Log Horizon Book 1 chapter 5

Chapter 5: Escape

Serara is hiding in a composite room made of insulation materials. The 2LDK (2 bedroom, Living room, Dining room and Kitchen) is situated inside an abandoned building.

The civilization of the old world has been lost after the world falls apart, you can only see the architectural relics of it's culture scattered around the world. Serara as a player knows this world is recreated in the image of modern Japan, Susukino is based on one of the cities of Sapporo. You can see hints of the real world city everywhere.

Susukino which is an urbanized place in the world has many big buildings. They have all been reinforced with cold steel as part of the Elder Tales setting, looking more like a fortress.

It's angular design gives it a retro machine empire feel, this is the design motif of Hokkaido... or Ezzo Empire's settings in game.

The buildings strengthened by screws, braces, nuts and bolts are able to withstand the wind and snow, but not the cold. That's why the people of Susukino will construct an additional insulation house within the buildings, a place that is warm and suitable to live in.

This is highly inefficient if you take into account the population and the area available. It wouldn't work in Japan, but is possible in the world of Elder Tales.

These insulation houses is the hiding place of Serara, a rental from the person who helped her.

She has been cleaning this home separated into rooms by screen doors all day.

She didn't do it because she likes to clean or the place was dirty. She just has nothing else to do. In this place with no TV or internet, it is hard to kill time.

Serara's is a housekeeper. This subclass has the ability to clean zones, arrange items and manage consumerable and storage items. These skills aid in keeping a place clean and tidy.

(...Why did I pick such a minor, useless subclass?)

Serara sighs for the countless time but she did not stop cleaning.

In Elder Tales, the main class are chosen when creating your character and cannot be changed. But if you are fine with giving up all your subclass EXP, you can change subclass easily.

Serara main class is druid, a type of healer.

Serara wanted to experience the feeling of doing business in this complicated game, that's why she started playing.

There are many players just like her. Interacting with other players and earning cash by doing business offers a unique sense of fun, it is one of the ways to enjoy Elder Tales.

But most players who wants to focus on business will choose merchant or accountant as a subclass. These subclass provide additional benefits when trading, allowing you to get some discount when dealing with NPC.

Another choice would be production classes. Crafting all sorts of items to sell is a proper way to play.

But according to the beginners guide Serara read online, you need to have certain levels of stats and clear some quest before you can choose accountant or merchant as a subclass. You will need to have some capital on hand to get raw materials if you choose to go the production subclass route.

So she is saving up money while raising the level of her druid main class, and repick her subclass after saving some money. Raising her main class will only help in buying or farming for items after all... Serara decided to choose the simplest subclass to use in the meantime with this thought in mind.

Simply put, Serara became a housekeeper through elimination process.

(Boohoo... If I knew it would be like this, I should have chosen a crafting subclass, such as artisan or tailor...)

Serara minds wanders as she cleans the table.

The composite room made from insulation parts has a country style interior.

It is not really a style, just that the things are made from wood. The floor is laid with wood that has beautiful grain patterns, the walls are built with logs while planks covered the ceiling.

According to the game setting, Ezzo Empire is a treasure cove of natural resources, leading the Japanese server with its forestry and mining industries.

The wooden floors and reddish tables are all unique products of Ezzo Empire, it will shine if you clean it thoroughly.

In the wooden cabin style composite house, the plain girl with her long hair tied in a bunch... Serara is working hard. Her flannel shirt and denim pants, along with her long hair and face without make up, gives the impression of clean and tidiness. She is not utterly beautiful, but looks like a newly wed wife from afar.

(Eh, I'm so bored, I just keep leveling up...)

Serara sighs as she opens the window, her housekeeper EXP is increasing today too. The EXP for main class and subclass are independent. Subclass are much simpler in design than main class, you will level up if you accumulate 10 EXP, the limit should be either level 90 or 100.

Serara's housekeeper's level was 42 yesterday, but it is 44 now. Recently, her subclass rises 3 levels everyday, an incredible speed. She might max out her subclass while hiding in Susukino.

(I don't want to be a NEET grinding level, that would be so sad...)

She has been doing laundry and house chores the whole day, of course her level will increase. But maybe she is not a maid, but a housewife? This thought rises in Serara's mind. This might be is a fine title to have for a girl her age, but the feeling of embarrassment is more prominent.

(No way! No way! Maybe i am a maiden waiting for my kitty-husband to come home!)

Serara starts polishing the table wares to hide her embarrassment.

This way of killing time won't trouble others and looks very peaceful from the side.

"Miss Serara, I'm home nya."

The door opens and an amazing man returns.

This zone is an independent space with monthly rental fees, so only players authorized by the owner can enter. The man entering the house is a werecat.

His slender figure and green corduroy jackets makes him look like a middle age rifleman from drawing books. His long limbs accentuate his skinny figure. His round head has a pair of triangular ears on top like a mischievous cat from fairy tails. The whiskers on either side of his face makes him look majestic and cute.

He is Nyanta.

A demihuman with cats features from the 8 races available for the players to choose, werecats.

"Welcome back Mr Nyanta."

Serara bows.

"How was the town?"

Nyanta tilts his head slightly and gives a vague smile. His slit like eyes makes her feel at ease, but Serara is unable to see other minute change in expression.

"Same as always. it wasn't good, it wasn't bad."

Serara expression sinks at his words. Nyanta said it wasn't bad, but since it didn't improve, it means the situation is still atrocious.

Susukino's security continues to deteriorate. With the small population, they cannot maintain order spontaneously and is becoming a dog eat dog world.

The main reason for this development is the guild Brigandia. It has a nasty reputation since the Elder Tales days, a congregation of notorious people expelled from Akiba and Nakasu.

Prioritizing profits, their aggressive style turns them into a real group of bandits after the Apocalypse.

PK is normal for them, and they might not be satisfied with half the items they get from their victims. They will use intimidation and harassment to extort more money from their other players.

They are nasty to both players and NPC.

For many reasons, there is no point for players to mistreat NPC. Take the city guards for instance, their battle prowess and levels are high and can fend off normal players with ease.

The NPC in field zones like merchant caravans, farmers and citizens providing information for the players has low fighting strength but no wealth to speak of.

And these NPC will also provide crucial hints to quests, so normal players won't attack them.

But this group has no qualms bullying the NPC and ignores the settings of the NPC having nothing valuable on them... They treat the NPC as a merchandise and start trading them as slaves.

Players are able to employ NPC in the world of Elder Tales. They are hired for various reasons, but the most common would be to take care of their residence. In Elder Tales where you can purchase a home, talents that manages and cleans your place has a fixed demand in the market.

Be it renting or buying a zone, the monthly maintenance fee will go up if you don't clean your place periodically.

Some NPC with special abilities might not be able to fight on the battlefield, but can serve well in activities such as guild events. It is common to employ NPC.

One of the reason Serara's subclass housekeeper is unpopular is due the job being outsourced to NPC.

