I had been led into an ambush! Lured from a safe distance by that enchanting song!
"Power up! Speed up!"
"Ugh! You'll pay for this!"
Drawing on Phoebe's supporting magic from my chest pocket, I took out Archie, deflecting the spear strikes. I plunged Archie towards the attacking merman's face, quickly pulling him out again to stab the same spot once more!
"Got one!"
The merman, now enveloped in red light, vanished after taking two strikes to the face. Just then, a spear shot out from behind, piercing my abdomen! I had missed the merman who had thrown it, who must have used the disappearance effect of his fallen comrade to launch his attack!
"Guh!? Using your partner's corpse to strike…?"
"Regenerate! Are you alright, Lena!?"
"Somehow!"
That last hit took half my HP! Even though my swimsuit lowers my defense, a direct hit like that is bad news...
The fishman who threw the spear has unleashed a magic circle, from which he pulls another spear... Can he throw an infinite number? This is bad!
As if to add to the chaos, three more fishmen armed with spears appear. It's now 2 against 4... Wait, if you count the unseen singer, it's 5…
And that haunting song I can't escape from has turned into a sickening wail of resentment... Checking my HP bar, I see not just the lowered defense icon, but also decrements in my maximum HP and luck...
This is bad! I need to stop that voice causing the status ailments, but the fishmen are blocking my way to find the source. Yet, judging by the direction of the sound, it must be coming from the ocean…
The odds are stacked against me—should I run?
"Hey, you two—boy at the forge and girl fairy! I'm coming to help!"
"Huh!? Who is that?!"
A female player's voice calls from behind me, drawing the fishmen's attention. I take advantage of their distraction and quickly stab one in the face with Archie, empowered by resonance, landing two strikes to take it down!
Wait, did she just notice Phoebe? Ah, forget that for now!
"I don't have time to look back! Whoever you are, if you're offering help, lend me your strength!"
"Alright! Shadow Dance!"
Two black figures wielding swords appeared and engaged in battle with the two fishmen, while a free fishman on our side launched an attack.
"Now, that singing voice! Let me put an end to it! Blade Piercing Throw!"
As the ally's voice rang out, the haunting melody abruptly stopped, dispelling the status effects. The fishman, caught off guard by the sudden silence, froze momentarily, giving Archie the perfect opportunity to swing like a baseball bat and deliver a crushing blow, defeating it.
The black figures carved through the fishmen, taking them down swiftly, then vanished in an instant as if their purpose had been fulfilled.
"Who are you...?!"
"Oh, no need to mention it!"
"Ah, it's Rhea from yesterday's concert!"
Turning around, I confirmed the source of the reinforcements—a tall figure with blue hair and blue eyes, voluptuous and strikingly beautiful, stood before us. It was Rhea, wearing a frilly swimsuit that resembled a dress.
Phoebe gazed at Rhea with awe, likely thrilled as a fan, but my own feelings were more complex. Her initial comment had revealed a sharp perception; despite her appearance as a woman, she had recognized my male identity. Furthermore, she must have noticed Phoebe's presence tucked away in my hidden pocket, which raised my suspicions.
What were the chances of an idol coming to our rescue in such a convenient twist of fate?
"Hey? Why does it feel like you're all on high alert? Relax, I'm an innocent idol; I won't harm you!"
Her words conveyed a sense of calm, as if she could see through our wariness and was reassuring us of her benign intentions.
"Is something the matter, Lena?"
"No, it's nothing. I was just surprised when you mentioned Phoebe right away—it felt like you knew from the start."
At the very least, she seemed non-threatening. If she were actually an opponent, I'd be in trouble; two shadowy figures equipped with swords could easily overtake me.
"I know you were at yesterday's concert."
"Wait! With all those people there, you noticed us!?"
"…Are you perhaps acquainted with the leader? No, Lydia, I mean."
Honestly, with so many fans present, it felt nearly impossible for Rhea to have recognized us at the concert.
But if the ticket was somehow special, and we were in a VIP section or something like that, it could make sense. Maybe she could find out by questioning the true ticket holder...
"Yes, Lydia is the leader of my team, Zero Order. I was surprised to see you at the concert from the seats I gave him. It was only after asking Lydia that I learned about you all. So, let me formally introduce myself! My name is Rhea! Right now, I'm off the clock, enjoying some private time without a stream, but I'm an idol in this world!"
"Hmm? Something feels off... Is something wrong...?"
"Wait, didn't Lily say she told the leader not to mention my existence...?"
Phoebe's words sparked a memory: Taylor had mentioned that during the auction event, Rhea had recommended a piece by… Lena. If that's true, then even if the leader were loose-lipped, the claim that they first learned about me from him would be a lie, right?
"They gave the tickets for Lydia, but Lydia ended up giving them to someone else. So when I pressed that I had the right to know, they told me," Phoebe explained.
"Hold on! If the tickets were for the leader, then why did the leader have two tickets?"
"Uh, well…"
Rhea hesitated at Phoebe's question. Is this really Rhea the idol...? Her words seemed to lose credibility by the second.
