An armour of bristles, warped backwards tusks, my nemesis standing on the ground using its muscular limbs——the Big Boar.
I received the opponent"s attack time after time again. And, when there was a chance I continued to deal damage with my sword.
And, this time too——
"This match! Is minee!"
『"PUMOooo!"』
The Big Boar shook its head, swinging its warped tusks as to restrain me.
Rousing itself with a shout, it repeatedly a.s.saulted me from the front. I received that attack several times from the front and counter-attacked... that was the plan.
"Eh..."
I had no idea what happened.
The actual fact was, that the sword broke, the broken-off portion was blown upwards and the sword spilled out of my hands, becoming particles of light.
The next moment, the wild boar"s tusks approached——
●
Since I was small I loved games, I love them even now.
Old games, new games, arcade games for home use.
Role-play, action, shooting, adventure, fighting games, sound games, quizzes... since Onee-chan"s and Onii-chan"s friend also loves games, he brought various ones and we played them. Since Onii-chan wasn"t too good at them we chose ones where he can enjoy himself and played together the four of us, in order to win I secretly played alone to polish my skills in game.
I played various games forgetting about time completely. From time to time, I felt like entering the game world with my entire body to feel it all. I"ve had thoughts like that.
But, that"s absolutely impossible. I mean, no matter how much I overlap the game character with myself, I can"t become the game"s character. I want a character that"s only my own, I want to play a game in which I can become an unique character.
That dream I expected to be impossible, had soon approached.
"...【Only Sense Online】?"
"That"s right. There"s recruitment for that VR game"s β testers. In that, Shizuka-san will part——"I"ll do it!"——I thought you would."
I pa.s.sed through the lottery for a VRMMO β tester into which I was invited by Onii-chan"s best friend, Tak.u.mi-san, and played my fill in the β test.
Before I realized, I have become a player called 【Silver Paladin】.
The β version lasted for three months. During that time, I don"t know how many efficient players capable of raising their levels high were there.
Leaving all but memories of it, almost everything was reset.
Levels, items, equipment. All of it was gone, I had to start again from scratch.
I made a promise with acquainted players to reunite after the opening of the official version, and with that the β test had come to an end.
●
And, during coming summer vacations 【Only Sense Online】 is coming back with its official version. It"s all reset, but I"m thinking of becoming the 【Silver Paladin】 once again.
——This time, I"ll become a paladin even faster.
"Well then, Onii-chan! I"ll be going ahead!"
On the day of 【OSO】"s official opening, at the same time I"ve heard that the server was opened I put on the VR Gear that was the VR equipment and lay down on the bed.
Since Onii-chan was cleaning up after lunch and planned to log in later, I have met up with Shizuka-oneechan.
"——I have returned!"
I yelled with an excited voice. The place I have descended upon was the first town"s centre——the intersection of the main streets going from east to west and north to south.
The medieval Europe town surrounded by a huge outer wall in the fantasy world of swords and magic, the houses were mainly built with brick and cobblestone, here and there I could see windows made of glamorous wood and gla.s.s.
After going into a single back alley, there was the residential and relaxation area inside of which NPCs have gathered and were speaking with each other.
The players logging in one after another were overwhelmed by this town. Some of them were people who have started moving while looking around the town.
"How tasteless. Oops, I shouldn"t say that, I was walking around the town in β as well."
Back then, there was a limited number of players, since there was no choice but to seek information by walking around on their own feet, I have memorized the entire town"s map into my head.
As compared to the β in which I moved around for a little bit, there were some additional elements added and I had fun looking around for changes.
"Well then, first, acquiring Senses and Shizuka-oneechan. No, since it"s a game it should be meeting up with Sei-oneechan."
I opened the menu and acquired the Senses from the window.
In 【Only Sense Online】"s game system, these Senses were the basis of everything and most important thing.
The players equipped Senses into ten of their frames and were also able to replaced them to fit their own play styles.
People who want to wield a sword take 【Sword】 Sense. If it"s a spear, then 【Spear】 Sense, if they want to use magic they need to acquire several Senses required for it. In addition to combat system Senses, there were crafting Senses, stat-rising type Senses, auxiliary Senses and various hobby-type Senses.
Choosing Senses to one"s liking was all right, preparing a challenging Sense build was all right, choosing crafting, hobby or Senses for beating new challenges was all right.
——Saying your playstyle was the "only" one, wasn"t unfounded.
And, the Senses I have chosen were these.
【Sword Lv1】 【Armour Lv1】 【Physical Attack Increase Lv1】 【Physical Defence Increase Lv1】 【Magic Power Lv1】 【Magic Talent Lv1】 【Magic Recovery Lv1】 【Light Element Talent Lv1】 【Recovery Lv1】 【Fighting Spirit Lv1】
The first acquired Senses, were these ten. While conscious of my playstyle during the β version, I took Senses to play efficiently. Among some of these Senses I planned to withdraw some, but it didn"t mean I wouldn"t use them again.
If I were to make a basic explanation of each Sense, the 【Sword】 Sense makes it possible to deal damage with any weapons cla.s.sified as swords and grants a damage bonus. The 【Armour】 Sense granted additional defence when equipped with an armour. These are called weapon Senses or battle Senses. Next was the【Physical Attack Increase】 and 【Physical Defence Increase】. While with weapon and armour Senses I could equip items, and use 【Skills】 and 【Arts】——that"s right, special moves! These didn"t give me any of these, but instead gave me a positive correction to ATK stat that was tied to physical attacks and DEF stat that increased physical defence.
These were called stat-rising type Senses.