If you hire a NPC maid, you can keep a small mansion clean with by only paying 800 gold a month. It is understandable for the housekeeper subclass to lose popularity.

Elder Tales is just a well made online RPG. Only the select few NPC like maids, harvester and assistant has unique skills to help the players, you cannot employ other normal NPC.

They appearance uses the same base models as players, but their communication ability is limited to simple computer artificial intelligence. They can say predetermined lines or converse with you through a few select options. They are simply not worth the effort to attack.

But all sorts of common sense are overturned after the Apocalypse.

The game becomes reality, daily lives becomes a nightmare.

There are many obvious changes after the Apocalypse, with the biggest being the changes of the NPC. They have an actual soul and body in this world.

Their conversational skills and actions are no different from players.

Unless they have special settings, their battle prowess are miles behind players. But if you don't confirms through the status screen, it is hard to tell players and NPC apart.

Another major difference in the number of NPC.

NPC is more human like and increase in population. The evil guild Brigandia treats this 2 facts as ripe fruits to be harvested. The actions of selling people as a tool of entertainment starts in this world.

This is not a profitable business model in Susukino with only 2000 people. It is just actions that mocks the economy instead of making money.

Even the low class action of capturing NPC for sale is just a way to kill time.

Just like the evolution of other foolish ideas, these actions gradually goes out of hand. They shift their focus from tormenting and oppressing people from NPC to female players like Serara.

Serara turns pale as she thought about this. Her vision dims as though a veil is covering her head and her temperature drops.

If the man in front of her did not come to her rescue, she will definitely be in deep trouble.

"Now, now, don't think so hard about it Miss Serara. If you let it bother you, you'll turn old easily nya."

Nyanta waves his hand in front of Serara as he speaks.

"Don't think too much about it, eat some fruits nya... here, eat this."

Serara nods as Nyanta offer her an apple.

The fragrance from the red fruit makes Serara relax.

"This house is so clean. I'm sure you'll be a great wife someday nya."

"That isn't true. Really."

Nyanta sits on a chair by the dining table and comments casually. His words makes Serara's temperature rise.

Nyanta refers to himself as an old man.

From the feeling of his voice, Nyanta is much older than Serara. Serara who is in her 2nd year of high school will not be surprised if Nyanta is twice her age.

But even so, Serara don't think Nyanta is as old as he says. Serara shares this thought with him once and Nyanta replies the credit goes to the well designed characters in the game. But Serara doesn't think so.

(Mr Nyanta must surely be... a handsome middle aged gentleman. Cool, wise, mature and cheerful.)

Even if this is a game with amazing character designs, Serara feels appearance doesn't really matters when they are playing together. And after the Apocalypse, Serara is very certain of Nyanta's character since they are living under the same roof (due to emergency situations).

Nyanta gives the feeling of a dependable and mature man. He isn't intimidating and Serara feels a sense of security when she is with Nyanta. Her silver triangular ears is charming like a noble cat, his slender figure is so cool.

(Mr Nyanta is so in shape, I look kind of fat being next to him... I am a little overweight...)

Objectively speaking, Serara has a normal build of a woman. But such stunted thoughts form when she looks at Nyanta.

Nyanta has muscles all over his body, but it feels like he is made from pencils.

"How are those people who are coming for you doing nya?"

Nyanta arrange the items he purchased on the dining table and ask. Crescent moon alliance, the guild Serara belongs to have already sent a 3 man team from Akiba to Susukino for her. Serara and Nyanta both knew about this and is their common topic.

Nyanta is impressed by the movement speed of this team. Although they can't contact the team directly, but Crescent moon alliance's guild master Marielle will contact Serara several times daily, so Serara knows their approximate position.

"Yes, they are doing fine, they'll probably arrive before noon tomorrow."

Serara reports.

She can't stay here anymore when help arrives, and have to go back to Akiba.

What plans do Nyanta have? Serara is afraid to ask.

Nyanta only aided her out of kindness, so Serara is not sure how much she can ask of him. She is unable to repay him for all Nyanta has done. But when Serara brought this up, he will dismiss it with a laugh saying 'helping the young ones are the obligation and joy of the elderly'.

(Even though I am happy he said that... But he only treat me like a child after all...)

"Please bear with this a little while longer. Miss Serara must feel uncomfortable being confined in such a small house, so just endure it a bit more. Relax, help is definitely coming."

Nyanta's smile makes Serara miss her chance to ask again.



2

Another day pass.

Shiroe's group set up their base dozens of minutes away from Susukino for surveillance as scheduled.

Susukino is a city zone located in Ezzo Empire. Ezzo Empire is equivalent to Sapporo in the old world and is set as a field zone.

It is a fortress city with farming zones, many NPC resides here.

To be safe, Shiroe found a inconspicuous collapsed house in the suburbs to use as their base, observing the entrance into Susukino.

"There is no need to be on guard right now my lord."

"But there is a fishy atmosphere, this place is lifeless."

Shiroe nods in agreement with both their assessment and takes out a piece of paper from his pocket. It is a rough sketch of Susukino.

"Susukino has one major road... something like this. The uptown area is in the east, the central square is to the east of this place, as for us..." Shiroe draws an arrow. "... we are going in from the west."

"Can't we meet up outside the city?"

"That's a bad idea shrimp."

"Is that so pervert Naotsugu?"

They refuse to back down, calling each other shrimp and pervert. Shiroe only soothe them this one time as he explains.

"Our respawn point is in Akiba since that is the last city we visit. If we meet up outside and are wiped out in a fight, we would respawn in the Akiba cathedral after some time... but Miss Serara would respawn at the Susukino cathedral. So if we meet up outside and gets wiped out, we will return to Akiba while Miss Serara stays at Susukino. We will need to start all over, which I want to avoid."

"I understand."

Akatsuki nods while Naotsugu have a smug 'I told you so' look on his face.

"Next up is our formation. Miss A... Akatsuki, I would like you to hide yourself with 'sneak' and 'silent move' please."

"No 'please' my lord."

"Eh, I understand... Naotsugu, me and Akatsuki who is hiding her presence will enter the city normally and head to the meeting point, an abandoned building. Akatsuki will find a hiding place with a vantage view of the whole building. Contact me if you see anything."

The serious girl with black hair nods with a serious expression.

"Naotsugu will guard the entrance, try to find a spot that overlooks both the road and the interior of the building. Wait there and be prepared for any emergencies inside. I will go straight into the building, meet up with Miss Serara and escort out to Naotsugu as fast as possible."

"Okay. Eh, what about the third party assisting Serara?"

"I have not ascertain his identity yet, but I hope he will leave Susukino together with us. We will leave his decision to go to Akiba til later."

Shiroe thinks for a moment before continuing:

"It is highly possible Serara is on the friend list of a Brigandia guild member."

