The Heavenly Demon and the Frightened Spirits
The dragon I faced this time was far less entertaining than the one Enry had recommended in the previous game. To put it bluntly, it was weaker. The last one had at least shown some semblance of a transcendent being, but this one was nothing more than an oversized lizard. After kicking the head of the dragon lying motionless on the ground, a message window appeared before me.
Rewards will be distributed!
Along with those words, a black coat made of leather fell down. I had worn something similar once when Enry had dressed me up at random. It had felt warm and cozy, so I had thought it was decent enough.
“Does this tutorial’s reward also get sent to the real world?”
“Not bad.”
At this level, it might be fine to wear in the real world. Until I had beaten the dragon, I had thought it was just a bothersome task, but receiving the coat lifted my mood considerably. It seemed dragons generally gave good rewards after all.
“Now then. Recommend another one.”
I had merely wanted them to recommend something worth fighting next, yet the chat window descended into chaos for an entirely different reason. Everyone’s opinions were so divided that finding any unified suggestion was impossible. At this rate, it was no different from me just picking one at random. While I was pondering what to do, a message arrived from Enry.
“A vote?”
Enry explained that we could use the broadcast’s voting function to tackle whatever the majority of viewers wanted. Hmm. That sounded reasonable.
“How do I do it?”
“No.”
At Enry’s forceful dissuasion, I had no choice but to lower my hands again. I wondered just how worried she must have been to react like that. I thought I had become fairly adept at handling the system by now, but apparently not. In any case, under Enry’s direction, a vote was held, and before long, my next destination was decided.
Fist King
“Fist King, is it. Let us go.”
I hoped something entertaining awaited me there.
After that, I went through several more tutorials. The boss in the Fist King tutorial was his master, but he was not a particularly interesting human. To think he tried to achieve the pinnacle of fist techniques through external power rather than finding it within himself. I could not acknowledge someone like that calling himself a martial artist. So I smashed him rather roughly. Still, the item he offered as a reward was to my liking. A black training uniform that looked comfortable to wear during practice. I would have to see it in reality, but it seemed like something I could wear casually.
Next was the Sword Saint. I had expected to meet someone who had pursued the ultimate heights of the sword, but unfortunately, that wish went unfulfilled. The boss of the Sword Saint tutorial was a forest spirit. Using the forest like a murim divine spirit to torment me was quite bothersome, but not an entertaining opponent. So instead of playing along, I simply cut the entire forest in half and ended it there. The gift this one gave was not particularly interesting either. A bracelet woven from tree branches. It might have value as decoration, but it was far too detached from practicality.
Having encountered something unenjoyable on both the opponent and the reward, I complained to the viewers. I told them to recommend something fun. In response, they suggested the Red Orc. The Red Orc’s adversary was a swordsman who called himself the Sword Saint. Now this was an opponent worth fighting. An opponent with conviction in their own martial arts was always worth battling. What was truly regrettable was that this self-proclaimed Sword Saint still seemed incomplete. He was clearly someone who could climb higher, yet I could only meet him in this state. Even after defeating the Sword Saint, the feeling of disappointment lingered. The reward given after clearing the tutorial was a necklace. This too was merely an item with decorative value, but my impression differed from the spirit’s gift. This was a token obtained after fighting a strong opponent. What I received from a bothersome mage and what I received from a martial artist carried different meanings. I would have to display it somewhere once I returned home.
“Did you not say you wanted to see impressive scenes?”
These fellows were no better than three-year-old infants. Getting bored after just a little while and craving something else was truly fickle. Since I had already achieved my original goal of extinguishing the fire, it seemed fine to just stream as usual.
While I was thinking that, someone sent a donation. Spirit Archer? If my memory served me right, that was the character Decai used. Commanding other living beings did not seem to suit me very well.
“Instead of chattering among yourselves, could you not inform me as well?”
Just what kind of tutorial was the Spirit Archer one that it elicited such reactions? I wanted to know too.
At times like this, they showed remarkable unity over something pointless. How could there not be a single person willing to give me a proper explanation? With public opinion formed this way, the voting result was obvious even without looking. Thus, I entered the Spirit Archer tutorial just as the viewers instructed.
The Spirit Archer tutorial began in a forest. When I opened my eyes beside a vast lake, I came face to face with a woman seated on the water, looking down at me. She had a semi-transparent form, as if light was refracting through her, like water had taken on a human shape.
“You have awakened, Spirit Master.”
As she spoke, four spirits appeared around her. They were the same children I had seen when facing Decai before. When I had met them as enemies, I had thought them bothersome creatures using all sorts of miscellaneous methods, but seeing them like this, they seemed rather cute.
“Do you remember how to converse with spirits?”
Would you like to hear the Spirit Manipulation Tutorial?
Aha. So the Spirit Archer tutorial had nothing to do with combat at all. That was why the viewers thought I would not be able to handle it. Truly clever fellows. However, if they thought I would succumb to something of this level, they were gravely mistaken. Conversing with spirits? That was something I could simply do. What was so difficult about talking to one another?
“I would like you to teach me.”
Starting the tutorial.
“First, it begins with forming a bond. Please extend your hand to the water spirit.”
Following the woman’s instructions, I extended my hand toward the small child who resembled her. However, even after reaching out, I could not form a bond with the spirit. The moment I extended my hand, the water spirit hid behind the woman.
“Huh?”
“Huh? Why is it doing that?”
The other spirits were the same. They all scrambled to flee the moment I approached. The woman guiding the tutorial was flustered by the spirits’ behavior and urged them to approach, but none of them listened to her.
“Uh. Um. This is. Uh?!”
The woman made strange noises in her panic, as if she had never seen such a thing before, but I had experienced this scene before. This usually happened when I tried to approach cute animals. Why was it that I never received affection from cute or small creatures? Sigh. This was a moment when I missed Baru. While my desire to smoke my pipe grew increasingly urgent, the viewers were busy laughing at me.
“Decai. You were here too? Tell me how to handle this.”
You have played the Spirit Archer character for a long time. Explain how to resolve this situation.
Relax my face? I deliberately smoothed out my furrowed brow and smiled, and the spirits behind the woman began to tremble.
“Decai. Look forward to the next time we play Apis. I will make sure to beat you half to death with my own hands.”
“Unfortunately, it is too late. How dare you mock me even as a joke.”
Since you have not faced me for a long time, you must have forgotten what kind of person I am. Look forward to it. I will definitely come for revenge.
Sigh. In any case, it seemed difficult to proceed with this right now.
“This one is a failure. It does not seem like it will work, so recommend something else.”
Battle Mage? Just what kind of tutorial was that, to elicit such reactions? Judging by how positive the responses were, it did not seem like a problem that could be solved through physical movement. Once public opinion had formed, I could not stop this flow. Thus, the next destination decided by vote was the Battle Mage tutorial.