Battle at the Oasis (1)

The Bigdaleio army consisted of fifty elite soldiers. Every one of them was level 50 or higher. Among them were His Majesty Salmaan, the country's strongest Boar Orc Warlord, and Mahad-dono, the Chief Court Mage. They were going in with their full strength, without holding anything back.

As for us, we could hardly claim to be strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the elite soldiers. We had grown stronger and upgraded our equipment through weekday hunting. Even so, I had to admit that Eiji, Toji, and Iris, who had a production-oriented Job, were a step behind. That didn't mean we lacked proper roles, though. In fact, we had been given some very important ones.

Speaking of Iris, she reached level 50 and proudly evolved into a Big Roper Master Artisan. Her appearance had barely changed from that of a Big Roper Artisan, but her performance had improved tremendously. Apparently, she could also manipulate her tentacles more dexterously, granting her significant bonuses when creating items and equipment.

In fact, when I asked her to repair my armor, the turnaround time had shortened considerably, and Eiji and Toji's weapons had reached a quality comparable to those made by Bigdaleio's craftsmen. Having a skilled production-class companion really helps keep expenses down.

Anyway, the role assigned to us was to harass the enemy from behind and above while His Majesty Salmaan and his army fought them. At the start, Cal, Iris, and I would attack from the air, while Jigoro, Eiji, and Toji would fire the ballista mounted on the chariot as rapidly as possible. Then, when the time was right, the three of them would approach from behind and make nuisance attacks.

We might be inferior in level, but that wasn't a problem. Jigoro and the other two, who were responsible for fighting on the ground, had established excellent teamwork through their weekday play. They had also sparred with Bigdaleio's tough warriors and demonstrated their strength, so they had been judged to possess first-rate combat power.

Besides, the more people engaged the enemy in close combat, the fewer openings they would have to use 【Launch】 to fire their thorns. His Majesty Salmaan and the others expected that we might be able to defeat them through numerical superiority, or at the very least drive them off.

If we ended up having to retreat, we would serve as the rear guard. After all, we were players who would revive even if we died. I didn't think one chariot and our lives could definitely buy enough time for everyone to escape, but there was no point in thinking only about losing before the battle had even begun. It was enough to keep the possibility in mind.

"His Majesty Salmaan!"

"Soldiers! Come back alive!"

"We're counting on you to reclaim the oasis!"

I was thinking all that during the departure parade. Every citizen wanted to reclaim the oasis, one of the foundations of their daily lives. The grandeur of the parade and the volume of the cheers had to be expressions of those expectations.

"Hey, brother. Come to think of it, I never asked you about this."

"What?"

"What did you choose for your 'Secret Art'?"

As I rode on Cal, Jigoro leaned out from the chariot's cargo bed and asked me that. Oh, right. I hadn't told him because I hadn't had a chance to use it. When I evolved, the commotion over the 【Floating Skull】 that was still hovering beside my shoulder had kept me from deciding. Hmm? Come to think of it, I hadn't asked Jigoro about his choice either.

"What about you?"

"Me? Mine's 【Demon God's Mighty Body】."

【Demon God's Mighty Body】 is an 'Ultimate Art' that only demon-type monsters can acquire. It's an extremely straightforward ability that temporarily increases every stat except Intelligence by a tremendous amount. There is a saying that simple is best, and this 'Ultimate Art' should be perfect for Jigoro, whose innate combat skills are already so high.

However, it has two drawbacks. The first is that it prevents the user from casting any magic while active. That doesn't matter to Jigoro, but the other drawback is troublesome.

It causes HP to keep decreasing. One percent of maximum HP disappears every second, so its duration is apparently exactly one hundred seconds. However, HP cannot be restored with potions or magic while it is active, meaning that anyone who fought for the full duration would die. Fortunately, the effect can be ended at any time, so it shouldn't cause the user to kill themselves.

Even so, Jigoro apparently hadn't chosen an offensive 'Ultimate Art.' He hardly ever used martial techniques in the first place. That was because of his extraordinary hand-to-hand combat ability, and a strengthening-type 'Ultimate Art' should let him draw out his strengths even further.

