Besides, I need a fairy to enter the Fairy Garden. I could consider borrowing the power of other fairies, but that just doesn't feel right. I wonder how Phoebe feels about it. I think if I asked, she might fight alongside me, but she must also want to be with her mother…
If only I could go to the Fairy Garden alone, I could face the All-Mosquitoes by myself…" I sighed, gazing lazily over the flower field. It truly was a beautiful sight; I could watch it forever.
When I looked back, I saw a massive tree with numerous holes in it—Phoebe's mother said it was a temporary home for fairies. If I were to be defeated, would I never see this place again? That thought filled me with dread. Just then, someone spoke from behind me.
"Lena, what silly thing are you thinking about?"
"What?! You... were listening, Phoebe?! How long have you been hearing all this?!"
"Hmph, what should I do now?"
Wait, did I just say all of that out loud?
"Don't you think you should talk to your friends or your mom?"
"I wanted to, but I've confirmed that most of my acquaintances are safe. For now, that's enough. Besides, Lena has a pretty reckless personality, so I can't just leave her to fend for herself!"
"Reckless, huh...?"
That's a pretty sharp way to put it... But if she's confirmed most of her friends are okay, I guess my solo efforts on the number quest weren't in vain after all.
"Even thinking about taking on All Mosquito alone is reckless! Why don't you consider getting help from Lily or the leader?"
"Uh, well, that's—"
I hadn't thought to ask for help because during the third quest, I was penalized for teaming up with other players to visit the fairies' hometown. So even if I wanted assistance, I was worried I'd trigger another quest before I could even get help, and they would probably tell me I couldn't rely on others.
"I'm not leaving Lena's side, you know! Plus, I want to avenge Yuki and Caleb too!"
"Ah, right..."
I really was being shortsighted... Phoebe has her own history with All Mosquito. It's pretty clear she wouldn't opt to run away alone if I thought about it for a moment.
"I'm sorry, I've been overthinking things and got stuck in my own head."
I apologize sincerely… Ah, I guess I made a clumsy attempt to be considerate…
"For now, can we continue as we have?"
"Of course!"
At least our goal remains unchanged: we must defeat the All Mosquitoes.
To do that, we need... a way to recover MP. I thought resting in the safety zone would help, but it hasn't restored a thing… Without continuous MP recovery, resting seems pointless. I want to save my MP recovery items for the boss battle.
I considered heading back to Lily's home, but with the All Mosquitoes appearing near the barrier and their location being unpredictable, venturing out could be risky. If I were in perfect condition, it would be a different story, but being worn out, I definitely don't want to encounter them.
The first time, I was lucky enough to escape thanks to a quick use of the Fairy Fire Door... but that trick won't work again…
As I ponder how to proceed, a system message pops up.
For a moment, I braced myself, wondering if it was a new quest, but it turned out to be a message from Lily.
"Big brother, where are you now? The location name in the friend list is showing as ???. You haven't bugged out to the other side of the world, have you?"
"What do you mean the other side of the world? I'm in Phoebe's hometown," I typed back, and immediately, her reply came rushing in.
"Oh, you finally made it to Phoebe's hometown! So, what's the situation like?"
It's hard to explain the situation, especially since it would take a long time. I'd rather communicate this verbally if I could.
"Can't you call? It's tough to type out a long message."
"Not really—it's too risky to go back right now. There are All Mosquitos lurking around, and it would be dangerous to return. I managed to escape from a Fairy Gate once, but I doubt that will work again."
After sending the message, I realize there are typos and mistakes in what I've typed. Ugh, I'm not good at typing!
I want to convey that I'm in a safe zone created by the fairies and that most of Phoebe's hometown has turned into a wasteland, but it's difficult. I'm simply not good at typing long messages on a touchscreen.
"Are there really bosses roaming around? Are you okay? Is a Fork Quest happening or something?"
"I'm safe in the fairies' zone for now… I'm sorry; I'm not able to share all the details."
"Hmm, so what's the plan? I'm curious and would love to hear more, so I want you to come back."
What should I do? Ideas float around in my head. I have two things I want to accomplish: first, I want to fight the All Mosquitos, and second, I need to transport food for the fairies within the safe zone. If I ask TT, I could find out where to buy cookies, and I want to bring in more food that NPCs can eat, like cookies.
"Can't we fix the broken Yuki's staff I found? Lily might know something about it.
...Alright, I've made up my mind!
'Let's head back for a bit; I want to carry some snacks and fix what I've picked up, plus clarify a few things.'
'Snacks...? Got it! I'm curious to hear more, so I'll wait at my home.'
"Did you hear from Lily?"
"Yeah, I have a lot to explain, and I'd like to return to Lily's place. Can you come with me?"
"Of course, I'll go! But can I talk to my mom first?"
"Absolutely."
Just then, Phoebe peeked out from my pocket.
"Uh, where's Phoebe's mom...?"
"Yes, you called?"
"When did you get here? Were you listening?"
In that moment, the space in front of me warped, and Phoebe's mom appeared... has she been hiding all along?
