Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 19
1-19. Mari-nee and The Event Details and Consultation.
“Have you seen the event announcement on the official website?”
Mareus asked, prompting me to recall the details before logging in.
“I think it was something like <Prevent the calamity descending upon the city of Eden>.”
“That’s right. In real life, it’s the first official event scheduled for a week from today at 8 PM. However, the content seems a bit suspicious.”
“Is that so?”
As far as I could remember, it didn’t seem suspicious to me.
By the way, here’s a brief description of the event other than the title:
? The goal is to prevent the calamity descending upon the city of Eden by Co-op for two hours in MWO.
Participation is free, and you can participate individually or in party units.
During the event, you can earn points by defeating monsters and the like.
The points obtained can be exchanged for items and skills after the event ends.
Special rewards will be given to the top 10 point earners.
The distribution of points within a party depends on contribution.
Death during the event incurs no penalty, but points decrease. ?
“When you look at just the title and description, it seems like a typical defense event, right? However, there’s something off about explicitly mentioning <Co-op>”
Mareus pointed out, placing a finger on her chin.
“If it’s a big event, it’s natural for participants to cooperate. However, it’s written in the announcement as if it’s something not so obvious. That’s what feels strange.”
Listening to Mareus’s words of doubt, if my thoughts were visible from the outside, there would undoubtedly be a question mark hovering over my head.
“In other words, what we think is that this ‘Co-op’ mentioned here refers to the residents as well,” Mareus explained.
“You might not know because you haven’t left the first area of Eden, but the relationship between residents and players in the city of the second area is terrible. I went there myself, and it was a mess—items overpriced, fully booked inns rejecting you even when there are vacancies. It was a complete disaster.”
To me, who had interacted with Estelle-san, the children, Vanessa-san, Zela, Allen, and others, it sounded unbelievable. Everyone was so kind, which made it all the more mysterious.
“Why did the relationship deteriorate so much?”
“The cause is the players, especially the ‘strategy group’ prioritizing becoming stronger and defeating tough enemies. They imposed their convenience, hoarded items, and acted violently. Some players even did things that would be considered crimes in real life just to get skills that residents could teach them.”
“That’s a terrible story…”
The thought of Estelle-san and the others experiencing such things made me shudder.
Trying to banish the imagined scene from my mind, I closed my eyes tightly. At that moment, there was a faint touch at my feet, and Nero looked up at me with a worried expression.
When I petted him, his expression, which would probably be squinting his eyes and purring if it were real, warmed my slightly chilled heart.
“It happened at a time like that. Roulette-san went to the city of the second area and, amid many players receiving negative reactions from residents, she returned back.”
“We met at a church dinner together, and we happened to meet a customer from Vanessa’s restaurant”
Upon closer inspection, Roulette-san had also initially been ignored and treated coldly by residents. However, the moment she met customers from Vanessa-san’s shop in the city, the residents’ reactions completely changed.
At the overpriced shop, prices were discounted, and at the fully booked inn, she was offered a good room at a low cost.
Roulette-san turned out to be a good person, even becoming friends with me in MWO. Her sewing skills were so impressive that Zela–san also vouched for her.
Anyone would understand such an obvious thing. It must be.
As I crossed my arms in agreement, Roulette chuckled.
“The reason why I’m welcomed there is thanks to you Maria-san.”
“Huh? Why me?”
“Maria-chan, didn’t you receive a recommendation from the proprietress of <Rabbit Tail Pavilion>? Since Roulette-chan is friends with Maria-chan, I think she benefited from that favor.”
“Favor? That’s a bit too much… I just got along with her.”
As I said that, Roulette-san and Kanna-san exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
“She’s that kind of person huh.”
“Yep, exactly.”
“What do you mean?!”
When I raised my voice in frustration, they looked at me with amused smiles.
Mmm, it’s hard to argue with them.
“Anyway, because of such situations, we thought it would be reassuring to have you at the next event if we need the cooperation of residents.”
“Could it be that this is the consultation?”
“Yeah, on the D-day, the three of us plan to form a party and take on the challenge. We want you to join us.”
“I’m also asking you, Maria-san. It seems like we’d have a great time together.”
