C08

Chapter 8: How to Spend a Holiday

The flow of time on a holiday morning is just a little bit different.

On weekdays, you wake up at a set time, slip your arms into your uniform, finish breakfast, and head to school. It’s something that repeats every single day. But holidays are different.

You aren't woken up by the sound of an alarm clock.

You don't need to get ready while worrying about the time.

I slowly opened my eyes and gazed up at the ceiling.

Checking the clock—6:40 AM.

It was still early.

Yet.

There's a fixed reason why I wake up at this time on a holiday morning.

I got out of bed and headed toward my desk.

I turned on the PC.

The startup sound echoed through the room, and the usual screen appeared on the monitor.

Asterion Online.

I pressed the login button.

Today, I could play from the morning without worrying about the time. Just that alone put me in a good mood.

Upon logging in, the familiar scenery projected itself onto the screen.

A massive fortress floating in the sky. The exclusive guild home for selfish.

A special base granted as a reward when we won first place in a past guild all-out war.

Existing as the only one of its kind on the server, that place was also the symbol of the guild selfish.

For me, it was a familiar, routine place.

The chat column stirred.

Koyori-chan: “Good morning, Leo-kun~♪”

Leo: “Good morning.”

Gonzaemon: “Oh, Leo's here too.”

Kahifu: “How admirable of you to wake up early even on a day off♡”

Leo: “Same as always.”

Gonzaemon: “That's the scary part about you.”

A conversation without any particular meaning.

Still, this much was just right.

At school, you don't have conversations like this.

Not that I'm troubled by it, though.

For me, having this kind of time on Asuon was more than enough.

I cast my gaze toward the center of the guild home.

There stood a spot that immediately drew the eye.

A pale blue magic circle.

Standing at its center was a dignified mage with neatly trimmed white beard.

A robe centered around the color blue and a grand staff.

Judging purely by looks, rather than a player character, you'd be more convinced if he were introduced as the dean of a magic academy.

[Lord Gomez]

Archmage. The guild's strongest firepower monster.

And right now.

That grand mage was intensely facing a reinforcement screen.

Enhancing gear itself doesn't change no matter where you do it.

Even so, Lord Gomez always chose to stand on top of this guild's magic circle.

I'd asked him the reason before, but according to him, it's because "it just feels right."

He was a person who cherished those little particularities.

Koyori-chan: “Gomez-san, are you enhancing since morning~?”

Lord Gomez: “Well, well, just a little bit.”

Kahifu: “People who say that line are never doing it just a little♡”

Lord Gomez: “When you put it that way, I suppose you might be right.”

Gonzaemon: “He's the only one who hasn't realized it himself.”

Lord Gomez: “Well, Origin-class equipment has a lot of depth and it's fun.”

Lord Gomez: “If I tweak it just a bit more, it looks like it can grow further. This kind of trial and error is fun.”

The exact moment he said that.

A giant ring of light floated up above Lord Gomez's head.

Pale blue lights overlapped layer upon layer, and countless particles of light drifted down.

It was a dedicated effect signaling successful reinforcement.

Koyori-chan: “It glowed again~♪”

Gonzaemon: “What number is that since this morning?”

Lord Gomez: “Well, gear enhancement seems to be in a good mood today.”

Kahifu: “That's a dangerous sign♡”

Whether it succeeded or failed... right after the light subsided.

Once again, a giant ring of light floated above Lord Gomez's head.

Gonzaemon: “...You're already going for the next one.”

Lord Gomez: “Well, since we're at it.”

He looked like he was having fun. Not just about acquiring strong equipment.

He was enjoying the process leading up to it as well.

That was so typical of Lord Gomez.

Just then.

A small character came running in from the entrance of the guild home.

Pale yellow twin-tails and a gothic lolita outfit.

And a large bear plush toy held in both arms.

Just by looks, you'd never take her for a combat class.

However. Looking at the name displayed above her head.

[Mako]

Koyori-chan: “It's Mako-chan~♪”

Mako: “Good morning, everyone!”

Gonzaemon: “Mako-chan on a holiday morning is rare.”

Mako: “Today is a day off! I'm gonna play a whole bunch!”