Unlike the it's name suggest, you do not need approval before adding someone to your friend list. You can determine whether a person on your friend list is online, you can also check to see if they are in the same zone as you.

"If that is the case, they'll locate her and send pursuit the minute she leaves her hiding spot. The best case will be to leave Susukino before that happens. They probably won't find us if we are 2 or 3 zones away."

Serara is currently hiding in an independent zone of a building. Put simply, Serara won't be detected by people who adds her to their friend list if she hides there.

But if she leaves and goes into the Susukino city zone, they will notice her presence. The group will need to go through the Susukino city zone in order to return to Akiba.

Shiroe has already planned for this on his journey here and explained it in detail to the others. His meticulous formation is play it safe, but Shiroe don't think anything will actually go wrong.

But everything depends on how unscrupulous the problem guilds really are. Unlike handling monsters, you can't simply attempt the quest again after getting wiped out.

(There are tons of bad scenarios. This is the reason people say I think too much and is an introvert.)

It won't be a problem if his worries turn out to be for nothing. Shiroe nods at Naotsugu and Akatsuki as he thinks about this.

"If we are fast, we can say goodbye to Susukino in an hour."

"I support my lords battle plans."

After tying down the hand signals for actions and the meeting points in case of emergencies, the trio heads for Susukino.


The entrance is designed to look like a reinforced castle gate. Angular braces bolts the gate at all angles, giving it an intimidating look.

The young Ezzo Empire is built by the human emperor Aru Radiruga. In the settings of the Japanese server, it is a strong and warlike nation. Weapons are hung all over the cities and the colorful standards gives off a military atmosphere.

(This is different from Akiba. I visited when it was a game, but seeing it like this is totally different from what I remember...)

The decor, atmosphere and details of the city that is only the background in the game is a fresh experience for Shiroe right now. Naotsugu feels the same as he looks around with interest while wrapped in his thick wool cloak.

The long road leading into the city zone.

The NPC walking in the streets are lifeless and the occasional players they saw have gloomy expressions.

"The atmosphere is terrible, I wouldn't want to live here."

"Yeah."

Naotsugu whispers and Shiroe replies in the same low volume. He sympathize with them, but the feeling of frustration in his heart burns stronger.

He felt this sensation during his journey here, but he is losing control of it right now. He felt irritated and his temperature rises with his unhappy feelings.

Although he wants to do something to improve the situation, he do not have any practical means or ability.

The wary Shiroe looks behind him every now and then. But he can't feel Akatsuki's presence or where she is. She must be nearby, but to erase her presence so completely makes Shiroe feel uneasy.

After traveling a distance, he sees an abandoned building with the broken sign saying 'Karaoke', the landmark building Marielle mentioned. Shiroe signals with his hand and enters the building with Naotsugu.

There steel braces reinforcing the cracks in the concrete walls everywhere. The buildings looks more structurally sound than Akiba.

Naotsugu turns right right after entering the lobby and found a security guard post. Shiroe listens intently for any sound as he moves deeper into the building, up the stairs to the 2nd floor.

After contacting Marielle by telepathy, Shiroe is told 'she will be reaching soon'. Things has been going as planned so far, putting Shiroe at ease. It has been 6 minutes since he entered Susukino city.


"Umm, hello!"

Shiroe turns around with casually when he hears 2 sets of footsteps approaching. A young girl wearing leather armour with rounded silhouette unique to healers greets him. She tie her long hair in a low ponytail and looks up at Shiroe with guilty eyes. This along with her panicky demeanour reminds Shiroe of a small animal poking its head out of the forest.

Shiroe smiles.

"I am Serara from Crescent moon alliance, thank you for coming."

"Nya."

"Wait, is that you Chief?"

Even though it is rude to Serara who is bowing her head in thanks, Shiroe can't help retorting loudly.

"Hey, I was thinking who he might be, isn't this Shiroe? That explains how you arrived so quickly."

This is the man known as 'chief' or 'cat sage' in the debauchery tea party, the swashbuckler with cat ears... Nyanta.



3


Nyanta is a player that gives off a unique air during his days in the debauchery tea party. He is steady, cool and has a kind nature.

He can also be described as a sunbathing cat. Anyway, he is the one rare sensible person restraining the playful group that tends to go out of control.

Nyanta refers to himself as an old man and behaves like one with his steadfast maturity.

With voice chat being the main way of communicating in Elder Tales, it is possible to guess someone's age through their voice.

The self proclaimed old man Nyanta sounds younger than 50, should be a bit older than 40, and is 30 plus of age at best.

Online gaming is a culture of the young.

There is no surprise in finding players older than 30, but you will be hard pressed to see any over 40. Nyanta probably calls himself an old man through this relative difference in age, which differs from how Shiroe sees it.

For this case, an adult has nothing to do with biological age.

Others think of Nyanta as an adult because of his character and experience.

The adult in this case doesn't mean someone who can't read the atmosphere and disrupt everybody's playing time. It refers to a person who always have your back and gives you advice when you consult them.

Nyanta will help any comrade that comes to him for advice, but he will not overdo it with his aid. They will pull themselves together after hearing his warm voice and work hard on their issue. This is the reason Nyanta is loved and respected by the younger players.

His nickname of chief and cat sage is an expression of the good will by other players.

Debauchery tea party is not a guild, it is just a group of players.

Many players there are not in any guild, but some belongs to one. But big guilds with strict rules frowns on their members being on such close terms with outsiders.

This is not because of discrimination (although it could be), it is just concern with manpower flowing out. For instance, rather then letting the high level members mentor beginners without guilds or from other guilds, it would be better to teach the beginners in your own guild. Guilds are meant for mutual support after all.

From this perspective, debauchery tea party regulars are either from small guilds or not in one.

Nyanta belongs to the guild 'cat food'.

But Shiroe has never seen any other players from 'cat food' it should be an obscure mini guild.

When Shiroe ask Nyanta how his guild is doing, Nyanta replies 'I love sitting on the porch, but the house was getting old. Something like that nya' with a smile.

Although Nyanta is the adviser for the debauchery tea party, he is not a man with high authority or status. Shiroe can sense that Nyanta is concerned about how the trend of the tea party will affect him.

Nyanta maintains a calm and playful demeanor, but he definitely likes the festive events of the tea party right? He probably wants to enjoy himself among the 'young ones'... That's how Shiroe feels.

"Ah, sorry about that Miss Serara, please call me Shiroe. I actually knows this sage."

"That's right miss Serara, this is Shiroe, a smart and competent young man nya. The plan is sure to work with him here nya."

"I see you still meow all the time chief."

Shiroe gives a teasing smile.

Making fun of Nyanta's meowing has been a joy of Shiroe since the tea party days.

"What are you talking about Shiroe Nya? This is the correct way for cat people to speak, a wonderful way to end a sentence nya." <TL: Nyanta uses the english word 'wonderful', relevant to next sentence.>

"Is it "wan' or 'nya', just stick to one okay?"  <TL: cats goes nya, dogs goes wan.>

The light hearted chat between the Shiroe and Nyanta surprises Serara. She calms herself and ask.

