59: 1st Nightmare Preparation – 5

 

 

[Winner, Red Corner!]

[Uoooooooo!]

[ [ [ ーーーーー！！] ] ]

The mock battle in the square was more exciting than I expected

There are a number of stalls set up by players and a good number of spectators

And on the stage of the mock battle, the man who had just triumphed, with a single horn from his forehead and a tail with dinosaur-like spines sprouting from his waist, and clawed fingertips on both hands and feet, roared

[Zarya. What are the rules for mock battles here?]

[You lose if you run out of HP or are out of the field. One-on-one only. On stage, the avatar will be the usual. After the mock battle ends, you will return to the state you were in before the mock battle ended. If you win, you get experience, unlike normal PK. I guess that’s about it]

[I see]

The current winner steps off the stage and the fingers of both hands and feet turn into those of a human

Indeed, the degree of deformity seems to have increased only on stage

Then, the next participant moved to the stage

Immediately a mock battle began

[By the way, is Taru going to participate in the mock battle?]

[No. I don’t want to expose my cards right here and now]

[I see]

The next participant…. when did you apply, its Black Clover

As he said, he became a black werewolf as soon as he goes on stage

On the other hand, is it a khaki dog?

(TL: Khaki https://www.google.com/search?q=khaki&oq=khaki&aqs=chrome..69i57.313j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 )

Hmmm, I’ve seen this somewhere…… and it seems that they have no intention of showing what they look like at low deformity, as they are wearing hooded cloaks that completely cover their entire body while they are off stage

[Well, as Zarya thinks, it means that they have a first-time kill that is specific to the high deformity level. A player with that sort of thing wouldn’t be out here]

[Well, No one knows who will be sent to which stage in the preliminaries and what kind of opponent they will fight. It is even possible that they will fight someone who is right here at this moment. Considering that, there is no way that a first-time killer will appear, right?]

Black Clover cuts at the khaki-colored dog with a dagger in each hand

In contrast, the khaki-colored dog seems to be taking advantage of its quadrupedal agility to carefully look for an opening while avoiding the Black Clover’s attack

[If they were to come out with first-time kills, that would be the people who would want to gain experience even if they had to be seen to get it]

Octohead interrupts the conversation

In his hand, he was holding something that looked like gesso-yaki, perhaps bought from a nearby food stall

(TL: Geso-Yaki
https://www.google.com/search?q=geso+yaki&oq=geso+yaki&aqs=chrome..69i57.1629j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 )

[I don’t think the level of this game is currently worth that much?]

[No, no, no, I’m not talking about experience in the game, I’m talking about experience in the game against other people. Especially in the first few days, some of them can’t even move their own bodies. For them, every minute before the tournament starts is precious]

Aside from the subtly surrealistic sight of an octopus holding a geso

Octohead moves one of the octopus legs in his mouth to guide my gaze to another stage

There, a four-armed man with metallic skin and a woman with a head full of glowing roses are fighting

The man is punching and kicking and aggressively attacking with an axe or sword in his hand

The woman is agilely moving the thin sword in her hand to deal with the attack, while attempting to counterattack with a thorny whip extending from her cuff

However…… both movements are somewhat awkward

It is as if they are only performing pre-determined movements with a controller or something

[Is this a completely manual group?]

[‘m sure. A semi-automatic team will get used to their bodies in three days]

[Hmmm. But why would you do that?]

[I don’t know. However, 『CNP』is the most advanced of the most advanced VR of the type that manipulates the body of a different shape. No, it is no exaggeration to say that we are living in the future. As someone involved in the VR game industry down the road, I think you want to explore things and get used to it]

If Octohead is correct, these women and men are probably involved in game production or are professional gamers of some sort

If you look closely, you will see a group of men with metallic skin and a group of men with glowing flowers on their heads offstage, and their relatives are talking to each other with serious looks on their faces

Clearly not the face of someone who is just here to enjoy the game

[Hoh. But Top Hunt doesn’t stop those users from participating, does it?]

[As long as they come through the proper channels and don’t violate the terms of the agreement, anyone is a customer. Even if they were stealing your skills, using you, and going over the top, you’d probably just think you have been blessed with a hunting opportunity to hunt the top]

[Is he strong? I want to his apprentice]

[Why don’t you try a mock battle? Unlike me, you won’t have a problem getting caught]

Onga brought something that looks like beer and starts drinking it with Octohead

From what I heard, these little bites of beverages and food, including the geso-yaki brought by Octohead, are available for free at NPC-run food stalls

Yeah, I thought it was the players who were setting up the stalls, but it seems it was actually NPCs

Is this another story specific to 『CNP』that cannot be identified by appearance?

[Winner, blue corner!]

[Woah woah woah! Did you see that? My brave figure!]

[Aa, you won Black Clover]

[Sounds like it]

I don’t know when the Black Clover beat the khaki dog.

The opponent has changed to a man who looks like a green plant

It was already the second round, it seemed

[By the way, in the fight just now, my brother was beaten like a ragdoll by the khaki dog and then hit with a giant swing of some sort]

[Ku … I should have looked closely …]

I couldn’t hide my regrets in Shirohua’s words

To miss something that is clearly unknown as a giant swinging dog… So frustrating that I don’t have enough eyes!

[Taru has a pretty strange personality……]

[Seems so…]

That’s how I was feeling when I was biting my teeth in frustration

I suddenly had the feeling that I was being looked at in a deeper way…… even deeper than the earlier appraisal by Zarya

[…]

[There was a pretty girl with light blue hair and blue eyes]

Wearing a robe so long that its sleeves and hem rub against the ground

The girl looks surprised once at my face and then reveals an emotion bordering on anger

But what was strange to me was not the expression on the girl’s face, but the reaction of the people around her

[Taru?]

[What’s wrong?]

[I just had something on my mind. I’m going to step away for a bit]

No one seemed to perceive the girl

Neither Zarya nor Shirohua could see the girl, and people passing through the square naturally avoided her

It was as if she was the master of the place and it was right to give in without being told

[You accursed monster. I didn’t invite you. What I want to see is who is the strongest among those who will save the world]

[…]

Ah I see

What she just said convinced me of her identity

That’s why I decided to give it back as gently as possible, with a whisper, a smile, so that the people around me wouldn’t hear it

[Unfortunate. I’m a fallen child. And there’s a good chance they’ll take your side for inviting them.]

(TL: お生憎様 – often a gleeful “too bad for you!” says the MTL site)

The title of this year’s event is 『The Cursed Nightmare Feast of the Saint』

This is the nightmare she envisions

And it is probably because the banquet called the event is held with such strong feelings that it becomes a curse to nightmares that it is called the 『Curse Nightmare Party』

Yeah, I was a little convinced in that direction as well

[So, enjoy our nightmarish battle to the fullest while holding on to thoughts strong enough to become a curse. I guarantee you will not be bored. N e e , S e i j o – s a m a ?]
(Tl: せいじょさま – Saint kept it as is coz I think it’s more impactful? I dunno)

[Tssuuu!?]

Then, in response to my words, the girl … no, the face of the saint tightens

Then she ran away, looking frightened, without the time to speak out

Apparently, I have frightened her

[Hmmm, I think I might be looking forward to this more than ever]

Well, it will be a while before the event starts

Let’s explore a little about the saints on the board

(TL: Yo Taru you looking like a real villain right here. Demonlord route?)