Chapter 96

It has been a week since we started circling Aisolois.

Already, Sylvia and Eco’s Ryoma Dragon King skills have reached the 9th rank.

My [Swordsmanship] has also reached the 9th rank of Ryoma Dragon King, and [Magic] has reached the 9th rank for both [Lightning Attribute - Fourth Form] and [Lightning Attribute - Fifth Form]. [Summoning] has also reached the 9th rank for [Tame], and each has qualified for the title match.

Regarding [Magic], it is possible to participate as long as any attribute from the first to the fifth form reaches the 9th rank. The lightning attribute is something I, even in the Mevion era, had never heard of, but I suppose it will likely be counted as one attribute.

...

Well, anyway.

I would like to take a break, but the title matches are just beginning.

Leaving me aside, this is Sylvia and Eco’s first time participating in the title matches. Currently, their experience in player-versus-player combat is woefully insufficient.

The title matches are duels between the same skills. Therefore, for sparring, [Archery] needs an [Archery] opponent, [Shield Mastery] needs a [Shield Mastery] opponent.

Sylvia is fine; I can be her opponent. However, for Eco’s [Shield Mastery], I cannot be her opponent because I have not learned it.

Hmm... What should I do?

"Can you summon Winfield?"

Wasting time worrying about this and that is a waste, so I decided to ask Yuka to summon an advisor.

Yuka made a slightly reluctant face for a moment before nodding and saying, "Understood," and then performed [Spirit Summoning]. It seems there is some reason why Yuka does not want to summon Winfield, but when I asked Sylvia, she said, "Just leave it," so I am leaving it for now.

"Hey, Second. It’s been a while, huh?"

The silver-haired, long-tailed, tall, beautiful spirit, as always, narrowed her slightly sleepy eyes and smiled.

"It’s been a while. I’m glad you’re doing well. Sorry to ask for your help right after summoning you, but I have a consultation."

"Sure. Go ahead. I’ll do my best to help."

That’s reassuring.

After explaining the situation to Winfield, I asked for advice on how to train Eco.

"I think, Second, you feel that it’s unfair for Sylvia and Eco to have a difference in training time."

Indeed. Now that you mention it, that might be true.

"So, to start training at the same time, why don’t you spend some time on self-improvement and learn [Shield Mastery] before the training starts?"

"Seriously? That would take more than a week, wouldn’t it?"

"I don’t think you need to max it out. Even at a moderate rank, you should be able to handle it, right?"

"...Ah, right, that’s true."

Indeed. I don’t need to reach a high rank to train.

"Let’s say a full day to learn, two days to reach a usable rank. That’s about three days, right? It would be quite a challenge, though."

"Three days wouldn’t be a significant loss."

"Is there anything you want to teach them in the meantime?"

"Yes, plenty. Thanks, Winfield. Thanks to you, I have a plan."

"You’re welcome."

After the conversation, she winked and said, "I’m looking forward to your thanks," before leaving. Even though I know she’s half-joking, I really want to thank her. But, what should I give a spirit as a thank you?

Well, let’s think about what Sylvia and Eco should do during the three days I’ll be away.

What should I teach them here? Probably the essence of player-versus-player combat.

I have so many things I want to teach them, I don’t know where to start. If it’s something they can learn without sparring, then...

"Firepower output?"

"Yeah."

I gathered Sylvia and Eco in the living room and started the lecture.

The content is about firepower output in Mevion. It’s not about practical things you can only learn through experience, but rather a very theoretical discussion.

"Firepower comes in various forms: instant, single-shot, sustained, and so on. Today, I’ll teach you about instant firepower."

"Instant firepower, huh. That means how much damage you can deal in an instant, right?"

Sylvia, being serious at heart, is quite engaged. On the other hand, Eco is quietly listening while taking notes.

"Pretty much, but you need to know more specifically. Do you know what DPS is?"

"Sorry, I don’t."

"Damage Per Second. It’s the average damage you can deal per second in combat, including all preparation and recovery times."

"If you attack at full power for 30 seconds, it’s the total damage divided by 30, right?"

"Exactly. With the Arena Crown, you can measure it without calculating. Today, we’ll use this function... This isn’t directly related to DPS, but we’ll measure your highest damage in one second."

"Complicated. Highest damage?"

"Yeah. There are various ways to measure it, but today, we’ll set the Arena Crown’s DPS display to measure only the first second from the initial damage. In other words, 1 divided by 1. I want you two to figure out the method that deals the most damage within the first second from the initial attack."

