BTOG 253 – Circling back around the other way?

“I hope you all calmed down now.”

<Yes.>

<Yes.>

<Well…>

<Ummm…>

About three minutes after I dropped the bomb, the chat had finally calmed down.

“Well, I had a similar reaction when I got it, so I understand how you all feel. And I still don’t know why Aria’s [Soul] became this one.”

Clearly, [Lone Moon Camellia] was overpowered at the time of its creation.

The fact that it halves every SP consumption, whether it’s dash, evasion, or arts, means that it simply doubles the SP status.

SP increases with each level, and it keeps doubling its effectiveness. At low levels, the benefit is small because the starting value of SP is also small, but the effect will only continue to increase.

“Now that we’ve reached a certain level and the WLO environment has changed so much, I feel that the time has come for me to reveal it to you. I’m sorry that I’ve been hiding it.”

<I guess that’s understandable.>

<right.>

< It’s way too early to reveal at that time.>

<You don’t have to know the game to know how broken that thing is.>

< I’d say it’s a first-kill advantage, but no one’s beaten the Red Wolf until today.>

<I thought it was just a decoration for a set of equipment, but it turned out to be the main body.>

“It’s true that the first killer had so much advantage when it comes to named equipment. Personally, I think that is also one of the most unbalanced aspects of this game. Also, only the MVP could get the Soul if you attacked the party named monster. Though this time is a bit different? I heard that everyone in my party got [Soul].”

Yes, that’s right.

Contrary to what Drago stated as [the first named weapon owner], only MVPs can obtain the [Soul] as a reward for defeating the party-named Boss for the first time.

Of course, there is a possibility of getting it as a rare drop, but it’s called a rare drop because it is hard to drop.

It’s also worth noting that after the first time, the MVP isn’t guaranteed to obtain Soul as a drop item.

However, this time, everyone, including A-chan, Drago, and Rou, has reported via Haruru that they had obtained [Soul].

Not the mass-produced ones like the ones dropped by Ars Nova, the giant dragon, but the genuine [Soul of Nocturne, the Moon Wolf of the Beyond].

Incidentally, I was the MVP of the battle against the moon wolves. So naturally, I have it, but even so, it is hard to accept that a lucky drop happens to all of us.

Well, Nocturne was a special monster, even among the named bosses that only appeared on full moon nights. I don’t know if it was because of that particularity or some of the inner workings, but it was nice that everyone got the rare items. And because of that, there’s no need for jealousy and such.

I don’t think there will be any since that was us, but it was honestly good that the three people who cooperated with me got to take [souls] home.

Especially since A-chan’s weapon was destroyed at the cost of her [Kensei] skill, I could feel her determination to make a new weapon from her message. {that Kensei skill cannot use named weapon tho…}

Drago, who already has two named weapons, was going to use it to make new ‘usual’ bikini armor, and Rou was going to further upgrade her gothic dress armor by adding in moon wolf materials.

And please don’t tell anyone that I giggled a little as I could feel the excitement of using rare items from each of their messages.

“I don’t know if Nocturne was special or not, but it’s good that [Soul] is becoming a little easier to obtain, and the threshold for named equipment is being lowered. Well, at least to get mine, you will have to win in a one-on-one fight with Aria, Huehehehe.”

< Don’t be absurd.>

<Two months of this game life, and that one still only has been defeated once.>

<She gives no bonus for the encounter too.>

<(Just keep killing her until it drops) No, it wasn’t that easy.>

<I could feel her evil laugh.>

< Don’t be so mean.>

<Just because you won at level 14.>

<I (almost) won.>

<I saw the video, and it cannot even be called a close match.>

<Yeah, she killed it first, then she herself bled to death…>

“With more people trying, I’m sure someone will be able to beat her. Aria is not without her weaknesses.”

Aria, the lone red wolf. The most important thing to point out is that the HP of that named bosses is unbelievably low.

Of course, Aria is a solo Named Boss, so I am sure that her HP will get stronger according to the player’s level. Still, I think the ratio should remain the same even if the total amount increases.

The eyes to see her movement, the skills to receive her attack, and the mental strength to endure long hours of battle.

And as long as you have the means to defeat its trump card, anyone has a chance to defeat it.

