40, Title Swimsuit Samurai's Beginner's Baptism

"Oh? A beginner, huh? Can't let such a good target slip away! Activate the target!"

"Team: Death Road has marked you as a target. Attacking players belonging to Team: Death Road incurs no penalties."

Wait, I'm the target now?! Why?!

"…I'm sorry, I dragged you into this. It's probably part of that guy's quest to hunt down PVP beginners… or maybe he's just another rotten player looking to pick on newbies. Don't worry, I'll cut him down before he can hurt you…"

The samurai accessed the system screen and drew a large blade from its sheath.

It seemed that a fight was unavoidable.

"Yes! He's protecting the beginner! Now's our chance, kill him!"

The leader shouted, and the scoundrels lunged at them all at once! The samurai assumed a ready stance.

I need to provide some support…

"There's no choice but to go all in!"

Wearing a swimsuit, my MP wouldn't drain my defenses, only my fire magic would be disabled. There were too many enemies; this was the moment to test my mettle!

"Fairy Fire Gate!"

"Element Boost!"

"Divine Sword of Flame!"

The three voices intertwined—mine, Phoebe's, and the samurai's. As the firelight pierced the ground, a white magic circle unfurled beneath everyone except the samurai, and a towering column of fiery white flames erupted, engulfing the villains in searing heat! It was incredible, like a bonfire… The nearby columns of fire merged into an even larger pillar, threatening to scorch the heavens themselves.

Some of the villains reacted to the magic circle, dodging or using skills to endure, but they were swiftly cut down by the samurai's blade, wreathed in flames. It felt as if he were slashing at foes even out of reach… was he extending his sword with magic? Wait, I've seen that blade before!

In an instant, the horde of villains had dwindled to just three, including their leader.

"What the hell!? When did you gain such power!? No, is it that kid's fault?"

"...Ha, how naive. That last strike was all me! Don't blame a PVP novice for your inability to face my true strength! This ends now—judgment has come!"

With a single stroke from the samurai, the remaining villains met their demise—it was no longer a battle; it was a total rout. Huh? The samurai claimed all those moves were his, but why? He sounded pretty monotone.

"Damn cheater..."

One of the villains spat out a parting curse, leaving a red effect as he vanished.

With a sigh, he realized he wouldn't be able to return to this world for a while. He wasn't sure how many sins he had gathered, but he figured he might as well rest for a bit. The samurai sheathed his sword, and suddenly a system screen appeared before him.

'Team: You have defeated the Death Road. What do you wish to do?

Loot: Take their equipment

Rob: Take their money

File a Crime: Impose a login restriction on the opponent

Forgive: Do nothing'

"What the...? What is this?"

"Let me explain. In PvP, the winner has various rights to choose from. Since you're an ordinary person, you might want to either file a crime to restrict their login for a certain time or forgive them. If you loot them, you'll just become like them... and you'll end up looking like a villain, right?"

Hmm, in that case, maybe I should forgive. If I file a crime and they come after me once the restriction is lifted, that would be a disaster... and what does 'looking like a villain' even mean!?

Deciding to forgive, he pressed the button, and the system screen disappeared. The samurai then sat down in a formal position, bowing deeply—was he really doing a full prostration!?

"First of all... I apologize. That white pillar of fire earlier was your doing, right? I'm sorry if it looked like I was the one responsible. I thought that if I took the blame, those guys would hold a grudge and come after you. You did most of the fighting, and I take responsibility for that."

"Oh, so that's what happened!? I was curious at first, but I wasn't angry, so please lift your head! I'd be in quite a bind if a customer who bought my sword was bowing to me like this!?"

"Did you buy the sword...? Could you be the talented Lena who crafted this impressive blade? Or perhaps that small NPC is the one named Phoebe?"

With that, the samurai lifted his head, rising from his kneeling position to grasp the sword in his hands. No matter how often he looked at it, it was unmistakably the heavy sword made from the golem core I had created before—the Omega Core sword, which I remembered selling for three million.

I recalled using appraisal skills to learn that both my and Phoebe's names were attached to the blade's description, which explained why the samurai could recite our names. But to meet the buyer of the sword face-to-face... isn't the world a small place? Or perhaps there's some system that makes it easier to meet people who are connected in some way?

"Y-yes... I'm Phoebe. It's an honor to meet the owner of the sword," I stammered.

"Right, I'm Lena, and this little one in my pocket is Phoebe. Um, can I ask your name? They called you an iron lump earlier, but that can't be your real name?"

At my question, the samurai rose and introduced himself.

"I am Natalie, a samurai striving to become the strongest duelist. It's a pleasure to meet you, the master blacksmith, Lena. If you possess such remarkable strength, I would love to duel..."

"Please, no! That was an attack that consumed all my MP. Aside from that, I can only attack with Archie... with a shovel!"

"Hmm, I see… Challenging someone who has exhausted all their MP isn't exactly fair play. Very well, I'll forgo the duel."

It seems I've made the acquaintance of quite a dueling enthusiast... Well, at least they have the common sense not to challenge me without a word.

