Volume 1: New Game+

Chapter 7: Trouble A’brewing at the Mist Witch Lookout (Part 2)

Gathered together in the Grand Mission Field, 4 Parties tried to defeat as many Mobs as they could, tried to deal as much damage as they could to the Boss Mob, and tried to clear the quest as fast as possible. They competed with each other in these aspects of 「Points」and「Time」.
Partic.i.p.ating Players always had to keep track of their party member’s HP while looking out for Mobs, and they also had to worry about the Boss Mob at the end. However, there was one more thing a player must not forget about.
That was, “interference” from other partic.i.p.ating players.

In the world of Dragon’s Krone, as long as you were in the Field or a Dungeon, if you were in any place were Mobs could sp.a.w.n, then it was always a possibility that you might enter into combat with other players. As long as you were in these areas,「PvP (Player versus player)」 was always a viable concern.
As you struggled to fight against a Mob, you had to consider the possibility that another player might come from behind and strike you down. That constant tension was one of the many thrills of Dragon’s Krone. This was one of the reasons why a very small number of people became Solo Players, just like Aran was.

And of course, the Field for the Grand Mission was no exception.
However, players would normally never start PvPing during a Grand Mission.
The reason was simple, if you started PvPing then you would become preoccupied with your opponent and the other parties would get ahead and hunt down all the Mobs instead. As a result, PvPing was mutually detrimental to both the attacking and defending party.

Although it was called interference, neighboring parties still had enough spare time to fire off a few spells like the Lighting Magic Spell【Boltage[1] 】. This didn’t result in any major time loss, but this level of interference was merely a small annoyance. During the Grand Mission was it was common knowledge that PvP had nothing but demerits to it── And yet, before Edgar was a sight completely beyond his expectations.

「E-EDGAR!」
「S-SAVE USS!」

Andou and Yamabuki’s cries for help reached Edgar’s ears.
Just like he had expected, both of them had lost almost all of their health. They were on the verge of death.
However, the opponents they were facing was something that Edgar was not prepared for.
The thing they were fighting against was not the fearsome orcs── It was 2 other players.

「……Would you be their comrades?」
「Haa, you’ve come really late huh」

Holding down Yamabuki was a dark-skinned player with a black martial arts outfit, and pointing his huge sword at Andou was a second one-eyed Player with a smirk on his face.
The man wearing the martial arts outfit was part of the attacker cla.s.s 「Monk」, and the man who was blind in one eye was the same cla.s.s as Andou, a Fighter── Without a healer on their team, they were cla.s.ses highly specialized in offense. I didn’t see the other 3 people in their party anywhere, but they probably got split apart like we did.
Even so, why is it that Andou and Yamabuki aren’t fighting against orcs, and instead were fighting against players?
I had accepted the idea that we might find them fighting against orcs, but this situation is──

「Egdar! You’re way too fast! Didn’t I say you can’t abandon me…. Wait, what the h.e.l.l is this!?」
「……ッ! Andou-kun!? Yamabuki-kun!?」
「Oops, stop right there, just sit tight and don’t move a muscle」

With a grin surfacing on the one-eyed Fighter face as he gave them a warning while pointing his sword at Andou, as if the two of them had taken hostages.

「W-What on earth are you guys doing!」
「Can’t you tell just by looking? I’m pretty much pointing my sword right at your comrades, you know?」

Sneering at them, the Fighter spat back at Megu.
Hearing those words, Edgar slowly started to piece together the situation.
Now that I’ve had a good look around, It seems like the surrounding orcs have all been defeated.
In other words, these guy’s objective is not the orcs, but they’re aiming for Andou and Yamabuki. And, they’re also going after us, their party members trying to save them.
So this means──

「You guys……Are you Player Killers?」

The sound of Suzu’s voice filled the area.
PK (Player Killer), this term summed up players who were intent on attacking others.
In PvP, both parties consent to the same terms before engaging in combat. However, unlike PvP, PKers don’t ask for consent…… many of them simply fight because they are driven by evil intent.