There is absolutely no such thing that only I can defeat them. The number of people who have been in the game is just too small, but from now on, even Aria will be defeated in various ways.

“Well, let’s move on. Look, I’m going to examine the item one by one; I had prepared to show the menu card, but then I realized, isn’t it better if I direct this display to a hologram?”

<I can’t stop the excitement!>

<Rare drop! Rare drop!>

<Woooooooooooooooooooooooo!>

< I Was waiting for this.>

<I’m looking forward to it.>

<How do we know what’s rare?>

“We don’t. The only thing we know without taking a closer look is the Soul. After all, we’re the first to fight it, and there’s no way to analyze the drop probability.”

The experience value and iris items are lined up in a row, along with the title and level gain message that I have earned after that battle.

I may not have gotten this many items in one battle since I defeated Aria.

Many of the big bosses I’ve fought since then, like the Golden Knight Gordo and Ars Nova, have dropped items that were pretty generic, after all.

“Hmm?”

When I looked at the drop list, there was a strange description.

I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was looking at the wrong thing.

No matter how tired I am, my eyes never misread things, but I saw a strange string of text that made me do so unintentionally.

“Huh…..?”

<Hmm?>

< What’s wrong?>

<Did something funny happen?>

“No, it’s just that there are three… moon wolf [souls] that have dropped.”

<What?>

<What?>

<What?>

<What?>

<Huh?>

<Wow.>

<Huh?>

<Huh?>

“Is this a bowl of rice with a bowl of rice topping?”

{you bugged}

 ☆

“Hmm… but why…….”

<Hmm.>

< Isn’t this too much?>

<The fixed and random drop slots…>

<The world is broken.>

<Is it a bug?>

<Is it possible there were two rare drops?>

<One of them should be a fixed reward for MVPs.>

<If other people got the same drop, then maybe the moon wolf soul was a confirmed drop, to begin with…>

<Does that mean this are three types of guaranteed rewards, guaranteed drops, and rare drops……?>

“Well …… it’s also possible that there’s a fixed reward for the first MVP and a separate fixed drop for party members like the other three all got, plus they simply got lucky and picked up a rare drop?”

<I see.>

<Makes sense.>

< It’s a stroke of luck.>

< Isn’t it too much for a rare drop?>

<No, that’s still surprising.>

<We didn’t know if that really rare drops in the first place…..>

< Can’t you see the breakdown of the three?>

<↑ Can’t see those things.>

<The only thing is that it’s not specified in the MVP rewards. It’s just that it’s my experience.>

<uHmm…>

<If it’s not a mistake, I’ll be very excited.>

Before being confused about the whole ridiculous situation, I discussed it with the viewers and thought about it calmly again, and came to the conclusion that [it is not strange… in theory].

One thing certain is that I have obtained the [souls] for the first-time defeat reward.

But, it is certainly not impossible to expect that all members of the party would have given a fixed drop since all the members of the moon-wolf battle, including A-chan, had obtained it.

And the other one is that I simply happened to roll a rare drop.

That would explain why there are three souls being dropped.

“Still, this smell like a bug, doesn’t it?”

When I heard that A-chan and the others were all able to obtain the Souls, I thought it was because the rewards for the first round of defeats were now given to everyone in the party.

Of course, I expected that something like the MVP reward would at least be something other than [Soul]. Since they’re doing equal distribution means that there would be no MVP reward itself, but [Soul] is not an item that can be collected in two at once by a single player due to its absurd performance.

I can accept that it is a matter of luck that you can get both the rare drop and the confirmed reward, but the confirmed reward for the party and the MVP reward for the first time should not be overlapped.

I feel like it’s a glitch, like the old rules and the new rules have become weirdly triggered at a time when we’re getting the “first guaranteed reward for everyone in the party” thing.

< I’ve seen it happen before, lol>

< It’s a hell that all system operators go through.>

<Bugs tend to occur during the transition period.>

<Caused by lack of testing.>

< I’ve heard that AI updates and management updates are independent of each other.>

<If it’s a bug, did you get a message from management?>

“There is no message from the management regarding Nocturne, or maybe management doesn’t know what’s going on yet. I’ll make an inquiry later. If there had been at least two drops, I could have just said I was lucky, but this… I’m getting worried.”

