The monsters run when the good girl goes to war~!
…No, I'm serious. The moment I activated my ultimate trump card, [Solar Radiance], the monsters around me literally tried to run away.
I didn't know that was even possible.
Oh, they burst into flame and died too. Probably has something to do with that huh.
I too would try to run away from a maniac setting me, everyone around me, and even themselves on fire, so I'm not blaming them. The problem is that the only living beings capable of running away in this game are the players. Monsters as well as NPCs only have two modes of operation: Chill and fight to the death!
As expected of the bloodthirsty Goddess, even her creations are crazy psychos~
_ Hessy (Party): They are running away…
_ Fensen (Party):
_ Poltea (Party):
_ Hessy (Party):
I know. It appeared for me as well. Also,
[Caecus Terminus - Untouched Malignancy
- Soul - 41/10000
- Damage taken - 0/0
- Time - 59:52]
There is a lot more information, but the font and size are the same along with the timer, so there's no doubt about it.
It's Sateri's gambling interface (temporary designation)!
Well, Hessy (and probably everyone else) doesn't gamble with Sateri often enough to know what it is though.
_ Su (Party): JUMP!
Crap! [Teleport]! [Air Cushion]!
Reappearing a dozen meters above, I can count over 100 ranged attacks and spells being dumped on where I was standing. Remind me of that time when
That's the troublesome part. The bombardment just now was not the usual constant "attack the target until it's dead" pattern. Smaller, faster attacks were withheld while the bigger ones were being charged up. AoE skills were not centered on my position, but spread out in an area that makes evasion problematic even with my SPD and [Leap].
_ Su (Party): Keep dodging!
_ Shadyna: [Friendship Engine]!!!
Before Su could finish the sentence, I had already begun evasive maneuver. It wasn't because we are soulmates understanding each other without words per se, but rather the army of monsters turning their eyes (or whatever those glowing body parts are) and unleashing all ranged attacks in their arsenal.
This time, they are spraying projectiles to create a thick anti-air screen which is nigh impossible to fly straight through without hitting something. Homing attacks are, obviously, homing in on me, from all directions. It appears that not only the monsters in aggro range, but everything within the maximum spell range is locking on the cute half-elf girl of the neighborhood.
Save this kind of air defense for when you are fighting against an aerial invasion by a dragon army, dammit~!!!
Evasive maneuver! Evasive maneuver~!
_ Hessy: Damn it! [Dark Bolt]!
_ Su: NO!
*WHACK*
It was too hectic, so I only managed to catch a glimpse of the wall in the midst of the chaos. Hessy was throwing a [Dark Bolt], probably to relieve some pressure off me. So did Su, except that she threw… herself in between said bolt and Hessy's target!? What the heck are you girls doing while I'm getting blasted over here?!
*CRUNCH*
Ouch, that landing looks painful.
Instead of flopping into someone's arms like a heroine taking a fatal hit for the useless hero who decided to stand still for plot purposes, the sight of Su being blown away over the wall and rolling on the ground is more akin to a traffic accident involving trucks if you ask me. Considering the waitress' firepower… un, definitely a truck.
Guess the before-death-confession is out too huh. What a pity~
As I was pondering something such important questions while trying to wiggle my way out of the anti-air screen, the tragically murdered (?) elf disappears in a white light. The bloody aftermath of that crash landing remains though.
Since she is still able to use [Recall] and [World Voice], the detective in me suspects that she is still alive. Shocking, I know.
Before anyone on the wall can comprehend the situation or shoot anything, Su returns to the wall using [Recall] and… multiplies?!
Oh wait, it's just the other two proprietresses of the teahouse. Did she go back and bring them here with [Mass Recall]?
_ Hessy: What the hell was that about, Su?
Whatever you want to do, please hurry up because I'm still getting peppered by hundreds of AA guns here~!
_ Su: One second.
Now that she mentions it…
[Solar Radiance] does exactly what I thought it would: A toggle skill that applies the plasma effect I once got by going near the former sun. There's also the benefit of being able to turn it off instead of having to wait it out like that time. It still takes a few seconds for the effect to wear out though, so no flickering on and off to set stuff on fire without any consequences.
