Episode 99. Unrecovered area (5)
It was an opponent who did not need to hide.
The moment the opponent came close to me, I quietly appeared in the bushes.
“You were surprised to see someone chasing you.”
“I was just in case because he suddenly hid towards the bush, but he noticed it too.”
The identity of the person who followed me was none other than Shin So-ra.
“You must have also met Kyu-min senior on the way, right?”
“that’s right.”
“I thought you wouldn’t let me go, but did you manage to let me go?”
Shin So-ra smiled like a mischievous child.
“Hee hee. Actually, I overheard my brother making excuses to Kyu-min oppa unintentionally. So I thought it was right and I followed suit.”
“Then let me go?”
“You were very embarrassed with your face blushing? After that, he told me to hurry up and come back because I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
that would be embarrassing Aren’t you embarrassed and exhausted? Even if you were like me, you would have rushed to use the emote implant and try to forcefully cool yourself down.
“So what is the real purpose? If you see that I followed you, there must be another reason.”
Could it be that it is a repertoire that I followed because I was worried about going out alone?
“brother. I heard you came here to play with your hands?”
“… … so?”
“I’m here to help you?”
“… … … … I see.”
Brain freeze came, so I took time to answer.
[Activates ‘Emotion Implant’.]
After belatedly regaining my composure, I hesitated for a moment as to what to do with this bare-footed little devil.
‘Should I return it? If I’m alone, everyone won’t care anyway, so even so. If even Shin So-ra was away, everyone would be overly conscious of where she was.’
Although I gave an estimate that I could explore alone. It was also true that with a tanker like Shin So-ra, it would be safer to move around. Above all, because she was a trustworthy relationship.
The worry didn’t last long. I was going to make up my mind that I should ask him to take him since he had followed me.
“Wow~”
“What’s the matter? stop moving.”
“Eh? Wasn’t that what you meant to do?”
When Shin So-ra tried to put her hands under her skirt, I hurriedly grabbed her arms to stop her.
[Activates ‘Emotion Implant’.]
I was about to get dizzy again, so I put a sedative in my head again.
I could see why Jeong Gyu-min was flustered.
“You must be wrong. I didn’t come out of camp to do that. What I said to Gyu-Min senior was just covering things up.”
“Actually, I knew.”
“… what?”
“Where did me and my brother know each other for a day or two? When my brother is about to perform something, he has his unique gaze and atmosphere. So I followed you to see if I could help… … .”
Saying that, Shin So-ra put her hands behind her back and looked up at me with slightly raised eyes and asked.
“Will you get in the way if I follow you?”
You know how to keep a man from turning down his request. Coincidentally, it must have been the fabricated past me who taught that. I don’t know if it’s good to think of this as karma.
anyway.
“It could be dangerous.”
“Then you are even more motivated? I am confident in protecting someone.”
“Aren’t you curious what I’m going to do?”
“My brother always said, ‘Don’t you trust me?’ He just told me to trust him and follow him. I’ve never had a loss so far after believing and following. therefore.”
I trust you.
Shin So-ra replaced that last word with a charming smile.
I had no choice but to take it.
***
In the unrecovered area, all kinds of things exist.
criminals and demons. Monster Room. Even the corpses of saints who do not rot well that Sung Hyuk-soo explained last time.
‘If there were only such negative elements, it would have been safe to call it literally hell.’
Psychic Age always had its pros and cons. Where is that? If the disadvantages were strong, there were also attractive advantages.
that advantage. The reason why you have to explore the rough area called the unrecovered area. One of them was the Hidden Stash I was going to look for from now on.
‘Hidden Stash found in Pansy Golem Field. I was able to find an artifact called the ‘Silence Choir’ here.’
Silence’s choir.
It was an artifact that boasted a fairly high level. Its appearance was like a tiara, and its performance boasted an effect worthy of its high rank.
‘I wonder if it was an artifact equipped with a function that would never get caught in the Halo phenomenon.’
In the original work, there was a numerical value called ‘fatigue’. It was one of the undisclosed numbers, as was the popularity required to attract Shin So-ra as a colleague.
Although not private, this number could be roughly guessed from the dialogue between the characters.
‘When fatigue accumulates, I get stressed easily, and even a minor mistake easily reduces my affinity for it, making it easier to fall into a halo state.’
It was a balance factor of its own to prevent one-pattern play where only a specific character was continuously employed. It was a penalty that was intrusive when it came to reality, not a game.
What blocks this penalty is the Silence Choir. Instead, there was a crazy downside that all stats and skill performance were cut by 33%.
‘Even considering that, it’s true that it’s a valuable artifact.’
For example, sending a character to the field to hunt for a hit and run. When raising weak colleagues, strong characters are attached to them so that they can be used as bus drivers without burden of fatigue, etc.
Among them, there was a time when it showed the most key performance. It is easy to fall into the Halo state, but the spec itself was given to very powerful characters.
Where the benefit of being able to ignore Halo outweighs the penalty of Silence’s Choir. It suddenly came to mind that it was considered a must-have item for that type of character.
