The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 66
EP.66 Game and Reality Are Different (2)
Games are different from reality.
Especially turn-based RPGs—there’s almost nothing similar between them and real life. In reality, when you’re fighting for your life, you don’t take turns hitting each other. You don’t waste several seconds preparing for a powerful attack, and you certainly don’t miss your target when it’s right in front of you.
In other words, when using magic, you don’t just stand still and take every hit from your enemy.
In Chronicles of Aetherna, there are attacks that can cancel an enemy’s large-scale moves before they can land. If a skill has the term “action cancel” attached to it, there’s a certain chance that you can disrupt the enemy’s planned attack.
Unless it’s an instant ultimate skill, every spell displays its name when it’s about to be used, and the turn in which the spell is cast is determined by the agility of the monster or character casting it. If you land an action-canceling skill during that time, the spell is interrupted, and instead of executing their magic, the character resets their action and waits for a new command on their next turn.
The best way to increase the chances of action cancellation is to counter with a faster spell or an instant skill that opposes the element of the incoming magic. Of course, the skill or spell needs to have “action cancel” attached to it.
At first glance, this logic makes sense.
For instance, dousing a fire spell with water sounds plausible, doesn’t it? It’s not easy to continue what you’re doing when a massive amount of water suddenly pours down on you from above.
The problem is… that’s only true in theory.
If someone knows a large amount of water is falling on them, why wouldn’t they try to dodge it?
The Elemental Bear was, after all, a “bear.” And bears, despite appearing sluggish, are terrifying predators composed of mostly muscle. The Elemental Bear in front of us was much bigger than any bear I knew. So of course, its muscle mass would be far greater, too.
“Ah…!”
It seemed the bullet hadn’t been a fatal shot. The moment I pulled the trigger, Mia Crowfield’s spell activated, and water poured down from above. Although the bullet grazed the bear’s cheek, it hadn’t killed it.
In truth, I had asked Mia for that spell because I was worried the Elemental Bear’s fire-element attacks would set the forest ablaze. After all, flames had sparked where its claws touched, and small fires had begun to catch.
But that could’ve been dealt with after we finished the fight.
The bear wasn’t where I last saw it. Though it hadn’t taken long to lower the rifle after the recoil, it was enough time for the bear to shift positions.
By the time I brought the gun back down, the bear had already moved from its dampened spot. Now, it was lying flat on the ground with its front paws dug into the earth, poised to strike.
…Its mouth was still wide open.
The spell hadn’t been canceled.
The bear’s eyes were locked on Mia Crowfield.
“Again!”
I shouted frantically.
*
“Gasp!”
I jolted awake, taking in a sharp breath.
The room was still dark.
…I had returned to the moment I woke up this morning. Right before Claire came to wake me, just as I was about to start cleaning my gun.
“…”
Ah.
I reset time too quickly and ended up going too far back.
…In hindsight, it might have been better to reset only a little, just enough to make sure the bullet lodged right into the bear’s head. Even though the bear had been on the verge of casting magic, I had been aiming at it as well.
I ran my hands over my face.
But…
Yeah, I had misjudged the situation. That was a big part of it.
The name Aetherna Empire and the names of all the characters I had seen in the game. Because of that, I unconsciously began to see this world as if it were just part of the game.
But… it was different. Clearly different.
In the game, even if the bear’s paw struck you, your HP would only drop a little. Magic or potions would restore it in no time. Honestly, it didn’t matter if your HP went down.
For some reason, even though cutscenes showed people being shot and assassinated, or blown up by bombs, in battle, no matter how many times you were shot or hit by bombs, as long as your HP didn’t reach zero and you didn’t get a game over from party annihilation, you were merely described as “knocked out.”
Once the battle ended, you could just restore health with magic, potions, or those handy recovery devices at checkpoints.
But reality wasn’t like that.
There were no convenient recovery devices in the forest. There were no auto-save points either. If I got hit by that bear’s paw, I wouldn’t have time to think about HP recovery—I’d already be lying in pieces, with my bones and organs scattered.
…And if I got hit by that fire laser, even if I survived with healing magic, I’d probably be left with fingers burned off or a face melted beyond recognition… I’d carry scars like that for the rest of my life.
“In the original story…”
That phrase, “in the original story,” only applied to the plot and the layout of the towns.
Thinking back on it, without me there, could Leo and the others have broken through that fake trench? Even if they had asked Mia Crowfield for help, without the pre-loaded shotgun in hand, could they have reached the enemy first and taken them down?
“Is it because of me?”
Was it because I, who didn’t exist in the original story, suddenly became part of their group? Did that cause all of this to happen?
I furrowed my brow, lost in thought, but I couldn’t come to any clear conclusion. Would my presence in that fight really make such a big difference? Fighting against an opponent armed with a gun or a sword meant that even a single hit could be fatal. So, if we wanted to follow the story, we had to keep fighting without allowing ourselves to suffer more than a scratch.