「Who knows~? I wonder~」
「……Even though there shouldn’t be any merit to PvP and PK during the Grand Mission, the reason why you are doing this… I can only thing of one reason though」
「Heeh~, you’re not just a pretty face huh, you seem to know your stuff. I have absolutely no idea what you could be referring to though」

The dark-skinned monk wore a disgusting smile on his face.
But, although a grimace appeared on her face for a moment, Suzu continued on without any hesitation.

「『Collusion』 is prohibited by the rules you know」
「Hahaha!」

At Suzu’s words the two players raised their voices and laughed.
Collusion, a type of unfair foul-play that could be called abusive conduct. Simply put, it was like a form of match-fixing.

In Dragon’s Krone, Collusion during the Grand Mission has been a long time problem.
The 4 Parties that are chosen to partic.i.p.ate in the Grand Mission are selected at random by using a special lottery system.
The reason they used this system, was to deal with Collusion in Dragon’s Krone.
The details are as such.
Before the start of the Mission two parties becomes friends with each other, and if they happen to enter the same specialized Field, then one of the parties would start PKing every other party besides they allied party. And then, as one of the parties go around PKing, the other party will head to the Boss Mob and take it down.
Since acts of malicious collusion ruined the purpose of partic.i.p.ating in the Grand Mission, it was prohibited by the rules of conduct. If the admins were to find out that you were colluding, then you would receive severe punishments and might even have your account permanently frozen.

「Saying that we’re Colluding…… Are you trying to pick a fight with us? You got any proof of that?」
「The fact that you are PKing during the Grand Mission where there is no benefit in doing so is proof enough. Please step away from those two. And I will be reporting your actions to the administrators」

Suzu stood firm and didn’t back down. But the mood of the two players turned sour.

「……Oi, even though your just a beginner with no combat experience, are you trying to act all c.o.c.ky?」
「……ッ」

The Monk sent an intimidating glare towards them; Suzu and Megu subconsciously froze up.
In terms of level the Monk and the Fighter were around Suzu and Megu’s level, but they clearly carried the airs of being skilled players.
Most likely, they made these characters so that they could be thrown away even if their accounts got exposed for collusion, Edgar came to such a conclusion. For these two, they probably only see players partic.i.p.ating in the Grand Mission as 「Nothing but weaklings」.
The way they look down on us, it could be plainly felt in their att.i.tude.

「d.a.m.n, this really f.u.c.king sucks. You guys are just so rude, accusing us of something like that… Seems like you need to give you guys some strict『Training』」
「Yea, Agreed」

The two players slowly got on their feet, and bore their fangs.
a.s.saulted by their intimidation, Suzu and Megu reflexively took a step back.
Perhaps they have confidence in their「Knowledge」and「Technique」. With those PvP weapons that weren’t reflected in one’s Status, they that arrogant smiles on their face as if their victory was guaranteed.

However, they are not the only ones confident in their PvP abilities.

「In that case, shall we do it?」
「…… Ah?」

Casually walking up to confront the two── was Edgar.

「E-Edgar-kun!?」
「Hey, Wait, Edgar! This is bad you know!」

Suzu and Megu’s expressions grew pale.
Unlike fighting against Mobs, PvP was not that simple.
As long as you repeatedly fought against Mobs who only act according to their programming, eventually you would be able to completely understand their movements. But this was not the same when fighting against other players who could read your movements and then adapt their strategy to counteract you. And even more so for experienced players, they could make split second decisions and change their actions accordingly. In a very short time they could grasp their opponent’s movements and then「Predict[2]」their thought process.
These Two could easily tell that they were more experienced than us, and Suzu and the others could probably also feel that sensation on their skin.

