Chapter 460: O Dragon, O Dragon! Part 37

Author's Preface

Right now, I have a PS4 in my hands. Intelligent readers will understand without me even saying it... Not much longer until GE3.

Animalia's current job had its main set to the highest-tier Shaman class, "Yin-Yang Master," while her sub-job was the newly selected upper-tier Monk class, "Armed Monk."

Normally, setting a vanguard class in the sub-job slot—which incurs various restrictions compared to when it's set as a main job without access to the highest-tier classes—wouldn't yield any dramatic strengthening. In fact, aside from a few exceptions (like Imron, where being a Master Craftsman is the crucial part), the mainstream strategy was to put the "main combat class" in the main job slot.

But that theory only applied to healer and crafter classes. When it came to "Buffer" and "Debuffer" classes, there were cases where this theory was inverted.

Half-baked stats would only result in half-baked strength, but if one had continued to train tirelessly as the highest-tier class...

"───【Starvation Garden】, 【Collapse Asphyxiation】"

Through the wide-range stamina-draining debuff and STR debuff, the small dragons—who, despite being completely unharmed, were reduced to moving as if their bodies were battered and broken—were swiftly dispatched in the blink of an eye by the surrounding players.

"【Drought-Stricken Nakedness】, 【Pauper's Rampart】, "Tanden Breathing"... Khoooo"

There was no longer any trace of her days as a pure backline class. As a top-tier debuffer, she weakened the enemies with AoE attacks, beat them down with fists that could now output effects far exceeding their original power, and recovered MP with a breathing skill.

It wasn't a debuff applied as an afterthought to an attack, but an attack as an afterthought to a debuff. That difference truly shone when fighting alongside a dozen or more players.

"The natural environment is where animals live! I cannot overlook monsters that destroy it! Sorry, but I'm going to have you sink right here!!"

『FOOLISH! Foolish! To de, defy meee!!』

With a sickening guba sound, the massive mouth of the meat lump opened wide, and something long shot out from it. A tongue? No, even if it served that purpose, it was something far more horrifying.

"At the tip of its tongue... an upper body!?"

『Kieeeh!!』

"Guh...! 【Row of Stitching Wedges】!!"

Although she barely avoided instant death thanks to her VIT being buffed up enough to play vanguard due to her level-down build, Animalia—having been swatted by the upper body of Bryreinyego, which had taken on a snake-like form—let out a groan of agony while swinging her staff to cast a debuff with a binding effect.

Her signature move, 【Hands of Tartarus】, was currently unusable. For Animalia, who lacked the mobility to casually pull off the "it means nothing if it doesn't hit" philosophy, this magic—which essentially cost nearly all her HP as a toll—carried a demerit equivalent to rendering her unable to fight.

『Gugego!?』

A stake of light generated directly above Bryreinyego pinned the extended tongue (?) aimed as a follow-up attack to the ground.
Unlike 【Hands of Tartarus】, this curse calculated its success based on the caster's MP and the target's STR. While it might work on small dragons, one couldn't expect dramatic effects against Bryreinyego itself. At best, it could only bind it for a few seconds.

『Gebororororo!!』

"Ugh... the sound effects are so gross every single time..."

The massive mouth opened even wider, and more small dragons bearing the Red Dragon's traits were produced. While rapidly recovering her MP with one of her few remaining potions—since her skill-based MP regen couldn't keep up—Animalia pondered as she scattered debuffs for what felt like the millionth time.

(We lack a decisive blow...)

They didn't have that overwhelming firepower that smashed everything to pieces like a crystal explosion, the kind unleashed by that crimson monster with a highly familiar name.
Part of it was because personnel had been siphoned off to deal with Siegwurm, but another factor was that this massive battle had already lasted over half a day, and every conceivable resource was running dry.

(We have it cornered. But we just don't have the surplus energy to launch an offensive. If the ratio of fighting forces turns in Bryreinyego's favor, it can instantly turn the tables.)

Fortunately, getting killed by a small dragon after becoming unable to move from exhaustion due to fighting continuously seemed to count as a positive evaluation in terms of B.I.G., which was a saving grace. But even so, it wasn't as if every single person had been fighting through the night.

