Chapter 225: Opening Up Old Wounds And Curses Part 2
Chapter 225: Opening Up Old Wounds And Curses Part 2
「Please don’t act so surprised! You wanted proof, so here you go! A proof!」
「And there is plenty more from where this came from! Do not think that this is the end!」
「What the hell is wrong with you two!? Just how much did you fought there!?」
When it comes to humanity…… No, I guess that every living creature out there possesses a certain “Anxiety limit”. To illustrate this on an example, it would be like that: I have that and that material, and I want to make this and this out of it. Is this good? Do I need more of it? It is mostly common to hack n’ slash type of games or games that rely heavily on the crafting system, but you can be sure that as long as people will want that sweet armor and sword, there will always be a slaughter somewhere out there for the sake of those precious materials. And for us players such thing is nothing new, it is only natural.
To give another example: if a certain enemy was dropping a certain ingredient after it death, one that was highly valued and would net you a hefty price in town, people would hunt that monster over and over again, until that ingredient would be so abundant in town that it would stop being so hot of an commodity and it price would surely drop as a result. So you can be sure that if there are some materials and items that can only be obtained inside of an area that is available to you for only seven days and no longer, I would farm the living crap out of everything that lives in that particular area…… and that is basically the life of a gamer in a nutshell. Really big nutshell.
「Every time you are in a hurry, revers the procedure for obtaining the maximum efficiency. So, let me ask you once more: do you want a crazy strong weapon? Then please don’t answer, I already know that you want it. And to that there is only one thing I can say: bring it on!」
「Bring it on…… you say? Sure thing.」
Let me think about what kind of weapon and equipment I would really need in the nearby future. For the time being a decent helmet and waist armor would be nice…… and it surely would not hurt to get a new double swords, just to be on the safe side. Not bad at all, but I would really like to try some other weapons as well. However, looking by the skills and stats that I have, there is no point in me getting myself a spear or a hammer…… Oh, yes. That’s right.
「I want you to make me a head and waist armor out of those materials…… Also: gauntlet type weapon, twin swords type weapon and…… a shield.」
「A shield? Seriously?」
Well, it’s not that I cannot understand from where Break’s astonishment is coming from ,since she was the one who made most of my weapons for me. Basically, the main characteristic of the avatar Sanraku is the “Absolute Avoidance”, because my stats do not allow me to withstand even a single hit from a powerful enemies such as Wezaemon, Lukan or Kutanid. And even if Kutanid’s blow did not one-shot me, everything else had that potential. And even though technically I have obtained an item that allows me to switch stats around and gain additional Vitality for a short while, it is only a momentary solution, not making the main problem go away.
Not to mention that this game possesses two distinct “systems”: skills and magic, On their own they are nothing all that hot, but combined with a right job they can make you even more powerful or simply cover those areas that you are lacking. Plus they make a great addition to player’s innate skill at the game and various pieces of equipment.
To illustrate, please remember how it was for the members of SF-Zoo during their fight with Luukan. They have completely sacrificed their mobility in favor of the rear guard wearing heavy armors and turning into Tanks, only in hope for being able to withstand Luukan’s attacks and stopping it even for a moment. On the other hand, it is technically a good idea to be a jack-of-all-trades, but this comes with an added demerit: you will never be able to excel at something if you want to be equally good at everything.
So just like that, isn’t it a huge compromise on my part to want to use a shield, a tool specializing in defense rather than avoidance? And since I specialize in mobility and avoidance, won’t it hinder me even further simply because you need to have your shield risen for it to actually be of any use?
If so, then shut the hell up, you moron. If I said that I want to use a shield, then you can be damn sure that I am going to use a shield, and no one is going to stop me.
Besides, it’s not that I want a tower shield or anything. The only reason why I want a shield in the first place is because I’m the avoidance type who was lately forced to fight a whole lot of strong and big opponents, each having the potential to one-shot me if they ever felt like it. And shield would make parrying slightly easier, which is good for me. Not to mention that for as long as I can hold the shield in one hand and still be able to wield a spear or a one-handed sword in the other hand, it is all within Sanraku’s character and preferred playstyle.
Not that I’m interested in the most impregnable defense in the world! Like two tower shields, one in each arm and put together in front of me! I may have tried something like that in the past in some other games, but generally shields are fun tools to use. And it is pretty versatile, since it all depends on how you use it. You can even make it into a Frisbee or a pseudo-gauntlet if only you change the way you hold it……
「Whoa there, whoa there, I only needed to look into your eyes to know what is on your mind.」
「Eh, even though I did not really said anything?」
「Like I said, your eyes says it all: “Less yapping, more working! You’re a Grand Master now, so show me a work worthy of the title, and make it as soon as possible!”」
No, I mean, see? I only thought that since you’re an NPC with her own workshop, you wouldn’t want to mess around too much. That’s all, no ulterior motives.
「Hmm, a helmet and a waist armor…… Gauntlet, a one-handed sword or a shield? So we shall do this, then this, and then this, also this and that…… And that should be more than enough.」
Break immediately started to rummage through the piles of materials, but then she suddenly came to a stop once she stumbled upon a certain material in particular.
「…… Hahaha, “I would like a shield”, he says. Was that perhaps intentional, or a pure accident, hmm?」
「…… Found anything good?」
「With such a wonderful material I’ll be able to make you a nice shield no problem!」
Sea Emperor’s Mirror Bone…… It was flat disc-shaped object that Atlantic Reaperorca was using when firing its beam attack. If there was ever an option of turning such a material into a weapon or armor, it certainly would be a shield, without a shred of doubt.
「I can feel that this is going to be something good, like those Golden Scorpion materials……」
「No wonder, if my comrades were not there for me, this thing would have devoured me for sure.」
「Could it be that fish person what’s-his-name?」
「Alva.」
For the underwater area that Lulilas was, Alva was crazy strong there, being able to swim freely through the air like that. And even though I know that our habitats does not exactly match, I would surely like to see him some more one day. But if I want to do that and be able to do things peacefully and at my own leisure, there is one thing that still stands in my way. One problem that needs to be resolved.
「Can I really move forward without having defeated Luukan……?」
The fact that I have received those curse marks is one thing, but the fact that their effects have become worse as a result of our previous battle is an entirely different matter whatsoever. It sure has its benefits, but the demerits are more painful that you might initially think.
---- Not being able to talk to certain NPCs, for example. Then again, there might be players out there like that Kyogoku who thinks that it is easy to get rid of this effect by applying some face paint onto yourself.
Apparently in this game you can change your avatar’s race to something else than human. That would explain why Kyogoku had those beastmen animal ears. And apparently some of the physical properties of your avatar can change as a result. But the curse marks is something that stays no matter the race.
In other words, I cannot hope to break the curse by simply changing the race. I need to defeat Luukan. It is brutal. It is unfair. It is frustrating. But it is something I must do, and I can do nothing but grit my teeth and deal with it.
「Right, so…… How long do you think it will take you to repair it?」
「Tomorrow night. It should be ready about that time. You can count on it.」
「Really? Oh wow, thanks.」
「However.」
Hmm? However? However what?
Break cracks her knuckles and then slaps the gauntlet a few times…… And since the gauntlet lost its power, even the sound it made at that moment was not all that impressive in the slightest.
「But this guy here…… Oh, this guy is going to be a major pain in the ass to repair. It will probably take a whole week, or even longer at that.」
「Oh well, I guess there’s nothing you can really do about it. And frankly, I’m just happy that it can be fixed at all.」
Now then, I know that right now I’m basically free, but what exactly should I do now?