Chapter 852: The Day Before: Standby → Ready
Author's Preface
I saw a comment somewhere that said "It hasn't been updated in so long, I assumed it was already finished w (roughly translated)" and that, conversely, touched Katarina's reverse scale!
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I don't recall abandoning the world, so the world must have abandoned me.
If that's the case, then my time licking up offal on this rock-hard floor is over. Let us return to the world of men...
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........................ I'm so fucking tired."
It was seriously down to the wire, but I'm just glad I managed to get the finishing touches done in time.
A disgusting, faux-Arachne that looked like someone ripped the head off a spider and glued the upper half of a gorilla onto it......... I think its name was Plato 2-6?......... A massive, irrational monster that seemed like a direct insult to the entire ecosystem lay defeated on the ground. It was a simple physical monster whose entire concept was basically, "If you combine the high-speed movement of eight legs with the gorilla half swinging its massive arms fortified by the acceleration of that mobility, you get the strongest power, right?"
『.........I am surprised. Yes, truly surprised. While Plato 2-6 did not acquire any special abilities, it was the entity that reached the sixth rank of the Second Trial based purely on physical specs alone. To think you defeated it entirely on your own.............』
"I mean, yeah, its power and speed were insane, but it didn't actually have that much health............ My head hurts......... To think something with that appearance was the same evasion-tank type as me............"
『Even if you gained an advantage through affinity and countermeasures, the difference in sheer performance shouldn't have been something you could overcome.........』
While watching Ivory, who seemed completely appalled—perhaps finding it quite shocking—I check my status screen.
A wide smirk spreads across my face as I gaze at the ideal string of text displayed there, before closing the window.
"I mean, against an irrational amalgamation like that, if you just keep aiming for the joints, it'll naturally tear apart and die... And if we're moving at the same speed, the one who can make tighter turns has the advantage. Even so, it took way too much time and I died multiple times, though."
For better or worse, this game has absolutely no time limits on fighting monsters. If you really wanted to, you could just keep fighting the same monster over and over for an entire day. But more importantly, since it's a gimmick monster acting as a trial to reach the next layer, it stays right there, meaning its health carries over on rematches, which is a massively advantageous condition for me.
『However, it seemed to me that your movements during the battle were clearly not optimized for efficiency?』
"Well......... the truth is, actually winning was secondary."
Ivory's expression shifted to one of questioning at my words, but since that's the truth, it can't be helped.
The reason I went out of my way to come here and trade blows with a monster clearly not meant for solo play despite my completely packed schedule was simple: this was the only place that fulfilled nearly all my conditions—an enemy I could "encounter reliably," had "an absurdly high amount of health," and whose "performance could be pre-investigated to some extent."
"My stats have practically reached ideal values, and I've already adjusted my non-point-based physical specs using the body modifications Eta-Zero taught me directly."
I'm basically a modified human at this point. Where did the fantasy worldview go... Did it wander off to the moon?
"All that's left is figuring out just how far I can train my skills."
Re-acquiring skills, strengthening them, evolving them, linking them......... In the world of ShanFro, where we still haven't even seen the bottom of exactly how many skills exist, skill-building isn't just endgame content, it's endless content. I don't intend to completely master that bottomless path of strengthening right here and now, but regardless, since I happened to gain a little "realization," I wanted to train them as much as possible.
Due to the nature of acquiring, strengthening, and branching skills based on player actions, a player's skills essentially naturally mold to their specific playstyle once they reach a certain level of completion. Because of that, the need to seek "anything beyond that" fades.
That is exactly why I only realized it because of my connection to an NPC named Elke, who will do all sorts of things with skills if you just pile up enough money. Actually, maybe this is common knowledge for the majority of the playerbase?
───The truth is, in this game, the truly important skills were the ones with levels......... Especially among skills that contain the name of some god, the ones with levels hold an exceptionally high degree of importance. After all, skills with levels......... can be fused. In other words, skill fusion isn't an automatic branch triggered by leveling up; it's a method of acquiring branched skills that players can manually control.
