A Certain Middle-Aged Man’s VRMMO Activity Log

Dance of the Fairies Second Half, Last Dance

At long last Saturday’s tournament is about to begin.
There’s so many players who assembled that you can’t help thinking that just about all of “One More”’s players have come.
Since this tournament is the event’s final flourish, the turnout is in no way half-assed.

After a short time the tournament begins, and the contestants entered, then stood in a line.
The Game Master responsible for the event announced the tournament’s opening.
That single announcement riled up the venue. After all that’s happened, everything’s going to end.

Looks like I was extremely fortunate when it comes to watching this event.
After all, being able to take a spot in the front row was a success anyhow.
And there’s one more thing I was wondering about, so I use the Farsight Skill to survey the assembly.

… Fairy Seducer; I found two people who bear that title.
People like me … exist.

――――――――――――――――――

And the tournament began.
There were a lot of matches that made your palms sweat; an impressive amount …
The ones that showed strength far surpassing the rest of the group are, as expected, Silver and Grad.
The players who were their opponents were by no means weak.
In fact, if I fought against any of the players who made it into this tournament, I wonder if I’d be able to pick up even 1 win out of 10 fights…
Any with about that kind of difference, there’s still a difference from those two that isn’t funny.

And then, there’s something else that’s still bothering me; the Fairies of the players who were victorious in the tournament had particles of light flying towards them from the loser’s Fairy.
I wonder if that has some sort of meaning …?

Now then, the tournament’s participating contestants, who were people with high player skills, were overwhelmed by both Silver and Grad.
At the time when either won, they had over 80% of their HP left still; a complete victory.
Their combat opponents were unable to wield the battle techniques they wanted; I totally understand.
They shake up their opponent, to be on the safe side, and then judge when to deliver the ultimate attack to end it.
The opponent players are completely swallowed by them.

And the two Fairies are a Light Valkyrie and a Dark Fox Spirit.
These two Fairies perfectly support their own masters.
Without a moment’s delay, when their masters force open a gap, they’ll immediately break through with an attack.
They perfectly negate the opponents’ Fairies’ attacks and counter them.
I wonder how much they had to fight to get to that strength …

And the tournament continued without any big problems; now we’re facing the Finals.
The Finals is as expected, exactly like the speculations, the Silver and Grad pair.

――――――――――――――――――

“At long last we meet nou, Grad yo.”

Right before the Finals began, Silver Ojiichan began talking like that.

“Tch, you’re a persistent old man … you got something else to say?”

In the middle of the pair’s conversation, the Countdown to the Finals was going.

10.

“Something Mineself wants to say Mineself does not have, but still Mineself must remonstrate you nou.”

“In the end it’s a lecture after all?”

“Mineself is done with the lectures.”

“Hee, then what are you going to do?”

“Punish thee with a beating jya!”
And together with those words, Silver Ojiichan lifts his two-handed axe and enters a perfect battle ready stance. You can see the power being slowly put in.

“… interesting; you think you can actually do it?”
Grad also prepares his one-handed sword and shield and enters a battle ready stance.

After that both of them stare each other down, so that when the Count ends … they can immediately make their moves.

The two Fairies also perfectly enter battle stances; both of their strengths are understood, and both sides’ Fairies also have very determined eyes; I understand that well with the Farsight Skill.

2 … 1…

GO!

Immediately after the “GO!” came, in one breath Silver had charged ahead.
Grad prepares his shield and lies in wait; the beginning sortie was like this after all.
Silver is the Attacker, and Grad is the Tank.
For Silver he cuts down what’s in front of him; for Grad he endures and counters.

While rushing forward, Silver prepares his two-handed axe.
He enters the space between them, swinging his axe … he’s planning to unleash a Tackle.
And using a method usually used another way, Grad lifts his shield above and strikes with it to avoid taking any significant damage;
If he hadn’t met the attack and repelled it with a Shield Bash it could have been deadly.

But, with that Tackle Grad didn’t even break his posture.
Firmly taking and then returning that with his shield … that measure is much like the conjectures say.
The single blow from the counter attack came in an instant; as expected he isn’t using Arts.
That single blow was returned to the haft of Silver’s two-handed axe.
It’s like both of their weapons have just finished exchanging greetings …

Sometimes slicing, sometimes counterattacking, sometimes the Fairies cut in with magic or direct attacks, and sometimes evading.
The battle between Silver and Grad went back and forth.
Despite both of them wearing the heavy Heavy Armor equipement, they dodge the brunt of their opponent’s serious attacks with a hair’s-breadth avoidance.
It’s like we’re watching them performing a dance at a ball.
These are the people who are the Top Players!
It’s such an intense battle that a minute feels like 1 hour.
With these people in it, I wonder exactly how strong a party can get …

The balance up til now looks like it will be broken.
When Silver’s Valkyrie threw her spear, Grad’s Fox Spirit was unable to perfectly negate the attack.
With Grad’s left shoulder pierced by the Valkyrie’s spear, Silver saw his chance and immediately charged in, the Two-handed Axe Arts Moon Crescent at the ready.
It’s an art that leaves a crescent moon illusion below while it unleashes a thrilling cut-down.
It hits everyone and anyone; the moment Grad saw it he retreated several meters behind.