Next, the three Senses that were the basis for the magic 【Magic Power】, 【Magic Talent】 and magic attribute.
The 【Magic Power】 Sense gave a player MP, which was required for activation of the earlier mentioned 【Skills】 and 【Arts】. That"s why there were people who didn"t use magic yet had the 【Magic Power】 Sense.
The 【Magic Talent】 Sense had no effect on its own, but with 【Magic Power】,【Magic Talent】 and magic attribute the effect could be exerted. My chosen attributes were 【Light Element Talent】 and 【Recovery】.
Among magic attributes there were six basic elements, fire, water, wind, earth, light and darkness, it was also possible to obtain resistance to magic and skills corresponding to each element.
And the 【Recovery】 was a general use Sense that was an auxiliary magic of this system.
The last ones, 【Magic Recovery】 and 【Fighting Spirit】 had pa.s.sive effects——in other words they were auxiliary Senses that had various automatic effects. This was my Sense build status.
"First aim, status from β test! Paladin"s return!"
"Myu-chan, you seem to be having fun."
"Ah, Onee-chan!"
When I looked around, there stood a gentle-looking woman with light blue hair. This beauty with a beauty mark under her eye as her charm point was unmistakable. It was Sei-oneechan"s character I"ve seen often in the β era.
Without any hesitation I dove in her chest embracing her.
"Onee-chan! It"s been a while!"
"Yes, Myu-chan, it"s really been a while."
I enjoyed the softness of Onee-chan"s b.o.o.bs gently wrapping around me.
Boing, boing. When I pressed my face in, there was a soft rebound. I felt a line of sight and when I looked to the surroundings, other players" had their gazes nailed to Onee-chan"s b.o.o.bs.
"Stop looking at Onee-chan as you like!"
"Myu-chan. What happened all of a sudden?"
Sei-oneechan didn"t notice, but several players were admiring her captivating b.o.o.bs, surprised by my words they have fled in a hurry.
Sei-oneechan"s b.o.o.bs are mine! I declared in my mind.
"So, where"s Shun-chan?"
"Onii-chan said he"ll come after cleaning up. Onee-chan, did you get your Senses yet?"
"Yes, I received the beginner"s equipment as well."
With that said, she raised the initial weapon given after choosing a weapon Sense. Onee-chan has acquired a 【Staff】 Sense and received a Beginner"s Staff. I have a Sword Sense so I received a Beginner"s Sword.
"Want to finish shopping together before Onii-chan comes?"
"We can do that. That way, we can carry on smoother when explaining things to Shun-chan."
After receiving Onee-chan"s consent, striking the iron when it"s hot I pulled Onee-chan"s hand, walking through the town.
The stores we stopped by were NPC weapon and general stores.
In the weapon store, there were NPC weapons and armour. In the general store there were recovery items and consumables required for adventure.
Their effects were lower than those made by crafters, but they were things to equip at the early stage of the game.
"Welcome. What would you like?"
"Excuse me! I want to trade this in for a new weapon, also, give me a light armour!"
"I want to trade this staff in and also, different equipment."
We sold our beginner"s weapons and used the money retained from β version, by paying gold I bought multiple iron-made sword with the highest attack power and the lightest shoulder armour made of leather.
The leather shoulder protector was equipped in order to get a defence bonus from the 【Armour】 Sense.
"All right! My shopping"s over!"
"Myu-chan. You bough so many swords, is that for ingots?"
Sei-oneechan already bought her Oak Staff and held it in an embrace with her both hands.
Since Sei-oneechan asked why did I buy several pieces of the same equipment, I gave an ambiguous answer.
"I guess that"s half correct? Also, for using too, since they break."
Iron Swords purchased this time were mainly a subst.i.tute for ore.
"I want a crafter to make me a weapon and gathering ore takes time, on initial level it can"t be gathered. I need to ensure the materials for it right now."
It was more expensive than ore, but a single Iron Sword could be conveniently remade into an ingot. I"ve had money left over from the β era so I bought a lot of them.
Also, weapons made by NPCs have low durability, since they were easily replaced they were useful in other manners as well.
"Myu-chan, are you going to buy consumables?"
"Hmm. Let"s see..."
Since I already thought of what I need, together with Sei-oneechan I bought the recovery items, 30 Beginner"s Potions and 10 Potions, then returned to the square.
"It"s about time Onii-chan logged in I think."
When I looked at the surroundings, I could see players continuously log in. This many players gathering during the β version was only when there was an event, I recalled and chuckled.
As we travelled and overlooked that, in the friend list"s menu I was able to confirm Onii-chan has logged in.
I selected the line that changed from grey colour and connected the chat with Onii-chan.
"Ah, Onii-chan. Did you connect?"
『"What. It"s Miu huh. You surprised me."』
Was Onii-chan impressed with the fantasy world too? Maybe it"s too fast, I reflected and decided the meeting place.
A place that had become a landmark during the β era. A square that had a woman"s statue built on it, like Hachiko statue, it had become a meeting spot in OSO.
"There"s too many people here so we can"t find each other. Onee-chan and I arrived at the cathedral on the north. We"ll wait for you there."
『"Got it, I"m going there now."』
While saying so, Onee-chan and I headed to the meeting location.
Meanwhile the chat remained opened, I arbitrarily shared the connection with Sei-oneechan. Each time he let out a voice of admiration like "uwahh" or "howaa", we wondered if we were like that too. Recalling it, the two of us giggled.
"Hey Onii-chan, have you arrived yet?"
『"Yeah, I did but... where are you?"』
I called out to him worried, but apparently he was probably able to reach it. However, there were many other players who used this place for meeting up and we weren"t using our own noticeable equipment.
