Chapter 19: The Battle's End.
"This is your end."
Hikari's declaration, sharp and unwavering, sliced through the charged air. A faint breeze rustled his golden hair, his aquamarine eyes fixed with chilling intensity upon the Stone Gorilla boss.
Across the fractured stone of the arena, Rentarou sprinted, his own grey hair and eyes glinting like steel in the fading light. A simple sword was clutched in his right hand, a battered circular shield in his left.
"I couldn't offer much," he yelled, his voice strained but determined, "but I'm banking on you, Rising Star!"
The Water Fox Fang in Hikari's grasp pulsed with an ethereal blue light, tendrils of water coiling around its blade like living serpents. With fluid grace, he carved an 'X' into the air before him. Twin arcs of luminous water surged forward, racing towards the colossal primate. Hikari followed, a golden blur in their wake.
The Stone Gorilla slammed a monolithic hand onto the ground. In an instant, a jagged wall of rock erupted from the earth, a crude but effective shield.
CRASH!
The X-shaped torrent of water met the barrier with explosive force. Rock shrapnel flew, the wall spiderwebbing with cracks before shattering into a cascade of debris. The water, its momentum spent, splashed harmlessly to the ground. The gorilla had nullified his assault.
But even as the dust and fragments rained down, Hikari burst through the settling cloud. Golden hair streamed behind him, shards of stone whipping past, harmless. With a single, decisive slash, he unleashed a horizontal wave of churning water.
SPLASH!
The concussive force of the wave slammed into her abdomen. A guttural howl of pain ripped from the Stone Gorilla as she staggered, her one remaining massive arm arcing skyward.
Damage Dealt: 1500
HP: 4500 / 9000
Her enormous hand descended like a falling mountain. Hikari threw himself into a sideways flip, the air displaced by her palm's impact buffeting him as it slammed into the earth beside him, cracking the very ground. Seizing the momentary opening, Hikari planted a foot on her stony knuckles and sprinted up her arm, his mind racing.
'My strongest direct hit only managed 1500. Is that the inherent limit of this blade, or a constraint imposed by my current level?'
He reached her shoulder, then her head. Her crimson, square-pupiled eyes blazed with raw fury. Hikari raised the Water Fox Fang, its cerulean glow intensifying, the water spiraling with frantic energy. He brought it down in a clean, arcing strike—a direct hit to her cranium.
CRACK!
Damage Dealt: 2500
HP: 2000 / 9000
Hikari's eyes widened. 'That much? Of course… a headshot.'
He braced for a follow-up, coiling his muscles to strike again—but he never saw it coming. Her fingers, thick as tree trunks, had already closed around him.
She snatched him from her shoulder and, with brutal force, slammed him into the arena floor.
WHAM!
-300 HP
HP: 100 / 900
His health bar flared crimson. Cracks radiated from the point of impact beneath him as dust billowed upwards. Before he could even process the pain, she seized his leg, hoisting him upside down.
She was preparing to smash him again.
'Damn it… vision blurring. Can't get control… these cursed realistic physics. It's like taking a real beating, then trying to force your limbs to obey.'
His golden hair hung in a dishevelled, dirt-streaked curtain. His sight swam. His normally sharp aquamarine eyes struggled to focus.
But then—a defiant roar.
"I said, LEAVE HIM BE!"
Rentarou charged, a desperate whirlwind of motion, his mundane sword clanging ineffectually against the gorilla's ankle.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
-10 HP
-10 HP
-10 HP
The damage was pitiful, almost laughable—yet, it was enough. It broke her focus.
"I'm still in this fight!" Rentarou bellowed, defiance burning in his gaze.
The gorilla hesitated, its attention momentarily diverted.
Good distraction, partner… Hikari thought, a grim acknowledgment of his friend's courage.
The Water Fox Fang throbbed with an intense, almost violent light in Hikari's grip as he dangled, inverted and vulnerable.
With a surge of desperate will, he swung the blade.