I mean, setting stuff on fire and getting away with it is how serial arsonists work in real life, but I guess it's a bit too much for Balance-chan.
As a result of me flying around at low altitude and completely forgetting about the skill, I was leaving behind a literally blazing trail of dead or dying monsters.
Yes, this skill deals damage even with [Phantom Edge] on. And just like the time I first "used" it, no damage is registered on [Damage Dealt] record. No, officer, I have nothing to do with this arson case even though I look like I took a dip in lava and you are literally on fire as we speak!
The downside is the constant HP drain while the skill is active. It's not as bad as before, but my HP regen is still unable to keep up with it, which is disturbingly worrisome. Why do I need potions and healing spells in a no-damage run of all things…
And that's not even the end of it. If Sateri was indeed listening, that [Damage taken] part is most likely not actually damage, but rather the number of hits. I'll still be out if an enemy that cannot pierce my defense hits me and deals zero damage. There's no way my divine soon-to-be wife wouldn't make all attacks deal at least one damage just to spite me, un.
_ Su: Aerial combat gives you more space to maneuver, but gives them full line-of-sight to target you. Ground combat blocks most targeted spells, but you will be fighting practically blind in close quarters. Pick you poison. Also, convert your PDF and MDF to your speed stats. HP and MP regen too, if Gelly and Lutena can keep up the healing. CON and MEN to DEX and WIT for attributes. Us three will warn you of dangerous attacks in advance, just in case!
…Who the heck are you and what have you done to my degenerate proprietress?! The one I know can barely speak a sentence without coughing blood to death, let alone this hyper-competency!
____________
_ Vladina: Ah, her switch flipped.
Back at the cafeteria, the ground floor has become essentially a crowded bar during important sport events. The noisy patrons are now holding their breath as they witness a cute tree girl perform jet-like maneuvers in the air. It was the unique UI at the corner rather than the flashy aerial show that caught their attention though.
When the governing AI goes out of her way to implement something unique, it is definitely important so everyone had better watch it carefully!
Nevertheless, it is not a sponsored or prepared event, so the waitress in charge and a well-informed guest will have to stand in as commentators for the needy audience here.
_ Centanny: Uhm… You lolicons still have switches other than little girls?
_ Vladina: Are you trying to pick a fight?! Well, your old guild is too big and your current guild doesn't really need it, so I don't blame you for not being aware of our raid-support service.
_ Centanny: Raid support?
_ Vladina: Yup, raid support. For a very reasonable price, one or more of us will accompany the clients to their boss raid and support them. Bosses don't call out their skills like players, but each skill is telegraphed with a unique animation. Therefore, in theory, it is possible to dodge every single one of them, provided that you are not a slowpoke with 0 SPD.
_ Centanny: …And you remember all of the bosses' skillsets?
_ Vladina: The majority of them, yes. And it's not just me. Everyone in
_ Centanny: Is that so… Back to your raid-support service, what do you do specifically? You don't hunt the boss on the client's behalf, do you?
_ Vladina: Of course not! We'll just raid the boss ourselves in that case! We will keep our distance and oversee the battle, like what my ex-wife is doing right now. Battle formations, tactics, weak points, timings, the likes. There is a lot of information which can turn the tides without us stealing experience and loots. You can think of it as a more specialized mix of our counseling service and information brokering, in real time.
Not missing a beat, the little girl cheerfully turns to the confused patrons, many of whom are still unable to decide whether to focus on the stream, or these commentators.
_ Vladina: Player groups who are struggling with bosses of your level, feel free to send
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
_ Centanny: I'll put an advertisement fee on your bill. In any case, are you saying that
_ Vladina: …I'm starting to understand
_ Centanny: Oh. Because she's extremely good at it?
_ Vladina: She is extremely good at it, but we gave her the role purely because she had [Pacifist] title.
_ Centanny: …Déjà vu.
_ Vladina: I know right? Anyway, whenever she goes up against something dangerous, Su would turn into this deadpan no-nonsense office lady you are looking at. Not to brag but she and I make a great team. We once went on a boss-rush tour before the boss buff patch, and I soloed most of them without a scratch thanks to her guidance. The amount of blood she coughs up in the aftermath though…
_ Centanny: -Monotone- Yes, yes, thank you for your input. Now, let us hear from
Not wanting to hear about the chronicle of cleaning up blood around the world, the waitress opens a second screen on the wall and changes the topic.
