Chapter 778: A Certain Day in December: An Avenger Sharpens Their Fangs
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The Maritime Guild.
It was undoubtedly the largest player-driven structure in existence, and the Bone-Clad Keep, Skull Azuchi, was now recognized not just by players but by NPCs as a symbol of the New Continent.
This was the massive facility currently being constructed over the sea at the New Continent's frontline base by the production clan 【New Continent Construction】, led by the player Emi-Lia, whose job title, "Master Builder," was steadily becoming synonymous with her personal name.
Supplementing the know-how gained from Skull Azuchi with the official approval of the Tri-Divinity Church and the introduction of the scientific civilization of Leviathan, the Maritime Guild was being assembled at a terrifying speed despite being a maritime structure. Once completed, it was certain to become a critical hub on the New Continent as a bed for Pioneers independent of the New Continent survey ship.
......Or at least, that was the public story.
"Man, gotta love these secret early-access privileges."
"We owe Saba-san our thanks for this."
Truth be told, while the Maritime Guild itself remained incomplete, it was already completed.
Its role as a save point for Pioneers, a large-scale party recruitment facility, a base and marketplace for Crafters...... all of those pertained to the facilities built above the sea.
It wasn't simply floating on the water; building a foundation underwater meant that this structure had spaces existing beneath the sea.
One of those spaces was right here—the Undersea Space, proposed by a certain player who skillfully exploited both the roleplay of the Avenger class and player romance.
That said, it wasn't a space for illegal back-alley deals or anything of the sort. If it had any defining features, it was merely that it was connected via an underground tunnel to the New Continent branch of the cafe "Serpent's Apple" at the frontline base, and that it contained a spacious colosseum......... Though, for the purposes of hosting underground mixed martial arts and betting matches under the guise of PvP, it was more than sufficient.
"are we going to 'train' here?"
"Nn......... Y-Yeah, that's right, Wimp-chan. Right here, together with us older brothers—"
"Your tone sounded like a suspicious person and caused discomfort to Wimp-chan. You are sentenced to execution."
"Guh...... She's the one who talked to me first, though......"
"I'm jealous that she tugged on the hem of your clothes to talk to you, therefore, die."
Currently, multiple figures occupied this undersea colosseum. They were individuals who had arrived here via the underground tunnel from the "Serpent's Apple"—namely, players belonging to the Avenger class or the clan 【Dress-Up Tias-chan Squad】. And among them was a single, unnaturally pale girl.
She was not of the Second Humanity, nor was she even of the human race. A humanoid figure possessing the true nature of a snake; people called her "Goldunine the Inexhaustible."
That being said, the question of whether she herself was the Goldunine that players antagonized was complicated, but...... at the very least, those present here either understood that nuance or had simply decided, "Who cares whether I know the details or not," cleanly compartmentalizing the situation in a rather bizarre way.
The reason they brought Goldunine...... or rather, the snake calling herself "Wimp," to this place was to fight, yet not to fight. In other words.
"Anyway, since I prefer older women and she falls entirely outside my "preferences", I'll take the lead...... Let Wimp-chan's Grand Special Training Session begin!"
Clap, clap. Due to the small number of people, sparse applause echoed for a few seconds. As it subsided, they began making preparations, laying out various weapons.
This gathering wasn't simply a mixer in an undersea colosseum still unknown to the vast majority of players. It was preparation for the foreseen assault, for Goldunine the Inexhaustible and her terrifying four giant snakes...... and above all, it was a strengthening training camp for the Goldunine "Wimp." That was the true reason they had gathered here.
"Hey, the guy from before is gone."
"Ah...... It's fine, it's fine. It only takes about ten minutes to get back here from the ship."
"Isn't it great? The direct line to the sea, colloquially known as the 'face-washing spot.' Saves us the trouble of actually executing him."
"It's super helpful that there's an Item Box placed right next to it, really cuts down on the time needed to organize one's belongings."
"Lately so much of us has been dropping from there that monsters have started camping the spot waiting for drops."
"I-Insane......"
Putting that aside.
In terms of game classification, Wimp was treated as a "monster classified as an NPC capable of forming a party." In other words, unlike players or Conquista Dolls, players couldn't just freely swap out her equipment. The choice of whether to equip something ultimately rested entirely on the NPC's own discretion.
Because of this, the members of the Dress-Up Squad lined up over a dozen different weapons they had relinquished ownership of, letting Wimp choose for herself.
"Wimp-chan, any interest in a kusarigama?"
"Ugh, the kind of nerd who rapid-fires pitches for hyper-niche weapons at times like this......"
"Huh? But you can get a three-out with gyro gloves?"
"Don't go throwing up to nine gloves at people."
