After taking a good break and logging in, I heard the sound of something being struck. There was no mistaking it…. someone was practicing hand-to-hand combat.
“Haha! Nice! You’re good, huh? This is fun, hey!”
“Is that one no good either? You’re very strong, aren’t you?”
“Haha. It’s almost funny that nothing works on you.”
The ones sparring were Jigoro and the pair of Hanna and Roja. They weren’t using magic or martial skills but apart from that, they were seriously clashing. Jigoro with his gauntlets, was deflecting Hanna’s Two-edged Halbred and dodging Roja’s charge with nimble footwork.
As expected of the fierce competitor of our “Night Walkers” guild, who was vying with Genjuro for the title of the strongest. Jigoro had the upper hand against the tournament-winning pair of Hanna who had now transformed into a Hero Jianshi and Roja who was the perfect steed. This was a feat I could never hope to achieve.
Watching Jigoro eagerly engage in a brawl whenever he had the chance, I couldn’t help but think that maybe he had been holding back until now. Or perhaps it was just that the addition of various types of players to our group had loosened the reins? Either way, it didn’t matter, as long as he didn’t cause trouble for the other members.
“Hey, boss. Not everyone is here yet.”
“Seems so. We’re not in a hurry; let’s wait a bit.”
As I watched the sparring session, Seventh Armor landed on my staff. Since I had time to kill, I decided to chat with him.
“Hey, Seventh Armor, do you frequently check the bulletin boards?”
“Well… I’m not glued to them, but I generally skim through the hot topics.”
“Then you must know what I’m curious about, right?”
“It’s got to be the reincarnation system, nothing else.”
Seventh Armor responded immediately and his guess was spot on. The hottest topic at the moment was about the release of the reincarnation system. A player who had actually reincarnated posted about the system, but they didn’t write about where to go or what to do, so there wasn’t much actually known.
“That’s right. I’m quite satisfied with my current race, but what about you, Seventh Armor?”
“I’m fine too. I do have a form I want to evolve into, though.”
“Oh? May I ask what it is?”
“Sure. I’m aiming to become a Tengu Crow!”
I see. He must have heard it from Jigoro or Genjuro. It wasn’t strange for him to aspire to become a Tengu Crow, especially since I heard that Tengu Crows existed in the Aquaria Islands.
“So, you want to keep your ability to fly but also have arms and legs?”
“Yeah. It’s refreshing and fun not having arms and legs, but it’s starting to get inconvenient… For the same reason, Moth-san is also aiming to become a race with at least arms.”
Considering that players are humans accustomed to using tools, it’s inevitable that they would desire arms and legs. As beasts, especially birds, equipping too many weapons or armor could hinder their greatest feature: flying, leaving uncertainties in both offense and defense. Currently, they could only equip necklaces and anklets. It’s natural to want a form that allows for basic armor.
“However, gaining arms and legs won’t be easy. It’ll likely require completing difficult quests or obtaining rare items. When that time comes, let me help you as much as I can.”
“Having companions really is reassuring! If there’s something I can’t handle alone, I’ll definitely seek your advice.”
Seventh Armor said this with a rattling laugh. Then, we continued chatting and watching the vanguards of our guild sparring with each other until everyone gathered.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
It seemed like we reached the middle slopes of the “Black Death Ice Forest”. The monsters that appeared here were a mix of undead and creatures like beasts and insects. As we ventured deeper, there seemed to be an increasing trend of undead monsters.
We also encountered several instances where the undead monsters were fighting with other creatures. It appeared to be a typical pattern for the undead to attack all forms of life. I would also like to add that we played the role of the fisherman and took advantage of the situation.
“Everyone, something is approaching! There are twelve of them!”
“Get ready for battle.”
Ruby, who was quick to sense the enemy’s approach, called out an alert. We were used to it, so we reflexively set up our usual battle formation.
“Could they be Isam’s relatives?”
“Maybe, but I doubt they’ll listen to what I’d say.”
What emerged in front of us were five demon spirits, wielding staffs like mages, and seven skeletons wearing armor and armed with swords and round shields.
This in itself would have been surprising enough, seeing the undead behaving like an organized army. However, when I saw their faces exposed under the helmets, I noticed something odd. The bones were mixed with something like gold dust. They were clearly not ordinary skeleton warriors. What were they, exactly?
――――――――――
Race: Demon Spirit Lv51~53
Job: Sorcerer Lv1~3
Skills:
- [Staff Mastery]
- [Intelligence Enhancement]
- [Spirit Enhancement]
- [Black Magic]
- [Space-Time Magic]
- [Void Magic]
- [Curse]
- [Frenzy]
- [Wailing Shriek]
- [Physical Attack Immunity]
- [Magic Weakness]
- [Status Immunity]
- [Light Weakness]
Race: Spartoi Lv52~55
Job: Apprentice Swordsman Lv2~5
Skills:
- [Supernatural Strength]
- [Sword Mastery]
- [Shield Mastery]
- [Armor Mastery]
- [Health Enhancement]
- [Strength Enhancement]
- [Defense Enhancement]
- [Agility Enhancement]
- [Terror Aura]
- [Status Immunity]
- [Light Weakness]
――――――――――
According to the results of the [Appraisal], it seemed that the Demon Spirits were as I had thought of the mage class. The other monsters appeared to be Spartoi (Dragontooth soldier) monsters. This one too, as its appearance suggested, belonged to a variety of undead and possessed a warrior-like skill set.
