Day 75 login
Today I’m on an expedition to the Sick Forest. My goal is to clear the world mission “Reach the Depths of the Sick Forest” and earn the title of [Excellent Adventurer]!
Yeah, I figured it was about time I graduated from the beginner’s field.
Being a beginner makes things easier since the difficulty is lower, but that also means the materials you can get are lower grade.
Plus, the 30-day limit on my event reward [Limited-Time Title: Excellent Adventurer] is almost up. Since I’ll need that title to travel to other nations anyway, I figured I’d get it done before I forget.
The NP Party members are the usual trio: Mikoto, Conner, and Dirka. We encounter no particular problems along the way, and I swiftly push forward through the forest.
Oh, right—since I have the chance, I’m already wearing my newly tailored outfit.
It turned out to be unsuitable for expeditions in terms of performance, but I still need to learn two skills. Thankfully, at the current difficulty level, I can progress comfortably even with subpar equipment stats.
I’ve been testing [Begging] out on various monsters, and it’s proving quite handy for me. Non-hostile monsters give items with high probability, and even hostile ones give items with low probability.
It’s mostly common materials, but getting rare items or [Memory Fragment] every once in a while is pretty satisfying.
Memory Fragments are items related to the Magdalene event from a while back. There’s a request quest from Giltoa asking players to find them.
Bringing them to Giltoa gets you high-quality medicinal items in exchange, which is pretty sweet. Plus, collecting them gradually unlocks missions that let you peek into Magdalene’s memories.
If all players collect many memory fragments, will the story progress again?
Oh, and begging works on NPCs too, not just monsters. But the success rate feels pretty low here.
Favorability might also play a role. Mikoto-kun, for instance, tends to hand over items happily. But even with good favorability, some NPCs ignore you or give items with a wry smile. Best to pick your targets carefully when using this on NPCs.
Honestly, there’s no way I could use this on Ciel-chan. She’s the type who lets you give her stuff willingly, but she’s definitely not the type who’d willingly provide you with stuff.
Another skill, [Dispersing Umbrella Triple Payback], has a super low success rate, and I’m thinking it probably isn’t very versatile. I’ve tried it maybe ten times, but it only succeeded once.
While it might be okay to use it as a last-ditch effort when the chips are down, it doesn’t seem like something you could incorporate into a regular strategy.
Still, it feels way livelier today than usual.
No, it’s not like I can hear their voices. Since I’m semi-active and on regular expeditions like this, players don’t compete for the same target. It’s just a matter of numbers and atmosphere. But man, there sure are a lot of people rushing around like crazy.
This field is pretty old, built specifically for beginners, which is why it usually doesn’t feel this crowded. The vibe here is usually much more laid-back.
But today, everyone seems unusually busy.
Even so, the group I often run into on the usual expeditions seems to be taking it relatively easy, which gives me a strange sense of relief.
Yeah, yeah. The tall guy with fox-like eyes and the high school girl with the short haircut both look well. Even though I’ve never spoken to them, seeing them unchanged after so long is somehow heartwarming.
Relishing that joy, I soon stepped into an area where the fog was particularly thick. There, a dialogue box appeared alongside the mission completion icon.
Title [Excellent Adventurer] acquired!
It seemed this was the entrance to the deeper layers of the Sick Forest.
Whatever the case, my objective was safely accomplished. I’d casually explore the deeper layers to check things out, then head back for today.
Or so I thought, as the notification didn’t end there.
The Beginner’s Filter will now be disabled.
!!! Paradise Rush in Progress !!!
The currently afflicted forest is exhibiting abnormal monster activity, making it extremely dangerous.
Those without adequate preparation should evacuate immediately.
In that instant, the world literally transformed.
It happened so abruptly that at first, I only thought it had suddenly become more vividly colored. But as I gained the composure to observe the details, I gradually began to grasp what had changed.
Things like clearly seeing what items nearby players were gathering during their gathering activities, or spotting a large, flower-like monster in the distant spot where a girl holding a sword was aiming.
The change wasn’t just visual. It was auditory too.
The roars of beasts, the sound of breathing, and the skill sound effects players unleashed all reached my ears one after another.
The settings were probably adjusted to avoid discomfort; it wasn’t as chaotic as a battlefield. Yet, because of this, I could sense the presence of others much more clearly than usual.
Based on my experience, it was something I never thought possible.
Because until now, on every expedition in this Kimakura, the materials gatherable and the monsters encountered were never shared with others.
This meant players never fought over items or monsters, and conversely, the system didn’t allow for things like healing or reviving others.
Yet now, it’s like we’re back in that state from the previous defence event…?
The only thing I can think of that might have caused this change is the word ‘Paradise Rush’ mentioned in the notification text.
Just as I thought I’d look into it and tried to hide under a promising tree—a colossal serpentine monster, the largest I’d ever seen, dodged the trees and slithered past me at incredible speed.
Before I could even react to that shock, two familiar girls burst into my field of vision.
One seemed to be chasing a giant serpent, rushing past me at breakneck speed—Memeko-san.
The other was a short-haired high school girl who had appeared beside me without my noticing, desperately gesturing and trying to convey something.
The girl in her uniform outfit was busy pointing first toward the giant serpent and Memeko-san, who had just passed by, then pointing in the direction I had come from.
But before I could ponder its meaning, the following change occurred.
It was a rain of light. Through the gaps in the thick, gloomy foliage of the Sick Forest, a massive shower of sparkling light pellets rained down from above.
The pellets exploded and vanished right before my stunned eyes.
It was beautiful, but not frightening. However, the faint vibration that ran through my body and the durability gauge that had been drastically depleted to the brink of death showed that this light wasn’t merely beautiful.
This is a damage skill!? And a big area-of-effect one at that.
Could it be that this girl was urging me to run…?
The moment I finally realised this,
―――――― “Turbulent Guerrilla Rain”.
A voice echoed somewhere.
The next instant, the high school girl before me was enveloped in blue light, which evaporated into the sky in countless streaks. This phenomenon seemed to be occurring simultaneously elsewhere as well; from where I stood, I could see blue beams rising all around me.
Then, suddenly, that blue light began falling straight toward me.
Having already experienced the light rain, all I could think was, “Ah… I’m done for…” I resigned myself and closed my eyes.
My remaining stamina gauge was already a mere drop in the bucket. This was a guaranteed death loop.
I let out a sigh and slowly opened my eyes… Huh?
To my surprise, my stamina gauge wasn’t just depleted—it had fully recovered. And somehow, the high school girl before me had vanished…
What the hell?
But a second later, ice shards exploded nearby. Even I had to abandon rational thought in the face of this abnormal weather and massive standstill.
Scram, scram, hoi hoi. Right now, I must focus solely on strategic retreat.