Chapter 609: A Superb View From On High, But Looking Down Reveals a Shoddy Staircase

Superior Homage Frost Body.

A massive frame rivaling the Tactical Horse [Kirin] ridden by Wethermon, and the toughness to match. Its terrifyingly soft meat is a blatant weak point, but it compensates for that with an outstanding AI and the ability to use freezing magic. It makes you want to scream, "What the hell are you expecting out of livestock!?" It is the boss monster standing between the Second and Third Shell Layers... Commonly known as the Intellectual Meat.

From what I've heard, it's the type of boss character that actively counters standard game theory. It understands player roles, occasionally ignores aggro entirely to target the rearguard, or fakes losing aggro just to launch a sudden surprise attack on the Tank with a vicious hind-leg kick... Unsurprisingly, as far as boss mechanics go, it is absolutely despised.

But if Marbled Meat-kun has one singular misfortune, it is this.

"Strategy: None! Just beat the ever-living crap out of it however you want!!"

"...Understood."

"You're on! Don't you dare screw this up, Survival!!"

There are no defined roles in this party. At the very least, in a battle against you, it's just going to be a four-player skirmish structured entirely around three people gang-beating a single target.

Regardless of who it targets, the other two are going to constantly rack up DPS, and every single one of us possesses the means to output massive firepower entirely on our own.

"The meat's so soft it actually makes it harder to cut!!"

"...The aggro, it's coming towa—..."

"No, it's me!!"

But as expected, this feint is incredibly annoying. Unlike those two, a single surprise attack could easily prove fatal for me, so I've been paying strict attention to aggro management.

It's a giant chunk of headless beef, but because of that, its body movements—or rather, the movements of its muscles... I don't know, the way the marbled fat jiggles makes it somewhat possible to read which direction it's focusing on. That's exactly why, even though its body was physically turned toward Rei-shi, I noticed its consciousness was locked entirely onto me, allowing me to take action the instant cold air erupted from its body.

Drawing from my gaming knowledge, there are several variations of ice-attribute magic, but this one is the type that freezes the ground to sprout jagged ice. In that case, the countermeasure is either to evacuate the area being frozen, or jump higher than the range of the sharp ice spikes sprouting from below!!

"A ship that doesn't sway is one I can jump across a thousand times over!!"

Using the power of my skills, I firmly landed directly on top of the icicles sprouting from the ground, treating every single direction as a valid foothold. Then, using the line of pillars rapidly vanishing with the passage of time as stepping stones, I sprinted straight toward the marbled meat.

"Keep me company for some Iai practice, you glorified punching bag...!!"

Using the empty air as my foothold, I drew my blade in the Seiten Style. The wind trailing the lineage of the god-speed Iai technique "Tachikaze" carved a deep wound straight into the marbled meat... But the cross-section instantly stitched itself back together, regenerating the wound entirely.

"Hey, 'Isana'!! Is this actually doing anything!?"

『Of course it is! The Superior Homage Frost Body possesses powerful regenerative capabilities, but to put it another way, it is merely diverting the energy it would normally use for biological activities to achieve that.』

In other words, when it runs out of regenerative power = it dies. Well, that makes things simple. The universal truth applicable to all creation—"If you beat it until it dies, it dies"—has absolutely no exceptions here!!

Even though it regenerated, the fact remains that my attack dealt a substantial amount of damage, completely locking the marbled meat's aggro onto me. But because of that, the two people with significantly higher single-hit firepower than me are now entirely free to move.

"Hey, Maximum FirepowerAttack Holder! Match your positioning and timing!!"

".........!"

One is a seasoned veteran who survived the absolute hellscape of the isolated island, and the other is the undisputed strongest attacker in this world. A greatsword and a Sky Piercer, both clad in every single conceivable self-buff they could muster, slammed into the marbled meat's hind legs simultaneously, forcibly making the headless quadruped cow assume a "sitting" posture.

Oh, is it really okay for me to take this? Composition-wise, I'm standing dead-center right in front of it. It's the perfect setup for a finishing blow.

"This is the end."

Seiten Style... "TodorokazeRoaring Wind".

The roaring, howling wind unleashed from the blade violently shoved aside the marbled flesh. Taking advantage of the beast's posture as it jutted its chest forward, the drawn heavy blade slashed perfectly vertically straight up its exposed ribcage.

