stockpile Eating," Tias can accumulate Hunger value past the standard 100%. On top of that, because there have been guys constantly showering her with offerings lately, she's apparently become even more unstoppable.

Translator's Notes

• *[1] Conjunction: "Conjunction" is the signature, meta-defining skill of the character Summer Zooey.