Chapter 11

"Rook Archery...!"

When Silvia saw her status, she was taken aback.

Her eyes were still red and swollen, and they were bloodshot. She had been scolded and cried a lot, being told not to take unnecessary risks, not to worry others, and to be grateful.

...Well, if my prediction is correct, Silvia, who values chivalry, would kneel and say something like this:

"Lord Second. Your resolve to break your bones for the sake of your comrades is truly admirable. I am proud to stand by your side. I wish to swear my lifelong loyalty here."

See? At that point, I would respond and dodge the situation like this:

"Don't worry about it. Just follow me quietly."

Silvia's eyes would widen in surprise. Immediately after, she would laugh and say:

"Lord Second, do you think I'll be silent just because you say that? You're such a troublesome person."

Ha ha ha. We would laugh together.

Ha ha ha ha, ha, ha...

...Wait, that's unexpected, isn't it?

After that, as we continued through the Lois Dungeon, I noticed a slight change in Silvia.

On the surface, she still seemed like the usual "clumsy female knight," but whenever I was about to be attacked by a monster, she would make a terrifying face, use the Rook Archery technique to brutally kill the monster, and then give me a stern lecture.

It turns out that Silvia had become a "Knight of Second." She said it was her job to protect me. Hmm, is it just a game of pretend? But at 17 years old, you...

And then, she even started saying things like, "Lord Second, don't go to the front."

...What is this? It's so troublesome.

Well, whatever, I'll just leave it be. There's only the boss left, after all.

"This is the Flame Wolf's lair."

The boss of the Lois Dungeon, the Flame Wolf, is a large wolf with flames enveloping its body. Thanks to its fire barrier, only piercing attacks can deal damage. I remember that intermediate players who visited the Lois Dungeon in Mevion all uniformly described it as "troublesome," but my memory is a bit hazy.

However, there is one thing I remember clearly. That is—

"Alright, let's finish it off."

"Huh?"

At some point, the Flame Wolf's evaluation changed from "troublesome" to "crap worm."

The reason for this change is the "corner pinning" technique. After this strategy was discovered, the supposedly tough Flame Wolf became a target for bullying.

"Got it? First, I'll attack with the Rook Archery. The Flame Wolf will target me and charge, so you'll deflect it with the Gold General Archery. Then, Silvia, you attack with the Rook Archery. When the Flame Wolf targets you and charges, you deflect it with the Gold General Archery. We'll keep this loop going."

This is the convenient strategy for the Flame Wolf, known as the "Gold Rook Pinning." It's a well-known corner pinning technique for two or more players.

The Rook Archery can penetrate the Flame Wolf's fire barrier and deal sufficient damage, and if you're level 12 or higher, it will reliably pull the target. The Gold General Archery, when used by two players, is fine as long as the cooldown reduction is met at level 9 or higher. Most importantly, the Flame Wolf's attack pattern is very simple, and it never uses ranged attacks, which is why this brutal corner pinning technique works so easily.

"Wait, is it really that simple?"

"It's not just simple; it's the safest way. The key is to wait until the last possible moment when using the Rook Archery. This is to adjust the cooldown. The only place to buy time for the Gold General's 10-second cooldown is right before the attack."

"I see..."

"Let's go."

I entered the boss's area without any caution. Silvia seemed a bit nervous, but at this rate, she'll probably be stunned by how easy it is.

"Oooh!"

The Flame Wolf, noticing us, let out a howl and charged.

"It's coming!?"

"Alright. After I knock it back, use the Rook Archery just before the wolf attacks me."

I fired the Rook Archery at the Flame Wolf while talking to Silvia. The arrow, enveloped in a red-black aura, pierced the Flame Wolf, but it didn't flinch.

"It's not working!?"

Silvia was surprised. Of course, it's a boss. It won't go down with just any skill. But the damage is definitely getting through.

"Use the Gold General Archery around here."

I fired the Gold General Archery when the Flame Wolf was about 2 meters away. The arrow, enveloped in a golden aura, hit the Flame Wolf, and a brilliant golden effect exploded, sending the Flame Wolf flying back about 5 meters. This is the knockback effect.

"It'll be coming back soon. Use the Rook Archery just before it attacks me."

"Y-Yes, I understand!"

Silvia was still tense.

The Flame Wolf, regaining its composure, charged at me again without hesitation.

"Kyaaun!"

When the Flame Wolf was about 3 meters away, Silvia's Rook Archery pierced it.

The Flame Wolf let out a cry, "Ouch!?" and targeted Silvia, charging at her. What a stupid monster.

"You can wait a bit longer too."

I instructed Silvia, who nodded seriously, to use the Gold General Archery to knock back the Flame Wolf.

We repeated this process about 15 times.

I said things like, "It's boring," and "What are we having for dinner?" during the process.

Around the fifth time, Silvia started to join in my small talk.

It seems we'll go to that tavern again for dinner.

Around the 16th time:

"Se-se... advertisement," "starch," "pudding!" "Liechtenstein," "W-What is that?" "A foreign name," "Well, whatever. I-I, seal," "pleasure," "ka-ka-ka, volcano," "frankly," "rye bread," "pattern," "Is this a hit or a miss?"

"Ahh," "Ah..."

While playing "Koshi Tori" to pass the time, the Flame Wolf died.

"...Damn, it's a miss."

I said, looking at the dropped items left by the fallen Flame Wolf.

"Huh?"

Silvia also noticed and approached.

"What is this!?"

Why is she so surprised? It's just the Flame Wolf's fur.

"Is this the Flame Wolf's fur!? Is this a miss!?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"Don't be ridiculous! It's a high-end item worth 1 million CL if you sell it to a merchant!"

"Hyaa!?"

It's more expensive than I thought! No, it's too expensive!

The highest value item from the Lois Dungeon, the "Flame Wolf's Bow," is worth around 800,000 to 900,000 CL. The Flame Wolf's fur would be lucky to sell for 50,000 CL. It's worth over 20 times as much. Oh my...

Thinking about this, what about the rare drops from high-level dungeons?

...I can't stop grinning.

"Let's take it back."

"Of course."

I put the Flame Wolf's fur in my inventory with a satisfied smile and left the Lois Dungeon.

The path after defeating the boss is a direct route to the surface, a considerate design. "How to shorten travel time" is a very important aspect of MMORPGs. In this regard, Mevion is terrible. The teleportation magic can only be learned by advanced players, and intermediate players and below have to travel by horse or wyvern, which takes time. Therefore, such small considerations in dungeon exits are greatly appreciated, like the occasional sweet treat in prison.

"Let's go for a drink."

"Sure. I'd like that."

It was dusk outside. We had spent almost a whole day in the dungeon.

We walked back together.

When I said, "Next time, let's try to reduce the loop time," Silvia asked, "How much?" I said, "At least three times a day," and she replied with a dry laugh, "Ha ha ha, you're a fool."

After that, we talked about our hobbies, families, and laughed about trivial things as we returned to the capital.

Casual conversation. A normal, unremarkable daily life. Slow and steady growth.

...What is this? It's happier than I ever imagined in my previous life.

My life as a sub-character in this different world, now with a companion like Silvia, is filled with joy.

And the more I grow, the closer I can feel myself getting.

To the true "world's best" in this world.

Thank you for reading.

The next chapter is "Chapter 2: The Magic School."