"I got it!"
"Here we go with the last song! ☆ Feel my power!"
As Rhea began to sing the third track, the number of musical note icons surged, and the excitement among the fans around her peaked.
"Whoa! Unyielding Infinity!! Right now, I could conquer even an endless hell!"
An unknown knight of the clergy, fueled by adrenaline, cleaved through the fishmen with fierce determination. But did his unyielding state keep his HP at one? Was that the effect of Rhea's third song, or merely a psychological metaphor?
"Protection!"
Before he could dwell on those thoughts, a flurry of musical notes flew through the air, interrupting his concentration.
"Whoa, is this the physical manifestation of a siren's song? I'm... saved!"
"Don't get careless, little farmer!"
The protection from the knight kept him safe, but he witnessed another player get hit by the notes, causing them to swing their weapon wildly and get stabbed from behind by a fishman.
So the notes cause status ailments... that's troublesome. And since they don't affect the fishmen, it's entirely possible to get hit by them while fighting.
"Ugh! Protection!"
"I'll support you!"
"Thanks!"
With a magical shield in place, the knight of the clergy rushed to fend off two fishmen targeting Rhea, unleashing a flurry of strikes from Archie to swiftly take them down!
"Aqua Shield! Power up! Speed up! Regenerate! How long is this annoying song going to last?!"
"Just a little longer!"
As I received Phoebe's supportive magic, I couldn't help but feel like shouting at the sheer number of fishmen charging at us as I took them down one by one.
"Ugh, Heal! Not even your spear can pierce my protection!" The male priest-knight managed to shield Rhea perfectly, even while bearing a spear wound. But the pressure was slowly increasing... This felt alarming... just as that thought crossed my mind.
"Atomic Buster!"
"Meteor Slow!"
"Magic Gatling!"
"Magic Bullet Flash!"
The players attacking the siren unleashed what seemed to be their ultimate skills. The dazzling effects enveloped the siren, making it nearly invisible... And in that moment, the summoned fishmen began to vanish. It seemed the siren had fallen.
"We did it… I think."
"Great job, everyone!"
'You have defeated the Siren! You will be returned to your original location in two minutes!'
With a sense of relief washing over me, I watched Rhea congratulate everyone while the system screen marked the end of the raid.
"Hey, looks like we made it!"
"Yeah, we're safe, but that swarm of fishmen was intense."
Ashton, who had fought up front, called over to me.
"But you really brought in quite the catch—wasn't that idol one of your party members?"
"Oh, what a strange turn of events... Anyway, thank you for your hard work," I said.
"Yeah, thanks! It'd be great if we could fight together again sometime," Ashton replied, shaking my hand as we parted ways.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rhea handing a signed poster to the male priest-knight we had battled alongside.
"Yippee! This is the best summer memory ever! Thanks for the filming permission!"
"Sure thing! It's a thank you for how the party member with the shovel helped us out," Rhea said.
"Wait, you mean that little farmer?! Wow! Good deeds really do come back around!"
The male priest-knight radiated happiness, and it was a joy to see.
"Oh, that was the little farmer. Thank you for everything!"
In the next moment, Phoebe, Rhea, and I found ourselves back at the spot before the raid battle... Two minutes had passed, perhaps.
I could tell that my gratitude had been conveyed. Farewell, nameless male priest-knight; have a wonderful summer.
**Raid Battle Results**
Participants: 58
MVP: Kanata
Your achievement bonus:
Rescuer, Guardian, Minion Killer rank 5, Lucky Live☆
Points increased by 300%!
The raid results flashed on the screen: the rescuer was for taking on Ashton's rescue request, the guardian for defeating enemies attacking the priest-knight and Rhea, and the minion killer for the number of fishmen defeated from the raid boss. The Lucky Live must have been Rhea's performance effect, boosting the points earned the most.
The event points are really generous…
"So, what do you think? My guerrilla concert was incredible, right? I can only use it once a day, but it grants a powerful buff to the entire group at the cost of lowering my raid rewards by more than half."
"I didn't know the specifics, but I could tell it was really strong... But was it worth it? If the rewards decrease, doesn't that mean our event points will drop too?"
"Well, yes, but when you have such powerful abilities, you just want to use them."
Rhea puffed up her chest, beaming with pride.
"Still, I wish I could have enjoyed it more calmly, not during the raid—the enemy's singing was terrible..."
"Yeah, it's hard to relax when you're in the middle of a fight."
Yet for the fans, it must have been a special concert; that paladin was clearly having a blast.
"Well, hopefully, there will be another concert someday."
"Next concert! I want to see it!" Phoebe's eyes sparkled with excitement. She had clearly become a fan of Rhea.
"Well, our adventure with Rhea ends here... It's almost lunchtime, and I need to log out."
After a morning full of adventures, my stomach began to growl.
"Yeah, it was fun, but I need to eat too. See you later!" Rhea smiled and logged out, and at that moment, the party dissolved automatically, leaving only my HP bar in the corner of my vision.
What a mysterious person she was... I never really understood why Rhea invited us, but perhaps it didn't matter since she helped us in many ways.
"See you again... though I doubt we'll meet again since we're not even friends yet..."