"Under the church"s statue. White hair. Onee-chan has light blue hair."
After waiting for a while, I stared at an unfamiliar girl pushing through the crowd coming straight towards us.
In the game in which fantasy colours were popular, she had black hair. Speaking of which, since Onii-chan won"t tinker with colour schemes, he"ll have black hair too, right. While thinking that, the person I stared at has come in front of us.
Looking at her from up close, she was a shockingly cute girl.
I wonder, who is this slender-type beautiful girl? Together with Sei-oneechan we tilted our heads aligned. I felt the girl had a familiar atmosphere, but I couldn"t recall immediately.
"You"re Miu right?"
"Eh, yes. I"m Myu, but... who are you?"
"It"s me. Your brother, Shun."
She knew me. However, she wasn"t an acquaintance from β era. With the her next words, taken over by surprise I was dyed white.
"Umm? Shun-chan? Onee-chan hasn"t met you for a while so she doesn"t know, but when did you change your gender?"
"No, Onee-chan, that didn"t happen! That"s not the problem here! Why did Onii-chan turn into Onee-chan?!"
My yell echoed in the square.
To conclude, Onii-chan has become Onee-chan.
Apparently the cause was the camera"s misrecognition during the character edit. Well, it"s cute so I forgive it. The problems start here! Yun-oniichan"s inefficient Sense build and his cowardly way of fighting!
"——And here I wanted us to adventure together!"
●
After that, in order to accustom Onii-chan who got soaked in mishappen Senses to the world of OSO, we had him go through a simple tutorial.
"Now then, the special moves——【Arts】. Perfect, my 【Sword】 just leveled up to 5..."
My weapon Sense was now level 5 and art could be used, I approached the closest Herbivorous Beast.
Unless I myself attack, the pa.s.sive mob won"t attack me. I took the optimal position for deciding it with a single strike.
I recalled the art I used many times in β version, I gripped the Iron Sword in my hands and set it up.
"——《Delta Slash》!"
The sword was clad in silver light and a triple attack drawing a triangle was released.
With every slash having additional correction from the art, the damage was dealt and sc.r.a.pped the mob"s HP in two hits, the third cut the light particles in the air.
After that, together with Sei-oneechan we gave him several advices, but he Onii-chan was still surprised by 《Delta Slash》 and his reaction was dull, giving us a half-hearted reply.
Will he really be all right alone. I wondered, but on the other hand I thought he needs time to think alone, this is where we quietly disbanded.
●
After completing the tutorial with Onii-chan, I separated with Sei-oneechan and continued to hunt Herbivorous Beasts in the plains.
"I"ve separated from Onii-chan and others, but there"s still time right."
Just once earlier, I checked my Sense status increase after combat during Onii-chan"s tutorial.
【Sword Lv5】 【Armour Lv3】 【Physical Attack Increase Lv3】 【Physical Defence Increase Lv3】 【Magic Power Lv3】 【Magic Talent Lv3】 【Magic Recovery Lv2】 【Light Element Talent Lv3】 【Recovery Lv3】 【Fighting Spirit Lv2】
"Grr, my levels aren"t going up at all."
I pouted as I stared at my Sense status.
Senses level increases when actions appropriate for each Sense are taken. For example, the 【Sword】 Sense"s experience is gained when the enemy is attacked with a sword and its level raises. Earlier during the tutorial battle, I received some attacks in order to raise my defence-type Senses, but it still hasn"t reached satisfactory level.
"Hmmgrr, what to do. Even if I raise levels from now on... oh ,a friend call?"
I operated the icon blinking at the edge of my field of view, after checking the name of the caller I connected immediately.
『"Hi. Myu-chan, it"s been a while〜."』
"Hino-chan! Been healthy?"
『"Yup, I"m fine. Want to meet up?"』
"Sure. Then, let"s meet up at——"
A meet up with an acquaintance from β. We decided on the meeting spot together.
I who was outside the town have pa.s.sed by the gate, entering the town I aimed at the meeting spot.
There, I found my acquaintance"s figure.
"Yahoo, been a while."
"Hino-chan, it"s been a while! Were you well?"
"Yup, I"m always energetic!"
With my right hand, I did a high five with the friend I have reunited with.
A female player and a member of my party back from the β, Hino-chan.
She was slightly shorter than me, as for her character"s pupils, she had mismatched eyes, her right eye was deep blue and her left one was red. The pet.i.te girl"s another feature was that when she laughed her long canines showed.
A precious friends back from β"s party and a dependable attacker in the party.
"Yesterday I was looking forward to it so much, so enthusiastic I overslept."
Ahaha, as she laughed a glimpse of her charm point, long canines glimpsed from her mouth.
"Hino-chan, what will you do now? Want to party up and go hunt?"
I immediately invited Hino-chan to the party. I was still worried about Yun-oniichan who wasn"t familiar with the game, but Hino-chan was a comrade who traveled various areas with me in the β version. Even though her level was lower, she had skills to make up for it.
That Hino-chan has put a finger on her chin and made a practice swing.
"I logged in just earlier so I didn"t procure any equipment or items. Also, I want to order some weapons from a crafter I"ve been taken care of during the β times, so it might take a little bit of time."
Today there were a lot of people so moving alone is nimbler. After saying that, Hino-chan had gone off to do various preparations.
I"d like to go together with Hino-chan, but the crafter who made weapons and armour for me in the β was a different person than the one who made them for Hino-chan, going together was meaningless.
"Then, how about meeting again later? How long will your errands take, Hino-chan?"
"Hmm. It probably won"t take an entire hour. About thirty minutes?"