"I feel terrible for involving you in dangerous PvP just by being near me. I'd like to do something to make it up to you—any suggestions?"

At that, a spark of inspiration flashed through Natalie's mind.

"Oh, I want to learn how to get stronger!"

Since Natalie is a duelist aiming for the top, there's a good chance she knows efficient ways to power up.

"Well, the best way is to just duel a lot! …but that's a bit of a cheeky answer. First, I need to see your status and skills. Without that information, I can't really give you any advice."

"Got it, I'll show you right now."

Natalie displayed her status to me.

"Hmm, looks like you're more of a gathering class… with those skills, you're quite impressive for a gatherer. But let's see what advice I can give. Your HP is pretty low—thanks to your Curse Smithing influence. However, if you level both Smithing and Curse Smithing to 10, you'll get the chance to choose between Spell Smithing or Blood Cursing as your skill evolution.

If you go with Spell Smithing, you won't have to worry about your HP as much. But if you want to create the strongest equipment, picking Blood Cursing might be the way to go. Yes, your HP will stay low, but your gear's defense can help make up for that.

Next, besides toolcrafting, you should also learn and train in swordsmanship. To make the most of that fire sword, swordsmanship is essential."

"Next is resonance... If you have a score of 5 or higher, you can take on a special quest. Here's a map; if you're interested, I recommend accepting it.

As for battles, when you're on the defensive, think about redirecting attacks rather than just avoiding or blocking them. Evasion relies on agility, defense is based on constitution, but parrying taps into your dexterity."

I listened attentively to Natalie's lengthy guidance and took the special quest map. This unique quest, tied to combined evolution and resonances, emphasizes the importance of parrying in swordsmanship during combat. She offers specific insights, yet it's curious that, despite my feminine appearance, my status is marked as male—perhaps I'm accustomed to dealing with various players?

"For now, that's about all the quick advice I can give you."

"Um, I'm a magician... Do you know how a magician can become stronger?"

"Well, I don't know specifics for a smaller magician, but at least you'll have a chance to grow stronger through the resonance special quest."

Natalie answered Phoebe's question as well. "By the way, what about your stats, Natalie?"

"Want to see them? It's not a problem if you do."

With that, Natalie revealed her stats:

Natalie

Level: 45

Gender: Male

Class: Sword God / Samurai

Stats:

HP: 694

Strength: 350

Defense: 340

Dexterity: 500

Agility: 480

Intelligence: 300

"Wait, what is this class and these stats? There are no MP or luck attributes... Is there still room for growth?"

"Yes, there is. To get stronger, you need to complete number quests. But there's definitely potential for growth. You're currently using a sword that's more for show; if you drew a real blade, you'd be even stronger. Basically, I've focused on the samurai as my main class, keeping my stats in check. This time, I decided to show my real stats as an apology for dragging you into PvP."

A class bearing the name of a god… It's clearly a balance breaker. Wait, did he just challenge us to a duel with those stats? That's terrifying! I'm glad I didn't accept!

"Anyway, don't take my stats as a reference, alright? At this point, stats can be mere decoration. Mine are built on a mountain of corpses… Plus, because I slayed a god, my MP and luck were wrecked. Thanks to that, I'm extremely weak to certain attacks…"

"What do you mean you slayed a god...? You're a player, right? Not an NPC?"

"I'm just a regular farmer player living in Hokkaido. Well, I got so strong that I lost the ability to physically interfere with others' number quests."

It seems I've gotten involved with someone extraordinary… Maybe that villainous cheat isn't so far off after all…?

But he taught me a lot, and it's clear he's not a bad person...

Hmm? Speaking of which, he just mentioned he couldn't interfere with other people's number quests... does that mean he can't attack Phoebe?

"By the way, if I lose my ability to interfere, I become transparent and can't fight anymore... Phoebe, please touch the tip of my finger."

Natalie extends her hand to Phoebe. There's no hostility, so Phoebe tries to reach out, but the moment their hands make contact, Phoebe's hand slips right through. Natalie becomes semi-transparent, revealing a glimpse of the other side.

"So Phoebe, you must be involved with Lena's number quest after all."

"That's amazing! You look like a ghost!"

"By the way, in this state, I can't even touch Lena..."

Natalie attempts to tap my shoulder with the edge of her translucent sword, but it passes straight through. The sword glides right through my chest, yet my HP remains unaffected. It feels strange, thrilling, and oddly entertaining.

"Wow, anything can happen!"

"Well, the balance in Fantasy Freedom is pretty chaotic because of that... but the fact that everyone has the potential to gain superhuman powers within the game is probably why it's so popular. You can't find that kind of freedom anywhere else. Normally, there'd be complaints about favoritism or cheating..."

Just as Natalie is saying this, my vision flashes white, and when I focus again, I realize the distance between Natalie and me has increased. A familiar acquaintance stands right between us.

"Are you both alright!?"

"Leader!? What are you doing here!?"

"I got word that Lena was caught up in a PVP situation! I can't believe you both made it out alive… I never expected you two would be attacked by Natalie..."