Starting from Myself (3) – Inazuma
Tomoyo, now a member of the Giant Alliance guilds, gripped her staff tightly. Having entered what felt like a mere rat hole of a cave and set up their base camp, there was no turning back now.
“Hoo—”
She took a deep breath, steadying her mind. Excluding Captain Hisagi and Grand Commander Lee Hoyeol... the expressions on the other guild members' faces weren't much different from her own. This was a staggering appropriate level of 850.
“It won't be easy, just like always. Right, Tomoyo?”
“Haha...”
Tomoyo could only manage a hollow laugh at the man's words. She didn't even have the spirit left for banter. Her class was [Battle Mage]. As a magic-based class that demanded close-quarters combat, the burden she felt was no small thing.
“You gonna be okay?”
“Pardon?”
“No need to push yourself too hard.”
The infamous nickname for Battle Mages? Something like “peasant character,” the polar opposite of a noble archetype. Compared to being treated like trash, “glass cannon” was practically a compliment. At least it was a nickname that made sense.
The man continued. “Can I be straight with you? A Battle Mage's attack power? It's impressive. You can slam magic-class skills with destructive force right up close, without missing a beat. But think about the level gap.”
Tomoyo's level was 475. Even if she boasted outstanding attack power among her peers, could she land effective hits on these giant rats soaring past 800? No, could she even get close in the first place?
“Even a direct skill hit probably won't do much damage. Now, what about the other way around? Realistically, how many attacks do you think you could tank?”
At the piercing question, Tomoyo glanced down at her gear. Her magic-use cloth armor, designed to supplement [Magic] stats and [Mana Regeneration], was paper-thin.
“Who knows. If I'm lucky, maybe two...?”
Grazed once, and it'd be a critical wound. Hell, she might not even survive the first hit. Tomoyo continued awkwardly. “I'll keep your advice in mind.”
She said that, but she knew. In this moment, in this place, no one had staked their life without resolve.
“Damn it, if only I could equip that new gear.”
“Hey now, a true artisan never blames their tools.”
“It's not an excuse, seriously?!”
No one here was without their regrets. This was a battlefield where they all turned their backs to one another for mutual support. For the sake of not harming others, none of them planned to retreat.
In the end, this is the path I chose.
Did she ever regret picking her class? Be really honest...
Every time I entered a rift and faced a monster, yeah, I regretted it.
She'd berate herself daily that close combat wasn't her style, yet somehow she'd made it this far. Some, like the man, would say:
“I think you've done plenty well up to now, Tomoyo. Reaching this level as a Battle Mage? I respect it from the bottom of my heart. That's some serious talent.”
Tomoyo didn't respond. Talent? Acknowledging that would invalidate all her blood, sweat, and struggles.
“If you hadn't picked Battle Mage, honestly... by now, you'd be...”
It would also deny her own choices. Clench— Whenever that happened, Tomoyo gripped her staff tighter. Regretting, yet pushing forward to avoid more regret.
But.
“Damn it...!!”
For the first time, that stubbornness felt like it might break.
Rats three to four times the size of a human swarming from all sides.
Rats the size of people, three or four times over, swarmed from every direction. A whopping 800 level. Even as regular monsters, how many would it take to fell just one? She couldn't even guess.
Thick fur. Hide as tough as their bulk. The moment she faced them, doubt crept in. Would her skills even make those beasts flinch?
In the midst of the chaos, a voice rang out.
“Breakthrough!”
Captain Hisagi's command. Breakthrough was for the melee players. The vanguard had to draw aggro and carve a path.
...I have to follow.
The moment Tomoyo stepped forward—
Grab— The man seized her wrist and shook his head.
“Too dangerous.”
“I know. But...”
“You're special, Tomoyo.”
Special? Not wrong. Her rare Battle Mage class let her switch freely between front and back lines depending on the situation.
“Think rationally.”
The ability to act on her own judgment over orders.
I don't need you to tell me—I'm plenty rational.
Battle Mage was an awkward class. Politely put, special treatment. Ambiguous in both front and rear lines. No matter the choice, regret was inevitable.
Then.
She wouldn't bend her stubbornness out of sheer injustice.
“Stay back with me...”
“Thanks, but I'll pass.”
“...What?”
“I'm used to the regret by now.”
Tomoyo charged to the front. Even as she ran, her hands trembled. Her mind brimmed with regrets, as always.
But she refused to admit it. If she bowed to this cataclysm and denied her past choices...
Nothing of her pre-cataclysm life would remain.
Some might call it reckless stubbornness.
“I'll help carve the path, Captain Hisagi.”
“Welcome to hell, Tomoyo.”
“...Your tone's changed?”
“Thanks for the praise.”
“...Is that praise?”
Yet at the same time.
Someone else who knew the sorrow of a “peasant class” would say:
It was the pride they deserved in return.
Return? As if anything in the world responded to humanity's desperate flailing. Unless it was a god, who could notice and reply?
Perfect fodder for mockery. And they were right.
“...Huh?”
Because Tomoyo was seeing a goddess.
A job-change oath flashed in her mind. Verses she'd recited without much thought resurfaced.