"Could it be that you're a fan pretending to be Rhea?"
"No, I'm the real deal! If I were a fake, I wouldn't be able to discuss the tickets!"
Rhea vehemently denied it, but if we really knew Rhea well, we could tell the fake from the real one. But we weren't that familiar with idols; all we knew about Rhea was from yesterday's live performance.
"...I'm sorry, but is this a fake or the real deal? We can't move forward without clarifying. I'll just send Lydia an email to confirm the truth."
When it comes to this, the best option is to consult someone who knows. I check that the leader is online, pull up the email system, and write a question: Is idol Rhea part of Team Zero Order, and has she talked about Phoebe?
A few minutes pass, and I receive an email from the leader.
"Idol Rhea is indeed associated with our Zero Order. She knows Lena better than I do, is on Lena and Phoebe's side, and will never betray Lena. That's the extent of what I can say... I can't reveal more... well, if I must add one thing, she's a mysterious heroine. Please don't pry too much until her identity is revealed."
So, there's a limit to what he can say—that's a gag order, isn't it? He didn't mention anything about discussing Phoebe, but what does he mean by knowing more about me than he does? This is a bit unsettling! And the last part—does it mean that heroes shouldn't have their identities revealed? I'm not sure...
"How about it? Do you know if it's real now?"
"...Just one last thing: do you have a key to the Zero Order's workshop?"
"I do."
Rhea pulls out a key identical to the one I have for Team Zero Order. With my trained eye, I can see it's the real thing... If the leader's email is correct, she's the genuine idol, Rhea.
"So, Rhea, you helped us, but do you have some kind of agenda with us?"
"Well, how about we team up for the event quest?"
*'You have received a party request from Rhea.'*
To be honest, I was confused about how we ended up here and felt scared, wanting to decline. However, if the leader's message was trustworthy, it meant Rhea wouldn't betray us… so I decided to take a leap of faith.
*'Party request accepted.'*
Just below my HP bar, Rhea's HP bar appeared.
Now, I was set to tackle the summer event quest alongside this mysterious idol, Rhea. Well, if things went sideways, I could always ask for help from our leader, my sister Lily, or our friend Ashton... though I hoped it wouldn't come to that.
*'There is a level difference with Rhea. To balance the party, Rhea's stats will be negatively adjusted, but you will receive a bonus for event points.'*
"Wait, is she getting weakened?"
"Yes, during events, if there's a level gap, adjustments are made to align with the lower level. In exchange, you gain bonus event points. It's designed so both beginners and advanced players can enjoy together. Also, if things go south, the party can be disbanded. But keep in mind, if you haven't reached a safe zone without monsters, the advanced player will still suffer stat penalties, so it's good to remember this if you're teaming with beginners."
As the system screen appeared, I was taken aback, and Rhea chimed in to reassure me.
"But don't worry, your skills won't get a negative adjustment, so you won't be holding us back in battle."
"Uh, yeah… I just hope we don't end up being the ones dragging us down."
To be honest, my lack of combat skills might very well hinder us; I wasn't designed for fighting in the first place.
"So, what kind of event quest are we tackling?"
We had returned to the first safe beach we found where we could accept event quests. Rhea's aim was obviously to take on a quest with us. I couldn't figure out why she invited us, but perhaps there's a puzzle only a blacksmith could solve…? No, that seemed too far-fetched.
"There are two options: the quest for Wendy's treasure and the quest for the Great Pirate's Treasure. Which one do you want to do, Lena?"
"Um, then I'll choose Wendy's treasure…"
Both quests had treasure in their names, but I felt that going up against pirates might lead to dangerous confrontations. Plus, if there were more adversaries, I wouldn't be able to handle it on my own, so I opted for Wendy instead.
"Alright, just talk to that NPC over there to get started!"
Rhea pointed, and I saw a young boy NPC in the indicated direction.
"Uh, I'd like to take on that quest."
"Quest? Oh! Are you really willing to help me?! Please! I need you to find the treasure of healing, Wendy's elixir! My family is suffering from a strange illness, and I fear they might die from a fever! I need Wendy's elixir to calm it down!"
"W-Wait, I get it! Just don't talk so fast!"
*"Event Quest: Wendy's Treasure has begun."*
"Wendy is in the purest waters... Please, somehow get it for me!"
As soon as the quest started, the NPC offered clues. I also asked other NPCs. An elderly NPC mentioned that this place is blessed by Wendy and warned that her attacks can slice through any defense with water. A female NPC added that Wendy is short-tempered and jealous, but didn't provide any information about her whereabouts.
"Where exactly is the pure water?"
"I think it's at the mountain's peak. Look, they sell natural mountain water in real life."
Rhea pointed toward a mountain topped with white… Is that a snow-capped mountain? It's summer, and I'm supposed to go swimming in a snowy peak? That doesn't feel right…
"Most of the mountain water in reality undergoes heating and filtration. And real natural water is sold because of strict quality control... So I think we're off track. If you ask me where Wendy is... honestly, I don't know. The quest just started, and I haven't explored this place at all."