The new screen displays not
Considering that this zone is always night like wandering raids, the bright scenery is a bit terrifying. The generally hideous appearances of the monsters are not helping either.
_ Centanny (PM): You are live, Su. Mind telling us what was that dive into Hessy's line of fire about?
_ Sulien: Right, that dive. As I said earlier, Sateri-chan was listening to us. In other words, this is a challenge for
A sound argument, if it weren't based on some really rude assumptions regarding the governing AI. Having unyielding faith in the kind and forgiving Goddess, the patrons can't help but… nod in agreement.
Sateri-chan is the type who would totally do that after all!
_ Hessenria: In that case, won't telling her how to dodge attacks be out as well?
The harsh mistress enters the camera view, much to the degenerates' delight. Forbidden from helping out, she really does not have anything else to do.
_ Sulien: The mobs here are not supposed to have group tactics. Ganging up on someone, yes, but not working together as a team. Sateri-chan must have upgraded their AI at the start of the challenge, so we are just giving honey a similar upgrade~!
_ Shadyna: Aren't you implying something really weird there?!
Black Mantis' retort was promptly ignored.
_ Swordsman: Did this gal seriously reach that conclusion in such a short amount of time?
_ Mage: And she was keeping an eye on the battlefield too.
_ Archer: Pacifists in this game are really something else man…
That probably has nothing to do with pacifism though, silently thinks
_ Vladina: Well, she's my (ex)wife after all!
_ Mage: …She still dumped you.
_ Vladina: Shut up!
Rather than discussing the ongoing battle, the topic has drifted to
____________
Heh~ Is that how it is?
Smacking another mob in a straight line, I look around as the area in front of me becomes irrelevant.
That explains why the mobs in close quarters are trying to stay away from me. The ones with ranged attacks don't need to get close, whereas the melee-only mobs die from [Solar Radiance] before they can reach me. Therefore, the obvious way to hinder me is to stay away. If they can't hurt me, at least minimize the damage, so to speak.
…Or they are just being meta and don't want me to rack up kills quickly. Sateri, you sadist~
Since they want to run so much, let's take advantage of their cowardice!
_ Shadyna (Party): Su, I'm going to speed up. No need to track me, but do send me coordinates of big spell casters.
There can only be so many monsters facing me at one time on the ground, so I can handle it myself as long as the attacks are in my vision. Unguided spells that can be dropped right on top of me like lightning clouds are the bigger problem here. The proprietresses are making sure I am not caught off guard by something in my blind spot, but that is still a bit unnerving for me.
Not that I doubt their ability per se. It's that there's no way anyone can speak fast enough to accommodate the amount of projectiles being thrown at me right now!
_ Su (Party): Understood. We will begin ramping down support.
That's why I'm going to kil… pacify two birds with one stone: Dodge everything and ramp up this "mysterious deaths that absolutely have nothing to do with me" counter!
Specifically, I will switch from defense to all-out offense. Knowing that the mobs won't pile on me like a particular group of players bullying little girls, I can focus on hitting them instead of preparing to evade attacks that are unlikely to come. That in turn gives me more room to dodge their ranged attacks, leading to an even easier time chasing down the next target, rinse and repeat ad infinitum.
Yup, sounds like a plan. But before that… Lutena, Gelly, heal please~
Gelly is wriggling menacingly behind the wall with [Shared Fate] while crunching potions non-stop by the way. What an expensive skill to cast, this [Solar Radiance]…
Lutena does not get burnt thanks to [Symbiosis], so she gets to stay with me and perform the sacred duty that is shielding me from attacks that I have problem dodging or blocking.
…I'm not going to get some title like [Pet Abuser] right?
Anyway… [Leap]! Full speed ahead~!
Dashing forward with the SPD I have been building up from running nonstop, I catch up to the running crowd in a second.
_ Shadyna: Surprise~! [Rapid Assault]!
