Data.70 – Old Bowman, Mystified

After materializing, the Mist Tigers looked like white tigers with black and white fur.
Real tigers were scary enough, but as monsters, these were larger and more vicious. I felt chills as they surrounded us…
While the ones in front were easy to shoot now that we could see them, I also heard growls coming from behind.
They had us from all sides.

“Garbow! Guard our back!”

“Gar! Gar!”

I summoned Garbow, who had been away while I was climbing.
And then I activated his speciality, Ocean Sphere.
I would have him charge into the fog.

But it wasn’t like I had made him charge without thinking about anything.
After all, fog was water vapor. And so I thought that if Garbow touched them while being surrounded by sea water, they would materialize.
And I was right.
Once they appeared, Garbow would charge into them or unleash light beams and missiles.

Unison monsters had better stats than average monsters.
And so unless they were fighting against a boss, they would rarely lose.

“So this is the Garbow I’ve heard so much about. It’s impressive that it can fight so much on land in spite of being a fish-type monster.”

“Ah, even a Unison Trainer thinks so? Garbow is specialized for attacks and makes up for the firepower that I lack. He also has good physical defense and is strong against poison. And he has both ranged and close-quarters skills. His only weaknesses are lightning and that he becomes slow after the effect of a charge attack ends. But he’s still a reliable buddy.”

As this was about Garbow, I couldn’t help but boast honestly.
While I was likely to be modest when someone praised my own ability, I was very pleased when someone praised Garbow.
Especially because this was someone who really understood Unisons.

“Still, my Gochu is also no slouch. While I’m currently controlling him through Monster Link, he is actually smart enough to fight while protecting me on his own. I’m only hiding now because my equipment is in a terrible state.”

“Yes, yours is pretty bad too. I have to be careful, as mine is close to breaking completely.”

“Your armor set, Mister Kyuji…I’ve never seen it before. It must have been from a very rare monster. Well, so was mine. And while I might have made a mistake during the Cancer trial, I’m glad that it wasn’t destroyed completely.”

“The Cancer trial.. I haven’t gone there yet.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for you.”

“Still, isn’t it difficult to complete trials while relying on your Unison? Besides, there are probably times when they are banned…”

“That wouldn’t be a problem. Unison Trainers have special permission to take their Unisons anywhere.”

Special permission, huh…
Well, I suppose it made sense.
It would be like taking away an Archer’s bow.

“And so I used this right to have Gochu clear the Sagittarius trial.”

“What? …Even the archery from horseback?”

“Yes, that’s right. While it wasn’t on his first try, he was still able to do it. As Gochu is a monkey, he’s better at throwing stones or axes than using bows. But you look more like a star player with a bow. And since I also upload videos, I care a lot about appearances.”

A monkey shooting arrows from atop a horse…
That would look interesting, and make me want to watch the video.
However, I would have liked to see it live…

“That being said, there are times when I can’t leave everything to the Unison. And so I make sure to have high-grade equipment in case the worst happens. And while Monster Link is activated, some of my stats can be shared with the Unison, so it would not be a waste to raise them as well.”

“Well, I’ve increased my Range so that the enemy won’t be able to attack me, but it doesn’t always work out. So I don’t make compromises when it comes to equipment and skills.”

“Yes, it isn’t as easy as it looks, right? However, people should put in the effort if they want to take it easy. I don’t agree with the idea that taking the easy route is wrong.”

Satomi continued to fight the Mist Tigers while inside of Gochu.
While shooting the other tigers down, I watched their movements, and they did not seem uncomfortable at all.
I didn’t know how he was controlling the monkey’s body, but it couldn’t be easy for a human to move as a monkey so perfectly.
Even though there were similarities, biologically, the overall structure of their bodies was very different.
Was it talent? Passion…

“Satomi. It seems like more of them are gathering even as we fight. There is no end to them.”

“Tsk… Yes, it seems to be the case. I’m going to blast away the mist with a charge attack and then we can move on ahead.”

And then Gochu began to spin his staff above his head.
As for me, Garbow began to break apart and then combined with my bow.

“Charge Attack – Fire Rock Flower!”

“Combination Charge Attack – Meteor Bow!”

Boulders that burned red like meteors rained down, as did shining red arrows, and they blew away and erased the mist.
This time, the Mist Tigers turned into particles of light and disappeared.
Our vision opened up, and a path that stretched out to the mountain peak appeared in front of us.

“Now’s our chance. Apparently, Mist Tigers attack people who stand still after becoming lost. So they won’t surround us as long as we keep moving.”

Satomi returned from his invisible state as Gochu picked him up. And then we ran.
As I had used the combination charge attack, I wouldn’t be able to summon Garbow for an hour.
It would be quite dangerous if the tigers surrounded us again.
While it was a powerful attack, the demerit was heavy…

On the other hand, Satomi hadn’t really reacted at all to it.
It was as if it was something he had seen many times already…
He probably had the same ability as well then.

Players that were odd but had their own style were the ones to catch Necoco’s eye.
However, that was only if they had the skill to back it up.
And so he must have more tricks up his sleeve…

I had gotten excited and showed mine… The most powerful one that I had recently acquired.
Well, that was just like me.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Damn it…why does the craftsman live in a place like this…!”

“I agree…! A craftsman has to accept jobs in order to live… But why would anyone want to come all of the way out here…!”

We were climbing yet another cliff.
As Gochu had become tired, Satomi was climbing by himself. And his movements were incredibly awkward…
Was he the type who hated exercising…?

“We’re almost at the top…! You can do it…!”

I tried not to think about it and avoided looking up. But I was also nearing my limit…!
It was just as I started to consider taking a chance and using Warp Arrow to shoot up, that my hand reached the top.

“I did it…! I’m at the peak…!”

But what was waiting for us there, was an unexpected sight.
As this was a craftsman who lived in the middle of nowhere, I expected a simple cottage.
Though, on further reflection, it did make sense for someone so skilled to have a proper workshop. So a simple cottage wouldn’t do.
However, this surpassed even a ‘proper workshop.’

It was really a small town.
A glittering town that was like a small paradise.
Wait a minute…had we climbed so high up that we reached heaven…!?

“I am quite sure that this is our destination… We followed the signs, after all… In any case, I am exhausted! I don’t care if it’s the wrong place, I’m going to get some rest…!”

And so Satomi entered the town.
Yes, calm down. If anything, things were rarely what I expected in this game.
The craftsman was surely here.
I just needed to find him and have my Windcloud set repaired…!

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like