BXBX NOVEL Chapter 305: Btog 305 Present
Chapter 305: Btog 305 Present
“That’s why you were hanging around Dualis, huh?”
“Yeah. Oh, hello to you too, Suryuu. Is it okay to talk while you’re streaming?”
After finishing organizing items in Dualis, not exactly by special arrangement, but because she said she’d join if she could, A-chan arrived before Rin-chan. Suryuu, her attendant, was also there today. I realized that I hadn’t seen much of Suryuu lately, but when I asked, she smiled and nodded.
“Suryuu has returned to the lowest seat at the Round Table, hence the return of the attendant role.”
“I see. Will you be able to join us tomorrow?”
“Yes. Isn’t there still one slot open?”
“Yeah. Unless Rin-chan has unexpectedly gathered a lot.”
“In that case, feel free to leave me out. Although I’ve returned, I’m still at the bottom and have much to improve.”
A-chan’s clan seems to have regular selection meetings for what they call the executive members, and the top ten or so are called Knights of the Round Table… if I remember correctly? Suryuu was selected as a Knight of the Round Table even in the first round, being at the very bottom, but she fell out in the second round.
So, this must be her comeback, whether in the third round, the fourth, or even later.
“By the way, A-chan, is it okay to skip school on a weekday?”
“Unlike Miss Touka, a university student, my high school’s final exams are over. If you attend daily classes sincerely, you won’t fail. The classes are shortened around this time, so the afternoons are completely free. I’m not planning on further education, so my summer vacation is all about playing.”
“Wow… that’s like a real student’s life.”
Hearing terms like final exams and shortened classes, I felt a sense of nostalgia, something I hadn’t experienced since middle school. Though I occasionally heard about them from junior part-timers like Saku-chan, it had been many years since I actually experienced them.
“Even so, I am a high school student in full bloom. Hohoho, you must be envious.”
“Nah, it’s fresh but not really enviable.”
“That’s dull. Well, for you, youth might just be a mere decoration… Hahaha, by the way, do you have a normal human lifespan?”
“Who knows? I feel like I could easily live for about 300 years.”
“…………Hahahaha”
<Is… that funny?>
<Don’t freeze the air with half-joking questions>
<That’s what a dry laugh sounds like, right?>
<Sukuna’s response doesn’t sound like a joke>
<Breaking human lifespan〜>
“Uhh… So, I don’t know what items you were organizing, but did you find anything good?”
“Yeah, a few. There’s also something for A-chan, so I’ll give it to you.”
“Hm? I don’t really need it.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s a thank-you for the information about the Shrine of the End you gave me before and for responding to my sudden call today.”
“Hmm, then I’ll accept it, but…………………. what is this!?!”
She had been talking on the stream, but if she just logged in, she probably hadn’t seen that part. Looking at the performance of the King Abyss sword I handed her, A-chan reacted in a visibly astonished manner.
“Ooh, nice reaction.”
“Not a nice reaction! You suddenly sent me something incredible!”
“It came up while I was sorting through items from Es=Trilia. I don’t need swords.”
“You don’t need it, but do you know how much this would cost if you bought it… Nevermind, I’ll gratefully accept it. It’s futile to argue about differences in value perception.”
<Right on, college grad>
<Sukuna can be surprisingly stubborn>
<Getting used to handling it>
<A gift that troubles the receiver…>
After a bit of hesitation, A-chan sincerely accepted the King Trout Sword. She quickly equipped it and showed how it looked when worn.
“Hmm, does it clash with my current gear?”
“Not really. The blade’s azure color actually stands out nicely against the white and yellow hues of the Moon Wolf materials.”
“Then that’s good. It’ll be useful for conquering the volcano. Even without its attributes, it’s one of the best weapons I have now.”
“By the way, you’ve reached the required strength level, right? Weren’t your stats more agility-focused?”
“I felt a serious lack of power during the Moon Wolf fight, as my blade wasn’t cutting through. Recently, I’ve been focusing on increasing my strength. Higher base stats mean better buff effects, killing two birds with one stone.”
A-chan, who had the largest level gap with the Moon Wolf in our party, must have experienced a significant level increase during the fight. She’s been actively leveling and accumulating bonus points recently, so her previously lower strength must have surged significantly. Besides, her race is beastkin, which, though not as extreme as the oni people, generally sees good physical stat growth with leveling.
“So, what are your plans after this?”
“Preparing items for the volcano expedition, I guess. I’m debating whether to choose poison resistance accessories or potions.”
After sharing this, A-chan quickly responded.
“If an accessory can handle it, that’s the clear choice. There’s a saying, ‘If the price is your only hesitation, buy it; if it’s your only reason to buy, then don’t.\'”
“Really? I think it’s my first time hearing that.”
“Well, you only seem to buy necessities in your personal life… True, 500,000 Iris is a considerable sum. You’re worried about our finances, but there’s no need. If you’re hesitating, just buy it. Considering this sword, I’ll even buy everything back at cost once we’re done. My clan has plenty of members who’d want it.”
“Ahaha, right. Passing it on to another player who wants it if it’s not a consumable item is also a good idea.”