"You know each other?"

"We were very close Nya. Shiroe used to check me for fleas."

"I did not."

Serara can only nod with a stunned expression.

"Since Shiroe is here... who are the other 2 Nya?"

"Naotsugu is here, the other is a girl named Akatsuki, a level 90 assassin. We have gone through 10 days and 160 training sessions, she is good."

"Then Naotsugu is here too nya, and a new friend?... This is excellent nya. Shiroe is finally at this phase mya."

Nyanta who always squints his eyes into a slit while smiling looks at Shiroe with a deep smile.

"Chief Nyanta... What happened to 'cat rice'?

"The house couldn't handle the bad weather and half the house caved in. Perhaps it is a sign from above, telling me to relocate to Akiba."

"That... Ah, wait a minute."

Nyanta's answer sounds more grandiose than sad. Just when Shiroe was about to ask further, a soothing ringtone sounds in his ears.

"A menacing group led by a monk is approaching the building. There have 3 weapon-based class and 2 healers, probably in the same party. They are planning to surround you, will reach in about 2 minutes."

The concise words brings up the sketch of Susukino in Shiroe's mind

"Our allies detected a party of 6 led by a monk approaching, any idea who they are?"

"That is!"

That should be the guild master of 'brigandia' Demikas nya. He is a level 90 monk, so are his teammates Nya... He is the mastermind behind all this, the enemy nya."

Nyanta use the term enemy clearly.

He never address any player this way in the game before, this clear up any doubts Shiroe has.

"Is there a back door here? We will fight our way through if there is a need."



4


"This way nya."

"You doing okay Miss Serara?"

"Of course!"

Serara chase after Nyanta leading the way with the rescue team member Shiroe behind her.

(So he is Nyanta's friend... He looks hard to get along with, but seems very smart.)

Serara judges based in Shiroe's sharp eyes.

Peeking behind, she can see Shiroe watching the vicinity while talking through telepathy. His feet are steady and fast, definitely experienced in this.

Brigandia members has started combing through the areas they find suspicious.

They probably found Serara's whereabouts through the friend list.

That's what Serara concludes.

It will only be a matter of them before they are found. The layout of Susukino is very simple, all roads are laid out in a grid like a chess board. No matter what route they take, they will be surrounded if the enemies have sufficient numbers.

Shiroe and Nyanta decides to force their way through even though they know this.

They say this is a necessary gamble to return to Akiba.

Shiroe should be contacting Naotsugu and Akatsuki who is not here. The three is them moves fast but steadily towards the main road that leads west.

The city gate is full of Brigandia members as expected.

"Fighting is prohibited in the streets of Susukino... What do they want?"

"They will let us through the first time."

Shiroe mentions the enemies will give way, but that is just this one time. They will until Shiroe's group is outside and attack. That is brigandia's plan, Serara is sure Shiroe and Nyanta understand this too.

"That's how it is nya."

Nyanta didn't ask Shiroe further about his bad premonition out of concern for Serara.

But the kind attitude of Nyanta differs from his time with Serara. She doesn't know what is different, but it gives her the chills.

"What... Should I do...?"

Serara's voice is trembling. Demikas grab her wrist once, Serara loses her courage just recalling his muscular arms and disgusting smile.

"About that..."

Shiroe looks far ahead, you can see his expression fading from his profile. Shiroe who looks more unapproachable with his temperature seemingly dropping scares Serara.

"If they're letting us leave, then we just go. That makes things easier."

"... Eh?"

Serara stares in surprise at Shiroe's words.

Battle is allowed after leaving the city zone.

There will be a fight if they are caught. Brigandia have enough members to guard all the roads out of the city.


Nyanta, Shiroe and her would be murdered.

Serara predicts.

No matter how experience Shiroe and Nyanta is, regardless of how high level their allies might be, they are still only 5 of them. And that includes Serara who is below level 30.

Serara feels there is no way they can win their foes in PK. The difference in numbers is too large.

"To escape cleanly, we need to create an opening. They will pursue us indefinitely if we are in close range. They definitely know someone is assisting Miss Serara, or she wouldn't be able to get food all this time. They also know we are few in numbers, so Brigandia probably plans to surround and PK us a short distance outside the non combat city zone. Their priority probably will be your confederate Nyanta. That will destroy your will and put you under their control. I am almost certain of that."

Shiroe's pure analysis sounds like a bystanders viewpoint.

"They might kill us? How can you say that?"

"Now now, don't get so upset Miss Serara. Just leave this to Shiroe and you will be fine."

Nyanta says calmly ignoring Serara's panic and unease. Nyanta already informed Shiroe the details of brigandia's members and strengths, but Serara still don't get why the 2 of them are so nonchalant in the face of imminent danger.

"Chief Nyanta?"

"What is it nya?"

"If you went 1 on 1 with their leader..."

"A foolish question nya."

Nyanta nods at Shiroe's query, scaring Serara with his spirit. She heard from experienced players that PK is different from fighting monsters, this is the same in the alternate world.

Unlike the limited variety of attacks monsters uses base on their instinct, there is no way to tell what other players might do. The tension of battle is several times stronger, even the most battle hardened players could make mistakes... That is what Henrietta told Serara.

"Let's do it this way. We will leave the city, Brigandia will PK us at a place where we can't flee into the city. We will defeat their leader and make our escape."

(What an absurd plan!)

Serara turns pale.

This is not a plan, it is just going with Brigandia's flow right? This is a suicidal move in a sense. Serara can't put her thoughts into words even though she wants to.

"No problems nya. You are still the same Shiroe I knew nya."

More incredibly, Nyanta actually agrees with Shiroe. Serara turns around in surprise as Nyanta opens his right eye while replying.

"It's been a while since my last hearty meal, watch closely Miss Serara nya. Don't worry I won't let those ruffians touch you nya."

Seeing Nyanta like this, Serara swear in her heart to endure whatever fear she might face.



5

That was how things progressed to this stage.

It is going just as Shiroe planned.

Serara's group walk through the gates under the disdain look of brigandia's members. About ten of people cut of their retreat route, shadowing them from behind.

They will be attacked a short distance from the city. Even Serara who usually has nothing to do with murderous intents can feel the twisted air, unable to differentiate between malicious and kindness. Her trembling shoulders are the best evidence.

(It must be hard on her to trust me.)

Shiroe who is aware of Serara's worries thinks. She is right in a sense.

Brigandia is powerful force, it is understandable for her doubt the possibility of victory.

The tense air gets stronger with each step they takes.

As they get further away from the safety of the city, brigandia's men starts to close in and encircle Shiroe's group.

"Here should be fine."

Shiroe says softly before raising his voice and ask:

"Which of you is Brigandia's Demikas?"

This statement causes a stir among the surrounding players. They did not expect such an open challenge.