*Whomp* *Wham* *Whack*
With attack speed boosted by the skill, I unleash a three-hit thrust combo on three separate mobs unlucky enough to be in my view. Each hit blasts its target backwards, creating a [Mancannon] bullet going in different direction.
They don't fly far however, because [Rapid Assault] slightly reduces the attack power of each attack in exchange for speed. Not a big problem, as long as [Mancannon] still triggers for the explosion effect. Based on how stronger variants and bosses are compared to your daily mobs, I suppose I won't be able to throw one even with [Slam].
Well, those big guys are targets to be thrown at in the first place, so the small mobs shall continue to be used as improvised throwing weapons, un.
Even though I moved quickly, the ranged enemies are still tracking me without fail. As expected of AIs, they don't freak out like normal players. Not that it would help them in this case.
Ignoring all the ranged attacks coming at me, I kick off the ground and make a sharp left turn. There's this mob who committed the capital offense of not getting out of the way in time so I kick it as well.
*POW* *BOOM*
Some magical bolts, balls, and other dangerous stuff that are definitely not safe for consumption emerge from the smoke. These guys can see through the smoke and will fire as long as they get a clear line of sight huh.
But too bad! This cute pacifist does not count on monsters not shooting at her to survive~!
Right after sending the bullet mob on its merry explosive way, I jumped to another direction for this very reason. The destroyed lane was mostly cleared of all obstacles, giving the horde next to it clear line of sight. If I had gone straight, I would have had to deal with the full barrage from both sides. By turning to any other direction, the unguided attacks will miss with the bonus of hitting the enemies behind me. The guided attacks will change direction, also with the bonus of hitting the enemies around me!
I doubt anything would die from some sporadic friendly fire, but the pacifist in me is pleased to see them demonstrating the futility of violence nevertheless. Pacifism will prevail, even if that means becoming the last one standing!
…Probably should not say that out loud while one of my objectives is 10k kills huh.
It seems like AoE and other nasty surprises from above are no longer a factor either. While such skills appear near the target instantly, they have a long charge-up time during which they are static and highly visible in exchange, making it quite easy to move out of the way. By jumping left and right in no particular pattern at the speed of a racing car, it's impossible for these small fries' attacks to catch up or intercept me, regardless of their mechanics.
The cute leafy half-elf will not get laser-ed in the face ever again, un!
_ Su (Party): Any problem on your side, honey?
_ Shadyna (Party): No problem whatsoever~!
_ Su (Party): Roger. The closest boss is at these coordinates. Its spikes reflect melee attacks and its moveset is melee-oriented. Keep your distance and wear it down with ranged attacks. Its most dangerous attack is…
*POW*
_ Shadyna (Party): It's dead.
_ Su (Party): Eeeeehhhh?!
I was already in range half-way through her speech and hurled a mob at the boss's general direction. Pretty sure Su was saying something about damage reflect, though I never intended to fight in melee to begin with. My sword is not dealing any damage, and throwing from afar is much faster anyway~
_ Su (Party): Ehm… The next one is over there. Its howl is an AoE so step back if you see it raises its head. Its weakness is…
*POW*
_ Shadyna (Party): It's dead~
And a home run to boot~ I batted a poor small fry and scored a perfect hit on the target's head. Don't think it can to raise anything anytime soon.
_ Su (Party): …Here's the another one. Its spherical shield…
_ Shadyna (Party): Ah, this one's close.
I send a "bullet" into the air, then [Teleport] up and send it towards the conspicuous semi-transparent sphere with a light tap, in the face, with a big sword!
*POW*
_ Shadyna (Party): Dead~
Being in the air is just asking to be shot at however, so I quickly fall back to the ground, converting several creatures of darkness to the (flaming) light side in the process.
_ Su (Party): …Waaaaaaaaaah!!! Hessy~! Honey is bullying me~~~~!!!
Why?!
_ Hessy (Party): *Sighs*
WHY?!
Are you seriously telling me to wait for her to describe a boss's personality, daily routines, and even eating habits to the last detail before killing it?! Wouldn't the challenge be over by the time she finishes talking about the first one?!
Before that, did Su switch back to her normal self? Wait, why is she coughing up blood now?! That's an impressive amount of blood even by her standards! Is she going to be okay?!
