Chapter 94

Large shield... blunt weapon... melee weapon... ( ゜∀ ゜) Ha!

In one hand, a large shield, and in the other, a one-handed sword.

Both are the fully upgraded versions of the event weapons from the "Stardust" series that can be obtained during this event.

"Since they're event-limited items, I might use them someday," Nana exchanged the stardust fragments she had been saving for these two weapons that faintly glimmered like stars in the night darkness and fought on the front lines.

"Yo, ho, hey, it's done!"

Nimbly manipulating the one-handed sword, she cut through the joints of the Golem's arms. Despite her fluid movements, her sword technique was delicate, and the elegance of her movements was mesmerizing.

However, attacks that she could usually parry with a club couldn't be blocked with a one-handed sword, and the large shield, which she occasionally used, seemed to slow her down a bit.

Although this fighting style was very different from her usual one, Nana looked very happy.

Perhaps she liked the fact that she could block magic with the large shield, as she was deliberately fighting against magic-type monsters.

Her movements were so stable that it was hard to believe she was surrounded by over a dozen monsters. The way she deflected all their attacks with just the large shield gave the impression that she was using it very skillfully.

"I didn't really understand it at first, but now I finally get what Rinne meant. Indeed, that's not something to emulate."

"Really?"

It seemed that the impression of Nana's fighting style differed between me and Bloom.

I was impressed by Nana's solid and steady movements, which were better than I had expected, but Bloom didn't see it that way.

"Scuna, she hasn't even taken a scratch. That means she's deflected all the attacks from those many monsters. As you can imagine, a tank's agility stats can't do that. Tanks are designed to take hits, which is why they have high durability stats."

"…I see. Indeed, that's true."

"Probably, she can see all the monsters. That person could grasp the entire situation in the hall during her part-time job..."

A tank, also known as a wall, is an essential and crucial role in a balanced party.

Every monster has a hate value, which determines the target of their attacks.

The more you attack, the higher the hate value, and the more likely the monster will target you.

Healing and buffing also increase hate, as does interfering with a monster's actions.

During battles, the hate values of monsters change rapidly.

For regular monsters, hate management isn't a big concern, but in boss battles, it becomes very important.

In boss battles, powerful arts and magic are needed to whittle down the high HP.

However, the more powerful techniques a player uses, the more hate they generate.

If a healer is taken down, the party will collapse. The tank's role is to manage hate so that only they receive the attacks.

By using arts that generate a lot of hate, tanks allow attackers and healers to use powerful techniques safely, while taking all the monster's attacks.

Naturally, durability is essential, and tanks typically allocate their stats to toughness, magic defense, and HP.

"Still, the way Scuna deflects attacks might be useful."

"Nana probably thinks it's easier to deflect than using a club."

"Haha! Parrying is much harder than just defending, but a large shield is definitely easier than a club."

As Bloom said, the parrying technique Nana was using is quite difficult.

Parrying refers to deflecting incoming attacks. The key is to deflect rather than just block.

Blocking only returns the recoil, but deflecting can create a larger recoil and disrupt the opponent's balance.

This disruption is the most powerful aspect of parrying.

The downside is that you need to accurately deflect the attack, which requires good judgment.

Additionally, if you're weaker than the opponent, you might be overpowered.

In any case, parrying in PvP or chaotic battles is difficult, so it's more of a technique used against monsters with predictable attack patterns.

"Originally, Nana can perfectly remember any movement she sees once. Combined with her athletic ability and dexterity, she can accurately replicate and trace those movements."

"Ah, so that's why she was so good with knives during her part-time job."

"Probably. And because she can remember movements perfectly, the more she fights, the more she can anticipate and counter the opponent's attack patterns. By combining and improving the movements she has learned, she can adapt to any situation. 'Evolving monster' might be a cliché, but it fits Nana well."

Nana rarely uses it, but she has trained in several self-defense techniques.

This is because she was also my bodyguard.

Since the day I was attacked by a dog, Nana has been my best friend and my bodyguard.

Even in situations where an adult bodyguard couldn't be with me, a same-age female could always be by my side.

For this reason, my parents secretly asked Nana to be my bodyguard.

Of course, this was just a formal arrangement.

In reality, it was because Nana wanted to be with me.

Growing up in a dangerous environment, Nana was also at risk of harm.

To reduce this risk, my parents taught Nana self-defense techniques.

This was when Nana's talent for memorizing movements by sight was discovered.

It's a talent like a manga character's copying ability, but Nana can actually do it.

The current Nana has completely memorized the movements of almost all the monsters in the dungeon from previous runs.

She knows how fast each monster can move, the power and effects of their attacks, and even the algorithms that determine which monsters will move forward first when surrounded.

She instinctively judges and derives the optimal solution, and then deals with them in order. Nana is probably fighting this way.

"In other words, Scuna can deflect the attacks of so many monsters because she understands all their movements?"

"Yes. However, while her movements are stable, she's not really suited to be a tank."

"Is that so? It looks like she's combining the best of both wall tanks and avoidance tanks..."

"It might seem that way at first glance. But, she's doing this because she doesn't have Bloom's durability and has a fatal weakness to magic. As you pointed out, Nana hasn't taken any damage, which means she's fighting to avoid taking damage herself, not to protect her allies."

That said, there's nothing wrong with Nana's fighting style.

Bloom asked Nana to teach her how to use the large shield, not to show her how to fight as a tank.

So, what Nana is doing is just demonstrating how to use the large shield.

Moreover, since Nana doesn't have tank-specific hate management skills, it's impressive that she can keep the monsters' attacks focused on her.

"Well, it's very much like Nana to do only what she's asked. Sorry if it was a letdown?"

"No, just seeing what Scuna showed me is enough. I originally just wanted to see how to use the large shield. Wow, that person is really amazing."

Seeing Bloom's eyes filled with pure admiration and joy, I felt a bit nostalgic.

I remembered the days of trial and error, striving to achieve results as a professional.

In recent years, I've prioritized relationships with top players, and I haven't had many opportunities to play games with kids like Bloom, so I haven't seen this kind of look in a long time.

The desire to become stronger and better arises from someone who takes the game seriously.

Nana has always been incredibly strong and naturally becomes stronger, so she probably hasn't faced such challenges.

Toka also enjoys the game from a step back, so she probably hasn't felt the way Bloom does.

"…I still have a lot to learn, I guess."

"What's wrong?"

"Hehe, I still think I can grow."

I patted Bloom's head, which was tilted in confusion with a question mark above it.

Seeing Bloom's eyes, I remembered that long-forgotten feeling.

Suppressing the slight excitement, I welcomed Nana, who had finished off the monsters during our chat.