Even if the story unfolded as it was supposed to, was it truly possible for the protagonist’s party to make it to the end without a single injury?
If that were possible, then what reason did I have to be here? Wasn’t there a goddess, or perhaps a god from another religion, or maybe even some system at play that created my existence?
“…”
I didn’t know. No one had yet explained to me why I was here, so all I could do was come up with my own reasons. Becoming a character that fits this game, one who wouldn’t be abandoned by anyone—that’s the choice I made.
“Phew…”
Well, at least knowing what was coming in the future helped me shake off the drowsiness.
I stood up.
Claire would soon burst through the door any minute now.
*
“Is there a blacksmith nearby?”
When I asked this out of the blue, just as the receptionist was about to relax after finishing her explanation, she shot me a sharp look.
“At this hour? Are you planning to wake someone up to forge a weapon for you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Huh?”
The receptionist grunted in disbelief, but when I didn’t avoid her gaze and kept looking at her directly, she blinked in surprise, seemingly taken aback.
“Sylvia?”
Claire, who had been standing nearby, seemed equally surprised by my assertive attitude and called my name.
“I’ve got the money. I understand it’s no easy task to craft a weapon at this hour. I’ll make sure to give the blacksmith a tip if you wake him.”
“…”
At my firm tone, the receptionist stared at me for a while. She probably already knew who I was—she must’ve heard from Jennifer.
The receptionist was a different person from earlier. Of course, one person couldn’t be expected to stay up and work all night. Even if she had switched shifts, there would have been a handover of information.
“…Alright. No need for a tip.”
I couldn’t tell exactly what changed her mind, but the receptionist picked up the phone receiver on the table.
“Requesting the blacksmith.”
Her voice was quite different from the gruff tone she had used earlier, and after that, she fell silent again, giving me a once-over as if trying to size me up.
In the game, upgrading equipment was almost like playing with toy parts—quick and simple. But reality wasn’t so easy. The magic staff had a slot for the Marmaros to fit into, so while it wouldn’t take forever, it would still take at least several minutes or up to an hour to properly fit it and adjust its condition.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to leave immediately on a new quest. We had some time, so if I entrusted the weapon to them now, they should be able to manage.
“Are you sure about that?”
Alice asked me that question, and I nodded in response. Seeing my expression, Alice didn’t press any further.
“Uh, sorry for bothering you this late. It’s Frieda from the request office—”
After holding the receiver for a while, the receptionist finally spoke.
*
“…”
On our way back to the Elemental Bear’s location, Mia Crowfield seemed deep in thought. She was still panting heavily, but her expression suggested she was contemplating something more serious than just her physical exhaustion.
The blue gem at the end of her staff sparkled. It was the Marmaros I had obtained from the underground waterway. …To be honest, it scared me a little. If she cast a spell on me using that, I’d probably die without making a sound. But more than that, I didn’t want the protagonist’s party to get hurt.
There might have been a way to prevent them from taking on this request from the start. But I didn’t like that option either. So, I had no choice but to find another path, even if it meant taking on the risk.
“…Let’s take a short break.”
No one in the group had realized that Mia Crowfield was exhausted because she didn’t openly show it. Only after I suggested taking a break did the others turn around and look at her, surprised.
Mia Crowfield, drenched in sweat, was breathing heavily.
“If you were tired, you should’ve said something.”
Claire remarked, and we all sat down to rest.
Just like before, I handed Mia Crowfield a water bottle without saying a word. She took it silently, drinking carefully as she continued to look at me with a confused expression. Considering that I had just given her a rare Marmaros for free, her reaction was understandable. If I were in her shoes, I’d be highly suspicious too.
But I had no intention of explaining that I had seen the future. I only hoped that this method would work, as I took back the warm flask Mia Crowfield handed over.
*
The more Marmaros of a specific attribute are equipped, the shorter the “casting time” for magic becomes. In practical terms, it means you don’t need to focus too long as the magical power of the Marmaros itself would assist. You can use more spells, and the time to cast them becomes much faster.
…Reality wasn’t a game, but game mechanics often reflected real-world logic to some degree.
“Spitus Glapes!”
Spirit of Ice.
That’s what Mia’s shout sounded like.
A large ice spike pierced into the open mouth of the Elemental Bear, which was lying flat on the ground.
The glowing inside of the Elemental Bear’s mouth turned red in an instant. The thick ice lodged deep within cracked, and through the cracks, red blood began to seep out. But the bear didn’t die.
Bang!
Almost immediately after that, a bullet pierced its head. Another shot to its already wounded right eye caused its skull to cave in. With ice embedded in its neck and its fur slashed open, the bear collapsed in a grotesque heap, its body inflated but posed like a crudely skinned rug.
“…Hmm.”
Looking at the fallen Elemental Bear, Jake spoke up.
“Guess we won’t get full payment for this one.”
No one laughed at the joke.