VRMMO Summoner Hajimemashita - Chapter 30

30th Critter -- Forest Marathon Tournament

...hah!? was that a dream...?

「Kyui...」
「Hoo...」

With worried expressions, Boparu and Mizuki were watching my body (not my head) making various funny faces on it's own.
Aaw, you two are so kind.... Yosh, Yosh. I'm alright.

「Funsu」 (TN: Puffing out sound.)

Facing me, Aegis, who knew the Antidote Pill's taste for better or worse, let out a snort with an amazed expression.
It is what it is, right? More or less, maybe it was an over-reaction? More or less.

In reality, though the antidote pill is bitter to the extent of dying, because the HP did not decrease, I didn't die.

Even if it's that bitter, there isn't any other antidote for poison, and because I can't just leave the poison as it is, if I get poisoned, then I have to take the Antidote Pill...
No matter how you look at it, it's a punishment game. Thank you very much.

...why is there no recovery magic?!
Kiarii or a nurse, please!! (TN: DQ reference: キア○ー = antidote spell)

Plop, plop, plop.
「「「Shyaaaaah!!」」」

I didn't call for youuuuuu!!

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【Item: Raw Materials】 Poison Snake's Poison Sac   Rarity: 3
Poison Sacs are dropped by Poison Snakes.
The insides are full of venom, so handle with caution.
It can be used as Raw Materials for Compounding and Alchemy.

Poison avoidance success! And requested item collected!

Isn't it because I've already taken care of sealing the Poison Snakes? While confirming the drops, Poison Sacs dropped. Clearly, the large purple water balloons seem larger than the thickness of a Poison Snake, don't they?

...It's fine since I was casually getting antidote pills from Fia-chan, but Poison Sacs are necessary for making the antidote pills, and in order to acquire Poison Sacs, it's necessary for Poison Snakes to fall down...
Even though I'm battling with Poison Snakes, doesn't something like going to hunt Poison Snakes for the sake of the desired Antidote Pills go beyond putting the cart before the horse? (TN: more literally: mixing up the beginning and the end) By the time enough ingredients are collected, the Antidote Pills will become unnecessary.

「Meeeeh!」

For Aegis, who is raising a victory cry, already the state where he was excessively afraid of Poison Snakes is nowhere to be seen.

...in the first place, it didn't become a battle to be overly-frightened by a companion receiving a surprise attack, and this guy, once he understood his companions would win, he became courageous and determined to attack incessantly.

「Meh?」

To me who was staring at Aegis, What?, he said, tilting his head and looking this way, but I shook my head, it's nothing, and this time his eyes started to follow Mizuki, who was flying in the sky.
O~y, walking while looking somewhere else, ah, he fell over. Although walking with four legs, he fell down head first. Dexterous aren't ya...

...if you try to really think about it, Aegis's battles started with just power-leveling and things like getting poisoned from a surprise attack, so being cautious is natural, you know. Compared to Boparu and Mizuki whose initial opponents were rabbits, it was a mistake.

...since Mizuki has the advantage of flight and somehow or other Boparu is an all-rounder partner. And, has actually experienced death. Even though it was like that, Boparu can immerse himself in attacking at the very front...

!? Could it be that Boparu is a Battle Junkie?!
Certainly, though Boparu has taken the number one kill count in our party, and though Boparu also has the highest firepower, and though Boparu is also the number one spear.

...huh? Aren't I seeking strange examples to deny it?

「Kyui～」

「Well, because you're cute, ok!」

「Kyui!」

When I called out to Boparu, who kept tottering to a halt, and then continuing to restlessly search the area, an energetically voiced reply came back. Cute.

… lately, when I say cute, Boparu is replying, but I’m worried that she is mistaking cute with her name.

Just supposing, if the full name is written, I wonder if it's Boparu = Cute? Un. It's a perfect calculation with no contradictions anywhere!
The cutest in the world!!

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-- Ads -- (Chapter continues below)

「Is that so? Should we run?」

「Kyui?」

Half-heartedly, I want to get the treant sealed, but because I can't distinguish these guys from normal trees until I draw close, I have no idea where they are.
In other words, that means once I approach these guys, I know where they are, and so, if I run around the forest, I can discover as many treants as I want!

I'm a genius, aren't I? Since I think treants probably drop there, I want to get on with the group hunting.

