CH 11

There would be times when you would find people who burn with some strange hatred towards the leveling system of RPGs.

“Uhm, this may be a crude question to ask, but is it fun to raise your level and defeat the boss easily? Pay attention to your fighting style and traits of your equipment, skillfully winning, losing every now and then; isn’t that what makes a game fun? Why do you go out of your way to make the game boring by adding what’s basically menial work? This is not me talking down on it, I am purely asking because I don’t understand.” 

Shut up, I want to feel damn OP over here. If you are going to be spouting all that crap, go play a game with no level system -is what I want to say, but I have found another person who thinks like that.

…Lo-and-behold, it is the developers of Nekomimi Neko. 

Then, why the hell did you make it a level system?! 

I am not talking down on you guys or anything, I am purely asking because I don’t understand!!

…Now then…

In SLG or SRPG fantasy types, if you endlessly raise your level in the same map, there will be times when an enemy that you clearly can’t defeat will come to kill off your party. 

But most leveling games have been balanced and the RPG genre that recognizes leveling as one of the fun parts rarely does something like bringing out such an enemy as if they were hurrying the player. 

But Nekomimi Neko is different. 

As if saying the simple act of raising your level is bad, there will definitely come a death reaper on the players leveling in the beginning of the game. 

To be more specific, she shows up when you are leveling up for a long time in the areas around Lamurick. 

The second assassin set by Nekomimi Neko after the Lizardman Trap, AKA Train-chan!

When you see the name Train-chan, any person with good instincts or has long MMORPG experience will know what this is about. 

‘I see, MPK, huh’.

MPK is an acronym for Monster Player Kill or Killer. It refers to the act of pulling a whole ton of monsters and pushing it onto another player or people who deliberately do this act. Because you are bringing monsters in tow, it has been given the name Train.

Train-chan is the nickname of an NPC in Nekomimi Neko who does exactly this. 

And so, the players that learn of this think in this way:

‘MPK is dangerous’.

‘I am glad I knew about it beforehand’.

‘But I only fight close to the town, and if someone like that shows up, I should be fine if I run away quickly’.

However, that’s too naive. 

Super naive. 

With such naivety, you wouldn’t be able to escape the malice of the Nekomimi Neko staff. 

The players who said naive stuff like that and have actually seen Train-chan would normally correct themselves by saying this: “You can’t run away from Train-chan!!”

The cloud of dust gets closer and closer, and the sight of an army of monsters chasing after a girl running at the front…

“PLEASE SAVE MEEEEEE!!” 

Hearing her scream, I let out a big sigh.

This Train-chan is said to be craftier than the Lizardman Trap, but the malicious part about this event is that the person herself has no malice. 

The running of Train-chan when pulling monsters is a sight to behold. Cheat levels of speed and stamina, and also an evasion technique as if she had eyes on her back make it possible for her to run away from any enemy. 

I barely hear stories of Train-chan dying while running away, and the few instances of that were related to bugs. 

With this, there’s no need to save her, is what you would think, right? 

But her outstanding escaping skills disappear the moment she finds someone that can help her, in other words, the player.

Meaning that, if the player runs away, she will definitely be killed by the monsters. 

If she were the type that actually does MPK maliciously to kill the player, abandoning her would be fine. 

But Train-chan herself has no awareness that she is MPKing. 

Not only that, if only the player didn’t exist, there’s no way this girl with no special traits could cause an MPK.

She is a beginner adventurer desperately trying to become an exemplary adventurer and, for some reason, only at the times when you are leveling for a long time in the field, does she end up a victim of being surrounded by a drove of monsters that forces her to run away. 

Or rather, she is so kind-hearted that, after troubling you several times with the MPK and overcoming it, she would begin to think about quitting as an adventurer if she is going to trouble the player this much. 

Also, she never abandons the player. 

Even if you ask her to run away first or go call for help at the town…

“I won’t leave you here alone!” 

She would exclaim this and would stubbornly not move. 

Therefore, the player has only two choices left.

Use Train-chan as bait and abandon her despite the bad taste in the mouth it would leave, or fight and protect Train-chan even when knowing it will be a hard-fought battle. 

If you choose the former, it wouldn’t be difficult to escape from there. 

Train-chan would often bring monsters that are fast on their feet, but as long as you don’t attack them, they are all targeting Train-chan.

Also, only in the cases when it is with Train-chan, the monsters are programmed to not kill the target at once but slowly torment them as they kill them. 

Train-chan would call for help while crying, and then her cry would gradually grow weaker, and at the end she would whisper ‘I am sorry, Mama…’. If you can ignore all that, there’s no event as easy as this. 

Of course, people with a normal mentality would not be able to endure such a heart-wrenching scene, so most people would just spam the reset button, or receive a heavy mental scar at the cost of having survived.

—This is where the saying ‘You can’t escape from Train-chan’ comes from. 

Then, what happens if you decide to fight? 

Not only do you end up fighting the several dozens of monsters Train-chan is bringing along, you also end up with quite the hindrance that is Train-chan as you fight. 

Even if it is a monster that shows up in the current field you are in, there’s almost no chance of winning if those numbers come to you all at the same time. 

