ăDeath Penalty: Your stats are temporarily decreased, gained experience decreased, possessed experience halved.ă
ăYou have lost your left arm.ă
Farewell, my arm? ...So this is what losing a limb is like. My left arm has turned semi-transparent and has no collision with the surroundings.
I died a lot before evolving when I stumbled on Living Dead and to the sword, but it is my first time dying in combat after evolving⊠and I lost a limb to boot.
âAh! Onee-chan, âsup!â
âHM? Ohh, Rina.â
âOnee-chan, your arm!â
âCelebration: first limb loss.â
âIs that something to celebrateâŠ?â
Letâs use a part. Dark Part⊠and chose left arm. I put the arm that appeared to my body and it stuck. 180 minutes⊠I have three hours of stat decrease on my left arm alone. Looks like Iâm getting decreases, but it is possible to access the armâs equipment slot again in the inventory menu.
I put the ring and arm equipment back on, and everything is like new.
âTo think Onee-chan would die⊠where did you go?â
âThe third area. Both level and location-wise.â
âAhh⊠you went to an area next to the second area. Yeah, we can get there but we are going to die if we get surrounded.â
âYup, their reinforcements came during combat.â
âYou were solo, right?â
âJust went to take a look, you see.â
I once again enable «Spatial Magic»âsăInventory Expansionă.
Time-wise, itâs nearly dinner. Mom and Dad should be back already, letâs go off until the penalty wears off. I separate from my little sister, head to the inn and log out.
When I went to the living room, Mom and Dad were there. Looks like they are back already. ...Why are you already drinking? The driver is also drinking, looks like they have no intention of going back today⊠Not like I thought they would, though. ...The maids arenât here?
I received some juice and started watching Akinaâs stream. Looks like she has over ten thousand viewers. Sheâs gathering far more attention than the school chairman during the assembly. Looks like she is escorting Primula-san who she gathers materials. Inbamunt, is it?
During the escort, Nadia-san and Helen-san joined her.
âItâs the two girls who were eating lunch with us.â
âOh, those girls.â
While we nabbed some of the side dishes they had to accompany the alcohol and watched the stream, the maid duo came back. It seems like they were out shopping. They bought ingredients for dinner, side dishes, alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks.
We did simple preparations for dinner by lining up the barbecue set on the yard. Putting meat on skewers and other preparations were undertaken by the two maids, so I went to call Rina. Through the comment section. âRina, weâre having dinner" text has been displayed in purple color. Itâs possible to set a particular color for different users, and it seems like I was made purple.
ăâDinner! MEAT!âă
ăâCome to the yard.âă
ăâSo itâs barbecue after all?âă
A large amount of comments saying âBARBECUE IN THE YARDâŠ?!!â has flowed, but letâs leave that to my little sister.
I put fire on, prepare water and start frying.
âMEAAATTT!â
âHere, tofu.â
âTofuâŠ? Soybeans⊠plant meat⊠Well, still better than being given raw beans...â
âHere, soy sauce.â
I passed cold tofu and soy sauce to my little sister. This tofu is nice, so refreshing. Yup, I just randomly took it out of the refrigerator, though.
While the meat sizzles as I fry it, I talk with Mom and her companyâs president, Noa-san.
âSo, why did you come all this way to Japan?â
âWell, obviously, because we want to start a new thing.â
"What are you schemingâŠ?â
âSee, we are in the middle of negotiations with the Future Software company that owns the patents. And well, itâs hard for me to say as a friend, but as a president⊠Iâm getting more and more eager to scout Tasha-chan!â
Hm? Mom told him before not to scout me because she will let me decide my future for myself, but⊠as a president, he got eager to scout me⊠Did I do something?
Mom started to silently strangle him .
âEllie, you know something?â
âNnn⊠I did not hear anything directly, so just a speculation.â
âHmm?â
âTasha, do you like fantasy?â
âWell, between like or hate, I like it...â
âGuess if you hated it, you wouldnât be playing.â
âRight?â
I can see you are nodding, but I donât understand what you mean in the least?
âEXPLAIN, RIGHT NOW...â
âYeahâŠfirstâŠmake it so...that I can...â
Sheâs still strangling him?