They both look puzzled. It’s understandable. Measuring the maximum damage in just one second isn’t really DPS, and there’s the question of why one second, and it seems unrelated to the title matches.

But, it’s closely related. The trial and error of dealing the most damage in one second will teach you the depth of the game. I want them to experience that fun.

"Hmm... I understand what you’re saying, but what’s the point?"

"Ah, why do you think so?"

"In dungeon runs, I felt that [Rook Archery] deals the most firepower. The answer is already clear, isn’t it?"

"Well, it’s natural to feel that way. But, you might discover something new by trying it out. Today’s task for you two is to use the Arena Crown’s DPS display to figure out the maximum damage you can deal in one second. Got it?"

"Understood."

"Got it!"

Sylvia reluctantly, and Eco enthusiastically, responded.

I’m looking forward to seeing how much they’ve improved when I return from my [Shield Mastery] skill learning journey.

"One hint. Firepower can be roughly divided into three types: machine gun, shotgun, and rocket launcher."

"Ma...?"

Oops, that didn’t quite get through.

"Continuous attacks, spreading attacks, or concentrating all in one shot. That’s the idea."

"Ah, I see."

Good, it seems to have gotten through. Sylvia looks like she’s grasped something.

"Let’s start the training. I’m looking forward to your answers."

"Okay! By the way, where are you going, Second?"

"I’m going to learn all of [Shield Mastery] today."

"......All of it?"

"If there’s time left, I’ll also earn some experience."

"......I won’t say anything more."

* * *

"Miss Sylvia, it’s about time for a break."

"No, just a little longer."

Midday. Sylvia declined the maid Es’s suggestion for a lunch break and continued to focus on finding the maximum damage.

Her mind was filled with the thought, "This is fun!"

Indeed, it was fun.

[Archery] has [Rook Archery] as the most powerful single-shot attack, but the condition is "one second," which changes the game.

With [Infantry Archery], she can barely fire three shots in one second. At the 9th rank, it’s a 200% power attack, so three shots total 600%. This matches the 600% multiplier of [Rook Archery] at the 9th rank.

Here, "Critical" comes into play. A critical hit triples the damage, making it a significant factor. With one shot or three shots, the latter has a higher probability of a critical hit. Therefore, firing three [Infantry Archery] shots is more reliable for consistent damage than one [Rook Archery] shot.

With [Silver General Archery], she can fire two shots in one second. At the 9th rank, it’s a 300% power attack, so it’s also effectively 600%. There’s room for creativity here, which is why Sylvia is so engrossed.

"Truly impressive."

Es, watching Sylvia, whispered quietly.

Every time Sylvia shot arrows at the "dummy figure" wearing the Arena Crown, and the DPS displayed a mind-boggling number, a sense of awe welled up inside Es.

The participants in the title matches are this incredible, and they are allies of her master. She couldn’t help but feel proud.

And, her master is an even more incredible person. Thinking about this, Es couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

"I’ll bring you a light snack."

The best way to support Sylvia’s training is to ensure she takes a break at the right time. As a maid of the First Test, Es resolved to do her best and secretly rallied herself.

* * *

On the other hand, Eco.

After a hearty lunch in the living room, she was furiously writing in her notebook.

The words in her notebook were not Japanese but Beastman language. Perhaps because of this, the logical and well-structured sentences formed were far beyond her usual clumsy speech.

How to deal the most damage in one second with [Shield Mastery]. She thought logically and came up with several solutions.

Her thoughts, like Sylvia’s, were the same.

It was incredibly fun.

This was the first time in her 16 years of life that she felt this way.

It was the moment she first saw her life as a "game."

And, she fell deeply in love with it.

[Shield Mastery] is so deep.

The more she thought about it, the more thrilling and fascinating it became.

If [Shield Mastery] alone is this deep, what would happen if combined with other skills? Such a thought made Eco feel like she was released into the universe.

It was a thought unrelated to the title matches but so interesting she couldn’t stop. She felt she understood a little of the reason behind the carefree smile of the person she loved.

* * *

Returning home.

I managed to learn all of [Shield Mastery] in about half a day and continued circling Aisolois until evening. The difficult condition for [Ryoma Shield Mastery], "defend with each of the seven skills from Infantry to Rook at least once, and defeat five types of dragons with team members," was a piece of cake with Anko’s help. We had to guide the dragons to the shade of rocks due to the sunlight, but it wasn’t much of a hassle.

