Chapter 38
When my vision returned, lo and behold, I was back in my usual laboratory. Maybe because I'd been chatting with Iifa-sama for a while, I was the last one to return.
"Izamu, good work."
"Yeah, good work, everyone."
I replied to Iris and sat down in a nearby chair. A lot had happened, but it had been an incredibly interesting event.
And what were the other three, who didn't even say anything though their companion had returned, doing? Jigoro was stroking an unfamiliar gauntlet, Genjuro was rubbing an equally unfamiliar bracelet, and Ruby was holding up an unfamiliar colorless, transparent gemstone. They were probably checking their rewards.
"Ahaha, they've been like that ever since they got back..."
"I see. I understand how they feel, so let's leave them be for now. So, what did you receive, Iris?"
"Oh, yes. I received the blessing of Peesha-sama, the 'Goddess of Production and Technology,' and the 'Divine Universal Workbench'!"
She showed me the reward she had installed behind her. Apparently, the 'Divine Universal Workbench' was a workbench capable of all kinds of production. If she wanted to smith, it could become an anvil or a forge, while needles and thread would appear if she wanted to sew. It truly was universal.
And apparently, its capabilities weren't the best possible... yet. It was supposed to grow along with Iris's Skill level. It was similar to our weapons. According to her, simply receiving a workbench suited to her abilities was more than enough of a reward. Her production work would become even more efficient!
The other reward, the blessing of Peesha-sama, the 'Goddess of Production and Technology,' apparently improved the quality of the works she produced and made it easier to raise Skills related to production. It was similar to my own blessing.
"What did you receive, Izamu?"
"These two."
I pulled a mysterious egg and a great scythe out of my inventory. For now, I might as well use Appraisal on them.
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Monster Egg Quality: ? Rarity: ?
An egg from which no one knows what will hatch. Owner-bound.
The magic power it absorbs from its owner determines what monster will be born.
The monster that hatches will become its owner's familiar even without 【Taming】.
Old Great Scythe Quality: Poor Rarity: G (Divine Rank)
A great scythe covered in rust and nicks. Indestructible. Owner-bound.
The source of its durability, which belies its appearance, is unknown.
Enhancement Materials: Black Iron ×5, Black Flame
Equipment Effect: 【Dark Attribute Infusion】
【Sealed】
【Sealed】
【Sealed】
【Sealed】
――――――――――
The egg was fascinating. I already knew that it was impossible to tell what would hatch. However, the fact that the monster born from it would be determined by my magic power was intriguing. If it used my magic power—which draws on every attribute except Light Magic, while I even seek to master Abyssal Magic—as its reference, what would hatch? I was looking forward to finding out.
I was also glad that I wouldn't need 【Taming】 to command the monster after it hatched. According to the message boards, acquiring 【Taming】 required taking a specialized Job such as Beast Tamer. Since I wanted to master magic, taking a detour into anything other than a magic-oriented Job was undesirable. This was a very helpful feature.
The scythe, on the other hand, was underwhelming! Right now, all it had going for it was its attribute. Well, it would probably be different after I enhanced it and restored its true form. The required materials were listed, but there were also some that I had no idea how to obtain, which was a problem.
According to Iris, Black Iron could be made by using iron and the magic stones of Dark-attribute monsters. The Undead monsters in the 'Cursed Grave Tower' that I had created had dropped it, so I should be able to obtain it by defeating similar Undead monsters. However, even Iris had never heard of 'Black Flame.' In other words, there was no prospect of enhancing it anytime soon.
Still, I had in fact told the goddess that I would use it against her. Well, it seemed suitable for hunting weak monsters nearby, so I would just swing it around casually for now.
Now then, shall I acquire 【Scythe Arts】 so I can use it? The required SP is... 12!? That's a lot! Is it trying to say, 'A mage shouldn't be using a melee weapon!'? Well, I earned more than enough SP during this event, so it doesn't matter. Here goes nothing.
――――――――――
You spent SP and acquired 【Scythe Arts】.
You learned the 【Scythe Arts】 weapon art, Slash.
――――――――――
Oh, a weapon art. The first one since Staff Meditation. I had used Meditation from time to time while resting, but this one was meant for serious combat. Apparently, it provided bonuses to the power and motion of attacks made with a scythe. In other words, it let me attack without looking like an amateur.
However, Jigoro and Genjuro hardly ever used weapon arts, saying that the movement assistance felt creepy. Weapon arts were unpopular with the players with real-life cheats, but as an ordinary person, I had no choice but to use them. It's not as though normal people are familiar with how to attack with a scythe, right?
"Hmm..."
I gripped the scythe with one of my newly grown arms, took a stance, and practiced swinging it. Its center of gravity was concentrated at the tip, so it should have been quite difficult to use, but I somehow understood how to swing it. It felt similar to when I had been the boss. Was this the effect of a Skill?
