「Chapter 04」
Author’s Note: Abrupt battle time.
My days with Rue had been pleasant.
That’s all I had to say in a nutshell, but she was quite knowledgeable, and she taught me a variety of things.
Even though she would say “I’m not sure if it’s still true or not…” her knowledge of common sense and monsters was invaluable.
She generously imparted her knowledge of “magic” onto me.
She treated teaching as if “You’re afraid they would lose what they had been taught.”
Exactly one year had passed since I came here.
This world correctly experienced the four seasons, and we’d reached winter.
The temperature here was relatively low year round, but it was even colder now.
I was uneasy when Rue started wearing thick robes to bed instead of her usual sleepwear.
So I spoke up.
“Um, Rue――”
“Kai-kun, today…… in this area…… do you know what plants are edible?”
“Didn’t we cover that last autumn? I nearly destroyed my stomach, so I hope I wouldn’t forget.”
“Ugh…… then, other types of magic besides ice magic……”
“You’ve said it yourself that you can barely use any other type of magic. When it comes to magic, I have a larger variety at my disposal.”
I’d spent the last year learning magic.
Rue had said “I can’t use powerful magic,” but her ice magic was eloquent and delicately crafted.
I wasn’t at her level mastery, but I surpassed her in sheer strength.
……In fact, I could’ve left the forest on my own from the very start.
It’d been difficult to learn “Sword”, but my daily training hadn’t betrayed me.
My kinetic vision was high, and this body allowed me to pick up swordsmanship with ease.
My outlandish performance from the game remained. Even my level had carried over from back then.
The days I’d spent here had been fun, and there was still so much I had yet to experience.
But, I would be leaving now.
I wanted to discover more about this world and figure out why I was here.
“…… I’m ready to set off on my own. You should understand that Rue.”
“I-I’m not sure of that. There are monsters much stronger than you in this area. Therefore, you should stay here a little lon――”
“Rue…… come with me.”
“…… to see you off?”
“No, travel with me, let’s explore the world together.”
She’s said it’s been impossible for her to leave this place.
I don’t know what bound her to this place or why she refused to leave.
Now, at the moment of my departure, hopefully, I could get her to speak about the circumstances she’s refused to tell me.
“That’s impossible.”
“……Why?”
The lights in her eyes immediately vanished.
She looked as if she were an entirely different person when she answered.
Would she finally say why she was here?
“I can’t tell you. ……It seems that you’ve influenced me more than I thought. I’ve enjoyed our year together, but you should do fine with your current abilities.”
“Why the sudden change?”
“No, it’s fine. Well, it’d be nice if you visit every few years.”
“…… I see.”
I left the house with my luggage in hand.
She still decided to see me off.
However, her face was a noh-mask, and it felt like she was desperately trying to hold something back.
“When you leave here, head in the direction opposite of the mountain. Don’t go to the other side of the mountain, and put up a barrier to ward off monsters when you sleep.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve never been there.”
“It’s just a fridge wasteland, no one lives there. Its the realm of a powerful monster. There’s no reason to go there.”
In the midst of our final exchange, I had a thought.
I reflected on her behavior over the last year and how she was acting now.
And her true intentions.
“……This might become a bad hobby.”
I started walking, and once her house could no longer be seen, after a long absence, I replaced the abilities loaded into my sword.
『Five Sense Strengthening』
『Movement Detection』
『Mind’s Eye』
『Telepathy』
『Resonance』
『30% Damage Reduction』
『×2 Ability Effect』
『Rights of The Usurper (Fighter)』
While most of them provided vague effects, their combined force was quite potent.
In game PvP duels, they allowed you to seen an aura around the enemy, allowed me to predict their attacks to some extent, and randomly peeking into their chat.
You could even pick up 『Neighboring Chats』some distance away.
Of course, limits were placed upon using such abilities.
But, in the real world, those limits were removed, and the ability took effect immediately.
“……Idiot…… Why……”
I picked up on those words as I focused on the house.
I’d spent a year with her, but I’ve never seen her weak side.
『I…… don’t leave me…… don’t go…… Kai-kun』
The impulse to turn around seized me as I heard the sobbing.
But, doing that wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem, and I was determined to settle that matter.
I had never told her about this weapon’s versatile and irregular power.
But if I could set her free with this sword’s power――
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
“……Northern Mountain?”
“You! It’s all because of you!”
An iceberg.
What I’d thought was a mountain turned out to be a massive iceberg.