No corner of the Arcana Continent escapes the Goddess's gaze.
Be it a rat hole or hell itself, She shall not forsake those who earnestly beseech Her.
Was it a dream? She opened her mouth.
“...Captain Hisagi, you seeing this?”
Nod— Hisagi nodded.
Still unbelieving, she asked again. “I'm not hallucinating from extreme stress, right?”
Nod nod— Only after Hisagi nodded repeatedly did she accept it. Her eyes weren't deceiving her.
Tomoyo stared, dumbfounded, at the colossal goddess in the air. Squeak squeak squeak! Even the giant rats panicked at its size. She couldn't make out the face or details clearly.
But she didn't need to. She felt it. The warmth. A gentle aura no one but a goddess—watching over all in the Arcana Continent—could emit. All-encompassing.
Demand more solid proof than words? Here it was, and it didn't end there.
[The First World Tree's Blessing fills the area.]
[Vitality regeneration greatly increases.]
[Mana regeneration greatly increases.]
In the Arcana system, “greatly” meant something substantial. Enough to stun the players' faces.
“What the hell buff is this out of nowhere?”
“No way... it's better than intermediate potions?!”
“Captain Hisagi! With a buff like this...!!”
Hisagi nodded. “I'll withdraw the breakthrough order. From now on, all units...”
“...!”
“Engage in individual combat.”
A whopping 800 level. A buff potent enough to give them a shot even in a chaotic melee. The basis for that judgment was clear.
“Until the Goddess turns Her gaze from us!”
[First World Tree's Blessing], was it? The cheat-level buff would last until the goddess vanished.
Was it the warm glow? Tomoyo's limbs stopped shaking. Instead, a question arose.
Why now, of all times...?
This wasn't the first crisis she'd faced. So why reveal Herself at this moment?
It didn't take long to reach the answer. Only one thing had changed.
“...No way.”
The Grand Commander. Lee Hoyeol's presence alone.
Tomoyo's gaze turned to Hoyeol. No surprise or panic on his face. Unfazed even before the great goddess's form. Just his usual steadfast self.
Tomoyo swallowed her shock.
...He really is connected to the Goddess?!
*
Why, I did declare I'd return to my roots, but. High El, no need for you to chase even my初心 that far, is there?
...Say something, would you.
Honestly speaking. It wasn't weird for players to mistake High El for a goddess. Even as a tiny spirit, her elaborate robes had people confusing her for a spirit king.
And why's the halo so damn bright.
Not content with her massive size, she was self-illuminating. Utterly holy-looking. Topped off with that elegant insertion of Grandfell.
...Yeah, what can I even say.
Parents mirror their children. It's all my fault—nothing else for it.
Only then did High El's voice echo in my head.
–“To dare look down upon my lord— I lack the face to show myself. If it harms not my lord... I yearn to greet you properly, even now.”
High El's presence dominated the rat hole.
Why I'm unaffected, who knows.
Perhaps because she's a {Unique Spirit} beyond contract spirits. Or maybe High El had become an existence the cave couldn't contain without my knowing.
No way for me to tell.
“No need for that.”
Spare me the burdensome formalities this time. Especially now, with the massive goddess misconception slapped on High El.
[The First World Tree's Blessing fills the area.]
That said, this buff's performance is solid. Led by Hisagi, the Giant Alliance players clashed with the giant rats.
I guarantee the effect.
Not as good as the real deal, but the vitality and mana regen boost rivals chugging high-grade potions. No need to worry about life or wounds—just focus on fighting.
“They'll figure it out themselves.”
How to catch fish, that is. Back when Arcana was just a game. Players cleared “impossible” raids and quests for one simple reason.
They could revive after death. Fearless challenges.
Not quite that far, but.
Players were piecing it together, slowly but surely.
“800 level? So what? Patterns are obvious!”
“Grazed for critical? Then don't get grazed!”
“Nice, one down!”
I watched, satisfied, like a true Grand Commander.
Grand Commander.
Heavy responsibility.
But with my black history roots and the Claudy family acknowledging it, what's a mere title? More importantly, since I'd taken it on.
I couldn't half-ass it— I knew that better than anyone.
So, as I'd resolved. Let's do this properly.
Temper the pace. Rustle rustle!
Unlike the players laser-focused on combat, I had leeway. Enough to sense the shifting air currents.
I turned toward the presence and spoke.
“Regrettable.”
From the aura, a named monster breezing past 800. But as I said—no time to humor a flashy entrance properly.
“Witnessing allies' growth is also the Grand Commander's duty. Thus, I cannot let you rampage freely. Frail beasts of the mountains.”
Frail, those monsters? A brief flinch at Grandfell's rhetoric.
I drew up my mana.
Meager compared to the cave's appropriate level, perhaps. But for me, entering {Transcendent} and even {[Strange]}, mana stats were mere numbers, as Grandfell said.
I opened my mouth.
“However, having roused you from slumber, I shall compensate appropriately.”
...Squeak?
Formality and dignity even bewildering the rats.
“Choose one of two rewards.”
And shoving black-history-tainted options at them.
“Eternal night, or discipline for your tantrums.”
Truly reclaimed my初心 to the fullest...!!