Chapter 68
We returned to 'The Ancient Transit Tower' just after sunrise. That was still quite early, but I felt bad for keeping everyone waiting.
"Sorry! I'm late!"
My first words upon returning to the other three were a straightforward apology. No matter how I tried to make excuses, I was the one at fault!
"Nah, we weren't waiting for you."
"Indeed!"
"You weren't waiting? Why...? Huh?"
"Ah! Grandpa's gotten kind of cool!"
Hmm? Hmmm? I feel as though Genzuro's appearance has changed somehow. Could he have evolved?
"What kind of Race did you become? You were an Insector Beetle before, right?"
"Indeed, I am a Blade Insector Beetle. Apparently, this option appears after repeatedly using Swordsmanship to cut down powerful enemies."
A Blade Insector Beetle, huh? For Lizardmen and Toadmen, the standard Race normally had 'War' added next. The same probably applied to Insector Beetles, but Genzuro's unique fighting style had prompted a special evolution.
When you put it that way, none of us has achieved an ordinary evolution. No! We should be perfectly normal players! We just tend to use more specialized fighting styles than most!
"My level is 28 now, too. I'll be evolving soon♪"
Iris was in high spirits as well. Had the three of them gone hunting while I was absorbed in creating Undead? I trusted them, but this was an area where birds attacked from the sky. It seemed rather dangerous...
"Kyuu!"
"Oh, Kal. I'm back. Were you a good boy?"
Kal noticed my return and flew over to me. Oh? Had he just used his wings to fly?
"Actually, Kal-kun was the star of the hunt."
"Right after you guys returned, this guy flew up into the sky."
"Thanks to him, we avoided being ambushed from above."
Oh! Nicely done! However...
"Kal had his first battle while I wasn't there...?"
"Ah!"
"Uh-oh..."
"Hmm..."
"Kyu?"
Kal apparently had no idea why I was feeling down, but the other three wore expressions that clearly said, 'Oh no!' ...I had really gotten good at reading monsters' expressions.
"Kyuu~!"
I stroked Kal's head to cheer myself up. This was my first time being comforted by a small animal, but it was surprisingly nice.
"Phew... Well, never mind. We accomplished our objective, too. We retrieved every item. Now we have nothing left to worry about."
In other words, we could head to the new land without a single concern holding us back.
"I can't wait to see what kind of monsters we'll encounter!"
Jigorou was fidgeting impatiently in anticipation of new powerful enemies. Honestly, you never change, do you?
"The Vetus Floating Island... I wonder what kind of place it is?"
Iris was twisting her tentacles about, apparently unable to contain her curiosity about a continent that presumably nobody had visited before. I felt the same way, so I understood her perfectly!
"All right! Let's go!"
Ruby was as energetic as ever. Yet it was a mystery how someone so lively could be so good at moving around as quietly as a ninja. I hoped she would make full use of those abilities on the Vetus Floating Island.
"Hoho! My blood is boiling!"
Genzuro was an energetic old man in his own right! And what he was looking forward to was probably almost the same thing as Jigorou, wasn't it? I knew it!
"Then, shall we go?"
"Let's go!"
"Kyu? Kyuu!"
Kal, who didn't really understand what was going on, raised his voice a moment late. Everyone was soothed by the sight, then stepped onto the warp device connected to the Vetus Floating Island.
――――――――――
Travel to the Vetus Floating Island?
Yes/No
――――――――――
There was no need to ask. There was only one possible answer! Yes!
When I selected Yes, the device began to shine intensely. By the time it was glowing so brightly that we could no longer keep our eyes open, we began to feel as though we were in a weightless space. Ugh! I feel sick!
◆◇◆◇◆◇
How long did we remain in that state? It seemed to last only an instant, yet it also felt as though ten minutes had passed. However, once the light threatening to burn our eyes faded, the scenery around us came into view—and it was different from before.
No, the room itself was mostly unchanged. But the writing on the floor was definitely different.
