Chapter 98

□【Warrior】Figaro

It has been ten days in the real world since I stepped into <Infinite Dendrogram>, and one month has passed here.

During this month, I experienced many things for the first time in my life.

First, I died.

Soon after arriving, I ran around outside the city without taking a job and was easily killed by a group of monsters that approached.

I had almost died several times due to seizures, but this was the first time I actually died.

When my login was restricted for twenty-four hours, I was so frustrated with my own carelessness that my heart rate even increased.

However, it seems that a considerable number of players made the same mistake.

The main reason was the lack of information and know-how at the beginning.

But I think some people died because they were so excited that they rushed out, just like me.

By the way, during the time I was restricted from logging in, it seems that Keith also started <Infinite Dendrogram>.

Unlike me, who had plenty of free time every day, he was busy with his studies and successor training, so he could hardly play.

I wanted to know which country he started in and what name he chose, but for some reason, he kept it a secret.

The next first-time experience was watching a duel in the arena.

In the real world, I couldn't even watch sports due to my heart condition, but here, I could watch without any worries.

The capital of Legendaria, the Spirit City Amnir, has an arena where skilled warriors hold duels every day.

The first duel I saw was right after the release of <Infinite Dendrogram>, so there were no <Masters> participating yet.

However, I was moved by the sight of the warriors from Tien fighting.

I was moved by the sight of them competing with all their might.

I was moved by the sight of their lives clashing.

I was moved by a sight I had never been able to achieve, no matter how much I sought it.

I was so moved that I shed tears again.

After watching the duel, I went through the procedures to become a 【Warrior】.

And thus, I became 【Warrior】Figaro.

The 【Warrior】 job is apparently an all-rounder.

While it is devastatingly weak in magic, it has well-balanced stats in other areas.

Additionally, it can use almost all types of weapons, allowing it to serve as a front-liner with swords or axes, or as a back-liner with a bow.

However, in either case, it cannot perform as well as a specialist.

I thought, "It's nice to be able to move freely."

In reality, since I had rarely moved my body before, my movements were quite awkward, but I was happy to be able to move my body freely.

After that, my <Embryo> hatched.

My <Embryo> was TYPE: Arms, and it was shaped like a "heart," which was rather ironic for me.

The moment it hatched, it entered my body and replaced my original heart.

Its unique skill is to enhance the performance of equipment.

No one has any idea why it has such an ability.

However, it is compatible with the Warrior class, which can equip more items, so it is helpful.

However, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't see my <Embryo> myself because it was a "heart."

◇

After changing jobs, I had another first-time experience.

I formed a party for the first time.

In the Adventurer's Guild, it is common to form temporary parties to complete quests.

Since it was a period when many players were beginners, players often teamed up to tackle quests.

I also joined one of the temporary parties to take on a quest.

We were all beginners, and we encouraged each other to try our best, even though we were feeling our way.

At that point, I thought everyone was like me.

However, in conclusion, this was a big mistake.

The quest failed.

There were various reasons, but the biggest reason was undoubtedly... me.

【Warrior】 is a job that can move freely.

That's true. The senior 【Warriors】 in the arena all did so.

However, the fundamental problem was... I didn't know how to cooperate with others.

I had spent all my life without doing anything with anyone.

I lacked the experience that most people take for granted.

I had no experience playing with others as a child.

I had no experience playing sports with others in school.

In my life, I had never acted with anyone.

Even with my younger brother Keith, we only played board games like chess or Othello, and never played physical games.

I had the knowledge of "moving in coordination with others."

But it was just knowledge.

So, when I first tackled a quest, my head must have been confused... I couldn't move properly.

Compared to when I moved alone, my movements were much worse.

This was the cause of the quest's failure.

Even after the failure, the members of the party didn't blame me.

However, I understood better than anyone else.

I couldn't cooperate with anyone.

Moving my body was something I could do as an extension of light walking or stretching for health.

But moving in coordination with someone... I didn't have the basic ability to do so.

I hadn't realized it before because I had never been able to move my body freely, but it seems that in the nineteen years I spent doing nothing, I had a heavy burden in addition to my heart condition.

It will take a long time to remove this burden.

And I realize...

I will probably be alone until this burden is removed.

◇◇◇

After failing the party quest, I continued <Infinite Dendrogram> solo.

Of course, the efficiency is poor, but if I keep going, my level will still rise.

I also trained my body.

I received training from skilled warriors in the arena, using the money I earned from hunting monsters, and bought "Instant Monsters" for training that the arena sells.

The skilled warriors pointed out my weaknesses accurately, and thanks to them, I think I have become much more accustomed to moving my body.

I also occasionally received training to move in a party, but... my movements inevitably became worse.

The skilled warriors tilted their heads, saying, "There are some mysterious talents."

I thought it was quite a sarcastic comment to call me a "talent" when I couldn't move in a party.

However, the training with "Instant Monsters" was... effective.

"Instant Monsters" are different from the tamed monsters used by 【Familiars】. They are homunculi created by Legendaria's 【Alchemists】.

When released from the 【Jewel】 that stores the monster, they disappear into a cloud of light after about an hour.

Additionally, to prevent misuse, they are designed to only follow the command to "attack the person who released them."

In exchange, they are inexpensive and come pre-programmed with combat techniques, making them ideal for novice warriors to hone their skills.

They are more like time-limited sparring partners than monsters.

I bought and tried one on the recommendation of a skilled warrior from Tien.

In practice, they were perfect as training partners because I could gain experience and learn techniques.

"..."

However, I felt a faint aversion and ended up not using all the ones I bought.

It wasn't about killing. I didn't feel that aversion when fighting monsters in the field.