"In that case until then, let"s act separately, for meeting again, how about at this fountain?"
"Let"s see. Yup, let"s do that! Ehehe, I look forward to partying with Myu-chan."
Hino-chan"s cheek happily loosened and, well then, I"ll hurry to finish it up. And she ran off.
I saw off Hino-chan who was so pet.i.te she has immediately mixed among the opening day"s crowd, after hearing a friend"s voice after so long, my excitement increased.
There was still some time until meet-up with Hino-chan. Thinking about what to do in the meantime, I put my index finger on my chin.
"Hmm. As I thought, leveling it is. Well, let"s go easy on it!"
As to loosen my body I stretched, then started walking outside the town.
●
Basically, since the trip won"t take even five minutes, even considering the trip back and forth there was enough time secured for leveling.
As I proceeded taking steps on the ground making crispy sound, a new enemy crawled out from the gra.s.s.
"An immediate encounter! Let"s twist you up slightly!"
It wasn"t the mobs I aimed for, but the slime consisting of a blue jelly-like body and a nucleus had appeared. Also, what else appeared was a cla.s.sic fantasy Goblin of height like that of a child, green skin and small horns on its head.
"——《Light Shot》!"
I released the beginner skill of light magic 《Light Shot》 towards the slime and received the Goblin"s club with the sword set up in one hand, pushing him back. When I did, the large-headed Goblin lost his balance and felt on its b.u.t.t. I used that timing to defeat it.
The slime had its HP took down to 80% by the magic attack from earlier.
"Ohhh! It"s been a while, but I as I thought, it feels different!"
With β era stats, she killed slimes with a single hit and was able to cut the Goblin"s club in half.
"On more time——《Light Shot》!"
After firing light magic multiple times. .h.i.tting the slime"s nucleus, the slime"s volume was reduced by the exposed area.
And, after four rounds of light magic, it hit the nucleus the powerless slime had spread out and turned into particles of light, disappearing.
Hearing the sound of battle in which she had defeated the Goblin and slime, next enemy appeared in front of her.
"Oh, next is your turn isn"t it."
I have lightly received the Goblin"s attack who had jumped out from gra.s.s swinging his club vertically, deflected, avoided and parried, checking my player"s skills.
I swung down and thrust, did a sideways slash. When I tried attack movements and actions from eight directions, I"ve slashed the enemy one time after another.
"...it"s a bit different. As I thought, it"s like this."
I felt inconsistency between the movements now and the ones I remembered from back during the β times.
It was an effect that"s come from the initial equipment and status, as well as a blank of several months.
"And this goes like that, haa!"
The swung sword shook the prairie"s gra.s.s, it danced a.s.saulted by the air pressure. Feeling satisfied with the handling, recalling the swordsmanship for one-handed sword.
My original battle-style was that of a magic swordsman using a combination of sword and magic, one-handed sword in my left hand and using both light and recovery magic with my right.
In order to smoothly be able to do that, I repeatedly hunted the Goblins and slimes.
"As I thought, even if I a.s.sume Goblin is a PvP opponent, it"s still bland. Well then, let"s end this."
With that said, I cut the Goblin"s body, the neck that was humanoid mobs" weakness, chest and his head, making his HP to 0.
"Well, after I level some more that"s how it"ll turn. They"re within the range of what I can deal with knowing attack patterns and characteristics."
However, as I endlessly hunted the Goblin"s, my level"s increase was slowing down.
Then what should I do, I thought, there was no choice but to seek stronger mobs. If possible a mob stronger than I am.
"As I thought, leveling has to be done on strong mobs."
Deciding that, I immediately took action.
I cleaved slimes and Goblins on my journey, then entered the forest beyond the boundary of the plains.
●
Sprinting, jumping lightly, I further confirmed movements required for combat as I proceeded deeper into the forest.
There were some openings in the lush forest, but there were also many places with blind spots so playing solo one had to be careful here.
"Get outta my way, weaklings!"
As I walked around looking for the mob I aimed for, attracted to me were large grey rats and Mill Birds with a piercing voice sweeping at and attacking me from the sky.
It wasn"t a mob to attack from a distance with magic, but when I came closer they became active and approached, there was no end to the weak mobs coming at me one after another.
"Grr, in a party my blind spots would be filled, but it"s even more annoying to walk without auxiliary Senses."
With an auxiliary Sense like 【Discovery】 that would allow me to find the enemy in advanced or like 【Sixth Sense】 that would warn me, it would be easy to avoid weak mobs.
But since I didn"t chose either of them, I had to proceed vigilantly, quite unable to find the mob I was looking for.
I defeated Grey Rats by swinging my sword as if to scoop them up, as for the Mill Birds aiming from the sky, I shot them with magic. If they approached me, I avoided lightly then countered, delivering damage.
As I proceeded dealing with them mechanically, I eventually found a single animal in the back of the forest.
"Finally found him."
There, covered in fur, lying down was a large boar mob with warped tusks, a Big Boar.
The opponent I have been looking for leveling sake. After defeating every enemy I found on the way, I checked my Sense status.
【Sword Lv8】 【Armour Lv4】 【Physical Attack Increase Lv6】 【Physical Defence Increase Lv4】 【Magic Power Lv6】 【Magic Talent Lv6】 【Magic Recovery Lv4】 【Light Element Talent Lv5】 【Recovery Lv4】 【Fighting Spirit Lv4】
Since I was avoiding attacks, my Senses other than the attack-oriented ones haven"t raised their levels. The opponent for leveling, Big Boar will be quite hard to face.
