Chapter 130
This happened after we had hunted down several fleeing players, just as expected, and put some distance between ourselves and the monsters still searching for players.
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A notification from the game operators has arrived.
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A notification from the game operators, of all things. It feels like it's been a very long time.
Still, I heard that during the event we wouldn't be able to post on the forums or anywhere else, but apparently notifications like this still come through properly. I suppose it would be a problem if they didn't provide information about the game as a whole, so I'll accept that. Now, I wonder what it says.
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A player has just reached Level 50.
As of this moment, the 'Ultimate Arts' and 'Secret Arts' systems are unlocked.
Please refer to the help menu for details on each system.
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Has someone finally reached the milestone of Level 50? It must be a player participating in the event. There are people in this world called hardcore players who boast absurdly long playtimes. Apparently, their levels were already in the high forties before the event, so this isn't particularly surprising.
Incidentally, the reason I've managed to keep up with them despite not being able to play around the clock is undoubtedly the Vetus Floating Island. It's thanks to the experience we gained from the Ancient Spring, where we can farm fish monsters that are helpless once we reel them in, and the Ancient Ruined City, where Harpies appear in droves.
If anything, the people who are higher level than us despite having no need to compete with other players for hunting grounds and simply adventuring freely are probably pretty amazing, aren't they? Should I call it the power of playtime? Or are we the unusual ones for matching their levels despite playing only about an hour on weekdays, even if we do play seriously on our days off? People would probably have all sorts of opinions.
"Whoa! This 'Ultimate Arts' system is amazing!"
Eiji must have read the help menu right away, because he was getting excited. Let's see... I suppose I'll read it too.
According to the help menu, 'Ultimate Arts' are a type of martial technique available to those in warrior-type Jobs. However, they are vastly more powerful than ordinary martial techniques, and in terms of sheer firepower, they apparently surpass even techniques learned after raising one's Skill level further.
Starting at Level 50, you can learn one new 'Ultimate Art' for every ten levels you gain. Thus, there are only six 'Ultimate Arts' that can be learned through leveling up alone. However, martial artist NPCs who teach 'Ultimate Arts' exist throughout the world, as do items called 'Ultimate Arts manuals' that contain them. You can learn new 'Ultimate Arts' by being taught by those NPCs, or by reading manuals obtained from dungeon treasure chests and quest rewards.
"'Secret Arts' are the magic-user version of 'Ultimate Arts,' huh?"
And 'Secret Arts' are the magical version of 'Ultimate Arts.' Like the latter, they are extremely powerful spells, with one learned every ten levels. Rather than from martial artists, you apparently receive 'Secret Arts manuals' from NPCs known as sages or high priests.
Naturally, there was no way these powerful finishing moves could be used without limit. Of course, there are restrictions. The first concerns the number of uses. There is a limit to how many times they can be used per day, and restoring those uses requires an entire day in real time—in other words, four full days in-game. They're trump cards whose use must be carefully timed.
Second, you can't use them back-to-back. Once you use one, you can't use another right away—even if the next one is a different 'Ultimate Art' or 'Secret Art.' Players should use them strategically while keeping the cooldown in mind.
Third, the 'Ultimate Arts' and 'Secret Arts' you can choose from are determined by your Job and the Skills you possess. It would be strange for a player with a swordsman-type Job who has focused on raising 【Swordsmanship】 to be able to learn an 'Ultimate Art' that uses a bow and arrows. Likewise, it would be odd for a mage who can't even use 【Dark Magic】 to be able to use a Secret Art of the dark attribute.
And fourth, every ten levels, you can learn only one 'Ultimate Art' or 'Secret Art' in total. A warrior would probably choose an 'Ultimate Art' and a mage would probably choose a 'Secret Art,' so it doesn't seem like much of a problem... but there are probably more people agonizing over the choice than you'd expect.
That's because, in the current meta, warriors who can also use magic—in other words, magic warriors—are considered the strongest. Like Toji, who acquired 【Null Magic】 and 【Fire Magic】 a little while ago, it's becoming common for frontline fighters to learn magic as a means of keeping opponents in check or catching them off guard, even if their power falls short of that of a magic-focused Job like mine.
Pure warriors like Eiji are actually in the minority. The main reason seems to be the huge impact of the hero Luke's victory in the first Arena Tournament. He was the victim I decapitated in the promotional video after the dungeon event, but even setting that aside, his skill as a player is extremely high. I repeat, he won both the individual and party divisions of the first Arena Tournament, after all.
Apparently, plenty of idiots forgot that, though. Afterward, quite a few people picked fights with him because they underestimated him, and defeating every one of them only increased his number of followers. If I hadn't finished him off with that surprise attack back then, he would have turned the tables on me instead.
Anyway, besides the idol-like player build, the discovery of Jobs requiring both the Magic Jammer ability from 【Null Magic】 and Skills from both the frontline and magic categories has also helped make frontline Jobs with 【Null Magic】 plus one or two other types of magic the mainstream. Some players may want to acquire not only 'Ultimate Arts' but also 'Secret Arts.'
It might leave them caught between two paths, but this is FSW we're talking about. It wouldn't be strange for there to be 'Ultimate Arts' or 'Secret Arts' that can only be acquired by making that kind of choice. I doubt many people would act on such a prediction instead of pursuing immediate strength, but I can't say it's impossible. There will surely be plenty of people struggling over character creation for a long time to come.
