Chapter 15

This is a story set in the real world.

I will include the status changes in the afterword, so please check them if you are interested.

“Mmm~”

After lying down for a few hours, I stretched my stiff body and got off the VR machine.

Perhaps because I had been so intensely focused just a moment ago, my head felt a bit fuzzy for the first time in a while.

I don’t think I was ever this tired even when I was working like a madman.

Construction work is a different story, but ordinary customer service jobs are surprisingly easy outside of peak hours.

After thoroughly stretching, I padded into the living room and noticed a delicious smell wafting through the air.

“Rin-chan, what are you making~?”

“Nana, you’re up. Is this an early lunch or a late breakfast?”

“Wow, it’s beef stew. How much longer will it take?”

“About 10 more minutes.”

“I’ll set the table then.”

Rin-chan, wearing an apron, was stirring the pot.

She must have anticipated that I would log out and started cooking.

I took out the dishes for two from the cupboard and arranged them on the table.

Since I prefer bread with beef stew, I also prepared some kopi pan, and since Rin-chan likes cereal, I didn’t forget to take out the milk.

“Itadakimasu.”

Our voices overlapped as we started our slightly late breakfast.

Rin-chan had also made a gratin to go with the beef stew, giving the meal a Western feel.

I like all kinds of food, but I often eat Western dishes because they are high in calories.

That’s why my favorite foods tend to be Western, and naturally, Rin-chan’s repertoire of dishes is also biased towards Western cuisine.

“Congratulations on defeating the named boss monster. I watched the stream. It was definitely a good idea to invite you.”

Rin-chan smiled and said that.

The happy battle time I had was undoubtedly thanks to Rin-chan inviting me to this game.

“Thank you, Rin-chan. For always looking out for me.”

“It’s not something that deserves thanks. Compared to what I’ve received from you, it’s really a small thing.”

Despite her congratulatory words, the atmosphere became a bit sentimental.

Sensing this, Rin-chan quickly changed the subject.

“So, how did Aria’s result turn out?”

“I took a screenshot... um, this one. Take a look.”

The terminal I handed over contained a screenshot from the game.

Rin-chan looked at it with interest, nodded in understanding, and put the terminal down.

“Is there anything you want to ask?”

“Rin-chan, you’re quick. Do you know about named items?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t have one myself, but my friends do.”

As I had expected, there are players who have obtained named items.

“The rarity: named, isn’t mentioned on the official page. What is it?”

“I’ll explain everything about named items. The named boss monsters, or simply named, are the bosses of each field whose information is kept secret by the official site. However, it’s easy to find out if you play the game. Named monsters can be roughly divided into three categories based on testing.”

According to Rin-chan, named boss monsters are categorized into three types: Solo, Party, and Raid.

First, when you encounter them, the options to flee or interrupt are systemically sealed. This is called the "barrier."

I didn’t notice it, but the barrier was active during the Red Wolf Aria battle.

Inside the barrier, a certain number of people can exist, and these categories are the three types Rin-chan mentioned.

For example, the lone red wolf Aria has a Solo-only barrier. Therefore, you are forced into a one-on-one battle where you cannot flee.

Even if you tried to flee, I don’t think you could escape from her agility and infinite stamina...

For the Party category, up to six people in the same party. For Raid, up to 30 people in five parties.

The rules for the named boss monster barriers are currently correct.

In other words, think of the barrier as creating a boss room on the field.

In exchange for not being able to get reinforcements, there are no interruptions.

If an interruption had occurred at the last moment of the red wolf battle... it would have been a reasonable system.

“So, when a named monster is defeated for the first time in the game, it always drops an item called a 'soul.' This is the first defeat bonus. Because of this, intense last attack wars... but that’s a different story. Anyway, the 'rarity: named' applies only to the soul itself and the weapons made from it. The official site doesn’t mention it because they are hiding it, and top players also keep the details secret, so you might not find it in strategy guides.”

“Hmm... so it’s an extremely rare item.”

“Fufu, yes, that’s right. You’re not wrong.”

Seeing that I had given up thinking, Rin-chan had the expected look on her face.

A rare item that can be used for weapons. Even top players rarely obtain it, and it drops for sure on the first defeat.

Knowing that much should be enough.