When I have resolved myself to fight and took a step forward, the Big Boar swiftly got up and started sc.r.a.pping the ground with its hind legs.
The mob, said to be the first barrier for the beginner"s was quite strong even among the small fry category, in party it was an opponent for level 15s. For solo, it was an opponent for a level 20.
Although I defeated slimes, Goblins, Grey Rats, Mill Birds on the way here and my level has risen, the average level of my Senses was still 5.
Confronting it solo was reckless. Normally, that is...
"Now, it"s time for high-speed leveling."
The hind legs that were sc.r.a.pping the ground firmly stepped on it, and he started running. The charge of a large bulk of flesh and splendid bent tusks mowed all the players on its way.
I poised my one-handed sword"s blade to the side in a parrying posture, then avoided to the side. Rather than stop the a.s.sault from the front, I stood beside hitting the mob lightly with the sword to parry him.
Shock had spread through the blade to my body, spreading inside my body. It was reflected in a form of damage.
"Khh! As I thought, the level difference is big."
Due to too large level difference, even during the short moment of contact during the charge I received a lot of damage.
The shock cut down 50% of my HP. If the contact lasted one second longer, I would have surely died and returned to town.
"Maybe I should have raised my level more and prepared myself better. But, I won"t lose——《Heal》"
Using beginner"s recovery magic I restored my HP. Meanwhile, the Big Boar ran through a dozen of metres, changed his direction and rushed in my direciton again.
I felt like a Spanish matador.
"C"mon! Come at me!"
I touched the next a.s.sault from the side as well, earning the damage.
If others were to see it, they would see my behaviour strange. I discarded any attacking and only parried with the sword. The longer I touched the mob during the charge, the more of my HP was momentarily cut down. a.s.sessing the limit of how much I can last, I parried the attacks.
During this act of uninterrupted tension, the corners of my lips naturally raised up.
"That"s right, this is it! This is what"s fun! ——《Heal》!"
I withstood and endured. I repeatedly used Heal and when HP recovery wasn"t enough I avoided Big Boar"s next attack, creating opportunity for recovery. Sometimes I did emergency avoidance and used Beginner"s Potions.
When I didn"t have enough MP, I read the Big Boar"s movements and continued to avoid his next nearly-linear attacks, buying time for MP"s natural recovery to work.
That, continued for a long time was something tiring mentally. Moreover, since I felt my body become dull after receiving powerful impacts, I have focused even further.
"Next one, come!"
The moment my sword touched the mob as if to pat it, the NPC-made Iron Sword had cracked like a piece of gla.s.s and a crack appeared in the middle of it.
The moment I saw that, I back-stepped, threw away the sword and took distance from the Big Boar.
"Haa, haa, haa... nhh, my weapon"s gone, let"s take a break here!"
I slowly retreated backwards, starting to withdraw.
When I avoided the incoming Big Boar who chased me, if I avoided too early it would suddenly change his charge"s direction and come a.s.sault me or bite. I continued to escape while avoiding with optimal timing to the left or the right.
"If I"m not wrong, it should be somewhere here!"
Although the Big Boar chased me as I escaped in zig-zag, when I exceeded a certain line in the woods the Big Boar"s movement stopped just before it. To be precise, the giant body"s charge raised a sand cloud from beneath its legs, leaving a large trail of its hoofs it stopped.
『"PUKkyaa——"』
The Big Boar, frustrated by me escaping had suddenly lost interest in me and in a hurry returned to his own place.
"Pheeew, as expected, that was too reckless. But, fun too!"
I"ve rest my back on the tree nearby, taking a break.
My HP was returned to full by recovery magic, but my MP was very low. But more importantly, I concentrated too hard and was a little tired.
"I"m glad the mob"s activity range didn"t change from β days〜. I was almost caught up to."
While saying so, I checked my Sense status.
【Sword Lv8】 【Armour Lv8】 【Physical Attack Increase Lv6】 【Physical Defence Increase Lv9】 【Magic Power Lv6】 【Magic Talent Lv6】 【Magic Recovery Lv4】 【Light Element Talent Lv5】 【Recovery Lv4】 【Fighting Spirit Lv9】
Confirming the results of high-speed leveling have properly appeared, I desperately suppressed a grin.
Even though enemy wasn"t defeated, levels increased over a short period of time. The trick to that lies in OSO"s system.
"There"s experience bonus for defeating enemy, but experience is also gained from any actions. That too, is important."
When a mob is defeated, experience gained is corresponding to the actions taken to defeat it. Normally, players repeatedly battle mobs gaining experience to raise their Sense levels.
However, there were other ways to raise levels other than combat.
For example, weapon Senses, starting with 【Sword】 Sense received experience from practice swings, even though the efficiency was bad. Crafting Senses earned experience by crafting, rather than combat.
This time"s leveling method"s concept was one that aimed to gain experience in combat against an enemy mob of a higher level than myself.
By battling a mob of higher rating than myself, I aimed to gain a considerable amount of experience in battle. That gave me a bonus experience beyond that I would gain fighting mobs of an equal level.
Although Senses had various types of actions required for leveling, it was possible to raise the ones that were similar all at once.
"Specific equipment, the original concept, an efficient way to go about leveling."
During this time, by receiving damage the 【Armour】, 【Physical Defence Increase】 and 【Fighting Spirit】, the three defence-related Senses have gained experience.
First stage of leveling——earning damage from the target.
And, the second stage was using 《Heal》 for gaining experience and leveling the four magic Senses 【Magic Talent】, 【Magic Power】, 【Recovery】 and 【Magic Recovery】.
"Well then, let"s go with the second round!"
