“Activate dual magic circle, Dark Wave!”
I first enhanced the power of the dark element with the help of the Black Field spell, and while in that state, I unleashed two Dark Waves towards the rearline players. Furthermore, I commanded the Will-o’-Wisp to initiate an aerial bombardment with dark element magic.
“Kyaaa!”
“Ahhhh!”
It went well. I managed to reduce at least half of their health, and some even succumbed to an instant death due to a successful [Ambush]. This is what happens when you let your guard down, you fools!
“Go, and… explode!”
“Clatter Clatter Clatter!”
I continued to press the attack. I had my skeleton minions, who had quietly semi-surrounded the rearline, dive in.
There were a total of eighteen enemies. Among them, there were ten who would be a nuisance to Jigoro with their archery and magic. They probably intended to harass him from a distance. It was the right tactical decision, as Jigoro seemed too dangerous to engage in close combat.
However! Consolidating the rearline in fear of individual defeat proved to be their downfall! Even the midline human players, such as the archers, gathered to shield the rear, unaware of the imminent danger. Little did they know that they were all about to fall victim to my self-destruction minions.
“W-hat happen… ?”
With precision and accuracy, I swiftly annihilated the ten members of the rearline. The execution was flawless, even impressing myself. The remaining survivors, including the “hero” guy, stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the turn of events. But my grand entrance is yet to come!
“Well, how unremarkable.”
Gradually emerging from the sea of lifeless bodies in the rearline, I made my presence known. The late hour, combined with the engulfing darkness cast by the Black Field, obscured even the glimmers of moonlight and stars.
In this dimly lit space, with only the feeble illumination of the lanterns each person carried, my arrival from the depths of darkness added a chilling element of fear. It was an unexpected delight.
Clad in a black robe adorned with precious jewels, wielding a beautifully crafted staff, and concealing my face behind a silver skull mask, my appearance stunned all the players, save for one, into silence.
“I had been looking forward to facing the elite led by the one favored by the goddess. But to be utterly decimated by my feeble ambush… What a disappointment,” I remarked.
“H-ey! What the heck is going on here?”
“H-How should I know? Some kind of event, maybe?”
Good, good. It seems they’ve misconstrued the situation just as I intended. However, a feeble ambush? It’s a classic stunt, but so what?
I’ll continue with the role-play, maintaining an air of arrogance while keeping a watchful eye on my surroundings. Emphasizing the aura of a formidable adversary is crucial! It’s the optimal strategy for victory and the most spectacular performance!
“Well, that’s good. Looks like we might have something interesting here,”
“Heh!”
Suddenly, closing in from behind me was the thief girl from the hero guy’s party. Undoubtedly, she possessed skills like [Stealth], [Sneak], and [Ambush] at a level higher than mine.
However, I had long anticipated someone with such skills. My traps were set for precisely this scenario. No problem…
“Ugh!?”
“Hmm?”
The trap didn’t trigger? Why? In order to conceal my unease, I slowly turned around, only to find the thief girl suspended in mid-air, restrained by green tentacles!
What’s going on!? This isn’t in the script! Very well, it’s improvisation time!
“Really… always betraying my expectations. Did you think I hadn’t noticed? Magic Sword” I exclaimed.
“Ah!”
“Meg!!”
While shaking my head from side to side with a sense of exasperation, I swung my Magic Sword, beheading the girl. This is how it’s supposed to go! I wanted to make it seem that way! Well done, me! I managed to defeat her naturally, without a hint of trembling in my voice.
It should be noted that if I had merely struck her neck, it would have resulted in a significant decrease in her health. However, severing the head was designed to cause instant death. It’s strange how realistic things can be in the game at times.
Setting that aside, after I caused the girl’s immediate demise, her body transformed into small, shiny particles. The tentacles that had restrained her, now devoid of their target, swiftly retreated back into the depths of the forest. What on earth was that? It seemed they weren’t enemies after all.
“You bastard!”
“Kikuno! No!”
“…you guys are really tactless. Activate dual magic circle. Dark arm.”