"Ooh~. It really suits you!"
"A skeleton in a black hood holding a scythe... Are you the Grim Reaper?"
Iris and Ruby, who had approached at some point, seemed to approve (?) of it. I was starting to want to try cutting something with it, but I had work tomorrow and wanted to go to bed soon. I decided to call it a night.
When I told them that, the two girls finally seemed to realize how late it was. They hurriedly began preparing to log out. Wryly smiling at the two girls, I returned to my room and logged out.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
――――――――――
Your Race level has increased.
Your Job level has increased.
Your 【Staff】 level has increased.
Your 【Scythe Arts】 level has increased.
You learned the 【Scythe Arts】 weapon art, Flying Slash.
Your 【Magic Control】 level has increased.
Your 【Earth Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Water-Ice Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Fire Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Storm Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Tree Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Lava Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Sandstorm Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Smoke Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Lightning Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Explosion Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Dark Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Void Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Summoning Arts】 level has increased.
Your 【Enchantment Arts】 level has increased.
Your 【Magic Circle】 level has increased.
Your 【Necromancy】 level has increased.
Your 【Curse Arts】 level has increased.
Your 【Trap Magic】 level has increased.
Your 【Spirit Calling】 level has increased.
You learned a new Gaki Summoning spell.
Your 【Malefic Arts】 level has increased.
You learned new Phantom Pain and Disorientation spells.
Your 【Archaeology】 level has increased.
Your 【Linguistics】 level has increased.
Your 【Pharmacology】 level has increased.
Your 【Alchemy】 level has increased.
Your 【Appraisal】 level has increased.
Your 【Assassination Arts】 level has increased.
Your 【Light Attribute Vulnerability】 Skill has been alleviated.
――――――――――
Yes, that covers the results from Monday through Thursday. I had repeatedly visited the catacombs during the short time between getting home and going to bed. It had been exhausting.
On Monday, we celebrated the event's success together and checked our respective rewards. The rewards could be divided into four categories. The first was the blessings given to all the members except Jigoro and me, who already possessed blessings. The effects of blessings weren't clearly visible, but they should certainly have strengthened everyone. This was only my personal opinion, but they also seemed likely to affect their future evolutions and the Jobs they could take. There was no harm in accepting them.
The second category consisted of items whose true value would be revealed through enhancement, like my great scythe. Genjuro's bracelet and Jigoro's gauntlet fell into this category. Unlike me, the two of them apparently started with fairly good abilities, and they talked about them with great delight. Damn it, I was jealous!
The third category was the gemstone Ruby received. Apparently, it had two possible uses: turning it into an accessory or absorbing it. The former would produce a powerful one-of-a-kind item, while the latter would guarantee a special evolution.
After agonizing over it, she ultimately absorbed it. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of Race she would become. Incidentally, Jigoro apparently received a 'Divine Beast Soul Gem (Ox),' an item of the same type as the 'Divine Beast Soul Gem (Tiger)' that had been the reward for the 'Azure Moon's Trial.' Apparently, he swallowed it on the spot.
The final category consisted of special items that didn't fit into any of the others. My egg and Iris's workbench belonged here. One was an item with no value until something hatched from it, while the other was a universal item coveted by every production Job, so they were about as different as could be.
I should also explain the new weapon art and spells. Flying Slash, the 【Scythe Arts】 weapon art, was exactly what it sounded like: a typical flying slash. Its power was lower than that of an ordinary slash, but since I was a rear guard, it was easy to use. In fact, the strange thing was that I had spent the last few days swinging a scythe at Ratmen. I should be happy that I could now make physical ranged attacks as well.
Next was Gaki Summoning from 【Spirit Calling】, a spell that summoned large numbers of palm-sized monsters called Gaki. Gaki were grotesque monsters with round, cloudy eyes, protruding bellies, and chests so thin that their ribs showed. Their defining trait was their indiscriminate appetite, as they ate anything and everything. However, the creepiest thing about this spell wasn't the Gaki's appearance. It was their method of attack.
The creatures would try to eat their enemies until their own bellies burst. To be honest, it was disgusting enough to make even me, despite my high tolerance for gore, feel nauseated. Their attack power was high, and combined with their grotesque appearance, they seemed likely to show their true worth in player-versus-player combat.
Finally, there were Phantom Pain and Disorientation from 【Malefic Arts】. The former stimulated the target's sense of pain. At first, I thought it would be useful in player-versus-player combat, but I had been badly mistaken. That was because pain in this game was converted into difficulty moving. Apparently, there were plenty of players who could land a counterattack while taking damage. So this was magic for monsters and NPCs.
As for Disorientation, it scrambled the target's sense of direction. Since it made it impossible to tell front from back, left from right, or up from down, it could be used against both players and monsters.
