"Are you looking for someone related to a number quest?"
"No, it's someone who seems connected to Phoebe… but given the situation, they're likely retired, so finding them might be tough."
"Hmm, searching for a retired player is definitely going to be hard. Even if I ask the leader, it might not lead anywhere."
That's true. Searching for someone in such a vast game world is already challenging enough; trying to find someone who's likely retired is an impossible task. But did Yuna suggest that if they weren't retired, we might actually have a chance?
"Well, I guess... maybe I should give up on finding that person and go after some giant ice crystals instead..."
"Ice crystals? In that case, you should aim for the snowy mountains during the summer event. I've heard you can mine ice crystals there. You burned through all your points making fire light, right? It would be better to climb the snowy mountains than to try and earn more points."
"But the snowy mountains are a high-difficulty area, right? Is it safe to go there in a swimsuit?"
"I think you'll be okay since you have fire light. There are a lot of enemies weak to fire in that area. If you bring a fire-element weapon, you should gain some resistance to the cold… probably… maybe… somehow…"
Yuna's voice gradually faded, her confidence waning.
"Well, I want to help you, but I have plans today… so I can only cheer you on."
"I'll just check out the snowy mountains for a bit. If it seems too risky, I'll retreat right away..."
"You'll definitely figure it out. Good luck, big brother!"
After chatting with Yuna like that, I headed back to my room.
As I tried to log into Fantasy Freedom, my phone suddenly beeped, alerting me to an incoming call.
"Whoa?!"
Usually, my phone is just for reading e-books and receiving messages—I hardly ever use the calling feature, so it startled me.
"H-hello?"
"Hey, Renna! Let's go hang out!"
It was a familiar voice… Taylor.
"Oh, by the way, I finished all my summer homework!"
"Wait, seriously? Are we really getting bombarded today?"
"You're so rude…"
"If it weren't for you, I'd just brush it off as rain."
Having endured the agony of summer vacation endings too many times, the thought of Taylor finishing their homework early is unsettling.
"I was planning to climb a snowy mountain for a gaming event, but if you've finished your summer homework, I'll join you for some fun."
"A gaming event in the snowy mountains? Is that a summer event?"
"Yeah, it's a summer event."
"...For Fantasy Freedom?"
"For Fantasy Freedom... oh."
Uh-oh, I slipped up in my surprise at Taylor finishing their homework early. I wanted to keep my appearance in that world a secret from Taylor, fearing I'd be teased if they found out.
"So you've been playing that game, huh? The one with the white-haired girl with white eyes holding a shovel."
"What!? How do you know that?!"
Wait, what? Did they just extract all that information in an instant?! It's possible they suspected me of playing Fantasy Freedom due to Rhea's auction, but how did they figure out my appearance?!
"How did you know what I looked like?!"
"Earlier, a video of Rhea's surprise raid battle livestream was posted, and the name 'Lena' was floating above the head of a white-haired girl. I used the shock of you finishing your homework early as bait, and you ended up spilling the beans."
Is that the Siren battle from the raid live? By the way, what's with the name above their head? Can you even display names in the game settings?
"...Wait, did you actually finish your homework just to throw me off?"
"Yep, I did my best."
"No way… Why is it that when it comes to things like this, you move so fast?"
"Hey, let's play Fantasy Freedom! It looked like you were hiding your womanly form because you didn't want anyone to see. Now that your identity is out, you don't need to hide anymore, right?"
As I buried my face in my hands, I heard an excited voice from Taylor on my phone… It's frustrating, but I've been one-upped.
"Fine, but I'm bringing the NPC, Phoebe. If you do anything weird with her, I'll cut ties immediately."
"Wow, for you to say that, you must be really into this... Alright, I promise I won't do anything strange. You can relax."
I made the promise not to do anything inappropriate with Phoebe and then shared that my goal was to search for giant ice crystals in the snowy mountains. After deciding on the meeting spot, the call with Taylor ended.
I can't believe I got found out... Frustration bubbled in my chest, but I donned my VR gear and headed for the meeting spot.
When I descended into Lily's home, I found Phoebe asleep.
"Could it be that you're tired from the Resonance Trial?"
After changing into a swimsuit, I gently stroked Phoebe's head with my fingertip; she was sleeping so defenselessly.
"Should I go alone...?"
The snow-capped mountains are dangerous. Leaving Phoebe behind is an option, but that feels pretty cruel since she's sleeping, right?
"Hey, wake up, Phoebe..."
"…Mom…?"
"…It's Lena."
Caught off guard by her calling me "Mom," I hesitate but finally state my name.
"…Oh, good morning! Lena!"
"Sorry for waking you. I thought it would be a bad idea to go on an adventure alone, but if you're still tired, you can go back to sleep. I'm heading out with some friends I invited... What do you think? Want to come along?"
"I'll go!"
She responds with a startling quickness, effortlessly sliding into her pocket, only to realize she's still in her swimsuit. She quickly changes, and I can't help but think that she doesn't need to rush—I'm not going anywhere.
But wait, is Phoebe really going to wear that revealing bandeau bikini in front of Taylor? Maybe it was a mistake to use a summer event venue as our meeting place for a trek up the snowy mountains...
No, either way, we need to be at the summer event stage to obtain the crystals, so it doesn't matter...