SWOOOSH!!!
A luminous, horizontal wave of pure water erupted from the Fang, a razor-edged crescent that screamed through the air, aimed directly at her exposed neck.
SSHHHHHHH!!
The wave struck true, carving through the stone and sinew of her throat with terrifying ease.
Her red eyes dimmed, the fury within them extinguished in an instant. A network of cracks spread with horrifying speed across her entire stone body.
CRUMBLE!!!
She collapsed, not as a falling beast, but as a shattered monument, dissolving into a heap of grey rubble. A thick cloud of dust mushroomed into the air.
Rentarou coughed, shielding his face from the particulate haze.
Hikari dropped to the ground, landing heavily. His breath came in ragged, burning gasps, his chest heaving. The blue blade, its glow now subdued, lay beside him in the dust.
His water-blue eyes, mirroring the tranquil sky above, slowly focused. Beside him, the Water Fox Fang lay still, its surface reflecting the same indifferent sunlight.
The grey dust began to settle quietly over the battlefield after the monumental collapse of the Stone Gorilla. Rentarou finally stopped coughing, his grey eyes blinking open. A fine layer of ash coated his matching grey hair and settled around his eyes as he stared at the pile of rubble. "We did it…" he murmured, "We defeated the first area boss…" A grin slowly spread across his face. He tossed his battered silver circular shield into the air with a triumphant whoop, raising his simple sword high. "We won!!!!"
As if on cue, a short, celebratory jingle, a game-specific OST they hadn't heard since first entering the game, chimed in their auditory senses. Simultaneously, a notification interface materialized in their vision:
First area boss, the Stone Gorilla, strongest monster of 'Ancient Ruins of Runa', has been defeated.
Another notification followed swiftly:
| Your level has been upgraded to level 10.
A fleeting green shimmer washed over both Hikari and Rentarou's bodies, instantly mending any tears in their clothes and erasing all cuts and bruises. Their near-empty red health bars surged, filling with a vibrant green. The HP displayed for each of them now read:
| HP: 1000/1000HP.
The interface shifted again, displaying a map. It was framed by a dark blue border, with most of its expanse obscured by a dark grey fog. The only area visible, rendered in lush green with precisely drawn terrain features, was labeled 'Ancient Ruins of Runa'. As they watched, an adjacent section of the map, previously grey, unfurled, revealing a new green expanse with different topography and distinct graphical details.
Hikari, still lying on the ground, tilted his head to study the map. He read the name of the newly revealed area: 'Spring's Journey.' His golden eyebrows twitched slightly, his calm aquamarine eyes thoughtful. "Spring's Journey…" he mused quietly, "What a strange name for an area."
The pile of rubble that was once the Stone Gorilla began to glow with a digital blue light. The debris then pixelated and vanished entirely, leaving the arena floor clean. The dilapidated pillars surrounding the circular space reformed, standing as they had before the battle. A timer appeared in their upper field of vision:
| Area boss will respawn in 2 minutes and 59 seconds.
Hikari placed a hand on the ground, pushing himself up slightly. He reached for the Water Fox Fang lying beside him. "Store," he commanded. The blade pulsed, then dissolved into blue, digital squares and vanished. A simple notification confirmed:
Item stored.
"Ooooh! Look, look, Hikari-san!!" Rentarou exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement, a stark contrast to Hikari's composed demeanor.
Hikari turned his head. Rentarou was on his knees, beaming, beside the spot where the Stone Gorilla's remains had been. Now, a clean stone chest sat in its place. Hikari recognized it instantly – the treasure left behind by the defeated boss.
He rose and calmly approached the ecstatic Rentarou. "Open it," Hikari said.
Rentarou hesitated. "Are you sure? You're the one who defeated it."
"Just open it," Hikari reiterated. "Let's see what's inside."
