"So, long story short, that turtle is apparently called an Elementalion."
"Hoo. I see. So it really was a special enemy, then."
"That means it was a rare material-ssu. If we didn't have the processing tools that came with the Home, we might not have been able to do anything with it-ssu."
I shared what I had learned about the turtle with the other two.
As for Elf-san, she was still frozen solid and hadn't come back to her senses, so I just left her be. It was probably a bug or something. Best not to meddle with her.
"But what’s the deal with normal weapons not working on an Elementalion-ssu?"
"Nah, that’s probably just a lore-based excuse for why only players can take it down. Otherwise, you’d have to wonder why the locals haven't formed a battalion to wipe it out already, right?"
"I guess so. It’d be a real buzzkill if a boss got defeated somewhere the players weren't even involved-ssu."
I see. My colleague Alto's points were always remarkably convincing.
"The specific setting is probably something like the Spirit-possessed neutralizing the field to allow damage to pass through! Not that I actually know, though."
"If that’s the case, I wonder if I’ll be useful in the fight too-ssu? Should I make some bombs or something-ssu?"
"Wait, wait. Penpen, you’re staying behind, okay? But if you can make bombs, I definitely want them."
"Staying behind-ssu? Well then, I’d better go gather some forest sea urchins-ssu."
...What the heck is a forest sea urchin? Aren't those supposed to be marine life? I mean, I get the whole "exploding urchin" trope, but still.
"Once we’re ready, let’s go hunt it. Penpen, you prepare for the victory party. Ideally, if we can take it down with just Alto’s long-range sniping, that would be for the best."
"Ooh-ooh-ooh! Leave it to me! I’ll show you my aim!"
"But considering the size of that Great Turtle, I don't think it’s an opponent cheap enough to be defeated by that alone."
"Well, I guess my job is to whittle it down as much as possible before Tria gets into melee range. But... it’s okay if I end up finishing it off, right?"
"Yeah, if you can pull it off."
For the rest of the day, I decided to help with Penpen's preparations.
We saved time by buying materials available at the shops. Since it was for party expenses, I covered the cost myself!
Oh, I also wanted to buy some of the magic they sold. If I could learn recovery magic, I wanted it in my repertoire. Having a medic on the front lines—the presence or absence of healing directly affected our survival rate.
"...I have learned Light Heal!"
"It’s only first-aid level, but it’s better than nothing. If the worst happens, just hide behind something and heal up."
Tria-chan, unfortunately, couldn't learn Heal. Drat. I’d have to pass that one over to Penpen instead.
"Actually, why was Alto able to learn Heal?"
"Because Alto-chan is a smart cookie! I mean, my character's background is a merchant’s daughter, after all."
"So it’s based on base Parameters. I’ve been leaving all the dismantling to Penpen, so my stats in that area haven't gone up at all... maybe I should try my hand at it once in a while."
"Don't sweat it. This is the kind of game where specialized builds are always stronger."
"Fair point."
If there were disadvantages to learning magic other than the gold cost, I might have reconsidered. However, in this game, regular magic was just like learning a new skill. It didn't consume irreversible points like SP.
It was a win-win situation.
"Besides, using magic in VR Mode is actually pretty fun. It really feels like I’m the one casting it."
"Right? But let’s save our mana for now. Or rather, are you going to leave the combat to Auto Mode?"
"Hmm, yeah, that’s the dilemma. Tria-chan actually has pretty good combat sense. But if I let her do everything, I’ll be bored out of my mind."
"Come to think of it, we haven't actually talked to Tria-chan yet. Since we’re here, let’s let them talk."
"We haven't tested what happens if we use Auto Mode while in VR, either."
"Oh? Then I’ll bring out Alto-chan too! It’s like an introduction party!"
"What a way to put it. Well, whatever. Switching to Auto Mode... and... whoa?"
With a heavy hum and a floating sensation, followed by a feeling as if my body were turning inside out, I found myself hovering behind Tria-chan’s head.
"What is this? It’s a total TPS perspective. ...Hey, Alto, can you hear me?"
"Um, well... the Spirit-sama is asking if you can hear him."
"Yes. She says she can hear you on this end too."
