The moment Ena’s voice faded, a fierce voice within me urged me forward.
In reality, if I intended to defeat the Demon Lord within ten days, I had no time to waste.
However, simply rushing forward without a plan would only lead to wasted time.
Suppressing my impatience, I first prepared to move efficiently.
First, assessing our combat strength.
Taking this opportunity, I used the Level Appraisal Paper to check everyone’s levels.
As a start, I held the paper up to myself.
“Level 156, huh. Higher than I expected.”
According to the paper, my level had risen to 156.
After the last time I checked my level, I had cleared the Flowing Cave and dealt with the Slime event, but I hadn’t defeated many enemies in the cave. For the Slimes, I didn’t gain experience for those defeated in a chain.
This was probably thanks to the massive number of enemies I defeated during the subsequent Capital City Attack.
The main assault consisted of Redcap Elites at level 95 and Black Oaks at level 110.
Experience gains have a significant negative modifier based on level, so even with their numbers, defeating them would at most raise my level to just under 120.
This alone did not explain how my level had climbed this high.
However, dozens of enemies above level 120 were present at that time.
Unlike weapon proficiency, defeating high-level enemies doesn’t have a special bonus to experience gained, but they still possess a considerable amount of experience.
In particular, among the high-level monsters, there was an impossibly high ratio of Rare Monsters and boss-class enemies.
While it’s hard to say anything definitive because Nekoneko’s experience settings are somewhat arbitrary, defeating a boss at the appropriate level could grant one or two levels. If there was a difference of 20 or 30 levels with the enemy, it wasn’t uncommon to gain three or four levels at once.
As if to support my conjecture, Ringo, who was in a similar situation, was level 149.
Her level should have been higher than mine before the Capital City Attack, but the difference in the number of enemies between the main force and the aerial unit must have directly translated to a difference in experience gained.
This much was within my expectations.
What surprised me was Maki’s level.
When I pressed the appraisal paper against Maki’s arm, who seemed to be in high spirits,
“Level, 182…”
She had achieved an unexpectedly high score.
“Huh? What’s that? Is that high?”
Maki asked innocently, but this was an incredibly high level.
She might even be in the top five among adventurers in the Capital City.
“182…”
Ringo, realizing Maki was over 30 levels higher than her, murmured that in a slightly shocked tone.
It seemed that Ringo’s level 1 start was indeed due to some kind of bug related to her position in the game being taken.
Or rather, it could be said that she ended up having her level, not just her princess status, siphoned off by Maki.
I thought Ringo was justified in being a little angry at Maki as I moved on to the next person.
When I approached Sahzan with the Level Appraisal Paper, she recoiled, as if to shield herself.
“I-I’m not doing it!
I’ve sworn not to carelessly reveal my true name, which I abandoned long ago!!”
Her phrasing suggested that Sahzan was a pseudonym.
Perhaps her real name was something mundane like Yamada Taro. It was very much in the midst of chuunibyou, but I didn’t have time to dwell on such things now.
Against Sahzan, I had a trump card.
I almost said, “Bear, go!” but stopped myself.
Even against Sahzan, I felt hesitant to do something she disliked to someone who hadn’t done anything wrong. After all, I wasn’t interested in Sahzan’s secrets. I could afford to make that concession.
“That’s fine. In that case, do it yourself and just tell me the level.”
“Huh? Is that okay? Um, don’t you think I might lie?”
She asked back with a surprised voice.
I didn’t think that was the place to be surprised, but it would be a hassle to drag out this conversation. I nodded sincerely.
“Even with you, you wouldn’t tell some nonsensical lie, right?
If you’re worried, you can cut out just the level part after appraising it and give it to me.”
“Th-That’s true. …Yes, um, s-sorry.”
“Let’s move on. Just do it quickly.”
I casually urged Sahzan, who had become much easier to handle since the Bear Shock, to use the appraisal paper.
After looking at the paper, Sahzan meticulously folded it and tore it in half.
“Behold! This is the rank of my soul!”
Returning to her haughty tone as if she had just remembered, she presented the right half of the paper to me.
Regardless of her soul’s rank, I wondered what Sahzan’s level was. Peering at the paper,
“: Level 157”
“Bear, go!”
The moment I saw that number, I reflexively unleashed Bear.
“N-No!? Hiii!!”
Bear and Sahzan began a chase.
It was a scene that could be considered amusing, depending on how you looked at it.
“Actually, I messed up. I did it on impulse…”
Sahzan wasn’t exactly at fault, but my mouth moved on its own the moment I saw that number.
It wasn’t that I felt particularly resentful when the gap was large, but it was strange psychological mechanism.
I felt bad for Sahzan, but it shouldn’t cause any real harm, so it was probably fine to leave her be.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t use the Level Appraisal Paper on Bear, who was still gleefully chasing Sahzan, so there was only one person left.
The last remaining person, Mitsuki, seemed to understand and took the Level Appraisal Paper herself, pressing it to her palm. After confirming the letters that appeared, she handed it to me. And that number was,
“Mitsuki Hisame: Level 57”
This set the day’s worst record.