(Our tank squad's equipment is reaching its limit too... I can repair them, but if they drop out now, the frontline could collapse.)

With the scale of combat power already tipping (it went without saying which side was at a disadvantage), the only reason they were able to keep the massive swarm of small dragons contained here was entirely due to the contributions of the SF-Zoo tanks.
If it weren't for those five players running across the battlefield in "High-Mobility Mode" (a state where leg and waist armor were removed to make them slightly faster), drawing aggro from the small dragons on a level akin to shepherds, the swarm would have scattered to a far more disastrous degree.

"Director! It's getting kinda rough!"

"I mean, the pressure from the giant-types is insane!"

"Should we take off our tops too?"

"If you get caught doing that, you'll die instantly!"

"Yes, dumping aggro!"

While strangling one of the small dragons, Animalia was forced to make a decision. Even if she wasn't the overall commander of the players, she was the Clan Leader of SF-Zoo. As someone with the right and responsibility to issue orders.

It was then.

"Hey, hey, Animalia-chan? Interested in using P-BAS?"

"What's that?"

"Pencilgon Battle Assist Service. A little negotiation just wrapped up... and I've got my hands on some nice firepower, see? I'll give you a discount right now?"

"Hellooo... I'm the nice firepower..."

Animalia recognized the girl who emerged with a sloppy grin from Pencilgon's shadow. Though she demanded money, she was a player capable of intercontinental travel—something that normally took a massive amount of time even in real-world terms. After all, Animalia had used her services herself.

"Deep Slaughter, right? I don't really like that 'Slaughter' part of your name... But do you have some attack magic besides teleportation?"

"Punching things isn't the only form of attack... Fufufu. Since he exposed everything, it's not like I can keep hiding it either..."

With a hyurun sound, a single long staff was pulled from the void.
It was something that snuggled up to desires, something that actualized the endless desires of its user.

"The Rod of Actualization, The Desire〜"

"The Rod of Actualization... wait, don't tell me that's from the Empty Swing Incident...!!"

"Uhehehe. You might just get dragged off to some unpopular spot by the 【Witchurch】..."

Even within the history of ShanFro woven by players, the "Rod of Actualization Empty Swing Incident" was considered one of the darkest mysteries. Animalia's eyes widened at the fact that the culprit and the missing actual item were right in front of her, but she quickly switched gears, accepting that she at least had grounds to be confident.

"Bring it on. How many minutes do you need?"

"Five... no, I'd like three minutes. Oh right, this is unrelated, but Sunraku-kun easily bought time against a raid monster wearing Eldranza's... skin? For me..."

"I can't stay quiet after hearing that."

"Oh, Katzo-kun."

"Katzo! What a courageous name!!"

"Eh, what...?"

He made a somewhat dramatic entrance, but upon being given a gaze of respect for some completely unknown reason, OiKatzo tilted his head with a genuine reaction. For some reason, even Argent Owl was averting her eyes.

"Whatever... We just need to stall it for three minutes, right? Can you kill it with that?"

"I can't guarantee a kill, but I can guarantee massive damage..."

"Then I swear upon my sword that I shall seal its movements, Deep Slaughter of the Rod of Actualization."

"I'm counting on you..."

For a brief second, a slight sense of incongruity flashed across Animalia's mind, but if even a Giant was willing to fight alongside them, she raised her voice, deciding that the time to settle things was now.

"All members of SF-Zoo! We're buying three minutes! Let loose without worrying about the aftermath!!"

"Director! Can we do that thing!?"

"Permission granted!!"

The true worth of Clan [SF-Zoo] is shown now.

Author's Afterword

Huh〜? I wonder why they're getting along so well with the Giants when this is supposed to be the players' first encounter with them〜?
The meaning of Katzo is... y'know?

The current Animalia's style is, so to speak, not a "fist that smashes the wall" but a "fist that softens the wall until it can be smashed, and then smashes it."

Translator's Notes

• [1] Katzo: "Cazzo" is an extremely common Italian swear word for a male appendage.