This is a bit sudden, but princess Shadyna is going to be kidnapped to another castle~

_ Maximus: She is already thinking of something stupid again.

_ Ignar: Max, that's not how you begin asking someone a favor… Hey, . Didn't expect to see you in the arena, of all places.

_ Shadyna: Hiyo~

Shortly after the final match of the day, we got an unexpected visit by the kidnapper trio. How the heck did they know my location without asking me? Stalkers? Should I use a [Luminous Firestorm Invoker] every five minutes in order to shake off all hidden pursuers?

That flashy skill would broadcast my location to the other side of the world map? Don't mind don't mind~

_ Hessy (Guild): , once you finish your business with , could you come to your underground base?

Dammit Hessy, it was your doing again, wasn't it~?

_ Shadyna (Guild): If I don't get shoved into a cell with a lava moat around it~

_ Hessy (Guild): Similar to the one you designed for the bishop? I doubt it will be capable of slowing you down in the slightest.

I have a feeling Hessy is implying something rude, but I'll let that slide. For now at least.

_ Shadyna: So~, is there something you need?

_ Maximus: Yeah, have a match with me.

_ Shadyna: Weird request but sure. Iced Milk…

_ Maximus: Holdupholdupholdup!!! That's not what I meant!

…He wasn't trying to kill me legally by requesting a duel to the death for others' entertainment? I could have sworn that was his plan so I decided to skip the overly complicated bureaucracy and went straight for the killing. Only one of us will come out alive anyway, and I for sure won't be complaining about the crude organization of the event~

That kind of plot is kind of iffy in a game where the dead respawns in town by the way, for obvious reasons. Is not good at plotting complex evil schemes? Emphasis on "complex", since he certainly had no qualms scheming evil!

_ Ignar: Uh, I'm glad you are willing to help, but please listen to what Max has to say first. He wasn't looking for a fight in the traditional sense.

_ Shadyna: Is that so~?

Don't go around declaring your intention to kill me off in that case, is what I want to tell him. Then again, this is . I have no hope for his ability to speak properly~

_ Shadyna: …Wait, is there even another way to interpret this "match" that does not involve a private two-person physically intense activity, with one of the participants being a cute girl who is below legal age?

_ Maximus: Why the flipping fluff are you making this weird?! And don't call yourself "cute"!!!

Harsh~ For some reason, I am the only one getting called out when referring to myself as cute. Maybe it was the way I say it…?

_ Tippe: Isn't it fine? IS cute.

_ Maximus: You shut up!

Happy face~

…

_ Maximus: Ready?

One short explanation and many mental assaults on later, I got the gist of his request. He wants a training match to improve his playstyle, rather than trying to best me. And here I thought he had suddenly gotten a super power-up to murder me in one hit…

Nevertheless, this is still a private two-person physically intense activity!!!

_ Shadyna: Before that, why me? Is not to your liking?

_ Ignar: Ahahaha, no, I'm a tank. While I can somewhat stand my ground, I do not pose a threat to him in a duel.

_ Maximus: As he said. The biggest threat to my build is one that can hit me. Your… Hmm, let's just say I can learn a lot when you move your legs, and shut your mouth.

Is that a compliment, or an insult? Since this archer's default mode is unfiltered constant stream of verbal abuse, I think it's safe to consider this an honest compliment, un!

_ Shadyna: Oh well, whenever you are ready~!

I point my sword at . He responses by aiming his bow at me.

_ Cinrald: BEGIN!

Evading the dead-obvious first shot, I close the distance by jogging as spectators cheer me on.

No, I'm serious. I have to jog slowly because, as everyone put it, "it's delusional to think this game can have another one as fast as you". Therefore, I have to cap my actual speed to that of my opponent. It's only training if you can actually learn something from it, after all.

For some reason, the audience, consisting of my party, 's muscular crew and 's group, are taking seats right outside the ring instead of the whole front seats I have carefully built! You guys are not going to get more info out of looking at my face a bit closer you know?

_ Shadyna: Yo~

*Woosh*

I thrust my sword forward as soon as I catch up. Although it was fast, it was not enough to score a hit. As expected, his ability is real when not caught by surprise, or overwhelmed by difference in status.