"It obviously has to be a katana here. There isn't a single girl in this world who doesn't look good holding a katana."
"That's so boring. Basically every player around Thirdrema is running around carrying a katana."
"The thing about shoddy katanas is, if you use them without skill corrections......... they're, honestly, pretty weak......"
"And through such suuuuuuuuper subtle experiences, boys and girls grow into adults."
"Eh? Did I see that right? An illusion? Didn't she just swing an ultra-greatsword around with one hand?"
"No way."
After lightly taking a practice swing with the largest sword among the lineup and trying out every weapon one by one, Wimp pondered for about two minutes...... and then picked up her choice.
"this. i'll go with this."
"......Twin swords? Why? Not a katana?"
"If you don't cut it out, I'm going to have you deliver takeout to the sea monsters completely naked."
"So the food delivers itself now?"
Asked why, Wimp tightly gripped the two chunks of iron—which had no significant abilities attached—and recalled a certain phrase.
If one degraded themselves and felt "fear" toward an existence greater than their own, then to put it another way, that was merely "admiration" directed at the back of the one walking ahead of them.
That was why, for the character known as Wimp, no matter how much airs she put on, those words were worth remembering. Harboring absolute resolve in her eyes, the white snake repeated the words she had borrowed from a certain someone.
"───no matter how strong the opponent is, if i just keep hitting them until i win, i'll win. Isn't that right?"
"What a total musclehead philosophy."
"Eh, was Wimp-chan always this martial-arts-minded......?"
"No, this weirdly gamer-esque ideology has gotta be something she picked up from Tsuchinoko-san......?"
"Wait, were we supposed to pick out her armor and stuff too?"
"I assumed Tsuchinoko-san was going to provide that......"
It was then.
Currently, only the Dress-Up Tias-chan Squad and a few Crafters should have known about this Undersea Colosseum, yet a new figure appeared.
"Did someone call for me!!!!"
"Wait, who the hell are you...... Wait, YOU!!?"
How exactly should one describe this individual? To put it in a single phrase...... the only way to describe him would be as an "okama" character fulfilling a specific role typically found in fiction. Shangri-La Frontier utilized a character creation system where players built the avatars they would control themselves. Naturally, it was entirely possible for a man to create a female avatar, and vice versa.
By using items obtainable in certain content, it was even possible to completely shift one's voice to match the opposite sex. So to go out of one's way to keep their gender the same while designing an avatar that leaned heavily toward the opposite sex meant there could be no reason other than the player's personal "preferences."
In other words, despite being a male avatar with deeply chiseled features that could have served as a model for a classical sculpture in another era, this highly impactful, bizarre player—who, for some reason, was wearing a highly authentic maid outfit—was currently striding boldly through the colosseum.
"What? What? What's going on, what is this?"
"Elysion Haute-Couture......!!"
"Maid outfit equipment was fundamentally restricted to females only...... No, don't tell me that outfit is......!"
"i, i can't keep up with this conversation......"
"Through arduous training, I have finally arrived...... Surpassing my limits, reaching the very pinnacle of tailoring. I am now the highest-tier class, 'Supreme Fabric Craftsman', Elysion Haute-Couture......!"
Back straight, long skirt fluttering, his majestic figure seemed to silently declare that anyone harboring negative emotions toward this outfit was the strange one. Wimp, completely unable to keep up with the situation compared to the Dress-Up Squad, who had suddenly begun murmuring in awe at the abrupt arrival...... realized that just because she couldn't keep up didn't mean she was uninvolved, as the sudden intruder marched straight toward her without averting his gaze for a single second.
"w-what! a-are we, are we gonna fight!?"
Wimp reflexively aimed her twin swords at him, but Elysion Haute-Couture's gaze didn't waver in the slightest. Closing the distance until he was right in front of her, acting as if the blades pressed against his very life were completely out of sight.........
"I am here to see you."
"Huh......?"
"I've heard the story from Survival. Give me two days, and I shall tailor the ultimate maid outfit for you."
"Huh..................?"
"Oooooooooh!!" The members of the Dress-Up Squad erupted in excitement at his words. But Wimp, completely unable to understand any of it, could only stand there with question marks continuously popping over her head. The only frank impression her brain could barely manage to derive from the current situation was───!!
"humans are scary........."
Author's Afterword
Elysion Haute-Couture.
Elysium is the paradise of the afterlife, right? In other words, the netherworld.
Which can also be read as Meido......... I intended to create a genuinely handsome character, but this is what I ended up with.
It's true that he loves maid outfits way too much, but it's not that he went crazy from loving them too much; rather, the actions of a completely sane person acting on earnest convictions just happen to look completely insane from an outsider's perspective.
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