'Welcome! Enjoy the Continent of the Sky to your heart's content!'
That was what it said. In other words...
"The transfer was a success, then!"
――――――――――
A game administration notification has arrived.
――――――――――
...Hey, hey! That completely ruined the afterglow of the moment! Something like this happened just before the battle with the Twin Head Wind Eagle, too! Couldn't I have a little more time to savor the moment...?
"What!?"
"No way!?"
Oh, so I'm the only one complaining about the afterglow? Iris and Ruby seemed surprised by what they were reading in the notice. Now, what could it say...?
――――――――――
You have just reached a continent different from the Luxresia Continent. In response, we have implemented the world map.
Please note that the world map only displays locations you have actually visited or places whose maps you have purchased.
However, map data can be exchanged. Thank you for your continued support of FSW.
――――――――――
"Kyu?"
...I see. I see. Basically, we had unlocked one of the game's systems. That was a wonderful thing, wasn't it? We could bask in our superiority! 'We're progressing farther than the strategy group!'
I decided to check my world map right away while stroking Kal. Let's see... The city of Fars was in the center, and... Oh! The west and north really were unlocked! Ah, the names of boss areas and hidden areas were displayed, too. Those probably wouldn't be visible to anyone who hadn't actually entered or discovered them.
Looking at it this way, our map consisted almost entirely of hidden areas! Since we hadn't been able to go to the places ordinary players were most likely to visit, we'd ended up discovering this many instead. Just how far had we gone in our eccentric behavior?
As for our current location... Yes, it was properly listed as the Vetus Floating Island. The area name was 'Ancient Spring'...? A spring? There wasn't any water anywhere, so why was it called a spring?
"Everyone, let's go outside for now. We won't get anywhere if we stay like this."
"Right. Let's go out."
We stood in front of the automatic door before us. However, the power to everything except the warp device seemed to be dead, and the door showed no sign of opening. It had been the same in 'The Ancient Transit Tower,' so that was only natural.
"Well, guess we'll have to... heave!"
Jigorou laid his hands on the door and tried to force it open, letting sheer brute strength do the work.
Creeeeak...
A strange creaking noise echoed through the area. Dust and grime had probably accumulated because the door had not been used for many years. If brute force could get it open, that would be a lucky break.
"Nnngh... graaaah!!!"
Jigorou strained so hard that the veins stood out on his arms, then finally opened the door with a roar. As expected of the strongest member of our party!
"This place is... definitely a spring."
Outside the door was a dense forest, and we were on a small island in a spring deep within it. I had no idea how water had come to collect all around us, but a lot could happen over the course of several hundred years.
Whatever the spring's origin, there were no signs of people nearby. Even when I used Magic Echo, I detected no one. However, there were several monster presences. And one of them was very close!
"Everyone, be careful! There's something in the spring!"
Ruby warned everyone, and we all took up combat positions. Now, what would emerge?
Perhaps it had sensed that we had noticed it, because the enemy that had apparently been at the bottom of the spring began to rise. Judging by its shadow, was it a fish?
"Whoa! Light Wall!"
That was close! Almost as soon as I recognized the fish's shadow, the enemy fired a Water Lance from 【Water Magic】 while still underwater! There would be no talking things out with it. In that case, we had no reason to hesitate either!
"Iris, can you do it?"
"I'll try!"
Iris plunged dozens of tentacles into the spring. As she did so, she braided them into a net. A cast net made of tentacles, perhaps?
"I-it's heavy!"
Iris had apparently managed to capture the enemy. However, it was struggling violently, and her tentacles would be torn apart if this continued.
"That's enough! Activate Star Magic Circle, Black Thread! Genzuro!"
"Indeed! Kaaa!"
As long as we knew the enemy's approximate location, we had the upper hand. I caught the fish's shadow underwater with Black Thread, while Genzuro used thread spewed from his mouth to catch it as well. All that remained was to reel it in!