“…Are you disappointed?”
Mitsuki asked, her cat ears dipping slightly as she watched my expression, but I shook my head.
“No, I know Mitsuki’s strength. I don’t think that.”
“…Is that so?”
In response to my reply, Mitsuki’s ears perked up, though her tone didn’t change.
She was truly transparent.
(In fact, I already knew this)
It was a surprising record, but it was also anticipated.
The template in Nekoneko involved being surprised first by Mitsuki’s surprisingly low level after recruiting her and examining her stats, and then by her extraordinarily high ability scores.
Of course, I had already experienced this.
Mitsuki, who seemed far more experienced in combat than Alex, did not have a high level.
There was a little trick to this: Mitsuki, compared to other characters, required an unusually large amount of experience to level up.
Her difficulty in leveling up was legendary; in fact, “Mitsuki’s level exceeding 100” was considered one of the “Three Great Trash Player Conditions,” or “Trash Condition” for short, in Nekoneko.
Incidentally, another Trash Condition was “ability to use Midarezakura,” which meant I was already one foot into the territory of top-tier players in this world as well.
Well, recruiting Mitsuki was treated as an extra reward after clearing the game, so think of leveling her up as simply part of the high-difficulty content.
On the other hand, when Mitsuki is at a high level, her strength is abnormal; comparing her stats made players at level 300 look pathetic.
She couldn’t be brought to the Demon Lord battle in the game, so it was questionable how reliable she would be in this world, but her potential for growth was certainly reassuring.
(For now, it seems everyone still has room to level up)
Regardless, having room for improvement was a good thing.
Given the game’s experience system, it was impossible to reach a level much higher than the enemies that appeared.
It could practically be said that the effective level cap was already determined.
With no prospect of the Demon Lord being weakened, our own power-up methods were precious.
Mentally searching for the optimal hunting grounds for each person based on their levels and characteristics, I moved on to adjusting items.
It seemed that the mansion would not cause trouble if Bear was on my side. With Bear on my shoulder, I finally discovered facilities for weapon and magic customization.
First, I began by repairing weapons and armor, including my critically damaged Fire of Sh from the incident underground.
Since the remaining bounty from Poison-tan was still intact, there was no need to be stingy with Elements here.
I had everything repaired without a second thought.
Next, as a secondary matter, I also found a magic customization device and decided to use it.
However, it wasn’t for myself, but for Sahzan.
Upon glancing at Sahzan’s customization screen, it appeared that all of his magic was already set to maximum power and casting time by default.
With settings like that, it was no wonder he was always holding us back.
I pushed past Sahzan’s objections and forcibly tinkered with his magic.
In the end, he clung to my leg and begged, but a mere threat of Bear did the trick.
All hail the great yellow demon.
Seeing Sahzan facing the device with teary eyes made me feel a little guilty, but knowing the extent of Sahzan’s troubles, I couldn’t afford to show leniency.
It was also beneficial in preparation for the Demon Lord. I unceremoniously messed with Sahzan’s magic and recreated it with a focus on practicality.
“Next, I need to do something about the armor.”
While I was adjusting Sahzan’s magic, it seemed everyone else’s equipment damage had been repaired without issue.
However, even after reaching perfect condition, the quality of the equipment still left me uneasy. It wasn’t that the repairs were incomplete, but simply that the equipment was weak.
Especially My and Ringo’s armor, they were just store-bought items from the Capital City.
They were convenient with elemental resistances, but in terms of level, they were only around level 100 at best.
This was far too inadequate to fight a level 250 Demon Lord.
I had been planning to gather equipment while completing quests, but
“Ah, if that’s the case, I can ask my dad to help!”
Maki’s comment easily overturned that plan.
“I can’t believe it was this easy…”
Just a few dozen minutes after Maki casually proposed it.
We found ourselves inside the castle’s treasury.
When Maki visited the castle, she said,
“These people need weapons to defeat the Demon Lord!
Can we take some items from the treasury in the basement?”
And she was easily granted permission.
The king is far too soft on his daughter.
Well, the country’s key figures were incapacitated due to a curse from the Demon Lord, and our strength had been confirmed during the Capital City Attack event.
The king’s judgment might have been that if we were going to defeat the Demon Lord, he would give us as many items as we needed.
Coincidentally, Ringo, the king’s actual daughter, was staring intently at the queen without even blinking while King Licht was speaking with us.
It was, in a way, father-daughter bonding.
It was a strange sight from the sidelines, but since Ringo looked a little satisfied when it was over, I decided it was fine.
“How is it, Soma? Have you found any good items?”
Maki asked boastfully, but
“You’re asking if there are ‘good’ items…”
On the contrary, everything here was good.
This treasury was originally intended to be opened as a reward for defeating the Demon Lord.
The quality of the items here was incomparable to any ordinary dungeon or shop.
I really wanted to take everything, but since I was told to “take only what you need” when entering, I decided to abide by that request.
“Let’s take this, and this, and this.”
I had a general understanding of the items in the treasury.
I quickly selected what seemed necessary.
My top priority was armor.