<LOL.>

< That’s so sad.>

<I know how much excitement when you see [a rare drop!]>

<At any rate, you should defend the two souls to be yours. Treat it as your luck.>

<By the way, if you were really given three, what would you do with them?>

“I’m not sure how I’d use three… First, I’d use one for weapons, one for armor, and the only thing I haven’t touched is accessories, but they’re low on priority. How about having a stronger projectile item made as a sub-weapon?”

I thought about it a lot, but honestly speaking, I was at a loss as to how to use the souls this time.

My equipment had just been updated just before the battle against the moon wolves.

I had only used the Ouma and the Red Wolf Attire Alter during the Moonlit battle. And, of course, they were such good equipment that I only needed one battle to approve their quality.

The SP effect of Ouma has a great synergy with the SP halving of [Lone Moon Camellia], and thanks to them, I don’t have to worry about running out of SP at all.

The Red Wolf Attire Alter raised my agility as well as my magic defense, giving me a rock-solid defense.

Putting aside the other small items, these two pieces of equipment were without a doubt the best of the best, and their performance was enough to kick any other famous equipment out of the park.

Well, my physical status is actually equal to level 140 if you count the race-specific equipment, and since I am wearing equipment that makes full use of that status, it is natural to say that I am over-tuned.

Named equipment is certainly strong, but just because the performance of the equipment is a few levels higher than the Boss’s level, it is not that OP.

Well, I may not be so persuasive when I say so since I have [Lone Moon Camellia], which is a broken piece of equipment…

Nocturne, the Moon Wolf of the Beyond. Her level was 150.

What I had was the material dropped by a named monster of such a level. Even without the existence of its Soul, she is clearly over-tuned for this current progression.

The first named Boss defeated in this game, [Arozu, the Griffon of the Azure Sky], was about level 60. The current trends are that equipment made from this monster, which has circulated in a large amount, reigns supreme as top-class general-purpose armor.

Even if we simply look at it, their difference in level is 90, so naturally, the value of the material also differed that much.

And considering how to power the effect of the [Soul], if I am not careful, it may become equipment that can be used up to level 200 or so.

I’m in already in a class of my own in terms of status, and if I strengthen my equipment even further, the only thing waiting for me in the future may be a game of ‘nothing.’

“I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to use it to strengthen my equipment.”

<Hmm.>

<I understand how you feel.>

<Especially since you just changed your equipment.>

< There’s no point in being in a hurry.>

<just one piece, no one will find out, no one will.>

“No, it’s fine for people to find out, and it’s already exposed because we’re streaming anyway! In any case, I don’t think that I will upgrade my equipment. The most enjoyable part of the game for me is the combat. I don’t want it to get too easy.”

< You’re a fighting maniac, aren’t you?>

< She’s the blunt type ogre girl.>

<I don’t really care too.>

<You can do whatever you want, Sukuna.>

<I guess you can never be too strong.>

<Your body needs to fight.>

<lol>

<This is the woman who plants a child’s face into the ground without mercy.>

“Please forget about Hisui incidents….”

<Stop with the fake Kansai dialect.>

<Where did you learn that?>

< That’s why I was against her participating in VSTG tournaments (VR Shooting Game).>

<LOLLL.>

< There’s some rumor about it in the VSTG community, you know.>

That was unexpected, perhaps because I haven’t said “I want to do this” or “I want to do that” during my own stream so far, but most of my viewers didn’t force me to do anything more than I expected.

Of course, since there are many people who have commented, a tiny fraction of them did, but they are such a small minority that you can’t read and find them unless you are conscious of them.

I’m sure a lot of people are trying their best, but it seems that viewers adapt to the atmosphere of this channel better than I expected.

In fact, they even seemed to be actively trying to make it more relaxed.

“I heard that there will be more dungeons with higher difficulty levels, so I’ll make equipment as needed. Even when I want this or that, I can’t make it without the materials.”

< I’ll leave the decision to you.>

< You’ll have to try to use a bow or something.>

< Let’s make sunglasses.>

<In an RPG, light-blocking items are not necessarily useless.>

< Can’t we make ‘just for fun items?>

< I’d like to see spears.>

The only thing that was loosely decided was the policy, so for the time being, the general conclusion is to keep the three “souls” instead of using them.