While I was staring at my status screen with an evil smirk, Ivory, whether she knew that or not, simply gave a response suited to our conversation.
『I see. In short......... you were seeking a practical punching bag.』
"You got a problem with that?"
When I asked Ivory—who I consider to be leagues ahead of anyone else in lacking moral fiber—if she was dissatisfied that a creation she built was being used as a punching bag, the response I got was a smile and a denial.
『No. What you have accomplished is undeniably a step carved into the path of humanity becoming the apex species, Sunraku.』
"Ah, right..."
『However............』
However?
As I hurriedly collected the massive pile of former Plato 2-6, Ivory displayed a rather loaded attitude. It wasn't an attitude suggesting that Plato 2-6 being defeated caused an inconvenience; rather, it felt as though the very fact that I managed to defeat Plato 2-6 was what created the inconvenience.
『From your personal data, Sunraku, I am aware that you have encountered Wethermon.』
"Did you just casually violate my privacy???"
『Wethermon Amatsuki was the strongest individual. To the extent that the entirety of humanity aboard Behemoth and Leviathan... the ones who scattered on the battlefield, the ones who survived......... and even "Those" who viewed humanity with hostility, all had to acknowledge the sheer might of the singular entity known as Wethermon. It continued to elevate the recognition of the entity Wethermon Amatsuki......... and his disappearance was one of the fatal catastrophes of that era.』
Wethermon. Feels like it's been ages since I heard that name. No, maybe not? My recent memories and fatigue have been so brutal that everything feels like the distant past.
『......Isana seems to desire a recreation of the Wethermon Amatsuki case, but I am personally opposed to it.』
"Why?"
Since I've communicated with both of them quite a bit, I had a vague feeling that Isana was seeking strength in individual Second Humanity, but conversely, Ivory is saying that's undesirable.
『To be the paragon is not something that can be achieved solely through the prosperity of a single individual... Humanity itself must become the apex species on this planet through the inheritance as a species and the strengthening predicated on generations. What is demanded of humanity more than anything else is continuous victory.』
To summarize, including Isana's ideology.
Because equipment was standardized during the Divine Age, humanity was completely crushed by the Genesis forces who "adapted" to it. The fact that the strongest individual of the Divine Age, Wethermon, bailed halfway through was probably one of the main reasons they got so close to total defeat.
Therefore, Isana is seeking a strength that is not devoid of individuality from the next generations of humanity—the First and Second Humanity. After all, the difference between a thousand grunts and a thousand heroes who are each worth a thousand men is like heaven and earth.
But in response to that, Ivory is basically saying, "Even if every single individual becomes strong, what are you going to do for the next generation when they all disappear?" In an extreme scenario, if every player retired, could the remaining NPCs survive on their own? That's what she means.
...All I can say to that is, "Could you say that to the management's scenario team instead of a player?" But throwing out a meta-joke like that probably wouldn't positively affect the event progression. Plus, my brain is just simply too exhausted to calculate a smart answer.
"Well, y'know, it's not like everyone in the world is lining up shoulder-to-shoulder to run the exact same race. Regardless of whether it's sooner or later, humanity will figure something out."
And so, I muddied the tea with a dismissive, 'it'll work out somehow' type of answer.
『.........I suppose so. You all are still far too young; it would be too early to rush things.』
It didn't exactly feel like perfect communication. But anyway, I'm tired, and my schedule is packed. With my back-hair being pulled, I left the Behemoth.
Author's Afterword
Skills classified into a specific category other than martial arts styles.
Skills that possess a level, unlike standard skills that basically lack levels and are considered completed in a way.
Perhaps these skills, which grow and merge with other skills to transform into a new form, could be thought of like this:
Rather than a 1+1 of equal value, it's about transforming a special "1" into a different form.
Summary: It's like the fixed material requirement for a Contact Fusion. [*1]
Sunraku's evil scheme: "Couldn't I mass-produce XX-God skills using that skill as the base material?!"
Translator's Notes
- [1] : Contact Fusion is a mechanic in Yu-Gi-Oh! where certain monsters fuse without Polymerization but require a specific fixed monster as a mandatory ingredient.
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