For myself, I chose the powerful armor “Armor of Radiant Light,” which had strong resistance to dark elements, and for Ringo, the “Fairy Dress,” a piece of lightweight armor with excellent magic defense. And thirdly,
“Sahzan, you wear this.”
For Sahzan, I picked up the “Rainbow Robe,” which increased the maximum MP and provided various defenses. However, at my words, Sahzan responded with a strange pose.
“Hmph! Your offer is appreciated, but for one who turns his back on the light and lives in the dark, such equipment is unfitting.
What suits me is, as if embodying darkness itself, this pitch-black robe…”
“Just wear it! You’ll die from a stray bullet with that kind of equipment!!”
“…Yes.”
After shoving the “Rainbow Robe” onto Sahzan, I continued to select a few other useful items.
Weapons of attributes I didn’t yet possess, the “Mirror Gauntlet” which could completely deflect single light-element attacks, and the “Dragon Talisman” with strong resistance to all kinds of status ailments, among other defensive items.
Looking at it, Mitsuki and Maki didn’t need their equipment changed.
I combined items to fill any gaps in the equipment of myself, Ringo, and unfortunately, Sahzan.
“Is this enough…”
I took everything that seemed useful without hesitation.
Then, I surveyed the entire room once more to see if I had overlooked anything. The treasury was riddled with holes from taking too much, but I shook off my guilt by considering it as receiving the reward for defeating the Demon Lord in advance.
“Alright, that’s it then.”
Finally, I picked up a small bag.
“Ah, Soma, what’s that? It’s not equipment, is it?”
Maki asked, peeking in with great curiosity. I opened the bag and showed her the contents.
“…Seeds?”
“Yeah. Though they’re for eating, not for planting.”
Inside the small bag were, as Maki said, seeds.
These items, starting with Power Seeds, were so-called doping items that permanently increased the user’s abilities.
They were Rare Items that some hardcore players would gnaw their fingernails off for.
However, despite the nature of these items, one person showed an unexpected reaction to my words.
“…Seeds? Are they fruit seeds? Are they delicious?”
Ringo, the most gluttonous person in this party, was staring intently at my hand, her eyes shining brightly despite her expressionless face.
“Uh, no, I don’t think they’re fruit seeds, and I doubt they’re delicious.”
“…Too bad.”
She said “too bad” but her gaze didn’t leave the bag.
While fending off Ringo, who was a foodie despite her small appetite, I also looked at the contents of the bag.
A complete assortment of all types of seed items.
These seed-based items, which enhance abilities when eaten, were a guaranteed drop from bosses that could only be defeated once.
Therefore, they weren’t so rare as to be rarely seen, but besides that, the only way to obtain them was by finding them in fixed treasure chests or as an extremely rare find in a pawn shop, making it impossible to acquire large quantities.
Considering that their use only increases abilities by 1, these seeds would not affect game balance in a normal playthrough.
Even as I thought this, Ringo’s eyes were asking, “Aren’t you going to eat them?” But there were too many people around.
I didn’t have a habit of eating in front of an audience, and the hurdle to eating them here was unnecessarily high.
As I put the bag of seeds into my Adventurer’s Bag, I was still thinking.
—It seems there’s only one way.
Yesterday, I went to the underwater city to prepare for fighting the Demon Lord.
Today, I did various things like strengthening equipment and modifying magic.
Starting tomorrow, I would focus on weakening the Demon Lord as much as possible and leveling myself and my companions.
However, that alone would not be enough to defeat the Demon Lord.
If time was insufficient, the Demon Lord’s weakening would be incomplete. And if the Demon Lord’s Castle doors were all opened, I wouldn’t have the luxury of leveling up within the castle.
If experience couldn’t be gained in that castle, which boasted the highest pre-clearance level, then the effective level cap would likely stop well before 200.
Challenging the Demon Lord in that state would be utterly reckless.
Furthermore, my goal was not just to defeat the Demon Lord.
It was complete victory within ten days.
In game terms, I had to defeat the Demon Lord with no mistakes, no resets, and no casualties among my companions.
To achieve that, I would likely need a strength on a different dimension.
Ordinary means would never allow me to reach that level.
(For that… I need to…)
My gaze was naturally drawn to the Adventurer’s Bag where I had just put the seeds.
Seed-type items permanently increase abilities, but the increase is only 1.
Due to the lack of means to acquire them in large quantities, they did not exhibit an effect significant enough to disrupt game balance.
If I played normally, that would be the case.
However, I already knew that in Nekoneko, there were exceptions, bugs, that could break that principle.
In that case…
“…I have to go.”
Those words unintentionally slipped from my lips.
“…Soma?”
Ringo’s voice, laced with anxiety, could be heard.
She gripped my hand tightly, as if trying to hold me back.
But by then, my consciousness had already drifted elsewhere. South of here, in a corner of a field called the Deus Plain, it resided.
The strongest class boss monster in Nekoneko.
An opponent I had fought once before, and narrowly won through a gambling-like strategy.
Its name was…
“—King Butcher”
I quietly resolved myself for the battle against the white giant sealed within the rocky mountain.
