"Too many!"
It was when I was about to go Wraith taming.
I saw ten servants lined up in front of the main gate, so I unintentionally let out my impression.
In the morning, I asked Yukari to gather the top-ranked servants that wouldn't be busy today, to help me with the tame. However, I had not expected ten people to gather.
No, it's not like I'm grateful, you know? But I'm concerned about the normal operations being understaffed.
"Don't worry. All my subordinates are up to any task."
Guessing my concerns, Cubero said something to reassure me. I see, I guess I'll have to make a special allowance for his subordinates.
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, I came across an unfamiliar face among the servants. At a quick glance, he was a boy with short hair, about the age of a junior high school student.
"I brought him to fill the gap left by Sovra-nii-san, he's my subordinate. Come on, say your greetings!"
"I-I-I'm Pu-Pu-Pu-Ploum!"
Jast, the stable master introduced him to me. His name is apparently Ploum, a stable hand. And it was quite obvious he was very nervous.
"Is he okay? Pupupu-kun, was it?"
"Yes. He's still a wet-behind-the-ears kid, but I'll take responsibility for him."
That's not what I was referring to, but...Well, whatever.
"Alright then, you'll be searching in pairs. When you encounter a monster, attack it first with the least damaging attack you have. If it's a wraith transformed into another monster, then that should be enough to break the transformation. If you manage to find a wraith, keep track of him and contact me via team-only communication."
After I gave my instruction, everyone nodded in acknowledgment.
Ten servants joined Team Firstest for this occasion as guests, so communication shouldn't be an issue.
And thus, this time we explored with a team of eleven people plus one monster girl. Silvia and Eko said they wanted to come help, but I wanted them to prioritize the special training for the summer title match, so I declined their participation for today.
"M...t..."
"Master, is it fine if we two are a pair? It's what she said."
While the servants were being moved one by one to the mountain where the Wraiths lurked using Anko's transfer summoning, two maids talked to me. Yve, an albino girl with pure white hair and skin, and her interpreter, Luna.
I don't see anything wrong with them being a pair, but what does she mean by that?
From what I saw, the servant pairs were Cubero and Lilly, Jast and Ploum, El and Es, Cosmos and Champani, and Yve and Luna.
...Ahh, I see what she means, I get it. I suppose she's asking since she's worried about the balance of power in the Jast and Ploum pairing, so she's wondering if it's okay to keep the groups as they are.
In the mountains where Wraiths lurk, monsters of about the level of an upper C class to lower B class appear alone. The fact that they appear alone is the key point.
"Don't worry. Since monsters only appear alone, there's no such thing as them being overpowered and dying helplessly. In case of a problem, they will have plenty of time to send a message asking for help. If that happens, I'll transfer there, so it's okay. So yeah, you girls are fine as a pair."
"...A..."
"Thank you very much, Master. It's what she said."
When I told them that to reassure them, both of them thanked me with a somewhat happy expression and left.
Certainly, if those two were separated, they would each have a hard time with their pairing partner. Yve's partner wouldn't be able to hear what she's saying, and Luna also seems to have quite the communication problem herself...
I've spoken to Luna one on one only once in the past, but she never once changed her expression and simply talked nonchalantly about her pet spider. Apparently, it's called Consade (TN: Secando is how Second is spelled in Japanese). I didn't know how to respond when she said, "It's an anagram of your name, Master", and I think I remember only saying "thank you" as a response.
"I got a transmission saying that everyone's transfer will be completed in four minutes."
Then, sometime later while waiting for the transfer, Cubero, who was standing next to me, told me so.
After I replied with a "Got it," Cubero continued speaking with an expression of admiration.
"In any case, this communication is wonderful. How many people can use it at the same time?"
"I think it was 300 people? There was also the 1,500 limit if you were to meet some requirements."
I didn't play in many team battles during my Mobius dais, so I didn't know the details.
"F-Fifteen hundred people is incredible... If it were to be used by the military, it would certainly revolutionize warfare."
"...Eh?"
What? It can't be...
"Say, do you know how to form a team?"
"I at least do know of a way to do so. Probably only a few people in the country know about it. Probably it's a state secret or..."
...Seriously?
"Three or more people must do a complete clear of a C class dungeon within two hours. That's the condition to form a team."
"!?"
When I told him, Cubero looked at me with wide eyes.
"Is it okay to share those details with me!?"
"I don't know if it's good or bad, but at least it's something you should know. Especially if you're part of house Firstest."
"...What an elite-sounding statement. This Cubero here is very impressed. As the steward of the Firstest family, I will engrave it deeply in my heart. Then, may I ask you another question?"
"Yeah."
"What is a complete clear?"
"Defeat all the monsters that have appeared when you step into the dungeon before defeating the boss. The only hassle is that you have to go all the way to the back ends of the dungeon, places you'd normally skip, to kill all the monsters."
In a dungeon, monsters basically spawn up over time. However, there are two upper limits to the number of monsters that can be spawned: the unmanned saturation number and the manned saturation number. The former is the upper limit reached when no player is inside the dungeon, and the latter is the maximum number of monsters that will re-spawn when a player defeats a monster inside the dungeon. The latter is set higher than the former, so the more monsters you defeat, the more monster will spawn.
The condition for a complete clear is to defeat all the monsters that have already finished spawning in an unmanned saturated state at the time of entering the dungeon. The monsters that re-spawn after that do not count.
"I somewhat understand. But I think it's quite difficult to understand the details of a dungeon's structure and its mechanics."
"I don't think so. It's more like something of a feeling you get."
"No, it is difficult. Furthermore, the condition to complete a C class dungeon within two hours makes it even more difficult."
"If that were the case, then three people clearing a B-class dungeon with leeway to spare wouldn't happen."
