Magica Technica ～Sword Demon Rakshasa’s VRMMO Battle Record～

Chapter 40

040: Around the Capital City

Translated by Dawn

040: Around the Capital City

After one night had passed, I logged in as usual in the afternoon.

The mornings were occupied with training, but the afternoons were usually quite idle.

However, if I could engage in real battles, having free time wouldn’t be so bad.

Well, today I was a bit later than usual because I was checking information about an upcoming event before logging in.

The World Quest “Demon’s Invasion” was scheduled for the next weekend.

As the name suggests, it seemed to be an event where the country was attacked by a demon army.

Moreover, it appeared that this event would take place on a global scale within this game world.

By the way, the country we were currently in, the Alphasia Kingdom, was located at the southwestern corner of the world map, forming a peninsula as its territory.

Compared to the territories of other countries, it could be considered quite small.

Perhaps that was why it was chosen as the starting point for the game.

(In short, we can only participate in defending against the demon invasion in this country.)

For now, we still didn’t know how to travel to other countries.

In other words, we were currently confined to the Alphasia Kingdom, and we couldn’t participate in demon defenses in other countries.

Well, even if we couldn’t participate, it was unlikely that the entire world outside this country would suddenly be destroyed… but there was a high possibility that it would affect future World Quests.

“…It’s futile to worry, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

With a light sigh, I continued walking from the main street toward the outskirts of the city.

What was concerning was that the local people of other countries couldn’t be revived either.

Since the scope of the World Quest was announced to be the entire world, it was unavoidable for the consequences to reach far and wide.

It was not like I was deeply affected by the deaths of unknown people, but it didn’t sit well with me that events were unfolding in places completely out of our reach.

If they were right in front of me, I would undoubtedly cut them down, but opponents far away were beyond my reach.

“Well… I guess things will turn out as they will.”

“——?”

Lumina tilted her head in response to my murmuring, and I smiled wryly as I made a detour to a street vendor.

My satiety level was somewhat low, and while I asked about the local area, I might as well buy some food.

It seemed to be a sandwich stall, and it should be portable enough.

“Hey, miss. Can I get two servings, please?”

“Thank you for your purchase! Wait, isn’t it you, the swordsman from before?”

“Huh?… Sorry, have we met before?”

The blonde woman with a triangular bandana was surprised to see my face.

Unfortunately, I had no recollection of her.

I wasn’t particularly good at remembering strangers, but it was still rare for me not to recognize someone’s face.

However, in response to my words, the shopkeeper woman waved her hands and smiled.

“No, no, we’ve never spoken before. You see, the other day, you defeated a demon on the street, right?”

“Oh… you saw that?”

“Yes, yes! Your splendid swordsmanship! I was mesmerized!”

“Haha, it’s not that praiseworthy, though.”

Actually, I wasn’t even serious against that opponent.

It was a bit unsatisfying to be praised for something like that.

Well, explaining that wouldn’t change anything, so I’d just accept the compliments quietly.

The lady at the sandwich stall was choosing and wrapping the sandwiches, and it seemed she was adding some extras.

I guess, it was always good to repay kindness.

“Thank you for defeating the demon. As a service, I added a little extra for you.”

“Ah, I appreciate it. By the way, I have a question, do you mind?”

“Oh, no, not at all! It’s a question from none other than the great swordsman! Of course, I don’t mind.”

For some reason, I felt like I was being trusted too much, even considering Lumina’s influence.

Well, I guess it was because demons were so disliked.

Anyway, if I was trusted, it was a good thing. I wouldn’t hesitate to ask my question.

“I’m an outsider, and thanks to that, I’m not very familiar with the geography around here. I’d like you to tell me about what’s in this area.”

“Oh, you’re an outsider. Of course, I don’t mind at all. First—”

As I listened to her, it turned out there were several points around here.

Frankly, the more points there were, the more troublesome it was to defend them all, so I wish there weren’t so many.

First, to the west, there was the port town of Philaia. Since this country was on a peninsula, it was only natural that fishing was thriving here.

And to the northeast, there was a fortress and a checkpoint that faced a neighboring country.

It was probably meant to monitor the movement between the two countries. Although it might be built for combat and might even fight demons, the advantages of splitting and defending multiple points were few, so it would be more effective for the personnel to return to the capital.

“Then… ah! I guess you, as an outsider, don’t know about the Tower of Sacred Fire, right?”

“The Tower of Sacred Fire? Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“I knew it! I recommend seeing it at least once. It’s a lighthouse that lights up the sacred fire to ward off monsters and demons.”

“Oh, there’s something like that?”

“Yes, each country has its own Tower of Sacred Fire, but this country has a small land area, so we have a higher density of towers. Thanks to that, we have fewer monsters, and it’s a peaceful country. Well, demons have started to appear recently, though.”

In short, within the influence of the Tower of Sacred Fire, monsters and demons were weakened.

It was a bit inconvenient for me, but I suppose it was necessary for human habitation.

Well, if I just needed to stay away to avoid the weakened monsters, then I had no reason to approach them.

I might visit it for sightseeing someday, that was all.

“The Tower of Sacred Fire is located to the north and southeast of this capital, you know. Oh, by the way, a bit farther away from here, to the south of Fauskatze, there’s another one.”

“Really? Well, that area is also weak against monsters. What about around Librum?”

