It’s been a while!
I know I’ve been absent for a while, but I haven’t just been slacking off!
I’ve been thinking long and hard about how to deliver the best possible experience to you all, and just the other day… I bought a pen tablet!
…Huh?
Originally a term from card games, it’s now used in other games as well: a concept called “flavor text.”
For example, let’s say an item called “Ena’s Homemade Bento” has the description: “Eating it restores 50 HP, but it’s incredibly disgusting.”
The part about “restores 50 HP” is necessary game information. However, the Nekoneko game doesn’t have a flavor or taste function, so the “incredibly disgusting” part is meaningless from a gameplay perspective. Yet, it enhances understanding and immersion in the game by making players think, “Ah, Ena is a bad cook,” or “So that’s why it only restores 50 HP; she makes bad food.”
In this way, descriptions that lack practical effect in gameplay but add flavor to the game’s world and setting are called “flavor text.”
As the world of Nekoneko becomes a reality, some flavor text that was previously ineffective might actually gain meaning. Unlike in the game, where taste exists in this world, if an item like “Ena’s Homemade Bento” exists, it’s highly likely to be genuinely disgusting, in accordance with the established lore.
Compared to the Game era, such settings and flavor text have become considerably more important.
And the Sky City we’ve been exploring is famous for being filled with subtle settings and behind-the-scenes stories that can only be described as flavor text.
Accessing terminals found throughout the Sky City reveals crucial information, such as “This Sky City was actually a battleship built by an ancient civilization with interstellar flight technology,” “During a long voyage, the ancient people were wiped out, leaving only their guardian robots,” “Without any orders from the crew, the robots continue to protect the city without proper maintenance, and the Sky City itself remains in standby mode, drifting above this world,” and “If an emergency code is entered into the Power Reactor, the city’s functions can be taken over.” There are also rather trivial tidbits, like “The core of the boss AI here was created from a biological brain” (apparently called the “K.A.R.E.N.” device, taking the initials of the five individuals it was based on: Knight, Army, Ranger, Executioner, Ninja), “This Sky City (or rather, battleship) was almost equipped with a mechanism to transform into a humanoid shape at the captain’s whim, but it was canceled due to strong opposition from those who questioned the point of making it humanoid,” and “The logo that always appears when you access a terminal is based on the captain’s pet.” All of this is explained thoroughly, as if to ask, “You don’t already know this?”
In other words…
“—What I’m trying to say is that many of the robots that appear as enemy characters are, by setting, rarely maintained or updated. Therefore, it’s not strange for a robot that falls to the ground to keep its transfer point set to the entrance of the Sky City. Thus, the teleportation just now was a feature, not a bug…”
“Who cares about your self-imposed rules?!”
“…You’re the one who asked if that instant teleportation was a Bug Skill, so I was just answering,”
While frowning at Sahzan’s indignant shout, I reflected on our current situation.
We—myself, Sahzan, and Ringo—had instantly teleported from the ground directly to the entrance of the Sky City.
This is an obscure Skill, colloquially known as “Backdoor Ascension,” a special trick that utilizes a peculiar specification. It exploits the nature of the Sky City’s Monsters, which employ various forms of harassment, to instantly transport us to the Sky City, a place that would otherwise require an endlessly long climb up a tower.
I had explained this to my companions back on the ground with anecdotes, but compared to other Dungeons in Nekoneko, the Sky City’s Monsters are particularly unique.
One enemy fires a paralyzing beam that ignores resistance with a suspicious laser gun.
Another enemy, rather than targeting Players, deliberately fires a mysterious beam at weapons and armor.
Yet another enemy glows after a certain period of combat, and before you know it, you’re back at the starting point.
Then there’s an enemy that transforms multiple times depending on the damage taken, making Players question, “What is this guy trying to do?” and fall into suspicion.
And finally, an enemy emits a sound like fingernails scratching a blackboard the moment it enters combat mode, directly attacking the Player’s spirit rather than their character.
In short, these are all devious traps that seem to scream, “We worked hard to make this game, so don’t be surprised if it’s not easily cleared!” from the Nekoneko staff.
However, the more devious the traps, the more Players use their wits to turn them to their advantage. One such tactic players focused on was the special ability of enemies that “glow after a certain period of combat and return nearby characters to the Sky City’s starting point.” This ability seems designed solely to inconvenience Players.
The Sky City is vast, and aside from the very end, there are few shortcuts. Getting subjected to this during exploration is truly disheartening. But before starting the exploration, it’s a different story entirely. Below the Sky City, in ruins that are supposedly a collapsed part of the Sky City according to the lore, the same enemies appear. By fighting an enemy with the ability to “glow after a certain period of combat and return nearby characters to the Sky City’s starting point” and intentionally activating its special ability, you can be returned to the Sky City’s entrance without ever setting foot inside.
