Three Monsters (4)
The moment I became a player, my physical abilities skyrocketed. I could now perform acrobatic feats that would have been unimaginable before. Sprinting a hundred meters in three seconds. Leaping four or five meters straight up with a sergeant jump. Things like that.
But far more absurd than any physical change was the very concept of mana.
“Hup!”
Mana was a formless energy that circulated through the body. The way it took on color and attributes, however, varied wildly depending on each player’s nature. In my case, it was clearly something close to flame energy.
Moonlight Sword Art — First Form: New Moon
The energy released from my blade, close to moonlight, slowly began to heat the surroundings. It was something closer to the sun than the moon. Of course, moonlight itself was merely reflected sunlight, so it wasn’t strange. Still, a massive surge of scorching yang energy exploded from my body and shot toward Landon like a beam of light.
“Haaaaah…!”
Landon exhaled a cloud of frost as he raised his ice sword in perfect form. In response, an ice wall erupted from the ground. Perhaps his power really had weakened; the wall that collided with my beam began melting rapidly.
Fwoooosh!
“Hup!”
With a sharp shout, I sliced vertically through the half-melted ice wall. Landon’s figure was revealed behind it. I adjusted my upward swing into a natural, flowing downward strike.
Kaaaaang!
My blade—no, my energy—clashed with his in midair. He really was the final boss of the sixth floor; my body screamed in protest as it tried to contend with that solid wall of mana.
Urk!
Perhaps my internal energy had twisted, because the metallic taste of blood rose in my throat. But if I lost this contest of strength now, there might be no other way to hunt this ice monster.
Crack.
The storm created by the clash of cold and heat began sweeping across the area. Trees caught fire from the scorching wind, only to freeze solid the instant the cold touched them. Stones heated by the gale and frozen vines tore through the forest. Every blade of grass shattered like glass.
A smirk crept across Landon’s lips as the momentum of power gradually tilted in favor of the cold. My mana was running dry. At this rate, seizing victory in a battle of attrition would be difficult.
Two options remained.
First, burn coins to raise my mana and physical stats and finish him off.
Second, use Wholehearted Devotion to subdue him within the time limit.
But the moment I tried to make that choice, something completely unexpected happened.
Thud!
A rock the size of a human head flew in from nowhere and slammed straight into Landon’s waist. It had actually struck the cold-energy barrier around his waist and bounced off, but that brief opening proved fatal.
“Kha!”
The impact threw off his balance. His mana fluctuated from the sudden shock. The energy that had been focused on me diverted toward his waist, and for an instant, his once-pristine aura faltered.
Slice!
Fwoosh!
My sword reached his shoulder. The flame-wreathed blade swallowed his arm. By the time he regained his senses, his right arm had already left its owner, tracing a wide arc through the air.
“U!! A!! U!! A!!”
Short, repetitive cries burst from the direction the rock had come from. A monkey, apparently thrilled by its successful revenge, was enthusiastically pounding its chest. At some point it had escaped Landon’s ice and now stared at me with a triumphant expression, hooting loudly.
The summoning time for ‘White Monkey Lv.4’ has ended.
The summoned monster has reverted to ‘White Monkey’s Stone.’
One week is required before ‘White Monkey’ can be summoned again.
I didn’t hesitate. I swung my sword again. Flames scattered, carving wounds across his body.
“Haaak!”
He switched his sword to his left hand and began a desperate final struggle. But a swordsman who had just lost an arm didn’t have nearly enough time to readjust to his broken balance.
Clang! Clang! Slice! Fwoosh!
His eyes filled with anxiety and terror for the first time. The crossroads of death he now faced. And the grim reaper swinging a blade before him was no gentleman who would wish him peace or safety.
Shunk!
My sword, having knocked his weapon far away, pierced straight through his heart.
Neither of us had any mana left. The tiresome ice barrier was gone. The blazing flame mana that had scorched my body had also vanished. It was nothing but a pure blade, so not even a sound was made.
You have defeated ‘Frost Knight (Landon) Lv.6.’
You have acquired the S-rank treasure ‘Heart of Frost.’
You have obtained all treasures from both the east and west of the Death Forest.
Mana has increased dramatically!
Physical stats have increased dramatically…
Various rewards floated before my eyes as my body slowly began to recover. Of course, after a battle that had nearly exhausted me, even that recovery was minimal.
The One Who Knows Nothing But War and Battle applauds your satisfying growth.
‘The One Who Knows Nothing But War and Battle’ grants you a fitting reward since you did not die.