"Hey, we'll definitely meet again!"
Phoebe? Why does she sound so certain, almost assertive?
"Really, we will?"
"Um, ah! I'm sorry, but I can't say anything because Rhea asked me to keep it a secret..."
What?! When did that secret come about? Was it when Wendy got me?
If it's a secret, then prying isn't the right thing to do... The leader did tell me not to dig too deep into Rhea's affairs...
"Well, I guess I won't think too much about it."
"I think that's for the best regarding Rhea. She'll definitely tell you everything someday."
As I exchanged those words with Phoebe, we headed back to Lily's home and logged out.
After logging out, since my parents were out spending time together, my sister Yuna and I had dinner. Naturally, our conversation during the meal turned into a fantasy freedom chat.
"Hey, are you enjoying the summer event?"
"Yeah, I'm loving it... The best part was definitely swimming. With underwater breathing, I hardly had to manage my oxygen. It was so much fun, I even felt like swimming in real life... I might actually swim if I get the chance."
"Phoebe was really trying hard to swim, but she just didn't have the knack for it and wasn't making any progress at all. It was quite adorable." Looking back, I felt a bit bad for Phoebe, yet it made me smile.
"So, were you two just hanging out together the whole time?"
"Not quite. I met one of the members from Lily's team, Zero Order, and we hung out together… but he was a bit… odd? Mysterious? He was definitely a nice guy, but I couldn't figure out what he was thinking when he reached out to me."
"Odd, huh…" Yuna offered a wry smile.
"Maybe you know Rhea?"
"…I know her. She's the idol who mainly streams VR games, right?"
"Wow, she's a streamer? Are they not on good terms?"
"Not exactly like that…"
I couldn't help but wonder if there was something unusual going on between them. Come to think of it, Lily somehow had idol skills too. Perhaps there was some connection… had they worked together on idol activities? It intrigued me, but Yuna's expression suggested I should drop it, so I decided against asking more. I didn't want to ruin their relationship by prying too much.
"Oh, by the way, how about heading to the pool this afternoon? My mom told me to get some exercise since I've been playing too much Fantasy Freedom lately."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. I haven't been active at all lately, so I'd like to see if I can swim in real life as well."
"I'm glad I decided to go, but since I couldn't invite any friends last minute and going alone to the pool felt awkward..." Yuna thought to herself as she finished lunch after accepting the invitation.
Oh, if we're going to the pool, I should at least let Phoebe know.
"It's so hot..."
After quickly logging in to send a message to Phoebe, they logged out and headed to a decent indoor pool within biking distance. Although there were larger outdoor pools accessible by bus, they tended to be crowded in the summer, making the quieter indoor option more appealing.
Both siblings were feeling the heat; even though they were used to the warmth from working in the forge, it was still oppressive.
"Big brother, can you buy me a drink?"
"What do you want?"
"Milk."
"We'll have to get something from a vending machine nearby."
Unfortunately, there wasn't a vending machine selling milk close by; the only ones they knew of were at public baths or hot springs in their town. They could search for one, but it felt too tiresome in this heat.
"Then how about sports drinks?"
"Okay."
They bought a sports drink for Yuna and a bottle of water for himself to stay hydrated.
"I'm exhausted..."
"We haven't even reached the pool yet! Are you really that out of shape?"
"It's just the heat draining my stamina and willpower..."
Yuna's physical education grades had never been bad, after all—except for the endurance part, of course.
"Just a little further and we'll reach the pool, hang in there! Once we're in the water, the heat won't be so bad," my friend Yuna said, pedaling her bike again.
Honestly, it's so hot outside that I can't wait to dive into the pool. With that shared sentiment, the two of us pushed on toward our destination.
After about ten minutes of battling the heat, we finally arrived at the pool. We each paid the entrance fee, purchased our tickets from the vending machine, and showed them to the staff to gain entry.
By the way, I've managed to save quite a bit of money as a student. Before indulging in fantasy adventures, my hobby was exercising, which meant I had fewer ways to spend my allowance.
After changing in the separate locker rooms, we regrouped. The pool we entered featured a standard 25-meter swimming area and a waterslide that soared two stories high. I had heard that larger venues offered lazy rivers, but my sister mentioned that during the peak of summer they're so crowded they resemble a noodle machine than a relaxing ride.
Unlike the game, my swimsuit consists only of black surf shorts and goggles; I don't have anything like the hoodie Lena wears. In real life, swimwear is just an obstacle for swimming and adds to laundry, unlike in-game. Sure, stylish guys might wear hoodies to swim, but I only go when it's necessary, such as for school lessons or when Taylor invites me. So, I don't own anything like that.
"Let's get in quickly!"
"Only after showering and warming up."
Yuna wore a simple, dark blue swimsuit with minimal exposure and goggles. She chose it because it would make her less likely to be hit on when she goes to the beach with friends. Little did she know her attractive face negated that reasoning.
After finishing her preparations, she stepped into the 25-meter pool, relishing the cool water against her skin. In the morning, she had trained for about 30 minutes in Fantasy Freedom, so she felt she should be able to swim well. Encouraged, she began to swim.