âPhew⊠ah, this is a secret, okay? A state secret!â
âStop lying. Itâs a company problem.â
"...Well, simply put, I thought of making her into a VR idol.â
âIDOLLLLLLâŠ?â1
Mom, where did you pull that low voice from?
âDid I put it too simply?â
âFather⊠idols are a completely different category...â
âShould I say, a VR actress?â
Well, it is about my future so I ask in detail, and it seems like they intend to make movies with FDVR technology.
In other words, seeing the CMs, trailers and streams of FLFO made by Future Software, the president thought âCanât we use this as a method for making a movie?â.
If there was a problem with it, it would be that a FDVR movie would mainly be work for stuntmen. To put it simply, wouldnât it be too hard on actresses to act combat scenes? But if you ask whether stuntmen could do it, the answer is that it isnât that simple because âactingâ is necessary.
âSo yeah⊠it wonât work, right?â
âWell⊠it wonât.â
Mom doesnât play games, after all...
Itâs VR, so it might be possible to change the person playing the avatar, but itâs best to have someone who can do âactingâ and âcombatâ in âFDâ. Especially in case of the main characters of the movies, it would be best if they were the same person.
They are using FDVR in order to make movies even more real, so⊠they want to remove all aspects that could make the things seem off.
âAnd above all, since we are starting something new, itâs best for popularity if we used the same person, right?â
âWell, it will definitely be better than using a double...â
âItâs a game so we can have large flashy wars! Magic flying all over! Also, the other company is in charge of fantasy outfits.â
Louis-san is making a peace sign, hm? Well, I get what they are scheming. In other words, they want to make super-real fantasy movies with FDVR.
âWouldnât that be too goryâŠ?â
âAbout that, there is the FLFOâs gore function, right? We can do anything by tweaking that.â
Hm-mm⊠Well, they thought that part over. They ARE pros, after all.
âThose realistic videos taken for a movie⊠itâs possible to tweak the effects and angles of them, right?â
âOf course.â
âWe can make a story in there, right?â
âNaturally.â
âI want to see it!â
âRight?!â
Noa-san and my little sister are really excited⊠hmm...
Even bare live streams are really popular, and the official trailers have an amazing number of views. Releasing the game without any limitations in Japan, and if there is no problem, allowing connecting from overseas⊠is what the company seems to be thinking.
âBut there is still time until it happens, isnât there?â
âI guess. I mean, just like I mentioned earlier we are still in the middle of negotiations, so there is a possibility this plan will be discarded. But I feel that this will sell. And I think that their company will get on it. Well, it will take at least two years until we start?â
âDecide by yourself. If you want to do it we will support you, and if you donât, weâll have them give up.â
âThere is still time, so you can think slowly. Oh but, be careful for VR idol contracts, okay? In case you sign one it might be hard for us to make a new one.â
Rather than hard, it would be pretty impossible, wouldnât it?
âFirst of all, Tasha, if you become a VR idol your real body wonât get any screen time.â
âI know. I would hate that, and above all, Iâm not interested in idols.â
I have been watching Momâs back all my life. I would prefer to be an actress rather than an idol. Iâm not interested in variety shows either. And that aside⊠looking at reality, right now before me there is a scouting offer from a president of a huge company⊠the wages will be... yâknow?
âWould my real body get screen time if I became a VR actress?â
âHAHAHA, who do you think we are? Of course there will be. If you reach the same level as your mother, the red carpet wonât be a dream, yâknow?â
âAlso, Tasha! It would be surprising that the same person appears in VR!â
I guess what Abbie is saying has a point�
âCertainly, VR idols in general donât appear in real. You should do it, Onee-chan!â
âRina-chan, you do your best RPing as well if you want to do it! We know well your personality and identity, as well as skill in FD games. Whatâs left is acting! We are pros, so we canât compromise there, yâknow? Itâs especially important at the start!â
âMm-nn⊠RP, huh...â
Well, itâs not like they will scout all of the top players. Above all, they are working adults or students, their personalities and identity is also unknown. Though I guess they would investigate it if they really wanted someone.