Now that I thought about it, this mountain had been excluded from her teachings.
And, only on my last day did I come here.
It was as if I didn’t want to approach this place.
“Die, bastard. If you die, Rue will be freed!”
An angry shout escaped my lips.
I didn’t think it could hear me, and there was no meaning to it, but I continued to vent my frustration.
This is it.
I didn’t want to be separated from Rue.
Beneath her calm mask was a slightly childish demeanor.
Rue, the little slob that wanted for little in life.
Rue, who always held my hands because she was sensitive to the cold.
The sweats-loving girl who frequently followed me around whenever I made new desserts.
Was this romantic love or platonic fatherly affection?
Though the boundary of our relationship was ambiguous, I still cared for her.
Therefore, I grasped my sword.
It was the size of a mountain.
My heart was at risk of breaking when I was reminded of the size difference.
I feared the power the creature contained.
However, I still prepared myself for battle.
My opponent was a dragon.
It was a 『Nerco Duster Dragon』, like the one I’d slain on the game’s final day, except it now existed in reality.
Despite being trapped within the “blue iceberg”, its mere presence sent cold sweats down my spine.
I immediately changed my sword’s abilities.
『Dragon Slaying Blade』
『Rights of The Usurper (Fighter)』
『Rights of The Usurper (Dragon)』
『Rights of The Usurper (Sword)』
『+30% Damage』
『Ice Emperor’s Blessing』
『Challenger』
『×2 Ability Effect』
Rue’s familiar mana was coming off the iceberg.
She’d sealed the dragon, but doing so prevented her from leaving this place.
I configured my abilities to kill this thing.
『Dragon Slaying Blade』should be effective.
『Rights of The Usurper (Sword)』 increased my weapon damage, and 『Right of the Usurper (Dragon) 』greatly cut the damage I took.
Furthermore, 『+30% Damage』 and 『Challenger』 were included.
The 『Challenger』 increased all of my states by a ×1.5 multiplier, but only when I fought a higher ranking opponent.
Because the effect is only calculated after the final ability is applied, it was impossible to exploit the ability.
I boosted my offensive abilities with those three skills and added 『×2 Ability Effect』for good measure.
As a result, the number values of those abilities had doubled.
“How far can I get beyond the first blow?”
I climbed the iceberg to give me even the slightest damage increase with I shattered the ice.
The nine hundred meter climb reaffirmed the sheer scale of the monster I was about to challenge.
Once the dragon’s head was beneath me did I invoke my 『Swordsmanship』.
Unlike in the game, you had to envision the skills nature and draw out power in order to unleash a martial arts skill.
I used the most powerful skill I had at my disposal.
The 『Depriving Sword』was a unique weapon, but it was about the size of a 『Long sword』.
Therefore, the developer gave it the same skill list as long swords.
A highly flexible skill list which included skills from one-hand and great swords.
But on this occasion, I sought destructive power, not flexibility.
The skill I unleashed was 『Heaven Cleaver (Extreme)』.
It was the pinnacle of long sword skills.
It took an enormous amount of dedication to unlock it, but it had a tremendous effect.
In the game, it’d been difficult to pull off solo, but when it landed, it could be a game changer or finisher.
“I’d appreciate it if you die after this blow.”
I raised my sword above my head and poured my energy into it.
My mental burden increased as I sensed my mana being consumed at an alarming rate.
And――
“Penetrateeeeeeeee!!!!”
My enlarged sword of light easily cut through the iceberg and buried itself in the dragon’s head.
The next moment――
“So it was impossible after all!?”
Large cracks began to appear all over the iceberg.
I tried to retreat, but there were nine hundred meters between me and the ground. It was impossible to make it in time.
“Ability change!”
『×2 Movement Speed』
『+15% Speed Boost』
『+50% Escape Success Rate』
『Rigidity Reduction』
『+5% to All Abilities』
『×2 Ability Effect』
『Rights of The Usurper (Dragon)』
『Rights of The Usurper (Fighter)』
I immediately resurrected my skills around movement speed.
Although the abilities had been designed in the game, none of their effects were exactly the same.
In other words, my speed had been increased to a ludicrous degree.
Thanks to 『×2 Movement Speed』 I was moving so fast that it was physically impossible to change directions.
There were already many cracks in the ice, but the strain my running caused shattered it beneath my feet.
Despite that, I just barely managed to reach the ground.
“Well, what am I gonna do about this guy.”