“Guh”
At that moment, a beautiful woman, presumably one of the hero’s allies, ran toward me while wielding a large axe. However, I swiftly deployed my two Dark Arms, one grabbing hold of her weapon-wielding right arm, while the other secured her shield-bearing left arm in a vice-like grip.
Just like the other thief girl, I impaled this girl as well with my Magic Sword through a gap in her armor, swiftly killing her. It’s still early in the game, so even if they’re part of the raiding team, their equipment leaves plenty of vulnerabilities to exploit.
Phew, but that was close. I never expected someone from the hero’s party to charge at me. Was she just prone to getting heated up easily, or was my entrance so overwhelming that it made her forget her original objective? Either way, it doesn’t matter.
“So, is it acceptable for you lot to stay flabbergasted like that? Have you all forgotten about the courageous one over there?”
“Oh no!”
That’s right. The one who remained unfazed by my appearance was Jigoro. He must have sensed that I was Isam from the timing alone. And quietly, he snapped the neck of the vanguard, who had turned his back during the thief girl’s attack and the beautiful woman’s charge.
…Honestly, I was taken aback as well. Truly, how impressive it was that my voice didn’t tremble or falter despite witnessing such a gruesome scene! I almost wanted to pat myself on the back.
Only three of the raiding group have survived. The hero, along with the girl who was kicked by Jigoro earlier, and a giant man clad in dull-colored armor.
“Now then, brave member of the goblin race. Do you desire a battle?”
“Gegya (Of course)”
Oh? Unlike the Ratmen, his reply seemed to be heard as a secondary audio track. Can I assume that with [Linguistics], I can have full-fledged communication with other monster players?
Speculations can wait for now! Instead, let me ask.
“Isn’t it a heavy burden to fight all three of them?”
“Gegyagyagya (No problem at all)!”
Heh, quite confident, aren’t you? Well, then, I’ll let you entertain me. Just as planned!
“Then show me. Show me your battle!”
“Gegyaaaaaaa (Let’s gooooo)!”
“Ugh, there’s no other choice! Rose, provide support! Claude, can I count on you as a Tank?”
“Understood!”
“Leave it to me!”
Phew, my part ends here. I’ll just sit back and watch how Jigoro handles these three. And so, huh…
“…Iris?”
“Uh, u-um!?”
Well, I was surprised to be approached like that. Even though I was blending in the darkness of Black Field and likely invisible to the three humans, thanks to my [Night vision], I could clearly observe everyone’s movements.
More importantly, if a rock as tall as my chest was getting close to me from the side, I would definitely notice. Still, in this situation, there’s no one else I could think of who would come to my aid except Iris.
That earlier tentacle… it belonged to her.
The Lesser Roper, a carnivorous plant-like species that disguises itself as a rock, extending its tentacles through gaps to capture and consume its prey. It’s said to be a merciless species, so why did this one choose such an evil race? After all, she sounds like a girl, judging from her voice.
“Why did you come here?”
“Well, um, it’s because, um, creatures like us, monsters, should help each other!”
“…I see.”
Ah, what a good kid… So you came over here, believing in my pretense where I hid my hunger for battle as companionship, right? What is it, this sudden sense of guilt? It feels like I deceived her.
Oh, the Claude guy, he was out. His cause of death appeared to be a power bomb that had been cleverly devised to prevent him from assuming a defensive position. Ouch. Well, is he dead?
“For now, I’ll send you a party request.”
“Wow, thank you very much!”
Though it wasn’t necessary, it’s true that she helped me, and besides, I had planned to do this from the beginning, so it’s not a problem. It’s just that the schedule got moved up… Oh, that Rose girl is done too. Taking away the opponent’s sword and using it to kill—is that some kind of swordless technique? Is this guy Yagyu’s (old japanese swordsmanship) founder or something?
“Ugh, ugh!”
“Gegeheh (Haha), Gugyagya (This is fun, hey)!”
Jigoro seemed to perfectly anticipate the movements of the hero’s sword. As soon as they engaged in a one-on-one battle, Jigoro effortlessly dodged every strike.