「……Pfft, You? Fight against us? What, with a level like yours?」
「You best give up. I get that you’re trying to act cool in front of a bunch of girls, But shouldn’t you read the mood a little better? Newbie 」

“What a complete joke,” the two people burst out laughing.
Although his level went up after fighting against the orcs, Edgar was still only level 3. He wasn’t even half the level of either the Monk or the Fighter.
However, Edgar still had a laxed expression.

「What? Was all that talk for nothing? You scared of me or something?」
「……Wha!?」

Unthinkable for the real world him, Edgar shot threatening words at the two.
Perhaps they were surprised by those words, Suzu and Megu stood completely baffled. And not just them, but the delinquent Monk and Fighter were also dumbfounded.

「…… Now ain’t this getting interesting. Don’t go crying to mommy, d.a.m.n newbie」

The man who was a Monk made such a terrifyingly angry face that you won’t think it belonged to a human.

「Edgar, let me also……」
「I’ll be fine. Megu-san, and Suzu-san, you should preserve your HP and Stamina for when we head over to fight the Boss Mob」

Edgar replied to Megu and Suzu who were looking uneasy.
And so, taking up his starting samurai weapon, the uchigatana, Edgar readied his stance.

From the looks of it, their equipment is pretty high quality compared to their level. And addition, their levels are barely within the upper restriction for partic.i.p.ating in the Grand Mission.
They were higher in terms of equipment, Status, and combat forces.
Moreover, the situation is 1 vs 2.
If you think about it normally, I’m the one with a disadvantage.

「Hey, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d」

With a broad grin on his face the one-eyed Fighter called out to him.

「Shouldn’t you consult the wiki and fix your skills before coming here? What the h.e.l.l do you plan on doing with that totally f.u.c.ked up Skill Build?」
「Kuku-, Now don’t be like that. Can’t you see he’s just some newbie he doesn’t even know who he should be afraid of? They say ignorance is a strength too ya know」
「Oh, I see」

The sound of their vulgar laughter rang out.
Just as those two said, the skills Edgar obtained upon reaching level 3, they were far off from the theoretically ideal skill build.
A one of the Samurai’s active skills; the First Skill in the【Lower Stance】Tree, 【Ground Rush】.
The Counter Skill in the 【Middle Stance】Tree, 【Tsubame-Gaes.h.i.+[3]】.
And the First Skill in the【Upper Stance】Tree, the Attack Skill【Diagonal Slice】──
Without any uniformity in the Skill Trees, whichever way you look at it, Edgar’s skills made it seem like he just threw Skill Points around randomly.

「Edgar-kun」

Suddenly Edgar heard Suzu’s voice close to his ear.

「……What is it?」
「Those people, they’re probably sub-characters. I think they have a high level of game knowledge. They are really…… dangerous」

Suzu softly whispered those words into his ear, and Edgar turned and looked at her as if saying that he understood that.
Of course, Edgar had also suspected something like that.

「I’ll be fine. There’s no way in h.e.l.l I’ll lose to some colluding sc.u.mbags」
「……ッ!」

With a glare in his eyes, Edgar scowled at the Monk.
Aside from pointing their swords at Suzu and Megu, Edgar was genuinely furious with the two of them because they were Colluding.
Edgar was, he was one of the people who wholeheartedly despised players who used unfair methods such as Collusion.
Here in my beloved Dragon’s Krone, things like Collusion might harm the game’s longevity, and this is an absolutely unforgivable offense to me. I don’t know what will happen to those other Colluding players, but at the very least I will be sure to thoroughly punish these two.

