I've finally returned. We had to use Liora's trump card, the [Soul Eater], after all. "We can still go on" quickly turned into "It's too dangerous."
We fought some light battles on the way back to recharge our life stocks. This dungeon yielded quite a haul: "Poison Dagger," "Ring of Luck," "Samurai," and "Staff of Lamentation."
Some people on the forum are raising suspicions that [PHO] is a hack-and-slash game. In other words, dungeons where you can level up while acquiring supplies are vital for this game.
We didn't obtain the "Regenerating Clothing" we aimed for, but worst-case scenario, we can secure it by fighting Ninela. It's not a "deathmatch," right? Just in case, I should bring Euklis along to act as the referee.
We returned to the inn and took a moment to relax when I noticed the forum was buzzing. This forum is a thread where the administration makes announcements, and users can't post there.
[Congratulations] Announcement of the First Event [Yay]
1... The World
Everyone, everyone, listen up! Thanks to Fool-chan's cooperation, we can hold an event! The event content is "A battle royale with 60 random players in a raid battle repeated over and over!" As long as you keep winning, you can continue playing the raid infinitely! Can you be the last raid team standing!?
By the way, we've prepared several servers, so don't worry. Each server will host 100 teams of 60 players each. Winning teams will emerge on each server! Confused? You'll understand once you try!
There are rewards for the top raid teams and top individuals, so do your best! Oh, and any "death" or "penalty" during the event will be nullified! It wouldn't be fun otherwise. However, boss rewards and experience points will carry over! The World is awesome, right?
Alright, everyone, love you all! That's all for the announcement from the administration. For more details, please check the in-game announcement mail.
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The administration has quite a unique style. Although it's a bit unclear, it fits well with the setting that the game world operates using the power of a goddess. I don't dislike it.
However, seasoned gamers are repeatedly shouting, "It's confusing, damn it, crappy admin!" Incidentally, the admin responds to such comments with "(´･ω･`)".
Anyway, it looks like it will be a tasty event. It seems you can get various boss rewards, and it's risk-free. Most importantly, we get to experience what might become a main content, raid battles. Considering [PHO]'s system where NPCs don't return once lost, it's a precious opportunity.
"We can't afford not to participate... It starts next week, right? Seems like a second batch will come five days later, so I guess this 60 includes them too."
"God...?"
"Liora, let's enter a strengthening period aiming for one week. Then we'll face the bosses."
"Boss! I'm good at defeating bosses... I am!"
If we become too active, we might stand out on the forums again. But if we don't, we won't get the top rewards. I want to prioritize strengthening over concealing information. Anyway, just by participating, our information will be exposed through [Appraisal], so there's no point in hiding.
We decided to prepare for the event over the next week. Our preparation strategy includes several things.
First, leveling up steadily. Liora's level is still in the 30s, so we need to push it up to 40. My level too, of course. I want to raise my skill levels, especially [Darkness Creation] and [Gift of Venom].
And we must get the regenerating clothes. If a streamer is on the team, Liora's cute naked body will be exposed to the public. That sounds creepy, doesn't it? 'And I can't allow others to see her naked body!'
Training begins. I have quit my job and Liora has a skill for enduring rough times. This combination is monstrously strong…!
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[Zephyr has leveled up] [Zephyr's Dark Magic has leveled up] [Zephyr's Darkness Creation has leveled up] [Zephyr's Dark Aura has leveled up] [Zephyr's HP Auto-Recovery has leveled up] [Zephyr's MP Auto-Recovery has leveled up] [Zephyr's Appraisal has leveled up] [Zephyr's Item Box has leveled up]
[Liora has leveled up] [Liora's Scythe Technique has leveled up] [Liora's Agricultural Skill has leveled up] [Liora's Dark Magic has leveled up] [Liora's Loneliness Resistance has leveled up] [Liora's Tame has leveled up]
[Samurai has leveled up] [Samurai's Mimicry has leveled up] [Samurai's Surprise Attack has leveled up] [Samurai's Restraint has leveled up]
We barely made it. After a week of intense training, our stats are as follows:
Name: [Zephyr] Gender: [Male] Level: [37] Species: [Dark Spirit] Magic: [Dark Magic 48] Crafting: [Alchemy 15] Skills: [HP Auto-Recovery 45] [MP Auto-Recovery 58] [Appraisal 10] [Dark Creation 40] [Dark Aura 31] [Enemy Resistance Reduction] [Item Box 10] [Adversity Strengthening]
Stats: Attack [185] Magic Attack [185] Endurance [185] Agility [185] Luck [185] Title: [False God's Voice]
Let's start by explaining my enhancements. Gaining 10 levels earned me [Adversity Strengthening]. This skill increases firepower, defense, and agility in return for HP. It's unpopular in [PHO] because death equals loss, and HP is a vital stat. It's dangerous.
But Liora is a character who fights by reducing her HP with [Death Scythe]. She's often in a pinch, making this skill likely to activate. If we can get through a pinch with this skill and stabilize with auto-recovery, it's great.
I finally set my title. I had two and struggled to decide. I chose [False God's Voice], which enhances my lies. Not useful in combat, though.
My dark magic increased, I got more transformations for [Darkness Creation], and [Dark Aura] became practical. There are other minor changes that will be showcased in battle.
Lastly, let's talk about the [Alchemy] skill. I took it to have something to do while Liora slept. It pairs well with the Item Box, giving me more options. Heh heh...
Next is Liora.
Name: [Liora] Gender: [Female] Level: [40] Species: [Human] Job: [Miko] Magic: [Dark Magic 45] Crafting: [Agriculture 41] Skills: [Loneliness Resistance 40] [Scythe Technique 45] [Tame 15]
Stats: Attack [134] Magic Attack [290] Endurance [227] Agility [293] Luck [230] Title: [Sin of Patricide] Unique Skill: [Death Scythe]
Liora also gained 10 levels. The new skill is [Chant Extension], which allows extending the chant time to increase magic power. This makes her magic attacks practical. It's a bit of a mess, but that suits Liora. Initially, I didn't plan for her to get [Chant Extension], but I wanted a support skill.
Lastly, Samurai the Mimic. Samurai has been straightforwardly enhanced, without any weird changes.