"I see. My 'Secret Art' is 【Cursed Mire of Vengeful Spirits】."

【Cursed Mire of Vengeful Spirits】 is a 'Secret Art' that can only be learned by someone capable of using 【Earth Magic】, 【Water and Ice Magic】, 【Curse Arts】, and 【Spirit Summoning】. I chose it because it had the strictest learning requirements of all the 'Secret Arts' currently available to me.

I haven't used it yet, so I don't know how powerful it is. But with requirements that strict, it has to be strong. ...It is strong, right?

"I'm looking forward to seeing it!"

"...It's definitely going to be some kind of horror spell, isn't it? I'm honestly terrible with that sort of thing..."

"If it's strong, who cares?"

The other three had three completely different reactions. Iris, meanwhile, had selected 【Artisan's Craft】, a production-only 'Ultimate Art.' It made it easier to create items with high production difficulty, while also making items created during its duration more likely to have higher quality and rarity. Quality and rarity directly translated into performance, so this 'Ultimate Art' would surely become a staple for production classes.

"Still, I want to be able to use 'Ultimate Arts' soon. They sound interesting."

"I agree with that."

Since we were at the rear, the residents of Bigdaleio were not paying us much attention. That was probably because we had performed no heroic deeds in Bigdaleio. Thanks to that, we could chat without feeling self-conscious. Thus, we marched onward in a relaxed state.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

We were attacked by monsters several times during the march, but we defeated every one of them. Naturally, this was to conserve the Bigdaleio army's strength.

That didn't mean we were unhappy about it, though. Eiji and Toji gained experience, and Jigoro seemed to be in a good mood, perhaps because it made for a perfect warm-up. Cal was delighted to eat snacks, while Iris and I were pleased to obtain materials. Iris had consumed a considerable amount of items just to function normally, after all.

We had learned through our play so far that different environments could cause unique status ailments. Regions covered by deserts and wastelands inflicted a status ailment called 'Sweltering Heat.' It only caused discomfort to those without resistance, but people who were bad at dealing with heat in real life experienced severe lethargy. That was the reason Iris had been feeling unwell.

Traveling south from Bigdaleio caused it to change into an even more severe status ailment called 'Blistering Heat.' Without 【Fire Attribute Resistance】 or 【Status Ailment Resistance】, anyone who hadn't taken precautions would lose Hunger Gauge faster and suffer continuous damage. The damage was one thing, but was the Hunger Gauge meant to represent something like dehydration? Either way, we had to take proper measures against the heat.

"This will be our last rest stop. Make sure you all eat properly."

"Yeah... But it's a shame, brother. We finally have food that actually tastes decent, and now..."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Food in VR had restrictions on its taste, but apparently dishes made with high-quality ingredients or prepared by a cook with a high-level 【Cooking】 Skill had flavor. The flavor itself was cheap and apparently far from delicious, but the important thing was that eating such food granted special effects.

That was why the Bigdaleio army had prepared its finest food for the great battle ahead. It was preserved food, but eating it temporarily increased Strength. That wasn't particularly relevant to me as a mage, but Undead, who couldn't receive buffs from food, were at a disadvantage in that regard.

"There was probably an 'Ultimate Art' that lets me eat, too. If I have room, I'll acquire it."

"Oh? What is it called?"

"It's called 【False Body】. Apparently, skeletons and ghosts without physical bodies can obtain temporary ones."

【False Body】 was an 'Ultimate Art' that any Undead without a physical body could learn, making it the easiest one to qualify for in a certain sense. I was interested in eating in VR, but I knew I would absolutely regret using my once-every-ten-levels chance to learn an 'Ultimate Art' or 'Secret Art' without any prerequisites on something like that.

Still, were there an infinite number of 'Ultimate Arts' and 'Secret Arts' based on combinations of Race, Job, and Skill? How long would it take to unlock every 'Ultimate Art' and 'Secret Art'? I couldn't even begin to imagine.