After resting enough and recovering entire MP, I slapped my cheeks charging myself with fighting spirit.
I rose up vigorously and took out a new Iron Sword of the stock in the inventory.
The stock of Iron Swords I had numbered twenty in all.
During high-speed leveling, in exchange for reduced time the money and items were spent, it was a risky method.
"I"ve got enough swords in stock! Will my abilities surpa.s.s that of Big Boar"s first or will I fall to my own mistakes first, I wonder."
The "one-shot and I"m out" situation continues. That"s what"s fun. The best thrill.
●
As I confronted the Big Boar, the length of the parry gradually extended.
I compensated for HP with recovery magic, recovering the spent MP with 【Magic Recovery】. I could feel the thrill and growth of leveling under limited circ.u.mstances. And then, finally——
"...no damage, so parrying succeeded."
The timing of the parry performed with her player"s skill was perfect. However, even though it was perfect, she received damage because of the difference in stats.
The difference in stats has finally decreased.
Once again, I parried to make sure it wasn"t a fluke, then changed the stance from one for parrying charges to one for receiving attack from the front.
"Fuuu, high-speed leveling"s final stage! Start!"
『"PUgyaa——"』
Resolving myself, I received the Big Boar"s charge from the front with my sword.
*wham*, I endured an impact that seemed like it"ll blown me backwards, as I was pushed back my feet sc.r.a.pped the ground.
"Kuhhh!!"
In the seemingly long, yet short instant, the Big Boar"s momentum had weakened, my defence withstood the Big Boar"s attack. I left a trace on the ground five metres away from the point in which I received the attack.
I lost 40% of my HP to that blow, but from here on I attack.
『"PUMOo?!"』
"This is payback! Eat this!!"
I moved to the side of the Big Boar that was still confused by the fact he was blocked and slashed with the Iron Sword. The body covered in thick fat and bristle had received a thin cut from the attack to the side, no damage was dealt.
"Khh, so the attacks won"t go through after alll."
In response to my attack, the Big Boar attacked by biting, kicked with hind legs, hit with hooves and even tried to crush me with his giant bulk. As he continued to rampage I took a step back and continuously using recovery magic, I refilled my HP.
"I know all your behaviour patterns! From now on I"m serious, so——《Light Shot》"
Until now I spent MP only on recovery, but now I started using attack magic with MP.
The light bullet had hit the Big Boar"s side and the damage went through. Thinking that for now the magic was more effective than the slashes, I started running and confronted the Big Boar who changed his direction and was coming at me.
The subjugation of the Big Boar was the final stage of leveling. Raising defence-oriented Senses in the first stage, raising magic-type Senses in the second stage. And at the end, raising the attack-oriented Senses by attacking the Big Boar. My Sense build was configured with this in mind.
It was a leveling configuration considering synergies made in order to reach the Senses I aimed for in the shortest amount of time possible.
"——《Light Shot》! 《Light Shot》!"
Although two light bullets. .h.i.t the Big Boar charging from the front, one of the two was repelled by his hard skull and the other one was charged in the middle of the fast rush.
"As I thought, my aim with magic isn"t good yet! Ghhh!!"
I raised an uncute shout despite being a girl, then once again I received the Big Boar"s a.s.sault from the front and endured it.
Even if my stats increased with my levels, if I were to receive the Big Boar"s a.s.sault defenceless there was a high probability of losing.
I received the a.s.sault, attacked when the enemy started rampaging, then fell back all at once.
I endlessly repeated the attacks like a machine, my sword started to injure the Big Boar"s body deeply and there was evidence of my magical attacks gradually growing stronger.
"Now, 20% left!"
After repeatedly receiving attacks, the NPC-made sword"s lifespans had extra shortened and only five of them have remained.
Still, according to my calculations I should be able to defeat it before using them all up.
"This match! Is minee!"
『"PUMOooo!"』
Yet another one charge together with a loud outcry. Receiving it once again, I focused all my bodily strength on the moment of impact.
However, this time was different.
"Eh..."
At first, I didn"t know what happened.
The Big Boar suddenly stopped. Just before his a.s.sault hit me, putting all his strength into his legs he forcibly stopped in front of me. And, while I was dumbounfed he lowered his head diving under the sword protruded in sideways, his two splendid fangs and his head have caught it from below, he swung his head upwards with great strength.
"Wha?!! No way, he aimed for the weapon!"
I stared in slow motion as the Iron Sword abruptly broke.
The difference between β and the official version has appeared.
The mob"s behaviour pattern changed. Until now the Big Boar rampaged desperately and didn"t take this action, most likely because there was a certain condition. For example, when it falls below a certain percentage of HP.
And while I lost my weapon, the Big Boar"s fangs approached me. With my weapon destroyed my posture collapsed, exposing my defenceless body. If I received this attack and the fang pierced through my body, it would take my entire HP in one hit.
"AS IF I"D LOSEEeeee!!"
However, I discarded that possibility. I instantaneously operated the menu, calling forth a new Iron Sword.
As the fang approached, I avoided it by twisting my body and crawled under his chin.
The Big Boar that swung its head above me had exposed his weakness, his throat.
"YAAaaa——!"
Receiving the single slash, cutting through, his body bent backwards.
In order not to miss this opportunity, I held the one-handed sword with my both hands and released my strongest attack.
"——《Delta Slash》!"
A triple attack delivered with all strength in my both hands. My 【Sword】 and 【Physical Attack Increase】 Senses that have grown as I cut the Big Boar countless times.
The knowledge of the enemy"s weaknesses.
And last, luck allowing me to grasp the victory.