"Got i— Wait, it's not dead!?"

"Kakaka, you don't have enough STR, man, not nearly enough STR! This right here is what you call the real deal... 'Supreme Severing Boundary'!!"

What the hell is that cool-sounding move!? An effect resembling jet-black flames violently erupted from the Sky Piercer as Survival leaped high into the air with incredible momentum, bringing the strike of black flames crashing down───

"...【Apocalypse】."

Ah.

"Ah."

Even from my position, I could clearly see the strike of a greatsword snapping the beast's spine from behind and reducing the marbled meat's life to absolutely zero. Survival's Sky Piercer passed straight through the helplessly fading form of the marbled meat... looking exactly like someone throwing a full-power punch into a shop curtain...

"Um, ah, err... S-Sorry?"

"Hey, 'Real Deal', is that brilliant light of yours just an imitation or somethin'?"

"Shut up!! If that's the case, then no matter how you look at it, you're exactly the same as me, you Gold-Plated Brother!!"

Hey, I'm the type who hides a diamond underneath the gold plating... Regardless, the full-attacker gang-beat strategy was as effective as you'd expect. We managed to defeat the boss so easily it was almost terrifying.

And one more thing...

"I leveled up."

Level 148. Finally, only two more levels until the cap... I didn't level up from the battles against the Exordinary Monsters, but it seems I was just one step away from the threshold.

Combined with the bonus stats from leveling up and the stats from encountering and defeating Exordinary Monsters, I had a total of 20 points. Thinking about how to distribute them was a hassle, so I just dumped them randomly... The main event is right here. Now then, let's see what happened to my skills!!

"............Hmm?"

Nice. Thanks to me consciously using them, the Seiten Style skill tree advanced significantly all at once. And with this, it probably means... Wait, does this mean... In other words, because this is like this now, whether I have this or not probably determines the next... Ah, I see.

"Fuguh!!"

"!?"

"Hey, what's wrong!?"

Seeing me suddenly drop to my knees and crouch down, Rei-shi and Survival called out in concern. D-Damn you, Amachi Ritsu...! To set such... such a trap, how utterly cowardly, how completely fiendish...!!

"I see, I see... 'SublimationStandby', huh... You really got me..."

"What's that about?"

"You can uncap the level limit in places like the Elf Village, right?"

"Ah? Yeah, I guess so."

Survival gave me a puzzled look at the sudden change in topic (and while I couldn't see Rei-shi's face behind her perpetually ferocious helmet, she was probably making the exact same expression), but I continued speaking without paying it any mind. This is a universal mechanic for all players, and it won't be long before these two have to deal with it either.

"It looks like there's probably another level cap unlock at 150."

"...Really?"

"Instead of strengthening or evolving, the skills I've been spamming suddenly got the word 'SublimationStandby' tacked onto the end of them."

"Ah? ...Ah, seriously? So that's how it is."

To give an example, Eye of True World ObservationQuantum Gaze became Eye of True World ObservationQuantum Gaze・SublimationStandby.

Rei-shi still didn't seem to fully grasp it, but Survival—whose playstyle naturally places a heavy emphasis on skill enhancements—seemed to realize the implications instantly.

In this game, skills undergo changes the moment you level up. And the next resulting skill is determined entirely by the quality and state of the skill prior to that level up.

If that's the case, then it's almost certain that this "Sublimation" state serves as the ultimate benchmark for the current Level 150 cap line. In other words, if you don't raise your currently equipped skills to the "Standby" phase before hitting Level 150, you'll be forced to rely on a level-down build... And you'll have to do it at a triple-digit level that demands an amount of experience points completely incomparable to the Level 99 bracket.

"Sunraku, you..."

"I'm Level 148. I have two levels left to raise all my current skills to the Standby phase... You think I can do it?"

"...That sounds difficult."

"You'll just have to narrow down your choices and focus on a few. Considering the experience point requirements, you should be able to get a decent number of 'em up, at least."

Well, yeah. That's true, but... This is exactly where the trap reveals itself. That's right. High Connection skills.

High Connection skills are single skills created by fusing two or more standard skills together. While their effects don't improve when you level up, they possess incredibly powerful standalone effects in exchange.

But naturally, while they are connected, the levels of the base skills used to form them cannot increase. Meaning, High Connection skills—including the base skills used as materials—cannot enter the "Sublimation" phase───!!!