However, Train-chan barely moves the moment she reaches the player’s side, so the player must fight while paying attention to her at all times. 

Trying to fight while helping her is harder than fighting normally alone.

On the other hand, if you fight as if you were solo, the defenseless Train-chan gets easily killed.

The players that notice this reality will get flustered, and the monsters attack them in that opening, leading to the obvious conclusion of them being killed too. 

The other pattern that happens often is when you pay too much attention to Train-chan. You can’t bring out your usual ability, and end up getting killed before Train-chan.

But in those cases, the players would say ‘I died protecting a girl, so I have no regrets’…but there’s no such softness in this game. 

That’s because she definitely won’t abandon the player.

There’s a slight time lag before your body disappears after reaching 0.

At that time, the player will have no choice but to witness it.

“Hang on! Please hang on! No way, because of me…” 

Train-chan would cry as she laments this and clings onto you…

“Gyaha!” 

And because of that, you will witness how the scythe of death falls onto Train-chan’s head. 

…It is honestly traumatic as hell.

Well, because of that, the players who have experienced this event would say that Train-chan is bad news, would avoid leveling up in the same field, and would advance the game obediently or would change their hunting areas often as they level up. 

It has been a while since I have been to Lamurick Town in the game, so I completely forgot about Train-chan.

“…Now then, what should I do?” (Souma)

Her movement speed isn’t on the level of the Godstep Cancel, but it is faster than my running speed. 

And…

“Mad Hounds, huh.” (Souma)

The ones following behind her are several dozen Mad Hounds.

The others must have dropped out of the competition because of the speed. 

But Mad Hounds are the most problematic enemies. 

Other monsters not being present can’t even serve as consolation.

(Should I abandon her?) (Souma)

This is not far from the gates. 

If I sacrifice her, I certainly can get away safely. 

This world isn’t a game. 

This isn’t a world where a reset button can solve your mess ups. 

The code of adventurers would find no problems in abandoning her here.

“Just kidding.” (Souma)

I am the one that knows the best that I can’t do something like that.

Fortunately, my stamina is at full capacity, and I barely have a scratch in my HP.

It should be okay to deal with something like Mad Hounds for a bit.

I hold Shiranui tightly as I feel sweat flowing down from the tension.

Train-chan is getting ever closer. 

“Help! Please help!” 

She squeezed out those words with ragged breath, and I…

“Leave it to me! Stand at my back!” (Souma)

I respond with as strong of words as possible. 

“O-Okay!” 

Train-chan responded as if surprised by this, passed by my side, and after she reached my back…she fell in place there as if she had run out of energy. 

But that’s fine. 

The chasing Mad Hounds stop their feet cautious of me. 

Dozens of Mad Hounds position themselves in a semicircle with me and Train-chan at the center.

Mad Hounds are sly monsters. 

They know the range of human weapons, so they don’t get close at a certain range. 

They maintain just the right distance where attacks can’t reach, wait for their comrades to go around, and try to attack at the same time. 

That’s why I attack before they do! 

I sweep Shiranui to the left as I Step to the front. 

(I wasn’t planning on revealing my hidden trump card so soon in front of someone, but…counting on you, Shiranui!) (Souma)

There’s only 3 meters of distance from the enemy at the far back.

I can do this! 

I Short Cancel the Step, and activate a skill on the Hounds that still haven’t been able to react! 

“[Invisible Blade]!!” (Souma)

The moment I shouted this, there was an invisible energy coming out from the tip of Shiranui.

That easily split apart the left end Hound that was at the forefront. 

“W-Watch o—eh?!” 

And it of course didn’t end with that. 

The enemies at the back that looked as if they didn’t get hit by Shiranui…the one by the side, the one at the back, at both sides of that one…in the blink of an eye, the hounds in the path were sliced off one after the other. 

“…Fuuh.” (Souma)

By the moment I finished swinging my sword, all the dozens of Mad Hounds were all sliced in two. 

I defeated all the enemies that were chasing after her, but if the slower monsters were to arrive, it would be troubling. 

I lent my shoulder to Train-chan who couldn’t walk properly yet and decided to leave that place at once.

“…Uhm, that attack just now was impressive!” 

After receiving a whole ton of apologies and thanks, she said this. 

Her eyes were sparkling.

“I have never seen a skill like that! You must be ultra duper strong!” 

“A-Ahahahaha…” (Souma)

She was singing praises of me. 

This feels awkward.

By the way, it would be one thing if it were magic, but learning large aoe skills for weapons is quite difficult. 

It would only be after level 50 when you finally learn one if you play normally. 

“I am still level 27. I want to become a full-fledged adventurer soon…” 

“I-I see…” (Souma)

I gave a dry laugh as I was sweating buckets internally.

I can’t tell her. 

There’s no way I can.

That I am a level 10 newbie adventurer…

“I am doing my best, but I only know 4 weapons skills…” 

The Invisible Blade of just now is actually not an aoe skill but a plain close range attack, moreover, it is the same as Slash in that it is a basic skill anyone can use if they are holding the appropriate weapon.

“But I want to get strong quickly and become a splendid adventurer like you!!” 

There’s no way I can tell her that was just a plain Side Slash!!