The attack that applied all of these had cut down the remaining 10% of HP. The Big Boar raised its front legs and powerlessly fell to the side.
I succeeded in defeating a Big Boar alone.
●
My shoulders raised up and down as I breathed roughly, restraining myself. It wasn"t that my breathing was distorted by the harsh movement. I was breathing deeply in order to calm my excitement after the battle.
I shut my eyes strongly, checking the feel of the sword with my both hands I cried out.
"YESSsss! I WONnn!!"
My voice echoed in the forest.
I was successful in defeating the Big Boar who, at the moment, was ranked higher than me. The difficulties so far, pain and other stuff were blown off, I felt satisfied with sense of superiority and fulfilment.
"I won. I managed to win, I wasn"t wrong after all!"
I was able to verify the leveling method I have thought of endlessly since β version up until the official release.
The invested fund, was 100kG.
The used items were, Beginner"s Potion x 17, Iron Sword x 20, Leather Armour.
Physical defence leveling, magic leveling and the following attack leveling were all successful.
"At first I was anxious, but I did it. I really did it!"
It wasn"t something anyone could do it. It required quite a few items and money. It was high-speed leveling that required a high player skill in parrying and receiving attacks. No, it was power leveling. And that was over now.
And the Sense status that was the outcome of it——
Possessed SP8
【Sword Lv15】 【Armour Lv16】 【Physical Attack Increase Lv10】 【Physical Defence Increase Lv15】 【Magic Power Lv10】 【Magic Talent Lv10】 【Magic Recovery Lv8】 【Light Element Talent Lv7】 【Recovery Lv10】 【Fighting Spirit Lv15】
Parrying, recovery and attacking, the result of high-speed leveling that used the synergy of those three, was that the Sword"s Sense had grown to level 15.
I"ll raise my levels stably when we go in a party to fight Big Boars.
Since my attacks work properly now, I should be able to take one down without pointlessly reducing the weapon"s durability, I thought.
As I grinned and laughed while checking my Sense status, a friend call"s ringtone had sounded in my ears and I hurriedly connected the call.
"Y-yesh?! Myu hier!!"
I immediately operated the menu, then bit my tongue while speaking. Feeling the dull pain, tears welled up in my eyes.
『"...Myu-chan."』
"H-Hino-chan. Whash ish it?"
I spoke with my tongue still in pain and my way of talking turned lisp.
『"Myu-chan. Where are you now?! The time for meet-up pa.s.sed long ago!"』
"Ehhh?!!"
Surprised by Hino-chan"s words, I confirmed and it was 20 minutes past the time for the meet-up.
"I"m sorry! I"ll head over there now!"
I forgot the afterglow from winning against the Big Boar and rushed towards the town.
"Uuu, when I hurry it feels slow... I know! I"ll acquire a new Sense!"
For every 10 levels Senses are raised, one SP, a Sense Point is acquired. With this I was able to acquire new Senses or when I satisfy conditions like reaching a certain level, I will be able to grow or derive Senses.
I used the SP I gained through leveling to acquire 【Speed Increase】 Sense.
"Uwaa, I really turned faster!"
My running speed increased, running and cutting through the wind was fun.
I avoided the mobs I defeated earlier, Mill Birds, kicked the Grey Rats and jumped high by stepping on Goblin"s heads, I ran at speed slimes couldn"t keep up with.
The weakling mobs unable to keep up with my speed gave up after chasing me for a few metres.
And when I arrived at the meet-up location, finding me, was waiting a cute, angry, pouting girl.
"Myu-chan! You"re late!"
"Sorry. Really, I"m sorry, Hino-chan!"
I apologized, lowering my head as much as I could. Her charm point, long canines were currently hidden in her mouth as it formed a へ shape.
"Why were you late to meet-up?"
She puffed up her cheeks, I"m angry. As entirety of Hino-chan"s body seemed to express that, I responded truthfully.
"I thought there"s still time until meet-up so I went to do some leveling, thus was late. That"s why, sorry."
To be precise, I lowered my head cutely and apologized looking up at her.
Hino-chan gently put her both hands on my cheeks——and pulled.
"Owsh, owwsh, owwssh..."
"After I was done shopping, I waited for Myu-chan without going to hunt! That"s why, my level still remains at 1, going to raise your level alone isn"t fair!"
*munyo〜n*, my cheeks were pinched by Hino-chan who had tears in her eyes. I continued to apologize. I felt dull pain in my cheeks. It might"ve been more painful than taking on the Big Boar"s charge from the front.
Hino-chan continued to pull on my cheeks until satisfied, then let go with a small sigh.
"Really, Myu-chan, you"re too free-spirited."
"I"m sorry. But you see! I made a great discovery!"
"Great discovery?"
As Hino-chan stared at me intently, I taught her of my discovery with a smug expression.
"A new behavioural pattern was added to Big Boars."
"Being told that with a smug face, kinda makes me angry."
"Oww, owshh."
Once again my cheeks were pinched, *munyuu〜*, Hino-chan pulled on them.
After being punished by having my cheek pulled for the second time, Hino-chan released them, heaved a sigh and decided the punishment for my being late.
"For being late for the meet-up, you"ll accompany me in leveling won"t you."
"But of course! Let"s do high-speed leveling!"
"Really〜."
"Really!"
"By the way, what kind of leveling did you do on Big Boar?"
Hino-chan stared intently at me and listened as I spoke about my nearly 30 minutes-long desperate struggle. Then, pfft, she burst out, held her belly and started laughing.
"Ahahaha, I knew it already, but you"re too reckless after all, Myu-chan. Taking down a Big Boar all alone at low level... did you do a time attack too?"
