Chapter 723: Gracefully Intimidating Without Delay
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'He's a much more amusing person than I thought', Cashew Nut mentally revised her evaluation of the player known as Sunraku.
During the Dragon Calamity War, she was late to participate due to a real-life drinking party, and in the end, she couldn't accomplish much more than spamming indiscriminate AoE heals towards the finale; as such, she never got the chance to meet the "Tsuchinoko-san" who was putting up an eight-faced, six-armed performance on the front lines.
Afterward, there were stories from a clan leader who supposedly ran into "Tsuchinoko-san" in another game—though the truth of that remained unverified—along with information passed down through rumors... and finally, the leaked strategy video of the Orchestra of the Reverberating Nether's Canon route. Taking all of that into account, Cashew Nut had assumed that the person known as "Tsuchinoko-san" was the type who was completely intoxicated by roleplaying.
"...He has better communication skills than I thought."
When it was decided that she would form a party with Sunraku through Imron, she was surprised by what twist of fate led to it, but after actually partying up with him, she realized that the player Sunraku was not the so-called "Hero-sama" type.
And that he was terrifyingly reliable.
First of all, the simple fact that trash mobs don't approach him makes him highly sought after by players trying to conquer the New Continent.
After all, unlike the Old Continent where you can just advance a certain amount, defeat a boss, and reach the next town—meaning outposts where you can restock supplies are scattered around—the conquest of the New Continent is an endeavor where players struggle immensely with supply exhaustion and securing safe zones.
Since almost all death patterns in the New Continent conquest boil down to the golden combo of having your resources whittled down by trash mobs before being completely trampled by a powerful monster, just being able to bypass the swarm of trash mobs makes him terrifyingly useful.
The person himself seems to find it annoying, but... speaking as a member of a clan that sits at the very top of the magic-user clans, if a method were ever established, there would undoubtedly be quite a few players willing to intentionally inflict their clan members with the "Scar."
Furthermore, though it was to be expected, his personal specs are also terrifyingly reliable.
Hearing that his level was 150—which, as far as Cashew Nut knew, was a level cap that no one other than Sunraku had reached. Even if you turn a blind eye to the fact that the merits and demerits of the Scar become even more extreme, the current Sunraku is, strictly in terms of simple levels, the strongest among all ShanFro players.
When she heard that his VIT was equal to or lower than that of a complete beginner, she thought 'are you serious?', but the extreme specialization in evasion and offense—unleashed through AGI that supports his title as the fastest player and luck that practically guarantees critical hits—can truly be called the absolute pinnacle of a light-warrior build that balances being an evasion tank and contributing massive firepower.
"An evasion tank that requires almost zero babysitting, huh〜"
Cashew Nut is a healer; conversely, this means she is more intimately familiar with the movements of the vanguard and middle guard than a standard magic class. That is exactly why she fully understands the usefulness of the "piece" known as Sunraku.
(I didn't expect the Hero Weapon stuff to progress this easily either, so I definitely want to get intimately closer to him〜)
"...Um."
"Yes, what is it?"
The one who placed a hand on the contemplating Cashew Nut's shoulder and spoke to her was Psyger-0, who had become considerably more adorable compared to the figure Cashew Nut remembered.
"Um... I don't think it's good to... just leave him behind..."
"Is that so? That guy looks like he's used to this kind of thing, so even if we leave him be, he'll catch up───"
"That is not the issue."
Smoothly, like sliding across ice, Psyger-0 opened her mouth to deny her.
The expression of the female ogre warrior—the player wielding the strongest firepower, who possesses the rather rare history of transferring as the main firepower of a top clan to a newly established clan with almost zero friction—could not be read through the ogre mask.
However, the hand touching her shoulder with terrifying softness inversely evoked an eerie feeling.
"Using someone one-sidedly is... not good."
"............I didn't intend to use him, but I suppose it might have been a bit unfaithful. Shall we wait then? Are you fine with that too, Imron-chan?"
"Don't add 'chan,' don't add 'chan.' I have a strict policy of not getting involved in that sort of thing, so you don't have to worry about me."
"Is that so〜"
And so, after waiting for about fifteen minutes, Sunraku—who for some reason caught up to us while dashing across the ceiling—shot us a somewhat resentful glare, and with the party members gathered once again, we set out to find the place where the top brass of the Dwarves would likely be.
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To begin with, there are two reasons to go meet the top of the Dwarves.
The first is to obtain the "Golden Magma" related to the Hero Weapons; thanks to information provided via Bilac, we already know that the King of the Dwarves holds information regarding the Golden Magma.
And the second is for Ladder-shi's business. Ladder-shi initiated his scenario purely with the objective of "going to meet the Red-lineage Dragonewts." The Red-lineage Dragonewts are practically treated as a servant race to Dreadhowl, and apparently live in the bedding area of the (deceased) Dreadhowl.
And because they have interactions with the Dwarves, who live underground due to being persecuted by Dreadhowl for being "hideous", relying on the connections of the Dwarves paradoxically allows us to go meet the Red-lineage Dragonewts... Hmm, it seems that water-strider was more of a piece of trash than I thought; maybe I should have beaten him up some more.
But well, it's all in the past now. The Red Dragon is already dead, so there's no such thing as avenging him anyway. If anything, even if he were to be revived right now, if we tipped off his location to players aiming for his materials, his final moments would end in either slaughter or spawn-killing...
"Is it here?"
"The center of the city was just normal civilian houses, so if that's the case, this must be the only place left."
What a strangely constructed city. To think the important facilities are located on the outer edges and extremities of the city instead of the center. The map feels less like Western fantasy and more like Heian-era Japan. Or perhaps a vertical-scrolling RPG... no, maybe a rail shooter?
It seems there were some Dwarves with relatively sane heads who didn't join the frenzy, because the gates to the entrance of the bizarre building at the end of the city are wide open. It apparently means we're meant to enter.
...Earlier, I thought I stood out in a bad way because I was holding Areadbhair. But in reality, it might have been the complete opposite.
"Are we able to pass through unquestioned because Imron and Cashew Nut are here?"
Because the person who holds information regarding the golden weapons they carry on their hips and backs... is right inside.
Passing through the gate that looked just like a temple, we advanced further inside.
Author's Afterword
Heroine-chan: "That's not good"
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