I gauged the distance between us by facing the gigantic western dragon, adding my height to it, and divided by two.
In certain aspects, the dragon behaved like a human.
The dragon didn’t seem to understand what was going on even as its massive body began to stir.
Well then――
I rearranged my abilities again and took a fighting stance.
The timing was everything.
“There should be a minute countdown…… its almost time.”
I’d just unleashed 『Heaven Cleaver (Extreme)』.
Why would a something said to “cleave the heavens” end with a downward slash?
The answer――
“I hope this combo carried over to the world!”
I started pouring more power into my sword before swinging it sideways.
The skill 『Chasing the Moon』wasn’t meant to be used solo.
The game’s description said the skill 『Doubling the power for each simultaneous attack』.
But, there was one method that allowed a sole player to exploit the skill.
『Heaven Cleaver (Extreme)』 was the strongest long sword skill.
And 『Chasing the Moon』 was a one-handed sword skill.
Grandia Seed’s systems prevented players from changing weapons once you’re engaged in battle.
However, long swords had the unique quality of sharing skills with one-handed swords and great swords.
Thus was born a surefire combo.
A crescent-shaped wave of energy was sent flying towards the enormous dragon.
At the same time, another pillar of energy sprung up from beneath its feet and flew towards the heavens.
The two attacks hit simultaneously.
The attack power of each attack was doubled and, along with the effects of my sword’s other abilities, dealt damage that couldn’t be ignored, as the dragon was cut into for chunks.
“I still remember the timing.”
『Heaven Cleaver (Extreme)』was a time delay attack that reflected the initial slash skyward bound two minutes after it was used.
Of course the time it took the slash to reach the ground depended on one’s position.
I’d relied upon my experience and intuition to pull it off.
As expected. It produced a significant outcome in reality.
Something suddenly began flowing unto my body while was performing my self-evaluation.
My head grew heavy as an unbearable headache rocked me.
I fell to my knees.
What was this?
Did someone attack me? Don’t just use mental attacks out of nowhere!
Shit, was was this!?
The pain caused me to shed tears as my consciousness began to fade.
In the midst of such agony, I heard a soft “voice” in the back of my head.
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This was the result of leveling up!!!!!!!!!
「Chapter 04」
Author’s Note: Abrupt battle time.
My days with Rue had been pleasant.
That’s all I had to say in a nutshell, but she was quite knowledgeable, and she taught me a variety of things.
Even though she would say “I’m not sure if it’s still true or not…” her knowledge of common sense and monsters was invaluable.
She generously imparted her knowledge of “magic” onto me.
She treated teaching as if “You’re afraid they would lose what they had been taught.”
Exactly one year had passed since I came here.
This world correctly experienced the four seasons, and we’d reached winter.
The temperature here was relatively low year round, but it was even colder now.
I was uneasy when Rue started wearing thick robes to bed instead of her usual sleepwear.
So I spoke up.
“Um, Rue――”
“Kai-kun, today…… in this area…… do you know what plants are edible?”
“Didn’t we cover that last autumn? I nearly destroyed my stomach, so I hope I wouldn’t forget.”
“Ugh…… then, other types of magic besides ice magic……”
“You’ve said it yourself that you can barely use any other type of magic. When it comes to magic, I have a larger variety at my disposal.”
I’d spent the last year learning magic.
Rue had said “I can’t use powerful magic,” but her ice magic was eloquent and delicately crafted.
I wasn’t at her level mastery, but I surpassed her in sheer strength.
……In fact, I could’ve left the forest on my own from the very start.
It’d been difficult to learn “Sword”, but my daily training hadn’t betrayed me.
My kinetic vision was high, and this body allowed me to pick up swordsmanship with ease.
My outlandish performance from the game remained. Even my level had carried over from back then.
The days I’d spent here had been fun, and there was still so much I had yet to experience.
But, I would be leaving now.
I wanted to discover more about this world and figure out why I was here.
“…… I’m ready to set off on my own. You should understand that Rue.”
“I-I’m not sure of that. There are monsters much stronger than you in this area. Therefore, you should stay here a little lon――”
“Rue…… come with me.”
“…… to see you off?”
“No, travel with me, let’s explore the world together.”
She’s said it’s been impossible for her to leave this place.
I don’t know what bound her to this place or why she refused to leave.
Now, at the moment of my departure, hopefully, I could get her to speak about the circumstances she’s refused to tell me.
“That’s impossible.”