“I’d be really happy if Maria-chan joined us.”
Despite the three of them making requests, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was the right fit. But if they needed me and wanted my help, I wanted to respond, especially since one of them is my friend.
“…Alright. I can’t guarantee how useful I’ll be, but please let me join you.”
Upon hearing those words, the three of them visibly sighed in relief.
Hmm, I hope they’re not expecting too much.
“Now that it’s decided, as a thank you for agreeing to cooperate, I’ll renew that shabby beginner’s equipment of yours.”
“S-Shabby…”
I didn’t think beginner’s equipment was that bad.
“What’s your level?”
“…14.”
In a slightly sulky voice, I didn’t think it was that bad.
“If you level up once more, you can class change. Your job will change to a higher one, but if there’s no significant change in the main weapons and armor, you can continue using what suits your current stats. Hey, Roulette.”
“If it’s Maria-san’s stats, it’s good to go for clothes with a main focus on fabric. Something light, simple, and with a slightly mature feel, what do you think?”
“A mature feel…”
I couldn’t imagine the specific design of the clothes, but just the phrase “mature feel” made me think it might be a good idea.
“For the top, how about an unadorned white shirt, and for the bottom, go for a navy blue long skirt between the color of your hair and eyes?”
“I’ll leave it to you!”
Surely, Roulette-san’s sense would not go wrong.
How about my sense you say?
I wonder what they expect from me, who used to wear school uniforms or work uniforms for part-time jobs and wore sports attire at home.
“Ah, then I would like to get new threads for my weapons, but is it possible to use this?”
Take out <Giant Spider’s Thread> and <Deer’s Tendon> and show them to them.
“<The Giant Spider’s thread> is good material. It’s said to be quite rare as a drop, but as expected of Maria-san. <The Deer’s tendons> seem like they could be used as a reinforcing synthesis material.”
Good, it was worth the trouble Nero and I went through to defeat them.
“What, you’re a thread user on top of being a jester? It’s impressive for a beginner to level up that much alone.”
“I wasn’t alone. I received help from Roulette-san, the residents, and now I have this little guy with me.”
“!”
Nero retaliated with a cat punch to Mareus, asserting that he was here too.
While his glowing hand didn’t seem to cause damage, it did produce a distinct electric effect.
“Argh!?”
Mareus made a strange sound and jumped up.
I tried not to laugh, but it seemed impossible.
When I thought that, Roulette-san and Kanna-san were already bursting into laughter.
“…Jeez. Huh? Isn’t this eye a <Lightning Tiger Magic Stone>? That means the one earlier was lightning.”
As expected of the head of production-type Guild.
He could discern what something was and its effects just by looking at it.
“Using a magic stone as a material to give an attribute is a common method, but to achieve this level of performance, the usage of the magic stone…”
Mareus muttered to himself in thought, entering his own world. Roulette-san, however, forcefully stopped him by striking him on the top of his head with a karate chop.
“Save your analysis for later.”
“Oof, cut it out a bit. I might get a split head… If you’re using thread and have the lightning attribute, try using this.”
Saying that, he handed me a bundle of thin silver threads.
“<Magic Silver Thread>. I made it to connect metal plates in woodworking, but it had a stretchy quality and the durability was a bit delicate, so I put it on hold. You might be able to handle it.”
Come to think of it, even the thread for armor was quite sturdy.
I hadn’t even seen a beginner-level thread break.
I wonder if it’s different depending on the purpose?
I accepted it gratefully, and Kanna-san spoke up.
“In Carpenter, there doesn’t seem to be anything suitable for Maria-chan at the moment. So I’ll provide you with information on skills. There’s quite a variety, from things you should know to just for fun.”
It was very helpful since I had some extra skill points.
Among the things she casually mentioned, one caught my interest.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, this? It’s quite a dreamy one. But currently, it’s a death skill because there’s nothing to handle it.”
“In that case, how about considering it like this…”
I made a suggestion, and not only Kanna-san but also Roulette-san and Mareus showed interest.
As a result, the three of them agreed to cooperate.
Since I was the one making the request, the 1 million G I received was reduced to 100,000 G, but I had no regrets.
That day, we forgot about the event and got quite excited about realizing my request with the four of us.