"Huh? I'm choosing 'Ultimate Arts,' no question."
"So magic is strictly a backup measure for you?"
"That's right."
"For us, that's still a long way off. Even you, Izam-san, aren't there yet, right?"
"Yeah. I'm only Level 47 right now. Reaching 50 during the event will be rather difficult."
Leveling up became extremely difficult after passing Level 40. The required experience must be enormous, because raising my level by three in a single day was nearly impossible. Well, it probably won't happen.
Then we might as well have that Level 50 player use an 'Ultimate Art' or 'Secret Art' during this war and see what one looks like. Of course, if we can outwit them and strike first, we'll prioritize that instead.
"So, what do we do now?"
"We've come this far, so we're safe... right?"
"Yes, we should have put enough distance between us by now. If they chase us this far, it will actually help us. In terms of experience, anyway."
"True. We're far enough away that we can pick off a few without getting caught, right?"
Moss-san and Shiitake seemed to be thinking the same bad thoughts I was. Is this what they mean by birds of a feather flocking together?
"Overpursuing someone only to get beaten in return is something you hear about all the time. Besides, if any of them fail to return, the others won't be able to drop their guard completely."
"...You're really a bastard."
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"Hey, looks like something nasty is coming."
"Whoa, it's huge...!"
When we hid behind cover and stayed perfectly still, a squad of Trolls appeared. They must have been the fools who had chased us too far—the ones we'd been hoping for. There were five of them, and every one was a Troll.
However, one among them was an opponent that made us hesitate before throwing ourselves into the attack with any enthusiasm. Here are its stats.
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Race: Troll Knight Lv. 50
Job: Knight Lv. 0
Skill: 【Gluttony】
【Mighty Claws】
【Great Fangs】
【Axe Arts】
【Shield Arts】
【Armor Arts】
【Vitality Enhancement】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【Roar】
【Superhuman Strength】
【High-Speed Healing】
【Physical Resistance】
【Fire Vulnerability】
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A Troll Knight—and a Level 50 one at that. It's a monster two stages above an ordinary Troll. That might not sound all that strong, but would saying it's equal to a Tarasque convey just how frightening it is?
It's one of the stronger opponents among the monsters currently attacking Ilevus. In fact, unlike the ordinary Troll soldiers, it is properly armed, which is proof enough of that. The other four carry stone axes made by tying large stones to wooden sticks and shields made by joining hard wooden boards with plant vines, whereas the Troll Knight's stone axe and shield have been reinforced with materials from some kind of monster, and it is even wearing leather armor.
What's more, as we can tell from the results of 【Appraisal】, it also possesses the Skills needed to make proper use of its substantial equipment. 【Fire Vulnerability】 is still there, but with armor and a shield, I don't think we can simply knock it down.
"What do we do, boss? Let it go?"
"Let's take a vote. I think we can fight it."
I had a general grasp of everyone's capabilities. Based on that, I felt we had a good chance of winning. Still, it was undeniably quite a gamble. We had been scheming behind the scenes throughout the event, and there was no point in doing something reckless here.
But it also felt like a waste to run from all that experience. Besides, even if it was an enemy far stronger than us, there were plenty of ways to handle it with this many people.
"I'll do it! I'm allowed to use my usual equipment too, right?"
Instead of the battered drop items he'd been using until now, Eiji brought out weapons made in the Orc country that served as his base. They were mass-produced, but sturdy and well-made, and he looked very dependable equipped with them.
"I'm in too. I still have things I want to try."
Toji said that with a sly grin. She had already finished testing the effects of her increased stats from leveling up and her new Skills while hunting players, but she presumably wanted to know whether they would work against a powerful enemy as well. For someone who looked so cool, she was surprisingly battle-hungry.
"I'm in too! Running away here wouldn't be manly!"
Nanako spread his wings to show his enthusiasm. His bird-burial tactic using 【Summoning】 had already been proven effective. He would probably be useful even against a stronger opponent.
"I've heard that Izam-san has defeated a Level 50 enemy together with his clan members. If so, there's no reason we can't do it too."
Moss-san agreed as well? That was a little surprising, but thinking about it, he was a man of mettle who had deliberately chosen a melee Job despite having the small body of a bat. Perhaps he simply had no hesitation about challenging the strong.
"Whoa... everyone's raring to go! I'll join if it's okay that all I can do is provide support."
Shiitake, an alchemist who normally wasn't suited to combat, seemed to be hanging back. But she was one of the few people capable of inflicting status ailments, making her a valuable specialist in tricky support tactics. That support alone was enough to make her a meaningful asset.
"Somehow, this is definitely turning into a fight, huh?"
"I-I'll do my best!"
Wool and Shifune didn't object, either. Wool could put enemies to sleep with a cry, while Shifune's adhesive threads were highly effective as a means of restraining them. They had been useful in the battle against the knights the other day, too. I believed they would work against the Troll Knight as well.
"Of course I'm in. I want to level up more and more!"
Their standard strategy was for Sei to ride on the back of the swift Fey and swing his staff while Tess, who specialized in magic, provided support. Sei had polished his coordination with his tamed monster considerably, but apparently he still wasn't satisfied. Having ambition is a good thing, though. Yes, indeed.
And so, although it seemed that quite a few people had been swept along by the mood, we decided to fight. Now, the big-game hunt begins!