âFirst of all, I did not intend to RP aside from the motions⊠Certainly, I did play along during the event, but I had a line prepared for me back then.â
âIf you want to do it, then do your best!â
So, heâs telling me to practice while having fun with RP. I do understand itâs easier to learn when you are having fun...
Well, itâs the talk of two years ahead, so at earliest after I graduate from high school. Letâs take my time thinking about it.
Then, we ate dinner while having fun talking, after which I took a bath and together with Ellie and Abbie, we had the so-called pajama party before we went to sleep. Forgive me, Ske-san⊠is what I thought, but I realized that I can just send him a message, so I did.
When I woke up and finished all preparations I looked to the courtyard, just to see Ellie having elegant tea time in there, so I charge right in.
âAbbie is still sleeping?â
âIsnât it about time she wakes up?â
Itâs nearly seven in the morning. Certainly, itâs about time she gets up.
Once I received black tea from Ellie and relaxed, Abbie has come over.
âGood morning.â
âGood morning, Abbie.â
âDid you sleep well?â
âYes!â
With Abbie joining us, we had a tea party with the three of us. Also, with breakfast included.
It seems like they will escort us to school, so we can take our time.
âItâs really hot despite the early hour, if it gets any hotter we wonât be able to have tea at all.â
âWe rarely go outside during summer.â
âThen what are you doing instead?â
âTurn on air conditioning and stay near it.â
âI see...â
I canât really relax unless the temperature is comfortable. Heat is one thing, but itâs usually hot and humid...
A little before the time to go to school came, one of drivers came and headed for the car. When the time came, it turned out that Abbieâs maid, Dori-san, will accompany us. The three of us headed for the car. The driver who went to the car earlier must have cooled down the car since itâs very comfortable.
We drove to the school in a limousine and got off at the parking lot for teachers.
âShould we wait until itâs over?â
âHmm⊠they said everything will end after the ceremony and passing us report cards, but I donât know how long the ceremony will take.â
âSo, it will take about two hours at longest? We shall wait then.â
If they are saying they will wait, they will. We get out of the car and head for the classroom.
âMorninâ.â
âMornin~.â
âGood morning.â
âItâs been a while since I saw that car.â
âYou saw it before?â
âSome time ago?â
Classmates who were in the same elementary or middle school might have seen it. I came to school in it many times before.
Mom and Dad arenât very interested in cars, so our car is pretty normal. They said it doesnât matter as long as it drives⊠But they love beauty products and consumer electronics.
While I leisurely chatted with my classmates, a chime rang.
âCâmon, Iâm taking attendance so sit down⊠okay, everyoneâs here.â
I mean, you can tell just by taking a look.
âThereâs an outrageous car outside which gave me a scare, whose is that?â
âFrom Kotoneâs place, right.â
âItâs a car of acquaintances who came to visit.â
âAhh⊠I see, I get it now. Well then, Iâll explain the schedule today. We do the ceremony, I give you report cards, and we disband. Everything is up to how long chairman will talk. Pray that itâs short.â
As far as I remember, this schoolâs chairman did not take much time. Looks like it wonât take long.
We moved as a group, and everything ended with a simple summary so short that we had no time to get bored. This might actually be the way to do things. Rather than talk without end and be ignored, itâs better to quickly relay what is important.
Next we return to the classroom, receive report cards and weâre free.
âCouldnât we do this yesterday?â
âThere are adult circumstances behind this. Mainly matching everything with the time the teachers end their work.â
âăâEHHH!âăâ
âIâm entering vacations today! I donât know how many of the second batch are here in this class, but donât forget homework. I wonât say anything as long as you do what youâre supposed to do, so just stay quiet. Like the chairman said, when you are near water⊠when you go to the sea or play in the river or pools, be careful. Alright, go home!â
Far from taking an hour, everything ended in about 20 minutes.
âItâs a good thing that everything ended right away, but when itâs this short, the âdid we come all this way for thisâŠ?â feeling is really strong.â
âDonât say it, Suguru. Everyone thinks so.â
âIâm glad that we did not make the driver and Dori-san wait too longâ
âAhh, so sheâs waiting. Letâs go then.â
When we headed to the car, my little sister and her friends have already gotten in. Letâs go home right away.
