Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: A Funny Girl
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"Ch-Chris?"
"Huh...?"
My sword had stopped just an inch from her body.
Chris still hadn't turned around. She must have felt the sharp edge of my blade so close to her.
"E-eeek...!"
Rain, swing your sword.
This girl tried to attack me.
A stone thrown for fun can still kill a frog, you know.
Of course, I happen to be a frog blinded by the daily quest reward.
And sure, Chris is the nice girl who gave me a one-gold outfit.
But she attacked first, didn't she?
Roselia Forest is a PvP zone, a place where yesterday's ally can become today's enemy.
In the end, though, I couldn't bring myself to swing the sword.
*Scamper!*
Instead, I quickly darted behind a tree twenty meters away.
Hiding there, I called out weakly.
"D-don't come any closer...!"
"R-Rain? Is that you, Rain?"
Chris flinched and took a step toward me.
"I said don't come closer! I'll run away...!"
"I would never attack you!"
"Liar! You just tried to bind me!"
I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted. For some reason, I felt like I was about to cry.
I thought she might be a good person, but I was wrong.
She must have attacked me even knowing it was me! Because she’s a heartless predatory player!
If you PK in this zone, you can take the other person's mana stones. She was trying to steal mine to get an extra reward!
Chris is a bad, predatory player!
"I-I'm sorry! The shadows from the trees were so dark, I didn't realize it was you. I'm really sorry! You're here for the mana stone quest, right? How many more do you need? I'll give you mine."
Chris made a motion as if reaching into the air and pulled out several mana stones.
"Here! See? Good girl. Come over here, okay? Or should I come to you?"
"Hah...!"
I stared blankly at the mana stones in her hand.
If I took those, I'd have more than enough to complete the daily quest. I could even get a small extra reward.
"Ah!"
I snapped back to my senses and shook my head hard.
Rain, don't fall for it. You've only met her twice.
The predatory players always say there are no friends on the battlefield of PvP.
She might be using those mana stones to lure me in and backstab me.
She's probably trying to steal the eighteen mana stones I worked so hard to collect.
I didn't know what Chris was thinking, but for some reason, I didn't feel like attacking her.
To avoid a fight, I had no choice but to run.
I turned my back on Chris, who was slowly trying to approach.
*Tap, tap!*
"Okay! I'll leave them here! I'll be far away, so you can come and get them, Rain!"
Seeing me turn my back, Chris called out urgently. Then, she carefully dropped five mana stones on the ground.
She immediately moved a good distance away from the spot.
"Hah!"
Could I really take them?
*Tiptoe, tiptoe.*
I cautiously approached the mana stones, keeping an eye on Chris in the distance.
*Glint.*
*Scoop, scoop.*
I shot her a sharp glare as I quickly gathered the mana stones.
"Heh."
Once I had them all, a foolish smile escaped my lips.
Oops, I almost let my guard down for a second.
I glared at Chris sharply again.
She was smiling, watching me with a strangely pleased expression. It really seemed like she had no intention of attacking.
I guess she really didn't know it was me before.
I cautiously spoke to her.
"...Do you have any more mana stones left?"
*
*Stomp, stomp.*
I walked through the green meadow, enjoying the pleasant breeze.
I was in a good mood.
Today, I had gotten a whopping thirty mana stones.
I would be able to get a ton of extra rewards for the daily quest.
*Crunch, crunch.*
Beside me, I heard a different set of footsteps.
I was on my way back to a city in the Alpharion Empire near the Roselia Plains to report my daily quest.
So why was Chris, a member of the Betarion Empire, following me?
But I couldn't complain.
I had taken a bunch of mana stones from her, after all.
"......."
I timidly glanced at Chris walking beside me.
Meeting my gaze, she smiled brightly.
"Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You're a lackey of the Betarion Empire, aren't you? This is the way to a city in the Alpharion Empire."
"...A lackey?"
"Th-thank you for the mana stones."
"Haha, don't mention it. It was nothing."
I still felt a reluctance to converse with people.
Even so, I wasn't such an animal that I couldn't express gratitude.
If someone else had shown me such kindness, I wouldn't have accepted it in the first place, but with Chris, that reluctance was a little less pronounced.
"Oh~ I was planning on switching my allegiance to the Alpharion Empire anyway."