"Guh..."

That's dirty, you're playing dirty, Amachi Ritsu! I was wondering why my skills weren't getting any stronger, but to only reveal this right at the very end... Are you sipping wine while watching your players suffer, you bastard!!

"...Let's keep moving. We still have time, and the road ahead is long."

"Y-Yeah."

Next is the Third Shell Layer, 「Playboard」... The ironclad fortress of pleasure and entertainment standing in the way of the next-generation primitive humanity who just unga-bunga'd their way through swinging chunks of iron.

---

Author's Afterword

Q. What kind of face are you making right now?

A. A dead-eyed stare after staying up three nights straight while sipping energy drinks.

Current Sunraku Status (Skills Only Excerpt)

Skills

・Limit Over Accel → Limit Over Accel・SublimationStandby

・Eye of True World ObservationQuantum Gaze → Eye of True World ObservationQuantum Gaze・SublimationStandby

・Divine Arm of a Hundred ExcellencesSamildánach → Divine Arm of a Hundred ExcellencesSamildánach・SublimationStandby

・Wolf Omen of DestinyWolfate Sign → Wolf Omen of DestinyWolfate Sign・SublimationStandby

・Exploding Core Knee StrikeGround Zero Smite

・Guardian Heart

・Stepping on the Death LineDead Horizon → Stepping on the Death LineDead Horizon・SublimationStandby

・Critical Raise

・Peerless Martial Endowment → Peerless Martial Endowment・SublimationStandby

・Dyna Spirits

・Astral World GuidelineAstral Line → Astral World GuidelineAstral Line・SublimationStandby

・Fatal Gain

・Parabellum Routine

・Protect Smash → Furious Strike of the ShieldbearerRaging Shield

──【Vorpal Arts】──

・Vorpal Secret Art【Fading Mirror】Revised Stance

・Vorpal Secret Art【Sever and Divide】Revised Stance

──【Seiten Style】──

・Seiten Style "HayakazeSwift Wind" → Seiten Style "KirikazeSlashing Wind"

・Seiten Style "TsumujikazeWhirlwind" → Seiten Style "MawashikazeCircling Wind"

・Seiten Style "TodorokazeRoaring Wind" → Seiten Style "HazerikazeExploding Wind"

・Seiten Style "RaimeiThunderclap"

・Seiten Style "HakuraiApproaching Thunder"

・Seiten Style "KanraiPiercing Thunder" NEW!

・Seiten Style "AranamiRaging Wave" → Seiten Style "HatouSurging Waves"

・Seiten Style "SakinamiBreaking Wave" → Seiten Style "HajunDemonic Wave"

・Seiten Style "HikinamiPulling Wave"

・Seiten Style "BokyouTwilight Roar"

・Seiten Style "SouzenPale Blue" NEW!

・Seiten Style "UkigumoFloating Cloud"

・Seiten Style "NejirigumoSpiraling Cloud" NEW!

──【Avenger's Principles】──

・Avenger's Observation EyeRevenge Analyze

・Avenger's OathRevenge Call

・Avenger's Requiem StrikeRevenge Fatality

──【Synchronized ConnectionHigh Connection】──

・Dual Connection "Two Heavens, One Principle>" (Sword of a Hundred FlashesHekaton Slash + Lethal Finishing Touch)

・Dual Connection "Stairway to HeavenStairway Heaven" (Heavy Gravity Treading ConquestExceed Gravity + Grace of Zero GravitySpace Charge)

・Dual Connection "Two Wheels of Wind and FireFlare Tempest" (Kurama Tengu Secret Tradition + Hermes Boots)

・Triple Connection "Exploding Core TorrentNitro Flow" (Bloodburn Burst + Limit Maximize + Full Spirit Evocation)

・Dual Connection "Advent Fist PressureCountdown Burst" (Sleeping God's Fist StrikeHypnock Out + Tathlum Fist)

・Dual Connection "Ignorant Preemptive StrikeMumyou Sakiri" (Dirty Sword + Slash Ignition)

・Triple Connection "Oath of a Thousand SwordsThousand Bond" (Ashura Kagura + Sengoku Burai + Sword Dance【Inexhaustible Spin】)

・Dual Connection "Until the Journey EndsNever End" (Indomitable + Atlas Toughness)