“Yes. Although it’s a commercially available item, many players still can’t reach Zeronoa. Neutralizing poison, to some extent, is a significant advantage for many players. You might not know since you rarely get hit by enemy attacks, but there are quite a few monsters that use poison.”
Now that I think about it, except for when I deliberately let myself be hit, I hardly remember taking clean hits from normal monsters. I’m aware I don’t have a beginner’s perspective, but maybe I lack even a general player’s viewpoint?
<Whoa, too late for that realization.>
<Idiot.>
<Well, yes.>
<It’s because of the Proof of Solo Conqueror, isn’t it?>
“Also, not to speak too loudly, but for players who can’t enter cities like criminal players, it’s an item they’d desperately want.”
“I never thought of it from that perspective…”
“Well, that’s why there are measures against reselling. If you pass a commercially available item to a serious criminal player, you get a criminal record on the spot, so be careful.”
“For commercially available items, huh. But player-made items are okay?”
“Tightening the rules too much would limit the ways to play. Engaging in mischief is also a way of playing, after all.”
“Like with Lou.”
“Indeed.”
The fact that Haruru was providing weapons to Lou meant that transferring player-made items didn’t count as a crime. But then I thought, couldn’t you avoid demerits by transferring items in a relinquished state, like when I first met Haruru? When I asked about this, the listeners came back with a critical answer.
<Item ownership history is traceable by the system. If a criminal picks up an item directly from two intermediaries, you can get a criminal record even unintentionally.>
“I see. I remember giving Lou the Oni’s Elixir and the Boundary Talisman… But those weren’t ‘commercially available items,’ so I was safe. It was quite a tightrope walk, huh?”
“That area is a bit complicated. There’s generally no restriction on exchanging consumables during combat. Otherwise, simply forming a party with a criminal could make you one too.”
“I guess that’s how it is.”
“Well, as I said, unless you’re intentionally fattening up a criminal player, you can usually get your criminal record removed quickly by the admins. Don’t worry about it during normal play.”
“Got it.”
As we were talking, Rin-chan, who seemed to have finished her work, joined us.
“Thought it was someone else, but it’s Arthur. Playing games at this hour, you’re a bad kid.”
“I’m fine since it’s shortened classes. I just told Sukuna this.”
“Oh really? Well, I never attended high school myself, just played games all the time, so I can’t talk.”
Rin-chan was officially enrolled in high school, but from my search, until she won the WGCS at 19, she was streaming almost daily and seemed to barely attend school. However, she did graduate. I once heard from a junior coworker about needing a certain number of attendances, so how did she manage that? Well, it’s probably rude to delve too deeply into the Takajou family’s affairs.
“So, what were you up to?”
“We were discussing poison countermeasures for the volcano. It’s a bit pricey, but we’re deciding whether to buy a poison immunity accessory or manage with potions.”
“That’s an easy choice, accessories. If you’re worried about money, Arthur will pay.”
“Me!?”
<LOL>
<LOL>
<LOL>
<LOL>
The sudden shift of responsibility to A-chan surprised her, which seemed to amuse the comment section as well.
“What’s the big deal? There are lots of clan members who want it.”
“They are, and I did mention buying it… You sure know well about others’ financial situations.”
“I’m not like this one; I’ve struggled against weaker opponents. I understand the importance of poison resistance.”
“Ah, from that perspective.”
I felt a bit left out, wondering if the importance of poison resistance before Zeronoa was such common knowledge.
“Let’s go buy it quickly then. Zeronoa?”
“Yes, at a shop inside the merchant hall.”
“It’s quite a luxurious place. Don’t feel overwhelmed by all the high-end stuff.”
“I’m used to it.”
“I forgot she’s rich…”
In the game, A-chan is probably wealthier, but Rin-chan isn’t the type to frequent expensive shops on her own. However, due to social obligations, she’s used to such places.
“Oh, that reminds me. Speaking of accessories, I have a gift for Rin-chan!”
“A gift?”
“Yes! Just wait, I’m sending it now.”
Rin-chan, unaware of what I had sorted earlier, looked puzzled. I sent her the gift I had in mind.
There was an item I had heard about a while ago and had been hoping to get if possible. According to those who owned it, although its rarity was only epic, its value was equivalent to legendary, a relic of ancient alchemy now lost to time. As far as I knew, its numbers in the world wouldn’t increase unless someone of equal skill to the ancient alchemists appeared.
Made using the soul of a Named Monster over level 200 and Hihiirokane, a special metal I’d never even seen, it was one of the most valuable accessories in the world.
“<Substitute Ring>, huh?”
“Yes. I want you to have it as insurance. I just can’t bear to see you get hurt, Rin-chan.”
This was the world’s ultimate lifeline, taking the place of its wearer in death during battle. The most valuable item I had obtained in Es=Trilia was the <Substitute Ring>. The reason the owner of the Millionaire title died while possessing the <Substitute Ring> was that it only worked during combat. The residents of Es=Trelia died in an accident…
Moreover, it wasn’t designed for monsters, so it didn’t activate after becoming a Millionaire(monster).
The Millionaire, who had spent a fortune on this insurance item, had every right to cry for its uselessness in their case.