READ NOVEL ONLINE chapter 33
Chapter 33
So, the current situation is that only Bre is in perfect condition, Tatsu’s MP is below 50%, and Misaki’s MP is completely depleted.
As for me, the key player,
My MP is practically empty!
I’m in a state where it’s difficult to provide healing, support, or even serve as a magical damage source.
“I’m pretty low on MP-related resources too,” I admit.
“I see…”
But well, magic isn’t my only weapon. If I wanted to, I think I could totally take on the Area Boss.
After all, I have Gaga’s special magic sword! With that, even an Area Boss should be a piece of cake, right? That’s what I’m thinking!
My trust in Gaga runs deep!
“So, given this situation, what should we do?” Tatsu asks.
Hm? Is that “what should we do” including the option of retreat?
Ah.
Come to think of it, I’ve only shown Tatsu how I defeat monsters with magic.
If that’s the case, he might see me as useless now that I’m out of MP.
Should I mention that I can handle physical combat too?
No, surely retreat isn’t an option at this point, right?
Besides, there’s no way we could play cat and mouse with that EOD again to get back here, right?
“Oh, what’s this? Is the weakling party discussing retreat?”
Just as I was about to suggest that we should try challenging the boss since I can manage somehow, some stranger butted in.
The person approaching us is a green man about three meters tall, large both vertically and horizontally.
He’s big, but not just fat. His whole body seems muscular? He doesn’t look flabby at all. Kind of like a pro wrestler.
However, his fashion sense screams barbarian. I mean, shirtless with a leather breastplate? I have questions about that.
This man comes over with a malicious grin on his face.
“Who are you?” Tatsu asks.
“What kind of greeting is that? I thought I’d offer help if you were in trouble, you know?”
“What did you say?”
“If you’re willing to pay, we could let you leech off our party and help you clear the Area Boss.”
“Oh? And how much would that cost?”
Tatsu probably isn’t seriously considering it, but he’s asking just to hear them out.
Well, it might be good to know the going rate for this kind of thing?
“One million reward stones per person. Plus, all the drops from the boss fight go to us.”
“That’s not even worth discussing.”
Bre and Misaki probably don’t even have a million reward stones, right?
Even I’m in a tight spot after buying all that camping gear.
If a production class like me is in this state, Bre and the others must be…
Wait, could I actually have less than them because of my unnecessary spending!?
“Tatsu, Yama seems to have been struck by lightning or something…”
“Just leave her be.”
Tatsu’s treatment of me is too rough!
“Hey, hey, hey, do you understand the situation? In a death game where dying means it’s over, is money more important than your life? Are you such an incompetent leader that you don’t even get that?”
“Leader?”
Wait, did we ever decide on that?
We exchange glances, conveying this thought.
“Hey, hey, hey, you came all this way without even deciding on a leader!? It’s a miracle you’ve survived this long!”
“Mind your own business. We have our own way of doing things. I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from unnecessary interference.”
“Hah! I’m just trying to be kind here! If you’re so eager to die, suit yourselves!”
With that, the man walks away.
Given his dramatic exit, maybe he really was just trying to be kind…
Though with an opening like that, I doubt anyone would trust him!
Still, Tatsu is amazing for being able to talk so normally to such an intimidating person!
I was on edge the whole time, worried the guy might snap and crush Tatsu at any moment.
“Was it okay to turn him down?” Bre asks after the man leaves.
I guess Bre thought that offer might have been worth considering?
“Could we even pay that much in the first place?”
“Well, no, that would be difficult. But in our current state, isn’t it too risky to fight the Area Boss…”
“Hey, Bre. What have you been seeing all this time?”
Tatsu fixes Bre with a serious look.
Even though it’s small, it’s still a dragon’s face. It’s quite intimidating.
Bre seems to swallow his words involuntarily.
“None of the parties here could have survived that situation. But we did. Or rather, Yama did.”
“Well, I guess so…”
“We have Yama with us. Whether we’re at full strength or not, an Area Boss should be a piece of cake.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, yeah,” I nod, not denying it.
I mean, there’s no way the Area Boss could be stronger than that EOD, right?
If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be too much of a struggle, right?
“To be honest, I wanted us to do this on our own. But this time, it’s an unexpected situation. We have no choice but to rely on Yama’s strength.”
“Well, I was planning to just act as a healer, but given how things have turned out, I’ll join in the attack too. Ah, but I can’t really coordinate with the party, so I’d like Bre and Misaki to step back and focus on guarding Gobzou and the others. Is that okay?”
“Huh? I’ll fight too!”
“That’s fine, but…”
Bre seems to be full of energy, as if all the damage has completely left him. Even though he nearly died.