And I also found some other interesting materials in the drop.

“Fur, claws, fangs… and bones…. and then the [Moonlight Treasure]? Oh, this one is Epic in rarity.”

<Epic?>

<Ohohoho.>

< It’s a little outshined by the souls, but it’s still a great rarity.>

<In this game, there are five levels of rarity: Common, Rare, High Rare, Epic, and Legendary. The items from the named bosses are special; they are called named. Epic Rare is the second rarest item from the top, so it must be quite valuable.>

<Thanks for the help, Expert Brother.>

<Almost copied and pasted from the Wiki.>

< It’s an attribute crystal, huh?>

<Hey, isn’t moonlight a higher level of light?>

“Higher? Oh, you mean it’s the same rank as [Hellfire]? True, I think that’s what it is. I think this might be the best drop aside the Soul.”

I took it out of the item box and found it to be a beautiful moon-colored jewel. It is about the size of a large candy ball, and I could gulp it if I wanted to, but I didn’t because I couldn’t eat it anyway.

I think they are quite rare, but the [Soul] really outshined it.

I think Haruru told me before that there are some catalysts that are compatible with attribute crystals. For the flame attribute, it could be red metal or flare metal, or something like that.

So is there something like moon metal, or can the nocturne material itself be used as a catalyst?

It seems that it is not something that can be used quickly, even if you want to use it right away.

“As for the title… I got The [Lunar Wolf Compassion] for defeating Moon Wolf and  [Named killer] for defeating all types of Named in a solo, party, and raid. All of these title effects just increase the likability of NPCs~.”

“There are no strong titles, are there?”

“[The woman who keeps raising the NPC’s likability.]”

“Isn’t she almost like a hero to the average NPC?”

“She’s raising the likability of NPCs again.”

<These titles are mostly just a flavor.>

“I guess so. Well, only the ones you get when you raise your skills can be useful in battle….”

Until now, I’ve never received a strong title from a named boss, so it’s probably intended.

Or maybe it’s just that much more important to get a likability rating. It’s not something I can quantify or see, so I’m just guessing.

< anything else?>

<You got skills before, didn’t you?>

“Yeah, they’re dropping rare skills too. Let’s see…”

“You beat really Nocturne. You’re growing up nicely.”

“……!?”

Suddenly, a voice is heard.

It was a voice that suddenly came from right behind me as I was playing with my menu card.

It’s impossible for me not to notice, no matter how much I’ve let my guard down, no matter how much I’ve restricted my senses.

But the voice is there, right behind me; without a single sound, sign, or change in the air, it suddenly appeared.

Even though I was in a virtual space, I felt as if I was drenched in sweat.

The reason why I didn’t react immediately was that I recognized the voice.

It wasn’t Rou. This one presence was different from her special stealth because it completely obliterated any sign, completely erasing its existence.

One wrong move and this village could be destroyed. The one behind me emanating that kind of murderous intent.

I gulped once, and without turning around, I muttered the name of the person with a twitch in my throat.

“Melty…… Bloodheart……?”

“Yes, so you remember? I commend you, my beloved little Oni-god.”

I would never know what kind of expression she had on her face until I saw her.

The world’s strongest vampire said those words in a cheerful tone of voice as she gently ran her slender fingers along my neck from behind.

===*

It’s been a while.

Share

You may also like...

6 Responses

  1. Kensei Seraph says:

    Thanks for the chapter.

  2. Anon says:

    could you proofread the previous chapter? It’s difficult to read.

  3. CertainZero says:

    who was that vampire again cant remember

    • Dire Weeb says:

      The crazy powerful one that’s been around since the dawn of time or something and stopped her rampage during that one event before the strongest oni NPC stepped in.

    • Wraith says:

      The last true vampire, who let Shuten kill all other vampires for their crime of angering Shuten out of fear of what she ‘might’ do. She’s the one who told Kohaku where Ars Nova would come out to their world if they failed the raid battle. She’s also the one who used herself as bait when Sukuna was rampaging in her grief.

  4. rukbat says:

    why was the last chapter so fucked up? I’m blocking all ads on your site until you fix it

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *