Data.58 – Old Bowman, Scorpio Trial

“I don’t mind. If I’m going to team up with four people anyway, then I’d feel better if I was with someone I know.”

“Ah! You don’t know how grateful I am, old man!”

While that matter was settled, we still needed to take on the Scorpio Labyrinth as a party of four.
And since matching was random, we would still have to play with people that we didn’t know.
Was Hatake worried about that at all?
If this trial required four players, then it would be quite hard…

“Did you hear that! He accepted my request!”

“Tsk. I didn’t think that I’d lose to you…it’s more humiliating than I thought.”

Said a person with short blue hair, who had appeared from behind Mister Hatake.
There was something cool and androgynous about him. The character had been created to feel slightly boyish.
And I had seen him before.

“You…were with Hatake during the turf war, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, we’re in the same guild. My name is Petta, and in spite of appearances, I’m a woman. Both in game and in real life. My job is ‘Trumpeter’ and I’m a 2nd.”

Well, I had assumed she was a he during the turf war, but I was wrong.
In any case, what kind of job was ‘Trumpeter’?
It didn’t sound like something that had branched off from ‘Warrior,’ ‘Sorcerer,’ or ‘Shooter’…

“I knew you would be curious about my job, seeing as you’re a famous player that everyone is talking about now. As you might have guessed, it’s not a typical class-change. It’s a special class that can be reached by raising your first job to the limit and then fulfilling certain requirements. Though, in my case, I just happened to pick up the right item.”

I didn’t know about that system…
But ‘Special Class’ had such a nice ring to it.

“By the way, even if you’re already a 2nd, if you have fulfilled the requirements, you can change your class to something else. As your level will be the same as before, you can’t keep changing your class in order to raise your level and become stronger. And since skills are generally dependant on jobs and weapons, you’re likely to get more of them if you continue with the same one.”

I see…
So you could change classes horizontally as well then.
As I had already decided that I would use a bow and increase my Range, I had no intention of changing my 2nd from ‘Archer.’
But I suppose there would be people who weren’t satisfied with their choices and want to change it.

If you weren’t allowed to change it later on, then the special class system would be wasted.
According to Petta, having a special item allowed you to switch to a special class, but not many would happen to have such an item.
And so if you couldn’t change it later, only the luckiest people would be able to become a special class.

“So…what kind of job is Trumpeter?”

I couldn’t help but ask.
It was rather rude, as it was like asking someone to reveal their secrets, but my curiosity regarding something as cool as special classes was too strong.

“Well, I can’t tell you too much. But I suppose…I’m good with sound attacks…and buffs…”

“Oh? Buffs eh…”

But didn’t Hatake do that as well?
That was probably why she hesitated to say it.
During the end of the turf war, their guild had sent their best to go and attack the enemy base. And so there were two buffers there…
It made me wonder about the guild composition.

“Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t choose Trumpeter because I wanted to support others. It was just that I learned those skills after choosing it. The real reason is that I like the idea of attacking with ‘sound.’”

“Attacking with sound…?”

“You know, how sometimes in RPGs, you can use musical instruments as weapons? In other words, they are attacking with sounds. And I thought…you’d be very powerful if you could do the same thing in a VR game… After all, it’s an attack that you can’t see.”

“I suppose…”

It was definitely an interesting idea…!
Just like I had thought to make use of the vast VRMMO maps by increasing my range and picking off enemies from afar, she had seen the advantage of invisible attacks in a game that was close to real life.
Usually in RPGs, the battle ability of people who fought with musical instruments was quite low.
However, if it was real, then you couldn’t block sound with a shield, and you wouldn’t know how wide of an area the attack had.

So…it could be very strong?
I wanted to know more, but it would be considered bad manners to pry.
However, I’m sure I would learn by watching her fight.

“So you and Hatake are in the same guild?”

“Yes.”

“But you’re here. Is that because you also failed the Scorpio trial?”

“No, I cleared it on my first try. But he cried and begged me to come.”