And we separated at our home. Itâs still 8 a.m.. so itâs too early for lunch. Letâs go back home and play the game. Be careful on your way back.
ââIâm back.ââ
âWelcome back, that was fast.â
I passed the report card to my parents, changed clothes and came to the living room.
âYeah, same as usual, I have nothing to say.
My scores were all five out of five, Rinaâs were half-half of 4s and 5s. Just like Mom said, there was nothing to say. Itâs good that it was the same as always.
After talking for about thirty minutes, the presidents started preparing to go back, so we saw them off.
âWell then, Tasha. Letâs meet in game next time.â
âSee you, Tasha!â
âYes, see you later.â
âAlright, Tasha-chan, take your time considering.â
âI will try RP sometimes.â
âYup, see you~.â
Abbie joined hands with my little sister, and after doing some mysterious ritual, got in the car. Why did the two jump like rabbits?
Ellie said âFarewell~~â and left. Yup, she sure is an ojousama.
Mom and Dad said that they got disrupted and left again for a date. After seeing everyone off, my little sister ran to her room. Maybe I should go play as well.
I log in to appear in the Starting Townâs main plaza.
From Ske-san I received a message saying âI started alchemy. I will put info on BBS once I get it.â. Yup, I knew it. Letâs leave it to him.
Um-mm⊠oh, right. What Monster Skills were unlocked? ...From the ones that interest me, it would be these four?
«Clinging to Life»
There is a low probability that you will revive yourself when you die.
«Life Absorption»
During close combat, absorbs enemy HP based on the Skill Level.
«Automatic MP Recovery»
Automatically recovers MP based on the Skill Level.
«Automatic Recovery Trait»
Increases the effect of Automatic Recovery Skills. You are a specimen that has high ability to regenerate.
I especially want «Automatic MP Recovery»⊠but these four Monster Skills all cost 3SP⊠If I take them all I will have 9 remaining. Letâs say farewell to «Clinging to Life» of which I donât know the probability. Letâs take 3 skills, I will have 12SP left.
I change #1âs «Physical Immunity» for «Life Absorption». #1âs «Physical Immunity» level is too low to even matter. Itâs my fault for «Necromantic Secrets» being too low. Also my «Immortal Royalty» has become level 20, so I also add «Automatic Recovery Trait».
Now, I would like to buy some equipment for #1, but⊠naturally, Ertz-san isnât around. ...Should I buy a mace at a store and go North? I finally acquired «Mining» after all. Canât be wasting SP.
There was certainly a weapons shop next to the Adventurersâ Union.
Metal equipment⊠isnât this expensive? Makes me ponder whether to buy it. I do want blunt attacks for the North, but Iâm reluctant to pay 30k for something I will change right away. Letâs buy not bronze, but copper. And letâs buy a round shield as well. I pay 8000 in total.
I immediately make it #1âs equipment. The mace was not «Sword» but a «Long Handle» weapon. Skill-wise he still canât take «Defense». I need to quickly level it up or the shield will remain as a decoration.
Well then, letâs head to the Northern town, Vershtet. ...But before I go, letâs take elimination requests at the union. I took requests for Rabbits, Wolves, Stone Caterpillars, Stone Turtles and will move forward while having #1 beat them on the way.
I summon #1 at the Northern gate. Heâs wearing a copper mace and a buckler⊠a round shield.
âNow, #1, beat the Rabbits that come at us.â
"*KLOK*â
While watching as #1 does his best, I stab the Disassembling Knife into beaten rabbits. Itâs about time I repaired my knife. Letâs ask Ertz-san to do it later.
When #1âs HP lowered below 60% because of the attacks, I usedăDark Healăon him and followed after him. «Life Absorption» still being low is one thing, but I also did not know how it works so I canât be too relieved.
Rabbit and Wolf Meat are all-purpose, so I disassemble them. When the number specified in the elimination quest is done, I proceed North. I donât need caterpillar and turtle drops, so they are for ritual. I want to increase my capacity too, so itâs a good thing.