"Oh! You finally made it, Izamu. I was thinking of leaving without you!"
"Give me a break, Jigoro."
When I logged in, the other four were already waiting, fully prepared. It wasn't that I had logged in later than planned; they had simply arrived early. They must have been excited. After all, our goal starting today was to conquer the 'Forgotten Catacombs.'
During last week's event, all of us, myself included, had thoroughly enjoyed our positions as labyrinth bosses. At the same time, we had been incredibly envious of the other players as we watched them conquer the labyrinths. We wanted to explore unknown areas too! And so, we decided to visit the 'Forgotten Catacombs,' whose exploration we had postponed because of the event.
Last time, we had only conquered the first floor, and we had visited it many times to raise our levels. However, apparently there were no monsters on the first floor besides those we had already seen, so it had become repetitive. What monsters would appear next, and what drop items would we obtain? I was very much looking forward to finding out.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
"What do you mean?!"
This was the divine realm, specifically the space where all the Great Gods gathered. Within the publicly released PV, Aruru, the Goddess of Light and Order, was shrieking after watching the segment handled by Nyure, the Goddess of Earth and Weather. As noisy as ever, that woman.
"Is there a problem?"
"There is a huge problem! Why is there a scene where my hero gets defeated?!"
Did this woman even understand what she was saying? Even we, who openly played favorites with certain players, tried to hide that fact as much as possible. She was being far too open about it.
"Because it's an exciting scene. Right, Nyure?"
"Yes, that's right. It's a high-level battle, and I think it'll captivate new players."
"Who wants to watch some creepy monster win?!"
Her hatred of monsters hadn't changed either. She was the guardian goddess of those classified as 'humanity,' such as humans and Forestfolk, so it was understandable that she prioritized them. However, that statement had been somewhat problematic.
"You called my earth kin, the Insectors, creepy...?"
Nyure wore her usual gentle smile, but her slightly opened eyes weren't smiling at all. She seemed quite angry. It couldn't be helped. Perhaps I should smooth things over.
"Nyure, I'm sorry, but we've already shown the players called Luke and his party losing in the 'Cursed Grave Tower.' So could you switch to different players?"
"Hmm, I suppose you're right. They're the only ones who reached the boss, after all. All right."
Nyure seemed to accept that. However, the fool was scowling even more when she heard 'Cursed Grave Tower.' It was still the group that had slaughtered her hero. Still, perhaps I should lay down some ground rules.
"Aruru. We goddesses have a duty to cherish the kin we ourselves create—those we designed—but we have no right to disparage another goddess's kin. Retract that."
"Oh, shut up! Monsters are nothing but pests that impede humanity's progress!"
Wow. As I had always suspected, this woman had been corrupted by her own kin far too deeply.
The world of FSW was constructed by the 'World Simulate System,' commonly known as WSS, a system announced almost simultaneously with pseudo-personality AIs like us. By inputting detailed conditions, it could observe the formation of a world from scratch and predict disasters that might occur in the future.
That system was repurposed for the game. By doing so, it was possible to create a realistic world almost indistinguishable from reality.
The basic premise of FSW was that it took place on a planet approximately four times Earth's diameter, where an energy called magic power, which did not exist in reality, was present, and where we goddesses could intervene to a certain extent at our own discretion.
As the comprehensive management AIs, we had continued managing this world since the moment it was born. That meant from when the surface was nothing but a wasteland. We then accelerated the passage of time, and service began after approximately 1,000 years had passed from our subjective perspective. In other words, most of the events from the past recorded in books and the like within the game had actually occurred in the world before service began.
During that time, this fool became devoted to the 'human supremacism' her kin had come up with on their own. The idea that her own kin were superior to everything else must have been pleasant for her to hear. The incident that occurred several hundred years ago probably played a role as well.
However, because of this, the world became unreasonable from the moment service began, with monster-type players unable to enter towns built by humanity. In other words, Izamu-sama and the others were suffering because of this fool.
"Humans and monsters are both our kin, aren't they?"
"Don't lump mindless monsters together with humanity!"
No, no. You gave most monsters only the bare minimum of intelligence to prevent the existence of balance-breaking species that had both intelligence and sturdy bodies. And you balanced beings that possessed both by giving them weakness attributes that would take an extremely long time to overcome, didn't you?
The only truly perfect beings were the demigods, including the Dragon God—in other words, powerful beings who had come infinitely close to godhood. Had she forgotten even that?
"That's enough! If you're going to take that attitude, I have plans of my own!"
"What plans?"
"...Hmph!"
She left without even answering? What a truly troublesome woman. I don't know what she's plotting, but I admit I'm somewhat looking forward to seeing what chaos her rampage will bring. Shall we sit back and watch?