3 bar menu

ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 296 Part 1

---

---

Translator: Kurehashi Aiko

Editor: ryunakama

---

ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 296: Just Like Icarus, Plunging Into the Sun With All of His Might Part 1

  

Temporary name of this here monster: Broccoli X. As far as I am concerned, its body must be made entirely out of magma or something very similar to that. It resembles a biological monster and behaves like a biological monster, but it is clearly not a living being by any means.

 

When it comes to size, it was somehow similar to Break or Edward…… In other words, it was half the size of the average human male. And when it comes to that strange broccoli part, those must be its wings…… or at least something very similar to wings.

 

For the time being, as long as my weapons remained hidden, there was no problem with me approaching this thing. I even tested if shadow boxing would bait some sort of a reaction from it, but so far there was nothing even remotely close to that.

 

Now, the alarm sound would appear if you got too close to the thing, or if the shadow boxing seemed as if it was directed directly at the creature. At that moment the sound of its snoring would drastically change. However, taking a few steps back or stopping to shadow box would cause it to revert back to its “relaxed” state. So as long as I maintain some safe distance and show no hostility at all, I should be in the clear.

 

「Hmm…… Umm, hello?」

 

「FULULULULULULULULULU……」

 

Some sort of reaction was clearly there alright, but nothing when it comes to a verbal response. That is why it was so confusing. Was that thing an NPC? Or simply an inactive monster? How thin was the line in between those two things here?

 

For the time being, any sort of action that can be classified as “battle preparation” seem to invoke the alert mode in this thing. But what if we simply try to approach it like we just want to talk?

 

「I’m not scary, I’m not scary at all…… Look closely, I’m half-naked here, so I cannot be scary here. I cannot be scary like at all, because I do not have any weapons on me……」

 

One step closer. Two steps closer. Best not to get too greedy with too many steps here…… Whoa there, careful not to slip here. Slip damage in this place would be extremely painful.

 

「…… Hm? Whoa, what the……!? What the fuck is happening!? Why am I burningggg!?」

 

In a hurry, I jump back and try to extinguish the fires that caught on my bird mask. No way, what the fuck is this, almost half of its durability is gone……!? Talk about dangerous……

 

「Is that supposed to be some on-contact ability? So what would the strategy for a fight with this thing would be……? No, does that mean that no matter what you do, the player is going to die here?」

 

For a moment out there, a kind of  a crazy idea comes to my mind: what if I was to blow away the ceiling of this place and cause the torrents of water to flood this place? However, this plan does not guarantee safety to the player character. It may also be that it would be much work for very poor results.

 

And besides, I do get a feeling that there is some sort of gimmick to this place and monster. Normal battle strategies based on winning or losing are not going to cut it in here.

 

「WE HAVE COME FROM BEYOND THE SKY, OUR REALM LIES BEYOND THE STARS…… THERE ARE NO GODS IN HEAVENS, WHEN YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR A GOD, LOOK DOWN BELOW……!」

 

Underdogs. Mad scientists. Horror movies. The annoying guy who gets killed in a really gruesome way early on…… Whatever the clichés may be here, those are the exact words of that guy from way below the ruined castle.

 

So, could it be that this here Broccoli X is actually a God, something that was supposed to be like the last boss but I managed to encounter it way before its designated time……? Nah, that explanation would be way too convenient. There is just no way.

 

But if that aforementioned description is to be taken as truth, then simply by the fact that the Broccoli X is here, so far below the ground, it is too early to dismiss the possibility that it has nothing to do with the Gods.

 

「That being said, how am I supposed to obtain that whole “Guiding Light” thing here? Depending on what happens, battle may be something that can’t be avoided here……」

 

Take the Goldunine-related quest for example here. In order to obtain the sample of her poison, I had to slash her with Kinshou and collect the crystalized poison that dropped from her. However, even if the same principle could be applied here, I highly doubt that trying to slash a magma monster with a knife would be interpreted as good will and sign of friendship.

 

「So, does that mean that drawing out my weapons is the last resort? What else is there that I can possibly try here?」

 

Fortunately enough, there are no other people beside me. So even if I happen to have a few crazy ideas, I can try them out to my heart’s content without having to worry about condescending gazes.

 

 

 

 

Attempt number one: try to grovel on the ground.

 

「Please, I beg of you! Share your “Guiding Light” with me! It’s a matter of life and death!」

 

It is a strategy that no top notch gamer would even think to try out, but you never know. Sometimes strategy like that can really work, simply because it was so embarrassing.

 

Groveling is the essence of the Japanese people. And right about now, I turn the full power of this essence towards the Broccoli X. But even though my groveling was perfect and I was doing it for more than ten seconds, there was no reaction from the monster.

 

「Now this is troubling. At this rate I might actually run out of possible options here.」

 

If groveling failed, what else could I possibly do here? What it the more effective way to obtain what you want other than groveling?

 

 

 

 

After trying out some other things, I was starting to get physically and mentally exhausted, so I equipped a Regen accessory that I happened to buy in Efure’s store the other day. Still, I could not keep on going after doing that, because when I entered the space where the burning effect was starting to chip away at my health, it would cancel the effect of the Regen. However, that gave me some idea.

 

「Why the hell shadow boxing is triggering this guy and other things have no effect? I don’t understand it.」

 

In other words, in order to make some progress here, I needed to determine what was triggering Broccoli X’s mode shift and what was not.

 

 

 

 

First of all, I tried shadow boxing in one place, all the while thinking just how badly I do not want to go to school the next  day…… No warning sound at all.

 

Next, I tried shadow boxing while looking at the Broccoli X, making slow advances towards it and trying to make the moves as if I was really going to punch it…… Warning sound!

 

「I was suspecting that it might be the case here…… But could it be that this game is actually reading my thoughts?」

 

I jump back, concluding the ultimate line separating the safe space from the alert space. So, as long as I keep behind that line, even if I want to pick up a fight it should be okay…… But what if……? Hey, hey! Broccoli Boy, look here! This is the Anti Blade Sword that Weissash crafted personally! Isn’t it cool!?

 

I see. So if you draw your weapons but with intent other than combat, it is fine. However, once you change your mind, the monster immediately goes into alert mode.

 

「So if it is about that, I cannot really deploy Kinsho here…… So in other words, achieving my goal through normal attacking is pretty much impossible here.」

 

---

---