"Now, Shiroe, asking something so loudly is rude nya. I know which one he is, he is the excessively huge guy standing over yonder nya. Hey, Demikas!"

The man who appears as if on cue from Nyanta is the guild master of Brigandia, Demikas.

His light armour that looks like chest plate covers his muscular body. He is equip with a weapon on his hands akin to tiger claws.

Since he is based off the 3d in game model, this man should be quite handsome. But his expression right reflects the evil in his heart.

"So you two are the flies that has been bothering Serara?"

"That will just be me nya. And it's not a fly, but a cat nya." Nyanta teases without a care in the world.

Unlike the content of his speech, Nyanta uses a mature and charming tone, so it is not too intimidating.

But he follow up with some spunk.

"... Recklessness is the way of the young nya, and tolerance is the beauty of adulthood. But there is such a thing as going too far."

"What are you saying mongrel?"

"What I'm going to say is the main point, listen carefully nya. Demikas, you have crossed the line. Since you planned to PK, this will save some time. Reigning in children who strays too far beyond the line is also the obligations of the elders. Come on, I will fight you one on one nya."

(Although it is rare for the Chief to taunt someone, but it can't be helped since Brigandia are acting like criminals.)

Shiroe checks the numbers of enemies using the menu in his head as he thinks.

"Hah! Ridiculous, why should I fight you on your terms? Didn't you see my 10 buddies over here?"

"Sorry to interrupt Mr Demikas, but it doesn't have to be you. I'd prefer the one in gray robes, isn't that an artifact drop from the Fire Lizard's cave? You seem stronger, so we will be okay with you instead of the monk. It would be more satisfying for both of us if the strongest fighters settle things. Let's challenge this mage Chief Nyanta."

"You heard of of me, Londark of Gray Steel and still dare to say this?"

"You are right nya... Let us finish this nya."

Deviating from the plan surprised Serara, Shiroe has already switch his target to the male mage besides Demikas. Nyanta seems to support this, making the Brigandia members confused.

Some of them look at the mage Londark, others watch Demikas for his reaction. Even Shiroe's party can see the divide between the 2 groups.

(They are not united. That is expected since they are a coalition formed at the spur of the moment. The mage Londark is the number 2 man in the guild and the tactician of Demikas. Demikas, I understand how much control you have over your members.)

Shiroe feels a flame flickering under his calm emotions.

Shiroe is not adept with dealing with others. You can say he hate mingling with idiots, but it doesn't mean he can't do it.

He is a pacifist towards other players and do not wish to fight them.

But he can battle if there is a need.

It is more than that.

Shiroe knows what is coming next.

His emotion is like the sea in the dark night, an urge to destroy fueled by his frustration.

'Eat a hearty meal'.

That's how Nyanta describes it. Keeping his warm and sunny, and replacing it with a cold grin that reveals his cat fangs.

Shiroe has a similar fang in his heart.

If you have the guts to wield a sword, you have to bear the resolve to die by a sword. Shiroe agrees to this concept subconsciously. There is no need for mercy.

"Mr Londark of Gray Steel right? You have a nick name, we will prefer to fight you... Chief Nyanta here will be your opponent. Let's duke this out, we won't run away."

"Let's begin, judging from your equipment you are a top class mage nya? Deciding things with a match should be your style nya? We can ignore the cowardly meatball here who is too scared to fight hinmself."

Nyanta's insult is the last straw. Demikas who is infuriated by this walk towards Nyanta with anger, tension and a sneer.

"Very well, I will fight you. A reckless bastard like you, I will use my fist and send you to... Heaven!"

Demikas pretends to walk up and take up the challenge casually when he lunges at Nyanta. Nyanta waited for the last moment before dodging the fist coming at his face, leaping several meters backwards. He draw his twin rapiers with a stance and laugh mockingly at Demikas.

"Wow, what a strong punch nya."

"But the hit didn't land, so there is no damage right? That aside, are you fine without your member's support? Mr Dem-something."

Shiroe shouts mockingly as Demikas punches twice more. Demikas seems more infuriated and yell: "You are next after I slaughter this old cat!"

"Now now, you need to get past me first... I don't want to show the lady unnecessary gory scenes, if you want me to go easy tell me quickly."

"Outrageous!"


Demikas next move ignores the distance Nyanta agilely put between them.

His stance akin to throwing shot puts, he throw out consecutive left jabs. Nyanta parried most of them with his rapiers, but several punch still landed with a thud.

In terms of HP, Demikas has 50% more than Nyanta.

Even if Nyanta dodge most of Demikas attacks, the minority that connects are enough to drain his HP.

"How's that?"

Demikas approaches with a joyous grin.

Demikas belongs to the monk class.

Monks are 1 of the 3 warrior classes, in the same vein as guardian and samurai. Warriors specialize in tanking in the front line with emphasis on their defense.

From this perspective, monks who can only wear light armor is in a league of its own.

In elder tales, sword technique and magic spells are known collectively as skills, each with a unique name and effect. They also are set with mana cost, casting time and cool down time.

Cast time is the period between selecting the skill and the skill being used, also known as 'gathering mana'. Cool down time is the time you need to wait before recasting the same skill again. You can take other actions during this cool down period, except the spell you just cast. Most powerful spells cannot be used in rapid succession.

Take samurai for instance, all of their skills have long cool down time, reflecting their battle style of dealing heavy hits.

In comparison, monks have low cool down time, 'lightning punch' and 'dragon kick' are good examples. Monks are proficient in using basic efficient skills consecutively, chaining their attacks leaving no time for rest.

In terms of defense, monks are the weakest with their light armor but it also gives them the highest evasion. Just like guardians with their defensive shield techniques, monks posses skills boasting their evasion rate. Examples are 'phantom step' that leaves after shadows and 'dragon scales' that increases defense against fire and ice attacks. Monks defense does not come from their equipment, but the evasion abilities of their body. Being powerful enough to fight on the front lines without having rare or strong equipment gives monks a reputation of being an easy to master class.

"How's this? Can't even fight back, hah?"

Nyanta finally fend off Demikas' attack, taking 2 steps back.

But the dark green light of Demikas covers this distance with his flying kick. He follow up with a multitude of attacks even though Nyanta avoided the kick.

That was Demikas' 'dragon kick'.

A skill that damages all enemies in a straight line is used as a mean to move by Demikas. He uses this suppressive and high speed movement to stick close to Nyanta, disrupting Nyanta's ideal striking distance.

(He's good... Not allowing chief Nyanta to create any distance.)

Shiroe is secretly impressed.

The Brigandia that was full of internal strife is now stands united. From the looks of things these ruffians are expecting their guild master to win flawlessly.

After dodging a left hook, Nyanta knees Demikas' flank gently, jumping into the air with the limited space he created and goes on the offensive.

"Nya nya!"

The strike that seems to rip the air apart tears through Demikas thigh guard, leaving a wound  akin to an ice pick.

