Chapter 53

"What is this guy doing?" the author, of all people, wondered.

In fighting games, "effort" is nothing but the improvement of pure technique and the deepening of understanding.

If that's the case, what does "effort" refer to in a hack-and-slash game?

─── Kei Sakomizu defines it as "the enrichment of resources regardless of the system or items."

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"Hmm... It's too difficult to use in a pinch, and there's a big risk if I use it from the start of the battle."

Oikatzu cracked his neck with a series of pops and exhaled. In front of him lay a beast, but its body was ravaged with savage wounds, as if it had been brutally beaten by another beast. Its health had been drained to zero by the system, and it had vanished.

"Blue Turbid Circulatory Current... I can overlook the fact that it permanently occupies an accessory slot, but if this is the extent of its power when activated, I might lose to that thing with a burst of firepower even if I win with a momentary disadvantage."

Blue Turbid Circulatory Current.

This accessory, which drops from the raid monster "Wandering Great Pestilence Blue," the current top-ranked player killer in the game Shangri-La Frontier, is a bizarre, twisted, and most of all, unsettling glass object filled with a blue substance. It becomes "equipped" by stabbing it into one's own heart, occupying an accessory slot.

"It looks cool... hmm..."

A deflated sound echoed from Oikatzu's hand. It was the sound of a purple something, like a hidden blade, retracting into the palm of Oikatzu's avatar. This unique accessory, which circulates through the body after being injected into the heart and seeping into the blood-producing bones, consumes the player's HP and generates a "weapon" from the blood based on the player's thoughts. Indeed, it is useful; it doesn't require harsh conditions to be met every thirty seconds, nor does it automatically deactivate after five minutes. However, the weapons generated are only human-sized, and using the Blue Turbid Circulatory Current for too long will pollute the blood. When the blood, which is initially a wine-red purple, turns navy and then completely blue, the consequences are obvious.

"Was it Engraved Wounds? That's cheating... but I don't want to be half-naked, and I don't want to give up the benefits of a full set of equipment..."

Approaching the origin of a super-being, what that means is unknown, but Oikatzu is not without the desire to be the first. However, if it comes to a worst-case scenario of opposing human players... there are too many people who would gleefully hunt him down, so he can't see any value beyond an emergency measure.

Still, the blood weapons that consume HP and are recognized as weapons can satisfy the conditions for the "Destroyer" class's unique skills. There are plenty of opportunities to use them if he wants to.

In short, it is too convenient to be called useless, but too inconvenient to be called useful.

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When Sunrak was rampaging with Leviathan and Pencilgon was active in Third Rema, Oikatzu was steadily and surely increasing the capabilities of his save data, Oikatzu. It's not that he envies the unique individuals or the one-of-a-kind villains. He is simply a man named Kei Sakomizu who wants to try everything before being satisfied.

Still, the scope of what one person can cover in about half a year in Shangri-La Frontier is limited. Due to his busy schedule, Oikatzu can currently use about thirty-five jobs.

"Hmm, adding a production job as a sub-job doesn't really have much benefit... most combat-capable production jobs have a combat job as a sub-job anyway."

It's not that there's no benefit, but it's not enough to satisfy Oikatzu. Perhaps he shouldn't have believed the dubious information in the mixed strategy wikis. He explored the mysterious mythological forest for a while, but found nothing, and sighed, thinking he had drawn a blank. He then deliberately teleported to Third Rema using a disposable magic medium.

"I don't want to be found by Pencilgon right now; it's too much trouble."

He knows that Arthur Pencilgon is up to something, and her presence in the core of Third Rema is unsettling. Eventually, they will be involved, but he won't jump in on his own... he'll be dragged in eventually.

So, Oikatzu is here for another reason.

One is to change his sub-job. The number of guilds for changing jobs is higher in Fiftythia and Third Rema than in other cities. That's why, despite being an early city, many high-level players still use Third Rema as a base.

"Cleric-type jobs don't need STR bonuses... Pilgrim might be a possibility, but leveling it up is a hassle."

The job level for the "Pilgrim" profession requires a pilgrimage across the continent on foot without using teleportation magic. It's a waste of time unless he's serious about it. A sub-production job doesn't suit him, and a sub-magic job is mediocre. Sub-jobs are mainly about expanding skills, magic, and weapon proficiency, and they generally don't go well with the "Destroyer" class, which is based on breaking weapons.

What about "Mystic"? No, that's also rejected. Oikatzu is not particularly fond of "high risk, high return."

This conclusion is based on his experience fighting meteors and malevolent stars, which embody high risk and high return. He doesn't feel inferior to anyone in terms of overall game management, but he is aware that he doesn't have the talent to bet everything on the line in a critical moment.

But that's fine. At least Oikatzu won't be reduced to a smear on the wall, won't explode when attacked by an assassin, and has managed to mark the all-white meteor with a black dot, even if it's not solely his achievement.

He is not wrong in his approach, so no matter how much he is pressured to pursue unique self-development, Oikatzu won't be discouraged. He is not,

(I'll definitely make them cry with just non-unique stuff...!!)

being stubborn.

Still, there is another reason, and Oikatzu decides to go with something he is familiar with, entering the Archaeologist Guild.

"Oh, it's you, Mr. Oikatzu. Are you ready to pursue the wisdom of the ancient gods again, even though I've lost count of how many times you've done this?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Being sarcastically teased by an NPC is quite an interesting experience. Oikatzu changes his sub-job to "Treasure Hunter," the only one he has ranked up to a higher level through various trials and errors. Although he can't use the unique skill "Treasure Perception" as it's not his main job, Oikatzu's goal is to use the weapon proficiency and skill tendencies of the Treasure Hunter.

"Well, then..."

The job change is done, and now for the other reason. He recalls a story he heard from a certain half-naked person—

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"Aladval is that kind of thing, it's in the category of hero weapons. It's different from regular weapons in terms of enhancement... it's more dramatic overall."

"Light a fire on the withered tip, rebuild into a new form, or reverse the karma..."

"In my case... oh, you know, there's a strange butterfly deep in the crater of the dead volcano beyond Third Rema. I used my excellent negotiation skills to get it to roast me while I lit the rusted Aladval."

"By the way, it turned out to be a raid monster? With a full-party instant-kill burning effect on normal attacks, it's a piece of shit boss even a monkey could recognize, right?"

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End of the flashback.

He always tells stories from his subjective point of view, even when talking to others... but squinting, he picks out the key points.

The raid monster "Crimson Wing" that wipes out all players before they even start the raid in that dead volcano is indeed a monster that only appears under certain conditions. And those conditions are not limited to combat.

"Or maybe this condition...? It must involve encountering a raid monster... but, if it's an event mob, is that all it takes...?"

Oikatzu took something from his inventory that looked like a mere rock. Upon closer inspection, it was a black stone-like substance covering "something" at its core.

"Sealed Ancient Weapon... the flavor text suggests it's a big hit."

According to the lore, this item is said to be a weapon sealed in burning lava by a warrior guild that retired after traversing many battlefields in ancient times. It can only be unlocked by further intense heat.

This item, which is rarely found in a certain quest for the Treasure Hunter series, remains unchanged even when destroyed by fire-based magic from pure magic users. Piecing together the information, there is only one answer to unlock the seal.

"Well... I'll need a little help from a raid monster."

Afterward, Oikatzu would clash with a group aiming to defeat the Crimson Wing and end up being roasted together.

It's not through a business network like Pencil's or a manly network like Dipslo's, but sometimes a casual connection can uncover unexpected information. That's Oikatzu's strength.