Chapter 59

"Tokachan is here! Now we can win!"

Putting aside the excited listeners for a moment, I look up at Tokachan.

"It's not like it's been a long time, but..."

"Hmm, indeed. We've had a lot of intense days recently."

"I've seen you stream a few times, but it's been one trouble after another. This is the first time I've seen you in person. You're quite a famous NPC, helping players in the field who are in trouble."

There's even a fan club. Tokachan opened the menu to show me a fan club bulletin board.

"I don't have a membership, so I don't know what's being discussed on this board, but maybe it will reach Scuk-sama eventually."

"Hmm..."

"You don't seem to care much."

"Frankly speaking..."

Even if they do contact me, I can't really give or take anything. Just two days, yet two significant days. There's a deeper connection between me and Kohaku than what's been superficially discussed in the streams. I don't want to do anything that would harm Kohaku, nor do I want to be harmed. Well, I don't think it's something to worry about too much.

"By the way, why are you here, Tokachan?"

"I've been leveling up for the past two days and planned to do more today. Then I realized I had missed Scuk-sama's stream notification, so I rushed over."

"I see, right, you can watch streams in-game too."

Just like the users of the Oni race bulletin board, you can watch streams through the menu in-game. The bulletin board can be viewed from anywhere as long as you have a player ID and password, but posting is limited to safe areas like towns.

There might be various issues with the streamer's location being clearly visible, but it's a matter of accepting that as part of the game. Sniping, a common practice in online competitive game streams, has been around for a long time, and if there are any stalking incidents, the management can take action like permanent bans.

"What level are you at now, Tokachan?"

"Level 34!"

"Level 34!? You've really been working hard."

I don't remember exactly, but the last time I played with Tokachan, she was around level 25. For someone as busy as a student, leveling up by 9 levels is quite a feat. Especially since she has a supporter-type build. If she did it all alone, it must have been quite a struggle.

"I enjoy this kind of work. The more time you put in, the more the numbers grow."

Hearing Tokachan say this with a gentle tone, I think, "There's a way of thinking like that too." Indeed, if you consider that you get clear returns like experience points and items right away, it might be more motivating than the real world, where the results of your efforts are often invisible.

"What level is Scuk-sama at now?"

"Level 32... no, 33."

Before fighting Kohaku, I was level 31, but somehow I'm now level 33. That's strange, I only heard one level-up notification... Oh, I see.

"It's because you fought Kohaku and gained experience points."

"Even though I lost?"

"Hehe... Well, yeah, I did lose..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Scuk-sama!"

Tokachan's innocent words pierce my heart. It feels like I can hear a "thud."

*Grass*

*Laugh*

*Laugh without mercy*

*Pretty hurt*

"No... It's impossible... To beat Kohaku is impossible... She's definitely over level 100..."

"Don't be down, Scuk-sama!"

I die from the support fire from the listeners to Tokachan. So frustrating.

"Can everyone beat that thing? I want to say they can, but..."

*No way*

*No way*

*No way*

*No way*

"Causing an earthquake-like tremor... What is that, really?"

"I thought it was an earthquake in the game, but it was Kohaku's attack. The whole of Trillia was shaking."

"Wow..."

With an estimated 4-digit strength stat, only Kohaku could do that. If I could reach 4 digits, maybe I could cause a similar phenomenon. I might need to level up by about 150 more to reach 4 digits, but that would be quite unbalanced.

"Changing the subject..."

"Yes?"

"Why are there only gorillas in this plain?"

This isn't just about WLO; each field in games usually has a theme. For example, in a certain national RPG, there's a hidden field where only slime-type monsters appear, or a bonus field where only high-experience monsters appear.

In WLO, the marshlands near Duras are inhabited by frogs, making it a frog kingdom. The field between the southern gate of the starting city and the End Forest is the territory of wolves. In the Forest of Magic, only magic-using monsters appear. It's not uncommon for fields to be designed around a theme. More simply, insect monsters in forests or fish monsters in the sea are typical patterns that follow the natural environment.

To clarify, I'm not an expert on gorillas. I just have a strong image of them living in forests, so seeing them roaming the plains feels a bit off. If this plain is themed around gorillas, that's fine. They give good experience and are tough but not too difficult to defeat. Unlike the area around Duras, the climate and terrain around Trillia are mild, making it not too difficult to deal with gorillas.

"The reason this field is full of gorillas is because of the boss."

"The boss? A named monster?"

Like the red wolf Aria in a pack of wolves? Aria was a lone wolf, but she was a fitting boss for the wolf field. I thought it might be similar, but the answer was a no.

"No, it's different. It's the boss guarding the border between Trillia and Feas."

"Border... So it's a dungeon? It looks like a plain as far as I can see, but do gorillas come from so far away?"

Fields full of gorillas, dungeons full of gorillas. Imagining a gorilla-filled journey makes me a bit weary. As if reading my thoughts, Tokachan waved her hands and denied my assumption.

"No, Scuk-sama. There is no dungeon on the way from Trillia to Feas."

"Huh?"

No dungeon?

"Between Trillia and Feas, there is a large river. A vast and long river, about a kilometer wide. The only bridge to cross this river is the home of the third guardian, the Armored Mount Gorilla. To reach the fourth city, Feas, you must fight this guardian."

"Armored Mount Gorilla..."

*Armored...*

*Mount...*

*Gorilla*

*↑ Don't use English for the last one, lol*

Despite being a river boss... Mount...? I quietly tuck that thought away and imagine the boss with a very strong name. I remember Rin saying that the boss on the way from Trillia to Feas is quite strong.

"It's a really strong boss. Simply tough, with high attack power and decent speed, making it a physical-type boss. I tried it once with a friend, but we lost."

"Really, a physical-type boss?"

"Yes. It doesn't use magic attacks. However, even tanks take a lot of damage from its attacks, so it's not necessarily advantageous to be physical-type."

"But... I think I have good synergy with it."

Hearing that the Armored Mount Gorilla is a pure physical-type, I think I have good synergy with it. Well, it's more like I'm not fatally weak to physical attacks, but from what I've heard, it doesn't seem to use a lot of flanking moves.

"That's true. So, I have a proposal."

This time, Tokachan affirmed my thoughts with a smile and raised a finger.

"Would you like to challenge the boss with me?"