"Alright!" Rentarou said, his smile unwavering, and he lifted the heavy stone lid. Inside, they found two elixir potions in very thin glass vials, both filled with a light grey liquid and stoppered with simple wooden corks. Beside them lay an attractive pair of light stone gauntlets – a right and a left for a single user. Finally, there were two modest, brown-colored money bags.
Rentarou's grey eyes shone with sheer joy, his eagerness palpable. Yet, he turned to Hikari. "I have no right to share this prize with you," he insisted. "I swear I didn't help you with anything significant…"
Hikari reached into the chest and picked up one of the grey potions and one of the money bags. "This is enough for me," he stated. "You take the rest."
Rentarou's jaw dropped. "Really?! I… I'm so grateful! But at least take these gauntlets!"
Hikari was already commanding his system to store the items. "Don't worry," he said, his tone even. "You need better equipment. I have the Water Fox Fang." The potion and money bag in his hand dissolved in a flicker of blue digital light.
New notifications appeared:
Items stored.
| 300 diamo added to your balance.
| C-class elixir (green lettering), Mist Flood, stored.
The interface vanished. A gentle breeze swept through the arena, rustling Hikari's golden hair as he looked ahead, to his right, towards the grassy path that extended beyond the circular stone stage. "If I take this path," he said, more to himself than to Rentarou, "I'll reach the second area, 'Spring's Journey,' according to the map data."
Once Rentarou had finished storing his share of the loot, the stone chest pixelated and disappeared.
Rentarou, practically bouncing with joy, bowed deeply to Hikari. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I can finally advance to the second stage because of you!"
"You're welcome," Hikari replied. "So, what will you do now?"
"I owe a debt to a merchant in Maria Town," Rentarou explained. "I have to go back now that I finally have some money."
Hikari let out a soft sigh. "The AI here can lend items and money to players too? What will they surprise me with next…" He then said, "Alright, I'll be on my way. If you happen to meet the Ninja Squad, don't be afraid of them. No matter how much their levels have risen since you last saw them, they won't exceed level ten for a while."
Rentarou looked startled. "What does that mean? They were already way over level ten when I first met them!"
Suddenly, the synthesized voice of Hikari's AI companion, Seniora, echoed clearly in Rentarou's mind:
| Hikari single-handedly killed all members of the Shadow Ninja Squad in a miraculous way I still remember clearly. He turned into a player killer, his name 'Rising Star' turning red because of this. He is innocent, but who knows what will happen to him because of his name color.
Rentarou's eyes widened in utter astonishment. Hikari, meanwhile, ran a hand through his golden hair, a flicker of annoyance crossing his calm features. "Seniora, stop leaking information without my permission."
| Yes, Rising Star. Seniora's voice replied in his mind, now unheard by Rentarou.
"Anyway," Hikari said, breaking the stunned silence, "no need to prolong this. I'll see you around." He made to turn.
"Wait!" Rentarou blurted out. "Can I… can I travel with you?"
Hikari paused, his aquamarine eyes fixing on Rentarou, his golden eyebrows slightly raised. "Huh?"
"I mean," Rentarou elaborated, a hopeful look on his face, "I have nothing else to do after I pay back this debt. After that, I literally have no one to help me or guide me. But now that I've met you… why don't we continue traveling together?"
Hikari briefly recalled the final moments of the Stone Gorilla battle, Rentarou's desperate, albeit minor, intervention. A faint, almost imperceptible thought crossed his mind. "I suppose," he said slowly, "I could use you as bait in many situations. Fine, I accept."
Rentarou's face fell into a comically shocked expression. "Use me as bait?! Aren't I even your friend…?"
"Anyway," Hikari cut in, already turning towards the path, "let's get moving. Maria Town is a bit far, and I don't yet know what means are used here to cover long distances quickly."
Together, they began to walk, leaving the circular stone arena of the Stone Gorilla behind them. As they stepped onto the soft grass, a gentle breeze accompanying them, a new, more adventurous travel OST began to play softly in their minds.
[ A/N ]
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