The smooth progress was thanks to Anko’s [Dark Transfer] and [Dark Summon]. Thanks to her, I didn’t need to learn transfer magic, and I didn’t need to tame flying dragons and move through the sky for a long time. Thanks, Anko.

"Let’s see the results of today’s training!"

Before dinner, I decided to check the progress of Sylvia and Eco.

I was looking forward to it, so my mood was a bit high.

"Let’s start with me."

"Alright, go ahead."

Sylvia rolled up her sleeves and drew her bow.

What will she do...

"Ha!"

Her first move, and the decisive move, was [Ryoma Archery].

She approached the dummy figure and used [Ryoma Archery] at zero distance.

My one-word reaction:

You found it!

I was overwhelmed with emotion.

This is, in a sense, a shotgun. [Ryoma Archery] is a powerful area-penetrating attack skill. It fires dozens of arrows with penetration ability at a designated area from a distance. Using it at zero distance means all the dozens of arrows hit. Even if each arrow isn’t very powerful, the cumulative effect is immense. If a critical hit occurs, each arrow becomes a critical hit.

"How’s that!?"

Sylvia turned to me, looking anxious as she awaited my response.

"Amazing, you found it! Don’t worry, that’s the right answer."

"......Yes!"

Her face lit up with joy. It made me happy too.

I gave Sylvia a thumbs up with a smile. The feeling of enjoying a game with friends. It felt nostalgic.

"Alright, now it’s Eco’s turn."

Eco, encouraged by Sylvia, raised her shield.

Then, she turned to me and said,

"Second, can you do it with me?"

"!"

At this point, I was already certain. Eco had found the "right answer."

"Leave it to me. Don’t hold back."

Hiding my smile, I put on the Arena Crown and drew my sword.

No more words needed.

I activated [Rook Swordsmanship] and attacked Eco.

"Ya!"

Eco countered with [Silver General Shield Mastery]. And, she did it at the very moment my sword was about to touch her body.

"Wha!?"

Sylvia exclaimed.

Of course. Objectively, it’s a very strange sight. The moment I thought [Rook Swordsmanship] had hit, I was deflected.

It’s a parry with [Silver General Shield Mastery]. But it’s not just a parry; it has an additional effect called "counterattack."

"Right!"

I exclaimed happily as I saw Eco counterattack with [Rook Shield Mastery] right after the parry.

By preparing and activating it in the split second after the parry, it can be done within one second.

...Well done. Well discovered. Well challenged. No amount of praise is enough.

Thud. The DPS display appeared above my head as I fell on my back from the [Rook Shield Mastery].

The damage from the combination of [Silver General Shield Mastery]’s counterattack and [Rook Shield Mastery]’s charge exceeded Sylvia’s zero-distance [Ryoma Archery].

Why could [Shield Mastery] deal so much damage? The secret lies in the "counterattack effect." The counterattack effect of [Silver General Shield Mastery] increases in power proportional to the damage received. In other words, the higher the power of my [Rook Swordsmanship], the more damage it could deal, surpassing Sylvia’s damage.

"Eco, that’s the right answer. Well done. Great job!"

"Yay! I did it!"

I ruffled her hair. Eco narrowed her eyes in happiness and rubbed her cheek against my hand.

Eco, who is usually slow and laid-back, showed her hidden talent today. She thoroughly analyzed the [Shield Mastery] skill, researched the characteristics of [Silver General Shield Mastery], and found the best possible solution with [Rook Shield Mastery]’s charge, all within a single day. I want to give her sincere praise for her achievement.

"......"

Oh, I’ve been too focused on Eco. Sylvia is pouting.

Sylvia, you’re amazing too. I could tell from the look on your face when you turned to me and said, "How’s that?" You must have been trying and failing all day without even eating. The joy of discovering the characteristics of [Ryoma Archery] must have made you want to jump for joy. Your seriousness and dedication to tackling the challenge head-on, enjoying it purely, and getting so engrossed are qualities I want to emulate.

"Don’t pout. Come here too."

I was a bit embarrassed, so I overdid it by ruffling both Sylvia and Eco’s hair excessively and praising them.

Resisting shyly, she still looked happy. I gave her the same heartfelt praise.

"You’re seasoned now."

"Huh?"

"If you two are steak, today you’re seasoned."

"Ha, I see. Are you going to cook us, Second?"

"In three weeks, I’ll cook you to your liking."

"Scary. I’ll have it rare, please."

"No way, you’re well-done."

"......A bird that doesn’t sing is not shot, right?"

Thank you for reading.