Petta said, pointing at Mister Hatake.
I could imagine that. At the same time, it told me that she wasn’t the type of person to ignore those in need.

“But I was worried if it was just her. After all, she…”

“Hey! Keep your mouth shut!”

“Why? He’ll find out as soon as we enter the dungeon anyway.”

“Then you can wait until then!”

“Fine… Alright, old man! Let’s go to the Scorpio dungeon!”

The conversation ended just as something concerning had been brought up…
Yes, perhaps Hatake really was a force of nature that threw me into harsh situations.

◆ ◆ ◆

The Scorpio Labyrinth was in the desert.
As the scorching sun shone over our heads, we slowly made our way over the sand.

“Old man! I’ll explain the special rules to you so we can enter as soon as we arrive!”

“Thanks.”

“First, the entrance is a pyramid. It’s a wonderful sight, you’ll want to take plenty of screenshots.”

I wished he hadn’t said that…
Now the surprise was sort of ruined…

“As for what Charin looks like…”

“Ne-nevermind that. Tell me about the dungeon.”

“Oh, really?”

I would be really annoyed if he told me that much.
After all, I was actually looking forward to seeing how she would be dressed in each area.

“As I keep saying, it’s limited to a party of 4. And Unisons count as one player. I didn’t know that you had one…put it’s perfect! Now there are four of us!”

“Uh, great…”

Garbow wasn’t out right now.
I felt bad about making him swim over a desert with the sun shining down.

“Now, the requirement for getting the medal is that you’re alive after killing the boss at the end.”

“That’s very simple.”

“All of it is relatively simple. That’s what makes it so dangerous. As for the special reward, there are monsters called ‘Hell Stingers’ in the dungeon. And you have to kill 5 of them before clearing the dungeon. And players who are killed by Hell Stingers…cannot come back to life. In other words, you won’t receive any medals at that point. Even if the rest of the party finishes the trial!”

“Ah, so that’s how you…”

“I was stung…! It was quite impressive, really… And it was straight to hell in one shot… No, that was a figurative expression. They can’t actually oneshot you, so don’t worry. However, it’s true that they are much stronger than the other monsters.”

So…you received a reward for killing a lot of strong monsters.
Yes, they were very simple rules for an rpg.

“Oh, there’s the pyramid.”

Petta pointed. And there it was, just like the spoilers said.
Well, it was still an impressive sight even if you knew what to expect.
After all, it’s not like I had ever seen a pyramid in real life.

As for Charin…she had tanned skin, and revealing clothes with golden accessories inspired by Egypt.
But even with a different hairstyle, she had the same golden hair, which looked odd.
These kinds of clothes suited black hair, in my opinion.

‘The rules here are simple! Be alive during the moment that the boss falls-nyon! Kill 5 Hell Stingers and you’ll also get a special reward! Now, off you go to the pyramid-nyon!’

“You heard her. It’s off to the pyramid!”

Hatake said as he pulled me inside.
Just like the exterior, the inside was made up of stone walls, forming an expansive labyrinth that stretched out before us.
If this was an old action movie, the floor would fall out and we’d be in danger of falling into a pit of sharp stakes. And there might be hidden passages and long corridors where we’d be chased by boulders…
In any case, there was no time limit, so we might as well take it slowly.

“It’s this way, old man! We went this way last time, so we know it’s safe!”

“I-I see…”

But was it really?
What if the shape of this dungeon changed randomly?
As if in answer to this doubt, the wall near Hatake suddenly crumbled.
And what appeared from the other side…was a giant red and black scorpion.

“Ah, look! This is a Hell Stinger! You’ll fail if it kills you! And so…please help me!”

I knew…that this would happen.
And well, I was prepared to deal with it.

“Petta, can you cast some buffs? The scorpion looks very tough…and…”

“Ahhh! I just hate these bug monsters…! Don’t you know? Scorpions are related to spiders…! They’re so gross…! I shouldn’t have come back, no matter how sorry I felt for him…! I don’t want to have to fight them again…! I-I’m not ready…”

“What…”

Now…this, I had not expected.

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