But I’m not in the same state due to mental fatigue…
“I’m worried that if I make a mistake due to fatigue, I might accidentally hit Bre with an attack…”
“I’ll quietly step back.”
“That’s right, Bre. There’s no need to commit suicide on purpose.”
Their heckling is harsh!
But it seems their comments have made Bre reconsider. Though I’m a bit concerned about how pale he’s turned.
“I understand… But if it looks like you’re in trouble, tell me, okay? I can fight too, you know!”
“Such a boy. Well, if it looks tough, I’ll ask for your help.”
And with that, we’ve come to an agreement.
Now all that’s left is to wait for our turn to challenge the Area Boss.
The room where the Area Boss appears is blocked by a large iron door, and the waiting parties enter one at a time.
During other parties’ battle time, we’re just in a waiting state. We have no choice but to kill time on our own.
Apparently, there’s no system where boss battles take place simultaneously in separate instance spaces.
LIA seems to have adopted the boss respawn system that was popular in the early days of VRMMORPGs.
What that means is, after defeating the boss, you leave the room, and when the next party enters, the boss appears again.
“This is an unusual format for recent VRMMOs, isn’t it, Tatsu?”
I’m brewing herbal tea and serving cookies as snacks.
Tatsu and Bre’s eyes widen in surprise as they taste it.
Yeah, that’s why I’ve been saying not to neglect food just because it’s flavor text. You’ll regret it later.
“Seriously? I was prepared for the worst since it was Yama’s homemade stuff, but I didn’t expect it to be this good…”
That’s what surprises you!?
Come to think of it, Tatsu had some food-related trauma from the test play, didn’t he? Maybe that’s why he hasn’t been too particular about food?
“Eh, this is homemade by Yama?”
“That’s right~”
This game actually has quite a variety of ingredients available.
So if you have decent [Cooking] skills, you can make all sorts of things and have fun!
Well, my real-life repertoire isn’t that extensive, so I’ve been making good use of forums where cooking enthusiasts gather…
“It’s delicious. If only Misaki could cook like this…”
“Hey.”
Misaki’s eyes aren’t smiling.
Please take your lover’s quarrel elsewhere~
“So, what’s the deal?” I ask.
“About the boss respawn system? We’d have to ask the developers to know the reason. But—”
“But?”
“It feels like there might be some kind of particular commitment to it.”
“Ah, I think I get it.”
It probably isn’t due to system limitations or user considerations, but rather feels like it’s the result of the developers’ personal preferences going full throttle.
It’s like that, right?
They probably wanted to use some provocative tagline like “You are the only ones in the world fighting this Area Boss right now!” like in a certain dream kingdom.
While that might be exciting in its own way, I honestly wish they’d consider the perspective of those who have to wait.
It makes me want to complain about why we have to queue up like we’re waiting for an amusement park ride even in a game world.
Still, as we leisurely drink tea, our turn slowly but surely approaches.
And now, members of parties who seem to have already cleared the boss once are lining up behind us.
I guess they still have some energy left and want to go another round?
It’s really being treated like an attraction!
Perhaps influenced by this atmosphere, everyone has completely relaxed.
Or rather, the contrast with how tense we were earlier is so stark that it’s hard to maintain any sense of urgency…
“Come to think of it, Gobzou, you were quite the looker when you were young, weren’t you?”
“Surprising.”
“Now it’s all smooth up here! Wahahaha!”
Gobzou slaps his bald head.
But man, that handsome version of Gobzou was something else.
Given the circumstances, I almost fell for him for a moment there.
Is this what they call the suspension bridge effect?
Well, he turned wrinkly again pretty quickly, so I was able to regain my composure.
“Grandpa was quite popular when he was young,” Ico chimes in.
“No, no, that’s not true. Grandma was the popular one.”
Heh, so Gobzou and Ico were a handsome couple back in the day.
As I ponder this, the two start arguing about who was more popular.
Come on, we’re tired here. Please don’t bicker over such trivial matters…
“…”
And now Tatsu’s gaze, seemingly wanting to say something, pierces me.
Tatsu’s the only one who knows what I look like in real life, right? I know what he wants to say.
But if I were to jump in here with “I’m quite the looker myself!” that would be pretty cringeworthy, wouldn’t it?
I’m the type to avoid avoidable accidents!
“By the way, I’d love to hear about Bre and Misaki’s relationship too,” Ico says.
“Indeed, are you two dating already?” Gobzou asks.
“Eh? No, we’re just childhood friends…”
“Not yet.”
“Misaki!?”
Now Gobzou and Ico have turned their attention to Misaki and Bre.
I see. So those two are real-life childhood friends.
Wait a minute, isn’t it a bit too amazing that NPCs are meddling in players’ love lives, LIA?