「Hey, what’s wrong, newbie. Bring it on already」
「…… You don’t have to tell me that」

Glancing to his side at the worried Suzu, with a bang, Edgar kicked off the ground.
The distance was about 3 steps. Without even having to use 【Ground Rush】, he instantly zeroed in on the Monk.
Seeing Edgar immediately bridge the distance between them, the Monk swiftly readied his guard.
That stance is from the Monk Cla.s.s’s Skill Tree 【Earth Form】 huh.
Rather than relying on multiple punches, this skill tree utilized broad footwork to deal ma.s.sive damage in one hit. I should be on the lookout for skills that ignore defense──

「ORAAA!!」

Aiming for a counter, the Monk made his move.
A brilliant effect shot out, resembling the motion of a frontal kick, the trajectory changed, and with the side of his foot he let loose a「Leg Blade」.
This was the skill that Edgar had been cautious of, The【Crush Kick】.
As if he was swinging a blade, the kick sliced through the air and a.s.saulted Edgar with an explosive sound.
However, the【Crush Kick】 meant as a counter simply cut through thin air.
In that instant Edgar had warped his body; He s.h.i.+fted his body’s axis to the side.

「……ッ!?」

Perhaps he didn’t expect Edgar to dodge just in the nick of time, the Monk simply looked on with wide open eyes, and in his mind Edgar was chuckling to himself.
Mob combat and PvP combat, he couldn’t even count the number of times he has experienced these before. For someone like Edgar, that single attack was enough for him to accurately a.s.sess him opponent.

If this guy was a high level player, then there’s no way he would start off by using【Crush Kick】in PvP combat.
The start up time it too slow, the motion is easily read, and you would most likely eat a Counter after using it.
If he was a highly experienced Monk, then he would use a mult.i.tude of swift and small attacks while mixing in a couple of skills. Simply firing off a skill like that, he isn’t thinking and is just playing it by the book.
This guy, I thought he might be somewhat skilled since he was so full of himself, but I guess he’s only on an intermediate level huh.

「Haha, nice job dodging that!」

“But, you avoiding it was just a fluke,” he made sure to add that last part on the end. Next, the Monk began attacking with a flurry of light attacks.
Low Kick, In-Low Kick, Right Jab, Middle Thrust──
Unlike the【Crush Kick】he used earlier, one after another, he kept aiming those short attacks at Edgar.

「HAHAHA! ORA ORA ORAAaa!! What’s the matter Newbiee!」
「EDGAR-KUUN!」

The Monk yelled out triumphantly, and from behind Suzu’s scream could be heard.
However, Edgar didn’t seem the last bit concerned.
Swift attacks like these, only a few of them could be dodged. However, as a consequence of using multiple skills to connect each attack, it was impossible to deal much damage with them.

Aaah, this is seriously a pain in the a.s.s.
His choice of attacks is in the completely wrong order.
Even if you use tiny attacks after using a big one, they won’t help you much you know.

「Even if you knelt down and begged, it’s too late for you now」
「Like h.e.l.l I would」

Maybe he was feeling good because Edgar was only defending, but the Monk once again activated his bold skill,【Crush Kick】.
Covered by a s.h.i.+ning effect, he started the kicking motion.
However, Edgar was waiting for that moment.

「ORA, DIEE……ッ!?」

All of a sudden, Edgar’s body was shrouded in pale light.
With a flash, a high pitch noise shook the air, a ring of light danced around him.
A cloud of dust rose up into the air.
Edgar’s figure had disappeared.

「Naa……!?」

The Monk was at a loss for words.
The scene before him, was as if「The Moon was Walking」.

Extra TL note: And you probably thought the cliffhangers were over. *laughs evilly*

Also, I’m not sure how to phrase “the moon was walking” since it is a pretty literal translation. Perhaps a better alternative would be “the moon walking [across the sky]”.

Footnotes:

1.

TL note: This lighting skill can technically be read as “Voltage” but I think Boltage sounded cooler and more like an actual spell so I went with that.

2.

TL note: The word “Predict” is actually a j.a.panese/English fighting game term known as “Yomi”. Yomi refers to “know the mind of your opponent” and allowed you to predict or “read” their next move.

3.

TL note:Tsubame-Gaes.h.i.+ is a pretty well-known counter technique. Translated as “Swallow Reversal”, it is a commonly used sword (and judo) technique that often appears in popular media, Like Fate/Stay Night or Final Fantasy or even Prince of Tennis.