It's fine if we actually hit each other. I activated [Phantom Edge] to avoid dealing any damage. Meanwhile, he can use anything he wants, because I am practically a bullet sponge in all but officially.

For the last time, Sateri, this kind of role should be reserved for an annoying bonus boss, not a player build!

Even if the majority of it was my own doing!

The chase continues with him taking potshots while I swing at him every time I have a chance. You can't run straight forever in a ring, so the pursuer will always be able to get into range eventually for the same speed and not considering any other variables.

Of course, there are a lot more to consider in practice, like this guy's sneaky nature that allows him to evade my strikes for example! It's only the start, and it's already annoying~

I normally would not agree to such a bothersome request without getting anything in return, but… well, I got something in return.

[Afterimage: It was actually an afterimage. Add significant evasion chance on receiving hits while running.]

[Non-critical Spot: Receive the hit in a non-critical spot. Add significant chance to reduce damage to minimal while running.]

[Blast Clearance: Clear the blast radius on the double. Add evasion chance on receiving area-of-effect impact while running. Increase chance based on distance to center of blast.]

One, I can understand, two, maybe for assurance, but three skills in exchange for a short training session? Aren't you a bit too desperate for some quality time with a young girl?! , please do something before your friends become criminals~!

That being said, I am not going to turn him down after he went out of his way to pay me.

Materialism is pleased with today's tributes, ufufu~

_ Maximus: Still has time for that smug face? [Arrow Rain]!

Gya! Don't disrupt my internal flashbacks which are crucial to gaining last-second power-up in final boss fights!

_ Cinrald: That's… probably not it, right?

_ Miel: Definitely not it.

_ Maximus: WHAT IS?!

Stop complaining, you hard-to-please spectators!

While my opponent is also fooling around just as I was, a ton of arrows are speeding towards my position, like a medieval shotgun. Yikes! He also aimed it upward so I would turn into a hedgehog even if I jump. Scary!

Since aerial maneuver is out of the question, I crouch down and skid past the barrage with what's left of my momentum. Him trying to lead the shot ended up with the ground having fewer arrows, allowing me to slip between them with relative ease.

_ Shadyna: [Begi]! [Elemental Blast]!

*BOOM* *BOOM*

_ Maximus: DAFUQ?!

When explosion may not be the answer (due to [Blast Clearance]), the answer is more explosions!!!

And thanks to [Phantom Edge], he can still run after two successive blasts that would have ended him in a real fight, during which I would use a real bomb instead of the humble explosive [Begi] bulb. If you have 5% to evade one, you have roughly 0.25% to evade both. Un, good luck with that meager HP of yours!

_ Maximus: Tsk. Good hit. Don't think you can pull that again though!

_ Shadyna: Ehehe~

Slamming my sword to the ground, I quickly bounce back up. Lying on the ground is not ideal for evasive maneuvers after all~

_ Shadyna: Alright, I'm going to kick up a notch as well!

____________

_ Ignar: Well, this is terrifying.

The mighty warrior mutters to himself as he sees the little girl chasing down a professional murderer with a taller-than-herself sword. This pretty much just happened the other day, although the circumstances and mood were a tiny bit different back then.

_ Tippe: Yeah, when she casts buffs everyone keels over and dies. Now she is actively stabbing Max who has no HP, yet is not splattering his guts onto the ground… Remind me why she even has [Pacifist] again?

_ Miel: An undying love for peace, is what she will say, probably.

The peace lover in question is smashing the ground repeatedly in an attempt to bludgeon her opponent. There's no damage, but still uncomfortable to look at.

_ Ignar: Yeah right… What I'm saying is that is a good PvPer with or without her inflated attributes. Just her control of speed to match Max's is beyond most players already.

While numeric values can be balanced, a player's reflexes and decision making abilities are not. In the off chance that they fight on equal footing in term of stats, she will still be a formidable opponent.

_ Cinrald: She is indeed versatile. Is there anything she is incapable of or at least bad at?

_ Tippe: According to the board, she is already this game's equivalent of IRL Tyrant, but cuter. Not sure if you can be bad at something at that level…

_ Ignar: Cute Tyrant huh? That's not a description people usually use to describe them…

To be fair, sane people would not use a dubious nickname like "Tyrant" to call a little girl who has arrows stuck on her forehead and is running away from an angry archer swinging his dagger around either. Max is apparently engaging in melee in an attempt to shake his pursuer off. It was a success, although he looks like a bully (again) as a result.