"Who are these friends? If I know them, you'll tell me their names, right?"
"Oh, they're friends Phoebe hasn't met yet. You'll get to know their names later."
With that, I headed to the meeting spot. It may be marked as a gathering area, but it's just a seaside hut selling consumables near the entrance.
"Is this the place...?"
"Um, what's your friend like?"
"He's smart, a bit of a jokester, and always puts off his homework until the last minute. He's really good at programming."
As I was explaining Taylor to Phoebe, a man with short black hair and dark eyes approached us. He wasn't wearing a swimsuit; instead, he had on leather armor that suggested solid defense. He wasn't holding any weapons, but like Natalie, he might be storing them as intangible data. His face was unmistakably that of Taylor, so this had to be him.
"Hey there, Renna! Just call me TT in this world!"
"TT? Isn't it Taylor?"
"It's the name I use in the game. Not many people use their real names directly like you do. Please, don't call me Taylor!"
*You have received a friend request from TT.*
*You have received a party request from TT.*
I accepted the friend request from Taylor... I mean, TT, and also accepted the party request. Soon, a health bar for TT appeared beneath mine. No notifications about stat changes due to level differences came up, so maybe TT and I are around the same level?
"Are you the friend of Lena, the one who excels at programming?"
"Yeah, that's TT—always joking around and putting off his homework until the very last minute. So, you must be Phoebe. Nice to meet you!"
"Were you listening…?" Phoebe peeked out from her chest pocket to look at TT.
"…But a fairy, huh? I've seen dwarves and elves before, but this is my first time seeing a fairy."
"Well, I've never seen an elf or a dwarf."
"Well, elves are one thing, but dwarves are surprisingly hard to distinguish. Plus, many players mimic their appearance; accessories like pointed ears are common."
"Really? I guess I haven't paid much attention to other players, so I didn't know."
She had been too wrapped up in her own adventures to notice.
"You're surprisingly indifferent… Anyway, since there's a material-gathering event quest in the snowy mountain, we should take it. Just make sure you're well-equipped for the cold."
"How do I prepare for the cold?"
"There's a shop called the 'Sea House' that sells potions for cold resistance. You should stock up on those."
Following TT's guidance, they accepted the snowy mountain material-gathering quest and bought about sixteen potions at the Sea House, which would provide cold resistance for an hour, before heading to the snowy mountain.
"By the way, what weapon do you use, TT?"
"A Katar and a knuckle duster."
As they traveled through the snowy mountain, Phoebe thought about TT's equipment. A Katar… it's a blade that can stab like a punch, also known as a jamadahar, right?
The knuckle duster is another name for a brass knuckle...
"Excuse me, but why are you wearing leather armor? Most people are in swimsuits..."
"Well, I don't really need to switch to a swimsuit just to earn event points, since there's not much I want. Plus, wearing a swimsuit in the snowy mountains? That'd just be freezing visually, right, Phoebe?"
"I should mention that, due to a certain contract, we have to be in swimsuits for the summer event. Sorry if that looks cold?" TT responds to Phoebe's question, clarifying that they can't change out of their swimsuit gear.
"A contract? Was there a quest for that?"
"No, it's a personal arrangement. I agreed to wear only swimsuits during the summer event in exchange for getting swimsuit materials at a bargain."
"That's a weird contract. So, does that mean Lena made your swimsuit?" TT is staring with curiosity... It's embarrassing. Should I hit Archie to divert attention? No, I can't risk lowering our ally's HP...
"Wait, are you in a swimsuit too, Phoebe? I can't see the details from Lena's pocket..."
"More importantly, what's your stats? I can tell you're a fighter with that martial weapon, but I'd like to know your exact capabilities."
"Why the sudden change of topic? Is there some possessiveness about not wanting to share? Well, fine then, let's exchange stat information."
Damn it, TT is smirking! I thought I'd hide my stats to avoid teasing, but it seems I'll be teased either way! We start comparing our stats.
TT: Level 28
Gender: Male
Class: Knuckle Buster / Gatling Kicker
Stats:
HP: 189
MP: 51
Strength: 170
Defense: 63
Dexterity: 98
Agility: 166
Intelligence: 19
Luck: 150
What kind of skewed stats are these? 19 in intelligence is way too low! But his strength, agility, and luck are impressive...
"Lena, you've turned into a blacksmith completely charmed by fairies, huh? Your class is all about them!"
"No, I was charmed… once, but having a fairy-themed class isn't a problem! At least yours is straightforward with that punch-and-kick style."
"So you were charmed! Mine is simple, right?"
Phoebe's face is turning red with embarrassment...
TT's class name makes it clear what he does—powerful punches and rapid kicks.
I decide to use appraisal on TT's armor.
"Your armor has low defense, but it has a special effect that reduces damage by 70% when HP is at max. That's strong!"
"Yeah, unless I get hit continuously, I won't go down easily. I'm confident in my evasion skills, but maybe ask to use appraisal next time."
TT points this out to me. Was my manners lacking?
"Oh, sorry about that."
"Well, that's fine, but... I can sense enemies nearby, so let's have a battle before we head into the snowy mountains. I know a bit about Lena's fighting style from the raid battle footage, but Lena probably doesn't know my combat stance, right?"