‘and… . Oh. Look at my mind.’
As I was walking, thinking about the artifact I was going to get from now on, I stopped, remembering that there was a problem I had put on hold the other day.
“Why is that, brother?”
“you. I hated being gross.”
“You’re not trying to tell me to go back because you’re bothered by that, are you? Will I cry if you come all the way here and suddenly send me back?”
“Not that. It’s because I can make you not feel that disgusting thing.”
“really?”
The method itself was simple.
The second ability of Delusion Practice. All you have to do is use the power of changing her perception to change the gross elements she considers to be not gross.
I studied her complexion as I explained my nature.
“Are you okay?”
“What do you mean it will be okay? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could see something gross and not think it was gross?”
“Now I said I would manipulate your mind. Aren’t you anxious?”
“I graduated long ago when I was anxious about my brother’s decision. I don’t hesitate anymore.”
When I saw Shin So-ra’s straight eyes, I smiled bitterly.
‘but. I’m a kid who blindly believes in me and follows me even though I don’t know where I’m going. You asked something wrong.’
I asked for her understanding and put my hand on the top of my head.
“I’ll start right away.”
“yes.”
[‘Delusion Practice’ is activated.]
The feeling of fear Shin So-ra harbors. The power was activated to change her perception so that she would not tremble even at the sight of gross things.
Chijik!
“Kuk.”
“Oh, brother?! are you okay?”
Sparks from the collision of magical powers flew from the hand that was placed on her head.
‘The sense of resistance is stronger than I thought.’
It wasn’t a feeling of resistance caused by Shin So-ra not trusting me. It was just that the feeling of disgust that she hated being disgusting was thicker than I thought.
There was nothing to be upset about. In the past, if you tried to infuse opposing emotions or thoughts, the reaction was basically this strong.
‘Although I could invest more mental strength and push harder.’
I wanted to save as much mental energy as possible.
“Shin Sora. At this rate, I don’t think I can easily get rid of those fearful feelings you will feel.”
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“Could you ease your mind a little more?”
“Isn’t that asking too much?”
“Mmm.”
Was it too crowded? To be at peace in a dangerous place like an unrecovered area? Even I thought it was a very absurd request.
“My brother and I are alone in a dark place like this… . How to make your heart feel at ease… … .”
Shin So-ra said while twisting her body.
I see That was the reason.
When I looked at her with cold eyes, she suddenly made a sullen expression.
“Oh.”
“Then I will stay like this. I think this will put my mind at ease.”
Without a chance to react, he suddenly came into my arms.
A perfect close hug without any sense of distance. The thought circuit tried to run wild without even realizing it at the lethal tactile sensation felt from the parts of the body that were in contact with each other.
‘I can’t calm down if I do this!’
After having no choice but to use the Emotion Implant and enter Sage Mode. I activated the delusion practice to make sure that she was really at ease.
It seems that her words were not false, but this time I felt the sense that my nature was being applied without difficulty.
“Oops. ahhh… .”
“Don’t make any weird noises. I know you pay it on purpose.”
“Hee hee. Aren’t you embarrassed by this now? I’m sorry.”
“How about that? It’s all over, but do you feel any different?”
Shin So-ra answered as she escaped from her embrace.
“I don’t know right now. You have to face something gross to know?”
“Good. There just happened to be an insect on your shoulder.”
“Really? huh? Where are you? Anything?”
“Seeing that you’re not freaking out, it seems to be fine.”
This saved her from having to panic when she encountered something gross.
‘If at all, I don’t have to worry about not being able to fight properly because Shin So-ra shrinks when she encounters the undead again.’
We moved on again.
“Now I am going to look for something.”
I spoke first.
“Couldn’t you have told me? You don’t have to force yourself to talk.”
“Not to that extent. A rich lady had gone missing in this place before. At that time, I heard that the precious artifact the lady had is somewhere here.”
I told Shin So-ra the background of the Silence Choir.
I didn’t know much detail. The items hidden in the field of Psychic Age are mostly because the background was explained in a vague way.
“Looking at taking risks, do you think it’s very expensive?”
“Expensive things are expensive, but the performance is very good.”
If that doesn’t work, you can ask for help with the body cam badge. Or you can use the Ring of the Wild Forest to enlist her help. Anyway, there is a corner to believe in, so I act boldly like this.
“Are you sure you know where it is?”
“Don’t worry, I did my research beforehand. We are almost there.”
We were able to find a cave before we knew it, as we rode through the thicket, across the thick trees, and eventually to the steep mountain.
“Is there a cave in a place like this?”
Rotten trees and debris felled by rain and wind. and falling rocks. The entrance to the cave was exquisitely hidden in the gap.
“It was probably created by a monster that digs into the ground.”
Previously, he could only move forward by relying on his eyes adapted to the darkness and the moonlight in the sky, but it was different from here.
“Should I light the lights with my smartphone?”
“I’ll do it. Because you have to move freely to protect me if something happens. and… .”
“What else?”
“First, prepare your mind. Even if it’s okay, I don’t know.”