_ Tippe: Hell, I may become a Tyrant sympathizer IRL if they are at least half as cute!

_ Ignar: *Sighs* Dude… Well, Tyrant is human so your deranged fantasy is not impossible.

_ Tippe: Seriously?! Are you their acquaintance or something?

_ Ignar: Nah, nothing like that. I know that they are human though.

Meanwhile, the waitresses are calmly watching their leader retaliating by grabbing her sword's edge and smacking her target with the hilt. Attacking with the hilt is not uncommon in sword fighting, but that is definitely not the way to do it!

's weaknesses? These waitresses certainly have an idea or two. However, they have no intention of informing their potential adversaries.

____________

_ Shadyna: Then I sparred with and some macho men from too! That was tiring~

_ Hessy: I see. It's rare for those guys to go out of their way to do practice matches. Good work earning their respect.

_ Shadyna: Ehehe~ Happy~

_ Miel: I concur. She taught me that bashing an enemy's toe with the broadside of the sword is as deadly as stabbing their face.

_ Hessy: What kind of practices were you doing?!

Please don't mind the little details~

_ Shadyna: Anyway~, why are we in the forest?

After I met up with my second-in-command at my secret base, she dragged me off to the beginner (?) forest. I totally did not for a moment think that I was going to get kidnapped for the second time in a day. That's why I did not run away, not because my weight was still categorized as a celestial body and prevented me from making my escape, un!

_ Hessy: She should be here right about… now.

*FLASH*

A lady who I have never seen before appears at the [Recall] landmark. Considering that this mark is not accessible from our cafeteria's service, she must be in our guild.

Thing is, I have no idea who she is. I have met every member more than once, so she's not someone who usually plays when I'm offline. Her team is also a mystery as she is wearing what appears to be [Beginner Clothes] of all things!

_ ???: Good day, everyone~

_ Miel: Ah, we are doing "that".

_ Shadyna: "That"?

_ Melodyn & Choruse: The ritual for guildmaster to grow into adulthood, of course.

I should have run away after all!!!

…

Two spiky swords later, the philosopher in me starts to ponder about the difference between half-undead and half-dead, because… well, the dark elven sisters qualify for both currently.

_ Melodyn & Choruse: Leader, physical abuse in the workplace is illegal.

_ Hessy: And you think slandering is not?! Anyway, , this is…

_ ???: I am , pleased to make you acquaintance~

Da heck is that long name!!! I don't know how strong this person is, but I already know that her main attack is making opponents choke to death from trying to say her name!

_ Very-long-name lady: And I am in an a~bu~sive~ relationship with Hessy here~

Eh?

_ Shadyna: EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH?!?!

*BONK*

_ Very-long-name lady: Ow~

_ Hessy: Stop making this even more complicated!!!

Yup, this is abusive alright. Physical, even~

_ Shadyna: Uhm… Could you be… Mera?

Sure, she looks totally different. However, her personality is the same, including the whacky naming sense that even I cannot compete with! I would be surprised if she turns out to be totally unrelated, and seriously concerned for my mental health in the near future.

_ Mera (?): Aw~ I had hoped you would be at least a bit more confused…

No, I am confused alright, just not about your identity. You weren't even trying to hide it…

_ Hessy: *Sighs* Yes, this is Mera's second character. Sorry about the sudden request, but could you craft her a full set with only HP bonus? I'll pay for the materials and labor with our treasury so don't worry.

Nonono, shouldn't I worry a lot since, I don't know, I'm the guildmaster?! Using the treasury for personal purchases is embezzlement!

_ Shadyna: …Will this do?

Coincidentally, I still have the full [ Iced Milk Tea] set in my inventory. While not the best gear I can craft, it qualifies for a HP stacking set, and is readily available.

A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow, or so they said.

_ Mera II: Hmm~ It has CON, which is no~t good as it increases my PDF. The HP bonus is sufficient for the time being though~

_ Hessy: I see. , please lend it to Mera and craft a new set. No need for any other bonuses or effects.

She doesn't want attribute bonuses? Why though? Normal players would want their attributes most of the time, right? Curious~

_ Miel: Leader has been doing "that" so much, Mera cannot handle her anymore and she now needs to …

_ Hessy: You are wording it weird on purpose aren't you!?