However, there were some strange parts. The level of their race and the class of their job didn’t seem to match. Their skills hadn’t evolved either, almost as if they were players who had just started playing.
“Could it be that they were only recently created…?”
The mismatch between the race level and the job of Spartoi led me to speculate that they might have been newly spawned. However, I couldn’t dwell on this thought for long. Analysis and contemplation would have to wait!
“We go as usual! Watch out for the Demon Spirit’s curses!”
“Got it, here I come!”
Jigoro charged in first, delivering a flying kick straight at one of the Spartoi. Although the monster held up its shield, Jigoro’s kicks had the power to blow away even Eiji, the heaviest among us. I wondered if the Spartoi, with its mere bony body and unevolved skills, could withstand it.
“Crack…”
“Next!”
“Thud…”
As expected, the Spartoi was blown away by the flying kick. It had a skill called [Supernatural Strength], but so did Jigoro. It seemed they couldn’t win in a contest of strength.
Furthermore, Jigoro spun his body in the air like a top and delivered a spinning kick to another Spartoi, knocking it away. As usual, his movements were too fluid to believe a human was controlling the avatar.
“Follow Jigoro’s lead!”
“Yes!”
“Here we go!”
“Guoooooo!”
Jigoro who had plunged in alone was soon followed by the vanguards, who slashed their way in. Hanna who was riding on Roja, widened the gap made by Jigoro, and Genjuro and the others brought chaos to the battle. Karl too swooped down from above, slashing with his claws and tail. Alright, now it’s our turn!
“Leave the Spartoi monsters to the vanguard, and we’ll take care of the Demon Spirits! As usual, stay calm and aim!”
“Yees!”
“Got it~~ssu!”
While being cautious of instantaneous movement due to [Space-Time Magic], we timed our spells to intercept the enemy’s attempts to cast [Curse] on our allies. Repeating this should lead us to a safe victory. That’s what I thought when suddenly…
“Ah! What? I can’t move!?”
“Eiji!?”
Eiji who had been fighting one of the Spartoi monsters, suddenly stiffened up and couldn’t move. An icon indicating a status ailment appeared on his marker!
“Fear…? Damn it! It’s the [Terror Aura]!”
Eiji seemed to have fallen victim to the Spartoi’s [Terror Aura]. I assumed it was a skill similar to my [Abyssal Aura], capable of inflicting status ailments at a low probability. We had been overconfident, thinking it wouldn’t affect us.
“Holy Shield! Karl, take Eiji and retreat for now!”
“Grrru!”
“Seventh Armor, create a distraction with all the summoned beasts you have!”
“Right away!”
If things continued as they were, Eiji would be relentlessly attacked. First, I created a barrier between him and the Spartoi to buy some time. Then, I had Karl, who could fly and was strong enough to carry him, pull him away. To ensure a successful retreat, I planned to use Sevneth Armor’s [Summoning Magic] to hold off the enemy…
“Th-thank you for saving me!”
“How long until you can move?”
“About ten seconds, I guess.”
“Wait here until you recover. Karl! If anyone else falls into a state of fear, bring them here just like this.”
“Guooooooo!”
Karu responded with a powerful roar and soared away. Ever since he evolved to become larger and more imposing, Karl’s combat power was remarkably high. His forceful and aggressive fighting style sometimes even made us, his allies, feel momentarily intimidated.
“Gah! Can’t move!”
“Shishu is affected too. Karl!”
“Guoo!”
“I can move now.”
Karl quickly rescued Shishu, who was frozen in fear and swiftly returned. At the same moment, Eiji had recovered from his status ailment and rose to his feet. Without needing any instructions from me, Karl effortlessly picked him up and carried him back to the battlefield.
“Holy Ray! Karl is so smart!” I said.
“Purification! So true.” Iris added.
Thanks to Karl, the vanguard could instantly retreat to the rear whenever they fell into fear, eliminating any chance of our defeat. We were set to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop!
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Even though everyone occasionally fell into fear status ailment afterward, we managed to finish off the undead horde without any other problems.
“That was close.”
“Yes. We were unprepared for such status ailments.”
After the battle, I found myself agreeing with Moth-san’s frank opinion. While we had adequately prepared for the cold, other aspects were lacking. Limited information was partly to blame, but as someone who usually proceeds with caution, it was a frustrating oversight.
“From now on, we need to be careful of status ailments like fear.”
“I agree. But it would be too cowardly to retreat now. Let’s continue exploring a bit more. We might find materials for items that grant resistance to fear from the monsters here.”
“That’s…possible. Okay, let’s tell everyone else.”
The “Black Death Ice Forest” might be more challenging than we thought. Since we’re not in a hurry, let’s settle down and tackle it thoroughly.
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