You have acquired the skill Fighting Spirit (A).
You have killed Player (Landon).
You have killed Player (Death).
You have acquired some of Landon and Death’s treasures.
Along with the new skill reward, the treasures carried by the two people I had killed dropped to the ground.
Clatter.
More than twenty treasures in total. Only about two usable ones seemed to have come from Landon. Death, on the other hand, must have been hunting people; a mountain of blood-stained treasures spilled out.
Rings, necklaces, brooches, bracelets. There were even earrings so large they looked like they would rip earlobes apart, and ornaments whose purpose I couldn’t even guess.
Is this what they mean by a golden goblin?
I carefully gathered every single treasure and stored them away. These were all the items I could obtain in this individual match. Even if I wanted to hunt more, my stamina and mana were completely drained. Carrying these around and dying would be the stupidest way to go.
“Kraaak!… Huh?”
“Save me…! Huh?”
“Kyaaa… Huh?”
People who had met suitably dramatic deaths let out foolish screams as they were summoned back to the lobby. A few had managed to collect five or more treasures and return safely, but they were the extreme minority. Most players had failed their mission, lost their stats, and been sent back to the lobby empty-handed.
“Does this even make sense?!”
“How the hell are we supposed to clear a mission like this?! The balance is completely broken!”
Players grumbled and scowled, venting their dissatisfaction. It made sense. The individual match was structured so that only monsters of Lv.3 or higher dropped treasures. Very few people could actually gather any.
“Damn it! Just wait till I see that bastard again!”
But not everyone had died to monsters. A significant number of player deaths had come at the hands of other players. It was far easier to kill exhausted players who had been hunting monsters than to hunt the monsters yourself, so it wasn’t strange at all.
Tzzt!Vrrr. Vrrr.
At that moment, two fishmen appeared in an empty space in the lobby alongside what looked like a small party of men and women.
“We made it back safely.”
“Wow. I really thought I was going to die.”
“Hoo… Is everyone alright?”
The moment they appeared, the helpers’ expressions began to twist. After all, the coordinate full of humans who should have been the first to get PK’d and sent back had returned safely with plenty of treasures. It was impossible not to be flustered.
The faces of several mid-tier helpers stiffened at the whispered conversation coming from the corner where they had been observing the players. The Rabbit’s coordinate was currently the lowest-ranked group of non-ability users among all the new batches. The fact that so many low-ranking players had completed the mission meant their own rankings could drop below the Rabbit’s.
And that, in turn, meant the dignity they had used to mercilessly berate the Rabbit might soon hit the ground.
The helpers’ gazes naturally turned toward the Rabbit.
“…Hee hee… ehehe…”
The Rabbit was pretending to look calm, pretending not to laugh. It was obvious to everyone, but the way she was desperately trying to hide her joy made the future look even bleaker.
As the individual match gradually came to an end, players began returning one after another. Some appeared holding treasures. Others crashed to the floor with a thud, letting out raw death cries after having their treasures stolen.
But the person who drew the most attention was undoubtedly Death, the one Echion had boasted about so proudly—the player who had contracted with a Constellation on the second floor.
Vrrr.
Several people glared at him with open hostility the moment he appeared. Many players had died by his hand, so it was no surprise that quite a few held grudges.
“Fuck, this is hilarious?”
Death, back in the lobby, spat curses and began giggling like a madman.
“……”
“……”
At the sight, even those who had been raging about “never forgiving the one who killed me” quietly lowered their eyes and fell silent. Primal fear. It seemed no one here had the courage to show resentment toward the murderer who had cut their throats, severed their arms, and stabbed them in the gut.
Yet, in contrast to that atmosphere, the Rabbit’s eyes curved into a subtle crescent. The guy who had seemed certain to finish the individual match in first place after massacring players midway had returned empty-handed. Nothing could have been more satisfying.
Vrrr.
“Ugh.”
When the Red Knight, who appeared to be the representative of the Holy Kingdom, materialized in the lobby, the helpers began murmuring among themselves.
The individual match dragged on longer and longer. A complicated mix of emotions swirled through the helpers’ minds. They were annoyed that the players of their own coordinates had retired so quickly, yet anxious at the thought that players from other coordinates were still inside, growing stronger.
But a moment later.
Vrrr.
Clink! Clatter!
The resonant sound of dozens of necklaces colliding. A man appeared, covered head to toe in dangling treasures. The helpers could no longer control their expressions at the arrival of the player from the Rabbit’s coordinate—the one everyone had ignored.