Humans dream beneath the azure sky, yet clash within its boundless expanse.
Utter defeat.
Perched atop twin colossal trees, they called him the hero marked by Lycaon's curse, only to attack in unison. No matter how fiercely he fought, their forms showed no sign of damage. In the end, his HP was slashed to 1, and he was hurled from the battlefield. That was the bitter thought swirling in Pepper's mind.
"…Ugh, damn it. I got wrecked," he muttered.
Sprawled on his back, Pepper gazed at the faint ribbons of light filtering through the jungle canopy, his frustration spilling into words. Aitoile peeked at his face, her voice tinged with concern.
"You okay, Pepper-han?"
"Aitoile… I got my ass handed to me," he admitted.
Tyranid Giraffa and Kaiserion Caucasus. Given the field's conditions and the situation, he should've anticipated both beetles attacking at once. But their mention of Lycaon's curse, combined with the unexpected hint toward the special quest, had scrambled his thoughts, leading to his defeat.
At least his HP lingered at 1—whether out of the beetles' mercy or their disdain for finishing off the weak, he was still alive.
"What now? Gonna fight 'em again?" Aitoile asked.
"Nah… charging back in would just be a repeat performance," Pepper said, pulling a medicinal herb from his item inventory and swallowing it whole. "Those two gave me three key clues."
He turned to Aitoile, breaking down the insights gleaned from the battle.
"First, at the start, Giraffa called itself the 'Child of the Hurricane' and Caucasus the 'Child of the Thunderstorm.' Our current quest is [Embodying the Hurricane, Clad in the Storm]. No doubt about it—those beetles are the key."
Their dramatic declarations were practically a neon sign screaming, "We're your quest targets!"
"Second, Giraffa said, 'You're not ready,' and Caucasus said, 'Your strength falls short.' It's a guess, but my level probably hasn't hit the required cap."
In games, certain weapons or items only unlock at specific ranks or levels. The beetles likely demanded a baseline level threshold.
"And third, they told me to 'wield wind and storm and come back.' That suggests I need a specific item or weapon with a special effect to even deal damage."
Pepper recalled retro games where ghost-type monsters were immune to attacks without purification items. The beetles were likely "gimmick monsters," requiring specific conditions to harm—otherwise, they were untouchable.
"So, we pulling out?" Aitoile asked.
"Yeah. We head back to Rabbits from Thirdrema and regroup. To take on those two, we need a solid plan," Pepper said.
With that decided, there was no time to waste. They needed to bring this intel back, strategize in safety, and prepare for a rematch. Hiding Aitoile under his cloak, Pepper sprinted through Senchibankou's Jungle Hollow toward Thirdrema.
Along the way, a Quad Beetle mistook them for sap thieves and attacked. Fueled by frustration, Pepper unleashed Madness Breaker, hammering the beetle with Aitoile's support. They felled it in ten minutes. Despite the Vorpal Soul Collar halving his XP, he gained a level, quickly gathered materials, and hurried back to Thirdrema.
Slipping through the gate connecting Senchibankou's Jungle Hollow to Thirdrema, Pepper and Aitoile ducked into a deserted alley. Aitoile opened a gate to Rabbits, and they returned to the Rabbit Palace. Settling on the veranda, they launched into a strategy session.
"For now, our goals are to progress the special quest, expand our range, and level up. That means tackling the area bosses in the three zones accessible from Thirdrema and reaching the three towns beyond," Pepper outlined.
"Got it. My gate magic only works for towns we've visited, so expanding our reach is a must," Aitoile nodded.
Thirdrema was vast, but lingering too long risked other players figuring out their patterns. A wider range meant escape routes to other towns if pursued—a no-brainer.
"And one more thing… 'wield wind and storm.' I want to ask the Boss about it. As a veteran, he might know something," Pepper said.
"Good call. I don't get what it means, but the Boss might. Though…" Aitoile hesitated, then added matter-of-factly, "he's not always at the Rabbit Palace. He's off somewhere, doing who-knows-what."
Weiss Ash, the leader of Rabbits, wasn't always around. Pepper figured he'd need to catch him at the right moment. Just then—
"Hey, what's with you two? Lookin' mighty deep in thought," a gruff voice boomed from behind.
Turning, they saw Weiss Ash, the towering Vorpal Bunny leader, standing there—when had he arrived?
"Gah! Boss?!" Pepper yelped.
"Yo, Boss! Where ya been?" Aitoile chirped.
"Just visitin' an old acquaintance," Weiss Ash replied. "So, what's up?"
"Well…" Pepper began.
He recounted their trip to Senchibankou's Jungle Hollow, the battles with the Empire Bee Queen and Quad Beetle, and the encounter with Tyranid Giraffa and Kaiserion Caucasus at the jungle's depths. He explained how the beetles called him a "hero," told him to "wield wind and storm," and how he was utterly defeated.
"Hmph. So those stag and horned beetles gave ya a thrashin', huh?" Weiss Ash said.
"You know about Tyranid Giraffa and Kaiserion Caucasus, Boss?" Pepper asked.
"More or less," Weiss Ash replied. He stood near them, puffing on a carrot-shaped pipe, exhaling smoke toward the sky visible from the veranda. "This is just an old rabbit's ramblin'. Listen or don't—it's up to you."
Sensing a story tied to the special quest, Pepper shifted from lounging to sitting cross-legged, back straight, ready to absorb every word.
"Long, long ago—further back than you can imagine—there was a human who dreamed of soaring through the azure sky," Weiss Ash began.
He spun a tale of a pioneer who yearned to fly. A human who made that dream a reality.
"This fella did all sorts of crazy things to fly—experiments, research, even body modifications. Through it all, he forged an 'answer' that changed the world. With it, humans soared into the azure sky, free as birds."
Experiments and research made sense, but body modifications? The mad scientist vibe was strong, yet his efforts bore fruit, letting humanity fly and fulfilling his dream.
"But then, others fought to steal his answer. He mourned as the sky he dreamed of was stained with sorrow. So, he destroyed everything he'd made, save for one piece. That piece he split into three—'Vessel,' 'Mechanism,' and 'Soul'—and hid them in different places."
Science and invention enrich lives, but abundance breeds greed. Those who'd topple others for profit are a constant across time. Desire is a bottomless swamp—once you're in, escape is no easy feat. Someone must sever that cycle, especially if it's the creator's responsibility.
"And that 'Soul'? It's still guarded by those stag and horned beetles, generation after generation. Dutiful, honorable critters," Weiss Ash said.
The gem at the twin trees' summit was likely one of the three components needed for the "answer" to flight.
"Those beetles are still waitin'. Waitin' for someone strong enough to carry on that dreamer's vision of soaring through the azure sky. They called you 'hero' not just 'cause that mutt Lycaon acknowledged ya, but 'cause of the bonds you've forged with others to get this far."
Pepper realized his A+ clears of the prior special quests—[The Secret of Rock-Splitting] and [The Roaring Stratagem in the Marsh]—determined whether he faced one beetle or both, a branching path in the questline. Every step he'd taken wasn't in vain.
"But… you're still weak," Weiss Ash continued. "Sharpen your fangs, hone your Vorpal soul, and prove to those beetles you're worthy of that dreamer's legacy."
With that, Weiss Ash walked away. Pepper didn't fully grasp the "Vorpal soul" bit, but staring at the rabbit's broad back, he called out, "Yes, Boss!"
He was weak now, but that meant room to grow. His mission was clear: level up, even with the Vorpal Soul Collar halving his XP. With burning resolve, he vowed to reach the required threshold and face the beetles again.
A Renewed Resolve to Grow Armstrong
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