Kahifu: “As cute as ever♡”

Mako: “Cute is justice!”

Gonzaemon: “Are you really gonna say that about yourself lol”

Laughter spread through the guild home.

◇

I checked the party list.

There was another name there.

[Shigumin Logged In]

Except, there was no reaction.

Leo: “Shigumin”

I waited a few seconds. No reply.

Leo: “Going hunting”

Still no reply.

Koyori-chan: “Huuuh~?”

Kahifu: “Isn't she falling asleep again♡”

Gonzaemon: “Must be Shigumin's classic falling-asleep-while-logged-in.”

Shigumin had been like this for a long time.

Staying logged in while unresponsive for a while.

Sometimes she's asleep. Sometimes she's doing something else.

But.

When she comes back, she moves around normally as if nothing happened.

It was a regular occurrence.

Leo: “Going to grab breakfast first.”

Koyori-chan: “Have a good one~♪”

Gonzaemon: “Later.”

A while later, after finishing breakfast and using the restroom, I returned to my room.

Seconds after operating my character with the gamepad.

A chat message arrived.

Shigumin: “Morn”

Leo: “Morn”

Shigumin: “Hunt”

Leo: “Let's go”

We formed a party and headed to the hunting grounds.

◇

Moving to the hunting grounds, Shigumin moved ahead as usual.

Black bobbed hair and the black gear unique to the Night Lord, the highest-tier class for thieves.

Clad in shadow-like light armor, she slipped into the blind spots of enemies.

It wasn't flashy movement. But there was zero waste.

Attack, evasion, debuffs. She accurately stacked only the necessary actions.

Unchanged from long ago. Shigumin was that kind of player.

We didn't do any particularly detailed consultations.

Which enemies to take down first, what timing to use skills. Precisely because we've played together for years, we mutually understood each other's judgments.

Leo: “Right”

Shigumin: “Understood”

Just short words were enough to convey each other's intent.

Throughout the morning, we continued hunting centered around gathering materials from the new map.

We searched for spots with good monster spawn rates and pressed on with the hunt.

Shigumin: “Good efficiency here”

Leo: “Few enemies”

Shigumin: “Bad time efficiency”

Leo: “Moving”

A brief exchange.

Even so, this was our usual coordination.

Along the way, Shigumin's character stopped dead in its tracks right there.

A few seconds.

10 seconds.

More time passed.

Leo: “Shigumin”

I had a bad feeling. Shigumin occasionally got like this even during a hunt.

She was logged in. Her character remained. But only the soul inside had vanished.

Shigumin: “Sry”

An hour later.

Shigumin suddenly started moving.

Leo: “Were you asleep?”

Shigumin: “A bit”

Leo: “That's not 'a bit'.”

Shigumin: “A bit”

She had no intention of backing down. I couldn't help a quiet chuckle—she's been like this forever.

Still, as long as she was back, there was no problem. We resumed hunting just like that.

By past noon, we had gathered a fair amount of the necessary materials.

While we left things idle for a bit, talk about the night's raid had progressed in the guild chat.

Koyori-chan: “Who's free for tonight's raid~?♪”

Gonzaemon: “I'm going, obviously.”

Kahifu: “I'll get my preparations done too♡”

Lord Gomez: “Equipment adjustments for the new gear are done, looks like I can output good firepower today.”

Gonzaemon: “Hearing that line just makes me feel sorry for the boss.”

Lord Gomez: “Is it really that exaggerated?”

Kahifu: “It's not exaggerated♡”

The usual conversation. When night falls, everyone heads to the raid.

That too was an ordinary flow in selfish.

◇

Nighttime.

Finishing dinner, I logged back into Asuon.

Different from daytime leveling.

The atmosphere of selfish at night shifts just a little.

Members who usually just chat idly naturally concentrate when raid time arrives.

Even so, it wasn't a stifling atmosphere.

Precisely because they were comrades who had played together for a long time, combat was simply an extension of the usual routine.

The grand hall of the guild home.

The gathered members each made their preparations.

What we were challenging this time was a ☆10 difficulty raid.

Abaddon, God of the Abyss. Recommended party size: 20+ players—

A demon god wielding dark powers.