Well, I will admit that the conditions were a tad bit complicated. It was rumored among players that this was "an adjustment made by the Mobius management team to prevent beginner teams from being over created". There were pros and cons to this, but as a matter of fact, the adjustment, which was set a little higher, worked well.
Beginning players who start Mobius with a group of friends will work hard to form a team, while those who cannot work hard will not form a team. Beginners who started alone drifted towards joining a team rather than forming one. In this way, the absolute number of teams decreased while the value of each team increased.
Most of the full-immersion VRMMORPGs that were popular at the time, other than Mobius, had a system that allowed even one person to create a team or guild, so it was a mess of shitty groups with only one member in them. Compared to that, I remember Mobius having a relatively clear and nice environment.
"Prime Minister Val Morrow probably formed a team. And I'm sure there are a lot of people in the Marubell Empire who know how to form a team. If some bastard like him managed to do it, then it shouldn't be something that's hard."
"I-I guess you're right."
But just as Cubero said, though, this might be something treated as a state secret.
"Look, it's about time to transfer."
With the chit-chat out of the way, we made our way to the mountain where the wraiths hid.
Travel time: about 10 minutes. Indeed, Anko beats an uber any day.
"Alright, let's get to work!"
As soon as the transfers were complete, I gave the order.
The five pairs of servants ran valiantly into the mountains.
Anko and I too followed after them.
...The long and deadly battle against the wraith, has now begun.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Can you see it at 1 o'clock?"
"I can see it. Is that a monkey?"
"Yeah, it would seem so."
The Cubero and Lilly pair were advancing through the forest near the foot of the mountain while carefully searching for their enemy.
Suddenly, a muscular ape monster, with the physique of a karate practitioner, appeared in front of them. It was called Ookaratezaru, which was also sometimes called Big Karate Monkey. It looked more like a gorilla than a monkey, but since it had a monkey-like face, the pair decided to call it a monkey.
"I'm going to start the attack. Cubi-chan, you cover for me."
"Understood."
Lilly quickly approached the Ookaratezaru with a speed that did not match his muscular, hulking body, and stopped just in time to chant a "Water Attribute・First Form" spell.
Since Second coaxed Maine to give him the Grimoires of the First to Fourth Form spells of all attributes, the servants were able to learn [Magic] at any time. Lilly was no exception to this and had mastered several [Magic] skills.
"Receive my love!"
With a single shout, Lilly released his "Water Attribute・First Form" spell as if throwing a kiss.
Muak――It hit the Ookaratezaru directly in the face. Since its rank was 9th class, and probably the least powerful attack that Lilly had, it did almost no damage at all.
"Ara～...It looks like it's the real thing, right?"
"Uhhoohooooooo!"
Perhaps because of the pain caused by the attack, the furious monkey rushed to attack Lilly.
"I won't let you."
At the same time, Cubero's support came.
A flying kick from a 5th-grade "Knight Martial Arts" skill thrust into the chest of the Ookaratezaru.
Screaming "Ugyaaaa!", the Ookaratezaru lost its balance and fell backward.
"Take care of the rest, Lilly-chan."
"Leave it to me!"
Lilly approached the Ookaratezaru as it tried to get back up while cracking his neck from side to side.
Then, about a meter in front of it, he activated a grade 6 "Gold Martial Arts" skill.
"Gold Martial Arts" is a short-range attack forward + defense skill. So to speak, it's what you'd call a tackle.
"Hmph!!"
A manly voice escaped from Lilly's mouth, and immediately afterward came a loud thud sound. Then, with a creaking sound, the Ookaratezaru was flung away as if it was hit by a truck and crashed into a tree five meters behind. where it died.
If you don't include the probing attack by the First Form spell, it was only two attacks. Most of the monsters here were at around this level.
"As expected of your power."
"Cubi-chan too, nice power."
After defeating the monsters with ease, the two praised each other's power.
Since the two were frequent opponents in the rank matches and they were both martial arts users, they got along very well and were good rivals at the same time.
"Let's keep it going."
"Understood, let's go. We're the ones who will be praised by Master!"
"Hey, Ploum. You go and attack it."
"Got it, aniki!"
Meanwhile. The pair of Jast and Ploum, like Cubero's group, had found an Ookaratezaru.
As for their tactics, it appeared that Ploum, with his low stats, would make the initial attack, and Jast was to take care of the rest of the fight.
"HAA!"
Ploum's class 5 "Soldier Archery" attack hit the giant Ookaratezaru in the arm.
Needless to say, the reason Ploum raised his [Archery] skill was that he admired Jast, whose main skill was [Archery].
"Alright! Is it a fake? Nah, it looks like the real one. Anyway, leave the rest to me!"
The Ookaratezaru wasn't a wraith. The best proof of that was the fact it performed a mad rush towards them.
Jast simply drew back his bow and unleashed a 5th-grade "Silver Archery" attack.
"UGOOOHHH!"
It was a direct hit to the head, and a critical one at that, causing the Ookaratezaru to die in a single blow.
"Whoa! That was awesome! There's nobody like you, Aniki!"
"Well, it was nothing really."
Ploum happily clapped his hands, and Jast was also in a good mood since he got to show his good side to his Ploum, who was like his little brother.
And so, the search for the wraith was going generally well, even for this pair, who had the lowest fighting strength overall.
Thus, Cubero and Lilly were powerful, Jast and Ploum were nimble, El and Es were like each other's complement, Yve and Luna were, obviously, silent, and Second and Anko were super-fast, as they continued their search for a wraith until the sunset.
The first day ended yielding no results.
The second and third days also flew by.
On the fourth day, Silvia and Eko joined the search, but it still ended without success.
...Two days left, only two days.
I have to tame it at all costs.
Second and the others continued their desperate search for a wraith...