Nyanta assumes a new defensive stance as he looks at Demikas coldly, the tips of his rapiers dancing like a sparrow.

Nyanta is a swashbuckler, a rare type of melee fighter that dual wields. Their special feature is their fast attack consecutive attack using weapons in both hands as well as wide area spin attacks. In the class that focus on physical attack power, their strike cannot match assassins, but they make up with multiple hits. They specialize in hitting fast.

Swashbucklers with different weapons have different fighting styles. Nyanta uses twin rapiers, which is second in attack speed only to twin daggers which is the king of speed.

Another feature of swashbucklers are the bad status they can inflict on others. Lowering attack speed, evasion rate or defence are examples of how swashbucklers can negate your strength and worsen your weakness with precision.

"I can see your hairy legs nya."

Nyanta mocking words made Demikas face turns black and red, but Nyanta didn't give up the initiative. Nyanta's rapiers pierce through the limbs of Demikas accurately, making a crisp sound like a typewriter.

The 4 wounds on Demikas' arms are 'snake bites', lowering his accuracy for dozens of seconds by slashing his arms.

The 3 hits on Demikas' legs are 'blood pierce', hurting the agility of the legs and lowering evasion.

Nyanta uses his surgeon like observation skill and his iron will to carry out his plan of stripping Demikas' fighting strength. Nyanta is not the warm and steadfast sage that offers consultation for those in need.

"Wah! Stop jumping around you bastard and fight me fair and square!"

"Coming from you, 'fair and square' sounds like a bastardization of our fair language."

Judging from HP, Demikas have the advantage with Nyanta down to 30% in hit points. Demikas as the tanking warrior class still has twice Nyanta's HP.

But in the eyes of all those present, the tall and slender swashbuckler is the one in control of the fight.

Piercing strike, parrying and feints, the blade that is thinner than a finger draws silver lines in the air, forming a wall that blocks out Demikas.

Demikas no longer has the attack power and speed he had at the start of the fight. His HP and MP drains away with the blood bleeding from his limbs,

The Brigandia members who feels at ease with Demikas winning is starting to get rowdy. They are filled with the fear of their leader losing and being curious and secretly happy at Demikas failing.

Demikas must have adopted the same strong arm method in ruling his guild. Some of the members bears hope that Demikas will be defeated in front of the crowd.

Shiroe who sensed this atmosphere gives Serara a signal.

Serara who is clenching her fist so tight the nails are biting into her palms watches Nyanta's battle carefully. She regains awareness of her surroundings when Shiroe taps her shoulder. Serara hears the instructions 'when I give the signal, cast a healing pulse on everyone'.

As the healer of the party, restoring Nyanta's HP with spells is only natural, why is there a need to wait for a command? And why is it party wide healing spell, not just for Nyanta? Serara stares with her eyes wide open as she ask herself.

As she is about to ask Shiroe, Serara heard these unbelievable words.

"Fuck this! Who wants to play this one on one game with you? Healers, restore the wounds on my limbs! Assassin team, surround and butcher this cat bastard!"

Demikas is unable to take the attacks of the swordsman facing him anymore, commanding Brigandia to attack.



6


This angry roar stopped the movement of everyone for a moment.

Even though Brigandia engages in NPC slave trades, intimidate other players, PK people and take other nasty actions, this order still made them hesitate for a moment.

Brigandia is a lawless organisation.

But true lawless individuals wouldn't be able to gather in a group, forming a group without any guiding principles will be meaningless. Lawless people still obey the reign of the powerful and violent.

The band of outlaw Brigandia is managed through the use of strength. As the head of the group Demikas has been wounded all over by the rapier he laugh off as a girl's weapon in this one on one fight. The attack power he is so proud of has been sealed away as he stands on the verge of defeat.

And when faced with the fact of being wounded, he barks angrily for aid to destroy the enemy.

'Is it really fine to listen to this order? We will be losers in life if we continue to follow this kind of leader'... Even though they are a lawless bunch, brigandia's members still harbor such thoughts and hesitate.

(It would be lucky if we can make them uneasy, hesitate and doubt each other with this.)

But they only hesitate for a moment.

Even though their head is in a pitiful state, they still need to keep up their reputation as a violent organisation. No, their brand name is doubly important because they are a lawless group. They are able to oppress other players because of brigandia's reputation of being a powerful and violent group.

They have to keep up that reign of terror, or else they will be the one who gets hunted.

The fear of losing their status as the ones inflicting terror is greater than their desire to save their leader. All the members decides to seal the mouth of these 3 people. It took them 3 seconds to come to a consensus.

After making this decision, the lawless bunch roars as they swarm towards Nyanta.


But no one in Shiroe's group wasted these 3 seconds.

Naotsugu appears like the wind, intercepting the 8 members rushing Nyanta. The Brigandia group morale did not falter with the appearance of the new enemy as they rushed in with renewed maliciousness.

"Anchor howl!"   <TL: read this in Naotsugu's voice>

Naotsugu howls, this is a skill that forces the enemies in the surrounding to focus on him, the ability of guardians, the fortress in the front lines. The 8 Brigandia members stopped in front of Naotsugu, as though their feet are nailed to the ground.

"Mr Nyanta, if that is the case..."

"Heal everyone now!!"

"Eh, right, 'heartbeat healing'!"

Serara uses her best skill available to her upon hearing Shiroe's command.

'Heartbeat healing' is a skill unique to Druids.

Similar to other healer class like the 'damage intercept' of kannagi and 'auto heal' ability of clerics, Druids also has their own special skills.

Spells in the same vein as heartbeat healing is a persistent restorative magic which remains in effect for a short time. A set amount of HP will be healed over a 10-30 seconds period. Although each pulse amount is less than normal healing spells, but the overall HP restored is much higher, making it an MP efficient magic.

Furthermore, it also allow the caster to do other things such as attacking or defending while the healing over time is in effect,

But

"I can't keep this up, my level isn't high enough!"

Serara cries in pain.

In Elder Tales, the strength of the healers will drastically affect the outcome of battles.

A well trained healer partnered with a tank can withstand the attacks of 4 other players with similar levels.

Serara is level 19, even with the excellent defense of the level 90 Naotsugu, it is impossible from the start to fend off the attacks of 8 high level Brigandia members.

"Don't worry about our guardian, focus on healing Nyanta. Calm down and watch our allies' HP. If you can't do something then don't, focus on what you can."

Shiroe says calmly to Serara who is losing her nerves.

His strong words whips up the strength within Serara. Shiroe told her that what healers can do is heal.


In the battlefield not far from Naotsugu, Nyanta and Demikas' battle is reaching its climax.

The wounds on Demikas' arms have recovered with the aid of his healers, giving back his original attack strength.

The wounds on his leg remains, but Demikas is focusing on attacking and giving up on dodging, regaining his composure.

In the end, the warrior class Demikas is tougher than melee swashbucklers. With the support of healers, it will become a battle of attrition and he can gain victory through brute force. That is Demikas wishful plan.

Although the Druid broad is healing the swordsman before him, her restorative power will not exceed his damage output.

Demikas who is sure of victory assumes an arrogant attitude,

"What's this! What can you do with your toy swords? How can a weak fellow like you protect your allies?"

"How rude, rapiers are the weapons of gentlemen nya."

"I will shut your cocky mouth up! Look, your warrior friend is about to go down!"

"That might not be so nya."

As they trade swords strike and fist blows, the flashing silver shadow and the sound of body blows increases as their fight intensifies.

In the other dusty battlefield, Naotsugu is in a pinch.

Under the simultaneous attacks of 8 foes, Naotsugu only have 2400 HP left. But he remains calm, parrying blows with his shield as he maintains his parties' formation.

Remaining compose in chaotic situations is a mark of an excellent vanguard. The experienced movements of Naotsugu looks doubly impressive in Serara's eyes.

"Ready the spell!"

"Right!"

She hears Shiroe's soft words. Serara answers a few pitch higher as she listens to her racing pulse.

"It's almost time Shiroe! 'Castle of stone'!"

Naotsugu holds the shield close with a shout, taking a wide steady stance. His shield, armor and sword shines like ancient granite marble, giving off magic and fighting aura.

"What, what is this?" "Just a bit more, finish him off!" "Take this! Assassinate!"

One of these 8 members seem to be an assassin who uses a hard hitting skill on Naotsugu. The sword of the assassin swings towards Naotsugu's armor with a sound that seems to burn through the air, this strike is definitely a fatal blow.

But the attack ended with a loud clank, blocked by Naotsugu's shield.

'Castle of stone'.

This is one of the strong defense skills available exclusively to guardians. In this short 10 second span, this emergency skill can negate all damage. Naotsugu who turned into a fortress of marble uses his invincible shield to protect the defense line.

"Told you so nya, Naotsugu won't fall so easily."

"Now, cast all your healing spells on Naotsugu!"

Serara spring up and takes a step forward, raising her hand to the sky.

She is chanting 'healing wind', a single target healing pulse spell. She was using the party wide spell 'heartbeat healing', and she is now stacking 'healing wind' on top of that.

But Serara didn't stop with this.

After casting 2 heal over time spells, she continues to chant instant healing magic. Wielding her level 19 ability to the limit, sending all the healing she has to the front lines.

This is the only thing she can do as a healer.

When her allies protect her in the front, she will protect them with her healing spells from the back.

Serara recollects the voice of her guild master, the memorable sound of that cleric.

The real advantage of healing over time spells.

As it is a spell that remains in effect, you can use the spare time to cast multiple haling magic. A druid who put everything into her healing has unimaginable potential, the instant healing ability overwhelming the other 2 healing class.

It is powerful even at level 19. Naotsugu's HP which is now less than 20% is recovering gradually under Serara's multiple healing spells.

"Buying time won't save you!"

On the other hand, Demikas has gotten more furious as he attacks Nyanta.

'Castle of stone' is indeed a powerful defense skill, making a monk like Demikas from the warrior class green with envy. But it still has a weak point.

The con to using it is the long cool down time. This invincible ultimate skill can only be used once every 10 minutes.

10 minutes is more than enough to kill these critters 20 times.If he is using a skill he can't use again for another 10 minutes, it means he is out of options handling the attack of the 8 members.

In the 600 seconds of the 10 minutes cool down, he can only negate all physical damage for 10 seconds. From this perspective, 'castle of stone' is not an ultimate skill, but a desperate move.

The time when 'castle of stone' wears off means the ends of these guys. This victorious moment in the future have already flashed across Demikas' mind.

Demikas' fierce attack is pushing Nyanta to the brink. Serara who is watching her allies' condition using the status screen is regretting her lack of power.

The guardian who is fighting the 8 members of Brigandia in the front and Nyanta who has been caring for her kindly all this time are covered in wounds.

She can't save them even after giving her all, the MP that is supporting her healing is gradually decreasing.


"Think it's about time, Shiroe nya."

"Here we go chief Nyanta."

But ignoring Serara's desperation, Shiroe and Nyanta chats in high spirits.

Nyanta moves like a leaf dancing in the wind to Demikas. Although he is surprised, Demikas still kick upwards in a wide arc, attempting to sweep the slender man in front of him away.

But Nyanta uses his raised knee as a platform to leap into the air.

Silver flashes brightly.

The rapiers in Nyanta's hand shred the air, striking like lightning. 3, 4, 5 hits... Serara can only count so many. Nyanta's rapier split into countless copies, piercing the azure vines that bound Demikas without her noticing.

Swashbucklers who has the fastest attacking speed out of the 12 classes, not only improve the attack power through the Shiroe's enhancement magic, but also triggered the trap spell 'thorn bind hostage' on his opponent.

Nyanta slashes.

Shiroe's thorn bind hostage.

The combination attack of the 2 repeated 10 times in 2 seconds. Every time Nyanta's strike, the spell will activate like an exploding lightning ball, giving out flashes and shock waves.

Just like a bullet imploding in a confined space of a cartridge, compression increases damage power. Demikas looks like he was swarmed by attacks from invisible men around him, staggering from the impact and dying before he can even scream.

"No way!" "The guild master is...!"

Everyone present received a psychological blow.

A level 90 warrior supported fully by healers dying in an instant. The more experienced you have in Elder Tales, the more you will fall into doubts and despair from this scene.

"Mr Nyanta..."

Serara's gentle voice is also expressing this point. She can't catch up with the battle that happened in front of her.

"Put away your swords!"

Naotsugu shouts, making the Brigandia members look at each other. The scream from behind them made them turn pale.

Looking towards the source, they see their healers on the ground. The number 2 man of the guild... Londark in gray robes, is kneeling on the ground with one arm missing.

The black hair young girl who used the vacant 3 seconds to the limit, who looks like a lovely flower is pressing her blade on Londark's neck.



7


Akatsuki who saw the same scene as Serara has a rough idea what happened.

Adventurer's have great physical attributes, not only muscle strength and agility, their dynamic vision are also better than the real world.

Although Akatsuki practice Kendo from young, but she judged it is impossible to see that kind of sword speed in real life. Even now, she only catch about half of what happened just now.

In fact, she is collating the information she sees with her eyes and making sense of it with her own deductions.

Akatsuki belongs to the assassin class which has the highest attack power among the weapon based classes. But even her strongest skill is not enough to kill a level 90 warrior.

Akatsuki already wiped out the healers supporting Demikas, so his HP is not in top condition.

Even taking that into account, it is still unthinkable for a player to defeat a warrior class character in an instant.

In Elder Tales, battles are long dragged out affairs. Sure-kill attacks is just a figure of words in this world, sure-kill instances are very rare.

No matter how strong a player is, if their opponents are about the same level, it will take dozens of rounds to settle a fight. If both of them are supported by healers, the fight could drag on indefinitely without a clear victor.

The more experienced you have with Elder Tales, the deeper you understand this. It can be seen as a common sense.

But Nyanta dished out an unbelievable amount of damage.

The secret should lies in the vines shining with an azure glow. Shiroe's thorn bind hostage is a trap spells unique to enchanters, binding an opponent with 5 vines. It causes 1000 points of additional damage when triggered by an ally.

But the damage is only 5000 if you activate all of them, which is a third of Demikas' HP. Even adding in Nyanta's attack, it is not enough to defeat Demikas.

The many training sessions made Akatsuki familiar with the spells Shiroe commonly uses.

Since thorn bind hostage is one of the best spell of Shiroe, Akatsuki can identify it by looking at the visual effects.

The cool down time for thorn bind hostage is 15 seconds.

Although it is just a deduction, but Nyanta stopped his attack for 14 seconds after Shiroe set this trap spell.

After luring Demikas to take the offensive and enduring his attack for 14 seconds, Nyanta made sure he has a good position to strike as he calculate his time to move.

When the time is right, Nyanta leaps into the air, striking 5 times with the rapier in his left hand. These 5 hits pierce the vines, triggering the additional damage.

At this moment, Shiroe who's cool down time ended recast thorn bind hostage on Demikas. Nyanta who is still in mid air turns around and slashes 5 times with the rapier in his right hand.   <TL: how long is TBH cast time.>

A chain attack with a total of 10 hits.

Grasping the cool down time and chaining the 2 thorn bind hostage spells. 10 hits activates all 10 vines.

This is the truth behind the battle Akatsuki saw.


But Akatsuki can only tell because she knows the features of this spell through her repeated team work practice with Shiroe.

The attack skill of the swashbuckler in mid air has no gaps, hitting 10 times in 2 seconds, unique to this class.

10 strikes in 2 seconds, meaning 1 strike every 0.2 seconds. Using the 'gap' between the 5th and 6th strike to cast the 2nd set of thorn bind hostage is almost humanly impossible.

It can be classified as an ultimate move.

If they can dish out this kind of attack, it is possible to deplete the HP of a warrior class in an instant.

But can it be done so easily?

If anyone ask, the answer is definitely no.

Akatsuki who was about to bite her lips unconsciously hurriedly resumes her serious expression. The battle is not over yet.

She can feel the truth unfolding before her conflicting with the common sense in her heart.

Even she who has trained dozens of days with Shiroe cannot achieve this feat. Such an impressive attack came from the two of them who haven't met for ages without coordinating in advance.

But the mental blow to the members of Brigandia is several times more severe than Akatsuki.

... Just who are these people?

... Where did the power that defeated Demikas came from?

... Are they over level 90?

... Could they be an elite team from other zones?

The attack that takes Akatsuki a while to grasp is almost impossible for others to overcome at a glance. They couldn't even begin to understand it.

"When... how..."

Demikas who rules the guild with an iron fist. The tactician Londark who stayed in Brigandia despite his personality clashing with Demikas...

The bandits who lost their 2 leaders still has their fighting capabilities, but the psychological impact is strong enough to stop them from resisting.

"We came through the depths of Palm."

Shiroe walks towards Londark who is suppressed by Akatsuki as he speaks.

"Akiba and this city are no longer so far apart as to prevent travel between them. We have obtain the maps and the means and have reported back... You're finished causing this kind of trouble."

The truth is not so optimistic.

Akatsuki's group came here with the aid of the griffons, not all players can travel with the same speed.

If you want to visit Ezzo Empire,it is still a long and tedious journey.

But in order to plant this feeling of defeat deeply, Shiroe announce this in a decisive tone. Akatsuki digs her blade gently into Londark's throat to emphasize Shiroe's words.

"We've won this battle."

Shiroe draws a short sword from his cloak in an instant and cut off Londark's head. When the sword made a wet sound as it cuts through bones and sinew, Akatsuki saw Shiroe's expression dims.

This is expected. Even if death is not permanent, Shiroe is not willing to decapitate anyone. But he maintains his cruel tone.

There is no telling how great a deterrent decapitation is in this world without death, but Akatsuki feels this is the price they must pay for their crimes. Since they are using their lives as chips in this bet, it is the norm to forfeit that if they loses.

Shiroe's cruel demeanor and his nasty gaze makes the Brigandia members back away slowly.


The scream of the griffon tears through this icy silence.

The 3 griffons that came from the western skies assumes a triangle formation, landing violently before Shiroe's team.

"Serara, come here nya!"

Nyanta who already sheath his rapiers extend his hands to Serara and guide her over. He picks her up, craddling her in his arms and jump onto the griffon.

Naotsugu hurries the others to mount the griffon as he takes a step forward to protect Akatsuki.

Akatsuki swings her blade to clear away the blood while Shiroe stands in front of her. As usual, Shiroe looks at her with unapproachable but caring eyes.

"Let's go Akatsuki!"

That's why Akatsuki nods in response.

Like always, her response bears gratitude and respect she didn't express in words.

"Time to take off! We are getting out of here, escape festival!"

Naotsugu yells the phrase used by calvery strike force as he takes to the sky. The light brown griffon Naynta mounted takes off soon after with a mighty leap.

Akatsuki brushes Shiroe's hand lightly and jump onto the griffon. She can leap onto the griffon with the strengthened body of an adventurer without Shiroe's help.

But this is Shiroe's mount, it will be rude to jump on without saying anything. But it is too formal to seek permission, so Akatsuki uses Shiroe's finger tips as a guide and leap behind him.

Shiroe stares down the Brigandia members til the very end. But he gives up on them with a sigh and turns to Akatsuki behind and says:

"Let's go."

Akatsuki acknowledge with a nod. Shiroe signals the griffon with his heels and the griffon climbs up the invisible stairs in the wind under the gaze of the Brigandia members and adventurers outside Susukino.

And thus, the 3 majestic creatures leave whirlwinds behind and take to the sky.

The pain she feels witnessing Shiroe and Nyanta's combo attack as well as the frustration she sense in the city zone of Susukino are shredded into pieces by the wind blowing over the griffon.

The quest to save the Crescent moon alliance member... the young girl Serara has been completed perfectly.

Although it will be another week before they reach Akiba, this is still an amazing result.

The howling wind is unable to disrupt Akatsuki's peaceful state of mind. The quiet and satisfaction of completing a mission grabs Shiroe's back gently.

"My lord."

"What is it Akatsuki?"

"Nothing."

"I see... let's go home, to Akiba."

"Yeah."

Leaving the words that will be carried off by the wind once they are uttered, the blue skies tears the scenery surrounding Akatsuki to pieces.

The 3 griffons are like larks that escaped from the cage binding them, spreading their wings flying to the southern skies.



End of book 1