"What about all the merit you've built up in the Betarion Empire?"
"Hehe, I just think this side looks better."
I tilted my head.
As far as I knew, changing factions reset all the merit points you had accumulated with your previous one.
*Stomp, stomp.*
*Crunch, crunch.*
We walked on in silence for a while, crossing the meadow.
Chris just kept watching me with a pleasant smile. She didn't try to get closer by asking a bunch of questions like the first time we met, nor did she touch me suddenly like the second time.
Unable to find a good reason to run away, I had no choice but to walk on, stealing glances at her from the corner of my eye.
*Gurgle, gurgle.*
I heard the gentle sound of water.
Before long, a clear, transparent stream came into view.
The surface of the stream rippled slightly in the wind, reflecting the sparkling sunlight.
"Wow!"
I beamed.
Flowers of various colors bloomed along the stream's bank, making it as beautiful as a painting.
A small tributary branching off from the large river that cut through the Roselia Plains.
It was always new and beautiful every time I passed this way.
*Splash, splash.*
I took off my shoes and dipped my bare feet into the stream.
The sensation of the cool water on my bare skin felt wonderful.
A sensation I could only feel here on the Astria Continent.
Contrary to the slightly chilly water, my heart filled with warmth.
*Splash, splash.*
And today, there was another splash.
"Whoa~! This is so refreshing! You can feel the disconnect because of the synchronization rate, but they implemented this brilliantly, didn't they?"
Chris, who had approached without me noticing, had also taken off her shoes and dipped her bare feet into the stream.
I smiled faintly at Chris, who was laughing like a child.
You don't know, do you? That this is the only place I can feel sensations like this.
But this isn't so bad.
The feeling of sharing the same sensation with someone else.
"Whoa!?"
*Slip.*
Losing her balance for a moment, Chris's eyes widened in surprise.
She flailed her arms, trying to right herself, but it was too late.
*Splash!*
It seemed the careless Chris had stepped on a mossy rock.
She fell with a great flailing of her arms.
As she landed on her bottom, a spray of water scattered in all directions.
The airborne droplets caught the sunlight, sparkling amidst her bright red hair.
"Hee hee hee."
I found the sight so ridiculous that I let out a small giggle.
Soaked like a drowned rat, Chris looked at me with a dazed expression.
Then, as if finding her own predicament hilarious, she started roaring with laughter.
So Chris was a funny girl!
I arrived at the city in the Alpharion Empire with Chris.
She had escorted me all the way from Roselia Forest. Inside the forest, she had even helped keep watch on our surroundings.
It seemed Chris had changed her allegiance through an NPC in the city. Now, I wouldn't have to be on guard if I met her inside Roselia Forest.
As I was grinning while checking the number of 'Refined Mana Stones' I had received for completing the daily quest, Chris spoke to me.
"By the way, it's about time for it to open, right?"
"Ah."
Her words reminded me.
The level 30 elite dungeon, the 'Demon Army's Forward Base'.
A castle with the lore of having been discovered inside a basin in a rocky mountain region on the outskirts of the Roselia Plains.
We hadn't been able to enter it until now because of a sealing magic circle at the castle's entrance, but the seal had been weakening little by little each time players defeated a Divine Beast dungeon.
Finally, the time for the castle to open was approaching.
"Looks like you've reached level 30, Rain. And you've been farming elite dungeons, so you must have a party, right?"
"......."
Would it be weird to say I only play solo?
Then again, it seemed party play was the norm for elite dungeons among players.
Still, for someone who used to be the Hero of the Astria Continent, it would be strange if I couldn't handle this much.
But if I said, 'I used to be the Hero who lived here,' it was obvious no one would believe me.
"Haha, if it's hard to talk about, you don't have to. You don't seem to use the messenger much either, right? Just message me whenever you feel like it."
"Okay."
I looked up at Chris and nodded.
She looked at me with an expression full of regret.
"I have to go, I have a meeting. I wanted to stay with you a little longer, though."
*Shake, shake.*
I shook my head slightly. It meant it was okay.
My wariness of Chris had faded a lot, but for now, I was still more comfortable alone.
Chris took a reluctant step away, repeatedly looking back.
When she was just a small figure in the distance, she spun around, shouted loudly, and waved her hand.
"Let's meet again! For sure!"
I gave her a small wave back.