I couldn't understand the difference myself.

◇

Aside from training as a 【Warrior】, my daily routine involves searching for second-hand weapons at bazaars to find good deals, and going out of the city to hunt monsters solo to level up.

My level-ups are going smoothly, and if I keep it up for a few more days, I should be able to max out my 【Warrior】 level.

Right now, I am in the middle of leveling up in the area around the Spirit City.

I might be able to go further with a party, but there's no helping it.

"... The natural mana is dense today."

During my level-up exploration, I muttered to myself.

It was more of a habit, as no one was around to hear me.

In my field of vision, a mist of light was visible.

In Legendaria, this mist of light is often seen.

If you ask what this mist is... it's mana.

The same MP that <Masters>, Tien, and monsters possess.

In Legendaria, this abundant natural mana is visible in the air at a concentration that can be seen.

Legendaria uses this rich natural mana as a resource to produce various magic items and to power large-scale magic to protect the country.

"If this continues, an <Accident Circle> might occur. I should go back today."

An <Accident Circle>.

A unique natural "magic" phenomenon in Legendaria that occurs when the natural mana in the country exceeds a certain concentration.

A phenomenon where nature itself randomly casts magic.

In the cities and villages of Legendaria, there are facilities to absorb or disperse natural mana, so it doesn't happen, but it can occur outside the city.

If an attack spell is cast, it won't end well.

I tried to leave the area where the natural mana was dense, but...

"... Oh."

I was too late.

Near me, the dense mist of light began to emit a different color of light... and I lost consciousness there.

◇

When I woke up, I was lying on the bank of a river.

It seemed that I had avoided death from an attack spell.

However, I had a question.

"There wasn't a river, right?"

On the map, the nearest river was supposed to be a few kilometers away.

Thinking about it, I opened the map, and it showed:

【Kingdom of Altera • <Sauda Mountain Path • ???>】

"Kingdom of Altera?"

Not Legendaria.

Another country to the north of Legendaria.

Thinking about why I was there, I realized what kind of magic had been cast by the <Accident Circle> earlier.

It was probably a teleportation-related spell.

A spell that is relatively common among the magic that occurs in an <Accident Circle>.

It's a curious story that teleportation-related skills, which Tien can hardly use, are often seen in nature.

In any case... it seems I have gotten myself into a very troublesome situation.

"... Should I log out and return to a save point in Legendaria?"

That would be the most reliable way to return to Legendaria.

Thinking so, I selected a save point as my next respawn point and logged out.

When I logged back in,

【Kingdom of Altera • <Sauda Mountain Path • ???>】

I was pulled back to the area in the Kingdom of Altera.

"... What's going on?"

I repeated logging out and logging in several times, but I was always pulled back to this area.

It seems that this area has been set as my save point.

Whether it was due to the <Accident Circle> or the area itself, I couldn't determine at this point.

"Alright, then."

If I can't return to Legendaria by logging out, there's no choice.

I'll walk back.

Fortunately, it's not separated by the sea like Granbaloa or Tenchi, and it's a neighboring country.

It's not impossible to walk back.

I have water and food stored in my item box, so I don't have to worry about the bad statuses of hunger or thirst for a while.

I might as well consider it a stroke of luck.

I have the opportunity to step into a new land, a different country.

With that in mind, I began walking in the direction of the river's flow, down the mountain path.

◇

"... Hmm."

While exploring and walking along the riverbank, a black wolf monster appeared in front of me.

Above the wolf's head, the name 【Shadow Wolf】 was displayed.

It was a somewhat strange name.

The wolves I had fought before were usually named 【○○ Wolf】.

The order is reversed. It sounds more like "a wolf-like shadow" rather than "a shadow-like wolf."

That was a bit odd, but in any case, the wolf bared its fangs and prepared to attack me.

"Then, let's go."

I held a commercially available 【Steel Sword】 in each hand and prepared to face the wolf.

"Vow!!"

Immediately after, another 【Shadow Wolf】 leaped at me from the forest beside the river,

"Yah-hoo! Meat! Straight to the belly, man!"

—Something flew out from behind the wolf and crushed it.

"..."

The sudden event froze the wolf I was facing.

Taking advantage of the pause, my left sword slashed the wolf's neck, and my right sword pierced and shattered its bone marrow.

The two dead wolves disappeared without a trace, turning into black ash instead of light dust.

Thus, only I and the something that had shouted and killed the second wolf—bear—remained.

Yes, a bear.

A man wearing a "bear costume" that looked cheap and worn, carrying a huge hammer, stood there.

I had seen a similar image in a wiki during my penalty period, but this was the first time I had seen the wearer in person.

"No drop, man. Leave some meat, man. My food supply is empty, man. I'm hungry, man."

The bear, muttering such things, finally noticed me.

"Hey! I'm... I mean, I'm Shu Sterling. I'm a 【Demolisher】, man."

"Ah, yeah. I'm Figaro. A 【Warrior】, Figaro."

◇

That was my first contact with Shu—later known as the 【Super Warrior】 and the 【Destroyer King】.

To be continued

The next update is tomorrow at 21:00.

(￣(エ)￣)＜This is a side story about Figaro.

(￣(エ)￣)＜Actually, I'm a set bear too!

(=ↀωↀ=)＜Sure, sure.

(=ↀωↀ=)＜Ah, the reason Figaro sees names in English is

(=ↀωↀ=)＜"Monster names are seen in the player's native language" as a narrative device.

(=ↀωↀ=)＜I don't think I'll use it much in the future.

(=ↀωↀ=)（...There are many neologisms I don't know how to translate, and there might be <Masters> from countries whose languages the author doesn't understand at all in the future, so...）