Given Nekoneko’s do-or-die balance, buying time without defeating the enemies was quite a challenge, but we managed to hold out and successfully transferred.
I didn’t tell Mitsuki and the others about the transfer method because I had originally intended to come alone. It was an unforeseen circumstance that Ringo and the others followed me, but it wouldn’t be right to blame the two who rushed over, worried about me.
As for those two, when I explained my current situation and how I used the Monster to create a shortcut, Sahzan started accusing me, saying, “You said you wouldn’t use it, but you ended up using a Bug Skill, didn’t you?!” Meanwhile, Ringo froze as if deeply shocked.
After some time passed and Sahzan’s anger subsided, Ringo finally “rebooted.”
“…Soma.”
With her usual expressionless face—though her complexion seemed a bit pale—Ringo stood in front of me with a determined air. She stretched her small body as much as she could and then…
“…Go, good. Go… good.”
Abruptly, she patted my head. The scene felt strangely familiar, but…
“W-woah! Look, her hands are trembling, and her lips are turning purple! Is she okay?!”
“…I’m, I’m, okay. I’m, a, good, role, model, so, I’m, raising, you!”
I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t think someone who looks like a broken robot is okay.
After much persuasion, I managed to separate Ringo, who was still trying to pat my head with bloodshot eyes. Once we took a short break, Ringo’s abnormality subsided. According to Ringo,
“…It was just, a slight, rejection, reaction.”
Apparently, her body had reacted abnormally due to the stress of praising me.
“That’s natural! If I had to praise that, I’d be spitting blood and dying from stress!”
Sahzan proclaimed, pointing at me. But still, for Ringo, who doesn’t usually get flustered, to become like a broken robot from stress—how much stress could that be? Was praising me such an ordeal?
“Um, I don’t really understand, but you don’t have to force yourself to praise me, you know?”
When I said this, Ringo shook her head with a look of determination.
“…I, have, decided, to make, Soma, a, normal, human.”
If the content were different, it might sound like a cool line, but… Besides being a bit of a game otaku, I’m otherwise an ordinary person, at least internally, if not in terms of ability.
“B-but, did her actions just now seem ‘normal human’-like? Rather, didn’t she go completely against the typical definition?”
Sahzan asked, looking genuinely perplexed. I don’t want to be told I’m not a normal human by someone who’s a real-life chuunibyou in every sense of the word.
“…The spirit, of not, using, Bug Skills, is, what’s, important.”
On the other hand, Ringo was as reliable as ever. It seems Ringo is the only one who truly sees me.
Under my earnest gaze, Ringo met my eyes with an equally strong will and stated with force:
“…Even, if, the, conclusion, is, completely, insane!”
Yes, um… am I really being praised? Sahzan sighed with a look of exasperation and resignation.
“…Can you really make him a normal human with something like that? How long will it take?”
“…Hmm. The ‘Soma Normal Human Project’ is planned on a ten-year span.”
A ten-year span… That’s a remarkably long-term plan, I thought.
“No, are you sure her personality will improve in ten years? I mean, she’s pretty ingrained.”
Sahzan seemed to have a different opinion. And again, I’m not as eccentric as Ringo or Sahzan, okay?
“…If it doesn’t improve, I’ll just keep trying until it does.”
“O-oh. Uh, by any chance, if he _does_ improve?”
“…Hmm. To make sure he doesn’t become a pervert again, I’ll stay by his side forever.”
Ringo answered without hesitation, and Sahzan took a slight step back, seemingly intimidated. Also, wasn’t Ringo just calling me a pervert?
As I pondered this, Sahzan leaned closer to me and whispered in an unusually sympathetic tone,
“…You know. You might have gotten yourself involved with someone quite extraordinary.”
Yes, I understand what you mean, but…
—I don’t want to hear that from _you_ of all people!
Despite losing time to this unexpected turn of events, the plan remains unchanged. We will proceed deeper into the city, collecting the Pegasus Boots, our primary objective, and ultimately aim for the Power Reactor in the deepest section. If we successfully reach the deepest part and activate the Power Reactor, the weak Monsters will disappear, and a shortcut to the ground will open. It should be fine to reach the deepest part quickly and then go pick up our companions below.
I do worry about those left behind, but Mitsuki is there, so they should be safe. However, if I take too long to return, they might take some action, so it’s necessary to conquer the Sky City quickly and open the shortcut.