Tria-chan and Alto-chan were relaying our messages back and forth like intermediaries.
Ah, I see, we couldn't hear the other players' voices directly. Or so I thought, until I heard Alto’s voice in her usual casual tone.
"It’s working!"
"What?! Did you do something, Alto?"
"S-She is asking what you did."
"Turn on Friend Chat!"
"Turn on... Friend Chat? That’s what she’s saying."
"Friend Chat... this one? Hello?"
"Ooh, I can hear you!"
"Ah. It seems the Spirit-samas are now able to speak with each other directly?"
"It seems so."
It was the kind of conversation that felt like it was happening right inside my head. Well, technically we were Halos now, so it was happening just outside my head.
"Having a free field of vision is great. Hey, can we cast magic just like this?"
"I’d like to test that out. I suspect it might not work, though."
"Alright, let’s head to the magic shop’s Test Range!"
"Heck yeah!"
"...Ah, yes. Understood. We will move there."
"Yes, I understand."
Whew, it actually took a bit of extra effort to coordinate. It was a bit easier since I didn't have to walk myself, though.
And so, we arrived at the Test Range. There were targets set up, but apparently, the shopkeeper didn't want us firing anything too destructive.
For now, I had Tria take a stance. If we could fire magic from the Halo, it should logically discharge from our position.
"Here goes—Thunder!"
"Ice Bolt!"
Bzzzt!! Lightning shot out about a meter from Tria-chan’s hand.
Meanwhile, Alto’s Ice Bolt flew straight to the target. Also from her hand.
"...Yeah, it definitely came out of the hand."
"But why is it coming out of the hand in the first place? Thinking in terms of VR Mode, it should be fine if it comes out from somewhere else."
"Hmm, maybe because she was holding her hands out? Tria-chan, try holding out your leg instead."
"Eh? A-Holding out my leg???"
As expected, that might have been asking a bit too much of her. Well then, I deactivated Auto Mode for a second...
"If it comes out of the sole of my foot, it might blow a hole in my boot. So, how about this!"
"It’s a knee strike."
"If I activate the magic from my knee at the exact moment of impact, wouldn't it become a Thunder Kick or something?"
"I-I see!"
"That would look pretty cool."
"And so, tag back in!"
I switched back to Auto Mode.
"I’ll match the timing... so whenever you’re ready."
"U-Understood. H-Yah!"
Coinciding with the knee strike, I activated Thunder—Whoa! It crackled from her knee and—bzz-bzz-bzz-abababa!
The magic indeed discharged from her knee, but it arced right back into her hand, sending a numbing shock straight up her arm and through her head—which meant it fried me, too, since I was currently the Halo floating right there. I felt like a vibrating tuning fork. It didn't technically hurt, but man, it was a trip.
"...Ah, Tria-chan, I’m kind of sorry. The experiment was a success, though."
"I-It’s... fine."
Tria-chan still looked a bit dazed from the shock. I guess there was actual feedback in this VR Mode.
"Wait, Tria-shi. If you think about it, if magic came out of the hand, it would blow a hole in the gloves. Since that doesn't happen, maybe it actually manifests a few centimeters away from the skin?"
"...Now that you mention it, that might be true."
I checked her gauntlets, but there wasn't a scratch on them. From a game design perspective, it would be a nightmare if magic destroyed your own equipment every time you used it.
...Does that mean her boots would be safe even if I fired it from her foot?
Could I even fire it from her foot in the first place? Well, if I could do it from the knee, there was no reason the foot wouldn't work.
"If we fail, we can just have Penpen-shi fix it! It’s better than trying it for the first time during the real fight!"
"That’s true. Alright, let’s try it, Tria-chan!"
"U-Understood, Spirit-sama!"
And just like that, we unlocked a new Special Move: Thunder Kick.
It seemed like it might do a bit more damage than a standard Enchant Thunder!
"Next stage! How about a headbutt?"
"You’re a real taskmaster... Let’s do it, Tria-chan!"
"Yes! ...I mean, certainly!"
As a bonus, we also obtained the Thunder Headbutt. By the way, it was basically a double-edged sword that left me reeling if we messed up the timing.