"Grr, you don"t have to laugh so much! Hino-chan is mean!"
"Sorry sorry. That said, when you were late I pretended to be angry a little, I"m not all that angry."
"That"s great〜. I wondered what would I do if I was hated by Hino-chan."
As Hino-chan returned her expression to one smiling, her long canines peeking out, I was relieved.
"I wouldn"t hate Myu-chan. If anything, I like you."
Of course, as a friend that is, Hino-chan laughed triumphantly. Being told that from the front was embarra.s.sing after all.
"Well then. Once again, take care of me, Myu-chan."
"Yup, me too, take care of me! Hino-chan."
We shook hands, greeting each other again.
"Still "power" leveling, that"s too reckless."
"You"ve got caught up in my words a little, how about we go to defeat Big Boars later? I"ll demonstrate it, the high-speed leveling."
"Give up. It would be a suicide for me to challenge it on level 1. I"ll break in my body and do some leveling with mobs appropriate for my level first, let"s do it later."
While saying so, Hino-chan showed me the Senses she just acquired.
【Hammer Lv1】 【Spear Lv1】 【Armour Lv1】 【Magic Power Lv1】 【HP Increase Lv1】 【Physical Attack Increase Lv1】 【Physical Defence Increase Lv1】 【Throw Lv1】 【Heavy Blows Lv1】 【Warrior"s Knowledge Lv1】
"Hino-chan"s Sense build didn"t change too much, has it."
"Yup, well, on the other hand, with two weapon types I"ll be spending more."
While saying so, she effortlessly juggled between Iron Spear and a heavy Sledgehammer.
Hino-chan was a power fighter who fought using two types of middle-range weapons, her style didn"t change from the β.
"Myu-chan too didn"t change, right."
"Oh well. Aim, for paladin!"
Well then, I"ll accompany Hino-chan in hunting Herbivorous Beasts until you reach your leveling goal. Is what I wanted to say, but Hino-chan placed her index finger on her chin and came up with a proposal.
"While at it, how about we search for a stray party?"
A stray party. In the β era I constantly partnered with and made party with acquaintances like Hino-chan, Taku-san and Sei-oneechan, unlike back then, it meant forming a party with players we were unacquainted with.
Since there wasn"t a big difference between players" levels right after opening, it was easy to a.s.semble one.
"Nice! New meetings! A circle of player companions! Yup, sound fun!"
"Well then, Myu-chan, let"s separate and gather party members! Seeking members to girl-only party! Beginners are welcome! With that kind of feeling!"
"Well then, let"s compete who can gather them up sooner!"
"Fufun. I won"t lose."
I separated from Hino-chan who had a confident expression, then started looking for people to form a temporary party with.
"I wonder what kind of players will I meet. I can"t wait!"
I was unable to stop my face from grinning as I started to walk through the First Town. At that time, suddenly I recalled Onii-chan"s appearance.
"...what I said to Yun-oniichan was quite horrible wasn"t it? He must be depressed."
Certainly, he made a build with Senses that were called mishappen, but if he replaces a few of them he should be able to manage as an ordinary player.
Until then, it might be a good idea to look after him.
"Yup, also, Hino-chan said the party"s limited to girls, but now he"s onee-chan, isn"t he."
Nishishi, a mischievous devil inside of me whispered, telling me to introduce Yun-oniichan as onee-chan.
I wonder, where"s Onii-chan〜. And as I searched for players for the stray party, I found rare in fantasy world, Yun-oniichan"s long, black hair.
He sat down at the edge of the square, although he seemed still discouraged, a familiar person had approached him.
"It"s Taku-san. I wonder if he"s going somewhere with Onii-chan."
I was beat to a punch, I thought, but Yun-oniichan and Taku-san joked around with each other, his expressions changed one after another. From observing their appearance, Onii-chan and Taku-san didn"t seem like they intended to form a party, then they broke up on spot.
"Then, let"s do it now..."
And call out to him. I thought and took a step, but compared to before meeting Taku-san, Yun-oniichan had a refreshingly nice expression on his face.
Let"s do it, he seemed full of motivation like that. I can"t disturb him when he"s like this. Thinking so, I saw him off.
His destination seemed to be the western gate, I sent him off as he mixed among the crowd. I gave up on getting Yun-oniichan to join the party.
"Uh-huh, Taku-san did well to motivate Onii-chan. Well then, I have to recruit."
Aren"t there any good players here〜, I wondered while looking around and suddenly, I found a player with the same hair colour as Onii-chan.
It was a girl with long black hair swaying on her back.
Looking up at the streets of the fantasy world, were her eyes reminiscent of a beautiful citrine.
I didn"t consider whether she was strong, weak, good or bad.
The moment I noticed her, I took immediate action.
"h.e.l.lo."
"Eh, yes. h.e.l.lo."
"If you don"t mind, how about forming a party with us?"
Probably surprised by sudden invitation to a party, the girl opened her eyes wide. I politely explained to her.
"We"re thinking of gathering unacquainted people for a temporary party. By the way, the members for now are just me and my friend, the two of us!"
The girl lowered her eyebrows at my explanation and asked with an anxious expression.
"Um, is it really all right to invite me? Today is my first time to play."
"It"s okay! Both me and my friend did well in the β, we"re strong! Well, our levels were reset though."
Although I tried to appeal by showing off my biceps, it didn"t seem all that strong when I bent my arm. Finding it funny, the girl chuckled, her expression softened and she stared straight back at me.
"Well then, please take care of me. Umm..."
"It"s Myu! I"m Myu! Nice to meet you."
"I"m Lucato. Nice to meet you too."