As we went North, the area started to become slanted, the grass disappeared from the plains and bare earth could be seen. Still, the surface wasnât rocky yet.
With the change in the environment, the enemies also change⊠and so, Stone Caterpillar and Stone Turtle started spawning. They were caterpillars with stony back and literal rocky turtles - their back was made from a solid rock.
In other words, they were slow but had high defense. Both blunt attacks and magic worked well on them. Itâs like a map for beginner blunt weapons and magic users. The view is good here, and I can see other players here and there.
âGo forth, #1, do it.â
"*KLAKKA-KLAK*â
#1 swung the mace with all his strength at the slowly-trudging turtle. The attack resulted in a loud sound of metal and rock hitting each other.
And all I do is watch. I need to have #1 do his best or my «Necromantic Secrets» wonât go up. For now, letâs have him get up to a level where I will be able to bring him with me everywhere.
Either way, in this initial area my fighting skills wonât go up. All the skills I have acquired have become second tier.
Life Assignment can be used when you have more than 50% HP. You give your HP to your Servant by 1% at a time.
The effect will disappear when the Servant is completely healed, the channeling is stopped, or your HP falls below 50%.
In case you have multiple servants with missing HP, you pass your HP by 1% at a time to all of them.
An Art for healing Servants? This means that at most I can lose 5% HP at a time, right? I can use this, useăDark Healăas well as put automatic recovery and «Life Absorption» on them. As expected of Undead, they sure are resilient. As long as light doesnât come, that is.
But the problem is, the method to heal myself.
While I checked the skill, I absorbed the bodies that continued to increase. The 1 capacity is sad.
Although it is a second tier Skill, it looks to be fairly easy to level up at the start. Good.
My #1 has a lot of things boosting him up, so a normal cost summoning is good enough for the initial area. If itâs just attack power, then I think summoning him with double cost will be enough. Should I make him an attacker for the boss? But for now...
"#1, resummon time.â
"*KLAK-KLAKK*â
In order to improve the hunting efficiency letâs summon him at three times the cost. Itâs possible to hunt here with initial cost, but the stronger he is the faster we can go around.
Although it would be good to summon a Skeleton Wolf for speed, this hunting grounds has the worst compatibility with them so I leave #1 as a Skeleton. I summon and follow him.
By the way, the Northern boss was the Rock Golem, but after being weakened he became a Mini Rock Golem. Can I useăDark Ritualăon him? I wonder if I will get a blueprint for a golem. If itâs possible, then itâll be worth absorbing him.
The turtle that took four hits started to die with just two. While absorbing bodies, I head for the boss.
Nnn⊠Should I go for the boss after my «Necromantic Secrets» gets to level 10? At level 10 I will be able to summon #2. Also, I will be able to increase the number of basic Skills on them. Furthermore, maybe I will be able to summon a Red Skeleton? Alright, letâs level it. It does seem like itâs going up faster than other second tier Skills.
So⊠it means the Light and Holy Damage Taken increases? And probably purification will also work. However, the target would receive resistance to Dark element, so itâs useful in PT? Doesnât look like I will use it.
No, wait? Would this mean that my buff skills will work on allies? Need to verify later. If they work on allies, then thereâs a possibility I will use it⊠no, it would limit the recovery methods of theirs. And itâs not like they will receive automatic recovery, so it would be harsh. Hmm-mm...
Well, I have reached my goal, so letâs give #1 «Defense».
I summoned #1 at triple cost and still have 40 capacity remaining, so I can summon #2 at double cost. However⊠based on information there is on golem, itâs best to go with fewer numbers. Letâs go with just #1. Looks like I can now summon Red Skeletons and High Zombies, but the cost went up all at once. Itâs (10Ă10)Ă2 now.
"#1, make sure to jump when the enemy strikes the ground.â
"*KLOK*â
âAlso, donât go behind him.â
â*KLOK*â
âEnemy has blunt attacks, so avoid them with all you have. Prioritize avoidance over attacking.â
â*KLOK*â
âLetâs go then.â
â*KLATTER-KLAK*â
I increase my own INT withăDark Enchantăand charge in.