"Yes, Lena. She may be small, but please take care of my daughter... Phoebe, make sure you both come back safely."
"...I'll be going now, Mom."
"Don't worry; I'll protect Phoebe!"
I wanted to explore the area a bit more, but it felt like it was time to leave. I could always come back to the flower field later...
So, we began to retrace our steps, with Phoebe's mom bidding us farewell."
During the journey, Phoebe encountered several insects but, thanks to her recovered MP, they didn't face much trouble returning the way they came. In fact, Phoebe had been improving her skill with the staff, landing magic spells accurately on the enemies. As a result, she would weaken foes from a distance, allowing Archie to finish them off quickly, leading to smooth and efficient battles. They were fortunate not to have encountered the All Mosquitoes.
"Before facing the All Mosquitoes, I should probably craft some gear for sustained MP recovery..."
In front of the teleportation magic circle, Phoebe drank an MP recovery potion to secure enough MP for their return. However, the potion was quite voluminous, making it time-consuming to drink. In a combat situation, that time could lead to a fatal injury. Although she could stop midway, the leader warned that doing so would reduce the amount of MP restored.
Once the seal on an MP recovery potion is broken, it can't be reclosed. Its rounded bottom makes it unstable on the ground, and if dropped, it spills and disappears, which would be such a waste. Therefore, it was not very suitable for use during solo fights.
"Alright, let's head to the Ruins of Earth Souls, Phoebe!"
"Yes!"
In the center of the teleportation magic circle, she thrust Firelight into the ground and poured all her restored MP into it. The magic circle began to shine, and her surroundings faded into darkness.
Then the system screen appeared.
Could it be… a Number Quest?
**Quest Title: Forkest**
**Objective:**
- Reduce the strength of the insect army to 30% or defeat all mosquitoes.
**Failure Conditions:**
- Enter the Fairy Garden with other allied players.
- Collapse of the last defense line: the barrier.
**Forced Termination Condition:**
- Death of Phoebe.
**Success Rewards:**
**Failure Penalties:**
**Special Notes:**
- The performance and output of the fairy barrier depend on the fairies' MP, food, and living conditions.
- The current strength of the insect army is at 72%.
- Future strengths can be checked in the quest list.
So it really is a Number Quest… But just as I suspected, I can't bring any other players along. The barrier must refer to the one created by those fairies. Depending on the circumstances, we might face concentrated attacks, leading to its collapse… I need to be careful.
By the way, just like last time, I can't refuse the quest; it was automatically accepted, but I wasn't planning on refusing anyway. After the system screen faded away and my vision normalized, we found ourselves deep within the ruins of the Earth Spirit. Transitioning from the bright, desolate world to the dim ruins, it took a moment to adjust to the darkness.
As I looked around, I noticed, unsurprisingly, that the leader was absent, but other players sat stunned, seemingly frozen at my sudden appearance. One of them was the male priest-knight I recognized from a raid battle long ago… in fact, he was the priest-knight who had been a fan of Rhea during the summer event raid.
"Could it be that I accidentally summoned a small farmer?!"
"What is a Rhea fan doing here? By the way, I just teleported using a magic circle; I wasn't summoned by a priest-knight."
Honestly, I thought I'd never see this person again since I didn't even know their name. Who would have imagined we'd cross paths once more? I wonder if there's some sort of system that makes it easier to meet acquaintances, but I feel like there's something more to it… or is that just my inflated self-awareness talking?
"Is that so? I apologize, but it's an honor to meet you again, small farmer!"
"Actually, I'm not a farmer; I'm a blacksmith... priest-knight."
I stood up and shook hands with the priest-knight, correcting the mistake that had gone unaddressed during our raid battle.
"W-What? You're a shovel user but not a farmer?! I figured a blacksmith would use a hammer."
"That's quite a prejudice... I only use a hammer for blacksmithing."
I wonder if blacksmiths get bonuses for wielding battle hammers or sledgehammers? But at this point, I have no intention of switching my weapon.
"Um, by the way, what's a priest-knight like you doing here? Hunting golems?"
"...No, I'm actually searching for something, though I haven't found it at all..."
Searching for something, huh? Perhaps that's the quest they're on.
"As for searching, I do have an eye for appraisal, but I don't have any skills useful for finding things, so I can't be of help."
"No, just the thought is enough… I can't find it anywhere and I'm starting to lose hope…"
How difficult can this search be if he can't find it no matter where he looks? Or is it just that this male cleric knight is bad at searching for things?
"Hey, what exactly are you looking for?"
"It's a weapon belonging to my childhood friend. We used to play together, but he retired… I just can't remember where he left it…"
He can't recall where he put away a childhood friend's weapon? Based on the mention of retirement and childhood friends, it must be a fellow player's weapon, right? This is strange… wouldn't he be able to find out more in real life?
"Oh, right! Before I forget, I need to thank the little blacksmith! Thanks to that raid, I got an autographed card from my favorite, Rhea! I'm truly grateful!"