You two proprietresses, are you seriously giving me the coordinates of the next boss while your leader is at death's door?! No, sighing heavily and commenting "not again" does not count as doing something for her!!!
_ Hessy (Party):
Why the heck is it my fault again~~~!?
…
[Challenge completed]
It's finally over~!!!
[Condition fulfilled. Unlocked Title: "Perpetual Lantern"]
[Condition fulfilled. Unlocked Skill: "Parrying Weapon Lv.0"]
Materialism's tribute, get~
Once I confirmed that my movement and clearing speed were enough to stay safe in the fight, the rest was pretty uneventful, if you can consider throwing explosive monsters and dodging barrages while passively setting stuff on fire uneventful that is. It wasn't too hard for me, but dear Sateri was it tedious.
While it was easier than bonus bosses after the first few minutes, I'm exhausted mentally from staying in combat mode for an hour straight. I wonder if it will have an effect on me when I wake up in real life?
Well, what's done is done. Let's focus on the present, un!
The gamblin… I mean quest UI is flashing. I suppose it's for one last check to see my achievements before going away forever.
[Caecus Terminus - Untouched Malignancy (Completed)
- Soul - 38970/10000
- Damage taken - 0/0
- Time - 00:00]
A bountiful harvest (of souls), I would say. In the end, the improved AI couldn't do much against evasive maneuvers at supersonic speed while being burnt. [Mancannon] was mostly used for precision bombing strikes on bosses, so the majority of the kill count was from me running all over the place with [Solar Radiance] on.
Turns out, the ecosystem of vile evil creatures is highly vulnerable to a totally incorruptible magical girl purifying everything in the vicinity with literal fire. Who could have thought~?
I was about to ask Su if that was enough combat data for her to play with for a split second, then decided not to, mainly because she is not moving anymore. Probably shouldn't have resumed combat support while spitting out blood like a fountain, seriously…
Let's ask her tomorrow. Both of us can use some rest, lots of it.
Now then, most if not all of the kills should have gone into the quest items for [Ethereal Form]. Combined with the absolutely mysterious deaths that somehow kept happening around me (and my fortifications) in these past days, I think I have accumulated enough souls to turn in the quests. Not sure if I exceeded one million, but six digits is a given at this point.
[Progress:
- Soul - You can stop now/10000+
- Any - 0/10000+]
…Looks enough for me.
Sorry~!
____________
Some time later…
A small guild gathers at a certain wooden platform. One would think a stone tower would be more suitable for what they are about to do, but the builders apparently considered wood to be more aesthetically pleasing for this area, so they get this open camp protected by only a few meager watchtowers instead.
Minutes later, they are greeted by a waitress and a little girl with a distinctive sprout on her head.
_ Waitress: Welcome back. You are today's Raid Breakers, I assume?
_ Guildmaster: Ah, yes. These guys are my guild members.
_ Waitress: Very well. Let me confirm your order before we start. Basic course with one-time buff, is that correct?
_ Guildmaster: Yes, that is correct.
Personally, the guildmaster prefers the full course, with complete buff support and permission to use that ballista on the platform. However, that is way too expensive! Everyone has been virtually starving themselves for weeks and they only barely grinded enough coins for the basic course!
_ Waitress: Understood. *Turns to the little girl* Guildmaster, please begin buffing them.
_ Little guildmaster (?): Roger~ One full buff coming right up~!
The little girl brandishes her unnecessarily long sword she was carrying on her back. She's going to use buffs right? Right!?
As she swings her sword, a young woman who is a tad less opaque compared other living beings appears behind her, and the tiny fairy dangling at the lantern jumps out in front. All of them perform the same motion in perfect unison, as if they are doing a synchronized ritual dance of sort.
Then, the fairy starts to shine.
_ Little guildmaster (?): [Devotion]'s up. Lutena, [Soul Ascension]!
Top guilds sure play differently, silently thinks the poor guildmaster after witnessing the flashy display just to cast buff spells.
Meanwhile, the waitress is just nonchalantly explaining the strategy for the coming corruption raid without batting an eye, as expected of a professional.
How many players can actually listen to the lecture while the buffs go off is a different question though…