Whoa, it's heavy! This is with three of us pulling, including Iris?
"I'll lend a hand!"
"I'm going underwater!"
Jigorou grabbed Genzuro's thread and pulled alongside him, while Ruby dove into the water.
"Kyuu!"
Kal also skillfully grabbed my Black Thread and pulled with all his might. It looked like a child's earnest, modest act of devotion... but he was actually more powerful than I was, so I was simply grateful for the help.
Hmm? Its resistance is weakening? That must be Ruby's doing! Her underwater attack must have succeeded! Now was our chance!
"Uoooo!"
"Hraaah!"
"Hi-yah!"
"Hnh!"
"Kyuu!"
The fish we hauled up by working together was a gigantic carp. However, despite being a carp, it inexplicably had fangs, as I confirmed with my own eyes. What kind of monster was this?
――――――――――
Race: Great Evil Fish・Carp Lv42
Job: Water-Ice Magician Lv2
【Fangs】
【Fish Scales】
【Health Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【Intelligence Enhancement】
【Water-Ice Magic】
【Aquatic】
【Water Attribute Resistance】
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Level 42!? That's as high as the Ratman King!
"A fish out of water, huh?"
"That's normally used as a metaphor..."
Yet that high-level monster was flopping around in front of us. Its level might have been high, but it was still just a fish. Once we'd hauled it out, it was no longer an enemy—only experience points.
"S-shouldn't we defeat it, at least?"
"Y-yeah. We should."
"Kyuooh!"
We mercilessly pummeled the pitiful Great Evil Fish・Carp, which could do nothing but flop around. We even used it as a punching bag to raise the Skills we wanted to train.
For me, that was 【Scythesmanship】; for Genzuro, 【Spearmanship】; and for Iris, 【Swordsmanship】 and 【Clubsmanship】.
It was a rather brutal way to treat it, but that was partly because it possessed three defensive Skills: 【Fish Scales】, 【Health Enhancement】, and 【Defense Enhancement】. It was incredibly tough, so physical attacks barely got through. That was precisely why it made such a good punching bag.
――――――――――
You won the battle.
Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.
Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.
Your 【Scythesmanship】 level has increased.
Your 【Intelligence Enhancement】 level has increased.
Your 【Mental Enhancement】 level has increased.
Your 【Health Recovery Speed Increase】 level has increased.
Your 【Magic Recovery Speed Increase】 level has increased.
――――――――――
All right! We won! ...Though the sense of accomplishment was rather underwhelming. The exhilaration of hauling it in had been stronger than the satisfaction of winning. In practical terms, we'd only ganged up on it and beaten it senseless.
More importantly, I was happier that Kal's level had increased. Wait, now that I thought about it, Kal had fought those birds alongside Jigorou and the others, hadn't he? And his level hadn't increased until now? Just how much experience did it take to gain a single level?
Crunch, crunch...
However, there were still numerous signs of enemies in this spring. They were probably companions of the Great Evil Fish・Carp. If so, we might be able to level up efficiently by fishing them out and beating them senseless.
Munch, munch...
We would have to discuss that with everyone. For now, I suppose we should harvest this one. I wonder what fish materials could be used for... Huh!?
"K-Kal!?"
"Kyukyu~♪"
While I was lost in thought, Kal's appetite had apparently been stimulated by the large fish, and he had bitten into the Great Evil Fish・Carp. He was crunching it apart with loud crackling sounds, as though scales were completely irrelevant. Talk about wild!
"Izam... this means it's already..."
"Yeah... we can't harvest it now..."
In FSW, harvesting a corpse that has suffered severe damage results in either only extremely poor-quality items dropping or nothing dropping at all. Kal was currently eating the Great Evil Fish・Carp, and with the extent of the damage he had inflicted, it was already too late.
All right! Let's give up on the first one! Kal, eat as much as you like. Once you've finished eating, I'll have you fight to your heart's content!