After thoroughly enjoying the fight for a while, Jigoro crouched down and aimed for the hero’s legs, performing a tackle. Then he lifted the hero’s leg and tripped him, simultaneously twisting the grabbed leg while delivering a foot blade strike to the back of his head, breaking his neck.
T-that’s too brutal! What a merciless fighter this guy was!
――――――――――
You have won the battle.
Race level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Job level increased. Gained 1 SP.
Race Level has reached its growth limit. Evolution is now possible.
Job level has reached its growth limit. Job change is now possible.
The level of [Staff Mastery] skill has increased.
The level of [Magic Control] skill has increased.
The level of [Black Magic] skill has increased.
The level of [Void Magic] skill has increased.
The level of [Summoning Magic] skill has increased.
Newly learned “one stage evolution” spell.
The level of [Enchatement] skill has increased.
The level of [Magic Circle] skill has increased.
The level of [Necromancy] skill has increased.
The level of [Trap Magic] skill has increased.
The level of [Linguistics] skill has increased.
The level of [Appraisal] skill has increased.
The level of [Stealth] skill has increased.
[Stealth] has reached its growth limit. Evolution is now possible.
The level of [Sneak] skill has increased.
The level of [Ambush] skill has increased.
――――――――――
Many skills increased in level, but first, I had to make introductions.
“Is it over, Jigoro?”
“Yeah, Isam”
As I thought, he understood my words. This is the perfect opportunity.
“First of all, I’m grateful for your help. If you weren’t here, I would have respawned back at the Goblin Village. So, what exactly are you? An NPC?” Jigoro asked.
“Hahaha! If I managed to deceive even an ally, then nobody should underestimate my acting skills!”
“Does that mean you’re a player? Your acting was so realistic. And what about that rock over there?”
“Let me introduce you. Although we’re not particularly close to begin with… This is Ms. Iris. Ms. Iris, this is Jigoro, also known as the ‘Nightmare of the Northern Mountain.’”
“Gegegya (Nice to meet you)!”
“Shurururu (Nice to meet you)!”
Hmm, this situation is not ideal. The fact that neither of them possesses the [Linguistics] skill hinders their ability to communicate with each other. My words were voiced in a language that both of them could understand… This was inconvenient.
“Mr. Jigoro, actually, it’s quite troublesome. Would it be alright if we address each other by name without formalities?”
“Sure, that works with me.”
“Thank you. Well, originally, I came here with the intention of offering my assistance to Ms. Iris, who was in a difficult situation and had nowhere else to turn.”
“Oh, I see. And what’s this ‘Nightmare of the Northern Mountains’ all about?”
As I suspected, he was also someone who, like me, never bothered reading the bulletin board. He seemed unaware of how feared he was.
“It’s about you.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve slaughtered numerous players, right? The title was given to you by those who feared you.”
“Wow, I see.”
“By the way, it seems the group you just annihilated was a party assembled to take you down. They were completely defeated, though.”
“I see, so that’s why they were all strong…”
Jigoro placed his hand on his forehead and gazed up at the sky in a nostalgic way. Before he knew it, he had become infamous, even to the extent that top players would come in groups to kill him.
“So, what do you think? If it’s okay with both of you, I can invite you to my hideout.”
“Seriously?”
“Is that true?!”
“Yeah. It’s not just about monsters helping each other… The main reason is different. To be honest, playing solo in this MMO gets dull. I wanted companions. It may be a rude request, but would you both consider becoming my allies?”
Although we had just met, I didn’t think either of them was a bad person. Aside from Jigoro’s combat obsession and slightly vulgar language, he seemed like a friendly young man. As for Iris, she might be easily deceived, but she was a sincere and kind-hearted girl. I really wanted them to become my companions.
“I owe you one, Isam. I was actually just thinking of bowing down and asking for your help.” Ggigor said.
“Um, well, I might be a burden, but please take care of me!” Iris added.
Oh, they both agreed! That’s great news.
“Thank you. Let’s depart immediately, then. Once the sun rises, I’ll turn to ashes. Jigoro, take this. It’s a healing potion I created. I think it’s not bad.”
“Thank you for everything till now. I’ll repay the favor through battles!”