“What is it?”
I just thought it was good.
The cave where you can get the Silence Choir. Inside of this is what Shin So-ra hates. Because there were a lot of elements that could be considered gross.
I picked up my smartphone and turned on the flashlight function.
“… Suck!”
Shin So-ra covered her mouth with both hands.
It was worth it. The floor, walls and ceiling of the cave. It was because, without saying anything, something that looked like maggots was tightly clinging to it and wriggling.
“Me, bugs clinging to that ceiling. What is all that?”
“First of all, it’s a monster room.”
“Something like that?”
Technically, an ultra-small monster room. It was an entity called ‘Dark Shady Worm’.
“They usually live in a shady place like this and feed on rotten mana.”
“If my brother hadn’t prepared for me in advance, I would have passed out right here… .”
“Even though it looks like that, it is one of the few Monstrums that are helpful to the ecosystem.”
“Ugh! Something like that?”
Rotten mana contaminates other mana in the air and creates a harmful environment for adults.
‘Because adults absorb mana in the air through their skin and exhale it, just like breathing.’
In a word, it could be called a mana purification monster, but it wasn’t a harmless creature at all.
“Be careful not to step on it. The moment those guys’ bodies explode. The rotten mana that was digesting inside your body will burst out.”
I remembered that when exposed to rotten mana for a long time, the power of nature and the success rate of activation decreased, as well as mana recovery and fatigue levels.
“Even if it’s not for that reason, it’s a visual that I don’t want to step on because it’s disgusting… . Rather, did you know that there are bugs like this here?”
“Just looking at the structure, you can guess what type of Monstrum it will be.”
“wow… . Same with Pansy Golem last time. Does your brother know a lot? I already fell for you, but I want to fall for you again!”
Shin So-ra smiled brightly with a flushed face. I was embarrassed and took the first step.
“Anyway, be careful and follow me. Perhaps, as I expected, among the monster rooms that would appear in a place like this… . There’s one more besides Darkshady Worms. You should be most wary of him.”
“Is that gross too?”
“He’s rather creepy than gross.”
I’ll say it again, the unrecovered area was originally from the latter half of the episode. This is where the player enters after they have developed their characters considerably.
‘At that time, as the power balance becomes quite extreme, it becomes difficult to pressure the player with just brute strength.’
From nob le mt l. com
Just as the concept of fatigue was introduced for that reason, the monsters that appear in the second half focused on making the characters tired in many ways.
Painless Hornet and Smile Deal. Pansy Golem is also one of them. Rather than being strong, I focused on making it a headache to defeat and build up fatigue.
And also the presence of Monstrum, which I’m concerned about in this cave.
【Uhhh… . I’m resentful… … .]
【Kihyahahahahaha!】
It was the type that adversely affected the adult psyche.
“Kyaaa!!!”
Shin So-ra was startled by the eerie voice that pierced her heart and took her into my arms.
‘Soul persona. An annoying guy who can’t be defeated with physical attacks and only uses mental attacks. It looks like a combination of a bat and a tadpole, but it flies annoyingly.’
I rubbed her back in my arms and said.
“Leave this to me.”
There was a reason why I was so confident on my own.
His attacks don’t work on me at all.
Caang! Caang!
In exchange for not being able to deal with physical attacks, he works very well with condensed mana attacks like magic bullets.
Shaaa
The proof was that the shape of the soul persona turned into powder and disappeared even though only a small amount of mental power was invested.
“What, what is that? When I heard your voice, I felt like my heart was being squeezed.”
“Soul persona is a monster room. Don’t worry, I can easily defeat that guy.”
“Monstrum spoke earlier. I listened carefully.”
“That’s what these guys are all about. To put it simply, you can think of it as an entity whose IQ increases by absorbing the memory of a dead person.”
“Ugh! Like my brother said, they are truly disgusting monsters.”
Shin So-ra explained it in an easy-to-understand way, but not everyone became smarter. Depending on the level of memory they absorbed, the level of intelligence was also very different.
“Anyway, except for the Soul Persona and the Dark Shady Worm, it’s a pretty good place. Let’s keep going.”
“I guess I just followed you. It’s not really helpful, is it?”
“Why are you so depressed? It’s better if you are… … .”
I unknowingly blurted out the end of my words.
The moment he pointed the smartphone light straight at the ceiling to hit the soul persona.
“brother?”
“Shin Sora. Maybe there will come a moment when you need to be active.”
“Why, why? What is it?”
“Look over there.”
the direction of the road we must go on. I saw someone collapsed.
[Activates ‘Sense Control’.]
“I hope that… … .”
“It’s a corpse.”
“Are you the one who came in here unknowingly and got hit by the monster that brother defeated?”
“No way.”
“Well, then what is it?”
I looked at the condition of the corpse’s clothes through my extended perspective.
‘There’s no dust on the clothes, but the smell of rotting corpses is vibrating.’
Even in the original work, there was no event like discovering a body while exploring this cave. There is only one number of cases that can be inferred based on this.
“Undead.”
The guy was unmistakably undead.