Although it did not seem that much different, the boss area had large stones lying all over it and the map color changed.
My bodyâs control was taken away from me by the system and a large rock suddenly shook, and eventually rolled before becoming a golem.
It had two teardrop-shaped legs, a rectangle-shaped torso with sharp edges and two cylinder-shaped arms. It did not have anything acting as joints and its parts were levitating. Sometimes its arms even rotated.
Apparently it used to be as large as to make the players look up at it, but this one is a Mini Golem, so itâs about as large as an adult man.
The golem pointed its arms backwards and roared to mark the start of combat. It always makes me wonder in games but⊠...Where does that voice come from?
Putting voice aside, I attack preemptively. I useăDark Lanceăamplified byăMagi-AmpăandăOverspellăat the golem.
Oh, it took 20% of his HP, hm? No wonder considering he is lower level than me, weakened and is weak to magic. Looks like I wonât have much trouble.
Before the heavily-walking boss reaches me, I gift him aăLight Lanceă. While receiving it, the golem cleaved with its right arm. I crouched and parried it with rapier, deflecting it above me, and meanwhile, #1 struck the left leg from the side.
The golem did not have many attack patterns and his movements were simple. The cleave from just now, a rotating attack when you go behind him, a stomp attack when his HP decreases. Also, a left straight punch.
The right arm has cleaves, the left - straight punches. The roar from the beginning is an action it does before rotating. And when it raises its right arm, it means that a stomp attack is coming.
Among these, the most tricky is⊠the left straight. He does not do rotating attacks unless you go behind him. Stomp can be avoided by just jumping. The cleaves can be avoided by crouching.
If there was a problem⊠it would be the fact that even Mini Golemâs arm is larger than I am. Due to the size differences, I canât completely parry it⊠in other words, my posture breaks. It means that in a way, size can be a strong point. Although in some cases it can turn you into an easy target...
When fighting a large enemy like this, I feel like it might be best to jump and receive the attack in mid-air. In real something would break though. Well, in a party it would not be too stable a tactic, but a party will have a large shieldâsăHeavy Standă.
In any case, my posture broke from straight punches and it was annoying...
With that said, it could be said that was the only issue. I usedăDark Lanceăempowered withăOverspellăandăLight Lanceăin between.
"#1, itâs about time for a jump.â
"*KLAKKITY-KLAK*â
Oh, there it goes up. When the right arm was raised and then swung down, an effect ran through the ground and #1 had avoided it by jumping. Well, considering the distance, he jumped the moment the arm hit the ground.
The stomp attack had an exaggerated motion and right after it was performed, the enemy was full of openings, so it was the time to aim for. Mixing magic in, I smacked him together with #1.
#1 avoided the second stomp safely as well, and finished the boss off by attacking the leg. The golem fell over, it crumbled and its parts scattered.
ăWith the elimination of the Northern boss, you are now capable of entering the Northern area. You gain â3â Skill Points as bonus for eliminating the boss.ă
"*KLAKKITY-KLAK*â
âLooks like my Skills went up quite a bit, so I guess this is fine.â
I learned Shot, huh. This magic has high power and quick channeling, but also an extremely short range.
Hmm⊠Skeleton Mini Golem and Mini Golem Zombie. The size is Small. After evolving it becomes a Golem and will have Medium size. I donât have enough capacity...
Well then, letâs head straight for the town. And letâs also call #2. Give him «Sword» skill and⊠what should I give him? «Footwork» sounds good, and so does «Strength Enhancement». Letâs not think about how muscle strength increases in bonesâ case.
I plan to give him a greatsword, so maybe I should give him «Balance Control»? I retain the Monster Skills same as #1âs and summon!
"...You are both #1, yes?â
"*KLOK*â
âWell, letâs call the first one I summon #1. I will call the second one #2. You used a greatsword before, so there should be no problems, yes?â
â*KLOK*â
âVery well. Letâs go then.â
I leave the boss area and proceed forward. For now, letâs make unlocking the portal the objective and hunt some afterwards. I also need to investigate where I need to go to mine.
There are still plenty of things to do. Thatâs good, truly.