“In that area, they’ve built cathedrals and are dealing with it. Lighting the sacred fire in cathedrals has a similar effect.”

It seemed there was also something called the sacred fire in the cathedrals.

However, its effect was probably not as potent as the Tower of Sacred Fire. Geryon was there as well, after all.

“By the way, to the southwest, what’s there?”

“Oh, that direction? There’s a deep forest, but… you should avoid getting too close. The monsters that appear there are strong.”

“I see… that’s helpful. I’ll stop by again.”

“Sure! Please visit us again in the future!”

With a smile and a wave, I nodded slightly to her and start walking south while munching on the sandwich.

First, I should head southwest. Over there, I might get some decent training.

Then, I’d head to the western port town. There was no specific reason to go there, but I might be able to enjoy some seafood, and I also wanted to see how they were handling their defenses.

Whether they defended on-site or evacuated depended on the specific location and their military strength.

Well, it’d take some time to arrive, so there was no point worrying about the port town now.

“Well then, let’s start with the southwest forest. Let’s go, Lumina.”

“――――!”

In response to my words, Lumina raised her fist with enthusiasm. I smiled wryly and set my sights outside the capital.

*****

While ignoring the relatively weak and troublesome monsters in the plain, I head towards the forest.

The forest I reached was considerably dense compared to the one I entered with Iori in Fauskatze.

Although it might not be a full-fledged jungle, it was still a rather deep forest.

This was an unknown territory, so I needed to be careful as I proceed.

“Lumina, don’t let your guard down from now on. Stick close to me and focus on support.”

“――――!”

Satisfied with Lumina’s nod, I stepped into the depths of the forest while keeping my Tachi drawn and being mindful of my position so as not to hinder my movements.

The trees were tall, and the wide leaves block much of the sunlight from entering this area.

As a result, it was quite dim inside, but the lower vegetation seemed to be sparse, making walking not too difficult. This environment might be suitable for training.

“Hmm, I wonder if I should bring Hisana along for this natural environment training.”

I didn’t recall ever assigning her this type of training before.

Well, as long as it was not one of that old geezer’s deadly schemes, it should be fine.

I definitely wouldn’t do something like throwing her alone into a snowy mountain.

At that moment, I sensed a killing intent directed toward me from above and instinctively swing my blade.

“…Why the sudden attack from above!”

With a lively voice, I swung my blade, hitting the descending monster and sending its body flying.

What appeared was a snake with green and yellow-green mottled patterns, measuring about 2.5 meters long.

Seemed like it crawled along the branches and fell from above.

■ Camouflage Python

Type: Monster

Level: 16

Status: Normal

Attribute: None

Combat Position: Ground, Trees

A camouflage snake, huh?

With that coloration, it would be difficult to spot it moving on the treetops.

As it was a snake, there was a possibility it possessed poison.

If I were caught off guard and poisoned, it would undoubtedly be troublesome.

“Shaaaah!”

Seemed like it was not happy that its ambush failed.

However, a monster specializing in ambushes was already helpless once it had fallen to the ground.

I swung my blade to fend off its attempted bite and then strike it back at its exposed neck.

My blow cleanly sliced off the snake’s head. After twitching for a moment, its movements completely stop.

<“Critical Strike” skill level has been increased.>

Hm. Once you overcame the surprise attack, it was not much of a threat.

Well, it was not like anyone could immediately deal with it, and being suddenly crushed by a snake would cause panic.

Thinking about it, it was a rather challenging opponent for regular players.

And more importantly, I was impressed by the intensity of the killing intent it displayed when attacking me. It should be doing more of that.

“Alright. Lumina, keep an eye on the treetops. If you spot another one like that snake earlier, you can take it down.”

“――――!”

Lumina listened to my instructions and became eager.

Even though it had camouflage, it was something that could be noticed if you paid attention.

If Lumina observed carefully, she should be able to find that snake.

While smiling wryly at Lumina’s excited expression as it started searching the treetops, I collected the drop items from the snake and continue ahead.

By the way, the drop items were its meat and snake leather. They might have some use, but I rarely use such items.

Well, I could just leave all of those things to Eleanor. She’d probably trade them at a high price, as these items were not so commonly collected.

“Alright, let’s move forward… I wonder what else will appear.”

The corner of my mouth twisted into a smile.

I wonder if any enemies capable of threatening me would appear.

Looking forward to it, I stepped deeper into the forest.

■Avatar Name: Kuon

■Gender: Male

■Race: Human

■Level: 14

■Stats (Remaining Stat Points: 0)

STR: 17

VIT: 14

INT: 17

MND: 14

AGI: 12

DEX: 12

■Skills

Weapon Skill: Katana: Lv.14

Magic Skill: Enhancement Magic: Lv.11

Set Skills: Critical Strike: Lv.12
MP Auto Recovery: Lv.6
Sword of Plunder: Lv.8
Identification: Lv.12
Life Sword: Lv.9
Demon-Slaying Sword: Lv.4
Tame: Lv.3
HP Auto Recovery: Lv.6
Sub Skill: Mining: Lv.1

Title Skill: Fairy’s Blessing

■Current SP: 10

■Monster Name: Lumina

■Gender: Female

■Race: Fairy

■Level: 8

■Stats (Remaining Stat Points: 0)

STR: 5

VIT: 8

INT: 22

MND: 16

AGI: 14