"...Oh, things are starting to get noisy. That means our rest is over, right?"

"Indeed. Then let's start moving as well."

"Understood!"

◆◇◆◇◆◇

At an oasis south of Bigdaleio, the Bigdaleio elite unit had lined up at a point just outside the range of its attacks.

They knew they were about to fight a battle with their lives on the line. Even so, not one of them showed the slightest fear. They had decided long ago that they were willing to risk their lives to protect their country, and, more than anything, Bigdaleio's strongest warrior, whom every one of them trusted completely, had marched out with them.

"Is that the sandstorm in question?"

The one who remarked that at the head of the Bigdaleio army was Salmaan XIII, who was also the country's king. He was the ruler of a nation, and this was his first time visiting the site of an actual sandstorm. Thus, he gazed at it with interest rather than annoyance.

"Your Majesty, then you cannot criticize His Highness, can you?"

"Hmm, Mahad..."

The one who admonished Salmaan was Mahad, the Chief Court Mage. He had served the royal family since Salmaan was a prince, and therefore knew the king from his childhood. Naturally, he also knew that Salmaan had been even more of a mischievous rascal than his son.

"Good grief, I can't win against you."

"That's as it should be. Now then, Your Majesty, I'll leave the first strike to you."

"Indeed."

Salmaan nodded and accepted his beloved greatsword from an attendant. The sword matched a physique that was in a class of its own compared with an ordinary Boar Orc, and its blade alone was over two meters long. The area around its intricately patterned blade shimmered like a heat haze. Anyone could tell at a glance that it was a powerful weapon.

The sword was called 'Bigdaleio's Flame Fang,' and it was one of the 'Inherited Weapons' passed down through the generations of kings. An 'Inherited Weapon' was passed on to the person who bore the country on their shoulders, and it changed into the shape that was easiest for its wielder to use. In fact, it had been a battle axe under the previous king of Bigdaleio, and a staff during the reign of the earlier king, who had been a mage.

It was one of the 'Treasured Arms' symbolizing the country's prestige. If all of them were stolen, it would be possible to seize control of the country. They were that important, and at the same time, that powerful.

"Fwoooooo..."

When Salmaan readied his greatsword, the air around him changed completely. The soldiers knew what their king was about to do, and realized that the battle was about to begin.

Salmaan closed his eyes and exhaled. The act heightened his concentration, while also serving as the windup before he unleashed a powerful move.

"Ultimate Art... Raging Flame Boar King's Fang! Nuuuuuuun!"

As Salmaan opened his eyes and swung his sword, it suddenly became wreathed in flames. Then those flames took the shape of a boar. 【Raging Flame Boar King's Fang】 was an 'Ultimate Art' that could only be used by Bigdaleio's reigning king while equipped with 'Bigdaleio's Flame Fang.' It was a powerful technique that created flames in the shape of the boar that served as the sword's material and, according to legend, was the ancestor of Bigdaleio's royal family.

'Bwoooooooooooooooooo!!!'

This did not merely create flames in the shape of a boar. The boar formed from the flames possessed the will to mow down everything standing in the way of the wielder of 'Bigdaleio's Flame Fang.' And its target now was, of course, the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord.

'Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!'

'GIGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?'

The flame boar charged furiously toward the sandstorm. Countless needles flew out of the sandstorm, but they were meaningless against an incorporeal flame boar. Without losing any momentum, the flame boar plunged into the sandstorm and collided with the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord, triggering a massive explosion.

The Thornshell Scorpion Highlord let out a scream as the blast struck it. It suffered tremendous damage, and the sandstorm protecting it was blown apart from within by the explosion. This was the first time Izamu and the other players had witnessed the power of an 'Ultimate Art' that could only be used by the king of a nation.

"Charge! Forward, men! Follow meeeee!"

"Ooooooooooh!!!"

Salmaan and the elite unit charged forward with momentum to rival that of the flame boar. The battle had begun.