An unassailable raid boss that has tormented numerous parties with not just powerful attacks, but a multitude of attack patterns and overwhelming firepower.

I checked my usual equipment.

Sophisticated armor centered around black.

Runes emitting a pale light are carved into various parts of the armor.

And a single magic sword sheathed at my back.

《Sigil Blade》, a boss drop. My beloved sword that had undergone countless enhancements.

Countless inscriptions are carved into the giant blade, drawing out various powers through the flow of magical energy.

It was equipment exclusive to Rune Masters, fusing swordsmanship and magic.

Preparations are complete.

Gonzaemon: “Well then, shall we go?”

Koyori-chan: “Everyone's ready~♪”

Lord Gomez: “Well, looking forward to Abaddon for the first time in a while.”

Kahifu: “It's not an easy opponent♡”

Mako: “Mako will do her best too!”

◇

A field shrouded in darkness.

From the center of a giant magic circle, Abaddon, God of the Abyss, revealed its form.

Crimson-black eyes looked down at us.

Battle start.

The first to head toward Abaddon was Gonzaemon.

A Holy Knight bracing a giant shield stood right in front of the demon god.

The next moment—Abaddon's arm swung down.

A blow cloaked in a black shockwave shook the field.

《Divine Protect》

A white shield of light deployed in front of Gonzaemon.

A roaring crash—

Fissure effects raced across the ground.

Even so, the Holy Knight didn't retreat a single step.

Gonzaemon: “Still holding up.”

From behind him, a shadow darted.

Shigumin.

While Abaddon concentrated its attacks on Gonzaemon, she slipped into its blind spot.

《Shadow Walk》

Her figure vanished—reappearing next, right behind the demon god.

Daggers flashed, displaying consecutive damage effects.

Attack—disengage—re-engage.

Hit-and-run utilizing the speed unique to Night Lords.

Not a single movement was wasted.

Past her, a small shadow sprinted.

Mako: “Mako's going too!”

Yellow twin-tails.

A small character hugging a giant bear plush toy.

Just by that appearance, you'd never think she was on a battlefield.

However.

《Shura Rengeki》

The next moment—

Fists.

Kicks.

Continuous striking effects slammed into Abaddon's colossal frame.

The power and attack speed of each blow.

And—precise execution chaining skills together.

Firepower unimaginable from her appearance chipped away at the demon god's HP.

Gonzaemon: “The gap between your looks and reality is still insane.”

Mako: “Cute is justice!”

Meanwhile, in the rear, movements supporting the entire battlefield continued.

Koyori-chan: “Everyone, you can still keep going~♪”

The Song Master's singing voice echoed across the field.

New buff effects were added to all allies' status icons.

Attack power boosted. Defense reinforced. Skill cooldown speed improved.

Accurately maintaining only the necessary buffs.

And.

Kahifu: “Oh my♡ Gon-chan, your HP is dropping a bit♡”

A Bishop's healing magic flew in.

Gonzaemon's HP hadn't dropped drastically.

The next attack.

The subsequent developments.

Considering everything, heals were applied at the optimal timing.

A trained, muscular frame. Thick arms. And distinctive pink braided hair buns tied up largely on both sides.

Looking like that, Kahifu precisely monitored only her allies' HP bars.

Flames flew from the rear.

《Flame Canon》

A giant pillar of flame engulfed Abaddon.

Explosion effects.

The demon god's HP chunked down significantly.

Lord Gomez.

A player boasting some of the finest firepower in Asuon.

Every single spell he cast left clear damage even against a raid boss.

Lord Gomez: “Mage classes really shine when they pump out firepower, after all.”

Gonzaemon: “Gomez, you only ever think about outputting damage.”

Lord Gomez: “Is that so?”

Gonzaemon: “That exact reply makes it super suspicious.”

While exchanging light banter, not a single person's movements wavered.

What made that possible was the existence of Leo, who grasped the power of all 7 members.

In Leo's field of vision, information on the entire battlefield was displayed.

From Abaddon's actions to allies' positions, HP, and remaining skill cooldowns, I grasped all information existing on the battlefield simultaneously.

Not just attacking myself.