Seriously, what is "that" you girls are talking about…

_ Hessy: …? Oh, I have not explained it to you.

Aaaaaand she forgot to tell me vital information, again. Darn it Hessy~

_ Mera II: Feel free to take your time explaining~ I will get changed over there. Don't look, okay~?

I would be amazed if we somehow could, in a lot of ways.

_ Hessy: Shut up Mera. Back to the topic, to put it simply, we are going to power leveling attributes today.

Oh, I see… I have no idea what she is talking about~!

As if seeing through my literal mask, the scary but kind waitress gives out a long sigh and starts explaining. Thank you very much~

…

After a seemingly endless lecture, I got it, probably.

In CSF, character level and skills have a hard cap, which means once you hit that level 30 for character and main skills, growing stronger becomes tricky. As of the current meta, there are mainly three strategies for the late game.

The first one is using summoned beasts, and since the NPC patch, the NPCs from [Heart Core]. By the time you can max out those summons, the next level cap will be most likely unlocked. Providing a wide range of tools for most if not all situations is a big plus for this method too. Its main downsides are the difficulty in control and the expenses which only go up for each summon or NPC acquired.

Next one is upgrading equipment. Contrary to my personal experiences, high grade gear and materials, especially those of bosses, are hard to come by. For most players, grinding for a full boss equipment setup is the most realistic way to improve themselves before getting the next level cap. Spending a lot of time dying to bosses and cursing RNG are expected, although being in a big guild helps tremendously.

Last strategy is what we are going to do. We cannot grind statuses, but we can grind attributes. Unlike skills, attributes do not have a hard cap and therefore can be grinded ad infinitum theoretically. In practice, there is a soft cap which makes grinding attributes too time-consuming once they hit a certain threshold. Sane players would casually grind them by doing other productive activities, and that is a reasonable plan.

Unless they have a way to power leveling attributes, that is.

Knowing that they could not compete with big guilds for rare loots, Hessy and co back then tinkered with the experience mechanics to find a way to grind attributes quickly.

Spoiler: And they did.

The secret lies in the soft cap itself, ironically. One is generally given more EXP for doing hard work than trivial tasks, hence the difficulty when your attributes are higher, as what they did previously is considered easier. Level difference between player and creature is one example. You can go from level 0 to 1 by beating up rats, even quicker by accidentally murdering a level 15 snake head, but good luck leveling up by bullying little critters when you are at the same level as the snake!

With that design philosophy identified, the only thing remains is figuring out which activity gives the most points for the effort or investment required to perform it. Considering how this is not widely known (I think), I suppose it's easier said than done, but I digress.

And so, the "activity" they came up with is repeated application of skills on a willing subject. By having a player as the opponent, we have complete control over how the grinding goes, from what equipment to wear or which skill to use. As using a skill gives you EXP for certain attributes, you can grind whatever you want by spamming the correct skill on Mera.

In other words, the beatings will continue as long as attributes improve!

…It really is an abusive relationship!!!

_ Hessy: You are thinking something rude aren't you…? Moving on, the more damage you deal in an attack, the more experience points you gain. On the other hand, Sateri-chan made it so that only actual damage is counted. If the enemy only has 100 HP, you gain the same amount whether you dealt 200 or 300 damage.

Makes sense. Hessy can simply walk around level 1 zones and blast [Dark Bolt] to her heart's content otherwise. While she is gorgeous and I would love to see that, the poor newbies in the vicinity might mistake her for a penultimate boss!

_ Hessy: That's why we use frequently have to upgrade gear for Mera's alt to keep her max HP above my max damage. And since her current gear is getting outdated and you are going to craft new weapons…

Now I'm starting to understand why these ladies are so strong despite their busy schedules. The efficiency is scary, as expected of service workers! They will definitely call me out for thinking this but… they sure know how to game the system, don't they~?

_ Shadyna: Got it. By the way, if you hit Mera that much, won't her CON and MEN increase as well? You don't want those because they increase her defense and reduce your damage, right?

From a glance, I can tell that she put a lot of effort into customization rather than hitting "randomize" in the character creation. It would be sad if she is deleted after reaching 10 CON or something like that…

_ Mera II: I know, right~? Hessy would heart~lessly throw me away after having her way with my bo…

_ Hessy: I DO NOT!!! We use sneak attacks for that very reason!