With that in mind,

「The 1^st Crazy Forest Marathon Tournament! Start!!」

「Kyui!」
「Hoh-!」
「Meh?」

Only Aegis made a (゜Д゜)Hah? face at the sudden cry that I let out, and even though it was a sudden high-tension from my plan, for the two having already been with me for while, being in high spirits was something they were accustomed to. ...it's a mood that is contagious even from birth, but...

「Ready, set, start!」

「Kyuiiiiii」
「Hoooooooh」
「Meh? Meh!? Mee～～～～～h」

The three who abandoned scouting suddenly started running, and Aegis who got a late start hurriedly came following after.
Of course, not having expected to leave Aegis behind by himself, Boparu and Mizuki adjusted their speed to keep pace with me and we ran at the same speed as the teary-eyed Aegis.
It wasn't bullying. It was just kidding around.

Hahaha-, that Aegis sure is slow, isn't he?

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「MeEEEH!! MeEEEEEEEEH!! Gafu-」
「『Waterstorm』!」
「Hoh-!!」
「Kyui, kyui, kyui, kyui!」

We ran through the dark forest. We ran with reckless abandon.
In that way, whether to say it's entirely like the famous Melos... or that it assuredly was Melos's running speed, if the distance was divided by the time, wouldn't it be about 4 Kilometers per hour? (TN: A reference to "Run, Melos!" by Osamu Dazai) That's slower than walking normally! There's no way it's so slow just because the footing in the forest is that bad! Or rather, at such a speed, those guys are gonna catch up!!

「「「「Shaaaah!!」」」」

「MeeEEH!! meeEEEEEEH!! Gahoh, gehoh」
「Since you get it, Aegis, focus on running!!」

If I could start over, I would send Aegis back home, but there's nothing I can readily do about it since party changes can't be done mid-battle, so there's no choice but to have him run.

How'd it turn out like this...?
The 1^st Crazy Forest Marathon Tournament has rapidly become The 1^st Crazy Forest Game of Tag.

My original plan was based on the snakes being shaken off and then intending to aim at only those guys that came out together with the occasional treant, but the snakes are too persistent.
Those troublesome guys. Seems they really don't know when to quit. No, shouldn't the snakes be called spiteful?

「Hii, Hii...」
「『Waterstorm』!」
「Hoh-!!」
「Kyui, kyui, kyui, kyui, kyui, kyuiiiii!」

Plop, plop, plop.

「「「Shaaaaah!!!」」」

The more we run away the more the demon snakes increase and it seems too cruel a demon for something like a game of tag. (TN: in Japanese tag is written as being chased by a demon/oni.) Well, whatever. I'll defeat the demons and make them decrease, so....
We weakened them with my Waterstorm and Mizuki's Windstorm, and Boparu, who is running alone at the rear, is downing them by kick-shot one at a time with each kyui.

If a snake was kicked, it was sent flying, and it was disorienting the way she leapt from nearby tree to tree and into the sky where the charging snakes were blown away at high-speed all at once into a mass of kicked-away snakes.

...wasn't it that 'rabbits' aren't such a combat race...?

Setting aside that the serious Boparu is a rabbit apart from the rest, if it wasn't for her somehow steadily taking care of the current situation... And, in particular, if it wasn't for her standing firm in the face of damage when the number of enemies wasn't diminishing...

Treant seal percentage: 80%. It's fine if I can seal the remaining two, but running away from the snakes is more important than the two treants, and even if I search for the treants with a full measure of vigor, it can't be helped that I'm passing through without stopping. Frustrating.

In this way, we continued to run away and try waiting for the number of snakes to decrease, but wasn't the number of snakes gradually increasing...?
That aside, it was looking like MP would run out soon as well, and Aegis seemed to have bitten his tongue, and more than that, I was hungry. Soon it became 3 o'clock in the afternoon. From being continuously logged in and not eating lunch, my hunger was intense. Though, even if I ate in-game, it's not like my stomach would become full....

「Zeh...Zeh..Zey, Gahyuru!? Meeh, goh-!!??」
「Aegis!?」

Ah! His chanting got cut off. That's not it! As I was thinking, was Aegis suddenly blown off to the left?, he changed direction in mid-air and came flying this way. Evasion is impossible. As I caught him, my legs stopped!
No, more than that, I can't run away and abandon Aegis anyway, so I'll have to do a surprise attack here!
From behind, a swarm of Poison Snakes like a purple carpet could be seen.
In the front, two Treants were playing otedama with Aegis. (TN: Otedama = traditional beanbag juggling game.)
Only a bit of mine and Mizuki's MP remained, and Aegis was exhausted.

A pinch? Nay! It's a chance! (trembling voice)

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