“Oh, right, Rin-chan. I think it was written in the screenshot, but I also received bonus status points when I defeated it.”

“That’s right. How many?”

“I think it’s 30. Six levels worth.”

“Thirty... so even for a Solo named, you get points. So far, only two Party-scale named monsters have been defeated, and all the members who participated received the same bonus as Nana. But it’s a one-time bonus.”

“A one-time bonus... of course.”

If you got status points every time you defeated it, the strongest players would be unstoppable.

“And of course, not from the same monster, and apparently not even from two different ones after the first defeat. However, you might get it from a named monster in a different category. I’ll throw this information to the research guild.”

“I’ll leave that to you. Hmm, the beef stew is delicious.”

“Of course. It’s my cooking.”

I had asked the minimum necessary questions, so I dug into the hot beef stew.

I love beef stew. Of course, regular stews too.

I generally like simmered dishes, but these two are non-negotiable.

“Oh, by the way, about the named rewards, you can show the soul if you want. Since Waro is known for streaming, hiding information doesn’t make much sense. Of course, you can keep it secret if you want.”

“Even though it was sudden, I also streamed it. It started with about 100 people, but it went over 10,000. By the way, what is Waro?”

“A casual abbreviation of WLO. It became popular among streamers and stuck.”

WLO, Waro. I’m not very good with English, so I don’t know the exact pronunciation, but it’s all about the feeling. As long as it sounds right, it’s fine.

“Oh, right, about the red wolf materials. I think you’ll be contacted by production players as early as this afternoon.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because it’s the material from a monster that has never been defeated before. And since it’s a named monster, the quality is high, and because it was a solo defeat, you have a substantial amount. Production players want to try making something with materials they’ve never handled before.”

It’s the same as gourmet chefs wanting to try delicious food, Rin-chan said.

I’m sorry, but that analogy is easy to understand but hard to grasp.

“I see... what should I do?”

“I think you can entrust it to a player of your choice. At this point, only front-line high-level players can handle named materials.”

If your production level is not high enough, you can’t use materials from strong monsters.

It’s a common but reasonable reason.

“I understand. I’ll decide on my own. I don’t think it’s good to rely on others for everything.”

“I’m all for it?”

“Haha, I know.”

I smiled at Rin-chan, who spread her arms in welcome, and she winked back.

---

“Oh, right, the 6-hour penalty means you’re level 21 now, right? Actually, in the starting city...”

“Wow! So...”

The conversation was dominated by WLO, but we enjoyed a relaxed time until the noon stream.

I watched Rin-chan log in for her broadcast at noon, then did the dishes and brought in the laundry.

After finishing the chores, I logged back into WLO a little before 1 PM.

Here are the status changes from the main story.

The changes from the “new equipment and new skills” point to the “red wolf battle reward” point.

PN: Sukuna

Lv: 13

Race: Oni

Occupation:

Money: 17,820 Iris

Status

HP: 195

MP: 15

SP: 104

Strength: 45 + 15

Stamina: 28 + 20

Dexterity: 58 + 2

Agility: 51 + 2

Intelligence: 3

Magic Defense: 3

Luck: 34

Remaining Status Points: 0

Equipment

Weapon: Gold Club

Head: Iron Helmet

Body: Chain Mail

Arms: Iron Gauntlets

Legs: Belted Leather Pants

Feet: Iron Greaves

Skills

* Skill selection is possible

Blunt Weapon Proficiency: 35

Throwing Proficiency: 20

Detection Proficiency: 0

One-Handed Mace Proficiency: 0

PN: Sukuna

Lv: 21

Race: Oni

Occupation:

Money: 48,690 Iris

Status

HP: 299

MP: 25

SP: 156

Strength: 56

Stamina: 39 + 20

Dexterity: 74 + 2

Agility: 62 + 2

Intelligence: 5

Magic Defense: 5

Luck: 50

Remaining Status Points: 65

Equipment

Weapon:

Head: Iron Helmet

Body: Chain Mail

Arms: Iron Gauntlets

Legs: Belted Leather Pants

Feet: Iron Greaves

Skills

Blunt Weapon Proficiency: 55

Throwing Proficiency: 40

Detection Proficiency: 10

One-Handed Mace Proficiency: 5

Famine Wolf