To strategize, I was checking Ringo’s stats, when I stumbled upon a shocking truth.
She can’t use any skills or magic at all!
Well, “can’t” is a bit of a misstatement. It’s not that she can’t learn them with training, but rather that she only knows basic skills and, frankly, doesn’t even know how to use them.
If you’re wondering about that lightning magic that smashed the bench, here’s the explanation.
Let’s get straight to the point.
I was surprised too, but it wasn’t lightning magic.
What was it then? It was a normal attack.
She never knew about skills or magic, so naturally, she wouldn’t know how to activate them.
But she was able to unleash that attack because, for her, it was a natural action she could perform without thinking.
I’m no expert on AI, so this is just speculation, but I suspect that, much like “swinging an arm” or “lifting a leg,” she had the action “shooting lightning from her hand” programmed into her.
Thinking back, Princess Shelmia during the “Capital City Attack” event, I remember her defeating monsters one after another with lightning magic, seemingly as if they were normal attacks. I never realized they truly were normal attacks.
She wasn’t intended to be a Player’s companion, but this level of neglect is too much.
No wonder she didn’t run out of MP after firing so much.
Next, I checked the stats for her “normal attack.”
After some testing, primarily with Sisyo, we found the following:
First, it has hitboxes that are about what you’d expect visually, and it can hit multiple times, but its attribute is non-elemental and physical.
And being physical, its attack power scales with Strength, not Magic Power.
Furthermore, if she wields a weapon, theweapon’s base attack power is applied, but weapon type and proficiency bonuses are not.
It’s a performance that makes you want to bury your head in your hands.
Honestly, it’s not magic at all, attribute-wise.
There’s no lightning attribute, and it’s treated as a physical attack.
She was holding a staff during the event, but if that staff was equipment that increased Magic Power, then it was probably completely useless.
Remembering this, I equipped her with weapons. Whether it was a sword or an axe, the “normal attack” fired from the tip of the weapon, but the weapon bonuses didn’t apply.
How should I put it?
It’s like raising your attack power with a weapon in your right hand, but punching with your left hand, which isn’t holding anything, at a distance.
I can understand it from a data perspective, but realistically, it makes no sense.
For now, I’ll just chalk it up to “Nekoneko” quality and try not to think about it too much.
The “lightning normal attack” will make defeating the Golden HAGURE NYORAIM much easier.
Still, to have that much power at level 1 is truly terrifying.
I did some more research, and based on her stats, her abilities are far beyond those of a level 1 character.
What will happen when she levels up?
She might even grow into a cheat character surpassing Hisame.
However, given that Ringo is literally outside the norm in many ways, it’s uncertain if she’ll even level up, and there’s a possibility that her stats won’t increase even if she does.
The most important thing when playing “Nekoneko” is to question everything.
I’ll keep my expectations for Ringo’s growth within a reasonable range.
Speaking of Ringo, I’ll be participating in the Golden hunt myself.
Ringo’s “lightning normal attack,” or “Thunder Strike,” is strong and has many hits, but its aim is a bit imprecise.
As I’ve mentioned before, in “Nekoneko,” hitting the Critical Point, a vital spot, increases damage, and if you land the finishing blow, the item drop rate doubles. Therefore, skills that can pinpoint vital spots are crucial.
For now, I’m using Torch Sisyo to raise my proficiency in Sword, Odachi, Dagger, and Ninjato, as well as Wind attribute magic.
However, Sword and Odachi skills are mostly power-focused and not suitable, and some Ninjato skills, while multi-hit, are hard to use due to scattered hits or dark attributes.
I’m not changing my dual-wielding of Fire of Sh and Wakizashi, but my current plan is to focus on Wakizashi and use Dagger skills.
Specifically, the skill “Rokutsuki (Six Strikes)” learned by raising Dagger proficiency is a technique where you unleash six rapid-fire strikes in the same spot… or rather, visually it only appears as one thrust, but it deals six consecutive hits, making it a rather unfair skill.
I plan to use this in the upcoming Golden HAGURE NYORAIM battle.
And then there’s Wind attribute magic.
You might wonder when I’ve ever used Wind attribute magic, but I haven’t.
The reason my Wind attribute magic proficiency is increasing is thanks to Heat Knife.