Considering our current party, Sahzan, who has difficulty with physical defense and teamwork, is a concern. However, with Ringo, who has well-balanced high basic abilities, cheat-like ranged lightning attacks, and can even utilize Skill Cancel to some extent, we should be able to protect her.
Additionally, I roughly remember the path through the Sky City, even if not the entire map, which is also a plus. I briefly confirmed our actions when encountering enemies, specifically reminding Sahzan to absolutely never use area-of-effect magic, and if possible, not to use single-target magic either, as she’d likely friendly-fire. With that in mind, we set off towards the deepest section.
“Well, you know. It’ll be a small-scale exploration with just the three of us again, but our combat power should be sufficient…”
I started to say, when suddenly, I felt something fumbling around my waist…
“…It seems we’re four people after all.”
As I looked down, I saw a Bear, poking its upper body out of my Adventurer’s Bag, threatening me with a sewing needle and grinning.
Our exploration proceeded extremely smoothly, thanks to the unexpected addition of one (or rather, two) members. My attack power has increased to the point where I can defeat the King Butcher in mere seconds, a level I achieved while training for the Demon Lord. Even in the Sky City, it’s not difficult to instantly kill weak Monsters. Ringo’s lightning attacks would hold off enemies from behind, and the Bear, held by Ringo, also contributed to the party with its surprisingly high search capabilities. Sahzan… well, she’s contributing to the party’s increase in numbers.
The only moments that felt a bit dangerous were when we misjudged a pop point and were subjected to the “sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard” by a robot enemy (Sahzan was rolling on the ground, wailing “My ears, my ears!”), and when Sahzan was about to unleash a great magic attack on an enemy robot—and me—from behind.
Incidentally, I secretly scratched a metal wall with my nails right by Sahzan’s ear, producing the “sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard” myself. …It’s a secret that I took significant damage myself from that.
We continued our exploration with such relative ease, successfully obtained the Pegasus Boots, and immediately equipped them. This will allow us to use certain Skills in mid-air, expanding our tactical options. Not only will it be easier to float in the air, but Skills that normally require the ground will become usable before landing, allowing for Skill combos in mid-air. By using the landing as a cancellation, we can achieve an effect similar to KB cancellation without using magic.
“It’s about time.”
If we consider the Sky City like a large ship, the Power Reactor and the Escape Device to the ground are located at the stern, while the entrance and bridge are at the bow. Although we’ve been moving in a meandering path through bubble-like movements, we’re steadily approaching the stern. Up to this point, the atmosphere has been so relaxed that there was no sense of danger. However, as we approached our goal, my body naturally tensed up. Sensing my tension, Ringo and Sahzan also appeared more serious.
“…This must be it.”
We found a hatch leading to the outermost part of the Sky City, the deck. Although called the Sky City, it’s actually a spaceship. The deck has few flat areas, and most of it is curved, making it difficult to walk on. However, only the tip of the bow and stern are accessible to people. Therefore, the presence of this hatch means the goal, the deepest section, is near. Before we went out, I turned to look at the two of them, plus the Bear.
“We’re almost at the deepest section. But before that, shortly after opening this hatch, the boss of the Sky City awaits.”
“…It’s strong, isn’t it?”
To Sahzan’s tense words, I responded gravely.
“Yeah. In terms of raw stats, it’s not that high for a late-game boss. But it has cheat-like phase-shifting movement that allows it to move freely even in narrow ship interiors, an unavoidable charge attack in its bird form, and most importantly, the ultimate counter-skill. Overcoming it head-on is not easy.”
I don’t know how many times, no, how many tens of times I died before understanding the characteristics of its skills. However, the door behind the deck where it roams is the only path to the deepest section. Without passing through that door, we can never reach the deepest part.
“In the end, I couldn’t defeat it in close combat, even in the game. The one time I did win was through long-range combat, which it’s weak against. Even then, after carefully selecting equipment, it took me an hour to win.”
Right now, I haven’t prepared any long-range attack options. It’s unlikely I can defeat it with long-range attacks. Therefore…
“I see, I get it. You have no chance in close combat. And you have no long-range attack options. So you’re going to…”
To Sahzan, who seemed to grasp my intention, and Ringo, who was clenching and unclenching her fists, apparently filled with motivation, I nodded powerfully.
“—Yeah! Using these boots, I’ll move through the air without being seen by the boss and reach the door!”
My spirited declaration was met with an unexpected silence. A few seconds later, Sahzan’s quiet muttering, “Ah, this is definitely a ‘for life’ situation,” stuck in my mind.
Next update tomorrow!
Oh, and I was supposed to include a promotion, but I didn’t have time to finish the activity report, so that will also be tomorrow! I couldn’t schedule a post because I was still working on the latest chapter’s construction!