Saying that, Jigoro quickly drank the healing potion. I could drink it myself, but if I tried, I would take damage instead, so there was no way for me to test it… I wonder how it tastes.
In any case, it would take a little over two hours of walking at my usual pace to reach the base from here. We will definitely be able to return before sunrise.
“Oh, um, excuse me!”
Oh? Iris timidly extended one of her tentacles. She must have had something she wanted to say.
“What’s wrong?”
“Um, I also want… to be called by my name without honorifics!”
Ah, right. We were allies, so it’s not appropriate to be overly formal forever. Since I spoke casually with Jigoro, I should do the same with her.
“Got it, Iris… Is that okay?”
“Y-Yes!”
“By the way, Isam, where is your hideout?”
Ah, I forgot to mention that. Well, since they’ll eventually find out anyway, I should let them know and prepare them beforehand.
“My hideout is located under Firth City, in a hidden room within the sewers.”
◆◇◆◇◆◇
“[The Hilarious Femur]”
“”Ooooh!””
The two of them exclaimed in awe as they witnessed the slowly opening wall and the revealed door leading to the laboratory. Perhaps this sense of excitement was something shared by everyone.
Oh, I had changed the password. It felt reassuring to have a word that nobody else would ever say.
“Wow, this is amazing! I never expected a hidden room to be so perfectly concealed like this!”
“W-Wow, just for finding it, I received 10 SP!”
Oh, so the discovery bonus applied to subsequent players as well. However, the amount of SP had decreased. It seemed there was a distinction between the first person and the rest.
“Welcome to my laboratory. As long as you don’t break anything, feel free to use it as you please. We still have the earlier discussion to address as well. What do you think?”
“Um… I’m fine with it!”
Iris touched the earthen wall of the base with her tentacles, confirming its texture. Our conversation along the way had been about the renovation plans for the base.
Apparently, when Iris was creating her character, she had requested from the god to have a race that could perform various tasks simultaneously. The result was the Lesser Roper, with its versatile tentacles.
Certainly, this race seemed capable of multitasking with their numerous tentacles… but I couldn’t help but feel that the goddess’s sense of aesthetics was a bit off.
And from the mention of the word “tasks,” it became clear that Iris was a production-type player. Her skills were mostly focused on production and gathering, except for those determined by her race. She was thoroughly dedicated to a different direction than me.
Among her numerous ability skills, Iris had one called [Mining] and she suggested that we could use it to expand the base. It was a fascinating idea.
Despite the accidents I encountered, it was genuinely delightful to have new members join me. With more people, the possibilities of what we could accomplish and the things we wanted to do would undoubtedly increase. I quite looked forward to what lay ahead!
――――――――――
Name: Isam
Race: Skeleton Lv10 (max!)
Job: Apprentice Mage Lv10 (max!)
Titles:
- Knowledge Seeker
- Title Earner
- Heretic
- Underdog
- Mastermind Strategist
- Trial Survivor
Remaining SP: 138
Skills:
- [Staff Mastery] Lv13 (up!)
- [Magic Control] Lv15 (up!)
- [Earth Magic] Lv9
- [Water Magic] Lv9
- [Flame Magic] Lv0
- [Wind Magic] Lv9
- [Black Magic] Lv2 (up!)
- [Void Magic] Lv1 (up!)
- [Summoning Magic] Lv10 (up!)
- [Enchantment] Lv7 (up!)
- [Magic Circle] Lv9 (up!)
- [Necromancy] Lv7 (up!)
- [Curse] Lv5
- [Trap Magic] Lv7 (up!)
- [Archaeology] Lv7
- [Linguistics] Lv6 (up!)
- [Pharmacology] Lv7
- [Alchemy] Lv7
- [Appraisal] Lv10 (up!)
- [Night Vision] Lv-
- [Stealth] Lv10 (max!)
- [Sneak] Lv9 (up!)
- [Ambush] Lv7 (up!)
- [Status Resistance] Lv-
- [Light Weakness] Lv6
- [Blunt Attack Weakness] Lv10
Unique Skill:
- [Yifa’s Blessing]
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