It’s a bit of a gray area whether this is a bug or a feature, but in “Nekoneko,” using elemental weapons or skills increases proficiency in the corresponding magic.
This is why Heat Knife, with its Wind attribute, is a valuable item.
Magic is learned by reading spell books purchased at Magic Shops, and can only be used if you have sufficient proficiency in that attribute.
The Wind magic I bought in Ramur, which I couldn’t use before, will now be unlocked.
Of course, for someone like me who isn’t magically inclined, the effectiveness of attack magic will be limited, but there are still many useful Wind attribute spells.
“Power Up” and “Petit Explosion,” which I can now use, are prime examples. With custom modifications, they can be useful spells even in the late game.
“Power Up” is a spell that works regardless of Magic Power, offering the valuable effect of proportionally increasing the user’s Strength.
It’s considered a must-have spell for warriors.
“Petit Explosion” is a lower-tier spell of “Explosion,” but it’s said to be easier to use than “Explosion” in some situations. It consumes little MP and its explosion power isn’t great, but it generates a knockback blast that doesn’t distinguish between allies and enemies, making it highly versatile. With the rings that specialize in elemental attacks, which I purchased at the accessory shop, it will become even more convenient when equipped.
I plan to support Ringo primarily with these skills, but of course, if the opportunity arises, I’d like to level up by defeating Goldens myself.
Beginner gear is out of the question, but fighting at level 13 in this area is basically suicidal.
If I don’t gain a significant level here, I’ll end up being too scared of monsters to go outside.
That said, if it weren’t for this golden opportunity, I might have stayed at a lower level longer to increase my weapon proficiency, but leveling up should be the priority now.
Weapon proficiency gains a bonus based on the opponent’s level; if the opponent’s level is higher than yours, you get a 10% bonus per level difference.
If I, at level 13, attack a Torch Sisyo at level 250, the level difference is 237, so I’ll get about 25 times the normal proficiency.
However, even if I were to level up to 150 by fighting Goldens, there would still be a 100-level difference.
The proficiency gained would be 11 times the normal amount. While the efficiency decreases somewhat, the advantage of Torch Sisyo remains.
In the first place, according to the original game balance, challenging an opponent more than 20 levels higher is outright suicidal.
While there’s no level correction for attacks or defense in this game, enemies simply become stronger as you level up.
Without some very good weapons, armor, and skills, a 10-level difference can easily lead to defeat.
While the Golden HAGURE NYORAIM undoubtedly has exceptional defense, monsters like Metal and Golden have the characteristic that “any attack, no matter how weak, will inflict 1 damage if it hits.”
Furthermore, hitting a weak point or Critical Point results in at least 2 damage.
Even if your attack power isn’t high enough, there’s always a chance to defeat them by skillfully landing multi-hit attacks.
The plan is: Ringo stops it with her lightning strike, then I rush in and land “Rokutsuki (Six Strikes)” on its vital spot.
While aiming for first place with that strategy, if it looks possible, I’ll have Ringo hold back her attacks a little, and I’ll land the finishing blow to raise my own level. This is the finalized strategy for tackling the Golden HAGURE NYORAIM.
We also discussed how to proceed once the Subjugation Tournament begins.
Even with the ability to defeat the Golden, there’s a possibility of being outmaneuvered by other participants or not being able to fight effectively.
Player-versus-player combat is prohibited, so I’m not too worried about that, but our ability to win first place will heavily depend on how well we can outmaneuver other participants once the tournament starts.
I didn’t want to overlook anything by thinking alone, so I asked Ringo for her input on various things. However, her only responses were nodding or shaking her head.
Feeling a little concerned, I finally asked,
“Do you remember the plan for when the tournament starts?”
Her simple reply was,
“…Follow and shoot?”
I wondered what all my desperate explanations had been for, but well, it was the truth.
I think Ringo is fine with that.
Besides, if we can make enough money this way, we’ll have the余裕 to consider Ringo’s future.
I don’t know what she’s thinking now, but she seems surprisingly keen on this tournament.
For now, we should focus on overcoming this tournament together.
“It’s almost time…”
Is it just me, or has the town’s hustle and bustle increased slightly?
I’ve also noticed many people dressed as Adventurers heading towards the gates.
“Well then, shall we go?”
After confirming Ringo’s slight nod to my words, we also started walking towards the gate.
To Deus Plain!