That movement is … it’s Wind Magic’s Wind Buster!
It’s for times like these, in order to evade, that Wind Magic is learned …
It’s got to hurt that the attack just now wasn’t able to hit.
The chance play wasn’t super quick, but the Grad who was able to avoid it deserves to be praised.

To be forced to play one of his trump cards revealed to everyone must be painful for Grad.
Because now everyone knows that one of his limited 10 slots is Wind Magic …

Again the battle’s deadlock refused to fall, both their weapons whirled; accompanied with the flashing colors of the Fairies’ magics the Dance recommenced. No longer needing to hide it, Grad frequently used Wind Magic to attack.
As a purely physical attacker, Silver hasn’t used magic even once.
It might be that it’s a trump card that he’s keeping hidden.

Even so, with the addition of flying projectiles … little bit by little bit, the scales of war are tipping in Grad’s favor; though Silver’s Valkyrie even tried to commit herself to support him, Grad’s Fox Spirit would disrupt her; magic used to manage negation as increased greatly, and since the Valkyrie also won’t let any of it pass, in the end she wasn’t able to continue giving Silver her support.

Like this, it’s become a tough battle for the Attacker Silver.
Conversely, with his shield and gear equipped for endurance, Grad is in his field of expertise.
Bit by bit he drives Silver into a corner.
Of course it’s not like Silver just takes it without counterattacking, but it looks like he won’t be able to change the flow … each and every critical counterattack is struck down by the shield.

The result is, Grad is quite successful in maintaining that flow well.
It’s like Silver’s heavy attacks and Arts are being sucked into his shield; Silver can’t land a direct attack.
With the Valkyrie going at it with his Fox Spirit at full force, Silver’s support has been cut off.
And then, while maintaining his MP to some degree, Grad uses Needle and Cutter to shave away Silver’s HP
Elementary level magic doesn’t have much firepower, but there’s rapid-fire capability and small consumption as advantages.
All the players who use magic say it’s important to master elementary magic.

And finally the time for the result has come.
Against Silver, whose HP has been steadily whittled away and decreased, Grad triggered his first combat Arts in this PvP; that Arts is Cross Line huh … slashing with a vertical stroke and then, after hitting, striking with a horizontal knockdown sword-strike.
It looks like it’s called Cross Line because it leaves a cross-shaped strike …
If it was the usual Silver, repelling the initial vertical attack would have been simple.
But the long battle up until now has whittled away at his strength, and his judgment as well has probably been whittled away … a direct hit was finally allowed through.

Without sympathy to the cross-shaped strike carved into Silver, the Fox Spirit who had been lying in wait used black fire magic … that as well is probably a Fairy specific, unique magic.
That cooperation was the final blow; Silver’s body shattered.
Next to that the Valkyrie collapsed …

“I got you back good for that time, Old Man!”

Grad said with a loud laugh.

And then throughout the assembly rang the Game Master’s announcement, [It’s Contestant Grad’s splendid victory!], and the audience broke into a wild frenzy.

In the midst of the cheers, the Fox Spirit Fairy, of to the side, was engulfed in light particles streaming off the Valkyrie … and changed form.

―――――――――――――――――――――

The sudden, large change of Grad’s Fairy set the assembly in a buzz.
The cheers at the results of such a splendid PvP Finals has already disappeared, and “What’s with that Fairy” has begun to be murmured.
Wearing a jet black dress, on her head is a platinum crown, and in her hand is a staff with a large black opal inset in the tip.
No one has seen a Fairy with this kind of appearance before.

Grad was bewildered for a moment, but recovered himself and …

“You evolved further, huh? You’ll be even more useful!”

He said to the Fairy.
However …

“I refuse; I no longer have any intentions of being together with you, naiwa.”

She denied him in an icy voice.
The first Fairy that can talk … this girl must be the Fairy who is queen of the Fairies, the Fairy Queen.

SKILLS
[Wind-Blown Hunting Bow]Lv1
[Kicking Assault]Lv12
[Farsight]Lv47
[Craftsmanship]Lv45
[Cooking]Lv49
[Alchemy]Lv40
[Stealth]Lv37
[Physical Ability Reinforcement]Lv16
[Thief]Lv33
[Whip]Lv34

Reserved Skills
[Woodworking]Lv26
[Blacksmithing]Lv30

ExP 14

A/N: Title owned Fairy Seducer

The Final Boss? has appeared.
I will properly end the scenario with some kick-ass action.
Yes, with the dice of god.