“……Why?”
The lights in her eyes immediately vanished.
She looked as if she were an entirely different person when she answered.
Would she finally say why she was here?
“I can’t tell you. ……It seems that you’ve influenced me more than I thought. I’ve enjoyed our year together, but you should do fine with your current abilities.”
“Why the sudden change?”
“No, it’s fine. Well, it’d be nice if you visit every few years.”
“…… I see.”
I left the house with my luggage in hand.
She still decided to see me off.
However, her face was a noh-mask, and it felt like she was desperately trying to hold something back.
“When you leave here, head in the direction opposite of the mountain. Don’t go to the other side of the mountain, and put up a barrier to ward off monsters when you sleep.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve never been there.”
“It’s just a fridge wasteland, no one lives there. Its the realm of a powerful monster. There’s no reason to go there.”
In the midst of our final exchange, I had a thought.
I reflected on her behavior over the last year and how she was acting now.
And her true intentions.
“……This might become a bad hobby.”
I started walking, and once her house could no longer be seen, after a long absence, I replaced the abilities loaded into my sword.
『Five Sense Strengthening』
『Movement Detection』
『Mind’s Eye』
『Telepathy』
『Resonance』
『30% Damage Reduction』
『×2 Ability Effect』
『Rights of The Usurper (Fighter)』
While most of them provided vague effects, their combined force was quite potent.
In game PvP duels, they allowed you to seen an aura around the enemy, allowed me to predict their attacks to some extent, and randomly peeking into their chat.
You could even pick up 『Neighboring Chats』some distance away.
Of course, limits were placed upon using such abilities.
But, in the real world, those limits were removed, and the ability took effect immediately.
“……Idiot…… Why……”
I picked up on those words as I focused on the house.
I’d spent a year with her, but I’ve never seen her weak side.
『I…… don’t leave me…… don’t go…… Kai-kun』
The impulse to turn around seized me as I heard the sobbing.
But, doing that wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem, and I was determined to settle that matter.
I had never told her about this weapon’s versatile and irregular power.
But if I could set her free with this sword’s power――
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
“……Northern Mountain?”
“You! It’s all because of you!”
An iceberg.
What I’d thought was a mountain turned out to be a massive iceberg.
Now that I thought about it, this mountain had been excluded from her teachings.
And, only on my last day did I come here.
It was as if I didn’t want to approach this place.
“Die, bastard. If you die, Rue will be freed!”
An angry shout escaped my lips.
I didn’t think it could hear me, and there was no meaning to it, but I continued to vent my frustration.
This is it.
I didn’t want to be separated from Rue.
Beneath her calm mask was a slightly childish demeanor.
Rue, the little slob that wanted for little in life.
Rue, who always held my hands because she was sensitive to the cold.
The sweats-loving girl who frequently followed me around whenever I made new desserts.
Was this romantic love or platonic fatherly affection?
Though the boundary of our relationship was ambiguous, I still cared for her.
Therefore, I grasped my sword.
It was the size of a mountain.
My heart was at risk of breaking when I was reminded of the size difference.
I feared the power the creature contained.
However, I still prepared myself for battle.
My opponent was a dragon.
It was a 『Nerco Duster Dragon』, like the one I’d slain on the game’s final day, except it now existed in reality.
Despite being trapped within the “blue iceberg”, its mere presence sent cold sweats down my spine.
I immediately changed my sword’s abilities.
『Dragon Slaying Blade』
『Rights of The Usurper (Fighter)』
『Rights of The Usurper (Dragon)』
『Rights of The Usurper (Sword)』
『+30% Damage』
『Ice Emperor’s Blessing』
『Challenger』
『×2 Ability Effect』
Rue’s familiar mana was coming off the iceberg.
She’d sealed the dragon, but doing so prevented her from leaving this place.
I configured my abilities to kill this thing.
『Dragon Slaying Blade』should be effective.
『Rights of The Usurper (Sword)』 increased my weapon damage, and 『Right of the Usurper (Dragon) 』greatly cut the damage I took.
Furthermore, 『+30% Damage』 and 『Challenger』 were included.
The 『Challenger』 increased all of my states by a ×1.5 multiplier, but only when I fought a higher ranking opponent.
Because the effect is only calculated after the final ability is applied, it was impossible to exploit the ability.
I boosted my offensive abilities with those three skills and added 『×2 Ability Effect』for good measure.
As a result, the number values of those abilities had doubled.