Controlling the battlefield so that all 7 members could move at maximum efficiency.

That was Leo's role.

Leo: “ AoE attack”

Leo: “ Disperse”

Short commands.

Just that was enough for everyone to move.

Black magical energy gathered around Abaddon.

Immediately after.

A pitch-black wave spreading across the entire field.

The timing to evade.

The direction to move.

The speed to return to attacking.

Everyone reacted with the shortest possible movements.

And.

Abaddon's HP dropped to the wire.

Leo scanned the battlefield.

Lord Gomez's trump card.

A supreme magic requiring a long chanting time.

(I can push it through now.)

Leo: “Gomez, chant.”

Lord Gomez: “Understood.”

That moment—

Gonzaemon moved.

The Holy Knight who had continuously taken attacks at the front of the demon god retreated to the rear.

His destination was Lord Gomez.

The objective was one.

To protect the Archmage mid-chant.

《Sacred Guardian》

A giant wall of light deployed.

Absolute defense protecting Lord Gomez's surroundings.

And.

Abaddon's target shifted.

The next moment—

Shigumin stepped forward.

It was a natural movement.

She understood the vacant role.

The Night Lord readied her daggers.

《Shadow Bind》

A single strike.

The demon god's movements locked up.

The target shifted to Shigumin.

Abaddon unleashed a barrage of dark magic bullets.

A barrage so dense it obscured vision.

She advanced forward while dodging the approaching attacks by a hair's breadth. Beyond dodging the magic bullets closing in from the right, the next strike awaited.

Slipping her body through as if she had predicted even that, she dashed, threading through the tiniest gaps.

Dodge—dodge—keep dodging.

Amidst a bullet hell thick enough to fill the field of vision, only Shigumin's movements never stopped.

Not a single hit landed.

That movement, though right in the middle of a fierce battlefield, looked like she was dancing a ballet.

The bullet hell created by Abaddon that should have had no blind spots had turned into nothing more than a pathway for Shigumin.

Shigumin: “Taking this spot.”

《Dark Shadow Combo》

A flurry of dagger strikes pierced into the demon god.

That instant.

Leo: “Now”

Everyone moved.

Gonzaemon protected Lord Gomez.

Shigumin drew the demon god's attention.

Koyori-chan layered on final buffs.

Koyori-chan: “Let's finish this up~♪”

Kahifu prepared everyone's status.

Kahifu: “We mustn't drop the ball here♡”

Mako lunged in.

Mako: “Mako's turn!”

《Shura Hyakuretsugeki》

Countless fist strikes battered the demon god.

Leo also readied his magic sword.

The runes carved into the blade emitted brilliance.

《Rune Edge》

A flash clad in magical energy slashed apart Abaddon's colossal frame.

And—

In the rear.

A completed magic circle covered the field.

Lord Gomez: “Chant complete.”

《Astral Break》

The sky dyed in light.

Countless starlights rained down.

Overwhelming light enveloped the dark demon god Abaddon's giant body.

The last of its HP vanished.

With a loud crash, the demon god crumbled down.

Guild members who had repeatedly challenged formidable foes together in the same game world.

selfish's raid conquest ended today with flawless coordination as well.

Subjugation successful.

Koyori-chan: “Good work everyone~♪”

Gonzaemon: “Man, having Leo around really makes the stability completely different.”

Lord Gomez: “Indeed, indeed, being able to give instructions without hesitation in that situation is amazing.”

Kahifu: “Truly♡ Everyone being able to move without hesitation is thanks to Leo-chan♡”

I checked the clock. It was already late.

Leo: “Hunting from morning tomorrow too.”

Shigumin: “Mhm.”

Leo: “Going to sleep then.”

Koyori-chan: “Good night~♪”

Gonzaemon: “See ya tomorrow.”

Log out.

Tomorrow is a holiday too.

I'll be playing Asuon from the morning again.

Just that alone was the best.

Author's Note

Combat descriptions are hard...!

While thinking about naturally incorporating each character's role and movements, it hit 6,000 characters before I knew it (ﾉ∀`)

I figured it was pretty long, but I'd be happy if even a little bit of selfish's coordination and strength came across!