_ Melodyn & Choruse: By doing it from behind, which is even worse.

What.

*WHACK* *WHAM*

Ouch. That looks painful! Also, stop trying to up the age rating and getting yourselves killed, you beautiful degenerates~!

_ Shadyna: , do sneak attacks not improve CON?

_ Miel: They ignore defense, except for equipment bonus. Her attributes cannot grow because her defense and skills are not triggering.

_ Shadyna: I see~

tilts her head as if asking why in the world I did not know this already. It couldn't be helped, okay? How am I supposed to know when I one-shot most stuff regardless of my positioning, and in the few occasions where I did not, the damage was too all over the place to notice!?

_ Shadyna: Hessy, please go ahead with your grind. I'll be crafting Mera's new armor over here so don't mind me.

_ Mera II: My body is ready~

Not going to lie, that sounds really weird when she is facing a tree instead of us.

_ Hessy: Right, I don't want to spend too much time around these maniacs either…

One day, I'll have to break it to my manager that she recruited every single one of the maniacs in question herself. Sigh~

_ Hessy: [Dark Bolt]!

It was at that moment, I remembered.

The other purpose of the [ Iced Milk Tea] set.

Welp~~~

____________

After another day of constant boss raiding, the waitress in charge, , is taking it a teensy bit easy at the counter. Engaging in small chats with patrons is still work, and is certainly better at intelligence gathering than cursing the patrons out.

Even if they keep asking for the latter.

_ Rogue: Hey, there is no [Water]-type boss in the northern part of the forest right?

Pulling out a paper map filled with detailed notes of each hunting zones, the waitress examines it carefully then spreads it on the counter for the rogue and nearby interested parties to see.

_ Inerin: There used to be two in that field back then, but there is none in its current state. You can find three in the Honey Swamp and one every five minutes of walking on the beach.

_ Rogue: Uh, I'm good though. Truth is, we saw massive ice pillars rising from out of nowhere while farming there.

_ Inerin: Ice pillars?

_ Rogue: Ya, bigger than most building support pillars in Tyrel, reminding me of the first Magnus Bestia's rock ripple attack. We thought that another one popped up, but found nothing when we went in that direction.

Which is not possible, silently thinks . If a unique boss had shown up, everyone would know because of the system message. There has been none since the refrigerator in the mountain. That, she is certain, for always has at least one player working at the counter, 24/7.

_ Inerin: Do you remember its general location?

_ Rogue: Around here, I think?

Because she is a professional service worker with a cool head and unbiased opinions, carefully takes into account the location, timing, rare skills that can have such effects…

_ Inerin (Guild): , please tell me you were NOT playing in the forest today.

…And jumped straight to the simplest explanation.

_ Shadyna (Guild): I'm so sorry~!

It was bullseye, unfortunately.

_ Inerin: It was a player's skill. You shouldn't mind it too much.

_ Rogue: Players huh? Guess I wasn't imagining it when I thought I heard screams…

_ Inerin: You were.

_ Rogue: Eh, I was?

_ Inerin: You were.

She's not going to tell him the details though. This is supposed to be intelligence gathering, not sharing!

--- Topic: Illusive Sprout General Topic #9 ---

## Newbie Charisma build

Just got this from the tournament thread: [Link]

Our favorite sprouty girl was featured in the promotional trailer for the event! \(^o^)/

##

## Bountiful Hunter

Wait, what trailer? I thought there was no footage until the big day? (・・?

EDIT: Holy crepe Sateri-chan even put it on the main site! She has officially recognized us!

##

## GoldBar9999

Wasn't Black Mantis supposed to stay out of this tournament? Think of the poor soul facing her in the first round! (￣□￣;)

##

## Mage of Sin

Getting cold feet already? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Worry not, Sapling Cuisine and Aspiring Heroes were only practicing together, then Pathwrecker joined in on the fun. Not sure why it was caught on Sateri-chan's camera though.

##

## Fire mage of Justice

The same way she made the previous trailer: She was watching. ( ﾟдﾟ)

##

## CuteIsJustice

Big sis is always watching!

I for one welcome our digital all-seeing overlord! (*´▽｀*)

##

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