“How far can I get beyond the first blow?”
I climbed the iceberg to give me even the slightest damage increase with I shattered the ice.
The nine hundred meter climb reaffirmed the sheer scale of the monster I was about to challenge.
Once the dragon’s head was beneath me did I invoke my 『Swordsmanship』.
Unlike in the game, you had to envision the skills nature and draw out power in order to unleash a martial arts skill.
I used the most powerful skill I had at my disposal.
The 『Depriving Sword』was a unique weapon, but it was about the size of a 『Long sword』.
Therefore, the developer gave it the same skill list as long swords.
A highly flexible skill list which included skills from one-hand and great swords.
But on this occasion, I sought destructive power, not flexibility.
The skill I unleashed was 『Heaven Cleaver (Extreme)』.
It was the pinnacle of long sword skills.
It took an enormous amount of dedication to unlock it, but it had a tremendous effect.
In the game, it’d been difficult to pull off solo, but when it landed, it could be a game changer or finisher.
“I’d appreciate it if you die after this blow.”
I raised my sword above my head and poured my energy into it.
My mental burden increased as I sensed my mana being consumed at an alarming rate.
And――
“Penetrateeeeeeeee!!!!”
My enlarged sword of light easily cut through the iceberg and buried itself in the dragon’s head.
The next moment――
“So it was impossible after all!?”
Large cracks began to appear all over the iceberg.
I tried to retreat, but there were nine hundred meters between me and the ground. It was impossible to make it in time.
“Ability change!”
『×2 Movement Speed』
『+15% Speed Boost』
『+50% Escape Success Rate』
『Rigidity Reduction』
『+5% to All Abilities』
『×2 Ability Effect』
『Rights of The Usurper (Dragon)』
『Rights of The Usurper (Fighter)』
I immediately resurrected my skills around movement speed.
Although the abilities had been designed in the game, none of their effects were exactly the same.
In other words, my speed had been increased to a ludicrous degree.
Thanks to 『×2 Movement Speed』 I was moving so fast that it was physically impossible to change directions.
There were already many cracks in the ice, but the strain my running caused shattered it beneath my feet.
Despite that, I just barely managed to reach the ground.
“Well, what am I gonna do about this guy.”
I gauged the distance between us by facing the gigantic western dragon, adding my height to it, and divided by two.
In certain aspects, the dragon behaved like a human.
The dragon didn’t seem to understand what was going on even as its massive body began to stir.
Well then――
I rearranged my abilities again and took a fighting stance.
The timing was everything.
“There should be a minute countdown…… its almost time.”
I’d just unleashed 『Heaven Cleaver (Extreme)』.
Why would a something said to “cleave the heavens” end with a downward slash?
The answer――
“I hope this combo carried over to the world!”
I started pouring more power into my sword before swinging it sideways.
The skill 『Chasing the Moon』wasn’t meant to be used solo.
The game’s description said the skill 『Doubling the power for each simultaneous attack』.
But, there was one method that allowed a sole player to exploit the skill.
『Heaven Cleaver (Extreme)』 was the strongest long sword skill.
And 『Chasing the Moon』 was a one-handed sword skill.
Grandia Seed’s systems prevented players from changing weapons once you’re engaged in battle.
However, long swords had the unique quality of sharing skills with one-handed swords and great swords.
Thus was born a surefire combo.
A crescent-shaped wave of energy was sent flying towards the enormous dragon.
At the same time, another pillar of energy sprung up from beneath its feet and flew towards the heavens.
The two attacks hit simultaneously.
The attack power of each attack was doubled and, along with the effects of my sword’s other abilities, dealt damage that couldn’t be ignored, as the dragon was cut into for chunks.
“I still remember the timing.”
『Heaven Cleaver (Extreme)』was a time delay attack that reflected the initial slash skyward bound two minutes after it was used.
Of course the time it took the slash to reach the ground depended on one’s position.
I’d relied upon my experience and intuition to pull it off.
As expected. It produced a significant outcome in reality.
Something suddenly began flowing unto my body while was performing my self-evaluation.
My head grew heavy as an unbearable headache rocked me.
I fell to my knees.
What was this?
Did someone attack me? Don’t just use mental attacks out of nowhere!
Shit, was was this!?
The pain caused me to shed tears as my consciousness began to fade.
In the midst of such agony, I heard a soft “voice” in the back of my head.
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
『LvUP!』
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This was the result of leveling up!!!!!!!!!
